AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth

Once again, Mercury had been summoned to Ozpin's office. This time though, it was an ask rather than a request. There was a meeting between Ozpin, Ironwood and Qrow and he was invited. That was quite the compliment.

The meeting was at seven. Mercury had slept in the dorms after a night out with the entire year group. BRN were heading to their mission next week and with REY's return and Mercury's passing the Mane Graduation, high spirits all around. They had only got back at around five in the morning and everyone else was sleeping in.

At least I hadn't needed to babysit everyone. Can't deny it was a fun night out though. Just as well as it was probably my last night with all of them. Odd how they've slipped into 'ally' territory despite all the drama.

Mercury hadn't known Amber Autumn would be there as well, though he supposed it made sense. The Fall Maiden was for the Beacon Relic and she probably knew about Salem already, so why wouldn't she be here?

Qrow wasn't there yet. He was the one they were waiting on.

Mercury leaned against one of the pillars silently. Ironwood and Ozpin were discussing academics; something about organising the many missions fourth years had to do. Autumn seemed to be having a conversation with someone on her scroll.

Five minutes later, Qrow showed up. He ruffled Mercury's hair, who shoved him off with a playful scowl and fixed the mess.

Qrow looked at Ozpin. "I hear you're trying to turn my son into an alcoholic?"

Mercury snorted. Even Autumn seemed in agreement, chuckling a little herself.

"Like father, like son," Mercury quipped.

Qrow gave him a look.

"I gave him a reason to refuse a drink without bothering the person he is spending time with for whatever reason," Ozpin replied casually. "People will think it's odd someone his age would refuse."

That fact Mercury had noticed and it had been really annoying until the message got through. Even more annoying was the fact he had to drill it into the majority of people he met.

Also gives others the ability to tell me from a very idiotic changeling.

"Shall we get on topic?" Ironwood asked.

"What is the plan for the Vytal Festival next year?" Mercury started off with. He thought that was the biggest problem that they knew of, save for the high number of nutjobs running around.

"A good place to start," Ozpin agreed. "I don't suppose the simple solution of Remedy not attending is viable?"

Mercury shrugged. "No way Ruby and Yang would agree to that except for a really good reason. To be fair, this would count. Rainbow would have passed on enough for them to figure that out though." He considered. "That is assuming they don't know Spring already."

"The cat Grimm are a new development and their fixation on Ms Ryu does seem like an odd coincidence." Interesting that Mercury and Ironwood agreed on something. "It might be for the best she doesn't go to Haven."

Qrow chuckled. "Yeah, I don't see that happening."

Autumn spoke up. "If we can't stop her from going, then what if we move the Relic from its hiding place? Mercury's Semblance allows us to bypass the Headmaster and Emerald can take it."

Mercury could see that but there was another problem. "Then what do we do with it? A hiding place is only good if no one finds it. I don't think a cookie jar would do the job."

"I think I disagree."

All eyes went to Ozpin.

"Do you recall the Fidelius Charm?"

Mercury thought back. "Yes…?"

Autumn considered. "That would be the obscure charm the Potters used to hide, correct?"

"Not that it did them much good," Mercury noted. "Should have just dosed everyone with Veritaserum from the beginning. Or been their own Secret Keeper." He had never learned the reason they didn't do that. It would have solved all their problems.

Ozpin stared straight at Mercury. "Do you think it is possible to construct something similar using Dust powered Runes?"

That was a fascinating idea. It was also far more ambitious than the good luck charm he had made Qrow. On top of that, he couldn't just look it up as the books didn't exist here. He began to run theories through his mind. "It…might be possible. I can't say until I actually try but I think it might be possible."

"What is this Fidelius Charm?" Ironwood asked. "You didn't mention that."

"The ultimate cheat in hide and seek," Qrow commented. "Put a location under a Fidelius Charm and it can't be found unless you're told by a very specific person: the Secret Keeper. You could be looking straight at it and not see it." He turned back to Mercury. "How do you think this will work?"

"Well obviously it's not going to work exactly the same. There's also the problem that more powerful combinations have to be recharged by aura eventually and this will definitely need it. Maybe…I can get the person whose aura it is to act as 'Secret Keeper'. The problem then becomes if that Secret Keeper dies suddenly and the charge still has a few years in it. I'm not sure what would happen next. I'll test a few ideas and see what I can do."

Ironwood thought it over. "So let's say the Relic had these Runes and Crawford charged the aura. It could be sitting on the desk and none of us would see it except him?"

"That's the theory. I don't know if I could tell anyone and that part work, but it's easy enough to remove my aura and let someone else…" He trailed off as he looked as Ozpin. "When you reincarnate, is your aura the same?"

There was hesitation there. "It is very similar. It is not exactly identical."

Mercury considered. The Ozpin spirit went from host to host, so the new host's aura would affect the ancient one. Maiden power was affected and that didn't take such a conscious role in the host's life. The problem remained.

"Even so…" Ironwood took a moment to think. "It would be a useful stopgap measure for this year. If it is doable. Would the magic of the Relic affect the Runes?"

"No idea," Mercury replied. "But probably. My thought was a box or something to contain it." He was curious as to what the Relic actually did, but given that this one was Knowledge, Mercury was happy not knowing. Honestly using any of them (even Choice) seemed like a bad idea.

"A simple bag wouldn't do it," Ozpin warned. "But it is better than altering the Relics themselves."

"What about the bottomless bags?"

"Still say you should sell them," Qrow muttered.

"Far too much of a security risk," Ironwood countered.

"Hardly a security risk when everyone wears their weapons out in the open."

Autumn rolled her eyes. Mercury had genuinely missed this argument. They hadn't wanted Dust powered Runes getting out, so everyone had been very careful who knew about them. They had been pulling off 'impossible' feats before they started using them, so the kids thought nothing of their games now.

"Back on topic," Autumn cut in. "Where exactly is the Relic in Haven?"

Ozpin took a moment to answer. "In the entry foyer, there's a statue. Leonardo has an object that allows it to act as a lift to the entrance to the Vault."

"Easy enough," Mercury commented. "Is that it?"

"You know that only Spring can continue but that is the main obstacle."

"There is also the issue of the teachers-" Ironwood continued.

Mercury waved a hand. "Even easier. We won't be caught. The question remains: what to do with it after?"

No one commented on his casual dismissal of the teachers of Haven. They were probably thinking more on Emerald's Semblance than Mercury's stealth skills. Mercury's stealth skills were only rubbish in video games.

"For the short term, a bottomless bag would be able to contain it," Ozpin conceded. "However, it cannot stay there long term."

"Doable. Does Haven have cameras?" Because if it did, Mercury would have to disable them and that would add time and increase the odds of complications.

"Not at the moment but something I am considering." Ironwood was serious. How amusing and beneficial. "There is the fact that Mistral is the biggest Kingdom and so my men will be more stretched than before."

"Not helped by the fact the Mistral Huntsmen are disappearing." All eyes went on Mercury. It took him a moment to place why. "No one else noticed?"

"People have been disappearing all over the planet, Mercury." Autumn tilted her head. "So what are you saying?"

"Save Vale." Which was very odd, come to think of it. Compared to everywhere else, Vale City got off easy. There had to be a reason behind that. "But even for Mistral, something's wrong."

Ironwood shook his head. "There's been nothing to suggest that anything unusual is happening there."

Mercury rolled his eyes. "If you say so. Personally, I find it odd that the majority of them have been on missions recently and a lot of those didn't return."

Qrow took a drink from his flask. "Silvertongue, have I told you that you're paranoid?"

"Not for…" Mercury checked his scroll. "Twenty two hours."

"Then I'm overdue. You're being paranoid. They're probably not returning home because they took jobs somewhere else."

Mercury shrugged. Qrow knew the Huntsmen in Mistral; he didn't. He might think Qrow was wrong, but the man had more reason to think the better scenario. Besides, with many Huntsmen dying for whatever reason in recent months, demand was high and so recent graduates from Combat Schools were taking jobs often above their experience.

It was something Mercury was going to take advantage of.

"However, it might be something to keep in mind," Ironwood noted. "The White Fang were active around Vale when the target was Beacon. They are likely to be near Mistral this time also."

Autumn spoke. "What has been happening with the White Fang? They have been quiet recently."

"Not exactly," Qrow responded. "There was an attack on a large caravan two weeks ago in Anima. It was initially written off as a bandit attack, but it wasn't. A nice attempt to disguise it, but the White Fang were responsible."

Ironwood frowned. "A caravan? What was it carrying?"

"Funnily enough, no one knows. It wasn't an official one, everything had been taken and there were no survivors."

"Nice and shady," Mercury commented. He would mention it to Blake later.

"Not all relief aid is official," Ozpin replied. "Some people organise it with the government's tacit approval but there's no paperwork."

"Which brings the question of how they knew where to attack. And it might not be relief aid."

Ozpin tilted his head to acknowledge the point.

Ironwood seemed equally worried. "Your paranoia may have merit. Perhaps there is someone is Mistral working for Salem."

Qrow gave him a flat look. "How you been to Mistral recently?"

Autumn smiled with a shake of the head. She took a deep breath. "It might be a bit difficult to determine who is after quick money and those that work for her directly or by proxy. The Headmaster is a problem in of himself."

There was a moment of quiet.

Mercury had a question. "How long has Lionheart been the Headmaster?" Surely he wasn't the first since the Great War, but if he knew so much about Krystal Umi he might have been her Headmaster. He had been Autumn's.

"Thirty years," Ozpin answered quietly.

Oh joy. Okay. Good amount of time and a lot of history there. No wonder they're still not sure even now.

Mercury chose to let the point go.

Maybe I should look into him when I get there. Possibly look for places to put a listening device in his office. They're easy enough to get in Mistral.

"What are your plans for the next year, Crawford?" Ironwood obviously had something in mind. Two spies was better than one and while Qrow had the advantage of changing into a crow, Mercury had the advantage of being young and looking harmless. As far as he was aware, no one but his family and Ozpin knew about Fluffy.

"When the girls go back to Beacon, take a ship to Anima and walk to Haven, taking jobs along the way." He could get to Haven in a matter of months or days depending on how he travelled, but he wanted more 'normal' life experience. That was what Mercury lacked.

Besides, being on the road would stave off boredom more than staying in Mistral City for nearly a year.

Ironwood's gaze went to Qrow.

Qrow shrugged. "He's going alone." He thought some more. "Save if Talaria decides to tag along." He turned to Mercury. "Which I think she should."

"Yeah. I know. I plan to."

Vipertooth didn't normally live in packs and the last known pack had been one hundred and twenty years prior, but they were intelligent enough to adapt to them if need be despite never being taught. However, she was a predator and Mercury didn't think being in a house for the rest of her life was good for her. She was trained, not tame or domesticated. She still had wild instincts and she was obviously very intelligent. She needed constant enrichment and was tied to the family now, never mind the fact this wasn't even her Earth.

Mercury had raised Talaria from a hatchling. He would admit to himself he was very attached to her.

"Who has access to her anti-venom?" Ironwood did have a valid concern there.

"At the moment, Beacon infirmary and all the hospitals in the Kingdom of Vale. No more as far as I know." And Mercury himself.

"And you." Ironwood caught on.

"And me." After all, it wouldn't do that Talaria bit someone that he wanted to keep alive and he didn't have it. When he couldn't get them help, the 12 minutes it took her wasn't any different to the 3 minutes it took the original Vipertooth, save that they would have longer to write an epitaph.

Mercury had no doubt Ironwood would stop at the infirmary to pick some up. Mercury had only allowed a certain amount to be produced as Talaria had come very close to biting Dr Waterbrook after one too many milking sessions. None of the others had taken her back as Talaria flat out refused to cooperate and became aggressive.

However, Talaria did allow Mercury to milk her and so he had venom in liquid form as well as the anti-venom.

Small wonder Ironwood is worried that I am carrying around lethal poison that no hospital can treat.

Unknown to Ironwood, Mercury didn't have much venom at the moment. He had used a lot of it over the last few weeks to train his immune system to fight it if the venom ever ended up in his own blood for whatever reason. Emerald hadn't been happy with his little routine, but she had confirmed he was now immune before she left last week when they tested double the fatal dose on him.

Ozpin moved on. "Has there been any news on Venus Solgale?"

Ironwood scowled. "No. She's gone underground. It is thought she's left Atlas and there have been possible sightings in Vacuo. That cannot be confirmed."

Vacuo was tricky like that.

Mercury opened his mouth.

"No," Qrow cut in without turning around. Mercury stayed quiet. Given what he had planned, it was best not to press. Qrow continued. "If she's smuggling tech and Dust, then she's got to be using docks or old checkpoints. Something that size…Someone must have seen something."

"But how do you find them?" Autumn asked.

"Normally blind luck."

Mercury snorted.

Ironwood rubbed his temples. "Very productive Qrow."

"That's reality." Qrow was completely unapologetic. "But I'll see what I can do."

"Then we'll continue this discussion next month." Ironwood gave each a respectful nod and leave.

Before he could follow, Ozpin called him back. "Mercury, I need to speak with you."

What now?

Autumn left without another word. Qrow waited a moment with a raised eyebrow.

"Tonight." Mercury had business in Vale today.

"Of course." He followed Autumn, who had waited for him. They vanished in the hum of the elevator.

Mercury took the seat in front of Ozpin. "What now?"

"It concerns the Dust drug ring that Tuddar stumbled across."

"Pretty sure you shouldn't be discussing it with me."

Ozpin sighed. "Mercury. The only connection you have to Raine is Yang. She was the one who asked you to go." It was a statement, so Mercury didn't say anything. "Tuddar is awake and is not being very cooperative."

"I'll bet. But why talk with it for me? As you said, I barely know ARTS."

"True. None of the students are displaying unusual behaviour…"

"Not that I would really notice unless they did something ridiculous." From the sound of it, Tuddar had hid his addiction well.

"But it is very rarely one student."

Mercury didn't know that, but it made sense. "So I ask again: why talk with it with me?"

"I know full well a lot of gossip does not make it to the teachers. What I want is for you is to acquire the dealer's records. We need to know if this is a new group with a few local clients or something far more sophisticated."

Mercury leaned back as he thought. A job was a job. "Any preference of how I get these records?"

"Stealth. In and out. No one finds out you were there or involved in any way. As few deaths as you can manage. Otherwise, I leave that to you."

That was a lot of flexibility. The few kills was a bit of a complication, but drug gangs often had a lot of contacts so fair enough. "Any particular timetable to work to?"

"Before you leave for Anima, but preferably as soon as you can manage."

There was one more question then. "When is Tuddar discharged?"

"The day after tomorrow. He'll return to Beacon then, but I don't believe he'll talk to you."

No, Tuddar wouldn't. However, there was plenty Mercury could learn. Still, why pick him? "How many Huntsmen are in Vale right now?" With the 'Undesirables' possibly involved, it was dangerous for the police.

"Three that are unattached to responsibilities, Qrow included."

Mercury frowned. "That's it? Aren't there dozens of Huntsmen that live around here?"

Ozpin shook his head slightly. "Not recently. They have taken jobs around the globe."

I knew some of them had left, but it's that bad? Good grief.

"Sure then."

"Six figures enough for you?"

Mercury raised an eyebrow. That was a lot of money. It could be high risk, but it was simple enough and if he played his cards right, it wouldn't take long. "For my first proper job, yeah."

"Be careful. There might be other people who will recognise you."

Mercury knew that.

He also knew these people had very high bounties on them.

"Did Qrow refuse before you came to me?" You don't entrust things like this to rookies, which in a way Mercury was.

Ozpin sighed. "No. I would prefer Qrow but I need someone the students trust." Mercury gave him an incredulous look. "You do qualify for that Mercury. I've seen it."

"Uh huh." Mercury wasn't commenting on that. He stood up and headed to the lift. Once he got there though, he stopped. Something had been bothering him since the day he learned everything behind closed doors. "Can I ask something personal?"

"You can."

"What was your name? Before Ozpin came."

…

"Do you know who the last person to ask me that was?"

It didn't require much thought. "Harry."

"Harry." Ozpin let out a breath. Mercury would describe it as wistful. "It is or was Conall Sandor."

Is or was.

"Professor." With that, Mercury left.

Yang left early, before Ruby and Emerald got up. She intended to be back before they woke up and she thought her odds were good. Mercury being gone already was nothing new.

She had a destination in mind: Junior's bar. She had been there with ARTS on three occasions and maybe Junior would know something about the Dust drugs Tuddar managed to get hold of. He normally knew a lot about the Vale Underground.

She walked down the streets and stopped. She had seen something off a few seconds ago. She backtracked and looked around.

Fluffy was lying on top of a wall.

"Really?" Yang asked.

Fluffy flicked his tail. He tilted his head.

"That's none of your business."

Fluffy stood and walked forward. He pressed his head against Yang's arm.

Yang focused on his aura…

And was immediately annoyed at Ozpin. [Why the hell did he pick you?] She placed her hand on Fluffy's head. [What was does he want that list for?]

[Artemis, Tuddar's still allowed at Beacon. He needs healthcare, therapy and I don't know what else. If he's studying at Beacon, maybe they're providing for it. I don't think Ozpin was wrong when he said there are probably more students. He can hardly provide care for one and ignore the others if they come forward. How much money is he supposed to put aside?]

Yang could see that. She didn't know how Mercury came to that conclusion, but it wasn't his normal 'worst case scenario and this person is not to be trusted' thought. He had heard that somewhere, not from Ozpin, and had seen evidence for it. She let that be. [But why you?]

[He needs someone that can talk to the students but not rat them out. I checked though. Save for Qrow and the teachers, the only other Huntsmen in Vale is a last year graduated team: WEAT.]

Well, that was a good point. Mercury did have their respect, if nothing else. And WEAT were made up of privileged children with little life experience even with the school missions. She glanced around before nodding. She stepped back. "Coast's clear. Change back and you can tag along to meet my friend."

Fluffy gave her a foxy grin. He hopped down, shifting into Mercury halfway.

Junior's club wasn't too far. She would have preferred her bike, but she had left it at home as she didn't want to leave it somewhere it could be stolen.

"There are plenty of Top Ten videos Yang. Besides, there's only one episode of the dub out and over five thousand people have watched it. Why not stick with that for now?"

"Five thousand isn't a big number Mercury."

"It is when it's only been a week and the game came out over a decade ago."

The recording had been done the week before they went on their mission, but they had delayed it so they could update weekly and they hadn't had the time to record this week.

"Did you see Jagoda about next year?"

"Yeah. She says it will need full bars, but the transfer should go well."

The idea was that they had Mercury on the scroll when recording with him and he would record quite a bit on his own to send in an attachment. It was doable; some animated films were very successful despite the fact the voice actors never met each other or recorded together.

"Is Jagoda trying to get back into the recording business?"

Yang considered. "I'm not sure. I know she only attended Combat Schools because of her parents. I think she's using us to test if she wants to do something similar as a career."

"She seemed pretty confident at her ability to filter out background noise. Apparently, I'm not even going to sound digital when recorded over the scroll."

"That would be a boon for the business." If Jagoda managed that, she would be able to walk any job interview in that area. "She's also thinking about remixing some of the soundtracks."

Mercury thought that over. "I'm in agreement about that actually. Not the main theme obviously, but I think that supposed depressed tune would sound better on a piano."

Maybe. "Are you volunteering?"

He scoffed. "I have no interest in playing an instrument."

Yang shrugged. "Maybe we could get the music club involved."

"They do seem to have a lot of free time."

The sight of Junior's club was almost a disappointment. "It takes time and practice to get good at a skill Eris."

Mercury jerked his head in casual agreement.

Grinning, Yang pushed open the outer doors and sauntered to the main two leading to the dancefloor. By unspoken agreement, Mercury stayed behind her.

The look on the two 'bouncers' faces was comical. They immediately ran inside.

"This should be good," Mercury murmured behind her.

In response, Yang just blasted the door open.

"Again, how do you intend to pay for that if he brings it to court?"

"He won't," she whispered back. She strolled in. All eyes were on her. "Guess who's back?"

Her welcome was a load of guns in her face.

Yep. Definitely made an impression.

"I'm liking your definition of 'friend'." Mercury was certainly amused.

"Stop, stop! Nobody shoot." The crowd parted to allow Junior through. "Blondie. Back again. Why?"

"You still owe me a drink. And don't skip out on the umbrella."

Mercury's paranoia was frustrating on the best of days, but having an assassin watching your back was very reassuring. He didn't even require payment. While Yang was sure nothing would happen, she couldn't shake the scenarios that he had put in her head when he heard about her trashing the club originally and Emerald's comment about pissing off someone in Vacuo brought those thoughts back to the front of her mind.

Besides, now that Mercury was a Huntsman, he would be getting information in places like this. She'd help him get a foot in the door.

She would save the 'I told you so' until after they left.

Junior did actually get her strawberry sundae with an umbrella once he was behind the bar. She raised it in a salute and took a few sips. It was a good one too.

"And you?" Junior addressed Mercury.

"I'll pass."

Junior shrugged and looked back to Yang. "What do you want Blondie?"

"Dust drugs Junior. What do you know?"

He hesitated a moment there. "Dust drugs? Don't get caught up in that Blondie. It'll only end badly."

"It'll end badly for you if you don't tell me what I want to know."

He considered, then shrugged. "Your funeral. The guy you want to talk to goes by 'Fizzer'. He's the one dealing them to kids like you."

"And where do we find Fizzer?"

"Warehouse 16 every Tuesday. He had to change it after a buy gone bad a few days ago. Fair warning Blondie: it's never the same after and not worth it."

"I disagree," Mercury replied. "But thanks for the info."

"Just don't expect me at your funeral."

Yang downed her drink. "Come Merc. Time to go."

He dutifully followed her out of the club. They were a few streets away when Mercury spoke.

"Interesting guy."

"I told you so."

Mercury snorted. "Oh he certainly knew more, but that's enough for what I need. No need to burn that bridge I suppose."

"No fighting. And keep me in the loop."

"Like I said, I don't plan to for the first. The second I'll decide when I see the list for myself."

Yang wanted to go with him but she was very aware he operated best on his own. She was also aware that, while he sucked in video games, Mercury was a master of stealth in reality. Yang was rubbish at that in both video games and real life.

Oddly enough, Jaune is the best at mandatory stealth sections. And screw water levels.

"How about the 'top ten times we failed at stealth in video games'?"

"Title needs work. And I get the feeling it's going to be mainly your playthroughs."

If that was his only complaint, then Yang had already won.

Mercury would keep her in the loop of relevant information. She also might be able to help him as Raine was far more likely to talk to her than him.

Ozpin might have given the assignment to Mercury, but he was essentially saying 'let me know numbers and keep an eye on certain risk students without breaking their confidence within reason'.

Yang was more than willing to help whatever way she could.

Monday night saw Qrow shadowing a recently graduated team: WEAT. They had accepted a bounty for an 'Undesirable' (Adrian Green) and recent info put that target in Vale. Ozpin had contacted Qrow when he found out; he didn't think this particular team was ready for something like that.

From what Qrow could see, he would agree.

They had started well; going to the police station for information, asking security companies for their public footage and even visiting the places the target had been seen.

The issue was that they were too by the book. No initiative or deviations. He had checked with Oz what missions they had gone on at Beacon and the majority of them were Grimm extermination. Three had been in smaller villages and even then there was nothing that required more than following orders. Very little life experience.

Graduating appeared to have gone to their heads. A lot of kids died that way.

Green had been one Qrow had brought in and he had a nasty parlour trick: jealousy and paranoia amplifier. Let him touch for too long and the victim can become as crazed as a serial killer. His MO was that he very rarely killed his victims himself, but took advantage of the people around him.

The Semblance was known and in the job description, but Qrow very much doubted these kids realised how dangerous it was.

It has long been tradition to not get involved in a job if someone else has taken it. If they fail, then it was fair game but Huntsmen did not tend to take a mission someone else has without a very good reason and without the current task-doers consent.

Just watching these kids for an hour told Qrow he wouldn't be welcome.

The quickest solution would be to find Green himself.

The issue with that he wouldn't be surprised if blind luck had the kids stumble across him first. That was normally the case with young teams. The targets sometimes watched the mission board as well and while most would stay out of sight, some took a perverse pleasure in taking out those they knew they could. Often slowly and painfully.

Qrow knew Green was one of the second group.

As risky as it was, the best way to keep them safe was to keep out of sight until Green revealed himself.

If he was still in this position next week, Qrow would reconsider his approach. Honestly, he was very doubtful these kids would last a week without help.

Tuesday rolled around fast enough.

With Marcus' training alone, Mercury would have been leaning towards the 'pose as a student that wants drugs to deal with problems' route. His captivity would pay dividends for that scenario and he would be able to snag some of those bounties pretty easily.

With Fluffy, he could play hide and follow. The only difficulty there was that black foxes were noticed in Vale, even if most people would dismiss him as an escaped exotic pet. However, after dark and using building's shadows, it was very easy to sneak around and no one ever thought of animals. Why would they? No Semblance recorded allowed someone to turn into an animal.

They also didn't have hallucinations in that remarkably long list, even after Maia enrolled, so there obvious and intentional omissions.

Send an aura animal into the air to act as recon, then he never needed to be in view of the target. People didn't tend to look up. At least, not above rooftop level. He blamed the recent surge of assassin games for that inconvenient paranoia.

Either way, he was set.

The only problem might be the red eyed crow that was hanging around near the warehouses.

Right. Do I go say 'hi' or ignore him?

Crows didn't have great night vision but, as noted when planning, there weren't many black foxes running around Vale and from his view, he would most likely to be spotted. He wasn't looking this way, so his focus was elsewhere.

Screw it. He's probably on a job so I better not compromise it if I can. If he wants to say hi, he can raise a wing. Not like I'm doing anything wrong.

Warehouse 16 wasn't at the docks like the numbers 1-15, but instead at an 'abandoned' building site just on the edge of the city.

After a second look to make sure it was a crow and not a raven, Mercury returned to the business at hand.

Get in and out without anyone seeing. Ozpin, you do realise I could kill all these people and not be harmed, right?

Probably.

But these guys were normally quite low on the ladder. They would have the local list of clients if they had one at all; but not the whole thing. If Dr Waterbrook was right about the additional funds to the infirmary and Vale hospitals, then Ozpin only needed the local list.

And given that this is Dust drugs rather than cannabis or something like that, the odds of there being a list is much higher. It does make me wonder where they are getting the Dust from. Shops haven't been hit recently.

He would ask Weiss about any inconsistences in paperwork or attacks later.

Rather than a winged fox, Mercury used something else as a drone. He had managed to get an aura bird of prey of his own. Rather than an eagle for Ruby, his was a falcon. As it wasn't his Simple or Guardian Form, he couldn't possess it but it also wouldn't show the individuality those Forms did. While he didn't think that would be a problem as he could control them easily, the last thing he needed was the fox to look the wrong way because it felt bored when he wasn't paying attention.

However, the falcon had to be commanded before it could move. It would just hover in position until Mercury moved it.

Also, if he put it in the right place, no one who could see it would think anything was wrong, which they would if they saw a winged fox.

The falcon landed on the Warehouse 16 roof. There was an excellent view of the area, save for those very close to the walls. With no windows and only one door, that was not much of an issue.

Mercury did note that the falcon had attracted Qrow's attention. But he was staying away and he soon looked away. He was shadowing someone else and was apparently worried enough not to leave them even for a few moments.

That was something to keep in mind. If Qrow anticipated trouble and he wasn't too far, then his caution was justified.

'Fizzer' (complete with nametag for who knew what reason) came out of the warehouse at nine o'clock on the dot with someone Mercury didn't recognise and two he did: Ashiel something and something Green. Mercury was immune to the latter's Semblance as he was paranoid already and jealousy was an emotion Mercury was literally incapable of feeling, like fear recently. Ashiel was an 'Undesirable' but he had never seen or heard the unknown one.

Fluffy took a good sniff. Tracking was beyond him at the moment as the length of time scents had been there was difficult to figure out. However, he could tell what was an immediate scent (in the area right now) and what was a past scent (was here before but not now).

He counted four scents where they should be. There was three others coming down the alley Fluffy was lying in. He was well hidden, so he wasn't worried.

All three were adults and definitely didn't attend Beacon.

Green stretched his arms. He put his hands behind his head and gave them an easy smile. To most people, he would look casual and relaxed.

Only experience allowed Mercury to spot that anticipatory glint in his eye. He was planning something.

Irritatingly, the seven headed back into the warehouse.

The nose said that there was no one else around.

The falcon's viewpoint agreed.

Fluffy dashed out of his cover and slipped into the open floor warehouse. Having scouted it earlier in the day, Mercury knew the layout of the contents inside. Official statements said that the warehouse was empty; Mercury knew there were boxes around and had a good route planned if needed. If this stuff was still here tomorrow at good hours, he would have a proper look in them. At the moment, he didn't want to endanger his chances.

That briefcase was new though.

The group were talking money. Mercury was getting the impression these were distributors and not clients. They certainly weren't showing the signs of addiction.

They were certainly all very relaxed. No adrenaline at all.

Five minutes and they hadn't moved on from money and quite low figures considering the trade.

"25K. Last offer." The unknown.

Fizzer shrugged. "Good for me. Good for the boss though…Heh…Who knows?"

"Please doing business with you." Green. He then left the warehouse with a casual whistle along with his friend from before.

Mercury let them go. They weren't his objective or his problem.

The falcon spotted a problem. The two men were being approached by four figures. They were slightly smaller people who vaguely looked familiar.

It took a full three seconds for him to remember that they had been in Beacon last year. WEAT, he was sure. He ignored that meeting outside for now.

Fluffy crept closer to the briefcase.

Ashiel was counting money. "How long you sticking around?"

"Hey, give the kids a chance. Tuesdays are horrible for whatever reason. Besides, red Dust is the best kick and we got some to sell this time."

Interesting. So red Dust hadn't been an option before. Red Dust was also the most likely Dust to get them killed in drug form, overdose or not. It was considered the most sought after on the market for a reason: it had the best 'kick'.

There was an explosion sound from outside.

Fluffy ignored it.

Fizzer jumped. Ashiel just looked up.

"What was that?"

There was another explosion.

These kids need to learn subtlety.

Through the falcon's eyes, there was a 'fight' going on outside. At least, between the unknown and the team. Green appeared to be enjoying himself and acting was a very entertained commentator. Curious seeing as he seemed to be the one they were gunning for, at the cost of ignoring the unknown.

Frankly, these kids were not worth the effort of going to help them if they were going to be this stupid. What a waste of four years and a team.

Fizzer pinched his nose. "This had better not scare off the customers."

Rather unlikely.

Ashiel snorted. "Oh please. They'll wait until it blows over and come back. How many are you waiting for?"

"Six." Fizzer opened the briefcase. A wave of sharp and sweet wafted out. He snagged a book and studied it. It snapped shut. "Six. And at least four will take the red and green and probably the mix too."

No mention of blue. Was that standard to get them hooked and the higher risk came later?

WEAT were now attacking each other. Green was fighting with a now human Qrow.

So he was shadowing them. From the few seconds I saw, smart idea.

Fluffy ignored the excitement outside.

But maybe he could use it.

Fluffy trotted along through the mini labyrinth to the corner. If he timed this right…

Someone hit the wall.

As if in response, one of the crates fell over.

Ashiel growled. "I'll go deal with this."

There went one.

"And if it's a customer? I'm going with you."

There went the other.

That was an unexpected bonus. If Qrow could keep them both busy outside, which was rather unlikely given he and Green had gotten quite some distance from the kids, then this was pretty easy.

And as there was only one way in or out, Fizzer was comfortable leaving his nice little book behind.

Fluffy shifted into Mercury. His scouting earlier had revealed no cameras and he had been pretty thorough.

There was a lock on the book. A set of lock picks made quick work of that.

Thanks for the birthday present Qrow.

Everyone was still outside. No one was even trying to separate WEAT. Qrow was in a three way fight at the moment.

Keeping an eye on them through the falcon, Mercury noted the book wasn't just a list of names. He did find what he was looking for, but he took pictures of every page and not just that one. He would sort through everything later.

Replacing the lock and the book, he left everything as he found it and shifted back to Fluffy. He walked through the wall on the far side. He took off at a run, far enough out to loop around the buildings around the site.

Back in the alley and finding no scents other than those he expected, he stayed hidden and waited. If Qrow started having problems, then he would intervene. From the stories he had heard from Zephyr about how he caught some of the Undesirables in the first place, he was impressed and probably wouldn't be needed.

Green didn't seem to be causing Qrow any problems. Fizzer obviously wasn't a fighter. Ashiel was…

Leaving.

Okay. Let's see if an opportunity presents itself.

WEAT were still infighting, but no one was paying them much attention, save for making sure they weren't going to be a problem.

The falcon remained on the roof. If needed, Mercury would change it to his Simple Form to help Qrow. At the moment, he didn't need it

Fluffy backtracked to follow Ashiel. The man was heading into the heart of Vale City. It wasn't necessarily witnesses Mercury was worried about; he had no idea what Ashiel could do.

Quickest and cleanest way is to shatter his aura. That shouldn't be a problem if I can get the right place.

Tuesday night. Not the most common night for partying, but it was also the last weeks of the school year. The last thing Mercury needed was a hostage situation.

Ashiel was making no differentiation between well-lit roads and just out of common sight.

Qrow had dealt with Green; the man was out cold. Qrow wasn't looking much better honestly, but he now had to deal with the problem with WEAT at each other's throats.

And there are the accusations of affairs. I know for a fact they're false.

On second thought, when he caught Ashiel, he would double back and help Qrow. It was easy fighting someone you didn't care whether they lived or died, but it's not easy fighting someone you don't want to hurt.

Fizzer had taken off. Qrow hadn't given chase.

To be fair, if he had, I'm pretty sure there would have been a fatality by now.

Finally.

Ashiel had taken a shortcut down Verde Street. Nicely out of the way.

Fluffy pounced on him from behind. While the force had knocked him down, it was the instant shatter of his aura that kept him down for a moment.

The moment was enough.

Mercury's way of shattering someone's aura was essentially overpowering it with his own and forcing it to break.

Fluffy hopped off before shifting back to Mercury. One more hit in the precise spot and Ashiel was out for the count. When he woke up, he would just assume whoever caught him had a pet.

The police station wasn't far. Mercury was going to hand deliver this one.

From their response, they were used to people dropping others off. The one who ran the fingerprints just stared at the screen before looking at Mercury.

"Guys, I've got somewhere to be. Just deal with him quick."

One of the ones in his forties just shrugged. "I expect a proper report within 3 days."

That was protocol. "I'll be back tomorrow."

As soon as the aura suppressing cuffs went on, Mercury was out the door. He took off at a run, zig zagging through the streets, lit and shady.

He arrived just in time to stop Erin from running Ancer through.

Hang on…His aura feels a little off…No, not his. There's another aura there that shouldn't be.

He wondered if that's what Emerald's Semblance would feel like to him on her victim.

"Done for the night Silvertongue?" Qrow sounded like he could do with a sleep. If he had been following these idiots, then he probably hadn't slept for a few days.

"I was until I came across this."

"Stay out of this Black!" Erin leapt up for a classic (and normally ineffective) stab lunge.

Mercury spun a high kick, knocking him back to the ground. "Last time you said that Erin, you were about to declare war on half of Shade." Which was actually quite impressive and Mercury would have left it be if it wasn't going to be him that had to clean up the mess.

"That's not going to help right now," Qrow muttered. He used the flat of his sword to bat Wyt to Mercury. Mercury side-stepped and focused.

He overpowered aura and made it shatter.

But what happened to Cinder was different. Mercury had been inexperienced and he hadn't shattered her aura like he wanted. He had commanded it to attack itself; she had aura but couldn't use a Semblance or the shield.

Aura Wielders tended to be separated into Aura Warriors and Aura Healers. Mercury fell into the Warrior category, but he had never tried healing someone else. Methods for healing varied, but it came down to the Wielder's aura influencing the patient's.

Using that logic…

Rather than shatter the aura on touch, Mercury smacked Wyt to the ground and focused. He aimed for the 'wrong' aura and willed it out; forced his aura to force it gone.

It was crude, but effective.

It also had the side effect of knocking Wyt out. His aura flared for a moment before settling.

Well. That wasn't planned but it worked well enough.

"You bastard!"

Naturally, one of the team going down meant the other three went after Mercury with no care to the argument they were having before.

Mercury didn't even comment. He just dodged. These guys never had been excellent in combat against others and evidently hadn't been paying attention when Mercury flattened a team in their year twice.

At least with Mane Graduation, the teachers know that the graduate is ready for the real world. Fourth years graduate far easier. Most likely just a few end of the year tests that were nowhere near what I did.

"Was that the plan Silvertongue?"

"Half of one. Not going to argue with the results. It is something I'm going to examine later." Down went Erin. Mercury forced that wrong aura out of him as well, with the same results.

However, after the process repeated with Ancer, he was starting to feel slightly tired.

Definitely need more practice with this ability. I'm not going to get that at home.

Qrow had knocked out Thorne for him. That was less hassle.

Mercury still went over to him and checked. He had that alien aura too. Taking his time, Mercury transferred a little of his aura into Thorne. The transferred aura became Thorne's, just like it always became the recipient's.

So what was Mercury sensing? The effects of Green's Semblance was his theory.

"What you doing Silvertongue?" Qrow crouched down next to him, eyes scanning Thorne for a problem.

"I could sense alien aura in them. I think it's Green's and that's how his Semblance works for an aura perspective. The others really drained me so I want to figure out why…"

There was resistance.

There had been resistance before the transfer-

Except Mercury shouldn't be able to transfer to strangers. Basic aura reading yes but…

So what's going on? I definitely did with the other three and they definitely don't even qualify as allies for me so what gives?

Why had all those sources been for the Aura Healers been so vague? Manipulating someone else's aura when there is no trust to transfer never mind control…Yet they nearly always did transfer…

Mercury didn't have the aptitude to be a healer so he had never thought much on it. He had used the idea and some of the writings to work out how to shatter aura at a touch which was remarkably unfair to them-

Except that's not what happened with Cinder.

Mercury stopped and thought a bit.

Shattering auras was forcing so much of his into theirs and willing theirs to shatter. It wasn't quite transfer; it was far more efficient than transfer started as and his will was stronger than theirs-

His will.

Aura was connected to the soul.

Willpower was very linked to aura.

Previous healers worked with the patient. There was a matter of trust there, if no more than the fact that it was a healer.

But most people resisted Mercury's aura. Even his friends during physical contact, though they hadn't noticed it. His family welcomed it, but there had been a few hesitations before it was accepted. It was as if it took time to accept, yet was very eager when it was trusted.

Maybe my aura doesn't feel 'normal'. That's why their first instinct is to resist and attack. I see everything as an attack at first and it was over before either of us noticed what happened. But I was attacking Green's influence so…

Healers worked with the patients.

But if Mercury's aura was odd and it took more time than anyone else to be accepted as trustworthy, then maybe he had done something a little different.

Rather than work with the patient's aura, he had overpowered them and commanded it. Forced aura that wasn't his to do what he wanted.

That was why Cinder's aura had attacked itself and been a complete hindrance. Mercury had been inexperienced and hadn't made his wish clear. Cinder had been a Maiden; shattering her aura didn't take her out of the fight. 20 weeks later and she still hadn't reclaimed control of it.

Isn't that an interesting fact?

Back to the matter at hand.

Mercury sensed Thorne's aura. Rather rare that someone would be knocked out when they still had aura, but then Qrow knew what he was doing. Mercury focused.

[Attack the intruder. Attack the intruder.]

A chant through his aura. Not his want but his need for this to be done.

Thorne's aura responded. It attacked Green's leftovers and, after a push, eradicated it.

Letting out a long breath, Mercury sat back.

Maybe if I do end up having to heal, I force my aura into them and command it like I did here.

The drain the final time hadn't been as bad as the other three. Now though, he had a theory to try next time. Maybe that was why Emerald's Semblance didn't work great on him anymore. He was certainly still affected but not the degree he was used to…

I wonder if Maia has ever thought about putting lasting images in someone's vision for after she left the area or stopped focusing. I'll bring it up later. Who else might have a Semblance I can try with? Ren's is a maybe. Pyrrha's is a maybe. Tyger, Thistle…Quite a few actually but not many I trust.

"What are we going to do with them?" Mercury asked. "And what were they doing down here anyway?"

If WEAT hadn't been the clients Fizzer was waiting for, which seemed unlikely and Mercury hadn't seen them on the list, then the others had been scared off for tonight.

"Dump them in a hotel for the night, paid for." Qrow was not a happy camper. "I'll be taking that out of their Green bounty mission."

"Seriously? They were the ones to take Green's bounty?" How had they known he would be here?

"Yep. I guess you know his MO?"

Mercury rolled his eyes. "These kids are idiots. I know they were taught better." Himself included in that training. Goodwitch should have pitted him against them and not their classmates.

Qrow shrugged. "Ozpin can't stop them from graduating after completing their last year even if he doesn't agree they're ready. Rather rare these days though."

True, there was no way Ironwood would have passed him if he had any other choice. Mercury could see he could do untold damage.

And already have unwillingly.

"You take the idiots, I'll drop Green off with Ashiel."

"Wondered where you'd got to."

May as well give those statements to the police now. What happened to Green and Ashiel next was not Mercury's problem, though there was a good bet on them being executed.

With a shrug, Mercury got to finishing his work for the night.

He should have his bounty by the end of the night.

And a good sleep should get rid of the almost sudden stinging in his eyes.

Tai headed outside. He hadn't seen Mercury that morning and the fact he just went straight to bed last night worried him a little. Qrow's explanation of him learning more about his aura capabilities (which finally threw the rule book completely out the window but then he probably had far too much to manage normally) had soothed Tai a bit.

Qrow was looking up other bounties and making sure kids hadn't bitten off more than they could chew.

Mercury was with Zwei and Talaria next to him, one on each side and out of immediate view.

What has he got on his head?

Tai approached. Mercury didn't move or say anything, so he didn't object to his presence. He appeared to be meditating. Only when Tai settled opposite him did he notice.

"A blindfold?" It wasn't the first time, but the other times he had been practicing relying on scent and hearing alone. It was a common practice in Beacon in fourth year.

"It helps."

"Helps?"

"Your aura is gold."

A rather random comment. Tai thought that over. Mercury had never seen Tai's aura and Tai didn't think the girls had either. "That doesn't sound like a guess."

"Right now, I can see it."

Tai blinked.

"Then again…'See' isn't quite the right word. I sense auras. My eyes on the conduit. I 'see' you. I 'see' Zwei, though he is more difficult. Talaria…She's almost impossible. I really have to look. The landscape 'looks' dark to me. Difficult to focus on."

After a moment to ponder, Tai lifted his hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?" How much could he differentiate?

Mercury was quiet for a moment. "Three. Four if you count the thumb."

Tai wasn't so sure this was an Aura Wielder ability. The theory he had would require testing but he hoped that he was wrong. "Mercury, can I take your blindfold off for a moment?"

"Sure."

The eyes below were the normal dark grey; nothing different. Tai had expected for them to be glowing a light silver. Mercury was blinking a lot. Tai returned the cloth. "What can you feel? You 'see' my aura, but can you feel it?"

"I…Not really. It's bright but…that's it. You're interesting because everything else is so boring." He quickly replaced the blindfold. "I talked to Maia this morning. Her view is similar but different. Everything is bright and alive to her. Not to me. I just see people on a dark background."

Tai frowned. He pointed. "Take a look at the house. What do you see?"

…

"I can see the walls. I can see the Runes I put on the door." Best anti-intruder measure ever. "They're bright, but not interesting. I…can see through the walls but it hurts to do. Qrow's aura though…It's…alluring. Brighter yet darker than yours."

Alluring.

Of all the adjectives, he went with 'alluring'.

"This isn't my aura. I don't know what it is, but my aura isn't doing it."

No.

It wasn't.

"You have an affinity for Grimm Mercury. Don't deny it. It's the only thing that makes sense; why they didn't appear at places they should when you're around."

Mercury waited for the rest patiently.

"Salem or Ginger…Both of them…They hurt you. Hurt you in a way Marcus couldn't. You adapted."

Mercury tilted his head. "True."

…

Nothing more.

Worrying.

"Have you ever wondered what a Grimm sees?"

Zwei hopped into Mercury's lap. He gave the dog a casual pet as he considered.

"Honestly? No. But if I had, I would have thought they see things differently. You think that's what happening to me?"

Impossible.

RMEY took impossible as a challenge.

Talaria landed on his shoulder and chittered to him.

"Qrow is brighter to you because he is more stressed. You can make out the landscape, but only so you don't crash into it and it doesn't interest you. Talaria you can see a little because she's alive and has a soul, but it's not as…interesting to you. Animals are the same. People are brighter." Tai gave him a smile he half felt. "I think you've evolved Grimm vision."

"Your colour flickered."

Tai sighed. "Probably." He would 'see' negative emotions or at least notice them. "It's just a shock if I'm right."

"When are going to accept that I'm wrong?"

Not wrong as in 'I said something wrong'. Wrong as in…

Tai blinked. He rubbed his temples. "It's not that you're wrong Eris. It's that you're different and you're different in a way no one else is." Or probably ever was. Hopefully.

"I was created to destroy."

"Yet you choose not to."

"…"

"I'm not stupid Eris. I have a rough idea what you're capable of. To us, it doesn't matter. Your aura doesn't feel any different to me." He reached forward. No response. The hand rested on the teen's shoulder. "Even now, it feels the same as it did the day I met you."

Not turmoil.

Confusion, intrigue and concern.

"You bought a harmonica."

Rolled his eyes.

"Who tattled?"

"Melody." Silence. Tai gave him an easier question. "And why did you write a will?" Especially one that would be recorded in all the Kingdoms. Mercury had to be one of the most powerful people on Remnant and was more stubborn that a diamond wall.

"My mother was a prostitute and made money on kids she handed over to the fathers. I wouldn't be surprised if I had siblings somewhere. I don't want them getting my things when I want you to have it."

That was a fair point.

"Not to mention I could have kids of my own out there and I wouldn't know."

That was a point Tai wasn't going to dwell on.

"That's a very interesting harmonica. I was in the music group at Beacon in my day and that one is very different."

"Guy who sold it said something about being able to change key quickly, even midway through a song. Means nothing to me."

"What were you even doing in a music shop?" Melody had said they had been walking down the road when Mercury apparently made an impulsive decision and walked into an instrument shop. It sold nothing else.

There was a shift in his aura there.

Confusion. Anger.

"I don't know."

So Mercury walked into a music shop, bought an instrument, found a tune he liked on the way home and he had no idea why he did it?

"Really?"

Mercury scowled. "The magicals had a good word: compelled. I knew full well what I was doing and even had a good excuse: instruments make people relax around you. But the choice wasn't exactly mine. Same with the tune. I just knew how to play it."

First Yang. Then Emerald creates an ocarina. Ruby's looking up what she wants and is 90% sure it's a guitar. Now Mercury is compelled to buy a harmonica that is so advanced it must have cost him some money as it is essentially a lot of different harmonicas combined. What is going on here?

Honestly, that concerned him more than the Grimm vision.

Speaking of which...

"So. Can you switch it off?"

Relaxed. Back in safe territory. "I'm trying. I've had some success."

"So let's continue. I imagine reading has to be difficult in that mode."

"You've no idea." His aura settled yet was restless. "And now?"

"…Powers evolve. Semblances evolve. Ruby's petal slip now means she can travel at that speed in any direction. You know how Emerald's Semblance has improved, covering all the senses now instead of two. Yang amplifies the energy she absorbs by 4 now rather than 2. Power evolves as the person does. You learned more about your power last night, so this was triggered."

"…It's not biologically possible."

"Neither's turning into an animal Eris. Most Semblances are biologically impossible. Ruby turns into petals and can scatter them in three different directions! That's even weirder than you seeing the world differently. You always did."

Eris was Tai's kid. Son or nephew depended on who he needed at the time.

Abilities meant nothing compared with what you decided to do with them.

And no way in any hell was he letting Eris leave this house with him thinking Tai wouldn't always love him.