AN: In no way am I connected to RWBY

Ruby scanned down the list of missions.

Normally third years took more than one mission in the year. However, with Remedy qualifying for the Vytal Festival, they were only required to do one. All three did want to do more if they could.

Ruby was happy to complete missions while at Haven outside of school hours but right now she needed to make a decision on what to do next week. As usual, Yang and Emerald didn't really have an opinion on what they wanted to do.

Okay. We've done Mountain Glenn twice. We've been to an isolated Vacuo village. We'll be in Mistral for a few months. That leaves Atlas where we haven't been. But Vale and Vacuo are far bigger and then there are the places outside the Kingdoms.

Making up her mind, Ruby searched through her bag to find her map of Remnant. As third years, the Professor or Huntsman was shadowing them, not the other way around. If they picked the right location, they could help a lot of villages.

Missions were scattered all over Remnant. Ruby had ruled out those that advised over a decade of experience. She then removed the pins that recommended five years experience.

Anima.

There were a lot of villages in Anima that were they were able to travel by airship to in a matter of hours. With Mercury staying in Faymarsh now, there were more missions than Ruby was expecting when she thought about it over the summer.

Mercury. Going to Anima would make it easier to visit him. She was curious as to what he would build and invent.

It took most of the day, but Ruby had a plan in mind. She checked her watch: ten to seven. The trip to the Headmaster with her results would have to wait.

Her scroll rang. Ruby didn't recognise the number but she answered anyway. "Hello?"

There was a two second silence.

Then they hung up.

Maybe it was a wrong number?

Ruby shrugged.

Tonight, the first hour was as normal; practice matches and encouraging improvements. This was also the first night Ruby had managed to beat Blake in hand to hand combat. After that victory, Melody then managed to knock Sawyer down three to two.

The next hour was for something else after the main group of fifteen left. Soon, only Ruby, Jaune, Saturn, Forrest and Sinine were left.

Saturn pulled five chairs from the pile they had moved out of the way earlier and placed them in a circle. Ruby, like the others, went to her bag to grab a bottle of water as her pants slowed back to breathing. After a few gulps, she offered it to Saturn.

"Thanks."

The group settled and waited while everyone got their breath back.

"I think everyone's doing very well," Saturn began. "I was a little worried about a few-"

Sinine almost choked on her drink.

"-but there's an improvement," Saturn finished, ignoring the interruption. "Three have asked me about a tournament. As it's so late in the year, I'm not so sure it's a good idea at the moment but then Flash and Velvet would have graduated."

Ruby shifted a little. "I think Velvet would appreciate taking part. She doesn't get to participate as much during the Vytal Festival and games aren't really the same as proper fights."

Jaune considered. "CFVY are in this year's Festival. You think that they won't take her to the doubles round?"

"I don't think so. They might but I don't think so. Her Semblance and weapon just aren't designed for competitive play."

No one asked further. If Velvet didn't want to share her abilities, then they weren't going to ask.

Saturn hummed. "What about at Haven? A load of students came from Atlas and Vacuo last time that weren't in the tournament. We could even get a few of them involved."

"There were some from Haven as well," Jaune confirmed before Ruby could. He glanced at Ruby. "Do you think Mercury would help?"

Well, I don't think he'll mind asking around. He's normally up for a fist fight too and it will help get to know the students he didn't meet before.

"I'll ask him. He might not want to and he's not going to get there long before us." That was as far as she was willing to go. If he said no, he said no.

"I thought…" Forrest shook his head. "Okay. We know that there's around three weeks before the tournament actually starts and when we can arrive. Vulca wanted to go so we were always going."

Vulca was one of Forrest's teammates and Ruby was sure she had relatives in Haven. She couldn't remember if he was a third cousin four times removed or a fourth cousin three times removed.

I'm not even sure which means which, come to think of it…

"Well, my team's going as well," Jaune agreed. "I also know a few other people that are going. We're going to be pretty busy. And that's just going by what we were doing last time."

"The singing competition?" Sinine guessed. "I've seen a few comments for that below their videos. Which reminds me." She turned to Ruby. "Are you going to make a proper website for yourselves?"

Ruby blushed. When they initially started the dubbed game voiceovers and game lists, they never would have guessed how popular they became. On top of that, she had also started to see suggestions for things for the next Vytal Festival in the comments of the videos similar to what they did last time.

"We…haven't thought about it."

"I'll bring it up with Yang."

Ruby smiled in appreciation. A thought struck her and she frowned. "What about the dojos and places like that? There's that one in Vale City and the other two I've heard about. Are we including them as well?"

"Well…" Saturn gave it a bit of thought. "I don't see why we can't ask. Many martial artists prefer the competition to actually winning. We will have to think the rules out carefully, starting with no Semblance use, but I think it would be quite good."

"We could open it up to everyone," Ruby suggested. "After all, there could be those that are home-schooled and want to compete."

The others nodded absentmindedly, clearly thinking it over. Jaune gave her a suspicious look before he glanced at the door and back at Ruby. Ruby folded her arms with a stubborn expression.

Yes, we're likely to also get the kids like Emery; the ones that no one cares about and looked after themselves. This could help get them out of the worst of their circumstances and give them a more stable situation. And because it is their skill and actions, they're more likely to accept it.

Ruby did know about the teams that snuck into the Vytal Festival and were often offered a scholarship if they were good enough. It was a bit of an open secret. Second year team THRN at Shade were one such team.

She wasn't sure how she was going to help after these abandoned kids appeared, but she would find a way. Even if it was just to organise a way to make sure they got proper meals and a place to sleep at night. This might encourage the others that took less risk to accept that help.

Ruby knew she couldn't save everyone.

That didn't mean she wasn't going to try her best.

And she had a few ideas on how to start.

Mercury had given these papers a casual scan when he received them, but now they needed more attention. The Moss Root College were happy to have him as a student and had contacted Beacon for his records. They were a little apprehensive about his claims about his written work, but he was allowed to attend all classes on electronics and physics. They didn't overlap that much and he could catch up, so that didn't bother him. There were plenty of books on chemistry, so he was mainly self-studying the relevant areas. He was also interested in computer programming but that was lower down on his list.

It was rare but not that uncommon for travellers to stay and take modules at the college, so there was little hassle and Mercury had been able to easily find a room at the inn for a number of months. There were two others doing the same as him but on different courses. Mercury wouldn't be seeing much of them.

The theory and questions weren't difficult with all the lessons in the college being practical. Mercury didn't think he was being unreasonable thinking he could finish their year's work in four months at most. Part of their issue was the time wasted between assignments and lessons.

Although it is a little annoying that I'm banned from experimenting with Dust with the inventions.

Headmaster Byrd had been very strict with that and Ozpin had even rung him to tell him the same thing.

That was fine with Mercury; he needed to learn the basics before before he could start building what he really wanted. His list of equipment designs was growing.

As it turned out, a lot of the college funding came from Atlas as much as it did from Mistral authorities. Some Atlas hotshots even had Moss Root College as their alma mater. That was not something Mercury had known before his interview with its Headmaster but it did support the idea that the college had strong ties to the most up to date technology.

Which was excellent for Mercury's desires.

It was ten at night three days after he had arrived when there was a knock at the door.

Talaria's head came up from the cloth nest she had made on the bedside table. She gurgled a question.

Mercury spun around in the chair. He knew the inn owner's (Shelly) knock and that was not her. He blinked and switched his vision.

A kid? Younger teen? I don't think I've noticed that aura before.

This visitor seemed bothered but negative emotions could be almost anything. However, it was obvious he wasn't going to leave.

With a sigh, Mercury got up to answer it.

Right. Definitely a young teenager but I don't recognise him. He doesn't attend the college so maybe the high school?

He was around thirteen or fourteen, had dark brown eyes and jet black hair. His clothes were well worn and ruffled, but appeared half a size too small on him. He wasn't wearing any jewellery and nothing was designer. He also had no weapons but his aura was unlocked.

Interesting.

Oddly enough, this one reminded Mercury a lot of Harry Potter. He had a similar feel.

"Is it me you're after?"

"Yeah."

Mercury stepped back and allowed him in, shutting the door behind him. He took a seat on the bed and gestured to the chair for his visitor. "I'm Mercury. You?"

"Dustin." He took the seat but remained tense. His eyes left Mercury and focused on Talaria. After a moment, they went back to Mercury. "Where did you find it?"

"Her," Mercury corrected idly. Whichever pronoun Dustin used now should tell him a bit. "A lab. Did you come here at ten in the evening for that?"

"Not exactly for her." Again, he seemed to hesitate. "Have you ever seen a fully grown one?"

Not that Mercury was willing to admit to yet. "I've had her for over a year." Or more. "She hasn't gotten any bigger. That's as big as she gets."

"You're wrong." That was firm.

Mercury leaned back on the bed. "What makes you say that? No one I've met knows anything about her kind." For good reason.

"I've seen her kind before."

Mercury considered how to respond to that, then went with the common. "Liar." Yet he didn't have any of the common signs of a liar.

"I'm not."

"So what have I lied about?"

Dustin was quiet. He was staring at Mercury. There was something very different about this kind of scrutiny.

"You lied about how big she gets."

"I wasn't."

"Then you don't know."

"Know what exactly?"

Again, Dustin fell quiet. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He opened them again and folded his arms. He still didn't say anything.

Mercury studied him, appearing casual yet thinking carefully. He had heard plenty of rumours about Talaria's potential origins.

However, there was something very different about Dustin's demeanour.

"What does an adult look like?"

Dustin tilted his head, obviously considering whether to take Mercury up on his challenge. It was a challenge and both knew it. Mercury knew more than he was saying and he was starting to suspect Dustin did too.

Dustin accepted the challenge. "Copper colour; same as the little one. The scales are more of a diamond shape but the shed ones are almost round. From snout to tail tip; about eighteen feet, maybe more. The tail is as flexible as a whip but comes to an end as a sharp spike with an almost flat blade. I'm sure I saw black marks down some of the scales but the copper colour makes it hard to tell and the movement was too fast."

Mercury hummed. He glanced at Talaria. "Hop onto the desk. Let him have a good look at you."

Talaria chittered her agreement. She uncurled and flew over, landing on the corner of the desk. She walked carefully forwards before coming to a stop just out of easy reach.

Dustin was obviously wary of her, but he did have a proper look.

Talaria was essentially a small Peruvian Vipertooth. She was an exact physical copy of a mature female except for two things: smaller size and scales that didn't shed. Not many people had seen her or knew of her existence. Even fewer had gotten a proper look at her.

Dustin's description was a little different.

And he was beginning to realise it.

"Can you lift your front claw?"

Talaria nodded and raised her right front claw.

Dustin was very still. "I know what I saw. I've never been wrong before."

It was a murmur, but Mercury still caught it.

"Saw, huh?" Mercury kept his tone light. There was something here and he was very interested in learning what but he didn't want to spook him. Dustin looked very shaken.

Talaria slowly turned in a circle.

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

Dustin had accepted a challenge. Mercury was willing to accept one.

But Dustin didn't seem interested in issuing it. "You won't believe me." Even so, he never took his eyes off Talaria. Something about her bothered him and it wasn't just his mistakes. It was linked but it wasn't as simple as fear.

"Talaria is my responsibility. If you have a concern, then I need to hear it."

Dustin was aware of that; that was probably the reason he came here in the first place. He was obviously more interested in Talaria than Mercury.

"Promise you won't tell anyone else?"

Mercury sat up properly again. "I promise that I won't tell anyone without a very pressing reason. I don't gossip."

"No. You don't."

A lot of people had been asking questions about him, so his solitary personality would have gotten around quickly. That didn't stop a few people asking for autographs but they had enough respect to keep it quick and not crowd him.

Mercury smiled. "Tell you what. You tell me what you think I won't believe and I'll tell you something you won't believe. About Talaria."

"I highly doubt that. I've never been wrong before. Maybe…"

"So…Deal?"

Dustin let out a rusty laugh. "Sure. Why not? Deal."

"Okay. Then I'll start. I didn't find her in a lab; that was the lie. She's from another world."

Dustin didn't laugh. He looked at Mercury for the first time in a long while before looking back at Talaria. "Is she?"

Mercury waited. For some reason, Dustin hadn't dismissed that as quickly as he should have. In fact, Mercury was quite sure Dustin was beginning to believe him.

"I have visions about things before they happen."

Okay. Admittedly, I wasn't expecting that. Remnant has Seers now? …Sure, why not? Still not the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

"Visions? So you've had a vision about Talaria?"

"Not exactly…" Dustin glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean? You actually-"

"I know someone with a Semblance that causes misfortune to everyone around him. I have a very open mind as to what is possible." Dustin considered that. "So. Visions."

Dustin's shoulders dropped. His tone of voice completely changed. "I don't have dreams the way most people do. I get visions of things before they happen. They always happen." A whisper. "But she…"

Did Mercury press? If Dustin was telling the truth (and Mercury thought he was) then he had had a vision about Talaria.

He chose to wait. Dustin seemed more interested that he was wrong than Talaria potentially being from another world. That said a lot about him.

"For the past three weeks, one event keeps returning. Faymarsh…It was...Blood and bodies…"

Mercury tilted his head a little. But he still didn't say anything.

Dustin seemed to snap out of it. "Last night…This one was different. There were dead bodies in a few streets but this time, I didn't recognise any of them. It wasn't a focus, but there was a dragon. A dragon that I described to you at the edge of my vision. It was…People were attacking it and it was killing them. I think there was a body or something beneath it but I couldn't tell. I thought…"

And I thought staying here was going to be boring.

"What timescale are we talking here? Do you 'see' things a set time before?"

Dustin shook his head slowly. "I didn't recognise the few people I got a good look at but it was definitely Faymarsh. I thought it was years in the future and when I saw her, I thought it was her as an adult but…If what you say is true…"

Mercury considered what to tell him. However, Dustin had been honest with him about what appeared to be a personal demon, so he would try to help. He didn't seem interested in information about his worldview. Mercury could be reading him wrong, but Dustin appeared almost eager for Mercury to prove him wrong.

"Talaria is a rather unique creature. The people who know the most about her were quite clear: she doesn't grow any bigger, she has a lifespan of around fifty years and she doesn't need to eat even if she has a sense of taste."

Talaria glided back to him. She turned back around and gurgled at Dustin. She seemed to like him.

Dustin just looked back at Mercury.

"The dragon most like her looks just like her, only bigger. They do grow to an average of fifteen feet but none have a spike on their tail. They have scales like you described, but hers don't shed. You didn't mention horns, but both male and female had them with the male's being longer."

Throughout this, Talaria demonstrated Mercury's words as best she could. She lifted her tail to display no spike and tilted her head a little to show the very short horns facing her neck near the back of her head.

"Believe that?" Mercury asked.

Dustin seemed unsure. "Well…I never actually believed that story. I mean, maybe dragons did exist on Remnant at some point as there is a dragon Grimm and Grimm are evil copies of actual animals but…Well, the one I know about looks too different to her."

That was a fair point and that was why their cover story worked so well. Grimm were based on actual animals, so it would suggest that dragons existed at some point. A Beowulf looked a lot like a wolf and an Ursa was essentially a bear with a mask. There were ancient tales of griffin-like creatues that couldn't be collaborated properly but Griffins were a Grimm.

Mercury's current theory was that the Brothers had based their creations on creatures they had seen in different worlds. The story was that the Brothers came to Remnant and then left. Ozpin had neither confirmed nor denied that (if he even knew), but it would explain why humans on Remnant looked exactly the same as the humans on Earth.

"Where she came from…Were any dragons like my vision?"

"No. The ones I told you about were the closest."

"So. Maybe I was wrong."

Having heard about prophecies and Divination, Mercury was very wary. This was something he had never thought he would have to deal with on Remnant. "Or maybe you saw something else and misinterpreted it." Divination was very open to interpretation in his experience.

"Maybe."

"What about your other vision? The one that's been haunting you for three weeks. You said you recognised some of the people there."

Dustin stood up. "Maybe I'll see you again soon. I'll see myself out."

Mercury recognised he had pushed too far. "Hey, if you need to talk, just come find me."

Dustin didn't respond to that. He shut the door quietly behind him. He was far less bright than he had been before this talk.

Talaria watched him before chittering at Mercury. Her question was obvious.

"I don't think he was lying. He seems to have the world on his shoulders; just like them. And what he got wrong about you doesn't make sense. He doesn't know about your physical features yet thinks you have black marks rather than black ridges?"

She gurgled her agreement.

The vision of the dragon did not concern Mercury much. If Dustin was right, it could happen long after Mercury was dead.

The vision of a destroyed Faymarsh was a far more important concern. While he had told the Huntsman and a few adults a simpler tale, he had still seen bird Raven around, out of easy reach. Dustin could very easily be seeing the future of a bandit visit.

Mercury didn't believe in fate or destiny.

However, he did think that some futures were more likely than others and if a Semblance could alter coincidence, then there was no reason one couldn't see a possible future.

Dustin seemed to think his visions were set in stone.

Mercury wanted to think he was misinterpreting it.

However, he should prepare in case he wasn't. There was no doubt in Mercury's mind that Raven and her tribe would attack Faymarsh. He just didn't know when.

Emerald had been in Dr Waterbrook's office quite often since she began working alongside him in the infirmary. It still surprised her how plain it was. With the exception of a bookcase full of reference material, a large desk and five chairs, the room was otherwise empty. Maybe his sleeping quarters off to the other side were different, but she wouldn't know.

This time was a little different. This time, Emerald was offering treatment that he hadn't officially agreed to. The loophole was obvious and he didn't disagree with the sentiment or really the treatment.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what he really thinks of it. He's never said anything against it…

Currently, Dr Waterbrook was resting behind his desk. His presence was necessary, but he wouldn't be saying too much. He was seated away from the discussion.

This was Emerald's show.

Team CFVY arrived three minutes before their agreed time. After Emerald had healed Coco after one of their missions, they had a rough idea what she could do. They had never told anyone at Emerald's request, but this was a team she trusted.

So she was going to make the offer. They wouldn't use this offer for any cruel purpose.

Given that I gave them no details and just asked them to meet me in Dr Waterbrook's office today, they must have a lot of trust for me themselves.

The four sat opposite Emerald, in the four chairs across.

Velvet spoke first. "Good to see you Emerald. Is everything alright?"

Emerald smiled at her. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to make you an offer." Her eyes flickered to Fox there before back to Velvet. "All of you graduate at the end of the year, so I don't know when I'll next see you."

Coco wasn't wearing her glasses. Emerald had noted before that she didn't wear them in the infirmary but she wasn't sure why. None of them were sending out aggressive signals. They were merely curious.

"Offer?" Coco pressed. It was quite still, not casual yet not firm.

They're not insulted yet.

"You've seen some of what I can do. Another thing I can do is heal eyes. I have not seen Fox's file, but my studies suggest I can do it and there's nothing that contradicts that."

Fox's expression didn't change, but his mood did. Again, it wasn't aggressive.

The others were a little more open. Yatsuhashi appeared to relax for some reason. Velvet's eyes kept flicking between Emerald and Fox. Coco sat up a little straighter, her face closing up.

Whatever they were expecting, it wasn't that.

Coco turned to look at Dr Waterbrook. "Can she?"

"She can," he confirmed. He did not continue.

Coco didn't ask for more. She turned back to Emerald. "I thought you were trying to stay inconspicuous. What changed?"

"Nothing," Emerald replied. "If Fox decides to accept my help and he can see again, I'm not going to make him stay silent if he doesn't want to. I would greatly prefer it if you didn't tell, but I'm not going to be angry if you do."

"So why offer now and not when I was in here before?"

"It's a choice." Emerald's attention went to Fox then. "I know you manage well enough without. My honest answer? I didn't feel I knew enough about being a Healer of any kind to make the offer. I wasn't wise enough. Probably still not."

The four were quiet for a few seconds. Maybe it was aura reading, but Emerald wasn't so sure. They were trying to give nothing away, but Emerald picked up on the key points: they weren't angry or aggressive.

Most likely, Fox was seriously considering the offer.

Emerald had seen Fox fight. She knew he was coping without his vision somehow. He also didn't seem to have many of the problems that she knew the fully blind did. He did have some kind of vision. Just not what others had.

"Is this offer open to everyone?" Velvet asked.

How best to say what she felt? It wouldn't be well received, but it would be the truth.

"No. I'm not a doctor. Not by qualifications and not by personality. I'm selfish and I'm not going to deny that. I'm thinking about offering healing to people with severe problems that I can help. Maybe. Not right now. But for Fox…It's more out of thanks for what you've all done for us. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't ask."

CFVY had been friends since her first year. They had been friendly to be friendly; had been social because they wanted to be, not because they felt obligated to be.

It was letting a friend down if they didn't get the choice.

They seemed oddly satisfied with that answer.

Emerald knew enough about people that quite a few technically disabled people hated to be considered such. Fox was obviously one of them and Emerald respected that; he was certainly capable and stronger than some that were 'fully healthy'.

She wasn't offering to 'fix' him. She was offering to return something he'd lost.

Different ways of looking at the world.

"Does he need to decide now?" Coco asked.

"No. Even after graduation, just give me a call. This one's open."

"Then we'll be back tomorrow. Here, dorm or somewhere else?"

Emerald smiled. "I'm sure the doctor would prefer to do his checks as soon as possible."

"I would." Dr Waterbrook glanced at a calendar. "I would suggest late again. Eight o'clock."

"Then we'll see you both then." Coco stood up. "And thanks for the offer either way."

"As I said, anytime."

Fox stared at her for another two seconds. He then stood up and followed the others out.

That could have gone worse.

Emerald took a deep breath.

It was a relief in a way. The offer had been made almost as an obligation and, while Emerald couldn't think of a satisfying reason not to, this way was a little better. Fox may come back later or he might not. At least this wouldn't be rushed.

"Emerald?"

Preventing another sign from escaping, Emerald switched chairs to the one in front of Dr Waterbrook. "Doctor?"

The man looked her in the eye. "Have you thought any more on Sana Sage?"

"No." The response was abrupt.

Sana Sage. People that had greater knowledge of medicine than the average Huntsmen, especially on what were considered field cures. They were not doctors; they had no responsibility to the people and no accountability if something went wrong.

They were the doctors before the exams and qualifications.

"You would qualify. The Council would add it to your record if I asked them to, without your agreement."

"My answer is still no."

"What is the issue?"

"Doctor. Just drop it. My answer is no. End of story."

"Story. Not discussion?"

Emerald had slipped up there. She stood up.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Dr Waterbrook didn't call her back.

Yang stretched.

Currently, she was undefeated on the bike racing circuit. She had not been in every single race, but she had dominated nearly everyone in the races she was in. She made a point not to race on Tuesday nights and Thursday nights as she had classes first thing the next day.

Only two others attended Beacon: Dyll and Opal. Dyll was the year above her and Opal was a first year. Yang was only just getting to know them properly, especially as Opal didn't like the after parties.

The other racers were all older; some were locals and others weren't. Yang assumed that they all had their aura unlocked, but she didn't take that for granted. Mercury had made that mistake once and had ended up killing people. Yang was very careful to make somewhat predictable moves for her situation in the race.

So far, they only people that had wiped out had had their aura unlocked. Even then, Yang did take a mental note which shattered instantly and which didn't. If it didn't, then they were trained to use it.

Semblances were banned.

However, that was a very difficult rule to enforce. Yang had heard stories but had never seen what actually happened if someone broke that rule.

There were six racers this time. Instead of a looped course, it was a straight path through Vale, from Vale City to Green Down City. Each bike had a small camera and tracker attached for the purpose of this race, just to make sure no cheating occurred.

Yang studied her opposition: Dyll, Bracker, Sky, Rio and Wes. She had raced them all before; all were competitive but fair. All had their aura unlocked at least.

Of them, Wes was her most likely closest competition. Especially as he was on a different bike than last time.

"Nice wheels," Yang noted.

He grinned at her. "Thanks. Don't let the dust get in your eyes."

Yang smirked back. "Tell me how well that goes."

The track was the most simple. It stuck to main roads with no alleys or difficult tight turns. However, there wasn't a very long straight path without a turn, so speed was not the only stat required.

Yang had the advantage that this was a path she took often; if something wasn't in Vale City, the nearby towns often had it.

And as it was Jaune's birthday last week, I know there's nothing in my way and the route is quite clear in my head.

That was her main advantage over Wes: he normally lived over a hundred miles away. He didn't really know the way as well as her. There were a number of possible routes, but it was very difficult to traverse these roads if you weren't familiar with the city.

It was difficult to hear Sandy as she said the technical words over the roar of the engines. She only said them to say them. The dropping on the red cloth was the agreed start.

There was room to juggle for position for about a mile. Then, they would begin to struggle until the final stretch.

The red cloth was dropped.

The bikes shot forward.

Yang had adjusted Bumblebee more for acceleration and handling than top speed. That was her default when dealing with urban or tight courses.

Rio must have stalled.

The others were ahead of her.

Yang wasn't worried. She could go faster but she had a plan. Wiping out would definitely result in a loss.

The others would take the straight path. There was no chance that Wes and Dyll would be able to manoeuvre around the smaller, parallel roads. Even within a few seconds, Yang could see their bikes were far too designed for speed.

Odd. Wes at least is experienced enough to know not to sacrifice one stat so much that he struggles…

Maybe it was a bike he didn't have enough money to customize yet.

Yang twisted down one of the roads she knew would be empty. It ran below the main highway; an accepted route but was a major detour if there was traffic.

This evening was no such evening.

Yang could reach her top speed here. It may have had nothing to do with her, but the speed camera being down for repair in this area was a very welcome bonus.

And it was far too late for any kids to be running around.

It was a good few seconds before Yang realised that Rio had followed her. Clearly he was trying to make up for his poor start.

For the main part, she ignored him. If he didn't know where he was going, then he wasn't going to try to pull in front until he recognised where he was.

Yang altered her path slightly. Rio wouldn't be seeing many useful landmarks for a while.

The roads were even quieter than Yang was expecting. She didn't think much on it, but still chose to remain near the wider roads than the even quicker alleys. Yang might be happy that she could manage, but she wasn't convinced that Rio could and she was not going to lead him anywhere dangerous unless she had to.

Especially as I wouldn't really save any time…

Yang kept her mind on Rio as she drove through the city. She didn't see any of the others until they left the city and hit a dual carriageway. The main problem here was that there were quite a few cars.

Yet Rio didn't appear to follow her and she couldn't see him.

Where'd he go?

Yang ignored him for now. She was currently ahead of Dyll and Wes, but they were never far behind for long.

First place. Now to keep it.

Maybe the cars had realised the bikes were racing, but there was no tailgating and no sudden switching lanes. No speed changes either.

Wes' bike was definitely not designed with handling in mind. He made very obvious movements but that didn't really matter in this race; everyone in this race was too focused on fair play for sabotage.

Which might be why he chose this race to test it rather than one with more…single minded competitors.

Yang was comfortably out in front. She wasn't losing this.

The others seemed happy with their current position as well. They had settled into an almost line to get past the cars. No one was extremely desperate to get risky; for the moment anyway. That might change soon.

It was one of the simplest races Yang had been part of.

But then, no one in this race was willing to get the others killed. They had too much respect for each other for that.

Again, Yang drifted off the main route when she could. The others weren't close enough to follow.

Distance-wise, it was a little longer. However, it avoided all the crowded areas and also cut out a corner on a nasty bend on the main road.

Okay, one left then two rights-

Yang spun the bike; slamming on the brakes.

Okay. That's not happening.

"Leave him alone."

Yang did not know why a child around the age of eight was out at this time alone. She did not know what had caused this attack or why four older boys were attacking him.

It was stopping.

Now.

The boys looked at her, visibly weighing their options. They were younger than her; she would put them at around thirteen. It was very satisfying to see their cocky, devil may care attitudes go straight out the window when they saw her.

"Get lost," Yang ordered. "You have five seconds before I get violent."

The five seconds were mainly for Yang; she had no idea if they had their aura unlocked. Dad had drilled it into her since she was very young. She was not making Mercury's mistake.

That meant she had to be gentle until she was more convinced they could take it.

But, like bullies the worlds over, they weren't willing to try and pick on a target that could fight back. Sneering at the boy on the floor, they ran down two different alleys.

"Jerks," Yang muttered. She got off her bike and walked slowly to the boy still on the ground. He had made no attempt to get up and his eyes remained fixed on the ground. "Hey. You okay?"

It was a stupid question, but he still nodded. He didn't say anything.

"Can I drop you anywhere?" Yang didn't want to leave him alone and she wouldn't be surprised if those bullies were still around, waiting. "Or call anyone to pick you up?"

"No. It's fine. It's only round the corner."

"Right." Yang wasn't convinced.

The boy pushed himself to his feet and began walking. To Yang's relief, he was heading towards her rather than the alleys the others disappeared down.

"They bother you often?"

"Thanks for your help."

He turned the corner and had a key for the third house down.

Yang waited a moment, but he didn't come out and none of the bullies re-appeared.

With a sigh, she took off again.

Yang came last, but her heart wasn't really in it anymore.

Wes had won. He grinned at her. "Get lost?"

"Wasn't my night," she responded with a smile. "I'll get you next time."

He didn't push any farther. In the pub afterwards, the others seemed to think that she had stopped for maintenance. She didn't correct them and they didn't bring it up much.

She was going to stay in a hotel for the night before heading back to Beacon. The others knew she wasn't likely to be back tonight.

She was going to have to give next week's race a miss though. She had a birthday party to set up.