4 Months.

Yang:

"So what are we going to do, Yang!?" Ruby demanded.

"I don't know!" Yang nearly yelled as she tossed her scroll aside and started pacing around the furniture. Their yelling echoed around the dorm room.

"We should tell Weiss and Blake once they're back from the library. I still don't get why you told me not-"

"Because Goodwitch confirmed my suspicions!" Yang hissed. The blonde hastily lifted her scroll to look at her messages again, "The Professor replied that many students indeed received the same message, but all of their scrolls were Vale-based numbers. Weiss and Blake won't get the message, and they don't need to. Team CRDL only acquired a spam listing for this kingdom."

Yang scoffed, "Sorry – she didn't say 'Team CRDL'. She said 'the distributors'. They can't confirm who sent the messages, so the school has simply sent the little evidence available to the Vale Police and bailed on further actions. If we have further inquiries, we have to talk to them. "

"Right," Ruby rolled her eyes, "but Yang, where in the email did it tell us to not warn our teammates about these creeps?"

"Ruby," Yang grumbled, thinking, 'I should've deleted the message from your scroll. You don't understand that-'

"Telling Blake will only freak her out!" Yang insisted, "She'll be paranoid out of her freaking mind!"

"Team CRDL is stalking people on campus, Yang! They're hacking into photo albums and taking pictures through the freaking windows! It wouldn't be paranoia when there's actual concern!"

"It's still paranoia when there's nothing we can do about it, Ruby! For all we know, the scum-fucks already have dirt on our entire team! What more can we even do besides cover our windows and avoid doing any new stupid shit in public!?"

"Yang," Ruby sighed, "Are you seriously arguing that we should lie to our teammates – our friends – your girlfriend? Do you really just want to ignore this and delay her from finding out?"

"I – I…" Yang trailed off as her voice shook. Tears formed in her eyes as she collapsed back onto her bed, "I don't want her to be afraid to love me, Ruby."

Ruby paused, trying to process the thought as her sister wiped her eyes. Eventually sighing, the girl took a seat beside her.

"Why do you think she'd be afraid of that?"

Sniffling, Yang replied, "Blake is already terrified of anyone finding out about us. She freezes every time I talk about it … I mean she already barely talks to me when we're in public. What's gonna happen when she doesn't even feel secure in our own dorm room? She'll worry constantly that someone will realize she's gay, or a faunus, or was part of the White Fang. She'll make us stop dating, and life would return to the way it was before…"

"… I understand where you're coming from, but I think you're exaggerating-"

"She's run away from Beacon for less, Ruby."

The leader sighed – fair point.

"Well if your plan is to keep this from Weiss and Blake, what's keeping them from just hearing about the events from someone else? What if in the next round of messages, team CRDL send material to Atlas and Menagerie-based scrolls too? I'm sure they intended for more than just Vale to see their pictures of Onyx." Ruby stood back up, "More to the point, what are we going to do about team CRDL, Yang? Because, I'm sure as heck not going to ignore this while they could hurt our friends."

Yang stared towards the floor and defeatedly repeated, "I don't know…"

Ruby shook her head. Surrender wouldn't be an option under her watch. "Well, let's brainstorm then! Let's fight this! Aren't you the one usually suggesting we beat the crap out of them?"

"Not when we have no idea where the bastards are, or – more importantly – where they have their dirt saved."

"Well, how could we maybe get that information? C'mon Yang, work with me here. If we're keeping this from Weiss and Blake, then we have to proactively keep them safe. Do you want these creeps to hurt Blake?"

"Of course not – damn it!" Yang yelled, now meeting her sister's eyes. She angrily wiped the rest of her tears and lightly slapped her face. After taking a moment of thought Yang decided, "Well, there are several things we need to do. First off, keep the blinds closed, and make sure Blake and Weiss stay safe. We can't allow any opportunities for the shitheads to find anything new about us or to jump us."

Ruby slightly nodded in agreement.

"Additionally," Yang continued, "we need to deal with the case that team CRDL already has something on us. Whatever that may be …"

'Several pictures of me come to mind,' Yang thought, 'but I'm more worried if they spotted Blake and I at some point…'

"Do you know how to hack a scroll?" Ruby suggested.

"No, but that wouldn't stop them," Yang reasoned, "They surely have back-ups, even as stupid as they are."

"True, so we need to make sure they never post whatever they might have," Ruby followed.

"Exactly," Yang pumped her fists, "We need leverage … I know that's not part of the model-huntress style, but despite what Weiss may prefer, we'll need to meet them at their level."

The team leader scratched her chin, considering the suggestions.

"Team CRDL is already shameless. What worthwhile information are you thinking we could find on them?"

"I – I'm not sure," Yang admitted, "Maybe proof they sent those pictures or committed some other crime? Something like that is our only real angle to shut up those creeps and keep them away from us … "

Slowly nodding, Ruby replied, "It seems like it … Hacking their scrolls could actually help with that … Okay, I'll start on their online profiles for any leads on their whereabouts." As she opened her scroll, the leader added, "But, Yang, I still don't feel comfortable keeping this from Weiss and Blake. Regardless of Blake's reaction, she has the right to know. You surely know what a secret will do to all of us."

Taking a moment, Yang replied, "I know … I … I know you're right… but could we at least wait a day?"

"Why?"

"That would allow us some time to start investigating. We could find some angle and have something positive to make the news more bearable for Blake. I really don't want to tell her we have enemies working to publicly humiliate us and that we currently have nothing to stop them."

Ruby kept looking at her screen.

"C'mon please, Ruby? I-"

"Alright," Ruby relented, "but promise me we'll tell our teammates by tomorrow."

"Promise."

The leader nodded, "Good - It's settled. For today then, team 'R-Y' has work to do, starting with this."

She passed her scroll to her sister. The screen displayed a poorly formatted webpage with various team CRDL portraits lining the top. Intrigued, Yang began exploring more of the page.

"Is this…?"

"This is a blog linked directly from their Beacon team profile – thankfully it wasn't taken down yet," Ruby explained with a smirk, "There's probably plenty to find here, but check out the second post from the top."

Glancing down, Yang read, "Posted last night: Cheers to freedom! Today was our last day, and that weak ass academy will be nothing without us. Sucks for anyone still going there. Anyways, see all you dudes for drinks at Hunters' Outlook tomorrow night!

… Well that was stupid."

"Yeah," Ruby scoffed, "They're desperately trying to convince their 13 followers how cool they still are. Did you notice that last part, though?"

"Yeah, it sounds like they're visiting some bar tonight. I feel like I've heard of Hunters' Outlook before…"

Ruby took back her device and scrolled further through the webpage. "Me too - I'd dare to guess Uncle Qrow mentioned the place at some point."

"Very possible," Yang nodded, "… Then is this our chance to find the bastards?"

Ruby shrugged with her eyes glued back to her screen, "I think so."

"This feels way too convenient, though," Yang crossed her arms, "What if it's a trap? Surely they're anticipating action against them. They just sent out a fucking red alert to every huntsman and huntress that's ever sparred them."

"I don't know, but from their posts, it looks like they've been going to that bar almost every weekend for a while … I'm not sure they have the cunning to plan something so far ahead, and I mean they definitely didn't expect to get expelled, right?"

"I guess," Yang hesitantly agreed, "but that doesn't mean they couldn't have still plotted something."

'Jeez,' Yang thought to herself, 'Forget about Blake – maybe I'm the paranoid one.'

"Are you worried the two of us can't fight those four?"

"I mean, no. Those morons have lost plenty of one vs. four fights."

"Then I think just maybe we can handle spying on them in a restaurant," Ruby stood, "They might already have dirt they plan on sharing anyways, so what have we got to lose?" Ruby picked up her book-bag and started putting on her shoes. With a grin, she concluded, "Nothing – that's what. It's only up from here."

"Wait, but-"

"There's no time to wait, Yang!" Ruby declared, "We've got to leave for Hunters' Outlook soon. I have an idea for a plan, but I'll need to get some preparations done first."

"What are you talking about? What preparations?"

"I'll explain later," Ruby promised, now standing in an open doorway, "While I'm gone, find yourself a disguise and make sure Blake and Weiss will be safe for the rest of the day."

Before Yang could ask anything further, her sister was already down the hallway, off for some unclear preparations. Sighing, the huntress fell back onto her bed.

'I guess I'll just have to trust her,' Yang thought, 'Whatever she's thinking, at least we'll be able to tell Blake we're trying to do something … damn it …' She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, 'I'd better make sure she and Weiss stay safe today.'

She opened her scroll to send some messages, trying to keep her hands from shaking.

…

Ruby:

While nearly running through the hallways, Ruby prayed that her target was even on campus today. They had been here the past few weekends, but the tactical team leader didn't actually make sure of anything before confidently storming out. She wondered if her track record was starting to go to her head. Thankfully before panicking, she turned the final corner to spot a pair of atlesian soldiers guarding the campus' workshop.

'Thank goodness.'

As she entered, passing the familiar workbenches and crafting machinery, Ruby spotted a girl sitting at one of the stations. She was completely enthralled by the project in front of her. Ruby approached with a grin and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hi, Penny!"

The android jumped in her seat, instinctively yelling, "Ruby! You're here!" Ruby immediately found herself in a crushing hug.

"Ggnhh – it's really great to see you too, Penny," Ruby squeaked.

Releasing her hold, Penny explained, "I didn't expect to see you here today! I am not on campus for much longer, so I didn't think to message you – sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Penny," Ruby shook her head, "I'm really glad I found you though."

"Indeed, you found me – and the newest upgrade to one of my swords!" Penny beamed as she motioned to the mechanical mess on her table.

Before explaining the project, Penny narrowed her eyes, "Wait, where is Crescent Rose? You were looking into adding detachable pistols, right?"

"I was," Ruby smirked, "but that project is kind of on hold for now. I was actually looking for you for something else."

"What would that be?"

"Well…"

'I better stay vague considering Penny's track record on lying,' Ruby thought.

"…to put it simply, Team CRDL is after my team, and I was hoping you could help us."

"Team CRDL – the boys that were just expelled?"

"The ones exactly," Ruby nodded.

"Why are they after you all?"

"They're bitter and seem to believe our team, among others that've beaten them in training, are responsible for their expulsion. We're trying to organize a way to investigate and prevent their revenge plot, and I was hoping you had some equipment we could use."

"That sounds serious, Ruby, but I am not sure how any of my equipment can help you. Don't you all already have weapons?" Penny inquired.

"No we …" Ruby chuckled, still trying to avoid telling too much, "We're not planning on fighting team CRDL - We don't really expect them to attack us … We're more expecting them to spread information to get us in trouble…"

"What sort of information?" Penny asked with widened eyes.

"We don't know," Ruby lied, "but we need to find out. Basically here's the question – If we bring you a scroll, do you have the equipment to hack information out of it?"

"You all want to steal one of their scrolls and have me hack into it?" Penny summarized.

"Exactly! We'll know exactly what they have against us."

'…and more importantly we'll have something to threaten them with,' Ruby diabolically thought.

Penny slowly nodded, "That sounds like a solid plan, Ruby."

'I agree,' Ruby internally boasted, 'I am knocking it out of the park with these plans to save my team.'

"But …"

'But?' Ruby thought, her celebration halted.

"I don't know how to hack into a scroll, and I don't have any gadgets that can do that … sorry …"

Ruby sighed, "That's okay, Penny. I'm sure we'll figure out another plan."

The two stood quietly for a moment before Penny turned back to her pile of machinery, announcing, "Hold on a minute…"

The android shifted through her equipment, until she pulled out a tiny box from the bottom. The metallic box was coated in white paint with green stripes, reminiscent of Penny's style. After removing the lid, Ruby saw a row of six tiny devices. Each silver object was maybe half the size of a bead.

"You need to gather information from team CRDL," Penny explained, "Perhaps instead of taking away their scrolls to read their plans, you could leave behind a microphone to listen to their plans."

A grin quickly spread across Ruby's face, "These tiny things are microphones?"

Nodding, Penny elaborated, "These devices are part of an experimental surveillance system. I can connect to them to listen to many different places at once. They are kind of designed for me, but they can connect to any scroll too. Do you think these could help you?"

"Oh, I think they most certainly can, Penny."

…

Yang:

The blonde-haired huntress anxiously stood at the gates of Beacon. Clad in tight, dark jeans and an even darker black hoodie borrowed from Blake, Yang was prepared to blend and fade into the shadows. She was confident the disguise would work, but also wouldn't really mind being noticed so she could cave team CRDL's faces in. Fantasizing of such brutality somewhat distracted her from having to report all of this to Blake later on.

"Hey, sis!"

Glancing over, Yang spotted her sister approaching. She wore gray leggings with a bright white sweatshirt. The tints of red on the trimming clearly indicated the outfit had been similarly borrowed from Weiss.

"Excellent disguise," Ruby gave a thumbs up, "We'll be completely invisible."

"Uh, not really … They might just think we're the wrong half of our team. You should've worn darker clothes to stand out less…"

"Nah, don't you worry. I'll be completely anonymous with my hood up. Besides, Weiss' clothes fit me way better than Blake's."

"Have you worn their clothes before this?"

"Uh," Ruby nervously chuckled, "That's not important right now! Did you ensure our teammates will be safe while we're gone?"

Yang sighed, wondering if she was putting too much faith in Ruby, "Yeah, I checked on them. Blake is back in our room and Weiss is off with Neptune. No one will hurt them tonight … I also told them the story you came up with."

Ruby winked, "Excellent. I'm so excited to grab some dinner with Dad after such a long time."

"Yeah…" Yang sarcastically muttered, "It'll be so much fun."

The leader patted her sister on the shoulder as they began marching off the campus, "Lighten up, Yang. Even if the plan goes south, you'll get to clobber their team and potentially an entire bar of drunks."

"Wait a second," Yang looked back to her sibling, noticing a significant emptiness on her hip, "You didn't bring Crescent Rose?"

"Of course not!" Ruby scoffed, "My giant, bright red scythe, isn't exactly inconspicuous."

"But-"

"Yang, relax," Ruby insisted, "I was joking about the fighting. The plan's going to work, and you won't even need your flashy, golden gauntlets. Like I said over scroll, Penny totally hooked us up."

"Right…" Yang grumbled, "and how did Penny hook us up, exactly?"

…

As the sun hid behind the horizon, the pair of sisters arrived at Hunter's Outlook. Peering through the window of the bar, they saw it was relatively crowded. Most of the tables were already filled with customers, seemingly several drinks in. With the wooden flooring, and dark walls lined with mounted grimm heads and antique weaponry, the place seemingly appealed to the classical idea of a huntsman.

"I don't see them inside," Yang grumbled.

"Good," Ruby grinned, "We can find seats before they get here."

"I guess so," Yang sighed as she adjusted her hood and pulled the front door open. The two strategically found seating at the far end of the main bar, effectively hiding in the back corner of the room. No one payed them attention as they blended into the crowd.

"And now we wait…" Yang muttered.

"Don't worry, sis. They'll show up," Ruby reassured as she set her scroll in front of her, "I'll check their blog for any updates. Just try to relax."

The blonde perked up as she noticed the bartender approaching. 'Well Ruby, I can certainly try,' she thought.

"Good evening, ladies. What can I get for you?"

"Hi, I'd like a strawberry sunrise - no ice," Yang ordered, tossing her ID onto the table.

"Absolutely."

"Can I get a glass of milk?" Ruby inquired.

"Uh we don't-"

"She'll just take a water," Yang interjected.

The bartender nodded and stepped away.

"So…" Ruby continued, "Team CRDL hasn't posted anything new, but I'm sure they're on their way."

Yang rolled her eyes, "And what exactly is the plan once they arrive?"

"I thought I explained we're using these cool micro-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Yang interrupted, "We plant the microphones somewhere and eavesdrop from our scroll, but how do we distract them for the chance to place one?"

"Oh," Ruby shrugged, "I guess we can simply set it on their table once they all leave for a bathroom break."

"Ruby, this is freaking serious."

"Sorry," Ruby giggled, "but don't worry. I'll use my semblance to place it. They won't notice a thing."

"They won't notice a massive gust of wind indoors and they won't suspect a member of team RWBY could be after them after the shit they've pulled?"

"Not once they're a few drinks in."

"You think they'll get drunk?" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"I know they will," Ruby grinned, "Let's just say their blog has plenty of photos at this place."

"Hold up," Yang shook her head, "If we wait to place the microphone until they're wasted, we're not going to get any information out of them. All we'll get is idiotic blubbering before they bail."

The team leader squinted, trying to follow the logic, "Oh," Ruby realized, "We're not planting the microphones on the table. We're playing the long game and planting them on their weapons."

"What? How do you-"

"Trust me – the wannabe huntsmen bring their weapons everywhere. We'll get to hear every stupid word - everywhere they go."

Just then, the bartender returned, setting down a red mixed drink with a glass of water, "There you are. Let me know if you all need anything else."

After thanking him, they each started taking sips.

"Well, cheers to waiting then," Yang finally agreed with her glass raised.

"Yeah," Ruby muttered, notably softly. She'd started staring across the room, "We'll just sit tight and avoid any attention from that table."

Yang looked over, finally noticing the pack who had just entered the bar, found seats across the room, and started barking at a waiter for beer. Team CRDL had arrived.

…

It took a significant amount of willpower for Yang to stay in her seat and not all out tackle the table of fools. As each moment ticked by, the brawler pictured a different punch for each of them. None of them seemed sufficiently brutal though. Yang wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she'd counted the group was on their fourth round of drinks.

"Oh, they finally posted on their blog that they arrived," Ruby reported from her scroll.

"Amazing," Yang lazily answered, still glaring at the targets.

"I see your patience is running thin," Ruby sighed, "Maybe it's go time. Once the walkway is cleared, I can work my magic."

She began to lift the microphones from her pocket as Yang snapped, "No! Three of them are swaying in their seats, but Cardin is still perfectly still." The blonde's sight remained locked on. "He's got a higher tolerance. They need one more round."

"Okay, okay," Ruby agreed.

As the blonde continued glaring, the team leader awkwardly tapped the table.

"Things are going to be okay, you know," Ruby slowly stated.

"I know," Yang snapped, "We just need to wait until-"

"No," Ruby clarified, "I mean even if this goes south here. Blake's not going anywhere. I believe in you two."

Yang glanced at her sibling, momentarily softening her expression before quickly looking back at the targets. Rather than returning a heartfelt response, Yang abruptly hissed, "Get your head down. Look at your scroll or something."

Ruby glanced across the bar, realizing Cardin had just stood up and started walking their way. She hastily looked back to her scroll and switched the screen off the blog.

"Fucking damn it," Yang growled under her breath. She glared down at her emptied glass, clenching her fists.

As the dropout reached mere feet away, Yang braced herself for a signal to start punching. As his footsteps continued past them however, the blonde exhaled.

The pair glanced behind them to spot Cardin fiddling with a jukebox. After a moment, the bar gained more background noise in the form of classical rock. As Cardin finally walked back past them, he was drunkenly muttering the lyrics of the song.

Ruby patted her sister on the back, "As I said – it'll all be okay."

Yang scratched her temples, "I think it's go time once the walkway is clear."

"Yeah?" Ruby spotted all four ex-huntsmen now chugging their beers as their leader sat back down.

"It seems like it," Yang confirmed, "Do you see their weapons next to them?"

"Yep," Ruby grinned as she stood up, fiddling with four of the devices in her hand.

"Alright," Yang directed, "Just make sure not to-"

Abruptly a burst of wind filled the bar. Yang flinched as her hair smothered her face. After hastily pulling her strands aside and fixing her hood, she glanced back to her side. Her sister was already seated again, innocently smiling with a thumbs up.

A couple other patrons seemed to be adjusting their hair and hats. One of the bartenders appeared to be approaching the air conditioning unit with concern. Meanwhile team CRDL were still swaying in their seats, oblivious to everything non-alcoholic.

Yang couldn't resist smiling back towards her sister, "You speedy, little devil."

"Easy peasy," Ruby smirked, "Each weapon is wired."

"We should find someplace quieter to test them out," Yang suggested.

"Let's do it."

After tossing some lien onto the table, the pair carefully made their exit, taking an indirect route to the main door to avoid the pack of drunks.

Upon their steps back into the cool evening air, Yang felt some of the weights on her shoulders lifted. Team R-Y wouldn't be walking back to Beacon empty-handed.

"We actually pulled it off," Yang chuckled, as they victory marched down the sidewalk.

"Of course we did," Ruby replied, "And now for the fruit of our labors…" The leader held up her scroll, now displaying an application with four different waveforms moving around. All four microphones were connected and listening.

"So, the devices will stay connected as long as they're in range of the CCT tower?"

"Yep," Ruby beamed, "Penny also mentioned they'll keep their batteries for several weeks – variable to how much sound they pick up of course."

After tapping her screen, team CRDL's incoherent yelling began spilling out of the speakers.

"Then let's hear what these bastards have to say for themselves."

So despite all of my outlining and planning, I had to rework this entire chapter outline as soon as I started writing it, realizing serious issues in character decisions – effectively cornering myself with my outline. The last thing I want to do is force characters to act out of character to fit the narrative, so I hope my revisions were sufficient and the story is still natural feeling. I guess we'll see in the next few chapters where the changes will really ripple.

I wish I could've worked faster on this chapter considering current events, but oh well. I really hope you enjoy it regardless.

So what happened? Team CRDL is up to something, and Ruby and Yang have teamed up to deal with them - with help from Penny! Wow! This was the least fluffy chapter I've done in a long time - it feels good to get back to some serious emotional shit.

Anyways, I'll get to work on the next chapter. Thank you all for your patience, support, and feedback.

~Please consider leaving a review :)