A handful of minutes of walking later, Gladys saw RWBY and JNPR walking towards them- a rather odd thing, since she'd thought they were all going to the same place. So, naturally, she stopped, and warned, "The schoolchildren are coming."

Emma let out a sigh, and Ribbans questioned, "Why've they done that?"

"Are we not leaving?" Otto agreed. Gladys shrugged, and waited a little bit until the students finally came into range to converse, at which point Yang informed, "Goodwitch said it wasn't really an emergency."

"Ah," Gladys nodded. As the students formed a mock-line- RWBY first, then JNPR- to each grab their jar of sap from the tankers, Carney noted, "There isn't a reason to go back in the forest, is there?"

"Some of us tend to do as we're told," Weiss shot, as she grabbed a jar of sap from Carney, "Rather than staying put whenever we want to."

Gladys sniffed at that, and Ribbans suggested, "Carney, why are you giving that all back to them? Seems guarding it wasn't important."

"It's theirs," Gladys shot down immediately, "Though I would think that they could be a bit more civil."

As she grabbed two jars, Nora bubbled, "Thanks for keeping the sap safe!"

Behind her and Pyrrha, Ren reminded, "Nora."

"Oh, right, uh, next time help people first," Nora unenthusiastically said as she drew away. Pyrrha simply flashed a smile as she walked straight through without grabbing a jar, and Emma pointed out, "This helped you lot, didn't it?"

"Yep!" Nora peachily said. Ren sighed at that, and then he and the tankers drew away to go join the others. It was only a few minutes of walking before they got back to the clearing they'd been in before, and Gladys promptly informed, "I'll start the kettle."

As the commander set the tea set down, the tankers once again made a circle around her. This time, though, they weren't joined by their fellow students, who instead made their own circle by themselves. This, naturally, had no effect on the tankers, as Otto began, "Now, to continue about tactics-"

"Oh, not more of this," Ribbans grumbled, to which Otto retorted, "What is more important to speak about?"

"What are you more wrong about?" Ribbans shot back, to which Otto retorted, "And you think you are correct?"

"A light is a light, a heavy's a heavy," Ribbans bickered, "Not meant to be fighting each other."

Otto nodded, "The heavy gets flanked too easy, ja."

"The light gets swacked aside too easy," Emma bickered, to which Otto retorted, "If they can hit."

"Pish posh," Ribbans shot, "'If'."

"He is rather right, in this case," Carney noted, and Emma murmured, "Not you, too."

"When they're close, I would say that a light tank can very easily move faster than a turret," Carney pointed out, and Ribbans retorted, "And they'll be shot to bits before they get there."

"If the heavy hits," Otto pointed out, and Ribbans fumed, "They'll hit the bloody mark!"

"Besides which," Gladys said, scooting a bit away from the tea set as the water started boiling, "Even if the heavy tank doesn't manage a hit, there's still the tank destroyers."

"Those would be flanked, too," Otto suggested, and Emma asked, "How many lights are skulking about for this to work?"

"It never would," Ribbans shot, and Emma shook her head, "Enough bodies, and anything works."

"While that may be," Gladys said, shifting a little where she sat, "This is about what is most effective, not merely what can be effective."

"This was about how to use a medium tank properly," Carney reminded, and Gladys nodded, "Ah, yes- what would the mediums be doing while the light tanks are scurrying about?"

"They would have been sacrificed to keep the lights alive," Otto answered. Ribbans chuckled at that, and Gladys questioned, "You're supposing that, in conditions where a medium will be knocked out, a light won't?"

Otto nodded, "They would, if the mediums didn't do their job properly. A good medium supports the lights by taking the hits for them, while the lights perform maneuvers."

Ribbans rolled his eyes at that, while Emma nodded, "Could work. Still wouldn't win a match."

"It would," Otto shot, and Emma shook her head, "No, it wouldn't."

Otto sighed in exasperation, and the conversation only deteriorated from there. It was a rather long while later that Jaune, of all people, approached, greeting, "Uh, hey guys."

"Hushit," Emma shot, then continued, "You really believe a medium can ricochet a bloody thing? A medium?"

"Jawohl," Otto shot back, "I have seen it happen."

"You were in a light tank!" Ribbans fumed, and Otto retorted, "This was a different time!"

"This," Emma questioned, "As in one time? How many times?"

"Twice," Otto answered, and Carney noted, "That is a rather small set of examples."

"Twice for heavies, I suspect he meant," Gladys pointed out, "A light tank will mostly have more trouble."

"So, you guys really aren't bothered?" Jaune interjected. Emma huffed, saying, "I'll get you a cuppa, just hold a second."

Jaune shook his head, "No, that's alright-"

"Shut it," Emma shot, "You want to contribute, you have a cup of tea."

"What would he have to contribute?" Otto questioned, "He is just a boy. Has he even been in a tank?"

"No," Jaune said, and Ribbans nodded, "'Bout as much actual experience as you, then."

"It is not," Otto scowled, and Jaune asked, "What are you talking about?"

"We were just discussing," Gladys said, trailing off for a moment as Emma started pouring a cup of tea for Jaune. Finally, the commander wiggled herself slightly, finishing, "H-How a battle should be conducted. What sorts of tanks should engage what others, mostly."

"What else is there in a fight?" Otto pointed out, speaking as if he was making a good point. Gladys immediately retorted, "Well, there is the matter of concealment, and the high ground. Who should get the good bits of cover and whatnot."

Otto snorted, noting, "No one should need cover, the tank is for maneuvering, not staying still."

Ribbans laughed at that, and Emma finally brought the cup to Jaune as she retorted, "Going to just shoot on the move too, huh?"

"Yes," Otto nodded, "Are you incapable?"

Ribbans nodded, "Incapable of going with a stupid idea, yeah."

Otto smirked slightly, and Jaune asked, "Wait, you guys... uh..."

"I'll, ah, make you a drawing of the battle plans so far," Gladys offered. Jaune shook his head, saying, "You guys can't, y'know, shoot while moving?"

Otto nodded, "Even the boy sees it is pathetic."

"The boy doesn't know how moronic it is," Ribbans shot, "Shooting on the move- think we all have stabilizers, huh?"

"Wouldn't that be important, though?" Jaune questioned, and Otto answered, "Jawohl, it is very important," he shook his head lightly, noting, "Now I get why you have so little faith in the maneuver, if you can't do it."

"We bloody well could," Ribbans shot, "We just don't."

"It always makes me sick to have the turret and hull rotating at the same time," Gladys murmured, "Too much motion."

Jaune nodded, "I mean, I guess."

"That is a weakness," Otto pointed out, "I can run to keep up with a rotating turret while the hull is rotating."

Gladys blanched slightly at the mere thought of that, and Jaune asked, "Why are you running?"

"Don't have a basket, do you?" Emma guessed, and Ribbans shook his head, "Thought that was the Russians."

"The Panzer Drei doesn't have a turret basket," Otto informed, "So, I compensate with my ability as a tanker, rather than hampering the tank's ability to maneuver."

"It is a rather debilitating hindrance, to not be able to fire on the move," Carney murmured, "You can really tell by which of our tanks isn't frequently knocked out."

"Your commander has a good head," Otto said, "But you are let down by her weak stomach."

Gladys nodded, "Thank you for the complimenting part."

"It is deserved," Otto shot, "And your tank deserves to be used the way it should be."

Ribbans fumed, "What would you know about a British tank, you bloody Kraut? We're the ones who drive it about, we know very well what it deserves!"

Emma nodded, "What it deserves is to not get knocked out by a Beowolf."

"That was once," Otto shot, "And it was because we were out of ammunition."

"Because you missed all your shots," Ribbans said, "Because you were firing on the move."

Otto chuckled, "If Karl were here right now..."

He sighed to himself, while Jaune interjected, "I, uh, agree with him, I guess?"

"Good for you," Gladys said, "Perhaps he could teach you the basics of operating a tank, then."

"Perhaps you could learn, too," Otto noted. Gladys huffed at that, pointing out, "I'm quite experienced- I'll have you know that I've won multiple class-one badges for distinctive service. Even a few ace badges."

"And yet you can't stomach the execution of a flank," Otto pointed out, and Jaune asked, "Also, is that really good?"

Gladys giggled slightly at that, then abruptly stopped, before murmuring, "Don't, ah, make me laugh again. To put it bluntly; yes, it is quite good."

"Lord's sake, just go off into a bush and piss," Emma suggested, to which Gladys shook her head, "I am a tanker, not a savage."

"Then you should learn to keep your bile in during a maneuver, too," Otto pointed out, "Otherwise, you aren't a very good tanker."

"That is rather too far," Carney said, finally speaking up, "While you've made some good points, I believe we have heard quite enough."

"Isn't he right, though?" Jaune questioned. Ribbans shot, "You're only kept about because she wants to be friendly. So now, you can bugger off."

"No," Gladys said, shaking her head, "Having a differing opinion isn't a crime."

"They are deriding you," Carney pointed out, and Jaune added, "Uh, no offense, I guess?"

"He simply doesn't know any better," Gladys said, "Nor, I suspect, does Otto."

"I know well enough," Otto shot, and Gladys pointed out, "You've always worked in light tanks, haven't you? Meaning this is your first time talking with a destroyer's crew?"

Otto sighed, then nodded, and Gladys retorted, "We've never been much questioned, so this is our first time talking about strategy with a light tanker."

"So you guys are just thinking entirely differently?" Jaune summed up. Gladys sighed, then informed, "If the point is to be cut short, then yes."

"It is still a weakness," Otto pointed out, "You are not in a destroyer anymore."

Gladys retorted, "We will be soon enough. It can't be too long before we'll get the next tier."

"Is that part of the badges?" Jaune asked. Emma hushed, "No."

Jaune nodded quietly, as Otto bickered, "Nothing here has been predictable. What is to say that you will be in a destroyer?"

"What does that really mean?" Jaune asked, and Emma shot, "Hushit."

Gladys sighed, then asked, "If we were to..."

She hesitated a long moment, making a rather perturbed face, as if struggling with something in her mouth.

"A-Admit," Gladys finally spat out, "That you could teach us something-"

Ribbans snorted in disbelief.

"-then, ah, would it be possible that you would teach us to do it?" Gladys finished. Otto blinked, murmuring, "Was ist..."

He trailed off, then murmured, "If you had such a good head, then yes. A good commander seeks to learn, and a good friend will teach."

"'Friend'," Ribbans derided, "Really playing us for fools. Suppose she is, though."

He glared at Gladys, who sighed, then admitted, "I, ah... suppose we could rather, well, use help in learning how to use a lighter vehicle."

Otto stared at her in stunned silence for a long moment. As did Ribbans, and Emma, and even Carney. Jaune noted, "Is there not, like, a tank class?"

"He can teach us?" Ribbans questioned, "A Kraut? We're trusting Jerry now?"

"My name is Otto," Otto reminded, "And I would be happy to teach you."

Gladys smiled a little, and Emma grumbled, "Little enough time to shoot things with the tank as it is."

Ribbans huffed, and stormed off, fuming, "He might be your Ribbentrop, but I'm not about to be Molotov."

As he walked off, Jaune asked, "What does that mean?"

"That our gunner is still himself," Carney answered, "I do wonder how long it will take for him to come around."

Gladys nodded quietly, then said, "Ah, Jaune- why are you here? You lot tend not to come around unless you want to talk about something."

Jaune nodded, "Uh, yeah, we were all giving you the silent treatment."

He glanced over at Ribbans, as the man was deflected away from where RWBY and JNPR were sitting. Gladys noted, "I hadn't figured it was that."

"Well, you guys could've gotten people killed," Jaune said. Gladys glanced at him askance, genuinely confused, and Emma grumbled, "Is this about that little chit's 'orders'?"

"I, uh, don't disagree with what you did," Jaune said, "Not wanting to run out and fight makes sense, but..."

He sighed, and Gladys pointed out, "We were going to fight. We simply wouldn't do the running out bit."

Jaune nodded slightly, murmuring, "I guess... I just wanna know if you guys are gonna say sorry yet."

"For what?" Gladys questioned, and Jaune pointed out, "For almost getting people killed- I thought that was clear."

"For not being someone else's bloody private," Emma shot, "And instead following our own commander."

Jaune shrugged, "Maybe that too. It's Weiss who's really upset."

Emma huffed, and Carney noted, "I believe that is her own issue to work out."

"Well, she's being kinda mean about it," Jaune pointed out, "And I don't think she ever liked you."

Otto nodded, "My commander's doing."

"So if you guys could just say sorry?" Jaune asked. Gladys retorted, "Of course we won't."

"You were just admitting to personal flaws," Jaune pointed out, "Why not this?"

"This wasn't a flaw or a mistake," Gladys retorted, "Our options were to hold our ground where we had a good line of sight, or meander through the woods."

Jaune shrugged, and Gladys sighed, "If we must engage in this childish game, our response is that our plan was a better one."

Jaune nodded, "Uh... she's not gonna like that."

"I believe that is once again an issue of her own," Carney noted, and Jaune nodded, "Oh, yeah, but she can be really mean, so... maybe just say sorry?"

Gladys bickered, "I'll not go about appeasing a schoolchild for their sloppy tactics. Since my gunner's gone off already, I'll gladly admit that even our German guest has a better grasp of such things."

Otto nodded, "Thank you."

Jaune glanced between them, as if probing for a different answer. The closest he got was Emma beginning a new conversation by asking, "Anyone else thinking of putting some of the sap in the tea?"

Otto shrugged at that, meanwhile both the other English tankers gasped in horror and disbelief. Promptly, Emma added, "Just a thought."

Jaune abruptly chuckled in a sort of nervous way, then said, "I'll, uh, yeah, go tell Weiss that you're not gonna say sorry," he chuckled again, noting, "Her sword's probably blunted from killing monsters today, right?"

As he got up and walked away, he continued chuckling nervously. Gladys simply shook her head in exasperation, then turned back to her crew and began, "Come to think of it, I believe we may need a plan to keep Otto alive if we're to learn much of anything from him."

-Much, much later

The common saying of 'all things must come down' is a rather sensible one, as it is truly universal. Even the sun, high in the sky, comes down eventually, arcing towards the western horizon, and finally setting itself below the horizon altogether, to come back up the other side when it has fallen wholly around the world. Sometimes, this takes quite a long while, for the universal constant of falling to finally catch up with the great yellow orb. Other times, though, it does not.

An example of the latter sort of time is, of course, most of the days of the fall season- and the day of Beacon's field trip to the Forever Falls was, in fact, one of these autumnal days. Thusly, the sun had already started to lower itself from the heavens by the long-awaited time of four o'clock, and it fell with such speed that, merely an hour later at five o'clock, the lower portions of the revered sun had already been absorbed into the sought- but never reached- horizon, settling down just as the Bullheads settled their far less mythical forms onto the far more tangible Beacon landing pads.

In a sense, then, it can be said that five o'clock was a rather late time, on that day; and Gladys, trapped in one of the slowly-descending Bullheads, with a full kettle of tea in front of her and a fuller bladder inside of her, would have readily agreed. It fortunately wasn't too late- none of the urine had yet escaped her- but it was still much, much later than she would have preferred. As well, though it was not too late to save her knickers from water-damage, it was much too late to entirely save her dignity- by the time the Bullhead finally touched the ground, the usually-composed commander had been reduced to constantly shifting where she sat.

It should come as no surprise, then, that she led the way for the tankers- including Otto- back to the dorms, being too fast from anguish to keep up with when she broke into a stride, but still being able to be followed due to her rather consistently stopping in place to weather waves of pure desperation. Eventually, after yet another too-long while, the tankers- still including Otto- finally got to the English crew's room. And as the commander stood by the door, bouncing up-and-down from foot-to-foot as she despairingly fiddled repeatedly with an unsympathetic lock, Ribbans finally noticed, "What're you doing here?"

The Kraut glanced at Ribbans askance, then, remembering that the gunner wasn't around when the plan was made for how he would avoid being executed by his own commander, explained, "I am sleeping here."

Ribbans huffed, "Sure you are."

"We all agreed on this already," Emma said, "So just stuff it."

Carney glanced between the soon-to-happen confrontation, and his soon-to-piddle commander, and quietly made his way over to the latter, calmly grabbing the keycard from her. Gladys mumbled something that might have possibility been a 'thank you' if she'd had enough of her mind off of the toilet to think of words, while Ribbans fumed, "Stuff it? I say we stuff that bastard in his own room."

"I will separate myself if need be," Otto answered, "But your commander said that I should remain within your room."

"You what?" Ribbans shot, turning to Gladys. Finally, Carney got the door open, and just as the commander was about to run in, Ribbans grabbed her by the shoulder, accusing, "You're planning on whoring about with the Hun?"

Gladys tried to pull away, muttering something that was some variation of the word 'toilet', as those were the only words her mind could remember at the moment. Ribbans demanded, "Stay here and answer me! Why in hell is a Jerry planning on staying with us?"

Emma promptly stepped in, easily lifting the gunner's arm with her own. Immediately, Gladys scampered off, leaving a few tiny dark spots on the floor which spoke of the necessity of such immediate-ness. Ribbans huffed, "'Course she would just run away, coward."

"I had suspected that this would happen," Carney murmured, and Emma nodded, "Right, Ribbans would take issue with Otto? Masterful prediction."

"You two aren't taking issue with him?" Ribbans shot, indicating Otto, who informed, "This was your loader's idea."

"What I said was a joke," Emma shot, "Carney's the one who made it an actual suggestion."

"You're both letting the Hun slip through our lines!" Ribbans shouted, "Giving up and letting him in! Next thing you know, we'll be saying 'gooden tog' to that nutcase commander of his- though not so mad as the one who would submit to them!"

"The man's hung about with us for months," Emma pointed out, "If he were making a move, then he's a bit too slow for it to catch us surprised."

"He's doing that now!" Ribbans fumed, and Otto retorted, "This wasn't my idea- I could do as I always do."

Carney retorted, "If you do sleep in your own room, you'll be certainly put to death."

"Oh, what a pity that would be," Ribbans mocked, "One less Kraut to terrorize the world."

"Yeah, he's a right terror," Emma retorted, "Truly makes me quiver in my boots, with how he offers to let himself get bloody executed!"

"And why shouldn't he?" Ribbans bickered, "Killing his own commander and trying to come to us? It'd be what he's earned."

"You surely cannot be serious," Carney said, and Ribbans responded, "Serious as I am cross."

Emma huffed, and Carney pointed out, "Then you would have a man put to death for murdering the one you hate most?"

Ribbans made an odd, contorted face, and Otto noted, "I wasn't involved in the killing."

"There!" Ribbans shouted gleefully, "He says it! He didn't do shite!"

"We had him," Emma fumed, "And you're just going to give him a way out of admitting he's being a cock?"

"Honesty is important," Otto shrugged, and Ribbans nodded, "And the honest truth is that he's a bloody Kraut, who'll dash us in our sleep."

"I wouldn't," Otto promised, and Ribbans nodded, "A Kraut's word sure is a sure thing, isn't it? I'll bet you won't take the checks, too."

"Oh, that whole Czech affair was an entirely different man," Carney pointed out, and Ribbans retorted, "Same sort of culture- culture of lies and savagery."

Otto huffed at that, and Emma threatened, "Just go along with it or you'll have more than a Kraut looking to be savage with you."

At that, Ribbans huffed, then finally relented, "Rather not come to blows with my own crew..."

He sighed, then agreed, "I'll shut it. But if he makes one wrong move-"

"Then our commander will decide the appropriate response," Carney cut off. Ribbans sighed, then nodded, and Otto murmured, "Thank you."

Ribbans said nothing, merely glaring at the German as he entered the room he'd had to argue to get in, followed by Emma, then Carney. Finally, Ribbans muttered a prediction of what barbarous-ness the Kraut would- inevitably, in his eyes- demonstrate, then begrudgingly entered the same room.

Author's Note: Here, finally, is the next chapter. I will admit, I did end up leaning rather heavily into dialogue, probably more than in any of my previous chapters. As well, this chapter is actually a mite bit shorter than the usual fare. However, the next chapter will, I promise, finally get back to the tanks, so I hope that makes up for this.