Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. I wish I did. All characters, terms, and settings are property of Rooster Teeth. This is just a Fan creation. No profits are had. So enjoy this detour into my odd fascination with irrational Ships.

Chapter 12

Even with out the glyph holding him rooted to the ground Jaune would still have been frozen in place, in fear. He'd fought countless scores of Grimm, fanatical zealots, and an evil Maiden on two occasions. But there was something about Weiss Schnee barrelling towards him, shoulders clenched, rapier drawn, and a scowl that would cower most men, that made him freeze. "You insufferable cretin! She tells you that she is in your debt after you nearly got yourself killed and you use it to force her on a date?!" Weiss shouted at him as she closed the gap between.

Everything in Jaune's brain was screaming at him to flee. To run away from Weiss before she could pierce him through, or summon something that would eviscerate him, or any number of things she could. So when the glyph released Jaune surprised even himself. He stood his ground and stared her down. "No."

Weiss stopped. The wrath and fury still carved into her, but now dampened by confusion. "No? What do you mean, No?" Weiss said as she put her shoulders back and held Myrtenaster upright, the tip just inches away from his chest plate.

"Exactly that, no." Jaune said gaining confidence. "I didn't force your sister out on a date like that. I regularly stop in at Benni's Haven after a mission, sometimes I bring Ren, or Nora, or both. I never meant to insinuate or lead Winter to the conclusion that it was a date." Jaune stowed his weapons and took a step forward. With a simply backhand he pushed Myrtenaster aside. "And even if I had, then what Weiss? Were you going to tell me to stay away from your sister? That Winter Schnee needs you to protect her from guys you don't approve of? Were you going to rough me up? Threaten me to stay away from her?"

Weiss took half a step back, a subtle mix of confusion and fear manifested on her expression. As Jaune closed the distance between them she only then comprehended how much he actually towered over her.

Jaune had no idea where this anger was coming from, or his confidence. "We're not the same people we were at Beacon Weiss." Jaune said pushing into her personal space. "Just as much as you're not the high-strung, intolerable "Heiress", I'm not the naive, scraggly, wannabe with delusions of grandeur that couldn't tell his left from right or what was right in front of him."

"So unless you're gonna actually start something, knock it off." Jaune said before pushing past her and exiting the training deck.

Winter sat in her quarters in her comfy chair, one of the few luxury items she allowed herself. She sipped on some tea and looked at her scroll once again. She had picked it up and put it down several times but had yet to make the call she was attempting to. Each time she lost what she intended to say. All of her preconception on how to talk vanished.

Her day had already been more then anticipated, what with showing Weiss the Winter Maiden, explaining her role, and then the closures of "Non-Essential" SDC facilities in Mantle. But now in the sanctity of her quarters, she let her guard down.

With one final scowl and an empty mug Winter picked up her scroll and dialed. There was a tense few seconds as the line rang, finally being answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, Madelyn."

Jaune just stood in his room staring out the window. He had no idea why he said those things to Weiss. He knew that he felt and meant what he said, but he was regretting how, calloused he was about it. He knew how important Winter was to her and how strong their relationship was. They depended on each other. Jaune had seven sisters so he had an idea, but Weiss and Winter only had each other in a familial sense.

There was just something so infuriating the way Weiss strode in, righteous fury and insults. It all just struck a nerve he didn't even know was there. But he couldn't worry about it right now. With Jacques Schnee's latest announcement, he had Mantle to worry about. He was already getting reports of disturbances in districts with major SDC outlets or operations. He couldn't do anything about it directly tonight, but in the morning there would be a rather large mess to clean up. But for now he needed to know more.

How much of Mantle was SDC. How much control did Jacques have there. These were things that could help the people down there, and when they were alleviated then there would be more room for Amity to prosper. If people were going to be out of the job, then they'd be concerned about food and rent. If Jaune could convince the general to perhaps pause Amity for a day or two, to focus on restoring order to Mantle, to provide humanitarian relief.

So far when he came to an idea like this he'd reach out to Winter for help or advice, but he wanted to give her some space after their last discussion. "Perhaps Clover." Jaune said as he finalized an idea.

Qrow rolled his shoulders before stepping off the transport. He kind of preferred Mantle over Atlas. It was more honest about what it was. No airs, no politics, no scheming. Just wants and needs. He had discussed the plan with Yang and Blake on the way down and now they had to simply, for now, follow through. Find Robyn Hill, give her the approved intel regarding Tyrian and the murders in Mantle, and then invite her into the fold, in a lesser degree. No Salem, Relics, or Maidens.

It didn't take long before he was able to convince a few of the locals to point him in the direction of Robyn's campaign office, if it could be called that. It was little more then an apartment building that the Happy Huntresses had been using as a sort of base of operations. The place was plastered in graffiti, primarily colorful variations of "Show them your teeth".

There were plenty of people around that Qrow wagered were, supporters of Robyn, willing to do whatever it took. The kinds of people Qrow thought were dangerous. Those that thought their lot in life provided them with the justification to take from others. Reminded him too much of "home".

"So let me get this straight. You expect me to believe that an escaped serial killer from Anima, who hasn't been seen in almost ten years, is the one responsible for the murders down here in Mantle?" Robyn asked not looking at them, instead focusing her attention on a map of Mantle. Several pins of different colors adorning it. "That's a bit of a hard sell there Five O'clock shadow."

Sensing Qrow's aggravation, Blake stepped forward to intercept a less then friendly remark from Qrow. "Here's almost everything we have on him. Somethings are still considered classified by Atlas, but we've been allowed to share with you that, and the undocumented intelligence that Tyrian works with the people responsible for the Fall of Beacon and the Attack on Haven." Blake said as she handed over a file containing paper duplicates of the police reports in Mantle. "Aside from the attacks in Mantle, Tyrian was also seen by a group of Beacon alum in Anima, a small abandoned settlement called Higanbana. Five eye witnesses, Qrow here among them."

Robyn looked skeptical but accepted the files and began to browse through them. "And what exactly is Tyrian Callows doing here in Atlas? Why attack, murder those that one would assume hold similar anti-Ironwood sentiment?" Robyn asked flipping through pages.

"To discredit the general." Yang said firmly. "Look around you. The people of Mantle never really seemed to cared for him or Atlas, but since the murders, it seems like a rebellion is in your future. One that will claw away at both sides." She took a small moment to grasp a shacking hand. "We've already lost so much to the likes of Tyrian and his allies, and I'm not talking about the everyone 'we'. I mean my friends and family, and myself." Yang holds up her prosthetic arm and removes it with a soft hiss and click.

Robyn sighed and sat down at a make shift desk made from a simple kitchen table. "I'm not so arrogant to suggest that your struggles are less important then mine, but I have all of Mantle to worry about. Now you come down from up on high with Atlas intelligence suggesting that long lost serial killer is actually to blame?" Robyn said raising an eyebrow. "You'll have to forgive my skepticism. Then I've also got the recent revelation of Jacques Schnee's latest debacle."

An awkward silence followed. "You don't know? I've got my huntresses out there right now trying to calm people down." Robyn said angrily. She pointed a remote at a hanging monitor as the news broadcast repeated the announcement that Jacques Schnee was entering the election for the Council Seat, and until he won was shutting down many of the Mantle SDC operations. "Most of Mantle works for either the SDC or a subsidiary. These people are out of the job now. They were struggling as it was, now half of Mantle doesn't know when their next meal is going to be!"

The room was tense. Blake, Yang, and Qrow just looked to each other. "Ok. Well, we did what we came to do." Yang said coldly. "We informed Robyn Hill of Tyrian and the evidence that he was responsible for the murders. Jobs done." She looked to Robyn with a stern expression. "How can we help Mantle now?"