The center of town was crowded with people and stalls. People walk around doing a bit of window shopping or looking for a good deal. There are some simply having a great time as the sound of chatter fills the air. The light of the sunshine over the center of town tells us the time is around midday.

Asarirn and Ruby are walking through the crowd of people, passing by different types of stalls. Both of them are looking around the area. Nothing grabbed their attention.

"I know we are on an investigation," Ruby stopped and turned to face Asarirn. "But I have no idea where to start."

"I would start by asking the locals," Asarirn suggested as he continued to look around. "There might be some people with information that could help us."

Ruby had an impressed look on her face before commenting, "Sounds like you know what to do in this!"

Asarirn stopped looking around to turn to face Ruby. Asarirn didn't consider the possibility Ruby might not have any experience in information gathering. Hopefully, this does not reveal too much of Asarirn's past experiences. The look on Ruby's face as she was excited to hear what to do next.

"Look for anyone who is by themselves," Asarirn gave another suggestion. "That way there won't be any distraction from them answering any question."

Ruby looked around the crowd of people for a potential target. She stopped in one direction.

"What about him?" Ruby pointed in the direction she was facing.

Asarirn looked in that direction. There was a stall near the outer edge of the town center. The stall has an assortment of fruits with sliced fruit on sticks. Behind the stall was a man that was organizing his fruit, waiting for his next customers. Asarirn gestured for Ruby to lead the way. Ruby excitedly headed in the direction of the man with the stall while Asarirn followed.

-*RWBY*-

Ruby and Asarirn walked toward the fruit stand in question. The man behind the stall was inspecting his contents until he noticed the two people walking towards his stall. The man stopped what he was doing to ready himself for new customers. He greeted the two with a smile as they stopped in front of his stall.

"Hello," Ruby greeted with Asarirn standing by her side.

"Welcome to my stand," the man greeted himself. "I have here the freshest fruit of all of Vale. Are you interested in whole fruit or sliced?"

"Actually, we are here on a different matter," Ruby declined.

"And what's that?"

"First off, let us introduce ourselves. I'm Ruby and this one here is my teammate, Arranis. We are students from Beacon Academy."

"Ah, you must be the huntress student that is helping with the investigation," the man realized.

"That's right," Ruby felt recognized. "We wanted to ask you a few questions to help us with our investigation."

"I'm not sure if I can be any help but I will try my best."

"Great!" Ruby sounded pleased. She excitedly held up a notepad with a pen touching the paper. Asarirn was thrown off as he wondered when she pulled the notepad out. "First off, we heard so much about the missing family, but we never heard their names."

"Ah yes," the man tries to gather his thought. "Their names are John and Mary Farm."

"Well, I understand they have a farm from the mayor, but I'm looking for a last name as well."

No, no, no!" the man quickly disagreed. "Their family name is Farm, as in, John Farm and Mary Farm."

Ruby didn't say a word as she had a hard time processing what the name said. "You're telling me there is a farmer with the last name of Farm."

The man responded with a simple nod. Ruby looked at Asarirn for a response. Asarirn didn't say a word as he simply shrugged.

"Their names are quite convenient for them," the man explained. "They were able to bring in the freshest and richest vegetables of all of Vale. Many people travel here to try their vegetables."

Ruby took some notes on her notepad before asking the next question. "Do you know anything that happened that led to their disappearance?"

The man pondered the thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Sorry, I don't know anything that isn't already public information."

Ruby looked displeased as that was all the information she could get. "I see. I would like to thank you for your ti-"

Ruby couldn't finish what she was saying as Asarirn interrupted her by holding up a finger.

"Is there anything you have heard that is circling around?" Asarirn finally spoke. "Like a rumor?"

"A rumor you say?" the man sound interested. "I think I might know something."

Ruby perked up at what the man had said. She quickly held up her notepad as she readied herself to take notes.

"It's only a rumor," the man sounded nervous as he saw the notepad. "I'm not sure if this would help your investigation or anything."

Asarirn gently placed his hand on Ruby's notepad before gently pushing away. "This would be off the record," Asarirn reinsured the man.

"All right," the man looked relieved. He leaned slightly forward which caused both Ruby and Asarirn to slightly lean forward as well. "You heard about Laura, right?"

"The mayor's wife?" Asarirn questioned.

"Yes," the man confirmed. "I heard she has a thing for young and fit guys like yourself."

Asarirn didn't say anything as he checked himself out to see what the man meant.

"She would go out of the way to talk and flirt with the guys," the man added.

"She didn't do that when we first met her with the mayor," Ruby stated with a bit of confusion.

"You're kidding, right?" the man couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "She wouldn't do that in front of other people, especially in front of her husband. She goes for any guys that are by themselves and even invites them to her room for the evening."

"To do what exactly?" Ruby wanted more information. There was an awkward silence as the man and Asarirn looked at Ruby. They gave some shocked looks as Ruby didn't know what the man meant.

"To talk," Asarirn lied to clarify.

"Uh, yeah," the man agreed with Asarirn.

Ruby still had a somewhat confused look, but she gave a single nod as she somewhat understands.

"The question I have," Asarirn continued. "How would you describe Farmer John?"

"Well," the man pondered for a second. "He would be considered young since he is in his early twenties. Since he does a lot of back-breaking labor, I would say he is quite fit."

After saying those words, the man started to put what he said just now and what he said before. The man's expression changed as he has a look of realization. He turned towards Asarirn with his mouth hung open as he was about to say something.

"That is a rumor based on another rumor," Asarirn preventing the man from what he was about to say.

"That is something to think about," the man stated.

Ruby's attention goes from Asarirn to the man and then back to Asarirn. She tried to figure out what they had said.

"One last question before I leave you with your business," Asarirn stated. "Do you know if the farmer has a stall similar to yourself?"

"Ah yes," the man nodded as he pointed in a direction. "His stall is over on the other side of the market near the lake. His stall will be empty since there hasn't been anybody else that won't stock up their stall. You can't miss it."

Ruby and Asarirn looked over toward the direction the man had pointed before turning back.

"I would like to thank you for your time," Asarirn said as he started to walk away.

"Thanks again!" Ruby waved goodbye before catching up to Asarirn.

After walking, for a bit, towards the direction the fruit man had pointed, Ruby and Asarirn were by themselves. Without warning, Ruby jogged ahead before turning around, stopping in front of Asarirn. Asarirn stopped in his tracks.

"I felt I had missed something back there about the mayor's wife inviting people to her room," Ruby stated. "Is there more besides talking?"

Asarirn folded his arms as he began tapping himself on his arm with one hand. There was a moment of silence as Asarirn pondered. "I feel your sister might kill me if I told you this," Asarirn stated. "But I don't want any miscommunications later on." He turned to face Ruby. "The part about talking is not true. The reason she would invite people to her room is to... do... adult stuff."

Ruby took a moment to process Asarirn's words before her face turned red. "ah, I-I see," Ruby turned away to hide her embarrassment. She quickly turned towards Asarirn. Ruby moved her head up and down to check Asarirn out. Asarirn could only tilt his head in confusion.

"Then you need to look out for her!" Ruby stated.

"That's only if the rumor about her is true," Asarirn responded.

"But what if the rumor is true?!" Ruby asked.

Asarirn could only sigh in response before answering. "If the rumor is true, I don't want to get caught up in that ordeal."

After hearing Asarirn's words, Ruby could not help but let out a sigh of relief. Asarirn couldn't help but tilt his head with a bit of confusion.

"Let's go!" Ruby smiled as she started to head toward her destination. Asarirn remained silent as he began to walk after Ruby. He could not understand what Ruby's thought process was.

-*RWBY*-

Ruby and Asarirn continued walking in the direction the fruit stall man had pointed. Closer to the destination, the area was filled with stalls. Behind each stall, at least one person was waiting to do business with someone, or they were talking to potential buyers. On each stall, they carried different types of merchandise ready to be sold to the public. However, there was one stall that stood out more than the rest. That stall does not have anyone around and there is no merchandise on the stall.

Ruby and Asarirn spotted the stall in question and headed in that direction. Out of the blue, both of them stopped in their tracks to avoid collision as two kids zoomed past them. Carrying in their hands while running was a type of pastry. The fragrance of sweet honey and sugar lingered in the air. Both Asarirn and Ruby managed to smell the scent.

Ruby gave a strong sniff of the air. "That must be the Sweetbread!" Ruby stated.

"Sweetbread?" Asarirn sounded confused.

"You know one of the things they are famous for," Ruby tried to describe, but meet with Asarirn tilting his head in silence. "The bread that you talked about on the ride over here."

"Oh right," Asarirn suddenly realized.

"I really want to try one now," Ruby sniffed the air once more.

"We need to focus on the investigation first," Asarirn stated.

"I know, I know," Ruby turned towards Asarirn with her hands on her hips. "The investigation takes priority. I feel there are times you sound like a parent."

Asarirn fell silent for a bit after what Ruby had said. For some reason, the word 'parent' stung him a bit. The only response he could do was let out a sigh.

"If you think about this," Asarirn started to explain. "The sooner we get this investigation today finished, the more time we have for ourselves for the rest of the day.

Ruby considered Asarirn's words for a moment before responding, "I didn't see that way. Is that the reason you do well in class?"

"That is one of the reasons," Asarirn couldn't explain the reason why he does well in class.

"Let's hurry with our investigation!" Ruby didn't waste time and headed towards the empty stall. Asarirn simply walked after her.

-*RWBY*-

Ruby and Asarirn approached the empty stall in question. Besides the stall does not have any goods on them, the stall was pushed against a stone wall. The wall itself was a stone staircase that led to a higher platform. The platform can give people the option to overlook the town square. Ruby stood there as Asarirn started to inspect the stall.

"What are we looking for on this cart?" Ruby wanted to ask.

"I wanted to see if the cart can tell us something," Asarirn explained as he continued inspecting the stall. "For example, what can you tell me about this cart." Asarirn pointed at the cart.

Ruby looked closer at the cart herself. She noticed the cart was covered with dirt and dust. "The cart is covered in dirt," Ruby answered.

"But why is the cart covered in dirt?" Asarirn asked another question.

Ruby pondered the question for a bit before answering, "The cart hasn't been used in a while?"

"Exactly," Asarirn said which caused Ruby to be proud of her answer. "This could give us a timeline on when they disappeared based on the last time the cart was used."

Asarirn looked around from the cart. He noticed there was another cart somewhat closed further down the wall. Without warning, Asarirn followed along the wall toward the cart. Ruby quickly followed Asarirn along.

There was a woman behind the cart. On the cart, there was an assortment of handmade accessories laid out across the cart. As Asarirn and Ruby came close to the cart, the woman greeted them with a smile as if they could be potential customers.

"Well hello dears," the woman greeted them. "You certainly look like a lovely couple. You would be interested in some couples-only accessories to show your love for each other. If you are interested, there is a discount right now for couples only!"

"We are not a couple!" Ruby shook her hands in front of her to hide her embarrassment.

"Oh sorry, I thought you too were a couple since you two wear the same color," the woman explained. Ruby and Asarirn looked at each other's clothing for a moment. They both realized they are wearing the same color of clothing.

"We are part of the investigation team looking for the missing family," Asarirn explained. "We were wondering if we can help us by answering some questions."

"Oh certainly," the woman responded. "We will see how much I can help."

"Are there any rules involving maintaining your carts?" Asarirn started the questions.

"Quite certain," the woman nodded. "While conducting business on the town square, your cart must be clean and tidy at all times, including the area around your cart. That way we can maintain a clean environment for the returning and new tourist."

"I see. When was the last time that cart over there was used?" Asarirn pointed to the abandoned cart.

"Oh, farmer's cart," the woman confirmed the cart. "The last time they used the cart was about a week ago."

"That was the last time the farmer used the cart?" Asarirn continued with the questions.

"Oh no," the woman corrected which caused Ruby and Asarirn to tilt their head in confusion. "The farmer's wife and their child were the last ones to use the cart."

"When was the last time the farmer was seen at their cart?"

The woman took a moment before answering, "about a month ago."

"A month?!" Ruby sounded surprised. The woman simply nodded to confirm.

"Who was the one that always ran the cart?" Ruby decided to throw in a question herself.

"As far as I can remember," the woman started to explain. "For the longest time, the farmer was the one always running the business on that cart until a month ago, then the farmer's wife and the child ran the cart."

There was a moment of silence as Ruby and Asarirn were processing the newfound information.

"Thank you for your time," Asarirn told the woman before he headed back to the abandoned cart.

"Thank you!" Ruby waved to the woman before running after Asarirn.

After a brief walk back to the abandoned cart, Ruby and Asarirn stood there, staring at the cart.

"Why hasn't the farmer been here for a month?" Asarirn questioned the thought in his head.

"Maybe he was back up on his work," Ruby threw a theory out there.

"That could be the case, but we don't know for certain."

They fell into silence as they simply stared at the empty cart. They are trying to process all the information they have gathered thus far. However, they lacked the pieces of information to put the puzzle together. More questions are being asked than answers to the current questions. Their thought process was interrupted as a shadow loomed over their heads. Ruby looked up without a second thought. Asarirn took a quick moment to grab the white mask and placed the mask over his face before looking up. The shadow came for someone that was on the platform above them. They are greeted by Zak. Zak was leaning over the railing while looking down on Ruby and Asarirn.

"Well, is it the pretty rose leader and the infamous mysterious member," Zak had a smirk on his face. "I see you are hard at work with the investigation, even though I told you guys you are wasting your time."

"Sounds like you are not going to give a hard. Then why are you here?" Asarirn questioned Zak's intentions.

Zak continued to have a smile on his face before answering, "word has it that you possess a special weapon."

"Weapons are only special to the people that are welding them."

"But the weapon in question is a weapon made entirely out of ice."

The mask was currently hiding the shocked look he had on his face. Again, more questions are being thrown at them. For the time being, Asarirn decided to act dumb. He checked himself while patting himself all over his body. When he could not find what he was looking for, he looked back at Zak with his hands up and simply shrugged. Zak did not find that amusing as he had an irritated look on his face.

"Does Huntsman really ask others for their weapons?" Ruby questioned as well.

"If you don't believe I'm a huntsman, you and I could get together later in the evening and I could show how much of a huntsman I really am."

"Sorry," Ruby didn't hesitate to decline. "We're too busy with the investigation as a Huntsman should be."

Zak frowned as he heard Ruby's answer. "Whatever. You guys are wasting your time anyway," Zak stated before he stormed away.

Ruby and Asarirn watched Zak disappear from their sight, leaving them by themselves. They looked at each other in silence. After the encounter with Zak, they have the same questions in mind.

"Why does he ask about your-" before Ruby had the chance, Asarirn interrupted her by putting up a finger on where his mouth would be.

"We should focus on the investigation," Asarirn told Ruby to redirect her attention.

Ruby was left in silence after what Asarirn had just said. She knew Zak was asking about Asarirn's Mystical Blade, but why the sudden change in direction? Could there be a chance Zak could be nearby? She thought for the sake of her teammate, Ruby needed to play along for the time being.

Ruby checked her scroll for the time before looking back at Asarirn. "We are about the time we should meet up with the rest of the team."

Asarirn acknowledged Ruby by giving a simple nod. Ruby started heading towards the new destination while Asarirn was in tow.

-*RWBY*-

Yang and Weiss were found standing next to a light pole. They were silently waiting for the rest of the team. As Ruby and Asarirn came into their view, their attention turned towards them, waiting for them to get closer. As Ruby and Asarirn approached them, Yang greeted them with a smile while Weiss' face remained natural.

"Any luck on your end?" Yang asked in the hope of some lead.

"We have some information, but not enough to make a breakthrough," Ruby explained. "And you?"

Yang shook her in response. "Nothing we don't already know."

"We did have a run-in with that Huntsman while we were investigating," Ruby stated.

Both Yang and Weiss looked at each other before looking at Ruby with concerned looks. "What did he say to you?" Weiss asked.

"It's better to wait for Blake to have everyone here," Ruby suggested.

"I understand we have Blake doing some sneaking around over by the north entrance," Yang ranted while turning her sights on Asarirn. "Would you be a better choice at sneaking since you have the whole mysterious vibe going on?"

Everyone else turned their attention to Asarirn while he simply crossed his arms.

"I draw too much attention," Asarirn stated. Everyone checked their surroundings, some people would occasionally look over their way. "Wearing black in the middle of the day, I would stick out too much."

"That would make sense," Yang understood.

Before they could continue the conversation, Blake approached them. The girls greeted her with smiles as they were happy to see her.

"Did you find something, Blake?" Ruby asked.

"The guards that are stationed over by the north entrance are all from Atlas," Blake started to explain. "However, I found out they recently closed off the entrance, since people are trying to travel up north, but they are denying passage. Many of these people are delivering cargo to the neighboring towns."

"Do you know why they are preventing them? They said there were Grim activities in the area.

"From what I have heard, they are telling the truth," Blake continued. "Supposedly, Grim had migrated from the north towards down here. They closed off the area to set up a perimeter to deal with the Grim. But I feel there was more to that though."

"What makes you say that?"

"There were talks of a subject within the area, but I don't know more than that."

"Could there be a chance that is the missing family?" Ruby asked but Blake responded with a shrug as she did not have the answer.

"Have you guys found anything on your end?" Blake asked, hoping for some answers.

"We found nothing on our end without already knowing about it," Weiss explained. "The one thing we noticed is everyone doesn't have any information to give but rumors. We can't base our investigation purely on rumors."

"Same thing with us," Ruby commented. "They didn't want to say anything about what they heard because they don't know if it was true or not."

"What about the run-in with the Huntsman?" Yang asked.

"This ought to be good," Blake commented.

"We found the cart that the missing farmer uses," Ruby started to explain. "As we were investigating the cart, Zak appeared above us."

"What did he say?" Yang asked out of concern.

"Besides telling us the investigation was a waste of time," Ruby continued. "He was more interested in Arranis' weapon. The weapon is made entirely out of ice."

"The Mystical Blade," Weiss stated in which Asarirn nodded his head to confirm. Everyone else widened their eyes in shock.

"Arranis played dumb by showing not having the blade. Then Zak got mad and left. We decided to end our search and come back here."

"Why would Zak be interested in Arranis' weapon?" Blake questioned. "Even under orders from Atlas, why the sudden interest of the Mystical Blade?"

"Out of curiosity," Yang spoke to Asarirn. "You have not done anything to piss Atlas off recently?"

Asarirn tried to think about if he ran into anybody from Atlas or caused them trouble. Asarirn pondered the thought for a bit before answering, "I have not done that sort of thing."

"Even then," Weiss jumped in. "There haven't been any official records for the Mystical Blades. The only records you would find are only from children's stories."

"How do we know if the Mystical Blades even exist?" Yang asked herself before turning to Asarirn. "No offense."

"There have been stories about the Mystical Blade choosing their wielders," Weiss continued with her lecture. "If the blade does not choose you, then they break upon grabbing their handle. You have seen the blade break that night at the police station, and when the first time I tried to use Ice Weaver."

All eyes landed on Asarirn for anything to corroborate their statement. Asarirn stood there in silence with his arms remained cross.

"I would try to play dumb, but you know a lot about the Mystical blades," Asarirn's attention was on Weiss. "What I have is in fact the Mystical Blade of ice. I have no idea how these guys know I have one in my possession. To tell you the truth, they were not involved when I first encounter the Mystical blade."

Everyone simply stared at Asarirn while he was in complete silence. Ruby made a gesture for him to continue. However, he remained silent. Weiss' eyes widened with the sudden realization.

"You're not going to tell us where you got the Mystical blade," Weiss stated.

Asarirn shook his head to confirm Weiss' suspicion before answering, "there is something I have to confirm first before giving that information."

Weiss couldn't help but let out a sigh as she was let down. "And I thought I was going to learn more about Mystical Blades," Weiss sounded disappointed.

"Before we dive more into what we learn," Ruby interrupted as her stomach growled. "I'm getting hungry."

"Well, it is getting closer to dinner," Blake commented.

"I heard we get our complimentary dinner at the diner near the hotel," Yang stated.

"Great let's go," Ruby started to lead the way. The other girls began to follow their leader. However, Asarirn did not move.

"I'm going to head back to my room," Asarirn stated.

Ruby immediately stopped in her tracks as he quickly turned around with a shocked look on her face. "What why?" Ruby sounded confused.

"I wanted to take the time to compile the information we gathered so far, but I will get something to eat at a later time," Asarirn told the girls as he turned around to start walking back to the hotel. Ruby had a look of sudden disappointment. She quickly latched onto one of Asarirn's arms to prevent him from moving forward.

"No!" Ruby protested.

"No?" Asarirn couldn't help but question.

"No! This a great time to spend quality time as a team," Ruby was being assertive. "We don't always have the chance to hang out outside of school."

Suddenly, Yang decided to grab Asarirn's other arm. "She's right," Yang agreed with Ruby. "Since we are on a little vacation, this is perfect for creating memories with the team."

"We're on a mission," Asarirn tried to clarify.

"Still," Yang continued. "As Ruby said, we don't have to hang out as a team outside of the school."

Asarirn stood there as he was stumped. He really can't tell the thought process of Ruby and her older sister Yang. Despite not having a social outlook, they want him to interact with them. While holding onto his arms, Yang and Ruby were using a bit of puppy dog eyes to help convince him. Asarirn looked over to Blake and Weiss for something. The only thing they responded with was a shrug from both of them.

Asarirn let out a sigh of defeat before answering, "Fine."

Ruby and Yang turned towards each other. They both had big grins on their faces as they won this battle.

-*RWBY*-

The whole team was walking over towards a building. The diner was located in the shopping area but close enough to walk from the hotel. As they approached the building, Ruby couldn't help but give quick glances behind her. She was making sure their mysterious fifth teammate didn't run off somewhere. Asarirn just happened to be behind the rest of the team. He noticed Ruby kept looking back but decided to not say anything.

Inside the building, there was a bar-style countertop on the right side of the room with a kitchen behind it. There were large tables with many chairs surrounding them, claiming the center area of the room. Finally, there were booth-style tables laid around the perimeter of the room.

As the team entered the establishment, they noticed three grizzly older men occupying an area on the bar side. The three men were having a conversation but stopped immediately. They turned to face the team in silence. The girls couldn't help but look at each other to figure out what to do.

"Oh, you hush now boys," a woman's voice was heard in the kitchen. "You are better not scare off my customers."

The three men turned back their side as they did not want to cause trouble. A woman emerged from the back of the building. Her black hair was tied up into a bun with blue eyes. She was wearing a uniform that fit the theme of the place.

"Welcome!" the woman greeted the team. "I see five of you today. Come this way!"

The team followed the diner woman to a booth of her choice. Everyone seated themselves in the booth. They are given a menu and followed by a series of orders placed. There were minor conversations here and there. Asarirn didn't find this meal any different from when they are in the school's cafeteria. After waiting a bit, the food arrived, and everyone started eating.

Some time passed as the diner woman returned while everyone was in the mist eating.

"Is everyone here enjoying their meals," the woman asked the team.

"The food is simply delicious," Weiss commented and everyone else nodded in agreement.

"That is great to hear!" the woman sounded pleased. She took a moment to look over everyone at the table. "I'm sorry, but you seemed to me an interesting cast of characters. Where are you guys from?"

Ruby quickly swallowed the food she had in her mouth before answering, "We are huntresses in training from Beacon Academy."

"Oh, you must be helping with the investigation," the woman stated. Everyone else nodded. "I do hope you will find them. Well, if you haven't heard we provide all of your meals during the duration of your stay. "

"We thank you for your meals," Ruby stated. "After we are done with the investigation, I will certainly come back here. The food is so good."

"That is great to hear!"

The conversation was interrupted as one of the men from earlier approached the woman.

"I'm ready to go," the man grunted.

"In what way are you paying for this?" the woman asked for a form of payment. The man motioned the woman to come closer, which she did. The man spoke directly in her ear. "I see... That's quite interesting... Where did you hear this?" The woman asked as the man continued to talk into her ear. "Well, I will say that will cover your tab. Thank you for your business."

The man waved goodbye before leaving the establishment. Everyone else was watching as they were interested.

"What was that all about?" Blake asked.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Lu Silvertongue," Lu greeted everyone once more. "I am the owner of this diner. What you have just witnessed was a payment with a juicy rumor.

"They pay in rumors?" Ruby asked.

"That's right," Lu confirmed. "Depending on what kind of rumors there are, they will have different values. You can use that to cover a certain amount of your bills here. If you feel like it, you can trade rumors for another rumor."

"Why would you accept this as a form of payment?" Weiss asked.

"You can say people who are living here are getting pretty bored," Lu explained. "People who are visiting for a certain amount of time, don't have to deal with the same everyday operation we experienced here. I found rumors as a way to find excitement and to pass the time."

"That it is interesting to have something like that here," Ruby commented.

"Thank you," Lu smiled as she was excited. "Before I go, I have to ask, since you are all students, you all have to live in dorms. Does this young man sleep in the same room with you girls?" Lu pointed at Asarirn.

"He does," Ruby answered with confidence.

"Thank you!" Lu smiled before she walked away.

Everyone else stared at Ruby while she was confused as to why everyone was staring at her.

"What's wrong?" Ruby wanted to know.

"I believed you may have caused a misunderstanding," Asarirn stated while everyone else nodded.

Ruby took a moment to recall what Lu had just said and her answer. Her eyes widen at the sudden realization. She quickly stood up from her seat.

"Wait, that's not what I mean!" Ruby cried out.

"Look we have here" a familiar voice was heard from a distance. Everyone turned their attention toward the voice. Zak was seen approaching their table. "I see you took my advice on forgetting the missing family case and finally relaxing."

"We haven't forgotten about the investigation, "Blake stated. "We took a break since it was time for dinner."

"I suppose that is true," Zak commented. "It would save me a lot of time finding you." He was talking directly at Asarirn. "I was hoping we talk alone as a man to man."

"If whether you say is not about the investigation, then I'm not interested," Asarirn took another bite out of his food.

"You sure?" Zak couldn't help but question. "Your character seems to stand out among the beautiful girls here. I thought you were bothering them."

"We were the ones that wanted him to eat with us," Ruby chimed to defend her teammate.

"For what reason to invite someone who is less inviting?" Zak asked.

"To create memories," Ruby answered with confidence.

"To create memories?" Zak chuckled at the sheer thought. "You're supposed to be future Huntress. You don't have time to create memories."

"Are you really a Huntsman?" Ruby questioned Zak. "There is always time to create memories."

The thought that someone questioned Zak's status as a Huntsman again struck a nerve. Zak's expression changed to something seething with annoyance.

"I read your file when you signed your team up for this mission," Zak stated. "As a Huntsman from Atlas, someone who is childish as yourself, I don't believe you are capable of leading an actual team."

After hearing what Zak had said, there was a nerve struck in Yang. Asarirn, along with everyone else, watched as Ruby and Zak went back and forward. However, Asarirn sensed an incredible amount of murderous intent nearby. He turned his attention to the source without paying attention. Asarirn noticed Yang's eyes were seething with anger. Along with that, Asarirn noticed Yang had one of her hands formed into a fist as she was ready to throw a punch.

"I don't see you with a team," Ruby continued with the argument.

"Listen here you bit-" Zak couldn't get the chance to finish.

"I would not waste your breath on us," Asarirn interrupted. "We will continue with the investigation without you. If you have nothing to give us for the investigation, then I would suggest you leave us to enjoy the rest of our meals."

Zak stared at Asarirn a bit before leaving, "Whatever."

Everyone watched Zak leave the establishment, leaving Team RWBY alone. There was a moment of silence as they tried to process the recent encounter.

"I just don't like the guy," Blake commented. "I see why Arranis had a problem with him."

"I'm surprised you managed him to leave, Arranis," Weiss stated.

"I only said something before Yang would have done something to Zak," Asarirn responded.

Everyone looked over to Yang. Yang still had the same angry look on her face with the readied fist. As soon as she noticed everyone was staring at her, Yang quickly snapped out of the trance she was in. She quickly relaxed her hand.

"Sorry, I really don't like the guy," Yang commented.

"Am I not that capable as a leader?" Ruby couldn't help but ask. Everyone shook their heads to disagree to ensure Ruby. All the girls looked at Asarirn for his input.

Asarirn let out a sigh before answering, "If I had a problem with your leadership, I would not have stuck around." That put a smile on her face to know her whole team had her back. "Besides I would not let Zak's words get you."

"What makes you say that?" Yang questioned.

"I feel this certainly won't be the last time we have to deal with that Huntsman from Atlas."

-*RWBY*-

Asarirn sat at a small desk in his hotel room. He was not wearing his usual black coat. The black coat in question was laid across his bed. Besides having his face exposed, he was wearing black clothing he had on underneath the coat. Asarirn peered through the small crack in the curtains on the window. The dark skies told him he was well into the evening.

Back at his desk, there were multiple sheets of paper laid across the desk. Each paper had handwritten notes made by Asarirn himself. Asarirn kept moving papers around similar to putting pieces of a puzzle together.

"The family was last seen a week, but the farmer hasn't been seen for about a month. Why?" Asarirn asked himself. "Blake mentioned there were Grims migrated from the north. If the family was trying to escape, they would be better off heading south toward the town. They also mentioned a subject in the area. But would a family be counted as multiple subjects?"

Asarirn picked up another piece of paper. The contents written describe the rumors gathered by himself and Ruby. He recalled the events from the fruit salesman about the mayor's wife.

"She may be involved in this," Asarirn commented. "There may be a chance that rumors may have a key to all this."

"I should have asked Yang and Weiss about the rumors they found," Asarirn couldn't help but sigh as he leaned back against the chair. "I need more information."

Asarirn stood up as that was his next course of action. He grabbed his coat off the bed and put the coat on. Asarirn flipped on his hood and started to head for the door. He took a couple of steps and stopped.

"Maybe it would be weird for a guy like me to show up at Yang and Weiss' room at night," Asarirn thought to himself. "Maybe I should do some recon on the guards from Atlas."

Asarirn approached the door of his room before reaching for the door handle. As he was reaching for the door handle, a little card slipped underneath the door before tapping on Asarirn's boots. Asarirn noticed the card and stared at the card for a brief moment. He quickly looked into the peephole that was on the door. The only thing he saw was a shadow barely escaping his field of vision. Asarirn moved away from the door as he gave up.

Asarirn picked up the little card off the ground. He inspected the card. Asarirn found some writing on the card. "If you are ever feeling lonely at night, you can come by my room, and we can entertain each other all night." There was a room number written on the card with a kiss imprinted lipstick on the side.

Asarirn stared at the card a moment. Asarirn's expression consists of annoyance and a bit of disgust.

"Maybe I will not go out tonight," Asarirn decided that was his final plan for the evening. He started to walk back to his bed. Asarirn causally tossed the card onto his desk with the notes along the way. He stripped out his coat and tossed the coat onto the chair. Asarirn collapsed onto the bed with his back against the bed. He stared at the ceiling as he pondered about the whole investigation.

"This is going to be a long weekend," Asarirn said to himself.

A/N: The investigation is underway for Team RWBY while having to deal with the Huntsman from Atlas. As for the next chapter, since I am posting on the 21st of each month(don't ask me why I chose that number), the next supposed chapter would be on Dec. 21st. Since that is close to Christmas, I think everyone would be busy to read the next chapter. If you don't see the chapter posted on the 21st, then on New year. Also, updated chapter 3. Until next time!