Pretty long chapter to write, I have to say. Took me a few more days to make sure I got to all of the details I wanted to hit, so I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 51: Troubled

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.(Chapter Start)

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October 11th (same day)

Friday

Light Rain

They pulled into the darkened corner of a parking lot, a few streets away from the destination that Neo wanted him to go to. It was a warehouse that Neo had scouted out, her message telling Azura that this could lead to the 'mother bird' that they saw in the video. Whatever information she had managed to find on the scroll seemed to give a lead on this new knowledge, so he was willing to see what she saw.

He shook his head and dismounted Bumblebee after Blake, feeling much too tired for what he was about to start doing tonight. He couldn't think of Ozpin and the Maidens and Pyrrha right now, he had to focus on what was ahead of him. Neo needed him for whatever they were doing. Absently, he looked at the messages she sent him again, one of them showing a picture of her smirking with what looked like a supply facility or factory of sorts with two main buildings, surrounded by rusted chain link fencing.

"Is anything that I'm saying entering your ears?"

Azura blinks, putting his scroll away as he hears Blake's voice enter his ears. "Yeah, yeah. Nothing to worry about."

"That's not what I asked." She deadpanned, crossing her arms as they walked.

"Sorry."

"Is everything okay? You've been jumping at shadows all day." She says next, shaking her head. "And it can't be about Yang, she seemed rather happy today."

Her voice, while calm and reserved, conveyed a sense of friendly concern to him. He appreciated that she always kept it honest with him, willing to point out when he wasn't quite being himself.

"No, you're right, I've been a bit off all day." He replied, cracking a smile. "It's nothing I can't handle, just stuff in regards to my life."

"Hm, I'll leave it be. We have something more important to do." Blake said, pushing past the topic as they came around the corner. "Any idea who this 'Mother Bird' is beyond a White Fang defector?"

"Not at all, unless this place tells us more. Neo just told me that she learned more from what we found last time, and that this location could be a step towards a name to the face. Well, in this case, a face to a title."

"A person like this Mother Bird existing would...make me feel better, I'll admit."

Azura glanced over, catching a small smile on the girl's face. "Knowing that the original goal of the White Fang still exists?"

Blake nods, catching his eyes with a glance of her own. "I think you're rubbing off on me, making me want to have hope for the future of the White Fang." She chuckles softly. "All of you are."

"We take that as a compliment. I certainly do, at least. You're much better when you aren't all mopey and depressed."

"Are you saying I'm unbearable to be around when I am?"

"No, but I do think your smiles are more honest when you aren't." He answers, shrugging. "I think if we can help them, should they be trying to return back to the old message they fought for, then maybe it's possible for a reformation of sorts to happen."

Blake shakes her head. "Maybe you're right. Let's just get going, can't keep Neo waiting."

Azura nods. "I'll just go ahead if you want to keep watch nearby."

"Good idea, that's what I was thinking." The girl says. "Stay safe."

"You too."

Azura began to jog his way once Blake separated from his side, Luna just ahead of him as she floated in the air. He rounded the corner a few moments after Luna did, coming up on what he could now confirm for himself was a supply facility. The metal on the cargo doors were as rusty and dull as the fencing surrounding it, the concrete structure of the building standing the tests of time with faded paint jobs. All things considered, it was in better condition than most of these districts of the city that Azura has seen.

The only thing missing from it was one Neopolitan, Azura noted as he looked around. The girl was nowhere to be seen, which was both normal and odd. She did like to sneak up on him, but she was never one to just not show up at all.

Putting a brief moment of alarm and concern aside, he moved towards the fencing and climbed up and over it with relative ease, landing on the other side with a quiet thud. He took another look around himself, now that he was within the facility's property, finding some machinery and empty metal containers strewn within the empty grounds between the two buildings that made up the supply facility itself. He noticed an open door across the way, kept open by some object low to the ground. It seemed rather obvious to him that it was opened recently.

"Perhaps your friend is already inside?" Summer asked, coming from the depths of his consciousness.

He replied briefly, making his way towards the door. "Maybe. Let's find out."

He slowed down his pace much more dramatically once he reached the door, taking one moment to look outside of the facility to scout Blake out. He spotted her briefly, the only moment she would likely give him, then began to move inside carefully. He didn't know what to expect once he was deep inside of the building, so he was being cautious.

"Luna, see if you can find Neo." Azura whispered, nodding towards her. "Come back if you see anyone or her, okay?"

Luna nodded in return, moving off to do what he tasked her to do, letting him continue more freely. He was still careful to be light on his feet and not make much noise, but he was willing to at least walk a bit more. Once he came through the end of the hall that Luna had disappeared from, he found a very open room that was likely the centerpiece of the entire building. Boxes were strewn without it, with machinery and conveyor belts wrapping through the majority of the room. There were yellow guard rails and metal platforms that stretched around or above the machinery and conveyors, likely for ease of transport around the building, and stairs that went up to the upper level of the platforms or down to the ground where he presumed workers would have been.

Azura walked around the outer rim of the room that the platform allowed, troubled to find absolutely no signs that there had been people here. Neo had been very confident of this place having something for them, so what happened? Whoever had been here, it was light and clearly made with caution. But that brought the nagging thought at the back of his mind about Neo and where she could be right now. He didn't want to jump to the conclusion of her being captured, but he knew it wouldn't just be Summer hitting him over the head if that actually happened.

"Could be a trap." Summer said, throwing her thoughts out.

"But by who?" He asked her, wondering.

"Maybe Neo, maybe this 'Mother Bird'." The woman answered, then sighed quietly. "It's also still possible that this place was empty by the time Neo even got here, so she entered early to try and find the trail before it ran cold."

Azura unsheathed his dagger, his caution turning to a more defensive gaze as he turned the corner about halfway down the right side of the room and down into another hall. The first sign that there had been anyone but Neo or himself here was finally seen in the shape of a White Fang mask on the ground. He approached it, crouching down and looking at it.

"It's broken." He murmured. "Seemingly discarded, maybe. Why would it just be left here?"

He stood back up, looking down the rest of the hall and seeing an exit, then to his left to see an extension of the hall. Without a second thought, he moved down the hall and away from the exit door that would lead outside. Papers were strewn through the hair, either blank or smudged with now unreadable words, increasing in volume until he came to a staircase that was just covered in paper.

There were large piles of them that seemed to have spilled from the neat packages they came in, giving Azura a few clues that something had happened here. A fight had broken out, some of the paper being slashed to pieces and the railing of the staircase being dented. He gripped his weapon harder, starting to hasten his exploration and investigation of the building. He needed to find Neo, and it had to be soon.

At the top of the stairs, there was a small hallway that turned to the right and then the left, where a pair of double doors waited. He opened one of them, stepping out onto a small bridge hallway that connects the two buildings. Luna was waiting for him within on the other side of the hall, shaking her head as she pointed to the door.

"Can't get through…" He murmured, looking out the windows on one side towards where he had been previously, unable to see Blake, even from this elevated point. "Let's see about it."

Once he reached the other side of the hall, Azura found that the door was seemingly jammed close by something. He attempted to push it again to try and open it, having no luck again. Something was definitely wrong, both signs of fighting and now a blocked door, and Neo was still nowhere to be seen. If he had an internal alarm, it was definitely going off right now.

He braced himself, holding his wrist and preparing to throw his body at the door. He stepped forward harshly, slamming his shoulder into the door and feeling it give way slightly. Looking through the crack in the door, he saw that there were at least two boxes blocking it, and they had to be full of something to require so much force to pry the door open.

He looked to Luna, nodding for her to join him in getting it open. His semblance activated, and the boxes began to give way more fluidly with both himself and Luna pushing on it. After a certain point, a thud was heard and the groan of wood came after that, then the door stopped giving way again.

He pulled away from the door, then looked at it. It was large enough for him to slip through and into the other building, that much was for certain. He slid against the door and back into the darkness of the abandoned facility, finding himself to be in a hallway very similar to the other side. He examined the room, finding other open boxes and supplies littered around, which meant that there was likely more than one person who was or had been here. Meaning that Neo had been more than on the money with her investigative ability.

He could only wonder where that had led her within this facility, though.

"Come on, Neo...where are you?" He muttered under his breath. "Need to keep searching."

Making his way down the hall that was rather familiar to him, he found that there was a door to his left and the staircase that led him down to the ground floor. With a moment's thought, he went through the door on the side and entered into a catwalk that hung from the ceiling and overlooked the entire interior of the building. He could see covered windows on the other side of the building that would have overlooked the room below, but the faint hints of light that came through signaled to Azura that he truly was not alone here.

He already knew that after a certain point, but a recent fight and Neo having called him here did not bode well when he was this close to what he suspected was a group of people. For all he knew, she was captured and in that room with what could be people that would not be happy to find her there.

"I already have enough to weigh me down, I don't need a guilty conscience." Azura muttered under his breath, bringing a small breath of humor to the scenario in his mind. "Luna, go around the other way, see if you can get a headcount and if Neo is in there."

As Luna flew off across the gap, Azura moved around the catwalk. He only wished that the darkness that veiled him actually helped, finding that he felt very exposed with the possibility that these were White Fang members, and thus, Faunus.

He eventually made it to the other side unseen, beginning to pick up on voices that were just barely able to be heard. He couldn't comprehend anything that they were saying from where he was, though, meaning he would have to move closer. He could see a small dip in the wall that would likely be the door leading into the room, boxes littering around it in a haphazard manner.

He moved to crouch behind a box and sneakily examine the area ahead of him, waiting for Luna to rejoin by his side. It only took several seconds, but she moved across the covered window side of the room to join back up with him.

"Anything?" He whispered to her.

She lifted five fingers up, signifying that there were five people in the room itself.

"Neo?"

She nodded, putting her fingers together like a gun against her head.

"Shit." Azura mumbled the curse word. "Come on."

He didn't care how Neo even got captured, he needed to get her out before anything happened. Creeping forward, Azura weaved through the boxes and got closer to the door with barely any noise in each of his steps. He had to move at a snail's pace to do so, but getting the surprise would be required if he were to do this as safely as possible.

He stopped just behind the wall with the small side path that held the door, able to make out voices, but not exactly what was being said. They were being as quiet as possible, not to hide, but to make Neo unable to know what was being said?

Sucking in the air around him as a boost of confidence, Azura zipped his sweatshirt and pulled his hood up, then crossed the four step gap from his position to the door. Slowly grabbing onto the handle after grabbing his weapons, he nodded to Luna and watched her bring her own blade forth before turning back and preparing to start a fight in a room that he didn't know the inside of.

"Use my semblance as soon as the door opens. It'll be perfect anonymity for this."

His heartbeat thundered in his chest as Summer's voice echoed in his head, counting down in his head before he jerked the door open and whirled into the first person he saw as soon as he could. The man screamed before slamming into the wall from the momentum he caused, falling silent. Azura instantly whirled on the person right next to where he was standing, kicking towards the Faunus' kneecap and slamming the hilt of his sword into their head and smashing into their aura both times.

Azura took a solid punch to the face, just barely unable to pull his aura up and staggering back against the covered window. Luna swooped in and cracked the Faunus' aura with a spinning kick, allowing Azura to go back in and slam him into the wall with the same trick he pulled on the first one, petals flying in the room. Azura instantly spun on the other two, aura pulled him this time, freezing as soon as he saw that the final two White Fang members were fighting each other.

The one with grey hair kicked low and grabbed the wrist with one hand, striking high with the pointed fingers of her other hand, hitting true against the knee and and under the shoulder into the armpit. The other one crumpled to the ground, both of the limbs seeming to have lost any and all ability to function.

He readied his weapons once the grey-haired woman turned on him, sparring a tied up and gagged Neo only a moment's glance as he prepared to fight an opponent who seemingly excelled at shutting people down in a fight. He tried to not think about how relaxed Neo seemed, not sure where her confidence came from.

In response, the woman raised her arms slowly and unmasked themselves. Familiar green eyes with tired bags revealed themselves, and he suddenly recognized who he was looking at. For all of the things that he expected, this was not it. He kept his guard up despite his surprise, waiting for her to say anything.

A rough voice exited, measured words coming from her mouth. "So, the boy who impressed her was you? Young, white-red-black hair...dual-colored eyes."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, wary of the person before him.

"I am not your enemy, Azura."

"You certainly aren't my friend, though."

She laughs at his words. "Spoken wisely, but not necessary in this case. You know who I am."

"The Mother Bird. Whatever the hell that means."

"Yes, Mother Bird. A title that promotes a sense of safety and trust." She confirmed, nodding to him. "Neo here came looking for me based on some investigating and what she called 'key' to breaking someone out. I promised to help only if I could meet you, ask her for yourself."

With some suspicion, Azura moved his eyes away from the woman to Neo, who nodded her head in response. He frowned and then sighed, sheathing his weapons.

"So this was all planned?"

"Mostly, yes. I lured a group of unsuspecting zealots here with the idea that they could finally take out their revenge on one of those humans leading them. The idea was to bring you here."

"Could have just said you wanted to talk...why did you have to rope her into it? Why even want to talk to me in the first place, I'm no one special."

"But you did have connections with the right people at the right time." She answered, looking at the unconscious people around them. "Speaking of, let's talk somewhere...safer. I have an ally waiting to pick us up."

Azura lowered his weapons, looking at Neo again. She had some answering to do for all of this.

"Fine, but don't blame me if I don't trust anything you say."

"Hmph." She replies, humored. "Again, smarter than you look."

"I do try." He responded dryly.

"Well, it's only fair I give you my name since I know yours. Avis Nightingale, otherwise called Mother Bird. It's my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

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.(Line Break)

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Walking down the dark streets of Vale with Neo and someone who he only knew by name and title was a strange experience, almost unnerving, for Azura to go through. They turned a corner and saw a high raised black car with dark tinted windows, like an outfitted off road vehicle, waiting with someone leaning against the car. The person's face was hidden, illuminated only by cigarette burning under the hood, turning slightly to see them all approaching.

"You followed?"

"No, just the three of us."

"Good, let's get going."

Avis turns, eyeing the rooftops and then Azura. "You heard him, let's get going. You two get the back."

She moves to the car, opening the door and stepping up into it with only another glance towards them. Azura looked to the roofs, finding that he couldn't see Blake anywhere. She was likely still going to follow, but she knew how to hide very well. His gaze shifts to Neo, who simply turned to him and shrugs.

"I guess this is as far as your little...plan went?"

Neo nods, then walks off towards the car. Azura shook his head, wondering where he went crazy with all of this. He walked after her, nodding his head to the sky to let Luna know to find Blake and follow them, hearing her take off into the sky as he entered after Neo, closing the car door as he sat shoulder-to-shoulder with her. The engine revved to life, then began to drive off after a u-turn in the empty street.

"I don't think you had much of a choice to enter the vehicle or leave, at least not willingly." Summer stated, her caution resonating with his own. "Why didn't Neo tell us?"

"If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't be as confused as I am."

"You have every right to be annoyed."

"She must have had a reason to do it."

"Or you're being tricked."

Azura sighed internally. "We're not having this discussion right now."

"We never will, it seems."

"After this, Summer."

He was given no response in return, so he simply turned his gaze from the side and to the inside of the vehicle. No conversation was being started, only the hum of the engine filling in the silence. It was tense, even if seemingly planned. Neo was completely still, seemingly calm, but he suspected that she had not entirely foreseen how events would go down. Avis was staring out the window, not even concerned with the passengers in the back, while the driver himself caught Azura's gaze with cold eyes that were barely visible.

Azura moved his eyes away first, breaking the momentary staring contest to look over at Neo. Just as her movements felt against him, she was stock still and keeping her gaze to the front of the car, watching the two in front. She noticed his eyes on her a moment later, breaking away from the eye contact almost as soon as she made it. She shook her head slowly, placing a hand that remained hidden by their positions in the car against his arm for a moment. A gesture that Azura took to mean that she would explain later.

It troubled him to see her so tensed up. Azura sat back against the back of the car seat, a newfound focus coming to him. This told him that anything that happened after their initial meeting was not exactly part of the plan, though he doubted that Neo didn't think that such a scenario would happen. If she was anything, she was smarter than she looked.

The silence of the drive persisted for several minutes, his thoughts creeping into his mind during it. He kept a watchful eye ahead of him, but thoughts of recent days did sometimes rest heavily on his mind. He hadn't been around Aurora recently, hasn't been focused on his schoolwork, and has likely been a tad more distant than he meant to be. But there was a storm brewing, everyone knew it at this point. The White Fang, his involvement with Neo, Ozpin, the Maiden, the succession of the Autumn Maiden powers and who Ozpin wanted him to prepare for it, it was a lot for him to digest. And that didn't even get into Summer, Qrow, and Raven. Ruby and Yang too. And the silver eyes, whatever was important about them, as well as what it was seemingly doing to him.

The vehicle came to a stop and the engine turned off, shaking Azura's troubled thoughts out of his head for the time being as he looked around. He saw Avis looking at him from the front, seeming to size him up, nodding as soon as she saw his eyes on her.

"We're here. I'll explain everything inside."

She exited the vehicle once Azura opened the door and stepped out, looking over at Neo as she exited after him. He saw her gaze wander over to the building that they had parked next to, following her eyes to see the building for himself. It was an abandoned industrial building, about three floors tall, windows covered and boarded up. He looks around himself then, finding no sign of Blake around. He did see Luna swoop down and rejoin his side, but he showed no reaction and made no motion to speak to her while they were being watched by Avis or the hooded man. He appreciated her proximity, though, finding that his nerves were calmed by her presence.

He then turns to see Avis watching them, her mask back on her face, then nudges Neo to gain her attention. The two of them walked forward in silence, a smirk appearing on the woman's face as she turned and began to lead them towards a side entrance into the building. She held an arm out several steps away from the small gate, where the hooded man was against it and whispering to a younger woman dressed in White Fang garb with some sort of green lizard tail lingering around her leg.

Her green-yellow eyes lingered on Azura curiously and seemed wary of Neo as soon as she saw the tri-colored young woman behind Avis and next to Azura, turning her gaze to the older woman that stood just in front of them.

"They're safe...well, she's safe. Not here for bad intentions." Avis says, nodding her head. "Let us in, Croc. Me and Hood know this shit."

The girl nods in return, unlocking the gate and stepping back to pull it out of the way. She holds it open, waving for them to move inside quickly. The hooded man entered, then Avis, then Neo, and ended with Azura walking through last. He caught her gaze on Neo, moving it to him once she saw him looking, then looked away. It was fair to not trust someone who, for all they knew, was still on the 'other' side, but why trust a complete outsider like himself at all? It had to do with what Avis knew of him, he bet.

He heard the gate close behind them, the footsteps that came from behind were almost unheard as the girl followed behind Azura. They walked in silence as they entered a side portion of the building. When Avis and the hooded man stopped before a larger metal door, she turned and looked between the two of them, as if contemplating something. She snaps her fingers a moment later.

"It'd be best if she stayed by you...they'll be more willing to trust the stranger who keeps what we know as...well, I'll be frank, a killer, at their side." She shrugs. "Not that it's my place to decide who makes the decisions between the two of you, but just saying how they'll see it."

Azura takes a step closer to Neo while she steps back, something that felt rather weird to Azura, if he could admit. Avis nods, then speaks again.

"Whatever you see in there is something that remains secret. If I catch so much as a hint of you two spilling the beans, you'll have bigger things to worry about than the White Fang." Her voice is serious, waiting for them to nod in understanding before jerking her head to the girl behind them. "Croc, you're with me and the two of them. Hood, you'll be in charge of making sure everyone knows what is going on. Understood?"

"Hm." Hood hummed in reply, banging on the door twice before opening it up and walking in.

He moved ahead of all of them through the darkened hall, several feet in front of them as they all proceeded forward. The hallway ended and they opened up to a much larger open ground floor of the building. Within the room, boxes were stacked on each other and people were either sitting around making small talk while seated on the boxes or busy with one task or another. For all intents and purposes, they seemed like a legitimate organization and not some ragtag renegades against the White Fang.

A noticeable and uncomfortable silence filled the room as conversation stopped and people with tasks halted in their work, all eyes on the five of them. There were about twenty to thirty people just in this one room of the entire building Azura noted as he quickly scanned the room, nudging Neo slightly closer and behind him to try and sell the story that they were told to make. Avis held a hand up, signaling for anyone who seemed prepared to grab a weapon to stop, then nodded to the man she called Hood before proceeding forward.

"You two, stay near." She said calmly, an unwavering confidence in her voice. "Croc, watch the rear."

Hood cleared his throat, his voice echoing as they moved through the room. "There's certainly some explanations that need to be made. Come on, gather round and I'll explain everything."

They did not linger long enough to hear him say much more before exiting into a hall. Dust lingered within the walls and on the concrete floor, a musty smell giving knowledge of how old some parts of Vale were. There was very little to tell about what was different in the halls beyond boxes or crates or even people standing watch over sleeping fellows, becoming scarcer and scarcer as they ascended one set of stairs to the second floor.

The few people that were on the second floor were armed and very obviously guarding certain parts of the building. Azura did not keep his eyes on them for long, so as to not start anything while in a building he didn't know the layout of, but he could feel all of them looking at Neo with suspicion. The dim lighting without windows would also not help Neo of all people to navigate in the place, if something were to happen. The silence continued even as they rose to the third floor, where some windows were merely covered by sheets or some other lighter material to allow for people to look out of.

He hoped that Blake was being extremely cautious once he saw some people looking through the windows, also seeming to guard the third floor. He could only wonder what she was doing to try and see what was going on. Luna was exploring, but always quick to return back to him, meaning that she was likely scouting a route out if things turned bad.

Azura just wished that he didn't have to put such a level of distrust that he couldn't be sure if they were safe here. It made him wonder if his thought process would be different if Neo wasn't here.

They stopped before a set of double doors, where Avis opened the door and looked back to speak.

"Croc, you'll be guarding the door. We'll be inside."

"Are you…" Croc began, trailing off and shaking her head, then nodded. "Of course, Mother Bird."

Avis nods back, then enters the room with Neo going next and Azura being the last in. Croc closes the door, leaving the three of them in the room alone. A quick scan of it told Azura that this was the main quarters for Avis herself, a simple desk and chair with maps and other documents on it with a lamp on the edge, while a bed sat in the darkened corner. She flicked the light on as she moved past her desk, the light flickering before coming to life, grabbing a hooded cloak from the chair and clasping it on around her shoulders.

"We have some matters to discuss, I know." She said, looking over at Azura. "Why don't you ask what is on your mind?"

"Before any of that, can someone actually explain why I couldn't just know about this? I could have just met with you under a calmer circumstance."

"Too risky to have it be that way, I couldn't say if you could be trusted yet." Avis explained. "But when Neo approached me with a supposed desire to break free from the White Fang with her partner, it caught my eye. When I asked her to show a sign of trust, she told me about you."

"She what?" Azura asked, shocked.

"Don't get it twisted, she didn't give you up for it. Took forever for her to say anything about you." The woman says, chuckling as she places her White Fang mask on top of some of the papers on the desk. "She's the one who agreed to getting herself captured with me hiding in plain sight if that was what it meant to keep you as secret as possible."

Azura was left somewhat speechless, not quite sure how to take the surprising amount of kindness and caution he was given by Neo. He glanced at her, but she was straight-faced and showed no signs of emotion on her face.

"Maybe it's just a game of give and take to her?" Summer murmured, sounding more confused than aggressive towards Neo. "Never can tell with that girl."

Yet another question for later, he supposed. He couldn't exactly just ask her at the moment. He turned his gaze back to Avis, finally speaking.

"All of this...just to meet me?"

"And to possibly work together, which is the other reason I was approached when found." She explained. "Nearly killed her on the spot until she could explain things, finding me like that."

"But, why me? You know who I am to some degree, you trusted someone you thought you couldn't trust enough just to get to me, and I still have no clue who you are."

"Well, let's get that out of the way, hm?" Avis asks, resting an elbow on her hand. "I'm Avis Nightingale, otherwise known as the Mother Bird, and was basically grown and raised in the White Fang after...some issues. As for why I know you, Azura…"

Her green eyes softened as an actual emotion entered them, looking troubled to even say the words.

"A dear friend and important figure in my life died recently, in a fire. She ran an orphanage and told me about a certain boy and girl who were helping bring a certain Faunus out of her shell in some of her letters to me."

"Hold on," Azura asked, his eyes widening as he connected the dots. "You're the friend that Lu wrote about in her journal?"

"The one and only." Avis answered, nodding. "I've had my eye on you since before Lu passed away, but it was always from a distance. Did you think it was unplanned for you two to find a scroll with a video of me? No, it was an acted trail that led straight to me, one that Neo figured out before it could be sprung."

"That all makes sense." He murmured, looking at Avis directly. "Then, you want my help. You want both of us to help."

A glance towards Neo showed a shift of weight, but also a seeming indifference to it all. Whatever got Torchwick out and did it fastest, Azura figured.

"It would be a mutual arrangement of sorts. You help us, we help you." She waved a hand at them. "Seeing that we share a common goal against the current White Fang, I do not think there is much to lose for either of us.

"There wouldn't be, no." He said, looking over at Neo. "Thoughts?"

Neo seemed to already be contemplating the idea, two fingers on her chin as she thought. She flicked her eyes to Azura as the silence continued, then closed them a sighed. She nodded then, affirming that she was okay with the concept of an alliance with Avis and her group of renegades. Azura gazed upon her for a few moments more, then looked back to Avis.

"I think we'll take you up on that arrangement."

"Then, let us lay out the conditions to expect from each other." She said, intertwining her fingers in front of her. "From me, you can expect your trails to be covered or thrown off, access to our safehouses, and backing for your investigation into a central location of the White Fang, seeing that we also benefit from it in our own fight."

"And from us?"

She separates her hands and lays them out in the air. "Well, that is the simple part. I would want to take part in your investigation, as we have much to benefit from it, and also know what locations you'll be looking into. We can easily shorten down the locations and details with more than you two."

"Anything else?" He asks, wanting to make sure he had every part of the deal.

Avis breathes out slowly, her eyes looking acutely between Azura and Neo before fixating on him. "Something akin to personal training for Azura. Think of it like a meeting of the minds, if you will."

The wording certainly drew his curiosity, making him raise an eyebrow and glance at both Neo and Luna. For her part, Luna seemed just as curious, while Neo seemed to be much more cautious about it. She silently sighed, then shrugged at him with a frown. She was at least willing to do it if he was, it seemed.

"Then, it's a deal."

Avis crossed the room, holding a hand out for Azura to take. "I'd be more than willing to take you under my wing with this deal, Azura Heart. I pray that our agreement to help each other will be most fruitful."

Azura takes her hand, shaking it firmly. "Likewise."

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.(Line Break)

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The silence between him and Neo was beyond her just being a mute, a certain mood to the air around them having descended on the two. He had no clue what was going through that girl's mind sometimes, especially now. They were already minutes away from where they had just left, the tenseness of the building already forgotten when their deal was agreed to, but it seemed that he had left one form of tenseness for another.

"Neo, you aren't even listening to me." He said, walking sideways to look at her. "I know you were kind of thrown under the bus in terms of having any say, but we still came out on top with their help."

She said nothing, made no motion to type something, only walking forward and possibly not even listening to his words. He couldn't really figure out what her problem was, either. Neo was about as easy to read as Blake, which was to say, not very easy at all.

"I don't want to make assumptions here, but is it about the lack of control? We didn't exactly have a choice, if we wanted some form of trust to exist between us and them."

Still, nothing. This time, Azura grabbed her shoulder and stopped both of their movements down the street. She glanced at him, waiting for whatever he wanted to say this time.

"Something's clearly bothering you." He said, saying the words without much thought going into them. "We might not exactly be close, but you can tell me these things!"

He yelped the last word as Neo pulled out her parasol and took his hand off of her shoulder, then pressed it sideways against him and into the brick wall of the building next to them. Her eyes, normally calm or bright with some tease, were narrowed and angry or frustrated as she stared up at him.

He didn't fight back, simply keeping calm to the best of his ability. Luna was already defensive and ready to take action if he said so, but he kept his focus on Neo. "Okay, okay...I'm sorry. I just want to make sure you're okay, it's in my nature." He breathed out softly, gently pushing her weapon down and thankful that she let him. "That, and it's...admittedly weird to see you this bothered over something."

Neo's eyes soften slightly, looking down and away as her weapon lowers with her arm. They stand there silently, Azura thinking of what to say next and the girl before him likely thinking of how to act.

"If you don't want to agree to the claim that we're friends, then at least tell me so that you can focus better. You look troubled."

She looked back up at him, mouth slightly open and free hand reaching for her scroll before pausing. She shakes her head then, pulling her hand away from where her scroll was and instead lifted it up to poke him on the nose with a finger. She smirked at him, flourishing her parasol and opening it in front of him.

She was gone in a blink of an eye, the illusion instantly breaking apart with little noise and leaving him in the street with only Luna to keep him company. He sighs, touches his nose, then looks to both sides to find that she was nowhere to be seen, escaping his questions. Being a mute helped her from saying stuff that might be better off not being said, he thought to himself as Blake appeared from the shadows across the street.

Azura sometimes wished that Neo could speak, in all honesty.

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.(Chapter End)

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And there we have it...this is very obviously a big change from RWBY's volume 3, lots of time went into Avis in particular. Given the motif that is basically open to see, I can confirm that she's a bird Faunus at the least. Mother Bird, Mother Bird, Mother Bird...definitely a boon to Azura and Neo, right? We shall see, won't we?

Have a good day/evening!