Alright so here's the next chapter and once again I don't own anything in this story, all respective franchises in this story belong to their original owners and I OWN NOTHING, and so with the disclaimer out of the way... let's begin.

Let it be known that Neapolitan Torchwick was not one who appreciated much in her life, but at the moment she wished she didn't have to deal with little conversation between her newest guests and her current employer. Honestly she wanted to be the shit out of the blond but was told not to for a few good reasons. Mainly was the simple fact that she needed to know what happened after she fell, what happened, was Cinder alive, what happened to the relics, and was Cinder dead?

She really wanted Cinder to have died, and she would be happy if the woman did.

Meanwhile Jaune met her own glare as he tried to calm down. To say that what he heard and knew about one Neapolitan, or rather Neo as she apparently liked to be called by Ryos, was not anything good. From Yang, she was a sadistic midget who could counter any of her attacked and took great delight in kicking the blond brawler's ass.

According to Ruby however it was the fact that she was probably a psychopathic criminal, being Roman's considered second in command and all. Roman Torchwick, as far as he knew, was not a very clean-handed person. While he preferred no casualties he was not above it. Sometimes it was out of necessity and others because he wanted to, if what the Vale P.D. said about him was true. Adding what he heard about Neo… it was kind of disturbing. After the fiasco with the Breach, Jaune grew curious and decided to do some research on them.

What was under Neo's file, or whatever he managed to find, was frightening and confirmed his earlier thoughts

She would act calm and carefree one second and then slit-your-throat bloodthirsty the next. When videos showed her fighting it showed her taking pleasure in it and delivering near-fatal to very fatal blows with her weapon. It made him a lot more thankful that Ruby, him, Nora, Ren or anyone else who had the misfortune to fight her in either Vale or Atlas was killed.

Jaune visibly winced as he recalled what happened to Ruby however, how her eye was now bleeding, possibly destroyed by the woman's hidden blade. He glared at her harsher as he recalled that she was the reason that they were probably even in this mess in the first place.

…Her and Cinder… and Salem's faction.

It didn't exactly help when she had the Relic of Creation on her but it just made things more confusing for him. He chose not to dwell on it however as he merely continued his staring competition with the glaring woman.

Rally for her part was growing a little concerned over Jaune's life as she had seen how he faired against the pink and brown haired girl. She would admit that a light blush and bit of warmth brushed her cheeks while recalling a particular moment of their possible death match but despite this she was confused. How exactly did they know one another? Ryos said that she had some kind of history on Remnant so were they enemies back on that sky island they were on before he fell. Did she fall as well?

Ryos however, knew this wasn't going to go anywhere. Instead of waiting any further he decided to break the ice. Rally sitting on one of the beds, cross-legged with her sword on her lap while Jaune sat on the one opposite of her with his arms crossed, a motion similar to the woman's own as Neo glared at her source of annoyance from her spot on a nearby chair.

"Alright so since I'm the only one who can apparently talk, mind explaining what that was about?" he asked the two as Rally just shrugged her shoulders towards him, indicating she had no idea. Jaune was hesitant while he knew that explaining someone like Neo to Rally was going to make his story a little harder to believe. Hell it was hard to believe now since he had to explain how not only one but two people possibly fell from a sky island, an island considered a myth by a lot of people outside the Grand Line.

Hell even people in the Grand Line called outright bullshit on a lot of the shit that there actually was. At least according to Miles and something like islands in the skies was one such thing apparently. He often wondered if he told people the truth about Remnant, about Salem and Ozpin, about the Two Brothers, the Relics, the Maidens, and so much other things.

Hey, if sailing the world didn't pan out for him, he could always just use his home for one hell of a book idea. Maybe get a few volumes out before it started to get a bit confusing, over-complicated and such. It was something to think of but for now he had to deal with this bit of trouble.

"I know her, and I don't like what I do know of her" he said with a tired sigh, Rally wasn't feeling all too confident in that answer while Neo rolled her eyes at it. What was he, her father? Not like she didn't have to kill him once already. "She is a criminal name Neapolitan; she helped a man named Roman Torchwick, and a mad woman named Cinder Fall attack Vale and Atlas."

"You mean those kingdoms you mentioned?" Rally asked confused before looking at Neo in a bit of fear, slightly holding her weapon now in a tighter grip. Neo once more felt annoyed. Like she had a choice… She wished she could've said something but Ryos beat her to it.

"Cinder… isn't that the same name you told me about?" the innkeeper asked as Neo frowned at that but nodded, seeing Jaune frown and Rally look worried made her smile a little, standing up and cloaking herself with shard-like veils. As it moved around her Rally felt a bit of shock at what she just saw. Gone was the simple ice-cream themed woman and now was someone new.

Black hair and hazel eyes, or eye considering half of her face was covered by her hair. She wore a red dress and had high heels. But her arm made her pay attention only to it. It was as dark as charcoal, bonelike with claws, inhuman even. It wasn't normal; there was no way Rally would believe that an arm like that was normal. Unless it was some kind of fruit ability or something regarding to that semblance thing Jaune could do then she knew it was something unnatural.

Jaune however glared at the woman as he felt rage begin to bubble within him, the sight of seeing even an image of the woman who caused so much destruction and death began to piss him off. He visibly looked down and shrugged his shoulders, perhaps out of instinct to better protect his neck. He felt a bit hot but nothing too mad, his mouth was dry but that was it. There were not flames; there was no Cinder, just a psychopathic murdering woman…

So a less powerful Cinder…

Ryos sighed as Neo dropped the illusion, this time it was her turn to ask a question, pointing at Jaune who noticed it and frowned. She then raised her hands to the sides of her head with her palms above her hands in a shrug like state herself. It took a bit for Jaune to realize what she wanted, he scowled and looked away.

"I-if you're asking about Cinder, I don't know what happened to her. The last thing I saw was what I thought was Ruby attack her with some kind of white Crescent Rose or something before I fell. And I was nearly unconscious at that point" he said as he shivered slightly. Rally noticed it, Ryos noticed it, and even Neo noticed it and looked at him slightly taken back. "For all I care she could rot in hell" he admitted uncaringly as Neo was slightly taken aback at how he openly admitted it. But then again she did fully agree with that. Cinder was best off six feet under.

"Uh… who exactly is this Cinder person?" Rally decided to ask while Jaune frowned at her tones. It was filled with confusion but also fear. Jaune sighed at that before shaking his head.

"No one important… as far as I'm aware she is either dead or somewhere in Remnant. And I doubt that Salem will let her off with her losing a relic" he said while Ryos and Neo looked at him either confused or interest while Rally just seemed lost. Relic and Salem now?

'Jaune never mentioned much about Remnant' she thought to herself as all he said about it were a few things here and there. He mentioned that he fell and he nearly died and now this conversation was somehow as uncomfortable to him like talking about his life or his training with his teacher or even about his scars-

'His scars' she thought as she realized them now. "She did that….?" Rally muttered to herself, catching everyone's attention. "Y-your scars on your neck… how did you-"

"They're not important" Jaune said dismissively while Ryos frowned. Walking over to the nervous blonde, he grabbed one of his hands and used his other one to hold Jaune's face. As Jaune tried to pull it back it was too late and the innkeeper nodded to himself.

"Those look painful, Jaune. My guess it was something to do with fire considering the burn marks" he said as Neo and Rally stared at the swordsman who was currently glaring at the man, yanking his hand free and pushing him away slightly.

"And they're not important… what?" he asked defensively as he noticed Rally staring at him concerned before his gaze turned towards Neo. He expected her to be happy, or at the very least interested and delighted at what he went through. He however saw shock in her multi-colored eyes.

Shock that was quickly covered up by disinterest but it was still there to some extent.

"Sorry about that. But I want to know something, this Cinder person… she's the one who gave you those scars, didn't she?" he asked as Jaune turned to him and frowned. He sighed as a response to his guest's expression. "I know it's none of my business but at the same time, the second Neo transformed into that woman you visibly winced. Not only that but the way you tried to protect your neck-"

"Okay… fine" Jaune finally said, becoming more annoyed at it before he directed his glare of ire at Neo. "Her boss went out of her way to choke me out and light me on fire after I pissed her off, you happy?" he asked annoyed as Ryos shook his head. Rally was wondering what he did to piss someone off to that point. Hell he was nearly chocked out and on fire? And he survived with only a few scars on his neck?!

Neo however winced at what he said, recalling something back in Vale, one Cinder Fall and her two minions just walking into her and Roman's hideout and threatening them.

"And why exactly should we work for you, miss?" Roman Torchwick asked in the memory of Neo's mind. It was followed up by a woman's voice that filled her with hatred.

"Because from this moment on, Roman. You're mine to use" the voice of Cinder practically purred in delight like a car appraising a mouse to be a means of entertainment or a meal. She slowly held her stomach as Ryos noticed the subtle action, as did Jaune who seemed to be taken back at her attitude. Wasn't Neo supposed to be some kind of psychopath?

"I see, and I guess this Cinder is to blame for your arrival here as well?" he asked as Neo flinched at the tone. He already knew, she already told him about them but she knew he meant something else about it. Probably not to provoke him with Cinder's image. She would agree but she wanted to know what he did to earn that woman's wrath.

Reaching for a notepad on a nearby table and grabbing a pen that was next to it, she simply wrote down one word, or actually two, showing it to the blonde, he just read it confused.

"Why and how?" he said out loud before frowning. He wasn't sure if he should tell her anything but seeing Rally look at him with concern, he just closed his eyes. "Fine… I threw the Relic of Creation off the edge… and fucked Salem and her over in the process" he finally admitted as they looked at with different expressions. For Rally it was just more confusion. For Ryos is general interest. For Neo however-

'Wait… he did what…' she thought as she tried to process what she heard. As she stared at the blond man she could tell that Ryos was right about his scars. They were burned and she knew that Cinder was a pyromaniac with her damn powers. She wouldn't doubt that Cinder would take pleasure from burning him alive. Especially when she threatened to do it to Roman and her back at Vale.

And yet this guy survived? It was strange to think that someone like Jaune Arc could even last long unless she wanted him to. But as she looked at him the more she realized just what he did. 'Wait so if he threw it over… that means that either Cinder or someone else probably came to this world like me and him did… or that the relic is somewhere in this world and Cinder can't get it' she thought as her eyes widened at the significance of what he had essentially done.

She recalled her little text to her, how Salem would be revived but she would die without the Relic of Creation she took to blackmail the bitch with. And now Jaune practically fucked her over, big time. She couldn't help it by this point as a large smile formed and she silently laughed. She laughed and no volume escaped her mouth but the fact she was now holding her side in pain at the fact Cinder was now screwed over in probably the worst way possible…

It was either die and lose whatever she had for ambitions, powers, desires, anything. Or it was kiss up to Salem and try to blame someone else. But she knew that the only ones there were that Tyrian guy and maybe that doctor with the mustache. It didn't matter though. If she lied or not. Salem was already very doubtful of Cinder.

She was what was known as a liability to the point evens a grimm hound had a better position than she did. It filled her with joy seeing the bitch get some good karma for the shit she pulled on her and Roman, and probably on who knew who else. But she didn't care, Cinder was sleeping in the bed she made and hopefully it was an eternal rest.

Calming down, she was greeted with three pairs of eyes looking at her. One with understanding and two with concern, Neo merely smiled before shaking her head, recomposing herself before crossing her arms. Jaune broke the silence.

"Y-you know I don't think I would laugh at my own boss's death like that" Jaune said knowing that no matter what Cinder probably did she would be the one to pay for it once Salem was resurrected. He just however hoped that it brought Ozpin and the others some needed peace since she couldn't use the relics anymore. Before he could say anything else on the matter he was stopped when he saw Neo frown and write something on the notepad again before showing it to him.

Cinder was not my boss

"…wait, what? But you were working for her in Atlas; you were both working for her in Vale!" Jaune shouted with a glare as he remembered the shit they pulled in Vale. Ryos however took over.

"Define boss" he said as Jaune stopped talking and looked at him confused. "From what Neo told me it was clear that she and her uncle were forced to work for that woman" he said as Neo nodded. Jaune however looked at him like he was just slapped with the Cocky Cod, forced to work for her, but that didn't make much sense. Roman was doing this because… because…

"I still don't know why she would do this, why anyone would go along with it. I mean the White Fang and Torchwick…" Jaune said as Ruby frowned.

"That's the thing… I mean he made it sound like he had to… he had nothing to gain but something to lose…" Ruby replied sadly as she recalled what happened to the man. It was still fresh in her mind but something she came to terms with. "He died to a Griffin… but he probably had other plans…" she said as Jaune frowned. Nora and Ren were on scouting duty while Ruby looked down. "I just wish I knew…" she said as Jaune nodded.

"…So do I" he said wondering just what Cinder and her two teammates had to gain from any of this…

Jaune said nothing as he clenched his hands into fists as he looked at the woman in disbelief. "You're telling me that you were forced to help her? Why… what did she promise you if you did, what did you have to lose?" he asked as she glared at him, this time transforming into a man with orange hair and green eyes with a white coat and bowler hat. A man Jaune knew well enough by look alone.

Roman Torchwick… she threatened them… to give or take away Roman…

His eyes widened at that and then Rally spoke up.

"B-but didn't you also just say that he was your uncle…" she asked as she was still comprehending the situation. Apparently Jaune left a lot of things out of his story here. Neo glared at that but not at her, but at a reminder of what she lost. She looked down as she recalled that night. How she barely managed to escape the grimm, how she saw the ship crash and explode in mid-air and her calls for Torchwick unable to be reached.

How she ran and found what she found…

Neo ran as far as she could, grimm swarming around the skies as she saw the wreckage of Ironwood's airship begin to fall. No, Roman was still up there with that damn kid. As she stumbled on one of the machines that they used to attack Vale, she grumbled to herself and heard a roar. A Griffin landed and glared at her as she got up and glared. 'Stupid Grimm… get out of my way!' she thought as she pulled her concealed blade fully out of her umbrella, holding it up to fight the monster.

The Griffin roared and charged her with its mouth open as she dodged the attack, turning her blade in her hand and stabbing it through one of the wings. The creature let out a horrified cry of pain as Neo pulled the blade part of Hush out and ripped the wing in half, now it couldn't fly. She jumped back again as it tried to attack her but instead of hitting her it hit an illusion she placed. Neo glared and this time aimed straight for the neck, it choked on her blade as she twisted it and sliced it's throat.

Staggering back the Grimm landed on its side as Neo fell to her knees as a wave of exhaustion moved over her. She was running for a bit and while not being out of shape was drained using her semblance to hide from the grimm looking around the city for a free meal. What the hell was that bitch thinking anyways? Leaning up against the wall, Neo closed her eyes and tried to calm down. Grimm were attracted to negativity and with a freaking dragon of all things around the tower, she needed to be level headed.

Looking at the decomposing Griffin, she noticed something strange, it was still there, or something was there, lingering in the ashes left behind. Jumping up to her feet, Neo narrowed her eyes as she approached it cautiously. She killed her fair share of grimm before but nothing typically remained after it died.

As the ash cleared she noticed something about it. It began to move, it was still alive but barely. It turned to face her, faded green eyes looking dully at her. Matter orange hair and a now darkened white coat, Neo's eyes widened as her breath was snatched away in a familiar moment of cold fear.

'No, no, no, no, no' she thought as she felt faint and her vision blurred, she tried to rub her eyes because she had to see to make sure she was just seeing things. 'No, that's not… it can't be-'

"N-Neo" a voice, a familiar voice called to her, pleading with her as she looked at the man with tears in her eyes. Dropping her weapon she ran to him, ignoring the ash that was spreading over her body.

'R-Roman, no what happened, what's going on, who did this… why were you' Neo thought panicking at her friend, her family now dying in her arms.

"I… feel cold… I… don't want to… die… Neo…" he pleaded as Neo held him tighter, no he wasn't going to die, and she wouldn't allow it. "N-neo… I… I don't want to leave you… I don't want to…to…" he muttered weakly, tears trailing down his face until a final gasp of breath escaped his lips. Neo shook, holding his body to her as much as she could as she sobbed into him.

If there were any grimm nearby they would've honed in on her immediately but there weren't any and she was lucky. But what good was that luck without him. 'No…Roman… please don't… you promised me… you said we would survive… Roman… no, don't go…Don't go!' she screamed in her mind and possibly out loud as her silent wails echoed soundlessly throughout the night. She felt alone, so very alone.

And for what, what did this mean why did this happen. She looked at him again, now lifeless and cold. Her eyes changed colors to deep red with tears still trailing down. He was gone… her Roman was gone…

And now she had nothing. She had nothing left. She shook in anger she gritted her teeth as she looked at the tower and saw the dragon being consumed in a silver light.

Silver light… silver…

That brat… that brat that was a thorn in hers and Cinder's side…

Cinder… Ruby and Cinder…

She shook in rage as she dropped her only family's corpse on the cold pavement of Vale. She shook in rage as she got up and took his hat and placed it on her head. She shook in rage as she thought of ways to kill them, to make them pay.

'Ruby Rose… Cinder Fall…' she thought to herself as she felt something cold enter her. She began to laugh; it was funny at how much she lost in life. She never had a voice, she never had a place to belong, her father and mother were gone, the only one she loved was gone… and it was all because of that damn brat playing hero… and a bitch who forced them into it.

She shook laughing manically as she felt tears begin to fall until she fell to her feet again and simply cried into her Roman's chest. That idiot was gone; her dumb idiot was gone forever now.

She would make them pay, that she vowed. Looking back at the tower with her eyes back to normal, she picked up Roman's body and carried it out of the city. Once Roman was buried, once she trained up enough to fight Cinder and Ruby, to kill them, once she was ready she would make them pay.

Vengeance would taste sweet…

She fought back the tears and Jaune noticed this, it was not what he expected. Ryos also noticed as did Rally but neither of them wanted to intervene. For Rally she wasn't sure what to do. From what she could assume, maybe this Roman person didn't make it. Meanwhile, Ryos knew what she probably felt; she got this way only on one thing. He debated saying something until Jaune slowly walked towards her. He didn't know why but he felt he needed to.

This wasn't right; it wasn't real, was it?

This wasn't the Neo he knew about, this wasn't the same Neo who attacked them, who tried to kill them, who knocked Blake off the edge and stabbed Ruby in the eye. No he knew it was and it made it somehow worse once he realized something. Something that made him start shake as well. Looking at her, he saw someone else, a young girl with silver eyes, a young girl with blond hair and blue eyes, and a young man who blamed himself for something he truly blamed himself for.

Neo looked up and felt something before freezing up. She felt warmth but shivered at the sudden touch. What was this idiot doing? She didn't need pity or want any of it. She glared and was about to shove him off of her, Jaune however held her close, a small embrace as he felt something similar in him. "We're almost the same" he muttered as if trying to contemplate something himself as she stopped and looked at him, instead moving his arms off of her and glaring into his eyes.

She saw nothing but solemn understanding, something that held no hidden meanings but that of something she didn't expect. His eyes carried sadness and a sense of understanding. A sense of loss…

'Jaune…?' Rally asked not expecting this. Ryos stayed quiet, not sure how this would go. Out of anything he expected he wasn't expecting Jaune to hug her, to comfort her.

Neo demanded to know what he meant, how the hell were they in any kind of way the same? Her glare was all he needed to look at her with a memory coming to the surface. "I lost someone I loved. Someone who I only knew moments before she died cared about me so much. She believed in me when no one else would, she gave me something to hold onto and something to be when no one would support me" he said as Neo looked at him as he let go of her hands and let them fall to his sides. "Pyrrha was my partner, someone I took for granted. I always looked ahead and thought I did the best I could. But even so I still couldn't save her…"

"Hey, wait! Stop, stop! Pyrrha, please… don't do this!" he called out to a red haired woman who looked back at him with remorse, he felt weaker than ever as he pounded on the door to a locker he was now trapped in the capsule as the red haired woman walked towards him. After punching in several numbers on a keypad, she smiled softly, whispering something that made it all hurt the more.

"Thank-you" she worded as Jaune pounded on the door in vain before the world shifted before him, the rocket being launched to its newly pin-pointed destination. The flight was sort but soon enough he landed and the door opened, the blond running out with fear and haste oozing off of him, looking around frantically.

How far did he fly from the tower and seeing the giant monster known as the Wyvern in the sky by the tower they just were at he cursed and made fell to his knees. Damn it, why did she toss him away. He cursed again as he thought of something, he had to help, and he had to get help. He reached for a small device on him and punched in several numbers, she waited in anxiety, growing more and more unnerved and frightened by the second, why couldn't they answer sooner.

"Where are you…" a voice called out as the blonde was thankful she answered.

'Weiss' he thought out happily before his anxiety took a hold of him again. "Weiss, please you have to stop her!" he cried out as Weiss seemed confused, asking for what he was talking about. "Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower, she doesn't stand a chance" he said in haste and not thinking clearly. What was that room under the school who was that woman in the machine Ozpin tried to hook Pyrrha into. Who was the woman who was able to defeat someone like Ozpin?

"Jaune, what are you talking about?! Where are you?!" Weiss asked while Jaune shook his head, it didn't matter about him; Pyrrha was the one in danger here.

"Don't worry about me!" he shouted over the scroll before lowering his tone, he had to make sure. "Please, you have to save Pyrrha" he finally said as the woman in question possibly walked to her death. How long did she know, how long had she truly loved him? That kiss and her actions, he couldn't take it anymore, he didn't even hear what Weiss said as he closed his eyes and roared in confused agony of everything that was going on.

"…Please" was all he said as he pleaded and collapsed to his hands and knees, he couldn't stand to lose her. He cursed and felt a spark of rage before he was brought out of his musings by a growling sound. Blue eyes with tears falling turned to glare at the wolf-like monster that saw him as prey, instead of fear Jaune felt anger bubbling as he withdrew Crocea Mors from his hip and deployed his sword's sheath into a shield. "Get out of my way!" Jaune shouted as the beast leapt at him.

Jaune raised his shield as he held off one of the claws that gripped his shield, as it raised another clay to swipe at him, he moved his shield to block it before raising his blade up and swinging at it, causing it to stumble it wasn't until another sword came through the Beowolf's body that Jaune stopped fighting as the grimm disappeared into smoke.

Behind it was a tired looking Qrow Branwen with a spent Glynda Goodwitch. The older of the two addressed him with green eyes narrowed slightly. "Mr. Arc, what are you doing here, your team is already at the escape ships. They were concerned about you-"

"You have to help her!" Jaune interrupted them with a shout, causing the two to look at him confused. "P-Pyrrha, she's… she's fighting that woman at the tower!" he shouted as both adults flinched slightly, clearly not expecting that from him. Calming down and quickly recomposing themselves to address their student or in the birds case his niece's friend, it was Qrow that spoke next.

"You mean your partner, right? Red hair, green eyes, Miss Invincible…? And she's currently fighting the woman responsible for this?!" he practically shouted as he looked at the tower and seeing the Wyvern let out a roar and smash into the tower. He cursed before looking at Glynda which she nodded. "Alright then, kid. I'll grab her and get going; Glynda will take you to the ships. Now get going!" he ordered before running behind a wall and making his way to the tower. It was when Glynda saw a single crow fly in that direction that her teacher mode kicked in.

"Mister Arc, we are leaving your partner to Mr. Branwen. For now I need some answers as to why she would do something like that" she said worried about how her Maiden candidate started to fight someone like the woman who took down Amber.

"Ozpin took us to some secret room under the school" Jaune started as Glynda's eyes widened at that information. She showed them the vault. She could understand Miss Nikos but Mister Arc as well?

"Where is Ozpin now?!" she asked louder than she probably should've while Jaune looked down. It was clear by his silence what he meant. Glynda cursed and felt her own anger begin to build before letting out a tired sigh. No, she couldn't let it cloud her judgment; her student's safety came first.

"I hope they're alright…" Jaune muttered before a bright light of silver emanated from the tower. As both Jaune and Glynda turned to see it, they covered their eyes but by then he had a feeling in his heart, something painful telling him it was too late.

"I don't know what your relationship with Roman was… or whether you want to hear it or not. But I know what it's like to lose someone; I know what it's like to hold it against someone. I hated Ozpin and the others, thinking they killed her. And in a way they did. But she was someone who would have challenged Cinder regardless. Because that is who she was in the end…" he said as Neo stared at him.

He… he, she… she couldn't-

"…Do you still blame Ruby?" he asked as he looked at her in the eyes with a fire she hadn't seen. It was serious yet strangely welcoming in a sense, as if telling her he knew. It was something she didn't expect, something she couldn't expect. For a second she thought she way green instead of blue, it reminded her of her Roman's.

She said nothing though but thought to herself, did she still hate Ruby, did she still blame her for losing Roman. In a way she had and she still did. But even so she cut out her eye-wait, why was she, why was she even listening to this? This guy was friends with her, the woman who killed Roman. So he lost someone too, that was life.

"Jaune… please don't do anything reckless, your mother is worried about you, please just come home…" he heard his father say as he remembered what his next words of wisdom were. Unlike the whole "need to have confidence" talk, this one felt different.

"…Sometimes it's easy to hate then find a reason to let go" Jaune said while recalling his father's words while closing his eyes, recalling Ren and Nora and that woman in front of Pyrrha's statue. "Even now I still blame Ozpin for her death, and nothing would make me happier than punching him once in the face… as long as it didn't hurt Oscar in the process" he said as Neo was confused. Oscar was… oh, yeah, that kid who had the relic the first time.

She just bundled him up with Ozpin, now she remembered but looking at the blond knight seemed to have at some case casted himself in a new light of sorts.

'He is kind of like me then' her voice echoed in her head while another voice replied annoyed.

'Nothing like us at all' it said with a bit of anger. 'Honestly how do we know he's even being serious? This could be an attempt to lower our guard' she tried to reason with herself.

'But what if he isn't, what if he really did?' she asked herself with more questions and uncertainty than she had regarding anyone from Ruby's group. Her doubts began to grow while she tried to rationalize them.

'No, this is just some trick… you know what happens when we let our guard down, we can't trust him, and we can't trust anyone' it said while Neo frowned.

'We trusted Roman… we trust Ryos…' she said as she knew she did and she glared at the thought of it.

'And look what happened, Roman left us… Ryos is no better than an annoying bug to us-'

'We know he isn't though, we tried to fight him, and we failed each time' she argued with herself as she gripped her head in mild pain. She was… why was she thinking…?

"N-Neo…?" Jaune asked as she shook her head and turned away before giving them each a look of uncertainty. Rally was concerned, as was Jaune and even Ryos didn't know how to take it. "I… I didn't-" he started to say before Neo glared at him and shouted, nothing came up but her gesture told him to stop. She… she needed some space; she needed to be alone…

She needed to get back to work…

Shifting into her work uniform and giving Ryos a look that told him to let her leave to the bar, Ryos looked at her unsure before nodding. "…Right, just call it a night if you're feeling unwell" he said as Neo nodded before walking out the door and closing it behind her, feeling the migraine coming. Why was she having these migraines, ever since meeting Ryos, ever since coming here…?

'We can't just ignore this, we already tried to-'

'Then why don't we just leave the island, why shouldn't we just steal a boat and leave'

'…D-do you want to leave, Neo?' she asked herself confused more than ever. Somehow it brought back memories of her life. Before she had her name, before the days she was with Torchwick. Back then she was silent and lost, alone and confused, when all she had was Neo…

When she still held onto her real name she nearly long since forgotten, one she would be damned to ever reclaim. No, Trivia Vinille died when she was attacked and nearly killed by her own father, she died when her friend saved her, her only friend saved her.

Roman was all she had, all she needed. He gave her a purpose, a place to belong, a name and a ray of hope…

'All we needed was Roman… and we lost him forever, why should we trust someone else who will just abandon us again?' she asked herself in anger, desperation and confusion.

She couldn't answer that, she asked herself that for years now. No all she could do was work, because until she knew what to do with her life, this was better than being alone again.

Jaune said nothing as he looked at the oak door and silently allowed the footsteps of her heels to disappear. Once he couldn't hear them anymore he just felt tired. Walking to his bed, he closed his eyes and face-planted headfirst onto the mattress while Rally and Ryos looked at him strangely.

"Jaune… are you alright?" she asked as Jaune sighed. No, he wasn't alright. He wasn't sure if he should be or not. He wanted to know why Neo was here and why Ryos trusted her but now, he just wanted to think and be alone for a little bit. Unfortunately, Ryos was still there.

"Not going to lie… I don't think I ever saw her like that before" he said as Jaune said nothing. He wasn't sure if he should or not but he just got up and turned to face the innkeeper and looked down.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to actually hurt her feelings or something" he said as if he was a kid apologizing to a parent. Ryos nodded but had a smile on his face.

"I know, to be honest it might be a good thing you did" he said causing both sailors to look at him in disbelief. "Not because I want her to suffer but because I want to see her true self" he said while Rally looked at him befuddled. Jaune was no different when she glanced at him, eventually she asked.

"Her true self?" she asked as Ryos nodded before deciding to explain.

It all began when I first actually found her a few years ago… he explained while thinking back fondly.

"Sir, we have an emergency!" a young woman said as Ryos looked at her confused, he was just ready to close the doors for the night and it was getting late. With a yawn he was about to ask what she meant. It wasn't until another woman carried an unconscious girl in her arms did his eyes widen and shake off any sort of exhaustion.

"The hell?!" he asked as he looked at the injured girl and quickly made his way over to her, the two women setting her on the counter. "W-What happened, where did you find her?" he asked as he composed himself while the first woman gulped at his tone.

"W-we found her unconscious in one of the nearby allies, we don't know what happened" she said as the innkeeper frowned. Shit, did they at least inform the doctor? "We already called Dr. Ringers to take her in; she isn't in bad condition but her wounds on her stomach-"

"Wounds?" Ryos asked as he looked at her shirt, he could barely see something from within the red stains of her torso. His eyes narrowed before he picked her up, cradling her as best he could. "Stella, is there any spare rooms left?" he asked as she nodded, recalling one of them closest to the ground.

"We have a spar in back that is unused, we can bring her there so-" she started to say until he ignored her and walked towards the room. He was careful not to move her too much. Looking back he saw the two waitresses following and nodded.

"Stella, I want you to wait until Dr. Ringers arrives, direct him straight to us" he ordered, the woman nodded and waited back now it was just the other woman with him. "Halley, I want you with me, I'm not that good with medicine or patching wounds so you're going to have to get me some spare clothes, and a first-aid kit. If the doctor can't get here in time we can at the very least try to clean the wounds, or see what made them" he said while the other woman was unsure about that.

Was it wise to interfere or wait for the doctor, she didn't know to be honest, however she did agree about the first-aid kit. As they entered the room, the young woman, Halley, turned on the lights as the old man placed the injured girl on the bed, ignoring the pained expression on her face. She was still alive, but not fully awake.

Was that good or not, shit? "Halley, I need you to get the kit now" he said as the woman nodded before walking out to find it. Ryos sighed as he looked towards the door. Unfortunately for him he missed something behind him, pink and brown eyes slowly began to open, closing from the pain and the sudden light entering them.

'Where am… why doing I hurt so much…' she thought as she moved before flinching in more pain. Opening her eyes again she was greeted in a strange room in an unknown building with a stranger by the door. 'Who… where… what?' she thought as she couldn't think properly. 'Where am I, who is he, what is going… why am I in pain?!' she cried out in her head as she squirmed, catching his attention.

"Huh, hey, you shouldn't be moving" he said sternly as she ignored him and focused on her own thoughts. 'Shit, she's in a panic' he realized before frowning. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he tried to calm her down. "Listen, I know this is confusing but-" he started until she glared at him and tried to twist herself to twist his arm, she staggered however and instead coughed up blood in a reckless hack.

Ryos frowned, this wasn't working and it was when he tried to get the struggling girl back into bed that she pulled him back and kicked him into the wall, using her aura to amplify her body as Ryos crashed into the walls and laid in a pile of broken wood. Getting up however he saw her eyes, pink and brown eyes staring at him in fear-driven defiance. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Sorry kid…" he muttered before he unleashed his will onto hers, Neo's fear seemed to be overwhelming until she felt weak and darkness took over her. Ryos sighed, his head hurting slightly as he dusted himself off. Soon Halley came back and stared at him in shock. "Don't worry about me, just help me get her back on the bed" he sighed as he went to pick up the unconscious woman from her spot on the floor.

"Wait, you knocked her out with Haoshoku Haki?!" Jaune shouted in disbelief while Rally looked at him lost, not familiar with the terms of haki. Ryos nodded, perhaps it did a bit more harm than good but it was better to knock her out then let her bleed out. It was panic on his part but something he learned out at seas. Still he crossed his arms and thought back to that moment.

"Indeed. Once the doctor came and we cleaned the wounds we found out she was sliced alongside her stomach with a sword, not only that but there seemed to be pieces of it still inside her body. If it wasn't for the doc I doubt she would've made it" he informed as Jaune and Rally both took what he said seriously.

'Cinder nearly killed her too' he thought as he felt his neck begin to sting, a phantom pain he still had despite how much he knew it wasn't truly burning. Rally wondered what this woman, this Cinder person was truly capable of. She saw Jaune and Neo both fight and she highly doubted she would be able to fight them. Just how strong was this woman?!

"Anyways… after that I offered her a place to stay once she got a little better, or at least when she was up again and not panicking like a headless chicken" he said as he recalled the offer he made, albeit with a bit of a blush. In all honesty he probably should've had one of the girls do it first.

Ryos said nothing as he made his way back into the inn with one of the girls of the inn making sure he was alright. He was fine, just didn't expect to be grabbed and then kicked out of his own building. But it wasn't like he survived worst. Hell he had to deal with worse before he even got to the Grand Line in his prime.

Walking towards the door he noticed Halley leaving her room with a sigh, the same room he left the young woman in. "Halley, how is she doing, she didn't hurt you, did she?" he asked annoyed as the woman looked to him concerned.

"I should be asking that to you, sir. Are you alright, are you bleeding-" she asked as Ryos nodded.

"I'm fine, just a little shocked she could kick someone so hard in her condition" he said as he looked at her and motioned towards the door. She was hesitant at first but nodded. Ryos nodded as well while preparing himself before walking in the room. Immediately he was greeted with two mismatched eyes glaring at him and rightfully so, though while she glared murder and covered her thankfully clothed body, Ryos just looked for a chair and sat down. "You know you don't usually kick someone who is letting you stay here, for free to boot, out of his own house" he said as Neo said nothing before looking back at her stomach and glared at him again.

"Hey, I was doing that to clean your wounds, I didn't expect you to wake up on me like that" he said as she frowned and crossed her arms. He sighed. "Alright, I'm sorry I took off your clothes without consent to make sure you didn't bleed out onto my vacant room's bed, you happy now?" he asked with some sarcasm while Neo still glared at the man. He still should've waited before he checked her bandages but the doc said that they had to be changed every few hours and it wasn't like he was a mind reader on how she slept or who she really was.

And he didn't want to risk any of the girls working for him in the inn if she was going to try and attack them. Still at least she didn't hurt Halley, so that was something. As she tried to get up she staggered somewhat before gripping her clothes where her wounds were before Ryos frowned.

"Hey now, you were injured pretty badly. Just rest for now" he said as Neo looked at the man untrustingly at first before she eventually nodded and sat back down, not really having much of a choice. That damn bitch, Cinder. Just how deep did she cut her? She was thankful for her aura helping heal her but now needed answers.

"So mind if I ask a few questions, kid?" Ryos asked as Neo turned to him and frowned. "Hey, it's only fair. You did essentially take up a room for two days and were brought to my doorstep and all" he said as Neo kept her frown until she rolled her eyes in irritation. Fine, sure by this point she could ask her own questions. "I take it you don't talk much" he said as Neo gave him a deadpanned expression before not so subtly pointing to her throat. A second or two passed until he realized what she meant.

'A mute… oh boy' he thought to himself as he went to grab a pen and some paper.

'Dumbass pervert…' Neo thought to herself despite the pain she was still feeling. But still, who was he, where was she, what was going on? Those were questions she needed answered and when he came back with a pen and paper she grabbed it before jotting down her questions. He didn't even need to read them to answer them however.

"You're on Palma Island, an island in the South Blue. My name is Ryos, the owner of this inn soon-to-be bar once we get more hands and as for how I found you, one of my girls found you unconscious outside my building in an ally way. We called the doctor but she said it wasn't too bad to have any surgery, but you do need to be watched and take a few days in bed" he said as Neo was confused at what he meant. South Blue… Palma Island…? Wait, she was on an island? How could that be when the last thing she knew she was fighting Ruby and Cinder before she fell from…

Oh, fuck she fell…

She fell in some void and now she was on some island?!

She wrote something else down as fear formed on her face. Ryos was a little confused at the sudden change until she practically shoved the notebook in his chest.

"The hell?" he muttered as he looked at her and then back at the notebook.

Where am I, where is the South Blue, Where is Remnant, What year it is, Give me a map, I need a map it said hastily written while Ryos looked at her strangely. Quirking an eyebrow he asked a simple question. "What do you mean Remnant? That an island?" he asked with curiosity? After seeing the world he never heard of a place called that.

Neo said nothing as her eyes widened until she snatched the notebook and wrote down other words. Atlas, Haven, Vacuo, Managere, she even wrote down Vale and when he seemed confused she practically screamed. 'Damn it!' she shouted in her mind as her aura fluctuated and slammed her fist into the wall, much to Ryos's annoyance.

"…You're paying for that wall…" he replied flatly as Neo ignored him.

'Where am I, where is anyone else, how long was I here, what is going on!' she thought in panic while breathing heavily before turning to the man who placed a hand on her to calm her down. Instinctually she shook it off and gripped it; she glared at him while Ryos didn't move. Letting go of him she took some calming breathes and Ryos sighed.

"I'm guessing you aren't from South Blue?" he asked while she gave him another deadpanned expression. Really, really he guesses?

'No shit you fucking moron' she thought annoyed as she fell on her back and annoyed the pain again. Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed while trying to come to terms with this situation. 'Alright I'm god's know where; no idea how to go back, injured and on some inn' she reasoned with herself as she saw Ryos walk back to the door.

"Look, I don't know where you came from but you clearly need some time to think this out. I'll be back later" he said as Neo glared at his. As he left she closed her eyes and allowed her aura to heal her.

"…You know you should've waited until she was up to check the bandages" Rally said unimpressed with the old man who rolled his eyes. Seriously, he knew that by now, he apologized, sarcastically apologized but apologized nonetheless.

"And she was just… staying here all this time?" Jaune asked curious while Ryos nodded his head.

"More or less, though after the first few days… I noticed something about her. She could go from meek to vengeful at a hair trigger's notice" he said as he shook his head at it. "Honestly I would call her bipolar but I don't think that is really the full story" he admitted while Jaune gave him a flat look.

"You mean she just might be a stab-happy bitch?" he asked sarcastically. "Because that just fills me with confidence, glad to know" he said while Rally gave him a similar toned response.

"Didn't you just hug her and call her like you?" she reminded as Jaune said nothing at that. He had, he really had hadn't he? He didn't know why though, it was as if his brotherly instincts acted up. He was reminded of his sisters and himself. Honestly he was trying to find a reason to still hold that against her somehow. She was still a psychopathic bitch but at least he knew why she worked with Cinder.

If Roman was her uncle and Ruby was blamed for his death, was he really any better when he blamed Oscar for Pyrrha or hiding Salem's immortality. He closed his eyes while thinking why life was so complicated some times? It wasn't black and white like in the movies he watched or the stories he was told as a kid.

"Let's just get back to the whole Neo is crazy thing, alright?" he asked while Ryos chuckled at that.

"Yeah, well after spending some time with her I noticed something off about her, she seemed like she had some kind of darkness in her heart or mind or something. It was as if she was arguing with herself" he said as Jaune and Rally both were left wondering how that was possible.

'What, like Oscar or Ozpin or something else?' he thought as Ryos explained some more.

Neo frowned as she sat on a stool in the middle of the empty bar with Ryos looking at her. She was annoyed and crossed her arms, not understanding what this was about. Ryos however tried to think of his words a little more clearly as he eyed the young girl with a gaze that bore through her soul.

Oh if only she knew how right she was…

"Neo" he finally said as she quirked an eyebrow in response. "…Eh, fuck it I'll just come out and say it, why exactly do you seem to have a sense of hatred in you?" he said as Neo gave him a flat look at the stupid question. Why did she hate the world?

Well it all started when she was abused by her father and hung upside down while being screamed at while her mom didn't do too much until after she ran away and joined- she thought bitterly before he interrupted "And I don't mean why you're going through teenage angst phase either" he said as Neo blinked at the response. "It's faint but I can feel something in there, something inside you, something a lot different than I actually ever felt before" he said confused at what he sensed within her.

'Huh? What's he blabbering on about now?' she thought as she was growing a little confused by what he meant. 'Don't tell me he went senile, it hasn't even been a full month yet and I still need a place to stay' she thought, reasoned while thinking about alternatives. 'Then again I could just steal a boat while he's asleep or kill him and take over' she thought in a more sinister tone.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he got up from the other side of the bar, "There, I felt it again… a little better at least" he said walking up to her as she glared at him.

'What, so he can read my fucking mind now, tell me then, what am I going to do to kill you' she thought sadistically, despite another voice telling her not to, 'No, he isn't worth it, he had done a lot to help her recover… she'd just stab him a few times, but won't kill him' she thought to herself as Ryos frowned.

"Neo… there is something different, something dark. I can practically sense it" he said as Neo glared and reached for his weapon. Ryos said nothing as he could sense something was wrong. "Neo, just what happened to you?" he said as she finally had enough.

'Uh if this is some kind of intervention… I'm perfectly fine, are you really that paranoid?' she thought to herself as she got up and walked away.

"Neo, we aren't done here… this is important" he said sternly like a father would a daughter. Neo froze however as a slightly different memory played out.

"Trivia, we aren't done here, young lady. This is important" another man's voice said as she recalled the anger radiating from him. "You will tell me what you were thinking or else!" he shouted as she glared. It wasn't her fault it was Neo's, she wanted to play in the room, not like he ever wanted to play with her anymore or even bothered saying much of a hello other than scolding her.

"James, please you're getting worked up and-" a woman tried to say before he cut her off.

"Carmel, she isn't talking, even when I tell her to talk. I am her father and she should be more obedient. After what I do to give her a life of luxury" he scolded his wife as Neo glared. This was luxury, being alone with her only friend somewhere she didn't even know was a luxury?!

She glared at Ryos with some more hate as her eyes changed colors, both pink, both deadly as Ryos noticed something off about her. That strange darkness within her seemed to be growing. "Neapolitan" he said calmly as Neo grit her teeth.

'This bastard… who does he think I am, his daughter?!' she thought angrily as she activated her semblance, creating an illusion of herself before unsheathing her new bladed weapon she made and running at him with the intent to impale him. 'Just mind your own damn business you stupid old-' she though before she was suddenly stopped as the man glared at her with fury in his eyes, making her freeze up slightly. His hand gripping her weapon he had to have somehow seen coming as he broke it with his bare hand and then suddenly grabbed her by her clothes. Before she realized it she was tossed onto the floor as he held her in a small crater that bypassed her aura.

'Wha-How?!' was all she thought as his eyes dilated until she felt something rush off of him. It was similar to aura, it was stronger than aura. It was intimidating, dominate, instinctual. Neapolitan felt it roll off of him in spades to come. And it terrified her. She thought she was going to die until suddenly it stopped, the old man letting her go as he got back up with a sigh.

"Well whatever that was it's gone for now" he muttered annoyed as Neo shivered slightly, her now brown eyes looking at his own calm and collective ones until he finally held out a hand towards the now horrified girl. "Sorry for being a bit rough on you but you did attack me" he said as Neo slowly took the hand and felt something else coming from him.

It was warm, bright, something that reminded her of Roman in a sense. It was strange to her but rather welcoming. Being helped out of the crater she dusted herself off but looked at him confused as if she had a slightly clearer head. He could practically tell what she wanted and grinned.

"It's called haki, something I picked up on my voyages across the world at some point or another. Thinking back it was actually kind of a miracle I managed to even learn how to use it but then again we did have a few people with it ourselves" he rambled on as Neo was confused. What exactly was haki? "Though I have to say I don't exactly feel that hatred in you as much anymore, mind explaining that?" he asked again as Neo blinked at him confused.

'Hatred, what does that mean, he just annoyed her with those similarities to her father, not like it was that big of a deal to make a scene over-'

"And considering you were trying to kill me there, I think I should know just what kind of person I'm dealing with" he said again as Neo looked back to think before paling. That was true, she did try to attack him and it had been more aggressive than she probably thought it was. She was a little concerned for a moment, vividly recalling a time she attacked Roman once because he called her by her real name to spite her.

It shouldn't have but it brought up… painful memories. She didn't hurt him too badly but it was enough to get the message across. It was also enough to make her his second in command considering she took down three goons at the age of ten because… well, she honestly didn't know why she was that good. '…It came down to aggression. They weren't armed and I fought dirty' she rationalized while Ryos sighed.

"Look, I don't know why you got so bloodthirsty there but do me a favor. If you get that mad or angry again come to me about it, alright" he said as he walked back to the other room with a sigh, ignoring the deadpanned gaze at the fact he said "Talk" to him about it. "Now I have to reschedule the opening… you're paying for that by the way" he informed as she openly gawked at him.

'I have to… you're the one who choke-slammed me into the floor!' she thought to herself feeling annoyed but not anywhere near as aggressive as before.

"Ok, you're telling me she has some kind of hidden darkness, seriously?" Jaune asked in disbelief while Rally wanted to ask another question.

"You're letting someone like her, who tried to kill you, work for you…" she said trying to understand his logic behind it. "What if she tries to kill you again, what if she went after one of the staff or the guests?!" she shouted out in disbelief. Ryos just laughed.

"Relax, I have yet to see her actually attack anyone since she officially started working here" he reassured only to get a flat look from Jaune as he silently pointed at himself, earning a bit of a nervous chuckled from the older man. "W-well until now that is. But honestly I think it's just because you're from the same world as she is" he said as Jaune sighed. Rally stared at them confused.

"World? You mean island, right?" she asked as Jaune turned to her with a bit of unease. Shit he really hoped that Ryos didn't say anything to her about-

"Which reminds me, how exactly did you get here? All she said was that she fell from some platform and landed here" he said as Rally crossed her arms.

"Jaune said he fell off of a sky island" she said as Jaune nodded, trying to keep a lie going, a lie that Ryos didn't believe.

"She also mentioned about the relics of great power, maidens, grimm and a few other things" he said bluntly as Jaune stared at him without a word. She mentioned, why would she mentioned, it would sound so weird and yet Ryos would believe her.

"Maidens… grimm…Jaune, care to explain?" she asked with a small glint in her eyes while Jaune seemed a little nervous.

"I-I don't know anything about those" he said simply enough as Rally now openly glared at him.

"You just said you threw some relic off the edge and this Cinder woman nearly killed you for it" she screamed at him in disbelief. "I know you're hiding something now" she accused as Jaune flinched, shit he did. Oh crap this wasn't good. "Mister Ryos, what exactly did Neo say again?" she asked the older man, deciding to get some answers from him to compare.

"Uh, I don't think we should-" he tried to say as Ryos decided to tell her everything he knew.

"So this Remnant place was apparently a place where these two gods ruled over, apparently an immortal witch named Salem is fighting an immortal wizard named Ozpin or something" he said as Jaune now gawked at him. Rally just looked at the man before turning to Jaune and back at the man again.

"I'm sorry… what?" she asked as he grinned at her confusion.

"Yeah, apparently immortality is a thing… not only that but this Salem woman can use magic and has an army of these soulless monsters called grimm or something" he said as Jaune brought his hands to his face.

'S-she really did tell him everything' he thought before he turned towards Rally who glared at him. 'Oh shit-' he thought before Rally pointed at Ryos and glared daggers at him. Well glared much more than ever before. Hell he honestly thought this was worse than his challenge with Panda Bubba.

"Jaune… the hell, is what he is saying true?!" she screamed as Jaune said nothing, "Well?!" she shouted, having tried to find a way to rationalize whatever Ryos was saying. Seriously what was he actually saying? Immortal witches, wizards, magic monsters… what was this, a fairy tale?!

"…What answer will make you less pissed?" he asked as he leaned back, she was reminding him of a very angry Yang by this point and he really didn't want to be attacked again. Instead she just remained quiet for a minute. "…Uh, Rally-"

"You shut up!" she shouted, pointing at the blond haired man who just nodded. "I… I mean I can't… the hell?!" she shouted as she began to pace the room much to the amusement of Ryos and the expense of his blond-haired friend. "I mean, what the hell, this is just… how are you from some other world, how are there other worlds, are there other worlds?!" she shouted while trying to contemplate the thought.

"…Well Miles just called me an alien so-" he started before Rally interrupted.

"Alien, sure, that works" she said before yelling at him again, "why the hell didn't you tell me you were an alien?!" she shouted as he gave her a deadpanned expression for an answer. To be fair, Rally actually blushed once she managed to calm down a little. "Ugh… what the actual hell, Jaune" she said as she walked to the bed and collapsed on the mattress, she felt tired and confused while Ryos looked at her.

"Well, she took it better than I thought" he said while Jaune just turned at him and glared. "What, I'm just saying-" he said before Jaune interrupted him.

"I really hate you right now" he said calmly as Ryos shrugged it off.

"Neat, anyways I was wondering something…" he said as Jaune frowned. "Think you can do me a small favor?" he asked as Jaune and Rally, who was still trying to come to terms with "Alien-Jaune" turning to him.

Neo frowned as she walked back to the bar as she knew that Ryos, the old asshole he was, was going to tell them things that were best left her own business, her heels echoing down the stairs as she shifted back into her work apparel, her semblance covering herself from head to toe as she tried to calm herself down. She knew that she would probably find some of the others from Remnant that fell with her but she didn't expect to see that blonde idiot off all people here.

He changed and it confused her. Back at Atlas he was the weakest link. Now he could do whatever that was in their fight. Waves of energy or something, sudden speed bursts? She didn't know what to think about that idiot now.

But still, the guy was probably still an idiot in nearly every sense of the word, she wondered if he still wanted to become kind of hero and play huntsman here. He was just another person, in Roman's own words, "who wanted to play a game and die like every other huntsman and huntress in history."

And after seeing Salem, she was more eager to agree with such a thing more than ever before. Hell all they were in general were legalized mercenaries that slay grimm and looked after other people for money. Whoop-die-doo, like she couldn't do the same thing outside the kingdoms for less effort. The only problem was after the academies were founded it was hard for freelancers to get jobs in the kingdoms.

Not properly prepared or some bullshit. The only places that didn't follow that line of thought were Vacuo and Managere and only if that person was a faunus in the later. Any human would probably be killed knowing how bad the politics there could be. There were reasons why Roman didn't like them.

Hell, the furies to in her eyes were a bit over-hyped. Oh no we aren't treated fairly and seen as threats. Please ignore the fact that we have stingers and fangs and can kill you guys before you noticed. She scoffed at the idea. She wasn't a historian or a human/ faunus rights expert but she was pretty sure people like Tyrian were a good example of why humanity hated faunus. She only saw someone like Tyrian a few times to know that sometimes those fears were a little justified. Besides it wasn't like they didn't hate humans just as much. Hell according to Roman they were real monsters and he still had the scars to prove it.

She had to thank them as cruel as it was however. If it wasn't for them killing some girl he liked when they were kids he might not have helped her against her father trying to kill her…

Ugh… her father… that was a subject she hated more now than ever. Ryos reminded her of the man to some extent. It pissed her off to be honest. He was a man who valued what he had over anything else. He wanted a child but wanted nothing to do with it; he wanted a wife but demanded obedience. He even thought he could get a mute girl to talk, he was deluded.

He was just proof why humanity was worse than the grimm. Humanity at least had a choice; they were greedy lustful creatures who often viewed themselves first. In this world all they could trust were themselves. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath, her body visibly relaxing slightly as she continued her work.

"In this world we can't trust anyone. Not the huntsman and not the damn animals" Roman shouted as he led a young Neo to a base after having killed her father. Neo shivered in the cold rain as she recalled what she left behind, a body of a man who demanded obedience and the body of a mother who was killed for being more loyal to her.

"If it wasn't for you, Trivia, then I would still have a perfect life. If you aren't going to say anything then just stay quiet for the rest of your brief life!" her father's words echoed in her mind as she gripped the young orange-haired man's shirt with fear.

"I know, kid… don't worry. From now on it's you and me against the world… just let your uncle Roman handle it… you can trust me… right?" he asked unsure of himself as Trivia… no, not Trivia, never Trivia. She needed a new name; Trivia Vinille was long dead with her parents as far as she knew. She needed a new identity that was more fitting now.

"…hey, kid? Neo… Neo?" Roman asked as she was snapped out of her slight trance. "Neo, you alright?" a waitress asked as she turned to see Halley looking at her concerned. She recomposed herself quickly and nodded with a smile. Yes, she was fine…

Just. Fine…

Making some gestures with her hands, the waitress nodded. "A-alright, if you aren't feeling good then you can take the day off. I think Ryos is still pissed at attacking a customer like that… did he flirt with you or something?" she asked as Neo frowned, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. Please… as if she would let him off that easy if he did. No she merely wanted answers and that was it. As she got back to work however a new sound interrupted them all, it was that of a gun and it caught everyone's undivided attention.

"Attention patrons" a voice shouted to the crowd as Neo frowned. Oh great, and now she had this to deal with. Three marines were now in the bar with the middle one being the same fat ass that was the second in command. "Good. Now then I have been alerted to an incident near this bar that a fight broke out in front. And that one of the reasons was someone who worked here. Is that the truth?" he demanded while asking them all, scanning the room while Neo subtly changed her figure to resemble the orange haired girl that was with Jaune in Atlas. "No answers… then how about this. Who here knows of a woman with pink and brown hair and a man with yellow hair and blue eyes?" he asked as some of the people grew nervous.

"You, who is the manager of this place?!" he pointed his gun at Neo and Halley while both of them glared slightly. "I need to have a word with them at once" he demanded as Halley gulped, no this was bad. Looking at Neo, her eyes widened as she saw her move her hand as if forming a gun, she spoke up immediately.

"Mary" she said, hiding Neo's identity while said girl turned to her. "Please bring the boss here" she said as Neo glared but complied before running to get the owner.

'Damn it, Arc… you just had to start this shit' she thought, blaming him for this until she bumped into Ryos who was on his way to the bar himself.

"N-neo, the hell, what's with you?" he asked as he saw through her illusion. Neo blinked before glaring, transforming into the pudgy marine as she pointed down to the bar. Any joy or eagerness the man had dropped into seriousness.

"Marines in the bar… stay here and don't do anything until I get back" he ordered as Neo frowned but nodded, knowing Ryos would handle this shit. He was a decent negotiator and was stronger than she was. She knew that from experience.

Making his way down, he glared at the marines who seemed to take notice of him. "Is there a problem here?" he asked as the lieutenant nodded his head.

"I take it you're the owner of this bar" he said as Ryos nodded, his arms crossed.

"I am… welcome to the Weasel, I take it this is about what happened outside then?" he asked as the marine nodded.

"Yes it is… from the reports a fight broke out between one of your employees and a blond haired man with a sword. The damages outside are worrying us and we wanted to have a few words with them and find out what it was about" he said in a voice of arrogance while Ryos was far from intimidated.

"I fired her and booted them out. No idea where they went" he said with a shrug as the waitresses went back to the kitchen to hide with the cooks and the bartenders. "They aren't here, you can even search the building" he offered as the marine frowned.

"We will soon enough but that still doesn't mean much right now. Their little fight is unreasonable. Captain Buso wanted to personally talk with them about the damages" he said as Ryos frowned.

'No, he wants to either arrest them or draft them' he thought as he could see through the man's lies. "…She was my employee and the young man was my guest. If anything the blame falls to me" he said as many of the patrons looked at the man in shock. The marines merely sneered until the lieutenant merely snarled.

"You will tell us where they are or else!" he shouted and pointed the gun at him. Ryos sighed but stood his ground. Earning a glare from the marine, they were both interrupted by a new voice.

"Stand down, Sludge" a man a good head taller than Ryos himself commanded as Sludge and the other marines turned to face the man, saluting once he entered the building. Looking at the old man, the captain grinned. "You… if memory serves it was Ryos, was it not?" he asked as the old man nodded.

"It is, and how can I help you?" he asked as Buso glared.

"Your employee is under arrest for disrupting the peace as is one of your guests… but you said they aren't here. Where are they?" he demanded as Ryos shrugged.

"I have no idea, probably still in the town" he said as Buso frowned for a second before grinning once again.

"Very well… I guess we will have to search the town and find them ourselves. But until then you will be coming with us" he said as Ryos remained quiet. "As you said it is your responsibility, you are to take the blame" he said as Ryos nodded.

"Very well… but the guests here are innocent, as is my employees" he stated. "Search the building and look all you like and I will come with you. But don't harm anyone else here. Just the two criminals" he said while Buso hesitantly nodded.

"Fine, you two cuff him" he ordered a couple of marines while they nodded. Making their way up to him, Ryos sighed and held out his hands and felt the metal restrain him. As he made his way out, he held onto a small smirk with his head down and hidden from the marines. "And from here on out I think we should take matters into our own hands. Starting tomorrow this place will be marine property. Anyone still here after Eight AM will be charged for trespassing on Marine property!" he announced as Ryos stopped in his tracks and glared at the man.

"Get moving, dog" the man, Sludge said, pushing the older man to move and move he did. But as he did he glared. 'These fuckers… alright then. As much as I hate to come out of retirement I have no choice… but I'll have to wait. Neo, Jaune, Rally… just stay low for a bit. No reason for you to get caught up in all of this' he thought to himself as he made his way to a large building at the end of town.

As he did, Buso looked at Sludge with a stern gaze. "Sludge, I want you to search the building and station some men here. After you're done I want to have this town searched and the harbor blocked off. I need to return a call to H.Q" he said as Slime looked at him confused and nodded.

"Y-yes sir" he said before deciding to ask a question. "Sir, if I may, what does headquarters want?" he asked while Buso frowned. Still he shook his head.

"Nothing that concerns you. Just a report on the project. Admiral Akainu demands report updates" he said as the other marine nodded. As the man left he watched his men take Ryos to the Cell. He would be there soon enough, for now he had to report in his testing.

Jaune glared at the ceiling, recalling the words Miles told him about the marines as well as what Ryos had just informed him of. Rally was similar as she lay in her bed. "I… can't believe it, you know?" she asked as Jaune looked back to her confused as she stared out the window. "I mean, why would the marines green-light such a thing?"

"…Because if it's in the name of Absolute Justice then anything goes" he said with his eyes closed. "But to think the marines here are that bad… I mean I know about some of their protocols from Miles but still, this is going overboard even for them" he said as Rally nodded, though confused how Jaune and Miles knew about the protocols of the marines.

"…But arresting people and drafting them to influence something like that… why would anyone agree to it?" she said as Jaune sighed.

He didn't know, perhaps it was for the best. Before he could respond however his and Rally's door flung open, causing them to get up and look at the intruder who quickly shut the door. It was Neo and another woman, a waitress by the looks of it but she seemed out of her outfit, both of them did. "W-what's going on-?"

"You need to leave!" the woman said as Neo glared at Jaune. Rally frowned before looking at Jaune accusingly. Great now they were being kicked out for their fight. "The marines are looking for you and Neo. They already took Mister Ryos and… shit, they're coming" the woman named Stella said as Neo glared. Running up to Jaune she jumped on the bed and tackled him before covering his mouth and placing a finger to his mouth as a means of telling him to stay quiet.

Jaune was confused but soon found himself being covered in some kind of veil of shattering crystals. Rally spoke up while Jaune looked at her confused. "W-what the, where did they go-"

"-Just pretend they aren't here and we're sharing this room" Stella said, catching onto her coworker's plan. Rally was looking confused but nodded as Jaune figured it out. Seeing Neo glare at him and nodding her head, Jaune nodded to before placing a hand on her back and using his semblance. Neo shuddered for a second before she felt her aura grow stronger; she looked at him and frowned before readjusting the illusion to hide their presence.

Soon however the door opened up to reveal a marine with a gun. "You two, we're looking for two criminals, a yellow-haired man and a pink and brown haired woman. Have you seen them at all?" he ordered as Rally shook her head.

"N-no sir, me and my sister were just visiting from Little-Moss" Rally lied as the marine looked at her and then at the assumed sister who nodded. Glaring at the two a second he nodded.

"Right, if you have any leads then let us know" he said before leaving, the door closing while Stella quickly locked it. "Room is clear, move forward" he said as the marines moved on. As they left, Stella fell to her knees and let out a breath she didn't know she had. Rally closed the curtains and Neo undid the illusion, the sounds of cracking glass was heard in the room as Neo got off of Jaune and dusted herself off.

Jaune however got up as well before looking at the woman. "…what was that about, what's going on?" he asked as the woman looked away. He said nothing for a second until Stella finally looked at the man in question.

"C-can you fight?" she asked as Jaune was confused for a second. Stella looked down before voicing her thoughts more clearly. "P-please, can you fight Buso?" she asked with tears in her eyes while Jaune and Rally looked at her while Neo glared. "H-he arrested Mister Ryos… he's going to turn the Weasel into a marine bar and… unless you turn yourselves in Mister Ryos will be… " she started as Jaune walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, meeting her calmly but seriously.

"Please… start from the beginning. What happened?"

And there we go. I hope this turned out alright, I wanted to try to get into Neo's mindset and with what we are being told about her backstory I decided to go along with what we know about it so far and try to have it make sense with what we know about Neo's character.

As for Roman and her I honestly want to do a one-shot or something regarding them later regarding their past and a few other things I think could've happened. But I hope that this kind of helps explain what I want Neo's mindset to be. a bipolar woman who accepts and honestly sees the world in gray and viewing it as a "Anything to Survive" mindset while at the same time having a bit of a second side that is genuinely caring like she had with Roman.

Also Jaune might have seemed a bit too forgiving considering what Neo had actually done but I do agree that there are a lot of similarities between Neo and Jaune regarding Season 3. they both lost someone they loved and in a way that mirrors one another to some extent.

Either way I hope you liked the chapter and you all have a great night or day.