The scene opened to a shot of Beacon Academy's courtyard at dusk, with Weiss, Dante, Bayonetta and Ruby running up the main avenue towards the docking bays.
"Weiss! What is the big deal!? Who is it? Who is she!?" Ruby asked, running to catch up with her partner.
"Dante! Slow down! I haven't seen you this excited since the pizza party we had for saving Vale!" Bayonetta said, also having trouble keeping up with her boyfriend.
The Schnee twins stopped and smiled at the sight of... "Winter." Weiss said happily.
"Can't remember the last time we saw her. To think she's here now..." Dante said fondly.
The camera then cut behind the four of them watching Winter Schnee, escorted by crimson-colored Atlas Soldiers and Atlesian Knight-200's as she exited her airship.
"Wait... Your sister?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, wonderful. As if Weiss wasn't enough." Bayonetta said.
"Don't worry, she's not that bad." Dante said.
"Winter!" Weiss called to her sister, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Yo, sis!" Dante called with a similar method. The four then ran up to the elder Schnee as she turned to see them.
"Winter! "I'm so happy to see you! Oh..." Weiss said happily, before remembering formality and quickly curtsied. "Your presence honors us." She said.
"Nice to see you again, sis." Dante said casually, earning him an elbow from Weiss.
Of course, having grown up with Dante, she'd long since accepted his casual nature and actually enjoyed it, finding it a relief from her often strict, formal day to day. "It's fine, Weiss. We're family. No need to be so formal." Winter said as she looked around while she approached them. "Beacon... It's been a long time. The air feels... different." She said.
"I mean it is fall, so, eh, it's probably colder." Ruby said.
Weiss punched Ruby in the shoulder, causing her to gasp in pain before turning back to her sibling. "So, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked, not noticing Dante struggling to restrain Bayonetta from trying to shoot her for hitting Ruby.
"Classified." Winter stated strictly.
"Oh, right. Well, how long are you staying?" Weiss asked.
"Classified." Winter stated again.
"Of course." Weiss said, nodding and smiling in understanding.
"Well, nice to see you haven't changed much." Dante said.
"I could certainly say the same to you, little brother." She said.
It was quiet after this. Ruby looked pensively around in the silence. "Well... this is nice... I think." She said shyly.
"You haven't talked in months, you... don't want to say any-" Bayonetta started, before...
"You're going to love it here! I know you travel a lot, but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas!" Weiss explains excitedly. "Vale, too. The government and school are completely separate! Can you believe it!? I-" She continued.
"I'm more than familiar with how this kingdom handles its... bureaucracy. That is not why I came." Winter interrupted.
"Right! I'm sorry!" Weiss apologized.
"Nor did I come here to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle. But it appears that I have no choice in the matter." Winter said harshly.
"But, we won!" Weiss said, puzzled.
"Only a novice would refer to that as a victory. I counted at least three strikes missed." Winter said, Weiss flinching.
"Jeez, come on, sis. A win's a win. We're dealing with people we've never met, much less fought before, you can't expect us to do everything perfect." Dante said.
"Maybe not perfect, but certainly better than the two of you handled it. You were clearly struggling against that Mercer fellow. You've been slacking on your training, haven't you?" She asked.
"Hey, the guy's built to adapt. Hard to beat someone who can turn into steel." Dante said.
Winter sighed at this. "I suppose that's true. I admit, I found myself struggling to think of a strategy I would use as well." She admitted.
The camera then cut to a side view of the group as Winter turned to her security. "Leave us." She ordered. The AK-200s obeyed, walking two steps backwards into formation as she sighed and smiled a little more warmly at Weiss and Dante. "How have you been?" She asked.
"Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually in the very top ranking of our sparring class! And the rest of my studies are going wonderfully, too! I'm-" Weiss boasted.
Winter attempted to slap Weiss in the head, but Dante caught her wrist. "Easy there, sis. It wouldn't look good if an Atlas Specialist arrived at Beacon and her first action was to smack a student upside the head." He told her.
"Cheeky brat." She told him, before looking to Weiss. "And I don't recall asking about your ranking, you boob! I'm asking how you've been. Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?" She asked.
"Well, there's Ruby." She said, gesturing to her leader.
"Heh, boob." Ruby giggled.
"I see. So this is the leader you wrote of. How appropriately... underwhelming." Winter said judgingly.
"Uh... Thank you!" Ruby said unsurely.
"It wasn't a compliment. And it certainly wasn't necessary." Bayonetta said angrily.
"Oh and you must be this Cereza my brother spoke of. More commonly known as 'Bayonetta'. An... interesting nickname." Winter said.
"I've grown quite attached to it over the years." Bayonetta explained.
"Then greetings to both of you, Ruby Rose and Cereza Xiao Long. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my brother and sister." Winter said.
"Well, they certainly are interesting. Your brother in particular." Bayonetta said, leaning against Dante, Winter looking on awkwardly.
"Oh! Uh, yes, of course!" Ruby said as she attempted to salute and curtsy. "The honor is in my... court!" She said, nearly losing her balance with this gesture, waving her arms until she got back up.
"I have business with the General and your Headmaster. But, seeing as I'm early, why don't you take me to your quarters?" Winter asked.
"Really?" Weiss asked.
"Yes. I wish to inspect them and make sure that they are up to my personal standards." Winter confirmed as she and Weiss began walking towards the Academy, followed by the androids.
"Of course. Just so you're aware, the bunk beds only look unstable." Weiss assured.
"Bunk beds?" Winter questioned.
"We'll catch up with you to later, okay?" Dante asked, kissing Bayonetta on the cheek, before hurrying after his sisters.
"O-okay." Bayonetta said, a bit shocked. "Oh well. It is his sister. And he hasn't seen her in months. If I was away from you that long, I'd take every chance I got to spend time with you." Bayonetta said, looking at Ruby.
"Yeah! Same here!" Ruby said as she waved goodbye behind them, while Bayonetta simply watched. "I'll catch up- I mean, I will... reconvene with you both... at a later... " Ruby started, before she paused with her hand on her head, wracking her brain for the right word. "juncture!" She finished, raises her finger, before stepping out of sight to the left. "At a juncture. Yeah." She said.
"Family. Always unpredictable." Bayonetta said, walking back to the school.
The camera cut to Weiss, Dante, Winter and the androids walking towards the courtyard, before shifting to first-person view, where a certain someone dizzily snuck up behind the AK-200s and promptly decapitated one, before kicking its head towards the group.
"Hey!" A man called out, the group turned around to see the man who was previously seen in the Crow Bar. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen!" He said to Winter as he tossed the decapitated machine aside.
one of remaining automated soldiers advanced, rifle raised. "Halt!" Winter ordered.
Dante tilted his head, looking at the man. "That guy looks familiar. Where have I seen him before?" He wondered, before remembering a family picture Bayonetta had shown him on her scroll, with her, Ruby, Yang, their father Taiyang and their uncle... "Qrow." He said.
"Excuse me! Do you have any idea who you are talking to!?" Weiss demanded as she angrily walked up to the offender's face.
Qrow placed hand on Weiss' face. "Sssshhh. Not you." He said as he pushed her out of his way as he moved forward.
"Hey!" Weiss snapped.
Dante and Winter both glared at this. (Sorry, Bayonetta, but I might have to kick your uncle's ass.) Dante thought.
"You." Qrow said as he looked at the irritated Winter as he clarified. A raven was seen perched on a lamp post before flying off and circling past the group. "Saw that gaudy ship of yours in town. I guess you're here, too." He said.
"I'm standing right before you." Winter said.
"So it would seem." Qrow squinted through his hazy state of mind.
Bayonetta worked her way forward through the forming crowd. "What is going on here?" She asked, breaking through the crowd and seeing the stand-off before her. "Uncle Qrow? What's he doing here?" She asked, before noticing the broken robot and piecing together the situation. "Getting himself in trouble." She sighed.
"You realize you just destroyed Atlas Military property." Winter pointed out.
"Oh, oh I'm sorry. See, I mistook this for some sort of... sentient garbage." Qrow sarcastically apologized as he looked at his surroundings.
"I don't have time for your immature games, Qrow." Winter said as she walked over to face Qrow.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Weiss asked.
"Geez, you Atlas Specialists think you're so special, don't you?" Qrow taunted.
"It's in the title." Winter stated.
"Well, you know what you really are? A bunch of sellouts. Just like your boss." Qrow jabbed once again.
"I'm not sure what you think you're implying, but I've heard enough." Winter warned.
"Oh I heard, too. I heard ol' Ironwood finally turned his back on Ozpin." Qrow said.
"Ozpin?" Weiss asked.
"What's he talking about?" Dante asked, looking at Winter.
"Dante, Weiss, it's time for you to go." Winter said as she shoved her siblings aside.
"What-" Weiss asked.
"Winter, think about this." Dante said.
"Listen to big sister, you two. She'll protect you. Just like Atlas is going to protect all of us, huh?" Qrow teased.
"If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly remove it for you!" Winter snapped as she drew her sword.
"Alright then..." Qrow said, slicking back his hair. "Come take it." He said, reaching for his sword.
Dante and Bayonetta looked at each other, somehow managing to spot each other in the crowd and nodded, Dante using a time dilation glyph and Bayonetta activating Witch Time.
The square cleared before Winter charged at Qrow, separating her swords into two and preparing to attack Qrow with a cross slash as Qrow swung his own sword down on her. However, he found his sword locked between the curved blades of Rakshasa as Winter found her own swords impeded by Rebellion, Dante holding his sister back as Bayonetta kept her uncle at bay.
"Dante!? What is the meaning of this?! Remove yourself at once!" Winter snapped.
"At ease, sis. Chill out. What would the general say if he saw you picking a fight with a civilian?" Dante questioned, Winter gasping in realization at this and stopping her advance.
"Bayonetta?" Qrow said surprised.
"Really, Uncle Qrow? Getting yourself in trouble, again? If you keep this up, I don't think we'll be able to let you out in public anymore." Bayonetta teased.
Qrow chuckled a bit at this. "Smartmouth." He said, leaning back and pulling his sword back, returning it to his back.
Mercury and Azula were seen walking in the crowd when they witnessed the event in progress. "Huh?" Mercury questioned worriedly as he noticed one of the combatants.
"This is a problem." Azula said, sighing. "Cinder needs to know about this." She said, wincing as if saying these words hurt her before the two ran off from the family squabble.
"SCHNEE!" General Ironwood suddenly called.
Winter looked behind her to see General Ironwood standing behind her, with Penny behind him. "General Ironwood, sir!" Winter addressed him at about face.
"What in the world is going on here?" Ironwood asked as he approached Winter with Penny by his side.
"Well-" Winter started.
"The drunk guy with with the bad hair picked a fight and destroyed one of your robots." Dante explained.
"Hey!" Qrow said, angry about the jab at his hair.
"Dante!" Winter said both harshly and quietly.
"What? He said Schnee. He didn't specify which." Dante said.
"I should've figured." Ironwood said, glaring at Qrow.
"However, your precious specialist here was the one who presented the challenge, drew her weapon and attacked first." Bayonetta added.
"Is that right?" Ironwood asked, looking at Winter as she searched for words, only to realize Bayonetta was right. She looked down in shame. "And you." He said to Qrow, who pointed to himself in mock confusion. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.
"I could be asking you the same thing." Qrow countered.
"I-" Ironwood started.
"Now, now, everyone." Ozpin said, intervening beside Glynda. Whatever altercation may have happened here, it seems to be resolved now. Nothing more seems to be happening around here. You can all move along now." He said as he swirled his cocoa.
"Break it up, everyone! Nothing more to see here." Goodwitch said.
"Let's go." Ironwood said, turning and leaving with Winter and Penny, who noticed Ruby and quietly waved to her, while Ruby waved back.
Ruby then turned her attention back to... "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby screamed as she latched onto Qrow's arm, which he stretched out to the side, lifting Ruby into the air as if she was hanging off a tree branch. "Hi." She said happily, kicking her legs adorably. "It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me!?" She asked hopefully.
"Nope." He said as they share a grin as he patted his niece's head.
"It's good to see you again, Uncle." Bayonetta said.
"Hey, Bayo. Saw your match earlier today. You did good out there. You caught me by surprise a few times." He said.
"I aim to impress." She says.
"Qrow!" Ozpin called, the Huntsman turned to look at the headmaster as Ruby dropped from his arm. "A word, please." He said.
"I think I'm in trouble." Qrow said to the girls, discreetly.
"You did almost mess up our courtyard." Ruby said.
"I don't think you can go anywhere without getting in trouble." Bayonetta teased.
"Guilty as charged." Qrow chuckled as he winked and gave each niece a fist bump. "Catch ya later, kid." He said to Ruby, taking a few steps away, before turning back. "Oh and Bayonetta, we'll definitely have to talk some more later. I'd like to hear about those new tricks of yours I saw in the match. They're really out of this world." He said knowingly as he walked off to join the others.
Weiss walked up beside Ruby, arms crossed. "And suddenly, your recklessness makes sense." She said.
"You're just mad because you're sister's in trouble!" Ruby said.
"Well, so is your uncle!" Weiss countered, although Ruby's smirk said otherwise.
"Like I said, he's always in trouble. At this point, he's used to it." Bayonetta said.
"Good thing this is Winter's first incident. I doubt she'll be in too much trouble." Dante said.
"Speaking of trouble, you were willing to ditch me to spend time with your sisters. So, you'd better find a way to make it up to me." Bayonetta warned him.
"Oh, boy. how do I always get myself in trouble with girls?" He wondered.
Meanwhile, Kratos and Ryu were in their dorm, Kratos on his scroll while Ryu checked police records for any news of a certain bowler hat-wearing criminal. "Are you sure? There's been no reports about Roman being back on the streets or organizing any heists?" Kratos asked.
"Unfortunately, no. Of course, it only makes sense. He just got out of prison. He must be laying low for now. He'd be an idiot to jump right back into crime and risk getting arrested again." Izaya explained on the other end.
Kratos growled at this. "Fine. Just keep an ear out and call me if you hear anything." Kratos told him, hanging up.
"I don't understand it. He was being held on the General's personal airship. How could he possibly have gotten away?" Ryu asked.
"Someone must've broken him out. But who... and how?" Kratos asked.
However, unknown to Kratos, Izaya hung up and looked up at Celty, who stood in front of him with Neo and Roman sitting on a couch behind them, Neo hugging Roman while happily kicking her feet as Roman just sat there, smiling at her. "I hope you realize you owe me. Keeping secrets from not only the police and the military, but even Mistral's champion, Kratos. I'm a big fan of his, so lying to him and disappointing him really doesn't sit well with me, so whatever you have to offer, it better be worth my while..." Izaya told her.
The scene shifted to Ozpin's office late at night. Ironwood was waiting with his arms crossed while Winter was impatiently pacing about. Suddenly, a smirking Qrow, accompanied by Goodwitch and Ozpin, arrived in the elevator.
"What were you thinking!?" Winter demanded.
"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!" Ironwood snapped.
"If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself." Qrow taunted as he pulled out flask at the three entered the room.
"While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation." Goodwitch said.
"He was drunk!" Winter retorted.
"He's always drunk!" Goodwitch countered. The four turned to Qrow to see him drinking from a flask. His eyes widened when he noticed them staring. He held the flask out to the side, looking at it awkwardly before grimacing.
Ozpin stared at Qrow in shock, then sighed and sat down. "Qrow, why are you here?" Ozpin asked, annoyed.
"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!" Ironwood scolded.
"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy!" Qrow snapped.
"General." Winter corrected.
"Whatever. You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you, our enemy is here." Qrow said ominously.
"We know." Ironwood said as he leaned against Ozpin's desk.
"Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!" Qrow said angrily.
"Qrow-" Ironwood exhaled.
"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this?" Qrow snapped as he pulled out his Scroll and pointed to it. "That's the SEND button." He said.
"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised." Winter explained.
"And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here." He countered. "Seriously, who invited her?" He asked, pointing to Winter.
After a moment of silence, Ironwood spoke. "Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back at my ship." He told Winter without looking at her.
"But sir!" Winter argued, looking surprised.
"Winter. Leave." Ironwood ordered again.
"Yes sir." Winter complained, saluting Ironwood. She then turned on her heel and gave the winking Qrow a dirty look as she exited via the elevator.
"Go on." Ironwood said as he gestured to Qrow.
"Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition." Qrow explained as he took a drink from his flask once more.
"What?" Goodwitch asked.
"Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers, or generals, or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about!" He explained, getting up in Ironwood's face. "It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me, James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet, or did you just not give a damn!?" He demanded.
Ironwood stared down at Qrow as he placed his Scroll on Ozpin's desk. "Discreet wasn't working." He said as the center of the room projected a hologram of Vale, Beacon Academy, the Amity Colosseum and Ironwood's fleet of Atlesian Airships. "I'm here because this is what was necessary." He said, gesturing to his ships.
"You're here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us!" Qrow snapped.
"And I am grateful." Ironwood said.
"Oh, well, you've got a real funny way of showing it." The uncle of our protagonists countered.
"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them; someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength." Ironwood explained.
Qrow started laughing. "You... You think they're scared of your little ships? And how much strength can there be in this fleet of yours if you can't manage to hold onto ONE prisoner? You had Roman Torchwick, Public Enemy Number One in prison and you lost him! Besides, I've been out there and I've seen the things she's made, and let me tell you - they are fear." Qrow countered the general again.
"And fear will bring the Grimm." Ozpin added, standing up. "A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds..." He started. "If this is the size of our defenses, then what is it we're expecting to fight?" He questioned as he gestured to the display.
Ironwood glared at them before sighing and walking forward, picking up his Scroll just as it flashed with the image of a Black Queen. "So then, what would you suggest we do?" He asked.
"I suggest we find our guardian." Ozpin answered.
Cut to a dorm room, where Mercury was sitting in a chair and Azula standing in the middle of the room, reporting on the fight they saw earlier, while Cinder walked back and forth, interrogating them with Emerald resting on a bed nearby.
"And you're sure?" Cinder asked
"Bad hair, used a scythe, and smelled like my dad after a long day. It was him." Mercury listed.
"That was CLEARLY not a scythe, you imbecile. Although, it is rumored to turn into a scythe, capable of cleaving the largest, most powerful Grimm in half and even cutting a person with full aura in two." Azula said, looking back at Emerald, who looked horrified as Mercury looked at her nervously.
"It can't kill someone with full aura, don't be foolish." Cinder scoffed, looking to the other two. "Ignore her. She's only here to replace Neo." Cinder said.
"Another failure on your part. You should've made sure she was loyal to YOU, not Torchwick. You failed to do so and in the end she ran off on you, when your plans reached the stage that required her the most." She taunted, to which Cinder growled, rising to her feet.
The two fire-wielders seemed to be preparing for a fight, so Emerald quickly stepped between them before they could. "So! What do we do?" Emerald asked.
Cinder sighed at this and calmed down. "Nothing. We stay the course. They have no idea who we are, so we have no reason to worry. Besides, the last of the heavy lifting is being taken care of thanks to our clever little friend." She said as she picked up her Scroll as it too flashed with the Black Queen. "Speaking of which... it appears we have a new access point." She said as Ironwood was shown on the Scroll as an icon, along with a curling "W" in the other corner.
"Now that's more like it." Azula said as she moved around to observe as well.
"Anywhere good?" Emerald asked.
"You could say that. Go to your rooms. I'll prepare everything for tomorrow." Cinder said.
"Yes, ma'am." Emerald complied.
"Got it." Mercury said.
The Scroll reveals the roster of the Vytal Festival Tournament doubles round, which includes CRDL's Russel Thrush and Sky Lark, SSSN's Sun and Neptune, and Penny along with her partner, Ciel Soleil.
"Let's give the crowd a good fight." Cinder said.
"How good can a fight really be when no one can stand up to Mercury and Emerald?" Azula asked.
"Why, Azula, weren't you the one who said never to assume anything?" Cinder said as she scrolled down each pair until she selected Mercury and Emerald to face off against Coco and Yatsuhashi in the doubles round.
The next morning, the crowd saw the rigged match-up on the screen at the Amity Colosseum.
"The randomization process is complete! Ladies and gentlemen, your doubles tournament fight!" Port shouted over the announcement system.
As the announcement was heard, RWBY cheered with arms raised, JNPR and SCRN were seen providing applause, and SSSN was shown sitting in front row seats. Bolin Hori and Nolan Porfirio were seen talking to each other behind RWBY, and Dove Bronzewing was sitting behind JNPR. The camera shifted to Cinder and Azula, now watching their teammates in the seats as they menacingly clapped with a devious smirk, before it cut to black.
