"Would team RWBYS please report to Pr. Goodwitch's office?"

Ruby felt her heart skip a beat, and she almost tumbled out of her older sister's bed before catching herself. She looked around her dorm room to find the rest of her team waking with her. Her partner and Blake shared a nervous look with each other, Ruby, and Yang. All eyes fell on Scythle as the purple-haired girl let out a moan, stretching in her hammock as she sat up.

"Well Girls," Scythle began, swinging her bed before jumping out of it, placing her stump into her Scythleg before walking to the closet. The rest of the team averting their eyes from the bare girl. "It's Showtime, So Look Alive."

"… She's right." Weiss sighed before standing up. "This is the point where our plan either succeeds or fails. Everything hinges on what we do now."

"Just Leave All The Talking To Me." Scythle said.

Ruby looked over the group again, watching them each get ready to confront their final obstacle. She pulled in heavy breaths as she felt her heartbeat in her throat, almost threatening to choke her with how hard it was pounding. She almost jumped out of the bed when Yang placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If you want, you can fake sick." Yang suggested as she scooted next to her sister. "Leave Goodwitch to us."

"… No…" Ruby said with a shake of her head. "I'm your guys' leader, and I helped last night. I should be there with you."

"Okay." Yang said, preparing to jump off the bed before looking back at her younger sister. "And don't worry, sis. It'll be fine."


"Why, Good Morning, Pr. Goodwitch." Scythle greeted, once again dressed in her purple corset as she and her team walked into the teacher's office. "Is There Anything I Can Do For You On This Fine Day?"

"You can start by explaining what you were doing last night." Goodwitch said with a scowl as Scythle slipped into the chair in front of her.

"Last Night?" Scythle asked, placing a hand on her chin as she pretended to think on the question.

"Yes, last night." Goodwitch growled. "I saw you on the cameras head into the faculty-"

"Oh, Right, That." Scythle said. "Well, You See, I Was Having Trouble Sleeping, And While I Was Thinking About What To Do, I Realized I Had Forgotten To Clean The Restrooms Yesterday. So I Decided I'd Clean The Faculty Restroom To Make Up For It."

"… By breaking into the faculty building in the dead of night?" Goodwitch growled, gritting her teeth at the girl. As the conversation continued, Ruby glanced up at the painting behind Goodwitch, running her eyes along the slight seams between each piece of paper, waiting for Goodwitch to point to it and call them out.

"Well, It's Not Like I Had Anything Else To Do." Scythle stated.

"And you're only in charge of cleaning the first-floor restrooms."

"Oh, Am I?" Scythle said with mock surprise before giving a light chuckle. "The Things That Slip Your Mind When You're Doing Kind Deeds… And Dead Tired."

"Were any of you four aware of what your fifth teammate was up to last night?" The teacher asked as she looked at the four behind the girl.

"U-Um-well-ya see-we-" Ruby stuttered out before Yang placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We were fast asleep when Scythle left." Yang said. "We didn't even know she-" Yang's explanation was interrupted by a yawn, and the group all looked towards the white-haired girl as she covered her mouth.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep very easy either." Weiss lied. "Yang's right, though, we were all asleep when Scythle left."

Goodwitch let out a growl through her nose before reaching into her desk. After sifting through one of the drawers for a moment, she placed a Scroll on top of it for the five girls to look over. "This is Blake Belladonna's Scroll." Goodwitch explained. "We found this taped to the wall as we were coming in for morning paperwork."

"Oh, That's Where That Went!" Scythle stated before snatching the device off the table, passing it back to the raven-haired girl. "We've Been Looking Everywhere For It. Blake Lost It Yesterday, You See. Guess Someone Stole It Or Something."

"And you didn't think to report this?" Goodwitch asked.

"We Didn't Want To Bother Anyone." Scythle said. "We Really Like To Do Things On Our Own."

"… I'm not buying this for a second." Goodwitch stated, pointing a finger towards the purple-haired girl. "You were up to something last night, and once I find out what, you're in for it."

"What? Are You Gonna Punish Me For Scrubbing Toilets?" Scythle joked.

"Just wait until Ozpin hears about this…" The teacher grumbled as she reached for her Scroll.

"Well, Till Then, We Have A Tournament To Train For." Scythle said as she got out of the chair with a wave. "We Should Really Be Heading Out."

As the team left the teacher's office, Scythle glanced between all of her teammates. "Ya See, It's That Easy."


"Yo Lil J!" Scythle called out as she and her team entered Junior's club. She and Yang approached the bar, letting the cable between Scythle and Ruby stretch out. "I Got A Picture For Ya!"

"Well, that was fast." Junior mused as the purple and blonde-haired girls sat down at the bar. "I thought it would take you another month to get it."

"Oh, Ha Ha Ha." Scythle said as she slapped the painting down on the table. "You Should Have Been A Comedian."

"And Who Are These Three?" Junior asked as he pointed between the other girls with Scythle.

"These Are The Rest Of My Girls." Scythle said as Junior unrolled the painting. "I'm Sure You Can See The Resemblance Between Me And My Sister Ruby. But Enough About Me, Let's Talk About You."

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Junior said as he studied the image before him, gesturing for one of his workers to look at it with him. After a moment, the goon nodded to Junior before the bartender rolled the image back up, letting his employee take the painting as he looked back at the group in front of him. "Well, I suppose this settles things between us."

"Great To Be Back In Ya Good Graces, Lil J." Scythle said.

"Don't push it."

"So, Whadda Ya Know 'Bout The White Fang, Roman, And That Cider Chick?" Scythle asked.

"Cinder." Ruby corrected.

"Right, Her."

"… I don't know anything." Junior said with a shake of his head.

"What?" Scythle scowled as the rest of team RWBYS put on wide eyes.

"I don't know anything." Junior repeated.

"You Said You'd Tell Me What They Were Up To If I Got You That Painting!" Scythle yelled as she slammed her hand on the table.

"No, I told you I'd tell you what I knew." Junior corrected. "And I don't know anything. He gave me and my men one last chance after they failed him the first time due to needing extra hands. None of them ever came back."

Everyone's eyes landed on Scythle, who looked between them all before giving another scowl. "Hey, Don't Look At Me, I Only Killed Like Half O' 'Em." Scythle said.

"Did Roman or Cinder or anyone let anything slip?" Blake asked.

"Not a thing." Junior said. "I know about as much about their plans as you do."

"So… So wait…" Ruby began. "We stole the Forest Sanctuary from Beacon Academy for nothing."

"Looks Like." Scythle grumbled before hopping off the chair. "Come On, Guys, Let's Head Back To Beacon, I Guess." With that, all of team RWBYS turned to leave, their leader lagging behind them as her eyes darted around in her head, still letting the situation settle in as she followed her group.

"Actually," Scythle began before spinning around on her heel. "Now That I Have A Twin, Me And Ruby Would Like To Request Melanie And Militia's Services For Some-" As Scythle spoke, Yang lifted the girl up onto her shoulder, carrying the girl out with her.


"Well, that's just great." Yang scoffed as she and the rest of their team walked out of the bar. "I thought he was supposed to know everything, but this is the second time he didn't."

"Now what do we do?" Blake asked.

"We Do What We Planned To." Scythle said. "Find A Payphone And Leave Ozpin An Anonymous Tip."

"We barely have anything to give, though." Weiss pointed out.

"Hey, It's Better Than Nothing." Scythle said as she turned to face the white-haired girl. "Or Would You Rather The Last Two Days Go To Waste?"

"She's right." Blake said. "We did this so we could deliver information to Ozpin. Let's just give them what we have and hope it's enough."

"You said it would be worth it."

"Huh?" The group all paused as they turned to face their leader. The red-haired girl stared down at the ground with her hood pulled over her head, masking her face from the group.

"You said this would do long-term good." Ruby said. "That the ends would justify it. Well, here we are at the end!" Ruby finally looked up at the group with a harsh scowled that was betrayed by the way her voice cracked and quivered. "And we got nothing! We did all that for nothing!"

"Ruby, calm down." Weiss said to her partner.

"Yeah, It's Not Like We Knew That Junior Didn't Know What We Knew He Should Have Known." Scythle said.

"That doesn't matter!" Ruby said before pointing back to the bar. "We just stole a painting from Glynda Goodwitch and Beacon, and then we gave it to a bunch of criminals practically free of charge! Don't you guys get it, we just became the bad guys!"

"Well, What Are We Supposed To Do Now?" Scythle asked. "March Back In There And Take It Back?"

"Well, why not?" Ruby asked.

"Because I Worked Hard To Get Back In With Him." Scythle stated.

"Oh, so it's about you now?"

"Oh, Come On, You Just Wanna Do This To Ease Your Conscious A Little." Scythle shot back, leaning towards her twin with a scowl.

"At least it's moral!"

"Alright, enough you two." Weiss said, stepping between the twins as she pushed them apart. "Let's just make the call and head back to Beacon. We can talk about the rest later."

"… Fine…" Ruby sighed as she looked back at the ground. "But we're not nearly done talking about this."


"Come On, Come On…" Scythle grumbled to herself as she sat in a phone booth surrounded by the rest of her team, listening to the line ring. "Pick Up Already."

After a moment, the purple-haired girl heard a click, and her eyes went wide as she finally got an answer. "This is Beacon Academy Pr. Goodwitch. How can I help you?"

"U-Um, Yes, Hello." Scythle said as she pinched her nose, doing her best impersonation of an old lady. "My Name Is… Maria… Caviar." Weiss and Yang both face palmed as the girl spoke into the phone, shaking their heads as Scythle continued. "I'm Feeling A Little… Concerned About Those White Fang Hoodlums And All Their Dust Robberies."

"We're very much aware of the White Fang's activities, Ms. Caviar." Goodwitch stated. "Rest assured, we are monitoring the situation to ensure it doesn't get too extreme."

"Well, Considering The Robot That Rampaged Through Town A Few Nights Ago, I Don't Think You're Doing Enough." Scythle said.

"… Who's to say those are related?" Goodwitch asked.

"Who's To Say They Aren't?" Scythle asked. "And All Those Dust Robberies, I've Heard They're Only Targeting Vale. Dust Is Getting Really Expensive, How's An Old Girl Like Me Supposed To Keep Her House Warm?"

"Yes, we are well aware of that, ma'am." Goodwitch responded. "Rest assured we will be taking steps to better handle the situation."

"And I've Also Heard They're Hiding Out In The Southeast." Scythle added. "Those Rapscallions Are Up To Something, I Just Know It, And You Need To Protect Us From It!"

"… Where did you hear that exactly?"

"Um-Uh-My Third Cousin Twice Removed!" Scythle blurted out, once again causing Team RWBYS to facepalm. "He Felt It In His Bones, And He's Never Wrong. Ask The Weather. Now, I Need To Go, There's A Game With Mahjongg With My Name On It! Bye!" With that, Scythle slammed the phone back onto the hook before letting out a sigh.

"'Maria Caviar?'" Weiss asked.

"Isn't the whole point of an anonymous tip to be anonymous?" Blake rhetorically asked.

"Hey, We Agreed To Let Me Make The Call." Scythle shot back. "And That's The Usual Fake Name I Use."

"And shouldn't you have given her something more reliable than a gut feeling?" Yang asked.

"The Hell Was I Supposed To Say?" Scythle asked. "'I Got It From A Meeting I, An Old Lady, Broke Into?'"

"Why did we let you do this?" Blake muttered as she placed her hand on her forehead.

"Hey, Don't Act Like You Guys Are The Ones Who Drew The Short End." Scythle snarled. "I Felt Like A Racist Saying That Stuff."

"I thought you didn't like the White Fang?" Blake pointed out.

"... Can We Silently Retcon Those Chapters? The Author Has Grown A Lot Since Then." Scythle questioned.

"Scythle, it's going to be a miracle if this doesn't get filed as a prank call." Weiss stated. "Let alone if they act upon it."

"Okay, You Know What," Scythle said before yanking the phone off the hook, holding it out to the group with a scowl. "If You Guys Think You Can Do So Much Better, Why Don't You Try Calling Her?"

"… Well, I guess we got the information delivered at least." Blake sighed. "We can try again if this doesn't work."

"And With That, This Side-Quest Comes To A Close." Scythle said before jumping out of the phone booth. "Now Then, Let's Head Home." As the purple-haired girl began leaving, she got tugged back by her cable. Scythle looked behind her to see Ruby silently step into the phone booth, slipping a few coins in before picking up the phone. "Uh, Sis, What Are You Doing?"

Ruby didn't answer as she pecked in the number before holding the device up to her ear, lightly tapping her finger as she waited for an answer. "This is Beacon Academy Pr. Goodwitch. How can I help you?"

"I would like to report a stolen painting." Ruby said before Scythle pushed into the phone booth, yanking the device out of her hand.

"Wrong Number!" Scythle yelled into it before slamming it back on the hook. "Ruby, What The Hell!?"

"We should tell her." Ruby said before picking the phone back up. "We should admit to our crime and accept the punishment. Maybe she'll go easier on us if we say we're sorry."

As Ruby pecked the number back in, Scythle pulled the hook down as she gave her sister a scowl. "Rubes, I've Had A Few Close Calls Up Till Now. If She Hears I Did This, That's It, I'm Done, Game Over."

"But sis…" Ruby began, placing a hand to her chest as she spoke. "This is just eating at me inside. I don't think I can live with myself if I let this slide."

"I… I agree with Ruby." Blake said, stepping behind the red-haired girl. "What we did was wrong and didn't help anyone but criminals, we should try and fix this."

"We do that, and we'll all get in trouble." Yang pointed out, standing behind Scythle. "This isn't like putting itching powder in Cardin's shaving cream or the door-bucket trick. We could get expelled for doing something like that."

"Then that's the price we pay." Blake stated. "But we can't just excuse what we've done."

Silence hung over the group, each one glancing between the other, waiting for what they'd have to say. After a moment, Scythle was the one who broke the silence. "Well, Two For, Two Against." She said, before looking at the white-haired girl standing outside the crowd. "You're The Deciding Vote, Weiss."

"… I…" Weiss said, before wrapping her hand around her chin, looking between the two sides nervously. "I think… I say… We don't tell them." Scythle let out a relieved sigh as Ruby and Blake stared at her with wide eyes. "I hate what we did, but… If this gets out, the Schnee will be absolutely ruined."

"It already is." Blake said.

"I-I'm team leader." Ruby pointed out. "My vote should be worth more."

"Well, It Ain't." Scythle stated as she exited the booth, pulling her sister out with her. "Now, Come On, Let's Head Home."

"Ruby, I'm sorry." Yang said, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder as the group took their leave. "I hate this too, but we'd ruin our future if we admit to this."

"… We already have…" Ruby muttered.

"Ruby's right." Blake said with a shake of her head. "We can't just undo what we've done."

As the group continued on their way, Scythle glanced back at her sister, noting how she continued to stare down at the sidewalk.


The next night, Junior looked down at his watch, grimacing to himself as he noted how late it was getting. The buyer was supposed to have arrived an hour ago, yet Junior and his four men stood by themselves in the back alley square their contact requested. The night air nipped at their necks, and thin clouds hid the stars above, leaving the dim light from the streets to illuminate them. "This guy always needs to be fashionably late, doesn't he?" Junior muttered to himself.

"But of course." A voice called out, and everyone looked down an alley to see their buyer emerge from the shadows. In the dim light, his black tux, cape, and suitcase blended into the shadows near perfectly. His white shirt and domino mask appeared grey as he approached them, using a black cane to tip his top hat to the group as he gave them a smirk. "Don't you know anything about style?"

"Hellebores." Junior greeted, dismissing the temptation to ask how long the man was hiding in the shadows.

"A pleasure to see you again as well." The man, Hellebores, responded as he gave the group a bow. "Have you brought my new painting?"

"Just got it yesterday." Junior said as he snapped his fingers. One of his men scampered up to the pair, opening a briefcase before pulling out the rolled-up painting. "Quite unusual for you to not steal a painting yourself."

"I'll tackle many challenges," Hellebores said before glancing to the side. "But Beacon isn't one of them." The goon unfurled the product to the darkly dressed man, who gave the image a smile. "Ah, definitely a L'orange Tangerine." He said.

The thief caught his cane under his armpit, reaching out to the painting before Junior grabbed his hand, giving the man a scowl. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Junior asked.

"Oh, right, my apologies." Hellebores said before lifting up his own suitcase, pulling his hand back to open it to the criminal. Cards of lien shined in whatever light they could catch and Junior eyed them up in anticipation before Hellebores clicked the case closed. "A pleasure to do business with you a-"

*Crash!*

The conversation froze as a loud crash rang out over the group, and everyone looked to one of the corners to see one of Junior's goons slammed into a dumpster. A large dent hung in the metal above his head, which bobbed back and forth in a daze.

"What was tha-" Hellebores began asking before another crash sounded. The group looked to the other end of the square to see a man falling on his back, with cracks in the wall next to him. Junior's eyes widened as he saw flower petals drifting through the air.

"Diefull." Junior grumbled. "Everyone, keep an eye out!" He called out, and his goons all readied their guns as Hellebores readied his cane, holding it up like a sword as they all began surveying the area. "Who had my bazooka?" Junior asked the group, clenching his fists as he kept glancing around him.

"Over here, sir!" One of the goons called out as they ran up to the dumpster. Before they could grab the weapon, though, a cloaked figure jumped in, slamming the criminal into the dumpster before jumping off of them. The remaining henchman opened fire on the figure as Hellebores thrust his cane forward, expelling a blue beam that struck the building behind the attacker, leaving a patch of ice along the wall.

The figure braced against another wall before jumping at the group, spinning through the air as a scythe blade cut through the oncoming bullets. Junior and Hellebores skidded back as the cloak slammed the back of her weapon into the shooter. Hellebores once again tried to fire a beam at the attacker, only for the cloak to spin again, blocking the beam with her scythe before lunging at the thief.

Junior swung at the cloak, managing to strike her in the face, throwing her back. The figure slid along the concrete before darting towards them in a blur. Hellebores attempted to fire another beam as Junior ran in, only for the shot of Dust to meat the steel of the attacker's weapon. Ducking into a slide, the figure spun her weapon around, catching Junior's ankle with the hooks on the back of it. As Junior found himself facing the ground, the figure jumped to her feet, firing a shot from her weapon to increase its momentum as she brought it into the back of Hellebore's head. The two criminals collided with the concrete with the same sickening crunch.

Junior attempted to pull himself up before he got pushed back into the ground by a black boot. He tried to glance up at his attacker, only able to make out her silhouette in the dim light. "You backstabbing little-" Junior grumbled before the cloak's weapon slammed his head back into the ground, knocking him out.

With everyone out cold, the figure approached one of the discarded briefcases, opening it to find the rolled-up painting waiting for her. Pulling out the product, the figure looked back around the group of criminals before darting over to one of the henchmen, pulling out their Scroll before tapping at the screen.

Before the figure could call the police, a bullet struck the wall beside her, causing her to jump before she turned to face the recovering goon, holding a gun at her as he climbed to his feet. "You little…" The henchman growled through his throbbing head. The figure held up her hands, causing the painting to rustle as the henchman prepared to fire again, only for the figure to dart into the alleyway. Bullets ran out of the criminal's gun in chase of her, but none of them found their target before the cloak was gone.


Goodwitch leaned back in the security office chair, fighting off sleep as she watched the glowing monitors. Her eyes darted from one to the other before she finally found something to focus on. A cloaked figure, silhouetted in the moonlight, clicked the faculty building's window open before slipping inside. Normally, the professor would find herself frustrated. Instead, she smirked as she watched the figure race down the staircase, making a b-line for the first floor's janitor's office.

"Seems a thief really does return to the scene of the crime." Goodwitch said to herself as she watched the figure race towards her office before the teacher got up out of her chair.


Entering the empty office, the cloaked figure kicked the door closed behind her before racing to the other end of the room, jumping over the desk to reach the fake painting. As she pulled the frame off of the wall, the lights came on around her, causing her heart to freeze as she heard a familiar, stern voice. "Should have figured it was about that-" Goodwitch began as the figure turned to face her, causing her purple-cloak to fall back. Goodwitch's eyes widened upon seeing the red-haired girl's face. "Ruby!?"

"U-um-" Ruby stuttered, looking between the blonde teacher and the painting in her hands. "I can explain-"

"Are you… Stealing the Forest Sanctuary?"

"No, I'm returning it!" Ruby blurted out before biting her lips. "Ah-actually, that sounds worse-let me try again-"

"What-… Ruby…" Goodwitch sighed before giving the student a stern stare. "Does this involve your twin?"


The light from her Scroll stung Blake's eyes no matter how dim she set the screen. In spite of slight pain, she scanned and skimmed over each article she could find, desperate for more information. Her ears twitched under her bow before the door creaked open, pulling her away from the screen as she rolled over to face the returning team leader.

"So how'd it-" Blake began whispering, before seeing Goodwitch following Ruby inside. The team leader hung her head low, and Blake felt her throat tie itself into knots as Goodwitch stood in their room. All of the teacher's frustration became directed towards the sleeping purple-haired girl as Ruby crept up to her hammock.

"Uh, sis…" Ruby said gently, shaking her twin in an attempt to stir the girl awake. "We have a real proble-"

*Bang!*

Everyone in the room jumped, awake in the case for most of the team, before everyone turned their attention to Pr. Goodwitch, holding a smoking riding crop. Scythle cluttered to the floor, looking up nervously at her teacher as she tried to pick herself up.

"Why Hello, Pr. Good-Bitc-I Mean Goodwitch." Scythle stuttered out as she sat up under her blanket. Everyone in the room felt the same sense of panic when they saw the blonde teacher standing in the center of the room. "To What Do We Owe The-"

Before Scythle could finish, Goodwitch pulled out a roll of papers taped together, unfurling it to reveal the fake Forest Sanctuary painting the girls had made. Scythle's words got caught in her throat as she looked at the image before the teacher pulled off one of the sections.

"This was hanging in my office in place of the real painting," Goodwitch stated, scowling down at the former criminal as she continued. "Which I found in Ms. Rose's possession when she broke into my office to return it."

"Ruby Was Doing What?" Scythle asked, scooting away from the teacher before bumping into the wall.

"Care to explain what you were actually doing a few nights ago, Ms. Diefull?" Goodwitch glared, and Scythle could feel her heart pounding against her chest. Blake, meanwhile, winced as she silently watched the display. She averted her eyes, staring back down at the article on her Scroll, detailing reports of a rogue Paladin mech.

"O-Oh, Well, You See, Funny Story There." Scythle began, her eyes darting around the room, refusing to look at the professor as she tried to think up a lie. Yang and Weiss shared a nervous look, realizing where the display was heading. "I-I Was-It's That-You See-"

"She was being blackmailed."

"Huh?" Everyone asked as they all turned to look at the black-haired girl.

"A crime lord found out about Scythle's situation here and decided to take advantage of it." Blake said hesitantly. "They said that if she didn't do as they told her, they would make sure Scythle got the death sentence."

"… And you know about this how?" Goodwitch asked, giving the student an inquisitive stare.

"Because…" Blake began, glancing away from the teacher before turning back to her. "She confessed everything to us yesterday."

"Ye-Yeah, That's Right." Scythle nodded, and as Goodwitch looked back towards her, Scythle curled up under her blanket, looking away as she continued. "I Just Felt So Awful About What I Did. I Know I Should Have Gone To You, But I Was So Scared Of What These People Would Do."

"Really?" Goodwitch asked, cocking an eyebrow at the purple-haired girl. "And what could these people possibly have on you, and what would make you so afraid of them?"

"… Have You Heard The Reports About That Giant Robot That Went Rampaging Down A Highway?" Scythle asked, earning a nod from the teacher. "I… I Might Have Had Something To Do With That."

"What?"

"I Didn't Know That Was What It Was Going To Be Used For!" Scythle claimed. "If I Did, I Wouldn't Have Helped Them Get It. I've Done A Lot Of Horrible Things, But Helping Terrorists Isn't Something I'm Proud Of."

"You helped terrorists steal prototype Atlas weaponry!?" Goodwitch asked. "Do you have any idea what-" Scythle flinched as the teacher yelled, fearful that she had just dug herself deeper before the blonde stopped, eyes widening at the former criminal. "That call yesterday, 'Maria Caviar,' that was you, wasn't it?"

"… I Wanted To Make Up For What I Did." Scythle lied. "But I Couldn't Leave Beacon Without An Escort, So… When These Guys Heard The Call, I Had To Confess Everything… I Guess Ruby Decided To Make It All Right."

"… Yeah…" Ruby lied, finding it difficult to look at the teacher as she continued. "I… Stole the painting back. Made sure they got the message loud and clear… Don't hurt my sister…"

"… This…" Goodwitch began before sighing. "This is a lot to take in all at once… We can talk about this more tomorrow after class." With that, Goodwitch turned to the door. "Goodnight, girls."

"Night, G." Scythle said quietly as Goodwitch left.

As the click of her heels grew distant, Ruby let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding, and Scythle sighed in relief before glancing over to Blake. "Quick Thinking, Blake. Didn't Know You Had It In Ya."

"Neither did I, honestly." Blake sighed as she fell back into her bed.

"Why'd Ya Do It, Though?" Scythle asked as she climbed back into her own bed. "Why'd Ya Cover For Me? I Thought You Agreed With Ruby."

"I… I might not like what we did or how content you were about it," Blake began, staring up at the bottom of Yang's bed before finally looking over at Scythle. "But I was the one who encouraged it. It didn't feel right letting you take the fall for my plan."

"Well, Thanks, Blake." Scythle said before rolling over, pulling her blanket back over her as she and the rest of her team drifted back to sleep.


When I was proofreading the last chapter, I realized I never established that Scythle got the other Scroll back. I considered adding a line saying she did before realizing it could make for a more interesting story if she didn't. It gives a bit of consequence to a character flaw of hers. She and the rest of team RWBYS came up with a somewhat good plan to get the painting, and it probably would have worked better if they took their time. But Scythle was impatient and wreckless, insisting they do it that night rather than better prepare. This chapter also shows one of Scythle's strengths; she is good at lying. If given a story to run with, she can make it work.

For anyone wondering, Hellebores is vaguely based on Arsene Lupin, the famous Gentleman Theif from the book series of the same name. He's only really there because I needed someone for Junior to meet with for Ruby to get the painting back. On that note, I wrote that section in a way that it would be vague if it was Ruby or Scythle, completely forgetting that Scythle can't leave Beacon without an escort. I legitimately didn't remember that detail until proofreading this chapter for a second time. On the plus side, it can help foreshadow the reveal I guess.

Speaking of the final proof-read, I also made some slight modifications to the final scene during that to better mesh with where Blake's story's going.

With that said, this officially wraps up the first real ark of Volume 2. Before we get into the next one, however, I'd like to dedicate some time to the week or so time jump. With that said, I hope you all enjoyed it, and I'll see you in the next update.