"It Has Occurred To Me Recently That We Where Looking At This From The Entirely Wrong Perspective Last Chapter." Scythle said as she stood in front of the reassembled evidence board, now covered in boot marks and wrinkles.
"Oh really?" Weiss snarked. "You mean to tell me someone not saying, 'bless you,' when you sneeze doesn't make them a murderous criminal?"
"I Have Been Too Focused On Trying To Prove Mercury's Involvement." Scythle explained as she turned to the board, before pinning a new picture to it and tying strings between it, the White Fang emblem, and Mercury. "When, In Fact, I Should Have Been Trying To Prove Mercury Had Motive To Be Involved. Ilia Being A Former White Fang Member Is Insufficient, But What If She Wasn't?"
"What are you ta-" Blake asked before Scythle stepped out of the way. "No, you're not seriously implying-"
"Ilia Is Still Loyal To The White Fang." Scythle stated. "It's The Only Way We Can Properly Explain Why Mercury Would Choose To Help Them."
"She told me she left them." Blake argued.
"And I Told Ruby My Name Was Violet When I First Came Here." Amethyst rebutted. "Lies Are A Criminal's Most Common Tool."
"So let me guess," Yang began. "After class, we're going to be stalking Ilia next?"
"Right You Are." Scythle said before pointing to the picture. "What We Need Is Proof That Ilia Is Still Associated With The White Fang. If We Get Her Scroll, We Should Be Able To Check Her Contact History And Have Blake Verify The Names."
"And now you're suggesting theft?" Blake asked.
"Do You Want To Stop Them Or Not?" Scythle asked. Blake's only response was silence. "Exactly. We Begin Our Little Mission After Class Today. We Find Her, I Swipe Her Scroll, Copy The Contacts, And Give It Back. She'll Never Notice It Was Gone."
"By the way, Weiss and Scythle," Pr. Peach called over the group of students getting up to leave. "Pr. Goodwitch told me to send you both to the arena after class."
"What?" Scythle and Weiss both asked.
"Did she happen to explain why?" Weiss asked.
"Not really." Peach shrugged. "Just said she wanted to talk to you two."
Team RWBYS traded a confused and worried look as they left the classroom. "Well, so much for tailing Ilia." Ruby muttered.
"We Can Still Do Our Investigation." Scythle said. "Or At Least You Girls Can. Just Follow Her Around Beacon And Note Anything Suspicious. Me And Weiss Will Join You As Soon As We Can."
"Okay." Ruby nodded before she, Yang, and Blake parted for the other two members of the team.
"… So, Getting Called Out By Pr. Goodwitch?" Scythle asked the white-haired girl as they turned down the hall.
"Shut up, Diefull." Weiss snarled. "This is probably your fault."
"Yo, Pr. G!" Scythle called out as she and Weiss entered the training room, seeing the teacher standing between the holographic banners. "You Wanted To Chat Ta Us?"
"Ms. Diefull, Ms. Schnee," Goodwitch greeted as she looked up from her Scroll. "I wanted to discuss your recent performance in my class."
"Look, Pr. Goodwitch," Weiss began gesturing to the former criminal. "I know me and my team were put in charge of Scythle's reform, but I'm busy enough with my own studies, and with three other team members, I can't help but feel that it's a bit unfair to single me out when-"
"This isn't about Scythle." Goodwitch interrupted, turning her Scroll around to show a chart detailing the purple-haired girl's performance. "In fact, she's actually been performing incredibly well in my class."
"… Oh…" Weiss deflated. "Then why did you call us here?"
"It's about you, Ms. Schnee." Goodwitch said as she flipped her Scroll around. "Ever since you enrolled in this academy, you're single combat performance has… Well, take a look for yourself."
Goodwitch flipped the Scroll around to show the two students the screen, and Weiss's eyes widened as she saw her graph curving downwards. "As you can see, you currently possess one of the lowest win-loss ratios of your year, winning only eight out of twenty single-party battles. Your combative abilities have also shown a lack of improvement. I am aware that not everyone progresses at the same rate, but your results show-"
"This must be a mistake." Weiss abruptly said. "I-my performance can't possibly be this low!"
"I assure you, Ms. Schnee, these results are accurate." Goodwitch said. "If your performance keeps to its current course, it would come closer to stagnation."
"Wow, Looks Like Weiss Is The Token Bad-Student Of Team RWBYS." Scythle joked.
"Naturally, I assume this is something that neither of us want." The professor said as she turned her Scroll back around. "So I have decided to assign you a combat tutor who can give you more personalized training and help you find techniques that better suit your form of combat."
"… Thank you, Pr. Goodwitch." Weiss nodded. "When do I meet them?"
"You already have." Goodwitch stated. "They're standing right next to you."
With wide eyes, Weiss looked to the girl beside her, confirming that Scythle hadn't been replaced before she turned back to the teacher. "You can't be serious."
"As I said earlier, Ms. Diefull is one of my best students." Goodwitch stated, almost appearing to snarl as the words left her throat. "And Ozpin and I both believe that this responsibility will be good for her development."
"I Dunno." Scythle sighed. "I'm Not Really The Teaching Type, And Let's Be Honest, It's Gonna Hamper My Image If I Become Weiss's-"
"If you accept the offer we'll release you of one punishment of your choice." Goodwitch interrupted.
"Have Fun Scrubbing Toilets!" Scythle declared before wrapping her arm around Weiss's shoulder. "Say 'Ello To Ya New Teacher, Weissy!"
"Pr. Goodwitch," Weiss began moping. "You can't be serious."
"I'm just as surprised by this turn of events as you are." Goodwitch said as she turned to leave. "I expect to see improvement in the next two weeks."
Weiss watched as the blonde teacher left before glancing to her new tutor, who gave her a grin before the white-haired girl let out a sigh. "Well, this is just fabulous." Weiss groaned as she squirmed out of Scythle's arm. "Come on, Diefull, let's go rejoin the others."
"What Are You Talking About, Young Lady." Scythle began, grabbing Weiss by the back of her jacket before spinning her around. "You Saw Your Grades. We Need To Get Started On Your New Circular."
"I think you mean curriculum." Weiss corrected.
"Geez, where are those two?" Ruby asked as she sent another text to her twin.
"I think you'll need to give it a rest, Ruby." Blake said as she glanced out to the courtyard, watching as Ilia followed the stone path alone. "Who knows when Goodwitch will let them out."
"We'll just need to do this without them." Yang shrugged.
"Scythle said she'd steal Ilia's Scroll." Blake said. "And I don't think I'd be able to get it from her."
"Guess I'll have to handle it then." Ruby shrugged before she turned her attention to the target.
"Do you know how to pickpockets?"
"No, but with my Semblance, I'm the best choice." Ruby said. "Do you know where she usually keeps her Scroll?"
"Not really." Blake shrugged.
"Hang on, I think I see it in her back pocket." Yang said, pulling out her Scroll to zoom in.
"Alright, wish me luck then." Ruby sighed, shaking her head as she took in a deep breath.
Gathering her courage, Ruby shot out of the building, kicking up a breeze full of rose petals as she rushed towards the brunette. Keeping her eyes on the black edges of Ilia's pockets, Ruby stretched out a hand, ready to plunge her fingers in to snatch the Scroll out.
As she ran, Ruby kicked the heel of her foot.
Her eyes widened as she skidded to a stop next to Ilia, who let out a yelp as the rose petals flew by the two. The two stood straight and ridged, sharing an awkward glance as they stood there silently, cheeks slowly turning pink.
"… Ruby Rose, was it?" Ilia asked.
"Uh, y-yeah, that's me…" Ruby said, almost as if confessing as she glanced away from the girl. "Nice to meet you… Again…"
"Are you grabbing my butt?" Ilia asked.
"It would seem so." Ruby almost laughed.
"… Are you going to let go?"
"Right, sure, sorry." Ruby blurted out as she finally pulled her hand back. "It was an accident, I swear."
As Ruby stepped away from the girl, Ilia continued down the path, faster than her previous stride as she glanced back at the girl. "Does it run in the family or something?" Ilia asked herself.
Once she was gone, Ruby collapsed back into a bench, hanging her head over it as she let out a groan. She placed her hands to her head, hiding her red face before she heard footsteps approaching. "She probably thinks I'm as bad as Amethyst now." Ruby sighed before she glanced at her older sister and Blake.
"Did you get it at least?" Blake asked.
"I doubt it," Yang said. "She went for the wrong pocket."
"Alright, First Things First:" Scythle said as she fiddled with her Scroll, glancing up to see the banners display her and Weiss's Aura levels. "I Need To Know Exactly What I'm Dealing With. Let's Have A Quick Sparing Session And See If We Can Find The Problem."
"Scythle, have you forgotten what you were talking about this morning?" Weiss asked. "Don't we need to figure out if Ilia is still with the White Fang?"
"We Can Do That Later." Scythle shrugged before she pulled out her staff. "Besides, We're Already Here. Let's Just Get A Match In While We Have The Chance."
"Honestly, Scythle," Weiss groaned as she turned to leave. "We have more important things to do."
"I Already Activated The Forcefield." Scythle announced, causing Weiss to pause before she glanced back at the girl.
"… What are we fighting to?" Weiss sighed as she pulled out her rapier.
"First One To Fifty-Percent Loses." Scythle said. "Sound Fair?"
"Alright then." Weiss said as she leveled her weapon at the girl. "But after this, we rejoin the others."
"Of Course." Scythle said, twirling her staff before leaning forward.
In a blur of purple petals, Scythle shot forward, and Weiss immediately thrust her weapon towards her. Blue Dust leaped out of the blade, and Scythle darted around each blast, allowing them to create spikes of ice behind her before she darted past Weiss. Coming to a stop, Scythle spun around, swinging her staff like a bat with as much force as she could. Weiss was thrown into the ice, breaking through it before she slid to a stop at the other side.
Picking herself up, Weiss spun her weapon's chamber before her blade was consumed in flames. She swung her weapon in the direction of her opponent, only to realize Scythle had already left. Weiss glanced around before seeing Scythle charging at her again and brought up her sword to block another strike. Flames leaped back at her as their weapons collided, before dying as Weiss spun the chamber again. In a burst of green wind, Scythle was thrown back before she skidded to a halt, changing the grip on her weapon before she thrust it forward like a sword.
Weiss created a glyph between them, catching the weapon before Scythle leaped around it, disconnecting the lower half of her staff. The purple-haired girl managed to strike Weiss's collar before she landed behind her. Weiss spun around to face her, and the two thrust their weapons into the other's, letting sparks jump off of them before Scythle jumped back, firing a shot from her Scythleg into Weiss's chest.
The two were thrown away from each other, and as Scythle landed, she flicked her wrist to pull out her pistol. As Weiss caught her footing, she changed Dusts again, switching to yellow before seeing Scythle charging at her again. The purple-haired girl fired her pistol, and Weiss swung her sword, casting lighting that blocked each shot before Scythle threw the weapon at the girl. As the lightning blocked it, Scythle's baton flew at Weiss, striking her in the face and causing her to stumble back.
Catching her pistol, Scythle shifted the weapon into knife form before slashing at the girl, causing Weiss to stumble again before she thrust her electrified weapon at her. Sidestepping the attack, Scythle rushed past Weiss before grabbing her hair, pulling the girl as she ran. As Weiss fell back, Scythle turned around again and jabbed her knife into Weiss's chest.
Weiss cast another glyph at Scythle's feet before launching the girl into the ceiling. As she fell back down, Weiss got up and charged her weapon, preparing to slice at Scythle before the girl's knife struck the blade. With a zap, the weapon was knocked out of Weiss's hand, and as Scythle came back down, she unfolded her Scythleg, hooking it around Weiss's neck and slamming the girl into the ground.
A loud horn went off, and Weiss's eyes widened as she looked up at the banner to see Scythle had just won.
"I… Barely got a hit in?" Weiss asked as she looked between her and Scythle's Aura levels.
"Okay, That Was…" Scythle said as she got up, placing her hands together as she muttered to herself. "Let's See, What Did We Learn? What Did We Learn?"
"Oh, whatever." Weiss groaned as she got up. "Come on, Scythle, let's get going now."
"Hang On, Weiss," Scythle said, causing Weiss to groan as Scythle tapped her chin. "I'm Trying To Figure This Out."
"Hang on, you're sure it was Ruby grabbing your butt?" Emerald asked the girl sitting next to her. "Cause that sounds like a very Amy thing to do."
"She was right next to me." Ilia replied. "I'm pretty sure I know the difference between red and purple."
"Oh hey," A voice caught the pair's attention, and Ilia and Emerald looked up to see Yang and Blake. "It's Ilia and Emerald." Yang said rather loudly before placing a hand on the bench's armrest. "Mind if we sit here?"
"Um, sure?" Emerald said before the blonde and ravine-haired girls sat down beside the two.
"Great," Yang said before she leaned against the green-haired girl. "I wanted to get the chance to know my new teammate's girlfriend."
"And we haven't had the chance to properly catch up with each other, Ilia." Blake said. "How have things been?"
"Ruby sexually assaulted me earlier." Ilia stated in a blunt, quick tone.
"My sister?" Yang asked. "Pft, Nah. She'd never. She probably just bumped into you on her morning jog."
"It was 4:15 in the afternoon." Ilia noted.
"… She missed the chance to do it in the morning, alright?" Yang lied.
"Trust us, Ruby would never do something like that." Blake said. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw her texting you about a hundred apology messages."
"Texting me?" Ilia asked as she pulled out her Scroll. "I haven't seen anything from her."
"… You know, you're right." Blake said as Ilia unlocked her Scroll, placing a hand over hers before moving the device down to her lap. "She doesn't even have your number. That was probably something else. She's probably really sorry about it, though."
"Yeah, trust us." Yang began. "When Ruby was a kid, she used to cry when she swatted mosquitos."
As the conversation went on, a breeze of rose petals swept over Ilia's thigh. The Scroll disappeared from sight before Ruby leaned against the back of the bench, letting out a light sigh as she looked at the unlocked screen.
'Contact info, contact info!' Ruby thought as she began sifting through menus. Finally finding a list of recent contacts, Ruby pulled out her own Scroll and snapped pictures of the screen. Once done, the girl laid on the ground, looking between the legs dangling off the bench before seeing an opening. Darting forward, Ruby placed the Scroll back on Ilia's thigh and returned to her hiding position.
Leaning against the bench again, Ruby let out a sigh before she pumped her fist. Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, Ruby sprung up and tapped her older sister's shoulder before racing away from the bench.
"Oh, Blake, I just remembered," Yang began lying. "We still have that… Project we need to work on."
"Oh right," Blake lied. "For… That one teacher. We'll need to catch up later, Ilia."
"Um, okay…" Ilia said as Yang and Blake got up.
"See you two around." Yang waved as she and her partner headed down the cobblestone path.
As the two left, Ruby darted up next to them. "See, I told you I could get 'em." Ruby said as she pulled out her Scroll. "Who needs Amethyst."
Scrolling through the pictures, Ruby's smirk faltered as she, her sister, and her teammate all looked at the blurry images of the calls Ilia had made. Every last letter was illegible, the trio even had trouble telling what they were looking at.
"… Couldn't have held it still, could you?" Blake asked.
"I was stressed, okay?" Ruby asked. "It felt like a game of hide and seek when you have a really good spot."
"Care to explain why you dragged me to the firing range?" Weiss asked as she and Scythle walked down an aisle of stalls.
"I Noticed Something When I Was Reviewing The Footage Of Our Fight." Scythle answered before the two stopped at a stand. The purple-haired girl gestured to the target some distance away from them. "Pull Out Your Rapier And Shot At That Target."
Weiss scowled at the girl before she lifted her left hand, dragging Scythle's right with her by the handcuffs connecting them before Scythle's eyes lit up. "Oh, Right." With a click, Scythle removed the shackles from the girl. "Though I Wouldn't Have Needed To Do That If You Didn't Try To Run Off On Me."
"Honestly." Weiss groaned as she reached for her weapon.
"And Tell Me What's Going Through Your Head As You Do It." Scythle requested, causing Weiss to roll her eyes.
Weiss let out another sigh before she began preparing her stance. "Head up, shoulders back." Weiss recited as she spun her weapon's chamber. "Left foot forward… Not that forward." Adjusting her foot back, Weiss glanced at her weapon before locking Fire Dust in place. "Ready your weapon and-"
*BANG!*
Weiss jumped as she threw her weapon forward, almost losing her grip on the blade as a wave of flames leaped out of it. The fires flew over the target, and seeing she missed, Weiss scowled at the purple-haired girl as Scythle held a pistol up in the air.
"I Think I Just Found Your Problem." Scythle said.
"That my teacher is a trigger-happy psychopath?!" Weiss yelled.
"You're Too Ridged."
"What?" Weiss asked.
"You're Too Ridged." Scythle repeated before snatching the weapon from Weiss's hands. "You Did The Same Thing At The Start Of Our Fight. You Spend Too Much Time Thinking About How To Fight Instead Of Just… Well, Fighting."
"I… Don't follow." Weiss said.
"Well Then… Let's Try Something Your More Familiar With." Scythle said as she looked down at the chambers of Dust. "Imagine There Are Two People Singing Songs. One Of Them Just Graduated From A Music School, And You Can See Them Reading The Notes And Counting The Beat In Their Head. The Other Has Been Singing For Years And Is… You Know… Just Singing. The Difference Is One Of Them Is Putting A Lot Of Thought Into It Before They Do Anything,"
Scythle ran down the aisle, thrusting the weapon at each target, letting lightning leap out of the blade, striking the center of each cutout before she came to a stop and looked back at Weiss.
"And The Other Is Just Doing It." Scythle said.
"That… Sounds completely idiotic." Weiss said with a slight scowl.
"Do You Know What I Was Thinking When We Were Fighting?" Scythle asked as she handed the weapon back to Weiss. "Nothing. I Was Just Doing It. That's Your Problem. You're Not In The Moment."
Weiss looked down at her weapon, silently contemplating the girl's words before Scythle continued. "The Next Time We Spar, Forget All The Fancy Footwork And Form Stuff Those Snobs Taught You. Just Do."
"… I guess it wouldn't hurt to try." Weiss shrugged.
"Great." Scythle said before gesturing to the girl to follow. "So, You Ready For Round Two?"
"Scythle, for the last time," Weiss began yelling. "We were supposed to be investigating Ilia today!"
"… Oh, Right!" Scythle said before smacking her forehead. "I Got So Caught Up In This I Completely Forgot!"
"I've been saying that for the past-" Weiss began before Scythle grabbed her arm.
"Come On, We're Burning Daylight." Scythle said as she pulled the white-haired girl to the exit.
"… Hang on." Weiss said, dragging the girl to a stop. "You're still in charge of cleaning the combat arena, and we left without cleaning it."
Silence hung over the two as Weiss and Scythle reflected on their battle, remembering all the scorch marks and ice they left scattered across the arena.
"Crap." Scythle muttered.
Ilia stepped out of the communication tower before pausing. She glanced around herself, trying to find any faces in the crowd around her before she let out a sigh. "Feels like I'm being watched." Ilia said to herself as she continued on her way.
As she passed a bush, the cardboard branches and leaves rose up. Yang smirked to herself as she watched the girl leave. "Oh, she's done it now." Yang said before looking to the tower. "The Continental Communication Tower should have a record of all calls coming and going. If she tried to contact anyone in the White Fang, we'll know."
"And how exactly do you propose we check those?" Blake asked as she and Ruby poked their heads out of the fake bush.
"Do you have her phone number?" Yang asked her partner.
"Guys, I think I'm sitting on a branch." Ruby complained.
Getting out of the fake bush, Yang walked into the tower, heading straight towards the desk as the holographic assistant appeared. "Hello there, how may I help you?" The computerized voice asked.
"Hi, my name is Yang Xiao Long." Yang said. "I think someone has been using my Scroll number to make fake calls from here. I would like to check the history of my number."
"Proceed to level three for further assistance." The hologram said, gesturing to the elevator. "Please be aware that the Vale Continental Communication Tower can only hold records of calls made from Vale. If you believe your Scroll Number is being used by individuals in other Kingdoms, please contact the help center." Yang nodded to the image before heading off.
Once on the third floor, Yang headed into a private cubical, sitting down at the computer before pulling out her Scroll. Looking at the note Blake had given her, Yang mouthed the number as she put it in, running a search on all the calls that number had made.
"Okay, let's see…" Yang muttered to herself. "Emerald, Emerald, Mercury, Emerald… What the…?"
Yang leaned forward, painting her face with the glow of the screen as she scanned the information again. Once she confirmed what she read, the blonde got out of her chair and left.
Exiting the tower, Yan was immediately greeted by Blake and Ruby, who crowded around the girl. "Well?" Ruby asked. "What did you find?"
"Nothing." Yang sighed. "According to the system, the only people she ever called were Emerald and Mercury. It can only cover calls from Vale, but I don't think we'll be able to get the people running this thing to help us with it."
"And we probably wouldn't find anything since the White Fang has only been acting up in Vale..." Blake groaned. "Great."
"Wait a minute, she only called her teammates?" Ruby asked, earning a nod from her older sister. "Then who was she calling earlier?"
Yang and Blake shared a wide-eyed look before turning back to their leader. "You're right, that is strange." Blake said, wrapping a hand around her chin. "But it doesn't exactly prove anything. She could have just been doing research."
"Yeah, I guess your right." Ruby muttered.
The three stood in silence for a moment before they all let out a long sigh. "Come on, let's head back to our room." Ruby shrugged.
"Sorry We Took So Long." Scythle announced as she and Weiss stepped into their dorm room to see the rest of their team sitting around it. "I Became Weiss's Tutor And She Insisted We Get Some Training In First-"
"That second half is a lie." Weiss stated.
"But We're Ready To Investigate Now!" Scythle said. "So, Where's Ilia?"
"We already checked her out." Yang sighed. "Couldn't find anything."
"According to CCT records, she never contacted anyone outside of her team." Blake explained as she glanced up from her Scroll.
"Seriously?" Scythle asked, earning a nod from the rest of the group. "Ugh…" Walking over to the board, Scythle scowled at the web before yanking it off again. "I Officially Declare This Case Unsolvable Again!" Scythle yelled as she began stomping on the notes.
Another chance to explore team RWBYS's investigative abilities and Scythle's intellect. Weiss has a bit of a reputation of being the weakest member of the team, if someone is going to lose, it's most likely her. I'm pretty sure Blake had a similar reputation, but that's since been removed from the TV Tropes page, and looking at their list of fights, Blake hasn't really lost any. She's had moments of weakness, sure, but nothing like Weiss's.
I was actually kind of stuck as to what Scythle should say Weiss's problem is until I reflected on Volume 1, where she takes her time going over the stance she needs. I'm not sure if it reflects in my story up to this point, but that can be used to say Weiss is, as Scythle put it, ridged.
This chapter also presents team RWBYS as a bit smarter than the last one, trying to find a more clear connection between their suspect and the White Fang.
