Greetings one and all! Welcome to the much anticipated and sought-after continuation! I have to say I'm a little surprised how well this story has been doing so far, but I'm happy either way. As always if you're enjoying this story make sure to check out my other ones and check out TheBurningRuler and Nightmare 6-4 as well. I know timetable between chapters hasn't been very consistent and for that I apologize.
RaxtusDragon: I really appreciate the review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far. Never expected to hear my characters getting shipped.
When I woke up Hailey was already gone as was Yang.
"Umm where are Hailey and Yang?" I asked.
"She took her back to her dorm to drop her stuff off. We had to go into town today anyway, so we invited her along." Ruby said.
"Was it really a good idea to let her go alone?" I asked.
"Ren went with them." Blake said.
"We just figured having Yang go would be a good intimidation factor to not mess with her. Knowing she's friends with her and Nora should hopefully reduce the abuse she's been getting." Weiss said.
"As long as she doesn't do anything reckless. I don't suppose I could get a cup of coffee before I head back?" I asked.
"That's actually one of the reasons we were heading into town. We're out." Ruby said.
"Well fuck. I was hoping to get a cup before I had to go back and deal with general Archer. I don't suppose you'd know if team JNPR would have any?" I asked.
"They don't dare keep coffee in the dorm. Not after the last time…" Blake said.
"Last time?" I asked.
"Nora had one sip…" Ruby said.
"Let's just say if this would have happened after what we heard Cardin has been doing. More than just his legs would be broken." Blake said.
"Good to know. Well if you girls don't mind, I wouldn't mind coming along with everyone." I said.
"Doesn't bother me." Blake said.
"I don't care." Weiss said.
"Sure. Oh, on your way back to our dorm grab one of your gloves. I can look it over and we can get materials to improve them while we're in town." Ruby said.
"Sounds good. Well wish me luck." I said heading out the door.
I headed back to my dorm hoping I could get to the kitchen before Archer found me. That didn't happen. When I walked in the door Ariana was lying on her bed doing something on her scroll. Proton looked to be tinkering with his explosives. Just as I closed the door Archer came out of the bathroom.
"It's about time you came back. You were not given proper permission to stay in another team's dorm. Next time I…" Was all I heard him say. I tried to ignore his tirade and just go to the kitchen. I was just about to open the door when he stepped in front of me.
"Have you been listening to a word I've said?" Archer said.
"Nope. And I suggest you get out of my way. It won't end well if you don't." I said.
"You really think you're in a position to threa…" was all he was able to get out. I quickly raised my hand and gripped his throat slamming him against the door.
"Woah. Hang on Cian." Ariana said.
"Fuck no, let him go I've been waiting for this to happen." Proton said.
"You are not my mother." I said in a monotone. "I am old enough to make my own fucking decisions as are the rest of us. You need to stop treating the three of us like were god damn toddlers or it's going to end badly for you. I didn't come back last night because I knew you were going to throw a fit and I didn't wanna deal with it. Not only that I got busy helping a friend and they offered to let me spend the night." I tossed him to the ground beside me. I entered the kitchen and slammed the door behind me. I walked over and started making a pot of coffee. I could hear them talking on the other side of the door.
"Holy shit. That was awesome. Didn't think the kid could actually be threatening." Proton said.
"I think you mean insubordinate." Archer said. I almost walked back into the living room when he said that.
"Oh, will you drop it. Cian's right. You've been insufferable since day one. You've done nothing but treat us like fucking three-year olds." Ariana said.
"No kidding. I just never thought He'd be the first one to snap." Proton said.
"It's my job as leader…" Archer started to say.
"To be an inconsiderate asshole that doesn't care about how his teammates feel? To drive his teammates away by being a prick?" Ariana said.
"Read the room dude. You've been a dick to us for a while now. It's a miracle that we haven't told you to fuck off and quit. This bullshit certainly isn't worth it." Proton said.
'Has Proton been thinking about quitting the team? Maybe he's been thinking about transferring to another academy?' I thought.
"That's enough both of you!" Archer yelled.
"Why? Because you're on the loosing side? Fuck you dude. I don't need this shit." Proton said.
I turned and walked out of the kitchen. "Hang on. Before you do something stupid. I have an idea that might solve some of our issues."
The three of them looked at each other before looking back to me. "What do you have in mind?" Archer asked.
"It's a longshot, but I have a friend that's having issues with her teammates also. If we can get Ozpin's approval, we might be able to make a trade between the two teams." I said.
"I appreciate you trying to help kid, but this gig is getting old anyway." Proton said.
"Hang on. I think he may be on to something. It's at least worth talking to Oz about it first and see if it's possible." Ariana said.
The room was silent for a bit.
"Alright fine. I'll humor you. If Ozpin says we can trade, I'll stay. If not I'm out of here." Proton said.
"Very well. Cian since this was your idea you can set up the meeting to talk with him." Archer said.
"Alright I have other stuff to do today also, but I'll let him know." I said.
"In the meantime, maybe everyone just keeps to themselves until we have our answer." Ariana said.
"Can we all at least agree to that for now?" I asked.
We all agreed, and Archer left the room. Proton went back to his explosives. Ariana followed me into the kitchen.
"So, can I assume you've had a cup now?" Ariana asked.
"Yeah I'm good. Wish it wouldn't have came to that." I said.
"Don't worry about it. He's needed to hear that for a while now." Ariana said.
"Can't argue with that. Hopefully Ozpin will let us trade. I don't wanna see Proton give up just because Archer's a jackass." I said.
"Sooo, who's the potential new teammate? Don't think I didn't catch you mention it was a girl." Ariana said.
"It's Hailey." I said.
"Oh, the cute fox girl that you started talking to about a week ago. She was being bullied by Cardin too right?" Ariana asked.
"Yeah. It's kinda the reason she's having trouble with her team. One of her teammates is dating Sky and they don't believe her when she asks them for help with him. Saying she's just asking for attention." I said.
"Aww and you're trying to be her personal superhero. How cute." Ariana said.
"I-It's not that. I just figure if we can pull this off it should benefit all of us." I said.
"Whatever you say sugar. Better hurry up and finish getting ready. Don't wanna keep her waiting." Ariana said with a wink.
"Hang on. If this works. You have to promise to lay off the sex jokes and flirting stuff around her." I said.
"And just like that you make it sound like there is more to the story that you're not telling me." Ariana said.
"There… may be some truth to that…" I said.
"I won't pry for now in case this doesn't work. If this does work though the two of you need to fill whoever stays in on the full story." Ariana said.
"Yeah I figured. One problem at a time." I said.
With that I quickly headed down to the locker room to grab my gloves. The training room was surprisingly empty. I suppose because it was still kinda early. I went into the locker room and grabbed my gloves. On my way out I ended up running into Sky.
"You're just the guy I was looking for. So, what's the deal with you and that Sakura bitch?" Sky asked.
"Other than we're both victims of your teams bullying nothing." I said putting my gloves on.
"Well let me give you a little warning." He said walking up to me. He punched me in the stomach. I fell to the ground holding where he'd punched me. He grabbed my hair and forced me to look at him. "That slut belongs to Cardin. So, if you know what's good for you. You and all your little friends will back the fuck off." He kneed me in the face and walked away.
I slowly started getting up and looked back at him.
"You wanted to be a huntsman. Fucking act like one. Don't let people bully you. Give them a reason not to fuck with you. You're in the big leagues now. You can't just continue putting up with shit like that." Aelita's words echoed in my head.
'To be fair. He threw the first punch.' I thought. I started charging my gloves and walked towards him. "Hey Sky."
Sky turned around just as I shot an energy blast to his face. Knocking him to the ground making him drop his weapon. I fired my other shot at his weapon launching it away from him. I continued towards him. Just as he made it to his feet, I sent an uppercut to his jaw causing him to fall back down. I stomped on his chest causing him to let out a small gasp.
"Take a message back to Cardin. If he comes anywhere near Hailey again. He's finally gonna get everything he's put her though tenfold." I said. I charged one of my gloves and punched him in the face at full power, releasing the stored energy at the same time.
After that I started heading to team RWBY's dorm. When I finally arrived everyone from both team RWBY and JNPR were ready along with Hailey.
"What took you so long?" Weiss asked.
"Let's just say things with Archer took longer that I anticipated." I said.
"Why are you wearing your gloves?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well... Ruby asked me to bring them by cause we were gonna try improving them. I figured the easiest way to bring them back was just to wear them." I said. 'They don't need to know about Sky…'
I handed the gloves over to Ruby and she began inspecting them.
"Honestly we shouldn't need much as far as materials. I think all you should need is just to have points on the tips of the fingers. It'll make them closer to claws but should give you a better kill shot against Grimm." Ruby said.
"Sounds good to me." I said.
With that we all set off for the city. Ruby and I decided we'd meet up after everyone had done their regular shopping first. We all decided to split up to make things go a little faster. Jaune and Weiss decided to let Hailey tag along with them. Blake and Ruby invited Nora to go along with them. Yang and Ren partnered off and Ren seemed somewhat relieved that he wasn't paired with Nora. Leaving me and Pyrrha to wander the markets together.
"So how bad was Archer when you got back?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yeah about that. He got to learn firsthand what happens when you piss me off before I get my morning coffee." I said.
"It couldn't have been that bad." Pyrrha said with a slight laugh.
"I pinned him to the kitchen door by his throat." I said.
"What?" She said worriedly.
"Yeah… trust me not proud of that… especially since it set off a mini war in our team…" I said.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"I'm pretty sure Proton was about to leave Beacon because Archer is such a tyrant. Ariana didn't really help much. We all pretty much let it be known we're sick of the way he's been treating us." I said.
"So then what stopped him from leaving?" She asked.
"… don't tell Hailey cause I don't wanna get her hopes up, but I said since both of our teams are having issues that maybe we can convince Ozpin to let us make a trade. I know it's a longshot but it's at worth a try." I said.
"What if it doesn't work?" She asked.
"Then I guess Proton's gonna actually leave. I don't think there's anything we can do to convince him to stay as long as Archer is our leader." I said.
"I don't see Professor Ozpin making a change like that. More than likely he'll probably tell you to work it out amongst yourselves." She said.
"I know… that's why I don't wanna tell Hailey, cause I feel like I'll end up letting her down if she gets her hopes up…" I said.
"So, are you doing this for her or your team?" She asked.
"I'm just hoping for the best possible outcome for everyone." I said.
"So, this has nothing to do with trying to impress her or anything?" She said.
"O-of course not." I said.
"That wasn't very convincing you know." She said with a small laugh.
"Okay… maybe there is someone I kinda like that I may be trying to impress a bit. That's all you're getting out of me though." I said embarrassed.
"So, The Hero of Beacon has a little crush on someone? That's adorable." She said with a huge smile on her face.
"Alright, alright. Just don't tell anyone. I don't need Yang and Nora pestering me about it." I said.
"Don't worry I won't say anything. Although if you tell me I may be able to help you out." She said.
"Nice try. I'd rather not get my hopes up too high and just wait for now." I said.
"Wouldn't it be worth it to at least find out if she likes you? Maybe she likes you more than you give her credit, but she's to shy to tell you." She said.
"No, I'm certain she only sees me as a friend." I said.
"Oh, and what makes you so certain?" She asked.
"I just know. Don't get me wrong I'd hope I'm wrong, but I'm probably not." I said.
"I could find out if you'd like." She said.
"I appreciate you wanting to help Pyrrha, but I'd rather just let it go for now." I said.
"Alright. If something changes your mind, I'll help in any way I can." She said.
"Thanks. I really appreciate everything you've done for me since we met. Even though you really didn't have to." I said.
"It's no problem. That's what friends are for." She said.
"Yeah. You're right." I said with a small smile.
After Pyrrha and I finished our shopping we joined up with the rest of the group. Everyone decided to head back to the school except for Ruby and I. Since we still needed to pick up the materials for my gloves.
"So, I've been meaning to ask. You're from Mistral like Pyrrha right?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah." I said.
"So, what made you choose Beacon over Haven?" She asked.
"My dad went to Haven Academy. I didn't wanna take the chance of the faculty comparing me to him and having higher standards for me going in. I felt like it would add more stress and I'd end up failing out. Plus, I wanna write my own story and I felt like that wouldn't happen there." I said.
"But doesn't the mask kinda go against that?" She asked.
"In a way. The way I think about it, he only started wearing the mask because of me. He never wore one before that. He was a huntsman years before he started wearing the mask so it wouldn't be something that he was known for. So, while it may not make perfect sense. I'm trying to make my own story away from my father, but at the same time I also wanted to find some way to honor him." I said.
"That's awesome. It's kinda like why I wear my hood. Mom used to wear one too. So, do you ever like take it off?" She asked.
"Only to shower." I said.
"So, you even sleep with it on?" She asked.
"You should know I slept in your dorm last night." I said.
"I thought that was just so you wouldn't lose it. I didn't think you actually wore it all the time. When do you clean it?" She asked.
"Right before I shower. I'll hand wash it before I get in and dry it using Ariana's hair dryer." I said.
"You use her hair dryer?" She asked.
"Hey, it was mom's idea. If I hadn't gotten paired with at least one girl I'd have went out and bought one." I said.
"Does she know?" She asked.
"It's not very subtle so I'm pretty sure she knows." I said.
"And she hasn't said anything?" She asked.
"Nope. So, either she knows what I'm using it for, doesn't care or she's looked in on me without me knowing. Really hoping it's not that last one." I said.
"So, no one here has seen what you look like without it on?" She asked.
"Not unless someone took it off me while I was sleeping." I said.
"So, you could like wake up with it on in the middle of the night and scare one of your teammates cause they wouldn't know if you were actually awake or not." She said.
"I suppose I could. Never really thought about that though." I said.
"So, what color are your eyes then?" She asked.
"That my dear Ruby is a secret." I said.
"Come ooon. I won't tell anyone." She said.
"Sorry Ruby but telling you would reveal my secret identity." I said.
"Don't you need a fake name in order to have a secret identity?" She asked.
"How do you know Cian isn't a fake name?" I said.
"Cause no superhero would call themselves that. It's gotta be something memorable like The Blue Swordsman or something like that. Otherwise you're just mild-mannered Cian Riley." She said.
"I am known by many names. The Hero of Beacon, The Babbling Idiot, That Nerd with the Mask, but you miss Rose. You may call me. The Blue Swordsman." I said.
Ruby burst out laughing. "First off I'm pretty sure no one call you any of those things. Well maybe the nerd one. There are a few jerks at the school, and I don't mean Cardin. He and his team are on a completely different level. Second If you start using that I want naming rights." She said.
"You never claimed a copyright on it." I said.
"That's not fair." She said.
"And for your information Pyrrha called me the Hero of Beacon When we split up earlier." I said sticking out my tongue.
"Did she mean it or was it part of a joke?" She asked.
"It… may have been part of a joke." I said.
"That's what I thought." She said.
We found a shop Ruby had apparently visited before when she was first making her own weapon.
"So, what are you thinking for my gloves?" I asked.
"Well I've been thinking, and I have a few ideas. As far as the killing blow you're looking for. Option one is we replace the tip of each finger with a sharper point. Option two will make them a little heavier. We can add a single retractable blade to the top of each one. Like you go back to the boarbatusk in class. If you'd get it on its back, you extend the blade and then punch it causing the blade to dig into it. Or when you use your semblance thing you go to fire a punch and it should fire the blade on top giving it an edge like you would with one of your swords. I'm also thinking we can probably make the gloves collapsible like Yang's, so you don't need to take them off and put them on constantly." She said.
"Wow you've really put lot of thought into this." I said.
"Well someone had to. Besides, I love working on Crescent Rose, and although she's my baby. Working on someone else's weapon again could be fun." She said.
"I'm gonna ignore the first part but what do you mean by again?" I asked.
"I accidentally caused one explosion while tinkering with Yang's gauntlets and she won't let me near them anymore." She said.
"I'm starting to have second thoughts about this." I said with a small laugh.
"That's not nice. Besides your gloves only have a fifteen percent chance of exploding." She said.
"How is there even a percentage of that? There's nothing combustible in them. They're just metal gloves." I said.
"I'm kidding. It's only about a five percent chance." She said.
"There's still a chance?" I asked.
"Only if something goes wrong with the collapsing mechanism. The percentage is mainly just to apply for the chance something could go wrong. Even if you don't anticipate a problem, you always prepare for it." She said.
"Wow, no wonder you were made team leader." I said.
"At least someone thinks I should be the leader…" She said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You remember the fight Weiss and I had a while back? She said Ozpin made a mistake in making me the leader of our team. Ozpin tried to reassure me that it wasn't a mistake, but I'm sure Weiss still doesn't think so." She said.
"And because of that you're questioning which one of them is right." I said.
"Yeah…" She said.
"For what it's worth. We all know Weiss isn't the nicest person in the world, and that she has problems accepting help and accepting that anyone is superior to her. If comics have taught me anything is that kids of rich people normally don't have it that well and are either neglected or have been brought up thinking they can do whatever they want. I don't know if all the rumors around her dad's character are true, but if they are there might be a reason she is the way she is." I said.
"Still. I just want us to all be friends. It seems like she has no interest in that." She said.
"Well it seems like she and Jaune are getting along fairly well. Maybe just give it time and her icy heart will thaw out some." I said.
Ruby gave a small laugh. "You're probably right. We should probably head back now. I probably won't get any work done tonight, but I'll start first thing in the morning." She said.
"Sounds good to me." I said.
We made our way though town and headed to the airships.
"So, I meat to say I'm sorry about what Yang did last night." She said.
"Hailey wasn't upset about it, so I'm not worried about it. I was more worried about how she'd have reacted." I said.
"So, Just out of curiosity. Do you like her?" She asked.
"Of course I like her she's my friend." I said.
"No, I mean do you like her?" She asked.
"I knew what you meant. You aren't the first one who's asked me. Like I said she's my friend. With everything else she's been though I wouldn't wanna push her into something whether I liked her that way or not. I'm feel like it would be quite a while before she'd let anyone actually get close enough for a relationship anyway." I said.
"Cian yes or no. I'm not gonna tell anyone." She said.
"I never said you would. Like I said, even if I did, I don't think she'd want something like that for a while. If you're that interested, I'll admit I kinda have a crush on someone else. I'm not telling you…" I said.
"It's Pyrrha isn't it?" She asked.
"What? N-no I-I don't… How did you know?" I asked.
"First off I don't want you to think I'm stalking you or anything like that. I've noticed you spending a lot of time with Pyrrha while you've been trying to help Hailey out. So, I made a guess that you liked one of them." She said.
"Well don't expect much. I think I'm just gonna cut my losses on it." I said.
"You're gonna give up without even trying?" She said.
"She only sees me as a friend anyway. I'm not really sure there is anything I could do to change that." I said.
"You never know until you try." She said.
Our ship docked at Beacon and we started heading towards the dorms.
"You promise you're not gonna tell anyone right? I don't need Yang or Nora trying to start planning anything." I said.
"I promise." She said.
"Thanks." I said.
Just as we were about to enter the dorms, Cardin and his team were coming out of them.
"Riley! You and I need to have a little talk!" Cardin yelled.
"We have nothing to talk about." I said.
Cardin walked up and grabbed my shirt lifting me off the ground.
"See that's where you're wrong. It seems you didn't wanna listen to Sky's warning from earlier. Now I'm gonna make it crystal fucking clear for you." He said. He threw me to the ground and stepped on my head.
Ruby swung the bag of materials at Cardin knocking him off me. She then helped me back to my feet.
"Back off kid, this is between me and him." Cardin said standing back up.
Before Ruby could respond Sky and Dove grabbed her arms and pulled her away from me. Russel kicked me from behind sending me back to the ground.
"Now I believe you were warned to stay away from the fox bitch. A rational person would take this warning and listen. Instead you decided to attack my teammate with no good reason." Cardin said walking up to me.
"Right cause being assaulted while trying to leave the training hall isn't a good reason." I said. Cardin kicked me in the face knocking me on my back.
"Call it an insurance policy. Now I'm gonna give you one final warning. The slut is my property to do with as I please. If I catch you anywhere near here again. I'll have you thrown off the side of the cliff." He said.
"Yeah say that with a witness around." Ruby said still struggling to break free.
"Oh, I'm not too worried about that." Cardin said.
Sky and Dove both punched her in the stomach before pushing her to the ground.
"I don't think there'll be anymore issues." Cardin said as his team walked away.
I got up and tried to help Ruby up.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Compared to a Nevermore, that was nothing." She said.
"It's my fault you got wrapped up in my problems. I'm sorry." I said.
"I couldn't just stand there and let it happen. What kind of friend would I be?" She said.
"Still…" I said.
"Are you two alright?" Velvet said running up to us.
"Been better, but all things considered I think we're alright." I said.
"That's a relief." Velvet said.
"How much of that did you see?" Ruby asked.
"The whole thing." Velvet said.
"I know he's been a jerk to you too, and I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but please don't tell me you just stood there and hid rather than helping out or getting help." I said.
"I'm sorry, I was hiding, but I hope this will help you to forgive me." Velvet said handing me her scroll.
Her scroll showed a video of what Cardin and his team had just done to Ruby and I.
"This is just what we needed. We can show this to Ozpin and hopefully it'll be enough evidence for him to do something to them." I said.
"We'd still have to wait until Monday to talk to him though. We still have to keep Hailey away from him for another day. Now it looks like we have to do the same thing for you as well." Ruby said.
"I'll give Ariana a brief rundown so she can help out. Since she's the only one I really trust on my team right now. I can't see the rest your team being upset with letting her spend another night or two. Maybe Weiss, but we can think of a way to make it up to her. If this finally gets Cardin out of our hair, I don't think anyone will be upset about it." I said.
"Have her come to my dorm and we'll discuss our plan with everyone else. I assume Hailey is with Pyrrha or one of my teammates." Ruby said.
"Got it. Velvet you might as well come too. I can imagine if Cardin finds out he'll come after you too." I said.
"Alright, I'll have Coco come too. I'm sure she'll wanna know what's going on." Velvet said.
"That's both comforting and worrying. I'll be lucky if Hailey doesn't hate me for getting so many extra people involved in this." I said.
"You're doing this to help her and everyone else being harassed by that jerk. I can't imagine her hating you too much." Ruby said.
"I hope you're right. I'll message Ariana. You let Yang know to gather everyone up. Have Coco head over as soon as she can." I said.
As the three of us walked to Ruby's dorm I messaged Ariana telling her to meet us there. We walked in the room to see team JNPR and Hailey along with the remaining members of team RWBY.
"What happened to you guys?" Yang asked.
"I'll give you one guess." I said.
"Cardin." Yang said as her eyes changed from their normal lilac to red.
"Yang I know what you're thinking, but we have a plan." Ruby said.
"So do I. I'm gonna go kick the crap out of him." Yang said.
"We have one that will prevent you from possibly getting expelled." I said.
Hailey put her hand on Yang's shoulder. Yang looked at her still enraged.
"Believe me I'd love to see you give him what he deserves. I don't wanna see you kicked out though. Let's hear their plan first." Hailey said.
"Ugh fine." Yang said jumping up onto her bunk.
Shortly after there was a knock at the door. Ruby answered to see Ariana and Coco on the other side.
"Come on in girls." Ruby said.
"Thanks." Ariana said stepping in. She looked at me and her normal attitude changed. "I'm guessing this is about Cardin?"
"Good guess." I said.
"Is he still bothering you Velvet?" Coco asked.
"Sometimes… Not since Yatsu talked with him." Velvet said.
"Yatsuhashi just talked to him?" Blake asked.
"That's the nice way of putting it. It was more of a threat. He let them know if they came near her again it would be the last time." Coco said.
"I'm surprised they listened." I said.
"I'm guessing you've never met him. He's a gentle giant, but don't mess with his teammates." Coco said.
"Noted. Anyway, now that everyone is here, we'll discuss the plan. Velvet if you would." I said.
Velvet plugged her scroll into a projector.
"Before we play this you all have to swear not to do anything until we explain the plan. Specifically, Ariana, Nora, Yang and Coco." I said.
"Why don't I like the sound of that?" Yang asked.
"Because you're not gonna. Just swear." I said.
"I'm not promising anything." Yang said.
"Damn it you're not getting expelled over that jackass so shut up sit still and listen to the plan before you run off and do something you'll regret!" I yelled.
The room was silent.
"Wow, and here I never thought I'd see you actually explode. Other than this morning." Ariana said.
"Velvet, play the video please…" I said embarrassed.
Velvet played the video of what Cardin and his team did to me and Ruby.
"Are you kidding me? You really expect me to just sit here after what he did to Ruby?" Yang yelled.
"Yes, I do." Ruby said.
"Rubes you can't be serious!" Yang yelled.
"You're not looking at the big picture Yang. That's why we said to listen to our plan first. We plan on showing this to Ozpin as evidence of what Cardin's been doing. You heard the audio he even admitted to what he was doing to Hailey." I said.
"He also mentioned a warning Sky gave you. When was that exactly?" Weiss asked.
"This morning when I was coming back from picking up my gloves." I said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Jaune asked.
"What good would it have done? The only thing it would have accomplished is Yang and Nora wanting to kill him sooner." I said.
"It matters because now their threatening to kill you for even being in the same room as her." Nora said.
"Cian. Why were you actually wearing you're gloves?" Pyrrha asked.
I stood quietly for a moment.
"Cian." Hailey said.
"Alright fine. A few days ago, I ended up calling home for the heck of it. I told my sister what Cardin had been doing to me, and she got on me about standing up for myself. So when Sky attacked me, I fought back. I didn't tell anyone cause I didn't want anyone to worry. I'm sure this is the part where someone gets after me for fighting back when I've kept telling people not to." I said.
"You're damn right! What kind of hypocritical bullshit is that?" Yang yelled.
"Actually, I hate to say it, but that might not affect anything." Ren said.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"Cardin and his team have been attacking him since day one. They don't see him as a threat. If they did, they wouldn't have attacked him after he fought back. So more than likely they would have no reason to report the retaliation, nor would Ozpin have any reason to believe him if the evidence is shown before they would have a chance." Ren said.
"That still doesn't mean he needed to do something so risky." Blake said.
"Yeah I know." I said.
"Alright, that's enough. He did what he thought was right in the situation. It may not have been the smartest decision, but the best decision isn't always the smartest. Now you guys have a way to prove what he's been doing to other students." Coco said.
"I'm assuming you're adding this to the meeting you were already setting up with Ozpin?" Ariana said.
"You were already planning on talking to Ozpin?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, yeah…" I said.
"That seems way to convenient." Weiss said.
"Believe it or not it is. We had a little team implosion this morning so he had the idea to talk with Ozpin to see if we could swap a teammate for Foxy there." Ariana said pointing at Hailey.
"Shit." I whispered.
"You were what?" Hailey asked.
"You didn't tell her?" Ariana asked.
"I didn't wanna get her hopes up in case it didn't work." I said.
"So what was the plan if Oz approved? Just message her and tell her to move her things to our dorm?" Ariana asked.
"I figured if he approved it, he'd have gotten our teams together to make it official." I said.
"Is there anything else you're not telling us?" Weiss asked.
"No. I wasn't trying to hide anything. I didn't wanna reveal anything in case my ideas didn't work. I didn't wanna get anyone's hopes up…" I started.
"Everyone stop!" Hailey yelled. "All he's been doing is trying to help. I'm not happy that he's trying to do this all on his own either, but I get it. He's doing it to protect his friends. When this first started, I tried telling my teammates and they didn't believe anything I said. When he found me, I was a wreck. I wanted Cardin dead. I wanted to give up and go home, and I even thought about killing myself. I couldn't take it. He found me and took a huge amount of the weight off my shoulders even when I tried pushing him away. He never gave up on me even when he found out the whole story. He's not trying to hide anything from us. He is trying to protect all of us. He knows if he doesn't find a solution on his own it'll start affecting his friends more and more and he doesn't wanna see anything bad happen to us. From what I understand Cardin has been bullying Jaune, Cian, Velvet and I for a while now. I'm not trying to say anyone else is in the wrong, but it sounded like no one else was trying to stop it. So now he's trying to stop them on his own. As corny as it is to say. He really is a superhero. He wants to protect his friends no matter the cost. Even if it means putting himself in danger."
"She's not wrong. We could have done more to help. If we had maybe things wouldn't have gotten this far." Pyrrha said.
"He still didn't need to take this all on by himself." Blake said.
"The best action for you guys right now is to go though with the plans on Monday. I'll have Yatsu give Hailey and Cian escorts that day too. Cardin won't dare come near them with him around. As far as tomorrow goes, I recommend all of you staying in groups of no less than three. Especially those he's targeting specifically. After Cian has his meeting with Ozpin you guys will need to protect each other the most. From the sound of it once Carin finds out He'll be out for blood. You'll wanna hope he and his team get escorted off the premises before you'll be safe. Given the charges they'll most likely face they'll probably all be sent to prison." Coco said.
"Alright. Until this blows over, I'll try to keep myself from beating his face in. From here on out though, no one goes at anything alone. We're all friends which means we look out for each other." Yang said.
"Got it Cian? We understand you're trying to protect us, but we can't protect you unless we know what's going on." Blake said.
"Yeah I got it." I said.
"Well now that that's settled. Fox girl. It's Hailey, right?" Ariana said.
"Yeah?" Hailey said confused.
"You're crashing with us tonight." Ariana said.
"Wait what?" Hailey and I both said.
"Isn't Archer gonna be like super pissed?" I asked.
"Well I figure if she's possibly gonna be part of the team we might as well get to know her a bit. Archer may have a stick up his ass, but I know he loves being intimidating. So, if we explain the situation then when we go get her some stuff to use tonight. Then he'll make sure no one fucks with her. Besides, when were on the same page about something. Proton, Archer and I can be a force no one wants to mess with. You saw what we can do during initiation. This will be like that but with less killing. Plus, it'll probably help break some of the tension between those two." Ariana said.
"Is that alright with you Hailey?" I asked.
"S-sure, but where am I gonna sleep?" She asked.
"We can figure that out later. For now, we should probably go back and explain the situation to the other two." Ariana said.
"If you say so. I guess we'll see you guys later." I said.
"I'll follow you back so Yatsu and I can stop by Monday morning." Coco said.
The four of us left the dorm and started heading for mine and Ariana's.
"So, there's already enough tension with our team. What make's you think Archer will allow this?" I asked.
"Trust me we'll be able to manipulate him fairly easily. Proton will agree just because it'll be against Archer. So even if we don't convince him we have numbers on our side." Ariana said.
"You make it sound like your team practically hates each other." Coco said.
"Cian and I get along just fine. Archer is like a mini ironwood, and Proton is kinda like a solo player. He likes to do what he wants and doesn't work well with the kind of leadership Archer tries to enforce." Ariana said.
"Do you mind if I sit in on this meeting so I can see what he's like?" Coco asked.
"Doesn't bother me. That alright with you Cian?" Ariana asked.
"It doesn't bother me." I said a bit concerned.
"Thank you. I'll try to keep quiet I mainly just wanna see what his leadership style is. I might be able to offer him some advice in case the team changing doesn't work out." Coco said.
"If it comes to that I wish you the best of luck." Ariana said.
We walked in and Archer was on his scroll. Proton was not in the room.
"We have a proposal Archer." Ariana said.
"We as in the four of you, or just you?" Archer said.
"The three of us." Ariana said pushing Hailey and I forward. "The other one is just a bystander."
Archer sighed. "What do you want? Wasn't it you who said to keep to ourselves until after the meeting with Ozpin?"
"Yes, but some new information has come my way and this sweet girl here is gonna be staying with us tonight." Ariana said.
"Absolutely not." Archer said.
"You haven't even listened to why yet." Ariana said.
"I don't care either." Archer said.
"Didn't you tell me any form of information can be useful no matter how trivial?" I asked.
"I did, but…" Archer started to say.
"So, this is something you're gonna wanna hear." I said.
"Fine. Whatever." Archer said.
"That's the closest to cooperation we're gonna get right now. Anyway. So, this girl here is the one who's having problems on the team Cian mentioned this morning. The one who we're attempting to trade to our team." Ariana said.
"And since we don't know what Ozpin's decision will be yet. If we let her stay the night this will be a good opportunity for you Proton and Ariana to scope out the other team. In case he decides to send one of you to their side." I said.
"Plus, it'll give you a chance to intimidate them ahead of time if you get sent over." Ariana said.
Archer was silent for a moment.
"Before I make a decision. I need a little more to go off. Name and the reason you're having problems with your team?" Archer said looking at Hailey.
"Oh, Hailey Sakura, the reason I guess is they don't really take me seriously. Mostly cause I haven't unlocked my semblance and since I keep telling them that I…" Hailey said getting quieter.
"Telling them what?" Archer asked.
"That… Cardin has been… sexually assaulting me." Hailey struggled to get out.
"Alright you can stay. Cian, message Proton that he's needed back at the dorm. Once he's back, the three of us will go with you to get whatever belongings you need." Archer said.
"That's it?" I asked.
"What?" Archer asked.
"I figured you'd want more than that." I said.
"I can take it back." Archer said.
"No, no it's fine." I said frantically pulling out my scroll.
'Hey, we need you back at the dorm.' I messaged Proton.
'Im on my way back anyway but y' He sent back.
'I'll explain when you get here.' I replied.
"He's on his way." I said.
A couple minutes later Proton walked in.
"Woah. What's with all the people?" Proton said.
"This is Hailey, She's the one who we're trying to exchange with." Ariana said.
"Okay, but that does this have to do with me?" Proton asked.
"She's crashing with us tonight. You, me and Archer are going to go get some of her stuff." Ariana said.
"First, Archer's actually letting someone crash here? Second, why do I have to go?" Proton asked.
"If one of us is going to be possibly transferred to their team. Cian made a mention this would be a good opportunity to check the team out ahead of time. Plus, it would be a good opportunity to use our undercover outfits again." Archer said with the first smile I've ever seen from him.
"Works for me." Proton said.
Archer and Proton went into the kitchen and bathroom respectively to change. When the two came out they were wearing black suits, sunglasses and earpieces.
"We're really doing this?" Ariana asked.
"You get to act like more of a bigshot than the Schnee girl. Why are you complaining?" Proton asked.
"Alright." Arana said. She turned to Hailey. "Alright darling, tonight you'll be staying with Luana Asagiri and you'll have the finest bodyguard's money can buy. I'll distract them by doing all the talking. You just worry about grabbing whatever you need. With any luck maybe we'll run into Cardin and I can put him down a couple notches." Ariana said walking into the bathroom.
"Okay… but why the fake names and the getups?" Hailey asked.
"This way if Cardin's at your dorm waiting for you to come back, he won't be able to put two and two together that Cian is involved!" Ariana yelled.
"From what I've heard I don't think Cardin's smart enough to do math that simple to begin with. Why does it matter if he's there? The two of you having a lovers dispute or something?" Proton asked.
Archer walked over and whispered something in Proton's ear.
"You serious?" Proton asked.
Archer nodded.
"Wow, I apologize for that." Proton said.
"I-it's alright…" Hailey said.
Ariana came out of the bathroom wearing an over bust leather corset and miniskirt, a white short-sleeve jacket and had her hair in pigtails. "Alright boys. Showtime. Hailey dear lead the way. Don't have too much fun while we're gone." She said winking.
The four of them left the room leaving me and Coco.
"That is the first time I've ever seen them get along that well." I said.
"You're not busy at the moment, right?" Coco asked.
"Not particularly, why?" I asked.
"How about a little sparing? I think we could both use a little loosening up after all the excitement tonight." She said.
"Sure, why not." I said.
We walked out of the dorm and I pulled my scroll out to let Hailey know. Before I could though Coco took it from me. She shook her head and put a finger to her mouth. She mouthed 'Play along.'
"We'll have to stop by my dorm first. Hope you don't mind." She said.
"Yeah sure no problem." I said confused.
She pulled out her scroll and typed something out before putting it away. When we got to her dorm, she hurried me in and threw Fox my scroll. He ran some device over it while Yatsuhashi did the same to my clothes.
I heard a voice in my head "It's clean."
"So is he." Yatsuhashi said.
"So, can someone explain what that was all about?" I asked.
"What do you know about your teammates?" Coco asked.
"Not a lot actually. Normally I'm hanging with Pyrrha and her team or team RWBY. I haven't really asked about them. I know their weapons. Other than that, you saw their personalities. The only difference is Ariana is usually flirtier." I said.
"How much do they know about you?" She asked.
"Not a lot as far as I'm aware. I might have mentioned something about my sister and why I wear the mask other than that I don't think I've mentioned much." I said.
"If you have to lie about yourself. Tell Hailey to do the same. Make sure both of you have a password on your scrolls. Make sure they are difficult." She said.
"Okay, but why?" I asked.
"Didn't you find it odd at all that they had outfits ready like they'd done that before?" Coco said.
"I didn't really think about it much." I said.
"They had outfits and a fake name ready. They've clearly done something like this before. There's something not right about them. For your safety and Hailey's don't tell them anything about yourselves. Make shit up if you must. There's a possibility they have a tracker or bug on some of your clothes. We'll let you borrow a device that can pick them out. Don't use it unless you're alone in the room. Keep it hidden at all costs. It'll be able to detect any hidden bugs and short them out. If there are any, they will think they just happened to break. I'd make sure you check often." She said.
"There's always a chance we're wrong, but it's not likely." The voice said.
"Okay who keeps talking in my head?" I asked.
Fox raised his hand.
"His semblance is telepathy." Coco said.
"Okay, you'll excuse me if I'm a little overwhelmed by all this. It's a lot of information to take in at once." I said.
"I suppose that's fair. I'm not saying your teammates are criminals. It just seems a little odd that they had all that stuff ready to go. Add in the fact that you said they've never gotten along as well as we saw. Especially since you said you were gonna talk to Ozpin about a team change because they weren't getting along." She said.
"We're not the only ones who are suspicious. Ozpin is too. He wouldn't tell us why, but he asked us to keep an eye on your team." Yatsuhashi said.
"If they are criminals or something like that it seems odd that they argue so much. I know I haven't seen any of them together very often." Fox said.
Can you think of anything else odd you've noticed about them?" Coco asked.
"Well this morning Proton was going off saying Archer was lucky he and Ariana hadn't quit yet. That having to put up with his BS wasn't worth it. I thought he might have meant leaving Beacon. I put out the idea of swapping teammates and he said, 'this gig was getting old anyway.' Other than that, I haven't noticed anything. I did think it was odd that during initiation they had already made it to the temple before me. I practically flew farther than anyone and they still beat me and needed a fourth person. I just looked at it as a coincidence." I said.
"I don't think there is any coincidences. Something is up with them." Fox said.
"What was it you said about him and information?" Coco asked.
"He told me a while ago that any piece of information can prove useful no matter how trivial." I said.
"Information gathering, Explosives expert and fem fatal. All they need is a chump to take the fall." Fox said.
"Ouch." I said.
"It's mean, but not inaccurate. It sounds like they're slipping with the information. Since you haven't asked any questions, they probably think you haven't caught on. The best bet would be to continue acting as though you don't suspect them." Yatsuhashi said.
"There was something odd I noticed. There was a tone change when Hailey mentioned her condition. Like it hit a nerve in Archer. Proton seemed to have a similar reaction." Coco said.
"Well I mean it's not a fun topic." I said.
"While true, it seemed out of character. They almost seemed more compassionate for her situation. The was Ariana described them on the way to your dorm fit what we've noticed to a T. Archer seems to leave the room very little unless it involves class or food. Whereas Proton is hardly in the room at all. He's usually outside alone testing his explosives or walking around listening to something on his scroll." Coco said.
"What have you noticed about Ariana?" I asked.
"When she's not flirting with some of the students, she seems to spend a lot of time in the library." Fox said.
"Either way something about her hit a nerve with them. It doesn't seem to fit." Coco said.
"Maybe a similar situation with a former partner that didn't end as well?" Fox said.
"Maybe." Coco said.
"So now what?" I asked.
"Well first let's call Ozpin and set up that meeting for Monday." Coco said pulling out her scroll.
She put the scroll on the desk and pushed the speaker button. After a few rings the other line finally picked up.
"Ms. Adel. Is there something I can help you with this evening?" Ozpin asked.
"Figured you'd like a bit of an update on the TRAP case." Coco said.
"Go on." Ozpin said.
"Well Cian you're up." Coco said.
"Wait what?" I said.
"Mr. Riley. How much have they filled you in on?" Ozpin said.
"Pretty much that you're suspicious of the rest of my team and that you put them in charge of keeping an eye on them. I'm still processing the rest." I said.
"He pretty much knows as much as we do." Coco said.
"I trust you have a good reason letting him know his team has been under surveillance?" Ozpin said.
"Figured the best way to have them watched was from the inside." Coco said.
"And what have you learned?" Ozpin asked.
"I was in their room earlier and there is definitely something off about them. I'll give you a better report in the morning. If they are a team though it looks like there could be some trouble in paradise. Sounds like they had a fight this morning that nearly caused one of them to quit." Coco said.
"Is this true Mr. Riley?" Ozpin asked.
"Yeah, the team had a major fight this morning and Proton nearly quit because of it. We'd been having issues since day one." I said.
"I see. Anything else to report?" Ozpin asked.
"Well there is something else, but it's a bit of a sore subject." Coco said.
"Mr. Riley, would this have to do with what Ms. Nikos and you talked with Glynda about yesterday?" Ozpin said.
"Yeah…" I said.
"Do the rest of you know about this?" Ozpin asked.
"I do, Fox and Yatsu don't." Coco said.
"I shouldn't need to remind anyone that what is discussed between us stays between us. That being said. Go on." Ozpin said.
"Well with how Hailey's teammates have been treating her, and after the fight this morning. I had planned to try to talk to you tomorrow about possibly switching her with either Proton or Archer." I said.
"I see. Given what you've learned tonight. What do you think the best course of action would be?" Ozpin asked.
"My guess would be to keep our team together. That way it would be easier to keep watch on them." I said.
"That would be a good idea. Ms. Adel What do you think?" Ozpin asked.
"Well either way we need to get Hailey out of that dorm, at least until this situation with Cardin has been dealt with. If it were up to me though I think we should swap Archer with Hailey. We could have Archer work for us as a double agent to learn more about what Cardin and his team have been doing while also keeping an eye on him. However, that would leave Cian's team without a leader. Given what I've seen I'd recommend him to take over. It's probably the best idea we have to keep them all here so they can all be watched. Now that Cian knows he can relay information to us to pass on to you." Coco said.
"Mr. Riley would you be willing to take over as team leader?" Ozpin asked.
"Wait, are you serious?" I asked.
"I'm guessing you agree with most of Ms. Adel's plan, but you gave the answer you thought I'd tell you correct?" Ozpin asked.
"Yeah. I want Hailey as far away from Cardin as possible until we can get the whole situation figured out. Plus, this would make it so Proton would stick around. It would probably put him in a better mood and want to be at the dorm more often so I could try befriending him better. I'm just not quite sure about the making me leader part. I'm not sure if I'm cut out for it." I said.
"Mr. Riley. We've been watching more than the rest of your team. We've been watching you as well. If Ms. Adel trusts you with this information and has given you her recommendation. Then I see no reason why you don't deserve it. Plus, we've seen that you do all you can to put those you care about first." Ozpin said.
"I mean that's what heroes do right?" I asked.
"Indeed." Ozpin said with a slight laugh. "We'll still have our meeting Monday after class so we can make it official with your teams. Congratulations young man."
"Thank you, sir. Oh, before you go there is one more thing." I said.
"I've already seen the video Mr. Riley. I also saw you stand up to Mr. Lark in the training hall this morning. These incidents will be a factor in our decision of what to do with team CRDL. In addition. I would recommend you spending a little extra time in the training hall. Glynda mentioned something about you needing a little work. It might not be a bad idea to spend some time in there tomorrow with Ms. Xiao Long or Ms. Valkyrie. It could be a good show for anyone who happens to watch." Ozpin said.
"Sir?" I asked.
"If anyone learns of anything else let me know." Ozpin said before hanging up.
"Why do I feel like there was some cryptic hidden message in that?" I asked.
"Maybe you and Hailey could have a tag match against Yang and Nora. I'd like to see what the two of you could do when you're working together." Coco said.
"I feel like there was a hidden meaning behind that too." I said.
"Well I'm sure the others are wondering where you might have gone. If they didn't have a recording device in the room." Yatsuhashi said.
"If they did what should I tell them? Obviously, we didn't go to the training hall." I said.
"You like video games?" Fox asked throwing me my scroll.
"Yeah. Why?" I asked.
"You played the new Mortal Kombat yet?" Fox asked.
"Not yet." I said.
"You were gonna head to the training room, but you saw me playing and you had to try it out." Fox said.
"Yeah I suppose that would work." I said.
"Just remember you can't mention anything we talked about to anyone. Not even Hailey. We'll have Velvet and Fox come get you guys after your meeting on Monday. We'll give her the short version for now." Yatsuhashi said.
"Welcome to the life of a double agent." Coco said putting her arm around me.
"Thanks. I think." I said.
Coco handed me the small device to search for bugs in my clothing, and I headed back to my dorm. When I got back Hailey was sitting on my bed. Archer was on his scroll and Proton was coming out of the kitchen.
"Where's Ariana?" I asked.
"She just went in for a shower. Where'd you disappear to?" Proton asked.
"Coco and I were gonna go down and spar a bit, but I caught Fox playing the new Mortal Kombat and I had to try it out. Kinda lost track of time." I said.
"I'm gonna try getting some sleep. Try not to make too much noise." Archer said.
"I'm probably gonna help Hailey get settled then I'm passing out too." I said.
"So, how is this gonna work?" Hailey asked.
"I don't think anyone's gonna complain if the two of you wanna sleep together. We all know nothing's gonna happen anyway. Plus, it might make Ariana a little jealous." Proton said.
"While that's ever so tempting. I think I have an extra blanket. If you're willing to part with one of the pillows, I'll take the floor for tonight." I said.
"I-I can take the floor. It's your bed after all." Hailey said.
"Take it. You're the guest. I'll be fine with the floor one more night." I said.
"A-alright. If you insist." Hailey said.
I took the spare pillow and blanket and laid out my sleeping arrangements for the night.
"Just try not to step on me if you wake up in the middle of the night." I said smiling.
"I'll try not to." Hailey said.
"I'll stay up a bit and make sure Ariana doesn't mess with you guys." Proton said.
"Thanks man." I said.
Proton turned the lamp on his desk on and turned the main light off. After a bit I heard Ariana come out and go right for her bed. Proton went to his shortly after. I waited a bit to make sure they were asleep, and I pulled out the stuffed bear Aelita snuck into my bag. It had a zipper on its back, so I put the device Coco gave me inside it.
"If you're having that much trouble sleeping you can have your bed back." Hailey whispered leaning over the side of the bed.
"It's not that. I… I was grabbing this… I'm sure you think I'm a child now huh?" I somewhat lied while showing her the bear.
"I mean I definitely wasn't expecting that. I don't think of you any less for it though." She whispered.
"Promise not to tell anyone?" I asked.
"About what?" She said smiling.
"Thanks, Goodnight." I whispered.
"Goodnight." She whispered back.