I have nothing of importance to say here. I'm just writing this A.N. to continue the little trend I have of a short note in the beginning.

. . .


. . .

"It arrived! It finally arrived! It came last minute at night, but it finally arrived!"

Weiss looked up from her book as Ruby barged into their room with a package in held high above her head (which wasn't much, given her short stature). It looked comical really; the package was bigger than the size of her head and she seemed to have a bit of trouble keeping it balanced.

"What did you order?" Yang curiously asked.

Instead of answering, Ruby set down the package onto the floor and started tearing into it with her hands. Bits of cardboard and tape flew everywhere as she attacked the box with fervor until she pulled out a…what in the world was that?

"Look!"

Weiss was definitely looking alright. The item in Ruby's hand was a plushie of a cartoon looking head. Visually, it reminded her of a certain pink game character that could suck up nearly anything into its mouth.

"That face looks really familiar…" Yang muttered under her breath but was just loud enough for the rest of her team to hear. "Where's she from, Rubes?"

The ecstatic grin on Ruby's face didn't leave as she pulled out her scroll. She gave it a few taps and loaded up one of the many mobile games that she downloaded and pulled up a character card of a pink-haired swordswoman in blue and red clothing.

"It's Musashi!" Ruby beamed, holding her phone and the plushie side by side.

"…So it is…" Weiss slowly nodded.

The plushie had the same face as this "Musashi" in Ruby's game, only it was much more…what would be the word…"chibi'd", was it? "Chibi-fied"? Weiss could've sworn that she heard that term tossed around here and there by the two sisters in the team, and if her memory wasn't failing her, which it rarely did, then she'd be correct.

"It's so soft!" Ruby squealed in delight as she hugged the Musashi plushie. "It's like a feathery marshmallow!"

"I'm sure," Weiss deadpanned and went back to her book.

"Jeez, could you be any colder?" Yang scoffed. "You're being more of a Blake than Blake is herself, and that's saying something."

Both girls in question glared at Yang from behind their respective books.

"See! You even match her stare!" Yang exasperatedly said. Then her brow furrowed as she peered at the book in Weiss' hands. "Isn't that from your secret admirer? You've been reading that thing the past two days! What's it about anyway? The cover looks like it's falling apart."

Weiss let out a tired sigh. "If you must know, this is a tactics book written by the Reflet Alius, publisher of the 'A Shepherd's Guide to Strategy' books."

At the mention of Robin's pen name, Blake's bow twitched from both surprise and interest, but Weiss was too focused on glaring at Yang to notice the minute movement.

"And in case you didn't know, Alius' strategies against the Grimm are used all throughout Remnant and is widely considered to be the best due to their effectiveness and efficiency," Weiss continued. "Any Huntsman or Huntress worth their salt would have read at least one of his books. This book here…" Weiss lifted the book in her hand. "…is the very book he carried and wrote in during his travels, and as such, it is full of incredible knowledge."

"If it's such a famous book, then shouldn't you have already read it by now?" Yang asked with equal disinterest and curiosity in her voice, if that was even possible. On the other hand, Ruby was already out of the conversation, squeezing her new plushie like no tomorrow.

"I've read the published editions more times than I can count," Weiss affirmed. "However, since this is the book that he carried with him, his edits are quite clear in this and I can better understand his thought process for devising his strategies."

"Knowledge is power, they say," Blake said.

"That is indeed correct," Weiss agreed, nodding towards Blake. "However, as I've only just learned recently, 'knowledge is only power when applied properly. Any fool can hold knowledge and not use it, but only the brighter individuals will know when and where to apply said knowledge.'"

"Interesting. Is that from the book?"

"Yes."

"…Mind if I read it some time?"

Weiss was slightly taken aback. "I didn't take you as someone that was keen on strategy. Why the sudden interest?"

"It's not the strategy book that I'm interested in, per se. It's the author."

"Reflet Alius?"

Blake nodded and walked over to her "small" collection of books in her corner of the room. After sifting through one half of her collection, she pulled out two books that were similar in make. One was tan in color and only had a twisted black crown on the cover with the words "The War of Sand" written near the top. The second book had a red cover and had a wolf's head on it. At first, Weiss thought it to be the symbol of the White Fang, but the wolf on the cover did not look as menacing and was missing the three claw marks behind the head - the staples of the White Fang. Just like the first book, this book had a subtext near the top that read "The Red Legion".

"He's the author of the 'Divine and Fell' series, though there are only two editions for now," Blake explained, opening the second book to a bookmarked page roughly a third way's in.

"I published a second series that I'm still working on…"

Robin's words from the previous night echoed within her head, though she wasn't expecting Blake to be familiar with Alius' works. On a second thought, it should be expected. Blake loves to read, so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

"How about we exchange books sometime? When we're both finished reading them, that is," Weiss offered, finally finding some common ground with her reclusive teammate. Speaking of teammates, Yang was now lost in the conversation and managed to snatch Musashi away from Ruby.

"I'd like that," Blake warmly smiled, paying no heed to Yang and Ruby's yells.

"Do you mind if I ask what the series is about?" Weiss asked, tilting her body backward to avoid a flying Musashi.

"It follows the story of an amnesiac tactician, Kris, who was found in the middle of a field and gets pulled into a war," Blake said, picking up 'The War of Sand'. The small motion of her bending her body to pick up the book inadvertently made her dodge Musashi as it flew across the room once more. "It sounds like a serious story, and it is at times, but Alius was able to incorporate humor into it as well. For example, there's this one bit where Kris and his friend go hunting for a bear, and…"

. . .

"…there was this rock. This single, accursed rock that was using the shadows of the night to conceal itself under the trees. So cleverly was this rock hidden within the darkness that I unable to see it, which of course, caused me to trip, and the sword that I was carrying flew out of my hand when I tried to help my friend."

"Gahahaha! You dumbass!" Qrow cackled while precariously tilting his chair backward. "How'd you screw up so badly at a time like that!?"

"No memory, remember?" Robin tapped the side of his head with a finger with a wide grin on his face. "My sword skills were nothing more than a kid flailing about whilst throwing a tantrum. Anyway, it gets even better. Before that though…" Robin grabbed the whiskey bottle and raised it in the air. "…Another?"

"It's like you don't know who I am," Qrow said, sliding his shot glass across the table.

"Indeed. Just keep that beer on the coaster. I don't want my tables to get ruined," Robin smirked, pointing at the beer glass that was on the wood. "What say you two?" He looked over to his right. "Another glass of wine for Professor Goodwitch, perhaps?"

The blonde waved her hand in front of her. "I really shouldn't."

"Are you sure? It's a Saturday night, meaning that there aren't any classes tomorrow. You even said that you did all of your weekend's worth of work already," Robin pressed on, pulling out an aged bottle from the air. "Just one night to relieve at least a tiny bit of that built of stress. I know firsthand how difficult it can be to watch over students."

"…"

Robin eagerly watched as the professor weighed her options in her head. He most definitely didn't swirl the bottle in his hands ever so slightly to draw her gaze.

"…Alright, but on one condition," Goodwitch narrowed her eyes and pointed a sluggish finger at Robin. "Unless I'm on Beacon grounds working, call me by my name."

"As you wish, Glynda," Robin said with a seated bow.

"Damn, I'm seriously impressed," Qrow whistled as Robin refilled Glynda's wine cup. "You've managed to one, bring the stuck up witch out of Beacon, two, get her to drink, and three, get you to call her by her first name, all in a single night. I haven't been able to do any of that; never thought it was possible, never got permission for the third."

"Maybe it's because you lack finesse," Robin smirked.

"Hey!"

Ozpin chuckled as he took a gulp from his cup, savoring the blend of coffee and alcohol. "Robin is not wrong in saying that."

"Don't take his side, Oz," Qrow grumbled, downing his newly poured shot in a second. "Robin just worked three miracles in like…two hours? Seriously, the hell is with that?"

"Stop being a baby and drink, you lout," Glynda glowered. After swirling her glass for a second, she took in a deep gulp.

"What do you think I've been doing for the past couple decades, you hag? And you can't say crap since you're already drunk!"

"Am not!"

The wine glass was slammed down onto the table. Even in her definitely-not-intoxicated state, Glynda managed to surround her glass with Aura to prevent it from shattering.

As Qrow and Glynda continued their verbal exchange, Robin looked over at Ozpin.

"Pity that Bart and Peter weren't able to join us tonight," he said. "I was looking forward to hearing Peter's tales in earnest. I am told that he is quite the extravagant storyteller."

"Contrary to popular belief, Peter is quite tame when telling a story," Ozpin said with a slight shake of his head. "Of course, he will exaggerate some events like any good speaker, but it is only when teaching that he will go that extra mile to see which students pay attention and which students don't. Every word and detail that he says may sound like nothing more than him inflating his own ego, but he is actually revealing the weaknesses of the Grimm."

Robin nodded in understanding as the profile of a teal haired archer flashed through his mind.

"Speaking of teaching…"

"No."

Ozpin let out a sigh and picked up his glass. "It was worth a try."

. . .

A few hours later, a very drunk Qrow staggered out of A Shepherd's Rest.

"I suppose I'll have to keep an eye on him," Glynda exasperatedly said, rising from her seat. "Thank you for tonight, Robin."

"You're very much welcome to come by anytime, Glynda," Robin smiled. "Though I was certain that you were at least tipsy earlier."

"Acting." The briefest of smirks appeared on Glynda face. "In any case, I will be off now to make sure that the brute does not tarnish the reputation of Huntsmen." She then looked at Ozpin with an expectant gaze.

"I'll return to Beacon shortly. There is something that I wish to discuss with our host," the headmaster explained.

With a final nod, Glynda briskly walked out of the shop.

"I suppose that this isn't another invitation to be a teacher at Beacon?" Robin asked. Such a topic wouldn't have to be said behind the others' backs.

"Not this time," Ozpin answered, confirming Robin's growing suspicion. "Though the position is always open, should you want it."

A pointed glare was Robin's response, much to Ozpin's amusement. Reaching forward and grabbing the recently poured glass of scotch, courtesy of Robin, he asked, "How far have you traveled?"

"I'm gonna need a time period for this, Oz. Before-slash-after I met Qrow? Before-after the Amber incident?"

"Before opening up A Shepherd's Rest."

"That a bit of a lengthy time period."

Ozpin continued to give Robin a leveled stare.

"To answer your question, I've been practically everywhere, including the Dark Zone within the span of over a decade and a half," Robin answered.

"I see. And during your travels, have you ever heard of someone named 'Summer Rose'?"

"Only once." Robin leaned back in his chair and idly channeled lightning to dance around his fingertips. "Just about…six years ago, give or take. I know that it was the eighth time getting Qrow drunk out of his mind, which is easier than you'd think, as you've seen. Anyway, he mentioned the name once before passing out a second later. Going by the last name, I'm to take it that she's young Ruby's mother?"

"Correct. She took a mission over a decade ago, one that would be her last." Ozpin's voice was laced with grief and guilt. "She was presumed dead since then due to the fact that no body was found."

Robin raised an eyebrow at the last four words. "You think she's alive."

One of the most tired and depressed sighs that Robin ever heard escaped Ozpin's mouth.

"All of my rational thoughts say that she is deceased. It would be an insult to her memory to think otherwise, however…" Ozpin peered into the amber liquid in his cup as if it would give him an answer. "However, there's this one part of my mind that wants to believe that she somehow survived."

"Because of the fact there was no proof of her death."

"Truly the mindset of the lost, is it not?" Ozpin let out a dry laugh. "I've lived for many years, Robin, and yet I'm still clinging onto a fool's hope like a child. I thought that you may have come across the ghost that I've been hoping to find, but if you haven't heard of her, then perhaps - no, not "perhaps", but she truly is gone."

Robin opted to remain silent as a memory resurfaced in his head, one that he vowed to never forget. A memory that would signify his first failure as the Shepherds' tactician, a failure that claimed the life of a saintly woman all too soon.

"I apologize for my unsightly behavior. It was most unbecoming of me." The headmaster stood to his feet. "And I must thank you for putting up with an old man's rambles. Good night, Robin."

"It's dawn, Oz."

Ozpin looked over at the clock and took note of the hour hand sitting two ticks before the 'VI'. "…So it is." He then picked up his glass once more. "There's a special rung in hell reserved for people who waste good scotch."

Robin stayed silent once more as Ozpin downed his glass in one go without even a trace of a grimace on his face.

"And I must say…"

Ozpin briefly raised his glass towards Robin before setting it down onto the table. The door then opened and closed once more as the final guest left the cafe, leaving Robin alone at the table.

"At least the VPD didn't drop by this time. I suppose I've Oz and Glynda to thank for that," Robin mindlessly said, whisking the empty glasses on his table to his sink with a flick of his wrist. He glanced at the clock and sighed. "Guess there's no point in sleeping since it's already five-forty in the morning."

Feeling a little too lazy to wash the cups, Robin channeled mana from his core and to his arm. The ethereal power fluidly moved through his limbs and into his fingers with a cool sensation to it, and he thrust his hand in the sink's direction. A couple liters' worth of steaming water suddenly appeared in the sink, submerging the dirty glasses. He'd let them soak in hot water for now and thoroughly clean them later.

Once that was done, Robin went upstairs, took a shower, and was now standing outside of A Shepherd's Rest just as the clock hit six when his scroll started to ring.

"Hello - "

"Robin. Ocean Avenue and Dream Boulevard. Now. I need help detaining Qrow."

She then hung up, leaving behind a perplexed Robin. The call from Glynda had not lasted even five seconds.

"Honestly, Glynda." Robin pocketed his scroll and prepared a Warp cast. "I thought you were keeping an eye on him."

. . .

The airship's pressurized doors opened with a hiss and the passengers started filing out. Near the back of the cabin, Pyrrha stood from her seat and was one of the last ones to leave. The brisk morning wind threatened to blow her loosely placed hat off and she tugged it down into a more secure position.

"Hey, is that Pyrrha Nikos?"

One boy suddenly pointed in her direction and Pyrrha quickly walked into the bustling crowd. Despite it being a little past six in the morning, the city was already busy enough that she was able to blend in with everyone else in her brown jacket and jeans.

"What? Where?"

"Right over…where did she…?"

"Come on, dude. Stop messing around."

"No, I'm serious! I swear she was right there!"

"Uh huh, and I'm Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon."

She let out a quiet sigh of relief, mentally patting herself on the back for putting together an outfit to best conceal her identity. It wasn't that she really minded the fame; it was more along the lines of her wanting some alone time.

Pulling her beanie down a little lower to hide her bangs and tucking in most of her hair, Pyrrha walked down the street with her head pointed down and avoiding everyone else's gaze.

"…at mid-fifties to low-forties with clear skies until noon, where a few clouds will be rolling in for tomorrow's storm. Expect light rain later tonight starting around eight-thirty - "

Her ears picked up on the forecast from the electronics store. Numerous holographic screens displayed a weather map with a dark haired woman in front of it, her hand moving here and there as she continued to speak.

Figuring that there really wouldn't be anything of worth to hear from the news, Pyrrha continued to walk down the street.

"In other news, we have reports of three bars that were destroyed by an intoxicated man in the past half hour. The efforts of the VPD have proved unsuccessful and - just a moment…" There was a brief pause. "I see. The man has been detained and taken away by two local huntsmen, one of them being the renowned Glynda-"

She was too far away to hear anything else at this point. She pulled her scroll out of her pocket and turned the corner into one of the slightly less populated streets of Vale. Turning on the screen, she went to her messages and scrolled down onto Blake's name.

"Take a left onto Enix until you reach Square Road. Then take a right after two blocks and it'll be the seventh store in," Pyrrha read aloud, carefully following the directions.

Once her feet slowed to a stop, she looked up. There was a large maple leaf stuck onto the corner of a wooden sign with the word "Scania" written in white.

"Seems like this is the place. Thanks, Blake."

There was a pleasant chime when Pyrrha pushed the door open and the sweet aroma of honey and oak alongside a view of three floors' worth of books. A tiger faunus sat at the receptionist's desk to her right. After asking him for the location of a certain genre of books, Pyrrha gave the faunus a quick thanks before heading upstairs as a man in a white coat entered the store.

"Welcome to - oh… It's you…" The receptionist's voice turned into a low growl as he greeted the man.

"That's not a nice way to greet a friend, Hobbes. You still mad about the bet?" the man playfully retorted. Pyrrha could've sworn she heard his voice from somewhere. "Where's Calvin and Susie?"

"Out."

Not wanting to be noticed, Pyrrha quickly made her way up the stairs onto the second floor as the two continued their chat.

"Let's see…history, mystery, mystery again, non-fiction…" Pyrrha mumbled to herself as she passed by the many rows. "Ah, here it is! Fiction!"

She looked to her immediate left for the authors whose name fell under the 'A' category. The first bookshelf had authors whose names ranged from 'AA' to 'AL', but unfortunately for Pyrrha, the author that she was looking had a first name that was later into the alphabet. With a silent groan, she looked at the second bookcase, and lo and behold, there was the author that she was looking for.

Only there was one problem. The book she wanted was at the very topmost shelf, just out of her reach. It was a bad day to not wear her heels to give her that little extra height that she needed. Not that they'd help - she was already standing on her toes.

Pyrrha looked around for a worker that could help her but found none available. It wasn't too surprising, seeing how it wasn't even 6:30am. There wasn't anything that she could use to climb up either aside from the bookshelves, but she already made the mistake of climbing a bookcase in the past. That was something that she was not eager to do again.

Perhaps she could jump? That would definitely give her the reach to grab the book she wanted, but the book also looked like it was snugly fit alongside all the other books on the shelf, not to mention that she'd look absolutely silly doing it. There was nothing around the book that she could control with her Semblance either.

Then again, desperate times called for desperate measures, although this was nowhere close to being desperate. No one else was around either, so they wouldn't be able to see her jump for the book. The only two people in the store would be the receptionist and the man he was talking to, and they were both on the first floor.

Taking a second to steel herself, she jumped. The sudden movement caused her beanie to slide back a little, but she paid it no mind as her fingers brushed against the spine of the book and fell back down to the floor, and after making sure to land as quietly as she could, Pyrrha jumped a second time. She had more success with her second jump, just managing to touch the very top of the book.

"Third time's the charm," Pyrrha whispered, bending her knees in preparation for the third jump.

Her feet left the ground once more and her index and middle fingers managed to curl themselves around the top of the book's spine. Gravity took hold of her once more and Pyrrha pulled her hand down to bring the book along with her. It worked…for the most part.

The book that she grabbed came free. That much was to be expected. What Pyrrha wasn't expecting was for the book to be so snugly fit between every single other book in the row that half a dozen books were pulled free along with the one that she wanted. With her feet still in the air, Pyrrha could only raise an arm in front of her as she shut her eyes and braced herself for the mini avalanche of books to fall on her.

But it never came.

"That was quite dangerous. Might I suggest a little more caution in the future?"

Pyrrha opened her eyes at the playfully chastising voice and saw a familiar face.

"Good morning to you, Miss Nikos. Pleasure meeting you here of all places."

It took her a second to realize that it was Robin standing in front of her, partially because she never expected to see him here and partially because of his outfit. The first time she saw Robin, he was wearing a black coat that had purple markings and gold embroideries. The second time was in A Shepherd's Rest, where he was wearing a dark grey button up and black pants. Both times he was seen wearing colors on the darker end of the spectrum.

This time, however, he was wearing a white coat over a dark shirt and pants. A long, brown scarf hung loosely around his neck. Disregarding the scarf, the design looked like an inverted version of the outfit he wore the first time they met.

"Good morning, Robin."

There was a stack of seven books that was expertly balanced in Robin's hand, which was the exact same posture that he'd hold the trays at A Shepherd's Rest. She quickly realized that the books he was carrying were the same ones that she accidentally pulled free.

"They may just be books, but they can still be quite painful if they are to fall on your head."

"You sound like you speak from personal experience," Pyrrha noted.

He merely gave her a smile that did nothing to answer her question.

. . .

"The Divine and Fell series?"

"Yes. I've seen it around here and there but never got around to reading it. A friend of mine owns a copy and recommended it to me along with this bookshop," Pyrrha explained. "I believe you know her? Blake Belladonna of Team RWBY?"

After buying a couple of books from Scania, one of them being The War of Sand, Robin invited her to breakfast. She hesitated for a second, wondering whether or not she should go back to Beacon, but her stomach growled at that very moment. With no room for arguments, Robin took her to a small restaurant which she was unable to catch the name of the shop, but the interior looked distinctly Mistralian.

"We've met a couple times," Robin said with a nod, taking off his coat and draping it around his seat. "Though I must ask, if Miss Belladonna owns a copy, why not simply ask if you could borrow it for a short time?"

"She's still reading through the second book and is lending the first book to Weiss. And I might have gotten a little impatient, so…here I am!" Pyrrha sheepishly grinned. "Have you read it by any chance?"

Robin shook his head but there was a knowing gleam in his eyes that Pyrrha didn't miss. "Personally, I have not. Perhaps you can tell me your thoughts on the series once you have finished, and compel me to buy a copy for myself."

"I'd be glad to," Pyrrha smiled. "And I hope I'm not being rude, but can I ask why you were at Scania?"

"There's a series that I've been following for a few years. I was there to check if the third book in the series has been released yet."

"Don't the authors and press usually give a release date for it?" Pyrrha asked.

"Normally, yes," Robin agreed. "Unfortunately for the readers who enjoy Nero's works, we are not given an exact day of release. All we're told is which season of the year that it'd be released to the public."

"That's…" Pyrrha frowned as she was unable to find the right word to suit the situation.

"Quite strange, is it not? I'm afraid that Nero has quite the sadistic sense of humor. In any case, will your teammates not be worried if they see that you are missing from your dorm room?"

"It's alright. I'm usually up training even before this time," Pyrrha said. "I also sent Jaune a message that I'd be in the city to buy a couple of things. Which reminds me!" She pulled out one of the books that she bought from Scania. "This is for him, actually!"

A waitress came up to their table just as she could say anything else. The waitress had violet eyes and hair with a red bow tied to her hair near her left temple. She was wearing a white shirt with a thin, red line that ran horizontally across her chest and a light pink skirt that rested just above her ankles.

"Ah, I'm sorry! Did I interrupt you two?"

"It's fine, Sakura," Robin politely smiled at the waitress. "And good morning."

Sakura's eyes widened when she saw Robin. "Oh, Robin! I didn't realize that it was you! I'm so sorry!"

The waitress hastily bowed in apology, which was something many Mistralians did now that Pyrrha thought about it.

"That's the third time this week that it took people a second glance to know it's me," Robin frowned. "I didn't realize that my face changed so drastically."

"N-No, it's not that," Sakura said, hiding her mouth behind her workpad. "It's just that you usually wear…uhh…how should I put this…" She averted her gaze away from Robin and to the coat hanging on his chair. "You tend to be a lot…darker…"

Robin raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Ah! I didn't mean it that way!" she hastily added.

"It's because he wears colors like black and grey most of the time, right?"

The smile on Sakura's face was infectious. "Yes!"

"What the - " Robin gave Pyrrha a shocked look. "You've only seen me twice before!"

"Weeeelllll, you were wearing black both times…" Pyrrha innocently replied, and Sakura giggled at Robin's strange facial expression.

"Sakura, while I won't stop you from enjoying yourself, please remember that we are on the clock." An elegant woman with flowing lavender hair smoothly walked over and gently placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. A soft smile appeared on the woman's face as she greeted Robin. "Good morning, Robin."

"Good morning to you as well, Em," Robin politely returned. "In case I do not see them, could you send the other three my regards?"

"I would be happy to," Em replied before turning to Sakura. "We can visit Robin later during the week when we're off. For now, let's get through the day, shall we?"

"Yes, Ride - I mean, Em!"

With a small nod, Em fluidly walked off as her body movements attracted the eyes of both men and women alike in the restaurant. Once she was a couple tables down, Sakura turned towards Robin and Sakura.

"Are you two ready to order?"

. . .

After they finished breakfast, which was quite possibly one of the most delicious foods that she ever tasted, Pyrrha finally decided to ask a pressing question. To her, at least. The question had been lingering in her head ever since she sparred against Robin with the rest of her team.

"Of course. I cannot guarantee that I will have an appropriate answer, but I will do my best," Robin replied upon her asking.

"How was it that you knew about my Semblance?" When Robin's brow furrowed in confusion, she decided to elaborate a bit further. "During our spar last week, you acted as if you knew what my Semblance was when I never told anyone outside of my team. I trust them enough to the point that they never told anyone else, and Headmaster Ozpin said that our Beacon application papers were absolutely confidential for the sake of everyone's privacy."

"I see. And you are curious as to how and why I suddenly disregarded using my sword against you during our spar?" Robin asked.

"Yes."

Robin was silent for a few seconds as they walked down the streets of Vale. Putting his hands into his coat pockets, he finally replied, "I didn't. And I still don't know what your Semblance is, but I do have a few guesses. For the sake of your own privacy, I will not voice my guesses as to what your Semblance is, nor do you need to tell me what it is."

To prove his point, he gestured around him to the countless people walking around them. While Pyrrha was sure that none of them were even listening to their conversation, as is the mentality of those that live in the busy cities, she understood that it was better to be safe than sorry.

"As to why I did what I did during the fight…" Robin tilted his head back and peered into the clear blue above. "Have you ever heard of the 'Rule of Three'?"

"Yes. My teachers taught me it when I was younger," Pyrrha said, reminiscing on the years before she participated in her first tournament and her teacher, a stunningly beautiful woman with purple-red hair with scarlet eyes and a spear of the same color. "The 'Rule of Three' applies to nearly everything in the world, even survival. The average person can live three minutes without air, three hours without shelter in hazardous conditions, three days without water, and three weeks without food. There are many more examples of the 'Rule of Three', but that one is one of the most widely known rules."

"You are indeed correct. It's also one of the reasons why the phrase, "The third time's the charm", exists. However, the 'Rule of Three' that I speak of ties mainly into combat as well as a few others situations, mainly when dealing with unknowns. It goes, "Once is an anomaly. The second is a coincidence. The third time is a pattern." Keep this in mind when dealing with an opponent for the first time, and especially keep this in mind when fighting the Grimm."

Pyrrha silently repeated the rule as she recalled the fight. She realized with a start that she only managed to use her Polarity against Robin's sword three times before he engaged her with unarmed combat. It was only when she was completely disarmed that he struck her four times with his sword to take her out of the fight.

"I would like to think that I have good control over my own body, so when your Semblance came into play, I thought something was off," Robin continued. "I decided to test my hypothesis out a couple more times, and by the third test, I knew for a fact that something was most definitely off.

"I must say though that I'm very impressed about your Semblance, and that is if what I'm thinking it to be is correct. You were very subtle when using it and any lesser fighter would not have noticed," he said with complete earnesty, something that Pyrrha had not heard in a while. Most people that complimented her did it out of mere courtesy and flattery.

In fact, Robin never treated her like practically everyone else that knew about her and her victories. He treated her like how he would treat anyone else, just like how Jaune did. Granted, Jaune didn't know who she was, but having another person that did not tread lightly around her and didn't shower her with compliments was refreshing.

"But what if the opponent was aware of the rule and purposely made a pattern to deceive you in combat?" Pyrrha asked, finding a flaw in Robin's 'Rule of Three'.

"That's when things get a little more complicated," Robin admitted with a small smile. "You'll have to predict what your opponent will do, see what they see, and think how they will think. To read the mind of your opponent."

"And if it's your first time fighting someone? You won't be able to know how they fight. Isn't that when this 'Rule of Three' usually applies?"

"You'd be surprised at how much information you can gather about a fighter just by observing them. Body language and mannerisms give away a numerous amount of tells about their fighting style. For example, let's say you come across a fighter who walks with confidence and a slight bit of arrogance. They have a muscular build and from what you've seen, they're energetic and hyperactive, not afraid to boast about their strengths. What kind of fighting style would you expect from this combatant?"

"I'd expect someone who is highly aggressive and fights in close quarters."

Robin nodded as he motioned for her to continue her thoughts. Seeing as to what Robin was doing, Pyrrha thought about the fighter's description for a second before answering.

"I'd set myself up for a defensive fight, countering whatever I can while blocking the hits that I can't evade. If they're aggressive, then I could try and aggravate them further in the chance that their anger would cloud their mind and actions."

"Well said. Now let's take another example, shall we? You're about to spar with another opponent. This one has a slim build and has said very little during the entire time in the tournament, whether it be in the waiting rooms or during combat with others. They walk with caution and is always collected and composed. What kind of fighter would you expect?"

"I'd get ready for a neutral fight, going on both the offensive and defensive while having to be on the former a little more often," Pyrrha said, visualizing her opponent in her mind. "A slim build wouldn't allow the fighter to receive too many hits, so I'd expect someone who's extremely agile. If they're calm and composed, then they'd be thinking about their next move while analyzing my own in the midst of combat."

A satisfied smile graced Robin's lips and Pyrrha couldn't help but feel proud of herself, though there really wasn't any reason to be proud. This was all basic knowledge that she picked up during her four consecutive wins.

"And out of these two fighters, which one do you think would keep the 'Rule of Three' in mind and try and trick you?"

"The second one." Pyrrha's eyes then widened as everything came full circle. "I see now! Thank you very much, Robin."

"You're very much welcome, Miss Nikos," Robin warmly replied. "Now, may I ask you a question of my own?"

"Of course," Pyrrha nodded immediately.

"Was my analysis of Miss Xiao Long and Miss Belladonna of Team RWBY correct? Personally, I've never seen them in combat, so I simply gathered what I knew of them and did my best to envision their personal styles in my mind."

Pyrrha froze. Her mind recalled Robin's descriptions from earlier. She thought about her observations of Yang and Blake during combat class. She started to connect Robin's descriptions and her friends' fighting styles. Her jaw dropped.

And then she laughed.

"You're actually spot on," Pyrrha managed to say in between laughs. "I don't know why I didn't make that connection any sooner."

"The human mind can be a fickle thing," Robin simply said.

Her laughter continued until they were halfway down the block. It truly was not that humorous, yet the sounds of her merriment lingered.

"If I may, who was your teacher?" Pyrrha asked once she managed to get a grip on herself. "Not many people are this knowledgeable in combat. The only other teacher that I knew of that has this amount of knowledge would be my own teacher, and she said that I was her first student in many years."

Robin adopted a curious expression as if he was trying to figure out how to formulate a sentence. "Mm… I was mostly self-taught. My combat "teacher", if one can even call him that, was an absolute demon with the blade - the owner of a set sword skills that were a perfect blend between accuracy, power, and speed. But in his words, he was no teacher. Instead of lessons and drills, we simply sparred against each other. Of course, I had my rear handed to me more than a hundred times, and I am not exaggerating that number.

"As for my Aura Manipulation, it was through many, many trial and error experiments with a friend of mine. Her love of knowledge was absolutely unparalleled, and I cannot tell you how many times we've set fire to the surrounding area from a failed experiment."

"Fire?"

"Her Semblance gave her a knack for lighting things on fire, present company included."

"Oh. My condolences."

Robin let out a calming laugh. "No one got hurt from our failures, which is a miracle in itself. But enough about me, what about you? I believe you said that you got the tactics book for your friend, Jaune?"

Pyrrha immediately perked up when Jaune was mentioned. "That's right! I'll admit that Jaune is a little lacking when it comes to practical combat, but he has a good tactical mind."

"You really think so, Pyr?"

"Yes, Jaune. I really do think - " She blinked. In front of her was a certain blonde teammate with a faint redness in his cheeks. "Jaune? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was kinda worried," Jaune said as he scratched the back of his head. "You're normally back before we eat breakfast, but you didn't arrive. We were worried that something happened, so…here I am, I guess."

Butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. The dork of a leader in front of her most likely didn't even notice it, but Pyrrha was restraining herself from hugging him like a giant teddy bear.

"Miss Nikos? I believe you have a gift for Mister Arc?" Robin said, bringing her mind back down to Remnant.

"That's right!" Pyrrha mentally reached into her bag and pulled out her gift. "Jaune, this is for you. I know this isn't much, but I've seen you been staying up late into the night, studying whatever material you can get from the library. I hope this helps."

Jaune slowly reached out and took the book into his hands. "'A Shepherd's Guide to Basic Strategies'? By Reflet Alius…" His brow furrowed in that cute manner that it does whenever he's confused. "Why does this sound so familiar?"

"Well, it could be because Reflet Alius and his strategies are renowned throughout the world as the one of, if not the, best methods on fighting Grimm. It might also be because Weiss and Blake haven't stopped talking about Alius for the past few days whenever they can," Pyrrha explained.

"Ooooohhhhh, that makes a lot of sense." Jaune gave her a bright grin. "Thanks a bunch, Pyr. This actually means a lot. I'll repay you for this. I promise, and - "

" - an Arc never goes back on his word, right?" Pyrrha finished with a giggle. "Maybe one day you can get really good at strategy and get us a meeting with Reflet Alius," she jokingly said.

Jaune's smile only grew wider. "I'll do my best to make it happen."

Pyrrha turned around and faced Robin, who was watching the two of them with an amused expression.

"Thank you for your time today, Robin. I'll make sure to remember your lesson from earlier."

"I didn't intend for it to be a lesson, but you're welcome nonetheless," Robin replied. "Have a pleasant day, Miss Nikos, Mister Arc. Do drop by Shepherd sometime."

"Of course - wait..." Pyrrha's eyes started to widen as her gears started to turn. "A Shepherd's Rest... 'A Shepherd's Guide'? Robin, could it be - "

But the man was no longer there, lost in the chaos that was Vale's morning rush.

. . .

Robin chuckled as he watched Jaune and Pyrrha walk towards Beacon's boarding zone from a distance. If his extensive time in accidentally matchmaking the Shepherds taught him anything, it was reading the small tells on a person's face when they were speaking with someone that they were attracted to. And Pyrrha had it pretty bad, especially since Jaune's ability to detect a woman's feelings was on par with Chrom's.

"Best of luck to you, Miss Nikos. You'll definitely need it," Robin solemnly said. "Gods know that Cordelia needed it and more."

. . .


. . .

I hope I'm not blowing Pyrrha's crush on Jaune out of proportion. I'm not well-versed in writing anything involving romance.

This was originally going to be a Ren focused chapter but I couldn't get it to flow very well. This came out instead.

Once again, so many easter eggs and references.
- Fate/Grand Order's Musashi plushie (Google it. It's adorable).
- Destiny 2's Red Legion.
- The rock story (shameless referencing to FE:AA Ch6).
- A quote from Inglourious Bastards.
- Ocean Ave and Dream Blvd || Yellowcard and Green Day.
- Enix and Square Rd || This is self-explanatory.
- Scania and the tiger
faunus || Those who know will know what I'm referencing. Those who don't know…unfortunately won't.
- Calvin and Hobbes.
- Tomestackers.
- A few characters from the Fate Universe. Specifically, Sakura, Medusa (Rider), and Scathath.

Speaking of them, any characters that I reference from other media/games will not have any significant impact on the story. They are merely minor characters that I added in for fun and for a little bit of world-building (if this can even count as world-building), and are characters that were born and lived in the world of Remnant their entire lives. No one else traveled worlds. As such, the FE:Fates characters are nothing more than a third-year team at Beacon and the cast of Fate are nothing more than the owners of a small restaurant, not unlike Robin with A Shepherd's Rest. That is what easter eggs are, after all.

The Fate restaurant idea stemmed from the F/SN shorts "Today's Menu for the Emiya Family".

Maybe I'll 'easter egg' more characters from Type-Moon. Like Canaan or Shiki. If you're wondering which Shiki...yes.

Robin's outfit when meeting Pyrrha is based on FGO's [Heroic Spirit Traveling Outfit: Merlin].


Final note...

All of you are crazy. Honestly. Granted, there are only 25 stories in the FExRWBY section (as of now), but I never thought I'd hit the top. At all. Boggles my mind.

Thank you all for your support, whether it be favorites, follows, and/or reviews. Even the simple act of viewing and reading means a lot. I hope that this chapter and the chapters to come will be able to live up to all your support.