You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough― Mae West


As she and Inspector Schultz walked back to their hotel Neo reminisced on the day, they had received a lead in regards to the dead man's tattoo; It apparently being the symbol of an anti-Faunus organisation called 'Burn the Furries'.

Arriving at their 'clubhouse' they were met warmly and the members were quite helpful in their investigation. There was even sorrow when they were informed one of their fellows had died. Still the information they got was more than worth the three hours they'd stayed there.

The group was conducting it's own investigation in regards to the local WF branch in hopes of sabotage or even annihilation of them. Now they had all that they needed, the industrial district was big but simple observation could deduce that a warehouse crowds of people were heading to was obviously more than the cargo within…

They would take care of the matter tomorrow, MPD High Command had promised to send at least a large portion of the Specops they had available and perhaps even a few ZEAL teams to ensure no one got away; from what Schultz told her they were kinda like Vale's SWAT teams but on crack and not particularly worried with human casualties.

Walking on she shuddered at the thought 'at least this time the barrels won't be pointed at me' she thought as the moon finally peered through the grey cover of clouds and illuminated their walk with just that little bit more light.


The ground trembled as clangs of steel against steel filled the air and black boots beat the grass further into the mud. Ruby dogged another of Blair's swings and thrust in hoping to get him in the chest but no, a kick to her hand and her sword flew out of her hand; landing in the untrodden ground a little while away.

"Better, but you still have a way to go for now" said Blair as he wiped off the sword and re-sheathed it "Now I have one last thing to show you for today"

As Ruby wiped off sweat with her sleeve and followed Blair she began to wonder what he was going to show her "Hey Blair, what is it you want to show me?"

"We'll I recently came up with this move. I mean I'm probably not the first to come up with it but whatever, this is the first time I've heard of it" As they headed deeper in a low growl began "Alright Ruby, now a s they come at me watch what I do"

As the Beowulf appeared from within the foliage and tried to slash at Blair the claws where knocked aside and in a mere instant of swift motion a sword ran directly through the creature's neck and emerged out the other end before being withdrawn with a black and silver blur. The Beowulf collapsed and after twitching a few times lay still.

"Now Ruby you see what I did there?" noting her nod he continued "So yeah, you're essentially severing both the spine and the main veins in the neck, I've already taught you that slashing at the neck of a Grimm is quite effective but rarely kills outright due to how thick it is. But like this I can sever both important bits through a powerful thrust through the neck"

"So should I give it a go then?"

"Not today, It's getting late anyways and we should really be heading back. Otherwise go for it, just know that not all Grimm have necks and not all these necks are a weak spot; some are armoured"

They headed back in tandem, meeting no resistance as they greeted the sentry and were let back in. Ruby fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow; it had been an exhausting day.


Waking up with a yawn and quick wash Ruby headed down to breakfast when her phone buzzed in her pocket, withdrawing it she read the message before making her way over to Blair's room; apparently this was important.

Walking in she saw him buttoning up the last few buttons on his coat before saying "Follow me, this is urgent" and running out. Ruby followed him until they reached the main 'street' and went into The Office of the High Overseer. She was lead into the main office and sat before the Red-coated man.

"Ah, Ruby, my congratulations! You've been randomly selected to take part in a leadership exchange with the army cadet branch" notified Campbell as he withdrew a thin folder and put it before her "You'll leave tomorrow for it"

Just as he was about to continue Ruby interrupted "Could someone please explain what's going on here!"

"It's all in this folder but in essence you'll be serving as an instructor to the cadet branch of the 3rd 'Twin Peaks' Division for around a week"

"How on earth am I meant to be their teacher?! I haven't even complemented my own training yet!"

"About that…" Began Phill "You remember how I told you that you're trained for a year before promotion to Probationary Overseer? Yeah, well your status as an ex-huntress and the excellent combat record you hold means that we could speed up your promotion; I mean you've got like only a few months to go anyway so I persuaded The High Overseer to promote you early. Should you accept the offer of course, I ain't forcing you"

"That's right Ruby" Interjected the High Overseer "Judging from the reports I have received to date your combat records have been flawless and I see no reason to hold you back. The only condition being that you accept this posting; you see the difference between a Recruit and Probationary Overseer is not only skill but also the ability to lead, the posting should somewhat remedy your lack of experience"

Of course she accepted, the trust they put into granting her an early was surprising in the first place but she welcomed it, now with the papers in hand and with Blair in tow she headed down to the quartermaster.


Passing a few others she walked in through the wood door and was met with the familiar sight of Wendy shuffling papers and the like; "Hey Ruby, what's up?"

"Hey Wendy, I'm going on an assignment with the Twin Peaks Division, I need you to set me up with some gear"

"What are you going to be doing?" asked Wendy as she withdrew a form and clicked her pen

"Just teaching cadets"

"Alright, so you don't need the climbing equipment then…. Actually I'll include it anyway, who knows you may need it"

As Wendy started to write Ruby asked "By the way are they located on a mountain or something?"

"Yeah hence the name; they are located on the Grey Mountain Range about 190km north-west of us. You probably won't need anything massively warm since it rarely snows there (Hence the name) but rain and sun will be a real killer so I'm including a waterproof overcoat and trousers for you; The rucksack you already have should be waterproof as is but the webbing… yeah you'll get new webbing as well"

"Hey, Wendy" began Ruby as the woman kept writing "How am I going to get there?"

"Probably by convoy; we send supplies from Murmansk every few weeks" she looked over to the wall beside her and nodded "Yep, one's going tomorrow, my guess is that we'll bring you to one of the stations the train passes through and you'll go from there"

Only a few minutes later Ruby left with a list of equipment and headed to the tailors to get it adjusted since the stuff she'd been given didn't fit too well due to her smaller than average size. Walking in she greeted the woman in charge and was once again directed by her to what she assumed was an intern.

"Hello Overseer, how may I be of assistance today?" began the young man

"I need this webbing adjusted and also this coat, they're a bit big for me"

"Alright, put it on and stretch out your hands" he began walking around her sicking pins here and there "Alright, as for your webbing do you need it adjusted over this coat or your normal overcoat?"

"Over this new one please"

"Alright" he began to work, adjusting clips and taping loose ends with insulating tape "Say, where you headed to need this sorta thing?"

"The Grey Mountains, I'm there to teach cadets or somesuch"

"Oh, alright then; are you familiar with the layering system?"

"Layering system?" asked Ruby in some confusion

"Yeah, like a breathable base, warm mid-layer and a water and wind-proof outer"

"No, I haven't heard of that before"

"Well the overcoat you have on right now is water and windproof and the blouse I assume you're wearing under is the base layer. This coat I'm adjusting is the mid-layer, get it?"

"Yeah, kinda, why do we need this system though?"

"Well you see the water/windproof layer is usually unable to let through condensation and the like which ends up building up inside the coat and I'll shoot myself if I get another complaint about a 'leaky' coat" He said with a growl "the mid-layer is so you don't feel the condensation and keeps you warm. The thing is combat and intense movement makes you sweat more so you end up with a literal lake on your back since the overcoat can only let out so much, hence we recommend that you wear synthetic undergarments while wearing warm clothes; of course down here just a base and overcoat is generally enough, but up in the mountains the chief complaint is that people literally sweat buckets up there so yeah, just warning you"

"So you think I should requisition some synthetic underwear?"

"I mean it'll help since it doesn't trap moisture but they aren't as warm… That should be a problem due to the fleece mid-layer though. Please put everything on now" he ordered

Ruby began to put it on; first the sleeveless fleece jumper and then her new overcoat (This one felt more smooth and artificial to the touch), finally went on the webbing and with a bit more adjustment from the intern she was able to move easily with all that on. "Thanks, is there anything else I need?"

"Well you have everything on the list but I recommend a cap, I know you already have a fleece one but it's good to have a middle ground available so you don't cook yourself. Otherwise a pair of synthetic undergarments and sports bra would be useful if you haven't got one yet"

Fortunately she managed to avoid blushing or otherwise making a fool of herself as she was asked her 'sizes' and now she was on her way out. Just then the intern she'd just talked to ran after her and asked "Wait! You said that you'd be dong cadets there right? Well a cousin of mine's going and I'd like you to hand him this parcel if you could"

"Sure, what's his name?"

'It's on the envelope, just pop it in his locker there or something"

Ruby pocketed the letter and walked away to pack her things, she'd probably just give it to whoever was in charge there; after all she had bigger things to worry about.


The truck rumbled on as Ruby and the crates and bags shook, she was even launched into the air a couple of times as the rumbling vehicle hit a rock or a dent in the road; not that there was a road of course, they were literally just driving through the forest with two other trucks and a single APC full of Overseers.

Apparently they had already passed the halfway point but the journey was still a bore and Ruby was left staring into the distance. Considering that this consisted largely of the other truck's front she decided to occupy her mind by taking a look at just what lay beside her.

It was the usual: food, water, ammunition and a few sealed boxes which she assumed were either weapons or personal items. The only significant discovery she made was a mail bag; with the letter now safely among its peers and Ruby relieved of it's transport the journey carried on.

A mere half-hour later they had finally arrived at the station, that was good since Ruby's legs were all pins and needles and she was seriously considering sleeping on the mail. Jumping down with her luggage she went over to some guy whom (After checking her papers) directed her to the single passenger carriage at the back of the locomotive.

Throwing her stuff in a small clearing at the back of the carriage she sat down on one of the seats and waited for the train to leave. To her surprise a second Overseer also dragged her stuff in and plonked it at the back before taking another seat a row back; Ruby was sure she'd seen her before and looked at her again.

She was writing something and those glasses seemed familiar… Daria? "Hey Daria, is that you?" exclaimed Ruby as she stood up and waved at her.

Somewhat startled by being yelled at Daria whipped around and locked eyes with Ruby "Ruby? What are you doing here?"

"I'm off to train some cadets, you?"

"You're doing cadets too? I mean aren't you a bit low-ranking for it?"

"Nope, once this assignment is over I'll be a Probationary Overseer!"

Giving a little smile Daria walked over and sat opposite Ruby "I'll have you know I'm already a Probationary Overseer. I've only recently graduated though, remember Andreev? Yeah the blonde guy, he was my mentor; good to have him off my back anyhow, criticizing my writing 'n sheet"

"Don't you get along with him?" asked Ruby "I got along with Blair just fine"

"Yeah, Blair's pretty safe. Andreev is a bit of a cunt in all honesty, not that he means to but he just acts that way for some reason"

After an awkward pause where neither knew what to say Ruby finally interjected "So… what are you writing now?"

"You mean my latest project?" replied Daria with a smile "Yeah, I've kinda gotten bored of poetry by now so I'm trying to write a story now"

"Can I read it?" asked Ruby innocently

"Erm…." Stuttered Daria "It's not ready yet… how about I show you something else I've written?"

Sure enough the conversation went back and forth as the locomotive started upon the track and began moving towards The Grey Mountain range.


Sorry for not writing for so long, please review n' sheet