Hello, I am here again to tell you about the updates for the story will happen regularly for grammar on future chapters. Also, new chapters are going to add in a span of one to two weeks. Check periodically for more chapters and free welcome to leave a comment.

Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.


"What a load of baloney!" Quinn yelled as he and the rest of the group headed to Mistral.

"Tell me about it. I'd only give them two stars. The cute waitress was nice." Ace's comment made the rest of the group looking at him with unamused eyes and the bruiser smacking him on the back of his head.

"Not that, you moron! I meant that we didn't even arrive in the city yet and we already have people asking for trouble! Who the hell were those guys anyway?" Quinn asked the sniper as they walked.

"Those guys belong to a local gang situated in Mistral," Diamo answered, much to his disappointment.

"They had spider tattoos all around their bodies. I assumed they belonged to the same group, but would you mind filling us in, Diamo?" Jack asked as he was re-adjusting his right arm.

"They go by many names, but the most common ones are either 'The Spider Syndicate' or just 'The Spiders.' They are one of two ridiculously powerful gangs that control the influx of Intel around the city and possibly the whole continent." A detailed explanation came from the sniper's mouth.

"Great, we've already managed to piss off a gang. Well isn't that just great!?"

"Don't lose your composure just yet, Q. Those guys were probably small fry. They won't bother us. For now at least. As long we keep a low profile once, inside Mistral, everything should turn out fine. Don't. Act. Stupid. Understand?" Jack warned his team, as he was very aware of their uncanny skill to get into trouble without even knowing it. They nodded in silence, worried and slept deprived they marched forward.

Saber tried to comfort the cowboy and walked up to his leg. He started sneezing, but he didn't mind. He gently petted the husky's head. Lucy clung up on Jack's left arm as if they were taking a stroll in the park. She tried her hardest to pretend that was the case. Ace and Quinn teased the couple, making annoying kissing noises like a bunch of immature children.

Diamo was the one walking ahead of everyone as he knew the route to Mistral even without a map. He was also the one most likely to spot an ambush. He tried to look for marks on the road; he even turned his head around a few times to see if they were being followed. He took a lot of precautions on this trip.

"Are we there yet, partner?" Ace asked the sniper.

"No, not yet. Don't be impatient Ace."

"How about now?" Ace kept asking.

"If you're going to be like this for the whole trip, then I suggest you shut your mouth before I do it for you!" Quinn got annoyed in record time. He was like a kettle that reached his boiling point. Ace didn't say another word after that, but he did get quite bored on the hour or so long trip. They already had a good chunk of the road behind them when suddenly they began to notice a flurry of lights and noises coming from the distance. They saw the bright lights of the main gate illuminating the road ahead. It made it easy for the group to sneak behind the bushes and trees and use their binoculars to scout out the area.

"Heh, it looks like you weren't kidding about the main gate, Q," Jack commented while looking at the entrance packed with police officers. They were checking a line of people trying to access the capital. Some passed without any issues, while others were being arrested for standing out. It looked awful for Team JAQK.

"I never exaggerate the things I say; it is what it is. Sometimes I wish I was wrong, though." Quinn noted while observing the civilians. He noticed some had fine clothing and other things that screamed rich from miles away. It looked like they were able to cut line without getting an inspection. "Hmph. What a bunch of snobs…" He mumbled in disdain.

"Where's the sewer entrance?" Ace asked Diamo who also was looking for the entrance.

"There. We have to go around and follow the wall by going west."

"How can you be so sure they won't look there?" The bruiser asked the sniper, doubting his every word.

"They're too busy even to go there, and at night it's rather dangerous cause of the Grimm activity in the area. Only idiots would try going that way."

"Whatever the case, we have to move now." The cowboy ordered his team as Diamo went on ahead to guide them to the secret passage. They snuck past, avoiding the lights close to the wall, trying to trespass into the city as quietly as possible. The wall became less illuminated the farther they went along it until there was nothing but the moonlight shining over them.

"Here we are…what the…?"

"Oh, now what!?" Quinn was slightly annoyed when they noticed a Beowolf standing above the sewer's only entrance.

"We always have a bump in the road, don't we? Let me handle it…"

"No, I'll go." Jack stopped Ace before he could go after the lonely Grimm.

"Ok, just be careful out there, bro." He gave the cowboy some reassuring words. The cowboy smiled and looked to Lucy and Saber, giving them a smile and a thumbs up to reassure them that he'll be fine. All he got were displeased looks from both of them.

Jack walked straight up in front of the Grimm as if it was nothing. The Beowolf didn't react aggressively to the Leader. He approached slowly, but the only thing the Grimm did was that it got closer to sniff him, almost as if it couldn't see the cowboy in front of it. It didn't take long for it to notice him and be marked as a treat. The Beowolf wound up to roar at his face. Jack wound up his hand prior and slapped it with his robotic arm with enough strength to twist its neck and kill it instantly.

"Didn't your mother tell you to keep your voice down when people are around?" He waited a few seconds in a moment of silence for any response. "Guess not." He remarked to the dead Grimm as it faded into black mist. The cowboy waited for the mist to dissipate while the group entered the sewers. Jack and Quinn were the strongest, so they opened the hatch together. A smell so foul was unleashed that it made everyone cover their noses. The smell of sewage and nasty fumes filled the air.

"Gwaahh, it reeks of corpses and pizza in there!" Ace exclaimed as he tried to use his bandana to cover his nose and mouth from the stench.

"So, who's going in first?" Quinn asked the group but casually glanced at the sniper who was ducking near the entrance, illuminating the place with his flashlight.

"Do you want me to test it?" Diamo asked the bruiser with a monotone voice.

"Sure. Just make it quick."

"Okay." Without warning, Diamo kicked Quinn into the sewers. The bruiser screamed in anger. Nobody was expected the sniper to act in such a devious way.

"What was that!? Is he alright!?" Lucy asked with concern in her voice.

"YOU BAAAASTARD!" Quinn was swearing at the top of his lungs.

"Yeah. He's fine…" Jack said sarcastically as he lifted Saber with his right arm before hopping inside. He sneezed uncontrollably as they jumped down the hole. They landed safely and touched the ground. Jack adjusted to the atrocious stench and quickly put the husky down. The cowboy extended his arms and waited to catch Lucy as she jumped after them. Ace followed them as well. He jumped into the hole, leaving Diamo behind to shut the entrance.

"What's the big idea, Asshat!? Just wait when I got my hands on you and…!" Quinn yelled at the sniper as everyone was already steeping the secret passage.

"Would you cut that out already? My head hurts from having to listen to you two whining." Lucy ordered them to behave. A very responsible and adult thing to do.

"Are you sure this way is safe? This place gives me the creeps." Ace commented as he pointed his flashlight everywhere.

"We have no choice. If Diamo says this is the safest path, then I trust he will guide us there safely. Now, shall we?" Jack brought a sense of reassurance to the team as he moved aside to let the sniper guide the group. They ventured into the dark passage, each step a step closer to their destiny.


"Tonight, my dear friends is a day to remember. Tonight, we take a step in forever changing the lives of Faunus and humans alike for the better. No longer shall the name of the White Fang invoke fear and hatred, but a bright future for both Faunus and humans alike. We are the new White Fang, the one it was always meant to be from the start and will be from here onward. No more attacks, no more shady alliances, no more secrets, no more lies. We are all in this, together!" Ghira Belladonna, the mayor of Menagerie and current Leader of the New White Fang just finished giving his speech during a celebration in a Faunus-only bar named Sher's Woods located in the slums of Mistral.

He, his wife Kali and his daughter Blake were sitting next to him at the table in the middle of the bar. He drank from the large beer glass in his hand as he enjoyed the live music. It was a lovely place. The staff was efficient and friendly, food and drinks were good, and entertainment was a hit, for the most part.

"What's the matter, Blake? You haven't ordered anything." Ghira asked his daughter while enjoying his drink.

"I'm not hungry." She replied as she was lost in thought.

"Oh come on. Order something. How about a drink?"

"I'm 18, I'm not legally allowed to drink yet in this kingdom."

"How about something to eat, sweetie? I heard the food here is good." Kali suggested as she looked at the menu. Blake looked to see the options. Nothing fancy, but most of them sounded good for any Faunus. A couple of minutes later, a waitress with a bushy fox tail came to the table with a notebook write down their orders.

"Good evening, would you like to order?" She asked in a friendly manner.

"Yes, I want to order grilled tuna with the house sauce." Blake pointed to the item on the menu. The waitress grimaced in shock. "Huh, is something wrong?"

"N-No no, absolutely nothing. Grilled tuna with house sauce. Anything else?"

"Lemonade, if it isn't much," Blake ordered one last thing before the waitress left. She approached every table, picking up dishes and refilling drinks as she went by. It looked like hard work for only one waitress, but she still managed to do it with a smile on her face.

It was a busy place consisting of only one waitress, one bartender, a cook, three musicians, the manager and the owner who was proud of running the Faunus-only bar.

After she was done getting the orders, the fox-tailed waitress entered the kitchen with her full hands of plates and a worn-out look in her eyes. "What's the matter D? How does it feel to actually work for once?" The Turtle Faunus cook asked the waitress in a joking tone.

"Seriously, I never expected that the White Fang would ever step in this place." She replied as she sat down in a chair for a quick break.

"And we'll probably be busier for as long as they stay in the city. Business will be booming more than ever." The cook said with both excitement and a tremble in his voice.

"Great, more work. Thanks for cutting my weekend early, Sheldon." The waitress snarked at the cook as she fiddled with the pin in her hair. A Panda Faunus came through the door, catching the two workers slacking off.

"Hey, quit your chit chat and help me carry the drinks." The bartender ordered his fellow employees, getting into a hurry to provide efficient presentable service.

"You heard Nori. Back to work." Sheldon said to the waitress, and she got into action, bringing their customers their respective drinks. A Faunus Rooster with a winning smile was on the stage with a microphone and a wooden stool.

"Greetings everyone, allow me to present myself. My name is Starlock A'Dayle, and tonight I'll be a very special entertainer for our extraordinary guests." He was dressed in classy clothes trying to get himself ready for the routine. "Alright hear me out, I once went to the Market District to get me a new pair of shoes, nice and dandy so far. And now as I'm walking, I trip. My shoes went flying into a random guy's face, built like a brick wall that guy, looked like he slept through the stone age. I ran for it in the opposite direction when I heard him say 'I'm gonna face you!' Of course, what he actually said was 'Ow...face… shoe!'" After telling his joke, silence filled the air, occasionally interrupted by a cough from an audience member. Must have been a tough crowd he thought.

"Okay, okay, I've got another one. I saw two Beowolves roaming outside the city. Ya know, they reminded me of an old married couple. One roared at the other; the other one roared back, one stormed off like they were finished, the other one was left alone. It probably wasn't working out anyway. They probably filed for a grim-vorce." Still, no reaction other than a cough.

"Hey! Why not try your best routine!?" The waitress yelled at the bad comedian.

"Oh yeah? Which is…?"

"Getting off the stage!" Her response gave the audience a couple of good laughs.

"You can't make me do that! It's my turn to shine!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but the only thing that shines on that stage is the lightbulb above you." She made another witty reply, and more people started bursting into laughter.

"Is that so? Do you forget you're a waitress!?"

"No, but then again, I'm not the one with my fly down." The Rooster Faunus just noticed and tried to hastily zip his pants back up. The whole place was booming with laughter and applause thanks to the funny "routine" the two managed to pull off. The audience thought that it was all part of the routine and they congratulated the performer on stage. The waitress kept doing her job, giving the right drinking orders to every single table.

It took a couple of minutes before she was done the serving. She then went to check on everyone backstage. She saw the comedian and the trio of feline Faunus adjusting their instruments. "You're doing great. The people probably want an encore." Starlock said to the musicians with a straight face and a hot towel on his head.

"Josie, I need you to play it a little slower. We don't want to end the night too soon." He said to the guitarist and vocalist. "Melody, you are going a bit off tune. Try to keep up, please." He corrected the drummer's mistakes. "And Valerie, my sweet, sweet Valerie, what's with your voice? I noticed some raspy tones back there. Are you sick or something? I'll give you some medicine and no vocals in the meanwhile, just stick playing." He was acting like a caring coach. He grabbed a first-aid kit to get some medicine for the bassist and backup vocalist. They were taking a break before they could start playing more music for the night.

"Looking, good everyone." The waitress said to everyone inside the dressing room.

"Thanks, we've got a bigger audience than usual." Said Starlock. "Also, as much I hate you for interrupting me in the middle of my routine, I should thank you for getting me out of that awkward situation. I guess comedy really isn't my forte." He thanked the waitress with honest gratitude on his voice.

"No prob, Star. All this work flipped my brain into 'whatever mode' as I was getting tired." She replied as she collapsed on the chair. She grabbed a water bottle, which she rejected with disgust. "Sheesh, this tastes like fish, ugh."

"I understand, the world of entertainment isn't an easy job for anyone of your education. It takes a really talented person, just like everyone in this room." The flamboyant Faunus said as he took another hot towel for himself.

"Yeah, everyone except you."

"Hey, hey, just because I couldn't find my talent doesn't mean I should stop trying!" He felt like the comment was outrageous, but he could tell she was hiding something beneath that look of hers. "By the way, did you hear anything from your brother Tod?"

"No, it's just that… it's been so long since I last got a chance to talk to him. I wish I were there with him." The waitress said with some sorrow on her eyes.

"Well, I'm not that worried about him. He's a survivor, just like us. As long as he has his team of... unsophisticated Huntsmen, then he should be fine." He said while brushing some hair and other dirt from his shiny suit with an adhesive roll. "Another thing, Natto told me that he'll be back in an hour, so don't lock the back door until he comes back." Star justified to the waitress the absence of the bar's manager.

"Okey-dokey." The waitress said as she took the performer's dishes back to the kitchen. She was putting them all in the dishwasher as if she was on autopilot. The Fox Faunus tried to think of how she would turn out if something bad happened. She was hoping that things could turn out for the better. But for now, it was just another boring day of work for her.


"Four-Eyes, are you sure this is the right way!? I feel like we're going in circles!" Quinn yelled at the sniper who was guiding the group through the sewers.

"I'm completely certain, Heartstone. I left some tally marks on some of the walls to give an idea of the right route." Diamo said it as he illuminated the area with his flashlight. He pointed it at walls with the marks as mentioned above, each one numbered in order.

"Can we do something about the smell at least? I think me and Saber can no longer feel our noses." Ace said while still covering his mouth and nose with his bandana. He did the same for the husky.

"You look like a bandit." Lucy mocked Ace's appearance.

"Bandits wish they could look this good. But more importantly, what exactly are we going to do after we reach the city, bro?" The jovial guy asked the Leader who was illuminating the passage. Jack could tell Ace forgot the plan pretty quickly.

"As we already discussed, we're gonna stop by Lucy's place first. You guys will go to see Diamo's friends and find a place to sleep for the night. Tomorrow, we're going job-hunting to get some cash for a decent place. Please, don't make me repeat myself, Ace." The Leader caught his brother from another mother up to speed on the situation.

"Hey, Q." The cowboy called out to the bruiser. "I noticed you've been way too loud lately. Haven't you been keeping your emotions in check?"

"No, I haven't. After traveling alone for so long, it's been really hard. Even though I had another person with me, she couldn't keep me in check, and it just got worse after what happened at Vale." Quinn said with a solemn voice. His hands couldn't stop moving as he moved them around impatiently.

"We know how you feel, and we feel the same after what happened to her." Lucy tried to comfort the bruiser with a pat on the back.

"I know, it's just…I couldn't do anything. It pisses me off that we didn't do anything to stop her. I regret being too cold for her. DAMMIT, THIS SUCKS!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, much to everyone's annoyance, but also sorrow. As they walked further, the husky stopped for a brief moment and turned her ears as she picked up odd noises in the area.

"Something wrong, girl?" Lucy asked her pet as she kneeled to check on her.

"Probably just rats. Those pests are everywhere." Quinn commented as he was looking around for them, but there weren't any to be seen.

"I don't think rats are what she heard," Diamo commented as he stopped walking and focused into his surroundings. The group did so as well. They started hearing steps coming from up ahead. The sound slowly increased, making the team becoming more cautious. It became worse when they started hearing voices and saw a ray of light approaching them from one of the tunnels.

"Everyone, take cover!" Jack whispered to everyone and made them take cover behind the sewer walls. Jack, Quinn, and Diamo hid behind the left tunnel while Ace, Lucy, and Saber took the right. They had their backs against the wall while Jack and Ace stayed near the corner to peek on who was approaching them. Lucy tried to calm Saber not to alarm them.

"I hate this, I'm telling you. Why did they have to assign us to inspect this place? I could have just stayed at the main entrance like the rest of the unit." One patrolman ranted to another as they swung their flashlights around to inspect their surroundings.

"They told us to check for every possible way in or out of the city. If those people who attacked Haven could have fled through here, they don't wanna take any chances." He replied to his partner with a more composed look. "Just look for anything suspicious."

As they were heading to their direction, the group tried to hold their breath to avoid making any weird noises. They began to sweat as the lights got closer. Ace looked at Jack as he pulled out his main weapon, waiting for a prompt. The cowboy shook his head at him. Ace swiftly holstered his weapon.

Quinn began to feel a disgusting sensation on his right shoulder. As soon as he turned to see what it was, he discovered a rat was standing on his shoulder, sniffing his neck. It made him uncomfortable to the point that it made him jump. The small splash was enough to alert the patrolmen.

"Huh? Who's there!?" One of them shouted as he aimed a flashlight and a gun all around the place. They approached cautiously, looking on every tunnel they came across. They found nothing but they were getting closer. Jack had to think fast about how they could distract them without giving away their position. Diamo grabbed the rat from Quinn's shoulder and gently put it on the ground.

The rat started panicking and run toward the patrolmen. They saw it going further into the main tunnel. With a sigh of relief, they relax and put their guns away. "Stupid rats, they're everywhere." Said one of the patrolmen.

"Seriously, we should call an exterminator or something. I wouldn't let my kids drink tap if the water ever gets infected."

"What do you mean? We're in the sewers." Asked the partner.

"One of these tunnels runs to Mistral's Water Treatment Plant, which means the potable water can get dirty if someone doesn't get rid of those pests." As the patrolman finished explaining, his communicator started to make some noise.

"Unit 24, can you respond? Copy."

"Here Unit 24, what's the matter? Over."

"We have a disturbance at the main entrance. We need you there ASAP. Over."

"Sure, we'll be there in no time. Over and Out." The patrolmen stopped their conversation and turned to the direction they came from. "You heard them, and we must go see what this ruckus is all about."

"I bet it's the Faunus. They've been crawling everywhere around the city since yesterday." The other patrolman commented as he followed his partner back to the sewers' exit. They were running carefully to avoid slipping on a wet place. The group heard their footsteps fading away to the point that they were no longer able to hear them.

"Are they gone?" Diamo asked Jack.

"Yes, they are." The leader gave an assuring reply.

"Seriously, what the hell? You said this place was safe to travel through and yet those pigs show up. What's going on Four-Eyes!?" The bruiser was upset with the sniper. He tried to grab him and pin him against the wall. Diamo ducked out of the way and made Quinn trip into the water.

"It was supposed to go smoothly. I am just as surprised as you are, Heartstone." He said as he wiped his glasses.

"Now, now, no need to get angry. You heard those guys, security did increase after the attack on Haven. Speaking of which, why didn't you allow me to knock them out? You know I can do non-lethal too, right bro?" Ace asked the leader while checking for more guards.

"When I said keeping a low profile, I also meant not to attack any form of authority. We can't do anything that would make us look suspicious." Jack reaffirmed the specific details while checking to see if the coast was clear.

"Whatever the case, I just want to get out of here. Right. Now." Quinn's comment was something everyone agreed on. "Oh, and don't forget. It's 'Sir Mister Heartstone' for you, asshole."

"Yeah, I don't care," Diamo said as he took the front once again to guide the group to their destination. They went slowly and silently just in case more unexpected guests were planning on doing some light sightseeing around the sewers. The longer they went, the more they started to get accustomed to the putrid smells of the sewers. It didn't make a difference.

It took them thirty or so minutes to finally get to the last tally mark on the way. Diamo pointed to a hatch above them. Jack gestured a few signals, ordering Ace and Quinn to check if there were any civilians near the exit. So far from what Ace saw, they were in an alleyway.

"No germs in the area, I think we're good to…" Before Ace could say anything, a couple of people walked out of the alley without noticing the hatch was a little open. They made him close the hatch in panic and accidentally hit his face. "Oww…" He said while rubbing his head.

The jovial guy was the first to climb out of the sewers. Jack lifted Saber and passed her to Ace. The leader let out a soft sneeze. Next was Lucy. She had Jack give her a boost and had Ace lift her by her arm. Diamo was next and climbed out too. Quinn helped Jack leave due to his strength. Quinn was the last one left. Jack and Diamo lifted him at the same time which was difficult because of the bruiser's weight.

"Alright. Shut the hatch." Jack ordered Diamo while the rest of the group left the alleyway to see the Market District. It was bright but traditional even though it was essentially the center of Anima.

A lot of people were passing by without much to negativity, even despite what happened last night. It was as if nothing happened. "Ugh, look at those ignorant fools, living in bliss while there's raging chaos out there," Quinn commented in disdain about the blissful residents of the city.

"That's the kind of world they live in. Even Atlas has more people kept in the dark living on that floating rock." Ace responded to the bruiser's comment.

"That Big. Stupid. Rock." Ace and Lucy nodded in agreement to Quinn's statement.

"So, where's your father's house at? You said it was the closest place from the here." Diamo asked the redhead girl as he was cleaning his glasses from any dirt.

"From what he told me once, he said it's south from here," Lucy explained as she brought up a map of Mistral from her Scroll. They saw their current location, the house, various districts, and Haven Academy. Diamo was thinking of the distance between him and where his friends were at. They weren't too far either.

"Let's move, and I'm not too big into crowds," Jack told everyone as they started heading to where Lucy's father lived. They tried to keep a small distance between each other to avoid looking they were together. Some tried to keep a distance by staying behind on purpose or by window-shopping or just by sitting on a bench for a couple of seconds before following the others. They weren't the best at being subtle, but they did their best at least.

They did get lost on some streets and corners. It didn't matter that they already arrived in Mistral, they still didn't feel safe at any given moment. Eyes peering on them everywhere and lights illuminating the streets were enough to make the cowboy feel paranoid.

"There it is." Lucy pointed at a one-story house between two bigger buildings, it looked nice, but the width was pretty short. She wasn't kidding when she said the house was small. They wondered what it looked like from the inside. They approached the door and saw a sign saying 'DR. LAWRENCE CARMINE, PSYCHIATRIST & PROSTHETICS EXPERT' on the wall next to the bell. Lucy pushed the button, and the rest could hear the bell ringing loudly from inside.

"Who are you? Sorry but I don't make appointments after 6 pm." The man's soothing voice flowed through the intercom.

"Hey dad, it's Lucy." The redhead replied with excitement in her voice.

"Firefly? Is that you?" The man spoke. Lucy felt embarrassed by the nickname.

"Yes, it's me. Are you gonna open or not?"

"Mhhh…one moment, please." He was done communicating, and the intercom went silent. For a brief moment, Jack started to snicker. It was enough to make his embarrassed girlfriend blush.

"Hehe, 'Firefly'?" Jack commented.

"Shut up, dummy. I'm not the only one here with an embarrassing nickname, you know?" Lucy smirked and looked Jack in the eyes. He realized pretty quickly what she meant and stopped laughing. The rest of the group was left confused.

They heard noises coming from the inside as there was too much stuff in the way. They watched the doorknob slowly turn and soon they saw the door open. A man probably in his late 40's or early 50's opened the door. He looked quite unkept. He had a grown grey beard and rugged clothes. Not the best definition of personal care. "Firefly, it's nice to see you again!" He hugged the redhead girl, making her feel a lot more awkward.

"Hey, dad. Caught you sleeping?"

"No, I was just busy doing some of my research. Don't worry about your old man slacking off." He said with a smile. Lucy wasn't too happy that he was working too much. "Jack my boy, it's nice to see you again." He said as he came in for a hug.

"Hey, Dr. Carmine." The cowboy greeted him with the same awkward expression as his girlfriend.

"How many times do I have to tell you? You can just call me Larry." He asked Jack to drop the formalities. "Who are these guys?" The psychiatrist said as he looked at the rest of the group.

"Oh yeah, you never met them before. These are my teammates. Ace, Quinn, and Diamo. Guys, this is Dr. Lawrence Carmine, he's the one in charge of my arm."

"And your PTSD. Hoping you don't have any though." Larry said in a pretty playful tone. "Come on in, I have some coffee."

"We appreciate the offer, Dr. Carmine, but we have somewhere else to be at the moment," Diamo spoke politely as he looked at the map of Mistral and walked away.

"Sorry, we can't stay, but hey, we'll see you tomorrow morning. See ya, bro!" Ace followed his partner to their next destination.

"Does the coffee have any sugar and cream?" Quinn asked the good psychiatrist.

"Lots of it. Always. Why?"

"I'm out." The bruiser left as well without saying anything. Larry didn't understand what he saw but just shrugged as he, the young couple and their husky walked into the house.

The place was a total disaster. It was as if a tornado came in and caused the mess. Piles of papers and blueprints, some unwashed coffee mugs, and empty cups of instant noodles were laying around the house. The cowboy couldn't comprehend how his kind of person could live in such a state. "Yes, don't think about it too much," Lucy said as she gave him a weak smile and a pat on the back.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting you to come here, why the visit all of a sudden? Weren't you two supposed to be in Atlas?" Larry asked as he moved stuff around and cleaned his desk.

"Didn't you read the letter I sent four months ago!?" Lucy said in an upset tone.

"What letter…?" He looked at her daughter with confusion, she frowned coldly. "Ah yes! That letter! I have them right here…somewhere in this pile of papers. I have them on hand in my important inbox, don't worry, I remember where I put it." He mumbled as he threw bits of paper and trash around his study. Lucy face-palmed as she observed her father's behavior.

"Oh forget it, I'll go take a shower. You two can talk in the meantime. Come on Saber, you and I will take a warm bath together." The redhead said to her loyal husky with delight. The dog followed her to the next room, leaving both of the men alone.

"Oh well, I'll look for that letter later." Larry said with a shrug and stopped cleaning his desk. "Jackie boy, how about you take a seat while I ask you some questions?"

"Sure, I guess." Jack wasn't feeling very comfortable seeing the psychiatrist treat him as another patient. The cowboy settled into a chair while Larry grabbed a recorder, a pen, and a notepad from his desk.

"This is patient number 47, name, Jack Spades…" The psychiatrist was speaking with the recorder already on. "Male, 19-year-old, blood type AB Negative, the subject has lost a limb. The whole right arm starting from the shoulder…" He continued listing off Jack's personal details, which bored the cowboy to death. "…Now tell me, Jack, how's your mother, Deka?"

"She's fine, just the usual. Still working as a tailor back at Patch."

"I see, when was the last time you spoke to her?" Larry continued with the interview.

"I lost count. Definitely a few months. It's probably a year since I saw her after the Vytal Festival. I've been writing letters to her, though I've never received one because I was constantly on the move."

"Letters huh? Interesting, have you been doing what I told after losing your arm?"

"Yeah, I've been writing in a journal with my left hand, sometimes with the right too for better coordination, just like you told me." Jack said while scratching his left eyebrow.

"Good. So what were you writing? If you don't mind sharing with me, of course." Larry said as he took down some notes.

"It depends, sometimes I just write what I did during the day, other times I just write stuff about what I dreamt the previous night."

"Dreams? What kind of dreams?"

"The same kind of dream, or more accurately nightmare. I didn't write much, cause it's always the same thing."

"Okay. Could you tell me more about this nightmare?"

"All I can recall is that I'm standing in a burning room. I'm unable to move. There's always a shadow standing in the middle. The only thing that changes is the silhouette's form. I'm unable to recognize who it could be, but the most I can say is that the nightmare always ends with the flame scorched ceiling falling over the silhouette…" As Jack was retelling his nightmare, Larry noticed the cowboy's right eye started twitching. His voice started shaking, and his breathing went up significantly.

"Alright, I guess that's enough. No need to overexert yourself, but I have to admit, we're making progress. Your isn't eye twitching as often as the first couple of days since our sessions began." The psychiatrist complemented the cowboy's progress.

"Well, thanks? At first, I used to smoke a lot after I lost my arm as a way to stop the twitching, but Lucy made me quit last year."

"Really? How exactly did she do it in such a short amount of time?" As Larry asked Jack about the process, the cowboy remained silent. He rubbed his left cheek with a distressed look. "Ah, I see, no words are necessary." Larry was done taking notes and put them in his folder. "I guess that's enough for tonight. We'll continue at another time." He said as he pressed stop on his recorder.

"Yeah. I don't sound too excited, huh?" Jack brought his lack of expression during the session to the therapist's attention.

"You did fine, although I can say that she's quite strict on you. Heh, kind of like her mother." He said as his mood switched. Jack was now curious about Lucy's mother.

"She didn't tell me many details about her. How was she back then?" The cowboy asked with genuine concern.

"Heh, Penelope was a strong woman, pretty much the glue of our lives. Sometimes I wonder what someone like her saw in a careless guy like me. Was it my magnetic personality or my long hair that I had when we were young? Not really, but my guess is it was the sheer desire to help someone despite their flaws. When she left this world our Firefly was four years old. Even before then fate wasn't very kind to us." His eyes turned to a sad grimace as he looked at a picture of his locket. "She felt guilty ever since we lost Penelope. All children feel the same at some point in their lives, even if they have nothing to do with it. Could you believe that?"

Jack did believe it in some way. He felt that way too a very long time ago. The cowboy regretted asking him such a delicate topic. Good thing Lucy wasn't listening or things could gone bad for everyone.

"In any case, she was a great woman if that's what are you asking." Larry said while trying to recover from the downer mood.

"It's fine, I guess my curiosity just got the best of me."

"Well, now that we're talking about each other's feelings on a personal level, would you care for some coffee?"

"Sure…" Jack said while Larry poured hot water into two mugs.

"Cheers." The psychiatrist said as he gestured with his mug. Before they could even take a sip of coffee, Lucy walked up to them and relentlessly pried their beverages away.

"No coffee for you two. Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day." The redhead girl said with a pretty strict tone. Both men sighed in disappointment. Saber jumped up on Jack's lap and waved her tail in relief. The cowboy didn't sneeze as he pets her head. Lucy threw a pillow and some blankets for her boyfriend to sleep on. He was staying on the couch for the night. "Come on dad, I made your bed too."

Like mother, like daughter. That's what both men thought about her as she dragged her father back to his room. After that, she kissed Jack goodnight and went to sleep in her own room.

Jack sighed as he disengaged his right arm. He hung a dreamcatcher above his head and shut his eyes until he fell asleep. 'What a long day' He said to himself as he tried to think of what to do tomorrow.


Outside of Mistral's walls, just a few feet from a river, two Boarbatusks where beating a man's corpse. They acted in fury and anger for some odd reason. There was no sense about it. The foul creatures soon started sensing another being. There was someone coming out of the river. The person had a completely white outfit, white as the snow. It had various different marks and cuts in it.

One Grimm tried to charge him, but it stopped when the stranger kicked in its direction. He shot the creature with his boot that had a gun attached to it. The Grimm was killed instantly. His movements were as fierce as those vicious wolves.

The other Boarbatusk tried to attack when the stranger was distracted, but the man focused his eyes on it. His right eye shot a small blast of light, turning the Grimm into nothing more than stone. He punched it until it crumbled, leaving nothing but small pieces behind. The man looked at his surroundings. He noticed the corpse and a pair of bracelets on the ground. He took the bracelets and adjusted them to his wrists.

He then walked towards the corpse. He checked his vitals, but the guy was already long gone. There was no way to help him. He inspected what he the dead guy had in his pockets, hoping for at least some identification in case he had any relatives. In the dead man's wallet, he only found 1400 Lien, a Scroll and an ID saying R.E.D. It belonged to a guy named 'Roger Davis,' who resembled the disfigured corpse in only hair color and length.

He tried to access the device but couldn't get in without authorization. The mysterious figure grabbed the corpse' hand. He used it to unlock it and was able to change the password. So far, there was a lot of info that he couldn't check at the moment. The only thing he could check was where the dead man lived. It looked like he lived right in the city's center. The home address was a house situated very close to Haven Academy.