The best thing about Qrow not being in the RV was the lack of criticism Ozpin received for enjoying his stories. Being able to shed a tear over a sad moment was not something he dared do in front of another; it would shatter his stoic and wise demeanor. Sending the drunk to perform interviews was more or less just an excuse to get some alone time, and not really a requirement of the bet set by Salem. Speaking of Salem, Ozpin was quite surprised by her lack of meddling so far. Perhaps she had turned over a new leaf, becoming more of a simple, honest soul.

Yeah, probably not.

As his current episode reached the midway title card, the door behind Ozpin swung open as his reluctant partner returned from the penthouse.

"Ah, you're back Mr. Branwen," Ozpin spun around in his chair to greet Qrow as he stomped into the RV, Ironwood's disc in hand. He dropped his box of knock-off alcohol and filming equipment, ignoring the Headmaster's greeting. "How did the interviews go?"

"You haven't been watching the cameras again, have you?" Qrow snapped, taking Ozpin's laptop out of his hands. He inserted the disc and placed the PC on a cardboard box.

"This is the last episode of the season. I promise. Then once I complete the next one I can return to my observation duties."

"Oh, I bet you will…" Qrow said sarcastically, pressing play. General James Ironwood's face filled the screen immediately afterwards.

"I dislike this film already," Ozpin said, sipping his coffee, "What is this about, exactly?"

"If you were doing your job, you'd know. Just watch this and Jimmy will tell you all about it."

"Greetings, Ozpin," Ironwood said smugly, "I take it that you have received this disc from a certain Miss Penny Polendina, unless you somehow obtained this through other means. Knowing you, you may likely have done so."

"Wait… Penny Polendina? The robotic child? She's in the house?"

"She's a robot?" Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow, "Huh. Explains why she was so quirky. How did you know she was one?"

"A man of my wisdom knows many things, Mr. Branwen."

"Apparently being a competent camera watcher isn't one of those things."

"You're probably wondering how and why she is now under your supervision," James' recording continued, "It took some persuading, but I managed to secure a special stealth fighter that would drop her from high-altitude so that you could not predict her arrival. I could not afford you trying to prevent her from joining your little game, so I had to let her appear without warning. And now onto the why portion. Penny will be my 'compensation' for you tarnishing my name. She will now be receiving her own cut of the total lien you gather from this scheme of yours, and will deliver it to me personally. I expect you to ensure her safety, for if she is harmed in any way I will hunt you down. I will find you. And I will hurt you."

"I wouldn't wanna be you right now," Qrow smirked at a rightfully frightened Ozpin.

"The same goes for you as well, Qrow. Do not think I have forgotten about those jokes of yours."

"Goddammit."

"I believe that should cover just about everything. If you have any questions, then don't bother calling. I refuse to speak to either of you until I receive my payment. So gentlemen… Have a wonderful day."

Once the screen went black, Qrow ejected the disc and snapped it in half. He dropped it to the ground and crushed it under his heel for good measure.

"Feel any better after that?" Ozpin asked.

"A little, yeah."

"Good. Then I will allow you to clean it up."

"Oz, look around us," Qrow gestured to the mountains of filth around them, "We never clean shit up. I've still got bottle lying around from when I first got here."

"Hm. Good point. Maybe you should do some cleaning."

"There was a little part of me that thought you'd actually volunteer to help with that."

"As you said yourself, my duty is to watch the video feed. I assumed you would acknowledge that and take care of the chores while I performed my job."

"…You know what? I'm not even going to argue with you about that. That's how little of a damn I give right now. I've got enough booze now to drink myself to sleep after this."

"Excellent. Also, I'd avoid the back corner if I was you. I may or may not have forgotten to empty the urine pail this morning after you left."

"I told you to do that outside!"

"Well, it seems the squirrel decided to let a rabbit take its place. And I am quite sure they carry rabies as well."

"I am so sorry about your injuries!" Penny was leaning over the Lieutenant's bed, where the big guy was lying face down with an ice pack on his back. After becoming the robot girl's landing pad after her crash through the roof, he had been carried upstairs immediately for some medical attention. Penny had asked Ruby to take her to him to offer her apologies, as it was an experience she had never had before. Ruby agreed of course; the more normal girl things she could do, the better she'd blend in with society. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Don't worry about it," the Lieutenant waved her off, "I've been pounded a lot harder than this before. Pain doesn't bother me much anymore anyways."

"That is fascinating! Would you care to elaborate on these experiences?"

"Well, have you ever been branded before?"

Before he could start his story in full, Adam entered the room and was immediately annoyed by the uninvited guests. "Why are you two in my room?"

"Salutations!" Penny smiled, walking up to the psychotic Faunus, "My name is Penny Polendina! What is yours?"

Ruby could feel a kind of parental instinct kick in at the potentially dangerous situation. "Uh, Penny. I think we should go."

"I am the shadow of the night, a soldier of justice. My name is Adam Taurus, and I strike fear into-

"Sensational!"

"…What?" Adam cocked his head in confusion, "You're not… You're not afraid of me?"

"Why would I be afraid? You seem like a swell guy! I feel we will become the best of friends! The same to you, Mr. Lieutenant Man!"

"Friends? You mean like a menage a trois? I don't know, you're not exactly my type being a girl and all."

"Oookay, now its time to go," Ruby urged, dragging Penny away before her innocence could be tainted by the big guy's innuendos, "Sorry for bugging you, Adam!"

The door closed on the two White Fang members, and Adam sat down on his bed in contemplation. "Lieutenant… Was that female coming on to me?"

"Boss?"

"She showed interest in becoming my companion. What other reason than that would she want to become my acquaintance?"

"I dunno, but I say we don't need another woman interfering with our lives. They'll only cause trouble like Blake did. Plus, she's a human. And you don't like them very much, remember?"

"Oh yes, that is true. Filthy human scum."

As the day went on, Penny soon became familiar with the entirety of the penthouse as Ruby gave her the grand tour. There were a few altercations along the way (most notably a magnet sticking to her back when visiting the kitchen), but things went surprisingly smoothly for once. Penny's friendly disposition made quite a few housemates warm up to her moving in, since she didn't seem like the kind of person to cause trouble (unlike others). Ruby made sure to personally introduce her to everyone upon Penny's urging to meet new friends. Like with Adam, Ruby was reluctant to let her meet a few people (Mercury in particular), but the robot girl felt no negative feelings toward anyone in the end despite their less than stellar attitudes. Though a few were still creeped out by her overflowing positivity like Emerald and Roman (and one individual was jealous beyond belief), it seemed like everyone had nothing to hold against her.

Well, except for Cinder.

In fact, both Ruby and Penny had no idea how she felt about the latter since they couldn't find her anywhere. The two had searched every nook and cranny of the property, even asking others like Emerald and Yang to help look for her, but Cinder couldn't be found anywhere. Tired from searching, Ruby and Penny made a pit stop in their room to relax after hours of walking in circles.

"Sorry we couldn't find her," Ruby said, hanging her cape in the closet, "It's really weird we couldn't find her at all. She might just be avoiding us for some reason."

"Why would she do that?" Penny asked.

"Cinder is kind of… How do I put it? Secretive. And kind of not very nice at times."

"Is she not your friend? Is she mean to you?"

"She's not mean to me at all. She barely talks to me, unless she wants to spend time with Zwei. She's bitter towards a lot of people, especially Weiss. The only person she really hangs out with is Emerald, but even then Cinder doesn't really ac like a friend usually would. I can't figure her out at all."

"Maybe she is shy," Penny suggested, tapping her chin, "Or perhaps something else. Regardless, I feel like we could be good friends if we met!"

Ruby sighed in response. "Penny, I know you have the best thoughts in mind, but some people just don't like other people. There are mean people out there, remember? Adam is one of them, and so are some of the others you met today. Some have gotten a little nicer since moving in here, but Cinder… I just don't know what's going on in her head."

"Then let's find out!" Polendina hopped to her feet, "My father told me something once before: Friends are like stars: you don't always see them, but you know they are there. Is that not like our current situation? Once we find Cinder, she can become our friend!"

Ruby couldn't help but laugh softly at her positivity. Perhaps Penny was right; Cinder might just not know how to make friends. Maybe she just needed a little push. "True, but we can't make her our friend if we can't find her."

"Are you sure we have looked everywhere for her?"

Nodding yes, Ruby's eyes soon trailed over to Zwei. The Corgi was panting happily at her, and his little black nose gave Ruby an idea. Opening Cinder's closet, she pulled down one of her dresses and brought it to the dog.

"What are you doing?" Penny asked, leaning over Ruby.

"We can't find her, but Zwei's nose can!" Quickly hanging the dress back up, Ruby opened the door and clapped at Zwei. "Okay, buddy! Find Cinder for us!"

"BARK!" The little dog scurried into the hall, with Ruby and Penny close behind. Once again, Zwei had been entrusted with a mission of importance. And he would not fail Master Ruby and Metal Girl in finding Cinder. His honor as a Corgi depended on it.