Hello again. I've been struggling with writer's block this week. I'm only about halfway done with the next chapter right now, but I'm hoping to push through and get it finished either tonight or tomorrow morning. It was good that I delayed, since I was planning on taking it slower, but after thinking it over, I didn't have any good ideas, plus the pacing feels like it's slowing down, so I pushed it a bit faster. As for this chapter, I had a lot of fun in some places. I'll leave you to guess what I mean.

For reviews, to HeartMachine782, I thought it would be interesting to see Cinder interact more with the students at Beacon. You'd think she'd be interested in trying to sow negative emotions in the students to help with whatever plans she has, and Cardin would make a fine pawn in her games.

And to AxDevilMan, I wasn't expecting the food fight either. I made note of its existence in my outline, but I hadn't planned on covering it. It just sort of… happened.

At this point, I'm winging most of the story. The outline wasn't exactly fully solidified at this point, but it's giving me the general direction of the story. Let me know what you think – I'm always looking to improve the quality of my writing.

With that, enjoy, and I hope you like the omake at the end as well. I can't say for sure if it'll continue to be weekly, but there will be one next time.

Chapter Seventeen: A Motley Crew

Beta: HybridAlabaster

Cardin watched as ship after Atlesian ship floated into position over Vale's skyline. Some landed, offloading troops, rations, and military hardware, while others circled the city, rousing Nevermore from the surrounding wilds and blasting them with machine gun rounds. When the wind was right, a black mist blew through the city, smelling faintly of spent Dust and blood.

Cinder stood next to him on the roof of his dorm. She let a faint smile curl her lips. "See? I told you it would happen."

"People are already complaining," Cardin said. "If they weren't killing every Grimm within a fifty-mile radius, there'd be riots."

"Atlas is simply offering their support and protection. Why would people protest to that?"

"Probably because the 'protection' is enough to conquer the whole kingdom."

"All the better to protect Vale from anything that could conquer it."

Cardin shook his head. "I'm not stupid enough to think that the Dukes and Atlas are doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. If you know the plan, either tell me, or say nothing else about it."

"I will tell you this much. Ironwood really is doing it because he thinks it's best." Cinder winced and put a hand over her arm.

"Still bothering you?"

With an uneasy chuckle, Cinder said, "She hits harder than I would've expected, that friend of yours."

Cardin snorted. "No friend of mine. She's hated me since we were little, back in primary school."

"Sounds like there's a story there."

"A few, but none worth telling. Just don't do anything to Ruby in the future, and she won't bother you."

Cardin watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye. Cinder had acted stiff and hesitant the few times she was around Ruby. This time, she looked away and tightened her grip on her left wrist, but otherwise, she hid her agitation well.

"Why don't we go talk to them?"

Cinder looked at him with a start. "What?"

"They're usually hanging around their room. We could just swing by, say hi, maybe apologize for the whole eye thing."

Cinder looked over the edge of the building. Her hand stroked her left wrist as she thought. Not for the first time, Cardin wondered if it really was an injury, or some form of nervous tic.

"I'll call Emerald and Mercury. We can all go together."

"Sure, why not."

After a few minutes, Cinder's two teammates came up the stairs. From the way Emerald glared at her partner, Cardin knew they had been arguing again.

"Ready to go make some new friends?"

The rolling eyes from Emerald and Mercury's sardonic grin suggested that they would rather stuff their mouths full of sugar. They trailed behind as Cardin led the way to Ruby's room with Cinder at his arm. He had caught her trying to wrap her arm around his once or twice, but this time, she kept a few inches between them. As they went down the stairs, Cardin thought of Weiss, and of the rumors floating around about them. Though they had largely grown stale, any incident could bring them back to the fore. It would be best to crush them while they were unnoticed.

Cardin let his arm hang loose. They made it down to the ground floor before Cinder noticed the open space at his side. Hesitantly, she took his arm, and they walked side by side to Ruby's room.

Yang opened the door when they knocked. Her hair was neatly brushed for once, and she had on her 'going out' clothes. A scowl flashed across her face, but it was smoothed over within a second. She looked down, at their entwined arms, and an eyebrow rose.

"Hey Weiss-cream, looks like Cardin's got a new girlfriend."

Weiss walked into view. Her hair was done in a neat ponytail, and she wore her favorite white dress. Her eyes darted from their faces to their arms, and back up again. Her cheeks colored, but she smiled as she walked up to them.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Cardin." She turned towards Cinder and said, "I don't believe we've been introduced, but I remember your name from Glynda's class."

Cinder offered her right hand. "And who wouldn't know the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company? It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Schnee."

Weiss' smile curdled as she took Cinder's hand. "Please, call me Weiss."

Cardin wondered how she would respond, but Cinder only nodded and looked past them. Ruby was looking under the bunkbeds for her other shoe. When she found it, she squirmed under the bed and pulled it out with a triumphant cheer. Once she got up, she looked at her teammates gathered at the door and ran over for a closer look. Over her left eye, she wore a white eyepatch. She flinched when she saw Cardin, and her eyes drifted down to the entwined arms.

"Hey, what are you doing with her? Aren't you and Weiss, you know, that stuff?" Ruby asked. Her face reddened, and she hid behind her sister.

"Like he said, he likes someone with a bit more to offer." Yang made a show of checking Cinder out. "Not bad, but mine are bigger."

Cinder raised an eyebrow at her. She looked ready to make a retort, but she glanced at Ruby, and the words died on her lips.

"I would like to apologize for what happened yesterday," she said instead. "It was not my intention to hit you in the eye."

Yang sighed and messed up her own hair. "Yeah, I'm sorry I got so worked up. I shouldn't have thought that you did that on purpose. It's just that it seems like the sort of thing that's up Cardin's alley, and…" She looked down at their arms again and swallowed. "I mean, Ruby was moving so fast, it was crazy you even hit her at all. I understand it was just an accident."

Cinder's left hand tightened around his wrist. "Yes, just an accident. I'm glad you understand." She looked back at Ruby and asked, "It's not permanent, is it?"

"What, this?" Ruby asked, pointing at the eyepatch. "Nah, the nurse says it'll be fine. I'm just wearing it for a day."

"Nora thinks she's a pirate now," Yang added with a chuckle.

"If she asks me one more time if she can touch my booty," Ruby growled, "She's going to get my boot-y in her face." She reddened even more and held up her missing shoe. "This boot, not, you know, can we go now?"

"Where are you going?" Cinder asked.

"To look for a friend of Ruby's," Weiss said. "What was that name again?"

"Penny!" Ruby hopped on one foot as she put the shoe on. "She was at the exchange student introduction, but we haven't seen her since. She's never in her dorm room, and her teammates won't say where she is."

Yang shrugged. "I wanted to say hi to an old friend and get some drinks." When Cardin smiled smugly at her, Yang crossed her arms. "Some non-alcoholic drinks. I have enough detentions with Professor Goodbitch, thank you very much."

Cardin took his Scroll out of his pocket. "I wonder what she would think of that nickname."

Yang went white as a sheet. "You didn't."

"You're right, I didn't. I'll have to remember next time."

While Yang fumed over the false alarm, Weiss stepped forward and said, "I was planning to go to the CCT. I'm hoping to get in touch with my sister and find out what's going on."

"You mean with all the Atlas troops here?" Cardin asked. He considered telling her what he knew, but hearing what one of Ironwood's associates would say about it might be useful. "Let me know what you find out, will you?"

"So, your plan is to walk around until you see her?" Cinder asked.

Yang shrugged. "What else can we do?"

Cardin could think of a number of things, from checking Beacon's surveillance footage, to consulting some administrative authorities, but instead, he said, "Sounds like fun. Why don't we tag along?"

He got a "wait, what?" from everyone but Mercury.

"It's not like we have anything better to do today," Cardin said. He peered around Yang and saw Blake on her bed, looking at her Scroll. "I'm planning on getting some studying done tonight, but until then, I don't have any plans. Besides, you'll find Pauline faster if you have more eyes, right?"

"It's Penny!" Ruby said.

"Yeah, whatever. So, does that sound alright with you Cinder? It's a good opportunity to learn more about the people here."

She glanced at him and smiled slightly at the subtext. With a crook of her finger, Emerald shot forward, and Mercury languidly followed.

"It sounds fun," Cinder said. "I would also like to see some of Vale while I'm here. Perhaps you could show me around?"

Ruby bounced on her feet as she pushed past them. "Ooh, that's a great idea! Let's go!"

Cardin looked at Blake. She hadn't stirred from her bed. "Isn't Blake coming?"

Yang shook her head and looked back into the room. "She's had her head stuck in that Scroll since we got back. Apparently, she got scolded by Ozpin and Goodwitch so hard for running away that she's done nothing but study.

Cardin felt something tickle the back of his mind. Something about how she hunched over, eyes shining as she stared at the screen, seemed off. Since she didn't seem to hear anything, including tonight's study session, he reached into his pocket and sent her a quick text. Her Scroll didn't respond.

There was a chaotic exchange of greetings and introductions as they shuffled out of the building. The racket drew the attention of the room across the hall. Nora flung the door open and sauntered out in a full pirate costume, with a corsair's black hat, a stuffed fledgling Nevermore on one shoulder, a blue swashbuckler's coat, a hook on one hand, and a peg-leg thick as a full-grown tree. Each step made a loud thunk on the floor.

"Avast ye hearties," she said in a throaty growl, "Give up yer booty, or ye'll be goin' down to Davy Jones' locker!"

"Nora, what are you doing?" Ruby asked.

Nora saluted with the hook. "Cap'n, tis a fine mornin' ter set sail, tis not? What headin' shall we be takin'?"

As Ruby spluttered and protested, Yang stepped forward and said, "We're going out to find a friend of Ruby's. We already got… hold on a sec." She counted out Cardin and Cinder's team. "Four guests tagging along. You want in?"

"Thar be treasure waitin'?"

"Does the treasure of friendship count?"

Nora's peg leg thunked loudly on the floor. "Thar be no finer treasure in the world! Set sail, raise the anchors, suck on a lime, drown the squirrels, and chart a course for friendship! Yo ho ho!"

Weiss shook her head. "Are you really going out in that thing?"

Nora trudged up to her, thrust her chest forward, and towered over Weiss. "Have ye any problem with my digs, landlubber?"

"Your what?" Weiss backed away and sent Yang a panicked 'help me' look. "Just act normal, would you?"

"Normal isn't in her dictionary," Ren said from behind the door. He stepped out in a white sailor's jacket, blue jeans, and a white cap, all of them soaked and smelling of salt.

"Ar, lackey, get back in the brig!"

"Nora, Pyrrha had to use the restroom."

"She always has to use the restroom. Now get back in there and–"

"No, not that. The other use."

Nora blinked. "Then why isn't she going to the poopdeck?"

"We don't have a poopdeck."

"Then where do we poop?"

"In the brig, apparently."

As the conversation continued, Ruby dragged her team, Cardin, and Cinder's group towards the exit. As they were about to slip out the door, Nora's attention leapt back to them.

"Ar, they be gettin' away! Row faster, lackey! Full sails ahead!"

"You could just walk up to them," Ren pointed out.

Ruby hurried out the door before Nora could catch them. No one in their group seemed to mind jogging across Beacon grounds to the Bullhead docks.

As Ruby talked with the pilot, the doors for the dock station slammed open. Nora strode in, peg leg and all, holding her smoking hammer in one hand and the collar of Ren's soaked shirt in the other.

"Yar, mateys! Hand over the Bullhead and all the treasure ye got, or ye'll walk the plank!"

The pilot looked nervously at Nora. "Is this a robbery?"

Nora leveled the hammer at him. "This be piracy, landlubber!"

Ren raised his head and made a conciliatory wave at the pilot. "Please don't mind Nora, this isn't a robbery. We're with them, I guess."

"I had ter catch favorable winds to catch up with yer vessel, and I won't be lettin' ye get away this time!"

Ruby sighed. "Fine, you can come along."

Nora sang a sea shanty the whole way there. The third time she hit the chorus, Mercury joined in. With a shrug, Yang sang along, and that got Ruby going. By the time they landed, the pilot was humming the tune.

They started looking in the general direction of the docks. Ruby had used the logic that, since they had last seen her in that area, she might still be around. This had them shouting Penny's name through the streets. Cardin joined in half-heartedly, as did Cinder and her team. It took Ren, Yang and Mercury to bodily drag Nora away from a large freight cruiser, and Ruby apologized to every person they passed for all the noise they were making.

Mid-afternoon came and went with a predictable lack of success. As stomachs rumbled, they agreed to stop by a burger joint. With a flourish of her family's credit card, Weiss paid for all their meals. She basked under the thanks and praise from everyone around her and offered to pay the next time they ate together as well.

As they started walking again, Cardin hustled through the group to Weiss' side. "You're throwing around quite a bit of money."

"What, that?" Weiss asked. "It's nothing really, I get a fairly large allowance and I don't spend it on much, just a bit of cosmetics, a new outfit or two, and some books. I might as well spend the rest, right?"

After lunch, the group split in three ways. Weiss went off to the CCT. After prompting from Cinder, Emerald offered to accompany her. Ruby went towards the center of the city, with Nora following her captain and Ren being dragged after her. Cinder seemed torn between staying with Cardin and following after Ruby, but she went with her in the end. Yang went her own way to a shadier part of town, followed by Cardin and Mercury.

"So nice of you two to keep me safe," she said as she led the way.

Cardin scoffed. "I'm here to keep everyone else safe from you."

Mercury shrugged. "I'm here for the view."

Yang looked back at him and winked. "Like what you see?"

Mercury leered directly at her chest. "Very much. If Em had a pair of tits like that, I wouldn't mind her mouth at all."

They stopped in front of an old gothic building nestled on a street corner near the highway. Even at four in the afternoon, loud techno music blared through the closed doors. Between the large, red neon sign over the door and the suit and tie goon acting as a bouncer, Cardin instantly recognized the establishment.

The goon seemed to recognize him too, as the moment he saw them approach, he ran inside and slammed the door shut behind him.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Cardin said.

"It'll be fine," Yang said with a toss of her hair. "Just hang back and let me do the talking."

They took a few paces forward, only to find that Mercury was hanging very far back. Even under the neon glow of Junior's, he appeared pale.

"Is this place some kind of bar?" he asked.

"A nightclub," Yang said.

"And, do they serve alcohol in there?" He licked his lips and took a step away.

"They do." Yang glanced at Cardin. "I'm not planning on getting any, not with Mr. Killjoy here."

Mercury looked down the street from where they had come and looked back at the nightclub. He walked over to a lamp post and leaned against it. "I'll wait out here."

"Suit yourself."

Yang walked up to the door and knocked. Nobody answered.

"They're probably not open yet," Cardin said. "You'll have to come back another time."

"Don't worry, they're open for me." She drew back a hand and punched the door. The deadbolt snapped.

Yang flung the doors open, walked inside, and shouted, "Guess who's back?"

The music went dead. Within a few seconds, Yang had twenty guns pointed at her. Cardin hesitated at the entrance, and a few goons aimed at him.

Junior pushed his way past his men, shouting at them to not shoot. He stopped in front of Yang and said, "Why are you here, Blondie?"

"You still owe me a drink." Yang grabbed him by the arm and bodily dragged him towards the bar. Cardin shrugged at the group of thugs, who were still holding their guns. Off to the side, he saw Miltia and Melanie, dressed in their red and white costumes. Miltia sauntered up to him and put a hand on his chest. "Here for some more lessons?"

"Nope," Cardin said, gently pushing her hand away. "How's business?"

Miltia glared at Yang. "Awful ever since she tore up the place. Why are you with her anyways?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out."

The inside was one big room, all pitch-black floors, ceilings, walls, with white LEDs illuminating the borders. Red lights shot through the room from a series of overhead spotlights. The furniture was clear plastic with internal lighting that made them glow like coals. A balcony ran along the outside of the room, with an incandescent railing to lean against, and down a flight of white stairs was the dance floor. Up the stairs, and across suspended walkways was a bar, with the stools and bar glowing at the top, giving everything the illusion that it defied gravity.

Junior went behind the bar, mixed up a drink, and after a moment's hesitation, set an umbrella in it. He offered it to Yang, but she pushed it away. "Just water. I have a chaperone today."

Junior looked at Cardin and nearly dropped the glass. "Mr. Winchester, sir, a pleasure to see you again." He looked back and forth between them. "Is she with you?"

Cardin took a seat and studied the liquor list. "I'm just along for the ride and have no idea what is happening."

"He's with me," Yang said.

Cardin gave her a raised eyebrow for a second. Yang smirked at her, and Junior looked as though his brain was about to implode. With a shrug, Cardin said, "Sure, why not. Hey, do you have anything better than the crap on this list?"

Junior took a menu out from under the bar. Not a single drink on it was marked any less than a hundred lien.

"Seriously?" Yang asked. "After all that talk about getting me in trouble, you're drinking?"

"Yes."

"And you think I won't tell Goodwitch?"

"You won't if you have whatever drink he was mixing for you. Go ahead, I'm buying."

The drink in Junior's hand hovered halfway between the bar and the sink. After a moment, Yang motioned Junior over and took the drink. She left it untouched while Cardin read the menu and picked out something of middling value, on the rocks. He slapped a thousand lien on the counter. Junior didn't need to be told to keep the extra seven-hundred.

As Cardin brought the drink to his lips, Yang took out her Scroll and raised her own glass. She snapped a picture of them both as they drank.

"There. Now if you tell, we go down together."

"Suit yourself." His drink had a smooth, rich texture that belied its high alcohol content. He could feel the liquor melting brain cells as it seeped into his blood. He set the glass of ice cubes on the rubbery strip that ran along the inside of the bar, Junior's signal to take away the glass. Yang drained hers and gestured for a refill.

"So, Junior," Yang said, "Mind if I ask you another question?"

"As long as you're not crushing my balls again, go ahead." He seemed to remember that Cardin was sitting there and hid his face by polishing a glass. Cardin gave Yang his best 'what the hell' exasperated expression, and she answered it with a cheeky, feral grin.

"Torchwick was here last time. What does he want? Why is he stealing Dust and working with the White Fang?"

Cardin felt the air freeze around him. His first instinct was to join Mercury at the lamp post. He shifted back in his seat, but a combination of alcohol and curiosity kept him there.

"I don't know," Junior said. "I haven't even seen him since that night. He paid, I lent him some men, and none of them came back."

"Don't you charge a fine for missing goods?" Yang asked. With a smirk, she raised her voice and added, "Not that they're worth much."

Junior's men grumbled in the background as they swept the floors and set up snacks for the night's festivities. Cardin raised his own voice and said, "I think you're selling them short. If I ever need a security detail, I'll keep your men in mind, Junior."

Junior snorted. "Really, trying to butter them up? Anyways, I'd rather not try to get in touch with him, for reasons I'm sure one of you understands."

Yang looked at him. "Care to explain?"

Junior studied him without expression. If Cardin said too much, no doubt it would be in the ears of the Duke Cirilian and others before nightfall.

"Torchwick is on everyone's shit list right now, thanks to rising Dust prices and White Fang connections. If Junior was suspected of helping him, or even having information on him that he was holding back, he wouldn't last a week."

"I already had to apologize for the part my men played in that robbery a few months back," Junior said, "And apologies aren't cheap."

"So, you don't know anything?" Yang gulped down her second Strawberry Sunrise and leapt out of her seat. "O for two, some info broker you are."

Cardin felt the lien burning in his wallet. If he slid its contents across the bar, Junior might tell him something useful, something that would shed some light on the White Fang, Torchwick, Dust-stealing, Atlesian military conspiracy. Of course, if he did that, he might be found belly-up in the harbor tomorrow when the sailors load the first shipments. Instead, he followed Yang out the door.

"So, you trashed his bar?"

"Yep. He didn't like the way I asked my questions."

Cardin smothered a grin and lowered his voice. "What, you really crushed his balls?"

"Damn straight."

"So, what were you asking?"

Yang eyed him up and down. "Tell Ruby, and Junior won't be the only soprano around here."

"Noted."

"Well, I was asking about my mom."

"Your mom? Isn't she–"

"My real mom." On her Scroll, she brought up a grainy photo of a black-haired woman with red eyes who could have been Yang's emo twin.

"Oh. That explains a lot. So, any luck?"

"Nope."

When they walked up to Mercury, he took one sniff of them and walked ten feet behind the whole way back to the Bullhead. Yang texted ahead to let her team know she was returning. Ruby and Weiss met them at the docks. Ruby was apparently successful in her quest to find Penny against all reason, while Weiss reported to Yang and Cardin that she had been unable to contact her sister. Mercury edged his way around Cardin and Yang as though they were Beowolves and dashed off into the night before Ruby could say goodbye.

Cardin waited on the rooftop for Blake to show up for the study session. Half an hour passed, and Cardin sent her another text. No response. With a frustrated growl, Cardin struggled through next week's reading sentence by sentence, taking breaks to imagine what was keeping Blake from answering him, until it was time for curfew.

In Blake's defense, it's rather hard to notice, much less answer a text message when you're fighting a world-renowned criminal in stolen Atlesian military hardware, alongside a stalker and his unreasonably handsome teammate.

Omake: The Mercurial Alcoholic

"Is this place some kind of bar?" Mercury asked.

"It's a nightclub," Yang said. "Basically a bar, but with dancing. Sometimes punching too."

"Nope. I'll wait out here." Mercury leaned against a flagpole. "Come get me when you're done."

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Yang grabbed Mercury's arm. His other snapped around the pole, but Yang yanked him away and dragged him through the door of Junior's.

They took a booth with Junior. Mercury asked for water, but when he wasn't looking, Yang switched it out for whiskey. She had expected him to spit and sputter at the gasoline taste. She hadn't expected his eyes to widen in wonder, his breath to catch as though a beautiful girl had kissed him by surprise, his hands to shake as though he had discovered a pile of treasure.

Cardin, Yang, and Junior sat next to a stack of empty shot glasses, watching the carnage unfold in the nightclub. Junior's goons roamed the dance floor, guns in hand, only for Mercury to fall from the rafters, pop out of a trash can, or leap up from under one of the walking platforms. He would snap the neck of his unfortunate victim, leave him lying on the floor, and vanish as the others rushed over there to investigate the corpse. They'd mill about, hunt the immediate area for Mercury, then spread out to repeat the cycle.

"Shouldn't we be worried that he turns into a psychopathic murderer when he's drunk?" Yang asked as she sipped on a Strawberry Sunrise.

"More common than you think," Junior said as he poured himself some sparkling champagne. "Half my men fight better when they're drunk, not that they're much use anyways."

"Aren't you going to do something?" Cardin asked.

"Nah, this is too much fun to watch. Besides, I got hundreds of those guys. You'd be surprised how many disposable goons drop out of school and run away from home. I honestly can't find enough work for them all."

Junior cheered Mercury on as he dove from the ceiling, landed feet-first on a man's shoulders, and twisted, snapping the neck like a bottle top. He sprang off the shoulders, landed behind a second man, and bent his spine backwards until it broke with an audible crack. One of Junior's goons fired at Mercury, but he disappeared into the shadows, and the bullets raced through thin air.

"Nice, two for one!" Junior shouted. "Someone should make a videogame like this."