"So, Emerald, Mercury. And Cinder. Every single one of them bears watching. That's very good to know." Jaune said, to his team as they hung out in what was commonly known as their hides hole. "You probably shouldn't follow them anymore…"

Blake opened her mouth to disagree but Jaune cut her off. "Not alone anyway. I'm going to have ask you to take Ruby with you from now on. She's quick on her feet and I don't want either of you to be in a situation where you could be alone with them. Especially when they know that they were being watched. Their guards are bound to be up now"

Yang stood up at this point, pointing at herself. "So that means that you and me are together then? What will we be doing?"

Jaune hummed as he plotted their next move. "We need to go question Tukson ASAP before he goes to ground. Blake followed him to his bolt hole, so we'll go there tomorrow. Since he wants out, and has already been attacked, he should tell us what we want."

"And if he doesn't?" Ruby had to ask.

"I don't see why he wouldn't but we should be able to persuade him one way or another."

Blake led them into the heart of the commercial district, navigating through alleys and cutting through streets on occasions. Tukson has really chosen his bolt hole well.

Jaune was impressed. They would be sure to make use of it after he fled.

"Let me go in front" Jaune told his team as he expanded his shield. After the day that the Faunus had yesterday, he was bound to attack first, question later.

His thoughts were proven correct when he kicked open the door, shield raised high, and he felt something impact it. He held his ground though and just barely managed to remain standing.

The man was heavy.

"It's okay! We're not here to fight! We saved you yesterday!" Ruby sped in front of the man, waving her hands around before he could strike again.

He stopped, staring at them, looking over all of them, his eyes widening when they landed on Blake. "That was you…?" He breathed.

"Well, it was her," Jaune admitted, nodding at Blake, but it was a team effort more or less. "My name is Jaune, how would you like to chat...Tukson was it?" He reached out his hand for the man to shake. "I believe you have some information that could be quite useful to us."

He eyed Jaune's hand warily, before grasping it firmly. "What do you want to know?" He eventually asked wearily.

"Tell me everything that you know about Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder."

"I thought that's what this was about…" he looked down, before looking back at team JRBY. "It's not much, but make yourselves at home. We might be here a while."

As far as bolt holes went, this one wasn't too bad, if Jaune had to describe it, he would have described it as a thread bare apartment. There was a kitchen, and a couch...and that was pretty much it. He nonetheless sat down on the couch, with Ruby plopping down beside him, while Yang did the same with her. Blake chose to sit on the arm of the couch, rather than sitting down next to Yang, who gave her a small grin and a wink, patting the cushion next to her.

Her offer was ignored and Blake remained on the seat.

"Like Blake, here," He said with a nod to Blake, "I was a member of the White Fang, and I proudly stood for everything that we believed in! Unlike some people I could mention," He said, again with a meaningful glance at Blake, who flinched slightly.

"Keep it moving, Tukson. We're not here to discuss that." Jaune interrupted before it get too heated. Shrugging it off, he continued.

"I was a proud member of the White Fang, until our sect started working with humans," He said, spitting out the word like humans were distasteful, and to Tukson, Jaune supposed it was.

"And not just any humans either! Roman Torchwick, and his ilk!" He spat on the ground as he said this.

"Wait, Emerald and Mercury are working with Torchwick?" Yang burst out at that, her fists clenched, memories of their last encounter running through her mind.

"That means that lady's probably with them as well…" Ruby added, looking down at her knees.

Tukson scoffed, drawing all of them out of their thoughts. "Working with? They're all working FOR Cinder. The minute that they brought them in, I decided that I needed to get out. I refuse to work with humans, that's against everything we stood for!"

They all work for Cinder? Even Torchwick? That didn't bode well for their chances if they had to fight her directly. Maybe they'd have to catch her off guard, or attack her when she was sleeping…

Wait, when did Jaune immediately decide that she needed to be gotten rid of? Could they even get rid of her? This might be above his pay grade. He might need to go to someone higher...but who?

"And yet, you didn't mind selling to humans or taking their money? Mind running me through how that works?" Yang interrupted his thoughts, by asking Tukson.

His demeanor became defensive as he defended his statement. "I have no problem taking money from you, but I have no desire to work with you in any way shape or form. You understand I'm sure."

Ozpin?

"No, I don't, enlighten me. You're over there on your high horse, trying to act like you're the noble white fang member, which is a terrorist group by the way, and you're looking down on Blake and us AFTER we saved your life! Talk about ungrateful."

No, too secretive. And Jaune wasn't sure what he might ask for in exchange from the enigmatic man. He'd have to think on it.

"You dare? You DARE?!"

A smile curled on his lips. That could work. They needed more information though. Did Tukson know anything that Blake didn't?

"That's enough guys. Arguing like this will get us nowhere. And even worse, the longer we stand here arguing, the greater your chances of getting caught would be correct?" Jaune directed at the Faunus, who swallowed whatever reply he was about to give and nodded.

"And you obviously can't take care of yourself in case you get attacked again, so we'll escort you. There's somewhere that you want to go?"

"We'll do what now?" Yang asked, turning to look at him wide eyed. Across the room, Tukson was giving him a similar shocked expression.

He shrugged at their expressions and explained himself. "We have a break coming up before the Vytal festival, so school won't interfere. And if we leave him to his own devices, he'll just get attacked again."

Plus he might have more information for them, went unsaid throughout the room.

"That is...if you don't mind having the help of some humans," Jaune said, using the same emphasis that Tukson did on the word.

"We help you get to where you're going, and you tell us everything you know. Deal?"

"But it's vacation time!"

"But the best vacation ever!"

Tukson looked from the pouting Ruby, to the sulking Yang, to the defensive Blake and back to Jaune.

"What do I have to lose? You have a deal."

Tukson's original plan had been to go to Vacuo, but he was worried that his plan was compromised, so he changed his mind and wanted to go to Atlas. He said that the continent of Solitas would be much easier to get lost in, as the White Fang had a very small sect in that location.

Jaune thought that wishful thinking on his part, due to how Atlas was KNOWN to treat the faunus, but he said nothing and let it slide. Maybe Tukson had a specific reason for wanting to go to Atlas.

Tukson had arranged for them to travel from Vale to one of the outermost port cities of Igneous, and from there they all would travel there by foot.

All in all, it would take about two to three weeks, not accounting for any errors or attacks from outside forces.

Jaune really hoped there would be attacks from outside forces. Just...not while they were on the ship.

"I didn't think there was anything that you couldn't handle Mr. Leader," Yang's teasing voice came from behind Jaune as small circles were rubbed into his back. "Can't handle your boat rides huh?"

"Not even a little. Airships I can do, carriages and trains, yes. God, why did it have to be a boat?"

Yang laughed, not even the slightest bit sympathetic, although she did continue to rub circles in his back, which was nice.

"So, Ruby tells me that you stare off into space on occasions with a pretty sad look on your face,"

Yang began, and despite her ministrations, Jaune tensed. She never stopped though, nor did she try to make Jaune look at her or explain himself.

"And you're fairly restless, I don't think I've ever seen you sleep. You go to bed after all of us and are always the first one up What I guess I'm trying to say is...are you alright?"

There was a long pause.

"No...I'm not." He didn't even see the point in trying to lie. Not that he could think of one anyway. Besides, he's already told Blake, what was the harm in telling Yang?

"You know how you came to Beacon for adventure? And to find your mother?"

At her hum of acknowledgment , he continued. It was easier telling her this without actually facing her.

"I came for vengeance."

Short, sweet and to the point.

There was a brief pause, before she spoke.

"Who?"

There was no condemnation in her voice, no disgust. Jaune hurried to get out what he wanted to say before he put it there.

"I don't know his name. But he came to my home town one day and killed everyone. My friends...my family…everyone."

"But not you."

"Not me,". Jaune agreed. "He actually awakened my aura."

"And you've been searching for him ever since." Yang said. It wasn't a question.

"The more saw, the more I upset I became. Faunus being oppressed. PEOPLE being oppressed. The strong tormenting the weak. Because they can." He scoffed. "Sickening."

"Make no mistake Yang, what I told you wasn't a lie. I really do want to make the world a better place. But not until that man dies knowing what he did to me was a mistake. I won't rest, until I get that. My family demands nothing less."

Yang's hand disappeared and Jaune thought that he had scared her off. He should have known better. How could he salvage-

Jaune felt two arms snake around his waist, and something that he suspected was her chin landed on his back.

She was hugging him.

"I get that Jaune, I really do. But I also want you to realize that slowing down isn't the same as stopping. It's a necessity."

Jaune opened his mouth to argue that, but she cut him off. "It's a necessity! You're getting stronger Jaune, we all are! But you know what would help you even more? Relaxing."

"I-"

"Your aura is your mind, body and spirit! Emphasis on mind and spirit here! You're not at your best if you're overworked and stressed."

"But what if he comes back before I'm ready?!" Jaune bit out, refusing to be interrupted again. "What if I drop my guard, relax and then he comes and kills you all! I can't lose everyone again Yang...I can't."

"Revenge isn't worth much when you're dead Jaune. But I can talk to my uncle, see if he knows anything about who you seek. Although, he hasn't been any help with finding Raven so..."

Jaune wasn't sure how he should respond to that, or even if he should respond to it, and so he said nothing. There was some merit to what Yang had said however so he would think it over.

Two horrible days later and they were finally on Ignacious.

"Are you going to kiss the ground like they do in the movies? I can walk you through the motions if you'd like?"

Jaune ignored Yang's attempts at jokes as he practically fled off of the boat. He even beat Ruby off the boat, which was no small feat considering her base speed.

He did his best to pretend that his team was giggling at something else. Maybe someone tripped over in the distance.

"If we're done playing around, we need to make haste". Tukson interrupted, stepping off of the boat, with not a trace of seasickness on him.

Not for the first time, Jaune cursed the man internally.

Rather than admit that, he simply straightened his jacket and addressed the man. "So where are we-"

Jaune's sentence was interrupted when he felt Ruby tackle him down as a bullet wizzed by his head.

He rolled with the tackle and hopped back on his feet, Ruby in his arms. She nodded at him and he let her go, where she proceeded to scatter and rise up, looking for a higher vantage point.

"Why are we being attacked? We just freaking got here!" Yang asked as she armed herself and quickly found herself being swarmed by several people in uniforms that Jaune didn't recognize.

He would have studied them more, but he had his own enemies to tend to. Jaune's sword slid out of his sheath but he didn't have time to expand his shield before his foes reached him.

They weren't trained, that much was obvious. Their motions were telegraphed, and easy to read. What made them so difficult to fight was the sheer number of them.

The enemies just kept pouring out of nowhere, and team JRBY and Tukson found themselves being pushed back.

"They're herding us somewhere! Be on your guard everyone!"

At least they weren't being shot at anymore, thanks to Ruby. "Hey, guys!" She yelled, awe clear in her voice, "Be careful! There's!"

And then suddenly a whip wrapped around Yang's arm and yanked her backwards, throwing her balance, leaving her open to another attack. Or it would have if Jaune hadn't blocked it with his shield now fully expanded into its light dust form.

Blake turned in the direction the whip had come from, and stammered, "That's-"

Jaune risked a look, and could see why Blake was so surprised. Standing behind them was a Faunus. A female bengal tiger based one with orange eyes, dark brown skin, and wild black hair that spiked out. She had an extra pair of ears on her head similar to Blake, and her body was adorned with numerous tattoos resembling tiger stripes.

Or maybe they were actual stripes. She wore four golden earrings on all four of her ears and had a small jewel on her forehead.

She was wearing a form fitting black dress with light green accents on the rims of the outfit. Over the dress, she wore a red cape with gold accents, as well as a waist green cinched with red rims. On her legs she wore black stockings with green sandals. She wore a fingerless black glove on only one hand. "That was just a warning shot," She grinned at them, and it was all teeth. "Trust me, the next time we go at it, we won't pull any punches."

"Sienna...Khan?" Jaune asked, just as confused as Blake was. "High leader of the White Fang? What are you doing in Atlas?"

"This is the White Fang?" Yang asked, as she looked closer at the uniforms, now that they had stopped attacking them.

And now that Jaune studied them himself, he could see that these clearly weren't White Fang members. But Sienna Khan was here.

"Blake? Oh and Tukson too? I'd heard that you both have left the White Fang. If it's not too much trouble...maybe you'd like to join my group? I'll even accept your human friends, on a trial basis. We're not too picky at the moment."

"What-what is this?"

Jaune wasn't sure if that was Tukson, Blake or himself asking that. Maybe it was all three.

"This?" She said, gesturing to all of the men and women that were picking themselves up. Jaune and the others hadn't used to much force, as they didn't want to cause too much damage. "Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners? I'm Sienna Khan, founder and high leader of the Black Hand."

"What."

Now Jaune knew that was him talking. Sienna sneered at him. "What? You think Blake and Tukson are the the only people that can leave! Me and my...former associates had a...difference of opinion you could say. And now here we are. Now are we going to discuss this like the rational adults we are, or does this need to get ugly?"

Yang suddenly groaned, catching all of their attention. "I hate you Jaune, this is the worst vacation ever!"

Jaune couldn't bring himself to disagree.