Hey, we're back! Sorry about missing an update for this and BSC. The holidays were a little hectic for me. But, I'm back and in full swing now.

And responding to the reviewers who were wondering why, oh why, Tyrian made his little entrance at the end of the last chapter, here is all I'll say. No plot holes were formed in the making of this fic. Don't believe me? Still think that him showing up wasn't *gasp* intentional? BWAHAHAHA! Oh, ye of little faith, if only patience shalt thou learn, all will be revealed unto thee!

In all seriousness, though, you do raise a valid point. Why is Tyrian here if Ruby has no part in the fight against Salem?

I guess we'll have to wait and see...

Chapter 2

Ruby's fingers drummed on the counter, her chin rested in her other palm. Releasing an exasperated puff of air, she glanced at the clock.

Barely ten past eleven.

"UGH!" she let her head fall and impact with the bar. It had been an agonizingly slow day, with only a few customers to speak of early on. After Yang's surprise appearance the night before, she'd gone to bed hopeful for a fantastic day.

"Nope," she said to herself, popping the 'p,' to place emphasis on the word. "Cuz, why would that be the case, huh?" Could she have been more naïve? And it was only Tuesday! She still had three more days before the weekend. Although, at least now, she had something to look forward to in the form of hanging out with Yang.

She and her big sis had stayed up far into the night, talking and exchanging stories. Of course, Yang, having a more exciting life by leagues, beat her out in that department. The most intriguing tale Ruby had was of the kid who had thrown up all over her floor. The one whose mother had demanded free pastries for life as compensation for "poisoning her baby." Thankfully that had ended peaceably - for the most part, anyway - with Ruby giving the woman her money back.

But even that whole debacle paled in comparison to the fantastic adventures of team Yewberry. Despite having lost a member of her team in the White Fang attack on Vale four years ago, Yang, Weiss, and Blake still managed to keep at their dreams. Ruby respected that about them. In the face of adversity, they pressed on.

She wondered if she would be like that, was she in their shoes. Probably not; Ruby wasn't nearly brave enough to live a life like that. She was proud of her sister, no doubt about that, but she didn't desire that sort of action in her own admittedly dull existence.

Her own boringness aside, Yang's stories of her and the others' exploits out on the job were nothing short of astounding. Ruby knew for a fact that her sister was exaggerating for dramatic effect. Despite that, she hung off every word like they were one-liners in a Spruce Willis movie. Which, to be fair, a lot of them were. One thing Yang could be if her career ever failed was an action hero. She certainly had the corny jokes and borderline suicidal adrenaline addiction down pat.

Ruby was then ripped out from the comfortable confines of her own mind, back to reality, when the bell above the bakery's door chimed out.

Yay! A customer! "Hi, welcome to Bread Like Roses! How can I help you?" she asked, cheerily bouncing on her heels. The first thing she'd learned when it came to service, was that if you were happy, the patron was more likely to be the same. Which was why she belted out the high-pitched greeting every damn time she heard that bell.

However, it didn't always work. Case in point, the man who had walked through the door. Stood at least eight feet tall, if he hadn't made a concerted effort to step out of the way, he would have been smacked in the face by the fan on the ceiling. His dark eyes scanned the room as if looking for some unknown threat, before eventually focusing on her in a slightly unsettling manner.

If she thought Yang, uncle Qrow, or any other hunter she knew were intimidating, this guy blew them all away.

Much as she wanted to, Ruby couldn't throw her hands up and "nope" her way out of the room. Even as the man stomped up - for it seemed all he was able to do was stomp - to the counter, maintaining eye contact the whole way. It was more than enough to fill her weird meter to maximum capacity.

"Can I help you, sir?" she repeated, trying desperately to uphold her welcoming visage.

"Ruby Rose?" the stranger asked, his tanned face giving off no emotion whatsoever.

Ruby gulped, and then immediately cursed the fact that it was audible. "Y-yes? Are you here to pick up an order or-?"

The door slammed open yet again, distracting her and the man. Boisterous as ever, in strolled Yang with a familiar figure in tow. She and Weiss were honestly the most welcome thing she'd seen all day. With a broad smile and broader gait, the blonde stepped up to the glass bar, leaning up beside the scary man.

"Hey, 'sup, baby sis? Look who I've got." Yang said, gesturing toward her teammate.

Weiss crossed her arms. "Yang, Ruby is dealing with a customer. Wait your turn."

Not so much dealing, Ruby thought, glancing up at his face, more trying not to bust out into a nervous sweat. Which was getting harder and harder to do by the second.

His attention was no longer solely on her; instead, his eyes were flicking between the three of them. With a nod and a deep sigh, he reached into his long jacket. She couldn't help the way she quite noticeably flinched. Then winced when she saw the humor drain from her sister's face, and Weiss's eyes get even icier. The man caught it too, muscles tensing even as the two huntresses' hands fell to their weapons.

Although, that was where the mood stopped dropping. As the customer's hand came out of his coat, Ruby breathed a silent sigh of relief when she saw the lien it held.

"Two loaves," he muttered, sliding the money across the counter.

Heart pounding like a marching band drum section, she nodded and rang up the man's order. Her hands were shaking slightly as she placed two freshly baked loaves of bread in a brown paper bag and handed them over.

"Your total is twelve lien..." she trailed off when he suddenly turned and walked out the door without another word, leaving her holding his change, a stunned expression decorating her face. "Um... sir? You forgot your change!"

"Keep it," was the last thing she heard as the door closed, and he disappeared down the street.

The three women watched the outside world for a minute or two, just waiting for the storefront windows to explode in on them and all hell to break loose. When nothing happened, Ruby let out a breath, feeling like a massive weight had been lifted off her chest. Maybe she would close down early today? Take a personal holiday.

"So…" Yang broke the hush that had befallen them. "You wanna tell me the story there before I go and break someone's kneecaps?"

/-/

Hazel walked down the sidewalk in silence. That had not gone according to plan, not at all. In fact, the sudden interruption, courtesy of Ruby Rose's sister and the Schnee, both of which were almost definitely on Ozpin's payroll, had derailed the plan entirely. He groaned with annoyance. Tyrian had mention Xiao Long had visited the girl the previous night. Still, he'd been hoping that it was just a social call. If she was still in town, despite being a professional huntress, and with her team no less, then there was no guarantee they would be leaving any time soon.

Unfortunate, but not a complete disaster. This was always going to be a troublesome task, what with Rose's close proximity to her father, and Qrow Branwen at times. This new development was merely another obstacle to be overcome; nothing he and Tyrian together could not deal with.

With a sigh, he tossed the sack of bread he'd purchased to a homeless man sat against a brick wall. Buying it had been a split-second decision that likely saved him from having to engage the two huntresses. It was apparent that it was where the situation had been headed. The girl was looking frightened out of her wits and twitching at his every move. She may not have guessed his true intentions, but she was quite obviously uncomfortable with his presence. Although, Hazel supposed that would have been the case whether it had been he or his partner who had carried out the deed - more so in Tyrian's case. At least, he would be the less recognizable of the two to any who witnessed him enter the bakery.

Despite his considerable size and gruff demeanor, Hazel was reasonably benign compared to the killer faunus's clear as day mania and bloodlust. People tended to remember that more than a rather large man buying bread.

"So?" the deranged assassin purred as Hazel entered the dingy apartment they were using as a safe house. "How was it? Did she put up much of a fight? Oooh, I hope so. It's always more fun when they struggle."

Without even looking at Tyrian, he sat down on the moldy couch, folded his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes. "Ruby Rose still lives." He grunted.

"What?! How? Did she escape you? She hasn't got any huntress training; how could she hope to stand against you?" The serial killer leaped onto the cushion beside him, bringing his bony face inches from Hazel's own.

"No, she was scared beyond reason," he said. "I doubt she could even think to call for help."

Tyrian snarled, just as he always did on the rare occasions his quarry evaded him. "Then why, my friend," he hissed, "is the little bitch still breathing? Was it just that difficult for you; did that blasted conscience of yours get the better of you?"

Hazel sighed. He wasn't wholly wrong in his assumption. As much as he disagreed - no, hated - killing the girl, it had to be done. She had ordered it, and he was her servant. As was the faunus that was interrogating him at that moment, and he would have had no qualms cutting Rose down in cold blood. He would have found it enjoyable.

But Hazel did still possess a modicum of empathy, and he wouldn't doom an innocent to suffer for Tyrian's amusement. At least, if he was doing the deed himself, it would be as quick and painless as possible. He could only offer her that much mercy.

As for why he hadn't taken the chance to complete his mission when he'd had it…

"I was interrupted," Hazel said plainly. "Her sister and another huntress entered the building before I had a chance to act."

Tyrian's brows furrowed, and he fell back into the couch. "And this stopped you, why? Last I checked, you were more than capable of killing hunters with ease. You're telling me that you were frightened away by a pair of fresh-faced girls?"

It was just like him to not see the problem with engaging in open combat - in broad daylight, no less. Honestly, if he weren't there to keep him in check, Hazel feared Tyrian might have gone on a killing spree, roaming from building to building until he caught their target.

"Killing Ruby Rose is already going to cause a stir. Most, if not all of her family works directly for Ozpin in some capacity," he explained. "There's no need to evoke their wrath further by causing a scene in the middle of the day."

Much as he despised the old man, Hazel was no fool. Getting caught up in a fight with his pawns was like inviting a Deathstalker to dinner - there were no favorable outcomes in that scenario.

"It doesn't matter all that much," he stated, looking at his scowling partner. "We aren't on a time schedule. There will likely be plenty of times to strike. Preferably when she is less guarded, even if we need to wait a few days."

Tyrian fumed, crossing his arms like a child deprived of a toy. "Fine," he spat. "But, when the time comes, I'll be the one to snuff her out. You've clearly gone soft; I don't want you messing up and finding some other reason not to kill Rose."

Hazel could only sigh again. He didn't like the idea, but there was no arguing with him. The faunus answered to no one but her.

One way or another, Ruby Rose would meet her end.

So, we get a glimpse into our villains' task, and some hints at the direction of the story... one can only assume that the author is setting up for something. Hmm, I wonder what?