A week had passed since the trio set out for northern Vale, their travels landed then in various small villages, an unending amount of stares for their outfits, to which Emerald bore a similar attire. Though, in place of a kasa she opted for a white mask, with no discernible features save for two narrowed eye slits, and a red claw mark on the bottom left half. How she acquired it, her team made no comments or raise a single question, to which she was rather grateful. Especially since the blond had told her he would make no uproar of her little acts of thievery. Suffice to say, as nomads went, they were perhaps the least subtle out there. But, that didn't matter, they never strayed too long, and their interactions with the townsfolk was little to none, save for the barkeep or Innkeeper they would go to for information or lodging. The trek north had been relatively easy, per se. Even when carrying a puppet he claimed to weigh in equivalent to an iron cuirass, Jaune seemed relatively fine walking long distance with the wooden contraption on his back. Ilia, for the most part, remained silent most of the time, speaking only every so often, and walking rather closely to the blond. As for the minty-haired thief, while she had a few remarks over the long walk they had to endure, she couldn't say she was displeased. The few amount of Grimm they encountered gave her a hint of excitement, and when not on the road or fighting Grimm, she found herself sparing with her teammates. She preferred Amitola, for obvious reasons being; she couldn't predict the blond's style. One day he'd use his puppet for a ranged attack, the next he fought at close range with daggers, and then another he'd get up close and personal with nothing but his bare fists. Still, she couldn't deny she enjoyed the company. The two had fun banter once in a while, the blond being the main one she'd have conversations with.

What she couldn't wrap her head around was the fact that her new boss was a Reaver, a people she had assumed had been wiped out long ago. She remembered watching the military bullheads fly across the Valen forests, scorching and shooting at any and all Reaver that managed to escape their eradication. Hell, it could've been seen from atop the city walls, by which many bared witness to such a massacre. And yet, here stood one of them, perhaps the last of his kind, declaring that he was going to bring peace to the word by means of tearing it down. She couldn't deny, he had his reasons to do so and with how he presented himself in their first meeting, no doubt he'd possibly pull it off too. She wasn't too optimistic though.

"Em?" The thief's eyes shot up, the Reaver had stopped, leading her to almost clashing with him. She was momentarily caught off guard with the nickname he had for her, but that was instantly brushed aside when her eyes caught sight of the path ahead of them. The forest was, in every meaning of the word, dead. What she assumed were remnants of trees lay either scorched or rotting. Bones of both animals and humans littered the grounds, scattered about. Though, the pieces that showed were partially buried within the blackened ground. All the while, a thick mist shrouded the deeper bowls of the deadlands; the bits that showed were primarily to dishearten any from entering. "Eyes up, stay close. And wear these." Jaune ordered, his voice carrying more of an authoritative tone than usual as he handed both her and the short Faunus gas masks. The thief hesitated for a moment; reluctantly she obeyed and stuck closely to the blond, as did Amitola. Upon entering, the three were finding themselves sticking closer than intended as the fog grew thicker as they continued their venture. At one point, and she had no idea how, Emerald found herself holding the blond's hand as she noticed that apart from his wrist to his elbow; he seemingly disappeared within the fog. A growing bulk of anxiety began growing in the pit of her stomach as she gripped his palm tighter, afraid to let go and be lost in the mist. In response, she heard the blond speak up, slightly easing her fear. "Stay calm, we're almost at the end." She had hoped he was right, though, she could only wonder why it was that the blond was so calm considering the circumstances. As they continued further his body had become visible again. Although, once the road ahead became visible as well, Emerald's eyes glanced forward, her breath hitched at the sight before her.

Their walk was nothing less than ten or fifteen minutes, but in that time they somehow came across woodlands again, as well as the sight of the pair of mountains from the map. As they departed from the grips of the mist, the blond removed his mask, signaling the others to do the same. Though, he did not halt his walk, rather, he kept his eyes forward as he continued venturing into the new spec of woodlands. Ilia and Emerald followed behind, the latter leaning over to Amitola for a moment.

"So, he tell you anything about where we're going?" She asked, to which Amitola shook her head. Leaving Emerald to sigh, tiredly, realizing their trek into the deadlands was an uphill climb. Albeit on soft terrain, the path was, oddly, paved.

While they continued their seemingly endless walk, the thief took a moment to take in her surroundings. The mist, possibly a type of miasma, seemingly encircled the forest and possibly towards the foot of mountains from which both on the map and from her view, formed a crescent moon, whilst the second half comprised of the miasma filled woodlands, giving this little spec of the forest a natural barrier against intruders. Although, whether anything or anyone was still living in this area was beyond her. All the same, the sight was nothing short of beautiful, the small streams, active wildlife, and untethered nature gave a sense of a world not yet touched by civilization. The smell, the sounds, it was...overwhelming? She couldn't exactly put a finger on it; it was just so different than the bustling sounds of a sleepless city. Here, there was peace, there was quiet. She couldn't deny the beauty...but, she also couldn't imagine a life in a place like this. Emerald had grown accustomed to sound, the ever booming bustling metropolis. Smells of varying food carts, a constant police siren each day, or the sound of a bullhead passing overhead each day. She loved this sounds, she loved those attributes. So, whatever her boss hoped to acquire here, she hoped it wouldn't lead to them staying here. Still, she wouldn't deny the appeal of this piece of Vale. It was calming, for lack of a better word.

That feeling, sadly, wouldn't last as they reached a clearing, and the three were greeted to a sight that made two of them nearly gasp with horror. A city, or what remained of it, made entirely of wood and stone. Primarily the latter. This city was something akin to what one would see in a text book regarding ancient civilizations of either Stone Age, or something akin to it, only this one found itself with crumbling structures, bones and tattered clothing scattered amongst the rubble, and multiple craters that indicated a series of aerial bombings. Amongst the dead in tribal clothing, Ilia and Emerald were shocked to see Valen and Atlesian military uniforms amongst the dead. These, however, were without any sign of bullet or melee damage, as were a great deal of the dead they lay with. So begged the question; how did they die? As they ventured further into the lifeless city, they noticed quite a spectacle; a temple-like pyramid, built into the side of the mountain. A portion of the steps were blown to hell, whilst the base of the structure was littered with even more bones than anywhere else. It was then that they noticed something, to rather a lack thereof; sound. Their footsteps were perhaps the only sound produced here. There was no feeling of wind, no sign of wildlife, and there wasn't a hint of vines or sprouting green from the untended architecture. It was as if the city remained dead with its former occupants. Not to mention, the looming clouds overheard blocked away any form of sunlight, shades of dull grey were the only colors aside from the gold and black cloaks the trio wore. Even the vibrant, albeit tattered, robes of the deceased Reavers had been dulled with the passage of time. Adding to the tone of these ruins, they smelled nothing either. The air was still there, but it was far from with any tint of life.

"Ok...anyone else creeped out?" Emerald's question echoed, eerily, receiving no response, however, it provoked Ilia to stop in place. The blond did so as well, turning his head to face a slightly frowning Faunus.

"Jaune, where are we?" The blond took another glance around, his eyes locked on to a second temple, with the scorched remains of a purplish tree and a spear embedded into one of its roots, still standing.

"This...is Xolotl. It is...was the stronghold of the Reavers..." the two teens, with widened eyes, took another glance at the dead city. The realization struck them like the tail end of a semi; they stood in the after effect of the Eradication. The remains of the Reavers of this dwelling lay at their feet; they stood on a mass graveyard. That explained the various dead Valens and Atlesians, they probably arrived via Bullheads, bypassing the miasma border. "This place is where my people first established our roots..." Jaune's eyes focused on the large courtyard at the base of the temples. "...when we were exiled from the eyes of humanity..." His brows furrowed as he pressed down on the skull of an Atlesian in an officer's uniform. "...I suppose simply being hidden away wasn't enough for them."

"Why did you bring us here?" Ilia's frown had disappeared, replaced instead with worry at whatever reason he had for bringing them to this dead city.

The blond remained silent for a second, his eyes glancing back to the tree, but then finally remaining on the temple before them. "First we enter the temple. I'll explain once we're in." And with that, he began climbing the steps, Emerald following closely after. Yet, where Ilia would normally be right behind him, she found herself frustrated that he kept dodging her question. Was it too difficult to simply explain what it was they were there for? She sighed heavily, throwing a few choice curses in a hushed tone, and followed.

It took five minutes only nonstop climbing to reach the top. Upon doing so, Jaune continued walking to the temple door with nary a bead of sweat on his forehead. Emerald and Ilia were barely able to breathe as the two stopped to catch some air before continuing after the blond. They noticed the temple doors slightly ajar, with stone statues depicting what they believed to be a type of canines with horns adorning the entryway. Scattered around the temple's courtyard were a hefty pile Atlesian bones and guns scattered about. With no hesitation, the blond seemingly made sure to step atop every uniformed soldier, cracking bones and often kicking skulls aside out of annoyance. This form of desecration was not expressed amongst those of tribal clothing, ones the blond took careful heed to step over, to which the teens mirrored. Upon reaching the doors, it took the combined effort of the three to pry the stone slab open. What they found, though, was enough to actually halt the blond in his trek. Within the main hall of the temple were the remains of the children of the city. Seemingly all rushed and piled inside the temple in the hopes they would be safe from the invaders. The ones by the doors did have signs of both tracer and dust rounds on their clothing; the ones further inside did not. Which prompted a question Emerald didn't expect to openly ask, but came out nonetheless. "What the hell happened here?"

Jaune's face was a mixture of unbridled rage, and ever growing sorrow. He knew what had happened here, why many of the bodies scattered across the city were without a sign of a fight to their deaths.

"The Elderseer." He muttered, garnering the full attention of his companions. He gestured to the second pyramid with the scorched tree. "I'm assuming...in a last pit of effort to assure their enemy would not leave with a sense of glory, the people of this city used the tree's toxins to shroud Xolotl in the same mist that guards the entry to this land." The two teens were again just as shocked as they were horrified to hear of what occurred in this city; the Reavers, knowing full well their chances of winning were so low, they instead opted to poisoning their entire home, killing both the invaders and their populace all together. "The interior walls of the temple are thick enough to block out the miasma, hence why they probably rushed to hide the children here...but..." The blond's eyes glanced, not only to the scattered remains of the invaders, but also to the cracks and holes adorning the walls and possibly roofs of the temple. The only safe haven was compromised, meaning no one was safe. And knowing that, they wished they had just kept their mouths shut. It was bad enough hearing vague reports about what the kingdoms did, but to see the full effects of their invasion, it made both their stomachs turn. But then, they also had to wonder what it was that made the Reavers so desperate to destroy the Valens and Atlesians that they'd even sacrifice their own home? The two teens pondered on that thought as they quickly realized the blond had taken a vial of pyro dust and set a nearby torch ablaze.

The blonde, however, had one last bit of info to share in regards to the burnt tree. "I would've rather died bleeding out by a dust round, that tree's poison...it's worse than torture. Or so I've seen." Without even glancing back at his teammates, Jaune ventured further into the temple, the faint glow of his torch being all the light that would shine for them as he appeared to now be descending a flight of stairs. The two teens quite literally jumped to their feet and rushed after him. Sticking as close to him as they were in the mist. Though, they stared curiously at the visible hieroglyphs and runes adorning the still intact walls of the lower levels. Well, partially intact, there were a few rooms that had caved in.

Upon finally reaching the bottom, the glyphs had become symmetrical, from left and right, almost the images, albeit crude and fading, held in them various depictions of the Grimm, some of human-like figures of various colors wielding swords, their aims were towards the Grimm, a story that wasn't exactly in need of an explanation. What was in need of clarification were figures behind the Grimm, their arms held out in front of them, and hollowed out figurines connected through strings floating above them. The color schemes for the various human and Faunus-like figures were a mixed variety, common colors being blue and gold. Yet, upon seeing the ones standing behind the Grimm, their colors were akin to a deep shade of grey. All of them. And seemingly above them were beings of a silver shade with angelic wings. Though, their swords were drawn towards the puppeteers beneath them, not the Grimm.

As they approached two large doors, Jaune stopped, taking a moment to ponder before turning the torch back to the girls, removing his kasa. His piercing ocean and silver eyes had softened, though, they remained stoic. "Tell me, what is your favorite fairy tale?"

Both teens stared blankly back at the blond, taken aback by the sudden question that seemingly came out of nowhere. The thief and Amitola glanced to one another for a moment before turns back towards the blond. Neither had much of an answer, or rather, could not find words to answer. The question came out all of a sudden, and the two were still trying to wrap their heads around the dead city they just traversed over. All the while, the blond showed no prolonged effect of seeing the remains of his people. His lack of care didn't bother Ilia, she would only assume the blond was grieving internally, but his ambition and determination prevailed above his sorrow.

Emerald on the other hand, wasn't with such foresight, and she wasn't subtle with how she felt either. "How can you be so calm right now?" Her question did prompt a raised eyebrow from the blond, though genuine confusion, his expression returned to that of stoic.

"About the graveyard?" He could see the look in her eyes, they weren't hostile, but rather, curious and filled with doubt. For how could a man who has seen the very homeland of his people, reduced to rubble and littered with corpses. "Xolotl was not the only massacre. The four kingdoms launched an all-out assault on my people; they attacked all of the Reaver settlements, including my village." Jaune's tone rose with each word he spoke, but for the sake of civility he kept himself from going further by taking a momentary breather before continuing. "And..." Jaune's eyes wandered, landing on an image of the Elderseer, holding his torch towards the image of the tree. "I already know what the poison does to the human, Faunus, and Reaver bodies, respectively. It's not exactly an image I can forget. I can guess what happened here, picture it even. But, time is not forgiving if wasted, and I have no intention of leaving here empty handed." And with that, Jaune's eyes narrowed. "So answer my question; what is your favorite fairy tale, Emerald?"

The minty-haired girl felt another shiver crawl up her spine as she fumbled with her answer. Though, having lived on the streets, she wasn't exactly versed in much literature, save for one tale that stuck with her. "W-w-well...i-i-I'd have to say...the tale of the two brothers." Within a second after she gave her answer, the blond's glare eased, giving her a sense of relief as she recollected herself. His attention shifted to Ilia, whom had less of a reaction to his stare, and merely tilted her head forward, pondering her answer.

"Mine would be...the man with two souls...although; I also have a soft spot for the Four Maidens." Jaune hummed at her response.

"Well known stories those are." The blond commented. The two became confused at the statement, wondering what it had to do with them being at the temple, or if it played a part in Jaune's plan. Without warning, Jaune placed a palm against the left wall, a faint glowing light emitted from the boy's hand. Just as it dimmed, a door-like shape retracted, opening a passage one wouldn't have expected to find within the painted walls. Shining a small light within, the small group found an elongated passage, the walls as well inscribed with depictions of, primarily, three seemingly omnipotent beings. An assumption made due to the size of their depictions, and the apparent smaller figures below on their knees with arms raising towards their respective gods. As the blond entered, and the two teens followed closely behind, the blond's arm raised a torch to the hieroglyphs. "But, stories had to come from somewhere. And many stories carry with them a lick of truth." He commented, examining the various glyphs around him. To Jaune, this was a bit nostalgic. He had been in these tunnels before; he'd seen the item they had come for. Whether or not it was still here had yet to be seen. Though, he couldn't for the life of him think of another place it would be if not here. It wasn't exactly something the Reavers would've risked moving elsewhere.

As they reached the end of the corridor, entering a still darkened room. With what little light shone, the trio took quick notice of glimmering pieces of coin scattered across the floor. Alongside were broken wooden chest and splinters scattered about. As the blond walked forward, he lit hanging lamps. Which, oddly enough, held fragments of pyro dust. They wouldn't shine for much longer, but enough to light the room, which in itself was indeed massive. Though, the scale wouldn't be fully realized until the blond had reached what they could only guess to be the center of the room as there were a series of levers. In the middle was a rather sizable one, and with one swift shift, the lever, albeit rusty and threatening to break apart; did its duty. A series of holes above opened, a great measure of light to shun down upon hanging crystals, allowing for a brighter and clearer view of the room. And when their eyes adjusted, Ilia's mouth had gaped, slightly. Though, Emerald's bulged as she spun in place, marveling at the sight that surrounded her; mounds of gold and scattered gems littered across the floor. A couple of boulders hand destroyed a couple of stacked chests, with pearls and assorted jewelry mixed in with the rest of the trove of treasures. "Emerald..." Jaune called out calmly, the thief froze in place as she realized she'd been reaching towards a nearby pile. She turned to face the blond with a 'hand caught in the cookie jar' look. She had just realized what this all was; the city's vault. The temple housed Xolotl's wealth, and judging by the mounds of gold she could see, either the Reavers as a whole were hoarders who put total faith in the temple to safeguard their riches, or these were the spoils of raids or wars the people of this city took. In any case, she was enticed by the plethora of riches before her, and how could she not? A single bag of these would set her up real good back in the kingdoms. She'd never had to resort to thieving again, and she'd be able to finally live a peaceful life. But, this was the money of a dead people, Jaune's people. The blond's eyes wandered around the room, then back to the thief. "Fill up a bag; we'll need the money for the trip to Vacuo. Oh, and feel free to keep a bit for yourself. Pack light, and add some silver as well. It's hardly believable for a trio of teens to be carrying around a sack of pure gold, let alone have an entire vault at their leisure. And avoid the coins with the skulls on them." If only for a second, Emerald allowed his words to settle in before she was able to act. A widened smile spread across the thief's lips as she stared gleefully at the loot before her. Ilia herself leaned down to recover a piece of coin, on one surface was an ornamental skull, fashioned with a feathered headpiece. The skull itself was more cube in nature, as were the designs of the buildings outside, and the cubic patterns on the walls. On the other surface of the coin was a similar depiction of dog to the statues outside the temple. She tossed the coin back unto the mounds before her eyes caught sight of the blond walking towards a wall. Similarly to what he had done before, he placed a palm against the wall, and a second door opened up. Before she could walk over to accompany him the blond took a mere few steps inside before walking back out with a black book in hand.

An ominous aura crawled up Amitola's spine the longer she held her gaze on the piece o literature. The lettering on both the cover and back if the book were of a language she knew nothing of. The letters themselves, if one could call them that, were more akin to claw marks than anything else. But, from the way the blond seemingly eased at the book being in his hands, he appeared relieved. "Is that what we came for?" Ilia asked.

To which the blond nodded with a softened gaze.

"What is it?" This time it was Emerald who spoke up, even with deciding between two gems she picked off from a pile beside her, she was still curious of what it was that brought them to the city.

"This is…let's call it a piece of what we need to actualize my plan."

Ilia, for the most part, was done with the cryptic talk. As much as she respected her friend, she needed to know exactly what she was getting in to. And now that the blond had his 'key' she expected an answer. Though, in a moment, she somewhat wished she hadn't.

"Do you know want to know the real reason my people were targeted by the kingdoms?" Jaune asked. "It's because of this." He held up the book to the light, allowing the girls to see the cover clearly. Though, the bigger revelation now was the cause behind the Eradication fell unto a book. But then, how? And why? What exactly was so important about the book that the kingdoms decided that the Reavers deserved to die? Jaune reached into his knapsack, recovering a few scorched scrolls and letters. "After the Atlesian army destroyed my village, Chieftain Ghira returned to remained of my village, within the debris he recovered these letters, some of which addressed to my grandfather. And while the Belladonna patriarch could speak Vul Krein, reading the scripture was not an option for him. Thus, he gave me these pieces of parchment to translate for him. I did. What I discovered..." he hesitated, an act that he rarely did, and scarcely for dramatic effect. The information he uncovered from these scrolls caused a shudder to course through his body, if only faintly. "Well, it left me with more questions than answers. Until in translating further...I realized why it was the kingdoms saw the Reavers, a simplistic and isolationist people, as a threat. According to the letters these books contain written accounts, detailed research, and ingredients for powers even I consider to be...disturbing." For him to say that, the puppeteer who creates and controls a myriad of dolls coated with toxins that either poisons, paralyzes, or slowly tortures their target; to hear Jaune say the practices of his people unnerved him was more than alarming for the two teens. Summer floated above the blond, her glass eyes shone bright silver as she descended slowly unto his open palm. "One such spell had taken a culmination of research and planning, but once it had been perfected, it would've given us the means to end all conflict..." he hesitated again, whatever it was he discovered, it made him ponder over whether to tell them or not. "What we lack are eight ingredients to assure my plan for peace comes to fruition. And once we've gathered our members, I promise you, the road ahead will be filled with hardship and pain. But I have faith in your abilities, I know when the time comes to act, we will achieve our goals, unhindered. And soon, we will take that which keeps the kingdoms safe." As Jaune's tone rose, a mural behind him was practically glowing with each word he spoke. The teens were taken back as they saw the painted figure's pale complexion, blackened veins, glowing red orbs, seemingly fixed glare had kept them frozen in place. "We will take away that which keeps the kingdoms safe, and in their desperation, they will come to us. And we will be ready." For a moment, it almost appeared as though the blond was a perfect mirror of the mural above him. And in many ways, it scared the thief. Ilia? She was genuinely disturbed by his sudden proclamation. But, even so, she still held true to her word and would remain at his side.

"And what exactly are we going to be looking for?" Ilia asked, hoping she'd get a clear answer from the boy.

Jaune's eyes narrowed as he gestured to a mural behind them. upon setting her eyes on the painting, Ilia took notice of four oddly shaped items, and four figures holding said items in their palms. "What we seek are the relics and the maidens."

-Nighttime-

Emerald was sitting outside the temple; the clouds had cleared so she had a full view of the stars. Amidst all the dead that stay lay around her, she distracted herself by finding peace in her stargazing. The wind had finally picked up, brushing the cool night breeze against her cheeks as she stole glances at the empty city. A piece of her wished she could've seen this place in its prime. Yea, it was primitive, probably ancient by Atlas' standards, but it almost looked like it would've been a place for a thief like her to thrive. No cameras, not high tech security bots that could see through her semblance, she would've picked every pocket dry. The thought of it gave rise to a faint chuckle. It wasn't often that she'd fantasize about something positive, or one that would make her find humor in.

"Now there's a surprise." The thief nearly jumped on her feet; she only managed to land on her knees as she turned to face the newcomer. She relaxed a bit when she recognized the mop of blond hair. "Never thought it'd be so soon that I would get to hear you laugh." He commented, stopping just beside her. "Mind if I join you?" When she gestured him to sit, he did so, removing his cloak as he sat down.

After which the two remained quiet, as they stared off unto the night sky. Or so Emerald believed. Taking a quick glance at her leader, she was taken aback by his solemn expression as he gazed at his motherland.

"I wish I could've seen it." Emerald muttered. "Before the war."

Jaune hummed, humoring the thought of a human walking amongst a city of Reavers. "It was beautiful. Some humans used to call this place; the city hidden in the clouds. Faunas would call it; the city hidden in the mist. But for all Reavers...we called it home. Here the Reaver clans would gather for festivals, settle tribal disputes, hold tournaments…you name it, Xolotl was the place. It was even agreed, should the kingdoms try anything again, this city was to be our last line of defense. Should the city fall…then all of the Reavers might as well fall with it."

"It was that important to your people?"

"Very." Jaune's gaze fell to the steps beneath him.

Sensing the awkward tension, the thief fumbled with ideas to change the subject, and one shone brighter above the rest. "S-s-so you and Ilia…" The blond's sorrowful expression almost vanished in an instant, bringing forth more confusion than anything else. 'How long have you two…been an item?" she asked, only now realizing she was asking for a little history on her comrades. To which the blond adopted a faint grin before responding.

"Well, I wouldn't really call her and me an 'item, considering she never really liked me as a kid, and right now we're just starting off as friends." Though, he soon came to regret uttering those choice of words as he noticed a mischievous smirk widen on the girl's lips. She wouldn't tell Ilia this, no, someone like Emerald would play this out, tease him. And maybe even her if the thief felt brave enough. Considering it was still an early night, the minty-haired girl was now invested in this little topic as she not only further teased him, but at some points even got a bit too close. And while he showed little to no visible reactions to her forwardness, it didn't stop tints of pink and mild red from showing.

All the while the two were unaware of a chameleon faunus standing behind the open door to the temple, listening in on their conversation, all of which with a mixture of confusion, irritancy, and a mild blush.

Ok, so I had a really huge motivation to get this latest chapter out, had to revise it cause I kept feeling like I either explained too much or gave away too much of the story. So, I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter. Oh! And for those who want to know who the members of this little group will be, stay tuned for the next three chapters, two of 'em will join up soon enough.

Response time!

Random Stranger: I will let you all know when the story hits the canon timeline. As for the remaining members, those are surprise for later. I will say this; expect two new members in the next three chapters.

Gabriel H. Sapphire:…ok, i get threesome, but I got no clue what memesome means. All the same…I agree…I think

Forsaken9: All of the members shall receive cloaks, though, I was kinda hoping for the ominous look so yea, I'd say something close to the Akatsuki. Kasas will be optional, as I feel I'll have some of the members wear masks as well.

X3runner: Emerald as Itachi?...that's actually an interesting way to look at it. I was thinking of keeping her closer to her character on the show; loyal and devout, but to the group. Still, yea the abilities do give her that image. Well, her and Neo. As for Winter's reaction; soon. mayhaps next chapter, mayhaps later. Stay tuned to find out.

The1turtle: Poses? Now there's an idea, I'll have to rewatch some of Lelouch's speeches to get a few ideas. As for 'Jaune's Suzaku' well,I've had an idea of who I'll use for that role. Blake's history with him, which I will have flashbacks for, would give her more grounds to try and bring urge him away from his path. Though, I really like the idea of Ruby's more optimistic and naïve hope for the world. It could be one, it could be both. Stay tuned to find out.

Xealchim: I didn't really mean for the strong Naruto vibes, I honestly based the puppet idea from Alice from the game Touhou, but when people started pointing out similarities to Sasori, I gave the show a watch and…I've been influenced. And while I agree with your statement, as I said before, Jaune isn't meant to be solely good or bad. As for Summer being his mom, glad you found some enjoyment in that. I've already got the little family reunion with Ruby planned out. Hope you stick by for then.

TheGamer24: Bueno, lo que si te puedo decir es que Amber no va ser parte del grupo, por razones que voy a explicar en los capítulos que vienen. En los tres que vienen pronto, entrarán dos nubes miembros.