Empty. Just like all the others. It didn't matter how many of these stupid warehouses they visited, the results were still the same. Empty. Empty. EMPTY. Jaune hated warehouses. Too many places to hide. Too many chances for something to go wrong. And today had been a prime example. Seven different hide outs, and all of them had been the exact same. Each and every one had the look of a hastily evacuated. Piles or burnt paper lay everywhere, things scattered around. Computers smashed, and tables flipped. It was confusing the first time, worrying the second, irritating the third, and absolutely infuriating every time after that.

"I'm telling you, Ren. They're following us. They know what we're doing."

"How, Jaune? We already scanned the car, each other, our scrolls. We've both been keeping an eye out. Can you give me any other explanation?"

"I don't know!" Jaune shouted as he tipped over one the last standing table in frustration. He didn't like this. They suddenly get a new lead, and suddenly the one person they need to talk to disappears? No, this wasn't a coincidence. Normally, he would suspect Cardin, but not this time. No one knew that he had kept in touch with this contact. Not Cardin, not the chief, not Ren, not even... He let out a frustrated sigh. He had finally thought he might have had a way to help out his partner, and things ended just like this. It was just like Beacon all over again. Still, what worried him more than his helplessness was the fact that they had gone into hiding just when he was looking for them despite the fact that no one knew it. The more he thought about it, the more he knew that Ren was right. There was something...off about this whole situation. The crime spree, the gang war, the abandoned bases... he didn't like it, and Ren's theory was only looking more plausible by the second. He let out a long sigh and turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go, Jaune. There's nothing more we can do tonight."

Jaune shook his head. The longer they waited, the colder the trail got, and there was no way he was going back to Cardin. No way was he going to add to that thug's growing collection of secrets twice in one day. He started to explain all this to Ren, but his partner only shook his head back.

"There's no good in you rushing off to do things the way you are now. We'll head home and start again fresh in the morning."

Jaune was about to start arguing again, but stopped himself as he remembered something important. "Tonight's the night Nora comes back, isn't it?"

Ren smiled sheepishly, but Jaune couldn't blame him for the ulterior motive. It had been almost a month, and they were both starting to miss the energetic member of their trio. "I understand. We'll start again in the morning."

It seemed like such a long drive back to drop off Ren. Neither of them wanted to speak, to acknowledge the thing they were both thinking. They needed a break, from the job, from each other, and tonight was the perfect excuse. They pulled up to the small cozy house that Ren called home, and there was a brief moment of silence as Ren seemed to quickly muse over a thought. "Would you like to join us for dinner, Jaune?"

Jaune smiled weakly, but shook his head in the negative. "Nah, I appreciate the offer, but tonight should just be you two. It's her first night back."

Ren nodded, and though he tried to hide the relief on his face, Jaune knew him well enough to see it. Still, when your wife came back safely from a mission, you really didn't need the distraction of a third wheel. "You'll join us tomorrow though, won't you?"

"I don't think I have much of a choice. If I told Nora that I changed my mind about making that Southern Vale Stew, I'd be safer among the Grimm," he said with a smile. Their traditions were something that none of them wanted to break, not after all this time.

He watched as Ren headed towards his house ad couldn't stop the laugh that escaped his laugh as Nora launched herself out the door at Ren, no longer content to simply wait inside. She waved at him energetically, and Jaune waved back before driving off. He didn't want to admit it, but there was another reason for him not wanting to stay. He had hoped that they could remain 'we three,' but that wasn't a possibility. It didn't matter how much they might pretend things wouldn't change, Jaune knew the truth. 'We three' had turned into 'Us two and Jaune' a long time ago. They did their best to include him, but you could only do so much and Jaune tried his best not to be too much of a nuisance. Still, sometimes it ate at you. JNPR and RWBY had moved into a different time. He and Jaune had stayed in the city, but the others had gone out to try to save the world in their own way...

He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he barely noticed when he had pulled up to where he hung his own hat. He got out of the car and headed inside. It was an apartment building as old and worn down as the streets themselves. It was nothing fancy, and in fact, came close to being nothing at all, but it was home, and for now that was good enough for him.

As he approached his own room, he saw something that froze his blood: The door was ajar. Scowling, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small cylinder. With a flick of his wrist, the baton extended, spitting out a few sparks once it was fully extended. With a flick of his other wrist, the small plates on his arm expanded to form a circular shield. Crocea Mors was hardly something you used on regular people, so Jaune had adjusted. Jaune opened the door to his apartment and found everything dark. He flicked on the light to the main room, and moved forward slowly. He inspected the small place, room by room. The kitchen was saved for last, and as the light turned on, Jaune saw the last person he had expected

Tri-colored hair, stylish parasol, white coat, her appearance hadn't changed much the past few years. She was sitting on his counter, smirking at him with an almost expectant expression on her face. She raised an eyebrow at him, saying nothing.

"Yeah, of course I'm surprised to see you. You wanna tell me exactly what happened? Or will we have to get...rough?" he asked with a smirk of his own. She turned away from him slightly no longer meeting his eyes.

"Oh? And why is that? Is there something you're hiding from me?"

Jaune walked closer as Neo hopped off of her spot in the counter. After he had adopted his second persona, the criminal had almost seemed to take a liking to him. He assumed it was because he had modeled himself after Roman Torchwick, but could never be sure. He was less than a foot away she reached out and gently placed a hand on his chest. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. She met his gaze with a knowing smile. Reaching into his pocket, she pulled out a piece of paper he knew hadn't been there a moment before. She tossed it into the air, and in that brief moment where he looked up at it, he knew he had made a mistake. There was a flash just outside his field of vision and by the time he looked, she was gone.

Jaune managed to catch the paper before it fell to the floor. He scowled at the writing on it. Maybe because she was used to dealing with the original, but every time they met, Jaune was always left feeling as if he was being used. There was never a moment where he felt in control. And though he didn't enjoy it, he knew he still needed her. He looked once more back at the paper. It simply said 'Soon.'

He sighed and placed it back on the counter before pulling out his scroll. One dial later, and Jaune felt the relief that only one person's voice could bring. He waited only a moment before getting straight to the point. "Hey, are you free? I really need to see you tonight."