A/N: Alright so I'm back with another chapter! Imma just take a moment to tell you guys how awesome you are, and I hope you like this chapter as much as you have the others. Granted it probably could have gone better in my opinion, I still covered everything I planned on so I can't complain too much.

Anyway, I'm keeping it brief, so the usual thanks to the usual crowd, and enjoy!

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

"You know if you keep doing that, you'll end up killing so many brain cells that you'll never solve it."

Ruby groaned and went to slam her head down again when pale, smooth hands cupped her face from behind, holding her head in place. She smiled when she felt Weiss lean her chin on top of her reddish brown hair and look at the table covered in notebooks and crumpled up pieces of paper. The code had proven harder than she had anticipated and she ended up spending the majority of the last few nights trying in vain to decode it.

"How far have you gotten?" Weiss asked as she lowered her arms and looped the across the top of Ruby's chest in a soft hug.

"Not far," Ruby replied. She closed her eyes and smiled as she leaned back into her friend's arms. They were starting to have these little moments more and more. Weiss had started to become steadily more affectionate as time passed, and Ruby certainly wasn't about to complain. It seemed that Weiss was putting in an unconscious effort to remain in contact with her as much as possible, usually sticking to small actions like sitting close enough for their thighs to touch, or brushing arms together while they walked. This had also given way to her sister's new favourite hobby. Whenever the blonde was in the same room as them she delighted in calling Weiss's out on her actions, causing the former heiress to blush profusely before jumping away.

It never lasted long, though, and within a couple minutes Weiss was back in her original position, seemingly unaware of having moved at all as she slipped back into her usual cool countenance.

"I've managed to decode the Morse as well as the Braille –though that took a surprisingly long time –but now other than a few words it's all gibberish."

Weiss hummed and shifted so her chin was on Ruby's shoulder. This was also a new development that was not at all unwelcome. Who would've guessed that the Ice Queen herself, would be so cuddly? Granted it only ever happened when they were alone, and usually only late at night or right after waking up, when Weiss would be too tired and out of it to remember her inhibitions, but Ruby liked it all the same. Having the silver-haired woman in her arms felt right. Not in a cliché-two-puzzle-pieces kind of way (if anything because Ruby was starting to get sick of the amount of puzzles, both literal and metaphorical, in her life), but more in the sense that they just sort of melted into each other, filling up a space that neither had been aware was empty.

"Maybe you should take a break? I can make us some breakfast." Weiss offered.

"You sure you can handle that?" Ruby asked teasingly. "I know how complicated oatmeal can be."

"I added one too many zeroes one time!" Weiss huffed.

"It's okay, Princess," Ruby said as she stood up and turned to wrap her arms around Weiss' waist, "I know how complicated those darn microwaving machines can be."

She smirked when she heard her friend's breath catch in her throat at their proximity. She may have promised herself she would let Weiss decide the pace their relationship(?) would progress, the girl had years of repressed emotions to work through and odds were that her sexuality didn't even the top ten, but that wasn't going to stop her from using her years of experience breaking hearts to flirt mercilessly with the former heiress. The adorable reactions it caused were simply too great to even consider stopping.

"I-I-I think a simple fruit salad will do for today." Weiss stammered, and Ruby smiled as the light pink tinge in her friend's cheeks turned cherry red. She didn't expect it, though, when Weiss reached up and pecked her on the cheek before slipping out of her arms and hurrying up to the kitchen.

Ruby stood there, stunned.

Did she just…?

She reached up and brushed her fingers over the still-warm part of her cheek and smiled. After spending a truly taxing night getting absolutely nowhere, she could definitely think of worse ways to start the morning. Her thoughts returned to the notebook on the desk before her and she sighed as she looked it over one last time hoping for one last burst of inspiration to spring forth from the letters on the page.

STEWARDESSES; KOI;

RVGHM; ISZSJO;

JPTSB/QFZ/TFNNO;

PQ/GQJTWIL/BJ/UKZCS/PRZLUV;

XNXY/KDL/ERZXQU;

STDM; HLFHLQBGB;

BLACK; MICROSCOPY;

Nope. Nothing.

Maybe Weiss was right. Maybe she could use a break. Besides, there were plenty of other things she still needed to take care of before they left for South America.

And here comes one now.

She thought as she heard the door on the far end of the warehouse open.

"You mind explaining why you've been in New York for a week before calling?"

Ruby smiled as Pyrrha strutted over and took a seat at the table.

"Sorry, I've been a little preoccupied."

"I can see that." Pyrrha replied as she examined the various papers scattered about. "Does the Times have a new addition to the puzzle section I don't know about?"

"I wish," Ruby chuckled as she took her seat.

"Red?" Weiss called as she walked down the stairs holding two ceramic bowls full of fruit. "Who are you talking t –oh…" she paused as she examined the redhead sitting next to Ruby.

"Weiss, you remember Pyrrha." Ruby said as she waved the heiress over.

"Hello again." Pyrrha waved cheerily.

"Pyrrha, you're here." Weiss blanched.

"That's right. Red here asked that I come talk to her about some recent developments."

"Pyrrha's always been my number one Go-To-Gal when I need a fresh pair of eyes –OW!" Ruby flinched as a pale hand smacked the back of her head. "What was that for?"

"You don't think that maybe," Weiss muttered angrily in her ear, "You could have told me before I walked out in my night gown?"

"Sorry." Ruby whispered consolingly. "It slipped my mind. I didn't think you'd mind."

"Of course I would mind!"

"Well, why don't you get dressed while Pyrrha and I discuss some stuff, then once you're ready the three of us can go for a walk?" Ruby offered. She smiled as Weiss huffed and spun on her heel before walking away. She thought she heard the heiress mumble something about wanting to spend some alone time, and smiled before turning back to Pyrrha.

"So what have you got?"

*(OoO)*

Weiss was still grumbling as she made her way back from her temporary room, dressed in a pair of jeans and a light blouse with a cardigan. She smiled though when she saw Red and Pyrrha sitting around the table laughing. It was rare for the con woman to look so at ease. It was during those occasions where she was given a grim reminder of just how young her friend was, and how much she had truly missed out on. It was a bittersweet sight, but she shook it off as she pulled her windbreaker around herself and followed the other women as they stood and made their way toward the door.

They walked in relative silence for several minutes before arriving at a small park. Weiss frowned as she watched children play, and couples walk arm in arm around a small pond.

How can they all be so oblivious to what's going on around them? How could Ihave been so oblivious?

She was drawn from her thoughts by a nudge to her ribs. She looked up and smiled as Red nodded toward the small chess table standing nearby.

"Fancy a game?" She asked teasingly.

"Sure. But I'll have you know I am quite good." Weiss taunted.

"That just makes her want to play you even more." Pyrrha joked as they took seats around the table and Red pulled out a small case of chess pieces.

"Do you just carry around a chess set whenever you go out?" Weiss asked.

"You never know when the opportunity for a good chess match will present itself." Red joked as she set up the pieces. "The first move is yours."

"So Pyrrha," Weiss said as she moved one of her pawns two spaces. "What was it you needed to talk to Red about?"

Red moved her pawn forward one space.

"Oh noting important," Pyrrha replied. Weiss placed another pawn next to the first. "I was just informing her that Jaune was going to look after the kids while I joined you guys in on your trip south."

Black knight to F6.

"I'm still not happy about that." Red supplied.

White knight to C3.

Pyrrha frowned.

A heavy silence fell over them as Red stared at the board.

Black pawn to G6.

Bishop to E3.

Bishop to G7.

Queen to D2.

Pawn to C6.

Pawn to F3.

"You're not stopping me, Red."

Red sighed.

Pawn to B5.

"Pyrrha, you know as well as I do-"

"That what you're about to do is incredibly dangerous, and you're going to need all the help you can get." Pyrrha interrupted.

Knight to E2.

Knight to D7.

"You know why I want to keep this as small as possible." Red answered.

Bishop to H6.

"And you know that's exactly why I should be your first choice."

Bishop to H6; White Bishop captured.

Weiss huffed as Red placed the captured piece off to the side. "Could one of you please explain what you're talking about?"

Queen to H6; Black Bishop captured.

Bishop to B7.

"What we're talking about," Pyrrha explained. "Is the fact that, given what we know about how extensive this Torchwick guy's network is, it would be wise for me to come along so any help I provide can't be intercepted."

Pawn to A3.

"Pyrrha, I need you here maintaining your own network." Red explained.

"You and I both know that my network is just as mobile as your own. There's nothing I can do here that I can't do down there with you." Pyrrha pushed.

Weiss could see the frustration on Red's face as she glared down at the board.

Pawn to E5.

"Red," Pyrrha said as Weiss castled her king.

"Dammit Pyrrha! I'm not about to let you get killed by some sociopath wearing a stupid hat!"

Queen to E7.

King to B1.

Pawn to A6.

Knight to C1.

King castled to C8.

Knight to B3.

Pawn to D4; White Pawn captured.

Rook to D4; Black Pawn captured.

Pawn to C5.

"Red," Weiss said softly, she reached out to grab the younger girl's hand. "I may not know everything about you, but I do know that right now you need people you know you can trust. People who know you. And from what you've told me, no one knows you better than Pyrrha. I also know that you're afraid of her getting hurt."

She looked down at the chess board.

Rook to D1.

"I may not be a criminal savant." She continued. "But I do know how to play chess; and a good chess player knows that if you can't risk losing a piece now and then, you'll wind up losing them all."

They played in silence for a while.

"Fine," Red sighed and turned to Pyrrha. "I get it. Just make sure Jaune doesn't let the kids stay up too late."

Pyrrha chuckled. "You don't give him enough credit."

"You give him too much!" Red joked.

"Maybe," Pyrrha acquiesced. "Now are you ever going to tell me about that ring you're wearing?"

"Oh this," Red said nonchalantly. "Someone convinced me that a ring this nice deserves to be worn."

Weiss smiled and looked down at the board when she felt her cheeks warm.

"Anyway," Red asked. "Find anything new since last time I was here?"

"I didn't even get to tell you what I found last time." Pyrrha laughed. She paused and looked between them, one brow raised in an unspoken question.

"Go ahead," Red answered. "Weiss knows about her."

"Her?" Weiss asked and lowered her voice. "Is this about your mother?"

"Yeah." Red replied. "I told you Pyrrha's been helping me look for a while now. What have you found?" She asked turning to Pyrrha.

"Well, a few months ago, I went to check out some of our orphanages in the far northeast, and while I was inspecting one of the homes in St. Petersburg, I may have gone on an unsupervised tour of the Kremlin."

"Did you find anything?" Red asked.

"Not much," Pyrrha said reaching into her bag to pull out a small folder. "But it's a start."

Red opened the folder, flipping through the pages. "This is her?" She asked.

"There's no official confirmation and you can see from the pictures that she plays the camera angles fantastically."

Weiss reached across the table and grabbed one of her the pictures Red had put to the side. It showed a hooded woman rifling through some old files in a small, poorly lit room. She looked at the other pictures and saw what Pyrrha had been talking about; there was never more than a fraction of the woman's face in view at any one time.

"So how do we know it's her? Is there a name?"

"From what I can make out between what looks like an entire pack of sharpies' worth of blackout," Red answered, her eyes not leaving the files. "Near the end of the Cold War, there was a woman had a penchant for stealing everything from KGB secrets to Soviet nuclear plans and selling them back under threat of releasing them to the US. They were unable to connect any of the thefts until after the Cold War, and by then the trail had gone cold."

"What was the connection?"

"Within the next month there would be donations all over the world to humanitarian agencies, the sum of which would be the exact amount the Commies paid."

"Is there a name to go with the donations?"

"No." Red said glumly.

"So, how do we know it's her?" Weiss asked.

"Along with every donation, the nearest orphanage, or library would receive a copy of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." Pyrrha answered. "Inscribed on every book was the message-"

"Winter always gives way to Summer." Red finished for her. "It was on the picture my mom gave to my foster dad. He mentioned that it was her favourite saying."

"What does that have to do with a children's book?"

"My dad said that my mom would talk about how she was named Summer after her parents had read The Chronicles of Narnia. He even had a copy that she had given him with the same inscription on it."

"Yang was right, this is all getting to be a little convoluted" Weiss said, groaning.

"You're telling me." Pyrrha agreed. "Now the files don't mention a name beyond their code name for her."

Red snorted and Weiss picked up the file as she tried to read it. "My Cyrillic is a little rusty. What does it say?"

"It says here they called her V kapyushone pesni Ptitsa, which basically translates to Robin Hood."

"How poetic." Weiss deadpanned.

"I thought so," Red joked. "Is there anything that tells us where she might have gone after this?

"Maybe." Pyrrha replied. "One of the last recorded incidents involves the Russian Secret Service taking one Leo Gregorovitch in for questioning about a woman named Summer. Unfortunately, he's become a very successful mob boss with some very serious connections."

"What kind of connections?" Weiss inquired.

"A couple senators here and there, and more than a few Fortune 500 companies."

Weiss paused and looked at the chess board, she moved another piece before looking up. "Red, do you think maybe he's connected to my father?"

"Could be." Red answered. "Either way, it looks like there's someone else we'll have to pay a visit to."

"Right now, it's been reported that he's somewhere in the Mediterranean," Pyrrha added. "I'll have Ren look into it before he meets us down south."

"Thanks Pyrrha." Red smiled.

"Are you sure it's smart to be pursuing this while we still have to focus on Torchwick?" Weiss asked.

"It doesn't matter, since we have to wait until we meet Ren anyway." Pyrrha answered.

"Besides," Red added. "You're worrying too much."

Weiss frowned as she watched Red smile and take her turn. She was worried about Red letting herself get stretched too thin. As much as she was concerned about all these distractions keeping Red from focusing on the job at hand, she was more worried about her friend burning herself out. She was aware of how incredible the other woman was, and as they continued to plunge deeper into this underground scheme they had stumbled upon, she only hoped she be able to help.

"Red's right, Weiss." Pyrrha said. "You don't need to worry too much. Red works best when she's doing five other things at the same time."

"It keeps the opponent on edge. Then when they're just piecing together what you're doing," Red moved her rook across the board. "It's too late."

Weiss looked down at the board, examining the layout of the pieces.

Checkmate.

"You know your obsession with theatricality is going to get you killed some day." Pyrrha laughed as they stood and gathered there things.

"Theatricality and deceptions are powerful weapons." Weiss commented once they stopped at an intersection.

Red opened her mouth, then paused before launching herself at the former heiress. "Oh my God! You just made a Batman reference!"

"So I did," Weiss mumbled as she buried her face in the brunette's neck.

"She can be taught!" Red laughed before turning back to Pyrrha. "So, before we go our separate ways, is there anything else I should know?"

"Don't be so dramatic." Pyrrha said, rolling her eyes. "But no. I do know that Yang spoke to your father, and he might have had some info on the White Fang for you, but she's been busy trying to cheer Blake up all day, so you'll have to wait to talk to her."

"What is it about the White Fang, and this Adam fellow that has Blake so upset, anyway?" Weiss asked. She had been wondering about that since their little team meeting, but something about the way Blake acted that night made her hold her tongue.

Pyrrha sighed, "It's complicated." She turned to them as the light changed on the crosswalk. "Red, I'll see you in a few days to go over some things before we leave. Weiss, it was good to see you again."

"Likewise." Weiss responded as the other woman turned and walked away.

She and Red walked in silence, and were almost back at the warehouse before Weiss's curiosity got the better of her. "What did Pyrrha mean by 'complicated'?"

"Look," Red sighed and looked like she was choosing her next words very carefully. "It's not my story to tell, so you'll have to ask Blake yourself. I will tell you that Blake and Adam used to work together, but past that you'll have to find out on your own."

Weiss huffed in frustration as she followed the brunette through the door.

"Also if you do ask Blake, be very careful not to upset her too much; I'd rather not have to add breaking my sister out of jail for murder to my still growing to-do list. It'd just be a hassle."