Sorry it took so long to update but things have been hectic lately. Okay, so I received some mixed reviews about how the last chapter went down. Look guys, I know Cardin and his team are assholes but they're not pure evil. They are people who make mistakes just like everyone else. That's what I'm trying for in this story. Plus I have plans for them in the near future. AND more importantly, VOLUME 3 is finally here and I am seriously pumped! Now onto the chapter!
Jaune had lost track of how many pots and pans he had scrubbed down two hours ago. He was on his second detention for the week and he'd been assigned kitchen duty for tonight. Cardin and his team were also serving detention tonight but the blonde had no idea what they were doing. The thought of them cleaning toilets cheered him up just a little bit as he set aside a freshly washed pan.
"Another one down," He mumbled, shoulders slumping a bit as he turned to another huge stack of pots. "Only a hundred left to go."
It was then that he heard the soft clicking of heels approaching him. Feeling a chill run down his spine, Jaune immediately got his ass back into gear and quickly grabbed another kitchen utensil before scrubbing it furiously. He did not want that woman to see him slacking off.
"I'm cleaning as fast as I can Miss Goodwitch, I swear!"
Ruby cleared her throat loudly and decided to get the ball rolling. "So, as you all may have guessed, I have gathered you here tonight because of two people: Jaune and Weiss. This whole situation between them has gone on long enough and as their respective friends and teammates, I believe it's our duty to put a stop to it."
Nora couldn't suppress her laugh. "You said duty."
Ren had to resist the urge to face-palm at that one.
"She's right." Yang said, throwing an arm over Pyrrha's shoulder. "It's not as fun without you guys around."
The redhead smiled at the busty blonde. "We missed you too Yang."
"Aw, thanks." The girl said, pinching the Spartan's cheek affectionately. An amused Pyrrha only responded by rolling her eyes at the girls antics.
Blake gave no visible reaction since her eyes were still glued to the book she was reading but everyone knew she was listening for the most part.
"As I was saying," Ruby continued, bringing them back to the matter at hand. "We need to come up with a plan to get those two talking to each other again ASAP. Jaune's serving detention tonight and Weiss is in the library so this is our only chance to think of something. So on that note…. does anyone have any ideas?"
The six friends then began to formulate a plan on how to get Jaune and Weiss talking again. Nora pouted when they dismissed her suggestion of simply locking those two in a room until they see sense. Everybody else had different ideas from the rest and it seemed that each of them was convinced that their plan would be full proof. Ruby sighed to herself.
This could take a while.
"Had a long night?" Ren couldn't help but note the dark circles under Jaune's eyes as the two walked to the cafeteria for breakfast. Well, walked would be the closest thing his leader was doing since he looked dead on his feet.
"You have no idea." Jaune said before letting out a huge yawn. "I never knew the school had so many pots."
"Perhaps next time you could give us a little warning when you decide to pick a fight." Ren smirked.
The blonde sighed. "Really dude? You're still on about that? Come on, I said I was sorry that I didn't let you guys know."
Ren chuckled. "It will take a lot more than pancakes to make me forget Jaune."
The leader of team JNPR groaned and the raven-haired teen just shook his head in amusement. Ren and Nora found out about the incident the following morning and they were more than a bit put out about not being told. Pyrrha had told them that she had only found out about it when she noticed Jaune sneaking out that night. After the recount of the events, the team had a long discussion about trust where their leader kept on apologizing profusely.
Nora had been the most vocal about not being able to "clobber Cardin into the ground" and had pestered the blonde all day about it. Ren thought about taking pity on his friend and get Nora to stop bugging Jaune but decided against it due to the fact that he found the whole thing hilarious. Being the bubbly girl's best friend for years, he had been on the receiving end of her antics many times and it was nice to see someone else stuck in his position.
But alas, Jaune had also learned the secret to get into Nora's good graces fairly quickly by cooking her favorite breakfast.
Still, that didn't mean Ren and Pyrrha were going to let him off that easily.
The two students arrived at the cafeteria and fell in line to get their food. Once they were done, the two headed over to where their remaining teammates were already seated.
"You look like a zombie." Nora stated, pointing her fork at their leader.
"I feel like one." Jaune said tiredly, cutting into his eggs and hash browns. "To top it off I have three more days to go and I'm starting to fall behind on Professor Oobleck's essay."
Nora suddenly looked up from her plate. "We had an essay?"
Their leader decided to bring her up to date with the assignment when Pyrrha caught Ren's eye and discreetly gestured to the entrance where team RWBY had just appeared. The girls found a table not too far from theirs and they saw Ruby give them a thumbs-up behind her back.
The two teammates shared a small nod. Their first attempt to mend the rift between the heiress and the young knight was about to be underway.
"…so did you get all that Nora?" Jaune had been saying.
"I think so, but I might forget most of the stuff you just said since I was thinking about what kind of topping goes best with pancakes." Nora admitted before tapping her chin in serious thought. "I mean, blueberries are alright, I guess, and you can't go wrong with strawberries but chocolate chips are nice too."
"Well, I tried my best." The blonde shrugged. "Tap out Ren, your turn."
Pyrrha then cleared her throat to get his attention. "Jaune, could I ask you for a favor?"
"Sure."
"I need to talk Professor Port before class starts so could you return this to Blake for me?" Pyrrha said, holding out a book.
Jaune took it from her and scanned the title. "What do you need to talk about with Professor Port?"
The redhead hesitated a bit. "Oh you know, uh, his practical lesson is coming up so I wanted to be prepared for whatever Grimm he might select for us."
Ren could see that the girl was feeling guilty for misleading her partner and she couldn't meet his eyes because of it. Luckily, Jaune hasn't picked up on their friend's discomfort due to the fact that his attention was more focused on his bacon than anything else at the moment. However, he was starting to grow curious about Pyrrha's lie.
"Knowing him, it'll probably be a Boarbatusk again or maybe a small Beowolf." Jaune commented offhandedly. "Besides, doesn't he like to keep it a surprise until the last minute? So what's the point in asking him?"
The raven-haired boy felt a kick from under the table and saw Pyrrha giving him a look.
Help me. She seemed to be saying.
"You never know when the Professor might accidentally drop some hints." Ren said. "The man loves to talk about his exploits so it might not be hard to catch a glimpse of our future challenge in class."
He spoke in a way that was both calm and reasonable, the same way someone would present a common fact. Ren always strived to maintain a quiet disposition everywhere he went. He wasn't as loud but that didn't mean he was indifferent. He was the type of person who liked to get to the point and get things done as efficiently as possible.
This was the main reason why Jaune looked convinced by his answer even though he just pulled it out of his ass.
"I should get going then." Pyrrha then stood up and grabbed her bag. "Come on Nora."
"Aw, but I wanted seconds." The girl whined but nonetheless got up and followed her out of the cafeteria.
The two boys ate in silence afterward and once again, Jaune's appetite never failed to amaze. He almost inhaled his breakfast and finished his orange juice in one long swig.
"Excuse me." He mumbled after a hearty belch.
"Classes will start soon" Ren told him after finishing his own breakfast. "You should return that to Blake before we head out."
He nodded and picked up the book as the two stood from the table. Jaune spotted Ruby and her team and approached them. Ren purposely lagged behind him to see how things play out.
"Hi Jaune, Hey Ren," Ruby greeted them with barely disguised enthusiasm. "Fancy meeting you guys here!"
Everyone who was aware of the plan wanted to roll their eyes or smack their foreheads. Of course they would be here at the cafeteria eating their morning meals before class. All the students would be here.
Smooth, Yang mouthed to her sister to which the girl responded with a mild glare before turning her attention back to Jaune.
"Uh, anyways, I just came by to return the book Pyrrha borrowed from Blake." He said, holding it out to the girl mentioned. "Here you go."
The raven-haired beauty spared him a quick glance before returning to her food. "That's not mine."
"Huh?"
"She's right, because it's mine." Weiss spoke up, frowning at him.
Their gazes met and a tense silence soon followed. The plan had been made to address the problem of the two not speaking to each other and they all came to the conclusion that Jaune and Weiss merely needed a reason to communicate. Ren knew the blonde well enough by now and he could say for certain his leader was not the type of person to hold a grudge. They have also been told by Ruby that Weiss was merely too proud to apologize first but did in fact feel guilty over the matter.
The six friends had then decided that all the two needed was a nudge in the right direction.
"Give me that," Weiss snatched the book out of his hands and abruptly resumed eating like nothing happened. "Next time, tell Pyrrha that she should personally return any items I lend her."
"What, so I'm your messenger now?" Jaune retorted. "Tell her yourself. Besides, I was only doing a favor."
"Seeing as you've already done it, I see no reason for you to stay." Weiss told him without looking in his general direction.
"No need to state the obvious." Jaune said, irritably. "I was just about to go anyway."
"Then go."
"Fine,"
"Fine,"
Ren heard a little groan of frustration from the leader of team RWBY.
"Whatever." Jaune muttered. "Come on Ren."
The two teammates exited the mess hall and set a brisk pace toward their next class. The raven-haired teen repressed an irritated exhale as they walked in silence. Honestly, the whole situation was just plain ridiculous. It was just a spat between two friends. He and Nora still argued several times but they always made up immediately afterwards.
It looks like they had to find another way to get their stubborn teammates to make amends.
"So, the book was Blake's, huh?" Jaune narrowed his eyes at his teammate after a few minutes.
Needless to say, Ren opted to walk a little faster.
Pyrrha was once again reminded of the fact that her partner did not take air travel well. He was standing next to her on the Bullhead, desperately trying to keep his lunch down. Beside her, Ren and Nora were also giving their leader sympathetic looks. Fortunately, their destination was only a few more minutes away.
She set her sights once more on the vast forest before them. Thick foliage of red leaves dominated the view as they flew over the Forest of Forever Fall. The color of the trees served as a contrast to the clear afternoon sky. Even from up here, she could see several leaves falling from the branches. Perhaps this was how it was named, she thought.
The plane began to decelerate and gradually descend into a large clearing. Jaune groaned as the Bullhead shuddered a bit on the way down. However, it only proved to be minor thing as they were able to land smoothly onto the forest floor.
Her partner was the first one off the aircraft the moment he felt it touch the ground. Everybody else calmly disembarked from the Bullhead to see the blonde bent on all floors kissing the ground.
"Land! Sweet land! " Jaune exclaimed gratefully.
"Mr. Arc, please get up and fall into step with the others." Ms. Goodwitch sternly called out.
"Yes Ma'am!"
Yang and Ruby snickered but instantly stopped when the professor's stern glance turned to them. The woman began to lead them deeper into the forest while explaining their task, which was to collect a jar's worth of tree sap each. She then instructed them to rendezvous back at a particular spot by four o'clock before she trudged ahead of them to secure a perimeter.
Team CRDL didn't even spare them a glance as they immediately headed off to another part of the forest leaving the rest of them standing there in awkward silence. Pyrrha could see Jaune pointedly looking anywhere but Weiss's general direction. Likewise, the heiress was trying to look casual by pretending to check her nails.
"I say we head over in that direction." Weiss stated and without waiting for a reply, she began to walk away.
Her teammates were left with no choice but to follow. They gave team JNPR apologetic looks before trailing behind the heiress.
"Come on, let's get that sap." Jaune spoke up and began to lead them in a random direction through the trees.
As much as she would have loved sightseeing around the forest with her team, Pyrrha had to remain vigilant. While the place was undoubtedly scenic, it was still the home of numerous Grimm. Even with Miss Goodwitch securing the area, she couldn't be everywhere at once. They had to stay sharp.
Nora was humming a happy tune as she strutted along, seemingly unfazed to the dangers that lurk. It was as if the girl was just out for a stroll through the park instead of a forest infested with monsters. The two females of the team had gotten to know one another a little better over the past few weeks and despite her carefree attitude, Pyrrha knew that she shouldn't be worried for her teammate. After all, this was the girl who rode on an Ursa for fun during initiation.
She couldn't help but laugh at the mere memory of it.
"What's up?" Jaune asked curiously.
She just shook her head, leaving the blonde boy to shrug and continue forward.
Their leader brought them to a halt when they reached a large stream that was a few feet wide. The water flowed from the East and curved along to the West. She peered into the clear surface to see a couple of fishes swimming along the gentle current.
"This is as good as any spot. Let's get to work." Jaune said as he approached a nearby tree and made a small hole into the tree using a knife to collect the sap. The three of them set to their tasks in silence.
As she poured the sticky liquid into the jar, Pyrrha glanced at her partner and thought about several events from the past two days.
The group's plans on getting Jaune and Weiss to mend their friendship kept ending in disaster. Whenever the two of them ended up face to face they would just start arguing for the simplest reasons. It was frustrating and it seemed like they had no intention of becoming friends again. What was worse was the fact that their bad mood was starting to affect the teams.
Pyrrha sighed as she thought about how things were progressing.
"Nora!" Ren's voice startled her out of her thoughts.
She turned to see a sheepish looking Nora with red tree sap smudged all over her mouth and an empty jar in her hands. Ren looked annoyed and swiped the jar from his partner to get some more sap. The bubbly girl merely wiped her mouth and was about to get to work when her eyes zeroed in on Jaune's nearly full jar.
As Nora silently approached their leader from behind, Pyrrha contemplated on whether or not to help him out with what she knew was about to happen. Then again, he was being a stubborn idiot lately and frankly, she getting tired of his attitude for the past two days. The red-head mentally cheered Nora on.
"No, Nora. Get your own sap!" Jaune told her as he tried to keep his jar as far away from the girl as possible.
"Aw, please? Just a sip, I promise." Nora tried for the puppy eyes and even from where Pyrrha was standing, she could see it was a damn good one.
She could see Jaune faltering a bit under Nora's pitiful stare. "Don't give me that look. I'm not giving you some."
Nora's lower lip started to tremble and the blonde tried averting his eyes. "The answer's still no."
"Pwetty pwease?"
Pyrrha could see her partner starting to lose the battle and he started to lower the jar to his side. Then, as fast a cobra, Nora made a grab for the container once he let his guard down. However, Jaune's reflexes were just as fast and he managed to keep the sweet substance away from the girl.
"Nice try, Nora." Jaune grinned.
The petite hammer wielder puffed up her cheeks in annoyance before stomping off. The blonde immediately faced the tree to resume his work and Pyrrha was about to do the same when…
Splash!
The redhead turned to find a doused Jaune gaping in surprise. Drops of water were now falling from his wet hair and his clothes weren't spared either. He was staring at a triumphant looking Nora refilling an empty jar with water from the nearby stream. It only took a moment to process what had happened.
"Did you just-?" Jaune was interrupted as he received another splash of water to the face.
"That's what you get for not sharing." Nora stuck out her tongue at the blonde.
Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh at the two of them. Her partner's expression was too funny and she could not contain her mirth. However, her amusement was cut short as she felt herself get doused by cold water.
She whipped around to see Jaune smirking at her while he held a spare empty jar over her head. She narrowed her eyes at him as she stood to pick up her jar and dumped the contents of it onto the ground. She held his challenging gaze and walked over to the stream to calmly fill the container with water.
She adjusted her grip on the jar and Jaune merely raised his eyebrows.
"You sure you want to do this?" He asked her. There was a glint of amusement in his eyes that she had not seen for the past few days and she had missed it dearly.
"Oh I'm sure."
"I'll only give you this one chance to surrender."
"Pass."
"No going back from this."
"Yep."
With that being said, she swung the jar with all her might and sent the water flying toward Jaune but unfortunately, he had the good sense to sidestep and the liquid sailed harmlessly passed him and hit the unsuspecting Ren right behind the blonde. The raven-haired boy abruptly stood from his spot and turned to face his teammates. He glared at each of them in turn and Pyrrha futilely hid the jar behind her back.
When his gaze turned to Nora, the girl didn't hesitate to point at the redhead. Jaune quickly followed suit while Pyrrha made a face at them both. What a bunch of tattle-tales.
The three teammates then noticed Ren slowly walking over to the stream with a clear empty container and it was then that Nora declared. "Water fight! Every man for himself!"
Thinking back on it, Pyrrha could say that she hadn't had this much fun in a while.
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest…
"Let's play some catch Sky." Russel mockingly imitated Dove's voice before switching to Sky's. "Sure, here buddy go long!"
In front of team CRDL, not one but three Ursa were currently growling at them as they approached the four boys. The one in the lead was the largest among them, with massive spikes growing along its back. Behind the three monsters was a shattered jar filled with the sweet tree sap. The scent of the substance along with the sound of glass breaking must have attracted the creatures to their location.
"You guys are dumbasses." Russel told his two teammates. He nervously took up a combat position alongside his teammates.
Of all the Grimm that they could be up against right now and it had to be big ass Ursa. His weapons were barely going to be useful in this situation. Sure Russel could take on a few Beowolves and a Boarbatusk if need be but he won't even be able to get close to the monstrous bear they were facing. They already had thick skin to begin with which makes it difficult to pierce with his short blades.
Not to mention the fact that one of the Grimm looked like it got jacked up from eating too much tree sap and the creature now stood several times larger than his two lackeys.
"If we die, just for the record, I blame you two." Russel said.
"Bring it on Grizzly!" Cardin shouted at the Grimm. "I'll rip you apart!"
"On second thought, I blame you all."
Russel glanced at his partner who was hefting his mace threateningly as if daring the monsters to come any closer. He didn't notice it at first but Cardin had been acting different lately. For starters, it was as if someone had found the mute button because he had become rather quiet these past few days. Dove and Sky commented on it a few times but never really thought about it too much.
Another big change was the fact that he hadn't been bullying anyone ever since they all fought Arc that night. In fact, they rarely even saw their leader during their free periods. He just seemed to disappear doing who knows what. And whenever he got back to their rooms he just takes a quick shower and falls right to sleep.
He also developed this weird habit of absently touching his right cheek and scowling afterward.
Russel had a sneaking suspicion about what his partner had been doing but he could think about that later when he wasn't about to die.
Without wasting any more time, Cardin charged forward.
Obviously, he went for the biggest of the bunch. However, despite the creature's size, it could move fast. Cardin was just about to swing his mace but the Grimm beat him to it and delivered a powerful blow that sent the boy tumbling to the side. Undeterred, the boy quickly got back on his feet and went to attack again.
Meanwhile, Dove and Sky were keeping the two smaller Ursa at bay. Dove kept his distance by opting to shoot the Grimm and Sky used his long weapon to his advantage. It was sort of a stalemate but it won't be for long as he could feel the three of them slowly losing ground.
Thinking quickly, he took out his scroll and sent a distress signal. If it worked, then all of their classmates and Miss Goodwitch should be able to know their exact location and should be here within minutes. Hopefully they could survive that long before help arrives.
"Watch out!" Dove called out but it was a moment too late.
The Grimm had seen an opening as the boy was reloading his weapon and barreled into both Russel and Dove. The two boys were sent flying by the sheer force. The spiky haired teen landed a few feet away from the beast before rolling to a stop. He groaned as he tried to stand up but before he could regain his footing, the shadow of the Ursa loomed over him and Russel saw it raise one of its paws.
Well, shit.
Not the most eloquent last thoughts but it was all he had. Russel raised his arms in a poor attempt to stop the blow he knew was coming and shut his eyes. He just sat there, waiting for the pain.
However, instead of pain, he felt something whoosh past him at incredible speeds and heard the sound of a sniper rifle being fired. He also heard the sound of tearing flesh and then a dull thud. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the decapitated head of the Ursa next to him.
"You okay?" His savior, which turned out to be Ruby asked.
He jumped to his feet and shook the smaller girl's hand profusely.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Ruby awkwardly scratched her head. "Uh, no problem, I guess."
Russel looked around him and saw that the rest of the back-up had arrived. Weiss and Blake had just dispatched the second Ursa while Miss Goodwitch herself made short work of the largest one by merely flicking her riding crop and crushing the creature. Yang looked a little put out since she didn't get to do anything.
"Is anyone hurt?" The blonde professor inquired and gazed at the four boys to which they just shook their heads. "Good. Now then, in light of the situation-,"
Suddenly, team JNPR burst out from the trees in full battle mode expecting to find a large number of Grimm waiting for them. They stopped short as they saw everyone standing around the disintegrating bodies of the three monsters and the stares they were getting. The four of them quickly sheathed their weapons and tried to play off the fact that they came charging through the forest like maniacs.
Glynda cleared her throat and continued. "As I was saying, given the current situation, I'm afraid we will have to cut this trip short. I have already contacted our pilot and we shall be leaving immediately as soon as he lands."
Everyone followed her as she led the way back to the extraction point.
"Why are you guys wet?" Russel heard Yang ask someone behind him.
"Nora was hungry." Jaune replied.
"What?"
"I'll explain later."
A few hours later, Jaune stepped out of the bathroom feeling refreshed after a hot shower. It had been a long day and he wanted nothing more than to crawl onto his bed and just sleep. Unfortunately, he had a scheduled detention tonight. Curse you past Jaune for depriving your current self of sleep!
He sighed and dragged his feet over to the door to get going. Only two more days and he would be a free man again. All he had to do was to get this done.
He opened the door and was about to step outside when all of a sudden…
"What the hell?"
"Grab him!" Someone ordered and he felt himself hoisted into the air as multiple hands seized his wrists, arms and ankles. He struggled to escape but there were too many of them. They carried him across the hall and into team RWBY's room where they unceremoniously dumped him on the floor.
"What is the meaning of this?" Weiss demanded as she stood from her desk and glared at everyone.
Blake locked the door while everybody else surrounded him and Weiss. Jaune got back on his feet to find most of them looking annoyed.
"All right you two, this stops now!" Yang stated. Her eyes had turned into crimson orbs and this was how Jaune knew that she was serious. "We've had enough!"
"I don't know what you're-," Weiss never got to finish what she was about to say as the busty blonde got up in her face.
"We both know what we're talking about and don't try to reason out of this one." Yang pointed at the two of them. "Well we're sick of it and we won't let you out of this room until one of you apologizes to each other."
"Why should I?" Jaune asked.
Pyrrha came up to him and looked him sternly in the eye. "Jaune, even you have to admit that this has gone on long enough."
Ruby clasped her hands in front of her. "Please, please, please Weiss, just apologize already."
Jaune and Weiss remained silent for a few moments while their friends just looked expectant. They glanced at each other and both nodded at the same time.
"Ladies first, Schnee."
"Ready when you are, Arc."
The two of them stared at one another when little by little, their shoulders started to shake and their lips were starting to tremble. After a few seconds, the two couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing while their respective teammates gawked at them.
"You guys should see you faces." Jaune said as his laughter subsided.
Weiss wiped a few tears from her eyes. "You were right, they fell for it."
"Uh, what is happening here?" Ruby spoke up.
"Weiss came to talk to me during my detention two nights ago and we both agreed that we acted like dunces." Jaune explained.
The heiress rolled her eyes. "He then convinced me to take part in this ridiculous prank he thought of, which was completely childish and immature if you ask me."
"Come on, you laughed too." Jaune said. "So yeah, we wanted to see how long we could keep acting like snobs to each other and see what you guys would do."
Everyone processed what they had just been told and came to the conclusion that they had all been duped. After all the trouble they went through to try and reconcile the two friends when there was nothing to even worry about. They all shared a look and nodded.
"No hard feelings, right?" Jaune said completely unaware of the atmosphere amongst his friends.
"Of course not, Jauney." Yang said with a sickly sweet smile that sent chills down his spine.
Pyrrha approached him with the same smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "We're happy that you two finally worked it out."
"I never knew you had a sense of humor Weiss." Ruby said in an overly friendly tone that did not bode well.
Slowly but surely, their six friends had surrounded them while Jaune and Weiss shared a nervous look.
"I sure hope the two of you aren't ticklish." Yang said and a predatory grin appeared on her face.
Jaune gulped.
"Get them!"
And just like that, team RWBY's room erupted into chaos as laughter and shrieks echoed all around the walls.
Two men sat in a luxurious office decorated with some of the most expensive furniture and artwork ever bought.
"I must admit, you sure know your brandy." Jonah Arc helped himself to another glass of the fine drink.
The other man who sat across from him chuckled. "What's the point of owning one of the largest companies if you don't spoil yourself every now and again?"
"That is true." The old man conceded as he smacked his lips in appreciation.
"I believe that we are getting off topic here." The man who sat behind the desk said. "While I fully understand the merits of your idea, I simply cannot withhold that much Dust."
"Have I not gotten through to your thick skull?" Jonah demanded. "Have I been speaking of nonsense for the past few hours that I've been here?"
"The Board of Directors will never allow it." The man reasoned. "Even if I did manage to convince them, it would take a month for the operation to take effect and by then it would probably be too late."
The old man couldn't believe what he was hearing. "By the gods, since when have you cared about what other people thought? As I recall, you and Jason were always the ones who stood for what you believed was right no matter what anyone else said."
The white-haired man who sat across from him sighed ruefully. "That was a long time ago. Things change."
"And not always for the better, it would seem." Jonah remarked taking another drink of brandy.
Silas Schnee pinched the bridge of his nose and rose from his seat to stare out of the large window behind him. He was a tall yet slim man that had more of a wiry build. His hair was slicked back and he wore a white suit that must have cost a large amount of money. For a man who was only forty years of age, he certainly looked much older due to his slacking shoulders.
"I must face reality, Jonah." He said without turning to look at the man. "I cannot be who I was before. No matter how much I want to return to the days of my youth as a Huntsman, I have to keep my mind in the present. Ever since I inherited my father's company, I have barely managed to keep it afloat all these years. Those blasted White Fang have decided to wage war on our family and not only that, but I also have many enemies that I have to be wary off."
"I understand." Jonah said earnestly, although he didn't like it.
Silas shook his head. "No, I don't think you do. As Huntsman, we merely have to locate the target and eliminate them whether they are Grimm or criminals. Now, I have to constantly watch over my shoulder as I have no idea who could be threats. They all smile and offer sweet words but I can never know who are the honest ones and those who have a secret agenda. I cannot afford any mistakes or else it will not just be me who pays the price."
The two men lapsed into a short silence after that as Jonah took a moment to let it all sink in.
Silas turned to face him as heard the old man get up from his seat.
"I thank you for your time Mr. Schnee." Jonah said, sounding disappointed. "I apologize if I was an inconvenience. It appears that I was mistaken in coming here tonight. The man I came to see has given up and I'm afraid that I can't help him."
Jonah headed for the door but stopped as he gave the man a last look over his shoulder. "Your daughter shall make a fine Huntress."
As the Arc slowly closed the door to the office, he never caught sight of Silas holding up a small picture frame from his desk with fondness nor did he hear his words.
"I know she will."
In another part of Atlas sat one of the most well guarded prisons in all of the four kingdoms. Maintained and supervised by none other than General Ironwood himself. It housed some of the most notorious individuals in all of Remnant. It sported some of the latest technology thanks to the Schnee Dust Company and was virtually inescapable.
The structure itself was located deep underground and therefore only had one exit and one entrance that led to the surface. Security cameras and motion detectors littered the hallways and rooms. The new and improved Atlesian knights patrolled every hour of everyday along with a few personnel. If anyone so much as picked their nose, security would know about it.
Furthermore, each prisoner was equipped with a shock collar that doubled as a tracker. If anyone stepped foot outside of their cells, the collars would send more than a thousand volts of electricity into the prisoners system and even if they managed to survive that, the Atlesian knights and other defense measures would be on them in mere seconds.
In the deepest level of the prison sat a man that was humming a happy tune as he patiently waited for feeding time. As if right on cue, a slot to his cell door opened and a man inserted a tray of food through it.
"Lunch time, dirt bag," The guard on the other side of the door said.
The man hopped out of bed and approached the slot.
"Long time no see. How've you been Bob?" The prisoner asked cordially.
The guard sighed. "My name's not Bob and you better shut up before I ask them to shock you again."
The prisoner held his hands up in surrender. "No need to get angry. I was just greeting an old friend. What happened to courtesy nowadays? Has that changed over the five years since I've been here?"
"I'm not your friend now back away from the doors and eat your damn lunch!" The guard barked and slammed the tray through, spilling the contents all over the floor.
"Now that wasn't very nice." The prisoner commented, feigning hurt.
"Like I give a rat's ass about your feelings," "Bob" said with contempt. "Hope you like mystery meat."
The guard heard the man on the other side chuckle. "One of these days Bob, I'm going to have fun teaching you some manners."
Bob wasn't fazed one bit by the threat. "Oh I'm real scared. I'm about to shit my pants."
The guard snorted before closing the slot and walking off to fulfill his other duties, leaving the prisoner alone. The prisoner crouched down to inspect his spilled lunch and grinned when he picked something up from the mess on the floor.
"The thing about mystery meat," he spoke quietly to himself. "You never know what's inside."
He held up the small object to his eyes. It was a small red capsule. Someone must have slipped it into the sludge that they called food down here. Smiling to himself, he discretely tucked the small pill under his pillow and made sure that the cameras in his room didn't see it. He had already memorized where each of them was placed and found a blind spot with the positioning of the devices.
He climbed back onto his small cot and got into a comfortable position before resuming to hum like he didn't have a care in the world. All he had to do now was to wait for the perfect moment.
Russel frantically ran around the dorm room opening multiple desks and drawers before dashing over somewhere else. His teammates were watching him zoom around the room looking for something.
"No, no, no, no." He mustered as he scanned the contents of another drawer before slamming it shut. "Where is it?"
"Dude, what are you so worried about?" Sky ventured to ask.
He was met with a nervous look and Russel hesitated for a bit before answering.
"My personal scroll's missing."
And that's a wrap for today. Hope you guys like it. I decided to just have a little fun with this chapter and I plan to do the same with some others as I set up what I have planned. Just so you guys know, I won't be changing anything that I've written just because of the new episodes coming out (Which are freaking awesome by the way) like with Weiss's dad. If he's different in cannon then it will stay that way BUT I will try to incorporate characters who I feel could make the story progress even further like Qrow and Winter as they reveal them in the show.
Also, I'm not making any promises about my next update because College is taking its toll on me. I plan to update again hopefully before the Christmas holidays but again no promises.
So as always review and tell me what you guys think!
