The winter sun shone low in the winter sky, a travel ship passing it as it crossed the calm ocean waters. Sun Wukong breathed in the salty smell of seawater as he sat on the portside rail, long blonde tail wrapped around the beam to hold him in place. "Ahhh... nice and fresh, eh Nep?" he said, turning to a young man in a red jacket and black dress pants with his head buried in a trash can. He was holding a chocolate brown flat cap onto his head with a free hand, letting out a pained groan. "You okay, Neptune? You sick?" Sun asked, shifting closer to the trashcan to hear a violent retching echo from the trashcan. "Yep, sick." he said, rubbing his traveling companion's back.
"No one told me the whole ocean was going to smell like fish." he groaned, letting out another retch. "What did you expect? We're out in open water!" Sun exclaimed. Neptune pulling his head up and looking at Sun with dark blue eyes. "Well, I was expecting us to take a plane! Why are we out at sea again?" he asked. "Because air travel at this time is a nightmare. Snowing like crazy over in Vale. Besides, being cramped in a metal tube in the sky just ain't my style." Sun explained, shifting himself around so his feet touched the deck. "I mean, you got an open sea all around, bright sun on the clear blue sky, a cool breeze on your abs, smokin' hot crew girls, good food. What's not to love?" he asked, giving a playful wink to a passing waitress, who smiled and gave a wave to Sun before walking off.
"So get out of that bucket, ya weenie, and have a little fun." Sun said, helping Neptune who to his feet. Neptune put on a confident smile and walked over to another waitress, leaning himself a wall. "Hey there, hot stuff…" he started, the tanned woman looking at him with her head tilted slightly, long brown hair falling to one side. "Hello, sir. How are you enjoying your trip?" she asked, Neptune tipping his flat cap slightly upward. "Yeah, but I'd like it more if-" Neptune began before suddenly feeling a churning in his stomach. He immediately rushed back to the trash barrel and began to let out another violent heave of sick. The waitress rolled her eyes and walked off as Neptune continued to puke. "Back to the bucket!." Sun said, pushing Neptune's head further into the trash can.
The ship soon docked, the Haven students stepping off and walking through the Market Quarter, Sun throwing down Lien for an apple strudel as they made their way down the street. "What? Nothing for me?" Neptune asked, annoyed as Sun continued to stuff his face. "Hey! You ate a lot more on the boat! I'm not made of money, and I'm not stealing any for you." the Faunus shouted back. "And then I puked it up! I need food, Sun!" Neptune groused. "Ahh, there'll be food at Beacon. Just chill out. Eh? How about that, chill out?" the Faunus Hunter said, nudging Neptune in the side. "Dude, that was a great pun." Neptune said, chuckling a bit. "...Man, it's not as fun when you enjoy the pun." Sun grumbled, taking another bite of strudel.
The two soon arrived at the gate, swiping their ID cards through the scanner. "Greetings from Haven, -Sun- and -Neptune-" chirped the speaker system as the gate swung open. "So, who are we visiting again?" Neptune asked as they walked up the walkway toward the main building. "Blake. She's cool. A bit on the quiet side, but she's got this sweet katana and man does she know how to use it. And she's pretty, but if I'm being honest, she's got nothing on her partner." Sun said with a gleam in his eye. Neptune opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by a loud gurgling from his stomach. "Well, let's hope Blake's in the cafeteria. I'm starving." he said with a weak chuckle, the two visiting students grabbing school maps from entrance door and looking for the cafeteria. They found it easily and ordered their lunch, Sun getting a burger while Neptune ordered the scalloped potatoes. The two took their seat, Sun sniffing at the air while Neptune ate his lunch.
"Mmmm! These potatoes are delicious! Wow!" Neptune said, taking another excited bite of potatoes. Sun calmly sighed to himself as he poked his burger with a plastic fork. "Why does everything make you so excited?" Sun wondered aloud, Neptune speaking with a mouthful of potatoes. "C'mon, Sun! We're alive, we're Huntsmen, we're eating good food and we didn't have to pay for it. Life's good, live a little!" he said, offering his monkey friend a forkful of potato. "Look man, I get living a carefree life. I'm all about that, but you gotta mellow out." Sun said, taken somewhat aback by Neptune's sudden burst of energy. Neptune simply smiled and took another bite, Sun soon catching a familiar scent. "She's here." he said, turning his head to look around the cafeteria. "She is? Where? Where!" Neptune said, jumping up from the table and standing behind Sun, darting his eyes around the cafeteria. "Hm… over there! Oh cool, she's with her team! You'll get to meet them too!" Sun exclaimed, grabbing his burger and taking a big bite before jumping over the table and running over to Blake's table, Neptune trailing behind him.
Team RWBY were joined at their table by Team JNPR as the eight students were engaged in an intense battle of with, each member of Team RWBY looking over a map of Remnant covered in plastic models of knights and Grimm with a hand of playing cards to scan over. Over their shoulders was a member of Team JNPR; Jaune stood over Ruby, Pyrrha seconded Weiss, Ren aided Blake and Nora was in Yang's corner. "Hrm… You're gonna need more Air units if you're going to get past Yang's mountain fortress, if you don't fly, movement is reduced by 3 per turn." Jaune suggested, Ruby rubbing her chin."Yeah, but the air units have less health, I'll just… slowly march past the mountains!" she countered, Jaune shaking his head. "You're going to get bombarded with cannon fire if you try mountain marching. There's too much risk in mountain marching for heavy losses." Jaune replied, pointing out Yang's mounted cannons on the map.
"You're about to get an invitation to the gun show!" Yang said, slamming a card down onto the table enough to make the pieces bounce. "R-r-r-r-railgun, ready to fire!" She proclaimed, Ruby's eyes going wide. "We'll coat the mountainside in your soldier's blood!" Nora said with a bloodthirsty gaze, Weiss slowly hopping her chair away from Yang and Nora. "I don't know how you live with her…" she muttered, turning to Pyrrha who had given her advice to turn troops away from the southern Atlesian base. "If Vale's going to be suffering heavy losses, our best bet would be to turn our attention toward invading Vacuo and claiming their territory before Yang and Nora do." she said, Weiss nodding and grabbing the miniature castle. "...Weiss, you can't attack people with a castle." Blake said through her book, Weiss scowling slightly and setting her base back down. "I knew that." she shot back as Pyrrha helped her move her fleet.
Ren stood over Blake's shoulder, arms crossed as his chest and surveying the field. "Hm… if the Atlesian military intends on bringing war to us, our best efforts will come from non-aggressive tactics. Using traps and area effect cards like Sandstorm will buffer them without heavy losses to our numbers. Once those options are expended, we'll head into full retreat and allow a loss of rations to starve out their soldiers." Ren commented as he looked over the board. "It'd work if these weren't Atlesian mechs, they can't get hungry." Blake responded. "They still have a fuel marker that acts in place of food. It's a lot of desert, they wouldn't survive marching such a long way. Once they fall, we send scavengers out to raid them for scraps." he commented, Blake shrugging her shoulders.
"...Why are all of my friends dorks?" Sun asked, watching as Ruby and Yang were engaged in an intense staredown while Jaune tried to covertly grab a pair of air troopers only for Ruby to slap his hand away, her gaze never shifting from her older sister. Blake's eyes shot up from her book and she turned to see Sun, who grinned and gave his customary "Yo" as she quickly marked and shut her book. "Sun! Why are you here?" she said, everyone looking up to see the monkey tailed Faunus, who rolled his eyes. "Haven't seen each other in months and the first thing she asks is why I'm here… me and my buddy Neptune are visiting for a couple of months. Guy can't spend his whole life cramped up in a school." Sun said, Jaune glaring furiously at Sun. "...Yo, is the blonde dude alright?" Sun asked, pointing his thumb at the angry blonde.
"...Put a shirt on!" Jaune shouted, Ruby letting out a startled yelp and jumping out of her chair, Blake chuckling. "Don't mind Jaune, he tends to get upset when people remind him that he's ab deficient." she explained, Jaune grumbling and turning back to the game. "...Did you seriously walk around in the snow without a shirt on?" Weiss asked, Sun winking and pulling back his open shirt to expose more of his chest. "When you look this good? Everywhere I go is summer." Sun said, a line that made Jaune want to gag. "So yeah, since I didn't really get your names last time, I thought I'd get to know you guys a little better. I'm Sun Wukong, Monkey King of Thieves and new student of Haven Academy!" he said, shaking his hand with everyone at the table.
"Oooh! I've read about Haven! What's it like? Why go there and not Vale or Shade? How hard is it?" Ruby asked curiously, the monkey-tailed Hunter grinning. "Why got there? Well, the weather's nice in Mistral, the training grounds are open 24/7 and the ladies are fine... but they got nothing on the girls in Vale." he said, giving a playful wink to Yang, who smiled back at him. "Looks like the monkey's going for the low hanging fruit." she said, Ruby groaning before looking at the board fiercely. "I'm going to blow up all of Mistral entirely because of that!" she exclaimed, desperate to ignore her sister flirting at the lunch table.
"Don't forget about the cool outfits we get, Sun. It's my favorite part." Neptune said, standing between Sun and Yang and showing off his jacket, straightening the tie underneath. "Oh yeah. This is my new buddy, Neptune." Sun said, putting a hand on Neptune's shoulder. "Neptune Vasilias." Neptune said, tipping off his flatcap and giving a bow of his head to the other students. The rest of the gathered Hunters stared at his hair, a messy light-blue hair shaved on the sides and in the back. The room went silent, broken by Weiss making the first comment. "...Your hair's blue." she said. "Yeah,cool huh? Dyed and cut it myself." he said proudly. "It's… interesting…." she said, Neptune flashing a winning smile as Sun grabbed his hat and threw it back on his head.
"Y'know, maybe we should catch up somewhere else, Sun." Blake suggested as Ren loomed over her head to move her units further into Vacuo's desert. "Yeah, it's a bit crowded in here. Maybe we could swing by that bookstore we slept out in." Sun said. "You haven't used up that gift card yet, so we can definitely get good use of it here." Weiss said, getting up from her seat. Blake followed suit, Ruby turning on them both. "Hey, wait a minute! We're in the middle of war! You can't walk off! The armies of Atlas and Vacuo need their leaders!" the leader of team RWBY shouted, flailing her arms wildly. "We're just going to be gone for a few minutes. This game will probably still be going when we get back. Ren and Pyrrha can take over for us." Blake said, Ruby pouting but nodding. "Well… alright. You guys have fun and say hi to Tukson for me… Jaune! No air troops!" Ruby barked as she turned back to the table. Weiss and Blake chuckled a bit as they headed out of the cafeteria.
After a quick couple of swipes through the security gate, the quartet were off for Tukson's Book Trade, Blake and Sun leading the way. The afternoon sun melted the freshly plowed snow, water dripping into the storm drains as they passed while Blake talked about her friends at Beacon. "So, you're in a team now, huh? What are they like?" Sun asked. "Well, first is our team leader, Ruby Rose. She's kind of like a puppy. Small, easily excited, loud and a bit tiring, but she's also a good friend. Always finds a way to cheer me up when I'm feeling down, plus she's a great reading buddy. And then there's her sister my partner, Yang. And Ruby might be tiring, Yang is…" Blake said, rubbing her chin as she considered the best word to describe Yang. "she's like a one-girl riot. A wave of loud destruction that disrupts all peace. I mean, we're actually gelling as partners during training, but I can't be in the same room as her of my own volition." Blake explained, Sun nodding and looking up to the sky with a devious grin on his face. Blake sighed, pulled a hardcover book from her bag and lightly smacked him upside the head with it.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Sun shouted as he rubbed the back of his head. "I know you're thinking dirty thoughts about Yang. Stop that. Perv Time is not happening." Blake said bluntly. "Look, I can't help it if your partner is like, volcano levels of hotness. I'm a sucker for a pretty face and- and she saved my life when we were fighting that gun-wielding lunatic, so she's compassionate and that's cool!" Sun quickly added as Blake reached back into her bookbag. "Yeah, Ruby's team leader but Yang's the glue that really holds things together. Heh, it's funny, really. She's probably the least responsible member of the team and yet she's also the big sister of the team. You got anyone like that?" Blake asked.
"Probably Sage. Kinda tall dude, dark skin, brown hair and amber eyes. He's not as wild as Yang and he doesn't have nearly as nice abs as I do. But he's the reason I was able to make it a week in Haven." Sun explained. "Ah, difficult school, huh?" Blake asked. "Oh no, the school part's easy. It's just all the rules they throw at ya. Don't do this, don't do that, can't do this, can't bring that. I tell ya, I dunno how people can live with so many rules." Sun complained. "But yeah, Sage has gotten me and Scarlet out of a lot of trouble." he said.
"And Scarlet? What's he like?" Blake asked, Sun laughing a bit before answering. "He's… kind of a spaz."he said, scratching the side of his head slightly as he gathered his thoughts. "He's clumsy, he's overly friendly with people, he's easily startled and he thinks he's a pirate." Sun explained, Blake stopping slightly and giving off a wide-eyed look of confusion. "...A pirate?" she asked, Sun throwing up his arms. "Yeah, I don't get it either! He said his family comes from a long line of pirates, but I've never even seen a pirate! Have you ever seen a pirate? Who's pirating these days! WE HAVE SHIPS THAT FLY AND SOMEONE'S GONNA TRY AND PLUNDER THEM?!" he said, suddenly shouting in exasperation. "...You've been holding this in a while, haven't you? Blake asked. "It's literally my first thought when I see him every morning. He'll fly up the to top of the flagpole to shout nonsense at everyone to wake them up. He cuts everything with his cutlass. He somehow set up a rope swing without anyone noticing and swung his way across the cafeteria. I just, I don't… why is he a pirate?!" Sun asked in exasperation, Blake giving him a friendly pat on the back.
Behind them, Neptune was trying to work his magic on Weiss. "So, I never really caught your name… Snow Angel." he began, Weiss shutting her eyes so she could roll them in a clandestine manner. "I'm Weiss. Weiss Schnee." she said when she opened her eyes. "Whoa, did you say Schnee? Like, Schnee Dust Schnee?" Neptune asked, Weiss nodding. "Yeah, the very same." She confirmed, Neptune his head. "My dad and your dad spent a lot of time talking, he owns The Poseidon Shipwright! He even helped Jacques build the Hyperion, y'know, that really big ship that transports shipping ships?" Neptune said, Weiss rubbing her chin. "Hm… Poseidon… Poseidon… y'know, I think I have met your father before when I was little. I think it was during a banquet. Zander Vasilias, right?" she asked, Neptune nodding. "Yes, now I remember, dyed his hair black to make himself look younger than he was." the heiress said, Neptune laughing. "Yeah, and he'd keep whatever blonde he still has, so he's just got little specks of blonde in there." he said,Weiss letting out her signature laugh.
"Oh Hohohohoho~ yes, I remember that. I also remember he'd always bring his little blonde-haired kid alo- oh! Oh wow, you're that Neptune! The kid who went in a superhero costume!" Weiss said, laughing harder. "What? I was Dragonface! I looked so cool!" Neptune shouted, Weiss holding her sides in laughter. "You looked… ahahahaha… you looked like you were wearing a blanket! Oh, daddy was furious, it was great!" she said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "Your sister liked the costume…" Neptune grumbled, Weiss snickering to try and hold in her laughter. "Yeah, she thought it was hilarious!" the heiress said, laughing as she bumped into Blake. "Ah! Sorry, Blake. I was too… busy… laughing…" Weiss began as she saw what had brought her friend to a halt.
Tukson's Book Trade was taped off, police looking over the smoldering rubble from last night's fire. Shelves were shattered from the burst of the Dust Crystal and books were reduced to ash. "No… Tukson... Tukson!" Blake called out, running toward the tape only for Weiss and Sun to grab her and hold her back, Weiss grabbing her waist while Sun held her arms.. "Blake, stop! We're not allowed behind a police line!" Weiss cried, trying to pull Blake away. "I'm a Huntress! I can help! Let go!" she shouted, an officer turning and walking over to them. "Hey, you kids! Stay behind the line!" The officer said, Blake turning to him. "Officer, we're with Beacon and Haven Academy! What happened here?" Blake said frantically, still struggling against Sun and Weiss, the cop sighing a bit. "Well, this really ain't your kind of thing… but as you can tell, it was an arson. Whole place went up last night at around 4:30. No clues yet on who did it, but it looks like it was a Dust fire." the officer explained, everyone listening and looking at each other. "...Were… were there any victims?" Weiss asked the question on everyone's mind.
"About seven injured by the blast and one body found in the building." The officer said, giving a description of Tukson and explaining that he was found with a slash mark on his throat. Blake listened to the officer's explanation, nodding occasionally while staring at the wreckage behind the police."I… I see. Thank you officer, we'll leave you to your investigation." Blake said, looking down and turning around. :Y-you can let go now, I'm heading back to Beacon." she said, Sun and Weiss letting go of her. "Yo, Blake. You gonna be okay?" Sun asked as Blake walked away from the remains of Tukson's Book Trade. "Y-yeah, I'll… I'll be fine." Blake replied shakily, Weiss following after her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Blake…" Weiss said, looking at her with concern. Blake sniffed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I just... I just need to be alone, okay?" Blake asked, Weiss nodding in understanding.
Blake gently shrugged off Weiss' hand, walking away. "She'll be okay, right?" neptune asked from behind the heiress. "Give her time, she's… in a bad place right now." Weiss said, unsure as she watched Blake walk away.