Okay so work, school, and me trying to find rest between the two has made this chapter take forever, and quite honestly this chapter is a bit of a stall seeing as at the mention of field missions from Glynda I was already gone creating a wonderful missions for Team CARD or BRCT now...but regardless it's an interesting opportunity to make their mark.

RWBY: The Darkness Within

Season 2- Chapter 11

Doubts and Fears

Worse than the Fear of Telling the Truth, is the Fear of being Caught in a Lie

Knives sat there grinning as Pyrrha completely destroyed CRDL with their team tactics they weren't even able to bring down the Battle Goddess. Johann sat next to him munching on popcorn and making observations, "She's good, but her weakness is appearances and her heart. If she doesn't look strong she isn't."

"Duly noted, now can you shut up so I can enjoy this?" Knives said as Deverou looked at him.

"Can you please not indulge him while we're enjoying a good thing?" Deverou said turning back to the fight with a smile.

"Yeah!" Caradin said with a mouthful of pie as he only shoveled more into his face.

"I hope he chokes on that." Johann said with a growl, Caradin did almost choke, but he swallowed quickly and decided to slow down his pace despite Johann's grumblings.

Luxus joined them with an exhausted look on his face, "You been getting any sleep pal?" Knives asked as he popped some candy in his mouth with a wince as he rubbed his chest and arms.

"Mmm," He mumbled as he took stock of the fight, "Yeah, fine. Just been up late researching some stuff, oh and Newt said yes by the way."

"Way to go slayer!" Caradin asked hitting him on the back and startling him even more. "Whoops, sorry."

"Well done, if only the rest of us could get dates." He smiled.

"You could always ask Velvet." Knives said with a bored expression.

"I told you to stop reading my journal!" Deverou cried in exasperation as Knives and Caradin chuckled, "What about you, will you muster the courage to ask Ruby!?"

Knives straightened up immediately turning a bright red as he clenched his chest in pain again and pulled the hood over his face, "I was thinking about it, until now."

Caradin chuckled, "Well you all have fun with that, I'm gonna see if that girl Luna feels like partying."

"I heard she's trying to get David Frystlik to ask her." Knives said as he gripped his right arm as it began to throb once more.

"You might wanna see the nurse about that." Caradin said as he mumbled angrily looking in David's direction.

"I'm perfectly fine, just a little twitch." Knives lied as he passed his candy to Luxus, "They're chocolate covered coffee beans." He said as Luxus munched on them.

"Fuck you!" Deverou cried at Knives as the whole team snickered.

"CFVY," Luxus chuckled, "Good one." Deverou reared back and smacked the candy out of his hands, "Hey!"

"No dreams for you!" Deverou screamed as people began to look their way.

"You're drawing a scene," Knives said, "If you hear that from the schizophrenic you're doing something wrong." He finished.

Deverou opened his mouth to retaliate but quickly shut it as he saw Weiss glaring in their direction and it turned his insides cold. "Bitch." Caradin said as Deverou knocked the empty pie tray from his hands.

The random guy whom Glynda called Mercury stuck his hand up in the air and challenged Pyrrha so the group went quiet as they watched the match closely as the man kicked and flipped as she spun and slashed. With each hit Mercury only got faster and Knives kept his eyes fixed on him, "He's watching her closely for weakness." Johann said as he pointed to Mercury's boots, "They're well designed, keeps his movement up and strengthens his kicks. Just wait." Mercury quickly disarmed Pyrrha and went in to land a blow, but his leg moved wide and he missed and flipped back as she charged and he surrendered. "Did you see it?" Johann asked.

"He was evaluating her abilities, he had sharp eyes and reflexes, and once he figured out what he wanted he decided the fight was pointless." Knives said.

"What?" Caradin asked.

"He figured out her semblance and then threw the match." Deverou said as he and Luxus had seen it too. Whoever this Mercury was, he was smart and skilled, and that made him dangerous.

"Dangerous, or a valuable asset." Johann said smiling, "He's from Haven is he? Interesting, and Cinder was from there too correct?"

They began to file out of the arena as Knives turned to Johann, "What are you getting at?"

"I believe we may need to investigate them further." Johann said simply, "After all, I need plenty of powerful players in my master plan."

"Hmph, it'd be nice if you let me in on it, or you know didn't have an evil psychopathic master plan?" Knives suggested.

"But where's the fun in that?" Johann chuckled, "Either way, feel free to do what you wish the rest of the day, I'll take over when I need to."

"Whatever." Knives replied as he walked off.

To Doubt yourself, is to Fear Failure

"Oh come on!" Mason fussed as he chased after Yang.

"No means no." She replied as she carried her bag full of planners for the dance.

"Please! Just let my band play at the dance, I guarantee you won't be disappointed!" He beamed.

"First off, I know for a fact you have yet to assemble your band, and even more I doubt anyone will want to listen to 'The Screaming Ursi'" She said as she held up his tryouts poster.

He chuckled as she frowned and turned away, "Okay, let me do this much. If I can assemble a band, will you give us a chance to tryout?"

She pondered this, "I will give you a shot, but don't disappoint."

"We won't!" He beamed as he rushed back to the auditorium that Professor Goodwitch had lent him for an hour to conduct tryouts. He walked in and was surprised by the amount of candidates they had before them, most of the male population of the school was here to tryout, and it felt like it would take forever to sift through them, but Lee simply separated the groups into keyboarders, guitarists, and singers. The Farbe twins tried out for guitar alongside Carlos, Edan, and Pyron, but only Rory stood out as a guitar player of considerable skill with Edan placing close enough to have them put him in as a backup guitar player. Next were the keyboard auditions with Luxus, David, Ragnar, and Xich; where it was a close contest between Xich and Luxus before Xich beat him out with a piece he composed himself. Finally came the vocalists, who consisted of Caradin, Sammy, who had been forced in by Teena, and Safe. It was the most teeth grinding tone deaf experience of their life with exception of Sammy, but he sang 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Dust Crystal'.

"What're your thoughts?" Mason said to Lee with an exasperated sigh.

"I think we need a singer who doesn't suck and isn't timid." Lee responded, turning to Knives and Deverou who stood at the back, "What about you two?"

Knives looked to Deverou, "I'm here for emotional support."

Deverou grew beet red, "I'm not much of a singer."

"Well you've got to be better than Caradin, give it a shot." Mason said as he dragged Deverou onto the stage as his knees shook.

"Well you see, I'm not one for the rock and roll." Deverou said sheepishly, "I can try something I know though." Mason looked to Lee who shrugged and Mason nodded to him. Deverou looked to Caradin.

"You can't mean." Caradin started.

"I do."

"Well then I guess I'd better drop a beat." Caradin said as he started beatboxing to everyone's surprise as Deverou tapped his foot.

"Everybody step back, cause D is at the mic, dropping rhymes that're hotter than a Xiao-Long surprise.

If you think you've got what it takes to step up to me, pick up the beat from the defender of the Ice Queen.

Nothing yet, that's what I thought, yeah you can't even touch me, like a shadow on the prowl, I ain't no lap puppy.

I'm a killer, tried and true, Tenebrous to the core. If you want to take my light, you'll find your ass on the floor.

Now that's the situation, if you think you can address me, pick up the motherfucking mic and bitch try to impress me." He finished as he dropped the mic and walked off the stage to a roar from the crowd as Caradin ran up and picked up the mic.

"Word." He said as he dropped it again as they cheered and laughed to Mason and Lee's shock.

"Well, that was." Mason started.

"Different." His friend finished.

"Knives get your ass on stage!" Deverou roared as he then immediately quieted down with a cough, "If it suits you."

Knives walked up onto stage and set the microphone back in it's stand as he put on his headphones and let the world drop as he became immersed in his music. "Listen closely, as I start this up." He said as he began to bang his head listening to his song, "oooooOOOOOAAAAAH! Lost again, wandering the deserts of despair. Searching for the oasis of your love. Dry mouth, panicked sweat, my life just isn't over yet! I don't know why I say the things I do, don't know why I fight again with you, the more I hate you, the more I want to love you! Back away, leave and things will be okay, we'll start again, when I go and break my chain! Chained; to the bottom of the roaring sea, your hate is slowly drowning me, I'm awake in my own misery! Back away, leave and things will be okay, we'll start again, when I go and break my chain! It's all I can do, just to breathe." He finished briefly as they looked at him.

"That was awesome." Lee said with his mouth agape.

"Yeah, I think we've got our singer." Mason finished for him.

Madness is the Absence of Fearing the Consequences of your Actions

Cinder was in the middle of her work when there was a knock at her door, she opened it to find Knives standing before her, but something was different about him. "Hello there."

"Hey there Cinder," He said with a cocky grin, "Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the dance?"

"Um, no that's nice and all but I don't even know your name." She faked.

"It's Alex, and that's fine, just save me a dance, because we'll be dancing one way or another." He said as he bowed and locked eyes with her, the bloodlust practically radiating off of him.

"I'll think about it." She said as she closed the door and turned back to her associates, "Well now, that was interesting."

"How do you figure?" Mercury asked.

"I think I just met his other half." She replied.

"Oh?" Emerald responded, "And was Brandon and Ryzia's assumption correct?"

"We'll need to do more research," She replied, "But I'd put him on the list as a neutral for now, he may become rather useful." She smirked as a plan was soon hatched in her mind.

Cinder, and Mercury, and Emerald, oh my! Well regardless we can see Johann's gaining more and more ground and he and Knives are conversing much more frequently. And how will the Screaming Ursi fair, or will they simply flop. I'm not quite sure, but I think it'll be cool! Looking forward to this week's episode.