"State your name, please." The man in the suit asked.
"Ruby Rose," The reaper answered. She watched as the man wrote that down. She was currently sitting in Kay's office with two people in suits and sunglasses. They had knocked on the door about an hour ago, identifying themselves as agents of something called the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The other agent had the same haircut and emotionless expression on his face. She made sure to name them Suit 1 and Suit 2. Suit 1 moved on to his questions.
"What exactly do you do for a living, Miss Rose?" He asked.
"I'm a member of the Beacon peacekeeping militia company," she recalled what Winter and Kay had told them the night before. "We work to protect people in times of crisis."
"Such as?" Suit 2 piped in.
"Well, I've only been added to Beacon's active roster recently, so I've only done a couple security-type operations," Ruby answered. She did her best to emulate all the cool spy stuff she used to see in Spruce Willis films back home. What would a badass, superspy say? "Most, if not all of my work has been surveillance and recon."
"With what type of gear?" Came the question. Thankfully, Ren, Winter, and Kay made sure to find a way to hide their real weapons somewhere. It was so well hidden that not even she knew!
"I primarily work with a sniper rifle," Ruby cringed on the inside after referring to her beloved Crescent Rose as just another sniper rifle. She made a mental note to give it extra love during the next polishing. "I scout for perimeter threats and alert my team if any issues pop up."
"You're also the second youngest of the group, as you've told me," Suit 1 pointed out. "What age do prospects for Beacon start training?"
"Well, my mom was apparently really into field missions back in the day," Ruby answered with an earnest smile. It definitely was the truth. "So I guess you could say I was inspired to join from a pretty early age."
"Your mother was in the armed forces?" Suit 2 asked.
"No, she was one of the greatest members the Beacon company ever had," Ruby retorted immediately. "I've been working ever since to become the same kind of protector as she was."
"Was?" Suit 1 stopped writing for a moment.
"She was killed in action," she answered. Saying the words brought a sour taste to her mouth, but that is what Kay had told them would be the best part; all they had to do was translate their personal experiences on Remnant to the context of neutral, peacekeeping militia. The only solid point they had to maintain was that they were only there for relaxation and recuperation, which also wasn't too far off from what the truth was. Except for the whole, waiting for a portal to return home thing, that is.
"Mmm," Suit 1 hummed as he wrote down another note. "If we were to research your names and appearances in our records, would you show up?"
"No," Ruby shook her head. "The closest thing you'd get is a bunch of characters from some popular internet cartoon from a few years back. Other than that, we don't exist."
"I see," Suit 1 nodded. He clicked the stop button on a small recorder on the desk."Thank you Miss Rose, that will be all for now."
Suit 2 held the door open as she left the door, allowing her to return to the group in the living room couch and floor. They were dead silent as four other agents in suits walked around the house, probably scouring for any evidence of terrorist activities.
At least, that's what Winter had said.
Either way, Kay and Winter made sure to tell them to stay silent and do their best to remain unprovoked. They may use any words and actions and take them out of context to paint them as bad guys. And they totally weren't! Ren was told to enter the office next, which caused Ruby to take a mental sigh of relief. At least he would be level-headed through it all.
"How'd it go?" Yang whispered as she sat down next to her.
"Alright, I guess," Ruby answered. "Not sure why we're being questioned."
"Did they ask anything about Kay?" Yang asked. Ruby shook her head. "That's weird, they asked me about him."
"Excuse me," one of the agents walked up to the group. "Would there happen to be a basement in this house?"
"Not that we've been made aware of," Weiss answered for the group, while others simply shook their heads. "We've only been on this floor."
That much was true. To the knowledge of only Winter and Kay, Roman had very kindly taken their weapons and his them away in his home. Kay stated that the editor wasn't mentioned in the investigation, so he most likely wouldn't be tracked down or investigated. Hopefully, that is.
"I was asked about whether Kay and Winter were engaged in some sort of relationship," Weiss huffed after the man walked out of earshot. "As if I didn't get enough jokes about it from you lot, I had to answer them with as straight a face as possible."
"Someone's in denial!" Nora sang.
"Nora, please!" Weiss hissed. "It's already hard enough when they realized I was Winter's sister. They kept badgering me about our commanding officer."
"And what did you say?" Jaune asked.
"Classified," Weiss answered. "As it is."
"Right," Jaune nodded, having done the same.
"Did they ask where any of us were from?" Nora popped in.
"No," Weiss shook her head. She glanced at the agents that were wandering around the house, no doubt listening in to their conversation. "I would only hope our CO hears about this eventually. Some things will need to change about all this."
"I hope Kay's alright," Ruby said, making sure the agents heard her. "He's been so good to us."
"He'll be fine," Yang dismissed with a cheeky grin. "He's got Winter with him."
"They'll never find your body, Xiao-Long, I swear." Weiss glared daggers at the blonde, who simply shrugged.
"I just mean that he has our superior officer to support him," Yang clarified with a wink. "He's still a civilian, no matter his background."
Ren was eventually released from the office as the two interviewers had finished their rounds through the group. The man that Ruby had dubbed Suit 1 walked over to them in the living room, his expression hidden behind his sunglasses. He made a show of looking over each of them, and when that didn't garner any sort of reaction, he spoke.
"None of you are in trouble," he said. "We simply wanted to know why there were members of an unknown militant force spending their R&R assignment in such a specifically out of the way place."
"Well, you just answered the question." Ruby replied immediately, catching the man off guard.
"Yeah," Nora added. "We're unknown, and would like to remain unknown, like our company's policy goes."
"And while we may be trained in combat, we haven't left this house other than to help our host get groceries," Weiss added.
"We have no plans or objectives that place anyone in the town, state, or country in any danger," Yang continued. "We're all just here to relax."
"So you say," the man continued to attempt to intimidate the group, glaring at them through his sunglasses. "Hm, allow me to ask one more question, this time to the whole group."
"Has Karis Gray done anything to you or others that would warrant any sort of physical force?" The man asked. "Has he done anything against your consent or knowledge?"
"Are you seriously asking if he's taken advantage of us?" Jaune asked.
"No," Ruby stood up immediately. Her friends watched her closely, readying themselves if she decided to act rashly. "He hasn't. Kay's been a very generous host, even giving up his beds and couch to us while he chooses to sleep on the floor. He doesn't have to cook breakfast for us, but does so anyway. He pretty much lets us have free reign in the house and brings us entertainment either digitally or from the library. He's been nothing but warm and kind to us, where you people have just been badgering us over nothing!"
"She's absolutely right," Weiss stood by her partner. The group made their own similar outcries from their spots in the room. "The fact that you would insinuate otherwise is absolutely disgusting."
"It seems I may have frayed a few nerves there," the man did not sound so apologetic when he said that, but he stepped aside anyway to join his colleagues. He placed a single white card on the couch, next to Yang and made his way to the door. Before he and the other agents left, he turned to say, "I have left my information on that card with you. If anything suspicious pops up, do not hesitate to let us know. Otherwise, we will be in touch with your superior."
The door closed with finality as the students took a collective sigh of relief. Nora and Jaune watched the agents slowly depart through the window. As directed by Kay the night before, they made sure to act normal, but avoid speaking about anything Remnant-related; they may have planted secret microphones around the place. With how the agents randomly wandered around the house, there was definitely a chance of that.
"What now?" Blake asked, looking over to Oscar. He had stayed in control the entire time, and with the potential of being bugged, he would have to remain in control for an undetermined amount of time. His interview took the longest, though it mostly pertained as to his age and why he was with the group if he only had a civilian background compared to the rest of them. He had given the story that he was a part of a refugee camp and wanted to help the Atlas and Beacon companies in their noble paths in protecting the defenseless people of the world, and so on and so forth. "They're gone, right?"
"Yup," Jaune said from the window, glancing outside again. "All four black cars are gone."
"Blake," Ruby turned to her teammate. "Do you see anything around us?"
All it took was a quick glance to the globe on the mantle, a shiny glint in the kitchen for Blake to nod confidently back to her leader. There was also no doubt that they had planted one in each of their bedrooms.
"So what should we do now?" Jaune asked, rejoining the group in the living room.
"For now," Ruby stepped forward and grabbed the TV remote. "We wait for Kay and Winter. I think we can handle being normal for a little bit more."
Meanwhile…
"Mister Gray, has there been any property or personal damage caused by this visiting group that would warrant our assistance?"
"As I said before and will say again Miss Gee," Kay did his best to hold in an aggravated sigh. "The kids have done nothing wrong, no one has been hurt." He stared directly into the woman's eyes as he continued. "I am not in need of any protective services."
"I would appreciate it if my young colleagues weren't treated as volatile, hostile agents." Winter cut in. "We were all trained to keep the peace and to never interfere directly with countries' affairs. We would not jeopardize ourselves by acting rashly wherever we went."
"So it would seem," Agent Barrett nodded. He glanced between the two adults sitting before him. "How would the two of you describe your relationship?"
"Relationship?" Winter repeated, clearly unamused.
"You two are the sole adults," Barrett shrugged. "I'm simply speculating that Mister Gray may have been chosen for a different reason."
"I did not choose Karis as our host, our commanding officer did," Winter answered, her ice cold glare shooting straight into the man's sunglasses. "I also arrived after my subordinates without any intel as to who Karis was. Regardless, our interactions have been purely professional throughout our time here."
"Mister Gray, any comments to add?"
"None, Agent Barrett," Kay shook his head. "I'm just a host for her and the kids. Any step over that would be a violation against their practices, as well as downright rude of me."
"If you're looking for any minor reason to set a charge of any kind with us, you'd be sorely mistaken for trying," Winter said. "I have my subordinates on their best behavior."
"I see," A sudden beep caused Barrett to glance at his smartwatch as he received a message. After writing something down, he stood from his seat, which everyone else followed suit. "It would seem our time here is up, Mister Gray and Miss Schnee. As it so seems, there is no way for us to arrest you at the moment, but do keep in mind that we will be in touch. I suggest that your quiet, peacekeeping ways do stay that way, or our forces will clash. Regardless of how well trained your members are, Miss Schnee, I can guarantee that this conflict is one you would want to avoid. You are dismissed."
It was a long, silent walk back to the car before the two of them let out a sigh of relief. Kay wiped sweat off his forehead with his sleeve as he glanced at Winter, who was pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. She let out another deep sigh as she met Kay's gaze.
"Are the federal agents of your world always so annoyingly smug?" Winter asked. "Even if they don't know what they're talking about?"
"This is my first encounter with them," Kay looked in his rearview mirrors to see if anyone was moving behind them before he pulled out of his spot. "Are they like this on Remnant?"
"Pesky, arrogant, and hungry to use anything and everything to their advantage against the Atlas military?" Winter rolled her eyes. "Then, yes."
"Being Ironwood's right hand must've meant you spoke with them a lot," Kay said, focusing on the road ahead of them. "And I'm sure the Atlesian Council is just as aggravating to deal with."
"You wouldn't know the half of it," Winter muttered. "Ostentatious bastards and military antiques that want everything their way, refusing to budge at the mere mention of financial reforms."
"Sounds plenty familiar, to be honest." Kay sighed, letting the moment pass. As they drove back to the house, the golden arches caught Kay's attention."We should probably pick up some dinner on the way home."
"Please," Winter nodded, the mental exhaustion hitting her already.
. . . . .
"What's the plan?" Kay asked as Winter casually wandered through the house with a glass of red wine in her hand. She made sure not to look directly at the planted bugs that the agents had placed, rather, she simply perused the items around it for a while and observed the plants in her peripheral vision.
"We simply wait for our next commands," Winter said, taking a sip. "As for the feds, I believe we're fine. They won't be able to watch us."
The bugs are microphones, not cameras. Kay mentally noted. That meant that they needed to maintain a sort of code. He pointed at the bedrooms and office doors with a raised eyebrow. Winter answered with a silent nod; they had indeed bugged the other rooms as well. The kids already seemed to realize, subtly making sure they were careful with how they talk over dinner.
"Thank you, Winter." Kay said as the Specialist finished her rounds and returned to the kitchen counter. "I wouldn't have been able to handle today without your support."
"Of course," Winter nodded and smiled in kind. A peaceful moment passed between the two as they sipped on their wine. "It's nothing compared to what you've done for us."
"It's just… so much of an inconvenience right when we managed to make progress on communication." Kay said carefully. "Your CO is going to be pretty pissed if the feds keep interfering."
"No kidding," Winter played along. "So, now?"
"We wait." Kay raised his wine glass in the space between them. "Crisis averted?"
"A victory for now," Winter's smile widened as she reciprocated his motion.
. . . . .
In the bustling area of Bushwick, Brooklyn, a woman was barking into her phone as she made her way into her home. As she passed through her mudroom, several pictures of a stoically posed family stared back at her. More portraits followed her down the hallway, each with a young man or woman wearing a variation of a green uniform.
"I cannot believe you would have me drive out in the middle of nowhere, young lady," she sighed. "What is so urgent that I would be interested in staying a night in Glen Plain's of all places?"
"Because Mother," a young woman's voice answered through speakerphone. "I think Karis may have gotten involved in something dangerous."
"Maya," the older woman chided as she moved about her home. "If your brother has made any decision on his own, I'm sure he'll be fine without us. He's made it clear by moving out there."
"Not when his decision leads to being involved with some sort of unknown military group!" Maya's outburst surprised the woman. She hadn't sounded this concerned about her older brother since they were children. If this situation was as legitimate as Maya had said, perhaps it was time to take personal action. "Mother, please!"
So her beloved, estranged son had truly found himself in quite the mess, hadn't he? The woman sighed as she made her way to a particularly large and well-kept wardrobe near the rear of her home. She opened the door to reveal a handful of pristine uniforms from her glory days, one of which she pulled out and admired with one hand while still holding the phone in the other hand. She took a deep breath and leaned towards her phone.
"I'll rescue your silly older brother, Maya," her tone was cold, calculating. "Now, tell me more about this Winter woman."
Heyo, Kariotic here with another update! Things are starting to get pretty exciting, aren't they? The Feds, Atlas' progress, Kay's Mother...
We'll see what happens next time of Time in Pages Lost! See you next chapter. Leave a comment if you feel inclined, I love reading them.