Sheffield went through the motions of checking and cleaning her pistols. They were impeccable after the second time, but experience taught her that dirt and grime always found a way in. Plus, it kept her occupied while she waited for Jaune's assault.

A pair of heels clacked across the stone and stopped just to the side. "You're awfully excited, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you mean by that." Sheffield said as she peered down the sight of her gun.

"You mean you're not looking forward to seeing how Jaune can command a group of girls after all the lessons we drilled into him?" Newcastle made an amused hum. "As the Sakura girls would say, you are such a tsundere."

Sheffield glared pointedly at her pistol as if it offended her. "I see now why Carolina wished for us to not make contact with Ozpin. Despicable man, playing with us so easily. He reminds me of another annoying man."

"Isn't that a bit harsh on the former Commander?"

"No, not him. Someone else from long ago." Sheffield shook her head. "Our old Commander was just an annoying scuff."

"Truly, your romantic compliments could rival Shakespeare's finest works," Newcastle said sarcastically. "It's okay to admit that you miss him. You know we all do."

"If I did, you'll never let me hear the end of it."

"Hmm, true."

But Newcastle was right. Sheffield did miss the old bugger. Enough so that seeing Jaune standing with conviction against the odds brought back a slew of buried memories. It was an emotional weakness that allowed her to be manipulated so easily by Ozpin. She hated it and cursed the Commander for making her feel weak, but she couldn't help but hope for a return to the old days.

If only Jaune would wear an officer's uniform instead of that old hoodie. And trim that ragged mop of hair.

"Do you think Jaune will make it past us?" Newcastle asked.

"Given the discrepancy in skill, I find it unlikely." Sheffield allowed herself a small nostalgic smile. 'But I have faith he'll pull through for us.'

Time's up. It was now or never.

The maids watched from the central spire as the student figures approached the ruins of the bridge, sprinting from pillar to pillar, but staying out of the open area. The maids waited, for they were the wall that Jaune and his comrades would have to overcome, and so there was no need to strike first.

Jaune prodded at the map made in the dirt with his sword. "The two biggest obstacles in our way are Minnie and Sirius." Jaune pointed at the sniper shell and shotgun shell respectively at each end of the bridge. "Minnie has to be taken care of first. If she stays entrenched on the high ground, she can pick us off. By the time we start, she'll have dug herself in so we need to root her out.

"That will be up to Yang and Nora, or Boar Team as I'll call-"

"'Boar Team'? Why not Team Puma or something less 'boar'-ing?" Yang said.

"Yang," Ruby groaned.

"Oh! What about that one Vacuo Grimm?" Nora added. "The Chupa-thingy?"

"You are rooting out Minnie like a warthog, but that's too long so you're Boar Team."

"Lame."

The tension was shattered by a cry.

"Boar team, cover us!"

Nora popped out from behind her pillar, grenade launcher at the ready.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The grenades didn't reach the maid, but they did reach the start of the bridge. It was there they popped and hissed like snakes as they released their smoky payload.

Sirius advanced and readied herself for whatever may come.

None shall pass.

"And how do you expect them to reach that far?" Weiss asked. "She'd see them coming, not to mention that neither can fly up the cliff."

"No, but we do have a Schnee Dust catapult."

"A what now?"

Instead of the charge through the smoke, there was a sound of zapping and crackling. The first movement didn't go through the front, but were fired up like a mortar.

Sirius and the maids watched with wide eyes as two plumes of smoke soared above them.

"Shoot them down! He's trying to get past us!" Sheffield cried out, already firing her pistol.

Sirius made to leap after them but as she did, two things happened.

First, the smoke cleared to reveal two girls, not Jaune.

Second, a ribbon wrapped around Sirius' ankle and yanked her back to earth.

"Blake and Ren, Cat Team, will need to keep Sirius occupied," Jaune said. "She's less of a maid and more of a bodyguard so you'll need to be careful around her. She's crazy strong. I've seen her throw a Bull Shark like it was a beach ball."

Blake raised a hand. "If she's really that strong, why not have Pyrrha fight her?"

A good question. Pyrrha told him she won a tournament once or twice, much to the disbelief of the others. He could have sworn they would know about her. Even if Pyrrha was as good as she said, he knew Sirius could be scary when she gets serious. "We don't need to overpower her, just get past her. You two are ninjas. Just keep dodging her attacks and keep her out of the way."

"Okay, but why 'Cat Team'?" Her eyes narrowed a bit at him.

"Because you're going to distract her like a cat," Jaune replied, feeling a bit confused by the sudden scrutiny. "You have a ribbon. Get it around Sirius and it'll take care of itself."

Blake deflated a bit. "Oh. Really?"

Jaune nodded. "Sirius is ridiculously clumsy."

"Any other advice?" Ren asked.

Jaune racked his brain for a few seconds. "Sirius can swing that sword like a toy, so try not to get hit by that. Also, Ren, don't stick around when the ribbon goes on. Things get… weird."

Sirius pulled herself up and brought her sword up immediately to deflect the rapid shots coming from the cat girl and pretty boy. It was a struggle to stand up as the assault wouldn't let her move far, more so when the two split up around her.

Not to be outmaneuvered, Sirius moved to take out the pretty one first. She brought her greatsword up for a swing… only to bring it back down when Ren leapt into arms reach. He had stowed his guns and favored his hands, striking at joints and limbs. It was difficult to block them all as her own sword got in the way.

It was during this fighting that Sirius noticed another group exit the smoke and rush past her.

"Honorable Master!" she cried in dismay.

Jaune dragged the tip of his sword through the dirt. "Once those two are occupied, the rest of us, Bull Team, will punch right through the middle. Weiss, Newcastle is the weaker of the two so you'll handle her while Pyrrha takes Sheffield."

"Are you trying to imply something, Arc?" Weiss' lips were pursed in a frown. "I've had quite enough insults today."

Jaune winced. "Sorry. Sheffield can be abrasive at the best of times. I'm sure she didn't mean it."

Weiss stared at him intensely.

"Maybe a little," Jaune added with a wilt. "I'll ask her to apologize later."

"As you should."

Jaune hesitated for half a second to say, "I still need you to fight Newcastle. The sooner she's out of the picture, the sooner you can help Pyrrha or someone else."

Weiss frowned. "I suppose that makes sense."

"Move to engage," Sheffield said. She and Newcastle began to move forward to intercept the runners. Halfway there, they were forced to halt and jump to the side as a wall of ice carved a trail down the middle of the spire plaza.

Sheffield recovered quickly, only to find herself on the back foot as the Invincible Girl pressed the assault on her. There was hardly a moment to breathe as Sheffield dodged, parried, and blocked each unrelenting strike.

On the other side, Newcastle brought up her umbrella in a fencing stance as she parried Weiss' strikes. Though her defense held up well, Newcastle was pushed back step by step.

Neither side saw the last two people fly over the ice ridge in a ball of red and yellow rose petals.

"If all goes well, Ruby will use her semblance to launch the both of us across that final gap and we'll be home free." Jaune sheathed his sword.

"Sounds like a solid plan to me," Yang said.

"You're quite good at this, Jaune," Pyrrha complimented.

Jaune shook his head and gave a nervous laugh. "I'm desperate and short on time. I'm not some Atlas military officer or anything."

"I'll be impressed if this crazy plan actually holds up," Weiss said with a scoff.

"Come on, Weiss. It'll be fun!" Ruby bumped her shoulder with Weiss.

"You're just saying that because you don't have to do anything but run."

"It's so simple! What could go wrong with running?"

Click.

"Huh?" Ruby and Jaune looked down at the stone that shifted strangely under their weight.

Boom-Fwoosh!

"Whoa!" "Aaaaahhh!" They yelled as they were flung back and away on a gust of wind. They found themselves landing in a heap back where the ice wall began, the air knocked hard out of their lungs.

"Ruby!" "Jaune!"

In one swift move, the balance had tilted. The distraction was enough for Newcastle to push Weiss back, and for Sheffield to take control of her own battle.

Newcastle jabbed at Weiss' arms, and then flipped the umbrella around to hook Weiss' ankle. With the petite girl off-balance, Newcastle delivered a stunning kick that sent Weiss tumbling back towards the downed duo. "Did you really think it would be that easy to get past us, Jaune?" Newcastle commented as she brandished her umbrella.

"I was hoping, yeah," Jaune wheezed out.

"Did anyone get the number of that truck?" Ruby groaned.

"I do hope you have a backup plan," Newcastle said as she stalked towards them. "A leader should know how to adapt and improvise on the fly."

Meanwhile...

Yang had to hand it to Jaune. He knew how to get a girl's blood pumping. Using smoke to cover themselves as they were launched off the Schnee's Glyph-pult, and then falling back to Remnant like a blazing meteor? It felt like the first time she took Bumblebee to top speed, minus the ticket she got for it.

Shame he couldn't pick a cooler team name.

But there was another reason her blood was pumping. Ruby told her this Minnie chick knew Summer, and if she knew Summer, there was a chance she knew Raven as well. And the whole point of Yang's contribution was to keep the sniper off Jaune's back. No one said she couldn't try to capture the girl for a few questions. It was the same thing, really. How hard could it be?

"Will you hold still?" Yang shouted as she chased the tanned streaker around the cliff top. "I just wanna talk!" The only reason Yang wasn't boiling over with frustrated rage was because she expected this kind of dodging bullshit now thanks to Commando Maid. But damn, if Minnie's smug looks weren't helping things.

Minnie only whooped in response as she leaped aside to dodge a swing from Nora's hammer. In doing so, Yang was almost unable to stop herself from running Nora over.

"Sorry!" Yang had to dance aside before she could fully stop. She then watched as Minnie mocked them from across the field, shaking her butt from side to side.

"Aw come on, don't tell me you huntresses can't catch a little wolf like me?" Minnie jeered.

"I think we need to change things up a bit," Yang said to Nora. "We knocked her out of the hole, but I'm getting a little tired of playing tag."

Nora nodded. "She's a wily one, that Minnie. Got any ideas?"

Instinctively, Yang wanted to charge and chase the girl down until their legs fell off. Minnie was built like Ruby so she should be better at sprinting than endurance running. But now she had a nagging feeling that idea would be futile and may lead to a trap. No, if fighting with Sheffield taught her anything, Yang needed to play things a bit smarter. The question was, how does someone outsmart a shameless huntress?

"Got any stun grenades or something?" Yang asked.

"Kinda?" Nora patted a back pocket. "It's just one and I was saving it for after Ren and I passed."

Yang shot her a confused look. "Why after? Don't you need it now?"

Nora waved a hand in a so-so gesture. "It's less a 'flashbang' and more a can of compressed fireworks mortars that writes 'We Passed!' in pink and green lights." At Yang's incredulous look, she added, "What? Stun grenades don't always work that well on Grimm and I wasn't expecting to fight people today."

Ugh. She had a point, but they needed some way to close the gap. All they had to offer was bangs and booms.

Yang looked down at her gauntlets, and then at Nora's hammer. Yang hummed as an idea slowly clicked together in her mind. It was dumb, very risky, and a little dirty, but it played to their strengths and Yang knew she needed every advantage she could get. "I'm afraid to ask, but how good are you at sneaking?"

"Better than you think, but not as good as Ren," Nora said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I don't know what that means, but I'll take it as 'good enough'. Here's my plan…" Yang whispered the plan. "Think you can do that?"

Nora grinned enthusiastically. "Girl, I live for this kind of stuff. Consider your blonde butt covered!" She gave a thumbs up.

Yang returned the thumbs up and then focused on Minnie who had her back to them as she did some running stretches. Yang would have been more annoyed by the sheer arrogance had she not seen what Sheffield could do. These girls were in a league of their own, and if Yang had to guess, probably holding back a bit for the sake of this exercise. Yang popped her knuckles as she strode forward, a smirk hidden under her glare. 'I'm gonna show them not to underestimate me.'

"Done talking or are you ready to throw in the towel?" Minnie asked over her shoulder, springing into a stand.

Yang reloaded her gauntlets without breaking her stride. "Sorry to disappoint, but I don't know when to quit. Right now it's just you and me."

"Is that why you're approaching me? To get a first hand lesson in quitting while you're behind?" Minnie began to tense up, ready to run again.

"I can't catch you without getting closer."

"Oh? Then try to get as close as you like!" Minnie shot off like a cannon for the trees. She was a few yards away when a smoking canister dropped right at the treeline. She peeled off immediately as the grenade exploded a second later, sending dirt flying.

The stop and turn was enough for Yang to catch up with a few shotgun blasts to accelerate herself. "You're not getting away this time!" she cried as she kept pace behind the girl's flapping hood. Just like running with Ruby, only no annoying speed semblance to cheat. Yang fired her gauntlets every so often to the sides to keep Minnie from trying to break away again.

With Minnie under control for the moment, Yang locked eyes with Nora and nodded. 'One Nevermore. Two Nevermore. Three Nevermore!' Yang fired her gauntlet once more, this time over Minnie's head, forcing the girl to duck.

Yang's hair blazed as her semblance activated.

"Hey now, what's with the potshots?" Minnie joked over her shoulder. "Think you're some kinda headhunt-"

Minnie's voice cut off as Nora's grenade burst mid-air between the two of them. Minnie stumbled forward while Yang, now powered by the explosion, leapt forward and tackled the girl. The two of them kicked and punched as they rolled closer to the cliff edge in a pile of limbs. Every hit made Yang stronger, ensuring a tighter grip on the girl.

"Caught you!" Yang crowed with excitement. Her plan worked! She was finally gonna get some answers! "I got some questions for you, and you're gonna answer them."

Minnie grunted as she settled into Yang's grip. "That's nice and all, but can you get your hands off the merchandise? Sorry, sweetcheeks, but you ain't my type."

"Oh, sorry!" Yang started to adjust her hold, but it was a mistake. Before Yang knew it, the split second loosening of her grip was enough for Minnie to slip out, leaving her red hood behind in Yang's grip. When Yang realized it, she burned with anger, literally and figuratively. "Damn it! I had you!" She pounded her fist against the ground in rage.

Minnie didn't run off again, but stood just out of arm's reach. She leaned down, hands on her thighs, her chest heaving with deep breaths, and smiled at Yang. "You did, and that's more than what most people can claim. That was a gutsy move with the grenade. My ears are still ringing from that." She rubbed one finger in her ears. "Consider me impressed. What's your name, kid?"

Kid? Minnie didn't look that much older. "Yang. Yang Xiao-Long."

Minnie's eyes flashed with recognition. "Oh, Raven's brat, huh? I thought that wild mane looked familiar. First Ruby, now you. Small world."

Yang's eyes narrowed as she stood up. Bingo. "Ruby said you knew Summer, which meant you might know my mom, and that you're willing to talk if we got your attention. So, anything else you might know about her?"

Minnie chuckled. "I know a lot of things, 'Firecracker'. You're gonna have to be more specific, so pick your question carefully."

Simple enough. Yang had a handful she really wanted answered, but a lead now would be worth more later. "Where can I find Raven?"

"Camping out in the wilderness of Mistral, of course," Minnie said as if it was obvious. "Don't know where exactly. She likes to stay on the move for her job and all that. But I know a few spots she likes to come back to."

Yang sighed as she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. The Mistralian Wilderness. Yang wasn't sure what kind of job would take Raven out there, but this lead was worth its weight in gold. Yang hoped any future assignments would take her out that way.

Yang caught motion behind Minnie. Pumping her fists, Yang fired off a couple shells into the air with a whoop. "Look out, Mistral, here I come!"

"Are you sure there's not anything else you'd like to know?" Minnie asked teasingly.

"Oh there's a lot of things I'd like to know," Yang said. "Any chance I can get a freebie?"

Minnie shook her head. "Sorry, kid, but you'll need to catch me again to get another shot, and I don't like your odds of that right now."

Yang grinned. "I think I've got a good chance. Nora!"

"Come to mama!" Nora cried out as she leapt for Minnie from behind.

Minnie tried to run, but Yang had shot at the ground near her feet, a fun trick she picked up from Sheffield during the practice spars earlier. Minnie's footing was nonexistent, and that hesitating moment was enough for Nora to restrain the girl to the ground with her hammer.

"The Queen has caught her prey!" Nora crowed triumphantly.

After a few struggling attempts, it was clear the ginger grenadier wasn't going anywhere. "I must be really off my game today if I could get caught twice by some kids," Minnie said with a laugh. "Damn, girl, what do you eat to get these thunder thighs?"

To Yang's surprise, Nora was unfazed by the term, but seemed to take it as a compliment.

"Pancakes, fruit, syrup, steaks, eggs, pancakes," Nora listed off. "The usual stuff."

"So how about that second question?" Yang asked, ignoring the girl.

Minnie barked a laugh. "Nice try, but technically Thunder Thighs here caught me, so no dice."

Yang shrugged. "Eh. Worth a shot."

"Oh! Does that mean I can ask a question?" Nora asked.

Minnie tried to shrug. "If you want."

"Do you know-" Suddenly, Nora went stock still, her expression unusually serious. "I sense a disturbance in the Ren."

Before anyone could act, Nora leapt off of Minnie and rushed to the cliffside to look down on the battles below. She then gasped loudly. "That man-stealing maid! I thought I could trust her!"

Nora then backed away from the cliffs and drew her hammer. With her weapon aloft and a shrill cry erupting from her throat, she raced for the cliff edge. At the last second, she brought the hammer down and pulled the trigger. The resulting explosion catapulted her far before gravity took hold of her.

"Hold on, Ren! I'm coming!"

Back on the cliff, Yang and Minnie exchanged confused looks.

"What just happened?"

Earlier...

Fighting Sirius was going to be a good way to blow off her frustrations, Blake supposed.

Beacon was a new start, a fresh break from her old, White Fang life. In retrospect, it was a bit too much to ask for nothing to go wrong. It started with Weiss Schnee showing up, and being just as bossy and prissy as Blake imagined. Then a mysterious maid snuck up on her with a search party in tow. Then said maid spoke Blake's last name without an introduction before kicking Yang's ass handily.

She had been recognized and that alone set off a dozen alarms in Blake's head, as well as sending her stress level skyrocketing. Jaune putting her on 'Cat Team' didn't help in the slightest, but that could have been a coincidence.

The assault should have been cathartic.

"I only wrapped your arm. How did you get tangled like that?" Blake asked for the third time. Really, it was only around the wrist to pull the sword away from Ren, but it ended up pulling a leg up into the mix and made the scene look like it came from a certain ninja-related novel. The maid dress only made it worse.

First the commando maid, and now a suggestive yet deeply devoted one. If Blake wasn't so annoyed by how easily the girl fell into the 'trap', she would have asked what other kinds of maids Jaune had.

Purely out of academic curiosity.

Blake thought Jaune had been exaggerating about the ribbon's effectiveness, and maybe had been a bit racist with the whole 'cat and ribbon' thing. But now... she thought he undersold it, and so she silently forgave the perceived slight.

Ren, being the gentleman, tried to avert his gaze, or at least attack from a less awkward angle. Sirius was surprisingly able to defend against him despite her restrictions, but his lessened attacks had the side effect of allowing her time to escape her binds.

"Jaune was right. She is strong," Ren said after leaping back to Blake's side. "The ribbon works, but I think we need something a bit more permanent."

"The sword is the problem," Blake said, eyeing the maid. "Do you have any spare ice or earth Dust on you? I have an idea."

Ren reached a hand into a pocket and pulled out a small bag that clinked with the sound of a multitude of tiny Dust crystals. "A few leftover shards from Nora."

"It doesn't have to be much. I'll pay you back later." Blake picked out a few pieces, avoiding the bigger ones. "Be ready to bind her again."

Ren nodded and took off to flank the maid.

While Sirius tracked his movement, Blake charged in, her weapon in sword form. Feinting with the sword, she brought her cleaver around the side, only to find the flat of the greatsword swiftly in the way. From there, it became a complex dance of feints, parries, and slashes. Despite how unwieldy the maid's sword looked, Sirius moved with surprising elegance and grace, almost as if she was balancing books on her head.

But it was not to last. Blake pulled away just a bit, baiting the maid with an opening.

Sirius took it with a cry, bringing her sword down in an overhead strike to smite Blake. The massive blade cut deep from shoulder to abdomen, and Sirius' eyes went wide as if she hadn't expected the strike to land. Her expression changed to shock when Blake's body turned to ice, trapping the blade within.

"Now!" Blake yelled from behind Sirius.

Ren leapt in, grabbing the end of the ribbon that Blake threw his way, and circled Sirius several times. First the hands, then her legs, and finally her arms. "Go!"

Blake pulled on his call and Sirius was swiftly separated from her sword and hogtied.

"Nooo! I cannot fail my Honorable Master!" Sirius cried out as she struggled in her binds.

"Oh no you don't! Ren! Finish the job!" Blake threw the rest of the ribbon length towards him as he was closer to the maid.

Ren began to wrap the rest of the ribbon around Sirius to restrict her movement, and that's when it all went wrong.

Blake felt her eye twitch. "Are you kidding me?!" Despite what her eyes saw, Blake couldn't comprehend how Ren got tied in as well. Somehow, it was the maid's fault. Ren was completely befuddled as he struggled to escape the intimate embrace while Sirius could only blush in embarrassment from the contact. Her squirming was not helping things at all.

Blake facepalmed. 'Could be worse. I could be paired up with the Schnee.'

Her hidden cat ears picked up the sound of a shrill cry, one that was getting louder. Blake looked up and saw the ginger girl from earlier descend from the heavens with a righteous fury on her face, her burning gaze locked upon the bound couple like a jealous goddess ready to unleash her wrath.

A wrath that looked like it had a wide blast radius.

Blake suddenly felt very uncomfortable being so close by.

'I take it back. I'd rather be next to the Schnee right now.'

A/N:

Sorry this took so long to do. I finished a while ago, but work decided to put me on night shift for a week. Not fun or conducive for writing. I also had to do some after-polishing to make sure this was good quality.

Here we are. I'm excited. I should hope you are too. Jaune is better than he thinks at planning, but he doesn't quite know his maids as well as he thinks he does. Plus, as a good Clone once said "Experience outranks everything". Experiencing a landmine does put things into perspective.

For those of you who want to see more of the Azur Lane/Arc House, don't worry because I have so many plans for that stuff. Some that you might not even expect. I only hope I can do it justice.

See you next time! Please leave a comment!