The school bus arrived a little before noon, bearing their class into the heart of the sprawling city of Vale. The event center rested within the depths of the residential district, prepared in advance for the multitude of students arriving at its doorstep. It was a wide, three story building that promised a spacious interior. Neo could see dozens of other buses parked nearby, some arriving earlier than they did while many spaces were yet to be claimed. She was surprised by the sheer amount of students they must have held. Only now did she realize just how big Vale was to need so many schools between it and the surrounding areas.

Jaune sat next to her, his foot nervously drumming against the floor. His hands tightly gripped a satchel in his lap, the dark material hiding the fruits of their labor. 'And some of my allowance, too.' Neo didn't have much to contribute on that front. You could only ask for so much while being one of nine siblings. Even so, they'd managed to amass over a thousand lien. She hoped it would be enough.

Their teacher stood up from the front of the bus and turned to face them. "Alright everyone! Stick together until we're in the event center! Once we're inside, feel free to browse any of the stalls. Find whatever you're interested in and speak with the representatives. Special presentations are scheduled for the auditorium at two. I expect to see you all there before it begins."

A few voices murmured acceptance while most others spoke excitedly amongst themselves. Their teacher waved it off and stepped out, casually shouting, "Let's go!" as she exited the bus.

Jaune placed a hand on Neo's shoulder as she started to rise. He shook his head imperceptibly and spoke under his breath, "Wait until we're the last ones off. It'll be easier to sneak away."

'You don't want to wait until we're inside?' Neo signed quizzically.

"I don't know how long it'll take to get to Junior's and back. They should have the transcripts ready to go, but the guy I spoke with wasn't sure how long it would take to unlock my aura. Either way, the quicker we get it done, the better."

Neo nodded her acceptance and eyed the other students as they passed, the number onboard slowly dwindling ever closer to zero.

'I'll use illusions to help us get away. Stay close once we get off.'

Jaune nodded in return and clutched the satchel tighter, waiting with baited breath for their time to move. Neo grabbed her parasol, careful not to accidentally press the switch that Ariel had added. They only needed to wait a little longer before the last of their fellow students passed them. Jaune stood and Neo followed close behind, both exiting the bus and out into the sun-drenched parking lot.

Students ran to and fro. The adults stood out among the throng, calling out loudly and herding their charges by the dozens towards the front of the event center. Neo waited until everyone's attention had been diverted before placing a hand on Jaune's shoulder. She created an illusion of themselves, both eagerly joining the pack.

It took constant concentration, but another illusion sprang into existence simultaneously, forcing the space they were in to appear empty to all outside perspectives. With so many people darting about, Neo kept close to Jaune in order to maintain a smaller illusionary bubble. All it would take was one wayward individual stepping into their space to shatter the deception.

"Let's go." Jaune took the lead, allowing Neo to maintain her concentration while weaving their way through the crowd. Though there were a few close calls, they successfully made their way out of the excited mass of bodies. Once on the sidewalk, they sought momentary refuge within an empty alleyway.

Once they were hidden, Neo let out a sigh of relief and dropped her semblance. A pink shimmer briefly lit the alleyway as the bubble popped, cascading down around them before vanishing into the aether.

'Step one done. Where to next?'

Jaune pulled out his scroll. A map appeared as he opened it, highlighting the fastest route across town. "It's about a twenty minute walk. We should get back on time as long as we aren't held up too long."

Neo nodded her acceptance and the pair set off, stepping free from the alleyway and into the mass of pedestrians. She raised a hand to her throat, idly massaging the growing itch just beneath the skin. Neo couldn't remember the last time she'd been around this many people. This many strangers. She kept a firm hold on her parasol and followed Jaune's lead, maneuvering through the throng as they quickly tried to get across town.

After a few minutes, the multitude of people slowly began to dwindle. The busy area surrounding the event center was left further behind, and with it, much of the crowds. Neo was able to move up next to Jaune and walk side by side. The itch in her throat faded, though a remnant still remained.

Freed from much of her anxiety, Neo allowed her mind to drift, and her eyes to wander. For all her past protests against visiting the city, Vale itself was beautiful. It was only the occupants that gave her pause, and now even less so. In her younger years, she would have vehemently disagreed with Jaune's plan. But now with her semblance at her fingertips, those old anxieties had been left by the wayside.

'Even if I still can't speak around strangers…'

If today was a success then they'd be able to visit the city more often. It was only a Bullhead away from Beacon after all, easily accessible to students from the cliffs above. Neo pushed away thoughts of the teammates they might end up with and focused on their surroundings instead, recalling all she could about the grand settlement.

Vale was a massive city, spanning miles worth of land in every direction. A forked river ran through the center of it, dividing the central districts with naturally created fault lines. Beacon rested atop the nearby plateau, overlooking Vale in its entirety. The towers of Beacon were visible from nearly anywhere in the city. The school dominated the skyline, and cast shadows onto the city that lasted well into the evening.

"It's hard to believe we'll be living here soon," Jaune spoke in barely suppressed awe. His eyes similarly wandered, taking in the city with equal astonishment. "I can see why Ariel's been so restless these last couple weeks. Home seems so quiet compared to Vale."

Neo nodded her agreement. 'At least Ariel's been getting better. I half expected her to leave when she got her new arm. I'm glad she's stuck around longer.'

Jaune grinned, "Awww, how cute. Missed your big sis that much, did you? I'm jealous."

Neo rolled her eyes and swatted him playfully across the shoulder. Despite the sarcastic tone he'd adopted, both were well aware of the truth of the matter. Neo cared deeply for the lot of them, including Jaune himself. Her willingness to go along with his fool-hardy plan was proof enough.

The pair enjoyed the sights as they continued their journey. They were eventually forced to cross a bridge, heading north from the residential district into the outskirts of the commercial. After a dozen more minutes, they found themselves in a more rundown portion of the city. Every step brought them further into the growing cesspool. Trash began to litter the streets, and neon signs flickered weakly behind iron-barred windows. Fellow pedestrians became infrequent, and those that were visible steered clear of the pair with a wary eye.

A chill ran its way up Neo's back, forcing her eyes to dart around in search of onlookers. The hairs on her body stood at attention, alerted to the dangers of their newfound locale. Jaune didn't appear any better off, and stepped in close as if to protect her.

Neo chose not to say anything to dissuade him. It was charming, if a little naive, for Jaune to think he needed to protect her. After growing up with so many sisters though, it was likely second nature for him. Neo shifted her grip on the parasol instead, bringing her thumb closer to the switch Ariel had added. If worse came to worst, she'd do everything in her power to keep him safe.

"We're almost there," Jaune's voice cut through the relative silence.

Neo's eyes darted down to confirm for herself, glancing at the map still pulled up on his scroll. They were only a block away now. Judging from the direction, Neo figured out which building it was they were ultimately headed towards.

It was a large, brick building, easily five stories tall yet still dwarfed by the others nearby. Looking more closely, Neo could even see lights dimly flashing across the windows from inside, confirming her suspicions. A low thrum began to vibrate the air as they approached, the music from inside pounding an incessant beat that could be felt from the sidewalk.

Neo gripped the parasol a little tighter as they made their way up the front steps. There were no bouncers outside this early in the evening. Only the loud music greeted them, its tones amplified tenfold as Jaune opened the door. Glancing inside, Neo was surprised to find the massive room so dimly lit. The walls themselves appeared pitch black, only strips of light along the walkway and stairs visible to guide their way.

Jaune breathed out a quick sigh, gathering his courage before stepping in ahead of Neo. He held the door open as she trailed in his wake, then let it swing shut behind them with a dull thud. A few men in suits glanced up from the game of cards they were playing at a nearby table, but none paid them any further mind.

Jaune fought past his hesitation. He raised a hand in greeting, flagging the attention of one of the men. "H-Hi. We're looking for uh, Junior?"

The man frowned as if measuring the pair of them, then gestured further in with his thumb. "Behind the bar. Big guy with the red glasses."

Neo's eyes followed the direction of his thumb, off towards the left side of the large room. There was indeed a bar there, the back wall stocked full with a long stretch of multicolored beverages. In front of them stood a man that towered over all others, easily twice the size of Neo herself. From this far, she could tell he was even taller than Nicholas, though not nearly as built.

Jaune nodded his thanks and Neo followed as they walked deeper into the club. Aside from Junior and the three men near the door, there were quite a few others similarly dressed. After counting over a dozen, Neo could only assume it was some sort of dress code for their organization. Only a few patrons stood out among them, one of which was in the midst of speaking with their quarry. His bright white coat and orange hair made him hard to miss amongst the dark-suited men.

"I'm telling you Hei, this'll be easy money~ All I need is a handful of your guys. We'll be in and out in no time!"

Junior's eyes caught on to the two approaching teens. He cleared his throat and nodded past, his hands idly cleaning a shot glass with a stained rag. "We'll talk about this later." Junior grimaced after taking a closer look at Neo, "Sorry little lady. We don't serve children."

Neo's eyes narrowed involuntarily. It took conscious effort not to jut a hip out and stare him down, vying instead to glance towards Jaune and allow him to take the lead.

"We're uh, not here for drinks. Junior, right? I was coming to pick up uh…" Jaune eyed the orange-haired man at the bar before cupping one hand to his mouth and lowering his voice, "The transcripts? And to get my aura unlocked?"

Junior seemed confused for a moment before his eyes lit up. "Ah, right. Joan something, wasn't it? I have 'em right here." He walked away a few steps, then leaned down behind the bar before coming back up with a small stack of papers. He returned and dropped them on the bar, in between Jaune and the orange-haired man.

"My, my. Devilishly adventurous of you to try and fake your way into the most prestigious school on Remnant~" The other patron turned to the pair of them with a smirk, taking their measure in only a moment. Neo recoiled only slightly, feeling the cunning wit hidden behind his cold, green eyes.

"Uh, ha ha…" Jaune laughed nervously, glancing around for anyone nearby that might have overheard. Neo did the same, and was glad to see they were relatively secluded at the bar. Jaune gulped, "F-Fake? Who said they were fake?"

The man snorted, "You're no huntsman, dear boy. Your little friend there doesn't seem to have much experience either." He looked Neo up and down once more. "At least she has a weapon. It's foolish to walk into a place like this empty handed~"

Junior grumbled, cutting off the man's chastisement, "It's fine, Roman. They came prepared to pay, and any money is good money, eh?" He turned back to Jaune and Neo. "You did bring the money, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Jaune quickly replied, lifting the satchel to set it on the counter. It landed with a dull thud, clearly hinting at the amount of lien contained within. "We scraped together what we could. It should be more than enough."

Junior opened the satchel and thumbed through the lien inside, taking a rough count of it before nodding acceptance. "Not much, but enough for what we agreed to." He turned back to the other man, "Where's your guy, Roman?"

Neo's eyes widened at the inclusion of the other man. It seemed he'd been involved from the beginning, and only pretended to be unaware of their circumstances.

Roman pointed a thumb back over his shoulder, in the direction of another patron that was currently three cups deep. Junior nodded to his men and they left to collect him, ushering him over towards the bar.

Jaune frowned, taken aback at the condition the man was in. "Who's that?"

Roman grinned, "That's your ticket to fame! A washed up huntsman with nothing left. Nothing but his soul to sell to the highest bidder, anyway. Beautiful, isn't it?" The man noticed Jaune's growing doubts and spun on his stool, clasping an arm around the teen's shoulders. "Oh, cheer up! At least he's alive. That's more than can be said for most hunters these days, wouldn't you agree?"

Jaune was too hesitant to do anything but allow the contact, staring as the retired huntsman stumbled his way across the club towards them. Roman laughed, pulling Jaune tighter. "Behold! Your future! That is, if you're one of the lucky ones~"

Frustrated with the man's antics, Jaune finally pushed him roughly away. "That is not going to happen."

Roman raised his hands as he backed off, retreating to sit once more on his stool. He picked his glass up from the bar and took a long swig, then sighed in contentment. "Only time will tell. Still, the odds are against you." He glanced over at Neo, on the other side of Jaune. "Any chance I could help you see reason, miss? Ya know, the crime business pays an awful lot better than being a huntress. Better survival rate, too. Huntsmen are a lot more forgiving than the average beowolf. One will take your life, the other might leave you with a black eye. I know which one I'd rather contend with~"

"Don't talk to her," Jaune practically growled in warning, turning away from him to focus on the ex-huntsman that had finally stumbled his way to them.

'It's fine. I'd never work with the likes of him,' Neo signed vehemently.

Roman made a small noise of appreciation as he turned away, idly reading over their fake transcripts while he waited. "Hah! And she's a mute. We would have made a perfect team, you and I."

Neo wasn't sure whether or not the crook had actually understood her, but decided to ignore him regardless. Her focus was now on the man in front of them, whose eyes stared blearily at Jaune while looking him up and down.

"You the one?" The man barely kept from stumbling over his own words. At a nod from Jaune, he raised a hand to place it on his shoulder. Even from the side, Neo could smell the wafting stench of alcohol on his breath.

The man's hold on Jaune seemed to be both for the ritual he was about to perform, and for support. He swayed slightly, occasionally leaning forward and only maintaining his balance thanks to the hand on Jaune's shoulder. He cleared his throat several times, finally blinking some semblance of clarity back into his eyes.

A light shimmer of blue lit up his hand and began to snake its way across Jaune's chest. It wrapped around his torso before the man started to speak in gravely tones, "For it is by my hand that your future unfolds. Let your life be-"

A quiet hiss of annoyance was the only warning anyone had.

Roman's hand darted out from the nearby stool. He grasped the huntsman's wrist with a vice-like grip and tore him away, separating his connection to Jaune and sending the man sprawling to the floor. The drunkard's voice cut off in surprise, turning to a pained grumble as he landed roughly.

Jaune flinched back in confusion and Neo stepped defensively to his side, similarly taken aback by Roman's actions. The man took a moment to collect himself with a sigh and stood, straightening his white jacket while forcing Neo and Jaune to warily retreat. His other hand dropped the fake transcripts on the counter, then fell to his side, coming back up clutching a silver-topped cane. One look at the design clued Neo into it being a weapon, if a cleverly disguised one like her own.

Junior glowered. "What the hell was that all abou-"

"Shush, Hei. Do you not realize what you nearly did?" Roman's voice seethed. He leaned on his cane with both hands, staring into the confused faces of the two teens in front of him. "Of course not. I suppose we wouldn't have gotten this far if you had." He pushed the transcripts across the bar to Junior, urging him to read them while still keeping his attention wholly devoted to Jaune and Neo.

Junior picked the papers up and glanced over them, eyes darting up and down the pages before raising them to Roman. "What am I looking for, exactly?"

Roman made a noise of exasperation and glanced back at him, patience thinning. "The names, you half-wit! Or have you really forgotten the man that was a bane for all criminals in Vale for well over a decade? Entire syndicates, laid to waste overnight because one damned huntsman got a bug up his ass!"

Junior's eyes widened as he reread the names, finally making the connection. "Arc."

"Yes, Arc. And here you were, blissfully creating his successor," Roman shook his head in disbelief, "I thought you knew everything. How'd this get past you?"

Neo tensed nervously, watching the conversation taking place. She could sense the other men closing in warily, their eyes darting between them and Junior while waiting for the man's instructions. Neo shifted, pushing Jaune another step behind herself and closer to the door. Against this many, their best chance would be to make a run for it. Even so, a dozen yards still separated them from the exit.

Thankfully, Roman and Junior were still in the midst of their heated discussion. Junior dropped the papers to slam his fists on the bar, leaning forward while his eyes scoured the club room. "Where's Hickory!? He's the one that took the damn call!" The henchmen shifted, glancing about for the one being called on.

Seeing what might be their only opportunity, Neo took it. A brief shimmer of pink was the only sign anything had happened, lost amidst the flashing lights within the interior.

Familiar with her semblance, Jaune was the only one to notice. Neo raised a finger to her lips and gestured for him to retreat quietly, back towards the entrance. Jaune's eyes darted past her towards the transcripts. Neo was forced to quickly extend her illusion as he dashed forward, swiping them off the counter.

With everyone's focus now on 'Hickory', no one appeared to notice when the papers suddenly vanished.

Neo glared to chastise Jaune, but otherwise continued with her plan. They were in very real danger, and now wasn't the time to chew him out. The pair of them backed away, weaving through the press of henchmen while leaving behind a pair of illusionary siblings. The fake Jaune and Neo continued to cower, remaining mostly still as to not draw attention.

Jaune opened the door as quietly as he could and stepped out, holding it open for Neo as she maintained concentration on her semblance. They exited together and allowed it to close, cutting off her visual of the scene at hand. With no idea how to make their dopplegangers react, Neo knew the deceit would be revealed soon enough.

'Run!' Neo demanded through signs. She raised a hand to push Jaune on the back, forcing him ahead in a dead sprint with her on his heels. She kept up her illusion for as long as she dared, long after they'd crossed the bridge back into the residential district and rejoined the throng of pedestrians.

Jaune panted heavily as they stopped to catch their breath, now miles away from the club. Neo allowed her illusionary bubble to fizzle out with a pop, briefly showering them in translucent shards of pink aura. A few passersby recoiled in surprise, but they were otherwise left alone among the ever-thickening crowds.

'That did not go how I was expecting it to,' Neo signed wearily.

Jaune sighed in agreement. He gingerly pulled out the transcripts and straightened them back out. "At least we still got these."

Neo tilted her head in confusion. 'They won't help much if your aura isn't unlocked. They'll only get us so far.'

"They'll get us far enough. Even if I submit them now, we'll still have two months to practice and find someone that can unlock my aura. That's plenty of time. We don't need to worry about school getting in the way anymore either. We can do this." Jaune stared at Neo confidently, not a hint of doubt cracking the facade. Given his demeanor, she almost wanted to believe it would be that easy as well.

'Alright…' Neo signed cautiously, eyes falling to the fake transcripts in his hands. 'But if you can't unlock your aura in time, we're calling the whole thing off. Agreed?'

Jaune chuckled, "Obviously. I'm not going to throw myself to the beowolves without being able to defend myself." He shook his head good-naturedly. "Let's head back. Presentations start at two. If my math checks out, we should have juuust enough time to stop for ice cream on the way. Sound good~?"

Neo stared at him blankly. Her hands began to sign slowly, becoming more pronounced with each word, 'You want to have ice cream… Now… After we almost died!?'

"Um, well…"

Neo raised her eyes to glance across the nearby shops. She turned back to Jaune with a smirk. 'What are we waiting for?'

Jaune laughed in relief after the brief tension. The pair set off, in high spirits despite only accomplishing half their goal. Neo couldn't help but think it was the adrenaline getting to them. She could still feel the rapid beat of her heart. The post-danger excitement still flooding her veins.

Even so… who was she to deny herself a treat?

I'm going to try and be succinct with the next chapter so that chapter 18 will be the start of initiation. Thanks for your patience.

And as always, thanks for reading.

- Sybaen