Remnant DxD

by Dessel Ordo

When an 11 year old Jaune Arc wandered out into Forever Fall hoping to become Remnants youngest huntsman, that should have been it for the foolish kid. Luckily a passing devil saw potential in him and re-incarnated him. Now, 6 years later House Bael has sent him to attend Beacon Academy to learn more about his homeworld, and establish his own peerage. What could possibly go wrong?

41. 41: Tournament Daze II: Probing Jabs

A/N: July was a fucking month and a half. Not gonna bore all of you with the breakdown, but things got janky and took longer than expected to get here. Sorry about that.

[usual disclaimers about not owning the franchises or making any money off this go here.]

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The festival grounds are alive–there is no other word for it.

Being told that the first night of the Vytal Tournament is wild and actually living it are two entirely different things. Sure, the festival grounds had been reasonably busy since they were set up at the start of the Festival.

But this?

People shouldering around each other with the small pockets of cool air formed by the night breeze. All with people standing in a circle to talk being the exception rather than the norm. All of them beyond thrilled for the tournament to come.

"Miss Schnee! Miss Schnee!" The whole team stops as Weiss turns to face another assortment of fans. The smile on the Schnee Heiress' face is closer to real than what she normally puts on for the public.

There's only three of them this time. Two of them guys–probably highschool seniors or college freshman –they look about her age, but lack the posture, poise and musculature of Huntsmen-in-training. Both boys already have their official tournament t-shirts off and are holding them out to her. The girl of the group–probably a younger sister, she looks similar enough to them–is rapidly un-knotting hers to hold it out in Weiss' general direction, too.

Weiss holds out her left hand in the direction of the only member of their team whose combat outfit has actual pockets. Blake favors her with a dry glance before fishing a marker out and holding it out to Weiss.

"So then," Weiss dryly starts off, feeling uncharacteristically playful as she starts signing her name on the shirts, "You can play it safe and be happy with my signature…" She pauses as she dots the 'I' on the girls shirt with a snowflake and a flourish, "Or you can live a little and let my teammate handle the note?" Weiss thumbs over her shoulder at a delightedly surprised Yang who then starts widely grinning before handing her eighty four ounce monstrosity of a travel mug of lemonade off to her sister as Weiss prepares to pass the marker to her.

All three of her fans pale and start shaking their heads before offering Weiss a rushed 'thank you!' and stumbling back into the crowd. Deflating exaggeratedly, Yang shrugs and grabs her drink back from Ruby and takes a big swig from it. "Spoilsports aside, didn't think you had it in ya to joke like that, Weiss Cream." The blonde gives Weiss a playful punch to the shoulder.

The most important contributor to the high she's riding isn't a successful performance though. Rather, having harmony in the Team is the biggest thing to her.

Ruby gives a knowing snort. "Those 'spoilsports' have probably seen some of the shirts people let you mess with, Yang. They wanna be able to actually, ya know, wear the shirts in public..." She trails off, waiting for Yang to catch on.

"Doesn't make it any less fun for me." Yang replies with a cheeky grin as Ruby blows a raspberry, less than impressed.

The Schnee Heiress interjects in a faux severe tone. "Oh, well, excuse my fans for having some taste and common sense then, Yang Xiao Long." The blonde in question sticks out her tongue at Weiss, but doesn't really press the issue. Blake just rolls her eyes, but there's a notable if small smile on the Faunus' face.

Weiss might not be able to bring herself to say it out loud, not yet at least. But she has missed this.

One of the game booths nearby explodes into sound and light, and the hubbub has the whole Team skirting around the crowd that gravitates to see who won what. There's a middle-aged man at the center of it, a groggy looking kid on his shoulders beaming down at a triumphant looking woman collecting a teddy-bear bigger than Weiss is from the guy running the booth.

Someone–Weiss can't really see much of them through the crowd–Her new para-senses did tell her they were Faunus; They were especially useful like that–Wishes their team good luck in the Tournament and they all thank the person before continuing on. The throngs of humanity and Faunus is especially active on her para-normal senses, almost overwhelmingly so. The closest she's ever been to this many people in a single place was on a stage above them, not in with the teeming masses.

Someone else over by the circus rides vomits–rather loudly–so it probably isn't one of her classmates or an exchange student that either ate too much or overestimated their intestinal fortitude.

Before long, Yang picks up the conversation where they'd left it off, "Seriously though, that was what, the twentieth group to stop us? Can't say I blame 'em! You really killed that opener!"

Blake offers Weiss a supportive nod, "You really did."

"We really shouldn't act too surprised," Ruby gives Weiss a friendly nudge, with a teasing smile, "From day one, everyone at Beacon knew she had some pretty powerful pipes." She takes on an expression–Is that supposed to be her? "'You! What do you think you're doing!? You dolt! You dunce'!" Weiss lets out a scoff and gives the Dolt a shove shove for her mimicry, Yang and Blake respectively laughing and chuckling.

Yang continues, "Why didn't you do any shows like that before? I pulled up some recordings of your big shows while you were rehearsing the other week and they were all so, er, well..." The bombastic blonde trails off, a sheepish look on her face. At least she's trying to be polite.

Hmph. Normally Weiss would be offended, attempts at tact present or not.

That said, her good mood, compounded by the high she's still riding from her performance and the sheer thrill of Team RWBY being the second team from Beacon to be announced less than half an hour after that, the most Weiss can muster is a shrug. "Boring?" The rest of her team all turn to stare at her wide-eyed. She's in just that good of a mood, "What, a blank stage with good lighting and absolutely nothing else is. And you can blame it on the same reason Blake thought I was evil incarnate at the start of the year."

Blake cringes before she huffs and kicks a pebble down the 'alley' between a few booths selling fried... lizards? Must be Vacuan. The Cat Faunus quietly fumes, "Of course your father would find a way to suck the soul out of music of all things." Their conversation dies down again as a pair of gap-toothed grade-schoolers in t-shirts that hang down to their knees jog through the crowd and up to her asking for an autograph from 'pretty-Schnee'.

Good with children as Weiss isn't, it's Ruby who eventually manages to calm the pair of brats down enough that Weiss can actually sign their shirts. Of course, her Team Leader does it by getting the two of them to admit to wanting to be Huntsmen when they grow up. This in turn leads to Ruby teasing weapon names–well, planned weapon names–out of the kids and them then giving Yang permission to (pun) those onto the kids' backs. The poor kids had done half of the elder sister's work for her with how childishly over-the-top their current ideas had been.

When the kids sprint back off into the crowd, Ruby hands Yang her cup back–they'd all got one not too long after coming down to the festival grounds after the ceremony had been finished–but only Yang had opted for a refill.

The rest of the team's novelty mugs, resplendent in their white, pastel green and yellow kitschiness, plastered in pictures of lemons are clattering against each other and Yang's hips with each of her steps, their handles looped through her half-skirts belt in case they want another later on. Sure, the vendor hadn't exactly been gourmet quality, but the drink had certainly been better than what most vending machines or restaurants have to offer, and at fifteen lien for the cup, and half that to refill for the entire tournament they'd have to have been stupid to pass up on the offer.

"Yang, I caught a whiff of your drink while I was holding it this time." Ruby sternly intones. "As both your Team Leader and sister, I demand that you tell me what's in that cup." To be totally fair, she sounds a bit like a huffy little pomeranian. Even at Ruby's lowest, angry pique isn't exactly her strong suit. And that's Weiss' assessment after over a month of watching Heracles poking at her fuse on and off.

Yang, still grinning, takes another big drink. "Lemonade. Same as the rest of you."

Ruby crosses her arms and leans forward in a slow and exaggerated, 'dangerous' manner. "Lemonade aannnnd?"

Blake softly huffs and pulls an empty shooter bottle of vodka out of her pocket to shake around. "Not enough to get drunk on, don't worry."

Sputtering, Ruby looks ready to make an issue of it, so Weiss intervenes. "Ruby, our match isn't until well into the afternoon tomorrow. A bit of revelry never hurt anyone."

The three girls stop in place to openly boggle at Weiss. "Okay, seriously, who are you and what have you done with Ice Queen?" Yang asks, looking mildly alarmed.

"Hmph! That's certainly a new way to show gratitude." Weiss faux-glares, her lack of a temper disturbs her teammates further. "See if I ever take your side again." She playfully grumbles before taking a drink from her enhanced lemonade.

"Speaking of revelry." Blake drawls, as she and Yang move a half-step ahead to make a path for the smaller members of the team when the hole punched through the crowd by the pair of hyper-active kids closes back up. "Where'd Team Juniper get off to?" The crowd parts as a quartet of grumpy looking Atlesian soldiers stomp past, clearly searching for something.

Ruby heaves a sigh, then makes an uncertain shrug in the same moment her sister offers a noncommittal shrug of her own. "I actually heard a few of the press people I was cornered by complaining about that. Pyrrha managed to rope her whole Team into her usual pre-tournament superstition." Weiss supplies.

Well, with her and Ruby's newfound supernatural senses it's perfectly clear that their first group of Devil friends are out of range and likely have returned to their dorm already, but now isn't the time or place to broach that subject.

"It's called a routine." Some voice from the crowd interjects.

Rude, but whatever.

"That." Weiss idly gestures in the general direction of the eavesdropper before she continues. "So it was a big plate of lasagna for each of them then off to bed early. Even the vultures that missed Pyrrha and Jaune's date had written off any hopes of catching more tabloid-fodder from those two tonight."

Yang shrugs. "I mean, their loss. Totally missing the party of the year out here."

"One that happens every other year!" Ruby playfully retorts, poking a hole in Yang's logic earning her a 'shushing' sound from her older sister.

Blake smirks good-naturedly as she pokes some fun of her own at their excitable leader, "As wild as things seem tonight, this is apparently just a warm-up compared to what happens after the championship bout."

Ruby lets out an awkward chuckle, her social awkwardness flaring up at the prospect of an even larger and louder affair, "Yeah, Uncle Qrow has… umm, stories about the last night of the Festival." She pauses for a moment, glancing tentatively at Yang as she stares off, clenching her fists. "I suppose I know why Dad doesn't now."

A stab of guilt hits Weiss again. "I'm so sorry about–"

"Don't sweat it, Weiss-Cream, it's not like you knew the people doing the displays were gonna use that clip, right?" Yang cuts her off with a wave and more grump than casual carefreeness to her voice. "And it isn't like me or Rubes go around advertising that Mom was Dad's second wife."

Weiss knows better than to press the issue, she's been enjoying the night so far and really doesn't want to ruin the mood or experience. If that weren't enough of an incentive to drop the issue, her own… experiences, with awkward family matters is.

With that in mind, Weiss just holds out her hand expectantly to Yang. The blonde's forced nonchalance gives way to a look of honest surprise. "What's this? Has the Princess decided to actually live a little for once? Alongside poor, plebeian me at that?" Yang teases, her voice evening out a little bit.

Weiss harrumphs at the taller girl as she fiddles with her belt to free Weiss's cup. Well, a cup. It isn't like any of them had done anything to mark whose is whose. "Unlike the rest of you, I actually put my throat to work tonight."

"Oh? Is there something you wanted to tell us about how you got the pocket change to buy this, Princess?" The blonde hellion presses with a saucy look as she holds out the cup she'd freed to Weiss.

With an exaggerated slowness, Weiss purposely ignores the rest of her team as she primly makes a beeline for the nearest lemonade stand. Ruby accuses her sister of being gross, Blake's eye-roll and Yang calling her sister out on having thought it too.

She ignores all of it.

When she gets into line, she spots a girl about her build and height clad in a khaki trench-coat and bucket hat, familiar bright orange hair peeking out beneath the brim in too-perfect curls, sat at one of those water-gun horse race games.

Ah. So that's what–well, who–those soldiers had been looking for. Well then. As far as Weiss is concerned, she didn't see anyone.

Another cluster of teens corners her to get their shirts signed while she's waiting in line, and that takes up the rest of the thankfully short wait for her to parch her thirst.

She makes her way back to her team, mostly contemplating finding some sort of decoration for her mug or a souvenir from the merch section of the festival grounds.

When she gets back to them, Yang immediately starts waggling her eyebrows and elbowing Weiss' gut. Letting out a forced put-upon sigh to keep up appearances, Weiss takes a long drink from her cup before holding her hand out to Blake, who provides a pair of shooter bottles to her. She ignores her partner's keening whine as she enhances her drink and sloshes it around to mix the alcohol in with the lemonade more evenly.

Before she can open her mouth to ask what everyone wants to do next, a delightfully familiar aura tickles the edge of her peripheral before an equally welcome voice cuts through the din of the surrounding crowd. "Weiss! Ruby! Over here!"

Both Weiss and her partner turn to see Ravel waving cheerfully at them. Clad in a white skirt, and one of the ubiquitous russet orange tournament t-shirts, she handily blends in with the crowd though her typical blonde drill-like twintails, make her easy enough to pick out.

Standing next to her is a fair-faced young woman who looks like she's a couple years younger than Winter, wearing a crisply cut burnt sienna blouse and fitted brown slacks that both look like they'd been designed to accommodate armor plates being affixed to them. The young woman is at most a half-head taller than Ravel, putting her close to Ruby in height. Frustratingly, her proportions are closer to Rias or Akeno as opposed to even Yang's more reasonable figure.

No offense, Yang.

The woman's silver blue hair is styled into what looks like a quintet of outrageously over-sized, knee-length drills, one of which looks to be as wide around as both Weiss' arms. Really, the mane extending from the woman's scalp looks more like an elaborate cape resting against her back than any hairstyle Weiss has ever seen. Two additional chest-length ringlet tresses descend from her wide, face-framing bangs, past her shoulders, and highlight her impressive bust.

The elder Phenex–between the enormous ringlet hairstyle, and similar features to Ravel, that's all she can be–takes in Weiss and the rest of her team as she follows the younger Devil towards Team RWBY. The young woman's ruby red-eyed gaze sends shivers down Weiss' spine when it lands on her, easily rivaling Professor Goodwitch with its intensity, and going by the small squeak Ruby lets out when the woman's gaze shifts over to her, Weiss isn't the only one who feels that way.

If Weiss hadn't already pegged the young woman for being some relative of Ravel's, she'd have assumed she was the Phenex girl's bodyguard with how perfectly she is maintaining her position half a step behind and to Ravel's right. The woman's fierce gaze takes in the rest of the team, Yang freezing like she'd been caught in the middle of some prank and Blake tensing up to bolt before the intimidating woman's expression mercifully softens into a relaxed smile.

Weiss doesn't precisely know why, but it feels like all four of them just passed some sort of test. Complete with the sense of relief and accomplishment.

Ravel, either oblivious to the fear of the Brothers her relative had just put into Weiss and her team, or used to that sort of behavior from her companion, shoots Weiss and Ruby a happy grin as she excitedly strides up to them. "I thought we'd missed you!" She all but skids to a halt in front of her and Ruby, who she wraps up in a brief hug with, before doing the same with Weiss, "I knew you could sing, Weiss, but that was amazing! Truly!" Ravel declares, an absolutely sparkling look of delight on her face. pretty clearly riding a high similar to the one Weiss has been on since she'd put on her performance.

There is definitely something special about honest praise from a friend who's standards, expectations, upbringing and culture are wholly different from your own. Weiss can't help but feel especially pleased from Ravel's honest words, "Thank you, Ravel."

Ravel's apparent relative ambles up to the group at a much more sedate pace. "It was a splendid performance." She adds with a polite nod and smile that is in nearly complete contrast to her earlier 'testing'. Her voice–while definitely feminine–has the sort of deep resonance that naturally projects power and strength; even moreso than Winter's had the few times Weiss had been able to observe her sister acting in her role as a military officer. "As a musician himself and connoisseur of the arts, Lord Lucifer offers his highest compliments."

Lord Lucifer…? One of the Devil Kings!?

The constant stream of praise from her fans had been more or less expected.

Such honest praise from Ravel and the rest of her friends and teammates had been heartwarming.

But an actual Devil King extending his praise to her as well is mind-boggling. It feels like her heart or face just might burst as she tries and fails to stammer out a response before finally giving a polite bow and 'thank you.' And to top it all–

Wait, are the woman's eyes glowing?

Mere moments after noticing the brief glimmer, an all too familiar heat-haze encompasses the six of them.

Unsurprisingly, Blake is the first to notice the subtext and shifting atmosphere surrounding the group. "Weiss, Ruby, mind filling the two of us in on what's going on?" She asks cautiously, gesturing around them as the illusion settles around them.

Weiss clears her throat now confident that they can discuss more obscure and sensitive matters before making the best introductions she can. "Blake, Yang, this is Ravel Phenex, the first Devil I summoned, and a good friend of mine."

Ravel offers a shallow curtsy, "I'm happy to properly meet you at last, Ms. Xiao-Long, Ms. Belladonna."

"Likewise." Blake replies politely enough, though her eyes and posture remain wary.

"You girls have been holding out on us!" Yang ribs with a mock severe tone, "A sunnier Weissy the same age as Ruby?" Ruby shoots a grumpy look her sister's way and starts muttering half-formed refutations. Weiss just rolls her eyes but freezes at Yang's next words. "You should've introduced us sooner." Yang finishes, her previous good cheer not quite making it into the last sentence. Weiss only sighs and glances away while Ruby shoots her sister a pleading look, and she thankfully relents to address the blonde Devil. "Anyhow! Ravel… Who's your plus one?" She finishes, posture relaxing again, but voice still not quite carrying her usual cheer and vigor.

Ravel perks up at Yang's question. "Oh! Team RWBY, this is General Regina Phenex, the eldest daughter of my eldest brother, Ruval. An Ultimate-Class Devil, a former top tier Rating Game combatant, and one of the rare few Devils with Satan-class power." Ravel practically preens as she dramatically gestures towards her relative. The elder Devil doesn't bat an eye throughout Ravel's lauding, merely taking in Team RWBY once more.

If Weiss' memory isn't failing her, that would make Regina the Twins' older sister that Ravel had mentioned several times.

Hmph. Full figures apparently run in that branch of the Phenex family. Not that she'll waste time pouting, she's in far too good a mood for that.

General Phenex offers Weiss' team a polite nod. "It is truly a pleasure to meet Ravel's Huntress-in-Training friends at last. I won't be able to linger out here for long, but I did want to at least meet my darling aunt's friends before duty begins to dominate my time here." Ravel glances back over her shoulder as the older Devil squeezes her shoulder, the two sharing an openly affectionate smile.

Weiss feels a small pang at the sight but otherwise ignores it. "Well, General, we–"

The elder Devil politely interrupts, "Please. Regina or Reggie will suffice." The older Devil then raises an admonishing eyebrow down at her relative before continuing, "There is, after all, a time and place for titles." She caps this off with a feather soft, chiding flick at Ravel's cheek.

Chastened by the obvious if mild rebuke, Ravel's smile turns sheepish before the Devils turn back to the group.

As much as Weiss would usually default to proper terms of address and to show respect for the hard work, political importance and achievements of the elder Phenex, seemingly flippant requests be damned, both Jaune and Ravel had educated her well on Devil nobility and high society. It is best to defer to any quirks or strange-but-harmless requests made by the scions of the Pillar Families. Doubly so for the handful that had managed to attain the lofty ranks of Ultimate or Satan class.

That said, Regina's clear sense of modesty and decorum is encouraging.

Right then, back to introductions!

"Well, then, Regina… My name is Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Corporation and the Huntress-in-Training Team Ruby." She curtsies to the slightly taller Devil who is once again scrutinizing her with a stoic gaze. Thankfully this one isn't nearly as intense as her last. Weiss gestures over to her team leader. "This is my team leader, Ruby Rose," Ruby offers a neat curtsey. Weiss is somewhat gratified that between her, Ravel and Le Fay's coaching, Weiss' dolt of a team-leader has improved on that front. She does look like she's about to open her mouth, so Weiss sighs and says it for her "And yes, that has gotten confusing a few times." Ruby snickers at that, as both Weiss and Ravel share an eye-roll. "Her sister, Yang Xiao-Long," the blonde shoots the Devil duo a sloppy salute and a 'yo', "and Blake Belladonna, daughter to the chieftain of Menagerie." Blake's face goes a bit sour as she politely if stiffly bows at the pair, her expression showing she at least understands that they're in the sort of situation where things like that matter.

A mildly vindictive part of Weiss finds it delightfully ironic how it's Blake, who needled her for her high-class background in the past, is actually the true 'blue blood' on the Team. Weiss can admit to herself she may be an heiress, but Blake is technically a princess, albeit an elected one.

"Well met." The elder Phenex pleasantly states with a nod as she looks over the group, her red eyes locking onto Ruby's for more than a stretch before moving on. Seriously, is everyone they meet from the Supernatural world going to recognize Ruby's eyes for having some sort of power as soon as they get close enough? "Quite the impressive group your headmaster assembled. Your potential is certainly noteworthy. Especially considering that the bulk of your power was attained through mostly mundane means." The Devil observes, rubbing her chin in consideration.

Ravel smiles encouragingly at Weiss. If Weiss were the sort to gamble, she'd wager her friend has been 'talking them up' to her relatives.

"Oh!" Ruby awkwardly rubs at the back of her head at the Devil's dissecting glance. "Umm, actually the teams were all put together at random. You see, first we all got launched off a cliff, then got partnered with whoever we made eye contact with first and the teams were decided by who took the same chess pieces and…"

The slightly taller Devil holds her right hand to her heart in an apologetic gesture, smoothly cutting off the crimson-fringed girl. "Of course. Random team assembly without any outside interference. Excuse my assumption." From Regina's tone, it's clear that she fully believes that both her and Ruby's statements were merely for the sake of saving face.

Being the team's icebreaker, Yang seamlessly picks up where Weiss had left off, taking a drink from her cup and hooking it around her belt with her typical nonchalant demeanor. "So, Reggie, a General and Satan-class, huh? Is that pretty normal or do you just have the Devil's luck?" She makes a decent attempt at nonchalance, but the admiration is clear in her eyes, and her typical punnieness falls more than a bit flat. Normally it would take something more… active to earn Yang's respect, but being able to level a glare that can freeze the whole team in place seems to count as action enough for the bombastic blonde.

Regina offers a modest shrug. "It took me quite some time and effort to reach where I currently stand, and I am somewhat ahead of the curve when it comes to power compared to most of my peers." The elder Devil demures. "To be clear, though, Satan-class is a measure of power, knowledge and prowess, not an official rank. There are still too few Devils holding power of that magnitude for such a thing."

If every older Devil had that sort of power… Well, as comforting as it is that that isn't the case, Weiss isn't about to just voice that thought. Though she will admit to taking solace in the knowledge that meeting such individuals will be the exception rather than the norm if asked.

"Makes sense!" Yang quips, looking towards at the silver-blue haired woman with a cautious sort of respect. Well, cautious for Yang anyways. "How's being one of the lucky few been working out for ya? Enjoying having all that power?"

"At times." The slightly taller Devil's response is frank. "The position is a hefty weight, to be sure. And the amount of self-control and restraint I need to express nearly constantly can be onerous at times, but it is a hardship I must bear to safeguard the future of Devilkind."

Ruby cracks an awkward smile as she repeats, "Power, knowledge and prowess…Yeah, a huge level of power." She looks away from the group and off into the distance. "We've seen something like that up close. Really close." She turns back, waving her hands in front of her. "Don't get me wrong, it was pretty cool! Between knocking out Fang goons and clearing away most of the Grimm, having all that power was handy, and I'm grateful, but it was kinda, well, intense." Ruby trails off, fiddling with her fingers.

Ravel rests her hand on Ruby's shoulder, shooting her a sympathetic look. "Seeing a Satan-class attack, seeing one of them in action at all is not the sort of thing you forget, or walk away from unaffected. Rating Games are one thing, but in real life…" She trails off, suppressing a shudder with a shrug.

"A hardship, for both the wielder and witnesses." Regina affirms sympathetically. Weiss straightens as the woman's ruby red eyes rake over her team once more. "Power is not simply a gift or privilege, girls, but a burden and a responsibility to be used with care. If not for the world or a higher cause, then at least for those you love."

At this point Weiss is certain that the Devil general is a highly driven woman with strong convictions. One who expects almost as much from those around her as she does of herself. Hardly surprising coming from a person who had attained a rank as lofty as hers as… young–and isn't that still difficult to wrap her head around–as she is. That said, her first impression of Regina certainly doesn't line up with the grim picture Cao Cao had painted of Underworld Nobility; nor does it perfectly align with Jaune's more forgiving description.

If nothing else, Weiss finds the Devil's conviction to be authentic and admirable. Yang, of course, ruins the moment by letting out a low whistle. "That's pretty deep. Something you read, or…?"

Thankfully the Devil doesn't take any offense, Regina shakes her head, holding her right hand to her heart, Regina somberly continues. "Merely a lesson that has taken me centuries to learn, but it is one that I wouldn't give up for anything."

That makes sense, there is definitely a weight to her gaze that says this woman is…Old…Wait a minute…

Weiss is fairly certain she has maintained her composure, but checks with her teammates to make sure she had heard that right. Ruby, however, is currently employing her mouth as a fly-trap. For a moment at least, managing to show both why Ozpin selected her to lead their team and her youth with a single word. "Centuries?"

Blake is just standing there, blinking, While Yang's left eye is slightly twitching, an almost pained look on her face. After a beat, the blonde makes a nonverbal noise somewhat similar to some of the more… ominous ones Bumblebee had made when she'd tried teaching Weiss and Blake how to drive it back at the start of the school year, and asks, "How old are you exactly?" Ah, right. Weiss wouldn't exactly call Yang vain, but she is the most concerned with that sort of thing out of the four of them.

"Yang!" Ruby gasps, "You can't ask a girl that! It's rude. Even I know that!"

The busty blonde waves the shorter girl off. "Chillax, Rubes, it's okay for girls to ask each other that."

Less than a heartbeat after the placation had passed Yang's lips, Ravel places her hands on her hips as she glares, "Of all the uncouth–"

"It's fine, Ravel." Regina's lips turning up into a small, amused smirk. "While I am certain that you four understand that a lady must maintain some mystery about her, I am more than happy to acknowledge that this is my fifth century of life." Weiss takes a moment to let that process before turning to Ravel and getting a nod of confirmation.

Jaune, Ravel and Rias had all mentioned how long Devils live, and that their age rarely matches what a human would assume is the correct appearance for that. But this is her first encounter with that disconnect, and meeting a woman who looks like she should be a fresh private breaking into a flop sweat at an encounter with Winter and snapping to attention in a panic. Not a contemporary of General Ironwood that even her father begrudgingly has to act respectful towards in public.

Regina pauses for a split second before her smile widens into an almost challenging smirk which she then suppresses, all in the span of less than three seconds. She then takes a few steps back. "A moment, if you please." Weiss is about to ask what is the matter, when she spots a girl sliding through the crowd. Almost utterly innocuous save for how tall she is. Emerging from the opposite side of the crowd is a similarly sized young woman, appearing to walk toward the other like a mirror.

Both of them are moving to converge directly behind Regina. When the duo hits the Devils illusory barrier, the nondescript tall girls shimmer for a moment, then reveal Ravel's unfairly proportioned nieces.

A heartbeat later the pair snap their attention to the silver-blue haired woman Weiss' team had been conversing with, then spring into action.

The girl who has her hair pulled back into a neat bun lashes out with a kick while the longer haired of the twins throws a nearly recklessly aggressive punch at Regina. Without losing her smirk, shifting her feet or so much as batting an eyelash the elder Devil lifts her hands up and crosses them; intercepting both blows with contemptuous ease.

The sudden, unexpected flurry of action is enough to get Ravel to nearly jump out of her skin and back into Ruby in surprise. Her features smooth over as she continues to observe the rowdy trio, the expression on her face degrading from merely judgemental to that of a girl weighing the pros and cons of denying not only being related to, but even knowing these women at all.

Regina lets out a playful scoff before proceeding to pull her relatives fist and foot forward, unbalancing both girls as she fire-flashes into a nearly eight foot tall giant.

Grabbing both Twins' by the back of their heads, Weiss is able to predict whats coming moments before it happens; their foreheads collide with a resounding crack that has all four Huntresses-in-training and Ravel wincing. Aura or not, you'd certainly feel a hit like that. Of the two, the twin with the bun-and-ponytail combo seems less visibly stunned from the impact than her longer-haired, softer-featured twin.

Any notion of propriety or high-class heritage is utterly shattered when the pair of younger girls start loudly shouting and swiping at the taller woman. Every attempt they make to strike their elder misses as Regina casually dodges and pokes at their openings with the sort of toothy, teasing older-sister grin that Weiss would expect to see Yang sporting when her and Ruby are really getting into it rather than Underworld nobility, and a General to boot. At some point after their heads had collided Regina had caught one sister by the collar of her cardigan, and wrapped her other arm around the other's waist.

The entire team, along with Ravel, take a big step back from the squawking, flapping flock of Phenexes.

Weiss is utterly baffled. From what Jaune and Ravel told her about Underworld nobility, appearances being kept up were just as important as Atlas high society. This is… Just… Weiss can't even begin to try to find words for how improper this display is.

Ruby just looks thunderstruck by the sight of the quarreling giants in front of them muttering something nonsensical about milk under her breath like the Dolt she is while the team watches the madness play out.

Blake is practically frozen as her eyes bounce about, trying to keep track of the trio. Eventually she gives up and starts taking in their surroundings. Probably checking to see if anyone is paying too close attention to the ruckus the siblings are causing. The illusory barrier seems to be holding, meaning the only witnesses to this… This… Foolishness, are herself, her Team and Ravel. Thank the Brothers for small favors.

Yang is just watching in rapt interest, her attention peculiarly focused on the shorter haired Twin.

Ravel lets out a low groan as her face shifts to the sort of 'you're all crazy and I'm staying over here in case it's contagious' look Weiss has been seeing more and more on people her age since she started interacting with families other than hers or her Father's sycoph–friends. Specifically, big families with a propensity for eccentricity.

When Regina snakes the arm wrapped around the twin she is holding up by the waist to pulls on the the longer-haired Twin's nose, the young Devil starts babbling nervously, "Reggie, Reggie, big sis, that's attached, it's not supposed to–" She cuts herself off with a yelp, "Agh!–nope, it's coming off, it's coming off! Uncle! Uncle! MERCY!" The girl dangling by her nose starts shrieking as the blue-silver-haired Devil's grin goes even wider–to a Yang verging on Nora-with-a-plan degree of playful mischief–as she yanks her arm up.

"Foolish girl. There is no mercy." The elder Devil croons as the younger girl lets out another prolonged yelp as she's lifted up off her feet by her nose.

Yang snickers at the sight, before openly leering at her own sister. "Now there's an idea."

"Noooo~!" Ruby whines, hands reaching up to shield her own nose.

The shorter-haired Phenex Twin–Rusora probably–straining against Regina's hold, either finds an extra scrap of determination or a gap in her elder's hold. She practically teleports from Regina's grasp, worming her way around the silver-blue-haired woman's body, restraining her sister's free arm, and wrapping her other forearm around the older Devil's neck. A half moment later she has her rather muscular legs wrapped around Regina's torso, and her ankles locked. Regina is surprised-but only for a split-second, her playful smirk returning almost immediately.

"Submit." Rusora orders. Well, tries to order. It is rather difficult to sound domineering when you have to lean halfway around your supposed captive's cape of hair to be heard, despite her grip pushing them to the side. The effect is further ruined by the younger Devil's blissful ignorance of her older sister's expression and the fact that the woman seems unbothered by the younger Devil's hold and weight.

"Oh~?" The older of the quarreling Devils lets her grin blossom into a cocky smirk. Weiss is, barely, aware of that odd sense of other indicative of someone about to perform some sort of magic. Maybe Regina's going to change size again, perhaps shrink or–

The long-haired twin–Raenella, Weiss thinks? It's fairly difficult to match names and a picture to people in a first meeting as… active, as this-calls out. "Ruse, stop, cease, desist, stand down, I can't take anymore~!"

Rusora sighs, looking more put out then anything before softly and stoically declares, "I concede."

"Good girl." Regina playfully quips as she finally deigns to stop tormenting her other sister, releasing her hold just as the younger girl's feet hit the ground. Raenella is quick to snatch her face away, hands immediately going to her abused nose as she does so. Rusora, who had let go of her sister's back shortly after conceding walks around Regina, maintaining her serene look as she primly dusts off her dress.

The lull allows Weiss to fully appraise the Twins–and surreptitiously check her Scroll and the image of them with names on it Ravel had sent her so she can be sure she is correct. Rusora Phenex being the leftmost of the two, full figured, clearly fit and conservatively dressed with her blonde hair pulled by elaborate ribbons back into a bun with a drill-like tail hanging from it.

The Twin on the right, Raenella, is dressed less conservatively and her own long hair, while not nearly as long as her elder sister's is styled into two pairs of drill-like ringlets of hair resting on her shoulders. And while she isn't as muscular, Raenella is no less… Amply appointed than her Twin is.

Before either of the Twins can fully recover, Regina wraps them up in what looks like a crushingly affectionate hug, pushing their faces down into the sides of her enormous bosom, the pair either too worn out, used to such treatment or both to return the gesture or resist. "Ruse, Rune, my brave little twins." Little, really? Though, now that Weiss thinks about it, to a woman nearly eight feet tall, somewhere over six and a half is comparatively little. Not that it matters, compared to most other girls let alone women in Weiss's life, these three are enormous. "You almost had me this time!"

"No, we didn't." Rusora deadpans into her sister's chest, not even looking put off let alone embarrassed by the compromising position she is in. Raenella just groans as she sinks further into her own 'cushion' as if trying to use that to ward off the lingering pain is a normal thing for people to do in public.

Boisterous, happy grin still plastered across her face, Regina nods in agreement. "No, you didn't, and it was a rather sloppy effort if I'm being totally honest." She slaps the Twins on their backs after releasing them before she pauses and looks the girls up and down, planting her hands on her hips. "But what sort of older sister would I be if I didn't try to build the two of you back up after such an abysmal failure?"

"Ugh!" Ravel lets out a sound somewhere between a groan and a tea-kettle that just got up to a boil. "You three! We are in public! As scions of the House of Phenex we have our reputation to think of and maintain!" Even her ringlets bristle and twist with her agitation. Weiss can only offer her friend a sympathetic look. She could never even dream of carrying on like that with Winter or Whitley in public or private.

Not that she's jealous.

Raenella sniffles a bit, rubbing the last of the pain from her nose before giving her elder sister a good-spirited grin, in spite of the abuse she'd suffered at her hands mere moments ago, before looking down at her comparatively tiny aunt. "Relax, Ravel, you'll live longer!" Raenella chides nonchalantly.

Ravel hisses, "Rune–!"

"We have a barrier up, no one has seen anything untoward." Raenella quips back easily.

Ravel looks like she's suppressing the urge to stomp her foot as she points to Weiss and her team. "They have!"

"Come now! What better way to honor your friends than a bit of girl-on-girl action courtesy of the greatest beauties in the Underworld?" Face completely unrepentant, she leans into her placid twin, raises one of her healthy legs up onto Rusora's hip where it slides almost entirely free of her dress; She then turns her attention toward Team RWBY, expression a coy, flirtatious grin complete with a flutter of her eyelashes.

Really? Really!? The only thing she could do to be more openly seductive would be to raise one of her arms to make a 'come hither' gesture.

Weiss's nose scrunches up and she shuffles closer to a long-suffering but wholly resigned Ravel. Ruby and Blake's faces had both gone red at the Devil's declaration and actions while Yang–the absolute hellion–is snickering into her fist and nodding in approval which earns her a wink from the taller blonde.

Rusora remains unruffled by her sister's antics in a show of stoicism that reminds Weiss of Leonardo, if only slightly less eerie. Regina gives Raenella a dry look, lifts a fist over the shorter Devil's head, arches an eyebrow, clears her throat, and when the younger woman continues to hold her pose bonks down none too gently on the exact same spot that had been thrust into her twin's skull mere moments prior.

"Ow~" Raenella complains, as she hop-stumbles out of Rusora's personal space, reaching up to rub the crown of her head and pouts at her older sister. "All right, fair enough." Hmph! 'Fair enough,' indeed. Honestly, she's getting off light for carrying on like that in public in Weiss' opinion.

"Yes…Far be it from us to deny them such grandiose displays of public affection." Rusora drawls with a perfectly straight face as she casually takes a tiny hop away when her older sister swipes at her as well.

"See, Ruse gets it!" Raenella crows while Regina eyes the other twin wanly. She quickly covers her nose again when Regina sharply glances back at her.

The elder Devil then rubs her brow with a beleaguered sigh, though her expression gives away the act for what it is. "Ahh, what am I going to do with you silly girls?"

"More intensive training?" Rusora offers in a tone that makes Weiss think of the Heroes' and their...Enthusiasm for sparring sessions and extended Grimm hunts. From the way the question earns Rusora nothing more than a resigned sigh from Raenella and Ravel, Weiss feels her assumption is correct. Considering the relation between the Devils in question she would wager that whatever the current situation is, it had probably started much like her and Winter's earliest spars in Grandfathers personal gym back before Winter had officially joined the Specialist Corps.

The mental image conjured by that juxtaposition is jarring, at the very least.

"Perhaps." Regina's smile goes a bit strange at that, and certainly isn't reaching her eyes anymore. Her gaze returns down to Team RWBY. "Oh, but where are your manners, girls?" She exclaims as she gestures at the team of Huntresses-in-Training.

Grumbling, Ravel steps back towards her massive relatives, hands at her hips. "Non-existent when you're in the same room as your sisters." She accuses, earning her an apologetic but unrepentant shrug from her oldest niece. The shortest blonde turns around to give the Huntresses-in-Training a polite, apologetic bow. "I'm so sorry about these three, they've turned ambushing one another into some sort of bizarre bonding ritual. It doesn't help that they are utterly incorrigible in each other's presence."

While Weiss will admit that it's an odd ritual, it isn't that outlandish. Compared to the near constant Aura-checks and tough-love training from parents who know their children will follow in their footsteps as Huntsmen or Huntresses, using ambushes as greetings is nearly tame. Weiss and her teammates simply hadn't expected it from a noble family.

And if anyone ever asks Weiss about her reaction to those three, that's the exact story she'll tell without regret, deviation or fail. She most certainly isn't jealous that she'd never be able to do something like that with her siblings.

Not at all.

Before Regina can respond to her aunt's jab, her Scroll starts going off. She pulls it from her pocket and the grinning, big-sister is washed away by an on-duty military officer. "And that would be duty quite literally calling." She looks towards her sisters and aunt. She reaches out to ruffle the Twins' hair. "Stay safe and enjoy yourselves." She instructs them, before bending down to give Ravel a quick hug. Regina then steps back and faces Weiss and her team before offering them a wave. "Until we meet again!" She declares, waving to them then turning on her heel and striding towards the edge of the fairgrounds nearest the Bullhead docks.

The haze fades away, and Regina, in a blue flash-fire, reverts to a normal size once more with none of the surrounding civilians aware of what had just transpired.

For a few moments the seven teenagers just stand around in silence as the human-shaped hurricane recedes into the crowd. Weiss idly finds herself wondering if all elder Devils are like that. Profound and worldly one moment, eccentric and childish the next. A small part of Weiss is inclined to just accept that line of thought, and another is terrified of having to deal with personalities like that for the rest of her life.

Raenella recovers first, gracefully turning on her forefoot–an impressive feat for one as tall as her–to face Weiss and her teammates with a genial smile. Right, the daughter of a ballet dancer. "Apologies. In all that excitement, we seem to have forgotten to actually introduce ourselves. We are the youngest daughters of Aunt Ravel's eldest brother, Ruval. I am Raenella Phenex, but please, call me Rune. And this is my twin sister…" She gestures at her twin.

"Rusora Phenex, a pleasure. Or Ruse, if you prefer." The calmer of the two softly finishes while offering a light, flawless curtsy as she does so.

Ruby takes the initiative, clearly put at ease by the new Devils and their 'grandiose display of public affection' and filial roughhousing. As far as eccentricities go, the three larger Phenexes cleanly fit into the accepted norm for Huntsman families, so her young leader probably feels quite comfortable with them. "Ahem, we're Team Ruby, Huntresses-in-Training. I'm the team Leader, Ruby Rose-and yes, that does get confusing sometimes-this is my older sister Yang Xiao-Long," the team's resident brawler offers up a lazy wave and 'sup?' as her sister gestures to her. "Her partner, Blake Belladonna," the Faunus in disguise and trashy romance novel enthusiast offers a polite nod. "And my partner and BFF, Weiss Schnee!" Rolling her eyes fondly at the latter point, but not disputing it, Weiss offers a polite curtsy of her own.

Introductions finished, Yang is, of course, the next to speak up. "Nice ta meet'cha, Rune!" She pauses to rub at the back of her head a bit awkwardly and with a forced chuckle. "Sorry for not gettin' to that sooner. We, ah, kinda got distracted by… Well, you guys."

The tall Devil repeats the sentiment and starts suggestively quipping about understanding people can't take their eyes off them before Ravel interjects by mentioning they should start moving on and–Wait, just Rune?

"Gotta say, Stilt-Legs, never thought I'd see you playfighting like that." Yang teases. "Really ruins the whole cool, collected aesthetic you got goin' on!"

What?

Weiss stares dumbly at her teammate, and Ruby isn't much better. Blake just sighs and cocks an eyebrow as she stares back at Yang. Why does she look resigned, not surprised?

"A girl is allowed her pleasures, are they not?" Ruse replies dryly, meeting Yang's grin with an impassive expression, no sign of shame whatsoever. Yang opens her mouth, pauses, shrugs then closes it again.

They talk as if...

"Pardon me, but how do you two know each other, precisely?" Weiss asks as calmly as she can. She certainly doesn't feel calm or happy given the implications, but she is putting in the effort to appear so nonetheless. Rusora blinks at Weiss before lifting an eyebrow at Yang, though she remains visibly implacable, there is a hint of judgment in the action. Raenella furrows her brow as her gaze shifts between Yang and Weiss before she grimaces while Ravel is clearly confused and concerned.

"Didn't we…" Yang to herself trails off, and the look on her face shifts from confused to apologetic and worried. "Oh. Umm, oops?" Yang stiltedly stutters as she looks over at Blake, who seems to be just as horrified before looking on the verge of smacking her own forehead.

When it becomes clear that none of the natives will be offering an explanation anytime soon, Rusora begins to explain. "Just under a month ago, Ms. Xiao-Long and Ms. Belladonna summoned me with some questions relating to the supernatural world. They had mentioned they were looking for verification from a neutral third party. Ms. Xiao-Long and I then participated in a sparring match and my Aura was unlocked as payment." Her tone is unflinching nearly to the point of emotionlessness as she does so. The more muscular twin flares her Aura, a flickering orange-yellow light flashing across her form.

Weiss crosses her arms, and glares down her teammates. Ruby has a hurt look on her face and her gaze is bouncing between the Phenexes and her sister. "Excuse me?" Weiss demands, giving up on her attempts to seem calm even as that incredulous affront sinks into her voice, despite her knowing that she'd been a fool to expect anything different.

Yang shrugs defensively, "What, you'd been summoning Ravel for a few months behind all our backs. Blake and me just wanted to check a few things for ourselves, see how summoning worked. Just like Ruse said. Of course, she wiped the floor with my face, which for the record, I'm not taking lying down." Yang shoots a mild glare at an unfazed Rusora, and Blake only grimaces. She doesn't actually say 'that's-not-helping,' but it's pretty evident in her body-language. Not that Weiss can be bothered with whatever paltry rivalry those two are working on building up.

Ruby, eyes wide and hurt-looking asks,"Yang, why didn't you tell us about that sooner?"

Yand lets out an awkward, forced chuckle as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "Ummm, well, heh heh..." Her expression doing that sunny 'I can be a bit of an airhead sometimes when I get excited and am sorry I made a mess' look she has. The one she claims to hate but always defaults to whenever she makes some sort of social faux pas.

"We, umm… Kind of… forgot to bring it up?" Blake interjects, at least sounding mildly apologetic before cringing at the lame excuse.

Weiss shifts her glare from Yang to the Faunus who'd given her nothing but grief since the day they'd met for having been born a Schnee. The girl who'd claimed she wanted to be better but was all too eager to fall back into habits she'd claimed to have left behind for the first half of the school year. Who'd done so again during those terrible first few weeks after Jaune had come clean about his nature to the rest of her team, after they'd all promised each other to talk things out instead of haring off to act on their own.

"You. Forgot." Weiss bites out, gaze unflinching and not softening in the slightest. For something smaller, at this point, Weiss normally would just let it drop as how her teammate can be sometimes. After the weeks of ostracization she went through?

"Turn about's fair play?" Yang continues haplessly in that mild tone of voice as if they were discussing spilled milk. As if hurting Weiss was a trifle to brush aside. Just like Father had after more ruined birthdays that had ended in her, or Winter or Whitley in tears than she cares to count as the family had slowly fallen apart.

Weiss' temper finally explodes at the very thought.

Fuck that.

"Is that supposed to be one of your pathetic attempts at humor!?" It's a testament to her restraint she doesn't scream or 'shriek' but her voice is barely a handful of decibels below a shout and octaves short of a scream.

"Hey! Take a chillaxative, Ice Queen, we said we were sorry." The blonde bimbo defensively barks back, holding up her hands in what is probably supposed to be a placatory gesture. "A lot of shit was going on last month and it was an honest mistake on our end. We didn't-don't want to hurt you."

Of all the sheer gall! Weiss grits her teeth so hard, she thinks they might crack. "You already had when you all but kicked me off the team. This? This is just salt in the wound." She bites out out tersely.

Ruby looks between her sister, partner and teammate, making a worried, unhappy sort of noise. "Weiss…"

"No, if we're all okay with interacting with Devils now, then I am allowed to be upset over them doing exactly what you all were so mad at me over." She presses, lifting her hands up in a sarcastic manner, still glaring at Yang before turning on Blake.

The Blonde brawler grows, eyes flashing red for a moment. "And we are trying to apologize, Weiss. If you'd stop being angry for half a minute that'd be pretty damn obvious." Weiss glares right back at Yang. She is not backing down. Not this time.

"Like you don't let yourself fly off the handle at the slightest provocation constantly, you hypocrite!" Of course, the team's brawler doesn't have anything to say to that. The trails of steam wafting out of her nose at the statement are proof enough of Weiss' observation. Weiss turns to Blake. "And you! I wish I could say that I'm surprised, but here we are. Again."

Blake bristles looking very much like an angry cat with it's hackles up. For once, Weiss doesn't feel guilty for the comparison. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

"It means that even after our first talk about being honest with each other and not running off to do anything dangerous without the rest of the Team I can still hardly pick up a napkin without getting shoved under a microscope; while it's perfectly alright for you to 'not want to talk about' why you spend so many evenings working with the law enforcement. Or do I need to be more blatant about what your past probably looks like?" Weiss hisses back at her. "Anything with a Schnee label was fair game. My only crime was being born into the family."

Blake's eyes go wide, appearing visibly hurt by the accusation for a moment before narrowing into a glare just as harsh as her partner's. "That's not true!" She hisses, the waver to her voice and flinch make it perfectly clear that she's trying to convince herself more than the rest of the team.

Ruby places herself between the three of them before things come to blows. "Guys...Please. Enough!"

Weiss is barely aware of a few other shocks of blonde hair in her peripheral vision and noises coming from their general direction.

"If I may?" Raenella's affable voice interjects.

"""NO!""" Weiss, Yang and Blake all bark at the annoyance trying to butt into team business. Ruby flinches from the volume but holds steady to keep her teammates from coming to blows.

"I see, I see. The hard way it is then." Raenella sighs. The background noise barely registers to Weiss.

The world shimmers again, the temperature spiking from a pleasant fall night to the sweltering heat of a furnace floor. Before any of them can properly notice the change in atmosphere, a great flash of flame erupts in their peripheral, and turning to it, they look up and up and UP to find Raenella's cheery face looming over them; apparently having reverted to her actual size. The Devil now stands fully head and shoulders above where Yatsuhashi would, and most certainly isn't exuding the air of calm and gentleness that the gentle giant does.

The towering Devil is smiling beatifically as her flaming wings spread to their full extension before curling around to aim the heat directly at the belligerents. With a flick, the ephemeral, flaming feathers extend outward making her already impressive form seem even larger.

Emerging from behind and within her is a raging bonfire, like the instantaneous flare that accompanies summoning any of her family drawn out to a seemingly unending pyre. The light and heat causes her to cast a large shadow down on all four wide-eyed Huntresses-in-Training, making it painfully clear where, exactly, they stand on the supernatural food chain and just who they mouthed off to.

Without her weapon, and despite her training with the Heroes, Weiss feels almost powerless. Weiss can already feel sweat beading on her brow and back, Raenella looks perfectly comfortable at home and comfortable in the immense heat and pressure she is exuding. If that isn't enough, forming from the bonfire that is her wings behind Rune is a bird of flame, maybe a third or even half the size of a giant Nevermore.

Team RWBY only has a moment to gawk, frozen in place from the pressure and heat exuded by this Devil.

Weiss idly notes just behind the flaming mountain, the ever-stoic Rusora is covering an almost terrified looking Ravel's ears–

Raenella snaps her fingers.

The flaming bird avatar, or rather the Phoenix–and Weiss feels that if she wants to carry with her life on un-burnt she should ask the girl if it actually is one of the mythical creatures or a magical construct of her own creation–leans over its master towards Weiss and her teammates and lets loose an ear-splitting shriek, beak wide open and pointed directly at the four of them.

It's a sound similar to a Nevermore's cry but so much more. Practically deafening. Something far beyond mere gunfire, airship engines or Grimm beasts. Heat and displaced air wash over them just as much as much as the nearly eardrum shattering sound, blowing all of their hair back. A phoenix's cry unleashed by a scion of the house sharing the beast's namesake.

After what feels like an eternity the deafening noise and blistering heat mercifully fades away.

At some point during the magical assault, Weiss and her teammates had huddled together for support and safety. Once the ringing in their ears dies away, they look back to Rune, her wings gone, the seeming corporeal manifestation of an actual Phoenix nowhere to be seen.

Raenella's smile has lost its sharp edge, but there is a hardness to her eyes making it clear that she is not going to accept any further backtalk.

She looks straight down into Yang's spooked lilac eyes. "Now that I have your attention…" She's speaking slowly and carefully as if to children, an impression further accentuated by her currently standing more than a few heads taller than the four mortals in front of her. Team RWBY is quick to nod in assent.

And here Weiss had thought that Regina was the scary sibling.

"I do believe it needs to be pointed out that–according to Ravel at least–Ms. Schnee has an incredibly daunting self-appointed task ahead of her. One that she will need every benefit she can muster to accomplish, that will serve to better the lives of every last inhabitant of this world should she succeed, but causes her tremendous amounts of stress."

Rune looks Blake directly in the eye. "A friend or ally acting to make that task more difficult is most certainly something that she is justified to interpret as a fairly harsh betrayal."

The Devil pauses, and shifts her attention to Weiss, her expression becoming more frank than harsh. "My twin has also told me about your teammates. How Ms. Xiao Long is incredibly impulsive by nature and is doing her best to better control that."

Yang shoots the twin in question a dirty look, who arches a challenging eyebrow in response, silently daring her to refute the statement. The shorter blonde huffs, rolls her eyes and lets that matter drop.

Raenella continues, "Having been living in the same room as, and regularly being put into life-or-death situations beside her over the course of the last year should have made you more than aware of this. For a lady of your lineage to need to be reminded of that would be quite disgraceful, I would think."

Weiss grimaces but can't find a retort.

"And lastly-" Raenella continues as her gaze settles on the last of the belligerents from Weiss' team. "-that Ms. Belladonna has been hurt by blindly trusting in the past and may be wary of doing so now and in the future should go without saying."

Blake silently averts her gaze.

"Both parties may have harmed each other–intentionally or otherwise–but all you'll do now is hurt each other further when there are ways to resolve this that are far more productive." Raenella caps off by giving Ruby an apologetic look, getting a forgiving shrug back before Ruby glances around at her teammates and friends.

Weiss can feel most of her pique fading to the background at the Devil's naked admonishment. She grumbles, crosses her arms and looks away from the rest of the group into the crowd on the other side of the illusion. She will admit that arguing like they had been will accomplish nothing. She is, however, still a bit sore. "We are still having this conversation later." She grits out as her temper continues to recede.

"When everyone is calm and without any screaming?" Ruby asks, more timid than stern, but that is probably just her recovering from Raenella's display. The two of them may have been regularly exposed to the Heroes' power, it had never directly aimed at them to that extent. They hadn't come even close to sparring with them at that level yet.

Blake rubs at her arm, and glances downward, "That's the plan at least, I suppose."

"Can't wait." Yang grunts, in a resigned, solemn tone. At least her typical lackadaisical or mulish tendencies aren't showing through for once. Thank the Brothers for small victories.

Raenella slowly walks up to Team RWBY, eliciting a small squeak from their leader as the giant reaches an arm's length from them for her. A bit of unease is perfectly acceptable, considering that the size difference leaves all four of them well outside of the distance they'd need to touch her back.

The Devil considers the tense Huntresses-in-Training for a moment as silence again falls across the group, before her gaze turns gentler. In a flash of flame, she shrinks back down to her more 'reasonable' but still towering height, before continuing, "It's not all bad. When you four thought I was going to attack, you did huddle together rather than scattering to fend for yourselves. With all of the parallels between the Humans of Earth and Remnant, I suspect that the four of you are familiar with the hedgehog's dilemma. Besides, I seriously doubt that anyone could make it as far into training for the lifestyle the four of you have chosen for yourselves to think that you will be able to go through life without being hurt–physically or emotionally–ever again. Life isn't that clear cut."

Rusora walks over to the group to stand next to her twin. "Reggie always says that mortals–any people, really–are prone to alternate between being needlessly difficult in one breath and declaring that 'life is too short' in the next."

Ravel clears her throat as she makes her way over to stand next to her giant nieces, and continues "Sentient creatures are illogical, though we all pride ourselves on being civilized; Devils, Humans and Faunus alike. We all become beholden to our emotions, our base instincts during intense enough situations." From the rote sound of it, if they aren't paraphrasing a lecture that someone has regularly subjected the three younger Phenexes to.

"They are what drive us and given your life experiences, you three are clearly trying to readjust those instincts and desires to better include others in, and properly inform the decisions you make in your lives while taking into consideration what facts you know." Rusora continues, her features as smooth and relaxed as when they had first arrived. "In short, you are growing, and what you have learned about yourselves and each other over the last half-year have not been small things."

Looking like she'd just bit into a lemon, Ravel adds that "Growth is not always comfortable, building trust takes time…"

Ruby nods in agreement before adding "And maintaining it takes work." This earns her a surprised look from her older sister.

Raenella favors her with a smile. "Everyone needs to be reminded of those facts from time to time. Doubly so in the case of people like the four of you, to whom life has not been kind, albeit in different ways. You will hurt each other and be hurt in turn with and without meaning to, it is inevitable."

"You're acting like we didn't already know that." Yang grumbles, glaring flatly up at the Twins.

Raenellae's expression is dubious but not judgemental, "There is knowing and there is knowing."

Rusora follows up, "Will the four of you cower away from that simple truth, or rise to the occasion and press forward?" Great, now they are starting to sound like someone split headmaster Ozpin into two giant girls. Not that their advice is any less sound.

Team RWBY shares a glance, with the three previously hostile teammates sharing a nod. Still visibly suspicious, Blake locks eyes with Rune. "Why do you care so much?"

The tall girl shrugs. "I normally wouldn't. But if you want a Devil's answer… You're Ravel and Ruse's friends and any self-respecting Devil fights for and protects what's theirs."

Rusora stares intently, nodding while in contrast Ravel flushes at first before giving a nod of her own and a small smile. Ruby beams at Raenella–Rune who smiles back warmly before the crimson-fringed girl transfers her smile to an equally beaming Ravel.

Ruse nods, a small but warm smile overtaking her previously empty features. "You four will go far, I suspect. So long as you remember to help each other out along the way."

After a short moment, Yang smiles back. "Thanks, Rusey. You three ain't half bad." She quips, playfully jabbing at the taller blonde. "Even if you like talking too much." Ravel huffs, Raenella is clearly amused and Rusora remains unruffled, allowing the play-punch.

Laughing as she sidles up next to Ruby, Rune loops a large arm around her shoulders, earning a surprised squeak from the much shorter girl. "Team RWBY, I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!" She declares grandly. Stuttering, Ruby's face goes spectacularly red as she tries to return the sentiment but finds herself pressed up against Raenella's impressive bosom, similar to the Twins' position with Regina after their ambush had failed. From the carefree look on Rune's face, she either doesn't notice or doesn't care.

The large blonde turns to look down at Weiss. "And in that spirit, Ms. Schnee…" Rune releases Ruby, teleporting a plain brown cardboard messenger tube into her grasp and popping it open, she unrolls the poster that had been held within.

Specifically, the poster Weiss' PR team had whipped up for her show tonight, with her silhouette from the end of her performance added underneath the Festivals logo this year. "At the risk of seeming like just another one of your fans, you did put on a splendid performance earlier tonight, and the shirts most people are having you sign are…"

Ravel rolls her eyes and Ruby snickers as Weiss signs the Devil's poster. "Not at all. Finding merchandise for performers you enjoy that mesh with the family image and reputation is something that I struggle with as well."

"Wow Weiss-cream, talk about rich girl problems." Yang ribs, earning a huff from Ravel.

Weiss caps the marker, and hands it back to Blake. "Hush." She flatly shoots back. The pair sharing a look, not as heated, but not as friendly as it may have been a few days ago either. The tension isn't all gone, but a 'truce' seems to have fallen back over the group. At least until the Team gets back to their dorm room. "You'll have to start worrying about that sort of thing soon enough too, if you keep hanging around Pyrrha, Coco and I."

The brawler shrugs expressively. "If it does get that bad then I'll just be famous for not giving a crap about shit like that."

Weiss coolly retorts, "I suppose we'll find out." Yang narrows her eyes slightly but doesn't reply.

"So! How long are the three of you going to be in Vale for?" Ruby asks the Devils. Clearly Ruby wants to spend more time with Ravel as well as getting to know the Twins better.

Weiss can't say she disagrees with the notion, eccentric as they had seemed at first.

_-*R-DxD*-_

Blake is ambling back towards the dorms, hand-in-hand with Sun and thoroughly glad for the distraction from last night's… Disagreement.

They'd had to do a bit of re-shuffling of things, but with her Team's first match being in today's second block of bouts, Sun and Blake had until well after noon for the date. An early matinee and lunch at the Crimson Crab may have been fairly 'basic' but that sort of mundanity isn't something she'd been able to enjoy living on the run with the White Fang, so she was fine with it.

"I still can't believe they let us in the Crab. I figured I was kinda..." Sun trails off, looking down at himself. His button down actually closed for once is the only real deviation he'd made from her usual dress. Not that Blake had put in much more effort herself.

That in mind, she shrugs, "They only try to look more fancy than other restaurants. As long as you don't actively look trashy they're fine."

"Still."

Sweet that he's so concerned with that. Blake bumps her shoulder into his. "You were just fishing for an excuse to go to Jet's Lobster Hut instead."

Grinning, he bumps her back. "Hey! You can't prove that, and any place that offers all-you-can-eat anything is worth spending Lien on."

Considering that she has never once seen Sun leave a plate anything but empty, and the only time she's seen him leave food sitting out he'd apparently thought he was leaving a street sign about a free meal, she decides not to comment. Rolling her eyes, Blake changes the subject altogether, "I don't know what reviews you were reading, but Pewter Jackson really did a great job adapting Clash of Crowns."

Mostly.

He'd probably been working from the cleaned-up manga, not the actual visual novel. Sun blushes a bit as he defends, "There were almost as many sex scenes as there were fight scenes!"

Blake shrugs. Honestly, it looks like they'd adapted the tamest, most vanilla path possible to her. "And?"

"They were siblings!"

She shoots a sideways glance Sun's way. "You really didn't do much more research than spotting the book in my collection and good reviews online, did you?"

His embarrassment quickly gives way to panic at that statement. "Umm..."

Blake snorts out a laugh. "That's fine, Sun."

Honestly, the distraction had been more than welcome. The Cat Faunus had been doing a lot of thinking since yesterday evening, after the Team once again faced inner conflict and mistrust as well as the Phenex girls' minor intervention. When they finally returned to their dorm, Weiss had partly cooled off. Apparently Rune's talk of fighting for what was hers stuck with her, turning the resultant conversation as painfully candid as it had been bearable.

Weiss and Ruby's revelation regarding this so-called Hero Faction had rubbed Blake the wrong way in all the wrong places. Almost as poorly as learning that Weiss seemed to have been operating under a tit-for-tat mentality. Considering how high emotions had been running last night, and Weiss' upbringing, Blake can't resent her for it.

Blake honestly isn't sure whether she's looking forward to meeting with Weiss and Ruby's other extra-Remnantian friends, or trying to help find a way to break Weiss out of the most caustic societal habits of Atlas' upper-classes. The former had reminded Blake far too much of the White Fang just before the transition from her parents to Sienna's leadership way too much, if she'd read between the lines right last night. The latter…

How do you even teach someone to trust a friend when their mind is still partly in a place where the word is just a convenient catch-all for someone who is either useful or owes you favors or loyalty? And to be honest, it wasn't helped by Yang and Blake's treament of her or their blatant hypocrisy.

Either way, having the air fully clear on the team, for sure this time, is somewhat relieving.

The fact that her and Yang's first meeting with the self-proclaimed Heroes is something Weiss and Ruby still need to schedule at least gives her time to focus on other things and relax some.

All told, things are probably the best she can hope for right now, considering how hypocritical taking any offense at her teammates keeping secrets makes her. Among other things Blake decided she doesn't like about herself that she'll try to be better about. Her faith to her commitments, being one of them. "I'm sure you'll be able to plan something at least as fun as today next time."

Sun stutters to a halt-luckily their in front of the exchange students dorm hall-with a look somewhere between shocked, happy and confused on his face. "Huh?"

Blake lets out a chortle. "I'm saying I had fun today, you dweeb." She explains, before planting a quick peck on his cheek. Of all the people she definitely needed to clean up her act with, next to her teammates and parents, Sun definitely deserves better from her.

"Oh. Umm... Great!" Sun stutters out, blushing again. "I mean, I did too!" He corrects himself, looking around and actually being a bit relieved when it becomes clear no one had been in earshot. "About next time though... that kinda depends on how well our teams do in the tournament, doesn't it?" Blake arches an eyebrow at him. "For scheduling, I mean! Can't plan too far ahead when you don't know what's gonna happen, right?"

Blake rolls her eyes. "Well, it's Weiss and Yang in the doubles round for me, so that's all on you, Sun."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I'm looking at at least half of Team Sun's combat potential right now." Blake deadpans at him playfully. Before he can rush to his friends' defense Blake presses on. "I've gotta get ready for the first round of the tournament now. Wish me luck." At that, she turns and starts walking towards her dorm building with just a hint of a switch to her step.

Sun half-shouts something about kicking ass and she tosses back a quip about that being the plan, but chatter like that has been background noise to her since the list of Beacons representative teams for the tournament had went up honestly.

For a few minutes she continues on in blissful silence. With how long the exchange students have been in Vale, pretty much everyone on campus knows better than to bug her for no reason now.

"He seems nice."

Blake nearly leaps out of her skin, and away from the person that had just ghosted up alongside her. She blinks rapidly as she takes the grinning woman in.

Thankfully, it isn't Cheshire, it's–

"Mom?!"

Kali Belladonna's playful grin fades as her eyes shimmer before she approaches Blake.

Oh Gods, why is she here!? Kuroka didn't say any–KUROKA! She said something about a surprise! She had to have known! What does she say!? She'd said so many horrible things! If last night was any indication, Blake isn't any better than she'd been before really, what if she-

Kali wraps her arms the girl who only awkwardly stares. "Oh, my baby girl."

Blake's frantic thoughts immediately melt away, returning the hug shyly before slowly tightening her grip. They stay there for a good long while. Eventually the pair pull away from each other Blake glances over her mother's form up and down, "How long have you been here?"

Kali shrugs as nonchalantly as she can, "Oh, not long at all." She quips in the exact same tone she'd used the first time they'd talked after Illia had started following her around like a lost puppy-dog back... Before, well, before. "I wanted to catch up with my baby girl as quickly as possible, now that we're both on the same continent again."

Blake flinches. Her feline ears flatten as she averts her gaze. "Mom, I...I..."

Kali presses a gentle finger over Blake's mouth. "Shh, none of that now."

Blake nods back somberly. Later, then. "Where's… Where's Dad?"

"Still on Menagerie, but nothing a video call can't fix. Just as well, the last thing his poor heart needs is to see our little Blakey arm in arm with a boy." Mom teases, her mouth is smiling, and she'd said he looks nice… But Blake had lost count of how many times she'd seen mom start a conversation with pleasantries and compliments, and end it with the other person nearly in tears from the onslaught of perfectly polite, armor piercingly pointed questions years before they'd parted ways.

Blake's face heats up. "Sun and I are...Erm..."

Eyes sparkling, Kali steps right back into Blake's personal space to wrap a hand around both of her shoulders and lean in until their foreheads are nearly touching. "Ah ah, don't try and pull the wool over my eyes now." Kali teases before gushing. "When am I getting grandbabies!?"

Blake wishes the ground would just swallow her up. "No, we're just... He... I–" That's even less subtle than the line about 'adopting kittens' Cheshire or rather Kuroka had opened with after she had noticed Illia's crush on her!

At least it's just Mom, she has some self-restraint.

"Kali~! Blakey~!"

…She jinxed herself.

Her Nekomata-turned-Stray Devil found sister's voice cuts over the din of the early afternoon crowd slowly flowing towards the Bullhead docks for the next block of round one's bouts. All Blake can really do is let out a small, resigned sigh as 'Cheshire' and Kali embraced, squealing like a pair of hyperactive schoolgirls.

At least Dad is half a world away, and Sun is safe in his dorm.

It isn't the worst possible situation. Not yet at least.

She looks around for something, anything to save her from her impending doom. She spots Jaune and Pyrrha a few dozen yards away and hope blooms in her chest.

Hope that swiftly dies when a hulking blonde man who looks to be a bit taller and broader-shouldered than her dad rounds a corner, claps Jaune on his back and leads him away from his girlfriend. Half-a-heartbeat later eight different blonde women of varying ages and heights, along with a single dark-skinned raven haired one descend on Pyrrha.

Each of them armed with what Blakes enhanced vision can pick out as different tabloids with a shot of Jaune and Pyrrha's kiss from the end of their last date plastered across the cover. So much for that out.

Ah well, the least Blake can do to make amends with her mother is endure whatever questions Mom and 'Cheshire' can concoct. The tournament schedule is public knowledge, so they won't be able to hold her up for too long with them.

_-*R-DxD*-_

The Headmaster of Beacon's skybox isn't quite overfull, but it's close.

Sirzechs is seated on his right in what looks to be a silk suit nearly the same shade of crimson as his hair with gold thread picking out the seams and matching slacks. Serafall is to the headmaster's right and sitting in the plush, well stuffed chair in a knee-length navy blue skirt and plain white blouse as well as a pair of charcoal gray stockings. Both Devil Kings are wearing slender black ties.

Across the aisle separating the two banks of respectively stands Grayfia, and Glynda and Raenella are seated next to each other, Glynda wearing what she normally does when teaching or headed into battle and Grayfia one of her-many, apparently-maid's uniforms. Young Raenella is the only one in the room not sipping from a flute of champagne, instead holding a clipboard with a large stack of papers clipped to it.

While they had been covering some minor topics before, and likely will resume doing so after this match ends, Ozpin had requested a break in their talks for Team RWBY's matches, and the Underworld contingent had done the same for Mr. Arc's team's bouts.

Ozpin momentarily shifts his gaze from the match to where the Devil had been looking. His younger sister, along with her peerage are mixed in with Team JNPR, and seem to be having a good time. The Hyoudou boy had gotten Vale's emblem painted on his right cheek at some point during the day, and is up out of his seat and looks to be making almost as much noise as Miss Valkyrie, who is standing on her seat, both hands cupped over her mouth. Rias, along with her second-Akeno, Ozpin believes-are both rather excitedly waving a pair of pennants, the former one emblazoned with Vales sigil and the latter one in bright red with 'RWBY' scrawled across it. Raenella's twin, their young Aunt and the pair of retainers the Phenex contingent had arrived with are sitting a little further behind Ms. Gremory's group, slightly less energetic than the former group, but seemingly enjoying themselves nonetheless.

With a small smile on his face, Oz returns his gaze back to the match.

Miss Xiao-Long is currently battering Miss Altan across the half of the arena given over to charred stone, fire dust and thermal vents. The Valean girl's onslaught is relentless, only giving Altan a chance to attempt a counter once for every five or six of her own punches, and most of those Yang has been able to dodge outright. The platinum blonde team leader grimaces through a trio of rapid-fire jabs from Yang and replies with a powerful looking left cross, which the longer-haired girl is able to step inside of to deliver a shotgun enhanced gut-punch of her own. She slaps the tanned girl's third attempt to catch her foot with her rope-dart aside with what looks to be contemptuous ease, firing off a shot from Ember Celica as she does so, before hammering her knee into Arslan's kidney, sending the girl sprawling.

Reese is forced to swerve to avoid Yang's seemingly stray shot, sacrificing just enough speed in the process for the brawler's raven-haired partner to leap from the pillar of ice she had been perched on and scissor-kick the punkish girl from her hoverboard.

Crescent Rose retorts twice, one shot drilling into the small of the now ballistic girls back, sending her tumbling towards an empty stretch of the volcanic half of the arena, the second shot sending her weapon skittering off into the glacial half.

Blake casts out her weapon in it's kusarigama form to pull herself after her target, her sheath/cleaver held in her left and ready to strike. Chloris is barely able to roll out of the path of the strike that likely would have put her aura into the red and scrambles to her feet.

Well, mostly, Miss Belladonna opening fire with Gambol Shroud turns it into more of a desperate three-point half-crawl as she tries to make it back to her weapon.

Weiss who has been running-well, skating and glyph-bouncing-circles around the male half of Team ABRN the entire match so far-darts between Bolin and his teammates weapon, her rapier freezing his right arm to his side before flicking his bo staff out of his left and nearly out of the arena. Crescent Rose barks again, this time Ruby-who hasn't left her perch at the tallest of the faux-mountains in the volcanic half of the arena since the round started, or shifted her weapon from it's rifle form-striking Nadir in the side of the head moments before he could finish leveling his own rifle at Weiss' back.

Weiss kicks the hoverboard deeper into the glacial zone. The green-haired girl lets out a scream of frustration that rapidly mutates into a shriek of pain as Blake catches her behind the knees with her cleaver, sending the girl back to the ground. Weiss launches Bolin away from her with one of her gravity glyphs, before turning to stride toward the still prone Nadir, flourishing Myrtenaster as she does so.

Reese rolls to her back, only to find the tip of Gambol Shroud's katana form nearly touching the bridge of her nose.

Before Blake can force Reese to yield, a jagged, cracked chunk of fire dust spins into the small of her back and explodes, sending the Faunus in disguise flying, and giving Reese the chance to get back to her weapon.

Yang winces and shouts an apology at her teammate, already trying to herd Arslan away from any other dust crystal formations. The one the Mistrali leader had punched free, primed and sent flying towards the raven-haired girl already a half-dozen steps behind the pair of melee fighters.

Weiss freezes Nadir to the ground, a glyph flaring to life under each of his sprawled out limbs before they are encased in ice.

Weiss starts raining down blows on the immobile young man.

Chloris re-mounts her hoverboard and darts towards her downed teammate.

A black ribbon arcs around one of the pillars of ice on the edge of the glacial zone, Blake's kusarigama digging into another further along. Chloris barely has enough time for her eyes to bug out before her aura drops sharply as the ribbon impacts her neck and she is-for a second time-violently removed from her hoverboard and shot out of the air by Ruby. This time, however, the blaring of a buzzer announces her removal from the round. Moments later it does so a second time as the writhing Nadir goes limp, Weiss constant strikes finally ending as he too is eliminated.

Belladonna and Schnee both start jogging towards where Yang is barely managing to continue dodging Bolin and Arslans onslaught in a complete reversal from the beginning of the match.

The crowd explodes at the double elimination.

Belladonna darts inside Bolin's guard, a veritable whirlwind as she lashes out with her katana and cleaver, steadily and fairly easily pushing him away from where Yang and Weiss are taking the fight to Arslan.

The buzzer sounds off again as Blake batters Bolin to the ground, and Yang snags the wrist and elbow of Arslan, who had been too distracted avoiding Myrtenaster's repeatedly thrusting tip to see her fellow blonde setting up for the throw, let alone do anything about it.

Yang hurls the darker skinned girl skywards, and through a series of rapidly appearing black glyphs.

When Arslan reaches the peak of her ascent, a streak of rose petals flashes past her, and swiftly resolve into a girl in red and black wielding a scythe nearly as big as she is, it's blade wrapped around the taller girls abdomen, the smaller of the two setting both of them rotating.

After spinning a full hundred and eighty degrees, Ruby fires her scythe a final time, launching the older girl away from her, and careening into the hard-light barrier protecting the audience from the action in the arena, and setting off the arena's buzzer twice more.

Eliminated by ring-out and Aura level.

"I must say, Headmaster, you certainly did not exaggerate these children's level of skill." The crimson-haired man that Ozpin had briefly mistaken for an avatar of the Brother of Destruction himself when they'd first met observes.

"With what is waiting for them in a few years, I wish more of their peers would follow their lead–show the same initiative." Ozpin idly replies.

"Just as well the genuinely exceptional take this profession so seriously. It's all fun and games for the people watching their future protectors, but I suspect a rare few of these powerful warriors slip through the cracks, use their hard-earned skills for less savory ends." To his credit, Sirzechs' words aren't judgemental but knowing all the same.

Oz hums agreeably if slightly sad. Raven and Roman quickly come to mind. "True. Although, sadly Faunus and humans alike don't necessarily have to pass through the Academies to become so formidable."

Sirzechs looks back to the arena in appreciation, "It shows. Plenty of Devils are going to want to try recruiting some of them. Not just for how powerful some Semblances are either, having someone on your Peerage constantly and reflexively picking out weak spots will be just as big a deal." The Crimson-haired Devil King rises from his seat in the headmaster's skybox and turns to face Oz as he rises with him. "But we'll worry more about ironing the details out later."

He holds out his hand to the Infinite Man.

Ozpin smiles lightly. "I can hardly wait." He declares, shaking the Devil's hand.

---

A/N: So, yea, one last band-aid to rip/boil to lance from the Road to Reconciliation arc to tackle, but thats gonna be the end of that. With an extra dash of getting in front of some of RWBYs more annoyingly hypocritical tendencies from more recent volumes to boot! We in the tournament for real now folks!

Beta'd by MasterPrince713 and Hybrid Theory

Cover art by Icario

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