Chapter 7: Getting the Ball Rolling

"You know, Snowflake, when I agreed to join the military, I didn't think I would be lying here staring at the ass end of the kingdom of Atlas." Levi said, stretching his body a bit as he cradled his head with his arms. "I thought we were gonna see action, death defying fights, high speed police chases not… waiting for a damn airship to make a drop-off."

"You were the one who came up with this stakeout mission. Don't start complaining because you are bored." she replied, making him sigh.

"I know that. I was just expecting the time to fly, but it's slow as hell. I guess it's better to chase something exciting instead of waiting for excitement to find you."

His ear twitched a bit as he heard his friend sigh on the other end of the line. They had been waiting around for the better half of an hour, waiting for the cargo ship to arrive. According to Winter, something happened at the port that ended up slowing the crew a bit. No one knew what it was but they speculated it had been some sort of engine trouble.

They had selected their spots, waiting for the drop-off. In the shadow of the Mantle Tribune building, hidden on the scaffolding of a building, Weiss lay in wait. She was lying down, a pair of binoculars in her grasp and her scroll set up to record footage. Levi had gotten a bit closer, choosing the catwalk of a nearby billboard. It was a traditional ad board, the kind that took a lot of glue and a paper sign rather than millions of LED lights to form a picture. It was one of a few scattered across Mantle, the perfect place for him to lie undetected. Given he was a faunus, he didn't need any sort of telescopic device, but he was still using his rifle to scan the area, just in case. Mantle went on like normal, with the area around the breach in the wall being completely blocked off. They had spotted some fellow Huntsman patrolling the wall, but having gotten their schedules, they had timed the drop-off for an overlap, where both patrolmen were away from the drop-off location. The perfect time to move in.

If only something of interest actually happened.

"I don't know about you, Levi, but I am the kind of woman who prefers the quiet. I had enough excitement in Mistral, I don't need anymore."

"Oh come on, Mistral was fun," he said, ears twitching as the wind picked up.

"What part? The part where we almost died in a farmhouse? Or perhaps the part where Cinder threw a spear through my guts?" she hissed, making him frown. "Because I don't know about you, but that wasn't fun, that sucked."

He sighed, relenting to what she had said. "Alright, you bring up a good point. But you have to admit, that one night we had in that cabin was wonderful. Being alone with close friends, warm next to the fire, watching the snowfall, and playing music. It brought me back to my youth, to the times me and my mom would play the piano together,"

"You never told me about that. She taught you how to play the piano?"

Levi gave a grunt in reply, stretching his body once more. "I wanted to learn an instrument, and of course, I had to pick one of the hardest ones. I love it though, there's something so soothing about the thump of those notes. Being able to sing that song to you all lifted my spirits… maybe I should start singing again."

"Well, being a singer would be the perfect cover for your covert activities, that's for sure. No one would expect an idol to be a spy. You'd have to keep your nose clean though… I'm certain someone would figure out you are a Huntsman."

"That's true… not to mention the obvious. I'm a faunus, I doubt people would actually listen to my music. They'd probably look at my ears and laugh. I think I'll keep my singing to myself… myself and some close personal friends." he said, holding back the urge to yawn. "Think we could do another duet sometime?"

"Certainly, I'd have to get some vocal exercises first." the former heiress said, making him grin.

"Awesome, we have something to look forward to once this mission is over," Levi said, feeling rather cheerful. He sighed, stretching his body, several pops filling his ears as he turned onto his stomach, his eyes widening a bit. "Look alive, Snowflake, our ship's just landed."

"What? How the hell did we not hear the thrusters?" she asked, surprised by the vessel's silence. Levi didn't answer, his gaze trained on the Atlas Militarymen who were guiding the ship down.

"That doesn't matter, just get ready. I'll be on standby."

"Roger that." she quipped, the line going dead moments after.

Levi adjusted the stock of his rifle, his gaze locked on the men emptying the drop ship. Everything was flowing smoothly. The city was moving as it normally was, nothing out of the ordinary. It didn't take long for the crew to pack up and leave on their ship. The work crew remained behind, likely taking inventory. He didn't know how long he had been, but eventually, everyone left. Things were packed up, covered in caution tape and fencing, and all of the precautions had been taken.

He pressed his communicator, keeping his eyes glued to the supplies. "Hey Weiss, see anything?"

The radio crackled after a moment, her voice filling his ear. "Nothing yet, it's far too soon. I don't think they'd move in so quickly. The sun still hasn't gone down, they'll likely use the cover of night to pull it off."

Levi figured that was the case. He remained silent, eyes scanning every single visible area. Thankfully, the place where he was had a perfect vantage point of every entrance into the area. He shifted his gaze back to where the ship had landed, peering through his rifle scope at the materials. His ears twitched a bit, the breeze picking up a bit. He narrowed his eyes a bit, wrapping his hand tightly around the handle of his weapon, swiftly turning around only to find the barrel of a shotgun pointed at his face.

"How the fuck did this guy sneak up on me without me even hearing him?" he thought to himself, eyes scanning the figure in front of him. He couldn't see any facial features due to the mask they were wearing. Their entire body was covered by a black outfit, and they were wearing a wide-brimmed trilby, looking almost like a stereotypical gangster. They gestured to the weapon in Levi's grasp, changing his aim back to his head.

"Toss your weapon, now!" they said in a deep robotic voice. Levi narrowed his eyes for a moment.

"I'm not gonna do that."

"You'll have to if you wanna live, you stupid animal."

"Levi, there's still little movement. Should we go inspect it?" Weiss asked, causing Levi to frown. He didn't know if the man heard her, but he hoped he didn't. "Levi? Hey, are you asleep? You better not be!"

"I'm not playing with you, kid. Throw your fucking gun away, now!" the man shouted, pushing the barrel of the shotgun against Levi's face. The miqo'te faunus wasn't frightened at all, especially because his aura would protect him. But he wasn't in the mood for a shotgun blast to the face. Regardless, he relented, releasing his grasp on Overture. The man kicked it away, causing it to fall to the ground clattering loudly on the cement.

"I swear, if you damaged my weapon, I'm going to-"

"You are going to do what, kid? You got some real balls threatening me. You thought we wouldn't find out about you, huh?"

Levi tilted his head a bit in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The masked man chuckled. "We know you are onto us, dumbass. We got eyes and ears all over Mantle. I know you are working with the Chief of Police to bring us down. But we aren't going to let you do that. Stealing from the military and making a profit from it, it's a lucrative business, and we're not going to let some faunus piece of shit stop us."

Levi didn't say anything, wondering how the hell they had even been tipped off. They hadn't done anything to leak information. He doubted Valentine and Metera had slipped up either, and he doubted Weiss had been talking either. The man gestured for Levi to get up, his aim still to the miqo'te head.

"Get up, and don't try any funny business."

Shrugging his shoulders, Levi did as he was told. He flexed his fingers a bit, looking for an opening to reach for his pistol which he kept behind his back. His ears twitched a bit, his eyes scanning his surroundings, he didn't see any movement at the drop-off site. He only hoped Weiss hadn't been found, or else they would both be in trouble.

"You know, you are making a big mistake here, bud. You have no idea who you are messing with," Levi said, causing the man to laugh.

"Pfft… yeah? And who am I messing with? Some fuckin' animal who thinks he has what it takes to bring us down?"

"Mmm… no. But you are messing with an animal who does have what it takes to take you down," he replied, snapping his fingers. The man let out a shout as he was blasted into the air, not having noticed the glowing vermillion glyph that had flashed beneath his feet. He reached behind his back, drawing his pistol.

"Weiss, I need you here, now!" he shouted into his radio, dashing forward with great speed.

He twisted his body, leaping into the air and bringing his leg down on the man. He moved out of the way, Levi's leg striking against the catwalk. The masked man took aim with his shotgun, pulling the trigger only for Levi to slice the round in half with his dagger. He threw a kick to the barrel of the gun, rapidly transforming his dagger into its pistol form, taking three shots at the man's chest. He growled in pain, his aura absorbing it.

The masked man flipped his shotgun around, a loud whirring mechanism filling the air as it transformed into a battle axe. Levi narrowed his eyes, planting his feet firmly on the ground peering over the edge to see if he could spot his rifle. He ducked down in time to avoid a slash aimed at his head. The man took two more swings at him, one he easily blocked with his knife. Levi threw a kick to his chin, planting his hands firmly on the catwalk. He twisted his hips around, kicking him into the sign. With a snap of his fingers, he called forth an ice glyph, firing a barrage at the man while covering his retreat.

"Grrr! You can't get away from me!" the masked man shouted, slashing the glyph apart. He jumped down after Levi, who flipped out of the way to avoid the powerful gravity dust-laced strike aimed at him. The ground shook, a deep crater left in the ground where the man landed. He cracked his neck, smirking beneath his mask. "Now, time to cut your damn ears off, you filthy swine."

He darted forward, throwing a downward slash at Levi, who angled his dagger in time to parry the attack. The miqo'te faunus jumped at the man, throwing several swipes at his face. He recovered, slashing at Levi's chest. He backflipped out of the way, catching himself with a violet glyph. It rapidly changed colors, glowing a bright vermillion before it exploded beneath his feet, sending him rocketing forward.

The masked man was faster, grabbing Levi's wrist and flipping him hard onto the concrete. He hissed in pain, ducking to the right in time to avoid a pair of shotgun blasts. Levi grit his teeth, flipping back, spinning the knife over his hand, dashing forward with a growl. The masked man chuckled as he spun his weapon around, slamming the blade of his axe into the faunus's chest, launching him flying into the air. With a swift movement, he blasted the man right in the chest, sending him sprawling into a nearby wall.

"Stupid kid, you aren't gonna win. I've taken out people better trained than you. You are on your own, and that little pea-shooter ain't doing shit. Just give up." the masked man said, loading more shells into his weapon. Levi chuckled, smirking at the man.

"Who said I'm all alone?"

"Hyah!"

The masked man cried in surprise as the former Schnee heiress drove her rapier into his chest. She spun around a hard-light slash connecting with the man followed by several forward jabs. The Masked man quickly grabbed his weapon, spinning on his heel, using the momentum to throw an upward swing at the white-haired woman, creating some distance between them.

"Well well well, I wasn't expecting the daughter of Jacques Schnee to present herself to me. You know we got a bone to pick with your father. That bastard is ruining our business." he said, chuckling as he spun his axe around. "I'm sure he'll pay a pretty penny to return you unharmed."

"I'm afraid to inform you, I am not my father's little puppet anymore. Sadly, he wouldn't pay a dime for me, and even if he did, I wouldn't let myself get caught," she said, angling her blade. The cylinder spun softly, coming to a stop on the blue dust chamber. "Now then, come quietly and we won't hurt you too badly."

The man clicked his tongue, darting forward his axe raised above his head. Weiss spun around, angling her blade in time to deflect the attack. She followed it with a water-infused blade which struck the man clean in the back. She summoned several ice glyphs, pelting the main from every angle.

Having recovered his weapon, Levi was finally back in the fight, using a vermillion glyph to move forward. He leaped overhead, firing several rounds downward at the man, landing in a crouch. The miqo'te extended his blade, cylinder stopping on the bright yellow lightning dust, and with a powerful slash, he sent a wave of electrified aura forward slamming into the soaking wet man.

"Gaah!" he howled, lightning racing across his body. He squeezed his weapon tightly, anger coursing through him. "Alright, now I'm pissed off!"

Levi and Weiss shared a look, neither being bothered by the man's outburst. The white-haired woman spun on her heel, driving Myrtenaster into the ground, a wave of ice heading straight toward the Masked man. Levi drew his pistol, firing a single combustion bullet at the ground, a wave of thick steam filing the alleyway.

The masked man let out a growl as he raced forward, swiping his axe to and fro in a vain attempt to strike either of them. A fireball struck the center of his back, followed by thick ice spears which pelted the man from every angle. Weiss formed a black glyph on the edge of a dumpster and with little effort she flung it at the man, who sliced it in half with his axe, glaring at the young woman.

As he ran forward, he flipped his weapon around, firing several shotgun blasts at her, which Levi easily blocked. He flicked Overture, blade extending as he darted forward, throwing a series of well-trained jabs at him. The man did his best to parry them, throwing fast horizontal strikes at him. The miqo'te avoided them, arm behind his back as he spun his weapon around at an angle, deflecting another strike aimed at his shoulder. He flipped back, driving the toe of his boot into the man's chin.

"Now, Weiss!" he cried, urging the woman on. She gave a loud cry as she shot forward, rapier extended outwardly as she drove it into the man's chest. A blast of hard-light sent him flying back, slamming into the brick wall so hard it partially cracked. His body glowed brightly, his aura breaking slightly as he landed in a heap on the floor. Levi cocked his gun, training it on the man. "Give it up, you aren't getting away!"

"Hah, that's what you think," he said, chuckling as he threw a canister forward. Levi and Weiss shared a look. They flipped out of the way, just as it exploded, filling the alleyway with a thick black smoke.

"God… shit! We can't let him get away!"

"Forget it, Levi, we need to go check on the delivery!" the former heiress cried, grabbing his arm.

He looked back, shaking his head as they raced out of the alleyway. He grit his teeth, clutching his chest as he ran. "Damn, that bastard got me good."

"You aren't too hurt, are you?"

"Nah, I'm fine, my aura is holding up. Thanks for saving my ass, he snuck up on me and I didn't even hear it," he replied, reaching into his pocket for some extra shells. "Let's just focus on this shit."

She gave him a nod, holding her weapon tightly as they ran. Cutting through a few cars and earning several choice words from the drivers, they made it to the drop-off location. They slowed to a stop, catching their breath as they saw almost everything was gone. The only thing that had been left were several wooden boards, bags of cement, and some cinder blocks. Levi growled angrily, stomping hard on the ground.

"Dammit, they got away. How the hell did they pull that off, it was only 10 minutes!"

"Clearly this operation is a lot bigger than we pictured. How the hell did that guy even see you, Levi? You weren't out in the open, were you?"

"Of course, I wasn't. I was lying down on that catwalk as flat as I could, and he still snuck up to me. I didn't even hear his feet on the rungs of that ladder, or the steps on the catwalk itself." he said, scratching his head. "He said something odd to me. That they knew who we were and what we were up to, and that they had eyes and ears everywhere."

The former heiress frowned, eyes narrowed in thought. "So they were tipped off. Do you think Valentine and Metera said anything?"

"I doubt it. Either someone heard us and tipped them off, or someone from the Police force is involved. They mentioned knowing we were working with the Chief of Police, it's possible there's a crooked cop among them. In which case, it makes their theft a heck of a lot easier for them." he said, sighing. "Dammit, what a waste of time."

Weiss remained quiet, looking around the area for a moment. She needed something, any clue that would point them to where that shipment was going. If they had put a tracker on it, they likely would have been tipped off so they didn't bother. She spotted something out of the corner of her eye, her head slowly turning. She locked eyes with a white device that had been installed on top of the nearby streetlight. She traced its direction with her eyes, her lips curving into a smile.

"Oh Levi, I think we might have a clue to go on~"

His brows furrowed as she pointed to the camera. His eyes grew wide, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Jeez, what would I do without you?"

"Probably whine and moan and stew in your anger. Come on, before it's too late," she said, taking the lead. He followed after her, hoping they could get something.

xxx

"Are you sure about this?" Chief Roth asked, puffing on his cigarette as he looked at the two huntsmen. "I don't wanna waste time on something silly,"

"It isn't silly, sir. While the two of us were fighting that man off, his lackeys were stealing those materials. It was around ten minutes or so, a few people couldn't possibly fill a single truck with all of that stuff. There has to be a team, a crew dressed like workers, something. It has to have been caught on that camera." Weiss said, arms crossed. She had a look of annoyance on her face, the smoke clearly bothering her.

"The systems are a little old, if you are expecting crisp imagery, Princess, you aren't getting shit," the IT officer added, his eyes scanning all of the holographic screens before him. His fingers were hastily moving over the keyboard, inputting several commands a second. "Atlas doesn't give a shit about Mantle, so our security codes haven't changed since before the Fall of Beacon. It makes keeping our systems up to date and away from prying eyes extremely difficult."

"We have your buddy, General Ironwood, to thank for that. Maybe give him a heads up, firmware updates don't do shit for public security," the Chief said, causing Levi to sigh.

"Hey, we're just soldiers in the army, alright? We don't control the Technological Sector of the military. But we'll give a message to Special Operative Schnee, she'll forward it to him."

"Still, what does any of this have to do with that serial killer? I sent out that mission to take care of that, not for petty thieves." the man said, puffing on his cigarette. "The last thing I need is you wasting time on shit that doesn't pertain to the case."

"Unfortunately, this does pertain to the case. These bastards are connected to the money laundering case those journos were looking into. When we figure out who they work for, we'll have a solid lead on who killed them." Weiss said, reading a message she had gotten from Ruby. She sent her reply, looking up from her scroll. "As for the other murders, I'm afraid they're tied to someone else. We're still figuring out who that person is, we'll share our thoughts when we have something conclusive."

The Chief merely nodded, impressed with the pair. It had only been a few days and they were already making more headway than his own officers. He looked back at the holographic screens, pulling the cigarette from his lips. "Hey, you find anything yet?"

"There are over a thousand hours on this camera, Chief, it's hard picking a time frame with this slow-ass system," he said, ignoring the glare the man was giving him. He kept his gaze trained on the screens before him, finally spotting something. "Here we are, 5:35 pm on Howard Ave and East 45th Street."

"That's right," Levi said, leaning forward. Weiss did the same, her eyes scanning every frame playing back for them. She glanced at the clock on her scroll, frowning.

"How odd, I don't see anything."

"As I said, Princess, if you expect 4k quality, you are shit out of luck." the IT officer said, tapping the arrow key. "I'll fast forward a bit."

The four remained silent, pouring over the recording for anything that stood out to them. But as time went on, they saw that nothing was moving. The minutes ticked away, and after the ten-minute mark, the film stuttered for a moment, the frame changing. One second it showed the drop-off location with everything, and then the next, nearly all of it was gone.

"What the hell?" the Chief said, brows furrowing. "You saw that right? I'm not seeing shit?"

"Nah, I saw it too. The footage was obviously spliced, might've happened while you two were fighting that Masked man you mentioned."

"Is that even possible?" Weiss questioned, causing Levi to nod.

"It is. You'd need to get access to the surveillance cameras, if you tap into the live feed, and make a recording, you can easily loop it. That's probably what happened here, 5 minutes or so of film was recorded and it was looped. The camera was shut off, the feed here was recording the loop and the thieves were stealing those materials while everyone else was none the wiser." he said, narrowing his eyes. "Whoever these people are, they're very experienced."

"So what you are saying is, we're back to square one? Great, real fuckin' waste of time you two have caused us."

"No one said this was easy, sir. If you wanna find the killer then you are free to, we can go back to Atlas and ask to be taken off the mission." Weiss said, making the man cringe. He hastily shook his head. "Then allow us to work. We may not have a lead on where these materials are being offloaded, but we have a lead on who they are being sold to. We're gonna need an unmarked patrol car if you don't mind."

"You want me to find you a driver too?"

"Of course, thanks for offering! I would drive myself but… wouldn't you know it, I've been so busy fighting Grimm and serial killers that I haven't gotten my driver's license." the former heiress said, glaring at the man. The Chief sighed, pulling a cigarette from his breast pocket.

"I don't get paid enough for this shit," he mumbled, lighting the end of the stick with a dust-powered lighter. Levi glanced at Weiss, who just gave him a wink. He was glad she was with him, he doubted he could get anything done on his own.

It didn't take long for them to be out on the road. Now that it was past sundown, the city was becoming a bit more active. It reminded Levi of the night they had arrived in the city. He kept his gaze firm on the streets, trying to see if anything or anyone stood out. Though without confirming who the Masked Man was, there was no point in his search. He was beginning to wonder if they would ever find anything. Having messaged Metera and Valentine had yielded nothing. Neither of them had found any clues and even when they had all of the notes Hobbs had taken, they didn't find a single lead.

It was all so meticulous. The drop-off happened, the video was looped and everything was taken. The area was cordoned off, so no thru traffic was allowed and even pedestrians weren't allowed. Only Military Personal and Workmen were allowed in the area, but the Patrols were gone so no one had seen a thing. There was also that Masked Man, how had he known about him and Weiss? Could it be that there was an Officer who leaked information? But that also wouldn't make sense. What would lead them to believe the Chief had hired them for that particular mission?

"The fact that guy managed to get so close to me and I didn't hear until the last second baffles me. My hearing is top-notch, there's no reason why I wouldn't have heard him at least climbing up. Yet I didn't hear his shoes on the ladder or on the catwalk. His Semblance must have muffled his footsteps…" he thought, quickly discarding that thought. "If that were the case then I wouldn't have heard him at all. He would have shot me dead where I lay. No, there's something else at play here… but what?"

"You know, Levi, you are gonna make yourself sick if you keep thinking to yourself," Weiss said, causing him to look up. She was glancing at him from the front seat, lips curved into a frown. "Talk to me, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing of interest really, just trying to figure out how they were able to record that footage. You'd have to tap into the camera directly, someone would have seen that."

"Not necessarily,"

The pair looked toward the driver, whose gaze was still on the road. "The cameras installed on intersections and streetlights are cheap models. CCTV cameras can be hacked using a password reset flaw or some user-inaccessible backdoor. You can offload live footage onto a subprocessor and access it from something as simple as a scroll. It's a low-level task, anyone with the right knowledge could do it."

Weiss sighed audibly. "Fantastic, that means anyone from anywhere could have recorded that footage and replaced it."

"If that's the case, relying on CCTV footage might be a moot point, especially if it's that easily exploitable. We'll have to let the General know about that so he can upgrade the equipment down here."

"Good luck with that, we've been trying to get through to that bastard since the Fall of Beacon. He hasn't done shit for Mantle, other than stopping us from leaving. The city is dying and all he can think about is forcing us to play by his rules." the driver said with a scoff. "Mind telling me why the Atlas Air Fleet has been poised for attack?"

"Classified information." the pair said in unison.

"Figures. Anyway, we're here, the known location of Miss Robyn Hill. Be careful, she can be rather confrontational with you military folks." the man said. He rolled his window down as the pair left, partially sticking his head out the window. "Will you need a ride back?"

"Nah, we're gonna head back to Atlas after this. Thank you for your assistance, sir, and for your tidbit about CCTV footage. We'll make sure the systems are fixed down here." Levi said, earning a chuckle from the man.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, kid." he merely said, driving off. Weiss rolled her eyes, joining her friend up on the sidewalk.

"Well… this is it. You got a plan in mind for how we'll deal with this?"

"Sort of. We'll go in there, ask questions and if things get hairy, go with the Sunny Dragon strategy." Levi said, earning a curious look from the white-haired woman.

"The Sunny Dragon strategy?"

"Mhmm, shoot first, ask questions later, ala Yang. I would say punch but well, I don't have shotgun gauntlets like she does. Regardless, it's time to head in." the silver-haired lad said, taking the lead. Weiss placed a hand on the hilt of her rapier, taking a deep calming breath.

The pair stepped into the building, a worn-looking one made of brick and mortar. Despite it being old on the outside, the interior looked warm and inviting. Levi could hear voices not far from the entrance, several people were moving around and talking. He couldn't hone in on any particular conversation, far too many of them happening at the same time. That didn't last long, the second they stepped into the main room, everything was silent. All eyes instantly flew on the two, firm and curious gazes falling on them. It was so quiet, Levi swore he would hear a pin drop across the street. He didn't waste any time, reaching into his pocket for his scroll.

"Is Robyn Hill here? We'd like to speak with her."

"On behalf of who?"

He shifted his gaze, a tall, powder blue-haired woman had shortened the distance between them. Her golden eyes bore into his silver ones, gauging him. She took in his appearance, eyes settling on his ears for a brief moment before they returned to his face. He flicked his scroll open, showing her his license.

"On behalf of the Atlas Military. We aren't here to arrest her or anything of the sort, we just have a few questions for her."

"Questions, huh?"

Weiss tensed up a bit, spotting a blonde woman stepping out of the crowd. She was fairly young, a decade or so older than them. Her lengthy golden hair was tied back in a ponytail, she had soft yet striking features, her eyes locked with her own. She wore the same outfit as the others, down to the scarf and pin they were wearing. She noticed the weapon strapped to her left arm, making a note of it just in case she tried something.

"What kinds of questions, if I may be so bold to ask?"

"Simple ones. We heard your crew of Happy Huntresses were doing whatever it took to keep the citizens of Mantle safe. While admirable, it has also come to our attention that in order to protect Mantle, you have been acquiring materials to repair the outer wall." Levi said, pocketing his scroll as he stepped forward. "Materials provided to the city by the Atlas Military, which have, for the last few weeks, been stolen and sold off for quick cash. You uh… wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Robyn narrowed her eyes, eyeing the young man for a moment. "And if I do, are you going to detain me?"

"Now why would I do that? If you are purchasing stolen goods and you have no knowledge of them being stolen, you aren't breaking any laws. I just want to know who your supplier is, that's all."

She let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Look, Kitty, I'm not at liberty to discuss that. Yes, I am purchasing materials, but it's because we don't have a choice. General Ironwood's embargo is making it hell for all of us."

"Be that as it may, you are dealing with people suspected of committing a crime. I'm sure you are aware of the serial killer currently on the prowl in Mantle. The ones who killed those journalists are likely connected to your supplier. You are planning to run for the Council Seat, aren't you? How would the people react if they know their hometown heroine is purchasing stolen goods on the black market?" Weiss asked curiously, twirling a strand of hair around her fingertip. She looked up at her, almost tauntingly so. "They wouldn't like that very much, would they?"

"That would only work if you had proof of what we were doing."

"We do." Levi quipped, flexing his mechanical fingers. "We have CCTV footage of a deal going down between you and the men who stole those goods. Goods delivered by the Atlas Military not that long ago. If the Council were to find out about this, not only would you lose your shot at that Council Seat, but you'd also be locked away for a while. The General has turned a blind eye to what you are doing, but the Council certainly won't."

The women around Robyn all looked shaken by his words, but the woman herself didn't. Rather, she had a pensive look on her face. She took a step forward, gloved hand outstretched. "I don't think you are telling the truth, but if you are, why not put your money where your mouth is?"

He narrows his eyes a bit, not knowing what the woman was getting at. Regardless of that, he stretched his hand, clasping her own. He watched with curiosity as her hand started glowing. Was that her Semblance? Being able to read people's aura? No, it would be far too simple if that was the case. He kept staring at her, his brow quirked.

"Well?"

"Are you telling the truth about that CCTV footage, or is it all a bluff?"

"I am telling the truth, what reason do I have to lie to you? You don't know me and I don't know you. I have everything to gain from your confirmation and you have everything to lose if it's true. Whatever happens, the loser here will end up being the worst off." he replied, looking her dead in the eye. "Had enough?"

She didn't say anything for a few seconds, finally relenting after a bit. "Fine, it's true. We are buying stolen material from the Atlas Military."

"Robyn!"

"It's alright, May. I'm confident our friends here aren't going to do anything," she said, shifting her gaze back to Levi and Weiss. "What choice did we have? Your buddy, the General, isn't doing shit for us. There are people dying to Grimm attacks, the whole city is slowly dying and we can't even leave. Are you gonna arrest me now, Kitty?"

"Now why the fuck would I do that?" Levi questioned, crossing his arms. "All I want from you is your supplier. We have reason to believe those men are connected to the one who killed those Journalists. Not only that, the money you are giving them is being laundered using a business tied to one of Atlas's Elites. The chain runs deep and unless we figure out who is running the show, we won't be able to catch that serial killer."

"You make it sound like the person that killed those journalists isn't the one killing Ironwood's dissenters." the sheep faunus said, causing Weiss to speak for the first time in a while.

"That's because they aren't, but that's all we'll say," she replied, glancing back at Robyn. "So, Miss Hill, are you willing to cooperate?"

Robyn shook her head, head dropping slightly. "Sadly, I don't know the identity of our supplier. We were struggling to raise campaign funding because the money was being used to buy materials. But then one day, someone contacted Fiona, and said they wanted to assist us."

"With campaign funding?"

"No, just with materials. It seems they want the money we raise to go directly to our campaign. Any surplus we have is used to buy those materials at a discount. Despite that, it still isn't enough. By the time we patch one section, another fails." the woman said, shaking her head in sadness. "It's getting hard just to fix the walls we've already fixed."

"Hm… alright then. The person who approached your friend, what did they look like?"

"I don't know, he was wearing a mask," the sheep faunus replied, frowning. "He was a tall man, wearing a hat and this weird mask. Every time he talked, the mouth area turned black. He wore all black, a black coat, a black shirt, black gloves, pants, and even his shoes. And he talked in a weird-sounding robotic voice. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, but I assumed it was a man."

"Hear that, Weiss? Sounds a bit familiar doesn't it?"

"Yes it does, strikingly similar to the man we had a run-in with today," she said, jotting everything down with swiftness he didn't know she had. "Anything else you'd like to add?"

Fiona shook her head. "That's all I know… you aren't going to arrest us, are you?"

"The Atlas Military is busy trying to make sure this whole kingdom doesn't cave in on itself. As far as I know, you guys are providing a service we currently are incapable of providing. Do what you must, but I suggest you source your materials from trustworthy people, even if that means paying full price for them." Levi said, turning on his heel. "Had it been someone else, they likely would have arrested all of you. We just needed the information, that's all."

"Before we go, I have a question for Robyn. What are your thoughts on Miss Ivy Brown?" Weiss asked, causing the woman to brown.

"Ivy Brown? My honest thoughts are the same as everyone else's. She's a cynical Mantle Born steel tycoon who doesn't know her ass from a hole in the ground. She inherited a sizable portion of her grandfather's steel mill and thinks she suddenly has a say in what happens in Mantle." she said, sounding disdainful of the woman. "She's making a lot of promises with no backing, but the people seem to love her because of her Grandfather's reputation and the fact she donates steel to the outer wall repairmen."

"Why do you wanna know about her?" May asked, causing Weiss to giggle as she closed her scroll.

"That's classified, you've been a fantastic help, Miss Hill. Keep your nose out of trouble and no one will figure out what you are doing. Oh, and I suggest you brush up on Council Law, just in case something happens. Let us go, Levi." she said, holding her nose high as she walked toward the exit. Levi merely bowed, mimicking Neo's mannerisms for a moment.

Robyn shared a look with May and Fiona. She didn't say anything until she was sure they had left. "I couldn't sense if he was lying or not."

"What? But your Semblance always works!"

"I know, somehow he was able to keep his emotions in check. I've never seen a faunus like him before, likely won't be the last time we'll be seeing him. I think it's due time we start procuring our materials from elsewhere. Something like this was bound to happen." the blonde woman said. "Though asking me about Ivy Brown… I wonder what brought that up?"

"Maybe they suspect her of something? I doubt she's got her nose dirty, she'd be ruined." May said, earning a shrug from Robyn.

"Doesn't matter to me, if that stupid bitch gets arrested, it makes it all the easier on me to defeat Jacques Schnee. This election certainly got interesting."

xxx

"So you are basically back to square one?" the defeated voice of Valentine asked. Levi gave a nod, holding his scroll level enough for the black-haired huntsman to see him. "Here I thought you had gotten a solid clue."

"We did, the fact that there's someone out there who's supplying the Happy Huntresses, means someone is in deep. Figuring out who that Masked Man works for is our priority. I managed to get information out of Robyn Hill but it was practically useless. She didn't know who that Masked Man was, just that they approached her and offered her a deal."

"Yes, I peeked at the updated file earlier. Still, knowing someone was able to easily hack the security camera to record B roll, sneak up on a faunus and hold you up enough for them to pull it off… it's likely that they'll be careful now. If Robyn decides to procure her materials from another source, then this scheme takes a massive hit." the man explained, sounding a bit hopeful. "They might start searching for someone else."

"It makes it significantly harder on us, especially if they decide to lay low for the time being." the faunus said, leaning back against the bunk bed. "Regardless, it seems Robyn's opinion of Ivy Brown isn't a favorable one. I did a bit of research into her and her company. Apparently, her Ironworks have been around since Mantle was first colonized. Her family name carries with it a lot of weight, enough weight to where realistically, she could do anything and get away with it. Who'd believe her to be involved in crimes?"

"My thoughts exactly. I've got Metera out on a bit of a recon mission, she's staking out the Brown Estate to see if anyone of interest shows up. It's one of the few places in Mantle that doesn't look like a slum. She hasn't said anything yet but we'll know by morning," Valentine said firmly.

Levi said nothing, glancing up at the ceiling for a moment. He had a lot of things swirling around in his mind. "We're gonna have to be a bit more careful. Me and Weiss took a few risks today, risks that could end up biting us in the ass. But we didn't necessarily have a choice. We need to be careful, especially because these people have access to surveillance cameras throughout the city. Not only that, but they found out we were on to them a bit too quickly,"

Valentine's expression hardened a bit as he sat up in his seat. "Do you think someone at the Police Station is involved in all this? That Masked Man mentioned you working for the Chief, right? Only someone from the force could know that."

"I can't rule out that possibility, it's possible someone on the force leaked it out. But it's equally possible that these people managed to tap the cameras within the station itself. If those cameras have sound well…" he paused, ears twitching a bit. "It's getting late man, I gotta be up early tomorrow. Is there a chance we can meet up with you and Metera tomorrow afternoon?"

"Fraid not. The Editor in Chief wants us to start covering those damned campaign rallies again. Seems Jacques Schnee is hosting one tomorrow and he wants us to be right in the center of it. We likely won't be able to meet up for a few days."

"That's unfortunate. I suppose we'll keep you posted if anything of interest happens, though we might be called in by the General. There are a few things that he wants us to prioritize, so be prepared for that." the silver-haired man said, forcing a smile onto his face. "I'll talk to ya soon, Val. Have a good night."

"You too man, get some rest, you look like you need it."

With that, the video call went dead. Levi stared at his scroll for a moment before closing it, a frown on his face. "I look like I need it… I don't look tired, do I?"

Yang, Ruby, and Blake looked up from what they were doing. They shared a look, all three of them giving him the same reply. "Eh."

"Thanks for being honest with me, girls." he sarcastically replied, earning a laugh from Yang.

"Oh don't be like that, Levi. All of us look tired, we've been worked to the bone recently. Me and Ruby had to deal with a patrol route today, and of course that meant dealing with the Grimm that got close to Mantle, a whole 5 Megoliaths."

"F-five?" he squeaked, earning a groan from Ruby, who lay back in her bed.

"It was absolute misery, even with the backup we received, it took more than an hour to bring them down. I have no idea how that Metera girl was able to kill one in a single shot, she makes it look easy."

"You two had it easier than I did. I was paired up with that Marrow boy on a mission inside the abandoned mine. He wouldn't stop hitting on me." Blake said, flipping a page in her book, a little bit harder than she wanted to. "Clearly being professional isn't a part of the Ace-Ops training manual. He's a good guy though, probably a bit too green for my tastes, and he can't really hide his emotions well."

"A cat speaking highly of a dog? My, the world must be ending," Levi said, causing him to dodge the pillow Blake threw at him. "Oh don't be like that, Blake. It was a joke."

"Still a better time than what you and Weiss went through eh? Having to fight some random guy in an alleyway doesn't sound fun." Yang said, making him shrug.

"I guess. We've learned a lot but it still doesn't feel like we are any closer to figuring this out. All we know is that Ivy Brown is in the middle of it, and the DiCappriccios and Piccolos are involved as well. This goes way past someone killing people, I wasn't ready for this."

"Neither of us were, I certainly wasn't expecting to be dealing with so much shit," Weiss said, as she entered the main bedroom. She had a towel wrapped around her head, she wore a pair of blue shorts and an Atlas Academy shirt. She wore a tired expression on her face as she sat down at the computer desk, crossing her legs. "Maybe we bit off more than we could chew on this one."

"Someone has to bring that killer down. The Mantle Police can't handle it and the Atlas Military doesn't give enough of a shit to do it themselves. With Amity as their main priority, they can't really waste time." Yang added, mashing the holographic buttons on her scroll. "I'm sure you'll find something substantial soon."

"Which is why I have a request for you girls. I've already sent a message to Neo about it since she's currently on duty in the northern sector with Team ORNJ. If any of you see or hear anything, please forward it to us. We might be able to get a hit even if it's just a rumor."

"Sure, we can certainly do that. If these people have their eyes and ears all over Mantle then we need to help you too!" Ruby cheerfully replied. The silver-haired lad gave her a grin, bumping fists with her before standing up.

"Haah… well then ladies, it's time for me to hit the hay. After today I need a really long catnap."

"Didn't you say you weren't a cat?" the blonde brawler asked.

"Too tired to correct myself."

"Erm… Levi, do you think we could talk about something real quick?" Weiss asked, causing him to tilt his head. He gave her a nod.

"Sure, what's on your mind, Snowflake?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly looked away, looking out the window into the city of Atlas. Yang noticed this, pushing herself off her bed, grabbing a hold of Ruby's wrist. "Alrighty, let's go, Ruby, I wanna grab some power bars in case we're sent on patrol again."

"Power Bars? But didn't Blake just buy-"

"I bought the wrong ones, I know you don't like cinnamon so I told Yang to replace them. I'm gonna go get some books from the library. Be back soon, okay?" Blake said, hastily leaving the dorm room. Ruby wanted to say something but Yang quickly dragged her out, closing the door behind them. Levi watched them go, lips pursed.

"Not the most subtle exit, huh?"

"Not in the slightest." the former heiress said, shaking her head. "Listen, Levi, I wanted to talk about Antonio DiCappriccio and Quintus Piccolo. We've been trying to avoid it but I don't think we can keep doing that anymore. We're gonna have to interview them soon."

"Yes, I'm aware of that. I've just been pondering how to go about it. That Masked Man caught us off guard. How deep does it go? Did one of those two men hire them, or were they hired by someone else? Was it Ivy Brown? There are too many risks, too many questions, and not enough answers."

He looked back at the woman, giving her a firm look. "The last thing I want to do is to put our lives at risk. Put your life at risk."

"You don't have a choice in that regard Levi, I'm certain you know that."

"I am entirely aware, Snowflake. I know you, and I know you aren't just going to sit there and do nothing," he replied, taking a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

Weiss stood up from her chair, looking directly into his eyes. She flicked his nose, a genuine smile on her face. "You don't have to worry about me, I can defend myself. We've been training hard since coming to Atlas, we're not the kids we were back in Mistral. What happened in Haven, what happened with Adam… that won't happen again."

"I know, there's no way in hell I'll let someone do anything to you, never again," he replied, taking hold of her hand. She blushed a bit, clearing her throat as she looked away from him.

"This might sound weird but… would you like to brush my hair?"

"Oh uh… are you sure?"

She rolled her eyes, holding her brush out for him to take. He didn't say anything, deciding instead to do what he was told.


Location: Schnee Manor, Atlas

"I'm afraid I don't have excellent news, Jacques," Arthur said, causing the man to look up from his files.

"Oh?"

"Yes, it seems someone is snooping around. Someone you know quite well." the man said, placing a scroll in front of Jacques. It showed an image of his daughter Weiss, as well as the faunus that had insulted him not long ago. He took a hold of it, hand shaking in anger.

"And what, pray tell, is she and this animal, investigating?"

"Why, one of your opponents." the lanky man said, pouring a drink out for himself. He sat down across from the man, resting his leg on his knee as he leaned back against his seat. "As it turns out, Ivy Brown has her mitts in a money laundering scheme. Some journalists got very close to busting her and she, in her wisdom, decided it would be a fantastic idea to eliminate them."

The man let out a laugh, shaking his head. "Of course she did, that vile woman believes that she is above the law. All because she inherited the company her grandfather lifted up from the ground. Felix Brown must be rolling around in his grave knowing what his precious granddaughter is doing to it."

"I can tell you and Miss Brown don't have the best relationship."

"The best relationship? That stupid bitch pulled out of a very important deal at the last minute. It not only made the Schnee Dust Company look bad, but all of our foreign investors pulled out as well. She cost me millions! If she gets her ass arrested then that's beneficial for me."

"I must agree. Ivy Brown is someone that has quite a lot of support from the masses. Much more support than Robyn Hill. If she's the one who makes it to the final ballot, I doubt she'd defeat you in the polls," he said, causing the man to scoff.

"You forget who I am. I have leeway over all of Atlas, with a single command, I can take control of this entire city. The reason I am dealing with you is to ensure I actually win," the businessman said, adjusting his tie. "But something tells me you are going to make me work for it, aren't you?"

"But of course. If we pit you against Ivy Brown, people will assume there was an error in the polls or someone tampered with them. However, if she's taken care of by a third party… then that certainly makes things easier for us. It will be much more believable for you to defeat Robyn Hill than it would be facing Ivy Brown."

Jacques nodded, stroking his chin as he pondered what the man had said. He reached for his decanter, pouring himself a drink. "You do bring up a good point, Arthur. Ivy Brown is a stronger opponent for me to go up against. I suppose you have a plan to take care of her?"

"Hm… something like that. Let's just say, I have a good friend in Mantle handling some business for me. Miss Brown is hosting a rally at the DiCappriccio Opera House, hundreds of her supporters will be there. If a few of them turn up dead, I'm sure it'll attract that wayward daughter of yours." Arthur said, setting down his glass.

"It's one thing to influence the votes, Arthur, but this? Even I don't condone murder."

"And yet you agree that Ivy Brown needs to be taken care of. That can happen swiftly or slowly, depending on what you would like. Regardless of what happens, your daughter and her faunus friend will eventually stumble upon the truth. Wouldn't it be good if her father decides to leave her a crumb trail?"

"Why the hell would I do something that nice for that ungrateful brat? She doesn't deserve anything. In fact, she and her pet cat can handle it all on their own," Jacques snapped, looking away from the man. Arthur sighed, shaking his head.

"Suit yourself, I hope you enjoy dealing with the Council once they figure out you influenced the votes."

The white-haired businessman grit his teeth, relenting as he glared at the man. "Fine, do what you must. Just as long as it doesn't come back to me, understood?"

"By all means, you know I need something only you could get for me. For that alone, I will help you as much as I can." Arthur said, quickly typing something onto his scroll. He sent the text message off, smirking. "Keep your eye on the news in the morning, Jacques, I'm sure you'll be surprised by my friend's handy work."

"If it's anything like the serial murders currently going on, I'm sure I won't."

"Don't worry, my friend, these ones will stand out, my friend will make sure of it. Hahahaha!"


Location: Atlas Academy

Levi groaned as he grabbed his scroll, staring at the flashing light. The screeching ringtone echoed through the empty dorm room, making him fold his ears against his head as best as he could. He rubbed his eyes, looking at the digital clock on his nightstand, seeing it was 3:45 in the morning. Flicking his scroll open, he rubbed his eyes, struggling to read the contact blinking on the screen. He took the call, holding back a yawn.

"Hello?"

"Sorry to bother ya, kid, but something happened and I need you down here." the gruff voice of Chief Roth said, causing Levi to sit up.

"What? What happened?"

"I'll tell ya when you get here. Oh and I don't recommend you stop by for breakfast, I don't want you vomiting all over the crime scene. Hurry it up." the man said, ending the call. Levi stared at the screen for a moment, still waking up.

He opened his internet browser and searched the local news. His eyes widened, now fully awake as he read the latest article. "Three People found deceased near a popular Mantle diner."

The silver-haired miqo'te rubbed his eyes, forcing himself to his feet. "And here I thought I'd actually get a full night of sleep."

He quickly got dressed, making sure he had his weapons fully loaded. He made sure he looked presentable before leading his dorm, heading toward the dorm belonging to his teammates. He knocked loudly on the door, already preparing an apology. The door opened a crack, a sleepy-eyed Ruby staring up at him.

"Hah… What's up, Levi? What time is it?"

"Sorry to wake you, Ruby. Would you mind telling Weiss to get up? Something happened down in Mantle and the Chief wants the both of us down there. You can probably connect the dots." he said. Now more awake, she gave him a nod.

"Right, I'll make sure she's ready in five."

With that, she closed the door, the faunus leaned against the wall, eyes closed as he faced the ceiling. "Just what the hell is going on in Mantle?"

He would be figuring that out soon enough.

xxx

Having explained to the General what was going on, they had gotten approval to get an airship to drop them off in Mantle. Weiss was grumbling as she walked, touching up her makeup with the aid of a pocket mirror. Levi was reading all of the articles he could, absorbing all the available information, though there wasn't anything he hadn't read. Information was tight and it seemed the news crews weren't getting anything. He had seen a video taken of the Chief, explaining the situation but he left before questions could be asked.

"This is wrong, Weiss. People are dying left and right and we haven't found a goddamn thing." Levi said, shoving his scroll into his pocket. "I'm not mentally prepared for what we're about to look at."

"Can't be worse than what we've already seen in those pictures. We have to make sure to absorb everything, Levi. You have some of the best eyes in the business, so make sure you look at everything thoroughly."

"Don't you worry, I will. I'm more worried about you, you were the one that got queasy from those pictures."

"Hey, I wasn't prepared for that. I am for this one, just trust me, would you?" she said, snapping her mirror closed. They turned the corner, seeing the police tape cordoning off the area. Several police cars had formed a barrier, keeping the news vans and other journalists out. Weiss rolled her shoulders, looking at her friend. "Ready to face the music?"

"Yep, come on."

She took the lead, pulling the caution tape over them as they stepped into the crime scene. They were stopped by a pair of officers, but before they could even Identify themselves, Chief Roth was on top of them, shooing the men off.

"About time you showed up, you get cleared by the General?"

"Yes, sorry about that. It happened so suddenly so we needed to go through the appropriate channels." Levi said, holding back a yawn. "So Chief, what are we looking at?"

"Probably the sickest shit I've seen in my 20 years if I'm being honest. Before that though, here, take these," he said, handing the pair a set of golden badges. Levi looked his over, seeing it was in the shape of a star, the name MPD etched into the center. Mantle Police was written above and below the initials, along with a series of numbers. "Congratulations, you two are now Detectives working under me. Makes shit easier while you are on the case."

"Cool." the faunus said, clipping the badge to his holster. Weiss stared at hers for a while, shaking her head. She placed it on her belt, next to one of her dust pouches.

"Alright, follow me, try not to scream, Princess. This is some messed up shit," the Chief replied.

The pair followed after the man, not knowing what they were going to see. The Chief briefly spoke to a few other officers, who gave the two huntsmen a nod as they walked by. They finally reached the spot of the actual scene, the pair standing stock still as they saw the horror that had taken place there.

They couldn't even tell what had happened. The ground was filled with blood, there were dismembered limbs littered on the road. Levi placed a hand over his nose and mouth, steadying his breathing a bit when he caught sight of a decapitated head, a look of fear still etched on their face. There was a pool of organs near the center of the pile, the bodies being positioned almost exactly like the bodies of the journalists they had seen. The Chief stood before them, partially blocking the scene from their line of sight.

"Not a pretty sight, eh?"

"Not a pretty sight? For fucksakes, I can hardly tell these were people. It looks like someone put a damn grenade in their bodies and blew them up!" Weiss snapped, taking a deep breath. She caught a whiff of the rapidly coagulating blood, holding back the urge to vomit. "Ugh… Gods, that is just vile. How could someone do this to innocent people?"

"That is what we are trying to figure out. Sadly, we haven't been able to identify two of the three victims. Both of them were male, presumably between the ages of 21 and 26. Their faces were violently destroyed, like that of Joshamee Hobbs and Gregorio Rojas. The young woman however has been identified."

The Chief held out a scroll tablet, the file of a young woman being present. "21-year-old Monica Rouge, a former student of Atlas Academy. She graduated top of her class and was looking for Huntsman work down in Mantle. She was an avid supporter of Ivy Brown and opposed General Ironwood and the Atlas Military, perhaps the reason why she was down in Mantle in the first place. She was caught a few days ago, throwing bricks at Atlas Military vehicles but was released with a citation and a demotion of her Huntress License."

He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out an evidence bag, handing it to Levi. "This was found in her jacket pocket. It's stained with blood, but the words are still legible."

The faunus looked at them for a moment, looking up at the Chief. "This is a ticket to the DiCappriccio Opera House."

"Was there a show last night?"

"Indeed there was, Princess. Not just any particular show either. It was a very popular play that some of Mantle's elites enjoy watching. But they weren't entirely there for the show. Most were there for Miss Brown's Speech. She held a rally before the event began, around 8 PM or so. It lasted for an hour before the show itself, "My Beloved Crimson Rose" started."

"That play is 5 hours long, which means, if they didn't linger, they would have left around 2 am. When was the estimated time of death?" Levi queried, earning a grunt from the Chief.

"Around 3 am or so. They were reported by a homeless man who thought he heard a scream. He stumbled onto the scene and used a payphone to call it in. By then, the killer was long gone."

Silence settled over them, processing the information they had obtained. Levi started thinking back about everything he had compiled during the case. The way these bodies had been left looked similar to the deceased Journalists. But there was something off about them as well. The Journalists had been methodical in nature, arranged in a certain way. This one was different. Whoever had done this went for overkill, they wanted to paint a picture.

"Something's wrong here," he said, causing Weiss to look at him.

"What… you mean besides the fact these people look like a bomb hit them?"

"Yes, and that's exactly the point. The journalists were laid out in similar ways, dismembered, decapitated, and disemboweled. These three just… they're scooping up organs with a sponge, this is fundamentally not the same." he said, trying not to get sick. "We need to identify the two men and figure out if they were also at that rally."

"They all had opera tickets, so it's practically been confirmed," the Chief added, puffing his cigarette. "We picked up their hands and are running their prints but that'll take a while. Slow processing power and all of that. These three clearly opposed General Ironwood and someone, possibly Ivy Brown, sent someone to kill them. I need you to speak to the owners of the Opera House. Maybe they spotted something that stood out."

"Well… Antonio DiCappriccio is one of our suspects, he's funding Ivy Brown's campaign. He has more than enough probable cause to have done that. Make the General look bad and people will start seeing the candidate he supports in a better light."

"Makes sense to me," Levi said, sighing. "I would like to assume that they aren't involved in this, but-"

"Levi, I understand how you feel. Antonio DiCappriccio is Cadence's father, but just because they are related doesn't absolve him of crime. We have more than reasonable suspicion for an investigation, so that's what we have to do. Put the sentiment of being Cadence's partner behind you," the former heiress said. She looked toward the Chief, giving him a firm look. "When do you want us to head over there?"

"As soon as you can. It's fairly early in the morning, so wait until the sun is up at the very least. If you require anything, be sure to call over the radio."

"Roger that, I'll leave you to your work here. I hope things go well on your end, Chief." Levi said, trying to sound optimistic. The man sighed, popping his pack of cigarettes open.

"I doubt it will be, kid. Go on, git. Go get that information, maybe it'll put us one step closer to whoever did this." he said, walking away from the pair. Levi briefly stared at the crime scene, grimacing a bit before pulling Weiss along.

"Let's go, the less time we spend looking at that the better,"

"Levi, do you think we're going to find anything about this? I'm even more lost than I was before," she asked, in a very concerned tone. "I'm starting to think we're never gonna find anything."

He frowned, closing his eyes for a moment. "I don't really know the answer to that, Weiss. All we can do is make sure we do our duty and figure this out as much as we can. If not, we can talk to the General and give the mission to someone else. I'm sure Valentine and Metera will have something for us as well. They always get something substantial."

"I sure hope so," she replied, trying to sound optimistic. Despite her efforts, her tone was flat and emotionless. It was far too early to be dealing with this.


A/N: I don't really have much to say, other than that I finished the events of Volume 7. It has been very fun working on these events and adding my own things to them. Adding this "Ivy Brown" arc was also fun. Though I will admit, taking a break from this story kind of stunted my fight scene choreography. I'm not the best when it comes to writing fight scenes but once I get the hang of it, I can visualize them in my mind. But since I took a break, all of that kinda just disappeared. I have reread Promise up until the beginning of the Atlas Arc and I feel like I am getting back into the swing of things. Hopefully, the fights get better. I wish I was a pro at Unity, I could try to animate them but meh too much effort lol. But now that I have started on Volume 8, I can get to the fun stuff! Volume 8 for some may not have been the best, hell, there were parts I didn't care for, but there was a lot of good stuff as well. It had more potential to be good than Volume 5 at the very least. I have lots of plans for that Volume as well as Volume 9 as well. Hopefully, if things go well, I can start the events for Vacuo as well. I decided to wait for Volume 9 to continue to get back to this story, but maybe I'll just do my own Vacuo Chapter. It depends.

I know the return to Vale is going to be interesting, since by this point, it has been well over a year or two since the Fall of Beacon. Now that Team RWBY is in Vacuo, I wonder how they'll tackle heading to Vale and meeting up with their old professors, and Yang and Ruby finally seeing Tai Yang again. It'll be one hell of a reunion. Regardless, that is all I have to ramble about today. So uh... that'll do pig. That'll do.