Sun was the first out of the train, and shuffled out of the way and into a long overhead stretch accompanied by a noise of strain. Yang was next to follow, then Ilia, and then Jaune, before Weiss brought up the rear and helped guide Maria down the steps.

"Carefully… a small jump…"

"I can do it myself, you know!" the old woman barked as she hopped down from the last step and onto the concrete below. "I may be old enough to be your grandmother, but I haven't lost it all just yet!"

"Well excuse me for trying to help!" Weiss complained as she folded her arms in a huff. "I just… wasn't sure how well you can see, through that… device."

Maria brought a fist up and knocked on the side of her goggles, only for the left lens to spin wildly. "Oh, not well at all. That's why I need to go to Atlas with you- I know someone capable of repairs, but I had no plan to get past the military blockade. Until now."

Yang dipped low into a leg stretch, and then bounced a few times. "If your plan is to follow our plan, then there is no plan. Not yet, anyway."

"But we need a secure place to plan," Ilia pointed out as more passengers began to disembark from the train. "Should we start looking for a hotel, or…?"

"Actually," Jaune interrupted, "I… think I can take care of that. Everyone, follow me."

Sun and Ilia exchanged looks as Jaune set out at a speedy pace without another word.

"…alright then, follow Jaune," Sun agreed as he moved to walk behind his friend. The others quickly moved to follow, and Maria picked up her pace to a surprising degree in order to catch up to Sun and tap her cane against his backpack.

"By the way, you all aren't stealing that, are you?"

"What? No!" Sun said with wide eyes. "We wouldn't… we're trying to protect it."

"You can never be too sure," Maria said ominously as she slowed a little to walk beside Ilia. "And you! I heard you mention the White Fang several times, while on board. You're not in league with them, are you?"

Ilia's face twisted into an anxious smile as she avoided Maria's eyes. "No, of course not. I mean, not anymore…"

Yang stepped between Ilia and Maria, and gave the older woman a serious look. "Hey. How about we save the interrogation for when we're somewhere safe? We all wanted to protect the train, and we all want to protect the package. Isn't that enough, for the next… however long this takes?"

"Five minutes," Jaune insisted as he turned his head slightly to address the rest of the crew. "We're almost there, I swear."

"And where is 'there', exactly?" Weiss questioned as her wedges echoed upon the sidewalk.

"…my sister, Saphron, lives here with her wife, Terra. We can hopefully stay at their place for a bit, to plan," Jaune explained. "Terra is also apparently working for a tech company here in Argus, so she may be able to help us… manipulate things a bit, or at least provide information."

"Cool!" Sun exclaimed. "Then it's definitely good that we brought you along."

"And if it's tech… I can probably tinker with it enough to mask us," Ilia followed up. "Don't forget that all we need to do is find Cinnamon's boat, and figure out a way out of Argus without being seen."

Weiss shook her head, and cleared her throat. "Honestly… I think we can do better than that. I already have the beginnings of a plan, in my mind."

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves," Sun cautioned as Jaune turned a corner. "Let's get to the Arc house, and lay low for a bit before we go coming up with anything too crazy."

The crew continued on in silence until Jaune turned abruptly, and ascended a small staircase to a waiting door. He gave the wood a firm knock, before beginning to rock on his heels as the rest of the team assembled on the landing below.

"Come on… please be home…"

Mere moments later, the door was pulled open, and a sleepy looking woman with dark hair, red glasses, and olive skin stood in the frame looking unimpressed.

"Who would come calling at this ho-… Jaune?"

Jaune grinned sheepishly, and waved his armored hand. "Hey, Terra. Can my friends and I come in? We could use a secure location, right about now."

"Of course!"

Terra stepped forward and offered Jaune a quick hug, which the boy returned. Afterward, she stepped back into the house and stood to the side as the assembled team and Maria made their way into the home. The elderly woman looked up and around at the décor as she entered, and muttered something about the walls as another voice rang out from the upstairs level.

"Terra? Who is it?"

"Jaune!" Terra called back. There was a brief silence as Sun closed the front door behind himself, and then the voice from upstairs replied.

"Can you come finish Adrian's bath? I'll be right down!"

Terra rolled her eyes and began to make her way up the steps as she pointed to the couch. "Make yourselves at home. Saph shouldn't take long."

"Hey, thank you!" Sun called out as Terra continued her trek to the second floor. She waved a dismissive hand, and he sucked in a breath as he grit his teeth. He pulled out his scroll and checked the time, only to shrink slightly as his shoulders tensed. "Hey guys, it's… not quite six in the morning."

The crew gave each other uneasy glances as a blonde woman descended the steps rapidly, her hands soaked and her expression a wide grin.

"Jaune!"

"Hey, Saphr-oof!" Jaune said as his sister captured him in a tight hug. "Sorry to come calling so early, b-"

"Nonsense! And you brought friends!" Saphron pointed out as Yang took the last seat upon the couch. "I'll put on coffee, if you'd all like?"

"Actually, allow me. I insist, for your generosity in seeing us so early," Weiss offered with a smile as she stood and smoothed out her dress.

"If you say so. Be my guest," Saphron replied before looking back to Jaune. "What's going on? Why are you traveling with such a large team? Is something wrong? Do you need help?"

Jaune opened his mouth to reply, before rapidly growing overwhelmed. "I… we don't… it's a thing, you know…"

Sun shook his head, and rested one foot atop the opposite knee as he crossed his arms. "We could use some help, yeah. We're on a pretty dangerous mission from Professor Ozpin himself, and we need a place to hash out a plan."

Saphron moved away from Jaune and entered the living room with her brother in tow. "Well, you're all more than welcome to stay for as long as you need. Terra should be down in a few minutes, and then we can handle introductions and details."

"Before any of that," Yang began, "if we're going to be staying for a little bit after all… are you willing to tell us embarrassing stories about Jaune?"

"Yang!" Jaune complained, only for Saphron to smirk evilly.

"So many stories."

Weiss reentered the room, and stood up onto her toes before rocking back down onto her heels as she took a head count. "Coffee will be ready shortly."

"Count me out," came Terra's voice as she descended the stairs with a toddler in her arms. "Make it tea."

"Uh, I'm good for tea, too, if it's not too much trouble," Sun offered with a nervous grin. Weiss narrowed her eyes at him, before folding her arms.

"…tea it is. You could have said that you didn't like it in the hospital, you know. I wouldn't have been offended," Weiss said pointedly.

Sun let out a small laugh, and scratched at the back of his head as Terra joined Saphron on the loveseat. "Yeah, well… I didn't want to come off as ungrateful. Anyway, we have more important things to discuss."

"Much more," Terra agreed as she let the small boy down onto the floor to begin crawling around the room. "What exactly is going on, and who are you people?"

Jaune cleared his throat, and stepped forward to stand at the side of the couch. "It's… a really long story. This is Sun Wukong, Ilia Amitola, Yang Xiao Long, and Weiss Schnee is the one in the doorway to the kitchen. They're all friends from school, or friends of friends, who became friends. This here is Maria, and… we're not entirely sure who she is."

Maria nodded sagely, and snatched her cane upward as the toddler made a grab for the wood. "No! Bad child! And who I am, we'll get to shortly."

Saphron and Terra exchanged suspicious looks, before the blonde leaned forward slightly and cupped her hands. "I'm Saphron Cotta-Arc, and this is my wife, Terra. Jaune is my little brother, and this slightly littler one is Adrian, our son."

The boy known as Adrian made his way up to Sun, before rocking back to sit on his behind and stare up at the faunus. Sun blinked in confusion, before leaning forward slightly.

"…hey there, little guy. What's up?"

Adrian blinked in return, before reaching out a hand far faster than Sun could react and yanking on the faunus' tail as hard as he could.

"Gah! Oh gods, no!"

"Adrian!" Terra yelled as Ilia snorted and Yang began to snicker. "Let go of him, right now!"

Sun grabbed his own tail and yanked to try to dislodge the toddler, while squirming in agony. Adrian's grip wouldn't give way, and Saphron shot off the couch and picked up her son before smacking his hands and finally managing to pry the boy from Sun's appendage. Sun immediately curled his tail into his lap and began to sort out the fur, as Ilia turned a bright red and began to cough.

"I'm so sorry, Sun!" Saphron apologized. "He's usually not like this!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Sun reassured as he sucked in a pained breath. "He's probably… just never seen a faunus before, or something?"

Terra quirked a brow, and looked over to her wife. "Maybe not, or at least, not this close. Either way, we'll keep him on this side of the room," she stated as Weiss disappeared back into the kitchen while fighting back her own laughter. "Now that we're all much more awake, though, what's going on?"

Sun opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Maria as she began to pace. "I'll give you the quick version- this team of youngsters is trying to smuggle both themselves and the relic of knowledge into Atlas, before its grimm-luring effects become a problem. Their intent is to bring it to Atlas Academy for protection, and they could use a hand getting up to the floating city… or even the grounded one."

Total silence fell over the room, only to be interrupted by the sound of creaking leather as Yang's hands clenched into tight fists.

"What did you just say? What 'grimm-luring effects'?"

Maria turned to face Yang, as her goggles dilated fully. "You don't know? Those things are like magnets for grimm, young lady. The longer it's out in the open, the more chance that it'll lure something nasty."

Yang stood from the couch immediately and stepped toward a nearby door. "Does this lead outside?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Um… yes, it leads to our garden," Saphron clarified.

"Great. I need a moment," Yang said before disappearing through the door. The rest of the assembled team remained silent as Weiss walked back into the room, carrying a tray of beverages. Her face was ghost white, and she stammered to speak as she passed out mugs of tea and coffee.

"How… do you know that, Maria?"

"Simple," Maria stated with a wave of her free hand. "I was one of Professor Ozpin's best students at Beacon Academy, back in the day, before I went off on my own to pursue a career as a solo huntress. He trusted me with secrets that few others knew, and sent me off to carry that thing to Haven as a personal favor. That's how I got my start, after graduation."

"…Jaune…" Sun began, as he set down his tea upon the coffee table, "I'll be right back. Fill them in on what's gone on up to this point, please?"

"Um, sure," Jaune offered as Sun made his way to the door leading to the garden. "Including… her?"

"Everything," Sun clarified as he pulled open the door and stepped outside. He emerged into a darkened, fenced-off area teeming with fireflies and darkened trees, as well as a fuming blonde girl standing off in a far corner.

"…Yang?"

"Sun… you might want to go back inside, and just let me fume," Yang warned in a shaky voice.

"No. No, I definitely don't," Sun disagreed as he moved closer. "What I want is for you to talk to me, a-"

"He lied to us again!" Yang snarled as she turned and threw an arm out to the side. "Don't even try to tell me it slipped his mind, or he didn't have time, or… that relic is a fucking beacon for grimm, and we're supposed to just deal with that without knowing!?"

Sun shot a hand out and gripped Yang's arm, before closing the distance between them.

"Assuming Maria knows what she's talking about, yes, apparently. Look, I'm not happy about it either, but I'm holding it in. Neither of us can afford to explode right now, when Jaune's sister and her wife are being so generous and have a kid," Sun explained. He transitioned his grip from Yang's forearm down to her hand, and clenched his fingers around hers firmly. "Let's keep each other in check, right now, and maybe we'll go for a walk to blow off steam later. Okay?"

Yang took two long, deep breaths in and out through her nose, before finally returning the firm grasp. "Okay. You just… Sun, you have no idea how tired I am of people who think they know better putting us in shitty situations. Ozpin is going to have hell to pay when I see him again, and I won't let you talk me down from at least a verbal thrashing."

"I won't, but I will tell you to keep it verbal. You've gotta remember that Ozpin isn't 'Ozpin' anymore- he's also Oscar, and Oscar's innocent in all of this… well, provided he isn't complicit in keeping Ozpin's secrets. I don't exactly know how that works," Sun admitted as he finally let his hand drop.

Yang turned again, and shook her head as her hair bounced wildly behind her. "This is all so fucked! Why is it us, Sun? Why does it have to be us, that get forced to deal with all of this bullshit? Why can't they just come clean and tell us what we need to know, so we're not flying blind?"

Sun paused, and approached Yang once again to loop an arm around her shoulder. "I don't know, Yang. I really don't… but I do know that we have no choice but to keep moving forward. I also don't think we should stay at all if we can help it, if this relic really is drawing grimm to us. It's not fair to put Saphron's family in danger like that."

"I'm with you," Yang stated before letting out a hollow, mirthless laugh. "Hope you got some good sleep on the train, Sun, because it sounds to me like we're going straight for it as soon as a plan's decided."

"You know I didn't," Sun said with exasperation. "I don't think any of us did."

"Oh, I'm well aware," Yang replied. "Just another day living the dream. Come on, let's get back inside before someone comes and asks if we're alright."

"Are you alright?" Sun inquired as he dropped his arm back to his side. Yang took one final deep breath, and offered him a nod.

"As alright as I'm gonna get. Thanks, Sun, for giving a shit. We'll keep each other in check."

"Damn right we will," Sun agreed as he led the way back to the door. The two stepped inside together, as Jaune was busy gesturing with his hands while animatedly explaining events.

"…so then, Sun came up with this plan, where we split into three teams, and I guess the only thing you need to know there is that this is the team I'm on. We've gotta get this relic into Atlas. We're thinking about going into the lower city on a boat that's waiting for us, supposedly, and then finding a way into the upper city."

Terra crossed her legs, and used a hand to adjust her glasses. "Getting into Upper Atlas through any sort of aircraft is out of the question, period… except for maybe a private vehicle carrying you," she added as she pointed at Weiss.

"That's part of why I came, actually. I think it's best for me to go separately, and be waiting there in Upper Atlas to get everyone up from the grounded city. I can find a way," Weiss said before sipping her coffee.

"I'll go with you," Maria said with confidence.

"I… how?" Weiss asked. "I doubt they'll let me bring you along, knowing that there's a blockade in place."

"Simple, dear. I'll be in your carry-on luggage. I'm sure we can find a suitcase I'll fit inside of," Maria clarified.

The team merely stared at her, before Sun shook his head.

"Okay, that's a little weird, but… fine, let's pretend it'll work, for the moment. We still need a way to get out of Argus on a boat, unseen. I doubt the powers that be would like an unverified vessel traveling toward the big city."

"They won't… but I can help you buy enough time to get out of range," Terra offered. "I have detailed plans to the radio tower on the outside edge of town, and I can explain to you how to disable it without doing any permanent or suspicious damage. It'd buy you about half an hour to get clear of Argus waters. Plenty of time, if you don't drag your feet."

"I'm good with tech," Ilia said as she set down her coffee. "Explain it to me, and I'll take care of it. I also know where the boat's supposed to be."

Sun nodded, and returned to his place upon the couch. "Alright, then how about this- we stuff Maria into a suitcase, because at this point, why the hell not, and send her with Weiss, who has suddenly come to her senses and wants to go back home, apropos of nothing. Ilia and I will head for the radio tower and temporarily disable it, and any guards, while Jaune and Yang secure the boat and bring it around to us. Then, the four of us get into Lower Atlas and find a way to contact Weiss."

"I can provide comms equipment," Terra offered. "But if you get caught, it didn't come from me."

"Understood," Sun agreed. "Then… I think we've got something with just enough detail to wing it. We need to leave as soon as possible, to avoid drawing any grimm to Argus."

Saphron frowned slightly, and bounced Adrian upon her knee. "Then I guess you won't be staying, after all. I understand…"

Jaune sighed, and shook his head. "It's for the best. We'll come back, though, once everything is sorted out."

Saphron offered her little brother a sad smile. "I hope that you do."

Terra stood and cracked her knuckles, before shaking out her hands. "Give me half an hour. I'll get you what you need… and a suitcase big enough to hold Maria. That plan is so stupid, it just might work."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Maria said as she waved a hand. "It won't be the first time I've done this."

Sun stared blankly at Maria, before shaking his head and standing. "Alright, WWAXI. Let's make this happen."

Author's Note:

Two questions from reviews:

1) How did you get into RWBY?

Last October, I was listening to random music on Youtube while playing... something that I can't specifically remember. Red Like Roses parts 1 and 2 were uploaded as a single video, and I had no idea what it was. I decided to throw it on, descended into the rabbit hole of RWBY music, and decided to check out the show. Binged everything in two days, and the rest is history.

2) When did you start shipping and/or taking Blake and Sun seriously?

I was all-in after Volume 4. It just seemed so natural and obvious after all of their interactions, and then... Sun was basically ejected from the show out of convenience. His entire reason for leaving seemed like a total cop-out, and I was seriously annoyed that such a good character was tossed aside because there were just too many people. Then, Blake and Yang started getting closer out of nowhere despite having clearly unresolved issues, both characters started going downhill because of it, and I learned the bonus that Bumbleby is extremely pushed by the voice actresses, which made the entire thing feel even more shoehorned and nonsensical. I ended up being annoyed enough by it to write this story. Now, for a little heresy- Eclipse/BlackSun is easily my preferred path for Blake... but Blake is actually second place in terms of who I'd put Sun with. For the answer to who I'd pair him with, you'll have to wait for the next story...

One more chapter to go, and it's massive. Time to see who has been paying close attention, especially to chapter titles. I wonder if any of you can guess what the finale before the hiatus might be called...?

-RD