Author's Note: So uhhhhh it's been a while, huh? I can say a lot of things about why I didn't post for so long, but to me, they feel like a whole heck of a lot of excuses.

I guess it's just because I kind of got used to not writing after taking some time off, and one 'next week' begat another until it spiraled out of control. I also may have discouraged myself by thinking of the stuff that was going to be written further down the line in the story (I've actually planned basically all of the story by this point) and looked at the current transitioning bits of the story and thought it wasn't nearly as exciting.

Regardless, it's getting to a rather exciting bit (Finally!) and the climax of the first real arc of the story. I'd say prepare yourself for this, or that, but...well, I'd rather just see the organic reactions than anything, hah.

Armor clattered and shook as the column of men practically stomped down the path. Path being an operative term, as it was a rough and mostly overgrown route with only the barest shred of something telling that it had been used for travel, once. A thin brown line snaked here and there, roving over the distance they'd walked. Nicolas had taken up the fore, an occasional swish followed by a meaty thwack as a limb that barred their path was felled. Stagnant heat ruled here with no breeze able to save them, and Carol swore he could feel each and every drop of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"This sucks, man." Russel called out from over his shoulder, swiping his arm over his forehead, the most recent in a line of uncountable repetitions.

Carol sorely wished he was able to do the same, but his hands were supporting the child sitting on his shoulders by resting atop them, just in case so she wouldn't pitch over. Not that she needed it, as she had used the top of his head almost as a table, her head atop her arms as she lightly dozed.

"You're telling me. It's been a day and already it's felt like years." Sky likewise panted out. The heat was the worst for him and Cardin, being they had the heaviest sets of armor as well as padding so it wouldn't chafe. Each mote of heat was not only gathered, but held with a most determined grip in their cores. "I'm never going to complain about taking a cold shower ever again. In fact, I think when I get back I'm going to run it for at least half an hour."

"I give you five minutes." Came the reply from Cardin, face sticky with sweat and colored red.

"Where's your faith, leader mine?"

"Somewhere at the start of this damn trail."

"So, facedown in a pool of it's own sweat?"

"Yep." The young man turned his head over. "You're the map guy, how far are we off?"

"Are we -really- doing the 'are we there yet' thing?" A groan expelled from Carol's lips, and the girl atop shifted and mumbled sleepily. He couldn't really say anything further, as being used as a packmule was bad enough, waking up the brat would be worse.

"And that's what we call Karma."

It happened more a reflex than anything. "Bite me, Sky." He stiffened at the girl sitting further upright and yawning, eyes shooting downwards towards the ground as his brow narrowed.

"Where are we?" Said girl asked, her hands lifting from the top of Carol's head to, presumably, wipe the sleep from her eyes. They then appeared in front of his chest, reaching downwards towards his beltline. "M'thirsty." Well, there went more of his water. He unhooked the canteen off of his belt to hold it up to her.

"Don't spill any, we don't know where any rivers are." Also he wasn't keen on having the top of his head doused in lukewarm water. "And for where we are, well, why doesn't Sky answer that?" Looking over saw the young man with his ever present smirk on his face, dialed up from Carol causing more problems for himself. In the presence of someone so young, however, he had to bite his tongue and -not- say what was truly on his mind.

"Well, if we've been on the path as long as I think we have been, then we should be about a quarter of the way to the other lost settlement." A beat of silence occurred. "And no, I'm not checking the map. I don't have any way of seeing landmarks right now, and I don't know how to really navigate like wilderness guides."

"So we're basically stuck on this path until it opens up."

"Yeah, Russ." As if like clockwork, Russel slumped over, arms dangling limply in the air as he let off a soft whine. Carol's vision was once more blocked by tiny hands holding a canteen, and he snagged it to set on his belt once more. Thankfully, she didn't spill any of it on his head this time. Once more did she lean over onto his head, his expression settling in a frown as they continued tramping down the path.

"It's not that bad!" She chirped up, high pitched voice grating on his ears. "It's like...a nature walk! Except mommy and daddy aren't here. But you can do nature walks with friends too, that's what they told me." Carol blinked.

"But we're not friends." He countered, only to have the entire group in front of and behind look at him. Not that he -knew- that those behind him were looking at him, but he was well versed in feeling eyes on his back. "Er...not, ah, yet."

"Nope, we are! Even if you say we aren't!"

"Okay, Ruby."

"Who?" Carol remained silent, just trudging forward. "Oh, is she someone you know?" More silence. "Someone you liiiike?"

"Nope. I'd say it borders somewhere on tolerance and scab that's too painful to tear off." Finally, he responded. Unfortunately, his team was there.

"She's not the one he likes." Now it was his turn to bore a stare into the back of his team. "In fact, he's so far in love with someone else he deludes himself into thinking he's not in love with her."

"Sky..."

"Oh my gosh, that's so romantic!" The girl gushed. "What's 'deluded' mean, though?"

"It means he tells lies to himself. And, occasionally, her as well."

"Oh. Bad!" Her arm bounced off the top of his head as she struck it lightly. "Daddy never lies to mommy. They told me so!" A deep groan threatened to burst from his throat at her admonishment, as well as the fact she was skipping quite a few steps in his quote-unquote relationship with Weiss. The worst part about it was that he couldn't just tell her to piss off like his teammates.

"And do you wanna know who it is?"

"Russ, I swear to the gods-"

"It's Weiss Schnee!"

"You little-" Whatever he was saying was overwritten by the high pitched ringing atop his shoulders.

"She's so pretty, oh my gosh!" Of course, with his luck they had -some- contact with the world at large. Did they have a communication antenna at their settlement? His memory was fuzzy, and it wasn't like he could go back to check. But it wasn't like it was too terribly important, actually. "Are you her knight?"

"No."

"Yes." His eyes snapped to Cardin, wearing a shit-eating grin. "Her white knight, even. Like from the stories your mom and dad tell you." There was an excited gasp from behind him, though a low and displeased rumble came from him in turn.

"That's Jaune and you know that." Carol sighed, straightening up to look over Cardin's shoulder at their team lead, dutifully leading them down the path. Now he was the one wondering how much longer they'd take to get to the next settlement. Idly, he picked his canteen from his waist to drink at it, tilting his head back as the girl giggled and held onto him. "The only thing about us that's worthy of being a fairy tale is the fact that it's made up."

"De-nial~" Sky spoke, only to be echoed by the girl on his shoulders in an adorable manner. He deigned to ignore it, slotting his canteen back onto his belt, shuffling the handle of his blade with the motion. He'd come a long way from being terrified of the Grimm; Now he was itching for the next chance he saw them. It was like sparring but pushed to the eleventh degree, and oddly satisfying. Did that make him a psychopath? What about a sociopath? Considering how the rest of the people in his team and Beacon at large were...well, at least he was in good company.

Up ahead, it looked like there was more light than they'd been experiencing thus far. "Heads up, we got a clearing ahead." Finally, a reprieve from the monotony of walking in the squalid heat. Wasn't it supposed to be cooler in the shade or something like that? Still, it paid to be wary, and a hand drifted to his blade's hilt, eyes scanning the exit of the trees. The conversation halted as if taking a breath, the only sounds being the whispering of the wind through the branches and the soft clatter of steel on leather.

Nicolas was the first out, followed by Russel and Cardin. The glare bit into Carol's eyes as he was the next out, and the little girl atop his shoulders whined at the harsh light. He endured past the biting in his eyes, forcing himself to gaze out on the clearing. Tall grasses that reached up to his hip greeted him, swaying in that same breeze that was broken up by the boughs in the forest. Here, there was still a trace of heat, but the humid air blew significantly quicker and brought some relief. More than that, a river babbled nearby ahead of them, giving reason for the clearing to exist; It was hard for trees to grow in the middle of a river, after all.

"Wait, isn't this the one that ran through the ravine before?" Russel asked, looking like he was a second away from bolting to the river.

Cardin, not much better, nodded his sweat-covered head. "Looks like it."

"Well, isn't that something? A tiny thing like this carved all of that away."

"And it's in our path." Nicolas moved himself over to the river, crouching by the edge. "It's not too deep, but it is pretty far across." A hand swept over it as he gazed to the far side. "Old trails are still here. I imagine if we came here a few years before, the rocks would still be above the water's surface." That same hand fell to dip into the water, letting it run over his gloved fingers. "Not too quick of a pace, either. So no, there's no worry if someone falls into it like before." A round of smiles passed as Nicolas stood up, a soft groan escaping him.

"How about we take a break? We've been cooking in our armor for who knows how long." Cardin offered, turning his gaze to Nicolas. The older man shrugged.

"Do you think that's a good decision?" There was a curious inflection, a lilt at the end. Cardin took a few moments to look over the group, taking in their sweaty and worn down postures. He turned back to the man, nodding.

"Yes, I do." His lips pulled upwards, something almost but not quite a smile. Cardin either didn't notice, or chose to look past it, turning to his team. "Alright, everyone, take a breather. Get some water in, sit down, but keep alert. Birds are still doing their calls so we're good, but as soon as you hear anything, especially you Sky, then call it out to the rest of us." A chorus of affirmations sounded out, and Carol felt a tugging on his braid.

"Ow-ow-ow, I have a name, you know!" He practically growled out in return. "What do you want?" The snap was reflexive, and he heard one of his team suck in air between their teeth.

"I...uhm...can I go in the water, mister?" Her tone was almost wounded, and he had to let out a soft sigh under his breath. But not an apology.

"I guess. Just be careful or something like that. And I don't know why you're asking me, I can't stop you." Armor clanked as he kneeled down, shuffling his stance wider to allow her to clamber down his back. As soon as she hit the dirt, she was running towards the edge of the stream. "Hey, I said be careful!"

"I am, I am!" Lacey mercifully slowed down as she got to the water's edge, dipping a toe in and shrieking. "Cold!" He rolled his eyes, settling down at the edge and leaning up against a stone by the edge. He hissed, scooting a bit forward so he didn't have his back against the hot rock. Russel didn't have that compunction, sitting atop of it and sighing softly.

"You're weird."

"No, I'm not. You are." Carol couldn't really refute that. "You know...I don't actually like the heat here. Too humid. Feels like I'm stewing in my own skin."

"Glad to know my suffering isn't just related to people who were born from Vale up." Leaning backwards, his eyes caught Russel's. "You know, you can go and soak your feet as well, yeah?"

"Nope. I'm not going to take the time to take off my boots just to put them back on. Plus, I think I'd kill all the wildlife nearby with the stink from my socks."Carol snorted softly. "Really, though, I think I'd take one dip and then want to swim totally. Which I can't do, by the way."

"How do you not...right. Vacuan." Not like he was much better.

"Not like you're much better." He blinked. Great, now his internal monologue was being echoed by his teammates. Clearly, either his mental delusions were starting to take on aspects of his team, or his team were beginning to become that voice of reason. Either one was worrying.

"Yeah. Yeah, you got me there." A mighty breath was expelled from him as he looked down the shore to his other friends and Nicolas. Cardin was taking off his chest piece and Carol swore he could see the heat vibrating off the torso. Sky was using the flat end of Alouette to slap water into his face, sighing explosively at the cool liquid now starting to soak his hair. Nicolas had that same tired smile on his face as he always did, as if he wasn't tired by any of the walking. He probably was, but he was just so used to it that he didn't show it. "You know, besides the whole mission thing...this has been pretty fun. Never knew how fun it was to look around and see something green. Well, a whole lot of green."

"You really are an incredibly young dad. Like, an old dad that had a couple of kids and then just hid himself away until he was like fifty years old. But actually like twenty years old." Carol looked up to him. "Yeah so I kind of suck at this."

"You do." He nodded in assent to Russel's chagrin. "But I get what you mean. Like I've missed out on so much of life and am just now seeing it." A hand ran along the grass next to him as he picked up a clump of it, a staccato rhythm of stems being torn in two. He let it go into the breeze, sighing as it floated away towards where the ravine would be located. It twitched and danced in the air, eventually falling into the stream and being swept downriver. "Sorry, didn't mean to get all soft and-" A shriek sounded out, making Carol's gaze snap to the water in front of him as he shot to his feet.

Lacey had perhaps fallen over, dipping underneath the water for just a moment. But Carol was already moving, splashing down into the water and sending a violent spray upwards as he seized towards the girl. He caught her arm, and was about to yank her above, then realized that with his aura enhanced strength he was more like to tear it from the socket with the force. Measuring himself carefully, he pulled her above the relatively low water line and snorted. She gazed up to him with wide, terror filled eyes, but he wouldn't let himself be distracted this time. "I told you to be careful. Now you're all soaked, my socks are too, and-" The angry glare he had completely vanished when he saw her start bawling, and in fact he began to balk. "I uh...oh, gods, please stop crying." She then reached out to his shoulders and pulled herself close, shivering as she damn near physically attached to him. He could do nothing else but hold her awkwardly, looking to the shoreline. "Help?"

But there was no help to be had, they just snickered at him. The danger had mercifully passed, perhaps the cathartic relief they sought they found in his awkward stance. He grumbled under his breath, trying his best to stay away from curses as he waded back to the shoreline, soaked boots setting upon the tawny bank as it squished uncomfortably. This was why one brought multiple pairs of socks, anyway.

"Right, well-" Did Cardin just laugh? "Good to see that she's not hurt. But...I think we should get moving as soon as we can. No telling if any Grimm heard us." And now he couldn't even take it off at a lackadaisical pace.

"Well then, someone get this overgrown tumor off of me so I can change my socks." He spread his arms as she continued to cling to his chest, hanging there as his support was removed. His brow began to twitch. Their lips began to do the same. There was no joined group of laughter now, as Cardin cleared his throat, looking away to the treeline. A bird's call sang out, a soft 'drink-your-tea' rhythm carrying over the river.

"Alright, let's get things in order. Sky, you stay here with Carol and guard him while he changes his socks out. Russel, you're with me and Nicolas." He turned to the older man in question. "Would you mind taking Lacey off Carol's hands?"

Nicolas gave a soft, dismissive wave of his hand, a slight turn up at the edge of his lips. Most likely not pride, but something akin to it. "Not a problem, would've offered if you hadn't thought of it." The man drew close, and with some soft and high pitched coaxing that Carol felt he'd be strung up if he ever teased the man about it, the girl was extracted from him to begin clinging to Nicolas.

With that done, they began to move away. "And why are you leaving the two of us here? Wouldn't it make more sense to all be here to guard me?" If he was busy doffing his greaves, he couldn't defend himself. Sky, bless his heart, was good...but was he defend against a pack by himself good? A hyperbole, maybe, though he thought he still had a point.

"Forming a perimeter. We catch what's coming in, you're not vulnerable and they're drawn to the sound. And worse comes to worse, Nicolas can lay low for a bit with Lacey. She is the mission objective, after all...though, she's still important besides." Reaching over, he ruffled the girl's hair, who gave a toothy smile, batting at his massive hand to drive it off. "Now, hurry it up. I don't want to have to leave you behind." It made perfect sense, but there was still a trepidation that settled in the eaves of Carol's nerves. He, however, wasn't the team leader.

"Alright, gotcha." He sat down in front of the same rock from before, waving the rest of them off. Better to get on the task as quick as he could. The rest of the group besides Sky forded the river, the waterproof boots doing their job as they'd not been submersed like his had been. Leather laces were loosened as his right greave began to give way, a soft frown on his face as he dealt with the tedium in silence. He found he didn't like it, and grunted softly.

"What's wrong?" Sky was quick to dive on it. Perhaps he also didn't care for the silence?

"Nothing." Came his reply.

"Okay well if you say that, then it's not nothing."

"Reverse psychology, is it?"

"Am I wrong?"

A few more moments of silence as more of his greaves clattered with the slacking. "...No."

"Then what's on your mind?" Sky sat above him, metal scraping softly against the rock in a not too pleasant fashion.

"Why do you bring up your delusion to everyone we meet?"

"My delusion? The heck do you mean by...oh." A finger pressed into his cheek, tilting his gaze to the side. A low growl of annoyance rumbled up from Carol, to which he gained light giggling in return. "Someone can't handle a little bit of teasing?" His finger was swatted to the side as Carol swiped at it with his hand.

"Hell no. It ain't teasin' that's pissin' me off." It was, but that's not what he was getting at. "You just met the kid a couple days ago. Or one, it's hard to tell. Why the hell are you planting stupid ideas in her head to...I don't know, try to piss me off?"

"Didn't do it 'cuz of that."

"Then why?"

"She's been through a lot, Carol." The young man above him used his polearm as a prop as he leaned over to gaze at Carol. "I've got seven sisters, and that was -all- they talked about. Boys, and stuff. Unrealistic romances...the fantastical, you know?"

"Wonder where they got it from." A fist was bonked against the top of his head. "Ow, dick."

"You're not hurt. And that's not what I'm getting at." Sky couldn't help a few chuckles even still at what he'd done, and silence reigned in the clearing once again for a few moments, just the soft clicking of armor as Carol removed a greave. "It's...normal for her, in a way. Speaking of knights, princesses, kings and stuff like that. And I'd imagine that she sees Weiss as some type of princess."

"And me a knight?" It was ridiculous. Knights were well spoken, well heeled folk. He was irritable, crass, and other innumerable things. The time spent with his team had stripped him raw, revealed what was under the surface. Everyone was their biggest critic, after all. The difference being is that he wasn't in denial.

No matter what his team said.

"Well...yes. But she sees us all as knights, I think. We found her at the proverbial room in the tower, tended to her wounds-"

"She was unharmed."

"-and we're bringing her back to her parents...the king and queen, in this case." One boot was off. He wasn't going to leave it unbedecked, so he quickly rummaged in his pack for one of his extras and set it on before starting to don the boot. "And, well, as much as I know it pisses you off, which I wholly enjoy by the way-" Carol looked up and fixed Sky with the most scathing looks he could manage, which was matched by his easy going grin. "-It's something...fantastical for her to believe in. You know, the dutiful knight serving his princess. Keeps her hopeful in a really bad situation, you know?"

What could he say to that? Well, that wouldn't make him seem like an asshole. Oh, he could, but what would be the point for that, besides just riling Sky up. Lacey had lost her entire village, and was stranded for who knew how long. Now she was being whisked away with strange men through a strange forest that had Grimm in it. The fantastical stories she'd been told would be normal in comparison. As he began working on his second boot, he gave off a gentle exhale. He wanted to deny it and make it easy on himself, but with all things considered..."I'm gonna hate myself for saying this...but what can I do to help?"

"Just don't deny it."

"That's...surprisingly little."

"Well, I know how bad you are when it comes to feelings. And now, so does she." A weight settled on the top of his head; Sky was using it as a shelf to support himself with. "Don't worry about it, I'll take care of eeeeverything."

"Except my neck, apparently." The response he received was just light laughter as the weight disappeared.

"On the contrary, we're always looking out for your neck. It's what's got your head attached to it, after all."

"Are we talkin' metaphorical head, or actual head?"

"Both! Why do you think we tried to push Yang onto Russel?" More delacing and the removal of his boot. Changing socks wouldn't change the fact that there was some residual dampness in his boot, but it would get most of it out and his natural body heat would dry out the rest. Would still be a good idea to get some powder and treat his feet when he got back, though. "If she's busy mashing lips with him, she can't knock your block off."

"They haven't kissed yet, though."

"Not the point." The sound of shifting plate behind him. "You just about done? Armor's starting to heat up like crazy."

"Yeah, just let me-" Carol grunted, pulling the leather straps taught around his boot. If they were going to be out in the field more often, he'd have to adjust his boot size. But that also meant forging new greaves, and that meant work. Not that he minded, but he also had that order from Van Tablack to consider and work on. Timeframe or no timeframe, that wasn't something he was going to let sit on the backburner. And then there was the tournament to consider, with possibly new work orders. The burgeoning realization that the coming weeks would have no rest for him settled upon his shoulders, but that could wait until the brat was safe. Standing up, he shook himself as if to knock it loose, then turned to Sky and gave a nod. The young man returned it, and they set off.

But not before Carol picked up his socks. They were good quality, and besides, it was rude to litter. Even if it was in a forest where no one might pass by their exact location in years. Lacking a proper place to hang them, he settled for the best he could, and draped it over the handle of his sword. At the very least, they'd give more grip once they were dried out. Or when he squeezed the rest of the moisture out of them by gripping the sword's hilt.

As they passed over the relatively diminutive landbridge, untroubled water kicked up in their strides, a cool breeze drifted along the surface and blew over them. It was an even bigger relief than when they broke into the clearing before, and a part of him was tempted to stay here where it was actually bearable. But, right, the brat. He redoubled his pace, beginning to shift into a light jog. "Come on, let's catch up with them. We're not gonna get home quick if we keep on draggin' our asses."

"Journey over the destination."

"Says the man who doesn't own a business they need to run."

"And who's fault is that?"

"Shut up."

End Note: It's good to be back. I can't promise a steady timeframe of updates, but I'm returning to the swing of it.