A.N: A lot to go through in this chapter, folks. Like, a lot to go through. So, enjoy, everyone!

Chapter 28: Public Enemies

With classes for Atlas Academy now back in session, Hansel was free to return to his investigation. Slightly readjusting his earbuds (as well as his Atlas Academy faculty room chair), he was taking the time to listen to each of his recently recorded interviews with the Atlesian scientists. He was listening to each of them to find any commonalities in each of the interviews, to see if he could find some link or motive that could provide enough evidence for him to investigate one of the scientists further. There was just one problem…

"I need to talk to Dr. Polendina." Hansel noted. "Otherwise, I'm trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces."

"Ah, so this is where you ended up." Hansel looked over his shoulder to see Winter Schnee had entered.

"Specialist," Hansel said gruffly before pausing one of his recordings, "yeah, I'm reviewing my recordings from each interview. I'm hoping, now that I'm actually analyzing this instead of just listening, I can pick up something I might've missed."

Hansel sighed. "But the problem is, I still need to speak with Dr. Polendina. Get his perspective on the case. Is he still not back from his clinic in Mantle?"

Winter sighed. "Unfortunately, Dr. Polendina will most likely be spending the entire day in Mantle. If you want to interview him that badly, you should probably look into paying a visit to Mantle. I can give you the address later if you wish."

Hansel nodded. "So," Winter turned her attention back to the recordings, "anything useful that we missed earlier?"

Hansel shook his head. "Nothing that points to a definite motive or perpetrator." He acknowledged. "Not that I didn't think it was going to be easy, of course. Nothing ever is."

"However, it seems that most of the scientists are pointing at Agravain Mahogany as the most likely perpetrator."

"You actually bought Dr. Moon and Dr. Le Fay's theory that he stole from them to discredit their efforts? But what about his status as a 'true patriot?'" Winter asked curiously.

"I haven't concluded anything yet." Hansel promised. "However, some of the worst things in history have been done because of misguided 'patriotism', Specialist."

"Keep in mind, Specialist, every villain thinks they're the hero of the story." Hansel reminded Winter. "So if Mahogany was the perpetrator, chances are he's misguided enough to believe that he's in the right here. He believes he's doing Atlas a service."

"It still doesn't make any sense to me though." Winter admitted. "Stealing secret military projects...giving them to terrorist cells. What in the world could be going through Dr. Mahogany's mind if he is the one who's responsible? How could he possibly believe that doing any of this benefits Atlas?"

"This is still just a theory." Hansel reminded her. "However, keep in mind that terrorist cells usually seek to change entire nations, and even the world, through acts of violence. Look at the White Fang. Though they've strayed from what they once were, their goal remains the same."

Hansel leaned back into his chair. "And I think we can say with confidence the White Fang consider themselves the heroes of this story, yeah?"

Winter's face fell at this. "They've been at war with my family for years." She acknowledged. "And yes, they probably do think themselves the heroes of justice in all of this. Even though the things they've done to innocent people caught in the crossfire…"

"I read up on the cases." Hansel nodded grimly. "Frankly, I don't care about the conflict between your family and the White Fang, Specialist. What I care about is how employees and board members have had to die because of it."

"Were it up to me," Hansel continued, "problems need to be kept between the people closest involved. Don't involve other people in your bullshit."

Winter looked at Hansel in surprise. Half the time, he seemed so thuggish and rude. But the other half he was...shockingly thoughtful.

"Anyway, we're getting off topic," Hansel said, "based on these interviews, Dr. Mahogany is the obvious choice. But I can't make an accusation or an arrest based on what's 'the obvious choice.' If there's one thing Professor Ozpin made sure to drill in my head back then, it's 'do the job right, or don't do it at all.'"

Winter nodded in agreement. Hansel sighed. "I need to talk to Dr. Polendina in Mantle, get his input on this whole thing. While I'm at it, I need copies of the security footage of the vault, both inside and out, before and after the theft. And I need a tour of the vault while I'm at it, maybe our thief left something behind."

"You won't find much, Professor." Winter grimly told him. "We already dusted for fingerprints. Whoever did it had the foresight to put gloves on. Of course, even if he did leave fingerprints, we would've just gotten Brunswick's…"

"Not quite, remember the state Brunswick's body was found in. His face was taken. If we consider the idea that the perpetrator stole his face as a disguise, he would only have the face, not the fingerprints." Hansel pointed out before asking a new question. "Specialist Schnee, do any of these scientists have Semblances?"

Winter shook her head. "Nothing that is recorded. You have to remember, Professor, these are scientists, not warriors. The chances of them bothering to unlock their Semblance is very low. The only two scientists I know of who have even unlocked their Aura was Dr. Polendina, and one Dr. Arthur Watts from a long time ago."

"Watts?" Hansel raised an eyebrow. That was not a name he was familiar with.

"One of Dr. Polendina's colleagues from back in the day." Winter explained. "Of course, he's long dead. A horrible accident claimed his life."

Hansel thought it over. "I should've tested them with my own sensory abilities from my own Aura. I could've picked up if they unlocked their Aura…"

"But not their Semblance." Winter pointed out. "If the perpetrator really did impersonate Brunswick after killing him, then that Semblance is the key."

"Yeah, you're right, I was just thinking out loud." Hansel said with a sigh.

Hansel hummed. "I guess all I can do now is speak with Ironwood. Get his side of the story and see if there is anything that points to him as the culprit."

Winter briefly clenched her fists in discomfort. "I really wish you wouldn't." She told him. "General Ironwood would never…"

"I promise you, Specialist, I am not going into this with the intent to make Ironwood into my villain." Hansel assured her. "I hate the man, that's no secret. However, I would never do something as despicable as turning someone into a villain when they're innocent. This is only because Ironwood is also a likely suspect, like the scientists."

Winter sighed. "Very well, Professor, I'll trust your judgement and your promise. If you really can speak with the man on this matter and avoid biases, then I'll step aside and let you do your job."

Winter then let out an embarrassed cough. "So...um...have you had a chance to speak with my sister since her classes started?"

"Have you?" Hansel countered.

"I asked you first." Winter frowned slightly.

Hansel nodded. "I had lunch with Team RWBY," he admitted, "eating with the faculty was...just a bit too uncomfortable for my tastes."

"How is she...er, how's the team adjusting to Atlas Academy?" Winter asked.

Hansel sighed. "It's got its ups and downs." He admitted. "Academically, they're handling classes just fine. However, their social life here is a completely different story. I'm a little concerned about how the Atlas students are treating them, with the exception of a few students they seem to have befriended."

Winter's eyes widened. "Do tell." She said.

"It looks like your student body's got a bit of a problem with Beacon students being here. We overheard a lot of harsh language being thrown our way over lunch." Hansel admitted.

"That's disturbing," Winter muttered, "thank you for bringing this to my attention, I'll tell General Ironwood about it."

"There's more," Hansel said, "the girls almost left the table because they thought it would be better."

"Did they?" Winter asked.

Hansel shook his head. "I told them to have some damn pride in themselves, as students of Beacon Academy." He replied. "And I told them they had no place being Huntresses if they were going to let some harsh words break 'em."

"What about that blonde that seems to love punching her way out of things. Yang Xiao Long, was it?" Winter asked. "She didn't…"

"She almost picked a fight with the students." Hansel admitted. "I had to lecture those four about how they shouldn't expect everyone to have the same morals and attitudes as they do. Looking back, I should've told them to just focus on what those other students are trying to achieve and how they're going to do it."

"I'm impressed you got her to back down." Winter admitted. "From everything I saw at Vytal and what Weiss told me, she doesn't seem like the type to follow orders."

"I shouldn't have had to." Hansel replied. "On one hand, I get that they're young and still learning. I'm no different in that sense. But at this point, considering their career paths, they should also know that treating people like enemies just because they have attitudes or beliefs different from theirs will only accomplish the opposite of what they're going for."

Winter sighed. "Now that I can agree with." She acknowledged.

"But anyway, back on your sister," Hansel folded his arms, "not that it's any of my business, but I think she'd appreciate you going out of your way to try and connect with her outside of your respective duties."

Winter's face fell at this. "She's told me bits and pieces about how rough her life back home was." Hansel continued. "Specialist, you're practically the only member of her family she talks highly of. Don't you think you owe it to her to show that you care on occasion?"

"Why does it matter to you so much?" Winter asked curiously.

Hansel paused at this. He then rose from his seat, gathering his things. "...I know what it's like to be an outcast in your own family." He admitted. "So, I guess I just find myself caring about what she's going through. However, the big difference is that she's got a member of her family who she loves and knows loves her back. You."

"So you owe it to her to at least try a little more on your end."

Winter fell silent at this as Hansel made his way to the door in and out of the faculty room. "Look, sorry, like I said it's really not any of my business. I just...felt like saying all of that. Anyway, I'll be messaging Ironwood, asking him to take me around the vault. See you."

With that, Hansel left the faculty room, leaving Winter to her own thoughts.

Meanwhile, Team RWBY found themselves experiencing afternoon classes at Atlas Academy. Ruby, however, found it difficult to concentrate for the first time since the day had begun. At first she could not really explain it. After Weiss had chewed her out after that fateful class with Professor Port, her concentration had been much better. And after her talks with Ozpin, Glynda, and Hansel over the past couple weeks, she had practically been a model student (except for when she pursued Hansel against his orders in the Neverland Gorge).

But here she was, unable to actually concentrate on the lesson. Hell, Ruby did not even know what the lesson was at this point, such was her difficulty concentrating. Ruby knew it was not because her mind was wandering. She knew when she was going off in tangents mentally.

No, this was something different. This was like when she experienced the horrific chill of death that was the Reaper's or Cinder Fall's killing intent. Of course, this feeling was not warning of her impending doom.

It was warning her that someone in this class did not like her and really wanted to hurt her. But who?

Gra Stein, leader of Team GLDN kept a piercing gaze on the back of Ruby Rose's head. Many thoughts about the little reaper ran through his mind as he ran through everything he knew about the girl from the Vytal Festival. Getting to learn about the other students had been the only benefit of being unable to attend due to illness.

Ruby Rose. Age 15. Was accepted into Beacon Academy early due to exceptional talent. Was named the leader of Team RWBY. Wields a scythe that doubles as a sniper rifle and uses a Semblance that grants a sort of super speed. However, other than the prodigal talent that was apparently able to get her into Beacon early...her skill seemed painfully average. Her Aura was just like any of the other students in the Vytal Festival, as was her overall combat skills.

As far as Gra was concerned, the only reason she was a threat to anything, was that speed. Of course, her speed meant nothing to him and his Semblance. This will be so easy, I'm actually going to feel bad. He thought with a devious smile. We'll remind Team RWBY of their place on the totem pole soon enough…

Meanwhile, Hansel kept an even expression on his face as he waited for Ironwood by the vault. Two guards stood behind him, silently. Soon, Ironwood arrived, flanked by three familiar faces. "...Well, this has been a very productive conversation, Lady Circe. I promise, you'll have my full support in implementing your Aid For Training Program into Atlas Academy." Ironwood promised the woman he was speaking with. "The council will definitely see our way."

"Thank you, General." Circe Ithaca said with her usual pleasant smile. "Having the support of three of the four headmasters in Remnant has made the implementation of this program extremely simple. I just need Vacuo's headmaster now. At this rate, I'll have the Aid For Training Program implemented into all four academies just as the new school year starts."

Circe then noticed Hansel's presence. Gin Byakko and Chrysos Agamemnon both raised their eyebrows in surprise at the sight of the Beacon professor. "Ah, Professor Kobalt!" Circe giddily greeted the professor.

Hansel nodded curtly. "Lady Circe." He said calmly.

Ironwood raised an eyebrow. "You're familiar with Lady Circe?" He then gasped. "Ah, that's right, Pyrrha Nikos is one of your students."

"Wassup, Professor K!" Gin greeted him with a grin on his face, getting over his surprise at seeing Hansel. Chrysos nodded curtly. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm here for the exchange program between academy teams." Hansel pointed out. "I've gotta keep my eye on Team RWBY."

"Oho? Team RWBY's here?" Gin grinned at this. "That means Yang and Ruby are here, yeah?"

Gin then eagerly turned to Circe, jumping around like a little child. "Ooh, ooh, Lady Circe, can I go bug Team RWBY? Please tell me I can go bug 'em for a bit! I wanna go bug 'em for a bit!"

"Gin," Chrysos growled at his junior bodyguard, "you are not going to shirk your duties to Lady Circe."

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud, Chrysos." Circe smiled. "Gin's really taken a liking to Team RWBY, so of course he can hang with them for a bit. Ooh, wait, Ruby's there too!"

"Lady Circe?" Chrysos looked at Circe in confusion.

"Oh, she's so adorable!" Circe squealed with delight. "I want to spoil her as much as I spoiled Pyrrha when she was a little girl."

Pulling out his scroll, Chrysos sighed. "Lady Circe, I do believe you have more pressing matters to attend to, including the next meeting that you're supposed to attend in half an hour." He pointed out, grabbing the woman by her shoulder. "Thank you for your time, General Ironwood. Gin, don't be too long."

"You got it!" Gin cheered before running off to track down Team RWBY.

"You're such a party pooper, Chrysos!" Circe complained as she was dragged off by Chrysos. "Party pooper! Party pooper!"

With that, all three people from Mistral were gone, leaving Ironwood and Hansel behind. The two were now free to discuss their own matters. "Good afternoon, Hansel." Ironwood said curtly.

"Ironwood," Hansel said in just as curt a tone.

"General Ironwood!" The two guards of the vault corrected from behind.

"Oh stuff it!" Hansel snapped at them.

"It's alright, gentlemen, Hansel never was very formal around me. I'm used to it." Ironwood assured them. "Now then, you wished to speak with me, Hansel?"

"I'd like a quick tour of this vault. And while we're doing that...I'd like to ask you a few questions." Hansel told him.

Ironwood nodded in understanding, immediately realizing what Hansel meant by that. Ironwood walked up to the door to the vault and entered a certain passcode. The doors shook before opening up, allowing both Ironwood and Hansel to enter. The doors then closed behind them. Ironwood quickly took Hansel to a few tables, where Hansel found himself looking at blueprints and actual prototypes for weapons. His expression soured at the sight of them all.

"Chemical weaponry that's supposed to be used for Grimm, Aura piercing rounds, Aura disrupting rounds, wow...Specialist Schnee wasn't kidding when she said you were working on this kind of stuff." Hansel noted.

"Is there a problem?" Ironwood asked.

"Well, I'd suggest using this as bait, but I doubt the perpetrator would be so bold while I'm around." Hansel noted. "Though I will say...you do realize that if some of these weapons are made public, there are going to be people that won't be happy about it. They'll start questioning what Atlas means to use these weapons for."

Ironwood sighed. "I know," he acknowledged, "Hansel, I can assure you, I didn't approve all of these weapons on my own. The council, unfortunately, sometimes likes to push for a few of these projects to the point where I have no choice but to okay them. Basic politics."

Hansel scowled at this. "You're still the commanding officer of this army, aren't you?"

"I'm also a councilor who has two seats because of my two jobs." Ironwood reminded him. "I have to play nice with them sometimes so I can keep those positions...so that I can continue to aid Oz in his mission. I don't like it anymore than you do, but the reality is we have to do things we're uncomfortable with sometimes."

Hansel hummed in acknowledgement. "I...suppose that's true." He said.

"But enough about that," Ironwood narrowed his eyes, "you consider me a suspect as well, don't you?"

Hansel sighed. "Yeah," he said, "it's nothing personal, but yeah. You're one of the few people in Atlas who has access to this vault. No matter how you look at it, you need to be considered. I don't wish to declare you guilty though, Ironwood. So let's just talk this out like two reasonable, civilized men, and I can decide for myself if you're a suspect worth pursuing."

"So let me start with the obvious question. Where were you the night the wristband was stolen?" Hansel asked.

"I was working late in my office, going through some extra paperwork. Then I left through my usual route through the East hallways." Ironwood replied. "You can check the cameras in that area and just outside of Atlas Academy. I was gone probably thirty minutes before the actual robbery took place."

Hansel nodded. "Do you think the wristband would've actually been helpful in corralling the prison population? Do you think it would've actually helped in keeping the prison guards safe? That was Dr. Moon's motivation, after all."

Ironwood sighed. "It did worry me to a degree, because of the ethical questions that would inevitably arise. However, Dr. Moon made a compelling argument. By keeping dangerous prisoners who would've otherwise been in maximum security prisons far from the kingdom closer to the kingdom, and therefore allowing the positive emotions of our kingdom to balance out their negativity, we can decrease Grimm attacks on prisons and therefore keep our men safer."

"With that in mind, I decided that the ethical issues were outweighed by the possible benefits." Ironwood admitted. "So, I approved the project."

"You didn't approve it with the intent to steal it?"

"Of course not," Ironwood narrowed his eyes, "honestly, after what Specialist Schnee did to Anthonio Corleone, I wouldn't have been able to get within 50 feet of the man without him trying to kill me."

"What do you mean?" Hansel asked.

"...During Winter's earlier years as a Specialist, she was far less experienced...and it showed in the field. While trying to apprehend Corleone, she accidentally maimed him rather than incapacitate him, and he was able to get away. I'm sure you saw his prosthetic hands...those were because she took his hands. I don't doubt that Corleone despised her for what she did. I also don't doubt he hated me just as much, since Winter reported directly to me, even back then."

"Hansel, I do understand your reasoning in labeling me a suspect." Ironwood acknowledged. "However, there is absolutely no way I could've stolen the wristband and then given it to Corleone. He would've attempted to execute me on sight. You tailed him for quite a while. You should know what that man was willing to do to the people he hated. He was a vindictive monster, until the very end."

Hansel nodded in understanding. "Next question," he said, "out of the other scientists...who do you see as the perpetrator?"

Ironwood sighed. "I helped gather that team, Hansel." He replied. "I...like to think I'm a decent judge of character."

"Just answer the question." Hansel told him in a firm, but surprisingly gentle and understanding tone of voice.

Ironwood thought it over. "To be honest, while I do believe in them as individuals, with the exception of Dr. Polendina, they have shortcomings that make me worry they could very well be the traitor you're looking for."

This caught Hansel's attention. "All of them?"

"Dr. Le Fay and Dr. Moon are extremely ambitious, almost to a fault. It comes with their youth." Ironwood explained. "And Dr. Mahogany is a man of extremely strong opinion, especially in the direction Atlas goes as a kingdom. If he were to be tempted by the idea that what he was doing could actually improve Atlas...he might actually take such a chance."

"And Dr. White…" Ironwood trailed off.

"What about him?" Hansel raised an eyebrow. Out of all of them, White seemed to be the most normal of the bunch.

"Dr. White is normally a very extroverted man...but ever since the school year began...he's been a lot more introverted than usual. It could be because his sister and her son had been killed in a Grimm attack though. See, her sister's husband had walked out on them, so Dr. White took on more of a fatherly role for his nephew. Losing them both devastated him. We actually gave him a month off to grieve and get through it. But after he came back from that month…"

"He was introverted, like you said." Hansel frowned. "But he seems so friendly."

"Oh don't get me wrong, he still is." Ironwood said. "It's just that...Dr. White always made it a point to treat coworkers to drinks and meals. He was just that friendly. He wanted to get to know everyone and be their friend. But he doesn't do that anymore. He just does his work and returns home. The only time I see him now is when he's at work."

"And that itself makes him suspicious?" Hansel looked at Ironwood in confusion.

"I...guess I'm not necessarily suspicious." Ironwood shook his head. "I'm more worried about how different he is. I understand why he is the way he is now, it's just...well, the only time I see him acting like his old self is when he's around Charlie."

Charlie...Charlie Magnolia...maybe I should talk to him about White?

"Though, I will say, if Dr. White is responsible, it's because he lost faith in Atlas after losing his sister and nephew." Ironwood offered. "But even though he does have a motive when you consider that...Hansel, it simply cannot be him."

Hansel nodded in understanding. "Ironwood, I don't think it's him either." He admitted. "Out of all of them, Dr. White had no motive that could actually drive him to steal from the military. He's only considered a suspect right now because he has access like you do."

But, this still doesn't answer any of my questions. Hansel lamented inwardly. Damn it, I still can't make any connections between these scientists and Grey Jackal. Wait, Grey Jackal…

Hansel then spied a large terminal. "What's on that terminal?" He asked curiously as an idea came to him.

"That's all our project data." Ironwood replied off-handedly.

Hansel nodded and walked up to the terminal, taking out his scroll and a cord with two plugs on both ends. Hansel quickly plugged both ends into the terminal and his scroll. "Umm...what are you doing, Hansel?" Ironwood asked.

"Making a copy of your project data and moving it over to my scroll." Hansel replied nonchalantly, making Ironwood sputter.

"Hansel!" Ironwood yelled in frustration. "That information is private!"

"Oh calm down," Hansel sighed, "I know it's private. I need to review your data to see if I can connect any projects with similar projects I've seen in Grey Jackal's bases."

"Huh?" Ironwood looked at Hansel in confusion.

"Ironwood, for the past year, I've been tailing this organization, taking down underworld organizations associated with them, and secret research centers with various projects they were trying to empower their forces with." Hansel said. "I didn't think too much about it at the time because I just thought it was a bunch of rogue scientists turning their talents to terrorism. However, with everything that has now happened, we can infer it's not just their own ideas. It's moles passing along their ideas for Grey Jackal to build variations of."

"I need to review this project data, and cross-reference it with the project data I found in these research centers I took down. If there are matches, I could connect those projects with the scientist who is typically the project lead."

"It's a longshot," Hansel acknowledged, "but anything that could help me find the culprit, I'll take it."

Ironwood was still bothered by Hansel downloading private data onto his scroll. Hansel noticed and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to delete it when I'm done." He promised. "I've got no use for this data beyond what I need it for."

"I think you know I'm good for my word." Hansel added.

Ironwood sighed. "You are, you are." He acknowledged. "Just...please don't tell the scientists you have private data. They won't take it well."

Ironwood rubbed his temples. Hansel sighed. "If you want to see me delete it, I will." He promised.

"That'll work." Ironwood groaned. "Will that be all?"

Hansel took one last look around the vault. "Yeah, I think that's everything."

"Good...I really do hope you catch this perpetrator, Hansel." Ironwood told him tiredly. "You do realize that you're putting me in a very difficult position with all of this, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Hansel rolled his eyes. "You should know by now I don't give up on tracking down scumbags."

Ironwood nodded. Hansel then felt his scroll vibrate. He looked to see a message from Winter. "Hansel, I have some new information for you that might help you in your investigation."

"If you'll excuse me, Ironwood, it seems your Specialist has some new information for me." Hansel told him.

"Reliable and prompt as ever; definitely Winter's handiwork." Ironwood acknowledged. "Do what you have to do, Hansel. And please don't forget your promise. That data is…"

"I know, I know." Hansel said, responding to Winter.

"What have you got for me?"

A few minutes passed, Winter's next message came up. "I reopened the cases on Private Brunswick and Blanche Amaranthe's deaths. Blanche's file in particular caught my interest."

"How so?"

Hansel's eyes widened at Winter's response. "She was a citizen of Mantle. She was rumored to have ties to a vigilante group of Huntsmen protecting Mantle, started by one Robyn Hill."

Robyn Hill. That guy who was getting arrested by Hansel's hotel had ties to her as well. "What else can you tell me about Robyn Hill?"

"Atlas graduate. Returned to Mantle after her graduation with her former teammates. Started a vigilante group of Huntsmen that claimed to fight for Mantle, even though Atlas already patrols the area as well."

"Any criminal activity?"

"Not until recently. There have been thefts of military equipment in Mantle, but we've never been able to prove she was responsible. So, no arrests were actually made. Though General Ironwood is convinced she did it since she has the skills to pull it off. She apparently is now considering running in the upcoming council election."

This confused Hansel greatly. "She's allegedly stealing from the military...and she wants to run for council? So she's an idiot?"

"I'll admit, that thought process sounds pretty ridiculous to me as well. However, if you're really going to Mantle to meet with Dr. Polendina, you might as well see if you can make contact with Robyn Hill as well. Maybe learning more about what happened to Blanche might give you the lead you were looking for. Fair warning though, the people of Mantle love her. They won't give her location up easily. Things might get tough."

"I've been dealing with adversity my whole life, Specialist, I think I can handle this. Thanks for the info though, this might turn into a good lead."

Hansel groaned as he pocketed his scroll. "I come here to track down a mole for Grey Jackal, and now I'm getting swept up into politics...one of my least favorite subjects."

"Well, she's right about one thing, Blanche Amaranthe's death might be able to provide a clue. And at this point, I do need to take what I can get." Hansel acknowledged. "So, I guess I'll be spending more time in Mantle than I expected."

Hansel then looked at his scroll once more. "First thing's first, I should probably start looking through these projects and cross-reference them with the data I found in those Grey Jackal facilities I took down."

A few hours passed. Classes ended for the day. And it was now dinnertime. Team RWBY found themselves eating at their own table once more. "How's Zwei?" Weiss asked, Ruby currently holding the corgi in her bag.

"He's fine." Ruby assured her. "He's finally settled down inside my bag. We'll just remember to gather some extra food to feed him afterwards. Preferably meat. He loves meat."

"You think Teach will be joining us for this meal like he did for lunch?" Yang asked curiously.

"Probably," Blake shrugged, "he seemed more comfortable eating with us then the faculty of Atlas."

"Well, I'm glad someone likes us." Yang sighed. "The rest of the academy is still glaring at us, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Weiss nodded, "but we're going to follow Professor Kobalt's advice, right?"

"I know, I know," Yang sighed, "I'm not going to start any fights, I promise."

"He is right you know, Yang. If we pick any fights, it doesn't matter how much they've been provoking us, we're still the ones who threw the first punch." Blake pointed out. "Sure, they'll probably get in trouble for all the provoking...but it'll still defeat the purpose of us going to Atlas in the first place."

"I know that, I just wish they did, you know what I mean?" Yang pointed out.

"I get that," Weiss sighed. "The best we can hope for at this point is to show them we're just as dedicated to learning as they are. I know they have a different attitude, but they wouldn't be here if they weren't ready to make a difference like us."

"Oh how optimistic," a new voice cut in, "you think being a bunch of tryhards is going to get them to change their opinions of you."

Team RWBY turned to see a long, gray-haired youth take a seat across from them with a clearly fake-smile on his face. "And you are?" Yang narrowed her eyes, immediately not liking this guy and his attitude.

"Ah, yes, where are my manners. I'm Gra Steinn, a 2nd year at Atlas Academy. The leader of Team GLDN." Gra introduced himself properly. "And we are the strongest students here at Atlas."

"And yet we never saw you at the Vytal Festival." Yang countered.

Gra chuckled. "Unfortunately we ran into some trouble with Grimm. Made us a bit too ill to travel. But, we're back in action now."

"Good for you," Yang said, "but how about you drop that phony-ass smile you've got and just tell us how you really feel about us? You don't like us, do you?"

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed, shocked at how rude Yang was being. Gra, meanwhile, just laughed.

"Oh my," he said, "I can't pull the wool over your eyes, huh?"

"Very well," Gra's fake smile disappeared, "I'll just come right out and say it. You're right. I hate you. I hate all four of you."

Ruby was now looking at Gra in shock. "I hate how my school is bending over backwards to accommodate you. I hate all this attention you're receiving; and I looked into you, you're all painfully average students with a couple decent skills. You don't deserve the attention. That attention belongs to true talents, like my team and me."

"Narcissistic much?" Yang muttered.

"And most of all," Gra ignored that jab, "I hate how you're all being propped up as the heroes of the Vytal Festival, when neither you four, nor your headmaster deserve such treatment."

"Didn't Professor Ozpin poke a Grimm Dragon to death?" Ruby asked her teammates.

"The proper term for that thing was Wyvern, Ruby." Weiss corrected, almost instinctively.

"Focus, Weiss," Blake said before turning back to Gra, "the point is, our headmaster did a lot of work in thwarting that invasion."

"Which is more than anyone can say about you." Yang added with a glare.

"Anyway," Blake glared sharply at Yang, "I didn't even think we were being propped up as heroes."

"We were just doing our job as Huntresses." Weiss added. "As was Professor Ozpin."

Gra laughed. "And now what's so funny?" Yang asked.

"Oh cut the crap," he said, "support for Beacon and its students is at an all-time high. Politicians like Circe Ithaca are using you all as a springboard to get more funding for our academies. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, Atlas is nothing more than the bully who hamstrung Professor Ozpin's efforts."

"To be fair, you kinda were the bullies back then." Yang glared at Gra.

"The point is, you're lying to yourselves when you claim you haven't been thinking about your new celebrity status. Deep down, you love the attention."

"But we don't care." Ruby promised. "We're just happy to have done our part! If anything, we're upset we weren't able to stop Cinder and her crew before things got to that point. If we had just done things a bit better, we could've saved so many more lives!"

Gra smirked. "Why did you become a Huntress, Ruby?"

"To help people!" Ruby replied instantly.

Gra just laughed. "To help people? People will die regardless of how hard you try! The Vytal Festival should've made that clear to you."

"Do you honestly think anyone really thinks the way you do, Ruby?" Gra asked. "Do you honestly think you feel the way you do?"

"Because here's the truth: anyone who seeks this job is to some degree a narcissist. Because when you're a Huntsman, you're going to be hailed as a big, big celebrity! Fame and fortune is yours for the taking!"

"I mean, look at Pyrrha Nikos. She wasn't even attending Beacon before she landed all those fantastic sponsorship deals." Gra pointed out. "Because deep down, we all want the attention. We all want the praise. That's just how we are. This world sucks as it is, so we might as well try to get something good out of it for our own sakes."

"You called me a narcissist earlier...but that's just the thing, I'm not narcissistic." Gra obliviously claimed. "I'm just ahead of the curve."

"I mean, look at you all: the flashy brawler, the heiress, the mysterious kunoichi of a girl, and the hero-wannabe." Gra pointed out. "Seriously, your appearance and attitudes alone shows that you love the attention as much as I do. Because the more fame...the better chance you have to make your own goals a reality. Now doesn't that sound...selfish?"

Gra grinned. "We're all full of ourselves, kids. Get with the damn program!" He exclaimed.

"You didn't seriously come all this way just to tell us how pathetic you think we are, did you?" Blake demanded, while Ruby found herself reeling at Gra's statements.

"Oh no, not just that, I came by to make something perfectly clear." Gra told them.

"I'm going to break all four of you over the course of this week. I'll knock you all right back to the bottom of the pecking order where you all belong. I'm going to show my classmates that you're all nothing special, and remind them that the one they should really be keeping their eyes on is yours truly."

"Why wait, asshole?" Yang rose from her seat, eyes flashing red. "You want to try to break us? Go right ahead. But I'll break you first!"

"Yang, sit down!" Ruby firmly ordered her sister.

"Rubes?"

Ruby looked at Gra. "Listen, Gra, if you don't like us, that's fine. But we're all on the same team here." She reminded him. "Even if you're right, we're still also here because we want to make a difference. We're here at Atlas because we want to show the world that our academies are still united and focused on the same goal. So please, even if you don't like us, at least work with us."

"Ruby, come on, don't beg this asshole." Yang tried to stop her sister from going any further.

Gra scoffed. "Hate to break it to you, Ruby, but you and I are not on the same team. My goal is way too different from yours for that to happen."

From behind Ruby, a certain girl with dark-green hair that stuck up like blades of grass was walking perpendicularly behind her with a tray of food. Smirking, she made it seem like she was tripping over...frankly, her own two feet and flung her tray into the air, dumping an entire meal onto the unsuspecting leader of Team RWBY. Ruby yelped as she was covered in food. The entire cafeteria went dead silent at the sight.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Dollie Grass of Team GLDN said, clearly not meaning the apology.

"Oh wow, now that's just a pathetic sight." Gra chuckled.

Yang leapt onto the table. She knew the look on Gra's face. It was the same look Cardin had early in the school year when he was pranking Jaune. "Don't bullshit us you bastard!" She yelled. "She did that on purpose!"

A stout young man with red hair and a man of Mistralian descent with violet hair were immediately next to Gra. "Looked like Dollie tripped to me." Lutin Rouge claimed.

"Indeed," Nezha Zise added.

"Yang!" Ruby yelled, managing to stay calm in spite of being drenched with food. Weiss and Blake immediately began wiping her down with napkins as best as they could.

Ruby gave Yang her best smile. "It was an accident, accidents happen, yeah?"

"Ruby!" Yang could not believe what she was hearing.

"This is about being the adults in the room." Hansel had told them.

This is about making things between our kingdoms better. Ruby reminded herself. And if they see these four acting like bullies for no reason...that should bring the rest of the student body over to our side, right?

Gra scowled. This brat was a lot tougher to break than he had originally thought. He had hoped he could get them to throw the first punch, and his team could smack them down, put them in their place, and then claim self-defense. Especially if it was over something like one of Team GLDN 'tripping' on accident. But she was the leader, and if she said do not fight, they were not going to fight.

"Do you have any pride in yourself, idiot?" Gra demanded. "You're really just going to sit there, and let all that happen?"

"Yes, because this is bigger than me." Ruby said with a small smile. "Our professor is...pretty tough on us. But if his classes won't break me, Gra...well, you won't either."

Gra scoffed. "Wow, you really don't have any pride."

"I would actually argue she has more pride than you, you little shit." Gra froze at that chilling tone of voice.

Team GLDN turned to see Hansel Kobalt, glaring at them. "I come here to eat dinner with my students, and I find this?"

"Oh, my apologies," Gra said, trying to save face, "it's just that, my teammate Dollie tripped, and the blonde is...well, she seems convinced it was on purpose."

"That's a damn lie!" Yang yelled.

Hansel ignored Gra's explanations and walked over to Ruby. "You okay?" He asked, surprisingly gentle in his tone.

"Eh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Though, I think I can do without sloppy joes for awhile, since I'm going to smell like it for the rest of the night." Ruby tried her hand at a joke.

Hansel then turned to Gra, now wearing an even expression. Gra and his team braced themselves, wondering what the Beacon professor had planned for them. What he said next surprised them. "If you wanted to fight that badly, wouldn't it have made more sense to just challenge them properly?" He asked.

Gra frowned. He wanted to humiliate these four, not fight them. "Let me try that again." Hansel said, now glaring at them again. "I'm willing to overlook this nonsense tonight if you're willing to settle it in the ring. However, if you don't want that, and I find you're trying to bully my students again, Xiao Long's going to be the least of your worries."

"Easy there, Teach, we don't really need you to fight for us!" Yang yelled.

"Then we all shouldn't have any issues with settling this in the arena." Hansel noted.

"Wouldn't you agree, Specialist?" Everyone turned to see that Winter was in the cafeteria as well, a furious scowl was on her face from the turn this had taken.

"I do agree," Winter nodded, "If Mr. Steinn and his team want to fight that badly, they should settle things properly, not this childish behavior. Honestly, Mr. Steinn, you are a second year at Atlas, you know better."

Gra scowled at this. Winter sighed. She knew all about Team GLDN. Four immensely talented second years with egos to match it up. Every class had one team that tested the drill sergeant's patience. The ones who needed to really be educated about what made or break an army. Team GLDN was that particular team for their class.

"Well, I suppose there's just no avoiding it now." Gra conceded.

"Good, because I think I know what I'd like the rules to be."

"You don't get to decide the rules." Gra countered.

"I think we can make an exception this time." Winter cut in. "And once General Ironwood is informed, he'll agree."

Gra narrowed his eyes, wondering if Hansel was going to make rules that favored his students. However, much to his surprise, that was not the case. "The fights will be over the course of two days, four fights in total. All one on one." Hansel explained. "The usual deal, you'll fight until your Aura is depleted or you can no longer continue."

"However," Hansel looked at his students, "for Team RWBY to win, they need to win all four of their matches. You only need to win one match."

"WHAT?!" Team RWBY exclaimed in shock.

Winter was shocked too. What the hell was Hansel planning? Gra looked at Hansel in disbelief before smirking. "Fine by me, the first match will be at 10:00 AM tomorrow. The lineup will be decided by then."

Team GLDN calmly marched away from Team RWBY, Hansel, and Winter. And then they exited the cafeteria.

"Teach, what the hell?!" Yang demanded.

"Specialist, can we use the training grounds past curfew?" Hansel asked.

"...I'll tell General Ironwood to make an exception for you five." Winter promised. "I don't really know what you're planning with these rules...but I hope you know what you're doing. You're really stacking things against your students, you know."

"Come on then," Hansel ordered, "Rose, you need to get cleaned up and changed. After that, we'll be training into the night."

"Hold on, Teach! Explain things first!" Yang yelled.

"And Rose," Hansel motioned for Ruby and the others to follow him.

"What?" Ruby asked curiously.

"I only caught the tail-end, but you handled that situation very well." Hansel complimented her. "Good job. Things would've been worse if you snapped and tried to fight them right there."

"You really think I handled that the right way?" Ruby asked.

Hansel nodded. "Though honestly, I would've decked that girl for dumping food on you." He admitted. "I'm sure she sold her 'trip' as best as she could, but honestly, I think most would probably agree it was on purpose."

"Well, I didn't really know if that counted as physical assault." Ruby sheepishly admitted. "And looking back, it did seem like they were trying to provoke us. I didn't want to start a fight if that was what they really wanted."

"It is something of a gray area." Hansel admitted with a sigh. "I'm sorry, you went through all of that because I told you all not to pick fights with anyone. I should've given you a bit more freedom to stand up for yourselves than I did."

"No, it's okay." Ruby said with a smile. "We get to settle things in the ring now, the right way. If they insist on being bullies, then we'll just smack 'em around in a place where everyone's equal, right?"

Hansel smirked. "Yeah, we're in a very tense situation, so this is the best way to handle it." He said.

Weiss, Blake and Yang were still silent, shocked by the terms Hansel had forced them to fight with. "So, you think we can beat them?" Ruby asked.

"We'll see soon enough." Hansel responded. "But we're going to spend some time on the training grounds to make sure that you four are ready for the next couple of days."

"But first," Hansel pinched the bridge of his nose, "please change and shower, for the love of gods."

Ruby nodded while Zwei poked his head out of her pack and began licking up some of the food on her body.

And so, Ruby washed the sloppy joe off her body and changed into training clothes. Team RWBY made their way to the training grounds, only to see Gin Byakko standing over a defeated bunch of Atlesian soldiers, much to their shock.

"GIN?!" Team RWBY exclaimed.

"Do I want to know?" Hansel deadpanned.

"Oh hey!" Gin waved, happy to see the five people in front of him. "I was looking for you! But then I came across the training grounds, saw these Specialists training, asked if I could join...and then I ended up fighting them all."

"That...sounds normal…" Hansel muttered in a sarcastic tone of voice.

Hansel then looked at Team RWBY, thinking about his original plans to go down to Mantle. That can wait. He conceded. I need to make sure they're ready for tomorrow.

A.N: Hey, something had to occupy Team RWBY's time while Hansel's doing his little investigation. This is just as much their story, after all. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and the crazy amount of stuff we had gone through in the span of nearly 8,000 words. I'll see you all next time, and stay healthy.