Back in Argus, Cordovin was still in the hospital as the two Nubuck Guards stood with their backs to the camera as she showed a displeased look on her face before looking at Emerald Arc in the lower right corner of the room.

"This was the best messenger you could find?" she asked them, clearly annoyed.

"She was the only messenger we could find." guard one answered.

"We searched the entire city for the last few days." guard two responded.

"And what did we find...?" the first one asked.

"Nothing." the second one answered. "Except for this one."

Caroline looked back at the messenger. She looked emotionless, but her eyes slowly looked around the room, examining her surroundings. Cordovin retorted, "She's not even first class!"

As she returned back to them, the first responded, "You didn't say she had to be!"

"Shall we go and fetch another one?" the second asked.

The Atlas Military operative groaned. "No. We already have her here. We might as well see if she's capable." She looked at the green haired, green eyed messenger. "Ms. Arc, I believe?"

She nodded. "That's me."

"Step forward so I can see you better." Emerald obeyed her instructions as Cordovin looked at the messenger. "So you're a second class messenger."

"That is correct, ma'am."

"And you have no weapons?"

"Nothing but my strength and my wits. And some knowledge on hand to hand combat."

The injured commander raised an eyebrow at her. "And how long have you been doing this dangerous line of work?"

"I have been an active messenger since November 26th of the previous year. Since it is now the 8th of January, that would be approximately six weeks and a day."

"Slightly over a month then. Most second class messengers are Grimm food within a week or two. Yet you've lasted longer than most..." She mused to herself. "Where exactly did you start your journey?"

"In my hometown of Olympia in Vale."

"You're quite a long way from home then."

Guard one said, "There's something I'm curious about."

Guard two asked him, "And what might that be?"

He turned to Emerald. "Why are you speaking with no emotion?"

"Are you a robot?"

"I am not a robot, gentlemen." she answered in the same emotionless voice.

"I don't believe Vale has ever had superior robotic technologies, but I will admit that her blank expression and monotonic voice do seem suspicious." Cordovin answered. "Hmm..." With her left arm, she pinched Emerald on the lower part of her right arm.

"Ow."

"She's not a robot. I could feel her skin as I pinched her. She's a human... and she's still a second class messenger..." Caroline groaned. "She's a strange one, but she'll have to do. How much are you going to charge me?"

Emerald mused to herself. "Hmm..."

I'm not traveling very far. If I can find a cheap flight directly to the city of Atlas for less than a hundred Lien, I'll make more money than I lose. All the messages to be delivered to various parts of Atlas can be done quickly. Then I'll move on to the next kingdom; Vacuo. Perhaps I'll be able to sharpen my combat skills and learn those aura techniques. On the other hand, it would be a lot cheaper and easier to take a boat. But it would take longer, and there would be more risk of a Grimm attack. It's not a long distance, then again, I can tell by her tone that she doesn't think I'm capable...

"350 Lien."

Cordovin raised an eyebrow. "Really? That little? I thought you were going to try and milk it for all it's worth."

"I can tell you have little faith in me by your expression and the statements spoken earlier. I'm trying to be courteous."

Even if I have no emotion or sympathy. the genius thought to herself.

"How are you planning on getting to Atlas city?" the injured woman asked.

"I was planning on trying to get a plane ticket to Atlas, or if that is not possible, then I would travel by ship."

She grimaced. "The waters are a lot more dangerous, even if it is a short distance. And trying to get a plane ticket could be difficult... Hmm... Do have other messages to deliver to people in Atlas?"

"I have other recipients in Atlas. Why do you ask?"

Cordovin mused to herself briefly. "Tell you what, I'll give you 200 Lien for delivering the message, and I will personally pay for your flight ticket. In return, you deliver the message to Ironwood as soon as your flight touches down."

"Deal."

"Excellent. Guards, escort this young lady to the nearest airport and get her a flight ticket to Atlas at once."

"Right away." they said in unison.

"If you would kindly follow us..." the first guard began.

"we will lead you to your destination." the second guard finished.

"Lead the way, gentlemen." Emerald stated.

And so, the Nubuck guards and Emerald Arc left the room, leaving Cordovin alone again. She stared out the window into the blue sky as the scene transitioned to...

The JNPR+Ruby campsite in the woods. As the sun started to rise over the frost and snow covered land, the day began with Jaune Arc waking his teammates up. He gently nudged their shoulder to wake each teammate, starting with Ruby. "Rise and shine, Ruby."

Upon being woken up, Ruby sat up, stretching her arms and yawning. As she sat up, Jaune went to Ren and nudged his shoulder. "Wake up, Ren."

Ren opened his eyes and stretched his arms. "Good morning Jaune."

Jaune looked at Nora, sound asleep, with a worried expression. Pyrrha came out of her tent. "So, how are you going to wake the sleeping giant?"

Almost begrudgingly, Nora got up. "No need." She got out of her sleeping bag, yawning. "I woke up at the sound of Pyrrha's voice."

"I'm not sure whether to be relieved or terrified." The valkyrie gave the knight a mean glare. "Ok, slightly terrified."

She continued giving him the mean glare, much to Pyrrha and Ruby's dismay. The green eyed warrior sighed as everyone else packed up their bags. After breakfast, the quintet was on the road again. They had been on the road for two hours, but hardly a word was spoken. Nora still had her angry face glaring at Jaune. If looks could kill, he would have several holes in his head at this point.

"Man, it's awfully quiet..." Pyrrha noted.

Nora folded her arms. "I have nothing to say to Jaune. Nothing nice anyway."

Jaune sulked, his head hanging in shame while slouching slightly. "You don't need to tell me that I messed up, Nora. At least I can realize that..."

"She hasn't spoken to him in a week." Ruby noted. "Shouldn't we do something?"

"Don't force it. These things take time." Ren responded. "Also, this is not the first time someone has betrayed Nora's trust."

Jaune straightened himself and asked, "How long does Nora hold grudges for?"

"It depends on the person, and what they did. It can be anywhere from a single day to many years..."

"Well... That's reassuring." Jaune sarcastically quipped. "So what are we going to talk about?"

"The price of tea in Mistral?"

"Ha ha."

Silence permeated for a few moments before Ruby spoke up. "You know, there is something I've been wondering about."

"And what might that be?" Pyrrha asked in response.

"What exactly happens when a team loses or even gains members?"

"Teams losing members... Well, that actually varies from one school to another. Beacon Academy believes that no one should be left behind. If a team member dies or leaves for any reason, then what they would do is they would search for other solitary students of that same year and form them into a group. For instance... let's say... that I didn't survive the Battle of Beacon, and that Ruby's teammates all disappeared. Seeing as you all started in the same year, the four of you would form a new team, like team RNJR (Ranger). Or would it be JNRR (Junior)?" Pyrrha shrugged. "Who really knows? Anyway, they do this until no more teams can be formed. Oftentimes, the remaining lone students are eligible for extra assistance, such as having accompaniments for missions. Many of the reformed groups end up being a success.

"Haven Academy has a different view. Their motto is stick together no matter what. If a team member dies or leaves, the team still sticks together for the rest of their days. This holds true even if it's reduced down to one person, but that's extremely rare. If the leader dies, however, that's another matter. Usually, leadership goes to the next person who's initial is in order. In team JNPR's case, if Jaune couldn't be leader, it would go to Nora. If neither of them could be leader, it would go to me, and none of us could lead, it would go to Ren. Or in some cases, if the team finds the leader on his/her deathbed or before he or she leaves, they might just choose who they want to lead in their absence. Some say that this system of moving on is a good thing, yet others argue against it.

"Atlas Academy is entirely different. If any one team member dies, ends up missing for a significant period of time or leaves for any reason, the entire team dissolves. They become lone students, or lone soldiers as they're referred to by Atlas Academy students and staff, and even get their own single dormitory rooms. From there, they have two choices; to remain solitary students for the rest of their days, or to join the Team Reformation Queue, where they will try to match solitary students with other solitary students in their year. However, there is no guarantee that students desiring a new team will find teammates, or that they will like the new teammates they've been assigned.

"According to statistics I've been told by various Atlas students during the tournament, because Atlas students are encouraged to stand alone if they must, only about 40% of solitary students will seek out new teammates. Of those students, 10% will never find new teammates. Fifty percent of all reformed teams dissolve within their first year to irreconcilable differences or incompatibility. Of the all reformed teams, 30% of them report being unhappy with their teammates and roughly a quarter have reported getting into major fights with their new teammates. Many argue that this system is flawed, leaves students lonely, and that it fails to keep morale. Yet some teams, such as team CRME, have managed to find good teammates and longtime friends.

"Shade Academy is probably the closest to our situation. Their motto is that no one gets left behind no matter what. Any team that loses one or more of its members is added onto another team. These groups of five to seven people are called squads. The add-ons join the team for missions, activities and other activates. Sometimes they even share the same room. Oftentimes, the group is referred to as team name plus names of other members. Or sometimes they try to come up with a custom name for the new group. Most of the time, this works fairly well. Roughly 80% of all squads are content with their extra teammates. And if they can find other add-ons to form a new team, a new team can be formed.

"All three to two man teams and lone students are able to join the Vytal Festival Tournament. They can even hire stand-ins, but it's not very common. It is possible for these incomplete teams to win, but it can and has been done. It's even rarer for a stand-alone student to win, but it has happened twice; once twenty years ago, and once more two years ago."

Ruby was silent for a moment before asking, "Who won the last tournament? The one that... wasn't crashed?"

"The last winner of the Vytal Festival Tournament was a young girl named Claire Blanche." Ren answered. "She was a lone first year student from Atlas, only thirteen years old."

"Claire Blanche? Who's she?" Jaune questioned curiously.

"She's a young yet highly skilled warrior and extremely gifted fighter. Some call her the Pyrrha Nikos of Atlas. Claire Blanche was the youngest student to enter Atlas Academy, and the youngest to be admitted to any huntsman academy at the age of twelve. She will be returning as a fourth year student fairly soon, and, assuming that she survives and graduates, will be the youngest trainee to ever graduate from a huntsman academy."

Ruby scratched her head. She knew she got into Beacon at fifteen, thanks to the headmaster's approval, but twelve? That seemed a bit too crazy to be true. "Twelve years old? How did she get in?"

"That my friends, is a story for another day. For we have finally arrived at a safe place." Ren answered, looking at the village below him. "The village of Cachée."

They all smiled upon seeing the village, even Nora. For once they were able to find a town that had not been destroyed. As they entered Cachée, they found themselves at a curved three path crossroads. The left led to a bustling marketplace, with various items ranging from meats to warm drinks, a few items of clothing such as coats and hats, to wooden carved objects to metal and/or glass works.

The right led to a residential area, with small houses including log cabins and cottages. There were a few bigger houses, more mansion like, but not very many of them. The heroes even saw a ten story building, with a tall sign in the distance reading, Comforting Inn. They were happy to find lodging so easily. This was the last major settlement in Vale. Once they left this village, they would be in the outskirts of the kingdom. And who knows what danger awaited them there?

"Alright, we should be able to find a hotel room for five there. Onward we go!"

Pyrrha asked, "Hey Jaune. You mind going to the hotel without me? I'll catch up with you in a moment."

He raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why?"

"I... I just need some time to myself."

"Alright. Just text us when you arrive at the lobby."

The four walked on without her. She roamed the village, looking for wanted posters, but there were none. There was no indication that this village was against her, but she still found herself scared. Was it paranoia? Or was it something more?

The red haired warrior thought to herself, I'm not safe, even with this cloak. It seems everyone has come to believe I'm a murderess. That's the Pyrrha they see now. Everyone believed that Pyrrha was the 'Invincible Girl', an unstoppable warrior, a girl who would become a hero. I knew that first part was not true, even if I wanted to believe it at times. And if Charles Mustard, who had the ability to uncover secrets with his semblance, never saw the truth, how could I possibly convince all the accusers that I'm innocent? That I'm not the villain they believe I am. I don't even know who I am... How can I defend Pyrrha if I don't even know who she is?

She searched most of the village, but had found nothing indicating that she was being hunted. Not in this town anyway. As she stopped to rest on a bench, the lone red-haired warrior found herself in front of a costume shop. She looked at the costumes in the window- on the right side were costumes for a dragon, a cat and a princess. On the left side were costumes for a sorceress and a witch.

I know it's way past Halloween, but maybe I can find something useful here...

The girl entered the door and looked around at the inventory- costumes as far as the eye could see, ranging from common jobs like firefighters to fighters like soldiers, animals such as the bee and the fox, and even Grimm costumes. As she walked through the store, her attention turned to a wall with many masks over it. Many of them were in assorted colors of green, purple, black, white and silver. There was one mask that stood out to her- a red masquerade mask with silver designs and blue feathers on the tips.

She took the mask and held it to her face, looking at herself in the mirror. As she stared at her own reflection, she almost didn't recognize herself. She took the mask off and looked in the mirror before putting it back on again. She did this once more before standing to herself.

If Pyrrha Nikos is labeled as a villain, which is far from the truth, and she doesn't even know who she is, then perhaps it's time for her to disappear...

The red-haired girl continued to walk around the store, picking up a few other items- a pink headband, a black purse with a long shoulder strap, black elbow length dress gloves and a red and silver bracelet. As she was shown handing the clerk some money, she took the items and went into the nearest dressing room.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Mistral, Athena sat on the bed in her tent, smiling as she read the newspaper. "I must say, this is going a lot better than expected."

Ares entered the tent. "What it is, my lady?"

"Guess what the current bounty on Maura's head is?"

She showed the newspaper to him and he took it. "No way! 500,000 Lien?!"

"That's more than double what her current bounty was prior to the destruction of Argus Harbor Prison." She made a victory gesture with her right fist. "Maura, your days are numbered!"

"So then, what's our next step?"

"The next step is simple. While we wait for Maura to be caught, it's time to prepare the squad of messengers. Once Maura is caught, trialed and executed, I will have to act quickly to secure my hold as leader of the Mistralian White Fang."

A woman with claws came rushing into the room tent, collapsing as she ran in. "Lady... Athena..."

Ares looked at her angrily, pointing a spear at her. "Who are you and what are you doing here?!"

"Calm yourself, Ares." She put her hand on his shoulder. "She's exhausted and in no shape to answer any questions."

He retracted his spear. "I suppose you have a point there."

The scene transitioned to the woman sitting in a chair to a wooden table on one side with Athena and Ares on the other. Athena asked her calmly, "Now that you've rested and been hydrated, answer me; Who are you and why are you here?"

"I am Negra." She bowed her head in respect before looking at her again. "I heard about your attack on Sanctum and have decided to pledge loyalty to the Revolutionists. Unfortunately, I have bad news to bring; Sienna Khan is here."

Athena was not pleased to hear the news, but Ares was even more angry. "What?!" Ares exclaimed. "This can't be!"

"I'm afraid so. I faced her in battle myself. I barely escaped from her wrath!"

"This is not good. If Sienna finds Maura, this could ruin everything."

"It is certainly not good, but even then, we're not out just yet." Athena remarked. "The hunt is increasing- and if Sienna Khan tries to aid her best friend, then she may very well perish with her. Or perhaps, Sienna will never even find her. Maura is still going down."

The scene switched to JNPR+Ruby minus Pyrrha. The four were in their hotel room- a spacious area with two queen sized beds, a red couch that had a mattress stored within it, a TV in front of it, and in an adjacent area to the left, a kitchenette, wooden table and chairs, and even a hanging closet across from the bathroom. The walls were a simple light shade of green and the carpet was black.

"I gotta admit, this is a really nice hotel room. And we got it for cheap!" Ruby exclaimed. "Only 110 Lien a night."

"I can't believe it either." Nora smiled as she jumped on the bed closer to the wall. She flopped back-first onto the bed. "Maybe our luck is finally changing for the better."

Ren chuckled. "Try not to jinx us."

Jaune was staring out the window. Ruby looked at the team leader with concern. "She still hasn't responded back yet, has she?"

He sighed. "She didn't really explain herself before running off. My best guess? Looking for wanted posters and tearing them down."

"Do you really think that this village wants to see her thrown into the slammer or worse, killed?"

Before he could answer, Jaune's scroll suddenly beeped. He checked it immediately. "It's from Pyrrha. She's asking us to meet her outside the hotel."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Nora asked. "Let's go!"

The group went down to the outside of the hotel. They found her with her cloak open and her hood down. Upon seeing their friend, they all looked surprised. Pyrrha still wore her red cloak, but she was no longer wearing her traditional attire. Instead, she wore the same red maxi dress that she danced with Jaune in a black purse around her right shoulder, which was parallel to her duffel bug on her right side at her waist, black elbow length gloves, and a red and silver bracelet on her left wrist. But the two things that stood out the most to them were the pink headband in her hair and the red mask on her face.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune asked. "What's with the disguise?"

"Do not call me by that name. At least, not in the public view. I'm giving up my identity."

"You're throwing away your identity? But why?" Ruby asked.

"Too many people see me as a criminal. It's hard to figure out who I am if everyone accuses me of being something that I'm not. Also, back in Sumire..." her voice began to break. "my worst fear came true." She breathed in to calm herself. "There's a price on my head. It's a small bounty, and it's not kingdom-wide... But it's still a bounty. I can't face the world like this. So I disguised myself. Besides, my identity as the so-called 'Invincible Girl' was destroyed a long time ago."

Jaune looked at her grievously. "You really think everyone, aside from us, thinks of you as a criminal?"

"I know your parents and your sisters don't see me that way, but for the most part, yes." she answered him. She turned to everyone else. "Everyone believes I'm a criminal. And if Charles Mustard, who discovered Jaune's knowledge, memories and secrets, couldn't see the truth, I don't think anyone can. It's over. Pyrrha Nikos is no more."

Somber silence reigned for a few moments, no one knowing what to say. "I understand your decision, although it is far from an easy one." Ren stated. "Nice work on assembling your outfit."

"Thanks. It feels like it's missing something. Something like... a ribbon."

"Something like this?" Ruby asked, pulling out a pink ribbon. "I found it in Sumire, and took it to honor Penny."

"Penny... The reason we're on this quest... It's... beautiful." Pyrrha said in between sobs. "It'll do perfectly."

Pyrrha took the ribbon from Ruby's hands and tied it around the pink headband after taking it off. She then made a bow with the ribbon and tied it tightly. After putting the headband back on, she put her hood up and closed her cloak.

"So, if you're not Pyrrha Nikos... Who are you?" Nora asked.

"Pyrrha Nikos has disappeared. From this day, I am now Rouge Gorlois."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's your new name?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Uh, don't you remember...?" Jaune began.

"Oh... Right... That." Ruby and Nora looked completely confused as Ren raised an eyebrow. "Rouge Arc, from whom I derived my new alias, is Jaune's eldest sister who was really horrible to him. This dress that I wear also belonged to her."

"How did you get this anyway?" Nora asked.

"She just give it to me, not really caring since she had lost the duel against Jaune."

Ren titled his head slightly. "Do you guys hear something? Like crying?"

The quintet turned to their left and against the wall, found a little girl, no more than six years old, sobbing, holding a plushie doll of Pyrrha in her arms. "Pyrrha..."

Under her cloak, 'Rouge' held her mouth open. This girl was crying over her hero. She didn't hate her.

"What do we do?" Jaune asked.

"You go ahead. I'll join you soon."

"Here's your key card. Room 214."

He handed her a key card and the remaining team members left for their room. As soon as the door to the hotel closed, the cloaked woman approached the little girl and sat down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"No..." The little girl sobbed, the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Pyrrha Nikos is gone..."

She hesitated to speak for a moment. "What happened to her?"

"She... she fell... perished in Beacon..." she answered between sobs. "She's gone... " Another sob. "Gone forever..."

Under the cloak, Pyrrha looked down. She didn't want to blow her cover, but she still needed to reassure this young girl.

What do I say to her? With the bounty on my head, I can't risk showing myself to anyone. But this girl believes her hero is gone... I can't just do nothing...

The former gladiator girl looked at the stars and asked the little girl, "Do you believe in destiny?"

She sobbed. "No. I don't even know what destiny is!"

"Well, destiny has many meanings. I've always believed it to mean a goal in life that you work towards, and the choices you make that lead you to become the person you're meant to be. And you know what I believe? I believe that Pyrrha's destiny isn't quite finished yet."

She stopped sobbed, and a sniffle was heard. "You really think so?"

"I do. I believe she's out there, somewhere. She shall return one day... to fulfill her destiny."

"Thank you." She wiped away her tears. "I'll pray... for her safe and swift return." She looked at her Pyrrha plushie and faintly smiled. "Thank you, Scarlet Lady."

"You're welcome. Keep your chin up. Things will get better with time."

The little girl stood up. "Thank you so much Mrs...?"

"Gorlois. Rouge Gorlois." she introduced herself.

"Thank you, Mrs. Gorlois. I won't give up on her."

As the little girl walked away with renewed faith in her hero, 'Rouge' looked away, guilty.

Destiny? I don't even know what that truly is. I feel like a hypocrite.

As the not so little girl gathered her thoughts, she entered the hotel lobby and walked by the counter to nearest stairway. She felt fortunate that no one could see the troubled look on her face as she ascended the stairs to her hotel room.

I hope my words can ease this poor girl. I feel bad that I can't tell her the truth. My image... The false image everyone saw, it was perfect by nature. Lies about a world that never was and never will be. They would all bow and stare in wonder. I feel horrible. How could I not tell her who I truly am? But without my mask, where will I hide? As I run and hide from those who hate me, I still fear I'm slowly marching towards the end. One day, I will have to fight Cinder and fulfill my promise to Penny. Or die trying... But that's something Pyrrha will have to face. Not Rouge.

She got to the second floor entrance and stood in front of the door. As her black gloved right hand was placed against the door, she sighed and looked down.

Pyrrha Nikos isn't real anymore, and she can't save anyone. Somehow, now... I'm everybody's fool.