I brushed against the tide of bodies as I strode through the halls. Several of the students sent me looks but I found myself completely ignoring them as I went on my way.

Earlier the headmaster sent out an announcement to the school for all the students; he apparently had a speech planned. Of course right after this an announcement for my 'therapy' was called, and I was instructed to go to the main office.

I had no issues with it, and it was certainly better than mindlessly wandering the school, but the 'therapy' excuse meant that I was in store for another mission. Considering the fact that it was only last night the break in of the CCT occurred I was under the assumption that my mission might have had something to do with it.

As I fought through the mob I started to notice that several of them were avoiding me, doing their best not to touch me. It was strange until I considered the scene last night. I was under an illusion, and as such it looked like I'd temporarily lost my sanity. Chances were that the students thought I might lose my mind again and attack them; a fair - if not insulting - stance to take towards me. If anything the lack of contact meant that I would have an easier time getting around, at the cost of any positive reputation I may have had.

As I stepped inside the tower I noticed the lack of staff, and in their places were countless soldiers looking over what was the crime scene. Despite this there was still one staff member on scene: the woman residing over the main desk. She looked to me and waved me in.

"Vermillion correct?" She asked as I nodded. "Right, the headmaster is waiting for you up top."

She motioned to the elevator and set herself back to what looked like paperwork. I strode past some of the soldiers, noticing a few of them turn to me as I walked by before returning to their work.

A call went out earlier in the morning that the CCT was off limits for repairs, so the lack of students wasn't all that surprising. What had been surprising was the fact that the call had worked. I knew the headmaster and general wanted to keep things tight lipped, but the ease in which the students bought the excuse raised a few questions. Did they really have so much faith in the headmaster, or were they all just really gullible?

In the end it didn't matter, whatever works works I guessed.

The jingle left my ears as I stepped out into the office where I was greeted by the sight of Qrow, Winter, and Clover.

"Hey pipsqueak, ready for the day?" Qrow asked as I gave a questioning glance.

"What do you mean."

"While Oz is out giving his little talk you and the rest of us are going down to Vale." He said as my confusion only grew.

"Is there any particular reason as to why?" I tried as he rolled his eyes.

"You should already know why, but just in case I guess I can give a quick explanation. Last night was a shit show, no doubt about it. We had a break in, and you drew a lot of attention onto yourself." He started as he pulled out his flask. "Thing is though, we don't know why they broke in. Jimmy and his goons searched every nook and cranny for any signs of tampering, but came up short.

Qrow took a swig as Winter looked annoyed in the background, sending a glare his way; completely ignored by the man as he looked me in the eyes.

"Nobody takes such a crazy risk like that without doing something. So it got us thinking that maybe we're just looking in the wrong place. So Oz suggested that we all head on down to Vale and see if anything's changed. If anyone had connections to the attack on the CCT then it means there must be somewhere for them to hide, somewhere close enough without drawing too much suspicion. After all, every wacko's got a base of some sort to do all their dirty deeds."

Qrow took another swig as Winter sighed and stepped forward.

"Despite being bastardized that is essentially the situation. We are to find any clues or evidence as to who could have attacked the CCT. Considering the fact than nothing physical was stolen we've come to the conclusion that something may have been tampered with. Our engineers and programmers have yet to find any signs in the system so far, but they're scanning every inch as we speak." Winter told as Clover spoke up.

"We believe they may have a place nearby where they keep their equipment; that's our target."

"So how do we find it? If it's really so important to the woman who broke in then I doubt it would be anywhere in the open." I asked as Qrow gave a smirk.

"Leave that to me."

.

.

"Let's take... that one!" Yang cried as she pointed to the mission on the screen.

"No good, that one's already taken by CRDL." Weiss said as Yang's shoulders slumped.

"All the good ones are taken, it's not fair." The blond whined as Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Then why not take one of the others?" She asked as Yang gave her a look.

"Because those other ones are boring." The girl stated as Weiss's face fell flat.

"Really?"

"Yes really! I mean come on, we're huntresses: killers of Grimm and saviors of the people. We're supposed to be having epic battles and whatnot, so please explain why 'act as fourth avenue lane's crossing guard' is a hunter mission."

"They need the extra help. See, it says right there that the current watch is in the hospital with a broken leg after being run over by a drunk driver." Weiss read aloud as Yang returned the girl's previous look.

"So what? When I get run over it'll just break the idiots car and then all the blame will be on me."

"Don't make such a fuss over it, I'm sure it won't be that bad." Weiss suggested as Ruby walked up to the board.

The gothic reaper looked over the missions for a minute before pointing one out to her teammates.

"Why not this one, it's a Grimm extermination mission. Say's here that it's to thin the herd of them around Mountain Glenn." She suggested as the others crowded around, with Yang in particular taking the chance to ruffle her sister's hair.

"Good job Rubes, looking out for big sis after all."

"But look here, it says that the mission is only acceptable for second years and above." Blake told as she pointed to the small underlined sentence at the bottom of the mission header.

"Way to kill the momentum Blake." Yang deadpanned as the girl in question shrugged.

"Sorry, but we're not qualified so we wouldn't be allowed anyway.

"Allowed what Ms. Belladonna?"

The girls turned their heads and caught sight of the headmaster walking their way. He was followed along by Ms. Goodwitch, who held the same stoic air as always.

"Hello headmaster, what brings you here?" Asked Weiss as she gave her full attention.

"Oh nothing at all Ms. Schnee, I am simple taking the time to look over the current progress of you all." He answered as he turned to Blake. "And how about you Ms. Belladonna, is your neck feeling better?

"I'm fine, the sore feeling left last night." Blake told as she rubbed at her throat.

"That is good to hear, now what seems to be the issue? You've yet to have a mission assigned to you from the looks of it."

"That's because all the good ones are taken, and this one isn't available to us yet." Yang told as she waved to the mission they had been discussing.

"Hmm... While it is true that the Mountain Glenn extermination mission is for second years and above you four have shown some remarkable progress over the past few months. Perhaps I can make some small adjustments for you." The headmaster told as Yang nearly jumped in excitement.

"Yes! Thank you!" She cheered as the man nodded and waved her back.

"Yes yes, but be warned: this is a longer and more difficult mission that the others that were posted. You'll go along with a trained huntsman, and at any point should he deem you unfit to continue you will be pulled back and the mission will be marked as failed. Note that failure will affect your grades to come, so keep that in mind." The headmaster explained as the girls gave looks of understanding.

"Loud and clear." Yang popped off as Ruby looked back to the mission.

"So when do we leave?" The young leader asked as the headmaster took a sip from his cup.

"Two hours from now you'll meet your assigned huntsman at the docks. I wish you well on your mission."

With that the headmaster took off with Goodwitch in tow.

.

.

Ruby stared longingly at the town as they drifted further and further away; doing her best to hide any sense of sorrow that may have been present.

During her initial breaking of the news to Blossom and Pebble she spent a good hour or so just holding the boy close as he sobbed away. She herself hadn't been much better as she was unable to contain her own tears. After they'd managed to control themselves again she told Pebble they could spent the last few hours together doing whatever the young boy wanted.

It was a cop out, a way to try and get the child under control, but even so she had been determined to enjoy what little time they had left. Pebble took her out for one last walk around town, choosing to show her a few of what he dubbed his 'secret' spots; most of which were just tiny holes that he liked to huddle and hide in.

Afterwards he brought her up to his room where he presented her with a puzzle. Pebble told her he got it from Blossom when she came back from shopping at one point. Considering that there were only a handful of toys in the room Ruby deduced that it was an attempt to allow the boy to experience a normal childhood; one free from strife.

And so the two had spent their remaining time on the puzzle, which didn't take more than an hour; his street skills may or may not have had a hand in the fairly speedy time.

"Look at that." Ruby commented, amazed at the picture.

The puzzle consisted of entirely square wooden pieces, and the whole piece looked to be hand painted. The picture consisted of a roaring field, and several animals looked to litter about. Yet what caught her attention was the style which gave off a feeling of soft adventure. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but just looking at it gave her a boost in energy. Not literally of course, but it was calming and put her in a better mood.

Ruby's eyes afterwards were drawn to a hand, marking over the beautiful piece with a small quill.

"Pebble?" She asked as the boy kept scribbling.

It continued for a few minutes before he stopped and turned to her. In her curiosity she looked at what he did. In the corner on a small patch of plain grass she saw what looked like three people: two women and a child, all clumped together and sitting on the grass.

"Now it's better. See? In the picture we can always stay with each other." He said, holding back a small whimper as she embraced him again.

"I know it hurts-"

"It's okay." He pushed her arms away as he looked to the floor. "I know we can't all stay together. But we'll still be friends right?"

Ruby gave him a small smile as she nodded. "Yes, I promise. We'll still be family."

"Family?" He questioned as she surprised him with another hug.

"That's right, family."

"What's on your mind there lassie?"

Ruby was broken from her memories, turning to see Alcove walking up to her.

"Nothing, just a bit of home sickness I guess you could say."

It wasn't exactly her home, but Ruby had gotten into the habit of cherishing every peaceful moment she could, and the puzzle with Pebble had awakened feelings she had thought long buried.

"Need an ear?" The older man asked as she shook her head.

"No, it's nothing to worry about. I can manage." She answered as he shook his head.

"It's no good to let your feelings bottle up inside; at some point you'll just break down and lose yourself." The old man warned as she let out a slight chuckle.

"Been there, done that."

The man let out a short laugh of his own. "I guess so huh."

Turning back to the town Ruby was able to see it shrink in the distance. She watched as the other ships flew off in the opposite direction to themselves. They were also off to the White Sea, only they looked to be taking the correct route as opposed to themselves

"Are you sure about this?" Alcove asked as she nodded.

"If what the rumors speak are true, then I'd end up having you take me there anyway." She answered as the man sighed and set his focus back out to the skies.

When Ruby first left for the ship she gave one last hug to Pebble and Blossom, leaving with misty eyes, and a soft smile. She had walked for a good half hour; taking her time and wondering if she should just wait until the next day. Ruby had shaken her head at that idea, knowing that leaving would only get harder the longer she stayed. And so she sped up, making it to the ship and waving to Alcove.

The man had returned the wave and invited her onboard, introducing her to the crew as their one passenger. Most gave her the simple smile and wave, and others gave nods and returned to their work. She got a quick tour of the deck and was about to go below when she overheard some of the crew talking.

"Are you sensible man?" One of the sailors asked as the other nodded.

"Swear it on my mother's home cooking. Grimm are swarming thicker around the sea, just below the coasts of the eastern continent. Somewhere to the southeast I believe." The second said as the first spoke brashly again.

"You mean near that lifeless island. Been there a few times myself back with another crew. Nothing there but an endless desert."

Ruby had asked Alcove about what the crew were talking about, and he filled her in with the latest news. Apparently travel to the east was limited for the time being as there were sightings of Grimm gathering to the island east of the continent. In the future that island would come to be known as Menagerie.

However in the current era, the island was known as the Sand Coffin. There was nothing to gain by going there, and everything to lose. It was treated more as a novelty than anything else, as sometimes passengers would request to be brought near it to get a glimpse of the terror it presented.

Yet the news that Grimm were gathering there put her on edge. When it came to organized movements the Grimm did nothing at random. If they were really swarming then it meant that something big was happening, and by extension she needed to stop it. Ultimately she'd need to go to the island anyway to place one of the seeds, but with a situation like this she didn't know if the event would stay exclusive to the island.

"Alright." Alcove sighed as he faced her. "You know this'll make the trip to the White Sea take even longer right?"

"I understand, but if something is going on then I can't ignore it." She argued as he gave a curious look.

"And why is that? What does Grimm gathering at some old dead island have to do with you?"

Ruby let out one last sigh and started away towards the lower deck.

"More than you could ever know."

Author's note

...

Okay okay, I know this chapter is even shorter, but I didn't exactly have a good place to stop. I want to save the next segments for the next chapters to come, and sadly that means stopping at this point.

So anyway, this chapter was more of a set up for events to come.

RWBY gets sent out to their newest mission, one I'm sure you all know well. V gets to tag along with Qrow, Winter, and Clover in a little outing to the city; it looks like the Oz Squad (name pending) are in for even more city adventures. And finally, future Ruby has made a change in course, heading down to Menagerie as opposed to Atlas.

What does this all mean? You'll just have to wait and see.

With that all said let me know your thoughts, and see you next chapter.