It was the next morning, and the Slayer was thinking of treating them before they went out. Mainly, an Argentan breakfast. Or as close to it as he could make. Remnatian food almost matched terrestrial perfectly, whereas Argentan flora/fauna was best described as mutant versions of, in many cases. But that doesn't mean that Argentan food couldn't be recreated. In fact, he had one idea in mind. He forgot the name for it, but it was essentially a hand-held omlette. Eggs were always popular as easy protein, especially with various things mixed in. And of course, bread was a unifier, and possibly one of a civilization's first prepared foods, as it happened times on Earth. And Argenta liked theirs flat, as it took less time to prepare, fewer ingredients, and left less of a mess when eaten. And thus, while they called them something else, their soldiers ate plenty of things with the help of tortillas and pitas. Risen breads were saved for feasts and special occasions.

He went to the kitchen, looking around for any equivalents. Soon enough, he found some pitas, as well as eggs. Potatoes were easy enough, along with some peppers, cheeses, and meats. All that fit within the Argenta diet. Lactose intolerance was barely a thing to them, and of course cheese was a thing. After all, Earth cheese happened by accident, so Argentan cheese had to be something else. It was also impossible for muscles like those to come from plants. And he had seen everyone enjoy meat, so that wasn't an issue.

It was almost...normal, making breakfast like this. At this rate, Samuel would run in energetically, asking what was for breakfast while holding his toy ship, flying it through the air. Catherine would come in shortly after, giving the Slayer a kiss on the cheek as she sipped her coffee, complaining about how Linda kept her up all night, and would be glad in a few months when it was time to pop her out.

But no, they wouldn't show up. They were gone, killed by Hell, and even if they had lived out their lives, nothing would remain anyway, as their bones would be dust by now. And even he couldn't bring them back, their souls consumed by Hell's gluttony. He was a killer, plain and simple. A killer with a body count that outnumbered every star, in every universe. And he wasn't good for much else. Even Dr. Richardson called him "The Destroyer," and he wasn't a creator. A fact that troubled him just enough to drop the potato he was holding into the pot of boiling water he held it over, causing some to splash onto his hand. The heat of the water snapped him back to reality, but moreso when he realized what the water hadn't done.

He looked at his hand, noticing how he was fine, even as boiling water clung to his skin. As a test, he dipped his whole hand in the pot. He could feel the heat, but he could also tell it wasn't burning him.

Just then, Daisy walks in with a yawn, getting out a mug for coffee. But then she noticed the Slayer's hand in a pot of boiling water, but before she could call out for help, the Slayer pulled his hand out, showing how he was fine. "H-how...but that's boiling water! How is it you're not hurt?" She asks.

"I guess I'm just too tough for that," he answers, and only then does he notice something. Mainly, that Daisy had come in with an oversize t-shirt, one that went down about a quarter of the thigh, with nothing on her legs. A nice look, he had to admit. Enough of a tease. He could never explain why that look was a pleasant one, and he figured if he couldn't answer at his age he never would.

Duh du-du-du-duh, DUH duh duh. Duh du-du-du-duh, DUH duh duh! He mentally sang. I really am just as invincible. And with no magical rocks to weaken me. Neither green nor red, black nor pink. He stole a glance at Daisy, preparing the coffee pot. And I have to admit, in Remnant, being hit with the pink one would suck. I feel bad for those guys who would choose that on their own. Your selection is quite limited.
Daisy came over once the pot was brewing, looking between everything he had cooking, or waiting to cook. "This from Earth?" She asks.

"Argent D'Nur actually. All stuffed into one convenient package that requires no untensils, or even a plate," he explains. "And it leaves no crumbs either. No mess to track."

"So what happened earlier? Your hand in the pot looked like it was more than just an accident," she asks, stretching as she yawns. The Slayer couldn't help but notice how her shirt rose as she did so, exposing more leg, as well as a hint of pink cotton panties underneath. It was then that he caught himself. Just moments ago, he was thinking about his old family. Now he wanted to oggle a girl who was his junior by an amount untold. Linda would've been older than her.

"Hey, you OK?" Daisy asks, worry filling her face as her ears drooped.

"Just...thinking," he answers. "Actually...the summary of what I'm thinking is actually best summed up, not by me," he continues, his neural collar linking up with the FOD's audio, and the culture archive. "Though you will have NO idea about the context. Even the name won't make sense to you."

A piano began to play a sad melody, and after a few seconds, lyrics joined in. "I can't stand to fly. I'm not that naive. I'm just out to find, the better part of me," the man in the song sang out. The Slayer joined in at "It's not easy, to be-e me." Daisy's ears perked back up as she listened. True, he was right. She didn't understand context. But she felt she didn't have to. A song about a superhero, forever separated from his home, from normality, who has to be strong for others, unable to be himself, to be human. Unable to grieve and cry.

"It's OK Bill," Daisy tells him, hugging him as tightly as she can from behind. "We're here for you." She wanted to kiss his cheek, but he was so damn tall. So she settled on kissing his back instead, nuzzling into it. It was amazing just how hard it was.

A minute later, Nixera also walked in. "And what have we here?" She asks, smirking at the sight of Daisy hugging the Slayer's back.

"Just him feeling bad about his lack of normality," Daisy answers as Nixera sniffs the air. "While cooking breakfast."

Awww, big guy need a hug?" Nix asks, joining in. "And wow, breakfast huh? Been a while since I last woke up to the smell of it cooking," she says with a smile.

"Not the easiest childhood I take it? I've heard that's all too common," the Slayer asks.

"At this rate...you guys are my family now," Nix continues, leaning against him. "I'll have to stop myself, lest I call you dad." She and Daisy both laugh a little at that.

"Or we can make it interesting and say daddy," Daisy adds with a further laugh.

"What's this? Are you all calling him daddy now?" Marion walks in, causing the other two girls to blush as they let go of him.

"He's missing his old life. Missing when he was human," Daisy tells her, pouring her a cup of coffee.

"Old life? My official doctor's diagnosis is that he's not telling the full truth," Isabelle walks in, one hand gripping something tightly. "I'm not a shrink, but I feel it's not so much WHAT he misses, but who. Found this on the floor," she says to everyone, opening her hand. All the girls crowd around her, looking at the tiny photo in her hand. It wasn't in the best condition, the top right corner torn off, the face of the person on the right gone. The left was a young woman in her 30's or so, and in front, a small little blond boy, both smiling into the camera.

Marion then walked up to the Slayer, as he was finishing breakfast, getting ready to serve. "Bill. I know you miss them. You don't even have to tell us their names. But...you found us. Without you, those two and I would still be at each other's throats," she tells him, gesturing towards Nixera and Daisy. "And given how we found her, she'd be dead," she continues, indicating Isabelle. "And Viri would be in WAY worse a condition. So to a degree...we're your family," she finishes as the Slayer passes out breakfast.

"Did...did you just smile?" Daisy asks. "It was barely there, but I caught that!" She continues as everyone begins eating.

"These are good," Nixera compliments. "I can get why a soldier on the go would love this. Protein, carbs, spices...all in one handheld package. To change topics...today. So, this is straightforward, right? We're going there, uploading your intel package, and coming back, right? What do we know about the site?"

The Slayer sits with them, and with a few waves, the breakfast table displays a holographic map of the mountainous area, the probe itself in a small valley. "Grimm sighted around the probe, but nothing we can't handle," he tells them, as miniature holographic Grimm swarm the table.

"Correction: Nothing YOU can't handle," Daisy laughs with a mouth full of food. "We're just the backup."

"Well, I'll need to interface with it, repair any damage, and I couldn't solo this," He tells them, earning a few raised eyebrows as well as some non-believing "Uh-huh's."

"Weather is good. It'll be a nice sunny day, with a few clouds. Hey, battles HAVE been won, or lost, because the weather favored one side or another," he tells them. "Ones that even I wasn't around for. Just ask a couple of guys, who each lived at different times, about invading Russia in the winter. It can't be done. And honestly...I don't think it ever can be."

"OK, so the mission is simple. But we need to talk about what we learned yesterday. It seems there's much we have no idea about," Marion points out. "Maidens? Actual magic? What do they know?"

"You've got that thing in Ozpin's computer right? You can hack in, and learn what he knows," Isabelle suggests.

"Good idea," he responds, tapping some controls. "In theory, it should be ready by the time we get back. OK, reality is it could probably be done sooner. But I don't mind waiting until we get back. There," he says as the last control is tapped. "We are now searching his computer for info on maidens and magic."

Daisy then snaps her fingers. "And that Glynda. She was actively rooting for you. We should meet her, privately."

"Oh that's right. Actually...hey, Ozpin has her Scroll number on file right?" She even goes around the table, getting in the Slayer's lap as she taps some keys. "And done. Got her number. Oh I suspect that hack device will come in VERY handy. And not just for what we have now. Now...let's send a text her way shall we?" She asks everyone, bringing up a window for everyone to see. "What do we send first?"

"How about, 'It has come to our attention you believe in out mutual friend from beyond this world. We can provide you with more information,'" Daisy suggests, and Marion types that in.

There's a short delay, before an indication of a response. "Who is this? How did you get my number? How do you even know that?" It answers. Daisy also gets on the Slayer's lap as she types back.

"We're friends of his. And we have our ways. We know you're not his enemy. And I'm sure you'd like to know more, away from your boss," Daisy types back, shifting around on the Slayer's lap to get comfortable.

"We need a place to meet her," Nix says. "Not the shop, nor here...wait, Dais, that cafe we ate lunch at once. That'd be perfect. We just need to set a time."

"If it's the one with the spicy tunafish sandwich, I know the place," Marion adds as she types the suggestion in.

Meanwhile, the Slayer was slightly distracted by the girls on his lap. As much as he didn't want to admit, they both had some fine asses, and he could feel one part of his mind get especially excited for Daisy, knowing there wasn't much cloth separating the skin. Not that Marion was lacking in her charms either. It was then that he noticed something else. A part of him waking up, long forgotten.

"OK, so, Saturday, noon," they agree on, after much back and forth with Glynda. "We have to make sure we're ready. Also, Bill?" Marion asks, turning to face him. "What in Remnant is in your pocket? I've felt something poking me for the last while."

"Yeah, what do you have in there, a cucumber?" Daisy asks, also turning to face him. "Empty your pockets, now."

The Slayer could only respond with an "Unf!" as both girls turned to face him, feeling their asses move around on him. With a silent apology to Catherine, he responds. "Ladies...that's me. I can't lie, you two are both lovely," he admits.

The girls ponder what he said, until it hit them, both of them blushing as they got off him in a hurry.

"I'm so sorry!" Both of them said together, running off to go get ready. Isabelle meanwhile came over to look.

"Hey, I'm a doctor. My interest is purely medical in nature," she justifies to the Slayer and Nix. "I will say, as a first thing? This is PROOF how much you've aged like wine. A man of your age would be needing a certain blue pill to likely even THINK about an erection, let alone actually...getting..." Isabelle trails off as she sees the bulge, shrinking. "Holy crap, where do you HIDE that thing?" Even Nixera took a small peek of morbid curiosity before blushing and running out.

"Just...go get ready," the Slayer orders, taking the old picture. His feelings were mixed. On the one hand, it was nice to see them. On the other hand...it still hurt to see them. Not only that, but he had gotten excited for girls that were his junior by unfathomable amounts. He knew he should move on. But what was the point? He would outlive anyone and everyone, and taking a girl lifetime after lifetime would get depressing. "You're lucky Supes. You're young. You won't know the pain of outliving Lois, if you DO outlive her." Shaking his head, he put the picture down, leaving the kitchen to get ready.

Not much later, everyone was dressed, armed, and assembled at the portal, coordinates already plugged in. "OK, latest intel shows the Grimm are wandering the area, which we knew. But they seem to be fighting someone. Unknown who they side with. No signs of anyone else just yet," He tells everyone, activating the portal stone. "Now get ready," He says as they head through the activated portal.

Once through, they could see Grimm massing on the valley floor, and the Slayer could spot a black haired woman in a strange mask, fighting them all. Nix blinked up to a vantage point as everyone else charged in, music blaring from the Slayer's armor. This got the attention of both the Grimm and the woman, the former charging in, eager to rip them to shreds. But the Slayer was faster, filling them with buckshot before they could swipe at him, more buckshot coming from their doctor. Marion was on crowd control, whipping Grimm away as they carved a path to the probe. Meanwhile Daisy was stealthily making her way to the strange woman, who at one point turned into a crow to fly to a better spot to fight in. But before she could alert the Slayer, she could feel the acknowledgement signal enter her mind via neural collar.

But then the woman looked at the newcomers, her eyes widening when she saw the Slayer. "You. What are YOU doing here?" She asked angrily, rushing towards him. But he knocked her out with one calculated punch.

"Didn't you say that Qrow guy could turn into a bird too?" Marion asks, heading over to the woman. "Yes. I don't know how, but he can," the Slayer answers as he heads to the probe, finding a screen. The light on his armor turned blue as he interfaced with it, inputting his command codes. "OK, there's some damage, which is to be expected. Bandwidth is limited as a result," he says as he uploads the data package to the probe. The screen displays a progress bar that fills up, and once done, the screen displays "File 'Welcome to Remnant Gift Basket' uploaded, ready to transmit. Transmit? Y/N." The Slayer mentally tapped the Y, and the probe began to upload it, the progress bar filling slowly.

"So, this damned thing will be a while," Isabelle responds as she looks over the woman, lifting her mask. Underneath, she was beginning to stir, red eyes glaring angrily at everyone as she gets up. "Ozpin said you were strong," she says, staring hard into the Slayer's visor. "Glynda is under the belief you're here to help. Cites knocking out the Schnee girl instead of killing her as proof. Doing the same makes me want to believe her," she tells him, and to the Slayer's surprise, she waves her sword behind her, a portal opening up. "Clearly I can't deal with you, but I will say this: If you're really here to help, look after my daughter. She's reckless, but I figure you can deal with that," she finishes just before she walks into the portal, closing it behind her.

"Holy shit. She has portals too?" Daisy asks, just as a fresh wave of Grimm closes in.

The Slayer didn't respond as he got to work, but it was a worrying thought. A woman who can make portals, even if he didn't know the rules. The FOD was no longer untouchable. He would have to find a way to make sure she can't come up there.

The transmission was nearly finished, when they heard a cry of agony coming through their headset, and saw Nixera falling limply into the valley, another monstrous Grimm standing behind her, claws stained with blood as it roared. Daisy immediately began rushing towards her friend. But the Slayer was faster, already holding out his hands to catch her. But the valley was wide, and her fall quick, and he knew he wouldn't be fast enough, even as he wished for her fall to slow.

But the strange part is, it did. He watched as Nixera defied gravity, actually slowing down as he eventually caught up to where she would land, landing neatly in his arms. The other girls were following suit, just as the Slayer got a message saying the transmission was complete. He then activated the remote self-destruct, not wanting anyone to get their hands on the tech, though with a countdown so the useful bits could be scavenged.

"Shit, that looks bad," Isabelle says as the Slayer lays Nixera down her stomach, not even bothering to cut her shirt open, instead just tearing it off of her. "Severe lacerations to the..." the dog doctor's jaw hangs open, as Nixera's back was revealed.

Where there should've been a human back, instead there were wings. Black, scaly wings, held tight with straps. But those wings had some gashes, and the straps holding them there were torn. "Wings," Isabelle finishes as she pulls out her kit. "I don't get it. So she's a faunus, why would she hide her..."

"Dragon," Marion says, her face widening with realization. "She's a dragon faunus! She's a Mythical! The very people you were looking for Belle, and we have one right under our noses!"

It takes Isabelle to process the information as she treated up Nixera's wings. "THAT explains why she's been avoiding checkups! She didn't want me to know," she says as she sterilizes a needle and thread, poking the needle through the skin of Nixera's wing to stitch it up.

"She will NOT be happy now," Daisy tells them. "She's been hiding this for so long," and all eyes turn towards her.

"You knew? You knew she's a dragon faunus? How?" Marion asks with a look of accusation.

"Look, we've helped each other in the past, OK? And if I'm going to be honest...I've seen all of her," Daisy responds, holding up her hands.

"Right now, all that matters is getting her to sickbay. Is she stable?" the Slayer asks Isabelle, who soon finished the last stitch.

"Pulse is still strong, lacerations didn't reach her actual back," Isabelle answers. "As something else to point out, her wings look weak and underused, so the recovery process might be challenging," she diagnoses. "Help me make a stretcher!"

The Slayer "helped" by throwing Nixera over his shoulder. "Mari, I'm uploading things to scavenge from the probe to your neural collar. After which I'll arm the self-destruct so nobody can get to it. The rest of you, we're exfiltrating. Mari we'll keep the portal open," he tells her, and everyone nods.
"What is it with you and being rough?" Isabelle asks as the return portal opens, and they go through, and towards sickbay, the Slayer laying Nix carefully on a bed. Isabelle rushed to attend to her, mentioning that she'd let him know when Nix improves, Daisy choosing to remain by her side. He left her to it, seeing Mari come out of the portal, with tech in hand, handing it to him.

"Who was that?" She asks. "And who's her daughter?"

The Slayer checks the progress of the hack, finding it complete, then begins another search. This one was nearly instant, identifying the woman they met as Raven Branwen, with an all too familiar face as her daughter.

"So it says her Semblance lets her portal to anyone she's bonded to. This is potentially problematic for us," the Slayer answers. "I won't have her portal up here if I can allow it. Do I know if she CAN? No. But trust me...I didn't get to where I am by taking chances," he tells Marion, still pondering the day's events. Sure, there was Raven. But there was also the discovery of Nixera's secret. And not only that, but her mysterious slow falling, just as he was wanting her to slow down. Maybe he WAS the cause of that. Do I have Force powers? Was just one of many thoughts, as he opened the results of the earlier search, and began to read up all about the magic of Remnant, and the Maidens.