Team RWBY's safehouse sat quietly this evening. Many of the day's events have weighed heavy on them with the sudden loss of Yang. Weiss had refused to even speak to Filia believing she was to blame for her disappearance and in truth she believed that the Schnee heiress was right. She never left the kitchen gazing out the window hoping to see Carol coming back with the blonde brawler in tow before even considering retiring for the evening. Blake had decided to follow Ms. Fortune out for dinner for a private conversation unsure of what it was about. While team JNPR did stay for a short while they did eventually leave for an early evening train back to the hideout, they had cooped themselves in under The Cat thief's request.

"This is bad." Filia's voice was meek as she tried to console herself or Samson though neither were sure who she was talking to. "If Carol doesn't find her soon there's no telling what will happen." Her hand had moved to massage her scalp causing discomfort toward both as she began to feel her hands knot her hair and yank hard to relieve stress.

"Easy kid." The bruiser muttered trying to remain strong. "You've seen her in action, it'll take more than a medici goon to cap her."

Filia sighed in annoyance as she turned the radio on tuning it to the news station. "In latest news. Former wrestler, Beowulf has declared coming out of retirement. It is unknown why he has done so but his new tournament; the New Meridian Order aptly being dubbed as NMO is scheduled for the evening of the Canopy Kingdom's Defense Fund Ball tomorrow evening. Any Skullgirl Hunter is welcomed to join the tournament to go head to head with the former Gigan stopping legend."

Filia shook her head disinterested in the news cast looking at the meal they had to put in to go bags from the Mad Man Diner. She sighed and began to clean it up throwing her left overs in the air as a tug on her back signified Samson had moved to capture it. The rest were placed in the fridge neatly and closed the door. "You're still up?" A timid voice spoke up as Filia turned her head to see Weiss standing next to the archway.

She nodded as she moved back to the table the radio still going on about sports. It was easy to tune out given it was not exactly a concern now. "I was hoping that Carol would have came back with hopefully some good news."

Weiss nodded as she sat across from her. "Listen, I know you are beating yourself over this." She paused trying to think of the best way to try ease her guilt. "You should know that you really could not have planned for this." The two weren't looking at each other as she tried to comfort each other. "It's hard to expect things to always go smooth." Weiss took in a deep breath as she looked at Filia seeing to her surprise that her hair appeared to be a mess far from her usual standard. "Truth is I know I over reacted. This is something we really couldn't have adapted to so easily. Many Hunters and Huntresses should be using to not having aura protecting them or have a semblance protect them. But for ones in training, I'm beginning to think it's a different story."

Filia looked at her confused as she readjusted herself. She reached to turn down the radio to focus more on the conversation. "I don't think I follow." She admitted still unsure of where the heiress was going with her thoughts.

"When we first arrived, all of the professional and seasoned fighters from our world felt something was off. It wasn't until Nadia attacked Yang that I started to understand the real weight of our reality." Weiss began to explain "Two of our primary tools for fighting Grimm, aura and semblance were nullified when we jumped planes." Filia's head raised realizing what she was referring to. "Simply put, fallback that help defend us ceased to be usable. For the first time." Weiss paused her face seemed to become pale in a way. "I could say that I was scared and felt powerless to over come the threat. Then of course you and anyone else from this world were largely unaffected by this shift."

Filia stopped her from continuing hugging her. "I'm so sorry."

Weiss froze up shocked. "Sorry? For what?"

Filia leaned back after the embrace tears slowly forming in her eyes. "This was caused because of me. If I didn't choose to hide in that stupid room this could have been avoided, all of it."

Weiss sighed looking at her. "Filia calm down." She began to stand up looking out at the distant skyline. "You chose to hide. You found an abandoned project and that is that. Nothing can be done now." She began to smirk a little a she looked at her again. "In truth, I imagine if our stories were reversed, we would be in the same spot but opposite roles. If it wasn't for that parasite friend of yours, I think you probably wouldn't have made it to Beacon."

"Don't push it Frostbite." Samson grumbled "Kid may be a pushover but she's tougher than she looks."

"Samson!" Filia growled looking directly at her bangs. Weiss' smile returned to her face amused at the two's bickering. The rather calming atmosphere however was cut short when Samson's laugh quickly turned to a hostile growl. Both Filia and Weiss sensed the unknown threat close by as the two quickly took a defensive position hiding behind the kitchen counter waiting for what was lurking outside.

"Weiss?" Ruby's voice echoed from behind the two as she slowly moved to the kitchen. "What's going-" Her thought was cut short when a can came crashing through the window just past the arch way. Ruby took a glance at the can for a second before her eyes widened. Despite not being from Canopy she saw several distinct features in the device. It was full of holes already with a smaller can in the middle. The big feature for her however was the blue ring that circled the can. "Stun Grenade!" she yelled ducking for cover. Weiss and Filia looked at each other as the can exploded blinding and deafening the two of them.

Ruby poked her head out her ears still ringing from the blast. Filia and Weiss were down for the time being. Crescent Rose was back in her room meaning there was no time to go get it. She looked cautiously at the door as it burst open. Several men in olive drab uniforms stormed the building brandishing what looked to be a form sub machine gun. Two of them approached the unconscious girls checking their pulse. One of them turned noticing Ruby.

"Hey we missed one!" He shouted getting up. Ruby stood back from the couch. The figure approached and attempted to grab her. In a last-ditch attempt Ruby jumped onto his back and ran down the hallway. Kicking open the door in her haste and brandishing Crescent Rose.

"She went that way mam. We lack intel on what's down there. We'll send troops that way immediately." A new voice spoke up clearly reporting on their progress.

Ruby's mind began to fill with a form of sorrow or rage for being the team leader but having failed them as the leader. She lost Yang, but she was not going to lose the rest of the team if she had to go down fighting in the matter. She stepped out of the room into the hallway seeing a small battalion of troops surrounding a gray-haired individual. He looked unamused at her before sighing. "Figured she was armed." He muttered to himself before resuming his normal posture. "Attention individual, we are aware that you have no intention of disarming yourself. So, my leader has decided that she will challenge you personally to one on one combat outside on the street."

Ruby glared at the man looking to see the troops now only armed with riot shields leading to the door. "Filia and Weiss?" She asked looking to the messenger.

"The two girls? Outside still recovering from the entry tactic." A quick response and superficial. Her Uncle warned her of these types but in this situation what choice did she have. She stepped out onto the street seeing several police barricade had been set up. No news people however it appeared that this may be off the records. Memories of Filia dreading the Medici crime family had began to surface as she stepped foot into the circle that they had created. On the other side of the arena stood a red-haired woman shorter than Goodwitch by a few inches standing there with an umbrella in hand. To her side she saw both her teammates sitting in chairs it appeared that Filia was still blinded by the light, but Weiss was glaring at her with anger.

"I do not wish to harm you but resist and you will leave me no choice." She spoke up finally as Guard covered Ruby's possible escape plan.

"Who do you think you are?" Weiss yelled up catching the woman's attention "The nerve of you barging in without proper cause."

"I'm Guessing Princess Parasoul Renoir of the Canopy Kingdom." Filia spoke up again her eyes were still incredibly dilatated possibly for looking at it when it went off Samson must have clogged her ears to minimize the loud bang. "I can't see but I've squared off against her once or twice so her voice is very familiar."

"As is yours Filia." Parasoul confirmed her thoughts looking at Ruby still waiting to see her answer. "I only have a few questions I wish to ask. Then I'll leave you be."

She froze quietly still untrusting of the individual promise. "Answer mine first." she demanded. Parasoul's eyebrow raised though with all the lights around them she could not tell. "Why did you do this?"

Parasoul nodded thinking on the answer. "The last time I encountered Filia she tried to evade capture when we believed she had information regarding the Skullgirl. In truth the paperwork that we had on her was misfiled and I never rechecked our information."

"That explains why my Parasite registry papers were considered missing." Filia muttered to herself just out of Weiss' hearing range. "Seventy-five dollars wasted." She probably would be kicking herself if it wasn't for the manacles.

"We where not sure if Filia would try to flee again still believing to be wanted from the law. So, precautions had to be made." Parasoul concluded looking at Ruby waiting to see how satisfied her answer gave. Her answer came when the massive scythe shifted from its current state into a more carriable design. Sighing with relief she walked over and helped Filia up from the ground and motioned for Weiss to follow. "care to do this away from the cold miss..." She paused her sentence realizing she did not know her name.

"Ruby Rose your majesty." She informed her looking at Filia guiding her to the front. It looked as though some of her sight had returned to her though it seemed to be a blurred after image mostly.

"Please, I don't enjoy that title much." Parasoul contested as they entered the house. She stopped to talk to her second in command. "Adam see to it that the door and window are prepared." Adam saluted and moved on to conclude her interview with the world jumpers.

The three sat at the dinning room table as a soldier from Parasoul's force brought over a few glasses of coffee. "If I may begin, I would like to run down my current knowledge of the events that have transpired." Her tone still to the point. Ruby was nervous looking at her two friends. The two decided to nod and let her present her current understanding of the story so far. "Several months ago, Filia, last name unknown had accidently stumbled upon an abandoned Lab Zero project, Project: Stage Left. You now have returned several additional members as ballast from this new world with a Headmaster Ozpin in hopes of bolstering relations between the Kingdom of Canopy and the Kingdoms of their world." The three nodded as she closed her eyes to think. "Not exactly a through and narrow plan. Filia speaking as an outsider of their world what can you say about it?"

Filia still blinded rubbed her eyes again before looking at Parasoul's general direction. "It's strange. In a way their struggles are much like ours though I somewhat think we got the better end of the stick in that comparison."

"And how is that?" Parasoul asked still watching the other two.

"Their world is infested with what they call Grimm. Real nasty looking things Twisted variation of normal creatures we have. I did not see that many though. A good portion of the time I was trying to hide Samson from the school." Parasoul looked at Filia confused at her answer before coming to her own conclusion and nodding.

"Now as for you two." Parasoul glanced at them more curiously. "What have been your thoughts on having an individual of a different world?"

Weiss looked at Filia who was still clearly nervous though it seemed most her vision had now returned despite the continual blinking. "Filia was strange." She admitted "She was omitted from combat practice, lacked basic world knowledge, and was way to comfortable diving into a dumpster than even our leader is." Her mind looked back at the unofficial fifth member. "However, I could easily say she is surprisingly adept."

"When she introduced me to Samson, I was kind of scared." Ruby spoke up looking at the equally if not more blind parasite still latched to Filia's head. "But I think the way they fight is totally awesome." Parasoul went to acknowledge the response when Ruby stood up. "I mean, in her fights she just uses her own limbs like Ren and begin kicking until suddenly surprise her hair is suddenly a serrated bat." Mimicking the motions as her excitement began to hasten her speech. Filia stood up and started to calm down the over exited leader.

"Excuse her." Weiss interjected "She can be, energetic when talking about weapons as I've learned."

"It's fine." Parasoul spoke watching her disappointment struck her. "I have a sister that is very much like her at home."

Weiss interests peaked when she brought it up. "If you are willing to. I know I have little to boost your confidence but Ozpin where we are from is very respected in most circles on Remnant. He may not seem like it, but I trust him in most of his judgements." Ruby could be heard getting retrained by Samson in the other room it seemed she had generated too much energy and had became intoxicated on the tension. "Jury is still out on her." She quickly commented watching the two shadows tangle themselves on the walls in the other room.

"I see." Parasoul stood up. "Thank you for this meeting. I'll admit Ozpin sounded like a loon when I met him earlier but seeing all this, I believe his story is true." She confirmed her opinions before handing her a card. "Is there anything else I should know about?"

"The second team JNPR is also here being chaperoned by a Nadia Fortune." Weiss added onto the closing thoughts. the statement seemed to not surprise the leader of the country. "A team mate of ours has also gone missing recently" she added on this seem to catch the ruler's attention more than the previous statement. "We have a friend looking for her now, but we have not heard from her since this afternoon." To her surprise Parasoul dropped back her seat eyes turned colder than Winter's steeled gaze that Weiss had stared down only once in her life.

"Tell me everything." Parasoul demanded.

"Filia had tried to introduce us to how fighting is done here when we noticed our hardest hitter was missing. We thought at first that she probably took a wrong turn but the more we searched for her the more we began to realize that it was an abduction." Weiss explained as she looked at the now surprisingly scary individual. "I, we don't know what had happened. One minute she was there the next we chased the sounds of a struggle all that was left were surgical supplies."

Parasoul stood up immediately "ADAM!" She bellowed summoning her second in command. "I think this disappearance co-aligns with the police report earlier today."

"The intruder at her house?" he asked seeing confirmation. "Wasn't an ASGL operative with him though?"

Ruby listening in poked her hand up. "That may have been the general that came with Ozpin." She blurted out gathering everyone's attention. "He seems to feel sorry for the way Carol looks."

"Carol." Parasoul reaffirmed looking at her. "As in Painwheel Carol?" Ruby nodded resulting in the military woman's face to drain of color slightly. "New plan Adam get a van to ASGL HQ. The rest, come with me."

Filia looked concern seeing the unit mobilizing incredibly fast. "What's wrong?"

"Brain Drain is wanted for his malpractice and illegal experiments that have created freaks far worse than the Avery Unit of ASGL. After my own meeting with their grotesque creation I vowed to find him." Parasoul started to explain as she turned away. "But if my hunch is correct, his monster is going home."

Three ruddy years of working on this project. Granted this last year this account has been considerably abandoned. Hopefully once the summer of this year hits I can return to a more consistent schedule like when I first started as well as add a few new projects in the mix. Thanks for sticking out on this little project of mine and hope you've enjoyed it so far. Oh, and of course, enjoy the upcoming year.