I grimaced as the bullhead shook around me, causing me to press the wrong sequence of letters on my scroll. I deleted what was written before I sent a string of gibberish to my girlfriend, before shooting a scowl towards the front.

"Hey, Arun! You told us you were good at flying these things!"

"I said no such thing!" He yelled back, turning away from the controls to look at me heedless of the death stare Misa was giving him, "I said I got to the manor in one piece! I'm terrible at flying!"

"Yeah, I got that." I grumbled, giving my fellow passenger a look before returning to my scroll, trying my best to type clearly.

I was texting Ruby, or doing my best at least. I had already told her that I wasn't going to be in town for a few days, telling her that I needed to talk to her when I got back. She had seemed a bit confused and more than a little worried at that, but after reassuring her that it was nothing bad, I had managed to calm her down.

Now we were just talking about inane things to pass the time: Ruby looking forward to Hit and Run's field tests, her already missing the cookies I made for her or even the latest upgrade she thought about incorporating into her baby, simple stuff that we had always chatted about.

I was glad to see that even with the evolution of our relationship, some things had stayed the same between us. I hadn't lost my best friend and gained a girlfriend in her place, my best friend was my girlfriend now. And that was awesome.

I brought my face back to my scroll with a grin as it buzzed with another message from said girl.

So yeah, Yang beat Weiss in Combat Class and she's really not happy about it. She's been in the gym all week practicing for their rematch and Yang is teasing her about it which isn't really helping. Weiss thinks she's being a meanie.

I chuckled at that. Yang teasing you normally meant that she liked you; it was just how the blonde showed affection. For someone like Weiss though, who was likely sheltered for most of her life, I could see how it would come off as a bit rude.

Hopefully she'd get the memo or Yang would lighten up a bit. I didn't want Ruby to have to deal with more problems from her team.

Though, speaking of problems…

Is Blake still quiet as usual?

…

…

Yeah. She's better than she was at the start but she's still not really taking part in my team building activities! Do you think I'm doing something wrong?

I frowned, having a pretty good idea why the Belladonna wasn't willing to join in on these activities. According to Ruby, Weiss had mellowed out quite a bit from the first few weeks they were at Beacon, but she was still a Schnee and I just couldn't see Blake getting past that given her heritage.

I couldn't just tell Ruby that though, it wasn't my business to tell and would likely cause unnecessary friction in the team if Blake's secret was revealed before she wanted it to be. I could lead her in the right direction though.

Try talking to her, see what's bothering her. If she's more willing to talk with you now then she might be willing to tell you what's wrong. If it's someone specific that she has a problem with, then see what you can do to fix it. As her leader, it's up to you to try your best to keep things civil between your team.

There, that should at the very least lead her in the right direction. I doubted Blake would actually tell her what was wrong, but Ruby could be extremely observant when it came to those she cared about and would more than likely cotton on to the bad energy between her monochromatic teammates. Hopefully my girlfriend would be able to do something about it before something happened because of it.

I brought my eyes back to my scroll as it buzzed once more.

Do you think she'd actually tell me?

She might. And even if she doesn't, you showed some concern for her wellbeing. She'll remember that.

…I guess I could try that. Thanks Rei!

No problem Babe.

Oh dang, I need to go, class is starting soon and I don't want to get yelled at by Weiss.

Alright, I'll talk to you later then. Looking forward to being back already.

"You must really like whoever's on the other side of that scroll, huh? You're smiling really widely."

I brought my head up at the voice, grinning at the teen sitting across from me on his own bench, "That's an understatement. I was texting my girlfriend."

He smiled, green eyes squinting with the movement as he brought them down to the top-hat in his hands, "Ah, I see. Love can certainly be a wonderful thing."

I sighed wistfully, "That it can."

I put my scroll away before turning my attention to him fully. Buck was the long range support that Arun had requested, a bit younger than me and rather soft spoken, he seemed like an alright guy so far.

He had dark hair and green eyes, one of which was covered by a rather large monocle with softly glowing edges. His entire outfit seemed to be made to mimic a fancy butler of some sort, complete with tuxedo and the aforementioned top-hat.

His weapons were interesting. Well, I suppose it would be weapon, singular, as the rest seemed to be accessories. Apart from the main weapon, he had several grenades attached to his belt all seemingly the same type, as well as a bandolier of various grades of ammunition, small caliber and large, was slung across his chest.

His main weapon was impressive, and it was clear to see why Gerard had been so confident sending him along. It was a massive sniper rifle, so large that even while resting on the ground the barrel reached well above his head. There were segments in the dark metal of the barrel, indicating that it could possibly grow even larger

The scope was extremely futuristic, definitely more complex than anything I had seen outside of Ruby's blueprints for possible upgrades to Crescent Rose. According to the teen himself, it was made to interface with his monocle, allowing him to stay on target with extreme ease even in the most chaotic environments.

The sniper itself was made entirely out of black steel that looked heavy enough to dent the hull of this very ship with little difficulty. I looked at it curiously, comparing it to my own weapons and the problems that had arisen during their creation.

"Hey, so can that thing mechashift? It looks like it weighs a ton." I asked curiously.

The other teen looked surprised at my question but nodded, bringing his rifle up to sit it on his lap, "Yes, she can mechashift, though only her internal components." He pressed a small button near the trigger and my ears caught the sound of gears turning and metal shifting, yet I didn't see anything on the outside.

"The shifts allow me to switch the caliber of ammunition Justice uses depending on the situation." He explained, gesturing towards his bandolier, "Depending on the range or environment, I have a large variety of ammunition, including some dust variations. It helps to be prepared in every situation."

"Wow." I said, "You really are a specialist huh? Must be pretty dang good with that thing too if it's your only weapon."

Buck nodded, flushing lightly at my words, "It's been a while since I've missed a shot." He confessed, "I practice basically every day too at the manor's firing range. Nobody's beaten my score yet."

I nodded, "Glad he sent you, it's always good to have someone competent watching our backs." I said, before switching tracks momentarily, "So why'd you join up with our boss anyway? Money?"

Buck hesitated for a moment, "Well, it's a bit embarrassing honestly though you aren't too far off the mark. See, I originally wanted to go to Beacon to be a hunter, but I couldn't pay for tuition and my grades weren't quite good enough to qualify for a scholarship."

I blinked. I had completely forgotten that Beacon was technically a school and you had to pay to get in. Everyone I knew had managed to either get in through uncommon means or were good enough at fighting that they qualified for the gifted student scholarship. Heck, even if Ruby hadn't been found by their headmaster and got in early, I had little doubt that she would have gotten in based on her combat abilities alone, just like Yang had.

"In order to secure the funds I needed to get into the academy, I turned to more… unscrupulous methods." He admitted, "Gerard's manor was one that I often passed on my way to and from school, and so I knew that the man had money, even just in the artwork around his house. So I decided to take some of it for myself, just enough to secure my dream at least."

"Unlike you, I'm not nearly as suited for thievery as I imagined I would be." Buck sighed, resting his rifle on the floor once more, "I'm very clumsy and climbing through windows and slinking through hallways is not something I'm well suited for. I was caught almost immediately."

He brought a hand up to his cheek in remembrance, a light frown creasing his face, "Mars gave me quite the thrashing. That man is certainly serious when it comes to the protection of Lord Gerard."

I winced, imagining that mountain of a man on a warpath, "I can't imagine that was fun."

He chuckled, "No it was not. I've never been good at physical combat and Mars certainly was. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to make it out alive that night."

His face turned slightly wistful, "Gerard saved me from that fate, stopped Mars from doing me in and simply asked me to explain what I was doing there. When I was done, he gave me an offer. I could simply leave and not come back, forgetting this had ever happened, or I could work for him and be paid a generous stipend in the process."

So it was somewhat similar to the way I had been hired, though different in several key ways. I wondered if Gerard had a habit of hiring teenagers down on their luck.

"The choice was obvious of course. I agreed to enter his employ and the rest is history." Buck smiled, "Gerard showed me more compassion that night than I deserved, and though I technically didn't attain my dream of going to Beacon, I am more than happy serving under him. He did me a great service that night, and I will always be grateful for that."

I hummed. If what Buck was saying was true, he had been in Gerard's service for a few years. Maybe he could answer the question that had been bugging me.

"So since you've been around longer than I have, do you know what he's using these vials for?" I asked hopefully.

To my disappointment, Buck shook his head,, "Unfortunately I do not. I'll admit I didn't even know of their existence until the day you came along. It seems that Lord Gerard wishes to keep the knowledge close to his chest."

I sighed, "Well that sucks. I'm dying to know what my work is being out towards."

"Well Rei, you know what they say," Buck's eyes twinkled, "Curiosity killed the cat." He nodded to the ears on my head.

I let out a bark of laughter at his words, "Heh, that may be true, but satisfaction brought it back. And I've still got nine lives besides that." I joked.

"Hey kids! Buckle up, we're about to set down!" Arun called back to us, interrupting our chat, "And make sure you strap in tight! I've always had trouble with this part!"

Misa shot him an extremely dirty look at his words, before turning back to us and nodding seriously.

I locked eyes with Buck, the other teen looking just as nervous as I felt, before scrambling to strap myself in as the bullhead began to descend.

By the time I got buckled in, we were already nearing the ground and soon enough we were upon it.

Arun's 'landing' was more of a controlled crash than anything resembling an actual landing and I was pretty sure I could see dirt flying up past the windows high into the air as the ship rumbled and shook around us. I clutched my straps tightly, gritting my teeth as I bore with the incredibly rough landing.

After fad too long in my opinion, it was over. I breathed a silent sigh of relief as the shaking ceased completely as the bullhead came to a stop, resting against the ground in relative safety.

"Is everyone still alive back there!?" Arun called to us, looking back from hisnplace in the cockpit.

"Barely!" I called back, slowly unstrapping myself and rising to my feet.

"Perfect! Another great landing!" Arun said happily. Misa looked like she was about to murder the man and eventually he realized this, looking much more nervous as he was faced with the silver-haired woman's wrath, "Um, let's go ahead and get out there, yeah? I'm dying to be home again." He chuckled nervously, slowly sliding past the angry woman who kept her narrowed eyes on him all the while.

We stepped from the cool interior of the bullhead out into the open air. Immediately, a wave of heat slammed into my face, warming me quickly, and I brought a hand up to shield from the bright sun, already beginning to regret my choice of clothing.

We were in a grassy field with a rather large patch of forest nearby. The grass on the ground was yellowing from the constant heat of the sun and in the distance I could see what looked like a large rocky mountain. Vacuo territory, that explained why it was so hot.

There was a city close by, buildings slightly obscured by the heat haze, and Arun began to make his way in that direction, giving us a smile on his way, "Come on, this way. My home isn't too far away and I can tell you three don't really like this heat all too much."

That was an understatement, I had only been out here for a few seconds and already I was cooking. We followed after the man as he led us down a dirt path and soon enough, into the town proper.

We made our way through the city, wandering through the dusty streets towards Arun's home. As we walked we passed through what seemed to be a marketplace, bright fabric tents shielding the various stalls from the wind and other elements.

The scent of spices flooded the air, cooking meats visible in the backs of various stalls. My stomach growled at the smell and I hoped that Arun would be have some food to eat at his house, or at least point me towards a good place to eat around here..

People gave us curious looks as we made our way through the town, clearly realizing from our clothing that we didn't exactly belong. They recognized Arun though, and it seemed that he was pretty well liked around the area, greeted with smiles and warm hellos as the townsfolk saw him leading us. By the time we had actually reached the man's house, it seemed like the entire town had said hi to him in one way or another.

Arun's house was rather nice, or at least the outside of it was, a simple one-story home that was the same warm tan as the homes around it. An older man met us at the door, opening it with a beleaguered expression as Arun knocked loudly. His expression morphed into relief as he caught sight of the armored man.

"Oh, Arun! Thank the gods you're back!" The man said, opening the door all the way, "Your little hellion is up to mischief again! I'm about at my wits end with her!"

Arun laughed, clamping a hand down on the man's shoulder, "Oh come on Pa, she's not that bad."

The man gave a scoff as he led them inside, "Of course you say that, you raised her. Which explains why she is the way she is."

As if on cue, the tiny pitter-patter of bare feet on hardwood echoed through the house and a little girl, around six or seven, came darting out of a nearby hallway with a mischievous grin on her face. In her hand, she held a dark green snake that writhed and hissed, yet oddly enough made no attempt to bite the girl herself.

I immediately recognized Arun in the girl. She had the exact same mocha skin and the color of her eyes was a dead ringer to the man who had just made his way inside. A relative?

My theory was immediately proven right as the girl gave a loud gasp as she caught sight of the armored man, "DADDY!" She shouted with a heart melting smile, immediately dropping the reptile to the ground and running towards us as fast as her little feet could take her.

"Ahh! There's my little monster!" Arun said happily, scooping her up as she got close. Her twirled her around and I smiled at her high pitched giggles as her hair flew in every direction.

As I watched the proceedings, something rang out to my senses, coming directly from the girl. I focused on it and frowned at what I found. This little girl had an active semblance.

That was slightly distressing. Someone so young to have an active semblance was always a sad thing to see as it was very rare for anyone to activate theirs through happy means. I only hoped that it wasn't too horrible for the girl.

From what I could tell, it was some sort of manifestation semblance, one that was also currently active. A presence extended from the girl, like her soul was being stretched along a thread to another place.

I followed the thread from Hazel to the snake she had been holding, lying motionless on the floor. In front of my eyes, the color faded from the creature, blue wisps fading off of its prone form and risky slowly into the air.

Eventually nothing was left of the snake, and I followed the particles as they crossed the room, floating back towards Hazel and fading into her back as her dad held her close

"Hazel, you need to stop teasing your grandpa with those snakes. You know he's scared of them." Arun chastised his daughter lightly, "You could scare him real bad one day and hurt him."

Hazel frowned, immediately looking apologetic which I had a feeling was mostly just an act. This girl gave her father piriful look before turning to the older man.

"Sorry." She muttered quietly. The older man just scoffed.

"No you ain't. But I can't stay mad at you for the life of me anyway." He muttered. Arun laughed, bouncing his daughter lightly in his arms.

Hazel turned in Arun's grip, eyes moved over the rest of the room, apparently just now realizing that her father had guests. She glanced at me and I gave her a little wave, causing her to smile, before her gaze turned to the woman just now making her way inside.

She gave a huge gasp as she recognized her, "MISA!" Hazel practically crawled over her father's shoulder, flinging herself at the woman who held her arms out to catch her like she was expecting it.

"Hello Hazel. I see you're as rambunctious as ever, hm?" Misa smiled lightly as she easily caught the girl, holding her against her chest.

The girl shook her head, "Nuh Uh! I've been a good girl!" She insisted.

Misa raised a silver brow, "Is that so? That's not what I've been hearing. I've heard you've been downright monstrous!" She darted one hand forward, fingers dancing along Hazel's ribs as she tickled the girl mercilessly, causing peals of laughter to spill out of her mouth

Arun sighed lightly, as his daughter began to completely ignore him in favor of Misa, "Guess I'll take care of the other guests then."

He looked towards Buck and I, standing awkwardly off to the side as we watched the proceedings. He gave us a grin, motioning for us to follow him, "Come on, I'll show you two where you'll be staying while you're here."

"I hope you don't mind sharing a room. There's two beds in there but it's the only guest room I have open at the moment. Pa is taking the other one while he visits." Arun explained as he led us further deeper into the house.

I looked over at Buck who just stared back uncertainly, before shrugging, "Yeah, that's fine with me. Buck seems nice enough."

"It is fine with me as well." Buck added on, "Though Arun, I have to ask, where will Misa be staying?"

"Oh, she'll be staying with me." The man said casually. I shared a look with Buck and he immediately flushed red, no doubt having come to the same conclusion that I had. I tilted my head over towards Arun before back down the hall that we had come from. Buck's face got even redder as he nodded slowly and I grinned.

Arun was blissfully unaware of our silent conversation, "Anyway, we'll take today as is and deal with the problem in the morning." I'm dead tired and it's almost Hazel's naptime."

I gave him a confused look, "Shouldn't we be focusing on the Grimm problem?" I asked.

"The Grimm aren't going anywhere. We can rest for the night." He said as he led us to our rooms. He turned back towards us, giving a sunny smile, "And besides, you don't want to miss my homemade chili. It's to die for."

I couldn't hold back the growl of hunger coming from my stomach and licked my lips. That sounded really good right about now.

And as always, a huge thanks to my Patrons!

Next two chapters are posted there if you would like to read them early!