Author's Notes: I considered having Jaune retelling the story of the Breach but, honestly it would just result in a chapter of him repeating stuff that you would already know so I decided to spare you that and move the plot forward instead.
Jaune had Tock's full undivided attention as he recounted the events leading up to The Breach starting from the Dust Robbery that Ruby had foiled and worked his way towards the present, he even included the meeting he and his team had with RWBY afterward. However, there were holes in his story partly because he wasn't there for many of those moments and had to rely on RWBY to know what happened. However the second and far bigger reason was that he did not trust her, he found her attractive and wanted to get to know her better but didn't fully trust her even before this shitstorm of a "Date" and who could blame him? His bride was an acquaintance at best so he purposely left out certain key details like the names and physical appearances of his friends and especially the identity of his "silver-eyed," friend and to Tock's credit, she didn't ask for that information. Instead, she just listened carefully to the story asking questions whenever she was having trouble understanding his timeline of events and making careful note of every detail that stood out to her as odd, choosing instead to wait till the end before asking any major questions.
"And well after that, everyone just went on doing what we could do to try and prepare. Though without knowing who we're actually up against or what they want, there really isn't anything more we can do expect just… search," He reached for another can of beer and drank it down before sitting back down of the sofa, "That about sums things up on my end but, maybe you have had an easier time digging up the information being the bounty hunter that you claim to be."
Now it was her turn to reach out and grab another can from their rapidly depleting supply, "Truth be told, we haven't bin huvin th' best o' luck tracking down our old gaffer. Th' thing is they contacted us thro' an agent which itself isnae odd, private bounties ur pretty much illegal anyways, except in Vacuo bit they guys hae ne'er bin oan th' identical page as a' body else. Now whit wis odd wis th' agent didnae know anythin' bout th' guy either, which almost always spells trouble. We wur about tae jus reject th' contract when th' guy offering th' bounty went 'n' gave us a ca' himself, which is something th' ne'er happens ever. Either way, he said his name wis Hazel however, that wis likely just a fake name, tis standard in this kind o' business. "
"Makes sense… So what did he say that convinced you?"
"He asked us nae tae murdurr her, cut oot her eyes sure. Bit he made it clear that she didnae deserve tae die 'n' he emphasized that sae much that it made us curious sae curious that... We accepted th' jab though we hud no intention o' actually daein' th' deed. We just wanted tae see whit wis going oan sae we tracked her down 'n' lik' ah said earlier she wis fightin' a giant nevermore when she git cocky 'n' made a rookie mistake 'n' th' bird saw tis chance 'n' lunged at her. Then we saw a light just pouring out fae her eyes, it covered th' entire field 'n' even caught us up in it, bit only th' Grimm wis hurt 'n' well if that trick wis real then maybe some o' th' other hings he said bout her wur real as well," she confessed.
"And after the Breach?" Jaune asked.
"Well, we coudnae just lea, nae without getting some compensation."
The way she spoke that the last word sent a shiver up Jaune's spine, Thank god it's not me she's after… though it does kinda sound hot. He tried his best not to imagine being chased around by her but the idea had already taken hold as his mind started to think about what would happen after she caught him… Down boy! I said down!
Thankfully Tock didn't notice his reaction or erection and just kept talking, "Sae we found some informants 'n' asked around fur a bit of information oan th' guy bit thay had absolutely nothing. Now that set aff some real dire warning bells in our heads 'n' ferr frankly if ye hud bin anythin' less than a huntsman-in-training we'd dane given up." She saw the look of confusion on his face and knew the question that would be coming and decided to answer it before he could ask, "We figured that ye might hae known something or knew someone who wid hae known, academy students ur often surprisingly well connected. Add tae that th' fact th' even a first-year huntsman-in-training is aye a deadly force 'n' if ye murdurr yin or even just wound one then well done, ye just brought th' whole school down oan yer head, efter that ye'r only options ur tae surrender or go intae hiding, also…,"
"Also? Also what?" he demanded.
She hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and taking what she knew would be a disastrous plunge, "Ah just liked... hingin out wi' ye," she admitted, This is th' truth, please believe me! For what felt like an eternity he just sat there in complete silence while looking right at her. She tried to discern his thoughts by reading the expression on his face but it was a very complicated one. On the surface, there was nothing of surprise and disbelief but just beneath it, there was something else stirring. It started as an odd look in his eyes but it soon spread like wildfire and before long there could be no doubt what it was: Angry indignation and it was fully directed at her.
"Did you actually think, I'd fall for such blatant Bullshit!? Especially after you just confessed that you were using me, or did I somehow misunderstood the part about Academy students being well connected?" He just sat there glaring at her, silently accusing and condemning her, and then he got up to leave.
Until she grabbed his arm and returned the glare, "'N' whit about ye? huh? Or dae ye expect me tae think that ye weren't an' a' usin` me tae have a go 'n' learn about wat's bin going oan? Dinnae even try 'n' deny it! cause ah knew, 'n' ye know whit! hud a'd known something ah would've tell ye in a heartbeat! Can ye guess how come?"
"Enlighten me."
"Because of th' idea that ah wis somehow responsible! th' thought that mah friends Mason, Turley, 'n' Cecco might hae hud a hand in this act o' terrorism sickens me, sickens us! Whit's sae hard tae understand about that! Or dae ye think that ye 'n' yer pals ur th' only ones going around 'n' risking thair bides fur others? Well, guess whit laddie! Ye wur right th' date wis a trap bit ye were nae th' bait, ah wis! That's how come ah wis showing mah face in th' open, how come ah wanted tae catch up wi` ye someplace crowded 'n' how come mah crew wis peepin'! In case someone started tae follow me! Dae ye git it?! Th' target wis suppose tae be me 'n' me alone!" She was angry but at who… even she didn't know.
"Then why was I followed instead of you!?" Jaune shot back.
"Howfur aboot ye ask yer freinds wha wur th' ones wha actaully respsible fur ye getting dragged intae this mess!" The moment the words left her mouth she wished she could take them back, words but before she could even from the beginning of an apology she saw the look on Jaune's face and nearly all her regret was replaced by confusion. Instead of righteous fury that most would rightfully expect, she saw was a man on the verge of an epiphany, Whit's wrong wi' him? he shuid be furious at me fur whit ah said about his friend, wait… he said something earlier about one o' his mates... and then she remembered and everything made sense, Silver Eyes, yin o' his mates haes Silver Eyes! She looked back at him and saw a look of absolute horror written right on his face and she didn't need a mirror to know that she was wearing the same look, Th' Breach wasn't th' main attack! 'twas an attempt tae reveal who th' Silver Clocked Warrior o' Vale wis! Whoever is behind this is going efter a' body wi' silver eyes!
"I need to warn Ruby!" Jaune shouted.
"You'll need tae warn yer friend!" Tock shouted at the same time.
Under different circumstances, this coincidence would have illicit surprise and laughter from the two but now it went completely unnoticed as the pair reached for their scrolls. Jaune now free from Tock's grip was calling Ruby while nervously pacing around the room around, "Pick up the scroll, someone please pick up the scroll…" he whispered over and over urging Ruby or really anyone to answer as the worry began to gnaw away at his mind. At the same time, Tock typed out a group message to her crew informing them of what she had learned and prepared herself to answer the deluge of questions they would have for her.
Yang Xiao Long was sitting quietly inside of her dorm room while studying not for a test but, rather, to get ahead of some of her classes. To anyone that didn't really know the Brawler, her choice of activity would have come off as a surprise, the ones who did have the pleasure of knowing her knew that in actuality Yang, despite her reputation as a party girl, was an incredibly hard worker with a strong sense of responsibility. The privileged handful who knew her the best was aware that her reputation was a carefully manufactured lie that she made for the sake of her little sister, the party girl persona was fake, a mask that she had carefully crafted over many years and while. Sure Yang liked to have fun and hang out with her friends but that was something that applied to every single person in the world the difference was to the extent that some people took and prioritized it and that extent was where the lie could be found and Yang lied for the sake of her precious little sister Ruby. When their mother Summer Rose died, Yang took on responsibilities that should have never been hers to make sure that Ruby would get to grow up with someone who would tuck her in the night, bake her sweets, comfort her, teach her, and love her unconditionally. In short, Yang made herself into a mother, the "Party Girl," existed just to keep her sister from ever blaming herself for taking so much of Yang's time. For her little sister, Yang was willing to do anything.
The sound of a ringing scroll caught her attention and she pulled away from her notes in order to search the room for the source, My scroll is on vibrate so someone must've accidentally left their's behind, better find it just in case it's important. Ah! There you are! It was Ruby's scroll that had been left behind on her bed, If I remember correctly she left the scroll here because she was going to the forge, something about not wanting to be distracted. I'll just let it go to voicemail... though I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see who's trying to call her. She reached out and grabbed the device and was surprised to see that the caller was ID'd as "Vomit Boy." Who is this guy and why would Ruby have him listed with something like... Oh, wait for it Jaune! Oh, that is funny! And it would be even funnier if he had her listed as Crater Face! Wait a minute, wasn't he supposed to be on a date? Did something happen? Better answer and find out.
"Hey, Vomit Boy! How's the date?"
"Yang!? Where's Ru- actually no, It's better that you answered," his voice was quivering in a way that she instantly recognized as a mix of both fear and relief, something had gone wrong.
"Jaune what's-"
"Please just listen to me for now!" he cut her off in a manner that only confirmed that something was wrong and Yang began to fear the worst, "I think I know what the people behind both the Docks and the Breach are actually after, Silver Eyes! For some reason, they are after people with Silver Colored eyes!"
Yang felt all the blood in her veins turn ice cold, Summer had Silver Eyes too and she's dead… and neither dad nor Qrow ever really told us how it happened, "What do you mean Targeted? Jaune What do you mean!?"
"I mean exactly what I said! For some reason the ones behind the attacks seem to be targeting anyone with Silver colored eyes, I know it sounds insane but it's the only lead I have!"
"Why? Why are they targeting Ruby? Why are Silver Eyes such a big deal!?"
"I don't know! I don't know what they are trying to pull off but what I do know is that they seem to think that having Silver Eyes gives you the ability to destroy the Grimm with just a look but, why would that warrant killing them? It doesn't make a lick of sense! Just do what you think you have to do, I'll try and find out what I can," with that Jaune hung up.
Yang had to fight the urge to run down to the Forge just to check if her little sister was okay, Calm down, she's with Penny and we're in Beacon, she's perfectly safe for now. What I need right now is information. Setting Ruby's scroll down, she reached into her pocket, pulled out her own scroll, and dialed Uncle Qrow's number, He works closely with Ozpin so if there is anyone who knows what's going on it's him.
"We're sorry but the number you have dialed cannot be reached at this moment."
Yang hung up and mentally cursed herself, I forgot he was on a mission… I could call dad, he used to work just as closely with Ozpin before he retired and became a teacher at Signal, She dialed his number and waited for a response that soon came.
"Hey, how's my Little Dragon! Is everything okay?" under any other circumstances just hearing his ever-cheerful voice would have brightened up her day.
"Dad, what do you know about Silver Eyes?" The silence that followed told Yang enough, Dad knows something.
"Yang... why would you ask me that?"
"Because someone might be going after Ruby because of her eyes," she answered bluntly.
There was another moment of silence on the other side of the line and then suddenly there was the sound of something breaking and she if she focused she could make out her father shouting a line of furious obscenities and directed at various names some which she recognized and other which she was hearing for the first time in her life. Had she been in a normal state of mind she would be shocked by his behavior but now all she cared about was results and… there was something comforting about the idea that there were people even angrier than her. Eventually, his rage subsided just a little and he turned his attention back to his daughter, "Yang is there anyone else in the room with you?"
"No, there isn't."
"Good, listen carefully there are many things in this world that have to remain a secret for the sake of everyone living in it, do you understand?"
"Right now I don't care about everyone else! What I care about right now is stopping my sister from ending up like Mom!" she shouted at him not really considering the weight of what she just said. There was a pause and she could almost feel the internal struggle that her dad was having with himself though about what? She didn't know nor did she really care.
Eventually, she heard him breathe a sigh of resignation, "You're right, you're completely right. Yang, there is a lot that I can't tell you right now, but what I can I will and when I'm done I'm coming straight to Beacon, we're going to protect Ruby together understand?"
"Just get here as soon as possible."
"In the meantime go to Ozpin and tell him what you know, he'll try and deflect but you have to keep pushing him. Don't let him walk away and don't waste time trying to get any direct answers from him, I'll tell you and Ruby everything when I get there, understood?"
Sitting on the couch together both Jaune and Tock wondered to themselves the same question, Where do we go from here? Neither had any answer worth sharing so they did the only thing that they could both agree on and finished off the beer that remained. Physically they were fine but mentally and emotionally they were running on fumes. What should have been a day of fun and relaxation instead morphed into an awful mess of suspicion bordering on flat out paranoia with a side of anger, regret, and finally confusion, in short Jaune and Tock were both done with what was officially the most exhausting day of their lives,
"Fuck today," Jaune finally spat out, "I just wanted to have some fun! I wanted to relax with you and get to know you better! But instead, we got all this Fucking Cloak and Dagger shit, couldn't it have waited till after we were done?" He wasn't wasted but it was clear that the alcohol and his ruined mood were loosening his tongue.
"Ah, kin gree wi' that sentiment, ah hud th'day a' planned out 'n' then that fucking' blond bastard showed up, ah swear if ah ever see his face again ah will break it! '' Tock angrily replied.
"Sorry about that… please don't break my face."
"Nae ye Jaune! ah wis talking about th' dick in th' suite follaein ye, he's th' bastard a'm wanting' tae batter!"
"What were you planning to do with me?"
"Ah, wis going tae fuck you," she stated with such straightforwardness that Jaune nearly choked on his spit. Then only a few seconds later did it dawn on her own words what she just said, Did ah just say that? damn, a'm letting th' booze git tae me. "Whit ah meant wis, ah wis going tae milk ye fur info then milk ye dry!" Goddamnit, how come did ah hae tae be a horny blootert?
"Tock, look I appreciate what you're trying to do but right now I… I just can't, I cannot deal with this shit. I just want to…"
"Break something?" Tock suggested.
"Yes! Exactly! I want to break something!"
"Then let's go tae th' Pit 'n' hae an angry spar, that wey we kin rough ilk other up."
"Can't, I don't have my weapon on me."
"Whit! ye didnae bring a backup weapon!? Or dae ye simply nae have one?" she asked, genuinely curious and even a little concerned for his safety.
"Until my Hook is finished, all I have is my sword, and either way, why does it matter? I have been doing just fine so far!" Tock responded to his claim by pulling out a pistol and pointing right at him.
Many at that moment would have froze however, Huntsmen do not freeze and even in his slightly drunken state he still had the good sense to immediately move away from her. To the untainted eye, it would look as if he was just trying to put some distance between himself and the crocodile Faunus and he was, at first but more importantly, he was considering his options. The room is most likely soundproof so I can't call for help, there is an intercom on the wall by the door but I'll get shot if I try and go for it now. I have my aura so I won't be in danger so maybe I can go for the gun! Perhaps it was the alcohol that was calling the shots right now or perhaps all those lessons were finally starting to sink in, either way, they didn't matter as Jaune shifted his body slowly moving in a position to launch himself at Tock who noticed right away what he was trying to do.
She watched him for a few seconds taking note of how he never took his eyes off of her hand and how he was winding himself up for a strike, Th' guy planning oan rush me th' moment ah tak' th' shot, a stupid plan if he didnae hae aura. Though ah wonder howfur did he plan or does he think he kin outwrestle me? She then put the gun away, "Crakin' reactions, ah especially love howfur ye going just shoot yersel' at me lik' a cannonball. Bit tell me, love, howfur wid ye hae handled me wance we were locked in close quarters combat? or maybe ye wanted me tae overpower ye?" She spoke while licking her lips to let him know exactly what kind of close-quarters combat was on her mind.
"This is some kind of Joke to you!?" he angrily demanded.
That was not the reaction she expected as it finally hit her just how badly she misread the situation, "Jaune, a'm sorry. Ah just wanted tae prove a point 'n' whin ah saw howfur ye reacted, a'm sorry ah took it tae far."
"Let me see your scroll," he demanded while carefully sitting himself down.
"How come dae yi''ll need tae see mah scroll?"
"When I was calling my friend I saw that you were texting someone else. If you want me to believe that you can be trusted, then let me see the message," his tone made it very clear that he wouldn't be budging on this, and to his surprise, she just gave the scroll to him already unlocked. This could just be a trick to lower my guard, With that thought, Jaune got up and walked out of the room leaving Tock all alone.
"Well this is th' shittiest date a've ever bin on…fuck that blond bastard, he goosed everything," she grumbled to herself.
Maria Calavera walked up to Qrow and began unraveling all the bandages covering her eyes until he could see what lies beneath and he saw nothing, just empty cavities where there should have been two Silver Colored eyes. To make matters worse there was a long cut starting on one side of her head and stretching across the face, right through the empty eye sockets.
"Wh- what happened!" he stuttered out.
"What happened is what my father was afraid was going to happen to either me or himself," she spat out.
"Himself?"
"My father also had Silver Eyes you idiot!" she sat down next to Qrow and pointed at a fresh set of bandages that were lying next to him. He got the message and handed the new bandages to her while she gave him the old ones to throw away, which he did and once he was done, she continued, "My father may the Bothers rest his soul, had silver-colored eyes and taught me how to use mine. I never forgot how he once told me that when he was younger he attempted to learn about his eyes and what he found scared him."
"What did he find?"
"Not a damn thing and I think you know why."
She was right, he did know why. But what was he supposed to do? Just tell her that the war between all living things and the Grimm wasn't just a fancy metaphor or a cheap way for sleazy politicians to drum up some quick support, that it was an actual war with an enemy who was winning? Think Qrow! Come on there has got to be an answer, something you can say that will satisfy her! He racked his brain trying to find an answer, numerous possible scenarios played through his head and every single one ended poorly. So caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice that Maria had gotten up from her seat and was making her way towards the door.
Then the cold air hit him snapping him out of his thoughts, he scanned the room looking for where she could have gone and found her still there by the now open door angrily looking right at him despite her lack of eyes, "If you are not going to give me any answers then we have nothing to talk about, leave," she demanded.
"Look, Maria, I understand that you have questions but-,"
"What you need to understand Qrow is that I'm not going back out there until I get some FUCKING ANSWERS! So either you give them to me or the only thing you'll be taking back to Ozpin is my letter of resignation and a black eye! Do you understand me?"
"Fine, you win… but I need you to close the door and get close to me. What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room," Qrow dejectedly answered, Sorry Oz, but there doesn't seem to be another way.
She slowly closed the door and made her way over to his side and like he asked, got close, real close. Under different circumstances, this would have been the fulfillment of an old dream of a younger Qrow going back to when he was just a dopey teenager with a crush on a Silver Eyed girl with a scythe and yet he wasn't a boy anymore and her silver eyes were stolen from her. "The Grimm have a Queen and her name is Salem, she's the one who wanted your eyes cut out. That's why you need to come back with me to Beacon, to Ozpin so we can try and put a stop to whatever she's planning to do in Vale. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
Qrow watched as Maria slowly got right back and positioned herself right in front of him, he saw the scowl on her face, the way her fist was shaking with anger, and now it was now flying towards his face, This is going to hurt. And it did, it knocked him right off of his seat, though this came as no surprise to him. She was after all a huntress whose weapon choice was twin Scythes with a carbine rifle built within them, even without the firearms those scythes weren't what anyone would call a light weapon and yet she swung them with ease. The fact that he was now laying on the floor with an aching jaw which would for certain be broken if he had been anything less than a Huntsman was a testament to her strength but if a little pain was what it took to win her over, then it was a rather small price to pay.
"I asked you for the truth and you're still trying to sell me this garbage!? The Grimm have a Queen!? How stupid do you think I am? Now tell me the truth or I will get you thrown out of this village, this is your last chance."
Pulling himself off of the floor, the dusty old crow stared back at the blinded reaper and stood his ground, "When I was a student in Beacon I was part of a team called STRQ and our leader was a woman named Summer Rose. She had silver eyes and she's dead now," He paused for a moment to let that sink in, "Now Summer has a daughter who inherited her mother's desire to help as well as her Silver Eyes. That girl, my niece is following in her mother's footsteps and she just wants to help people and has no idea what could be waiting for her. Please come with me, if not for Ozpin then do it for yourself, do it so we can find whoever did this to you and stop them before they claim another victim."
Maria was trembling with both anger and fear unsure which one to listen to and for a moment Qrow was afraid that she was going to try and run, Damn it! This is exactly why Oz wanted to keep this info a secret because people will panic! Not sure of what he could do without making everything worse he just stood there and prayed to any god that might be out there, that Maria would make the right decision in her inner war as fear alongside her desire to run and hide fought tooth and nail against her anger and the need to avenge herself against her attackers, eventually there was a winner.
Fear lost.
Jaune honestly wasn't sure of what he expected when he began to look through Tock's messages, perhaps he thought that he would find some sinister plan or maybe photos of his friends taken in secret, just anything that would prove that she and her crew were the bad guys but he found nothing of the sort and that was frustrating. Maybe… I can just cut out the middle man? The room is soundproof and so she wouldn't be able to hear me walk away, I can go straight to the police with her scroll and let them handle it. Or better yet, I could go to Beacon and hand it over to the professors, they're huntsmen, even bounty hunters like them would be arrested before too long, and with her out of the way, we'd be closer to the ones responsible… He took the scroll, placed it in his pocket, and took a step down the hall and towards the exit.
"I'm telling you, Cardin, the man flew!" a familiar voice rang through the hallway, "It had to have been his semblance there is literally no other way for a guy to fly like that."
"I believe you, but do you think he was a competitor? Or just a Huntsman coming to watch their kid? Hopefully, its the latter because I have no idea how we're going to handle a guy who can fly. It's basically cheating and I for one- Jaune? Hey, look, it's Jauny boy! What's Up!" Cardin Winchester and his friend Russel Thrush approached the pirate who was cursing his rotten luck.
"Hey, guys, what are you doing here?" Jaune asked just to be polite.
"Well, Russel and I were looking around town for any good hang out spots you know since the council is going to lift the travel ban soon and when that happens the halls of Beacon will be filled to the brim with the rest of the visiting students!"
"And we'll be ready to show them around town and have real fun in the processes," Russel added with a smirk. "But as for why we're here specifically, it's because I saw a guy leave this place and I swear I'm telling you the truth, he flew away! Cardin and I came inside to try and find out something about the guy but the man at the front desk refused to say anything."
"Dove and Skylark are outside looking for the guy," Cardin added. "But enough about us, what are you doing here Jaune?"
"I'm…," Shit what I'm supposed to tell them!? How about a half Truth? You're here on a date and you stepped out to get something for Tock. That's all you have to say. "I'm here on a date and I just stepped out to get her something to drink!"
Before Jaune's eyes, a journey of emotions was told through the expressions on the faces of Cardin Winchester and Russel Thrush. At first, both men held an empty blank stare but then there was a spark in their eyes, a flash of understanding that was immediately buried because the reality of the situation was too much for them so they entered a stage of Denial. But the truth could not be denied and from within the pair burst forth a flame as Anger took the stage reigning supreme, as the men cursed their misfortune which left them single. However, soon the fuel was exhausted and the fires died down leaving nothing but cinders as their shouts of rage became pleads, desperate Bargains offered up to whatever god might be watching. And when those gods refused to answer, tears began to form around the eyes of Cardin and Russel's as Depression took the stage and became their only true companion. But the rain didn't last forever and when it subsided the two men wiped away their tears and with a look of solemn Acceptance, they placed their hands on Jaune's shoulder and gave him a look that the swashbuckler couldn't decipher, then they just walked away having learned from their journey through the Stages of Grief and emerging as wiser better men.
"Um, guys where are you going? What just happened?" He called out to them trying to understand what he had just seen.
"Just forget about us and have yourself a good time with your girl," Cardin answered without turning around.
Jaune would never admit it to anyone in the world but at that moment, both Cardin and Russell looked kind of cool… Unlike me, I was really going to just turn Tock in without even giving her a chance to really explain herself. With that thought, he shamefully opened up her scroll and began to read her texts.
Whit's taking that besom sae long? Tock thought to herself as she waited in the room, Somethings wrong, it shouldn't be taking this lang tae read some texts, whit if… he's sellin` me out? It was a horrible thought, but it was the product of the necessary mindset to have when your means of living were right on the border between legal and illegal. That was the very first of many lessons she learned from her grandma when she first started training and now she had an opportunity to put yet another lesson into action, Never leave yersel' at someone else's mercy, that's whit she taught me 'n' yit that's exactly whit, ah did. Ah placed myself at Jaune's mercy 'n' look whit happened, "Damn it! whit wis ah thinking?" Feeling restless she got up and began to walk around the room, originally it was just to stretch out her legs a bit, get rid of some stiffness but despite her innocent intentions, she found herself standing right in front of the wall which separated the room from the outside, Never let yer enemy hae th' initiative instead strike solid strike foremaist 'n' end it in one blow...
A thought then popped into her mind, It wid be easy tae break thro' this dyke 'n' escape, all she'd have to do is channel some aura into her fists and she would be able to tear through the wall and after that, she should still have enough aura to escape… but that would mean having breaking off all contact with Vale and letting the bastards get away with everything, Ye'r a bounty hunter, nae a hero stoap pretending tae be whit yer nae 'n' let those idealistic idiots throw thair lives awa'. Bit, then whit's th' point? whit wis th' point o' learning howfur tae track 'n' tak' doon th' crooks who wid hae otherwise escaped? Granny aye tellt me nae tae be a hero bit, she made a job takin crooks tae justice just lik' a hero wid!
Before she could answer her own question, the door opened up and Jaune walked in, "Hey, Tock."
"Jaune, did ye fin' whit ye wur looking fur?" she asked without even turning around to face him.
"Yeah… I did and I'm sorry."
"Whit are ye sorry about?"
"I'm sorry I doubted you, I'm sorry that I forced you to prove yourself to me and most of all I'm sorry that I went off on you as I did. Tock, you didn't deserve any of that… if you want me to just leave and never talk to you again… I understand."
"No." She softly spoke while turning around to face him, "A'm sorry darlin', bit ye'r nae getting any forgiveness fae me, fur ye did nothing wrong."
"What?"
"We're a pair o' strangers ye 'n' ah, forced th'gither by a tragedy that's making us a' a little colder 'n' paranoid. Ye wur just trying tae protect people, th' identical as me. Ah doubted ye 'n' ye doubted me sae we're a' equal in that regard," she said as her cheeks began to heat up.
"Tock," maybe it was just a trick of the light or maybe it was the beer doing its job but at that moment she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. "I-," whatever he was going to say was cut off by a sudden cacophony of alarms and vibrations that were coming from his scroll, That's the emergency alarm for Beacon! He quickly opened up his scroll and read the message as Tock watched with concern.
"Whit's it? Is everything alright?" she asked with genuine concern.
"On the day of the Breach, my team was supposed to go to this settlement and help out the local huntsman. It was enough major just helping the guy make his rounds, it was more for our benefit than anything else... the guy is dead and now the settlement is without a Huntsman, my team is being sent there tonight."
Tock made a move towards Jaune and before he could react much less defend himself he became trapped in a hug, "Just go out there 'n' be a hero, bit be safe ye hear? Ye owe me another date tae mak' up fur this clusterfuck ye understand?" he never noticed her slipping her gun into his coat.
He gave a small laugh, "I guess I do owe you."
She then let him go, "Now go oan! Yer team's likely worried sick about ye!"
"Thank you!"
She watched as he ran out the door and soon she was all alone again with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company, then the door opened up and a man dressed just like the receptionist walked in, "I'm sorry ma'am but your time is up. Would you like an extension?"
"Nah, a'm good," She got up to leave but was stopped by the man before she could walk out the door.
"Someone came in earlier looking for you, he gave the receptionist this note with instructions to hand to you," he gave the note to her and then walked away leaving her alone in the room.
She then read the note once, then twice, and then once more just to make sure that she wasn't misunderstanding anything before breaking out into a big smile. It was a happy smile but, not a friendly one rather it was the kind of smile a predator might have before chomping down on a fresh kill, "This is it! this is whit we've bin looking fur 'n' tae think that it wid just drop into mah lap lik' this! oh, ah wish Jaune wur 'ere tae see this, that laddie wid likely be dancing knowing that th' end o' them silver-eye hunting bastards is near! och ah, cannae wait! Thir's aff tae be blood in th' water!"
Author's Notes: 1st off, sorry for the delay, this chapter was supposed to be finished and uploaded over a week ago but, I had to go on a trip to Tampa, Florida and when I got back I got sick. Hell, I'm still rather ill. 2nd the next three or four chapters will be focusing on various groups as they try and make sense of what's going on, so that should be interesting.