The Emerald Forest was breathtakingly beautiful in a way that almost seemed unreal, the trees were tall, proud, evergreen, and their leaves reflected the sunlight in a manner akin to the precious gems that the forest was named after. There were also crystal clear rivers, lakes, rolling hillsides, misty mountains, deep caverns, and rolling meadows, and every single one of them was teeming with all manner of flora and animal life that would take several lifetimes to thoroughly catalog and study. And as if that wasn't enough, the forest was also the home of the ruins of an ancient civilization, crumbling walls, cracked staircases, empty dwellings, a temple to a forgotten pantheon, a broken castle with its dignity intact, and the promise of undiscovered artifacts that might grant insight into the past. When taken in altogether the Emerald Forest seemed less like a real place and more like the setting of a fairy tale, just sitting under the shade of its many trees invited people to let imagination run free and invent stories such as a knight on horseback seeking the counsel of a wise and crafty witch to defeat a tyrant who had locked a maiden in a tower against her will.

It was tragic and perhaps criminal how Ruby's and so many other people's introduction to the magical forest was by catapult. Sure it gave them all a bird's eye view of the place and theoretically allowed them to take it all in given their unique vantage point. However, it is surprisingly difficult to appreciate the beauty of anything while your body is stumbling through the air as the ground rapidly rises to meet you and you only have but a moment to avoid a painful crash. Even after she had landed she couldn't take the time to appreciate what was going on around her, after all, initiation had a time limit and she desperately wanted to go to school with her sister. And afterward, when she had succeeded in that goal, the only time she had ever entered the forest was either as part of classes or to practice, and during neither did she take the chance to witness the beauty around her. How could she when the Grimm of this forest forced her to be on constant guard, always ready to fight for her own right to exist?

"So, have you taken it all in?"

Ruby opened her eyes, and in front of her was Maria sitting cross-legged on the grassy floor of the Emerald forest. The light shining through the foliage bathed the older woman in an almost ethereal glow that made her almost look like a wise sage right out of the bedtime stories that Yang would read to her when she was younger but sadly she was not in the right state of mind to really appreciate the situation. There were too many questions running through her head and the fact that Maria wouldn't let her bring her scythe, Crescent Rose, did dreadfully little to help calm her down in a forest filled with death. The silly thing was that Ruby knew she was perfectly safe even without her pride and joy, she couldn't see them but she knew that Dad and uncle Qrow were just out of sight and keeping a close eye on her. She was objectively safer now than she would have been with just her weapon but that being said, nothing could really compete with the sense of security that came from being able to defend yourself rather than wait for others to do it on your behalf. But Maria wouldn't have asked me to leave my weapon behind if it wasn't for a good reason.

"You're feeling a little anxious?" asked Maria.

"Sorry, there is still a lot that I'm trying to take in, did… did mom also go through this?"

"I don't know, I never met your mother so I have no idea how she might have reacted. I'd imagine that this kind of knowledge affects everyone rather differently depending on the kind of person they are. I got excited and imagined myself as some kind of superhero, I was proud until it became arrogance. Meanwhile, my father became curious and tried to learn as much as he could about his eyes until that thirst for knowledge turned into fear… Hopefully, you'll learn the lessons we failed to learn."

"Thanks but… I was actually talking about this training."

"Oh, that?" Maria shrugged, "I've just been making shit up as I go."

"What!?" Ruby very nearly leaped into the air, "Then why did you ask me to leave my precious baby behind!?"

"I'm sorry but if there was a proper way to train people like you and me then it was lost to time but I do have good news."

"You still haven't answered my question." Said Ruby trying her best to remain patient with this stranger but the tone of her voice betrayed her true feelings.

Oddly enough that tone seemed to please Maria, "Well that's part of the good news, you're becoming emotional which is necessary if you want to use those eyes."

Ruby was not convinced, "How does becoming emotional help with anything?"

Maria wasn't sure what to say, in her own experience learning how to use this power was far closer to an art rather than a science. For her, it was a personal journey without definitive answers that required a bit of soul searching but Ruby wasn't her, her journey might not look anything like hers. Trying to teach this young woman the same way she had learned could make this whole process far more difficult than it had to be, Maria's own father had made that mistake when he tried to teach her. And now I'm in his shoes except that this girl is a complete stranger but she is also a Huntress-in-training so there may be a way to cross the gap. "Do you know what determines a person's Semblance? Or rather, are you aware of the most popular theory?"

Ruby was confused by the question, not because she didn't know the answer but rather because she wasn't sure about what the answer had anything to do with this, "Well, the leading theory is that Sembalances are a reflection of some aspect of the user's personality, specifically its a reflection of their coping mechanism. For example, I want to be able to save as many people as I can so my Semblance is speed."

"Very good, and likewise your eyes are also connected to your emotions and to your bonds. To be specific, the power within those eyes responds towards the love we have for that we want to protect." How is a desire to save people a personality trait? Wanting to be able to help those in need isn't special, it's normal, it's how we managed to survive against the Grimm. This girl is either lying to me about her Semblance or she's misunderstood it completely… I'll have to talk with Qrow and Taiyang about this. While we're at it, we should also talk to other members of her team and figure out where they need improvement.

Ruby thought it over, on the surface what Maria was saying did make sense but Ruby did think of her loved ones even in battle and her eyes never did anything, There has got to be more to this. "Then why hasn't it worked for me? You compared it to Semblances and those are things that you need to discover on your own like how I activated mine for the first time when I went to hug Qrow." I also ended up knocking myself out and Qrow out cold for an hour but she doesn't need to know that part.

Maria raised a hand and held up two fingers, "A couple of things, the first is that your story sounds utterly adorable, and I want to hear the whole thing later. The second is that you're right, just like a Semblance you have to subconsciously trigger this ability before you can really train it. Fortunately for us, we know exactly what it is that we are trying to trigger, I know the conditions needed to trigger it, and finally this forest has everything that we need so all we have to do is get you in the right mindset."

"And then what?"

"And then we get some Grimm here and see if you can Sliver eye them to death!"

Ruby slowly stood up and carefully considered her words, "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!?" She began pacing back and forth, "Vale was attacked! My friends were attacked! You attacked the wife of my best friend who admittedly attacked you first so I suppose that's fair but that doesn't excus…"

"Thanks for being understanding," Maria quickly interjected while trying to hide her growing smile. She's becoming emotional, good.

Ruby paused her rant, "You're welcome but don't think that I didn't notice you smiling! None of this is a laughing matter, lives are on the line!"

"You're right, this isn't a laughing matter and I can see that you're upset, and that's good."

"HOW IS THAT-!" Ruby forced herself to be quiet despite how she wanted to scream at the woman some more, She doesn't deserve it, these past couple of months aren't her fault. Inside of the girl was a floodgate holding back a tidal wave of emotions that had been building up for years and she could feel that there was a threshold that she was rapidly approaching. She didn't know what would happen if she crossed and she didn't want to find out. I need to cut this session short, "I would like to apollo-!" She was cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps, too heavy to belong to a person. It only took a moment for her to determine the direction the sound was coming from and another moment to spot a figure heading right towards her, That's definitely a Grimm of some kind.

"Well, sounds like we've been blessed with some fortunate company. Here's your chance to practice, let 'em have it!"

Ruby felt an urge to snap at the woman but she quickly forced it back down, Not now. Not ever. "What should I do?" The Grimm was getting closer and while much of its body was hidden behind foliage and shadow, Ruby thanks to her huntress training was able to catch brief glimpses of the beast despite its attempts to remain hidden. More importantly every glimpse no matter how small revealed something about the Grimm and soon she had it narrowed down to one of two species, It's either a Beowolf or an Ursa.

Maria stood up for the first time and walked over to Ruby's side and gently began instructing her, "Think of your loved ones, and don't be afraid to let your emotions flow, in fact, that is exactly what you want to happen."

"What?! How is letting my emotions flow going to help with anything? What does any of that mean?" Ruby could feel her frustration rising despite her attempts to remain calm which only served to put her in a brutal feedback loop where her frustration at being frustrated only made her more frustrated.

That whirlpool of negativity only served as a beacon to the Grimm who soon emerged into open view revealing themselves as an Ursa Minor but it didn't attack right away. Instead, the Grimm then took a moment to stare down the two women in what was possibly an attempt to intimidate them or maybe it was trying to figure out if this was a trap of some kind. before dropping down to all fours and rushing to close the distance.

"Look at the beast but don't think about it! Think about the people who love you, focus on the thought of them, and the way they make you feel. Focus!"

Ruby had her eyes locked on the monster as it came closer and she was trying her hardest to think about everyone she knew and loved instead of the rapidly approaching Ursa but nothing was happening! She knew all too well the wonderful things she felt from the ones she considered important to her but had no idea how warm feelings were supposed to destroy Grimm, it was ridiculous! But she also now knew for a fact that these things were real and that she was supposed to be able to do them, So Why Isn't Anything Happening!? The Ursa was nearly upon them and it leaped forward with its claws and open maw ready and eager to rip and tear the two women to pieces.

Then two things happened at once with a third thing following shortly afterward, the first was that Ruby gave up and used her Semblance to take her and Maria away from the immediate danger. The second was that Taiyang and Qrow emerged from their hiding places to confront the Grimm and the third was the aforementioned Grimm dying after taking a Scythe to the gut and an armored fist to the back of the head.

"That was too close," Qrow said as he looked around for any other Grimm.

Taiyang opened and closed his hands a few times, it had been years since he wore the gauntlets and now they felt foreign to him despite how he had built them himself. "This is all my fault."

Qrow placed a hand on the shoulder of a man who was his brother in all ways but blood, "Hey, I thought I was supposed to be the gloomy one."

Taiyang appreciated Qrow's attempt to lighten the mood but this was something he needed to acknowledge, "I'm being serious, sliver eyes can't work unless you're open with your emotions and she's holding back, she's been holding back for years."

Qrow nodded, "She's been holding in a lot ever since Summer… we're both to blame. We should have realized that she was taking it too well, we should have noticed that she was just trying not to be a burden, and then when we take everything that's happened lately into account… shit."

Taiyang pulled out his scroll, "I think it's time we all went in for some long-overdue family therapy."

Qrow scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Man I feel bad for whoever is gonna try and take our case, you could write a book just about our issues with Raven."

"Uuggghhh, what did I ever see in your bitch of a sister?" Taiyang groaned in agreement.

"You thought she was and I quote; fucking hot."

Taiyang groaned some more, "And she still is but the brothers-be-damned is she the poster girl for the idea that beauty is only skin deep! I know that this is going to sound messed up but I'm actually thankful that she bailed on me and Yang, it would break my heart to imagine what a shitty mom Raven would have been to her."

Qrow reached into one of his pockets, pulled out a flask containing alcohol, and began to pour the contents out. As he did so he noticed the puzzled look his brother-in-law was giving him, "What? You and I both know that the psych is going to have a problem with my drinking, I'm just getting ahead of the curve." The two men shared an earnest laugh before leaving to find Ruby and Maria.

Captain's Log:

Oh, where do I even begin? Well, I suppose that I should start by bringing up how last week the woman that Tock blinded just showed up at Beacon without warning and I don't think I need to explain how that turned out. Honestly, it's nothing short of a miracle how no one got hurt though not due to a lack of trying from Maria and I can't blame her, I don't think anyone would be able to remain calm if they were in her shoes. It's just mind-boggling to think that all of this is essentially a literal bloody misunderstanding between two people who both thought the other was a villain but oh no, that would be too easy, too simple to understand!

As it turned out misunderstanding was a part of some kind of greater conspiracy against… Vale? Beacon? Huntsman? I don't know! I'm still trying to figure out how did a branch of the White Fang become involved! And of course, I can't forget the mercs or how they claimed to be working for Salem which is yet another thing that I'm completely clueless about just like Ruby had no idea that her eyes apparently have superpowers! Why do silver-colored eyes have powers in the first place and how are they different from Semblances!? Why and how did Ruby's dad know about those powers and why didn't he tell her anything until now? Do slivered eye warriors need to be trained by other slivered eye warriors? Is that why Maria was brought here to Beacon!? Why are they being hunted in the first place?

I don't know and it's frustrating. The worst part is that it feels like Glynda knows something and I'm certain that Ozpin and Ruby's drunk uncle Qrow know something as well and have known for a while… I can understand the need for secrecy but all of this is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. It's not just me either, Professor Anne Greene has been in a bad mood all week and giving Glynda and Ozpin nothing but disdainful glares when not angrily confronting them both. I think I even overheard her once threaten to go to the other professors about… whatever Ozpin and Glynda are hiding and spill the beans but they were able to talk her out of it.

I need to get out of this tense atmosphere, so today I'm going to hang out with Tock while returning the swords she accidentally left behind. Also, I'll be taking the still-unnamed hook that Ruby made for me to get some practice in before the Vytal Festival which hasn't been canceled for reasons I cannot comprehend. Sure it means that I'll be missing classes but won't be able to focus until I get some answers and Tock was talking to Ozpin before Maria showed up. I have no idea what they were talking about must be important since Oz gave Tock a house, how cool is that?

The aforementioned house was by all accounts a lovely one, it was two stories tall, its walls were painted a pleasantly pink color and were constructed from reinforced concrete designed to withstand Grimm assault, the windows were slightly tinted and built from military-grade security glass, the door was made of metal but had been designed to look like was made of wood and the hinges were so sturdy that it would be a nightmare to remove them. There was also a nice picket fence that helped hide the fact that the house was basically a mini fortress located in the middle of a quaint neighborhood that was out of the price range of 95% of the world.

Jaune stood dumbstruck on the sidewalk for a minute or so before pulling out his scroll and checking the address that Tock had given him, "This can't be the right place, there's no way anyone would just give away a house this expensive, even Oz isn't that generous." However, he soon found that the addresses matched, No way… there has got to be a mistake.

He got his answer when suddenly the door to the house swung open and Tock stepped out with the biggest smile on her face he had ever seen, "Kin ye hawp that th' hurdie wha owned this steid bolted aff lik' a boot whin th' Breach happened? Seriously, this hoose wis easily th' safest steid fur miles 'n' he juist upped 'n' left!"

"What!? Really? The guy just left all of this behind?"

Tock walked right up to Jaune, took his hand, and led him inside, "Ah cannae hawp it either bit this is real! ah hae a real hoose, 'n' tis a beauty! by th' brothers ah wish mah grandma cuid see this, she'd be sae happy that she'd greet!"

Tock's crew was relaxing in the living room and spotted Jaune as he entered. Cecco was the first one to call out to him, "Dude! Can you believe this place? And it gets better, the guy who used to live here was a wannabe Huntsman! Seriously, look at all this shit he left behind!"

Jaune didn't need anyone to tell him to look around, he had been doing this from the very beginning and up till now hadn't really noticed anything strange, just the sort of stuff that he'd expect to see in any rich man's house. But now thanks to the added context he couldn't help but notice a pattern beginning to emerge, more than a few paintings depicted Huntsmen and Huntresses, there were also mounted taxidermied heads made to resemble various Grimm, and there were also some pieces of transforming weaponry that seemed to have been designed with form in mind rather than any semblance of functionality.

However, there was one thing that stood out above everything else, in the living room was a mannequin dressed in the most flamboyant parody of a huntsmen's garbs that Jaune had ever seen. It was impractically long and flowing with many bright and clashing colors, there was an overabundance of ruffles and belts that seemed to exist only to exist, a cape that would have gotten tangled up in everything the wearer passed by, and the cherry on top was how the outfit had been made for someone possessing girth similar to that of Professor Port.

"That is the weirdest outfit I've seen today," Jaune remarked.

"You say that as if you've got something to compare this to," said Mason.

"Yeah, on my way here I bumped into someone dressed… Interestingly but, at least I could look at it without my eyes bleeding. I figured that he was just a civilian who decided to cosplay as a Huntsman for the Vytal Festival."

Turley then spoke up with a noticeable bit of excitement in his voice, "Speaking of the Vytal Festival, how's your training been going?"

"It's fine, I was actually hoping to spar with you guys."

Tock smiled, "We git a training field in th' back."

Jaune felt the air rushing past his head as he ducked under Cecco's hammer, he could feel his heart beating in his chest and the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he rushed to take advantage of the opening right in front of him. However he didn't have his sword on him, he had purposely left it behind in order to practice with his hook hand which was proving to be an interesting addition to his arsenal. I really underestimated how tricky it was going to be to use this thing but that's why I'm here. Jaune felt his confidence surge when he saw Cecco's eyes widen as the man realized just how badly he overextended, the older man tried his best to step back and create some distance but Jaune came in too quick and landed a nasty upward cut across Cecco's chest before trying to step in and land a downward cut.

However, Cecco was ready for the second swing and caught Jaune's wrist as he attempted the strike, "You should probably practice dual-wielding, that way you could have really nailed me here."

"Yeah, I think you're right but what about this?" The hook on Jaune's prosthetic arm flew forward and past Cecco's head as he jerked it out of the way of the blade.

"Woah! That was close but it looks like you missed."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Jaune with an utterly sinister smile on his face.

Cecco felt a chill go up his spine and looked away from Jaune in order to try and find out what he meant. He then saw that the hook had somehow changed direction in midair and was now coming right back around like a boomerang! He then instinctively pumped Aura into his legs and dashed away in an attempt to avoid being either struck by the hook or getting tangled up in its cable. But it all proved to be a complete waste of time and energy because the blade had hit the ground and was now stuck. The thing hadn't even come anywhere close to where he was.

Tock who had been standing on the sidelines started laughing and when she stopped she asked, "Ye'r aye trying tae figure oot howfur tae aim that thing?"

Jaune walked up to the stuck hook and carefully examined the situation to better figure out a way to remove the blade from the concrete without causing further damage. "Yeah, I got the basics figured out but Ruby and Penny put in this… remote control thing inside and it's got me stumped. It's supposed to be the same system Penny uses to control her sword but I don't have a supercomputer for a brain like she does."

"Ah git that she's smart bit supercomputer smart? c'moan Jaune, if she kin dae it then ye kin as weel. Tis juist a maiter o' practice."

Jaune with Cecco's help gently pulled the hook free from the concrete and examined it for any damage, there was none and soon the blade was back in its proper place on his arm. "Oh, you didn't know? Penny is a robot or maybe that isn't the right thing to say, she has Aura which means a soul so she's definitely a person, just one made of metal instead of flesh."

"That's so cool," Cecco said as his imagination ran wild with the possibilities.

Turley didn't even look up from the book he was reading, "Neat, does she have a laser sword?"

Mason quietly checked the expiration date on the bag of chips that he was eating, they were still good but he wasn't sure that he could trust what was printed on the packaging. He then left to grab some medicine that was in the kitchen while mumbling to himself, "Gotta stop eating junk food, now it's making me hear crazy stuff like robot girls walking around in the open like this was some kind of shitty anime!"

Tock wasn't too surprised, after everything else she had learned recently the idea that robotic technology had advanced to that point seemed almost banal. Though there was also a small childish part of herself that was thrilled over the idea of one day tracking down a mechanical outlaw. "Sae then how urr ye suppose tae uise that function?"

"With practice I assume and this manual she sent me," Jaune answered before pulling out his scroll and opening a pdf that contained all the information that anyone could want to know about his arm. He then turned to the chapter specifically about the guidance system for his hook. "Basically there is an app on my scroll that lets me plan out a flight path and save it." He then held up his prosthetic arm and while still holding the scroll, pointed at a panel on the forearm. "Inside here is a computer that lets me switch between flight plans or just use grappling mode."

"Whit's a grappling mode?"

"It works like a regular grappling hook, shoot it out and pull it back, that's it."

Tock sighed and walked up to her husband, "Noo a dinnae ken whit thay hae teaching ye ower in beacon, bit yin thing that mah instructors drill intae me wis th' importance o' simple tools lik' a grappling hook. Nae a' body haes a mobility Semblance 'n' even if ye dae, thare ur plenty o' reason tae wantae jook spending th' Aura."

Jaune gave his wife a confused look before realizing what she heard him say and how it sounded, "I just meant that it doesn't do anything else besides being a hook on a cable, I've been rock climbing before so I know what you're talking about."

"It an' a' mak's fur a braw weapon in a pinch." She slid her arms over his and softly chuckled when she felt him stiffen partially out of nervousness and excitement. "Th' cable kin ben uise tae bind someone crakin', ticht, 'n' goin awa thaim completely at yer mercy."

"M-M-mercy!?" Jaune could feel her hot breath on his neck.

"Completely at yer mercy bit, it requires practice 'n' a willing bidie in."

Turley rolled his eyes "By the brothers, could you at least wait for us to get some alcohol in our system before teasing the poor lad?"

Mason however did not agree, "Speak for yourself, I'd rather they do it now in front of us rather than at the pub in front of everyone."

"A've kent ye fur years Mason 'n' ah wid hae figured that ye wur intae voyeurism!"

Mason groaned before answering, "I'm not! I just don't want to get banned from another bar because of something that someone else did!"

"Wait a second!," Jaune said upon noticing something strange about what he had just heard. "I'm not surprised to hear that you guys have been kicked out of bars, no offense-,"

"I take a little offense from that statement but only because I agree with you," Cecco quickly said before Jaune could continue.

"-but you guys do seem like the types are constantly getting into trouble. But why does it matter who did the thing that gets you banned? A ban is a ban."

Turley nearly laughed, "What a silly question, of course, I'm okay getting banned over something I did. It was my choice to do it and throwing a hissy fit over the consequences would just be childish. But getting banned because Cecco was being a dumbass or because Tock was bending you over a table, no thank you."

Jaune wisely decided to ignore the part about him getting bent over a table, "Well that makes sense, so which pub are you planning to go to?"

"It's a place called Neverland, you've probably seen it on your way to that motel we used to be staying in," Turley answered.

The "You know, that's the second time today I've heard that pub get brought up, coincidentally it was also when I saw that outfit I mentioned earlier."

"Soonds lik' ye git a story tae share."

Jaune sat down on a nearby bench, took a bottle of water that was offered to him, and began the story, "So I had just gotten off of the bullhead and I decided to double-check the address before I left the station. Then I heard someone calling out to me…"

"Excuse Mr. Hook! Can you help me?"

Mr. Hook? Are they talking to me? But I don't have a.., Jaune glanced at the cheap civilian prosthetic that he was currently wearing that had a "Hand," made out of two blunt hooks. Okay so I am Mr. Hook but who's talking? Looking around he quickly spotted someone who seemed to be walking towards him while waving, Is it him?

"Hey, Mr. Hook, can I bug you for a second?" The man shouted again confirming Jaune's suspicions.

Okay, so the guy really is talking to me, and judging by his clothes, he must be some kind of Huntsman or someone pretending to be one, either way, let's find out what he wants. Jaune then walked up to the stranger and with a friendly smile asked, "Can I- What the fuck?"

Now it must be understood that Jaune did not intend to be rude, the words simply slipped out of his mouth before he could catch them and who could blame him? He was now close enough to make out all of the details about the man's clothing and… there was a lot to take in.

The man in question was around the same height as Jaune, was perhaps a little older, tan, and had a reasonably handsome face with a lovely smile to go with it, sadly his clothes made him stand out like a sore thumb even by Huntsmen standards. Even the simplest piece of clothing, which in this case was a black shirt, had a bizarre element to it, the shirt was too small for his body and left his belly button exposed and it only got more outlandish from there. He also wore a black pair of pants that were tight in some rather odd places and loose in none of the places a normal person would want it to be while also having false tears exposing bright red bits of fabric underneath. On his feet were a pair of red shoes, the same shade as the pants, which looked neither like boots nor sneakers, and on his chest, he wore a black vest/jacket whose sleeves had been replaced by black and red fringe that ended in wooden beads. On his waist was a black loincloth that seemed to serve no purpose and also had fringe ending in some more wooden beads, there was also a necklace of what Jaune assumed were oversized teeth but it seemed trite when compared to everything else. Completing the look was a multitude of wristbands that looked fine but Jaune wasn't sure whether it was because they were actually fine or because they were by far the normal-looking things on this stranger.

Speaking of the stranger it would not be too hard to imagine him being rather offended by Jaune's frankly rude slip of the tongue. However if he was offended then the man was one hell of an actor since the smile never left his face, "It's okay, plenty of people have told me that I look kind of weird but I think I pull it off just fine."

"I- it's certainly a unique look… so how can I help you?"

"Well I'm new in town and I'm looking for the Neverland pub, my GPS says that it's supposed to be close to 41 Kensington Gardens. However, my Scroll has been acting a little wonky after an Elder Creep spat some water at me and knocked the darn thing right out of my hands."

The name of the pub sounded familiar to Jaune and a quick peek at his scroll showed that it was in an area that he had passed through a few times during past visits to Tock back before she got a permanent house, "Oh, I know where that is!" He then pointed down the road, "When you get to that stoplight over there, cross the street and then take a left. You'll find yourself at a Trolley stop that will take you to the gardens, once there all you have to do is take another left and just keep walking till you get there.

"Down the road, cross the street, take left, trolley to the gardens, take another left, and then walk?"

"That's exactly right, and if you are still lost. Remember that there is a CCT terminal right here at this Bullhead station that will sync your scroll with Vale's network, it won't magically fix your Scroll but it should help," he pointed toward the terminal in question.

The man glanced towards it, "Thanks but I think I can find my way there now, thanks, Mr. Hook!"

"You're welcom-!"

The man turned around and walked away before Jaune could finish which annoyed him just a little but it was a small thing that was quickly forgotten, unlike the man whose appearance made him unforgettable. "Honestly, where did he even get those… clothes- WHAT IS THAT!?" The thing that Jaune and quite a few other people were staring at in complete disbelief was the man's hair or at least they thought that it was hair, How did I miss something like that!? The answer to Jaune's silent question was the man's clothes, when seen from the front it made it very hard to notice anything else but the view from behind was a different story. From behind his clothes seemed almost normal which allowed the eyes to wander a bit and anyone unfortunate enough to gaze slightly upward was damned to witness what could only be described as a warning of the dangers of unrestrained creativity in the realm of fashion. To keep it as simple as possible, the stranger's hair looked like he had one day walked into a barbershop and couldn't decide if he wanted an afro or a mohawk dyed bright red, so he chose both and then added two more mohawks for good measure.

Jaune was tempted to chase after the man to ask him a few questions about his curious appearance but he couldn't think of a way to ask that wouldn't come off as rude. In addition, he had quite a few things he wanted to do today and there were only so many hours to do them, on top of that he had a scaly babe waiting for him. He knew on an intellectual level that there was nothing really wrong with the stranger's appearance, after all, he could be from a place where dressing that way was normal. Even if that wasn't the case, this was how the man chose to express himself and that was his right as long as he wasn't hurting anyone and he was not hurting anyone. There was no denying it, Jaune was being rude by staring and by continuing to stare as the man walked away. However, at the same time, there was no one in the world who would blame the young man for what he was doing, much less hold it against his character.

Back in the present Jaune finished his story and felt pretty good about it, Tock and her crew had paid close attention to the entire thing which took him by surprise. Maybe I should look into storytelling as a backup career, I seem to have a talent for it. But upon closer examination, he noticed that their faces were grim, "You know the guy, don't you?"

"Mibbie, urr ye sure that ye described his locks correctly?"

"Absolutely, there is no way you can make a mistake about someone with an afro and three red mohawks at the same time."

"Wis he an' a' sportin' a pointless loincloth that hud in fringe wi' wooden beads oan th' end?"

"Yes, and the vest jacket thing he was wearing also had fringe with wooden beads on the ends. So, I take it that you've seen the guy?"

"Seen him? A've fought that guy multiple times in th' bygane! He's a bounty hunter by th' name o' Rufio wha used tae run wi' th' Lost Wee Jimmies bit left efter Peter teuk ower. He an' a' haes a hoverboard that's an' a' a gun bit ah hae na idea howfur he git it." Tock then grabbed her scroll and began to dial, "We're jammy he decided tae blether tae ye."

Jaune's eyes went wide and his mind immediately turned to his friends, "He could be after Ruby! We've got to warn everyone!

"That's whit a'm daein' richt noo, cawin Oz tae tell him tae git his bahookie ower tae th' neverland pu-!"

A familiar voice could be heard over the scroll, "Tock is there something wrong?"

"Rufio, he is yin o' th' guys ah tellt ye aboot. Dae ye mind?"

Jaune leaned in closer, "Are you talking to Ozpin?"

Tock quickly covered the speaker, "Aye, a'm, cuid ye dae me a favor 'n' tiext mah wee jimmies tae let thaim ken whit happened?" She didn't need to ask him twice, he had pulled out his scroll almost as soon as the words left her mouth and that brought a smile to her face. She then took her hand off of the speaker and continued her conversation, "Jaune juist tellt me that he bolted intae Rufio 'n' that th' guy wis keekin fur th' neverland howf, mah guys wull catch up wi` yers thare."

"I'll get in contact with James who will send reinforcements, are you going to confront Rufio yourself?" asked Ozpin.

"If that's whit Jaune wantae-," she never finished that sentence, there was no point as Jaune was already in the process of grabbing his coat and checking if his prosthetic weapon was ready to go.

There were many things Rufio naturally did not expect to see upon exiting the Neverland pub, for example, he would be quite surprised if upon stepping outside he was greeted by the sight of a parade passing through. Another example of something he would not expect to find would be a crowd of armed Atlas Soldiers and Knights politely informing him that he was being taken into custody and that they were asking for his cooperation while pointing weapons at him in order to incentivize it. So imagine his surprise when he stepped outside and found that the latter example wasn't an example at all but rather something that was happening right now.

"Put your hands in the air and get on the ground," ordered a soldier in armor that had red highlights rather than the usual blue.

Rufio didn't pay any attention to that soldier, he was too focused on the presence of some familiar faces to care about anything that man had to say. For starters, there was a certain hammer-wielding man standing right in front of him, "Well well well, I didn't think I'd run into Cecco here in all places and I see that you're still swinging that hammer around."

Cecco didn't say anything.

Rufio looked to the left, "Ah Mason and Turley, you know I still have trouble remembering which one is which, perhaps you should try standing out more."

"Fuck you," Mason said as Turley remained silent.

Rufio then looked to the right, "And Mr. Hook, I would have never pegged you for a Huntsman, least of all a well-connected one."

"A'm 'ere tae hurdie!"

Rufio sighed and looked right at Tock who was standing by Jaune's side, "I didn't miss you, I just ignored you because I don't like you."

"Weel awa' an' bile yer heid tae!"

"I have no idea what you just said."

"She told you to go fuck yourself," said Jaune before adding, "We've got you fully surrounded, are you going to come peacefully, or is there going to be a problem?"

Rufio looked Jaune right in the eyes and then smirked, "Okay then… I surrender." He then put both his hands in the air, got on the ground, and made absolutely no attempt to resist the soldiers coming to handcuff him. The smirk stayed on his face during the entire process after all, what reason did he have to be upset when everything was going according to plan?

Author's Notes: Sweet Lord rewriting this chapter took longer than I thought it would!