The first match of round one of the Vytal Festival was over and what a match it had been! Explosions, Martial Arts, Swasbuckeling, and A four-time Champion of Mistral reminding everyone why she was called the Invincible Girl! And there was still so much more to come, the tournament The crowd was still cheering well after the fighters had left the arena but none came anywhere close to a certain scale-covered woman with an affinity for seabound brigands.

"Aye! aye! Did ye see that? Did ye see that!" Tock jumped up and down excitedly like she was a child rather than a grown woman but no one was judging her for it, they couldn't even see her thanks to the fact that she was in a private VIP booth with her crew. But even if someone could see her, they would hardly care she was only one face in a sea of faces. It seemed as though the entirety of Amity Stadium was on their feet alongside her after that explosive first match which only promised even greater spectacles as the matches continued! Though how those future matches were going to compete with this opening act was up in the air in the most exciting way possible.

Then Professor Port's voice boomed through the stadium speakers and rose over the crowd with a hearty laugh, "Ha Ha! They told me that hiding explosives in that ship were a bad idea but look at this crowd! They love it! Not to mention that those kids are never going to forget this fight for the rest of their lives!"

Doctor Oobleck was quick to respond with suitable confusion and alarm, "What! Port, are you saying what I think you just said? Do you mean to tell me that those explosives weren't a part of the festival?"

Port gave a dismissive wave, "Well the idea was floated around for a bit but those Cowards at the Festival Committee ultimately decided against it due to silly safety concerns. Honestly, I wish you had been there to see that utter nonsense. It was as if those fossils had never heard of Aura or somehow misunderstood the part where it heals and protects! I could understand their reasoning if these kids weren't Huntsmen-in-training but they are and therefore we can't judge them by the same standards as others so why shouldn't we take advantage of that and spice things up a bit?"

Oobleck was stunned silent by Port's confession and it wasn't just him, the entire conversation was being broadcasted not just to the arena but to the entirety of Remnant as well and no one was sure what to think, "Spice things up a bit? Port… you do understand that they are fighting with actual weapons with virtually no limits on what they are allowed to do to each other, right? We literally just watched Mr. David get blown away by an actual grenade thanks to Miss Valkyrie! In what universe does any of that require Spicing UP!?"

"Well excuse me for trying to put my old TNT collection to some good use!"

Oobleck nearly choked on his own spit, "Good Use?! You call blowing up children an example of Good Use!?"

"I do and I am tired of pretending that it's not."

"OF COURSE IT'S NOT!"

Port scoffed, "Well that's just your opinion and I have my own, I'd hope that you of all people could respect that."

Oobleck tried his damndest not to say anything, He's baiting you. He wants you to argue with him and waste everyone's time with this stupid sham of a post-match show! But… then again is it really a waste of time if they enjoy it? Not to mention that he is giving me the perfect opportunity to share a few… opinions of my own that I've held back for too long. Oobleck's eyes widened with glee and a twisted smile formed on his face as Port realized all too late that he was now trapped in a debate with an intellectual heavyweight.

"Well, I hope you don't mind if I share some opinions of my own and maybe give you some tips on how to improve your shoddy teaching ability."

"Shoddy!? How dare you, sir!"

"That's just my opinion Port, I'd hoped that you of all people could respect that."

A chuckle began to arise from the crowd as the two men went back and forth in an argument that no one could really keep up with anymore. The chuckle started off softly and sparsely as though the person who started wasn't really sure that they were supposed to be laughing. However as the argument continued and bizarre outlandish secrets and accusations began to come to light it became abundantly clear that none of this was real, the argument was an act. A show meant to entertain the crowd as the stadium was being prepared in the interim for the next match and it was working. People were laughing as though they were in a comedy club listening to a carefully planned out, practiced, and masterfully delivered standup routine. At the same time, the battlefield was being dismantled with hydraulic-powered arms which grabbed and pulled the individual panels beneath the arena. Once those panels were out of view, they were taken into storage where a team of specialists got to work cleaning and repairing them for the next time they would be used.

Tock eventually stopped laughing and sat down before suddenly getting up again from her seat. She then glanced at her confused crewmates before explaining what she was doing, "A'm gonnae gang doon thare 'n' congratulate Jaune afore th' neist match kin stairt!"

"We'll hold your seat," joked Mason as he looked around their private VIP booth as though he was on guard for seat poachers,

"Oh! Can you get some more popcorn while you're there?" added Turley.

"Sure sure, 'n' whit aboot ye Cecco? Is thare anythin' that yi'll waant?"

"Nah, I'm good, just remember that Jaune won't be in the lockers. He'll be in the medical bay."

"That's richt, cheers fur reminding me!" She then walked past her crew and moved towards the exit while taking a moment to recall the last time she attended the Vytal Festival, back then she and her crew had cheap seats that made it difficult to see anything. She couldn't move without bumping into someone and more than once she fell and landed on some lucky guy or gal's lap or face, It wasn't so bad, a couple of them led to some fine one-night stands

Back then she could have never imagined being a guest of Ozpin or that she and her crew would be gifted VIP status. She never imagined watching the Festival from a comfortable, air-conditioned booth that coincidently also happened to be the one that was the psychically furthest away from the booth where Maria and Qrow were seated. On top of that, Tock was now allowed access to parts of Amity that were off-limits to most others with a few reasonable exceptions. Thanks to these privileges it only took her a minute or so to reach the food court and enter the lobby, a process that had taken up to 15 minutes in the past. Once she was there it was a trivial matter to find the guarded doors that led to the inner corridors of the Arena which were off-limits to the general public but not to somebody with a VIP pass.

Guarding the door were a couple of Atlassian soldiers and they quickly spotted her approaching and just as quickly moved to block the door with their bodies. Then when it became clear to them that she wasn't just walking by, one of the soldiers stepped forward and raised his hand to ask her to pause which she did. The guard then asked "I'm sorry miss but I'm going to need to see your pass for a second," he spoke with a soft voice to show that he didn't want trouble but Tock couldn't help but noticed a certain tone underneath. It was one that she had heard more often than she would have liked, one that suggested that she didn't belong here and that they were only being polite out of necessity rather than desire.

In the past, she might have argued with the man but right now she was in a great mood and wasn't about to let this asshole ruin it. So instead she smiled, enjoyed watching him flinch upon spotting her sharp metal teeth, and showed him her pass, "'Ere ye gang!"

"Gang? What are you talking about?" He looked at her pass and was surprised by her VIP status but instead of handing it back, he started to examine it more closely. There is no way someone like her has something like this, they don't sell this pass to just anyone.

Tock of course knew what he was doing, he didn't believe that she actually had a genuine VIP pass and was looking for any reason to confirm his suspicions. "Is thare a kinch?" she asked knowing full well that he wouldn't understand that last word just like like her last sentence.

"Kinch? I'm sorry but do you speak common?"

The second guard then stepped forward, "She asked if there was a problem, and earlier when she said 'Ere ye gang' she meant here you go. By the way, she is speaking common, its just a west southern Mistralin accent."

"Whaur urr ye fae? " Tock asked pleasantly surprised that he could understand her accent and even knew where it was from.

The second guard just chuckled, "I'm from Luz Cruze, it's a small port town off the coast of North West Mistral. Plenty of fishermen from all around like to make stops there while on longer trips so I've heard just about every accent."

"Luz Cruze? A've bin thare afore, ye guys hae th' best fish market 'n' fairn trucks in th' entire region!"

"You're damn right we do and don't you ever forget it!" The friendly guard then turned to his partner who was still examining Tock's VIP pass, "Oh knock it off! If there was something wrong with it you would have found it by now. Give it back and let her in."

There was a tense pause but the man did ultimately do as his partner said and returned the pass to Tock. He then stepped out of her way and said, "Don't forget that there are still some areas that are off-limits, they're marked so there is no way that you can miss them. Otherwise, I hope that you have a good day." His tone made it crystal clear that the latter half was simply something that he was required to say, he didn't mean it. More concerning was that there could be no doubts that what he actually wanted to say was very… unkind to say the least.

That was fine, as far as Tock was concerned as she also had some less than kind things she wanted to tell him but just like him she had decided to hold back, and it wasn't out of respect for him either. He was simply not worth her time much less her ire, so she took back her pass without saying anything to him before giving his partner a friendly smile and saying, "Ah hawp Ye hae a stoatin day." She made sure to emphasize the 'Ye' to make it clear that she was talking to the friendly guard and not to his partner. She then took a moment to appreciate the look on the rude guard's face when it dawned on him what she had done and then she strutted right through the doors as the man quietly fumed.

The inner corridors were unsurprisingly dull and utilitarian, these hallways were for transport, not for impressing guests especially when they weren't supposed to be here in the first place. That being said, the place wasn't completely barren, there were some TVs mounted on the wall showing the festivities and the two professors still arguing, a sign displaying a map, and several lines in different colors painted on the floor to assist in navigation. There was also a wide line of green that had been painted on the lower portions of the walls that stood out because it did not seem to serve any purpose. It felt so oddly out of place that she couldn't help but pause as she wondered out loud for a second or two about why the designers went out of their way to paint something so unnecessary but she drew a blank, "Mibbie thay juist wanted tae add some color?" Either way, the answer didn't matter so she just shrugged and continued on her way to the medical bay where both Team JNPR and SSSN were most likely to be found.

To the average person who didn't know any better, Tock's decision and Cecco's comment would have been odd. Why would JNPR and SSSN be in the medical bay when they had Arua which was supposed to protect the body from virtually all harm? She would have smiled and kindly remind that hypothetical person that this was a tournament where the goal was to deplete that very same protection to the breaking point, and of course, the shield provided by Aura wasn't perfect. A blow to the head would still shake the brain and daze, you still felt the force of an attack, a surprise hit could deal damage to the body, and a sufficiently weakened Aura could fail to protect its user when faced against a powerful enough strike focused on a small enough area.

The worst part about all of that was it was possible for an Aura's passive healing ability to indirectly harm its user. There were plenty of cautionary tales of Huntsmen who delayed medical treatment out of a belief that their Aura was sufficient to heal their wounds only realizing their mistake when the damage reached a critical point.

None of this information was a secret, it just wasn't really spoken about very often. Nobody wanted to really think about how brutal and often tragically short the life of a Huntsman could really be. Anyone who wanted any sort of relationship with a Huntsmen, whether it be romantic or platonic, had to contend with the fact that every moment could be the last. As long as Grimm existed so must the Huntsmen, and if the day came where the Grimm no longer existed. Huntsmen would disappear alongside them with the loved ones of every dead Huntsman crying tears of joy as the Academy doors happily closed for the last time, What a joyous day that would be.

Tock pushed those thoughts out of her head, she wasn't sure where those dreary thoughts had come from. This wasn't like her and yet she had been having more thoughts like that more often and she had an inkling why this was the case, "Tis fur o' Jaune 'n' th' rest o' thae weans. A've gotten attached tae they weans 'n' noo a'm getting sentimental. Grandma warned me aboot this exact thing 'n' noo a've gaen 'n' dane it." But is that really a bad thing? I've got options now that didn't exist back then, a house, I'm on a Headmaster's good side, and my crew and I all have good jobs waiting for us if we take it… maybe it's time for me to retire from this bounty hunter business and go legit. It's not like I have any attachment to this career, Bounty Hunting was something I found myself falling into after everything else fell through. So why shouldn't I hit that reset button? Her pace began to pick up as she felt herself becoming even more excited, she wasn't sure of how things would actually play out and there were many details that were still in the air. Not to mention that she would need to sit down and talk to her crew about this before she could put anything into motion and of course, she wanted Jaune's opinion as well but she had a good feeling that he would have zero objections.

Then she turned the corner and spotted Pyrrha standing by herself just outside of the medical bay. The younger woman didn't notice Tock standing close by, she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts just like Tock had been earlier but this was different. Pyrrha was staring at the floor as she nervously gripped her own forearm, something was bothering her and Tock had a strong gut feeling that it wasn't the Festival.

"Pyrrha? Urr ye okay?"

The younger woman clearly hadn't expected anyone to see let alone approach her as her eyes widened in surprise and her head snapped up before looking right at the older crocodilian woman. There was a tense heavy pause before she finally answered, "I- I just have a lot on my mind right now, that's all. I'm sorry for worrying you."

Tock wasn't sure what to do next, Pyrrha wasn't a person that she interacted with enough to know how to best approach her. No one would hold it against her for just dropping the conversation here and going inside to talk to Jaune, no one except Tock herself who couldn't just stand by and at least ask if she could help, "Is it something ah kin hulp wi'?"

The younger woman opened her mouth to assumedly say no but the word didn't come out, instead, she just stood there for a second or two with her mouth slightly open before she spoke a single word, "Maybe."

Tock walked up to the girl and began to lean against the wall, "A'm listening."

Pyrrha thought over what she was going to say and took a deep breath before starting, "I was… offered an incredible opportunity, one so otherworldly that it almost seems like a fairy tale. I don't want to come off as arrogant but I've always felt that I was born for something truly great… but at the same time I also want to be seen as normal. It's why I left sports and came here."

"Ye cuid hae gotten intae ony academy bit Atlas 'n' Haven wid drawn endless attention. Shade is an option tae` bit tis reputation isnae nearly as guid as th' ithers, that leaves Beacon. Tis a steid whaur yer skills wull used tae hulp fowk ower than a wee bit entertain 'n' maist fowk 'ere dinnae watch Mistral sports."

"Yes, I know that my reasoning was selfish but I think I made the right choice. Weiss was really the only person that brought up my fame and she soon dropped that completely, everything after that has been honing my skill for something beyond a spot on a podium or the front of a cereal box. I'm certain that was born to help people and now… I've been given an offer to do it on a level I didn't think was possible…"

"Bit thir's a catch, thir's aye a catch." It's probably something along the lines of leaving her team behind.

"You're right, there is a catch but it's nothing too bad, in fact, it's almost laughable. I'll be able to stay in Beacon and on my team, the only immediate difference to my day-to-day is that I'll be taking special private lessons in addition to my regular ones." ones that are similar to what Ruby has been doing with Maria."

Tock frowned as she began to connect the dots, Ruby was the only other person that she knew who was taking special classes but Pyrrha didn't have Sliver Eyes. Unless she's wearing contacts. "Sae, tis something similar tae Silver Een."

Pyrrha shifted uncomfortably after the words had left Tock's mouth. The atmosphere became thicker and there was a noticeable rise in tension, the older woman quickly realized three things. The first was that she had hit the nail on the head, whatever was happening with Pyrrha was similar to Ruby and Maria's Silver eyes but to what extent, she didn't know. The second thing was that she should have kept that comment to herself and the third was that she needed to say something to try and ease the tension.

"Ah'ament aff tae ask fur aw the info or tell a'body that we hud this blether, ah juist wantae mak' sure that ah'ament misunderstanding anythin'." There was a pungent silence and for a moment, Tock was certain that Pyrrha was going to walk away from her but she was thankfully proven wrong.

"I'm sorry but can't say what it is. But I can say that you're right, it is similar and that's what is worrying me… something is going on and I have a feeling that sooner rather than later we are going find out what it is and this… opportunity would guarantee that I'm ready but…"

"Tis nae a commiment that ye'r sure that ye kin or even wantae handle?"

"Yeah..."

Tock mulled it over but it was hard to know what you were supposed to say when there was so little information to work with and she had a strong feeling that platitudes would not be appreciated. But there was something that she could say, a lesson that she wished she had learned a long time ago, "Thare is na pity in backing oot o' a situation that ye dinnae cop comfy in."

Pyrrha frowned, "If you only stick to what's comfortable then you'll never grow as a person."

"It depends oan how come ye'r feeling uncomfortable. Tak' Jaune 'n' me fur example, we're planning oan getting this mairriage annulled wance we're sure everything is aff tae return tae normal."

"But you and Jaune seem so happy together!"

"That's juist fur we're aye in th' honeymoon phase, wance that wears aff th' twa o' us wull hae tae come tae grips wi' reality. Mairriage is a commitment that cannae be made lightly, whither yi'll waant tae or nae ye wull end up sharing everything wi' yer bidie in 'n' that includes th' hackit hings aboot ourselves that we wantae keep secret."

"Can't you just talk things out?"

Tock gave a soft chuckle, "We hae, 'n' baith o' us 'greed that an annulment wis fur th' best 'n' that's a decision that he 'n' ah aye staun by. Dinnae forgoat that we didnae git th'gither th' wey maist couples dae, oor union wis born fae lust 'n' bevvy fuel inhibition. That isnae exactly th' rock-solid foundation a kinship lik' this needs, we didnae even dae ony o' th' required planning!"

"Planning?"

"Whit? Dinnae tell me that ye thought that something lik' mairriage wis juist twa fowk deciding that thay wur in loue 'n' taking a loup o' faith! Na, bides ur nae that simple."

Tock paused to take a moment to study Pyrrha's face, the younger woman was interested in what she had to say but at the same time, she was a little confused. Tock didn't blame her, this conversation started with the woman revealing that she was feeling troubled by something and had now pivoted away to a topic that seemed wholly unrelated and it was, at least to a certain degree. However, Tock knew what she was doing and there was an actual reason why she had purposely steered the conversation in this direction. She just hoped that Pyrrha would think that it was a worthwhile detour.

"Ony commitment na maiter howfur wee or muckle comes at a cost, hee haw is free 'n' if ye'r nae canny th' cost tag is aff tae skelp ye solid o'er th' coupon. Git hitched wi' a stranger 'n' ye cannae complain efter whin ye fin' oot juist howfur wee ye git in common or howfur yer views differ oan important aishans lik' religion, politics, howfur mony weans yi'll waant or whaur yi'll waant tae bide, 'n' dozen ither hings bit let's shift awa' fae mairriage fur a moment."

Tock lifted up her shirt and began pointing at scars, "A've git plenty o' scars oan mah body, ilk yin fae a dumb mistake ah made."

"But I thought your Semblance protected from any kind of injury, so how did you get so many?"

"Ah wis arrogant 'n' tried tae tackle problems 'n' joabs by masell wi' hee haw bit grit 'n' a can-do wit ye hink, bit some problems ur tae muckle fur ony yin body tae handle. Even efter ah git a crew, ah aye hud an issue o' nae keekin afore ah leaped 'n' parntly ah aye haven't grown oot o' it."

Then it all clicked together in Pyrrha's head, "Your job, the one you took before coming to Vale. You didn't actually know what you were getting into, you just took that man's words at face value and were tricked into nearly killing Maria. B-but, Ozpin isn't trying to trick me into killing anyone! He just wants me to-!"

Tock cut her off, "Dinnae tell me anythin' that ye'r nae comfy saying."

"Y-yes, thank you," Pyrrha said feeling somewhat embarrassed but at the same time there was a part of her that wanted to keep going, a part of her that wanted to walk into the medical bay behind her and tell her team everything. No, they've already been dragged into one mess, what kind of friend would I be if I dragged them into another… but what if it doesn't matter? They are my team and my friends, if I get involved then they will as well. Even if I don't accept, they might be dragged in any way if another attack happens.

Tock studied Pyrrha's face, it was clear that the younger woman was on the verge of something but Tock wasn't sure what it was and wasn't willing to try and push her in one direction or another. But that didn't mean that she couldn't help, "Ah kin see that ye'v git some thinking tae dae sae ah will lea ye be. Juist please dinnae let yersel' mak' a decision wi'oot thinking aboot it thourghly, tak' th' time yi''ll need, blether tae whoever yi'll waant tae blether tae, gang treat yersel' if that wull hulp, 'n' ne'er ever let someone else push ye tae a decision 'til yer guid 'n' duin. Dinna worry yirsel aboot whit ithers think or say, mak' th' choice that ye'r comfy wi' fur ye'r th' yin wha haes tae bide wi' it."

"That… that makes a lot of sense... I'm going to do it."

"Dae whit?"

The younger woman gave a sincere smile, "I'm going to go call my aunt and see what she thinks about this problem of mine. Naturally, I can't tell her everything but she's one of the smartest people I know, she'll know what to say even without the whole story. I'll try to join you all later but I don't know how long this will take so if the others ask, please tell them I'm catching up with my family." Pyrrha then began to walk away but then stopped and turned back around to face Tock, "Oh, and I should probably warn you about Dr. Gris."

"Who's that?"

Pyrrha chuckled, "He's… someone that you'd probably get along just fine under different circumstances but you're about to visit a patient in his medical bay and he doesn't like that. He won't do anything too extreme like kicking you out unless you start bothering the others but he is probably going to make it clear that he doesn't want you there and then offer you a beer."

"How come does he hae heavy in a steid o' healing?"

Pyrrha shrugged, "He's a weird one, has an odd accent that I can't quite place, but he's also good at his job, really good. All of the professors here trust him with their lives, I can only imagine what he must have done to impress them as he did. Either way, I best be going. Hopefully, I'll see you again before the day ends," she then waved goodbye and began to walk away.

"If nae th'day then th'morra or whenever yer feelin' doon fur it," Tock answered back as she returned to the wave and after a few seconds turned her attention to her original goal, the medical bay.

The only thing blocking her path to Jaune was wide easy swing doors that had little windows that allowed you to peek inside to see if anything was in your way before opening them, it was exactly the sort of thing anyone would expect to see in a place like this. What wasn't something that most would expect to see was a pair of large signs on the doors that read, "No Visitors Allowed Except for IMMEDIATE Family or Teammates, NO EXCEPTIONS PERIOD. DEAL WITH IT! Furthermore, I reserve the right to kick anyone out for any reason! Sincerely and with much love, Dr. Gris."

"Wow, ah haven't even met th' guy 'n' ah awready ken how come Pyrrha warned me aboot him…," Tock then opened the doors and walked inside.

She had expected her nostrils to be assaulted by the smell of antiseptic like it had in every other hospital and doctor's office she had visited in the past, but this one was different. That wasn't to say that she couldn't smell the antiseptic, its presence was still noticeable but it was strangely subdued. As she continued to smell the air she began to notice other scents, pleasant ones that she couldn't identify but nevertheless appreciated since they were what was keeping the antiseptic at bay. Looking around she quickly realized just how large the place was and how much bigger it was than anything she could have guessed, there were beds separated by curtains as far as the eyes could see with staff constantly moving around to attend to everyone.

There were also other doors leading to what she suspected were other wings, perhaps with more beds and equipment reserved for people whose situation demands far greater attention and care. This place was not a true hospital but, it absolutely would suffice until the arrangements could be made by the real hospital.

"May I help you, ma'am?" asked a burly man with a soft voice who was dressed in nurse scrubs and holding a scroll.

"Aye, a'm swatchin' fur mah guidman Jaune Arc."

The nurse pressed a few buttons on the scroll and then asked, "May I please see your ID?"

"O' coorse," she pulled out her own scroll and projected her ID for the man to see.

"Okay," he then tapped a few more buttons and projected a bay map for Tock to see. "Your husband should be in section B, bed five. The quickest way to get there is to go straight ahead and make a left at the first crossroads, you'll then spot him on the right." As he gave the directions a red line appeared on the projected map and traced the path as he explained it in order to give her a visual aid.

"Straecht, then left at th' crosswalk, and Jaune wull be oan th' kip oan th' richt. Richt?"

"That's right and please don't hesitate to ask for help, and please tell your husband that I enjoyed his fight. We all did."

"Och, ah wull."

Jaune felt great in the emotional sense of the word, psychically he still felt rather sore from being blown sky high by Scarlet but honestly, that was just par for the course when you had Nora Valkyrie on your team, "So there shouldn't be any problem if I spent the rest of the day wandering the festival grounds?"

Dr. Gris checked his notes and took a sip from a nice cold can of beer before answering, "Sure, but youse better not goes around gitting yourself in anything too exciting, got dat? So no shagging wit yer wife." He then turned around and pointed at Ren who was in the bed next to Jaune's, "Dat goes fer youse to, and don't pretend like it would be fine, I'z seen yer girl bench-pressing. She could break a bear in half!"

"I've seen her do it," Ren said in agreement before asking, "So when will it be okay for us to… celebrate?"

"Well, Jaune's Aura iz tough, so he could be okay before da day iz done and youse should be topped off by breakfast tomorrow. But! I wants ya both to be back ere tomorrow fer a quick check-up. Either ways ya both can git out of ere after I finish reading dis!" Gris held up two manilla folders containing the results of various tests for the two young men.

"Hey Gris, wouldn't it be easier and safer to use your scroll to carry that information around?" Jaune asked out of curiosity.

"I do both, but I'z prefers da feel of paper on my fingers, itz also a bit of extra security. If something happens to da digital files then I'z gots da physical files to fall back on, I even gots copies in case something happens to my copies."

"Ah kin ken bein' canny bit isnae that juist a bawherr awfy much?" Tock asked as she entered the room having overheard the conversation as she approached.

Gris glared at her with such intensity that she instinctually took a step back, "Who da Fucking hells are youse!?"

Jaune was quick to intervene and Tock was just as fast to respond, "That's my wife! A'm his guidwife!"

The doctor narrowed his eyes and then walked right up to Tock. He was a full head shorter than her but his stocky build, eyepatch, buzzcut, and tan scarred skin made him look like a formidable and intimidating warrior which was appropriate given how he was also an active Huntsman. For a brief moment, everyone who didn't know any better wondered if a fight was going to break out, they all breathed a sigh of relief when instead Gris held out his hand to offer her a handshake and a friendly smile, "So youse da woman Iz been hearing so much about, a pleasure to finally meet cha!"

"Um, th' buzz is a' mines. Och, ye'v git a pure tough grip!"

"Youse got a good grip yourself, but dats wat I'd expect from da dame dat been training dat boy over there into a man!" he said with a hearty chuckle while pointing at Jaune.

"Weel it helps that he wis eager tae learn, forby it wasn't lik' ah hud anythin' better tae dae."

"I git dat feeling all to well, either way, I'll be leaving youse two love birds alone. Oh, and before I forget." He pointed right at Jaune, "Don't fuck em till I clear em. Got it?"

"Dinna fash yirsel, ah juist wantae enjoy th' festival wi' him. Hauns ur aff tae remain 'boon th' waist 'n' th' hail affair wull be strictly PG."

"Good." Gris then stepped past her before pausing to add one last thing, "I already told em but now I'm telling youse, wait till after I'm done reading dis file before leaving. I don't want to ave to chase you all through da festival because youse left before we knew if it was safe to do so." He then walked past her leaving the woman alone with Ren and Jaune.

"Is he aye lik' that?"

Jaune nodded, "I have never seen that man smile like that, I had thought that even a teeny tiny little grin seems was impossible for him."

"I've seen him smile," said Ren.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he is actually a very nice guy when he is off the clock especially when he is with his finance."

"Who's th' jammy gal?"

"Dr. Riviera and he is a resident psychologist here at a Beacon, maybe we'll catch a glimpse of him at the festival if he isn't too busy."

"Speaking of the festival, is there anywhere, in particular, you wanted to check out?" Jaune asked Tock.

"Well, thare is a seafood staun that a've heard a lot aboot 'n' thare ur a tae o' shows that a'm eager tae catch lik' th' circus. By th' wey, whaur is Nora?"

Ren was quick to answer, "She was able to get out quickly since her Aura didn't break during the fight so all it took was a quick check-up to make sure there were no lingering injuries. Right now she should be over at the CCT to check in with the people at that settlement we helped."

"I hope that they try to reclaim that land before we graduate, I'd hate to miss out on that mission," Jaune added.

"I don't think we'll have to worry, Ozpin isn't the kind of man who'll assign a mission like that without offering it to us first. He might even bend the rules a little just let us go," said Ren.

"Bend th' rules? Does he dae that often?" A bad feeling was starting to swell in Tock's gut as she recalled the conversation that she just had with Pyrrha and reflected on her situation, He also pulled some strings to help me and my crew out and he's on a first name base with General Ironwood who's perhaps the most powerful man on Remnant. Oz is dangerous, more than anyone I've ever faced before, and yet he is worried about Salem… who is she? Why does she hunt people with sliver eyes? Is Oz trying to use me against her?

"I wouldn't say he bends the rules often," Jaune answered not aware of what was going on in his wife's head. "But, he does do it more often than you'd think."

"He also bent the rules so that RWBY could go on the Mt. Glenn mission…," Ren added which brought the mood down further.

"Keek, we're nae aff tae figure anythin' oot richt 'ere 'n' noo. Hell, we dinnae even ken if thare is anythin' tae be figured oot or whither tis oor brains juist running a 100 miles an oor fur everything is aye fresh oan oor minds. Let's juist pump th' brakes 'n' gilravage this festival be we gang nuts!"

Jaune wasn't convinced, "But we can't just ignore this! Ozpin asked to talk to Pyrrha in private! What if-?"

Tock cut him off, "Ah talked tae her afore comin' ben, she's nae a gowk 'n' she is aff tae fill ye a' in wance she's cleared her heid a bawherr. Bit richt noo she's cawin her aunt tae git some advice, please, trust yer bidie in."

Jaune looked away for a moment before answering with a half-hearted, "Okay." He wasn't really convinced but for the moment he was willing to wait and perhaps that was good enough for now. But then silence descended between the three of them, one that could be broken with a single word but that meant changing the topic and there was still much that they wanted to say on it. But at the same time, none of them were really in the right state of mind to get what they wanted off of their chests so they didn't even try.

Not too long afterward Dr. Gris returned, "Geez, wat happened to youse guys?

Ren was the one to answer, "Sorry, we just had a bit of a heavy conversation and were letting things settle."

"Yeah, I'z knows… look here, I ain't gonna tell youse dat ya'll can just trust Oz blindly because dat's stupid. Oz is just another person like youse and me and neither of us is perfect so why would he be perfect? But I'z will say dis, da guy ain't alone, me and plenty of others are watching em to make sure dat he don't fuck up. And I'll be da first to admit dat we gotten lax wit em, but da Breech was a wake call and we ain't making dat mistake again and for wat its worth… I'm sorry dat I didn't stop him back then, your friends should have never been on dat mission."

Jaune didn't say anything, he just nodded his head and that was enough to communicate that he heard, understood, and was grateful for what the old man had to say.

Ren, on the other hand, did have some things that he wanted, no, needed to get off of his chest, "You people played with lives and I'm not just talking about our lives, we knew what being a Huntsman meant. I'm talking about the civilians, I'm talking about the people who might have never been in danger if a qualified team had been sent to but it also goes beyond them! Remember that Settlement that my team was sent to? The people there had nothing to do with anything going on and yet they got caught up in the aftermath anyway and now the settlement has been abandoned!"

Ren paused to take a breath, he wasn't used to being so upfront with his emotions. Normally he'd just try to quietly calm down, suppress, and wait until those feelings would just pass over him like water but this was different, the feelings weren't going away and Ren was starting to suspect that they never really left, It was like holding ice, I ignored the pain until I couldn't feel it anymore but it never really went away. I just became numb. Honestly, I shouldn't even be surprised given how my Semblance works. It doesn't remove emotions, it just makes me numb but they're still there just buried underneath the ice. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that Jaune and Tock were stunned by his outburst but at the same time he could feel something else, They agree with me? But how do I know that? When he shifted his attention to Dr. Gris he could almost see the empathy radiating from the older man along with an underlying current of regret.

But as interesting as all of this was, Ren wasn't done yet. "I want to believe you, I want to believe Ozpin but I can't help but worry about Pyrrha, about Ruby, Maria, Tock, Penny, and everyone else that we've gotten close to and whom Oz and his little circle have taken an interest in! I have no idea what's going on or why it involves so many people or why the ones who seem to be at the center of it are all young women and I don't care! We are not pawns to be moved around and sacrificed without consent!"

"You're not pawns, non of youse ever were but I'z don't blames youse fer thinking dat way. And I wants to thank youse because I've got my owns gripes wit da old man dat I'z been holding back but no more… go enjoy dis festival, I'll handle Oz, I have all of youse backs and it ain't jus me. Professor Greene has been doing her own digging ever since youse guys came back from da settlement, Qrow and Taiyang are also getting tired of Oz's secrets. I can't tell youse guys wat is happening but please believe me when I say dat we didn't want to hurt youse or anyones else."

"I believe you," Ren answered without any hesitation.

"What! How can you say that?" Jaune asked thoroughly confused.

"Ye cannae gang aff lik' that 'n' drap everything juist fur th' guy said sorry, whit happened?!"

"He told me the truth," Ren calmly answered as he looked at Gris.

"You don't know that!"

"I do, I can't explain it very well but I can sort of… see it. There is this, sky blue aura around his body that's telling me exactly what he is feeling."

"Huh!?" Jaune and Tock said together.

Gris cut in, "Dis aura, do ya see it only me or can youse see it in other people?"

Ren quickly looked around and at first, he didn't really see anything but that changed when he tried focusing on specific people or small groups, for many it was faint but there was a glow around their bodies. If he was looking at someone angry then there would be a red glow, when he looked at someone who was sad he saw a dark blue glow, and when he gazed at someone pouring their heart out on their scroll, he saw this earnest sky blue color similar to the one he saw on Gris earlier. "Yes, I have to focus, and it's not always clear but I can see it!"

Gris smiled, "Congrats kid, youse Semblance has evolved."

"Now what?"

"Now youse all git outta here and ave some fun while I handle Oz. Oh, and don't practice too much, we don't yet know if it cost youse Aura to see emotions."

"Understood," Ren then climbed out of the bed along with Jaune and walked out of the medical bay with Tock following close behind. Afterward, they met up with Nora, Team RWBY, and the rest of Tock's crew and enjoyed a day at the festival playing games, enjoying the rides, trying out different foods, and discussing ways to test out Ren's new ability and trying to figure out its combat potential. Pyrrha would join them later on in the evening and was quickly filled in on the news, she was ecstatic for her friend and comrade, and her presence made the already fun outing even better.

But in the back of everyone's head was an uncertain feeling about the future, even Gris couldn't shake off their worries that everything that had happened was a prelude for something big. Something that went far beyond the Breach, something that was just waiting for the right moment to crash down on everything and reveal just how fragile it all was… they were right to be worried, they just had no idea how bad it was all going to be.

Author's Notes: Let's address the elephant in the room: Why does Tock's accent disappear during internal monologues? The answer is that accents are something that others apart from the speaker perceive; Tock is talking to herself so why would she hear an Accent? Also writing out the accent is a chore even with the use of a translator and the result isn't really worth the effort… also there is the fact that I gave her the wrong accent. Either way, in future stories I'm just going to take the shortcut and say she's speaking with an accent but writing her dialogue normally and have other characters occasionally comment on the accent.

My original plan for this chapter was to spend most of it following the gang around the festival and just having a merry time. The ending that I intended to write out was to cut to Cinder and her minions planning out their next move… so none of that happened. Not only did it not happen but Ren ended up pouring his heart out in a manner that evolved his Semblance 5 volumes early!

Well, that's just what happens when you let the story lead but I don't think this turned out too badly; Significant character development happened, the plot has been pushed forward just a little, and I still got some laughs in. As for Cinder, that will just be the start of the next chapter, and to be honest, it is better that way.