Hovering over the kingdom of Vale were several Atlesian warships, in the not-so-distant past, they would have been a terrifying sight but the Great War was more than a lifetime ago and many things have changed since then and often for the better. One of those changes was that the four kingdoms were now allies and equals, at least on paper, that isn't to say that people were thrilled by the sight of Atlas flexing its military might as it provided security to the Vytal Festival but, no one really held it against them, especially after their assistance during The Breach. The help didn't end after the Breach was sealed and the Grimm were wiped out, they assisted in the rebuilding, and General Ironwood himself was leading an investigation into just why it happened and who was responsible. Already the General had in his personal custody a local thief by the name of Roman Torchwick who, despite being human, was seen leading White Fang operatives in a series of successful Dust robberies which directly helped make the Breach a reality. That same thief was later captured at the Breach itself, the subsequent investigation soon found that in preparation for the terrorist attack he had somehow acquired a train, construction equipment, and Atlesian military tech including several units of the new Paladian 290 model. How a mere thief got his hand on that kind of hardware was a question that everyone wanted an answer to and those who already knew the answer, had plenty of unnerving questions of their own.

In addition, Ironwood also had in his custody a group calling themselves the Lost Boys who under any other circumstances would have been considered nothing more than what they seemed to be, a ragtag group of weirdos cosplaying as mercenaries. However, circumstances soon proved that they were more dangerous than previously believed and that they were somehow connected to the greater issue at hand… the problem was that no one could figure out how or why they were connected. And until the nature of that connection could be determined there was absolutely no way Ironwood would allow the Lost Boys the pleasure of a regular cell down on Vale. When he took them and Torchwick into custody he also took responsibility for their imprisonment and there was only one prison where he felt that he could place them both, and those cells were currently located above Vale.

Blue-2 was the official destination of the Atlesian Airship that served as General James Ironwood's mobile base of operation while in Vale and it was also where he was keeping his prisoners. To be specific, he was keeping them in specially designed cells that were built with Aura and Semblances in mind. These cells would continually drain the occupants of their Aura, not to the point where it would hurt them, and then use that same Aura to reinforce the cells. Furthermore, there was an automated system that continually monitored the occupant's Aura output and adjusted the drain accordingly, this meant that the cell would be at its absolute strongest when the would-be-escapee was also at their strongest in a foolish attempt to try and break free with brute force or the use of their Semblance. And in the case that someone managed that herculean task to break free either with brute strength or a Semblance, that same system would alert any and all personnel within the ship, and the first group would arrive within 30 seconds of the alarm. Escape wasn't impossible, there was always a chance that someone would have a Semblance that couldn't be stopped but it was possible to make escape gravely improbable without any outside aid.

The cells were also built with the comfort of the occupant in mind, a comfy prisoner was less likely to attempt escape and was on average more cooperative. Therefore all the cells contained a cozy bed, a self-cleaning toilet, a shower, a garbage bin that was regularly emptied, and even some strategically placed handlebars so that the occupant could do a little exercise. Also, the cells were not soundproof, it was possible for a person to speak loudly enough to hold a conversation with a person held in a different cell, these conversations were of course monitored but this was something that the occupants assumed was the case and as a result, they were careful not to say anything that might get them in trouble. And sometimes when they were bored, they would have a little bit of fun…

"Farewell and adieu to you, Mistral ladies," Torchwick was leading the Lost Boys through a little sea shanty, "Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Mistral." It wasn't one of his personal favorites but it was one that everyone present knew so that made it an obvious choice.

"For we've received orders to sail," Peter continued where Torchwick left off, his voice was oddly crisp and happy. "For we've received orders to sail to old Vale."

The chorus then began and everyone sang together including the guards, "We'll rant and roar like true Valen sailors. We'll rant and roar across the salt seas. Until we strike soundings of the coast of sweet Sanus. From Aoi to O'Shelly it's 54 leagues!"

Torchwick took a deep breath to start the next verse but was interrupted when an alarm suddenly sounded, it was the same alarm that sounded when the Lost Boys were brought in to become his roommates which meant that he was getting a new one. I wonder who it is? If I'm lucky then it's that flaming bitch but she's too strong to ever be captured, could it be one of her brats? Or maybe someone is getting out, unlikely but a guy can dream. He edged to the door of his cell and pressed himself against the wall to get a peek at the door of the brig, he could see a guard looking at his scroll for a moment before pressing some buttons. He then heard the sound of an empty cell opening up and watched another guard enter it in order to quickly inspect and prepare the cell for the coming occupant. So we're getting someone new.

The door to the brig opened and several guards walked in, following close behind them was a man that Torchwick didn't recognize but he wasn't going to forget any time soon, An Arfomohwak… Not gonna lie, he kinda rocks it.

"Hey, look boys! It's Rufio!" Peter happily declared as the latest prisoner was led into his cell. "C'mon everyone, let's say hi!"

"Hi, Rufio!" Said all the Lost Boys together before they all started to inundate the man with so many questions that it all sort of melted together into an intelligible cacophony that was painful to listen to.

However Rufio didn't seem to be bothered by the noise, rather he seemed to be amused by it. He even gave them all a sincere smile and even attempted to wave but one of the guards accompanying him pushed his hand back down but also allowed the man to speak, "It's good to see you all! Shame that we're not meeting up at a bar bu-, wait a moment… Where is Curly?" There was a slight but still noticeable edge in Rufio's voice and it was enough for a guard to place their hand on Rufio's shoulder as a silent warning not to try anything as they moved him into the cell.

"Ask the Twins and Slightly, they were the last ones who saw him," Belle answered while angrily vibrating her wings.

"Fuck you Bitch! How dare you try and throw me under the bus like that!" Slightly punched the wall of his cell, "I was doing my job, trying to catch that wack-ass wannabe pirate while the Twins were doing who knows what in the woods with Curly!"

Naturally, the Twins took offense to this, "This is the thanks we get for trying to save you after you went in over your head and got wrecked?"

"You didn't save anything! You got caught with me!"

"Because you decided to stay and fight you stupid animal!"

"HOW DARE YOU! I OUGHT TO-!"

"CALM DOWN, ALL OF YOU!" Peter suddenly barked out an order with a force of authority that most people would never imagine him capable of producing, "Slightly, you are right to be mad but screaming inside of a cage won't help. As for you Twins… I'm willing to put up with a lot but racism isn't going to be tolerated. Everything else is okay in my books but Brothers be damned a man has got to draw the line somewhere! Seriously, have you forgotten that Belle is the only one here that can fly? Are you trying to drive her away? Now go and apologize to her!"

The Twins sighed clearly not wanting to do this but did it anyway even if it was half-heartedly, "Belle, we're sorry. We didn't mean to offend you, will you forgive us?"

"You're forgiven?" She answered not really sure why she was the one they were apologizing to.

Slightly waited for his apology but as time passed by it became clear that there was none coming, "Um boss, I was the one that they called an animal, shouldn't they be apologizing to me instead of her?" he asked.

Peter shrugged, "Eh, you're replaceable."

Rufio burst into laughter as Slightly was stunned silent by the blunt admission. That was not a silence that lasted very long as Slightly regathered his bearings and began angrily ranting about the complete lack of respect for his contributions to the gang, or something like that, Torchwick stopped listening to the guy a while ago. No, his attention was on the guards, most would have expected these disciplined men to ignore and filter out the noise but not these men. These men were doing the very opposite, the others hadn't yet noticed but the guards, even the one who had brought Rufio in, were paying very close attention to everything being said as if they were hoping to learn something by listening. Though what they hoped to learn from listening to this mess was anybody's guess. Perhaps Ironwood is just desperate, Torchwick thought to himself, He has me and most of the Lost Boys and isn't really any closer to figuring this out. Not surprising given how we're also in the dark about whatever that bitch is planning, even Adam wasn't sure what he was supposed to do after crashing the train and making a mess.

Eventually, the argument died down and the guards who had brought Rufio left, leaving only the ones who were already there. "So you noticed it, didn't you?" Rufio spoke to Trochwick not caring that the guards were still listening, "They're desperate."

"Pardon me for asking but how do you know I noticed anything, I've been quiet this whole time and your cell doesn't have a clear view of mine," Torchwick responded choosing to try and act obtuse until he had a better idea of the kind of person Rufio was.

"It's partially because you stayed quiet and partially because I read up on your past deeds. Your reputation is well earned and I have a hard time believing that someone like you hasn't noticed the guards. You've probably noticed a lot of things out of pure habit."

"They weren't exactly subtle," Torchwick answered with insincere humility to try and downplay it. What's his angle?

"True dat but they don't exactly need to be subtle, we're the ones trapped in here with no way out." Rufio paused waiting for Torchwick to say something back but the thief didn't, the silence between the two men stretched on for seconds until it seemed that the conversation was done almost as soon as it began. But then Rufio said something very interesting, "I see… you don't know."

Peter had been listening to their conversation and now had questions of his own, "Did Salem tell you anything? What's the plan? When are we getting out of here!?" The others began to join in, all of them asking variations of what Peter had first said.

"Let the man speak!" Torchwick nearly shouted when the voices finally blended together into pure noise and to his surprise they listened. "Huh, I honestly didn't expect that to work. Now Rufio, before you continue I have to ask if you are sure you want to say whatever it is you're going to say. We are, after all, guests in someone else's house, and our host struggles with the concept of privacy." Torchwick glanced at the guards as he said this.

Rufio chuckled, "That's the best part, it doesn't matter! These guys are just as much in the dark as you and I are! Did you know that Ironwood threw me in here specifically because he was hoping that we'd talk and that I would implicate myself? Can you guess why he would do that? Go on, guess, Guess!"

Torchwick groaned, he was never good at dealing with these kinds of weirdos but he knew enough to know that not playing along would just make the man sulk and the only thing worse than being stuck with a weirdo was being stuck with a sulking weirdo, "Is it because he didn't have anything on you?"

"That's right! I was arrested in broad daylight just because a certain crocodile remembered that I used to roll with the Lost Boys!"

Torchwick was confused, "Crocodile? Who's the crocodile?"

"Y-you, you don't know?"

"I've been in here since the Breach!"

Rufio started laughing so hard that it took two minutes for him to stop. "Oh, oh, oh, you are going to Love this! So it all starts during the Breach, inside Vale, there is a reptilian bounty hunter who is celebrating a successful job unaware that she was working for our boss. There she meets a Beacon student cosplaying as a pirate and joins forces to fight the Grimm. Then when the fight was over the two decided to celebrate their survival with drinks and they got so drunk that the two of them got married!"

"What!?"

"And it gets better! Turns out that the pirate cosplayer is good friends with the thorn in your side Team RWBY and this is where things really get wild!" Rufio continued his story and everyone including the guards listened with rapt attention, they could hardly believe what they were listening to. How could they when the story was just so ridiculous?

And when it was over there was only one question that Torchwick had to ask, "How do you know any of that when you weren't there for almost any of it?"

"I- I um, obviously I was informed by my employer about the state of things."

"Except she wasn't there for everything either, take the village attack for example. That attack was something that Peter told me he decided on his own without letting her know what he was going to do and the news didn't go into much detail, so how did she know?"

"I have no idea," Rufio answered with absolute confidence.

"What!?"

"I have no idea where she is getting this information," Rufio repeated. "But she must have a way of knowing because if there was a mistake then you or one of the other people who were there would have corrected me. None of you did so either you're keeping quiet for some reason or the information was right."

"Well then our boss heard right," one of the Twins answered. "I wasn't there for everything but everything you've said was right."

Slightly then chimed in as well, "They even got right the part where I disguised as the bastard's father and… how… he tricked me."

"So there you have it!" Rufio smugly said as though everything was settled. "Our boss knows what she's doing! Even my arrest was a part of the plan and what comes next… is something she has yet to fill me in on."

One of the guards reached up to a button on the side of their helmet and pressed it before pressing and holding down a different button, his helmet then began to emit a low humming noise. Then the guard began to say something but Torchwick couldn't quite make out what was being said, the humming noise was making it bizarrely hard to hear, Probably some kind of noise damping tech. However Torchwick was more than capable of guessing what it was, They're going to interrogate Rufio. I wonder what part of this brilliant plan involved getting interrogated or maybe it doesn't matter? What if he told the truth and doesn't know the next part of the plan? But, then why is he so confident? And then there is the unanswered question of how Cindy knows about the settlement and everything else, what or who could her source of info be? It has to be someone with access to official and unofficial reports but that's an incredibly short list. Not to mention that she wouldn't need us at all if she had access to someone like that so it has to be something else but what could be so all-encompassing? And what is this plan? What was the Breach supposed to accomplish? And more importantly… What comes next?

Roman Torchwick sighed and sat down on the bed of his cell, he watched quietly as more guards entered the room and took Rufio out of his cell before escorting him to be interrogated. The strange man didn't resist, quite the opposite actually, he almost seemed to be happy that this was happening. A lesser man would have assumed that Rufio was planning to squeal but Roman was not a lesser man, he was a master thief and more importantly he was someone who had seen that kind of attitude before; That was the attitude of someone who was exactly where they wanted to be.

"That was amazing!" Nora excitedly shouted while jumping up and down in the stands after witnessing team RWBY's victory in the first round of the Vytal Festival. "I mean, they weren't as amazing as we were in our match but they were still pretty cool, not that I'm implying that we weren't cool as well but I'm sure you all understood that!"

"I estimate that we were at least 15 percent cooler than them," Ren said with utter and absolute baseless confidence.

"You can't quantify coolness!" said Jaune terribly unaware of his own ignorance on the matter as he and his team got up from their chairs and began to walk.

Fortunately, Pyrrha was quick to correct him, "Actually you can, some people make a career out of quantifying coolness and other similar qualities that they then take and create designs based on their findings." She then pointed to her clothes, "This outfit was designed for me after I won my first major tournament, even my makeup and accessories were selected to help complete and sell the look of, and I quote, a goddess of victory."

Jaune had to fight back a chuckle, "Really? A goddess of victory? I get that you're a legend back home but don't you think that calling you a goddess is a little too much?"

"Oh absolutely! That's the big reason why I'm here in Beacon instead of Haven, I'd never have a moment of privacy ever again had I gone there! But I do like the outfit, I like it a lot actually."

"It does look incredible… I guess it is possible to quantify coolness after all," Jaune conceded. However, he then added, "But I imagine that this sort of thing is rare at least for Huntsmen."

"What about the clothes of Ruby, Yang, and their uncle Qrow?" Nora asked.

"They look good, why do you ask?"

Nora smiled, "Don't you think that their outfits capture their personalities just a little too well for it to be a coincidence? And sure I don't know where Qrow got his clothes, but I do know where Ruby and Yang got theirs and before you guess I'm going to remind you that they were born and raised on the small island of Patch. That place is a speck on the map and yes, I am aware that it is a successful town but it's not one where you'd find a store selling anything above civilian wear. So the question is, where could they have gotten those clothes?"

"M-maybe a friend of their dad or uncle arranged something? They're both huntsmen and Patch is supposed to be a popular place for Huntsmen to retire to!"

"Exactly," Ren quickly said before pointing at his and Nora's clothes. "It's the same situation with us. There was an old retired Huntsmen living in the same settlement that Nora and I lived in before coming here. Designing and making outfits was a hobby of his and made these clothes for us as a gift." Ren then stroked the strands of hair that were dyed pink to match Nora, "This was his idea."

"He said that it kept his mind sharp and his fingers dexterous," Nora helpfully added.

"Not to mention that he said that it is important for Huntsmen to always look their best," Ren finished.

"Okay, but then what about Blake?" asked Jaune.

"Blake? What about her," Pyrrha asked, just a little confused as the team reached the bullhead station and climbed aboard in order to leave Amity and head down to the festival grounds.

"She was in the White Fang so who designed her outfit?"

Pyrrha scratched her chin as she thought it over, "That is a good question, those cute booties of hers aren't something you'd find just anywhere and those stockings are just far too high quality, and that transition from black to purple is just so smooth! There is just no way she bought them at a regular store, they have got to be some kind of custom order."

"Okay," Jaune didn't know enough about stockings or booties to really add anything else but he did notice that there was an article of clothing that his partner had left out. "What about the coat tail vest, that's not something that you see every day."

Ren quickly answered, "She actually told me about it, believe it or not, but it's just a regular coat tail vest that she modified herself, went through at least half a dozen before getting it right. As for her shirt, it's just a shirt, same with the pants. The glove and accessories are also just things she picked up along the way but the ribbon is special. That thing contains steel silk wire which makes it far stronger than it looks and it's not something that you can find in an arts and crafts store, it's something you've got to special order. That's how she can use it to swing around and make traps with it like the one she used to catch that girl with the hoverboard."

Nora nodded along as Ren spoke and when he was done added, "I thought I was the resourceful type, turns out I'm just an amateur compared to her but that makes sense given her unique background."

"Okay, I get that this stuff is more complicated than I first thought but, why?"

"Why what, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"Why do we invest so much effort into our looks? How common is this? I can understand why someone like you or Weiss would have an image consultant and Coco is a fashionista so it makes sense why she'd be good at this. But Ren and Nora? Ruby and Yang? What about Scarlet? Did he pick out his pirate outfit like I did or did he talk to a consultant who ran some numbers and somehow ended up with piracy? Why does Sun only wear shorts, sneakers, and an unbuttoned shirt?"

"Hmmm…," Pyrrha mulled over the questions wondering which one she should address first before deciding that it would be best to answer the unspoken question first. "A lot of Huntsmen do this for the same reason that arena fighters do it, to increase their brand recognition."

"Brand recognition?"

"I know that it's something that nobody wants to think about but Huntsmen have bills that they need to pay and things that they want to buy just like everyone else. Taking jobs from the Mission Board will cover the bills and necessities but not much beyond that especially if you're looking to move up in life. The real money is found in private contracts, especially when those contracts were made with you in mind and that's never going to happen unless you make a powerful first impression. An iconic look with the skills to back it up archives just that and many go a step further and even have a personal emblem, there have even been huntsmen able to retire and make clothing lines!"

"That's it?" Jaune felt just a little deflated, a small naive part of him had always thought, no, it had always hoped that the iconic outfits of Huntsmen were some form of self-expression rather than self-advertisement. That wasn't to say that he expected them, or himself, to go around helping people and risking their own lives only to decline the reward at the end with a cheesy line about how a smile is all the reward they needed. He wasn't that naive, Huntsmen had to eat too and smiles may soothe the soul but a smile can't put food on your plate or pay the bills… But still, he couldn't help but be disappointed at himself and reality.

"What's wrong Jaune?" Pyrrha asked quickly, noticing his sour mood.

"Nothing is really wrong, I'm just being silly."

"Let it out anyway, letting it fester inside will only make it worse."

"Okay, I'm bummed out by the idea that our looks are meant to make us into walking billboards for ourselves and now I'm considering the implications. Take this Festival, for example, all of Remnant is watching our fights and the uniform rules have been suspended with our professors all but insisting that we wear our combat outfits which you've just told me is a form of self-branding… The Vytal Festival is a job fair!"

"Huh, I've never thought of it that way," Pyrrha looked around as they got off of the bullhead and started to walk around the festival grounds. It did not take her long to spot some of the competitors who have already completed their matches being spoken to by people in business suits, talent scouts sent by companies to try and get the first pick of the best and brightest of the next generation of Huntsmen.

For a moment she wondered when those talent scouts had gotten here but her memory proved sharp and she realized that they had been here since the start of the festival. As she continued to glance around she soon began to recognize certain scouts, she hadn't spoken to any of them but she had seen them around Beacon well before the Festival, usually, they were talking to third and fourth-year students… How did this escape my attention for so long? That was a question whose answer she quickly deduced, she had grown used to the sight of those people thanks to her time as an arena fighter not to mention the fact that they hadn't approached her… yet. I did burn a few bridges with my sudden retirement, they must see me and my team as a risky investment but it can't hurt to ask them.

"I'm not trying to change the subject, but have any talent scouts spoken to you guys?" Pyrrha asked.

"No," Jaune and Ren replied.

"Yup," Nora answered, catching everyone's attention.

"When did this happen?" asked Jaune.

"Just after our match with SSUN, you and Ren were still in the medical ward when some weirdo with oily slicked-backed hair tried to sell me the idea that I could make some real money working for some… I can't remember the name of whoever he represented. Either way, I told him to bother someone else and then asked Glynda to make sure that he doesn't try to bother me again. I also asked her to make sure that no one else tries to approach me again… she said she'd keep them off my back until my third year."

"Huh…," Jaune and Pyrrha were pleasantly surprised by how Nora had handled herself, it was so normal they felt tempted to believe that she was telling a tall tale but… her stories were usually so fantastical and this was mundane. She must be telling the truth, they both concluded at the same time.

"Honestly I was really worried when the guy approached me because no offense to him but he wasn't exactly easy on the eyes and for a moment I was going to get ugly bastarded or he was going to try to do it to my sweet Ren since he's so pretty!"

"I am pretty," Ren said with a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Ugly bastarded?" Jaune asked as he stepped into the fringes of the Emerald Forest.

Pyrrha was quick to answer, "Oh, that's a nickname for a character archetype in hentai. It's basically an ugly man with a dire lack of morals and no redeeming qualities besides being weirdly good at sex. Stories featuring that archetype tend to be about how the bastard sets his eyes on an attractive younger woman, who is often already in a relationship with a loving but boring guy. These stories usually end with the Ugly Bastard succeeding in making the woman into his plaything with nothing but sexual prowess and a lot of harassment."

Everyone was stunned silent, they just couldn't wrap their head around what had just come out of Pyrrha's mouth. They were so shocked that they didn't even notice that they were now deep inside the Emerald Forest.

"D-did I say something wrong?" Pyrrha asked when the silence finally got to her.

Nora and Ren looked right at Jaune before glancing over to Pyrrha, then looking at him before glancing back to her. Neither was saying anything but they didn't need to, their eyes were doing all of the talking and they were both saying, "She's your partner, you talk to her."

Jaune took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself to potentially learn things about Pyrrha that he never wanted to know, "Soooooo, you seem quite knowledgeable about niche pornography."

"That's what I said wrong? Really? Niche Porn?"

"No, no, you didn't say anything wrong… you just don't seem like the kind person who'd be into that and we're surprised."

Nora then helpfully added, "Yeah, you always struck me as more of a gentle dom rather than a sub."

"That's not what I meant Nora but, thank you anyway."

"You're welcome!"

"What I actually meant is that… we're seeing a brand new side to you and like I said, we're just surprised, that's all. We don't care if you're into ugly bastards, we just didn't see it coming."

"You thought I was into Netorare!?" Pyrrha said while wishing that she had kept her mouth shut earlier.

"And that's another phrase that I don't know."

"It's porn whose story is about an asshole attempting to steal away someone else's lover and usually succeeding and ruining both people's lives in the process."

Jaune looked at Pyrrha and for a moment did not recognize the person he was looking at, intellectually he knew that she was his partner and more importantly his friend. She was one of a small handful of people who didn't doubt his potential just because he was missing a limb, So why am I doubting her now? This is her fetish and as long as she isn't hurting anyone including herself then there's no problem, besides, there is a big difference between liking a genre and acting out on it. A person who plays fighting games isn't necessarily going to go around picking fights, most people know the difference between reality and fiction and Pyrrha is absolutely someone who knows that difference.

"Jaune, why are you being so quiet?" Pyrrha asked, a little nervous.

"Pyrrha, I need to apologize to you."

"W-what for?"

He took a deep breath, "I won't pretend that I understand what you're into but that doesn't matter. What you like is what you like and just because I don't get it doesn't mean that it is bad. During my time at Beacon, I have come to realize that I have a big thing for dominant women but does that mean I'm going to drop my pants just whenever some woman tries to order me around? Of course not. Life isn't some porno, the pizza guy who brought extra sausage isn't going to get laid because he made a cheesy pun and the woman doesn't have money for the tip. Likewise, we don't need to worry that some Ugly Bastard is going to sweep in and ruin your life just because he has a huge member."

"Jaune… what the fuck are you talking about?"

"I- I was talking about the Ugly Bastard thing that you brought up."

Pyrrha sighed, "Jaune, no offense but just because you let yourself get drunk and then married a complete stranger who you had just met and whom you are still married to! Doesn't mean that we're going to go and do something equally stupid. Don't get me wrong, Tock is a great person but that does not change the fact that what you did was stupid and you're only okay because you lucked out and avoided the consequences of your own irresponsible actions."

"Fair enough," Jaune replied as she kept talking.

"Also I never said that I was into Ugly Bastard or Netorare, I just know what they are and have had the misfortune of reading some but that's it! My father was the one into that stuff and spent years trying to convince mom to indulge his fantasy!"

"What?" Jaune felt a foreboding sense of dread building up in the back of his head as Pyrrha continued.

"It was so annoying listening to them argue about it at night especially when I was trying to sleep, and then the next morning they had the audacity to act as if no one had heard them! The worst part was that neither I nor anyone could really confront them about it without making a scene! Do you have any idea how utterly frustrating that is!? Do you have any idea how many nights I went without sleep!? I started hallucinating Jaune! Eight-year-old me was having goddamned hallucinations about my toys coming to life and dancing which sounds fun but not when you're trying to sleep and the toys are some of the worst dancers you have ever seen! I love Mr. Tiddles but that stupid bear couldn't even do the Fucking Macarena! And another thing…"

Jaune listened or rather he was doing his best to listen while trying to figure out what to say and whether he should say anything at all. It was clear that he had stepped into a landmine, and what a landmine it was, and now he wasn't sure where to go next so he glanced over at Ren and Nora who were looking in every single other direction instead of his, YOU TWO DON'T GET TO IGNORE ME WHEN YOU GUYS ARE THE REASON I'M IN THIS MESS!?

Nora then suddenly spoke, "Hey guys, where are we?"

"What do you mean where are we?" Jaune asked, confused and more than just a little upset. "We're right here in the middle of the festival grou-...!?" He took a good hard look at his surroundings for the first since he began walking around, to his relief he found that he recognized where they were though that recognition brought with it a few questions, "The Emerald Forest!? When, no, how did we end up here?!"

Nora then looked at Jaune, "I was following you fearless leader!"

Jaune looked at Pyrrha, "I was following you!"

"Pyrrha looked at Ren, "I was following him!"

Ren looked at Nora, "You're probably expecting me to say that I was following you but I was actually following Jaune, he is the leader after all."

"Fair enough," Nora and Jaune replied.

Jaune then sighed, "Okay guys, let's call our lockers and arm up before we try to head back. Hopefully, we won't miss anything too cool."

"By the Brothers! This is the coolest thing that I've ever seen!" Ruby loudly declared much to Weiss's annoyance.

"Ruby Rose! Your uncle picking a fight with My sister is not something that should be considered cool under any circumstances!" The Heiress said as she held out her scroll and carefully recorded every single moment of the fight in order to rewatch it all later when no one was looking.

"Then why are you filming instead of trying to stop this?" Yang asked half teasingly and half out of genuine curiosity.

Weiss quickly realized that there was no way to take herself out of this so she decided to own up to what she was doing, "My sister and Qrow are both considered to be elite Huntsmen, this is a rare opportunity to see true professionals in action and take notes. I may not approve of their behavior but I would be a fool not to learn from it.'

Blake then added, "That makes sense, Sienna Khan would often say that the opportunity to learn was everywhere, even in things that we disagreed with. The ones who had the potential to lead were the ones who understood that."

"She sounds like a real smart lady, shame that she's a terrorist, I would've liked to meet her and maybe buy her a drink or two." spoke a fifth voice that none from RWBY recognized. The woman was older than any of them, had braided red hair that she kept under a straw hat, wore a striped suit that was tailored for leisure rather than business, was oddly barefoot, and had a large cylindrical device on her back with a chain dangling off the side. The woman smiled and offered her hand before introducing herself as Yang stepped up and shook it, "The name is Anne Greene and I am a professor for Stealth and Security here at Beacon. Though you probably know me better as the woman who accompanied JNPR on their yearly mission."

Ruby nearly leaped in excitement, "So that thing on your back in the flying guillotine that I've heard so much about?"

"Flying guillotine?" Yang asked, trying to imagine the weapon in action and getting more excited as a result.

Weiss however did not share the sisters' interest in the unusual weapon, "If you are the professor of security then why aren't you stopping that fight? There are civilians here that could be hurt and there is no way that students like us could stop them without making things worse."

Anne looked at the heiress in approval, "Excellent points but there is no need to worry, this is a planned exhibition match."

Weiss gave the woman an incredulous look, "I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing that given where we are." She swept her arms to emphasize the point and indeed she had one, the fight was taking place in Beacon and at the main walkway heading up to the Bullhead station to Amity. It was a place filled with students, civilians, and merchants who would get caught in the line of fire and there wasn't anywhere that they could hide behind besides an ornate fountain off to the side.

"You're forgetting something very important about Beacon," Anne said with pride in her voice. "This place isn't just an Academy, it's also a fortress, and every fort has its defenses even if you can't see them."

Blake, upon hearing that, decided to channel some Aura into her eyes and began to look toward the fight but not at the fighters, she was looking around them. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but if Anne was telling the truth and Blake had no reason to think otherwise, then there should be something off about this fight and something to protect the civilians who were gathering to watch.

"Watch where they are going and ask yourself why," Anne suddenly suggested.

Blake and the others took her suggestion and followed it; They watched as Winter finally managed to back Qrow into a corner but instead of pressing her advantage she began to summon. This gave the older man time to counter-attack but instead he began to climb up the wall and made his way over to the roof as a newly summoned Beowolf started to chase him. "Why did they do that? Winter should have pressed her advantage instead of summoning, especially when she knew that Qrow had a gun. Also, why didn't he shoot her when he had the chance?"

"Also I know my sister," Weiss said. "She's capable of moving much faster than that."

"Same thing with our uncle," Yang added. "Ruby and I have sparred with him enough to know when he is holding back."

Anne explained, "You're right, both of them are holding back because this entire fight is scripted and the two of them worked together to write it. He is heading to the roof because there are a few hard-light generators up there that were installed a few days ago. In fact, there are extra generators all over this yard, and the two of them have been testing each one as they fight."

"Okay, but why?" Weiss asked, "My sister is not the type that would ever agree to put on a show and a routine test would suffice."

"Because shows like this help remind people what we are capable of and that they can rely on us." Anne paused and a look of hesitation filled her eyes before adding, "Also because we think something might happen during the festival."

There was a tense momentary silence before Ruby finally asked, "How sure are you?"

"Truth be told we're not sure at all, it's just conjecture."

Blake sighed, "But too much has happened for it to end here."

"That's right, I wish I could tell you, kids, that everything is going to be alright. That you should all just enjoy yourselves and have fun because we got this but I can't. The truth is that we fucked up and we have no idea how bad it is, the truth is that we're no closer to learning what going on than we were a week ago and the week before that and the week before that ad Infinitum."

"But what about the people who got caught? Surely Torchwick and the Lost Boys know something!" Yang asked.

"They're not talking and for some reason, they seem oddly calm as if they were planning on being caught… we need to assume the worst." Anne looked Team RWBY in the eyes and said something that she hoped that she would never say to anyone and especially not to students, "We need to assume that there is going to be a terrorist attack during the festival."

Author's Notes: For a while, I wondered what should be the focus of this chapter, I went back and forth so many times that I lost track. Then it hit me while I was planning what to do after this story is done, I decided to write a chapter where nothing really happens and you readers are gently reminded of characters we haven't seen in a bit.

I decided to do that because the shit is going to hit the fan next chapter.

P.S.

The Rewrite of Chapter 18 is finally done and it's only marginally better than before!