Harry touched down behind the machine, having taken to the air as a Peregrine Falcon to get ahead of the girl in red, in the superhero landing. The impact caused his eyes to flare.
"All points be advised. Target is bigger and Dumber than Thunk." Harry smiled. "Hey Ursula. If you want to play you better hurry."
He watched as Yang tried to clobber the MECH, only to be slammed through one pillar of the multi tier highway and into another.
Yang's hair flared with a fire matched only by her eyes. She twisted her wrists and and Ember Celica, her shotgun gauntlets, chambered a round and she hit the MECH hard enough to cause it to take a step back.
Ruby was yelling orders as Weiss was using Myrtenaster, her dust chambered Rapier, to alter the environment.
The MECH spun and Harry saw the redhead Torchwick. Touching the snake earring, "Heads up, it's Torchwick. Are you coming to play Honey Bear?"
Suddenly a white blur passed over his shoulder and crashed into the MECH. The machine crumbled on impact and the human pilot rolled to his feet and dusted off his jacket.
Ursula rolled to her feet and stretched. "That Ursai we found last month took a stronger hit than this piece of tin."
Sirius smiled as he strolled up. "That's what you get from the Atlas Military. Good tech, cheap construction."
"Hey now!" Weiss Shnee objected.
"You are Shnee, a private company that has military contacts… and you invest in the company by buying and maintaining the best equipment possible." Sirius smiled at the girl.
She huffed but was gentled by his words.
Torchwick did a quick head count… and called on Neopalaliton. She bowed before them… and when Yang punched Torchwick, the world shattered. The two criminals were gone.
Ruby walked up to Harry and punched him in the shoulder. "Where have you been?"
"Training with LUSH." Harry reached out and ruffled her hair. "Our teacher had us aiding him on his Hunts. Apprentice style."
"You're so lucky…" Ruby pouted cutely. "We are stuck in classes all day."
Yang walked up and slugged Harry's shoulder, bleeding her charge into him. "Did you hear… Beacon is holding the Vytal Festival this year!"
Harry had his dumb thug look.
"Every two years, one of the big Schools hosts the Vytal Festival. The whole world celebrates the end of the Big War. There are parties, food, and a combat tournament between the assembled teams." Weiss drawled as if explaining to a child.
Ruby was almost as excited as Yang.
Ellie drifted over, as Lu had returned to his scroll.
Blake noticed that the team had a new member. "Ah, Harry? You have a third Faunus in your team and the Same number of Humans. How are you going to hide the fact?"
"You never knew our origins, so you would not know the secret of why we have been sent to Ozpin." Harry smiled at the felinus. "We have a gift similar to Yang's Uncle."
"What are you talking about?" Yang stepped in close.
"Tonight, after dinner. Study Session in our room." Lu spoke up. "I will text Jaune the details. The usual?"
"Double the food and no booze." Harry smiled at the living teddy bear. "We don't need him trying to hump any legs while we are talking."
"I like it when he humps my leg." The Medic Tank smirked.
Ellie sniffed Ruby with her trunk. She was the same size as the Leader of the all female team.
Just then the 'cops' arrived with Ozpin and Goodwitch. As Goodwitch repaired the streets, Ozpin strolled over.
"Ah… RWBY. What was it now? More Dust thrives?"
"No Sir." Ruby stood at attention. "But Torchwick was Involved. I was a few blocks away and heard Blake call…"
Harry used his wand, sheathed in his right gauntlet, to summon the piece of the trashed MECH that had the White Claw tag.
"I and a … friend were investigating the White Claw for leads to the Dust thefts." Blake took up the report. "We found that Torchwick was Involved. He had a MECH from Atlas, one of many he bragged about. And he promised the gathered that He would lead the Revolution to remove you and the Companies from Power."
When the MECH arm shrank and was small enough to place in his pocket,bHarry stepped forward to greet the Headmaster, covering the pockting of the metal arm.
"Sir." He smiled at the man before him. "No Doubt you have received the reports on our journey. Both from Lu and Rubius."
"Yes. And thank you for getting him to only report every six hours unless something came up that you need a witness to." Ozpin smiled wearily.
"Yes… I had a friend who was similar. Very eager to please." Harry smiled fondly.
"And your report?" Ozpin peered over his glasses at the Lad.
Having a flashback to Albus and his peering over his glasses. A flair of anger sparked in his eyes. Ozpin stepped back, as he looked at the assembled huntsmen trainees.
"Sorry Sir." Harry blinked his eyes. "You reminded me of my last Headmaster. He liked to peer over his glasses when he was integrating me just before he would lie to me." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Rubius finished his list of jobs and between a private mission and our … quirks, he sent us here."
Harry looked up at the flying ships … the big ships. "I take it that the Tin Man is here. I think I need to talk to him. Also, you might need to notify the magistrate for our last mission. The bastard was running a scam."
"Already done." Ozpin turned to look at His Headmistress. "Now that the roads are fixed and the bystanders are taken care of…" He began to stroll away. "Enjoy your night. My office at ten."
"What was that?" Ellie asked.
"That was the second laziest Headmaster debriefing his troops before he leaves us to the Gentle Mercies of his hard working Right-hand witch." Harry snarked.
"As you were saying, young man." Goodwitch spoke from behind him.
"You are Headmistress Glenda Goodwitch, are you not, Ma'am?"
"You are walking a thin line, Potter."
"Yes Ma'am." Harry still had yet to turn to face her. "A trait I learned from my Father and Uncles. I am sorry, but like them, I have a deep Respect and Admiration for Strong and Powerful Women. But as members of our noble brotherhood… we also must buck the system."
Sirius snorted.
The Headmistress moved among the two teams. "I truly don't know what to do with you. Report to your dorms. And keep it down. You have a meeting with the Headmaster in the morning. The rest of you…" she sighed and walked away shaking her head.
"Noble Brotherhood?" Ruby asked.
"We solemnly swear that we are up to no good." The two wizards chorused.
Ellie snorted. It was an explosive sound.
Draping his arms over the shoulders of Ellie and Ruby, Harry guided them to the closest public transport. "Ladies. Let me tell you of the Great Masters of Managed Mischief. Prongs, Padfoot and Moony."
Ursula draped her arm over Sirius's shoulder, pulling him close as she dogged his heels. Lu, never looking up from his Scroll, followed in their wake,
Yang Blake and Weiss looked at each other, shrugged, and shook their heads, before Weiss trotted up to Lu's side.
"Blake. Come with me to get Bumblebee." Yang walked off to where she had left her bike.
LUSH
Jaune Arc followed his team into the LUSH teams quarters and gaped at the difference to the layout.
First it was twice the size of his or Ruby's team's dorm. In every detail and direction. The window was twice the size…
To the right side of the Door, an oversized dog bed sat before a computer system that would make government techs drool. What was even weirder… Lu had set down his Scroll, but only because he was now on Computer.
Directly across from that was a massive bed, it looked like it could hold all four members of his team. At once. The AC unit over the headboard identified it as Ursula's. That and the fact she was lounging on it.
To the Left of the door was a poker table.
And opposite corner was a Bunk over a workbench. Only the bed above the workbench also had a heavy tree branch and a heat lamp.
And in the center of the room, a pile of pillows and beanbags.
Ruby was poking around the work bench. Yang was playing a game of poker with Sirius, Ellie, and Blake. Weiss was sitting on a chair for the desks under the window. Pyra smiled as she joined Ruby at the workbench.
Harry, Ren, and Nora were sitting in the pile. Ren was in a full lotus position on a firm cushion. Harry and Nora were lounging in a beanbag.
A beeping came from Lu's Scroll. "Ursula, food's here."
"Why me?" She levered herself up.
"I ordered it." Lu had returned to his computer screen.
"I paid for it." Harry smiled at her.
"I am losing my pants here." Sirius smiled at her with a wink.
"Okay… but if you try to eat my apple crumble, you will be sleeping on the floor!" The Female Ursian Growled as she ambled out of the room.
"So… where does he sleep?" Pyra asked from the workbench.
"With her." Lu answered. "While they are not lovers, they are cuddly."
"He has some bad memories and so he has nightmares unless he is sleeping with someone who he feels safe with." Harry spoke softly. "I got tired of him chasing rabbits in his dreams. Had to kick him out."
That brought Weiss up. "You used to sleep together?" She sneered. "Two guys? Cousins?"
"Don't ruffle your skirts, Shnee." Black said from the table. "I just need an oversized teddy bear. Harry is Pack but Su is a teddy bear."
"That's what bothers you?" Blake looked at Weiss. "That two guys were sharing a bed?" She turned to look at Sirius. "I am more curious about this 'chasing rabbits' thing."
Sirius smiled at her. "You are a Felonious Domesticus… or something like them. Now I know that your … people have issues with mine. Everything will be explained shortly." He frowned at his hand. "With food here… and my luck… this is the last hand. I… want to raise… between Blake's Ears and Yang's eyes… I fold."
Yang blinked at Blake and her ears … "I fold. Your Ears are too far forward to be as relaxed as you are trying to be."
Ellie snorted softly, as she gathered the cards, shuffled them and set them in the centre of the table.
Harry struggled out of the beanbag.
"Why not do it like you usually do?" Sirius smirked.
Harry wandlessly summoned a chew rubber ball and chucked it across the room. "Fetch."
Black twitched and glared at his cousin.
Ellie snorted again.
"Not getting the joke." Yang said to Blake, who looked thoughtful.
"If I am reading things correctly… it is a hoot." Her ears flattened. "Or is that a howl?"
"Leave me out of it!" Lu answered from his corner.
Harry and Sirius started laughing… Nora,
Always the happy go lucky girl, joined in.
'Su' returned, balancing three pizza boxes, six bags of wings, twists, and soft drinks.
Everyone, like the hungry teens they were, fell on the defenseless food and twenty minutes later, Nora was arm wrestling Sirius for the last garlic twist.
Everyone was seated in the pile of pillows and beanbags.
Ruby finished her current can of soda, burped, and tossed the can towards the basket beside the workbench, before grabbing another. "So… what is the big secret?"
Harry signed and tossed his empty can at the basket. "Okay. Please remember, no matter what you see here tonight, you are safe and among friends." Harry resummoned the ball and tossed it to Blake. "Remember, the worst he will do is hump your leg. The worst I will do is give you a hug."
Harry rolled forward into a Falcon. He spread his wings and screamed… before he became a winged serpent the size of Crescent Rose, before the wings retracted and the cobra flared its hood… before morphing back into Harry. "Like I said, a gift similar to Yang's Uncle. Her Mother can do the same basic trick, but that's Yang's take to tell."
Everyone turned to look at Sirius. "Okay. I think I have the ingredients for the potion if you want to try for the trick yourself. We got our gifts from our Home. I will worn ya… all it will do for the Faunus is complete your dehumanization. You will retain your mind, and with practice you might get a full human form by suppressing your animal side. The only benefit would be as a disguise to beat facial recognition." He pulled away from where he was leaning on 'Su'.
"Blake." He drew himself up. "I never tried to deceive you… this is just me." And suddenly he was a big black dog …
"Grimm!" Jaune rolled away from Padfoot reaching for the sword that was not on his hip at the moment.
"No!" Harry moved to stand beside the Dog. "He is a Grim, not a Grimm. Yes, the words are homophonic. As you will notice that the only white on him is his eyes. He is a breed of dog in our Home, rumoured to be drawn by the approach of Death. As a dog, he is very loyal to his Pack. As I am paradoxical. The Falcon side is always on the move. Got to fly…" again he was a bird. He flew to Ruby's shoulder and perched for a minute, before he returned to Human hugging her. "And slow… still, even. And very patient." He turned into the cobra and slid about her shoulders until he hung like a scarf about her shoulders, he 'tasted' her cheek, before he grew his wings and flapped away to land back in the beanbag he was in during the meal.
"Any questions?"
TBC