"Blake! Blake!" Ruby Rose shouted into the crowds, her name echoing against the grey stone walls. She, Yang, and Weiss were wandering through the streets of Vale. It would have been easier if Teams JNPR or even DPHI could join them but Ruby adamantly said no; this was a situation in her team and they would solve it themselves. Besides, so much had happened in these last 2 months it was silly! Jaune and Pyrrha had begin training together and already, Jaune was beginning to show a sense of brutality yet style in how he fought. Even Percy of DPHI (who've been affectionately dubbed Deph because really, whose gonna say the whole name in a conversation?) seemed happier than he did when they first arrived. Maybe it had to do with all the time he spent with Harry. Team CRDL, on the other hand, was flat out gone. The incident in Forever Fall landed them on a 'remediation mission' on some village in the banks of Sanus, whatever that meant. They hadn't come back yet which was odd but Ruby didn't care much; they were jerks after all.

But it was the latest trouble with Blake that has Ruby worried. It started yesterday when they were going to check out the competition of Hunters which Weiss disguised as gushing over the decorations. Though given how neat and obsessive she was with how the bunkbeds were built, that could also be true. Anyways, one thing led to another and at the end of it, Blake got outed as being a member of the White Fang. Ruby knew Blake was shifty, more so than even Percy, but White Fang? Hadn't expected that.

Speaking of which, the one who started this situation to begin with wasn't helping. "Weiss, you're not helping."

"Oh, and you know who might be able to help? The police." Weiss retorted

"Weiss." Ruby grunted, folding her arms over her chest.

"What? It was a suggestion!" Weiss barked back.

"Yeah, a bad one." Ruby

"Wait. We really should hear her side of the story before we jump to conclusions." Yang stated, getting between the two before anything too harsh was said.

"And when we hear it, you'll realize that I was right." Weiss flipped her hair and looking away from the sisters.

"And I think Weiss's hair looks lovely today!" Ruby yelped. Penny, that strange orange-haired girl had snuck up on them. How had she been so quiet?

"Where did you come from?" Ruby asked, too startled to question how long she'd been tailing them.

"Hey guys, what're you up to?" Penny asked Yang and Weiss, completely ignoring the question. Ruby watched her new friend, honestly in a little disbelief.

Yang, seeing Ruby's hesitation, decided to step in. "We're looking for Blake now."

"Ooh! You mean your Faunus friend!" Penny said breezily, far too much so after the shouting match about it the previous night.

All three girls stared at Penny, honestly in disbelief. Ruby looked to her, feeling more suspicious than ever. "Wait a sec, how did you know that?"

"Duh, silly. Her cat ears!" She pointed to the top of her head, gesturing to thin air.

"What cat ears? She wears… a… bow…" Yang trailed off, her eyes widening. It wasn't just Yang who was feeling pretty stupid right about now, it was Ruby herself too. None of them could say anything for a moment, too stupefied by how obvious it was. So quiet that a random piece of tumbleweed came out of nowhere, blowing through town.

"She does love tuna." In retrospect, Ruby should have facepalmed. Gods, that was awkward even for her.

"Really loves it." Yang agreed. She was obviously thinking about the incident Blake had somehow raided the kitchens and taken all the tuna for lunch. The look on Percy's face then was so funny, and still got a giggle from Ruby now.

"So where is she?" Penny asked, completely oblivious to the reactions around her.

"We don't know. She's been missing since Friday." Ruby grumbled. This wasn't helping them at all.

Penny strides over to her, grasping at Ruby's forearms. "That's terrible! Well, don't you worry, Ruby, my friend. I won't rest until I find your teammate."

"Uhhh…" Ruby said awkwardly, really uncomfortable with how close Penny was. "That's really nice of you, Penny b-but we're okay. Right guys?" Ruby looked back. To her shock, both of them were gone. Traitors, Ruby thought bitterly. Another moment passed, accompanied by another piece of tumbleweed.

"Boy, it's sure windy today." Penny commented. Ruby just didn't know what to say. She was team leader, and this happened on he watch. How could she make it up to Blake? Could she make it up to her? Thoughts like these poured into Ruby's mind as they walked through the crowded streets of Vale. "So, Blake is your friend?" Penny asked after a long while.

"Ugh, yes Penny." Ruby forced out. She sounded far more exhausted than she expected.

"And you're mad at her?" Penny pressed, looking at her with those shocking green eyes. Not like Percy's, Harry's or even Midoriya's; brighter than them.

"Yes. Well, I'm not, Weiss is." Ruby added after a moment. That was definitely a problem. She would need to lock them into a room sometime and not let them out until they worked it all out.

"Is she friends with Blake?"

"Well, that's up in the air for now." Ruby said. The more she thought of it, the more the room idea appealed to her.

"But why?" Penny pressed further. Ruby sighed on the inside. This conversation was beginning to annoy her further.

"Well," how would Ruby go about this? "Blake might not be who we thought she was."

Penny gasped, staring at Ruby harder than before. "Is she a man?"

Ruby gasped herself. What kind of thought process was that? She started waved her hands around, but she didn't care her old nervous habit made a roaring comeback. "No, no! Penny, I don't know what she is. She didn't exactly talk to us before she ran off."

"I don't have a lot of friends, but if I did, I would want them to talk to me about things."

Ruby could only nod her head numbly. Of course she's right, why didn't you think of it before? Stupid Ruby, she mentally chastised herself. "Okay." Ruby spoke after a long moment. "Do you know of any places?"

"I sure do!" Penny said, placing her arms on her hips and looking proud of herself. "I know of many Faunus-friendly cafes in this area. Maybe she's there, waiting for her friends to find her."

"Cool. Can you please give me your number? We can keep in touch when we find her."

"Excellent idea!" Penny agreed. They traded their numbers. "See you friend Ruby!" She ran off to an alleyway. Maybe it was a quick way to one of those cafes Penny was talking about. Ruby was distracted from her thoughts by a glimpse of snow white.

"Weiss?" The figure disappeared around the corner of the block which gave way to the docks. "Weiss, wait up!" Ruby activated her semblance, running as fast as she could to catch up. She rounded the corner, and WHAM! Rammed right into her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm so…" Ruby looked up to the sky to see rustling papers?

"Oh crap!" It wasn't Weiss's voice at all. It was a boy's voice, though held the same Atlesian accent as Weiss's. Ruby lurched into action, using her semblance to snatch each piece of paper in mid-air. When she saw one particular sheet, Ruby leaned forward, semblance kicking in for her right arm which stretched out and grasped the paper without a crinkle. Gods, she loved her speed Semblance. More to that! Midoriya's idea worked! She could channel it to individual body parts. She then looked back and was startled at the sight. It was indeed a young boy, her age probably, who was scooping up the rest of the papers and stuffing them into a black briefcase. He was muttering under his breath, and Ruby didn't like what he was saying.

"I'm so sorry about that. Here's the rest." She held out her hands.

The boy looked up to her. It wasn't just the hair that was like snow, he even had the same eyes as Weiss. "Thanks." He said, taking the papers. "Can't afford to lose any of these, heads would roll hereabouts." He looked back up to see Ruby staring at him. "Don't worry about it, ma'am. Everything's back here. As they say, no harm no foul."

"Don't call me that, please. I feel old." Ruby said, pouting slightly.

"Call you what?" The boy blinked, tilting his head curiously.

"Uh, ma'am?" Ruby asked.

"Huh. Good to know." He said then stopped himself. He stood up stiffly, straightening out his tie. "So sorry, I forgot myself. What's your name, ma-" He caught himself and coughed. "Forgive me. What's your name?"

"R-Ruby Rose." She said. Was this what one did in situations like this? Particularly for cute guys? She shook her head. Where did that come from? "A-Anyway, would you happen to know Weiss? Weiss Schnee? You look like her."

Ruby wanted to slap her forehead when she saw his earlier relief slip into an agitated look. But it disappeared so quickly Ruby questioned if it was ever there. "I suppose that makes sense, given I'm her brother."

"B-B-Brother?" Ruby blinked. Weiss never talked about her family at all so she shouldn't have been as shocked as she was. He didn't act much like Weiss at all; maybe that was why she was so surprised.

He gave a wide smile at that. "Whitley Schnee, at your service." He held out a hand. Ruby stared at it for a moment before shaking it.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby asked, gesturing to the docks. "Doesn't seem like the kind of place a Schnee would enjoy."

Whitley shrugged. "I don't mind it so much. I've smelt worse, believe me. My favorite restaurant is right around the corner. I'm on my lunch break before I get back on the job. Would you like to join me?"

"Uh, no thanks." Ruby said. "I need to get back to what I'm doing."

"What's that?" Whitely asked. Boy, he was a curious one. Oh well, can't hurt to tell something.

"I'm looking for my teammate, Blake. We go to Beacon together."

"Is that right?" He asked. He was definitely curious, maybe as much as Penny. And something in his eyes made Ruby feel a little uncomfortable. He then looked concerned. "Please, do join me. You look as if you've worked through the night."

"That's not true! I don't need to take a break." Almost on cue, Ruby heard her stomach rumbling. It was only now that Ruby realized how hungry she really was. "Why's the world against me today?" She grumbled. She glanced up, feeling her cheeks heating up. "Lunch for two?"

Whitley barely showed any reaction for a long moment, but did eventually smiled, a small smile. "My pleasure." They walked together in silence, Ruby listening to the mesmerizing sound of water splashing against hard cement. Despite the pleasant sounds, Ruby honestly wished they'd get as far as possible away from the docks since the fish smell was also making her feel nauseous. Ruby's ears perked up at a sudden rustling above them. Ruby looked up to the sky. Someone was standing on one of the rooftops above them! Someone dressed in black and had bone-white face. "Don't look up and keep your voice down." Ruby looked to see Whitley strolling along, face glued in front of him.

"You know who it is?" Ruby asked.

Whitley nodded. "The White Fang have been getting real bold as of late."

"White Fang? Here?" Ruby squeaked. How could she not? Everyone knew of the White Fang. They were some of the most violent terrorists in Remnant! Disgruntled Faunus who turned to violence to solve their problems with the world.

"Someone's paying the police off." Whitley shrugged. "Just stay next to me and you'll be okay."

"How do you…" Ruby's voice trailed off, her head turning to the ocean. Crashing water. Fish. Fish. Crashing water. Ruby couldn't help but be amazed at Whitley's creativity, using the environment as a mask. "Don't you have security for this sort of thing?" She asked, glancing up to the rooftop again.

"They tried vehemently. Security detail means attention. Most of it unwanted." Whitley glanced up himself, with barely a tilt of his head. "But in case they do find us, we're not alone." He reached into one of his pants pockets and pulled out the butt of a black gun with red streaks on the bottom.

It didn't take long for Ruby to recognize what it was, and she whistled. "Is that a Gronk X-50?"

Whitley looked back, surprised. "You know it?"

"Well, sure I do!" Ruby exclaimed before realizing she had spoken loudly. They both ducked behind the pillars of the nearby buildings, waiting for a moment. No sound was heard for a long moment so Whitley poked his head out. He let out a breath. "Clear." They continued the walk. By this point, the buildings were changing from dingy industrial buildings covered with graffiti coating the bottom layers to more apartment complexes that held an almost silver-like light to it. He looked back. "We're safe now. So, what were you saying a second ago?"

"Oh, yeah. I read about the Gronk X-50 on Weapons Weekly. It's an eight-round semiautomatic handheld pistol that fires at a range of up to 30 yards. It can fire 11mm bullets at can punch through bricks and as a bonus, it has laser-guided scopes."

Whitley stared at her without speaking a word. He blinked once, twice, three times. He gave another of his small smile. "You know your weapons."

Ruby rubbed the back of head, her face heating up again. "I have to, since Signal Academy students have to build their own weapons. The Gronk is an innovator in laser scoping technology. I had to use it for my own baby, Crescent Rose."

"What's that?"

"Let me introduce you." Ruby smirked as she unfolded Crescent Rose into its full form.

Whitley took a step back in surprise. "You fit a scope of a pistol onto that?" Ruby could tell how hard he tried to keep his voice even, but even he opined his surprise here. His face then hardened. "That's certainly a large weapon you have. I would hate for it to cause any sort of collateral damage."

"What?" Ruby asked, confused. "It may be large, but my baby here can handle any sort of Grimm coming my way."

"What about in residential areas?"

Ruby shrugged. "I've never paid it much thought but I would then be restricted to using it as a bolted sniper rifle."

Whitley seemed satisfied with that answer, walking up to what looked like a super-fancy restaurant. The woman standing at the front deck smiled at them kindly. "Mr. Schnee. How good to see you again so soon. And who is this with you?"

"Ruby." Ruby piped up.

The woman smiled. "Is she your girlfriend, or…?"

"No." Whitley's voice was sharp, enough for Ruby to feel herself a little hurt if nothing else than her being shocked even at the proposal. "She's just a friend."

"I understand. We have your usual table ready." She took two menus and guided them to the patio where they sat down. Ruby just stared at Whitley awkwardly. What do you say to someone who was mistaken for a boyfriend? Try and not look at them, which Ruby resorted to doing. Gods, the things on this menu would have cost Dad a week of Huntsman pay to afford. Whitley stared at the menu blankly, the earlier awkwardness long gone. It was like looking at a stone wall. Ruby coughed into her hand. They needed off of this topic and fast. "So, what do you do for a living, Whitley?"

That seemed to work. "I work as an interpreter for the Schnee Dust Company. Language, culture, anything that can help smooth over negotiations."

Ruby sighed. "Gods, you said that like how Weiss would have said it."

Whitley didn't react to that. "That bad? Okay, let me try this way. It's more enjoyable than it sounds. I specialize in Mistrali culture. So when I'm not with my tutors, I get to learn the original Mistrali language and get to take trips to Mistral. Despite their shift in culture as of late, meeting them in the original language makes them easier to work with."

"Oh, that sounds fun." Ruby replied. "What do you do in Mistral?"

Whitley smiled, wider this time. "I like to hike up the Windy Pass. The nature and history of that land is extraordinary. We all could learn a thing or two with how they run their kingdom."

"You've been up the Windy Pass?" Ruby felt herself get excited by that. She'd always wanted to go to the top. "What was it like?"

Whitley's smile remained the same but something about him seemed more joyful. "Rocky, hilly. You could see all the way to the ocean from the top. The villages nestled into the hillsides high above the water. The trees in the breeze. If there's any place that could be considered Paradise, it's there."

"Wow."

Before Ruby could say any more, a waiter stopped by. "Hello. My name is Turquoise and I will be your waiter today. What can I get you?"

"I'll get the usual." Whitley said, handing the menu to him.

"Very good, sir." The waiter then turned to Ruby. "How about you, ma'am?"

"Uh…" Ruby said then realized, she had only glanced at the menu. She looked back at it, reading as fast as she could thanks to a boost from her Speed semblance. Fish was a bit on the nose here, she really didn't like artichokes, salads were for the rabbits. Then her eyes settled on one dish. She heard Yang's friends at Signal talking about this dish and it sounded so good. What better time to have it than now? "I'll take the Flaming Rice."

"Are you sure about that?" Ruby looked to Whitley. She was surprised by his face and tone. He had been so calm and collected, letting only the slightest of hints of his interest drop. This one was nervousness.

Ruby shrugged. Maybe they can talk about it later. "I sure do!" She handed the menu to the waiter who bowed in thanks then walked away. She then looked back. "So, you work as an interpreter. Are there any other roles you take? I mean, your family runs the company after all."

Whitley nodded, the nervousness disappearing immediately. "As I am 15 years of age, I am not a legal adult so I tasks are relegated to internships and observation. At least with being an interpreter, I can provide some value to the company."

"What about your family? Do you have any siblings other than Weiss?"

This time, Whitley's face darkened. Ruby felt nervous about it but despite his face, the voice was the same evenness, maybe more forced now. "Yes. One older sister, Winter. She'd left the family at her earliest convenience to join the Atlesian military when she became of legal age. Weiss did the same except going to Beacon to escape from Mother and Father. That's all of us. Uncle Alexandre had died years ago to a White Fang raid. Father hadn't been the same since."

"I'm sorry." Ruby couldn't look him in the eye. "Weiss told us some of these details but not all of it. I understand how you feel. Lost my mother while out on working as a Huntress. It's why I wanted to become a Huntress, to continue what she started."

"I see." The earlier tension had dissolved now, and he relaxed in his seat. "Loss is one of the great motivators of life. I'm happy that we have such motivated individuals protecting us all."

"Thanks!" Ruby chirped. She sat in silence for a long moment. Her mind raced, trying to think of any other topic that they could discuss. She went with the first one. "What books do you like?"

"Pardon?" Whitley seemed surprised by the question.

"What books do you like to read?"

"Oh." Whitley settled down, his mind returning to the same stony state. "I am something of a Partrice reader."

"The horror author?"

"That's him. He explores the darkness of man and Faunus with a keen eye I have not seen elsewhere. It's frankly enlightening."

"There's enough of that to go around." Ruby said, a little disturbed by his answer. "I've always enjoyed the fairy tales, where the knight saves the princess and slays the Grimm."

"Fairy tales?" He asked, sounding rather disappointed now. "You think that fairy tales are a good inspiration?"

"Why not? They show us the best we can be. Like comic books, but cooler."

Whitley leaned back in his seat, clearly disappointed. "I didn't take you as being such an idealist."

"And I didn't take you for being such a downer." Ruby said. She gasped at what she said. "That's not what I meant. I mean that bad things happen all the time in the world, but if you don't have hope that you can change for the better, then why should we try at all?"

He looked surprised again, but there was a certain expression in his surprise now that Ruby couldn't place. "Yes. I suppose you're correct about that."

Their conversation stopped when the waiter returned with their lunches. "One tuna salad, sir." He set the food in front of him. "And for you, ma'am…" He set her plate on the table. It was a bowl with rice in it the color of corn and black shells resting on top. The waiter produced a blowtorch, blue fire emanating from the tip and roasting the shells which opened up showing the meat inside.

"That's so cool! Isn't that…?" Ruby's voice trailed off when she saw Whitley now. The mask he had carefully crafted was all gone, and what she saw was pure terror on his face. "Whitley. Are you alright?"

Now realizing he had attention on him, the mask came back up and he nodded. "Thank you, sir." The waiter nodded, looking mildly concerned, then walked away. Whitley shook in his seat for a bit before calming down. "I'm sorry that you had to see that."

"Are you okay? Should I get you something?" Ruby felt really scared for him now. He clearly wasn't alright.

Whitley nodded, some of the mask slipping again as he saw the fire dying out on her plate. "It's just, just, okay. I admit that fire makes me uneasy."

"What about it?" Ruby asked. It was more than concern now, there was a reason for such a reaction.

Whitley glanced back at the flames as they went away and he sighed. "It's not the flames themselves I'm afraid of. So long as they're contained. No, it's what fire does that scares me so."

Ruby silently nodded and dug in. Flaming Rice was officially Ruby's favorite dish of all times now. The roasted shellfish was a particularly great touch to it. Whitley ate his salad in silence before his Scroll started buzzing. He looked at the Scroll and blanched. "I have to take this." He picked up the Scroll and held it against his ear. Ruby couldn't hear who it was on the other end, but judging by the voice, it was not happy. "Yes, sir. I understand, sir. They are? I'm on lunch, sir. Please tell them to wait. I'm on my way." He hung up before sighing looking at the rest of his salad. "Next time." He straightened up, holding out a hand. "Ruby Rose, it was a pleasure to meet you. Hope you find your friend. I hear the Docks are busy this time of year." He rushed off, giving passing remarks to the waiter before he ran up the street and out of sight. Ruby watched him go, wondering what that was about. What about the docks was he talking about? There's nothing that happens. If there was a night club or party scene, Ruby would know through Yang talking about it. The waiter made his way back to the table to take Ruby's dish. "Um, excuse me?" He looked back, mildly annoyed now. "What's happening at the Vale Docks?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." He said. "Is that everything?" Ruby gave a thumbs up. He walked away, satisfied. Time to get back to finding Blake, Ruby thought as she stood up. As she walked by the tables, she heard someone wearing a black business suit talking, "Damn dock workers are dragging their feet for more pay. They know the SDC keeps a tight ship…"

Ruby thought over those words as she walked past. 'SDC keeps a tight ship, dock workers.' Ruby repeated those words in her mind, rolling them around. Whitley had mentioned the docks. SDC at the docks. What was the point of all that? Then Ruby's mind flashed back to the White Fang soldier on the rooftop. Wait a second, Ruby thought. She remembered the other day when they came across that Dust shop that got ransacked. No money taken, just Dust. Dust… It all made sense now! The White Fang's here, and they're going to the Docks. She pulled out her Scroll and sent a message to Penny:

RR: Meet me at the Vale Docks. Possible robbery. Blake might be there.

Ruby put it up without waiting for an answer, rushing off to the Docks.

Night had started to fall, and Blake Belladonna was angsty to say the least. The idea that everyone thought the White Fang was the source of all evil was starting to wear her down. She watched the Vale Docks. Before her was a massive series of containers filled with SDC Dust. It reminded her of her days in the White Fang, when she would scout trains and Airbuses for the raids. She had no part in the killings, but the bodies she saw… Blake shook her head. She didn't want to believe they had fallen so far, but after what Adam has done lately, it wouldn't be far off now.

"Did I miss anything?" She glanced up to see her new 'friend' Sun Wukong, a blonde monkey Faunus who had taken a liking to her, leap down next to her, holding out provisions. Honestly, how good and casual he was about it disturbed Blake a little.

"Not really. They've offloaded all the crates from the ship. Now they're just sitting there." Blake said, deciding to look back. How would they come in? Gates? Air? Sea? What would it be?

"Cool. Stole you some food." Sun held out a green apple.

"Do you always break the law without a second thought?" She glanced over to ask as he ate a banana.

"Weren't you in a cult?" He shot back, already having finished it.

Blake could only scowl at him. "Okay, too soon." He surrendered, throwing the peel behind him. Satisfied, Blake looked back. The first thing that caught her attention was the rustling winds. Air it is then, Blake thought as she watched the Bullhead fly overhead and start landing in the middle of the docks? How was there no guards or workers rushing out to intercept? Where did they go? Blake's train of thought stopped when she saw the hatch open and Faunus stepped out, wearing the black and white uniforms with Grimm masks that had made them so infamous around the world. "Oh no." She breathed.

"Is that them?" Sun asked, leaning in.

"Yes, it's them." Blake answered, barely hiding her disappointment as the White Fang grunts continued to flow from the ship, that damn red Grimm head with the slash marks emblazoned proudly. They start connecting toe cables to the Dust containers from the Bullhead, making quick work. With all the noise going on, even Humans would be able to hear it. From what Blake's seen, no one's coming to stop them.

"You really didn't think it was them, did you?" Sun's sarcastic attitude was replaced with a sympathetic one.

"I did, deep down. I just didn't want to be right." Her attention was redirected when a new voice spoke up.

"Hey! What's the hold up?" She trained her binoculars on the new figure, and gasped when she saw who it was. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try and pick up the pace." Roman Torchwick, thief extraordinaire, stood tall and proud on the rampart watching everything go by. Several White Fang members glared at him, whispered things Blake really didn't want to repeat but kept working regardless.

Blake shook her head, still trying to deny what she was witnessing. "This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a Human, especially not one like that." Blake stood up, pulling out her guns Gambol Shroud.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Sun exclaimed, trying to catch her but she was too fast. She rushed forth, hiding behind crates until she got within striking distance of the Human.

"No, you idiot. This isn't a leash!" What he said sent spears of anger through her spine. She couldn't wait any longer. In one swift motion, she had snagged Torchwick, holding one hand against his back and her open hand holding Gambol Shroud to his neck. "What? Oh, for fuck's sake!"

"Nobody move!" Blake shouted to the grunts. They stared at her, pulling out their weapons. Even from here, she could feel their glares boring into her. She knew none of them, thankfully, but that didn't make it any easier.

"Whahaho! Take it easy there, little lady." Torchwick said snidely. He sounded far too calm for a man in his situation, but Blake couldn't think on it. She needed to know, and now.

"Brothers and sisters of the White Fang," She said, grasping at her bow and pulling it off to reveal her dark cat ears. "Why are you aiding this scum?" Some of the members looked to each other with hesitation, others held their weapons up higher.

Roman simply chuckled at the question. "Oh, kid. Didn't you get the memo?"

"What're you talking about?" Blake asked, putting all of the lessons on aggression she learned in the White Fang to use while pressing Gambol Shroud into his throat.

"The White Fang and I are on a joint business venture together." Roman said as if taking about the weather.

"Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your operation right here, right now." It was only now Blake heard the engines of the Bullhead coming up. Blake glanced to the one landed, but it wasn't active at all. In front of her. Blake looked and saw two more Bullheads flying towards them. "I wouldn't call this a little operation!" Roman shouted over the noise. Blake watches the machine float around them. It was long enough before Blake felt a surge of heat, followed by an explosion to her abdomen. Blake was blasted back, landing on her stomach. Roman held his cane and was pointing it at her head. He fired two, three more times. Blake rolled out of the way in the nick of time, somersaulting away from the remaining blasts. She ran for the crates, Roman following close behind.

"Here, kitty, kitty." He said slowly, watching his every corner. Blake watched him from around the corner, holding Gambol Shroud and ready to strike again. It was just now that she saw the White Fang grunts all lying on the ground, none of them moving. Roman's concentration was broken when a banana peel slopped onto his hat. Disgusted, Roman threw the peel off to see Sun leaping right for him. He landed right on Roman's shoulders, knocking him to the ground through sheer weight before Sun landed on his feet nearby.

"Leave her alone." Sun said, his voice low and dangerous. Was it just Blake, or did she feel her heart swell a little at that? She broke that train of thought to watch as the flying Bullhead opened both hatches on either side and waves of more White Fang grunts jump out to the ground, landing in a neat circle around Roman and Sun.

"You're not the brightest banana of the bunch, are you?" Roman asked mockingly. Taking it as a cue, they charged forth. Blake could only watch as Sun beat them back, punching the first two who came at him. The third one tried to use a sword but Sun did a round house kick to the grunt's face. He fell unconscious just like his friends. The next two took his moment of pause as weakness and tried to slash at them. Sun smirked, pulling out a long red staff as long as he was tall and smacking him across the face. Spinning his body round and round, he smacked the remaining grunts to the ground, even incorporating some breakdancing for it. How did he look so cool doing that? It was when one particular grunt flew past Roman that he had enough, raising his cane again to fire.

Blake knew it was time to step in. Using her Semblance, she sent a clone to stand in front of Sun's staff that he was twirling. Both staff and clone took the blast, with no drop of Aura from either. "He's mine!" Blake shouted as she rushed at him, trying to slash at him with Gambol Shroud. She used her Semblance twice, three times to try and hit him in as many directions as possible. They all disappeared when Roman landed a lucky uppercut to her jaw with his cane, knocking her back. She kept smacking her in different directions until she fell. Before Roman could make good on that, Sun returned to the fray kicking him in the stomach. To Blake's astonishment, the staff came apart to pistols held together with a thin chain like a nunchuck. They threw each other into it, each blast knocked aside by Roman with his cane as he tried to defend. Blake knew this was her chance; she slashed at his stomach as Sun landed his last shot, making a direct hit but not hurting him. Roman merely glanced up above them then fired.

Blake frankly didn't even need to look up to know there was a crate coming down on them. Blake lunged behind the crate, separating her from Sun and Roman.

"Hey!" That's Ruby's voice! Blake thought in alarm.

"Oh! Hello, Red. Isn't it past your bedtime?" Roman's mocking voice echoed through the Docks.

"Ruby? Are these people your friends?" Who's that? It wasn't a voice Blake had heard ever.

"Can you get back?" A sudden explosion followed by Ruby's yelp.

"Ruby!" Blake called, getting up and rushing around the corner. What she saw next just baffled her and would do so for a long time. The girl Blake didn't know, an orange haired girl, had jumped down from one of the shipping containers with half a dozen silver and green swords floating in mid-air. They were slashing at the White Fang grunts, and to Blake's horror, saw blood flying from their bodies where they were cut. There was even a small army of grunts coming at her, and the blades cut them down. "No! Stop!" She shouted but her protests fell on deaf ears.

As if that wasn't enough, three more Bullheads were flying at them, machine guns blazing on the front. How much did Roman pay for the White Fang to give up this much to them? Her attention returned to Penny who somehow flew to the far wall. The blades which were spinning in midair also somehow started spinning in a circle. Something about this was wrong so Blake ran over. "No, you have to stop this!" But it was too late. The swords gave off a beam of green energy, destroying all three Bullheads as the remains fell into the ocean. And the Faunus on board with them. Blake fell to her knees, tears in her eyes. There was nothing she could do to stop this massacre from going on.

As if that wasn't enough, the ground below her rumbled followed by the sound of fire. Blake looked up. All of them were looking around in confusion. There, in the distance, was a massive plume of smoke. It had to be an enormous explosion for her to see it even from this distance. The Bullhead that Penny had held on to pulled itself from Penny's grasp in the confusion, flying off into the distance. Seemingly satisfied with the results, Roman rushed to the landed Airbus, its engines whirring. He was followed by the remaining White Fang soldiers who jumped in as the hatch closed and took off.

All they could do was watch as the ship flew off into the night, joined by another ship spared the massacre. Blake looked around her, looking at the corpses laying on the ground. "What have you done?" Blake called to the girl, but she was long gone. Sun and Ruby looked around them, horrified by what happened. "Ruby." She stiffened. "She's your friend. Did you intend this to happen?"

"What?" Ruby asked. She looked so rattled even Blake in her cynical mind couldn't help feeling sorry for her. "No! Of course not." Their conversation stopped when they heard sirens coming their way.

"Shit. Gotta go! Nice meeting you!" Sun called, running off and disappearing around the corner. Blake sighed, watching as the police vehicles pulled up next to them. This was going to be a very long night, Blake had a strong feeling on that.

Roman Torchwick was pissed. Why wouldn't he be? It all started out fine, it was a heist he'd been planning for months already. Hell, he'd had to put a huge dent into his own wallet to bribe the union leaders to stay away from the Docks for the night! Then those two Faunus freaks showed up and gave him a real challenge in a fight. Those White Fang losers thought they could handle themselves? Ha, they couldn't handle fighting a training drone! Then Red showed up which really pissed him off (at least he shot her, that was the only bright spot of his evening). It was when Creamsicle showed up and started killing them that things really went wrong. He'd seen dead bodies a lot, he saw them in his dreams every night, but the number she killed was stunning and taking out Bullheads too? What were they putting in the kid's food? That same shit that could turn the frogs gay? And only one crate for his efforts. Roman couldn't take it anymore; he kicked a nearby shipping container. "Ow!" He winced but swallowed the pain down after a moment. Still, that made him feel somewhat better.

He walked to the center of the warehouse, holding a briefcase in hand and placing it on the table. He sighed. At least he made it out with one crate, and when examined, it had the most valuable of all the Dust so there was that too. He needed something strong, now. "How very disappointing, Roman." A sultry, feminine voice spoke in the dark warehouse.

"Whoa!" Roman exclaimed though he cursed inside his head when he recognized the voice. Forget strong; he needed something that would fuck him up inside and out if he survived the night. "Wasn't expecting to see you guys so soon."

"We were expecting… more from you. Security, robbery. Thanks to your incompetence, we've had major setbacks in our operations." Said the woman, Cinder Fall. She was flanked by two other kids about her age. Who they were, Roman really didn't care to know.

Roman let those words register in his head and he couldn't help laughing in their faces a bit. Then the anger came back, stronger than ever. "What more do you want from me?" Roman snapped. "You were the ones who suggested working with those stupid mutts in the first place! I went to great lengths, and great sacrifice to myself, to keep those docks clean. No one except wannabe Hunters stopped us and destroyed months of work and shipments to Vale. It's frankly no wonder certain parts of the population are calling Hunters barbarians. And that warehouse? I made sure it was under lock and key before I left. How should I know how our spare warehouse blew up? I ran a tighter ship when I was hiring goons off the streets and not having you breathing down my neck. On top of all that, I can't focus on the job when your lackey there," he gestured to the girl in the corner, "Keeps sending me dreams of eyes in the sky and dark figures marching across the desert every night for the last week. I mean, what the hell?"

There was a pause. "What are you talking about? My Semblance doesn't work like that." The girl spoke up for the first time. Even Roman in his anger couldn't help noticing her confusion.

Roman opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by loud whistling. It was a tune Roman had never heard in his entire life. Then a new voice, a very masculine voice, started singing. The voice was a haunting one for sure. "Takes two of us to make a staaaaanndd. Baby, can you dig your man? He's a righteous man. Baby, can you dig your maaaaannnnn?" He stepped into the light. He was a huge tanned man, easily 6 foot 4 with bulging muscles even on his arms. He wore a worn white fishing shirt with grey slacks that could have belonged to a fine sailor except they too were beaten by sunlight. His feet were adorned by sandals and, the strangest of all, a laurel of fish bobbers resting upon short-cropped black hair. What is with the people lately, Roman thought to himself. But it was his eyes that caught his attention the most, dark brown eyes. They seemed very familiar, as if he had seen them long before tonight. "Well, well. Sounds like you got yourselves in a right tizzy there."

"Who are you?" Cinder demanded, raising a hand and a rim of fire encasing her fist.

"I'm here to offer my services." The man said. "Now, you're probably asking yourselves, 'How did this fine hunk of meat walk into the room?' Well, I can definitely say Roman here wasn't lacking in talent. It's the beasts of burden here who are lacking." He said. His voice.

"You didn't answer my question." Cinder said, her sultriness giving way to anger.

"Okay, okay." He said, raising his hands. "You can call me Faraday. Russell Faraday if you're big into formalities, which I can be on a given day."

"How did you find us, Faraday?" Roman asked. Did he accidentally write the address of the warehouse down somewhere and nobody told him?

Faraday chuckled. "That is a secret you will come to learn of eventually. But it's irrelevant now. I came to offer you my services."

Cinder lowered her fist, the fire going away. "Why should we trust you then?"

"You shouldn't." He said casually. "But I do have something you are lacking now, as I understand it."

"You blew up the warehouse?" Cinder's voice had taken on a low, dangerous tone that sent shivers down Roman's spine.

Faraday chuckled, not intimidated in the slightest. "No, I'm innocent on that one. I can find out who it was if you'd like. I do have Dust at my side, and the tribes of Claw Island in my pocket."

Roman nearly dropped his cane in shock. That shouldn't be possible. Cinder seemed to agree with Roman in his sentiment. "You lie. Claw Island's been splintered for centuries."

"When you spend any time with me, you will find the impossible becomes possible." He held out a hand. "What say you?"

Cinder stared at the hand, looking in disbelief. Roman couldn't help beaming on the inside. He had worked with so many criminals before he honestly forgot most of their names. And this guy, he seemed the real deal. "Welcome aboard!"

"Excellent!" They shook hands. "I think this will work for all of us." He smiled at Roman, and for the first time, Roman regretted his decision. That smile scared him far more than Cinder had ever scared him. It was evil, pure and true.