Note: Ha! Snuck one more chapter in by the end of February. Unless you live in England, in which case... fuck. Anyway, enjoy.

February 27th.

Convincing Ozpin was easier than Ruby hoped. Perhaps he just wanted to be rid of her after all the troubles she caused him, or maybe he genuinely didn't care about Blake's speaking gig. Or, probably more likely, he was petulantly nagged until he felt he no longer had a choice in the matter. They were given their own airship, allowed time to pack their bags, and as Ruby crossed the boundary into Valian airspace, she felt as if she somehow cheated. Her frigid, floating prison was long behind her, and if she was daring, she could simply choose to never return. She was home. She was free.

Well, almost.

Winter piloted the ship toward the landing strip. She had remained silent the duration of the flight, leaving Team RWBY to awkwardly sit and strategize in the airship's rear. If Team RWBY was going anywhere, Jacques demanded that they be accompanied by a worthy protector. Ruby supposed his reasoning was fair, if not unsettling. They were a commodity to him, and they were to be kept safe and secure at all times. Winter would stand beside them wherever they went, and there was not a damn thing they were to do about it. Sort of.

Of course, a chaperone would make it difficult to commit any illicit activities or meet a certain criminal mastermind, but Ruby was already developing a workaround. Her original plan was for all members of Team RWBY to meet with Neo, sticking together for safety. However, now that distracting Winter became necessary, Ruby's next best idea was to split up. She and Blake would go meet with Neo, and Yang and Weiss would do something nice for Winter. Take her sightseeing. A movie. A restaurant. Anything. Unfortunately, that plan fell by the wayside when Winter made it very apparent that Blake was the one she had to keep an eye on the most, given that she was the one who had to do the public speaking and was at the highest risk of screwing something up for the Team RWBY Fund. And so, with Blake unable to see Neo herself, Ruby was now onto Plan C, which made her significantly less confident in their success. At the very least, Winter's intimidating presence would keep them safe from paparazzi. Hopefully.

Stepping out onto the airport, the air felt heavy. Ruby took a deep breath and let the oxygen fill her lungs. Her toes crinkled in her boots. Real ground, real air. Real life. The foreign dystopia seemed even more surreal now, like a cruel dream or a waking memory. She saw smiles around her. Genuine ones. For the first time in a long while, she felt like she was going to be okay. Alhough, she knew she could not let herself get too comfortable, and as Winter Schnee took the lead out in front of them, Ruby remembered that she had a job to do. Of course, reality had other means of shattering her peace as well.

The Pelts, Skins, and Scales Society had been receptive to Blake's demands… perhaps too receptive. They booked a hotel in Upper Vunsrick, the wealthiest district in Vale, and arranged for a limousine driver to pick them up from their flight. There was a small cluster of cameras waiting for them as they arrived, tipped off by sources that Ruby didn't want to think about. Winter shoved them aside with bark and bite, and Team RWBY piled themselves and their luggage into the limo, they felt a bit like mice. Flashing cameras, calls for questions—one too many grown men complimenting her on her appearance—and Ruby was tucked into Weiss's arms, hoping to avoid attention. Blake muttered under her breath.

"So much for being inconspicuous."

The trip through Vale was, thankfully, less eventful. Ruby peered out through the tinted windows of the limo, trying to determine what had changed about her less-than-beloved city in the preceding months. The streets were less busy, though no less than usual during a cold winter. Shops were running. Neon billboards ran advertisements, though none with her face upon them. Their limo received a few glances, but most of the city folk were far too busy to let the idea of celebrity distract them. Everyone had seemingly returned to their lives, unburdened by the massive attack on their city from just a few months earlier. Ruby suspected that if their route had taken them past the grounds of the Grimm attack, they might have seen more devastation, but otherwise, no one would ever know what transpired. Ruby felt some pride in that, knowing the thousands of lives that would be mourned if her team hadn't intervened. And yet, the sheer calm of it disturbed her—almost like nothing even mattered.

Blake scoffed when the limo pulled through into their hotel. "For fuck's sake…"

The PSSS really did go all out. A four-star Grand Ballina hotel? What was the pricing there? Three thousand Lien a night? Blake fumed. She had said the Society was known for lavish, unnecessary spending, but Ruby wasn't quite expecting that her hotel room would be nicer than her entire house. The process of checking in was even more dreamlike to a young woman who never dreamed of being rich. The lobby had floors of gold and the interior seemed to stretch for miles into the sky. White, layered walls cascaded up like waves. Chandeliers hovered over the finest furniture from suspended, decorative wiring. The receptionist wore a suit. Ruby and Yang looked around like children lost in an amusement park. Weiss, distinctly more unimpressed, handled check-in duties, while Blake posted a sarcastic comment on her KnightsPage account. At some point during their lengthy check-in, a group of strangers accosted them for a selfie. They probably didn't understand why Blake's smile was so fake.

Their room was no less elaborate. Ruby recalled that when her team stopped in Brooksbarrow several months earlier, they were forced into a cramped motel room with too few beds and barely functioning plumbing. That would not be the case here. The suite the PSSS purchased for them was on the hotel's fourteenth floor, and upon entering it felt like stepping into a mansion. Separate bedrooms? Check. Three of them in fact with two beds each, enough to avoid sharing. A fully stocked kitchen? Check. A flat-screen television that slid into the wall that was bigger than their Atlasian dorm room? Check. A massive windowed wall that gave them a pristine view of the City of Vale? Check. The curtains were made of woven golden fabric, and the bedsheets were made of silk, and as Yang excitedly pointed out, one of the bathrooms had a jacuzzi in it. All Ruby could think was the absurdity in that, for one night only, they would live like Kings, and the next they would return to the frozen Kingdom in the north, waking up at five in the morning and desperately trying to survive.

As Yang checked out the hot tub and Winter moved their bags, Blake calmly walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. An assorted selection of beverages awaited for her, but instead of grabbing one, she pulled out a small printed note and eyed it suspiciously.

"Attention: all drinks come with an additional twenty Lien surcharge. Fucking insanity…"

Blake grumbled to herself again, but instead of paying attention to that, Weiss and Ruby stepped to the side and quickly went over their plans.

"Everything's in order?" Ruby asked.

"The reservation is set for eight o'clock. Dinner service will last about two and a half hours," Weiss explained.

"And the travel should be another hour on top of that," Ruby said. "So as you, Winter, and Blake are eating, Yang and I will have plenty of time to…" Ruby glanced over her shoulder toward the Schnee soldier listening in on them. "…take the ferry to Patch and visit Dad."

"Right," said Weiss. "And your dad already knows you're coming?"

"He should," Ruby sighed. She muttered under her breath. "If Blake remembers to text him."

"And once you are done visiting your dad," Weiss reminded her sternly, "you are going to come straight back here."

"Of course."

"And you won't do anything else. Because all you are doing is visiting your dad, and even if something else comes up that makes you want to stay at your dad's for longer, you won't do that because we have a tight schedule and we don't want to cause any trouble."

"Don't worry," Ruby promised. "It will be a quick visit, and that will be it. We'll check in, head out, and no one will even know we were there. Then, Blake has her panel tomorrow, we'll fly back tomorrow night, and can be back in class Monday."

"I know. Just…" Weiss said, gently clasping Ruby's hands. "You super promise you'll be safe."

Ruby kissed Weiss on the nose. "Super promise."

Clubbing was always Yang's thing, and Ruby trusted her sister to keep her safe. Not that she needed it; she was wise enough to keep Crescent Rose V2 on her person at all times when dealing with criminals. However, prowling around a dangerous part of town, entering the den of a well-known crime lord, and—worst of all—surrounding herself with hundreds of people and blistering, pounding club music caught Ruby off-guard. She needed an experienced hand to guide her through this foreign land, and Yang Xiao Long was the woman to do it. Yang spent countless nights sneaking out of the house, bouncing around bars and nightclubs with her friends, and getting into mischief, and Ruby had long resented that reckless behavior. But, on this night, that same behavior was the key to solving the mystery that had rooted itself inside her brain.

She wondered if Yang felt any of the same pressure, and yet as the pair of sisters waited in line to enter Junior's, Ruby saw nothing but calm on Yang's features.

"You good?"

"Yep."

Ruby, unsatisfied, prodded further.

"You're sure Neo is going to be friendly with us?"

"Positive," Yang stated. "She's pretty reasonable… I mean, she only attacked Blake and I the first time because we attacked her first, and she kept her word when she said she owed us for Forever Fall. I think she's friendly."

"She kidnapped you."

Yang shrugged. "Relatively friendly."

"And Neo… well, you don't think she'll freak out when she sees me?" Ruby asked as if it was obvious. It actually took Yang a moment to realize what her sister was referring to, but when she did, she quickly tried to dismiss it as more needless concern.

"That… nah, I don't think that'll come up."

"I was the one who—"

"Yeah, I know," Yang said, trying to sound more confident than she truly was. "But like… Neo knows that. She knew who I was the first time I met her, which means she knew I was related to you and she never mentioned it before. If you think about it, you technically did her a favor."

"I'm trusting you on this," said Ruby firmly. "If something goes—"

"Weiss will kill you. I know," Yang joked. "I know the stakes. Just let me do the talking and I promise we'll be fine."

Ruby took a deep breath. When had letting Yang do the talking ever worked out? Yang was charming and fun when she needed to be, but a master negotiator? Still, she didn't really have a choice. Like she noted, this was a new world she was stepping into. She was going to need all the assistance she could get. However, she couldn't help but say something that caused a shadow to fall over her sister.

"I really wish we had Blake for this."

Junior's was as bustling as it ever was. The hottest nightclub in Vale only became more popular in the aftermath of the Grimm attack. With people needing more excuses to forget their troubles, they turned to drinking and dancing with increased fervor, leading to a long line of people trying to enter. It took Ruby forty minutes longer than she was expecting to make it to the entrance. By the time she stepped in front of the bouncer, he had seen hundreds of young women just like her come and go, and she betrayed her inexperience when he glanced her over and immediately shook his head.

"You girls got IDs? Looking a little young."

Yang leaned up on her toes, trying to match her height with the towering, black-clad bodyguard. "We have an appointment with Neo."

The bouncer's face remained stoic as he crossed his arms. "Neo? I don't know a Neo, kid."

"Cut the shit, buddy. We've done this routine before," Yang said, straight to the point. "We already texted Sun and he said she was expecting us. Go in and ask if you need to."

"Look, you ladies got IDs or don't you?" the bouncer asked again. Ruby shifted around awkwardly. Clubs in Vale required entrants to be at least seventeen, and she was… well, not. She hardly looked older than her age, either, and if anything, she seemed on the surface far too meek and fragile to ever be welcomed into this kind of establishment. In some cases, this was a blessing. Yang would have no trouble entering on her own, and without her presence, Yang might avoid a very nasty confrontation. But Ruby refused to let Yang venture into danger herself, and the temptation of solving this mystery woman was too much for her to simply lay down. Luckily, Yang was unwilling to back down as well, and she stepped right up to the bouncer, getting as close as she possibly could without touching him to provoke a reaction, letting her red and violet eyes burn through him.

"Listen buddy, I don't know how long you have been working this job, but I know who pays you. Your boss is expecting guests, and she is going to wonder why the hell she was kept waiting all night if we don't get in there and speak to her. She's probably going to take that frustration out on you. All you have to do to avoid that is send the word to Sun Wukong that Blake Belladonna is waiting for him, and if we're lying, you can kick us out of the line."

The bouncer paused, contemplating Yang's offer. Perhaps he was familiar with Neo's punishments, or maybe he finally realized why these two threatening young women seemed familiar. Regardless, he reached toward a small radio attached to his waist, removed it and spoke briefly.

"Hey this is Mike. We got a Blake Belladonna out front interested in speaking with the Monkey King."

Ruby and Yang did not have to wait long. As if they uttered a magic spell, the door to the club opened up, and from within the swirling, pumping, darkened mass of the club, a young Faunus man came barreling out, nearly tripping down a half step as he appeared. He grinned like a charming idiot and recovered, leaning up against the entranceway as he peered beyond the posturing bouncer toward his welcome guest.

"Well hello there, beauti…ful…"

Sun was just like Yang remembered him. Scraggly. Unkempt. His suit jacket was torn open and his shredded abdomen glistened in the cold, Vale air. If either of the sisters were interested in men, they might have found him cute. They were not. They did not. Sun, clearly less than impressed by the turnout, quickly wiped the smile off his face as he glanced around the two Huntresses for stragglers.

"Uh… where's Blake?"

"Something came up," Yang said with a shrug. "It's just us, I'm afraid."

That was not the answer Sun was looking for, and Mike the Bouncer immediately turned toward Sun to complete his duties.

"Need me to throw 'em out, Boss?"

Sun considered it momentarily, but then he sighed and ushered the sisters inside. "No, I guess it's okay. That's disappointing…"

Yang and Ruby nodded at each other, and with some smugness, stepped around the bouncer to enter into the nightclub. The place was just as Yang remembered. Heavy strobes. Pounding music that made her bones vibrate. The unending swaths of people trying to live like it was their final night. It was all far too much for Ruby's senses, and the poor thing put both of her hands to her ears, trying to block out the noise. It was to no avail; the bass pounded at her spine and threatened to topple her over. Plus, as Sun led the pair into the crowd, Ruby was forced to cling to Yang so as to not get lost within the sea of drunk partiers. Yang pushed—and somewhat danced—her way through the crowd as she called out to Sun in front of her, following his swinging tail through the horde.

"That guy called you the Boss," Yang shouted.

"What?" Sun shouted back, cupping his ear.

"The guy called you Boss!" Yang yelled louder. It seemed even Faunus had trouble hearing her over the music. "You're moving up in the world!"

"Yeah! I'm Neo's new right hand!" Sun shouted back. He was still happy to explain his promotion, even if he had less of a reason to show it off. "I've really been crushing sign language these past few months. She needed someone to talk to the boys since her last guy got, you know… eaten by a giant bird."

Yang grimaced awkwardly. "Yeah… I remember!"

"Pretty crazy!" Sun recalled. "But since I helped Neo survive that, she rewarded me with a huge promotion. And then I got another promotion when we fought off that insane glass woman together. I wish you could have seen that. We were awesome. Too bad she got away."

"Too bad!"

"Come on, almost there!"

The staircase was located behind the bar, after squeezing through the last of the drunken crowd. Sun escorted the sisters past another pair of bodyguards, each of them eyeing the Huntresses with the same suspicion as the one outside. Ruby felt more out of place than she did at Atlas. Her hands drifted behind her waist, where Crescent Rose remained hidden underneath her cloak. She tried not to draw attention to her act. The last thing she needed was to appear hostile, but the thought of being completely defenseless left her uncomfortable. Hopefully, Neo was as pleasant as Yang made her out to be.

The thing Neo's office reminded Ruby most of was a prison cell. Everything was painted white, from the walls to the floors to the sparse furniture. The room consisted mostly of a desk, squared and center, and two long leather couches on either side of it, the lone dark stains on the impeccable cleanliness. Neo's desk was populated by a few vanilla-scented candles, a bust of a bearded man on its edge, and a half-drank bottle of red wine. A bin for various umbrellas was at the desk's side, loaded to the brim with the Droog Mistress's weapon of choice. And, in a swivel chair far too big for the small woman to handle, sat the head honcho herself, nose deep in paperwork. It was the first time Ruby ever laid eyes on the woman who once caused her sister so much harm, and she was taken aback by how innocent her movements seemed; the small strokes of her pen, the way her legs kicked out from underneath her, the manner in which she stuck out her tongue as she was deep in thought…

And it was right as Ruby thought that, right as she entered the room and Sun shut the door behind them, right as she and Yang were finally alone with the dangerous woman, that Neo turned her gaze upward, sneered, reached into her desk drawer, and pulled out a pistol—aiming it straight for Ruby's head. It turned out that Neo hadn't forgotten, nor had she forgiven. She had known Ruby's face far longer than others, and after waiting for months, stewing in vengeance, fate delivered her on a silver platter. Sun and Yang barely had time to react, and the screams of terror barely escaped their throats.

But Ruby… Ruby was ready. Her paranoia had built to a critical mass, and the young woman whose Semblance was speed was a quick thinker. The instant she saw Neo's hand retrieve her gun, she was already sprinting forward, a flurry of rose petals staining the white room red. Neo pulled the trigger, only for the swirling mass to weave around the impact, the bullet striking the elegant door. Neo traced Ruby's path left, spinning on her swivel chair, firing two more quick shots as Ruby arced around the crowded room. Before Neo could fire a fourth, the petals were on top of her, and the Huntress emerged from the flurry with scythe drawn and crossed fury.

Ruby slashed down at the Droog Mistress, but Neo pushed back, letting her chair carry her to safety. There was not much room to maneuver, and Neo soon slammed against the nearest wall. Yet, the meager distance was all she needed to re-aim her pistol, staring down the girl whose face had haunted her for months. Again though, she was deprived of finishing her off. Yang had come to her senses rapidly, and she tackled Neo to the ground, pinning the smaller woman beneath her. Sun, likewise, ran behind the desk and grabbed Ruby, frantically keeping the Huntress at bay.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy ladies!"

Ruby pushed against him, but Sun's muscles weren't just for show. He held in a close grip, even pinning his legs around her to stop her from struggling. Yang similarly had Neo pinned beneath her, flames glowing in her hair and eyes, and though the Droog Mistress wriggled and wrestled, Yang's strength was too much for her.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Yang snapped at her captive.

"You set us up!" Ruby shouted, yet Sun hurriedly denied the claim.

"I didn't know she was going to shoot you! I swear!"

"Like hell you didn't!" Yang snapped back.

Sun did his best to keep Ruby from slicing him in half. With her shoulders pinned to her torso, her weapon was practically useless, but that didn't stop Sun from ducking and screaming as the sharp blade kept wandering toward his head.

"Seriously, I didn't! Neo, why would you shoot at her?"

However, to Ruby, it wasn't much of a mystery at all. She could tell Neo's motivation from the way the criminal hadn't broken eye contact with her. It was the one thing that would push a refined criminal over the edge and make her try to murder one of the most famous Huntresses in Vale in cold blood, damned be the repercussions. As sounds of the gunshot echoed into the stairwell, and several more bodyguards flooded into the room, Neo never stopped staring. Even as the guards broke them apart and helped their Mistress to her feet, she never stopped staring. Even as Yang and Ruby were forcibly sat down on one of the leather sofas, she never stopped staring, and even as Neo brushed off her coat and sat down opposite to them, she never stopped staring. Even as Sun knelt down beside her and pleaded with her to put away her gun, she never stopped staring. And even as his words took hold, and she tucked aside her weapon, and her impulses faded, she never stopped staring.

Not at her.

Not at the woman who defeated Roman Torchwick.