Oftentimes, life likes to spit in your face, but on the odd afternoon, it can hand you a bag full of lien and tell you to have at it.

This evening seemed to be a little bit of both, as while Cinder had been shocked and a little bit ready to give into her darker urges when Penny called her initial bluff, her afternoon was thus saved when Ruby and the girl attempted to play it off. Clearly, Penny belonged to Atlas; only one of their drones would be trained in manners of investigation to the point they can deduce someone's state from a mere glance.

The physical signs may be small, but they existed; Cinder just never thought a mere student would be adept enough to catch them.

When the elevator dinged, she took the lead, stepping out into the floor of consoles which students, staff, and visitors alike used to contact their loved ones across the globe. Staring at the many consoles, she pondered over which one to use, feeling the flash drive resting between her breasts even now. It would need to be somewhere relatively out of the way, which no one else would wander beside all that quickly.

"Mint, handle the leftmost rows. Ruby, you've got the center end: around the windows. Penny, take the right. I'll deal with the cube between all three. Sweep your stations twice before coming back here; we can discuss our findings then."

Controlling everyone, everywhere, at all times; Brothers, she loved when the role of leader flew into her hands.

Penny nodded alongside Ruby, and both women took off without a fuss. Neo, on the other hand, crossed her arms; apparently not so easily distracted. Then again, Cinder saw this coming from a mile away, and thus played the role of ignorant buffoon.

"What's wrong?"

Neo pointed to her before lifting a brow and shaking her head. Of course she suspected something to be up; the excuse before carried the consistency of water. On another, less expected note, Neo grabbed her by the hand and began dragging her towards her own station. Whether Ozpin had given her direct orders to oversee their crew could not be determined just yet, but that meant nothing when she swiftly plopped her drive in one of the passing units.

Neo's strut may be quick, but not as quick as Cinder's own hands.

I've been doing this sort of thing for years honey~ Whatever you're expecting to catch me doing, I've already finished.

The best part about all of this, and begrudgingly a testament to Watts's intellect, had been the drive itself. Some people liked to purchase self-cleaning equipment from shops for the sake of laziness or convenience, but in her line of work, it became a necessity. You couldn't always guarantee a clean getaway.

And so, she counted down the seconds as Mint dragged her around, not minding the wasted time one bit.

.

.

Cinder really was a ripe old bitch.

This was it, really? The grand mission she'd been texted to attend, forced to leave the dance she'd planned Ruby's outfit around, had been to waste away in the CCT. This blew major hot air, and not the kind that made saunas so appealing. No, that wasn't quite right. Cinder wanted something. Question was: what?

Several moments of baseless meandering later and everyone landed back by the elevator. Cinder had been a surprisingly good bitch, meaning she had accomplished something from all of this.

"I have confiscated nothing of value!" Penny said, her enthusiasm not at all hindered from the five minutes of silent searching.

"I didn't find anything either." Ruby shrugged, still ensuring her cloak never once opened.

Mint, in perfect fashion, leveled a drab look at her boss, pumping an eyebrow for added effect. Being the cracked marble wonder who surely thought herself flawless, Cinder shrugged before shaking her head; mock dreariness spilling from her lungs.

"I guess whoever was here has already left."

Bullshit again, but Mint couldn't be bothered contesting it. She just wanted to get back to the party and find ways to get Ruby opening up - literally when it came to her cloak. In favor of this idea, and before firefly could get any more bright ideas, Mint took her two babies by the hands and dragged them inside the elevator, giving dear old Cindy one chance to join them.

"Alright, Alright." And so she shuffled in. "We've spent more than enough energy here anyways. I'm sure Atlas can take care of its own."

.

.

"That was interesting."

"And yet, they haven't openly done anything." James carried in his eyes that darker glint he often saved for elements or ideas he distrusted. "No, they must have done something."

"Of that," Ozpin snapped his scroll shut, "I have no doubts."

"Should I send one of my men in to have a look?"

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"If we react too quickly, she'll know."

"And if we wait, we'll be risking far too much." James whipped out a stony glare. "You saw how easily she took down my men."

"Then you know that the only ones who stand a chance against her are us." Upon bringing up the topic, James bit back a growl. Ozpin sighed, more than understanding his friend's agitation. Cinder Fall either wanted them to see her acts in the CCT tonight, or she believed the cameras were unmanned.

Letting the girl believe no one was watching could be labeled a king's gamble; one that carried the potential downfall of Remnant on its shoulders. Perhaps that might seem a bit extreme, but if she truly was the one to injure Amber, then Cinder Fall had just walked into one of the four sources of Remnant's global communication. Should she somehow harm or even destroy it, the world would be cut into chunks.

"Then why don't we?" James grimaced, casting his eyes down over the rail of the lonely balcony, outright ignoring most of the moving students below and locking on to the returning quartet in question. "Surely, with all of us, we can capture her."

"Yes, we very well can, but by doing so, we'll be forcing Miss Politan to take a side before she's ready."

"If she's like Roman, she'll do the smart thing."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Ozpin withheld any lingering comments when James rolled his eyes. "The woman has only just gotten used to Miss Rose's company, but friendships strong enough to sever business ties don't come easy."

"With how she dragged Cinder around, I doubt their relationship is anything she wants to keep up. With luck, she might even join us openly."

"Yes, with luck. I'd rather turn that luck into a guarantee before firing off the first round."

"This feels like a mistake." James pushed off the rail, pinching the bridge of his nose as he huffed. "I don't like going off of gut feelings, but they've saved me more than once. And the CCT. She did something; even if she somehow obscured it. The cameras aren't perfect. What if we're compromised in some way? Her brazen assault on all of my men, even if she left liquor bottles in place, won't fool any of them even if we weren't watching the whole thing."

"I'm aware, and again, I thank you for the advice."

"As if you weren't predicting she'd do something like this already. You don't need foresight to spot an obvious opportunity. A big party that needs eyes everywhere and carries some stretched, forgiving rules: I'd be more concerned if she hadn't picked tonight to strike."

"Then perhaps we should get back and enjoy the festivities while they last."

"I suppose it's easier to keep an eye on them amidst the cover of-"

James locked up, as did Ozpin himself. While faint, there was no mistaking the small beep coming through his scroll. Whipping out the video feed again, Ozpin could feel a scowl coming on. The cameras, thankfully, still functioned.

The same could not be said for one terminal.

"A bomb..." James muttered, his scowl deepening; less of outright anger and more confusion. "But why so small?"

"Perhaps she did something with that terminal in particular." Otherwise, what reason did she carry for blowing it to bits?

"I never saw her place anything, and with Roman's woman dragging her around so quickly I doubt she could even set a timer. Could she have prepared an explosive beforehand?"

"Impossible." She couldn't have predicted Miss Politan bringing two tag-alongs, and nor could she plan around it if they took up too much time. "She very clearly let Miss Rose and Miss Polendina say their pieces back during the initial encounter."

"True. She would have shown a larger level of stress otherwise. But what could blowing up that one terminal accomplish?"

"Perhaps she had someone using it earlier today."

"None of her group even entered the CCT though."

"I know."

"Do you think there are other units at play?"

"I won't discount it." Ozpin closed up his scroll, breathing in and out evenly to calm his voice. "But we cannot be sure."

"Damn her." James refrained from any openly violent acts upon the masonry separating them from a single story drop. "We've been so focused on her that we haven't even considered the possibility that there may be more within Beacon."

"It can't be helped." Ozpin directed himself towards the main party again, pausing a few steps forward to call out for James. "We'll just have to investigate tomorrow."

"What will we do tonight?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Listen to me. She must not know that we're on to her. She'll flee, or perhaps use that to her advantage. For now, we'll play ignorant; give her a false sense of security. And, in that time, we'll allow Miss Rose to continue mingling with Roman's partner. Who knows, she may prove invaluable if she were to defect to our side."

James wanted to shoot the idea down, his face screamed it to the heavens above, but he straightened his posture, linked his arms behind his back, and stepped up beside.

"I'll go along with this, but only because we have the means to chase her off at any given moment should the need arise."

"Quite."

At the very least, stepping back into the party and hearing the noise below allowed him the chance to relax; just a little bit. Surely, Glynda was steaming over the allowances provided, but such things kept Roman's partner at ease, and in his own eyes, he viewed the harmlessness of the relaxed dress code more than a worthy sacrifice to breed a better environment for the woman to settle into.

In fact, Neo Politan looked to be having more than just a little fun, even though she wore the visage of reservation expertly.

.

.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho!" Ruby hated every instance of Yang rubbing up to her. "I knew you had a darker side~"

"Please don't make this any worse than it already is..." It was bad enough already that Mint got her into this outfit, let alone having her sister poking and prodding every chance she got. "It feels like it's going to fall apart at any moment."

"Pfft! Nah~" And just like that, Yang effectively brushed aside all of her valid concerns. "Mint wouldn't allow that; I'd need to beat her ass if she did."

"Please, no swearing." She didn't normally mind it all that much, but tonight, Yang seemed... "Wait, have you-"

"She spiked her own drink," Blake said, popping in from behind and only Jolting Ruby's heart rate a tiny bit. Whipping around, Ruby got a chance to observe her sister's partner's outfit, which kind of made her chuckle a little. She wasn't one to stereotype, but Blake had a habit of living up to almost all of them. Case and point: the shark onesie covering all but her face.

"She told you?" Okay, admittedly not a surprise, but Yang usually kept her mouth shut when doing questionable things - until caught, at least.

"No. But she's rubbing up against you." Yang's chest squishing into her arm reiterated that point. "You can't tell me she didn't do something."

"Yeah..."

While stewing in her situation, Ruby picked up a shout from behind her; it seems someone else spotted a spider at the bottom of their glass. Mint smiled wide, her grin both devious and pleased. From the mix of modesty and expression decorating everyone, to the state of her sister's lax response to her own costume, Ruby toyed with the thought that maybe the change in rules for the dance might not have been all that great an idea.

These thoughts lasted up until Mint took her hand, blowing a kiss to Yang who propped herself up against Blake, which went completely ignored. Ruby struggled to keep her cloak closed as Mint dragged her through the crowd. Everyone else looked to be having so much fun, and yet Ruby couldn't fight off the anxiety of having so many people stealing glances their way. Most eyes were on Mint, but whenever a break in her cloak appeared those eyes zeroed in on her.

It orchestrated a sickening noise in her head, but she shoved it down when they first stepped out into the chilly nighttime air.

Releasing her hand, Mint waved her to follow, and Ruby did as asked until they came to sit against the tree trunk in the park. They soaked in the moonlight for a few minutes first, before Mint began sending out her texts.

"Be on your guard."

Ruby didn't get it immediately.

"Why?"

"The CCT. That's the target."

"Of what?"

"Who knows. Cinder's a bitch most days, but she never does anything without a reason. Sadly, I couldn't see what it was; this time, at least."

Things slowly began to click from there.

"Is she..." Ruby tilted in close, her voice kept to a minimum. "One of them?"

"In a way. Your team has a habit of getting into trouble, but this is big; bigger than anything you've ever seen. Bigger than me, Roman, and everyone else."

She could sense that Mint wanted her to stay away, but they couldn't just leave things alone and expect them to get better.

"How big?"

"The White Fang is cool with it." Mint glared this time; eyes spitting fire her way. "Stay out of her way. If you see her doing something weird, ignore it and come tell me. Don't text, but don't be obvious. She can't know you know."

The White Fang were with them? Who was "them?" If Cinder was a part of "them," then why was she in Beacon? What did Beacon have that "they" needed? Ruby's head began to spin in tiny circles, dancing through fields of confusion. All of it seemed so ridiculous...

But the image of blood on Neo's hands flared to life, reminding Ruby that everything was far too real.

"W-what if I can't get to you?" Her question had been born out of a desire to move things along far more than anything else.

"Find Roman."

What a horrible idea.

"What?!" Mint silently shushed her, shooting her head around before dropping back down on her butt.

"He's on my side. If it weren't for "them," we'd still be going good. Roman doesn't like the heat either."

"You mean you'd be ruining innocent people's lives." Ruby put on a tiny frown. She may have upheld a tiny, itty bitty friendship with the criminal, but that didn't mean she approved of crime.

Mint rolled her eyes, but Ruby didn't let up on her disapproval, huffing and crossing her arms to prove a point - even though it opened her up to the world again. Two eyes traversed the runway of her body, and Ruby kept her posture strong even when Mint hit her with a little nod, and one last message.

"No one's innocent."

"Kids are innocent, and so are pets" Ruby smiled as she pointed that fact out, getting a silent, playful sigh from Mint.

"Kids are innocent until they decide to get into trouble, and pets get into all sorts of trouble." Once again Ruby leapt out of her skin, quickly scrambling to cover herself up again as Roman Torchwick leaned his back against the tree beside her, pinning her in the middle of a crime sandwich. Leaning his head back, he took a puff of his cigar. "You certainly have some experience in the former."

"W-what are you doing here?!"

"What?" He shrugged. "Can't a guy take a little break from work every now and then? Besides, I'm on chaperone duty; that means I have to look after all of you."

"That's right." And now, Weiss's sister joined the fray; was everyone just waiting to make their moves? "And to ensure he doesn't attempt anything questionable, he is under constant supervision himself."

"You really are the perfect stick." Roman coughed up a chuckle, his grin stretched far too wide. "Are you the one Jimmy keeps up his ass all day?"

Things sort of devolved after that, with Roman and Winter taking up most of the silence with a series of jabs back and forth. Ruby simply leaned against the tree, losing most of her drive to really complain anymore. Oddly, Mint drew a little closer - around the same time Roman brought up insurance companies bailing out the victims of his robberies, and Winter countering with how that hurt the companies' numbers.

That tiny, fluttery look in Mint's eyes sweetened her sour mood - just a tiny bit. Neo was a criminal who'd robbed several locations and worked with the White Fang. But Neo had vanished during the breach. Instead, Mint sat beside her: the visiting student who spent her days mingling casually with everyone else.

Cold hard killer? Possibly. But no one was beyond hope; even those who probably shouldn't get it. But hey, that's what huntsmen and huntresses were for, right? Putting an end to tragedy as the heroes who achieve happy endings. Ruby didn't care about who deserved what in life.

Honestly, she just wanted to help people, and if she could convince Mint that there were other alternatives to life than just crime, then she'd be helping far more than just one person. Who knows? Maybe she should start working on Roman too. Yeah, he tried to kill her a few times, but if Atlas could put their trust in him to do something as weirdly domestic as chaperoning, then didn't that mean he wasn't all bad?

Since when did she become the villain re-educator?

Author's note

...

Here we go again.

Cinder's little plot gets to move along smoothly, even though both Ozpin and Ironwood know its going on. Sadly, they seem unaware, at least for now, of how detailed it may be.

Mint gets to keep doing simple stuff, perhaps becoming a tad brazen around her "team." *cough* Cinder *cough* On top of that, Ruby's starting to see a pattern in things, seemingly now set on maybe even trying to redeem Roman - fat chance of that happening… right?

Meh, that's all for now.

Until next time.