The screen is black with strange lights like fireflies moving around with a voice that echoes.

?: Ivan, I'm scared.

Ivan: Please hold on.

?: I love you.

Ivan: NOOOO!

Ivan's eyes go wide as he wakes up screaming.

Ivan: Ahhhh! No!

Ivan looks around the room and realizes he has had another nightmare and begins to cry. He then starts to calm his breathing and wipes away his tears. He gets out of bed and grabs his coat as he opens the door to see everyone that was staying at the inn was downstairs having breakfast. Ivan heads down and sits at an empty table. As he waits for a waitress to come take his order he is tapped on his shoulder. He looks to see the Faunus he met a few days ago, Fang Sanguise.

Fang: Mind if I join ya?

Ivan: Not at all.

Fang takes a seat next to Ivan as Lydia arrives.

Lydia: Good morning gentlemen, what shall I start you boys with?

Ivan: Just a coffee for now. Thank you, Lydia.

Fang: Ya got any green tea?

Lydia: Yes we do sir.

Fang: I'll have a cup of that. Thank you.

Lydia: Of course, I'll be back with your drinks soon.

As Lydia leaves, Fang looks at Ivan looking down at his hands that are resting on the table.

Fang: You alright?

Ivan: Huh?

Fang: Are you ok? Kayla said she heard screaming comin' from your room.

Ivan: Yeah, I'm ok. Just a bad dream.

Fang: You have the same dream every night?

Ivan: What?

Fang: I've heard from other people who have been here just as much as you and they say you wake up screaming every morning. Rarely in the middle of the night.

Ivan tries to come up with a lie but is saved by the waitress setting down their drinks.

Waitress: Here you go, gentlemen. Let me know if you need anything else. And Happy Vytal Festival.

Fang: Thank you, ma'am.

Ivan takes a drink from his coffee and Fang just glares at him with curiosity. Ivan notices and thinks of a different topic.

Ivan: So, you said you had other business here in Vale other than the festival right?

Fang realizes he's not gonna get a straight answer out of Ivan's night terrors and goes along with the question.

Fang: A friend of mine died here in Vale a few weeks ago. His name was Tukson.

Ivan recognized that name.

Ivan: Wait, Tukson? As in Tukson's book trade, Tukson?

Fang: Did you know him?

Ivan: I've known him ever since he opened his shop here. Real nice guy. How did he die?

Fang: That's what I'm here to find out.

Ivan meant to steer away from his nightmares but this didn't seem like a better alternative.

Fang: Considering he had some connections with the White Fang, I suspected that something was wrong about how he died. Police found him dead in his shop but the detail that caught my attention was there was a blood stain on the wall.

Ivan: Like he was shot.

Fang: Tukson knew how to defend himself so I assume whoever got the drop on him, they weren't alone.

Ivan: Two murderers.

Fang: Exactly.

Ivan: Have you had any luck in finding them?

Fang pulls out his notepad and shows Ivan a list of possible clues. Ivan skims through the notes and notices "Shattered Ice crystals" and "Roman Torchwick".

Fang: This is what I was able to gather as far as intel goes from the incident under the freeway.

Ivan: "Roman Torchwick", that's the guy who's been running the Dust robberies these past few months. There were rumors that he's been coordinating the White Fang attacks.

Fang: Hmph. Well, I've been recording every attack since the beginning of the new year at Beacon and in each of their attacks and hideouts they've had been found, they don't move too far away from the city.

Ivan: So you think you can find them?

Fang: There's a warehouse not too far from the docks. I was gonna go check it out if you want to join.

Ivan: As much as I would love to act like a detective and beat the bad guys, I've got another assignment to do tonight.

Fang: What's the job?

The scene then cuts to an overhead view of Bleu's house as she speaks with her father.

Henry: Ozpin wants you and your friends to chaperone the Beacon dance tonight?

Bleu: Technically it's just me and Ivan that is going since Sky doesn't like dances. Apparently, Haven didn't have school dances before they went on missions.

Henry: But why not just have Atlas security there? I mean General Ironwood brought his fleet of ships to Vale.

Bleu just gives her dad an emotionless expression as he realizes what he just said.

Henry: Ok, fair point.

Bleu: Besides Dad, I'll get to see Glynda again.

Henry: I guess so, but I want you home by midnight, okay?

Bleu: Dad, I'm 33.

Henry: Good god!

Bleu: Now don't you worry about me. I can take care of myself. Besides, Ivan is literally a walking tank.

Henry: Very well. Just be safe. That's all I ask.

Bleu: I promise.

Later at Beacon

Ivan and Bleu arrive at the ballroom and are greeted by a familiar blonde.

Yang: Oh hey. It's you two.

Ivan and Bleu look to see Yang Xiao Long from the cafe a few weeks back in a white dress.

Ivan: Hello again, Yang.

Bleu: Hi.

Yang: So, what brings you two to the Beacon dance?

Ivan: Professor Ozpin asked us to chaperone for the night, plus Bleu didn't want to go alone.

Bleu immediately went wide-eyed as her cheeks turned red.

Bleu: Ivan!

Ivan just laughs as Bleu punches his arm.

Yang: Well Bleu, I'd be happy to be the first of the night to ask you to dance.

Bleu: S-Sure, thanks.

Yang extends her hand to Bleu and she shyly takes it. As Yang takes Bleu to the dance floor she looks back at Ivan and sees him chuckling.

Ozpin: That was either a smooth move or are just trying to mess with your teammate?

Ivan: Hello Professor.

Ozpin: Hello Mr. Saxe. Are you enjoying the night so far?

Ivan: It's been nice so far. Why?

Ozpin: Because as quick as you are to throw your teammate at one of my students, I think you can help another one of my students.

Ivan: Who?

Ozpin then points to the punch bowl as Ivan sees two students standing there drinking punch. One was a girl with black short hair with red tips and the other was a blonde boy with blue eyes. Ivan tries to figure out which one Ozpin was referring to but then sees the blonde boy hand the girls his cut as he starts to walk back into the crowd.

Ozpin: Ask her to dance, Ivan. For her sake.

Ivan looks at Ozpin and then back to the girl.

Ivan: (sigh) Okay, fine. If it will make you happy, I guess I will.

As Ivan walks over to the girl, Ozpin mutters something to himself.

Ozpin: I hope seeing her will help you, Mr. Saxe.

Ivan approaches the short haired girl and grabs the cup that the boy gave her.

Ivan: Not much for dancing either?

Girl: Nope.

Ivan: I wasn't much of a dancer myself back in my days of Beacon.

Girl: Did you ever learn?

Ivan: Yep.

Girl: How?

Ivan holds out his hand to the girl.

Ivan: I had a dance partner. Shall I do the honors, Ms.-

Ruby: Rose. Ruby Rose.

Ivan smiled as Ruby took his hand and led her to the dance floor.

Ruby: I don't exactly know how.

Ivan: It's alright, I learned from my partner long ago. One foot after the other and just go with the flow.

As Ivan moved in a certain motion, Ruby quickly followed in his path as they fell into a peaceful slow dance. Ruby kept her eyes away from the crowd wondering if they would stare.

Ivan: There's nothing to be scared of Ms. Rose. You do realize when you become a Huntress, people will be staring not because they think you're strange. It's because they will look up to you.

Ruby looks up at Ivan and smiles at his words. Ivan looks at Ruby and sees her Silver Eyes as his eyes start to tear up catching Ruby's attention.

Ruby: Are you ok? You're crying.

Ivan: Huh?

Ivan wipes his eyes but can't seem to stop the tears from coming out. Ruby then pulls him to the table and hands him some napkins for his eyes.

Ruby: Are you ok?

Ivan wipes his eyes with the napkin.

Ivan: Yeah, I'll be alright. I'm sorry Ms. Rose.

Ruby: It's fine, and you can call me Ruby.

Ivan: Right. You know, you look just like your mother.

Ruby: Did you know her back in "your" time?

Ivan: (laughs) Yeah, I did. She was one of the best Huntresses I knew. And just knowing that she was your mother, I believe you'll do great things in the future and she would be proud of you.

Ruby: Thank you. And thank you for the dance. I'm gonna go watch from upstairs if you wanna come with.

Ivan: Sure, of course.

Moments later Ivan, Bleu, Ruby, and Yang are seen watching the dance from upstairs.

Yang: You know? I think we really needed this.

Bleu: You said it.

Ruby: Yeah. And you did a good job planning it too.

Yang: (reaching over to Ruby) Aw, thanks! (crushing Ruby in a one-arm hug as she flails frantically) It wasn't all me, though. Weiss did a lot too.

Ivan: Ice Queen helped with this? Wow, I guess I had her figured wrong.

Ruby stops struggling and looks down at Weiss. Neptune approaches and rubs his neck nervously. Weiss invites him to sit with her.

Yang: (chuffs) Tomorrow it's back to work.

Ruby: I'm sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us. (sudden fits of laughter and giggles draw their attention below.) Ex-cept for that.

Bleu: What the?

Ivan: Oh hohoho, that's funny.

They look to see the blonde boy wearing a dress as he approaches a redheaded girl.

Pyrrha: Jaune?

Jaune: Eh, a promise is a promise.

Pyrrha: (smiling... then giggling... then laughing aloud) Jaune! You didn't have to!

Jaune: Hey, an Arc never goes back on his word. (extending his hand to Pyrrha) Now do you wanna stand there and laugh at me, or do you wanna dance?

Pyrrha: (offering her own hand) I would love to dance. (Jaune pulls her to him and sweeps her away.) Oh!

Ivan smiles as Bleu continues to question what she is seeing.

Ivan: Well, at least she's enjoying his company.

Bleu: If that doesn't get those two to start dating I don't know what will.

Ivan: On that, we can agree.

Bleu: So, are you going to thank me?

Ivan: For what?

Bleu: Oh come on. You can't deny that you had fun coming here.

Ivan: (sigh) Fine, you win. I actually had a good time coming here. Hell, I got to meet the daughter of the woman that helped Tory train me.

Bleu looks over to Ruby Rose that was seen leaving the ballroom and then notices a Faunus in purple attire staring at her and Ivan.

Bleu: Ivan?

Ivan: What is it?

Bleu: How long has that guy been staring at us?

Ivan looks over to the purple-clothed Faunus and he then nudges Bleu.

Ivan: Let's go before he starts something.

Down by the Faunus, Glynda walks over to him.

Glynda: So glad you could make it, Crimson.

Crimson: Glynda, who was the Faunus with the lizard tail?

Glynda: That would be Ivan Saxe. Why do you ask?

Crimson: Just got a strange feeling from him.

Glynda: Like what?

Crimson: Death.

Down in Vale

Fang arrives at the warehouse and lifts up the steel door to find the warehouse is completely empty except for one single dust round with the SDC logo on it.

Fang: They cleaned out of here. Damnit. Maybe I should be using more of my Faunus traits to help me with tracking them.

As Fang begins to leave he suddenly catches a seemingly familiar scent as he looks around him. He shrugs it off and heads back to the inn, not knowing that he was being watched from a rooftop.

?: So you took the bait after all this time.

The figure stands up and the moonlight reveals Fang's brother Klaw.

Klaw: Not long now, brother.

Back at the inn

Fang arrives to see Ivan sitting at the same table that they sat at this morning and sees two cups of tea. Fang walks over to his friend and sits in the chair next to Ivan.

Ivan: (sigh) You want to know what is causing my nightmares?

Fang: You don't have to if it's too painful.

Ivan: No. I have to tell someone.

Fang leans in so he gives Ivan his undivided attention.

Ivan: Three years after my team graduated from Beacon, we took a job that said we'd be hunting down bandits. But when we got to the location, we were out of signal range with our Scrolls and before we decided to turn back, we were attacked by an assassin. She was fast and she killed my entire team but left me alive. She said that my leader was her target and that the others didn't need to die. She told me I could live knowing I failed to protect them.

Ivan's eyes started tearing up until he took a deep breath and went on with his story.

Ivan: In my dream, I relive the last time I saw my leader. She was my partner. Her name was Tori Sapphire. (pulls out a photo) This is the last picture that I have of her.

Fang looks at the photo and places a hand on Ivan's shoulder. Fang could almost relate to Ivan's pain but the only difference is that his first love was still alive.

Fang: I may not know the same pain you must have felt that day when you lost her, but I promise that I'll be here if you need anything bud.

Ivan: Thank you, Fang.

Ivan and Fang return to their rooms and Ivan finally can have a decent sleep.