Author's Notes: With this Chapter done, its time to start the Rewrite! I promise that it shouldn't take too long but more importantly it will result in a better story. I apologize for this delay but know that it is done in the name of quality and it will give me time to plan out the 3rd act which is going to be a doozy!

"Salem?" Tock said incredulously. "I'm sorry bit ah hae na idea who yer, ah wis hired by a guy cried Hazel 'n' ah don't remember ever talking tae ye or agreeing tae dae anythin' fur ye." She began walking in the yard as her crew kept a cautious vigil for any foul play whatsoever while making sure that their backs were against the wall of the house at all times so that they couldn't be attacked from behind. Nervous eyes glanced towards Peter and she could see that he was also eying them suspiciously but he seemed content to wait for now. 'N' aye na sign o' th' rest o' his crew…

The voice on the other end of the phone chuckled in a strange almost motherly way upon hearing Tock's answer, "I don't fault you for the confusion, in fact, I'll consider it a sign of your professionalism but I can assure you that Hazel was acting on my behalf. He's request was my request and likewise, the payment you received was taken from my personal coffers and given to him in order to hire talented individuals such as yourself. But I understand that talk is cheap so if you'd like I can have him contact you himself to confirm what I'm telling you."

"That will nae be necessary sin we've already completed that job 'n' therefore na langer wirk fur him ," In the distance Tock could hear what sounded like a Bullhead heading in their general direction, looking up she soon spotted the vehicle and noted the direction it was coming from, That's nae th' direction o' th' bullhead station… they're comin' fae beacon! bit how come wid a bullhead fae Beacon pass thro' 'ere at this time unless... It mist be Yang! Now we juist git tae keep peter 'n' his cronies 'ere. "Bit if ye really are his boss then ah suppose ah owe ye some cheers fur yer generosity, th' money has gone a lang wey tae pay fur our living expenses while our extended bade 'ere at Vale." She looked over to Peter and saw him warily looking up at the sky as he pulled out his scroll and typed something on it. Shit, he's already suspicious, tis aff tae be solid tae keep him 'ere.

Ignorant of what was going on Salem continued her sales pitch, "I'm happy to hear that you're satisfied with the payment and that you've been enjoying your stay in Vale, though I admit that I was surprised to hear about your marriage with a student by the name of Jaune Arc... perhaps a wedding gift is in order."

For a moment Tock stopped, she stopped walking, stopped breathing, stopped thinking and her own heart stopped beating. For a moment she was completely paralyzed by fear, How does she know… na, na! Stoap 'n' think dammit! Peter knew aboot mah marriage sae o' course, she wid know! NoW git a grip fur ye'r playing right intae her hands! Tock closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths through the nose and then out the mouth after a few seconds Tock was able to recompose herself. "Well, I appreciate the thought but aren't you running a little late for something like that."

"Oh but I insist, in fact, I'm going to give you the present right now," something about her voice was making a chill run down Tock's spine, on the surface, it was so kind and soft but at the same time, it felt so uncanny. "I'm going to give you something that so very few people actually have," Salem paused for seemingly no other reason than to build tension through the silence, and for a moment Tock considered speaking but then Salem continued before Tock could form a single word. "My wedding gift to you is a choice."

For a moment Tock didn't say anything, "A choice?" she eventually said not really asking but rather just trying to make sense of it, "Really that's yer gift? Yer offering tae me something that a' body in this world already haes?"

There was a chuckle from the woman, it was soft, and in an odd way, it reminded Tock of the way her own mother would sometimes laugh whenever she said or did something silly as a child. Except, instead of warmth and kindness this just felt wrong. It was hard to understand and almost impossible to explain but everything about this Salem woman just felt fundamentally wrong. "My dear, everyone likes to think that their decisions matter but someone like you and your crew knows better than that, for example, you could have chosen not to take that job and you could have also chosen to just walk away after you found Maria, either decision wouldn't have actually changed anything since all it means is that someone else would have done it and thus your choice didn't really matter."

Tock was left rather unimpressed, Ur we really daein' this philosophical bullshit right noo? Fine, if that's it takes tae end this a' th'day…, "That's juist one specific example 'n' juist because someone else wid hae dane it doesn't suddenly invalidate mah choice," she looked over to her crew and scratched a scar located on the left side of her face. To anyone else, it would just look like she had an itch but to her crew, they recognized it as a signal for a distraction. Mason then grabbed Cecco's and Turley's shoulders and pretended to whisper something into their ears which immediately caught Peter's attention but he didn't get up from his spot, That's fine we'll juist hae tae huv a go a bit harder.

Salem continued to make her point, "That is a beautiful sentiment Dear, but as a bounty hunter, you understand better than most people that at the end of the day the only thing that really matters is the final result. The prey is either caught or it escapes and poor Miss Calavera was never going to escape meaning your choice had no effect on the outcome."

Tock mulled over Salem's argument for a bit since it helped buy time, Ah chose tae let her live which is something th' others wouldn't hae dane meaning mah choices dae matter! bit Salem doesn't need tae know that, "Ah will concede tae ye that point, sae tell me whit's th' choice ye'r giving' me?" Tock positioned herself so that she, Mason, and Cecco were standing right in front of Turley fully obscuring him from sight as he made a show of reaching for something in his pockets and making sure that Peter saw him pulling something out just before he disappeared from sight entirely. Just like they had hoped, this performance infuriated the leader of the Lost Boys just like they hoped it would.

"Okay, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Peter got up from his seat and angrily walked up to them with his hand resting on the golden hilt of some sort of sword. However he stopped when he was halfway across the yard and glared at them while gritting his teeth, "You better not be fucking with me!"

Neither Tock nor any member of her crew was intimidated by him, why would they when he was playing right into their hands? However he wasn't going far enough, they needed angrier so he goes ahead and does something monumentally stupid, so Tock looked at him the same way an adult might look at some stranger's bratty tantrum-throwing child before and made sure he could see her. She then turned her attention back to the scroll, "Kin ye gimme a second?" She then looked back at Peter and addressed him with an impatient irritated tone, "A'm oan th' phane wi' our between our mutual Bosss dae ye think ye kin behave fur juist a little bit?"

It worked and his face turned red with rage from a combination of many different factors piling on top of each other just one right after another and combine with his already limited patience, "You listen here you bitch, the only reason you're still alive right now is because-," the man stopped himself, turned away for a moment and began venting by uttering a string of inaudible obscenities until finally taking a deep breath and turning back to face them. "I just don't want any nasty surprises, alright? I've been upfront with you all so the least you can do is return the favor."

Tock had bitten down on her tongue to keep herself from going on a rant about how upfront Peter and his damned Lost Boys really had been and it wasn't just her. The rest of her crew, Ye stalked me 'n' Jaune! Ye robbed him tae huv a go 'n' trick me intae thinking ye hud kidnapped him 'n' then ye actually tried tae kidnap him! There was a sudden sharp pang of pain accompanied by a warm feeling in her mouth followed by a metallic taste that caught her attention. Mist hae bitten mah tongue, calm doon ye heard 'n' saw th' bullhead, RWBY will be 'ere soon 'n' then we kin tak' them down. "Ye know whit Pete, ye'r right. Mason, whit urr ye daein' back there?"

"I'm trying to take a piss, captain!" Mason declared as Turely and Cecco laughed which only further enraged Peter.

"Ye see, thare is hee haw wrong 'ere sae if that's enough fur ye ah will git back tae mah call now." With a dismissive wave and a mocking smile, she was about to return to her call when Peter curled up his fist and took an aggressive step towards her.

"Get your head in the game!" From seemingly out of nowhere the Faunus from earlier suddenly appeared hovering between the still angry Peter and a surprised Tock who was staring at the Faunus body which was glowing with Aura as her wings beat so quickly that they had become a blur.

"Belle!? What are you doing, giving away your Semblance like that!?" Peter shouted all his frustrations now directed towards his second in command who in response grabbed him

"It doesn't matter!" She all but screamed at him. "So what if they know? It doesn't help them stop us in any way and besides if this works out it won't matter. Please Peter we're so close, don't fuck it all up just because they insulted you. Let it go and then we can go free."

"But… but, they."

"Peter… we've already lost Slightly, the Twins, and even Curly. We cannot afford any more mistakes, so calm down and for once in your life be patient." Belle then gently led her leader back to the other side of the yard.

The conversation and sight of those two walking away like that might have brought out feelings of guilt in most people for trying to push him so far, however, most people were lucky enough to have no dealings with the man at all. Ye reap whit ye sow ye son o' a bitch, Tock thought to herself as she watched him walking away in shame before lifting the scroll back to her ear. However, before she continued the conservation she looked back at her own team and scratched a different scar on her face to send them another message without letting Peter or anyone outside of her crew know. "Sorry aboot that, where wur we?"

"I was about to give you a choice, you can either continue to work for me and I can promise you that the benefits you'll receive just for joining are going to be more than worth it, or you can refuse and I'll leave you alone," Salem answered.

Tock couldn't believe her ears, "Ye'll leave us alone?" It was a promise so ridiculous that she had to bite down just to avoid laughing at the absurdity or snarling at the woman but holding it in only made her feel stronger, "Ye'r going tae promise me something lik' that efter ye hired a group o' thugs juist tae track me down! Thugs wha went efter Jaune wha kin ah remind ye is someone that haes nothing tae dae wi' anythin' gaun oan 'ere! 'N' dinnae think fur a goddamn moment that a've forgotten how ye'v used us tae tak' oot a Huntress juist fur huvin silver eyes!" Tock felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to look to see who it was and found Turley looking right at her for a hard moment before slowly looking away. Following his gaze, she saw that he was guiding her over to Cecco who was tapping his hammer seemingly out of boredom but listening to the rhythm she soon understood that there was a pattern and more importantly a message, Y. Here. Soon. Stall. With a quick wave of her hand, she let them both know that she had received and understood the message before going back to her call, Come on just a little longer…

If Tock's outbreak upset Salem there was no way for her to tell, the woman had remained fully in control of herself every part of the conversation and never once dropping that almost kind motherly tone, it was frankly creepy. "And I apologize for what Peter has done, he was eager but he did cross the line so in a show of goodwill I will tell you where the third member of Peter's group is."

"Whit?! how come wid ye dae that?"

"A show of goodwill requires sacrifices otherwise it is empty and worthless," Salem explained as though it was the simplest thing in the world. "There is a third member in Peter's group and he is on the roof awaiting a signal to jump down and attack, by the way, he hasn't spotted your friends from Beacon approaching though that is something that could change."

She haes bin peepin' us sin th' beginning! Tock's first impulse was to begin frantically looking for wherever this Salem woman could be spying on them from, but she kept herself from going through with down! o' coorse, she wid be peepin' ye, how come th' hell wouldn't she? Th' real question is does Peter know? Ah doubt that's th' case sin how come wid he be acting lik' this, "Sae whit dae yi'll want wi' me 'n' mah crew, whit urr ye trying tae accomplish?"

"I want to kill the slivered eyed warrior hidden in Beacon, I want Ruby Rose dead," Salem answered as an almost gleeful and sadistic tone crept into her voice or maybe it was something that was always there and only now it was obvious but more importantly it revealed something important about Salem, she was a bloodthirsty monster who could not be trusted to keep her word.

We're going tae become enemies na matter whit sae ah micht as weel stairt th' fight, bit foremaist tae warn mah boys o' th' rat hiding oan th' roof. She turned around and faced her crew slowly tilting her head upwards until the get the message, "Well, then...I guess their's hee haw left tae blether aboot," without even bothering to hang up Tock threw the scroll up in the air and cut it in half before pointing the blade at Peter and charging with her crew following right behind her.

"DO IT NOW!" Peter screamed at the top of his lungs as Belle grabbed on to him and flew away with her Aura blanketing the two of them in a faint glow. Together both Mason and Turley took up their rifles but aimed at different targets, Turley was going to try and shoot the fleeing Belle while Mason tried to hit whoever was hiding on the roof however neither were able to get a single shot off.

The only warning either man received was the sound of breaking glass followed by a wave of intense but brief heat as fire erupted from around the two of them sending them and both Tock and Cecco ducking for cover from the Molotov. Thanks to their Aura no one suffered anything more than a few light burns that would soon heal but it was clear that injury was never the point of the Molotovs, it was a distraction an attempt to slow them all down to help Peter make his escape and it succeeds on the first part but it was nowhere near enough to make Tock and others quit.

The fence separating one yard from another broke apart into a shower of splinters as Cecco's hammer tore right through the flimsy wood but the man wasn't done just yet. With his crewmates right behind him, he ran up to the house and flooded his arms and hammer with Aura before swinging his weapon with all the blunt force of a wrecking ball and knocking down the wall of the house, thus avoiding any trap that might have been waiting for them behind the door, in mere seconds they were inside the house and exiting out onto the streets to continue their chase.

"There they are!" Mason shouted pointing at the sky and using his rifle to open fire at the still flying still fleeing figure of Belle and Peter who in response flew low enough to hide behind some of the houses, "Dammit, where are they running too?"

Turley pulled up a map on his scroll as they chased after the pair, "There is nowhere they can run too except…," He had to go back and double-check the map just to make sure that he was understanding it correctly, "They're going tunnel, they're going to the site of the Breach?" The uncertainty in his voice spoke volumes about his and the crew's confusion.

"Are you sure?" Tock asked, "The Breach was sealed and even if they could get in, what would they do next?"

Cecco jumped in, "Well as long as that girl has enough Aura then she should be able to avoid any Grimm by flying over them."

"But something like Flight would cost a lot of Aura so she either has a massive reserve or… Of Course! Her Semblance isn't actually flight!" Mason realized.

The doors to the Bullhead opened up and from within it leaped out Yang, Wiess, and Blake who hit the ground running with Yang who was on her scroll texting their allies leading the way as Blake and Weiss followed closely behind her while keeping a wary eye open for any signs of an ambush or even a watchman, but the further they ran the more they realized just how eerily empty the neighborhood was. "I don't get it," Weiss suddenly spoke, "A private home inside the Capital would cost a small fortune but they're empty." She said, looking at the house as she ran by. "These houses were huge investments, things they bought intending to pass down to their children, and they just left them behind never looking back."

"It's because we couldn't stop the Breach," Blake answered morbidly.

Yang suddenly stopped running which forced the others to stop as well and wonder what was going on, "It's not our fault," she spoke in a barely audible whisper that still managed to grab the full attention of both her teammates even though her back was facing them, "It wasn't our fault," this time she said loud enough for both of them to hear the raw force and emotion that was being poured into every syllable. "The only thing we are guilty of was being in over our heads if you want to blame someone for what happened then blame the people who masterminded that evil plan and blame the ones who actually carried it out but don't blame yourself! Sure we failed to stop them, but that doesn't change the fact that we did everything we could and more! Sure the results suck but it's just a part of the job!" She turned around to face them, her eyes burning red with barely contained anger, "Call this a chance for redemption or revenge if you want but the only thing that really matters now is making them pay!" She turned around and went back to marching down the street leaving a concerned Blake and Weiss to follow after her.

Anger is a misunderstood, emotion often seen as something to be avoided or even discouraged at all costs. However that line of thinking is a mistake, anger just like any other emotion has its time and place and when harnessed properly, it has the power to bring focus, drive, and the ability to push past your own limits. Looking at their friend both Blake and Weiss understood that what they were witnessing was the misapplication of anger as Yang's focus degraded into tunnel vision, her drive and intelligence were traded in for blind aggression. They would have to confront her about this but this was neither the time nor place and that frustrated them to no end, but they weren't powerless either. They could watch out for her and keep her from doing anything foolish while helping her find productive ways to vent.

With that thought in mind Blake stared at the houses they passed by with a suspicious glare, Just because the owners left doesn't mean that they are actually empty, someone could easily hide inside them and the Lost Boys would need a place to stay... She began to entertain the thought of suggesting that they ought to break into these homes and search them for any sign of their targets, even if they were in the wrong house it would give Yang a chance to vent, however... There is always a chance the owners will return and I don't think a wild goose chance would help anyone right now, if anything it would probably make her angrier. She turned away from the houses and shifted her attention back onto the road in front of her when out of the corner of her eye she spotted something moving quickly behind and in between the houses, "Weiss did you see that?" She asked while pointing in the direction she saw the movement from.

Weiss turned to look in the direction that Blake had pointed but saw nothing out of place, "I didn't see anything wrong, what was I supposed to find?" She answered back while continuing to look. This would be a lot easier if I actually knew what I was looking for but if she knew what it was then she would have said what it was rather than just say "That."

Seeing the confused look on Weiss's face Blake felt an odd mix of frustration and embarrassment and began to second guess herself, wondering if she had actually seen anything at all, "I guess I'm just letting the stress get to me, sorry about that."

"Don't be, with all the utter madness going on lately it's only natural that sooner or later it would start affecting us. Lately, I've been taking stress pills just to stop the migraines." As soon as the words left her mouth Weiss saw a concerned look form on Blake's face and she felt a pang of guilt for making her worry, "I'm alright, it's only a temporary measure, I'll stop taking them once all this is finally over."

Blake's face relaxed a bit but it was clear to Weiss that she wasn't completely okay with this, "I guess we all have our own ways of coping, but you didn't have to keep it all to yourself."

"I just didn't want to worry anyone with my own problems, but you're right. I shouldn't have kept

it to myself and I promise that I will improve myself!"

"You don't have to apologize, you did nothing wrong. I just can't help but worry about my friends, it's part of who I am," Blake's answered and in a moment of self-reflection thought to herself, Funny, just last semester I would've never imagined ever calling a Schnee my friend. With a smile, the two got ready to chase after Yang but stopped when they saw that she was coming to them and she was not happy.

Before either of them to say anything to her Yang was already shouting, "What the hell are you two doing just standing there? Don't you care about what happens to Ruby? To this kingdom?"

The mere suggestion that they didn't care about the kingdom or their friend caused their own tempers to flare but it was only for a moment, they recognized that it was Yang's frustration and fear to talk and that when this was over she would apologize and they would forgive her.

However that didn't mean that they were just going to take this lying down but when Blake opened her mouth she saw it again, movement and a blur in the distance but this time it was closer and most importantly it wasn't hidden behind a house, this time the blue was floating above the house no, it was doing more than merely rising. It was flying! "What is that?" she cried while pointing at the Unknown Flying Object or was it some kind of Unidentified Life Form?

Yang was unimpressed by Blake, "Really? Do you think I'm-!"

Weiss cut her off, "It's not a trick Yang! Blake saw something back there and now it's…," she narrowed her eyes and stared at the blur and began to make out what appeared to humanoid legs, It's a person!? But who? "Yang, by any chance is Tock's Semblance flying or even floating?"

Yang was confused by the question and turned around to see what exactly they were both looking at, "No!? She has invulnerability in fact no one in her crew can fly," Then she spotted it, the figure in the sky, and their next step became clear. "That's them, that's our target!"

"Are you sure?" Blake asked.

"Yes, I don't know how it works but that's clearly a Semblance and apart from us, Tock with her crew and of course the Lost Boys. There is no one else that's supposed to be here so it's safe to assume that whoever is up there is someone we need to take down, now let's-!" Smoke suddenly filled the sky and obscured the person from their view.

"Over there!" Weiss shouted pointing at one of the houses, "The smoke is coming from its backyard, what could have possibly happened here?"

"Look there's a man on the roof and he's going inside the house!" Blake shouted, "Do we go after him?"

"And what if we accidentally make things worse?" Weiss pointed out, "We should observe for now but be ready to move in a moment."

Yang was shaking with a desire to just rush in, beat the bad guys, go back to Beacon and then wrap Ruby in a hug with the pleasure of knowing that her sister would not be sharing their mother's fate and that Ruby would never know just how close she had been to tragedy. But if we mess things up, then I'll just be putting everything at risk. It was a painful decision but it was also the one that meant the difference between saving the day and screwing up as they did at the Breach. "Alright, I don't like it but-!'' Yang stopped talking when she saw Tock and her crew emerge from a house and begin chasing whoever it was that was flying away, but importantly the man that Weiss spotted on the roof had emerged and was watching the chase unfold. That gut isn't with Tock which means he must be one of the silver eye hunting bastards… "Weiss, are your sigils capable of launching someone?"

Nibs watched as both his boss Peter and Belle, the second in command fly away without him and as he stood there he realized that he had been abandoned, They're not coming back for me. For a moment he was angry, how could he not be? He had spent years of his life working for Peter because he was made to feel like he had nowhere else to go, he had been forced to alter his appearance to become this tall lanky vampire looking creep who pretended to have a weird knife obsession and the less that could be said about the relationship he had with the other members the better, Curley was always getting picked on which made him into stress eater which got him bullied, even more, the twins didn't even have name become we were never allowed to know something Peter didn't know and then there's Slightly who was always trying to please Peter… "Fuck this noise, I'm out!"

Nibs threw away the knife, began straightening his back and fixing his hair, "Let that bossy bitch call the cops on me, I don't care anymore what she or Peter says." He wasn't talking to anyone but himself and if someone were to ask why he would have said that he just needed to hear himself say the words and he was right. Spending so much time living under someone else's arbitrary rules and being made to become someone he wasn't just for the sake of appearances drained him of every level. It felt good just to be able to voice his thoughts without fear of punishment, But now what? That bitch will no doubt carry out her threat and there's no way I can make it out of this city with Belle carrying me… maybe I should just turn myself in. Yeah, I think I'll do just that. It was a crappy choice to make but the only thing that mattered was that it was his choice and that he was making on his own, And who knows? I might be able to get off light if I corporate.

Suddenly he felt warm but it wasn't in a natural sort of way, rather it felt as though someone had turned on a heater or that there was an open oven just behind him and it was still getting hotter! However the oddest thing about this wasn't that the temperature was rising, it was that it was rising despite the fact he was under a shade… that wasn't there just a few seconds ago. What's going on here? He turned around to investigate and the last thing he saw was the sight of a rather beautiful and incredibly pissed off looking blond with burning red eyes and long flowing hair which seemed to be on fire but, most importantly was her raised fist which made contact with his face with the force of a meteor.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The sound of the impact echoed throughout the entirety of the neighborhood and even traveled beyond capturing the full attention of everyone that heard it making them stop whatever they were doing and look in the direction where the sound came from. Even Tock and her entire crew could hello but cease their pursuit and stare at the aftermath, "By the Brothers..."

What the hell are they teaching those kids over in Beacon?" Mason asked.

"Beacon? You brought a team from Beacon to help you out?" Peter asked surprising everyone there with how he was just calmly standing amongst them apparently having forgotten that only a moment ago he had been fleeing them, "I thought your boy toy was in some backwater settlement that didn't even have a name, so who are these… people!?" He took a few steps closer and looked again, "Girls!? Tock, do you know who those three girls are?"

"Aye, ah do… Peter," she replied not sure if this ridiculous moment was actually happening or if she had somehow inhaled some kind of hallucinogen with her crew and they now some experiencing the same vision, "Well…," Ah sure hope this real fur otherwise, a'm aff tae look really stupid, "A've spoken tae them oan th' scroll bit ah haven't actually met them in body 'til now. They're actually friends o' Jaune 'n' he wis th' yin wha pat us in contact with each other."

"How is that disabled wanna-be pirate so popular?" Peter rudely asked.

Tock was about to snap at the Peter but Turley placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "We won't get another shot at this so let's make sure that we don't waste it," as he spoke he guided Tock's eyes over to Belle who was turning red with fury over Peter's actions, "She is his only means of escape so if you can take her out then me Cecco and Mason can take Peter down."

Tock looked over that Belle who seemed to be approaching the limits for how much of this nonsense she could take and began to carefully move towards the Dragonfly Faunus such a way that she would be forced to move away from Peter if she decided to make a break for it, Easy does it, Tock, ye'r almost there… Then Belle opened her mouth and shouted...

"What the hell was that!" Weiss shouted at Yang as she and Blake caught up and saw the crater that their teammate had made and was still standing in and just underneath her was the man that they had spotted on the roof. For one moment Weiss thought that Yang had killed him but on closer inspection, she saw that he was just unconscious, That was too close... "I thought you asked me to launch you because you wanted to catch up to him! Not to try and kill the guy!"

"He's not dead, just unconscious," Yang dismissively retorted.

"I know that! And I know that the only reason he isn't dead is that he had enough aura to take the hit! Now imagine if he didn't! He would just be a bloody stain on the ground and you would be in a world of trouble!" Weiss declared.

Yang couldn't believe her ears and walked out of the crater and right up to Weiss, "Trouble!? I would have gotten in trouble for stopping someone who just wanted to hunt down and hurt my sister!? Are you kidding me? This is no different from the White Fang that fell off of the train!"

"Except this is different," Blake interjected, "As much as it pains me to say those men and women back on Mount Glen had made the decision to hurt innocents, they were… complete disgraces to the White Fang and we caught them in the act. However, you have no way to prove that this man did anything other than stalk Tock and on top of that he might know information that could have helped us stop an even bigger threat!"

"Then why are you mad at me!?" Yang shouted confused, "He's alive and captured!"

Blake walks up to her partner, "Yang I know that just want to protect your little sister but please listen to me! I had someone very dear to me change. It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual - little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry. At first, they were accidents, then it was self-defense. Before long, even I began to think he was right. This is all just... very familiar, Yang please… don't go down that road."

Yang was shocked even a little hurt but as she looked at the man still unconscious and crater he was in a crater she had created, she felt herself waver for a moment, I just did what I had to do to catch him. But that wasn't true and she knew it and already all the alternatives began to run through her head, I could have hit the ground instead of him, I could have gone for a grab, I could have landed in front of him or behind him, could have given him a warning shot and that's just some of the things I could have done while I was still in the air. Other ideas and what-ifs entered her head as she thought about the countless ways and options that she really did have available to her, Could've launched Blake and she would have been able to restrain him easily and he'd still be conscious enough to answer questions. Weiss could have also come up with something but no, I just had to let my fear and anger call the shots… "You're right and I'm sorry."

Weiss was surprised and relieved by Yang's reaction almost as though she hadn't expected it to go so well, "It's okay Yang, you were just worried about your sister. My own sister Winter would almost certainly act in a similar manner to what you have."

"But, it's not okay," Blake said to the shock of both her friends, "I've been fooled too many times by the words of someone who always promises to do better next time so don't tell me you'll do better, just do better… I'll help you." Before anyone could say anything else Blake walked forward and placed her hand on Yang's shoulder where she was soon joined by Weiss and then they-

"BOOOOOOOOOOO! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-UGHuugh...," Peter was cut off by Belle who started to choke him, while everyone watched in confusion.

"You son of a bitch! I am constantly looking out for you but you are such a fuck up! The Lost Boys are at our best when we ambush but Noooooooo..., you wanted to go hunting, you wanted to impress Marina, Stormy, Coralie and especially Tigerlily! Well, what about me huh!? Don't I deserve a bit of attention too? And do you know what would have made me happy? A Goddamn trap like what Nip did, oh wait! YOU WANTED TO ABANDON HIM!"

Yang grabbed the unconscious Nips and along with Blake and Weiss walked over to Tock, Cecco, Mason, and Tuerly who met them halfway while keeping an eye on the feuding couple, "Well it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance," Weiss said as she stepped forward to shake everyone's hand which was something they were all happy to do, "So, do you have any idea about what just happened here?"

Mason shrugged his shoulders "Well after that explosion Peter, wanted a closer look and then he saw you arguing from a distance and got excited over the idea of a 'Catfight,' and then got disappointed when you all talked it out instead and well… here we are."

"This feels too easy…," Yang commented while looking at Belle who was still strangling Peter even after he passed out, "You way you describe these guys made me think that we were going to be in the fight of our lives."

"A'm don't git it either bit a'm not aboot tae look a gift horse in th' mouth," Tock confessed, She's right though, this shouldn't be this easy nae tae mention that Salem woman is somehow peepin' a' o' this unfold… she looked out around her for anything that or anyone that was even remotely out of place but saw nothing suspicious. Shaking her head she turned back to Yang, "Sooooo, dae ye hae any embarrassing stories aboot mah husband?"

The grin on Yang's face spoke volumes "Let's start with his nickname of Vomit Boy and then I'll you about the time we got him drunk and he started singing sea shanties and just you wait until you hear how he organized a raid on the kitchens to pillage pancake mix!"

Just out of sight of anybody's watchful eyes, hidden on the roof sat Neopliain who thanks to the clever and practiced application of her semblance was able to go completely unnoticed save for a few close calls here and there but as Torchwick said, Close just means that you still failed! And these buffoons most certainly failed or maybe they didn't since the plans continued on their failure but that was no skin off of her back! With a cute smile, she typed out a message to Cinder letting her know everything that had happened and even took a picture for proof while skipping away and glancing over at the airship holding Roman prisoner. It wasn't time yet but she was already planning on just how she would bust him out and paint the town red, until then she would wait and play along.

Cinder with a smug grin closed her scroll and made her way across the floor of her dorm room until she reached a drawer, opened it, and took out a bottle of wine that she with the help of Neo had smuggled inside under the gaze of Beacon's teaching staff. Was it unnecessary? Yes, however, she would argue that the benefits of always having a way to take the edge off of a stressful day of plotting the downfall of innocents, was objectively a boon. However this time she wasn't going to drink to destress but rather to reward herself for a masterful plan carried out successfully while planting seeds for future victories. But she couldn't throw on a robe and celebrate just yet, she did make a promise after all.

Mercury and Emerald were nervous, a happy Cinder wasn't the same as a friendly one and she hadn't been in a friendly mood for a long time but, they would take what they could get. "So I take it the plan worked?" Mercury asked, finally breaking the ice.

Cinder took a sip of the wine before answering, "There were too many pieces on the board such as Tock and her crew which were getting dangerously involved with both RWBY and especially JNPR and I couldn't-," Mercury raised his hand to let her know he had a question. "Yes, what is it, Mercury?"

He looked at her confused, "I didn't say anything, Ma'am why would you… Emerald!" He angrily turned to his partner, "Why did you use your illusions instead of just asking yourself!?"

"Because this way, you'd get in trouble rather than me," Emerald answered with a smirk as Mercury jumped up to say something back but then both went silent and instead looked at Cinder with a confused expression on their faces as though they were expecting something from her.

Cinder on the other hand just took another hand, took another sip and looked back at them, "Are you done?" Neither said anything and instead just calmly sat down again much to Cinder's pleasure, "I would normally be upset but I'm in too much of a good mood to let your behavior ruin that, however, I also acknowledge that my explanation would have dragged on for a bit so I will get to the point. Ozpin and his allies are on the alert and without a scapegoat to take the heat off of us the plan will be all but impossible to pull off," the look of realization on the faces of Mercury and Emerald was the satisfying thing yet however the surprise on their faces slowly morphed into confusion.

"Wait for a second," Mercury spoke to Cinder's displeasure. "So, this entire plan is to make Ozpin and his little secret circle think that everything that had happened wasn't because of the Maiden in the Basement or the Relic located who knows where, but instead it was for some bright-eyed-naive-wannabe-huntress-in-training with silver-colored eyes?"

Even Emerald was showing doubts, "I know you mentioned Salem and even pretended to be her for a bit but… isn't this a little tame? I mean the Dust robberies and the Breach all suggest the there is something huge coming."

"Don't forget Amber," said Mercury.

"And the soon to be former Fall Maiden Amber and it was leading to one single slivered eyed brats who as far as we can tell, don't know anything about her eyes! Madame, I'm sorry the Ozpin will never fall for this!"

"I know he won't but that doesn't matter because Ozpin is not in charge of security anymore, General Ironwood is and he is not protected by the same laws that allow the Headmaster to operate this school free from the biases of the kingdom council and the council will be eager to put everything behind them and focus on the Vytal Festival. With Peter in custody and the memory of the Breach still very fresh and with the news the two attacks on that nameless settlement soon reaching their ears, they will do anything to calm the public down and what better way than announcing that some of the villains have been caught!"

"But that won't stop Ozpin or Ironwood from preparing in any way they can!" Emerald pointed out.

Cinder smiled, "Tock and her group of 'Pirates,' were here in Vale to celebrate a job they had completed which was to remove the eyes of Maria Clavaria who had silver eyes. What's important here is that Maria survived and is coming to Beacon while being accompanied by Qrow who will be telling Ozpin exactly what happened."

"And then he'll realize that the attacker is not only in Vale but married to one of his students!" Emerald realized, "And by pretending to be Salem you make the whole situation into this indecipherable puzzle with the council putting pressure to just drop the whole thing and continue with the festival!"

"It's admittedly not the ideal situation," Cinder confessed. "However that's reality and reality doesn't care about anyone's 'Master Plan,' to succeed you must be flexible and willing to take risks otherwise you'll fail for certain and I do not fail."

"I'm sorry Oz, but I refuse."

Ozpin rubbed his temples in frustration but couldn't bring himself to actually get mad at the man in front of him, "Taiyang please, this isn't the right time for Ruby to learn the truth about her eyes or about what is going on! When she is ready when the time's right I will tell her everything myself so please trust me!"

Tai looked back at the man who was his mentor, teacher, and at one point boss. He recalled the day that he and his steam were brought into Oz's office and were sent on first of countless missions where they eventually learned more and more about what was going behind the scenes and learned secrets that prove to be too much for... He remembered that at one point he was so dedicated to the case that he would have flung himself into a volcano gladly die if Oz had suggested it, He wouldn't even have needed to explain why it was a good idea because I would've just assumed that he was right as usual… and that was a mistake… "I'm sorry Oz but this time you are wrong and the right moment to tell her is never going to come because it passed us by when Summer died, but I can't at least stop her ending up like her."

Oz opened his mouth to try and argue back but the words never came and an odd feeling began to emerge from within himself, regret, doubt, sorrow, anger, conviction and finally realization, Something big is coming and so far my policies have not only proven inadequate but they have even been taken advantage of! I need to open up! "Every well Taiyang… come I'll take you to your daughter." Ozpin then began walking down the hallway as Taiyand followed closely behind, "How have things been since…"

"It's been hard but the help and support I've received makes it possible, I'm blessed and I have you to thank for that, Ozpin" he answered to the headmaster's surprise.

"But then… what brought this about?"

"I got a call from Yang and she explained to me what the news didn't mention about all the insanity that's been going on lately and after that, I made the decision that it was time to visit and reveal everything to them both," she even told me things that even you don't know about but there's no reason for me to tell you that, Taiyang thought to himself.

Ozpin was suspicious, you didn't live for as long as he had and dealt with as many people without gaining the knowledge and experience necessary to just pick up on small details or recognize a pattern and he had become very good at it. He knew that Taiyang wasn't telling him everything but that was the easy part, the hard part was deciding what to do with the information if anything at all, act rashly and he could lose an ally and friend while straining the other relationships he had. Taiyang has never given me cause for concern and I refuse to risk his friendship and the continued enrollment of his daughters on pure paranoia. "Very well then, Ruby is currently in the forge with her friend Penny Polendina who is aware of the situation for a reason I will explain afterward if you care to know, having you here is a source of comfort and I do hope you stay for the Vytal Festival."

"Thank you, Oz but I won't be able to stay that long however I am going to be there no matter what! Mark my words, team RWBY is going to take it!"

Ozpin watched as Tayiyang nearly ran through the hallways of Beacon in a manner very reminiscent of his days as a student, Summer made the right choice with you. His scroll went off and demanded his attention which under normal circumstances would have been denied, however, this particular noise was reserved for the truly urgent messages so he opened up his scroll and nearly dropped it when he read what it said.

"There is a man in the police station that keeps asking for you, he claims to be working for someone named Salem and that he wants to make a deal with you."

Ozpin quickly used his scroll to call his right hand, "Glynda I'm leaving the school in your care for today… yes I know it's sudden but this is urgent…. There is a man at the station who claims to be an agent of Hers... I'm glad you understand and please tell James for me, I'll meet him at the station.."

Author's Note: Stormy, Marina, and Coralie are the names of the mermaid that Peter flirted within the Disney movie though here they would be Aquatic Faunus. As for Peter's Semblance, I am basing off of his living shadow since the ability to fly actually came from Tinkerbelle. Also, I apologize for giving you all blue balls in regards to the lack of fighting, the problem here was two-fold with the first part is that I have a much bigger fight in mind and the second part being that I could think of a way to make a good 3V7.