Q&A:

jhellou: Thank you, I appreciate the comment.

Darkstar01FTW: Well to be fair, if Yang had taken a video, people would've thought it was actually the real Ruby, only drunk. Now what kind of example would that show?

Guest: I can't access the links, dunno why.

Guest: Mm hmm... yes, now you have convinced me not to get Watch_Dogs 2.

Betabomber56: That... will be taken into consideration.

Jack Redhawke: [Inhales deeply]

...

...

This is the Roach99 Technical Support channel, if you have a complaint that you would like to file, please send your message to the story that you wish to speak about, I say this because I CAN READ THE REVIEWS OVER THERE TOO, OKAY!?

[Exhales] Now that that's all through and done, next review!

HeyMrJack33: Right about now, here you go.

MrSgtElliot: Aw, after Chapter 7 is where it gets good! But I understand thoroughly, have a nice day.

Author's Notes: Not a lot of reviews this chapter... tis a shame. But nevertheless, onward I shall write for the sake of both entertainment and no reason!

Onward to the story!

I do not own RWBY or Assassin's Creed.

"Mister Cormac."

"Pluto, it's been a while," Shay greeted the deity, pacing around the realm of his own mind and approaching the coal-haired man, who watched the Templar like a hawk as the two drew closer.

"Actually, my involuntary acquaintance, it 'as only been six days since we last spoke to one 'nother," Pluto corrected, "Though I understand the sentiment, it is... good... to see ye again."

The Templar only raised an eyebrow and turn to look at the vast distance of his mind that housed the god, before turning back to face him once more, "Really? It seems like it's felt like months."

"In that case, I presume that time really doesn't really 'fly' in your case," the deity attempted to break the somewhat thin ice before irritably sighing, "But on a more serious note, I believe that we must discuss your new... friends, and the case of one of your teammates... one in particular."

"What do you mean?"

Before he could receive an answer, Pluto only stuck out his hand and motioned towards him, "Take a seat first, it feels so off to just have a normal conversation while we're just standing about as though this was a formal event."

Shay turned around to see a couch standing right behind him. He then looked at the deity with a look of shock.

"This is your mind, of course I am able to create something out of nothing in this place," Pluto deadpanned, "This land is your plaything, to create to your hearts content. Be it friends-"

He snapped his fingers and a puff of smoke appeared. When the smoke disappeared, his friends took it's place: RWBY, JNPR, Haytham, even Gist.

"Family-"

The people he had killed, those that served the Assassin's Creed and all that came with it, had replaced his friends.

"Maybe, perhaps, even love-"

Pluto snapped his fingers once more, the late members of the brotherhood disappeared, only to be replaced by a single figure standing before Shay.

A white dress of the most regal quality, an angelic face mimicking the likeness of snow, piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare into his soul, yet withholding any malicious intent, and a scar that traced over this beauty's left eye, adding onto her beauty, rather than hindering it. The figure proceeded to slowly and gently place her hands, which reminded him fondly of silk, against Shay, caressing the man's face with a smile that radiated pure joy.

Before Pluto could even have the chance to remark on the reveal of this figure, a fist collided against the side of his face. The deity stumbled back and clutch at his nose, pain swelling from the left side of his face as the man snapped his nose back into it's normal position. Pluto immediately straightened himself out as he glanced at the Templar's glaring face, his expression completely oozing of murderous intent if the precursor decided to speak of the... girl on more time.

He snapped his fingers again and the figure disappeared.

"Never do that again," Shay warned, his finger pointed accusingly at the deity.

"I see you're rather touchy on that subject, aren't you?" Pluto queried, the pain fading away completely, "Your love life, or lack thereof, whichever you consider it to be, is irrelevant in my case. I had originally wished to speak with you about Team Haddock, so that is what I still intend to do, now please: take a seat."

Though a bit irritated (and somewhat embarrassed) by what Pluto had shown him, the man sat down at the seat provided. Pluto sat down on the opposite end in an identical seat.

"Alright, I'm listening," Shay said, eyeing the man with a concerned look.

"Good," Pluto responded, "Now, I understand that you have been reunited by a well-remembered companion from your past, though I cannot speak for the rest of your teammates, particularly this... Kane Hart."

"Oh?" the Templar hummed, his attention now focused on what the precursor had next to say, "And what about him?"

Pluto only shook his head, "I am unsure of this boy. He knows of your- our... exploits, your otherworldly origins, but most of all: a portion of your old order's history from your journal."

"And what does that have to do with us? Neither the Templars, nor the Assassins exist here. Only Haytham and I..." Shay trailed off, his mind putting two and two together, realizing what the darkened deity was implying, "No... that can't happen."

The precursor looked at Shay with a tilt in his head, "Ah... 'can't' is a strong word, Mister Cormac, but I believe it will. Rome mayn't have been built in a day, but it was built regardless. It's only a matter of time before Haytham decides to catch on... or joins."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I am merely warning you on base assumptions. Take my words however you wish, but stay cautious," Pluto advised before settling further into his seat, "Now, I wish to inform you on a more... internal affair."

"Internal? How so?"

"Your companion, Miss Belladonna, was it?" Shay nodded at Pluto's question, "Well, I understand that you two are on, well-... hating one another is one more strong phrase I wish to avoid, but you two seem to be avoiding each other as much as possible, is that correct?"

Shay sighed, looking down at the ground, but he nodded nonetheless, "We had a disagreement over Haddock's involvement in the our plan. She had accused me of only letting them join only because of my affiliations with Haytham. I had denied this claim and told her that it was purely a decision to assist further in our plan."

"But is she right?"

The Templar blinked in surprise, "I'm sorry? What?"

"Is she right?" Pluto repeated, "Because from what I can tell, two were involved with Kane and by extent, you. Kane had directly stolen your journal and got involved with the White Fang, so it's understandable. However, Haytham was never involved, so I ask again: is she correct?"

"I brought Haddock because of their involvement with the White Fang, Haytham is their leader now. Even if I didn't bring him, he would've figured it out sooner or later. And like me, he would need to learn how to adjust to this land," Shay answered.

"So you were lying?"

"I told part of the truth, HADK was still needed," the former Assassin tried to explain, though Pluto cut him off with a raised palm before he could explain further.

"A lie by omission is still a lie, Mister Cormac, and you need to speak with Blake about that your dispute with her," he raised his hand once more before Shay could retort, "It does not need to be now, given your circumstances, but it needs come soon lest a schism shalt take place within your team."

Shay stood up from his seat and scratched the top of his head with a single gloved hand, "I see your point, but talking with her won't be easy. Her faunus traits are more than physical, she'll be avoiding me, much like an irritated cat... but nevertheless, I will try."

"Good," Pluto grinned, "Now, you need to wake up. I can tell your partner will plan a rude awakening on your part if you continue to doze off."

The Templar only sighed with an irritated expression, "I take it that you have another schematic for me to work on?"

Pluto, much to Shay's surprise, only shook his head, "No... you'll only be in even more pain if I decided to wake you up with another painful bout."

Shay breathed another sigh, this time in relief, "Well, isn't that fortunate... wait a minute, 'even more pain'?"

Before he could receive an answer, the precursor snapped his fingers and the Templar's world faded to black.

Immediately, he was hit with a wave of nausea as his physical body began to awaken, that's when the realization came to him.

'Oh right... the aftereffects," Shay groaned in his mind as his body stirred awake.

-May the Father of Understanding guide us-

Beacon Academy; Amphitheater.
5:35 PM
Day 24, Saturday (Month 11, Year 0)

"And that's the match," Professor Goodwitch concluded, watching as the members of Team CRDL picked themselves up from the arena floor and limp away, their form battered and bruised were it not for their Aura.

"Lucky shot... urgh," Cardin groaned before falling over.

Well, all of them limping away, save for their leader, of course.

The Invincible Girl only shot the boy a subtle glare, too hidden for even the perceptive Glynda Goodwitch to notice. Even if she did, the woman paid no mind to it. It only seemed fair that the girl would have her resentment towards the four young men, given their infamous reputation throughout the school.

The professor then looked up at Pyrrha, who's glare was replaced by a modest smile, "Well done Miss Nikos, you should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."

Pyrrha only bowed her head slightly, "Thank you, professor."

Meanwhile, within the stands of the amphitheater sat the rest of the students. Team RWBY, JNPR, HADK, and the remainders of CRDL that finally made their way back to their seats, to name a few.

Weiss' attention on the fight had finally faded, turning to the rest of her surroundings... until she caught Shay dozing off beside her. At first, she had raised her hand to smack the man awake before resorting to a lecture over sleeping in class... again. Though she let it fall, mostly because he had two justified reasons.

One, due to the inhumanly large intake of alcohol, he had been suffering from a massive hangover for two days straight, then caught a surprisingly bad case of the cold immediately after, barely phasing in and out of consciousness, but nothing too serious worth noting.

And two... well, the man was now just waking up.

Weiss watched as Shay lifted his head from under his arms, his hands flying to his head as the pain returned. He gave off a short groan before turning to look at Weiss, who was looking back at him with concern.

"Are you okay, Shay?"

"Never better, Snowflake," the Templar responded, his fingers wrapping around his forehead, trying to relieve the migraine he had caught. He froze as he felt an arm wrap gingerly around his shoulder and pull him closer to the owner of said arm. He turned to see that it was Weiss who had done so, causing him to stifle a laugh, "If you keep this up, Weiss, people might just think we're in a relationship."

The girl only scowled at him before removing a pair of pills and a bottle of water, "Helps with migraines, take it with water and you'll be fine for a bit."

"Do you always carry medication wherever you go?"

Weiss gave the man an indignant huff, "Only when it's required. Your headache seems to be getting worse, and I just want to help fix it. Besides, an illness from a teammate will only hinder the team if it's not treated properly."

Shay watched as she immediately turned to face Yang, who had already opened her mouth in an attempt to tease the girl, but the Heiress already beat her to the punch.

"Not another word from you, Xiao Long!" she hissed at the boxing blonde, who only raised her arms in defeated and scooted away from the white-haired girl, "Anyway, now that you're awake. I think it's best for you to pay attention."

The Templar slowly nodded his head, not bothering to disagree with the the girl, "I'll make sure to do that."

Weiss only gave him a look, "You better, I'm watching you."

"Wouldn't that mean that you're not paying attention to the arena? That's a bit hypocritical, isn't it?"

The heiress opened her mouth to retort, then closed it as she found no way to counter that argument, "Just be quiet and watch."

He shrugged, but did as she said anyway, "Whate'er you say, Snowflake."

Weiss gave the man a cold look, though her face was red out of either anger or embarrassment, no one would really be able to tell, but she let the comment slide anyway, turning away to focus on the match at hand.

"Alright, I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match," Professor Goodwitch announced, her eyes carefully scanning the room for potential candidate for fight for the last session, "Any volunteers?"

The crowd was dead silent, Shay began to notice a sense of unintentional intimidation between the students in the seats and Pyrrha. It seems that they're unable to step forward due to the high performance the Invincible girl had put on just a while back.

However, as it seemed to the Templar, if Goodwitch cannot find volunteers, she would have to elect the combatants herself to fight.

Case in point? "Miss Belladonna?"

Shay heard the sound of a book snapping shut, the girl stood ramrod straight in her seat, her eyes wide open in surprise. The former Assassin examined the girl from afar, noticing that she had previously been tilting her head downward a bit too far with her book in her lap. And the sudden reaction to the professor's announcement? Shay knew there was a something wrong.

"You've been rather... docile for the past few classes," Goodwitch said, watching as the girl turned away with a conflicted expression upon her face, "Why don't you-"

"I'll do it," said two voices almost simultaneously. One being a grey-haired boy, and the other being... Haytham?

"Haytham Kenway, leader of Team HADK, if I may recall?" the Professor adjusted her glasses, noticing that it was the fox-eared faunus who had spoken up first, noticing the grey-haired boy's slight scowl, "Very well, give me a moment and I'll find an opponent."

"If I may interrupt once more, Professor," Haytham spoke up, "I would prefer to try my blade against Miss Nikos. It would be quite entertaining to learn of reputation of her moniker: the... Invincible Girl."

Shay watched as Pyrrha flushed slightly, looking away from the man. Not out of flatter, Shay knew that much about Pyrrha due to their... mutual intent on tutoring her partner, no... it was more out of embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Mister Kenway, but I'm afraid Miss Nikos has just finished a match. You will have to choose another," she responded sternly.

"No!" Pyrrha cried, though regained composure, "It's perfectly alright."

She looked at the man, who had a small look of eagerness upon his face, "I would be happy to oblige."

Haytham hummed in acknowledgment, "Thank you very much, Miss Ni-... Pyrrha. Allow me some time to collect my belongings, I will return shortly."

"Of course," Pyrrha nodded.

Shay watched as Haytham turned to look at him, the former Grandmaster rising from his seat and beginning to walk out. The former Assassin raised his wrists, revealing his hidden blades to the man only before shaking his head and signaling him with his forearms crossed in an 'X' fashion. He only received a subtle nod from Haytham before the man left the room.

Minutes later, Haytham appeared, this time with a curved sword in his right hand and the pistol given by Shay clutched in his left.

The Templar held the pistol out with his arm outstretched towards Pyrrha; his sword-hand pulled back just inches away from his ear, his arm bent and pointed in the opposite direction while his forearm pointed parallel to him though raised approximately fifteen-degrees upward, the sword's blade pointed towards the ceiling while the sharpened tip was directly facing Pyrrha.

Pyrrha, on the other hand, had her shield raised in front of her face but still angles so one of the inwardly curved sides of the shield still allowed her some semblance of vision, while her sword had shifted into it's spear form and held towards the man. Her legs bent, yet parallel all the same. The former Assassin leaned into his seat in intrigue as he waited for the match to start.

Shay knew that the red-haired champion wouldn't be underestimating Haytham.

Underestimating Haytham... oh no... oh no!

His Aura! Shay had just realized that Haytham didn't have an Aura. This was bad, so very bad!

"Miss-!"

Before he could have the chance to speak up, Goodwitch had already gave them the right-away, the two sprung into action. The fox-eared Templar fired several shots from his pistol, watching as Pyrrha shielded herself as she charged towards him, her face obscured by the circular shield as the gap between the two began to near. Haytham swung his saber horizontally, hoping to catch Nikos off-guard before she could have the chance to look back up at the man.

Instead, Pyrrha predicted the move and countered it with a swipe of her own blade, right as it was in the middle of transforming back into it's bladed form, before retaliating with a spin-sweep. Luckily, Haytham was able to backpedal out of the way.

Shay's attention immediately turned to the screen above him. Both of their Auras were full, thank goodness for tha... hold on a minute. The Templar did a double-take before looking back up at the screen.

BOTH AURAS?!

His vision did not lie, Haytham Kenway had bore an Aura, a full one at the moment, no less.

H-how!? were Shay's only thoughts as the fight continued on even when his thoughts were elsewhere. Nevertheless, Shay continued to watch, wanting to see how this would play out.

Pyrrha attempted a stab at Haytham, but was deflected by the edge of his blade. The Templar quickly side-stepped as Pyrrha's blade still ran through, pushing past his infantry sword and allowing her to stagger forward. The crowd had no time to acknowledge Pyrrha's flaw as she quickly recomposed herself by rolling along with the subtle stagger before raising her shield to block several more shots from the Templar, listening as the shots pinged off of her shield.

Rather than allow for another attack from the young man before her, she charged back towards Haytham. Her sword shifting into a spear as she did so.

Pyrrha couldn't help but grin victoriously at the look of surprise she received from him. The Invincible Girl allowed for Haytham to strike first as the situation became more clear for the man, taking note of his sword swinging horizontally in an arc aimed for her midsection. Pyrrha responded by lowering herself to her knees in mid-sprint, allowing the sword's blade to pass under her. She then pressed a foot towards the ground in the middle of her slide and pushed herself back up, the crowd watched as she spun in mid-air and landed back to her feet and threw her shield at him.

Haytham, of course, ducked in response to the shield throw before looking back up to see the pointed end of the Invincible Girl's spear rushing towards him. The Templar barely had enough time to block the blow, but managed to do so anyway.

A quiet sigh escaped his lips as he looked up to see his Aura barely hovering over the green meter. The girl's aura was wavering somewhat, though Haytham never managed to land a hit. Haytham, despite his minimal knowledge of Aura, managed to deduce that her Aura was being used to compensate for her exhaustion during her last battle against Team CRDL. But that didn't mean that Pyrrha was having a difficult time, no, it seemed much like the opposite.

Every time he would strike, Pyrrha would managed to dodge or block the attack, then follow up to counterattack. Haytham had then thought he had the upper hand, managing to loosen up the girl's grip on her blade before managing to step to the side and successfully kick it out of her hands, not bothering to look up as it flew into the air, unholstering his pistol and pointing it directly at her chest before pulling the trigger.

*Click*

The man froze for a half-second as he looked at his given gun: empty. Dammit, he must've used them all when Pyrrha had her shield up. He looked up to see that Pyrrha recovered and used the other half of the man's second to catch her spear as it fell before pointing it at his neck.

Haytham hummed silently to himself as he looked at the spear at his throat for a moment, noticing the mischievous gleam in the girl's eyes.

Well, two can play at that game.

The red-haired girl barely had time to respond as Haytham batted the spear away with the back of his fist, lowered himself by bending his knees, and sent a fist into the girl's abdomen, catching her completely off-guard as the wind was knocked out of Pyrrha's lungs. She looked up to see Haytham's sword on a one-way course for her skull, Pyrrha immediately responded by raising her right hand and catching the sword by it's blade, using her Semblance to block it at the last second. Pyrrha mentally released a sigh as the blade rested in the palm of her hand.

She looked down to see the look on his face: his eyes wide, jaw went slack for only a brief second in shock, and his body stiff for the duration of Pyrrha holding the saber.

In other words: priceless!

Before Haytham had time for a countermove, Pyrrha's spear shifted into it's rifle form and was pointed at the man's chest. The click in the rifle's bolt telling the man that hers was far from empty.

The two locked stares for only a few seconds before Haytham loosened his grip, Pyrrha lowering her rifle at the same time, "Very well, I yield to the superior fighter."

"And with that, Pyrrha Nikos is the winner once more," Professor Goodwitch announced, looking up from her Scroll and facing the young man, "I suggest choosing an opponent equal to your skills."

Haytham only nodded before looking towards Pyrrha, who held a respectable smile on her face. The Templar held out his hand in thanks, in which the girl shook it, "Despite my defeat, thank you, Miss Nikos, you've been very kind to let me spar against you."

Shay looked up to see the timer, then looked down at Haytham and Pyrrha with an intrigued hum. The rest of Team RWBY looked at him, then to what he was looking at, each of them holding different opinions on what they saw. To them, it seemed that Pyrrha had beaten Haytham in the span of a minute and a half.

Quite an impressive time, for Haytham at least. Everyone else figured that he would last shorter than that.

"You're welcome," Pyrrha nodded, "You had me thinking for a few moments here and there, I'll admit. You're a great fighter yourself."

Never let it be said that Pyrrha wasn't allowed to enjoy at least some of the battles she partook in. Because it was very interesting to fight against Shay's friend. While he had lost, the man refused to pull his punches... literally, in her case. The punch had hurt, but it was not unwelcome, she had been relieved to fare against a challenger who fought with only his fists when their weapon couldn't do the job, something that most people (save for Yang) didn't tend to consider.

Besides being able to rely on his hands, he was a fair tactician with his blade, managing to predict and block or parry her attacks at just the right moments. Though his use in his pistol was a little rusty, he compensated with keeping her distracted with it.

Regardless, it was a good fight.

"That is all for today," Goodwitch announced. Shay flinched slightly at the buzzer while Blake snapped up at roughly the same time. He took note of the dark rings around the girl's eyes, "And remember, the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday."

As soon as everyone began to leave the amphitheater, Haytham turned to see Shay making his way towards him, "Good afternoon Shay."

Shay only nodded before popping a pill into his mouth and downing it with a swig of a water bottle. Haytham raised an eyebrow as he heard the audible gulp as the Irishman tilted his head back, "Aye, though not one for me, that's for sure."

"Tsk, yes... I heard about what happened," Haytham replied, "I had told Blake to give you my regards, hopefully you received it."

"Suprisingly, Blake and I aren't exactly on good terms at the moment."

"I see," the former Grandmaster raised a hand to his chin, "Well then, I hope you're able to fix your relations with her."

Shay only shrugged, "Only time'll tell. By the way, that was a pretty good fight with Pyrrha."

The British Templar only shrugged off the compliment with a nod, the two beginning to leave the arena as they conversed onwards, "Indeed it was a rather invigorating challenge. Though my loss would have to count as attempting to gauge the young woman's abilities and seeing how much punishment my new aura can take."

He then looked at the man beside him stopped. Shay's expression contorted into concern and his body stopped in mid-stride for a split-second. Immediately after, he began to walk once more, albeit at a much slower pace. Haytham raised an eyebrow at his subtle, yet sudden actions, "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah, there is. Just a question, Haytham," Shay stopped and grasped Haytham's shoulder, pulling him out of the arena alongside him and out of the facility, much to the young man's protest, "How the hell did you get an Aura?!"

Haytham didn't bother flinching as his comrade practically held him against the wall, likely planning on holding him there until his query was cleared. He only swatted Shay's hand away from his shoulder and threw him a puzzled look.

"You unlocked my Aura for me in the middle of our reconnaissance," Haytham answered, "I was sure you would've remembered that, drunkard be damned."

That earned an "Oi!" from the the Irishman as that earned him a hard slug to the shoulder. The Brit decided to let that slide before they continued making their way to the rest of team RWBY.

"I injured myself during our... foolhardy stunts on the highway. You came to my aid by complete chance and decided to unlock my aura," the man continued to explain, "Afterwards, we ended up dragging each other through the rest of the road before stumbling across Torchwick."

Rather than earn a legitimate answer, Shay only scratched the top of his head in confusion, "That doesn't sound like me, Haytham. I barely remember what Weiss had said when she had unlocked my Aura, much more recite the lines myself."

Haytham hummed in acknowledgement, placing his thumb and index finger to his chin in thought. It seemed clear to him that this was a rather unclear conundrum to solve... how Shay was able to remember something that he shouldn't have, even more under the influence of a rather large intake of liquor. It seems that he would have to brush this puzzle under the metaphorical carpet and decide to find an answer at a more relevant time.

"Nevermind that, Shay," he brushed off the subject and decided to move onto another matter, "Besides your unintentional feud with Blake, there seems to be something... off with her."

The Irish only glanced at him with an amused look, "You takin' an interest in my 'mates, Haytham? If so, I completely understand, with you bein' a fox faunus 'n all. Though you'll have to catch up with Sun, seein' as he's in the lead so far-"

*Slap!*

A loud smack resonated off of the back of Shay's head, sending him forward for about a foot until he regained balance. He rubbed the back of his skull with a hand to see Haytham doing the same, only to his own hand.

"What the hell was that for?" Shay groaned, feeling his headache returned before it managed to subside.

"For being a idiot," he responded harshly, "My relations with Blake are completely professional. We exchanged information on our previous mission and I saw a change in her mood."

"More so than usual?" the former Assassin grunted.

Haytham nodded, motioning to the girl that was already berating Sun for attempting to ask her to the dance.

Harsh.

"So..." Shay trailed off, "Are you going to the dance?"

Haytham nodded, "I see no reason not to go. First time arriving on another world, it would be foolish not to at least be aware of this land's customs... even if it is just a school. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," the Irishman said... a little too quickly. Realizing this, he decided to divert the man's attention before he could take notice. Shay then looked to Blake, who was still walking away, "What do you think is Blake's situation, you know? Like the dark rings around her eyes?"

"Sleep deprivation, from what I can tell. She's ruining herself just to find out more about the White Fang," the British Templar observed.

They watched as the raven-haired girl walked away, with Sun slumped over at her rejection. Shay only walked over and patted him on the back.

"Did you really think she was going to say yes?" Shay asked the monkey faunus, who only shrugged and turned around to meet up with the rest of his team not too far away.

'Damn, even Sun is worried about her,' the former Assassin realized. He then turned to Haytham, "I'll see you tomorrow, Haytham."

Haytham looked at Shay, then to the rest of Team RWBY, then to Blake, who had just turned the corner and disappeared, "Of course, until then."

Shay looked to Ruby, Yang, and Weiss, each of which had looks of disappointment on their faces, "Come on girls, let's head back to the dorm."

Though they were reluctant, the three before him nodded in agreement and started to head back. The four completely silent on their travel back to the Team's room.

-Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted-

Beacon Academy; Team RWBY's Dorm.
8:45 PM
Day 24, Saturday (Month 11, Year 0)

"Blake, we need to talk," was the first words that had been said as soon as she had entered the room. Weiss and Ruby sitting on the former's bed, Yang sat on the bed opposite of them, while Shay was too busy reading that book he had picked out from the Library.

Team RWBY's dorm had been their safe haven for the past semester and now. A room in which five friends had lived together and helped one another through the hardships that had been the first semester. But now? Their dorm had been turned into Blake's personal planning room when the library was too crowded or busy.

The girl had spent countless hours, researching both day and night for what the White Fang had been planning. She sacrificed her hours of sleep believing that this would help uncover the White Fang's next move. The rest of the team had agreed to help her, but it seemed as though they had become more reluctant on doing so. Regardless, if they wouldn't help her, so be it. She could do this herself.

Nevertheless, she complied. The faunus girl carefully strode to the other side of the room and took a seat beside Yang, "Yes?"

The three girls turned to look at each for a split-second before Weiss spoke, "We want you to attend the dance with us."

Blake immediately recoiled at the Heiress' behest, caught completely off-guard by the words that had left her. Shay, on the other hand, looked up from his book in surprise, clearly having not heard the news beforehand, "You what?!"

"We want you to go to the dance," Ruby repeated.

"That's ridiculous," Blake crossed her arms and gave the girl an irked look.

"Blake, we're worried about you," Yang said, looking at her partner with her careful violet eyes, "This investigation is getting to you."

The white-haired girl followed after her, "You can't sleep, you hardly eat, and to be honest, your grades have been suffering."

"You think I care about grades?!" Blake cried, her hand outstretched as she realized the absurdity of the girl's observation, "People's lives are at stake!"

"We know, we're all still trying to figure out what Torchwick is up to," Yang said, lowering Blake's arm as she tried to calm the faunus down.

"Thanks to you, Sun, and Haytham, we know they're operating somewhere out of Southeast Vale.

"And-" Weiss held a finger up in emphasis, "- the Schnee Dust Company records singled out Vale as the primary target for Dust robberies over the last few months."

"Don't forget about their missing military tech too," Yang remarked before turning to look at Shay, "Hey big guy, what'd you find out from your little experience in the club."

Shay lowered his book and looked up, trying to recall what Junior's men had told him, "Something about... Junior's men winding up in jail during a failed Dust robbery incident."

The man didn't need to look down to know that Ruby was blushing in embarrassment at the first time the two had met, "Heh heh... yeah, that's uh... interesting..."

Yang nodded her head, "Interesting, but it doesn't tell us anything."

The blonde's partner only shook her head, closing her eyes and trying concentrate, "Despite all we had learned, there's still unanswered questions."

Ruby decided that now was the time to step in, "Blake, you won't be able to find anything if you can't even keep your eyes open."

"All that we're asking is that you take it easy for one day."

"It will be fun!" Weiss assured, "Yang and I will make sure of it."

"Yeah! We're planning the whole event."

"Excuse me?" Blake demanded, the way she had said it was as though the news had come as some sort of insult to her ears... all four of them.

"Team CFVY's away mission lasted longer than expected-"

"- So Weiss and I were asked to pick up where they left off," Yang continued off of Weiss' explanation, "And now we can make sure you have the perfect night-"

"- And once it's all over we'll return to our search, rested and ready," Weiss finished with a smile before turning to the corner of the room, "Of course, we're going to have Shay helping alongside us for skipping out on the training sessions that he personally implemented for us in the first place."

Shay looked down from his book once more to retort, "Do I ever have a say in anything?"

"Stings doesn't it?" Yang grinned evilly at him, "And I have a feeling Weiss-cream is going to enjoy this way too much."

"Of cour- wait! What's that supposed to mean?!" Weiss exclaimed, glaring at the blonde boxer with a fierce look.

"Anyways," Ruby interrupted the argument before it could begin, "So what do you think?"

Blake opened her eyes, inhaling silently to herself before opening them, "I think this is a colossal waste of time."

They watched as Blake rose from the bed and began to make her way to the door ahead. She opened it before looking back at them, "I'll be at the library."

The faunus took one last look at them before closing the door behind her, sighing deeply before turning and walking away-

-only to then see Jaune walking towards her... with a guitar.

Immediately, she turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction, taking the hallway on the other side, hoping to take a little detour on her way to the library. Either way, she was going to find out more about the White Fang's operation outside of Vale, with or without her friends.

Before her thoughts could trail any further off, she stumbled back as a force had collided with her, though she was caught just in the nick of time as an arm wrapped around her waist and brought her back to balancing on her feet. Her mind was on edge, her thoughts racing through her head at a collective speed of a thousand miles per hour as she was barely able to process what had happened to her just now.

Eventually, after a half-second, she was able to process this, she turned to quickly apologize for whoever had bumped into her, only to immediately freeze up at the sight of none other than Haytham Kenway, himself.

"Mm hm," Haytham cleared his throat, "Forgive me, Miss Belladonna, I must apologize for running into you."

"No no," she waved off, "I-it's fine, really. What're you doing here anyway?"

"I was originally going to speak with Shay, but then I had accidentally bumped into you by accident on my way there," he explained, pulling out a pocket watch and looking at it before closing it, "It seems I still have more time to spare for the time being," he then looked at her in curiosity, "If you are going anywhere, it would be best if I accompanied you. If there's anything I can do to make up for your trouble, it would be in my best interest to assist."

Blake opened her mouth to refuse, but instead decided it would be an opportunity she couldn't pass up, "Of course, I was just heading to the library. I... would also like to speak to you about something in a little bit, if you wouldn't mind."

He shook his head, "Certainly not, I don't mind at all," the young fox-eared faunus then pointed his arm in the direction of the library, "Shall we?"

The girl only nodded, walking off with the Templar in tow.

-May the Father of Understanding guide us-

Beacon Academy; Team RWBY's Dorm.
9:00 PM
Day 24, Saturday (Month 11, Year 0)

"~Weeeeeeiiiissssss!~" was most definitely not the kind of sound Shay would expect to hear when the Heiress had taken it upon herself to open the door. Because of all the things that could knock, and out of everything to say that, it had to be Jaune Arc holding a guitar.

Shay watched as she then slammed the door on his face, causing the Irish Templar himself to stifle a laugh.

Poor sod.

They then heard a collection of knocks on the door, "Oh come on! Open the door... I promise not to sing..."

Weiss only sighed, giving the boy behind the door an exasperated look, before opening it one more time.

Immediately, they were granted another song from the leader of Team JNPR himself, his sole audience immediately facepalming, "~I liiiieeed!~"

Yang slammed the palm of her hand over Shay's mouth just before he could erupt in a fit of laughter, "Shut up, I wanna see where this goes."

"~Weiss Shnee! Will you accompany meee?! To the dance on... Sunday?!~" Jaune sang, playing his guitar with... surprisingly decent skill. Honestly, he could've made a job out that if being a Huntsman couldn't cut it.

"Are you done?" his aforementioned audience asked.

He shifted his head slightly before smiling sheepishly at her, "Yes?"

*WHAM!*

"No," she turned around to see Ruby and Yang giving her looks, "What?"

"And that is why they call you the Ice Queen," Yang said, finally letting of Shay, who immediately collapsed onto the floor.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," he cried out in laughter, tears streaming down his face, "I ca- I can't take it! AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"All my life, boys have only cared about the perks of my last name," Weiss tried to explain, "Besides, I already have a date in mind."

That was strike one.

"Oh," Yang's eyes half-lidded in mischief, "Do you? And who would that be? Because I know Mister Blue Hair doesn't really cut it for you, and Jaune's already a lost cause at this point. I think I have an idea of who you might be taking..."

Weiss immediately began to turn red at the implications, "I don't understand what you're trying to say."

That was strike two.

"Come on, Weiss!" the girl wrapped an arm around the Heiress, who was now trying to find a way out of the boxer's tight vice, "You can tell us who the lucky bachelor's name is... unless it's actually-"

Yang leaned in close until she was barely touching Weiss' ear.

"-A she."

Weiss immediately broke out of the headlock with an inhuman feat of superhuman strength, "Alright! I'll tell you."

And home run!

"Uh huh," Yang grinned, "We're listening."

"I'm going wytseh..." she mumbled, looking away from the rest of her team with a tinge of pink spreading across her cheeks.

"Can't hear you!" Yang's grin began to grow even wider.

"I said that I'm going with..." Weiss attempted to mumble her way out of it.

"Either you tell them or I do," Yang's grin began to stretch it's limits, "~Because I think I have a good idea who it is!~"

"I'm going with Shay!" the girl yelled, "Alright! I'm taking Shay to the dance with me! There I said it! Shay and I are going... together... to the dance this Sunday!"

Both girls turned away from the now red-faced (definitely out of embarrassment this time) Heiress and diverted their attention to the only male member of Team RWBY, who was now in the process of picking himself off of the floor.

"Did you agree to this?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow in concern.

"Surprisingly-" that earned a 'hey!' from Weiss, "- Yes, I agreed."

There was a thick awkward silence permeating the room, so it was in Ruby's best interest to (semi) change the subject, "Well, whether we go or not, none of this'll matter if we can't get Blake to go to the dance."

Yang decided to speak up, mostly to cheer up her little sister, "Don't worry, Rubes, I have a plan."

Weiss sighed in relief, "Well... if it works, then that solves a majority of our problems. Speaking of problems, Jaune-"

Ouch.

"-Won't seem to let up in his courting... attempts? I can't even call it that," she only placed a hand to her head, "Was it just because of what I said when we first came to Beacon?"

Everyone then turned to hear Shay chuckling... nervously, "I may have been involved in that little conundrum..."

Weiss immediately turned full attention to the former Templar before her, "What do you mean exactly, Cormac?"

Shay scratched the back of his head, trying to find the best way he could put his answer in the correct words, "You remember that time between you and Ruby? The incident that earned Ruby's... uncommon nickname: Crater-face?"

"Don't remind me!" Ruby hid her face behind her arms, blushing deeply at the mention of that name, "I tried to wipe that name from existence ever since it was made!"

Weiss nodded, "I... may have told him that you may have been his type... and he may have stuck with it..."

The whole room was silent, save for Weiss' deep sigh.

"Damn," Yang only said.

"Girls," the Heiress started, her voice polite and innocent, but Shay can sense the subtle presence of malice in her voice, "If you can leave him and I for only a few minutes, this won't take long."

The effect was instant, with Yang and Ruby instantly leaving the room without hesitation.

As soon as the door closed behind them, they were immediately introduced to the sound of Weiss in what Yang called 'Full-bitch mode'... normally reserved for hated girls she knew, the spiteful of ex-girlfriends of several guy-friends she knew, but now... Weiss as well.

"I think it'd be best to hang out in JNPR's dorm, Ren might be making pancakes," Yang tried to distract her sister, then covered the girl's ears with both hands as she lead the unsuspecting and innocent little sister of hers away from Weiss' more... profane comments.

Sheesh, what a night!

-Never divulge the true nature of our work-

Beacon Academy; School Hallways.
9:05 PM
Day 24, Saturday (Month 11, Year 0)

"So what was it you wanted to speak with me about?" Haytham asked, breaking the awkward silence as only a few minutes have passed in silence.

The black-haired girl only flinched at the suddenness at his question, just as well as his voice briefly bringing her back from the brink of collapsing then and there out of sleep deprivation. She looked away from Haytham to see the hallway before them devoid of students as they were all in the process of heading to the luncheon.

"How's the rest of your team?" Blake asked, trying to find a way to break the awkward tension between the two, "Are they still recovering from the... incident?"

She figured that asking him about his team would at least give the two some semblance of small talk.

"They're fine. Now, are you going to answer my question or are you going to keep prattling about and avoid the question?"

Nevermind.

Blake sighed, seeing as he wasn't in a patient mood. In other circumstances, she would've related to that, but she had other matters to deal with, "I... I wanted to know why you wanted to help us."

"I don't follow," Haytham said, placing his hands behind his back as the two continued to walk on.

"I mean, why did you want to help us with the White Fang?" she repeated, making sure to be more specific, "I know Shay had decided to let you in on our plan, and that your teammates were directly involved in their plans, but I don't understand why you would just go out of your way to help us."

Blake's ears flicked to the side as she heard Haytham sigh. The two stopped as the man turned and leaned against the wall, beckoning to her. She approached him until they were only a few feet apart, watching as he then removed his tricorn hat, revealing his auburn-colored fox ears matching his hair.

"Miss Belladonna... I know you're a faunus as well," he confessed, waiting to see what her reaction would be. Haytham watched as she tensed up as soon as the words left him- inhaling sharply, shoulders raising in agitation, and her eyes narrowing at him in suspicion- only to watch as she visibly relaxed just seconds after.

"Figures you would find out," she closed her eyes and grinned humorlessly, "I guess Shay told you, since you two are so buddy-buddy with one another."

Haytham admittedly nodded, "He also told me of your personal relations... with the White Fang."

Blake's eyes flew open immediately and a growl softly escaped her throat, though it was by no means unintimidating. She turned sharply in a one-eighty and began to make her way back to the dorm, wanting to have a... well-met word with Shay over her personal secrets.

Before that can happen, however, she felt a hand grasp firmly around her upper arm, stopping her in mid-stride. Blake turned around to see Haytham's hand locked into her bicep, a concerned look playing about on his face.

"Let. Go," she growled.

"No."

The faunus girl flinched in surprise, not expecting such an answer from the man, "No?"

He shook his head before letting go of her arm, his head rising only for a bit before locking eyes with the girl as she had turned to face him, "You wanted to hear my side of your answer, so you'll get it. I expect you to not run off with an unanswered question, so I will say this nicely. Stay... please."

The two were still for only a few seconds, but it felt like minutes of silence. Eventually, Blake turned back and stood before him. She rubbed her hand against her arm- not that he hurt her, no. Haytham was a gentleman, through and through, it seemed... she was just brushing away the sensation, "Alright, I'll listen."

Haytham smiled at her, "Good, now let me explain-"

She was listening, obviously.

"-I sought to help because of the White Fang. From what you and Shay had described, they had started out peacefully before turning to more... radical methods of change. When Shay had told me of them, I saw them as a complete threat to your kingdoms, but when Shay had told me of your... background and the fact that was able to place complete trust in you, I had seen a glimmer of potential, despite that I was hiding it with a more aggressive response to Shay," Haytham explained, his face returning to it's cold demeanor.

Blake's eyes narrowed at the mention of Shay... and his trust in her. Not exactly expecting that kind of response.

"That is... until I had traveled alongside you and Sun to the rally. Yes, I had been on edge, but I wanted to see up-close what this had been about, then I saw their involvement with a criminal, Roman Torchwick, I recall. That is when I knew that the White Fang was our enemy," he continued, "So that is why I fight, Blake Belladonna. I seek to help protect the people, be it faunus or human, from those that seek to bring harm unto them."

She nodded, lowering her head in shame, "I know, and I understand where you're coming from. I thought that they could change, that there would be a chance... but no, they are far too gone into their actions."

"When I was a member-" she stopped to see if anyone was listening, luckily there was no one to be found, "-I always thought that we were doing the right thing, and we were, for some part of my life. But it all changed over time, otherwise I would've seen what had happened earlier. I never had stopped to wonder when we had gone too far until it was too late. All that mattered was fighting for the rights of my people-"

Blake stopped herself, looking back up at Haytham's fox ears, giving the man an apologetic look, "-for our people sorry about that, Haytham... it's just that you act so... human."

'If only you knew,' a thought passed through the Templar, "I understand, Miss Belladonna-"

"Please," she sighed, "Just call me Blake, I'm... starting to think that Shay was right, he really does trust you."

Haytham tilted his head to the side in thought, "Then I think it would be best to apologize to him. And I'll see if I can convince him to do the same, if only out of any hostility he may have displayed towards you."

The girl only shook her head, "It's fine. Just... thank you. Oh, it seems that we're here already."

"Yes, it appears so," Haytham murmured, "Anyway, this was a rather interesting discussion. I hope that you find... whatever it is you're looking for."

Blake only nodded, "Of course, have a good night, Haytham."

Haytham repeated her action, placing his hat back on his head and tipping it to her. He watched as the girl turned away, walking into the well-lit room filled to the brim with books. There was something interesting about this girl, something... familiar...

The Templar blinked his eyes for a few seconds, trying to clear away what he had hoped was only a hallucination. Haytham pinched the bridge of his nose, clearing away any distractions before seeing that it was Blake once again that was walking off.

"Must be nerves," he muttered to himself before turning on his heels and walking off.

Haytham honestly hoped that it was a mere sleep deprived vision, rather than a reminiscence of... older times.

Because when he was about to turn away from Blake at the last moment and walk away... he saw Ziio take her place for only a flash of a moment before disappearing and having Blake take her place once more.

The man decided that sleep would be the solution, he was just drowsy, that's all.

Sleep... that's all he needed at the moment.

Disclaimer: Wow, what a night, what a chapter, what a 2016.

Thank you everyone, for being patient enough to wait for the next chapter of The Hunter, a story that I had decided to shorten by removing the 'RWBY', because we all know it's about RWBY anyway... because it's in the RWBY crossover section.

Anyways, I really don't have anything else to say except this:

Thank you, everyone for reading, keep an eye out for the next chapter, and I'll see you in the next chapter.

And as always, stay beautiful, ladies and gents.