Walking down the area of the city where countless faunuses lived was a hard thing to do, especially when you're a Schnee, who was know for rumors of unfair treatment to their faunus forces, as Blake told her before. Weiss swore that when they were walking down the streets and onto the outskirts of the city, she saw glaring eyes directed towards her, but backed off when they saw the stranger walking with her, which made her think just how important or strong the masked woman was, or was there something else going on here? That's also why she wanted to help Blake, it was one of her objectives when she manages to get a seat of power in the Schnee Dust Corporation. But for now, her questions now lie on who would've thought that an abandoned train station just outside the city is where Weiss would spend her afternoon. Definitely not her, meekly following the taller masked woman as they walked on the rusted railways, the abandoned train carts serving as reminder on how long they stood the test of time, overgrown grass and creeping vines taking hostage of the metal walls and bars. Good thing she decided to wear her trekking boots, having expected that she would walk somewhere not good for her expensive outfits. Weiss maybe a thief by night, but it's not bad to have standards. If she wore her good heels on the uneven gravel, it would be ruined. 'And by then, I wouldn't have anything good to wear when I'm with Ruby. . .' Weiss thought to herself, mumbling as she almost tripped on a loose piece of rock.

The taller woman turned her head to face Weiss, whose face was red from almost falling over. She could feel the cold glare the woman was giving her, but Weiss was glad she didn't do anything else. The raven haired woman faced forward once more and led Weiss to a wall covered by hanging vines from a nearby tree. This made Weiss wonder why the city would make a train station near woods on the foot of a mountain. Weiss was about to ask why they were here, before the woman continued to walk towards the wall and disappeared into the veil of vines. Weiss stood still, not sure what to do, before a hand reaches out to her, "Follow me." Weiss cautiously reached out to the hand, before it pulled her into the vines as well. She braced herself and closed her eyes as the woman guided her through the plants until the woman let her go. She opened her eyes and Weiss was awestruck.

Her icicle blue eyes adjusted first to the sudden darkness in the tunnel, but what she saw at the end, was a paradise. A small clearing that was covered by the naturally formed cliffs of the mountain that formed a wall, dozens of flowers and beautiful berry bushes were in display, the golden rays of the sun shining down on them as a miniature rainbow formed from the spray of mist from the nearby waterfall. The neat cobblestone walkway didn't detract the small garden of the embodiment of spring time. Weiss couldn't help but let out a large smile and breathe the fresh air that she wouldn't be able to find in the city. The woman paid no mind to her who continued her way down the path, as Weiss hurried jogged to keep up with her, while her head glanced to the beautiful nature around her. The woman removed her mask and kept it on her waist, letting her pale face bask in the sunlight as well, as Weiss managed to get a good look at the woman. She definitely looked younger than what she truly is, but her expression was always of seriousness. It reminded her of her own sister, Winter. But now that she took a deeper look into her companion, she began to realize that she looked like Yang. Except for the hair color and eyes. The ravenette turned her head to her again, a voice devoid of any amusement, "You of all people should know that it is rude to stare."

Weiss was taken aback, but managed to answer back, "I'm sorry, it's just that, you remind me of my friend. You two looked exactly alike." Weiss admitted, enough to satisfy the woman's question. Weiss gave herself more time to think and came to a conclusion, "Wait a minute, you're Raven aren't you?" Weiss noticed the way the woman's shoulders tensed up, but she kept on walking, "You're Raven Branwen. You're Yang's mom. Am I correct?"puzzled Weiss. She's known Yang long enough that she knows that Yang has always been looking for her mother that ran away as soon as she was born. She didn't expect that she of all people would find her.

"Yes, I am," Raven's voice was firm, intent on making Weiss stop with the questions. After a few minutes of silence, she sighed, "I know she's your friend but this is a complicated issue and I'd wish you to stay out of it. Do you understand?" Raven looked at her with pleading eyes, the aura of animosity was gone. Weiss was surprised but nodded her head, not wanting to offend the woman any further. Soon enough they were already on the way to another clearing, but this time was obscured by the lush green trees and the shade was just enough to provide a gentle cover from the sun. What made Weiss gasp was the large mansion hidden in this clearing. The white brick walls towered over them, thick but clear glass windows show glimpses of the inside. The grey roof was littered with dry twigs and leaves, but because of the slight breeze, they never fell down in front of the house, but rather somewhere behind it. The edges of the winding cobblestone path were planted with many flowers, including her two favorites, myrtles and roses. As the two approached the looming mansion, Weiss spotted a figure in one of the windows, another cloaked figure, but before she could ask, she almost jumped in surprise when she bumped into Raven. Raven gave her a short glare, before opening the door inside and let Weiss walk in first. The foyer definitely looked as grand as it was outside, clean white walls, with dark ebony wood floors. The light birch-wood tables and coat hangers were as pristine. The rose red carpet laid down on the corridors and up the stairs into the upper floor. The crystal chandelier hang above them glistening from the lights.

"Hey Schnee, wait here and don't move," Raven suddenly said, calling Weiss' attention back to her, "I'll come get you when it's time to meet them."

"Meet whom?" Who's they?" Weiss asked, but was ignored by Raven, who walked down a short corridor and walked into the room, which she assumed was the dinning room, based on the long table Weiss saw for moment before the doors were closed. Weiss let out a sigh, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples with her thumbs. Now that she had a few minutes alone with her thoughts, she continued where she left off, thinking on the faunuses living on the outskirts of the city. Those people weren't as fortunate enough like Blake to find well paying jobs, aside from her work as the wanted criminal. These faunuses were the ones who were forced to work in the company, as labor forces. The more that she thinks about it, the more scarier the reality is; she was being too optimistic with the idea of helping others.

These past few days were hectic. In just that short amount of time, she met a lot of people, almost got shot by Ruby, committed a crime that could imprison her for life, get bodied by Yang and get shot in the same day. And now, she's being integrated to a secret cabal of criminals all to help a friend who may or may not have feelings for her. "Who am I kidding, this is just a fantasy for me, I shouldn't even be here. . ." Weiss began to doubt herself, pacing around the foyer. Despite all of the bravado she shown Blake and the rest, she can't help but feel powerless from time to time. Especially now she got hurt. What if this time, she gets killed? All she had was being lucky that there was someone to help her, or being in the right place at the right time. Being alone with her thoughts does wonders to her overthinking mind.

While she was musing, she heard a door open at the opposite corridor of the one Raven entered. Weiss turned to it and saw a cloak disappearing further into the dark blue hallway. Weiss listened for Raven, wondering if she's coming back already. Deciding that a little peek wouldn't hurt, she sauntered to the dark blue corridor, leading to large hallway with massive paintings. Despite the whole room dim because of the curtain covered windows, it was bright enough for her to see that details of the oil paintings.

"Hey, you're the new one right?" A voice suddenly said from behind Weiss, causing her to shriek in surprise.

"Geez, you scared me!" Weiss squeaked, her hand pressed on her chest, calming her beating heart. Weiss tried to sound upset, but was more worried that Raven heard her scream. But was put in ease by the hooded stranger.

"You don't have to worry about Raven hearing you. This mansion is larger than it seems." a woman's voice came from the hood, but the dimness of the room was obscuring their face with the shadow of their hood. Even whatever clothing the stranger wore was covered by their red cloak. 'At least she's much nicer than Raven. . .' Weiss thought to herself, calming herself. She turned to the paintings once more to see six portraits, with a small table placed underneath them, with a few trinkets and vases with roses. Three of the paintings were covered by a white sheet of cloth, and the other three showed a colored silhouette, each holding a weapon. The third from the left bear an uncanny resemblance to Raven, the black and red dress was a clear sign. The new thing that she saw in the painting was Raven's weapon of choice, which was a long red katana, with a strange looking scabbard. Engraved on the frame were the words "The Third". On the small desk under the painting were a single vase with a red rose, thorns left unclipped and a single raven feather. Weiss looked over to the painting next to it, which had the description of "The Fourth". Underneath the oil painting, was the same desk with a single porcelain snowflake ornament, with a vase full of white roses, held together by a red ribbon. Weiss looked up at the silhouette, which held a pose similar to a fencer's stance. There were other things that looked similar, especially with the outfit. The silhouette wore a white cavalier hat, with a white feather plume that gradients to red at the end, fastened by the same rose pin she had. The white corset vest, black blouse and muted red ankle-length tailcoat with white lace trimmings gave the impression of a snow angel, if it weren't for the two blades held by the dark haired silhouette. The long basket-hilted rapier held by their right hand and a shorter parrying dagger held by their left, the silver scabbards held in place on their hips with black leather belts. The only other difference between their outfits was the color palette and the one in the painting wore white leather pants with thigh high combat boots. And the two white feathers fastened on the coat's right breast pocket. Just as she was about to look into the other painting, Weiss' perceptive eyes caught sight of a smaller oval shaped painting hiding behind the vase. When she took a peek, all she saw was a mark, a small gear inside a large gear, almost like clockwork and covered by a wing. The stranger took note of her curiosity and helped her out, "The smaller paintings were their partners, as I'm sure you could guess, the large ones are the Red Rose Thieves that came before you. Including little ol' Raven."

"I see, thank you, Ms. . ." Weiss words wondered off, waiting for the hooded woman to say something, but the woman shook her head and grabbed on to Weiss' hand and dragged her lightly back outside of the room, "Hey wait! I still haven't seen the other paintings!" Weiss protested, before the woman shushed her and gently pushed her outside the door.

Before pulling the doors closed, she whispered to Weiss, "All in due time, I'm really sorry to cut this short but Raven will come back in any second now and we both don't want to get on her bad side," the woman tilted her head slightly, the hood being offset slightly on their head, just enough to see the woman's smile, sending chills down Weiss' spine for some unknown reason, an unnerving sense of something. Before Weiss could figure out what it was the woman continued on, "Just make sure not to mention that I showed you any of this and we never met, okay? It was nice meeting you, Snow Angel Weiss Schnee." the woman chuckled before softly closing the door, making Weiss wonder how in the world did the woman knew her name. 'And what was with that nickname, Snow Angel? Especially with the way she emphasized that word. . .'

Before Weiss could continue with her musings, Raven came back from the other room and paced up to her, almost catching her off guard. "Hey, what are you doing there?" Raven accused her, almost scaring Weiss half to death, as Raven walked pass her and check on the doors that led to the room Weiss was in. Raven tested the door handles, gave them a rough twist to see if they'd budge. But Weiss almost sighed loudly when they both heard the telltale sign of the locks from the doors. Raven's face was also immediately calmer, but still demanded answers, which Weiss was happy to provide.

"I was just pacing around, it's been a rough couple of days and I'm beginning to think that I may have bitten more than I could chew." admitted Weiss without holding back. Raven was almost impressed, giving a curt nod and walked back towards her.

"I know what you mean. I've been in your shoes as well, but I need you to understand that this isn't just some dumb plot against a corporate. The rest of us have spent a lot of years trying to fight back and help the ones oppressed by your father's crimes," Weiss winced from the blunt truth, "And the reason why I brought you here, is to test your resolve and loyalty to the cause. I want to know why you chose to be here." added by Raven, putting Weiss at ease. But it still left a lot of questions for Weiss, what made Raven join this group, who the hooded stranger was and if she should mention it, and last of all, what is her true desire being a Red Rose Thief. Giving Weiss more than enough time for her words to sink in, she guided her once more to follow her into the dining room. But what Weiss didn't expect was that they weren't staying at the dining room at all. The wooden mahogany table was decorated with silverware, ranging from chalices to the spoons and forks. The red table runner had rose petal prints on them, as if they were glowing thanks to its reflective threads and the light given by the special candles made of tiny fire dust crystals held in place by gold candle holders. There wasn't anything out of place in the large dining hall, except for maybe the lack of sunlight, as all the windows were covered by the same curtains she saw on the other room. As they reached the end of the room, Raven held the door open for Weiss as they made their way to a smaller room with two doors on two ends. On one of those doors, she could hear a man and a woman quarreling, their voices peaking and echoing from the room. Raven groaned in frustration, her palm raised to her face for a moment before brushing up her hair out of her face. "I swear, leave those two for a few minutes and they're already at each other's throats. . ."

Weiss was about to stifle an embarrassed laugh, before realizing those two voices sounded familiar, especially the woman's voice.

A loud thump of a book hitting a wall echoed, "I swear for the last time, I'll rip your tongue off, you drunkard!" the woman's cold voice, a gut wrenching feeling in the pit of Weiss' stomach, with each passing second the voice being more familiar as a rush of memories surface from her mind.

"Oh don't bother, Snowbird, the only reason why I'm being like this is because I missed you." the slurred voice of the man made Weiss recall the time when she first encountered Ruby's uncle.

"Well, time for you to meet the rest of the team, Weiss." Raven said, holding the door handle, readying to pull open the door, "Meet the Rose Bouquet." and Raven pulled the door open, revealing the two arguing people in the study room, their mouths pressed with each other, their arms wrapped around their necks and pressed close. Weiss wanted to rip her eyes out right at that moment. This wasn't happening.

The man was Qrow, the mentioned detective uncle of Ruby, who wore the same outfit she saw him that fateful night. The woman whom Qrow was kissing was one of the only people in the world whom she held the greatest respects and idolized. But that image would forever be tarnished as to what she saw. The white Atlesian coat given to all detectives there were rumpled, but still kept it's pristine look. The white collared undershirt had a few buttons unbuttoned, the necktie covered by the red brooch was loose. The dark blue pants with a matching pair of boots were clean and Weiss thanked the gods above, that it wasn't wrinkled. The woman's slanted blue eyes was wide in surprise from the sudden opening of the door, pushing off Qrow, whom was chuckling in amusement. The embarrassed woman did her best to fix her hair in a pony tail, after deciding not to do her alabaster hair in a bun and placed her hands behind her back, assuming her most comfortable position confront the shame.

The blushing woman cleared her throat and leveled her gaze to red faced Weiss, "It's pleasant to see you again, sister." greeted by Winter, while Qrow struggled not to laugh hard, earning a harsh glare from the elder Schnee. Raven groaned once more, rubbing her temples with her thumbs, murmuring something along the lines of killing her brother and Winter for the embarrassing things they did. Weiss was vexed, as she thought that her sister, whom was very strict and doesn't take nonsense from anyone would date an uncouth scoundrel. But then again, there were plenty of things she never knew. 'But for now, might as well try to get a concussion and forget that image.' The last sound she heard before succumbing to the pleasant sleep was Winter screaming bloody murder at her, as Raven caught her.

". . . What do you think Father would say if he found out you're dating him?" asked Weiss to her sister, as she lie on the soft sofa in the study after she came to from her blackout that lasted around a few minutes after what she saw. Her sister let out a soft chuckle, teasingly flicked her finger on Weiss' forehead. Weiss rubbed the sore spot with her thumb and pouted at her sister.

Winter glared and shook her head, "You shouldn't pout like a child, Weiss, you're an adult now, don't make faces."

Weiss smirked, "Says the woman who was yelling like a child before kissing someone she supposedly hates like a kindergartner." she countered.

"Touché," Winter replied, "but, don't think you're off the hook yet, Weiss." Winter frowned, crossing her arms before finishing, "I'm sure you have questions as well. But, as much as I'd like to give them all, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for what Queen has to say to you. Do you think you're ready to stand up?"

"Just let me know one thing, Winter," questioned with faltered resolve, afraid of Winter would entertain her, Weiss mentally prepared for the rejection. But once she got the reassuring smile and nod from her dear sister, Weiss continued, "You were the Red Rose Thief before, am I right?"

"Yes, Weiss. I was a Red Rose Thief for quite a long time," Winter admitted, as Weiss looked directly at her eyes to see any lies and found none. "And there's a lot more you should know now that you've been invited to be one."

Blake spent her whole afternoon trying to find any semblance of clue as to who attacked them during the heist. Seeing as the police still haven't finished the investigations with Junior's, she only got a chance to look around where the sniper was, the apartment where Pyrrha was stationed last night. While it would be suspicious to randomly enter an apartment building and run up to the rooftop, she used her skills to get to her destination by jumping from one rooftop to another. Living a rough life, Blake was glad she learned parkour at such an early age. Back when she was a member of the Wh-

'Midnight, there's something you should know.' the voice of Ilia brought back Blake to focus, placing her finger closer to the small earpiece to hear her clearer, 'I went down to Red's place and seems like the Rose Bouquet had beaten me first. Y'know what that means right?'

"Yeah, she'll finally be brought up to speed, meaning we don't have to hide much of the information to her now." Blake replied, eyeing the rooftop but saw nothing useful, not even a strand of hair that she can use to track Weiss' assailant down.

'Don't you think that we should tell her the other thing as well? She's bound to find out eventually since she wants to find out what happened with Ruby's mom. . .' Ilia trailed off.

"No." Blake's voice raised, "She doesn't need to learn that part, but let me handle that part and you do yours, is that clear?" Blake chastised, making her point clear.

'Understood, I won't judge your decisions.'

Blake sighed, and said nothing more. Deciding that her investigation was useless, she gave up with another sigh and decided to climb down the emergency exit ladder. Before she took her steps, she noticed that there were a layer of dirt and dust on the ladder steps, but there were also marks that there were lighter layers, as if someone used it to climb down. Blake carefully followed down the steps, placing her hands and feet on where it was cleaner than what the steps should be. Halfway down, Blake turned her head around and from where she was, she saw a couple of Junior's men walking in the alleyways, heading for away from the club. Finding it suspicious, she hurriedly climb down and followed the two men by hiding in the shadows cast by the taller buildings. Ducking in between the large trash bins, she saw a large warehouse conveniently placed in between various buildings where the rest of Junior's thugs patrolled the area. This made her think back on the file Weiss managed to get from the heist, but what is important with this warehouse that thugs are used to guard the place. Blake took a few photos and made her way back away from the warehouse and onto the streets before she gets caught. 'At least now, I have a lead to figure out this whole mess. . .' Blake thought to herself as she blended with the rest of the crowd, going on through their day.

"Weiss Schnee, I'd like to welcome you, again, to the Rose Bouquet, the group compromised by the inner members of the Red Rose Thief heists. Before anything else, I'd like to introduce what we name ourselves in the group." Raven said, before Weiss raised her hand for a question.

"Is this about the nicknames? May I know why we do that?"

"It's easy, kid. The nicknames are used so we can distinguish ourselves from each other's way of going about things, and as well as a way to protect ourselves just in case people are listening during heists." Qrow answered, taking a drink from his hip flask.

"My brother is right, it's tradition." Raven added, before pointing to herself, "You may call me as Queen, the one who provides orders for everyone around here. Which includes your friend, Midnight."

"I am known as Snowbird. And may partner for my heists is. . ." Winter paused for moment, gesturing to Qrow, who looked as if he was caught with his hand in a cookie jar, holding his flask in midair and almost choked the dark orange liquid that filled it, "Qrow Branwen, who goes by the code name, Harbinger." Qrow gave Weiss a lousy salute, as he went back to drink.

"As I'm sure your partner has told you, we are committed in taking down the CEO of Schnee Dust Corporation, your father, Jacques Schnee. We want to reveal the horrible things he's done and make him pay for his crimes." Raven said, her hand forming a fist for emphasis, "And we'll do anything in our power to make that a reality."

"But, before we go any further, Weiss, tell us, what made you choose to be the Red Rose Thief?" asked by Winter, her voice had the faintest hint of worry.

"Well. . . At first, it wasn't something I chose to do. It was just a few days ago when I received the clothes you sent me," Weiss explained, pausing briefly to remember what happened for the past few days, "Ruby and I were with our friends for a birthday celebration and when I was trying out the clothes, the alarm from the bank rang out and I immediately rushed to see if Ruby was alright. That's where I found out about Blake being the Red Rose Thief."

"And then you rescued Ruby by pretending that you're the thief to fool the attackers. But, you didn't know about my niece's hatred for her." Raven finished, "We know all about it since I was the one who sent you those clothes. I made your sister sign them." Raven admitted, looking at the other two adults. Qrow shrugged his shoulders, focusing fully on his drink as Winter sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I couldn't believe you managed to convince me to let you do that. She's my sister after all and I wasn't going to allow her to be in danger."

"Sorry Winter. Orders are orders. All for the success of our mission. I'm sure you haven't forgotten what we do here."

"Of course not, that's why we're here." Winter looked at Weiss, as if waiting for an answer.

"Why are all looking at me like that?" Weiss questioned the three conspirators, getting a bit pissed off as if she's being judged by their eyes. Qrow put down his drink and placed his hands in his pockets. Raven smirked at her viciously, approaching the younger woman with the same aura as before. Winter on the other hand, had an aura that Weiss can't explain, but all she felt was that as if Winter was waiting for something, her eyes were focused on Raven and her.

"Because your answer will tell us if you wish to continue to be the Red Rose Thief," Raven said as if it's a matter of fact, "And if you wish you won't, you don't have to worry about spilling any secrets, or else, I know where you live, Schnee." Raven let the threat roll off the tip of her tongue, Weiss noticed that Winter was a bit agitated but said nothing else.

That's when Qrow stepped in before the situation escalated further. Despite the two being teammates, Winter's relationship with Weiss could mean a big fight between them because of Raven's approach to things. "Look kid, I just want to know one thing straight, I know you care about my niece very very much, so please, let us know what you really want."

'What I really want?' those words echoed in Weiss' head, pieces of memories flashing by until she remembered what scared her in the first place. "I've known Ruby for such a long time," Weiss starter, gathering the attention of the three thieves, "It's thanks to her, I've changed for the better. I used to be a terrible person, a loner who pushed everyone away just because they weren't like me; a Schnee. And she made me better. So when I saw her eyes, the hatred that filled those silver eyes. . . All I saw was pain, the pain that was caused by the Red Rose Thief that led to the death of her mom. . . So like I said to Blake, I wanted to be a detective because I want to help people, I believe the truth should always matter, and if this is the only way I can get close to the truth, then so be it. I accept being the Red Rose Thief, and the danger it comes with so I can put Ruby's demons to rest and stop whoever wanted me dead before they could harm any of my other friends." declared Weiss with a resolve she never knew she held. Raven gave her a scrutinizing gaze, before letting out a small laugh and an applause.

"Very well, I admire your resolve, hey Winter, your sister is really just like you. So drop that huge glare at me and let's get to business." Raven casually teased, walking away to the door. But before she left, Raven looked back, her hand on the door knob, "But before we could fully welcome you, there's one task you need to do. My brother and Winter will brief you on that. Good luck to you." she ended as she left the room with a quiet sound of the door closing.

"That's Raven for ya. Always letting others take the fall for her." Qrow commented, before tossing Weiss a folder. The folder was the same one she got from Junior's last night, "Thanks to that, we found out that the Schnee Dust Corp are hiring thugs from Hei Xiong, but like we found out, the moment they were hired, they were immediately fired but never returned to their old employer. We want you to find out why. And it has to be today." Qrow explained, "I have a few reasons to believe that this has to do with the man named Roman Torchwick, you need to get this information out of Xiong."

"You'll have to go back to Hei Xiong to interrogate him, but it'll be completely up to you." Winter chimed in, "Would you rather approach Mr. Xiong as yourself, Weiss Schnee, a budding young detective, or as the Red Rose Thief. Keep in mind that the reputation of those two identities aren't the same. But fret not, we'll make sure that you won't get into trouble. I'll personally make it so." Winter added, glaring at Qrow for approval, who only gave her a nod.

"Wait, who's Roman Torchwick?" Weiss interrupted before the two kept going without her knowing any useful info.

"He's a well known entrepreneur of some sorts here in Beacon. In reality, he's a crime lord who runs scams on businesses like dust shops and book stores. One of the biggest businesses he owns is 'Torch-Quick Energy Drinks', that may or may not be deadly to your health," Winter explained before glaring at Qrow once again. "Something someone should worry about."

"But what does this have to do with him?"

"Our father had business ties with Torchwick before and I fear that they are conspiring with one another. That's what you'll find out. Now let's go and prepare together." Winter said walking off before being stopped by Weiss.

"No need, I think I want to prove myself on my own." Weiss said, Winter looking at her curiously with one brow raised. Weiss took this as a sign to explain, "If I'm going to do this, there won't always be help around, I need to learn on how to depend on myself. You're the one who taught me that." Weiss smiled.

"Are you sure about this Weiss? You don't understand that when you get caught, you'll end up in jail and when our enemies find out your identity, who know what they'll do. . ." Winter asked worriedly, despite her posture not showing it. Qrow approached his partner and placed his hand on her shoulder for support.

Weiss nodded, "You have my word sister. I promise you that I'll stay safe. And if it helps, I'll make sure to ask for training." she reassured to her worried sister, which did the trick. Winter uncharacteristically hugged her. Weiss was surprised at first but returned the hug as well, "I really missed you, Winter. . ." Weiss hugged her even tighter.

Winter sighed, "It's really been a long time Weiss. I'm sorry I haven't contacted you for a while. Work has been hectic back in Atlas. I hope you understand." Winter explained as she straightened herself, releasing Weiss from the hug.

"I understand. Don't worry." Weiss waved off her sister, not wanting to make her think she's offended or sad.

"Sorry to cut this short, sister. I'll need to talk to Raven about something regarding the Red Rose Thief escapades. We'll talk once it's all done, alright?" Winter asked and got a nod from the younger Schnee, "Wonderful. I shall see you back in your manor." She bid goodbye with a smile before leaving the two alone.

"Alright, c'mon, let me take you back to your place so you can plan your mission." Qrow suddenly said, as he lazily reached to the other door to guide Weiss out of the mansion and back to the city. As they made their way out into the small slice of paradise and back to the dilapidated train station, Weiss followed the man closely without making any fuss unlike when she was with Raven. As they were nearing the edge of the faunus houses, Qrow suddenly turned to her, almost bumping into her before she managed to stop herself. The shadow casted by the setting sun over the lean body of the man covered Weiss, making Qrow's red eyes seem to glow, "Y'know, I think I might actually like you. For being there for Ruby. So let me let you in a little secret, but you should tread carefully if you're going to keep working with us." Qrow's voice became gravely, the warning he said made Weiss listen to him completely, "This isn't just about taking down the SDC. You were on the right track, the whole Red Rose Thief is to reveal the truth of what happened to Summer Rose. Raven doesn't fully trust you and your sister doesn't want you to know the whole reason why she's even a part of this." he confided.

". . . But why are you telling me this?" Weiss pleaded for an answer, her head hurting from the overload of information she was given within the day. And the day was still far from over.

"Because Ruby trusts you. And that's the only thing that keeps me from going."

Qrow's words stuck to Weiss, Ruby trusts her, but what did that mean? First, her sister is involved with the Branwen's plans of fighting against the SDC. Was there something even more deeper than what they all said to her? Now that she had a few minutes to think, Ruby told her that Summer was hired to investigate the Red Rose Thief crimes and after she died, Raven, Qrow and her own sister become thieves to take down SDC. It didn't make any sense, unless if she was thinking correctly, Schnee Dust Company had something to do with Summer Rose's death. 'Could it be because while investigating, she stumbled across something so terrible, she had to be silenced?' Weiss tried piecing the puzzle, but came up nothing but a theory. She could continue doing it but then, morning will come up soon and she still has to do one more thing before tucking in for the night. Deciding that it would be best to enter from the same rooftop where she got shot, she carefully climbed up the rusty ladder Sun must've used to get to them last night. It was a windy night, her wig waving in rhythm with the chilly breeze, her hand holding on to the tip of her hat to keep it from blowing away as the tails of her coat flap gently. This time, she doesn't have any help from Blake or her team. She's all alone and it's risky. That's why she decided not to ask Junior as herself, she could use her alter ego to intimidate the man, or at least try to.

Perched up on the ledge near Junior's window, Weiss could practically hear the man talking on his phone. Probably complaining about the heist and about his men. Weiss also remembered that she has to thank Qrow for making sure the investigation ends tonight so Weiss could do her work easier. Taking a deep breath, she carefully took a peek down from the window to see if Junior would see her. She found the man staring at the fixed window in his office, looking over to the busy dance floor below, impressive that despite the chaos the night before, it looked as if it was just a normal day for the bar. Convinced that she won't get caught, Weiss climbed down from the ledge and landing on the railing, careful not to slip and fall. Lucky that her heels didn't make any sounds on the metal, Weiss unsheathed her blade and pointed it towards Junior's back, "Good evening, Mr. Xiong, please don't make any sudden movements as there's a blade currently pointed at you." Weiss warned, expecting him to suddenly lash out again.

Junior just calmly turned around with his arms raised, any hint of anger or aggression from his face. But rather, it was filled with sadness. This almost made Weiss drop her guard. His hand still holding on the closed flip phone, "You caught me on a bad time, y'know. So, what else can I do for ya, I thought you had everything you came here for?"

Seeing that Junior was going to be cooperative, Weiss eased up on her intimidation and lowered her rapier a little bit, "You're right, but I'm simply here for a few questions. I'm sure you've heard of the man named Roman Torchwick?"

"Are you kidding me? Which business owner wouldn't know anything about that guy, especially ones that has ties with illegal things." Junior scoffed, walking over to his desk to take a seat as Weiss carefully observed him to see if he'll do something. Junior picked up a glass of whiskey and drank it all before pouring himself a fresh one and offered it to Weiss. Weiss politely shook her head.

"That's why I'm here; tell me what you know about him. I've seen the file, you've been in contact with him. For what, is what I'd like to know." Weiss stressed as she persuaded Junior into talking. To which, he didn't made it hard for Weiss to do.

"I'm more than willing to tell ya anything I know, seeing as I'll be out of business soon no thanks to you. Maybe through this, I can take down that bastard with me and get rid of his 'empire'." Junior grumbled, taking the glass he filled for Weiss and drank it, "Y'know, ever since I was released from prison, I really tried going straight, no more illegal stuff for me. Sergeant Xiao Long checks up on me regularly to make sure of it, even though she causes troubles a couple of times, I'm really glad." Junior recollected, staring at his empty glass of whiskey, "But I haven't been able to go completely clean because of my connection with Torchwick. At least he let me keep my business. But after the whole attack was known, he decided to pull the plug and after tonight, he'll take over and kick me and the twins out. I treated those two as my daughters and they live with me, trying to make a living by working in the bar."

"Why were you forced to keep doing his dirty work if you wanted to be a legitimate business owner?" Weiss blurted out the question in her head, before putting two in two together, as she hesitated to answer her own question, "He'll do something about you and the twins. . ."

"The man has plenty of information that he can use against anyone who decides to mess with him, that includes me since the twins aren't legally mine, but I swear that all I want is to take care of them as my own. Ever since the news that you'd attack, I made sure that the girls would be far away from trouble." the frantic man explained, downing glass after glass of whiskey, "He'd hire men from me since they were expendable, a nobody so the police wouldn't question anything. He made me sign the file as if they were from the SDC, but it was just a scam."

"Wait so, the SDC isn't involved with Roman Torchwick?" Weiss pleaded for an answer but Junior shook his head.

"Not really sure, all I know the papers were marked with SDC, all the men he hired thought they were going to a much better place." after that, Weiss thoughts were only filled with 'Why?' as it didn't make any sense for Torchwick to trick thugs by handing them SDC hiring papers? What would he gain from it? And was her father truly innocent? Her heart felt faltering but the truth would always reveal itself. That's when Weiss decided that she had enough information and tipped her hat to the man.

"Thanks for everything, Junior. I'm sorry that it has come to this but one thing I can assure you is that, justice will be served." Weiss promised, walking back out of the fire exit and stood on top of the railing, pulling out her grappling hook immediately. Before she could fire it, she sensed Junior rushing to her.

"Wait, there's something else!" Weiss listened closely, as several black cars drove pass the bar.

Despite being the main producer and distributor of dust, the Schnee Dust Company wasn't the only one who sold them around the city. Several aspiring business men tried their hand with Dust Technology, most of them being successful. One such little shop can be found deep in Beacon's downtown area, providing the basic forms of dust for everyday use as well as one of the only shops selling it on a fair price. The old man running the shop was very well respected by his customers. He makes his round around his shop, preparing to close for the night, waiting for the young woman to finish up with her shopping at the very back, listening to music with her headphones. She was a frequent customer after all, always needing fire dust crystals for some reason, so she lets her take her time. Suddenly, three black cars stopped in front of his shop, scaring the passersby away. A group of thugs, wearing black suits and red ties walked out of the doors, each carrying a gun and a machete, intimidating anyone who would try to stop them. They observed the streets, gazing carefully with their eyes. Once they were sure no one else was around, they gave each other a nod and knocked on of the car windows. After a brief pause, the door opened, revealing a young looking man, wearing a clean white jacket, and dress pants. His neat leather shoes shining under the moonlight as he stepped out of the car. His ginger hair styled to cover his right eye, wearing a mascara on his left eye. He hooked his grey steel cane on his arm, adjust his grey ascot and tipping his black bowler hat. He took a deep breath, smiling brightly as he walked inside the shop.

"Why hello again, Mr. Keepe! I'm sure you know what I'm here for, right?" The man greeted to the shop owner, who immediately shook his head and showing his empty cash register. The man smirked before shaking his head, "Now this won't really do. . . Y'know the rules, if you can't make payment then compensation must be made for our services. Unless of course, you can't think of any other way other than to sell us your shop?" The man smirked, threatening the poor shop owner into submission, he can't afford to pay the steep price for the security they provide, especially after several robbers attacked his shop one night. He resigned to his faith, and offered his wares as payment instead. Because of the deal he made, there's no way he could back out or else, he'll lose his business The man pulled out a cigar and lit it, gesturing for his thugs to come in with several briefcases. The thugs opened their cases and waited for their boss' instructions, "Just grab the dust." and smoked his cigar, blowing the smoke towards the old shop owner.

The smart dressed thugs rushed to take as many dust as they can, filling their canisters full to the brim. Opening the glass cases and stuffing their briefcases with all kinds of dust crystals, leaving the shop almost barren. One lone thug walked towards the back and saw a young woman bobbing her head in tune with what music she's listening to, looking at each selection of fire dust crystals. The thug took out his machete and walked over to the woman, "Alright girlie, put your hands where I can see them!" he ordered, pointing his machete at her direction. The woman didn't react in anyway, whispering a few of the lyrics from her song. The thug groaned in frustration and stomped towards her. He tapped the woman on the shoulder, her baggy red hoodie hiding the wires of her headphones. The woman turned around, silver eyes looking confused as she removed her headphones. He orders her again, "I said, put your hands in the air, now!"

The woman tilted her head, her red streaked hair covering one of her eyes, "Are you. . . Robbing me?" she asked, looking confused.

No idea on what to say, and technically, they are robbing the place, so he might as well take advantage and get some extra cash from the defenseless woman and answered "Yes."

"Ohh." was her reply, her mouth forming into a smile. He raises his machete to her neck, ready for her to surrender. Ruby quickly swatted his arm away, making sure to break his wrist, dropping his weapon. Before he could shout in pain, Ruby jab her palm to his throat, preventing him from yelling and sweeping the man's legs with her own, knocking him down on the ground, unconscious. Ruby calmly picked up the discarded weapon and moved it away from the body, sliding it underneath the shelves. Ruby pulled out her gun from her hoodie, a holster hidden right underneath the baggy clothing. She checked if she had enough bullets and another thug comes around the corner and sees her. The thug looked between Ruby and his unconscious friend and alerts the others.

Ruby ducks once more, rushing towards the poor man, punched him right in the gut as he kneels over from the sudden lack of air. Ruby took her heavy gun and slammed the butt of the silver weapon, knocking another guy unconscious. The orange haired man hears the warning and runs out of the shop and hides in the car, afraid that someone has seen his attack. He made sure that only those who submit to his demands can know about his crimes, as he was a beloved man by other people. Climbing onto the driver's seat, he sped away from the scene of the crime, his car flying in the air from the speed of his driving.

The rest of the thugs converge on Ruby's location, bringing out their weapons, ready to attack. They were surprised when a young woman with a red hoodie and jeans jumped up in the air and drop kicked one of them out of the window, before firing a warning shot in the air, "Put your hands in the air and surrender, in a matter of minutes, cops will be here. Make your move pals." Ruby shouted, glancing her look over to the scared shop owner, giving him a small nod. The man rushed to try and take away the thugs' weapons.

One of the thugs resisted and took the man hostage, holding the blade against his throat, "No way, either you drop your weapon or this old geezer gets it!" The thug threatened, smirking assured that his victory was won. Ruby kept her gun trained on him, her eyes not blinking. The thug felt a sudden chill run up his spine. But before he could say anything else, Ruby pulled the trigger, aiming for the edge of the man's thigh, grazing him as he drops his hold on his hostage and reels in the ground in pain.

"If any of you have any more funny ideas, please be my guest." Ruby warned, her eyes shining like the silver gun in her hands, promising hurt and pain to the thugs. The men surrendered and lay face down, hands behind their head. Ruby helped the shop owner tie the thugs up to make sure they won't escape, as well as phoning for an ambulance as well. Ruby holstered her gun and calmed down the shop owner, not noticing the pair of shocked blue eyes who watched everything that happened from across the street, standing over the ledge. She was glad that Ruby was fine and that she didn't need to step in and put her identity at risk, but it gave her a scare to see how Ruby would act on taking down criminals. She learned with her after all, but being Ruby's most hated criminal in the world, it would probably even more worse if she had to fight Ruby one on one. Weiss fled the scene as fast as she can, jumping from one roof to the other and took off into the night.

Ruby sat down in the interrogation room, sighing sadly as she would be in trouble once again. As much as she can say that she ended up taking down robbers, she was still a student studying to be a detective, therefore, it was technically illegal. As well as dangerous. 'Oh man, Yang's gonna kill me for this. . .' She thought, shuffling in her seat as her teacher, Ms. Goodwitch walked in and slammed a folder on the table, scaring her.

"I hope you realize your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady." Goodwitch scolded her, pacing behind her chair, "You put yourself and others in grave danger."

"They started it!" Ruby defended, raising her voice, Glynda raising her eyebrow at her. Ruby gulped and lowered her face, realizing her mistake.

"If it were up to me, I'd have you sent home with a pat on the back," she paused, raising Ruby's expectations, before slamming another folder on the table, making Ruby jump away on her seat, "and have you expelled for breaking the laws you're learning at the academy." when Ruby heard those words, her heart sank, feeling the weight of the situation she put herself into, and realizing that she may never reach her dream and bring the Red Rose Thief to justice. But Glynda sighed, continuing what she going to say, "But, there's someone here who would like to meet you." she finished and walked to open the door, revealing Ruby's mysterious guest.

Standing at the door way, a middle-aged man with a messy silver hair, walked in with a sense of warm comfort. His brown eyes looks at Ruby warmly, giving her a small smile, his black suit, clean and straight, covering his green vest and shirt. An assortment of medals decorated on his left breast-pocket as he placed leaned his cane on the table and offered Ruby a plate of cookies, "Ruby Rose. My name is Captain Ozpin and would you like a cookie?"

I think I may have gone a little loosey-goosey on this chapter but I think I still managed to show the important deets here. But I would love to hear your reviews and suggestions so I can do better on the future chapters. Anyways, hope you enjoy! Queen Fayne out!