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  Editor and Beta Reader: LoneStar, SurvivorSAM, Reiter

  Sunday 6th of August

  162nd Precinct

  “What have you found out, Detective?”

  Detective Munier stifled a yawn and took a deep gulp from his cup of coffee before gazing at the blonde woman. Glynda Goodwitch had just entered the room and was staring through the one-way window at where the woman he had just interrogated was slouched in her seat. The aftereffects of his sembnce were not comfortable, mentally draining in fact, especially when he had no reason to be gentle in dragging the truth from Nancy Green’s unwilling lips, forcing her to confess in front of the camera.

  Some might accuse his sembnce as a form of mind control or hypnosis; others would cim it’s more akin to mind reading. Cherif would chuckle as the rest of the force debated the matter every now and then, especially when the truth was much simpler. His sembnce, Chatterbox, caused his target to immediately blurt out whatever they were thinking. Through smart manipution, Cherif tricked Nancy Green into first thinking about his questions, and then he would activate his sembnce, causing her to blurt out the truth. By pcing a mark on her skin, he could cause her to blurt out anything she was thinking of, regardless of distance, until Cherif marked another person.

  Granted, there were ways to circumvent his sembnce, such as knowing beforehand and spewing bullshit instead of the truth, yet there in came his own specialty; detecting lies.

  Cherif had learned how to tell when someone was lying, for everyone had a tell, no matter how minute. Some might think his ability to call bullshit on anyone part of his sembnce, yet it was something he developed through decades of dealing with lowlifes.

  Through that ability, he had learned plenty of things about the human mind and people's mannerisms. He did not need to have a major in psychology to manipute someone to think differently, forget what they intended to do, provoke them into talking, or gaslight them… It all came naturally to him at this point, yet it required a lot of focus. Such techniques took a great toll on him, especially considering how long his day had already been.

  Yet, it gave plenty of results.

  “Nancy Maxwell Green; age 53, height 5’2’’, dyes her blonde hair green, unmarried yet has an estranged daughter living in Vacuo. The damned woman started this whole debacle due to some kind of feud with the Schnee girl.” Cherif then proceeded to enlighten the woman about the reason this entire mess started.

  “I see,” Glynda Goodwitch adjusted her eyegsses before gring at the woman through her gss. “Weiss Schnee shall not be prosecuted for her actions.”

  Cherif stared at the woman; he had already known about the Schnee girl’s true identity earlier but… “Are you giving her preferential treatment due to her father?”

  “On the contrary, from what I have discovered, the girl had run away from home and her father is tearing Ats apart in search of her.” The woman's emerald eyes gleamed as she gazed ahead, “Considering her talent and disposition, it would be a true shame to return her to her father, against her will no less, when she desires to put her talents to good use.”

  “What about her actions in instigating this whole mess?”

  “What mess are you talking about, Detective Munier?” The young vixen turned to him with a completely bnk face. “I do not recall any compints or statements given to the police regarding assaults or sabotage by Weiss Schnee.”

  Cherif smirked before stifling an incoming yawn; if that's how she wanted to py it, he wouldn't comment - especially after what he learned from that bitch. “To tell you the truth, I did not receive any such reports either, and there was no surveilnce footage of that particur alley. Ms Schnee’s statement also corroborated with most of what I learned from Green. I had already told my partner that she was free to go, but I don't know if she has left or not.”

  “I have a feeling she will decide to wait for her friend.” Glynda continued to gaze at their prisoner for a moment longer, where Cherif took the chance to shoot a text to Raya on Weiss Schnee's location. He received a reply a minute ter, just as Glynda turned to him. “Was there anything else of import that you discovered from the woman?”

  “Enough to have her executed by the end of the week, or imprisoned for the rest of her wretched life, depending on the judge; Yet it’s what I could not find out that is concerning.” Munier drank from the dark coffee, dearly wishing he had a nice cup of tea instead. “I got a list of names and crimes: her victims, customers, associates, subordinates, properties, even her favorite food and color. Bckmail, coercion, racketeering, theft, destruction of public and private property, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, rape, rape of minors, rape of animals, and the list goes on. Some of the victims have been missing for some time; most likely dead or worse.”

  “Worse?”

  “… Ever heard of manhunts?”

  The young huntress’ green eyes narrowed as her jaws clenched, and she folded her arms. “Are you talking about that case a decade or two ago where certain elements of high society were discovered to have organized events of hunting men and women for sport?”

  “Sometimes they would even throw them in fighting pits, like the gdiators of old.” Cherif drained the st of his coffee before crushing the cup, “They would put their victims, most of them auraless people, into free-for-all death matches. The winner would supposedly gain freedom.”

  “Supposedly?”

  “Well, it wouldn’t do for one of the victims to go tattle to the authorities now, would it?”

  Glynda Goodwitch gripped her folded arms tightly as she gred murderously at the green-haired woman shackled in the interrogation room. “You seem to know a lot about it, Detective.”

  “I’ve been around for a long time,” Cherif grabbed a stack of papers from the printer. “This is a copy of the list but don’t be hopeful with the customers; they are most likely fake names and few of them appear without a disguise. It's all I could manage to extract from her in such a short time frame. If I had more time with her, however…”

  The stoic woman accepted the extensive list he compiled and nodded, “I will have my huntsmen look into it and colborate with you as much as possible. I have a certain student in mind who could prove useful to you thanks to his sembnce. I will ask him if he is interested in helping, and we can set it up as an internship; he could use some experienced help in the art of interrogation.”

  “That would be lovely. I will take all the help I can get. This old dog still has plenty of tricks to teach to the young whippersnappers.”

  “Good, if you need any further aid, don’t hesitate to ask. If someone higher on the chain causes trouble, notify me at once. I will handle them, but this will be your case, and I expect you to gather a team of talented and trustworthy individuals from the force to help. You are also allowed to recruit from outside the force if you truly need to. Either way, you have my–Beacon’s–full support.”

  Cherif raised an impressed eyebrow, “Not that I am compining, for your help is greatly appreciated, but that seems mighty generous. Ozpin has maintained a hands-off approach for many years. What changed?”

  “Following the events of the past few weeks, it has been decided that change was in order; this is but a step in an overarching pn to revitalize the Kingdom of Vale. I hope you do not disappoint the trust I pce in you, Detective.” The deputy headmistress of Beacon gazed at him until he nodded before walking to the exit. “Follow me.”

  It was nearly five in the afternoon, and Cherif was dying to return home and finally get some sleep. While Sunday was his day off, he was still expected to return for his morning shift in fourteen hours.

  The detective did not particurly want to waste more time of his day but followed regardless.

  As they exited the room, they nodded to the two huntresses guarding the door. They were the same ones who had disarmed the thugs earlier, and looking closely now, Cherif could tell they were sisters.

  Bronze skin, dark silky hair, chocote brown eyes, and equipped simirly with two tonfas that could turn into shotguns. Definitely sisters, and most likely twins, considering their cwed hands that betrayed their wolverine-faunus heritage.

  “Make sure she doesn't escape, Myrna and Myna. No one enters aside from me or Detective Munier.” Glynda added as she turned to the sound of hurried footsteps, “Not even the Chief of Police.”

  Nancy Green’s room was deep underground, as were most of the interrogation rooms. Aside from those conducting active interrogations, none were allowed this deep in the precinct aside from high-ranking individuals and those they permitted entry. One such person was huffing and puffing as he hurried towards them from the direction of the elevators, followed by a squad of tagalongs.

  “W-Wait!” The corpulent form of the police chief of the 162nd precinct nearly rolled over the ground to reach them, his uniform disheveled and dirty from leftover food and his triple chin dragging his jowls down to his colrbone. “J-Just…a…m-minute here–”

  The man was puffing and groaning as he tried to catch his breath, Cherif staring down at him with disgust. The man was twenty years his junior and had his Aura unlocked, yet he was a perfect example of why the VPD was a joke.

  “My time is limited, Chief Rivera.” If Cherif felt disgust at the man, Glynda looked ready to send him flying. “You have one minute to speak your mind.”

  The man hiccuped as he tried to stand, his tagalongs helping him, only to drag them down to the ground - yet he was undaunted as he spoke from the ground, no matter how pathetic he seemed.

  “N-Nancy! Y-You can't arrest her!”

  “I can't?” Glynda’s voice was cooler than a gcier from the mountains of Solitas. “Are you certain about that?”

  “Yes!” Cherif groaned inwardly at the simpleton’s inability to detect sarcasm - it had been a long time since he had actually met the man or even visited the precinct, and he now remembered why he hated coming here. “Do you have any idea how many calls I got over the past hour?! Dozens! No, hundreds of them!! And all of them from very important people who are cmoring for Nancy's release at once!”

  “Is that so?”

  “It is,” Rivera seemed to grow confident at the sight of the blonde’s calm demeanor. “Now, I want to know who hired you huntsmen and gave you such leeway. Give me your name and employer, and you!” The chief turned a fat finger at him, “Munier you old fossil! This is your doing, isn't it?”

  “Guilty as charged,” Cherif shrugged while stifling a grin - any moment now. “Ms Goodwitch? It appears my poor superior is badly out of his depths here. Perhaps an introduction?”

  “Goodwitch?” The man repeated dumbly.

  “Indeed, I am Glynda Goodwitch, deputy headmistress of Beacon and here in my capacity as Chairman of the Huntsmen Association, as well as Inspector General of the City of Vale.”

  It appeared that dear Lucius had finally realized whom he was dealing with. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped as the blonde woman finished her formal introduction.

  “I thank you for bringing this to my attention, Mr Rivera. I want a full list of all those very important people who believe they could dictate how to do my job, compiled and sent to Inspector Munier’s scroll within an hour.”

  Inspector? Cherif would admit he liked the sound of that instead of detective.

  “W-What? B-But–” Lucious stuttered out.

  “Furthermore, my huntsmen here are under strict orders to not allow anyone in or out.” Glynda nodded to the twins, who gazed stoically at the policemen, “They shall be responsible for providing food and drink to Nancy Green until she is moved to a more secure cell ter. We don't want any accidents to happen to her now, do we?”

  “B-But what about legal counsel? Nancy deserves–”

  “Nancy Maxwell Green is under arrest for acts of treason against the kingdom, murder, and terrorism.” Glynda's cold voice echoed as she turned away from the stuttering man, Cherif following her. “Any potential wyers who would like to petition themselves for her defense are welcome to contact Beacon’s legal team. The Kingdom is still under martial w, and the Commander in Chief has full authority over traitors.”

  She stopped for a moment and turned one st time at his boss, “That would be Ozpin by the way. Don't forget that list of very important people, Mr Lucius Rivera. You have one hour.”

  They left behind the broken Chief of Police as he stressed over the ramifications of disappointing all those very important people, and made their way up an elevator to one of the more x interrogation rooms.

  Cherif might have felt amused at the sight of his superior getting taken down a peg or three, but he knew it would not be so easy to brush aside so many factions that seemed intent on either freeing or killing Nancy Green before she bbs too much. The difference was who was taking responsibility for all of this, Beacon.

  Having the Huntsmen of Beacon on the scene, under the leadership of the deputy headmistress herself no less, gave a certain amount of authority that none could deny. It was an incredible amount of power, in fact, for the Academy usually did not interfere in Vale matters.

  It served to remind Cherif that even after so long, those with true power can and will use it, regardless of what rules or regutions would decide otherwise. Thankfully, it seemed it was for the greater good this time, yet he was still curious why Ozpin decided to intervene now, and in such a heavy-handed manner; It was not his style.

  The precinct was crowded with officers and citizens bringing their concerns or settling bureaucratic matters, yet everyone made way for them as they passed. Officers saluted, and citizens stared in awe at the famous huntress, which was even more ironic when the chief of police himself did not recognize her.

  Soon, they arrived at their destination, where Cherif found the young rogue huntsman who had taken on the army of thugs by his lonesome, dozing at a table in the interrogation room.

  They were greeted by the final two members of the huntsmen team.

  “Any trouble, Maple?” Glynda asked the red-haired woman who had subjugated the young man.

  “None, boss. Arc had been polite and patient, though he dozed off a while ago.”

  “I see.”

  Cherif stared at the young man in question, noticing something strange. “Who changed his attire?” Jaune Arc was wearing a simple grey hoodie and jeans instead of that ridiculous onesie he had worn earlier.

  “He did,” Maple shrugged as she popped her bubblegum while her massive bald partner sat behind a desk and typed a report on the terminal. “Arc worried his PJ would get ruffled and just… changed to casual clothes.”

  “And you just allowed him to? Who provided him with clothes?” The detective stared at the two huntsmen partners, who in turn stared at Glynda, as if asking for permission. “Just what is it about this d that has you so ruffled, Goodwitch?”

  Before the woman could reply, Cherif flinched when the young man jerked awake before slowly turning his head to the window. He should not have been capable of seeing anything but a reflection of himself, yet Cherif felt a shiver crawl up his spine as the man's eyes settled squarely on his own before he smiled.

  “Ah, the good copper is here. Ms Goodwitch, why don't you come in and have a chat? I wanna be done with this quickly so I can catch up with my cousin, though I suppose you would do as well–” Arc suddenly yawned as he turned to Glynda, and stretched his shackled arms sideways, inadvertently straining the chains to their limits before a link was torn, leaving him with iron bracelets instead of shackles. “Whoops, didn't mean to do that. Anyway, can we get this interrogation started already?”

  Cherif turned to the blonde woman, unable to verbalize how ludicrous he felt at the moment. He had so many questions, but the first thing that came to mind was, “How did he know we were here?”

  “He is a very accomplished sensor.” Glynda closed her eyes for a moment before moving to the door, Cherif and Maple following her.

  “Good afternoon, Mr Arc.”

  Glynda took the seat across from the d while Cherif sat on his left; Maple stood behind and to the right of Arc, her guard up yet not necessarily worried - the massive man remained behind the terminal typing away, but kept an eye on them from the open door. The detective was beginning to think they had already dealt with the seemingly deranged young man before but trusted him enough not to cause trouble.

  “Good afternoon to you too!” Arc gave them a gentle and genuine smile, his tired eyes gazing at the deputy headmistress, the huntress, and then him. “You don't seem too hot there, gramps, need a boost?”

  Before Cherif could question what he meant, the young man's hand flew like a viper and grabbed his wrist. Suddenly, his meager aura dwindled further before an infusion of energy suffused into him. The detective gasped as his dwindling aura suddenly skyrocketed to full capacity, and his drowsiness disappeared.

  “What the–”

  “I'm afraid this energy boost will only st you an hour, you will still need to get some sleep.” Jaune Arc retracted his hand, and Cherif looked at him in shock. What the hell–

  “Mr Arc, please don't make this more uncomfortable than it already is.” The red-haired huntress sighed as she gazed at the young man tiredly. “I don't think we will take too long, right, boss? We already got his statement.”

  “Indeed, now, Mr Arc, I will ask you to refrain from using any of your abilities during the interview.” Glynda adjusted her gsses as she stared at him quizzically, causing Cherif to nod in assurance - he might not have intended it, but the young Arc touching him had marked him for chatterbox. “And I assure you, Mr Arc, that this is an interview, not an interrogation. We have received surveilnce videos from the owner of your inn. Miss Rebecca Chang had been forthcoming in the matter, and we would like to corroborate what we found with your statement.”

  “I see,” Arc folded his arms and gazed first at him, then Glynda. “Ask away then.”

  “First, you were awoken by the sudden sound of gunfire, which caused you to investigate the scene, correct?”

  “Yep.”

  “Second, You treated Miss Weiss Schnee for her injuries before you took it upon yourself to fight the gang, correct?”

  “Yep to the former; Nope to the tter. It was entirely self-defense, I simply took a stroll outside the inn, and they started shooting.” Jaune Arc replied without missing a beat, his face completely pcid. “I even made sure not to kill any of them, it was all non-lethal though I'm pretty sure a few incidents of friendly fire happened, but it was not my fault… aside from that st moron who refused to comply with Supercop’s commands.”

  “Fair enough,” Glynda read something from her scroll while Cherif mouthed ‘Supercop?’ in confusion. “The reports from the hospital are coming in as we speak, and fret not; those thugs are being monitored. Once they are fit for interrogation, they shall be brought here.”

  Cherif could tell from the way she gazed at him that Glynda expected him to handle the matter; He didn't mind. It would give him and Raya something to do aside from boring patrols for a change. Besides, he had an entire team he looked forward to creating, and this would work well as their first assignment - perhaps with that student the deputy headmistress mentioned.

  “Good. I'm sure Supercop here will be fair and meticulous in his interrogation.”

  Jaune Arc gnced at him with a smirk; This was the second time he called him– Ah, Cherif did his best not to preen at the term. He was far too old to be affected by simple fttery, yet he wouldn’t deny enjoying the respect coming from the much younger yet more powerful man.

  Still, Cherif had been subtly trying to activate his sembnce whenever Arc began answering, yet all he had said was either half-truths or short responses. The Detective only had a cursory look over Jaune Arc’s file, yet it was enough; 17 years old, grandson of the Fleet Admiral, heir to Arcade, C-Rank Adventurer, and finally, his test actions in Celdic.

  He was brought out of his musings by Glynda’s voice, “…twelve of the men you incapacitated succumbed to their wounds while a further thirty-one shall have permanent injuries.”

  “Considering how bckened their souls were, I have no doubt they would get their just dues, anyway.”

  The total disregard for the thugs’ lives slightly surprised Cherif. He himself cared not one whit about such fools; the sight of the murdered young fishermen would be yet another atrocity that would haunt him in his dreams. Yet, he did not expect such callousness from the young man.

  “What do you mean by bckened souls?”

  Jaune Arc turned to him with that gleam in his eyes, and suddenly, Cherif felt that familiar chill crawling up his spine. “They were creatures of sin and have renounced their path to redemption. You all need not worry.” Arc then turned to Goodwitch, “I can see your souls, and it's among the purest I’ve seen in this city.”

  Cherif did not know how to respond to that; Arc did not lie, his sembnce was working smoothly, yet it also raised more questions. Cherif was not infallible, yet he tried his best to keep the peace in Vale, how did Arc know that? Glynda mentioned he had good senses, but that was ridiculous!

  “Mr Arc,” The blonde woman adjusted her gsses as she gazed stoically at the young man, yet Cherif could feel she was perturbed by something. “As I have stated, this is but an interview, not an interrogation. Now that I have your side of the story, we shall proceed with what we pnned.”

  “Oh?”

  “Detective Munier and team 4M shall take full credit and responsibility for apprehending the thugs. You and Ms Schnee were but innocent bystanders who became targets for kidnapping by Nancy Green. You were forced into a self-defense situation until the detective and his partner arrived to help. You fought the thugs valiantly until Maple’s team arrived and subdued them.”

  Yet another cover-up, but Cherif did not mind. From what he understood, Arc and Schnee were aspiring huntsmen. Having such a rge mark on their record would be inconvenient. His and Seeker’s names would probably be pstered on the news as the heroes who stopped the insane gang. Yet, the truth shall still be spread by those gangsters that escaped on that boat; any who wished to learn the truth of what happened need only listen to the nightly chatter of bars and clubs.

  Cherif turned to the young Arc to see what his reaction would be–

  “What kind of silly name is 4M? Do they wake up at 4 am? I sincerely hope my team doesn’t follow such retarded naming themes.”

  Glynda Goodwitch stared bnkly at the young man before sighing and rubbing the bridge of her nose; it was the first time she had broken her stoic facade.

  It was Maple who burst out ughing at the comment, however, “I’m Maple, and you already met my partner Mario, the big guy. Our two other team members are Myrna and Myna. All four of us make Team 4M, but it’s supposed to be pronounced Forum.”

  “How the hell did you come up with that?”

  “Not us, Sugar. The headmaster has a wicked sense of humor… and a terrible taste in names.” At Arc’s raised eyebrow, Maple eborated. “We started an online forum when we were in Pharos, a forum for students and teachers to communicate, so the name stuck after we graduated, especially as we ended up on the same team.”

  “Anyway,” Glynda interrupted the banter, causing them to stare at her. “I assume you have no compints about how the records will officially show the events?”

  “Nope, now if we're done here,” Arc stood up and stretched with a yawn before suddenly freezing as his eyes moved down and to the side. “What will happen to the circus freak?”

  It took a moment for Cherif to realize he meant Nancy Green, “She will be undergoing interrogation sessions with me where I will extract as much information from her as possible. You do not need to worry about her; justice will be served to her in due time.”

  The blonde man continued to gre at the ground, and the detective realized he was staring right at where Nancy Green was held. There was no way he could see her through the walls and the ground, Nancy Green did not have her aura unlocked so he could not be using Aura Sense.

  “Her soul is bcker than tar. So much sin, so much misery she had caused.” The man's tired blue eyes gazed at him, then Glynda, “Justice deyed is justice denied. I hoped I would never have to see her ilk ever again, yet sadly the City of Vale has many such corrupting influences. Nevertheless, it is bursting with potential and good people. I do not wish to see them suffer due to the greed and madness of those few who believe themselves powerful yet would fold in front of the weakest Grimm.”

  The resolve and conviction in the young man's voice was a surprise. Cherif wondered what sembnce Jaune Arc had to be able to see into people's souls like this. Nancy Green did not even have her aura unlocked, yet the young man was utterly sure of her character. As they left the interrogation room and led the young man to his office, Cherif could not help but have a spring in his step.

  It gddened his heart that a young man could also see the potential in this great city.

  T*A*M*S

  162nd Precinct

  Detective Munier’s office

  “I can't believe how much of a trouble magnet you are proving to be.”

  “Please do not remind me, Menie.” Weiss groaned into the scroll as she slouched on the couch. “I don't know how long I will be here, but I'll try to make it for my shift.”

  “Which Precinct are you in again?”

  “162nd in the Residential District.”

  “That’s at least a two-hour commute if the roads are clear. Don't worry about tonight if you don't think you will make it. We haven't decred a new singer yet, so you can start tomorrow after you are done with the Entrance Exam.”

  If only Weiss could just thank the girl for understanding and tell her she would see her tomorrow, yet she needed the money. “I promise to be there at eight tonight, one way or another.”

  “Like I said, don't push yourself. If you make it, great. If not, we'll start tomorrow.”

  Unbidden, Weiss’ lips stretched into a warm smile. She wondered if that was how it felt to have a friend… even if said friend was definitely an unscrupulous person considering Menie Machite was able to learn of her battle this morning and call her so soon.

  It made Weiss feel excited at disobeying her father and being friends with a criminal… or at least someone who skirts the line of being a criminal.

  “Thanks, Menie, tell Junior and Miltia I said hi.”

  “Will do, stay safe.”

  Weiss stared at the now bnk screen of her scroll before pocketing the device and yawning again. It was barely two in the afternoon, and she had the detective’s office all to herself. Well, not exactly, as she stared at the diligent face of the young officer who took her statement. Raya Seeker was busy behind her desk typing a report on her terminal; the woman looked even more tired than her, yet still kept up with her work.

  Deciding not to disturb her, Weiss inspected the office she was in. It was a quaint, old-fashioned room with wooden flooring and rge bookcases filled to the brim with files and folders. There was an AC unit by the window, currently cranked up to the maximum in an effort to fight the heat. In one corner there was a bulletin board completely dedicated to a single individual called Roman Torchwick; a list of crimes, his powerful organization called the O’Lanterns, random pictures of him everywhere, and even a map of Vale with pins all over the city that Weiss could not guess what they were for.

  Must be a really bad guy to have so much attention on him.

  In another corner was a mini fridge and a microwave; Raya had one of the kitchen boys bring up a meal for both of them, and Weiss had gratefully eaten the grilled fish with rice.

  That was an hour ago. Officer Seeker did not waste time once they arrived and took her statement before clearing her of any wrongdoing. To be honest, Weiss thought she would have been charged with assault or sabotage, but everything was ruled off as self-defense.

  Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the heiress of the SDC simply nodded and rexed on the couch, where she was provided with food and drink. It was also then that Menie called Weiss, which was quite funny when Raya stared at her strangely.

  “Done with your call?” Raya suddenly asked, gncing at her as she nodded. “Would you like to leave or wait for your friend?”

  Friend? Oh, she must be talking about Jaune Arc… her second cousin whom she had never met before. The only cousins she knew were from her father's side. They were all far older than her and cut from the same cloth as Jacques Schnee.

  “I think I'll wait for him here if you don't mind?”

  “That’s alright,” Raya stopped typing and stood from her desk. “I have another meeting soon, you can wait here until then.”

  Weiss stared at the woman as she moved to the door, her narrowed eyes resting on her. There was only one thought that came to her mind to describe the young officer: Big!

  She was tall, at least six feet, and more importantly, her boobs were also big. Just what was it with Valean women being big in all the right pces? Not even Winter was big like that.

  “Are you alright, Ms Schnee?”

  Weiss violently shook her head at her intrusive thoughts; gods, this was so embarrassing! Why was she so focused on women's breasts? True, she did not have any female friends, heck she hardly saw any girls or women aside from balls and parties. The heiress to the SDC would be too focused on what was expected from her that she could not spare any idle thoughts that would distract her from being Daddy’s perfect little girl.

  Yet ever since she came to Vale, she had been surrounded by girls her age; beautiful big boobed girls. Weiss was beyond confident that she did not like girls that way, but perhaps she found it curious that all Vale women were well-endowed. Was it the water? Maybe their diet of beans?

  “I feel splendid, thank you kindly, Officer Seeker.” Weiss did not wish to keep the woman waiting, “Good luck with your meeting, I will just wait here until Arc is done.”

  Raya Seeker nodded and left the room, leaving her to her thoughts.

  She could have left already, but there was no way Weiss Schnee would be so ungrateful that she would not wait for her savior to at least thank him in person. That her savior was the mysterious heir of Arcade might have something to do with it, but it definitely had nothing to do with her interest in the powerful blonde boy.

  Even as she thought about it, Weiss hugged the hoodie she wore tighter to her body. Her earlier thoughts about her sexuality were easily squashed once she really thought about Jaune Arc. The sheer power he possessed and the way his aura turned from a raging inferno to a gentle spring water when he looked at her… It made her feel strange. It was not a bad feeling, for it made her feel safe, but she had never felt like that before.

  Weiss suddenly yawned. She had been awake for over forty hours now while only sleeping for three. Even with her aura, the toll was getting to her, and she dearly needed a nap. The leather couch she was sitting on might have been a rock compared to the furniture she had at home, yet it felt so comfortable right now.

  Before Weiss knew it, she was resting her head on the headrest and dozing off.

  .

  .

  .

  “–get some recompense, at least.”

  A familiar husky voice was saying, and Weiss slowly felt herself coming out of dreamnd. Something soft was rubbing her head, a cool yet comfortable hand lightly running through her loose hair, and Weiss moaned as she shifted in her seat, feeling her head rest on a warm and soft pillow that felt peculiarly like marshmallows.

  “That's good to hear, at least the repairs will be fast with that special team on hand.” Another familiar voice, this time from above her yet Weiss did not want to wake up yet, especially as the hand’s gentle caressing was so soothing - it reminded her of happier times of when her sister would read her bedtime stories while she slept on her p. “How's your leg, by the way?”

  “Well enough to stand. Knew a guy with a healing sembnce, but the fucker charges way too much. Ended up going to the hospital, and they patched it up, eighteen stitches on my leg and four on my forehead.” The husky voice grumbled, “Having no aura sucks, especially when smoking will start killing my lungs, and drinking kills my liver.”

  “Oh, you wouldn’t have to worry about that; you’re not even thirty yet. It's a shame you have yet to find someone to unlock your aura. Even without it, you are quite the force to be reckoned with.” A gentle giggle came from above, and Weiss slowly opened her eyes once she realized she was not going to be able to fall back to sleep.

  The first thing she noticed was her position as she looked up at whoever had id her head on their p. Her face was slightly hidden by the bump of her chest, a pair simir in size to hers, but there was no mistaking Menie Machite’s long bck hair and Ice-Dust-woven white dress.

  The second was the strange sight of Menie ughing like a normal girl; usually, she kept a nonchant face. The st was the girl's hands still gently caressing her head and hair, causing Weiss to freeze in shock.

  “Oh? Looks like the princess is awake, can't hear any more moaning from her.” Turning her head away towards the opposite armchair, Weiss found Becky sitting with her bad leg leaning on a settee, a wicked grin on her lips as she bit on an unlit cigarette. “Did you have a nice nap, Gcier Girl?”

  Weiss blinked, feeling a flush creeping up her neck and to the roots of her hair, yet Menie's ministrations did not stop, which helped prevent her knee-jerk reaction of screaming and jumping away. She took a deep breath to calm herself and stared at her nddy.

  “Better than the rickety mats you call beds.” Becky's grin got tighter, the stitches on her forehead looking like an angry shooting star. Weiss looked at her employer, “Didn’t think you would be here. Oh, and please continue, you have fantastic hands, Menie.”

  “My, how audacious,” Menie pced both hands on the top of her head before pressing with nimble fingers on spots that simply felt divine. “I suppose I can spoil my cute little underling a bit.”

  “Oh, there's that moaning. Anyone from outside would think you're getting a good fuck, heh.”

  “Ugh, shut up, you uncouth savage.” Weiss moaned as Menie rubbed a certain spot on her neck that she did not even realize was stiff, “Just what are you even doing here? Shouldn’t you be busy cleaning up your pce?”

  “Got a whole team of aura users doing that, courtesy of the Top Bitch herself.”

  “Top Bitch?” Weiss opened her eyes as she stared at the older woman, Menie moving her hands to her shoulders, which she gratefully appreciated - It’s been some time since she had a proper massage, and the Mistralian’s hands would put the best masseur’s to shame. “Do you mean… Ms Goodwitch?”

  “Who else? No one in the entire kingdom is foolish enough to defy her. ‘The strongest Huntress in Remnant’, some people even cim she’s stronger than the strongest huntsman.”

  “I see,” Weiss found herself slipping from the couch to sit on her butt between Menie’s legs, giving her better access to her shoulders through the hoodie. “So? You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Same as you, statement and shit.” Becky shrugged as her hands itched towards her lighter before shaking her head and chewing on the unlit cigarette. “Gave them copies of the surveilnce footage. That Seeker girl interviewed me, then sent me here when I asked about you. Wouldn’t even let me smoke and warned the fire arm would go off if it detected any smoke - that stiff girl needs a good dicking to get that stick out of her ass.”

  “Aw, were you worried about me?” Weiss ignored the older woman’s vulgar nature, she was getting used to it now.

  “Nah, just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to jail. I would have pawned your shit straight away if you were, at least to pay your bail.”

  Surprisingly, Weiss found herself ughing along with the woman, even Menie giggled as she pressed her fingers behind her ears. Thinking about her employer had Weiss checking the clock on the wall to find it was nearly six in the evening. “What about you, Menie? I thought you had work to attend to.”

  “Miltia and Junior can handle it along with the rest. I decided to check on my investment to make sure she was in one piece, and that no one was giving her a hard time. I arrived here two hours ago actually. You must have been exhausted for you immediately fell on my p once I sat down.”

  “… Thank you.” Weiss said simply, looking up to smile at Menie’s machite eyes - she idly wondered if the family was named after the color of their eyes or if it was a coincidence. “For everything, really. Coming here to check on me, the nice massage and even leaving me to sleep. It’s… nice to have friends, I suppose. Uhm,” Suddenly, she felt embarrassed and furtively looked away. “We are… friends, right?”

  Becky guffawed, but Menie gred at her, causing her to stifle her ughter before smiling back at her. “I won’t say something corny like, ‘of course we are friends!’ Our retionship is a professional one, and we’ve barely known each other for a day. However,” The Mistralian girl raised her voice when Weiss’ face fell. “That does not mean we could become friends in time.”

  Weiss smiled back at her in-progress friend, possibly her first-ever friend, if she did not count Yang or Ruby. Before she could reply, however, a knock on the door before it opened, and Weiss found herself staring at the elderly policeman, Cherif Munier she thought was his name, Raya Seeker, deputy headmistress Glynda Goodwitch, and…

  “Oh, did we interrupt something?” Jaune Arc’s light smile betrayed the sheer exhaustion his eyes were screaming - didn’t he mention he had not slept in four weeks?! “I was hoping I could borrow my cousin for a bit, but if you are busy…”

  “Not at all!” Weiss jumped from her position on the ground, quickly patting her skirt from any imaginary dust and smoothing her–his–hoodie. “Are we done with everything, then?”

  “Indeed, you are all free to go.” Ms Goodwitch nodded before turning to Becky. “Ms Chang, thank you for offering your videos. They will prove invaluable in building up a case against all those surviving thugs.”

  “Sure, happy to help.” Weiss gnced weirdly at the usually vulgar woman, she was still seated owing to her injury, yet she was far more polite than normal. “May I ask what will happen to the bitc–Nancy Green?”

  “She will be thoroughly interrogated by myself before put to a tribunal.” The elderly Cherif decred as he entered the room and walked towards Menie - the girl also standing and bowing her head politely to him, while Raya followed her partner. “I did not expect we would meet so quickly, Ms Machite.”

  “Indeed… Grampy.” Menie stuck out the tip of her tongue as she smiled, “By the way, you won’t have to worry about payment.”

  “Oh? Since when did a Machite forgo payment for information?”

  “You already paid more than enough by helping rescue my cute underling.” Menie gnced at her, but all Weiss felt was confusion. “Don’t worry about it, Weiss. Go talk to your cousin, I have a bullhead waiting for us to go to the club if you still want to work?”

  “Yes, of course I do! Excuse me,” Weiss nodded to the detective, then turned to her cousin, who was waiting for her patiently next to Goodwitch. “Hello, Jaune, right? I don’t think we’ve ever met before.”

  “We did, just the once, when we were six.” Jaune immediately replied, “My grandmother was showing you her glyphs by sending me flying into snow mounds. Great times.”

  Weiss could vividly remember that scene; she had visited Arcade with her mother and sister, Whitley had just been born, and her mother’s aunt, Aurelia Schnee, had been fun. Yet, she did not recall ever meeting a boy back then, only girls–Ah. Nope, no, she did not confuse Jaune Arc for one of his many sisters eleven years ago. Definitely not.

  “Ah, yes, I remember now.” Her smile was a bit stiff, but she still felt genuinely happy at finding someone she could rete with–even if he was a bit of a perv. Who comments on their cousin’s bra on their first meeting in forever?!

  “I hate to interrupt, but I have a busy schedule ahead of me.” Goodwitch stood before them, “Ms Schnee, you understand your precarious situation here, I’m sure. While I have succeeded in keeping your name off the records, there is a high chance someone could find your picture and leak it to your father. The VNN has many connections and assets, even I cannot prevent them from publishing at least a bare-bones story about the incident.”

  “I understand. I hope to take my entrance exam tomorrow morning, then I just need to keep a low profile, at least until Initiation.”

  “Indeed, you are already of age, so your father can’t have you detained and returned to him, yet once you are accepted into Beacon, you would immediately become a preliminary huntress. That comes with plenty of protections from the Academy and Vale itself.” Goodwitch pulled out her scroll and typed a brief message to someone, “I have tasked two of the finest students Pharos has to offer to meet you at the entrance tomorrow at ten in the morning. Do not be te, and they will guide you to the exams.”

  “Thank you so much, Ms Goodwitch.” Weiss gnced at her cousin, who had remained silent so far, merely gazing at her intently. She was starting to feel awkward yet also felt like preening, for he seemed to like her hair - oh, shoot! Her hair was a mess; that had to be why he was staring so much and so hard!

  “Mr Arc?”

  YES, Glynda, with the save!

  “Yeah?”

  Strangely, Glynda Goodwitch seemed hesitant as she stared at the tall boy, which gave a chance for Weiss to notice that both of them were actually tall… like really freaking tall! At least six feet three inches tall–she was face to chest with Goodwitch’s massive boobs. They were even bigger than Yang’s!

  “–No, I don’t think I will.” Weiss shook her head as she tried to focus back on the conversation.

  “Mr Arc, it is for your own good. Our therapists are the finest in the kingdom and know how to be discreet. You have only attended just the one session so far.”

  Therapist? For Jaune? Well, he did sound a bit unhinged on the docks, and he clearly had no qualms about killing those thugs. Weiss doubted that was normal, but then again, those evil bastards definitely deserved their comeuppance.

  “And I don’t pn to attend any others. Now, if we are done, I wish to talk to my cousin… alone.”

  Weiss could hardly breathe as the two tall blondes stared at each other for a solid minute, the air growing votile as they waited for one to back down. Surprisingly, it was Ms Goodwitch who sighed as she rubbed her eyes.

  “You are not making this easy for me, you know?”

  “…You’re a good woman, Glynda, but I don’t think any therapist could help with what I have.” Jaune’s exhausted eyes seemed to grow dull as he stared off into space, his face losing color and gaining a haunted look. “None could ever understand.”

  Glynda Goodwitch bit her lips before suddenly gncing at her, as if only now remembering her presence. The older woman finally nodded and brought out her scroll, “Fine then. Ms Schnee, this is my number, if there is any matter of great importance you need help with, feel free to call me.” Weiss’ scroll buzzed as the woman texted her; she nodded gratefully, only for the woman to give her a meaningful look as she stared at her, then at Jaune. “I will leave you be then. I’m sure you can find your way back to your inn.”

  The deputy headmistress then moved to converse with Becky, who had been a passive member of the other conversation between the cops and Menie. Weiss then turned to her cousin, “I never had the chance to thank you for saving me. I would return the hoodie, but I sort of need it at the moment.”

  “Anytime, and yeah, don’t want others to see your choice in underwear.”

  “Hey, how rude!”

  The reminder of their first meeting caused her to burst out ughing, and from there, they found themselves chatting about anything and everything. Jaune even joined her and Menie on her bullhead as they headed to Junior’s, it was only when they nded on the roof that she realized she had managed to make her first friend (Menie was an in-progress friend!). It was much easier than she thought.

  Ah, and now, that friend will listen to her sing to hundreds of people… oh joy.

  T*A*M*S

  The Good Witch

  I can see your souls, and it's among the purest I’ve seen in this city.

  The young man’s words resonated with her, it made Glynda feel like she was truly doing good with her abilities. Here was a man with the power to see through anything, among a multitude of other powers that confused yet excited both her and Ozpin.

  She had been decred as pure!

  Jaune Arc had proven to be both a fascinating and frustrating young man. In her forty-eight years alive, the only other men who had proved to be of simir vein were men from his family… her distant blood. She might not be an Arc in name, yet their blood flows in her veins, granting her immense vitality and aura levels, their traditional blonde hair, and greatly slowing her aging.

  Regardless, her blood retion to the young man aside, Glynda could see great potential in Jaune, and it was not just his power but his disposition.

  The City of Vale has many such corrupting influences. Nevertheless, it is bursting with potential and good people.

  This was yet another proof that her work did matter and she was on the right path. It was one thing to hear people telling her she was making a difference; yet to receive visual confirmation that the Kingdom of Vale, that all of Remnant, was worth all the trouble both her and Ozpin put in to help fix it - to return it to its former glory!

  She did worry about Jaune's absolutist view regarding good and evil, yet he was still young. Sadly, he had already experienced some of the worst that their world had to offer, without understanding that redemption was not just a path but a choice. For people to choose that path, they must first be given a chance. Glynda would have to teach him about it, how some people might seem irredeemable, but there was still goodness in their hearts.

  Glynda smiled as she flew back to Beacon on the broom she picked up; it was te at night, and she had finally finished all her work. Her title of the Good Witch had always amused her, for very few people remembered her true name. Flying on a broom like the witches from tales, with her dark cape and conical hat; she waved at a group of children staring out of a balcony. They should definitely be sleeping, the little tykes. It didn't stop her from creating a subtle glyph over her fingers and sending colorful sparks in the air, causing them to ugh in joy.

  Glynda had always loved children, and had made it a habit to fly at least once a week to check over the city. Sadly, she never got the chance to have children of her own, yet Glynda would gdly sacrifice that opportunity in favor of seeing smiles on all the children of the world.

  Perhaps she could make even more of a difference; it was summer and that man was probably bored out of his mind, especially as his daughters had already graduated from Signal. What she needed were more hands to help her with matters that required a more… subtle approach. That list of very important people will need different eyes to look over, not to mention Munier's list as well.

  So many lists of things to be done, and that was not even mentioning the usual troublemakers of Vale. Torchwick comes to mind, and while the fmboyant fool was useful, he was entirely unpredictable and had gained too much power tely.

  Before she could second-guess herself, her scroll was in her hands, and someone answered her call. “Hello?”

  “Good evening, Taiyang. I have a proposition for you.”

  Ah, bureaucracy and corruption. Both go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly.

  Glynda flexing her muscles and showing who the true power in Vale is. MVP material here, and expect more of the same, for none of that nonsense of people with true power bowing down to brainless masses when they were fighting a war of annihition.

  Weiss is making a friend! One who is a great masseur. Perhaps I’m inserting myself here, but I just had a massage for the first time. Holy fucking shit that felt absolutely divine!

  And is Weiss forming a crush on her cousin? Well, as they say, incest is wincest. Also, Weiss is a boob girl. Who knew?

  Finally, Glynda the Good Witch… Enough said, amirite? I have hinted a few chapters ago to her retion to the Arcs, but perhaps I was being too subtle.