RWBY:Rascal

- Do you see a gopher?

- N-no.

- And I don't, but he does.

Philosophical musings.

The next morning. Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long.

"... This is the second such major robbery in a month and the third case involving the theft of Ashes. So far, police have information on the mastermind behind only one of these episodes, namely the attempted armed robbery of the Ashes to Dawn store in the Shopping District. According to the testimony of the detainees, the perpetrators were led by a dishonorable thug, Roman Torchwick, who remains a fugitive from justice," a double photograph of a red-haired, shabby-looking boy of about fourteen, dressed in a white coat and black gloves, appeared on the big screen. The young thief held a prison nameplate and grinned defiantly, showing that he had no intention of staying in prison. - "If you have any information on his whereabouts, please notify the Vale Police..."

" Oooooh!!! Scammer! If I catch you, I'll knock your teeth out so you won't have anything to grin about!" - In a voice that vibrated halfway through the cabin, the blonde said, hypnotizing the information screen.

"Ya-a-ang," Ruby tugged timidly at her sleeve. - "Quit it, please..."

"That nasty, nasty bugger stole half my supplies!" - ignoring her sister's exhortations, the beautiful girl glowed red iridescence.

" But, Yang, ashes can be bought..."

"He stole the ammo pouches! I spent so much time collecting them and customizing them for Amber Silica! I'm gonna get him, Ruby! I'll break his arms and that cheeky grin! He'll learn how to rob Yang Xiao Long yet!"

" Eh..." - Rose sighed dejectedly. - "You've been rambling about this for a week now... How about we talk about Beacon?" - She looked up at her sister and squeaked, noticing that the news had shifted to another topic. - "I'm getting in too... We're already flying there, actually," Ruby added, lowering her gaze in embarrassment and reflexively starting to point her index fingers at each other, "and we still haven't decided anything."

"What's there to decide?" - The disappearance of the object of hatred from the screen really helped to bring the blonde back to reality.

"Well... I don't know..." - Ruby shivered, pulling her head into her shoulders. - "I mean, I still had two more years to study at Signal, they haven't told us anything yet. What do we do when we get there? Where... well... With who... I don't know anything."

"Relax, sis!" - Yang's eyes changed color to violet and a smile appeared on her face. - "You jumped two years at once! It's unbelievable! Everyone in Bikon will think you're the top grade! You'll see, it's going to be awesome!"

"I don't want to be an "upperclassman," okay? And I don't want to be any kind of 'class' at all," the girl muttered, looking at her sister sullenly. - "I want to be a normal girl, a normal sort... Well, you know..."

" What's wrong with you? Aren't you excited?"

" Of course I'm glad, it's just... I don't want people to think of me as special."

"But you are special," Yang put her arm around her sister's left shoulder, pulling her close.

" Don't say that!" - The brunette in the red coat squirmed even more, blushing. -" I immediately think of Principal Ozpin... and how Torchwick laughed after the story... I don't want to be so special and have it remembered!"

" It's okay, sister, we'll catch that dandy yet!" - Yang said, going into pre-military mode. - "No thief is allowed to embarrass my sister! He'll be sorry! He'll regret everything!" - The blonde's fist, threatening the side of the liner, caused several of the nearest passengers to move a respectful distance away.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon," - interrupting the regular news broadcast, an image of a beautiful woman wearing glasses and her blonde hair pulled back into a strict coiffure appeared on the screen.

"Who is it?" - Xiao Long distractedly looked at the stranger. Ruby had already turned around to answer when, as if she had heard the question, the woman introduced herself:

"My name is Glinda Goodwitch."

" Oh..." - Yang blinked meaningfully.

"You are the few who have had the honor of entering this prestigious academy," continued 'little Glinda,' as a fellow prodigy had dubbed her, causing the blonde to gnash her teeth for some time now. - "Our world is going through an extraordinary period of tranquility, and it is your duty as future Hunters and Huntresses to maintain it. You have demonstrated the courage necessary to accomplish this task. And now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world."

The broadcast faded out, and view windows opened on either side of the aircraft, revealing the approaching academy complex, with the huge lake in front of it and the rooftops of the city behind.

"Wow, cool..." - Ruby whispered with a huff, immediately sticking to the glass. - "Look, Yang! You can see the Signal from here!"

"I think you'd better take a look at our house," the blonde stood next to her sister's behavior, smiling, turning the younger girl around by the shoulder.

" А?"

" Beacon is our home now," Yang explained and nodded at the lake glistening in the sunlight in front of a majestic bluff with waterfalls, on which stood a beautiful complex of buildings that transitioned into a huge tower.

"Yes-ah," Ruby's face lit up with a soft dreamy smile.....

For a few more minutes the liner floated lazily through the air toward the landing pad, as if stretching out the moment so that the new students could enjoy the view longer. But then the airplane began to turn and gently brushed against the edge of the rocky cliff. The docking mechanisms clicked, the gangway lowered, and a crowd of young passengers rushed into the opening.

"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah..." - the sisters stretched out in two voices, freezing on the path at the entrance to the park alley, at the end of which the central building of the academy was visible. 

There were lampposts with twisted lampshades, Vale flags flying, beautifully trimmed trees with absolutely red foliage contrasting magically with the perfectly smooth green lawn, but the most beautiful were the towering towers, air passages and galleries of the Academy, creating the image of a real fairy-tale castle. If it was simply beautiful from above, then looking at those walls and trees from the ground made the girls' hearts sink.

"The view from Vale is nothing compared to this," Yang was the first to break the silence, folding her arms across her chest.

" Oh..." - squeaked Ruby, whose attention was caught by a sideways movement, and in the next instant her eyes lit up with pure delight. - "Ah! Ahhhh!!! There... there... Sister! That guy has a folding staff!" - The girl jabbed her finger at a student walking through the park. - "Oooooh! And that girl has a flaming sword!" - The brunette crouched down on her toes, naturally dancing with excitement. - "And there, there..." - The wearer of the red cloak was drawn to the left like a moth to the light, so Yang had to grab her by the hood.

"Easy, sister."

" О?.. No, no!" - The grip stopped the impulse of her body, but not her soul, and for a few seconds Rose fought back desperately, trying to break free.

Age won.

"It's just a weapon!" - The blonde repeated the attempted exhortation, making sure the rebellion was quelled and the prisoner didn't try to rebel again.

"Just a weapon?" - Ruby squatted down and folded her fists under her chin. - "It's an extension of our bodies! It's a part of us!" - The gaze of the silver eyes ran eagerly through the crowd again. - "Oh, they're so cool!" - hop, hop, hop on my toes.

"Okay," Yang rolled her eyes and dropped her head sideways with a smile, "then why aren't you enjoying your weapons? Doesn't it make you happy?"

"Of course Crescent makes me happy," Ruby said, embarrassed. - "But I got happy meeting new weapons. It's like meeting new people... but better," the girl lowered her head.

"Ruby, come on," Xiao Long quickly grasped her sister's hood and playfully pulled it up to her chin, "why don't you make some friends? "

"But..." - silver eyes peered uncertainly out from under the 'red cap', "why would I need friends when I have you? And... uh, well, Roman called himself my friend too."

" Ruby," Yang sighed, "everyone needs friends, since there's no way you can discuss some of the things you can discuss with them with your older sister. Secondly, Torchwick is NOT our friend. No matter what he says! He's a villain and a criminal! So let's go! To new horizons and friends..." - she was about to take her sister by the shoulders and push her somewhere when she suddenly stopped. - "Oh! My friends are already here! I gotta go! Come on, come on, get in!" - and a moment later, the blonde was already in the company of her Signal buddies, and she was.

"Wait, where are you going?!" - belatedly regained the power of speech yesterday's schoolgirl, stretching out her hand in the back of the rushing company. - "Don't we have to go to the dormitory! Where's our dorm? Don't we have a dormitory...?" - she finished, lowering her palm. Yang disappeared, leaving Ruby all alone in an unfamiliar environment. - "I don't know what to do..." - In a last conscious attempt to seek help, the girl whispered.

Panic came to her consciousness, driven by a dark sense of betrayal. The next second Rose's legs gave out, and she sat down where she stood, unconsciously pushing someone behind her.

"What are you doing?!" - The sound of things falling was accompanied by a shout of outrage.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ruby turned around and saw that she had caused a couple suitcases to fall and the outrage of some white-haired girl with a ponytail strangely slicked back on her right side.

"Excuse me?" - she mocked. - "Do you have any idea how much damage you could have done?!"

" Uh..." - The former student of Signal hurriedly picked up one of the suitcases and held it out to the injured one, feeling very embarrassed.

"Give it to me!" - The unknown woman roughly snatched the item from her hands. - "This is Ashes, mined and refined in the mines of Schnee!" - The suitcase clicked shut, and the white-haired woman looked into its contents.

" Ahhhh..." - Not knowing what to say, Ruby stretched out.

"Are you completely stupid? Ashes!" - The girl slammed the lid down, releasing a small cloud of reddish particles inside. - "Fire, water, lightning, gravity! Do you know what happens if everything detonates?" - At that moment a few red dust particles reached Rose's eyes, and she shook her head, squinting. - "Are you even listening to me?" - The stranger became even more agitated. - "Do you understand anything at all? What can you say for yourself?!"

"I... ha," an attempt to inhale air for an answer turned into an itchy nose, into which a few more dust flew. - "Pchhhh-BYSCH!" - Reacting with Aura, the fire dust particles did exactly what the blonde feared - they detonated, throwing both girls in different directions.

" What the hell is this!" - indignant, getting up from the path, white-haired girl. Despite the colorfulness of the explosion, no one was really hurt, being protected by Aura, but that didn't diminish her indignation at all. - "That's exactly what I'm talking about!"

"I wildly, wildly apologize..." - blushing to match the color of her cape, Ruby stifled herself.

"Ah! You're a complete fool!" - splashed her hands at White, bending over to close the suitcase she was holding, which swung open as she fell. - "How did you even get in here?" - Grumbling angrily, the girl began stacking the jars of red Ashes that had mingled together into their proper places. - "How old are you? You look like you haven't even been sixteen since you were admitted to Beacon?"

"Well, I..."

"This isn't a mediocre martial arts school!" - The stranger continued to insist, not listening to Ruby's attempt at an answer. - "This isn't just sparring and practicing. We're here to fight monsters, so watch where you're going!" 

"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!" - In the end, the girl couldn't take the insults.

"Actually, heiress," corrected a new voice from the back. - "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Ashes Company, one of the largest energy producers in the world," another girl, with long black hair and a bow on her head, approached them. In her hands she held a jar similar to the ones Weiss had laid out.

"Finally!" - The blonde blurted out in a smug smile. - "At least someone recognized."

"The same company is notorious for worker strikes and questionable business partners," the bow bearer added, examining the girls with a calm look in her amber eyes.

"What... How did you..." - Weiss began gulping for air with her mouth, while Ruby hid the smile that came out of her face in the palm of her hand. - "Boor!" - The white-haired girl snatched the jar of Ashes out of the new girl's hand and turned and walked back to the cart with the suitcases.

"I promise I'll make it up to you!" - Rose tried to soften the matter, but was completely ignored. Demonstrably ignoring them, Weiss gathered up her things and strode briskly toward the central building. - "Eh," a heavy sigh escaped from the girl's chest. - "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day... So..." - Ruby turned to the third participant in their dialog and found that she had already turned around and walked a few steps away.

The feeling of loneliness came with a new force. Ruby looked around, and, unable to find anyone else she could hurt, collapsed to the ground again. 

"Welcome to Beacon," - quietly reported the lips in the void, and Ruby was about to finally stretch in the dust, recognizing her complete defeat in the field of social relations, as from her pocket sounded an incoming call to the Scroll.

Taking out and opening the device, the girl was surprised to find the screen labeled "Your Dark Knight" with a mustached smiley face "=^_^=". There was no picture.

"Hello? Who's there?" - Rose asked uncertainly, taking the call.

"Hi, Hood!" - A familiar voice answered cheerfully. - "So how are you doing over there? How was your first day? Old man Oz isn't feeding you pumpkin juice yet?"

"You are?!....." - the girl recognized Roman Torchwick. - "How did you get my number? And why is your number on my Scroll? And why is it signed "Dark Knight"? And why does Principal Ozpin have to feed us pumpkin juice?" - The number of questions in Ruby's head from a couple of Roman's words, in her personal feeling, exceeded the number of all other questions for the rest of the day.

"I don't know, but I read once that the old marasmatics love it, because it's cheap and healthy and teaches kids to appreciate normal food," Torchwick picked out only what he needed, ignoring the rest of the questions. - "But you stay on topic, Hood, how are you doing?"

" I'm fine," the girl hastened to assure herself, not really understanding herself. - "It's really nice here... And the level lawns... And so many cool weapons..." - Ruby fell silent, praying that her voice was convincing enough.

"Mm-hmm..." - The other end piped up thoughtfully. - "Did Yang dump you? I mean... you're not sitting alone on a parkway right now, left by your sister in a strange place, among a bunch of armed strangers, not even knowing where the dorm is?"

"No-no! Of course not," squeaked the would-be Huntress, whose heart went into a gallop, and whose mind was spinning with only "How did he know?!!!" - "Haha, you're so funny, and how did you think of that...?" - even the girl couldn't believe her own voice.

" Ta-a-a-ak..." - Roman's intonation did not indicate that he believed her either. - "You have to tell me everything."

" I... Well..."

"Come on, Hood, you can share everything-everything with me. Roman Torchwick is a tomb! While I look for a map of Beacon, get started already."

"Well... yeah. That's it... that's what you said," the girl had to admit. - "Yang saw some friends from her class and went with them, and I... stayed behind," Ruby fell silent. - "No, you don't think," she came to her senses after half a minute, "Yang's nice and cares about me, it's just... well, it's just... she thinks that's how I'll be able to co-cycle and make friends, that's all."

" N-yeah... Okay, we'll talk about her behavior later. Remind me to spank her when I see her."

"Oh, spank her?! Eek!" - poor Ms. Rose even hiccupped in fright.

"Okay, don't think about the BDSM stuff, it's purely for educational purposes. Everything else only when we get to know each other better... and I'm not a fan of that. "

"Ah..." - The very uncomfortable girl decided to try to change the subject. - "And by the way, why did you steal ammo from Yang?"

" It wasn't me, it was Neo."

"Neo?" - Rose didn't get it.

"Well Neopolitan. She was sitting on the arm of the chair to my left."

"But..." - The girl stammered, trying in vain to remember something similar from their sit-down. - "There was no one there."

" No, she was there," the other side replied uncompromisingly.

"Oh..." - the girl in the red coat remembered one thing. - "I get it... You know," it was a bit embarrassing, but Ruby still decided to morally support her interlocutor, after all, he was the only one who hadn't abandoned her today, "I had imaginary friends too... It's normal."

"Pgh... Heh... Heh... Ha-ha-ha!" - From the Scroll came the sound of increasing laughter, with tears and inarticulate wails. - "Ruby..." - heavy, punctuated by a 'hee-hee' breath. - "You're the best, I love you! If you need anything smuggled into Beacon, just say the word! Oh, I can't... Neo, you're my imaginary friend, boo-ga-ga-ga... And that, hee-hee, explains everything! Ouch! Don't fight!" - inaudible rustling and muffled sounds... - "Fuf, sorry," Roman spoke more calmly already, when the girl was beginning to fear for him. - "Are you still here?"

" Yeah..." - Rose squeaked, feeling that either she had said something completely inappropriate, or her acquaintance was in worse shape than she had imagined.

"Anyway, I got a map of Beacon, but I can't leave you alone. Are there any lost looking people around?" - The voice in the Scroll sounded soothing and confident, Ruby exhaled and looked around, the distance from the "outlaw and villain" but friendly support was just what she needed.

"Um... d-yeah, there's a blond-haired guy standing on the set and looking around like that. It seems he got sick during the flight, so he didn't keep up with everyone else."

"Fine, then go up to him and say, 'Come with me if you want to live!'"

"Uh-huh?"

"What? I've always wanted to hear that phrase from the mouth of a cute innocent looking girl! But if that's too radical for you, it's just, "Hi, I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose. Do you happen to know your way to the auditorium?""

"Uh, uh..."

" Come on, Hood! You can do it! I owe you a batch of Dark Side cookies. Specialties! Chocolate chip!" - a voice calling for a feat and promising a great reward. There was no way I could resist. Taking a deep breath, the girl walked toward the blond looking around confusedly. 

"P-Hi. I'm R-ruby. R-ruby R-rose!" - At the end of the sentence she even squeezed her eyes shut, and forgot about the second part of the sentence. 

"Hi. I'm Jon Ark. Short, sweet, easy on the tongue, girls love it!"

"You just took a crash course in how NOT to meet girls," came the Scroll in Ruby's hands. 

"Hee hee," a chuckle escaped Ms. Rose's lips faster than she could stop herself. - "Oh, sorry. It's just that comment along with your introduction. Mr. Torchwick, you can't mock people like that," she tried to reason with Scroll.

"I'm a villain and a scoundrel, I'm allowed. But it's a bad idea to let everyone around you know that you're socializing with a villain and a scoundrel. Well, since my lovely future maid forgot, I'll just have to do it myself. Hey, kid, you still here?"

"Uh... yeah?"

"Do you know how to get to the auditorium? "

" Uh... no? - Jon said awkwardly."

"You're very eloquent. Great Dragons, why am I doing this? Am I the redhead? Neo, why do you need a mirror? Ah... oh... that's out of the question, thank you. All right, listen up, my young sinners, tonight I will be your Virgil in the realm of Creepiness and Nightmare called Beacon."

"But Beacon doesn't look Creepy and Nightmare," Ruby objected. - "It's beautiful here."

"Be what?" asked Jaune.

"What have you been doing in literature class, nerd? The Divine Comedy is here! Okay, for the sake of my faith in humanity, let's just leave it at that. Okay, now you need to turn towards the central tower and take a little to the right..." 

"Uh-huh..." - Confused, Ruby replied, obeying the instructions of the voice from the Scroll.

Five minutes later. 

"Yes, I can see the hall, thank you!" - Ruby jumped up and down. 

"Get in touch if you need anything, Hood. And say hello to your sister, I'll drop by the other day with a new cake - after all, admission to such an idiotic... prestigious Academy should be celebrated properly. That's it, my evil plans require my presence, bye-bye!" - and the caller has disconnected. 

" Um... pardon the indelicacy, but who was that? "

" Well..." - Ruby swayed from toe to heel and back again, " "just one of my... uh... friends... I guess."

" I see..." - The blond noted cautiously. - "Well, thanks for his help, I'm afraid we'd be lost without it."

" Uh-huh..." - But then the conversation was interrupted by the appearance of a new character.

"Hey, Ruby! I see you're making progress. Already found a buddy to walk around Beacon with," the bright blonde jumped up to the brunette.

"That was hard! And scary! You dumped me and I exploded!"

" You took such offense?" - Yang tilted her head in disbelief.

"No..." - The girl's voice became quieter from the memories. - "I literally exploded. I dropped a girl's luggage, and there was Fire Ashes in it, and it hit the air, and I sneezed, and it reacted... You have no idea what I went through! If it wasn't for Roman, we'd still be wandering around by the takeoff pad!"

"HOW?!" - Yang hit an invisible wall. - "He's here? Where was the last place you saw him?" 

"No, he was leading us through the Scroll," Ruby pouted, resentful that her sister was more concerned about her grievances with Torchwick than her grievous misadventures. For the same reason, she couldn't help herself, and the next second vindictively reported: - "He also called you irresponsible and promised to 'spank you when he saw you.' He also said... what was it... "Don't think about BDSM, it's purely for educational purposes". By the way, what is BDSM?!"

" I'm going to kill him!" - Yang went on a rampage. - "Okay, Ruby, forget it, you don't need to know that yet!" - It was a stupid thing to say to a teenage girl, but Yang, who wasn't too far behind Ruby in age, didn't think much of it. - "That's it, let's go! We still have seats to get to!" - the petite beauty was in tow.

"Uh... Bye Jon, it was nice meeting you, let's talk more later!" - Before Ruby could say goodbye to her new acquaintance, the tow truck named Yang Xiao Long came to full speed.

Once again, the Villainous Villain. 

After finishing my conversation with my future loyal henchwoman, I stretched and crunched my neck contentedly.

" Everything is going according to plan, isn't that wonderful, Neo? "

" (^_^)... pshhhh," the last 'said' was the chop that the girl was frying up with potatoes. The culinary talents of this miracle continued to delight me, it seems that she had not cooked before not only because of laziness, but also to spare Roman's pride, because, in my opinion, she was much tastier."

"Well, bon appetit!" - waiting for the meat and garnish to transfer from the pan to the plates, I wished my lady, while filling the glasses with good wine. Roman's taste for quality food was a consequence of his hungry childhood and youth, so the present dishes and drinks could satisfy the tastes of the venerable Shni.

Having finished with the meal and washed the plates and other dishes, I went to the long-suffering workbench, kissing Neo again. It was necessary to make adjustments according to the results of the initial test and make more samples... Eh, I'd run out of materials, but what could I do - research, even on proven theories, was always expensive. Hmmm... why don't I do something useful? I'll visit Hood, and at the same time I'll borrow materials from Bikon's workshops. Most students come with ready-made weapons anyway, and use local machines only for repairs and minor upgrades, only rarely changing anything drastically. Not a bad idea, but for now let's create pre-production models.

"So..." - I lit another cigar. You get used to this thing very quickly, and with lighted tobacco in your mouth, you think better. - "What do we need first, plasma or a normal rail?"

I wanted both, and more, but I couldn't tear myself into many small Romanovs, so I had to prioritize something. And the rail looked a little more favorable here: kinetic weapons, whatever they were, the local inhabitants have long known, and therefore in the case of lightning could not cause much excitement. But a rifle firing fireballs at breakneck speed - that's another matter, even if they write it off as Ashes, it would still attract attention. So it's a rail. Then... so, for starters, we create small steel arrows, doping them with Electric Ashes for better conductivity... Or take a non-conductive arrow and place it on a "launch pad" made of conductor? No, it's cheaper, but the extra intermediary means less efficiency, so we'll still have to spend on doped ammunition. And Electric Ashes alone won't be enough to cancel out the air resistance, so we'll need to add Air Ashes and a couple pellets of Earth Ashes to make it stronger. Well, what if it's not Earthy, but Gravitational? Hmmm... No, we need to choose by scientific guesswork, so we make a lot of different ammunition, including non-conductive. What's next? The barrel. As it was shown again, even launching aluminum directly from the rail just shears the rail, after all, it is made of silver-plated copper, albeit alloyed with the same Electric Ashes. Or use steel? The conductivity loss should be small, but Ashes are a cheat. We should also test a few different kinds. Plus the spares, because it's still worth playing with the pulse strength. And the length of the rail, too. And the distance between the conductors, i.e. the gauge... What else? Loading system and charge suspension system, we should try to make a third and a fourth one at the bottom and top of the two rails-conductors to hold the cartridge in the gravitational field, which will provide better wear resistance of the barrel... Shit, it's possible to strengthen it with Aura, instead of inventing archeotech... though if there are resources left, we can still try, additional reliability in the weapon will never be superfluous. Okay, what's next? We won't touch the primary acceleration system, the standard ash charge is more than enough, unless we should try a variation without it at all. Total... I need a dozen or two models and a box of various ammunition, and that's just for prototypes, and still need to think about the cooling and charging system, because in addition to the "bullets" there is also a battery, which will also run out and require replacement. But that's for later, first I need to work out the statistics on firing efficiency. All right, drawings in the editor - and start, finish raking up the working material from the workbench.

This time the samples were "printed" by the evening, thanks to the ready-made templates and publicly available schemes, I didn't have to sit over the drawings for a week or two. Having packed all this goodness into the spatial pocket, I met my eyes with the little mute girl.

" So, my dear servant girl, we have another field test to fly out..."

"(X_X), (>_<)!" - Neo clearly wasn't thrilled with the idea.

"But agree, you're impressed with the idea of having such an 'argument' in your arsenal. "

"(-_v)..." - A nod of forced acknowledgment. 

" Which means we need another flight away from Vale."

"(v_v)..."

" (O‸O)..." - I can make eyes at you too!

" (U_U)..." - The young lady gave up and painfully rolled her eyes.

" Have I told you how much I love you yet?"

"..."- mid-step the girl stammered and almost slammed into the wall, the tips of her ears visible to me starting to turn very scarlet.

" I owe you an ice cream!"

" (*‸*)!!!" - This news brought Neo from his current state to a hamster-working state. Why hamster-working? Because she turned around a bit and spread out all ten fingers and showed them to me.

"Ten servings? Have a conscience, swallow! Five, and I'm not haggling anymore!"

"(^_^)," she must have been trying to do, for, almost purring, she went off to prepare the bullhead for flight. 

We came back in the morning and went to bed. The tests went... smoothly. Of course, we could publish a whole technical manual on it... and three more on profanity, but we'll leave that out. The image of the rifle was beginning to emerge. It would be best to take a meter rail as a basis, lowering the pulse voltage to thirty-five kilovolts (or rather, about that, more or less accurately here measured the voltage up to a thousand volts, then everything was at the level of plus or minus a kilometer. Ashes spoiled the local engineers very much), or reduce it to seventy centimeters and give fifty. I was leaning towards the first option, because even though it had large dimensions, it allowed me to save a lot on the battery, and with some minor modifications and a different type of ammunition it could easily turn into a plasma gun... or rather, it would, when I solved the problem of reverse current of the plasma, which I just hadn't gotten to yet. There were thoughts, but it's new tests and new resources, which I just don't have yet. What else is there to tell? Gravity suspension of the cartridge in the barrel - the idea is interesting, but complicated, for stationary position and shooting "from the soil" will do, but if you need to shoot on weight or in motion, then the accuracy of shooting immediately becomes almost negative value, so alas, but strengthening the weapon with Aura - so far the most reliable option. Speaking of firing. The five-gram steel arrow, accelerated up to ten Machs, easily penetrates through any obstacles, it has an extreme armor-piercing effect, but it has almost no stopping power. But if instead of it you take a copper or aluminum one, reinforced with Ashes... The soft metal does not so much penetrate as deforms and transfers all the energy of the shot to the target. The result? The target is ripped to shreds. During the tests (and we did them not far from Mount Glenn, a truly desolate place), Goliath came out to "meet" us. So we got acquainted, he even kindly agreed to take part in the tests. When a copper guest hit the elephant's body, the elephant was left with only quickly evaporating legs. But the most "brutal" was the testing of gravity ammunition from the gravipod. A steel arrow weighing a hundred and fifty grams, during the activation of the first level of the charge weight was reduced to almost zero, a measly tenth of a fraction, but after the shot Prakh "turned on" the reverse thrust, so to speak, and to the target flew "arrow" weighing ... well, on the "ground" was something about two hundred kilograms. Two centimeters. No loss of velocity or initial momentum. My knowledge of physics was in agony, but there was common sense. I kept thinking, "It's Magic, Harry," but the fact remained. Gravipatrons are scary. Actually, the sight of the vanished in a cloud of dust hill and a small earthquake and became the final chord for today. The tests were successful, it remains to understand whether the "toys" are not too powerful?

The next morning, having already habitually kissed Neo sleeping, having washed up and prepared breakfast, I got down to the Sinister Plans to infiltrate Bicon. Today was a big day for Hood - a trip to the Emerald Forest and team building, it was unlikely that anything would go wrong, my actions in that direction were almost non-existent, which meant that tonight the RWBY team would be assembled, and tomorrow after classes they could be visited... though no, better the day after tomorrow - let them get used to it a bit, settle in, besides it would be Saturday, and it would be polite to visit on Saturday, right? On Friday... hmm, well, shall we clean out Bikon's supplies or wait until I get a new batch of Ashes? I think we should wait. A girl's best friend may be diamonds, but a young Huntress' best friend is ammo, and you can never have too much of it. Especially with Ruby's love for her "baby girl" and Yang's character. Speaking of Yang... Ammo needs to be returned. And while we're at it, I'd like to see what's going on with the design, because according to my memories and Junior's notes, they're kind of toy-like, although the caliber is not bad. And at the same time to think over a distraction, because I know this group - first there'll be a fight on half a dorm, and then the question of why you came and what you need. But one plan to pacify women's hearts is not enough, it is necessary to develop a plan for a walk on Bicon, even though I still have a very low opinion of Ozpin's abilities, but my knowledge is based on vague rumors known to Roman, and the knowledge of a man who just watched the show, which, no matter how cool, all the nuances can not take into account. Impudence, of course, is the second happiness, but it is never superfluous to make a bed. But let's start with ammunition...

The next morning.

Having finished packing the last package of freshly packed cartridges, shining with colored markings, I put it in my sports bag and weighed it in my hand. Yeah, that should satisfy Yang's thirst for destruction. I'm good. Now all that's left to do is order from a good pastry shop and I'll be fully prepared for exploits, revelry, and debauchery.

There were two ways to visit Beacon. Cheeky and extremely cheeky. No, of course, there was still an opportunity to play ninja, but, given my future plans, it's not the best choice. So option one: just walk down the corridors with a cheeky face, as if it was the right thing to do. Option two: first, use some connections and debtors from the academy and slightly adjust the bases, getting a pass. Mr. Ark was able to get a pass in a different way - forged documents of graduation from one of the local Battle Schools, and then put his data together with the list of candidates for the final test. But back to the passes. Here's the thing, Hunters are only the teachers and, in fact, the director of the academy, but in addition, someone must cook food, responsible for the material support of students, banal cleaning toilets and mowing the lawn. Of course, such tasks were not performed by Hunters or even by people with open Aura, but by ordinary humans and fauns. They included the pilots who flew students to and from Vale, and the "pass office" servants who made the access keys for the Scrolls, which were also the pass and identification within Bicon. And among these servants, Roman had debtors, very big debtors, sitting high enough to push through a fake certificate of graduation from the combat school, bypassing the admissions committee, and simply adding another student to the Academy's database... and not just any student. 

The most remarkable thing was that the admissions database was not connected to the student database, because, as mentioned above, there were plenty of left-handed personnel in the school. So one short phone call, a little makeup, a couple of photos - and now an unremarkable technician named Loki Asgard (why be shy? Moreover, my eyes are green...) was included in the school's database and had the right to walk around the dormitories, students' rooms (in case the wiring said "quack"?) and even technical rooms, access to which the same students are not allowed. And the makeup was necessary to distract attention. Still, Roman's obsession with appearance played into my hands. Brushed back hair instead of perfectly "licked" bangs, no mascara, change the dandy white jacket and perfectly ironed pants for a leather jacket and the same pants - and in the mirror is reflected in a completely different person, and without a hat and cigar, which have become the calling cards of Torchwick, even his mother would not immediately recognize. Having completed the image (Roman's skills, thank you again), I thought, why not combine the pleasant with the useful and, besides going to the pastry shop for the universal key to women's hearts, not to take Neo out for a walk around Vale? See the scenery, sit in a coffee shop... Yeah, good idea. 

"Hey, Neo, feel like taking a walk?" - I jumped back into the room of the girl who was playing some local fighting game on her Scroll. 

"(^_^)," the girl nodded without raising her head and got to her feet vigorously, albeit gracefully as hell. Her face turns to me, multicolored eyes open to demonstrate the change of colors, and... - "(O_O)'," - the device fell out of her hands.

"So, will you go on a date with me?"

"(O_O)..."

" Neo?"

" (O_O)..."

"Uh, are you okay? You look kind of doped up," I grinned, the expression on her face was so funny.

"(F_F)..." - The girl stammered as she approached me. - "Poke, poke, poke..."-that's me in the forehead, where my bangs had always been, poked my forehead with a finger. Then they pinched themselves and wrinkled a little, and then they looked at my figure again, now thoughtful and pensive.

" So what's your positive answer? "

"(*_*)!"

" Something about that glint in my eyes seems ominous... Okay, just prejudice, so shall we go?" - I'm extending my elbow.

"(^____^)," this wonder grasps it and is ready to go anywhere. Looks like it's going to be fun tonight!

The return from the date that ended the "quiet family evening" was at ten o'clock, and already at eleven my Scroll was beeping, revealing the characteristic face of the faunus lieutenant. Oh, it was so perfect.

"Did you order pizza?"

" (O_o)," I shook my head negatively.

"And I didn't, then I hope this is Prah's delivery and not a message that they messed up somewhere and the cops are rushing over here now."

"..."

"Hello, my little furry friend," I turned to the big man. - "What's the news you're calling me with? "

" Our fighter's gonna be at your place in half an hour with a couple cases to evaluate. What the fuck you need that for, I just don't understand... "

"You don't. I'm the brains in our group, but since I'm in a good mood, I'll try to explain. You see, there are different kinds of Ashes. And it should be stored in different places. But there are different degrees of security, so let's just say the quality stuff should be kept in a more secure place, and the crap can be sacrificed or even handed over to the cops to temper their fervor by 'finding and disarming a gang warehouse,' comprende?"

" I got it. The courier will be here within the hour," he changed the time frame? Why would he do that?

" Hmm?"

" We... sent samples from only one truck..." - he seemed uncomfortable.

" Just send more people. Different ones. Different routes. Ideally, they'd just plant them in certain places, but that's too complicated for you. Okay, I'll wait," I turn off the Scroll. - "Who do you have to work with..."

"(~_~)..." - I was stroked on the head. -" (O_o)?"

 Yes, it could have been simpler. In fact, a small batch could have been seized immediately when the cars were delivered to the "lagoon", but I don't want to take any chances with these amateurs. They'd be littering the road to the lagoon with hairballs, and then they'd have to light up all my beds, and I don't want to move to a new place early," I said, amused, but all these considerations came from my predecessor's memory as if they were as self-evident as the fact that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. - "Also, I can feel that they're having a bad effect on me, and I'm getting dumb and poking holes in little things - you remember wiping the floor with me, so the more reassurance the better, and if anything, don't hesitate to tell me about the joints."

" (^_^)," I nod.

" That's great!"

Forty-five minutes later, the designated "couriers" arrived, each bringing a couple of crates from the truck, totaling ten "zincs" with crystals and dust. I open it and admire the shimmer of this Beauty. 

"Not bad, not bad at all. Dismissed, go do... whatever it is you usually do. And yes, good for you for coming without uniforms," I nod, and the fauns leave, while I light a cigar and pack Fire Ashes to replenish my ammunition.