"Welcome to the dance." A blond girl in a white dress greeted Clark with a smile as he entered. He ignored how her eyes looked him up and down with . . . more than a little appreciation.

"Thanks." He replied and walked off. She looked familiar, and it took him a moment to recognize her. Right, she'd been one of those students there that night with the Paladin. Qrow's niece.

He stepped into the room. Colorful streamers and balloons hung from the ceiling, and tables with white tablecloth surrounded the dance floor. The waltz music was nice, and lucky for him, since waltz was one of the first dances he'd chosen to learn. He focused on team CFVY's familiar voices through the chatter and made his way to them.

He found the team at a nearby wall. "Hey guys." He greeted them. They'd all cleaned up well for the dance. Yatsuhashi sported a green suit, and it must have been an effort to find one to fit his large stature. Coco wore a jet black dress, and still had her shades even when they were indoors in the middle of the night. Velvet wore a brown dress, although she was off to the side and didn't let Clark get a good look at it. For some reason, Fox wasn't with them, probably getting some punch or something.

"Hello." Yatsuhashi nodded to him.

"You're a few minutes late." Coco pointed out.

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I had something to take care of."

Ever since Vale's Council had enacted anti-Dart procedures, he'd decided to change how he operated. Asenich and Floren had likely pushed for them for more personal reasons, but they still had good points. There were other ways to deal with dangerous people than tearing apart the city little by little. He'd started disarming and shoving them a little to scare them rather than tie them up, and now it was easier to lead police to them since there were so many patrolling the streets for the Dart.

"No biggie." Coco replied. "It's just a bit strange, since you're usually super punctual."

He shrugged. "Guess I can be unpredictable sometimes."

"Awww, and I thought you'd always be a big, dependable hunk." Coco said with mock disappointment. She stood aside to reveal Velvet. "By the way, what do you think of Velvet's dress?"

Clark looked, but made a point not to stare since the faunus was already squirming uncomfortably. It was more revealing than he'd have expected from her. Which meant there was a pretty good chance Coco was responsible. The brown dress hugged the faunus' figure. There was a long slit on the side that displayed her long, smooth legs, and he refused to let his gaze linger on her chest.

Hold on a second . . .

"I like the color." He said in a flat voice. Remembering how Coco had asked him which shade of brown he preferred. The one he'd chosen was the same Velvet was wearing.

"Ha!" Coco barked out a quick laugh. "Yeah, thought you'd say something like that. Don't have anything else to add?"

"She looks beautiful." Clark said, and Velvet's cheeks flushed. "So do you, and Yatsuhashi." He added, his eyes turned up to meet the smiling man's. "I hope you don't mind me saying you look great in that big guy?"

He chuckled deeply. "Not at all."

"Heh, I'd say that was an easy cop-out if you didn't actually mean it." Coco answered. "Want me to track Fox down so you can comment on him?"

"No, I'm fine. Where is he though?" Clark's eyes roamed over the crowd. He spotted some familiar faces, Ozpin, Glynda, and General Ironwood were here. As was Penny, although she was flanked by two guards. He couldn't see Fox though, and Clark wasn't going to use X-ray vision to scan layers of the crowd to find him.

"I believe he's looking for another team at the moment." Yatsuhashi answered. "He's become quite attached to their leader. Fox wanted to ask her as his date, but she'd already promised to go with her teammate. Though it seems he's rather eager for the single dance she promised him."

"Wouldn't it be better to save it for last?"

"He doesn't think so, but he's also with them because he wants to get on her team's good side." Yatsuhashi leaned forward. "A warning, change the topic if you hear the name Cinder from him. Otherwise he won't stop talking about her."

"Enough chit chat. This is a dance, so let's dance!" Coco said excitedly. "Clark, you're with me. Velvet, Yatsuhashi, do what you want. But I better see you two having fun."

The team leader pulled him to the dance floor before he could protest, placed a hand on his shoulder, and pulled him along. He placed his remaining hand on her hip and quickly followed in step with her movements.

"You can dance." Coco said with a bit of surprise.

"Well, yeah. I watched some videos online." Clark answered. "Wait, what would you have done if I hadn't been able to?"

"Laugh at how underprepared you are, like most guys here." Her head turned to the other students around them. There were quite a few who were fumbling around.

"That's pretty mean." Clark said with a lighthearted grin.

"Heh, they deserve it if they thought they could get by with just waving their arms around." Coco responded. "You're lucky I was willing to rescue you."

"Oh, so I should thank you for wanting to spare me the shame of not knowing how to dance?"

"Nah, I needed to make sure you wouldn't step on any toes when I handed you over to Velvet."

"Ah," replied Clark. Although his easy smile faded a bit. He could see the awkwardness this conversation was heading to.

"Is that a problem?" Coco's eyes were hidden behind her sunglasses, but an eyebrow was raised.

"No."

Coco frowned, then let out a sigh a few seconds later. "Screw it. Okay, hear me out. Velvet likes you, really likes you. She'd die of embarrassment if she knew I was telling you this, but I think I should. She's shy when you hang out with us, but you don't see what you do to her when you're not around. Before you arrive, she's so adorably nervous and excited that it makes my heart melt. After you leave, she's all smile. It's almost like she's had a shot of concentrated happiness. She cares about you. A lot. Even when we met the Achieve Men, I know for a fact that she was thinking more about you than the celebrities who were right in front of us. It's not easy, but could you try a long distance relationship after you leave?"

Clark shook his head. "Sorry, it's not an option."

"Why? If it's a remote region, couldn't you get a signal booster or something? I don't think they're that expensive."

"That's not the problem."

"What? You don't want to try?" Coco said with more than a little vehemence.

"No, that's not it either. Velvet's a really nice girl too. I'd be happy to go on a few dates to see where things go. It's just that . . ." What was he supposed to say? That he had to go home to another dimension? "Look, I just can't. Can we please drop it?"

Coco frowned. "Fine."

They continued dancing, which was more than a bit awkward. Neither could make up their mind to leave.

After a few minutes, Coco sighed. "I'm sorry. I got a little frustrated, it's just . . . Velvet's so shy. She's my best friend, and I want her to be happy."

Clark nodded in understanding. "It's okay. You're just trying to help your friend."

Coco tilted her head. "You know, sometimes I forget how nice you are."

"It's how my parents raised me."

"Mm." Coco continued dancing with him until the song ended. "I know it's probably a lot to ask, and that you might not want to after what I brought up, but could you please dance with Velvet? It'd mean a lot to her."

Clark nodded. "Sure, and I'll make sure she doesn't know about what you told me."

"Thanks. Now let's go."

\\

A finger tapped Velvet's shoulder, and she turned to the sight of her leader's grinning face. "Time to switch partners." announced Coco. Sliding in between her and Yatsu, while she pushed Velvet at Clark.

She stumbled a few steps and fell, but was caught by a pair of strong, solid arms. Velvet met Clark's eyes as he held her, and swallowed nervously.

He gently brought her back on her feet, and put his hands in place so they could dance. Even through the fabric of her dress, she could feel the warmth from his hand on her hip. Along with her fingers intertwined with his.

"I just realized something," he said with a chuckle. "How tall are you?"

"Five foot six, not counting my ears." She replied. "Why?"

"What was dancing with Yatsuhashi like for you? It'd be a bit awkward even for me to reach for his shoulder."

Velvet giggled. The thought of Clark and Yatsu waltzing together was just too much. "I put my hand on the side of his chest, although it's still weird since I have to pull my head back almost all the way to look up at him when we're that close."

With Clark, she had to look up as well. But it wasn't at all uncomfortable, his height was almost reassuring somehow.

They chatted for a little bit. He cracked jokes, asked about her hobbies. He was so easy to talk to. She could have gone on about her photography hobby for hours, and it was clear how much attention he gave her.

He really was great. He even danced well, with a certain grace to his movements. Each shift of his powerful muscles carefully controlled. Most huntsmen had a high degree of discipline with their bodies, but Clark was on another level entirely. It came so naturally to him, like he'd been doing it for his whole life.

Come to think of it, how much did she really know about his life anyway? When asked, he'd said that he grew up in a farm, but was incredibly vague about where. Just that it seemed to be in a place where few Grimm attacked.

The realization of how little she knew brought her back to what she'd discussed with Coco. About him hiding what he was.

"You know, I'm really lucky that I have a team like them." Velvet said.

"I'm pretty lucky too, since I got to meet you guys," answered Clark.

Velvet smiled in response. Flattery came so easily to Clark, and every bit of it was sincere. "Sometimes I think about what might have happened if I wasn't part of team CFVY. Being a faunus can be hard sometimes, and I'm glad that I found people who were so supportive. A team leader who pushes me when I needed it, and teammates who wouldn't tolerate anyone judging me for what I am. I don't think I would have found anyone else like them."

"I'm sure there would have been others." He said softly.

Even Clark, optimistic guy that he was, didn't sound like he really believed it. Was that because of personal experience?

"I used to be bullied a lot." She continued. "Even when I was young, other kids would call me a freak and make fun of my ears. It was only a few, and they'd probably just got that attitude from their parents, but the names still hurt. But as I got older, what hurt more was the fact that most of the other kids would just stand by and ignore it. I eventually learned that there's a psychological reason for that, the bystander effect, but knowing that didn't really make things better." Velvet smiled sadly up at Clark. "After all, if that was all it took, there would have been some comfort in knowing that a lot of racism boils down to people not liking what's different."

Velvet searched his eyes for signs that he might have gone through something similar. There was pity in them, and something else she didn't quite recognize.

She continued. "It hasn't completely ended. It wasn't that long ago when someone at Beacon actually pulled on my ears and made fun of them." She bit her lip in shame, thinking back on how that freshman had humiliated her just months ago. "My team can't watch out for me all the time, but if they were there, they would have been furious. That's how they are, and I'm glad for them."

"Well you can count me with them." Clark said. His jaw was set, and his eyes smoldered. "I can't believe someone would do that. You're not still being bullied, are you?"

The concern in Clark's voice made Velvet's heart flutter. She shook her head. "No, it's not that. Really, I'm fine." She assured him.

"Okay . . . if you say so." He said, not sounding fully convinced.

"I just felt that you needed to know that we won't stand by if one of us is treated like that. I'm a faunus, it's part of who I am, and they showed me that I shouldn't need to feel ashamed of it." Velvet said proudly. She thought she was being a bit too obvious, but her message didn't seem to be getting through.

Clark just nodded. "That's admirable."

The faunus gave him a confused look. At the very least, he should have reacted to that. Maybe she had to be even more direct. "Clark, is there anything you want to tell me and the rest of the team? It's fine, you know that we won't judge."

Clark's eyes narrowed. "Not really. I know I've been keeping a few things secret, but there are good reasons for that. Is it really that much of a problem if I don't tell you guys where my hometown is? Or what my job specifically is?"

Velvet shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant, I'm talking . . . about you."

He tensed up for a moment, almost too quickly for Velvet to notice, before he relaxed again. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked. His voice was calm, but his eyes focused intently on her.

"It's okay. I know, you don't have to hide it from me or the team. You can say it." Velvet said encouragingly.

"Say what?" Clark tried to play dumb, but he was terrible at it.

"Do you want me to say it first? Are you ashamed of it?" She asked. A bit hurt by the possibility that he resented what he was.

Clark bit his lip, and he looked around before turning back to her. "Say it first, but not here. Let's go somewhere else."

They stopped dancing, and she followed Clark as he led her up one of the winding staircases to the second floor. They didn't stop there, instead going to a balcony outside where it would be just the two of them.

Just the two of them. Velvet's heart would have been racing in any other situation.

He stopped and turned back to her. His expression set, barely a trace of his usual cheer. "Okay, say it. What did you mean."

It wasn't a question. Velvet took a deep breath. "I know that you're a faunus Clark."

The wind rustled through the trees.

Velvet waited for his response, but Clark just stood there silently.

Then, he made a sound. "Kfff." His hand reached to cover his mouth and he turned his head aside. His body shaking.

For a second, Velvet was completely confused. Until she realized that he was laughing. "Clark?"

He turned back to her, failing to muffle his chucking. "I - I'm sorry." He said between laughs. "Totally got the wrong idea. What makes you think I'm a faunus?"

Velvet's cheeks turned red in embarrassment. Could she be wrong? But-but she and Coco had confirmed it. "That night, when I asked you to the dance. You went back to Beacon in easily in the dark. And remember when Coco used that whistle on you? It makes a sound too high for humans to hear, but not for faunus. You obviously heard it."

"Oh." He shrugged. "I have good eyesight and hearing, which I admit happens to line up with faunus senses. But I'm not a faunus, I don't have any animal parts."

Velvet just stared back at him in shock. Good eyesight and hearing? Was it really just that? Had she jumped to her conclusion too quickly?

"B-but then just now, what was that about?" She asked. "You got so nervous when I mentioned your secret. Or what I thought it was."

His easy smile faded at that. "Well, you know I have certain . . . circumstances about my home. I thought you meant something related to that." He looked aside sadly. "I'm not comfortable talking about it."

Velvet extinguished her burning curiosity. If Clark seemed that troubled by it, then she wouldn't ask.

"So you have night vision and enhanced hearing?" she asked. "If you're not a faunus, that's a pretty weird coincidence." She didn't want to sound like she was accusing him, but it sounded incredibly unlikely.

He grinned back. "Yeah, I guess it is. But really, I'm not a faunus. You can check me later if you want, I'll even strip down to my underwear. Though I hope that you'll at least let me leave that on."

"D-don't tease me like that!" Velvet's cheeks burned and she slapped his shoulder. Which got a laugh from him. "If you said that to Coco, she would have made you do it."

"Maybe I should, if that's what it'll take to convince you that I'm telling the truth about not being a faunus." Clark joked.

"Okay okay, you're not a faunus," admitted Velvet. Sheesh, since when did he joke like that? Was Coco's behavior rubbing off on him? "I'm actually kind of glad that I'm wrong," she said with some relief. "I hated the thought of you hiding and ashamed of being a faunus. No one should have to feel bad for what they're born as, and it hurt that you'd feel that way. I couldn't help wondering about how you really thought of me, and if that was the reason why you wouldn't date me."

"Velvet, I . . ." He paused, apparently uncertain of what to say.

"I know, I know, you have your reasons." She said. Weird, how easily she could talk to him about how she felt. "I've accepted that, you don't need to tell me again."

"I do like you, you know." He admitted. "More than . . . as a friend."

Had he . . . had he just . . ?

"Wh-what?!" Velvet stuttered nervously and wrenched her head up. How could he just drop something like that?! No, she shouldn't get her hopes up. He was going to leave anyway, things wouldn't work out.

It took Velvet a little while to calm down, and thankfully Clark didn't comment on her inner turmoil. She soon realized why. He'd turned his head aside and was biting his lip. Glancing back at her for only a moment before looking away.

He was nervous.

The thought boggled Velvet. Clark was amazing, more than that, he could have had any girl he wanted with his looks. And he was nervous when telling Velvet he liked her?

"Should I not have said that?" His voice was almost a whisper.

"I . . . I don't-" Her mind was a mess. "Why?"

He cocked his head. "Why did I say that? Or why do I like you?"

"Th-the first one!" Velvet wasn't sure she could handle any more.

He shrugged sheepishly. "Truth is, I don't really know. I . . . felt I had to tell you." Clark paused. "God, this is embarrassing."

Embarrassing? Velvet was reaching levels of embarrassment that shouldn't be possible.

"I'm glad you feel the same way." Velvet finally said. She clenched her fists and gathered her courage. "I know it would be too much, but could you stay for a while? So we could try at least?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I have to get back as soon as possible, so I think we should just stay friends."

She lowered her head in disappointment. "Okay."

"Hey, chin up." He said cheerfully. "You're a great, beautiful girl in an amazing dress. Try to remember that and have some fun. If not for me, then at least think of how Coco will react."

Velvet couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Her leader would be all over her in seconds if she returned with a glum expression.

"You're right." She said. They were at a dance, and the guy she liked had just admitted he'd liked her back. What was there to be upset about? "Let's go back down." She said with a smile.

"I'll go in a bit, I want to stay up here by myself for a little bit longer." Clark said.

Was he still embarrassed? Then again, Velvet didn't really have the right to criticize that. "Alright, you better be back soon." She said, going back inside and walking down the steps.

\\

Clark watched Velvet go down the stairs back to the dance. A bit of cheer had returned in her step. Clark smiled, and leaned on the balcony.

That had been an interesting conversation. He'd just admitted that he liked Velvet. As in, he was attracted to her. The same way she was with him.

Clark hadn't even realized how he'd felt until just a few minutes ago. True, she was cute like when she blushed and stammered. It made total sense why Coco was so eager to tease her when she reacted like that. Her timidity and shyness, Clark didn't any issue with that, but he didn't find them attractive qualities.

The dress had looked wonderful on Velvet though. Complementing her hair and eyes well, and he'd noticed the subtle hints of makeup she'd put on. She'd had mascara on her eyelashes, making them darker and longer than normal. She'd used lip gloss too, which had given her lips a noticeable gleam. Her skin was already smooth and soft, but she'd put on foundation, even though Clark personally didn't think she needed it. He'd thought offhand before that she was pretty, but tonight had been the first time he'd thought she was beautiful.

Although Clark wasn't shallow enough for a different appearance to have changed his feelings.

What had really impressed him was the sudden fierceness and pride in her voice when she'd talked about her team. The ears that had drooped when remembering her ordeals had shot straight up. Her voice had been firm and clear, while her eyes had been sharp and determined. He'd only seen hints of that side of her before.

Velvet had been earnest in saying how they'd protect and care for each other, and hinted she'd do the same for him. The compassion she'd shown had amazed Clark.

With a hint of curiosity, Clark focused his hearing to the ballroom and zeroed in on a couple of familiar voices.

"Hm, where's Clark?" Coco said.

"Oh, he's upstairs." Velvet answered. "Said he wanted to be by himself for a while."

"Really?" There was a pause. "Well, looks like someone's in a good mood. Did something happen between you two?" Super-hearing wasn't necessary to hear the smirk in her tone.

"Not what you think. By the way, we were totally wrong about him being a faunus."

At that point, Clark stopped listening. That had been confusing for a while, he'd been wondering why she kept mentioning her experiences as a faunus. At first, he'd thought she was trying to subtly ask him for help with being bullied. Even when she denied it, he'd thought she might have been too ashamed to ask for help.

Until she'd mentioned his secret. That had raised alarm bells, and there were two big ones she could have meant. She'd either figured out he was an alien, or that he was the Dart, maybe even both. And when she'd mentioned her own experiences of being born different, Clark had been quick to conclude which one she meant.

He'd made mistakes. He could easily see in the dark, but he knew better than to show it. The only reason he'd tripped up was because he was used to judging how other people reacted to being in the dark, and pretending to see onlywhat they saw. Velvet had navigated fine that night, so Clark had thought there was enough light for him to do the same. He'd forgotten that faunus had night vision.

Coco blowing that whistle had startled him. It had been high pitched, but he hadn't known that he shouldn't be able to hear it.

Clark had been lucky that she and Velvet had concluded he was a faunus. Then again, it was a lot more believable than the truth. Who would think he was an alien just from that?

At least he'd managed to convince her he was human. Even with the weak excuse he'd given.

He tapped the banister with a finger.

From now on, he'd have to learn to judge light levels and the frequency of a sound before he reacted to it or not. That would be annoying, and he'd have to add another level of deception for Coco and Velvet, because it wouldn't make sense to them if he suddenly couldn't see in the dark or hear a whistle he'd reacted to before.

Clark sighed and looked into the distance. He really was starting to get fed up with all the lies. It had never been this hard keeping them back home.

He heard a roar of laughter from the ballroom, and glanced inside. In the center of the dance floor were two people, a blond guy in a white dress leading along a redhead in a dress that matched the color of her hair.

Well, that was certainly interesting. Maybe he should see what that was all about.

He stepped forward, but caught some movement from the corner of his eye and stopped. There was a woman in a black catsuit running across the rooftops in Vale. A thief? The police wouldn't see her, over the past few days Clark had learned that they didn't tend to look up when searching for someone. And if he could hide from them while wearing bright red and blue, this person would have an easier time when she blended in with the rooftops.

Hopefully, this wouldn't take too long. He jumped down from the balcony, and made to follow her.

\\

Ruby brought her hands together, and smiled at the sight. She had no idea why Jaune was wearing a dress, but it had totally worked to make Pyrrha happy. Not just them, the rest of their team had joined in for a dance.

Even Weiss was getting along with Neptune again. Whatever had happened between those two had been a mystery, but it looked like Jaune had somehow sorted that out with some guy talk with the Haven transfer student.

Ruby was glad she'd come to the dance without a date. She could avoid all the drama. And Yang couldn't even be mad, because she hadn't come with a date either. Ha! Victory for Ruby!

At least, whatever victory she could get when she'd been forced into wearing heels. Seriously, who had invented these stupid lady stilts? How did Weiss fight in them? She obviously knew the practicality of a combat skirt, but had apparently thrown that wisdom aside in the shoe department.

Careful. Careful. It took an annoying amount of focus to walk, but Ruby managed it. She headed outside.

The air was nice and cool, kind of a relief from the ballroom. Which had been getting a bit stuffy.

Her eyes caught a shape moving on the rooftops. Someone in black clothing running across them.

Ruby narrowed her eyes. That was suspicious. She made to follow, and stopped at the steps in front of her.

Stupid lady stilts. She cursed the shoes, and walked down carefully.

\\

It would have been easy for Clark to have leapt up and knocked this woman out at super speed, but . . . running on rooftops wasn't exactly illegal. She didn't seem like a thief either, she wasn't carrying anything. All she seemed to have was a flash drive in her pocket. She was definitely up to something, but that didn't warrant him giving her the knockout treatment.

Instead, he followed some distance behind her from the ground. He stayed out of sight, which also meant at times he couldn't see her without X-ray vision, but it was easy to listen to her footsteps. By now he'd keyed into her breathing and heartbeat, and he'd also checked for anyone else nearby who might be her ally.

There was someone a bit further back behind them, a girl in a red dress coming out from the dance. She was probably just leaving the dance early.

It didn't take long to realize where the woman was headed. The CCT.

The woman slowed down when she got close. She crouched, hiding behind a wall from one of the guards. Waiting. When the man turned his head away from her, she dashed ahead to the other side. Then she reduced her speed again, silently making her way behind the guard.

Clark also got closer, speeding behind the nearest pillar to the guard. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was going to do the guy, should he just help out anonymously as the Dart?

No. Qrow had mentioned difficulties with convicting Neo, and that Clark's testimony would have helped. He'd said no, wanting to lay low and hide his involvement, but that had required General Ironwood to cover for him. Possibly even lie to Vale's court. This woman hadn't actually done anything yet. If Clark helped out as the Dart, he wouldn't be able to testify. And all the guard would know was that some woman had appeared behind him, knocked into a nearby wall.

There was a good chance she could just claim that the Dart had attacked her. So he'd do this as Clark Kent. He'd make sure that there would be justice for whatever she was planning.

Slowly, she crept up behind the guard. As she raised her arm, presumably to knock him out, Clark made his move.

With a burst of speed, but only in amounts he'd seen other huntsmen achieve, he leapt in between the woman and the guard. Catching the hand that had been on its way to chop the man's head.

Immediately, the guard turned around and moved back a few steps. "What the- You two, freeze!" He brought up his gun and aimed at them.

"I'm not your enemy." Clark announced. "I'm a Beacon employee, and I know General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin personally. Contact them. This woman just tried to attack you and infiltrate the CCT."

A mask covered the top half of her face, allowing the frustrated scowl to be easily visible. Clark peeked through her mask with X-ray vision, but he didn't recognize the face.

The guard, wary, took a few steps back and brought a hand to his helmet. "This is Williams. I have- Whoah!"

The woman interrupted him, she tried to attack, but Clark's grip on her wrist was tight. She sprinted a few steps at him, before being pulled back.

"Hurry up." Clark told the man. She was trying to wrench her arm free, and he didn't want her to hurt herself.

"I have two intruder-

Shards of glass suddenly materialized and formed a sword in her free hand. She made to throw it at the guard. Before she could, Clark threw her aside, away from the guard. The woman reacted quickly, flipping and landing on her feet. Her yellow eyes narrowed.

"Two intruders." The soldier said quickly. "A man and woman. The man claims to be an ally, a Beacon employee. The woman appears hostile."

"Please, surrender." Clark warned the woman. "It'll be easier for yo-

Twin swords formed in her hands, again made of glass, but there was a swirl of orange light accompanying them. Her clothing glowed orange too, then faded. Dust.

She rushed forward. She swung a sword at him, when it missed, she quickly followed it with a second one. Clark ducked, only to move his head back up when a foot launched up to kick him.

Clark had made a mistake when he'd fought Neo, which he'd learned afterwards when talking to Qrow. He'd taken her attacks without reacting, but people with aura would still feel hits even if they were protected from them. If Clark wanted to act as one of them, he needed to fight more like them. React somewhat when hit, or dodge.

Dodging was easier. This woman was fast. A huntress, based on the faint shimmer of aura Clark could see around her. Far faster than a normal human, but Clark could watch bullets fly through the air with ease. Her moves couldn't compare with that.

Still, he could tell with a glance that she was a far more skilled fighter. She even attacked from his blind spots to try and counteract his speed, a sword which went by his head would be accompanied by another trying to slice him from behind. He had to listen as they cut through the air to dodge them.

He had to be careful though, he needed to dodge only as fast as she attacked. Maybe a little faster if necessary, but no more than that. He couldn't make it look easy either.

"Just stop. I don't want to fig-" Clark side-stepped a swipe from her blade. "Wait, li-" He ducked from an elbow. "Can we talk-" He avoided her trying to knee him. She didn't speak, continuing to attack without pause.

Okay, he'd had enough. When she brought her swords back, he slapped her hands. Hard. Making her lose her grip on her weapons. Then, he punched her midsection.

She was thrown back, and collided with the wall with a thud. She fell to the ground. Cracks had formed in the stone wall from the blow. The woman wheezed, he'd knocked the breath out of her, and her aura gave out in a spurt of low light. He'd hit harder than he would have dared for a normal person, but his punch had only been a little stronger than the blows Qrow and Miss Goodwitch had gauged for him during spars.

"I don't want to do this. Please, surrender. Reinforcements are already here. And more are coming." Clark noted the guards who'd arrived during their fight, and could hear more arriving. The ones present aimed their guns at both him and the woman.

She held her side in pain, and eyed them warily. She glared at Clark with vehemence.

Then, a sudden blast of wind knocked the guards aside. It almost pushed Clark back, but he held his ground. It seemed like she had more in her arsenal than glass swords and Dust.

She ran, not particularly quickly, staggering from his earlier hit. She got a few steps away before Clark chased her down and snagged her arm.

"Stop this. You're not going to escape." The guards who hadn't been knocked out started to groan and get up. "Give u-Ah!" The woman's bare arm had suddenly burst into flames, and he quickly let go. The moment he did they were quickly extinguished.

She'd burned him. He looked down at his hand. He'd snatched it away the moment he'd felt pain, so there wasn't any visible damage, but it had hurt.

He stood stunned for a moment. He didn't feel or see any kryptonite around, and no way the fire had been hot enough to burn him normally. There was only one other way she could have managed it.

Magic.

The woman was trying to run again, and Clark was done trying to talk her down. He quickly caught up with her, wary in case she used her magic again. She turned around, but Clark ramped up the speed to stay behind her and swung at the back of her head. She fell to the ground, unconscious.

After he did, a timid voice spoke out from behind him. "U-um, what's going on?"

Clark turned his head, and saw the girl in the red dress from earlier. She was carrying a scythe in her hand, which was more than enough to recognize her. Qrow's niece, Ruby.

A few of the guards had recovered, getting up, and aimed their guns at him and the girl.

"This area's restricted, hands up." One of them ordered.

The girl's eyes widened. "W-wait, I'm a Beacon student. I'm not a bad guy!" She protested.

Clark, on the other hand, cooperated. He held his hands up, palms open and facing them. "If you can let me reach for my scroll, I can show you my I.D. I work for Beacon."

"M-me too!" Ruby said nervously, still holding the scythe in her arms. "I mean, not that I work for Beacon, but I have my scroll here with my I.D."

"Okay, take them out. Slowly"

Both he and Ruby reached into their pockets. Accessing their scrolls and showing the guards.

\\

It didn't take long for General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin to arrive. By the time they got here, the guards had placed handcuffs on the woman who'd infiltrated, and kept watch on her. They saluted the general, who promptly gave them orders to put her in custody and help their fallen comrades up.

Accompanying them had been Ms. Goodwitch and Qrow. The huntsman had spotted his niece immediately and took her off to the side to talk to her.

"We received your message from the guards, can you explain what happened here?" asked the headmaster.

Clark nodded. "Yeah. That woman tried to sneak into this building, and I stopped her when she was about to knock out one of the guards. She fought back, and you can see how well that went." He indicated the unconscious woman being carried away by the guards.

"And exactly how did you know she was going to sneak in?" General Ironwood asked, his eyes narrowed. "I thought I saw you at the dance, why are you here?"

Clark resisted the urge to snap back. He didn't appreciate the general's paranoia, he'd done nothing to deserve it. "I happened to see her approaching the CCT from the rooftops, and I thought it was suspicious."

"So you just happened to see and intercept her?" The general said, apparently unsatisfied with the truth.

"Oh lay off it Jimmy." Qrow interrupted. Who'd finished his chat and joined up with them. "My niece said she saw the same thing, you want to grill her too?"

"I just find it suspicious-

"Alright, enough. We are not having another argument between you two." Ms. Goodwitch said. "James. Clark has stopped someone who tried to infiltrate the CCT for reasons unknown and protected these guards. We should be thanking him."

"I agree." The headmaster said. "But we have time for that later. First, Clark, can you give us more detail? Her abilities, or hints of her motives?"

"Sure, but I don't think she should be listening." Clark pointed at a nearby pillar.

The four of them turned to it. Ms. Goodwitch and Qrow reached for their weapons, while Ironwood kept a wary eye on Clark.

"Who's there?" Ozpin called out.

"Uh, heheh." Nervous laughter sounded out from the column, and Qrow's niece stepped out from behind it. "H-hi." She waved awkwardly.

"Ruby, what are you still doing here?" asked Qrow. "I thought I told you to go back to the dance."

"Umm, I was. But I . . . kinda got lost?"

"Ruby . . .

She winced. "Okay, okay. I was curious. I mean, come on, someone just tried to break into the CCT! How could I not want to know about that?"

"Miss Rose, this is a delicate matter." Ozpin stated. "It would be best if you return to your friends."

"But-

"Listen to the headmaster Ruby." Qrow said in a stern voice. "I'll tell you about it later if you want, but this is grown-up stuff."

She pouted. "Okay." The girl turned around and walked, stumbling a bit in her heels. "Dang it, I thought I'd been sneaky." She mumbled.

Clark grinned. Oh, she had been. She'd walked off some distance and returned at a decent speed. Timing it to when everyone but Clark had been distracted. Although even if he hadn't been looking, he'd have been aware of her breathing and heartbeat.

He never used to do that, always listen for people nearby. But ever since he'd come to this world, he'd had too many people follow him. Ironwood's spies, that Emerald girl, Neo. It would be nice to go back home and be able to relax.

"We should discuss this somewhere more private." Ozpin suggested, looking around warily. "We'll go to my office."

The five walked at a hurried pace. Clark wondered why, he knew the CCT was vital for communication, but that didn't seem to explain their concern. The general's scowl was deeper than usual, and Qrow was taking this really seriously too. Even the usually unnatural calm of the headmaster was dispelled.

When they passed by a metal pod which looked like it had crashed into the ground, Clark's eyes narrowed. It had landed hard, and bits of concrete were strewn around it. "What is that?"

Qrow responded. "One of Beacon's rocket lockers. Ruby used it to call in her weapon."

She had? It must have been while he was distracted from fighting the woman, because he would have definitely heard it land.

They wordlessly entered the elevator, which climbed to the top floor of Beacon's tower. The building was more silent than usual. Made sense, most students were probably at the dance.

They walked into the headmaster's office. Turning the lights on, which also activated the gears. They creaked for a moment, then started to turn smoothly. Ozpin sat at his desk, while the four of them stood.

"Now, if you would Mr. Kent?" Ozpin prompted him.

"I don't know why she was there, she didn't say a word the whole time." Clark said. Keeping quiet about the flash drive, they'd find it anyway. "She used swords that she could make from glass shards that . . . just appeared out of thin air. I think it was her Semblance. Her clothes also lit up when she made them and attacked, which I guess was Dust."

"It seems so," The headmaster agreed. "Anything else?"

"She used magic."

They all froze when Clark mentioned that. They were shocked, eyes widened, and mouths slightly open in surprise.

"Clark, you sure?" asked Qrow. "You said she used Dust, if she did something weird it was probably that."

He shook his head. "No, it was magic. You tested your dust rounds on me when we first met, but what she used was different. I'm vulnerable to magic, and she summoned fire that actually burned me. And she used some sort of wind blast that flattened the guards."

"She burned you?" The headmaster asked. "Are you sure that can't be done by more conventional means?"

"I'm sure. I've held molten metal in my hands before and barely even felt it."

A buzzing sounded, which only Clark could hear. Well, him and Ironwood, who brought a hand to his ear. He was being told something from his soldiers, and Clark listened in. It was only a few sentences, what she was carrying . . .

And her name. Clark recognized it, but the general's reaction was even more pronounced. Blinking in surprise.

"My soldiers managed to identify her." Ironwood said. "Her face is in Beacon's database, she's listed as a transfer student from Haven for the Vytal Festival. Her name is Cinder Fall."

For a moment, they stood in stunned silent. Except for Clark, who didn't know the significance of the name.

"Are you serious?" Qrow asked in disbelief.

The general only nodded with a grave expression. "Yes, that's the name she has on her student ID."

Ms. Goodwitch closed her eyes and massaged her forehead. "Right under our noses, I can't believe it."

"I don't understand. Why is her name important?" Clark asked.

"It is . . . rather complicated," replied Ozpin. "Suffice to say, it seems that your assessment was correct. She seems to be one of the few people in this world who can use magic."

"That's not all." Ironwood said. "There was a flash drive found on her, along with a transmitter in her ear."

"A transmitter? Can they trace it back?" asked Ozpin.

"They're working on it now," answered the general. "Along with the flash drive. Ozpin, you know what this means. We'll need to keep her sedated for now, aura cuffs alone won't work."

"Wait, why? Is her magic that dangerous?" asked Clark.

"Yes, it is." Ironwood answered. Then, he took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "Mr. Kent, I apologize for my earlier behavior. All of us, myself in particular, are grateful that you've helped apprehend this individual." He said sincerely.

Clark blinked at the sudden change in the general's attitude. "Well . . . you're welcome."

"Now, Mr. Kent, I do not wish to be rude, but . . . I must ask that you leave." Ozpin said. "There is a matter concerning this woman that we have to discuss among ourselves."

Among themselves? "Okay then, I'll go. But before I do, I want to be allowed to ask her a few questions when she wakes up. Like if she knows a way for me to get back home."

"We could relay your questions to her."

Clark narrowed his eyes. He wasn't going to pry about whatever was going on with her, but he needed to talk to her. See if she was telling the truth or not when she gave him her answers. "I'd prefer to ask her myself. Is that a problem?"

". . . Not at all." Ozpin eventually said. "We have some that we are eager to ask her as well. You could accompany us then, I believe she should be awake before you go with Qrow on the mission to Mountain Glenn. I trust you are prepared?"

"Yeah. Okay then, good night." Clark waved to them before leaving.

"See ya later Clark." Qrow was the only one to respond.

\\

The moment the elevator doors closed behind Clark Kent, Qrow let out a sigh. "So the person who attacked the Fall Maiden just waltzed into Beacon. That doesn't do wonders for my confidence in your security Oz."

"I feel much the same way Qrow." Ozpin replied, and typed on the computer at his desk. "I'll attend to that, I'm searching for her now. Ah, there she is. She even arrived with two teammates. The third is, or was, due to arrive just before the festival begins. "

"Teammates?" Ironwood asked. "What are their names, what do they look like?"

"You can see for yourself." Ozpin brought up a pair of faces, projected as holograms with names under them. A silver-haired teen named Mercury Black, and a green-haired girl named Emerald Sustrai.

Ironwood spoke into his transmitter. Feeding the descriptions to his soldiers to search for them.

"I don't understand." Ozpin said in a low voice. "All of their records appear to be in order, Leo himself commented on the team. Team C-M-S-N, Crimson. They don't look forged."

"We'll have to ask him about it later, the most important thing is the Fall Maiden." Ironwood said. "We have her, and . . . I think we should consider having the powers returned to Amber."

"You want to kill Cinder?" Qrow said.

"Holding a maiden, even a half-maiden, prisoner is dangerous." Ironwood said. "I don't want to risk my men's lives guarding her. We should dispose of her, after we interrogate her of course."

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd like that." Qrow accused. "Then the Fall Maiden would be a woman in a coma, easy for you to deal with."

"Look where allowing her to wander freely got us." The general pointed out. "I'm not saying we have to, only that it looks like the safest choice."

"James, the maiden power has never been split like this before." Ozpin said. "I'm not even certain that they will transfer back to Amber if Miss Fall were to die. Just as I'm not sure of what would happen in the case of Amber's death. We should keep Cinder as sedated as possible, it'll be necessary to wake her to interrogate her, but surely you can put countermeasures in place? A secure, reinforced room, and sleeping gas can be used if she tries to escape. Aura cuffs will keep her levels low. Normal soldiers could kill her from a distance, or even be armed with tranquilizer darts."

"Will those preparations work on her? Most of what I know of a maiden's powers comes from what you told me." Ironwood said.

"There is a good chance they will. Her elemental powers at half-strength are still an issue, but if her aura is low, she will be vulnerable. However, her escape could be catastrophic. If those measures fail, it would be prudent to equip a bomb near her cell to stop her. A random civilian will be a better choice for the maiden powers than someone like her, and if we're lucky, they will go to Amber."

Ironwood nodded. Glynda's and Qrow's faces were grim. It was an unsavory choice, but they understood the necessity.

"Oz, is this gonna change anything for my Mountain Glenn mission?" asked Qrow.

"Perhaps, but we can be certain that she is unaware of our plans to investigate the region. Even if Miss Fall had asked team RWBY, all they knew was that a mission was already assigned to them. Not what it entailed. Be careful though, now that we know Salem is involved, her other servants may be present. If you can, try to convince Mr. Kent to assist when opposing them. I would prefer his presence be known to the students, but it will be acceptable if he chooses to help anonymously instead."

"Got it." Qrow said.

Ironwood brought his hand to his ear again, listening to his soldiers. "Emerald and Mercury, if those are their actual names, are missing. According to other students, they were at the dance not long ago before leaving suddenly. Soon after we did. They're not in their room either."

"Ask the other students about them, at least a few of them must have interacted with these infiltrators." Glynda reasoned. "They would have brought suspicion on themselves otherwise."

"It seems like there's no need." Ironwood said. "Miss Rose came forward and said that those two and Cinder Fall are her friends."

"What?!" Qrow's face contorted in shocked anger.

"Calm yourself Qrow." Ozpin warned. Although the man couldn't be blamed, it was worrying that Cinder Fall had managed to get close to Miss Rose. A silver eyed warrior, losing her would be disastrous.

"I've just remembered something, I think it may be relevant." Glynda announced. "The silver-haired one, Mercury. Some time ago he challenged Miss Nikos to a spar, and forfeited partway through."

Ozpin gripped his cane. So the reasoning behind their bond with team RWBY had been twofold. The Fall Maiden candidate was in team JNPR, which had close ties with RWBY. It seemed that Miss Fall was able to follow his line of reasoning for choosing the next maiden, or at least suspect it. Team JNPR would have to be brought in as well, to know how close they'd been with team CMSN.

Ozpin had failed, drastically. Even after running this academy for decades, he'd allowed the enemy to get so close. But his days of self-loathing were centuries in the past, he needed to take action.

He turned to Ironwood. "We'll interrogate Miss Fall as soon as you can prepare a room with the measures I'd mentioned, or those you'd think would serve better. How soon do you think that can be done?"

"Tomorrow afternoon." The general answered. "I'll have my soldiers working on constructing it non-stop, but it shouldn't be too hard to modify an existing cell. I'll have to spare a ship for her if we plan to use explosives."

"Understood. Qrow, for now, the day after that is still when your mission to Mountain Glenn begins. However, depending on the outcome of the interrogation, that may change. Be prepared for that. James, I suppose you'll have more success at your ship. Contact us immediately on any updates."

"I will." Ironwood said. He sighed, and gave them all a sad smile. "You know, I'd thought that tonight would have been a nice and calm affair. That we'd only be needed to chaperone a dance. Watching the students had been . . . entertaining, but I guess duty never rests. Good night everyone."

The general and Qrow left. The latter saying he'd need to grill his nieces about their interactions with Miss Fall and her cohorts.

Glynda, Ozpin's tireless deputy, stayed. Truly, she was a godsend.

"Thank you, but there's no need to accompany me." Ozpin told her. "Go back down to the dance, I worry about leaving Peter and Bart to watch the students."

She gave a small smile at his joke. "Yes, I suppose you're right sir. Good night."

He nodded. "Good night."

Once she left, Ozpin let out a breath. He typed into his computer, and brought up a connection to Haven.

Would such a simple act have even been possible if Miss Fall had successfully infiltrated the CCT? He dreaded to think otherwise.

Ozpin brought the cursor over the option to make the call. It was currently late at night in Mistral, three in the morning according to a quick search. Leo would be fast asleep. Ozpin needed to ask him how he'd allowed this, how Miss Fall had managed to get statements from Haven's headmaster when she'd likely never attended the school in the first place.

Yet doing so in the middle of the night would signal the urgency he felt. If Leo was a traitor . . .

The thought was painful. Leo had proven himself to be a good, loyal friend. He wasn't the bravest of men, but he did what he could in the fight against Salem. Like Ozpin, he'd lost friends against her.

Ozpin would wait until morning. He would tell Leo what happened, but omit the fact that he knew Miss Fall was the one who'd attacked the Fall Maiden. Even if Leo was still loyal, this indicated a dangerous laxness that he'd have to correct.