Someone else calls it off for her.

"Mercury. Stand down."

The commanding voice brought the class to a standstill and you look up into the audience to find its speaker. An eyebrow cocks up when you find her.

You suppress a smile at your (mis?)fortune. Of course Cinder would already be here at the Academy if Mercury was fighting. The sultry femme-fatale was dressed in Haven Academy's uniform; a stiff black jacket with long sleeves and a white trim, and a checkered skirt that reached her knees. Unlike her peers however, she forsook the silver socks in favor of black tights, tights that hugged the toned skin of her legs beautifully. She peered upon you with a dangerous glint in her eyes, a glint you decided to meet with a careless wink. Her eyes narrow in response as a silent conversation was shared between you two. She promised pain in the near future, or at least she would do her best to try. Whether or not she had a care further for your flippant attitude though, you couldn't tell as she directs her attention solely on her "teammate".

"It's clear that Mr. Hazelton outclasses you. Don't embarrass us further by continuing this charade," she lectured.

You can hear the growl in Mercury's throat, his pride daring him to defy her, yet by some miracle he obeys with a hand raised in surrender.

"I forfeit," he concedes begrudgingly.

"Mr. Black, please check with Professor Peach in the infirmary before the day's end," Glynda stated as she powered down the protective fields. "We can't have you being crippled before the tournament now can we?"

"Got it," he grumbled with a dismissive wave, though Glynda chose to ignore it as the bell rang.

"That's all for today," she addressed to the class. "Remember that the Dance is this Friday, but you also have your first mission on Monday! I will not accept any excuses for being unprepared."

Your ears perk up at the mention of the Dance as the class slowly files out of the stadium. Was it that time of the year already? You hadn't given it much thought before, your own senior prom in your old life ending up... less than satisfying. Then again, you weren't a demi-god back then either so now you had the perfect second chance, though you were left wondering who you should focus on as your date?

Would it be Glynda? That certainly would be a statement to make, though you doubted she would be on board for the idea. Emerald? That was the easy choice since she was now absolutely smitten with you, but you didn't need to indirectly invite either Mercury or Cinder to ruin your night in the process. Weiss? Neptune would flake out anyway over his own insecurities, so perhaps swooping in to save the night would help the icy heiress warm up to you beyond sex. These questions and more however came to a screeching halt as you feel a pair of fingernails dig into your earlobe and twist.

"Gah, what the Hell?!" you yelp out.

"So do you want to explain why you took it easy on me in our spar?" Yang growled dangerously as she was joined by her teammates.

"I'm sorry, did you want to get knocked through five walls?" you snort back to here as you wiggle out of her grasp. "And was wringing my ear like that really necessary? You could've just used your words like a normal human being."

"Charming, aren't you?" drawled Blake with her arms crossed.

"I have my moments, although I don't think Yang has formally introduced us Miss...?"

Blake snorted and rolled her eyes, then turned on her heels.

"This is a waste of time. I'll be getting ready in our room," she dismissed as she left.

"Claws out today, huh?" you comment nonchalantly, catching the cat faunus stiffening ever so slightly at the remark.

"Blake's just going through a rough time right now. Don't take it personal," Yang explained. "But anyway, this is my little sister Ruby and her partner Weiss!"

"Ohmigosh how did you do that? You're super crazy strong! Does it also work with your weapon? Where is your weapon? Can I see your weapon?"

The young girl's enthusiasm took you by pleasant surprise. She definitely still seemed true to the show as far as her personality was concerned. You had a small amount of worry the age bump would cause some issues. Oddly enough though, she also seemed the same physically. Was this version of Ruby Rose a late bloomer?

"Ruby knock that off, you're going to suffocate him," placated Weiss with a hand on her partner's shoulder. "And Yang, we've already met before. You don't need to introduce me to him."

"Wha...? Since when?" Yang questioned.

Mortification falls upon Weiss' face as she realizes what she had just said. The night in the shower was not something she wanted to blurt out to her friends for obvious reasons, and as the Heiress seemed to struggle to come up with a reasonable answer, you decided to step in to help.

"We met in the Library last week. She was kind enough to help me with my Grimm studies essay. If you think Port's material is tough now, trust me when I say it doesn't get easier in year two," you explain with a sheepish laugh.

"Y-yes. For all his strength, he's not much for academics and it would be remiss of me to turn down a fellow student asking for help," she added, quickly catching on to the lie then adding a smirk. "Even if that student is an upperclassmen."

She gives you a grateful smile from behind her friends' backs and while you would've loved teasing her about your shared dirty little secret, the two sisters bouncing on their heels in front of you took greater priority.

"So what can I do for you lovely ladies?" you ask with a smile, turning Ruby into a blushing, sputtering fit.

"Well, I was going to rip you a new one for playing me like a fool, but now that I see how strong you actually are, I figured you could help us with a little project of ours," Yang suggested with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"Wait, are you actually suggesting that you get him involved too?" Weiss questioned with caution.

Talk of their secret mission snapped Ruby back to reality and she hastily took charge of her team.

"Wait, let's not discuss this here. C'mon! We can talk in our room after dinner!"

To your surprise, it's Ruby who grabs you by the hand and drags you out of the combat hall, leaving both Weiss and Yang standing dumbstruck behind you. Giving them the most innocent shrug you could muster, you let the young Rose do as she pleased. Food sounded good anyway, and sharing it with Team RWBY sans Blake seemed as good of way to start the evening as ever. Reaching out with your subconscious, you contact Emerald through a mental link.

"I'm sure you've already saw, but Cinder is here too with Mercury. Keep your head down for now. If anything happens, call me just like this and I'll come to you."

"Yes master. Please be careful."

"Always, Little Gem."

_

"So let me get this straight," you begin with your arms crossed. "You want me to help you take down a volatile criminal organization that may or may not be using the White Fang in a conspiracy designed to dismantle Vale from the inside-out, and this gang just happens to be led by Roman Torchwick, Vale's most wanted fugitive in the past five years?"

You were with Team RWBY in their dorm room following a hastily eaten meal, all four girls suited up and ready to take justice into their own hands like they did in Vol 2. While Yang and Ruby were excited about having you along, Weiss maintained a more reserved expression as she tried to avoid eye contact with you, while Blake remained steadfastly against your involvement.

"That's the gist of it, yeah," Ruby said with a nod. "Will you help us?"

"I'm surprised you're even asking me even though we just met," you comment with a shrug.

"Asking the real questions here," agreed Blake with a frown.

"Look, we don't know what we could end up fighting out there, and since you're so stupidly strong I figured it would be a good idea to bring you along as some extra muscle. Whaddya say, Lover Boy?" Yang asked with a waggle of her eyebrows.

You then take this moment to pause reality. Extending your consciousness to the outside of the building, you were right in your instincts to find Sun and Neptune climbing up an adjacent tree in an effort to reach RWBY's window. That wouldn't do at all, and as great as the bro pair would be to hang out with, you didn't need them interfering with the chance of a lifetime. You wipe their memories pertaining to the idea of getting involved with these vigilante hijinks, then promptly teleport them back to their dorm room. Pleased with your work, you resume time to address the lovely bombshell.

"Okay, but where would you even put me? I mean, I could shadow Blake or Yang since they'd be the most likely to run into trouble."

"I'd be just fine on my own, thanks," Blake tersely chimes in.

"Relax Kitty Cat, even you can get cornered if all the cards get played against you."

She recoils in alarm and reflexively reaches for Gambol Shroud on her back, but you lift a placating hand to explain yourself.

"C'mon Blake, the bow is a dead giveaway. I can even see it twitching at random times throughout the day. For the record, I have nothing against Faunus. In fact, I think it's your best feature and you shouldn't be afraid of showing who you are."

Your explanation throws her for a loop and she searches your eyes for any deception. You nudge her subconscious with a push of serene reassurance and she finally lets her guard down... for the most part.

"Alright, I'll trust you for now since Yang seems so confident in you," she complies. "Even still, strong as you are, how do you intend to contribute in all of this?"