Chapter 6 - Chapter 5. Bradbury Butterflies and More

Chapter 5. Bradbury Butterflies and More

 - Do you see the gopher?

 - N-no...

 - And I don't, but he does.

 From philosophical reasoning.

 The next morning. Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long.

 – … This is already the second such large robbery in a month and the third case related to the theft of Dust. At the moment, the police have information about the organizer of only one of these episodes, namely the attempted armed robbery of the Dust Till Dawn store in the Trade District. According to the testimony of the detainees, the criminals were led by the dishonest bandit Roman Torchwick, who continues to hide from justice, – a double photo of a red-haired, shabby guy of about fourteen years old, dressed in a white coat and black gloves appeared on the large screen. The young thief was holding a prison nameplate and brazenly grinned, showing with all his appearance that he was not going to stay in prison. – If you have any information about his whereabouts, please contact the Vale police…

 - Oooo!!! Fraudster! Just get caught by me, I'll knock all your teeth out - you'll have nothing to grin with! - the blonde promised in a voice that vibrated across half the salon, hypnotizing the information screen.

 "I-i-i-i," Ruby tugged timidly at her sleeve. "H-e-e-e-e, please…"

 "That vile, nasty scoundrel stole half of my supplies!" the beauty's iris blazed red, ignoring her sister's admonitions.

 - But, Yang, ashes can be bought...

 - He stole the cartridge belts! I spent so much time collecting them and adjusting them to Amber Silica! I'll catch him, Ruby! I'll break his arms and that insolent grin! He'll learn how to rob Yang Xiao Long yet!

 - Eh... - Rose sighed sadly. - You've been grumbling about it for a week... Maybe we can talk about Beacon? - the girl squeaked, looking up at her sister hopefully, noticing that the news had switched to another topic. - I'm applying too... We're already flying there, actually, - Ruby added, looking down in embarrassment and reflexively starting to point her index fingers at each other, - and we still haven't decided anything.

 - What is there to decide? - the disappearance of the object of hatred from the screen really did help the blonde return to reality.

 - Well... I don't know... - Ruby shuddered, pulling her head into her shoulders. - I still have two years left to study at Signal, they haven't told us anything yet. What to do when we arrive? Where... well... With whom... 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! This is incredible! Everyone in Beacon will think you're top notch! You'll see, everything will be awesome!

 "I don't want to be 'top-notch', okay? And I don't want to be any 'notch' at all," the girl muttered, looking at her sister from under her brows. "I want to be a normal girl, a normal notch… Well, you get it…"

 - What's wrong with you? Aren't you happy?

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

 "But you're special," Yang hugged her sister by the left shoulder, pressing her to herself.

 - Don't say that! - the brunette in the red cloak shrank even more, blushing. - I immediately remember Headmaster Ozpin... and how Torchwick laughed after the story... I don't want to be so special and for this to be remembered!

 - It's okay, sister, we'll catch this dandy yet! - Yang promised, switching to pre-combat mode. - No thief is allowed to embarrass my sister! He'll regret it! He'll regret everything! - the blonde's fist, threatening the side of the liner, forced several nearby passengers to move a respectful distance.

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

 "Who is this?" Xiao Long was distracted, looking at the stranger. Ruby had already turned to answer, when, as if hearing the question, the woman introduced herself:

 - My name is Glinda Goodwitch.

 "Oh…" Yang blinked meaningfully.

 "You are the few who have been privileged to enter this prestigious academy," continued "Little Glinda," as one scoundrel had dubbed her, causing the blonde to gnash her teeth for some time now. "Our world is experiencing an unusual period of peace, and it is your duty, as future Hunters and Huntresses, to maintain it. You have demonstrated the courage necessary for this task. And now it is our turn to provide you with knowledge and teach you how to protect our world."

 The transmission went dark and viewing windows opened on either side of the aircraft, revealing the approaching academy complex, with a huge lake in front of it and the rooftops of the city behind.

 "Wow, that's cool..." Ruby whispered breathlessly, immediately sticking to the glass. "Look, Yang! You can see the Signal from here!"

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

 - A?

 "Beacon is our home now," Yang explained, nodding toward the lake sparkling in the sun in front of a majestic cliff with waterfalls, on which stood a beautiful complex of buildings that turned into a huge tower.

 "Yeah," Ruby's face lit up with a soft, dreamy smile…

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

 "A-a-a-ah..." the sisters said 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.

 Lampposts with twisted lampshades glittered around, Vale flags fluttered, beautifully trimmed trees with absolutely red foliage magically contrasted with the perfectly smooth green lawn, but the most beautiful thing was the towers rising in front, the airy passages and galleries of the Academy, creating the image of a real fairy-tale castle. If it was simply beautiful from above, then from the look at these walls and trees from the ground, the girls' hearts completely stopped.

 "The view from Vale doesn't compare to this," Yang was the first to break the silence, folding her arms across her chest.

 - Oh... - Ruby squeaked, her attention drawn to the movement to the side, and the next moment her eyes lit up with pure delight. - Ah! A-a-ah!!! There... there... Sister! That guy has a folding staff! - the girl pointed her finger at a student walking through the park. - Oooh! And that girl has a fire sword! - the brunette naturally sat down on her toes with excitement. - And there, there... - the wearer of the red cloak was drawn somewhere to the left, like a moth to a light, so that Yang was forced to grab her by the hood.

 - Easy, sister.

 - Oh?.. No-no! - the grip stopped the impulse of the body, but not the soul, and for a few seconds Rose desperately resisted, trying to break free.

 Age has won.

 "It's just a weapon!" the blonde repeated her attempt at persuasion, having made sure that the rebellion had been suppressed and the prisoner was no longer trying to make a fuss.

 - Just weapons? - Ruby, overcome with emotion, sat down and folded her fists under her chin. - They are an extension of our bodies! They are a part of us! - The silver eyes greedily ran over the crowd again. - Oh, they are so cool! - hop-hop on her toes.

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

 "Of course, Crescent makes me happy," Ruby said, embarrassed. "But I was happy to meet a new weapon. It's like meeting new people... but better," the girl lowered her head.

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

 - But... - silver eyes peered uncertainly from under the "red riding hood", - why do I need friends when I have you? And... um, well, Roman also called himself my friend.

 - Ruby, - Yang sighed, - everyone needs friends, because some things that you can discuss with them, you can't discuss 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!.. - the girl was about to take her sister by the shoulders and push her somewhere, when she suddenly stopped. - Oh! My friends are already here! It's time for me to go! Come on, come on, join in! - and a moment later the blonde was already in the company of her friends from Signal and was gone.

 - Wait, where are you going? - the schoolgirl from yesterday belatedly found her voice, stretching out her hand towards the back of the company rushing forward. - Don't we need to go to the dorm?! Where is our dorm?.. We have a dorm, right?.. - she finished, lowering her palm. Yang disappeared, leaving Ruby completely alone in an unfamiliar environment. - I don't know what to do... - the girl whispered in her last attempt to find help.

 Panic crept into her consciousness, driven by a dark sense of betrayal. The next second, Rose's legs gave way and she sat down where she stood, unconsciously pushing someone behind her with her back.

 "What are you doing?!" an indignant shout was accompanied by the sound of things falling.

 "Oh, sorry," Ruby turned around and saw that she had caused a couple of suitcases to fall and the indignation of some white-haired girl with a ponytail strangely combed to the right side.

 - Forgive me? - she mimicked. - Do you even imagine what damage you could have caused?

 "Uh-uh-uh..." Signal's former student hurried to pick up one of the suitcases and hand it to the victim, feeling very embarrassed.

 - Give it here! - the unknown woman roughly snatched the thing from her hands. - This is Dust, mined and purified in the Schnee mines! - the suitcase clicked its lock, and the white-haired woman looked into its contents.

 "Ah-ah-ah..." Ruby said, not knowing what to say.

 - Are you completely stupid? Dust! - the girl slammed the lid, raising a small cloud of reddish suspension from inside. - Fire, water, lightning, gravity! Do you know what will happen if everything detonates? - at that moment, several red specks of dust reached Rose's eyes, and she, squinting, shook her head. - Are you even listening to me? - the stranger got even more excited. - Have you even understood anything? What can you say in your defense?

 - I... ha, - an attempt to inhale air to answer turned into an itchy nose, into which several more dust particles flew. - Sni-Sniff! - having reacted with Aura, the fiery Dust particles did exactly what the blonde feared - they detonated, throwing both girls in different directions.

 - What is this! - the blonde was indignant, getting up from the path. Despite the colorful explosion, no one was really hurt, being protected by Aura, but this did not diminish her indignation at all. - This is exactly what I am talking about!

 "I'm so, so sorry…" Ruby blushed, matching the color of her cape, and became embarrassed.

 - Oh! You're a complete idiot! - the "White" threw up her hands, bending down to close the suitcase she was holding, which had burst open when she fell. - How did you even get here? - the girl began to put the mixed jars of red Dust back in their places, grumbling angrily. - How old are you? You look like you haven't even turned sixteen yet, since you were accepted into Beacon?

 - Well, I...

 "This isn't your run-of-the-mill martial arts school!" the stranger continued to press, ignoring Ruby's attempt to come up with an answer. "This isn't just sparring and practice. We're here to fight monsters, so watch where you're going!"

 "Hey, I apologized, princess!" the girl finally couldn't stand the insults.

 "Actually, the heiress," a new voice corrected from behind. "Weiss Schnee, the heiress of the Schnee Dust 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 was packing.

 - Finally! - the blonde smiled smugly. - At least someone found out.

 "The same company is notorious for its workers' strikes and dubious business partners," the wearer of the bow added, looking at the girls with a calm gaze of amber eyes.

 - What... How did you... - Weiss began to gasp for air, and Ruby hid the smile that had appeared on her face in her hands. - Rude! - the white-haired girl snatched the jar of Dust from the new girl's hand and, proudly turning around, went to the cart with suitcases.

 "I promise I'll make it up to you!" Rose tried to soften the situation, but was completely ignored. Weiss, who pointedly didn't notice them, gathered her things and quickly walked towards the central building visible ahead. "Ugh," a heavy sigh escaped the girl's chest. "I guess I'm not the only one having a hard first day... So..." Ruby turned to the third participant in their dialogue and found that she had already turned around and walked away a few steps.

 The feeling of loneliness came back with renewed force. Having learned from bitter experience, the girl looked around and, not finding anyone else she could hurt, collapsed to the ground again, exhausted.

 "Welcome to Beacon," lips said quietly into the void, and Ruby was about to finally stretch out in the dust, admitting her complete defeat in the area of social relations, when an incoming call to the Scroll sounded from her pocket.

 Having taken out and opened the device, the girl was surprised to find on the screen the inscription "Your Dark Knight" with a mustachioed smiley "=^_^=" drawn on it. There was no photo.

 "Hello? Who's there?" Rose asked uncertainly, accepting the challenge.

 - Hello, Hoodie! - a familiar voice answered cheerfully. - How are you? How's your first day? Is Old Oz still not feeding you pumpkin juice?

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

 "I don't know, but I once read that old senile people love this thing, like it's cheap, healthy, and teaches kids to appreciate normal food," Torchwick picked out only what he needed, ignoring the rest of the questions. "But don't go off topic, Hoodie, how are you doing?"

 "Everything is fine," the girl quickly assured, not quite understanding herself. "It's very beautiful here… And smooth lawns… And so many cool weapons…" Ruby fell silent, praying that her voice was convincing enough.

 - Mmm... - the voice on the other end drawled thoughtfully. - Did Yang abandon you? I mean... you're not sitting alone on a park path right now, abandoned by your sister in an unfamiliar place, among a bunch of armed strangers, not even knowing where the dorm is?

 - No-o! Of course not, - squeaked the future Huntress, whose heart started to gallop, and in her head only "How did he know?!" - Ha-ha, you are so funny, and how did you come up with such an idea?.. - even the girl herself did not believe her voice.

 - So-o-o... - Roman's intonation also did not indicate that he believed her. - You must tell me everything.

 - I... Well...

 - Come on, Hoodie, you can share everything with me. Roman Torchwick is a grave! And I'll look for a map of Beacon, get started already.

 - Well... yes. Everything... is as you said, - the girl was forced to admit. - Yang saw friends from her year and went with them, and I... stayed, - Ruby fell silent. - No, don't get me wrong, - she came to her senses after half a minute, - Yang is good and cares about me, it's just... well, it's just... she thinks that this way I can socialize and find friends, that's it.

 - Hmm... Okay, we'll talk about her behavior later. By the way, remind me to spank her when we meet.

 - S-spank?! Hic! - poor Miss Rose even hiccupped in fright.

 - Okay, just don't think about any BDSM, this is 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 girl, feeling very uncomfortable, decided to try to change the subject. - By the way, why did you steal the bullets from Yang?

 - It wasn't me, it was Neo.

 - Neo? - Rose didn't understand.

 - Well, Neopolitan. She was sitting on the armrest of the chair to my left.

 "But…" the girl faltered, trying in vain to remember something similar from their get-together. "There was no one there."

 "No, she was there," they answered uncompromisingly from the other side.

 - Oh... - the girl in the red cloak remembered one thing. - I realized... You know, - it was a little embarrassing, but Ruby still decided to morally support the interlocutor, after all, he was the only one who did not abandon her today, - I also had imaginary friends... It's normal.

 - Ph... Heh... Ha-ha-ha! - the sound of growing laughter, with tears and inarticulate lamentations, came from the Scroll. - Ruby... - heavy breathing, interrupted by "hee-hee". - You're the best, I love you! If you need any contraband in Beacon - just say so! Oh, I can't... Neo, you're my imaginary friend, boo-ga-ga... And that, hee-hee, explains everything! Ouch! Don't fight! - indistinct rustling and muffled sounds... - Phew, I'm sorry, - Roman spoke more calmly, when the girl was already beginning to fear for him. - Are you still here?

 "Yes…" Rose squeaked, feeling that either she had said something completely inappropriate, or that her friend was in a much worse situation than she had risked imagining.

 - Anyway, I got the map of Beacon, but I can't leave you alone. Are there any lost looking people around? - the voice in the Scroll sounded calming and confident, Ruby exhaled and looked around, even though it was distant and from the "criminal and scoundrel", but friendly support was exactly what the girl needed.

 - Um... y-yes, there's a fair-haired guy standing on the platform and looking around. It seems he got sick during the flight, and that's why he didn't catch up with everyone else.

 - Great, then go up to him and say: "Come with me if you want to live!"

 - E-e-e-e?

 - What? I've always wanted to hear that phrase from a cute, innocent-looking girl! But if that's too radical for you, then a simple "Hi, I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose. Do you happen to know how to get to the assembly hall?"

 - Um-m-m...

 - Come on, Hoodie! You can do it! And then I'll give you a portion of Dark Side cookies. The signature ones! With chocolate! - the voice called for Feats and promised a Great Reward. There was no chance to resist. Taking a deep breath, the girl headed towards the blond man, who was looking around in confusion.

 - H-hello. I'm R-ruby. R-ruby R-rose! - at the end she even closed her eyes, and completely forgot about the second part of the phrase.

 - Hi. I'm Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, easy on the tongue, girls like it!

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

 "Hee hee," Miss Rose's chuckle escaped her lips before she could stop herself. "Oh, sorry. It's just that comment along with your introduction. Mr. Torchwick, you can't bully people like that," she tried to reason with Scroll.

 - I'm a villain and a scoundrel, I can. But telling everyone around that you're communicating with a villain and a scoundrel is a bad idea. Okay, since my future sweet servant forgot, I'll have to do everything myself. Hey, boy, are you still here?

 - Uh-uh... yes?

 – Do you know how to get to the assembly hall?

 "Uh… no?" Jaune responded awkwardly.

 - You are incredibly eloquent. Oh Great Dragons, why is this happening to me? Am I the redhead? Um... Neo, why do you need a mirror? A... oh... question withdrawn, thank you. Okay, listen to me, my young sinners, today I will be your Virgil in the kingdom of Horror and Nightmare, called Beacon.

 "But Beacon doesn't look like a nightmare," Ruby countered. "It's beautiful."

 "Who will I be?" asked Jean.

 - What did you do in literature class, ignoramus? The Divine Comedy is here! Okay, to preserve at least the remnants of my faith in humanity, let's just skip this point. So, now you need to turn towards the central tower and take a little to the right...

 "Yeah…" Ruby answered confusedly, obeying the instructions of the voice from the Scroll.

 Five minutes later.

 "Yes, I can see the hall, thank you!" Ruby jumped up happily.

 - Contact me if anything happens, Hoodie. And say hi to your sister, I'll drop by in a few days with a new cake - after all, admission to such a stupid... prestigious Academy needs to be properly celebrated. Well, that's it, my evil plans require my presence, bye-bye! - and the subscriber disconnected.

 - Um... sorry for being tactless, but who was that?

 "Well…" Ruby rocked back and forth on her heels, "just one of my… um… friends… I guess."

 "I see…" the blond noted cautiously. "Well, thanks to him for his help, I'm afraid without it we would have gotten lost."

 - 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 friend to hang out with around Beacon, - the bright blonde jumped up to the brunette.

 - It was hard! And scary! You left me, and I exploded!

 "Are you that offended?" Yang bowed her head, not believing her ears.

 - No... - the girl's voice became quieter from the memories that flooded her. - I literally exploded. I dropped one girl's luggage, and there was fiery Dust in it, and it got into the air, and I sneezed, it reacted... You can't imagine what I had to go through! If it weren't for Roman, we would still be wandering around the runway!

 - WHAT?! - Yang seemed to run into an invisible wall. - Is he here? Where did you see him last?

 "No, he was leading us through the Scroll," Ruby pouted, offended that her sister was more concerned with her grievances against Torchwick than with her grave misadventures. For the same reason, she couldn't help but vindictively report the next second: "And he also called you irresponsible and promised to 'spank you when we meet.' He also said... how was that... 'Just don't think about any BDSM, this is purely for educational purposes.' By the way, what is BDSM?!"

 - I'll kill him! - Yang flared up. - Okay, Ruby, forget it, it's too early for you to know! - It was hard to come up with a more stupid phrase that could be said to a teenage girl, but Yang, who was not very far in age from Ruby, did not think about it. - That's it, let's go! We still need to take seats! - the petite beauty was taken in tow.

 - Uh-uh... Bye, Zhon, it was nice to meet you, let's talk some more later! - Ruby didn't have time to properly say goodbye to her new acquaintance, the tractor named Yang Xiao Long reached full power.

 And again the Villainous Villain.

 Having finished talking to my future loyal minion, I stretched and cracked my neck contentedly.

 - Everything is going according to plan, isn't it wonderful, Neo?

 – (^_^)… psh-sh-sh-sh, – the last "said" was the cutlet that the girl was frying with potatoes. The culinary talents of this miracle continued to please me, it seemed that she had not cooked before not only because of laziness, but also to spare Roman's sense of pride, since, in my opinion, she did it much more deliciously.

 - Well, bon appetit! - I waited for the meat and garnish to move from the frying pan to the plates, and wished my lady, simultaneously filling the glasses with good wine. Roman had a taste for quality products - a consequence of a hungry childhood and youth, so the current dishes and drinks could well satisfy the tastes of the venerable Schnee.

 Having finished the meal and washed the plates and other dishes, I kissed Neo again and went to the long-suffering workbench. It was necessary to make adjustments according to the results of the initial testing and make more samples... Eh, I will completely reduce the stock of materials to zero, but what can you do - research, even according to proven theories, has always been an expensive thing. Hmm-m-m... how about combining business with pleasure? I'll visit Hoody, and at the same time borrow materials from the Beacon workshops, after all, the overwhelming majority of students arrive with finished weapons and use local machines only for repairs and minor upgrades, only in very rare cases changing something radically. Not a bad idea, but for now let's get busy creating pre-production models.

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

 I wanted both, and more of both, but I couldn't tear myself apart into many small Romans, so I had to prioritize something. And the rail looked a little more advantageous here: kinetic weapons, whatever they are, have long been known to the locals, and therefore, in the event of exposure, they might not cause much excitement. But a rifle shooting fireballs at breakneck speed is a different matter, even if everything is blamed on Dust, it will still attract unnecessary attention. So, a rail. Then... so, to begin with, we create small steel arrows, we will alloy them with Electric Dust for better conductivity... Or take a non-conducting arrow and place it on a "launch pad" made of a conductor? No, it may be cheaper, but an extra intermediary means less efficiency, so you will still have to spend money on alloyed ammunition. And Electric Dust alone will not be enough to level out air resistance, you need to add Air and a couple of Earth granules to give greater strength. So, what if not Earth, but Gravity? Hmm-m-m... No, you need to select by trial and error, so we make different and many types of ammunition, including non-conductive ones. What's next? The barrel. As the recording I watched again showed, even launching aluminum directly from the rail simply wears down the said rail, after all, it is made of silver-plated copper, albeit alloyed with the same Electric Dust. Or use steel? The loss of conductivity should seem to be small, Dust is a real cheat. We also need to test several types. Plus spares, since it is also worth "playing" with the pulse intensity. And with the length of the rail too. And with the distance between the conductors, that is, the caliber... What else? Loading and charge suspension system, we need to try to make a third and fourth rails from below and above to hold the cartridge in the gravitational field, which will provide better wear resistance of the barrel... Damn, you can just strengthen it with Aura here, and not invent archiotech... although if you have resources left, you can still try, additional reliability in weapons will never be superfluous. Okay, what's next? We will not touch the primary acceleration system, the standard dust charge is more than enough, perhaps you should try a variation without it at all. Total... we need about twenty models and a box of various ammunition, and this is only for prototypes, and you should also think about the cooling and loading system, since in addition to the "bullets" there is also a battery, which will also discharge and require replacement. But that's later, first I need to develop statistics on shooting efficiency. Well, okay, we'll sketch out the drawings in the editor and launch, we'll finish raking out the working material from the workbench.

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

 - So, my dear servant, we are about to fly out for another field test...

 - (X_X), (>_<)! - Neo was clearly not thrilled with this idea.

 – But you must admit, you like the idea of having such an "argument" in your arsenal.

 – (-_v)… – a nod of forced recognition.

 - Which means we need to fly away from Vale again.

 – (v_v)…

 - (O‸O)… – I can make eyes too!

 – (U_U)… – the young lady gave in and rolled her eyes in pain.

 – Have I already told you how much I love you?

 - ... - the girl stumbled in mid-step and almost crashed into the wall; the tips of her ears, visible to me, began to turn bright red.

 – I owe you an ice cream!

 – (*‸*)!!! – this news instantly brought Neo out of her current state into a hamster-working state. Why a hamster-working state? Because she turned slightly and, spreading all ten fingers, showed them to me.

 - Ten portions? Have some conscience, gullet! Five, and I won't haggle anymore!

 – (^_^), – apparently, this is what she was trying to achieve, because, almost purring, she rushed to prepare the bullhead for flight.

 We returned back already in the morning and fell asleep together. The tests were carried out... as planned. Of course, a whole technical reference book could be published on them... and three more on obscene language, but we will omit that. The image of the rifle was already slowly beginning to take shape. It would be best to take as a basis either a meter-long rail, lowering the pulse voltage to thirty-five kilovolts (more precisely, about that, here they measured the voltage more or less accurately 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 shorten it to seventy centimeters and give a fifty-kilometer. I was leaning towards the first option, since even though it had large dimensions, it allowed to save a lot on the battery, and with some minor modifications and a different type of ammunition it could easily be turned into a plasma gun... more precisely, it will be turned when I solve the problem of the reverse current of the said plasma, which I simply have not yet gotten to. There were thoughts, but these are new tests and new resources, which are simply not there yet. What else can I tell? Gravity suspension of the cartridge in the barrel is an interesting idea, but complicated, it will still work for a stationary position and shooting "from a plow", but if you need to shoot while suspended or on the move, then the accuracy of fire immediately becomes almost a negative value, so alas, but strengthening the weapon with Aura is the most reliable option for now. By the way, regarding shooting. Already accelerated to ten Machs, a five-gram steel arrow easily pierces through any obstacles, an extreme armor-piercing effect, but there is almost no stopping power. But if instead of it you take copper or aluminum, reinforced with Dust ... The soft metal does not so much penetrate as deform and transfer all the energy of the shot to the target. The result? The target is torn to pieces. During the tests (and we conducted them not far from Mount Glenn - a truly deserted place) Goliath came out to "meet us". So we got acquainted, he even kindly agreed to take part in the tests. When a copper gift hit the body of the heffalump, only quickly evaporating legs remained of the said heffalump. But the "hardest" was during the tests of the gravity munition with a gravity suspension. A steel arrow weighing one hundred and fifty grams, during the activation of the first level of the charge the weight was reduced to almost zero, miserable tenths, but after the shot, Dust "turned on" the reverse thrust, so to speak, and an "arrow" flew to the target weighing... well, on the "ground" it turned out to be something like two hundred kilograms. Two hundredweight. Without loss of speed and initial momentum. My knowledge of physics writhed in agony, and Common Sense was there too. "It's Magic, Harry," was spinning in my head, but the fact remained. Gravity cartridges are scary. In fact, the sight of a hill disappearing in a cloud of dust and a small earthquake were the final chord for today. The tests were successful, it remains to be seen whether the "toys" turned out to be too powerful?

 The next morning, having already kissed the snoring Neo as usual, washed up and made breakfast, I started my Evil Plans to infiltrate Beacon. Today is an important day for the Hood - a walk in the Emerald Forest and the creation of a team, it is unlikely that anything will go wrong with the canon, I have done almost nothing in that direction, which means that Team RWBY will gather tonight, and tomorrow after classes I can visit them... although no, better the day after tomorrow - let them get used to it a little, settle in, besides it will be Saturday, and it would be polite to come visit on Saturday, right? On Friday... hmm, well, should we clean out Beacon's supplies or wait until they bring me a new batch of Dust? Perhaps it is better to wait. Maybe a girl's best friends are diamonds, but the best friends of young Huntresses are patrons, of which there are never enough. Especially with Ruby's love for her "baby" and Yang's character. Speaking of Yang... The bullets need to be returned. And since we're already on a bender, I might as well take a look at the design, because from my memories and Junior's recordings, they're kind of like toys, although the caliber is not bad. And I also need to think of a distraction, because I know this bunch - first there'll be a fight that will take half the dorm, and then we'll figure out why he showed up and what he needs. But one plan to pacify women's hearts isn't enough, I also need to develop a plan for a walk around Beacon, 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 person who simply watched a TV series, which, no matter how you look at it, can't take into account all the nuances. Impudence is, of course, the second happiness, but it never hurts to lay down a feather bed. But let's start with the bullets...

 The next morning.

 Having finished packing the last package of fresh, shiny, color-coded cartridges, I put it in my sports bag and weigh it in my hand. Yes, this should satisfy Yang's thirst for destruction. I'm a good boy. Now all that's left is to place an order at a good bakery - and I'll be fully prepared for exploits, revelry and debauchery.

 There were two options for visiting Beacon. The cheeky one and the incredibly cheeky one. No, of course, there was also the option to play ninja, but given my future plans, that wasn't the best choice. So option one: just walk down the corridors with a cheeky face, as if that's how it should be. Option two: first use some connections and debtors from the academy staff and slightly adjust the databases, having received a pass. Mister Arc was managed to get a job in a slightly different way - by forging documents about completing one of the local Combat Schools, and then entering his data along with the list of candidates who passed the selection for the final test. But let's get back to the passes. Here's the thing, only the teachers and, actually, the director of the academy are Hunters, but in addition to that, someone has to cook food, be responsible for the students' financial support, simply clean the toilets and mow the lawn. Of course, such tasks were not solved by Hunters or even people with open Aura, the service staff consisted of the most ordinary people and fauns. Among them were pilots delivering students to Vale and back, and servants from the "pass bureau" making access keys for the Scrolls, which were also a pass and an identity card within Beacon. And among this service, Roman had debtors, very big debtors, sitting high enough to push through a fake certificate of completion of combat school bypassing the admissions committee, and simply add another student to the Academy database ... and not only a student.

 The most remarkable thing was that the clearance database was not connected to the student database in any way, because, as was said above, there were plenty of other personnel in the educational institution. So one short call, a little sprucing up, a couple of photos - and now an unremarkable technician named Loki Asgard (what's there to be embarrassed about? Especially since my eyes are green...) is entered into the school databases and has the right to wander around the dormitories, students' rooms (what if the wiring somewhere said "quack"?) and even technical rooms, access to which is prohibited for the same students. And the sprucing up was needed to distract attention. Still, Roman's obsession with appearance played into my hands. Slicked back hair instead of a perfectly slicked fringe, no mascara, swap the dandy white jacket and perfectly ironed trousers for a leather jacket and the same trousers - and a completely different person is reflected in the mirror, and without the hat and cigar that have become Torchwick's calling cards, even his own mother won't recognize him right away. Having completed the image (Roman's skills, thanks again), I thought, why not combine business with pleasure and, in addition to going to a pastry shop for a universal key to women's hearts, not take Neo out for a walk around Vale? Let's admire nature, sit in a cafe... Yeah, a good idea.

 - Hey, Neo, do you want to go for a walk? - I jump into the room of the girl again, who was enthusiastically playing some local fighting game on her Scroll.

 - (^_^), - the girl nodded without raising her head and energetically, though damn gracefully, stood up on her feet. Her face turned to me, her multi-colored eyes opened 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)…

 - Um, are you okay? You look kind of down, - I chuckled, the expression on her face was really funny.

 – (F_F)… – the girl approached me slowly. – Poke-poke… – they poked my forehead, where my bangs had always been, with a finger. Then they pinched themselves and winced a little, after which they looked at my figure again, now thoughtfully, thoughtfully.

 - So what is your positive answer?

 – (*_*)!

 - That gleam in his eyes seems ominous to me... Okay, just prejudice, so let's go? - I extend my elbow.

 - (^____^), - this miracle grabs it and is ready to go anywhere. It seems like today will be fun!

 The return from the date, which ended with a "quiet family evening", took place at about ten o'clock, and already at eleven my Scroll was beeping, highlighting the characteristic mug of a faun-lieutenant. Oh, and everything was so wonderful.

 - Did you order pizza?

 - (O_o), - a negative shake of the head.

 - And I don't, then I hope this is a delivery of Ashes, and not a message that they screwed up somewhere and the police are rushing here now.

 – …

 "Hello, my little furry friend," I said to the big guy. "What news are you calling me with?"

 - Our fighter will be with you in half an hour with a couple of boxes for evaluation. Why the hell do you need this, I just don't understand...

 - You don't need to. I'm the brains in our group, but since I'm in a good mood, I'll try to explain. You see, Dust - it comes in different forms. And it should be stored in different places. But the degree of reliability of storage facilities, so to speak, is different, and therefore quality goods should be kept in a more reliable place, and crap can be sacrificed or even handed over to the cops so that they moderate their ardor, "finding and neutralizing the gang's warehouse", komprende?

 - I understand. The courier will be here within an hour. - He changed the date? Why?

 - Hm?

 "We… sent samples from only one truck…" He seemed to feel uncomfortable.

 - Just send more people. Different ones. Different routes. Ideally, they would just leave "bookmarks" in certain places, but that's too complicated for you. Okay, I'm waiting, - I turn off the Scroll. - Who do you have to work with...

 – (~_~)… – they stroked my head. – (O_o)?

 - Yes, it could have been simpler. In fact, it would have been possible to confiscate a small batch immediately upon delivery of the cars to the "sedimentation area", but I don't want to take risks with these amateurs. They would have been able to litter the road to the "sedimentation area" with lumps of wool, and then expose all my sleeping places, and I'm not really eager to move to a new place ahead of time - it's funny, but all these thoughts came from the memory of my predecessor, as if something as self-evident as the fact that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. - And I also feel in my skin that they have a bad influence on me, I'm starting to get stupid and screw up on little things - you remember how I wiped the floor with me, so the more reinsurance - the better, and if anything, don't be shy to tell me about the screw-ups.

 – (^_^), – nod.

 - That's great!

 Forty-five minutes later the aforementioned "couriers" arrived, each dragging a couple of boxes from the truck, a total of ten "zincs" with crystals and dust. I open them and admire the iridescence of this Charm.

 - Not bad, very good. You're free to go do... whatever you usually do. And yes, well done for coming without uniform, - a few curt nods in response, and the fauns leave, and I'll do something extremely useful and relaxing - I'll light a cigar and pack up the Fire Ashes to replenish my ammunition, heh-heh.