Glynda walked angrily back to Beacon after the council's hearing regarding the Grimm attack on the City. She didn't take the news lightly. Ozpin walked behind her calmly, studied the way she walked, and knew full well what was going on in her mind. He thought perhaps he should calm her down a little although he wasn't sure it would do much at the moment.

"The council demanded reports, Glynda. It's inevitable."

"And you're just going to sit there while he takes over this festival from you? And place those whatever toys he has all around Vale? Geez, Ozpin. I thought you hate conflict!" She stopped. Her whole body swiftly turned towards Ozpin. He could hear her heels snapped.

"I do but it was…" Ozpin sighed and paused for a moment. It was hard to admit and he too was worried for what's to come. Ironwood's action might just be what the enemy wanted; painting a target mark all over them. But at the same time he was right. Ozpin wasn't being vigilant. He should tackle a plan immediately after he received Qrow's report instead of focusing solely on recon and developing team RWBY's potential as his new operatives.

"It was partly my fault, Glynda. Ironwood has a point. I haven't been vigilant. While I agree his actions are too bold, I might have to formulate a certain solution before this goes out of hand. Before James' plan goes out hand."

Glynda merely rolled her eyes and continued walking, just like he expected. While the thoughts of an emergency plan to counter the turn of events were restlessly demanding his attention, he felt sorry to Glynda about what happened. He knew that she wasn't angry about Ironwood potentially jeopardising their status to the enemies. She wasn't angry about how stubborn Ironwood could be. She wasn't angry about how Ironwood sometimes, despite for all the good reasons, can make such cold, seemingly heartless decisions.

She was angry because she expected he would do something she thought was right. She expected him to do more than that.

If anyone could see through Ironwood's good-intentioned heart, it would be Glynda. She knows him so closely she could empathise with his thoughts, his soul, but Ozpin understands how their characters can go at odds sometimes, especially at grief times like this.

Ozpin just sighed and followed Glynda back to Beacon as he watched the fall skies of Vale. He hoped things turn better for the two of them and he was confident that it would.

"Just like always." He smiled.

Glynda thought about what Ozpin said. She refused to believe the fact Ozpin defended that metalhead. Part of her reasoned that Ozpin is a wiser being indeed and he definitely prefers to seek an objective point of view but at the same time another part of her insisted that she should be angry.

James told her he had no choice. Ozpin wasn't going to do anything, he tried to listen to him and it got worse. The council didn't want to accept any excuses. If they ordered James to protect Vale during the festival, then so be it. It was something he would try his best doing.

"That was your plan all along, isn't it? To feed your ego?" Glynda retorted full with spite.

"This has nothing to do with it, Glynda."

The two just stared to each other for a while. They could feel the wind blew through the halls of Beacon they were standing at and its freezing sting heightened the tense between them.

"Glynda, please. Listen to me." he pleaded, his voice sounded shaken.

Glynda wanted to brush James' attempt to reason with her, no matter how acceptable it would. She knew it was going to at least make a good sense but for some reason she just can't reconcile with the rushing thoughts that seem to fog her mind. Was she doing the right thing herself, brushing him off and acting like he didn't deserve a chance? Why was she so angry about it? There was a force so strong, a force she couldn't explain because this was highly illogical. She should carry herself well, just like Ozpin, assess everything objectively. After all, this was a matter of their occupations as Remnant's guardian and objectiveness is much needed.

Yet every time James displays such cold actions, every time he acts like he's on top of everything, every time he wants to play games of wars, it puts her at such great unease. It makes her feels distant, unsure, afraid and these feelings always overrule her rationality. This was one of those times. Something didn't feel right for him to want to take over everything and disregard someone as important as Ozpin, and her mind started to second guess everything that resulted in such feelings.

His eyes, however, didn't lie. There was genuine spark on those blues. She could feel that he had a very good reason, that he wasn't as untenable as she'd like to think.

"It's cold here. Let's go to my office. You better have a good reason that you think this was the right thing, James."

James closed the door to Glynda's office as she took of her cape and placed it on the chair over her desk. She directed him to sit down on the sofa, he smirked, apparently nodding to her very straightforward commandeering gesture and followed her instruction. She leaned on her desk, eyes not moving from his direction.

"Tell me you have a good reason for this."

James sighed. His initial formal posture turned vulnerable as he leaned against the sofa with a very detached look.

"I'm scared, Glynda. I'm really scared that with all these powers I can make use of, I still can't prevent what might be happening." He took out his flask and sipped a little to tame his nerve down, "You saw what happened out there. I really understand that Oz is trying to do the right thing, but… I'm scared that we are so caught up in such slow pace and suddenly it's all too late. I— I couldn't risk seeing lives lost because of this. I want to do something."

Glynda slowly walked towards the sofa and sat next to James. She observed how burdening the idea seemed to him. He was always restless about it. Even during that night when they finally had a chance to spend together, he still left her on the bed, went to the docks just to soak in such thoughts. It always drives him tired and sleepless. It's a part of him that is hard to let go and that part seems to take more space on him ever since he lost half of his body. Even before that, she knew he had lost too much.

Glynda then realised what she was afraid of. She was scared this part of him changes who he is. But every time he looks like he's about to change, his true self appears. A man with no other intentions except to serve people, to protect them. A man who gave his everything and tried his best. A man whose actions she's secretly always proud of.

A man she has always loved.

She didn't look away from him, her eyes reclined to every edge of his face, waiting for him to say more so that she was sure enough that he has always been there.

"I trust him, Glynda. You know I do. I just… Want him to trust me too… When I say I want to protect him and his cause, I really do."

Glynda placed her hand on James' thigh as an automatic response but the moment she felt the hard metal underneath his uniform, she felt a jolt on her chest. She should've sit on his left side, she thought. James seemed to notice that tension from her and placed his long stare at her.

"Glynda, I'm so sorry." he whispered.

"You don't have to be."

"I made you angry."

"You will always make me furious, James. By all means." she finally smiled.

Her smile was enough to make him relax a little, he let out a very light laugh before finally staring right back at her, unmoving, as he placed his ungloved, flesh hand on her cheek and softly stroking it.

"I don't want to lose you, Glynda."

She ached to say the same thing but the surge of feelings came back and it tied her tongue.

But after all, action speaks louder and with it, she pulled him close and pressed her lips on his. She let herself savour it for a moment, hands on his hair, letting her skin remembers how he felt, and he did the same.

And with a smile she told him; "Then you better not leave me on the bed again this time."