A/N: The blitz-off was supposed to happen Saturday for 6 hours, but sadly that didn't happen. It got changed around to tonight instead. I have to get up early tomorrow for work, so I won't have time to post the second chunk tonight, but I promise to get that up before the next blitz-off session.

Day 7, Chunk 1 (of two)

Same Ole Story

Yang was exhausted, and her day had only begin.

More Grimm were expunged in forest when the morning light graced the sky. The sounds of distant fighting reminded Yang that there were other teams out there, and they would be doing their jobs for the rest of the day. Hell, maybe even into the next if things were too crazy. Her charges, however, faced very few threats. The most annoying ones took the shape of dilapidated trees that were finally crashing down around them.

The angry forest inhabitants certainly knew how to kick up a fuss.

The brawler didn't know how, but luckily, she had gotten her old team back to the school in one piece.

"Ruby, you should make your report and then crash out for the day." Yang advised gently, working a kink out of her shoulder. It crackled and popped, but not even that offered relief. She pushed the ache aside. "I still have work to do down here."

"So, this is where we part ways then?" The young team leader surmised.

"For now, but you shouldn't worry about it." Yang allowed uneasily, her fingers ruffling Ruby's already messy tresses. "I've got to go help Glynda. I know that'll take me away from Beacon for just a little while, but it's no biggie. Blake will need to come with me too though."

"Why only Blake?" Ruby asked.

"It's what they talked about before." Weiss said, acting as the buffer that the sisters sometimes needed. "Until Blake learns to trust the professor and the headmaster, we can't get anything done. Besides, we have our own planning to do, remember?"

"Oh yeah..." Silver eyes lit up at the idea. "We have to do that one thing..."

"Speaking of that, hold your end of the bargain. Keep me posted, you especially Ruby." Yang pressed, arms crossed. "And if you really do plan on meeting up with Junior, you'd better take one of the boys with you."

"Neptune?" Ruby cocked her head to the side. "I thought you said he wasn't very helpful last time."

"Any of the guys except Jaune…or at least ask Nora or Pyrrha. They would do the trick too…" Yang said as she brushed her long blond hair back over her shoulder where it belonged. "Either way, I don't want either of you two near the slums alone."

"We won't be alone." Ruby said with a smile. "We'll have each other, right Weiss?"

The heiress got the distinct impression from Yang's glowering that no, it would not be enough. "Well, Ruby...it depends on the circumstances, I suppose.."

"You two need some actual muscle going with you." Yang explained as simply as she could. "See, the thing is, guys around there..." She trailed off meaningfully before shrugging. "Well, no telling what they might try without me around…"

"You two do look like easy targets…" Blake added.

"They'd be sorely mistaken!" Weiss bristled. "I would be sure to correct that little misunderstanding in a heartbeat."

"Just…take someone…" Yang sighed. "They're kind of stupid, you know? I just don't want to come back hearing about how some bar thug tried to be a pervert."

Ruby and Weiss shared a look, agreeing tiredly. Then the group parted ways.

Ruby and Weiss towards Ozpin's office. Meanwhile, Yang took some time to go over her scroll. Blake waited quietly, and for a long time, they enjoyed the silence. It was over too soon though, as Yang stopped typing. She hummed to herself for a mere moment, before lifting lilac eyes to Blake. "You're going to outfit for an expedition, and then meet me at the front of Beacon."

"Yang, I still don't get the point of all this..."

"Ozpin gave the okay for you to shadow Glynda. I still want you to do it, even if I am going to end up going with you guys." Yang reminded her. "Besides, this is kind of important."

"I'm afraid to ask….but knowing you…" Blake's ears tingled from under her bow. "What could be so important that Ozpin would sanction something like that?"

"That kid we picked up."

"Aero." Blake corrected.

"Yeah, him." Yang forwarded the mission details to Blake. "Read this. Glynda's going to be taking him someplace, and we're following suit. I've never been on a mission like this either, but, first time for everything."

"I still don't like it." Blake all but hissed.

"Not asking you to like it." Yang said, patting her friend on the shoulder as she passed by. "I'm asking you to trust me…is that so god-damn hard?"

Blake swallowed, hearing the hurt in Yang's voice. "I'll go pack my things." She relented quietly, already feeling her gut twist in disturbing ways.

Yang could only rub the back of her neck, watching Blake retreat. What was that Weiss said about having a little bit of tact? Yang couldn't remember now, but she wished that she could. Yang was, in many ways, a force of nature. A brute, as Weiss called her. Maybe she was being too hard on her friends, and maybe the weight of her friendship was starting to cross over into something else entirely.

Something inexplicable, but akin to war buddies.

That was probably it, Yang decided. If that was the case, then any little tiffs were really nothing to be concerned over. They'd get through them. Instead, her mind wandered to other places. She flipped open her scroll and called Glynda. It rang three times before she answered.

"Hello, Yang." Glynda's quiet voice greeted, stern as always. "I trust your mission went well?"

"Yeah, it went fine." Yang replied distractedly, her feet taking her to the mail room to pick up any packages. "I wasn't actually expecting all of the smaller Grimm to come out of the woodwork."

Glynda seemed to think on this, only one conclusion issuing from the laced amusement she offered. "Hmm, to be expected, honestly. Ozpin's aura is particularly powerful."

"Could warn me next time." Yang laughed, though there was a hint of seriousness in it too. "It was nothing we couldn't take on though."

"I had complete faith." Glynda agreed. "You've also issued your report?"

"I sent it in already." Yang said as she reached the room and went to her personal box. The small square container couldn't hold large packages. That's what the mail clerk sitting at the desk was for. She ignored the man entirely. "Now I'm just picking up the mail before I go back to the room. I will be coming out to the place later."

"Excellent."

"Is it really though?" Yang asked. "I'm surprised he only wanted my scroll's collected data, but since that's all he wanted, that's all I sent." She saw several envelopes inside the box addressed to her. Looking over her shoulder, she clutched them to her chest before heading off for her room.

"It's hardly worth the effort to tell him yourself. He will already hear from Ruby." Glynda explained. "Besides which, the only time a hunter truly makes a formalized report is when something goes wrong, or, unless Ozpin request it."

"No one told my uncle we were the ones coming out." Yang flitted though the letters. "He was kind of pissed it was us." Two bills, a letter from an old pen-pal, and a small envelope containing the tickets she'd ordered online. Seeing them made her breath catch, and though she tried to hide it, her next words were just a tad uneasy. "Anyway, I'm still bringing Blake with me."

"You're very intent on that, aren't you?"

"I don't really have a choice." Yang muttered. "I screwed up. I figured Blake would learn to trust you guys…but, I've gotta stand my ground." Her shoulders were sore from all of her fighting, she tried to stretch them, but it was no use. Fatigue was starting to set in. "I still think it can be done."

"I'm not in complete disagreement. However, I still believe this is foolhardy scheme." Glynda proposed at length, the exasperation in her voice clear as day. "In any case, Ozpin approved, so there isn't much I can say on the matter."

"Just do me a favor." Yang sighed as she closed her eyes. "Go with the flow, okay?"

…

Same Ole Story

…

Glynda hung up her scroll in a mix of annoyance, confusion, and fondness. That last feeling was the only one keeping all of this madness tolerable.

"Go with the flow…" She murmured, shaking her head at the impossibility of it all.

Glynda mentally chastised herself. Now was not the time to be getting sentimental over a few offhanded remarks. Those were words that Yang would never truly understand the significance of. If Yang were lucky, no one would ever have to explain it to her, either.

She had a job to do, and that had to come first. All of this worrying could bother her later. At least, that's what she continued to tell herself.

Her cloaked figure traveled through the shoddy part of the city, where no one would bat an eye at her unusual style of attire. Even the fedora that covered her blonde hair was completely out of place. Still, this mission demanded a particular level of stealth. Though, if she were to critique her own clothing, she'd call it a sin against her nature. Glynda was no vagabond, and she bit back her distain every time a passerby cowered in fear.

So what if the attire got the menacing point across? It lacked all of the level-headed authority that Glynda prided herself on. Then again, hiding in plain sight simply wouldn't do her any good, either.

The famed huntress reached the target apartment building and entered, producing a card key that had seen better days. Just like the rest of this building. She slid the card through the reader. The door beeped, and she let herself in. Even though she hated procrastination, she climbed the three flights of stairs slowly.

Places like this reminded her of darker times. Of the dirty little lies that she bore witness to during her life.

Still, she had her pride as a huntress, even if sometimes she had little else. She came to the door she needed, unlocking it with a different card key. Slipping inside, she divested herself of the black cloak and fedora, placing both of them on the rack provided. "Honestly, what dangerously outdated security measures." She sighed as she fixed her blonde hair. "If it were up to me, I'd see places like these condemned."

"Oh please, don't be so melodramatic." A voice Glynda knew well began, dry humor lacing her tone. "It's because places like this exist that we can share words. I'd hate to cause a political ruckus just because of my position."

Glynda sighed. "Unfortunate, but rather true, isn't it?"

"Indeed." Came the agreement. "Drink with me?"

"Is there ever else a time we share words?" Glynda returned. The apartment was entirely empty, aside from a table and a few chairs. The woman laughed as Glynda stepped forward, taking a seat, and regarding the wine glass that sat waiting for her. A voluptuous red drink. Glynda lifted it to her lips. "Robust flavor…"

"Some of the finest I could acquire." Fabric rustled, then icy blue eyes came into view. The elder of the Schnee siblings. "I trust it suits you…"

Glynda nodded. "Certainly."

"So, you called…I came." Winter needed not elaborate further. Time was somewhat of the essence. "Ironwood is none the wiser…"

It was then, between sips of wine, that the polite rhetoric crumbled. Here and now, there was no use for tired stipulations and questions of status. This was no time to be measuring authority, no matter how often the two of them did that around Ironwood and Ozpin. Then again, as Winter had said, these were not political matters.

"Crawled out from under Ironwood's thumb, have you?" These were personal matters. Glynda acted accordingly. "That'll be a blessing on my end, so thank you. In any case, I assume you've acquainted yourself with the situation."

"I have." Winter frowned deeply. "I've agreed to harbor White Fang fugitives willing to testify against the crimes they've committed. Both to my family, and my father's company alike. That agreeance between myself and Ozpin still stands." She took another sip of her wine, as if to taste her next few words. "However, under no circumstance will I harbor a child."

"No, I assumed not."

"Don't misconstrued my words." Winter replied in earnest. "Fugitive or not, the safe houses I've procured are no orphanages. The conditions hardly suit a youngster, White Fang or otherwise."

Glynda also took the time to measure her words, but for a far different reason. "I didn't expect you would be able to keep a child hidden. Besides, it's a little crude to offer a child a plea deal, isn't it?"

"Then what exactly do you want?" Sharp, quick, and to the point.

Glynda answered in kind. "The one woman who would meddle in such affairs." She paused, letting the request sink in. "Get me into contact with her."

Winter leaned forward, a scowl on her otherwise beautiful face. "Raven…" She spat the name like a curse. She took a breath, holding back no small amount of ire. "As if I'd even amuse the notion. You don't think I'm a complete idiot, do you?"

Glynda stood her ground. "Let's not resort to petty squabbling." She neither answered the rhetorical question, nor reacted the slightest bit offended. She merely offered the truth as she saw it. "If the boy stays in my custody, I'll have no choice but to turn him over to the authorities."

Winter wasn't moved by such a confession. "I hardly see the issue with that."

"You should, considering the dust shop in which he stole from. It holds ties to the Schnee Dust Company." Glynda explained with an edge that carried deeper meaning. "The amount of dust in which he stole amounts to grand larceny. If that were not enough, according to what records we could gather from him, he is an illegal immigrant." Glynda lifted her wine glass once more. "I'll give you one guess as to where he hails from…"

It was a complicated situation. More complicated than Winter had first counted on, but now she was beginning to understand. "Ah, indeed. The authorities would send him back to Atlas without hesitation."

"As is the protocol for deportation." Glynda murmured.

Winter signed then, tenting her fingers upon the table. "No doubt my father would have something to say about that." She took a moment to reflect.

Faunus slave camps were common in Atlas. Her father placed more stock in those ventures than Winter wanted to admit. Able bodied young boys would net a tidy profit. If, and only if, they didn't end up in some sort of Faunus trafficking. Atlas was the worst place for a Faunus to live, both because of the lacking in Faunus privilege, and because slavery -of both humans and Faunus- was still an acceptable practice.

Only the wealthiest of Atlas families could afford slaves. Of those, many simply preferred not to keep them, finding the practice repulsive. That was the only saving grace. Unfortunately, the famed patriarch of the Schnee family held no such reservations, and not only kept slaves, he worked them to near death in the dust mines.

It was little spoken of, but widely known.

Winter closed her eyes. "You're asking of me complex things...I hope you realize this."

"Even if your father didn't hurt the boy, the government would." Glynda murmured. "White Fang are White Fang. Man, woman, child…it matters not. All of them are tried and convicted in the same manner." She sighed at length. "I'd rather not send a mere child to face death."

Winter took a steadying sigh. She didn't agree with it either, but, laws were laws. Plain and simple. "So, because you refuse to accept laws that down line up with your own, you intend to give him back to the criminal underground. Is that it?"

"Raven's no mere criminal." Glynda tried to say, knowing it sounded trite coming from her own mouth. "A vigilante perhaps…"

"She's a crook."

"I'd say, misguided…"

"Glynda, don't do this to me, please." She said, haughtily holding up her hand. Winter tried, desperately so, to mask the pain she was feeling inwardly. "No matter how you color it, Raven Branwen is a deserter. A backstabber!" Those icy blue eyes hid in the darkness once more. "She doesn't seem to know her place, and you know that."

"Her sense of justice may be no better than the White Fang, but she does still have one." Glynda needed that strength now. Needed that power. "You and I aren't able to act outside of the law, but she can. She does."

"Yes!" Winter agreed, but it was filled with venom. "But at what cost?!"

"I don't know. I doubt we will ever know. However, there is something indisputable."

"Oh...?"

Glynda nodded. "Her loyalty to Ozpin and the rest of us. It's peculiar, but does mean something to her."

"Loyalty my ass." Winter hissed. "If she gave a damn about any of us, she'd still…" Winter cut herself off. There was no point in saying what had crossed all of their minds.

"She hasn't retaliated against our leadership. She supports them." Then, a little more quietly, Glynda cleared her throat. "She supports us. All of us, in her own way. I'm sure of that."

"I believe you have a point...but that's no excuse." Winter poured them both some more wine. It was amazing how emotionally shattered the Branwen siblings could make her. Qrow drove her to hate drunkenness. Raven made her want to be even drunker than Qrow. She downed her glass quickly. It made her voice no stronger, her emotions unchecked. "I also believe you're playing at something far above our paygrades."

Glynda wisely ignored Winter's emotional struggle. She kept to the matter at hand. "Name your price…" Glynda said, eyebrow raised.

It took some time. Truly, there was only one thing that Winter needed. Asking for it, though, would be a shot to her ego. "There is only one thing I want." Winter knew the truth. Her sister's sense of self would be horribly mangled if the girl knew just what sort of paperwork her father kept around the offices. "I don't believe you're capable of offering me that sort of compensation…"

"Try me."

"Alright then." Winter replied, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms. "What I would like, is the complete liquidation of my father's company. I want all of the company's assets to be carefully dealt with in a discrete and concise matter. Furthermore, I want all traces of less than savory business practices expunged. If you can give me that, I'll give you any connection you might need."

It was impossible. Even if Glynda wanted to do that, which she was considerably doubtful of, she couldn't risk it. "You know I cannot agree to that."

"Then make an offer." Winter proposed. "I'm feeling generous."

Glynda bit her lip. "A rival company…"

Winter leaned forward. "I'm listening…"

"You wish to drive your father out of the corporate game. You can't do that while pinned down at Ironwood's command. Even with the immense strength the position offers you. Though, if you bide your time, Weiss will undertake the company for herself. In doing so, she'll begin to steer the company's policies back into reform." Glynda explained slowly. "However, that entire plan of yours revolves implicitly around Weiss wanting to undertake the company. There may come a time she's denied the offer, or, when she simply chooses to deny it herself."

"Outcomes I've both considered, and planned for…"

Glynda held up her hand. "I'm not finished." After taking a breath, and considering her position, she decided to lay down a rather risky card. "There are powerful backers in Beacon this year. Weiss Schnee is not the only socialite to have been granted admittance. In her year alone stands the esteemed Pyrrha Nikos. A year above that, Coco Adel and Faunus right's activist Velvet Scarlatina are of notable import. Should Weiss decide to take matters into her own hands, your father might just find himself on rather shaky ground."

It was warfare of a dastardly sort. Having rather wealthy Faunus right's family supporting the dust trade would spark controversy. Winter knew it would force her father's hand. He would have to release his slaves. Possibly force the government to raise the wages for employed Faunus, or risk losing a great many workers. Under the surface, it would also call into question some of Atlas's more underhanded laws.

Glynda's plan was divine, but, dangerous.

"Lesser companies have tried this, only to fail...lack of land, lack of funds...this is no small venture." Winter cleared her throat, pushing emotion aside. "Your personal coffers are impressive, as I recall…"

"As are Ozpin's." Glynda reminded her. "The possible stock holders don't stop there…"

Winter frowned, thinking hard. "Weiss has a firm grasp of the family name…"

"So, allow her to keep the Schnee Dust Company in the aftermath." Glynda shrugged. "There's no reason why we should fully liquidate a multi-billion lien company out of spite. In the aftermath, our company could simply be absorbed. If that isn't suitable, there's no reason why both companies couldn't work side-by-side. Dust is a rather complicated trade, after all."

"Something to decide at a later time..." Winter nodded slowly. "Alright then, if you really think you can pull this off, you have yourself a deal."

…

Same Ole Story

…

If you wanted to hide a felon, you contracted a felon. Glynda and Ozpin had long come to that conclusion.

It was the plight of all huntsmen to do the right thing. Even if that thing happened to be tinged in the gritty underworld. Crime was merely a means to an end. A rebellion sought by depraved minds, and angry souls. Glynda had to admit, crime was in some way justified in the greater world. There was a place for it, just as there was equally a place for law and order.

While Glynda would always stand on one side of the coin, she could not disregard the other side either. She only wished Qrow could do the same.

"I'm not going to agree to this." The livid male muttered.

"It isn't as if we have a choice." Glynda told him smoothly. She had let him in on everything, including the fact that she planed on meeting Raven. "Yang will find out, sooner or later. If that's the case, I'd much rather it be sooner."

"That's only because you don't know Raven like I do." He said, lamenting the fact that he wasn't nearly drunk enough for this kind of conversation. "She's not the sort of person that needs to be influencing Yang right now."

"Qrow, that's not your decision."

"Don't act all high and mighty with me." The man chastised, half in the bag, and smelling of cheap tobacco. "Look, I know you and my sister have an understanding…we all make one with her eventually…but Yang's not ready for that kind of a commitment. She doesn't understand what this kind of thing entails."

"Who says she needs to make an agreement at all?" Glynda asked carefully. "It was not my intention to graduate Yang and immediately put her into your field of work."

"Then what in the hell was your intention?" He barked, hands slamming onto the table, as he stood. "To fuck up her life, her future, before it even got started?"

"To ensure her safety!" Glynda roared, standing to her full height. Then, her voice became eerily quiet, but no less stern. "Truth be told, I have no intention of ever allowing her to be a solitary huntress. She has no reason to be skirting the fine line that we use to maintain peace and prosperity."

"Horse shit." Qrow sat down anyway, more mindful than to start a bar fight. "You put her in those woods. The borderer skirmishes are still going on, by the way, thanks for checking in..."

His sarcasm was duly noted, but she pointedly ignored the bite in his tone. "For your information, Ozpin put her in those woods." Glynda corrected. "And you know why."

"He kept it easy." Qrow sighed. "I know."

"He kept her on a leash." Glynda corrected. "She would have flown off the handle had she been sent to the other side of the forest. He kept her out of the conflicts."

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree on that one." He stated gruffly. "Like mother, like daughter…"

"Like uncle…" Glynda smirked, but it fell quickly after. "There aren't many people she'll listen to, but you are one of them. Ozpin used that to keep her safe." Glynda hadn't liked it either, but the mission was over and done with. Yang had performed her duty well, and had gotten her group of students back to Beacon safely. "She may be a huntress, but she is still very green. She'll stop any nothing to find the answers she seeks. Those are dangerous odds, Qrow."

"So you make it worse?" The man asked. "I've spent Yang's whole life keeping her away from Raven, and now you've got it set up so they have no choice but to come face to face." He didn't know how to deal with that. "You're setting her up to fail."

"I'm giving her what she asked."

"She's too young!"

"Do you truly think her so incapable?"

"I think you're fucking with a good thing, and I don't like that."

"She has questions, ones you can't answer…or you won't…" Glynda was never sure which one it was. "Yang isn't too young…if anything, this has gone on long enough. It's been festering…all of the things you won't say…everything you can't."

"You know the truth, just like I do…" Qrow growled. "Raven walked out on her." God, he needed more booze for this. His glass was empty and he let it roll of the table. He watched it shatter. "She left her baby girl behind...didn't even look back."

"Yes, she did…but why?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Because like it or not, that's what Yang wants to know." Glynda sighed, realizing it was inevitable. "So long as Raven's still breathing, Yang wants to find her. Problem is, I'm starting to become less and less inclined about keeping Raven away. Yang needs those answers, and I think it's about time we let her have them."

"Shit…." He cursed. "You're one persistent bitch…"

"Just as you are one particularly vulgar thorn in my backside." Glynda shot back. "Listen to me. Losing Summer made it impossible to keep up the facade that you and Tai both clung onto. It was only a matter of time." Glynda continued, softly. "Ozpin said it himself, we can't protect Yang forever…but we can damn well make sure we're there to pick up the pieces when she finally falls apart." Then a little more softly, a little more conviction added, she made her promise. "I know I will be."

"And what if she decides to follow in Raven's footsteps…"

Glynda felt her stomach turn…it was possible. Anything was. "Well, I suppose that's a risk we must be willing to take."

…

Same Ole Story

…

Yang and Blake met up in the front of Beacon, geared for a journey that started at the docks. There was a small inn for traveling merchants, and covertly, Glynda made sure two rooms were provided side by side. She offered very little explanation for why they were just sitting around. In fact, she hadn't spoken much, either.

Yang had been so grateful to relax, that she rightly didn't care. At least, not at first. Hours later, Yang's long morning had turned to an even longer afternoon. "Soooo, uh, this is a thing…"

Yang received no answer for her unvoiced but very clear question. It was something, alright. Blake and Glynda hand somehow managed a truce. Though, how that had been stricken, Yang wasn't sure. It was a relief that they weren't fighting, but this also made for undue silence. Silence brought boredom.

"I mean seriously…what exactly are we doing here?" Yang tried again, this time, a little more seriously.

Glynda was posted near the window, watching expectantly. "Waiting."

"That's what you said four hours ago." She pushed her now messy blonde hair out of her eyes and sighed. "What are we waiting for?"

"We are simply waiting." Glynda murmured. "Covert operations such as this one, they take a bit of time."

"Someone's probably making a drop." Blake murmured, her nose behind a book. She turned the page. "Anything else, she wasn't told. That's how drops work. It's a waiting game."

"Astute observation, and yes. You're correct." Glynda said as she stepped away from the window to sit on the rickety old chair in the corner. "We're waiting for a parcel. The problem is, the information inside isn't only sensitive. It's particularly dangerous to acquire. One might say impossible, without the right sort of contact."

Blake looked up from her reading. Golden eyes glittering in careful consideration. "Something like that could take days…"

"We don't have days." Glynda told Blake. "What we have is a handful of calculated risks. This is not your average delivery mission, and we aren't merely toting goods."

"Might as well be goods." Blake said while closing her book. Smuggling her kin around was something of an old pastime. "Believe it or not, hiding in plain sight is some of the easiest ways to move around."

"That assumes you aren't plastered on every scroll across Remnant when Grimm invade the cities." Glynda sighed with a shake of her head. "Loathe though I am to say it, Beacon's reputation sits on the line, as do our own. That is a factor to keep in mind as well."

"What are we going to do with Aero?" Yang finally sighed.

"Well, we have two options. Both of them equally unpleasant, and one of them potentially dangerous." She pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "Blake, you said that Aero had been brought back from a mining town. Do you remember which one?"

Blake shook her head.

"He's Atlas born, according to his blood tests and birth records." Glynda suppled slowly. "Our objective, frankly, is Faunus trafficking." She said as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Aero Auriferous cannot stay under Beacon's protection. However, to send him back to Atlas goes against my personal convictions as a huntress…"

"What choice do you have?" Blake asked, palms already to her face, her mind already amok with the implications. "We can't break international treaties all across Remnant."

"The hell we can't." Yang cracked her knuckles. "So what are we gonna do?"

"We take the calculated risk." Glynda knew it was now, or never. "Contrary to popular belief, Winter Schnee isn't an enemy to the Faunus rights cause. However, her position in the military limits her vocal authority on the matter. She joined to make her way into politics, but that's a long road ahead. Still, it is the path she chose, and one she believes firmly in."

Blake found the floor suddenly very interesting. "How does that help Aero?"

"Inherently, it doesn't." Glynda murmured. "By proxy, however…let's just say, she's willing to make a trade that'll save his life."

Golden eyes burned with repressed rage. Confused, bitter, and tired, she looked up. "Sign a deal with the devil, and hope the devil doesn't bite back…is that how this is?" Blake asked, her voice rough. Goodwitch the instructor had been replaced with Goodwitch the huntress. Seeing that level of resolve was frightening, but there it was. Blake couldn't ignore it, even if she wanted to.

"Oh, she'll bite back, but thankfully we won't be the targets." Glynda absently removed her glasses, cleaning them thoroughly.

"Okay, so, what's she planning on doing?" Yang wanted to know, feeling off kilter about the whole ordeal.

"Winter is planning to usurp the dust trade from her father's grasp. In order to do this, a new company will be built from the ground up. However, she doesn't want the Schnee Dust Company's name to be completely sullied. Merely liquidated and reformed. I believe she still intends for Weiss to take it over and rebuild. However, if a second company were to be made, it would need someone able to stir up a conflict of interest."

"Wait a sec…" Yang was good at fast talk and shady deals, but this went over her head. "Back up…why would Weiss's sister do that?"

"That is not our concern." Glynda said. "Those are family squabbles, little more. What we're interested in, most notably you, Yang, is the information being acquired."

"Uh…" Yang took a breath. "Why does it sound to me like there's gonna be a total shit storm?"

"Because that's exactly how it's going to be." Glynda told her. She stood and retook her vigil in front of the window once more. "When isn't it, after all?"