Edited as of (7/21/18)

PB: Da-Awesom-One

A/N: Fifty Three Chapters, wow this is just...wow. Thanks to all of you for supporting this story along the way. Never would've thought it would come this far and heres to many more to come. - Mojo


THE PEOPLE YOU TRUST


-Yang Xiao Long-

"You are the WORST!" I said through gritted teeth angrily as that perverted old uncle of mine finished telling me about his "defeat" as he beat me in the fighting game we were currently playing. Right where Ruby could hear him, too, the young teen even snickering along with him. I know I might make jokes to that effect every now and then, but even I had a limit where Ruby's innocence was involved.

'Joel and Blake might call it 'being overprotective.' I call it 'my sisterly duty.''

"Best two out of three?" he offered sheepishly, right before I tossed a doggie pillow at his face. "Oh, c'mon, that's not even the worst by a long shot!" he laughed as he restarted the game, forcing me to split my attention. "You should hear about the 'battles' Tai and I used to stir up back in the day. Good times..." he reminisced fondly, closing his eyes, yet still somehow managing to wreck my life bar.

'How's he doing that!? Urgh...' I let out a short growl of annoyance as he effortlessly broke through my combo in an instant.

"Can't you at least pretend to be a responsible role model!?"

"Really? From what your dad's been sayin', I'm not so sure you have any right to judge me on that front." He grinned as my face went crimson and my hair steamed dangerously, the screen showing victory for "Soaring Ninja" yet again. "And for your little boyfriend's sake, he'd better be exaggerating a few details on what you two've been up to."

Taiyang Xiao Long was an incredible Huntsman, and a more loving father than a girl could ever ask for. But he needed to learn to mind his own business, and stay out of mine!

"You know how Dad is, always worrying about nothing. Remember when he sent that one boy running laps around Signal just for holding my hand?"

"That boy was trouble, and you know it. Eyes always wanderin'."

"We'd just had a sparring match. I was helping him up!" Ruby was looking between the two of us, fidgeting nervously, silver eyes unsure of whom to support. "And then there was that time he...!"

Beacon was supposed to be my chance to get away from all this! To start living my own life.

"Can't help but be worried, Firecracker. Of all the people you could have possibly fallen in with, you go and choose the one with the highest body count. We're just trying to look out for you."

"You two don't know a thing about him!" I shot back defensively, putting the Scroll down lest I break it in my anger. "Ever since I've met him, he's been nothing but kind to me and Ruby, and always willing to help out whenever we needed it!"

"He's a criminal, Yang..."

"He's changed! And he respects me!" I countered him, shutting him up as my eyes flashed scarlet. "You and Dad always said that the person I find should be able to make me smile, make me laugh, and treat me as an equal, not to mention that he lets me speak my mind..." It was a long list, but in my mind, the Huntsman had already filled just about every category, and a few more besides. "Even Zwei likes him, and he's a better judge of character than just about anyone I've ever met!"

In fact, it used to stand that Dad and Uncle Qrow himself were the only men Zwei would tolerate being anywhere near Ruby and me, interposing himself whenever he sensed an intruder in our personal space. 'Ben's still treading lightly whenever he comes over.'

My fellow blonde had made the mistake of patting Ruby on the back affectionately after the young mechanic had fixed his arm as one part show of gratitude, one part test run. The next few seconds after passed in a whirl of fur, teeth, shrill barks, cries on the rogue's behalf, and cackle's on Joel's partner's end. Since the Breach, however, and the weeks since then, the corgi had not only formed a sort of camaraderie with Professor Oobleck, but an odd friendship with my boyfriend as well. "Mutual respect," he called it.

The first time they'd met had been when Joel had stepped into our dorm, still bandaged up, and with that fresh scar showing above his eye, snatching me up from my bed into a rather memorable embrace in front of my whole team. One that had ended shortly after when he noticed the dog growling in front of us. Ruby tried to warn him, but rather than falter, the tall boy had gotten down on one knee before the dog, the two staring into each other's eyes unblinkingly for a full five minutes, with the whole lot of us wondering what exactly was happening. Blake had just been about to run and fetch a nurse when he suddenly laughed to himself, hand reaching out to scratch the dog between the ears. The corgi actually let him do so, to our stark amazement, licking at his hand.

Right now, the two of them were walking the campus, which was a task the boy had volunteered for to give us the chance to spend time with our uncle, seeing as he apparently had something to do anyway.

"If you want this boy to have any sort of approval from me, he'd better be able to do a damn sight better than just make you laugh," the old crow muttered under his breath, grimacing as a broad smile spread across my face.

"Of course he does."

A knock at the door drew our attention as I grinned devilishly. I got to my feet, and marched my way to the door with just a little bit more sway in my hips than usual, opening it to find Joel standing there in casual wear, holding a plastic bag. The corgi sat next to him, panting happily beside him, both caked liberally in what looked like flour.

'Perfect,' I thought, a plan blossoming to life in my head.

"Hey, guys. I made cook...!" I silenced him pointedly, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, and pulling him into a deep kiss that earned a "Gross" from Rubes, and a noise that sounded marvelously like grinding teeth, pulling back to see him staring back at me blushing and winded. "W-wha...?"

"Joel here can make me feel quite a few things. He's very good at it, actually," I said aloud, wrapping an arm around his back, guiding him into the room, planting one last peck before glancing over at my uncle. "Especially when he uses his hands."

The joke went right over Ruby's head... hopefully. But the risk was well worth the look on Qrow Branwen's face as he stared between the two of us, but focused mainly on the young man, eyes narrowing into thin slits. 'Oh, if looks could kill.'

"Er... As I was saying, I made cookies. Zwei helped where he could," he added to Zwei's happy bark, raising the bag, which suddenly vanished from his grasp when a red blur swept by with a loud outburst of joy. Ruby reappeared on the bed, gazing down at the chocolate-studded confections reverently before shoveling them into her mouth. With the discovery that Joel could actually cook came the inevitable reveal, spurred on by the little red reaper herself, that baking was also within the scope of his talents. A fact that Ruby had taken full advantage of, her newly minted personal chef practically helpless against her begging.

'I really shouldn't have taught her that trick...'

"...You must be Yang and Ruby's uncle. They've told me a lot about you, but it's good to finally meet face-to-face," he said in a calm, cheery voice, but his eyes looked down at me accusingly, practically screaming "WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU GOTTEN ME INTO THIS TIME!?" I couldn't exactly blame him. I wasn't even the target, and I could still feel the killing Aura the Huntsman was letting off in waves.

"So... you're the big, bad Trapper everyone's talkin' about..." Qrow said slowly, words dripping with barely-disguised menace as he stepped forward with a hand outstretched. I could feel Joel's back stiffen, but the smile never left his face. "I caught your match. Not bad, but the heroics could use some work."

"I heard from Ruby that you're a pretty good teacher. Maybe you could give me some pointers while you're in town?" Joel replied jovially, taking his hand. It didn't show on their faces, but it was plain to see that my uncle was currently doing his best to crush the other man's hand in a vice, and was surprised to find that Joel was giving as good as he got, both showing no signs of discomfort as Joel bowed his head. "It would be my honor to learn from such an experienced warrior."

The older Huntsman stepped back, shaking out his hand somewhat as he grinned despite himself, looking Joel up and down. 'Is this some sort of weird guy thing?' Whatever it was, the tension that had permeated the room was fading fast.

"Well, you're sturdy, at least," he chuckled to himself. "And bigger than the pictures made you out to be."

"Three square meals and a glass of milk every day can do wonders." Ruby smiled broadly, shooting him a thumbs-up that her fellow Team Leader returned.

Qrow exhaled, smile vanishing quickly as he jabbed a finger into his chest. "Just know that if you hurt my niece - either of them - I'll...!"

"Slice me into little pieces, freeze me alive, break both my kneecaps, rip my still-beating heart out, and show me more pain than I could ever imagine in the slowest and most brutal fashion possible?..." Joel listed off to the greying-haired man's surprise. "Good to know. But you might need to take a number behind the rest of Teams RWBY, JNPR, AMBR, and one veryvocal Taiyang Xiao Long... Regardless, I swear to you, on my honor, that I'll neverknowingly place them in harm's way... That is, unless..."

"Unless they talk you into it. Of course..." he finished, shooting a glance at me and Rubes, chuckling under his breath as we glowered at him. "I know how persuasive these two can be when they wanna..."

The rest of the hour before our uncle had to leave passed rather quickly after that, the two Huntsmen comparing stories, including a few about me when I was younger that, by the end, had me putting both of them in a vicious headlock. 'I was three! Who doesn't do dumb stuff when they're three!?' Ruby actually managed to beat the old crow for once at his favorite game, though I suspected he had let her win.

And then there was that picture he'd shown us of Team STRQ. Qrow tried to hide it as best as he could, but he knew where I was looking, covering up the face of the woman beside him in the picture... But it was her.

'Mom...'


-Reika Murasaki-

"Hey, um... Could I... Could I ask you something?"

I glanced up from the book I was reading, or trying to, anyway - a fanciful little novella about a brave young Huntress and a handsome, if cowardly prince - as Blake tapped my shoulder from around the book shelf, a small frown playing across her face. After the tournament, the Faunus girl and I had split off from the rest of the group, and had traveled to Vale to escape the chaos of the festival, taking shelter in one of the ninja girl's favorite books stores after Tukson's Book Trade had mysteriously shut down.

"Of course you can," I signed quickly before I realized what I was doing, blushing slightly at the guilty look of confusion on her face as I quickly moved to type out the response again on my Scroll.

'This can be so inconvenient sometimes.' "Post-traumatic vocal disarticulation," Miss Goodwitch had called it when I first started seeing her, caused by extreme stress.

"What's up?"

"It's sort of personal..." She rubbed at her arm nervously, taking a deep breath before looking back at me. "I was wondering if... if it was possible for you to track someone down for me?... An old friend." I raised an eyebrow, but she didn't seem too keen on elaborating, merely waiting for my answer. One I wasn't quite sure of how to give. "It's alright if you can't. I was just..."

I waved my hands in front of me, hastily typing "It's not that I don't want to." Blake had always been friendly with me since the day Joel had introduced us, taking it upon herself to lend me books to practice with, or helping me with difficult words when the Professor was unavailable. "I cannot track a person I have not met before."

"What if I could get something of theirs for you to examine?..." she said hopefully, her expression falling as I shook my head.

I wanted to help, but finding someone whose Aura I was unfamiliar with was hard enough out in the field. Here in the Kingdom, with all these powerful Aura signatures here for the tournament mixed in with the populace? It would be even more difficult. I didn't follow trails, or anything like that. I singled out a target to find, and did my best to reach them on my own, for the most part.

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's my fault," she said quickly in a panicked rush to try and smooth over her imagined hurt. "I shouldn't have asked. It was silly. Just a childish wish, I think... Forget I said anything."

"You could ask Maxine, if you have an object to use." I offered, not needing the sudden distaste in her amber-colored eyes to know mentioning her fellow Faunus hadn't been a good idea.

'Probably still mad from the stunt she pulled during our little infiltration mission.'

"I'd... rather not get her involved, if I can help it," she said, doing her best to hide her dislike for my teammate, and failing spectacularly. "I need to talk with him, not whatever trouble she can stir up."

"'Him?'"

She winced at the slip, blushing lightly as she motioned me to follow her behind a tall book shelf devoid of any of the other patrons trying to get some peace and quiet from the festivities. "It's... a friend... Or he was, once. Someone from the past that I think might be in over his head," she admitted once we were safely out of earshot of any potential eavesdroppers, ears twitching noticeably under the bow she wore. "I think he's working with dangerous people."

"Does this have something to do with the White Fang that Joel discovered were moving inside the Kingdom?"

She did a double take, but nodded slowly. "I wasn't sure he'd told you about that."

I nodded, shrugging my shoulders while giving her a small smile. "Benjamin tells me a lot of things. I'm sort of like his confident.'

"Do you mean 'confidant?'" she asked, the smirk leaving my lips as I looked at my Scroll, hastily correcting the mistake while she laughed to herself. It was a pretty thing.

'She should laugh more. It's good for her.' A lot of people took such things for granted, as well as the ability to express themselves so easily.

"This person used to be sort of like that for me, as well. Someone I could go to just to talk with when things were difficult..." she spoke up wistfully, running a finger along the various covers of the books around her. "Whenever the stress became too much, or whenever I just needed a friend..."

That was simple enough to understand, feeling alone, and wanting someone to turn to. Amidst the chaos of the Badlands and life amongst Bill's crew, that person had always been Ben, not that any of the other members were exactly rude or dismissive towards me in particular. Some of those men and women were as much parents to me as Ma and Bill himself had been, and those who didn't take to me weren't with us long. It was just that most times they were too busy surviving through the day, or wrapped up in something to entertain a kid who couldn't vocalize what she wanted.

"You want to protect him."

"I just want the chance to talk to him," she replied, leaning against the case as did so. "He was the last person I saw before I defected... One of the reasons I left, actually. I couldn't stand what this fight was doing to him, turning him into a monster. So I ran away. But now..."

She sounded guilty. I probed outward with my Semblance, and saw that her Aura was a mess of mixed emotions. 'More than just some friend, it seems.'

"I don't know what to do... Move on, or try my best to convince him?" She kneaded her forehead. "The thing is, I don't even know if he'd listen..."

"He's your friend, right?" I typed out, putting the Scroll up to her face with a stern look. "You don't abandon your friends. AMBR taught me that."

We might not be the closest of teammates, but that statement was the one thing we all agreed to stand by. Max had said it best before that disaster of a first mission. 'We might as well look out for each other, especially if no one else is.'

I stood up as straight as my small frame would let me, coming up to about chest level with the Faunus. "I'm willing to help. Whatever you need."

"But I thought you couldn't...?"

I shook my head. "Describe him for me. Mood, temperament, the feeling of being around him. Anything like that." It wouldn't make him any easier to find, if this person was even in Vale to begin with, but it was a start.

'We all deserve someone we know we can trust.'


-Benjamin Carson-

"Know that I didn't want to have this conversation with you. At least not if it could be avoided, anyway. I thought we would have more time. Years..." James Ironwood, general of the largest active military force in the world, was trying to console me after dropping something this big. "But current developments have forced my hand early."

"Funny. You're probably pretty high on the list of people I don't wanna think about talkin' to. Ever. I appreciate it, though. Makes me feel special."

"Benjamin, I need you to be serious here..."

"'Serious?' You want me to be 'serious!?' I'm sorry, just let me just try to get a handle on all of... of... I don't even know what the hell to think about what this is!" I ran a hand through my hair, leaning back in the steel chair, arms crossed as I gazed across the table at the general, honestly waiting for the punchline to come around. "You're tellin' me that this old fairy tale - one I heard back from my caretaker at age five when I was wonderin' why it got colder every few months and warmer in others - is actually real!? The whole thing!?"

The Story of the Seasons was a tale of four girls that helped some old wizard in a shack out with his gardening, and taught him how to meditate, who then suddenly offers them all magical powers to go save the rest of the world with, which, according to Jimmy here, was real, and that the current "Fall Maiden" was currently being kept alive on life support underneath Beacon as we spoke. 'And the primary reason for why the most powerful man in Atlas just dragged me into an interrogation room aboard his fancy airship, and offered me a job.'

"You think this is funny, wastin' my time with some crazy kid's story!? 'Cause I'm notlaughin' here!"

"Neither am I, Ben." The large man leaned forward, hands interlaced before him. "And this is no laughing matter. You're smart enough to know I'm not lying, and that if I so desired, I could detain you in a dark cell for the rest of your natural life to protect the secret of what I've just told you, and be well within my right to do so, no questions asked... Of course, I wish to avoid that disappointing outcome." He carried on, noting my reaction, or more my hand going for the gun at my belt, eyes widening fearfully. "You have a role to play in this. One you're uniquely... suited for."

"...Not exactly sure how, even if I choose to believe any of this at all..." I admitted cautiously, wracking my brain for any detail he might've let slip during his explanation. "From what you've told me, this 'Fall Maiden' of yours is barely alive, and fadin' fast after an unknown woman attacked her while attemptin' to steal this power of hers, and succeedin' to some extent. Dangerous in the extreme, judgin' by how it's even gotcha worried enough to bring me into all this." He was not moving at all, except for a slight tick at the corner of his mouth that might've been a frown. A signal to continue if I'd ever seen one. "The big issue, though, to you and the lot you're workin' with - Ozzy at least, I'm guessin' - is that when she does finally give in, this power's gonna leave her body, and maybe go to the last person she's thinkin' about."

"Which may very well be her attacker," he intoned, body tensing sharply. "In fact, according to what we've been able to determine, the power may just pass to this woman on principal, given she already possesses the other half of it. My associates and I aren't willing to allow this to happen without a fight, however. Not when generations of brave and selfless individuals have given everything they've had and more to this task."

"And hey, if you're actually tellin' the truth, and this ain't just you losin' your grip on reality, then I wish you the best of luck, sir!" I said cheerily, offering him a mock salute. "Still don't see how I can help any more than you could with all of your power, even if ya do conscript me into your fancy army, which, by the way, WHAT!?"

Atlesian Special Operatives, or "Specialists," as they are more commonly called. Controversial Huntsmen comprised of those primarily from Atlas Academy, or the rare professional enticed by the benefits, who are then enlisted into the Atlesian Military Special Operatives Unit directly under the command of the man before me. Bit of a sore point for other Kingdoms, seeing as the intention was for Huntsmen and Huntresses to be without allegiance to any one particular Kingdom. 'And a stacked deck, seein' as the Headmaster for the Academy's also said military leader. Perfect position to recruit hopefuls with talent that pass through the school.'

Problem was, most of these people, regardless of where they came from, were GRADUATES of a Huntsman Academy, and certainly not in their first year!

"Are you not satisfied with the appointment? While technically a new recruit, you'd still possess all the powers and privileges of a First Class Lieutenant. One with my personal authority, at that," he said with a note of genuine surprise in his voice, as if he couldn't believe why I'd ever refuse. "Most individuals would just be starting their careers at your age. Quite the leg up, wouldn't you say?"

"You're hijackin' me into service! Almost literally!" I gestured around to the steel-plated room. "And as one of your personal toadies, to top it off! Are you insane!?"

Atlas. The pinnacle of scientific advancement on Remnant, home of the Schnee Dust Company, developer of the CCT, and the shining example of everything I hated about the Kingdoms for what they'd done to my people, forcing us to live outside for some shred of personal freedom, while taking what we worked so hard for as if they were entitled to it. 'And now I'm to fuckin' be one of them!?' At least Vale was somewhat reasonable. And moral, to a point.

"Exceedingly, if you talk to Professor Goodwitch, anyway." He tittered on as if that was actually supposed to be funny. Maybe it was, and I was just too shocked and incensed to notice much else at the moment. "Now lower your voice, would you? I wouldn't want the guards to think something was amiss, and come busting in, guns blazing."

"But why, though? You could've just put a collar on me, like you did to Psy... Joel and my dad. Why bother with makin' me a Specialist, of all things, and have me join up with ya?"

Even for the commander of an entire military, it can't have been easy to pull this off. Even he had to have oversight; hoops to jump through. 'He must've worked hard to give some no-name kid control of a good portion of his forces.'

"In fact, why not just have one of them do this? You practically own 'em, remember?

"Your father's currently busy on an assignment elsewhere, while Joel, despite being a more than effective fighter, is impulsive in the extreme, and allows emotions to cloud his judgement. You, on the other hand, are able to put aside your feelings, and act appropriately to a situation with logic and planning. And as for why I'd make you a Specialist, well... I wouldn't have an agent operating under my direct command represented as anything less than our best. Even Winter has put forward a recommendation for you."

He placed his Scroll on the table, sliding it across from me. A lengthy message was showed clearly on the display, with the Schnee crest stamped at the bottom next to the insignia of the Atlesian military.

"'Tests show an extraordinary level of tactical acumen and comprehension...' 'Practical skills well above the level of projected statistics for his age range...' 'Perceptive, and willing to put personal concerns aside in the pursuit of a greater goal!?' I thought she wanted to...!?" I shook my head, trying to put the rather glowing words of praise to the practically murderous ice statue I'd seen only an hour or so before. "Did you make her write all this?"

"Not at all," he smiled. It was an easy smile that could win the loyalty of his troops and the love of a Kingdom through personality alone, and one that could easily be a lie. One I wanted to believe. "Though she expressed some personal doubts, given your history, after reviewing files supplied by Beacon and those who evaluated you beforehand, she had a change of heart. You just happened to catch her at a bad time, is all. She's actually quite impressed with you."

Winter Schnee, impressed by a two-bit, one-armed thief with a somewhat noticeable I.Q.?... 'HEY, FOCUS!'

"You still haven't answered my question," I said, sliding the Scroll back, taking a deep breath to steady myself. "How am I s'posed to help you with this other thing? You said it yourself, the power'll only accept a young woman as its host. Sorta lackin' in that department, in case ya haven't noticed!"

Ironwood took up the Scroll, staring at it for a moment, before placing it back in his coat with a heavy sigh, suddenly looking his age. A man with what he must've perceived as the weight of the world on his shoulders. "You and I have quite a lot in common, Ben, and not just from a physical perspective..." he commented as he saw my eyes dart from my arm to his. "Like you, I was a boy who spent his life putting the pieces together, and moving them across the board that was my daily life, learning how the world worked, and how to bend it in my favor." I stared at him hesitantly, reading his face for any sign of falsehood, and finding... none. No bullshit, or cover. "But unlike most people, Ben, we can use our minds - our talents - to look at the bigger picture, realizing that we are morethan just ourselves. Your match today merely confirmed what I already suspected."

"What do you...?"

"Your fight with Mr. Damask. He was an opponent you knew you likely couldn't defeat on your own. But rather than take the dozens if not hundreds of safer options, you chose the one that would ensure your comrades' success, even at the possible cost of yourself. An act that shows more courage than most realize. You acted in a way that most would never choose to."

"And got my ass handed back to me, in case you've forgotten," I added, realism setting back in as I remembered just where I was, and what this man represented. "What's your point?"

"My point is that like myself and those I work alongside with, you are able to look past yourself, and see what really matters. The abilities that these young women possess are unfathomable, remarkable, and, above all, dangerous. It's our duty - a duty that has extended back since the days of Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall - to ensure that it's handled safely and responsibly for the benefit of Man, and that it is protected from falling into the wrong hands. I'm asking you take up our cause for yourself. To safeguard the citizens of Remnant from a power they'll never know is more than a myth and legend."

"...You want me to play babysitter for the Maiden you choose. Is that it?"

Why me? I was a sniper, a thief, and a swindler, and here this man was offering me a duty that, in his mind, was an honor. 'Did I hit my head, or somethin'?'

"Hopefully at some point, yes. For generations, our brotherhood has worked tirelessly within the halls of Huntsman Academies to train and select not only prospective candidates for Maidens, but Wardens as well."

"'Wardens?...' What, like bodyguards?"

"A role that stretches back to the days when knowledge of the Maidens was far more commonplace. One that was almost a necessity in the days of constant warring and bloodshed, but has since fallen out of use in the current times of peace... to our own detriment, it seems." He paused, a pained look crossing his face. "Young men and women sworn to protect these powerful individuals and the world from those who might covet or make use of the power for themselves... Even if such harm were to come from said Maiden herself."

He paused to let that sink in for a moment.

"...Y-you mean kill them," I breathed, voice catching in my throat. "Stab them in the back if they go rogue..."

"A last resort, I assure you, and only if it's absolutely necessary, as the power would then seek out another potential host at random," he confirmed, much to my horror, eyes darkening. "Such an action is actually the reason a majority of Guardians were male. A safeguard to ensure that the power couldn't be taken in jealousy, or by accident." It made sense, I supposed, working so closely with someone who apparently possessed vast power. Only one slip was needed to take it for yourself... "We would rather have a random host to rediscover later than one with ill or misguided intentions. There's precedent."

This was so much to take in... A group of people that could bring the world to its knees, these "Wardens." It was just so...

'...Wait a minute.'

"What'd you mean by 'hopefully at some point?' What else do you want me to do?" I spat at him bitterly. "You don't have a new Maiden yet, so that means you want me for some other reason... Somethin' only I can do." I surmised, seething at the pleased look in his eyes. "Spill it."

"...Your teammate, Maxine Argus. I need you to..."

I narrowed my eyes, putting a metal arm on the table menacingly as I leaned forward. "...You are not getting her wrapped up in this, you hear me?" I said slowly and coldly, fingers digging deeper furrows into the steel table with Aura-enhanced strength. "Find another host if you need to, but leave her out of this!"

"It's far too late for, that I'm afraid." He straightened his coat, pushing his chair back with a wary look at the marks on the table. "We have a possible candidate to succeed Amber, the current Fall Maiden. However, if our method for transferring the power fails, then it will instead pass to someone else, likely seeking a host already familiar with it, or something similar."

I would have laughed at the fact that the Fall Maiden shared our team's name if I wasn't incensed by what he was suggesting about my own teammate.

"Yeah! Our mystery attacker and her half! What's this gotta do with Max, though!?"

"It matters because Maxine's grandmother - Azalea Vernal, later Azalea Bordeaux - was the previous Spring Maiden," he said calmly, looking sympathetically at my shocked expression. "And an immensely powerful one, at that, even when compared to her fellow Maidens and her predecessors. Frightfully so."

"...W-well, what does that matter? It's not like this can be passed down... can it?"

"To my knowledge, whenever a Maiden does have children, the only noticeable change is a slight increase in their natural Aura capacity, though this might just be due to the usually exceptional nature of the parent," he explained, leaning his head back in thought. "Maxine's Semblance has unique properties beyond the obvious, that much we know for certain. For example, were you aware that it's been influencing your team's Aura, empowering it slowly but surely?"

"Semblances and Aura do that, increase in power as you use 'em." Upon realizing what it was, it had apparently taken everything Joel had to bring his Semblance to a lethal level at first. Now, after years of "practice" with the Hand, he had to struggle for it not to be so. "That's normal."

...Though, come to think of it, Reika had told me that her Semblance was seeing more further now, with greater accuracy, and it was becoming easier and easier to use my own in quick succession. 'And to think I thought practice made perfect.'

"Not at this rate of improvement, or in this short a time span. Trust me when I say that a case like this is... unique, to be sure, and unprecedented. However, when we did a comparison between Maxine's Aura as she uses her Semblance and Amber's own power, we discovered that the two were remarkably similar to some degree. Too similar to be a coincidence, and enough to warrant her being viewed as a potential candidate if our plan fails for the same reason."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing, though? It just means more chance of it bein' in the hands of someone we know we can trust!" Max already had the power to bring down buildings on her own. This wouldn't...

"She has made remarkable strides in controlling her gift, to be sure..." Woody admitted, bowing his head, though I was sensing a "but" coming. "But would you truly trust her with the power to bring a Kingdom to its knees? To threaten the safety of thousands on a whim?... You're close to her, aren't you?"

"She's my teammate. Of course we are!" Why did I get the impression this man knew a lot more than he was letting on?

"Then let me lay this out for you. Usually, the process for selecting and grooming the next Maiden can take years, especially when finding a Huntress with the correct temperament and character. And even then, there have been more than a few mistakes over the centuries. Could you really tell me that she's ready for that responsibility?"

"I would. I'd believe in her," I said unflinchingly, staring him full in the face. "Max might not have been groomed for it, but she's stronger than you think, crazy powers or not."

"...I can respect your conviction and your trust in your teammate..." the General sighed, standing to his full height to move around the table towards me. "Though I'm certain you're also able to see how I can't share your optimism." He held out a hand towards me, smiling again now. "Know that I wasn't lying, however, Ben, and stand by what I said earlier. You're indeed capable of great things. I only want to do my best help you achieve them, and help those you care about in the process, including Maxine."

'Not like I have much choice...' He's already given me information he can't let leave this room... And my favorite sadist would have a better shot if I was involved...

"Professor Ozpin isn't the only one who can see the potential in others, and you have a fair amount... Specialist Carson."

I hesitated for a moment, wanting to gag at his mention of "Specialist." My thoughts warred with each other in my head... But in the end, I got out of the chair and shook his hand. I didn't really have much of a choice.

"...I'll help you. I'll become this Warden you're asking for... on one condition! Whatever happens, whether this plan of yours works, or it's all some big disaster that blows up in your face, you let mehandle Maxine. You and your people - other people, I mean - stay out of it."

He raised both eyebrows, but nodded all the same. "Despite my words earlier, the chances of the power passing to Miss Argus is hardly certain. It's more than likely our plan will succeed, and this all will have been merely a precaution." He let go, reaching into his coat to pull out a small medal, the Atlesian crest pressed in silver, attached to a blue and green ribbon, and held it out to me. "But we'll still need to be vigilant and ready... Just in case."


-END


A/N: Hey all, this is my first time being so close to the actual events in the canon, messing around with what's going on, yay plot heavy chapters. For those itching for the fighting to come back that's just around the corner as I decide who AMBR's going up against in the next round.

So onto the new stuff like Max's Semblance. Honestly when I first came up with it we barely had any info on what these things even were let alone limits for them so the thought of a sort of telekinetic op power that the character could hardly control appealed to me. With the revelation on the Maidens and their own abilities I thought why not make it a point for her, it gives her some relevance in the story and some potential new abilities to play around with. Her passive ability with influencing and strengthening Aura for example, Spring the season representing growth and new beginnings at least to me anyway.

I got some questions about what I was doing with Carson learning about the Maidens from Ironwood and becoming a Specialist and yeah I get that, it was definitely a big thing. Again it gives him relevance and reason for him to do some things later on whether things go the way I think they will in canon or not.

The Wardens (Originally Guardians but Ozpin actually uses that title with Pyrrha so I wasn't sure if that meant something else plus I love the title, big Dragon Age Fan) were something I thought could feasibly happen and probably like Ironwood mentions would have been useful for Amber. People go after the Maidens so you have people around to help and protect them just in case. The other stuff about them stopping rogue one's made sense as well, backup plan in case they got power mad.

Hope that clears stuff up and feel free to PM me or leave a review with any more questions you might have and I'll try to answer best I can.