It shocked Blake how easily the Grimm could be replaced by invisible, intangible, but no less dire beasts. No amount of quiet self-reflection seemed able to lessen their presence in her head, even though she'd spent much of the weekend after being released from the infirmary in the meditation hall trying to do just that. She was there now, surrounded by faint birdsong which leaked in from the sunny day outside, plus muttered conversation from the other students taking advantage of a laid-back Dimanch afternoon to try and steady their own nerves. Fortunately, she had a pod to herself and plenty of space therein to try and relax.

Not that it mattered. The Faunus – to her own terrified amazement – regretted having such a long period until their next trial, for it meant that thoughts of survival were replaced by what she had come to label the Velvet problem. "I can't just…" she whispered to herself, fighting hard to resist scratching at the itchy bandages which covered wounds on her forehead while her Aura continued repairs. One yellow eye flicked open to glare at the folded-up Scroll in her lap.

Another presence drew her attention to the narrow entryway, where a smiling Yang awaited eye contact and smiled when she got it. Her outfit was altered slightly – gray pants in lieu of the revealing black shorts and fancy waist cape she usually wore. "Hello!" she sang quietly. "Got room for a buddy? The nurse said I should try to let my Aura even out a little while I have some time."

"Of course." She slid over to give the brawler a little more room to adjust the other mat on the floor. Yang copied her seating position – which brought into clear view her abused hands, bandaged such that the wraps went around her individual fingers and all the way up to her wrists. The sight made Blake wince firmly. "How… how are you feeling?"

"A little better. Still hard to grip stuff, but the extra sleep is helping me heal." One measured breath later, Yang closed her eyes and tried to get started with the relaxation process. Even while blind, however, she could detect the tension coming from her friend. "Are you okay over there? You've been in here a lot this weekend."

"I'm sorry about what happened on Fraidich."

Those lilac eyes slid open again. Despite growing worry in her chest, Yang maintained an easy smile. "What do you have to be sorry about?"

Blake maintained her rather immobile posture despite the immense amount of internal squirming which leaked out through her face as a twisted, uneasy expression. "They kept attacking us."

"Come on, Blake, we know you guys are dealing with some sh—stuff. Besides, you had all seven of us to help you out. Well, nine of us when we finally got to Penny and Ciel." Yang's fluffy golden locks shifted as she tilted her head, studying Blake's expression. "We get that you're kind of stuck with it, so don't even worry."

"I guess..." She accepted some of that night's memories back into her head in hopes she might begin to release them, an act which stiffened her posture even more. Most of the images revolved around Ruby's willingness to sacrifice the range advantage of Crescent Rose just so she could keep close to the Faunus and Weiss, a choice which also drew Yang into that frantic combat. "I've never had two bodyguards like you before."

A few giggles left Yang's glossy peach lips. "I know Ruby isn't the best with people, but she has her own way of letting them know she cares. Especially when it comes to fighting the Grimm." The humor began to drain from her face. "She… takes after mom in more than just her looks."

Blake's face twisted in a different way upon hearing those words: sympathetically. "I feel pretty confident in saying your mom would be proud of both of you."

"I hope so." A couple of moments went by in silence; Yang had her eyes covered with a forearm as she resisted her urge to cry. "I'm just glad everyone made it."

"Yes. Everyone." Sadness was a strange-looking outfit on the blonde's frame, one Blake couldn't recall seeing her wear before. A tiny bit of her wondered if Ruby had ever seen her sister this way. She chose to try and start easing them away from the subject with what she hoped would be a lighter topic. "I've been meaning to ask… for a while now, actually. Why do you two have different last names?"

"Huh?" Yang dropped her arm and looked over – her face somewhat ruddier than before – as she tried another smile. "Xiao Long is the family name. Ruby had it too. At least until she learned what mom's name was before she married dad. So she decided to change Xiao Long to Rose in her memory. Boom! Ruby Rose."

"That's-" So much for a lighter topic; Blake found it a struggle to finish her thought for a good second or two, thanks to the subtle clenching of her heart. "That's really thoughtful of her."

"Yeah." Her breaths slowed down as she tried to put her mind back on the path toward calm. "Look, Ruby and I aren't mad at you two about anything. We're a team. We look out for each other. And like I said, we know you're kind of stuck with it. You shouldn't disobey Miss Goodwitch."

"I know, I just-" But now the situation was beginning to inflict physical pain, in a roundabout way. She stared at Yang's bandaged hands again. "Never mind. I'd feel better if I could at least say something to my parents."

"You still can't get through?" When Blake nodded, the blonde – after some slow and painful hand movements – retrieved her own Scroll from a handy belt pouch. "Hell, try mine. I haven't had any trouble talking to dad back on Patch."

"Yes, but Menagerie is below the equator. Coverage is, um, spotty at the best of times. Dad said they were going to try to launch more relay balloons before I left, but..." Still, she wouldn't deny her friend's attempt at kindness and decided to try anyway, gently taking the device from her. "I guess it's worth a shot. Maybe your Scroll will have a better chance." Quiet fell upon them as she copied her parents' number into Yang's contact list, then typed out a message, complete with an explanation for the strange number from which she made contact, then handed Yang's Scroll back to her. "They're probably asleep by now. I'll give it a while. Thank you."

"You bet." After a wink from Yang, both girls assumed the reflection position once more and actually managed to find a shred of peace over the next few minutes.

Then Blake's feline ears began to twitch, their delicate folds picking up a distant noise which leaked in from the open window behind and above them. Muscles in her scalp moved them as much as possible to point them toward the vibrations; as she listened, the phantom sound became a more-distinct rumble with the undertone of rushing air. "What is that noise?" she finally mumbled.

Yang's less-sensitive ears had yet to detect anything. "What noise?" she asked, one eye opened. A few seconds later, however, it too reached them – she opened both eyes and looked up. "Oh, wait, now I hear it."

They weren't the only ones. Students began to filter past their pod en route to the large windows on the west side of the hall so they could see its source. After Blake helped Yang to her feet with a careful grip on her forearms, they joined the gaggle – whose number included a surprisingly by himself Lie Ren. He walked over to join them once noticing their presence. "Hello," Blake greeted. "No Nora?"

Ren nodded a hello before whispering an explanation. "She's at the gym with Pyrrha and Jaune."

"Trying to bulk him up, huh?" Yang stuck her upper body out through the open window, since it seemed like the mystery noise came from the partly-cloudy sky. "I think it's an airship."

Sure enough, the lumbering gray hulk of one passed overhead a moment later, a few hundred feet above the campus on its way toward the airship pads. While this example wasn't nearly as big as the liner which had brought Sienna Khan to Beacon, it was still a larger vessel than the average cargo hauler or shuttle they'd usually see arriving at or leaving the cliffside. It went out of sight behind the dorm buildings as they watched. Shortly after its disappearance, the sound ceased, indicating that the vessel had landed. "Who this could be?" Blake wondered quietly, ears still twitching. Other students nearby uttered much the same question.

"Hey, let's go look!" Yang waved everyone toward the entrance and took the lead once a group started to follow her out. Ren and Blake walked alongside.

After a few minutes of walking and mumbling among themselves, the curious flock of teenagers reached the main walkway and proceeded through the dorm complex. More of their peers were poked out windows to see what the fuss was about, including Ruby and Weiss. "Hey, what's going on?" the former yelled down at her sister.

She came to a halt, as did Ren and Blake, though the rest of the group around them pressed on. "Dunno, wanna come with us and see?" she asked with a shrug.

"Um..." Her silver eyes went to the heiress. "Will you be cool for a minute?"

Weiss could only glare. "You're not my babysitter. I can get around just fine. Go." She intercepted Ruby's attempted hug with her right hand. "Do not."

"Okay, okay, fine, I'll be back in a flash! Go lie down! Rest your leg!"

Their three friends lost interest as soon as the girls vanished from the window and moved to catch up with the rest of the students. Ruby joined them just as they passed the large statue in the circular courtyard, panting and sweating from her run. "I see the princess is in a fine mood," Yang joked.

"Look, you'd be grumpy too if you could hardly walk." She checked her makeup with her Scroll's mirror. "Hey, Ren! It's weird seeing you without Nora. They're still at the gym?" His nod earned a smile. "I hope they're not working Jaune too hard, isn't he still sore?"

"Perhaps they're just using him to spot?" he offered gently.

"Pffff, that's what Yang makes me do too." The sisters exchanged a wry look before the presence of the airship ahead got their full attention. Scattered along the walkway, heading toward them, were several people. At first glance, they seemed to be roughly the same age as the Beacon students, and all of them carried bags or luggage of some variety. Many of the bright-eyed, smiling kids were on Scroll calls as they looked around. "Hold on. Are they—I thought they weren't coming until tomorrow?"

Blake was less interested about the why than in a particular who. Her eyes were stuck to a somewhat flat-chested girl with faded chocolate skin, reddish-brown hair and large, oval smoky blue eyes. Those locks were slicked back into a high ponytail which ended in a fat curl around hip-level – it looked remarkably like a lizard's tail. Long, thin eyebrows were knitted with anticipation as she looked around, an act that brought dark splotches on her cheeks and forehead into better view. These markings resembled gigantic freckles. She wore a single-piece, knee-length gray dress with long sleeves and a high collar, as well as a pair of shiny brown boots. Two large, dark green duffel bags were in her hands. They only made eye contact a few seconds later, once the other students had moved aside.

"Uh, Blakey?" Yang said, nothing the intensity of her stare.

The new girl's mouth unfurled into a huge smile. She ran to cover the distance, pushing past everyone and coming to a halt right in front of the giddy cat Faunus and dropping her bags. "Blake!"

"Ilia!" They snatched each other up in a joyful hug, giggling and bouncing around, while a highly amused Ruby and Yang looked on. It only stopped when Ilia grabbed a wound hidden by her clothing, caused a gasp, then broke away and stepped back with worry. "I'm okay. We had a field trial a little over two days ago."

"Explains the bandages," she said through a frown, looking at the one on Blake's forehead. Her eyes went to Yang's hands as well. "Is this your team?"

"Kinda!" Ruby said, pointing to herself and her grinning sister. "Come on, Blake, introduce us!"

"Oh, yes, right." She led Ilia over to them, beaming like the early autumn sun above. "This is Ilia Amitola, my best friend from Menagerie-"

"Your only friend from Menagerie," she interjected, smirking like mad.

Blake's hands went to her hips. "Hush, you. We grew up together. A bunch of her relatives are soldiers in our militia, or work for the city of Kuo Kuana, so our families have known each other for a while. And since we're both only children, well..." Her posture slumped a bit so the ever-so-slightly shorter Ilia could put an arm around her shoulder. "I guess our parents wanted to make sure we had at least someone our age around while we were little." She reciprocated the shoulder hug before introducing them to Ilia. "This is Ruby, my team leader, Yang, her older sister, and Lie Ren, a friend from a different team."

After exchanging hellos or waves, they made room for the rest of the students to walk toward the main part of campus, but chose to linger for a moment near the airship pads. Yang lost control of her grin while watching just how giddy the usually-reserved Blake had become. "This is so cute," she mumbled to Ruby.

"Isn't it?" she giggled. Ren also nodded his approval. "So Ilia, which school did you come from?"

"Haven. Miss Khan decided to break up our arrivals so it wouldn't be as much of a strain on the staff here. I wanted to be on the first airship so I could come see this ridiculous girl." She elbowed Blake with a grin. "What have you been up to?"

The cat Faunus lost her happy momentum as they started to walk. One of Ilia's bags was in her left hand. "Lots of fighting. Classes just started. Some… other stuff."

"Oooo, yeah. Miss Khan put us through the wringer too. There was a ceremony just before I left for the people we lost."

All five of them were more sullen now. Ruby and Yang crossed their arms in a prayer for the fallen, while Ren offered her a pat on the shoulder. Blake leaned over to whisper, "Was your ceremony as weird for you as ours was for me?"

Ilia nodded once and muttered back, "You have no idea." She smiled at the sisters' concerned looks. "My team made it through, don't worry. Too bad we had to break up for this. Miss Khan wanted them to stay behind."

"Awwwwww, that sucks." Yang's eyes rolled in thought. "Wait, then, are you here by yourself?"

The instant Ilia nodded, Blake leaned forward and spoke to Ruby. "Can she join our team?"

Her silver eyes lit up with glee. "Absolutely! Any friend of yours is a friend of ours! I'm not exactly sure where she's going to sleep, but, you know, we'll work that out I guess. It's fine."

Ilia busted out laughing at the exchange. "I'd love to, but I've already got a new team lined up. Sorry." She allowed Blake a moment to groan with disappointment. "Hey, at least we're on the same continent again." When she noticed Ruby's eyes still on her, she tilted her head. "What's up?"

"Are you…?" She scratched at her black and red locks. "I mean, I don't see ears or antlers or – maybe there's a tail under your dress? See, this is why I don't assume stuff, I feel so silly..."

This drew another laugh. "Yes, I'm a Faunus, too." Her skin color abruptly changed from brown to the same shade of white as the stone walkway upon which they traveled, while the dark spots on her face became gray. "Blake has feline traits, but mine are reptilian." Just as abruptly, her complexion returned to normal.

"That is so fucking cool!" a starry-eyed Yang said loudly. Beside her, Ruby could only emit an amazed squeal. Their positive reaction caused the splotches on Ilia's face to turn pink with embarrassment as she looked away, smiling. "Hold on, does she blush through her spots? Gods. Adorable as hell," the blonde added.

"Oh, stop it." Upon turning to Blake, however, she found an entertained grin waiting. "And don't you start. Look, I gotta go find my team. Catch you guys for dinner later?"

"Of course! Oh, here's my new Scroll number before you go." Once Ilia had it, she gave back her other bag. "Or, actually, we could go with you. Help you find your way."

"Nah, it's all right, I don't want to keep you guys. Besides, my butt hurts from sitting in that thing all day and I really need to run some blood back into my legs before I take a nap." She nodded back at the airship, which was still disgorging passengers. "I'll see you later after I get settled in, I promise."

"Hee hee hee, she said butt too."

"Gods help me, Weiss is right, you are actually seven years old." Ruby took up saying goodbye, waving both arms frantically overhead as their new classmate walked off. "Bye, Ilia! Nice to meet you! Welcome to Beacon!"

Ilia walked backwards a few steps to smile and say, "Thanks! See you around!" before turning forward and jogging away with a few more of the new arrivals around her. She smirked wildly at the gentle teasing she heard Blake get from the two sisters as she departed. With distance, her blush faded, as did her smile, both of which were replaced by a much more business-like expression. Her hair bounced with each step. "Let's see… building four, room eight," she mumbled, recalling her destination. "Building four..." By the time she made it to that closed door, sweat glittered on every inch of her exposed skin. Breathing hard, she dropped her bags on the floor, knocked exactly five times, then stepped back to wait. A few seconds later, it opened to reveal Ciel. They regarded each other in silence.

"You're a day early," Ciel stated quietly. She yielded so Ilia and her luggage could come inside, then shut the door once it was clear. "I'll warn you now, you're about to get a hug."

"A what?" Ilia looked up just in time to see Penny emerge from the closet, smiling brightly, arms outstretched, and walking toward her with purpose. "Uh..."

"Our new friend!" The android embraced her firmly. "Welcome!"

Like all of Penny's cuddle targets, Ilia squirmed in her powerful grasp. "I… uh, hello?" she gasped after a while. "Please. I think my ribs are cracking."

"Nonsense, my Aura sensors would pick that up. Also, you'd be screaming in pain." Regardless, she released her hug and stood with Ciel, smiling all the way. "Please take whichever bed you like. I don't actually sleep."

"I know." Ilia regarded Penny with amazement after placing her bags aside and slipping out of her boots. "You look so… I don't know… human? Lifelike? You've even got body heat… sorry. I don't mean to be insensitive."

"Don't worry, I have not been programmed to feel insulted!" No reaction from Ilia caused Penny to look over at her partner. "I don't think the joke worked."

"Maybe it just wasn't very funny." Tired of the small talk, Ciel plopped down on a bed and gazed at the new arrival. "So, how much of a briefing do you need from us?" she asked, watching Ilia fall, face-first, onto the bed opposite and lie there for a moment.

"I don't know, Miss Khan told me a hell of a lot over the past forty days." After a bit, she rolled over onto her back so she could meet their curious gazes. "Do you need anything from me?"

Ciel and Penny shared another glance before the former spoke up. "Why did you volunteer for this? The Faunus aren't as strict about exposure limits as human Kingdoms are. You could have gone home once you were done with school."

At this, Ilia only shrugged. "Miss Khan needed someone sneaky. Hard to get much sneakier than I am."

"That isn't what I'm asking," the punctual girl said, folding her arms.

Forced upright by rising anger in her chest, Ilia hugged her knees tightly. "My parents have no idea what they've thrown me into. I'm sure Blake's parents don't either. This system… pardon my language, but it's so incredibly fucked up. When Miss Khan told me how much worse the guidelines have gotten since she took over at Haven..." She couldn't help but shake her head. "Why does Ozpin have this much power over the other schools?"

"That's the way the system was built. Beacon is the first among equals. Whoever its Headmaster is sets the agenda, and their rules have been awful for years, from what I've heard." Ciel doffed her beret. "General Ironwood is fighting back with Penny's help." She snorted when the android issued a happy wave. "And now Miss Khan's, too. You're taking a huge risk. I want to know why."

"Honestly, it's kind of selfish." Those smoky blue eyes narrowed fiercely. "I've got to help Blake get out of this." Silence caused her to look at them. "And if taking down the whole thing is how that happens, then I'm happy to be a wrecking ball."

Penny leaned over to mutter to her partner. "She's very intense."

"Good. We'll need it." Ciel sneaked a glance at her watch. "You cannot mention any of this to her, understand? Not yet. We're not in a position to involve the Faunus' leadership."

"I know." With shaky fingers, she slicked back her hair. "Even if I don't like the idea of keeping her in the dark… I know. What is it with humans and keeping secrets? You're even rubbing off on Miss Khan." After allowing herself a moment of misery, she switched to a different subject. "Do I call you Corporal, or what?"

This drew another few snorts from Ciel's lips. "No way, first-name basis only. Our point of contact in Vale is a Regular Army Captain, so just call her by rank if you need to talk to her. Same for the Colonel."

"Oh, and I'll handle encryption for our communications with everyone!" Penny assured her cheerfully, rubbing her hands together. "This is so exciting!"

Ilia fell back onto her bed, arms and legs splayed, staring at the bunk above. "Hopefully not exciting enough to get us all killed."

Much of Raven's flock was taking advantage of the cloudy conditions; members of her tribe were scattered all over the large campsite, doing laundry, airing out bedding, or embroiled in a million other domestic tasks. Emerald was occupied by something different: watching the bait children play. These kids were housed in a large, comfortable tent near the crimson big top – a spot where they wouldn't have much of a chance to interact with kids born of the tribe members. Eight little ones were present currently, engaged in a game of tag, running around in circles and laughing merrily. Two older women kept an eye on them – one of these had shining purple hair that fell in waves down her back and sad green eyes.

"Emmy, Emmy!" one of the boys said, running up to her. "Come play with us!"

Grinning, she bent down to ruffle his white hair. "I'm not fast enough to keep up with you! You'd make me look pretty silly." She resisted when he tugged at her left hand. "No, Basil, go on. Before your sister gets jealous of me again."

"Awwww..." His disappointment was short-lived, however, as another boy ran by and tagged him, initiating a fresh chase.

While watching them, Emerald backed up closer to the tent flap and crossed her arms. When the whole gaggle came to a halt and clustered together, staring, she looked over her shoulder and found Cinder looming silently in the entrance, clad in her favored red dress and brandishing a full rainbow of Dust inserts thereupon. She instantly snapped to attention. "Ma'am?"

"Your presence is required by Lady Branwen," she stated evenly, staring at her lackey with a single, vacant yellow eye.

"Um, yes ma'am." After fussing with the strange white and black criss-cross halter top that framed her full bust, as well as some adjustment of the olive-colored tube top which kept the front of said chest covered, she followed Cinder out into the warm air and fell in alongside. Her mistress said nothing as they threaded their way along the sand streets and around the other people using them to move through the complex. "Am I-"

"Do not interact with the bait," Cinder stated, those flat words somehow still laden with high-velocity displeasure. "I will not warn you again. If you're that interested in children, I'm sure one of our own young men will be happy to help you conceive one."

The thief swallowed hard, left blushing by her monotone bluntness. "Yes ma'am. I'm sorry." In search of comfort, she gripped the three-tiered silver armband which embraced her left bicep. "May I ask why I'm wanted in the-"

Cinder's face twitched with disdain. "Lady Branwen will tell you herself."

Silence dominated the remainder of their short trip. Upon arriving at Raven's tent, Emerald saw the mother bird herself seated at the low oaken table with Vernal on her left, leaned on the top. A large tattoo of a raven bursting upward from a clutch of lilies emblazoned across her left upper arm was in plain view. While the thief took a seat in front of her leader, Cinder chose to stand nearby with her hands clasped behind her back. "Good, finally," Raven greeted. A second later, her brow crinkled with annoyance. "Why isn't your Scroll on? I sent Cinder out to look for you five minutes ago. Unless..." That annoyance became mild anger. "Were you with the-"

"Yes, ma'am, and I'm sorry. Miss Cinder already chewed me out about it," she admitted, nervously stroking one of the two long locks of minty green hair which came from the back of her skull.

"Hmm." One breath later, a reasonable facsimile of calm returned to Raven's pale face. "Forget it. I have something important for you to do." She took a folder from Vernal and thumbed through its contents – something within it caused her brow to crease with unease. "Your special talents are required out east."

Emerald straightened up with surprise, red eyes widening. "Out… out east, ma'am?"

"Yeah. Lady Grace asked if I could let her borrow you for a delicate project. I'm not going to tell my sister no, so you're about to take a little trip." Raven snapped the folder closed and set it down.

"Like, Vale, ma'am?" she asked, still hung up on the destination more than the nature of the task. "I'd never get in."

"Close, but not quite." Raven slid the folder across to her nervous underling. "Leave that there for the moment. Right now, I want you to go back to your tent and pack a bag. Don't worry about food, don't worry about not having warm clothes, just pack for three weeks, maybe a month, and bring every bit of your combat gear. Understand? Do it now, then come back here."

Emerald stood up and nodded once. "As you wish, ma'am," she replied, leaving the tent hastily. Outside, however, she lost her proper demeanor in favor of confusion. "What is happening right now?" she mumbled lowly, darting through the tents to reach her own dwelling near the campsite's gate. Her pace was such that she nearly fell through the eggshell-colored flap, and so she ended up stumbling all the way to the huge, dark wood steamer trunk which sucked up most of the space inside at the rear. After catching her breath, she grabbed a soft black bag, opened the trunk, and started to figure out what kind of wardrobe to bring with her to the forests of eastern Sanus.

Not sixty seconds later, a curious Mercury poked his silver head in. "I have never seen you prance anywhere that fast in my life."

His comment startled Emerald into, first, a squeak, then into bonking her head off the interior of the trunk lid as she straightened up. Rubbing her skull, she glared at his amusement. "First, fuck you. Second, I'm in a hurry."

"Gee, I never would have noticed, what with you cramming underwear into your bug-out bag hand over fist." He invited himself into her tent and watched the frantic process unfold. "What the hell are you even doing?"

"I'm packing for a trip, you moron, what does it look like?" Much more care was taken with opening the polished stone case that held her twin revolvers, whose olive-colored protective metal treatment gleamed despite the paucity of light. Once satisfied with their condition, she set the case down and started filling a second black bag with every bit of ammunition in her tent, plus a few more garments. So equipped, she shut the trunk, strapped her twin holsters onto her waist, and walked out with her luggage and the weapon case, shoving past Mercury to get there.

"What kind of trip?" he asked, following her down the dusty path.

"I don't know! And stop following me!" she chided over her shoulder. He caught up to walk alongside instead. "That's absolutely not what I wanted you to do and you know it."

"But at least I ain't following you anymore."

Her ruby eyes became displeased slits. "Why I'm not allowed to hit you over the head with tent supports is completely beyond me."

He winked at her. "Please, you know what Raven thinks about public displays of affection." Once he noticed their apparent destination, however, Mercury lost a bit of his snark. "Oh, hell, this is an order from the big boss, huh?"

Emerald stomped lightly up the wooden steps to access the big top's haphazard porch. "Yes, and you're not invited in."

"Ah, hell. I'm gonna miss you, Emmy. See you when you get back?"

Trying to gauge whether or not he was actually being serious stayed her feet for a moment. They stared at each other until she finally rolled her eyes and turned away. "Unfortunately." She walked into a low conversation between Raven and Vernal – the quiet statue masquerading as Cinder Fall hadn't moved from the position where Emerald left her – and set her luggage near the entrance flap, assuming a polite, silent stance while she waited to be addressed.

"There are two fresh exiles I've had my eye on for a few nights now," Vernal said, ignoring the thief for now. "Camped out on the edge of the exclusion zone. I think they're a couple. They've done pretty well about keeping calm. Might be worth talking to."

"We'll see if they're still alive tonight." Raven eyed Emerald and her belongings for a moment in silence. "Good to go?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Fine. Take that folder with you." While Emerald packed it up in a bag, Raven got to her feet, snatched her weapon sheath off the floor, and dialed the rotary mechanism to its crimson chamber. "Vernal, send the message." While she obeyed, Raven's attention went to the thief again. "You will treat my sisters as you treat me. Do what they ask of you when they ask it. If you have questions they won't answer, then you don't need them answered. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Emerald watched as the Maiden executed a twirling slash with her red saber and tore open a portal. "I've never actually been through one of these before, is there anything I should worry about?" she asked while picking up her luggage.

"It's not so bad," Vernal reassured her. "There's a weird noise, but nothing loud. Oh, and the gap between messes with your balance. Stand perfectly still and you'll be just fine."

"Uh, okay." On uneasy steps, she approached the rotating wound, walking past Raven to get there. "Wish me luck, I guess."

"Luck? You've got our training." Raven gently shoved her into the portal when she hesitated.

What she discovered within was a swirling blood-red nightmare of mottled light and shadow, whose atmosphere was saturated by what sounded like the whispers of millions of people coming from every direction. While Emerald was still standing – on what she had no idea – her inner ears told her she was falling at terminal velocity. Every ounce of restraint was necessary to keep herself from flinging her luggage away and shrieking at the top of her lungs. Five seconds later, the ordeal came to an end – an unseen force punted her forward, out of the wormhole's other end, and into a dark space full of musty air. Green lights on the edge of a silver path switched on in response to her presence. Two steps later, she dropped her cargo roughly on the floor and hunched over to catch her breath.

"First trip?"

Emerald's red eyes snapped up to see a titanic silhouette off the left side of the path, which stepped into the green glow and revealed herself as Olivine, decked out in her fully-armored blue dress but lacking her sword. "Yeah, it was. Who are you?" she said up to the immense warrior.

"You can call me Olivine. My sister Amber asked for you." The giant waited as Emerald, still doubled over, struggled to fully gain control of her breath. "Damn, how much did you bring?"

"Miss Branwen said to pack for a month, so..." she gasped. At last she managed to straighten up. "Miss Duprix, then. I've heard of you. What in the hell is in those portals? There were whispers-"

"Trust me, don't ask." Olivine picked up the weapons case and waited for Emerald to retrieve her other bags before walking toward the elevator doors some distance away in the darkness. More lights flickered to life as she drew closer. "You all right back there?"

"I think I'm okay." She caught up with the Maiden after some sluggish walking. "But I would like some idea of why I just traveled thousands of kilometers. Erm, please."

The giant met her consternation with a bitter smile. "Amber and I are busy with something important. You're gonna help us solve a different problem. Did you get a packet of info from Raven?"

"Oh, uh, yeah." Figuring out which bag it was in and getting it out took Emerald a moment. Once she opened it, she found two pictures clipped to a small stack of documents. These images were of Ruby and Yang. "I'm gonna guess these are targets."

"In the long term." She tapped a button as Emerald read the papers. "Ruby Rose is our biggest issue, but she's always around her sister. You might need to fuck with both their heads to get this done."

"Ohhhhh, it's a mental hit." The thief continued to shuffle through the papers, though the chime which signaled the arrival of the elevator almost spooked her into dropping them. "Damn! Ugh. What's my cover?"

"You're Beacon Academy's newest student! Congratulations!" Olivine expected the surprise she saw on Emerald's face and responded with a toothy smile as they stepped into the elevator. "A lot of new arrivals are going to show up over the next couple of days, you'll blend right in. Oh, and don't worry, it's been arranged so you'll end up solo." The long trip skyward into the sub-basements of Beacon Tower began.

Emerald took the opportunity to better examine the photos. "This blonde girl… she looks familiar." One particular lock of hair on top of Yang's head that refused to lie flat caught her eye – it was a trait Raven also shared. Even their noses and chins struck her as similar. "Huh, she looks a lot like Miss-" Olivine's silent gaze shut her up.

"I figured you'd be too smart not to notice," she admitted at length. She could see the question forming in those red eyes and intercepted it before the words dislodged themselves from Emerald's lungs. "The kid is what's left of Raven's life before she founded the tribe. We're not necessarily after her, but do what you have to do."

Emerald gazed at the blonde's face a while longer. "I understand."

"Good. By the way, Amber wanted to thank you for letting her use your tent when she was out there last time."

Her red eyes went up. "Oh, she's more than welcome. I liked having intelligent company for once." The length of their trip began to cause her some concern; she glanced around, nudging one foot against one of her bags. "I didn't think we'd be in here this long."

"We're going all the way-" The car suddenly lurched to a halt and the doors slid open, revealing Ozpin's office. "-to the top."

The Headmaster, seated and in the middle of a Scroll conversation, covered the device's microphone with a hand. "Aha, there she is. Just leave your bags by the doors for now, please, and do come in. I'll be with you in a moment." His attention went back to his Scroll. "Beg pardon, Your Majesty, visitors have walked in." A moment passed. "Of course. I'll be in touch." He hung up just as a visibly confused Emerald came to a halt before him. "Miss Sustrai. I've heard good things about you from Lady Branwen."

Emerald, face scrunched with thought, was much too busy trying to deduce the relationship between Raven's so-called sisters and the Headmaster of a combat Academy – of the combat Academy – to answer right away. "Th-thank you?" she finally said. "Miss Duprix, I'm a little confused."

Olivine spoke to Ozpin instead. "She's not in the loop."

"Then she can report directly to you for the time being." He slid a small packet across his desk toward the thief and did not speak again until she collected it. "This is your ID kit so you can satisfy the automatic scanner system. And while Lady Branwen praises your talent, I hear the authorities in Vacuo took a much dimmer view. Do not saunter around my campus collecting unauthorized souvenirs."

Like the crotchety old professor could challenge her even if she did; despite this thought, she kept her smirk subtle because it might agitate Olivine – someone whom appeared quite capable of beating her ass. "Aw, really? Fine. I'll behave."

"See to it that you do." The conversation ended as Ozpin brought up his computer screen to attend to some other matters. "Good day."

"Come on, I'll show you where the dorms are." Olivine waved her back to the elevator, helping her wrangle her luggage once they arrived. After they were on the way down, she added, "Ozpin helps us do what needs to be done. That's all."

This non-answer only led to further questions. "So, what, he's… a friend? Why would he be friends with Miss Branwen, she's an-"

"You worry too much, Emerald. Just help us with this and you'll be on your way home with pockets full of something shiny."

"Nnnh." To avoid pissing off a woman whose arms seemed almost as big around as her thighs, Emerald obeyed, directing her thoughts to the mission at hand. "What do you want me to trick this girl into, exactly?"

"Hmm..." Olivine tapped her chin in thought. "Maybe attacking another student? Fuck, I dunno. We'll figure something out after you get unpacked." She watched the thief continue to file through the dossier until something within it stopped her. "What?"

"Who's this guy?" she asked while pointing at Opher's picture, clipped to one of the last pages.

"Oh." As with every other time she'd laid eyes on his face, Olivine's stomach began to tug itself into subtle knots. "He's the other problem. We might need you for him too."

Indigo stared out the windows of Opher's new living room, face drawn tight with worry. "I don't like any part of this," she said to Schwarze, who stood at her left side, also ignoring the view of Vale's squat, blocky skyline. Both of them were blank-faced with their arms crossed. "I shouldn't have..."

"We still have our leverage, and I still have my name." Schwarze tossed her fancy braid, tried to smile, and failed. "Speaking of leverage, he must have something over that detective. I wonder what?"

A question she also shared, but 48 hours on, Indigo still lacked the courage to ask Opher directly. Her ochre eyes dimmed with worry. "He did show her what he can do."

"You know that's not what I mean. Did you see the way she looked at him when she came into your apartment? Something else is going on between them."

"Yeah." She stepped away from the view and cast her gaze at his somewhat more sparsely furnished living space, at least relative to her own unit. Only one blue leather sofa existed for them to sit on, which she did, with Schwarze following her lead. "Something big enough to keep her mouth shut at least this long." Moments passed in silence as she toyed awkwardly with her gold and silver ankle skirt. "I can't sit on this shit anymore, we've gotta-"

"Why, is my new couch that bad?" Opher said, walking inside and distracted by his Scroll. Once he shut the front door and made eye contact, however, he knew something was wrong. "We're not talking about my couch, are we." He came to occupy one end of it while the two women sat on the other, eyeballing him. "Go on, let's hear it."

A narrow-eyed Indigo got right to the point. "I wanna know what happened when that detective checked your passport. Something clearly did, because she was scared to death to see you Samedi morning."

His face went blank. It took him about five seconds to think of a way to contort the facts into a neat little semi-truth to get past her question smoothly. What he said next came out with all the gravitas of someone ordering food at a restaurant, with an added shrug thrown in to reinforce how little he thought of it. "I got shot. Actually, it was pretty funny."

The color drained from their faces. "What did you say?" Schwarze blurted out.

"Look, that Ward lady is really skittish. I was trying to prove my passport was real to her, and apparently I did something she didn't like." Opher raised up his camouflaged hat and pointed at his head. "Reaching for my bag set her off. She plunks me right in the noggin. My Semblance soaked up the shot, so, no real harm done. Hoo boy, though, you should have seen the look on her face." Their continued open-mouthed horror caused him to sigh. "I am fine. Look at me." He paused to motion at himself. "Do I seem hurt?"

"N-no?" a badly shaken Indigo finally replied, fists clenched so tightly her dark knuckles turned white.

Her pale friend seemed to have forgotten what breathing was, so he addressed her next, waving his partially-tattooed hand. "Schwarze. Hi. You're turning blue."

"She shot you!" was her sharp, exhaled response.

"Uh huh. Why do you think she went along with our plan? I imagine things wouldn't go well for her if I reported it to the department." Opher slid over to sit directly next to them. "Anyway, it freaked her out pretty bad. I guess she's never seen a Semblance like mine before."

"But..." Indigo, so enthralled by nervously fiddling with her long ponytail that she ended up with much of it wrapped around her left wrist. "It's..."

"Fine." He doffed his hat and ruffled his short brown hair. "See? I didn't exactly want to hold it over her like this, but I guess it came in handy." On went his hat again.

Schwarze breathed in a little peace. "I suspect the police don't encounter Semblances much at all to begin with. What few users there are end up in Academies or the Army, and even ex-soldiers like us don't generally use them in public. We don't have reason to."

"Huh." Opher glanced at his TV – which projected a screen notably smaller than Indigo's – where an ad for Beacon happened to be playing. "Fuck, that reminds me. I might need a day off tomorrow to go talk to those assholes." A glance at his boss to ask one question resulted in a different inquiry when he saw her continued distress. "What?"

After freeing her wrist from the shackle of blue hair in which it was trapped, Indigo crossed her arms with a frown. "If she shot you, why didn't we hear it? We were right next door."

"Didn't you see her holster? It was the kind meant to hold suppressed weapons. And there were three brick walls between them and us."

While she accepted this explanation, Indigo's face still indicated some level of displeasure. "I'd have reported her ass anyway. What the hell? Anyone else and they'd be dead." Her attention fell upon Opher's indifference. "And, as usual, you don't care. Fucking hell, why did you end up looking for Dust after you left the Regular Army? You'd make a hell of a meditation instructor."

"I guess it does take a lot to make me really mad, but that job would require a level of patience I likely don't possess," he quipped while changing the TV channel. "I was serious about the day off, by the way. Not sure why Beacon only wants to see me, but whatever."

All Indigo could do was shrug. "Yeah, I don't know why they were fine with a phone call for me, but not for you."

"I must admit, it was quite interesting to listen to Glynda apologize for a solid hour," Schwarze added, adjusting the way her braided locks fell across her blue collared blouse. "She doesn't seem like the submissive type."

"Ha! Yeah." Thinking about mundane business proved to be quite a relief, so she stuck with it. "Do you think they'd mind if you waited to go until after closing? I heard big airships were out there earlier. The kids from Haven must be showing up. I'd bet my ass they'll want us for courier work at the very least."

"Fine with me. My first obligation is to you anyway." Abrupt silence caused him to look over, where his eyes met their mildly surprised – and slightly red – faces. "What? It's true. You guys are my only friends and… honestly, I don't really care what Beacon thinks."

"I appreciate your loyalty, I guess, but don't get your ass in trouble," Indigo huffed at length before her grumpiness softened. "Hey… uh… what about the other thing?"

Schwarze's turn to be sore arrived. She crossed her arms firmly. "The other thing we shouldn't be sitting on? The one we should tell everyone who'll listen?" she asked while looking over at Opher.

Who only rolled his eyes. "Why are you so keen to make me famous?" For once, Opher lost his cool and looked away, allowing some truth to slip out. "I don't understand why nobody else seems to know. I don't like it." Continued, silent thought only reinforced his unease. It was Carmine herself that had taught him about Remnant's retort, something she had apparently picked up from somewhere beyond Solitas, though she never mentioned exactly where. Given her disposition and considerable power, there was no way she'd keep it quiet, but the population still seemed blind. She'd never carry such knowledge to her grave.

Willingly.

Even the mere shadow of foul play twisted his stomach into an awful, frigid knot, feelings which fed on his lack of knowledge surrounding her death and the events which came shortly after. A bigger question erupted forth in his head: his power remained, and had grown with time, but where the hell had her gift gone? Her descendants should have been the kings and queens of the entire planet. Perhaps they were – he began to entertain the idea of breaking into the palace to check for lost magic.

This whole silent process resulted in a deeply unhappy look which neither Indigo nor Schwarze liked. "Whoa, uh, what's the problem?" the former asked, leaning forward to get a better view.

"Listen, I know you're eager to help everyone, but… something really bothers me about this. I can't explain why." Opher paused to slump back against the sofa. "I'm not worried about me, but you two didn't ask for this. I want to make sure everything is all right before we start shouting about this shit from the rooftops."

"What would be the problem? It's all good news!"

Opher moved the brim of his hat to look over at Schwarze. "Then why doesn't everyone already know it?"

"Because-" she began, hand raised, then fell still as no answer came. Not even looking at Indigo helped. "I… I'm not sure."

"Exactly. Neither am I." He changed the channel again. "So, for now, let's just play it cool. Besides, like I said, I imagine the Beacon staff is going to bring it up."

"Why are you so sure of that?"

Those dull green eyes went to his boss. "Because the girl I knocked out had something shiny on her sweater. Pretty sure it was a camera lens." Having had his fill of the subject, Opher moved on. "We'll deal with it as it comes to us. Anyway, apparently signing a rent contract makes me eligible for a bunch of extra Lien from the Crown now? Something about permanent residency."

"Oh, yeah, once you actually live here, the Queen takes care of a whole lot of shit." She rubbed her neck awkwardly. "Um… sorry about the whole minimum wage thing. I didn't know if you were gonna stay and I didn't want to sink a lot of money into you if you didn't. That's why I sent you to that innkeeper, I knew he wouldn't charge you much if you did hang around."

"Please," he snorted, "between him and the free food from Schwarze, I probably could have gotten by on half the wage you gave me. Which, by the way, is not an invitation to cut my pay." He grinned at the willowy woman's snickering. "Huh. I guess I actually need to buy groceries now. And curtains."

Schwarze couldn't contain her happy clapping. "I'll help you decorate!" she said, bouncing in her seat. "I'm the one who did Indy's unit! Thankfully. Knowing her taste in skirts, I'd hate to see what she would have done to it on her own."

"Fuck you, woman, my apartment would have looked awesome!"

He had to let himself laugh at this for a minute before raising up to stop whatever argument might come next. "You know what? I kinda want to see what you'd pick out for me. I don't mind a little color." Opher got to his feet and stretched obnoxiously. "Y'all get the hell out so I can take inventory of what I need to go buy. Then maybe we can go shopping together later. If you haven't strangled each other yet."

Glad for the distraction, Indigo bore a wildly competitive grin on her face as she stood up. "Race you to the department store, boobs."

"Boobs?!" Schwarze snapped as they walked toward the door to leave. "You're just jealous you don't have any, shorty!"

"Shorty? Don't you mean 'easy to throw around in-'"

"You two kids have fun," Opher said, shutting the door behind them as they continued to bicker all the way down the hall. The moment the knob clicked, his amusement fled. "Fuck. Am I ready for this shit again?" he sighed, rubbing at his eyes. He barely reached his open bathroom door before knocking caused him to turn back. Assuming that Indigo or Schwarze had forgotten something, he shuffled back to it and activated the hallway camera to prepare a suitable tease. He found neither. Instead, a woman with snow-white hair, dressed in a wing-collar white blouse and a black, knee-length skirt, awaited him. Around her neck was a white ribbon choker, studded with rainbow crystals across her throat. While her hairstyle wasn't the same – she had it completely down – he recalled her rather stern expression and pallid complexion as belonging to the Diamond Dust stranger from some days ago. "The hell..."

After he opened the door, she greeted him with the most suspicious "Good afternoon," he'd heard in a while, before quickly adding, "I saw I had a new neighbor and I thought I'd say hello. May I?"

His first impression: she's gotta be a cop or something. More curious about her true nature than interested in trying to act friendly, Opher let her in after thinking about it for a moment. "You came into the shop. Didn't know you lived here."

"I only recently moved in myself." Winter, out of sheer habit, clasped her hands behind her back as she walked slowly around his living room, modest black heels clacking gently on the hard floor. "My name is Winter."

"Opher." The more he looked at her, the harder it was for him to shake the feeling that she resembled the snow-headed girl at Beacon. "Do you have a sister?"

Winter's heart skipped a beat. She knew he'd been to the Academy – and thanks to Penny, she also knew he'd helped Weiss at least twice in combat situations. Her expression failed to change when she looked back at him. "I don't."

Like hell. He walked past her toward the kitchen, intending to figure out what to stock his fridge with to keep up the impression that he actually needed to eat instead of doing it out of habit. "Huh. There's a girl I've met at Beacon a few times who I'd swear is your sister," he said on the way by. "I guess not."

"Perhaps I just have one of those faces," Winter replied smoothly, holding her ground as he disappeared. "How long have you been in Vale?"

"Oh, a little over three months now, I guess," he called back. Eventually, he appeared with a bottle of water in his left hand, now set on turning the screws in order to figure out what was truly going on as he moved toward the couch. "I'd offer you one of these if I had any more." She only shrugged at this. "Yeah, not exactly stocked up since I literally just moved in. You know, it's really weird. That girl – a Schnee, no less – looks so much like you. I wonder if her family knows how much punishment she's taking." He didn't need eye contact to detect the sudden tension.

"I'm sure she knows what she signed up for," was her almost-frigid reply; by now, Winter had to vent her worry with pacing behind his couch. Only for a few seconds, however, before she caught herself and stopped where he could look over and see her easily. Small talk to veer them away from this touchy subject escaped her agile mind when Opher finally did gaze her way.

His next words were as silky as daggers to the ribs, though his expression never shifted from idle disinterest. "She didn't look so good when I saw her Fraidich night. I wonder if she can walk yet."

A staring match broke out. Winter leaned on her steely nerves to remain silent, but the longer those dead green eyes sat on her, the harder it got. "Am I supposed to care?" finally escaped from her tense lips.

"I'm not fucking stupid," he advised her between sips of water. "Who are you and what do you actually want?"

While she hadn't expected the charade to last terribly long, Winter also didn't think it would be dead in less than ten minutes. Tired of pretending to be a civilian already, she took up parade rest and assumed the soldier's posture she was so comfortable bearing. "Hm. Never cared much for small talk anyway. You have the eyes of many in Atlas. We know about you. We know what you can do."

"Uh huh. And who is 'we'?"

"People that can help solve your little passport issue." Her brow creased with unease when that failed to get the expected reaction. "I did say we know who you are. Or who you claim to be, at least."

Opher's gaze narrowed dangerously. "If you're trying to corner me for something, I suggest you get out before you acquire some regrets. Or worse."

By now, however, Winter was just as unmovable as he – there she stood, statuesque and nearly defiant. "Corner you? Please, contain your paranoia. I'm here with an offer." Again, he said nothing. "Isn't it a fair trade? Valid personal documentation for your consultation on a project championed by my superiors. All the good your assistance would do? Well, that's a bonus."

His interest was already beginning to fade, so much so that the TV received his gaze instead. "And what project would that be?"

"A world without Grimm." Winter allowed herself the tiniest smirk as his head slowly turned back to her. "It is the General's belief that Remnant belongs to humans and Faunus alone. We're going to take it from the beasts. Once and for all. Come join us."

One of the ripened fruits of ignorance seemed to have fallen at last; its tumble dragged a weird smile across Opher's pale face. "Uh huh. To call that a fool's errand would be extremely generous."

"Is it? Dust has brought us, collectively, previously impossible power-"

Those words caused Opher to bust out laughing, peals so strong he let his head rest on the back of the sofa so he could fire them at the ceiling for a moment. "Whew. Sorry."

Winter's brow arched high. "Why was that funny?"

"Long story. Say I tell you to fuck off. How would you react?" He leaned his head all the way back to regard a now upside-down Winter. "Asking for a friend. Two friends, actually, one short, one tall, one grumpy, one coffee addict..."

Disgust stained her icy eyes. "If you're implying we would try to force your participation by putting pressure on people close to you… I'm a soldier, not a thug. I wouldn't stand for it."

He continued to gaze at her. "Then I can talk to you. You know what? I might consider it, but I want to get past this Beacon thing first. Maybe try again after tomorrow."

"Fair enough, I suppose." From a breast pocket she produced what Opher recognized as a chip scanner. "Do you have your ID?"

"Yeah, but why?" He stared at the open hand she reached out to accept it and waited for an explanation she never delivered. "Okay. I'll play along."

Once he plucked the fake from his pants pocket and relinquished it, Winter slipped it into the scanner's empty slot and looked at the screen. "Pre-loaded onboard external data. Spoofed credentials. Even the file structure is up to date. The police must have used physical defects to spot this, the automatic system never would have had a clue. I hope you paid your forger well."

Opher was busy checking the smoothness of his shaven face. "If I ever see him again, I'll give you his regards."

"Part of me wonders if Vale's Interior Ministry has a security breach." Satisfied, Winter handed back his chip. "We won't need to do much to turn this into bona fide documentation. The quality is excellent. Is there anything about yourself that you've said to anyone that we'd need to add to your story?"

"Indigo thinks I used to be in Atlas' Army."

"Well. That's quite a complication." Winter tapped at her Scroll. "I may need some extra time to work through those channels. What did you profess to be your MOS?"

"Just infantry." His dull green eyes lit up. "Wait a minute, I haven't agreed to anything yet. What's all this for?"

Her fingers continued to tap away. "Consider it a sign of goodwill. Like I said, we know what you've done and we've decided you're not a threat to anyone. Actually, quite the opposite." Her steely demeanor began to crack as she looked at her shoes with a frown. "Some of that goodwill may have come directly from me. I know you helped Weiss."

How she had access to this information was something Opher couldn't figure out; a few seconds' worth of thought led him to wonder if she had anything to do with Qrow Branwen. "I didn't help Weiss specifically, she just happened to be around at the time." One discharge of wind Dust flipped him over the back of the couch and onto his feet next to a startled Winter. "How do you know all of this, by the way? Who told you? Was it her?"

"That's not important for our purposes." Winter collected herself and turned for the door. "And regardless of why you decided to help her, thank you all the same. If you see Weiss again-" She paused, needing a breath to steady her sudden unease. "Please don't tell her I'm here."

"Can't say I expected that request." Opher watched her shuffle for the exit, but was interrupted by Scroll noises from the leg pocket of his cargo pants. "Wow, they're actually going to decorate," he muttered, staring at Indigo's message. "So you are a Schnee. These aren't the kinds of careers I'd expect your family to pursue. Then again, I guess I can say the same for Schwarze, now that I think about it."

"Yes, well." Winter smoothed down her snowy locks. "Another topic which isn't important for our purposes."

"Uh huh." Opher began to wonder about the consequences of his new ID. "You're going to track me through the new chip, aren't you?"

"Any further than the Interior Ministry already tracks everyone who lives here? No." Winter opened the door, but hesitated halfway out of it when he grunted. She glanced at what little of Opher's tattoo sleeve peeked out from under the long sleeve of his black shirt.

"Wait. I have a message for your General."

Her eyes snapped up to his. "Yes?"

"We might find some common ground, but I'm making one thing clear right now." The wide brim of his hat cast an unnerving shadow across his already dark face. "I am nobody's soldier. Not anymore."

Winter stepped back into his apartment, nailing him down with a glare the whole way. "And whose soldier were you? Who are you?"

He tilted back his head, allowing some of the light from the ceiling fixtures to illuminate his smile. Her assurances about leaving his friends out of things allowed Opher to be a little more blunt than usual. "You'd have to accept a whole lot of new things for me to answer that. I assume I've already changed someone's mind about something, otherwise you wouldn't be talking to me. I just don't know how much you're ready to hear."

"Our ears are open and I assure you we can handle anything."

Opher glanced back out one of the windows at the city of Vale beyond. "I don't think I agree with you."

"Ooo, he's cute."

Weiss, too incensed to keep reading, turned awkwardly in her desk chair to glower at Yang's back. The blonde was perched on top of the large floor bookshelf which also served as the windowsill for their sole dorm room window. Though she couldn't see the Scroll in Yang's hands, the position of her arms told the heiress that she was still using it to watch new students as they arrived. "You've been leering at people since noon! Do something useful!"

"You don't tell me how to spend my day off, I won't tell you how to spend yours." Yang put on a giant smirk, though she didn't turn around to let Weiss see it. "Why don't you come over here and join me? You could use a boyfriend. Or girlfriend. Or both! Not judging."

"First, what is that supposed to mean, and second, it's not like browsing a market, you dunce!"

On this she had to agree. "True. It's really more like fishing!" Her eyes widened as another gaggle of new kids passed by below. "Wow. The biceps on that boy."

A solid thunk rang out as Weiss allowed her head to land on the desktop. "I can't believe this is how you chose to start the week. At least Ruby is being productive."

"Speaking of..." The blonde used the device to call her little sister. "Hey! Finished?" she said the moment Ruby answered, putting the call on speaker.

Even from this distance, it was easy for Weiss to hear the response. "Yang! Barrel replacement isn't just something you can do in a couple of minutes!"

Yang's face went blank before acquiring a slightly annoyed tint. "You have literally been working on my gauntlets all weekend. It's Mandag. Aren't you done yet?"

Ruby let her have it with every bit of squeaky disgust in her body. "No! Do you know why? Because you can't even be bothered to properly maintain these things! The action is full of gunk! I can barely lock the bolts into battery! I can't believe the firing pins actually work, they're so worn-down! If you'd take ten minutes every, I don't know, Moon cycle to clean the dang things, I would have been finished by now! But noooooooo, now I gotta strip and clean the whole fire control group and replace the bolts before I can even start calibrating anything for the new barrels-"

The rest of her rant was lost; Yang held the Scroll so far away from her ear that Ruby's words blended in with the chatter from the new students below. "I think your moodiness is rubbing off on her."

A glowering Weiss let that comment slide without counterattack, then listened to her team leader rant on. "She has a point about you never maintaining your gear. Has she even slept? I haven't heard her snoring for two nights now."

"She had a weird dream or something that's kept her up. And, honestly… I don't trust myself not to mess up her work. I'd rather just let her handle it." Yang brought the Scroll back toward her ear just in time for Ruby to begin running out of steam. "Feel better?"

Apparently not. "And now I have to spend gods only know how long doing maintenance on Crescent Rose after I'm done basically rebuilding everything in your stupid gauntlets! I wanted to test the new priming thing on my ammo, you know! I might be able to supercharge the propellant loads and do something really cool!"

"Mhm. Love you too, by the way." Yang waved down at a few new kids who were waving up at her. "Take a break and come back! Before Weiss starts throwing her books at me. Again." Since all she got in reply was long-duration groaning, most of her attention was on the crowd. Now among their number were people dragging pallets, one of whom was the spindly Heather Rainglass, struggling so much with her pallet that a few of the kids around her actually moved to help. A few seconds later, Opher came into view, pushing a load of cargo ahead of himself with much more ease. "Huh. Opher's here. You'd like his hat." She had to lean slightly out the window to track him. "Aaaaand he's walking into our building. Must be dropping off some stuff for our new neighbors."

Ruby only spoke again a moment later. "Should we tell Pyrrha?"

Weiss looked up just in time to see the redhead take a few uncertain steps by their open door, then duck into their room to avoid clogging up the hallway for new arrivals finding their dorms. "I think she already knows."

"Gotta go, sis." After hanging up, Yang slipped off the bookshelf and walked over. "You wanna go talk to him?"

"Well..." Pyrrha scratched at her bare forehead for moment. "I was kind of hoping my replacement armor would get delivered today. Maybe he has it?"

"That's as good of an excuse as any. Let's see." After hastily cramming her feet into her boots, Yang was off down the hall. "Be right back, Weiss!"

"Oh no, please take your time." The heiress wore an actual smile for Pyrrha. "Not you. Her."

"Ahaha, right." On her way out to pursue Yang, she picked up a curious Jaune, who followed her down the hall and caught up as they reached one of the stairwells. "Oh! You didn't have to come with me."

"Bleh, it's fine. Tired of laying around in there anyway." He walked down the steps side-by-side with his team leader. "Besides, you always look so nervous when he shows up."

"Do I?" she remarked calmly. Damn that boy and his observational skills. Was she that easy to read?

When they reached the crowded, noisy lobby, they found Yang next to his pallet as he used a box cutter to strip it of its clear packaging. While her hands were still weak from the battering they'd endured, she did her best to help him detach the sticky wrap and throw it aside. "This is going to take me hours to sort out," he complained – not to Yang, but to someone on the Scroll in his hand. "Listen, clock me out at closing. I'm gonna stay here to take care of the other thing."

As Pyrrha and Jaune walked up, they learned his caller was Indigo. "Uhhhhhhh… okay, fine. If there's another shipment today, I'll just take it myself. Maybe even deputize Schwarze – she could use the exercise. Then when we get home, you can pick some fucking drapes and prove to her I know what I'm doing when I decorate a damn apartment."

"I am so looking forward to this fight." He glanced over at Pyrrha. "Hmm. I'll talk to you later. A line is starting to form."

"Yeah, yeah, good luck."

"Hello!" Pyrrha greeted, dipping her head briefly.

"You're here. What a surprise." Opher stared at the label on the first box with a frown. "I have no idea where any of these people are or might be. Do you three have stuff to get?"

The redhead shrugged. "Not Dust-related, no, but..."

"This isn't a Dust pallet, it's a general purpose pallet. Indigo only accepted the job because the courier payout was double the usual. Thing probably weighs as much as the airship it flew here in." Opher continued to pull boxes off and look at the labels. "I don't recognize any of these names. You know what? Help me stack this and you can look for your own stuff, if you have any."

"Uh, I'll pass, my fingers are still messed up." Yang gave way for Pyrrha and Jaune to get to work. "So, how's everyone doing after-" Here she paused to acknowledge the crowd behind her with a light frown. "You know."

"Nothing much to report. What about you?"

"Can't complain. Unless you're Weiss." The blonde watched Pyrrha hesitate with a large case.

"Ah! Good. My new armor." She carefully set it aside, separate from the rest of the things they were stacking. "Thank you again, by the way. For what you showed us."

Opher glared at a particularly heavy wooden crate. "Uh huh. Have you spread the news yet?" Awkward silence from all three made him fall still. "I'll take that as a no."

"Miss Goodwitch is, well..." Pyrrha looked up as someone parted the crowd. "...here."

"I see I was too late to help organize the distribution," she noted upon arrival. Her attention went to a squinting, mute Opher. "Ah. This saves me some time."

"I assume you're about to tell me to go somewhere else," he replied, already considering just blowing her off, getting done with his shipment, and leaving campus altogether.

Glynda adjusted her glasses with what, at least to the three students, seemed like a frown. "Certainly. I'll handle this. If you would head over to the tower..." she trailed off as his walked away, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him long enough for her to add, whisper-quiet, "...and take my personal apology for being shot down with you."

"Yeah. Fine." Opher pushed by her and through the gaggle of students to get outside, where he made a beeline for Beacon Tower.

Progress through this crowd was much easier; on the way, he recognized Blake, though not the girl with a ruddy brown ponytail hanging all over her shoulders as they walked. He didn't make eye contact with the feline Faunus. While he let himself take in the relative chaos for a moment – like the students themselves, he hadn't seen Beacon this busy – most of his thoughts went to the meeting at hand. "Wait… who am I supposed to be talking to?" he asked himself on the way up the tower steps a few minutes later. Looking at how far away the dorm complex stood dissuaded him of the notion of going back. "Oh, fuck it," he sighed, pushing open the doors and walking into the tower's stately lobby. There were three people around one table off to his left, all dressed in the same uniform. These weren't students – they looked slightly too old – but some kind of staff. Since it felt unlikely they were his intended targets, Opher moved away in a loose orbit of the central elevator shaft – at least until the doors opened. He came to a halt and eyeballed the person who emerged.

"Ah, Mister Riese," Professor Ozpin greeted with a smile. "There you are. We've got a lot to talk about."

Hello! It's me again, your author, with a minor note about the story schedule going forward. I consider this to be the end of "volume one" of Grist, if we're using the show's structure. There's going to be a minor delay between this chapter and the beginning of "volume two", which starts with chapter 17. Why the delay?

Because I'm taking a pause to edit the fuck out of what I have so far. While I am currently writing chapter 17, much of my free time is going into editing and minor rewrites of the chapters currently posted, hunting typos, adjusting characterization, re-wording awkward phrases, and patching any plot holes I think about while I'm trying to sleep and the constant fear of failure plagues the writer parts of my brain, teasing me about how badly I've done with this story so far. Therefore, Grist is changing in certain areas, so it might be worth a second skim before chapter 17 arrives. Or not. Probably not, this story is really bad. I will hopefully minimize such editing needs with "volume two" (besides typos), but that would require me to be a better writer and let's be real, that ain't gonna happen. Oh well. I'll still keep trying.

Anyway, thank you for reading, especially if you made it this far. Like, wow.