They arrived in the early morning, before the melting of the pre-dawn mist. The courtyard was empty, save for a single red-haired woman on her early morning run. She did not acknowledge the pair as she passed them by, though her gaze hardened upon seeing the younger.

The young man in question either did not notice or did not care.

Slowly they made their way across the grounds toward a looming tower that gleamed with green light.

"Must you show up at the most inconvenient times?" A blond woman scowled at them as they entered, passing her by. Despite the early hour, her appearance was immaculate.

"Sorry, were we interrupting something?" The elder of the pair winked at her as he and his partner entered the elevator.

"For the love of—Qrow!"

The doors shut before she could say more.

After a few moments of tense silence, Qrow elbowed his partner in the ribs. "Hey. Don't look so nervous."

"I'm not."

The scythe-wielder laughed. "Yeah, 'course you aren't. Not like it's your first report to a boss who could kill you with his little finger."

"You're joking."

"Am I?"

The elevator doors opened with a ding. Ozpin watched them enter the room with a steely gaze.

"How was the mission?" he asked in lieu of a greeting. To some, his coldness would have seemed unwarranted. Qrow, of course, was a familiar face, having run missions of this kind for years. Had he been alone, Ozpin would have already offered him a drink. However, Qrow's partner was still on probation and, as such, needed to be handled with caution.

Besides, Mercury Black was not the type to trust gestures of goodwill.

"The report should have said enough," Qrow grunted. "Found the hideout and took out the lackeys that were there, but we didn't find the leader. Guess Calanthe's fairy godmother got scared when she couldn't get ahold of her."

"I see. And Mercury?"

The younger man crossed his arms. "Why are you asking me? The old man told you what happened."

"You are more familiar with the organization than Qrow is. I thought, perhaps, that you could have noticed something he didn't."

"Sure," Mercury muttered under his breath. Louder, he said, "Look, I never got to meet Cinder's boss. All I knew was that there was someone. Hell, I didn't even know we had a base in Atlas. So it's not like I know how the place was supposed to look."

Ozpin nodded. "Of course. Well, if that's all, I shall not take up another moment of your time. Mercury, if so you wish, Glynda will lead you to the dining hall for breakfast. Otherwise, she will take you to the room we have prepared for you and Qrow."

"Yeah, whatever." The young man scowled at the obvious dismissal and slunk back over to the elevator.

Ozpin waited until Mercury had disappeared from view to speak again. "How was he?"

Qrow muttered a curse. "He's impatient, stubborn, and refuses to listen to authority, but he knows how to get the job done. Didn't even complain when I asked him to gather intel."

"You let him go on his own?" The headmaster raised an eyebrow but didn't look surprised.

There was a pause. "He's a good kid, Ozpin. A little screwed up, sure, but can't fault him for that."

Ozpin's expression was unreadable, but he nodded. "Very well. I trust your judgment." Without missing a beat, he cleared his throat. "Now, I am sure you are tired from the long journey, but Glynda has sent me word that there are two young girls who would love to see you…"

A/N: Um, hi. This is awkward.

This chapter was supposed to have been posted years ago but intense writer's block kept me from finishing it until today. I assume that most of you, if you're still reading this, thought I was dead and/or gave up on the story entirely.

If I'm being honest, I've given up on this story as well.

What does that mean? It means that I've fallen so far out of the RWBY bandwagon that I no longer wish to write a fic for it. That being said, I won't leave you, dear readers, high and dry either. I'll be posting the remaining chapters I had pre-written, which includes the ending I've had from the start. There will be missing pieces- there are one or two chapters from ARGT's story that I never got around to writing- but I will do my best to fill in the gaps with author's notes. It's not a perfect solution, but it's what needs to be done.