So, a little status update before the chapter. I recently got a new job (yay!), but since it's several hours away from where I've been living, obviously I had to move. My new apartment's Wi-Fi has the FF site BLOCKED. Which is extremely annoying. While I can still use the app to read and leave reviews at home, I won't be able to post or PM without finding a public library or something. (For the last month or so, I have not been getting notifications of PMs sent to my email.) In summary, my updates will be dependent on my days off for the foreseeable future. The upside is, I might be able to update a little more frequently, say every 10-12 days instead of every two weeks. I will be putting this same info on my profile.

I do not own any of the characters or locations you recognize from RWBY.

Well, This Is Awkward

Aurum was used to visiting the professional housing by now, since she'd gotten in the habit of dropping in on her parents every so often since the beginning of the school year.

But this time… was different. Because she wasn't going to see her parents. She was going to see her girlfriend.

The two of them had talked it over (with no shortage of awkward—Aurum had never been great at discussing her feelings, and Pitch was better at it but not by much) and agreed that they wanted to keep seeing each other. They'd been an official couple for two weeks now. It was finally starting to sink in for Aurum that she actually had a girlfriend, for the first time in three years.

"Hey, there you are!" Pitch called from just inside the entrance to the building, where she'd been leaning casually against the wall. She flicked her wings in the air and lightly kissed Aurum on the cheek before draping an arm over her shoulders. The two exited the building and kept going. It was a little hard to walk like that, but Aurum wasn't about to complain.

"Did you have anywhere specific in mind?" Aurum asked, after they'd been wandering aimlessly for a few minutes.

"Not really," Pitch answered lazily. "Anywhere you wanna go?"

Aurum pointed toward a bench off to the side, close to the cliffs and overlooking the city of Vale. "That looks like a nice spot?" She hadn't meant for it to come out as a question, but Pitch nodded. They settled onto it and snuggled up together, with Aurum resting her head on Pitch's shoulder. Pitch hesitated just a fraction of a second before unfolding one wing and draping it over Aurum. Both of them stared out at the view without saying a word.

Vale is so beautiful from up here, Aurum thought. Especially with the setting sun painting the sky a hundred different shades of orange, gold, and pink. The sunlight was hitting the tall skyscrapers at just the right angle, the windows becoming mirrors that fractured the glowing light into thousands of shining points that sparkled like jewels. At this moment, Aurum couldn't think of anything more beautiful than this view. It was actually kind of a shame that her teammates wouldn't be able to see the same thing that she did.

"Nice night for a little stargazing, don't ya think?"

Aurum, who had been letting her eyes half close, opened them wide with a squeak. She still made less of a scene than Pitch, who had let out a startled half-yelp, half-curse, and jumped at the words, which had been spoken from only a few yards away. Any other time, Aurum might have found that reaction adorable and tucked it into the back of her mind to tease her girlfriend about later, but right now she was too concerned with the fact that someone had managed to sneak up on them without her hearing—until the intruder's identity registered in her mind.

"Dad, seriously?!"

Sun was clearly trying not to laugh at his daughter's indignation, and wasn't having much luck. It only took a few seconds for him to give up on trying and start chuckling.

Aurum grabbed a handful of grass and threw it at him. He ducked it easily. "Come on, you can do better than that!"

"Rrr…" Aurum growled in the back of her throat. Yes, she could do better, but with her weapons back in the dorm, she didn't have much choice other than to simply launch herself at him. Which she did with no further hesitation.

He was going easy on her, that was obvious. She'd managed to pin one of his arms behind his back, thankful that at least he wasn't armed either, only to hit the ground hard as he swept her legs out from underneath her. She landed flat on her back, her wind knocked out.

"Not bad. Still a little sloppy, but you've come a long way since the last time we faced each other."

Aurum didn't have the energy to do more than grunt in reply.

"But Tournament Champion or not, you still can't beat me." Sun reached down and hauled Aurum to her feet. "Or your mother, for that matter. Just because we're semi-retired now doesn't mean we can't still bring it!"

Aurum scowled at him. "What are you doing out here, Dad? I swear, if the answer is 'spying on my date,' I'm gonna—"

"You're gonna what?" Sun challenged, still grinning cheekily. "Fight me? We just saw how that'll end up." He turned his cheerful grin onto Pitch, who was hovering off to the side as though she wanted to intervene but hadn't quite figured out how. "Heya! How's it goin'? Ya know, you really should come over for dinner sometime; it'd be awesome to get to know you a little better!"

"Uhh…" Pitch looked like she was mentally reviewing the last few minutes and trying to decide if she was dreaming, because surely nobody could be that weird. Aurum knew the feeling. The raven Faunus finally seemed to regather her wits and ask, "You, uh, you got anytime special in mind?"

Sun put on an exaggerated thinking pose, his tail coiling in the air behind him like a question mark. "We-ell… how about two weeks from this Friday? No classes for second years, so Blake can leave the school early and we can have a longer time to spend together!"

"Sounds good to me," Pitch replied hurriedly, ignoring Aurum's frantic No! gestures from behind Sun.

"Great!" Sun grinned hugely. He spun around, dodging the swat Aurum had been aiming at him, and proceeded to tweak her ear. "No arguments, kiddo. Your mom will most likely be back on campus within the next week, and I guarantee she'll be on your case about this if you try to back out."

Aurum looked between her dad and her girlfriend, blinking in disbelief. "Did you two seriously just—? You know what, fine. Let's just get this whole meet-the-parents thing over with." Then, as the rest of Sun's statement sank in, she frowned. "Wait, when Mom gets back? Back from where?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you before she left?" Sun shrugged. "She's out on a mission. Supposedly something minor, but somewhat lengthy. She's been out for a week already; there's been a sub in to teach Grimm Studies in the meantime."

Mom was out on a mission? "But… I thought she wasn't going to be taking missions anymore. Wasn't that her whole reason for retiring and becoming a teacher? And hey, what's she doing taking missions while classes are in session instead of, you know, teaching?"

Sun's grin was starting to look a little strained. "Headmistress's orders. No arguing with Glynda Goodwitch. As for why now, well… that's classified, at least until she actually returns." He sighed, holding up one hand to forestall any further questions. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do. But it's necessary. So hold on a few more days, and you can ask her when she gets back, all right?"

Aurum scowled, but eventually nodded grumpily. Sun shot the two girls a peace sign and, shoving his hands in his pockets, turned and headed off down the path back toward the school, his signature dorky grin firmly back in place.

"So… that was a thing," Pitch remarked.

Aurum eyed her. "You could have said something, you know."

Pitch shrugged, one corner of her mouth quirking up. "Aww, what would be the fun in that? I've barely even met your parents before; don't you think it would be better to just do it and get it over with? Besides, my parents are way worse. You should have seen them the first time I brought a girl home—they were so mushy it was ridiculous. I'm pretty sure they still have pictures of our red faces somewhere." She eyed Aurum sideways for a minute. "You'll have to meet them at some point. You know that, right? Now that we're together. But… your dad actually seems pretty chill."

"Yeah…" Aurum knew Pitch was right—her dad was extremely cool for being, well, a dad. Sure, he was a total dork and told downright terrible jokes, but according to Mom, he'd been just as much of a dork when they'd been teenagers at Beacon. And yet she still married him…

Aurum did her best to dismiss the thought from her mind and leaned back in her seat, enjoying the feeling of Pitch's soft feathers brushing against her bare arms. It was a feeling she'd nearly forgotten, spending lazy time cuddling with her girl, and she decided right then and there that this relationship would not end like the last one…

xxxxx

Skye had intended to give her boyfriend a little time to spend with his mentor, figuring she could always spar against her teammates to practice her time dilation while he was otherwise occupied. Master Holly had told them he was only staying in Vale for about a week before he planned on returning to Atlas, so she thought it would be nice for the two of them to spend some time catching up without her there to make things awkward.

That plan died a sorry death when Zelty insisted she have some tea with them on Sunday.

Skye settled herself on the mat, pulling her cup a few inches closer to her as she fidgeted. She was not used to being served tea in Mistral fashion, but she'd be damned if she was going to complain about being sore. If Zelty could survive tea with her mother, who was far more intimidating than Holly Fords could ever dream of being, then she could certainly live through the stiffness that came with sitting on the floor for an hour.

"…given what I saw when I arrived, your fighting skills have improved tremendously," Master Holly was saying. "I'm very proud of you." He paused a moment to add a single dollop of honey to his tea, before continuing, "Your team must be excellent fighters, if they've managed to get you to this level."

"It… it wasn't my team," Zelty answered. Skye elbowed him gently, and he corrected himself. "It wasn't all my team. They're great, but I also had Scarlatina and combat class… and Skye."

She hadn't said much yet, so having a cue to speak was a relief. "He asked me to tutor him in DustApps in our first semester. That branched into practicing with him so he could improve his fighting almost right away, so I've been working with him for two years now."

"Two years?" The retired Huntsman looked thoughtful. "Well, I'm glad. We've stayed in touch with the occasional call or video message, but I was rather disappointed I haven't been able to make it here sooner. It's good to know that my protegee has found so many people he can rely on. Your skills are exemplary; if your academics are as good, then it's no surprise he has improved so much."

Skye got the feeling that Master Holly didn't hand out praise like that to just anyone. So far, he'd struck her as a quiet, thoughtful kind of person, reserved but genuine. "Th-thank you." She took a sip from her cup, grateful that she liked tea. This was a much more potent blend than she was used to, more bitter; someone who wasn't used to tea would probably have found it unpleasant. "Sir… if you don't mind me asking…"

He nodded at her hesitation. "Go on."

"… why did you retire at your age?"

Master Holly simply nodded again, as if he'd been expecting something along those lines. "I chose to retire from active duty after my partner lost his life on a mission ten years ago. Without him there to watch my back, I didn't have the heart to continue."

"Oh." Skye busied herself with stirring her tea. She was fully aware of the dangers of her chosen life. Losing somebody in a situation like that might very well make her consider a career change as well. She groped for a subject change; she hadn't meant to pry, but when he'd mentioned his partner, she'd noticed that there was just the tiniest emphasis on the word. Nothing huge, and she probably wouldn't have picked up on it if she wasn't so good at reading people, but it was enough to make her realize that they'd been more than just battle partners.

Quickly trying to steer the conversation back to lighter topics, she tried, "I'm… glad you decided to do what you could to continue to help in the fight against Grimm. My mother hates that she's stuck in an office most of the time. That's the only things I ever hear her complain about on a regular basis, not being able to get out in the field and kill things."

Master Holly eyed her frankly. "I have never had the honor of meeting your mother, but I am very pleased with the things she has done in the last twenty years." He sighed. "There are still accidents, occasionally, but overall the Dust mines are far safer than they were when I was young. Better working conditions, equal wages for all… Faunus were treated horribly, but the SDC's strict equal rights policy set a new standard all across Remnant."

Zelty brightened a bit. "There's a lot of Faunus here at Beacon. I never really met many Faunus back in Atlas, so I didn't have the chance to learn much about them until the last couple years."

"Oh?" Master Holly raised his eyebrows quizzically. "So you have met some Faunus here? I'm not surprised, the schools have never barred Faunus from entering. Not even in Atlas. Shame, really, that people have abused them for so long just for being a little different."

Zelty got a somewhat embarrassed expression, as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Um… yeah. Only I…um." He trailed off.

The master gave him an expectant stare. Zelty turned pink and ducked his head, picking up his teacup.

Skye intervened without looking up. "My cousin Aurum is a cat Faunus, and he said something to her about not expecting her to like swimming because cats don't tend to like water. Obviously, he didn't say it to be mean, but he also shouldn't have said it at all. Aurum way overreacted and stomped off before he could apologize. I had to track him down afterward and make sure he did." Eyeing him, she added, "He knows better now."

"Did you have to bring that up?" Zelty muttered.

Skye elbowed him again. "Yes, I had to bring it up. Learning from your mistakes is a good thing, remember?" She'd had to drill that lesson into him when they'd first started sparring together. It had originally been intended as a way for her to break down one of their matches, and point out his mistakes so he wouldn't make them again, but the lesson seemed appropriate right now.

"Aurum?" Master Holly considered. "Are you talking about the Tournament Champion, Miss Aurum Belladonna?"

"That's her," Skye answered immediately, glancing back up. "She's also my teammate."

The man wrinkled his brow in confusion. "Ah…I'm sorry, but… I don't understand. She is a Faunus. How can she be your cousin?"

Skye shrugged. "We're not related by blood, if that's what you're asking. Our parents were on a team together during their time at Beacon, and our families stayed very close even after they graduated. So yes, I consider Aurum to be my cousin, Faunus or not."

The retired Huntsman nodded, comprehension dawning. "I see. Well, that's not so unusual, then; teams are family in a way that blood simply can't compare to. I was confused, because I've never heard anyone refer to their teammates as cousins before, but if your parents were on a team together it makes perfect sense."

xxxxx

Jade flicked through the pages of her textbook, idly wondering how long Planis had been using this particular title. The book used fairly straightforward language, but it went into a lot more detail than either of the books she'd given them previously. The latest edition was less than two years old, so the information contained within the pages was up to date. That was something, at least; Jade had had to make do with much older textbooks growing up. The chapters were a bit on the long side, but at least they weren't too hard to understand.

It was also somewhat… graphic. Jade flipped back a couple pages to double check a detail and cringed at one of the illustrations before scribbling down a note in the margin.

"… and your grades have certainly improved since she started working with you."

Huh? Jade looked up quickly, spotting the musician of Team AZSR walking with an older man. That must be his mentor, that Skye was talking about earlier. She quickly called up her semblance and faded from view, intending to sneak away with them none the wiser—this was clearly a private conversation, not something she should be listening to—until Zelty's next words registered in her mind.

"I don't think I would have made it at Beacon if not for Skye."

Jade immediately paused her retreat at the sound of her partner's name. Should she stay after all? This did concern her team leader, so it concerned her by extension, right?

Her hesitation cost her. The conversation continued as the two men walked on down the path. She followed, without consciously making to decision to do so, a few steps behind and off to the side so that if they turned around to walk the other way, they wouldn't bump into an invisible person on the walkway. That would probably make them suspicious, to say the least.

"I am very glad to hear that." The red-eyed man looked like he wanted to say something else, then sighed. "I like her, and I think she's good for you, but there is… one thing that worries me, about her. What will your father think if…" He shook his head. "…no, when he finds out about her?"

"Who cares?" Zelty muttered. Jade was a little startled at the sharp bitterness in his tone. She knew from some things he'd said, and also from vague hints that Skye had dropped, that the young man had had a… less than desirable relationship with his parents before enrolling at Beacon, but she'd never heard him talk like this before. "He threw me out. That means he lost all right to judge me, and I can do what I want."

"Oh, I am well aware of that," the older man mumbled. "And I am very proud of you for leaving that household. But… I am afraid he will find out about her, and travel here to confront you about it. I do not want that man anywhere near you."

Zelty shrugged, somewhat violently. "This is a combat school. If he does hear about me and Skye somehow and tries to interfere, he'll be met by dozens of the finest warriors in Remnant, many of whom are fans of the shoot first, ask questions later mindset."

Snap.

Jade froze in place, pressing her hand to her mouth to stifle the string of profanity that rose up in her mind. Her semblance didn't muffle sound, and here she'd just gone and cracked a twig right behind the one person in all of Beacon who was more attuned to sound than anyone! If he hadn't known she was there before, well, he did now.

Sure enough, Zelty spun around and began searching the trees intently. Jade held her breath, not daring to move and hoping he'd assume it had just been an animal, but no such luck.

"Give it up, Jade. I know you're listening."

If he hadn't addressed her by name she might have stayed perfectly still and not revealed herself, but since he had… "Fine," Jade huffed, and let her semblance evaporate, reappearing in front of them. The older man looked startled to realize she'd been eavesdropping, but his expression quickly became neutral once again.

"Hello, miss. May I ask why you were listening to us?" Well, he was polite, at least. "This was meant to be a private conversation."

Jade glowered at him. "You were talking about Skye."

"Yes, and?" the man inquired, still polite. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

"Skye is my cousin. My partner. My team leader, and one of my best friends. You'd better believe it's my business," Jade shot back. "If your father gets wind of the fact that you're dating Skye Schnee of all people, you think he'll come to Beacon to try and break you up?"

Jade had suspected something along those lines, after she'd realized that the couple had yet to have a single date somewhere other than the Beacon campus. It seemed obvious—if an unprincipled reporter found it that his son was dating the heiress to the Schnee empire, then of course he'd try to get a story out of it. She hadn't asked, or poked fun at them about it—if her suspicions were correct, that was an off-limits topic—but now it looked like she'd been right.

Zelty flinched back away from her. Jade didn't let her satisfaction with that show. Not surprising he'd be scared of her. She had two inches and at least thirty pounds on him, not to mention a decade more fighting experience. To his credit, though, he still managed to retort, "No, I think he'd use it as a way to try and worm his way back into my life. And I won't let that happen. He's a terrible person, and I respect Skye too much for that."

Jade just stared at him, calculating, before nodding once. "All right." She gave him one last glare, trying control her expression, before turning on her heel and heading back toward bench where she'd left her textbook.

It wasn't until she was around a bend and well out of sight of the two that she allowed herself a tiny smile. Skye, you really found yourself a keeper.

xxxxx

Cutting deadlines close had never been something Indie liked doing. She had always been that person who completed assignments with time to spare, and instead of goofing off afterward, chose to spend her time doing even more academic research. Sometimes it was for extra credit; more often, it was simply for the sheer pleasure of learning. It had earned her the title of nerd from a number of people, but she'd never minded since it was mostly used affectionately. This Field Medicine assignment, though… it had been giving her trouble. It was due next week, and Planis hadn't answered any of the three emails Indie had sent her. So Indie was now hovering outside the classroom, hoping to catch the professor outside after class.

She checked her scroll, checking to see that there were still a few minutes to go before the block ended. Well, she might as well get comfortable. Leaning against the wall, she did a rather comical double take as she happened to glance through the small window on the classroom door, and saw a teacher at the front of the room who was decidedly not Emerald Planis.

The bell rang while she was still trying to figure out who this young, soft-looking substitute was. He looked to be only a couple years older than the first-year students he'd just finished lecturing; Indie would have put even odds on him being younger than her own twenty years. As the students streamed out the door, she happened to catch sight of some of the first years' faces. Specifically, one of the few whose name she actually remembered from initiation, because he used an absolutely gorgeous recurve bow very similar to her own weapon. He was talking to another student, presumably a teammate, but he glanced her way briefly before turning his attention back to the conversation. That was enough for her.

"Hey, Madder!"

The boy turned back around, his eyes catching on Indie. He looked a tad nervous to have an upperclassman addressing him so directly, but he made a valiant effort to conceal it as he ducked out of the throng of students and off to the side of the hall where she stood.

"What… um, what's going on?"

Indie nodded toward the classroom. "Who's the sub?"

"Uh, his name's Clay. Not Professor; he's just here while Planis is out on her mission."

"Mission?" Indie repeated. Seriously, what's with all the teachers suddenly going on missions during the school year? First Blake, now Planis? This is getting ridiculous! "Why is everybody on missions these days?!"

She hadn't realized she'd said that out loud until Madder's expression grew even more nervous. Indie narrowed her eyes at him. That wasn't a holy-crap-an-upperclassman-is-talking-to-me face. "What aren't you telling me?"

"It-it's just a rumor," Madder stammered out.

"Tell me," Indie ordered. An odd, detached part of her brain questioned the fact that she was demanding things of a first year. In an attempt to soften the impact her tone had just had, she continued, "I won't repeat it unless I can confirm it, and I won't mention your name at all."

Madder glanced back and forth down the hallway before speaking quickly, in a low voice. "Rumor is, Planis and Belladonna kept clashing, so Goodwitch sent them out on a mission together thinking it would help them to start getting along."

Indie didn't doubt that for a second. "Good to know." She left the poor kid staring after her as she hightailed it back to the dorm to share the news with her teammates.

If any of the professors were going to take missions, Indie honestly would have put her money on Vulpine. The Theory of Aura professor had a very energetic nature; she paced the room while giving her lectures, pounded her hand on a desk or a wall to emphasize her point, and could frequently be spotted doing some shadow sparring in the quad, and Indie knew the woman took the occasional mission during school breaks. But if a professor had been ordered on a mission, by Goodwitch herself no less, well, there wasn't really much choice. Even if it was during the school year.

As she walked with purpose down the hallways, Indie considered. Planis clearly didn't hold any grudges against her former enemies' children; if she did, Team SAIJ wouldn't have survived their first semester. She supposed it was possible that Planis still held a grudge against the members of RWBY themselves, but it seemed pretty unlikely. Given the professor's no-nonsense attitude and apparent love for teaching (not to mention fifteen years at Beacon), she seemed to have left her old life behind her, completely. That meant… most likely, Blake was the one acting hostile toward her fellow teacher.

Sending the two of them on a mission together seemed like a kind of unfair punishment. If Blake got herself killed by Grimm out there… Indie knew her own family well enough to be sure that Yang and Weiss would tear the poor teacher apart as soon as they heard, without even giving her the chance to explain. She could only hope that Goodwitch knew what she was doing.

Please… make sure they both come back okay…

I'm several chapters ahead right now, so I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up, but if not, I'll be sure to let y'all know. I've also put a list of my stories on my profile, including some future ones that I haven't started yet but really want to do, so check that out if you want. And please leave a review!