June 4th
Beacon Academy CCTS Tower
Beacon Academy
City Of Vale
Vale
Downtown
11:23 PM
"It hasn't changed much, has it?" James said as he came into the office, startling his wife before sighing. "I shouldn't have scared you, sorry."
"No, it's...it's fine…" Glynda said, still looking out the window. "I just...I don't quite know what to make of all of this. Ozpin's hiding from everything that's happened, Ivy's a mother, Jake almost flunked out of school, and Cate's been volatile at best…"
"It's going to be fine," James told her though she sighed, unconvinced. "If only because they'll manage a way out of whatever they need to."
"Have you heard from Emmett and Emmeline at all?" Glynda asked him and he nodded. "Are they -"
"Fine, although I can't tell which one of them is more annoyed right now," James laughed shortly and leaned against the desk as she turned around, adjusting her glasses. "Raven agreed to align herself and her tribe with Atlas, with the promise of clemency from the security council. As you can imagine, that was much to Elizabeth's chagrin."
Glynda raised an eyebrow. "How did Raven manage to get herself full protection from the law?"
"To be honest, I don't know," He admitted. "It sounded like Kiara Davis and Leanne Tanner were pushing for it, and, considering that they're the head of the Department of Civil, Criminal, and Corporate Prosecution and the Department of Local and National Law Enforcement respectively…"
"Their sway in the matter was greater than average," She surmised. "Of course."
"Elizabeth's rather angry about the whole affair, and Ronnie has maintained an air of perfect neutrality," James added. "Although what Ronnie actually thinks about all of this is anybody's guess. If I were to say, he probably isn't thrilled about the arrangement but believes it to be a necessary evil of sorts."
Glynda rolled her eyes. "Since when is anything Ronnie believes on the surface? His entire political career is centered around being almost perfectly moderate and being actively charming far more than he speaks to any given issue. An improvement over what we had until after the 2020 elections, but…"
"I know," James said, running a hand through his slightly disheveled hair. "And, speaking of Raven, it turns out that she's the Spring Maiden."
"She's the Spring Maiden?" Glynda repeated, completely stunned, before forcing herself to be steady. "How? The last...who did she kill?"
"According to Emmett, Raven killed a young girl with the power," James glanced back at what Emmett had sent him again before continuing. "And she said that it was mercy because the girl wasn't able to control the power."
"That's not mercy!" Glynda exclaimed, setting down her crop in irritation. "That's the opposite! That's her finding a way to justify killing someone to strengthen herself!"
"I know," James said, horrified by what Raven had done if unsurprised by it. "Although it's not entirely out of the blue. Everything she's ever done has been in self-interest, and this is just another example of that fact."
Glynda looked rather annoyed at the notion. "And she's in Atlas right now?"
"Emmett and Emmeline ended up having to let her live with them until everyone reconvenes at Haven to handle Leo," James sighed. "Which, I can imagine, is unpleasant for everyone involved. Given how easily Emmett gets annoyed with people, I'll give it a week before Emmeline's going to have to talk sense back into him."
Glynda snorted. "Are we talking about the same man? I'd give it less than a day before –"
Her scroll lit up as a request for access was received and she groaned before looking at James, who moved to pull her into him as she granted the request. Almost in the instant they were granted entrance, Port and Oobleck all but burst into the room. They were arguing incoherently, and Port shouted something about being more of a man before shoving his blunderbuss under Oobleck's nose. Pushing up his glasses almost indignantly, Oobleck took a long sip from his thermos before he allowed the tip to ignite and he held it menacingly at Port. This lasted a few minutes until both of them screamed upon being knocked back and against opposite sides of the room by Glynda's swift flicks from her riding crop. Glaring at both of them, she stalked over towards them as they stood up, her bronze heels clicking, and crossed her arms.
"What the hell are the two of you doing?" She demanded as they looked to each other and then to her in slight fear. "Well?"
Port hesitated before glaring at Oobleck. "Glynda," He said slowly. "There's something that you really ought to know about."
"You know," Glynda said, narrowing her eyes at both of them. "Every time someone says that to me, I usually end up getting angry with someone over it. So, am I going to like what you're about to tell me or am I not?"
Port and Oobleck both grimaced before looking back to her as James came over and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Uh..." Oobleck started awkwardly. "Well..."
"Well what?" She said, crossing her arms even tighter. "Well?"
Oobleck bit his lip before awkwardly replying with the first thing that came to mind.
"You look nice," He started.
"Barty..." Glynda began dangerously. "If you don't spit out whatever it is that you're thinking, then I swear that I'll -"
"There was a... note left in your old office by..." Oobleck began, pulling the crumpled sheet of paper out of his pocket. "Uh...Cinder Fall."
"What?" Glynda stared at him in shock as she snatched the note from him and began to scan over it in abject horror. "You're joking...how long -"
"A few days, at most," Port told her, his nerves beginning to consume him. "My question is how she got on the campus."
"My question is why," Glynda countered, staring at him over her glasses for a moment before sighing. "Because she clearly didn't do anything else."
"Which is shocking," James added, looking over the note himself. "May I read it?"
Glynda nodded as she handed it to him, trying not to appear nearly as shaken as she felt.
Glynda ~
I don't quite know where you are but believe when I say that if you're hiding out in Atlas that you can't hide there forever. Beacon fell, but Haven will meet its fate next. Then it will be Atlas's turn. Don't worry about your girls, though. They'll be fine so long as they stay out of my way and with Lily and Sam. As for you, Emmett, and the generals...well, I don't think you'll like what I have planned for you. Ozpin may have surpassed his arrogance for a moment by transferring that girl's power to you but it will be mine. Like it or not, that power is rightfully mine, not yours.
~ Cinder Amelia Fall
James looked up at her in fear. "She wouldn't."
"We already knew that she was going to go after me," Glynda reminded him, shrugging though she was nervous. "We already knew that I'll have to fight her."
"She could kill you," James told her, bringing her into him tightly with concern flooding over him. "I..."
"This is dealable," Glynda promised him with a sigh. "Okay? I'll be fine, it's not as if I'm inexperienced as a fighter and, besides that, I've fought her to the point of a draw before even without the powers."
"I know," James said, stroking her hair. "But that doesn't make her any less dangerous."
Glynda bit her lip, leaning into him, and closing her eyes. "I know..."
"Considering that Cinder was the reason Beacon fell," Oobleck began as Glynda turned around and James kept an arm tightly around her waist. "I think we should help."
"No," Glynda told him and he raised an eyebrow. "And only because we can't rope more people into this, especially not without Ozpin."
"Ozpin?" Port asked and she didn't reply. "Ozpin's been hiding in Atlas since the Fall, Glynda, but he -"
"Yes, I am quite aware of the fact," She told him, tensing. "Although I think that -"
Her scroll beeped again with another request for access, followed by a message from Elizabeth.
"Who's that?" Oobleck asked as she granted the request and looked up at him sharply.
"Elizabeth Morell," Glynda told him as the elevator opened and Elizabeth stepped out, as pristinely domineering as ever. "Eliza, what are you -"
"I'm here because I heard you had come back to Beacon," Elizabeth said, glancing to Port and Oobleck. "I hate asking the two of you to do this, but I need to speak with Glynda and James alone. A sensitive matter, I'm sure you understand."
Port and Oobleck shared a look but shrugged and walked out. Shifting out of James's embrace, Glynda reattached her crop to her boot as he leaned against the desk and Elizabeth stared.
"What is it?" She said tiredly.
"The Spring Maiden," Elizabeth said, almost as if the statement was distasteful. "She's…for all intents and purposes…far less than cooperative."
"What is that supposed to mean?" James asked her and she sighed.
"It means that Raven Branwen is the Spring Maiden," Elizabeth told them, sounding vaguely angry. "Which explains quite a lot about her ability to get and maintain territory."
"We know," Glynda said irritably. "And, let me guess, she's been –"
"A pain in the ass?" Elizabeth suggested sourly. "That might be an understatement, and she's been in Atlas for less than a week."
"Well, hopefully this doesn't go to hell," Glynda muttered, letting James wrap his arms around her. "And, all things considered, we probably have more pressing concerns than how to handle Raven Branwen within Atlas."
"That's fair," James agreed, kissing her softly before looking back to Elizabeth. "Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not," Elizabeth said, sounding particularly bitter. "Because we all fucked up this time. If we hadn't divided ourselves so much, then, maybe, Beacon wouldn't have fallen."
June 5th
City of Mistral
Mistral
Downtown
2:23 PM
"I still can't believe full communications came back online and are at the speed they're supposed to be!" Nora exclaimed, half falling over the couch with her scroll in hand. She had been watching odd videos – one of which had show a disgusting neck infection – for the last few hours and had been hyper to say the very least. "I mean, this is so fucking awesome!"
"Eh," Qrow said, far more skeptical than any of the young huntsmen. "I think there's something not right about this. Ronnie Ciel and Elizabeth Morell did something, and I'm not sure I wanna know what it is."
"They got everything back to normal," Ruby countered, sharing a knowing look with Yang. "Isn't that a good thing? It doesn't seem like they've done anything bad."
"You don't know Atlas like I do, Ruby," Qrow gruffly replied, taking a long swig from his flask. "There is always an ulterior motive for those people."
"I don't believe that," Yang said, crossing her arms. "You're being obnoxious, uncle Qrow."
"I'm being right, Yang," He told her darkly. "And you trust your mother, so, clearly, you've got some issues with knowing who lies and who doesn't."
Yang glared. "At least she told me things you never would have."
Qrow rolled his eyes. "She said that, didn't she?"
"She didn't have to," Yang said, then sighing. "Why keep all this from us for so long? Why didn't we…"
"Because you all weren't ready," Qrow said shortly. "And –"
"How weren't we ready?" Weiss put in, staring at him incredulously. "It sounds almost like you're making things up."
"And you'd know all about that," Qrow remarked. "Considering that seems to be your father's entire job. Speaking of which, isn't he on trial?"
Weiss tensed. "No less than he deserves."
Gentle silence befell them and Weiss stared at her hands sadly. After a moment, Ruby came over to her partner's side and tightly embraced her, stroking her hair affectionately.
"If you need to talk about this, I'm here for you," She said softly, kissing her cheek. "It's going to be okay, Weiss, I promise."
"You're far more optimistic than I will ever be," Weiss said weakly. "Maybe I've become like my uncle…"
"You're nothing like Emmett!" Nora exclaimed, seeming rather hyperactive. "He's a bit of a dick!"
"Ain't that the truth…" Qrow swore under his breath.
"Emmett isn't that bad," Yang said, crossing her arms. "Hell, he's part of why we're –"
"Yeah, yeah," Nora said, waving her hand dismissively and then perking up even more upon Ren stepping into the room. "Hello!"
Ren smiled indulgently. "Hi, Nora. You look great."
"Thanks!" She exclaimed, embracing him tightly and shaking him a bit. "Isn't it great to be in –"
"Nora, calm down," Weiss told her, sounding torn between tired and exasperated. "I don't think Ren's a magic eight ball."
Nora snickered and Ren ruffled her hair. Ruby all but fell onto the floor in laughter when Nora smacked Ren's backside and Weiss, shaking her head, needed to help her back to her feet.
"You all are weird," Qrow noted, taking another swig from his flask. "But I'm glad that you all are at least okay. And, hey: we've got a little while before we got to deal with Atlas, so let's enjoy the fun while it lasts."
"Nice!" Yang pumped her fist in the air and lifted his credit card out of his pocket. "I'm going to a bar!"
They all stared as she sauntered out with fiery sass and, not long after, Nora tore after her and Qrow shrugged, not giving a damn either way what they could possibly get themselves into. After all, the notion of Yang going out with people and wreaking havoc on the town was not a new concept to him.
"Aren't you going to stop them?" Weiss asked him almost incredulously. "I thought you were supposed to be the adult here."
Qrow smirked. "You're gonna find out that I'm anything but the adult, Schnee."
June 6th
City of Atlas
Atlas
Downtown
8:37 PM
The first thing Emmett Schnee did when he entered his and Emmeline's townhouse was scowl at the woman who was sitting on their couch with lit candles on the coffee table and burning sage on a plate between them. She was either meditating or (more likely, given her smirk) trying to see how much it would take to piss him off which, as it happened, was not much. Emmett loudly put his sword up on the wall and sent her a dark look when she opened her eyes and smiled at him. Since she had arrived in Atlas, she had made a pseudo-threat to Blake and Allison Adel (because of a rather pointed comment Allison had made about her questionable loyalties), taunted Elizabeth Morell (which had caused Tai to inform her that, no, she could not stay with them because his wife was tortured enough), and imposed on Emmeline and Emmett because she needed to be closely monitored and they were the only ones who had no substantial reasons to object. The only problem was that it had affected their entire lives; from their sleep, to their family, to their work.
"Yo, Professor Schnee?" Flynt Coal had yelled across the lecture hall. "Some idiot on an online forum won't shut up about how they can infuse themselves with lightning dust! How much do you think it would take to kill a normal person?"
Emmett had glanced up in surprise and awkwardly adjusted his glasses for a moment before responding. The entire lecture hall had erupted in a chorus of demands related to what Flynt had (rather suddenly) posited. This, of course, was except for Neon Katt, who had buried her face in her hands, utterly embarrassed by everything going on around her. While this had less to do with her teammates and more to do with everyone else's enthusiasm (feigned or otherwise), she couldn't help but wish she were anywhere else. She was the president's eldest child, after all, and even class with her mother would be less stressful than this and Rosella Katt was known for being the Atlas Academy professor that had threatened to punch disruptive students in the past, had (and continued to) brought in (possibly) illegal weapons for educational reasons, and constantly gave out extra credit to anyone who could make a good shot across the lecture hall into the trash can.
This was vastly different, Neon knew, from Emmett, who frequently showed up to teach in his pajamas and had admitted to waking up and saying things ranging from "shit, I'm late for school" to "oh, yeah, I'm an adult" to "oh, fuck, I'm the teacher!" That wasn't to say he wasn't a good lecturer or wasn't knowledgeable, but it did highlight just how disoriented he often was. Spencer, who taught the first and third years while Emmett taught the second and fourth years, was his own enigma. It wasn't much of a surprise to any of them, considering that they were the only Atlas Academy professors that weren't active (or in Emmett's case, consistently active) huntsmen because their per few was in history and this meant that things were often different. Spencer actively taught, when pressed, how to curse in foreign languages, was open about his hatred of the public education system in Atlas, never bothered the kids who fell asleep in class, and was the reason there was a dart board in the classroom. As it happened, he was also the reason everyone knew about Emmett and his pool table in the teacher's lounge.
"Alright, listen," Emmett had said after the noise had quieted a little. "I'm not going to recommend that anybody do that because it would be stupid and, honestly, too much of anything can kill you, even coffee."
He had said this, as it had happened, while chugging the rest of his.
"And, for the record," He had added darkly. "Too much of some people can drive you crazy."
"Experienced?" Ivori had suggested.
Emmett had snorted. "You could say that."
"I like this," Raven remarked, laying down casually and, in the process, drawing Emmett from his thoughts. "Although you could do with things other than vegan health food in this house. My God, do you people live off the air and chickpeas?"
Emmett scowled. "You don't live here."
"I do for now," Raven reminded him. "And –"
"Emmy!" Emmett called down the hall. "I need help!"
Emmeline all but ran into the room, eight-year-old Eddie following his mother curiously and sent Raven a dark look when she stopped. Then, she briefly took Emmett's hand and squeezed it before she turned on Raven with crossed arms.
"Okay," She started irritably. "Let me make this –"
The front door opened and shut quickly downstairs and a brief silence followed until Samara reached the top of the stairs, looking rather awkward with Caitlin Ironwood-Goodwitch beside her.
"How long is she going to stay here?" Sam asked, pointing towards Raven and sounding rather exasperated.
"I'm going to go borrow your steam shower," Raven informed them, transforming into her corvid form and flying down the hall.
Another moment passed in silence. Emmeline looked thoroughly exasperated, Eddie seemed confused, Emmett was more annoyed than he had ever thought possible, and Sam seemed suddenly pissed off by everything.
"Evidently," Emmett said darkly, starting up the stairs with Emmeline and Eddie following him. "She's going to be here far too long.
Caitlin Ironwood-Goodwitch sighed and pushed up her glasses while Samara wrapped an arm affectionately around her as soon as the others were gone.
"You weren't kidding about how bad she is but, you know what? You can deal with this," Cate told her, and Samara raised an eyebrow. "You know why? Because Raven's a bitch you can rant about to me and everyone else, and I'm a dumbass, and a bitch, and the sexiest person in Target."
Samara smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Damn right you are," She murmured, relieved that, for even a short while, that things were returning to normal or, at least, as normal as things could be while a corvid-woman with well-known murderous intent lurked about.
