Roy watched the pilot beat a hasty retreat with a bemused look on his face.

"And that is why I sleep with my weapon next to me," he grumbled, beginning to hunt around for his shirt.

Ebony giggled as she readjusted her yukata. "She looked pretty harmless to…"

her voice trailed off, causing Roy to turn to look at her. "What?"

Ebony gently made him turn away and Roy felt her hands wandering over the new scars on his back. "These are from…"

"The Alpha in the village, yeah." he finished, "I didn't exactly get away scott free from them."

Ebony was silent for a bit, finally taking her hand away from his ravaged flesh. "Some people say that every scar is a story. I guess I'm dating a small novel."

Roy chuckled as he slid his shirt back on, "That's an interesting way to look at it. Come on, mom will have our hides if we don't get to breakfast."

The two faunus stepped into the hall, still in their pajamas and found Sharon watching them come down the hallway.

"Did you two actually sleep?" his mother asked, "Or should I be expecting a grandchild soon?"

Ebony went crimson and Roy coughed awkwardly. "Nothing happened mom, we were just…" Roy stopped himself before he said the words sleeping together, "...sharing a bed."

Sharon smiled and ruffled his ears, "I believe you. I just assumed, from the way Aster tore out of your room like a bat out of hell, that she'd seen a bit more than she wanted to."

Roy laughed and opened the fridge to retrieve the orange juice, "I honestly haven't seen her move that fast before."

A moment later, Aster herself came loping into the room, followed by Dahlia. The latter had an evil grin plastered on her face as she took the orange juice from Roy.

"Sooo, when's the wedding?" she asked, smugly pouring herself a glass.

"No time soon," Roy growled, taking the juice back, "We were honestly just sharing a bed."

Dahlia pointed an accusing finger at him, "Aster said you were shirtless! You never sleep shirtless."

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose, "I don't usually sleep with someone in a warmer climate either."

Dahlia narrowed her eyes at him as she took her seat at the table. "Are you okay with them sleeping together?" she asked Sharon as the older faunus handed her a bowl of oatmeal.

Sharon's eyes were sparkling as she winked at the smaller girl, "Roy is an adult, and as long as I don't get any unexpected grandchildren, I think it's perfectly healthy for their relationship."

Roy sat across from Dahlia, the smell of the oatmeal pushing the cobwebs from his tired mind, "Don't worry mom, we're not planning on having kids. At least not until we get this whole Salem thing figured out."

Aster raised an eyebrow, "The who thing?"

Roy gazed around at his teammates, "Didn't I tell you about her?"

Ebony shook her head and Roy face-palmed, "Damn. Well, long story short; there are four relics, knowledge, creation, choice and destruction. Each of these relics hold a large amount of power…"

"What kind of power are we talking?" Dahlia asked, crunching into her toast.

"Magic," Roy said simply.

The girls at the table all looked at him as if he were crazy.

"I thought magic was just in fairy tales," Aster said.

Roy nodded, "I did too. The only people who can use magic these days are Salem and the four maidens."

Ebony perked up, "From the story?"

Roy nodded, "yeah, they're real, though they're kept a secret by the different headmasters of the schools."

Dahlia narrowed her eyes, "How do they factor into this?"

Roy held up his hands, "Maybe if you let me finish, you'll find out!" He'd said this more forcefully than he meant to, but it did the trick. The girls fell silent, looking at him expectantly.

"Thank you," he continued, "The schools were built to house and protect the relics. Beacon's relic was the relic of choice, Haven's was knowledge, Atlas's is creation and Vacuo's is destruction. Beacon fell because Salem learned where the relics were being hidden. Our goal is to keep the relics out of Salem's clutches. As of yet, we know that she hasn't been able to find the relic of choice in the rubble of Beacon. A week ago, we successfully protected the relic of knowledge, which is currently under the protection of Teams RWBY and JNR. We're going to meet up with them in Argus so we can all go to Atlas and place the relic under Ironwood's protection."

There were a few moments of silence as Aster and his teammates processed the information.

"This is a lot to take in," Ebony said, quietly.

"I know it is." Roy said, "I didn't believe it myself when I heard it for the first time."

Dahlia gently set her fork down beside her plate, "So...when are we going to Atlas?"

Roy shrugged, "I'm waiting on word from Qrow Branwen. Once he lets me know, we'll take off."

Aster raised an eyebrow, "How do you intend to get there?"

Roy shrugged, "I think the plan is to take the train to Argus, then find passage in an airship to Atlas."

Aster drummed her fingers on the table as she thought, "That could work. Unfortunately, the blockade started a few days ago and Atlas has a gigantic stick up their ass when it comes to their borders."

Roy shot a glance at Dahlia who nodded in confirmation, "What would you suggest then?" he asked.

"What if," Aster began, "We met up with them in Argus, and then I give you all a ride on the Dusty Daydream."

Roy nodded, "That might work, I'll let Qrow know when he calls."

Sharon began clearing away the bowls, "Until then, you all should keep in fighting shape," she said, "I've already put Roy through my little initiation. Now, its time for all of you to have a turn."

Aster raised her hand, "Uh...I'm not a part of their team."

Sharon's eyes flashed dangerously as she smiled at the pilot, "Tough, I still want to see how you fight."

-:-

And fight they did, for almost three hours. Roy, for the most part, was content to sit back and watch his teammates try to tackle the powerhouse that was his mother.

Ebony had gone first and even Roy had to admit that she had improved immensely since he'd last seen her fight. In addition to well-placed blows from Archimedes, she had begun to palm strikes into her fighting style to allow her semblance to go to work. Because of this, her fight lasted the longest until Sharon figured her semblance out and stayed out of reach.

Once Ebony had been beaten, it was Dahlia's turn. Watching his smaller teammate fight was, in a word, breathtaking. What she lacked in size, she made up for in speed and agility. The only reason her fight was shorter than Ebony's was because she lacked the extra few years experience that the two faunus had. Nonetheless, Sharon had obviously not been expecting the ferocity right out the gate. She changed her tactics to account for the size and speed of her opponent and before Roy knew it, Dahlia's aura was in the red.

When it was Aster's turn, Roy made sure to pay extra close attention. The pilot had two large chakrams that she used ribbons of aura to control. Her fight was a beautiful dance that wove to and fro, the dancing rings gleaming in the afternoon sun. Sharon altered her fighting style to match, turning her sword play into elegant moves that matched the rhythm of Aster's battle dance. Roy was so mesmerized by the display that he didn't notice until Aster threw up her hands that his mother had won.

"Your mom is something else!" the pilot exclaimed as she walked over to him, "The way she altered her fighting style for each of us is the mark of a true master."

Roy was nodding in agreement when he heard his name, "Roy, don't think you're getting out of this scott free. Get in here."

He looked at his mother in surprise, "How do you think it'll differ from last time?" he asked.

Sharon leaned on her sword, the tip sinking into the ground. "Easy, I've been training you for a couple weeks now. If you haven't improved then it means I suck at teaching," she said this in a serious tone of voice, that didn't quite match the excited gleam in her eye.

It made Roy smile, "Let's do it."

They took up their ready stances; Roy coiled up like a king taijitu ready to strike and Sharon low to the ground with her blade poised like a beowolf with its fangs ready. Just like before, the tension grew and grew. This time it was Sharon who attacked first, sending a spray of bullets from Mourning Glory's hilt toward her son. Roy rolled to the side and fired a single round back, charging forward to capitalize on the opening it created. Sharon spun to the side to avoid the round as it whistled by, quickly bringing her sword around to block Roy's blade as it whipped toward her side.

Roy disengaged from the block and dropped to the ground, swinging his leg around in an attempt to take his mother's legs out from under her. Sharon jumped over his sweeping legs and Roy used the momentum of his legs to swing back to his feet, bringing Μόνος around to intercept her blade as it swung at his unprotected back. Sharon quickly brought her sword swinging toward his neck and Roy swung his sword over his head, stopping her blade in its tracks with a clash of steel on steel. Shoving her blade away with his own, Roy launched a flurry of blows at his mother.

Due to his training, the blows were not the random onrush they had been before. Now, each blow was a cold and calculated effort to punch through his mother's defenses. Despite the fact she was blocking every blow, Sharon was forced to give ground under the onslaught. With one final blow, Roy jumped back and flourished Μόνος; beckoning his mother forward. His mother's eyes flashed and she charged forward with a barrage of her own, the tip of her sword practically singing as it lanced through the air.

The faunus blocked every blow, surprising himself. His mother sent a particularly nasty blow at his neck and Roy raised his arm, taking the blow square to the aura. He felt his aura begin to buzz from the amount of power he'd absorbed and he smiled. His mother sensed it and jumped back, trying to put as much distance between herself and Roy as possible. Roy sank low to the ground once more and poured all of the energy into his foot as he pushed off. The force of the push off cracked the earth beneath his feet and sent him shooting toward his mother.

Their blades met with a deafening clang and Sharon was knocked off of her feet, sliding across the dirt until she stabbed her sword into the ground. Her momentum arrested, Sharon stood and charged forward once more. Roy shifted Μόνος into her whip form, sending the tip flashing toward Sharon. She deflected it and continued her headlong rush. Roy pulled the trigger, his sword snapping back together before his mother reached him. Sharon let out a little cry as she flew toward him and Roy gave an answering battle cry as their blades clashed together again.

The battle continued on for almost fifteen minutes, the two opponents trading the upper hand several times. Eventually, they began circling each other; taking a moment to catch their breath. Roy could feel his muscles beginning to ache. Sweat beaded his forehead and Μόνος felt heavier in his grasp. His mother suddenly charged forward and they met with a cacophonous crash, their blades going hammer and tongs.

Sharon suddenly feinted to the right, changing directions at the last second to send it smashing into his side. Roy cursed inwardly as he felt Μόνος leave his hand as he tumbled across the dirt. Coming up on one knee, the faunus quickly drew his bayonet and struck a defensive pose. Sharon was already charging him, her sword gleaming in the sun as she swung her sword in a horizontal slash.

A new idea came into Roy's head and he dropped flat on the ground, feeling mourning glory woosh over his head. Pooling kinetic into his hands and feet, Roy was able to lunge up and forward at lightning speed. He tackled Sharon to the ground, pressing the bayonet to her throat with one hand and pinning her sword hand with the other. Both combatants were still for several seconds, breathing heavily from their fight. Sharon looked surprised, but very pleased.

"That was well played," she said as Roy got up and offered her his hand, "You've definitely improved since the last time we sparred."

Roy smiled softly, pulling his mother to her feet, "Well, when you have a good teacher, improving is easy."

Sharon gently punched him on the arm, "You silver tongued rogue, no wonder Ebony wants to sleep with you."

Roy's face lit up bright red and he quickly retrieved Μόνος from the ground, mumbling excuses.

Sharon sheathed Mourning Glory and turned to the others, "You all did very well, but there is definitely room for improvement. You will all report here at noon every day for training until you leave."

Aster blinked in surprise, "Even me?"

The female faunus regarded Aster with a barely hidden smile, "What? You don't want to spend more time with me?"

Aster blushed and looked pointedly at the ground, causing Sharon's eyes to twinkle, "That's what I thought."

-:-

The week that followed passed in a blur as Sharon put them through the ringer, making sure they were all in tip-top shape before they left. She altered her lessons for each of them, really showing her flexibility as a teacher.

Dahlia's lessons focused more on perfecting her technique; learning to balance her natural agility with her fighting skills. Ebony's took a slightly more laid back approach. Some days would be spent working on her fighting and other days would be spent learning how to regulate her semblance.

Of the three, Aster was the special case. She'd never attended a school and her fighting technique was an age old tradition passed down through her family for generations. Her natural fighting ability surprised Roy and Sharon both; neither of them suspected that beneath the fun, awkward exterior was the heart of a true huntress. Aster needed the least amount of help, but Sharon still spent the same amount of time with her as everyone else.

Roy still sparred with his mother, working to clean up his technique. To stop him from becoming too dependent on his semblance, Sharon began banning the use of aura during their sessions.

"If you treat your semblance as a crutch instead of perfecting your form, you'll never improve," she'd explained.

By the following Friday, All of them could beat Sharon, or at least fight to a standstill. With every defeat, Sharon's smile grew as she watched each of them improve in their own way.

That Saturday evening, Roy came back from the shower to find his scroll buzzing on his desk. Tossing his damp towel in the hamper, he retrieved the device. "Hello?"

"We're leaving tomorrow," Qrow's gruff voice answered back, "Do you have any way to get to Argus, or am I going to have to buy you a train ticket?"

Roy heard Aster laughing in the next room and grinned slightly, "I have a ride."

Qrow grunted, "okay, be in Argus tomorrow night and we'll touch base then."

The call ended and Roy tossed the scroll onto the bed.

We're actually leaving, He thought, How am I going to tell… He heard his door squeak open, "Mom."

He turned to find Sharon standing in his room's doorway, looking at him with a sad smile on her face.

"I heard your scroll buzz," she said sadly, "I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped."

Roy shook his head, "no, it's fine. I was just going to tell you."

Sharon walked over and sat on his bed with a sigh, "I knew it would happen eventually. I just was hoping I'd get a little longer with you."

Roy heard his mother's voice shake slightly and quickly joined her on the bed, "I'm a huntsman mom. It may not be official yet, but I promise I'll make you proud."

Sharon suddenly hugged him, squeezing him tightly, "You already have Roy. Every day, I see more of your father in you and it makes me...so...very proud."

Her voice broke and Roy hugged her back just as tightly, "I promise I'll come back to you." he whispered, "no matter what."

Sharon broke the hug to look into his eye, "I know you will." She got up to leave, using her sleeve to wipe her tears away, "Oh, and if you find your father out there, tell him he's late for dinner."

We're about to set out across Mistral. What new adventures await Team SDE+A? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks again for reading!

Until next we meet!

-Ar3mRising.