"You never cease to surprise, Link," Amber congratulated, patting his shoulder. "It was really, really satisfying seeing the look on Qrow's face when you landed those two hits."

Link shrugged, though his grin betrayed his show of modesty. They were walking around the campus outdoors, since Qrow had sulked away in defeat and Amber did not want to endure another lecture by Goodwitch. A lecture on lecturing. It was literally a nightmare of boredom waiting to snare her.

"Speaking of fighting," Amber began. She pointed at the sword on his waist. "You sure you want to use that weapon? I can get you something Dust enhanced. Oo, or a gun! No wait, a gun-bow!" Amber didn't know if those existed, but she was certain someone at Beacon had tried to make one.

Link shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. "Any weapon is good enough."

"Yeah, sure, but some weapons are better than others." Amber pointed out. Link certainly hadn't seem bothered by that rusty blade he'd found in the wild, and the simple sword he borrowed from beacon was more or less a model. An example of what swords should look like, in general, not something any respectable Huntsman or Huntress would be caught dead wielding.

Link nodded his agreement. "I do not wish to take more than necessary," he admitted. Amber's brow quirked at that.

"Yes, because keeping me alive necessitates only the bare minimum," she said dryly. She shrugged herself. "Whatever, it's your choice. I just think that, given carte blanche to take what you want, you should get something more, well, you."

"This blade will suffice," Link placated. "I am comfortable with any weapon."

"Don't knights have, like, their own special swords or something?"

"Many did," Link conceded. "But in my time, I was forced to master a great variety of weapons quickly. There is no sword that is, exclusively, mine and mine alone. Only one I inherited."

"That's interesting," Amber replied. "What happened to it?"

Link shifted uncomfortably. "It was lost to me," he admitted, eyes looking past her. "By whatever means brought me to this land."

"That's too bad," Amber winced. It looked to her that Link took the loss personally. She'd really stepped into it now.

"I guess if you could beat Qrow with that metal stick, it's dangerous enough." Amber forced a smile, hoping to take his mind off it.

Link shook his head, a light smile returning to his delicate features. "Indeed. Though, if he truly intended it, I'm certain the blade would break."

"Huh?"

"Qrow did not take me seriously," he shrugged. "That is why he lost."

Come to think of it, he kept his weapon in sword-form the whole fight. Well, Qrow still lost, and he clearly hadn't been expecting that. Amber could be happy with that.

"Come on, Link," Amber laughed, clapping him on the back. "Let me show you the Emerald Forest. It's where we're sending the newbies tomorrow."

"I can't believe we still do this," she muttered, watching as the blond boy was catapulted screaming into the Emerald Forest. Luckily for him, a red javelin torpedoed through the air, piercing his clothes and pinning him to a well-placed tree.

The observation room was sparsely populated with those who wanted to watch initiation. Professors Oobleck and Port were with her and Link. The other members of the staff had deigned not to appear. Goodwitch and Ozpin were still standing on that cliff, having launched the remaining students into the Emerald Forest. No doubt, they would be joining them soon.

Oobleck sipped his coffee, draining it from full to empty. It was refilled before it even landed on the table. "The initiation is a time-honored tradition at Beacon."

"That just means it's outdated," she shot back.

"Ho, well I believe it's a wonderful idea!" Port proclaimed. "It teaches students to think on their feet, to triumph in the face of the unknown!"

"Right…" She turned away from the two older professors. A quick glance at Link showed the knight was fixated on the displays. With a sigh, she focused her attention on the same.

The Emerald Forest was mined with observation devices, both audio and visual, for easy viewing of the initiation. They were well-concealed, so it was no surprise that the untrained students wouldn't detect them, and the Grimm didn't care if they were being watched by little bloodless eyes.

Keyed into the Beacon-issued scrolls, it was no lie to say that the faculty knew their every move in the forest. For the students' safety, of course.

"Which ones are Qrow's nieces?" she asked idly looking at the various students. She spotted a girl in red with a mechanical scythe. Her partner, a girl in white, said something that apparently caused her to slice down a thick tree like it was paper. "Nevermind, I found one of them."

"That would be..." Oobleck's eyes scanned a nearby sheet containing. "Miss Ruby Rose."

Amber grunted her acknowledgement. "Partnered with the Schnee heiress, too. That sounds like a fun couple years." She could only imagine how spoiled the white-haired girl was, given her family heritage.

"Don't judge Miss Schnee too harshly," Port said. "She appears to have the makings of a fine Huntress."

Amber didn't bother replying. The other students were faring as well as or better than the red and white duo. The blond from earlier had joined up with Pyrrha Nikos, of all people. Some people are just lucky, she supposed.

They all watched in relative silence, with only the occasional comment or criticism. Link hadn't opened his mouth since he arrived, but that was nothing new. So she tried the direct approach.

"What do you think, Link?" She grinned at him. "Anyone catch your eye?"

The man, frustrating her attempts to pull him into speech, pointed at the display for the Ruby girl. Amber's eyes followed then widened at the sight.

"Are—are they riding a Nevermore?" Amber said, shocked. "A giant Nevermore."

"It would appear so," said Ozpin. Amber jumped, the headmaster's sudden appearance beside her unexpected. The man laughed at the reaction. "You could use additional training in detecting approaching foes."

"That's beside the point, you're not my foe," Amber recovered. She gestured lamely to the screen. "Shouldn't that be a cause for concern?"

"Miss Rose and Miss Schnee have things well in hand."

The red girl fell, leaping from the Nevermore's grasp. She screamed all the way to the ground. Well, she would've, if she hadn't collided midair with another student hurled from the forest.

Ozpin sipped his beverage. "In a manner of speaking." He looked at Link, who hadn't reacted to his arrival, not even to look at him. "And you, Sir Link? Has anyone caught your eye?"

"I just asked that, like, two seconds ago," Amber huffed.

Link didn't respond beyond his usual nod.

"Oh? Fascinating." Ozpin didn't clarify his meaning, ducking his head to take another sip.

The initiation ended with a bang, almost literally, with an impressive battle involving an elder Deathstalker and Ruby Rose decapitating the giant Nevermore. It definitely made the teams participating stand out to the staff, that was for certain.

"Now, we have to make team names," Ozpin announced. "Would you care to join us, Amber, Link? You may not be full professors, but your input would be appreciated."

"I'm good," Amber responded. She gestured vaguely at the displays "Besides, you've already decided the most interesting teams there, haven't you?"

Ozpin chuckled. "That I have," he said. "Then by all means, enjoy the rest of your day."

With initiation over, there wasn't much to do until the formal announcement of teams and their leaders. Amber thought about asking Link for any ideas, but the one time she had asked what he did for fun hadn't prompted a meaningful answer.

What kind of sport was shield surfing? Sounded like a broken neck waiting to happen.

"We still need to get you a scroll," Amber said to Link.

Link's silence was all the confirmation. Amber huffed, then took the lead. If he wasn't going to protest, then they may as well get it out of the way.

Beacon Academy was in possession of numerous supplies available to staff and student, from pencils to advanced weaponry. Finding a spare scroll wasn't an issue, Beacon had plenty. Getting it set up for Link required a trip to the Cross Continental Transmit System, where Beacon's information technology specialists worked.

Link asked clipped questions about the complex, confused about how such a place enabled global communication. According to him, such was impossible in his land.

"I don't know how it works either, to be honest," Amber admitted. "Atlas built the place a few decades ago, so they'd be the ones to ask."

They approached a free terminal at the central column, the ones placed to handle simple requests. Needs like accessing Vale internet or Beacon student portal. Or printing. That had been what Amber had mostly used it for back in her student days. At the moment, they used it to send a ticket to the desk for scroll support.

The specialist on duty was busy when he appeared on the screen, inundated with support requests for new students and older students who lost or broke their scrolls prior to term. A middle-aged gentleman with tired eyes and a mountain of used paper coffee cups behind him, he refused to prioritize them even though they were staff. Not that Amber pushed hard, letting the specialist place them on hold, content to while away time watching and listening to the thrums of activity in the CCT.

"That person is here to call his mother," Amber said, pointing out a scruffy looking kid with wispy facial hair at the entrance. "He just split from his friends, telling them he's calling his girlfriend. But he has no girlfriend, he's just embarrassed to admit it."

Said boy went into the elevator past them without a word.

Amber changed targets. "That girl is about to break up with her prep school boyfriend. She's working the courage up to call him and break the bad news. He'll understand though; long distance relationships aren't easy."

The girl standing fitfully near the entrance was joined by a redheaded boy. She smiled, and they left the CCT together. Damn. She was way off with that one.

"Alright," Amber recovered looking for the next victim. She spotted someone interesting, outside of unform. A brown-clothed girl with a beret and sunglasses, carrying a black designer handbag. "She's a fashionista obviously; she's here to scout out talent for her Huntress-themed fashion show. Where else to find models than the central communication hub for Vale?"

"You know many people," Link observed. The knight had been content to just listen to her prattle for the wait.

"Huh?" Amber said, snapping from the elaborate backstory she constructed in her head. "Ah, no. It's just people-watching, I don't really know anything about these people."

Link tilted his head.

"It's just a way to pass time," Amber defended, crossing her arms. "I used to do it all the time with my old team."

"Your friends?"

"Kind of," Amber scratched her cheek. She hadn't thought about her team in a while, barring one certain exception. "More like close acquaintances. We drifted apart after graduation."

Because of her, she didn't say. Link nodded, accepting the explanation without comment. They fell back into silence, the droning of human activity swathing them in a comfortable blanket of white noise.

Eventually, the terminal beeped, announcing the specialist was ready to service their ticket. The specialist reappeared, and Amber told them they needed to key in a scroll to Beacon's systems and register it to a user.

The process was relatively quick and painless, and Amber was happy to hand Link his newly registered scroll.

Link looked at the rectangular device oddly, pinching the corners of the device with a frown. He tapped it, activating the screen. An array of buttons appeared on the wide display. It took Amber a second to understand his confusion.

"Ah, you don't know how to use it?" she asked. Link nodded.

Amber gave him a quick rundown, showing which button did which, like calling a contact. She inputted her own scroll details and Ozpin's for the moment. After a moment's hesitation, she added Qrow as well.

"And this button will bring up the aura monitor," Amber instructed. "Get used to keeping an eye an eye on it; it could save your life."

Link nodded, understanding. He smiled, looking at Amber with excited eyes. "How do I summon bombs?"

"Bombs?" Amber asked, unsure if she heard him correctly. "Like explosions—those kinds of bombs?"

Link nodded, fiddling with various settings.

"Uh, you can't," Amber stated simply. Link deflated. "Maybe next update. Come on, let's get to the ceremony."

Amber yawned, looking over the roster of students for her first class tomorrow with Professor Port. Most of the new students would be present, including Qrow's nieces. At least they were both on the same team. She'd only have to deal with them together when she had to.

Her time would be split, half teaching other students, half training her Maiden powers with Qrow, whenever he was present, or Miss Goodwitch—Glynda, she had to get used to calling her by name. Of course, Link would be present at all times.

At all times. Amber stewed on that. It wasn't so bad the last few days, because she'd been busy adjusting to the new arrangement. Hopefully, it wouldn't get unbearable.

It was a small mercy that they didn't need to share a room, though Link's was adjacent to her own. The man hadn't bothered her when they split away for the evening, she to look over tomorrow's schedule, he to do… whatever he does.

Amber wasn't sure she believed his story, his tale of being a knight of a faraway kingdom. She'd seen the expressions on Qrow and Ozpin's faces, and it sounded fantastical, even to her. Yet, there were things that didn't add up.

Link was ignorant. She didn't mean it in a bad way, but he didn't have basic knowledge. Not just about aura or semblances, but about the Kingdoms, about Dust, and about common technology. Like Bullheads or mechashift weaponry. Or like toilets.

But most of all, it was the way he spoke about himself. Confident. Assured, like it was a normal story, no matter how his audience reacted. He clearly believed it, and normally she wouldn't say that meant it was true, but… Link seemed too honest to deceive himself, let alone her.

He wasn't crazy. He couldn't be. But that didn't satisfy her, because it implied that everything he said was true.

It was funny, when she'd become the Fall Maiden, she thought that would be the strangest thing of her life. Suddenly, magic went from fairytale to reality, and she was thrust into the middle of a shadow war that spanned millennia. She'd gone from nobody to one of four unique people in all of Remnant. It was a dream come true too, until it dawned what it entailed.

Magic had upended her life once; she didn't need it doing so again.

Amber sighed, returning her attention to her work, away from potential knights summoned by magic. She replaced the roster in her hand with the sheaf of class syllabi.

Glynda and Port's (she could not call him Peter) classes would take up most of her time. Oobleck had refused her help when Ozpin had offered it, citing her lack of credentials. That was fine with her. Grimm studies and combat training would have more for her to do anyway. The stealth, botany, and other subjects would require her at some point, but those would come later in the semester.

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen much of Professors Peach and Greene, even when she was a student here. Odd.

Amber glanced over Port's plan for tomorrow. Basic introduction to Grimm. Sounds easy enough. No doubt the students already knew it as well. Obviously, Port planned something special for tomorrow but hadn't seen fit to inform her. The man loved his spectacle. Too bad he was a poor showman.

Whatever he was planning, hopefully it wouldn't end with herself or a student in the infirmary. Or Link, she supposed. But that didn't seem likely.

Tomorrow came, and of course, she had to amend that thought. Because Port had brought a Grimm for a student to fight.

Amber kicked herself for being surprised. She'd had him as a teacher before, she knew what he was like. This was entirely in character for the rotund professor.

It had all started so innocently. The class shuffled in bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, excited to learn about the horrors plaguing everyday life. One of the teams was late, but then, so was Professor Port. Eventually, everyone was seated and staring at her.

"H-hell—" Amber stuttered. She cleared her throat. "Hello everyone! I'm a supporting teacher, I'll be assisting Professor Port for this class. I'm sure you'll see me in other classes as well."

She swallowed, the class staring at her silently. "J-just call me Amber."

A few enterprising students started speaking at once, barraging her with questions. She winced, unable pick out one from another.

"Now let's not harass my young assistant!" Port bellowed, entering the class. "She's still new to the job after all."

Amber bristled. "Professor, you're late."

"Ah, not to worry dear, needed to take care of some business. If you would, would you bring the cage in while I take attendance?"

"Cage? What cage?"

"Why, the one outside with the Boarbatusk in it!" he said proudly. "Please bring it in, I'll need it in a few moments."

She looked at Link, but he was busy looking into the crowd of students. Amber sighed, and went to drag in a cage containing a murderous monster.

"Does anyone believe themselves to be a true Huntsman?" Port bellowed. Amber shifted her weight as she leaned against the wall. She'd been spacing out. Link stood off to the side, unobstructive and unnoticed by the students. Not that he'd been hiding, he just hadn't drawn any attention to himself.

"I do!" a white-haired girl proclaimed, her hand shooting up even as she slapped the desk in front of her. Amber recognized her. Weiss Schnee, that was her name. Link had been looking at her before.

"Jolly good, Miss Schnee!" Port replied with glee. "Please, come to the front of class and demonstrate your ability! Amber, if you would?"

"Yessir!" Weiss did as instructed, standing before the caged Grimm. Amber made to the cage. Link tensed up, his hand darting to the sword at his side.

Amber shook his head, hoping he'd interpret that as a message not to interfere. The student would be fine. Even if Port failed to intervene in time, she wouldn't allow a kid like Weiss to get hurt on her watch.

She struck the lock, and the Boarbatusk charged free. It locked it's red eyes on the white student, huffing heavily in rage and hatred. It threw itself at Weiss, roaring death threats wordlessly.

Weiss put up a good display of skill, even if she allowed herself to get distracted by her teammate. Still, she killed the Boarbatusk, and Amber hadn't needed to rescue her.

Amber exhaled, releasing the tension she hadn't realized was there. Really, fighting Grimm was all well and good for the students, but did Port really have to drag one to the front of the class and make them fight on the first day, with no warning or preparation? They were just kids, no matter how talented they were. There was time to learn these things without throwing them in to sink or swim.

But what did she know? She was just a support teacher. A temporary support teacher who had barely graduated before having the job shoved on her.

She noticed Link relax too, his hand removed from his sword's grip. No one else noticed.

Port congratulated Weiss and the class proceeded from there. Amber was quite comfortable tuning the rest out.

Amber batted away Link's blow, her staff's reach easily outmatching his own. A quick swipe and a gust of wind drove him back, followed by a burst of flame.

"Amber, remember your Maiden powers," Glynda called, supervising the spar. "I remind you, the whole purpose of training is to improve your grasp of them."

"I know!" she shouted, ducking under Link's counter. By all that was holy, Link was fast. It was one thing to see it, another to be his target. She resisted the urge to blow him away with her staff.

Her main advantage was range. Her staff's Dust crystals could attack at a distance and, more importantly, keep him at a distance. At least that was the idea. Link had a tendency to dodge it. How he dodged air she had no clue.

Amber dropped her staff and reached for the power of the Fall Maiden. Her eye lit in a blaze, and wind burst from her body like a cyclone. Link wielded his sword across his body and knelt down. He kept his stability but couldn't resist being pushed back several feet. Enough for Amber to launch her counterattack.

Lightning arced between her fingers, and she hurled the energy at Link. Links' eyes widened and he dropped his metal weapon the instant before it caught the blast. The electricity wreathed around the blade, rendering it untouchable for the moment. Amber swept her hand, a blast of frost coating the ground in a sheen of ice.

The blade clattered, but Link wasn't fool enough to dive for it. Water may be a good conductor, but ice was not. So long as the blade was not grounded, it would retain the harmful charge.

Meaning Link was disarmed.

Amber focused, shards of ice materializing in the air around her. The fight wasn't over yet, and she intended to make good on her advantage.

Link ducked as the first shot came, dived to avoid the second, and tanked the third. That was fine, she could do this as long as she had to.

Apparently, he realized this, rushing to bring her into melee. Without his sword, Amber may have been able to overpower him with her magic, but she knew he was better at unarmed combat than her. No sense in letting him near her.

With another swipe, she froze the ground in between them, and hurled a gust of wind on the follow through. Even if he could dodge, he'd sacrifice balance.

To her surprise, Link dove, sliding across the ice on his belly. He reached her, grabbing her leg before she could yank it back. Amber panicked and slammed her heel into his face, but his aura took the blow and left her off center.

He pulled, twisting his body around to make up for the lack of leverage on the slippery ground. Her leg twisted with him, and she was falling.

Amber's eyes widened, and her head slammed into the ground, no doubt a heavy hit to her aura. She threw her hands to the side, blowing a steady gust. The wind blew her back, but not far enough.

By the time she'd cleared the area, Link was back on his feet and on her.

His fist slammed into her chest as she tried to rise, knocking the wind out of her, and then his boot landed on her throat.

She struggled underneath for a breath. The boot felt like a boulder, and she could feel her aura straining under its strength.

"That's enough!" Glynda called. The weight on her throat disappeared. "Amber's aura is in the red."

Rubbing her throat, Amber sat up panting. Link offered a hand, his face blank. Sighing she took it, letting him help her to her feet.

"You don't pull punches," she breathed. Aura will prevent damage, but not air being squeezed from your lungs. "Thought your sword was bad enough."

Link looked apologetic. "Couldn't hesitate," he explained. "I needed to win fast."

"Be that as it may, Mister Link," Glynda sauntered over to them. "This training is to assist Amber in mastering her ma—semblance. Her semblance." Amber rolled her eyes. "Beating her into the ground and crushing her windpipe does not exactly aid in that cause."

Link nodded. "I am not an instructor." He pointed out. "I did as we agreed."

"I suppose you did," Glynda sighed. The older professor turned to the Maiden. "Your method of disarming Link was well done, and your attempt to remove his footing a valiant effort, even if it turned against you."

Glynda drew herself up, smacking her palm with her riding crop. "However," Goodwitch began. Amber cringed. "You rely too much on wind and fire, no doubt because of your staff. You used lightning once that whole spar, even when it could've turned the tide when Link laid hands on you."

Amber flushed. "I used ice pretty well there, though," she defended. "And lightning's much harder to control."

"You still need to master it." Glynda was merciless. She adjusted her glasses. "I also noticed you panicked when Link failed to do as you expected. The dive and grab, for one."

"Give me a break, the guy's quick, okay?"

Glynda huffed. She glanced at Link, noticing his amused smile. "Do you have anything to add, Link?"

Link thought it over. "Her weapon," he said. "She dropped it."

"I needed my hands free to better direct the magic," Amber said. She noticed Glynda's panicked glare. Oh, right. "My semblance, I mean."

Link nodded. "Is it impossible to use with your staff?" he asked.

Amber shook her head. "No, I can. It's just…harder," she finished lamely.

"Link has a point," Glynda agreed. "You should not disarm yourself if you do not have to."

"Alright, alright," Amber said, breathing slowly. Don't snap at her, that'll make things worse. "Use lightning more. Don't panic. Don't drop weapons. Is that all?"

"It's a start."

"Are we done for today, then?"

Glynda thought it over. "I suppose we are. Your aura took quite a beating."

Amber glanced at the display. Her aura was firmly in the red, while Link's was bordering yellow. She sighed.

"Same time tomorrow?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"Lovely," Amber rolled on her heels and exited the combat ring. Link followed after her.

With training out of the way and classes over for the day, Amber was officially free of responsibility. Things had settled into a routine. Classes, training, sleep, classes, training, sleep. With lunch and bathroom breaks, of course. Link followed the same schedule, and the knight never complained once. She sure gave him an earful herself though.

Amber sighed. "You wanna grab something to eat, mister knight? I'm starved."

That got Link's attention. He nodded happily.

They went to the cafeteria. A few students chattered at the tables, but other than that, the cafeteria was rather empty. It was long after classes and typical dinner time, so Amber wasn't surprised.

Typically, food would be served out on the long tables, but that was reserved for regular mealtimes. After that, food was served by request. The cafeteria never closed. The last thing anyone wanted was a hungry Huntsman-in-training trashing the place because they were denied a midnight snack.

Amber stirred her maple oatmeal lazily, watching the cinnamon and berries disappear in beige goo. Link sat across from her, as usual, eating with gusto. Unlike her, Link had seen fit to get a whole platter of dishes including fish, meat, and fruit. The whole pyramid.

"I know you ate before," Amber stared. "I was there! How can you fit this much in you at every meal?"

"I like eating," Link explained. It was a simple answer, and one she honestly should've seen coming.

"Why don't you carry a bow?" Amber asked suddenly. Link put down a fork, a hunk of steak skewered on the tines. "You could've dealt with the distance gap during the spar."

"Why didn't you fly?" Link rejoined. "You would've been untouchable."

"I—" Amber blinked. It sank in. "I—I didn't think it was allowed." Her face burned. "I didn't know you remembered I could."

"Neither did you." Crap. He noticed.

"If you must know," she hissed, stabbing her spoon down into the oatmeal, "Flying's harder than it looks. Doing it all willy-nilly is a good way to exhaust yourself."

Link chuckled, filling his mouth with a scone slathered in clotted cream. "I did not know if I was allowed to take a bow. A sword is one thing. Arrows are another, and more numerous." He sprayed crumbs as he talked with his mouth full. She was lucky enough to understand him as it was.

"That's it?" Amber asked, trying to ignore the breach of basic human politeness.

"I did not wish to impose on Ozpin's hospitality."

"Well, trust me," Amber rolled her eyes. "Nobody will miss one bow and some arrows. Take whatever you want. Trust me, I'm a teacher."

Link nodded, pleased. "Thank you."

"No problem." Amber shoveled oatmeal into her mouth, letting the subject drop. They ate in silence for a few minutes. Well, mostly silence. It was hard to tune out the sound of Link ripping through a feast.

"What do you think of classes?" Amber asked, needing a reprieve from the aural torture.

"They're interesting." Link responded, pausing from his lamb chops. He wiped his mouth, to Amber's wince. "Port is quite accomplished at hunting monsters."

Amber snorted. "Take it with a grain of salt."

"Don't mind if I do." Link grabbed a nearby saltshaker and sprinkled it liberally over the half-eaten chop.

"That's not what I—" Amber gave up. "What about the students? Any opinion on them?" They'd observed various groups in combat since initiation across all the years. She wondered what he thought of their abilities.

"The white-haired girl," he started, swallowing. "Who is she again?"

"Who—Weiss Schnee?" Link nodded. "She's probably the richest girl in the school."

"Is white hair common?

"Not that I know of." Amber raised in eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this.

Link frowned distantly. "She reminds me of someone I used to know," he confessed.

"Hopefully not an old flame," she joked. Link flinched. Amber's eyes widened. Oh hell. "Link, I'm sorry I didn't mean—"

"It's alright," he said hurriedly. "We were not together."

"Still, I didn't mean to remind you of something painful," Amber apologized.

Link smiled lightly. "It is fine, I would not bring it up if I could not handle it."

"Okay," Amber breathed. "What about the others?"

"They are all talented." Link shrugged. "Except for the swordsman with blond hair. He is unskilled."

"Arc? Yeah, he's pretty mediocre," she admitted. "You gonna take him under your wing? You're also a blond swordsman."

Link shook his head. "I'm a poor teacher," he told her. "He'd be better served by his instructors and peers than I."

"Eh, don't sell yourself short," Amber shrugged. "You help me in training."

"That is Goodwitch, not I."

"Whatever."

They finished eating. More accurately, she finished eating and then finished waiting the extra time it took for Link to clean his plates. With that done, there was nothing to do but retire for the evening. Link to sleep, Amber to mark the papers the main faculty had "delegated" to her.

And then tomorrow, they would do the whole routine again. Just thinking about it made Amber wince.

She took a last look at Link before he disappeared into his room. The knight had been nothing but polite and friendly to her, but his constant presence was still against her wishes. Not to mention his table manners. Those were atrocious.

Amber grimaced. That was something to consider tomorrow. Or late at night when she couldn't sleep due to the tapping on the wall and roof outside.

Link arrived at his usual spot on the roof, only to discover Ozpin had managed to beat him there. The headmaster quirked in eyebrow, sipping his usual hot beverage. Link paused his chest above the edge, before recovering and pulling himself the rest of the way.

"Is there something wrong with your quarters?" Ozpin asked. "Should I take offence that you'd prefer the roof to a bed?"

Link shook his head, settling in beside Ozpin. He leaned back, taking in the usual sight of the night sky.

"The stars are indeed beautiful," the headmaster offered. "It is a shame. Even at this distance, the city lights still wash out much of the heavens."

Is that what was happening? Link had to take Ozpin's word for it. "In Hyrule, there are no great cities like Vale."

"Oh? What is your kingdom like?"

Link's eyes shut. "You do not believe my origins."

"Perhaps. Still, what harm is there in humoring me? We have hardly conversed as just the two of us. I do prefer to have some knowledge of my employees."

Link grunted. His eyes were closed but he could still see the night sky as if it was painted on the back of his lids. Not the sky of Remnant, of Vale. He could still see Hyrule's night. The stars gleaming as they watched him free the Divine Beasts of Ganon's Malice, watched him undertake trial after trial to save the Kingdom. It all still seemed so fresh.

"Hyrule was beautiful, even when so much of it lay in ruins," Link murmured. If Ozpin could hear, he made no note. The man was silent beside him. "Its people sheltered in scattered villages and far-flung domains. Castle Town was the largest settlement, prior to the Calamity. Even at its height, it would seem paltry compared to Vale."

Link reminisced. He barely remembered the once great town before the castle, only what it became. A ruin crawling with corrupted Guardians, a dangerous place at the best of times. A shame that he could not see it restored after the Calamity's defeat.

Though if Ozpin remained true to his word, then he might yet return to Hyrule. It was a comforting notion.

"I hope I can be of assistance in returning you home," Ozpin confirmed. "After the Vytal festival, of course. Tell me, what do think about Amber?"

"She is a good person," Link answered without hesitation.

"While I am glad you think such of her, I fear for her future," Ozpin sighed. "She is burdened with great power, and not of her or even my choice."

"I am not certain she will be ready when the enemy comes for her. If they have not already done so," the headmaster mused, draining his beverage. To what enemy he referred to, Link did not know. It didn't matter, he supposed. It hadn't before, so long ago.

Ozpin sighed, standing up. The headmaster was oddly balanced on the slant roofing, comfortable footed. "I'll leave you to rest, Sir Link. Do try to enjoy your stay at Beacon while you can."

Link did not hear Ozpin depart, but the headmaster's presence disappeared all the same. The wind caressed his face as he felt himself slipping off to sleep. He should wake early, before Amber. It would give him time to procure a bow and ammunition. And other weapons, he had a teacher's permission after all.'

Some slice of life mixed with action here. Next up, we hit another station of canon.

Shout out again to The Sin of Justice for minor corrections. If you notice anything I need to correct, let me know and I'll try to name drop you.

LeonTetra