"My apologies, Weiss. We'll need to reschedule for a later time. My duties require my immediate attention. I expect you'll understand." Winter finished typing out the message to her younger sister and hit send, immediately returning to surveying the surrounding Industrial warehouse.

A line of detained White Fang members sat off along one wall, awaiting their turns to be shipped via Manta to the airships above. The Paladins were similarly aligned, though there were a myriad of Atlas technicians currently disassembling them to remove the explosives that had been placed inside. Winter shook her head at that, angered by the deceit and vitriol that must have been spewed in order to convince the faunus to sacrifice themselves so willingly.

She was well aware of the difficulties the faunus faced. Many of her own finest were of the faunus variety, and had taken additional convincing in order to respect her commands. After the initial few, the rest had quickly fallen in line. Prejudice against another race or family name only lasted until first contact with the enemy, whether that was Grimm or otherwise. It was hard to hold unfounded grudges when you had spilled blood together, both from your enemies, and your own.

Winter's scroll buzzed and she took another moment to read Weiss's reply, a ready acceptance of the situation and promise to keep her schedule open for whatever time Winter would be available next. Winter only nodded to herself. In their mother's absence, she had taught Weiss better than to be impetuous.

"Cancelling plans with your boyfriend~?"

Winter withheld her desire to let loose a tortured sigh and turned on her heel, ready to give Qrow the respect he was due and not an iota more, "Oh? You're still here? I'd have expected you to be at the nearest bar celebrating right about now." She glanced around the room as if searching, "Did you misplace your flask somewhere?"

Qrow smirked, as he often did while intentionally trying to get a rise out of her. It was a failing of her own that he so often succeeded, "Just waiting for my niece to get dropped back off. Everything might have turned out alright this time, but Tai and I can hardly let this go to her head. We won't always be around to step in when she makes bad decisions."

"A lesson I'd have hoped any child would have learned by now," Winter agreed, throwing in a half-hearted insult towards Qrow's failed tutelage. Her eyes flickered briefly over to the other man in question however, her temper simmering back down. He stood a small distance away, close enough to overhear but not yet engaged in their conversation. "To hear it from the faunus, it almost sounds as if the two of you weren't the only trained huntsmen to take them down. Something about a woman dressed in red and black, wielding an overly large katana?"

Qrow shrugged, feigning confusion, "Doesn't ring a bell. Tai and I were more than enough to take on this scrappy lot."

Winter quirked an eyebrow, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth the effort to try and wring the truth out of him, as much as she wished to, "If it does, I'm certain the General would be more than happy to hear of it." She let her gaze sweep back across the compound, a thought coming to mind, "Speaking of your niece, on the other hand…"

Qrow frowned, "What about her?"

Winter hesitated with what she wished to say, knowing that prying ears abounded within a place so numbered by faunus. 'I shall remain… vague…'

"Are you certain the Headmaster's idea is on the right track? Your 'fiery young friend' was not present, and yet there were no casualties to speak of, at least not on our side. Perhaps… this is not to be a sad story after all?"

Qrow's face grew clouded, even as he sent furtive glances to their surroundings. He raised a hand to roughly scrub at the stubble on his chin, considering her words, "Maybe not… I'll have to bring it up with Oz later." Qrow brightened slightly, a glimmer of hope entering his eyes, "I'm all about one sided victories".

"As am I, in this regard," Winter agreed readily, glad to know that the chances of her sister meeting an untimely demise had fallen drastically thanks to recent events.

"That'd be the best news I've heard all day," Tai spoke up, standing off to the side as he was.

Winter's eyes widened in surprise before immediately narrowing back on Qrow, her lips pursing to hiss quietly, "You told him?"

"Both of my daughters are involved. It's my right to know," Tai cut in once more, turning an eye to Winter. The warmth remained in his eyes, despite his stern features seeming to be carved from granite. He stood stoically, hands in his pockets belying the way he remained tense, as if to move into action at a moment's notice.

Winter knew the bearing of a seasoned huntsman, and gave a reassured nod in response, "Forgive me, Mr. Xiao Long. I'm unfamiliar with your standing in regards to the current predicament we have found ourselves in. I spoke out of turn."

Tai scoffed, a smile brimming to the surface to show no offense was taken, "No need for the formalities. I'm just an ex-huntsman, after all."

Qrow snorted, "A member of Team Stark, you mean. Doesn't matter how much time passes, that still counts for something."

Tai got a far off look in his eyes, speaking quietly to no one in particular, "Pity our strongest member couldn't be here for the reunion…"

Winter raised an eyebrow, "Raven?"

Qrow laughed heartily, taking the opportunity for a jab at his sister even if she wasn't present, "In her dreams, maybe~"

Winter had to admit to her own lack of knowledge when it came to her senior's past, "Who was your fourth?"

Qrow's smile remained, though his eyes showed the sadness welling up at the memories flickering through his mind, "The ever heartwarming Summer Rose. Best damn huntress there's ever been." His eyes swept across the warehouse with a smirk, "She'd have taken this place down by herself in half the time. There was a reason ol' Oz made her the leader of a bunch of misfits like us in the first place. No one else could have kept us in line when it really mattered."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Qrow shook his head, "It was the world's loss when she died."

The conversation fell to the wayside as the next Manta arrived, the last of the White Fang members being loaded aboard while the engines roared, pilot waiting for the signal to lift off. It gave Winter some time to think on all she'd learned, and the seed of happiness that had grown in response. Once the Manta had left, she took a deep breath, preparing herself for the fallout of what she was about to say.

"Perhaps a celebration is in order-"

Winter cut off as Qrow's head darted in her direction, surprise etched across his face in deep lines that drew his skin taut. He brought up his hands to rub his eyes as if fearing he was asleep, then dug a finger into each ear as if he'd been hearing things.

"Could you… repeat that, Ice Queen? I could've sworn you suggested something outrageous just now. Pretty sure my mind is playing tricks on me, though. Couldn't have been what I thought it was."

Winter placed a fist on her hip, dangerously close to the hilt of her weapon, "Are you trying to ruin the moment?"

Qrow smiled, raising his hands warily at the same time to ward off a potential stabbing, "I'm all for it, as long as your idea of a celebration isn't some mind numbing suit and tie event. If we're having a party then we're doing it right."

Winter rolled her eyes, "As if I'd ever expect to see you in a suit. I doubt you even own one."

Qrow put a hand to his chest as if offended, "I own a suit!"

"And the last time you wore it was…?"

Qrow frowned, having to think far too hard on the answer to so simple a question. He finally answered a few moments later, slowly revealing the truth as if he regretted bringing it up in the first place, "...The first year dance at Beacon…?"

Winter sighed in vexation, "If that's your idea of formal wear then I would hardly want to be seen with you at a prestigious event in the first place."

Qrow snorted, "Harsh. Looks like you're slumming it with us, then." He turned to his teammate with a grin, "You're in, right Tai?"

"It's a school night…" Tai replied slowly.

Qrow threw his head back in disbelief, "Come on! You're not getting away with that one again. Beacon years Tai would have already started bar hopping by now."

"I'm a teacher, Qrow."

"So am I~" Qrow replied with a twisted grin.

"A fact that still causes me no end of confusion," Winter cut in, crossing her arms.

Qrow's reply was lost on Winter as one of her soldiers came running up, drawing her attention away from the older man's scathing remark.

"All explosives are removed and the Paladins are ready for retrieval, Ma'am," he placed a fist to his chest, bowing slightly as he gave his progress report.

Winter's eyes raised to the Paladins, visibly paling, even for her, at the sheer amount of Dust explosives that had been pulled from within the large mechs. 'Each of them could have leveled a city block on its own…'

Winter recovered long enough to nod her understanding, "Have each thoroughly checked again before they're transported to the airships. I don't want to take any chances at bringing explosives aboard our ships."

The soldier glanced back for a moment at the enormous pile, "What should we do with the explosives we extracted?"

Winter shrugged, "Load them onto a Manta, find a Beowolf pack or two, dump them out, and enjoy the fireworks. I don't want them anywhere near the rest of our fleet."

The soldier grinned, "Yes, Ma'am!" He ran off to begin shouting orders and spreading the good news. Cheers followed, and the men worked double time in order to get necessities out of the way.

Winter turned back to find Qrow standing with his mouth ajar, gaping like a fool at the exchange he had just heard. "What?" Winter smirked, "As I said. We're due a celebration."

'All the better if we kill a few Grimm in the process.'

Violet was the first to understand the somber expression that Yang leveled at Ruby, the question of Tai's absence bringing into light how exactly Raven had managed to transport Yang there. 'So… maybe she isn't all bad…' Violet gave Ruby a final squeeze around the shoulders and sent her off to Yang, the two embracing quietly while Yang struggled to hold back her tears.

Blake and Violet remained on the couch, silently watching as the two helped to comfort each other. After a minute, they finally broke away, and the two on the couch stood to offer the blond some comfort as well.

"I'm assuming you went and did something dumb to get your mother's attention?" Violet asked with a raised eyebrow, the tone of her voice betraying what she thought of such a foolish act, "Where did you even go?"

Yang shrugged weakly, Blake's equally disapproving frown causing her usual defiant attitude to deflate, "To the White Fang hideout that Qrow messaged us about…"

Violet closed her eyes and shook her head while Blake let out a frustrated, "Yang!"

Yang held her hands up, "Look, I know it was dangerous, alright? That was kind of the point. It needed to be, or else she never would have shown up."

"There were other ways, Yang," Violet argued. She sighed, releasing some of the tension hanging in the air, "I guess it worked out in the end. How'd it go at the hideout?"

An excited light returned to Yang's eyes as she told them of how the three older hunters had fought. Ruby was the most surprised when their father was brought into the picture, gasping when Yang told them how he'd managed to hold his own alongside Qrow and Raven. Violet was more interested in the details of how seamlessly they'd worked together, and paid close attention to anything that might have given away that Raven was a maiden. Unfortunately, it appeared as if she was more than capable enough without the powers she'd stolen, and hadn't been forced to use them in the fight.

Yang sent a worried glance in Violet's direction, "She knows you're a maiden, by the way. That and…" she rubbed her arm nervously, eyeing each of her teammate's in turn, "Raven told me that the Grimm are controlled by a… thing?... a woman?... named Salem…"

"Ummm… what?" Blake managed to speak first while Violet was busy pondering how best to handle the situation. Raven revealing the truth didn't exactly come as a surprise, but was now a good time for them to believe it?

'Better late than never, I suppose…'

"How could a person control the Grimm?" Ruby asked incredulously, looking to Violet for back up, "They would just eat you."

Violet put a hand to her chin, trying to appear deep in thought, "Why would she lie about something that unbelievable?" her eyes went to Yang's, next question directed more to the blond, "Did it seem like Raven believed it?"

"It could have just been an excuse for the things she's done… On the other hand, it's a bit too ridiculous to be a lie, don't you think?"

"I'd have to agree," Violet gave a firm nod, "And I wouldn't be surprised if there were more things like that being kept from us. We wouldn't even know about the maidens if I wasn't one."

"But… why wouldn't they have done something about her yet?" Blake interjected worriedly, looking between the two of them.

"Raven said…" Yang's expression mirrored how ridiculous she herself thought the explanation was, "...that Salem is immortal."

"That's ridiculous!" Blake argued, "We would have heard about someone like that!"

"Not necessarily," Violet muttered quietly. She brought her eyes back up to Blake's, seeing the refusal to believe in the faunus girl's eyes, "We'll bring it up with Oz and Ironwood later today. Ironwood wants to see my maiden powers in action, whatever that entails. While we've got them there, we'll press them for answers."

"Do you really think they've been hiding something like that from us? From everyone?" Ruby chipped in uncertainly, looking to the older girls for confirmation.

They glanced amongst each other, none of them really being able to say for certain. Violet played off her supposed ignorance as well as she could, knowing there was no reason for her to know about anything beyond the maidens' existence.

An uncomfortable silence fell among them, and Violet decided it would be best to take the initiative as leader. Her eyes went to the door, and she nodded to it with her chin, "Are we ready to head out? We won't know for sure until we ask, and Blake and I still need to see Tukson and team Coffee off before they head to Menagerie."

Blake's ears perked and she checked the time on her scroll, letting out a frustrated sigh as if chastising herself, "Right! I almost forgot! We'd better hurry if we want to catch them before they leave…"

Violet rolled her shoulders, preparing herself to endure the distance they would need to cover. Already standing so close to the rest of her team, she allowed her semblance to affect each of them at once, stripping them of their mass, "Let's get going then, Vibrant."

It took the four of them over a dozen minutes to arrive at the docks, giving Violet a chance to catch her breath after using her semblance for all of them over such a long distance. She dropped it completely, letting them all return to their normal masses while they waited for the ferry to arrive.

After a few minutes, the silence was broken by Yang as she uttered a forlorn "Shit…", attempting to remain under her breath but failing utterly.

Violet raised an eyebrow, "Shit, what?"

Yang sighed loudly, slumping in place, "I left Bumblebee at the warehouse…"

"Your motorcycle? Can't your dad just drive it home?"

Yang grimaced, "I doubt it's roadworthy after the stunt I pulled."

Ruby laughed, "What'd you do, drive it into someone?" Her laughter fell short at Yang's serious expression, "Oh my god, Yang!"

Yang raised her hands in a 'what can you do' gesture, "It was hectic, alright? Plus there were a ton of them in there. I had to act fast!"

Ruby lowered her voice into a mutter that could still be heard by each of them there, "Dad is gonna be so mad at you…"

Violet raised a hand to lay it comfortingly on Yang's shoulder, "It's alright. I'll cover the funeral costs."

Yang narrowed her eyes, "Mine, or Bumblebee's?"

Violet grinned devilishly, "Both?"

"Any chance your maiden powers come with a side of resurrection? I don't think I'm quite ready to go, yet."

Violet shook her head dejectedly, "No such luck. I can help your father with funeral costs by cremating you myself, though." She quirked an eyebrow, letting a finger light up in a flaming dance of brilliant amethyst. Thankfully, they were far from prying eyes. "Interested?"

Yang raised her hands, backing away a few steps while faking a nervous laugh, "Save that for this Salem lady, whatever she is. I bet she's begging for death by now if she's lived that long."

"Pfft, she's still too young for that," Violet replied with a laugh, letting the flames on her finger extinguish.

A smile curled Blake's lips, and she shot Violet a look, eyebrow raised, "A few million more, you think?"

Violet shrugged, "Yeah, that would just about do it~"

"Are you guys talking about the book?" Ruby piped up, seeming on the verge of covering her ears, "No spoilers!"

Blake rolled her eyes, "It's not exactly a spoiler, Ruby. It's Violet's running theory as to what would happen if you actually lived that long. It's why the Goddess does all that in the first place."

Ruby lowered her hands, "Oh, no spoilers, then? I just got to the part where Seren-"

Violet's head swam, a sudden migraine exploding behind her eyes that made the world become unfocused and sound warble as if she was underwater. After a few moments, the effect ended and her vision cleared, quickly enough to avoid notice by her teammates nearby. Slowly, noise evened out and she could once again follow the conversation taking place.

"-ounds like you're nearly at the end then," Blake congratulated Ruby with a smile. "You'll have to tell Violet and I what you really thought of it once you're done. I'm sure she'd love to hear it~ We both would."

Violet let her hand fall from where it had been twitching at her side, aching in its desire to massage her temple after the brief headache. She nodded her agreement, catching the last bit that Blake had said, "Yeah, Little Red. Honest to God truth and nothing less~"

Ruby smiled meekly, "It might take me a little while. I've been getting Penny caught up on it as well so we can finish reading it together." She frowned, a far off look in her eye, "I don't think she's read many books…"

"What makes you say that?" Yang chipped in curiously.

Ruby shrugged, "She was just so excited. It reminded me of back when you used to read stories to me."

Yang snorted, "Oh no, a Ruby 2.0? Please tell me she doesn't also hide cookies in her pillow case."

Ruby narrowed her eyes, cheeks glowing in embarrassment, "Yaaaang! I haven't done that in forever!"

Violet smirked, "I have found the occasional crumb in my hair after waking up. Almost as if they were falling from somewhere above me…"

"Traitor!" Ruby gasped. "See if I bring any extras for you again!"

"You've never brought me cookies in our dorm, Ruby."

"It's the thought that counts!"

They all shared in a laugh as the ferry arrived, its horn loudly blaring and cutting off conversation for a few seconds. Blake in particular brought her hands up to cover her extra ears, wincing at the deep bellow that echoed across the bay. Yang frowned in concern while Violet turned her attention inward.

'A few times can be ignored, but now…?' She could still feel the gap in her omniscience, the impenetrable barrier that begged to be cracked open, heedless of her own warnings. 'Did I somehow add something to the book that should have been locked away?' Violet had let her omnipotence do the heavy lifting, relying on it to make a thrilling story summarizing her many lives up until that point.

'Every time they mention… S-' Violet's head swam once more, and she immediately gave up on trying to recall the bits and pieces of the name they had used. 'That happens…'

It was disconcerting, to say the least.

"Maybe I'll take a crack at it once you're done with it, Rubes."

"No," Violet blurted out the word before she could think.

The three other members of her team paused in surprise, ranging from confusion, to shock, and a small bit of hurt in Yang's eyes.

Violet regained her composure, raising a hand to rub it against the back of her neck while sparing the blond an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just don't know if it's really your speed, Yang."

Yang let out a tentative laugh, "Can't be worse than the book Blake's got me reading now. Knitting, can you believe it?"

Violet smirked, "Did you offer to keep a ball of yarn on hand instead?"

"You know me so well~"

Violet laughed, hiding her own misgivings. She couldn't think of any other reason to deny Yang's desires. 'The less people that read it, the better. I don't need to be zoning out all the time due to sudden and inexplicable migraines because of a silly name…'

Violet let her laugh die out and rubbed a hand against her forearm, allowing some of her discomfort to show. She caught Yang's attention again, then waited for the others to notice as well, "You can be the last one. I don't really want to share it with too many people…"

"It's written really well though, Violet. You shouldn't doubt yourself too much…" Blake spoke comfortingly. When she saw Ruby and Yang's confused glances, and Violet's apparent unwillingness to reveal the truth, Blake smiled dotingly, "Violet is the one that wrote it, Ruby. I don't think she wants to draw a lot of attention to it."

Ruby's eyes widened, staring at Violet with newfound awe clearly visible due to the way her jaw had dropped, "You wrote it!? But it's so good!"

Violet smirked, "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Ruby."

Ruby's cheeks grew to a deep crimson while she shook her head frantically, "No, I just mean-... well…" the small reaper struggled to put her words together while Violet stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "G-Good job!" She breathed a sigh of relief, looking as if avoiding insulting Violet had been tantamount to running a marathon. "It's really good so far!"

"Now I definitely want to read it," Yang chipped in.

'I guess I'll have to make due…'

Violet sighed, "Alright. But just you three." At a guilty look from Ruby, she amended her statement, "You three and Penny. That's it. I'm not ready for a wider audience."

Yang raised a hand to her temple in a half-assed salute, "Aye aye, Captain! I'll treasure it more than my favorite hairbrush once it's in my hands."

"See that you do," Violet smiled lightly, knowing that Yang would do her best to keep it away from prying eyes. "My life is on the line, here."

Blake scoffed, "Well now you're just being dramatic."

Violet's smile grew, "Would you expect anything less from a budding author?"

'As long as it doesn't fall into someone's hands that knows about the real 'Goddess', then I should be in the clear…'

"Penny, would you mind giving us a status report?" James asked from off to Ozpin's left side, standing rigid despite the presence of a chair only a few feet away from him. Ozpin would have sighed at that fact in years prior. Now, he was used to the man's boundless stoicism.

The odd girl, Penny, sat across from them, patting down her skirt repeatedly as if trying to work out every single wrinkle in the cloth itself. Upon being spoken to directly, she stopped in the middle of her motions and raised her eyes dutifully to the two elders across from her.

"Of course, Sir!" Penny saluted with a grin, "Things are going well with Violet as my charge. She has agreed to allow me to stay by her side at all times, and I believe we are even close to becoming friends!"

"That's good to hear, Penny," James stated plainly, though Ozpin had known him long enough to notice the smaller glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "And the rest of team Vibrant and Siren?"

"Oh, they've been most welcoming!" Penny positively beamed, clasping her hands together while a nearly unnatural light flashed behind her eyes. "We went to the movies!"

'And during that time, Miss Regalia slipped away to be met by one of our enemies,' Ozpin mused, though he hardly held it against the girl to not have been watchful at the time. From what James had said, she was only a couple of years old after all.

It seemed that James didn't quite share the same level of compassion, "And while you were watching the movie, where was Violet?"

Penny's excitement was cut cleanly, as if a knife had done the gruesome task with unparalleled efficiency. She quelled in her chair, hands falling to clasp between her knees as her eyes fell to the floor, "Violet was out of my sight…"

"And now?"

Penny slumped further, "S-She said that I couldn't come with them today. But," she raised up slightly, some small sliver of her courage returning in the face of her direct superior's ire, "Violet's whole team is with her, and they went to go see Qrow! He's an accomplished Huntsman, isn't he? She should be safe!"

"Indeed he is," Ozpin cut James off before he could berate the girl any further. The other man turned to level an unamused eye on Ozpin, but was cut off again by the buzz of his scroll before he could speak.

"Yes?" James spoke, clearly reigning in his frustration.

"The Mantas are loaded and ready to head out, Sir. They're merely awaiting your final approval."

"Thank you, Winter," James replied smoothly. "I'll be there shortly." He closed his scroll with a click and returned it to his pocket, eyeing both Ozpin and Penny for a moment, "If you wouldn't mind finishing up here, Oz?"

Ozpin smiled, gesturing with his hand towards the elevator, "By all means, James. I'm sure my years of experience will allow me to handle this child easily enough."

James nodded, some of the previous tension deflating as he accepted Ozpin's mild chastising tone, "I'll return in time to test the Maiden." He stepped towards the elevator, but hesitated for a moment next to the young girl. James raised a hand and laid it gently on her shoulder, "You did well, Penny. I'm proud of you."

Penny's eyes raised, some of her earlier excitement returning as James nodded and made his leave. Ozpin waited until the elevator doors had closed behind him before leveling a bemused smile in Penny's direction.

"So, Miss Polendina. What else have you been doing in your time with my students? Anything fun?"

Penny's eyes brightened once more, and she bounced momentarily in her chair before replying, "Oh yes! We've played board games, and listened to music, and Ruby's been reading this really great book to me!"

"Oh?" Ozpin was glad to see how quickly she had recovered, and decided to indulge the child further, "Is it something I might consider reading myself?"

"Definitely. It's about a Goddess that creates a bunch of worlds to have fun in, but she keeps running into trouble while trying to keep her friends safe and has to make a whole bunch of tough decisions in the process! It's really heartwarming!"

Ozpin's breath caught, his mind jumbling into a mess of sparking circuits and crossed wires. His eyes darted about as if searching his own head space for the words required to continue the conversation at hand. For a few seconds, he came up blank. Finally, after what seemed a torturous amount of time, he managed to let out a strangled, "You… you don't say…?"

"Yup! Sounds good, doesn't it!? Ruby and I are almost done with it already!"

Ozpin coughed into his hand, trying to clear his mind as much as possible, "By chance… When you get the opportunity... could you bring me that book, Miss Polendina? I, uh… would love to borrow it as well."

Penny nodded happily, "Sure! I'll just ask Violet and-"

"A-Actually, perhaps we could keep this just between the two of us? Consider it… our little secret," Ozpin could feel a nervous sweat building on his forehead and along the hem of his coat, but refused to acknowledge it if only to avoid drawing attention.

Penny frowned, bringing a finger up to her chin in thought, "Is that an order?"

"Y-Yes, Penny. That's an order. Don't take it until you and Miss Rose have finished it. I don't want its disappearance to be too apparent. But… the sooner the better."

Penny thought on it for only a few more moments before giving a sharp nod, "Of course, Headmaster! General Ironwood has made it clear that I should follow your orders just like his. Consider it done!"

Ozpin breathed out a quiet sigh of relief, hiding it behind his mug in two shaking hands. 'Could it be the source of Violet's unnatural knowledge? A gift given to her by the Goddess herself? Or maybe…' He stewed over the possibilities, a dark cloud passing over his mind due to the thoughts that refused to leave him. 'Is she…? No… she couldn't be…'

And yet...

"Remember, Penny. The earliest opportunity…"

Holy hell it's been 4 months. Time passes by so damn fast. Sorry for the wait, but I'll be trying to return to a more regular update schedule. Hopefully I'll be able to crack out the next chapter and have it posted on Tuesday. I'm gunning for this and Black Lotus to return to some semblance of normalcy.

Thank you for your patience, and as always, thank you for reading,

- Sybaen