AN: Well, this update may or may not flow well.
In his office, Beacon Academy's Headmaster waited for his visitor from Haven Academy.
Leonardo had been rather insistent he send his delegation for the Vytal Tournament early, cited enough reasons for Ozpin to at least to agree to see the Huntress he had placed in charge of this advance group, make a decision on whether or not he would allow Haven's students to arrive earlier than either Atlas or Shade would be sending their own.
Already, if he agreed to it, he would place the burden of explaining the situation to Ironwood and Theodore on Lionheart.
She would be here for a meeting any minute.
He briefly turned to the file he had on her, a personnel file from Haven Academy.
Eleanor Tremaine, a stellar graduate from Haven Academy with top marks, a Huntress who had preserved through adversity after her team had perished shortly before their graduation. She had a short career as a Huntress of only six years that had led her back to Haven Academy and a position as Lionheart's Deputy Headmistress for the past three years. A more than capable Huntress in the field, an acceptable replacement anytime one of Haven's Professors need a class to be taught, yet someone he had never had the chance to meet until now.
Qrow had reported on her a few times throughout the years, said she seemed boring, a workaholic who spent most of her time in her office.
His Scroll dinged with an alert, a notification that someone was trying to call the elevator for his office.
He pulled it up on the display on his desk, meeting the amber eyes of the woman staring straight at the camera.
She rose an unamused eyebrow at the sight in front of her.
He opened the doors, the woman stepping onboard and ascending the now unlocked elevator.
As it ascended, he opened another file.
One provided by Qrow Branwen.
Some would call it an invasion of privacy to have not only this report but so many others provided by the Huntsmen, some would call it a lack of trust not to believe everything sent by Lionheart, that he should show some faith in his allies.
He simply called it being cautious, being thorough.
Eleanor Tremaine seemed to be an orphan from her earliest records, no parents on file until she was adopted by a woman in Atlas. A rather cruel one Ozpin hadn't shed a tear for when he had heard she had died a few years ago. Tremaine had been taken away by a Huntsman before his untimely death only a handful of years later. She had eventually entered Haven Academy as a late entry, had seemed to have a truly great drive to not only catch up in the middle of her Second Year but advance quickly to be the top of her year group. From there, the files didn't differ.
Above all else, the woman seemed to excel in whatever position she was placed in.
'What do you have up your sleeve Leo?' He didn't know what to think of her or how Leonardo had gotten her to work for him. Admittedly, he was slightly curious why the woman had gone from such a promising career as a Huntress to working at Haven Academy for the past three years. Her record was rather stellar, similar to someone like Qrow more than it differed, and she hadn't seemed to suffer any major physical or mental injury from the medical reports and psych evaluations he had skimmed over.
His Scroll let out a chime, let him know she was only a few floors away.
He closed the files and turned off his display, chose to meet her at the elevator.
"Professor Tremaine."
"Headmaster Ozpin."
She accepted his extended hand, the two heading back to his desk.
"I have to admit, I'm curious on Lionheart's reasoning for sending Haven's delegation so early. The Vytal Festival is still months away, Amity Coliseum itself won't be here another month at least." Ozpin returned to his seat, brown eyes focused on the woman across from him. "As you no doubt understand, as the host of this year's Vytal Festival, neither Vale nor Beacon can be seen as playing favorites."
"Headmaster Lionheart informed me of everything." Tremaine expanded the tablet in her arms, turning it to face Ozpin. "Lionheart only intends to send four students that will be my responsibility until he arrives with the rest of the students." His Scroll beeped with a message, Ozpin taking a moment to toggle on the display above his desk.
He rose an eyebrow at one of the names.
"Mercury Black?" He turned his focus back to Tremaine. "Marcus Black's son?"
"Yes. As you know, the crimes of the father are not the crimes of the son." Ozpin wasn't blind to the fire that entered Tremaine's amber eyes as she spoke. "Even if that was the case, Mr. Black is my responsibility for the reasons you've no doubt already come to. If it is of any comfort, Mr. Black has performed admirably since his entry into Haven Academy on a trial program. The same can be said for the rest of his team."
"Interesting." Ozpin would look over the files in depth later, once more toggled off the display. "But that alone, while impressive, hasn't convinced me to agree with Lionheart's idea."
"If their early residency is so problematic, allow me to handle it. While I'm responsible for the four of them, my first responsibility is my duties as Haven Academy's representative for the Vytal Festival. Until Lionheart arrives with the rest of the students, I'll be serving in his absence."
"Perhaps that's why Leo sent you here." Ozpin leaned back in his seat, noticed the way Tremaine's eyes sharpened. "Dealing with the Vale Council is hardly pleasant. One of his less admirable qualities is his tendency to take the easy solution in situations like this." He tapped his Scroll, Tremaine's dinging a moment later. "I've given you administrative access, it should help you in dealing with the Council and any request they could possibly make of you. Within reason of course. As for the students, I'll welcome them starting classes but it'll have to be next week."
"Not today or tomorrow?" She rose an eyebrow. "I'm sure I can handle the paperwork."
"That's not the problem and Lionheart seems to have already sent it." Ozpin flipped his display around, allowed her to see the completed digital paperwork. "I'm afraid that Friday's classes have been abruptly cancelled as the Beacon First Years will be busy with a mission into the Emerald Forest. As for today, Thursday's classes have been modified for the First Years, their afternoon block has been replaced with an extended lunch and a double block of Combat Studies under Professor Goodwitch. I'm sure the rest of the faculty will be happy to have them Monday and this will also give them the weekend to familiarize themselves with the grounds."
"If it's such a problem, I'm sure none of my students will be against accompanying their peers into the forest." Tremaine tapped at her tablet, Ozpin going over the information she sent him. "Despite their recent formation, all four have already accomplished a handful of missions under supervision. I'm sure they'll be a helpful addition."
Ozpin took his time reading the information.
She wasn't lying. At Professor Tremaine's suggestion, as stated in their file, they had entered a fast-track program from the more questionable backgrounds of three of its four members that had seen them formed before Haven's semester officially began. Team TIME had a stellar track record for the few missions they had undertaken. The reports from both the Huntsmen supervising them and the clients had reported that the Team, despite it's only few weeks of existence, had performed above what was expected of them. While their personalities clashed, they performed exceptionally well as a unit and as individuals.
"I'm afraid I'll have to refuse." Ozpin hadn't truly bothered to consider the option.
He had balanced the trip already, set the optimum conditions to draw out the Geist, test his hypothesis concerning Ruby Rose and her eyes.
He didn't have the time nor did he have the desire to restructure the groups, to factor in four unknowns into his experiment.
"Hmm." Tremaine didn't seem very surprised, amber eyes that seemed to glow met brown. "Are you up to something Headmaster Ozpin?"
"Nothing more than usual." Ozpin returned to his work. "I take it Leo had much to say about me?"
"He's had a number of stories over the years." Tremaine collapsed her Scroll, slipped it away. "I'm finding them rather accurate at the moment."
Around thirty minutes later, Tremaine had made her exit from his office, headed off to observe a few of the First Year classes as a compromise over his refusal to allow Team TIME to participate in tomorrow's mission. He had already sent out a word of warning to the rest of the faculty.
His eyes focused on the closed doors of the elevator longer than they should.
'Just what is your game here Eleanor?' He didn't have much to go on but something about the woman simply seemed off. He pulled up her record once more, observed both the file sent by Leonardo and Qrow more in depth.
He dismissed it a few minutes later. He gained no new information and didn't have the time to waste. He had a meeting with the Vale Council in the next hour and would need to be ready to field calls from both James and Theodore over his early acceptance of the Haven students.
For now, he had little choice but to let things develop as they would.
Although, he would be keeping an eye on Professor Tremaine.
There was something off about that woman.