Author's Notes: So, I guess I was on a roll. Lol. But this is gonna be the last one for a hot second.

Music Choices: Bird Song by Juniper Vale

Eclipse

Chapter 15

The Dangerous Art of Punching Upwards

Professor Arc rode with Raven back to Beacon, sitting across from her in the bullhead's passenger bay. After some of her flippancy had worn off, Raven felt her anxiety mounting once again. She had done not only what she had set out 'not' to do, she had fucked up on multiple fronts; and it was barely the second week of the semester.

Arc was now aware of her and Qrow's skinchanger status, despite her family's multiple warnings to keep her abilities a secret. Ozpin, whom Raven had suspected had known about herself and her brother's status as free people all along, was confirmed to be aware of such; however, Raven was not certain that he knew about their magic abilities. She glanced at the small blonde titan across from her, trying to deduce if it was worth the risk to ask if she keep that aspect a secret.

"Professor?" Raven started, her voice barely rising above the hum of the bullhead.

Professor Arc glanced up from her viewscreen and met her stare evenly.

Time to live a little dangerously…

"Is there a…chance that certain things could be withheld from Ozpin?"

"Certain things?" Arc echoed coolly.

"Certain feathery things," Raven continued.

Arc cocked a brow at her.

"You don't want him to know about your abilities?"

A moment passed.

"No. I don't."

If he doesn't already…gods, mom is going to kill me.

"May I ask why?" Arc asked calmly.

"Because I don't trust him," Raven answered flatly.

Professor Arc did not seem surprised by this revelation; she sighed through her nose, unfolding her arms as she leaned forward.

"I see. And this distrust is based upon your family's perceptions of him? Or something else?"

Raven absorbed the question, trying to find a way to explain herself without giving away more than she already had.

"It's. Complicated."

The Professor waited for her to continue, but Raven was caught, her instincts warring with her mind.

"Raven," Arc started with uncharacteristic gentleness. "There isn't much I can do to help you if you can't be honest with me. I know that asking you to trust me is a …difficult thing. Especially considering your history with authority figures."

Raven opened her mouth to protest, a reflex more than anything else.

"And that mistrust is valid," Arc continued.

Raven blinked.

"It is. I know that it is," Arc gestured to the view of Vale out the window. "I know that there is a severe amount of terrible injustice in the world. I know that a lot of it comes from the hands of the people who are supposed to protect the vulnerable, and not exploit them. I have seen it my entire life. I have experienced it firsthand, when I was just a scrappy little girl on the streets of Vacuo. So, I do know."

Raven stared at the woman across from her, her throat growing tight.

"I saw all these people failing to uphold the promises they made. I saw the corruption, the hate, the guilt…the shame. But I also saw the people who, in the face of all that rottenness, did their best. Who stood up to the bullshit, and fought for change. They were never very popular, but they were real and gods, did I want to be like them."

Raven glanced away, her eyes burning. She watched the scenery passing below.

"The world does not belong to people like Regalia. It doesn't belong to the traffickers, baiters, or Settlements that enable them. It does not belong to the Grimm. It has, and always will, belong to the people who strive to punch upwards, and not down."

Raven made herself look away from the window. Her arm and chest still hurt, but less so.

"And which way does Ozpin punch, do you think?" Raven asked.

"To be honest? That is something I'm still trying to figure out for myself," Professor tipped her chin. "I do know, though, that he bears a responsibility that no one in their right mind would envy. However, I recognize why it is hard to trust him. He doesn't make it very easy."

Raven hesitated, her good hand messing with the feathers on her hip. She had been surprised that Regalia knew the significance of them; it meant that the King's Service was either studying the cultures of the free people, or they were dragging that information out of their 'unauthorized' captives.

Something has to be done about that. We have to get our people out of there.

"I don't…," Raven paused, swallowing. "I don't want Ozpin to know about my abilities, because I believe he will attempt to control them. I believe, and so do many others, that he does not like magic users who do not directly benefit him; because they are a threat to his power."

Professor Arc leaned back, frowning pensively. It was nearly a minute before she spoke again.

"I can see how it could look that way from the outside," Arc nodded after a moment. "The…group that we belong to works to protect particularly powerful magic users from an outside influence that would do that exact thing."

"You mean the witch?" Raven drawled.

It was now Arc's turn to look surprised.

"Yes. How much do you know about that?"

"I know that she's the source of the corruption, whatever that means," Raven fought to keep from fidgeting. "And I know that the warlock is trying to oppose her, but really he's just making her job easier."

"You've been talking to Set, I see," Arc sighed, rubbing her brow.

Raven frowned, feeling a little defensive. It's not like she sought the guy out or something; he was a magical cat man that could manifest in people's dreams and turn into a giant Grimm that couldn't really die.

"Alright," Professor Arc let her hand fall, meeting her eyes. "I won't tell Ozpin about your abilities. It isn't my place to do so, any ways. But I won't lie, Raven. The fact that you have popped up on the King's Service's radar is going to make it difficult to keep that from him."

Fair enough.

"About the fucking King's Service," Raven bristled, changing the subject. "Just who the hell are they? And why do they think they can kidnap people for being skinchangers? That can't actually be on the up and up, can it?"

"It isn't," Arc droned. "Previously, the King's Service came into existence as a response to Witchfingers. The King's of Vale are not…fond of Witchfingers, as you might guess, considering their history. So, the Service was created to keep an eye on the King's assets and to protect the royal family at all costs while maintaining a guise of secrecy. They've branched out over the past century and have been working with other taskforces across Remnant. However, within the last decade or so, the existence of skinchangers was revealed to the current King. And he has made it his mission to 'recruit' them, by any means."

"He's abducting them from the tribes of Saunus," Raven growled. "He is trying to steal children from their families and turn them into his personal slave soldiers! Why is nobody doing anything about this?!"

"We've been trying, actually, but it is devilishly complicated," Arc grimaced. "Considering skinchangers don't officially exist, it would be like accusing the King of gang-pressing ghosts into being his personal butlers – no one with the means to check him directly believes in skinchangers. And we have to be careful just whom we inform of their existence, because of who they could be working for. If she found out there was a squad of soldier skinchangers with access to the royal family and government secrets, it would be a catastrophe for Vale and Remnant as a whole."

Raven glared, her hands balling into fists.

"So we do nothing and let them keep at it? Because of the 'greater good' and all that bullshit?"

"Of course not," Arc smiled brightly. "We're just going to have to get help from people who are not bound up by playing by his rules. The laws of the Kingdom are supposed to protect and serve the people, and currently, the laws are failing to do so. So, as servants of the people, we are honor bound to break them."

Raven paused, the gears turning as she realized what Arc was suggesting; her mouth pulled into a devious smile.

"I want you to contact your mother once we get back; and to arrange a meeting where we can discuss these factors."

Raven smirked, playing with the Nevermore feathers.

"I think I can manage that."

…

Raven finally arrived at the dorm room, after swinging by medical to get more aura boosters, pain killers and a scolding from Amosa. The school nurse had fortunately not asked her many questions, though he had been presented by a heap of Vacuoan chow as a peace offering; Arc had been benevolent enough to bequeath Raven with several Styrofoam boxes full, though how she had acquired it was a bit of a mystery.

When Raven opened the door to their room with her good hand, she had been promptly accosted by her teammates and pulled inside to be inspected. Summer had begun interrogating her about the fight and fussing over her injuries, while Taiyang began ranting about the outrageous behavior of so called police officers. Qrow was the only one to keep his cool, though part of that was due to him babysitting the squad of Macmillan kids, whom he had made a box fort for in the corner of the room. The kids seemed utterly shocked that Raven had faced off against the falcon woman and not disappeared herself.

"I love you, and I am so very friggin pissed this happened," Summer kept muttering as she checked Raven over for the tenth time.

"You've said," Raven sighed. Summer's ears were flat against her head. Raven did not like upsetting them like this; but she also didn't know how to really fix it.

"How the fuck is a cop going to pull shit like this!" Taiyang raged, pacing anxiously. "They didn't identify themselves, they acted so irresponsibly, they HURT people-"

"Cops do shit like this all the time, bro," Qrow drawled from the floor. He had a box of crayons out and was helping Maisy and her brothers decorate the boxes. Ingrid was the only one not participating and was watching Raven and Summer calculatingly.

"What- not like this!?" Taiyang spun. "I have family that are cops, and they would never do something like that-"

"Tai, buddy," Qrow raised his hands. "Then they are the exception. Because most of them? Most are bastards, straight out of bastard-town."

Taiyang scowled.

"That doesn't –"

"They weren't just cops," Raven interrupted to prevent an argument. "They're part of a secret service that works solely for the King. Apparently to counter the threat of the Witchfingers."

Summer met her eyes, distress written across her face. Raven wanted to kiss her.

"How is jumping innocent people related to countering rogue Witchfingers?" Taiyang exclaimed, tossing his hands.

"It isn't," Summer frowned.

Raven glanced around the room, leaning against the wall and trying to relax.

"According to Arc, the King found out about skinchangers and has been using their secrecy against them, by forcefully abducting them as a recruitment scheme," Raven drawled. "And she and Ozpin's gang have had their hands tied in preventing this, because they don't want the wrong people to find out about an elite squad of magical soldiers. Aka, the same people who want to get their hands on the Maidens."

"And the aetheri," Summer murmured, sitting on Raven's bed besides her. She had woven her fingers around Raven's good hand, and her knuckles were white.

"Exactly."

And if the King was willing to gang-press skinchangers, then whose to say he wouldn't also do the same to the aetheri or Maidens if he knew of them?

"Sooo, you told Arc everything after she saved your bacon?" Qrow asked, looking her way.

"Not everything, but a lot. And she agreed to not mention our status to Ozpin. Do you think I shouldn't have?" Raven asked.

"Nah. I think it was the right call, I mean. I told her a good bit while I was freaking out anyways," Qrow scratching his head, handing a crayon to Maizy. "What else did she say?"

"She wants me to set up a meeting with the Morrigan to discuss a rescue mission," Raven replied.

The room fell silent. Raven smiled. Qrow started laughing.

"Ohhh hahahaha! This gonna be great!"

"Dude," Taiyang muttered. "Ok, wait, does she know your mom? Is that a thing?"

Raven shrugged with her good shoulder.

"They probably met when she was either at school, or during their careers. She seemed to know Nwyfre wouldn't be too miffed about the law, anyways, but that's not too hard of a deduction."

Summer's ears had flipped up, her face lighting up.

"And if this works, we can get their parents back!"

The Macmillan half-pints looked up in adorable unison, their faces still a bit red from having baths earlier.

"Really?" chirped Connor. "You think they're alive?"

Raven felt a twinge in her chest; she didn't want to get their hopes up and then not be able to deliver on a promise.

"There's a good chance," Qrow admitted, turning to them kindly. "Getting them back isn't gonna be easy, though, kiddos. There will be a lot of shit that could go wrong. But we're gonna try."

Maisy popped to her feet.

"Castle raid!" she exclaimed, throwing her fists in the air. "Castle raid, castle raid, castle raid!"

Ingrid sighed, shaking her little head.

"Maisy, people can't raid a castle."

"How do you know!?"

"Because they can't!" Ingrid shouted. "It's full of guards, and Dust, and weapons, and our parents are as good as dead!"

The room fell silent again; Ingrid was shaking, and there were tears in her eyes.

"They're gone, Maisy," Ingrid insisted. Her little sister's eyes had widened and teared up as well. "They're gone and aren't coming back. These people just want you to feel better, but it's a lie."

Maisy was shaking her head rapidly, wiping her nose.

"Some things you can't do anything about."

Raven slid off the bed with a little difficulty and stood up. Ingrid glared tearfully at Raven as her siblings sniffled.

"Here," Raven took her sword and swiped. A vortex opened in the middle of the room, the bond responding with immediate warmth. "I want you guys to meet some people."