Headmaster Ozpin sat within his office high atop Beacon Tower, his very own seat of power within Vale, tirelessly working through a recent batch of student transcripts from the neighbouring factions and comparing their data with those from his own Academy. With the Vytal festival mere days away, the papers themselves had already been processed by various members of staff, yet with the recent events ongoing Ozpin had decided it best to reassess the student's files in order to search for any... suspicious students.

None of them stood out to him. Everything seemed perfectly fine.

It was infuriating.

Salem was planning something. That much had been laid out very clearly when she sent one of her own to attack the Fall Maiden, Amber. Qrow, whom had arrived on the scene and had witnessed the assailant using a form of buglike grimm in order to harvest Amber's power. Such a thing had immediately pegged Salem as the mastermind behind the attack. Anything involving the grimm acting in an unusual manner ultimately indicated Salem's involvement in some manner.

And yet, through his sudden arrival on the scene and his own quick thinking, Qrow had prevented the assailant from fully harvesting Amber's power.

Ozpin knew, without a doubt, that Salem would most certainly not be satisfied with one of her pawns only having a mere fraction of a Maiden's power. His adversary would demand nothing less than perfection. He also doubted that anyone both corrupt and ambitious enough to work under Salem would be able to accept only a mere portion of the Fall Maiden's power alone.

Were it not for James Ironwood's impressive technological advances, Ozpin believed Amber would have been long dead by now. State-of-the-art Atlesian medical technology was keeping her in a state of suspended animation until such a time came where they were able to either develop a counter to improve Amber's condition or apprehend her assailant and remove her stolen power forcefully.

Even now, she slept, deep underneath Beacon Academy. Almost directly underneath his very own office in fact. A morbid part of him wondered exactly how the girl's mind was processing everything. The power of a Maiden connected to a user's aura. Their very soul. To have such a thing ripped apart and stolen was easily the most barbaric and cruel assault Ozpin had ever heard of.

Amber had experienced a tough life. Gaining the Fall Maiden's powers had only made things tougher for the poor girl. He had done everything he could to train her, yet she was a fierce spirit and had been distrusting of authority figures from the very beginning. Despite these setbacks, she had learnt and trained from her hardships, emerging a capable and strong woman. Ozpin had been content in knowing that she would be safe, for the most part.

Queen takes pawn.

He sighed bitterly, taking a moment to sip from his nearly depleted cup of hot cocoa.

It would do little to dwell on the road not taken. He needed to focus his thoughts on the future of all people. Of all the people living in the world of Remnant, he knew this fact all too well.

The elevator dinged suddenly, drawing his attention away from his wayward thoughts. He levelled a tired glance at the sight of Glynda Goodwitch, knowing exactly why she had decided to visit him at a time when most would be asleep with their rooms.

He had witnessed a similar expression on her face several nights ago, following his interrogation of one Ruby Rose after an incident in downtown Vale.

"...Glynda. I see you've been informed of the newcomer we have in our halls." he drawled, reshuffling the student transcripts on his desk. "Cocoa?"

The blonde deputy headmistress shook her head at the offer for a drink. It was clear she wasn't here for a social visit. "It is hard not to hear of her. Many of the students in my final class this afternoon were speaking of a new girl walking hand-in-hand with Ruby Rose of all people."

Ozpin chuckled slightly at the mention of that particular event. Ah. To be young again. With the strange girl's mindset as… warped as he had been led to believe, Ozpin wasn't entirely certain if there had been any romantic intent held within the rather intimate gesture. But considering how aflame the young Miss Rose's face had been at the mere mention of such, it was clear that Ruby had believed it to be an affectionate notion; one she was blatantly under-prepared for. Summer had been much the same in her younger years.

Truly, the girl was exactly the same as her mother. A carbon copy, down to her very appearance and reactions. Why, he could easily remember Summer's face whenever somebody would attempt to flirt with her. She would turn this impressive shade of fire-engine red. The young Miss Rose had been much the same with Kirakishou during his conversation with the duo.

"It is true, Glynda. Though I doubt you've come to speak with me in the dead of night about young love, of all things."

Ah. Damn, there it was. The infamous Glynda Glare. How long had it been since he'd experienced it? A week, perhaps? Maybe two weeks? Ideally, Ozpin had been hoping to go the month without agitating the deputy headmistress, yet certain events had complicated things. Barty would be insufferable once he heard of this. He should never have taken that stupid bet in the first place.

"...You know exactly why I'm here." she grated out. "Why in the world would you consider adding a new student right before the Vytal Festival? This is the busiest time of the year, academically speaking, and the introduction of a single student will throw off the team balancing."

He levelled a small smile her way, sipping contently from his mug. "She's not a student, Glynda."

"What?"

"She's not a student." he repeated. "Not here. Not anywhere. Kirakishou isn't anybody, technically speaking. Her name doesn't appear in the citizenship records for any of the major cities, nor has Qrow heard of her before. Which leaves one of the smaller towns outside my reach. Even then, her face has never been seen, nor captured on any camera in the city prior to her sudden appearance this afternoon."

Progressively throughout his impromptu information disclosure, he'd been watching as Glynda's eyes widened at his words. With good reason, as well. In this day and age, in partial thanks to the recent technological advancements, it was borderline unheard of for anybody to be a complete unknown to any major government system. There had always been a trail of some kind for those with the right know-how to follow. In the very least, those who attempted to hide their identity would never suddenly change their mind and appear during a major event like the Vytal festival- unless something had changed to force them into such an action.

Kirakishou's apparent falling out with her sisters and that 'Jun' fellow she had mentioned in their prior discussion had likely been the cause for this sudden emotional collapse. The event had warped her mentally and twisted her into the sorry state she was in. In response, she had latched on to Ruby after the girl had shown her a kindness. Ruby, the poor innocent soul that she was, had accepted the situation with open arms.

"...Then," Glynda began to ask before pausing as if choosing her words. "If this girl isn't an academy student here early for the Vytal festival nor does she have any manner of identification -as impossible as that is to believe-, why is she here exactly?" she questioned, putting her hands on her hips.

Ozpin chuckled lightly, drawing another glare from the deputy headmistress. He'd been trying to figure out that particular question for the better part of an afternoon and likely still would have been mulling over the information at his disposal, were it not for these damnable student transcripts.

"I believe she was sent here by someone."

Just like that, all of the conflict that had been brewing from the irate deputy headmistress faded, replaced with a stern concern for her students.

"...I see."

Ozpin understood the wording for what it was. He continued. "Moreso, it appears that Kirakishou isn't aware of her purpose here, nor is she aware of how exactly she arrived. She was either unconscious for the most of her transport, drugged, or the memories have been erased in some manner. I haven't been able to determine exactly which is true, at the current moment. Hopefully, in time the truth shall reveal itself."

The blonde hummed thoughtfully at his words, pacing back and forth as she contemplated the information presented to her.

"Do you suspect that this girl is part of... her faction?"

Ozpin gave a noncommittal shrug in response. "There is no way of telling at this stage." he answered lowly, gazing into the distance. "With the Vytal festival just down the road, there's a certain possibility of Kirakishou's involvement that I cannot ignore. I have Qrow looking into her faction at the current time and he is expected to report back soon enough. Until then, we cannot rule out that Kirakishou may be involved with this." he paused a moment, then sighed. "Which, conversely, means we also cannot rule out the possibility that she may have been sent by a third party."

It had been an idea that had been weighing heavily in his mind as of late. His quarrels with Salem aside, there were still other forces out there, waiting for the precise moment to strike. The White Fang, for instance, had arisen ever-so-slowly and his responses to their actions had been rather delayed as he'd been too preoccupied dealing with Salem's endless schemes.

If a third, outside party were to exist outside his gaze and were responsible for Kirakishou's sudden arrival in Vale, then it would be in the best interests of all involved for him to get to the bottom of this as quick as he could. As his past had shown, it required a particularly traumatic life to create an existence even slightly similar to the one Kirakishou possessed. Using her experience as a base, it was clear that if such a third party existed, they would stoop to something as low as utilising impressionable children for their goals.

He sincerely doubted that their intentions were honourable, if that was the case.

Considering the rapidly paling appearance of Glynda Goodwitch, she too understood the grave ramifications were his musings to be proved correct.

"You're suggesting the possibility that there is another organisation that possesses a vested interest in the Vytal festival. One that arranged for this girl to arrive. One possessing enough foresight to cover their tracks to such a degree as to erase a girl's identity across all known government sources." she summarised, earning a curt nod from the headmaster. "...I do not like this, Ozpin. First the Fall Maiden is attacked, a silver-eyed girl is inducted into the academy; Summer's own daughter no less and now an unknown girl arrives with no identity- one who is apparently sleeping comfortably in Beacon's dorm rooms as we speak."

She levelled a tired glare his direction. "I do not even know where to begin."

Ouch. Two Glynda Glares in a single day. He silently wondered if Barty would demand a higher payment for the bet, now.

He sipped his hot cocoa. The last of his hot cocoa, unfortunately.

"We do have some form of a trail to follow, thankfully. Tell me, are you aware of where exactly Kirakishou was found by Team RWBY this afternoon?"

Glynda shook her head.

"...It was at the Vale docks, just downtown. Apparently, the young girl was suspected acting as a stowaway on one of the food transport ships from Vacuo. She had been found within one of the cargo crates on board. Common enough occurrence these days, why the team leader of team SSSN of Haven Academy had also stowed away on that same ship, though when questioned he appeared to possess no knowledge of Kirakishou herself. However, the VPD associates sent to investigate the scene were later led to believe the girl had been placed there not of her own volition. Human trafficking, essentially. Albeit with only a single passenger."

The deputy headmistress frowned heavily. "...I see. And, considering that the ship manifest logs all incoming and outgoing cargo, you're hoping to investigate the manifest and see if that can lead you to the perpetrators, whether they're her faction, human traffickers or others with a more… ulterior motive."

He smiled her way. "Precisely. I have contacted port authorities in Vacuo and they're inspecting the outgoing manifest for the ship itself, along with Vale's port authorities to double-check for any inconsistencies. It's only a matter of time until they find something of use."

The blonde teacher nodded slowly. "...And until such a time arrives where they can uncover whatever it is you're searching for, what exactly did you have in mind for her? We can't exactly allow a potential threat to simply stay at Beacon Academy during the Vytal festival. If she's-"

"That's exactly what I'm going to be doing, Glynda." he cut in forcefully, cutting off her rant immediately.

Her eyes narrowed. "But the students will-"

"-Be fine." he answered before she could finish. "I have spoken with both Kirakishou and Miss Rose regarding the matter and, for all intents and purposes, I can see that it would be in our best interests to keep the two girls close together. Ruby has, through her… unique form of charisma, bonded rather tightly with her. Separating the two would only cause undue strife."

Glynda, sharp-witted as she was, immediately saw through his words. The disproving frown on her face was as plain as day. "...You're intending to use their friendship to mine this… Kira-girl for information."

There was no point in denying it.
He gave a curt nod.
If anything, that only served to make Glynda's frown grow.

Privately, he was glad he hadn't made a bet on Glynda's constant frowns. Although he knew none would take the bet. It was a fool's bet, through and through.

Ruby's scroll buzzed softly near her countertop; thankfully kept silent as to keep the sleeping heiress, well, asleep. She, most certainly, did not want to be the cause of waking up Weiss early in the morning after she had gone to bed so utterly late after all of the chaos that had occurred yesterday.

Yang was snoring up a storm, as was usual. It had taken her blonde sister a tad longer to fall asleep, but she'd eventually succumbed. Ruby knew her sister- she was a heavy sleeper, especially in comparison to the heiress. It would take a lot to wake her up. Especially on a weekend.

Which left only little Ruby.

She yawned, stretching about in order to ease the tension that had been building in her body. If she were being honest with herself, it would be just about time for her to get up and start the day. But every time she tried, she kept replaying the events of Weiss and Blake's fight over and over in her mind.

There had simply been too many revelations yesterday and she was having trouble dealing with it all, even after a surprisingly restful sleep the previous night.

But at least some good had come from yesterday's events. It had seemed like Jaune's team had finally realised he was having a bit of a bullying problem and they'd probably be able to sort it out. They had Pyrrha freaking Nikos on the team, for Oum's sake. That girl could crush Cardin Winchester's team in her sleep, probably.

Kirakishou had been a welcome surprise, as well. She was so… bizarre, yet Ruby couldn't help but be reminded of her own first day in Signal Academy. Everyone had thought she was a weird kid and had given her a lot of space, but she'd eventually found some people she had been proud to call 'friends'. Even through the whole idea had been set up by Uncle Qrow. But still!

….She didn't want to think about it.

Ruby was glad to have met Kira. Even if it had been a weird circumstance without any outside interference. With Kira staying at Beacon until Headmaster Ozpin did… whatever it was he was planning to do with her, she was essentially a new student. Though Ruby wasn't entirely sure if she had to attend classes… or was even a huntress-in-training at all. She had a semblance, though; those weird white vine things, so Kira probably was a trainee.

She yawned as she got up, following her daily early-morning routine. Get clothes. Get to bathroom before Yang. Bask in the bliss that is a scolding hot shower. Dry. Change into clothes. Brush teeth. It was an endless cycle and borderline automatic for the young Rose nowadays. One of the few things that Ruby didn't have to worry about.

Everything else was all such a weird mess right now. Blake was missing. Weiss was Weiss. Yang would be fretting constantly. Plus she had all these… well, thoughts about someone. About a girl. She didn't know if she even leaned that way, but with the feelings she was feeling just after a simple introduction… Ruby knew she shouldn't be thinking such things about someone she had just met. Especially someone who had clearly just recently been through something dramatic, but she couldn't help herself.

Nothing made sense anymore. Which, oddly enough, was becoming the norm around Beacon Academy these days. She wondered if it had something to do with growing up. The whole world changing around you, or something. Ruby couldn't help but question what her parents had to deal with when they were growing up. If it was anything like what she was dealing with, it was a wonder they- it was a wonder dad was so… well-adjusted.

That was it! She needed to adjust! After all, she was the leader of team RWBY. If she couldn't adjust to the constant madness of academy life as a social introvert, then what kind of team leader would she be? Certainly not a very good one!

With that she needed to-

Her scroll buzzed again. Oh! She'd forgotten that she'd gotten a notification before. Oum. She hoped it wasn't anything important. She scrambled for the small device, carefully tiptoeing around the slumbering Schnee heiress and departing as quietly as she could.

06:58 NEW MESSAGE
Headmaster Ozpin; Goodmorning, Miss Rose. For the time being, your friend Kirakishou shall be staying with Beacon Academy's wall, until such a time comes until we're able to discover her origins. I have thought the matter over intently and decided it would be for the best if Kirakishou stayed with someone she was comfortable with during her time here. She shall attend classes and learn what it means to be a Huntress.

Ruby blinked at the odd text, a little surprised to actually see one that was written properly. Along with more than a little uncomfortable that the headmaster of Beacon freaking Academy was texting her private scroll on a Sunday morning. But regardless she could understand where the headmaster was coming from. She was (her cheeks coloured a the thought) rather... close with Kirakishou and it seemed that the blonde had put her faith in Ruby.

07:08 NEW MESSAGE

Headmaster Ozpin; As such, I have attached a copy of her student transcript to this message, as it appears Kirakishou is without a scroll at the current time and, I believe, it would be best for a friend to hand her the information and assist her with the learning process. I have utmost faith that you are up to the task, Miss Rose. We do not, as of this date, know of her academic background. Whilst she is not a student per-say, her compliance with the student curriculum will be expected. If you find that Kirakishou is struggling with the tasks assigned to her, please notify a staff member immediately.

Attached was, as the headmaster had stated, Kirakishou's course transcript; detailing the various classes she would be attending each day throughout the week.

It was identical to hers. Exact classes at the exact time. Were it not for Kira's name printed at the transcript, the young huntress-in-training would have thought she was staring at her own transcript.

Part of her mind was leaping for joy at the idea of getting to spend some quality bonding time with a girl that she could get along with easily. Quite often, as well, considering their schedules were so alike. But the rest of her was wondering if she truly was up to the task. She'd never really… consoled someone, outside of her sister of course. With Kira, she kinda just said what sounded right to her and it kinda just worked out. Somehow. She'd been thinking of what her mother would say to her to calm her down as a kid, when she had been scared of storms.

She didn't know if she could keep doing that with Kira. Ruby felt that, eventually, she'd end up bumbling with her words and ruining everything. Especially right now, with everything that was going on with Blake and Weiss. Ah! There was so much to do. Once Monday arrived they'd be back in class early morning and Ruby was wondering if they'd even find Blake in time, let alone convince her to come back in time for class. If the Headmaster had noticed immediately, she'd imagine that the other teachers would catch on quickly.

Even if she had used to be some kind of evil ninja, or whatever it was the White Fang were. Ruby somehow doubted Blake still was with them. Weren't they sworn enemies of the Schnee Dust Company or something? Sure, Blake was a little snarky with the heiress on the first day they'd arrived, but she'd been rather tame after that. There hadn't been any fights or anything.

Oh! Is it alright to use the word 'tame'? Or is that racist or something? Ah! So many questions!

She shook her head. There were too many things to focus on at the moment and none of them could be fixed if she just stood there bumbling around like an idiot. Weiss would berate her endlessly about it and she'd be extra crabby this morning. Noooo thank you!

With that she-

Huh. There was a pretty large group of people here. In the hallway. At seven in the morning on a Sunday. It was just her luck, too, that they were crowded near Kirakishou's room. Ugh. It was still early enough that a few of them were still wearing their pyjamas and were pretty sleepy by the looks of things. But most of them were chatting about something strange that was ahead.

Worry for her new friend surged through her tiny body. She pushed through the crowd of people with all the force of a valiant team leader on a mission. Well, less pushed more so awkwardly shuffled though, but still! It counted.

...She could see why exactly there was a small crowd amassing around Kira's room. Vines appeared to be growing from underneath the door itself, needle thin vines the colour of ash that seemed to burrow into the floor below. Some had crept up the walls on either side, appearing similar to pale, eerie veins.

It was uncanny as all hell, to say the least.

She cursed her damnable Rose luck when the precise moment she had pushed her way to the front of the crowd was of course the very same moment that the door to Kira's room opened.