Emerald tapped her foot impatiently against the concrete, waiting for fucking Roman fucking Torchwick to finally show up to his own damn meeting. She had been stood in this horrid White Fang bunker loaded to the brim with extremists and explosives this way and that for the past two hours.
It's like that man was tailor made to piss me off. Eugh. He's probably in the corner giggling at our dismay or some bullshit like that. Wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination.
Cinder was pissed. Mercury was becoming more and more of a nuisance to deal with. The leader of the Eastern branch of the White Fang himself was beginning to growl in agitation and Emerald was not at all ready for another fight with the irate bull faunus. She just wanted to go back to her damn apartment and bathe for atleast an hour. Hopefully by then she'd wash the stank off her.
Hopefully.
She just knew that if she raised a fuss about all of it, Torchwick would make some thinly veiled pun at being fashionably late.
Damn that man. Damn that man and his… actually, if he wasn't such a jerk she'd be quite tempted to ask where he picked up that particular shade of-
No. It wasn't worth thinking about. Everything involving that man seemed to cause her no number of headaches. Even moreso than Mercury at times.
"Apologies for the delay."
Torchwick strolled in, looking none too pleased with the situation so far. His outfit was a tad dishevelled and his hair could use a brush. There was a young girl walking beside him in a colourful little outfit that vaguely reminded her of a certain brand of ice cream. Small little thing.
Eyes of a killer, though. Probably hired help of some kind. Not someone to be taken lightly, considering the malevolent smile curling up on her lips.
At least we can finally get this show on the road.
"You're late." the White Fang leader called out, his voice barely above a snarl.
No wonder why, really. Poor bastard must loathe working with humans. To be forced to wait for one in his own damn compound for so long must suck.
"Our mutual friend here does make a fine point." Cinder readily agreed, a false smile on her beautiful face that sent pleasant shivers down Emerald's spine. This could turn ugly. "You are quite late, Roman. This meeting was scheduled for several hours ago. Whatever was the problem? As you are aware, this is not the time for dawdling. We cannot afford any further complications on your part."
Torchwick's eyebrow twitched in agitation, the hand holding his cane gripping the weapon far tighter than before.
Yet Emerald knew the man would do nothing. He was a survivor. He knew, without a doubt, that he was a dead man if he started anything here. The man would be torn to shreds the moment he whipped out his cane.
Especially against her mistress.
Puns or gunfire. Here goes nothing...
"Forgive me for laying low for a short time after the VPD begun their crackdown of our little schemes, Missy. Not entirely sure if you've noticed, but the local law enforcement has been whipped up into quite the fucking frenzy following the latest string of robberies you had me pull. If it is any consolation, I have missed all the cheerful smiles of this little support group. Why, it physically pained me to be away for so very very long."
Well I'll be damned. No puns or gunfire. Just when I thought I had the man figured out.
He wasn't exactly wrong with his statement about the cops being out for blood. Word on the street was that the VPD was receiving huntsmen support now. Coupled with the security attache that were accompanying each of the huntsmen academies that journeyed to Vale for the Vytal tournament, there were a staggering amount of armed enforcement officers on the streets.
Now that Ironwood's fleet had touched down several hours ago, things were going to get even more fucked up.
Whilst it was clearly part of her mistress' grand plan for things as Emerald expected nothing less, until Cinder's plan reached its fruition (whatever it was, she hadn't the courage to ask) the extra security was going to become rather difficult to handle if Roman was to continue his constant string of robberies.
She'd prefer it if he actually stopped, actually. Hanging around the city was agitating enough without having shopkeepers breathing down her neck wherever she went. She still had needs.
Who'd even want to rob a fucking noodle shop anyway?! Eugh. People in Vale were getting too paranoid. They should just serve her damn food and stay away. Sheesh.
Because of the rampant paranoia, this particular meeting had been delayed several times. Emerald was just glad she could finally be rid of it.
One dead bookkeeper wasn't nearly enough to keep her entertained. Although, it might in the very least impress Cinder. She made a note to tell her mistress about her little diligent task later on. Hopefully it would make her smile. A true smile.
She wanted that more than anything.
"...Clearly I should never have leant you my men." the White Fang leader frowned, crossing his hands over his chest to display his displeasure. "Because of your incompetence, just over thirty-five of my brothers and sisters now sit in human prisons, being punished like animals. I will not allow that to stand."
The man, Adam Taurus if she remembered properly, stepped towards Torchwick threateningly.
Torchwick's small assistant took a step forward in his behalf, eyes flashing a brown shade.
She idly wondered if Adam were to get a good shot in, if he'd be able to cleave the pretty girl right down the middle. The man certainly had the strength to pull it off.
"Enough." Cinder cut in, voice hard. "We cannot afford bickering in the ranks at this time." she stated, glancing between the two men. "Nevertheless… Roman, our dear associate Adam here does raise a valid question. How in the world did things escalate so severely? Surely there must be a reasonable explanation."
Torchwick sighed and gestured to his little henchwoman, who reluctantly backed off- glaring at Adam the entire time. The bull faunus, for his worth, glanced down at her dismissively before snorting and stepping backwards.
"...We were ambushed." he stated eventually, glancing away as if agitated to even have to explain his reason why. Or perhaps embarrassed.
Emerald was hoping he was embarrassed. Dragging them here at this time of night. Forcing them to wait for so fucking long. It was horrible.
She also wished he would stop pausing each time he spoke. It was beginning to get annoying. Which… was probably his intention. Eugh. Bastard could teach Mercury a whole new level of trash-talking. She shivered at the thought.
"Ambushed." Cinder repeated aloud, a touch of intrigue in her voice. "How? I know how you operate. There shouldn't have been a single dockworker there to interfere. Either paid off to keep quiet or dead. You're not one to allow people to slip through your net."
"They were dealt with." Torchwick ground out frustratingly. "These were outsiders. A single huntress and huntsman at first. Both looked young enough to be students, might be here for the Vytal tournament. First one comes up, shoves a blade to my throat and demands answers. Faunus, too. Rather quick for a kitty cat. Other one jumps down when the fighting starts."
Off to the side, she spots Adam twitch during the description, but the man opts to stay silent for a moment.
She wondered what the hell that was about. Maybe the man hates the idea of faunus challenging him or something. Territorial? That could be it. But it sounded a bit racist even for her.
"My men would not fall so easily against two children." Adam states eventually, although his voice is noticeably less heated than before.
Torchwick shakes his head. "They weren't the last. The little lass who interrupted that dust store robbery a couple months ago? You know the one, red hood and everything? Squeakier voice than a fucking rubber toy?" he continues after a pause when Cinder's faction nods in remembrance of the event. "She was there too with one of her little friends. And some woman. I don't know who in the world that woman is, but she was a monster on the battlefield. I couldn't stop her. Nothing our associates did slowed her down. She was shrugging off bullhead blasts. Hell, she managed to take out the pilot in one of them with a well placed shot. Damn thing nearly crashed into the shipment and would have blown us all into the next life."
There was a brief moment of silence that followed after that rant, with only the sound of Torchwick's frustrated huffing in the background.
A proper huntress then, by the sounds of things. A bloodthirsty one at that. Emerald reasoned that it was bound to happen eventually with one of Torchwick's robberies. He had been relatively careful in picking destinations that were typically out of the beaten path by most patrolling officers, but when it came to robbing ammunition, eventually there would come a time when he was faced up against one with the capabilities to turn all that weapons-grade dust against him.
The fact that he managed to get on a huntress' shitlist was pretty much an inevitability. But damn if the woman couldn't have picked a worse time to interfere.
If any of those cargo crates actually did ignite… Huh. For once, I'm actually glad the Schnee take the time to properly secure their shipments.
An explosion of that magnitude would cause widespread destruction, yes, but it wouldn't be enough to cause any damage to the structures her mistress would see eliminated. If anything, the explosion would cause mass panic and possibly lead to changes in the upcoming Vytal tournament over possible bomb scares.
It could have ruined everything.
"A single huntress caused all this strife?" Adam remarked, voice low as if deep in thought. He glanced off to the side, mumbling under his breath.
Cinder narrowed her eyes. "Something you have to say, Adam?"
The bull faunus took a moment, sighing heavily. He grit his teeth in agitation. "Some of the men who managed to escape confinement-" he shot a scathing glare at the thief before continuing with his speech, "spoke of a woman apparently strong enough to cleave whole bullheads in two. There was also a report of a young girl with swords capable of firing beams of light which also carved up our bullheads. Originally, I had believed it all to be nonsense."
The girl with laser swords, they had heard about. She was one of the academy students that were competing in the upcoming Vytal tournament. From… Atlas, if Emerald remembered the dossier correctly. She hadn't thought much about it at the time. Yet clearly those lasers were much stronger than anticipated. A girl with that kind of stopping power would shred in the competitive matches.
But the other woman? A semblance with enhanced strength, perhaps? That wouldn't do any good for them. It was far too common to distinguish down to a particular person.
Torchwick shot them a superior look, before glancing at the small multicoloured associate standing by his side and clicking his fingers.
"My beloved associate, Neo, here was able to hack into the dock security cameras and steal a copy of the recordings of the fight before she deleted them from their server. Thought you'd all be interested in seeing for yourselves..."
Neo. Emerald thought dryly, watching at the diminutive-sized girl pulled out a scroll and began playing a video file. Play on words for neapolitan ice cream, I bet. No doubt what her favourite food is in the very least. Odd choice of a theme for a killer. Neat outfit, though. Wonder where she shops.
Naturally there was no audio on the file. These were, after all, security files taken from a lone CCT camera that was clearly not the latest model. Nothing like any of the crazy Atlesian tech she had been forced to deal with before. Yet it still presented pristine video that was easily clear enough to show the white-cloaked woman ripping through White Fang soldiers like it was going out of style or something.
There were scarce few shots of the woman that weren't blurry from the sheer speed at which she moved, which was most certainly the direct result of a speed semblance. Some of her moves were particularly off-putting. Emerald didn't know the human body could even bend that way.
A single glance of her face, however, drew a sharp gasp from her mistress.
It was nearing the end of the video, with 'Neo' stopping the video as Torchwick, Adam, a still-silent Mercury and herself all stared at Cinder's rather surprising reaction.
Alarm bells were ringing in Emerald's mind.
Emerald had heard her mistress gasp a total of three times during their partnership. None of them spoke of particularly pleasant matters.
"...That's impossible." Cinder stated eventually. She was shaking, Emerald realised. She went to help her mistress, only for a harsh glare from the woman to cause her to pause in her tracks. "That woman is dead. Long dead."
Roman rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Clearly not."
Cinder shook her head rapidly, dishevelling her beautiful hair ever so slightly. It spoke of how concerned this woman had made her. She knew her boss. Never in a million years would Cinder ever do something perceived as weak. As worried. That was simply not her style.
"What's the issue?" Mercury finally spoke up, "I mean, she looks pretty damn good, yes. But there's more than one way to get rid of an obstacle. Hell, I can think of half a dozen off the top of my head. Most of which involving explosives."
Adam levelled an inquisitive gaze (or what she could assume was one given to mask) towards her silver haired partner, before snapping to focus back on Cinder. She had snatched the scroll from Neo and was replaying the data over and over.
"The issue," Cinder stated, her eyes glowing in fury, "is that this woman is Summer Rose."
It was time for Emerald to gasp.
She knew that name. Oum, half the damn criminal underworld probably knew that name, if only as some demented story that crooks tell eachother behind closed doors.
The woman was a bloodhound of the worst type.
She couldn't be stopped. She couldn't be bribed. She couldn't be intimidated. She just kept coming no matter how hard you tried to run away. Nothing escaped her gaze, whether it be a wayward mercenary with a deathwish or a damned grimm. Summer Rose was like one of those damn movie antagonists that, no matter how fucking hard people try, they will not die.
News of her death had practically revitalised the crime industry overnight.
"No freaking way!" Torchwick yelled out in bafflement. "You're telling me I survived an encounter with the White Reaper herself?! Holy crap. This is totally going on my blog."
Emerald knew he was probably joking- trying to make light on what was a serious wrench in their machine. But for a brief moment she considered searching up to make sure that a notorious crime lord like Roman Torchwick didn't actually have a blog.
"No..." Cinder muttered, drawing their attention back. "It can't be her. The moves are all wrong."
Mercury narrowed his eyes as he watched the footage again. "...Yeah, come to think of it you're right. The White Reaper uses some huge fuck-off tri-tipped blade. Or, atleast she did. But still, even without her signature weapon it doesn't match any of the vids that showed her hand-to-hand style. People have been trying to match that shit for years."
"So you're saying it's not her?" Emerald piped up, curious. Not to mention that this was actually one of the rare times where Mercury wasn't being a complete pain in the ass and was actually acting rather helpful. She was going to milk this for all that it's worth. Maybe she'd even impress Cinder with her resourcefulness.
Though she was rather surprised to hear that Mercury had seen vids of this chick. She would have only been active when Mercury was-
Oh. His father had probably shown them to him as part of his 'training'. No wonder he'd never spoken about it before.
"Doubt it." Mercury stated. "Could be some sap wearing her face. Illusion semblance that can also mimic Summer's speed, perhaps. Who knows. Seen crazier semblances before. Wouldn't be the craziest semblance I've seen. Certainly up there, though."
"...Will she be a problem?" Adam piped up, a hand gripping his sheathed blade. Emerald wasn't entirely certain what was running through the man's head right now, but even a moron like Mercury could see that the man was shaken.
There was no conceivable way that a man in his position hadn't heard of Summer Rose, after all.
Cinder took a moment to collect herself, passing the scroll back to Neo absentmindedly as she turned to face the group. Namedropping Summer Rose had caused a stir in the base. Emerald could spot more than a few faunus that were listening in on their conversation.
"...If it's not her, then it won't be an immediate problem. However, it does lead to the conclusion that if it isn't Summer Rose that was at the docks that night, who was it. We need to figure this out. Quickly."
On that, all parties agreed.
"What's the plan, boss-lady?" Torchwick asked, "Sounds like something we need to nip in the bud as fast as we can. Impostor or not."
"...We need information. Footage indicates she stayed even after the VPD arrived. We need to check interrogation records. Eye-witness accounts. Everything that they have on her. No doubt Ozpin's already heard about this event."
Torchwick reached for his jacket, more than a few nearby White Fang soldiers tensing at the sudden motion. He pulled out a cigarette.
"Sounds like we need an infiltration specialist." he stated, "Thankfully I know just the person for the job..."
They were beautiful little fools.
Plotting and scheming behind closed doors.
It was easy to see why they were her favoured pieces.
He knew it was coming.
"Ironwood certainly loves bring his work wherever he travels..." the deputy headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch, grumbled underneath her breath.
With everything that had occurred, it was rather telling of his workload that dealing with General James Ironwood was probably going to turn out to be one of the least stressful events of the semester, provided that Ozpin played his cards right.
It was basically just transferring information.
Nothing to be worried about.
...Hopefully.
Besides, once Qrow finally made it back to Vale after his run-in with the Vacuo authorities, Ozpin suspected that unravelling that particularly crazed series of events was going to be far worse than anything the General could throw at him.
"Well… Running an academy and a military makes him a busy man. But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore."
He heard the 'Access Requested' notification on his desk before he saw it, knowing that wherever the Atlasian military was present, their general would be nearby. Beacon Academy Tower would no-doubt have been the man's first stop.
Following recent events that have transpired, the general was no-doubt looking for some face-to-face answers to a great many questions that he likely had on his mind.
Salem's movements. The current whereabouts of her known associates. The multiple White Fang incursions across the continent. Increased grimm activity in the mainland of Vale. They had all occurred in such a short amount of time that spoke of certain manipulations behind the scenes. It was his job to unravel the lies to see how far the web has stretched.
The attack on the Fall Maiden, Amber, had been followed by a great many developments for the good people of Vale. None of which were particularly welcome. They all spoke of his old adversary planning yet another one of her… events.
Which, possibly, may include the late Mrs Summer Rose.
"Come in." he called out, putting his thoughts aside for the moment.
As expected, General James Ironwood stepped through the doors which were conspicuously silent of his beloved elevator music. Perhaps he would have to have a closer look at the circuitry someday, to make sure that no deputy headmistresses had fiddled with anything.
"Ozpin." the general called out jovially, stepping forward.
He could still remember the boy he had met so long ago, valiantly declaring that he would be the protector of humanity even as his peers scolded him for yelling so early on a Sunday morning. To see just how far that little boy had come, just how much the world had changed under his influence, made the headmaster pause if only for a moment.
There were times that he despised his memory.
"...General."
"Please, drop the formalities." Ironwood said with a smile, shaking his hand. "It's been too long. Why, I had almost forgotten that wonderful elevator music you had. What wonderful taste. However, there seems to have been a slight… malfunction. I do hope that it's repaired sometime soon."
Ah. So that's why. Ozpin thought, amused. Bastard jammed the signal, I bet. James always held quite the irrational hatred for the more classical tunes. Perhaps it was too cruel to assume the worst of my deputy headmistress.
"And Glynda!" Ironwood greeted elatedly, drawing Ozpin away from his thoughts. "It has certainly been too long since we last met."
"Oh James!" Glynda sarcastically swooned, levelling a deadpanned glare his way before turning to the headmaster himself. "...I'll be outside."
"Stay."
Both the general and his deputy headmistress recoiled almost imperceptibly at the sudden command, yet the blonde professor responded with a curt nod and obeyed the orders nonetheless.
"…We weren't expecting your presence for the Vytal festival, James. The small fleet outside our windows is somewhat concerning." Ozpin stated, moving back to his desk and pouring a glass of coffee for the general. He went to offer one to Glynda, only to receive a polite refusal.
General Ironwood accepted the coffee with a nod. "Concern is what brought them here." he reminded the headmaster.
"Difficulty travelling between kingdoms has become rather difficult as of late, sir." Glynda interjected with a slight narrowing of her eyes. "Whilst the Atlesian fleet is more than an eyesore, you cannot fault the general for taking precautions." she stated. "He is, after all, well known for his paranoia and brash military action at the most asinine of things."
Ozpin winced sympathetically even as General Ironwood merely chuckled heartily in response to the jab. The sharp tongue of his deputy headmistress had sent lesser men running for the hills. The fact that James could handle all of her acidic barbs and harsh glares was a testament to his skill as a leader. Or his lack of awareness- Ozpin hadn't yet decided.
"Regardless," the general began again, "We both know why I brought those men here. I heard of the incident in Vacuo. Your top specialist was incarcerated, Ozpin. An entire shipping company was out for his blood after their foreman was killed whilst under his protection! If what Qrow sent is true then this-!"
"-Is something we will handle tactfully." Ozpin cut in quickly, before the general could continue his rant. "It's the Vytal Festival, James. A time to celebrate unity and peace. Bringing most of the Atlesian fleet halfway across the globe sends the wrong message. People begin wondering; why is there such a military presence? What do we have to fear?"
Ironwood fell silent at his words, sipping at his coffee and stewing in his emotions as Ozpin watched the man noticeably pull himself back from what would likely have been a rather harsh rebuttal on his part.
It was one of the things he admired about the man; his seemingly effortless ability to keep a relatively calm mind during most situations. He was a man who thought of himself as but a piece in a far greater picture. He knew there was more to the world that just himself and his own goals.
General James Ironwood was a man who fought for his country; which was exactly why Ozpin had seen fit to introduce him to the truth of the world.
"...Is it true?" Ironwood eventually asked, staring at his coffee. "...Has Summer Rose been revived?"
"It is."
"...Where is she."
Ah. Yes. This.
Ozpin had been waiting for this.
He tapped a button on his desk, projecting a small display of a location deep underneath Beacon Academy.
"Summer Rose remains in a secure holding facility until I decide what to do with her. You may speak with her at your leisure if you so desire, but I assure you she has been interrogated quite thoroughly. You are free to review the recordings."
Glynda levelled a disproving glance his way, but he shook it off with a practised ease. The deputy headmistress had already been forced to console the young Miss Rose about the situation of her recently revived mother quite a few times. There was no doubt in his mind that Professor Goodwitch had some reservations about the idea of keeping a mother away from her daughter.
That said nothing about the complete shitstorm that would be sent his way the moment word reaches the ear of either Taiyang or Raven.
Summer Rose would be released soon. He knew that he had no choice. Although, he deeply wished that this particular chapter of his life had remained closed indefinitely.
"So it is true..." Ironwood marvelled, circling the desk as he eyed up the projection. "Do you have any clue as to how exactly she… came to be?"
Ozpin shook his head. It had been one of the most frustrating interrogations of his long life, yet even a lack of information had the potential to be just as informative in the right hands.
"None." he stated. "However, the question did bring up something. It would appear as if Mrs Rose does not possess any memories of her final mission; including the mission briefing. She is completely unaware, from what I can understand."
General James Ironwood watched as both Deputy and Headmaster fell silent after the latter's declaration. The two Beacon professors traded a meaningful glance.
He was not privy to Summer Rose's final mission, the one which had supposedly ended in her death. There had been times where his curiosity had gotten the better of him and he had requested the necessary files from Ozpin, only to be rebuked each and every time.
Yet he knew enough. More than enough to know that for certain Summer Rose was deceased and most certainly had fallen in the line of battle.
She is completely unaware…
It was certainly a strange way to describe it.
"...Memory loss, perhaps?" he reasoned, watching a significant portion of tension seemingly disappeared from the deputy at his statement. She had been anticipating a different question, clearly.
He could always get a read on that woman. For better and for worse.
Ozpin gave a chuckle, but the brevity in the gesture most certainly didn't reach his eyes. James wondered how long it had been since the man actually experienced any degree of humour. Years, in the very least.
"I doubt it." Ozpin stated. "Even in highly traumatised victims, memories still exist in some form. A reaction to stimuli, even as a subconscious reminder. Yet there was nothing from Summer Rose. I have never seen anything of its kind before. For the life of me, I cannot understand what's causing it. Is it a result of her death? A side effect of her resurrection? There's no way of telling."
Glynda stepped forward, clearly noticing that James was about to retort. "As you can quite obviously see, Professor Ozpin has done everything in his power and asked every question he could think of; but it is obvious that we still have much to learn. I know you want to talk to her after all this time. We both do. But we have to follow precaution here."
Ozpin smiled proudly as his deputy as he watched two people that he had originally met as children discuss such gave matters with determination. It was good to see that there were people in the world who could be so dedicated.
"You did what you did, because it was what you would do, were a flower to arrive within this garden. You would question her. Learn of her; because that is what you would do."
He blinked at the recent memory of Kirakishou's odd phrase resurfaced once more. She had spoken those words in her interrogation inside this very room with Summer's own daughter sitting beside her. At the time, he had opted to ignore the words in favour of trying to get the girl situated in Beacon and allocate resources to investigate her disappearance. The girl, despite her odd phrasing, had gleaned a sizeable amount of information about him based on her own small interaction with him at the time.
It had demonstrated that the girl was far more observant that he had originally believed.
Perhaps sending Qrow wasn't-
Qrow.
"Oh, no."
Qrow was met with heavy resistance at Vacuo. He reported a single faunus assailant with a semblance capable of messing with the senses whom had told him to stop investigating the container. The faunus proceeded to supposedly decapitated the foreman with nothing but a swipe of his hand.
All in favour of protecting the shipping container that Qrow had been sent to investigate. The supposed duplicate of the one that Kirakishou had arrived in. Not only had there been an actual copy of the container instead of a mere edit to the shipping manifest as first thought, but there had been a person there whom was clearly attempting to destroy the evidence of their involvement.
Which means there was more to Kirakishou's appearance than originally thought.
She had been placed there in Vale. Purposefully. By people whom were willing to kill in order to prevent people from snooping around. People who had no difficulty infiltrating a heavily armed compound and escaping without capture. People with a degree of skill capable of evading the likes of Qrow with relative ease.
Yet until Qrow made his way to Beacon and gave his full report, Ozpin was left in the dark. The fact that Qrow hadn't sent over a full transcript immediately was cause for concern; as it implied that whoever behind all of this was enough to cause Qrow of all people to feel some manner of distress.
Suffice to say, until Qrow arrived he couldn't be entirely certain of any one fact- except for the knowledge that Kirakishou was not just a simple stowaway.
"Sir?"
Blinking, his eyes registered the look that Glynda was shooting him. Ah. He'd zoned out again. It had been happening with a surprisingly frequency these past few months. Whilst Ironwood hadn't reacted, the look in his eyes showed that the man was clearly worried for him.
"Just a thought." he stated, waving off her concerns as he drank from his lukewarm coffee. "...Tell me, James, do you remember reading the report about the wayward girl found in the Vale docks?"
The general blinked at the non sequitur. "...I do, yes. If I recall, you have her listed as an associate currently staying in Beacon, yes? You sent Qrow to investigate matters behind her appearance. Something to do with a shipping manifest originating in Vacuo."
There were days when he praised James' memory.
"Yes, that's the one." Ozpin confirmed, "...It was during his investigation that he was confronted by an unknown individual who killed the foreman, before fleeing from the dockworkers. The man was quite unhinged and supposedly speaking nonsense, but it was clear that he was there for a reason."
James narrowed his eyes, glancing off into the distance. "It's unlike human traffickers to put so much effort into covering their tracks. Infiltrating such a place, one already on high alert, is no easy feat. This speaks of experience..." his voice trailed off.
"What are you thinking?" Glynda asked curiously.
The Atlesian Headmaster sighed. "There is a distinct possibility that this girl is part of her faction, whether she knows it or not. That, or another external group with unknown intentions. Either way, she is a threat that we do not want to have to deal with during the Vytal Festival." he turned towards Ozpin, "Are you certain that the girl has told you everything?"
This time, Ozpin let loose a dry chuckle of bitter amusement. "Oh no, not in the slightest. But before you suggest anything severe, let me remind you that there are better ways to deal with suspected associates. Even ones that may not know they are under the adversary's control."
Glynda huffed, even as James looked confused at his wording. "...He is using the girl as bait to draw out the one behind it." the deputy headmistress clarified for him, looking none too pleased about the matter.
It wasn't a surprise to see the surprise flourish in the eyes of the Atlesian general. It was a dangerous play after all. Not one that he was known for.
"...And has this… plan given us any clue as to her purpose in Vale as of late?" the general eventually asked.
Ozpin had been waiting for this question for the better part of an hour, now.
Wordlessly, he pressed another button on his desk and switched the projector to display a security recording of Beacon Academy.
Summer Rose was seen speeding away from a particular dorm room, number 224, thirty minutes before eye-witness accounts placed her in the Vale docks assisting in fighting against the White Fang incursion.
He knew that room.
Kirakishou's room.
A/N:
After writing fluff in the previous chapter, plot-focussed dialogue is surprisingly difficult to write.
But I got there in the end. Somehow.
It's been an exciting time so far. Thank you all once again for your reviews. They've been a breath of fresh air.
Looking forward to writing more of my favourite doll's shenanigans.