Yang had always trained. Sometimes as a way to let off steam, sometimes because she didn't want her body to fall into old habits. Lifting weights, using a punching bag, or sometimes just pushups, she's always made sure she stayed in shape.

Well, not always. Unless you count lying down in bed doing nothing other than feeling sorry for yourself 24/7 as a physical activity. She did that for a whole month before she finally decided to get up and do something. So she... just went through the motions, doing the chores she did back when she had two arms when she was still training for Beacon back at Signal. Sometimes she just stared at the T.V., not really watching what's going on the screen. She knew that was probably depression, and she liked to think she was getting better, then-

Then Ozpin started talking in her head and she figured out she was dying.

That... sucked. She knew she should probably react more to that- maybe some crying and shouting, or lying depressed in her bed.

But she's done that already, hasn't she? She's already gone through three stages of grief and was stuck on 'Depression' for months. Might as well skip to 'Acceptance'.

Or maybe she's subconsciously knew she wouldn't live that long. After all, it's not like professional huntresses had a long lifespan.

Still, Yang had decided that she wasn't going to waste away until Ozpin eventually took over, doing nothing. Besides, what dad, Ozpin and Glynda revealed to her... She couldn't just ignore that. Not when the entire world was at stake.

She knew that there would be hurdles: Salem herself was an obvious one, and the 'Merge', as Oz put it, was a distant but inevitable fate for her.

She probably should have expected for this to be one.

"Ughhh… I haven't felt this tired since forever…" Yang groans, lying on the ground, sweat all over her body.

"You should have expected this. Your body's out of shape, and while usually you could have gone on longer, you don't have the same stamina you used to have six months ago."

"You know, if you take that out of context-"

"We both know what I meant, Miss Xiao-Long." Ozpin cuts in.

Yang laughs out loud, finally getting up. Her dad was back in the house, making lunch while Yang thought she could squeeze in at least fifteen minutes more training, even though she had already begun feeling her limbs starting to burn. She's gone on longer, after all. Obviously, it turned out she was wrong.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of." Ozpin says, sensing her thoughts (she definitely has to figure that out. Pretty unfair when only Oz can do it) "You needed time to recover, and you still need to adapt to your prosthetic."

Yang sighed, bringing up the stark white arm to her face. Even if she's been wearing it more often, it still felt weird to have it attached to her body. Physically, nothing was wrong with it- it's just taking time to adapt.

Ozpin sighed in the mental space that served as Miss Xiao-Long's mind. Despite popular belief, no, the mind isn't just a black void. Well, not really. It was full of memories and thoughts, opinions and emotions, all unseen, but if Ozpin were to look around, he'd find them. All of it was within his grasp.

Which is why Ozpin refuses to look. Yang still had the right to her privacy, and so he won't peek into her thoughts without her explicit permission. Besides, he had his own thoughts to think about.

Yang's attitude was concerning him. The girl had leaped back into training the day she put on her prosthetic, seemingly back to her old self.

While in most circumstances this should have relieved Ozpin, it just worries him. Yang had found out about the Merge, and deduced what would happen. Combine that with the fact that magic exists, and an immortal enemy with the power to control Grimm-

Ozpin's surprised she hasn't broken down yet. But perhaps he'd underestimated Miss Xiao-Long. Of course, she's already given him her reasons, but the fact remains that her recovery was extraordinarily quick.

Perhaps he simply doesn't understand his new host as much as he thinks.

Yang was reading a book when she feels Ozpin return from the back of her mind. She doesn't know how he does it (another mind trick she needs to ask Ozpin about) but she can feel when he comes and goes. She's not worried on what Ozpin does back there, he's already assured her that he doesn't peek and he only retreats into her head to think.

Yang has no problem with that. She's just glad for the privacy.

"How was dinner with your father?" Ozpin asks, always polite.

Yang shrugs, turning a page. "Not much happened. He did say Ms. Goodwitch was coming tomorrow to check up on us."

"Hm." Ozpin hummed, and noticed what Yang was reading. "'The Man With Two Souls'?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, you heard of it?"

"Yang, I wrote it."

"Wait, what? But it says it was written by-" Yang stops, the realization filtering in.

"Edmund Lyme was one of my former hosts. He was... eccentric, but he had written that book as his experience with 'being of two minds'..."

"Guess that explains the author's 'mysterious disappearance'..." Yang mutters.

"Yes. It was... upsetting to leave his partner once the Merge took place, but I had to. It wasn't safe for her."

"... 'Partner'. By that you mean-"

"Team partner, yes. Her name was Aurea. She and Edmund were close."

"... Did you at least say goodbye? Tell her why you had to leave?" Yang asks, a hint of bitterness in her voice that did not go unheard by Ozpin.

"..." Ozpin hesitated, before speaking again. "... As I said, it wouldn't be safe for her. I... left her a note."

"..." Silence. "Well, that's something, I guess. Better than just leaving without a word." Yang mutters. It didn't take a genius to figure out she wasn't just talking about Aurea. Snapping the book shut, she lies on her bed.

"Yang-"

"Goodnight, Oz."

Ozpin tries to speak up, but thinks better of it. Yes, he doesn't understand Yang at all.