"…and we have Amber Ashford live at the scene," the middle-aged man wearing a blue suit and red tie said, upon appearing on the screen of the rather large television. His hair was a badly-maintained comb-over, and he had a matching brown beard that encircled his mouth in a wide ring. He shuffled the stack of papers in his hands, before nodding purposefully into the camera as a young, blonde woman appeared in the upper right corner of the screen. "Over to you, Amber. Tell us what you're seeing."

The small panel containing the female reporter zoomed in to take up the entire screen, and it immediately became clear to Raven just where the woman was standing as she watched the scene from Professor Ozpin's couch with a feeling of dread. Amber Ashford was standing in the entranceway of the Schnee Dust Company shop that had been targeted in the robbery just over an hour prior, and the condition of the place was befitting of three thugs ransacking whatever they could reach. Nearly every display cabinet had smashed-in glass, several small stands for raw dust crystals were suspiciously empty, and a bust of someone had been knocked to the floor and shattered into unidentifiable fragments of polished white stone.

"Well, Stan, as you can see, the Schnee Dust Company shop on Lily Way is now closed for the foreseeable future, until the stolen dust crystals, weaponry, and articles of dust-threaded clothing are at least partially recovered or accounted for," Amber began as she carefully walked through the store. The camera swept slowly over the wreckage, following Amber as employees of the dust shop could be seen standing around within the main showroom, speaking to police officers. "I've been told by local authorities that four suspects broke into the dust shop earlier this evening, while a fifth acted as a getaway driver."

"What? Four suspects broke in?" Raven seethed as she leaned forward. Qrow eyed his sister warily from his position next to her on the couch, while Professor Ozpin regarded the girl impartially as he stood just behind the furniture.

"Is that incorrect?" the headmaster asked as he adjusted his grip on his cane, which was pressing gently into the floor. Raven turned in her seat to look at the professor, and scowled.

"Three people broke in, and a fourth was their driver," Raven insisted. "We managed to apprehend two of them, while the driver and a large, muscular man escaped. They'd better not be implying what I think they're implying by saying that there was a fifth."

"Sounds like we're about to find out," Qrow deadpanned as he drummed his fingers upon the armrest of the couch.

"…haven't all been released to the public, but I can confirm the identities of three of the thieves, two of which are in custody at the Vale City Jail." A mugshot appeared upon the screen in place of Amber, and Raven bristled at the sight of the first familiar face. "Tyrian Callows, the infamous scorpion faunus thief responsible for many incidents of faunus-related violence in and around Vale seems to be the mastermind behind the heist, and he is fortunately sitting in a jail cell tonight. The Vale police have assured me that something is being done about his problematic teleportation semblance, and he won't be getting out onto the streets again anytime soon."

Raven snorted and shook her head as Professor Ozpin walked away from the couch and into the kitchen behind the Branwen twins. "Look at him. He's smug, even in a mugshot, after getting taken down by two first-year students. He probably lives for this sort of public attention."

"He certainly looks the part of a criminal," Qrow mumbled. "And that second one looks like the faunus Kali tangled with, from your retelling of things."

The faunus girl's portrait appeared alongside that of the familiar, yet unknown burly man that Raven had failed to stop in the alleyway. The cat faunus' ear had a telltale chunk taken out of it, and her face was marred with ugly bruises. "The other two that have been positively identified are Sasha and Hazel Rainart, who have been sighted working alongside Tyrian Callows in past efforts within the city. Sasha is also in custody, while Hazel managed to escape with the as of yet unidentified getaway driver. Bystanders took photos that confirm Hazel's identity, and authorities are working to determine his location at present. As for the last criminal, thought to still be at large, she was described to me by police as another feline faunus with cat ears and short, dark hair. The officer I spoke to assured me that she was also initially in police custody, but managed to escape in a rather violent struggle. Citizens of Vale are being advised to steer clear of all female cat faunus they see in the coming days, and to report any suspicious activity they might see from one of her kind immediately."

Stan reappeared on screen, chuckling softly to himself as Amber was once again minimized into the upper right quadrant of the screen. "Oh, well, faunus stirring up trouble. Are any of us here really surprised?"

"Probably not, Stan," Amber agreed as she joined in with laughter of her own. "Thankfully, though, it turns out that we have two heroes in our midst in Vale, and we've now managed to positively identify both of them, as well."

Raven grit her teeth as she watched the screen in utter disbelief. Professor Ozpin returned to the room and passed her a steaming mug, which she took into her hands without a word as her shoulders tensed and her cheeks grew hot with fury. The photo from her own student I.D. appeared next to that of Willow's, and both became permanent fixtures in the corner of the screen next to Amber.

"The Schnee family's own Willow Schnee is not only in town, but apparently attending Beacon Academy!" Amber said with overly exaggerated surprise in her voice. "The huntress in training managed to hold off Tyrian Callows with a little help from her friend, who is being called… Raven… Branwen, apparently. Willow and Raven managed to outmuscle Tyrian, despite both being first-year students, and held him down until authorities arrived to bring him to justice. Presumably, they were also responsible for taking down Sasha Rainart, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that I'd like to extend an incredibly grateful 'thank you' to both of the girls for keeping our city safe, and reminding us all that huntresses have a definite place within the city. I'm sure Headmaster Ozpin is incredibly proud of the work that these young women have done for us in keeping the dregs of society from running rampant, even when local authorities were otherwise occupied."

Raven set her mug down upon the coffee table with a heavy thud, her knuckles white as they gripped the ceramic handle. She visibly shook in anger as Amber continued to speak about the conditions upon Lily Way.

"That… is bullshit," Raven fumed as she began to walk toward the door of the living quarters, only to turn around and pace back toward the couch. "They're spreading lies and making the situation worse!"

"As the media is wont to do," Professor Ozpin quipped before taking a quiet sip from his mug. "Please, Miss Branwen, sit. I'd like to talk through this with you, and provide whatever support I can."

"I don't get it," Qrow offered as he shook his head and looked over to Raven. "I'm not saying it's right, but I understand why Kali got shafted. But… where's Summer, in all of this? She helped take down Sasha Rainart, right?"

"Summer resisted authority, and tried to clear Kali's name," Raven explained as she folded her arms across her chest and huffed. "They're painting all of the faunus involved as criminals, cutting Summer out of the picture because she dared to stand up for Kali, and publicly exposing Willow's involvement in what might as well be an actual bounty. Do you know what's going to happen to Willow if this gets back to Atlas?"

Qrow's face fell as he set his mug down beside Raven's, and he rubbed awkwardly at his jaw. "…shit. She's not supposed to be functioning as an actual huntress, is she? And this is gonna spread."

"It will, yes," Professor Ozpin agreed as he began to pace softly across the wine red, plush carpet. "I'll be able to spin it into something positive when her parents inevitably call, or, more likely, arrive at the door to my office. I would suggest that you make yourselves scarce when that time comes. I'll do what I can to mitigate the fallout from all of this, while you all continue your studies and efforts. Are you alright, Raven? Physically, at least?"

Raven looked up at the headmaster, her face full of resignation and guilt. "I… I'm fine. We're all fine, except for Kali. She's not doing well, and her aura was completely drained by some experimental Winchester tech. Can you cut her a break, or at l-"

Professor Ozpin raised his hand for silence, and Raven was all too happy to abide. "I had already decided to do so, the moment you said that she isn't doing well. I'll make a point of visiting her tomorrow, during an off period, and inform the first year professors that she needn't attend classes until Thursday. We'll reassess her condition then, and make a decision moving forward."

"Thanks, Professor," Qrow offered as he took his mug back in hand, and sipped. He pulled back in surprise and blinked several times, before raising a brow. "Is this… hot chocolate?"

"It's always hot chocolate," Professor Ozpin replied with a smirk. "I can't stand coffee, truth be told. Please, Raven- drink. It would likely make you feel a bit better," he added as he nodded toward her cup.

Raven made a face before walking back to the couch and sitting beside her brother once again. She stared at the mug idly for a few moments before she finally relented and took it into her hands. A sudden, harsh series of knocks at the door caused her to nearly spill the liquid, though she steadied her hands around the vessel just in time.

"Oz!" came an insistent call from the other side of the door. "Oz, open up! You need to see this!"

Professor Ozpin walked briskly to the door and undid the latch before pulling it back, only to find Professor Calavera standing on the other side. The woman wore an unfamiliar black cloak with a pointed hood hanging languidly behind her neck, and she appeared to be unarmed. Her eyes snapped to the Branwen twins immediately, and the two teens looked away from her instinctively as Raven tried to nonchalantly sip her cocoa.

"Can I help you, Maria?" Professor Ozpin asked softly. "I'm entertaining company."

"I can see that," Maria said flatly as Professor Ozpin stepped to the side to allow her to enter the apartment. "And said company is on TV, apparently fighting off criminals far above their skill level as first year students."

"It was a team effort," Raven said quickly as she avoided the woman's piercing silver eyes. "Quite literally- Summer, Kali, Willow, and I all worked together against Tyrian, Sasha, and Hazel. We got lucky with a numbers advantage," she lied.

"Then you're very lucky, young lady," Professor Calavera said as she began to walk the perimeter of the apartment. She ran her fingers along the deep green walls as she walked, looking over the clock and gear decorations scattered around the room. "All of you are alright, yes?"

"They're quite fine, Maria," Professor Ozpin assured. "Miss Moonglove is a little worse for wear, but she'll make a full recovery. She has my permission to get bed rest for the next few days, so don't expect her in your class tomorrow."

"That's fine," Professor Calavera said with a dismissive wave of her hand as she stopped near the entrance to the kitchen. "I've watched her in Glynda's little free-for-all class, and that girl's talented enough to miss the entire week, if you ask me. How's Taurus taking the news, which I'm sure is completely accurate?" the woman asked with a pointed look at the twins.

"Badly, but not as badly as he would have a week ago," Qrow replied before taking another drink. "And that report is complete bullshit, but it sounds like you figured that out already."

Professor Calavera let out a small laugh, and moved to lean over the back of the couch as Professor Ozpin passed her and headed into the kitchen once again. "Young man, I'm pushing 40. I've learned well enough not to trust the media, and doubly so when it comes to anything to do with a Schnee. I'd bet good lien that you and Kali were the real showstoppers in this operation, weren't you?" she asked as she reached a hand down to rest atop Raven's shoulder.

"…we were," Raven replied stiffly as she did her best to ignore the contact and keep her eyes on the screen as the report began to replay with more detail. "We were just doing our jobs."

"Humble," Professor Calavera praised as she withdrew her hand and fixated on the screen as well. "I like that about you, Raven. I like both of you, and your team, to be quite honest. Remaining humble has a lot to do with it, in truth. There are so many people who think they're just… above all."

"Unfortunately true," Raven remarked before draining her mug and moving to stand. Qrow followed suit and gave her a nervous look, which she did her best to ignore. "Listen, Professor, it was nice seeing you outside of the workshop, but we really should be going. We need to check in on Kali, and get ready for classes tomorrow."

"Hm," Professor Calavera mused as Professor Ozpin returned and handed her a mug of her own. "Thank you, Oz. Do take care, you two, and keep on working with Taurus. You're doing good work here, and I get the feeling you're not told that enough."

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow," Raven offered before slipping through the door and making her way into the hallway at a brisk pace. Qrow moved to follow, but instead lingered for a moment as he turned to face the professors once again.

"…yeah, thanks, both of you. But you know, I… feel the same way as you, Professor Calavera. About people who think they're above it all."

"Do you, now?" Professor Calavera asked with a hint of amusement. She took a long, slow sip of her hot chocolate, before narrowing her eyes at the boy. "Then might I suggest that you do something about it, before it becomes too late? My door is always open if you need advice, or assistance in carrying things out."

Qrow hesitated, before giving the woman a curt nod. "Yeah. I will."

Professor Ozpin exhaled a heavy sigh and shook his head as the door to his apartment closed with a heavy thud.

"…you're playing with fire, Maria. I only just managed to return, after all."

"Mm-hmm," the woman agreed as she kept her eyes fixated on the deep red door. "So are they."


Kali moaned softly as she rolled over in bed. The faunus girl made a conscious effort to keep her eyes shut, and she could feel that they were still heavy with exhaustion. She groped around on her nightstand for her alarm clock, and slammed a hand down atop the surface of the plastic nuisance. After a few seconds, she realized that the obnoxious device hadn't been making any noise at all, and she had acted solely upon reflex. With slight embarrassment, she dragged herself upward to lean into the headboard, and did a quick look around the dorm. The living space was eerily empty, and it took entirely too long for her to realize that the rest of Team OKRA had already left for classes. With slight disappointment, Kali slid down the headboard and let the back of her head crash into her pillow with a heavy thump.

"…everyone's halfway through Team Synergy and Tactics," Kali mused as she looked over at her alarm. The face of the clock read 1:30pm. "And that's probably why I'm starving."

Slowly but surely, Kali swung her legs over the side of the bed to let them dangle as she let out a pained groan. Her entire body throbbed with a dull ache, and though the constant stinging sensation within her neck and back had disappeared, they had been replaced with an unwelcome feeling of full-body heaviness. Kali made a noise of effort as she got to her feet and stretched her hands above her head, which led to Bartholomew's borrowed sweater lifting just over her navel. She rolled her neck from side to side and flicked her feline ears while doing a few small hops in place. Kali knew what she had to do, but she also knew that she was likely going to be incredibly disappointed.

"Okay, girl," Kali muttered to herself as she adopted a ready stance. "You've got this."

With one long, final, drawn-out breath, Kali tried to reach deep within herself and pull forth her extra limbs by manifesting them with sheer energy and willpower. For a brief moment, she thought that she had succeeded, and she felt the familiar tingle that always came right before her semblance of ghostly arms erupted from her back. Right at the last second, however, the connection between her mind, body, and what should have been an ever-present, all-encompassing aura of protective energy seemed to disappear, as though it had never been there to begin with. The sensation was not unlike the panicked, flailing uncertainty when reaching for someone out of sight who had been standing within arm's reach mere moments before, only to have relocated without warning.

"…shit," Kali swore as she opened her eyes. She knew that a second attempt would mostly likely be futile, but she redoubled her focus anyway, and clenched her teeth. With her jaw set rigidly, she strained as hard as she could while closing her eyes once again and trying to tap into the absent source of her power.

With the second effort came not just failure, but pain. Quite suddenly, a sensation as though the skin on her back was being peeled off in strips began in the center of her spine and then spread up and outward. The unexpected pain was intense enough to steal the breath from Kali's lungs, and she stumbled forward as a dizzying feeling akin to vertigo pulsed through her brain. Head throbbing, she barely caught herself from falling over by clinging desperately to Roman's bed, her chest heaving with effort. She could already feel a cold bead of sweat working its way from her hairline down and around her cheek, and she shivered in reflex.

"Damn it… come on…" Kali growled as she pulled herself up to a shaky, albeit standing, position. Over the course of several seconds, she regained control of her breathing, though she continued to sweat all the same. Her cat ears flicked automatically as she picked up the sound of approaching footsteps within the hall outside of the door, and they flattened sideways with suspicion as the footsteps stopped and transitioned into the sound of a key scraping within the lock. Without hesitation, Kali made her way straight for the entrance, and threw herself into a tight hug the moment the door opened.

Roman stood quite stunned in the doorway, and unsure of what to do or say. He was dressed in a black sleeveless shirt with a leopard-print scarf and several arm bands, as well as a pair of white leather jeans. In one hand he held a rather large bouquet of assorted flowers, and in the other was his combat cane. After the initial shock of Kali's vicelike grip subsided, he wrapped his arms around the shorter girl and rested his chin atop her head.

"…hey there, Kal," he said softly with a grin.

"Hey there yourself," Kali said in a sorry attempt at a sultry voice. Her tone instead came out strained and scratchy, and she grimaced into Roman's neck at the unfamiliar sound.

"…you sound like shit," Roman pointed out as he pulled back and rested his occupied hands upon Kali's hips. "I'm staying with you, though, so hopefully that helps a little?"

"That helps a lot," Kali confirmed as she accepted the offered bouquet and sniffed a rose. "Thanks. Come on in."

"I don't know my flowers, so I just went with… a little of everything?" Roman said nonchalantly as he closed the door behind himself with his foot. He kept his eyes firmly locked upon the little black thong barely covering Kali's backside as she walked back toward the bed. "Still, though, I wanted to do something to lift your spirits a bit. You still hurting?"

"In different ways than yesterday, but yes," Kali replied as she laid back upon the bed, facing Roman as she kept the flowers close to her chest. "I mostly just feel empty and weird, having no aura. There are some aches, too… like the sting of being told I sound awful," she teased with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, my bad. I'm not exactly great with words, alright?" Roman consoled as he took a seat on his own bed. Upon seeing Kali's disappointed expression, he immediately stood once again, and transferred himself to sit upon her bed, instead. "…or signals."

Kali merely chuckled and set the bouquet aside as she curled a finger toward herself suggestively. "Oh, come on. We're past signals, Roman. Sending me texts both sexy and sincere all night, and the way you've been looking at me since day one? I thought you were some sort of lady killer, given how often you talk about rich girls clinging to you back home."

Roman dropped his cane beside the bed as he began a slow crawl to meet Kali, stopping just shy of resting atop her. "I am when I want to be."

Kali raised a confused brow as she locked eyes with her teammate, and her left feline ear flicked awkwardly. "Are you… saying you don't want to be, right now?"

Roman immediately hung his head in shame, his fringe covering the majority of his face from Kali's view as he sighed. Kali patiently waited for Roman to collect his thoughts, and the boy finally looked up to face her again with a more resolute gaze.

"Kal… I'm bad at making it clear what I think, or what I want, when it really matters. Stupid, frivolous things? I'm down for whatever, and if it ends up being a fun night as a result of that, then so much the better. But when something's important? I freeze up. I say dumb shit, or I'm not smart enough to hold my tongue when some quick-witted comeback or snarky comment comes to mind, and I end up sounding like an ass. Big decisions scare the shit out of me, especially when I feel like I've got one shot at something. All this glam and posturing isn't because I'm secure," Roman let on while shaking his head.

Kali waited for her friend to finish before looping her hands gently around Roman's neck and pulling him forward. He leaned in slightly as he finally repositioned to brace himself over her in a crawling position, until their foreheads touched.

"Listen, Roman- we're a team, whether it's for a wild night, a class, a hunt, or whatever else. You've got as many chances with as many things as you'd like with me, and I can tell that you give a shit, beyond your cool little façade," Kali said with a smirk. "You're incredibly sweet, over text… well, when you're not being incredibly naughty."

"Hey, you started that series of pictures," Roman accused. "Text makes it easier for me. I can stop and think, and usually delete and rephrase upwards of five times before I send my thoughts. I'm garbage at romance."

"Romance is for suckers," Kali teased. Before Roman could reply, Kali had captured his lips and slipped a hand down into the waistline of his pants. The boy followed along with the motion by sliding a hand up under her sweater, where he found only bare flesh waiting. Kali groaned and returned the favor as Roman gave her left breast a gentle squeeze. She slipped her hand up and around her prize to begin working at Roman's rapidly growing problem, only to freeze in place as a series of knocks echoed from the other side of the door.

"…you have got to be kidding me," Kali whispered with an annoyed tone.

"Miss Moonglove? Are you awake?"

Roman's eyes widened as he recognized the voice as Professor Ozpin. "Shit! I can't be seen here, I'm supposed to be in class!" Roman whispered back as he withdrew his hand and attempted to wriggle out of Kali's grasp. The girl resisted, and Roman began to panic. "Kali, that is not funny!"

"I'll be right there!" Kali replied loudly with a mischievous grin, before turning her attention back to Roman as she finally released him. "Hide in the kitchenette? Or the closet? Or jump out the window, I guess?"

Roman rolled his eyes as he slipped off his bed and grabbed his cane, before tiptoeing comically into the kitchenette and kneeling below the dividing wall. "Oh, you owe me after this one."

"We'll finish what we started after I take care of him," Kali agreed as she slipped off the bed and made her way to the door. She grabbed a discarded pair of white leather pants from atop a laundry basket on the floor and tugged them on over her black thong, before pulling the door open and putting on a weary smile. "Professor."

"I'm not interrupting anything, I hope?" Professor Ozpin asked as he offered the girl a polite nod. His eyes were immediately drawn to the bouquet upon the bed, and he chuckled softly to himself. "Like Mister Torchwick bringing you the flowers I saw him carrying through the main lobby, while he's supposed to be in class and likely hiding in the closet until you can get rid of me, perhaps?"

A long, awkward silence passed between the pair as Kali's ears flattened instinctively.

"…joke's on you, I'm hiding in the kitchen," Roman admitted before rising from behind the dividing wall. "Guess that means I should get going…"

"Please- stay," Professor Ozpin insisted as Kali moved aside to let him into the dormitory. "I have something to say that I think both of you should hear, beyond simply checking in after yesterday's events. You're not in trouble, Roman. Very much the opposite."

Roman merely stared blankly for a moment, before walking around the dividing wall and twirling his combat cane. "You're an interesting guy, Professor."

"As are you, it would seem," Professor Ozpin replied as he sat on the edge of Roman's bed. The two teens were quick to take a seat on Kali's, sitting across from the man as he rubbed his chin with his free hand. "But first and foremost- how are you feeling, Kali?"

"If I had one lien for every time I've been asked in the past 24 hours," Kali lamented as she began to count off on her fingers. "Tired, drained, annoyed, betrayed, very hungry, and equally horny."

"Kal!" Roman chided in disbelief, while Professor Ozpin merely waved a hand.

"There's nothing to worry about- your house, your rules. Whatever you wish to share is quite alright, in my books. I'm just glad to see that you've chosen to adopt a sense of humor about the current situation," Professor Ozpin praised.

"Doing my best," Kali admitted with a slight shrug. "I'll try to be back in class as soon as I can."

"So will I," Roman added quickly. "I was only skipping one to bring Kal some flowers, and…"

Roman trailed off as Professor Ozpin raised a hand for silence, and shook his head. "A poignant segue into what I wanted to tell both of you, really. Missing classes… is not the worst thing in the world, despite what some professors here would have you believe."

"Goodwitch," Kali said, while covering the word with an exaggerated cough into her hand. Professor Ozpin gave her an unimpressed look, and rolled his eyes.

"Be nice. She's merely young and enthusiastic, much like you are… though in entirely different ways. What truly matters on your path to becoming ordained hunters, beyond simply attending classes, is figuring out and standing up for what truly matters to you. Right now, it would seem that you each matter to each other more than anything else on campus, and that's encouraging to see. Whether as teammates, or something more, is honestly none of my business… but the care and affection that the two of you show in simple glances will serve you better than a single day of classes. You each have more than your share of stress to deal with, be it from the authorities, or within your home. If you ask me, lifting each other up as teammates in rough patches such as those presently occurring is a sign of maturity, rather than irresponsibility," Professor Ozpin finished.

"…so if I'm hearing you correctly," Roman began with a raised brow, "you're encouraging us to ditch class for the day, because we need each other right now, and you get that. Despite being the headmaster of an academy."

"It seems that you're hearing me just fine," the headmaster confirmed with a nod as he stood from the edge of the bed. "Sometimes, it is necessary to do something others might see as selfish, in order to take better care of ourselves, and therefore, as hunters, the world at large. You would both do well to remember that, in the future."

"We will. Thanks, Professor," Kali replied as she watched the man head for the door. "Leaving so soon?"

"I am, yes," Professor Ozpin admitted. "After all, I have a class starting in ten minutes, and you have an entire list of needs to take care of. I'd suggest that the two of you prioritize them, before making your next move. Have a good evening."

Kali watched silently as the headmaster disappeared into the hallway, before turning to face Roman once again.

"…you know, there's nobody else in the dorms right now, and I could use a shower. Join me?"

"…sounds like we both agree on Priority One," Roman said with a smirk.


Author's Note:

I mean, what else could this chapter possibly be called?

Just as a warning- Chapter 25 will be going up on Wednesday this week, instead of Sunday. I'm occupied over the weekend, and I might not be able to make it work otherwise, so that chapter is coming out several days early.

-RD