Big Issues

AN: Welcome back to the series that is officially a year old... on this site. And to be honest, I kinda needed that little break. Not to mention that life threw things my way that would have delayed my normal attempts at a weekly update schedule. But get ready for some big changes to the storyline to make it really change from what RT gave us. And yes, I have seen the trailer for RWBY: Ice Queendom and it looks great so far.

Thanks to Sakarias and Enrq Rldn for the follows and faves for this story. Now, on with the show!

Going Back

"Alright everyone, settle down. I got some news for you that's going to affect our jobs a bit." Clover Ebi tells his team in their usual briefing room. He watched as the team sat down in their seats with a smile.

For the young leader of the Atlas Special Operatives, or Ace Ops for short, the past few months had been on the crazier side with the Issue going around. Even his good luck didn't protect him from its influence. He'd packed on the pounds like anyone else, though he considered it to be good luck that he was like everyone else and could understand what was happening thanks to the Issue.

Vine Zeki had certainly filled out, the wirey, calm man no longer looking like he was half starving himself. The potential new recruit to replace Tortuga, Marrow Amin, was already well built before the Issue but not even the intense training he was put through could stop him from becoming husky. Same with Farkas next to him, though the latter was easily the taller of the two. It was also good for public relations that both recruits are faunus, beyond that they had the skills that were looked for and have the increased senses that could help on missions.

Elm Elderne was already a big woman, standing taller than anyone on the team and far physically stronger as well. Thanks to the Issue, she had gone from a towering stack of muscles to an immovable wall that could block doorways with ease and required two chairs to sit comfortably. She had broken the last one when it had tried to support her solo a few weeks ago.

The other woman on the team, Harriet Bree, is much shorter, the shortest of them all really. She'd really packed on the weight to make her far more round in appearance, enough that she's gotten into the habit of being careful when passing through doors despite not being as wide as Elm. But she hadn't slowed down in combat and used her weight to her advantage when she could… so long as she avoided tight spaces.

"Don't leave us hanging." Harriet says with a huff, her temper as short as her stature.

Clover laughed it off, far too used to her to get upset. It also helped that he usually kept a positive attitude, something that helped the team in trying times as he refused to panic and that led to the Ace Ops not breaking under pressure.

"We're going to have an honorary member joining our dysfunctional little family." Clover tells the assembled team, though he knew that there was a member missing from the line up. He did notice that Farkas' ears perked up and Marrow's tail wagged at the prospect of not being the 'new guys'. Elm's round face stretched from her wide grin while Vine was as unfazed as usual, though Harriet scowled a bit at the news.

Winter Schnee walked in the door of the briefing room at that moment, raising confusion among the woman was as heavy as the last time she'd been in the room, before the attack on Beacon that left much of Vale requiring complete rebuilding and the reports said that the death toll was still rising. But with Winter's return, so had many personnel that had been injured or killed to be taken care of by their home kingdom.

"You might want to check your notes, Clover. Winter has been part of the Ace Ops for a while." Harriet mocks her leader, raising chuckles from the others, even from the man himself.

"I felt that it would be best to introduce our guest myself, Ms. Bree." Winter retorts with a small smile. Small clashes over how things were said and done were expected in any team, the Ace Ops included. They just found it amusing to find ways to outwit and outperform the others so long as their missions weren't compromised because of it. The game constantly made them willing to improve, something their superiors approved of.

"Then let's get on with it!" Elm urges with a pump of her thick arms. The big woman was always rather excitable, usually for a fight, but meeting new people ranked fairly high on her list.

"Very well then." Winter turns to the door. "You may come in now."

Through the door walked a short woman clad in clothes that displayed wealth but were functional for combat in the climate of Solitas. She wore a white coat-like dress that buttoned on her left side that reached her knees, over which she wore a long vest with a high blue collar with blue shoulders, a white back, and where it faded to a light blue with some darker blue wave patterns along the front edges. The vest reached only to cover the upper half of her rump and was held tight to the girl by a dark blue belt around her waist. The dress has loose sleeves with light blue cuffs that reached up across her forearms that were tight to her skin. Dark blue belts that matched the one around her waist kept the loose upper arms controlled and her hands were covered by similarly colored gloves with long cuffs.

Under the dress where it split from her waist, a pleated dual layered light blue skirt reached to mid thigh, leaving her legs seemingly bare except for the tights that matched her skin tone. On her feet, she wore boots that reached to above her knees, white around the top of her feet and up her shins. The soles and ankles are a dark blue and the back of the leg is a light blue with white snowflake patterns on the calves.

The woman was also notable for her wide hips and thick legs, her soft waist and her white hair in an off center ponytail held by a crystalline tiara. Small earrings hung from her earlobes and her regal features were marred only by the scar over her left eye. The rapier that hung from her belt by her left hip showed that she was ready for combat.

"I look forward to working with all of you." She greets them with a small bow, her ice blue eyes looking over the five full members in front of her and the two recruits.

—-

Weiss sighed as she rested in her seat on the airship. It was hard to deny that it was more comfortable than the chairs at the hospital, having plenty of experience as she sat next to Ruby nearly the entire time she was there, waiting for the girl to wake up.

She had so many questions about what had happened that night of the invasion. What had Ruby done before she ran up to them in the safe zone? What did she think about the injuries to Blake and Yang? The man who had hurt them? What happened when the Wyvern attacked them? What was that bright light?

Weiss had thought that was the end, her entire vision filled by the Grimm's mouth with teeth as big as herself lining the jaws. Ruby screamed her name and everything flashed white, blinding her until she blacked out. She barely recalled that she had woken a few times since that incident on their way to the hospital, hearing the muffled voices of Glynda and Ironwood… another brief moment of consciousness where she heard Denko and Anya talking to Pyrrha, she was unable to make out what they were saying before she blacked out again. The next was when they arrived at the hospital, the medics shaking and pulling at her arms to gain access to Ruby.

When she woke, she was in a hospital room with her team. Ruby was still sleeping and wrapped in bandages. Blake was in the bed next to her own, sleeping as a nurse was checking her bandaged stomach. Yang was in the far corner with her right arm wrapped and in a cast and sling, still out cold.

It was later that day that Denko had arrived to check on the girls, his own arm in a cast, his lip split and swollen, bruises visible on his chest and arms. He had refused to answer her questions, mostly from not knowing the answers himself. Sun stopped in to check on them not too long after Denko left to check on others, though given that he had been with Weiss for most of the invasion once they were on the ground, there was little that he could offer beyond his support. But given the bruises and how he twitched when moving in certain ways, he was feeling plenty of pain.

She was useless to stop Blake from escaping the room but she had heard from Denko when he came in again an hour later that Itazura had managed to push Blake into a supply closet with Sun to keep her contained. It was odd… to think of Blake being treated like a cat not wanting to go to the vet, pet carrier included, but it seemed to be an apt description. Yet as much as Blake trusted her team, she seemed to show as much trust or more to Sun, something that made Weiss glad that the quiet girl was opening up. The more Sun got her to tell him about herself, the more she opened up to her team.

Then with Yang waking up and getting caught up by Denko on what happened, including how close the girl was to losing her arm completely. Weiss remembered how much blood was on the blondes when they showed up at the safe zone, even if some of it was Blake's as she was being carried by Denko as well. It made her shudder to think about how much Yang had really lost, she was so pale that night.

And the anger Yang showed when she learned of Blake trying to run away… Weiss could relate as she was just as upset but didn't put it on display. Yang was always one to wear her heart on her sleeve, though she hid some things under a mask, but one could almost always tell what she was feeling just by looking at her. And Yang was hurt by the betrayal of trust from Blake, badly.

Thankfully, Sun escorting Blake back into the room where she gave an explanation as to why she had to leave them, had cooled tempers. The plentiful tears had helped quell the fires of anger that Yang held, but Weiss could see that they weren't extinguished.

When it was time for the girls to part, it was upsetting that Ruby was still unconscious, but they had given their friend a hug goodbye anyway. Weiss knew that she was almost worried sick, she knew her back felt it from sitting by her side in the uncomfortable chair for most of the time she was in the hospital. Either way, she wished to see Ruby awake and moving again by the next time they met.

The ride back to Atlas was uneventful beyond the fact that there were about thirty wounded soldiers on stretchers and on benches with nearly as many in hastily made coffins in the hold, and even with Winter by her side they weren't in the mood to really talk thanks to the events at Beacon. Upon arrival at Atlas, the sisters oversaw the medics taking the injured to the hospital before retiring to Winter's quarters within the Huntsman Academy/ military base.

The next day, the sisters had gone out for a bit of shopping to get new clothes for Weiss since she left nearly everything back at Beacon, leading to her new outfit that she was becoming fond of already. There were many times that she caught herself thinking of what her teammates would say seeing her now.

Yang would likely say that she's cleaning up nicely, Blake commenting about the white helping her get lost in the snow, and Ruby… well, she would be ecstatic about the new outfit. At least that's what Weiss assumed.

But now, she had to deal with being among some of the best Huntsmen that Atlas had to offer. She just hoped that she could even keep up. She wasn't going to give up easily though, Beacon had shown her that she needed to improve herself and skills far beyond what they were at present.

—-

Blake sat on her bed heavily. Granted, with her weight and mood, everything was heavy. Yet she wasn't in any frame of mind to care, she was too caught up with the thoughts in her head. From that her team was scattered, Beacon and Vale being attacked and overrun with Grimm, the White Fang stooping lower than she ever thought they could. That Adam had stabbed her, he nearly cut off Yang's arm, he'd been ordering the White Fang to attack civilians running from the Grimm, monsters that they had dropped into population centers solely to rampage.

So many things just seemed to go wrong around her and yet her first reaction was to run away from everything and everyone. She didn't want to deal with the White Fang at all, not anymore… not now. She couldn't face her teammates and the friends she'd made at Beacon. She didn't even want to fight Grimm, as cathartic as that could have been.

But she wasn't alone as she had intended when she tried to abandon everyone and everything. Her friends had caught her when trying to leave, but they still wanted her with them. They considered her to be family, a sister.

Sister… that one word was so simple yet held so much meaning. Blake had always been an only child, her parents never having the time to have more than just her while running the White Fang. By the time they decided to retire from the Equal Rights group, she was on the cusp of being a teenager. She had wanted for most of her life for her parents to make time for her but when she finally had her wish, she did nothing but insult them and run away from her family to dive headlong into what they had left to be a normal family.

And she's been regretting that decision ever since but rather than going back then, she threw herself into the activities of the White Fang. Even when the organization turned from peaceful protests and boycotts to assaults, kidnapping, and theft… and murders.

But she had two girls that told her that she was a sister to them and she was sure that Ruby felt the same. Friends that had heard the problems she had and were waiting for her to return, whenever that may be.

What made her feel wanted was the young man lying on his back on the other bed across the small room. Sun had always found the way to be there for her when she needed someone the most. After accidentally revealing that she's a faunus, she ran away only to be found by him taking a nighttime stroll around the campus. When she found how low the White Fang was willing to go by involving themselves with Roman Torchwick for that theft at the docks, he was the one by her side. When she needed a night of fun to relax, she went to him. When everything came crumbling around her, he kept her from abandoning those she cared for.

Yet he asked for nothing in return.

From the beginning, he was willing to let her do things at her own pace… with a little prodding, while refusing to just leave her. As annoying as it could be to have him always nearby at times, she appreciated that he was giving her space but would always be honest with her and wouldn't let her fall.

They were fairly isolated in their cabin on a ship at sea. Nowhere for Blake to run if she had the urge - thankfully not having any as she was too glad to not be alone. She had two people with her that knew what was going on with her but only Sun knew most of what bothered her thanks to her breakdown in the hospital closet.

Closets, the two of them were developing a habit of venting to each other in small rooms. As embarrassing as it was to say that they kept getting locked together, they learned about each other and saw them at their lowest moments, only to find that they were what they needed to rise above.

"Thinking about something good?" Sun's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Something like that." Blake responds vaguely.

"Well, I hope you keep it up." Sun scratches his head while rolling over to pull his scroll out of his back pocket with his tail. "It's the most I've seen you smile on your own since… you know."

Just about anyone on the ship knew what he meant and Blake didn't need a reminder about what had happened. Though it was thanks to Sun and Itazura encouraging her to focus on the positives that kept her from becoming a reclusive, brooding, mess… again.

It was unfortunate that there was little to really do on the ship, no longer did their scrolls reach anyone off of the boat thanks to Beacon Tower being damaged. Granted, communications on the open sea could be spotty at best anyway without powerful transmitters and receivers.

The few books that the three of them had brought with them didn't hold their interest for long as she had read most of them a few times over before. She wasn't about to read 'Ninjas of Love' without ensuring privacy to herself. And privacy was in short supply when three people shared a cabin on a ship at sea.

There wasn't much room for them to train either, forcing them to limit themselves to intense stretches, meditation, and short sprints across the decks. A few quick spars were allowed by the Captain, once the medic on board cleared them to do so and that they didn't try any moves that would damage the ship or use live rounds.

Those on board would often gather to watch the fights when they happened, often being the best entertainment for the day as they'd go a few rounds. There was an understanding that the three were still pulling their punches but for the civilians it was still amazing to watch so close.

—-

The return to Patch wasn't as grand as Yang had dreamed of before the tournament. She had been disgraced on international television, two of the girls she thought of as sisters were on their ways to be as far from her as possible, Ruby was confined to a wheelchair to move around, and she had her right arm in a sling after nearly having it cut off thanks to jumping to the defense of one of her sisters.

They weren't getting a warriors welcome but they weren't being rejected by the townsfolk either. Patch is a small community and nearly everyone knows most anyone else to some degree. The welcome back home wasn't anything special and everyone knew why.

The island was busier than usual thanks to the influx of refugees from the mainland. Some had family here. Others taken in by strangers with big hearts. The majority though, wound up going to Signal and taking residence in the various buildings, mostly. There was some overflow and they were provided tents on the school grounds until more substantial housing could be made.

A squeeze on her shoulder brought the girl out of her thoughts, turning her head to see that it was Denko. The boy had his left arm in a cast, only taking the sling given by the hospital to be a backup for Yang. It was hard not to notice that he walked with a slight limp, getting kicked by a giant Grimm and landing on concrete steps would leave its mark.

Taiyang was pushing Ruby in her wheelchair, the girl unable to move without pain from pushing herself beyond her limits. Multiple muscle tears and fractures in her bones, combined with pure exhaustion and aura depletion made for a painful existence. What little aura she could regenerate as she rested was almost immediately used to help heal her extensively battered body.

Aside from some pleasant greetings and looks of sympathy, the small family and friend made it to the small parking lot near the dock where there was a small red car known as Zippy. None of them knew exactly how it got its name but the name had stuck around as long as Tai owned it. The father dropped their bags, little more than what they had been wearing and carrying when brought to the hospital along with a few things provided by the doctors, into the car's trunk. Then he helped to get Ruby in the car with Denko doing what he could with one arm before collapsing the chair and loading that with the bags. Denko assisted the girls with buckling in their seats before dropping in the front seat himself.

Since they had left the hospital, they had all been quiet, only speaking when giving directions. The trend continued once they arrived at the home in the forest. Denko assisted Tai as he carried his youngest daughter up to her bed, Yang only making it as far as the couch.

Dinner was simple, though by the time that was done Yang had joined Ruby in their room where they ate in their beds. Taiyang and Denko ate with them, mostly for solidarity but also because Ruby couldn't go through the motions without flinching and Yang was not used to using her left hand. The males found it hard to watch the girls stumbling through something as simple as spaghetti.

The next few days passed in much the same way. Yang was in too much of a depressed funk to do much beyond sleeping in her bed or coming downstairs to watch television and snack. Ruby was little better but she was stiffly and painfully walking around the house, having to hold herself up using walls and furniture to get around.

Probably the most excitement that happened in the house came from bathing situations. Denko was the easiest of the youths as he merely needed to keep his cast out of the water,using the bags provided by the hospital for that. The girls… needed to bathe together as Yang had her own cast that she needed to keep dry and unable to move it much at all. Ruby was too sore all over to do much without having to bite her lip to prevent herself from screaming in pain. Not to mention that with those injuries, neither girl could reach around their rotund selves well enough to adequately clean, thus why they went together.

By the end of the first week after coming home, Ruby had healed relatively well and didn't exhaust her aura daily. She was still tender all over and couldn't move for long without the pain creeping back so she had to rest for a while. But that was an improvement.

Ruby's birthday was somber as none of them really wanted to be celebrating life so soon after so much death. They may have mostly been going through the motions but the cake was good and it was a start on the path back to normalcy.

The next week, the local doctor of Patch stopped by. Technically, he was the lead doctor for Signal for when accidents happen and injuries for Huntsmen were routed to him rather than the small hospital that the town has, most of the time.

Dr. Hemo had been forwarded the medical charts of the three in the Xiao Long-Rose home as he would be their nearest and best medical practitioner, and it helped that they knew each other during their years at Signal. He'd been the one who helped Itazura with her hearing after she had been provided with her prosthetics.

"Alright you three, let's try to keep things simple." Dr. Hemo said to keep things as light as possible to help his patients relax. "We'll go in order of injury severity. So, Denko, you're up first."

The doctor drew a device from his carry bag of supplies and used it to scan the younger man's arm and leg. He read the results on his scroll after he set the scanner on the kitchen table.

"Hmm… Looks like you're doing well. Your leg should be back to normal by next week so long as you don't stress it until then. Your arm is mending but I'm keeping that cast on for another two weeks. I don't care if aura is accelerating the healing process, I want to be sure before I turn you loose on the Grimm."

"Got it." Denko replies. He wasn't about to argue with one of the adults who helped him and Itazura when they needed it the most when they were kids. He still felt that he owed the doctor for everything he'd done for them.

"Alright, Ruby, you're next." Dr. Hemo says as Denko moves to sit next to Yang, switching seats with Ruby,

The young girl moved stiffly and deliberately, lowering herself onto the chair with more care than anytime he'd known the girl. He turned his scanner on her, sweeping over her whole body from head to toe.

"Hmm… you are doing quite well." He says as he looks over the readings. "I see that you are still sore from the injuries and that you need more time to heal. You'll need to continue to take things easy for a while."

Ruby nods in understanding, while not exactly scared of doctors she had a slight aversion to them. Something that had led to Yang patching her up when they were younger. Maybe being unconscious for most of her time in the hospital was a good thing in that way. Even when she was awake, she was in no state to resist in any way.

"Since I'll be giving Denko an examination in two weeks, I'll be scheduling yours for then too. Also, you can call me if you experience any problems. That goes for all of you."

With that, the sisters traded chairs and Yang had her entire arm scanned. Dr. Hemo took longer to examine the results, making everyone else begin to get uncomfortable with the silence.

"Well, I'm glad that they put you back together quite well. The titanium lattice around the bone along with the pins will be good for keeping the bone aligned to heal. The blood flow looks good, just a few small spots from internal bleeding that have yet to be worked out yet. Nothing to worry about."

That good news relaxed everyone.

"How are your nerves? Do you have any feeling in your fingers?"

Yang flinched at the question, raising curiosity from the doctor.

"Nothing yet." She admits nervously. "I don't really feel anything from here down." She gestures with her left hand from just below her right shoulder.

"Can't say that I'm surprised." Dr. Hemo tells her. "Nerves are slow to heal, even when put back together they have to make their connections with each other and be trained again to react to the brain's impulses correctly for the desired actions. Essentially, you'd be like a baby learning to use your arm again, once it's healed." He explained with a small laugh, causing Yang to blush with the embarrassment of the prospect of doing that.

"Not only that but when they packed you up, they put a very strong topical numbing medication that is slow to absorb through the skin under that cast of yours." The doctor taps the hard wraps that immobilized her arm. At the wide eyes of the others in the room from the news, he laughs. "You just had your arm nearly removed and had to be put back together with a few extra pieces. Of course, they were going to keep you numbed up while things heal for a while. At least there's no sign of your body rejecting the splints inside of you."

Smiles were truly genuine and plentiful in the house for the first time since the weekend before the tournament.

"I'll schedule you for a check up as well since you three are a package deal when it comes to trouble. Speaking of trouble, where is your sister? I'd like to check on her ears."

Denko's face fell a bit at the mention of Itazura, being the furthest apart since they met at that orphanage. "She's leading a small escort mission to Menagerie with some friends." He responds.

"Well then, if you get in contact with her, pass on that I'd like to see the little rascal." Dr. Hemo laughs as he shakes hands with everyone after packing his gear.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for lunch?" Tai offers.

"Tempting but I have an appointment with the Miller's Should have a new mouth to feed in a few months."

"Another grandkid for you to spoil." Tai teases.

"Same thing. Good luck to you all and I'll see you in two weeks!"

Once the door was closed, the father turned to the younger generation. "Since we had some good news today, why don't we celebrate a bit?"

"How?" Denko was quick to respond, none of them could really do much in the way of their normal antics with their injuries.

Taiyang paused as he didn't quite think that far ahead and he had gotten used to his girls making suggestions to choose from. A stomach growled loud enough to be heard by everyone, Denko's hands going to his abdomen.

"Lunch?" The blonde asks meekly.

"It's close enough. Hop in Zippy and we'll go to Hestia's." The father agrees and the girls looked truly happy at the prospect.

The family was finally starting to show signs of healing.

—-

Glynda sighed as she flew over Beacon in a Bullhead, standing by the open bay door for an unobstructed view of the damages.

So much of what she could see, she could remember every detail of how the school looked just last week. Every bush, flowerbed, the view of the arches around the courtyard, the smooth stone roads and walkways, the occasional fountain. Where the cafeteria once stood, the students showers that had been scheduled to be dismantled before winter set in, the various buildings for different classes, the small greenhouse that held exotic plants. The school held some of the best technology to assist in training the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses within a solid building that was grand in design with a slight gothic touch.

But now…much of that was destroyed. Buildings leveled and burnt, some parts flooded from broken pipes, the roads pocked with small holes to footprints the size of pools, trees ripped from the ground or snapped at their trunks. Walls that still stood often had some form of scorching, bullet holes, clawing, and/or smears of some sort of stain from mud to blood.

She hated that such a beautiful place of learning had come to such an end. She was saddened that she had to keep reading reports of more bodies being found in the rubble, the chances of survivors dwindling by the hour at this point. The Grimm shelters had been searched first, where dozens of people had survived the night thanks to their confinement. A few people had gotten lucky that they were in gaps in the rubble large enough to not crush them. But for those who weren't so lucky… her heart ached for their loved ones.

One of the biggest problems that faced her was the damage to the Cross Continental Transmit Tower. As much as she wanted to lecture Denko for his recklessness being launched in the air with the hope of hitting his target, she was glad that he did and prevented the Grimm Wyvern from destroying the tower as it was about to do.

Even so, the damage was severe enough that the tower was inoperable for at least the next few weeks until the repairs could be made. She had seen that what had been Ozpin's office was now torn apart with gashes in the floor and wall, the elevator effectively scrapped, the windows gone, and a large part of the floor and ceiling melted to slag with plenty of warping, scorching, and burns around the area which filled much of the room. Further down the tower, huge gashes thanks to the spiked tail of the beast threatened to bring the structure down.

In short and to put things mildly, it was a mess. And as the new Headmistress of Beacon and the position gave her a position on the Vale Council, it fell on her shoulders to clean things up. As much as she wanted to focus on rebuilding Beacon, she knew that her focus had to remain with the people and help to get them adequate living conditions. There were only so many warehouses that could be repurposed and there were few buildings that offered rooms that were structurally sound.

She had learned of a club downtown that was reasonably safe, the building only receiving minor damages but had taken in refugees and actively defended the people inside and out. Reportedly, dozens of Grimm were slain by them and she knew the owner, Hei Xiong by his reputation. As much as she didn't want to trust a man who regularly dealt with criminals, so long as he was willing to assist with the defense, housing, and rebuilding of Vale and its citizens, she would overlook that.

There was also the matter of the White Fang members who had been captured after the Breach. Apparently, the majority of them and a few other prisoners had volunteered to help defend the city and did so by taking the fight to the Grimm in the streets. She had been told by Oobleck on occasion that he had been assisting in a sort of counseling with the faunus that many of them were having a change of heart. Their willingness to put themselves at risk for the city and people they had once tried to destroy told volumes of how far they had come. While not all of them had made it through the night, she was of the opinion that they had earned some leniency when it came to their previous crimes. And having them work off the remainder of their debt by assisting in the rebuilding efforts would be enough for her.

Right now, from her perch in the air she could see the technicians examining the CCT and doing what they could to find ways to repair some of the components inside. There was also another crew that was working on putting up supports to ensure that the tower wouldn't simply be blown over by a storm or the elements getting into the valuable machinery within. Already, plans were being made to bolster the tower with thicker walls so that it wouldn't be so easily damaged in the future. The office at the peak would require a full reconstruction as well. Not only did it allow for one to see most of the campus and have an excellent view of Vale, it was more than simply the traditional Headmaster's office.

The true peak of the tower held the transmission and receiving equipment for the global communications. Many of the delicate systems had been damaged by the heat thanks to the fight that took place in the office, not even the clockworks prevented the damage from rising, they too were rendered inactive by the fight. Now the clock was stuck at the time the fight had been ended by Anya blasting Cinder with her own attack with interest.

A blackbird flew into the aircrafts open door, only momentarily startling the blonde woman. The bird landed as if it belonged there. A moment later, Qrow stood in its place looking as grumpy as ever. "It's not looking good down there." He comments.

"Were you able to find Ozpin?" As much as Glynda's voice told that she expected the worst, there was a tinge of hope.

Qrow reached behind him and withdrew an object, one that was very familiar to both of them, the hilt of Old Memory. A twitch of his fingers on the guard and the shaft of the weapon that most thought of as a cane telescoped out to full length.

"He's gone. Not too much left of him." The man informed her bitterly.

"Amber?"

"Arrow in the heart. The only good thing is that she's in reasonable condition yet thanks to that chamber she's in. But that's not going to last long."

"I'll… I'll see what I can do to recover them for a proper burial."

"Glynda…" Qrow's change of tone caught the blonde's attention, he obviously had other problems on his mind.

"You know we can speak freely." She sets a hand on his shoulder to comfort the man. She knew how much he trusted Ozpin and how much he shouldered for their cause.

"It's… about Ruby." That admission made her eyes widen and alerted her to what the trouble was. "Just how long do we keep her in the dark about her Silver Eyes?"

The pair looked out at the base of the tower where the Wyvern still stood, frozen in stone in the same position as it was when it tried to eat the one who froze it and her friend. The biggest problem was that it drew Grimm to it, requiring a constant patrol around the new statue to keep the creatures away. On the other hand, it served as a trap that drew the Grimm from where they were hiding in the city.

They didn't know why it drew them but they were working with what they had available. Yet while there were a few people doing what they could to study the Grimm, there were others wrapping explosives around the Wyvern in preparation to destroy it. The plan was to call in as many troops and Huntsmen as possible when it came to the demolition time and for Glynda to use her Semblance to keep the explosion contained as much as she can, specifically to defend the tower in addition to the hastily erected defenses.

"It's too soon, we shouldn't put that kind of responsibility on a child." Glynda defended the youngest student to grace Beacon's classrooms.

"She's not a child. Especially not after this." Qrow argued for his niece. "She's sixteen now, she should know what she is capable of."

"And how is she supposed to use her Gift? She has no one to train her with it."

"We do have some of Summer's things locked away." Qrow admits, silencing the blonde but uncomfortable himself at the thoughts of his friend and her daughter with the hardship he knew was in store for the young girl. "We made sure that they were hidden away so that the girls wouldn't stumble over them too soon."

"And they could help Ruby?" Glynda was quiet as she spoke, mostly in respect for the woman.

"I'd be more surprised if she didn't write down everything she knew about Silver Eyes. If there's one thing I remember after Ruby was born, it was Summer commenting on her eyes." He drew his flask and took a long swig. "Can't say that the stories were wrong about them being warriors, it's all Ruby has ever dreamed of doing since she could walk and talk. Nothing was going to stop her from fighting the good fight."

Glynda looked at the man as he seemed to drift away into his memories while narrating them. Her heart went out to him, a man who believed himself cursed yet took so much of a burden on his own shoulders so others wouldn't have to and granted himself a cruel justification for his own existence. She was glad that he was always one to look out for his family as well.

"Looks like she's getting her wish." He grumbled bitterly, hating that things had been so bad for the girls he was so determined to see succeed in life. "But I'm doubting this will do anything to break her will."

—-

Team JNPR were no longer residing in the hospital. The sad fact was that they no longer resided in a building at all. Instead, they had a large tent to themselves among others in this particular park in Vale.

With Pyrrha's foot doing better, the team was vacated to make room for new patients that were usually those pulled from the rubble. Nora was still on light duty due to her hip, though the doctors assured them that she was healing well and an extra week was to make sure she didn't stress the freshly healed bones. Same with Ren and his ribs.

Aura was a truly wonderful thing to help someone heal faster than usual.

But the redheaded champion was pushed around in a wheelchair, often by Jaune as they did their rounds around the park. As Huntsmen, they were assigned a camp to protect where they now lived. At the same time, their injuries kept them from assisting in the cleanup efforts around them.

That left them to keep the peace within the camp. There was also the possibility of a Grimm attack in which case, Jaune would be the most able-bodied to defend them all. Thankfully, nothing had happened here at Camp Violet, but Camp Goldenrod had a small pack of Beowolves attack them yesterday and Camp Bluebell had an Ursa charging into the middle of the tents before it was cut down by Team CFVY.

Needless to say, the news set them all on edge but the fact that the more able Huntsmen and Huntresses were patrolling the city and eliminating any creature they found as they helped search parties find survivors. But at this point two weeks after the invasion, rescue had turned into recovery.

Even the cleanup crews, who mostly started around the camps to allow for future expansion and to remove hiding places for Grimm, had begun to gather some objects from apartments and gather them together for the owners to recover later. One of the priorities was any preserved foods that could be distributed to the camp.

All around them, people were trying to keep themselves occupied so that they wouldn't focus on the disaster from that night. Children were being watched and cared for by those who couldn't assist in the recovery operations, usually by the elderly and the newer mothers. Some of those children assisted in the cleanup by cleaning certain items that had been brought back from dishes to toys. The more dangerous items like appliances were being fixed by some of the elderly who showed some of the older kids how to do repairs, which soon led to more hands repairing.

Adults would be those actually out searching the buildings and recovering what they could. Food, tools, and Dust supplies were always high priority followed by what were valuables to those who once called the buildings home. Should a body be found, they were recovered and taken to the 'morgue', where a doctor would do their best to identify them and next of kin located.

Funerals didn't have the luxury of having much in the way of attendees at the crematorium, usually just their closest family and/or friends who could get there that day. Nobody was getting any special treatment and there was enough misery.

The walls were in poor shape and the VDF were doing their best to close up the holes and fight off any Grimm that came close. There were a few Huntsmen patrolling outside of the walls in rotations to thin the packs, some of them taking some refuge in the ruins of the watchtowers. Of the nearly one hundred watchtowers that had defended Vale outside of the walls, only a dozen were left in operation. A few would need comparatively minor repairs and a fresh staff but most would need to be fully reconstructed. But that would have to wait until the wall was finished and construction of homes within the city were well under way.

At least the VDF had some spares to replace the guns on the walls as nearly ninety percent were destroyed or disabled that night. It wasn't enough to bring them back to a quarter of their full strength but anything was an improvement.

At the same time, Ironwood had his troops making whatever repairs they could to the warships to get them airworthy again. At least enough to move them to more open areas where they could continue the repairs. Thankfully, the ship's framework are quite sturdy and they weren't too caught up with doing more than the minimum to get the ship capable of getting back to Atlas for true repairs.

"How long do you think things will be this way?" Nora was quiet. It was something of a welcome change for the team from their loudest member. At the same time, they had spent most of the year, for Pyrrha and Jaune, getting used to her antics during their time as a team and depended on her to keep things from being boring and keeping their moods up.

"I have no idea Nora." Pyrrha shook her head. Her shield hung on the back of her chair, even if she wasn't able to walk yet, it gave her some form of comfort. It did upset her that her sword had been destroyed but she had to heal her heel first before she could even attempt to salvage anything from it. As it looked now, she couldn't even unload the final Dust rounds that were in it, making her believe that it may be better to simply melt the entire weapon down and reconstruct it from the beginning.

"It will take time but the people of Vale are hardy and strong-willed. They will pull through." Ren responds to his best friend's question. His face was impassive as ever but Nora knew that this was much more personal to him. She knew how much this reminded him of his family and the village that they had met in. It wasn't the most pleasant memory in the slightest, beyond how they bonded as orphans who depended on each other for nearly everything, especially emotionally.

Jaune was silent as he pushed Pyrrha across the rough ground. His mind is constantly torn between having to look out for his team, the destruction all around them, the senseless deaths, how Pyrrha nearly died that night… how she kissed him before going to what was likely to be her final battle. Thankfully, nobody called him out for being quiet; there were many who dealt with the fate of Vale by being silent as they did what they could to help.

If anything, this hardened his resolve to become a Huntsman to do whatever he could to prevent something like this from happening again. It reminded him of the conversations with Ruby, how she wanted to help others when they couldn't help themselves. To be the hero, not just play the part. He didn't want to do it for fame or money. Sure, there was some point of pride with following in his family's heritage of being strong Huntsmen that he wanted to continue.

Now he was getting baptism by fire and he was pushing through the pain for the sake of those who looked to him for leadership. He was determined not to fail anyone. Afterall, he was a leader and he wasn't allowed to fail or he'd risk losing those closest to him.

—-

The palace that sat in the middle of a large island well off the coast of Anima is a grand structure. Several stories tall and quite wide and ornate, it gave a sense of awe and wonder for all who laid eyes on it. White stone walls and pillars, red stained wood, iron barred gates with brass ornamentation… the building spoke volumes of the power the owner wielded.

The grounds of the palace are well kept with a wide variety of flowers in gardens divided by small streams, ponds, and walkways that had the occasional small bridge to cross the waters. Trees provided shade and added color with their leaves and flowers as short cut grass filled the spaces between walls, gardens, and walkways as decorative statues added contrast and splendor.

Yet the inside was no less spectacular and opulent, richly stained wood on the floors that shined in the light, walls that alternated their decorations with paintings, statues, and windows with grand views of the gardens and the island beyond. Plush red carpeting ran through the center of the halls and rooms.

But the biggest clue of who the palace belonged to had to be the white banners with the White Fang symbol every so often in the hallways, flew as flags from the rooftop, and the symbol adorned the iron gate in bronze.

Then there was the throne room in the center of the building. A large room that was three stories tall and just as wide while three times as long. A row of pillars on either side of the red carpet down the center supported the ceiling high above where windows let in some natural light and assisted with the air flow in the room.

But it was the throne that commanded attention, tall backed with ornate bronze edging with red cushions for the one who sat upon it where they had a commanding view thanks to the series of steps that raised the seat of power. Guards with large polearms stood on either side of the throne, with another pair at the edge of the raised floor, others in each corner and another repair stationed on either side of the door at the other end of the room.

"It's been nearly three weeks since that damned attack and he's still not here!" The woman in the throne clenched a fist on the armrest.

"High Leader Khan, might I suggest we give him another week to show or provide a response?" An aide said from just behind her throne, she had been the one to deliver the news after all. It was understandable that communication and travel had been stopped or slowed, respectively, since Beacon Tower had been damaged in the attack on Vale. At the same time, their messenger had been able to cross the oceans and continents to deliver the 'request' to the Vale Branch of the White Fang and return in that time period.

"My patience has its limits and it is wearing thin right now." The woman nearly growled in response.

"Perhaps they had run into some trouble on the way." The woman behind the throne suggests, the nearest guards giving each other a glance through their masks.

"I'll give Adam a little more time to come here, in light of current circumstances. But he better have a good reason for the delays and a much better reason for that attack on Beacon. He may have set us back years with that stupid stunt when he could have advanced our cause immensely if he had sent his branch to save the kingdom." Sienna spoke to nobody in particular but every faunus in the room could hear her.

"Very well." The aide accepts the decision with a bow of her head.

Sienna stands and stretches her back a little before turning to the guard on her right. "Make sure that our informants keep an eye on what is happening in the kingdoms and we get regular reports. That includes the activities of our branches."

The man saluted with a closed fist across his chest as he stood at attention. "It will be done, High Leader!"

"Good, see to it and I may go easy the next time I join your training exercises." The tiger woman gave the man a small smile at the joke before leaving for an exit, the small red cape across her shoulders fluttering as she moved for her own quarters.

—-

"And the Fall Maiden finally wakes." The pale woman comments as she enters the room where a much, much younger woman lay on the bed, wrapped in bandages and kept under her sheets. Next to her, sitting on a chair to tend to her, sat Emerald Sustrai.

The young thief wasn't exactly someone that the castle owner would have preferred to have within her estate, but the one on the bed had recruited her and the girl has proven loyal so far. It also helped to satisfy her with Emerald's palpable fear of just being near the castle and that fear only grew several fold if they were in the same room together. And that fear, with good reason, kept the thief from disobeying orders in the slightest.

"How has she been?"

"Lady Salem! I-I was just feeding Cinder some broth." The green haired girl nearly jumped from her seat before standing to the side to allow their Mistress to view Cinder unobstructed.

Salem barely gave her a glance, noting that the girls' rear jiggled rather obviously, even if she wasn't near as large as many of the students from the academies she had seen. The exposed soft and round midriff made an impressive imitation of a chocolate muffin.

But she turned her attention to the one on the bed. Cinder lay there helpless as a child, with only her right ear, eye, and mouth exposed along with her nostrils. Everything else about her features were obscured behind the white gauze besides some tufts of black hair that managed to not get wrapped. But even what little skin was able to be seen, much near the bandaged side was still an angry red from the burns with some of the skin peeling. Her exposed eye was bloodshot but held shame of being seen in this state.

"I see that becoming the Fall Maiden has made you far more powerful than you were before." Salem didn't bother giving Cinder a direct look, her gaze now on the medical supplies on the bedside table. "But I assume that this should be enough of a lesson that you are NOT invincible."

She turned away, now not even pretending that Cinder was worthy of seeing her face. "However, you were successful in taking the Maiden's power for yourself, destroying Beacon, disabling global communications… and I'm assuming that Ozpin has been killed?"

She waited a few moments, only hearing silence behind her. But it was that silence that was deafening and made her turn back to Cinder, the act of doing so seemed to make the room drop in temperature. From the corner of her eye, she could see Emerald shaking in fear enough to nearly spill the bowl she was holding, freezing up the moment she had even a fraction of her master's attention.

"Well?" Salem asks Cinder with false patience and her tone demanded answers immediately. A few seconds passed and she saw Cinder's lips moving, her throat tightening under her bandages as she tried to speak. A delicate brow rose slightly as she could now see that the lack of response wasn't disrespect but inability.

Red eyes trailed over to the chubby thief, the intent made clear in that glance. Emerald moved quickly, setting the bowl down on the table on the other side of the bed, one that held more supplies for the Maiden's wounds, before leaning down to put her ear almost to Cinder's mouth.

Salem watched with mild curiosity, her own ears catching an odd click or two from her bed bound servant. Then Emerald rose and looked towards her, unable to even look at her at all.

"Sh- She says that Ozpin is dead."

"Hmm… it seems that at least something else was accomplished as well, though it would appear that you failed to retrieve the Relic, instead rushing off to the next fight." Salem looked down her nose at Cinder, who looked away with shame and self-directed anger being key emotions that could be made out easily.

"Do try to heal quickly, for once you do, I will oversee your training to master your new powers. You will need all of your strength to survive." That cold warning was all that was given before the Mistress of the castle left the pair to their own devices.

AN: As you may have noticed, much of this is more like a reintroduction but one that sets the stage for things to come. I do hope that you all enjoy this and the plans going forward. As always, reviews are welcome.