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Chapter 56

"I'll join the White Arcana."

"Excellent." The satisfied look on Lady Goodwitch's face was almost too much to handle. Ruby clenched her jaw tight and glared down at the wooden desk. She'd never doubted it, had she? Everyone had known she'd switch sides just like this. "In that case we can begin the preparations right now and-"

"On one condition!"

"Condition?" Glynda frowned, the shadows cast over her face appearing to sharpen. "I hope you understand you're in no position to be making demands. The rules exist for a reason. They won't be broken for you, no matter how important you think you are."

Ironic of you of all people to say that, Ruby thought. "It's not breaking the rules. I'm going to remain Merlot's apprentice and that's allowed." Glynda's jaw unclenched, her posture relaxing a little as she began to understand the request. Or thought she did.

"We will not force you to stop learning under him."

"You can't anyway. But Merlot – Lord Merlot – is going to ask the Grand Arcanist if we can leave the Collegium to continue our research on the Grimm. Not for long," she said quickly when Glynda looked alarmed. "A few hours one night and then maybe again in a week or two. Just like you had me, Weiss and Malneux do."

"There is a vast difference between taking three Initiates into the Upper District to watch experienced Arcanists deal with a rogue, and an Azure taking an Initiate out into the forests to hunt for Grimm. The danger alone is a hundred times greater."

"Lord Merlot is asking the Grand Arcanist, not you."

"The Grand Arcanist takes my advice."

"And that's why my condition is that you side with Merlot and let me go."

Lady Goodwitch let out a bellowing sigh and sank into her seat, white and golden robes spilling over the wooden armrests and bunching together in dizzying patterns that reached to the floor. Her golden tresses seemed to mould into her lapel, thin chains of silver and gold visible around her neck. She reached up to remove her intricately woven spectacles and place them on the table, but despite all the little mannerisms and distractions, her bright green eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. Ruby met them head on, stood straight with arms at her side.

"I am not inclined to grant this request."

"Then I'm not inclined to join the White." Ruby said.

"You realise that your goal of discovering what happened to Menagerie would be better served here, do you not? The Azure Archives will be closed for some time. You won't be able to access them without a White Gem. There is nothing the Azure can offer you. The White can offer more."

"Yeah, like offering to let me go outside the walls with Merlot."

"Stubborn." Glynda chided with a click of her tongue. "That's an attribute we would normally celebrate. What do you hope to learn that you believe hunting Grimm will help with? It won't bring you any closer to discovering what befell Menagerie. It won't unveil the secrets of the Grimm. They are beasts. Nothing more."

"I joined the Azure first for a reason, Lady Goodwitch. Merlot calls it the spark – not of magic but of curiosity. Of needing to know the answer to a question." Ruby's eyes narrowed. "That hasn't changed just because the Archives fell. Maybe there's more the White can do for me, but it'd also be asking me to distract myself from what I'm looking for. You may see that as a good thing, but I don't. So, if you want me in the White then you'd better be ready to negotiate."

"Negotiate? In what world does the greatest of the Arcana negotiate with an Initiate? You may feel you're special and perhaps I've misled you into thinking so – you certainly are beyond the norm, but that's all. I won't be bending the rules or treating you differently from any other person. My answer, Initiate, is no."

Bullshit. She said she was treating her no different, yet she'd been practically forced into being her apprentice for a few days, showed things she had no right knowing and then taken outside the Collegium to watch an Azure Arcanist be taken down. There was no way that kind of thing was given to new recruits, especially not those who hadn't even signed up yet.

They wanted her. Ruby wasn't sure why – it might have been that they thought she had potential, but it might also have been because they thought she was suspicious or a security risk and wanted to keep an eye on her. It was no secret she thought the Wildmages were poorly treated, and since she was from Menagerie, they might have been worried she'd try and do as Blake's mom had. They were right to fear that, too. Even Merlot had said they were unusually determined to have her. How else could they have instantly noticed when she went into the Sanctum again? They're watching me. Or someone is. That someone might very well be the frowning woman sat before her.

Another noble might have given up under that kind of attention, but you couldn't strike a proper deal without being willing to walk away. That was the big mistake she used to make at the markets before Yang taught her the ropes. Never show anyone how desperate you were. Always act like you had other options.

"Fine." Ruby turned, blue robes flapping behind her. "I'll stay in the Azure."

"And I shall speak out against your request to leave the Collegium."

"Do what you like. Lord Merlot and I will just keep asking." Ruby put one step before the other, walking steadily away. "The White doesn't have anything I want. Besides, I can always talk to that Wildmage from Menagerie. I'm sure he knows more."

"Stop!"

White vines reached across the doorway, locking it off behind glowing branches that shimmered in the air. The smell of burning filled Ruby's nostrils as her own power surged to her fingertips. They tingled with the urge to unleash it all at the woman stood behind her.

"You are such a vexing child." Glynda hissed. "The Sanctum is not your playground and the prisoners within are not to be trusted. They are locked away there for a reason!"

"That doesn't change the fact he knows things."

"You Azure and your blasted thirst for knowledge. What is knowledge without purpose? Nothing more than wasteful indulgence. Fools that think themselves intelligence because they waste their lives in pursuit of a single, meaningless, question. No one ever remembers the Azure. The Black creates, the White protects and the Emerald saves, but all the Azure do is satisfy their own selfish curiosity. And for what? So they can know why the sun rises, grass grows or how wild beasts work. Do you really wish to waste away your potential there? You could be so much more."

"I could be." Ruby crossed her arms. "If you let me go hunt Grimm with Lord Merlot."

"It is too dangerous!"

"Then haggle!" Ruby snapped, temper finally snapping. All these little threats and shows of magic meant nothing to her. Not a damn thing. "For the Arcana that's meant to be all about diplomacy, you're pretty bad at it!"

Lady Goodwitch recoiled like she'd been spat upon but come on. She'd expected the head of the Arcana dedicated to making people do what they wanted to be a little more persuasive. "Haggle. You mean to negotiate with me? That's not normally how this works, Initiate."

"Well I can walk out that door and stay in the Azure." Ruby said with an angry scowl. "You're the one using magic to keep me here. Unless you're planning to force the white robes on me – which I'm fairly sure you can't do – then I can only assume you're gonna offer me some reasons to want to join you."

Glynda frowned. "Are you threatening to blackmail me?"

"Over what?" Ruby asked innocently. "Have you done anything wrong?"

Ruby sensed the magic behind her fade but didn't look. The vines were receding backwards as Glynda's foot rose up off the floor. With here enhanced senses she could see the thin lines of white, as thin as string, reaching from the Arcanist's foot to the doorway, passing by under her. The amount of control required to manage that must have been staggering, even if Ruby's only understanding of it was seeing Weiss struggle and suffer headaches floating a ball in the air.

"The White Arcana is dedicated to negotiation." Lady Goodwitch forced out. "It is… my failing to have taken such a sharp tone, especially with an Initiate." The title seemed to be a reminder of the difference in their positions. "You wish to go outside the walls, and you may think you're ready, but Grimm are not wild animals. They are murderous beasts that can tear an experienced Arcanist in two if they are caught unawares."

"I know. We saw them. We fought them."

Lady Goodwitch's eyes narrowed. "You fought…?"

"Lord Merlot did. He killed one before we met Adam."

"Did he now? He kept that quiet. Recount for me how it happened."

Ruby did as best she could, mentioning the ice on the floor, the unbalancing act and then Merlot spearing into its skull. The only thing she left out was how it had been so much easier for him because the Grimm had been focused entirely on her to the point it ignored everything else.

"Impressive. I did not realise Lord Merlot was so able." Glynda drummed her fingers on the desk. "That relieves some of my concerns, though not all of them. One good performance against a Grimm is not justification for going out alone into the forests. There have been… rumours of increased Grimm activity within them of late."

Rumours…? That didn't sound like something the White would leave as just rumours. Still, she hadn't heard anything like that before she entered the Collegium, and she liked to think her and Yang kept their ears to the ground. It must have been recent.

"Send someone with us, then." It was the last thing she wanted. Sneaking away would be next to impossible if a White or Crimson went with them, but it would get her outside the walls. It would be a chance. Even if it didn't work the first time, it might make Goodwitch more relaxed for future times. Sooner or later, she'd be able to get a message to Blake and through her, Yang. "If you're worried about the risk, let a Crimson or White come with us."

"And have someone else give up their time? I cannot demand that of someone without good reason, and I'm far too busy to accompany you myself."

"Then…" Jaune. "Then send a Huntsman! The Grimm ignore them!"

"How do you know of-?"

"Merlot." Ruby lied.

"Blasted Azure." Glynda cupped her face. "This is what I mean about all curiosity and no common sense. It doesn't matter. I imagine you've also met them in the Sanctum, haven't you?" She was unsurprised by Ruby's nod. "It's hard enough for them to not stand out like sore thumbs, especially when they start to lose themselves." Under her breath and so low that Ruby was sure she wasn't meant to hear it, Glynda grumbled, "More reason to have you in the White."

Weakness. Ruby leapt on it.

"If you send a Huntsman with us then it'll be safer, and they can kill any Grimm that threaten us. Agree to that and agree to let Lord Merlot take me out with the huntsman and I'll don the white robes right here and now. I'll join the White Arcana straight away."

"Do not think I'm not aware of what you are pulling, Initiate…"

"Isn't that a good thing?" she cheekily asked, unable to hide her smug grin. "The White doesn't falter, right? And it's all about getting what it wants. I'm just trying to be the best White Arcanist I can be."

Lady Goodwitch sighed angrily. "I do not appreciate your tone."

/-/

"You've officially joined?"

"That is what the robes would suggest." Ruby mumbled out. White robes that fell from her shoulders to her feet, clean and crisp and disgustingly bland. For all that she'd gotten everything she wanted, it still felt like she'd come out the loser.

Back in their room in the dorms, Ruby could finally let that show. The act of picking out her blue robes and placing them in a pile by the door to take back to the Azure Arcana tomorrow was a weirdly painful one, and the white robes that replaced them were so dull and uninteresting. Weiss watched without ever really understanding her struggle, sat on her bed with a huge smile on her face that showed she completely disagreed with Ruby's assessment.

"This is great! I can't wait for us to have lessons again together."

Another set of drawers closed, and Ruby gripped her once blue robes sadly before turning to the door and setting them down. Nothing had changed. If anything, she'd gotten a better deal now than before. She didn't understand why it annoyed her so.

"Was it that bad when I was gone?" she asked Weiss distractedly.

"It was awful. I hated every single day."

"According to Malneux, you were doing fine." Ruby didn't mean it to come out as an accusation, but it did, and Weiss flinched.

"Ah. I… There wasn't much I could do. You know his household is more important than mine."

"I thought you were going to prove yourself. That was how it always looked before. You weren't afraid to stand up to him when he was going off at me. Why are you suddenly doing what he says?" A horrible thought came to mind and Ruby whirled on her roommate. "Please tell me there isn't a marriage arrangement."

"W-What? With me? No. I'm not good enough to receive a marriage proposal from a Malneux."

"The way I see it, they're not good enough for you – certainly not Martyn!"

"I agree." Weiss said. "I didn't mean to sound like I was putting myself down, I only meant our family isn't considered a valuable match. A-Anyway, it's different between protecting you and refusing an invitation from him. Even if I'm speaking out against him, everyone knows it's done to protect you. That's normal and I'm expected to stick up for my chosen allies. Rejecting him when he extends a hand of friendship, however, is an insult. Families have formed rivalries that have lasted generations over less."

Stupid noble rules. So, it was fine for someone to insult you all the time as long as it wasn't insulting your family, but if that same person then turned around and pretended to be polite, you were expected to act like you believed it? That didn't make any damn sense. If someone was causing you problems, you should be free to deal with them. Or at least hate their guts.

"Don't forget you still need to ask him to the dance." Weiss warned.

"Tch. Thanks for reminding me…"

"I have to. Don't think you can get away with not, either. You may not have a family reputation to uphold but he may very well be asking this because he expects you to blow him off. The longer you wait, the more excuse he has to call you out on going back on a bargain. You don't want to get a reputation for being dishonest, Ruby."

"I know. I know." That, at least, was the same as it was in the slums. You only got your reputation once and fucking it over by welching on someone was a quick way to make sure no one trusted you again. Weiss made a fair point on Malneux maybe looking for a chance to push it. "I'll ask him to go in a few days. If he asks you, let him know I'm preparing for it. I've got bigger things to do in the meantime."

"Care to tell?"

"Studying with Merlot. Glynda says I can stay apprenticed to him."

"Lord Merlot. Lady Goodwitch. And that's good, I suppose? I'd have thought you'd want to study under someone from the White, though." Ruby shrugged but didn't explain. The explanation was one Weiss wouldn't be able to understand. "I suppose magic is magic whomever you're learning from. Will you still be attending lectures at the White Cathedral?"

"I'll be the same as you in every way. I just get extra lessons from Merlot." Actually. "Hey, speaking of lessons, you're friends with that Pyrrha girl, right?"

Weiss made a surprised sound but answered, "I like to think so. Why?"

"She's our age and an Arcanist already." Or Weiss' age, but close enough. "Did she say how long it took her to earn her gem?"

"I… I didn't think to ask. I expect she was brought in at a similar age to us, so that would mean she earned it within a year, maybe a year and a half. Why? Are you thinking if it's possible for you to do the same?"

In a word, yes. Glynda would have no ability to stop her leaving if she earned a gem and became a real Arcanist. Of course, she didn't know any spells and couldn't cast like an Arcanist could, but if she could figure out what kind of tests they used, how you earned a place and a way to conceal her Wild magic as normal magic, she might be able to get by. The biggest problem was how far out of the ordinary she could act before someone started asking questions, and Pyrrha might be the perfect answer.

"I got into the Azure early. You got into the White. No reason we couldn't try and graduate early, too. Then I can be a White-Azure and not have to dress up like I'm waiting for the nearest wedding to happen."

Weiss giggled. "That's a fair point. I was thinking White-Emerald myself; I'd love to be able to heal people. To become a real Arcanist so early, though? If you'd asked me two months ago, I'd have said it would take at least ten years, but seeing Pyrrha as a Crimson Arcanist already proves that wrong. I suppose it must be a judge of capability, a meritocratic achievement."

Meritocratic. What an ironic idea for a noble to push when they inherited all their wealth and influence. Powering through to become a White Arcanist might be dangerous if it drew attention, but Glynda had already implied she had potential. That meant it wouldn't be too unexpected for her to excel. Go too fast and she'd be in the Sanctum faster than she could blink, but maybe if she worked her ass off and dragged Weiss along with her, it wouldn't look so impossible.

"Can you ask her how long it took?" Ruby asked. "I'm not saying we should try and beat her record, but it'd be nice to know how soon it's possible."

"You could ask her yourself. Pyrrha is very friendly." Weiss rolled her eyes when Ruby shrugged one shoulder awkwardly "Alright, I'll ask her on Monday during lectures. I'll introduce you as well. I think getting a gemstone is going to depend on what Arcana you're in, though. Pyrrha was Crimson so she probably just had to be a strong fighter. The White might have more stringent requirements."

"Emerald is probably hardest." Ruby mused. "They're not going to let you have a gem until you're able to heal someone perfectly." Maybe she should have considered the Crimson. If brute force was all they wanted, she had it in spades.

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Weiss went to answer it seeing how Ruby was still busy swapping her robes out. Outside stood two Arcanists in White and Crimson. Marrow coughed into his hand. "Good evening, Miss Schnee. Is Miss Rose in? Grand Arcanist Ozpin has requested her presence immediately."

Weiss turned, caught somewhere between horrified and frustrated. "What did you do this time!?" she hissed.

"Nothing." Ruby stared at them. "I've not done anything…"

"Ahem." Clover cleared his own throat and spoke in a kindly voice. "She has been invited to a meeting between her mentor, Lord Merlot, and the Grand Arcanist. Initiate Rose's presence is requested only as a formality."

Weiss blushed prettily. "Ah. I… I apologise…"

"It speaks well of you to show concern for a friend. Miss Rose." Clover smiled and stepped back. "Shall we? Lord Merlot does not seem the patient type, and the Grand Arcanist wishes to wait for your presence before making a decision."

"I'll be right there!" It was happening. Finally. Ruby dove for her shoes, hauling them on quickly without a care for how `un-noble` it might have looked. Weiss groaned, but Marrow and Clover chuckled and stepped back to make room for her to slip out. "I'm good! Let's go!"

"We will have her back soon," Clover promised Weiss. "Come along, Rose. Your mentor awaits."

/-/

Clover had been right to say Merlot looked impatient – the Arcanist was slumped in his seat so gracelessly that Weiss would have immediately apologised for ever thinking Ruby a bad influence. He looked worn and tired, dark rings under his eyes. Almost mad, even. His hair was still sticking up at odd angles and it looked like he hadn't had a proper wash or rest since the Archives fell.

"Initiate Rose." The Grand Arcanist smiled for her as he always did. "Welcome. I apologise for the suddenness of this summons, but I don't think it fair to make a decision that will influence you without speaking to you first."

"It's fine." Ruby quickly added, "Grand Arcanist" when Glynda looked a little too scandalised. Naturally, she was in attendance and it was time to see if her word was good. If it wasn't, she fully intended to raise a stink. She made her way over to Merlot and sat down, painfully aware of the way his eyes tightened as they ran over her white robes.

You suggested I do this. I didn't want to…

"Now that we're all in attendance." Ozpin said. "Initiate, I understand you're aware of Merlot's request. Is that right?"

"I am."

"Indulge me."

"We're going to go out and try to capture some live Grimm."

"A live Grimm." Ozpin was quick to correct her. "A. Not some. This is a wild enough request without making it plural. Should you successfully capture one without harm to yourselves, I may consider allowing you to look for more, but it will only ever be one at a time."

"Ruby exaggerates." Merlot said. "It was only ever intended we'd look for one."

"Not even if it aided your research, old friend? I know how focused you are. I will be honest and say it is a concern of mine. You always did push yourself too far in the name of understanding. I don't want to hear of you risking the life of an Initiate for this."

"I have to survive to research the Grimm." Merlot pointed out. "I'm not stupid enough to think I can take on more than one at once, let alone transport more back to the Collegium. One Grimm. That is all I care for. If I need more later, we'll consider this again."

"Good. Lady Goodwitch has raised her own concerns." Ozpin gestured to her and Ruby's eyes narrowed. The white robes were still new and itchy, and she'd just love the chance to chuck them. "As such, she has suggested we send along someone to assist you. A Huntsman. I can think of no one better against the Grimm, seeing as how they often go ignored by them."

Ruby took her chance. "Jaune Arc and I get along. He could do it."

Ozpin turned to her. "Hm?"

"This was not part of our agreement!" Glynda interrupted. "We said you would be sent with a Huntsman, not that you could choose."

"Isn't this the same?" Merlot enquired with a casual air so benign it couldn't be anything but fake. He was smirking now, not exactly understanding or agreeing with Ruby's actions but eager for a chance to rub one in the face of the woman who took away the Archives. "You wish a Huntsman to go with us and Ruby happens to know one already. Coincidence or not, it's convenient. Arcanists already dislike being around Huntsmen, but if she is friendly with one then it will prevent any mishaps. What do you say, Ozpin?"

"I say that I can see no reason as to why this would not work. Very well. Glynda, speak to Jaune Arc and have him attend Lord Merlot and Initiate Rose. His task will be to protect them and aid in the live capture of a single Grimm."

Glynda sucked in a sharp breath of air but didn't argue. "Yes Grand Arcanist. It will be done."

They were dismissed soon after, though Ozpin asked to speak privately with Merlot, and Merlot told her to wait outside so he could speak privately with her. The chain ended with her stood in the comfortable waiting room outside with Marrow. The dog faunus wore his customary smile and wasn't afraid to chat with her like she was his equal. Ruby liked that about him.

"Make sure you watch yourself out there. I know you saw Grimm in the Archives but seeing and fighting them are two different things."

"I'm not going to fight at all. I'm mostly just there to do all the manual labour for Merlot."

Marrow laughed. "Tell me about it. Sometimes I feel like that's my job, too. Still, the best laid plans don't survive long, so keep your wits about you. You'd think Grimm wouldn't be able to hide in a forest, but you'd be surprised. They can move quietly when they want to. Don't stop looking around just because you think Lord Merlot can handle it." He poked her forehead. "An alert Arcanist is a living Arcanist."

"I get it. I get it." Ruby laughed and pushed his finger away. Marrow really was the most approachable of the Atlas mages. Clover was all smiles, but he smiled at everyone and that made it seem less genuine. Or maybe impersonal. Polite. Marrow acted like the people back home. "Hey, how did you get recruited into Ironwood's Specialists, anyway?"

"Doubting me?"

"Nope. You're obviously strong." He puffed up a little. "I just mean is it a volunteer thing? Did he pick you? Was there a test?"

"A bit of all three. I volunteered for the Specialist forces, I had to pass an initiation to get in and then Clover selected me and forwarded my performance record on to Lord Ironwood. We throw the word `Specialist` around like it's just the five of us, but there's actually a hundred and twenty in total. Always is. It's a cultural thing, and whenever one falls or retires, another is raised to take their place."

That sounded kind of cool. It would have been more exciting if they weren't hunting her kind. "Is it dangerous?"

"It's the most dangerous job you can have, but… I wouldn't say it's suicidal or anything. Truth is, life as an Arcanist is pretty safe. Most people stick in the Collegium and you don't find anywhere safer than that. Being a Specialist is more dangerous, but it's not deadly. Far more of our ranks retire than die in action."

"Have you fought Grimm?"

"Yes." Marrow's smile became a little more sardonic, even bitter. "Our main task is to apprehend Rogue Arcanists and the occasional Wildmage, but since the attack on Menagerie we've been focused almost entirely on Grimm." He nodded back to the chambers. "That's why Lord Ironwood and Lady Goodwitch are interested in Lord Merlot's research. It's not really understood why the Grimm attacked Menagerie."

"Or whether it might happen here…"

"I didn't say that."

"I figured it out," she said. "Lady Goodwitch mentioned there were rumours of more Grimm in the outskirts. The only reason she'd know that is if she looked into it." The Arcanum she'd found in the outskirts supported it, too, by the burned-out shack. Maybe those red eyes really had been a Grimm. The thought had her shivering.

Marrow sighed and looked over to Clover, running a hand through his hair. "I really shouldn't say but… I guess you'd only cause more of a commotion if I didn't. Plus, you're from Menagerie so if anyone deserves to know, it's you." He sighed. "There are more Grimm around. It's a concern, I won't lie, but there aren't numbers enough to pull off anything like Menagerie. That said, we're all looking into it. Even if the numbers aren't there now, they might be in a hundred years or two. Something is riling them up. We're trying to fix it." Marrow shook his head. "I can't say more. Please don't ask me to."

Ruby nodded. It coincided with what Blake said and she didn't want to get Marrow in trouble. Luckily, Merlot came back out the double doors and sought her attention, nodding once to Marrow as he came over.

"Our meeting is done. The Grand Arcanist just wanted to make sure I was serious on only catching one Grimm. I assured him that's the case. Come, we should plan our journey tonight. We won't be leaving until tomorrow, but I'd rather we have the details down now."

"I'll leave you be, then," Marrow said. "Good luck on your hunt."

Ruby grinned and waved back in thanks, following Merlot out the Grand Arcanist's tower with a fresh hop in her step. Getting outside the walls was reason enough to celebrate but now she'd have a chance to corner Jaune as well and figure out what was going on there. Beyond all of that, though, she'd finally have a chance to dip back into the city and find Yang. Make sure she was okay and deliver the letters from Blake's mother to the daughter. A chance to plan, question Blake and figure out what the hell was happening with the Grimm and the Collegium.

Finally, we'll be able to reunite Ruby and Yang next chapter and bring her and Blake back into the story more.

Next Chapter: 13th September

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