Well, here it is! Chapter 28, up and ready to go. A bit shorter than recent chapters, but I think keeping it contained will be better overall. Also, I have some thoughts on something, but that'll be at the end of the chapter.

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 28: Troubled Hearts

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.(Chapter Start)

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September 1st

Sunday

Rainy

The rain lightly hit against the window in the JNPR dorm as Azura stepped out of the bathroom, and he sighed lightly. The only people within the dorm with Azura was Luna, Pyra, and Ren, and they looked at him as he sighed.

"Not thrilled to talk with the Headmaster, Azura?" Ren asked.

"Not really." He replied.

Ren nodded. "Figured as much. Something happened that he had to inform both team Juniper and team Ruby, so it must be serious. When you and Ruby presumably left the ballroom...what happened?"

Azura shook his head. "Can't say."

"Odd. Why's that?" Ren asked, putting his weapons down from cleaning them.

Azura kneels on the ground, going through his bag. "Well, Ironwood kinda forced it on us. Seeing as he's a General in charge of an entire military...can we really say no?"

"Good point. What do you think, Pyra?" Ren asked, turning to look at the girl.

Azura turned his head, hands still in his bag, but pausing his task to look at Pyra. Though, she was looking at the ground, playing with a small ball of fire, a crushed fire dust crystal in her palm, clearly not hearing Ren. Her blue eyes were unfocused, and it worried Azura. He quickly finished up his task with his bag, then moved to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Pyra?"

She blinked, waving her hand and making the flames vanish, then looked up at him. "Huh?"

Azura looked over at Ren, who was frowning in confusion, then turned his head back to Pyra. "You okay? You seemed really out of it."

She gave a tired smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a bad dream, that's all."

Azura frowned, but nodded. "Well, I need to get going. Can't keep two Headmasters waiting, now can I?"

Ren nodded. "Of course not. See you later, Azura."

Azura gave a final wave and left the JNPR dorm. He closed the door, and saw Ruby waiting for him. She was rapidly tapping her fingers along her crossed arms, tapping her foot at the same speed. When she noticed him, she smiled weakly and stepped forward.

"Took you long enough. Now let's get going." She said, grabbing his arm and moving to drag him along.

Azura winced at the suddenly tight grip and tugged on Ruby's arm, stopping her. She looked back, letting go, then looked at the ground guiltily.

"Sorry...I'm just really nervous."

Azura smiled. "It's okay, Ruby. We'll be fine, they just want to talk about what we saw."

Ruby nodded slowly. "I know that. But, I'm still a little, I dunno, psyched up. It's not everyday that you talk to your Headmaster about what two killers were doing on Beacon grounds…" She said, giving an anxious laugh as she remained looking down.

Azura tried his best to ignore the dark feeling spurring from Summer, moving forward to place both hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Ruby, look at me."

She looked up, clearly looking tired. "Looking up." She said, giving another weak smile.

"It will be fine. We're helping them with this by telling them what we saw, to stop those kinds of people, okay?"

Ruby nodded again, and her familiar gleam of the confident leader she could be came back. "Right." She gave a fuller, but still small, smile. "Thanks, Azura. I think I needed to hear that. We won't let those people get away with it."

Azura smiled back. "Of course not."

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.(Line Break)

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Out of all the ways Azura expected to enter Ozpin's office, he had not expected to see Ironwood speaking angrily to Ozpin.

"You can't be serious, Oz! They killed some of my men!"

Ruby flinched slightly, and Azura placed a light hand on her back to comfort her. Summer was still feeling dark, but she was clearly more defensive of Ruby at the moment, and that was starting to rub off of her to him. He looked down at her and smiled, and she nodded back.

As they stepped into the office, Ozpin responded. "Enough, James. We have guests now."

Ironwood stands up straight from his position, sighing and tightening his tie. He turned his head to the side. "I apologize for whatever you heard. Good to see you two on a more...peaceful occasion."

"Please, come in. There is much to discuss." Ozpin said.

Azura nodded, giving Ruby one more glance before walking in. Ruby joined his side a moment later.

"This is about last night, right?" Azura asked.

"Correct. Due to the circumstances of it, you two are going to be key for how we proceed." Ozpin answered.

"As I'm sure you guessed, we need to ask you some questions about what you saw." Ironwood said, to further explain Ozpin's words.

Azura nodded again. "Of course. If we can help, we will."

Ozpin smiled. "That's good to know. Now, the first order of business…" He glances at Ironwood for a moment, then back to Azura. "What made you go out to the CCT anyways? Were you and Miss Rose out for a walk away from the dance?"

Azura frowned. "Well...yes. Weiss said she saw her leave, so I ran out to see if I could catch up to her. By the time I caught up with her, we were at the CCT already."

Ozpin nodded, then turned to Ruby. "Well, Miss Rose? What made you leave the ballroom?"

"Uh...well, I stepped to the side, near the entrance around eleven last night. After a minute or two, I saw two people running along the roofs and sneaking around, so I followed after them. Once Azura found me, we were at the CCT and saw a dead guard. I had to investigate."

"So you both decided to enter the CCT with people who were willing to kill for what they wanted? Neither of you thought to get help from myself or your headmaster?" Ironwood asked.

"Oddly specific of you, Ironwood." Summer commented, her tone sharp.

"No, we did not. Once Ruby decided to enter, I followed her. I wasn't going to risk leaving her at that point." Azura answered, a small frown on his face.

"It just seems to me that Miss Rose just so happened to be the only one to notice those people…" Ironwood continued.

A flicker of a strong emotion within Azura, feeling foreign. It was clearly from Summer, but nothing like he felt from her before.

"Are you suggesting Ruby was a part of it?" He said roughly, narrowing his eyes as his more rational side stepped down a bit.

"I am simply laying out the options." Ironwood replied curtly.

"Ruby is innocent!" Azura said, Summer coming to the forefront as her voice slightly passed the 50/50 balance they had when talking.

"Azura, calm yourself." Ozpin said. "James, I would prefer that you do not insinuate that one of my students took part in this act. Especially one so young."

"Of course. I apologize for my...harsh and unnecessary words, Miss Rose."

Azura took a breath, still feeling Summer's anger. Though, he broke his sight on Ironwood, who had turned away, when Ruby pressed her hand on his arm. She was looking at him in worry, and Azura could feel that Summer almost instantly starting to calm down. Ozpin cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention again.

"Moving on. Miss Rose, though I already know the information, you can confirm that all Atlesian guards there were dead?"

Ruby nodded silently, her face glum, edging slightly closer to Azura.

"And that these two women looked very similar?"

Ruby nodded again, and Ozpin keep his gaze on her for a moment before turning to Azura.

"Mister Heart, would you like to tell us what they looked like? Did they have any visible identifiers?"

Azura took a moment to think. "It would be hard to give anything big...they were both wearing the same outfit, a black catsuit and a black mask that covered their faces. It was near impossible to see any eye color or something that way. They both had black hair, and were clearly female."

"One of them made these dark glass weapons, that they both used." Ruby commented quietly.

Azura nodded. "And the weapons can be infused with dust, though they only used fire dust." Azura finished.

"Glass...and fire dust...that sound like the woman me and Miss Rose fought when we first met. But there was a second woman this time." Goodwitch said from the side, looking at Ozpin.

Ozpin took a moment to think, then nodded. "I see. I do think the weapon choice will help. Black glass...yes, very interesting." He drank from his mug before speaking again. "Is there anything else you'd like to say about this?"

Ruby spoke up again. "Well...they might have mentioned something about the White Fang while there...something about a base...in the southeast."

Azura knew she was lying, but decided to simply watch what happened.

Ironwood glanced at them, but remained silent.

"Hm...interesting." Ozpin said. "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Rose. You may leave."

"But, what about Azura?" She asked.

"I just wish to discuss a more private matter with him." Ozpin said.

"Okay." Ruby said, unsure.

As she turned to leave, Ozpin spoke again. "And, Miss Rose, I ask that you keep what we spoke of discreet."

"Uh, of course, sir." Ruby said awkwardly, then exited the office through the elevator.

Azura watched her go before turning to Ozpin. "What personal matter? Is it about the Nightmare?"

Ozpin shook his head. "No, that is not it. I have already told you that tracking it further will be very hard, so it's been called off for now." He took a sip from the mug, then sighed. "I actually wanted to speak of something I noticed."

"Something you noticed?" Azura asked.

"Yes. Earlier, when James stepped out of line." A sharp glance was sent his way, with Ironwood coughing to fill the silence. "You seemed to grow angry, in a rather defensive way. You are not known for your quick temper, Mister Heart. Defensive, yes. Angry, no."

Azura frowned. "I've just grown closer with Ruby and other people."

Ozpin nodded. "I do not disagree with that. It is good to have friends you can trust. But, it was not just that. Your voice usually remains equal to..." He glanced at Goodwitch and Ironwood, who both nodded. "Summer's. That changed for what I am guessing was the first time. It was more like Summer's voice than your own. And Summer was known for a quick temper if one of her friends were treated badly, much less her own daughter."

Azura shook his head. "I was just in the heat of the moment, sir."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes. "I trust that you are not hiding anything, Mister Heart. You must keep in mind the very delicate balance you and Summer share. It's important that you share with us if that balance starts to shift in one way or another."

"Of course, sir. If anything like that happens, I'll let you know." Azura said.

"Good to hear. You are dismissed as well. I trust that you will also be discreet about the same matter that I asked Miss Rose to be discreet with."

"I will." Azura said, turning to leave.

He entered the elevator, sighing heavily once the doors closed. He rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes.

"He does have a point, Azura." Summer said.

"I know."

"And...I'm sorry for what happened. I was just taken aback by his words, and got angry." she continued.

"I know." Azura answered again.

Summer sighed. "We'll just have to be careful, then. We don't know what would happen if my emotions trumped yours. Or worse, if that happened...what would happen to you…"

"Summer?"

"No, it's nothing to worry about, I promise."

Azura frowned. "If you say so, I'll trust you."

Summer didn't respond, and the elevator doors opened soon after. Azura stepped out into the lobby of the tower, moving over to Ruby once he spotted her.

"Heya, again. You didn't need to wait for me, you know." Azura said.

Ruby shook her head. "I wanted to. I thought we could talk before heading back."

"Of course. I know a few private places."

Azura walked off, Ruby at his side. Once they were outside, and he noticed that the rain had let up, he quickly brought her over towards the private gardens, and over to the gazebo that was in the middle of it all. They sat down at the table within, opposite of each other, the smell of fresh rain starting to assault their senses.

Azura looked around, not seeing anyone, then spoke. "What did you want to talk about, Ruby?"

Ruby looked down at her lap. "It's about last night."

Azura frowned. "With the CCT?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. It's just...all those dead people…"

Azura paused for a moment. "Oh." He sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"It's not just that. Those women...they are very bad people. And I failed to catch them." Ruby said, sounding defeated.

Azura shook his head. "We both failed, Ruby. But, we have not lost. We helped Ozpin with that information, you know. Not to mention what we've managed to find in our own investigations. Even made sure one of those mechs went down."

Ruby shook her head. "People have still died. I'm not that stupid, you know…"

"Ruby...we can't be perfect."

"I know. I wish that I could be, though. Mom would be." She responded, looking down.

Azura had no words for how to respond to that. Neither did Summer if the gasp of shock meant anything. As the silence continued, Azura looked down at his hands, instinctively following Summer's shadow movements.

The sound of sniffling broke the silence, and Azura snapped his head up to see Ruby crying.

"Why can't I save anyone…?" She asked, her voice choked up and full of emotion.

Azura nearly knocked his chair over to get over to Ruby's side, where he placed his hand on her shoulder. Though, Ruby dragged herself up and hugged him with a short sob. He frowned, but brought her closer.

"I'm so sorry, Ruby." He whispered. "You are too young to be faced with such issues."

"You're all too young for this. But this world does not allow that." Summer said quietly. "I will not allow anything more to hurt you, my little rose." Her voice grew more defensive. "The same goes for you and Yang, Azura."

Azura simply sighed, looking out of the gazebo. For once in his life, he found that he hated the way the world treated people. The way it treated his friends. It was too cruel for anyone.

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.(Line Break)

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They turned down the hall that led to their dorms much later than either of them had originally thought. Azura glanced down at the silent Ruby with worry. Her eyes were still tinged red from crying, but she was much more composed than earlier. As they came closer to the doors leading to their teams, Ruby stopped and closed her eyes. Azura stopped a step later, turning his head to look at her and seeing her taking a few breaths.

He waited for her to open her eyes again before speaking. "We could always just wait longer, you know. We don't have to do this now."

Ruby leaned on the wall with a shoulder, examining it from the side. "I'm just making sure I'm ready, that's all."

Azura nodded, leaning on the wall fully and watching the wall opposite of them. "Then you do what you need to. I'll just wait here."

A few moments go by, then Ruby spoke again. "Sorry about before. I was feeling overwhelmed, like I was getting pushed into a corner. Ironwood's words...on top of my own thoughts…" She trailed off, looking distant.

Azura slid along the wall to be a bit closer to Ruby. "Your own thoughts?" Ruby remained silent, so Azura moved on. "Well, either way, disregard what Ironwood said. He's just being a dummy."

Ruby smiled slightly. "Did...you just call the Atlas General a dummy?"

Azura smiled back. "Of course I did! He's the biggest dummy I know, probably wouldn't compare to our very own weapon prodigy, now would he?"

Ruby's smile grew, a small blush of embarrassment on her face. "That's not true…"

"I bet if I hit him in the head, we would hear the echoes from a hollow skull!" Azura continued, waving his arms as if to prove his point.

Ruby laughed, doubling over while doing so. Azura glanced at her from his position, a smile on his face.

"Mission accomplished."

"Thank you, Azura." Summer said, warmth and amusement in her voice.

"That's mean, Azura!" Ruby said, slightly laughing now.

Azura chuckled, speaking jokingly. "And no less true. I'm just a steel person, you know?"

Ruby laughed again, but still moved forward. "Come on, you amusing amuser."

Azura rolled his eyes at the nickname, but pushed off of the wall to join her. "I'm still joining you in your team's dorm, right?"

"Right-o. I doubt they'd let you just leave without getting your side of the conversation. Or rather, Weiss won't." Ruby replied.

"Weiss won't?"

Ruby stopped just at the door, placing a hand on it. "Don't you worry about it. She made me promise." She winked, then opened the door before Azura could respond.

Azura shook his head to shake his mind of any questions that came up, then came to enter the dorm. Just as he stepped in, the door closed with a moderate slam, and both him and Ruby were pressed in by Yang and Weiss.

"How'd it go?" Weiss asked hurriedly.

"Did they grill ya too hard?" Yang asked, grabbing Ruby's cheeks and looking into her eyes.

Ruby quickly sped out of her grip, keeping her gaze a bit low. "No, it wasn't too bad. They wanted Azura to stay after though, when I was asked to leave."

Weiss gave him a sharp glance, though he quickly spoke after Ruby to move on. "Either way, don't you guys want to know what we talked about? Cause you guys still don't know what happened in the office or last night, for that matter."

"True, true." Yang said, backing off and dragging Weiss with her. Weiss sat down on her bed, while Yang sat down on her own, Blake next to her, who had a book to her side.

Azura walked forward, leaning on the desk in front of the window, while Ruby sat down in the chair at the desk.

"So, how'd things go?" Blake asked, curious.

"It went fine. They just wanted us to tell them what we saw." Ruby said.

Azura nodded. "Basically, how we got there, what made us go there, who we fought, that stuff."

Weiss tilted her head. "That's it?"

Azura shrugs. "Yeah. I don't see why they would ask for more than our side of things. I mean, what'd you expect?"

Weiss looked away. "Nothing, I suppose."

Blake coughed to gain their attention, then spoke. "Speaking of, what even happened up there? Neither of you have said anything yet."

Azura glanced down at Ruby, who looked at him. He tilted his head, then nodded to Blake and raised an eyebrow, as if asking a question. Ruby tilted her own head, then smiled and nodded.

Azura nodded in return, then looked at Blake and Yang. "Well, there were several Atlas guards there that had been killed…"

He was cut off by yang's and Blake's surprised faces, but more so by Weiss's gasp. He turned to her, looking at her frowning face.

"Carry on." Weiss said, waving a hand.

Azura frowned, but continued anyways. "Well, by the time we got up to the top, something was clearly wrong."

"Well, beyond the dead guards." Ruby said darkly.

Azura places a hand on Ruby's shoulder, glancing to see Yang's worried frown. He sighed, then spoke again. "Yes, beyond that. They clearly did something in the CCT, though I'm...not really sure what for. My thoughts go towards the possibility that they wanted information."

"Hm...possible. They could be tied to the White Fang as well, if they used the CCT for info on the Atlas Paladins." Weiss said, thinking aloud.

"So, who's this they?" Yang asked.

"Two women, wearing suits and masks to cover everything but their hair. So, the only traits we knew was how they fought and their black hair." Ruby said. "And they both fought with black glass-looking weapons, though only one of them created the weapons they used. A spear user and a dual swords user."

"Though, it's possible that making any kind of weapon is able to be done, so you never know if they can use multiple weapons. Kind of like me with a decent amount of bladed weapons, though mainly swords and daggers. Pistols too. Or Weiss with her use of dust."

"And technically what I am proficient in as well. Which is...well, let's say, that while I prefer my daggers, was diverse." Summer said.

Blake brought a hand to her chin. "So, that sounds like the woman that Ruby told us about. Though, there was two this time? Did the other one show any different use of what might be a semblance?"

Azura shook his head. "Nothing, but they both used fire dust easily enough. I doubt that means much of anything, though. The weapon itself could use fire dust."

Blake nods. "That's true. So, were at a bit of a lost, aren't we?"

Weiss sighs. "That we are. Not much we can do at the moment, outside of hoping that we somehow manage to get a way to investigate the southeast district of Vale."

Yang laid back, sighing loudly. "Well, that sucks. We do have those first year missions coming up soon, though, don't we?"

"Yes, we do. But how likely is it that we get the mission we want?" Weiss asked.

That caused a bout of silence among the five of them, before Azura spoke again. "Well, more like how will you four get the mission you want. I'm likely to go with team Juniper and Pyra."

Ruby looked up at him, surprised. "Oh...right." She smiled awkwardly, laughing quietly. "I'll admit...I didn't think of that."

Weiss frowned. "Did you not mention something about how you or Pyra could be put on another team? Maybe we could convince Ozpin to have you brought along with us."

Yang laughed. "Why do ya want Azura to come, Weiss Cream?"

Blake and Ruby smiled, glancing at Weiss.

"Hey, he would be a good addition to our team!" Weiss defended, crossing his arms. "Anyways, can we move back to the topic at hand?" She looked at Azura hopefully. "How did the two women fight? Anything specific?"

Azura smiled, deciding to indulge her. "Well, they were clearly good at close range combat. I mean, I didn't have my weapons, and Ruby didn't go too far away in combat."

Yang chuckled. "Held your own because of me tossing you around?"

"What would I do without you?" Azura said dryly, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, they had a somewhat defensive fighting nature. They blocked and dodged first, then counterattacked. They only double downed on it once me and Ruby started Petal Swapping."

"Wait, you two actually did that?" Weiss asked, surprised.

Ruby smiled. "Yeah, we did! And it worked pretty well, if you ask me!"

Azura smiled as well. "I have to agree with that."

Blake smirked. "Well, looks like Ruby's track record of team attacks working is still one hundred percent."

"Of course it is!" Ruby whined. "And it will remain that way, I swear it!"

They all laughed for a few moments, while Ruby put on a mocking pout. They quieted down, smiling at each other, and Weiss spoke.

"We...should keep this between the five of us. It'd be better that way."

"Agreed." Blake said.

"Makes sense to me, I suppose." Yang said, shrugging.

Ruby nodded. "It's safer, even if I think team Juniper could help out."

"I mean...it feels wrong, for me, personally." Azura said, looking at the ground. "I promised that I wouldn't keep big secrets from them anymore."

"I understand what you mean, Azura, but think about it. If they are in it with us, then we'll have way too many people...no secrecy about it at all." Weiss said, trying to appeal to his logic.

Azura frowned. "I understand that, but still." He shook his head. "It just feels wrong to me, is all."

"I'm sorry, Azura." Ruby said sadly.

Azura shrugged. "Not much that can be done about it." He smiled, feeling a little down despite it. "Don't worry about me, my lips are sealed."

Promise or not, he couldn't just back out of what team RWBY have included him into. It would feel even more wrong compared to breaking that promise he made.

"The lesser of two evils. We've been taking quite a few of those, haven't we?" Summer said with a quick laugh.

"We have been doing that, yeah." Azura agreed. "But, hey, what's life without a little risk?"

Summer chuckled, but Ruby spoke up first.

"That's good, I guess."

She seemed a little unsure of herself, as silence came upon the dorm again.

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.(Line Break)

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Azura laid on the ground in silence, his legs hanging off of the cliff overlooking Vale. He was looking up at the clear night sky, glad that the rain hadn't come back. The stars glittered as he looked up at them, and he felt a sense of peace come from Summer. The brightness of the stars reminded him of home, which was nice.

"Azura?"

Azura looked to his sides, seeing no one, then sat up and turned to look back to see who had called his name. A redhead was looking at him, her green eyes unblinking.

"Oh, Penny. Hello." Azura responded.

Penny tilted her head. "What are you doing?"

Azura shrugged. "Thinking, stargazing."

"Stargazing." Penny said, simply. "Stargazing?"

"Looking at the stars, Penny." Azura said, a smile on his face. "Wanna join me?"

"I don't know...I was told to stay away from the people from the docks."

Azura frowned. "Who told you that?"

Penny looked away. "Important people."

"Well, I won't force you. But I personally think you'd like stargazing." Azura said, turning back around and looking up. "You seem like someone who would love nature."

"Oh…" Penny said quietly, trailing off.

Penny sat down next to him, copying his action of hanging his legs off of the edge. She smiled as she looked out over the cliff towards the glowing lights of Vale. "It's so pretty."

Azura chuckled, laying back down and pointing to the sky. "I agree with you, but look to the stars."

Penny looked over at him, her head tilted. A moment later, she laid down on her back and looked at the night sky. "Wow...it's so, so beautiful."

Azura smiled. "It really is. The moon might be pretty, but the stars are even better, if you want my opinion."

"They are both really pretty, if you ask me. I like how natural they are. Makes me feel more human." Penny replied.

Azura glanced over to her form. "More...human?"

Penny didn't move as she responded. "It's nothing. Just some silly words."

Azura hummed. "I see." He remained silent for a few moments. "Well, I think you're pretty human, if that helps. You remind me of Nora, actually. One of my teammates."

Penny turned her head at Azura as he keeps his gaze to the night sky. "I do?"

"I don't see why not. You're both rather joyful and enthusiastic, and you both have a more serious side under all things, even if you both enjoy being as happy as you two are."

Penny smiled, turning to look back at the sky. "Thanks, Azura. I think I needed to hear that."

"Of course, Penny." Azura replied.

The night sky seemed a little brighter and prettier to Azura after that moment.

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.(Chapter End)

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So...yeah. I know it's technically a day later, but I wanted to quickly say something. Yesterday, on February 1st, 2020, it has been five years since Monty Oum's passing. I started watching RWBY just before Volume 4 aired, so he had already passed, but I have some words to say.

I really appreciate and love the world that he created. Such an ambitious idea, and it really has turned out great. Sure, it has a few bumps here and there, but honestly, what doesn't? His creativity, both in the world of Remnant and the fight scenes he worked on, was astounding to me and I will always look back at Volumes 1-3 fondly, if only for the fights. He really inspires me to keep improving my weak points in my writing, and while it isn't nearly the same as animating and other things, how I write fight scenes in stories.

While I have been frustrated with certain aspects of Volumes 4-7, I cannot say that Rooster Teeth's animation team and their writers haven't been trying to keep RWBY as amazing as they can make it. Volume 6 was a great step in the right direction in my opinion, both animation, and thematically writing wise. And Volume 7 takes it even further, and has been such a fantastic Volume in my opinion.

Long story short, I am really grateful for Monty's wonderful and creative mind. He's been such an inspiration, and Rooster Teeth has shown how far they are willing to go to make sure RWBY is at its best. Volume 7 has really shown that they have found an excellent middle ground, even if I agree that some problems still exist in it. But hey, if I wanted perfection, I'd be constantly disappointed. Anyways, I'll wrap it up here.

Have a nice day/evening!