Dreams Do Come True

by DragonoftheEastblue

Do you believe in destiny? I certainly do, and so do two young Huntsmen-in-training who are about to have their lives changed forever. A retelling of events from the end of the Beacon Dance where Jaune realizes and accepts Pyrrha's feelings, and takes the first step on a journey he never knew was waiting for him. World-building/Canon-Restoration. Arkos, Boop, BlackSun, Iceberg, etc

25. Chapter XXV: The Road is Long

Chapter XXV: The Road is Long

The cloud cover of the night before had not broken as the morning went into full swing; rather it seemed as if it had worsened. This was why the group had decided to gather on the roof of the dormitory building, so that if the heavens did open, they could quickly find shelter. Teams RWBY and JNPR, along with Sun and Neptune, stood beneath the grey skies at Blake's request. She situated herself before them with her back against the wall, and had not uttered a word other to them past wishing to speak to them all privately. Sun was standing by her side as promised, holding her hand for support as she began to tell them all the secrets she had been harbouring since before she stepped foot onto Valian soil. It took her more time than it had with Sun, as having to face the judgement of her friends made it feel as if a sword was pointed just a hair's breadth from her throat. She would clench and unclench her hand on Sun's periodically throughout her confession, who in turn would squeeze back, conveying without words that he was still there, and not going anywhere. Blake had trouble keeping eye contact with her friends, as they made no effort to hide their shock in either their eyes or their faces. However, with Sun staying there with her left hand in his right, she did not stop, and her friends did not interrupt. It had been a laborious endeavour for the Menagerian, but she had finally confessed everything, from her crimes to her feelings, how profusely sorry she was, and how she begged for their forgiveness.

She raised her eyes and looked at her friends, knowing there was no going back, and they now held her future in their hands. There was a heavy silence, the heaviest anyone in that group had ever felt, and were unsure of who should speak first and what should be said. To say that they were flabbergasted by this revelation was an understatement, as they had assumed that Blake's romance troubles were simply that. This was obviously far more complicated, and they were now trying to comb through it all as tactfully as possible.

While everyone had assumed that Blake had simply lied about her race to avoid any connection with the White Fang, it was Jaune who had a better idea of how much secrecy she had undergone, thanks to his previous conversation with Ozpin. Of course the Huntmaster had said nothing of her true parentage, merely that he and her parents were friends and classmates, but the swordsman now speculated that Ozpin somehow knew of Blake's past with Adam Taurus, and wished to protect Blake by accepting her into his academy. After all, she was the daughter of the Ghira Noir, and it would have been incredibly alarming to reveal that fact to Jaune so soon.

Pyrrha had also guessed that Blake was hiding more than she had been letting on, though her true identity was a great surprise as well. Blake's parents had been part of the Order, just as Ruby and Yang's, but that was all the Huntmaster had shared with her during their last meeting. While she had not been informed as to the reason for their departure, it was now evident they had severed ties to deal with Bolto Silver. Pyrrha suspected this was one of several secrets the Order was still keeping from her, though she fully understood why. The national security issues aside, this was a deeply taxing situation for the Cat Faunus, and she needed to be the one to right her own wrongs. Like Jaune, Pyrrha suspected that Ozpin had sheltered Blake to keep her safe, knowing something must have gone awry for her to turn up without being notified by her parents or the Valian Council. Given he had done the same for the rest of her team, and what he had displayed during their private interactions, it was very much in his nature to protect his students. She looked upon Blake with deep sympathy, seeing how much she regretted her decisions, and how badly she wanted to do the right thing.

It was Ruby who spoke first, stepping forward with a gentle expression on her face.

"Thank you, Blake, for finally telling us the truth" she said softly. "I can't imagine how hard it was to tell us, and how hard it's been for you overall. I can only speak for me, but I don't think you have to apologize for anything other than keeping it a secret. You made mistakes, but now you're trying to do the right thing. My dad likes to say 'We all have to learn from our mistakes', and I'm glad you decided to tell us the truth and stay here."

"Damn right" added Yang, folding her arms with a frown on her face. "How could you think that we would turn our backs on you after all we've been through? We're friends and teammates. We'll always have your back, and if Taurus and the White Fang ever come to get you, we'll kick the shit out of them. And seriously, did you really expect us not to come after you if you just took off without saying anything? If you ever do something like that, I will personally tie you to the back of my bike, and drag you back to Beacon."

"I totally get what you mean by wanting to take part in something larger than myself" Jaune remarked. "I left home too, trying to find my place in the world, and felt that my family didn't understand what I was feeling. I've done my fair share of lying and made plenty of mistakes, and I still feel guilty for doing it, so I've done my best to make up for it. Also, I'm starting to realize that my family were doing everything they could for me out of love, and I was just unwilling to see it. I'll have to do a lot of apologizing when I get home, which I think you should do as soon as possible. Just like I and the rest of us can accept and forgive you, it's going to mean so much more to your folks. You'll have to earn it obviously, but actions speak louder than words."

"Yes" added Pyrrha with a nod. "The great question of forgiveness and redemption is something all people struggle with—including people of faith. Of course there are sins that can never be absolved, neither by hard work nor by holy decree. The sins of Adam Taurus are certainly in that category, but not yours, Blake. You said that you didn't know that Taurus would detonate the bombs while there were still civilians on that train, and I completely believe you. I remember from the military reports disclosed to the papers, that the bombs were placed specifically on the boxcars containing the Dust shipment, and not the passenger coaches. That corroborates with what you told us of that night, as the train was indeed meant to vacate its passengers at Mantle Station before leaving with no one else aboard safe the crew. There would be no reason for the crew to be anywhere other than in the caboose at the front of the train—just behind the tender—or in the cab itself. White Army sappers and Criminal Investigation Command confirmed that the explosion would have never reached the crew, allowing the train to steam ahead to safety. The blood of those poor souls is on the hands of Taurus and Khan. Keep in mind, Blake, that it is also a sin to apologize for sins that are not your own. The world is filled with monsters, but you are certainly not one of them. You have made mistakes, but you are on the right path to redemption. I fully agree with the others; friends must stick together, and I would gladly fight to defend you. I know you are a good person, and your actions have shown you genuinely wish to do what is right. May the Light of the Northern Star guide you, and the Gods be with you."

"Agreed" said Ren with a small smile, Nora nodding eagerly. "Most people don't change—not because they have achieved perfection, but because they don't want to. They become set in their ways, never questioning if they might be wrong, or allowing themselves to be challenged. You on the other hand were challenged several times, and you then made a concerted effort to learn from your mistakes to change for the better. Your past greatly influenced you, thus you have a very personal attachment to the White Fang, and so detaching yourself from it has been extremely arduous. You have done more than most, and showing genuine regret and desire to right your wrongs, speaks a great deal more of who you are as a person than you realize."

"I really can't add much to this given I've only gotten to know you from the few times we've hung out, and I'm clearly biased, but after seeing how the White Fang manipulates people, someone with your backgrounds getting tricked isn't surprising—not to mention how young you were" Neptune commented with a small smile. "I trust Sun's judgement, and if he ever thought you were a bad person, he wouldn't brag about you like he has." His smile did fade however, when he looked over to his right at Weiss.

The heiress had yet to say a single word throughout Blake's entire speech. She had remained silent as the grave, her eyes fixed onto the Cat Faunus, and hardly blinking. Her cool gaze and expression at the beginning of Blake's confession, flash froze into an icy one when she revealed she was the daughter of Ghira Noir. The temperature continued to fall as the Cat Faunus admitted more and more of her past, and now, Weiss had reached absolute zero. Blake looked at her lieutenant, and swore she could feel her blood run cold, for the Atlassian's eyes pierced her far more than they ever had before. She had greatly feared this would happen, but it was far worse than she could have predicted. Even the others had become aware of Weiss' reaction, or lack thereof, though they had snuck glances at her as Blake spoke. There was now a heavy tension in the air, as while they could forgive the secretive former White Fang member, it was uncertain if Weiss' very personal connections would allow her to do the same.

The white-haired swordswoman, saying nothing, stepped towards the Faunus, and halted a yard or so in front of them.

"Step forward" she said coldly, her light-blue eyes glued onto her teammate. Blake looked up at her quickly before dropping her eyes again, and slowly complied, stepping forward so that she was only two feet from Weiss. "Look at me" Weiss commanded, her voice coming strong and sharp, that it actually caused Blake to wince.

She looked up at Weiss slowly, and was then fully subjugated to the heiress' glaciality. Her eyes were burning with a cold ire, like a blizzard raging across the tundra that showed no end of breaking. They bore into Blake without mercy, and injected fear into her to the point that she felt even smaller than she had the night before.

The others stared with growing worry, as they had no idea what Weiss was going to do. They fully understood that she would be outraged by this news, and they honestly couldn't hold it against her, but that didn't mean they were onboard with her attacking Blake; verbally or physically. They then noticed that the Atlassian's hands had tightened into fists, shaking slightly, which brought them all on edge, fearing she was about to strike at Blake.

"Is there anything else you are keeping secret from me?" she asked bitterly.

"N-No, that's all" stammered Blake, fully expecting her to doubt her honesty. "I-I'm so sorry, Weiss—for everything. I really am. I never wanted to keep lying to you, especially after learning you weren't anything like I was told you were. B-But I didn't want to lose your friendship after you forgave me for lying about being a Faunus and part of the White Fang. I-If you hate me...y-you're right to. If-If there is anything I can do to earn back your trust, then please tell m–"

Weiss' eyes then flashed, cutting Blake off, freezing her in place as the heiress lunged at her. The others all tensed and lurched forward, seeing that their fears were well founded, and that they would have to restrain Weiss from hurting Blake. Sun tensed as well, but he was in a better position to see what was going on, and remained where he was, for the heiress' "attack" was actually her throwing her arms around the Cat Faunus' shoulders, and pulling her into a tight embrace.

"If you ever lie to me or the others again, or abandon us for whatever reason, I will never forgive you. Do you understand me?" she vowed, her voice now trembling with emotion.

Blake's eyes went wide, unable to comprehend what was going on. Was she actually forgiving her once again? The one person other than her father who couldn't and shouldn't? The heiress to the family and company that she had vandalized their equipment and shipments, was being merciful? Blake couldn't understand this, the idea was just too ludicrous for her to imagine, let alone hope for, which was why her emotions took over, and she returned Weiss' hug, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Yes" she cried into her shoulder. "I promise I'll never betray any of you. I promise..."

Blake's tears brought them out of Weiss as well, which instantly caused Ruby and Yang to dash to their friends and hug them, knowing they needed their support now more than ever. The others sighed in relief, pleased to see that Team RWBY had not come apart, and friendships had not been ruined. Jaune and Pyrrha were especially happy to see them all pull together, as it had been a trying year for them all, and from now on, they would build a bond that would last a lifetime. They also noticed Sun's expression, which was content and tender, and they fully understood why. He too had endured plenty of waiting and uncertainty with Blake's clandestineness, which now had paid off. If there was any doubt that he had deep and true feelings for her, it was dashed with authority in how he quietly supported her throughout her confession. Wild and mischievous as he was, there was also a serious side to him that shone brightly, and answered the question as to why he was chosen as captain of his team.

After a minute or so, Team RWBY broke up their group hug, and began to wipe away their tears.

"I have to ask" began Yang. "Where were you planning to go if you decided not to leave Beacon? For the summer I mean."

"Honestly, I was going to ask if I could stay with you and Ruby" Blake confessed. "I can't stay at the school, which I only learned when we went for drinks after shopping, so I figured I could ask you for a favour. There's no way I could ask Weiss to spend the summer with her. I might not be recognized in Mantle...but I just don't think I could handle going back to Atlas for a long while—plus I'm damn sure her family would recognize me sooner or later. Mistral is a giant Kingdom with many large cities other than Helike for me to hide in, but I don't have enough money to get there and back, plus room and board until September. Going to Patch made the most sense."

"Yeah it does" agreed Ruby with a nod. "Plus it would be great to bring friends home. I think dad would like the company too."

Jaune chuckled to himself at this, which caught Pyrrha's attention, but didn't know why he found the shorter captain's words amusing.

"You still can if you want" offered Yang, already making plans in her mind for their summer vacation. "I can introduce you to our friends from Patch, and we can party together."

"That would be great" admitted Blake with a thankful smile. "But I think I should go home. As much as I'm scared to death of what my parents will say to me when I show up after all these years, I need to see them. My mistakes started there, and that's where I'll end them—and start to truly earn my pardon."

"I agree, however, I think you should call them first" offered Pyrrha. "They must be worried sick, and letting them know you're alright, will help smooth things over."

"Unless they don't want anything to do with me after what I've done and said..."

"I don't think so, and you won't know until you try. Trust me" the redhead assured with a gentle smile.

Blake nodded, still nervous about calling home, but conceded that it was the right thing to do. She then felt a strong arm rest on her shoulders, and saw that it was of course Sun.

"If Weiss can forgive you, then your old man can forgive you" he pointed out. "Also, I'm with Jaune on the whole apologizing for misunderstanding what your family does for you. I've had plenty of arguments with my dad because of dumb stuff I wanted to do, and I've had to own up to my stubbornness and apologize. You know what he said to me once? 'Son, I'm not mad at you. Were you being stupid? Of course you were. Why? Because you're a hormonal teenager, and you haven't been in Remnant long enough yet for life to beat the stupid out of you. So I can't be mad at you, especially if you say you're sorry and you mean it, and you learn from your mistakes. If you don't learn as you get older, then I'm going to get mad at you—and probably bury you in the middle of the desert'. I love my dad."

"He sounds quite wise" complimented Pyrrha with a smile.

"I get what you're saying, but my father tried to beat the stupid out of me before I could go out into the world" Blake noted.

"So did mine" remarked Jaune. "Didn't work for me either, but I think I've learned a little in making my own mistakes. I now see the wisdom in my father's words, which has been useful as of late. That's life."

Blake nodded, but looked over at Weiss sorrowfully.

"But what am I supposed to do with the fact I'm a wanted criminal? Even if I've left the White Fang and now want to be a Huntress to make things right, it doesn't change the fact my bombs were used in raids, and I was Adam's lieutenant."

"Taurus started these attacks, Taurus commanded and manipulated his men to commit great evil, and Taurus was the one that purposely killed my innocent countrymen" Weiss stated stonily. "If you want to make good on your mistakes, then tell me everything you can about Taurus' branch of the White Fang, and I will secretly forward that information to my sister. She has made it her personal mission to dispense justice upon him, and receiving such valuable intel will make her very happy. She will handle the rest. Furthermore, you have just confirmed one of our greatest suspicions, that Khan is fully aware and supportive of Taurus' actions. With you being such an important insider, you could not only tell us invaluable information of the inner workings of the White Fang, but to testify under oath of what you saw. You may have been kept in the dark about the worst of the White Fang's plans, but what you know could uproot the White Fang in Mistral, and allow my sister to finish them off for good with the death or capture of Adam Taurus. It will take time to properly plan this of course, so in the meantime, you should focus on reuniting with your family."

Blake felt her breath get caught in her throat. That was indeed a good way to help those she wronged. While Adam did trust her enough to be his second-in-command, he of course hadn't trusted her enough to reveal he never intended to avoid casualties, or that he planned to attack Albion. He must have known she would have turned tail sooner than she had, but it been a great mistake on his part to not keep an eye on her right afterwards. Blake was indeed aware of a great many things that the White Army would love to know, including future raids, though it was uncertain if Adam would go through with them after what occurred in Mantle. While this did give the Cat Faunus hope that she could do some good, it also reminded her how much she was responsible for. She should have let it go to avoid starting another argument, but she needed to ask.

"How?" she asked, looking at the heiress with both relief and guilt. "How can you forgive me so quickly? You told me how much pain I've caused you and your family. How can you trust me after lying to you again? I haven't earned that..."

Weiss remained silent for a few moments, choosing her words very carefully, and kept her face as unreadable as possible. It was the most valid question in the world, if this had been revealed at the start of the school year, she would have done everything in her power to take Blake down. However, so much had changed over the past year, and neither one of them could be considered the same young women they had been when they arrived in Vale. Softening her expression and taking a breath, the white-haired rapierist spoke from the heart.

"Because I understand you more than you realize. You and I both are bridled with the legacy of our families, and were driven to leaving home to do something with that legacy. I explained why I came to Beacon Academy in the first place, as well as what I must adhere to with my family. You've just explained that your father's achievements deeply influenced you, and you felt an obligation to follow in his footsteps. I understand that perfectly. I want to honour my forefathers by continuing the Schnee Dust Company's work, and be an heiress my grandfather can be proud of. I know for you it was different, in the sense that you left because your emotions overtook your rational thinking, and that your father is a far better man than mine, but I can see that your decision did come from a good place. If not, then you would not have abandoned the White Fang so quickly once learning of their true motives. Intent matters greatly, and I believe you that you did everything in your power to avoid Human casualties—as the damage reports in my family's mines prove.

That is one major reason as to why I can forgive you...as the second one is simply that you are my friend, Blake. I cannot swear that I would not have detained you if I learned of the truth at the start of our year here at Beacon, and called my sister to send a detachment to escort you back to Atlas to stand trial. However, that was then, and so much has transpired between us since. I despise liars and traitors...and I would consider it a treasonous act to have you arrested after fighting by your side to stop Torchwick's gang and the White Fang, and to protect the innocent of this Kingdom. I also consider it a dereliction of my duty to not avenge my countrymen if given the chance. As I said, my sister has her eyes set on capturing or killing Adam Taurus, and she would be very grateful to receive information that can redeem her failure to bring him into custody. I'm not entirely certain of the legality of all of this, and it is rather likely that my actions could be considered as knowledgeably harbouring a fugitive, but that would then place us in the same boat—and I have no issue with that. We are a team, we are friends, and we are in this together."

Blake was speechless. To hear the heiress of the company she had caused so much anguish be so willing to defend her, was something that her mind couldn't process. Weiss' maturity and levelheadedness was something she had seen over the course of the school year, but it had finally broken when they began to openly talk about the Mantle Attack. Despite that outburst, she was still thinking the situation through, and making calculated decisions. She had voiced several times that she didn't project her hate for the White Fang onto her, but it was the fact she kept the course after learning the entire truth that leveled the Cat Faunus. Drawing parallels between their upbringings was eye-opening as well, for Blake had been too focused on the pain to notice until now. However, it was hearing that Weiss still valued her as a friend, and would go so far for her, that caused her heart to soar. The tears returned, but she smiled through them, the relief of not losing a friend washing over her.

"Thank you" she said with joy, and in unison, they hugged. "I will pay you back for this—I swear."

This caused Weiss to lose control of her own emotions once more, and several tears snuck out from her eyes.

"You are more than welcome" the rapierist replied, squeezing her teammate affectionately. "All you need to do is keep to your new vows and trust us more. That, and speak to your family as soon as possible. While I think it is far over due that we sit down and have a long conversation over some tea, it is much more pressing you reconnect with your parents."

Jaune, while deeply moved, watched this with growing impatience, and now could no longer contain himself.

"Totally. Just go home and enjoy their company, and patch things up over your mom's spicy tuna casserole" he said at last, grinning from ear to ear.

This caused looks of confusion and amusement to be aimed at the blond, but the reaction that he was looking for was the one Blake gave him, which could only be described as her tail getting caught in a rat trap.

"How do you know that?" she demanded, as she could not even begin to imagine as to how he acquired that information.

"Well..." Jaune began with bravado, implying he wouldn't share the truth, which caused the Menagerian Faunus' face to sour, and make him laugh. "OK, OK. So, I may have had a private conversation with Huntmaster Ozpin a while ago about my forged transcript." Those who weren't aware of this blinked in surprise, but at this point, it was a believable yet trivial piece of information. "I was worried that with journalists digging into my past, they would find the truth and smear Pyrrha's reputation with it. Ozpin then told me that he knew from the beginning that my transcript was fake, but chose to let me stay, as he believed I would become a proper Huntsman in time. I asked how he knew it was fake, and he said he had an eye for such things. He then said he knew that Blake's paperwork was falsified as well, but the reason this time was that he was friends with her parents, as they went to Beacon too. I guess Ozpin was right that they never talked about it at home, which is why Blake came to Beacon, and used her dad's real name. I can't speak for him, but I have a feeling that Ozpin wanted to protect you by letting you be a student here. He cares deeply about his students, and I truly owe him for letting me stay, which is one of the major reasons I want to be the best Huntsman I can."

The others were surprised to learn of their Huntmaster's connection to Blake's parents, but were touched by how far he would go to not only to protect his students, but to give chances to those who showed promise. It gave them all a new level of respect for the Huntmaster, confirming that his previous actions of guiding them in fighting the White Fang and Torchwick had not been out of the blue. Pyrrha understood this better than any of them of course, seeing not only Ozpin's dedication and concern behind closed doors, but learning that it was something hard-wired into him since he was young. He was certainly a man of his word.

Of course, it was Blake who was most shocked by this news. Indeed, she had no idea that her parents had gone to Beacon, as she had fully assumed that they had been from Mistral before moving to Menagerie. They had been reluctant to tell her anything regarding their past, especially of their time with the White Fang, leaving her to gather what she could from the other members that had immigrated to the island state. She had purposely gone as far as she could from anywhere she might be recognized, which is also why she avoided Vacuo, as she had assumed that the branch located there was still active. And yet, where she thought she was free, the White Fang and Adam himself, had found her. It was beyond bad luck, however, she felt something grow in her chest. She had come to Vale to hide from her past and maybe create her future. Ironically, she found both.

"So much wasted time and effort" she sighed, her eyes dropping. "I thought I was protecting people, and yet, I was the one being protected. I thought I was finally ahead of the curve, but I'm actually so far behind."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing" continued Jaune. "I thought I was protecting my team by outing myself before things got worse, but I learned that Ozpin had been protecting me since I entered Beacon. It took so much weight off my shoulders that I felt like I was an oxen with its yoke removed after a long day in the fields. I'm deeply grateful to him for that, on top of the fact that he knew that Ren and Nora's transcripts were fake too. He didn't tell me of course, but I can hazard a guess. Also, I bet that he made fake transcripts for all of you as he did for me. Which reminds me—Ruby, Yang, please give your dad my thanks when you get home."

"Why?" asked Yang, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Ozpin told me he had a fake record made for me at Signal just in case the journalists went that far back. I asked how he pulled that off, and he said that he had a friend at Signal, which turned out to be your dad. I don't know if he did the same for Ren, Nora, and Blake, but I can believe it, so pass on our thanks for us."

It was now the Xiao Long sisters to be taken aback, as they too had no idea their father was friends with the Huntmaster of Beacon. They assumed they would be acquainted given Tai was a teacher at Signal, and he had mentioned that he was friends with Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck, but he and Ozpin being friends was news to them.

"Do you think our parents know each other?" Ruby asked Blake.

"I would say they do" informed Pyrrha. "I have spoken with the Huntmaster privately myself, and he mentioned knowing both Blake's parents and yours— good friends even, before they all went their separate ways."

"Ozpin said he thinks I was meant to come to Beacon. I can't be sure of that, but I think it does apply to you three. Destiny indeed, eh?" Jaune noted, smirking at Pyrrha. His girlfriend smiled back, but she knew that he didn't know how right he was.

"My father once told me that an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance" added Ren, eyeing Nora before looking to the others. "The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break."

"It also explains why you were allowed to enter Beacon two years early" Weiss remarked, tilting her head to Ruby. "I suppose I too needlessly worried over getting expelled due to our track record of bending the rules and other acts of obstreperous malcontent."

"Our Huntmaster is awesome" Nora complimented, earning a round of nods from the Beaconites, with nods of approval from the Vacuans.

"The only thing that I can't get my head around is Cardin" Jaune muttered. "Not to make it about me, but I haven't heard or seen a thing about me lying to get into the academy. That's obviously a good thing, but the first person who learned the truth after Pyrrha, was Cardin."

"Wait, is that why you started hanging out with him a while back?" asked Ruby, recalling just how depressed he was back then.

"Yup" the blond sighed. "He blackmailed me and threatened to go after the rest of my team."

"That piece of shit" cursed Yang, gritting her teeth. "OK, I'm grateful for what Ozpin's done for all of us so far, but why the Hell does he let them stay?"

"I can answer that since he told me plainly: he just doesn't have enough students. The world needs Huntsmen, but there just aren't enough people that are willing to take up the cause. That doesn't give Team CRDL a free pass for what they do, but I think Ozpin is taking what he can get, and work out the kinks through training."

"I'd agree with that" said Neptune. "Like Sun said, the world has yet to beat the stupid out of us, so they could clean up their acts by the time they graduate. If Blake can be forgiven through sincerity and hard work, so can they."

"I won't hold my breath, but I'm shocked that he hasn't even so much as given the papers an anonymous tip" Jaune frowned. He then noticed that Pyrrha shifted slightly, as if she were uncomfortable. He was about to ask her, when Nora got to it first.

"Pyrrha might have an idea" the ginger commented with a mischievous grin. Jaune and others looked at the Mistralese champion, which caused her to press the tips of her index fingers together shyly, a light blush on her face.

"I may have had a word with Cardin" she confessed in a quiet voice.

"She threatened to break his arms if he dared to tell anyone about it" translated Nora.

"Seriously?" Jaune asked, shocked she would go so far and not tell him about it. The redhead glared quickly at the ginger before looking at Jaune, and her blush deepened considerably.

"W-Well, I know how fickle reporters can be, so I made sure to cover our flank, given that Cardin did know the truth" she defended. "And I don't see why it is such a shocking revelation! You said so yourself that if you could not stand up for me when it mattered, then how could you stand by me—so I must do the same. Protecting the man I love is just as required as–"

Pyrrha was then interrupted by Jaune's sudden but tender kiss, taking her off guard and silencing her in the same stroke. He then pulled away, but kept his left hand under her chin so that he could look her in the eye as he grinned with pride.

"By the Light and the Paladin, am I the luckiest man alive or what?" he proclaimed, his grin widening further as Pyrrha's blush deepened and matched the colour of her hair.

"And that adds two more kids to the pack" remarked Yang, shaking her head. "What are we at now? Twelve?"

"Sounds about right" nodded Nora with a grin.

"Just wait till you graduate and situate yourselves" advised Weiss with a smile, knowing there was no real need to warn them, and hoping she too could have what they had. Her eyes then returned to the raven-haired Faunus, as she knew she needed to ask her about the other secret she carried. "I know this has been a great ordeal for you, Blake, however, I must voice my concerns about you being Chieftain Noir's daughter. You being the founder's daughter is one thing, but he being a world leader is something entirely different."

Blake sighed. "I know. Sun gave me an earful last night, and he was completely right to" she replied, her ears drooping in shame. "I don't have any excuse other than I was selfish and not thinking about anyone but myself."

"As you have made abundantly clear. However, my concerns dwell on the political fallout. Of course being the daughter of a major politician and getting involved in terrorism is thorny enough, and I cannot stress how irresponsible your actions have been. And yet, my immediate focus is what you said about yourself and Taurus. You believe that he is coming to kill you for being a traitor—and possessing incriminating information, no doubt. I do not question your logic on from his credulity, however, I do question if he is so stupid as to try and kill you. His attack on Mantle was damning enough, but killing you, the daughter of the leader of the only independent Faunus state, would turn the world fully against him—Men and Faunus. Your father has stressed to mine that he cannot get involved with Mistralese and Atlassian politics. Still, I cannot imagine he would stand aside if anything where to happen to you. If he was willing to start a war for strangers, what would he do for family?"

This caught them all by surprise. The notion of the White Fang starting a race war had been blatantly obvious from the start. However, an actual shooting war was an entirely different consequence.

"You really think Blake's dad would do that?" asked Nora, somewhat nervously.

"I-I don't know..." Blake replied honestly. For her entire life, Ghira had always been an even tempered man, to the point of being passive, which was the basis as to why Blake ran from home.

"You would know better than I, but given his previous comments on the matter, as well as what he did during the Mountain War, I believe he would go that far for you" Weiss concluded. "Noir ran into the battlefield to rescue captured Faunus families and killing Silver's radicals, taking very few prisoners. He and his men were very methodical, and when they finally chased Silver down after flushing him out from his stronghold, Noir executed him by beheading him—personally. He returned to Helike after his victory–"

"And chucked Silver's head right into the middle of the Mistralese Council's legislative chamber, announcing that he won the war" Sun cut in with a grin, showing he knew the events of the conflict, and that he obviously approved.

"Precisely. The rest is history, as you all know, and he left the White Fang when things were nonviolent, and watched it from afar, giving his attention to the people of Menagerie. If Taurus were to even scratch you, would he not hunt Taurus and Khan down—the very people he led during that conflict."

"It's hard to imagine him not doing that" Jaune remarked. "My family for example is extremely loyal, so if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."

"Damn right" agreed Sun. "That's why we threw out the White Fang in Vacuo in the first place—one of several."

"And he has the means to do it" continued the heiress. "When Noir arrived in Mistral nearly twenty years ago, he did so with a handful of loyal men that became his lieutenants, and amassed fifteen-hundred more. Because of his reforms when he became Chieftain, having that every able bodied man undergo mandatory military service at eighteen, the Menagerian military is now roughly a quarter of a million strong, plus many thousands more than can be called into service. He now has a far mightier force of loyal men under his command. Even with a hundred-thousand men, leaving the rest as the home guard, he could land on the beaches of Mistral and march straight for Khan's citadel—assaulting every White Fang holdout they can find."

"But Noir is a world leader" reminded Ren. "He can't turn up in Mistral and attack the White Fang—even if it is for revenge."

"That would mean a declaration of war on my Kingdom—a strong ally of Menagerie" Pyrrha warned worriedly. "Even if Chieftain Noir sets sail without warning for Mistral, and avoiding the major port cities such as Akrotiri, the Royal Mistralese Navy patrols our waters, as well as yours, Blake. They would be hailed or fully stopped by every Navy vessel, wanting to know what he was doing. He would need dozens of ships to transport that many men."

"Unless he stows away with his men on merchant vessels to separate ports, and then regroup" suggested Neptune. "Just keep quiet and move in secret. If Blake could do it, why not him?"

"Like father like daughter" said Sun gently, smirking at Blake.

"Or just himself and a small taskforce" offered Jaune. "Silver had almost the same amount of men and more resources, but the original White Fang were so effective because of their stealthy guerilla tactics. A small team hitting the citadel? That would be far easier to forgive than invading the territory of a major ally like Mistral."

"All of you are correct. My point is that Chieftain Noir would not stand idle if Taurus would even hurt, let alone kill his daughter" assured Weiss, shifting her focus back to the girl in question. "Taurus is a cruel monster, but he is not stupid—stupid enough to try something in Albion mind, but not stupid enough to kill the daughter of the hero of the Faunus Race. He would need to have considerable leverage or security before trying anything of the sort. He would face your father's wroth, and Hell would go with him."

"And us" added Sun defiantly.

"Bitch'll have to get through us before getting anywhere near Blake" snapped Yang, with Ruby nodding, though clearly unsettled by the discussion of war and death.

Blake's face dimmed further, unsure of what to feel. Part of her was still so overwhelmed by the loyalty and determination of her friends, though it filled her weary heart with joy. Another part was saddened by the possibility of her father wanting to avenge her. She hadn't earned that, not after what she had done.

"Thank you...all of you..." she replied, swallowing the lump in her throat. "That means more than you know...but I don't think my dad would go that far for me, not after what I've done and said. If he did, then he would have called Sienna or the Mistralese Council after I ran away."

"Maybe he did and you didn't know about it" suggested Ruby but Blake shook her head.

"No, I kept checking the papers if my disappearance made the news. Also, they would have told me if dad called."

"Would they?" several of the students asked simultaneously, causing the Cat Faunus to bite the inside of her cheek.

"No...no they wouldn't have...If they kept my identity secret while I was with them, lied about what they were doing with the bombs I built, then nothing was off the table..."

"I find it impossible that a man like your father would stop caring about his daughter after one mistake" Pyrrha remarked, her soft spot for fathers coming through once again. "I think you need to call him and tell him what you've told us."

"I know. I just..." Blake shifted as she rubbed her left bicep "I'm scared of what he'll say..."

"We know, and we can only imagine how much it's been eating away at you from what you've told us" Jaune admitted with a sympathetic nod. "But take it from someone who's also left home on a bad note with his family; I think that your dad is waiting for you to call home first. None of my family called me until I called them—and I wasn't onboard with that if you remember—to which they all started talking to me right afterwards, and even showed up without warning. I walked out, so it was up to me to man up and admit my mistakes."

"Have you and your dad talked yet?" she asked, remembering the bad blood between the two Arcs.

The Knight instantly sucked on his teeth. "It's on my to-do list."

"Jaune's point still stands, and raises a major one" Pyrrha informed, gesturing to her boyfriend. "After our match, Jaune's family began to congratulate him. It should be obvious to all present, but the Vytal Festival Tournament was internationally broadcast—as it has been for years. Your parents have certainly seen your first match, or have at least been made aware of your attendance here. Changing your name and using a bow to hide your ears may have fooled us, but a parent can never forget the face of their child. I cannot even begin to imagine how much they've missed you, and no doubt worried about you."

Blake winced, knowing this was a good point, and once again mentally kicked herself for making such a stupid mistake. While it could be for the better, a counterpoint came quickly to mind.

"Then why haven't they contacted the school? If they're so worried, then why didn't they call the Huntmaster or the Valian Council?"

"I stand by Jaune's theory—and not simply because I love him. I do think that they are waiting for you to call home. Does it not make sense that they would think you have decided to abandon the White Fang by seeing you attending a Huntsman Academy? As we now know, they could have very easily gotten privately in touch with Huntmaster Ozpin, so speaking to the Council itself would be unnecessary. Of course this is just my speculation, and what matters most is that you need to reconnect with your family. You owe them that, not to mention it is clear to everyone here how much you love them and miss them."

Blake swallowed, the tightness in her throat returning, feeling her heart ache for home. Pyrrha was entirely right, though the fear kept trying to pull her back into the shadows, left alone to suffer. But she wasn't alone. Not anymore. Sun had shown with crystal clarity that he wasn't going to abandon her because of her past, and her friends were just as willing to stand by her side. Perhaps it was fine to hope that her father and mother would forgive her for running away. She had a back-up plan if things went as poorly as she feared, but that thought in and of itself was cowardly. It was no different than running away.

"You're right. There's so much I'm worried about—mostly of how my father will react. What if he doesn't want to hear what I have to say? What if my apology means nothing? What if he doesn't believe me when I tell him what I've seen?"

"Chieftain Noir seems far too decent of a man to do that" Weiss remarked. "Your father's actions, both on the battlefield and in office, resulted in my grandfather making this comment after his public addressing on the attack on Mantle. 'Chieftain Noir's battle prowess and leadership are most impressive, something that I have not seen in a long time. He is a rare example of a level-headed leader that understands the boundaries of political power, restraining himself where many would not. A charismatic orator, who is honest and honourable whilst being a politician—another rarity! I have no doubt in my mind that in a different time, that man would have been a King'. I fully trust my grandfather's judgement, and after looking into your father when the modern White Fang began their raids on us, I fully agree with him. It's honestly surprising that he hasn't become King of Menagerie given that when he announced his bid for Chieftain, all his opponents dropped out of the race, with none challenging him at the end of his terms."

"Th-That would go against the Menagerian Constitution" Blake informed, shocked again to hear such glowing praise for her father, though she knew it was well earned. "Dad's mentioned several times he wasn't happy with his opponents dropping out, as it felt unearned and devalued the vote—which caused him to get off on the wrong foot with most of the Governors. He's managed to live with it, but he's never been fond of the hero worship. I guess that's why he kept me out of the public eye, wanting me to live as normal a life as possible."

"As honourable and humble a man as I ever heard in Mistral" commented Pyrrha with a smile.

"Same in Vacuo" added Sun with a smirk. "I've always looked up to him—along with every other Faunus kid."

"Your dad sounds like a really cool cat, Blake" Yang remarked with a nod.

Normally the raven-haired girl would have cringed at such a pun, especially cat related ones, but it was so on the nose and in context with the respect these Humans had for her father, it caused her to laugh.

"Alright! I get it. It's time to be an adult" she concluded, looking at the heiress that she had believed would be her greatest enemy, but instead might be her greatest friend. "I should know my own father better than my friends...but then again, if I truly did, then I wouldn't have left in the first place. At the same time, I wouldn't have met any of you if I hadn't been so stupid. Is this truly destiny?"

Jaune smirked. "A person often meets their destiny on the road they take to avoid it" he said, remembering Ozpin's words, proving with each passing day how much truth had been within them.

As expected, it got a smile out of Pyrrha, as well as nods from the others. Weiss, meeting Blake's gaze, felt a slight pang in her chest, knowing her own confrontation with her father would not be pleasant. She felt a strange kinship with Jaune and Blake because of it, but thought better of trying to voice that particular connection. This was about Blake and not herself; and quite frankly, the Menagerian had had enough for now, and she needed to handle things on her own going forward.

"Speaking of avoiding things, was there anything else you wanted to tell us, Blake, or shall we head out for the day?"

"No that's all. Thank you again, and I'm sorry" the Faunus replied with a sigh, meaning it deeply.

"We will never move forward if you keep repeating yourself, so let us end things with that."

"Well..." said Sun with a grin, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Blake is hiding one more secret." This caused them all, especially the girl in question, to look at him curiously.

"And that would be?" asked Yang, noticing the look in the Vacuan captain's eye.

"She purrs pretty loudly when you pet her head or play with her hair" Sun informed, which caused Blake's face to flare up, and the others' to brighten.

"Really?" cried Yang, Ruby, and Nora excitedly.

"N-No!" denied Blake quickly, her eyes darting between her friends and Sun, desperately wishing to run away.

Unfortunately, before she could, Sun's right hand left her shoulder, and gingerly began to scratch the space between her ears. Immediately her ears turned forward and parted slightly as her eyes closed, and she bowed her head. Then, after a few seconds, a very audible purr emanated from the Menagerian girl.

"Oh my Gods!" the trio cried, shocked and elated by this discovery. Satisfied with everyone's reaction, Sun stopped and chuckled to himself, giving Blake a few moments to come out of her bliss.

"That is adorable" remarked Weiss with a smirk, folding her arms in amusement.

"That's nothing. You should have heard her when I was stroking her hair while we were cuddling at the barbecue" Sun informed. "She did it till she fell asleep, and even then, she did it lightly as she slept. I could have done that for hours."

"Well, aren't we lucky?" teased Yang, grinning at Blake, who was tremendously embarrassed. "Does that mean Blake is purrrfect?"

"I like to think so" Sun said with a laugh, wrapping his arm around Blake once again, and kissed her on the head. "No offence to the Knight and Champion over there, but I think I'm the luckiest man around."

"We'll have to agree to disagree" returned Jaune, pulling Pyrrha to him, and the blonds eyed one another in playful contest.

Pyrrha loved this of course, as these moments of manliness from Jaune made her feel like a princess in a fairytale, as well as a woman and not a celebrity. While she did not show it or admit it openly, Blake was on the same page. Sun's actions did cause her tremendous embarrassment—and in front of her friends too—but she could no longer deny she loved them all the same.

Yang then cocked an eyebrow and looked at the Faunus couple curiously, as something she had forgotten came back to her mind.

"Wait...is that why she was against you rubbing her head for good luck?" she remarked, recalling that awkward moment during the tournament.

When Blake's response was a blush and her ears folding back shyly, Yang snorted.

"Well, to be fair" jumped in Neptune, "Faunus tend to react like animals do when showing great affection to people. My cat purrs in a specific way when I pet her and scratch behind her ears. So for Blake, that goes double—she just wanted to play her cards close to the vest, as all women do."

"Yeah, 'not my type' she says" added Ruby sarcastically, making air-quotes, which brought amusement to the rest of her team, and more embarrassment to Blake.

"What are you getting so shy about? The cat's out of the bag now, so relax!" remarked Yang.

"I-It's not that" Blake replied nervously, "I-I just haven't experienced any of this before, so all of this praising of my racial traits is totally new. Even when Human diplomats came to visit my father, I'd be too shy to talk to them—not that a little kid would've had anything important to say. I've spent my entire life surrounded by my race, and all of you are my first real interaction with Humans."

"That certainly explains a lot" Pyrrha said with an understanding nod. "As you explained previously, Taurus kept you in the dark about everything, lying about Weiss' family and company, and painting a false picture of the world and the relationship between our races. Living in a Faunus nation for your entire life whilst hearing firsthand accounts of that horrid massacre, made it easy for him to manipulate you...in more ways than one. That also explains why you've been under so much stress as of late. Seeing things as they truly are here, as well as we foreigners of both races speaking of our Kingdoms, shook your entire understanding of the world—which you explained in detail. I understand that more than you know, and I believe I can speak for everyone that they can understand as well. A fault confessed is half redressed as they say, so fear not, Blake. You are on the right path now."

Blake nodded in gratitude, and was about to thank the Mistralese champion, when something suddenly caught her eye. Well, her nose initially, as the familiar scent of blood touched her sensitive nostrils. Her sharp amber eyes focused onto the faint scent's origin, and saw that the closest thing to her was Sun's right hand, and noticed small holes and scratches across his knuckles. They were healing thanks to his Aura, but she knew exactly what they were, and felt terrible.

"Sun! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scratch you like that" she said sincerely, taking his hand and squeezing it soothingly. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Sun quickly pulled his hand away and hid it behind his back, displaying a rare expression of alarm.

"Don't worry about it! Barely felt a thing!" he said nonchalantly, and failing completely to convince anyone. The truth was that Sun had indeed felt Blake's nails dig into his hand every time she had squeezed it. He was far from unfamiliar with pain, and it was merely that it would occur faster than could brace himself for, not to mention he wanted to focus on supporting Blake during her confession than to avoid getting scratched.

The others were obviously out of the loop on this, causing them to look at the two in confusion.

"Jeez, you were squeezing his hand so hard you dug your nails into him?" asked Yang.

"N-No not exactly" Blake explained, holding up her right hand and flexed slightly, causing her nails to extend and reveal a more claw-like profile. "I've done my best to keep them hidden, along with my fangs, ears, and tail, but I didn't realize I was popping them during our talk."

"Ah that makes sense" the blonde remarked with a nod. Then, because she could not help herself, a mischievous grin began to grow on her face. "You do realize that you're meant to scratch his back, right? If there's any place a man wants a woman to scratch, it's his back."

As expected, Blake blushed at her friend's implication, bringing an end to her string of seriousness. Their friends had a variety of reactions to Yang's joke, ranging from amusement to disapproval.

"Now you can lick his wounds, though since you have all these other cat traits, you might do more damage."

"M-My tongue is normal!" the Cat Faunus sputtered. "I-It might be longer than a Human tongue, but it doesn't have those spines that cats do."

"You hear that, Sun? That must be good news, huh?"

Sun paused for a moment, genuinely thinking of how to properly respond to the kinky blonde's inference. A playful smile emerged as he returned his arm to Blake's shoulders.

"I want to say that I knew all that, but that would give you the wrong idea" he replied, eliciting a round of chuckles from the others.

"How can you of all people be so mature at times like this?" Yang shot back, clearly disappointed that she had failed in getting to him once again.

"Easy. I have a very high level of confidence and a very low level of awareness" he replied, though it was a peculiar answer for him to give, as he was impressively perceptive. "And besides, your teasing doesn't work since I consider myself so lucky to have her."

"Wow. Alright, enough mushy crap. Are we gonna do anything today or what?" she asked, clapping her hands together, and fishing out her Scroll. "It's nearly ten."

"Is it?" blinked Pyrrha in surprise. "I need to go then, or else I'll be late."

"You sure?" Jaune asked, a little annoyed to be seeing her less rather than more as they began to properly date. Of course they would have plenty of time if they did spend the summer together, but privacy would still be at a premium.

"Yes. Don't worry, I will be back in the afternoon, I promise" she assured, and kissed him before saying her goodbyes, and leaving her friends atop the roof.

"Where has she been going off to as of late?" asked Weiss, cocking an eyebrow.

"Something about getting things in order before we leave for summer break" Jaune answered. "She said she wants to do some of the legwork, so I'll leave her too it—as much as I wish she'd take me with her."

"Clingy much?" Yang remarked, causing Jaune to merely shrug.

"She's my better half, after all."

"I said no more mushiness. What about you guys?"

"I need to go to the forge to pick up Magnhild" said Nora, raising her hand.

"I promised I'd go into the city with my team" confessed Sun. "I said we'd meet up after Blake told you all the truth."

"Yes we did" added Neptune, before looking at the Schnee heiress. "Would you like to come with us?"

"Would I be intruding?"

"If Blake never does, why would it be any different with you?" Sun pointed out.

"Great, so we're properly broken up" Yang remarked, sucking on her teeth. "You two?"

"I would've liked to hang out with Penny, but she's been absent recently" admitted Ruby with a small frown. "I'm guessing it's military related or something."

"Since Pyrrha's busy, I guess I'll go for a walk. I wouldn't mind the company, if you're up for it" offered Jaune.

"Sure!"

"Bleh" groaned her sister. "I guess I'll throw myself at my bike. I'm having more trouble tuning it with the upgrade kit than I expected. I guess we'll see each other later in the afternoon."

With their plans settled, the young Huntsmen-in-training left the dormitory rooftop, and all in better spirits. While things had not been permanently wrapped up with a bow, it did give them all hope for brighter days to come. They unanimously hoped that their luck would hold out as well, that the overcast skies wouldn't unleash a downpour on Albion until they were on their way home.

λΛλ

Atop the Beacon Tower were most of the Order, as they had spent their morning together in Ozpin's office. Documents lay open on his desk, showing they had been busy since the dawn, and an end was not in sight. On a small bookcase placed below the south facing window sat Harper, who was peering outward, as if pondering whether or not it would be worthwhile to go hunting. He looked much better than he had previously, but was still not at his full strength. Ozpin had of course been feeding him daily, but predators needed to hunt for their food, and being fed in a comfy bed was not cutting it for the old raptor. General Ironwood stood to his left with his back against the frame of the window, pouring over a tablet as he gently puffed on a cigar, taking care to keep it lit as he read. Ozpin was doing the same with Glynda right beside him, along with Qrow sitting across, yawning as he massaged his temples with his free hand.

Suddenly one of the large double doors of the office opened to reveal Winter, who had a focused expression on her face, but a light in her eyes that caught the attention of her peers.

"Anything to share?" asked her CO, already knowing the answer.

"An answer to one of our burning questions" she replied, holding up her Scroll as she marched forward, and tapped the screen. The holoscreen installed into Ozpin's desk awoke, and projected above it a document with a portrait of a man to the left. He was much younger, and had shorter hair, but he was without question Roman Torchwick. "As you all know, we have been left to wonder why exactly Torchwick was sought out by Fall. The answer that Torchwick himself provided was far from satisfactory, as we only know why he worked with her, but not why she wanted him specifically, and so desperately so to ransom his daughter's life. Hence, I have dug into what I could find about Torchwick within the city, and I at last found what I was looking for. Roman Torchwick, real name Roman Volpe, was born here in the capital, and had a much different life before becoming the city's most notorious gangster. He attended Albion University, and studied Mechanical, Computer, and Geotechnical Engineering, earning himself Master degrees in Aeronautical Engineering, Robotics, Marine Engineering, and Dust Engineering. If that isn't hard enough to believe, he graduated top of his class, and had a very bright future ahead of him. Apparently not satisfied with such a valuable set of skills, he is also a certified diver, with certification in hyperbaric welding–"

"Son of a Grimm!" bellowed Ironwood, nearly sending his cigar flying across Ozpin's desk. "That's how they managed to raise the submarine! That must be why Torchwick was sent to steal our Paladins, as well as allow himself to be captured—to hijack the Veðrfölnir."

"Precisely" Winter nodded. "He may have been alone, but with such skill and knowledge under his cap, he would have been able to achieve all that and more, thus why Fall needed him so desperately for her plans to succeed. I too suspect she used Torchwick's skills to raise the sub, in order to use it as a bargaining chip to convince Taurus to join her."

"It's one Hell of an offer" Qrow remarked. "What else could Taurus want a sub for other than a getaway-car?"

"Nothing good."

"For what cause indeed" asked James, tapping the long section of ash that miraculously hadn't broken off from his cigar into an ashtray. "I have been giving it a great deal of thought since we learned they raised Big Blue. A submarine of that class isn't a pleasure boat—as you know very well, Major."

"Certainly, sir. The KASS Blue Marlin, a Marlin-class hunter-killer submarine, is a magnificent vessel, and the largest ever built at four hundred and sixty feet long with a thirty-four foot beam, and weighing over ten thousand long tons. She is fitted with the best weapons and technology our great military has developed over the years, with she and her sisters turning Atlassian waters into the safest in the world. Four hundred and ninety metre test depth, disclosed top speed of twenty-five knots with her true top speed of thirty-five knots, forty thousand shaft-horsepower, acoustic decoy systems, bow-mounted spherical active and passive sonar array, wide aperture lightweight fiber optic sonar consisting of three flat panels mounted low along either side of the hull, two high frequency active sonars mounted in the sail and bow, chin and sail-mounted high frequency sonars enabling safer operations in coastal waters, as well as enhancing under-ice navigation with improved anti-submarine warfare performance, and so much more. She is the crown jewel of the Kraken fleet, with a payload to match pound for pound."

Winter's rundown of the submarine's specifications was laced with pride, which explained why she had been so agitated by learning of the vessel being raised in the first place. It also explained why she was adamant of it to be sunk again, for it was better to have it at the bottom of the ocean than in the hands of the enemy. The same went for Ironwood, though he had initially remained much more composed in front of his allies. The truth of the matter was that he was deeply troubled, as he knew exactly what such a submarine was capable of. After all, he was the one who convinced the Council to sign off on the project's funding.

"And it's her armaments that worry me most. Forty dual purpose torpedoes meant to kill marine Grimm—and Gods forbid, enemy submarines and surface ships—and forty more LAMs—Land-Attack Missiles. It's those missiles that have kept my brain running on all cylinders as of late. They, as well as the subs, were intended to hit Grimm on land from the safety of the sea, creating a ring of defence around our island Kingdom, but can just as easily hit high-value targets such as bases and depots. Now, for the sake of argument, let us assume that all the missiles survived the flooding aboard the Blue Marlin caused by Taurus' sea mines; for if she did reach crush depth, only the Gods could have repaired her so soon. They're kept in pressurized canisters for protection until they are armed for use. They are virtually harmless unless the captain gives the order for them to be armed, and in the event of a sinking, are programmed to automatically disarm, and cannot be rearmed unless they are brought back to Atlas—or self-sterilize without via the Captain orders, or after a set amount of time. They can still be ruptured, but there would be no way in Hell that they could have raised the Blue Marlin if even one of those missiles detonated—she might as well have been at crush depth. While the likelihood that all forty LAMs are still operational is very low despite their advanced housing, we must expect the worst outcome. That leads us to the initial question: what is Adam planning to use that attack-sub for?"

The room became deathly quiet, each member of the Order, though possessing varying levels of knowledge of the capabilities of such armaments, were still capable of imagining the horror that could be unleashed.

"Would he seriously try to attack the Schnee Dust Company again?" asked Glynda, glancing at Winter worryingly. "Either your home in Mantle or the mines in the east? He's shown that nothing is off the table, and both are relatively close to the sea."

"Absolutely not" the former heiress countered, though the thought caused her blood to run cold for a moment. "The sub could never sail close enough to fire those LAMs without being detected—even with her advanced stealth technology. The ring of defence General Ironwood mentioned would detect the submarine long before it entered striking distance, and surfacing within the ring would be pure suicide, as both our aircraft and seacraft are fitted with missiles and torpedoes to deal with such threats. Then there is the matter of the missiles themselves."

"Correct" Ironwood nodded, taking a draw from his cigar. "Atlas has many levels of defence, multiple rings joining together like riveted mail, shielding our Kingdom from harm. SAM systems meant for knocking out flying Grimm, can also be used to take out enemy aircraft and missiles. If we were ever fired upon, we would be able to destroy the missiles. Not only on land, but on warships that constantly patrol in the Atlassian Sea, and the smaller islands that make up Atlas. The attack on Mantle was possible due to more conventional guerilla tactics. Attacking Atlas with the Blue Marlin would be a death sentence."

"Then how did it crawl up our ass here?" pointed out Qrow rightly.

"A testament to her marvelous stealth capabilities, not to mention the Valian Navy not being well equipped as we are in Atlas" replied Winter. "She is indeed large, but the Vimy River is deep and wide enough for a submarine of her class to travel up and down undetected. That does not change the futility of her spears in this instance—hence why the vessel was used as an escape vehicle."

"Right again, Major. Vale also possesses anti-air systems to protect the capital from Grimm, and they would be able to shoot those missiles down before reaching their top speed. Mistral is in the same boat, along with the added protection of having such vast amount of land between itself and the open waters. The Atlassian Sea to the north would lead them to be detected by my navy, the Kókkinos Ílios Sea to the south of Mistral would put her in the sights of the Mistralese Royal Navy that patrols those waters and those of Menagerie, and an attack from the Lang Ocean to the west would be pointless, as the Mistralese would have plenty of time to shoot any LAM down thanks to the hundreds of miles long flight to Helike. Can our defenses fail and allow a missile to slip through if a large volley was fired? Possibly, but it would be a waste of resources. No my friends, Adam would not be so stupid to try and attack the capitals of either of our Kingdoms, or our eastern ally."

"Then whom remains?" asked Ozpin, feeling none the better as his old friend systematically eliminated the possible targets.

Again the Order fell into silence, as that very question had been eating at the Atlassian officers for days.

"Paraíso" Ironwood said at last.

"What?" the others replied in unison, causing the General to raise his eyebrows in agreement that the statement was absurd, but was the one he came to.

"It is indeed a confusing and nonsensical target for Taurus" admitted Winter, "but it is the only target in undefended enough to provide a reasonable chance of success—even with the Valian Navy providing aid."

"Why would he ever want to attack Paraíso?" Glynda asked, fearful for their friends and the civilians at the capital.

"To get revenge for the White Fang chapter that the Vacuans threw out?" offered Qrow, before quickly shaking his head. "No, that's dumb as shit. The Vacuan chapter was Khan's decision and it was non-violent—for the most part. So Paraíso is the only viable target due to its lack of defenses, but with nothing to gain. It looked like Taurus could have attacked us if the trojan had succeeded in taking out the city's defenses–"

"Then they would have required a much better trojan to overtake us, given that such a devastating blow hinged entirely on said trojan shutting down Albion's countermeasures, and Torchwick to overtake our Paladins and airships" cut in Winter. "Not to mention being injecting it into your systems too soon."

"Right, though those Grimm were also meant to draw our fire, thinning our defenses even more. So Atlas is untouchable—especially after his attack on Mantle put you all on edge—and the only reason I can think of to attack Helike is to take out Khan, since he's the type to stab allies in the back."

"And that would be a waste of armaments when he could walk in and neutralize her discreetly."

"Right again. How many can that sub take onboard?"

"One hundred and thirty-five" Winter replied, shifting slightly at the reminder that so many had slipped through her fingers. "Our informant confirmed nearly one thousand White Fang insurgents, meaning that even if every post was manned, and every free spot, from the galley to the lavatories, was filled, there would still be men left behind. A ship is only as good as her crew."

"Which brings us to a greater issue" remarked Ironwood, drawing the attention of his friends. "The Blue Marlin is a top-of-the-line attack, multi-purpose submarine, and was made for a long service life. She cannot be meant to be used once and then ditched—like I mentioned with the volley tactic. Taurus knows the prize he has, hence why he agreed to join Fall when she offered her to him, not to mention after her going so far as to forcibly recruit Torchwick to raise her. He sunk her to show how strong he was despite being a terrorist—to mock the White Army—but to have her fully operational and in his hands, changes the game entirely. How in the name of the Light did they manage to find her and raise her before we could? Why didn't the SEPIRB activate? What did they do to the bodies of my men? Those hundred and thirty-five souls, some only eighteen years old—mere boys. Did some of those submariners make it to the escape suits, where the White Fang then killed them and dumped their bodies unceremoniously into the sea?"

His right hand tightened into a clenched fist, as his tone turned to sorrowful anger. This was understandable of course, as the Atlassian casualties continued to mount, with justice seeming even further away. Qrow then noticed Winter had tensed as well, her eyes dropping in shame and regret. It was obvious to the former Branwen heir that she was bitter that Taurus had escaped the bite of her steel. How many more of her countrymen would die before he was brought to justice?

"As we said, Taurus isn't a fool" continued the General, regaining his composure. "He would be fully aware of how much upkeep such a vessel would require, not only financially, but in man power—and talented seamen at that. That submarine can remain below the sea for a long time, but still requires large amounts of Dust to fuel her engines. And then there is the need to rearm her. Regardless of how many LAMs were lost at sea, she would still need to be resupplied."

"Who could provide such weaponry?" asked Ozpin, not at all pleased with the direction the conversation was turning.

"The black market, obviously" replied Qrow with a dry laugh. "That's also why they wanted Torchwick."

"That would be impossible" rejected Winter.

"You saw how many Dust shipments he's hit. What else could it be?"

"Dust has many uses, and Dust shops tend not to keep missiles in stock."

"Then you underestimate the reach of the criminal underground."

"Winter is correct" interjected the Atlassian Huntmaster, adding more ash to the tray. "The only way to get your hands on military grade equipment is to steal it, hence Torchwick going after my Paladins—by his own admission. I fear that Taurus has found himself a wealthy backer, or those other agents in Salem's command have more resources than we thought possible. I'll have to speak to Torchwick again to find out how much he really knows—which won't be so easy given how much he's already told us, and will withhold his best hand until the right moment. I'd rather not resort to more intense interrogation tactics, so we'll have to play this carefully. Just what in the name of the Light is that sub meant for?"

Silence returned to the office as the Order digested the commander's words. This vessel was now a hidden dagger that could strike without warning if well implemented, signalling that there was more to their enemies plans than mere monsters. Unsettled as they were, they needed to deal with the cards that currently lay on the table. It was the Deputy-Huntmistress that broke the silence, as she returned her gaze to the holoscreen.

"Speaking of Torchwick, how in Remnant can someone so talented end up a harden criminal?" asked Glynda, frowning incredulously at Roman's record. "He would have been desired by countless companies, if not the military."

"Not if the industry itself turns against you" Winter explained, selecting a particular page of the document. "He was employed by Tungsten Incorporated, and had a good job there, until he was made to take the fall for a poor engineering error that he insisted he had nothing to do with. When he tried to find work elsewhere, he was continuously rejected, which means that he may have been blacklisted without him knowing. This is what led to his marriage to sour and his ex-wife to file for a divorce. I found the divorce court documents, confirming that he indeed was refused custody, thus he was telling the truth that he took his daughter with him."

"The world can be such a cruel place" sighed Ozpin.

"And when the world gives you lemons, you make yourself an organized crime boss, raise a war submarine, and buy the whole damn orchard—the blackened bastard" muttered Ironwood, almost with respect, though it was laced with bitter sarcasm. "Brilliant. Too brilliant. There are segments of Fall's plan to assault the capital that are a work of genius, and others that are the most stupid things I have ever seen. Why was it so lopsided?"

"Too many cooks, I would imagine" his fellow Huntmaster remarked. "Torchwick himself noted that there was constant disagreement between himself, Fall, and Taurus, thus not all was planned by Fall herself. That, in and of itself, is puzzling. The capturing of the Maiden's powers must be Salem's top priority. Why under the Light would she risk such a catastrophic failure by having such obvious weak points in this endeavour?"

"She already has the Spring Maiden, therefore she must have a successful plan of capturing the other three" Glynda rightfully pointed out, though was wary of Qrow's reaction. He pretended not to have heard her.

"And yet those children Fall manipulated into serving her, as well as Taurus and Torchwick, were new additions" reminded Winter, also glancing quickly at Qrow. "Furthermore, Torchwick claims he doesn't know how they captured and transferred the Spring Maiden's powers."

"And there are other things he claimed that I have a great deal of trouble believing" added Ironwood, drawing from his cigar.

"Indeed" Ozpin sighed, interlacing his fingers and pressing them to his lips. "What lies before us is a spider's web within a spider's web of enigmas and doubt—all thanks to Salem, unequivocally."

The Order quietly began to mull over the information they had just learned, trying to find the answers they badly needed. Ozpin then began to go through the document Winter had provided, scanning for anything that could be of use. Upon completing his scan, he pressed his fingers against his lips once again, and shut his eyes to think. After a short while, he broke the silence in the most unexpected manner: he chuckled.

"Mind sharing with the class, Sam?" asked Ironwood, recognizing what that chuckle meant.

"I believe that I have found a way to kill three birds with one stone" he explained, smiling as he looked over to his friends.

"Does it involve me running around the world again?" asked Qrow, bringing his flask up to his mouth.

"That remains to be seen."

λΛλ

Since leaving the others at the dormitory, Ren and Nora had made their way to the forge, and found as expected that Magnhild had been cleaned and fully reassembled, along with perfectly drawn blueprints. Savage, the smith that presented both to Nora, began to go over the accompanying notes, as he needed to explain to the ginger the information she had requested. Savage had done the necessary pressure tests, and offered Nora one of the school test ranges to experiment with the varied types of ammunition they had available. Nora agreed excitedly, though this now left Ren to hang about the forge on his own. He assured her he didn't mind waiting, and encouraged her to take as much time as was required. Left to his own devices, Ren quickly found that he was not too fond of the heat that was created and trapped by the furnaces, and decided that it would be more comfortable to wait outside. Exiting the building, he discovered that on the opposite side of where they had first approached, lay about many racks of weapons of varying types and age. Swords, axes, polearms, and many others that he didn't even recognize, lay against the wall and before it in rows. Ren could only assume that the forge was in the process of cleaning their arsenal before the end of the year, and given that there would be far fewer students visiting now that the tournament was over, it made sense the school would take full advantage.

As his eyes scanned the weapons in curiosity, and the advice of getting something to replace StormFlower returning to his mind, he began to truly think upon his options. A sword was suggested previously, and seemed the most obvious choice, if he was to avoid acquiring a rifle, or any firearm with considerable firepower. That wasn't to mean that he was averse to firearms, how hypocritical of him, but a bulky rifle did not sound appealing to the amateur cook, whether it was a combination weapon or not. Blake's Gambol Shroud was a pistol chambered in the same calibre as his own, but had a proper blade forged in combination with it, allowing Blake to deal with any threat she encountered. In comparison to the downward curving bayonets of StormFlower, it was a far better design for fighting Humans, Faunus, and Grimm. Merely copying the design of Gambol Shroud did not sit well with Ren, and honestly felt that it wasn't a true fit for him; though its katana form had piqued his interest. He had never been opposed to a sword, the idea floating in his mind long before it was suggested, and with both Jaune and Pyrrha leading the team, he was truly in good hands to learn how to properly fight with one. Furthermore, given that it seemed he would be visiting Azincourt, he could take up Octavia's offer, and be properly armed with a sword of his own.

This then left Ren with the nagging question as which sword should he go with, for both of his friends had explained in great detail that there were many different classes and types of swords, all possessing strengths and weaknesses. Deciding could take time, but since he would then be spending the rest of the summer in Argus, Pyrrha would be more than willing to guide him in choosing a sword that "spoke to him", as she claimed. Then came the issue of pairing a sword with a secondary weapon, for other than Jaune who was a special case, all Huntsmen carried arms that transformed; either into a firearm or a secondary melee weapon with a firearm. Of course there were warriors like Pyrrha, who rarely used the rifle form of her sword and shield; her immense talent and power Semblance gave her the freedom to fight as she did. Ren was not so blessed, and with a good arm he could become proficient with, would help him greatly to be a Huntsmen. Tranquility had its value, but he was very aware of its limitations, hence his sincere interest in retiring StormFlower. His physical limitations went without saying of course, causing him to make a mental note to look into that as well.

He continued to examine the arsenal of weapons before him, when a rack to his left caught his eye, as well as his breath. There stood a rack of bows, clearly made of wood, and from a bygone age. How out of place they seemed, despite being next to swords and other melee weapons. Ren recognized the bows as recurve, given their obvious curved tips that pointed away from the bowstring, and he slowly approached the rack. He raised his left hand and gently touched the lower limb with the tips of his fingers, steadily bringing them up the bow, and stopped at the grip. Memories of his childhood flowed into his mind, and a deep masculine voice began to sound in his ears. It was faint, and he tried to make sense of it, when it suddenly rang clear, and he did not recognize it.

"Interested in the bow, lad?"

Ren spun round to see that it was Robin Loxley, standing before him with his arms folded, and a warm smile full of intrigue on his face.

"Uh, no, I'm just looking" he dismissed, embarrassed to have been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't notice the senior's approach.

"You seemed to be doing far more than just looking" challenged Robin in a playful tone, and approached Ren, reaching past him for the bow he had been eyeing. "You never see young Huntsmen-in-training showing regard to the bow these days. Not that I blame them, but it does cause my heart to ache some."

"No offense to you, sir, but given that firearms have been readily available for hundreds of years, and bows don't do very well against Grimm, it is for the best."

"Yes..." the Mistralese archer sighed, running the fingers of his right hand up the bow string. "There is the old adage that while the rifleman did not kill the swordsman, he did kill the bowman. Nonetheless, there are still some fools such as myself that treasure the old art of the bow, and will not abandon it. Given I have made it this far, I tend to think that I have found the best method to fight Man and monster with great success. Fear the old man in the profession where men die young, as they say."

Ren smirked hollowly at that, though true, brought back memories of his father, and he wished not to make the same mistakes.

"They also say that it is the nature of time that the old ways must give in. With all due respect, Mr. Loxley, I think I will find a better weapon to Hunt with. I need something that will have greater bite than my pistols to make up for the fact my Semblance is more for stealth."

"Noted, but a stealthy bowman could be very useful, no?"

"Not if the arrow bounces off the hide of the Grimm or embeds without causing real damage. No, I think I will leave archery to my childhood days. If I were to take a new weapon, it would be a sword—and perhaps a rifle."

Robin cocked his head slightly, examining Ren with fascination, before smirking and speaking again.

"I believe that you are limiting your imagination to the realm of civilian life, as we Huntsmen can do so much more with all kinds of weaponry. I will not argue with you on steel, as I too carry a longsword along with my bow, however I will maintain that you are underselling the might of the bow."

"Perhaps I am" admitted Ren. "But I have seen the bow fail when it so desperately needed to succeed. I cannot let that happen to me."

"All men and weapons can fail" the bowman remarked, though he noticed the melancholy in the junior Huntsman-in-training's tone, and his own softened. "But tell me, who did you see perish, if you don't mind me asking."

Ren's eyes and face fell.

"My father" he replied quietly, but loud enough for the senior to hear.

"I'm so sorry, lad, truly I am" Robin said, resting his hand on Ren's shoulder. "I take it he was not a Huntsman."

"He wasn't, but he wanted to be, as well as for there to be more Huntsmen in the world—as we all do. He knew that our village needed better protection, but it never came. I wish to uphold his memory and hopes by becoming a Huntsman myself, and fight to protect those who can't defend themselves."

Robin nodded in approval, before removing his bow from his back. It was a strange looking thing at first, as it was folded for transport, and about three feet in length. When Robin pressed a button in the grip, the limbs fully extended into its battle form, displaying its true length at an impressive six feet. It was a strange fusion of compound and recurve, with the idler wheel and cam sitting in within the tips of the limbs. It was entirely made of metal, and while it was skeletonized, it still weighed thirty pounds; nothing outrageous for a Huntsman, but considerably heavier than any modern recreational bows. Instead of being painted in a target black or camouflage, it was painted to give it both the colour and texture of wood. While clearly a modern bow, it still bore the two colour tones of old warbows, which was due to them having both a heartwood and a sapwood. The heartwood resisted compression and lay in the belly of the bow, and the sapwood for tension in the back. Moving towards a more modern look was the modified grip that had an arrow shelf on either side. This was peculiar to anyone familiar with archery, as there was usually only one shelf on the same side as the hand that held the bow. It was with ancient longbows that possessed no shelf, but a grip made of leather wrapping that allowed bowmen to loose arrows on either side. Interestingly, the multi-pinned sight was set for the right side of the bow, showing a preference for the less common position. What Ren could not see was that there was a lever that held the sight to the bow, which when flipped, allowed for the sight to switch sides. It was a marvelous piece of equipment, and Ren's eyes drank in every detail.

"You are a good lad and you have the heart of a warrior, that is plain to see, but may I show you the gap between the civilian and the Huntsman" the blond bowman offered, holding out his warbow. "I mean no disrespect to your father's memory, but there is a difference between those of us who have trained to wield the gifts of the Light against the hordes of Grimm, and those who live a more mundane life. As I said before, I have not made it this far by chance. My father is a bowmaster, as we come down from a long line of bowmen, heading the last remaining war-archer's guild in Mistral. So would you humour me with trying my father's handiwork?"

Ren looked at the bow, and then to Robin, who from his eyes to his face, showed nothing but sincerity. He gazed back at the bow, and with a nod, accepted it. It certainly weighed more than he had expected, and felt incredibly sturdy. Grasping the bow with his right hand and fingering the bowstring with two fingers, Ren attempted to draw, and immediately found he could not. He expected it to be difficult, especially with how thick the bowstring appeared, but it felt surprisingly stiff. He tried again with more effort, and upon failing again, used three fingers. Once more he failed, and decided to cut to the chase by wrapping all five of his fingers around the bowstring, and pulled with all his might. From his own estimate, he had drawn at best four inches, and he could feel the strain not only in his hands and arms, but in his back as well. It had been a very long time since he had practiced, so the odd set of muscles used to properly loose arrows were out of shape. However, this was beyond anything he dreamed possible. Ren looked up at Robin who was smiling from ear to ear, and once he saw the disbelief in the shorter green-clad boy's face, he doubled over laughing.

"Not so easy, is it, lad?" he asked, his hands on his hips.

"What's the draw weight?" demanded the amateur cook, feeling his cheeks burn from embarrassment. He was not particularly strong physically, especially in comparison to the rest of his team, but surely he couldn't be that far behind, could he?

"Oh, I'd say around a ton or so" Robin replied casually, causing Ren's eyes to grow to the size of dinner plates, and his mouth fell open.

"Th-This isn't a warbow" Ren exclaimed.

"Of course it is. A warbow is any bow with a draw weight of over seventy-five pounds."

"But a ton?"

"As you said yourself, regular hunting bows are not enough to effectively kill Grimm" Robin explained. "Even the great two hundred pound warbows of old would not kill Grimm more powerful than lowly Boarbatusk or Beowulf Grimm. Therefore, we devised a bow with the appropriate poundage to deal with all manner of monster—to an extent of course. Furthermore, the windlass crossbows of old had a draw weight of over eight hundred pounds, and I have one rare example in my father's collection that is over twelve hundred. Conventional bowmen were far faster, hence their preference against mortal armies, though I bear no ill will to crossbowmen, as they paved the way for the great ballista, which packed enough of a wallop to skewer many Grimm. My sword will do what my bow cannot, however, I have spent years training to reach this point, and there is still room to improve."

He glanced at Ren, who still seemed bewildered by all of this, and he pondered on how to get his point across fully. He eyed the area around them and spotted the firing range beyond the side of the forge, just over the berm that properly enclosed it. No good there, so he continued to look, until his eyes rested on something that would do the job nicely. He marched through the racks of weapons and armour, and retrieved a damaged heater shield, the rightmost point being broken off, and walked away from the forge. When he reached the berm that curved northward, just over one hundred yards, he planted the shield into the ground so that it stood up on its own, before returning to Ren. Before the younger man could ask what Robin was doing, the bowman drew a long arrow from the quiver strapped to his back, nocked the arrow on the right shelf, and drew his bow to his chin as he spun to face the shield. The twang of the bow was more like a crack of a whip, and the arrow flew with such speed, that even Ren could not keep up with it in flight. He could only see the spark of metal striking metal as the arrow connected with the shield, and the heavy thump of it piercing the dirt of the berm.

Robin dropped his bow to his side and grinned proudly, which grew more so when he looked over to Ren. Ren looked at the hole in the centre of the shield, as the arrow had indeed pierced it fully, and while he couldn't see it, he knew the thump had indeed been from the arrow striking the dirt. All of this had occurred in the blink of an eye, displaying the Mistralese's immense skill and physical power. While it had been a long time since Ren had practiced, he was well aware that hitting targets at a hundred yards was not easy, both due to the limitations of the bow, and judging the distance correctly, along with wind currents pushing the arrow itself. And yet, Robin hadn't compensated for distance, and snapshot perfectly at the target. Not only was he telling the truth about the power of his bow, but proved that he could fully draw it.

"At my current level, I can drop Nevermores right out of the sky with single shots to their heads—within three hundred yards, of course" Robin informed, cracking his neck. "However, I am far from satisfied. My dream is to kill Wyvern Grimm with a single arrow. It will take a more powerful bow with the right combination of arrowhead, but I am confident it can be done. Take a look." He reached for one of his arrows, and presented it to Ren. It was a long projectile, three feet long and heavier than any conventional arrow, but what was more intimidating was the monstrous broadhead. It was wide with a considerable taper, appearing to be more of a spearhead than an arrowhead. "Starting with a 300g broadhead—along with some at 500g—they do quite a bit of damage. Combine them with a Dust fragment in the broadhead to detonate once penetrating a Grimm's thick hide, and you've got yourself a guaranteed kill. If a kill shot is not possible, then an arrow fitted with a broadhead in the 200g range with an acute taper to embed a tracking device will do—there are many options." Robin then looked to Ren who was still in amazement, and smirked at him. "Do you think I can achieve that goal, my lad?"

This snapped the Beaconite out of his stupor, and he looked up at the bowman with uncertainty.

"Possibly. I've never thought such a thing possible, but maybe" he answered. 'What if father could have wielded a bow like that?' he found himself thinking.

"Lie Ren is your name, yes?" Robin asked.

"J-Just Ren, please" he replied with a slight stutter.

"Ren, would you like to learn the art of the stick and string? It will take time and dedication, but given you already have a rudimentary understanding of archery because of your father, I think you can be forged into a bowman to be feared. You should learn how to use a sword as well, there's no denying that, however, the bow will serve you well if you are willing to devote yourself to it. You said that you wanted to honour your father by becoming a Huntsman. Perhaps I am reaching here, but would it not be poetic to hunt Grimm with a bow as a bowman like he?"

Ren felt as if the air in his lungs were sucked out by Robin's words, for a new sensation rose in his chest, and with it a burning question. Could he really wield a bow as a Huntsman?

"I...I don't know" he replied slowly. "I haven't touched a bow in ten years."

"Fear not, lad!" Robin cheered, clapping him on the back. "No doubt your muscles will be sore from not being used in so long, but I will get you back into the swing of things faster than you can say 'loose'. Archery is like riding a bicycle; you learn how once, and you will never forget. Now then, get yourself acquainted with the bow—this one will do—while I set up a target. Surely there must be one amongst all these racks of gear."

Robin reattached his own bow before handing Ren the recurve that he had been examining from the rack, and he began to look around for what he needed. Ren watched him leave for a moment, before resting his eyes on the bow in his hands. He eyed it from limb to limb, turning it in his hands gently, before settling with his right hand on the grip, and his left on the bowstring. How right did it feel holding a bow again after so long? It felt like a part of him had returned to its rightful place. He instinctively wanted to draw the bow, envisioning his father in his mind, watching him practice in their backyard as he ate fresh watermelon, and thinking how cool he looked as he shot his bow without even flinching.

'Otou-san...' he thought painfully.

"Right ho! Forty yards should be a good place to start, given you aren't completely green" called Robin, finishing installing an old target before them. As he walked up to Ren, he held up a quiver full of arrows. "These might not be perfectly spined and weighted for that bow, but they are long enough for its draw, which is more important. Now then, shall we begin?"

Ren nodded, and drew an arrow from the quiver. He fitted the arrow on the left side of the bow as he walked to a particular spot in line with the target, and began to focus onto it. He tested the draw weight of the bow, and changed his draw style to the same that Robin had done with three fingers; his index above the nock, and his middle and ring fingers below. Feeling that his grip was secure, and making sure that his right foot was in line with the target, he raised the bow above his head, and drew it by pushing the bow forward and pulling the string simultaneously. The bow naturally lowered till his eye lined up with the arrow's shaft, and his drawing hand reached his anchor point, where he held the draw for a heart beat or two, before releasing the arrow. It flew through the air and struck the target with a satisfying thud, though it struck eight inches below the bull's-eye.

"Well done" complemented Robin. "You may have misjudged the holdover, but you are right on the money with the vertical. I was right about the arrows being the incorrect weight for the bow, given how it wobbled in flight, but that won't stop the arrow from hitting with force; not to mention you can correct the wobble with slight changes to the release. Have you always loosed with the three-fingered draw?"

"No, I mostly used the thumb draw, though my father would use both."

"I see. Very good. Try again, lad."

Robin handed Ren another arrow, who repeated the nock and draw, and imagining his father once again, he released the arrow. This time, it was dead centre.

"Wonderful!" cheered Robin with a grin. "What did I say? Like riding a bicycle. You haven't lost those instincts from your youth, which no doubt will sharpen further with practice. That bow must be around seventy pound draw, and you've drawn it twice with ease. You have a slim build, but you aren't as weak as you made yourself out to be. You will have to train your body more seriously to begin taking down Grimm of course, but being on the same team as Pyrrha, she will be more than willing to help you with that."

Ren said nothing. He was completely lost in the rushing sensations that he was now submerged in. Every memory of his father came to him in a flash, transporting him back to Kuroyuri, learning how to shoot the small bow that his father made him for his birthday. Those beautiful memories then melted into horrid ones, of his father drawing arrow after arrow, trying to kill the Nuckelavee Grimm, and falling in battle. How helpless he was as he watched his parent's slaughter, and with only the grace of the Light was he able to awaken his Semblance and protect himself and Nora. That could never happen again. It was why he was training to become a Huntsman in the first place, not simply to give he and Nora a life without homelessness, but to protect the weak and one another. He kept the memories of his parents close to his heart, doing everything he could to keep their memory alive. Would this be a chance to have his cake and eat it too?; to be a bowman like his father and become the Huntsman he wanted to be, honouring his father's wishes and protect Nora? Thinking that this was now possible, he then heard himself say what his heart was shouting.

"Mr. Loxley" Ren began, looking at the Mistralese with fierce determination in his eyes. "Please, I implore you; instruct me to the best of your abilities."

Robin returned with a wild grin of his own, clearly ecstatic with gaining a student.

"With pleasure, lad! Even if you weren't Pyrrha's friend, I'd give you my personal guidance. However, since you are Pyrrha's friend and teammate, I think I'll give you some secrets I have learned from my father. I will be returning to Mistral in a few days, so I am limited on time. Nonetheless, you need to be given a run through the training regiment you will need as a baseline. Shall we begin at once?"

"Yes, please!" Ren returned, bowing deeply.

"In that case" Robin began, attaching the belt quiver to Ren's waist. "Nock your bow!"

Ren began to release arrow after arrow, regaining the muscle memory that he believed was lost. With every arrow, he received words of guidance from Robin, informing him of his mistakes and how to improve. He would show Ren with his own bow, instructing him step by step, which was just as satisfying for Robin seeing Ren internalizing the information properly, as it was for Ren being guided and corrected by Robin. While Ren knew that Robin was one of Pyrrha's mentors, though not the one she was closest to, he began to see why she admired them all so deeply. Robin was patient and even-tempered, which were wonderful and required qualities of a teacher. How he wished he had met him sooner, but it seemed that he had a great deal of luck, as not only was he Pyrrha's mentor, he himself would be spending the summer in Argus, giving him a chance to be trained properly. Ren was about to notify him of this, when Robin asked him a question.

"Tell me, Ren, you seem rather determined to jump head first into this. Not many students are willing to abandon their weapons and relearn from the ground up, and yet here you are. What is your motivation? You said it was for your father's memory, but the fire in your eyes gives me the impression that there is something more. What might it be?"

Ren swallowed at this, as he felt uncomfortable saying the truth to someone he had only just met, and was a little perturbed that his emotions had been so legible. Instead he gave him a half-truth.

"There is someone I want to protect" he replied. "And as I am, I cannot protect them, my team, or my friends. That is unacceptable, and I must improve. If I do not start now, then I should simply pack my bags and walk out of Beacon, as I will become too set in my ways to change for the better."

Robin nodded in approval, clearly seeing the sincerity of the boy's convictions, and was about to ask the obvious question of who that person was, which he assumed was his mother, when a voice cut through the silence.

"Reeeeen!"

Both bowmen looked to their right to see it was Nora who called for him, who had just emerged from the corner of the forge, clearly trying to find him. Robin looked at Ren curiously, and a mischievous grin grew on his face as he noticed Ren's expression change; a new gleam in his eye.

"Oh now I understand" he remarked, stroking his beard with his right hand. "Very good." Ren's cheeks began to burn, and he was about to protest, when his new teacher placed his tongue against his teeth and gave a loud whistle, getting Nora's attention immediately. "Over here, Miss Valkyrie!"

The ginger was obviously surprised to see Ren with one of Pyrrha's mentors, but was happier still to find him, and dashed towards them.

"There you are! I didn't see you in the forge when I came back from the range, and the smiths inside said you left" she exclaimed, pouting at him for not letting her know he wasn't waiting for her inside. "I even texted you, but you didn't answer."

"I'm sorry, Nora" Ren replied honestly. "It was a bit hot for me, so I decided to wait outside, and then I became distracted."

"I should apologize as well, given that I have been the one distracting him" added Robin with a courteous bow. "I am Robin Loxley of Mistral, and of Haven Academy. Also, if you might not remember the day we met at the karaoke bar, I am one of Pyrrha's former upperclassmen."

"Yeah I remember! Nice to meet you! So what are you two doing exactly?"

"Your friend here has shown to be interested in learning, or rather, relearning archery."

"Really?" asked Nora with great intrigue. "How come?"

"StormFlower can't cut it anymore, if I can be honest" Ren informed with a shrug. "I've been giving it some thought since before the start of the tournament, and after running into several experienced Huntsmen and warriors making the same comments over and over, I think it's time to take things more seriously."

Nora looked at him carefully, doing her best to read him, before finally smiling.

"Go for it!" she said supportively. "So are you gonna just use a bow or will you have another weapon?"

"I'll get a sword as well. I'll leave that to Pyrrha, as I'm sure she would be best to help me."

The ginger conjured the image of Ren charging through the battlefield with a warbow, loosing arrows at people and Grimm, before switching to a sword.

"Yeah, you'd look super cool with a sword" she remarked, causing his cheeks to tint pink. "But can a bow kill Grimm?"

"Have yourself a go, lass" said Robin, offering her his bow. "Your boyo over here couldn't bring Merry Liberty's string back, so if you would like a try, be my guest."

Never turning down a test of strength, Nora took the bow, and gave a good hard pull on the bowstring. She immediately felt how much tension the string was under, and placed the bow between her legs so that she could crack her knuckles before trying again. She could feel her back muscles engaging as she pulled with everything she had, managing to draw the bow back over a foot before she stopped. Her cheeks puffed as she tried to bring it to full draw, but was shocked that the bow would not yield to her. She then looked over at Ren, who was both surprised at how far and how little she was able to draw, and she asked him for a little help.

"R-Ren" she said with gritted teeth. "D-Do you have any spare batteries?"

"So you can cheat? That would be unfair" he replied with a small smirk, which grew further when she cutely puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. Finally her arms gave way, and she brought the bowstring to its resting position.

"Pardon? Batteries?" asked Robin confused, though impressed by the ginger's strength.

"Nora's Semblance allows her to generate and absorb electricity" Ren explained. "And when she absorbs electricity, her physical strength increases tremendously. We've never tested the limits of her power, but the more she takes in, the more powerful she becomes."

"So that is how you sent poor Pierre flying. You might just be able to draw Merry Liberty if you took a bolt or two" smirked Robin, scratching his chin. "Unfortunately Ren does not have that luxury. He will have to learn as I did. It will take time, but I think he has the skill and determination to achieve the finesse required to be a bowmaster. Furthermore, being on the same team as Pyrrha, to correctly instruct him on how to train his body, gives me all the certainty in the world he will succeed."

"We can weight train together!" smiled Nora excitedly.

"It is a bit more complicated than that, Miss Valkyrie. Archery makes use of more muscle sets than people realize. Despite what people assume, it requires more than large arms to draw a heavy bow. Shoulders, back muscles, pectorals—even hips and legs. Your entire body needs to be strengthened to wield bows of considerable poundage—and far more than the average Huntsman to draw anything like Merry Liberty. Nonetheless, resistance training is a good place to start, as Ren does indeed have a solid base for us to build upon—something else to inquire Pyrrha about. Now then, would you allow me the time to continue training Ren? I do need a bit more to give him a full rundown of the fundamentals of combat archery, and finish correcting any bad habits."

"Can I watch?"

"Please do."

"Then keep going! I want to see how good Ren is."

"No pressure" Ren muttered under his breath, but was happy to see her so supportive and enthusiastic with his rearming. He continued to practice with an adoring audience, receiving more instruction from his new mentor, and shouts of praise from the girl he was fighting for.

λΛλ

On the north side of the campus, just east of the club room building, strolled Jaune and Ruby. It was the first time since the Cardin incident that they had spoken alone, and it felt good for the captains to converse on the past year. Speaking as both friends and fellow captains, gave them a better understanding of each other's feelings, which they were both very much grateful for.

"Did you really say that to Yang?" asked Jaune in shock, regarding Ruby's outburst when her sister had threatened Neptune.

"Yeah" admitted the hooded Huntress-in-training sheepishly. "I don't really know where that came from, but I just felt like I had to give Weiss room to breathe—plus hurting her boyfriend wasn't gonna help. Yang means well, she really does, but she doesn't have any...what's the word?"

"Tact—the skill and sensitivity to deal with people about difficult issues."

"Right, exactly. She's hard-headed, but she can be surprisingly approachable and understanding. She just has an overall direct outlook on life."

"I've noticed" Jaune smirked. "You did make the right call though, so you should be proud of yourself for that. Weiss and Neptune seem to be getting even closer, so I doubt we have to wait much longer for them to make things official."

Ruby nodded in agreement, wanting her lieutenant to be happy and have some of her burden lifted from her shoulders. The blond then looked at her for a moment, before taking a breath.

"Thank you, Ruby, for giving me that advice about not failing as a leader. It's been the mantra I've been following since then, and I've been pushing myself to be the best captain I can be. It became even truer when I asked Pyrrha out, because not only did I have to protect Ren and Nora, but her as well—more than normal, obviously. I could never forgive myself if I fail to protect her."

Ruby smiled warmly at him.

"You're welcome—and I could tell you were. Being a captain means you have lots of responsibilities, and failure isn't an option since your team is relying on you." Her smile then faded slightly and she looked to the ground. "If I don't keep telling myself that, I won't be able to believe it."

This caused Jaune to halt and look at her in concern, her tone betraying her usually positive self.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

The younger Xiao Long stopped a yard before Jaune, keeping her back to him as she began to speak slowly.

"You're not the only one who's scared they'll fail as a leader. I know that being two years younger than everyone makes it hard for people to respect me. They must all be thinking 'Who let this kid into Beacon?'. I bet Weiss and Blake thought that too, which is why I never really blamed Weiss for feeling it was a mistake that I was made captain instead of her. She's more talented, a better student, confident, and from Atlas—everything that you'd want in a leader. And I know Yang isn't super excited with having her little sister tell her what to do either—even though she's said nothing since we became a team." She turned to look at Jaune with sad eyes and a weak smile. "You've felt the same way, right? That Pyrrha should have been made captain; that Huntmaster Ozpin made a mistake?"

Jaune held his breath, never suspecting that Ruby was hiding these feelings; feelings that he understood all too well.

"Yeah" he sighed. "I've thought that for months. Even after he assured me he had made the right choice, I had my doubts. I still do to be honest, as now I've seen who Pyrrha is through and through, and it blows me away at just how amazing she really is. But you know what? It drives me to be better. I can't disappoint her or the others by feeling sorry for myself and give up on becoming the best Huntsman and captain that I can be. Maybe I'll catch up to her, maybe I won't, but you better believe I'll throw my shoulder to the wheel, clench my teeth, and keep moving forward. That's my only option, and what you said before was right—still is. So don't think that you've been a bad captain because every decision you made wasn't the perfect one. You've done great despite your age, and you'll only get better in time. I know you will."

Ruby felt a warmth wash over her, as this was the first time she had been praised like this, and felt her cheeks flush bashfully.

"Th-Thanks, Jaune. You've become a great captain too."

Jaune shrugged. "Thanks, but I've still got a lot of room to grow. Like I said, Pyrrha is in a whole different league, and I've got to work hard to keep up with her."

Ruby then noticed the tender look in his eyes. She couldn't help but think that she had seen it before, and believed she understood what it meant.

"You really love her, don't you?"

"She's the woman I'm going to marry" the blond replied without hesitation. "Like I keep saying; I want to protect her and be the best man I can be. She's willing to stand by me, through thick and thin, so I can only respond in kind. I know this all sounds weird given how young we are, but we know what we want. It'll make sense when it happens to you some day."

This caused Ruby to squint at him. "That sounds a lot like my sister mocking me, and saying 'I'll understand when I grow up'."

"I don't mean it that way. I mean having someone you love so much that you'll do anything to protect them."

"I already get that. I love Yang, dad, Uncle Qrow, Weiss, and Blake, and I'm working hard to be a great Huntress to protect them."

Jaune smirked. "Ruby, you do know there's a difference between platonic love for friends and family, and romantic love, right?"

"O-Of course I do!" she shot back, her cheeks burning. "You don't kiss your friends and family, and do...the other stuff Yang talks about...I-I'm not a kid!"

The blond captain laughed, and folded his arms in the same manner an amused father would.

"Sort of. I'm not saying this to mock you about your age, Ruby. Have you ever had a boy you've liked? Either here, at home, or at Signal?" She shook her head. "Well there you go. You don't understand because you've never experienced it. All I'm saying is that it will make sense when you meet a guy that'll win your heart. Do you understand now?"

Ruby paused for a moment before nodding again.

"Good. And for the record, we all kinda see you as our kid sister, so we tease out of love" he confessed with a sheepish grin.

This caused the hooded girl to pout in great annoyance, which only made Jaune laugh and rub her head affectionately. She pulled his hand off and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Jerk!"

"Hey!" Jaune cried, a little wounded. "I've got four younger sisters, so I can't help it! None of us respect you any less because you're younger, Ruby. If you did act like a brat, then none of us would care about you so much. We care about you because you're good and decent, and we like you for who you are. Your age has never affected a thing. I know legally speaking Huntsmen are considered adults at seventeen, making you underage, but you really don't become an adult at some arbitrary age; you become an adult when you decide to be an adult, and you act like one. Pyrrha and I are the same age, but I definitely wasn't acting like an adult until after the Dance. Same with Weiss and Yang. Weiss is just as mature as Pyrrha, while Yang honestly acts more childish than you do—look how you handled what was going on with the rest of your team. It doesn't matter that Yang's more womanly, being taller and having big boobs, cuz she acts like a teenager. Does that make sense?"

Ruby kept her lips pursed, but finally began to smile.

"It does. Thanks, Jaune. Plus it makes me feel better since Yang keeps teasing me about my age and my boobs—and yet I'm the adult here. I'm gonna have fun teasing her about that."

"You've earned it, and you're welcome" the blond replied with a grin. It instantly turned into an expression of panic, as he realized what he had just said. "D-Don't tell either Yang or Pyrrha I talked about Yang's boobs! I don't want them thinking I've been ogling your sister—or Pyrrha thinking I'm looking at other women!"

It was to be expected for Jaune to react in such a manner, as loyalty to family and partner meant a great deal to him. He still felt guilty for ignoring Pyrrha in favour of Weiss, so to him, it was as if he were cheating on his girlfriend. This was nothing more than his inexperience causing him to overthink things, and in turn for Ruby to giggle at him.

"Don't worry! Yang's boobs are the first thing people see and think with her" the young Xiao Long sister assured with a dismissive wave of her hand. "And honestly, no one thinks more about her boobs than she does. Seriously, she and I share a room back home, and I've seen her spend hours posing in front of the mirror, trying on tons of bras and outfits. As if I care about having big boobs—more money for candy since I don't have to spend it on expensive bras."

"So much for acting like an adult" Jaune said, a chance at a joke overtaking his anxiety, which in turn made Ruby pout. "Hey, I'm just teasing" he added, punching her lightly on the shoulder. "Thanks for not thinking I'm a perv. What I said still stands, by the way. You're an adult and a great captain, and you've proved it with what you've achieved this year. So don't feel self-conscious or anything about being younger—even with the sweet tooth."

Jaune chuckled and patted her head once more for good measure, and began to turn to continue walking down the road, when he heard her speak again.

"I'm not just self-conscious because of my age" she said, causing him to turn round. He blinked in surprise as the look on her face was a near sorrowful one. "My dad was captain of his Huntsman team—the same team my mom, Yang's mom, and Uncle Qrow were on. I had a feeling since the beginning I was made captain because they went to Beacon, and people knew them. That makes even more sense now that I know he and the Huntmaster are friends—or were friends since he never talked about him. Uncle Qrow calls him 'Oz', but I didn't realize he meant the Grand Huntmaster of Vale at first. But even though Yang isn't exactly the leader type, she's more like dad than I am. So why did Ozpin pick me? Did he do it just because of dad? I've been trying my best to be as good of a captain as he was, especially because I'm on the same team as Yang. I want to make him proud...and I want to make mom proud too. Crescent Rose was her arm, and I had to beg dad to let me use it. I need to prove that he didn't make a mistake in letting me be a Huntress..."

"Ruby..." Jaune said quietly, having never seen her like this before.

She looked down to the ground, very crestfallen.

"He wasn't excited when I gave him Ozpin's acceptance letter" she continued slowly. "He was already nervous about sending Yang to Beacon after she graduated from Signal, but to have me go too, two years early...it took him weeks before he sent a reply and give me his permission. I think dad never wanted us to become Huntresses after he lost our moms. He never wanted us to get hurt, but we've always wanted to be like our moms—and like him too. There's a shed next to our house that I was never allowed to go into. It was my mom's workshop, where she kept all her rifles and reloading equipment. When I turned twelve, for my birthday, dad gave me the key, which I just know was one of the hardest things he's ever had to do. I began to practice every day, trying to learn everything I could from what mom left behind. It made me feel close to her, since I can't remember anything about her..."

Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away.

"I used to be jealous of Yang, ya know. That she can remember mom...but I guess it's fair since she can't remember her mom..." Ruby bit her bottom lip. "Dad doesn't like talking about them. I get why, how much it must hurt to lose them both, since they weren't just his wives, but his teammates and friends. It's why I can't mess up. I can't make what he's scared most of happening come true. I know I've done a bad job of that, jumping right into trouble with both feet, but I can't stand by when bad things happen in front of me. That's what Huntsmen do, right? I want to be like my parents and protect people. I want to protect my friends, and I want to protect dad. He raised us on his own. Uncle Qrow helped, but they've never been all that close, though dad's never tried to stop him; it's more that Uncle Qrow is always on some mission and visits when he can. I just want to make them proud."

Jaune listened in silence, every word holding deep importance and anxiety, both of which he understood. He stepped forward, and placed his hands on her shoulders, causing her to look up at him with watery eyes.

"I know what you mean" he said softly. "I lost my gramps when I was really young, and as the years go by, I'm having trouble remembering him. I've felt that jealousy—to my older sisters and cousins that got to know him for longer than I did. But I can imagine him telling me that doubts and fear of failing are natural, but should never command you, and should instead spur you forward. He was always so wise and understanding, and I never met a single person that knew him and didn't respect him deeply. I want to make him proud, and now, I want to make my parents proud too. I don't know your dad—or your mom obviously—but I think that with what you've achieved thus far, despite being younger, you have made them proud. So when you go home with Yang, tell your dad what you've done, and how you're going to get even better. That's what I'll be doing, and just like Pyrrha will be my support when I do, let Yang support you. She might be a bit miffed that her younger sister is her captain, but since she always follows your orders, I know she's proud of you too."

Ruby swallowed the lump in her throat, but couldn't say anything in return. Unable to do anything else, she hugged him as tightly as she could, her face in the middle of his torso due to her being nearly a foot shorter than him. Jaune was taken aback by her sudden show of affection, but he returned the hug, understanding why she had done it. After a few moments, she pulled away and wiped her tears.

"Thanks, Jaune. That means a lot" she said in gratitude, smiling sheepishly. "Your sisters are lucky to have a brother like you."

"I'm not so sure about that, though it's nice of you to think" Jaune replied, scratching his right cheek. "I've been rather distant for the past while, and I could tell with my little sister Aline, that she really missed me. I can guess how she, Ivy, and Sylvie will act when I come home—so I've got to make it up to them, which the souvenirs I bought will help with. Then there's my eldest little sister, Andrea—who's your age—gives me hugs in the form of rear naked chokes. She's a real tomboy that one, but she's also the sister I'm closest with. I love her to death, and despite her tough-girl attitude, she's really sweet, and even acts like mom when she calms down. She'd punch me in the arm if she found out I'm talking about her like this though."

"She and Yang would get along."

"Probably."

The captains began to snicker at themselves for taking the mickey out of their siblings, when a voice came out of nowhere.

"Well, is this not a moment of fate?" They turned to see that it was Olivier speaking with the rest of his team around him, along with Team LION, though missing their captain. "And what are you two doing out here by yourselves?"

"Walking" replied Ruby.

"Obviously so, but without dear Pyrrha and the others?" he noted, before his eyes rested on Jaune. "Ah, Monsieur Arc. We meet at last. I missed you at the karaoke bar."

"O-Oh, right, Pyrrha mentioned you turned up" Jaune answered, slightly nervous to encounter the Mistralese seniors without warning. "I'm sorry for taking so long. She mentioned you wanted to speak to me."

"Oh fret not! It was merely by chance that we passed by, and decided on a whim to wish Pyrrha and all of you well—given that we never had the opportunity, being indisposed and all" explained Allan. "Alas we still were, hence why we took our leave so quickly. Oh how I wished to make music with Neptune."

"Should I worry and warn your fiancé of this summer fling?" asked Ian with a cocked left eyebrow.

"I will turn you into a throw rug if you dare insinuate that I would ever betray my fair lady love—the light of my life!"

"I was only asking."

"We have already planned the wedding months in advance, and given that it will be a double wedding with myself and Melanie, I'll join in skinning you" Ivoire added with a sharp tone.

"Settle down, my friends" commanded Olivier steadily but not harshly. "Although, speaking of love and marriage, Monsieur Arc, would you oblige me and my cohorts in speaking with you for a moment? I would like to speak to you regarding your relationship with Pyrrha."

"Go right ahead" Jaune replied, standing straighter, and making sure that his emblazoned cuirass was out and on full display, quietly thankful he had worn his full suit. "I don't mind if Ruby is here if you don't. I have nothing to hide."

"Very well. Do you love Pyrrha, Monsieur Arc?"

"With all my heart and soul. I have every intention of marrying her—right after our graduation at the soonest."

"How bold. Tell me then, does her skill with the blade emasculate you? Knowing that she is the greatest of your generation with fame spanning the entirety of the Kingdom of Mistral and beyond? She is your lieutenant, and it is only natural that captains be the strongest on their Huntsmen teams. Surely it must bother you some that the chasm of skill between you both is so large, along with her being a woman."

"It only spurs me forward" Jaune shot back without hesitation. He had felt undeserving of her love given his weaknesses since the beginning, and he had made it clear to both Pyrrha and Ren. Certainly he had vowed to do better whilst speaking to Ren, but the doubts still lingered until his date with Pyrrha. Placing everything on the table, his beautiful date explained exactly why she had fallen for him, and cementing his decision to confess his own feelings. That vow to improve had become as strong as his vow of love, and it now fueled his resolve before her mentor. "I know I have to become much better to protect her and our future together, so I will. I've already heard the naysayers, and I don't care about their third-rate opinions, as anyone with a functioning brain can tell they stem from jealousy. And as my father says, it's better to be envied than pitied."

"Most wise—on all counts. Is she worth the toil then? Is she worth fighting for? Dying for?"

Jaune looked the senior Huntsman-in-training in the eye with a stare that could pierce steel.

"All that and more."

A heavy silence then rested upon the group, as the two captains gazed into one another's eyes, as if trying to decipher any doubt behind their words and expressions. After a few moments, a coy grin spread across the tall young man's face, and he removed the feathered cap from his head.

"In that case" Olivier began, "we leave her in your capable hands." He bowed deeply, joined in by his teammates and friends, those possessing hats copying his gesture.

Jaune was taken aback by this. He had expected more questions than that, as well as a test of swordsmanship Of course he had to be honest with himself, and he breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't been challenged. He knew that he did not stand a chance against a master, let alone one that trained and beat Pyrrha Nikos. He kept his eyes on Olivier as the senior straightened himself, who then laughed once seeing the blond's expression.

"Mes dieux! Were you expecting something different, mon cher Jaune? Well, forgive me for disappointing you, but saying what you have said with such passion and resolve, there is nothing more I can ask or do. You must be aware that she and I sparred recently, and I decided to ask a few questions about you. She had no issues singing your praises to me, as well as explaining her interactions with your family. Pyrrha's love for you is stronger than all the armies of the world combined, and you match that intensity sword for sword, bow for bow, and spear for spear. Therefore, I and my camarades offer you are our blessings and best wishes. You have made her happier than we have ever seen her, and for that, we thank you. Madame Nikos will adore you like a son when she meets you."

"Th-Thank you, sir" Jaune managed, becoming very aware of his tongue, and rubbing the back of his head, his entire face flushed. "I hope she will."

"There is no doubt given how suave and red-blooded you have acted—that caper at the end of the tournament for one! Which reminds me! Now that we meet face to face" said Diego with an eager grin, "I would like to ask how exactly you wooed our dear Pyrrha. Did you play a guitar under her window like a proper caballero?"

That comment caused Jaune to lose awareness of his tongue, and promptly bite it. He of course had done nothing of the sort, but instead played guitar for another. He had sung for Pyrrha in the end at the karaoke bar, and while that had worked wonders, they were already a couple by that point. The blond made a strong mental note to sing for her properly, and play guitar to boot.

"N-No not exactly, though I'll do that in future. It just came about naturally with us training together."

"I highly recommend it. Women adore to be wooed in such a manner, as my wife can attest."

"And mine" added Allen with a grin.

"Of course we do" Ruby muttered cynically, giving Jaune a knowing glance that he pretended not to notice.

"And do not think that wooing ends after the honeymoon" remarked Pierre with a nod. "You must continue to show how much you adore your amante till the day either of you depart from this world, for while she is your wife, she is still a woman."

"It's a two-way street" Ian commented. "You have to earn your partner's love every day of your lives together, or else it'll become one-sided and hollow."

"Yang's right" said Ruby suddenly. "You Mistralese really do take marriage super seriously."

"You will understand when you are older, petite fille" René said harmlessly. Ruby then puffed her cheeks in annoyance, and stamped her foot.

"I'm not a kid! I drink milk, and when I graduate, I'll become the most famous Huntress in the world!" she cried in defiance.

"Ho ho, lofty goals" remarked Pierre, scratching his copper coloured beard with a grin.

"Every rose has its thorns" added Diego, nodding in approval.

"We meant no offence, mademoiselle Rose" said Olivier gently. "We solely meant that you are young, and have most likely have not given marriage much thought, as no doubt your schooling comes first as a captain."

Ruby squinted at him for a moment.

"Why does everyone say the same thing but mean it differently? Just say it out right, please" she huffed.

"We'll try" Jaune replied, smirking at her haughtiness, as it showed her and Yang were more alike than they'd care to admit.

"All we are doing is giving you juniors some well needed advice" remarked Ivoire, gesturing to the Valians. "This is not meant to ridicule, but if adults went to teenagers for advice and not the other way round, the world would collapse—may the Light forbid. Perhaps it is a good thing we Mistralese have such views, for we may pass it on to you Vale-folk."

"That reminds me" Olivier remarked. "I have been meaning to ask you, Jaune: are you part Mistralese?"

The blond blinked at the question, not understanding what could have brought that on.

"No, not at all. I'm Valian through and through" he replied.

"Really? Even in your ancestry?"

"As far as I know, and we tend to keep track of our family history. Then again, the founders of the Kingdom before Vale came from Mistral, so I might have a connection way back. Why are you asking?"

"Merely out of curiosity. Your name was made aware to me just before I battled Pyrrha during the tournament, that it is written in the Gaulois fashion for the colour yellow, but you do not pronounce it as such. Interesting, though it is not so surprising given your hair and armour. Now then, you never did tell us why you two were here without your companions? And where is Pyrrha?"

"We all had different things to do today. Two of my teammates are at the school's forge, and as for Pyrrha...she said that she had things to take care of before the end of the school year" the blond captain answered.

"Well, Robin is at the forge as well and we were on our way to meet him. Why not go together?" Olivier offered with a smile.

"Why not? I'd imagine they would be done by now, though I'm not sure if they're still there."

"We aren't far from the forge, so we can just cut through here past the pool and reach it" said Ruby pointing.

"Excellente. Lead the way" the captain of Team RROI sounded politely.

The students made their way across the grassy path before them, marching southward towards the armoury, eager to see their friends. After a few minutes, the old forge came into view, and they were surprise to see Robin and Nora standing beside Ren, who was shooting at a target with a bow. He was no longer wearing his tailcoat, as Nora was holding it for him, leaving him in only a black short-sleeve undershirt. They approached, careful to give the archer a wide birth, and came from behind, curiosity getting the better of them.

"Since when do you practice archery?" asked Jaune, right after Ren had loosed his arrow, intrigued by his friend's unshared hobby.

"A little while ago" answered Nora with a smile, leaning behind him to speak directly. "He's really good, isn't he?"

"More than good, I'd say" Robin grinned. "He shoots impressively well for someone who hasn't held a bow in a decade. I truly believe I have found a student of my own—not too shocking given he is on the same team as our dear Pyrrha." His eyes then rested on Jaune, and he examined him carefully. "So this is Sir Jaune Arc. I see you have completed your armour. That is a much better look for you than that dress we saw you in."

Jaune winced. "You saw that too? How long is that going to stay in people's minds" he asked.

"For a while, more than likely" replied Allan. "Though given that you and Pyrrha are officially courting, whatever they think or say of you, should mean little—as you mentioned, better to be envied than to be pitied. Just keep walking beside her as you are, and the memory will fade in time."

"Fair enough" the blond swordsman sighed before looking at his formally green-clad teammate. "So explain, Ren. What's up with the bow?"

"I've been thinking about changing my combat style since that conversation we had the night of the Dance" he explain, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Throughout our training for the tournament, it became evermore clear that I would have to rethink my approach to Huntsmanship. StormFlower will not carry me through the rest of my training at Beacon, and it certainly won't in the field. Then again, I don't want to be carried by my weapon, so I need to change as well, not just for my sake, but for the team. This seems like the right place to start. It feels right."

Jaune examined his friend in silence, peering into his magenta eyes and stern expression. He then smirked, and nodded in approval.

"Alright then. Carry on. We're with you all the way" he said supportively. "I can obviously respect someone wanting to fight in the old way, but it's definitely gonna take a while before you can pull a thousand pound bow. Yeah, Pyrrha told me about that—I'm thoroughly impressed. Have you thought about another weapon on the side, or will you keep using StormFlower until you're ready?"

"I'll be taking your cousin's advice of wielding a sword."

"Nice. Pyrrha and I can help with that. I'm nowhere near her level, but that just means I'm a better sparring partner."

"Of course. I'll be in your care once again, thank you."

"Excellent" said Robin with a smile. "And I shall be working on a training bow. Well, not a training bow exactly, but one that will aid you to reach field-readiness before your proper bow can be crafted. Do you see the limbs on Merry Liberty?" He pointed to the bow limbs that were not one with the grip and reticule, but screwed on. "This is my father's design to allow the poundage to be increased, which is very necessary as my strength has grown greatly over the years at Haven. My father and I shall make you first this training bow, and then your true Huntsman's weapon when you are ready. I shall send the first to you as soon as I may—before the start of your second year."

"Actually, Ren'll be staying in Argus for the summer, and every summer until we graduate" informed Jaune. "He, Nora, and Pyrrha are coming home to my ranch for a little while, before we all go to Mistral. Pyrrha offered her home for these two during the holidays until we can all shack up as a team."

"Fantastic!" cried Robin before turning back to Ren. "In that case, lad, you must come by my father's guild and workshop. Not only can you directly take part in designing your bows, but train directly under me. How does that sound?"

"I look very much forward to it, thank you" replied Ren graciously.

"Well, that makes things much easier, especially that we must go now, my friend" said Olivier.

"What?" the Mistralese bowman exclaimed. "But we've only just begun the training!"

"You can continue in a few weeks time at the latest, which should give you enough time to prepare for your new student's arrival, non?"

Robin chewed his lip for a moment before conceding.

"Aye, that is fair—and I have what I needed from the forge" he sighed before attaching his bow to his back, and turned again to Ren. "Alas my friend, we must part ways. I await for our next meeting in Mistral, and I hope to be as good of a teacher as you have been thus far as a student."

"It has been a pleasure, Loxley-sensei" Ren replied with a small smile. "And thank you again for what you've done. I plan to replay this generosity in full."

"You are very welcome, and please, lad" the bowman said as he offered his hand. "My friends call me Robin."

They shook hands in friendship before Robin turned to look at Jaune once more.

"Has this one passed the test, Olivier?"

"In every capacity" his fellow captain assured. "They are a match made in Starlight."

"Excellent. Then I fully expect to see you all at the wedding as well, if not before then. Cheers, and may the Light bless you. Farewell!"

The senior Mistralese Huntsmen-in-training said their goodbyes, with Pierre giving Nora a wink. Once learning that Ren was the boy the hammeress had mentioned during their match, and was now his friend's student, a grin began to slowly grow on his face. Both Ren and Nora noticed his gesture, though they each interpreted it differently. The amateur bowman believed the senior was taunting Nora, as he hadn't truly lost in a contest of strength. Nora had correctly understood however, and felt her cheeks warm as the seniors walked away from the Beaconites, who watched them go down the road towards the Tower.

"I see why Pyrrha looks up to them so much" remarked Ruby.

"Yeah, me too" agreed Jaune with a smile, and then turned to his teammates. "So, are you gonna continue your training, or call it quits for today?"

"I think I'll stop for now" Ren replied. "I'll just put everything away, and then I'll head back to the dorms. I could use a shower."

"Alright. We'll head back with you."

Ren nodded and walked away to return the bow to its rack, as well as the arrows and target. When he was out of earshot, Jaune leaned over to Nora and whispered into her ear.

"Will you be joining him then?" he asked teasingly.

The ginger's face quickly turned red, both at the suggestion and knowing why exactly her captain had said it. She glared at him in annoyance, which only caused him to chuckle, very much pleased with himself. After a minute or so, Ren completed his task and the four began to walk back to the dormitory, eagerly talking about weapons and training, and what the summer held in store.

λΛλ

The elevator chimed as it reached the highest floor of the former Donjon. From it emerged a party of eight, five of which were White Army soldiers and the remaining three being Mercury, Emerald, and Neo. They remained shackled as they were escorted towards the large double doors of Ozpin's office, trying to make sense of what was going on. They had been left to sit about their cell ever since Roman had been pulled away for interrogation. He had not returned since, and they were only told that he had been transferred to a new cell so that questioning could continue more smoothly. The three prisoners could do nothing but sit and wait, talking sparingly, as they could not be certain that the White Army wasn't monitoring their cell. Today they were told they had been summoned, but were confused to find themselves at Beacon, rather than an interrogation room aboard the Atlassian flagship. They had no idea if this was the doing of their captors, or something Roman himself had arranged. They would learn the truth soon enough, as they now stood before the double doors, which one of the soldiers knocked on. It was opened by Glynda who welcomed them in, but held the door as she kept her eyes on the three false Havenites. They were then brought before Ozpin, who was sitting at his desk calmly, a small but polite smile on his face.

"Thank you, gentlemen" he said to the soldiers. "You may remove their restraints; they will not be necessary."

The White Army soldiers hesitated for a moment, knowing just how valuable these prisoners were, but were given strict instruction by their General to heed any and all requests the Beacon Huntmaster gave them. Following through, they unshackled the teenagers, saluted Ozpin, and marched out of his office, before Glynda closed the door behind them and herself. This left the four alone, along with Harper who watched these new students with curiosity, waiting in deafening silence, which Ozpin himself at last broke.

"Good afternoon, children. I would offer you some refreshments, but alas, I have only tea, and nothing more suited for summer, so please forgive me. Now then, how are you?"

The trio remained silent, bewildered by his politeness, and trying to decipher what his true intentions were. Ozpin, being able to read their thoughts through their eyes, chuckled to himself.

"Yes, this is all very confusing for you, as it would be for anyone. Rest assured that I am not here to interrogate you as my friend James would. I am, ultimately, a Huntmaster and teacher; therefore I shall speak to you as one. I have summoned you three today because I want to better understand your relationship with Cinder Fall. I am already aware of Miss Neo's situation, but I am uninformed on you two. Please, would you be willing to share?"

Mercury and Emerald looked at one another, evermore confused by this. What game was he playing?

"Why do you care and what does it matter?" said Mercury, more as a statement than a question. "We're just prisoners because we worked with your enemy. That's the end of it."

"That is where we currently find ourselves, yes" nodded Ozpin. "However, it does not explain how you found yourselves in her service. With all due respect, Mr. Black, but you are not aware of the severity of the game you have taken part in. Of course, you would have been able to put it out of your mind if everything played out as you planned, though I fear you would have had to face reality then as well. What has instead occurred is actually more beneficial for all of us than you realize. So please, son of Marcus, enlighten me."

Mercury cursed him in his mind, as well as his father's name, but decided to give the Huntmaster an answer.

"She came looking for my father, but she only found me, she offered to give me power" he said coldly. "First she gave me new legs, and then offered to give me more if I served her, so I agreed. I owe her for that, and it's not like I had anywhere else to go."

"That is understandable" admitted the silver-haired Huntsman. "Though in my opinion, it is a rather cheap price for agreeing to start a world war." His eyes then rested on Emerald. "Speaking of escalation, how does a petty thief join the ranks of Darkness?"

Not fond of being called petty, Emerald glared at him for a moment, before finally answering.

"Cinder found me on the streets in the middle of a 'job', and then she asked me to join her. If I did, then she promised that I would never go hungry again. I'm in her debt."

Ozpin nodded slowly, shutting his eyes.

"Food and shelter, these are hard things to pass up when you do not have them. However" he then opened his eyes and stared powerfully at them, "a meager debt to sell your souls to repay." His tone had changed in that moment, and a strange chill ran down their backs. "Tell me, does the name Salem mean anything to you?"

"We know who she is" Mercury replied slowly.

"But do you know what she is?"

He paused. "No."

To their surprise, his sharp tone and expression softened.

"Then I shall offer you some cordial advice: the debts you think you must repay will cost you more than you have, more than you will, and more than you could ever imagine. I would advise for you all to cut ties while you still can, and seek better employment."

The pair were taken aback, as his words were truly sincere; something they had never experience before. They looked at one another once again, wishing they could speak privately, but they had spoken previously on the matter, if but a little. Mercury didn't like Cinder. There had always been something sinister about her that set off dozens of red flags. A voice in his mind kept telling him to run, that no good would come if he stayed. He did honestly feel that he owed Cinder for giving him his new legs, and there was still the matter of the second half of her promise, which was the only thing that kept him by her side. He secretly did plan to leave once he got what he wanted, but he now realized that he would be trapped in a contract he would never be able to void and keep his head. Emerald was even more loyal to Cinder, but she could not deny that there was something off about the false-Maiden, more than just someone planning to commit acts of evil. She had seen the half-Maiden fly into outbursts of rage when she didn't get her way, which now drove Emerald's fear; afraid that if she crossed even one line, she would be punished without mercy. It was here that she began to understand Neo's fears, as she could not imagine what Cinder would think or do to them all if they betrayed her now.

"You just want to stop us from fighting against you" accused Mercury. "You don't really care about us, which makes sense since we attacked your friend and tried to destroy your school and capital. Thanks but no thanks; just send us back to our cell."

"Let us not be so hasty, Mr. Black" answered Ozpin calmly, interlacing his fingers and held them above his lap, resting his elbows on the arms of his chair. "This is our first meeting face to face, so you cannot say you understand my intentions. Given that you are, as you yourself have said, our prisoners, you therefore have ceased fighting us. Also, while you may have had the intention of committing those heinous acts, you were thwarted, so you do not have irreparable sins on your conscious just yet. You have not been punished as severely as you deserve however—forging transcripts and passports, and committing espionage are grave crimes indeed—because of the deal Mr. Torchwick has arranged with us. Nonetheless, I do wish to understand why you have made the decisions you have. I understand his, and I have begun to understand yours. I know it is hard for you to believe, but I truly do care about your wellbeing. I would not have become a professor if I did not care for children. It is why I say to you, that wishing to repay your debts to a person like Cinder Fall, is not wise. Whatever you sought to gain through her, is not worth the price."

"Of course you would say something like that" said Emerald bitterly. "You've probably had a good life, with all the food and comforts you could want. You've never had to struggle for anything, having to go hungry, or without a warm bed to sleep in. You just sit there in your tower, overlooking the world below, not caring about oth–"

Emerald then froze. She looked into Ozpin's eyes, which had changed from calm to a piercing fire that took the air from her lungs, and her heart dropped into her stomach. She felt as if she had shrunk, or rather, he appeared to grow before her, towering above like a cold mountain, leaving her to quiver in its shadow.

"My, aren't we presumptuous?" he said sharply yet steadily, glaring past the tops of his glasses. "Tell me, Miss Sustrai, this debt you owe to Cinder Fall, is because of her promise that you would never go hungry, yes? How did she ensure that you would never go hungry again? Through power? To take food from the mouths of others? To subjugate them so they feel the pain you have felt? Does it make you feel strong? Allow me to tell you the reality of that world view, Miss Sustrai; that is not strength, it is oppression. It is tyranny masquerading as power, and cowardice masquerading as strength. I have seen such foolishness many times in my life, and it is as wicked as it is hollow. It is why I have stood side by side with likeminded folk, to protect the innocent lives of my Kingdom, and the Kingdoms I am allied with. We have sworn a holy oath to defend all, regardless of race, class, or creed, and in spite of the personal cost. Have you ever had to lower the bodies of the young into the ground, years before it was their time? Have you ever watched a husband say his final goodbyes to his wife and child? Have you ever watched the joy wrenched from the arms of men and children, when they were at last healing from sorrow? I will not stand here and tell you that you have not struggled and suffered in life, however, if you continue on this path, consorting with the likes of Cinder Fall, Adam Taurus, and Salem, then you shall encounter that unbearable suffering with no light at the end to tell you that it was worth it. Everything in life has a cost, and it is blatantly clear to me that you did not consider said costs before striking an accord with Cinder Fall."

Ozpin held his piercing gaze upon them for a few moments longer, before appearing to shrink, with both his eyes and his tone softening.

"Since that is the reality of the matter, may I suggest a counteroffer?" Taking their confused expressions and silence as a sign to continue, he said "Become students in my academy to train as Huntsmen."

The three stared, completely flabbergasted by what the Huntmaster had just said, especially after what they saw as a direct threat. They must have misheard.

"Could you repeat that?" asked Mercury, frowning incredulously.

"Did I stutter, Mr. Black?" the silver-haired man asked with a soft smile. "The offer I am making to match Cinder Fall's is entirely honest. Instead of returning to a life of crime, or rotting away in a cell, why not take the potential you possess and channel it into something productive? Mr. Torchwick negotiated with us that you three would not be punished for corroborating with him, Adam Taurus, and Cinder Fall, if he cooperates with us and trades valuable information. He has done so cordially, if not without sass, therefore, we plan on upholding our end of the deal. However, I think that it would be a waste to simply let you go. You three could have an actual future, free to make your own decisions without looking over your shoulders, allowing you to stand rather than run. How does that sound?"

Again, they were left speechless. Never before had they had such an opportunity, which left them extremely cynical. Offers like these did not come from nowhere and without strings attached.

"And what if we say no?" asked Mercury.

"Well, I could hold you indefinitely, given that this is not an official matter" he admitted, eyeing the trio carefully. "But that would make us no different than our enemies. I would have no choice but to let you go."

"You can't be serious?" demanded Emerald, unable or unwilling to believe him.

"Oh but I am. Mr. Torchwick upheld his end of the bargain, thus so must we. I stress that my offer will be more advantageous in the long run—and much more fulfilling." Ozpin watched them in amusement as they glanced at one another, truly puzzled on what they were to do. "Unless you have other plans that seem more fruitful, such as escaping to the endless sands of Vacuo like so many desperados from old films, for example?"

This caught their attention, and they were immediately asking themselves if he had actually been listening in to their conversation with Roman. It seemed incredibly likely that the cells were rigged with hidden microphones and even cameras, but Roman wouldn't have been so stupid to discuss such vital plans with them if he wasn't certain they had privacy. They expected to be monitored after the fact however, now that things had calmed down. So had the trio been eavesdropped, or was this nothing more than a very good guess from the Beacon Huntmaster?

"Allow me to make an observation" he continued. "While you do not know as much as Mr. Torchwick, you do possess knowledge of the enemy. If you think that they will come to rescue you, or take you back with open arms once you leave as free young people, then you are tremendously naive. You will be hunted down and killed, for your lives mean less than flies to Salem, and are only loose ends that need to be tied off. Here, in my academy, you will be protected, and taught to fight on your own strength, with friends watching your back."

"You're right about being hunted down" admitted Mercury. "Cinder would kill us if we ever questioned her like Taurus did, and I bet she would personally hunt us down if we left."

"We don't know that" Emerald countered, though a small voice in her fearful heart said otherwise.

"I could hazard a guess that she would, given the vengeful hate she spewed right to the very end" Ozpin remarked. "How much easier it is to join bad companions than to shake them off. However, that is none of your concern, as she can no longer hurt you. I ended her life no more than five days ago."

This took them all aback, unable to fathom the idea of Cinder being killed. And yet, there was not an ounce of hesitation or inkling that he was lying to them. From the very beginning he had been honest, something else that seemed impossible, given the cruel world they had lived in for so long. But here he stood, the man who killed their leader, the man who should despise them for putting the lives of innocent people in danger, was offering them a second chance.

"Why?" asked Emerald at last. "Why are you doing this?"

Surprising her further, Ozpin smiled.

"Because Miss Sustrai, I do not see the same cruelty and hate in your eyes that I saw in Cinder Fall's. I do not see the wicked malice that preys upon the weak and consumes the soul. All I see is fear. Fear of not seeing the sun rise tomorrow, fear of having a knife driven through the back, fear of subjugation, and the fear of being robbed of agency. Those are legitimate fears, and they lead to mistakes that are self-destructive. With all due respect, you are scared children alone in the world, and I feel genuine sympathy for you. If I can help, and give you a chance at a better future, than I shall. I accept full responsibility for taking this chance, because I believe that you can be better people if offered a helping hand. So what say you? Will you put your trust in me? The path of Huntsmanship will not be easy, and you will have to fully dedicate yourselves, but you are not weak, and I believe you will pull through and earn your place in the sunlight. As I said before, everything in life has a cost, but I think the benefits of fighting for us rather than for Cinder Fall and Salem, outweigh those costs. Also, it would be beneficial for Miss Laura Volpe, who would be able to see her father face to face."

This caught Neo completely off guard, as she hadn't expected him to know her real name. She had used her birth name for the tournament, leaving aside her paternal family name, but she had gone to great lengths to hide any physical traits that could tie her back to her father's gang. The Huntmaster noticed her eyes widen in shock, and he turned his warm smile to her, knowing he needed to sooth the former gangster.

"To be fully transparent with you, Miss Volpe, your father did not divulge your real names. It was we who discovered the truth, and we are truly sorry for what you have gone through. This is why it would be a very good option for you to become one of my students, for under Valian law, you would be considered an adult, and free to make your own legal decisions. Obviously this means that your mother, if she were to learn of your presence here, would not have any power to dictate the terms of your life—to take custody of you, for example. We will still need to come up with an explanation for your disappearance, along with a cover to what happened to your father, but we have become rather talented at weaving stories for situations like these. If things do become more heated, a lawyer will be provided to you. I would suggest thinking on my offer, for not only would you be free, but you would also be able to visit your father while attending Beacon. Which reminds me."

Ozpin reached into his breast pocket and produced a Zippo-style lighter that was such a dark shade of blue it appeared a greyish black, safe for the crimson red fox etched onto the bottom case. He then tossed it to the girl in question, who caught it in shock.

"He wished for you to have this—to confirm that he is alright, and to look after it, for he cannot own such a thing whilst in our custody."

Neo could only swallow and nod. This was more than she could dare dream for, and she would need to consider this great gesture of generosity. Emerald on the other hand was beside herself, for she too recognized the lighter. Of course she recognized it. She was the one who pickpocketed it off Roman after all, but she knew she hadn't returned it out of spite. Had he picked it off her while they were in the cell? When had that happened?

Neo could only swallow and nod. This was more than she could dare dream for, and she would need to consider this great gesture of generosity.

"Now" continued Ozpin, "Huntsmen teams operate in groups of four, which does leave you at a disadvantage, but we will have to make due. You will undergo private lessons during the summer to ready you for the start of the school year. I am a strict but fair professor, as is Ms. Goodwitch, so we fully expect you to take your studies seriously."

Mercury looked first at Emerald, and then to Neo, trying to read them. Emerald was clearly scared, not knowing what to do now that Cinder was dead. She may have been afraid of her, but she was the only thing that gave her purpose in life. Neo was also afraid, but in a better place now knowing that the woman who threatened to kill her was gone for good, and that her father was alright. She had been in such panic when Roman had told her to run away with the other two, that having the chance to see him and be close by, was the first bit of good news she had received in a long while. Where did that leave him however? He would be able to finally walk away from that past of pain, change his name so that he bore no association with that pathetic excuse of a father, and walk a free man. It was too good to be true, and yet, it was only his cynicism that kept him from accepting it whole cloth. Then there was the secret he held that would truly impede him from becoming a Huntsman, something that he now had no hope of correcting with Cinder's death.

"These two would probably do well here" the boy admitted, surprising his teammates. "But I wouldn't. You need a Semblance to be a Huntsman. I don't have one."

This caused Ozpin to look at the teenager curiously.

"Come again? Given the level of Aura I sense in you, it would be impossible for you not to have a Semblance. In fact, you could not have developed Aura that fully without awakening a Semblance. Furthermore, I know of several students that have taken years to awaken their Semblances for one reason or another, so no doubt you will as well with proper training."

"Training can't help me" Mercury shot back, anger building in his voice. "I had a Semblance once...but then my son of a bitch of a father took it from me. He said that if I got strong, he would give it back. So I got strong" he tightened his fists and ground his teeth "but he didn't give it back. That's what Cinder offered me if I did what she asked. So unless you can offer me what I actually want, then what good are your words?"

Ozpin leaned forward, examining the young man as one would a complex puzzle.

"Taken you say?"

"Yeah. I had one and he took it."

"Do you know how he did this?"

"Are you actually asking me that?"

"I have studied Aura and Semblances for a long time, Mr. Black" Ozpin said, ignoring the sass, "and I have never heard of someone losing their Semblance, let alone someone having it taken away from them. If I were to hazard a guess, I think what has actually occurred, is that your father somehow sealed your Semblance. I do not know how, but it will be a fascinating summer project for me to unravel."

Mercury blinked at him. "You can give my Semblance back to me?" he asked, refusing to let himself be hopeful.

"Again, I will not know until I examine you properly, but I am confident in my abilities. I have tackled greater mysteries during my life as a Huntsman and Huntmaster, and this will be an interesting distraction during the summer holidays."

Mercury stood there beside himself. "What are you? A wizard?"

To the surprise of all, Ozpin smiled in a manner that didn't seem to match with his previous appearances.

"Something like that" he replied behind his black spectacles, as Harper hooted in agreement.

λΛλ

The day passed without great event for the Huntsmen-in-training. They gathered just before sunset and chatted about their day, making the most of what time remained. Knowing that tomorrow would be their last day at Beacon before packing their bags for home, they decided that they would hit the sac early. It was a sound plan, so long as the weather held, which they were all keeping their fingers crossed for.

One member of the group was not yet ready to turn in, however. Blake had taken her time, keeping an eye on the clock until the moment came for her to slip away from her room. She made her way to the roof, but did not stop at their usual meeting place, and continued till she was at the tallest part of the dormitory. Seating herself on the ridge, she fished out her Scroll and opened it, before slowly punching in a phone number. She stared at it for a while, trying her best to keep herself calm, and recall what she had rehearsed in her mind. She wished she had more time, but the reality was that she was between a rock and a hard place. Given the time difference, she had to wait till the evening before calling Menagerie, but if she waited any longer, and her parents wanted nothing to do with her, she would not have the time to ask Yang and Ruby if she could stay with them. She had made her bed, and now she had to sleep in it; whether or not she would get any rest.

Blake's finger hovered above the call button, and she took a very deep breath to steady herself, before tapping it.

Thousands of leagues away, lay the beautiful island state of Menagerie. Its beaches shone in the sunlight as the waves crashed gently upon them, with tall palm trees lining the coasts. The markets were busy with her inhabitants filling the cobblestone streets, taking advantage of the beautiful day to shop, haggle, and enjoy it to the fullest. Their smiles were just as bright as the sunshine, and there was not a single stall or storefront that didn't have a number of patrons gazing over their goods. The buildings were just as bright, painted in a wide array of colours, not only making it one of the most beautiful cities in Remnant, but easily visible from both sea and air.

On the highest point of the capital city of K'iin Ha', was a tall flagpole, which bore a large six by ten foot flag. In the top left corner was the Mistralese Royal Crest, appropriately in Royal Gold, set against an Imperial Blue background. In the centre of the flag was a flat-top heater shield blazon coloured Imperial Red, with the head of a lion within it facing forward. On either side was a supporter standing guard. On the left was a red, four-legged dragon with wings on its back and golden belly, holding the blazon with its front legs whilst standing upright. On the right side was a white unicorn with golden horn and hair, mimicking the pose of the dragon. Below them was a ribbon inscribed with the words "Ágria kai Eléftheri" (Wild and Free), which was the motto of Menagerie, as this was their national flag, and could be seen from any part of the capital.

Just as visible as the flag, was the massive building sitting below it upon a hill, and overlooking the settlement. It was a hacienda-style estate surrounded by fifteen foot whitewashed stucco walls, located roughly in the centre of the city. Past the large double wooden doors that blocked the arched entrance, and up the titled walkway, was the hacienda itself. It was a stunning piece of architecture, with the front courtyard possessing a very eye-catching garden. It was multi-layered with tall Coco and King Palm trees, Little Red Robin hedges, and flamingo flowers, following up the staircase towards the hacienda. A large wooden door opened to reveal a stunning courtyard with a massive four-tier fountain with a large basin, which doubled as a coy pond. Below the fourth tier were three pedestals facing outwards, a lion, a dragon, and a unicorn, all resting their front left foot upon a chest. Across the courtyard were potted plants and flowers, with vines wrapping around the pillars that connected to the many archways that supported the walls topped with red clay roof tiles. The long hallways connected to many rooms, all ornately decorated, and filled with everything from books to paintings. The reason for this was because it was the official residence of the Chieftain of Menagerie, which was built nearly seventy years ago, and had housed the elected Chieftain and their family until they were voted out.

One room in particular, which was located on the top floor on the south side of the building with a beautiful view of the sea, was the Chieftain's office. The study was furnished with bookcases, cabinets, and leather seats, as well as three large paintings. One was of the first landing of the Faunus on the island, another was the founding and signing of Menagerie's independence, and the last was of the first Chieftain of Menagerie, Reynaldo Espinal, standing beside his Mouse Faunus wife and their children. Against the right wall were several tall bookcases that nearly touched the vaulted ceiling, filled with hundreds of tomes on a wide variety of topics. In between two of the bookcases were a rack of fishing rods lying upright, a number of which clearly meant for deep sea fishing, and four tackle boxes stacked beneath. What was most eye-catching however, was the Faunus that was hunched over an antique coffee table in the centre of the room.

He sat on the floor given the height of the table, despite there being a perfectly good dark-stained Parota wood desk located before the beautiful windows that connected to a large balcony. He was very large, easily over six feet, and even through his Russian Violet coloured frock coat, it was clear he was incredibly muscular, with his back and shoulders appearing to be especially strong. At the base of his back was a long black tail that swayed slowly from side to side, pausing for a moment on one, before swinging steadily to the other. On his head were a pair of pointed black panther ears, where the right one flicked away a fly that flew too close for comfort. The left one had a scar running from the bottom left corner to the centre, suggesting that it had nearly been cut off at some point, leaving a small notch of his ear missing. They matched his long jet black hair that rested past his shoulders, blending into a full thick beard with two braids resting on it, but no mustache. His keen yellow eyes were focused on the table, as he expertly rolled a tobacco leaf into a well packed cigar. On the coffee table was a cigar mold, a chaveta cigar knife, a cigar guillotine, vegetable resin, and several different types of leaves of tobacco, each with their intended use for either fillers, binders, or wrappers. Beside the table was a cigar press, already loaded with a number of filled molds, ready to begin their hour-long compression before starting their aging process. In his mouth was a cigar from a previous year's crop, which he did not let extinguish despite the intensity that he displayed in his work.

At that moment, his left ear turned, almost in anticipation, for the phone that sat beside him began to ring. Cutting off the ends of the cigar with the guillotine, he glanced at the candlestick phone.

"That better be Lou, Kela, Zabu, or Kaavan" he muttered to himself, his voice deep and commanding, his sharp canines made visible as he spoke. "Even I need a break from war room banter with Gregorio."

He glanced down at the base of the phone, where a caller ID screen was located, and frowned when he saw it was an international number—one he did not recognize. It was specifically Valian, but was not an official number from the Council, leaving him unsure of who was calling. The call was from a Scroll, which deepened his puzzlement as the list of people he knew in Vale was short enough, but foreigners aware of the Chieftain's official residence's landline was shorter still. Hopefully it wouldn't be another journalist. He took a final draw of his cigar as he wiped his hands on a towel, before setting the half-smoked stick on an ashtray to his right. He let the blue-grey smoke escape his lips as he lifted the phone, retrohaling what remained, and held the receiver up to his ear.

"Noir residence" he said into the transmitter, "Chief Ghira speaking."

On the other end, Blake froze. She'd been as prepared as she could be to speak with her father, but she nonetheless had secretly been praying for her mother to be the one to answer, as she would be easier to talk to and ask to come back home. For it to be her father, it left her paralyzed; the earlier "confidence" she had mustered slipping away into the night.

"Hello?" She heard him say, as he knew that the line had connected, but wasn't hearing whoever had called.

Blake desperately tried to think of what to say. She had indeed prepared for the event of having to speak to him, but nothing was coming through. Her mind was completely blank, and she felt her heart pound in her chest. All the emotions she had experienced in two years collided together and formed an overwhelming pang that left her gasping for air. There was so much she wanted to say, needed to say, and she had to say it. She had to say it properly and honestly, for she owed him an explanation to everything she had done since she left home without even a goodbye. Instead, what came out of her mouth was not her normal voice. It was not the voice of Blake Belladonna, the Huntress-in-training, nor was it the voice of Blake Noir, the second-in-command of Adam Taurus' splinter group of the White Fang, but the voice of the little girl that had been left behind so long ago.

"Daddy?"

Ghira's tail stopped swaying, and there was a deafening silence on the call that lasted for what felt like an eternity. What Blake heard next, hit her harder than any injury she had ever received.

"Hey, baby-girl" Ghira said softly. "How have you been?"

Blake finally gasped for air, completely stunned. Baby-girl? The nickname he used to call her when she was little? That was the first thing he said to her after all this time? After all she'd done? And saying it in the same manner he would when she would rush into the living room after school and wake him from his well earned nap, yet unable to be annoyed with her for waking him. Was that all this was? Just him patiently waiting for her to call home? Blake felt warm tears running down her cheeks, unable to believe what was happening was reality, but she managed to speak through the shock.

"Daddy...I..." she began, but her voice failed her, unable to contain herself any longer, and she began to cry. "...I'm sorry..."

Ghira sighed, the sound of her sobs cutting into him like knives.

"It's alright. Are you OK?" he asked gently. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine..." Blake replied, sniffing, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "How can you ask me that so calmly? W-Why aren't you yelling at me?"

"I haven't seen or heard from you in two years. Yelling at you is the furthest thing from my mind right now."

"B-But I yelled at you!" she cried, desperately arguing for her own punishment. "I said all those horrible things to you and mom! I called you a coward, I ran without saying anything, I got tangled up with the White Fang, I did everything you told me not to do..." She bent over till her head was nearly between her knees as she shook, her left hand gripping her hair in a vain attempt to hold herself steady. "...You were right...about everything...and I didn't listen..."

"It's alright, Blake" her father said again, steady and calm, without a hint of anger. "You've already apologized. There's nothing else that needs to be said."

"How?" she begged. "How can you forgive me so easily? How can my friends forgive me after lying from the beginning? I–"

"Baby-girl, please listen to me" Ghira cut in gently. "Your mother and I have been worried about you. We didn't know where you had gone to, Sienna told us she hadn't seen you, and without hearing from you, we had no idea if you were even alive. Hearing your voice and knowing you're alright, makes us happier than we've been in a long time." Hearing her cries lessen lifted his spirits, but he sighed nonetheless. "If anyone has to apologize now, it's me."

"What? How could you even think that?"

Ghira took a deep breath through his nose, and exhaled before speaking.

"I tried to make sure that you wouldn't walk the same path I did, and I failed. When we were still in Mistral, and I learned that your mother was pregnant with you, I had to make a choice. Would I raise my child surrounded by the political infighting of the White Fang, or would I raise you in peace, away from the violence and hate. I then finally gave Sienna and the others what they wanted. I stepped down from my position as High Leader, and left with your mother, your uncles, and all those who pledged their allegiance to me. I wanted to give you the best life I could, letting you live it to the fullest, and free from what I and your mother endured. But I failed to notice the shadow I cast on you. You became enthralled in it, and instead of explaining to you properly why the White Fang was nothing what it was, and that its purpose was long fulfilled, I cudgelled you. I thought I was protecting you when I was just hiding from my own past. I should have done better."

"No..." cried Blake. "No, you did everything right, dad. You were completely right. I was the one who wouldn't listen! I did everything you told me not to."

"Yes, just about" he replied with a small chuckle. "And what are you doing now? Where are you?"

"I-I'm in Vale...I've enrolled into Beacon Academy...I want to make things right..."

Ghira smiled.

"That's my girl" his voice, though gentle, was filled with pride. "This is why I can forgive you so easily, Blake. What scared me from the beginning, was you making the wrong choices and losing your way, and walking on a path where there was no way back. But you stopped yourself, and chose a different path—a better one. Your mother and I are proud of you."

Blake felt her mouth dry instantly at her father's words. Simultaneously she felt two polar opposite emotions clash within her. Her father was wrong in believing she had stopped herself from committing terrible acts with the White Fang. Despite being kept in the dark of Adam's greater plans, she had been a willing participant in building the bombs used in both the Schnee Mine sabotages, and in the Mantle Attack. She had been the one that placed the bombs on the train for goodness sake! Anyone with a brain and a conscience would have turned on Adam and the White Fang then. And yet, Blake was aware of the more radical members of the White Fang who would never break ranks. Saphed Sterling had been a captive in Silver's camps, and had been tortured at the hands of his men, yet still found no moral issue with hating all Humans for the sins of one man, as well as having not an ounce of gratitude for the man who saved him. There were young members not much older than herself that had bought into the new White Fang's world-view, though she hoped they too could see the error of their ways. Of course, if there were people like Adam, who fought alongside her father, who suffered in the camps, as well as people who lived in the peace and prosperity of the modern age who still sought to become what they claimed to hate, then others could be seduced. Blake was now able to see it from the outside in, for she and Sun had infiltrated a White Fang recruiting meeting in Albion, where dozens of young Faunus were still willing to join with Adam after his attack on Mantle. Blake hated herself for taking part in it all, but it now fueled her desire to stop them continuing their atrocious acts upon the world.

It was here that the other set of emotions arose. Ghira's words fill her with warmth and comfort; the very same she had felt when Sun had held her. She felt safe, and she felt free. There was still so much work to be done, but knowing that her friends had been right thus far that her father would not throw her aside for her audacious actions of youth, was something beyond description. She wasn't alone, and where there was a place to belong, there was hope for a brighter future. She began to genuinely smile for the first time in longer than she could remember, and she actually laughed through her tears, which she then wiped away.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

She swallowed. "I wanna come home."

Ghira closed his eyes, smiling. "Of course, baby-girl. You will always be welcome here. Should we expect you by week's end?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good. Your room hasn't been touched since you left, but I think your mother will want to give it a quick clean—more for her sake, really. You know how she is."

"Yeah" laughed Blake. "Thanks, dad. It's getting late, and I have to get up early...I love you."

"I love you too, baby-girl. Sleep well."

Blake look down at her Scroll as the call ended, sitting silently for a moment beneath the overcast sky, before tears began to fall once more. She was crying, but she was smiling, feeling a great deal of guilt being lifted from her heart. Of course it would take much more before she would be fully free, or at least free enough to atone for her sins. She would have to tell everything she knew, not only to Weiss in order to pass it on to her sister, but to her own father. Weiss was right that she had a responsibility to her country to defend it from all threats, foreign and domestic, as well as telling Ghira of what she had learned and took part in. It would not be easy, but with Sun and her friends by her side, Blake felt that she had the strength to do what was right. She looked up, catching a glimpse of the moon behind the cloud cover, and for the first time in many years, thanked the Light for being so blessed.

Ghira placed the receiver back on the hook, and sighed peacefully.

"Thanks, Sam..." he said under his breath.

"Who was that?" asked a voice. Ghira looked over his right shoulder to see a shorter woman Cat Faunus standing in the frame of the door. She had large black ears with gold piercings, short black hair, amber eyes, and wore a black hakama and white sandals. "Was it Lou?"

"No, it was Blake" Ghira replied.

The woman's ears shot to the ceiling, as did her long black tail, and without hesitation, leapt for the phone, crashing onto Ghira's lap and lying across, as she brought the receiver to her ear.

"Blake? Sweetie?" she cried into the transmitter, trying to get through, before turning to the other Faunus. "What's her number? Call her back right now!"

"Relax, Kali" Ghira said, pulling her off his lap by the collar, and placed the phone back on the table. "She's fine. She'll be home in a couple of days, so you can talk to her then."

"I can't believe you didn't call for me when you found out it was her!" she exclaimed, sitting seiza-style beside him. "I figured it was another call from Town Hall or a Governor since you took so long to answer, so I kept working on lunch. Honestly, she's my daughter too, Ghira."

"I've never forgotten—you've never allowed me to" he replied with a smirk, reaching for his cigar, which had since gone out. "I figured she had a lot on her plate as it was by calling home, so we should leave her be until she arrives."

"I suppose" Kali sighed, her ears drooping slightly. "How is she?"

"Well. I could tell she misses home greatly, regrets what she's done, and by the sound of it, she's made real friends that care about her. Our daughter is doing just fine, Kali."

The Cat Faunus nodded slowly, greatly relieved by this news, but nevertheless looked up at her husband timidly.

"You were right. You were completely right with how things would turn out. I'm sorry for doubting you."

Ghira's expression softened and he leaned forward to kiss Kali on the forehead.

"Don't be. You reacted exactly like a good mother should. I take neither joy nor pride in being right about this, for it was never easy to come to my decision to wait. After all, she's my daughter too, Kali."

Again Kali slowly nodded, and smiled at the Panther Faunus, knowing how sincere he was being. Indeed, this had been a difficult period for the both of them; the only difference being that he was better at remaining calm and hiding his worry...to a certain extent.

"She certainly proved it. She looks healthy—thank the Gods—though I'm not a fan of the bow" she remarked, trying to create some levity. "When we saw her on TV at the Vytal Tournament, I thought we were seeing things."

"I did too" agreed Ghira, striking a match and reigniting his cigar. "But it did give us comfort that she had found her way again, and she did look happy throughout the match."

"Yes, she did" Kali smiled warmly. "And to be on the same team as Tai's daughters too. That's Sam's doing, I bet. Gods, how much they've grown, and they look just like their mothers. Tai must be so proud of them."

"And busy keeping boys away from them. Yang is a perfect combination of her parents—especially the temper and the cursing."

"Speaking of which" Kali said with a grin, cocking her head like a curious cat. "Given by your rather calm demeanor, you didn't bring up Sun Wukong when you spoke to Blake, did you?"

Ghira frowned at the mention of the Vacuan Faunus' name, and he took a long pull from his cigar.

"That can wait" he replied flatly.

"Well, I'll have fun talking to her about that" Kali continued, noticing a folded newspaper on the table and opened it, revealing it was several days old, and showing on its front page Pyrrha's victory, but commentating on Sun's second place finish. Sun's fame had reached the Faunus state, and he was very popular amongst its citizens—especially teenage girls. Rumours that he and Blake were together spread like wildfire, and even a local reporter had taken the opportunity to ask Ghira on the matter during a press conference. Kali was clearly excited about the prospect, with her husband expectedly not as enthused. "Becoming a Huntress, becoming friends with Tai's daughters, even getting a cute boyfriend, she's been very busy, hasn't she?"

"Hmmm" was all the Chieftain said, continuing his craft and preparing the filler for the next cigar.

"He is cute isn't he?" she continued, holding up the newspaper. "Handsome too, and impressively strong. He'll have a bright future ahead of him if he keeps going the way he is. She picked a good one."

"Hmmm."

"Although, he does live in Vacuo, and long distance relationships aren't easy. Still, Beacon is closer to Shade than it is to Menagerie, so at least while they're training they can have a normal-ish relationship. I'm sure they'll figure something out."

"Hmmm."

Kali sighed. "We should have had more, you know?"

The change in tone caused Ghira to look at his wife, and saw the slightly regretful look on her face, causing a light pang in his chest. That regret was quickly blinked away by Kali, who began to smile again, as she looked at Sun's photo. "I suppose I'll have to be content with a son-in-law, and as many grandchildren as he'll bring. Can you imagine? Blond kittens? They'll be so cute!"

"Over my dead body" Ghira said at last flatly, smoke escaping from his mouth as he spoke while he rolled the tobacco in a binder leaf.

Kali looked at him unamused, and slapped his muscular arm with the back of her left hand.

"Of course" she sighed, folding her arms. "I can't wait for Blake to get home—so I can finally have someone young in this house."

This caused Ghira to gaze at his wife curiously.

"You've aged beautifully throughout our years together, barely looking a day older from the day we met" he said genuinely as he trimmed the cigar in the guillotine, before running his hand through his beard. "Unlike myself..."

It was Kali's turn to look at her husband quizzically, and saw his fingers pass over a few strands of grey that were mixed into his beard. While the war against Bolto Silver and his term in power as High Leader of the White Fang had only been less than a couple of years of his life, the ordeal had aged Ghira. It was only recently that he began to show it, but he had certainly felt it then, which was one of the reasons why he stepped down and left. Sensing his pensive reflection, she reached over to take his hand as he slid the cigar into the mold, and squeezed it affectionately.

"You've only become more manly and handsome since our days at Beacon, and I could never have asked for a better husband" she said softly, getting on her knees so she was able to reach his face, and kissed him tenderly.

Seeing no point in disagreeing, Ghira returned the kiss, and pulled away after a few moments, smiling back at her.

"I love you."

"I know" Kali grinned, pecking him on the lips. "I love you too." She then sat next to him with her legs out to her side, her arm locked with his, interlacing her fingers in his hand, and rested her head on his arm. "So what are you going to do on your day off, darling?"

"Enjoy the peace and quiet" he replied, bringing his cigar to his lips. "I'm just about done with this batch of cigars—just need to wrap them after they've been pressed. I'm very tempted to go fishing today, though getting a boat ready at this hour without drawing attention is nearly impossible, so it might be best to take it easy. We should probably get things ready for Blake's return as well."

"Hmmm, that's true."

"It's a shame that I misplaced my axes" Ghira sighed. "They could have proven useful if Blake is with that Wukong boy."

"They're in that chest with the rest of your things under the cellar floor" Kali replied, tapping the carpet with her foot. This caught Ghira off guard, and he looked at his wife in bewilderment.

"You knew?" he asked.

She looked at him with a smirk of accomplishment on her face.

"We've been married for eighteen years. There is very little that you can keep secret from me. But, I'm going to have to ask you to keep the hatchets buried please, for if they are together, I want to get to know him first. I want grandchildren, Ghira, and if he's a good match for her, then you'll have to accept him. Understand?"

Ghira's ears bowed ever so slightly, and conceded with a nod, never being able to win against her. She smiled sweetly at him, and returned her head to his arm. Kali rubbed Ghira's hand gently with her thumb, before looking up at him again.

"Why do you think Sam never called us when he found out Blake enrolled?"

"We haven't spoken in a long time, Kali. He couldn't have known the details as to why Blake was there, for if we did want for her to become a Huntress, we would have called him first. We'd never send her to Sanctum or Haven while the White Fang was still operating in Mistral, Ýdalir's out of the question since it would be a political nightmare as well, and she'd be entirely alone at Oscuro and Shade. But since we never did tell her about Beacon, she went in blind, and I suppose she thought she was keeping her identity a secret in Vale."

"I guess. But he did keep her safe. I think that might be one of the reasons he said nothing too—and he must've said nothing to Blake about us since we didn't call him, or had Blake say hello for us" she remarked. "Maybe we should call him, or at least send him a casserole." This caused her to remember something, and a mischievous smirk grew upon her face. "Do you remember when I made a tuna casserole for that picnic at Beacon years ago, and you thought that Sam liked me because of how much he enjoyed it? You were so jealous."

"No I wasn't" Ghira denied with a frown.

"Yes you were!~" Kali teased, squeezing his hand and gripping onto his forearm with her right. "It was so cute! You didn't have to be though, since we were already dating by then—plus what was going on between him and Glynda. Do you think they finally got together?"

"If they had any sense, but I doubt it. The Order comes first, which they agreed to years ago."

"He did. Glynda I'm not so sure..." Kali said quietly. "Anyways, I guess this is all a great excuse for us to reconnect with our old friends. We should call them all—Tai and Qrow especially, since Blake is with Ruby and Yang. How long has it been since we last spoke to them? Sam, Glynda, Bart, Peter, Leo, James–"

"We can leave out the tin can" Ghira muttered, the cigar resting in his mouth.

"Why? You two are best friends."

"Hardly."

Kali looked at him like a mother when catching her child fibbing, and unimpressed by the excuse.

"Really? Then why have you been sending him hand-rolled cigars from your best crop for all these years?—even some of the special ones you age" she asked.

Ghira stood still for a moment, not uttering a word, before at last giving his wife a response.

"He keeps sending us Ice Wine, and he won't accept no or money, so I send him cigars. You enjoy the wine and he enjoys the cigars—it's a mutually beneficial transaction, that's all."

"Riiiiight" Kali said, her head cocked, and a very light dab of pink formed on Ghira's cheeks. "I do enjoy the wine to be fair. So thank you for taking all the time out of your day to make those cigars and mailing them to him. What a thoughtful husband I have." She began to giggle at his expression, as he said nothing, and puffed away. "So do you really have nothing planned for today?"

"Not at the moment."

Kali let go of his hand and rose to her knees, and wrapped her arms around his neck, removing the cigar from his lips.

"In that case" she said softly, looking at him with coquettish eyes as she took a light draw before dropping the cigar into the ashtray. "Why don't you show me how little you've truly aged, hmmm? We can eat lunch afterwards, and we can enjoy some wine and those caramel and chocolate flavoured cigars you make as we soak in the bath...or skinny dip in the hot tub..." Her lips hovered just before his, and ever so softly said. "How does that sound for your day off, my love?"

Ghira replied with a slow but passionate kiss, which Kali melted into quicker than a heartbeat. Slow as it was, the heat between them grew with great speed, and the kiss only deepened, aided by Ghira bringing his arms around Kali's back, and pressing her against him. With her free hand she began to rub his exposed muscular chest, which showed that even after leaving the world of battle and taking up a desk job, he hadn't weakened in the slightest.

Their passion was interrupted however, as the phone began to ring once more.

"You should get that" Kali said reluctantly, slightly out of breath. Ghira was having none of it, and picked her up as if she weighed nothing, throwing her over his left shoulder. "G-Ghira! It might be important. Lou or Kaavan could–" she was cut short as she let out a squeak, for her husband spanked her bottom.

"Don't care" he said in a commanding voice, placing the cigar mold in the press and tightening it down with his free hand. "You started this, and if you don't finish it, I will."

Kali bit her bottom lip, loving how much she could rile him up.

"Well, I guess we should since we probably won't be able to have as much fun with Blake around" she said in false reluctance, the ringing becoming muffled as Ghira closed the master bedroom door behind them.

---

Author's Note:

Well...I guess you can see why this one took so long XD.

Before anyone says that I should have split this one into multiple chapters as I did previously, I want to say that you aren't wrong. So why didn't I? I wanted to stick by the thematic elements of the chapter. That's the short of it and it's the honest truth. I promise that I'll be more disciplined in future projects, but for now, it is what it is.

Speaking of themes, let's discuss the chapter, shall we?

Blake's Confession

These conversations were the major issue with the chapter to be entirely honest. The logistical issues brought about by Blake's actions in regards to her background and lineage, were impossible to ignore. In fact, it would be rather shitty to pretended they don't matter at all...right, CRWBY? As I touched on in the previous chapter, the more you think on Blake and her story, the more you realize that it has so many moving parts, it could be its own story. Instead, it's one of eight going on simultaneously, with most of it being lampshaded. In my full rewrite, it does get addressed and Blake has to deal with the consequences, but many issues with her actions get temporarily pushed aside given the mobilization for war. As I mentioned, Blake's story takes years to be told, so I had to do what I could in this story where there's nowhere to run.

What does immediately happen in my rewrite however, is close to what happens here. Weiss hugging Blake and warning her to never betray them again is from that rewrite, though obviously much harsher than in DDCT. The original scene contained Weiss learning the truth on her way to Menagerie with the others, and when they meet Blake, Weiss slaps her mid apology, before hugging her and saying what she says here. Their CO is more intense with Blake's punishment, but he too forgives her. It goes without saying that Blake has a lot to answer for but unlike the show, Blake is fully aware of it, and genuinely wants to do the right thing—the guilt driving her forward.

I fully admit there are potential plot holes here, partially from the original canon and partially from my alterations, but I hope to answer those questions in the future. Even as I write this, I'm not very confident with this chapter, so I wait to see what the reviews will be like.

The Order and the Submarine

The Order going over Torchwick and the submarine was tricky as well. It was very fun to write mind, as I love to reveal more of Roman's story, along with anything military related. The issue was how much to reveal and how much to keep hidden. I'm hoping that I played my cards well in this, as so far you've all seemed to enjoy my version of Roman and Neo's story. As you can tell, I haven't gimped the Kingdom of Atlas like CRWBY did in the show, showing a small but impressive portion of their military might. And I do mean a portion, as I've not only gone through the motions of coming up with aircraft carriers, tanks, and a new generation of submarines, but new destroyers, cruisers, battleships, fighter jets, and much more. I'll stop myself from spoiling anything more, but I wanted to show that Atlas is not the pushover CRWBY made them out to be.

Ren's Rearming

And now we get to Ren's training scene. So I've had this in my mind for years, and to be able to bring it to life in some way with DDCT, is VERY exciting for me. You already know my gripe with Ren's inspiration, so let's get to the meat n' potatoes. I've been hinting at it for weeks, and we finally get to it: StormFlower sucks ass. Seriously, every aspect of those weapons—a weird Glock-1911 hybrid—are awful. I don't care if they're chambered in 10mm—which is a screamer of a cartridge—we aren't carrying for self-defense against bears here. I'm not just attacking them because they're pistols by the way. Whether they be pistols, sub-machine guns, PDWs, or pistol carbines, the issue is the the pistol calibre; small projectile and small powder charge. Thank the Gods they gave Ren extended mags, but they look like 24-rounders instead of the more popular 33s. To play Devil's advocate, let's say he uses 33s; how many 33-round stick mags is he carrying? Dozens? How cumbersome would StormFlower be with 50-round drum mags, or even 100-round double drum mags? He'd need a lot of them, so how heavy would a backpack filled with them be? And don't get me started on the stupidity of those pistol-bayonets.

Given that Huntsmen are physically stronger than the average Human and Faunus, they could totally use shouldered weapons chambered in big bore cartridges. No doubt they could use such weapons with greater ease. To be fair, a pistol chambered in .454 Casull, or .50 AE, or .500 S&W, would certainly do the job, but in full-auto like StormFlower? That's unmanageable to put it lightly, even for a Huntsman. Furthermore, they would have to be used at close range for maximum effectiveness, which isn't great if you're trying to fight large monsters, and it defeats the purpose of a gun in a world this far along technologically...I'm looking at you, Ruby.

The point I'm trying to get at here, is that RWBY is meant to be a show about hunting monsters, and Ren is embarrassingly under-equipped; even more than Jaune in all honesty. I've tried to explain narratively that the lack of equipment was due to Ren and Nora's background, along with Ren giving Nora more attention, but things needed to be addressed. Thankfully I was able to with Robin's inclusion in this story. Ever since V4, I fell completely in love with the idea of Ren becoming an archer, with the thought of turning him into a samurai quickly following suit. While the circumstances of changing weapons and retraining are much different in my full rewrite, Ren can still walk that path in DDCT. Monty didn't leave many notes, but one that he did leave was that the cast were meant to get several upgrades as well as new/additional weapons. Obviously far too late for that in the show, so I did it my way in this story. Also, if it wasn't blatant, I've been practicing archery since I was five, with Robin Hood being my idol, so I was more than willing to go all out in his scene with Ren. It goes without saying, but I loathe what they did to my childhood hero with Robyn Hill. What a pity her manners don't match her looks...oh wait XD. A pox on the phoney Robin Hood! Oo-de-lally!

There's one more issue with Ren, which I've also addressed previously, and that is Tranquility. It's not a great Semblance (I'm not paying any attention to what the show's done), so it always made sense that Ren would need a weapon to compensate for it. In that vein, here's a thought I've had for a while now: Ren and Ruby should swap Semblances. This allows Ruby to be a true sniper, and Ren to keep to his Japanese/Ninja influence by being quick on his feet, and turning into cherry blossoms. I've made it work by going the samurai route, but there truly is a great lack of attention to our green husbando. The show decided to destroy him instead, and it was very cathartic to do him justice here.

Oh and one final thing. I may have praised Gambol Shroud in this chapter, but after examining all weapons in RWBY over the years, Gambol Shroud is one of the worst.

Ruby and Jaune

Speaking of justice, let's talk about Ruby and Jaune's scene.

I fully acknowledge that I've pretty much ignored the main character of the series in DDCT. I've been upfront from the start that this is a fan-fic about Jaune an Pyrrha, but I've also written this fic in a way that everyone gets to shine. The character that hasn't gotten that love, is Ruby Rose. Yes she had her moments with speaking to Yang privately about giving Weiss and Blake more time, along with her putting her foot down when Yang threatened Neptune, but it isn't the same. Sure Yang is in the same boat, but at least comments from her are never ending.

I've commented before that my interpretation of Ruby is more akin to her initial appearance, but turning it up a couple notches. She's a gun-girl that specializes in marksmanship, loves sweets, and loves to bake. I've tried to show that off, but minus a few moments, there hasn't been a natural place to slot in her character more prominently. Not a great excuse, and I honestly do feel guilty for ignoring her despite having this long story to tell, but I also didn't want to act like I'm ignoring the issue of ignoring Ruby. Speaking of which...

I can't help but moan that I wasn't able to get this chapter out before V8. I can still take comfort in that the scene with Ruby and Blake was awkward, forced, and far too late, I still wanted to address the topic of Ruby's age, as it goes unaddressed for the entire show. It should have been a point of concern from the start, which is why Ruby gets teased about it in DDCT, but I also wanted for it to be a legitimate issue for Ruby herself. Ruby's portrayal of a naive little girl really doesn't work for the story, as well as a main character—or a character, really. I wanted to give her honest fears, limitations, goals, and motivations, as well as more backstory for her family. I touched on it with Yang, but Ruby is now able to give more context.

In that same vein, I think Tai could be a very interesting character with a tragic story. The show totally abandoned him of course, so I've tried to drop crumbs of the backstory I've created for him throughout DDCT. More in time. There's also the fact that Jaune and Ruby are captains, therefore they should talk about such things as leadership (more than once, anyways). I was expecting that in V4, and it never happened, leaving for me to create many interactions between them, and strengthening their friendship.

Ozpin's Offer

Now for the Ozpin scene...man this was awkward to edit. Like the Ruby scene, the show got to this before I could, and boy did they cock it up. I was fully expecting a dumb power-of-friendship moment for the villains sooner or later, but nothing like what happened in V8. Good to know that Pyrrha really doesn't matter. Can't wait for Emerald to kill Mercury too. That aside, like Blake, I imagined a long path of redemption for Neo, Merc, and Emerald, though many things need to be in and out of play for it to work. Given that they haven't committed their worst sins in DDCT, there is a chance for them to do some good with their lives—as Sam explained. There's a lot more behind all of this, but that would be spoilers.

What gives me some comfort, is that I was able to show my backstory for Neo and Roman, as CRWBY are about to ruin it even more than they already have. They are going to be releasing a novella called "Roman's Vacation" this September, which will not only be a backstory for him, but for Neo. The cover tells the entire story, where Neo is from a rich family, and was told to not be weird and forced to dress properly and conform. I guess Roman then kidnaps her for ransom or something, and then he decides he likes her and raises her or something, I don'know. We'll see how right I am, but I never expect for CRWBY to be creative in a positive manner.

One final comment is about Mercury's Semblance, or lack there of. I had assumed in V3 that the tornado he was creating was his Semblance, which made sense given he's based on the the Roman God of the same name—his weapons, Talaria, are the same name as Mercury's winged sandals. Apparently not. This wasn't thought through...

Blake Calls Home

And finally, we have the scene. This is honestly one of my favourites of the entire story, not only because of what it does for Blake, but that I get to show off my version of Ghira. Talk about wasted potential! While Blake took work to figure out, this version of Ghira formed very quickly in my mind. His redesign is another that I'm considering to have commissioned, as no amount of describing can show off what I came up with. He goes through a few costume changes throughout the story, and damn do I think he looks cool XD. Obviously there's only so much I can show in this story, so I made sure that I properly portrayed my redesign; giving him much more of a panther design, as his canon look is incredibly boring. I sadly couldn't show off how much I've changed Ghira, for I love his fighting style and his way with words, but at least I was able to show that he truly loves his daughter; which the show, whether intentionally or not, makes it that he doesn't—more on that later.

I was also able to show off Menagerie, which is similar but different from the show. If the cigars and hacienda weren't a clue, Menagerie now has a culture and style of the Caribbean, with a heavy leaning towards Cuba. I've been in love with the Spanish style ever since I was a kid, so I of course designed the entire house of the Chieftain XD. Also, I, and it's obvious at this point, love cigars, and I may or may not have been smoking a Toscanello half cheroot cigar while editing this.

There are obviously a number of questions as to what Ghira has been doing since Blake was gone, how exactly is he going to get involved (if at all), what are the political ramifications, etc. Those must and will be answered, but for now, I wanted to show off that Ghira and Kali are good, competent people that love their daughter and miss their friends. Like I said, the show retroactively made them into bad parents, and I was not having any of that. They are a ton of fun to write, and I was very much looking forward to showing them off.

Oh, and #LetGhiraFuckHisWife...unless Wasp becomes canon, then Sunny Kalifornia all the way.

"If she leaves you for another, there is always her mother"—Master Oogway.

Closing Remarks

So I would like to touch on something before we conclude. This chapter was written a year ago during Father's Day weekend, and when I mentioned it to my editors, they totally could tell. Indeed, I wrote a bulk of this chapter during Father's Day weekend last year, and all I could hear in my head was "Father" by Manowar. It goes without saying that the show is filled with nothing but bad fathers, which is a common trope these days. I decided a long time ago not to go that route, and show some respect to the dads of this series, especially Tai and Ghira. They will all have their time to shine, but at least in this chapter, I give nearly all of them a salute. Happy belated Father's Day to one and all.

Also, I suppose I should make a few comments about recent developments; i.e. the V9 teaser. There isn't much to say other than I don't know what is going to happen company wise, as AT&T and Warner have split, meaning AT&T no longer has any control. Warner have been fighting with AT&T to protect their own, and now that they've merged with Discovery, I don't know if and how they will go forward despite their debt and lack of profits or not. In any event, I'm not looking forward to any of it.

Edit: I would like to apologize for the great delay with this chapter. Murphy's Law has been in play since the beginning, but it was the worst it's ever been lately. My hours at work keep changing, getting no more than three hours of sleep or taking so long to fall asleep that I sleep in and have no time to edit, and on Tuesday (27/07/21), a rare extra day off, my computer crapped out. I didn't lose any data—thank the Gods—but my itunes got wiped, and I had to rebuild it. That's happened before, so it normally wouldn't be an issue...except the last time it happened was 2013. Yes, I had to manually rebuild my library that I technically started back in 2008. I also don't buy audio digitally, having it all on CD. I'm still not finished, but I at least got my podcast library in some sort of working order. I need my music to write, but I need my podcasts to stay sane during my ten hour shifts. First world problems, I know, but routine is important.

To make things worse, that initial error led to my computer freezing and crashing repeatedly, halting my workflow entirely. After consulting with my editor (Ultron), who's also a tech guy, I've been defraging my harddrive—something I haven't done since November 9th, 2014. The problem is that it's still defragging after a full week. As of writing this, we are 85% into the 13th pass. It seems to be working, so I hope I can get back to work and make up for lost time. I've been putting off getting my new PC for too long, and I'm paying for it now. Again, my deepest apologies to you all.

I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out, but I'm working on it whenever possible. Given that this chapter took between 2 and a half and three and a half hours per run (yes I timed it), not including how many times I have to stop and think on changes and how those changes effect the story, and I only have maybe 5 hours of "free" time a day to do what I need to outside of work, you can see why this took so long. Furthermore, I always do a minimum of 4 full reads of the chapter, which I lost count of with this one; the final read before posting took 2 hours 45 minutes and 23 seconds. Add the amount of detail this chapter went into, all my tech issues, plus my general lack of satisfaction with my work, I was lucky to edit five thousand words a day.

Again, I am so sorry, but I will try to get future chapters done faster. Happy belated Canada Day, Independence Day, Father's Day, Midsummer, the Habs lost the Stanley Cup but Italy won the Euro (Forza Azzurri!), fuck you Kevin Smith for killing He-Man...am I forgetting anything? Probably. Cheers and thank you for reading thus far, and see you all next time.

And yes, before any train/locomotive enthusiasts come after me, I know the caboose is at the back of the train, but in my version of Remnant, trains are still a very important mode of transportation, given how cheap rail lines are to set and maintain. They can carry many passengers and freight, the cars can be armoured as well as mounted with guns, and can move faster than most common Grimm. They can cover great distances, which has helped Kingdoms and cities expand. Just wanted to clear that up.

Bye for now!

P.S. I just realized that we crossed 400k words with this chapter. Bloody Hel 0_0