The last remains of daylight were fading fast as Ruby entered the small waiting area before the Elevator leading up into Ozpin's office. The half Grimm soon noticed her Uncle leaning against the wall next to the elevator.
After she brought her right hand up to make sure her hood was drawn far enough forward to conceal her now black and crimson eyes, the young student called zwei to her side and stepped towards the slightly drunk Huntsman.
"Hi uncle Qrow, I just got your message." Ruby greeted him, cheerful despite the exhaustion she felt from all that happened today.
"Hey kiddo, say where did you wander of to? Ozpin had me search the whole campus for you." Qrow replied as he put a hand on the wolf tailed girls hood, barely avoiding putting pressure on her sensitive ears. "Not even your team knew for sure where you went."
"I was just in Forever Fall Forest, taking care of my pack." Ruby replied quickly with a nervous chuckle, but immediately after Summer spoke to her. 'It's okay, you can tell him the truth, he knows about the maidens.'
"Is that all you did out there?" Qrow asked before Ruby could continue, having seen the little half Grimm try to lie too often to count.
Tipping her fingers together nervously she simply replied. "I also trained with mom."
This simple admision caused Qrows eyes to grow wide with surprise, while he just barely managed not to spit out the sip he was about to take from his flask.
"Then you should definitely get up there and talk to Oz." The Huntsman said as he pressed the button to call the elevator, causing the doors of the already waiting car to open.
Quickly stepping inside, Ruby was surprised that Qrow had not followed after her and Zwei.
"Aren't you coming as well?"
"Nope, Ozpin told me to make sure no one interrupted you guys." Her uncle replied immediately.
Nodding once, Ruby decided to tell their little Corgi to stay with Qrow and after the little dog had stepped outside, the doors closed and the elevator began to take the half Grimm upwards. During her ride she was left wondering what the headmaster wanted to talk about so urgently and in secret, seeing as he had ordered her uncle to stand guard in the lobby to ensure their privacy.
Before her imagination could run of to far though, a short *ding* announced that she had reached her destination before the doors opened before her. Stepping into the office the half Grimm took a look around, hoping to find any indication as to what Ozpin wanted to discuss, but the only thing she noticed was a heavy curtain separating a part of the office.
'I am sure you have nothing to worry about.' Summer tried to reassure her daughter, with only moderate success.
"Ah hello miss Rose." Ozpin greeted her as he got out of the chair he had occupied behind his desk. Stepping around the desk to get closer to the young half Grimm the headmaster asked. "I hope you don't have anything else planned for tonight, because there is someone who has been waiting for a very long time to see you again."
"Who is it?" The redhead simply asked, seeing as she had visited her dad over the break.
But as if on cue a giant of a man stepped out from behind the curtain, his black and red eyes trying to meet the same Grimm like orbs hidden by Ruby's hood.
Taking in the pure white and bone like armor the man was wearing, the young girl spoke unsurely.
"Fafnir?"
'Yes that's your grandpa Fafnir.' Her mother confirmed for the wolf eared girl just as Fafnir let out a deep, bellowing laugh.
"[Yes little wolf.]" The Elder Grimm growled as he stepped closer to Ruby. "[You have grown quite a bit, you look quite like your mother.]"
As he continued, he held his hand just below his knees. "[Last time you and your mom visited, you were this small.]"
"[Thanks Mr Fafnir, I think]" Ruby barked back, unsure how to react to those words. 'He is probably just a bit surprised how big you got.' her mother suggested from the back of her head.
"[Now let me see your face little wolf.]" Fafnir asked as he looked at ehr obscured face. "[And please just call me Fafnir, or grandpa if you want.]"
"[Okay]" Ruby replied meekly as she pulled back the red fabric covering her head, exposing her now Grimm like Eyes and much paler skin.
"[I never expected you to mature this soon.]" Fafnir said, surprise evident in his gravelly voice as he held a hand before Ozpin, who took the cue and stayed back for the moment. "[This means I have so much to teach you how to do now little wolf.]"
"[What do you mean 'matured'? And what do you want to teach me?]" Ruby barked confused, with even Summer unable to explain what her adoptive father had meant.
"[It means you have already absorbed enough negative emotions to awaken all the abilities my blood has given you. As to what I can teach you.]"
As he said this, Fafnir held up one of his hands and a moment later the white gauntlet covering it began to recede into his black flesh. The hand itself grew in size slowly as the fingers at it ends changed, thumb and index finger turned into reptilian claws, while the remaining three began to thin out and elongate. As a thin membrane began to grow between them, Ruby felt reminded of a bat's wings.
"[For one you should be able to learn how to adapt your body to your environment at will.]" Fafnir continued, a smile spreading over his face as the half Grimm starred in fascination at the hand that slowly turned back to how it was before.
Remembering the video message from Salem she had seen just a few days prior, Ruby barked excitedly.
"[You mean I could see my face for once?]"
But before Fafnir could reply to his little wolf, Ozpin stepped past Fafnir's outstretched hand and spoke up.
"I am sorry to interrupt whatever the two of you are talking about, but I would like to know what caused this latest change to miss Rose's physiology, seeing as just yesterday her eyes were still looking like those of a Human."
As Ruby began to fidget nervously while deciding what to tell them, her mother spoke up to try and help her. 'It's okay, you can tell both of them about our family's blade.'
Releasing a deep sigh in relief, which caused ozpin's eyebrow to slightly rise, Ruby began to explain.
"Well you see Professor. Ozpin, I got a package today. When I opened it, my mom's sword was inside." As she continued, the half Grimm's tail flicked from side to side nervously as she rubbed her arm. "But when I tried to pick it up, the blade fell to pieces and I started to hear mom talk to me in my he-"
"That's great news" Fafnir exclaimed excitedly, speaking normally for Ozpin's benefit.
"We don't have to go looking for the Grimmslayer ourselves. But would you mind helping my little Rose talk to me again?" The elder Grimm finished, his eyes appearing slightly wet.
'Please Ruby?' Summer asked, sounding just as close to tear of joy at the reunion as Fafnir.
"Sure" Ruby said with a short nod, her tails movements calming down somewhat.
"I am so sorry I wasn't there to save you my little flower." Fafnir said, tears barely not spilling out of his eyes.
'It's okay dad' Summer said, waiting for her daughter to relay her words to the ancient being before them.
"No it's not, I should at least have visited your home when no one came to visit me for a few years." The elder Grimm replied, the tears now flowing freely down his cheeks as he embraced the young girl before him, forgetting for a moment that she was not her mother.
"It's okay" Ruby said as she patted Fafnir's back, trying to comfort the ancient Grimm.
"I lost her as well, if you want I can show you to the memorial we put up for her on Patch." The half Grimm said as the tears flowing from Fafnir's eyes began to ebb.
"And if you ever want to talk to her you just need to ask."
The two of them stood like that in silence for a while as Fafnir simply nodded to both of Ruby's suggestions. A moment later Ozpin stepped forward and let out a simple cough to get their attention.
"As touching as this reunion is, now that you are the newest Winter Maiden there are a few things you need to be made aware of." Ozpin said as he lead the other two towards a pair of chairs before his desk. Stepping towards his own chair behind the table, Ozpin began to explain.
"For one, but I assume Summer told you this one already, the Identity of the Maidens, as well as their existence is a well kept secret, to which only a handful of Huntsmen are privy. Another important thing to note is that each Maiden is the key to retrieving a powerful artifact hidden beneath the Huntsman Academies, which in your case would be the hidden beneath Atlas."
After he took a sip from the, by now cold, coffee before him, Ozpin began to explain the dangers of being a Maiden, most obvious of all people coming after her on the off chance that her powers would pass on to them when they killed the young half Grimm.
Once everything important was covered and Ruby's questions answered, she made her way out of the office. When the elevator reached the ground floor, Ruby stepped past a barely awake Qrow and Zwei, who followed her on the way back to her dorm room.
I hope you all enjoyed, see you all next week.