"Sorry to interrupt," one of the guards said, out of breath as they finally reached the top of the tower and stood in the elevator booth before Glynda and Team RWBY.
"We just had an incident in the lobby that we thought you might want to know about," the other continued as they took turns composing themselves.
"There was a Camazotz in the lobby that we took down with the help of a few students," the first informed her. The two of them panted as Ruby stood slowly, but Glynda waved her off.
"How bad is the damage?" Glynda asked.
"There wasn't any," they replied in unison. Glynda sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Then how did it get in?" She questioned.
"It teleported?" They second-guessed. Glynda stood slowly and nodded to the two of them with a smile.
"Thank you for presenting this information to me, I'll take care of it as soon as I have a moment," Glynda assured them as she used her semblance to close the doors and send the elevator back down. "I know that if Oz was here, he would tell me to just let the kids be kids because they aren't able to maintain such naivety and innocence for long and they'll have to face the cold realities of life sooner than later, but these new students are leagues beyond anything that I had to put up with from the four of you."
"Pfft," Yang scoffed. "We could've matched them if not for the fact that we weren't even here for an entire year."
"You say that like it would be something to be proud of," Weiss scoffed.
"Aw, come on Weiss," Ruby sweet-talked her as she snuggled against her wife. "You had just as much fun as the rest of us when we were causing trouble."
"I'm not saying that I didn't have fun," Weiss replied hiding a smirk and clearing her throat. "I'm just saying that I'm not proud of it."
"Same old Weiss," Blake noted with a smile. Weiss smiled.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked before chuckling. "You get me every time."
"What can I say?" Blake shrugged.
"Anything new from Oz?" Ruby asked. "I'm guessing that's why you gathered all of us here today."
"Nothing actually," Glynda informed them as she sighed. "I was hoping he would have given us another clue by this point, but it's almost as if he's waiting for the death stone to reveal itself again."
"The one that the Faunus girl possesses?" Blake questioned. Glynda nodded.
"Qrow confirmed it, but we haven't seen her since," Glynda informed them. "I don't suppose there's any chance that you can stick around or come back Friday to deliver a speech to the graduates." Her attention shifted to Ruby who rubbed her neck.
"As much as I would love to do so, Qrow and I are still actively on the hunt for the White Fang," Ruby told her. "And Weiss has meetings every day this week with the military as they prepare to assign the new graduates to their permanent roles. Blake or Yang could give the speech though, I remember Yang always gave me the best pep talks when we were young!"
"I think you're misremembering," Yang laughed. "You were always giving us pep talks!"
"I can handle it myself," Glynda laughed thoughtfully. "I just hoped that the Savior of Remnant would be available."
"Ugh," Ruby groaned. "That title."
"You don't care for it?" Glynda asked.
"I understand that people mean it endearingly, but I couldn't have saved Remnant without all of my friends and family being there to help me," Ruby noted. Yang flashed a huge smile that Ruby took note of. "What's that look for?"
"Maybe we can just record you now!" Yang suggested. They all laughed.
"I can try and stop in while the teachers are on vacation if you'd like," Ruby told Glynda. "I know that you and the police force can handle things, but a little extra support never hurt. I am technically the head of Vale in the council after all."
"It would be appreciated," Glynda noted as she stood. "I'm sorry to have called you all here without any actual news to deliver, but having the four of you together always brings me comfort. Ozpin always had a good feeling about this team and I'm glad that he was right."
"Anytime!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly. "If you do get a message from Oz over the summer, let us know."
"We'd be more than happy to stop in," Weiss replied with a nod.
"We're always close by!" Yang announced.
"If you need anything," Blake added. The girls all spilled into the elevator, leaving Glynda alone for a long moment.
"I helped build this school, you know," Ozpin said as he sat at the desk and looked out over the school grounds. Glynda looked down at herself, she wore the school uniform and was left to wonder what brought on this sudden memory.
"You may be greying prematurely, Oz, but you're too young to have done such a thing, this school was built nearly ten years ago," Glynda informed him as she set her books down on the desk and folded her arms.
"Do you know why I chose the name Beacon?" he asked, almost as if in a daydream, completely ignoring her previous statement. "I wanted the people of Vale to know that there was hope. That there was a light in the darkness. To let the Grimm and other evils of this world know that we'd shine brightly no matter what may come." Glynda stared at him hard, tears welling at the bottom of his eyes as he wiped them and continued to watch their fellow students far below.
"You're such a strange man," Glynda told him and he laughed.
"Yes, I suppose I must seem that way," Ozpin agreed. "But someday you'll know everything…" His stare darkened and his breathing slowed. "I just hope that you understand."
"Understand what?" Glynda asked taking a step closer. He was peculiar indeed. He smiled and looked at her.
"Everything," He laughed. The scene shifted, Ozpin was slightly older now, rain splattering against the window as the thunder rolled beyond, Glynda standing on the far side of the room as she slowly approached him.
"What have you done?" She asked. He didn't acknowledge her and she threw him out of his chair with her semblance, leaving him to sprawl onto the floor as she marched across the room. "You told me that there was no way to beat her, why would you send Summer out there to take her on?!"
"I told Summer that there was no way to stop her," Ozpin replied quietly, the tears streaming down his face seemed endless. "I told Summer not to go, but…"
"Oz!" Came a shout from the elevator. Glynda turned back to see Qrow.
"She thought that maybe… because of her eyes…" Ozpin mumbled quietly. Glynda turned to stop Qrow but he phased through her, the entire landscape changing to the interrogation room where Ozpin had first met Ruby. The girl closed the door roughly, excited about the opportunity that he'd given her.
"Summer's daughter," Ozpin pondered. "And she has silver eyes…"
"Ozpin," Glynda began before he cut her off.
"I have no intention of telling anyone else," Ozpin assured her. "As long as the maidens are allies and the relics can be kept safe, no one else needs to know. These students are simply here to learn how to fight Grimm."
"This is bad!" Ruby shouted as she ran swiftly, Wiess and Yang close behind as Blake waited for them at the designated spot.
"This is all your fault, you dolt!" Weiss scolded her as she nearly tripped over a root.
"I just wanted to help Nora!" Ruby cried out.
"Technically Ren needs the sap for his pancakes," Yang corrected.
"Really? That's what you want to argue about right now?" Weiss asked.
"Just saying," Yang shrugged.
"What took you guys so…" Blake began as she looked up from her book. She tossed it away, watching the beast coming through the woods towards them. "What is that?"
"I don't know?!" Ruby yelled as they slid to a stop beside their last teammate. "A really angry gorilla?"
"I can see that," Blake replied sarcastically with an eye roll.
"It's a Beringel, none of you pay any attention in Grimm Studies, do you?" Weiss scoffed.
"Not now, Princess," Yang replied. "How do we stop it?"
"Hey!" Weiss objected.
"Think you can freeze its feet long enough for us to take it down?" Ruby asked. Weiss laughed and moved to the middle of the group, thrusting Mytenaster into the ground.
"Do Lancers have a queen?" Weiss asked confidently.
"Do they?" Blake asked. Weiss scowled before opening a glyph, large shards of ice forming between them and the beast until it reached the Grimm and trapped its legs.
"Bumblby!" Ruby called out excitedly as Blake and Yang raced forward. Blake threw Yang who used Ember Celica to stay air born, tying its torso and planting Blake's gun in a tree as Yang flipped over the beast to help Blake hold it in place.
"Hey kitten, miss me?" Yang asked. Blake smirked.
"Maybe," Blake replied off-handed.
"Got a plan to finish this thing off?" Weiss questioned.
"One gravity glyph please!" Ruby requested. Weiss opened it beneath her and Ruby paired it with her semblance, rocketing into the air before bringing her scythe down and slicing the monster in half. Ruby landed and let the beast dissipate behind her as Blake and Yang tumbled back from the sudden lack of tension. "Oh yeah."
"I don't believe that you ladies are supposed to be out here in Forever Fall unsupervised," Glynda scolded as she approached them. They all turned white, Weiss stammering as she pointed at Ruby.
"It was Ruby's idea," Weiss replied shakily as she brushed herself off and took a deep breath. "I tried to stop her."
"When one of you fails to leave a good impression, you all fail, Ms. Schnee," Ozpin added as he appeared from behind Glynda and took a sip from his mug. "You girls may keep the sap and we'll just let you off with a warning."
"Ozpin!" Glynda argued.
"Have a good day ladies," Ozpin told them. Ruby gave him a smile as she grabbed Weiss and took off with Yang and Blake close behind.
"You should have been reprimanded," Weiss griped.
"That means you would have been too, Weiss," Ruby reminded her.
"You should just be grateful that we got off with a warning," Blake noted. Ozpin smiled as he looked out into the woods and glanced back at Glynda.
"I don't think that I've ever seen a group of first-years take something so big down that quickly," Ozpin noted. "Have you, Ms. Goodwitch?"
"It doesn't justify their ignorance for school rules and protocols," Glynda reminded him. He chuckled.
"I'm inclined to agree, but to tarnish the record of such an impressive team this early in the year?" Ozpin offered.
"I see where you're coming from, but I do not agree," Glynda informed him. Ozpin nodded and headed back for the school.
"Just so long as you understand what I mean," he noted.
"Sometimes I wish we'd had longer," Glynda spoke to herself in the silence of her office at the top of the tower. She sighed as she caught the tear that was sliding down her cheek. She laughed to herself and shook her head. He always had this innate ability of knowing who would achieve greatness. Glynda walked to the window, spotting Team NITE heading for the cliffside, Titus and Ilia hanging back and chatting with one another as Eliana seemed to be placing a little more distance than usual between her and Neela, her words short as she avoided looking at her friend for too long. Would Ozpin have had that same feeling about NITE?
"Elli," Neela spoke startling the girl out of her daze. She leapt defensively, her heart crashing in her chest as she glared at Neela who appeared confused, Ilia and Titus had stopped talking to each other for a moment to look at the two of them. Eliana looked at the two of them, glancing between them and smirking before looking back at Neela. "Are you okay? I've been talking to you since we left the dorm rooms and you've only been giving me zombie-esque yes or no answers. Have you heard a single word that I've said?" Eliana stopped before giving Neela an intense look, throwing her head back and shouting.
"Haha! You'll have to forgive me! I've been thinking about what gift to give you on Wednesday to make it the best birthday that you've ever had!" Eliana declared loudly to all of Beacon. Neela looked at Titus and Ilia for help but they shrugged it off.
"She's acting strange, right?" Neela inquired. Titus looked at Ilia before they nodded at each other in understanding.
"Not any more than usual," Titus told her. "You're acting a little paranoid."
"I am not!" Neela shot back abruptly. Titus was taken off guard and stared at her.
"Did you tell her?" Ilia asked leaning in close. "You said that you were finally going to tell her." Neela took a step back.
"Not yet, but that reminds me," Neela started, looking at Eliana who was still offering a fake laugh to the three of them. "How did things go with your mom the other night? What happened?" Eliana glanced at Neela confused for a brief period before the gears began churning rapidly, doing their best to remember what exactly she'd told Neela was going on, and how to appropriately fill the story out.
"I'm still sorry about that," Eliana replied sheepishly, dragging her foot on the sidewalk as she looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact. "My mom kind of overreacted, so I panicked. She said that there were three or four Beowulves outside of the house that just wouldn't leave the property, but it was one, and I took care of it with ease." Neela rolled her eyes with a smirk and waved for them to continue following her to the cliff.
"Why are we heading into town again?" Titus asked.
"Eliana wanted to do some birthday shopping for me," Neela reminded them with a bit of a bounce in her step. Ilia walked quickly to catch up with her.
"Does that mean I need to buy her a gift?" Titus asked Eliana.
"Sounds like you blew it telling her," Ilia whispered. Neela turned to her.
"I was going to tell her!" She exclaimed. "But Eliana ran off all of a sudden to check on her mom."
"You must have another time in mind then?" Ilia asked. "No one seems this optimistic unless they have some kind of a backup plan."
"You're right," Neela informed her. "Right after the graduation ceremony is done. Once we finish cleaning up the chairs and we've done our part I'm going to take her back to the dorm and tell her that I figured out names for her guns. Then before we leave to meet you guys in Vale for dinner… I'll tell her how I feel…"
"Don't hold back or hesitate," Ilia told her. "You've got this and you're going to feel like the weight of Remnant has been lifted off of your shoulders after you finally tell her. And then you two can get on with being useless lesbians like the rest of your family!" Neela shoved Ilia away at her teasing and laughed.
"I'll have you know that one of my mothers is bi," Neela informed her.
"Yeah yeah, you know what I meant though," Ilia insisted.
"What are you two talking about up there?" Titus asked.
"Girl stuff!" Ilia shouted at him. "He's so nosy."
"Can I join?" Eliana questioned. Ilia and Neela looked at each other as they stopped at the airship.
"We're already here, so… yes?" Neela replied.
"Awesome," Eliana replied with a smile. Behind that smile, her nerves were shot. Maybe it was her aura or the extra makeup she'd applied but she should have had large rings around her eyes. She hadn't slept a wink since the call, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could go on like this before she would just crash. She could fake being sick. It wasn't ideal, but if she suddenly passed out and didn't wake up for the better half of a day, she just needed to convince them that it was nothing for the time being. The waiting was the worst part. She'd already constructed the dummy using some of her clothes from when she was younger. She'd take Shadow quickly to her house, leave her in the basement and explain what was going on, and head out with the double to save her mother.
The plan was high risk no matter how she looked at it. If they went for an equal exchange, she'd have to grab her mother quickly and split the room in half with a forcefield, hoping that she could take on anyone they'd have watching her from behind. It wasn't practical for them to make Shadow walk to them, the girl would never come to them under her own free will, but if need be Eliana could puppet the double with her semblance. It would leave her drained and was the worst-case scenario in her mind. Were there other options? Would they possibly have her leave Shadow and then deliver her mother later? At that point, all bets would be off and Eliana would have no choice but to go in guns blazing. She hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"So I'm guessing that you'll want me to go with Titus or Ilia while you shop for me," Neela asked Eliana breaking her free from her gaze across the water.
"Actually you can go with both of them," Eliana informed her.
"Both of us?" Ilia asked.
"Won't you get bored all alone?" Titus pondered.
"Nonsense!" Eliana declared thrusting her fist into the sky. "I don't want anyone to spoil the gift that I'm planning on getting her, and that means that none of you can go with me. I need to surprise Neela with one hundred percent certainty that she won't find out early!" Neela looked at them again.
"Neither of you think she's laying it on thick today?" Neela probed them again.
"Nope," Titus answered.
"Still seems like normal Elli to me," Ilia added. They got off at the docks and waved to her.
"Message us when you're done," Neela called to her. Eliana smiled and waved goodbye to them.
"Of course!" Eliana yelled back. She waited until they were out of sight before quickly making her way to the warehouse where they'd had her mother the night they struck the deal. Eliana used her semblance to lift herself up to the roof, looking for any possible way in before quickly diving for cover behind a large cooling unit.
"So this is reportedly where the White Fang were spotted?" Coco asked Sun as they paced the rooftop.
"That's what a few reports say from last night," Sun assured her. "Two different people say that they saw some girl get dragged into the building… of course, they didn't want to jump to conclusions but when the girl left they noted that someone in a White Fang mask followed her down the street before they both disappeared around the corner."
"That's when they called?" Coco pried.
"Not until the next morning," Sun quietly informed her. She glared at him and shook her head, massaging her temples.
"That doesn't add up," Coco groaned as she sat on the unit directly in front of Eliana. She stifled a gasp and moved back slowly, just far enough that she felt comfortable. "They must be trying to throw us off of their trail. I'm guessing the White Fang reported themselves so that we'd be looking here instead of somewhere else in the city. Isn't Yatsu done checking the inside yet?"
"Not yet," Sun explained trying to calm her down as she stood back up again and made her way for the ladder. "We only got here a few minutes before you did!"
"I came all the way out here on my last day off before my vacation, I expected that you boys would have a little more than nothing found, and a few calls that we can't go off of," Coco scolded as she slid down the side of the ladder.
"Wait!" Sun called out as she removed herself from earshot. "It says here that the girl had purple hair and… and she's gone." Eliana moved to leave the roof when she nearly tripped over the ventilation, crashing violently through it but staying on her feet. She and Sun exchanged glances for a long moment before she smiled at him and he gave her a salute. "Oh hey, Elli. How long have you been here?"
"Heh… just got here," Eliana told him. "Having an intense game of tag and Neela has no idea where I went to. What's going on here?"
"Oh, you know," Sun said adjusting his badge. "Official police business, nothing that I can really talk about. Have you kids seen any more of the White Fang recently?"
"Not since that rally that they were having in town," Eliana informed him. "If we run into any of them, you'll be the first to know." Sun smirked and pointed at her.
"Can't wait until you graduate and join us!" Sun called after her as she leapt across the rooftops.
"Same!" Eliana shouted. Eliana dove into the next alley and tried to find her breath. Was it appropriate for her to start hyperventilating? Her mother had been moved and she had no idea where to find her even if she wanted to check up on her. Did she have the wrong warehouse? Would they give her the meetup location soon, or shortly after she picked up Shadow? Eliana found her mind spinning as someone behind her immediately forced it to a stop.
"Funny to see you without Neela," Raven noted as she glanced down the street both ways and then down the alley. "I would venture to guess that you're shopping for her birthday, but you seem a little far from the market district, even if you are meeting up with her somewhere unconventional. What are you planning on getting her and where are you meeting her."
"I uh…" Eliana stuttered as she took a step back.
"Lay off her," Tai chuckled as he joined them with Shadow in his arms.
"Hey, Elli!" Shadow declared happily, waving as vigorously as possible.
"You don't have to answer her," Tai told Eliana with a wink. "I know that you're trying to keep it a secret from Neela."
"And I'm going to tell her?" Raven asked with her hip cocked and eyebrow raised.
"He means well," Eliana assured Raven.
"I do," Tai agreed. Raven turned away from him. "Not every conversation needs to be an interrogation."
"I understand that, but you do realize that it was a lack of questioning that led to Salem getting as far as she did last time," Raven explained.
"I'm not Salem," Eliana noted. Raven waved her off.
"It's the principle of the issue," Raven explained.
"In what way does any of what you asked her matter?" Tai questioned as Eliana took a step back.
"Perhaps I was genuinely curious what she's getting for Neela," Raven replied. Tai nodded slowly.
"Alright, fine, I'll give you this one," Tai agreed. "You might as well just tell her…" They both glanced over to find Eliana sprinting down the road.
"Sorry, in a rush! Later Shadow, Gramps, Bird Lady!" Eliana yelled as she rounded the corner again. There was nowhere that she could go to be left alone. Despite the sudden panic that toyed with her subconscious, she had to press on like everything was as normal as it ever was. Yeah, I'm right as rain! I still haven't gotten a gift for Neela yet! Why? I checked my account and I seem to be a little short on funds since that last Dust shortage and what not. Wink! Her body shook from the fear that her mother might be dead. Hold on for as long as you can, mom. I'll be there to pick you up Wednesday morning!
"Eliana?" Another voice called out that stopped her in her tracks. She froze, her breath rigid as she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned around to face Jaune and Pyrrha.
"I guess everybody is in town today," Eliana laughed as she walked to them. Jaune looked her over before looking over to Pyrrha and nodding.
"Is something wrong?" Jaune asked Eliana. Eliana laughed harder and waved him off, doubling over.
"Oh no, everything is fine!" Eliana blurted out. "I was reading a joke that Cobalt sent me and I was laughing so hard that I started crying."
"What was the joke?" Pyrrha inquired. Eliana went wide-eyed before looking up at them.
"You guys wouldn't get it, more of a teenager thing," Eliana insisted as they began walking with her towards the shopping district.
"Ah," Jaune replied. "You know, Pyrrha and I used to be teenagers once too."
"He was hopeless back then," Pyrrha sighed dreamily.
"He isn't now?" Eliana questioned.
"Hey!" Jaune replied. "I'm not totally hopeless now!" He shrunk down and played with his fingers. "Just less hopeless."
"You're amazing in my book," Pyrrha said kissing him quickly. He smiled.
"Thanks," he told her.
"So, have you found a special someone to call your own yet?" Pyrrha pried as they came closer to the nearest market stand.
"Been too busy looking for someone for Neela," Eliana noted without missing a beat.
"Ever consider you might be that someone?" Jaune asked. Eliana stared at him for a long moment before laughing hysterically.
"What?! No! I'm not even Neela's type!" Eliana cackled. "No, no, just a good friend. Her best friend to be completely accurate. Nah, but I'll find them, and when I do I'm going to look them in the eye and tell them, 'You better take good care of her, because if you don't, I'm gonna kick your ass.'"
"Irony," Jaune said before Pyrrha elbowed him in the chest.
"Huh?" Eliana inquired.
"Nothing," he gasped.
"Nothing," Pyrrha answered with a smile. "Are your teammates in town right now?"
"Yep. What's up?" Eliana questioned as they continued along.
"We were going to ask Ilia if she had a little free time tonight to spend with us for dinner. Blaine has been asking us when she'll be over again," Pyrrha giggled. Eliana beamed.
"I think it's awesome what you guys are doing for her," Eliana noted.
"We're just trying to make her feel at home at Beacon," Jaune insisted. "Wouldn't want to lose one of our best, and from my talking with her, I know she has issues trusting on occasion."
"True," Eliana agreed. "But I think she's really coming into her own as a member of NITE."
"She certainly is," Pyrrha added.
"Hey, while you two are here, any idea who we'll have as a field instructor next year?" Eliana asked, her conversation with them taking her mind off of her mom for the moment.
"Can't say," Jaune answered quickly.
"What he means to say is that we don't know," Pyrrha remarked. "And even if we did, we're not allowed to say."
"Also, where's Blaine?" Eliana pried.
"Ren and Nora offered to watch him for the day," Pyrrha answered as Eliana gravitated to one of the stands. Beads… Yeah!
"Can you engrave an initial on each of these?" She asked excitedly. The man gave her a strange look over his glasses as he took them from her, his hands shaking as he peered down at them.
"I can have my boy take a look at them," he replied struggling to hold them still. "It'd probably be more of a crude carving, it's not really our thing here to personalize." She smiled wildly at him and it spread, he found himself mirroring her.
"It's better than nothing!" Eliana blurted out. He chuckled.
"We'll see what we can do," the clerk replied.
"Should we wait for you?" Pyrrha asked her as Jaune began to get away from them.
"Go on! I'll meet up with Neela and the rest of them later!" Eliana insisted.
Eliana found a gift to give Neela, but her dilemma with the Fang grows closer. Next week, Chapter 128 - Looking Back and Looking Ahead!
A big thank you to Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. All of their artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.
Until next week, stay classy, and make sure to wash those hands!