Ozpin sat quietly behind their desk, looking between the group that had gathered by their desk curiously as they awaited for any of them to speak up and begin to lead the conversation of the day ahead of them. Ozpin did have a certain agenda that they wanted to go forward with that day, but it was often for the best to let one of the others start things off and let the conversations and topics flow naturally from there.

Normally, they could trust one of the others to broach a topic without them ever needing to prod.

They were all seated around the desk at the center of the room, all of them looked utterly exhausted.

Qrow looked like he had just managed to crawl out of bed only a few minutes before, James looked like he was already deeply annoyed with something and Ozpin had to guess that it wasn't the fact that it was early in the morning, and Glynda looked like her mind was somewhere else as she tried to prepare her lesson plans for the day ahead of them.

Eventually one of them would speak up. Ozpin just didn't know which one of them would be the first to crack.

In the end, it was Qrow, and his words came accompanied by a sharp red-eyed glare. "So my nieces are out in the field." He said, his voice frustrated and almost angry. Ozpin didn't let themself get bothered by it, if only because it was for the best if one of them managed to keep a cool head in the time that they were there. After all, they understood Qrow's frustrations.

"They are." Ozpin confirmed. 'Bart seemed to be rather happy with the assignment."

"Yeah," Qrow growled. "I know. But he also said that they would be back last night."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, unsure of how they were supposed to react to Qrow's words. Normally a seasoned huntsman wouldn't read into someone being late getting back from a mission, but when it came to people's families things were always different. Despite the fact that there were thousands of answers that they could have given to Qrow to explain the fact that Bart's expedition hadn't yet returned, Ozpin couldn't help but think that none of them sounded sufficient.

They knew what this was about. They knew Qrow. Qrow was just afraid to lose more family than he already had.

"I suppose that Bart did." Ozpin said calmly. "I have faith that he will return with all four of the girls that he's been sent out with intact."

Qrow seemed to grit his teeth in visible frustration, and he leaned in slightly towards Ozpin. At his side, James was rolling his eyes in annoyance. Ozpin couldn't help but wonder whether or not James' irritation that morning was a product of Qrow's presence. It was entirely likely, based on what Ozpin did know about how James and Qrow were.

"I just want to know where my nieces are," Qrow said through his teeth. "For Tai's sake."

Ozpin sighed quietly. "They have been sent out on a routine patrol mission and should be back soon." It wasn't going to be enough to make Qrow feel better, but it was also all that Ozpin could really offer as an explanation for the situation. "I have faith in Bart. You're one of his friends, it would be for the best that you place some faith in him as well."

"If I may-" Glynda began, cutting into the conversation and looking down at the scroll that she had so expertly balanced on her arm. "We haven't heard from the five of them since they left."

"Yeah," Qrow growled, baring his teeth slightly. "We haven't."

James raised an eyebrow at that, and Ozpin saw the way that he began to check something on his scroll like he thought that he was going to be able to unlock the secrets of the universe in that way. He was silent, but Ozpin couldn't help but think that James wasn't doing whatever he was doing without reason.

"James?" Ozpin asked. "Is there something that you would like to share?"

James paused and looked up and between the four of them before sighing heavily. "It may be a tower maintenance day." He said all too calmly. "If that's the case, then the towers in the area would be down and contact beyond local radios would be next to impossible."

"Yeah, well Oz should have thought about that if-"

"Qrow." James cut the man off with one word. "You can fly. Why haven't you used that to find out where your nieces are?"

All of the color seemed to drain out of Qrow's face at once. "You know I can't see through stone, right?"

James rolled his eyes, and Ozpin let out a sigh before interjecting.

"It would be for the best to give them a chance to return. Missions can run long for any sort of reason, from running into conflict to decisions based on pacing the team so that nobody gets exhausted. I would think that you would be well aware of that Qrow."

That seemed to sober the room entirely. Qrow slumped back into his own seat in an attempt to calm himself down and relax. With that, Ozpin took the chance to begin to steer the conversation so that they could go through everything that needed to be confronted that morning.

"Qrow-" Ozpin began, their voice as even as ever. "I want to know how your last perimeter check went."

Qrow shrugged. "Same as the one before it." He mumbled. "Nothing new, nobody on the roads, too early for anything to be going on."

"And the skies?" Ozpin asked, hoping that it was going to garner some sort of reaction or answer that they could use. "Nothing abnormal?"

"Didn't see anything other than Jimmy's ships."

James sighed and shook his head, looking frustrated. "The Schnee ship should be leaving tonight." He said, sounding frustrated. "Jacques won't leave me alone about the fact that his daughter has apparently run off on him entirely."

"I'd expect that." Ozpin said calmly. "I scheduled this trip for them when I did for a reason."

Based on the way that James picked his head up and raised an eyebrow over that little revelation, Ozpin was sure that the man hadn't considered the possibility of Jacques Schnee's departure being just one of many chips involved in this game. It was odd to think of him in those terms, but Ozpin supposed, at least to some degree, that Jacques Schnee was merely a pawn when he managed to hold so much power independently.

The only thing was that Ozpin was the one that was playing the game and moving pieces as needed.

"You planned this." James finally spoke up, his voice low and dark in tone, and his eyes skeptical. Ozpin was sure that the man was already going through thousands of possibilities for things that he was going to have to do later on. Ozpin supposed that had to be suspected, seeing as James was a member of the Atlesian council, and as a result was going to end up being one of the people that Jacques would voice the most complaints to. Ozpin suspected that James would have done just about anything to make sure that he didn't fall into a situation where he had no choice but to deal with the Schnee patriarch.

"I won't deny that I had a hand in setting things in motion as they are." Ozpin admitted. They supposed that there were better ways for them to go about the topic and bring it into focus, but for now, this would have to do. "Miss Schnee displayed a great deal of talent in the arena when we tested her for entrance into this academy." Ozpin explained all too calmly. "I don't want to see us finding ourselves in a position where we have no choice but to let her go when it seems that she wants to be here."

James let out a quiet sigh, and under the currents of it, Ozpin was absolutely certain that they were able to hear James swear. The man was exceptional when it came to covering up how he was feeling most of the time. It was an admirable trait, it anything.

But the general's grimace did speak for itself in a way, Ozpin thought to themself.

And James' words only served to further that idea. "You know that this won't be the last that we hear of Jacques because of this,"

"I'm aware." Ozpin answered, since that was about all that they were able to say. "Seeing as Doctor Oobleck hasn't yet returned back to Vale with the team of students he was assigned, it may be a while before we see Miss Schnee again." They paused and picked their head up to get a good look at James and try to figure out what James was thinking. There had to be something that the man wanted to do in order to keep things together as they were. "What are you thinking, James?"

It was a prod, one that probably wasn't even necessary, but Ozpin couldn't help but think that going forward and seeing what was going on in James' head was going to be the best thing moving forward.

James let out a quiet sigh and Ozpin watched the way that the man lifted his head up so that he could get a quick glance over at the door to the room. He was staring at it, checking that there was nobody there. Already, Ozpin was realizing that it was all too likely that there was going to be something brought to the table that nobody in that room was technically privy to. It wouldn't have been the first time that James went ahead and did something to let slip classified military secrets.

Surely, Ozpin thought, Jacques Schnee's presence was among those things. They knew that James had been involved in a number of rather heated discussions with regards to the Dust contract that had been brought to the table. Whether or not something had been finalized or decided on was something that Ozpin couldn't speak for.

But based on James' expression, there was something that could be said for it all.

"James?"

The general hesitated for a long moment before he began to explain. "The Schnee Contract hasn't yet been signed," He said quiet, keeping his voice so quiet that it was actually hard to believe that James wasn't telling the truth. Usually the general could be trusted, but Ozpin had learned long ago that trust wasn't something that the general usually placed his energy into. He didn't believe in anyone around him, only in himself. "If Jacques Schnee leaves without his daughter, it can be assumed that the Dust supply contract between the Atlesian military, Atlas Academy, and the Schnee Dust Company will be off the table for the time being."

And for the first time, James leveled his dark eyes on Ozpin in a half-glare. "I have known Jacques Gelè and Willow Schnee both for my entire life," James began, keeping his voice down. "He isn't the type to let things down. Willow may have no interest in these matters these days, but Jacques?" James shook his head. "He's a bitter man. Petty, even. If he feels that he has been wronged, you can trust that he will do anything in his power to keep others from realizing how bad things are."

"Wait-" Qrow spoke up, his voice hoarse as ever. He looked deeply annoyed himself, and Ozpin figured that there had to be a reason for it. Of course, Ozpin knew that Qrow didn't tend to be the biggest fan of Atlesian high society to begin with. The Schnees were the poster children for that part of society.

James' head picked up and he stared over at Qrow. "What?"

"You have known the guy your entire life?" Qrow prodded, leaning in forward and crossing his arms over his chest like he thought that he was going to be able to find a way to keep going forward in all of this. "If that's the truth, then why can't you do something to stop him from being a pain?"

Without fail, the General's expression darkened and Ozpin almost wanted to do something to intervene before the inevitable argument between the general and Qrow could begin. It was always too easy for the two of them to be able to fall into a fight, and Ozpin had watched the two men come to blows over whatever was wrong a few times in the past.

This would surely be no exception to that rule.

But James didn't jump at the bait. He stared forward, and Ozpin couldn't help but think that it was like he was trying to gaze into another world. Despite being there in that room, the general didn't even seem to be there. It wouldn't have been the first time that a member of Ozpin's council found themself in a situation where they weren't a part of things there. Ozpin had seen it happen to Qrow when the topic of bandits in the outer kingdom got dragged up. They'd seen it in Glynda, when she thought back to a time where she had been young and hopeful once.

And when the General got that look on his look, Ozpin had learned that James was usually caught up in something else. Often it was James dwelling on bad memories, or trying to think through thousands of military strategies all at once.

"James?" Glynda asked, doing her best to prod the conversation forward. Ozpin watched as she shifted just a little bit closer to him and raised a hand in the hopes that she could snap him back to reality.

Finally, James spoke, and it was with his voice beyond hushed in tone. It was all in his eyes, and the way that they dropped to the ground almost submissively, and the tensing of his jaw and shoulders. And then when he spoke, there was something angry in his tone that Ozpin couldn't quite identify without taking the time to keep going.

"I have known them for most of my life." James said, his voice hardening along with his expression. "That is true, but you need to understand that the only thing that I have on my side in this matter is the fact that I have a couple contracts on my side." He paused for a long while. "But if those bridges are being burned for the sake of you recruiting a new student, Ozpin-"

For a moment, Ozpin felt something that was akin to anger and frustration. They wanted to know what James was thinking, they wanted to know what he was about to say. But at the same time, there was a certain awareness of the strong possibility that the general was about to chew them out for everything that was going on. Deep down, Ozpin understood that anger and that frustration. James was being placed in a difficult situation, and Ozpin was sure that as far as Atlesian trade partners went, the Schnees were probably the most important ones of the lot.

There was no way that the general was going to be able to ignore all of this and keep moving on in his life.

"I understand." Ozpin said, feeling a little more than bitter, if only because they were certain that there was no way that they were going to be able to get past everything that was wrong with this situation.

Deep down, Ozpin was certain that their relationship with General James Ironwood, Headmaster of Atlas Academy had been damaged permanently by this.

They hoped desperately that wouldn't be the case.

Weiss stood just outside of the small cave that they had decided would serve as their shelter the night before. She felt like her skin was crawling, and the wind was far too cold as it blew through the cave (Weiss was aware that it wasn't like Atlas' cold, but it chilled her nonetheless). As of then, the others were all up and getting ready for the day ahead of them. Most of them were already up, some doing their best to clear out their sleeping spaces.

Weiss had already gone ahead and done that for herself, and now she was just in a place where she wanted to be sure that she was going to be able to go forward with everything that was planned that day. As she understood things, part of the day was going to be mostly travelling, but they were also supposed to be getting close to the grimm that wandered outside of the city.

She couldn't exactly pretend as though she was quite ready for that to happen. For Weiss, even fighting a proper simulation grimm was something that she hadn't been able to experience. Training matches against her older sister did little to hone her skills for a proper battlefield, regardless of what Winter was experienced with herself.

Her only true opponent that she'd ever faced had been against Blake.

Weiss picked her hand up and gently fingered the scar that cut down her face, thinking hard on what it represented for her future as she stood there. It was her first proper battle scar, and the fact that it had come against a person was something to be proud of, Weiss supposed. Even then, she wasn't so sure that she'd actually been able to do that much to prove herself as a warrior.

Maybe she was meant to wear it as a badge of shame.

Even when they were in a situation where they'd never managed to do anything facing a grimm or any sort of opponent, Weiss couldn't help that think she was far behind all of her teammates. Blake was the better fighter, and Yang seemed to have some sort of strength about her that Weiss was sure she wasn't going to be able to touch. Ruby was fast and excitable, and while Weiss wanted to doubt in her abilities, prodigy status did speak for itself in a way.

And that left her as the odd one out. The spoiled heiress with next to nothing to make her a warrior to her name.

"Miss Schnee-" A voice behind Weiss was all that was needed to make her turn around to see that Doctor Oobleck had decided that he wanted to join her at the side of the cave and look out at the world. "May I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yes-" Weiss began, looking up at her professor out of the corner of her eye and through her white hair. She didn't know what he could possibly want from her, but at the same time, Weiss figured it was for the best to be open to speak with him. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing is wrong-" The man began, talking a little more quickly that Weiss was used to. "I just wanted to ask you some questions about what has brought you here."

Already, Weiss could feel her heart sinking in her chest. She wasn't so sure that she wanted to answer that question, if only because she was deeply afraid to know what he wanted. Already, she was certain that her name was going to be a leading topic in the conversation. Already, Weiss was afraid that she was about to be judged for status rather than what she was actually capable of.

"I... suppose that there's nothing wrong with that." Weiss finally managed after some hesitation. "What is it?"

"MIss Schnee-"

"Weiss." She corrected. Deep down, Weiss didn't know whether or not there was a proper way for the man to address her. Already Weiss was certain that she was about to be disowned for rebelling against her father as she had, and she had absolutely no faith in the idea that her father hadn't changed his travel plans explicitly for the sake of dragging her home with him.

If that wasn't the case, then Weiss was also fairly certain that her father was going to do everything in his power to make her life a living hell.

"Yes, of course." Doctor Oobleck answered. "Weiss. I wanted to ask where you got your combat training."

Weiss paused, and she glanced down at the hilt of Myrtenaster, where it rested so gently against her waist. It was there, waiting for her to take it in hand and fight with it that day. Already Weiss didn't know that she was going to be able to do that. If they faced a grimm, she was already certain that she would be useless.

But she needed to answer and carry on the conversation, if only because that was what was considered to be proper. Never leave a conversation unfinished, that was one of the many lessons that she'd managed to learn from her mother directly. That had been before Whitley. It was a knowledge that had been passed down from mother to daughter, seemingly as far back as anyone could remember.

It was all but a rule of Atlesian society. One that was never shared with the men because they didn't need it.

Weiss didn't like it, but she knew perfectly well that there was a good reason for that. She'd seen the sort of men that ruled Atlas all during her upbringing, and so now because of that almost ancestral knowledge, she knew that it was for the best if she spoke up and answered some of Doctor Oobleck's questions.

She steeled herself and held her head high, if only because Weiss was already expecting to be looked down on for the true answer behind her training. She was certain that all of her teammates and Doctor Oobleck had received some sort of formal combat training in their lives.

As for her, she couldn't say that. That didn't mean that she wasn't going to do whatever was in her power to make sure that others respected how she'd gotten her early combat experience anyways.

"My older sister trained me." Weiss explained, holding her head high and letting her hand raise and rest on Myrtenaster. The metal of the weapon was cool against her skin, and Weiss couldn't help but find that there was something delightful in the bite of it against her skin. If it was frozen, Weiss was sure that she still would have relished in it.

"I see." Doctor Oobleck responded, all too calmly. "Am I correct in assuming that you mean your sister, Winter?"

"That is correct." Weiss answered, her mind already racing with thoughts and questions about how Doctor Oobleck knew that.

If there was anything that Weiss was certain of, there were a number of possibilities for why he would know. For instance, there was the very obvious fact that over the course of her entire life Weiss could remember very few times where her parents had done anything to hide her or her siblings from the spotlight. There was the fact that any company changing heirs would become news to some.

In fact, Weiss wouldn't have been surprised for a second to find out that her sister's leaving the Schnee Dust company had been well publicized.

"Can I ask you something?" Weiss turned slightly, making sure to look her professor in the eyes as best as she could manage. It wasn't easy, largely because of the rather significant height difference between the two of them.

"Of course, Weiss.' Doctor Oobleck said, sipping from his thermos that Weiss could have sworn hadn't been there the moment before. He was fast, but Weiss didn't think that he was capable of doing something like magically making something appear out of thin air like that. "What ever is the problem?"

Weiss paused and glanced over at the man out of the corner of her eye in the hopes that she'd be able to find a good way to word her question. "How do you know-"

"About your sister Winter?" Doctor Oobleck cut her off before Weiss got a chance to finish, and while there was a small part of Weiss that wanted to feel offended because of it, she couldn't bring herself to get there. "Yes, of course."

There was a long pause between the two of them. Weiss stared up at the doctor for a while, waiting for him to say something. He only began to speak once Weiss opened her mouth to confirm that was what she was asking about.

"If I may explain," Doctor Oobleck began, "As a student of history, I find great interest in seeing the way that things develop around the world. Economics are one of those many great forces, and you would be surprised to learn how codependent a kingdom can become with its own industries and corporations."

Weiss tilted her head slightly, unsure of how she was going to be able to read into Doctor Oobleck's words. She'd been simply asking about how Winter was known to Doctor Oobleck. Economics and kingdoms hadn't even been in the scope of things that she was concerned with. "Doctor Oobleck?"

"Allow me to explain-" Doctor Oobleck began. "When your sister decided to enlist in the Atlesian military it made some news in economic journals around the kingdoms. The news that one of the most powerful companies in this world was going to change hands in a different way than expected was rather large."

Weiss paused, thinking it over and finding herself unhappy with the implications of it all. If Winter losing her position of heiress had been such a big deal, then she was sure that her own name had been publicized. If that had been the case, then Weiss was sure that her being cut from the company would be news in itself.

She could feel her stomach flip, and Weiss absolutely hated it. This wasn't something that she wanted to think about. Would fame make her life more difficult once her father decided that he wanted to throw her off to the side in favor of Whitley?

Weiss didn't know. She was afraid to know.

But she needed to say something. "Is that the only reason that you know about Winter?" Weiss asked, picking her head up and looking up at the huntsman. "I don't know where she's serving right now."

"I can't say that my path has crossed with hers," he explained calmly. "Although, I can say that I have heard some rather good things about her out of the general."

And there it was, Weiss thought to herself. Winter having favor with one of the more important men in their world seemed to be working out in her favor. As for Weiss, she didn't know whether or not she was going to be able to be taken as seriously as she would have liked because of that.

Despite it all, Weiss couldn't think of anything else that she really wanted to say to the man standing at her side. It felt like nothing was ever going to be able to say everything that Weiss needed it to. She shifted just slightly where she was standing so that she could look back over her shoulder to see that none of her teammates were listening in.

She wished that she felt like she could actually trust in them.

"Miss Schnee," Doctor Oobleck began, his voice gravely serious and surprisingly slow for how he tended to be. "I don't know what you are capable of just yet, but I must tell you that there is no shame in being trained in an untraditional way." There was a long pause. "Beacon is your chance to have all of that, I hope you understand that."

For a moment, she couldn't help but feel a little bit lost for answers. How was she supposed to be able to act like everything was fine when it all so obviously wasn't. "I suppose you're right." Weiss said, keeping her voice down. "I'm just worried that I'm not good enough to be here."

"If I may," Doctor Oobleck sipped from his themos. "You wouldn't have been admitted into this academy if Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch didn't see some sort of great potential in you." He hesitated for a longer moment than Weiss would have thought that he was capable of. "While it may be true that you haven't gotten a chance to prove yourself yet, the potential is definitely in you."

"Because I'm a Schnee?"

"No." Doctor Oobleck said, his voice going all quiet for a moment as he got more and more contemplative as he stood there with her. "I think that there's another reason for it beyond your lineage." He was interrupted by the sound of his scroll beeping.

Weiss almost jumped at the sound, and she looked up at Doctor Oobleck with interest as he quickly checked his scroll for something. The man let out a quiet sigh, and for just a moment Weiss couldn't help but to worry about whatever had happened. However, he gave nothing away as he quickly stowed his scroll back away out of view before turning to face Weiss.

"I'm afraid that it's time that we get back on the road, Miss Schnee." His voice was soft, and gentle in ways that Weiss wasn't used to. It almost made her feel warm, but she was quick to quash the feeling with the thought that it meant that she needed to check that her things were in order before they set back on the road in search of whatever it was that they were supposed to be looking for.

In the spot where she had been standing, Weiss shifted slightly and turned just enough so that she could take a look at the others over her shoulder. "I understand." She gave her response, and there was something in the back of Weiss' mind that was registering the fact that her response had been just a little bit more stilted than she would have liked. Weiss knew that she was going to have to get out of the habit of playing the unemotional one sometime, or forget that she wasn't trying to impress someone for a little while.

But for now, it felt like it was going to be a difficult habit to break.

"You should get your things." Doctor Oobleck said, all too calmly. "We have a long day ahead of us, Weiss. We wouldn't want to see any of you falling behind." Just as Weiss began to take her first few steps away from the professor, she felt like something had dragged her back.

"And miss Schnee-" Oobleck spoke, his voice too calm. "Do try to remember our conversation."

"I will." Weiss said, forcing on a smile as she made her way over to the bedroll that she'd been loaned by Beacon Academy for the sake of this mission. "Thank you, Doctor Oobleck."

"You're very welcome, Weiss."

After that, Weiss was content to let the quiet wash over the two of them for the time being while she gathered her belongings and let their conversation continue to ring in the back of her mind.