A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Got a bit distracted again and had to recover from the flu, which is not good for my health at this time. Anyway, thank you for your patience, here's an extra long chapter!

Enjoy!

[...]

Aaron looked at the sprawling city before him. His nervousness about going into the strange place grew by the second. There were so many unknowns. He barely knew any words in Dwarvish, what if the people here spoke a language that didn't exist in Alasgaësia? He knew he had to blend in, so that meant getting the right kind of clothes and acting like the majority of people on the street. Aaron's undercover training might as well not exist. Then again, he always did prefer learning on the job.

Nalia crawled up next to her Rider. I feel your doubts about going into the city, she said. Are you sure you don't want to search for the egg with me?

"I'm sure," Aaron replied. "We need to know who we'll be living with. We don't know if they'll like having a dragon sleeping just outside their walls."

But their castle doesn't have any walls. Nalia chuckled at her own joke.

Aaron gave his dragon a playful shove. "You know what I mean. We don't want them storming this mountain to take us out." He shook his head and his tone turned serious. "We have to protect the remaining eggs. I know we'll find the other. We have to."

Nalia looked at her bond-mate in the eyes. Be careful down there. Don't attract attention to yourself, and please, don't add any more scars.

Aaron placed a hand on his dragon's snout. "If I had a reason to, by definition I'd be attracting attention. I'm more worried about you and those creatures." He stood up and shouldered his makeshift pack and buckled on his sword. "I'll be back before sundown, hopefully with some useful information. I'll contact you when I'm in the city." With that, the Rider and dragon separated on their respective missions.

Aaron hiked down the mountain and through the forest like he had many times in Alagaësia. The normal wildlife he'd see back home became less and less prominent as we walked. The bottom of the mountain just felt evil. He grabbed his sword and pulled it a few inches from its scabbard. Though he didn't see anything through most of his hike, a few black creatures popped in and out, but they didn't seem to notice him.

An hour into the hike, Aaron found a well-worn trail leading toward the city. He quickly cast an invisibility spell on himself and proceeded to the city. A few other people walked the trail and all of them were armed, with swords or otherwise. A couple carried black, rectangular things that had a hole in the front of them. The men with them carried them like one would a bow while hunting.

Eventually the tree line started to thin out, as did the evil feeling of the forest. The tall buildings seen from the mountain started peaking over the remaining trees. Aaron heard strange whirring noises getting louder with each step. He didn't know of anything that could make that kind of noise, and there were a lot of things making it. The Rider made a mental note to figure out what made it.

The trail suddenly converged into a full fledged road and houses mixed in with the trees. Strange metal, wheeled contraptions sat outside or even inside many of the houses. No people walked down the center of the black, paved road, only on slightly raised gray sections, which struck Aaron as strange. In every city he'd been in, every inch of the road was used by people. Why have such a wide road if most of it is unused? He thought to himself.

Aaron's answer wasn't long in coming. Another whirring noise started behind him and rapidly increased in volume. He turned around and saw one of the metal machines roll down the right side of the black section almost as fast as a horse at full gallop. A person sat inside holding another wheel. A light on its right side started flashing as it passed Aaron. The vehicle slowed down and turned a corner.

Nalia, Aaron called out with his mind. They have wagons that can move by themselves here.

The dragon took a few seconds to respond. It seems there are magic users here after all if they can do that.

Aaron stretched his mind out to a stationary carriage to gauge the amount of magic in it. He found none, so he searched one that was moving. Still, he only felt the person inside the carriage, and he wasn't a magician. These things aren't magical, and they have no life of their own. They might as well be rocks.

Surprise radiated off Nalia. Is that even possible?

Unless there was something in the water this morning, I'm looking at it.

If that is the kind of transportation they have, I shudder to think of their weapons.

Aaron thought back to the travelers he saw on the trail. I've seen some of them. They still use weapons that we've seen before, along with some black rectangle thing that I think can be used in place of a bow. Still, if it comes to a fight, my wards should hold. Aaron paused. Anything on your end yet?

Nalia mentally sighed. Nothing yet, not even any more of those winged creatures. They seemed eager enough to attack us yesterday, I wonder what happened.

No news is good news. Keep looking, it's out there somewhere. I'll contact you again when I'm presentable in this city. Aaron broke the connection and turned his eyes to the people who lived in the area. If he wasn't invisible, he'd stick out like a sore thumb. More often than not, the people were exceptionally pale. Only a few had any tan color to them at all but enough so Aaron didn't have to change his complexion. Men wore a wide range of clothing, from colorful shorts that stopped at the knee to heavy black jerkins with pieces of cloth tied around their necks. Women wore similar casual clothing as the men, but donned more familiar dresses for presumably formal events. Aaron frowned. He didn't have any of the local currency to get appropriate clothing for this city. Luckily, all cities were full of pickpockets. He'd just 'liberate' some of that currency, since finding the rightful owners would be nearly impossible.

The fact that random people carried weapons crossed all demographics in the area. Almost none of them looked like soldiers. Aaron couldn't place a pattern. This place must be in troubled times if so many take weapons everywhere, he thought.

Buildings got bigger as he moved near the center of the city. Aaron listened in on a few conversations, and surprisingly they spoke the same language. The writing on the building showed the same thing. He counted his lucky stars and pressed onward.

Aaron walked invisibly down a particularly busy street, searching with his mind for pickpockets. He focused in on a girl with green hair who seemed very confident with her skills. Aaron decided to knock her down a few notches. Getting up close, he cast a spell so the pickpocket would feel nothing, then pulled several wallets out of her own pocket.

Aaron quickly added the wallets to his invisibility spell and walked down a side alley. He couldn't believe he was back to his childhood habit. In order to survive on the streets of Teirm, he had to steal money and food. He never liked it, but it was necessary until his adopted parents took him in. The Rider was appalled how easy it came back to him, and how easy it was with magic.

When he was sure he was alone and couldn't be seen, Aaron ended his invisibility spell to inspect the wallets. None of them felt particularly heavy, and all were less than an inch thick. He opened one of them and was instantly confused. Instead of the expected coin, several rigid rectangles of an unknown material lay in various sleeves. Each sleeve had a different color in it, presumably each with different values. The rest of the wallets had the same things in them. He sighed and recast his invisibility spell. While he had no idea how much he carried, he could always spy on businesses to see payment take place.

Aaron returned to the street and searched for a clothing shop, not that it was a hard task. They were everywhere. He eventually chose one called Old Blue and followed a group in so he didn't have to use the doors himself. The store was huge compared to any in Alagaësia. The size of half of the men's section at Old Blue was the size of a normal shop back home. Aaron was at least glad he got some choices.

Still, Aaron chose clothing that most other people wore; some blue trousers called 'jeans', white socks and shoes, and a plain blue tunic. He put them all in his already invisible pack, and wandered around the store to see if there was anything else that was needed to complete his disguise. A green jerkin with white stripes on the sleeves and under the armpits caught his eye. He picked that up as well. Aaron also picked up a black backpack, a green cap, blue 'sunglasses', and a pair of white gloves to keep his gedwëy ignasia hidden from view. He assumed the numbers above the pieces of clothing were the prices.

At the front of the store, Aaron spied several people pay for their clothes for several minutes to figure out how much each of the 'Lien' cards was worth. Eventually, he caught a pattern and grabbed the hundred and fifty 'Lien' needed to pay for everything. He slipped the cards into the drawer the salesperson used on the next customer. The process was a lot quicker than any he knew of.

He tried following someone out the doors, but as soon as he stepped between two tall, metal rectangles, something made a loud screeching noise. Aaron froze in place, in fear of being discovered. Instead one of the people who was receiving money waved the person Aaron was following through. "The system's been yelling all day," the woman said. "You're good."

With whatever that was out of the way, Aaron left the building behind another group. As he walked down the street, he felt something wet on his right arm. Was something he 'bought' wet in some way? He walked behind another building and ended his invisibility spell. He instantly saw a black ink stain that covered most of the jerkin. What? Where did this come from? He flipped the jerkin over and saw a circular tan button on the back. The mess appeared to be coming from that. "Jierda." The button broke off, spilling out even more ink. Aaron jumped back to avoid being caught in the splash. Why would they ruin a new jerkin like that? Aaron shook his head. It was probably something the locals did to prevent theft.

Aaron held a hand over the mess and started chanting in the Ancient Language. The spell he was using worked for blood, and so far it was working on the ink. It took a while, but the black mess was removed from the jerkin. He returned his attention to his other new clothes to see if any of them had been soiled. Luckily, the jerkin was the only one that caught the mess. He quickly changed into his new outfit, hoping no one would come down the alley. Once finished, he looked at his reflection from a puddle on the ground. Even with his sword at his side, he thought that his appearance suited the city. He nodded to himself and walked back to the busy street.

No one seemed to notice Aaron, and he was perfectly fine with that. He roamed the streets looking at all the people and buildings, keeping passive on the outside and gasping in wonder on the inside. All the buildings, vehicles, and food seemed extraordinary. No Alagaësian city would look like this for many hundreds of years. He had only seen humans in this city. Could they have built all of this themselves? Without magic?

In his visual tour of the city, Aaron accidently bumped into someone. "Hey, watch it!" the guy said then turned and walked away. Aaron looked after the man and was shocked to see a long tail come out of his trousers. He looked around again, and for the first time noticed animalistic features on many of the people in the city, mainly antlers, ears, and tails. Aaron tried not to stare at people as he tried to figure out if these people were elves or not. He knew some elves transformed their appearance to animals which they thought most beautiful, but he never got the appeal. On closer inspection, however, these people were not elves, and they certainly weren't entirely human.

Aaron extended his mind to contact his dragon. Find anything yet Nalia?

No, she sighed. I've searched every place we flew over yesterday and everywhere within a few hundred feet of that. There do seem to be a few sets of human footprints though.

You think someone took it?

I think we have to consider the possibility. I'll keep searching though. There has to be a clue somewhere. Nalia pulled away, leaving Aaron alone in his head. He continued down the street and considered stretching his mind out to find out if someone in the city took the egg. It would be faster than looking door to door, but would also tip off any magicians that could prove hostile. The Rider shook his head in defeat. Either option left him open to hostilities, something he couldn't deal with while trying to keep a low profile.

Aaron worked over his problem so much he didn't notice the group of girls that came around the corner in front of him. He bumped forcibly into one of them and knocked her to the ground. The impact snapped him out of his trance, and he was horrified about what he did, and the reactions that were sure to come his way. "I'm sorry! My fault!" he said as he stuck out a hand to help the girl up. "I should have been paying more attention."

"You're right, you should have been paying attention," the white haired member of the group snapped. "You could have knocked her right into traffic!" the two other girls still standing seemed taken aback by the outburst.

"Weiss, I'm okay," the girl on the ground said as she and Aaron grabbed each other's gloved hands. He pulled the girl to her feet and got a good look at her. She looked to be about his age. Her hair was mainly black with some red accent. Silver eyes stared back. Her clothes consisted of a strange black and red dress and a red cloak around her shoulders. "It was an accident."

The one identified as Weiss stood down but still glared at Aaron. To avoid further confrontation he just walked down the street before anyone else could say anything. Still, he looked back at the girl he knocked down with interest. There's something different about that girl…

[...]

"There's something different about that guy," Ruby said aloud.

"I'll say!" Weiss spat. "He completely bowled you over!"

"Weiss, calm down," Blake said. "I could tell he was having a bad day."

"And how, pray tell, do you know that?"

"He was distracted enough to run right into Ruby, he spoke quickly, and he walked off in a hurry in the same direction."

"That is still no excuse to make other people's days worse."

"Don't judge Weiss, you never know what people are going through."

"What did you mean by different?" Yang chipped in to change the subject.

Ruby shrugged. "I don't really know, I just have a weird feeling that's all."

A large smile broke onto Yang's face. "Aww, my little sister has a crush on a guy she doesn't even know."

Ruby twirled around and punched Yang in the shoulder. "I do not! It's something else, it's…" she sighed. She had no idea how to describe it.

"You think it has something to do with you-know-who?" Blake asked.

"Probably? It was in my head whatever it was." the four girls continued walking towards the commercial district talking about random things but avoided talking about Cerise at Ruby's insistence. She didn't want news of her dragon getting out. If it was anything like Weiss and Blake said it could be, Ruby wouldn't be able to leave Beacon without having a camera directed at her or Cerise. It pained the girl to leave her dragon cooped up in their dorm, but luckily today there was staff meetings all day, allowing the students to do what they wanted to do or catch up on homework. Ruby asked both Team SPHR and Elena to look after Cerise after she made them swear secrecy or become Yang's punching bag for the rest of the school year. She trusted them with her dragon's well-being. JNPR would have been an option as well, but Nora couldn't keep a secret to save her life. Ozpin and Teresa might be able to help. Yang would have stayed behind, but she said she had to pick up something in the city today.

The team split up, with Weiss and Yang heading into the city to shop for Dust, clothes, and other necessities, and Ruby and Blake were heading to Vale's local library to meet up with someone Blake knew who could help with some information on dragons. Ruby didn't know how to take care of her dragon in the long term, and any bit of information, even urban legends would help.

"So Blake, who are we supposed to be meeting here?" Ruby asked as they both entered the library.

A smile formed on Blake's face. "Well…"

"That would be me," a familiar voice said.

Ruby turned and saw a guy walk up to the both of them. The man had short straight black hair. His skin tone was slightly tanner than Blake. He was wearing a plain black T-shirt, some dark blue jeans that was armor plated in some areas and plain blue tennis shoes. A pair of armored gauntlets covered his hands and arms with the one on his right arm stopping just above the elbow and the other one continuing up his arm. An open sleeveless green vest robe with crimson trimming lay on top of his shirt with a crimson pauldon on his left shoulder. A silver y leather strap held the pauldron and his sword in place. But what surprised Ruby was that the sword he carried wasn't just any sword. It was a Claymore's claymore. She looked at the man's eyes and saw silver staring back. Ruby then noticed his emblem on his vest, it looked like two crimson triangles pointing at each other horizontally with a line splitting the two triangles vertically. A silver sea dragon like pattern encircled the symbol completed the emblem.

Blake walked up to the guy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ruby, I would like you to meet my little brother. Jad, meet my team leader."

"Nice to meet you." Jad said. "Also, I'm actually taller than you Blake."

"Nice to meet you too," Ruby said with a smile before she started whispering. "I don't mean to be rude, but where are your ears?"

Jad smiled and a pair of cyan colored Aura cat ears formed on his head. "Oh? You mean these, right?" Jad said with a laugh.

Blake sighed. "Jad knock it off."

The Aura cat ears faded. "Fine, fine." he said still laughing.

"Umm, what?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not a Faunus, Ruby. I'm human." Jad responded. "Blake's parents adopted me after my parents were killed when I was younger and I'm only a few days younger than Blake. Let me introduce myself. My name is Jad Emberstone."

"Hello, I'm Ruby Rose," Ruby said. "So you can make cat ears with your Aura? What kind of semblance is that?"

"Oh, I can do much more than that." Jad smirked and held up the palm of his hand. An Aura butterfly formed on his hand and flew over to Blake, landing on her nose.

Blake focused in on the butterfly and tried to swat it away. It faded a moment later.

"My semblance is called Aura construct. I can create things made from my own Aura, but it has its limits."

"Oh, like what?" Ruby asked.

"Well, I can make a Scroll but it won't function as a normal one would and of course any type of food I can make, like an apple, but you couldn't eat it."

"That's so cool!"

Blake cleared her throat to get both of their attention.

"Ah, yes." Jad faced Ruby and began to whisper. "Blake told me about Cerise this morning and I promise to keep her a secret until your ready to tell everyone."

"Thank you," Ruby whispered back.

Jad nodded then continued. "Blake said that you needed help finding out some information to help take care of her."

Ruby nodded.

"Well, we do have a massive 'Scale' of information here at our disposal." Jad said trying to make a pun.

Both Ruby and Blake groaned.

"Not another one." Ruby said as they headed towards a free open computer. Jad quickly sat down and pulled up the library's book search engine and... Dust tube? He turned around and faced the two girls.

"So, do you want to go into mythologies or do you want to go into a more scientific route first?" Jad asked.

Ruby thought about it for a moment. "Let's go with the scientific stuff first."

Jad smiled and typed a few things in the library's search engine and a list of books popped up. Then he went over to the Dust tube search bar and typed in 'Dragons a legend made real.' A twelve year old video popped up and Jad clicked on the video. He paused it before it began playing and transferred the video to his, Ruby, and Blake's scrolls.

"That video is as close as you can get to the best scientific information you can get. Although, I believe they did get a bit of information wrong." Jad explained. He gave Blake a list of books and where to find them in the library. She left to go gather the books while Jad started typing up a second list of books. "These books explain the general legends and mythologies."

He and Ruby began to track down the books that Ruby needed. While doing so, Jad struck up a conversation with the young red reaper.

"Blake told me that you can sense Grimm as well." Jad said as he grabbed a book off one of the many shelves.

"Yep, though I'm still trying to get used to it. At times I'm still surprised how useful sensing yoki can be." Ruby said as she scratched the back of her head.

"So that's what it's called. I always called it a Grimm's fart." Jad chuckled.

Ruby failed to hold back a snort. "Why did you call it that?"

"There was this guy who would break into everyone's homes back in Kuo Kuana. When he tried to hide from the police under a market stall, he let out this huge fart, letting everyone know where he was and got arrested. Anyway, the next day was when I started to sense Grimm and to me, their yoki was like that guy's fart saying 'here I am!' It makes locating creeps a lot easier as well." Jad explained as he grabbed another two books off the shelves.

"Tell me about it. I hate how silent those things are." Ruby said before she got a good look at the claymore on his back. She noticed that the grip matched her grandma's lost claymore and the emblem was very similar, but still different. "Hey Jad? I was wondering, where did you get your claymore?"

"It was my mom's. From the journal she left me, she said the claymore belonged to an ancestor of ours. She also mentioned that if I didn't have a younger sister, that it was my duty to pass the claymore down to my future daughter. Whoever knows how long that will be." Jad said calmly as he scanned down a selection of books and found another book he was looking for.

"Well, the emblem on it looks a lot similar to the one that belonged to my grandma's." Ruby said as she gestured to help carry some of the books.

"The emblem wouldn't happen to have the two triangles rotated ninety degrees, would it?" Jad asked.

Ruby was surprised that he knew what one of the two emblems on her grandma's claymore looked like. "Yes, how did you know that?"

"In my mom's journal, she said that our ancestor had a close friend who carried a sister claymore to this one. Their emblems were so similar that you could rotate part of it and it would match the other. Though, the two swords never seen each other since my ancestor first carried it." Jad explained. "Do you know where your grandma's claymore is now?"

Ruby lowered her head a bit. "It was lost when my grandma died," She said sadly. "We still don't know where it is."

"Well, I hope you find it." Jad said as he handed some books over to Ruby. "I'm sure Compassion would like to see her sister again."

That got a smile out of Ruby. Jad grabbed the last of the books they needed and they both met back up with Blake at one of the reading areas. With all the books they gathered, it took some time to sort through all the information, even then the information was conflicted. It seemed to be a fifty-fifty split whether the books looked at dragons in a friendly light or as evil as Grimm. Also, it was a toss up on whether dragon scales were worth as much as gold or as little as paper. Still, none explained the mark on Ruby's hand or the intrusions on her mind.

After a few hours, Ruby and Blake figured they'd gotten all they could get from the books and decided they were going to watch the video Jad provided back in their dorm. Jad also helped them sort out the information they had and provided some useful details they would have missed. Jad volunteered to return the books for them allowing Blake and Ruby to head to their next destination sooner. Just as they were about to leave, the guy that knocked Ruby over opened the door. He froze when he saw the girls, then quickly turned for the history section. Ruby stared after him as she left the library. Something was tugging at the corner of her mind, the same thing that happened when they first met. "What is it about that guy?" she whispered to herself. If Blake heard, she didn't let on.

After a few minutes of walking to their next destination, a serious thought crossed Ruby's mind. "Hey Blake?"

"Yes?"

"Can you promise me to keep Jad from making puns in front of Yang while I do the same for her." Ruby asked.

Blake realized what Ruby was implying and quickly agreed.

Half an hour later they arrived at their next destination, the local VinCo food store. Hopefully they could get enough food to feed Cerise for the week. Ruby hoped the baby dragon ate more than just meat, what with Grimm attacks on farms growing more frequent and driving up the cost, and her and Yang's emergency credit card being directly linked to their dad's account. She knew she couldn't keep Cerise locked up forever, but she was still so little. There wouldn't be much stopping a fox trying to make a snack of her, let alone a grey wolf, or worse.

Still, meat was the only option that Ruby knew her dragon ate. She and Blake loaded up on fish, chicken, beef, ham, bacon, and a few other things that they thought a dragon would like. Ruby even picked up a carton of strawberries, reasoning if she liked them so much, so would her dragon. If not, she got them. Blake just rolled her eyes while failing to hide a smile.

The team regrouped on the road back to Beacon. Everyone had both their hands full except Yang who only carried one unmarked bag. Weiss told them how uneventful her and Yang's trip was, while Ruby and Blake informed the other two about what information they had gathered to help take care of the dragon.

"Who was the person helped you two at the library?" Weiss asked.

Ruby smiled. "Believe it or not, it was Blake's not so little brother Jad."

"Really?" Yang asked.

Both Ruby and Blake nodded.

"What's he like?" Weiss and Yang asked at the same time.

A smile formed on Ruby's face. "Get this. He's not a Faunus at all. He's human."

"But how does that work? If he and Blake are sibli-" Weiss said before Blake Cut her off.

"He's adopted."

"Oh, that explains it." Weiss said realizing the simple fact that she overlooked.

"His parents were close friends to mine. After they were killed, my parents adopted Jad and raised him like he was one of their own. His semblance made life easier for him as well growing up back home." Blake explained.

"It's awesome!" Ruby gushed. "He created these cute kitty ears out of Aura on his head then made an Aura butterfly that flew and landed on Blake's nose. I wonder what kind of weapons he can make with his semblance."

"And here I thought you'd be talking about the weapon he uses." Yang said jokingly.

"I was just getting to that. Anyway, turns out he carries a claymore as his weapon and not just any claymore. It's the sister blade to grandma's claymore. Even the emblems are so similar to each other." Ruby squealed.

Yang chuckled. "Well I can't wait to meet him."

It was at that moment a light gust of wind blew past the group, carrying a distinctive smell with it. Ruby snapped her head towards the bag Yang carried. "You didn't," She gasped.

Yang's shoulders slumped and she faked moaned, yet the smile gave her away. "It was supposed to be a surprise, dang wind." She pulled out a box of cookies from Ruby's favorite bakery in town. "Since I can't bake and I don't exactly have easy access to an oven, I figured I'd get you the next best thing."

Only the grocery bags Ruby carried kept her from jumping with joy. She settled with saying, "Yang, you're the best!"

Yang's smile grew on her face. "I am aren't I?" Suddenly she blinked a few times and she rubbed her head like she had a massive headache. "Uh, Ruby, I think I believe you about Cerise being in your head now."

"What?" Ruby looked at her sister in confusion.

"I have to agree with Yang on this one," Weiss said while rubbing her own head. "Your overreaction to things can be infectious, but I actually felt it that time."

Ruby looked at Blake for a final confirmation. She just nodded.

Ruby took a few steps backward, unsure of what to say or do. She looked at her friends to see if she could get any support. Yang looked genuinely concerned while Weiss and Blake looked curious more than anything. Ruby meanwhile stood terrified. Where was this coming from? How'd it start? Then a worse thought came to her head and she looked back to the city. "How far did it go?" she whispered.

Yang put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "We'll figure this out, like we always do. Right now, we should get you back to Beacon. Less people will ask questions there." She turned and started back toward the school. "Hopefully."

The rest of the walk continued in silence, nobody wanting to incite another episode and Ruby trying to calm herself down. If she could do that, what else could she do? Could she read minds? Could she influence what other people thought? Ruby shook her head. She was excited and yet terrified at the same time. It was too much to handle at once.

Could her little Cerise be behind all this?

Ruby was so caught up in her own thoughts she didn't even realize she made it back to Beacon. She looked around at other students walking around and they didn't act like anything different had happened. No one paid team RWBY any mind as they passed through campus, not even team JNPR who were studying for the upcoming exams. Ruby released a sigh of relief when they reached their room.

"Hey guys! We're back." Yang said as she opened the door and they all quickly entered the room and closed the door.

"Welcome back." Shade said looking up from his notes.

Team SPHR was all laying on the floor in various states trying to study for the upcoming exams while Elena was helping each of them with a few things from Teresa's class and giving them some helpful insight from her own experiences. Little Cerise wandered to each of the five, ever curious about what they were doing, getting a few ear scratches and belly rubs in between. Cerise looked up and saw Ruby standing in front of the door. She let out a joyful squeak and pure joy flooded into Ruby's mind.

Cerise got up from her spot next to Elena and took a few running steps toward Ruby, leaping onto her shoulder. Ruby placed her bags next to the desk she used to study with and gave her dragon a little scratch under the chin. "I guess you missed me," she said. Cerise squeaked in agreement. "So how was she?"

"Oh, she was wonderful," Elena said getting a purr out of Cerise. "She was afraid of me for a moment but she warmed up to me."

"There was a moment when she sneezed while looking at my notes," Hunter added. "I was afraid my work was going to go up in flames. Thankfully nothing happened."

Petra let out a little chuckle while trying to hide the smile on her face behind the book she was studying.

"That dragon reminds me of Zwei as a puppy," Yang commented watching Cerise rub her head against Ruby's cheek.

Ruby laughed. "No, Zwei was more crazy than Cerise." Her hatchling started sniffing the air in the room, then locked her gaze on the bags Ruby brought with her. "You hungry? We bought some food specifically for you today." Cerise squeaked in delight then jumped off Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby pulled a package of fish out of the bag. She barely had it open when Cerise pounced on it. Her small dragon went to town on the fish like, well, a wild animal. Ruby crossed the room and grabbed the box of cookies from Yang. She opened it and popped two cookies into her mouth at the same time. As she grabbed a third Rona spoke up. "Uh, Ruby."

Ruby looked at Rona to see her pointing at Cerise. The hatchling squeaked when Ruby saw that her dragon had cleaned out the entire package. "How?" Ruby asked, even though Cerise couldn't respond. "All those fish weighed as much as you." Her small dragon just squeaked and looked at her with pleading eyes. Ruby's shoulders slumped in defeat. This isn't going to work. "Yang? Does dad have a Scroll with video conferencing yet?"

"Yang shrugged. "I don't think he's that far behind. Why?"

Ruby picked up Cerise, who chirped happily before licking Ruby's cheek. "I think it'll be easier to explain that way."

"Makes sense." Yang smirked. "Need me to call since your hands are full?"

"Please." Ruby smiled down at the cutie in her arms. Cerise hummed. Then climbed onto Ruby's shoulder. She crawled around Ruby's back so her neck and tail hung off opposite shoulders. "Comfortable?" Cerise hummed and rubbed her face against Ruby's.

Weiss squeaked from her bed. "Oh my gosh! How can she so cute?"

"Looks like Ice Queen's heart warmed up." Hunter said jokingly getting a snort from Shade.

"I like this new Weiss," Blake said. "Can Cerise stay like that forever?"

"Hey!" Weiss shot a glare at the three.

"Can you four keep it down?" Yang fake shouted. "I'm making a call here." She turned back to her Scroll and waved Ruby over. "Hey dad. How's it going?"

"About normal," their dad said. "How's it Yanging?" Ruby stood off to the side. She could see her dad, but he couldn't see her.

Yang smirked, but it fell off just as quickly. "That's debatable right now, actually."

Their dad's smile disappeared. "Something wrong?"

"Something… different. Ruby can explain it better." Yang turned her Scroll's camera toward Ruby.

"Hi dad." Ruby raised a hand and waved as best she could without disturbing Cerise.

"Hi Ruby." Her dad returned the wave, then leaned forward. "What's that around your neck?"

Ruby ran a finger under her dragon's chin. "Go on, Cerise. Say hi."

Cerise purred and chirped at the Scroll. Taiyang's eyes widened. "You got a lizard?" he asked. "I didn't know you liked them."

"Well, you're partially right." Ruby turned around so her and Cerise' back faced the Scroll. "She's a lizard, but she's more than that."

"Are those… wings?" Tai asked.

"Yep." Ruby her head back as best she could with Cerise wrapped around her. "We've all agreed that she's a dragon."

"She's absolutely adorable." Petra said out of view from the Scroll.

"Wow." her dad blinked and leaned back in his chair. The corners of his lips raised. "What? Having one for a big sister wasn't enough for you?"

Yang turned her Scroll back to herself. "I'm right here you know." She turned the Scroll back to Ruby.

Taiyang laughed then focused back on Ruby. "So what's the problem here? Looks like you've got a new friend.

Ruby turned back and bit her lower lip. "Unless we can somehow get her back to Patch, We have to feed her ourselves right now."

"That doesn't sound too hard. I'm sure Shade and Hunter's team can help out. How much does she eat?"

"You know those big fish bundles from the VinCo Deli? She ate an entire package before I could blink."

Her dad slumped in his chair. "Oh. That is a problem."

[...]

Professor Ozpin reviewed the latest reports handed to him by both Glynda and Teresa. "As you can see," his second in command said, "the concentration of Grimm in the Emerald Forest has dropped significantly in the past twenty-four hours. Expeditions professors had planned for today have had to be postponed or moved to Forever Fall. I haven't seen a drop this significant since the days before the last Grimm siege ten years ago."

"You believe this could be a prelude for an attack?" Ozpin asked, though he had his own theory on the matter.

"No," Teresa said as she looked out Ozpin's office window towards the Emerald Forest. "Someone or something is killing the Grimm out there. As far as I know, it's neither a fellow Claymore or an Awakened."

"I think we should at least be cautious and warn the Huntsman that guard the city if they haven't noticed already. If there is something dangerous out there, we can be ready." Professor Goodwitch said.

"It would do us well to be cautious. Professor Silver, with your ability to sense Grimm at far distances, can you keep an eye on the forest and notify me if there is any change." Ozpin asked the silver eyed warrior.

Tersa nodded.

"Glynda, will you notify please the defenders?"

"I will when I return to my office."

The intercom on Ozpin's desk buzzed. "Professor Ozpin, Ruby Rose is here to see you."

This was different. Occasionally team leaders would visit for one reason or another, usually to clear their teams for missions beyond their team's level. Ruby had yet to do so, not that it stopped her team in the past from going on unsanctioned missions. Ozpin flicked his eyes eyes to Glynda. "We are almost done here," she said.

Ozpin pressed the button for the intercom. "Send her up." He took his finger off the intercom. "What else do you have for me?"

"I have tested and reviewed every student currently enrolled in the school to see if they have the ability to sense yoki." Teresa said looking at the notes on her scroll. "With the exception of my daughter Elena, Ruby Rose is the only one so far who can sense Grimm and the creatures from my world. There may be others that enroll next semester or from other schools. I will notify you if I do find others."

Ozpin smiled. "Thank you, Professor Silver. Glynda anything you would like to add?"

"Two fourth year teams have earned enough credits to graduate one semester early. I have the paperwork right here." Professor Goodwitch placed a folder on Ozpin's desk.

The headmaster opened it and took a look through the teams. Teams CLOD and GYCR, Both far ahead of their compatriots. All credits were in order, and they have proven successful on multiple missions, both school assigned and freelance. "Do they know graduating early will disqualify them from the Tournament?"

"They are aware, and they all have reasons for not entering, whether financial or otherwise."

"Very well." Ozpin signed on the dotted line. "Remnant has received eight more outstanding Huntsmen." He handed the folder back to Glynda.

"They will be glad to hear that." Professor Goddwitch nodded.

The elevator beeped and the doors opened. Ruby stepped out, oddly with a backpack around her shoulders. Another first. "Miss Rose. This is a surprise."

"It's kind of one for me too." Ruby smiled, but it was forced. Her eyes flicked to Teresa then Professor Goodwitch and her smile wavered a bit.

"Something from your assignment in the Emerald Forest last night?" Professor Goodwitch asked.

"Yeah, but not in the way you're probably thinking." Ruby knelt down and took the backpack off. She grabbed the zippers on the top of the bag, but didn't open it. She looked between the three professors. "Promise you won't freak out?"

"You have my word," Ozpin said, with Glynda saying much the same thing. Teresa smiled and nodded her head.

Ruby bit her lip and unzipped her bag. She pulled the top apart, but didn't reach inside. "It's okay, Cerise. You can some out now."

A flash of red shot out of the bag. It hid behind Ruby and hissed at the bag. Ozpin rose from his chair and placed his hands flat on his desk. It couldn't be.

"Miss Rose," Glynda said in a voice a step off a growl, "What is that?"

Ruby shrunk a bit. "We think it's one of the dragons from the legend Blake told us."

"And this… dragon came from the Emerald Forest?" Ozpin asked.

"Her egg did." Ruby scratched the hatchling's head, drawing out a purr.

"I thought it was a stone." Teresa said trying to hold back a chuckle as she watched Cerise lean into the scratches.

"That's what we thought, until she hatched late last night. Scared the rest of my team half to death." She winced. "If you've heard about my team making noise last night, it was that. Anyway, she hasn't wanted to leave my side since she hatched." The hatchling looked around Ruby and raised her neck. She trotted out from behind Ruby and towards the window Teresa was standing next to. "Except for now."

Ozpin watched the dragon's progress. She reached the window and gave another strange purr. Her neck and wings raised. Cerise turned her head and noticed Teresa standing next to her. The hatchling let out a little squeak and Teresa knelt down, holding out her hand. "Hello there little one."

Cerise cautiously sniffed Teresa's hand before rubbing her head against the Claymore. A smile formed on the silver eyed warrior face. After a few scratches from Teresa, the hatchling raced from one end of the office to the other, much like a kitten would do. Once she returned to her original spot, she turned to Ruby and chirped repeatedly at her.

"Not now, Cerise," Ruby said sadly. She walked forward and picked the dragon up. "I promise, when you get bigger and you can take care of yourself, you can go outside." The dragon's wing's dropped, then she climbed onto Ruby's shoulder and looked outside again.

"You plan on keeping your new pet here?" Professor Goodwitch crossed her arms.

"Where else can she go?" Ruby asked. I don't know how she'll act around crowds of people. I'm afraid of what would happen to her due to the legend. Blake told me there are some people out there that don't want to see it come true and will try to kill Cerise. She's too small to protect herself." Ruby wrapped a hand around her dragon's back. "At least in my room, my team can give her food and keep her safe."

"And when she gets too big?"

Ruby winced. "Hopefully that won't happen for a while."

Ozpin weighed his options. He likely knew more about these creatures than Ruby did. This dragon could be a boon to Ruby and her team in more ways than one, but with what recently claimed a cave in the forest, would Ruby be a target? "Very well"

"What?" Ruby blinked at Ozpin, and Glynda glared at him. "Just like that?"

"As long as… Cerise behaves herself, she will be welcome here for her own protection."

Ruby's face lit up like the sun, just like her mother's used to. "Thank you so much professor!" She bounced on her heels then returned her attention to her backpack. Cerise moaned then looked at the bag on the floor. She shrieked and jumped off Ruby's shoulder. She ran and hid behind Ozpin's desk. Ruby sighed and stuck her hand out to her dragon. "Come on, Cerise. Just one more time. After this, I promise you'll never go in here again." The hatchling hung her head and walked forward with her tail dragging on the floor. She stepped into the bag and looked up.

Ruby leaned forward and kissed her dragon on the snout. She zipped up the bag and put the straps over her shoulders. "Thank you for your time, professors." She stood up and smiled at Ozpin, Teresa, and Glynda. Before she turned to walk out, Teresa spoke up.

"Ruby, while you and your team may be able to take care of Cerise, I don't think you can be in two places at once."

Ruby froze in place. She hadn't thought about classes at all.

"But I believe I have a solution to that small problem," Teresa said calmly. "If you are okay with it. Elena can watch over Cerise while you and your team are in classes until she gets too big for your room."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Thank you Teresa!" she turned and walked to the elevator and stepped inside.

As soon as the doors closed, Glynda turned to Ozpin. "Two things," she growled. "First, I know Miss Rose is a special case, but this is too much. If people find out we're allowing pets on campus, we'll be flooded with cats, dogs, parrots, and who knows what else that we'll be responsible for if something happens here. Second, what happens when that hatchling gets too big? Where are we going to put her? I know she's one of the dragons of the legend, but we don't have the means to house her once he gets past a certain size."

"I might have an idea for when Cerise gets too big," Teresa said calmly. "We can find the best place to relocate her with information provided to use from students and fellow staff members who have hunting experience. Not just hunting the Grimm, but wild animals."

"How are we going to do that?" Professor Goodwitch asked angrily. "I doubt Miss Rose would want news of her dragon getting out."

"We could make a written test for students." Teresa suggested. "The more details, the higher the grade, in a sense. If a student with high scores already knows about Cerise, then they can help out relocating her."

"That actually could work," Glynda said surprised.

Ozpin smiled as he grabbed his mug and took as sip. "Glynda, you remember Tenga, correct?"

Glynda groaned. "I will be lucky if I ever forget him." She blinked and faced the elevator. "Wait… No. That's impossible. No one has a Semblance like that."

"Who is Tenga?" Teresa asked.

"Someone who arrived here around the same time as Mr. Royal and Mr. Green." Ozpin explained before facing Professor Goodwitch. "If he is to be believed, it's not through a Semblance." He sat back down and picked up his Scroll. "This may also be the reason why Grimm activity is down." He pressed a button on his Scroll and a holographic green dragon appeared in the center of the room fighting off a Nevermore.

"What?" Glynda stared at the projection. "Where and when was this taken?"

"Last night by the cameras we have placed around the Emerald Forest." Ozpin stood up and both he and Teresa joined Professor Goodwitch. "It appears what he said has come true and the Legend of the Dragon Faunus is finally happening."

Glynda crossed her arms. "That bares the question. Is this the ally, or an enemy?"

[...]

A/N: Well things are starting to happen and Jad is finally introduced! I know I teased him a few chapters ago but here he is.

A few other things happened. First I commissioned, artworks for Jad, Aaron, and Dahlia's Emblems and you can find them on my Deviantart page. Also if you want to see Elena's Emblem, just type in Claymore Black card into google images and the first one should be it. Second, the artist I commissioned to make Diamond Banshee finally got some new art equipment and is now working on the Jaeger.

Oh and those watching the Super Bowl. Go Chiefs!

B/N: And now I have something to point to when people ask me what Aaron's emblem looks like. Also, I agree with the Super Bowl pick. Go Chiefs! Go Mahomes!