Eve was always the first one up. Staying up with the others, and getting up the earliest. She would tiptoe out of the dorm, go down to the cafeteria to grab some coffee, finish the estimated homework for the day, and change in time for the others to get up. Yes she didn't get much sleep. And yes she took several naps.

This morning was no different. As Eve carefully opened the door to the dorm, she stepped over the sleeping bodies on the ground, taking a casual sip of her coffee. Everyone had stayed up until 4 in the morning, high on caffeine. D'art moaned, rolling on his side, his chocolate brown hair was a nest. Eve stared at him, then at the rest of her teammates. Then she grabbed a black marker that sat on the nightstand. Carefully, she knelt besides Celeste, pulling the cap off.

A few minutes later she threw on her jacket, grabbing her bag and swinging it over her shoulder. Her lips curled a little when she saw the faces of her teammates. And just like that, Eve left as quietly as she came in.

A few minutes later.

"You asked for me, Professor?" Eve asked, closing the door behind her.

"I did yes, I didn't expect you to come until after classes though." Ozpin admitted, peering at her from above his crooked glasses.

"The school is peaceful around this time." She explained, taking a seat. Eve had never been in Ozpin's office. The whole room was quite nice. A window overlooked Vale, with clockwork mechanisms ticking softly under a floor of glass. Green lights were stationed on the walls, giving off a soft emerald glow.

"So Eve" Ozpin said, setting down his mug of coffee for a moment "have you been working on what I asked of you at the start of the year?"

Eve shook a little, nervous. Calming herself, she set her mug next to his. "Yes. I'm working closely with my team." Ozpin nodded, taking back up his cup. Eve and Ozpin shared a long sip of their mugs, the noises of clockwork and slurping filling the office.

"I trust you're also keeping up on your classes." Ozpin said, leaning in across his desk.

Eve nodded. "Yes sir. I make sure never to be late to any of my classes."

Ozpin smiled a little, leaning back into his normal position. "Fantastic, Ms. Glamis... Would you mind answering a few questions for me?" Eve nodded again, relaxing a little more, but still on edge. "What do you think makes a team valuable?" Ozpin asked, motioning towards Eve with his mug.

Eve sat silent in thought for a second, and then stared back at Ozpin. "Teamwork and precision." She said defiantly to the headmaster.

Ozpin slowly nodded, as if he took a mental note. "If you could describe your partner in a word or two, what would it be?"

Eve gave a small smile, quickly returning to her serious tone. "D'art is….an acquired taste."

Ozpin chuckled, quickly shaking his head in agreement. "Ok. One final question if you're up for it." He said, sitting up tall.

Eve straightened up, trying to meet his eye level. "Yes sir?"

"Tell me. What do you know about the organization called Humanity?" He asked, leaning forward, his golden eyes glinting.

In the silence that followed his question, Eve's eyes widened. She thought she wouldn't hear that name again. Not here. Not in this school. Her palms became sweaty as they formed into fists.

"Miss Glamis?" Ozpin asked, his amber eyes observing her closely, as if he was studying her reaction.

"Yes, my apologies." Eve said abruptly, keeping her eyes locked onto his. She thought quickly about her next words, choosing them carefully. "I'm surprised you know of it."

"I have connections." Ozpin replied calmly.

"And what exactly do you know about it?" Eve asked.

Ozpin chuckled. "Come now, don't answer my question with a question."

Eve smiled politely. "I had to try didn't I?" She looked down. "It's hard for me to talk about."

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. "Take your time."

Eve hesitated. "I do know information pertaining to that organization. But I have nothing to do with them."

"Except occasionally torturing them for the whereabouts of your parents."

Eve bit her lip. "I stopped that."

"What information do you know?" Ozpin asked casually.

"Not much-"

"Miss Glamis." Ozpin said calmly. Eve's jaw twitched and she sighed.

"I know about their operations and their motives." She replied.

"Wonderful." He responded, setting his mug on the desk and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Tell me all you know."

"They're anti-faunus." Eve stated, looking up to meet his eyes. "Extremely anti-faunus. They're dangerous." Ozpin nodded slowly.

"Any names?"

Eve opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. Even now, a small bond of loyalty connected her. A weight dropped in her stomach and she swallowed.

"No."

Ozpin's amber eyes gleamed at her. "Are you sure?"

"I can't remember them." Eve lied. No, she remembered them all. Every major member. She could never forget. Their names were burned into her mind in flaming, crimson letters.

"Very well. What about their operations?"

"They never did anything major. They wanted to stay in the dark until they had gathered enough members and influence. And then when they were ready, they wanted to do something big. Something that would draw everyone's attention to them. Usually they sent members to interrupt faunus peace rallies, to 'subdue' faunus figureheads, to kidnap children with potential, whether they were faunus or not. And then they'd have others train them." Eve explained, her voice hard.

"How were the children treated?" Ozpin asked.

"Horribly." Eve explained, her fists tightening. "Like slaves. They would work them for days, training them until they bled. And those who weren't strong enough were killed." She explained.

Something in Ozpin's expression changed, but it was so small that Eve barely noticed it at all.

"Those who were lucky enough to survive didn't have it any better. They were raised like cult children. Told that the faunus were horrible, they grew up with that constant belief. They received no love, and were raised like machines. And when Humanity was done, they were machines. Killing machines." Eve finished.

"Didn't they make any effort to escape?" Ozpin asked calmly.

"Of course they did." Eve replied, her voice sharp. "The young ones constantly tried to run. None of them succeeded. You can imagine their punishment-" She stopped talking and took a quick breath, as if she was surprised at how much she had said.

"Thank you Miss Glamis." Said Ozpin. "I'm sorry, I know this was hard for you to talk about."

Eve waved her hand dismissively.

"I have a few more questions, I hope you don't mind. What were the missions like?" He questioned.

Eve was silent, a mask of pain on her face. The missions. It had been years since she had thought about them.

"Miss Glamis?" Ozpin asked. But his voice was far away, Eve couldn't hear him or see him. The missions. One in particular blossomed in her mind.

...

A group of three sat in the corner of an old inn. The corner cast a long shadow over them, the candle on the table illuminating their bodies. Irritated, Eve watched the raven haired man besides her take a sip of her mug.

"I paid for that you ass." She muttered, her eyes sliding away.

"You're too young to drink." The man replied, chuckling wyrlily. Eve's fingers tapped on the table impatiently.

"Stop it." Hissed the smaller girl next to her.

"Oh come on Jade, he stole my drink." Eve whined softly.

"Concentrate on the mission." Jade breathed. Her slitted amber eyes were focused on a customer who sat across the room from them, their back was facing the three.

"He hasn't done anything yet. And we don't even know if it's him for sure." Eve murmured. The man glanced distastefully at her.

"Stop whining." Eve bit her lip.

"Why did we get assigned to this mission again?" Jade asked. Her tone was cold and withdrawn.

"They were out of people." Replied the man. "And her first mission." He added, jabbing Eve's side who smiled sarcastically at him.

Before anyone could say something, the customer suddenly stood up. They dropped cash on the table, shoving their hands in their pockets as they stalked out of the door.

"There they go." The man murmured, taking a final swig of the mug before he stood up casually. "Wait a little bit, and then follow me." The man said before he disappeared through the door.

"Since when did Vincent make the decisions?" Eve asked, giving Jade a glance.

"You talk too much for a newbie." Jade snarled. Eve frowned.

"I don't actually. You two are just stoic." She observed, as Jade pulled out her scroll.

"Everyone in Humanity is stoic." Jade replied. Eve ignored her.

"Isn't it bad for going undercover? Just think about it, we all have black hair. We all have mean gazes, we're all stoic." Eve said, grabbing the mug Vincent had left and drinking the remaining sips. "And, we're all part of a cult." She finished. Jade glared at her, then she stared at the mug and blinked.

"You're trying to get drunk aren't you?" She asked. Eve shook the mug a little, returning the disdainful gaze.

"Uh, 'bout to be."

"I can't believe it" Jade whispered, her face a mask of exasperation.

"What?"

"You're only thirteen!" Jade hissed, struggling to keep her voice low. "This is your first mission, and you're drinking on the job?"

"I wouldn't drink if I knew it was going to be difficult." Eve observed with an uneasy chuckle. "Besides! It's just a few sips."

Jade scoffed, grabbing the mug and drinking the rest of it herself. Eve stared at her with parted lips.

"I was going to finish that." Eve said quietly.

"Get your ass out there." Jade hissed.

"You're not even that much older than me." Eve snapped as she stood, strolling out of the inn, Jade close behind her.

As the two walked down the street, trying to find Vincent, they heard a muffled cry of pain from a nearby alleyway.

"There they are." Jade called out, dragging Eve by the sleeve down the dark path.

A faunus boy was on the ground, his back against the wall as he snarled at Vincent who stood above him.

"You sure that's him?" Jade asked, her arms crossed. Vincent didn't answer, instead he lunged for the boy who cried out, grabbing him by the shirt.

"I'll ask again. What is your name?" Vincent breathed.

The boy spat in his face, his cat like orange eyes glimmering with pride. "Screw you." He hissed bitterly. Vincent rubbed the spit off slowly with his free hand. He looked towards the two girls.

"This is him."

"How can you tell?" Eve asked.

"His eyes." A smirk tugged on Vincent's lips as he stared at the boy. "I just wanted to see what he would say. Vincent pulled the faunus upwards, ramming his head into the wall. The boy's legs collapsed before Vincent threw him over his shoulder.

"That was a little much." Eve observed.

"He's just unconscious." Vincent said, bored.

"Then our job here is done, let's get back to headquarters." Jade began to turn around.

Vincent put his arm up and Jade stopped abruptly. "What?" She asked. Instead of responding, he simply stared into the alleyway. It was engulfed in shadows, the silhouette of ladders and fire escapes made an intricate web of blacks and greys. Lights from the city could be seen on the other side, flickering brilliantly.

When Eve observed it closer, she realized that some of the shadows were moving. Vincent dropped the boy carelessly, getting out his spear and slamming it into the ground. The group listened intently, their nerves buzzing. Then they heard a sound so soft, it was almost inaudible. The drawing of a bowstring.

"Move." Said Vincent. He tilted his head slightly to dodge a whistling arrow. Eve and Jade quickly moved to the side, getting out their weapons.

"I'll get them from the back." Jade whispered as she climbed up the fire escape. Vincent made no comment, his eyes narrowing.

"What do you want?" He questioned, his voice echoing against the wet walls. There was silence. A drop of water could be heard, splashing onto the cement. Then there was a voice.

"Give him back."

Vincent frowned. "I'm afraid we can't do that."

"Then we'll have to kill you."

...

Eve blinked and she was back in the room, the clock ticking calmly. She tried to recall the rest of the memory, but failed miserably. Ozpin was staring at her, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Eve's nerves were buzzing.

"Yes, my apologies."

"No, I'm afraid I've kept you here too long. I should have stopped pestering a while ago." Ozpin replied with a warm smile. "Thank you for the information. You may go now."

"Of course." Eve stood up, brushing off her coat and nodding briskly before exiting the room.

Ozpin waited a few seconds after she had exited, the clock ticking ominously in the silence. He spun his chair around, thoughtfully staring at the view of the city. Suddenly he heard the door open. He heard the sound of heels clicking on the glass tiles. He didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Glynda…" Ozpin said, turning his chair towards her. "Call James for me."

Silent, Eve stood there, her back to the door. The hallway loomed before her, light pouring in from the windows, covering the tiles with a light gloss. Eve took a shuddering breath covering her face.

"Why did I remember that memory?" She whispered, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Eve?" A timid voice asked. Eve looked up, surprised to see Xanthic staring at her. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I have.

"I'm fine." She replied quickly. "You're up early."

"You too." He responded with a shy smile. The two were engulfed in silence. Finally Eve spoke.

"I'm going to head back to the dorm, see you in class."

"Oh...bye." Xanthic called out.


Ozpin paced around his desk, peering in and out over his scroll. "You're sure?" Ozpin asked, pacing back and forth.

"Yes," Ironwood said over the scroll. "We have no intel that implies this 'Humanity' is anything that poses a threat. It's an organization that's based on racist principles made of kids too young to understand anything, mercenaries who want money, and veterans too old to see that times are changing. No one capable of anything dangerous."

Ozpin sighed. "I just spoke to one of my students. When she talked about them...there was terror in her eyes."

Ironwood took a moment of pause. "Do you think she could have been lying?"

Ozpin shook his head. "No, she was scared, James. Terrified."

Ironwood took in a big breath. "They've been sending in fake threats," He explained as he signed some papers. "All of my spies and intel says they're an unorganized group with no real power. I'm sure all they can do is throw some propaganda or some slurs. Even then you can just remove them."

Ozpin took in everything, looked outside his window. He watched the students scurry to class, move from building to building. A Faunus girl had dropped her books, tripping over some of the sidewalk. A boy broke off from his friends, helping her pick the books up. "I just want the kids to be safe." Ozpin said, solemnly.

Ironwood came back in over the scroll. "And that's fine. But we want them to be safe too. Look, I'll be in town soon and get a progress report. We can catch up and see if you still believe that they're a threat. If so I can send troops-"

Ozpin interjected over the phone. "No. No troops. That just makes us more of a target to others. We'll just see where this goes." Ironwood wanted to say something, but kept to himself. "I'll call you later James." Ozpin hung up the scroll, looking back over the courtyard. The girl who dropped her books joined the boys group. Across the courtyard from them a cat Faunus boy was being teased, his tail being pulled by a crowd of older boys. A teacher rushed over to break up the bullying. "Glynda, do you think we're doing the right thing?"

Glynda peered up from her notebook, closing it. "It's like you said" she said, standing next to Ozpin "We'll just see where this goes."


Eve stormed down the hallway, her mind whirling. Vincent and Jade. Were they still alive? Hatred and guilt struck her simultaneously and she bit her lip. Her time in Humanity had become a faded nightmare over the years. But now it was vivid and real. Chills swept over her skin as she reached for the knob to her room. She wanted to forget about it all, but now-

The door swung open and Eve came face to face with a surprised Celeste in the doorway.

"Guys she's here." Celeste called out. Two very pissed boys appeared besides her. D'art and Owen. All three had ridiculous black markings on their faces. Celeste had cat whiskers, D'art had a moustache, and Owen had a monocle.

Eve stared at them blankly. "Right." She muttered, having forgotten the prank.

"This isn't over Glamis." D'art snapped, pointing at her. "I'll have my revenge." Eve wasn't in the mood for any of this however, her eyes hardened and she brushed past them.

"You're not coming?" Owen asked.

"I'm going to stay a bit, I'll be there when class starts." Eve called out, slumping on her bed.

"What's up with her?" D'art asked quietly.

"Eve, hurry up. We always get breakfast together." Celeste snapped, leaning against the doorway. But Eve didn't respond, her face was muffled in her pillow and she made no move to follow them.

With a frown Celeste turned towards the hallway. "Fine, but you better not be late to class."

After the sound of footsteps had faded, Eve looked up slowly. Already, her team was forgotten. Images of her past swirled around in her mind as Eve grabbed her pillow, clutching it to her chest. In the silence of her bedroom, she hoped that it would all disappear again. That she could temporarily erase those years from her mind. But this time, those memories would not fade away. And she was left with an unshakable feeling of dread.

And then, something came to her. The figment of the memory she had before, so vague and unfamiliar that she could barely recall it. It was as if it was covered in a blanket of fog. Despite herself, Eve tried to remember the rest of what had happened.

...

"Then we're going to have to kill you." The voice had said, it was smooth and feminine, with traces of a strong accent. Chills swept across Eve's skin as her grip tightened on her whip. Vincent, however, was unscathed.

"Come and get us." He replied calmly, yanking his double sided spear out of the cement. It glowed neon green in the darkness, leaving a trail wherever it moved. The shadows dashed forward, their movements quick and careful.

Vincent lowered his voice considerably. "Listen to me," He said. "This is extremely close quarters, don't use your whip, only the sword on it. Understand?"

"Yes." Eve breathed.

"Good." Vincent parried a slash, spinning his spear carelessly and kicking his opponent. Eve jumped over him, landing on a dumpster and dodging another arrow. Her gaze shifted to a small outline in the back of the alleyway, the archer.

"Don't worry about her." Vincent snapped, dodging a blow. Eve jumped off the dumpster, clashing with one of the shadows. As her opponent lunged towards her with his claws, Eve stepped to her right, snatching his outstretched arm and slamming him into the wall. The shadow made a hiss of pain, grabbing her sword with his bare hands as Eve made an attempt to split his skull. His aura couldn't last much longer.

"Who are you." She snarled.

The shadow kicked her shin, throwing Eve off balance as he backhanded her with his claws. Eve was slammed into the dumpster with a grunt. Pain flashed through her head as she dodged another swipe of his claws. Her eyes shifted briefly to the moving neon spear, Vincent was busy fending off two.

There was an agonizing scream of pain from the end of the alleyway, Eve quickly glanced down it. Jade's silhouette stood there, her katana embedded in the archer's chest. Jade was still for a brief second. Then she took the sword out cleanly, kicking the body away before sprinting towards the rest of the fight.

Eve parried another slash, kicking the legs of her opponent and forcing him to stagger. Using her semblance and his momentum, Eve moved her hand forward. Her opponent was sent flying back, slamming into one of the other shadows. Vincent took the distraction as an opportunity, enlarging his blades as he sliced clean through one opponent.

Eve gripped her sword tightly, about to slash one of her enemies. However, before Eve could do so, a shadow flew over her, landing behind her. Spinning around, Eve's eyes widened as their claws moved towards their throat. And then there was a flash of movement. A girl fell onto her opponent, claw like blades outstretched. Blood splattered across the walls. Eve couldn't help but gasp in surprise as the girl stood up slowly.

"Yukina?" Eve asked, breathless. The girl had pink hair, visible in the small ray of moonlight she was standing in. She wore a white sweater, on her back was the hood which had stitched on cat ears. After staring at the body under her seemingly dazed for a second Yukina turned towards Eve, her blue eyes blinking.

"H-Hello." She said softly. Behind her, Vincent finished off the last shadow, his eyes moving towards Yukina and narrowing.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked, his voice dripping with acid.

"This was Eve's first mission." Yukina stated quickly.

"Your point? Not only did you follow us without permission, but you also interrupted the fight, which could have hurt not only the enemy but us as well, if you were careless."

Yukina flinched a little. "I'm sorry."

"What's going on?" Jade asked, confused. As Eve moved aside, a flash of recognition passed across Jade's face.

"She followed us without permission." Vincent snapped.

Jade frowned. "You should know better, Yukina."

"I was worried." Yukina said quickly, retracting her claws. Eve realized that blood was already splattered across her hoodie. A flicker of sadness came across her. She had told Yukina she didn't want any blood on it. "Eve had been training for it and she didn't seem herself. I wanted to follow so nothing would happen-"

"I don't care." Vincent replied, his grip on his spear visibly tightened. Vincent was terrifying when he was furious. Not because he would yell or threaten you, but because of his demeanor and appearance. The way his pupils would get smaller, the way his jaw twitched. Jade fidgeted slightly.

"You broke the code, and for that you will be punished." He hissed, turning around towards the entrance. He hauled the boy with amber eyes over his shoulder, strolling out the alleyway. Jade followed quickly behind him.

"I'm sorry." Yukina whispered, as the two girls slowly walked out. Eve was silent. She felt ashamed and angry. But she was also grateful.

"Thank you."

Yukina nodded. "I would do it again."

"No," Eve said, turning to look at her friend. "Don't do that again. Ever." Yukina blinked. "Don't you understand?" Eve snapped, blood rushing up to her face. "You're going to be badly punished for this."

"I know." Yukina whispered.

"You can't worry about me like this. Humanity isn't a place where you can afford to worry about others."

"I know."

"And how do you think I feel? I've trained for this first mission for months, I thought it was going to be easy. I was slacking off. And without you I would have died." Eve's voice shook, she took a deep breath. "I can't rely on others, not anymore."

"I just want to help you the way you helped me." Yukina said softly. Eve opened her mouth to argue, but because Yukina seemed so painfully despondent, Eve couldn't bring herself to. So instead, Eve closed her mouth, facing forward.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

"It's okay."

"I'm just worried for you. The punishment for this is going to be-"

Yukina interrupted her. "I'll be fine."

"Be strong." Eve whispered, her throat tightened.

"As long as you're there, I will be." Yukina replied, smiling at her friend.

The two girls walked into the street, the moonlight casting a luminous glow on their faces. Hand in hand, they made their way back home.


The door to the dorm opened softly, and a concerned D'art, Owen, and Celeste walked in, food in hand. It was lunch time, and Eve hadn't attended any of the classes.

"Look, she's sleeping, that lazy bum." Celeste snapped as the group walked over to Eve's bed.

"She might have had a rough morning." D'art replied.

Celeste sighed. "I can never tell what's going through her head."

"I can check." Owen offered, Celeste jabbed him in the ribs. "Ow."

"I don't want to wake her though." D'art said thoughtfully.

"Then don't." Owen added. "She can catch up with homework later." Celeste gently put her tray down on Eve's bedside.

"What're you doing?" D'art asked. Celeste flushed a little.

"S-She's probably hungry, so she can have my food." Owen and D'art stared at Celeste, surprised. Catching their gaze, she stuttered. "I-I'm only doing this because I didn't like the food." With a huff she turned to walk out of the room.

"But you love fruit salad." D'art replied, following her.

"Shuddup!"

Owen lingered at Eve's bedside, his eyes slightly widened. The girl was curled up on her side, her pillow hugged close to her chest. Her black hair was sprawled unevenly on the bedside. On her face was the most unguarded expression he had ever seen from her. A smile tugged at his lips as he turned to follow his teammates.