I'd like to apologize for anyone confused by last chapter. If I didn't have an event shown or a similar one in its place, I was omitting events that weren't changed in the chapter. Only a small number of parts were changed from the first two of the four episodes covered and I really didn't think people would want to read things that were completely unchanged, like Yang and Blake giving their reasons for wanting to become Huntresses, which is referenced in the previous chapter.

By request, I'm putting a warning here about a cute/frustrating White Rose scene during this.

Chapter 24: Red Meets Blue

Beacon Courtyard, with Team RWBY

Ruby let out a frustrated sigh as she led her team towards the CCT Tower and Ozpin's office. She wasn't sure why, but they woke up to find a message saying they were to report to the headmaster's office first thing when they woke up. "Do you think he already has another lead for us?" she asked glancing back at her team before Weiss spoke up.

"I certainly hope not. There's a storm that's supposed to be drifting in from Draconys some time today and I doubt anyone wants to be outside when it arrives." Blake looked at the other three in confusion.

"What's so bad about a storm coming in from Draconys exactly? It's just a bit of rain, right?" Yang turned to her partner with a look of dismay.

"You don't know? Wow, I guess you really did grow up outside the kingdoms. Normal storms might blow off the continent from time to time, but those aren't the kind people are worried about. See, every few years this… thing called a Miasmic Storm, or just Miasma, forms somewhere in Draconys and then drifts out over the ocean before hitting one of the Kingdoms."

Weiss nodded before speaking up. "The rain is mildly toxic and can drive Grimm into a frenzy, but worse than that is you can't tell if it's just a normal storm or the Miasma until it hits… And even if it's a normal storm they tend to linger for a while. If it does hit Vale, we probably won't be seeing the sun for about a week."

Ruby hummed before chiming in. "There's always been some kind of corruption in the air of northern Draconys, it could be that's what causes the Miasma. Either way, we should really-" Ruby was cut off by a humming noise as a ship flew by overhead. At a glance, it reminded them of a small airship until they noticed the lack of engines and the wings simply floating beside it. The group watched as it slowly drifted toward the docks, the wings moving to sit flat against the top. Yang glanced at the group in confusion.

"What was that?"

Ruby looked at the blonde before speaking up. "I don't know, but now I'm curious…" She quickly took off towards the docks, eager to see what was going on as her team ran after her.

Beacon Docks

"Will you be careful with these? Each one has Dust engraved into it, the last thing we need is you knocking something loose and one of them coming online up here!" Aurelius let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, watching as a group of Atlesian soldiers searched through the crates, casually tossing the pieces of Sentinels and Goliaths around. He glanced to the side as he heard a groan, looking at Adrienne. Like him, she had decided to use the transformative aspect of the Rose Storm to hide her true appearance, blue eyes replacing silver and black hair replaced by brown with streaks of orange in it, a single orange rose entwined in her hair. Rather than her normal outfit, she was wearing a simple orange dress and shoes, leaning against the ship. Aurelius had taken on the familiar form of Arthur Bisman, but with a dark blue coat and tie in place of his original outfit, a blue rose resting in the lapel.

"Come on, it's not a big deal," a nearby lieutenant said with a sigh. "This is all just junk." He held up Vulcan's head. "I mean seriously, do you really think this hunk of junk could take on one of our Paladins?"

"Yep, and I think you'd have your head crushed for the "hunk of junk" remark," Adrienne said cheerfully. The soldiers stopped and stared at her nervously, some reaching for their weapons. "What? It's the truth…"

Aurelius sighed. "Even if it is, it's best to not provoke them. They're trigger happy enough as it is." Adrienne pouted slightly before leaning against the Roc's hull.

The lieutenant nodded before he spoke up. "Hey, did you hear about that incident yesterday? Apparently, the Headmaster of Beacon sent the team with that Rose girl to look for some White Fang base out to the southeast."

Aurelius nodded with a smile. "From what I've heard, they performed their job admirably and prevented any damage to the city or loss of life."

The lieutenant scoffed. "You're joking, right? They barely stopped the train before it reached Vale. Crazy wolf snapped and blew up the tunnel and the Grimm swarmed out. Now there's this massive pit a few miles outside the city that we've got to watch constantly. It's just like the general said, every Rose is an unstable lunatic, you can't trust them." The soldier didn't notice the clouds form overhead or the wind pick up suddenly, but he did notice the man in front of him growl.

"Is that so? Would you mind telling me where the general is so I can… congratulate him on a job well done?"

The lieutenant swallowed nervously before the words left his mouth. "H-he's up in the CCT, I think he was waiting for the Rose girl so he could discuss the incident with her and the headmaster." Before anyone could respond a girl's voice interrupted them.

"Oh wow, what is all this?" A red blur suddenly moved into view, moving to grab something from the pile on the ground before a pair of soldiers stepped in front of her.

"I'm sorry, but nobody is allowed to interact with any of this until it's been searched and we've determined that none of it is dangerous," one of them said before the members of Team RWBY let out a frustrated sigh. Aurelius took a step forward, causing the girls to look at him, Ruby blinking in confusion as she noticed the small blue flower.

"Professor Bisman?" Ruby said, head tilted to the side with an ear down, making it hard for Weiss not to tackle her to the ground.

"I swear, she has to know how adorable she's being when she does that. There's no way she could be so accidentally cute!" Weiss thought quickly before the man spoke up.

"In a manner of speaking," Aurelius responded before spinning Ruby around, pushing her towards the CCT Tower. "Now then, I think we should go see Ozpin and a certain general. It wouldn't do to keep them waiting, would it?" The members of Team RWBY shuddered at the normally relaxed professor's tone before Ruby decided to speak up.

"U-uh, where did you get the blue rose? And who's the other girl?" Aurelius sighed.

"I'll explain once we get to Ozpin's office, okay? I don't want people to hear." Ruby pouted but continued along.

Ozpin's Office

Ironwood let out a frustrated sigh as he paced around in front of Ozpin's desk, occasionally glaring at the elevator door. "Is this really how you trained these kids, Ozpin? They can't even be bothered to show up on time." Ozpin let out a frustrated sigh and Glynda went to speak before the elevator beeped. The headmaster quickly pressed the button to allow entry to the office, blinking as he saw the group that walked in.

"Ah, Professor Bisman. I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon," Ozpin said with a weak smile before the man stopped in front of the desk.

"And I never expected to see you again, Zoroaster," Aurelius said with a smile as the rose disintegrated, creating a cloud of petals around him. His hair turned black and blue eyes became silver as the petals quickly formed a dark blue cloak on his shoulders, a Rose crest pinning it in place. Ruby let out a surprised squeak while the rest of her team took a step back in surprise.

"W-wait, how do- when did- what?!" Ruby sputtered in confusion before the girl in orange grinned, the rose in her hair disintegrating to form a cloud around her, eventually turning into a cloak as her dress was replaced with a padded black shirt and pants along with black boots.

Ozpin on the other hand let out a sigh of relief. "Aurelius, I was afraid you'd truly departed from the world all that time ago." The Blue Rose pat the other man on the shoulder before stepping back. Weiss took a moment to speak up.

"W-wait, Aurelius as in the Blue Rose? The one Ruby and her entire family is descended from?" Aurelius nodded.

"That would be correct, and this…" He quickly gestured to the orange-cloaked girl next to him, causing her to wave at the group. "Is Adrienne, one of the greatest fighters our family has ever seen."

The Orange Rose quickly walked over to the wolf and grabbed her hand, shaking it slightly. "I'm so happy to finally meet you. Grandpa Auri told me so much about you and your friends!" Before Ruby could say anything, Weiss spoke up.

"That's… That's all well and good, but how are you alive?"

Aurelius let out a sigh before he started explaining his rebirths to his audience, briefly touching on Dust before he finished. When he was done Ironwood scoffed. "That's a nice story, Bisman, but the idea that something like that could possibly happen is preposterous! Coming back from the dead by transferring your soul to another body? Who in their right mind do you expect to believe that?" Ozpin let out a quiet sigh before Ruby spoke up.

"So this is where you draw the line? I think he's telling the truth. Besides, having three Roses means that it'll be easier to figure out what's going on, we just need another mis-"

"Actually, Ruby…" Ironwood started as he turned around. "This is no longer the concern of any of you." Aurelius glared before taking a step toward the general.

"Explain. Now. I'm already tired of your opinions and self-importance as it is," the Blue Rose growled out.

Ironwood gave him a dismissive glance. "After your near-failure yesterday…" He raised his hand to silence Team RWBY's protests. "The Vale Council has decided that Ozpin and the students of Beacon cannot be counted on to defend the city during the Vytal Festival Tournament. They have officially reached out to Atlas and had me put in charge of security. Also, due to the exact nature of the incident, the Council has decided that it cannot be certain of Team RWBY's capacity to perform field assignments or remain objective. As such, until an evaluation of each individual member can be conducted by a specialist from Atlas, it has been decided that your team will be barred from missions outside the city walls. Your team must also be monitored at all times while on missions within the city and each member will be escorted by a member of the Atlesian military when leaving the city to ensure you don't do anything… drastic." Aurelius growled.

"Is this because you don't think they can handle assignments, general, or because you don't think anyone from my family is stable enough to function in a leadership position?" Ruby looked on in surprise as the general flinched. "The men you sent to examine the finds of the expedition were more than a little talkative. I believe your expectations were that Ruby would either blow up half the southeast quadrant or they'd fail in a way that put the city in danger."

"I never said any of that," Ironwood said before Aurelius growled, eyes glowing.

"Your eyes tell me you lie and your voice does nothing to disguise it as truth. Does your bravado and courage only go skin deep?"

"Look around you!" Ironwood snapped. "The Rose family has failed at every turn! They couldn't their own near-extinction, they couldn't stop the Great War, and you, Bisman, couldn't stop any of it from happening! Why should we expect you or a young girl to be able to do anything that could change this? Do you really think-" The general was stopped by a hand wrapped around his neck.

"Let me explain this to you, general…" Aurelius started. "I don't care what you think of me, but you've insulted my family and are trying to destroy the dreams of four promising Huntresses. I will not abide by that. Once the Vytal Festival is over, I will talk to the Vale Council about reconsidering their decisions on this matter. Until then, I will tolerate your presence and nothing more." The Blue Rose glared into the man's eyes before he finished. "If you ever insult, hurt, or threaten a member of my family again, there will be more than words between us. Is that clear?" Ironwood nodded before Aurelius released his grip, turning to the elevator. "If there's nothing else, Team RWBY will be leaving with me. I'm sure they would like some time to relax after this incident." The members of Team RWBY quietly followed the man, Ruby looking down at the ground.

In a bakery in Vale, with RWBY and the Rose Family

"So, if you want to make a call, you hit this button after entering the number, or if you have it saved, just selected the person you want to call and hit the button," Yang said, leaning over Adrienne, who had returned to her earlier form.

Adrienne nodded, blue eyes glancing over the screen of the Scroll in her hand. "This is amazing, it's like a little mini-Speaker you can carry around in your pocket!" Yang blinked.

"Y-yeah, a Speaker, whatever that is…" Blake sighed.

"It's one of the Draconian constructs, the little ball thing they used for communication. We went over it in class before Bisman- I mean Aurelius- went on that expedition." Yang scratched the back of her head while returning to helping Adrienne get adjusted to the modern world.

Ruby and Weiss sat at a nearby table, the faunus looking down sadly as she sniffled quietly, tears dropping onto the table. Weiss reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, causing the girl to look up. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this Ruby. I know you said being a Huntress is what you've always wanted to do, and we'll make sure you get to be one. Ironwood isn't going to stop us from helping people, I promise." Ruby looked up at her, smiling weakly before Weiss bit her lip. "She needs to know someone cares… but I can't tell her how I feel, not yet… M-maybe when we take care of this whole situation I can tell her." "For what it's worth, I think you're an amazing leader, Ruby. If more people were like you the world would be a better place."

Ruby wiped her eyes, still smiling a bit. "D-do you mean it?" Weiss rolled her eyes as she stood up.

"Of course I do, dolt. Now, how about we get some cookies? It's my treat," Weiss said before Ruby hopped up, giving her a quick hug.

"Thanks, Weiss. You're the best friend I've ever had…" "I just wish we could be more than that sometimes…"

Weiss blushed as she rolled her eyes. "It's nothing, really." "Maybe some day we we'll be more than that…"

The two quickly went to the counter, Weiss silently watching as Ruby selected a few dozen cookies before buying them for the faunus girl. As the two went back to the table, Weiss glanced over to see Ruby quickly take a pill, smiling before she spoke up. "I was worried I'd have to remind you of that, you aren't really in the best mood right now." Ruby smiled weakly.

"It's fine, I know not to forget that." Ruby sat down and starting eating cookies. After a moment she stopped looking nervously at Weiss. "Can you keep a secret for me, please?" When Weiss nodded Ruby continued. "Aurelius coming back means the Order of the Blue Rose is probably coming back… I was thinking of joining it."

Weiss blinked in surprise. Ruby had told her partner about the Order of the Blue Rose, a group made up mostly of members of the Rose family and others that had chosen to protect Sanctuary at any cost. For some reason, Weiss couldn't picture Ruby anywhere else. "That's very noble of you Ruby, but I don't understand why you don't want anyone to know."

Ruby sighed. "I-it's just… After yesterday Tai called me. He… Wasn't too happy about his daughters risking their lives when anyone else could have gone in their place and I don't think he really approves of me following in mom's footsteps…"

Aurelius sat down across from the two with a sigh. "It's not really his choice. If a Rose wants to fight to defend those they care about, nothing can stop them from doing so… Well, except for their own combat skills." Ruby and Weiss looked at the man before he smiled. "Adrienne can help you with the Rose Storm and another little trick of ours, but I will be teaching you about Dust and how to use it." Ruby smiled brightly at this. "Just remember, you probably won't be too happy with your training. Adrienne has an incredible amount of energy, even for a Rose, and I won't let you skip out on my lessons just because she's tired you out."

Ruby smiled. Weiss was right, Ironwood could stop her from taking missions, but he couldn't stop her from training. Now, she was going to learn exactly what it meant to be a Rose. "Before we start, I was hoping I could ask you for a favor…"

That's it for this chapter. I do have a question though. I'm trying to come up with a name for the power of a Rose's silver eyes but all I can come up with is something that (to me) sounds boring, like "Rose Trance" or "Warrior's Trance." If you have a suggestion, please send me a message or leave a review.

I've decided that, most likely, I'll make Ironwood a glory hound over being a traitor. The main reason is I kind of feel like giving him a chance to redeem himself and the other option for who's going to cause problems in Atlas is already going to be an unlikable, if not universally despised, character anyways, so I might as well stick with one unredeemable monster in Atlas. As a result, Ironwood is going to be more interested in prestige and proving Atlas is the best country in Remnant. As a result, he will be trying to save the various kingdoms through use of force and exerting Atlesian influence and dominance, as well as confirming Atlesian military superiority.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.