This chapter will contain the relative events of the episodes Lessons Learned and Never Miss a Beat. While it's going to be a long one, this means we're one chapter away from a chapter I feel quite a few people have been waiting for, or perhaps dreading… Expect one, or possibly two, chapters in the next 24 hours.

Chapter 30: Tea, Glyphs and Tempo

AWS Aurora, with Ironwood and Winter

"General, you can't be serious!" Winter said, a look of mild surprise on her face.

"I am, Schnee. Aurelius has refused to share anything but the bare minimum with us and we have no idea what he has planned. Our only hope is that cooperating with him puts him in a good enough mood that he'll willingly share his "contingencies" with us, or at least meet us halfway." Ironwood stood up from his desk and slowly paced the room. "I hate to admit it, but he's right about one thing. There simply isn't enough time to tackle any of the individual leads we have without tipping our hand, and if he is right about Beacon's CCT Tower being compromised, we simply can't take any risks. Aurelius is the most cryptic member of his family I encountered and he was willing to allow you to take part in our meeting simply for the sake of convenience."

"Sir, with all due respect, what do the whims of one man have to do with anything?" Winter asked, hands still behind her back as she looked at Ironwood.

The general let out a sigh. "A few weeks ago, I would have said it made no difference, but I'm not so sure anymore. When Ozpin first inducted me into our group, he revealed that he's almost as ancient as Aurelius is." He glanced at the shocked Specialist before continuing. "Through some method we can barely replicate, let alone comprehend, he's able to bind his soul to another after his death to continue living on. He doesn't remember much about his history due to the strain and time constraints, but he holds a great deal of respect for Aurelius. Not only that, but…" Ironwood let out another sigh. "From what little I can gather, the vast majority of this centers around the last years of Sanctuary. Ozpin and the others don't speak about it much, but our enemy, whoever she is, must be a serious threat to fracture the internal unity of the Rose family. Any piece of information we can get could help immensely, and he honestly seems more willing to deal with people from an intellectual background."

"So, are you ordering me to converse with him and attempt to glean information he wouldn't otherwise share, sir?" Winter said, mild annoyance in her voice.

"It's not an order Winter, it's a request," Ironwood said, sitting back in his chair. "I promised that I would have the files he requested delivered to him today and you need to collect the report he wrote to get you up to speed on the situation. You have to deal with him anyways, so it doesn't hurt to see if he's in a talkative mood when you arrive."

Winter let out a sigh as she stepped forward, taking the folder Ironwood handed her. "Very well. Is there anything else, sir?"

Ironwood leaned back in his chair. "I know I called you in to do evaluations on team RWBY, but with the current situation I'd like for you to limit your scope to the team's leader, Ruby Rose." Winter raised an eyebrow before Ironwood continued. "After the… incident at Mountain Glenn I was convinced she was dangerously unhinged and the Vale Council agreed with me. During the last few encounters with her, it's obvious that she's perfectly rational, even if she thinks and operates differently than the rest of us. If we want her to be able to assist, she needs a clean bill of health, mentally, to satisfy the Council. Any minor eccentricities you find should only be mentioned if you feel it should be necessary."

Winter raised an eyebrow. "And the CCT Tower, sir?"

Ironwood sighed. "We might not have time to scan every file on every computer in the building before we run out of time. As it stands, your primary priority after your meeting with Aurelius should be confirming Ruby's mental health through any method you feel necessary. Once that's handled, your secondary priority will be to assist our technicians in inspecting the major systems in the CCT Tower and the fleet. If we want to be prepared, we have to be certain there aren't any nasty surprises." Winter nodded quickly. "You're dismissed."

Winter gave a quick salute before turning to leave the room. Once she was on the dropship she let out a frustrated sigh. "I sincerely hope that whatever information I can collect is worth the… discomfort that I'll have to deal with."

Beacon Academy, Aurelius' Office

Aurelius let out a groan as he heard someone knocking on the door. "Come in…" As he heard the door open he glanced up, blinking in surprise. "Ah, Specialist Schnee, I wasn't expecting you to arrive for the report until later today," he said calmly.

Winter let out a frustrated sigh. "Forgive me, but I'm simply following orders." She quickly handed him the folder, causing him to glace through it with a hum.

"So apparently, they actually are from Haven Academy in Mistral, it might be wise for someone to be sent to speak with Professor Lionheart to confirm this however," Aurelius hummed. "Regardless, now that I know what room they're in I can start moving forward on my end of things."

Winter sighed before she spoke up. "And what exactly do you intend to do? I doubt you could simply walk into their room and plant a listening device without someone mentioning your presence to them later that day."

Aurelius glanced up in surprise before nodding, a smirk on his face. "You are correct, but I don't plan to set foot in their room. In fact, nobody will be required to go into their room as far as they know."

Winter blinked. "I'm not sure I understand." Aurelius leaned back, sighing slightly.

"I have… Well, let's just say I have a more unique method of listening in on them." Aurelius quickly opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out a relatively large folder. "Now then, this includes everything I've felt would be necessary to know in the current situation. I've also included information on our interlopers and one other individual that may be involved in this group." Winter nodded before she glanced through the folder, letting out a sigh. "Is something wrong?"

Winter closed the folder, standing in front of Aurelius' desk. "I apologize, I'm just unsure of how to handle this situation." "How does the general expect me to even get him to say anything?"

Aurelius nodded, clasping his hands on the table. "Understandable. Before I regained my memory, the little that Ozpin both remembered and was willing to share was… difficult to process. Perhaps there are some questions I can answer?"

Winter let out a breath. "Perhaps…" She glanced at the map on the wall behind him, roads hand-drawn between about twenty points on Draconys. "Starting with something small and seemingly innocent might be a wise choice." "What was Sanctuary like before its fall? What really caused its collapse? And why is it that everything from last night is kept so secret?"

Aurelius let out a sigh before gesturing to the seat across from him. "If you really intend to start with the fall of Sanctuary, you might as well make yourself comfortable." As Winter sat down, Aurelius gestured to the pot next to him. "Would you like tea or hot chocolate? I'm afraid the only people that regularly visit me that drink coffee prefer to bring their own."

Winter nodded slowly. "Tea would be… acceptable." Aurelius gave a quiet grunt before he filled a cup and placed it in front of her. Once she had time to prepare her cup, Aurelius spoke up.

"Sanctuary was a nation that stood without any comparison, even among the various nation states that rose up between its fall and the present day. It wasn't quite a monarchy like the kingdoms before the Great War, nor was it completely democratic like the Councils that run the nations that exist today. It was a powerful, stable nation that controlled the southern half of Draconys, back when that part of the continent was covered in verdant plains and majestic forests. The only threat to the kingdom, as you might call it, was the Grimm from behind the Dragon's Talons. We tried to protect the people as best we could, adapting to new situations and ideas as they came, but sometimes it wasn't enough."

"The decline and end of Sanctuary wasn't something that anyone expected. Even back during the golden age of Sanctuary, the northern half of the continent was much the same as the southern half is now: barren, desolate, and merciless. A corruption lingered in the air wherever you went, if you were bold enough to even set foot in the badlands, that is. Eventually, we realized that the numbers of the Grimm couldn't be limitless, but that they had to be spawning somewhere on the northern part of the continent. Once we realized this, we sent out a team led by a woman by the name of Salem, the Black Rose." Aurelius sighed before taking a drink from his own tea.

Winter hesitated, suddenly getting the feeling she was walking on dangerous ground. "W-what happened?"

Aurelius glanced up at her taking a breath. "They vanished into the badlands for about a year and a half before Salem came back, alone. Back then, it wasn't uncommon for members of the Rose family to sacrifice themselves to ensure someone could return to say what went wrong, so we didn't find it odd. We mourned our lost family, as we always did, and the fact that their bodies couldn't be recovered, while our attention left Salem. The first sign of trouble was when she started speaking to our younger members, telling them about how weak Sanctuary and our family had become, how we couldn't protect anyone if we stayed on our path. A few of us tried to calm the discontent, but eventually someone made the mistake of aggressively denouncing her in the middle of one of her debates… Twenty of our family paid the price and a bloody war started that led to one of the traitors managing to steal the power of two of the Maidens. Even among the traitors and Salem herself, the young girl was mad to the point she didn't care if she lived. During a battle, she tried to use every ounce of power she had stolen to destroy the entire battlefield, only for a few of her more rational comrades to put her down in a panic, and the blast turned skyward…"

He let out a sigh. "The moon is so much smaller than Remnant, but the blast could still have fractured Draconys… After seeing what half of my gifted power could do, it was decided that we would never reveal the identities of the Maidens again, in hopes that their power would never be harnessed by someone so mad and cruel… After this, I chose to hunt down Salem personally and was forced to destroy myself in an attempt to end her madness. Sadly, she survived, and when I died, many of Sanctuary's defenses were left untended by the other members of the Triumvirate. The Grimm swept south virtually unopposed, and that was the end of Sanctuary."

Winter swallowed her tea nervously, setting the cup down. "S-so, this woman that's controlling everything…"

"Is almost certainly Salem, yes," Aurelius said with a nod. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the events leading up to the Great War weren't influenced by her. The Rose Hunts that nearly wiped my family out were certainly subverted for her purposes."

Winter nodded slowly. "So, what do we do then?"

Aurelius hummed. "That depends on what happens over the course of the next few days. I suppose you go back to whatever the general wanted of you, while I go back to my reading while I have a bit of free time."

Winter frowned at the man. "We're potentially looking at a war and you're wasting time reading?" she asked in frustration.

"I'm not quite wasting time. My plan for collecting information requires at least one person to be in the room, and one of the people has to be Ms. Sustrai in order for my cover story to be valid." He turned a page in his book. "Besides, I'm sure even Atlesian Specialists understand the importance of leisure time, or am I wrong?" He subtly glanced up from his book as Winter stood up.

"I feel as though you enjoy goading me."

"Not quite, I just rarely find someone this open to discussion about Sanctuary beyond its military strength or the mistakes made near the end. I do, however, disapprove of obsessive discipline. It makes people… predictable, as I said last night." He leaned back in his chair, looking Winter in the eye. "Tell me, why are you really asking me about this? You don't seem like the kind of person for idle chat, as disappointing as the thought is for a scholar." Winter blinked. "Is there something… specific you were hoping to learn?"

Winter let out a sigh. "I doubt you'd tell me anyways."

"That depends. Are you asking out of curiosity… or duty?" Winter looked at him in surprise. "You could have asked me about anything, such as what army I could possibly have or what my intentions are, yet you decide to ask something that, to you, seemed unrelated to the current situation. If you came here to question me because Ironwood asked or told you to, you would have either asked what you wanted to know immediately so you wouldn't have to spend so much time here or simply left and told him that I refused to say anything. If you decided to ask me about it simply because you were curious, then it suggests a desire to improve, and the will of someone who seeks to become something greater than themselves is far stronger than the pride or satisfaction one feels from their previous accomplishments." The woman looked down, a troubled expression on her face before she stood up, grabbing the file.

"Thank you for the… enlightening conversation," she said as she turned toward the door.

Aurelius nodded before he spoke up. "Just don't destroy any more buildings. Even Glynda gets tired of repairing the damage eventually."

Winter stopped, her grip tightening on the handle to the door. "Perhaps you should be more focused on ensuring you don't bore your students to death with your long lectures," she quipped, not noticing the amused expression on Aurelius' face.

"Ah, but then how would I punish the troublemakers then?" Aurelius shot back as the door closed, letting out a sigh as he returned to his book.

Beacon Grounds, with Weiss and Winter

Winter paced quietly behind Weiss, trying to get her mind off her earlier encounter. "Now, think to your fallen foes, the ones that forced you to push yourself past who you were and become who you are now. Think of them and watch as they come to your side."

Weiss let out a frustrated growl as her Glyph faded. "I can't!"

Winter went to slap Weiss in the back of the head, but stopped and put a hand on her shoulder. "Stop doubting yourself."

"I'm trying!" Weiss said, more than a little frustrated.

Winter hummed, thinking to Aurelius' remark earlier. "Weiss, do you have something that drives you? A goal you wish to accomplish more than anything else or someone you care about?"

Weiss blinked in confusion before her mind turned to her red-cloaked teammate. "T-there is someone and something actually…"

"Would you be able to stand by and watch them suffer if you couldn't become stronger? Would you be able to accept that you failed to achieve your goal because you gave up because of your failure here?" Weiss looked at Winter in shock before growling.

"What kind of question is that?! Of course not!" Winter smiled subtly before gesturing toward the clearing.

"Then show me. Think about what you've done and what you can still do, everything you want to do, and focus!"

Weiss growled and thrust her sword forward, a glyph forming as she let her mind wander briefly to her crush and her promise to her. "I won't let you down, Ruby…" She glanced up and saw a suit of armor start to form causing her to let out a gasp. As her focus lapsed it faded away before it could fully form, causing her to let out a frustrated groan. "It still doesn't work!" Winter placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her sister to look at her.

"Weiss, it's still an improvement. Now you know what to focus on until summoning comes naturally." Winter gave her a small smile. "Be proud of yourself." Weiss smiled back before Winter spoke up. "So, have you spoken to father recently?"

Weiss sighed. "No, but he's frozen my credit card, so I assume he's angry."

Winter started walking toward the docks, hands behind her. "I trust you didn't discover this in any embarrassing manner?"

"No, Ruby noticed me ignoring his call and pointed out that there would be some retaliation, so when I went to pay for lunch I made sure to give the shop owner my bank card just in case." Winter raised an eyebrow at this.

"Ruby warned you of this?"

"Yeah, she tends to do things like that. She tends to be the most level-headed member of our team. You should really see the result of our Initiation test, I honestly didn't think it was possible for the four of us to take down a Nevermore of that size without help."

"Are the Initiations recorded?" Wiess smiled.

"You're right, they are I think! Maybe after my match I can find it for you!"

"That would be… interesting to see," Winter said. "I'll be watching your fight, good luck." Weiss smiled as they stepped onto the airbus.

Amity Colosseum Arena

Weiss watched as Ruby stretched slightly, eyes closed. "So, this team's from Atlas, right?" the wolf said.

"That's right, which means we're probably dealing with strict, militant fighters with advanced technology and-"

"Um, Weiss, they're team FNKI. I'd be surprised if they fit into the classic Atlas stereotype." As soon as Ruby said that a cat faunus burst by, a rainbow trail behind her before she stopped next to a boy with a trumpet.

"Hey, you're Weiss Schnee, right? The heiress," the boy said.

Weiss frowned. "I'd rather be remembered as a Huntress or singer honestly, but that's correct."

"I take it you're pretty good with Dust then."

"I mean, I do my best, but there's people better at controlling Dust than me."

"My dad was good with Dust, too. Owned a little Dust shop of his own and everything 'till your father's company ran him outta business."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry to hear that. I honestly don't agree with many of my father's practices."

"Sure, sure. You say that now, but the moment you're sitting in his chair you're gonna change your tune, just you wait and see." Weiss flinched as she heard this, frowning slightly.

Ruby let out a sigh and stood up. "Maybe you should give her a chance to prove that she isn't like her father first."

The cat faunus, Neon scoffed. "Riiight, like she'd ever keep a promise she made to a faunus! Her family's greedy, they have the most boring sense of style, and her singing sucks!"

Ruby's eyes opened, a slight glow to them as the wind picked up. As the arena rose up, Ruby turned to Weiss. "You want to take Flynt while I handle the cat?"

Weiss shrugged. "Sounds fine to me, just don't cause too much damage, okay?" Ruby shrugged, unfolding Crescent Rose before placing it on her shoulder as her cloak started to move in the breeze.

"No promises…" As soon as the match started Flynt started playing a long note, causing Ruby to step in front of Weiss and start spinning her scythe around. The blast from Flynt's trumpet rammed into a barrier of Wind Dust while the two started moving forward. Neon growled and moved to slam into Ruby from the side, causing the wolf to step aside while Weiss applied a Glyph to her feet to hold her in place. Ruby made a long swipe at Neon's legs, causing her to jump over the blade before the back of the blade slammed into her side, knocking her away from Weiss and Flynt. She started casually walking over towards the cat faunus as she stood up.

Weiss started using her Glyphs to move towards Flynt until she noticed the air pressure drop. Weiss staggered forward before Flynt kicked her into the fire region of the field, walking towards her with a grin. Ruby glanced over her shoulder in concern before blocking a strike from Neon. "Oh, so the mutt can actually fight back! And here I thought you were just a lap dog!" Neon dashed off, chanting her usual "never miss a beat" as she did, causing Ruby to frown before her scythe's blade started to shimmer slightly. The wolf faunus made a slash, sending an arc of wind flying at Neon, carving through the building behind her as she jumped over it. "No way!" Neon said before charging at Ruby, trying desperately to hit the wolf as she used Crescent Rose to block each strike.

Neon growled before activating the Frost charge in her nunchucks before making another strike, freezing the bottom end of Ruby's scythe, throwing off her balance slightly before she tapped the Dust crystal imbedded in the firing chamber. The crystal turned a bright red as the temperature increased, quickly melting the ice while Ruby ducked under a swing at her head. Ruby made a slash at Neon's stomach, forcing her back.

Weiss quickly made a group of ice shards before flinging them at Flynt, waiting for him to roll forward to blast a jet of flame to melt them before using her Glyphs to surge forward and to the side. Flynt stood up and dusted his pants off. "Looks like all that money can't buy you… skill." Flynt looked around before a series of ice shards hit him from behind, causing him to spin around, splitting into four copies before blasting Weiss into a rock. As he walked over to her the copies merged back with him. "I don't how you can move so fast, Schnee, but that was a nice trick…"

"Flynt! I could use some help!" Flynt looked up as Weiss looked over her shoulder to see Ruby calmly blocking another attack, eyes glowing a bit brighter. Flynt let out a sigh before using his semblance again, getting ready to knock the wolf off balance. Weiss went wide eyed and took a deep breath before ice surged up Flynt's legs, causing him to panic slightly just as Ruby turned to use her scythe to counter Flynt's attack. Flynt growled slightly before firing off a blast at Weiss, timing it with a jet of fire so she was engulfed in flames. Ruby let out a gasp as she heard Weiss cry out as the buzzer rang out.

"Weiss!" Ruby glanced up at the scoreboard to see that her partner's Aura was completely depleted. Ruby whimpered slightly, ears drooping.

"Oh, it appears that Weiss Schnee's Aura has been completely depleted!" Port said. "It was a noble sacrifice, but one I doubt Ruby will let be in vain."

Neon broke off a piece of Burn Dust and tossed it at the ice covering Flynt's feet, causing it to let out a burst of heat and free him. "Nice job, Flynt! Now we don't have to listen to her stupid, annoying voice anymore! C'mon, let's take out dog breath before she does something-" Neon was interrupted as a blast of Burn energy slammed into Flynt, knocking him back in an explosion before the buzzer sounded. Neon whimpered and turned to face the red-cloaked girl before she stared moving, trying to keep a quick pace.

Ruby glared at the girl before pulling out her Scroll, starting Red Like Roses to try and match her opponent's tempo and calm down before exploding in a cloud of rose petals. "Never miss a beat, never miss a-ahh!" Neon flinched as Ruby materialized in front of her, taking a swing at Neon and forcing her back. The cat whimpered as each step the wolf faunus took was accompanied by a series of strikes, each one flowing into the next and putting her on the defense. Eventually Ruby let out a strike and swung low, knocking Neon's legs out from under her and delivering a strike to her stomach, slamming the girl into the ground as the buzzer sounded.

Ruby quickly folded up Crescent Rose and sprinted over to Weiss, carefully pulling her out of the heat. "W-Weiss, are you okay?" she asked, ears drooping. Weiss let out a cough, looking up at her partner with a weak smile.

"I-I won't be singing any time soon, but other than that…" Ruby frowned.

"Weiss, save your strength, okay?" The heiress nodded before speaking up.

"Did you r-really have to listen to music in the middle a fight again?" Ruby whimpered.

"I-it was the only way I could avoid running over here immediately to check on you…"

Weiss smiled weakly, her light blush hidden by soot. "You're such a dolt sometimes, you know that?"

Ruby grinned. "I don't care, just as long as you're safe." Ruby watched as Yang and Blake ran over. "Come on, let's get you checked out and then you can relax, okay?" Weiss nodded, closing her eyes to rest as her team carefully carried her out of the Arena.

Later that night, Cinder's Room, with Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald

"So, it looks like the mutt's moving on to the finals," Mercury said, causing Emerald to groan.

"There's no way we can go along with the plan now. What are we going to do?" Emerald asked, causing Cinder to sigh, pulling out her Scroll after closing the files on Penny's design information.

"As much as I hate to admit it, there's only one person that could possibly know how to handle this situation…" Emerald and Mercury glanced at each other.

"Isn't that a bit… extreme?" Emerald asked nervously, causing Mercury to scoff.

"We don't have much of a choice," Cinder said before she held her Scroll up to her ear, listen to it ring. "Hello?"

"Ah, Cinder, to what do I owe the pleasure? Do you need someone else to clean up your mess or are you calling because you need help stringing that bow of yours?" the man on the other side asked.

Cinder sighed in frustration. "We… Need your help."

The man scoffed. "Of course you do. I'm honestly surprised you were able to last this long in Beacon considering your complete failure to steal the Fall Maiden's powers previously."

"Doctor…" Cinder growled. "Ruby Rose has gone to the finals. You're the person with the most experience dealing with the Rose family, so you must know a way we can salvage this situation."

The man on the other end hummed. "Well, I do know of someone in Vale that might be willing to help for a modest amount of Lien, and unlike you, he won't miss a man with a scythe charging at him. Send me the information about where and when and I'll send you a list of what he needs to do the job. Just make sure you have the right information or this will all be a waste."

Cinder frowned, trying not to crush her Scroll. "Of course, thank you for your assistance, Doctor Watts," Cinder said, hanging up as someone knocked on the door. The three occupants of the room glanced at each other before Emerald went to open it, blinking at Aurelius standing in the doorway in the form of Bisman.

"Um, Professor Bisman? What can we do for you?" Emerald asked nervously.

"Ah, Ms. Sustrai, just the person I was looking for." Emerald blinked before Aurelius continued. "Normally this is something the Atlas military would take care of, but considering your team is currently involved in the tournament, I was selected to… discuss this matter with you."

"W-what matter?" Emerald asked, squirming slightly. "Oh god, they don't suspect anything, do they?"

"It's been reported that you attempted to pickpocket someone in the festival grounds in the last few days. We can't condone this type of behavior from Huntsmen or Huntresses competing in the tournament, so we've been forced to give you a warning. If we hear any further rumors or complaints about your team's activities, you will be disqualified and forced to return to Haven immediately. Is that clear?" Aurelius glanced past her at the slight shimmer in the air that had climbed into the corner by the ceiling.

"C-crystal, sir…" Emerald said meekly. Aurelius nodded before stepping back.

"Very good then, I hope you all have a pleasant evening and that you continue to stay out of trouble." He turned to walk away, the occupants of the room glancing at each other in confusion after the door was closed.

"That was… weird," Emerald said.

"At least he didn't search the room. It gave me time to send the details to our… friend. Now we just wait for what he needs and proceed as planned."

Artemis glared down at the trio from her shrouded perch in the corner, listening carefully to the conversation as it continued. Any information she heard could be useful.

This chapter's done. Dr. Watts has come up a number of times already, so I'm sure there's going to be a bit of dread about next chapter since his name is tied to the plan now.

The dynamic between Winter and Aurelius is, at the beginning of the chapter, that Winter isn't quite at ease about the idea of speaking to Aurelius due to the fact he's actively evaluating her and she isn't sure how to deal with it. As this chapter shows, Aurelius will have a tendency to ask her things that she doesn't know or like the immediate answer to (possibly just an annoying Rose thing) and causes her to reevaluate her way of thinking. At the end of this chapter she's starting to realize that his banter, unlike Qrow's isn't meant to be malicious or enrage her, but to get her to react and think. She won't initiate any of it, but she's perfectly fine with firing off a retort from time to time.

Please tell me what you think about this chapter, as well as your feelings about how things are going.