Chapter 3 - A Whole New World

A/N - Hello there! So I've been getting some pretty nice reviews on this, so I thought I'd actually try and gratify those responses by updating (heh). Enjoy!

In orbit of Remnant, Emerald Forest

Aaron had spent the last few hours in the forest through his Excalibur Prime Warframe in complete boredom. With practically nothing in the forest that could threaten him, he had decided to take what fate gave him and loosen up for a while. He rarely got a chance to do so anyways.

At the moment, Aaron, who was outside of the Somatic Pod, had resigned himself to reorganizing his mods and cleaning up any stuff that he didn't need any more. Sometimes a Tenno such as him needed to get out of the Pod for a while to stretch his muscles; spending a long time sitting in the comforts and safety of the Pod could be tedious at times.

As he flicked through the mods, fusing them and engineering them for maximum efficiency, the hologram image of Ordis popped next to him. "Operator, may I ask you a favour?"

He shut down the mod system, turning to look at the Cephalon. "What do you need, Ordis?"

"I would highly enjoy if you could -get off your butt- gather data for me, especially on those humans you found yesterday. This planet and its inhabitants are still completely unknown to us. In regards to the humans, however, you still need a way of contacting them."

Aaron sighed. He had said that, hadn't he? Why did he go around making promises like that when he generally hated talking to people?

He headed to the Arsenal first and flicked through the segment, picking out the same loadout he had taken yesterday. Once the Tenno was finished with the loadout, he went into the Somatic Chamber and placed himself within the Pod. He felt a brief sear of heat as the Void pulsed through his mind, connecting his consciousness to Excalibur Prime via Transference before seeping coolness swiftly took over as he merged into it.

He frowned. A strange sensation, a flicker of something else in the back of his mind, like there was something unclear yet minute fighting against him from within.

Shaking out the ill-defined feeling, he informed Ordis of his departure, who was too busy taking care of repairs to actually care. He briefly considered taking a Landing Craft down, but put it aside in favour of a more... "entertaining" option.

Palming the airlock controls, the atmosphere within the area sucked out as the pressure decreased. After ten seconds, the thick blast doors slid apart to reveal the dark sky and the sun slowly rising from the planet's horizon in front of him. From this high up in the atmosphere, the green of the forest glimmered below by faint sunlight. Through the Warframe, Aaron could smell the clear air of the morning gusting from the high top of the planet's atmosphere into the airlock. It was always a welcoming way to reinvigorate the weary.

A reminder of home.

And without further hesitation, he stepped out into the cold air and dropped like a stone to the planet below. A golden star falling to earth.

Beacon Academy, Morning

Ruby yawned, waking up to the cold and clear morning. After last night's team-making, she had crashed into her bed before she could tell Ozpin about who they'd met in the forest. Thankfully for her worries, her wishes were quickly sated. Checking her scroll, she saw a message from the headmaster.

[Meet me in my office immediately]

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she brushed her teeth, took a shower and slipped into her school uniform. She was just about to walk out the door when Yang woke up, giving a yawn that could scare a Beowulf.

"Where are you going, sis?"

Ruby turned around. "Just got a message from Ozpin to meet him. I was too caught up last night to talk to Ozpin about that person we met in Emerald Forest."

Yang yawned, rolling around in her bed. "Well, don't take too long. And stop being so loud; not everyone wants to wake up at six in the morning."

Ruby slowly closed the door, before continuing down the hallways that still enveloped in a peaceful haze. As she walked across the courtyard towards Beacon Tower, she looked up at the still-dark dawn sky, and as she admired it's peaceful expanse, she could have sworn she saw a flash of gold.

The same gold as was on 'Tenno'. He was still out there.

The thought circled in her mind, refusing to be dismissed as she entered the elevator. After a few seconds, she arrived and the doors opened to reveal Ozpin's office. Large gears revolved in lazy circles above her head, and ceiling-to-floor windows gave the occupant an unobstructed view of the academy grounds and the nearby forests.

Aside from Ozpin at his seat, Ruby was surprised to see Jaune stood before her, the boy she had met yesterday after he puked on the airship. "Hey there, Jaune."

Jaune smiled nervously. "Hi, Ruby. Funny meeting you here."

"Miss Rose. Mister Arc," Headmaster Ozpin called, a slightly stern tone in his voice. "I apologize calling you here at such an unpleasant hour..."

"Couldn't it have waited for a few more hours?" Jaune muttered.

"—but I find it of great urgency to discuss with you about what you and your teams encountered in the Emerald Forest. Professor Goodwitch and I were observing your interactions, but we weren't able to pick up much video and audio. Might you describe what happened to me?"

Ruby and Jaune shared an expression that said "you first" as they looked at each other. Ruby stepped forwards, recalling the memory that had been haunting her back. "We were at the temple and were threatened by this Deathstalker, and I thought I could face it alone."

Ozpin dipped his head. "And now you know the truth."

Ruby looked slightly ashamed but continued all the same. "I charged it and when my scythe was unable to hurt it, I tried to run but the Nevermore trapped me with its feathers. The Deathstalker was about to... to kill me. But then-"

Jaune noticed increasingly uncomfortability and quickly interjected. "Then we all heard this whine, like a bullet traveled through the air. And there were these huge cuts appeared in the Deathstalker's back, like someone cut it with a big blade."

Ruby chose to put her expert opinion here. "Later on, it sounded to me like someone used a sniper rifle, but whatever it was, it was way more powerful than anything I've ever seen. Even more powerful than my own Crescent Rose."

Ozpin nodded, digesting the information. "So these gashes, presumably from a high-caliber rifle opened up on the Grimm's back, distracting it from attacking you. What happened next?"

Both team leaders looked at each other again in hesitance, before Ruby decided reveal more about the event. "There was this... man appeared out of nowhere from the sky. Like," Ruby hesitated. "Almost like some kind of angel. It was actually kinda pretty and cool to look at."

Jaune glanced apprehensively at her. "Yeah... I guess. He's in some kind of armor suit I've never seen before and was taller than us. The suit he's wearing was white with gold lines running around it and had this horn on its head. Along with a golden circle on the front of its face and with no eyes."

"And he was armed," Ruby enthusiastically added. "He had this katana sword that just as shiny as his suit. And he also carried this large bronze pistol and-" She quickly paused, her memory of those amazing weapons was starting to derail the whole conversation. "He... He was really fast too. Almost as fast as my Semblance when he charged towards the Grimm. He dodged its attacks, jumped into the air and cut its stinger off, before he landed on the Deathstalker and stabbed it in the head. As he got off the dead Grimm, it was covered with some sort of blue flame, burning the corpse before it quickly disappeared into thin air."

Ozpin appeared to be deep in thought. The idea of an armed and highly-trained individual running around in the forest with superior skills to outmaneuver and quickly kill even a Deathstalker singlehandedly, along with having some sort of Semblance to disintegrate his target was... unsettling. He needed to be sure this person would not bring any harm to his students. "And did he say anything after he defeated the Deathstalker?"

Ruby was unsure how to answer that but she went on. "Ehhh, not really. He was pretty quiet when he approached us and staring at everyone while not saying a word. Aside from making Yang mad for giving her the silent treatment, it felt strung out being stared at like that."

"Couldn't agree more. I was really nervous when he stared down at me. Like I was being judged for the things I did or... something," Jaune added shakily a bit.

"And he didn't do anything after that?" Ozpin curiously inquired, this person's unusual behavior interested him.

"Well, he did return my cloak to me, which I was really grateful. So I think he's not a bad guy," she smiled, reminding herself how important that cloak to her.

"I see. Hmm..." Ozpin hummed for a moment, processing everything he heard from both students before he stood from his seat. "Thank you, both of you, for telling me this. Mister Arc, can you please leave the room? I must talk to Miss Rose."

Jaune agreed, albeit with some confusion. Ruby turned to Ozpin, a curious look on her pale face. "What do you want to tell me, Professor?"

Ozpin regarded the young girl in front of him. He had known her mother when she was a student at Beacon Academy. He looked into those wide silver eyes and saw the same courage and excitement that had once permeated in Summer Rose. "I wanted to tell you that I've sent your uncle to find this entity. He should be returning sometime today with his findings."

Ruby almost squealed with delight, but thankfully managed to keep her composure. "Uncle Qrow is coming?!"

Ozpin saw the excitement on her face and smiled warmly. "Yes, of course. He is our best tracker. Speaking of which, did this person tell you his name?"

Ruby knew the answer to that, too. She had been thinking on it all night. "Yep, he called himself 'Tenno'. But I don't know if that's his name or something else because he said and I quote: 'It's what I am'. So I'm not sure what he meant by that."

The academy headmaster considered this new information. "Thank you, Ruby. You may leave. If I require you, or your team, I will not hesitate to ask."

Ruby smiled widely, as innocent as a child. "We'll be ready, Professor." She turned and left into the elevator.

As the elevator's doors were closed, Ozpin turned back to the window staring at the wide green forest from afar, the place where a person of potentially unimaginable power resided. "I hope you are, Miss Rose. I hope you are."

Emerald Forest, Afternoon

Aaron never thought he'd get bored of trees. Having spent many thousands of hours scaling the greasy metal of a Grineer shipyard, with piles of garbage dotting the horizon, or getting smashed against the gleaming industrial metal of a Corpus warship, seeing trees was always a welcome relief.

But after spending hours trekking through this forest until afternoon, he hadn't found anything but trees and a few more of those nightmarish creatures. He had tried to run an analysis or even scan them, but whatever they were completely confounded the scanners. They almost seemed incorporeal, until one of them tried to bite his head off.

All the same, he had had some success. Ordis had picked up on radio signals emanating from a distant source. Analysis had hypothesized that it was artificial in nature. Most likely human based, considering the signals happened to be TV signals. Which meant that was the way to go, if he wanted to meet the people in charge of this land for assistance.

Of course, that all led to the question of: Why were the children here armed?

To which his logical side reasoned that it was probably because of these monsters running around everywhere in this region. Sometimes he questioned where they all came fro—

Shut up.

That's what he got for being a Tenno such as him. Being an active front-line fighter in the Old War meant that knowledge and fast reflexes were mandatory. It had become a second nature for him to question everything, in the event that the answers he would acquire would save his life.

Unfortunately, it made for an annoying habit for himself when outside of combat. It also made for some very awkward conversations between his friends in the Clan.

Nevertheless, aside from the monsters, the place where he was now was quite peaceful. He only wished the rest of the Origin System was like this.

"Ordis, you got anything for me?"

There was a brief hiss of static and Ordis' voice toned in his head. "Affirmative, Operator. I have been able to determine the source of the signal. There appears to be a large human-made settlement, possibly a city, 10 miles due north of your location. I would assume that the children you encountered yesterday originated from there based on its proximity to the forest."

"Affirmative, moving out."

He was just about to do just that when the motion tracker suddenly pinged. Unknown contact, 30 metres out. Not within any line of sight. In a single fluid movement, he slid behind and up a tree, allowing the shining white and gold of the Warframe to melt into the leaf cover.

The unknown contact, to his surprise, wasn't another one of those monsters. It was a human. An adult to be precise. Dark hair, light skin and glowering eyes. A rather striking resemblance to the girl he had saved yesterday, Ruby. The man was muttering to himself, cutting down any plants that got in his way.

'Perhaps he was sent to find me', the Tenno thought. Just like the children from yesterday, Aaron could see quite plainly the man was armed, casually holding a massive broadsword in one hand, as sunlight glinting off the carvings on the blade.

A pessimistic thought crossed his mind—was the armed man in question here to take him out? The person who sent those children yesterday probably didn't find the Tenno to be a peaceful person. Aaron hoped that wasn't the case.

He didn't want to have clean up such a mess.

Emerald Forest, Afternoon

Qrow cursed, cutting down the creepers snaring the undergrowth he was treading through. Years spent doing odd jobs for Ozpin had him traversing a multitude of climates, and exploring nearly every continent on Remnant, but that didn't make trudging through a forest like this any more enjoyable.

Of course, the fact that he was searching for someone who was clearly armed and dangerous didn't help with his nerves.

"I'm getting too old for this crap." He grumbled. 'Why can't I just fight it out with him? That's something I'm good at.'

But Ozpin had been clear on this. "Don't do anything stupid, Qrow. We don't want to risk angering something with capabilities like the candidates described. That would cause panic."

He'd been in the forest for a couple of hours at this point, doing nothing more than crunching through the thicket. And it was getting to him. He had never gone this long in such a small area without finding his target.

Despite the fact that he loved to proclaim to his nieces that he was the 'best tracker on Remnant,' he had to give it to this guy, whoever he was. He was pretty darn good at avoiding him, assuming that he was doing this actively.

Now that he thought about it, he could start to see why Ozpin wanted this guy found so badly. Someone with operating with no oversight, with incredible, unheard of abilities? That was a clear recipe for disaster in a place like Remnant.

The only consolation he from all this was that he seemed non-hostile, at least for the moment, if what Ruby had said was true-.

An almost imperceptible rustle.

A whisper of wind.

Sunlight off a blade in motion.

To a lesser man, it would have seemed like it had happened instantaneously. Even to his well-honed reflexes, he could barely figure what in the hell had just happened before he felt the barrel of a gun being pressed into the back of his head, and a blade pressed against his neck.

"Identify yourself, immediately."

Qrow smirked. It seemed like his niece wasn't exaggerating about this guy. Perhaps he'd get his wish after all.

With a flash of smoke, Aaron found himself extremely confused when the man he had just been holding at gunpoint turned into a bird and flew a safe distance away, before with a sound like metal clashing, and another swirl of smoke, the bird morphed back to the man, who was now wielding a casual smirk.

"Nice try, bud. But you'll have to be a little faster than that."

His taunt was promptly met by a spray of glowing rounds from the being's firearm. Even as he twirled his sword, cutting down the rounds, he could feel the impact through his Aura. That was no standard-issue Dust firearm.

Before the bullets had even stopped hitting, the warrior surged forward, his blade clanging off of Qrow's. And for the first time in a while, Qrow realized that he actually had to put a great deal of effort in holding back that strike.

'Dammit Ozpin, what did you get me into this time?!'

The intricate suit of armour his opponent wore suddenly lit up a deep blue, a hum emanating as the air around him started to vibrate.

He needed to stop this now.

Pushing back, he spun on his heel, slamming the blade into katana that had somehow been raised to parry the strike. Nevertheless, the warrior was sent skidding back. Before said being could charge back once more, Qrow stabbed his sword into the dirt. "Wait! I'm not here to fight!"

The being paused. The katana lowered slightly, but it was still unsheathed and ready. "What?"

The tracker raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Sorry if I startled you or something, but I swear, I ain't here to pound you into the dirt. Name's Qrow. A real pleasure."

The golden warrior tilted his head, clearly skeptical, even if no facial features were observable. "I'm quite certain I could decapitate you in my sleep."

Taking a swig from his ever-present flask, Qrow gave him a slightly drunk smirk. "Oh I'm sure. Anyways, like I said, I just want to talk. Give you something from a friend."

A pause. "What are you talking about?"

Closing the cap, Qrow fixed him with a critical stare. "Let's just say that your intervention yesterday caught the attention of some important people. Teachers, especially those at Beacon, don't like it when people interrupt their lessons. Although I do have to thank you for saving my niece."

"Wait, that was your niece in the red?"

"... Yeah?"

"Well, I can see where she got her recklessness, and I've known you for less than five minutes."

Qrow cleared his throat. "Anyways, that's besides the point. The headmaster of Beacon, the friend I mentioned, wanted me to find you and give you this." So saying, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled letter. "I'll, uh, just step aside so you can read it."

Aaron took it, reading the words insribed upon its paper surface in an elegant font:

"To the person known as 'Tenno,'

I trust that if you are reading this, Qrow has managed to deliver it to you, hopefully with his various appendages intact. I apologize if he gave you any trouble. My name is Professor Ozpin, headmaster at Beacon Academy. At Beacon, we train the young and bright to combat the forces of darkness, the creatures of Grimm, which you no doubt encountered in bounty in the Emerald Forest the previous day. Which brings me to the point of my writing this message to you. Yesterday was when my colleagues and I were running the initiation for new students, which you happened to interrupt, though I do appreciate your willingness to aid them in mortal danger.

As benevolent as your actions may have been, I am morally obligated to discuss your... freedom, as many people aside from myself are concerned that someone of your nature is operating under no oversight. As such, I formally invite you for a talk, at Beacon Academy, the coordinates to which I have written below, along with a suitable time. I do hope this is merely the beginning of something cordial and professional, and that we can reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial.

Kind Regards,

Ozpin

Below were a set of coordinates and an address, along with a time, set for a few hours from now. Looking up, he addressed the man, who was now chugging the contents of his seemingly bottomless flask. "I presume you are one of these... colleagues, Ozpin mentioned?"

Qrow choked slightly, coughing to clear his throat. "Uhhhh, yeah, I was once his student. And now I teach at another academy. I do some part-time stuff for Oz every now an then."

Nodding, he folded the letter, disintegrating it in his hands. "Very well. I will meet him. Thank you, for your service."

Snorting, the man placed his sword on his back before sauntering away, towards the Kingdom lights. "Whatever bud. Hope things go well for ya. Kind of."

Beacon Academy, Afternoon

"I'm worried about this Ozpin," Glynda admitted as she walked with the headmaster along the hall. Earlier this morning, Ozpin described to her about the unknown warrior's appearance and how he defeated a Deathstalker yesterday with incredible fighting skills based on Jaune and Ruby's detailed report. She didn't like this at all.

"The feeling is mutual, Glynda, but at least he didn't harm our students in the initiation. So that means something," Ozpin assured her as he took a sip of coffee.

"Still, an unknown huntsmen unaffiliated with any of the Four Kingdoms with unknown intention and interfered with the initiation isn't something we should take it lightly!" She quickly replied.

As they were walking through hall, they came across a scene where both Team RWBY and JNPR were running hastily late for their first class of the day.

The Headmaster sipped his coffee as always, while his partner checked the time with a frown of disapproval. "Late on the first day. Not a good sign."

"Oh relax, Glynda," chided Ozpin. "They're still children. Besides, it is their first day."

"You're too forgiving, Professor," Glynda sternly replied. "When will they learn to act their age?"

"When they're ready to. But for the moment, let them enjoy their youth."

His partner harrumphed but left the topic alone. "Have you made any headway with our...'friend' in the forest?"

Ozpin smiled. Without saying anything, he made a not-so subtle glance behind her. Catching it, she whirled around to see a crow lighting down on a tree bough. Glynda sighed. Of course Ozpin would call him in. "Hello... Qrow."

Within seconds, the crow had morphed into a full-sized man, who was already reaching for his flask. "Glynda. Oz."

The headmaster took a sip from his coffee. "Did you find our mystery man?"

Qrow snorted. "More like he found me."

"And?"

"And..." Qrow trailed off for added effect as he looked at the two professors. "I can see why you're interested."

Glynda looked at her partner. "What did you ask Qrow to do?"

Ozpin ignored the question from her as he stared right into Qrow's eyes. "Did he accept?"

Qrow chuckled. "Yep. Seemed kinda reluctant if ya ask me, though. Not really the trusting type it seems."

The blonde woman turned to her partner with her eyebrows raised dangerously. "You invited a possibly hostile being to the school?"

"I asked for a peaceful conversation about him. To learn more about his origins and his story. Assuming he read the letter that Qrow gave him, then he'll no doubt know this."

"And when exactly did you schedule this meeting?" Glynda asked as she checked her watch.

Another sip of the coffee. "Soon. In fact, within the hour, I believe."

His fellow professor sighed, muttering something like, 'Never a dull moment with you, Ozpin.' "And I assume you had good reason for you not telling me this until now?"

"What benefit would it have given you?" Ozpin replied. "It is a talk, not an interrogation."

Qrow winked playfully at the woman. "But we all know that Glynda would like an excuse to use her beating stick." He cackled, dodging the swing that the person in question had taken with her riding crop.

The headmaster nodded, a small smile gracing his face. "Indeed." He turned to the huntsman, who once again had taken an interest in his flask. "Would you like to see your nieces? I'm sure Miss Rose was quite eager to see you."

He shrugged. "I'd love to, but I uh... I got some business to take care of."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow at this, curious about his reluctance to meet with his nieces. "Very well. Take care, Qrow."

Finishing off the last of the whiskey, Qrow nodded. "You too, old man. Hope your talk goes well."

With that, there was a flash of smoke and in Qrow's place there was a black bird, rising high on the warm currents of the forest.

Emerald Forest, Afternoon

His consciousness merged into the surrogate body that was his Warframe, Aaron stepped unyieldingly through the foliage of the Emerald Forest. Sunlight penetrated through the treetops, creating pools of light that reflected blindingly against the gold highlights on the Excalibur Prime. To any onlooker, it would have looked like a beacon; a constant flash of gold amongst the greenery.

He had had Ordis drop him off a few kilometres away from the coordinates that this "Ozpin" person had provided. Not that he had needed them. Even from here, Aaron could see the gleaming silver spires of what was presumably Beacon Academy. Pretty big place for a school for teenagers.

Thoughts swirled in his brain as he glided through the forest, his footsteps barely making a whisper of sound. There were so many unknowns here that the soldier within him was urging him to turn back and call in an airstrike.

But he had remembered to take a positional beacon, so that in the event that at any time during the "talks," things went south, he could feel good about leveling the area with Void missiles.

Nevertheless, this was a situation that, on an tactical level, was completely unfavourable. He had never met the person he was talking to, he hadn't the slightest clue as to the combat capabilities of this "Ozpin". Considering this was a school, he had no clue as to how he would find the man, without attracting any attention from the students, who, if the incident from yesterday was any indication, were armed and trained. The Tenno had no clue from where they learned the things he had seen yesterday.

And if all students were armed and capable of pulling off the extraordinary maneuvers he witnessed in the forest, he wondered what would the Headmaster be capable of?

None of these thoughts made him feel any better or prepared. The only reassurance he had was that as a Warframe, he technically was incapable of dying. If he did get overpowered, he could activate the Oro revival systems.

Of course, he only had four charges of that until he was out and if they could beat him once, they could probably do it four times. If that happened, Ordis would have to get the mangled chassis back for repairs. It would definitely hurt his chances of getting off this world to the point of none.

That meant the Tenno had to do everything he could to guarantee that these talks would ensure that he would have the required resources to repair the Orbiter. The safety of this world from the dangers of his realm depended on it.

His thoughts halted as he neared the edge of the forest. From here, he had a clear view over a small field to the location that the coordinates entailed. The structure he had glimpsed through the treetops was now available in all its glory.

Compared to the sublime halls of the golden Orokin Towers or the sophisticated chambers of the Tenno Dojo and the Relays which he had wandered from, this "school" was unimpressive. A far cry from even the utilitarian Corpus Gas Cities of Jupiter.

Sprawled over several square kilometres were several buildings including multiple amphitheater-esque builds, which he presumed were used for weapons training. There were more traditional school buildings ringed around them, combined with a massive brick structure which he guessed was a living space for various residents of this place.

Separating these buildings were huge gardens and cobblestone pathways, with dozens of students walking around in the sun. Large courtyards with benches dotted the green scenery.

The main attraction, however, was the massive tower jutting out from center of the campus like some titan's blade. It stretched so high into the sky that Aaron could see low clouds swirling around the peak. Even from here, he could see a massive clock perpetually in motion. If the "Headmaster" was anywhere, he would be there.

Nevertheless, there was a solid kilometre to the tower from here. And more importantly, there were several students milled around, chatting with each other, working on various devices or simply sitting around enjoying the agreeable weather. Even for someone as well-trained in espionage as himself, there was no way the Tenno would make it to the tower without being spotted.

How did this "Ozpin" expect to keep this meeting secret in such circumstances?

He scanned the open courtyard, looking for some method, any method, which could grant him the utmost stealth route to the tower.

As the Tenno checked, his gaze fell upon two adults standing aside from the other students, observing them quietly. They were obviously not students; they were more likely teachers or at least staff members. One of them, a male by the looks of it, had tousled gray hair as he was sipping a beverage from a cup. The other adult, obviously female and blonde, was sternly observing her charges in the vast expanse of the schoolyard.

He considered his options. They were far enough from the group that he could get to them without alerting any of the students. They would undoubtedly know the location of the "Headmaster" and could guide him to that person with little to no compromise of his stealth. They were, as it seemed, his best option.

Sneaking around the perimeter, he kept a constant eye on the pair. Even from this distance, the Warframe's aural sensors could pick up faint traces of conversation but nothing intelligible. Perhaps a tuning was required once this entire affair was over.

He now stood almost directly behind them, which perhaps wasn't a smart decision in a school where the students were obviously armed. The greenery still hid the Warframe's outline and muffled any noise that he made.

Now or never. He had to put aside any discomfort he had. For his sake... and this planet's.

Standing slowly, he trudged slowly over to the pair, careful to keep his footsteps quiet as he approached them. He's now within speaking distance. The Tenno was silent for a few moments, praying to the stars that this wouldn't turn bloody before he cleared his throat.

"Ahem."

Their reactions were both surprising and expected. The gray haired man calmly turned around before sipping his coffee. As if getting ambushed by golden aliens was a daily occurrence for him. Whereas the woman reached for what looked like some kind of thin, floppy stick.

Just before she could raise her stick, the elderly man placed a hand on her arm, placating her.

The woman shrugged it off, raising the implement towards the Tenno. "Who are you, and what are you doing on Academy grounds?"

'So "Ozpin" must not have informed his teachers of the meeting. Wonderful.' Aaron sarcastically thought.

"I have been invited here by your headmaster. On the matter of the events that unfolded yesterday in the Emerald Forest."

The man with gray hair stepped forward. His face was a mix of interest and curiosity. "Are you Tenno?"

Aaron tilted his head. "A Tenno. Tenno is not my name. It is who I am."

The man's companion opened her mouth, presumably to berate the Warrior-God further or possibly assault him with her weapon (if it could be called that) before the man himself spoke again. "I see, and my apologies. You're here to see the headmaster?"

Aaron nodded. "Correct."

The man with gray hair smiled. "Well then, let's go somewhere more private. I'm sure we have a great deal of sensitive matters to talk about."

Back in the Somatic Link, Aaron's face twisted in confusion. The emotion was clearly transferred by his voice through the Warframe. "I'm... sorry, but I will divulge any information to Headmaster Ozpin alone."

Once again, the man smiled. "Of course. Where are my manners? I am Professor Ozpin and this is my friend and colleague, Glynda Goodwitch. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"You're Professor Ozpin? " Aaron inquired in slight disbelief. Skepticism was clear even in his electronically filtered voice. "Pardon my bluntness, but you don't look like a headmaster."

Ozpin tilted his head, almost amused. "Is there now a standardized appearance for headmasters to follow?"
"No. I just wouldn't have picked you out as a headmaster. On the other hand, your partner looks exactly like a teacher. Strict and authoritative, yet militant with a distrustful nature to anything new."

One could have sworn that little jets of steam were coming out of Glynda's nose at that moment, which, combined with her murderous expression, were sure signs that hadn't Ozpin interrupted at that moment, she would have probably thrown something heavy at the newcomer.

"Now now, Glynda, let's remain civil." He turned to the Tenno. "Very well, let's go. It will no doubt take some time to talk about you."

Without even waiting for a reply, Ozpin turned and strode across the campus, heading towards the massive tower Aaron had seen earlier. His companion, Glynda, gave him one last look of the deepest contempt and walked off behind him.

As for the Tenno, he stood there alone as he watched them walked away. "What now, Ordis? Should I follow them?"

"What do you think you came here for?" Ordis reminded.

He couldn't really argue with that. Resigning himself to his fate, he silently trudged across the campus. For better or worse.

A/N - So sorry for the delay, life got in the way of everything, and I don't think I'll need to elaborate on that. So some stuff to take care of:

Firstly: A preliminary thank-you to my Beta-Reader, razer, on Spacebattles, for reading through this junkheap that is a story, making it better, and talking to me about the future for it.

Secondly: No matter how I write it, that damn Qrow-meeting scene keeps feeling rushed and awkward. Not sure if I got the Qrow 'essence' down right.

Anyways, that's all for now, so till next time!