Chapter 7

Author's Note: I do believe it's time for some plot development. We're going to get into the meat of the story soon and I can actually focus entirely on plot, then. Right now, I'm basically setting up the time in which I will allow for some major character development. Please leave me a quick review and let me know what you think. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

The girls of Team RWBY had spent the majority of their Thursday morning scouting the arena in which the Hunt was going to be held, as well as their competition. They were together at the arena, perfecting the plans that they spoke about during dinner the evening prior…but decided to split up when they left to scope out the other students. While the Hunt was primarily designed to test the real-world battle prowess of students, it was no secret that it was just as much of a talent show. How you presented yourself in the Hunt was a major factor in how everyone, both student and faculty, saw you. It affected scholarship acceptance, student-mission qualifications, and even some level of social status.

Yang made the decision to go and to the gym and 'train' in order to remain hidden in plain sight from her fellow students. Weiss chose to spend her time gathering information on many of the more noteworthy students…which is not particularly difficult since Hunters, and those in training, have their records placed in the public sphere. Ruby, being the weapon-nut that she is, figured she should take note of the weapons being used by many of the stronger students. Blake, however, elected a much more difficult target to eavesdrop upon: Ozpin. She figured that if there was going to be any information worth holding onto, it would come from him.

So she did. She followed him since she split from her teammates at about 1:00pm that morning. It was already 4:48pm and other than going to the cafeteria to obtain his meals, he had done nothing but work on his computer all day. A few meetings had occurred, but nothing more than trivial issues such as changing the prices of items sold in the vending machines or changing the colors of some of the dorms.

"No wonder this man is capable of staying so calm all of the time…he had little-to-no excitement within his life." Blake thought as she adjusted herself on one of the structural frames interlacing throughout the ceiling of the Headmaster's office. His office was large and open, with only his desk and filing cabinets sitting close to the large array of windows. Other than that, there was a series of bookcases on the other side of the room, next to the elevator with the staircase on the other side of it against the same wall. In the very middle of the bookcases, there was a counter with a mini-fridge, a coffeemaker, a microwave, and a sink. This area was the only spot of wall which was not a window since it was where the medical spire erected itself, for the dust-infused oxygen.

"Yes, hello?" Ozpin said, which startled Blake until she noticed that he was speaking into his cellphone. "I see; thank you for your hard word. We've only a mere 15 hours-or-so until we begin." He continued.

"15 hours? That must be the Hunt. I believe it starts at 8:00am tomorrow and it's almost 5:00pm right now." Blake pondered.

"No, I'm quite busy at the moment. Please send the software to me via E-Mail…I will look them over tonight. And what of our shipments?" Ozpin asked.

"He oversees code for the simulation? I wish I knew how to read software code…I'm sure there would be some vital information in there." Blake thought, before being interrupted by the Headmaster's continuing conversation.

"I see. They retreated? I'm just glad to hear that everyone is alright. Are we sure it was them?" Ozpin said in a very caring tone.

It didn't take long for Blake to piece together what happened. A shipment and he asked if people are alright, their shipment was probably attacked…there's only one group that 'them' could be. "The White Fang." Blake thought with genuine disgust.

"I understand. No, there is no need for that, I will ask her myself. Is there anything else?" Ozpin asked as he walked over to his coffeemaker. "Alright. Thank you again, Glynda. Goodbye." Ozpin said.

"Why the hell would the White Fang attack a cargo ship en route to one of the major Hunting schools? Surely they must realize that such a foolish move would be a suicide mission." Blake wondered, forgetting about her current target.

"May we speak?"

"Perhaps they could, under normal circumstances, successfully defeat a Hunter's cargo ship, though I've never heard it happen. He was speaking to Glynda, so maybe they didn't succeed solely because she was there." Blake's mind was going into overdrive.

"Excuse me?"

Blake's thoughts were imagining every possible scenario, "Or they managed to get aboard and grab what they needed since Ozpin said they retreated and not that they were defeated. What could be so important that–"

"Miss Belladonna?" Ozpin interrupted Blake's thoughts.

Blake was dumbfounded as she looked down and saw Headmaster Ozpin holding two cups of coffee and staring right at her with the kindest smile. She took no time working her way down from the structural supports of the ceiling and next to Ozpin. He handed her a cup of coffee and motioned for her to sit in front of his desk. She did, just as Ozpin walked to the other side of his desk and sat down in his chair. Before any words were exchanged, the Headmaster slid a small bowl of sugar cubes and a spoon toward Blake, who began to add them to her coffee and stirred.

"How long have you known I was here?" Blake asked after taking a sip of her coffee.

"You arrived at 1:17pm." Ozpin said as he began to put sugar into his own coffee.

"So, you put me through all of this boredom on purpose?" Blake asked with a chuckle.

"Well, if I have to endure, so should someone else." Ozpin said before letting out a small laugh.

"Indeed. So, what did you want to ask me?" Blake asked.

"Before I explain that phone call, may I ask why you chose to stalk me?" Ozpin wondered.

"I simply wanted to see if I could obtain any information that would aid my team in the Hunt." Blake stated.

"Even though the Hunt generally has no rules regarding how you obtain a victory, I am sure the admins would not take kindly to this course of action…unless, of course, you looking to impress our Black Ops division." Ozpin said with a grin.

"To be fair, I didn't have any intention of being caught." Blake explained sarcastically.

"Oh, I'm sure. Now, to the matter at hand." Ozpin said with a very serious tone at the end, causing Blake to place her coffee in her lap and give her undivided attention to her Headmaster. "Though your transcripts and official information looked rather legitimate, I have…people…who look into the students who apply here. Put simply, I know these are fake." Ozpin said as he pulled out a file from his desk that read 'Belladonna, Blake' at the top.

After about 10 seconds of Blake wildly thinking of excuses (Though her outer appearance would depict otherwise), she concluded that there was no way out of this scenario. "What happens now?" Blake asked.

"Well, that depends on you." Ozpin said, making his tone lighter than it was previously and taking a sip of his coffee. "I need to know the truth." He continued as he opened his laptop.

"There's no way out of this, is there?" Blake asked as she took another sip.

"No, ma'am." Ozpin said with a heartfelt smile. He then placed his coffee on the desk and placed both of his hands onto the keyboard. He was getting ready to take notes.

"I'm a Faunus." Blake said.

"Obviously." Ozpin responded with a sigh.

"Yes, sir." She said sarcastically. "I am a terrorist." Blake said quickly and without hesitation.

Without missing a beat, Headmaster Ozpin typed something very quickly. Blake was utterly surprised at how Ozpin showed no signs of surprise. While she looked at him dumbfounded, he glanced up to her slightly.

"I'm serious." Blake said.

"And…?" Ozpin asked while motioning for Blake to continue.

"Does he not believe me…or not care?" Blake wonders while sighing. "I've been a part of the White Fang since I could first remember. Until I left a few months ago." She said.

"Is that why your skills are so well perfected?" Ozpin asked.

"I wouldn't say perfect, or else I wouldn't be here. But yes, they're the ones who taught me…well, one person specifically." She explained.

"Who?" The Headmaster asked while taking a sip of his coffee.

"Taurus…Adam Taurus." Blake said, clearly humiliated and remorseful.

That name sparked Ozpin's interest quite a bit. "He took over the White Fang about five years ago, right?"

"Yes, though I've known him for much longer. When he came to power, he began portioning large amounts of money into arms and armor. Even before he took over, I remember him occasionally leaving during the night to kill or steal. Of course, I didn't know that back then." Blake stated.

"So, you have always been close to him and he began to train you when he rose up. Why did the White Fang, a once peaceful organization, so quickly fall to the level of terrorism?" Ozpin asked.

"Because it was working. Many were opposed to the idea of violence, but after those same people saw the fearful respect the White Fang was receiving, they joined in or left." Blake explained before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Why did you leave?" He asked.

Blake looked up with determination in her eyes. "Because I'm not some fool who sees fear as a reasonable instrument for changing opinions. I want to be respected as an equal without forcing that ideology onto others!" Blake slightly yelled.

"That sounds like youthful optimism." Ozpin said.

"What?! How can you say that?! Is it wrong for me to fight for equality without violence?" Blake asked in a panic.

"Nearly eighty years ago, a war was fought simply for the right of self-expression." Ozpin retorted.

"That was necessary! Those in power declared art, books, theater…everything was deemed sinful!"

"How naïve…" Ozpin said taking another sip of his coffee.

Blake slammed her hands onto the table, causing the laptop to bounce slightly, and stood up, bending over the desk to look at Ozpin face-level. "I refuse to believe that Humanity is so inherently and hopelessly evil that they would not come to see pain that has been caused! And likewise, the Faunus are not so ignorant and aggressive that we won't realize how counterproductive this violence is! I believe in both species! I believe in Remnant!"

"That…is the correct answer." Ozpin said while placing his coffee on the desk and continuing to type.

"Huh?" Blake wondered aloud.

"I needed your honest-to-Remnant stance on the White Fang. We have been having an increase in the amount of attacks on our cargo since students first began arriving for admission. So, we concluded one of the students was working with them from the inside. I've known your documents were fake from the beginning, so you, among others, immediately became suspects." Ozpin explained.

"Why would you tell me? Where do we stand?" Blake asked.

"I don't believe you're a spy." Ozpin stated, finishing his typing.

"That's very trusting of you…believing what could easily be a story." Blake stated matter-of-factly.

"There you go again…not giving yourself any credit." the Headmaster said with a grin.

"I'm sorry?" Blake wondered.

"Your obviously ashamed of showing that much passion, for your stance on the subject, since the last time you showed passion on that scale, it was for the White Fang…who you ultimately feel betrayed you. Like earlier, also, when you put yourself down after I complimented your fighting skills, since you're disgusted by who taught you." Ozpin said with an unwavering stare towards Blake.

He hit the nail on the head and Blake knew it. There was nothing she could say, so she stayed silent and let him continue.

"Besides, after we find students who are an anomaly, we look into their backgrounds very thoroughly. And everything you just said matches perfectly with the information my people have gathered on you…so I know you are telling the truth." Ozpin explained.

"What was the point of this then?" Blake asked.

"I've already told you: to decide if you were our spy. And since you're not…" Ozpin turned his laptop around to allow Blake to see what he had been typing. It was the template for the students' transcripts which had been cleverly filled out, for Blake, describing her life before Beacon, without explicitly stating where she has been trained.

"Prior training: Family assisted. Prior education: Home school. Financial status: Scholarship approved." Blake said, in her head, a few of the things on the screen. "What…is this?" She asked.

"Your new transcript." Ozpin said as he printed it out and replaced her old, fake one with the newly printed one. He then proceeded to place her fake transcript in a paper-blazer, watching fire dust destroy it on contact.

"You're going to let me stay? Why?" Blake asked dumbfounded as she fell back to her seat.

"Because your talented, honest, and your heart is in the right place. All I need of you, is a favor." Ozpin said as he took another sip of his coffee.

"What would that be?" Blake wondered.

A deep voice came from behind Blake, "We need you to momentarily side yourself with the White Fang, again."

Blake turned around and her eyes went wide at the sight before her. A tall man was standing next to a pillar, arms crossed over his chest. His hair was slightly messy, there were a few cuts and scuffs, and spots of blood littered his clothes; there was no mistaking that this person had been in a relatively recent fight. The clothes, however, left no mistake as to who he was. A mask, grey cargo pants, a black leather jacket; Blake was just a few meters away from the Knight-General himself. "He…needs my help?" Blake thought. "Yes…sir?"

"One of our cargo ships was attacked by the White Fang, but Sir Donovan drove them away before they got anything." Ozpin began to explained as Blake turned her head back to the Headmaster. "The strange thing is that it was not a secret that the Knight-General would be aboard, since I gave him this public mission a few days ago. There is no mistake that the White Fang knew he was there, but chose to attack anyway. Whatever they wanted must be incredibly important to them and I want to know what it is." Ozpin stated.

"So I have to…side with the White Fang?" Blake wondered.

"Momentarily." Sir Donovan said from Blake's right, causing her to jerk her head back to her side in amazement that he was able to get that close to her without her noticing. NO ONE sneaks up on Blake…or so she thought. "I captured a few of these delinquents, but they are refusing to cooperate. I want to put you in handcuffs and have you sit with them in order to obtain more information out of them. Would you be opposed to this?" The Knight-General asked.

"No sir. I could help you…assuming none of them remember me. I only left a few months ago." Blake explained in her most courteous attitude.

"Indeed. Alright, if you're finished here, then I would like to go ahead and take you to them." Sir Donovan stated.

"Yes, I'm all finished here." Ozpin said while standing up and picking up the two coffee mugs from the desk. "Oh, and welcome to Beacon…again." Ozpin said with a genuine smile on his face.

"Thank you, sir." Blake said before bowing her head. Blake then turned around and faced Sir Donovan.

"Please follow me." He said. Blake simply nodded and began to walk behind him.