Ozpin wasn't looking forward to this.

He never did.

It had been…

He stalled for a moment in order to try and remember the last time he had needed to contact… him. The unwanted, late third player in a game that had spanned longer than human history could record or which Ozpin himself could remember. It had been shortly after the final fall of Mount Glenn that he had last spoken to the Wearer of the Red Crown, and it had… ended poorly.

It always did. The terms for forgiveness had been etched into stone long ago and it simply was not possible for Ozpin or any mortal to have any hope of meeting them. She might have been able to do what was asked, but even for her abilities and talents it would have been a long shot. It didn't matter at any rate; It might have been cold comfort, but while the sheep's unending ire had an impossible quest if he wanted it to cease for him, she didn't even get that much.

They were very much alike in the fact that they were not the sort to let a grudge go, no matter how many years passed, if they had been truly harmed by the events in question. It was a good thing that the universe had seen fit to ensure they would never be on the same side.

Hidden away in an often overlooked shadowy corner of his office was a small side table upon which laid a single object; An old, strange looking red scroll with a cable with a charger hanging off the table and disappearing somewhere into the wall.

There had been more technologically minded of students who cared about the history of technology who had seen it before who had successfully guessed the era of that scroll over the years, through were unable to pin the exact model; Due to the nature of the era that was not surprising. It had come from the time of the early ancestor of the modern-day scroll, in which the communication technology had been developed but the form it would ultimately take was still up in the air as companies across all the kingdoms sort to dominate the market with their own model of communication devices connected to the CCT towers.

What made this special scroll different was that it wasn't connected to the CCT towers at all. It… and the two identical ones like it at Haven and Shade Academies, operated on an unknown network independent the CCTS. It and those like it had been gifted to the heads of the four major Huntsmen Academies generations ago by the Red Crown as something of a peace offering; A means upon which diplomacy or information exchanges could happen upon. Alongside a warning that tampering or taking apart the scroll in question would end… poorly.

James' predecessor General Copper had believed the warning to be a bluff and sort to uncover the secrets of the Atlas Academy 'Red Scroll'. If he recalled correctly, the first and only engineer to enter the lab and start fiddling with it ended up with more cybernetics then James did after it exploded in her face. Atlas Academy was not trusted with another one after that. If there was any silver lining to the whole affair as far as Ozpin was concerned, it was that it proved a wonderfully modern example to direct the members of his inner circle too when he said that the Red Crown didn't make empty warnings or threats.

The Red Scroll only had one function; It only had one number in its database that it could call. Any other features or abilities it might have had were stripped out or locked before it was delivered… and Ozpin suspected that whatever was being used on the other side of the call was a lot more advanced then the model given to the Academies generations ago.

With a press of a button, Ozpin held the scroll to his ear and waited. It took several seconds for the ring tone to prove that the call had connected and was merely waiting for the other side to answer; Much slower than the instant connection rate of the CCTS service, but he was unsure if this was simply a quirk of whatever system the Red Crown had developed or if the older scroll itself was at fault.

It was a good seven rings before the call was picked up on the other side… and considering that Ozpin could hear the pained whimpering of a Beowolf that had just had a sharp blade inserted non-fatally through its throat before with the ripping of grimm flesh the whimpering was violently and swiftly cut off, the reason for the delayed pick-up time made itself apparent.

"It must truly be a gift, Ozpin. Being able to know exactly when to call someone in order to inconvenience them the most." Spoke his voice before Ozpin even had the chance to say anything. It was the voice of a small, somewhat young man… who had been a young man for a very long time. While naturally a softly spoken voice, irritation and anger seeped into it like venom into a wound.

"Have you finally called to answer the-" there was the whistling sound of the scroll on the other side of the call being thrown into the air, coupled with the roar of an angry Ursa that quickly morphed into a roar of pure pain alongside the shattering of a Grimm's bone mask under the weight of a warhammer that was quickly followed up by the secondary blow of the hammer and an angry blet of war that caused the Ursa to disappear from the call completely before the scroll was caught before it hit the ground "-question, Ozpin?"

Ozpin felt his old companions of shame and guilt make their presence known, but with little more than a sigh he pushed passed them. "You know I cannot answer it, Lamb."

"Then know that I can never forgive you, Ozpin. Speak quickly then, I'm busy."

" Clauneck appeared the Beacon again, showing an interest in some of the students."

There was... well, silence was the wrong word. Ozpin could very easily hear the sounds of various grimm being slaughtered in a variety of violent ways, all of which he could recognize from sound alone. Ozpin did ponder briefly at what point had he instinctively learned the sound of a Beowolf being savagely beaten to death by gloved hands smashing into both chest and head, until the sounds of combat had disappeared completely. Finally, the voice on the other end asked "Who exactly was he talking too?"

"That is information I am not prepared to share with you." Ozpin answered quickly and firmly.

A loaded silence followed as both sides prepared themselves for round 2. It was the voice on the other side that break the silence first. "The Witch has a new champion and they are being rather active as of late.."

That caught Opzin's attention, even if he didn't want to admit it. Qrow's investigations and the current state of the Autumn Maiden had suggested that Salem had brought a new face into her inner circle, even if they were currently ignorant as to who exactly they were. The chance to get some more information on the subject...

"A trade of information then, due to her being an enemy to both of us?" Ozpin suggested.

A brief silence before a gentle, if passive aggressive "Very well. Since I cannot trust you with flipping a coin and giving a truthful answer, I guess I can be magnanimous and go first in the name of mutual cooperation." Followed by a small clearing of the throat. "Trusted sources have confirmed certain rumours circling around the White Fang branch in Vale. Namely that the current leader of the branch, one Adam Taurus, has been quietly meeting with an unknown human woman and taking orders from her in exchange for services and resources unknown."

"I'm sure you've noticed the radical change in the Valish White Fang of late. The scale of the dust robberies and robberies of Atlas military equipment. What's less visible is the mass recruitment drive. The poor fools are being sold some line about this being the start of an uprising for faunus kind rather then what it really is." As much as Ozpin found himself at odds with the leader of the Red Crown, in that moment he couldn't help but feel sympathy. They had both witnessed senseless losses of life before and if what he was saying was true, then this one was going to be a noticeably nasty slaughter to witness.

"Can you tell me more of their operations and what they are planning? I'm sure James would appreciate it." Despite not being able to see the person he was talking to, Ozpin could feel the expression on the other side of the call. Indignation and pride could be a nasty combination.

"At this stage, I will not be sharing the full scale of what we know at this stage. The Red Crown has its own plans to resolve this situation that doesn't result in the incarceration or deaths of hundreds of young, optimistic idiots who want to change the world. Your pet general will not be required." There was a pause… before Ozpin was slightly surprised by the softening of the tone as they compromised "…However, if our efforts fail and the scalpel must be abandoned for the hammer, you will be informed in a timely matter with ample time to react."

This was… honestly more than Ozpin was expecting. Still… "I'm guessing you don't have any details of what Salem's champion actually looks like then?"

There was a sigh on the other side of the line. "…No. While we know enough to know that she is a woman, at this moment we only know of three people who have actually knowingly met her in person and lived to talk about it. Adam Taurus, Roman Torchwick and Torchwick's mute companion, Neo. Unsurprisingly, none of them are stupid enough to mention something like her appearance out loud to people, or they wouldn't be alive right now."

Ozpin sighed. Though he did make a mental note of those listed. It put some things into perspective that these would the people that Salem's agent was using as catspaws in her schemes. "Since you have been so upfront with me… Salem's champion and two unknown subordinates made a move on the Autumn Maiden."

There was a brief, surprised silence "Is Amber okay?"

Hiding the shock that the identity of one of the Maidens had been known to the Red Crown, Ozpin needed a moment to take a breath before answering "…No. She survived the encounter but… she is in a coma. Salem's champion also did… something to her. We don't know exactly how but… part of the Autumn Maiden's powers were taken. We suspect it is the leading cause behind Amber's current condition."

Silence again… "I'm assuming that Qrow was a bit too busy saving Amber's life to get a good look at the new bitch and her minions then?"

For the first time in the conversation, Ozpin couldn't help but let a snort escape him. It wasn't really that funny but… considering the direness of the situation sometimes you needed to find something… anything to laugh at. "I'm afraid not. He was able to report that alongside the champion herself were a boy and a girl. All three in their late teens, early adult years, but between a desire to protect Amber from further harm and trying to keep an eye on all three enemies at once before they pulled back he wasn't able to give us anything concrete to work with."

There was an annoyed sigh. Normally this would be a signal that quite a few personal attacks were about to be delivered, but instead Ozpin was surprised when the normal tirade didn't come. "Disappointing, but at the same time I cannot bring myself to be mad at Qrow. His sense of who he should be loyal too might be questionable, but his heart and dedication to doing the right thing are not. I would say that it is a trait you should try learning from him but… well… if it was in you to learn how to be a good person you would have done it centuries ago."

"I am well aware of the failures of myself and my predecessors, Lamb."

"And I regret the certainty that when I meet your successor that I will once again have the displeasure of watching a good person turn into you. Now if you have nothing else to say…"

"…I do not."

"Then bygone Ozpin. I will only contact you again if our efforts with the White Fang are found wanting." And with a click the call was ended.

Putting down the scroll, Ozpin slumped as he just… stared at nothing for a few minutes. The only noise in his office the clockwork that decorated it. Dark thoughts from both the present and past haunted him and offered their grim visions of the near future. But there was little he could do about it right this moment.

At last turning putting the strange scroll back on its table, he turned and started the trudge towards his kettle. He was going to need the special mint hot chocolate to try and salvage his spirits tonight.