"What are you reading, Ruby?" Weiss asked, peering over her leader's shoulder. The brunette looked up to her partner and smiled.

"Blake recommended this manga to me," she explained. "So far, it's pretty interesting." Weiss looked over at the two other people occupying Kay's office. Blake sat in the other arm chair opposite Ruby, busy reading her own selection from the library. Oscar sat in Kay's chair, perusing the computer. A part of her wondered if it were Ozpin using it instead to find a way to occupy his time. As per usual, Yang, Jaune, and Nora were occupied by the television while Ren finished cleaning up in the kitchen.

"It's about a girl who suffers from having a split personality disorder." Ruby continued. "Imagine if one of them is as innocent and childish as I was starting Beacon, then the other is pretty much Yang."

"Those are pretty accurate comparisons." Blake added in without even lifting her eyes away from her material

"But the Ruby-personality of this girl has no idea that the Yang-side is solving all her problems." Ruby finished.

"I'm surprised to see you so compelled by anything other than comics and weapons," Weiss nodded, looking to the library wall. "You must be truly bored."

"Nah," Ruby shook her head. "I mean, kinda. But not really. We have to stay inside. It's not like I have any reason to go outside. No Grimm, no Salem, no bad guys."

"True." Weiss had to give her that one.

"Why so concerned, Miss Schnee?" Ozpin asked from the computer. "There really is no need for us to leave the house."

"Don't mind me, sir." Weiss waved dismissively. "I'm just going a little stir-crazy just sitting here everyday."

"I assume many of you would be," the headmaster nodded in understanding. "To be sent to a relatively peaceful region immediately after a time filled with combat and anxiety. I, at least, have tea to help the nerves. It's not coffee, but it'll do for now." The headmaster's joke got a few soft chuckles from the girls.

"I suppose Kay is returning to work tomorrow, so I could join him again." Weiss said. She turned to Blake and Ruby. "What about you?"

"I'm content with reading through the library in our time here." Blake answered.

"Besides, you heard Kay, right?" Ruby piped in. "Winter's being here means there's progress in getting us back home.

Meanwhile…

A lone soldier stood beside the imposing figure of General Ironwood as scientists scrambled around the research center in the Grimmlands. It had been half a week since Winter had disappeared.

"Sir," the soldier broke the awkward silence between the two of them. "How do we mimic the powers of a Schnee glyph if we have no one on our side to do so?"

Ironwood let out an exasperated sigh as his metal hand met his face.

"I don't know."

Back on Earth…

"Are you alright, Kay?" Winter asked from the passenger seat of the car.

"Yep."

"You don't sound it."

"..."

"I won't pry if you don't want to talk about it," The Specialist said. "But only if you say you don't want to."

"I'm fine." Kay answered. "Just a little angry from getting popped in the face for the second time in twenty four fucking hours."

"Was it the girl?" Winter recalled her name. "Leah?"

A dangerous game. The two elder siblings shared a knowing glance that this was the only way to properly calm down like a mature adult. Kay sighed as he turned the car left.

"Yes," came the simple answer. "My ex."

"I see." Winter replied just as curtly. "And the man she came in with?"

"The man she cheated on my with while I went down to the city."

An uncomfortable silence filled the car. Winter had her share of crushes and admirers in her Academy years, but never a full relationship like most of her much more outgoing acquaintances. She was much more focused on the objectives at hand, like missions and the army. She didn't know how to relate or add to this conversation. She simply linked her hands and circled her thumbs idly while Kay continued.

"I came back early from a holiday trip to Manhattan a few years back and wanted to surprise her with a gift I made while I spent time with my family." Kay explained. He took a deep breath before dealing the blow. "I found her banging the new guy on my sofa when I got in quietly in an attempt to surprise her."

"Was it the same man we saw today?"

"The very same."

"Hm." His reaction to the people entering the restaurant seemed quite was a detail in what occurred there that seemed off, however. "How is your student aware of the issue? She seemed to know exactly what happened."

"Glen Plains is a small town," Kay said. "Her dad's on the local police force. I'm sure plenty of my former neighbors heard the noise that night."

"Yelling?"

"Fighting." He corrected. "I broke his nose and a couple ribs. He didn't press charges. Smartest fucking choice of his life, I guess."

"You fought him." Winter repeated. "You were military trained, weren't you?"

"Yeah, but all that 'discipline' goes out the window when you're white-hot, pissed off." Kay glanced to Winter shrug but nod subtly in agreement. The rest of the ride went quiet until they reached home. "Sorry."

"For what?" Winter asked.

"Laying all that on you."

"But I asked you to."

"You're not my therapist."

"You don't spend enough time with other adults." Winter's point made him look directly at her. Her cold blue eyes stared into his brown with determination. "Your friend Roman has his own life and your therapist is only available so often. And now you've had a stressful week making sure a bunch of adolescent Hunters are safe in a new world. This event would have been the tipping point for anyone else."

"Anyone else?" He repeated.

"You have a lot of practice keeping your thoughts and feelings in." Winter replied. Her eye contact never wavered. "Ozpin told me your early written work hints towards your struggles."

Kay sighed, breaking away and looking forward at the house. He looked up when Winter placed a hand on his shoulder.

"If you need to talk, you have Ozpin and me." Winter offered with a soft smile. "If you don't feel like having a child unavoidably listening in on your problems, I am willing to talk."

"Are you trained for that?" Kay asked.

"I may come off as cold and callous, but I do have friends who confide in me." Winter said, removing her hand from his shoulder. "I hope that, in the short time we remain here, that I can be that friend to you."

"You don't have to." Kay finally unbuckled his belt.

"I don't mind paying my metaphorical rent this way." Winter followed suit, rolling her eyes. "I expect that it took you time to come to terms with finding a therapist."

"Years."

"Exactly."

"How often do you go out and spend leisure time?" Winter asked as they existed and got out of the car.

"Almost never." Kay said immediately. He retrieved the purchased clothes and toiletries from the backseat of the car. "I prefer staying indoors. Catching up on sleep, writing, or just entertaining myself."

"I see."

"Are you two done flirting yet or are you gonna get in the house any time soon?" Yang's voice made them both jump, but Kay was quickly ready with a retort.

"Almost done, yeah." Kay's quip caused Yang to stutter with how quickly and nonchalantly he responded. Winter simply seemed amused at the blonde's reaction. "Ya mind taking in these bags? I gotta say something first."

"Sure," Yang took the bags from Kay's arms and held his gaze until she entered the house, leaving the door ajar for the two adults.

"Winter?" Kay looked back to the elder Schnee daughter.

"Yes, Kay?"

"Thank you." He said with an open mouthed smile. "I may take you up on your offer one day."

"Of course." His sincerity seemed to relax her. It wasn't until they noticed the small audience of Yang, Nora, Jaune, and Ren peeking from the door. Winter sighed. "We should get inside now."

"Hey guys!" Kay greeted the teens as they finally stepped into his home. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Not really." Ren answered.

"What about you?" Nora pointed right at the red mark on Kay's forehead.

"I had a disagreement with a door." Kay answered.

"Was it an oak door?"

"Probably."

"Those oaken bastards!" /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-he

Winter removed her jacket and then herself from the moment. She gathered the bags holding her new clothes before making her way to Kay's bedroom to change. She didn't hesitate to throw out the clothes Kay had given her the night prior before changing into a simple white tee and sweatpants. She would rejoin the group for a rowdy dinner, glancing at their host throughout the night.

He didn't seem to fake a single smile or laugh that night.

. . . . .

Winter looked around the lobby of the school as Kay asked the receptionist for guest passes. She looked back to see Oscar, Blake, and Weiss talking behind them. Miss Belladonna wore a beanie to cover her ears. The five of them were bundled up as the winter weather had struck mid-drive. /

"Your entourage grows, Grey." Lucy noted aloud as she passed the teacher the sticker passes for the Remnant citizens. The receptionist's eyes traced over Winter briefly. "Ma'am, do you have any form of ID I can see?"

"What for?" Kay asked.

"Prospective students and family members are given a free pass," Lucy nodded at Oscar, Weiss, and Blake. "She's an adult woman that isn't registered as an auditor or a teacher. Suspect indeed."

"You're surprisingly sharp for 2 o'clock in the afternoon." Kay remarked.

"Good security gets me paid." Lucy countered before flinching as Winter produced a non-specific badge and ID. "Oh, I see. Understood, ma'am."

"Thank you." Winter said simply as she placed her ID in her pocket.

"What did you do to deserve the Fed's eye?" Lucy asked Kay, wide-eyed.

"Well," Kay looked to Winter, who simply looked back at him expectantly with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe the government has need of my services?"

"Castle was just a TV show, Kay." Lucy joked.

"Just remember to thank me when I save the world, Luce." Kay retorted as he led the group towards his classroom.

"You ain't doing shit, bookworm!" Lucy's laugh echoed as the young teacher rolled his eyes.

"Quite an interesting friendship you have there." Winter remarked.

"She was never a morning person." Kay said.

"It's 2 PM." Weiss clarified.

"She was never a morning person." Kay repeated, as though it answered everything. "Oz, you remember where the library is?"

"I'd like to join him today, if that's alright." Blake spoke up this time. Kay nodded and waved them off as they reached the door to his first class. The Faunus girl looked to Ozpin and said, "I wanted to explore the civil rights histories of this world as well."

"Oh, you'll find quite a lot of stuff about that." Kay said as he unlocked his classroom. "Ask Miss Valerie to borrow the computer. If she asks, tell her you're with me and Oscar. If you need to distract her for any reason, ask her what she thinks about my writing."

"She's a fan?" Blake asked.

"There's a local book club in town," Kay answered. "She's the leader and had the group read some of my books. It's flattering, really."

"E-excuse me," A new voice entered the conversation as Christie walked up. "Mr. Grey!"

"Yes Christie, I saw your second draft." Kay answered, waving off Oz and Blake as they made their way upstairs. "I'll talk to you about it after class."

Christie passed in front of Winter with an apprehensive look before entering the classroom. Winter and Weiss made their way to the back left corner of the classroom. The younger Schnee pulled out a book from Kay's library while Winter watched as Kay prepared for his class. The man pulled out a small book, a water bottle, and then his laptop. He opened his laptop and began typing before turning and beginning to write on the whiteboard.

"What exactly is your lesson today, Kay?" Winter asked. The young teacher answered back without turning around or stopping.

"Components for a good final draft essay." Was the simple answer. Winter nodded as he wrote out the question, 'What makes a good final draft?' "And I would appreciate it if you call me Mr. Grey when class begins."

After several minutes, the class began to fill up. At first, there was the normal amount of trivial conversation and volume that filled the room. That was until several students began to notice Winter in the corner of the classroom, and the room's conversations grew silent.

"As y'all can see, I'm being observed today. If you're also in my poetry workshop class, you will be seeing them again later today." Kay addressed the class with a sort of lax authority, Winter noticed. It was like the younger Lieutenants training a platoon or recruits on a weekend. "So let me begin by saying that I have, indeed, seen the drafts of everyone that sent them this past weekend. You should have received feedback and suggestions. Whether or not you decide to act upon those suggestions is up to you; it's the feedback you should take seriously."

The rest of class went without issue, as Kay made a mock essay assignment for the class to work on together. Winter caught Christie glancing back at her several times during the lesson. Perhaps she still recognized her from the incident at the restaurant?

Time went on as the class came to an end. Kay casually dismissed the students with a reminder to submit their final papers that friday night.

"Christie, "Kay's words stopped the timid girl in her tracks. The student made her way to the young teacher. "Relax, you're not in trouble for anything. I was actually about to give you your grade for your second draft."

"O-oh," Christie let out a sigh of relief as Kay retrieved a paper from his bag. Winter could make out some pen marks on it, notations for corrections. "Thank you."

"You've almost got it down with this one," Kay said. "If you simply submitted this on Friday, I'd give you a solid B. However, if you take into account my notes and take some time to find one last article to support your argument, I think you'd easily make it an A-grade paper.

"Thank you, Mr. Grey!" Christie thanked the man once more before leaving the class.

"That was kind of you," Winter noted. "Most professors at Atlas would have simply left them to their own devices."

"I'm not most professors." Kay responded with an earnest smile."Shall move onto my next class?"

"Lead the way."

Winter simply listened as Kay held, instructed, and dismissed his second and final class, the Poetry Workshop class. It was a much smaller class than the first, and was held in what appeared to be a meeting room. Blake had actually found her way into the classroom during the middle of the lesson with a few books she had borrowed from the library.

"Valerie let you take those?" Kay asked Blake after the final student left.

"She said you would be held accountable if they're overdue." Blake shrugged.

"I expected nothing less, really." Kay nodded before turning to Winter. "So, what did you think of my day-to-day?"

"It is rather interesting," Winter answered. "You pay close attention to your students' work and individual situations. May I ask why that is?"

"Because someone needs to." Kay answered easily. "Also, for content."

"Content?" Blake repeated.

"I get a lot of inspiration from my surroundings," was the man's response. "So listening to as many people's stories is definitely helpful for brainstorming ideas."

"Resourceful." Winter noted.

"Of course, I ask for their permission before writing out their stories." Kay finished. "It's only fair. So, dinner?"

The crew reunited in the lobby, revealing that Weiss and Ozpin also decided to borrow some books from the college library. Small talk ensued in the car as Kay pulled into a Five Guys parking lot. The five of them got out of the car and entered the fast-food restaurant, which was rather empty despite being the start of the dinner rush. Blake perked up as a bell rang as they entered. As they approached the register, Kay smiled apologetically at the cashier.

"Might wanna give your team a heads up," Kay warned. "This is gonna be a bit of an order."

The young man behind the register simply raised an eyebrow as the teacher/writer began reciting his order. The cashier's eyebrow went down immediately as the order did, indeed, end up being rather large. At the end of it all, Kay had ordered 20 burgers, 10 orders of fries, and 10 milkshakes. Winter stood by Kay the entire time while the kids went off to take a seat.

The bell rang behind the two of them, signifying that another customer had walked in. Kay and Winter walked away and joined the others at one of the boots. Kay looked to see who else was in the restaurant; a total of four people: a middle-aged couple and two diners sitting independently. Winter's attention suddenly shot towards the cashier

"SHUT UP, AND GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!" A rough voice cut through the peaceful atmosphere as two men with black balaclavas stood at the register. The one who had shouted had a pistol pointed at the cashier while the other had a large knife in his hands. The shouter's voice carried through the room, turning everyone's attention towards them. "Just do what I say, and no one gets hurt1"

"What are you looking at?" The knife wielding robber met Kay's eyes and took a step forward before noticing his company. "Eyes down, motherfucker, or your family gets hurt!"

Kay sighed through his nose but did as he was told. Winter, who sat opposite of him, simply held the intruder's gaze. She watched as the armed robber continued to step towards them. Kay felt Blake tense up next to him. Oscar took a deep breath as the seconds passed by.

"Pal, you better control your wife unless she wants me to make an example outta her." came the man's threat.

Kay's brown eyes met Winter's blue. A single one of her thin, black eyebrows rose in amusement. Next to her, Weiss rolled her shoulders in preparation; Kay sighed once more. They may have been unarmed, but they were still experienced fighters with a secret defense.

"Just… no Semblances." Kay shrugged. Winter nodded.

"I said-!" The knife hit the floor with a single strike from the Atlesian Specialist before she even left her seat. He must have thought it to be an intelligent decision to throw a straight punch at her. "Fuck you! Auugh!"

"How uncivilized." Winter smirked at Kay, who looked at the unfortunate man writing under her boots with a dislocated arm. She raised her leg and delivered a simple kick to the face, knocking him out. Seeing that the gunman was still occupied at the register, Winter calmly strode over to the register. "Excuse me, sir."

"H-huh?" The gunman was shocked as Winter easily pushed him aside, ignoring the gun in his hands. "The fuck?"

"Young man," Winter addressed the cashier, who was still occasionally glancing at the first intruder. "I would hope your employer has already called the authorities."

The cashier nodded frantically, pointing towards camera above him that was watching the register.

"Bitch, you chose the wrong damn day to play hero!" Winter turned in preparation to receive a blow when another person seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Sorry, I wasn't gonna just stand there and let you do that." Kay held back the gunman's chambered haymaker, giving Winter enough time to painfully disarm him.

"Agh!" The criminal crumpled to the floor holding his wrist. Kay quickly kicked the dropped gun in the direction of Weiss and Blake. "Fuck you!"

It wasn't long until the restaurant's population now included four cops that were taking in the scene. The two injured criminals were carefully taken away. One of the cops approached Kay with an outstretched hand while his partner took the kicked gun and put it into a plastic bag.

"Mr. Grey!" The office greeted and shook the writer's hand. "Good to see you came out of this mess in one piece."

"My friend here knows her shit," Kay nodded at Winter, who had already given her statement along with the cashier. "How's your family, Captain?"

"Christie's been working non-stop on her paper, if that's what you mean." The officer laughed before reining in his professionalism. "Is there anything important you wish to add to this scene that may not have been said before?"

"None, sir." Kay answered. "Thank you for your time."

"Thank you for yours, Grey." The police captain nodded and turned to leave.

. . . . .

"That's it?" Yang asked, as the gang finished eating dinner. "That's kinda… boring. Intense for civilians, but more boring on the Huntress end."

"It wasn't exactly the most common occurrence," Kay admitted. "That might have gone very differently if we weren't there."

"What's the protocol for that sort of thing anyway?" Jaune asked. "For the workers, I mean."

"Just let it happen." Kay shrugged. "Your employer's money is not worth your life. Follow the directions, and hopefully, you get out unharmed."

"I find it kinda funny that the guy thought you were all a family." Nora said, pointing to the group involved. "You definitely pass as one."

"He called Winter his wife," Oscar recalled. "That was pretty awkward."

"It didn't bother me." Winter said earnestly.

"Nor me," Kay added. "Whatever helped to catch him off guard."

"You did catch that other guy's punch." Yang complimented.

"I caught it before he even threw it." Kay responded dismissively. "I moved behind him when Winter got in front of him and managed to distract him."

"Either way," Ozpin cut in, taking over for Oscar. "I believe that should be enough for excitement for one time. From now on, we should limit the amount of people going out at one time."

"What?" RWBY and JNR protested simultaneously. Kay and Winter, on the other hand, seemed to agree.

"Imagine if one of us is caught alone or lagging behind." Ozpin said. "We have no communication between us and being scattered would be too dangerous. At the most, we should be going out at four at a time. Is that understood?"

"Mmrbl…" Was the general consensus.

"Is that understood?" The former headmaster's voice repeated with authority. The youths nodded and departed from the kitchen to resume whatever shenanigans they were involved in before dinner arrived.

"Thank you again, Kay." Winter turned to the writer as he finished his strawberry milkshake. "Your assistance today was very much appreciated."

""Of course." He said. "It would be remiss of me not to protect my guests."

"Even if we have Aura?" As soon as she asked that, a weird thought came to mind.

"Even so." Kay assured before yawning. "I'm gonna get more work done in the office. Help yourself to anything in the house."

Winter watched him walk away before walking over to the sink, where discarded cutlery was sent after dinner. Out of the pile, she retrieved the kitchen knife used to cut some of the burgers earlier. "They were in a different world, right? Their Lien, their Scrolls, and their ways of life were essentially voided here. Their existence was voided here. Winter gasped suddenly as she came to a realization.

"Winter?" Ozpin asked, approaching her. "Are you alright?"

"Ozpin," Winter refused to turn to him. "Have any of the children encountered any combat here?"

"Not that I know of," Ozpin answered. "Why?"

Winter finally, slowly turned toward him and revealed the small bloody cut she had made on her palm. In front of her hand, a small glyph came to life, before fading away. A soft light shone around her hand as her Aura began to heal the cut. Ozpin's eyes widened as the healing process was impossibly slower than normal, even with Winter focusing all of her Aura in her palm.

"Our Aura is… compromised."

Heyo, Kariotic here! Sorry for such a long wait. Life hit me hard with a lot of things, more bad than good, unfortunately. That's not including the whole pandemic thing going right now. So stay safe out there and take care of yourselves!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading!

Man... 2020 sucks balls, dude.