Ruby pulled back the lever on the side of her scythe, opening the chamber to check that her weapon was loaded. With a satisfied nod, she slammed the panel back into place and collapsed the weapon into a more portable form with a fluid motion. She had been pacing back and forth across the parking lot outside of Beacon Academy for what felt like hours as several pairs of eyes followed her. The noise of the truck idling nearby along with the smell of gasoline was absolutely nauseating. All she wanted to do was leave.

"…it's loaded, kid," Coco said as she tilted her sunglasses down to reveal her coffee-colored eyes. "You've checked the chamber three times, now. What's eating you?"

Ruby looked up at Coco, who was leaning against the side of the vehicle. The older huntress seemed eternally calm, as though nothing at all was amiss. The notion only made Ruby's stomach churn even more.

"…everything," Ruby answered. "Everything about this just feels… it all feels so wrong."

"That's just life, now," Fox said with a shrug. "Eventually, you learn to roll with it."

"I hope that stops being true in the future," Nora muttered. "All of this uncertainty, all of this stress… we were supposed to be nearing the end of our second year right about now. Putting off studying for finals, going to parties, getting yelled at by Ren for both of those things, convincing Ren to come along to party and shrug off finals…"

Ren shook his head, though he couldn't keep his smirk at bay.

"After all we've been through together and will need to go through in the very near future… I think I would take you up on that offer. When this is all over, we will be throwing a party. Likely several in a row. For days."

Ruby simply continued to pace across the asphalt, the words of her friends little more than background noise. She absentmindedly pulled back the lever on her weapon once again before a firm grip around her wrist stopped her movements entirely.

"Okay, seriously," Coco said with an unfamiliar urgency. "What's going on?"

Ruby gave Coco a hard glare before turning her attention to the other side of the lot. At the edge of the pavement stood Oscar and Cardin, alongside Professors Goodwitch, Port, and Oobleck, each speaking animatedly as they had been for the past several minutes. Slowly but surely, Ruby's gaze was pulled behind the group and upward to the central tower of Beacon, and the fossilized behemoth still perched atop it.

She could have sworn she saw the beast shift ever so slightly, despite the confines of its stone prison.

"…Ozpin," Ruby said in a hushed tone as she kept her eyes upon the dragon. "We've known for a while now that there are things he isn't telling us, but… now he's acting strange about my eyes, too. Roman Torchwick is being more open and helpful than our headmaster, and we're currently in full-on impending crisis mode. That, and the fact that Torchwick's crew is already gone, while we're standing here for no reason… every second we delay is a second that grimm could be spreading toward the resort. How am I supposed to feel?"

Coco released her grip on Ruby's wrist and pushed her glasses back up her nose with a finger. Her eyes properly hidden once again, she folded her arms across her chest and shook her head.

"…you can feel however you want, but actively putting that energy out there isn't going to help anyone. We're all nervous, especially after my team just found out about Salem. If we need to talk some shit through, we should do it when we settle in for the night. Not at the outset of the mission when we're all on edge. Just… dial it back a bit, alright? Sit down, or something. I've got shit on my mind, too, and you're making it worse."

"Coco," Fox said in a far softer tone. "We all deal with stress in different ways. Leave her. If pacing and checking her armaments is how she does it, then I see no reason to scold her. It's better than some of the other coping mechanisms we've seen lately…"

"…yeah. Drop it," Coco warned as the other group finally began their approach. The leader of CFVY pushed off the side of the truck and cracked her neck before nodding toward Oscar. "We ready to go, boss-man?"

"We are indeed," Oscar answered, his tone confident and sagely. "We were discussing how to handle the third team, and… we've decided it's best if they stay here, at Beacon. They can reach both other locations just as well from here as a point farther out, and if it comes to a final defense… we need as many bodies as we can get between the campus borders and that tower."

"…did you have to phrase it like that?" Nora asked as she pulled a face of disgust.

"…I'm not sure if 'final defense' or 'more bodies' was worse," Ren agreed as he put a hand upon Nora's shoulder. "But either way… we'll stand our ground and do our jobs. You have my word."

"And you all have our sincere gratitude," Professor Goodwitch insisted as she offered the young hunters a small bow. "The moment you feel that you need support, call on us, and we'll send reinforcements."

"Yes indeed," Professor Oobleck agreed. "We'll come running if you see high-priority grimm, or any of Salem's agents. "We're committed to making sure that everyone survives this… and that we wipe Sanus clean of grimm. That's going to be a massive team effort, if I've ever seen one."

Nora took a step toward Ruby and let out a sigh as Ren and Cardin traded places within the groups.

"That's all a fancy way of saying… you're not alone. We never really did get to talk much about how you've feeling since Mistral, but… it's not too late, you know. Call us- whether you need reinforcements or not, call me. I'm fine to just talk, when you're ready."

Ruby opened her mouth to say something, only to have her breath stolen by a bone-crushing hug from her redheaded friend. Slowly, Ruby returned the gesture, allowing herself to sink into the embrace.

"…once I finally figure out what I'm feeling, you'll be the first to know," Ruby reassured. "Now, though… this is it, for a little while. See you when I see you."

"And you will see us again," Ren insisted as he watched Coco climb up into the driver's seat of the truck. "Good luck out there."

"Thanks," Ruby replied before giving Ren a hug as well. "We're going to need it…"

James Ironwood took another long pull from his mug, draining it entirely of its contents before setting the ceramic down atop his desk and steepling his fingers. He knew very well who was waiting outside of his office, and he had absolutely no desire to deal with them. Regardless, duty was duty, and so he pushed the button to disengage the lock on the door.

"Well, well, well," Clover said with an insufferable smirk as he entered the circular room, his arms spread out to either side. He was flanked by Winter, who looked amused as well, but kept her expression far more subdued. "Word around the Academy is that you actually followed our advice and took a day off, without sneaking out to go and get something done. I've heard claims that people saw you sitting down in places other than your office. That can't be right."

"Word around the Academy is true," General Ironwood said calmly, though there was a bit of annoyance just barely perceptible in his tone. "The two of you offered advice in the interest of my personal health, and I took it. Does this really need to become an event?"

"Given how many times we've made that request over the past few years? I've already marked it on my calendar," Clover said with a grin. "I'm banking on your two votes in the council to carry it to a national holiday."

"What my obnoxious colleague is trying to say," Winter jumped in as she rolled her eyes, "is that we're grateful that you took our advice and actually found time for yourself. Stress is wearing us all thin, and we're nowhere near the finish line. Things are getting more and more tense down in Mantle, and we need to approach the situation with clear heads. There are… a few matters you should be made aware of, when you feel ready…"

"Don't sugar coat it just because I took a day," the general warned as he moved his hands back below his chin. "What's been going on?"

"Our new bloods performed well enough on their first outings," Clover began. "Sun and Weiss were with me and did their jobs admirably. We had an… encounter with some less than savory individuals down in Mantle. The election-related tensions are escalating, and Jacques putting out ads with Marrow in them pushed things to a boiling point. Sun almost lost his cool, but with Weiss' help, he reeled it in. I don't blame him, and I can't wait for this to be over with."

"Not even a week, now," General Ironwood muttered. "We just need to hold it together for a little longer, and then I can stonewall Jacques at every turn…"

"Gods willing," Clover agreed. "As for the rest, Ilia and Corsac mesh well with Marrow, Yang and Harriet have struck up something resembling a working relationship, and Jaune… well, that's where the problems started, but it wasn't his fault. Sun's team is holding their own, all things considered. We fell apart yesterday, but the issue has been mostly taken care of."

General Ironwood simply stared, unsure what to make of the information at first.

"…you're going to have to explain further…"

"…Vine," Clover replied. "Everything came to a head last night, Harriet almost put Marrow through a wall, and then, we talked through our issues. Everything isn't quite 'resolved,' but we're making progress. It shouldn't interfere with the mission."

General Ironwood made an uncomfortable noise as he shifted in his seat. The man rubbed at his beard for a moment before interlacing his fingers and resting his hands atop the surface of the desk together. He took a moment to form a script in his head, revising twice in the uncomfortable silence before he was confident in what he wanted to say.

"…Clover… I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you," General Ironwood said slowly. "If my attitude toward maintaining focus on work and bottling emotions is what led you, Elm, and Harriet to react the way that you did to Vine's death, then… I owe you a sincere apology. It was never my intention to make you feel as though you didn't have time to grieve… though I can certainly see how the situation may have been interpreted that way. None of you are invincible… and neither am I. I needed you to remind me of that, and going forward, it's important that a situation like this doesn't happen again."

"That… isn't what happened," Clover said, though his tone betrayed his uncertainty. "At least, I don't think it is. Not for me. I can't really speak for the others…"

"…but even if it did, we need to maintain balance," Winter reminded. "Time to grieve and discuss where you stand mentally with your teammates is important, but… I can't help but say that duty still takes precedence over personal feelings when it comes to work as significant for all of Remnant as ours."

"You're talking about Fria," General Ironwood said confidently. "And while I agree to an extent, don't forget the first thing you said- balance. We can only be honest to a point with the public… but we must be more honest with our colleagues, friends, and ourselves. Our army is strong, but that is our weakest point… and Salem will find it, if we don't move to compensate. Even I can see that, despite my reputation."

"It sounds like you did some thinking yesterday," Winter said ominously. "Does that mean… we're bringing Sun's team in on Operation Snowfall?"

"…for what little it's worth, it has to happen eventually. I think it's time," Clover offered. "Weiss already has some idea, but I don't think she fully understands what Winter is going to be asked to do, when the time times."

"If you think it's time, then I won't object," Winter added. "I just… have a single question. What is our plan if some of the group doesn't take the news favorably? Yang Xiao Long in particular may be… problematic, considering her moral issues with Hope. This is several steps beyond that… and I don't think Weiss will take it particularly well, either."

"I know," General Ironwood acknowledged. "And… we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Summon them here, along with the Aces. I see no reason to delay the truth. If they walk away from this thinking we're monsters… then so be it."

Author's Note:

Next week will be something a little… odd. Another flashback in part, though not one I think people would expect.

-RD