Basil Oaks, despite his unassuming name, was a mountain of a man that made Ghira look small and could have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Hazel Rainart. His skin was a shade lighter than that of Porella, though he was similarly outfitted in a large tactical vest with additional armor plates covering his joints and shoulders. Basil's black hair was trimmed down to a buzz cut, and he sported a neatly trimmed beard that occupied the majority of his cheeks and jawline. In lieu of his wife's arrangement of firearms, he appeared to be totally unarmed. Even so, Qrow couldn't help but get the impression that the man certainly knew how to fight, and the scars present on what little flesh of his was visible certainly weren't surgical.

"Adam's with Porella, then?" Bartholomew asked as the boys followed their escort down the hall.

"Who?"

"Yeah," Basil answered, making his way to the elevator and swiping his I.D. card below the buttons as he stepped inside. The top of his head very nearly reached the ceiling, and he pressed himself up against the wall to allow the younger huntsmen to fit inside of the carriage. "Apparently, they hit it off, and she called me to bring you two up. Hit the button for the top floor."

"How interesting…" Bartholomew began as he adjusted his glasses and did as instructed. He turned to Qrow, giving his friend a firm nod. "I'm not sure if I mentioned it before… or if anyone was listening, assuming that I did… but the Oaks family, consisting of Basil and Porella, procures the vast majority of their own artifacts. They're somewhat famous for their work not only maintaining this museum, but discovering its contents."

"Quite the review… but not an inaccurate one," Basil praised as he folded his arms across his chest. "You seem to know your stuff, for a foreigner."

"Are we that obvious?" Qrow asked as he craned his neck to look backward and up at the man.

"Incredibly," Basil confirmed. "You don't carry yourselves like Vacuans, and you're both… pasty. Not that that's a bad thing, it just makes you stand out. Well… could be a bad thing if you stay out in the sun for too long. Don't forget protection."

"I really could do with more sun…" Bartholomew admitted as the elevator continued to rise. He checked his arm, the flesh upon it pale and milky. "Sir, before we arrive…"

"Sir?" Basil asked with a not insignificant lilt of amusement in his tone. "Kid, I'm considered a criminal in some parts of Remnant. Basil's fine. Who are you two, anyway?"

"Qrow Branwen," the boy answered.

"Bartholomew Oobleck," he added. "We're both students at Beacon Academy, on a vacation of sorts…"

"Beacon, huh?" Basil asked with a chuckle. "Tell Oz I said 'hi' when you get back."

"…of course you're involved with Professor Ozpin…" Qrow muttered, though lightly enough that only Bartholomew heard it.

"In that case… do you know Professor Calavera?" Bartholomew asked as he nervously peeled his attention from Qrow and over to their host.

"Maria? Yeah, Porella and I know her, too," Basil answered. "Hell of a fighter. We've done some work together."

"She's in town," Qrow replied as the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened with a pleasant ding. "Not sure where she is right now, but we saw her at Shade."

"Well in that case, we'll have to go and catch up with her. It's been years," Basil let on as he followed the young huntsmen out of the elevator and into the office. "Found 'em, Pore."

The scene before the three men was not one that Qrow or Bartholomew had expected to see. At the far end of the rather messy office stood Porella and Adam, the pair hunched over an object of some sort resting atop the desk. As Adam turned to face them, it became clear that the bandanna he usually kept tied around his missing eye was off, and the Schnee snowflake burned into the side of his face was plainly visible.

"So you did," Porella offered as her husband closed in. She gingerly placed her hands upon the man's hips and accepted a quick peck on the lips before turning her attention to the two huntsmen approaching her desk. "You two must be Qrow and Bartholomew. I'll put on more tea…"

"That really isn't…" Bartholomew began, only for Porella to raise a hand as she broke away from her husband.

"I won't take 'no' for an answer. Basil, would you mind helping me in the kitchen for a moment?" the woman asked, giving her husband a look that communicated something that none of the boys could quite decipher.

"Of course. Make yourselves at home, kids," the gargantuan man offered as he and his wife stepped out of the office.

Adam watched the pair go before slowly turning his attention over to his friends.

"...I'm sorry for running off…" the faunus said sullenly, his anger seemingly dissipated. "I… needed time."

"It's alright," Bartholomew reassured. "We understand."

"We do," Qrow agreed before stepping closer and pulling Bartholomew along with himself into a huddle. Adam moved back a bit before leaning in again as Qrow lowered his voice. "But what's going on? Something doesn't feel right here…"

"What do you mean?" Adam asked as he flicked his eye toward the kitchen and back. "Porella's been kind, and she seems to genuinely want to help. I don't think we're in danger…"

"We're not in danger. At least, I don't think so," Qrow replied. "But doesn't all of this just seem… too convenient to you two? These two are involved with Professor Ozpin. They know Professor Calavera. We ended up in this museum, you saw that display…"

"Qrow Branwen, believing in conspiracy theories?" Bartholomew asked playfully. "You may be the more… emotionally-driven Branwen, but I thought such a thing to be out of your wheelhouse."

"Yeah, well… things are just going a little too… it seems like everything that's gone on since we got to Vacuo would be something that Professor Ozpin would want to happen to us. That includes Summer discovering she might be a Maiden."

"…and is that a bad thing, if it's true?" Adam asked. "Professor Ozpin seems to care about us, even if we're being manipulated."

"Not necessarily bad… but it is weird," Qrow answered.

"You're reaching," Adam accused. "I don't think we're being played."

"Am I?" Qrow seethed. "Bartholomew, you know legends and shit- you looked into other important relics in Remnant's history that have ties to Academies after we found that lamp on the mountaintop, didn't you?"

"Indeed I did," Bartholomew admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"What were the other three?" Qrow asked rhetorically.

"…a staff for Atlas, a sword for Shade, and a crown for Beacon," Bartholomew said slowly. "You know this. Professor Ozpin told Team STRQ the details, and you told me, after which point I did said digging…"

"Oh, a crown," Qrow said in mock surprise. "You mean… like that one?"

Adam and Bartholomew followed Qrow's finger as he pointed to the desk where Porella and the faunus had been studying an artifact. There atop one of the maps of Vacuo was a golden diadem inlaid with a trio of green jewels. The central, largest emerald had a familiar insignia carved into its surface- two axes facing away from each other in front of a laurel wreath- the crest of Beacon Academy.

Maria Calavera stretched her arms above her head as she led the girls into the beach house once again. She let out a small groan as she cracked her neck to one side and looked around at the interior of the ground floor.

"Nice place you have here, Schnee," the woman praised. "Here's hoping things settle down as much as they can, for the rest of your stay…"

"That would be preferable, yes," Willow agreed as she walked around her professor and made her way toward the staircase. "I'm going to go and shower. All of this sand and ocean water just feels… icky."

"Icky," Raven repeated. "We are so going to die if we're being hunted and you can't do icky."

Willow rolled her eyes and began climbing the steps.

"There's a hose on the deck! At least wash off your legs before you sit on the couch, you barbarians!"

"That's fair," Kali said to herself as she waved Raven back toward the sliding glass door. "Don't want to mess up the house more than we're already going to partying. Not that we would have any sort of wildly inappropriate parties that you totally wouldn't be invited to if you can keep your mouth shut, Professor."

"You are utterly shameless," Maria accused as she followed the girls out onto the deck. "I'll consider it."

"Wait, really?" Kali asked, her feline ears perking up as she grabbed the hose and began spraying down her ankles. "You would party with us?"

"No guarantees, but… perhaps," Maria said with a smirk as Kali passed her the hose. "How about this- if one of you can beat me in a duel, I'll turn a blind eye and let my hair down completely. Deadline is before you leave again for Beacon."

''…that's your offer because of what I said, isn't it?" Raven asked. "That's… such a devious way to get me involved in a party I otherwise wouldn't go to…"

"Don't say I never did anything for you," Maria said to Kali as she offered the faunus a wink. "Question, while we're out here- is Willow's paid security still in that tower?"

Kali and Raven followed their professor's gaze to the security tower just barely visible over the roof. The white stone structure stood ominously over the parking lot, casting a long shadow out over the desert.

"No, they left yesterday, when we got here," Raven answered.

"…have you checked?" Maria asked flatly as she looked back down at Raven. "Has anyone been inside?"

"…no…" Kali said slowly. "You don't think they're the ones targeting Raven, do you? Why would they?"

"No, I don't," Maria clarified. "But I do think it's worth checking that tower. It's a very clear vantage point over the house, and the security access we're looking for may be up there. Hell, I might sleep up there, actually. Would be easy to see anyone coming or going…"

"Not a bad idea," Kali agreed. "C'mon, let's go give it the once-over while Willow's getting clean."

The women took a shortcut through the house and out the front door, the sounds of the shower running upstairs providing a brief soundtrack to their adventure. They made the short trip across the parking lot at a light jog, and upon arriving at the base of the tower, Maria moved to the front of the pack. She put her hand on the doorknob and turned it, only to find the door unlocked as she pushed it forward.

"…professional security, eh?"

"…it's broken…" Raven pointed out as she examined the metal bracing on the doorframe. "They didn't leave it unlocked when they left- it was forced."

"Fuck me," Kali declared. "I left my guns inside, and my Semblance sucks in close quarters…"

"Stay here," Maria ordered as she drew her weapon and cracked it into two separate scythes. "Branwen. Come."

Raven immediately put a hand on her sword and stepped into the tower, finding a tight spiral staircase leading upward. The shaft was dark, and upon trying the light switch, nothing seemed to change.

"…shit," Raven cursed. "Power's been knocked out."

"Or deliberately cut," Maria offered. "Which, if the security system for the entire beach house runs through here…"

"…I'm coming in," Kali declared. "Let me take point, I can see in the dark. If I get stabbed, pose my corpse all sexy."

"Kali, don't…" Raven warned, though she deflated her protest into a tired sigh as the faunus merely stepped around her and began making her way up the stairs.

"Keep up. I'm your guiding light."

"I don't like this…" Raven said quietly as the trio began to slowly make their way upwards, the climb getting darker and darker as they went. "Watch for traps…"

"If she can reach the door to the booth and open it, I believe there are windows," Maria reassured. "We should be able to see."

"Whole lotta nothin' so far," Kali said, her voice echoing as she got nearer and nearer to the top of the tower. "Just stairs. Lots and lots of stairs…"

"I mean, it's basically a lighthouse," Raven replied. "Maybe we shouldn't be warning anyone who might be up there that we're coming."

"We shouldn't," Maria confirmed. "Silence."

The remainder of the trek upward was quiet, save for the trio's footfalls upon the metallic steps. Eventually, they reached a small metal landing, and Kali moved forward to put her hand upon the door handle hidden in the darkness.

"…be ready," the faunus whispered. "I'll pull, you two go in."

"Ready," Maria declared. "I'll go first."

Kali took a deep breath and yanked the handle downward before shoving the door away from herself. Light flooded the shaft of the tower and Maria dashed inside, brandishing her scythes to find the control tower devoid of life. Inside was a wall of blank monitors, a pair of computer chairs, an out of place sleeping bag, and a small paper container of take-out food resting upon the windowsill. Maria advanced across the floor with Raven behind her and picked up the small container of noodles.

"…still warm," Maria said ominously as Kali poked her head inside of the office. "Someone's been here within the hour…"

Author's Note:

Next time, Chapter 100. We're just getting started…

-RD