"Woah, I can see it!"

Ruby looked over to Pebble with a tired - yet curious - gaze. Over the past month she'd been unable to get any real rest. Sure she slept fine enough, but she'd always woken up tired. Maybe old age was catching up to her, or maybe it was the stress of everything, either way she began to find it irritating.

While troubled sleep was something she'd long grown used to this time it was different. Ruby had never felt so extremely tired from uneasy sleep before, to the point she wondered if the corruption in her was starting to take hold.

Yet oddly enough she found that everyone else was in a similar state; everyone besides Pebble anyway. The boy seemed completely unaffected by the wave of fatigue drowning the ship, going about his days as energetic as ever. He'd been a bit of a 'pick-me-up' for the crew, and she couldn't help the occasional smile gracing her face each time he got excited over something new.

Ruby let out a sneeze, rubbing her nose as she shivered. The north lived up to it's reputation of being a frozen wasteland, and she completely understood why it had been dubbed the 'White Sea'. To say it was frigid would be an understatement, and without aura she could have sworn she'd freeze to death.

Even Atlas was never as cold.

While her aura may have kept her immune to most temperatures and outdoor elements, it did not keep her skin from crawling under the sharp kiss of the wind; like a strap of hooks ripping across her flesh. Ruby however found herself wondering if she was getting sick, and while the crew following along added some credit to that theory she began to wonder why Pebble wasn't affected.

"Hold fast men! We'll dock near the glaciers and wait out the winds." Came the voice of captain Alcove as the crew replied in unison.

"Aye captain!"

Ruby watched as the young boy quickly followed after the others; keen to aid with the skills they'd taught him. Another smile fought it's way out as she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride grow within her. With a relaxed breath she made her way back to the cabin where Alcove had retired. She wished to speak with him and ask what route they would take to the capital.

As she stepped inside she stopped, and with a slight tinge of annoyance shook her head. The man was already fast asleep at his desk. She suddenly understood why he wanted them to dock, and it didn't seem like he'd awake any time soon. Ruby turned to leave, shutting the door on the way out.

The crew had already dealt with the docking, and the ship itself was firmly positioned between the cracks of mountainous ice.

When did that happen?

The glaciers had been several miles away, and at best would have taken a little over half an hour to get to. Had she really taken so long to leave the cabin? Yet that didn't make sense as she never spoke a word. Then perhaps she'd misjudged the distance, or maybe they'd found another place to dock? As she looked around she also noticed just how empty the deck was, and wondered when everybody left. All the equipment strewn about had disappeared; even the storm and wind vanished as well.

Ruby wrecked her brain as she tried to think of possible solutions, however it was cut off as an impossible voice swept past her ears.

"Ruby... please... help me..."

Her head shot around and her scythe found itself primed and ready. All the while the only response she could give was a whimpered mutter.

"M-mother..."

.

.

"You okay?"

Pyrrha fought back a small chuckle and instead sent out a practiced smile.

"I'm fine Jaune. Just a bit tired from everything so far."

"Yeah I get ya, everything's been a bit wild lately right?" Pyrrha nodded as the boy leaned back with her against the wall. "And now V goes and does this. Agh! It's just so frustrating you know."

"Indeed I do." And she meant it, feeling a sense of warmth well up as she looked over. Jaune wasn't like the others as he didn't care all that much about her fame, instead choosing to treat her like the rest of their friends.

And she couldn't be more grateful.

"It's just so... wrong. He didn't seem like the type of guy to do something like that, and now everyone's on edge." Jaune continued as Pyrrha agreed.

Vermillion while odd didn't seem the kind of person to lash out violently over nothing. Even a second viewing of the video - as unpleasant as it was - didn't portray him as aggressive. If anything he seemed shocked at the Grimm that struck. Online forms went back and forth over how he should be punished, with several even demanding death. Pyrrha herself however had a different notion.

She wanted to know why.

Why had Vermillion summoned the Grimm, and why did he choose to kill the reporter. None of it made sense, and the more she thought about it the more questions rose to mind.

Can he even control it?

It was a viciously valid question, and one that seemed the most believable. The thought scared her somewhat as the idea of losing control hit a little too close to home. Yet if that were the case it would make him dangerous to everyone around him. Pyrrha found herself unable to object to the headmasters decision to arrest him as she would almost certainly done the same in his position. But something licked at the back of her; a thought that kept clawing even as she pushed it away.

Why now? What was it that really set him off? He'd kept himself under wraps perfectly since his arrival, and yet it seemed strange for him to lose control so suddenly. Even as she tried to reason stress as the culprit it didn't add up. Vermillion had been in more stressful positions before, she was certain of that, so why would something like simple questioning bring out that response.

He never got so extreme with Blake at the dance, and that was when the whole school stood against him. One could argue that Vale showed his violent tendencies, but he'd been fighting both White Fang and Grimm; never once turning his wrath on anyone else, even when they did so to him.

"Would Team JNPR and Team SSSN please report to Amity Arena for their scheduled match. Thank you."

"Looks like that's our cue." Jaune said as he stood, hand outstretched towards her as she took it.

"I believe so. Shall we get going?" Pyrrha replied as the boy nodded.

Perhaps the match could help take her mind off things for the time being; at least long enough for her to regain a level head.

.

.

"Anything yet?"

"Nothing over here." Returned Blake as Yang let her shoulders drop. Their efforts so far were less than ideal, and the blond was clearly not happy with it. However she could do nothing but move along, pulling back wires and looking under bits and pieces of equipment.

"Hey Weiss-"

"No, I've got nothing as well."

"Ru-"

"Nu-uh, just a bunch of panels and dust pipes."

Oh come on!

She thought they'd at least find something, but for the past two hours all they'd ended up doing was clearing dust. They were students, huntresses, not maids as their currently assigned 'extra credit' seemed to treat them.

Maybe it was just frustration or a need to kick back but Yang found herself drawn to her scroll as she brought it out. They weren't finding anything and she doubted that would change anytime soon, so she opted to check out the net. There were plenty of public forms and social media sites to search, and she was curious as to what everyone thought at the moment.

She might even have been able to check what common rumors or theories were floating around regarding V. Yang grumbled a bit as she thought about it, still unable to fully decide on how she felt about the whole scenario. She'd just been starting to warm up to him and then everything went to shit again. It was just so... infuriating the way he always seemed to end up in trouble.

He was so close to getting off her bad side too, and begrudgingly she kind of wanted him to. Ruby believed in him, and so did the others, but a part within kept her back from fully being able to let go of her grudge. It seemed dumb, but she just wasn't able to trust him after all he did, and even though he'd helped her she couldn't seem to look past it.

She'd worked herself up too much and she knew it; the stress and frustration was clawing at her. Yang sighed as she looked to the forms, intent to relax a bit and gauge the - usually indecipherable - ideas and opinions of the net. Yet something caught her attention, which soon turned to confusion and disbelief as her focus zeroed in.

"Hey guys, you might want to check this out." She called as the others stopped what they were doing and headed over.

"What is it Yang?" Asked Blake as the blond motioned them to look, and as the group huddled around a stream of panic seemed to bolt through. Ruby was the first to break from the trance as she set the initiative.

"We need to move!"

.

.

"I don't like this, it seems almost too perfectly timed to be mere chance."

"That's because it is perfect. She's toying with us Glynda; the real question is why." Ozpin told as he sipped away at his coco with a crease in his brow.

The headmaster studied the video once more, scrutinizing every little point in search for any oddities. So far there was no luck, and he'd began to feel he was losing his mind. The only good thing to come out of it was the fact that there were no other casualties besides the one. Had it not been for the skills of the transfer students they might have been added to the count. However they were already the top crop of Haven Academy; Lionheart already assured him of that in a message before hand, one where he joked they may even be skilled enough to take on the staff.

However nobody could have predicted such a tragedy, especially on school grounds.

Ozpin watched the playback one more time, feeling the same drain of his wits. Before the video could even finish he shut it off and leaned back, letting out a breath as he sunk in the seat. He was getting nowhere, and they were almost out of time. Ozpin was certain something would happen at the tournament, that was all but guaranteed, however he had neither ideas of what it could be nor any potential ways to combat it.

Years and years of caution and prep, wasted by a single Grimm.

His eyelids shot open wide while he leaned forward, and a solitary thought ate it's way free from the labyrinth of his mind. A single Grimm; just the one; a small detail he'd overlooked began to beat at him and he felt downright idiotic at having passed it over.

Online rumors had spread the idea that Vermillion could summon Grimm, but they'd never stated he could only produce one. Some discourse suggested he could make multiple, and others theorized that he could create different types. Sure the video from Vale showed him fighting with a single Grimm, but the fact that only one appeared at Beacon as opposed to several showed the saboteur's attention to detail.

This meant that their mystery assailant needed to have been around Vermillion in person at some point when he'd used such powers. With such knowledge and attention to detail they must have also caught on to the red haze that coats him and the Grimm he controlled. The thought brought about a rather terrifying realization, and one that had him truly worried for what would happen next. Their unknown enemy, the mystery woman, she knew they wouldn't fall for the trick, and Ozpin assumed she didn't need them to. They understood Vermillion and his powers, more so than the ordinary people.

The attack wasn't meant to make them turn on Vermillion, it was to turn the people on him.

On it's own it didn't sound so bad, but it practically crippled any chance of them keeping the boy out of trouble. Whether legal or not people would do anything to stand against him; be they hunters or not. Worst of all should it be civilians who strike the most he could do was have them arrested, and even then it would turn their ire on him and anyone defending him.

Ozpin swore under his breath, with Vermillion out of the scene it seemed the woman was confident she'd get what she wanted. Considering the only real things of value within Beacon were the relic and the injured maiden he didn't have to guess who she was working for.

He sighed, tapping a few keys as a screen popped up.

Perhaps a moment to think will do some good.

He watched the screen for but a moment, his cup shattering on the ground as he frantically opened up his scroll. Glynda herself had rushed to the elevator as the doors shut. Ozpin sat there, and for several agonizing seconds he awaited an answer. What seemed like an eternity passed as he was left in the dark until a familiar voice broke through.

"James-"

"I know. We're on the move as we speak." The call cut and Ozpin rushed from his desk to the elevator. They had no more time, and regardless of the reasons Pyrrha Nikos would have to make her choice: to accept the power of the Fall Maiden or not.

On the screen he so desperately left behind a single scene displayed, and a certain infamous hunter stood at the center of the Amity Arena.

Surrounded by Grimm.

Author's note

...

Another short chapter, as is usually the case on Mondays. Unfortunately my schedule is still messed up, but we got another one on time.

This time everything seems to be picking up again, even for future Ruby. Unfortunately nothing seems to be going well for anyone and the crew might have bitten off more than they could chew, whether by choice or not.

Anyway that's all this time so tell me what you think.

See you later.