The Truth Comes Out

"Sooo we didn't know how many people were coming so we just cooked all of it," Ruby said with a small smile, looking at her tray of tea. As she looked up however, expecting only to see her uncle and some other huntsmen, she gasped in surprise and dropped the tray to the floor in shock, the cups and tea kettle smashing to pieces at her feet.

Panic began to set in as she struggled for words, her hands covering her heart as her face went pale, lowering her head shyly, but keeping her eyes fixed on her older sister as tears began to well in the young girl's eyes. "Yang! I...I'm so," she began to hyperventilate, her hands flailing around slowly as she tried to find the words. "I'm so sorry! I should have stayed-I should've talked to you more I just I...I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and!-" The words poured out of her like lava, burning her throat as she cried, before Yang rushed across the room and pulled her into an embrace that Ruby had been waiting for since the day she found Yang alone in her room missing an arm.

"I love you," Yang breathed, reassuring her younger sister that she was not mad at her in any way. Ruby let her weight rest in her sister's grasp now, letting the tears flow from her eyes as she buried her face in Yang's shoulder.

As the two held their hug their friends slowly piled into the room, equally surprised to find Yang and Weiss had come in with Qrow. A small smile even crept across Qrow's lips. Oscar too walked into the room, clearly not paying attention, as if he were about to ask a question but stopped as he found Ruby in the embrace of a much taller girl he had never met. He chose to keep himself silent as he also began to smile while Ozpin silently filled him in inside his head.

Weiss found herself wiping a single tear from her eye gently, trying not to cry before she heard Yang speak up, calling her name. "Weiss," the blonde called out gently, grabbing not only the heiress' attention but also Ruby's, who looked across the room to find Weiss standing alone. The heiress' face soon changed to one of surprise as Yang opened up her arm and made room for the sister's team mate. Weiss sprang across the room and joined them in the embrace but could swear that when she did she felt Ruby shy away from her touch. As Weiss looked down to her face she found Ruby looking to the floor and away from her and staying much closer to Yang. Yang too noticed her little sister's reaction but chose not to think about it too much.

Weiss' heart began to sink before she took a deep breath and held it in, not wanting to put on a show for everyone else in the house to see. The heiress buried her feelings as deep as she could and tried to justify Ruby's reaction silently as they all broke away from each other and the rest of their classmates were given the chance to greet their friends.

Presently they all began to hear more footsteps coming from down the stairs headed toward them. A female voice reached them before they were able to see the culprit.

"Ruby?" Ambur asked worriedly. "What was that? Are you okay?"

Before she could answer, the group saw Ambur, Olivier and Mydnight ascending slowly from the staircase. All three of the older students froze as they saw Weiss and Yang, not even able to get all the way up the stairs before they caught their eyes. Mydnight was the first to speak up with a small smirk on his face.

"Told you I smelled someone new," he said cheekily before continuing to climb the stairs the rest of the way, Olivier close behind him. Ambur however didn't move, her face a strange mixture of disappointment and uncaring. "Well THAT took long enough," she breathed out as she rolled her eyes, most of the group unable to hear her. She made her way up the rest of the staircase and headed for the bathroom. "Gonna wash up before dinner."

Yang, despite not having heard what she had said at first, couldn't help but feel she was being blown off. She looked to Mydnight for answers with a questioning look but only found him shrugging back at her.

Jaune, noticing the awkward silence falling over the room quickly spoke up, "Uhhh you guys...are just in time! Dinner is pretty much done."

Olivier walked up to Weiss and brushed some dirt off of her cheek, "Weiss you're filthy, what happened to you?"

"It's..." she began as she looked to Yang briefly. "It's a long story."

"Well come on let's get you cleaned up," Liv smiled softly before taking the heiress' hand and leading her down toward the washroom behind Ambur. When they got there they found her washing her make-up off after a long sweaty day of training with the younger students. She took a step to the side to make room, noticing how dirty Weiss was and reached over to the wall handing her a small towel that had been hanging there. "I'll go help them set the table," Liv said without a second thought, leaving the other girls in silence.

After a few moments Weiss seemed convinced that Ambur would never speak up so she plucked up the courage to do so instead, glancing over to her in the mirror as Ambur began to reapply some minimal eye makeup. "Are you...mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you Weiss?" Ambur let out softly, not wanting to mess her lines up. "You didn't do anything to me."

"...And Yang?" At the mention of the blonde's name Ambur pauses, closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath before once again concentrating on her own face in the mirror.

"I would say disappointed."

"Why?" the younger girl asked as she ran the cloth under hot water before beginning to softly swipe it across the dirty patches in her clothing.

"How did you get so beat up?"

"Well I," Weiss hesitated. "I ran away from home and my transport got shot down. Yang found me."

"And why do you think Yang found you? Why do you think she wasn't already here with the others?"

"I...I don't know," Weiss said as she looked back to Ambur in the mirror. "I haven't really had a second to breath...We only found each other an hour ago or so."

Ambur sighed as she finished her black wings quickly, capping her eye liner and dropping it on the table beside the sink. "Because she gave up," she said, annoyance filled her voice before she walked out of the room, leaving Weiss more confused than ever.

The clock on the wall ticked away as everyone around the living room got lost in their own thoughts for a moment. Liv, Ambur and Mydnight stood around the room, leaning forward onto the backs of the two large couches. "So, the maidens, magic, Salem...it's all true?" Weiss spoke up grabbing everyone's attention back.

"Uh-huh," Qrow grunted.

"Miss Xao-Long, is this more or less what your mother told you?"

After a moment of Yang refusing to answer Weiss speaks up for her. "For the most part."

"You forgot something...You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother.."

As she said this Mydnight's ears perked up and his face went a bit white. He looked over to Qrow who returned the look.

"What is she talking about?" Jaune asked, looking over to Oscar.

"Oh, great," Qrow said rolling his eyes.

"Hmmm." Ozpin hummed to himself. "That's not a secret I thought she would give up so easily. Your mother must trust you a great deal. My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, is not without a few key benefits. Much like the maidens, I too posses a certain magical power," he said as he stood up and began walking over to Qrow. "Using this power I was able to gift the Branwen twins the ability to see more. To move freely and be unburdened by their natural bodies. I...well...gave them the ability to turn into birds," he chuckled. "Rather ridiculous sounding out loud isn't it?"

"Wait what?"Jaune gasped in shock.

"...Uncle?" Ruby pleaded for an answer.

"You turned them...into birds..." Ren asked in disbelief.

"Alright NOW you're just messing with us," Nora said.

"What else is new," Jaune crossed his arms in anger.

"He's telling the truth, we saw it," Weiss interrupted. "Yang's mom changed...right in front of us."

Yang studied Ozpin and Qrow's faces for a moment before speaking up again, "Why would you do something like that. I mean...what is wrong with you?"

"Yang, that's enough," Qrow cut his niece off. "We made a choice. We wanted this." Yang sat back, her eyes wide in shock, as if she had never considered the possibility.

"May I," Ozpin asked. "Granting this power to them was no trivial task. And I can assure you it was not done frivolously. I required assistance in the gathering of information on Salem's plans. As well as searching for maidens when their hosts became unclear."

"Okay," Ruby began as she went deeper into thought. "So have you done this with others? Like General Ironwood? Or Professor Goodwitch?"

Ozpin's eyes shifted over to Mydnight quickly, Ruby's eyes following his to her older brother, finding him looking back at her. He stood up straight and sighed before speaking up. "I'm sorry..." he lets out quietly.

"Mydnight you," she said in disbelief before calming herself.

"I wanted to tell you but...it wasn't my secret to tell." He said softly before she looked back at him and nodded her head slowly, giving him a small smile.

'Well that could have gone way worse,' he thought to himself as he let out a long sigh of relief.

"As helpful as that may be," Ozpin spoke up again, re-grabbing everyone's attention. "My power is finite, and if I'm being honest, dwindling. The amount I gave to Raven, Qrow and Mydnight was all things considered, quite miniscule. You see, centuries ago I sacrificed a great deal of magic to four young women, who I'd hoped would use my gift for good. They were the first maidens. Miss Xao-Long, it was never my intention to lie to you. To any of you. There are just some matters that I prefer to...play close to the chest, I believe that's how you phrased it?" He said as he looked back to Qrow.

"Hah...Ya," Qrow smiled.

"Everyone has a choice. The Branwen's chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties in favor of her own self interests," he then turned to Mydnight. "And despite the death of a friend and teammate, much like the rest of you, Mydnight accepted his powers and the responsibility as well."

As Ozpin kept talking Mydnight let out a small smile before he froze. His ears twitched and he began to stare intently to the floor as his face slowly morphed into one of shock. After a few moments Ambur took notice and interrupted the conversation. "Mydnight?" she said softly as everyone turned to look at him, his hands out in front of him, seeming to be in disbelief. "Myd what's wrong?" she asked as she put a hand on his shoulder.

Mydnight looked back to Ozpin in disbelief, clearly trying to find words that wouldn't come to him. Ruby too spoke up, asking him if he was alright before being cut off by her brother. "Say it again," he breathed out, almost too low to hear.

"I'm sorry?" Ozpin questioned as he saw Mydnight stand up, his teeth gritted together in anger.

"Say it again."

"Mydnight what is your problem?" Ambur asked in shock as she took his arm before he shook her off of him.

Qrow then spoke up in Ozpin's place. "Woah kid, what is your issue? He died two years ago and suddenly you wanna take it out on everyone else?"

Mydnight froze again. His mind raced as his ear once again twitched. He balled his fists and slowly began to walk toward Qrow.

"Myd?" Ambur said softly before she saw his ear furiously twitching, a movement she had gotten all too familiar with on their trek across Mistral to get here. Her heart began to sink before rage took over. She quickly moved to whisper into Olivier's ear, Liv's face lighting up as she was told what was happening. She quickly made her way to Ruby and took the young girl's hand to grab her attention.

"No matter what happens, don't move," Liv whispered to the young girl and her friends on the couch.

Ruby was at a loss for words, all she could do was watch as Mydnight walked right up to her uncle and got in his face before quietly repeating himself.

"I said...say it...again…Qrow," he said with true bite in his words, as if trying to tear into Qrow verbally.

"What the hell Mydnight, why do you want to hear it?!" Qrow bit back, getting in his face as well.

"Say it!"

"No!"

Mydnight's hand flies upward and straight to Qrow's collar, grabbing it and jerking him forward so the two men's faces only have mere inches of separation. "SAY IT AGAIN QROW!" Mydnight yelled at the top of his lungs, all the kids taken aback by the wolf's sudden aggression.

"BRONZINE IS DEAD," Qrow finally broke and yelled back, slapping Mydnight's hand away from him.

Silence fell. Once again Mydnight looked to the floor, his fists clenched as he began to shake with rage and sadness. After several moment of silence Mydnight began to speak up, his breath hitching in his throat several times in the process. "After all this time...after everything we've done for you two...after all the secrets I kept for you!" He yelled again as he pointed a finger right in Qrow's face. "After everything you just keep on lying to me!"

Qrow took a step back, sheer terror on his face, Ozpin too taking a step back from the wolf Faunus. "Wha...what" Qrow retorts.

"You're lying and you know it you piece of-" he began before he stopped, his anger getting to be too much for him. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and his head jerked around, tears welling in his eyes, shaking with anger only to find Ambur calmly looking back at him.

"Go take a walk Myd...I got this..." She said softly as she directed him toward the door. After a moment he looked over to Ruby, finding his sister crying in confusion looking back at him. He ripped his vision away from her in shame and headed for the door, laying his shoulder into it hard, the door busting open and slamming against the outside wall of the house. The group would see fur engulf him as he changed and sprinted down the path away from the house.

Ambur then turned back to Qrow, anger burning in her own eyes.

"What...what was that?" Ruby asked timidly as she chokes back tears.

"Ask your uncle," Ambur said in anger. "Go ahead Qrow, share with the class."

"Miss Magnaria I really don't know what has gotten into you two but-" Ozpin began before she whirled around pointing down at the small boy' s body.

"YOU ARE LUCKY YOU GET TO HIDE BEHIND THAT POOR BOY'S INNOCENT FACE RIGHT NOW, SO SHUT UP," she yelled before turning back to Qrow. The room once again went silent before Olivier speaks up.

"Mydnight found his semblance." Everyone in the room turned to her except Ambur who kept her attention fixed on Qrow. "It's the reason he was asleep for so long. It's why he kept fainting. He can tell when someone is lying but...only if they KNOW they are telling a lie...so tell the truth Qrow," Liv said as she squeezed Ruby's hand tight.

Ozpin's eyes widened in worry before he stepped back away from Ambur, Qrow beginning to shy away from the amazon as well. "I uh...well you see we thought that uhmm.." He began, struggling to find a way out of the situation. Ambur followed him toward the wall before his back hit it and he realized he had nowhere to go.

"Bronzine is alive...isn't he," Ambur asked softly, trying to control her emotions in front of everyone.

After a moment of silence Ozpin spoke up, trying to let Qrow off the hook. "I ordered Qrow not to tell you." he said frantically, trying to take the blame.

Ambur hung her head as she too began to shake with anger. After a moment Qrow saw a teardrop fall from her face and onto the floor between them. "And he chose to listen to you..."

"Ambur I...I'm sorry I didn't mean for thi-" But Qrow couldn't get the rest of the words out before Ambur had had enough.

The group was treated to the sound of glass shattering and the loudest crack they had ever heard in their lives as Ambur's open right palm collided with Qrow's left cheek. The shards of his maroon aura peeled and spider webbed off his skin and crashed to the floor as his body began to sail to her left, eventually colliding with the railing beside the stair case, out cold. The entire group looking on in stunned silence and fear as they saw her breath heavily and continue to shake in anger. Ruby reflexively tried to stand up to check on Qrow but Olivier silently held her in place waiting for Ambur to calm down.

"So this is how it's always gonna be huh," she finally turned to Ozpin and said with no emotion in her voice, tears streaming down her face. "You ask Mydnight to become a monster, you ask me to become the new fall maiden? You send us on a mission we aren't ready for just to tell us our friend died when he really didn't?! I broke both legs for you and Mydnight sacrificed any notion of a normal life just so you could keep lying to us?" She asked before looking over to the unconscious body of Ruby's uncle. "You send that useless drunken bad luck charm to back us up and then he chooses to follow your orders and lie to us? Where does it stop...HUH? Do you have no boundaries? No human decency at all?!" She huffed out before snorting out a quick breath of air from her nose.

"Of course you don't...you're not human after all.." she let out flatly before walking out of the house, grabbing the door and slamming it shut behind her. As the door closed Olivier released Ruby and she jolted across the room, swiftly followed by Yang to Qrow's aid. The other students simply look at Ozpin as he sighed in defeat.

Once she found that he was breathing, Ruby moved to the front window, watching Ambur storm off into the night in the direction Mydnight had gone, who was now long out of sight. She went to the door but felt her sister grab her hand. "Are you crazy Ruby! You can't go after them!"

"But he's..." she turned back to Yang who found her younger sister's eyes filled with tears. "I can help!"

Olivier crossed the room again and put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Ruby I know you want to help but your brother, but he is in a very dangerous place right now...I don't know if even Ambur is going to be able to calm him down..."

"All the more reason to let me go!," She wrenched out of their grasp. "He would never hurt me!" Olivier blocked the door in front of her however and refused to move.

"Look Red...he will be back...As much as Oz doesn't deserve it," she bit, shooting him a glance. "He will come back, just please...let him walk it off?" She pleaded before Ruby began to cry and stomped out of the room toward her bed room.

"FINE," they heard through sharp breaths before her bedroom door slammed shut.

Yang then looked back to Ozpin, who up until the end of his speech she had forgiven for lying. "If you ever lie again Mydnight will know it...and if you do I am gone," she said as matter of factly as she could before grabbing her uncle and carrying him to his room to lay him down.

Ozpin then changed places with Oscar who seemed extremely nervous to have entered the conversation.

Jaune then spoke up, "What...what did she mean by back up?"

Olivier sighed as she turned back to the group, "Ozpin sent team AMBR on a mission that was too difficult in order to test them. When it became clear that they couldn't handle it alone he sent Qrow to back them up...and true to form the ship that was bringing him out to them malfunctioned and he was too late. Ambur was already hurt, Rosaria had already run away and...Bronzine...well I guess we will find that out tomorrow won't we..." she sighed toward Oscar. "You really are lucky you get to hide behind this kid's face Oz...they aren't the only one's who have given you everything..." She said with a scowl before walking off toward Ruby's bedroom.