The day had passed far more quickly than he'd initially expected with early morning leading into the afternoon in what seemed like a blink of an eye, though he would not say progress hadn't been made during that short a time. Even with Miss Xiao Long's impromptu meeting, he'd already managed to scrape together the beginning of a training regime for Ruby, based on the notes the author of the journal had left behind from their own efforts to unlock the power as well as some of the training he'd undergone during his time with the Greybeards.
If the power was as heavily linked with the users' emotions as the author had made it out to be, then the meditation techniques taught to him by Master Arngeir would not only help Miss Rose temper her mind against outside influence but also channel and direct her emotions more clearly, once she'd mastered that they could move on to more practical forms of training.
He imagined the menagerie Peter had put together over the semester could be of use in that department, he doubted the portly professor be opposed to him borrowing a few of the Grimm he'd managed to capture to aid in their latter sessions... and he was getting ahead of himself again, he had yet to broach the topic with miss Rose directly nor had she agreed to anything, and while the time for that was edging closer, there was still much to be attended to.
Mikael glanced down at the aura displays on his scroll then back to the battle taking place in the arena below, the cheers of his students resounding as their classmates went head-to-head. Miss Scarlatina ducked and weaved between the lashes of her opponent's chain whip trying to close the distance between them to seemingly no avail, the whip itself was certainly one of the more unique choices in armaments he'd seen over the year, he'd heard tails of Kahjiit monks utilizing a similar weapon in the defense of their monasteries, and seeing how it was giving one of his better students more than a challenge he was beginning to realize why both the monks and this young lady favored it so.
Chyou Máquè, one of the first of many transfer students that had arrived to take part in the Vytal Festival, her teammates occupied the rows of seats near the edge of the arena alongside a hand full of other students from Mistral. The school was expecting at least a dozen more teams from Haven alone by the end of the Month, it gave him a glimpse into the structure of the other academies, the various freedoms the students were given, the level of study both academic and combat that was expected of them, and so far he was impressed.
The girl moved like a river flowing over stone, her body flexed and swayed in time with each lash of the whip in what an outside viewer might perceive as more of a ceremonial dance than actual combat, Miss Máquè was taking full advantage of the size of the combat arena using the length of her weapon to keep her opponent at a distance while slowly closing in on the Faunus girl, allowing one link of the chain after the other to wrap further and further around her forearm as she closed the distance between them, quickening the frequency of her attacks and narrowing the window of time Velvet had to dodge the serrated dust blades adorning the prong at its end.
'Not the worst strategy, though given Miss Scarlatina has done little beyond dodging, Miss Máquè would be wise not to let her guard down just yet' Mikael mused watching the display between the two intently as Chyou give a final flourish with her whip and launched the pronged tip forward like a dart, toward the Rabbit Faunus chest.
Velvet sidestepped the prong and snatched the whip out of the air before her opponent had a chance to retract her weapon, twisting her body in a manner almost identically to the Mistrilion transfer across from her she slipped two links of chain over her forearm before pulling them taught effectively binding herself and her opponent together.
Watching the surprise spread across her opponent's features, Velvet smirked and surged forward delivering a swift flurry of jabs to the other girl's waist and upper chest before pushing her Aura into her legs. Chyou back stepped out of the path of Velvets roundhouse kick, thought the chain binding them made anything more almost impossible and as Velvet began to wrap another link around her arm she realized the distance between them was about to become even shorter.
If retreat was no longer an option she had no choice but to reengage, stepping back into the fray Chyou leaned between two of velvets punches and into her guard her own knee shot up catching the rabbit Faunus in the ribs, followed up by an aura fueled elbow to the cheek.
"Hang in there Vel!"
"Stay strong Velvet!"
"Come on Bun-Bun you got this!"
Her opponent's teammate called out to her, her own team mirroring them.
"Don't give her an inch Chyou!"
"Keep it up you got her on the ropes!"
"Just a little more and she's done."
As Velvet reeled back from the blow her head whipping back to the side, she allowed gravity to take hold pulling her back down to the floor, gripping the chain in her right hand she pulled it and her opponent down with her, the sudden tug and Chyou's uneven footing sent her tumbling down with the rabbit Faunus, slipping her hand free from the chain Velvet planted her feet on the Mistrilion girl's chest and rolled back kicking her off towards the edge of the ring.
Just as Chyou passed the boundary of the combat ring, an orange glow enveloped her body, slowing her to a halt before her back could meet the arena wall, after reorientating her Mikael slowly lowered the Mistrilion girl back onto the ground, as the glow vanished Chyou dropped to one knee gripping her chest with one hand sucking in one desperate breath after another.
"Miss Máquè do you require medical attention?" Mikael called out to her.
"I'm alright" Chyou replied between pants "She... just knocked... the wind out of... me, that's all."
Mikael nodded back to the young woman, after giving Chyou a few moments to recover both girls found themselves standing below the podium watching on intently as Mikael broke down their fight, he started with the Mistral girl to his left.
"Now while the use of your weapons range to trap your opponent was a sound strategy, your reliance on winning the match by ring out gave Miss Scarlatina time to counter and close the distance between you." Mikael typed away at his scroll displaying the moment when Velvet had caught the prong of miss Máquè chain whip for the class to see. "Not to say your weapon is disadvantaged at close range, though It's complexity makes it a double-edged sword, I suggest you start doing some addition practice with close quarters engagements, and In the future, don't be afraid to press the advantage, had you struck sooner the result of this bout may have been far different."
Chyou glanced down at her weapon before nodding back to him slowly, with that Mikael turned his attention back towards Velvet, who straightened up slightly under his gaze.
"As for you Miss Scarlatina, while you may be the victor of this bout you were still far too hesitant to engage your opponent in the beginning" Mikael rewound the footage back to the start of the match showing Velvet backing off after dodging the first few lashes of Chyou's whip allowing her opponent to unfurl more of her weapon and begin her dance of death. "While Your semblance may have helped you gain an edge over miss Máquè's weapon near the end there's no guarantee you'll have the chance to enact the same plan again in the future, had you taken advantage of its cumbersome nature far sooner, you could have avoided much of the damage your aura sustained throughout this bout and carved out a more decisive victory." The combatant's aura gages flashed up on the screen above them, Chyou's resting around 88% while Velvet had dropped to 67%.
The Rabbit faunas winced at the gap between them, she'd spent the majority of that match on the defensive dodging what blows she could and relying on her aura to absorb the rest, it was a rookie mistake, if this had been an actual fight against a rouge huntress out in the sticks, she wouldn't have had the luxury of a combat ring to decide the victor. "Hesitation will draw danger to you like fire." Tilting her head back she looked up at the Nightingale standing at the podium above, his sky-blue eyes staring down into her own.
"In combat, it can quickly lead one to their demise" Velvet swallowed thickly "To not only claim victory but thrive in battle you must trust in your abilities and yourself, that goes for both of you." Mikael turned his gaze towards Chyou, who glanced off to the side unable to meet the Nightingales indifferent stare. "You did well today, return to your teams, we will begin the next bout shortly."
Chyou nodded swiftly and turned to make her way towards the locker room, Velvet following behind though at a much more leisurely pace. Passing through the doorway Velvet unzipped her jacket, throwing it over her shoulder she turned and made her way down the isle of steel rocket lockers before coming to a halt in front of her own, out of the corner of her eye she spotted Chyou digging into her own a few lockers down.
Noticing the Rabbit Faunus gaze, she leaned back out of the locker offering a friendly smile "So~" The Mistrilion girl trailed off "Are the professors here all as intense as that guy or is it just him, I'm asking for a friend in case anyone asks"
The two shared a small giggle, pulling her shirt over her head a thoughtful look passed over her features, folding it neatly on the wooden bench behind her Velvet glanced back over her shoulder at Chyou as she pulled her robe over her head, Velvet gaze snapped forward "Miss Goodwitch is much the same" Velvet supplied a fresh dusting of pink forming on her cheeks. "B-but there's no real malice behind it, they're just trying to push us to be better."
"Yeah, I can see that. Guess I'm just a little too used to how things go back at Haven" Chyou replied, clipping her skirt into place around her waist she gestured back towards the arena "Our professors are a little more... laidback than the ones you have here." A thoughtful look passed over her face "What surprises me the most is how young he is; he must have just graduated a few years back, right?"
"There are a few rumors going around about that actually." Velvet replied, ever since he'd shown up on campus Professor Salmon had been the center of the majority of Beacons rumor mill, a few people thought he was some self-taught Huntsmen prodigy from out in the sticks, others that he was a relative of the headmaster brought in to fill miss Goodwitch's place when she became Headmistress after Ozpin retired, there were even one or two people claiming he and Miss Goodwitch were sneaking off for secret rendezvous after class, suffice to say after the blond combat instructor found out about that one the source had been swiftly tracked down and snuffed out. "I doubt any of them are true, but that isn't stopping anyone from throwing one wild theory after another out there." Velvet added while slipping back into her brown loafers.
Chyou shook her head in mirth "Well, it's nice to see that there are some things our schools have in common, you wouldn't believe half the stories I've heard about Headmaster Lionheart and the apparent "love triangle" between him, Professor Cerise and Nurse Jade." They'd all denied any involvement between the three of them, but there were still a few holdouts among a few members of her year who had gone into a bit of a shipping frenzy when the story first popped up.
"Ooo~" Velvet's ears twitched, tilting her head up she found Coco standing at the end of the wall of lockers, hip cocked out to the side a playful look in her eyes directed towards Chyou "I'm defiantly going to enjoy hearing more about that later, you ready to go yet Bun-Bun."
"Coco!?" Velvet stood her ears dipping slightly worried she and Chyou had taken too long and Coco had been sent to collect them. Velvet immediately glanced up at the clock above them and felt her worry be away, even if they had gotten a little caught up in their conversation while they changed, she and Chyou had only been in the locker room for around ten minutes. "What are you doing here, are the next pair on their way down." She asked, Chyou cursed under her breath before making a b-line for the locker room door, Petra was going to give her an earful if she thought she was skipping class.
Coco stuck an arm out in front of the Mistrilion girl "Slow down there girl, everything fine." Coco Flicked her head back towards the door she added "Professor S had to end things early, so we got a half-hour of 'Independent Study' before we gotta deal with Ports La-La land."
"Wait, what?" Velvet cocked a brow at her partner, it wasn't like Professor Salmon to rush off at such short notice. "Did something happen?
Coco shrugged "No clue but whatever it is seemed to set him off, one minute he's picking out the next two fighters, the next his scroll goes off he answers and then suddenly it feels like we all just got dumped into a Grimm nest, he got this weird look in his eyes before just walking out." She'd almost been tempted to follow him if only to see just what the hell had done... that, to the prof, but it was that same deathly aura around him that made her hesitate. If it was bad enough to bring out that kind of reaction from probably the most stoic man she'd ever laid eyes on... it was probably for the best she leave this one alone.
/
While making his way through the halls towards the southern stairwell, Mikael fought to real in his frustration, the source of which being two lines of text that stretched across his scroll. 'Ozpin knows about what happened that night with Ruby so he sent uncle Qrow to find us, they were planning to do something to you, so we had to tell him what happened, now they want to talk to you.'
He re-read Yang's message for the fifth time his free hand slowly clenching and unclenching into a fist, yet despite appearances, he held no anger towards the sisters, no his anger lay with the Headmaster and subsequently his followers, who if by Yang's own account, had possessed some knowledge of what transpired the night miss Rose was taken and if his assumption was correct suspected he had done something to the girl.
And yet despite the clear danger he posed after news of that incident came to light, they'd made no attempt to confront him nor take him into custody and instead left him to his own devices for weeks, with unrestricted access to the students, where -had his intentions actually been malicious- in the time between then and now, he could have done gods knows what to not only miss Rose and her team but the rest of the students under him.
The fact they'd neglected to even reach out to the girls for this long, despite having evidence of something untoward happening right under their own roof was even more staggering. Glancing out the windows to the right as he turned the corner his sky-blue eyes trailed up Beacon tower towards the very peak where the old man and his followers resided, he quickened his pace trying to put as much distance between himself and the students as he could.
For a moment he thought of contacting Serana and Amber to warn them of what was happening, then quickly decided against it, if he had them rushing in to join him the headmaster could just as easily perceive this as an act of aggression and any chance they might have had at putting an end to this without bloodshed would be lost.
Pushing open a side door into the stairwell Mikael vaulted over the railing and dropped down the two floors below him landing in a crouch on the first floor. Rising back to his feet he moved forward pushing open the buildings side door and stepping out onto the academy grounds, tilting his head up towards Beacon tower, he drew his own scroll from its place on his belt and typed back a quick response to Yang's previous message 'Tell them I'm in the Courtyard'.
Pocketing the device, he leaned back against the wall and waited for their response, if the Headmaster or any of his followers thought he was stupid enough to walk into a small glass room with some of the academy's best fighters, after what those girls just told them then he was either far too trusting or worse, naive then he'd originally thought.
Mikael glanced at the courtyard around him, with afternoon classes in full swing, there was little chance of any students coming across them, or being caught in the line of fire, overall, he had a greater chance of surviving such an encounter out here than he would have had trapped inside that office.
After a few minutes of waiting, he caught sight of a dark shape descending from Beacon Tower towards him, while it may have worn the guise of a bird not only did it lack the practiced grace seen among its kind, but there was a small yet distinctive spike of magic in the air, on Tamriel such a minuscule detail might have gone unnoticed, but for Remnant, a land starved of the arcane arts, it stood out like a bonfire on a moonless night.
The Nightingale stepped away from the door, keeping his eye on the bird's descent as he moved into the center of the path, turning to face the avian as it glided in under the stone archway in front of him, its body began to twist and flux, feathers retracting into flesh, it's body expanding and limbs elongating and in a split second Qrow Branwen landed across from him the huntsmen slowly rising to his feet, his blood-red eyes locked on the hooded archer in front of him.
'Curious' Mikael noted, the transformation he just witnessed wasn't too dissimilar to one he'd seen from Farkas when they'd been ambushed by the Silver Hand back in Dustman's Cairn, and much like Farkas, the transformation seemed to come at will, unlike most Lycanthropes. While the scholar in him would have liked to investigate the matter further, he was forced to push those thoughts aside in favor of focusing on the matter at hand.
Mikael pulled his hands inside his cloak to hide them from view, one resting on the hilt of his sword while a prism of dull bluish-green light formed in the other, Dragonhide, the last spell Tolfdir had taught him during his tenure at the College of Winterhold and one that had saved his life on more than one occasion, the same dull light passed over his body he watched Qrow's eyes narrow his hand inched back towards his weapon, yet he didn't grasp it, not yet at least.
"So...what happens now?" He wasn't about to make the first move and possibly damn himself, so he was leaving it up to Qrow to decide how things went from here.
A tense moment of silence passed between the two together they watched and waited, studying each other with a keen eye, then after a few minutes, Qrow finally broke the standoff, but not by drawing his weapon instead raising his hands up out towards Mikael in a placating gesture. Mikael quirked an eyebrow at the display but keep a good grip on his sword "Let's just calm down for a minute okay, I'm not here to fight" Qrow tried to explain.
"So, you say" Mikael replied evenly, he'd have liked to believe it as well but given the situation and Qrow's closeness to the girls, he couldn't be certain how he nor the rest of Ozpins brotherhood might have reacted to the revelation. "But as I gathered from Miss Xiao Long's message you and the rest of your brotherhood had something else in mind only a short while ago." The Nightingale levelled a glare towards the huntsmen " Do you honestly think I'd just walk into that office because of a 'text' from one of my students." The chance to tell his side of things might have been enough to convince Ruby and Yang to contact him, but he'd have been dead a dozen times over already if they thought he was naïve enough to just walk into what could easily be an ambush.
Qrow at least had the decency not to insult his intelligence by denying their initial plans for him. "Maybe, but it was still enough to get you out here." The Black reaper replied "And for the record, if I was coming after you I wouldn't have waited on Oz's word to do it."
Mikael clicked his tongue; it was nice to see at least someone in that tower had some sense about them 'Well...at least you have your priority straight.' Mikael flicked his head up towards the tower "Tell me did the thought of confronting me or even reaching out to those girls to ensure they were unharmed even pass through the old man's mind?... Or was he content with sitting by and letting me carry on doing gods know what? "Mikael pressed allowing himself to vent some of his pent-up frustration
Qrow scowled in response, even if he'd had a similar reaction back when Oz first showed him the footage, it wasn't as if the guy had made things easy for them. "Well, maybe if you'd shown some trust and come to Oz about that shit sooner, we wouldn't even be having this conversation." Mikael tilted his head in acknowledgement of Qrow's words, he'd admit that there was fault on both sides, a distinct lack of trust, something they'd need to try and amend moving forward, sliding his cloak back Mikael revealed his hands to Qrow, empty, for the moment at least.
"Maybe... but there was good reason for my action, I can assure you of that much at least." Mikael added, the tension between them easing as the conversation persisted. "I couldn't have known how the headmaster, or the rest of your little brotherhood might have reacted, I needed a way to prove my innocence before even thinking of bringing this to your attention."
"Well now you've got your chance" Qrow said jabbing his thumb back towards Beacon tower behind him, seeing the Nightingales' hesitance Qrow groaned in frustration before taking a long breath in through and out through his nose, he had to remind himself the girls had vouched for him, not only that, if what his youngest niece had said was true, she might have only been alive today because of him, as much as he hated to admit it he owed him for that.
'Fuck me... come on Semblance just this once, don't make me regret this' Qrow began to reach back for Harbinger once more, Mikael tensed his right-hand inching towards his own sword. Unhooking his weapon Qrow held it out before him the flat of the blade facing Mikael before setting it down on the floor between them, Mikael glanced down at the weapon his ebony sword half drawn from its sheath before tilting his head back up to Qrow, the Black Reaper held his hand out to the side leaving himself open. "Ruby told me what happened to her, what you did for her, it's insane all of it, but it's the kind of crazy that just might actually be true."
Slowly sliding his sword back into its sheath, Mikael laughed, it was an empty bitter sound that quickly descended into a long sigh. "More than you could ever realize."
"Then it's in everyone's interest that you go up there and start explaining this shit show, in a way we can all understand?" Qrow pressed
Mikael shook his head lightly 'He says it as if I have a choice in the matter.' Either he went along with the request -More like an unconditional order given the situation- or risk an all-out brawl that ended with he and Serana being branded as criminals and locked away, Amber would likely have a number of the freedoms she'd been granted since arriving at Beacon revoked and either placed under a form of house arrest or shipped off to some secure facility.
None of which were all too appealing but very real possibilities for them right now, something he couldn't allow.
Using telepathy to pull Harbinger into his waiting hand, Mikael stared down at the blade his face reflected back at him in the polished metal, he glanced back up at Qrow sky blue eyes studying the huntsmen intently, a long heavy silence fell between them as Mikael weighed the cost of following along with Qrow's request, coming to a decision he sighed once more. Mikael strode forward towards Beacon tower, only to pause as he passed beside Qrow their eyes met, a silent conversation passing between the two of them before Mikael offered Harbinger back to him.
"Don't make me regret this" Qrow glanced down at his weapon, its hilt facing towards him, if he'd wanted to, he could have grabbed his sword extended the blade and skewered him right here and now, instead he reached out accepting Harbinger and returning it to its place across his lower back.
With that, the Nightingales stepped past him then paused glancing back over his shoulder at Huntsmen he added "And for what its's worth... it was never my intention to put them in harm's way." before continuing on his way towards the tower entrance.
Qrow followed behind the Nightingale a conflicted expression passing over him, don't get him wrong to say he was angry was a generous term and that wasn't about to change any time soon, but as he watched Mikael go he couldn't help but think he looked ragged, run-down, almost as if he hadn't stopped since this all started and if Yang story about the 'Barrier' he'd set up around Beacon was true, that might have just been the case.
Did it make up for what happened, no, but it was defiantly a start and if this Mora was as big a threat as Ruby and Yang made it out to be, then they'd need Mikael if they wanted to have any hope of coming out of this mess in one piece.
/
Ruby stared down into her mug of coffee, her face reflected back at her in the dark liquid, sighing to herself she brought the mug to her lips and took a long sip of the contents, five sugars and cream just like she'd asked, and she was doing everything she could to make it last while they waited for the professor to arrive, the bitter aroma contrasted by the sweet taste helping to calm her nerves if only a little.
Peering over the rim of the mug she stared across the room at Professor Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch, the two huddled by the window -the same one uncle Qrow had left through- whispering between one another while casting a few quick glances back towards her and Yang, said big sister sat on the desk beside her watching the two like a hawk and she couldn't exactly blame them, whatever trust they'd had for the Teachers, for Beacon as a whole had been shaken to its core, by one simple truth.
They'd known.
All this time they'd known something had happened to her; I mean people didn't just get thrown out of Magic portals for no reason.. or any reason, at least not on Remnant, she wasn't so sure about back on the Professors world, and yes she knew she was rambling, look the point she was trying to make was you didn't just see something like that, especially if you were an experienced Huntsmen and decide to do nothing.
Even if she wasn't officially a Huntress just yet, that wouldn't have stopped her from at least making sure the people involved were okay, I mean yeah she had first-hand experience with how crazy this all was and understood it was probably important to try and keep it all a secret to stop there being panic, but would it have been so hard to I don't know, call her to the office, or have miss Goodwitch pull her aside after class and ask if she was okay, heck even just a scroll call would have been enough for her.
Instead, they'd just tacked all the blame onto the Professor and started planning ways to attack him, to arrest him... maybe even kill him.
Setting her mug down on her lap Ruby's lips twisted down into a frown before glancing towards the double doors leading into the office, this didn't feel right, while she knew they had to act after what they'd seen, that defiantly didn't justify all the secrets and plots going on behind their backs.
At least for the moment, it looked like she and Yang had managed to put a stop to whatever they'd been planning, from the headmaster and Miss Goodwitch's reactions they'd seemed so sure that the Professor was the bad guy in all of this, that he was the one in the wrong.
And while that might not have been true, the fact he hadn't made any attempt to tell the school what happened had still given miss Goodwitch and the Headmaster cause for suspicion, what was that old saying "if you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear", well whoever said that probably didn't think something like this would ever happen, and as she'd seen from her teammates after the professor revealed himself to them not everyone was as accepting as she was.
Looking back on it now, she still wasn't so sure if telling them was the right thing to do, but given their options at the time, it was the only choice they had. At the very least the professor had a chance to explain everything now, that was a good thing, right? Once the headmaster knew what was going on, then they could help him push back against Mora... right?
"Hey" Ruby gasped glancing over her shoulder towards Yang, her sister stared down at her softly, resting a hand on her little sister's shoulder she gave it a comforting squeeze "It'll be okay, once the prof gets here we can sort this whole thing out." Ruby stared up at her sister for a few seconds before slowly turning back down towards her mug, then back to the Headmaster and miss Goodwitch. Even if she wanted to believe that she could practically feel the tension in the air feed the feeling of doubt festering inside her.
The rumble of the elevator stopping outside the office had all conversation ground to a halt, Professor Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch turned to regard the double doors, the latter of the two tightens her grip around her riding crop. Qrow was the first to pass through the doorway into the office, though the majority of the room's occupants were focused on the hooded archer following in after him.
"Qrow" Ozpin was the first to move, stepping away from Glynda and into the center of the room to face the new arrivals.
A small scowl settled across Ozpin's usually calm collected features as he locked eyes with the last Dragonborn, Mikael stared back at him calmly, sky blue locking with dark brown. "I will start by saying you have my gratitude for intervening as you did, from how she described it were it not for you Miss Rose may not be standing among us at this time." Mikael gave no outward response, neither confirming nor denying the claim.
"However, that doesn't change the fact that you purposely withheld this information from us." The Headmaster's voice rose slightly, his anger all too clear yet he still tried to maintain his composure, if, for no other reason than an attempt to keep order.
"Your actions not only compromised the safety of this academy but endangered the lives of the students placed under your charge." Ozpin gestured towards the two girls sitting by his desk, who watched the exchange between the two men warily. "Your intentions however noble they may have been at the time do not admonish you of this, and there will be consequences."
Glynda was quick to pick up the conversation from there and hammer the point home. "Suffice to say if we chose to pursue legal action, even if the true reasons as to why never came to light, the charges laid against you could see you and your fellow co-conspirators locked away for the rest of your natural lives." Ruby and Yang's eyes widened at the claim, the sisters glancing between one another a feeling of dread welling up inside them. "Do you have anything to say for yourself!?" She glared back at the man.
"Glynda" Ozpin was quick to try and reel in his deputy before her temper could get the better of her. "This can wait until after we're finished here."
"No, Headmaster this needs to be said." Glynda retorted sending a sharp look back towards Mikael "Even if he might be an asset, he can't be allowed to roam unchecked as he has until now, not after this."
"As that is your right." Mikael added much to the surprise of the blond combat instructor "And I am willing to adhere to whatever punishment you'd level upon me once the threat has passed." He turned back to address the Headmaster
"But for the moment I'd ask we shelve our grievances and focus on the matter at hand." Tempers were high and he was to blame for much of that, but if they allowed themselves to succumb to infighting then they might as well just hand miss Rose over to Hermaeus and be done with it." We have a common enemy in Hermaeus, whatever our grievances may be with one another we must work together to combat this threat before it's too late."
"He's right." All eyes turned to the young girl with silver eyes who'd risen from her seat, Ruby couldn't help but feel a little intimidated as the eyes of all present turned towards her, nevertheless, she pressed on. "I know you're angry at him for keeping this from you, we were to" Ruby gestured back to herself and Yang. "But you knew as well, you knew that something was wrong, and you didn't even try to reach out to any of us about what happened, because you thought you were doing what was right, how does that make you any different from the professor?"
"The answer is you aren't." Yang quickly added when it looked like Miss Goodwitch was going to argue, yeah she looked ticked at being called out by one of her own students, but right now she couldn't care less about 'showing proper respect' after having to listen to all this hypocritical bullshit.
"And if you want to go around pointing fingers and playing the blame game, I think it can wait a bit until, you know, the tentacle demon that tried to kidnap my little sister isn't a problem anymore." Said red-cloaked girl continued to stare disapprovingly at the Headmaster and his deputy. "Professor S knows the most about what's going on and whether you like it or not we need him."
Ozpin stared back at the two young women for a few moments, before releasing a long sigh. "Yes... forgive me, Miss Xiao Long, Miss Rose" Pushing his glasses up his nose he moved back towards his desk swiping his own cup of coffee off the edge and taking a long slow sip.
Swirling the contents of his mug he set it down on his desk before continuing. "I realize, that after everything you and your team have gone through this may seem like an empty excuse to you, but these last few weeks have held no shortage of strife for myself and my colleagues, and in our efforts to see this matter put to an end, we seem to have lost sight of the bigger picture." Glynda shifted uncomfortably at the headmaster's words.
Glancing back over his shoulder at the Nightingale he asked "What exactly is this creature? From what Miss Rose told us it claims to be some sort of deity, is this true?" His encounters with said begins were limited to the Brother Gods themselves though if this Hermaeus Mora held even a fraction of their power, he dreaded what its presence might bring to their already scarred and broken world.
"Hermaeus has been regarded as such by many cults across Tamriel but there is little you could say is divine about his nature." Mikael replied with a slight edge to his tone when regarding the Demon of Knowledge "He is a Daedra, a demon to put it simply."
"I take it by your tone, you've had dealings with him in the past?" The old wizard inquired
"Far more than I would have preferred, and none of which that ended well." Mikael lamented and while he may not have been the one to strike the killing blow he stilled shared much of the blame for the deaths of Hermaeus victims over the years. He knew where this conversation was going, the secrets that would inevitably be revealed by the headmaster's prodding, at this point it was better he told them himself rather than give them the chance to put it together themselves, their current circumstances was evidence of that. "Hermaeus was the reason I found myself on Remnant, to begin with."
Glynda narrowed her eyes at the Nightingale "So you admit to having been in league with this creature in the past, how can we be so sure that still isn't the case and this display isn't just a ruse to lower our guard?" Glynda accused her hand drifting back to her right side once more to hover over the thigh holster where her riding crop resided.
Mikael was quick to reply " I admit that I was strong-armed into coming here, under the threat of death. " Perhaps not his own, but he had enough on his conscience as is without the knowledge that he may have been -if indirectly- responsible for the deaths of any who stood in Mora's way while he scoured Remnant.
At least while he was here he had the chance to find Hermaeus's so-called prize first and - depending on the cost of just handing it over - ensure he never laid eyes on it, or in this case her. "But I had no idea he was searching for Miss Rose and had I any notion of his true intentions beforehand, suffice to say I would have never set foot on Beacon's soil."
Glynda's scowl deepened "Glynda" Ozpin interjected, he wasn't about to allow this to devolve back into another argument, the man had little to gain by telling them this and almost everything to lose, it was an all too familiar scene for the old wizard.
He'd stood in this young man's shoes many times over the course of hundreds of different lives, the days when he'd revealed Salem and the brother gods' existence to the past members of his Brotherhood, some had been more accepting than others, while the rest had been much more of a mixed bag, some wept at the revelation, others raged and cursed him demanding why the world did not know of their ancient enemy or the existence of the brother gods.
The same reason his most level headed of colleges seemed so eager to persecute the young man before them, fear of the unknown, and truly this was the greatest of unknowns, the brother gods had at least acted benevolently until the day mankind had rebelled against them, this Hermaeus on the other hand, seemed far crueler and grasping then any that had set foot on Remnant before him.
"I know that you've been moving in secret since the night miss Rose was taken, even more so since miss Volkihar's arrival, judging by the barrier Miss Xiao Long informed us you erected around the academy." Ozpin added, his deputy narrowed her eyes once more before slowly retracting her hand away from her weapon and crossing her arms over her chest "Are there any further defenses you or your sister have placed around the school grounds we should be aware of."
"Wait, Miss Volkihar's your sister!?" Ruby baulked her sister baring a similar expression, as their mind drifted back to the amber-eyed woman who'd been left to lead their morning lecture with Professor Peach "How did/When did that happen!?" The two demanded simultaneously earning a small smile from the Nightingale, their outburst brought some much-needed levity to the conversation.
"A story for another time I'm afraid." Mikael said before turning his attention back towards the Headmaster's previous question "As for the barrier, that's all we've managed to amass so far." Much to Mikael's frustration, though anything else at the time would have drawn unnecessary attention and perhaps brought this scene down on them far sooner than now. "We didn't have the time or manpower to enact anything further, we thought it best to focus our efforts on building a case for ourselves for when we brought this all to your attention" Mikael sighed "Though it would seem our efforts were all for naught at this point"
"Perhaps" The old Wizard replied, taking his seat behind his desk. "Though the evidence you amassed in that time may still help us combat him." If the three of them had initially planned to bring this to their attention then it was safe to say they had put together a wealth of information regarding this Hermaeus, to not only prove their innocence but aid them in combating him in the days to come. "I'd look forward to discussing that with you at a later date. However, that still leaves the question of why Miss Rose is so valuable to him, I admit she is one of our more promising students" The young Rose seemed to sit just that bit taller from the headmaster's words "Though I doubt that would garner such attention as this."
"In that regard, I must disagree." Mikael revoked, pausing for a moment he looked towards Ruby silently asking permission from the young girl, Ruby stared back at him for a moment a contemplative look passing over her, after a few moments of thought Ruby looked back at him and nodded, her answer given Mikael continued "I assume you're aware of the stories regarding those with Silver eyes." If the old man knew as much as he did of Magic and the Maidens as he seemed to, then he doubted Miss Rose's lineage had slipped beneath his notice.
He watched the Headmaster's eyes narrow in curiosity, both Glynda and Qrow spared a concerned glance towards one another, the latter of the two hadn't missed the subtle interaction between the Dragonborn and his youngest Niece at the mention of her ancestry, however, she didn't seem as confused by the sudden shift in conversation as he'd initially expected, if anything looking at her now she seemed eager to hear more.
Qrow turned his gaze back toward Mikael, his blood-red eyes narrowing dangerously, just how much had Fish-boy over there told her about all that, and more importantly how much more did he know about their world that he was keeping to himself. "That is an old tale, one that predates the founding of the kingdoms themselves... and a secret that is guarded most dearly." Ozpin picked up, steepling his fingers together he leaned forward on his desk, studying Mikael's expression with a keen eye as he asked "How is it that you came into possession of such knowledge?"
"Apocrypha, when Miss Rose was taken I pursued them and-..." At that point Ruby immediately tuned out the rest of the conversation involving that horrible place, she'd had to go through reliving those events twice now once with her uncle and a second time with the Headmaster and Miss Goodwitch, despite how much she might have wished those memories stayed buried, so she wasn't about to be forced to relive it for a third.
Instead, her thoughts drifted back to her conversation with Yang back in Professor Port's class, reaching up she brushed her finger across her cheek just below her left eye, the headmaster might not have said it directly but the whole, closely guarded secret thing, seemed like a pretty straightforward answer, even for her, she felt... she didn't really know how to feel right now, excited but also... overwhelmed at the same time.
She wanted to know more about that power, the same thought had been going through her mind over and over again for over a week now, she didn't care if those same answers only led to more questions further down the line, she had to know, not just for herself but her team as well.
Most of their days up until now had been spent together, it was a rare sight for her to be seen around the academy without at least one of her teammates accompanying her, but the thought of knowing that thing was out there, watching them, waiting for a moment the opportunity to snatch her up again, the stress, the anxiety was starting to take its toll on them, Yang most of all.
Something had changed in her older sister, she'd always been a little overprotective of her when they were back in Signal, but this was different, it started slowly at first with the two of them sitting together a lot more in class, then their bunkbed being turned into a double for the two of them, then their trips into Vale beyond those for picking up Dust, Ammo and other school supplies had come to a halt.
Then one night she decided to take a peek at her Sister's scroll while she slept, over the past week alone she'd visited a lot of websites for around a dozen religions, she'd downloaded books on 'How to Defend Against Black Magic' and 'Demonology', she was even logged into a bunch of online forums and message boards for the Occult, some of the comments she read ranged from the usual crackpot theories... to stuff that was eerily similar to what the Professor had told them about the gods and demons of his world, to Magic as a whole.
There were a lot of messages between Yang and one of the other members, the chat history was protected by a password so she couldn't see what exactly had been said, but unlike the rest of the users who'd had some weird or edgy username or symbol for their account, this one was just a name 'L. Kramer', she'd ran a quick search on them with her own scroll but came up with nothing, it was probably just some weirdo online, but the fact Yang had been willing to go so far was concerning enough as is.
This was why she needed to learn more, not just so she could protect herself, but her team as well.
"I see, would it be possible for us to see the journal you recovered?" Wait... a Journal? Ruby blinked her mind snapping back towards reality.
"It's in my classroom." Mikael replied, Ozpin nodded to Glynda, the blond combat instructor immediately moved for the elevator " My desk, on the left side, the second draw from the bottom, you'll need this." Mikael said offering a small brass key to the deputy headmistress, the stern woman glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before accepting the key and continuing on her way through the double doors behind them.
"So, what happens now?" Yang asked glancing between the headmaster and Professor S nervously. "Now that everyone knows the truth, what are we going to do about it."
"I'm afraid that's up to your headmaster to decide." Mikael tilted his head towards the old wizard, Ozpin himself sat forward in his chair hands steepled together as he stared down at his desk in thought, a tense silence settled over the room. Indeed, the decision was up to him, even after miss Rose had revealed her side of the story to him, the thought of handing Mikael over to James had crossed his mind, he and his sister would be locked away and Amber would be free of his influence, however, they would be left to deal with the aftermath alone once this Hermaeus Mora returned for Miss Rose.
However, allowing him to roam free even if placed under watch held just as much risk as it did reward, he held no loyalty towards them even now he was more than certain there was just as much he wasn't telling them as he already had, perhaps even more so, he had already gone behind their backs multiple times already, who was to say he wouldn't do so again if he felt it necessary... then again perhaps that was a good thing.
They lacked the knowledge, the understanding of this creature to spot the signs of its presence nor its influence over others, he doubted this Mora had simply sat by in the time between that night and now, just as Mikael had been building defenses against this creature so too had it likely been planting the seeds of its success, the Vytal Festival was fast approaching, and fresh batches of transfer students were arriving by the day.
How many of them had already been corrupted into his loyal followers?
How many assassins now walked among their ranks?
How long would it be until he enacted his plan?
They couldn't possibly know and by the time they managed to identify the corrupted among them, it may already be too late. "Is there any possibility he may abandon his pursuit of Miss Rose?" He needed to be certain there were no other options, all beings, even the gods themselves had wants and needs they sought to be fulfilled. "Is there anything we might be able to provide that could appease him?"
"Unless you have some ancient tomb of hidden Knowledge lying around, it's rather unlikely." Mikael replied bitterly, even if they did have something that might be able to match Ruby's value to him, there was no guarantee he would just take it and leave, if anything it was more than likely he would claim it and the girl for himself.
The Black reaper narrowed his eyes at the Nightingale "You're really cracking jokes at a time like this?" Qrow interrupted kicking off the wall he stepped towards the Nightingale
"I don't jest Branwen" Mikael replied back frostily, despite what Qrow might think he wasn't the only one in this room to care for Miss Rose's safety, forcing down his annoyance he continued on with his explanation "Mora holds many titles, one of which is the Demon of Knowledge, his very realm resembles that of an endless library that's shelves he has spent over a thousand lifetimes population with tombs of great wisdom and power, so unless there is an item that he might consider of equal value to that of Miss Rose, then there is little we have to bargain with."
Qrow glanced past Mikael towards Ozpin the two locking eyes -something Mikael didn't fail to notice- an entire conversation passing between them in a matter of seconds before the old Wizard's gaze shifted back towards Ruby.
She was more than within the required age range to inherit a maiden's power and with the Spring Maiden unaccounted for, it presented a dangerous risk to the Vault below Haven, even more so now that he was beginning to suspect what this begins true intentions may have been...even with a decade to master the power, had Spring come face to face with being of similar strength, a Silver-Eyed Warrior, one with not only the skills of a Huntress and the knowledge to use their eyes... but the backing of a God.
Ozpin made his decision. "You mentioned the barrier was all you managed to create thus far; I take it this means that there is still more that could be done to bolster our defenses against him?" If even one of the Relics fell into the hands of this creature then they would lose not only the battle but the war for Remnant as a whole once Salem learned of its theft, without the four relics to enact her plans there would be nothing left for either of them, millennia of waging war from the shadows would be for naught, and her fury would be felt across all of Remnant.
Mikael nodded slowly, there were more than a few options available to them, some more effective than others his people had utilized throughout previous Daedric incursions, that could prove invaluable to them should an assault on the academy grounds take place.
However, as of this moment, their main concern needs to be ensuring the security of Miss Rose and those around her, while they might be safe within Beacons walls Vale is a different story. Fortunately, he already had a plan for dealing with that. "If Serana and I are to continue with our work we will need full access to Beacons Foundry and Dust Laboratory" The facilities would be crucial for crafting the necessary materials to put their plans into action.
The old wizard hummed to himself in consideration. "...Verry well, though you will have to conduct your business after school hours, I won't run the risk of having our students exposed to such a hazardous craft." Both facilities would be deserted after hours reducing the chance of any students coming across the two as they worked, and he could always have Qrow keep an eye on them as an added precaution. "In addition, I'd ask you to keep myself and Glynda informed of any further 'additions' you make to the academy." He'd need to brief James of this development before he arrived and knowing what the siblings had planned ahead of time may help ease the General's suspicions as well as dissuade him from forcibly undoing any of their previous work.
"As you wish." Mikael agreed, keeping the headmaster and his followers informed of their progress was a small price to pay in the long run, he doubted that would be the end of his demands but he had to take what he could get right now.
"Wait, what does that mean for us?" Ruby asked somewhat hesitantly, she knew Beacon was probably the safest place for her now, but she wasn't all that comfortable with the idea of being forced to stay locked away on the Academy Grounds, it probably sounded selfish, but she'd like to be able to get away from the school for at least a few hours with her team, even if it was just to clear her head. "Are we not going to be allowed to leave the Academy?" Mikael glanced back towards the Headmaster, he'd have liked to answer no but despite his own thoughts on the matter, they were still Beacon students at the end of the day, so whether or not they be confined to academy grounds for their own safety was Ozpin's decision, not his.
A contemplative look flashed over the headmaster's features, after a moment of thought he once more turned to address their resident expert on the subject "Would we be able to ensure their safety outside of the Academy?" Just like Amber, he was hesitant to place the four of them under anything similar to house arrest, however, if they couldn't be certain that these girls would be able to walk the city streets without being ambushed by this creature or its servants, he was hard-pressed to find an alternative.
"I cannot promise anything, however, I'd ask that you take into consideration that they've been coming and going from the academy for weeks now without any incidents." Mora tended to keep to the shadows, watching, waiting for his moment to catch his target off guard, something he had little chance to do in such a crowded city as Vale " If they continue to stay together while in the city as they already have they should be fine, Mora won't risk being drawn into the public eye so easily."
Ozpin nodded along with Mikael's words "Verry well." He agreed, however, that didn't mean there wouldn't be some further conditions for said young ladies, speaking of which "Miss Rose, Miss Xiao Long, while I will allow your team to continue to make trips into Vale either myself, Glynda, Mikael, or Qrow must be informed before your departure and upon which you have returned."
The two girls nodded in response "Furthermore, you and your team will be placed under an extended curfew and shall be expected to return to Beacon before nightfall, if you are unable to meet these conditions know that I will be forced to have your team confined to Beacon until further notice, am I understood?."
"That's… fine " Yang relented, they probably weren't going to get a better deal out of it, then again maybe after a couple of weeks of nothing they could probably ask for a little more leeway, but for now this was fine, tilting her head towards her younger sister she asked "Rubes?"
The red-clad reaper nodded back to her. "That sounds fair to me." The young reaper replied, she was just glad that they'd still be allowed to make trips down into Vale.
"Verry well, you're both dismissed. "Ozpin gestured towards double doors. "I suggest you return to your dorm and inform your teammates of this development so that there are no future miss understandings. "Ruby and Yang hesitated for a moment glancing between the Headmaster and Mikael, sensing their trepidation the Nightingale dipped his head towards the door, he appreciated their concern for him, but they were needed elsewhere.
Accepting the nod as reassurance nothing would happen in their absence the sister rose from their seats and made their way towards the double door, the youngest of the two looking towards her uncle meaningfully as she passed, a silent reminder of what she'd made him promise back in the stairwell.
As the doors clicked shut behind them the headmaster let out a long sigh, never in his many lives would he have thought a day like this would have come and yet here they were, the fear, the trepidation, he couldn't help but wonder did Salem feel the same when she'd led mankind's rebellion against the brother gods all those years ago? After taking a moment to recompose himself, the old wizard tilted his head up to regard the Nightingale. "The same to you, Mr. Salmon." The headmaster took a glance at the contest of his coffee, he stared down at the bottom of the porcelain mug forlornly "I'd rather not have your sister or Miss Autumn jumping to conclusions regarding your absence."
Mikael narrowed his eyes in response to the old man's decision. 'That's it?' He assumed this was the part where the headmaster either threatened him against any further covert action or delivered the 'consequences' he'd mentioned earlier down upon him. Instead, he seemed content to let him walk away, for the moment at least, he didn't dwell on it long however Mikael knew all too well that there was now much to be done, and perhaps, so did the old man as well, either way, he was done here.
Without another word, Mikael turned and made his way back towards the double doors leading out of the office, pulling them open he stepped through into the miniature waiting room on the other side just as the elevator doors were closing, a hand reached through the gap between the doors stopping them from closing fully, Yang stepped back from the doors as they opened "Hey Prof, going our way?" She asked Ruby shuffling back from the doors beside her sister making room for Mikael.
"Thank you." The Nightingale nodded appreciatively and stepped in beside the sisters, pressing the button for the ground floor.
"Don't mention it." The blond brawler replied leaning back against the wall behind her as the elevator began its descent, letting her head loll back she stared up at the ceiling a long sigh leaving her "At least something good came from all of that, even if you're just going to be working on more stuff like the barrier for them."
The fact he was really the only thing that could help prepare them for an attack was probably the only thing keeping him out of a cell right now, though she wasn't too sure how long that might last, Miss Goodwitch had really been laying into him back there and Uncle Qrow wouldn't stop trying to burn holes into the back of his head throughout that conversation, even more so when they brought up Ruby's eyes.
"Do you think they're going to have you arrested afterwards?" Ruby asked, the line about them not needing evidence to have him locked away for the rest of his natural life still wasn't sitting all that well for her, it made her wonder how far they might actually go. Sure, they might need his help now while Mora was still a threat, but what was happened after all of this was over, would they let him walk away, or lock him up and throw away the key.
"If all goes well, I doubt it" Mikael tried to assure her, however even if they had tried to lock him away he imagined there were few places in Vale that could hold him not when the prisoner could turn intangible with just one word and walk through the bars of their cell, atlas on the other hand, that might be an issue given what he'd read on their advances in technology above the other kingdoms. "They're angry and frustrated, not just with me for keeping it from them, but at themselves for failing to keep you all safe, they didn't know what was truly going on until now, so I'd ask you don't judge them too harshly."
Yang cocked a golden brow at the Nightingales' words, after everything they'd just threatened him with he was really sticking up for them. "Why are you defending them?" The professor at least had an excuse for going around behind people's backs as he did, this situation was so far from believable to a normal person that if you weren't slap bang in the middle of it all you'd think they were crazy, the headmaster and his people, on the other hand, had known what was going on from the start and done jack all. "You at least have a decent excuse for waiting as long as you did before trying to tell anyone, but they had more than enough opportunities to come to any of us and ask."
Sure, maybe they'd been a little thrown by everything in the beginning, but after weeks without so much as hearing a peep from people at least two decades their seniors and actually licensed huntsmen, you'd at least think they tried to reach out to the victims, instead, the job of keeping them out of harm's way had been left up to the professor while they spent their time chasing wild theories in the background. "I mean if you'd actually been doing, what they thought you were doing, they'd already be too late to stop it."
"Which is why I'm asking you to be patient with them, Yang" She had every right to feel as she did, perhaps even more so, from what he could tell Glynda and Qrow were more than willing to act on their suspicions, however, judging by what he'd seen throughout that meeting they'd likely been held back by Ozpin, the old man seemed content to sit back and watch things unfold, that kind of thinking would only be more detrimental in time, he could only hope today had been a wake-up call for the old man. "Did you have a chance to speak with the rest of your team before all this?"
"You mean about wanting to talk to us about my eyes." Ruby piped up, recalling their talk with the others back in professor Oobleck's class and then the mention of that journal back in the headmaster's office. "That journal you were talking about with the headmaster, there was stuff about the silver-eyed warriors inside, right?"
"Yes, the author possesses silver eyes and recorded most of their own experiments, and experiences with utilizing them inside." Mikael recounted much to the young Roses growing fascination, he just hoped Ozpin would return the journal to him once he was finished with it. "I was hoping to go over them with you this afternoon, though it looks like I'll be indisposed over the next few days, we may have to push that back to the weekend." Ruby deflated at the news, it seemed like every time she was so close to finding out something about her eyes, she hit a brick wall, or someone decided to get in the way.
Mikael regarded her frustration worriedly, his lady's warning regarding Miss Rose's search for answers pushing its way to the forefront of his mind, he'd ensure she had her answers soon enough, among other things, he'd only ask she be patient for a little longer. "They're willing to indulge my requests for the moment but I'll have to provide results for them soon enough if we want to see that continue." He and Serana still had a few soul gems leftover, a Black, Grand and four Common to be precise, the latter set would be used to create items for Ruby and her team, something to fortify their mental resistance against outside influence.
The latter two they'd be hanging onto, for now, he'd considered using them to fuel an Atronach summoner outside the student dorms, should Mora reveal himself and the barrier fail sooner than anticipated, the creatures summoned would at least be able to hold Mora's forced back long enough for the students put some distance between themselves and the Daedra.
But he doubted either Ozpin or Glynda would be all too keen on allowing something like that anywhere near their students, especially not so soon after today, once tempers had cooled and he'd proven himself an ally in their eyes, then he may attempt to broach the topic with them, for now, he'd have to settle on creating more basic traps to target any invaders.
"Don't worry too much about it, we'll make sure they know what happened." Yang replied, they'd probably be a little more than frustrated all of this happened without them, and she could defiantly see a certain Ice queen having a few choice words for the headmaster and the rest of his people after they told them what happened, though she doubted the Schnee Heiress would ever have the nerve to say them to their faces.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open the three stepped out into the reception and came face to face with Glynda Goodwitch. The blond combat instructor eyed the trio warily for a moment, the leather-bound journal held to her chest confirming her search had been fruitful, shaking her head slightly Glynda adopted a dismissive scowl, stepping around Mikael and into the Elevator behind them, flashing her scroll over the control panel as she entered, the doors sliding shut behind her.
Mikael glanced back towards the doors as the elevator departed up the tower 'Hmm...half expected her to slap me.' He mused to himself
Ruby frowned "I hate how she looks at you." They acted like he was the problem, that everything was somehow his fault. "This isn't fair."
Yang couldn't help but agree "It's not." Nudging her little sister's shoulder, she flashed a confident smile "But what they think doesn't matter, we know what's up, that's what's important." Stepping around Mikael Yang reached out to touch his arm, her smile turning apologetic "...and I'm sorry about getting you thrown into all that, when uncle Qrow showed up we didn't really have a choice but to tell him."
Mikael shook his head slightly. "We would have had to deal with it eventually, the two of you did nothing wrong." He reassured her, glancing down at his scroll Mikael spotted quite a few messages from Serana and Amber, ranging from asking where he was, why he'd stormed out of his classroom... explaining all of this was going to be a hassle
"Is something wrong?" Ruby asked narrowing her eyes at the line upon line of message notifications stretching down his scroll curiously.
Looking back toward the sisters Mikael shook his head slightly "Just an overly concerned Sister and Friend, nothing more." His scroll pinged again the latest of a long string of messages from Serana, only this one instead of asking about his well-being, was asking if there were any bodies that he needed help disposing of. "I should go, the two of you stay safe." Making his way towards the door Mikael typed back a quick response assuring Serana he was alright but stressing that they'd need to meet in person.
He had a long night ahead of him, but if they succeeded it would be all worth it in the end.
AN: Well, this is probably the longest chapter I have ever done, over 12,000 words long, I must have written, rewritten then completely scraped at least a dozen different sections of dialogue during Mikael's talk with Ozpin, some were far too tame while others felt far too petty and overly confrontational given the situation they were in, and while that can work in some cases, in this one it felt like it was taking away from the whole point of the scene.
Probably the most difficult part of all this was making it so the dialogue and their reactions to certain things actually fit the personality of the character that I'm using throughout this story.
Glynda trying to remain lawful throughout the majority of the meeting despite the clear hostility towards Mikael, Qrow while holding true to his promise to Ruby still burning holes in the back of our guy's head and good old tricky Oz constantly weighing the cost and the gain of still trusting him with so much on the line, despite the fact they've been stumbling about in the dark for weeks now unaware of the real danger amassing around them, leaving our favorite Nightingale to pick up the pieces as he worked towards forging a functional alliance... remind anyone of anything?
Heh, anyway I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter of Shadows Rising, feel free to leave a review I enjoy reading your comments, even the ones that bash my writing it all goes towards improving the story in the long run.