Chapter Twenty-One: Small Steps

Patch… Xiao Long / Rose household… late Friday afternoon…

Ruby pushed open the door to the bedroom she shared with Yang and darted straight over to where she'd left Crescent Rose on the end of her bed when she'd come home from school. "Yang! Let's go outside and spar!" She scooped her scythe up, cradling it in her arms even as she turned towards her sister. She'd hurried through her homework and chores so they would have plenty of time to spar before dinner. Yang loved sparring as much as she did, so she had no doubt her sister would want to join her.

"I'm not in the mood today, sis," Yang replied from where she sat at her desk, her books and papers spread out in front of her. Ruby suddenly realized that Ember Celica was sitting on Yang's nightstand – not usually where Yang kept the bracelet shotguns.

"But you have to submit your application to Beacon soon! You need to practice so you'll be ready for the combat assessment!" Ruby hugged Crescent Rose to her chest, for a moment imagining the day when she'd be able to take her own assessment to enroll at Beacon.

"Not today, Ruby," Yang said firmly. "Go and practice the forms Uncle Qrow showed you if you want to train."

Ruby paused. There had been a hint of something in Yang's tone when she'd said Qrow's name – a bitter tone Ruby had never heard from her sister before. Yang had been in a foul mood since Wednesday night – an unusual enough occurrence that even her friends at Signal had noticed it. Due to the fact that Ruby was two years younger than Yang and her friends, they absolutely never socialized together, but today no less than three of them had approached her at school asking if everything was alright. Not sure how much Yang had ever told them about her mother, Ruby had only said that Yang would be okay, she just needed some time and space to process some unexpected news about the family.

She wasn't sure if it had been enough, but Yang's friends had seemed to understand what Ruby wasn't saying and hadn't pressed for details.

"Are you… still angry at Dad and Uncle Qrow?" she asked, carefully, setting Crescent Rose down on the end of her bed again and moving a few steps closer to her sister, her desire to go and spar vanishing as she realized how miserable her sister still was.

"What do you think?" Yang bit out.

Ruby hesitated and moved over to Yang's side before she threw her arms around her sister's shoulders and squeezed gently, aching to do something. "What can I do to help?"

"Nothing," Yang said, her shoulders stiff. "I just want to be left alone."

Ruby sighed and squeezed Yang again, resting her cheek on Yang's blonde hair. "Okay. I'll be outside practicing if you change your mind later." She released her sister and moved back over to pick up her scythe again.

As she came downstairs, she could see Dad in the kitchen starting preparations for dinner. He spotted her with her weapon in hand and nodded. A small, but encouraging smile crossed his face before he returned his attention to what he was doing. He'd been quiet since Wednesday too, and Ruby wasn't even sure if he and Yang had exchanged any words other than the brief conversation they'd had once they'd returned from Mom's memorial that night. She didn't like all of the anger and sadness in the house. It made her heart hurt in a way that it hadn't since she'd learned that Mom wasn't coming home. She didn't remember a lot of that time since she'd been so young, but she did remember Dad walking around the house like he was in a trance when he wasn't at work, and Uncle Qrow either being absent entirely or spending all of his time in the guest room they always kept ready for him.

She went outside and extended her weapon to its full form before she started twirling it through the practice forms Qrow had taught her. It was important to work on making her movements fully instinctual – so that she would always know exactly where the blade was and the angle of the swing, so that she could turn or leap without hitting herself or an ally, or so that she could switch between her scythe and her rifle in one fluid motion. She lost herself in the motion and the rhythm of her forms, all of her focus on the curve of the blade and its location as it moved through its deadly arcs.

As she came out of a spin, the blade angling up and across her body to set up the next move, she saw a flash of grey, black, and red. She glanced over and spotted Uncle Qrow walking up the lane towards the house. She tightened her grip on her scythe and aborted the movement, twisting the angle of the blade and grounding it, tip-first, to stop the momentum she'd been building up as he approached.

"Hey kiddo," he said as he got within conversational range. "I saw you practicing as I came up. Your forms are looking really good."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, ignoring the compliment when normally it would have made her so happy to hear that her uncle thought her mastery over her chosen weapon was improving. "I thought you and Raven went to Beacon to see Professor Ozpin?"

"We did," he replied. "Raven… left… again." He shook his head. "It's a long story and not one that's for kids." He looked towards the house. "Is your dad home?"

Ruby nodded and watched as Qrow crossed the lawn and headed up to the door, tapping on the panel before he pushed it open and stepped inside. She hesitated for a moment, before collapsing Crescent Rose and attaching it to its harness at her back. She moved to follow, standing near the door, and watching from a distance as Qrow approached Dad in the kitchen.

"You're back," Dad said, but his tone was cool and overly controlled.

"Yeah," Qrow brought his hand up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look Tai, I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't mean for any of that…"

"But it happened. You knew that I didn't want Raven here again and that Yang wasn't ready, but you still brought her here." Tai hissed.

"I screwed up, Tai. I get it. We needed to talk to Oz, and I was worried that Raven would run again if we had to travel back by conventional methods. Having her use her portal made the best sense," Qrow replied. "Of course it would be my luck that would cause that mess."

"I understand the mission, Qrow, but why Raven? She's been gone for sixteen years. Why now? What did Oz need to talk to her about so badly?"

The mission? Ruby's innate curiosity pricked, but she pushed it down in favor of trying to gather more information and not wanting to miss any details while she speculated.

Qrow sighed. "I can't tell you right now Tai. Oz told me to tell you that if you needed to talk about it to give him a call and he'll tell you what he can."

"That's all well and good, but it doesn't stop Yang from being angry with me!" Dad snapped.

"That's why I came back, to talk to her – try to explain. I thought if we both did it together, she might understand…"

"I don't need your help to deal with my daughter!"

"Raven is my sister, and I know her better than anyone!"

"She was my fiancée!"

"Stop!" Ruby yelled, running over to the kitchen doorway. "Stop fighting!"

Her sudden entrance stopped her dad and uncle's argument. Dad looked past Qrow at her as Qrow half-turned. "Ruby?"

"Don't fight about this! Yang's been miserable for two days!" Ruby cried. "It's not fair to her after what happened on Wednesday."

"Ruby…" Dad started, but Ruby cut him off.

"No, it's not fair, Dad! Yang has a right to be angry. Raven said some awful things the other night and it crushed her spirits. Why are you fighting about all of this when Yang is the one who matters?"

Both adults stared at her, but Ruby didn't back down. Yang was her big sister and had taken care of her all of her life – ever since Mom had died. Now it was her turn to do something for Yang. "What does it matter whose daughter Yang is, or whose sister or fiancée Raven is – was?" She shook her head. "Whatever else she is, she's Yang's mom – shouldn't that be the most important thing? All Yang has ever wanted is to know who her mom is. She's been asking you – both of you – for as long as I can remember to tell her about her mom. You never told her anything, not even her name. Maybe it was different when we were really little, or right after Mom died, but you couldn't even tell her now, when she's going to be going to Beacon next year?" She could feel tears gathering in the corners of her eyes and quickly brought her arm up to swipe them away with her sleeve. "Yang is hurting because she just got confirmation that her mom didn't want her or love her enough to stay here and raise her. Why are you arguing when that's what is the most important thing?"

"That's enough Ruby," another voice entered the conversation.

Ruby looked past her dad and uncle to see Yang standing in the doorway. One of the blonde's hands was clenched around the doorframe, the other still hanging at her side, but fisted. "Yang?"

"I can handle this," Yang said firmly, before she released the doorframe and stepped into the room until she was standing face-to-face with Dad and Uncle Qrow. Both of her hands were hanging at her sides and balled up, but she met their surprised gazes directly. "Ruby is right about one thing – I've been begging you for years. I'm not asking anymore. I want to know – right now – about my mother. I'm not a kid anymore. I'm going to Beacon next year, and I think you owe me that much."

Ruby crossed the room and went to stand at her sister's side in silent solidarity.

Dad and Uncle Qrow looked at each other before Dad sighed. "Okay. Let's go and sit down in the living room."

They all moved into the living room together and arranged themselves. Ruby wrapped her arm around one of Yang's biceps and pulled her over to the sofa so they could sit together and she could keep supporting her sister, while Uncle Qrow moved over to the wall that made up the side of the staircase and leaned against it with his arms crossed over his chest. Dad, meanwhile, took a seat in a squashy chair just to the right of the sofa.

Silence lingered between the four of them for nearly a minute before Dad sighed again. "Yang, your mom – Raven – was a very complicated person."

Uncle Qrow snorted. "That's an understatement, Tai."

Dad glared at him for a moment before he refocused his attention on Yang. "Raven was – incredible, is probably the best way I can describe her – when we first met. She was an amazing fighter and she was so passionate about the things that she believed in or cared about. When she decided to support something or someone, nothing made her back down. More than once I witnessed her stand up to someone who held the opposite viewpoint than she did or defend someone who was being bullied. I admired her for it. But…" he sighed, "Raven also had a Past."

"A Past?" Yang asked and Ruby could hear the capital 'P' in the way they both said the word. "What does that mean?"

It was Uncle Qrow's turn to sigh. "It means that Raven and I didn't have great childhoods, firecracker. It was a hard life for us before we got accepted at Beacon, and that's all I'm saying about it." He shook his head when Yang started to say something. "Almost an adult or not, there are some things you're still too young to know about." He stared at her until Yang huffed and crossed her arms, a scowl on her face. "We went to Beacon because the adults in our life ordered us to, but once we were put on a team with your Dad and Summer, and once we started taking classes and going on training missions, we made the choice to stay at Beacon because we wanted to, not because we were told to. We made it all four years and we graduated together – Huntsman and Huntress."

"Raven…" Dad rubbed a hand through his hair. "I'd never really met anyone like her before. The thing about being on a Huntsman team – especially if it's a good team – is that you get really close to your teammates. At Beacon you all room together, so four years of living together it's sort of inevitable that you would get along, but the best teams are the ones that go beyond just getting along – they're actually close and know each other."

He sighed. "Raven didn't make friends easily, but with our team – Team STRQ – we clicked together in a way I don't think anyone was expecting, especially Professor Ozpin when he put us together. We squabbled at first, sure – four vastly different personalities, two different genders, and none of us really used to sharing living spaces. But we all also wanted to be Huntsmen and Huntresses, so we trained hard. We had to learn to work together if we wanted to make it to graduation. The more Raven and I were around each other, the closer we got. We were different, but that was more interesting than it would have been if we were perfectly in sync with each other."

Uncle Qrow snorted. "Probably didn't help that Summer and I were pushing you two together as much as we thought we could get away with. You either would have fallen hard for each other, or you would have hated each other and tried to kill each other and us."

Dad nodded. "That's true." He looked back at Yang. "We graduated and Raven and I were just starting to explore the possibility of a relationship. We were Huntsmen and Huntresses, we were taking jobs, working together… I built this house, and after four years living together none of us wanted to live separately, especially since we were still taking jobs as a group, so I invited Raven, Qrow, and Summer to live here too. That much time in such close proximity… it was probably inevitable in a way." He looked down before he looked back up and met Yang's eyes again. "I did love her, Yang. She was passionate, like I said, and she seemed… content… with me – with our team."

"So what changed?" Yang asked. "If she was so great, why didn't she stay?" Ruby noticed the overly controlled tone of Yang's voice as if her sister was trying not to break down in tears. "Was it my fault?"

"No!" Dad and Uncle Qrow said together, both of them fiercely. They looked at each other for a moment before Qrow nodded, ceding control of the conversation back to Dad.

Dad met Yang's gaze directly. "I don't know why she didn't stay Yang. I promise you, once we both got over the surprise of learning she was pregnant, we were both very excited about your birth and we were waiting for you. Raven was right there the whole time, discussing what we would name you, designing the nursery, wondering what you would be like…" He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. Ruby wanted to go over and hug him, but she was still in solidarity with Yang on this matter. "She never gave me any indication that she was planning on leaving. If I had known, if I'd even had a hint that she was planning to run I might have been able to convince her to stay – but if I had done that, Ruby wouldn't be here either, so I can't be completely upset that she left either, because I love both of you so much."

It was Yang's turn to sniff a little bit and Ruby tightened her grip on Yang's arm. "I'm glad Ruby's here too, but…"

"I know, little dragon," Dad said.

Uncle Qrow shifted uneasily, and Ruby noticed the movement. "Uncle Qrow?" Even Dad turned to look at his brother-in-law.

"I…" He shook his head. "Sorry – I wish I could say something more, but I can't right now."

"You're still going to keep information from me?" Yang demanded, clenching her fists, and looking like she wanted to leap off the couch and tackle their uncle.

"This is another of those things you're too young to know, firecracker," Qrow said. "I wish I didn't know, and believe me, you don't want to know it, no matter what you think."

"How do you know that?" Yang snapped. "Shouldn't I get to make my own decisions?"

"Yang, you're sixteen, but you're still not an adult, and there's still a lot of things about the world that you aren't ready to learn about yet," Dad said. "A lot of that will come with age and experience."

Yang's normally violet eyes held a hint of red, and Ruby could feel the heat of her sister's anger and irritation under her hand. She squeezed Yang tighter, hoping to both assure Yang of her presence and give some degree of comfort. After a long moment, some of the tension left Yang's body and her sister slumped back into the couch, the red color in her eyes also fading.

Dad got up from his chair and moved over to the couch, kneeling down in front of Yang and reaching out for her hand. "I know it hurts, Yang. I wish there was more I could tell you. I wish I could have known so I could do something that would have made her stay – but I didn't, so I couldn't."

Yang allowed him to take her hand and Ruby squeezed her again before leaning forward and tugging her sister with her so that they both fell into Dad's arms. Yang buried her face into Dad's shoulder and her shoulder shook as she cried. Ruby raised her head and looked at Uncle Qrow, who shifted his weight from one foot to the other, before pushing off from the wall and coming over to join the family embrace.

Ozpin's Office… Friday afternoon…

The only sound in the office was the steady ticking of the clock tower itself as the gears moved through their endless circles. Oscar twisted his hands in his lap again, waiting for Amber's reaction to the story they had just told her. Ozpin was leaning back in his chair, the picture of absolute calm, casually sipping from his white Beacon mug. Oscar envied Ozpin's ability to be that serene, wondering if it was a trait unique to Ozpin himself, or if it was the result of so many mergers and so long living. When he eventually took on the full weight and responsibility of the merge, would he develop that same calm serenity?

Oscar looked between Ozpin and the Maiden, while he waited for her response, and noticed what appeared to be a slight twitch of the headmaster's eyelid, and he wondered if Ozpin was really as calm as he appeared, or if he was simply putting up a very practiced front.

The Fall Maiden's face – on the other hand – was the very picture of shock. From his angle, Oscar couldn't see her face fully, as it was partially screened by the cut of her brown hair, but he could see the widened eyes and the slack jaw. Finally, after blinking several times, Amber shook her head slightly. "So… let me make sure I understand correctly," she began carefully, and began ticking points off on her fingers. "The kid – sorry, I mean Oscar – is from the future, but he's not sure how he was sent back here. He just appeared in your office two weeks ago."

"Correct," Ozpin replied, taking another sip of his cocoa.

"And because he's from the future, he knows that Salem is planning to attack Beacon during the next Vytal Festival, and from there she's going to strike Haven, Atlas, and eventually Shade?"

"Yes."

Amber blew out a slow breath before glancing over at Oscar. "And…" she hesitated a moment, before looking back at Ozpin, "during the fight at Beacon, not only am I supposed to die, but so are you? And that would lead to Oscar becoming your next incarnation and…" she swallowed hard, her face taking on the appearance of nausea, "the Fall powers going to the woman who kills me?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Ozpin said, his brown eyes sad behind his lenses. He leaned forward in his chair and placed his mug on his desk. "I am aware that all of this is a lot to process, Amber. If there was any easier way to break it to you, I would have."

Amber stood and moved a few steps away, her breathing more than a little ragged as she tried to process everything that she'd learned in the last half hour. Oscar felt bad for her – he had just met her, but she seemed to be so nice, and here he was dumping all of this bad news on her. He glanced at Ozpin, wondering if the headmaster was going to say anything more, but Ozpin just shook his head quietly and nodded in Amber's direction.

Right – let her control the direction and pace of the conversation for now. That would be the best way to allow her to acclimate to the news without pressuring her. The last thing he wanted was for her to fall victim to fear the same way Raven, Lionheart, and Ironwood had. Oscar tried to relax, listening to the steady ticking of the clockwork, and trying to think of it the way Ozpin had described it – soothing, like wind chimes.

Amber took several more paces away from the desk, moving over to one of the windows and looked out, her back to them. She raised a hand and rested it against the glass before she leaned forward and placed her forehead there as well. She remained in that position for only another thirty seconds or so before she straightened and turned back to face them. "What are your plans?"

Oscar was a bit surprised by how quickly she'd acclimated to the news. He bit his lower lip, wondering if he should speak now, but another glance at Ozpin garnered him another tiny headshake before the wizard focused his attention on Amber again.

"First and foremost, we're using Oscar's warnings as a guide for what areas of security we need to improve on," Ozpin began. "We're quietly strengthening security around the schools, and we're going to be looking into increasing security access to the Towers and possibly upgrading the Towers to make it harder for a virus to take effect or to create some redundancies in case the worst were to happen." He fixed Amber with a solemn look. "I understand your desire to help others – to be a Huntress – but I would feel much better if you were to stay close to Beacon for the time being, at least until we're sure the danger has passed and we've apprehended Salem's agent."

Amber nodded slowly. "You would rather have me taking local missions around Vale and possibly around Patch?"

"Ideally yes – and always in a group. The assailants will be less likely to attempt to target you if you don't give them an opportunity to catch you alone," Ozpin said.

"I think I can manage that," Amber agreed. "I can go out on local missions and keep myself available to go out with the students on training missions if you need another Huntress-chaperone."

Ozpin's lips curved in a small smile. "Actually, there's was another option I wanted to suggest if it's something you might be open to. Since Salem's plan is to attack at the next Vytal Festival, it would put a lot of people – not just from Vale, but from all four Kingdoms – in danger."

"There were a lot of deaths," Oscar interjected softly, looking back down at his lap, and twisting his hands again. "I don't know the full total, but it was a lot. People in Vale itself, students who stayed to defend the Tower and school as long as they could, and people trying to evacuate from Amity Coliseum…" He glanced up and could see matching sorrow in both Ozpin's and Amber's eyes.

"That is what I want to prevent should the Battle of Beacon become unavoidable," Ozpin explained. "We lightly touch on evacuations and such during training for our students as you know, but for the most part Huntsmen and Huntresses follow the arrangements made by local villages, since they know the surrounding areas and their own resources better than a visiting Huntsman or Huntress would. Given Oscar's warnings, I've come to realize that is an oversight, so I'd like to change that and institute a new class specifically on organizing and running a calm, successful evacuation."

Amber frowned a little, but not in displeasure or anger – it was more of a thoughtful frown. This was the first Oscar had heard of this plan, but then again, he didn't really know everything that students were trained in at the Academies. It wasn't one of the topics he and Oz had discussed in the months leading up to the battle at Haven – and once they had reached Atlas, his training had been focused on increasing his stamina and fighting skills since Oz hadn't been there to guide him, not on taking formal classes with the other official Atlas students.

"I think you would make a fine teacher for that class, Amber," Ozpin continued. "Not only are you licensed as a Huntress, but most of your work since you graduated has been spent out in the villages and communities beyond the Kingdoms. You're not only qualified to teach this class, but it would keep you close to Beacon and still allow you to lead groups out to the villages to help with the work you've already been doing."

Oscar blinked at that suggestion, but he had to admit that it made sense. Like Ozpin said, it would keep the Maiden close, under their protection, so that she would be at less risk of being attacked by Cinder and her cronies, and it would add another layer of defense to help prevent Beacon from falling.

"What specifically were you thinking about for a curriculum?" Amber asked, not commenting on her thoughts about the idea one way or another.

Ozpin leaned back in his chair again, and this time Oscar saw a spark of amusement in those brown eyes. "Establishing rendezvous points, creating assigned evacuation routes, laying in provisions and supplies so that people aren't burdened by trying to bring supplies with them, creating and implementation of evacuation drills so that people know what they need to do and remain calm when doing it." He shrugged. "Those are just a few of the things I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure that – given time to sit down and fully plan it out, we can come up with plenty of material for the full four years of instruction, beginning with the theoretical and working up to the practical."

There was silence again for a moment before Amber laughed, which made Oscar blink again. He hadn't expected that reaction, considering the news they'd given her a few minutes ago. "Somehow I know you'd eventually ask me to teach one day, Oz. You're not the type to let opportunity pass you by when it falls in your lap." She chuckled again. "Of course I'll help if it means saving people and stopping Salem."

Ozpin chuckled as well. "Good." He leaned forward again and picked up his mug. "Obviously, your assigned suite in the dorm for visiting Huntsmen and Huntresses is still available, but if you'd prefer, I can reassign you to a larger suite in the building with the rest of the professors."

"I'm fine where I am for now," she assured him. "I desperately want a shower and a clean change of clothing. We pressed hard to make sure we could make it back as soon as possible, and I feel like I am covered in road grime."

Ozpin nodded. "You're welcome to join Oscar and I for dinner in my quarters tonight if you don't feel like eating in the dining hall, and I'll get your Beacon ID reissued with the additional permissions you'll need as a professor later tonight – it should all be updated by morning when the system performs its overnight update cycle."

Amber nodded before her expression sobered again. "I won't say this was all good news to hear Oz – but I'll do whatever I can to help. I don't want to be a victim of Salem's plans any more than anyone else whom she may post a threat to would."

"I'm glad to hear that Amber," Ozpin replied, sobering as well. "Believe me when I say that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe."

"I trust you, Oz," Amber said with a faint smile. She stretched her shoulders before shaking her head. "I'm going to my room for a shower and some clean clothes. What time should I come by for dinner?"

Ozpin tapped at the surface of his desk, causing a digital clock to pop up as he activated the holo-screen. "It's nearly five right now. Say – seven? That should give you time to get cleaned up and unpacked from your trip, and it will let me finish a few tasks that I didn't get to take care of this afternoon because of Oscar's check-up and this meeting."

Amber nodded. "That sounds good." She glanced at Oscar. "It was nice to meet you, Oscar."

"Nice to meet you too," Oscar said, trying to smile, but still somewhat concerned about how calmly Amber seemed to be taking everything, especially after seeing how Professor Goodwitch and Qrow had handled it. He watched as she turned and headed for the elevator, no doubt heading for her quarters here at the school. Once the doors were closed, he turned back to Ozpin. "Is she going to be okay with everything we told her? I was sort of expecting a more…extreme…reaction."

Ozpin nodded. "She'll be fine – Amber has always had excellent coping skills, and as a Maiden she already knew about Salem. The idea of magic being real, and the fact that she had been chosen by the Fall powers when her predecessor passed was overwhelming in and of itself. The idea that she's been targeted by Salem isn't foreign to her. If anything was shocking to her, it was the fact that you came back from the future."

"I hope so." Oscar looked back at the elevator.

"Do you have reason to believe that she would not be able to accept everything?" Ozpin asked, folding his hands and resting them on the surface of his desk.

"I just – I don't want to see her succumb to fear the same way that Lionheart and the General did," Oscar replied quietly. "I don't know at what point Lionheart gave in, but I watched Ironwood fall apart over months and I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late."

Ozpin sighed at the reminder of what would happen to two of his lieutenants – his friends – if they couldn't change things. "I understand that, and we'll keep a close eye on her – both to keep her safe from Salem's followers and to make sure that she's not succumbing to fear. But I have confidence in her good sense and her fortitude."

Oscar nodded and twisted his hands in his lap again. "What are you going to do about Raven?"

"For now, nothing," Ozpin said. "Whatever her faults, Raven has managed to keep outside of Salem's notice since she left my service. Even Qrow – who has been searching for the Spring Maiden since she disappeared – had no idea Raven is the Maiden now. I highly doubt Salem has figured it out, or she would have moved against Raven already." He sighed. "I spoke to her and hopefully gave her some things to think about. At least we know where the Spring powers are now, which is more than we had before you arrived, and we can keep an eye on her and her tribe."

"Okay." Oscar stood up. "I think I'll go back downstairs."

Ozpin nodded. "I'll see you back in the apartment shortly. I just have a few administrative tasks I need to finish up before I join you. If you'd like to call for a meal for three to be sent up from the dining hall, you may, unless you feel like making something yourself." He keyed open his terminal and recalled the elevator for Oscar, then turned his attention back to his desk.

Oscar stepped into the elevator and watched as the doors slid closed. Things were changing, and he didn't know if it was for the better or not. He just hoped he wasn't making things worse.

Summer Rose's Memorial… Saturday, October 19th, 78 AW…

"Yang?" Ruby approached Mom's memorial from the path leading out of the forest. Yang was sitting on the ground in front of the headstone, her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them and her chin resting on top of her knees. Ruby sat down beside her and leaned her head against her sister's shoulder. "Are you okay?" She didn't often find her sister out here by herself, and she wondered what Yang was thinking since they had all talked yesterday.

Yang was quiet for a few minutes and Ruby was content to just sit with her sister in a way they really didn't get to anymore. All of Yang's focus for the last few months – at least until Raven's arrival – had been on preparing to submit her application to Beacon, so they'd been sparring in their free time instead of just sitting quietly.

"I guess so sis," Yang finally said. "I still want to know why my mom – Raven – couldn't stay and raise me. But Dad's right too – if she hadn't left, then you wouldn't be here." She shifted out of her curled up position and wrapped one of her arms around Ruby. "And I wouldn't trade you for anything, even knowing more about my mom."

"What are you going to do now?" Ruby asked after returning the hug. Twisting, she faced Yang directly, tucking her feet up underneath her so as not to crowd her sister.

Yang was quiet as she considered her answer. Finally, she sighed. "I'll keep focusing on my application to Beacon. Maybe once I graduate, I can go out and find my mom and she'll actually answer my questions because I won't be a kid anymore. In the meantime – I'll keep looking for answers wherever I can find them. Uncle Qrow went to find her last week since that started this whole mess. Maybe once I'm a Huntress, he'll help me find her again."

"When I'm a Huntress, I'll help too, if you want me to," Ruby replied.

"I know you will, Sis." Yang's smile was warm and genuine again, and it filled Ruby with a sense of relief that her sister wasn't going to let this get to her anymore. Yang stood up and brushed the grass off her legs before offering a hand. "Come on. What do you say to a sparring match? I haven't practiced this week, and we need to start trying to figure out what your Semblance is so you can practice with it before you have to apply to Beacon in a couple of years."

Ruby took her sister's hand and bounced to her feet. "Yeah!" She turned back to look at Summer's headstone. "We're going to be the best Huntresses Beacon has ever seen since Mom and Dad and Uncle Qrow graduated, right?"

Yang laughed. "You bet we are!"

Beacon Sparring Area… Saturday, October 19th, 78 AW…

Oscar looked around the room that Ozpin had led him into with wide eyes. The sparring area took up the entire floor, while raised stands ringed three-quarters of the room so other students could safely watch the matches.

"How does your chest feel today?" Ozpin asked, a trace of concern in his voice.

Oscar stretched tentatively, feeling the pull against the scars, and trying to determine his range of motion and how much he could handle. "Pretty good," he admitted after a few moments. "I probably won't be able to get a full stretch, but I can reach and move without pain now."

Ozpin nodded slowly. "We'll take it easy today – I just want to get a baseline on where you're at and what training you've received already." With a click, he retracted the shaft of Long Memory and clipped the cane to his belt. "Let's try some hand-to-hand to start."

Oscar nodded and moved into the stance that he had learned during the month leading up to the Battle at Haven, which J – the General – had further helped him to refine during the months at Atlas. No, he wasn't going to think about the General right now. He was going to be training with Ozpin – and in a different way than he had in the months leading up to the Battle of Haven, when Oz had just been a voice in his head coaching him and occasionally taking control to teach the others. He concentrated and pulled his Aura up, feeling the slight crackle of energy over his skin before he opened his eyes again.

Ozpin circled around him, studying his stance. "Good." He stopped in front of Oscar and took a stance of his own. The height difference between them was noticeable, and to Oscar's eyes even more so than when he had sparred with the General. The General had been tall but was also broad and muscular in the shoulders. Ozpin was tall and slender, which only made him appear taller than he really was. "We'll start with defense." With that, Ozpin stepped closer to Oscar and threw a punch.

Oscar moved to block with the experience he'd already gotten, but quickly realized that the differences in height – however slight – between Ozpin and the General were enough to throw off what he'd gotten used to, and Ozpin had a longer reach than Oscar had expected. His attempt to block came up short, and Ozpin's punch impacted against his Aura, causing it to flare green.

Ozpin stopped after landing that single punch, relaxing back into a neutral stance while Oscar sighed, knowing what was coming. "Are you all right, Oscar?"

"I'm fine," Oscar assured him. "I got used to sparring with J – the General while I was in Atlas, because the others were always out on missions, and I forgot to adjust for someone with a longer reach than he has." He moved back into his fighting stance resolutely, trying to recall the lessons he'd learned during the month at Haven instead, when he'd been working with Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Ren, and Nora. They were all different heights, with different reaches, and it had been more of a challenge to keep his focus depending on who he was fighting at any given moment.

Ozpin nodded in understanding. "Let's try again." He moved back into his fighting stance and after giving Oscar another moment to set himself, swung again.

This time Oscar was ready, bringing his arm up to smoothly connect with Ozpin's forearm and push it away. Ozpin didn't pause, and only shifted his weight to account for Oscar's block before throwing a second punch from the other side. Oscar used his shorter height to his advantage and ducked, allowing Ozpin's fist to wiffle through the hair on the top of his head without actually contacting his skin or Aura. As soon as the headmaster's fist passed by, Oscar popped back up and, with a quick jab of his own towards Ozpin's chest to force Ozpin to take a few steps back, went on the offensive in the same way that he had against Lionheart and the way the General had encouraged him to do in their months of sparring matches.

He should have known better than to get so aggressive with a wizard who had lived more lives than Oscar could count. Ozpin moved backward in response to Oscar's attacks, his longer legs allowing him to quickly move away from Oscar and circle around behind him to attack from the rear. Oscar yelped in panic and tried to dodge and spin to confront the wizard. He remembered an incident where Ruby had ducked one of his punches to attempt to knock his leg out from under him, but Ozpin seemed ready for it, reaching out and catching Oscar's bicep and pulling him in close, throwing him further off balance. Oscar couldn't match Ozpin's greater strength and leverage – especially after the weeks of recovery from the injuries he'd sustained – and moments later was trapped, arms pinned to his side and with his weight and center of gravity off balance enough that it would only take a small application of force to put Oscar on the ground.

"Defense, Oscar," Ozpin cautioned him, before releasing him. "Being aggressive in a fight can be beneficial in some situations, but you don't have the size or experience to use aggression to your advantage yet."

Oscar sighed but nodded. "Okay." He reset his stance and waited for Ozpin to begin again. They spent the next several minutes sparring, Ozpin testing Oscar's defensive capabilities and reflexes. It was immediately apparent that – despite everything he'd learned passively from Oz as well as from Ironwood – Oscar wouldn't be able to defeat Ozpin if they were truly sparring with intent, but Oscar didn't think he did that poorly, considering he was coming off recovery from a major injury.

Ozpin seemed pleased as well when he finally stepped back out of his stance and nodded for Oscar to relax. "You've got a solid foundation we can build on," the headmaster said, a small smile turning up the corner of his lips. "You're not at your full strength or height yet, so we will want to work on building strength and stamina. As for a weapon, you mentioned the only weapon you had trained with was Long Memory, correct?"

Oscar nodded. "Yeah. I killed a few small Grimm on the farm with a pitchfork a couple of times, and my aunt taught me to shoot the old Dust rifle she kept in the barn, but the only serious training I ever had was with Long Memory."

"We could get you a similar weapon, since you've already begun training with one, but Long Memory is a unique weapon due to our connection to it."

Oscar nodded. "I've felt a pull towards it ever since I got here," he admitted. "I got used to having it with me, and it was a comfort to have it when everything started going wrong, once I really accepted what being an incarnation meant. I'm not sure I would be as comfortable with another cane as a replacement, because it wouldn't be Long Memory."

"It might benefit you to start with a blade then," Ozpin mused. "I used a rapier before I inherited the curse and Long Memory, and those skills can translate well – pinpoint striking to vulnerable areas, while also giving the ability to block. Until you gain more height and strength to effectively wield a weapon like Long Memory as anything other than just a bat, that might serve you well."

"Weiss uses a Dust rapier," Oscar said. "It always seemed so complicated to me, although Weiss was always so graceful with it, and her ability to integrate Dust with her Semblance was amazing to watch." He sighed. "Even with Long Memory, it sometimes felt like I was relying more on the muscle memory I was inheriting from you, no matter how hard I trained."

Ozpin nodded. "It feels that way in the beginning, although it varies in proportion to how well trained in combat each incarnation is when the curse comes to them. I was a Huntsman student when it came to me, so I already had some training. Adapting my training to Long Memory wasn't as difficult as it would have been if I had used a different type of weapon." He looked thoughtful. "I still have my sword from my student days – why don't we see how you do with that as a foundation weapon?"

Oscar's eyes widened. "You'd let me use it?"

Ozpin nodded. "I don't see why not. If you're my next incarnation, then it would only make sense to ensure that you have the same training I did before I became the incarnation. The more that the two of us can do to ease the transition – should the time come when it becomes necessary – the more effective we will be and the less ground we'll lose to Salem during the transition."

"Oh." Oscar looked down at the ground but nodded. "Sure, that makes sense." It did – if they couldn't stop Salem and her cronies, the Battle of Beacon came to pass and Ozpin died – it wasn't the same situation this time. Oscar wasn't on the farm, and he knew what they were facing. They couldn't afford to lose ground while Oscar took months to be convinced to take up the mantle. He'd need to be ready to step up and take charge in Ozpin's place.

Ozpin rested a hand on Oscar's shoulder. "Oscar, I'm not saying this because I want you to become my next incarnation – but experience has taught me that I need to be prepared for anything. You've given us a warning and that is a good thing and I appreciate your courage. But now that I know my death is a possibility, I have to make plans for what to do if it should happen despite our best efforts. Do you understand?"

"Yes, of course." He looked up at Ozpin again. "I'm glad that I can help – in any way I can. If you think a sword is the best option for me to start with for now, I'll do it."

"Let's go back upstairs and I'll find my old sword for you," Ozpin said with a smile. "Now that I have an idea of what foundation you have, we'll start planning training out for you."

Together, they left the sparring arena, Ozpin pulling Long Memory off his belt and extending the shaft of the cane again. It was only a few hours until the dining hall opened for dinner, and tomorrow classes would be back in session after the weekend. They made their way back to Ozpin's apartment and the headmaster moved into his bedchamber, leaving Oscar in the living room. A few minutes later Ozpin emerged, with a sheathed blade in his hand.

"Here it is," the headmaster said, offering the sword to Oscar. "Whisper's Edge."

Oscar was used to handling sharp farm tools and Long Memory – but he'd never handled a sword before. The grip was black-stained wood, with a slight curve and accented with narrow bands of silver in a ladder-like pattern. Curiously, there wasn't a knuckle guard or even a cross-guard, which made him wonder how he was supposed to protect his hand. There was an odd groove right where the grip and the sheath touched, but he wasn't familiar enough with swords to know if that was common to them He'd only really ever seen Jaune's and Weiss' blades close up. Jaune had called his an 'arming sword' if he remembered correctly. Weiss' Myrtenaster, as a different example, had four flanges protecting the revolving Dust mechanism, and by extension, her hand.

He wrapped one hand around the grip and his other hand around the sheath and tried to pull them apart to get a look at the blade, but they didn't separate. He tugged again, a little harder, wondering if it needed more strength to draw than he had expected, but the blade still didn't budge. Puzzled, he looked from the sword to Ozpin. "What am I doing wrong?"

Ozpin smiled and turned the hilt without taking it away, showing Oscar a small, camouflaged switch just above where his thumb would rest when he held the hilt. "Let go of the sheath and press that."

Oscar did as he was told and, with a faint click as the switch was depressed, the sheath seemed to fold down along one side, sliding down the length of the blade towards the grip, and then folding out and over, locking into place in that groove that Oscar had noticed – and forming the knuckle guard, before locking into place in a second groove near the pommel nut that he hadn't noticed because of the dark color of the grip. "That's… amazing."

"The switch requires enough pressure to trip that you won't accidentally press it if you're in the middle of combat, but it's easy to reach so that you can activate it immediately if you need the blade," Ozpin said. "I'm not one to favor using Dust or a firearm, but once you start training, if you want to look at adapting the blade in some way, we can see if we can modify it accordingly."

"But it's yours."

"Now it's yours," Ozpin said firmly. "Until you decide you want to learn a different weapon that you feel would suit you better or until the day comes when Long Memory comes back to you, it's yours. So we will modify it in whatever way would be best for you and your fighting style."

Oscar looked down at the blade in his hand, fear clenching his stomach again at the thought that his efforts might not be enough to save Ozpin. "Okay. Thank you, sir."

Atlas Academy… Thursday, October 24th, 78 AW… General Ironwood's Office…

The chime of the office door caused Ironwood to look up from the budget forms he was reading through. "Come."

The door slid open, and Winter Schee entered the room, a thick stack of files tucked under her left arm as she brought her right arm up to salute. "General Ironwood, sir. Reporting as ordered with the files you requested."

"Winter, excellent." He motioned her forward as he stood from his chair and moved around the desk to meet her. "You made good time."

"Yes sir. There weren't as many reports from the outposts in Vale and Vacuo, so it didn't take as long to assemble them as it did in Mistral," his operative replied, handing the files over to him.

"Well done, Operative." He flipped through the first few, just to get a brief overview of what she had brought back. He would look at them in more detail later. "Since it is Thursday, you may have tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday as leave since you've been on your mission for so long. When you return on Wednesday, I'll have a new assignment for you. You can report here at…" he consulted his schedule for that day. "Eleven o'clock."

Winter saluted crisply. "Yes sir. If you need me, however, I'll be at my family's home this weekend visiting my sister and training with her, as she's preparing to submit her application to Atlas Academy for next year."

"Excellent," he repeated. "I'll look forward to seeing it when she does." He returned her salute. "You're dismissed, Operative Schnee."

"Sir." She turned stiffly and strode out of the room with perfect posture, his office door sliding closed behind her with a faint hiss.

Ironwood returned to his desk and stacked the files off to the side. He wanted to dig into them, to see if he could find anything that would either point to the boy – Oscar – and his mysterious arrival in Ozpin's office, or any signs that Salem was using more mundane means to attack the Kingdoms. However, he did have to approve these budget reports first in case he needed to send them back for revision before they had to be submitted to the Council at the first of the month. The grander war with Salem would have to wait a little longer.

As for Winter, he had an assignment in mind that he thought would not only challenge her but would also suit her. With her impeccable record and impressive achievements, he knew she would rise to the occasion. Of course, as a tactician, he didn't believe in putting all of his resources towards a single goal, which was why he had other alternatives in the works in case – against all odds – Winter's efforts failed to yield the desired results. She'd stood out among his students during her time at the Academy – from day one she'd been at the top of her class in all areas – combat, academics, and military performance. Failure wasn't in her vocabulary.

Despite what Ozpin had said during their last conversation, he was afraid of what would happen if Fria died and they didn't have a clear successor for the Winter Maiden powers. Spring was missing, there was an unknown boy working with Ozpin and spreading stories about a massive upcoming attack on the Academies… it appeared as if they were about to enter an active phase of this millennia-year war – and he had no intention of being caught by surprise if that were to happen.

He reached for the next budget report and scanned it quickly, to see which division it was coming from. Ah – it was an R&D report. Specifically from Dr. Polendina's team. He had high hopes for that project – he had ever since the doctor and brought him the specs of his proposed plan. Just having the prototype functioning at a higher level of sophistication than the new Knights would be an achievement in and of itself, but he had a feeling that Dr. Polendina had some other ideas to push his proposal even further than the initial specs showed. Perhaps…

Ironwood nodded to himself and keyed open his terminal, putting in a call to Dr. Polendina's lab. When the line connected a few moments later, he nodded cordially. "Doctor, it's good to see you again. I've been reviewing the latest budget reports and the progress report you sent me recently. I'd like to arrange a time to come down and inspect your progress for myself, if you would be amenable to that?"

"Of course, General. We'd be happy to show you our progress so far!" Pietro's voice was warm and genuinely enthusiastic. "I had some ideas for further enhancements, but I wanted to speak to you about them in person before putting a formal proposal together."

"Excellent. Would later this afternoon be a good time for me to come down? I'm afraid I'll be buried in my most recent set of reports all weekend, and since you did submit a budget for your lab, I'd like to review the progress before I sign off on it."

"We'll be happy to see you then, General."

Schnee Manor… Thursday evening…

Weiss sat at her desk in her room, her personal terminal up and running as the studied the information available on each of the different Academies. Now that she had permission from her father to begin applying, she wanted to make an informed choice about which of the Academies would best suit her. She already knew a great deal about Atlas and its curriculum, and while she knew that Winter was happy with her choice to attend, and seemed to be thriving, Weiss wasn't sure such a lifestyle would suit her. After the way their father had disinherited Winter for her decision to join the military and become a Huntress, she was worried he might do the same thing to her if she chose Atlas as well.

Vacuo… most likely not. It wouldn't hurt to submit an application, just for the experience, like she'd told her father, but if it came to a choice between Vacuo and one of the other Academies, she just didn't see herself choosing it. She knew – from her father's monologues over dinner and from other things she'd heard at parties and fundraisers – that Vacuo was a rough place, and there was a lot of resentment towards the Company. Some of that resentment still stemmed from the War – the older generation who still remembered it, and still held a grudge, few as they were – and she was concerned that if she went to Shade Academy, people would judge her based on her last name and she wouldn't be given a fair consideration.

Haven – of all four Academies, it was probably the one her father would be most willing to accept her attending. The Company had a large presence in Mistral, and he would be able to have people there to keep an eye on her. The curriculum was sound, and admittedly Weiss could see herself succeeding there. But she still had a desire for more freedom from her father's grasp. Vacuo would get her the furthest away, but she'd still be shackled by the Company and her father. The same was true of Haven.

Then…Beacon? Weiss pulled up the information on Vale's Academy and read it over thoroughly. She knew of Professor Ozpin in passing, of course. The youngest Headmaster appointed to an Academy, he'd been head of the school for nearly two decades already, and under his leadership, Beacon had the best record of any of the other Academies when it came to the Vytal Festival Tournaments. Not only that, but of all the Academies, it was the one that did the least amount of financial business with the Company, which meant it would be less likely to have her father's people around watching her. It could be freedom of a real kind.

She clicked over to the section about the application process. She'd need to get a copy of her transcripts from Pelorus, fill out the application, and submit it by the second week in December. From there, her application would be reviewed, and if she was selected to move on to the next phase of the process – the combat trials – she would be contacted and a time and place for the trials would be given to her. After that, the final step would be a one-on-one interview with the Headmaster sometime in in early spring. Acceptance letters would be sent out in late spring, and she'd need to reply with her acceptance of the offer by mid-summer. A quick comparison showed that all four Academies followed the same format, with slightly different due dates for each stage of the process.

There was a knock on her door and she looked up, closing down her terminal. "Yes?"

The door opened and she saw white as Winter entered the room. Weiss felt a smile cross her face as she stood quickly and hurried over to her sister. How she'd missed Winter the last few weeks! She wanted to fling her arms around the older Schnee, but mindful of her manners she curtsied instead. "Winter, it is a pleasure to see you again. How was your trip?"

"Classified, Weiss," Winter said, arms folded behind her back. "It is good to see you as well. Have you been keeping up on your training?"

"I have," Weiss said calmly. "I've also spoken with Father and obtained his permission to apply for a place at one of the Academies for next year. He agreed with me that the experience of going through an application process would be good for me for after he retires." She indicated her terminal. "I was just looking through the information on the Academies and making notes about each school's deadlines so I could prioritize them." She tipped her head to the side a little. "Did you come here to train with me?"

"Yes," Winter said. "General Ironwood has given me several days of leave now that I've returned, and I would like to test you this weekend as I mentioned in my last letter. If you're planning to apply to the Academies, you need to be at your very best to stand out from the other applicants." She indicated the door. "Pick up your weapon and come with me. I want to see your progress while I've been gone, since it's already nearly time for dinner. Tomorrow we'll do a longer session, but I want to see what you've been working on and if your blade and footwork has improved since the last time we sparred."

"Of course, Winter." Weiss moved swiftly over to the table where she kept her honed and polished blade in its case and lifted it out. The chambers for the Dust vials were still empty, but hopefully after Winter saw her progress, she'd be allowed to start using her Dust again. As Winter had just said, she'd need to make the best showing possible when it came time for her combat trial, after all.

Winter studied the blade as she approached. "Good, you've been caring for it appropriately." She held out her hand and Weiss instantly surrendered the blade, watching as Winter inspected it more closely, popping out the revolving chamber and studying every inch of it to make sure she hadn't neglected any spot in her maintenance. Then Winter returned Myrtenaster and indicated the door. "Let's go."

A/N: Hi all! I'm back! Happy New Year!

Once again, I want to thank my amazing beta, TheFullMetalBitch, for reading this over for me and helping me hammer out a few spots that were giving me trouble. Couldn't do this without you, girl!

On a happier note, I'm hoping to get chapters out with more frequency now. I just got a new job, which will put me back on a day shift, so I won't constantly feel exhausted and not wanting to write because I've worked nights for so long. I'm going to give it a couple of weeks to adjust to my new schedule and to take a little time to hammer out the timeline and the upcoming events of the story, and then hopefully I can fly through the next couple of chapters at least.

As always, I love reviews - they feed me when I hit writer's block, so please keep them coming. I've been bad about responding to them lately, but I do have every intention of going back and responding to any I've missed - I've read them, I swear, just haven't been able to respond. Some of you have had really in depth ideas and suggestions, and I appreciate it!