A sharp knock on the door slowly roused Yang from her sleep. She groggily sat up, and looked towards the door. Her sister, Ruby, was already at the door. Ruby was energetic in mornings, but not when suddenly shaken away from her sleep. She opened the door in the middle of another knock, and Ozpin was revealed with his right hand extended for another knock.

"Good morning, Miss Rose." Ozpin greeted her sister amicably. Yang saw his eyes quickly scan Ruby head to toe. "I see I have woken you all up. My apologies."

Ruby immediately straightens up, and Yang would bet anything that if she could see her, she'd see sleep visibly leaving her sister's eyes. Ozpin laughed lightly at her reflexive reaction.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. May I come in? There is something important I must talk to Miss Xiao Long about."

Yang quickly crashes back into bed. Maybe if she pretends to be asleep she'll get out of whatever trouble she managed to get herself in. Did…did Ozpin find out about her trashing Junior's bar? No fair! She can't be kicked for this; she did it before initiation. "But not before you got accepted into Beacon", a tiny treacherous voice whispered in her head. She ignored it.

"Of course!" was her sister's response, and she stepped to the side to let him in, closing the door behind him as he entered.

Silence reigned for a few moments before Ozpin fake-coughed to get her attention. Busted. Yang sat up again, and looked at Ozpin.

"Sir?"

He threw something to her, and she reflexively caught it. It was some sort of box-shaped package wrapped in a festive paper. She cringed.

"I'm flattered, really, Sir, but I don't really swing for those kinds of things, you know?"

He had the gall to release an amused chuckle. "I'm afraid you misunderstood me. That wasn't my intention. Even if I wanted to, I'd be wary of incurring your father's wrath. He was one of the best Huntsmen back in his day. And a father scorned…I'd rather take on the political assassins and Grimm, thank you very much."

She did not know that. Her dad hardly ever talked about anything to do with either of his ex-wives. Her Uncle did brag that their team had been one of the best, but she had always thought he was just overplaying his abilities to amuse them. I mean, her lame dad being that good? She loved him dearly, but the best Huntsmen are supposed to be cool. Her dad was not cool.

"What's this about then?" she asked after Ozpin said nothing further. That was nice of him, giving her time to make sure she was recomposed after what she believed was sexual advance towards her. She didn't need that time, but still nice.

"Your Mother asked me to pass this on to you." he explained simply.

"Mom!?" to say she was shocked was an understatement. After all these years of searching, the biggest lead ever just tosses itself into her hands. Sleep is now a completely foreign concept, all her attention focused on Ozpin.

"Indeed. Raven had briefly appeared here during the initiation to observe you. She left quickly, seemed a bit shaken about something."

"Is it normal for a Headmaster to personally deliver packages to his students?" Weiss had suddenly interjected. Ozpin shook his head. "No, I suppose not, but Raven is hardly just a somebody. I had once considered the entirety of Team Stark my friends. Alas, things happened."

"She was here?!" Yang asked in clear energetic excitement as she began undoing the wrapping on the package. "Why didn't she stay?"

Ozpin just smiled at her, and when she briefly glanced up at him, she thought the smile was a sad one. It was gone soon after, and she wasn't sure if she had imagined it.

"There are many things about your mother that still keep me in guessing to this day. I don't know why she stayed only briefly, but as I have mentioned before, she appeared shaken before leaving. Perhaps she had somewhere to be."

Yang finished unwrapping the package, and was left with rather plain box. As she was about to open it, Ozpin interrupted her. "Would you mind if I stayed? Raven had assured me that this was nothing illegal to possess in Vale, but I must admit I am rather curious."

Yang briefly glanced at him, nodded, and opened the box. There was a letter inside, and another rectangle-shaped package. She grabbed the letter first, and read it aloud.

Yang,

Congratulations on getting accepted into Beacon. You will find life-long friends there, and if you accept what they try to teach you, you will learn skills unmatched by any other academy. Beware of the awakened King of Vale, and the Queen that he fights. Should you realize your potential, the King will seek your servitude; the Queen will seek your death; and in either case, you will not survive. There were once many blessed like your sister, but the fight has claimed its toll; only Summer's Ruby now remains. There will come a time where you will be forced to choose your Master, choice that should not be made lightly. Will you give yourself, and your future, to maintain the King's grasp on the world for just a day longer? Will you join the Queen's quest for endless death? Or will you, like me, choose to make yourself your own Master?

In any case, seek strength. You cannot grasp at your destiny, nor can you protect the ones you care for, as you are. To that end, I hope you will find my gift enlightening. Seek me out, and if you are ready, I will tell you all I know. One final warning. You will find that ignorance is a bliss; the truth I carry will bring only misery, as it has to all who have heard it. If you can shoulder such a burden, if you can play amongst the King's Chosen, you need only ask. But there will never be a path backwards.

You have done well to come this far, but this is where the true test reveals itself – can you go further? I have no doubt that you have vision, ideals; can you keep them whole as you march onwards? Many Huntsmen stood where you stand now, with ideals of heroism, of bringing peace and greatness to the people. Many of those same Huntsmen failed; some gave up under the pressure of their profession; others tempted by their own commodity to the criminal underworld; and many more learned to compromise, make best of the world that recoils at their beliefs. Your Uncle exercised too little caution; Beacon has made him into a Huntsman with little equal, but it also twisted him, molded him. Qrow broke; became little more than an attack dog; to be used and cast aside when his usefulness has ended. If you look hard enough, you can see the leash, and you can see the owner.

You are a daughter of two Huntsmen, you have potential in spades. Nurture it, and you can make your desires a reality.

-Raven

"Well…" Ozpin's voice broke her focus on the letter, "that's certainly an interesting look into her mind."

"It's just a bunch of conspiratorial gibberish!" Weiss exclaimed. "King of Vale has been dead for many years, for one, and really, should we just believe the line about the 'blessed people'?"

Ozpin chuckled good naturally before Yang could say anything. "It's a puzzle, Miss Schnee, that Raven wishes her daughter to decipher. Not an easy one, that's for certain. Very few still know about the obscure legend this letter references. I could probably count the number of people on both my hands and have fingers left over." he turned his attention to Yang. "It is a puzzle, but I believe it is also a warning, one you could only understand after understanding all parts of the letter."

For a few moments Yang allowed herself to wallow in her misery. This is first she has heard from her mother in about 16 years, and instead of seeing her face to face –and she was near, damn it!- all she got was a gift, and a vague letter. But giving up was never her thing, so she smiled and looked at the positive. Her mother had given her a hint. If she can decrypt the letter, she could be one step closer to finding her. And, besides, if she cared enough to give it to her, she probably cared enough to keep a periodical look on the progress. Beacon was really the right choice after all.

"So what's this about Qrow and Beacon?" she asked instead.

Ozpin was silent for a few moments, and Yang thought she could see a spark of annoyance, but she wasn't sure. "I believe that is something you'll have to discuss with you uncle. Clearly as the implied owner, my thoughts on the matter are biased enough."

"And the legend?" Ruby suddenly interrupted. "It's about me and my Mom?"

"Interesting…" Ozpin murmured to himself though it was unclear if they were meant to hear it as they did, "I wonder if she had meant for me to hear the letter, or if I'm just reading into it too much." he turned his eyes back on Ruby. "The legend only covers you two in the broader, nonspecific, stroke. I believe your uncle was fond of the legend, perhaps he'd tell it better than I would."

He took a step back and surveyed the occupants of the room. "If you don't mind, I have to leave now. I would hurry if I were you, breakfast ends soon."

It was an interesting play by Raven, Ozpin thought. If he answered correctly, Ruby would, no doubt, quickly realize his special interest in her, and might turn wary. If he did not, that in itself is a reason for some mistrust. He frowned. His solution wasn't much better. Qrow would not answer either. He doesn't think Ruby is ready. That would cause mistrust of the 'attack dog' and the 'owner'. He had to wonder how much of this is a coincidence that benefited her, and how much was pre-planned. And the rest of the letter…she practically spilled the highest state secrets and covered it up with a sea of vagueness. King of Vale…smart choice of words. It didn't require them to realize the secret itself to understand that it referred to him. Nor did it require them to believe in the legend of the Silver Eyed Warriors to understand the implications – that Ozpin believed it, and like the other parts implied, that in itself is trouble. Was this just Raven being struck by a sudden moment of helpfulness, moment of care for her daughter, or does this signify something else? Perhaps that she intends to be a player? This warrants consideration.

Yang refocused her attention on the other wrapped package. She unwrapped it and was slightly disappointed to see it was only a medium-thick book.

"The History of the Castaway Art of Dust" Yang read the title aloud. She turned her attetntion to Weiss. "Sound familiar, Weiss?"

"Hmmm…" Weiss mussed for a few moments. "I don't think so…" she walked closer to Yang and took the book into her hands to observe it closer. "I don't believe I ever saw this book before. I think I would have definitely remembered such a peculiar title."

"What does it even mean?" Ruby asked with some confusion. "I mean, we still use dust. And it's not just us, everyone does!"

"Maybe it means 'an art that was castaway'" Blake suggested, "so, that'd make the book about either some lost painting about dust, or some abandoned way to use dust."

Weiss nodded in agreement. "That makes sense, and with the way the letter was worded, I think it should be clear it is the latter."

She returned the book to Yang, who then flipped over to the introduction. "Dust Weaving, huh? Well, let's hope it is more interesting than it sounds."

Raven woke up to warmth of another body cuddled next to her. Confusion soon turned to a pleased sigh as the memories of the previous night washed over her. Neither one of them had protested to that passionate kiss escalating. She might have given in to the building desire in a moment of weakness, but she couldn't say she regretted it. She smiled; he looked cute asleep.

"Are you just going to keep staring at me, or are you going to say hello?" the object of her gaze murmured in a sleepy tone. His eyes slowly opened up, and his head shifted to look at her.

"Good morning." she said pleasantly. "How long have you been awake?"

"A-About a minute or so…" he said with a yawn. "have to get up for work around this time, so I'm used to waking up early."

She hmmm'ed in agreement. She was used to getting up early too, something ingrained in her ever since she was born in the tribe. Beacon didn't phase her out of this, and motherhood had always required early mornings. Nowadays this was more a force of habit than anything.

Taiyang sat up and stretched with another yawn, Raven's eyes never leaving his figure. He looked around the room. "So, this is your evil lair?" he asked with a tone turning teasing. "Doesn't look very evil to me. I mean, the décor and the color scheme is very impressive, but when I heard 'Evil Lair', I imagined something a bit different"

"It's a bedroom," Raven said dismissively, "it's not supposed to look very Evil."

There was a knock on the door. Wordlessly, Raven allowed her servants entrance. Two Minions hurriedly entered carrying a tray each, and Gnarl trailed them without any hurry. Each tray held a plate of scrambled eggs, and a cup of coffee. She didn't know they could cook.

"Good morning, Sire!" Gnarl greeted her pleasantly, as the Minions presented one tray to her, and the other to Taiyang. "I took the liberty of requisitioning your chiefs to make you, and your paramour, breakfast. No doubt you will need your strength for all your Evil deeds!"

"Paramour?" Raven said with laughter. "Look at that, Tai, you managed to sleep your way from a mere servant all the way to summit of the top!"

"Well, with a pretty woman by my side, and servants giving me breakfast in bed, I think I got the better end of this deal." he retorted with a pleased tone. Then with a faux-concerned tone. "Though, I'm not sure how exactly I should describe this 'promotion' to my children."

Raven was prompted into further laughter, taking more than a minute to subside. "Brother Gods, imagine that?" with a fake-Taiyang voice, she continued, "'Ruby, Yang, I have some good news. I was personally chosen to be the bed warmer to the Evil Dark Lord of Mistral and secured myself a position in her death cult.'"

She couldn't keep her composure, and burst into laughter once again. She heard Taiyang laugh too, as amused as she was. "Yeah, somehow I don't think they'd focus on the bright aspect of this" he said in between his own laughter.

"I did say, Sir, that one day you would serve her Dark Magnificence." Gnarl joined in. "Congratulations, by the way. You certainly wasted no time."

"I 'serving' suggests a bit more than just sleeping with Raven."

"It's all part of my great Master Plan of Evil, Tai." Raven said in a faux-serious voice. "First sex, then, boom! Little by little and you're all mine."

He rolled his eyes, as he took a sip of coffee and took a bite out of his food. "I hope I'm not expected to now go on all sorts of raids."

Raven sat up too, making sure to still stay covered by the blanket, and started eating too. She didn't plan to push him. Well, actually, none of this was planned, but if he was to serve her more than just by being her lover, she'd want that choice to be made by him alone.

"I think that'd cause some schedule conflicts with your job at Vale." she said instead. "Sadly for you, you'll just have to be content with whatever this is, if it even continues further."

"You are already hers, Sir." Gnarl disagreed with assessment of them both. "When time comes where your loyalty is put into question, put to the test, you will realize my words as true. It is no small thing to be the chosen of the Overlord. There may yet come a time where only you can aid our Dark Master. The Minions are looked upon to fight; the servants are looked upon as a threat; but a lover? No one fears a lover. And that, itself, has on occasion saved the greatest of our Dark Masters." he turned his attention to Raven. "I suggest you take these words to heart too, Dark Lady. An Overlord is the Master of his Evil Domain, that is certain, but what Overlord can rule without his Minions to protect him? To enforce his rule? What Master can rule without food? And, really, when all doors have closed and death is close at hand, who can survive without another to open a door to escape? The world must beware your wrath, Master, but so too, you must beware of the building blocks of your domain."

Silence reigned for a few moments, before Taiyang looked at Raven with a smug look. "Well, now, this 'bed warming' position is starting to sound pretty prestigious~"

She waved his words away as she mulled over the words of her advisor. The crux of the message seemed to be a warning about hubris, but she was certain there was more to it. Twice in the tale he had mentioned a lover saving one of her predecessors from certain doom. Taiyang was right, Gnarl assigned certain prestige to that position.

With a single thought she sent her servants away, while she and her newfound paramour finished their breakfast. She finished it first, and got up to get dressed. She smiled with satisfaction as she felt his eyes on her; it felt good to know she was still as desirable in her age. Soon he was done too, and dressed himself as well. Taiyang pulled out his scroll and looked at the time.

"Classes are about to start. Could you give me a lift to Qrow?"

With a swing of her Omen a swirling red portal opened. "This will place you near him, not next to him. No reason to let this spread, right? Let's keep it a surprise for now."

With Taiyang now gone, it was time for her to seize this bright new day.