It's in the walls

by MatthosSeaworth5

Jaune was given some generic advice upon moving into his new home for the first. Always check the stove, make sure you lock up properly, turn off lights you aren't using to save on electric, so on and so forth. None of them told him how to deal with a strange, unexpected housemate who lived in his walls and didn't pay rent. Now if only he could find his dang hoodie...

9. Lost to the whims of Fate

Jaune was still reeling from the fact the Seventh Sea seemed to be just another place in the Home Base, a resort even or serve for aquatic supernaturals. Legend had it there was once seven kingdoms on Remnant, three of which were great island empires located in the Seventh Sea, west of Mistral and east of Vacuo. Supposedly the three kingdoms had drawn the ire of a infamous witch for reneging on a deal with her, and in her wrath she sank the three kingdoms into the Seventh Sea, which was turned into a desert that drifted into Vacuo, turning it from a lush kingdom similar to Vale into the vast desert it was known for now.

Apparently that missing sea of legend was right underneath Ansel.

"How is the Seventh Sea-?"

"I told you to save your questions for Summer." The Sphinx interrupted firmly. "I'm too old to be holding new bloods by the hand and I don't have all the answers you to the questions you have. Just wait. Summer won't be far."

"How can you tell?" Blake asked quietly, and the Sphinx gave her a suspicious look before responding.

"Because Summer spends at least one hour a day talking about her family, and the Arcs are included in that hour." The Sphinx explained dryly. "Since you are here she'll be wanting to mother hen you, which means she'll be looking for you and once she learns you were at the Seventh Sea when the eldritch abomination attacked she's going to lose her mind and look for you even harder so that she can mother hen you even harder."

"Why did...Why did that happen?" Jaune asked, earning a warning look from the Sphinx he elected to pretend he didn't see. "You know...that?"

"If by that you mean an eldritch abomination attacking out nowhere then I don't know." The Sphinx sighed, tail flicking with agitation. "Eldritch abominations are a category of supernaturals that are powerful beyond mortal, immortal, natural and supernatural belief. They have different aims, goals and their powers vary, but typically they intend to enter this world either to enslave or destroy it."

"She wanted to enslave it." Blake said quietly, shifting when Jaune and the Sphinx gave her incredulous looks. "I could feel it."

"Sure you did katára." The Sphinx retorted, and the suspicion had been replaced with hostility. "You didn't make any deals or promises?"

"None." Blake answered resolutely, and the Sphinx growled lowly before tossing her head and slinking on.

"Words will have to be had, but not with me." The Sphinx told them, pausing suddenly to sniff the air. "There's only one person here who smells of cookies all the time."

"Jaune!" Summer yelled, rounding the corner ahead of them and slamming into him. He was caught completely unaware thanks to the speed with which she had moved, so he ended up being hug-tackled onto the ground. "Where have you been young man? I've been looking all over for you! You were supposed to be in my room for crying out loud! Didn't you see my note?"

"What note?" Jaune groaned, swaying as his aunt dragged him onto his feet before pulling him into a bear hug. He thought back to the goblin maid who had been cleaning Sumer's room, and the mischievousness that had radiated from her. "Uhm...I think your maid might have hidden it. Or stole it."

"My maid?" Summer blinked. "I don't have a maid. What was she doing?"

"Cleaning and stuff. Uhm, vacuuming too." Jaune said, turning to Blake who flushed and looked away.

"What did she look like?" Summer asked worriedly, and Jaune thought back for a minute.

"She was a goblin, and she wore a traditional maid outfit, black and white with frills and stuff."

"Who...Oh that little...little...midget!"

"I better go." The Sphinx muttered, beating a hasty retreat and using her winds to fly away faster. Neither Jaune nor Blake had the benefit of doing the same.

"That two foot, cretinous little urchin!" Summer growled, and Jaune stiffened when he heard an animalistic tinge to it. "I'm going to kill her and her entire brood of little gremlins!"

"Something we should know about?" Jaune asked worriedly, shrugging at the worried look Blake sent him. "Auntie Summer?"

"I brought down a goblin crime syndicate years ago." Summer grumbled, pacing back and forth in front of them. "Since they were goblins they couldn't be dealt with the usual way we deal with breakers of the Accords, so we gave them amnesty in return for staying here under our watch. They've made it their life mission to be as annoying as possible without getting into trouble for it. They're led by their brood mother, Talash'aka-bakdul, or Tala for short. The witch. No the bitch. No! The cadaver. I'm going to kill her!"

"I wouldn't recommend doing that Auntie." Jaune said awkwardly, and he shared a worried look with Blake. "What did the note say? Anything important?"

"It said to stay in my room whilst I got breakfast for us all." Summer huffed, running a hand through her hair and exhaling heavily. "Where have you two been? You didn't anger the Sphinx did you? Oh gods, don't tell me you tried pronouncing her name Jaune, even I can't pronounce that properly and I've known her for decades now."

"We didn't try pronouncing her name." Jaune snorted. "I wouldn't be able to pronounce it properly even if it meant saving my life."

"Let's hope it doesn't come that then." Summer smiled, before her eyes narrowed. "You still haven't told me where you've been."

"The Seventh Sea!" Jaune blurted out instinctively, feeling like he was a child again being scolded for his antics with Ruby and his sisters.

"Oh." Summer said, relaxing visibly. "Did you meet Poseidon? He didn't charge you for his coffee right?"

"He said first-timers don't pay the first time round." Jaune said, recalling what the man who was probably more than that said. "Also something about us not having the right currency to pay."

"Oh yeah." Summer winced, tugging something out of her pocket. It was a leather purse, but not like the one Jaune had seen her use before. She unzipped it and he blinked at the myriad of different coins, ranging from gold to silver to bronze, that all lied within. "Lien is the human currency, and species like werewolves who can integrate with human society easier than most tend to use the same currency. Other supernaturals have different currencies and trade goods, with a lot preferring to trade and barter items rather than coin. Mermaids like to trade from the for things that can typically only be found on the surface, like specific leaves or types of flowers, in exchange for sea shells, and trolls trade vice versa for the same reasons, that being the item being trade for isn't something they can typically get access to. A ot of supernatural society is decentralised, with small groups of specific species' being scattered and isolated from one another, meaning things like kingdoms and economies haven't developed to the scale humanity has."

"Woah." Jaune replied, plucking out a silver coin and eying it carefully. One side was a horse with wings, a Pegasus, and one another the depiction of a woman. "Who's that?"

"Aphrodite." Summer said, and her face fell. "You'll probably meet her at some point, but just be careful. She's like Poseidon, and you do not want to make her angry with you. That goes for you too Blake."

"Yes Mrs Summer." Blake replied, staring at the coins curiously. "What is Poseidon? I am supposed to be a Shadowling. The Sphinx is a Sphinx. What is he?"

"A god." Summer replied without a hint of hesitation, and Jaune blanched at the thought of casually chatting and drinking coffee with a god of all things. "Or rather a being with god-like powers. Many of the supernaturals found her at Home Base aren't actually from Remnant. They're refugees from another a plane of existence, either a completely different dimension, an alternate dimension or just a different world to Remnant called Gaia. They were driven away from that world by something they called 'The Crossed One' and in their flight they ended up here, where they have resided ever since. We don't have a formal category for Poseidon or his family or fellow god-like beings, but they aren't as power as some of the other god-like beings we've encountered over the centuries. There were other refugees from Gaia, though they've settled in Atlas. I...I wouldn't not recommend meeting them, but they're an odd bunch at best and psychopaths at worst. Poseidon and the others were bad as well, but they've settled down over the centuries since they've got here. Well, Zeus hasn't, but at least he's only a lecher rather than a...worse than a lecher."

"How many of them are there?"

"Twelve, though there a few less powerful god-like beings as well as the various different supernatural species they brought with them, beings like the Nymphs and the Fauns and the Centaurs and the Minotaur's and the Cyclops and the Hydra, the Chimera and dozens of others. If you choose to become an Agent part of your training will be learning about these different types of supernaturals. Do you know what you want to do yet?"

"Not really." Jaune answered honestly, sharing a look with Blake, who looked concerned, though for the most part she had been looking concerned ever since they left the Seventh Sea. "Besides, doesn't Blake need to sign the Silence Accords? Considering she's in danger from types like Agent Branwen I think that should be the priority."

"Qrow?" Summer blinked, frowning for a moment before her face settled into a sad expression. "You mean Raven. Did Juniper tell you about her?"

"She told us about Agent Branwen and what happened to her friend." Jaune replied, thinking back to his mother's broken look as she told her tale. "She also said you quit the Circle because of what happened."

"I did." Summer said, turning to stare at the grey wall with a distant expression. "Raven was my partner, and Qrow is her twin brother. With Tai we formed an elite strike team of Agents specialised in hunting down rogue supernaturals, specifically those that had broken the Accords. If we couldn't convince them to come in quietly then we had to neutralise them, but we always made sure to do it quickly and painlessly. That was what I thought at least. Raven...Raven was evil. She could hide it when she needed to, but more often than not she saw no reason to hide her disdain and hatred and apathy. We thought she was getting better. She and...She and Tai started dating and for a time it seemed like she was settling down but...all she was doing was putting on a mask, just now for us as well. She would've killed your mother, and after seeing what happened to Kali I intervened. We investigated her, and the trail of bodies she left behind, of all those people she killed without us knowing...it broke the team. Tai quit the Circle and I followed soon after. Raven stayed in the Circle, but only so they could keep an eye on her. Qrow stayed too, because he had nowhere else to go. Raven died a few years after what happened came to light. The Circle sent her on the most dangerous missions in the hopes she wouldn't come back from them in one piece, and they got their wish after a few attempts and a rumoured supernatural conspiracy."

"How many rogue agents like Branwen are there?" Jaune demanded. "First of all, you guys can't even protect me from the Schnee apparently but something like that gets unnoticed for years? How? Secondly, if you are supposed to keep the peace but your agents run around torturing innocents then how the hell hasn't the world been engulfed in a war yet."

"Raven was the exception, not the rule." Summer replied defensively, but not with any real hostility. "There have been ten recorded instances of Agents going rogue and harming innocent supernaturals, and of course there could be some now but that is unlikely. After every incident there's an investigation, and not a toothless one like those politicians like to launch whenever they find their dirty deeds exposed. We have a serious purpose and we take that purpose seriously, and we aren't going to allow even ourselves to undermine that. The nets tighter now, so it's unlikely an Agent can be rogue for as long as Raven was and do as much damage."

"I'm still annoyed by the Schnee." Jaune admitted, only slightly mollified by Summer's answer. The Circle seemed like a global organisation, and the bigger an organisation was the easier for someone to slip through the cracks every now and then. "Pyrrha said you guys can't arrest Weiss Schnee or punish her in anyway shape or form thanks to her mother and clan, which means she's going to run free and kill me later or run free and kill someone else later."

"The Schnee need to be handled delicately." Summer explained, though there was a fire in Summer's eyes that Jaune knew well. It had been there when she'd verbally torn apart his bullies when he was younger, who had targeted him from his split with Pyrrha and for that reason. "If it was just a rogue vampire all on its own we'd be hunting the perp down and dealing with them, likely violently. But the fact is the Schnee Clan are powerful. If we're the police then they're the mafia. We can arrest one of their own, but they have their own cards up their sleeves and that can range from inciting violence amongst actual crime families they have ties with, to Willow Schnee letting her underlings off their leash freely onto Vale's civilian population to exposing the supernatural truth and sparking a race war between humans and supernaturals. They have to be dealt with a softer touch, and there are things even Pyrrha isn't authorised to know. Let me be clear Jaune. Weiss Schnee isn't walking away scot free after trying to kill my favourite nephew. We can put the pressure on the Schnee and they'll reign in Weiss, for a while at least."

"I guess that'll have to do." Jaune said, though part of him was still uncomfortable with the matter. At least now he could understand the situation a little better, and actually know why the Circle's hands were tied beyond the fact the Schnee were powerful. "I don't want to push the Schnee too far and have them start that race war."

"I agree." Someone said, and Jaune turned to see a girl striding towards them. She had blonde hair that was haphazardly cut short, with the blonde tufts sticking out and a cowlick sticking out on top naturally. Her eyes were lilac and shadowed by bruises, and she had wraps covering her knuckles, and she looked flushed, like she had been running up until then. She was well dressed for it, wearing a black tank top, black shorts and white running shoes. She glowered at them and full on glared at Summer, who looked uncomfortable. "Ironwood wants you."

"I was giving a tour of Home Base and getting Blake here signed in for the Accords." Summer replied, looking strangely cowed. "Can you tell him it can wait please?"

"He doesn't think so." The girl retorted. "Something about a recent incursion in Home Base."

"What! Where?"

"The Seventh Sea. Poseidon and his brothers fought it off."

"The Seventh-dang it Jaune! When I find you again I expect answers young man." Summer scolded, shooting Jaune with a glare. "Yang, can you give them a tour of Home Base and meet me at the Centre of Informal Information please?"

"Sure. Why not?" The girl, Yang, scoffed. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

"Thank you." Summer said, hesitating for a moment. "I-"

"Just go." Yang said, waving a hand at Summer dismissively and Jaune felt his hackles rise towards the girl at her treatment of his aunt. "Ironwood will blame me if your late."

"He would." Summer sighed. "Stupid tin man. I'll see you soon Jaune."

"Bye." He said, and Summer waved before taking off running, leaving him with a strange girl in a strange place. At least Blake was still with him.

"If you couldn't tell, I'm Yang." The girl said, glowering at them in an almost intimidating manner. "I take it you are Jaune Arc. I have no idea who you are kitty cat."

"How do you know my name?" Jaune asked, and Yang snorted.

"Don't let that feed your ego blondie." Yang replied, and he was almost tempted to point out she was a blonde as well if he didn't know damn well she'd probably punch him for that. She seemed like the type who preferred fists over words. "Not every gets almost eaten by Weiss Schnee and survives. Also Summer won't shut up about you. I have to say, I expected someone taller and...more impressive. The way she talks about you Arcs you'd think you lot were gods amongst men."

"We leave that for Poseidon and his brothers." Jaune quipped, earning a snort.

"Yeah, I heard about your adventures this morning too." Yang said, smiling at them. It wasn't a pleasant one. "You have a tangent for finding yourself in trouble don't you?"

"You should watch how you speak to others." Blake interjected, and Yang raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her as she stepped forward.

"Oh yeah? Or what kitty cat?"

"Or you will not be treated how you want to be treated." Blake replied, puffing up her chest proudly. "Jaune taught me that."

"What are you a freaking child?" Yang snorted, shaking her head. "Whatever. I thought at least one of you would be entertaining but a kid isn't much of a threat to me. Come along children. Normally I'd just blow you off and go train but I wanna see if there is something special about you Arcs that would make someone forget their kin."

"Sounds personal." Jaune said warily, and Yang shot him a smile that would put a shark to shame with how utterly bloodthirsty it was.

"That's because it is."

/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/

"Agent Rose." Smiled Grandmaster Ozpin as she stepped into Ironwood's office. "It's good to see you. On time as well for once. Is it a blue moon today?"

"I hope not, considering we've already had once eldritch incursion today and I quite like the moon as it is." Summer quipped, earning a grandfatherly chuckle from the grandfatherly figure who led the Circle. Ironwood had allowed the old man to sit down, and he stood to the right of the man sat at his desk, arm's crossed and face stony. "With all due respect sir I didn't know you'd be here."

"I arrived just as Miss Branwen was leaving." Ozpin replied, a small frown furrowing his brows. "She was made aware of the need to inform you I would be coming as well. We are currently waiting for two others."

"Qrow and Glynda." Summer guessed, smoothing her black jeans to hide the trembling in her hands. If Yang hated her to the point she'd ignore a direct instruction from the Grandmaster of the Circle of all people just to put Summer on the backfoot, then what else would she do? Just another reminder of how badly she had failed her old friend's daughter.

"Your guessing skills remain as impeccable as ever." Ozpin smiled. "I wonder if it would be worth the effort of asking if you'd accept a promotion?"

"I'm fine where I am." Summer shrugged, smiling ruefully. "I get to boss people around and go out on missions. I don't intend to become a pencil pusher. No offense James."

"None taken." Ironwood said simply, looking utterly impassive. "I understand your hesitation to 'push pencils' and unlike you I'm not in much condition to run around chasing supernaturals night and day."

"Right. Sorry." Summer winced awkwardly, eyes falling to his right hand, covered by a white glove. He noticed, and there was a flash of emotion in his eyes for once.

"Don't be." Ironwood said, tone painfully neutral. "How has your nephew settled in?"

"Well enough I'd like to think." Summer smiled, before remembering what Yang had mentioned. "Though his habit of getting into trouble seems to have followed him into the supernatural world. First he got targeted by Weiss Schnee and this morning he was at the Seventh Sea."

"He survived?" Ironwood blinked, looking genuinely taken aback. Summer nodded proudly. "Hm. Arc must be made of sterner stuff than I gave him credit for. Do you know his intentions yet?"

"If you mean whether he wants to joins us, then I'm afraid not." Summer shook her head. "I've let Yang give him a tour and take his friend to the Centre of Informal Information. I'll help her sign the Accords then broach the matter with Jaune."

"Is leaving him with Branwen a good idea?" Ironwood asked bluntly. "She's unruly at best, and I don't doubt she'd be eager to unfairly lash out at Arc thanks to her own problems with yourself."

"I trust Jaune to be able to win her over. He's a good boy." Summer answered honestly, not appreciating how well known her poor relationship with Yang seemed to be. "How long will this take? Now that James said that I don't want to tempt fate?"

"Not long." Ozpin replied, having been silently watching the exchange in between sips from his cup of steaming coffee. "We need to go over a few matters, the incursion, the Schnee, Arc."

The door burst open suddenly, making Summer jump and spin around. Ironwood shifted into an openly combative posture whilst Ozpin looked utterly unfazed. Qrow swaggered in with a dour look.

"The fun has arrived." He remarked dryly. "Told you we wouldn't-huh. Summer actually beat us here."

"You are a buffoon Branwen." Glynda sighed as she stepped into Ironwood's office. "Next time you call a meeting James, please try to provide adequate time to prepare and arrive."

"Once I know how to accurately determine the arrival of eldritch incursions then I will gladly do so." Ironwood replied, making Qrow snicker. "Let's not waste anymore time. Ozpin?"

"Let's start with the most pressing matter." Ozpin said, gently laying his cup onto Ironwood's desk before leaning forward and steepling his hands together. "The Seventh Sea saw an eldritch incursion from a known entity, one which we have designated as ME-01, or Mind Enslaver One thanks to what we know of its stated goals. It attempted to enslave Remnant once before, and was defeated thanks to the efforts of both the Olympic and Norse refugees. Thanks to the ease with which it was seen off this time, we can deduce it has been either permanently weakened by its prior attempt, it is distracted by its efforts elsewhere or this was a mere probing assault. Regardless, the fact it was seen off without causing immense damage to Home Base or to Remnants civilian populace is a cause for celebration."

"The Seventh Sea isn't exactly just a beach with a pool." Qrow pointed out. "How many were lost?"

"Upwards of a dozen nymphs and several sirens. The Kraken has also lost several of its young, and Poseidon's last report claimed he the magical barriers protecting the pocket dimension were shaken."

"I will look into it as soon as I can." Glynda offered, and Ozpin inclined his head towards her in gratitude.

"The incursion, whilst important, did not last long enough to become a severe issue." Ironwood said. "But the presence of a certain someone at the event leads me to another topic we need to discuss. Jaune Arc and his mate."

"They've haven't actually started dating." Summer protested, earning an unimpressed look from Ironwood.

"Shadowlings aren't known for letting go of those they latched onto easily." He pointed out. "It's a matter of when, not if. Have you spoken to the Shadowling?"

"Her name is Blake." Summer reminded. "And yes."

"Did she seem out of sorts? Did she interact with ME-01?"

"She seemed a little out of it, but as far as I know she didn't connect to it." Summer replied, before frowning. "She mentioned that she knew the creature's aim was to enslave Remnant. She said she could feel it."

"Either she is more attuned with her powers than we believed or she had a direct contact with ME-01. She's a risk." Ironwood said, and Summer bristled defensively.

"She's fine." Summer said, eyes narrowing in Ironwood's direction. "Don't even suggest it."

"I only think she should undergo a full on mind examination with a trusted telepath." Ironwood said, and Qrow snorted. "What is so funny Branwen?"

"Your paranoia." Qrow retorted. "If the girl was possessed there would be signs of it. Sum, was she pale? Sweaty? Sick? Muttering nonsense?"

"No, though she did seem a little dazed because of everything that happened." Summer answered, glaring at Ironwood. "And you're right, for once. A full on mind examination is invasive and meant to be used in drastic circumstances."

"This could very well become a drastic circumstance if we allow an eldritch abomination to cultivate a gateway inside the mind of an eldritch like being living in our dimension."

"If the incursion happened at the Seventh Sea, and this Blake was there at the time she and the abomination made contact then our dimension is not at risk." Glynda interjected. "The only risk would be ME-01 developing a gateway to enter the Seventh Sea through the girl's mind, which is something it can do regardless."

"Which is something I feel like we're kinda just brushing over." Qrow said, turning to Ozpin. "Why aren't we worried that thing could enter one of our reserves so easily? How many other of our little sancturaires are at risk?"

"I already have people checking our defences, all of them." Ozpin replied. "As for the new Shadowling, I do not believe she is a cause for concern. The priority should be having her sign the Accords and letting her live in peace, unless she wishes to join up with her mate that is."

"That is if Arc joins." Ironwood pointed out. "Which brings me to another thing I'd like to properly discuss. Arc himself."

"What about him?" Summer growled, and Qrow shifted nervously next to her.

"First of all, he's the son of Shadowling. Are we certain he's human?"

"He is." Summer said firmly, leaving now room for argument or disagreement in her tone. "I raised him since he was was in diapers, I'd know if he was a Shadowling of all things."

"Then we need to be worried about his bad luck." Ironwood continued, eyes flickering over to Qrow. "Something he seems to have in abundance. Protected all his life by family from the knowledge of the supernatural only to stumble across it the moment he moved out. Then he runs into a Schnee and is almost devoured. Then he is present for an eldritch incursion. What next?"

"What are you trying to suggest James?" Ozpin asked, looking slightly annoyed. Ironwood, for all his faults, was a good man, but his paranoia about all things uncertain or circumspect could overtake him at times.

"I mean he may not be Shadowling but he could be something else." Ironwood said, casting another look at Qrow. "A Jester perhaps."

"His father isn't one, and Shadowlings aren't known for straying from the marriage bed." Glynda pointed out, and Ironwood picked up a file that had been laying on his desk.

"But his ancestors might have been." Ironwood said, and he opened the file to reveal a complicated looking branch of lines. Summer blinked in shock when she realised it was a family tree. "There are dots in the Arc lineage that looks suspicious. Certain generations are either entirely unrecorded or have been scrubbed off the record by someone. There could be supernatural blood in there somewhere, and if that blood is a Jester's then we need to start treating him for that to prevent a tragedy."

"You mean meds." Qrow scoffed, glaring at Ironwood and shaking his head. "Like what I take. Like what you clearly need to take."

"I am sound of mind if not body." Ironwood retorted, pausing when Ozpin quietly took the file from him.

"When did you last sleep James?" Ozpin asked gently, and Ironwood blinked.

"Three days, four hours and twenty-two minutes ago."

"I see." Ozpin smiled sadly. "Can I tell you something James?"

"Of course." Ironwood nodded, and Ozpin beckoned for him to lean close. Ironwood obeyed and slumped to the ground when Ozpin whispered something in his ear.

"I fear he has been hiding much worse thanks to his condition." Ozpin sighed. "I will talk to Hephaestus later to see if he has found out what is wrong with James' prosthetics and Morpheus to see his state of mind. If we cannot find out what is driving him to be so single-minded and paranoid then I fear we will have to replace him."

"We should do it regardless." Glynda said quietly, lifting Ironwood into the air with her wand. "We cannot trust someone unstable to train our recruits."

"James is not unstable, but he is troubled." Ozpin replied. "What happened three days ago?"

"I had pizza for dinner?" Qrow supplied unhelpfully. Summer stared Ironwood's floating, slumbering body.

"There was an accident." She said, vaguely remembering the news swirling of a recruit being hospitalised. With the frenetic nature of the Circle's work news became old quickly, as the days ranged from drug busts to manhunts to fending of eldritch incursions to no coffee in the cafeteria.

"Recruit Fox Alistair to be precise. He was blinded thanks to the irresponsible actions of a fellow recruit, who has since been dropped from the Agent Programme. I fear James took this closer to heart than he let on, as it occurred under his watch, and as a result whatever curse that seems to be afflicting him struck again." Ozpin sighed heavily. "I think it is safe to say we should adjourn this meeting. Glynda, please take James to his quarters and put him in his bed. Qrow, Summer, I believe there is a matter we need to discuss further."

Summer watched Glynda silently leave with Ironwood in tow, floating along in the air behind her. Qrow, for once, did not make some sort of snarky comment, and even looked a little sympathetic to Ironwood's plight.

"Qrow, your report please?" Ozpin asked once the door swung shut once again. Summer turned towards her old teammate.

"The Schnee aren't up to anything good, but that isn't exactly old news. Willow stays in her castle, Winter is travelling back to said castle and Weiss is licking her wounds in a small town the west of here, Domremy."

Summer straightened, eyes envisioning the small town she and Tai would occasionally take Ruby to for a day out as a family.

"Grandmaster-"

"No Summer."

"But-"

"I said no." Ozpin interrupted again, smiling ruefully at her. "I asked Qrow to investigate the Schnee, not you, and for a good reason. We can't attack one of Willow Schnee's daughters."

"We could at least arrest her!" Summer protested. "We can use her as leverage to get some concessions from the Schnee and show her she isn't as invincible as she thinks!"

"That is, if the Schnee decide to play ball, which they won't as it would be Willow's daughter being threatened." Ozpin replied calmly. "We will use the traditional methods."

"If Weiss Schnee is still running around doing what she does then should we? It doesn't seem like they're very effective to me."

"That is because emotion is blinding your judgement." Ozpin shook his head. "The Marigolds are making moves in Atlas, and the Schnee won't tolerate losing any more of their traditional territories in Atlas to one of their chief rivals. Whilst the clans are busy at war we can push for more concessions then, but until conflict erupts our hands will remain tied. Qrow, would you please continue?"

"The Schnee are definitely preparing for something." Qrow continued awkwardly. "They're shifting the bulk of their thralls to their strongholds in Atlas, and they've hired quiet a few mercenaries to bolster their forces, chief amongst them an Orcish warband, the Titanic Shields. Their stocks of chattel are declining, but not thanks to our efforts at taking out their supply lines or liberating enslaved villages. They're being converted from food to battle thralls, and I've tracked a large group of them to Kingsport, where they are gradually being stored on a large tanker, the SS Arctic."

"So they truly are preparing for war with the Marigolds." Ozpin mused. "It has been centuries since the last clan war between the great vampire clans. We should reinforce our operations in Atlas and prioritise keeping the violence contained."#

"We don't have the resources." Summer said, realising why she was still there. With Ironwood currently gone she was the most senior leader of the Agents present. "We're stretched thin as it is right now, especially with some of the operations we have planned. I will not abandon those operations either just to reinforce Atlas, they're critical to our objectives and the biggest one is Operation Lightfoot."

"That is the plan to liberate Schnee chattel is not?" Ozpin asked, and Summer nodded. "I wish we could do more to help those poor people, but according to Qrow most of them are being sent to fight in the upcoming war."

"They are Sum." Qrow admitted, shooting her an almost guilty look. "The Schnee have left behind their strongest slaves to keep Willow and her guards fed, but the bulk of the chattel are either en route to Atlas or waiting to be sent there at Kingsport."

"Then we change the focus of Lightfoot from the enslaved villages near castle Schnee and target the places they're now being stored at. Where in Kingsport are they being held Qrow?"

"The docks, specifically in a few warehouses the Schnee have owned for centuries now. Before they used it as a legitimate way of making Lien, but they've halted their transport operations in favour of using it as a place to store their troops before being sent off to Atlas."

"Then we target those. It'll be easier to target warehouses than it would be to encircle a village as well, and if you're really hell bent on reinforcing Atlas with our own Agents then the spare resources we'll have can be sent there."

"We can't risk open conflict so close to a large civilian populace." Ozpin sighed. "If the port was somewhere else where the populace was smaller then I would not be so opposed to continuing Lightfoot there, but as it is we risk dozens of civilians learning the truth, something that will not mix well combined with the Schnee's wrath at so many of their slaves being liberated."

"What are you saying Ozpin?" Summer demanded warily, and he closed his eyes briefly.

"Operation Lightfoot is being downgraded in scale." He said, though it was an order more than anything else. "Qrow, the SS Arctic won't be the only vessel the Schnee are using. Do you know of the others?"

"Some." Qrow replied quietly, making a point of looking away from Summer. "Last I checked the bulk of them was sailing around Vacuo towards Kingsport."

"Scout them out and identify them. Operation Lightfoot will still be greenlit, but its scope will be downgraded. We will target three of the container vessels the Schnee use to transport their slaves, and we will use the few vampiric agents at our disposal, as well as a few 'thrall' agents, to make it seem like the raid was planned by the Marigolds, who will likely know the truth but will claim the victory as theirs regardless. They've always been the most arrogant of the clans. Summer, you will reassign the resources for this once you have talked to your nephew about his intentions and help have his mate sign the Accords. I am sorry, but we must be more cautious than we may like if there is to be a clan war between two of the great clans. Qrow, you have your orders, I would like to talk to you about something Summer."

Qrow shuffled out of the room quietly, whilst Summer remained behind and fumed silently. Operation Lightfoot had been in the works for two years now, and should have gone down as the largest vampire thrall liberation mission in the Circle's history. Now it was to be a footnote mission lodged in the middle of a clan war.

"Arc...His mother had reasons to hate the Circle, and she has two other daughters who are signatories to the Accords." Ozpin said. "The Schnee have been walking on eggshells in Ansel for years now thanks to the presence of a large family with three Shadowlings residing there, but Weiss Schnee's attack on Jaune Arc suggests something is afoot. It could merely be an opportunistic attack on the weakest link of the Arc family, but it could also be something planned by the Schnee."

"Why would they want to hurt Jaune?" Summer asked quietly, her worry for her nephew overriding her frustration with what had happened with Lightfoot. She wondered if that was intentional on Ozpin's part."

"I do not know, but I do know that I was well aware of the discrepancies in the Arc family lineage long before James' paranoia brought it up." Ozpin replied, making Summer blink. "Keep an eye on him. I do not believe him to be a threat, but I do believe he is in danger."

"Why?" Summer blurted out. "Why does his family tree seem so important? Why do the Schnee want him?"

"I am afraid I do not know." Ozpin admitted sadly. "Though I worry that by the time we find out it will be too late."

With that ominous warning said, Ozpin dismissed her.

A/N: Sorry about the late upload. Work was short-staffed yesterday and I only got back home at half six in the evening thanks to a particularly annoying work thing. I barely managed to eat some leftovers before going to bed lol.

By the way, I have good news and bad news. The next chapter for this fic will be uploaded earlier than the usual 25th of the month date, as I will be having surgery on my spine to treat my scoliosis on the 20th November, so I don't know if I'll be home and able to upload the fic on the 25th. I don't know when yet, just know that it'll be before the 20th November. The bad news is that this story, as well as all my stories, will go on an indefinite hiatus following my surgery as I will need to focus on physiotherapy and being able to go back to work. I'm not sure how long this will take, as the doctor doing the surgery said six weeks to fully recover whereas the one before said two. As such I'll be putting everything on hold until I'm fully healed so I can focus on work and on not becoming homeless. Sorry.