Author's Note: Another Sunday, another chapter.

General Ironwood sat patiently in front of Ozpin's desk, waiting for the man to finish pouring them both a cup of coffee. He had wanted nothing more than to discuss his findings in Mistral from the very moment that he had landed, but there hadn't yet been the opportunity.

At first it had been because they weren't alone, the landing pad instead turning into a reunion of sorts. While it was nice to see friends and family reunited, it had given Ozpin a good reason to avoid the conversation. Once they were alone walking through the halls of Beacon, that excuse had become that a student could be listening in at any moment and, while the wait was irritating, Ozpin was right.

On the elevator ride up however, James knew they were safe. Ozpin's tower, and especially his office, were among the most secure places in the world. Their isolation, the difficulty to get to them, combined with some of the best security technology that Atlas had to offer meant that they should have been able to speak openly the moment the doors closed.

Instead, Ozpin had insisted they get a drink first.

James clenched his jaw slightly, feeling a phantom itch on his hand. He'd had his engineers look at it countless times, but they had always assured him that there was no mechanical issue causing it. He'd only ever noticed it when something was wrong, but he couldn't quite place how or why. He'd noticed it when Ozpin had first told him the truth about Salem, a revelation that came only a few short days after he'd had his cybernetics installed.

Ozpin reached across the desk, offering him a cup. James forced himself to smile as he took the mug and set it gently on the edge of the desk. He couldn't place what was wrong, but something was off with Ozpin. Unfortunately, the man had more experience hiding his true thoughts on a subject than any other person alive, so deciphering what he was thinking was a futile effort. Instead, he simply focused on what he did know.

"Lionheart has left Mistral in a precarious position." James stated, sitting back slightly in his chair. "You've read my report on the situation?"

"Yes, I have." Ozpin took a long drink from his cup, a time stalling tactic he usually reserved for those he either wished to intimidate or to give himself time to think. "The loss of Huntsmen will be a burden on the next generation while they attempt to recover their numbers."

"Mistral's Council plans to expand their military, perhaps we can use that to our advantage." James replied, it was a topic he had struggled to decide how to bring up. "If they adopt a similar style as Atlas, then we may be able to tell them about Salem."

"Assuming whoever is placed in charge could be trusted." Ozpin, as always, looked for any way to devalue conventional military power.

"It worked in Atlas." James did his best to assure him. "If we could get another Kingdom's resources set on finding and defeating Salem, then shouldn't we at least consider it?"

Ozpin stared back at him for a moment, his lips a thin line as he thought of his next words. "How long do you think it will take them to build up their military to be equal to that of Atlas?"

"I would need to discuss that with some of my men back in Atlas. They would have a better view on Mistral's cap-"

"Humour me." Ozpin interrupted him.

James scowled softly. "I don't know if they'll ever rival Atlas, but within a few years they might very well be able to make up for the lost Huntsmen. Especially if we help them reach that goal."

"All of that would be unnecessary if Atlas' forces weren't fleeing the continent." Ozpin hid his face behind his hands.

"That choice wasn't my own." James answered carefully. "You know that, I said so in my message. Mistral wanted my forces out, I had no say in it."

"You had plenty of say." Ozpin replied, the briefest hint of anger creeping up in his voice, only to disappear as he continued on. "Sending Specialist Schnee along was reckless, let alone ousting the former Headmaster of Haven."

"Lionheart was a traitor, one you let slip by without action." James stated, unwilling to entertain anything less than the truth. "Who knows what else he might have done had Qrow and I not acted?"

"And as usual your solution was to storm the school at the head of an army."

"I gave him every opportunity that I could afford to!" Ironwood stood from his chair, glaring at the man behind the desk. "I made sure we had proof of his betrayal before acting!"

"And tell me, if you hadn't found that proof, what then?" Ironwood didn't reply, but his lack of an answer was enough to answer Ozpin's question. "Are you determined to make Atlas the enemy?"

"Atlas is doing everything it can to help the other kingdoms." He briefly considered sitting, but one look at Ozpin's subtle glare was enough to drive away that thought. When standing, he towered over the other man, and if Ozpin wished to play such a game, then he would respond in kind.

"It has only been a few days, and Mistral is already planning for war." Ozpin replied. "Not with bandit tribes, not with the Grimm, with Atlas. High ranking government officials in Mistral have started plotting how best to undermine the Atlesian military."

Ironwood was taken back, but ultimately not surprised. The fact that they had begun moving so quickly was surprising, he had expected them to be as slow to respond as ever, but their choice of target was not.

"Then we need to reach out to them, whoever is placed in charge will have to be told. Once they know the truth they'll do the reasonable thing an-"

"Reasonable? Like you?" Ozpin asked skeptically. "You went behind my back to investigate Leonardo, launched a coup of Haven, and then put Mistral and Atlas on track for war. What of that seems reasonable?"

"We had to do something." Ironwood stressed the word, trying to get across to Ozpin. "The time for covert action is over."

"Is that why you killed Leo?"

"He fell." Ironwood countered, betraying not even a modicum of emotion.

Ozpin smashed his hands onto his desk, standing up to look Ironwood in the eyes. "He was a trained Huntsman, a fall like that would have been nothing to someone like him!"

"He wanted to die!"

"How convenient for you then." Ozpin chuckled coldly. "That he just so happened to be suicidal."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Ironwood paused, letting his words sink in just long enough for Ozpin to register what he'd said before continuing. "Hell, when was the last time you even spoke to him?" Ozpin was silent for a long moment, but James could see the dawning realization on his face. The way his glare softened, and his eyes seemed to lose focus for a brief moment before snapping back to the present. "He changed. He wasn't the man you knew."

Ozpin sat back down in his chair, the vivid emotion he had shown mere moments prior having dissipated entirely. It left him looking tired, drained, old. Sitting in silence for a long moment, James noticed the faded look in his eyes once more, as if he were reliving a long lost memory.

"He saved me once, you know." Ozpin whispered softly. "Back in his youth, he was quite the Huntsman, capable of giving even me a true test of skill." Ozpin took a deep breath, shaking his head softly. "I failed him."

James let his own scowl fall away as he looked at his friend. "You didn't fail him, you trusted him and he betrayed you. He failed you."

"I simply find it difficult to accept that the brave man I once knew could… do what he did."

"He was afraid." James took his seat once more, grabbing his cup from the desk. "Salem got to him somehow, I have a few of my men looking into his personal life." He raised a hand to ward off Ozpin's interruption. "They don't know anything specific, just looking for anything odd that they can report to us. We can then piece it together."

Ozpin nodded softly, picking up his mug and taking a long drink. For once, James didn't think it was some kind of tacit or intentional move on his part; it felt too honest. He gained some kind of comfort from the drink and so James let him enjoy it in silence for a moment.

As he waited his mind was drawn to Lionheart's last moments, along with the desperate warning he had given him.

"He said something." Ironwood spoke suddenly, waiting for Ozpin to look back at him. "Leonardo, just before he fell he told me why the Spring Maiden left." Ozpin sat forward in his chair, clearly just as tired as before but wishing to move forward. It helped that it was a topic they had spent many nights discussing. James looked down at his coffee mug, pulling it most the way to his mouth before speaking. "He said Salem couldn't be killed."

It was an amusing idea, if equally horrifying. While Salem and Ozpin had been around for quite some time, he didn't for a second believe that either of them were unkillable. Difficult perhaps, but given time, he was confident it could be done. Taking a drink from his mug he looked up towards Ozpin.

His face was one of utter shock, his mouth hung open slightly and his eyes were wide; worst of all, despite the absurdity of what Ironwood had told him, Ozpin didn't attempt to deny it.

Pyrrha and Team CFVY hadn't gone far for their food, simply eating at the cafeteria, but it had been just what she needed to relax. With the mission having gone the way it did, she had expected to come back to see the school on fire or that Coco had suddenly started wearing plaid, or just any other sign that the world was ending.

A nice meal with her friends had been perfect. Coco had been held off with the promise of answers soon to come; just as soon as they got in to see the Headmaster. That gave Pyrrha the easy excuse to dodge all of her questions, even if it was only for a short while.

Sadly, that short while had gone by far too quickly, and before she knew it they were on their way up the elevator towards Ozpin's office. He'd sent her a message with a time he expected to be free and when they went to his tower the elevator had been waiting for them. A few seconds later, Team CFVY stood behind her somewhat in the cramped compartment as they went up the tower; they didn't say much on the way up. She was thankful for that, mostly because she had no idea what to say.

When they finally reached the top however, she was surprised to see General Ironwood standing across from the Headmaster. What caught her even more off guard was the way he was leaning over Ozpin's desk, his hand gripped into a fist on top of it. As they stepped off the elevator, Ironwood turned to look at them over his shoulder before stepping away from the desk.

He walked towards them quickly, stopping in front of them he spared a brief glance back at Ozpin, quickly looking back to her. "Come see me when you're done here, I'll be on my ship." Before she even had a chance to respond, he was already stepping back in the elevator.

Pyrrha looked in between the elevator and Ozpin's desk several times, taking notice of the way the Headmaster remained silent. He was leaning over his desk, rubbing his temples as he breathed deeply. As she continued to look around the room, she saw a coffee mug shattered in the corner, its contents spilled out over the floor. As she stepped closer she also noticed the cracks on his desk, roughly where the General had placed his hands.

"Ozpin," Pyrrha stepped forward, careful to keep her voice soft in case he hadn't fully registered that they were there. The thought was absurd to think, especially given how in control the Headmaster always seemed to be, but there was something different about him; something that Pyrrha couldn't quite place. "Sir, is everything all right?"

Ozpin looked up at her for a moment, looking away as he took a deep breath. "Miss Nikos, Team CFVY, right on time." He gestured towards the chairs in front of his desk, one of which had been knocked over. "Please, take a seat."

They all hesitated for a moment, looking between each other as they tried to figure out what to do. Pyrrha was the first to sit down, and the rest followed her lead; Coco taking the seat directly next to her.

"Now then, Miss Nikos." Ozpin spoke to her. "What would you like my help with?"

Pyrrha swallowed her questions about Ironwood's departure, taking a moment to compose herself as everyone else in the room looked in her direction. "I want to tell them the truth."

"Truth." Ozpin whispered the word softly, pausing for several seconds as he seemed to think. "And what truth would that be?"

"The whole truth." Pyrrha replied, speaking quickly so as to not back down. "I want to tell them everything."

"Well… that may take longer than we have time for." Ozpin glanced out his office window. The sun was already setting, and though she didn't have the exact time, she knew it had to be late. "Where would you like to start?"

Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak, but Coco beat her to it. "Why did you send Amber to Mistral?"

" I didn't." Ozpin looked over to the team leader. "She volunteered and I had few other options. Had it been fully up to me she would not have gone, but the choice was hers to make."

Coco turned to look at her and, though Pyrrha couldn't see her eyes from behind her sunglasses, she felt the glare. "Why not send a professional Huntsman?"

"It had to be somebody who already knew of our enemy." Ozpin answered simply.

"And Amber does?" Coco clarified, waiting for the Headmaster to nod. "So does she work for you or something?"

"No, she…" Ozpin was quiet for a moment as he searched for an answer. "Works with us. She's the Fall Maiden."

"The what?" Coco looked between Pyrrha and Ozpin, waiting for one to explain.

As the seconds dragged on Pyrrha realized Ozpin was looking at her as well, waiting for her to answer. Turning towards her friends she took a deep breath as she struggled to think of how to start explaining the impossible.

In the end, she was forced to go back to what Ozpin had asked her a lifetime ago. "What's your favourite fairy tale?"

"I don't…" Coco struggled to speak.

"Magic is real?" Fox had no such difficulty. "Like, actual magic?"

Pyrrha nodded her head softly, turning towards Ozpin in the hopes he would jump in to help her convince them.

"Magic is quite real, Mr. Alistair." Ozpin stated. "Though the number of people who wield it is very limited. Miss Nikos is one of said individuals."

"It's just…" Fox struggled to understand it. "Magic?"

"I am less concerned about that." Yatsuhashi spoke, despite his calm exterior Pyrrha could see the signs of concern on his face. "The Grimm aren't mindless."

"Most are, only a few are old enough to be truly intelligent." Ozpin corrected. "But all are under the control of Salem."

"Why tell us this?" Velvet asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Sparing a glance over to her, Pyrrha saw how concerned she looked.

"I don't want to lie to you all." Pyrrha answered, drawing her friends' attention back to her. "My last team… my greatest regret is not telling them the truth."

"That's another thing." Fox jumped in. "Time travel? The Afterlife? Come on, you're joking right?" He chuckled dryly and waited a long moment in silence. "Right?"

"I wish I was." Pyrrha replied sadly. "I wish none of this was real and that I… that I hadn't…" She choked back a sob, coughing slightly to try and clear her throat. "If I hadn't…"

"Died?" Coco finished for her. Pyrrha nodded her head, unable to speak until she had time to compose herself. She felt a hand on her shoulder, when she looked up she saw Coco looking back at her with her glasses removed. Coco watched her closely, keeping their eyes locked as she searched for any hint of deception. "You aren't lying?"

Pyrrha shook her head, hoping that her friend would trust her enough to believe something so incredibly impossible.

"That's how you knew so much about Ruby and Yang." Velvet whispered, clearly trying to remember something. "When we first met them you said their Uncle told you about them, that wasn't true was it?"

"N-no." Pyrrha shook her head. "Ruby and Yang were first years, like I was. They were friends of mine."

"But… Ruby's only fifteen." Velvet shook her head in confusion. "How could she be-"

"The Headmaster let her in early because she stopped one of Torchwick's robberies." Pyrrha explained. "Don't let her age fool you… she's amazing." She smiled at the thought, remembering the first time that she had seen Ruby fight in the ring against someone two years older than her. She'd stepped up on stage to the class whispering about her, those whispers stopped when Ruby won in less than thirty seconds.

Pyrrha's own fights with Ruby had been equally as entertaining, and although Pyrrha had managed to hold out her winning streak against her, it had only been a matter of time until Ruby scored a few wins of her own. Sadly, time hadn't been on their side before.

"The White Fang." Fox said suddenly. "That's how you knew where they were." he shook his head quickly, standing from his chair. "This is crazy, this can't-"

"I'm afraid it is all quite real." Ozpin stood from behind his desk. "I trust that what has been said here will stay between us?" He waited a second for each of them to nod before continuing. "Then why don't you all take some time to process this, I know it… can be difficult."

The rest of Team CFVY stood from their chairs, slowly making their way towards the elevator. Pyrrha made to join them, only for Ozpin to stop her.

"Miss Nikos, seeing as you're already here, would you mind if I asked you something?"

Pyrrha looked back towards the elevator. "I'll catch up."

Ozpin waited for the elevator to return empty before continuing, sitting back down and casting his eyes down at the table.

"General Ironwood has… brought something to my attention." Pyrrha waited as patiently as she could for him to continue, her curiosity about what had happened before she arrived driving her but as the seconds went on, she realized how unsure Ozpin seemed. "You were right, to tell Team CFVY the truth. They deserve to know if they are to be involved, and considering their remarkable dedication to you, I believe that's inevitable."

In spite of the supportive nature of his words, Pyrrha could tell that he was struggling with something. "Is something wrong?"

"Would…" Ozpin shook his head once before continuing. "If I knew something that would cause you to lose faith that we can win… would you wish to know it?" Ozpin finally looked up from his desk, waiting for her answer.

Pyrrha was unsure of how to respond. Ozpin was clearly agonizing over whatever it was that he wanted to say, which was something she never expected to see. It clearly had something to do with General Ironwood's departure, and likely why he had wanted to speak to her after she was done with Ozpin and CFVY. "I… I don't know."

"Would you hate me for holding that information from you?" Ozpin asked.

That was the moment when she pieced it together. There was something else that he had kept hidden, and judging by the soft grooves that had been left in Ozpin's desk by General Ironwood, it hadn't been a secret kept only from her. A revelation that could drive a calm and collected man like the General to such reactions was concerning. Which circled back around to Ozpin's original question, if it was important enough to cause her to lose faith that they could win, did she want to be told?

She'd spent the vast majority of her life living by other people's standards. Whether fighting in the tournaments or trying to become a Huntress, she'd lived by what others said. She had accepted that long ago, and worked as hard as she could to break away from it once she got to Beacon, but her willingness to take others at face value had led her to her death. Trusting that the teachers knew what they were doing because they were the adults had been naive, and she'd paid the price for it once. She refused to let that happen again.

"Tell me."

"Salem can't be killed."

Author's Note: So Ozpin decided to be honest, and all it took was being backed into a corner.

This one was rough to write, partially because I had to get the talks to land just right to not be too overly exposition and not too yada-yada while also being sure to get the characters right. Still not super confident I did it correctly, but we shall see.

Let me know what you think.

Sincerely, SE