Author's Note: I'm back! Hopefully you all enjoy the chapter. Apologizes for the odd day of the week as well, editing took a bit more time than normal due to time zones differences, Hopefully won't become a running theme.

Pyrrha circled Penny quietly as the android girl focused on her powers. She had managed to stay airborne for several minutes now, a new record that was especially impressive considering how quickly she had worked herself up to using the new skill, but it was clear that the strain was building, and as the minutes wore on, her steady hover began to grow shaky and turn sporadically. She stayed up for a few more moments after that, but quickly crashed into the grass with an exhausted sigh.

"That was amazing, Penny!" Pyrrha walked over to rest and hand around the girl's shoulders. "At this rate, you'll have me beaten in no time."

"That is…" Penny stopped to take a deep breath. "Unlikely." She groaned softly as her face flushed. "I do not… like this feeling."

Pyrrha chuckled softly. "You'll get used to it, it's part of being Human."

"But I'm not Human." Penny replied in between deep breaths. She was still trying to learn how to cope with her new found feelings, which was at least one thing that Pyrrha had at least had an advantage over her in. She knew how to deal with exhaustion, how to not push or strain herself too much when the signs started to show themselves. Penny had no such experience, and was still trying to figure out just what to do to help. Breathing seemed to, even though she didn't require air in the same way people did.

"As far as Magic is concerned, you are." Pyrrha smiled, rubbing her hand in circles around the girl's back.

"Magic is… frustrating." Penny shook her head.

Pyrrha chuckled softly. "Come on, let's get you up and back to the dorm room."

"Coast is clear." Coco said from a few feet away. "Nobody ever even gets close to this part of the forest, I don't really see why we have to keep guarding it."

"Just because nobody ever has, does not mean that someday somebody will." Yatsuhashi replied, stepping over and offering Penny a hand to pull her up. Pyrrha would have done the same, but exhausted as Penny was right now, she actually needed the assistance in standing, and Yatsuhashi was the only one strong enough to actually help her do so. Though she didn't look it, Penny was actually quite heavy.

"I'm less concerned about people and more about the Grimm." Pyrrha explained as she reached down to the bottle of water she had brought out. Vale was quickly approaching the hottest part of its year, though she was thankfully used to far worse. The heat in Mistral was very similar, but the humidity had always been so much higher, one of the many things about her homeland that she didn't miss in the slightest. Still, staying hydrated was important, and the cool water was refreshing even if she hadn't truly exerted herself beyond the few simple demonstrations that she had shown Penny.

"I don't exactly think a Beowolf could sneak up on you guys." Velvet stated. "Let alone an Ursa, and those are the only Grimm that really patrol around the Emerald Forest."

"Have you ever seen a stealth Ursa?" Fox asked.

The rest of Team CFVY had long since learned to ignore Fox when he asked questions like that, and Pyrrha had quickly picked up on when he was trying to mess around as well, sadly, due to her own differences, Penny, however, hadn't yet grasped the habit. "I do not think there is such a thing, friend."

"Exactly! That's just how good they are at it. You don't even know they exist." Fox replied excitedly. "I mean, I've certainly never seen one."

Everyone except Penny groaned, the android girl simply looking confused.

"I thought that you were born-" Pyrrha nudged Penny before she could give Fox the attention he wanted.

"I'm not worried about Ursa or Beowolves, I'm worried about the one I found during initiation."

"The floating ball with tentacles?" Coco asked, waiting for Pyrrha to nod before continuing. "I thought it died in like, one shot."

"It's not physically dangerous, sure, but the running theory is that they are Salem's eyes and ears throughout the world." Pyrrha relayed what information that they had been able to gather, although even that felt incredibly limited. Ozpin had his theories, but the Grimm were rare and new even to him, so most of what they worked off of was speculation. Still, the possibility that they were the Grimm that were the equivalent of cameras was incredibly worrying to her.

The group fell silent after that, and though none of them took so direct an action as to draw their weapons, they all seemed to watch the tree line with a new found purpose, or perhaps fear. It was understandable, Pyrrha thought. The idea that they could be getting spied on was troubling, let alone when it was the Queen of the Grimm herself that might have been watching them. It certainly killed the mood, however, even if it wasn't exactly a new feeling for Pyrrha. As they reached the summit of the Beacon cliffs once more, setting off for the school proper, Pyrrha stopped.

"Can you guys take care of Penny? I need to run a few errands."

The team paused to look among themselves for a moment, though not long enough for any secret message to be handed about via Fox's Semblance.

"Sure, but keep in mind, we were trying to eat at the diner tonight." Coco responded. "Don't be late or I'll have to drag you there."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Pyrrha smiled and waved as she stepped off away from her friends. She held the smile until she was out of sight, allowing it to slowly drop as she took a deep breath. She loved her friends a great deal, but she also hated putting on a mask. It took a great deal of effort to hide her true thoughts as she once had, something about Amber's body fighting her as she tried to, but that wasn't to say it was impossible, just more difficult than she was used to.

Pyrrha looked up and over the coast to the formation of battleships set to guard the west of the city. A week, that was how long the fleet of Atlas had been stationed in Vale and her instructions hadn't changed. She had taken her training with Penny as seriously as she would anything else, and she was happy to say that the girl was making progress, but even as Qrow went out into the wilderness in search of White Fang, and Winter continued her search of the tunnel entrances in Vale, she had been given nothing else. She hadn't been included in any other meetings, if there had even been any. Winter and her own orders had remained the same, and so had Qrow's from the little she had managed to talk to him.

The City of Vale wasn't exactly in an uproar, no, that would have drawn too much attention, instead it had seemed to shut in on itself. The streets were still packed with people, but there had been a noticeable tension in the air when Pyrrha had last visited the city itself. Whenever they saw an Atlesian Soldier they shunned away, or looked on with a complicated expression that Pyrrha wasn't sure how she felt about. It was equal parts anger, fear, and hope. She'd quickly decided to stay out of Vale whenever possible, if only because people had started to recognize her as the Huntress who had worked closely with Atlas in the previous months. Those that did didn't look at her with the same look, but it was clearly one of distrust, or at the very least, caution.

Vale was a powder keg, and all throughout the last week she hadn't heard a single word from the General. He hadn't made any public appearances to help ease the tension or explain what it was he was doing, she hadn't even seen him since departing his ship. Winter had taken her spare time to help teach Pyrrha a few things about how Atlesian Specialists operated, but her time was already split so heavily that there wasn't enough time in the day. Pyrrha had offered to help, but Winter had politely declined. 'We both have our orders.' she'd said, and that they did. It was just unfortunate that her own were so lacking.

Most of Beacon was in a similar state as Vale itself, the once excited student body looking forward to the Dance and Vytal festival, now watching the skies with uncertainty. The only reason that Team CFVY wasn't like that was because they knew the reason Atlas was here, the real reason anyways, and not the vague and hard to swallow half truths spouted by the council in an attempt to retain control of the populace. There was only one place in Beacon, aside from her shared dorm with Team CFVY, that she could go to dispel the tension that threatened to swallow her whole.

The moment she rounded the corner she was able to breathe again. The air was no clearer than the forest she had just left, but it felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders as she sat down facing the old white tree of the private garden. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The narrow alley seemed as it always was, separated from the rest of the troubles of the school and Kingdom. She felt bad about lying to her friends about where she was going, but she also felt that they wouldn't complain too much. She wasn't trying to step away or distance herself, she just needed some time to calm her very much frayed nerves.

It was a selfish choice perhaps, but not an inherently bad one, and she trusted that they would have understood. Had she asked, they all would have gone with her, and she loved that they cared so much, but the silence was what she wanted. The distant muffled excitement of the school was gone, the students trying desperately to figure out what it is they were supposed to do. As a result, the garden was even more peaceful than usual.

"Miss Nikos."

"Ozpin." Pyrrha greeted in turn, though didn't open her eyes nor did she look behind her. She didn't need to.

"You are troubled." He stepped over to her left, though he kept his distance so as to offer her as much privacy as he could.

"Yes, I am." Pyrrha answered easily. "I suspect you can guess as to why."

"You wish to take a more active role in the mission Atlas has set for itself." Ozpin answered easily.

"I want to make a difference." Pyrrha corrected slightly. "I've seen how this ends, I've seen the Fall of Beacon and Vale firsthand, and I do not want to ever see it again."

"Were it only so easy as a simple choice." Ozpin replied. "Save the Kingdom, or do not, but it is never that easy. Such things are decided by an infinite amount of different choices, many made by the seemingly most unimportant individual or with the seemingly most unimportant outcome."

Pyrrha opened her eyes, turning to look at the Headmaster. "And what benefit does keeping me from the battlefield serve?"

The Headmaster paused, turning to look at the tree before looking back at her and shrugging softly. "That will make itself clear in time, but rest accrued, it will make itself known."

Pyrrha turned back towards the tree as well. "The General is making a mistake."

"Several, but he believes they are the right choices to make." Ozpin answered tiredly. "It is quite difficult to change the mind of an individual who believes they are doing the right thing once someone has made up their mind. James more so than most."

"Do you regret it?" Pyrrha asked. "Not telling him the truth?"

Ozpin sighed. "I regret many things, and that is certainly one of them, but at the time… I believed it to be the right choice. It was not until the truth was pulled out from under me that I realized I was wrong, and by then it was too late. Everything comes at a cost, be it politics, economics, or even Magic. Perhaps it is the rule of the Gods."

Pyrrha scoffed softly. "The Gods should really work out a better system."

Ozpin chuckled softly. "You are not the first to say such, nor will you be the last I imagine."

"I should be getting back to my friends." Pyrrha stood, turning to smile and nod towards the headmaster. "Please, if there is anything I can do to help-"

"You will be the first person I approach." Ozpin answered her plea and returned a smile of his own. "Don't lose hope, while things may seem bleak, they are only balanced on a knife's edge. It has yet to fall either way."

Pyrrha desperately wished his words helped, but it was the waiting that was bothering her most of all. Sitting there, not knowing whether or not things would turn out for better or worse. Either way, she could take action, but the waiting was killing her. She had taken her life into her own hands specifically because she was tired of waiting and letting other people dictate her actions for her. She had left Mistral because of the expectations that people held her to while simultaneously trying to dictate her fate. She was used to fighting her way out of a problem, but at the moment, there was nothing to fight.

"There you are." Coco found her long before she made her return to the dorm. "Figured you'd be heading to the garden, you looked like you wanted a moment alone."

Pyrrha smiled softly, rubbing at the back of her neck. "Was it that obvious?"

"We've all noticed how on edge you are." Coco smiled back, and though her eyes were covered by sunglasses, Pyrrha knew they were soft at that moment. Though Coco rarely liked to admit it, she had a very strong caring side that she tried to hide. Her eyes always betrayed her, however, and once you got to know her, there were other signs of it as well. The way her smile didn't seem as bright as normal, lacking the same confidence, or the way that she planted a hand on her hip as if unsure how she was meant to look. "The others thought it was a good idea to let you have your moment, but I had to split off and start taking care of some stuff for the dance. Figured you might appreciate the distraction."

"Please." Pyrrha nodded quickly, even if it wasn't entirely healthy. "I just want to feel useful for a moment."

She wasn't entirely sure why she had said that, it had been intended as almost an offhanded remake that Coco wasn't meant to hear, but heard it she did. A moment later her sunglasses were off and Pyrrha winced slightly. Coco didn't say anything for the longest time, simply staring back at her as their eyes met.

"I know," Pyrrha tried to cut off her point before she could make it. "I don't always have to be useful, I just don't like feeling like I'm doing nothing." Coco continued to stare back at her and Pyrrha finally looked away. "I'm just a little worried about Vale and Atlas is all, I'm sure it will pass-"

Pyrrha was cut off as she felt a set of arms wrap around her. Coco wasn't exactly an affectionate person, not in the way that Ruby and Nora were. To them, hugs were just the norm, be that for comfort or friendship, they had always been very open about those sorts of things and it was one of the many reasons she considered them good people. Coco wasn't like them, physical contact wasn't exactly something that she was afraid of, but Pyrrha couldn't at that moment recall seeing Coco ever hug someone. She knew her friend was claustrophobic, so that could have been a reason for it, but in truth she just didn't know.

"It's not up to you to fix everything, you know." Coco said softly, flinching slightly as Pyrrha returned the hug. "You aren't being useless staying at Beacon with us, don't ever think that."

"I know, it's just-"

"Qrow asked me to watch out for you, you know?" Coco cut her off. "The guy currently buried neck deep in Grimm and White Fang asked me to look after you." She hadn't known that obviously, although she wasn't surprised. Qrow was a good man, even if he so often tried to pretend he wasn't. Even Winter saw it now, and those two had once hated each other. "They're worried about you, and so am I. You can't keep trying to bear the weight of the world on your shoulders."

Standing there in the entrance to the garden, the genuine concern her friend showed her was the perfect reminder of why she was doing what she was doing. Pyrrha smiled softly and squeezed Coco just a bit tighter before letting go. "I know, I'm just… I'm scared," It was difficult to admit, but Pyrrha had been scared ever since coming back. Scared of failing to save her friends, scared that her friends wouldn't care for ehr anymore, scared of dying. There were so many things that she was scared of. "I'm terrified that we won't win."

"We will," Coco said as she pulled back from the hug, her face dusted pink as she averted her eyes from Pyrrha's own. "We've got the Invincible Girl, Fall Maiden, badass sorceress on our side. I know you, Pyr, We won't lose."

Pyrrha smiled warmly, taking some confidence from her friend's words. "I wish I could share in your certainty. So much has changed but…" Pyrrha looked out in the direction of the sea once more. Though the water wasn't visible thanks to how far they were into the school itself, the battleships and cruisers flying over the waters were.

"Some things are the same," Coco spotted the battleships just as easily as Pyrrha had. "But… maybe they aren't." She turned back to Pyrrha, though she still didn't meet her eyes. "You've said that everything has changed… even the people… who's to say they are the same people?" The silence dragged on for a long moment before Coco must have assumed Pyrrha didn't understand. "We are shaped by our experiences, right? Our memories make us who we are. If you change those, add or remove even a single detail, are we the same person?"

Pyrrha remained silent, though not because she was confused, but rather that Coco's words mimicked her own thoughts. She had asked herself that very question countless times. She had wondered that same thing when first meeting Ozpin, Glynda, and Qrow after waking up in Amber's body, seeing the way they looked at her; when she had first encountered her friends and how they seemed different than how she remembered; when she had met her past self for the first time and she had watched her past self drive her team apart. All of that had seemingly come from nowhere, but it was all because of what had and hadn't happened yet. Ozpin, Qrow and Glynda compared her to Amber at first, because that was the person they had known. Her friends were different because they hadn't been shaped by the shared memories she had with them, because to them it hadn't happened yet, and likely never would now that the teams were so different. Her past self had grown so distant from the people she wanted to be friends with because of stupid and petty reasons that Pyrrha thought were childish.

It was hard to see that, her past self, and not think of these people, her former friends and teammates, as different people than the ones she knew, because at the end of the day they were. She felt that that thought should have made her sad, but oddly enough, it didn't. She would miss Team JNPR, as she had for the past months, but the memories were still there, and unlike most people who had to live off of memories, she would still be able to make new ones with those she had lost, just not as they were. It was an odd and twisted sense of comfort that she felt instead. Things had changed too much to be what they were, this she knew, but accepting it had been something she had struggled with since the beginning.

They were different people now, they had changed; both those she knew before, and above all, herself.

"Thank you." Pyrrha reached up, putting a hand on Coco's shoulder. "Why don't we start setting up for the dance? I think Yang tried to get smoke machines for ours, but I'm curious how yours will be different."

"Oh, that's a good idea actually." Coco brought a hand to her chin as she considered the idea. "Mark my words, this dance is going to be something to remember." She said happily, then, almost to herself, "I'll make sure of it."

"Let's get going then." Pyrrha gestured for Coco to lead the way.

Cinder hadn't slept in what felt like days, instead devoting every possible moment to watching Beacon. She had tasked Emerald and Mercury with the same job, knowing that there was far too much for any one individual to possibly see. Beacon had one of the most developed and well established security networks on Remnant, a lovely side effect of the Headmaster's paranoia. It served her ends quite well, but it was also a great annoyance to have to watch it all herself.

She could have left it up to her two underlings, but they were proving woefully inept at the more subtle art of their work. Ozpin wasn't simply going to hold up a sign saying he was going to the Relic so that they could follow him over the cameras. It was going to be difficult to pinpoint exactly where the Relic was, and Cinder very much doubted that they would be able to do so with certainty, but there was always a margin for error when dealing with these sorts of things. Thankfully, logic helped limit the possible locations.

There were only a handful of places that made sense to hide the Relic. It had be someplace close enough to have on hand, yet out of the way enough that people wouldn't just stumble across it. Someplace that was watched and closely protected. Everything Salem had told her about Ozpin showed him as a very hands on and distrusting person when it came to such power. He had used the Relics to end the Great War, or three of them at least, so he clearly knew how to use them, but it was also equally clear that he did not entrust them to others to use; instead consolidating that power with himself, so she expected he would keep it close enough that he could watch it directly and quickly respond if anything happened.

That did narrow down her choices, the Relic had to be someplace Ozpin could quickly get to if it was in danger, meaning it had to be on the school grounds. It would be some place few people frequented simply to narrow down the random chance of some fortunate idiot stumbling upon it. Most importantly however, and the reason she had taken to watching the cameras so closely, was that it would be some place he was quick to move to on the rare time someone did find it. There were a few different possible places on the campus that could be such a place, but there was only one place she was truly willing to bet her life on, and it was her only chance to prove Salem wrong.

Author's Note: Boy, that move took a bit longer than expected. To be fair, I got moved in and set up decently quickly, but for the last couple weeks I've been trying to get my actual writing set up back into form. I can only really write when I am comfortable and the place I am staying in has no air conditioner, so that was a problem. Plus I had to set up my desk, and chair, etc. A lot of small stuff that caused my month long break.

This chapter did come about pretty easily though, which was nice. Hopefully that doesn't mean the quality is bad or anything, guess we shall see in the reviews.

Hopefully you guys enjoyed the chapter, and as always, be sure to let me know what you think in the reviews.

Sincerely, SE