Author's Note: New chapter, but shorter than I would like but I am trying to save some of the script for the next chapter. Hopefully that means it won't take two weeks to write this time.

Enjoy!

Pyrrha felt the strain building, her legs threatening to give out as she tried desperately to push them further than they had ever gone before. The weight wasn't anything beyond what she had once been used to, but her new body lacked the same level of disciplined training as her old, and nowhere was that more evident than in her legs. The shaking was difficult to control, but she managed to do so just long enough to bring the bar back up to the rack. The moment she was no longer supporting the intense load she collapsed, taking a moment to breath and reach for her water.

Beacon's gym was mostly empty, just as she liked it. The majority of the student body was either in classes or preparing for the upcoming dance. It gave her the time alone to work on her physical conditioning, something that she had been eager to get back to her former level. That took time however, and the road ahead for that was long. It started here however, with a new personal record for her current body. Standing, she slowly moved over to the outskirts of the gym and the track that circled the building. It wasn't a particularly long track, only sitting around an eighth of a mile, but that made it perfect for sprints.

She started slow, her legs having to find their strength as she pushed off the ground with worn out and tired muscles, but as she lengthened her stride her tired legs began to catch up. It was awkward, as it always would be if she continued to push her body to what it was fully capable of, but she managed to get a solid enough pace going for several laps before being forced to stop. Moving back over to where she had started, she adjusted the weight a little, dropping a plate on each side, before continuing with her next set.

It was the best way that she knew to improve, and she was determined to accomplish whatever she could. Half an hour later and she was unable to complete her laps, finally marking the end of her hours long work out. She was tired, covered in sweat, and yet a smile adorned her face. It was progress that she could easily track and that was exactly what she wanted. It was difficult to tell whether she was improving with her Magic, despite the Headmaster's lessons. She had no reference for it and much of her accomplishments felt influenced by her emotions and thus less in her own control; this she knew well, however. She knew that she was getting better and she could feel the progress that she had made, and she took pride in that.

"You look like a psychopath, you know." Coco tossed her a bottle of water as she approached. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone smile so much after literally collapsing after a workout." She had been off doing her own workout, though she had finished before Pyrrha and had gone off to take a shower before returning. "Don't forget you promised to help set up for the dance. Don't expect any sympathy from me when you can't move a table because your legs are jelly."

Pyrrha chuckled softly before drinking greedily from the bottle of water. She would manage it, even if at that moment the mere idea of walking was a daunting task. Her Aura would kick in and help to heal the damage, both mitigating the side effects and enabling her to do the same workout in only a few days' time. Just one more advantage that those with Aura had, so long as they knew how to properly command their Aura around their bodies.

"When are we supposed to start?" Pyrrha asked as she finally sat up fully.

"As soon as you get done in the shower." Coco offered her a hand. Usually, Pyrrha would have accepted in order to be polite, but as she was now she actually needed the assistance.

"I've still got to stretch." Pyrrha replied after Coco helped pull her up. "And rerack my weights."

"I can take care of the weights." Coco offered.

"Can't really help with the former." Pyrrha joked, moving over to a nearby bench to sit down as she began the process of helping her body relax.

"Not in public anyways." Coco teased back, causing Pyrrha to blush slightly as she focused on her sore muscles.

Stretching was important, even more so for Hunters. Aura would heal their bodies quickly, but if her muscles tried to heal in the wrong way, the process would take considerably longer, and could potentially even cause damage. It would be nothing long-lasting, but enough to cause discomfort and affect one's performance. She heard tales of people who could give a workout their all, not stretch, and then do the same the next day, but she had never been that kind of person, and it seemed remarkably short-sighted to think that way.

Fifteen minutes of stretching later, and Pyrrha was off to the locker room to shower and change. She wasn't at all surprised to find Coco waiting for her as she finished.

"Feeling better?" Coco asked, offering Pyrrha another bottle of water.

"Still exhausted, but I'll manage." Pyrrha accepted the bottle with a smile and took a small drink. "Legs are definitely weak at the moment, so probably no heavy lifting."

"I've been known to have that effect on people." Coco smirked, and though her sunglasses were once again adorned on her face, Pyrrha could picture the teasing look in them. "Besides, heavy by your definition is more like cars, and we won't be lifting machinery, so you'll be fine."

Pyrrha laughed softly at the exaggeration, rolling her eyes as she followed beside her friend. The last few days had been rather uneventful. There was still no word from the General, and so Pyrrha had kept up her training with Penny and Ozpin, and even the occasional lesson from Winter; although those lessons usually focused more on Atlesian military doctrine in an attempt to familiarize Pyrrha with the way Specialists were supposed to act.

Preparations for the dance helped to distract her from the lack of directions. It felt far simpler, spending time with Team CFVY and Penny, discussing the planned layout and organizing entertainment, food, drinks, decorations. It wasn't purely easy, but there was a serious lack of life or death choices to be made. Pyrrha loved it.

"So um, any word from Jaune?" Coco asked from beside her as they walked the paths of Beacon that lead towards the ballroom. Pyrrha felt her shoulders sag just a bit, but she tried to keep her composure. "Nothing huh?"

Coco saw right through her, and Pyrrha sighed softly. It wasn't unexpected, if anything it was what she had wanted. Jaune, her Jaune, would have never hesitated to stand beside her through whatever was thrown at them, but the fact remained that this wasn't her Jaune, and it seemed he hadn't yet made up his mind. Or maybe he had, and this was his way of going about it. She didn't regret her choice, but she would admit to being a little bit disappointed.

"You could talk to him, you know." Coco bumped her arm against Pyrrha's. "It's possible he's been a bit… distracted. You aren't the only girl showing interest in him after all."

Pyrrha nodded softly. There was her past self to consider, and despite their rocky start at the beginning of the school year, Jaune seemed to have grown close to his partner since the last time she had spoken with them. It had taken longer than in her own year, sure, but Jaune was exactly what Pyrrha had wanted in a friend, so it was inevitable that they would grow close, and it felt inevitable that she would develop feelings given the time.

"That's his choice to make." Pyrrha shrugged her shoulders, she couldn't force him. Nor would she ever dream of it. "We went on a couple dates, and he was attacked on one of them. He barely knows me, so I won't be surprised if he chooses someone else."

"There's still time before the dance, he could still ask." Coco reminded her. "Or you could ask."

Pyrrha shook her head. "I want it to be his choice." It felt like a similar argument she had once had with herself back before she had died, about whether to confess her feelings to Jaune or not. She had wanted him to seek her out, because that felt safer and more romantic. It was also stupid, as she had learned, but this was different. She had made her feelings known, and now she wanted him to decide whether he wanted to try. The distance between them was an obstacle that he would have to face after all, she already knew so much about him.

"You could…" Coco paused. "Well, have you thought about maybe…"

Pyrrha turned to look at her friend, it was unusual for Coco to stumble her words as she was. Though she was far from the perfect image she tried to foster, the girl was usually very direct with her actions and words giving her an air of confidence. Seeing her now, without any idea of how to help, it brought a smile to Pyrrha's face for the sheer absurdity of it.

"There you two are!" Velvet snapped as they walked through the doorway into the building set aside for the dance. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago!"

Pyrrha looked up to Velvet just long enough to see the glare on her face, before quickly looking away in shame. Desperately, she looked to Coco for help. Whatever had stumped her before seemed to be gone now, and she knew exactly what to say.

"Pyr went over her workout time, I was just waiting on her to make sure she didn't die." Coco promptly threw her under the bus.

"Well, now that you two are here, we can get started with the floor plan." Velvet gestured them over to a table with several notebooks open. Penny was the only other one standing at the table, while Yatsuhashi and Fox were both suspiciously absent. "So, the seating plan for last year was a big success, mixing first year teams with the upper years worked great, and Professor Goodwitch wants us to try that again."

"Glynda is helping?" Pyrrha asked as she stepped over, picking up one of the notebooks. The pages were covered in notes and a quick glance at the next few pages revealed the same thing.

"No, she left it to us to decide." Coco shook her head. "It's a sort of tradition to let the students plan it, but she did hint that it would be a good idea to do it again."

Pyrrha nodded. "Meaning she told us to do it."

"Basically, yeah." Coco shrugged.

"Focus!" Velvet snapped again, reaching for a mug of what smelled like coffee, and not the sugary treat that she often knew the girl to get, but rather straight black.

"Uh… Is she ok?" Pyrrha asked Coco quietly, though, likely due to her synthetic nature, Penny easily heard her and answered.

"Friend Velvet has consumed fourteen cups of coffee in the last twelve hours in an effort to stay awake." Penny beamed, paused for a moment, and then continued. "Her resting heart rate is currently fifteen present over regular."

"Ok, that's enough of that." Coco reached over and grabbed the mug out of Velvet's hand. "Seriously Vel, go take a nap or something, we've got it from here."

"But the seating plan-"

"I am more than familiar enough with how they should look." Pyrrha smiled brightly. "Rest, please."

Velvet looked fit to argue, but the yawn that quickly slipped out seemed to stifle her argument. Grumbling, she turned and started off towards the dorm.

"So…" Pyrrha turned back towards Coco. "Where do we start?"

Pyrrha leaned up against the wall next to the door as she rubbed at her eyes. The process of mixing the various years around had seemed so easy. Put a first year team with a third or fourth year so that they could talk and build bonds, easy enough on the surface, but as Coco had helpfully pointed out, some of these people were not at all compatible. The fact she knew just about all of the drama that happened within Beacon came as no surprise, but it also made things far harder. They had to avoid putting certain teams near each other at all, then they had to make sure nobody who had dated or tried to date each other was nearby, it was all a mess of interconnected sitcoms and poorly planned relationships that Pyrrha was pretty sure only Coco and Penny could properly track.

They were done however, and Penny and Coco had stepped off to see what it would look like in person as they moved the tables around. They didn't need her help for that thankfully, Penny capable of lifting them by herself. That gave Pyrrha a moment to step outside and catch her breath; the timing couldn't have been any better.

Beacon was, obviously, an academy, but it was also a symbol. It represented Vale in many regards and, either due to that fact or the fact that Ozpin had arranged it personally, the school often played host to countless important events and individuals. One such event was obviously the festival which, technically, didn't have to be held at the school itself. The school had also started playing host to diplomatic meetings. The arrival of the Atlesian forces to Vale during the summer had been one such event, and the eventual arrival of their fleet along with Amity was another. It set a precedent apparently however, and as Pyrrha finally looked out over the grounds of Beacon.

Three of the airships that had once carried students from Beacon were quickly approaching the school from the city, but unlike those same ships these were painted in a uniform black with the symbol of Mistral emblazoned on the side. Shooting a message to Coco, Pyrrha quickly set off for the landing area that the ships seemed to be heading towards. She wasn't the only one either, as she noticed a number of students moving about as well. By the time she arrived, the first of the ships was setting down.

Ozpin was waiting at the landing pad, Glynda a few steps behind him. A moment later, and the reason why became evident. A number of rather important looking individuals stepped off of the ship, but Pyrrha only recognized one. Colonel Aurelian somehow looked older than when she had seen him last, but no less strong. His shoulders were stiff and his face stern. He exchanged some words with the Headmaster, before the group stepped off towards the tower. The students parted to allow the group through, giving Pyrrha a clear moment to approach.

"Colonel Aurelian." Pyrrha greeted as she approached, hoping to catch the man's attention.

"Amber." The Colonel smiled simply, nodding at her for a moment before his smile seemed to falter. He gestured for the group to move ahead without him, and though Glynda stayed behind, the rest continued to push on with the Headmaster. "How have you been?"

"I have been well. How is Mistral?" Pyrrha asked.

"Recovering." The Colonel nodded. "Walk with me." He gestured down a path that split off from the main one leading towards the center of the academy. "This should circle back around to the center if my old mind is not mistaken."

"You are correct, Colonel." Glynda answered. "Though I would remind you, the council will be here shortly."

"The Council is coming to Beacon?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes widening somewhat. That seemed like a rather big deal, and yet she hadn't heard anything about it.

"An emergency meeting was called by one of the members to begin preparations for the security of Vale during the festival." Glynda answered. "They were waiting on Mistral to arrive before locking in a date."

Colonel Aurelian stepped off down the path. "There is a great deal to discuss if they wish for Mistral to protect the festival. We can't do it alone, not yet. We will need support."

"That is why you are at Beacon, to get support from Ozpin?" Pyrrha asked as she followed after, quickly moving to match his stride.

"Not quite." The Colonel shook his head. "We are here in the hopes of getting support from both Beacon and Atlas. If James can pull his head out of the sand long enough to hear us speak."

Pyrrha remained silent, awkwardly following behind him as she didn't know what to say. She felt a small part of her desire to defend the General, as he had helped her a great deal, but lately… Well, it seemed that he was hardly himself.

"A great deal has changed since last we spoke." The Colonel looked over to her as they walked, specifically towards her chest. "You wear the symbol of Atlas now."

Pyrrha blinked in confusion before looking down to see the small red medal that denoted her as an Atlesian Specialist. She had honestly forgotten she was wearing it as it had simply become a part of her attire, much like Qrow's flask on her belt.

"Considering that you are the Fall Maiden, I would hope that such will not be a conflict of interest." The Colonel said.

"Should it be?" Pyrrha asked in confusion. "General Ironwood is on our side against Salem, I don't see how that would be an issue."

"He may be opposed to Salem, but… It's more complicated than that now." The Colonel answered slowly.

"Aurelian, I don't think that Miss Nikos is the one to talk to about this." Glynda spoke up, having remained silent so far. "James has helped her a great deal and never tried to hold her back from assisting us, I do not believe he would try to use her against us."

"It is for that reason she is the perfect one to speak with." The Colonel spoke again. "I intended to speak with all of the General's closest confidants given the chance. Perhaps one of them will be able to talk some damned sense into him."

"What's going on? Really?" Pyrrha stopped on the path. They were far enough away from anyone that might overhear them, hence why Glynda had called her by her name, so she felt safe in taking a more direct approach. "If this was just a meeting to discuss security it could be handled over a screen."

"You are correct on that account, miss Nikos." The Colonel replied.

"Aurelian, I do not think-"

"We are here to prevent a war." He answered before Glynda could continue. "Or to attempt to at least."

"W-war?" Pyrrha took a step back. "With who?" The Colonel didn't bother answering, simply looking down at the pin on her chest. "Atlas doesn't want a war!"

"Nobody wants war, no one who is sane anyways. They want what it can offer them." The Colonel answered. "And right now, General Ironwood wants to root out the White Fang, Cinder Fall, and any other agent he thinks might be working with Salem. If that means war… it seems he is willing to pay that price for it."

"No." Pyrrha shook her head. "You're wrong, General Ironwood is a good man, he wouldn't just throw people away like that." He had offered his support when Ozpin had tried to send her to Atlas; he had allowed her to fight beside his forces against Cinder and Salem. He had been kind to her as well, perhaps not recently but that was only because of the stress.

"And yet he brought an army to Vale without the permission of its Council." The Colonel reminded her. "Were they in any position to stop him, it would have been open war right then and there."

"Don't exasperate the issue Colonel." Glynda offered. "Things are bad, but open war is… unlikely."

Even to Pyrrha's ears, Glynda sounded uncertain.

"This meeting has been called, and the General has been invited, in an effort to prevent that from happening." The Colonel turned away from her. "Let us hope he was not simply pretending to be a good man."

"I'll talk to him!" Pyrrha said quickly. "He'll listen."

The Colonel stopped to regard her one last time, his eyes dipping towards the medal on her chest for a moment before meeting hers once more. "And if he doesn't listen? What will you do then?"

It was a question Pyrrha didn't know how to answer.

Author's Note: I have really struggled with the plot towards the latter half of this story, and I am trying to wrangle everything under control and tie in what I laid down so long ago. I'm looking at doing more of a bi-weekly schedule if I keep running into trouble, which I would rather not do but we shall see. Consider this the warning of that however.

Hopefully you all enjoyed the chapter and as always don't forget to review. Good or bad, it helps me improve massively to hear from the readers.

Sincerely, SE