Quoth the Apricot 3 - (RWBY AU, OC!I)

Raven Branwen had been having fun with her new charges.

Compared to the silly brats at Signal, this batch was indeed enough to make her finally feel giddy and 'troubled' in the matters of education. It made her feel extremely nostalgic how she could watch around the Academy... and have authority to put the kids under some tough loving with her care.

Team PRCT was... in a better shape than Team STRQ - but that was mostly due to the lack of any 'strong-willed' individuals willing to clash with one another. It was a bit disappointing, but she had to admit that a lack of this element meant that her work wasn't as tedious as she had been dreading for.

Still, she had a plan to get these four to show some proper backbone: get them to the edge, and see how they explode - either against each other, or against her. Either way, she was going to get some good results to work the kinks of this bunch of rookies.

All was nice and well... until she was questioned by one of those 'teachers' meeting with Ozpin' that she had heard happening rarely during her time at Beacon, but that now was a thing for her to dread about. She was soon sitting down by 'her' chair, quite far off from Ozpin, but still close enough to see the wizened headmaster, his loyal pet Glynda and... some other familiar faces that had baffled her with their hiring in the school's staff.

Willow Schnee, now divorced and trying to keep her husband from claiming either her family or her company, was now taking a break as she left the wheel to her old father and taken the job as teacher at this school.

They had always entertained a rather polite and friendly relationship, but Raven felt that the fellow woman was now less happy in being open and socially curious around others due to her last few years of hell. Nonetheless, the white-haired lady was surprised when another figure came to be hired and brought with her the same brand of 'feline delight'.

Kali Belladonna was a 'proud cat momma', and someone that still was Raven's own pest with her giggling, scribbling of notes, and words of memories in the past about Raven's 'still gorgeous' body. She may have missed it the first time around, but Raven had been told, by someone as silly as Summer after they started to work together, that Kali had been teasing her up for as long as they had known each other.

Even now, the teasing was back - but Raven was aware and grimacing a few times as she remembered with desire the few times she craved for Grape Juice when compared to wine. The latter was still her favorite booze, but Ozpin had made a point in 'not drinking around students'.

"What about Qrow?" She had asked back then, and the headmaster hummed.

"Qrow doesn't drink when he has to work at Signal."

Doesn't he? Raven was sure her brother had just gotten better at lying about it than else, but she wasn't in the mood to spoil his trick just yet. It was blackmail material and, among siblings, that was an essential thing to keep close to be used in the right time.

Still, that wasn't the reason why she had to 'finally' take part to this meeting.

"Have you been following the regulations regarding the 'limits' on how much first-year students can be coached, Raven?"

The question stood out as something important and... she had absolutely no clue on what that was all about.

"No. Why?"

Glynda facepalmed, Ozpin blinked in surprise, and the rest of the professors looked shocked by what they just heard and-

"Well, what were you expecting from Branwen?" Willow argued flatly, turning to the dark-haired woman. "Did you even get the document in your Scroll?"

"No."

"You definitely did," Glynda shot back, sounding irked at this alleged lie. "I made sure that all provided numbers received the proper documents."

Raven scoffed. "Well, I didn't. So you either messed up or-"

"Or you gave them Summer's number since it is the same thing you used to do when you were a student here," Kali interrupted with a little grin. "After all, you always thought it too much of a chore to get boring documents, so the leader should get them."

This possibility had Raven frowning and then... thinking. Did she do that? It sounded indeed like something she would do. She would have to ask Summer why she didn't call her if that was indeed the case.

"I guess."

Glynda growled, but she didn't speak any further as Ozpin raised his hand and stopped her.

"Raven, the point of those rules are to prevent teachers to get extremely harsh on their students. I understand that you have your own experience, but Beacon has laws to abide to-"

"It's not my fault the school's quality has dropped since I was first there," The woman shot back, almost annoyed by the mere idea that she had no clue on how to prepare these students under her care. "Heck, why is Port allowed to spend most of his lessons talking about his deeds rather than focusing on what his subject is all about? I thought you had a tough talk with him when he used to do the same with us."

"I do remember that too," Kali hummed, turning to the portly teacher. "I thought you were done with that, Peter."

The man offered an uneasy smile. "Tough habit to deal with..."

"Nonetheless, that should not allow you the means to just treat them as if they don't have school beyond your lessons," Willow jumped in with a stern look. "Branwen, you and I used to have an understanding, but even through I can be quite strict I don't leave my own wards stressed out and tired up from the very morning."

"They are fine," Raven muttered quietly, eyes burning red at being prodded like this. "And you should be minding your own chores, Schnee."

The two shared a glare contest, but Ozpin wasn't done talking.

"Alas, the point why I wished to call you here is not to enforce any punishment, but rather to hear your point on why you took this path. Still, I wish for this to be a chance to explore a chance of reform at Beacon, and it involves your own team."

That sounded like one of those jobs Qrow would be sent to, which made Raven even more annoyed.

"Which is?"

"In a month from now, students will be expected to do their first class mission to visit Forever Fall. Despite this, there have been rumors of increased Grimm activity. So I wish to use this as a 'testing ground' for your team, together with Ms. Schnee's Team CART, to see if either of the models can produce better students. You will be sent there in a week, with Ms. Belladonna's Team SEWC acting as reserve just in case there's a need of support."

A bet? Ozpin was really suggesting a bet to her? As much as this sounded risky, and one where the only winning prize was winning itself.

Many would just scoff and refuse, but Raven Branwen was a prideful woman, and she smiled widely at this.

"That sounds acceptable."

"Ignoring the absurd amount of 'allowance' this competition warrants," Glynda rebuked angrily. "Sir, I don't think this is-"

"Raven will not back down unless either proved right or wrong by the field. Trying to talk her down is-"

"Dumb. And a tried method that leads nowhere," Willow confirmed as she still eyed the former friend with some contempt. "I hope you're ready to lose, Branwen."

"Bring it, Schnee."

Despite their best efforts to sound like two mature women, Ozpin couldn't help but sigh and lament in his mind at how childish people have gotten in the last few years.

AN

Next time, things go very 'awkward' for Team PRCT and Team CART. Also, you may start to guess who's part of team SEWC (Seaweed Cream), I will only say that two of those are siblings with blonde hair.