Sorry for the long delay in updates! Anyway enjoy the chap, more to come soon!

Chapter 5 Interlude: James Ironwood

"The future looks bright with people like you in it Akari. We will keep in touch. Will, Meg… Velvet" James nodded awkwardly to them all before pressing a button on his desk.

*Transceiver Off*

With the flicker of his hologram turning off, James' shoulders sloped down.

James Ironwood, the General of Atlas and Headmaster of Atlas Academy sighed. Not a short sigh, but a long drawn-out one full of stress.

'Did I show too much favoritism to Akari? I gave more concessions in that one talk than I have in most talks with Jacques'.

Screens were constantly flickering around Ironwood, lighting his face up in a dull blue glow. He felt his Semblance become more present in his mind, yet barely cared.

He hasn't felt this guilty in a long time, especially due to the circumstances.

One of his most trusted friends, one of the most important assets to Atlas's engineering division, almost had his two daughters killed by Grimm.

…

Because of him.

If only he hadn't listened to Ozpin's advice on this matter. Help reforge ties with Menagerie by freely implementing the Stalwart Wall Project? What a blunder on his part.

...

Even with Ozpin pushing himself to go through with it, he normally would have said no. No, he definitely would have said no. He still remembered their conversation like it was yesterday, demanding answers for why Ozpin had rejected the revolutionary safety advancements this project could bring to Vale.

While the Vale Council was divided on allowing Atlas to implement defenses for the Kingdom, it was Ozpin who ultimately decided against James interfering in Vale, believing that foreign intervention would only spread fear.

'My best analysts already accounted for this, of course,' James grumbled, still slightly irritated by Ozpin's decision.

Regardless of what happened with the project's implementation in Vale, Ozpin had pointed out how promising it would be to renew ties with Menagerie. While the Council was initially reluctant to invest so much in Menagerie, their long-standing biases holding them back, James, Ozpin, and a few others managed to sway them.

Now, he regrets ever using the favors Jacques owed him to make it happen. Perhaps it was a fleeting moment of whimsy, or maybe even desperation born from his Semblance revealing how likely a conflict with Menagerie could be. But when he heard Will talk about his new daughter, it somehow motivated him.

Will, a dear friend and one of the primary reasons Atlas even had Hardlight Dust, had been so excited, speaking endlessly about his two daughters. He went on and on about every little detail in their lives, from their favorite foods to how even Meg was starting to get along with him again.

It was heartening to hear, and the idea that his dear friend's marriage was stabilizing again pushed him into strengthening Menagerie. After all, only good could come from having more allies against their ever-looming foe.

Maybe Ozpin was right. Perhaps, if he helped Menagerie by sending some of his most valuable to aid them, they would recognize his goodwill and the effort to reduce tensions. Surely this would happen, right?

…

"He was wrong," the good General muttered darkly aloud in his command center, screens flickering beside his face showing the progress of Project Stalwart Wall.

Glancing briefly at the screen, James shook his head. Menagerie was dragging its feet in aiding the project, even though it would protect them for years to come. They were afraid of Atlas.

'And for good reason,' he frowned in thought. Whether it was due to their power or, sadly, the racist members of the Council, the island of Faunus had good reason to suspect this was a ploy to advance military actions against them.

That was why he had only sent his engineers, Will, and a few guards. He had expected Menagerie to make up for the lack of guards, using it as an excuse to both ensure his men weren't doing anything untold and to learn how they were carrying out the project.

It was a mistake on his part, one of many. That was why he had immediately sent Herma to Menagerie as soon as he heard what happened to Will. By the Gods, he was stricken with worry when one of the engineers reported to him in a frenzy on what happened.

He was almost tempted to order Will and the others to return to Atlas, but that one girl changed his mind.

James pictured the small, injured girl fiercely glaring at him demanding to become a Huntress, a further sigh escaping him. This time, it was from embarrassment rather than grief.

'I certainly hope I didn't play favorites with her too much… Maybe I should reward Velvet the same way I rewarded young Akari?' Ironwood stood from his sleek metal chair and approached the large window overlooking Atlas.

Looking out over the city, he smiled. It was especially beautiful at night.

He felt his Semblance slowly, almost unconsciously, fade away again. He chuckled.

"Yes, I believe I'll give Velvet a gift similar to what I gave Akari too," Ironwood said, glancing thoughtfully at the Vytal Island in the sky, slowly approaching Atlas. The 34th Festival was soon to arrive.

"I wonder if they will enjoy what's in the envelope," he hummed.

Cheeng*

A metallic chime interrupted his thoughts, and he turned toward his monitors. On the centermost of his table, a hologram appeared, showing a still image of who was trying to get in contact with him. It was Ozpin.

A frown crossed Ironwood's face as his Semblance almost instinctively flared, only for him to suppress it.

'No need to get lost in thought. After all, there's always work to do.'

And with that thought, the General made his way to have what promised to be an interesting, if comically angry, conversation with Ozpin about what happened involving the Grimm and the daughter of one of his most trusted friends.

Authors Note: Hey all, I hope you guys enjoyed this very brief chapter, but before jumping into Chapter 6 I believe an interlude was needed. It's been awhile, so my writing style has significantly changed, so lets all just... ignore that hehe.

I really hope I got a semi-good take on Ironwood here in this Interlude, I wanted to subtly point towards how impactful his Semblance Mettle is in his day to day life. He is a younger General, and has years until he might become what he did in OG RWBY.

Besides all that, expect chapter 6 to be out soonish, it has been in the works for a long time as I have been giving it a touch and go treatment. Despite this, I have binge written a ton of it tonight, and it should be mostly done soon. I have been storyboarding this story SOOOOO much for SOOOO long, that I have a good idea of what I want, now I just have to get there.

Stay cool, and stay frosty.