Chapter 26

After settling in at Argus, Ruby and Maria talked about silver eyes. Maria revealed to Ruby what she knew about their eyes. Rosa came face to face with a Mandalorian who claimed to be the brother of the former Fall Maiden. The Sith discovered the Knights had made it to Argus and overcharged the Grimm, causing the Mandalorians and Jedi to fight them off together.

Nihil and Requiem looked over the city of Argus. The leader of the Argus protectorate. The city that held the knights at this very moment. They were on the top of the cliff on the other side of the dish. Nihil's legs were over the edge of the cliff. She hummed to herself a song that Requiem could recognize. He looked over the city while taking pictures of the city. Of all the weak spots and all the defensible spots.

"I'm getting ready my best Miasma now." Nihil said.

"The Leviathan is in the water. Do you still have that miasma that charges the Grimm?" Requiem said.

"I've got something for that. I was thinking about using this new one." Nihil pulled out a large vial with a blue cloud in it.

"What is that?" Requiem asked.

"I think it's a deadly poison. It will take some time to kill them. It's sort of like a plague." Nihil said. Requiem looked at the vial.

"How do you know this one will work? Have you tested it on people?" Requiem said.

"On a group of White Fang Clones. It took about half a day for them all to die." Nihil said. "Seeing their lives be snuffed out as they joined the endless nothingness was so entertaining."

Requiem looked at Nihil.

"It's an art you know, perfecting mass death with poison. You don't want them to die too soon because then all the fun is taken out of it. But you don't want them to last too long because then that gives others a chance to find an antidote to the poison." Nihil said.

"We don't need to make this last long. We need Argus to be destroyed." Requiem said.

"Oh, Sigvard, lighten up! What's the point of all this death and destruction if we can't enjoy it?" Nihil said.

"Some of us prefer our work to speak for itself, Astrae. I leave the theatrics to you." Requiem said. He looked through the binoculars again.

"So mean to me." Nihil said.

"We need to take out those Mandalorians first. I believe I've heard of that Mandalorian I fought last week." Requiem said.

"Oh, what do you have?" Nihil said.

"He and his people are all over the Protectorate. Argus seems to be their base of operation, but they are known to travel between the other cities. This arrangement seems to be something new. The Leader has been seen across the kingdoms. He killed two Sith for those lightsabers. I have no idea where he got the blue crystals." Requiem said.

"Anything else?" Nihil asked.

"Nothing solid yet." Requiem said.

The leader waited at the docks for the arrival of his guests. This clan was a long way from home, but he and his men would protect them with their lives. They were owed that much respect. He looked out and saw the boat starting the process to dock. He stood alone. He wanted to give as little attention to this as possible. He didn't even wear his armor. He did cover his face with a mask Amber found for him. While it wasn't orthodox to do this, it wasn't against the creeds. He knew the Sith would be watching. After fighting them, he and his group would have become targets for the Sith.

People began to get off the boat. He saw her leave the boat first. She wasn't in her armor, in one of the few excused times in a Mandalorian's life. They had to hide in plain sight to move here.

Nix Khan, sister of the former White Fang leader Seinna Khan, was his honored guest. Her band of Mandalorians heard about his clan fighting the Sith. Her clan was one of the few that was now openly against the Sith. Nix stood in front of the Leader.

"It's been a while." Nix said.

"It has." His tanned skin showed itself around his mask. His brown hair was cut in near military style. He saw the others getting off the boats.

"I'll lead you to the clan base." The leader said.

The Khan Clan and the Emir Clan met together in one of the city's many Apartment complexes. The entire complex was bought outright by the Emir Clan a while ago and served as a base of operations in plain daylight. Countless apartments were still open for anyone that the Emir Clan allowed in. They exchanged their services to the city in protection, and some occasional bounty hunting for this building to stay under the radar.

Nix Khan turned to the leader Emir impressed.

"Stealthy. The hunter's spirit is still in this clan." Nix said.

"We have been able to expand below as well. The ventilation system allows for the forge master and gunsmith to do their work. We have a quick emergency exit route underground as well." Leader Emir said.

"You have put a lot of effort into this hideout." Nix said. She looked behind her and saw that no one else was around.

"Jasper, we both know the Sith killed our sisters." Nix said. Leader Emir, Jasper Emir, listened to his name. It had been a while since he had met someone who knew his name.

"The Fall Maiden is in the city, with the rest of the Jedi Knights the Sith are hunting. They will attack the city, I know it." Jasper said.

"I see. Is that why you asked us to come here?" Nix asked.

"I briefly fought some of the Sith. They have two especially dangerous Sith with them. One of them controls Grimm while the other one is able to power Grimm up. The Knights were struggling with a Beringel. It took multiple killing blows and it kept getting back up." Jasper said.

"I see. This seems to be more serious than I first believed. The Lone clan is willing to come here. Bora Lone is a worthy fighter." Nix said.

"Many of my men don't think so. It would be better to not have her here." Jasper said.

"Other clans are willing to join in our fight against the Sith." Nix said.

"And those who have are spread around the world. Even now I weaken Menagerie to fortify Argus. Those of us who are standing against the Sith are few." Jasper said.

"The Branwen Clan is now standing against the Sith. They began to join the alliance in Vacuo." Nix said.

"Good. The more who stand against Salem the better." Jasper said. He turned to Nix. There was a history there between the two. Jasper was indebted to the Khan clan, but Nix would have come without that. Sienna didn't approve that a human and a faunus had gotten so close. It put a strain on their relationship. One that couldn't last after Amber disappeared.

"I'm sorry for how we ended last time." Jasper said.

"I understood." Nix said. She brought her hand up to Jasper's face. Nix was one of the few Jasper allowed to see his face without his helmet or mask.

"I… I wasn't who I should have been. I was angry, and I lashed out at you." Jasper said. Nix nodded her head.

"I understand you. I always have." Nix said. She brought her hand back. Jasper picked up his helmet and put it on. He showed Nix around the rest of the hideout.

Oscar was training with Ruby and Rosa. As he was fighting Ruby, Rosa was telling him about the emotional masks that she had to create. Oscar brought his lightsaber up, blocking Ruby's strike. Against Ruby, he favored Soresu and Shein.

"Maku told me that the easiest way of dealing with my force ability was to create emotional masks. It was almost like splitting up my different emotions and placing each emotion in a box, or on a mask. This has many weaknesses as I have come to learn." Rosa said. Oscar was backing up and blocking Ruby's strikes. Her speed kept him on the defensive.

"That won't do." Oscar said. He rolled to the side and brought up his lightsaber to block a wide-open strike from Ruby. This was a challenge in and of itself, splitting his focus.

"That's why I wouldn't do that. But the same principle may work. It seems to me that your problem is that all the emotions come in all at once. If you cap the emotions coming in, you can more easily sort out those emotions. It will become a trickle instead of an ocean." Rosa said. Ruby brought her first lightsaber around. Oscar blocked it. He anticipated the second strike to come from the left, but Ruby quickly spun to the right and smashed her pommel into his face. Oscar stumbled back.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked.

"Fine." Oscar replied.

"Tell me if I'm going too fast." Ruby said.

"You're almost too fast. But I can still keep up at this pace." Oscar said.

"You really should rest yourself, Oscar. You've been pushing yourself again." Ozpin said.

"I can handle it Ozpin." Oscar said. Ruby jumped up in the air and brought her lightsaber down. Oscar blocked the strike, and Ruby used Oscar to push off and land behind him. He spun around, feeling dizzy as he did.

"Oh no." Oscar said. Ruby stopped.

"I should have listened. Sorry guys." Oscar said. He collapsed. Rosa rushed over to him.

"Oscar, are you okay?" Rosa asked.

"He's done it again." Ruby said.

"Done what again?" Rosa asked.

"He pushes himself to the point where his body and mind can't take it, and he collapses. The training's over." Ruby said. She picked Oscar up and wrapped his arms over her shoulders.

"We need to get back to the house." Rosa said.

"Yeah." Ruby said. They were in a hunter's battle gym, not too far from the house. It wasn't too unusual to see a passed-out hunter being carried out of the Gym.

"Do you need a hand?" Rosa asked.

"It wouldn't hurt." Ruby said. Rosa stepped over and grabbed an arm from Oscar. He started snoring lightly.

"He's really out." Rosa said.

"Yeah. Last time this happened was when we were all comforting Weiss." Ruby said.

"About what?" Rosa asked.

"Uncle Qrow's womanizing." Ruby said.

"I don't follow. Why would she get mad at him for that? Not just on principle, right?" Rosa asked.

"Uncle Qrow may have slept with Weiss's mom. And Oscar's aunt." Ruby said. Rosa looked over at Ruby.

"No fucking way." Rosa said, in a much more jovial tone than when Yang said it.

"Exactly what Yang said. Oscar collapsed right after we made sure Weiss was okay." Ruby said.

"Damn, I wish I could have been there." Rosa said. The smile left her face.

"I…" Rosa started. Ruby could tell immediately the shift in her mood.

"I'm sorry Ruby. I know you all have forgiven me. I know you always saw the best in me. I don't deserve friends like you." Rosa said.

"Come on Rosa. We aren't the same without you. Everyone knows that." Ruby said.

"I keep looking back at my actions. I keep screaming at myself for being so stupid. I should have seen her manipulations. I should have known better." Rosa said.

"You figured it out in the end." Ruby said.

"When you first met Umbra, met me, on Menagerie… I really wanted to kill Sun. I tried to kill him with everything in me. I never got to say how sorry I am that I was like that. It's bullshit that I made it back safe while good people suffer." Rosa said. Ruby could feel her self-hatred. That anger at her core was burning.

"Rosa, please. I don't want to hear someone talk bad about my friend like that. Especially not you, who showed us who she really is by asking for help." Ruby said.

"I'm sorry. There are so many emotions that are just… It makes me want to scream and cry and…" Rosa said.

"I understand. You have to let those emotions out somehow. Say… I think I saw a place that will help a lot with that." Ruby said.

"What do you mean?" Rosa asked.

"There's this place where you get to destroy everything in the room. They give you a sledgehammer and just let you have at it." Ruby said. Rosa nodded her head.

"Honestly… I think I may need something like that." Rosa said. "But… I…"

"Yes? What's up?" Ruby said.

"You're probably going to think it's stupid." Rosa said.

"I have never said that about one of your ideas." Ruby said. Rosa had a blush on her face. "Boy problems? Girl problems?"

"Ruby." Rosa rolled her eyes. She had to admit that she was starting to feel better after that.

"What's the hold up?" Ruby play gasped "Is it Jaune? I don't think Pyrrha will like that."

"Please. Get serious." Rosa said.

"I can't believe you would go after your own teammates. Is it Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"That would be wrong. You guys are basically family." Rosa said, the smile still there.

"It's not Oscar here, is it? You have him right where you want him?" Ruby said in that playful tone.

"Wouldn't want to make you jealous." Rosa retorted. Ruby had a slight blush on her face.

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"I was… kind of hoping to start baking again." Rosa said. "I know I'm out of practice. I haven't made any in a long time. I'm not saying you all have to eat it…" Rosa was saying each word faster. Ruby started laughing.

"That's what you were worried about? Oh no, Rosa wants to make delicious bread and cookies for everyone! It's terrifying!" Ruby snorted.

"Hey!" Rosa said. She looked back at the ground. "Thanks. I needed that."

"Now what was that comment about Oscar?" Ruby asked.

"Oh… do you not like him like that?" Rosa asked. Ruby looked at Oscar. She had admitted to herself that she thought he was cute before. And handsome before. And she did like freckles… no! They were friends. That's it.

"We're friends." Ruby said.

"Oh. My mistake." Rosa said. "Blake did say differently."

"That's because Blake reads smut." Ruby said.

"I didn't even know you knew what that was." Rosa said.

"I'm seventeen Rosa." Ruby said. "I know FILTH when I see it."

They made it back to the house. Saphron opened the door, holding a purse. She saw Oscar and immediately dropped it.

"It's fine. He just does this when he doesn't get his proper REST, OSCAR!" Ruby shouted at the sleeping Oscar.

"Oh." Saphron said. Rosa handed Oscar off to Ruby. She stopped in front of Saphron.

"Excuse me… do you have the stuff to make bread?" Rosa asked.

"You bake?" Saphron asked.

"I want to get back into it." Rosa said.

"When was the last time you baked?" Saphron asked.

"Probably… eight months ago." Before Vytal, but she didn't want to bring that up. There was a lot of tension here in Argus over the Atlas question. Did they do enough to stop the knights from turning on the defenders? Saphron had a strong opinion on Vytal.

"I can help you if you wait till I get back." Saphron asked.

"Alright." Rosa said.

Jaune was with Pyrrha, Blake, and Weiss. They were on Grimm extermination mission. Ren, Nora, Yang, and Qrow took another mission. Oscar, Ruby, and Rosa stayed back to train. Jaune brought his lightsaber down into the back of another Grimm. He looked around at the others. Pyrrha gave him a thumbs up.

"That wasn't that many." Jaune said.

"That's a good thing Jaune." Pyrrha said.

"I know. It's just… are we sure we're not missing anything?" Jaune asked.

"Our sector's clear." Blake said.

Jaune looked at the three women.

"I guess my nerves are still fried when it comes to Grimm since last week." Jaune said.

"Let's be glad that crazy lady hasn't been back to boost up the Grimm." Weiss said.

"I don't like that the Sith haven't made another move yet." Jaune said.

"Neither do I." Blake said. "I'm surprised that Kaiser isn't following us."

"Why would he?" Weiss asked.

"Both Rosa and I are here. He always tried to find anyone who 'betrayed' him." Blake said.

"He doesn't have the White Fang anymore to rely on." Pyrrha said.

"I know. Maybe…" Blake stopped.

"Maybe what?" Weiss asked.

"Maybe he's trying to make Sun fall." Blake said.

"Good luck with that happening." Weiss said. Blake nodded her head. She had to have faith in Sun.

Qrow brought Harbinger up and fired into the head of a Beowolf, killing it. The Grimm dissipated and Qrow brought Harbinger back up on his shoulder.

"That's another one." Qrow said. They finished securing their area. The Grimm were simple and weak. Qrow started stretching his neck. Yang came up to him.

"We're done here. That's another mission completed." Yang said. She smiled at Qrow.

"Good. We should be able to get to Atlas soon." Qrow said.

"Has… has Raven talked to you since we last saw her?" Yang asked.

"She didn't say much. She just told me to tell you thanks for giving her a kick in the ass." Qrow said. Yang smiled at that.

"Good." Yang said. "It's strange. That hate I had for her is going away."

"Not strange at all. She's changing." Qrow said.

"I guess you're right." Yang said. "Come on guys! Let's turn these in!" Nora yelled at them.

"Yeah! We're coming!" Yang yelled.

"I'll catch up with you guys. I'm going to head to the next city over for a quick stop." Qrow said.

"Why are you going to Vigil's Point?" Yang asked. Vigil's point was one of the cities in the protectorate and one that had a networking system between all the other cities in the Protectorate. It had an alliance station in it as well. Qrow was going to check in on an old friend from Vigil's Point.

"Recon." Qrow said.

"Okay. Be sure to be back soon." Yang said.

"I will." Qrow said. He began to fly toward the city.

Both groups went to the Alliance outpost and handed in the missions they completed. The office handed them Lien for each mission, but they still couldn't spare a ship. There had been some recent activity in the waters, and some of these ships have reported to have spotted massive Grimm in the water.

"We're sorry. With the events in Atlas right now…" The clone said.

"What's going on in Atlas?" Yang demanded, slamming her hand on the desk. Commander Cordovin appeared to them.

"There have been terroristic bombings on the lining cities. General Fordo is dealing with them, but Atlas is all but closed." Cordovin said.

"Shouldn't they want us there?" Blake asked.

"They still haven't found Sith in the attack. Until then, we can't risk sending Ironwood's package to Atlas. Ironwood has ordered that himself. I'm sorry we've lied to you, but you've been helping Argus. We're hoping that the Sith will reveal themselves here." Cordovin said.

"That's a terrible risk! You can't put Argus at risk like that!" Ren said.

"We can and we must. We have special defenses here. We have Mandalorians. We have Jedi here." Cordovin said. They took a step back.

"There's more Jedi here?" Nora asked.

"Yes. And not just the local ones. Your Jedi Masters will be arriving soon. They understand the threat. If the Sith don't attack after that… then you all are free to go to Atlas." Cordovin said.

"We already know the Sith are here." Weiss said.

"You reported that, yes. That's why we keep assigning these missions. We know you will take them. We're hoping to get them out in public again and taking care of them then." Cordovin said.

"Is that all of it?" Jaune asked.

"The Sith are the enemy. Not us." Cordovin said.

"We understand. Thank you for explaining what's going on." Pyrrha said.

They went back to Saphron and Terra's house. As they opened the door, the smell of fresh bread hit them.

"Nice! Thanks, Saph for making some bread." Jaune said.

"I didn't lift a finger." Saphron said. Rosa was in the kitchen, checking on the bread. She turned around, and she started blushing.

"Hey guys…" Rosa said.

"YES!" Yang yelled. "It's been forever since we had some of Rosa's baking!"

Rosa was blushing. She forgot that they loved her baking. She put her hood up. Nora rushed in and hugged her. Nora lifted Rosa off the ground.

"Wow!" Rosa said.

"Hey, where's Oscar?" Jaune asked.

"He collapsed when he was sparing with Ruby. She said not to worry about it." Rosa said after Nora put her down.

"He really should get more rest." Weiss said. "Where's Ruby?"

"She took him up there. I think she said something about seeing his farm. I didn't get it." Rosa said. Blake's ears twitched. She went off to find Ruby and Oscar. Yang saw her leave.

"Where are you going?" Yang asked, following after Blake.

Ruby decided to take a peak inside of Oscar's mind. Now would be the best time to do it. He always talked about his farm. She wanted to see it.

After Ruby put Oscar down in the bed, she stepped back. He tried to reach something. She handed him a pillow. She smiled. Rosa was behind her.

"What are you doing?" Rosa asked.

"Just going to see Oscar's farm." Ruby said.

"Ok… I'm going to wait downstairs," Rosa said. She left Ruby steadying herself. She sat down across from Oscar. She closed her eyes and poked his forehead like she had before.

When she opened her eyes, she was back in the room with Ozpin. He looked at her and shook his head.

"Miss Rose, what are you doing back in here?" Ozpin asked, like a teacher catching his student doing something she shouldn't have. Which in this case is exactly what happened.

"I really want to see the Farm Oscar is always talking about so…" Ruby said.

"Miss Rose. This is his private mind. You do know what the word private is, right?" Ozpin had to ask.

"Of course I do. But what's the worst that I could find in here?" Ruby asked.

"Oscar is a growing boy, Miss Rose." Ozpin said.

"Come on, this is Oscar we're talking about. He's innocent personified. So… where how do I get to his mind in here?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not going to guide you." Ozpin said.

"Is it that book right there?" Ruby asked. Ozpin turned to see the book of Oscar's life in front of him. How did Ruby figure it out so easily? She used her semblance… somehow… and touched the book. She disappeared.

"Miss Rose!" Ozpin shouted at the book.

Ruby got up and looked around where she was. There were trees around her. She touched one.

"A visitor?" The tree said.

"You guys can talk?" Ruby asked.

"You can. Why shouldn't we?" The tree said back.

"I guess… I've just never heard a tree talking before." Ruby said. She turned and she saw it. She saw the farm! The house was comfy. That was the best word for it. She walked to the farm. There were plots of land covered with different vegetables. There was a plot of land covered with fruit trees.

"Oscar!" Ruby shouted. There was nothing. She went to the front gate of the farm. Inside the farmhouse, she saw a picture of Oscar and his aunt Em. They smiled. Oscar was younger then, but he still had that cute smile of his. She opened the door.

"Sorry for just barging in." Ruby said. As she stepped in, she saw the pictures on the wall of the house were moving. She moved to one of the early ones. She picked it up and heard the sounds of fire crackling. She grabbed the picture.

In an instant, she was in a different place. She was outside a house that was on fire. There was a man who walked out of the house. She felt the evil coming from him. He walked right through Ruby. Ruby saw that the house was on fire. She realized this was what he told her about. This was the day his family was killed.

She saw a little boy crawling out of the house. He looked back and saw the fire burning. Ruby didn't know how long he was there for. But he did know it was long enough for his Aunt Em to get there. She saw Em going to the young boy.

"Oscar! Oscar! Are you alright?" Aunt Em asked. Oscar didn't say anything. He just continued to look at the fire.

Ruby saw the memory fade away. She was back in the farmhouse. She looked at the picture. It stopped moving. She went to the next picture.

Oscar and Aunt Em were at the table, eating. Oscar had a black eye. He looked down at his bowl.

"Oscar… are you ready to tell me what happened?" Aunt Em asked. Ruby could hear his concern.

Oscar put a spoonful of the soup in his mouth.

"Was it about Maron?" Aunt Em asked. She had no idea who Maron was. Oscar finished his bite.

"They were picking on her. They were making fun of her for being deaf and a faunus." Oscar said. Aunt Em looked at him. She smiled at him.

"You stood up for her?" Aunt Em said.

"Yeah." Oscar said.

"Oscar… always protect people. No matter what you do, find what you really care about and protect that. Every life is sacred. Even the plants that we make so we can eat." Aunt Em said.

The dream faded. Ruby went to a different painting. She picked it up. She saw Oscar much older. He was walking down a road. Ruby noticed he didn't have the bandages on his neck. He didn't have the scar.

A man with a knife appeared from behind a tree. He had a semblance, and he used it on Oscar. He froze Oscar where he was. He couldn't move, but he could still speak.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Oscar asked.

"Coming back from the city I see. Let's see that cash." He said. He went to Oscar and checked all his pockets.

"Not that much. You could have done better kid." The thief said.

"Stop that, coward." The thief turned around. Ruby saw a woman behind them. She had Mandalorian armor on her arms and legs. She held out a staff at the thief.

"A hero." He said. Ruby saw the knife cut Oscar's throat. Oscar fell to the ground. The woman used the same power that Rosa had and sent a massive ball of fire at the thief. He burst into flames. The woman rushed over to Oscar. Ruby watched as she created Bacta plants and covered Oscar's neck. She saw Oscar's eyes opening.

"It's alright. You're safe now." She said. Ruby saw her with a caring smile on her face. Oscar tried to open his mouth, but she stopped him. She used some of her magic to close the wound. Oscar tried to open his mouth again.

"You won't shut up. Fine, I get you to stop talking." She leaned and kissed Oscar.

Ruby was back in the farmhouse.

"Oscar!" Ruby called for him again. She started seeing memories of his time training to become a Jedi. She grabbed one more and saw Oscar in a cave system. He was in Jedi robes. He stopped in front of a mirror.

Ruby saw herself in the mirror. She felt Oscar's heart skip a beat. Ruby remembered this. It was during their trials to become knights that the force had shown them each other.

She saw more memories. She saw him meeting everyone back in Mistral for the first time. She stopped and found the memory of him waking up with her in his arms. He freaked out.

"Oh, my gods! She's going to hate me!" Ruby heard Oscar's thoughts in this one.

She looked at the more recent memories. She realized she was in more of them than she would have thought.

"Oscar!" Ruby called. She found a set of stairs leading up. She went up them. She saw more memories. She saw the memory of Oscar and Weiss talking that one night after they got back from fighting Ira. She was hearing his inner monologue. She saw when she was joking with them.

"Is Ruby going to take off her shirt? No! That's not possible! This is Ruby we're talking about. Don't Look! Look away, look away… why's she acting like this? Does she want me to look? No! That's not possible. Be respectful." She heard. She smirked as she heard him. She got him good.

She found a ladder at the end of the hallway. She climbed up it. She was expecting to see another room. Maybe an attic. But what she saw instead was Oscar, sleeping in a field of red roses. She saw that the roses moved around Oscar, so he wasn't crushing any of them. They moved around her feet. She went over to Oscar and saw him sleeping there. She saw him sleeping on his side. She wondered how soft the floor was here. She laid down at the top of Oscar. Their heads were close.

It was extremely comfortable here. She looked at Oscar. He had a cute sleeping face. She got up before she fell asleep. She looked around and still saw all the red roses. She left the room, leaving Oscar to rest. She saw a door open. She went in it. On the wall was everyone's picture. She found her own. She picked it up.

"Ruby's the most beautiful person I've ever seen. She's brave. She's kind. She's understanding. She's strong. She's smart. She's funny. I can keep going…" Ruby put the picture back. Her face was burning.

"Oh…" Ruby said. "Does Oscar have a crush on me?"

Ruby didn't know how to react. She decided to end her meditation. She found herself back in the room with Ozpin. She knew there was a massive blush on her face. Ozpin stood there in front of her, looking down on Ruby.

"What did you find?" Ozpin asked, a tone of annoyance in his voice.

"I think Oscar likes me." Ruby said, grabbing her cheeks.

"You are friends." Ozpin said.

"Not like that! I think he LIKES me." Ruby said. Ozpin looked away, bringing up his free hand to his mouth and coughing.

"Are you sure you're not imagining it?" Ozpin asked.

"He was sleeping in a bed of Red Roses, and he just kept on saying all these really nice things about me when I picked up a picture of me in there and…" Ozpin put a hand on her head.

"You have a lot of good qualities. That's why I chose you as a leader." Ozpin said.

"This is Oscar we're talking about, not you." Ruby said. She ended her meditation, opening her eyes. Blake was there, along with Yang. Ruby shot up, a massive blush on her face.

"This is going to change everything…" Ruby said. She started pacing back and forth.

"Ruby, what is it?" Yang asked.

"Gods… is everything going to be weird from now on? I didn't mean for this to happen." Ruby said.

"Ruby." Yang called out.

"Maybe I'm just overthinking it. Yeah, that has to be it." Ruby said. Yang grabbed Ruby's shoulder and shook her.

"Ruby, what's going on?" Yang asked.

"I think Oscar has a crush on me." Ruby said.

"What?" Yang said.

"I knew it…" Blake whispered.

Ruby hurriedly explained everything she saw in Oscar's mind.

"Yang, I don't know what to do about this! What am I supposed to do?" Ruby said. Yang tried to hold back from laughing.

"Serves you right for snooping." Weiss said.

"Gah! When did you get here?" Ruby shouted.

"Why did you go into Oscar's mind?" Weiss asked after folding her arms.

"I wanted to see the farm!" Ruby let out. "I thought there were going to be animals like cows and stuff!"

"So… your first thought was to go into the mind of one of your friends?" Weiss asked.

"Yes…" Ruby said. "It sounds bad when you say it like that."

"That's because it is bad!" Weiss said. "You're going to have to apologize to him when he gets up."

"I know! But it's going to be so awkward!" Ruby said.

"Who's fault is that?" Yang asked. She was barely keeping it together for her sister. But she was dying of laughter inside. Blake was looking back and forth between Ruby and Oscar. She wanted more drama.

"Let's leave him alone for now." Yang said. Ruby still had a massive blush. She didn't know how to handle this! Weapons, yes. The Force, yes. Grimm, hell yes! But this, no.

Qrow finally made it to Vigil's Point. He had a contact from here that could help him right now. One of his hunter friends who took a job in the Protectorate. He found the address. He knocked on the door. A man with blond hair opened the door. He had a pair of glasses on and wore casual clothing.

"Qrow. You've finally decided to stop by." He said.

"Sorry, Pico. You know how busy I stay these days." Qrow said. He entered the house.

"I'm sure you want some information. Do you want a drink?" Pico asked.

"I'm fine. I need to get back to Argus soon." Qrow said.

"Not too far a trip for you. I'm guessing you want to hear about Sith sightings? Or is this Grimm?" Pico asked.

"Both." Qrow said.

"There have been reports of suspicious characters going to the other cities in the protectorate. The Jedi that are here, which is very few. Less than thirty, have been on the lookout the entire time for Sith. Once or twice we found Sith along the roads. They're here. But you know Sith. Some of them have that portal thing." Pico said.

"Last week the knights and I fought the Sith. Four of them. Luctus, Vespera, and two called Requiem and Nihil. Those last two concern me. Requiem had some control over the Grimm. Nihil has this potion thing that makes the Grimm stronger. Jedi knight level for a Beowolf stronger." Qrow said. Pico leaned forward in his seat.

"I see. I should get that information off to the Jedi as fast as I can. How did you learn their names?" Pico asked.

"We fought two of them on our way out of Mistral. Raven and Winter fought the other two." Qrow said.

"You and Raven are on speaking terms?" Pico asked.

"Yang's changed her. She also says Summer's been visiting her." Qrow said.

"Interesting. How would that be possible?" Pico asked.

"I have no fucking idea." Qrow said. "All that we know about the force tells us that should be impossible. But yet, here we are."

"The number of Grimm have been increasing, as you know. Reports show that the Grimm in the water are increasing as well." Pico said.

"Salem knows our group is in Argus. We also have a group of Mandalorians in the city. She's getting ready for something. I'm starting to think these missions are bullshit." Qrow said.

"What missions?" Pico asked. Qrow pulled up the Search and Destroy missions and showed them to Pico.

"I see." Pico said. "I found this from Ironwood. An official order to stop your group in Argus for the next week. If the Sith don't attack by then, you'll be free to go to Atlas."

"So he does know. So much for open communications Jimmy." Qrow said.

"I do think his strategy using you as a lure will help. But I can't expect the Sith will want to strike with those Mandalorians in the city. Especially with the Khan Clan arriving today." Pico said.

"What? Why are they here? Shouldn't they be in Menagerie?" Qrow asked.

"The leader of the Emir clan and Nix Khan were once a thing. They have a very special bond. Jasper must have asked for Nix to come to Argus." Pico said.

"How the hell do you get all this information?" Qrow asked.

"You know I am very good at my job." Pico said.

"You are a terrifying son of a bitch, you know that, right?" Qrow asked.

"I know." Pico said.

"Oz is back." Qrow said.

"I thought so. Team JNPOR? Kind of obvious." Pico said.

"It's really hard surprising you." Qrow said.

"That's why you keep coming back. Vera made Atlesian delights if you'd like one." Pico offered.

"I'm good. There is one thing though before I forget. There's a farm right at the edge of the Protectorate. It belongs to a Bartleby Brunswick. Get a lot of Jedi and hunters to go out there. They had Apathy Grimm and a massive stash of Sith relics that need to be destroyed." Qrow said.

"I wondered about that farm." Pico said.

"It's evil." Qrow said.

"If you're calling it that, it must be serious." Pico said. Qrow left the house.

"Keep doing those search-and-destroy missions!" Pico yelled out.

"Will do." Qrow said. Qrow never wanted to get on his bad side.

Nihil was back in the dark realm creating her newest miasma. Requiem stood in the doorway of her workspace. He watched her create everything. He didn't understand what was going on.

"You could always lend a hand. It's better than just standing in the doorway." Nihil said. She grabbed an eyeball and dropped it into the cauldron.

"I have no clue what you are doing. I'd just get in the way." Requiem said.

"This one should create another random creature from the rest of the galaxy." Nihil said. She grabbed an empty vial and grabbed a portion of the dark poison. She put a stopper on it and handed it to Requiem.

"When will we attack Argus?" Requiem asked.

"Let Vespera and Luctus do their job. If they die, we attack. If they live, we attack, but don't have the Mandalorians to deal with." Nihil said.

"Is it possible for you to be serious?" Requiem said.

"Oh, Sigvard, I'm always serious when it comes to killing Jedi." Nihil said.

"You better be." Requiem said. Nihil got up and walked to Requiem.

"Have I ever not given it my all when it really mattered?" Nihil grabbed Requiem's face. She walked around him, her hand staying on him at all times.

"I can trust your… creations. But you could have done more when the Spring Maiden fought Caelum. How do I know that you won't abandon me like that." Requiem said. Nihil stopped in front of him. She had an offended look on her face.

"How could you ask me such a cruel question? Caelum was a dick! You aren't." Nihil grabbed him and brought him in for a kiss.

"You didn't just poison me, did you?" Requiem asked.

"You're giving me ideas." Nihil said with a smile. She had a wicked smile on her face. She returned to her work. She looked over the other vials she had hanging up in her space. Requiem was still there.

Vespera was walking the streets of Argus. He wore a disguise that hid his Sith appearance. He needed to find out where the Mandalorians were working from. Once he found that, he could deal with them. But he had yet to run into them on any of the patrols he had been on with Luctus. They stayed with the Grimm. The Knights had yet to run into them. He wondered if they were both needed to take out the knights. He had been able to push two of them in their last encounter.

He was at the docks. The Mandalorians should have been in a place like this. It was a perfect hideout for them. Most people didn't come to the docks often, so they could move with ease. It gave them plenty of escape routes. It was cheap and the police didn't often come down here. But he had yet to find any of them.

"Dammit. Where could they be hiding?" Vespera grumbled.

He continued to walk, not noticing that he was being followed. Jasper knew that the Sith would make the first move. He was grateful that he set up all the cameras he did. This was one of the Sith that were at the dish.

Nix silently moved next to Jasper.

"He's the only one right now." Nix said.

"Is that the force telling you that?" Jasper asked.

"Partially." Nix said.

"The other part?" Jasper asked.

"My other senses." Nix said. She was a true Mandalorian.

"We should take him out before he gets near the apartments." Jasper said.

"Do you want to announce yourself?" Nix asked.

"I'll fight. He's seen me before. You stay up high. Keep watch. Tell the others what's going on." Jasper said.

"Good hunting." Nix said. Jasper put on his helmet and moved rooftops. The Sith turned a corner. Jasper dropped down.

"You're not supposed to be here." Jasper said.

"Finally showed yourself. Well, leader, Let's see how this goes." Vespera took out his double-sided lightsaber.

Oscar woke up after a few hours. He got up and realized he was in his room.

"Miss Rose stopped by while you were asleep. She owes you an apology." Ozpin said.

"Why's that?" Oscar asked. He got out of bed.

"She went into your mind without permission. I did warn her not to." Ozpin said.

"I have nothing to hide." Oscar said.

"Except a crush on Miss Rose?" Ozpin said. Oscar's face started to burn up.

"Except maybe that." Oscar said. He only just figured out it was there himself! Now all the others know about it. He could die of embarrassment right there.

"She said she found you sleeping on a bed of roses." Ozpin said.

"What? Oscar said. "Gods this is embarrassing."

"I believe the others have been reprimanding her for the last few hours." Ozpin said.

"Let's get this over with." Oscar got out of bed. He went downstairs. The smell of bread was in the air. Yang was the first one to see him.

"Oscar, you're up." Yang said. She wrapped her arm around him.

"Sorry, we couldn't stop her." Yang said. Oscar saw Ruby sitting there, her face bright red. Yang sat Oscar down and shooed everyone away. She gave Oscar a glass of water before leaving. Oscar couldn't believe she would be so nice after… find out.

"I'm so sorry Oscar!" Ruby said. "I really just wanted to see the farm you were always talking about so I thought why not step in like I did before and…"

"I can barely understand you." Oscar said. Ruby had been talking too fast.

"I really just wanted to see the farm. I shouldn't have snooped." Ruby said. Oscar could hear the remorse in her voice. His face was on fire.

"You could have just asked." Oscar said.

"I know! I'm sorry I was being stupid. I was just embarrassed!" Ruby said.

"That makes two of us. What… did you see?" Oscar asked.

"I saw the farm. It was nice by the way. And talking trees." Ruby said.

"Talking trees?" Oscar asked.

"Yeah. They made fun of me." Ruby said.

"Trees don't make fun of people. Unless they're Sycamores. They make fun of people for calling them maples." Oscar said.

"I went in the farm and saw some of your memories." Ruby said. She looked down at her hand. "I saw… the night of the fire." Oscar looked at her. That painful memory.

"What else?" Oscar asked.

"Something about a Maron and you defending her." Ruby said.

"Maron." Oscar said her name. She was one of his best friends until she moved. The bullying got to be too much. Maron gave Oscar a goodbye letter. He still remembered what it said, even after it was destroyed by accident.

"And… I saw when you were attacked." Ruby said. Oscar's hand went to his throat.

"Ruby." Oscar said. He didn't know how to react to his. He thought she would have respected his boundaries. Yes, he told her about it. But for her to see the event? That wasn't for her to see! It still brought up a lot of bad memories. He thought he could trust her with the story. He thought that she understood what this event did to him!

"I'm sorry." Ruby said. He stood up. He needed to take some time. He wanted to scream at her for that. He felt the scar on his throat so clearly. He felt the knife cutting open his skin. He felt the blood coming down his throat.

"Why didn't you stop?" Oscar asked. He didn't know how to feel right now. His voice was shaky. He gripped the chair. He didn't know what to do with this... betrayal of trust.

"I… I don't know." Ruby said. He couldn't see her eyes. He was so confused.

"You told everyone what you saw?" Oscar asked.

"Not that part. Only the roses." Ruby said. Oscar brought his hand to his head.

"Thank you for not sharing the most traumatic events of my life with everyone." Oscar let sarcasm enter his voice. He looked at Ruby. She didn't say anything. He took a few breaths. He shouldn't have done that. He could feel that she was sorry. Anger got the better of him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that." Oscar said.

"I really should have listened. Ozpin tried to warn me. But I ignored him." Ruby said. Oscar felt her genuine sorrow. She was beating herself up over this. She was holding back tears.

"Why? If you asked, I would have let you see the farm. I have pictures, Ruby. You didn't need to go around in my head. Ozpin's bad enough!" Oscar shouted that last part. Oscar saw tears falling. He sighed.

"I know you're sorry. I am grateful you didn't share the memories. But you broke my trust. My respect. I won't do that to you." Oscar said. The anger was gone from his voice. He sighed.

"I don't think this has to ruin our friendship." Oscar said. Ruby wiped away tears that she had been trying to hold back. Oscar knew she understood. She knew what she did was wrong. He didn't want to see her cry. He sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry." Ruby said.

"I know." Oscar said. He didn't want to make her cry. He felt bad that she was crying. Even if it was she who was in the wrong. He put a hand on her back.

"I didn't mean to hurt you." Ruby said. Ruby was a good person. Oscar knew that. Right now she might not be thinking that. He heard the tears falling on her hands. He opened his jacket and handed her a handkerchief. She looked at it, then at him. He didn't need to feel emotions to know that she was sorry. That she had been beating herself up. She did know that his scar was such a sensitive topic. He didn't want to show it to Ruby. Not yet. He could barely touch it without getting flashbacks. Aunt Em had done her best to help him with that trauma. Maybe one day he would show Ruby willingly.

"I know." Oscar said. "I'm glad you were wanting to see the farm. You wanted to get to know me better for who I am. You can ask me questions. I'd be happy to tell you about where I come from."

"I'm sorry."

"I…" Oscar let out a sigh. The hurt and anger were gone. "I do forgive you."

Ren was watching, reading their lips. He was signing to Nora what they were saying. Jaune and Pyrrha were in the room as well. Jaune was following along with Ren's signs. Pyrrha had no idea what they were doing.

"What…" Pyrrha said. Nora put a finger to her lips.

"They're making up." Nora said.

"I was worried there for a second. It would have been really bad for a division like that in the teams." Jaune said. Nora silenced Jaune as well.

"I can read." Jaune said. Nora took her finger away. Ren continued to sign.

"Oscar just said he forgives Ruby." Jaune whispered to Pyrrha. She looked over at Jaune.

"Do you all know how to use sign language?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah." Nora said.

"…Why?" Pyrrha asked.

"Ren likes to pretend he's deaf sometimes. I wanted to be able to talk to him after we were told to shut up." Nora said.

"And I have a deaf friend." Jaune said.

"Oh."

Vespera and the Leader were sizing each other up. They were walking in a circle around each other.

"Why are you here?" The leader asked.

"Search and destroy." Vespera said.

"Funny. Same here." The leader said. He had the two lightsabers out.

"You know how to use those things?" Vespera asked.

"What good is a weapon if it can't be used?" The Leader said.

"Let's see how good you are." Vespera raised his hand and sent out a blast of force lightning. The Leader blocked the force lightning with both his lightsabers. Vespera rushed in. The Leader brought his lightsabers down while still having some of the charge from the force lightning. The lightning rushed out onto the ground. Vespera jumped to avoid it. He landed by the Leader. He spun his saberstaff and rushed forward. The leader stepped back. He smiled. The Leader's shadow stretched. Vespera activated his semblance. While he was in the shadows, his power increased, and he became much faster. The leader activated his jet pack. He was in the air before Vespera could strike. He came back down swiftly. He brought his lightsabers up. He kept one low to the ground, illuminating his shadow.

Vespera wouldn't be able to catch him off guard like that again. He would have to do this the old-fashioned way. He rushed forward. He jumped in the air and brought his saberstaff down. The Leader blocked with an overhead X block. Vespera brought the other blade up. The leader brought his lightsaber down and jumped back. He was playing defense.

Well, if that's how he wanted to play it, Vespera would give him exactly what he wanted. Vespera was on top of the Leader. Every step he took back Vespera made forward. Vespera was spinning his lightsaber, making swift slashes, powerful jabs, and wide arcs. But the Leader blocked them all. His defense was strong. The light slash that got through hit his armor and bounced off. He knew Mandalorian Iron when he saw it. That simple fact it was true Mandalorian Iron and not the many knockoffs that Remnant had showed how strong this clan was. But that left the question as to why he refused to do anything aggressive.

Vespera made another strike. The Leader blocked it. He stepped forward, bringing his elbow into Vespera's face. He stumbled back. Maybe he had finally switched his style. Vespera noticed he wasn't going in for the attack. He was just blocking and countering. The sun was starting to set. The shadows were stretching now. Vespera charged forward in a feint. Before he got to the Leader, he stepped into the shadow of a building. He smiled as he sped behind the Leader. He jumped forward. The Leader ducked, avoiding Vespera. He hit the ground. The Leader raised his wrist and sent out fire. Vespera moved out of the way.

Vespera jumped in the air and raised his saberstaff over her head. He held it with one hand. The Leader rolled out of the way. With his other hand, Vespera sent out a force push, knocking the Leader back. The Leader rolled but quickly got up. Vespera was on top of him. Vespera turned off the second half of his saberstaff. As soon as he did the Leader put away one of his lightsabers. Vespera brought his lightsaber down in a swing. The Leader blocked it.

"What was that about?" Vespera asked. The Leader didn't say anything. Vespera sent out another force push, sending the Leader flying. The Leader shot out a cable that wrapped around Vespera. Vespera also went flying. The Leader got up and quickly released Vespera. He got up and raised his hand. Force lightning rushed from his hand. The leader rolled to the side and used the flames against Vespera.

Vespera jumped back, avoiding the flames. He smirked. The sun no longer covered the street. He was free to use his semblance as much as he liked. Vespera sped at the Leader. He brought his lightsaber up and blocked the strike, but he was taken down to one knee. Vespera had gotten stronger. Vespera brought his knee to the Leader's helmet. The leader fell on his back. Sparks flew as his armor scrapped across the ground. He got up.

"You are rather hard to kill, I'll admit. But this is my domain. No one can beat me here." Vespera said. The Leader looked at Vespera. He held the lightsaber in front of him. Vespera turned on the second half of his saberstaff again. The leader took out his second lightsaber.

"I see. This must be part of your personal code." Vespera said. Vespera spun his lightsaber between his hands. He slowly walked to the Leader.

Vespera rushed forward bringing his lightsaber up in a wide arch. The Leader dodged the attack and punched Vespera in the gut. He stumbled backward.

"You got good reflexes." Vespera said. "What, no more talking? I thought we were having friendly banter before I killed you."

"I won't be the one dying." The leader said.

"So, he DOES speak! Glad to know that I wasn't going crazy and fighting a mute." Vespera said. The leader brought the lightsabers closer to him now. He walked in a circle with Vespera.

"Come on. You can do it! You can be aggressive." Vespera said.

"You would want that. You're weapon benefits from aggressive targets." The Leader said.

"You've done your homework. Good." Vespera said. He rushed forward. He jumped, going over the Leader. He spun around and brought his lightsaber up to block the strike. The Leader made a jab at Vespera. He stepped back and avoided the strike.

"Like that!" Vespera said. The Leader brought his lightsaber back and flourished them. Vespera knew the Leader was trying to bait him, but he didn't care. He didn't allow that level of disrespect.

Vespera used his semblance to rush forward. He was about to bring his lightsaber across the Leader's throat when he shouted "NOW!"

All of a sudden, the street was covered in lights. Vespera felt the power drain from him instantly. He stopped moving as fast. He still brought his lightsaber in an arch, but all he slashed was air. The leader brought his lightsaber down on Vespera's saberstaff, cutting it in the middle. He dropped to the ground. The Leader put away one of his lightsabers.

Vespera got up and looked at the Leader.

"I did my homework." The leader said.

Jasper wasn't silent the entire time. He was giving orders to his men the entire first half of the fight. He studied the four Sith. He learned their faces of them and examined them. Vespera used shadows in his fight last week. He studied the video and recognized a weakness in Vespera. He only confirmed it in the fight. That was why he had been on the defensive this entire time. He was giving his men time to get rid of that semblance. He didn't use his to keep the fight fair. Vespera was like any Sith. Arrogant, and single-minded.

The mind games worked. Vespera was getting up. Time to go on the offensive.

Jasper brought his lightsaber down in a wide sweep. Vespera was much slower when he dodged. He saw the lights and raised his hand in the air. Jasper brought out his cable and wrapped Vespera's hand. He brought it down and brought his lightsaber in front of him. The lightning bounced off the lightsaber and slammed right back into Vespera. He let go of the cable. He stood back and allowed Vespera to get back up. The fight was still honorable.

"We still don't see the other one." Nix reported.

"She's probably not coming then." Jasper said. He took a step forward.

"Don't make him suffer. He may be a Sith, but he's also a Faunus." Nix said.

"You know I am honorable." Jasper said.

"I know." Nix said.

Vespera was up. He looked at Jasper with anger, and with fear. He began to rush forward. Jasper finally ran forward to meet him. Vespera wasn't expecting that. He blocked the strike and brought his lightsaber up. Vespera quickly spun around and blocked the strike. So, he wasn't over just yet. Vespera blocked another strike that Jasper made. He raised his hand, but Jasper rushed in and cut off his hand before he could use force lightning. He spun his lightsaber around and spun around himself before impaling Vespera in the heart. He let out a pained moan.

"Not like this." Vespera said. Jasper brought out his lightsaber. Vespera dropped to the ground, dead.

"Mission complete. Shut off the lights." Jasper commanded. The lights went off.

Luctus watched the fight from afar. She was impressed by the Mandalorian's counter to Vespera's semblance. He was a dangerous enemy that had to be killed. But not tonight. If she tried there was a chance her fate would be no different from Vespera's. She would have to report to Salem though.

Qrow entered the house. He was later than he wanted, but he had to get intel on that fight. Jasper Emir, leader of the Emir clan killed a Sith Lord. And a powerful one at that. He watched the whole fight. It amazed him that Jasper was able to keep up with the Sith at his fastest. But whatever code he was running on was just as interesting. He got that Jasper would use one lightsaber if the enemy used one, or two if they used two.

He would need to talk to Jasper at some point. They would need to know what Ironwood has planned for them. He sighed. He thought about getting a drink but decided he would rather get a shower. He opened the door and saw Oscar and Ruby on the couch alone. Ruby was crying and Oscar was comforting her. He could sense the others looking in at them.

Yang popped out of her hiding spot. She glared daggers at him. He quietly closed the door and flew around. Yang opened the window for him.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Qrow asked quietly. He could sense that they wouldn't be too happy if he made too much noise.

"Ruby went into Oscar's mind without permission." Yang said.

"Why?" Qrow asked.

"She says she wanted to see the farm he grew up on." Yang said.

"Isn't this snooping?" Qrow asked.

"We're just… making sure everything gets settled." Weiss said.

"Big difference." Qrow said.

"Oscar said he forgives Ruby. She's saying she's sorry." Yang said.

"Wait, how did she get into his mind?" Qrow asked.

"He collapsed again." Rosa said. Qrow almost jumped when she said that. He didn't see her behind the door.

"Seriously girls, you shouldn't be listening in on this." Qrow said.

"Oscar might have a crush on Ruby." Yang said. Qrow stopped.

"Oh." Qrow said. He shook his head. "No. This isn't what you should be doing." Qrow said. He quietly closed the door. He went through the window and went to the team JNPOR room. He pecked at the window until they opened it. He gave them the same lecture. Pyrrha's face was bright red. She was the only one that had some shame here.

Even their hosts were trying to listen in. He stayed in the kitchen with the adults.

Oscar heard the door open. He heard it close, and the windows open. He heard the doors close. He knew that everyone had listened to this PRIVATE conversation. Ruby hadn't realized it yet.

"Ruby… are you okay?" Oscar asked. Ruby shook her head.

"I think maybe we're going to have to continue this conversation later. We have too many people listening in." Oscar said.

"What? Ruby said. Her head shot up and she looked around. She could sense everyone. Her face was red.

"And that's why we don't invade someone's privacy." Oscar whispered to Ruby.

"I get it." Ruby said.

"Good. Tomorrow, we do have a mission." Oscar said. "I really don't want there to be any awkwardness between us. We're the smallest team. We need to stick together."

"Do you really forgive me?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah. But don't do it again. I might not if you do." Oscar said.

"Fair." Ruby said. "Gah, I feel like they're waiting for something. Why do they keep looking?"

Oscar smirked at that.

"That was very mature of you Oscar. I'm proud of you." Ozpin said.

"Thanks, Ozpin." Oscar said in his mind. He got up. "I do think I need to vent to you though."

"I'm going to go for a walk." Oscar announced. He left the house with Long Memory in his hand, and his lightsaber on his hip.

After he closed the door, he took a deep breath. He started walking. It wasn't going to be a long walk. The night was already here.

"I'm glad that we didn't bring up the crush." Oscar said.

"Ah, yes, that revelation." Ozpin said.

"If I hear you say anything about it, I'm going to…" Oscar didn't know what he could do.

"Come now Oscar, infatuations are natural." Ozpin said.

"Nope! We are not going there."

Ruby was glad that she didn't ruin everything with Oscar. Gods she was so stupid. She was glad she was going on a search-and-destroy mission tomorrow. She had to get some frustration out. And Grimm sounded like the perfect thing. Of course… dealing with Yang right now wasn't what she needed.

"So, Ruby… did you…"

"Why were you listening?" Ruby said. Yang stopped what she was about to say.

"Good chat." Yang said, patting Ruby on the shoulder before heading upstairs.

Author's Notes: I really liked writing the discussion that Oscar and Ruby had. It was fun going over Oscar's emotions and seeing how he dealt with them. It was a serious discussion and not just full of jokes. Oscar got to be mad, but we got to see more about who Oscar is as a person. Everyone spying into the discussion on the other hand was written for jokes. Especially Everyone in team JNPOR, except for Pyrrha knows sign language.

Jasper Emir. Jasper is an orange gemstone, like Amber, his sister. So that's why I gave him the name Jasper. Emir is an Islamic term for a prince. It was a play-off of the Khan name. Jasper has a code that I will explain after we see the different aspects of it. When he was defending against Vespera, he was just called the Leader because Vespera didn't know his name. But when we switched to his perspective, we used his name in case anyone was wondering.

This fic has become my second longest, and it will probably become my longest, overtaking SGW. I've got the end of this story planned out, and I'm starting to plan out the third story of this series.

I looked and realized I have been on this site for over 10 years now. It's hard to believe that fact. I've come a long way since I started.

We got a review from CT7567Rules. I have talked about this in PMs. Thank you for leaving a review. As I noted, Neo is not on a quest for revenge since Torchwick is still alive.

Please leave a Review, Follow, and Favorite

May the Force be With You

-DragonZlayerx12