Weiss gave a small, frustrated sigh, shaking her head lightly to rid her mind of the drowsiness threatening to creep in, although it was getting more and more difficult to stay focused as time went on.
She tried to be a good student and listen to Professor Port as he waxed on and on about one of his - more than likely exaggerated - stories from his early days as a Huntsmen, she'd often scolded her Ruby and Yang during the first semester about paying attention, how underneath all the bravado and bluster their portly Professor spewed out on a daily basis there had to be some sort of lesson or strategy, that they were all so obviously missing.
She tried, she honest to goodness tried, but eventually came to the same conclusion as the rest of her team, and likely the rest of the school as a whole and tried to use the time he spent on his 'Lectures' outside of combat exercises against the Grimm on brushing up on her notes, to professor Port she must have given the illusion of a diligent student, enraptured by his tales.
Though recent events certainly made concentrating on her classroom routine all the more difficult, pausing in her notes she took another look towards the corners of the room, above the blackboard and so on and so forth, it was a routine her team had adopted after learning of the creature that had abducted her partner in the night, but now instead of the dark void and golden eyes her partner had described to her in vivid detail, they were instead searching for the man-made eyes hidden in plain sight.
She knew from Yang and Ruby that the Headmaster and Miss Goodwitch had been watching Professor Salmon for some time now, that they had been at least vaguely aware of what had transpired the night Ruby had been taken, as well as a few instances afterwards Yang's meeting with the professor being the most prominent and the tipping point that spurred the higher-ranking members of Beacons staff to take action.
This is why her team had taken ruffly an hour that morning to search their room from top to bottom for any signs of hidden cameras or listening devices, the obvious spots like the air vents, window, and lampshades had all come back clean. Blake's own experience from her time in the White Fang had been an unexpected bonus in regard to their search, helping to widen their search area to some of the more unconventional places they'd have never thought to check. The resident cat Faunus had spent an additional half an hour seeing if any sections of their furniture had been hollowed out and fitted with listening devices, the showerhead for a hidden camera, and even the inside of the toilet tank.
By the time classes rolled around they could all say with certainty that their room was 'bug' free, nevertheless the fact the teachers had gone so far as to implement such measures in the past and may still be doing so was more than a little worrisome, especially given their earlier suspicions that the professor had used magic to gain some form of influence over her teammate, had Ruby's uncle not approached them when he had, she couldn't help but wonder what other methods they might have used to monitor them.
...The fact they'd resorted to such tactics, proved they were willing to disregard any notion of boundaries to garner the results they were looking for.
And while she understood the necessity to focus their attention on an individual that had their suspicions been correct, posed a significant threat, not only to Beacon but to Vale. However, what she couldn't understand was why they so blatantly disregarded the well-being of those they perceived as his victims.
At the end of the day, this was still a school, even if they were afraid of alerting him that they knew what happened that night, they still had a duty to the students under their care. Surely it shouldn't have been that difficult for Miss Goodwitch or one of the other professors to ask them to wait after class or have them called to the Headmaster's office, the fact Ruby's uncle had been able to just walk up to them and pull them aside without Professor Salmon being aware in the slightest, was evidence of that.
But whether it was out of caution that they chose to hold off on approaching them, or distrust due to their level of interaction with the Professor no longer mattered, the damage had been done, her partner and Yang had made that well known, with Yang being most vocal -and in some cases vulgar- of the two of them as they recounted what happened after the Professor had been brought up to the Headmasters office.
She'd admit to being a little concerned, both with the threat against Professor Salmon and his allies but also the headmaster's terms of their agreement, more so as the semester went on, she knew they were in place to protect their team, but what would happen when the time for their first mission assignments or even worse the Vytal festival eventually rolled around, as Beacon was the only place Hermaeus couldn't enter they'd likely be forced to abstain from the former, and while they might end up losing out on actual field experience, being sent off to an isolated region, even if while being accompanied by a professional Huntsman was practically inviting a repeat of what happened weeks ago, as for the latter... she wasn't so sure.
With what the Professor had informed them of about that creature's behavior, the sheer number of occupants in the stadium would ensure that that monster couldn't act without being seen by all the world, but that in itself may turn what had been thus far their greatest means of defense into a weapon against them, with the Vytal Stadium being suspended high in the sky, it essentially cut off any easy means of escape if Hermaeus did decide to risk it all and attack them in the midst of one of the fights.
She had never put much stock in religion growing up, though they had covered a few of the more prominent pantheons in Remnants history during a few of Doctor Oobleck's lectures. And if this Hermaeus Mora possessed even a fraction of the divine power that had been described in these pantheons, he could essentially take the whole stadium, perhaps even those watching from their homes a kingdom away hostage and force Ruby to leave with him, and knowing her leader, she was all but certain Ruby would accept without question.
Weiss set down her pencil and flipped her notebook closed, she was far too distracted to be able to focus on the 'lesson' anymore, instead, she looked to her teammates. Ruby was already passed out on the desk a small puddle of drool beginning to form beneath her, Yang leaning back in the chair beside her fighting to keep her own eyes open, all the while Blake sat silently beside her eyes focused on the textbook in front of her, or rather the copy of Ninjas of love hidden inside.
While providing no shortage of frustration, these past few weeks had had the knock-on effect of bringing their team closer than ever before, was it the life she had envisioned for herself after being accepted into Beacon? Not in the slightest, Magic, Otherworldly Heroes, a Demon that had set its eyes on her partner... it seemed so fantastical, so impossible, and yet for better or worst it was the world she found herself living in.
At the very least they weren't facing it alone, even if it might have been a... bumpy start, Yang and Ruby had placed their faith in Professor Salmon and she in them and so far that faith had been rewarded, with a barrier that stretched across Beacon to hold back that monsters forces and act as an early warning system should he come to face them himself, with the added promise of more to come in the future.
Leaning back in her chair Weiss reached into her front pocket pulling out her scroll, Professor Port was too distracted to notice and in all honesty, she was too tired to care, glancing down at the screen a low groan left her as she saw they still had around fifteen minutes left of their lessons for today. Ruby and Yang had been excited to introduce her to this board game that had arrived earlier that morning, from the reviews she'd seen online it was apparently very popular, with several additions released over the last ten years, and had been praised not only for its utilization of tactics but strategy and misdirection.
She smiled softly, after everything they'd been through they all more than deserved a break from reality and this seemed like a fun way to spend their afternoon. A low buzz pulled the Schnee heiress from her musing, glancing down at her scroll her eyes widened when she saw the caller Id "Professor Port." Weiss rose from her seat, Yang immediately sat up straight and delivered a swift elbow to her sister's earning a swift "I'm awake" from the younger girl as she shot up straight in her seat, Blake glanced over her book towards her curiously as she continued her sudden interruption. "May I be excused for a few moments; I need to take this call."
Professor Port studied her for a few moments seemingly searching for any ulterior motive or reason for her early release from class. Weiss shifted slightly under his scrutinizing gaze, reaching into his suit jacket he retrieved his pocket watch, flipping open the face he glanced down at the time then back up at her his bushy eyebrows furrowed, she knew the timing was inappropriate, but she couldn't miss this call, not when she didn't know when she'd have the chance to talk to her again.
After a moment of thought the Portly professor gave his reply "Verry well, but I'd ask you to make it quick, we still have much to go over and little time remaining." Weiss gave a swift nod in thanks to the portly professor and an Apologetic look to her team before making her way out of their row and up the stairs, pushing the double doors open Weiss stepped out into the hallway glancing down at her scroll to make sure the call was still going, then spared a glance at her reflection in a nearby window, fixing her hair slightly before adopting a more stoic expression.
Taking a quick breath to calm her nerves, she swiped to accept the call bringing the scroll to her ear "Winter" She greeted her elder sibling and despite her best efforts she couldn't contain the joy in her tone "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, I was in the middle fo a lecture and your call caught me off guard." A second later she nearly slapped a hand over her mouth both in shock at what she'd just admitted and to halt her treacherous mouth from digging her hole any deeper, there was no possible way Winter would approve of her missing out on one of her lectures just so they could talk
"I see..." Came her sister's reply, while she may not have said it directly she could feel the disappointment in her tone. "While I'm grateful that you accepted my call, I must stress that in the future you not be so quick to shirk your studies in favor of social activities." She then added. "Though that's not to say you should ignore them either Beacon is far more lenient than Atlas in those regards, I expect you to take full advantage of the free time you have around the academy."
"Of course." Weiss replied a proud smile spreading across her features. She'd been training more and more with her Glyphs each day, her Time Dilation and gravity Glyphs had grown stronger since the start of beacon, and given how much free time she and her team could expect to have on campus from now on she imagined that would only improve "How are you by the way? We... haven't had the chance to speak with one another since before I left for Beacon, so I was curious how things have been back in Atlas." Weiss went on. The situation had been so hectic over these last few weeks so the chance to be able to talk with her sister, was a more than welcomed injection of normality into her daily life.
"As well as you might imagine, and speaking of our... lack of interaction recently, I will be arriving in Vale later this afternoon as part of General Ironwoods' entourage" Weiss's eyes widened a feeling of giddiness welling up inside her, Winter was coming here, oh my, she... she had to get everything ready, she'd need to check if the canteen had any of Winters favorite tea in stock, their dorm would need to be spotless, she'd need to tell the rest of her team, brief them on proper etiquette and find a way to explain their current sleeping arrangements, the bunk bed she and Blake were using could be explained away easily enough, it was both functional and an efficient way of cutting down on the space used in the dorm something Winter would no doubt approve of... the double bed Ruby and Yang shared on the other hand?
"Weiss?" And she was ignoring her sister, Weiss snapped back at attention.
"Forgive me" Weiss apologized, her face flushing a bright red. "I was... distracted for a moment, would you mind repeating that."
There was a small disapproving hum from her sister "As I said, I will be arriving as part of general Ironwood's entourage; as such there are the usual pleasantries with representatives from the Council of Vale and your Headmaster that I will be required to attend." Winter began to explain, Weiss's smile faltered slightly at the mention of Headmaster Ozpin, she wondered, would he tell the General and Winter about the incident with her partner?
She'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried about how they might react to such a revelation.
While the General and Winter might have normally disregarded what would have accounted as the ravings of a lunatic, the fact such 'Ravings' would be coming from the Headmaster himself combined with the video evidence of both what transpired in the courtyard the night Ruby was taken and the Professors interaction with Yang only a few days ago, the same instance that had sparked the most recent confrontation between Professor Salmon and the Headmaster, and depending on how her Sister and the General interpreted such a revelation, there was a chance they could see a repeat of the incident in the near future.
"I...see." Weiss breathed then shook her head slightly, No, no surely she was jumping to conclusions, Winter was both a rational individual and an Atlesian specialist, whether or not she approved of his choice surely she'd be able to recognize the complexity of the Professors situation, more importantly, the repercussions not only to himself but her partner had he told them sooner, she and more importantly General Ironwood had probably made dozens if not hundreds of decisions like the Professors own throughout their military careers combined.
"Yes." Winter replied, taking her sister's tone as a sign of disappointment, despite the reasons behind her reassignment to the forces designated to Vale for the upcoming Vytal Festival, she'd admit to being eager to see her younger sister again, even if the situation might not have been as ideal as she might have hoped. "I admit much of the protocol and ceremony does become tedious at times, however, it is an important step in maintaining good relations between our kingdoms, so I regret to say I will be indisposed for much of my time at the academy."
"How long?" Weiss found herself asking, she regretted it as soon as the words passed her lips, it wasn't her place to pry into her sister's affairs nor that of her role as an Atlas dignitary.
"Well." There was a pause as Winter silently debated the effect of revealing a segment of the General schedule even if only to her younger sister, a few moments of silence passed over the line before the elder Schnee gave her reply. "After our initial landing... at least until this evening. " Winter answered, just then Weiss overheard another voice in the background of the call, she could just make out her sister's name. "One moment."
Weiss nodded slowly, her sister's voice becoming more muted as she leaned away from the scroll to address the newcomer on the other end of the call, Weiss shifted slightly glancing up and down both ends of the hall before leaning back against the wall, she stared down at her scroll for a few moments then glanced up at the clock in the hallway she winced at the time, she had around five minutes left until Professor Ports class let out "Weiss?"
The Schnee Heiress's attention snapped back to her scroll, raising it to her ear she answered "Yes, sister."
"I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this conversation short." Winter replied her tone somewhat softer than before. "General Ironwood needs to speak with me... I understand it might be rather short notice but if you are free this evening I'd like to see your quarters and perhaps meet your teammates as well, I'll admit the way you described them to me in your letters has piqued my interest."
Considering their curfew eliminated any chase of late-night outings into Vale, the question of whether her team would be available that night wouldn't be too hard to answer. "Of course, would you be available around eight O'clock?" Weiss smiled, while the others might not look as forward to this as she was... actually scratch that, knowing her partner she'd more than likely share in her excitement.
"I believe so." Winter replied the younger of the two Schnee found herself fighting down the feeling of jubilation welling up inside her, despite what she felt by the news it was neither the time nor the place to be acting so immaturely, especially in the presence of her sister. "I look forward to seeing you again sister, farewell."
"To you as well." Collapsing her scroll Weiss stared down at the screen for a moment the small smile she'd worn throughout the course of the conversation with her sister quickly turning into a grin, pumping her fists into her chest with a whispered "Yes"... Only to immediately flush a bright red, glancing down both ends of the hallway Weiss quickly smoothed out her uniform and hair in an attempt to regain the proper ladylike demeanor she'd been taught to uphold throughout most of her life. 'Please tell me no one saw that?' she silently pleaded.
After taking a moment to calm down, she tucked away her scroll and turned back towards the classroom door, though just as her fingers brushed against the brass handles, the end bell for classes sounded. The Schnee Heiress's eyes widened her head snapping up towards the clock above the classroom door, nine-thirty it read.
A combination of shock and mortification went through her, Weiss's forehead met the hardwood surface of the door, well, there went her up until now perfect attendance record. Prying her fingers off the handle Weiss stepped aside just as the doors swung open and the first members of her classmates spread out into the hall, Weiss leaned back against the wall trying to make herself as unnoticeable as possible while she waited for her team.
"Hey, there's miss RULE breaker." Weiss glanced up towards the source of the voice, Yang's good-natured smile greeted her. "So, you going to fill us in on what was so important it made you, of all people, cut class?" The blond brawler inquired, crossing her arms beneath her chest she eyed Weiss curiously, The Schnee Heiress rolled her eyes, accepting her book bag from a just as equally curious Ruby as she and her team made their way down the hall.
"If you must know, my sister will be arriving this afternoon alongside the delegation from Atlas." she replied, with no small amount of pride present in her voice, Winter was the pinnacle of an Atlesian Huntress, Poised, Confident, Unflinching, all things she hoped she could come to be once she received her license after graduation.
"Your sister!?" Ruby preened at the news, leaning towards her partner she began to rattle off one question after another "When is she landing? What's she like? What weapon does she use?" Ruby's enthusiasm caused Weiss's smile to grow, despite how tense her Faunus teammates had become, her golden eyes fixed on the White-haired girl.
"Weiss!" Blake hissed "Please tell me you didn't invite her to our dorm"
She had "I did, and I don't see what the problem is having my sister join us for the evening." Weiss cocked a brow at her Teammate, was she worried Winter might be in danger being around them? But now that the idea was in her head she'd admit to being somewhat concerned given all that had happened recently, still, she was more than confident if anything did happen her sister could take care of herself. "If you're worried for my Sisters safety given everything that's happened recently, I guarantee Winter is a more than capable fighter."
"It's not that." Blake reaffirmed " Your sister is Winter Schnee, not only is she a Schnee but an Atlesian specialist and right hand of General Ironwood himself, and I'm..." Blake trailed off, glancing around them most of the other students had already disappeared off down the hallway ahead of them, yet there were still a few lingering in the hall ahead, her voice dipped low "If you haven't forgotten, I'm a Faunus and an ex-member of the White Fang, the organization that has openly attacked not only the SDC but Atlas itself."
"Crud" Ruby whispered to herself, now that she thought about it more Blake and Weiss's sister meeting started to sound like a really bad idea, the last thing any of them wanted was to risk their teammate being arrested.
"Ooooh~" Yang couldn't help but wince in agreement with her little sister, yeah when she put it like that this whole thing sounded like a recipe for disaster, but it wasn't like Blake was just going to walk up to Weiss's sister and say 'Hi there I'm Blake Belladonna, former White Fang member, it's nice to meet you.'
Weiss nodded back to her teammate slowly "I can see why you might be hesitant to show yourself, and I won't force you to stay if you feel uncomfortable " Perhaps she'd been a little careless accepting her sister's request so quickly, but Blakes situation had barely become a second thought at this point, and despite the bad blood between them at the start of the year, the two of them had both grown closer then they might have before had she never learned the truth about their teammates past. "But I would still like for you to meet her."
Blakes's lips twitched up into a small smile, she could already tell this reunion between Weiss and her sister was important to the Heiress, and she was touched that Weiss wanted her to be a part of it. "Weiss I..."
"You won't have to talk to her beyond some small introductions, then you can make an excuse and leave if you'd like." Weiss went on, she would have made the same offer to any of the others had they felt uncomfortable with her sister's presence. "I won't try and force you."
"No, no, in no way would you be forcing me." Blake was quick to interject, taking a moment to compose herself Blake continued "I would love to meet your sister." Blake offered what she hoped to be a reassuring smile, and channeling some of what she'd dubbed her inner 'Yang' she added "As long as this isn't one of those things where you want us to pretend you're our team leader, or that you're somehow stronger than the rest of us."
Weiss scoffed, what did Blake think she was, a character in some terrible sitcom? "As if I need any of you to affirm that for me."
"Pfft, keep dreaming Ice Queen." Yang remarked, Ruby, giggling alongside her older sister
Weiss crossed her arms over her chest and turned her nose up at the two with an exaggerated 'Hmph' though that did little to hide the smile that had quickly spread across her features. "Laugh all you want now you two, but once we get back to the dorm this afternoon we're cleaning that room top to bottom." She and by extension her team, had a good impression to make, and by no means would she allow it to be ruined by the needless clutter Ruby and Yang had accumulated over the previous semester.
"Aww, man." Ruby sighed, did that mean she'd have to get rid of all the magazines and comics she had hidden under her mattress, it wasn't like she could use her space on the bookcase to keep them safe, all her textbooks were up there. Besides, what if she woke up early and decided to read for a bit while the others were asleep having to get up and then walk back and forth from her bed to the bookcase was just asking for trouble, having her stuff on hand like that was way easier.
Yang rubbed her chin in thought for a moment "Hey, if we're trying to make a good impression, should we get some of that tea and snacks you seem to like from the cafeteria." For all Weiss went on about Ruby's apparent sweet tooth, she'd seen her eyeing some of the cakes there more than once during lunch, then there was the tea she and Blake always seemed to enjoy, there was a good chance if Weiss was into it then her sister would be the same.
"I'm already way ahead of you." Weiss nodded back to her teammate, she'd be taking a little time out of their lunch period to secure some Imperial Masala from the Cafeteria in preparation for her sisters' arrival, and after what Winter had spoken of her schedule for the most of today, she imagined Winter would appreciate a few hours of quiet and relaxing conversation before having to her quarters for the evening.
Tonight would be perfect.
/
The Pride of Atlas was perhaps the largest vessel within the Atlesian air fleet serving as both the backbone of their air fleet and General Ironwoods' personal flagship, it was a testament to their kingdom's strength both in military might and technological advancement. Yet for one Winter Schnee, whom throughout the day she had played her part as the good daughter and heiress of the family legacy, but at night, she had looked up at this steel goliath, not as a symbol of her kingdom's might, but as one of hope.
Hope that she might be more than the dressed-up doll the world had seen her as for much of her younger years, more than a tool to fuel her father's ambitions and the downwards spiral of their family name. It had helped to inspire her, to make her take up a sword and carve out her own way in life, to break free of the chains that had bound to that life for so long, the same chains that had latched onto her sister in her absence.
Winter sighed to herself as she stepped out of the elevator onto the upper deck, her heels echoing down the sleek metal hallway, nodding to the occasional technician or trooper that passed her by on her way Winter rounded the last corner, her eyes landing on the doorway ahead guarded by two of their kingdoms newest models of Atlesian knights they planned to deploy during the Vytal Festival.
Arriving before the door, the knight stepped forward its faceless visage studying her for a moment, likely running her appearance through the Atlesian military database, a moment later its artificial voice buzzed to life 'Identification?' it requested. Winter wordlessly held out her scroll towards the Knight, a subtle ping resounding from the droid, its screen flashed a moment later 'Welcome Specialist Schnee.' The knights stepped back returning to their posts, the door ahead of her sliding open allowing her entry.
Stepping through the doors into the office her ears were greeted by the heated conversation between the General and what appeared to be Headmaster Ozpin. "I understand the need to keep him on campus until their stories can all be verified, but what I fail to understand is why he and his collaborators haven't been confined to a more secure location until your investigation has concluded." Winter paused, taking a small step back towards the door about to step out into the hall, an apology for interrupting already on her lips, that is until the General glanced up at her over the holographic screen in front of him.
"I take it Miss Schnee has just arrived?" The person on the other end of the call asked a voice she immediately recognized as Headmaster Ozpin.
Winter stopped and stood at attention "Apologies for intruding General, I can wait outside if you wish?" she offered
She expected him to ask her to wait outside but instead gestured for her to wait off to the side " Stay, I called you here because this conversation involves you as well." Winter replied with a curt nod silently moving across the room and rounding the General's desk to stand beside him, while the General turned his attention back towards the screen "As I was saying, you yourself said you had reason to believe that he had compromised a member of their team, that alone should be more than enough to throw their testimonies into question."
"Perhaps" Came Headmaster Ozpin's reply, winter couldn't help but notice the man displayed on the screen seemed more ragged than the last time they'd met and given the context of the conversation she could already assume why. "However, I examined those girls myself, and they have shown none of the signs of being under the influence of magic, nor any of the side effects Qrow reported following his interaction with Miss Volkihar." Beacons headmaster leaned forward in his chair "As for why I allow them to still roam the academy, given the situation described to us by those girls, it would be foolish of us to discard such allies when they may very well be our only experts on how to combat this threat."
Winter narrowed her eyes slightly at the mention of a new threat, though chose to remain silent until she knew more of what exactly was going on.
"Maybe so." The General sighed, nodding slowly in response to his old friend's words. He wouldn't deny Oz had a point, their knowledge and experience in how to combat this creature would be invaluable, but what concerned him the most was their loyalties or rather lack of, they were strangers in every sense of the word possessing no ties to any of the kingdoms nor Remnant itself, the fact Miss Volkihar was here at all proved they possessed the means to travel to and from each.
"But I'm merely suggesting that we air on the side of caution moving forward with this... alliance, we know he and his sister have already deceived us once before, who is to say they won't do so again in the future should it suit them." Who was to say that in the event this creature did return in force, they wouldn't retreat back to their own world and abandon them to face the threat alone? Considering both would be staying on Beacon's grounds for the foreseeable future, the barrier they apparently erected around the academy grounds could just as easily have been for their own benefit rather than the school as a whole.
"While Glynda might agree with you in that regard, both his efforts to bolster the academy's defenses and his past interactions with those girls lead me to believe otherwise." Ozpin countered. "They themselves have more reason than we to distrust him and yet Miss Rose and Miss Xiao Long have gone to great lengths to defend his actions."
Winter's eyes widened slightly, her body stiffening as the hands once crossed neatly behind her back fell to her sides, she knew those names, they were the same names that had been mentioned many a time in her sister's letters, and it was beginning to dawn on her why the general had called upon her so suddenly, the face of the hooded archer she had encountered all those months ago flashing through her mind.
The fact she had spoken to her sister only a few moments before being called to meet with the general did little to alleviate her newfound worry, with how heavy the tone was between General Ironwood and Headmaster she could only assume the severity of the situation and yet Weiss had made no effort to inform her of any incident involving the so-called Dragonborn and her teammates, why?
"All the more reason for us to act now while we still have the chance, we know he has a history with this creature." General Ironwood continued "And while you may not have discovered any mystical aspects behind their behavior, we can't rule out the possibility of the Psychological, from the report you sent me at the start of the year, he all but achieved the means to do so within the first week." Because of the surge in Grimm activity during the Academies Initiation, the Nightingales interference had not only spared Miss Rose a gruesome end at the hands of a Deathstalker but bought the students that had yet to pass, time to retreat from the much larger hoard closing in on them.
"Since then, he's had ample time to endear himself to those girls, to build a level of trust between them that they normally wouldn't share with any of the other faculty." Then came her apparent abduction and subsequential rescue at the hands of the Nightingale, it all seemed oddly convenient in his opinion "If what they say about this creature is true, don't you find it odd they were able to escape it so easily, that he could create a barrier to halt its advance..." If such power even existed in this world he doubted the gods would have allowed mankind to have ever known of its existence, let alone give them the chance to utilize it against them.
"Which is exactly why we are keeping him under constant observation while he carries out his work." Ozpin replied taking a long slow sip of his coffee, risky it might be to lay such a task on the very man they'd suspected of wrongdoing only a day before, but he would not allow such dire circumstances, the chance to repeat themselves. "We may see ourselves fighting a war on two fronts from here onwards James, call my decision what you will a fool's bargain, choosing the lesser of two evils, but these are becoming desperate times and we cannot afford any further missteps moving forward."
"Then why are you so insistent on making one now!?" The General demanded slamming his fist down on his desk in clear frustration, to call this course of action a risk was an understatement, after everything that had happened under his old friend's watch, he had half a mind to have that man and his sister arrested the second they landed, even with the risk of sparking an international incident there to stay his hand, the thought remained all the same.
And for good reason in his opinion, despite the precautions that Ozpin had put in place, one chance is all he'd need, a single opportunity to enact his betrayal and destroy the peace their brotherhood had spent decades working to maintain.
Pinching his brow, the General let out a tired sigh through his nose "Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he is on our side, but there's just as much a chance this is another trick." The General pressed on "Even with the measures you've put in place around him, he will still have the time to carry out one final act against us, and that act could mean the difference between victory or defeat, are you really willing to risk everything on a chance."
"It would not be the first time we have been forced to resort to such odds, James." The headmaster went on. "Or was it not you who took a great risk in bringing your own right hand into the fold following the attack on Amber, against the wishes of the rest of our brotherhood might I remind you." Not to say that miss Schnee was a poor choice, he himself had considered bringing her into the fold once she was further along in her career and the rigidity instilled by Atlesian Military Dogma had begun to fade.
"The difference being Winter has earned my trust through years of dedication and commitment as an Atlesian specialist." Winter was one of his most trusted subordinates and even then, one of the few he allowed himself to be lax around, he would not have her character compared to that of a criminal. "All I'm trying to do is ensure the safety of the students, I'm not asking much, let me take them into custody while we conduct a proper investigation into what happened that night."
Ozpin let out a long breath through his nose "Enough James...Enough" Their own rashness had already damaged the trust between the faculty and those girls irreparably, he would not have James's heavy-handedness risk severing what little remained "There is too much at stake now for us to have the luxury of being able to pick and choose our allies, and whether we like it or not this is the safest choice we have moving forward." Beacon would be fortified against 'outside' threats, and its architects would be monitored at all times. "My decision on this is final. Now, if that is all there is, there are still some final preparations I need to attend to before your contingent arrives, I wish you well on your trip old friend."
With that, the video feed came to an end, the holographic screen in front of him blinking out of existence. The general sighed dragging a hand down his face 'Damn it Oz, this isn't the time for one of your games.' he thought to himself, before looking back over his shoulder towards Winter, the young woman stood more stiffly than usual, her sky blue eyes remained focus on the empty air where the holographic screen once lay and while still maintaining her usual a stoic expression, her eyes reflected a mix of fear and concern, the source of which being all too clear to him.
"Schnee?" The General asked
Winter blinked, the general's voice pulling her from her thoughts and back to reality, as she took a slow breath in through her nose "Apologies General, I was lost in thought for a moment." Winter tried to deflect, forcing down the mounting concern inside her in order to maintain the air of professionalism expected of her position around the general, yet the cracks had already begun to set in.
"Winter" James pressed on in a far softer tone, resting a comforting hand on his specialist's shoulder he added "As far as I am aware your sister was unharmed during the night of the incident." Though the same couldn't be said for her partner.
Ironwood turned back to his desk he typed away at the interface pulling up the file Ozpin had sent him regarding their own investigation into the matter, it still infuriated him that Ozpin had waited this long to inform him of their discovery, though at this point he was hardly surprised anymore, the man had always preferred to be the one in control.
Winter closed her eyes taking a slow calming breath through her nose, before addressing the General once more. "Sir, what exactly is going on... What happened at Beacon?" she asked, a moment of silence passed between them before the General slowly turned and began typing away at his console once more.
"Some weeks ago, an unknown entity was able to breach Beacons student dormitories, your sister's Team were involved, and their leader was abducted." The team's file opened up on the monitor, another screen popped up beside it displaying what looked to be security camera footage taken in the early hours of the morning, given what he planned to ask of her once they arrived he wanted her as informed as possible. "Ruffly three hours later, the courtyard's security cameras captured this."
Winter narrowed her eyes at the footage before to her alarm a portal was torn open in the air above the courtyard, the girl in question emerging from within, wrapped in the arms of the so-called Dragonborn she and the general had encountered almost four months ago, following the rough landing she watched as the two rose back to their feet and seemed to argue for a moment before departing the camera feed showing miss Rose returning to the student dorms, while the footage following the Nightingale showed him arriving back at the faculty dorms, Autumn waiting for him at the side entrance, the general stopped the footage there.
How he had managed to remain outside of a cell up until now was anyone's guess, though the biggest question on Winters's mind remained the same. "Why are we only hearing of this now?" She inquired, given the severity of the situation surely the headmaster would have thought to inform them before now.
James sighed "Given the lack of information at the time Oz thought it was best to monitor the situation further before committing to a course of action." While he could exactly blame Oz for wanting to take his time, given how little they had to work with and the clear threat the situation might have posed. Though he couldn't help but think enacting some of his 'precautions' sooner might have helped mitigate the damage in the long run, especially given what they were seeing now alongside the reports of the actions that followed from the girl's team and Beacons newest faculty members.
Regardless of what that man claimed or the backing from the students, he still had his doubts about the legitimacy of their most recent 'Findings' "Recently with Qrow's aid, they were able to convince miss Rose to give her account of the events that took place that night." He'd have a copy of the full account delivered to her before they landed but in the meantime, he'd deliver the prevalent information himself.
"She claimed that a creature referring to itself as Hermaeus Mora was the one behind her abduction." James began to explain " Ozpin questioned Mr. Salmon regarding this creature. "He shook his head dismissively his tone taking on a hint of disbelief. " Apparently the people of his land considered it and others like it as gods, though in this Hermaeus Mora's case a dark god, Daedra, as he put it."
Had she not had the time to reflect on and process all she'd learned about the true history of Remnant she may have disregarded such things as mere fairytales, which is why at the mention of such a title her mind couldn't help but drift toward the almost unbelievable truths she'd learned regarding the true origins of their world, more importantly the youngest of their twin creators, the very entity that brought the Grimm to Remnant. "A Dark God, as in..." She trailed off
"You'd be forgiven for drawing such a comparison given the way he described this creature." James nodded "However there are clear differences between this Hermaeus Mora and the entities we are familiar with, on top of this Mr. Salmon confirmed to have a history with the creature though denied any involvement with Miss Rose's kidnapping, as of this moment he is working under Ozpin to prepare the academy should he make another attempt on Miss Rose."
Winter shook her head lightly in disbelief "And they actually believe that he can be trusted?" Winter inquired, the whole situation was quickly becoming far too complicated for her liking, a sentiment shared by the General.
"Despite my best efforts to convince him otherwise, Oz is giving him the chance to prove his intent. " James sighed, it occupied his time if nothing else granting them more of their own to ready themselves should this be another deception.
In all honesty, this all couldn't have come at a worse time, they were already bogged down dealing with a recent rise in White Fang activity across the continent, just earlier this week a cargo train crossing between Anima and Vale had been ambushed, Weapons, Dust and an entire batch of Prototype Paladin models had been stolen, statements from the few survivors of the attack along with helmet cam footage recovered from the fallen confirmed the White Fangs involvement, worse still, Taurus had been the one to head the attack.
He initially planned on having Winter spearhead the investigation into the White Fang's presence in the Vale, now however he felt her skill set would be better put to use elsewhere, and despite how much he might protest Ozpin couldn't deny having an extra pair of eyes keeping watch over that man could only help to ensure there were no further blunders. "Once we land I want you to assess the situation at the Academy, talk to Qrow, your sister and her team. I want to know exactly what that man has been up to and if there are any more surprises we need to be ready for."
Winter frowned slightly at the notion she'd be forced to work with that drunkard, still for the good of the kingdoms and her sister she'd stow her grievances, for the time being, still, that left her initial task in Vale unresolved. "What of my investigation on Torchwick's involvement with the White Fang Cell in the city?" She inquired
"The investigation will be handed off to Clover and his team." He had faith Clover and his team would be more than up for the task, cutting off the White fang from Torchwick, more importantly, the list of contacts and resources he'd been able to amass over the tenure of his criminal career, denying the White Fang access to such a boon would only benefit them in the long run "I'll have them briefed on the change in assignments before we land, in the meantime I'll have a dossier on the incident forwarded to the terminal in your quarters take some time to read through and prepare yourself, we don't know what we'll be stepping into once we land and I need you at your best."
"Understood sir." Winter stood at attention snapping a sharp salute towards him, a determined spur in her step she turned and crossed the office the double doors opening for her, as she exited back out into the hallway and the doors sealed shut behind her, Winter immediately turned back in the direction of the lift leading down into the specialist barracks, her body stiff and her hands curling and uncurling into fists behind her back as she went.
The lift opened and she stepped inside quickly selecting the deck housing her quarters, as the elevator began to move her shoulders slumped and a ragged breath left her Winter stepped to the side allowing herself to lean against the wall of the elevator her previous poise and neutral expression abandoned as she stared down at the elevator floor, granting herself a brief moment to... take it all in as they say.
Weiss might have been somewhat sheltered due to their upbringing but in no way was she a fool and given everything she had just learned recently it would have been impossible for her little sister not to have noticed any changes in her teammates or the reprobate in question.
'So why didn't she tell me?' Winter repeated the same question over and over again inside her mind.
She wanted to believe it was because he had managed to conceal his nature from Weiss and her remaining teammate, though that notion was immediately thrown out of the window, given that two of her teammates were already confirmed to be aware of his true identity. The fact her own partner had claimed to have been abducted by some eldritch horror and then rescued by the man in question only helped to reinforce this, an event like that no matter the outcome would leave scars behind, if not physically then emotionally, especially on someone so young, scars that even the densest of individuals -of which Weiss was far from- would be hard-pressed to miss.
This meant that her little sister was likely more than aware of his true identity and of the events that transpired that night, both long before the General or the Headmaster of Beacon had been able to address it, and yet had still chosen to refrain from informing one of the faculty or herself of what transpired that evening.
Did that mean she shared the same stance as Miss Rose and Xiao Long towards the so-called Dragonborn, did their whole team stand by his action?
Winter sighed in frustration; she could feel the beginning of a migraine start to take route behind her eyes. She doubted she'd be getting much of the rest the General had requested of her before they landed, taking a slow calming breath through her nose to steady herself, Winter turned back to face the elevator door.
She'd have her chance to see the situation at Beacon first-hand once they'd landed, and perhaps some answers from her sister on why she withheld crucial information regarding her own partner's abduction, from the proper authorities. 'Weiss... Just what have you gotten yourself into?' She couldn't help but wonder.
The elevator door slid open, and Winter immediately shelved her thoughts on the matter, gone was the worried older sister and in her place was the stoic Atlesian specialist. Stepping out into the hall a pair of Atlesian soldiers making their rounds paused to salute her, Winter regarded them with a small nod as she passed, though her eyes remained focused ahead her pace quickening ever so slightly, she had maybe a few hours at most to go over the dossier before they landed.
For most, it would be barely any time at all though she'd worked with less in the past, and should she need to she could have Qrow fill in any of the blanks, and should her findings uncover evidence of the threat General Ironwood was so certain had been hiding among their ranks, sowing the seeds of their downfall.
She would see it eliminated.
AN: Sorry about the wait on this one, guys and gals, after my last update back in April I kind of just pushed everything else aside so I could focus on the last few assignments for My Uni work and while I do love writing for you guys my life outside of this will always have to come first.
Any who I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter of Shadows Rising, feel free to leave a comment on my work any constructive criticism you might have towards my writing is always appreciated as it helps to improve my writing, and speaking of said writing, over the course of the summer I will be going back to look over and update some of my early chapters.
The changes will be mostly towards my grammar for chapters 2 - 8, as well as a few minor scenes in order to make the story flow more smoothly for you guys, again I hope you all enjoy what I've been dishing out over the last couple of years, and I will be see you all in the next one.