The first thing you might notice when you entered Beacons foundry was the sheer size of the great hall that housed the various workshops and tools the students would use to maintain and repair their armor and weapons, a gentle heat perforated the air courtesy of the three industrial forges that lined the back wall of the foundry, on top of the protective equipment and masked required by students to wear before entry several industrial fans and ventilation shafts protruded down from the roof above pumping out the stale dry air produced by the various machinery and surrounding the forges, replacing it with a steady stream of fresh cool air, ensuring the temperature of the room remained clean and at a constant temperature.
A must for those whose weapons relied on the application of dust in their function, while the refined powdered version may not have been as volatile as their crystallized counterparts, he had already seen for himself on the first day of the semester how an improperly sealed dust phial combined with something as simple as a sneeze could result in a violent reaction.
Ruby and Weiss were lucky they had their auras to shield them, had a pair of civilians been caught in a similar explosion they'd have likely suffered far worse than some singed hair and blackened clothes. He'd run a few tests here himself during the week leading up to the first semester on how the substance might have reacted to coming in contact with magic given its apparent conduciveness with a huntsmen Aura and on a deeper note their Semblance.
The results had been varied, Fire, Ice and Lightning dust had been by far the most reactive to his stimulus as well as being the easiest to manipulate, the similarity between their application and overall properties with the three most basic spells of the destruction tree of magic had likely aided in that regard.
Water had been a bit... tricky, the fact a crystal could suddenly shift from a solid to a liquid form after being shattered was something worthy of its own in-depth analysis, and while he doubted he'd get much use outside of some rather specific sets of circumstances, having access to a miniature geyser at a moment's notice could be rather useful.
Though out of all his test by far, Gravity had been the most arduous to utilize, the fact one of the four fundamental forces in the universe had somehow been condensed into a physical form only added to his difficulty, the application of a small levitation spell combined with the crystal acting as a catalyst had boosted the strength of the spell, allowing him to not only lift much larger objects with far more ease then he'd previously been able to, but also reduce the effort it took to maintain the object's flight.
However, the increase in the strength of the spell also had the unexpected effect of increasing the momentum behind the object's movement from even the most subtle gesture.
Thankfully on that day, he'd taken the added precaution of moving his tests out into the emerald forest, a precaution that proved to be all too necessary after the damage caused to the surrounding landscape after his concentration had slipped for just a second and the bolder he'd been practicing on had been sent hurtling through the treeline at the speed of a bullet, from then on he'd relegated tests with Gravity dust to smaller, less dangerous objects, at least until he had a better grasp on his control during its application.
Sighing to himself Mikael glanced up at the clock resting above the doorway of the small office tucked away in the far corner of the foundry, it kept him out of the way of the students while they went about their own business and had allowed him and Serana the chance to work throughout most of yesterday afternoon and this morning, without the worry of drawing unnecessary attention barring the single Huntsmen that had been sent to keep watch over them while they worked.
Annoying as it might have been, with their every action now being not only under constant scrutiny but as had already been seen, misinterpretation by their hosts. They had to be careful to be as transparent as possible moving forward, especially with the arrival of transfer students from Atlas and Ironwood himself scheduled to arrive later today.
They could not afford to lose access to Beacon nor Team RWBY, so, if such measures gave the headmaster and his followers proper assurance that his actions were not malicious in nature, and while he was willing to bare their scathing gaze, for the time being, he could not say the same for his sister nor Amber.
Much like himself Serana and Amber had faced their own fair share of scorn for their part in all of this, and while the conditions placed upon Serana mirrored his own, he could safely say that Amber herself had suffered the worst of it, she had been barred from leaving the Academy Grounds without express permission from the headmaster or Glynda herself, on top of being forced to wear a tracking device at all times, they claimed it was for her own safety given the prior event earlier in the year and the added danger Mora's presence would bring.
Though in his opinion, it seemed more like they were trying to exert some form of control over her, much like they had at the beginning of the year. Subtle as it might have been, barring her from leaving Vale and placing her at Beacon allowed Ozpin to keep close watch over one of his most crucial assets, more importantly, the power she wielded, the reason for her confinement being more than justifiable given the threat to her life.
Now however given their reactions to her involvement in recent events, distant as they might have been, combined with the rather unfriendly looks he'd received from Glynda whenever the two of them were together, it was clear they were worried about more than just those outside of the Academy, as any words he had uttered in her defense had fallen on deaf ears.
He wasn't blind nor was he a stranger to the distrust and paranoia of those in power, his position back on Nirn had -if unintentionally -granted him some deal of political and -mostly thanks to his work with the guild- financial sway, the kind that if utilized correctly could be used to sway the opinions of friend and in some cases foe alike.
And yes, while their time spent together might have resulted in the two of them forming a close friendship, in no way had he used that trust to sway her opinion nor did he believe it had affected her judgment in any regard, had she thought his actions crossed a line or she disagreed with any of his past decisions he knew she would make her opinion known, as she had done more than once already.
The office door squeaked open pulling the Nightingales from his thoughts, turning his head to regard the new arrival he was pleased to find Serana closing the door behind her, noticing his gaze she offered a small smile in greeting. "Sorry I'm late, Miranda wasn't going to budge on this morning's lecture, and Glynda was no help in me trying to explain why I couldn't be there." She added with a small shake of the head, taking a seat across from him she set down a small cardboard carry tray in between them, the smell of caramel and chestnuts wafted off the steaming beverage held inside "Dropped by the staff room on the way back, figured you might need a pick me up and Bartholomew was willing to offer some of his private stock."
Taking the offered beverage in hand he took a small sip, while he might have preferred tea over coffee most days he was grateful for the sudden energy boost that chased away the exhaustion brought on by the events of the previous day. "I'll be certain to thank him, the next time we see each other" Bartholomew guarded his coffee like an old miser did his coin purse, the fact he'd been willing to part with some was a miracle in itself, not that he was complaining, what he had now as a far cry above the stock available in the faculty rooms or on offer in the Cafeteria.
Serana turned her attention towards the many crumpled balls of paper discarded around Mikael's work area, some looked to have been blackened by while others remained untouched "Any luck figuring out that last set of runes?" she asked plucking one of the balls by her foot off the floor, unfolding it on her desk her eyes glided over the diagram examining the rune circle with a keen eye.
The design consisted of a rune circle similar to the barriers they'd placed around the outskirts of the Academy but far more complex in design, though that was to be expected given what they were trying to accomplish.
The circle itself consisted of three separate interlocking rings of symbols, spirals and arc, the outer ring acting as the foundation was the simplest in design with a familiar line of hieroglyphs forging an enchantment that would fortify the user's resistance to Magic running the length of the ring accompanied by four twin arcs at each point of the rune circle.
The inner layer bore a twin double helix running along the edges and had been separated into six segments each holding its own line of hieroglyphs, the combination working to bolster their bodies' overall resistance to physical damage, given her chosen career path she imagined such a boon would serve Miss Rose well in the future.
The final ring at the center of the Rune Circle was by far the most complex as well as being half finished with a set of four overlapping helixes stretching from one edge of the ring to the other and the beginning of what appeared to be a diamond at the very middle, with a few incomplete segments of hieroglyphs surrounding it, from what she could tell at first glance seemed to strengthen the users' mental faculties.
"I seem to have run into a small snag with the design." Mikael replied bringing his hand over his most recent creation, allowing a few small wisps of Magicka to flow from his palm towards the drawing. The foundation and inner ring gave off a gentle blue light as the Magicka seeped into the paper giving life to the spells ingrained on its surface, and for a moment he thought he'd finally made the breakthrough they were looking for... that is until the center ring began to flicker and flash at random intervals, the light of the outer rings dimmed as the Magicka fueling them was pulled away towards the chaos at the center of the rune circle, smoke beginning to rise.
Mikael cut off the flow of Magicka and the light died, though the damage was already done, the paper in front of him slowly being consumed by an eldritch blue flame, a quick application of frost ensured the fire would not spread though did little to ease his frustration.
"The enchantments I've been utilizing in the outer two rings have been able to function in tandem with one another, but the design for the center is either too strong and siphoning Magicka from the others, or too unstable to contain the necessary Magical energy and overloading the whole spell." He said, while the enchantments laid within the outer rings were already a strong combination on their own, it was the center ring that was the most important out of all three, its main purpose was to boost its users' mental faculties, reducing the effect of illusion and other forms of mental manipulation, in this case, the Psychological domination Miss Rose had been forced to endure after being exposed to a Black Book.
Retrieving a fresh sheet of paper and tracing the first two rings out once more, he paused once he reached the center ring, tapping his pencil against the desk in thought, as he considered the remaining combinations he had at his disposal. 'It has to be something with the flow of energy, what am I missing?' Mikael rubbed at his brow his eyes scanning over every inch of the rune circle for any imperfections that could be causing the issue.
Serana noticed her brother's growing frustration as she gathered a few of the most intact drawings, giving his previous work a good once over herself, at first glance there didn't seem to be anything obvious, the flow of magic through each ring of the rune circle clicked together almost seamlessly, and she couldn't find anything wrong with the enchantments themselves.
Serana sighed to herself, had they access to an Arcane Enchantry they'd have been able to view the spell while it was in flux and isolate the problem immediately, for now however they'd have to do things the old-fashioned way. Although once this was done, it might be worth petitioning Ozpin for a spare room in the academy they could convert into a private workshop for their own uses, creating the equipment wouldn't be too difficult and would certainly speed up the time frame of any future projects.
Laying out three of the most intact iterations of Mikael's experiments she began to look through each one comparing their structure and the strength of the enchantments sealed within each ring, after a few moments a pattern began to emerge, and she almost couldn't believe what she was seeing 'It's not the flow that's the issue, just that it only has one place to go.' she realized, a singular enchantment was by far the simplest and most reliable regardless of the strength of the spell infused with the specified object or clothing, it was when a mage attempted a multi-layer enchantment that things got significantly more complicated.
With multiple spells working in tandem with one another, the Magicka required to power the spells was far more condensed and as such the rune circle needed an unobstructed path for that energy to flow through each ring, but also circulate back to the outer layers in order to maintain an even flow of energy while the enchantment was active, however in each interaction of rune circle Mikael had created it lacked this advanced network.
While the Magicka energy had been able to pass through the outer ring to the center as intended, the rune circle lacked the means to redirect that build-up of energy back to the outer layers. So, with only one way to go, the energy in the center ring kept building and building until it could no longer be contained, causing the spell to overload.
It was such a simple error, something you'd expect from an Apprentice Mage just starting out their studies on enchantments, something Mikael was most defiantly not. Glancing up at her brother across from her, she took a moment to study him more closely and couldn't help but notice he seemed rather worn down, frustrated, even more so than he had been before yesterday. "How much sleep did you get last night?" She found herself asking him.
"Enough" Mikael replied back evenly, Serana quirked a brow at him, that wasn't an answer. Sensing her gaze lingering on him Mikael tilted his head up her amber eyes burrowing into his own, knowing she wouldn't let up without an actual response he sighed in defeat, setting down his pencil before leaning back in his chair "Truthfully... I had about four hours last night, things have been grating on me more and more recently and I've found myself struggling to sleep at times."
"Maybe you should take a break then." Serana replied "You don't have any classes scheduled for today, so why don't you head back to your room and take it easy for a few hours." If she was right about the issue with the Magicka circulation, then she just about had this figured out, all that was left do was test it.
"I will, once we've finished here." Mikael replied, Serana's lips twitching down into a small frown "This is too important to ignore right now, and with the two of us here we could finish it in half the time." Normally she might have agreed, the night they'd crafted the barrier runes had been much the same, but at that time Mikael had still been well rested and not said down by the expectations they would be required to meet if they wanted to stay outside of a cell.
Shaking her head slightly at her brother's stubbornness she took pencil and paper in hand and set about creating her own sketch based on the previous designs Mikael had created, and with some minor adjustments to incorporate the necessary circulatory network, she set her pencil down and raised her hand over the finished rune circle. "Mikael" she called out softly
Mikael paused in his own work to watch as Magicka flowed from her palm and into the rune circle, one by one its rings flickered to life Magicka flowing clearly and evenly between each spell, she held the flow of Magicka for a few moments to ensure there wasn't something else they were missing, and only after a few minutes ticked by and rune circle continued to function without issue did she cut off the flow of Magicka allowing the light to die.
Serana slid the design across the table so he could take a look at himself, she watched his eyes scan across the paper tracing every line, every arc of the functional rune circle, a moment later they widen in realization, his head falling into his hands a long tired sigh left him, hours of wasted time and effort because of an error so simple even a novice enchanter would have already noticed and fixed the problem a hundred times over by now.
Rubbing at his brow in frustration, Mikael picked up the finished diagram once more allowing some of his own Magicka to flow through it, the circles lighting up once more with an ethereal blue glow, there was no flash, no sudden loss of power, or worse the whole thing bursting into flames like the last one. "How did I miss this?" Mikael asked himself, followed by a feeling of dread... if he had missed something as simple as this what other mistakes might he have made along the way?
"Because you're exhausted." Serana answered, leaning across the table she plucked the rune circle from his hand, setting it aside. "You've been going non-stop since before I even got here, to the point I'm fairly certain you're barely running on stamina potion and your own stubbornness." The fact he refused to answer nor meet her eye was proof enough of that. Serana sighed to herself, she supposed when you'd been forced to quite literally hold the fate of the world on your shoulders time and time again, accepting the weight of such a burden became almost second nature, but if he kept pushing himself like this then all he was going to end up accomplishing, was burning himself out. "The world isn't going to end if you take a nap for a few hours."
They wouldn't even be able to use the forges and begin the enchanting process until later that night, so they had more than enough time, and if Qrow or any of Ozpin's other little peons had any issue with that, she had some choice words lined up for them. "Fine" Mikael relented, taking a few moments to gather his things, Mikael turned towards the door, and paused "If anything comes up, don't hesitate to-"
"Yes, Yes, I'll call you if anything happens." Serana rolled her eyes, waving him off towards the office door she added "Go on, shew, head back to your room and take a nap, read, or whatever else you've been doing in your spare time here to wind down...besides Larceny I hope." She added at the end with a mocking smirk, Mikael rolled his eyes at his sister's little jibe. He had, in fact, refrained from indulging in his more, unlawful tendencies since his arrival at Beacon, however, he'd be lying if he said that he hadn't been at least a little tempted when dealing with some of the more uppity students under his charge... the arrogant ones always made the easiest marks after all.
The two shared a laugh, Mikael lips twitching up into a small smile, something Serana couldn't help but return, a moment later it was hidden beneath his hood and cowl. "I'll see you this afternoon." he offered one final nod in goodbye before moving to take his leave. Turning her attention back toward her own work area, taking a moment to gather the failed designs, with a quick snap of her fingers they were consumed in an eldritch blue flame erasing all evidence of their work, brushing their ashes into a nearby trashcan, she picked up the finished rune circle and tucked it away into the back of her journal.
Now came the admittedly least favorite part of today, walking this up to Ozpins office so the old man could sign off on it. It was a pointless waste of time in her humble opinion, had either she or Mikael wished them any harm you'd think they would have done something already, Mikael had been here for almost half a year now already and had probably had over a dozen opportunities he could have used to double-cross them if he wanted to, and for the people who claimed to be the protectors of this word you'd think they would have realized that already.
A rather petty part of her almost wanted to remind them what would have happened to that girl, on their watch, had Mikael not interfered, though Serana was quick to banish those thoughts as quickly as they came. As much as she might have enjoyed seeing them squirm a little, it would be needlessly cruel and only serve to damage their already strained relationship further, something they'd need to amend in the future, sighing to herself she slipped her journal back into her bag, throwing it over her shoulder she moved towards the door.
If it gave them peace of mind and more importantly allowed them to continue having access to Beacons facilities, then she was willing to put up with this whole song and dance number of theirs... for now at least.
/
Amber sighed to herself finding the interest in her book weighing as the seconds ticked by, after a few minutes she finally tossed it aside leaning back on her bed and staring up at her ceiling in frustration, raising her right arm up into view she glared lightly at her new 'Watch', it was a simple thing with a silver face and stylized chain band that stretched and curved around one another like a set of roots, and at first glance, you'd probably mistake it for an actual timepiece and in a way it still was.
Though if you were to look closer at the chain you'd notice the thin wires running down from beneath the face to the clasp... overall the design of the watch worked well to not only hide the tracker she was now forced to wear but also an alarm that would alert Glynda or Qrow if she tried to remove it while the sensor was still active.
Guess all that talk about not wanting to treat her like a prisoner was just that, talk, the fact they even had her moved to the upper floors away from almost everyone else, only helped to reinforce that.
At the very least she had assurance from both the Headmaster and Glynda there were no cameras hidden inside her room, she'd still been sure to at least check some of the more obvious places just to be certain -If she ever found out they had footage of her changing, there would be hell to pay- and thankfully came up empty, but so far that remained the only saving grace about her current situation.
Out of everyone to have found out what happened, she'd have thought Ozpin would have been the one to understand why they'd made the decision to hold off on telling him for so long. After all, his own position as headmaster of Beacon was little more than a disguise he used to garner the necessary political and behind the scene influence in order to keep track of the Maidens and carry out their more covert operations in combating the darker aspects of the kingdoms and by extension the world as a whole.
It was a given that during that time he'd gone behind the council's backs more than once, be that by forging documents that would allow his agents to pass through the kingdoms without issue, reallocating huntsmen resources, or just fabricating a cover story for one of their riskier operations.
If all of that was meant to be in the name of 'The Greater Good of Remnant', how were the measures they'd taken in protecting the kingdoms time and time again any different from Mikael's?
They weren't and that's what bugged her about all of this the most. 'I guess this is what people call a double standard.' Amber thought to herself bitterly, they'd expected him to come to them, to lay everything bare without a second thought on the matter, and the fact he hadn't could only mean he was somehow a part of it all, despite the fact they'd stayed silent just as long.
Even the best of Huntsmen needed time to prepare before walking into a Grimm nest, and just like then it wasn't like they could have just walked into his office the next morning and said 'Oh sorry to bother you, Headmaster, but we just came to tell you that one of the first years was abducted and almost enslaved by an actual Demon around dawn this morning, but don't worry Mikael -who has past connections with the same demon- was able to chase it off and rescue her, but there's a high chance it might come back to kill us all and take her anyway.'
She sighed pulling her legs up into her chest, on the plus side they'd at least managed to make their main objective reality, even if in the end it turned out to just be a somewhat shaky agreement with the headmaster, it still ended up giving them access to the resources and facilities Mikael and Serana needed to continue their work on those enchantments, she'd have offered to help herself... had she the first idea of what they were actually doing.
Amber's lips quirked down into a frown, she was one of the few people on Remnant with access to magic, yet she was practically useless when it came to utilizing it for more than anything outside of a combat or rescue situation. Though that wasn't to say she wasn't interested in expanding her magical knowledge and gaining access to abilities similar to Mikael's own, just learning how to use her magic to heal herself or others as she'd seen Mikael do after a few of their spars could be invaluable moving forward, and she doubted even Ozpin or Glynda could come up with a concrete reason to disagree on that.
Glancing over to her desk her eyes lingered on the Rose resting in a simple pale green vase, even weeks after it had been gifted to her it showed no signs of melting any time soon.
Standing up from her bed she made her way over and plucked the rose from its vase the light of the mid-day sun glinting off its frost-coated petals, glancing down at her free hand she narrowed her eyes, a pair of golden flames igniting around her eyes as a pale frigid mist began to rise from her palm.
Her brow furrowing slightly, taking a breath she pictured the rose in her mind and the wisps of air began to arc in on themselves forming a spiral that rose up into the air over her hand. At its center a small chunk of ice no bigger than a thumb tack crystallized above her palm, as the seconds ticked by more and more ice was added to its form until a short hexagonal stem stood in its place, the winds stilled for a moment then dipped inwards, a series of jagged spikes, for there could be no other way to describe them sprouted out along its surface, the largest pair resting near the very peak.
The winds rose flowing up and past the peak and with it, a thin sheet of ice jutted up out of the stem like a knife head, and it wasn't alone, the wind twisted in on itself and one after another they rose up to form the petals of the flower, those at the very edge curling back in on themselves like frigid fishhooks that threatened to tear and rip at anything that came close.
As the winds died down the last meagre gusts carried her creation down to rest in her open palm, Amber winced as the jagged thorns and petals lining her attempt at mimicking Mikael's own efforts poked and prodded at her flesh, the flames around her eyes were quickly extinguished, her eyes blinking open she took in her creation for the first time.
She hadn't expected it to look the best but had at least hoped she'd managed to hit it somewhere in the ballpark, and she had, at least shape-wise. It was ridged and blocky whereas Mikael's was almost true to life, it was sharp and jagged while his own was smooth and rounded, overall it looked like it had been cobbled together from pieces of broken glass, the only sign of its true origin being how cold it was to the touch, her mood dipped even further as at a second glance it had already started to melt from the heat of her hand alone and as she moved to set it down on her nightstand the stem snapped.
Sighing to herself, the same amber flames appeared around her eyes once again, her palm catching light, and the 'Rose' was reduced to little more than a small puddle of water that she quickly flicked away. Strolling over to her desk she pulled out her chair and sat down, propping her head up on her hands she stared intently at the rose in front of her... he'd made it look so easy, with little more than a flick of a wrist he'd turned something fearsome and deadly into something so beautiful and inspiring.
She didn't doubt the strength of her own magic, -even if it might only be a fraction of the old wizard's own- she could summon storms with just a thought, wield a cyclone of flame in one hand and a miniature blizzard in the other. the purpose of the maidens had been to spread joy and maintain the balance between the seasons, but as a Huntress, the most she could say she'd ever been was a force of destruction. A warrior with no parallel and while that destruction had primarily been directed towards the monsters that prowled the land beyond their kingdom's walls, she wanted to be more than that, she wanted to be a true Maiden.
It was a wish she'd had for some time now, not only did she want to be able to fend for herself in the crazy wide new world she'd been introduced to back in that cave, she wanted to be proficient enough that she could give back after all he'd risked and done for them, but most of all she wanted to be able to stand side by side with him atop this mountain that seemed to have sprouted up beneath his feet.
She knew it wouldn't be easy, that in all likelihood she'd stumble and fall time and time again as she made this climb toward greater understanding, just as she had when she'd first inherited the Maiden Powers, and while Ozpin and Glynda had been there to help her gain the mastery needed to control that power in the beginning, they'd never gone into much detail about what else she could be capable of, and thanks to Mikael now she knew, the only problem being that there seemed to be one obstacle after another blocking her way at each turn.
The thought of just flat out asking him to teach her had crossed her mind more and more each day, but she'd just as quickly brushed it aside, he already had so much on his plate right now and asking him to set aside time to teach her seemed like it would only put more strain on him and Serana, not to mention how the headmaster and Glynda might react to him training her and don't even get her started about James if he ever found out, though it looked like she might have a front row seat to something similar to that soon enough.
She was so lost in her thoughts, that when there was a sudden loud knock at her door she almost leapt out of her seat in alarm, her knees slamming into the underside of the desk making it jolt, the vase shuddered from the impact and tipped to the side the rose scrapping along the edge of the rim threatening to fall to the carpeted floor below, hissing out a curse she quickly steadied the vase before it could fall, breathing out a sigh of relief she looked back over her shoulder towards the door.
"One minute" she called back
Standing up from her desk she hopped over to the door, disengaging the electronic lock she pulled it open coming face to face with a familiar hooded archer. "Mikael?" she greeted, more than a little surprised to see him out and about right now. After that meeting with Ozpin, he'd practically locked himself away to start working on his next project, Serana joining him not long after the two of them had been pulled aside and brought up to speed "What are you doing here, I thought you were working on enchantments?" she asked pulling the door open fully.
"I thought I'd stop on my way back to my room and give you an update on the situation before I turn in." And perhaps to ease his own concerns for her well-being after that mess with Ozpin the days prior, he doubted the old man or his followers would have treated her too harshly, still, with tempers likely having been high in the aftermath he wanted to be certain she hadn't suffered too negatively because she'd decided to help him. "How have you been... I know recent events mustn't have been easy for you."
Amber glanced down at her watch out of the corner of her eye, then back to her friend, apart from that and needing a chaperone to enter Vale she couldn't say she'd been treated too unfairly. "I feel like I should be the one saying that to you." She replied reaching up towards his hood and cowl, he didn't stop her from pulling them down revealing his worn features, looking at him now she couldn't help but take notice of just how tired he was, his hair was unkempt his beard looking a little unkept in some areas, topped off by the heavy bags under his eyes, heck even his eyes themselves seemed to have lost some of their luster. "Did you even sleep at all last night?" she asked
"It was necessary, especially with the representatives from the other Academies set to arrive soon." Mikael replied, skipping a night or two of sleep wasn't anything new to him and they'd needed to provide results as soon as possible, especially with Ironwood set to arrive in a few hours, if the headmaster hadn't already informed him of the situation before now he would do so one the general had landed. "All we're waiting on now is the headmaster's approval over the design and we can move on to the actual forging and enchanting process."
Though that would likely take place later in the evening, the last thing they needed was one of the students to wander in and possibly see what they were doing. "I might be able to help with that." Amber suddenly offered, pressing on before Mikael had time to interject. "I know I'm not as well versed in that kind of Magic as you or Serana, but I know my way around a forge, especially the ones they use in the Foundry." They were the same ones she'd used to create the components to build her own weapon, she knew from experience how the controls could be finicky so having someone there who knew what they were doing could help to shave off some time they could use for any preparations used for enchanting. "They're probably a lot different than the ones you have back home."
'You'd be surprised.' Mikael mused, recalling the time he delved into the Ruins of Bthalft in search of the Dwemer Aetherium Forge, the Machinery he'd found in the ancient Dwemer workshop wasn't too dissimilar to what he found at the Academy.
And while yes, an experienced pair of hands familiar with the machinery would ensure there were no mishaps, that still left the issue of how Ozpin and his little brotherhood might take her request. "I don't think that would be wise, they've already made their thoughts on you involving yourself with us clear, I don't want to see you put under further scrutiny because of me."
Amber shook her head, reaching out to grip Mikael's arm gently. "Well, I don't want to see you, or Serana worked to the bone either." Amber went on the Maiden's grip on Mikael's arm tightening lightly. "They were ready to come after you, to kill you." She stressed gritting her teeth in frustration. "And even when they realized they were wrong about everything, they still acted like you were to blame, that it was your fault things had come this far." It was like it hadn't even registered that they could have come to him, Serana, RWBY or even herself about that night for answers "You can't tell me that doesn't bother you."
"Of course, it bothers me!" Mikael hissed back at her Amber flinching back lightly at his tone, clenching his teeth the Nightingale broke away from her, using the moment to force down his frustration lest he lashes out at her further, rubbing at his brow Mikael let out a long-tired sigh."... Of course, it bothers me, Amber, it bothers me more than you could believe." He lamented "They were confronted with a very real threat in their eyes, and yet they chose to back down, they chose to put you, Ruby, her team, and every other student and member of faculty in the academy at risk, then when it all came to a head they act as if they were blameless."
The very thought of which had infuriated him to no end, at that moment he'd been tempted to lash out consequences be damned, he'd have needed only utter a fraction of Unrelenting Force and sent the old man and his colleagues hurtling back through the office windows and down to the hard ground below, from what he'd seen before, Qrow might have survived had he been able to transform, Ozpin and Glynda on the other hand...
He banished those thoughts as they came... he hadn't had the chance to meditate for almost a week now, and it would seem traits of his more Draconic nature were starting to seep through the cracks, while his current emotional state was probably only adding fuel to the fire, he'd deal with it once he got back to his room, in the meantime he wrestled those feelings back under control and focused back on the matter at hand.
"Regardless of my feelings on the Headmaster at the moment, we need Beacons' support just as much as they needs ours." Or rather Miss Rose and her team needed them and as long as that was the case they'd have to grit their teeth and work towards moving past this, regardless of the foolish notion. "This is bigger than me, bigger than them or any of us for that matter, and if we are to move forward then there must be a compromise." They needed this to work, or all their own efforts up until now would be for nothing "I'm not going to ask you to like it, I certainly don't, but right now there's little else we can do without risking this alliance we have shattering, so I need you to trust me when I ask you to do what comes next?"
Amber grew silent, the seriousness of his tone leaving a foreboding feeling in her gut, and while she didn't think he'd ask anything sinister of her she had a feeling she might not like where this conversation was going, Amber bit her lip lightly "What do you need me to do?" She asked
"Stay away." He replied
"W-what?" She was right, she didn't like the sound of it at all. "What do you mean, stay away, from who?"
"From Me, from Serana." He replied "At least until after Ironwood's arrival, we don't know how he may have reacted to the news already or if Ozpin plans to tell him when he arrives, the chance of him jumping to conclusions and you being caught in the middle of another misunderstanding is far too high for my liking." Mikael added in hopes of reassuring her he wasn't trying to place blame on her or act as though she was a burden, the further she was from them at this time, the safer she'd be if things happened to go pair shaped when the General arrived.
He didn't want her getting caught in the middle of some idiotic exchange of egos, or if things turned violent, have everyone questioning where her true loyalties might lie and demanding she picks a side, the fact she'd been moved here already proved they were concerned about how close they'd grown since arriving at Beacon, more so on how much Amber might value his word over others, and as such were trying to put some distance between her and what they saw as the cause of these doubts.
Though judging by the somewhat betrayed look the Fall Maiden wore it seemed she was anything but pleased by the suggestion. "If you're worried about misunderstandings then that's even more of a reason that I should stay close" Amber argued raising her free hand into view, her aura flaring to life around her hand. "If they start questioning you then we can show them the truth ourselves, we can prove that you're on our side."
"It's not them questioning my loyalty, which worries me Amber" Mikael sighed rubbing the back of his neck in exhaustion "You helped me, you stood by me on this since the beginning, you kept my secrets not only about what I truly am but about Mora himself when I asked you." It was all too clear they doubted him, that they would question every action he took without a second thought, he could live with that, he understood that he was a rouge element in their eyes, it was when they felt it necessary to extend that same treatment to those around him that he began to worry. "What worries me is that because you chose to stand by me, to defend me from their accusations, they may feel it necessary to bring your loyalty into question as well."
Amber's eyes widen at his words, then slowly narrow a thoughtful expression passing over her features. Had he come to her with this only a few days ago she would have argued that Ozpin and the others weren't that paranoid, she'd known them for most of her life, she'd had little reason to doubt them and thought they felt the same for her, but now... now she only needed to look down at her wrist, and the room around her, to know that wasn't the case.
The knowledge that the level of trust she thought had been shared between them, wasn't quite the same as she first believed left her feeling uneasy, no, more than that she found herself afraid of what may happen if they thought she had become too much of a liability, that she could become a threat. "...How long would I have to do it?" She found herself asking
Seeing the turmoil in her eyes as she stared blankly off to the side Mikael reached out taking her hands into his own drawing Amber's eyes back to him " A few days at most." Mikael replied, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand in a show of silent support "Tensions are high at the moment so giving them a grace period where they have control over the situation will help things settle, and seeing you following along should put any of their doubts about you to rest."
He'd find a way to make it up to her, to thank her for all she'd done, for trusting him, for standing by him through all of this and while words of thanks and praise might be appreciated he knew she deserved something more... that she was worth so much more. Though he doubted he'd be able to deliver anything as grand as she might have deserved, he still wanted to try.
He knew she'd taken up drawing during her free time, he doubted he'd been the only one to notice her sitting out in Beacons gardens with her sketchbook between his classes, there were also a few books series and musicians she'd recommended to him during their first week at the academy that she'd seemed rather passionate about, he'd admit to having enjoyed reading The Man With Two Souls and the Violet's Garden series.
He knew a few stores in the city that might tailor to her likes and would make it a point to visit them the next time he was in Vale, as meagre as a few new books and new art supplies may seem, he hoped it would at least be a start.
Amber considered his words for a few moments, overall, it wasn't the worst suggestion given the headmaster and Glynda's accusations during their last confrontation, but in no way did it come without its risks especially considering what she knew about James and his frankly bullheaded way of tackling problems head-on, and considering Mikael's recent actions he'd more than likely already managed to place himself in the general's crosshairs.
Once he'd been briefed by the headmaster -if he hadn't already- how the General decided to react to such a revelation may very well decide their fates as a whole, if he decided the risk was too great and pushed for both Mikael and Serana to be dragged off to a cell, she'd be either completely unaware or too far away to do anything that could help.
Overall, this plan relied on the brotherhood's most proactive but also Headstrong of its members to maintain a calm and rational approach, to a situation that was anything but rational. Ozpin might be some help in pushing for that kind of outcome, he at least seemed to understand the need for them to co-operate moving forward, though it did little to ease her worries.
Even if everything somehow went off without a hitch despite the short string of near misses they'd gone through over the last few days, they would eventually have to deal with Mora himself, and with Nocturnal's warnings and Mikael's own stories of the Daedra, the chances of direct conflict seemed unavoidable, and when that day finally came that they might have to face down the Demon of knowledge... she couldn't be sure if they would all survive.
The very idea of that scenario playing out before her very eyes, left her feeling faint, her grip on Mikael's hands tightening as the realization that they were all living on borrowed time began to sink in. It was a fact of life, that sooner or later their time would come to an end and she and everyone she knew would pass on into the next life, most of the time you didn't think about it, even for huntsmen who faced death day after day, the idea of death while ever-present in the back of their minds, was a distant and for some an unimaginable reality, reserved for the days when they were old and grey.
Which is probably why she felt so scared right now, it was the same fear she'd felt back on that roadside when she'd seen the Grimm emerge from that woman's glove, the world slowed to a crawl and it was as if she were watching the last grains of sand in the hourglass representing her life fall, knowing at that moment, this is it, this is where I die.
Only for her to escape death's embrace through an extraordinary twist of fate, which looking back on it now, may have been by the design of outside forces. But this time, the very creature that may have spared her life, was now against them and it was as though she was back on that roadside, watching the sands slowly fall one after another, only this time it wasn't just her life teetering on a knife edge.
It made her think, about herself and the world around her, the life she'd lived, the good that life brought to the world, the lives she'd saved and the villages that were still standing because of her and the power of the Fall maiden...As well as everything she'd given up because of it, the family she'd been forced to leave behind back in her home village, the friendships she'd let wither and die because of her fears and doubts, the near constant isolation she'd been forced endured, and perhaps most of all, the chance to find someone, the chance to embrace one of life's greatest joys, a chance she'd willingly let slip by.
Staring up into his sky-blue eyes she felt her heart-rate quicken, it felt so selfish to bring it up now, she'd wanted to wait until the right moment, a time when they weren't so bogged down dealing with one issue after another, that they could sit down together and could know if this feeling inside of her. This, this... she, she didn't know how to describe it, it was like everything she ever felt in her life was coming back at once, the pain, the fury, the fear, the joy, the hope all of it wrapped up in that strange, terrible, amazing feeling she'd felt steadily growing inside her, that she'd only began to realize the meaning of now.
"I'll do it, but... I need to know something first." Something that couldn't be laid out in the open, something she wanted to be reserved for her ears alone. So, if worst comes to worst there wouldn't be any regrets, she didn't want to leave anything unsaid and then possibly regret it should something happen.
"What is it?" he asked
Taking a slow breath in through her nose to calm her frazzled nerves and steady her heartbeat, Amber stepped backwards into her room giving his hand a gentle tug silently asking for him to follow "Will... will you come in?" She watched his eyes widen darting between her, and the room behind her.
"What? Amber, we... we shouldn't..." he trailed off and for a moment it looked like he might pull away.
She couldn't blame him for being hesitant, not only did it go against everything he'd just said and asked of her only a few moments ago, but she wouldn't be doing it if she thought it could wait. Sadly time was anything but on their side right now, and if she let him go now, she couldn't know if they'd ever have the chance to find out again.
"Mikael?" His eyes snapped back to hers, the Fall Maiden offered him what she hoped was a reassuring look, silently asking him to trust her. "P-please" She whispered a slight tremor in her tone. Mikael remained silent, seemingly rooted to the floor his face unreadable, yet a plethora of emotions danced within those sky-blue eyes of his, she could see the temptation but also hesitance, uncertainty and dare she say... fear.
After a few tense moments of silence, his shoulders fell slightly, his body slackening under her gaze, and his reply came in the form of a slow firm nod. The simple gesture resulted in a relieved smile blossoming across Amber's features, tightening her grip on his hands she stepped back further into the room, silently asking him to follow.
This time he moved, following her inside one step at a time his eyes never once leaving hers.
The door to her room swung shut behind them.
AN: Well it finally happened... I have been agonizing over how to end this chapter for so, so, so long. Iv'e been having this whole should they, shouldn't they debate with myself on the ending, with me initially leaning towards the latter and having Mikael backing off despite his own feelings on the matter telling him otherwise or Amber hesitating at the last second and deciding to let him go.
I had both of these endings written out in a word doc, trying to decide which seemed better to use, but in the end, it felt like the only purpose they'd serve would be moving the plot forward without any real character development and leave the eventual scene for a future chapter where in my opinion it just wouldn't fit or make it seem like the whole thing was just dragged on.
So I decided to knuckle down and push for it, with each draft of it climbing up one level of intimacy after another, from them admitting their feelings to one another before parting ways, to Amber deciding words were cheap and just flat out telling him she wanted to kiss him and "If...If you don't want this then, pull away.", each of which was good endings in their own rights, but just didn't feel like they matched the emotion and seriousness behind their current situation, which eventually led me to this.
Overall... Romance is hard, do I regret incorporating it into this story? No, but it's still hard, especially in a story where certain plot points and story arcs can take away from the development between the main characters and just make it seem out of place, or coming completely out of the left field.
Speaking of story arc and plot points, there is still some additional fallout for our resident Nightingale to deal with, courtesy of a certain General and his trusted second-in-command once they set foot on Beacon grounds, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Shadows rising, feel free to leave a review, I'm always open to any constructive criticism as it helps me improve on my writing and the story as a whole, I will see you all in the next one, bye now.