Raven stormed through the marble halls of Beacon, her mind and heart at war with one another.

Logically, she agreed with parts of what Summer said, but her heart refused to acknowledge it. She knew she was being stubborn, perhaps unnecessarily so, but she was also right. Ideals and dreams were nothing more than delusions without the strength to force them into reality. She had been taught that lesson long ago when she and Qrow had one day dreamed of leaving the tribe.

Her father had stamped those foolish dreams into the dirt long ago.

Yet, that same part of her that rebelled against Summer also rebelled against the idea of serving her father. It was quiet, nothing more than a spark among the ashes of their old dream, but it was the first time she had felt it since that day.

On that front, she had been proven wrong and a part of her wondered how wrong she was at the moment, and how desperate Summer must have been to even consider such a course of action. She had acted rashly in giving that ultimatum to her, but she respected it to a certain degree. Forcing her off the team certainly took a certain amount of balls that not many would be willing to admit.

She hadn't pegged Summer Rose as being such a person, but just as she had been proven wrong once about her time at Beacon, she had been proven wrong once more. Summer Rose, the klutzy moron who wore her heart on her sleeve, had barged into their dorm room ready to wage war. The look on her face…

Raven shook her head and shook the feelings that had begun to creep up to her. She wouldn't be subjected to her doubts or feelings like those weaklings around her did. She was Raven Branwen, one of the strongest students at Beacon and she wouldn't submit. Not to anyone.

She paused in her rampage across the campus as she realized her feet had betrayed her. She stood in front of the large statue of some dead hero who had died bravely and foolishly for something. Her annoyance began to mount when her gaze landed on the figure sitting on the bench beneath the statue.

"Well, Miss Branwen— I find myself both surprised and not to see you here. I assume Miss Rose's talk hasn't gone in the direction either of you have hoped?" Headmaster Ozpin said, lying on the bench in the middle of the plaza. She had assumed their prestigious headmaster had something better to do than to play therapist with their team, but it seemed he had his whole day blocked out just for them.

"Headmaster." She grit out. "If at all possible, I would prefer—" She tried, but the Headmaster wasn't entertaining the notion.

"Denied." The Headmaster uttered, sealing her fate. "I find myself concerned— your team has an enormous potential to be one of the greatest teams this school has had the pleasure of teaching, yet from what I have heard via Miss Rose, and seen with my own eyes, you disagree with that potential."

Raven twitched, her anger surging forward again. "Please, don't patronize me, Headmaster. I am not one of your city students to be coddled and told how the world works— I have plenty of experience with that myself." She spat out.

Ozpin held out a hand. "I did not intend to patronize, Raven. I seek only to understand and guide all our students in the direction of their potential." He said, his eyes gazing into hers. "You fit into the criteria as well— whether you like it or not."

Raven 'tsked' and looked at him. "So, we're having this therapy session in the middle of the courtyard?" She asked sarcastically and regretted it immediately when Ozpin's eyes narrowed. She might have miscalculated his patience.

"Would you rather we have this talk in my office? Or perhaps on the first flight out of Beacon?" He asked pointedly and she winced.

Raven grumbled for a moment before she sat on the bench next to Ozpin, and pointedly turned away from him. Sure, it was petty of her to do, but she wasn't feeling particularly reasonable either.

"Now that you have settled down, perhaps we could discuss the actual reason for all of this nonsense, yes? What did Summer say to you to cause you to lose your temper in such a way?" Ozpin inquired and Raven bristled, but a single look from the Headmaster quelled her rising animosity. It seemed the Headmaster wasn't playing around.

"She gave me an ultimatum— submit or be kicked off the team." Raven spat out after a few tense moments.

The Headmaster hummed. "Now, I certainly doubt that. Miss Rose is not the one to make others submit under her heel so to speak. Now, shall I try and guess which part of that sentence is true or will you try again?" He asked and Raven clenched her teeth.

"Fine." She spat. "She asked me to 'watch and listen' to her and the other two— to try and understand her side." She admitted and her frustration returned in full force. "But, what's there to understand? She lectures me about strength and the force of character but that's it! She doesn't understand what she's asking me to do— what she's trying to get me to—" Raven cut herself off, her fingers drumming on the bench. Ozpin let her stew for a moment.

The silence was grating, but where she lacked in patience, she had stubbornness in spades.

"…What she's trying to get you to admit?" Ozpin finished for her and Raven's temper flared.

"…Yes." She spat.

Ozpin hummed and looked lost in thought. Raven stewed in her memories for a moment as she tried to reconcile her actions. Why was she talking to Ozpin? She hadn't ever needed something like reassurance before, so why did she at that moment?

Ozpin seemed to have made his mind up about something. "Why are you here?" He asked.

Before she could say the obvious, Ozpin held out his hand. "No, that's not what I meant. We talked about this when you were admitted originally and you gave me that answer then." He said.

He continued after a moment. "Give me your real answer. Why are you here at this school, instead of back with your tribe?" He asked and Raven's hackles rose before she let out a breath and forced them back down. Of course, Ozpin knew of their origins— he was Ozpin, it was expected of him to have that information.

"To become strong," Raven said and Ozpin nodded.

"Not the most noble of reasons I have heard, but a valid one nonetheless. You have chosen the right school— Beacon is the best academy on the planet for Hunters and Huntresses to grow stronger." He said and Raven nodded along, slightly unsure of where he was going with all of this.

Ozpin continued, "Now, another question. What is your definition of strength?" He asked and Raven huffed.

"Isn't it obvious? The ability to protect oneself from the world around them." She said.

Ozpin hummed. "That's about what I expected. Now, tell me, what do you think Summer Rose's definition of strength is?" He asked and Raven frowned.

"It should be the same." She said. For all the problems she had with Summer, one thing Raven couldn't deny was that she was physically gifted and smart. She was strong.

Ozpin waved his hand. "Partially correct. Her definition is to protect others instead of oneself. Do you understand?" He asked.

Raven stared at him.

"That's stupid," Raven said, and Ozpin twitched. "She should focus on strengthening herself and if she wanted to save others later, whatever, but not before you're strong yourself. That's how you die." Raven finished.

Ozpin nodded with her, to her utter surprise. "Yes, I agree. You have to be strong yourself to save others. It's the same principle we teach to civilians who fly on airships if there is a crash landing— save yourself so you have the strength to help others."

Raven nodded along with him, a little unsure of where he was going with everything.

Ozpin continued, unabated. "However, there is a difference between sticking one's neck out unnecessarily and having the strength to protect another life; Summer is the latter, Ms. Branwen. She is strong enough to keep both herself and others safe—her whole worldview is centered around that ideal."

"What ideal?" Raven asked though she had a feeling she knew the answer already.

"Heroism, Ms. Branwen." He said, with something she couldn't identify. "Ms. Rose wants to be a hero with all of her heart and soul. That is the ideal that drove her to become strong, and in all my years, I have never seen such a strong ideal lead to such a strong outcome. She is perhaps the strongest Huntress this school has ever or will ever see."

Raven looked at him like he had grown a second head. "Heroism? That's it? I thought it would be something more grand than that. Besides, the strongest this school has ever seen? Please, I am standing before you."

Ozpin looked at her strangely. "So you are." He conceded. "Yet, my point still stands. She is the strongest, not just physically, but as a Huntress. Do you know why?"

"Something asinine I'm sure," Raven said sarcastically, ignoring Opzin's silent rebuttal.

"She can ask for help. From her peers, her teammates, her teachers; even those she would rather not ask." He said, his pointed stare leaving her feathers ruffled.

"If she has to ask for help, she is weak, not strong Headmaster. If you cannot rely upon yourself, then you are dead." She said.

"Is that why you are so close to Qrow, Ms. Branwen? Because you do not rely on anyone else?" He asked and Raven bristled.

"That is none of your concern, Headmaster!" She snarled at him. "Qrow is my brother and I am obligated to look after him. Do not presume to tell me how my relationships are so supposed to work." The rage in her eyes must have been evident as he backed off.

"…You have my apologies. I did not mean to presume anything. Yet, you cannot deny that such a relationship exists, can you?" He asked and Raven…

…didn't have an answer. Why was she so close to Qrow? He was her brother, sure, but he could look out for himself. He was strong, like her, and didn't need to rely on others.

But, he did. He relied on Summer for directions and how to engage during team fights, while he relied on Taiyang to provide the muscle in close quarters once shit hit the fan. And she…

She did the same. At first, she thought that Summer was an annoyance, but she buried it quickly so she could blend in with her team better. It didn't work considering Ozpin knew about them anyway, but the point still stood that she shouldn't have needed to follow her orders longer than she needed to.

Yet, she realized, in almost every interaction with Summer, she had let her dictate the terms and had become passive. All because…

…She liked it.

The realization startled her and she gripped the edges of the bench as her mind raced. There wasn't a practical reason for the things that she did, she just did them because she liked the thought of it, of actually being a team.

She refused the urge the snarl. She wouldn't be bound! She couldn't rely on others, she couldn't! She had to keep mobile, keep moving, and keep her enemies unaware of her next move. She couldn't show weakness!

Her Father wouldn't let her make those mistakes twice.

She got up suddenly, aware of Ozpin's eyes on her, and she had to hold her emotions in check. The dam she normally visualized for it, one she had seen many times through Mistral, now had cracks all along its surfaces.

It was about to burst.

"I must go, Headmaster. I'm late." She lied, not even trying, her legs tapping without her control. She needed to run, to go find a quiet place with only herself to just think and sort out her emotions.

"…Alright, Ms. Branwen. Have a pleasant evening." The Headmaster said, and Raven was already gone. As soon as he had acknowledged her desire to leave, she had ran.

She sprinted through the courtyards, past glaring and gawking students as she made her way through the afternoon crowds. Her breathing had picked up pace and she briefly acknowledged something was wrong with her and that she should get to the clinic on campus, but she ignored those thoughts.

She refused to be seen in such a weakened state. So, she went to the only place she knew would be deserted— The Emerald Forest came into view as she approached the cliff face and stared at the sea of green below her. She took a breath and dropped from the cliff.

She took in the wind whistling past her face and closed her eyes, trying to drown out the world around her as she fell further and further, closer and closer to the forest floor below her.

She opened her eyes and grabbed a tree branch as she was falling past, and swung herself upwards. She used her momentum to carry her above the tree line and drank in the sight of the forest around her, dark and nearly silent, before she felt the tug of gravity on her as she fell. She pulled a long knife out of her boot and stuck it into the bark of a tree as she fell past it, dispelling the momentum of her fall. She spun around the trunk in a circular motion before she touched the forest floor once again.

She stretched the muscles in her back and let out a deep breath. There was no one around except the wild animals that inhabited the forest, who she could hear slinking around her, afraid to approach. She grinned at the thought. At least those creatures acknowledged the obvious.

A growl echoed around her. Oh, and the Grimm, she supposed—but there wasn't a single thing that could threaten her.

Because she was strong.

Or so she thinks.

Anyways, hey everyone! Sorry, this chapter is a couple of days late- had an audit at work that took up most of my time when I was trying to edit this chapter. I'll try and be better about making sure the chapter is done on time in the future, but well, procrastination lol.

Hope everyone has a great week and please don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow if you enjoyed the chapter!

Next Chapter; February 15th!