Radiant Rebirth (Hollow Knight x RWBY)

[Naron]

I write these lines while wondering if my life may be forfeit. Maybe I could keep on living like I always have, but curiousity drives me; the pervasive need to know has grown beyond comprehension, consuming me like a bottomless chasm. This journal is meant to help order my thoughts before I meet her, so that I can remember how it all began.

I have no memories of Lumina's birth; I was only two at the time, but everyone I asked tells me the same thing: it was a strange day for Shiroyuri. Her parents were an ordinary couple, perfectly lovely and perfectly human. Lumina, however, was not. She was born with stubby, white gossamer wings that bore a faint fuzz; I now know it is that of a silk moth. Her hair ended up the same colour, the very concept of ivory.

Now I know how it sounds. Clear case, her mom must have had a guy on the side. Except there were no moth faunus in town. I don't think I ever even saw one beside her. No one else I asked did, either. But when the child of two humans comes out a faunus, you don't think much about it. Her dad was devastated, drank himself to death within the month. I can only assume, but maybe the fact his wife died in childbirth just finished him off. If there was another guy, she took that to the grave.

The other thing everyone agrees on is that a completely healthy woman was unlikely to die giving birth. Except Lumina was born with an active aura; the nurse swears she shone faintly gold, like the first beam of light at dawn.

Lumina once told me the only reason she survived is Granny Bluebell. With her old man touring the bars, no one else cared enough to look after her. I guess the old fox felt for a fellow faunus, not like I can ask her; she died five years ago. Peacefully, in her sleep. Come to think of it, Lumina has not smiled since then. She had a soft spot for the old lady.

The first concious memory I have of her is also my first memory period. It was a sudden Grimm attack. Mainly Beowulves, some Ursas, a Boarbatusk or two. There were no hunters in town that day, so the militia had to hold the line; Shiroyuri was too young to have any shelters dug, so us kids were all running. Lumina was with us, three years old at the time. I was five and kind of leading the lot.

I will never forget rounding that corner. A giant wolf waited right behind, its tenebrous body bulging with muscle. A dirty bone plate covered its head and sickly, yellow eyes glared out malevolent intent. I locked up then, face to face with death. The adult with us pushed me back and was ripped to shreds; when I fell on my ass, the shock shook me awake and I crawled back while the beast was busy.

And there was Lumina, standing frozen at the sight of her first Grimm. I still recall vividly how it suddenly stiffened, focussing exlusively on her. The beast outright ignored the cloud of fear all of us must have felt.

I will never forget the Grimm. And I will never forget her face that day. Lumina was not afraid. She was angry. No. Not angry, angry is not nearly enough a word to describe it. Irate? Furious? Fuming? Apoplectic? None of these do it justice, that grimace of sheer anger. Her aura flared visibly, wings fluttering.

Anyone I asked later tells me that the Grimm screamed, shocking everyone but me and her into fainting. I understand why they attribute this bloodcurdling, inhuman screech to the abyssal spawn. But they are wrong.

It was not the Grimm.

Lumina screamed that day, her voice a physical force that paralysed my entire body. A scream so bridled with hatred that even the soulless beast was taken aback. It died before the surprise wore off; Lumina manifested her Semblance then, projecting light. It became a thin beam that punched a hole through its head.

It feels like every single Grimm in the village converged on us from then on; the moment she spotted them, a band of light connected Lumina and a given beast before it died. None was spared, none even made it near her.

I once asked her why she hates them so much. Her response makes some sense, but tells me nothing: "No mind to think, no will to break, no voice to cry suffering."

She never elaborated and I stopped asking long ago.

Her place in the village changed since then; she already was a bit of a pariah among the older children because of her wings, but now they were actively scared of her. Those her age and younger were just mesmerised by the light she produced. The adults, well, I think they liked that she made herself useful? Grimm attacks became more common, but Lumina always killed most of whatever force came.

That is not to say she became a celebrity; I don't think she ever cared, either. Her active aura and clear ability to kill with absolute ruthlessness made no one risk bullying her, but that was about it. She never had friends and never wanted them. She is not pretty despite her active life. Emaciated, more like. She never asked for payment or any recompense for killing Grimm; I offer her some of my food whenever I can spare it, wondering how she is still alive. Every day she rises with the sun and stands perfectly still for an hour to soak up its light. Then she does chores around the shack she lives in, eats what food she has, and begins to wander about town aimlessly. Sometimes other girls or some of the boys try to get her to hang out, but she just has no interest in anything we like. Back then I thought she looked down on us, but by now I know she simply does not care.

Sometimes she is heard talking to herself in alien tongues; not Valean or Atlesean, but something so utterly foreign they wonder if she made it up. Pitch and tones vary from time to time, but every single eldritch speech I heard sends shivers down my spine.

Everyone else ignores her eccentricities because she is useful or because she scares them. But I do not. I can not. I must know what makes her the way she is. For fourteen years she has lived in this village; she does not seem to care about us, but she still stays. Her wings work, she could just fly away and never look back. Why does she not? Who is she, and why? What secrets hide in this light that is exactly like sunlight?

Dawn breaks in an hour. I will meet her then and finally ask about it all.

---

The next entry is written in shaky letters, turning more and more illegible. Droplets of blood and tears smear some of the ink. It reads as follows:

She told me. Showed me. I saw heard felt smelled. I saw it. I saw it. I saw it. The first spark of light. The song from the beginning of time. Titans of flame spread wings, they are her eggs. A million million million eggs across time and space, waiting to hatch. But she was first, was ever, is forever.

Dawn will break!

I have seen the face of god Andsheis a MOTH!

 

[Naron]

Vernal snapped the small booklet shut. She took a deep breath, trying to settle her fluttering nerves. Of course the ravings of a madman deserved little regard, but she could not quite bring herself to shake it off. The body in the corner may contribute.

Vernal was no stranger to death. She saw it aplenty over the years; both among her tribe and the towns they swept clean after they fell. But Shiroyuri felt subtly different. Then there was that young man, almost a boy really. He lay nestled in that corner, arms wrapped around his legs. The only one who died of natural causes, dehydration most likely. It was not a pretty sight.

Shaking her head, Vernal's gaze swept the room for anything valuable. A few Lien notes wandered into her sack, as did a few bits and bobs. Nothing groundbreaking, but even tiny amounts added up in the end.

Just as she was about to leave, her eyes fell on that journal again. She picked it up almost inadvertently, against her better judgement. Vernal absently rubbed the black ink dragon cresting her left arm before slinging the sack over her shoulder and leaving the tiny home. Snow crunched under her boots.

Where she could usually push away whatever weirdness she found in dead folks' homes, this one stayed in mind. Even though the final entry read like a complete nutjob, something about those words upset Vernal.

It took a few minutes of stalking the desolate streets before realisation came; the unlucky bastards on penal duty were busy stacking up corpses already pilfered. Upon seeing the frozen bodies, Vernal realised what felt so off: every single corpse sported a bloody hole in its head. No other injuries, no signs of battle. If anything, their expressions were of fear.

The city was fine when their scouts checked two weeks prior. A windfall for the Branwen tribe, certainly, but an eerie one.

Raven was thankfully not far. She oversaw proceedings on the marketplace, where just about all of the bodies were found. Like a mob, suddenly felled. Vernal smoothed out her features and approached the tribe's leader. Their strongest member, the woman who elevated them from a creeping death to new vitality. A head taller than most women and clad in black with some traces of red, Raven Branwen struck an imposing figure. No one would expect her to be in her fourties, even the wrinkles in her face were rare. They spoke of exhaustion more than age, at least to those who saw them.

"Got something for ya."

Raven's head turned to behold Vernal. Her expression was hidden as always when out of camp. A mask so reminiscent of Grimm boneplates covered her entire head; primarily white, with sharp red lines. Each segment an eye-covering mask taken from White Fang operatives Raven herself slew. The animals would forever remember not to mess with their tribe.

Vernal handed her leader the journal. She could not see Raven's expression, but the way she flipped it open seemed impatient. Then Raven stilled, head moving up ever so slightly. Vernal gave her a few minutes to go through what meagre amount of information there was; if the boss lady decided it was rubbish, she could just claim she brought it for a laugh.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Raven absorbed its contents with rapt attention. It slapped shut with a muted thud once she was done.

"Nonsense?" she murmured to herself. "Or perhaps a clue?"

Vernal was familiar with that particular habit. She let the older woman muse for a minute before speaking up: "What do you think? Kinda weird, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Even without seeing her face, Vernal knew Raven was scowling at that booklet. "Most of it is sensible if odd. The last bit makes me wonder, though." A soft sigh followed, shared with only Vernal; it remained a source of pride that their leader trusted her and her alone with these tiny signs of weariness. "And yet a city that should be flourishing is dead. Not by Grimm, either. This has to mean something."

"I was thinking the same thing. Was there a moth faunus among the dead?"

Raven swiftly called over one of the poor sods who had to stack corpses to ask him that question; his answer was a quick no. There were hardly any faunus at all. The guard teams found no one sneaking around the city,either.

With no real answers, the women shrugged it off and went back to work. They had to finish stripping everything of value out of the town before Mistral sent a response team. Glancing at the bodies again, Vernal quickly looked away. She found distraction in cursing their luck; with all these people obviously killed by humans, they would blame the tribe again.

"Great, Hunters at the gates in a week or two."

"We will manage," Raven assured her mirthlessly.

Vernal could only snort in response; of course they would. They always had.

She would put the incident out of her mind by the time they left Shiroyuri. Raven would keep the journal, however.

Meanwhile, dozens of kilometres distant, a waif sat on a large rock. Her gossamer wings glittered in the afternoon sun, slowly folding and unfolding. She stared at her thin, almost bony hands, trying to understand what went wrong. Her patchwork blouse and skirt could not deter the cold winter air, but aura protected her perfectly. So why did she feel cold?

Lumina took a deep breath. White fog flew from her mouth, glittering in the sunlight. She tried to understand while thinking back to the past hours.

Someone friendly came up and asked about her. Not an unprecedented occurence, but he did not let Lumina brush him off. He was polite about it, too. The inconsistencies of her existence were noticed and inquired about. So Lumina indulged him; she felt he may actually believe her, unlike anyone else she ever tried to be candid with.

So she showed him what he wished to know. Then he began giggling, fell to his knees before her while muttering something incoherent, and staggered away. Days later she was accosted by a mob while sunbathing. Something about having hurt the poor man. The entire village was there, just about. Almost frothing at the mouth in anger, riled up and screaming at her. People she always knew she was not alike, but who she still lived around for many years.

Everything after that was a wrath-filled blur.

Lumina silently stared at her fingers. They weakly closed into a fist.

They were all dead now. Her anger always bubbled with their veiled insults, but today it boiled over for this final injustice. So she vented it in the only way she knew, in a gleaming display of divine punishment. Only after calming down did she realise what she did.

Lumina fled Shiroyuri the same day while cursing her own foolishness; she no longer had a place to obtain food or shelter from. That was truly the most damning of it all. That hollow feeling permeating her mind, it surely came from her stomach quietly aching in demand of sustenance.

Indulging her body's base desires, she plucked an apple from the tiny pack she dared make before fleeing Shiroyuri. A growling Beowulf emerged from the nearby woodland as she rummaged; the moment it made itself known, a band of light connected its forehead with Lumina's fingertip. The beast died while she tore into her meal.

For some reason Lumina wished to return, but she did not indulge in that desire; she knew there was nothing there anymore. Humans were herd animals, so she as the only survivor would have to face questions and persecution. Yet her pilfered supplies would not last long, either.

Her mood worsened as she pondered her circumstances and how to proceed. Aura helped preserve her teeth thus far, which now ground the apple's soft flesh to mush in her agitation.

Lumina often entertained the thought of just taking what she needed instead of paying with Lien. Unfortunately, she was too weak to risk damage to her human body. Without any money on her and few supplies, she thanked the books she took to reading. That and occasional excursions into the wilderness taught her how to forage and boil water on her own. As aggravating as it may be to dig in the dirt, she would do it to preserve herself.

Nonetheless, having to conform to human mannerisms angered Lumina. Every day was a reminder of how far she fell. Once a goddess, well and truly; now trapped in mortal flesh for the actions of that dastardly Wyrm!

Lumina bit through the apple's core and ate that, too. She was full after some additional jerky and a drag of water. Considering her eating habits, that gave her enough resources to subsist on for another day or two.

Alas, she finally had to accept waiting would not suffice. Lumina spent over a decade simply surviving in the hopes of her powers growing with time. It was far too little and she remained trapped in this shape.

Yet her only alternative may just be worse; Lumina still remembered her beloved moths, who betrayed her. The mere reminder saw her teeth clenched. Anger radiated from her in almost palpable waves. Incoherent rage blinded Lumina for one long moment before she forced it down.

Now was not the time, she needed to think.

Ignoring people was no longer a viable path. She disregarded them and their way of life long enough. Lumina had to integrate and find a way to cement herself in their memories. A bitter pill to swallow, but needs must. If only her birthplace still existed, that may make it easier to transition. Then again, wiping the slate clean may be more favourable?

Her musings were interrupted by a hellish howl.

Lumina looked up, as did many others; that roar echoed for miles, sending animals and people alike into rapid retreat. Only the Branwen Tribe remained at work, though Raven herself now reinforced the guards.

Meanwhile, Lumina remained where she was. Seated under a pair of trees at the foot of a hill, she watched a horned head crest that same hill. Yellowish red eyes gleamed as they beheld prey; the beast climbed further, revealing something resembling a rider on a horse. Only it was a single being comprised of solid darkness. Bony ribs were the only colour beyond horse and rider's eyes, as well as the bone plates on their heads. An assortment of spears and other weapons stuck to the horseman's back, shifting as the Grimm moved.

The Nuckelavee stood no less than six metres tall. Even Lumina heard of it in her ignorance; the nightmare of Anima, a beast that plagued Mistral for generations.

The horse reared up, ready to charge.

Before it could take a single step down the hill, a beam of light connected Lumina and the rider. Its eyes crossed in wonder as the flash passed. The horseman fell back with a sizable hole in its head. Yet against Lumina's expectations, the horse was undeterred. Its hooves threw up snow as it charged anyway.

A second beam pierced its head several steps later.

The Nuckelavee collapsed without a sound beyond the rumble of its tumble down the hill. It tore up the ground with its sheer mass and came to lie right before Lumina.

While the elder Grimm's body began to dissolve into black mist, she nonchalantly fished in her small pack. It did not take long to find the aged map she sought for. Anger intermittently calmed by violence, Lumina went back to considering her next move.

Out of all the places to go, she felt most drawn to the capital. The city of Mistral was far bigger than any other in the kingdom. As much as it galled her to admit, she needed more practice interacting with humans. She could just leave the country of Mistral for greener pastures, but knew too little to even begin picking a destination. Touring nearby villages did not appeal, either. So the capital it was.

Orienting herself by the native sun's position, Lumina spread her faintly glittering wings. She clutched her little pack tight and became light; a gleaming band connected where she just stood and a spot a kilometre above. There it curved before racing northward.

The entire display was visible for but a moment. Lumina reformed in front of Mistral city's walls within less than a second. As her wings folded behind her back, the moth beheld a pair of stunned guards. Neither quite knew how to react to her sudden appearance.

"Lemme guess," the man drawled after a moment, "Haven?"

Lumina shook her head. She was not planning to become a Huntress at this time. "Not Haven. I am merely traveling."

"Aren't you a little young to travel alone, missy?" the other interjected. They looked Lumina up and down, half a sneer aborted at the sorry sight of her clothes. The girl stood a full head shorter than someone already of only average height. They grimaced. "On second thought, forget it. Any controlled substances you carry? Weapons?"

"Neither."

The man wordlessly waved Lumina through the gate. She strode past them and into town; only when he was certain the waif left hearing range did he turn to his companion. "You ever see a Semblance like that before?"

They shrugged in response while he frowned. "Brother's both, that kid is days from starving. Shouldn't we-"

"Leave it. We're guards. We don't do anything until she starts pickpocketing. Check the station this evening if you're that worried. Won't take long."

He rolled his eyes, but did not argue the point.

Lumina herself was busy exploring the city. She paid little mind to the guarded looks thrown her way by passersby; Mistral's architecture had her mesmerised. Grand pagodas reached dozens of stories high. A giant structure had been hewn into the mountain itself to provide more space. Thick walls guarded the entire city, manned by safety teams and cannons of all sizes. Brutal and efficient, but still elegant in essence. She could not help but acknowledge the beauty in human creations.

The everpresent sneers thrown her way, she was nonplussed by. Buildings Lumina understood, but the reason to call her ten differents flavours of "dirty animal" eluded her. Maybe she would have taken offense, but the opinions of fools mattered little to her. More pertinent though, humans protected their own; attacking one would soon have the city up in arms. She just learned that lesson.

With that gruesome reminder, she simply let the slurs wash over her; not like they were anything new. People were surprisingly uncreative. She just made certain to stay clear of places with "No Faunus Allowed" signs; Lumina was no faunus, but her wings apparently said otherwise. Idiots, the lot of them.

Sometimes people approached her.

A smartly dressed man offered her a place to stay and a nondescript job to work. Even Lumina was not oblivious enough to accept that. She knew full well what humans could do to their own. By the way he sneered when she turned him down, she was right. A few rude words hit her retreating back to no effect.

Then she had to stop several children from trying to grab her wings. Not one of them so much as asked permission. Several fled under her stare, others were rooted in place until their parents dragged them away. Sometimes with a parting insult Lumina's way. All she gave those was a simple response: "Blaming your failure to keep your spawn under control on me will not make them behave better."

She was already moving on by the time anyone registered her scathing words. Any shouts following her went ignored. Angry muttering from those around her, she likewise paid little mind to. The one time a large man grabbed her bony shoulder and started to berate her, she stared into his eyes. A gaze with the weight of eons, even a fool could feel. He stopped in surprise, then sputtered in an attempt to regain his bearings. Lumina already shrugged him off and moved on by the time he did.

She wandered past several temples, too; some large, some small. Each one dedicated to gods or saints with almost painful familiarity. Lumina knew none of their names; she never met any 'Brother Gods', who were the main divine figures on Remnant. Andersen the Benevolent was often featured as well, though deemed a saint instead of a god. All this achieved was to remind her of her own brother and his absence. Lumina frowned and moved on. At least the people in this district left her mostly alone.

Then again, the many scowls made clear she would find no shelter even if she were to inquire.

Lumina's impression of Mistral was positive despite it all. She did not care much for the waste of flesh inhabiting it, but the atmosphere captured her interest. It not only was but felt bigger than Shiroyuri by several orders of magnitude. Tens of thousands of people lived here and it showed.

Some time into her aimless wandering, a red-faced woman accosted her. She simply appeared in Lumina's path, carrying the scent of alcohol. "Go back to Menagerie," she demanded with surprising coherence. "It's where animals like you belong!"

Apparently pleased with herself for some reason, the woman's grin soon faltered. Lumina did not take offence. If anything, her curiousity had been roused by that pitiful attempt at intimidation.

"Menagerie?" She inquired. "I never heard of such a place." The name itself was telling, though. Chances were humans picked it as some sort of indignity.

Unfortunately, the human she spoke to simply snorted and toddled away. Lumina's brow arched in faint annoyance before she was distracted by a gnarly hand landing on her shoulder. Turning her head, she found an aged man with patches of grey fur on his cheeks. He smiled gently, tugging on her.

"Good job staying so calm," he praised as if being unaffected by the moods of vermin was a great achievement. Lumina remembered the previous encounters, though. He could tell she tensed up and let go of her, raising his hands placatively. "Ah, my bad. Makes sense you'd be wary." His gaze wandered over Lumina's bony frame, eliciting a clear wince. "Little late, but how 'bout I treat ya to some lunch? Us faunus ought to stick together, eh?"

Lumina was not worried about being hurt. She knew she could kill just about anyone who made such overtures. At the same time, this was the first person to actually seem at ease around her. Not to mention her stomach ached quietly once again. So she nodded.

He led her down the street to a small diner; well visible from the street and somewhat populated, too. The owner was a faunus as well, much like most of the customers. Quite a few greeted the elder cheerfully and soon enough, Lumina was gnawing on some chicken and white rice. A bowl of miso soup was added to her meal.

She ate slowly to savour the tastes, brow scrunched while considering what to do with this. A golden opportunity to meet some people. But what did humans and faunus talk about?

Lumina ultimately decided to sate her curiousity first: "Do you know about Menagerie?"

He had been watching her indulgently before, but the question drew a soft huff. "Hah, good one. Hard not to know when you're in the big city. Menagerie's our own kingdom, kinda. Just a few years old, but the entire continent is ours. The other four gave it to us as a concession. You know which four I mean?"

"Obviously. Mistral, Vale, Vacuo, and Atlas." Lumina rolled her eyes at that while he chuckled.

"Aye, smart lass ye are." He leaned back and sipped from his tea. A note of fondness crept into his voice: "Menagerie's different. I've been there a few times to visit my nephew. Mostly faunus, none of the racism. They're building something kinder there, you know?"

"And yet it is named 'Menagerie'?"

"Fair. Used to be some sort of penal colony, I hear. They're keeping the name and owning it. Make the idiots choke on their little slights, is the idea."

This, Lumina could appreciate. She was well acquainted with spite. His explanations only made her more curious about this place, though; it certainly sounded better than Mistral. Then again, if it was and actually existed... "Why do you still live here, then?"

He blinked at that. "Hm? Ah. I'm a little old to emigrate. Mistral got loads better of late, too. This is where my ancestors were born and died, so I figure I should stay. Everyone else here's much the same, lass." He motioned for the small crowd Lumina had been eyeing. "But this time next year, a bunch of the younger ones won't be around anymore. 'specially once they start having kids. Some go to Vale or Vacuo, but most to Menagerie these days."

"I see."

Taking a final bite of her food, Lumina slowly pushed back the plate. It was still half filled. "It definitely sounds like a place I would like to visit." If only to see if it was truly what people said. "Where exactly do I find Menagerie?"

"Heh. How about ya eat some more, lass? It's my treat, no problem."

"I would, but I am full."

"Ah." He winced again and changed the subject as if burned. "Arright. Menagerie's across the ocean, almost straight south from here. Bit of a long journey, though." At that point he hesitated for a long moment. "Are you... sure ya got enough money to make the trip?"

Lumina's wings unfolded halfway in response. She tilted her head at him. "I do not need money. I will fly there." Her words were clearly not as convincing as she thought, but Lumina saw no need to elaborate. "Where exactly is it located? Near the coast, I imagine?"

"Yeah, Kuo Kuana's the only town so far. Sits right at the coast, with some small offshoot villages around. But are you sure about this? The ocean's far bigger than most youngsters imagine. You'd be flying for days."

"I will be fine," Lumina said. Whether her absolute confidence convinced him, she could not tell. Deep down she did not care, either. "Thank you for your help."

Despite her demeanour, he still managed an easygoing smile. "'twas my pleasure. You sure you will be fine?"

"Naturally."

Lumina rose and bowed faintly, a gesture of thanks and respect in these lands. It was the first time in years she did, to a man who deserved a modicum of respect. "Goodbye."

He watched her stride away, hoping she might reconsider. Such an undertaking was madness in his eyes. But just as Lumina walked out the door and he expected the crowd to swallow her... there was light. He winced, rubbing his eyes. When he looked back, Lumina was gone without a trace. Only a glowing line remained on his retinas

"I'll be," he muttered. "What an odd lass."

He flagged down the waitress to pay for the girl's meal and his tea, quietly hoping the poor thing made it across the ocean.

 

[Naron]

Sailors across the sea beheld an odd phenomenon that day in January. For but one moment, a criss-crossing line of light ran across the horizon. Some completely missed what their compatriots spied for having blinked.

Lumina... may have gotten a little lost. She found the ocean just fine, but spying the continent of Menagerie required some darting back and forth. Another landmass appeared on the horizon after a few changes in direction. Her momentary annoyance faded away in favour of content, however; flying was her favourite activity by virtue of approaching her natural state of being. Pure, radiant light raced across the world.

Menagerie was not covered in a light blanket of snow like Anima. If anything, most of the continent appeared to be a desert; perhaps she could see this as an approximation of Vacuo's climate?

Either way, Lumina raced along the coast until she found signs of greenery; the occasional black specks were ignored on her journey. She scanned the coast for signs of civilisation, though it did not take long to spot Kuo Kuana.

Lumina descended onto the golden beach near the docks as a courtesy. Her skirt fluttered in the breeze, the scent of salt heavy in her nostrils. She was never to the sea before; it felt odd, but not unpleasant. Warmer, too. Her strained aura could finally relax, no longer having to ward off the cold.

Eyes were on her the moment she wandered into town. Lumina ignored them as usual, long since familiar with the sensation.

What took her attention was the abundance of faunus. There were a total of two others in Shiroyuri. Mistral showed her maybe a dozen in one place. Here the docks alone were already packed with them. A variety of traits from differently shaped feet to manifold types of horns were on display. She even spied several others with wings, though none insectoid. All leather or feathers.

She barely made it past the docks before someone spoke to her. A middle-aged man in work overalls, hair slick with sweat. "Heya, little lady!" he began jovially. "What's your name?"

The fact someone actually thought to ask that question surprised her enough to answer: "I am Lumina."

She said no more and the silence soon grew awkward for one of them. Confronted with a mildly curious moth, the man chuckled to play over it. "Ooookay, I see. And where are you from, Lumina? I don't think I've seen you around these parts before."

"I just arrived."

"How so? There were no ships the last two weeks."

This time Lumina tilted her head ever so slightly. Her wings flicked out again for emphasis. "I flew," she answered.

Her matter-of-fact tone gave him pause. Others listening in to their conversation began to reveal their eavesdropping, too; Lumina spied their expressions change. Though they were unfamiliar to her; having only ever met scorn or disinterest, the signs of concern and pity in humans or faunus were unknown to Lumina.

Some quiet discussion happened nearby, then a woman with scaled shoulders ran off for somewhere. Lumina suspected guards being called, but saw no reason to worry. She could not help but feel a little uneasy, though; if that man in Mistral was wrong about Menagerie being better, then she was back at square one.

A small crowd formed around her now; curiousity she could understand, at least. Nobody tried to touch her, nobody raised their voice. Nobody seemed angry, either. Questions were asked that she never had to answer before when everyone knew her. Where were her parents? Long dead. Where was she from? Mistral. How old was she? Fourteen.

"What?" a shocked voice interrupted the well-meaning interrogation there. More than one person was gaping at Lumina, whose head tilted again. She almost had to crane her neck to look up at them from this close. Just about everyone stood a head taller than her, if not more.

Before she knew it, a man built like a bear lifted her up. Lumina flickered out of his grasp, reappearing nearby with a faint scowl. He paused with an embarassed grin. "Whoops, er, sorry about that. Got carried away a bit." He rubbed the back of his head and motioned for a nearby set of tables. "But seriously, come along. Let's get some food into you."

Lumina only just ate half an hour ago, but a number of hands gently nudged her in the same direction. She sighed and let the crowd move her along. Some mutterings about her being tiny reached Lumina's ears, but she paid them no mind. The locals sat her down and crowded around protectively while the giant left. He returned minutes later with a plate of fruit, some of which Lumina never saw before. A waitress peeked around him, only to cover her mouth in shock at the sight of Lumina.

She looked down at herself, realising for the first time how much she stood out. Just about everyone here was tanned by the bright sunlight. Meanwhile, her skin remained naturally pale. Her clothes were worn down with use and age; theirs were patched up in places as well, but nowhere near as frazzled.

"Come now," a woman urged her gently, "eat. It's okay."

"I am not hungry."

Somehow, her refusal did not lift their moods. If anything it did the opposite. Another person gave her shoulder a soft pat. "You should do it anyway, it's good for you. Please? For us?"

While someone else smacked their side, Lumina considered; she was seeking a new place to stay. Spurning the locals did not seem a good way to make them amenable to her. And as much as she hated it, she needed people to accept her. If the flesh was unwilling, then she would simply overcome it.

So Lumina began to eat slowly. Juicy and sweet berries were chewed, plums tasted. A plethora of fruit remained, each one some sort of sweet. Some were a little sour, but Lumina hardly cared. She focussed on fighting down more of it. Her stomach lurched, but she willed it under control.

The second time it happened, she convulsed notably; helping hands steadied Lumina, who shook them off. As she made to grab another berry however, a clawed hand grabbed her wrist. "It's fine," an elderly man reassured her. "You can leave the rest if you're full."

He seemed to know something she did not, but Lumina was just glad to be excused. This crowd of concerned people remained confusing, though. She surreptively glanced around, but nobody made any motions toward her. Some were whispering with each other.

Then the group split apart, making way for a middle-aged woman; she wore a black robe with a second, white layer. The scaly woman who left earlier led this one. She was overtaken when the newcomer's amber eyes found Lumina. A pair of feline ears folded back to her skull, hiding between the equally black hair.

This woman approached slowly before drawing out a chair. "Hello there, sweetie," she greeted softly. Lumina watched her with curiousity, wondering where this was going now. With no answer forthcoming, the other woman tried a smile. "I'm Kali, and you are?"

"Lumina?" she answered, her response less certain than intended. This entire situation confused her a great deal. Were outsiders this interesting to the people here? Was it that she stood out like a sore thumb?

"Is there a problem?"

Kali shook her head. "Not at all," she denied. "We are happy to have you. I'm just curious how you made it here and why you came to us."

In the expectant silence that followed, Lumina wondered how to respond. She could just regurgitate her previous responses; alas, she reminded herself with annoyance, positive relations. If Kali noticed her frown, she did not say. The still present crowd around them shifted awkwardly, though. Lumina decided to be honest here and put her cards on the table.

"I heard that Menagerie is a better place to live for faunus than Mistral," she talked over the renewed whispers. "So I came to see for myself." Her wings spread again, glittering in the morning sun. "As to how: I flew."

Kali's lips had curled upward at first, but the final notion wiped her smile away. "All the way from Mistral?" she inquired. Her gaze critically trailed down Lumina's frame. "I hope you realise how dangerous that was?"

"Probably didn't have money for the ship," someone added from the side. Lumina paid them no mind, trying to understand what the issue was. When she did, she had to roll her eyes.

"It was no great journey for me. A matter of a second to cross the ocean." Then again, she had to reorient herself a few times. "Maybe two seconds."

The expression Kali displayed now was familiar: doubt. Lumina was not in the habit of justifying herself, though. She would not start now.

Regardless, the other woman did not dwell on the subject. "So if I understood you correctly, you want to live here?" She was correct, so Lumina nodded and Kali's smile returned. "That is perfectly fine. Welcome to Menagerie, Lumina." A smattering of greetings followed from the crowd. "You are a little younger than most of our immigrants, but it will be fine."

Lumina herself just sat dumbfounded. None of this was how she imagined her visit to an unfamiliar realm to go. But at the same time, why look a gift horse in the mouth? Considering how others went along with Kali, she seemed to have the authority for such decisions.

After a moment of struggle, Lumina inclined her head. "Thank you kindly."

Even as she said it, she felt like a beggar. The mere notion made her skin crawl, but Lumina forced herself through word and deed regardless. Being polite did not equal weakness, although it sometimes felt similar.

Kali's response was a simple nod, graceful in accepting gratitude. Perhaps practiced as well. "With that out of the way, do you want to stay with my husband and I until your living situation is sorted out? We have the space to accomodate you just fine," she added upon seeing Lumina's incredulity. "It would be our pleasure to host you."

She had been about to refuse, but Kali made a salient point: Lumina had no home anymore. Whether she actually picked up on it or simply reasoned it made sense in a new place, the moth could not tell. She was still grateful for the offer, if a tiny bit leery. Were there strings attached to it? The generally encouraging mood told her no. It may all be a front to lure in the unknowing, but Lumina felt confident in her ability to break free.

Hence why she ultimately nodded. "Again, thank you. I carry no money to pay you with, though."

"Don't you worry about that," Kali answered at once, as if she expected that particular notion already. "I wouldn't charge you for this." Her feline ears slowly perked up again. Kali's head swivelled and she rose a moment later. "Let's not waste any more time then. Come, come! I will show you around."

Once Lumina stood as well, the crowd began to disperse. Several wished her good luck or repeated their welcomes. One teen girl gave her a jovial clap on the shoulder. Then Kali demanded Lumina's full attention again by offering a hand. Looking between the proffered limb and its owner, Lumina slowly reached out to take it.

Instead of shaking however, Kali gently tugged her forward. They began to walk like this, hand in hand.

Kali's hand was calloused and warm. Her grip remained firm. Likewise, Lumina's grasp matched hers. Her own callouses were just as noticeable, if not more. But where Lumina could feel flesh, Kali felt bone almost under her fingertips. The moth was alienated by unfamiliar sensations; the cat cried on the inside.

After a short while of quiet walking, Kali's full attention returned to Lumina. She began to explain the districts of Kuo Kuana; the docks leading into a tightly packed marketplace, from which three distinct living quarters sprawled out. Wood and stone palisades guarded the city on all sides but the ocean, a familiar sight. They did not venture near the edge of town, though.

"I was meaning to ask," she began when Kali left a pause. "Why is Kuo Kuana packed so tight? Menagerie has a great deal of space, no?"

The other woman agreed readily. "It has, but there are only so many of us. Expansion requires people. Add to it that the wildlife is a lot more dangerous than elsewhere and we are at an impasse. The occasional powerful Grimm does not help. We keep as low a profile as possible for now until there is enough manpower to make a proper push. There are several villages along the coastline, too. It takes time to build them, you know?"

"I see."

It made sense. The way Kali told it, Menagerie only existed for a few decades. The people here were happy to stay among themselves and live their lives. A few decades were nothing to one whose lifespan measured in eons, yet the last ten years felt incredibly slow; even she had to admit that. Did Lumina's perception of time change?

"And there is Ghira," Kali interrupted her musings. Still hand in hand, the other woman led her toward a group of three; two workers of some sort chatting amicably with a veritable giant. A warm chuckle rumbled from his throat over some sort of joke made; as they saw them approach, the other two men waved and took their leave. Kali kept approaching the one that remained, who turned to meet them.

The man who tried to manhandle her earlier was big. A comparison to a bear still felt apt. Yet compared to this specimen, even he would be short and skinny. This Ghira loomed over Kali and outright towered over Lumina. His purple coat was open at the front, revealing a broad chest to the world. Black hair framed his entire face, from the short crop crowning his head to his full beard.

Lumina felt truly small for the first time in her human life, though the expression was dispelled in a heartbeat. Ghira's serene expression broke into a bright smile and he leaned down to kiss Kali. "Why, hello!" he greeted jovially before going on a knee. Lumina was still not quite at eye level with him. "I already heard a bit about you, young lady. Welcome to Kuo Kuana!"

Into the stunned silence, Kali giggled. "This is Ghira Belladonna, the chieftain. Also my husband. Ghira, meet Lumina."

"Hello?" Lumina tried, still flummoxed by the turn of events. And perhaps a tiny bit worried that Ghira may snap her in half on accident. Even used to aura protecting her at all times, the difference in size and bulk was too large not to be concerned. The man himself did not care about her skittish demeanour, he simply offered a hand to shake. Lumina's vanished between his fingers.

"A pleasure to meet you, young lady. Again, welcome. I see Kali is showing you around?"

"That I am," the other woman responded impishly. "You do your rounds while I finish up with Lumina now. We can have a proper conversation later."

"Of course, dear." Rising once more, Ghira smiled down at Lumina and ruffled her matted hair. "You be good now."

She allowed the treatment, if with a small frown; it did not seem like he turned his nose up at her, but the action still grated. Ghira waved and strolled away whileKali chuckled upon seeing her expression.

"Please don't blame him. Ghira always loved children, no matter their age." That said, her hand snaked back into Lumina's. "Are you ready to keep going? There is still a little more to see."

Once she nodded, Kali tugged her along again. Lumina was swiftly introduced to some of the particulars of Kuo Kuana; a handful of notable vendors, several public institutions such as the fire department and police station, and the barracks.

"We don't have any hunters on permanent payroll right now," Kali explained to her along the way. "I manage the town militia instead, which is good enough unless we have a major wave of Grimm incoming. Scout teams are out to find them far enough ahead of time to hire hunters. Otherwise, well, the palisades served us well over the years. There is no need to worry about any attacks."

Her attempted reassurance completely missed Lumina, who was not concerned to begin with. Kali's words did garner her attention, though.

"You did not strike me as a military commander."

Too soft, she did not say. Appearances could be deceiving, as she herself was living proof of. Kali squeezed her hand in response.

"I learned to assume the position. Ghira was always the type to step up. As his wife and confidante, I can't be seen slacking off. Knowing him, he'd do it himself on top of everything else. But really, I'm mostly doing logistics; training and combat are handled by others who are better at it." She paused, glanced around surrepticiously, and leaned in. "Don't let anyone know, but we have a lot of talent in our kill teams. Several of them qualified for the academies, one even for Beacon."

Lumina's brow rose in response. She heard of the Hunter Academies; only the best were accepted there, to be trained into Huntsmen and Huntresses. Particularly Beacon, located in Vale, only accepted the best of the best. Meaning... "In a few years time, Kuo Kuana will have hunters on the roster."

Kali's smile grew into a smirk. "Atta girl. Exactly. My and Ghira's generation is tired of the constant struggle, but there is fire in the new blood."

Lumina nodded. The general air of content suddenly offered a completely different impression; stagnation, perhaps? She could not quite tell.

She put the matter aside when Kali tugged her along. Their next stop was also their last: a sprawling mansion rather than a house, guarded by about two dozen men and women. Kali received faint nods as she passed while the looks Lumina got were inscrutable. Sizing up a potential threat, disregarding any danger due to Kali's presence. Lumina ignored them entirely. She much preferred to study the open space inside; the floor was made of lacquered wood.

The women left their shoes at the door, then Kali stopped her charge to look her over with a critical eye. "When was the last time you took a bath?"

"Three days, just about?"

"I thought so. We will take care of that first, then. I can see about finding you some proper clothes in the meantime."

Lumina glanced down at her worn blouse and skirt. They may be patchwork by now, but they were also familiar. Her hands involuntarily clutched the frayed hem of her skirt, only for Kali to open them gently. Holding both, the taller woman coaxed: "Don't worry. It will be okay. Come, this way."

Soon enough Lumina was left alone in a spacious bathroom. She disrobed almost mechanically and left her clothes in an empty hamper. Kali's treatment should feel patronising, but if anything it reminded her of Granny Bluebell. Melancholy kept her going along with the other woman's desires. Was it so bad to follow along if the other side had good intentions?

After some searching, she found herself a stool and sponge. There were no buckets, but she could live with that. So Lumina began the process of cleaning herself meticulously; as in everything she did, perfection was expected. She began with washing out her hair over the tub, careful not to splash any water onto her wings. Aura would protect them from harm, but wet wings still felt awful.

Once she was about halfway down her body, someone knocked on the door. "How are you doing?" Kali's muffled voice sounded. Lumina glanced that way and kept working.

"Come in, this is silly."

A moment of silence followed, then the handle turned. "Very well," Kali began, only to pause at the sight of her. "What are you doing? Using a sponge isn't really... ah. Your wings."

"Yes," Lumina agreed without so much as looking Kali's way. "My wings. As much as I appreciate a shower or a bathtub, I can not use either." Technically she could, but the sensation was just too alienating. She never needed to so much as rinse herself before becoming human.

After standing in the door for a moment longer, Kali sighed and walked inside. She placed a bundle of cloth down and grabbed a second sponge.

"Here, let me help you."

She still kept her distance until Lumina allowed it, though. The second sponge running along the base of her wings was pleasant; she always had trouble reaching there.

Kali struck up conversation again as they worked: "I found a few things that should fit you. They might be a little loose for now, but I can have something better made in a few days. Or make it myself, if I have the time," she mused almost idly. Then she paused, both speaking and wiping Lumina's back. "Actually, it needs to be custom anyway. Your wings won't fit under any cloth, will they?"

Lumina did not bother answering. Once she was done cleaning up, Kali quickly took a knife to the grey t-shirt she procured. Much like Lumina's old blouse, the back was removed except for a strip of collar to keep it stable. A temporary solution, but an effective one. The baggy shorts offered to her fit better, though they required a belt to stay on.

Clean and dressed, Lumina suddenly found herself bereft of anything to do. She never had time for much beside her chores and most of that was spent wandering. Walking kept Lumina busy and gave her time to think. Kali refused to let her do any work or leave the house, so she spent most of the afternoon simply... sitting around. The lack of motion agitated Lumina. She was not dead yet, but had to act as if she were.

"What of school?" Kali asked at some point. She was not particularly happy with the answer she got.

"They had one, but told me no. So I taught myself to read." Either way, Lumina preferred not to waste so much time learning what she already knew. Human mathmatics and sciences were woefully behind her knowledge as well. They taught nothing of the soul beyond aura. History, she could just as well learn from a book. "Come to think of it, I guess I like to read?"

Lumina felt uncertain even saying it; books were always a means to an end, but she could bear being stationary while engrossed in one. At least her addendum definitely appeased Kali; she produced several well-read novels for Lumina to pass time with. Those were okay.

Dinner was an odd affair, too; Ghira and Kali took their meals together. Not only that, but they invited all the guards off-duty to join them. Lumina sat between the Belladonnas as well. The men and women around her made merry while she studied her plate; it held a smaller portion than what everyone else got. The food itself was of the same quality, though; a well-cooked piece of meat, together with rice and a number of vegetables.

A large hand gently rubbed her back. Ghira smiled down at her. "It is alright if you can't eat it all. You need to get used to larger portions first. Please just eat as much as you can, yes?"

So not an affront of some sort. Lumina did not know enough of human biology to verify his words, but so far she saw no reason for such a silly lie. She slowly nodded and picked up her tableware. No chopsticks, but fork and knife.

Lumina ate slow and methodical. Sometimes a question came her way, answered either in few words or silence. The guards did not seem offended, though; had she paid more attention, she may have noticed the clear pity they regarded her with.

Once her belly was as full as she dared make it, Ghira sighed.

"Now then. I hate to do this so soon, but it is something we need to cover eventually. You're a big girl, aren't you, Lumina?" He tried for a jovial smile, but it wilted under her flat stare. "Well, rest assured you can stay either way. But we don't have the resources to provide for anyone indefinitely. Everyone needs to chip in in one way or another. It's how we managed to get where we are today."

He gave a pause to gauge her reaction, but Lumina simply nodded; she never expected otherwise. If anything, having to work to earn her keep just made this all feel more believable. Seeing no negative reaction, Ghira ventured on: "That said, what do you think you are good at?"

Lumina mulled it over for a moment. She was passable at most domestic tasks by necessity. But this was probably not what they looked for. "I know how to forage and can eviscerate just about any game common to Anima," she began. "Otherwise, I can kill the creatures of Grimm."

The table had quieted for the most part when they began talking. Now this silence took a far more baffled note. Everyone heard Lumina's words and no one believed them. Ghira's smile was frozen on his face while Kali frowned.

"You had to fight Grimm?" she ventured cautiously.

What none of them expected was for Lumina's taciturn expression to devolve into a snarl. It raced over her face and was gone in a heartbeat, but enough people saw. "I did not have to," she clarified with forced calm. "I wanted to." Just thinking of them reminded her of the forever damned Vessel that killed her. Her good mood evaporated like so much water over open flame. A faint golden sheen became visible around her, revealing active aura to the entire room.

Alas, something about her answer must have been wrong. She was not allowed to join the defenders in killing the creatures of Grimm. If anything, Kali insisted she stay as far away from the palisades as possible. No one paid any mind to the beasts' numbers slowly increasing.

Instead they tried to teach her domestic tasks first. Ghira put some time aside to teach her proper cooking. Lumina was already decent at that, but appreciated his guidance. Kali's attempt to interest her in sewing bore less fruit; she kept pricking herself with the needles, only aura preventing manifold injuries. "It galls me to be incompetent," Lumina admitted after an afternoon mostly wasted, "but this does not seem like something I will ever enjoy."

Kali hesitantly aborted their sessions, though she tried a few others. Some were pleasant, others failed as much as sewing did.

Everyone soon got used to Lumina's unusual schedule as the days passed; she always rose with the sun, being found outside soaking up its light. Any attempt to convince her of sleeping longer were shut down, so Kali got her will by enforcing bedtimes to match.

After a week of feeding her as much as she could take, the Belladonnas sat Lumina down on a bench outside of their house. She appreciated the bright light streaming down at them if nothing else. Ghira sat opposite to her, head propped up on one hand.

"So. How did you like your first week here? Is there anything that bothers you?"

Lumina's brow creased as she considered the question. "Kuo Kuana is different," she finally settled on. "Warmer. The people are different, too." Whether this was better, she could not quite tell yet. It felt a little overbearing to have someone hovering over her most of the time. That irritated Lumina, but her usual outlet was out of reach unless she wanted to affront her hosts. "I think I prefer Menagerie over Mistral, if nothing else."

Ghira nodded thoughtfully, though he kept his silence. Kali did as well, allowing Lumina to venture on: "But I do want to kill some Grimm."

A few words were all it took to wipe away their smiles. Kali sighed while her husband frowned. It was Ghira who answered in the end: "About that. How long was your aura active for?"

"Ever since I was born."

He blinked, but took the unconventional news in stride. "I see. And you know how to fight them?" Lumina nodded, prompting a furtive glance to Kali. "Then perhaps we should at least give her a chance to convince us?"

"I don't like it," Kali retorted without any heat. She met Lumina's resolute gaze momentarily, then looked away. "But yes. I will walk you there in an hour or two."

Suddenly, her day seemed much brighter. Lumina went through a set of small chores until Kali fetched her. She was a little more animated, almost giddy, which privately worried her host.

A surprise waited atop the palisades, though. Two other women, or perhaps older teenagers. A wiry, freckled brunette in black, tight-fitting jacket and shorts, as well as a redhead wearing primarily green. She too favoured shorts, though her blouse's hem fluttered in the breeze. The brunette bore no notable traits, but the other one's red hair was partly hidden by a pair of canine ears.

The wolf faunus perked up upon seeing Kali. "Ah, about time!" she cheered, bounding over to high-five the older woman. Then she turned to Lumina. "That her? Damn, you're tiny! And thin," she added after a moment, leaning down to study her. "Are you sure you're up for combat?"

Lumina's brows furrowed, but she refrained from answering. The brunette's skin changed to a light pink before she whacked the wolf's shoulder. Kali sighed in exasperation, but got no chance to speak. The redhead straightened up with a winning grin, pointing a thumb at her chest. "Ah well, we'll see about that soon enough. I'm Selina, this is Ilia. Nice to meet'cha!"

"Lumina. A pleasure." She left a clear pause after her name, though it went cheerfully ignored. "I assume you two are among the combat teams?"

"Right you are!" Selina brandished a thick metal spear for emphasis, then whirled around and threw it. The weapon barrelled groundward like an arrow, piercing a Beowulf's arm. The beast was nailed to the ground, growling pitifully. "And there ya go. Kali said we've gotta see how good you are, so let's start-" A band of light connected Lumina's pointed finger with the Beowulf's head, killing it instantly. "-slow. Huh."

Lumina paid her audience no mind anymore. Her attention lay solely on the pack following their fallen kin. Light flashed and they died. She did the same to the Lancer that followed; though airborne in resemblance of a giant hornet, it had no time to close the distance.

With no more creatures in sight, she turned back to the others. Kali's wide eyes and Ilia's flabbergasted expression pleased her greatly.

Meanwhile, Selina raised a hand as if to argue. Her mouth opened, only to shut again. She shrugged it off and showed a thumbs up. "Alright, cool. That works, too. How'd ya do it?"

"My Semblance allows me to emit and manipulate light."

"Nice!"

It was more than that, but Lumina decided not to correct Selina. Going by how Kali pinched the bridge of her nose, she was displeased. "I believe I understand a little better now," she grudgingly admitted. "Let it be known I am still not happy sending you to fight Grimm, but I have little grounds to deny you if that is what you want."

She left a pause, clearly wishing Lumina to relent and say no. The moth dashed her hopes with a simple nod.

"Don't worry too much," Selina chimed in with a laugh. She carefully wrapped an arm around Lumina's bony shoulder on one side and Ilia on the other. "Ilia and I'll keep an eye on her. She'll be fine."

The other girl dragged her feet somewhat, but nodded. Selina's touch was strangely warm, though Lumina bore with it mainly to not offend. She could see where this was going; constraints on her freedom were already anticipated in exchange for living in Kuo Kuana. She could bear with this much.

"As long as you do not slow me down, I can accept that."

Kali heaved a heavy sigh. Ilia frowned, but Selina only laughed and let go with a wink. "Don't you worry. I'll keep them away from you, Ilia stabs 'em in the back, and you shoot as many as you can before we get our hands on 'em. It'll be fun!"

"I don't know about that," Ilia muttered. She immediately wilted when Lumina's gaze swivelled to her. "You're not a teamplayer."

"I am not," Lumina agreed. Ilia blinked in surprise for some reason while she mulled it over. "I do not need you to guard me. But I understand why this arrangement is preferred." She did not, at least not really. Why waste an opportunity to interact with people, though? "So I will not make trouble for you."

For some reason Ilia's skin tinged pink again as she looked away. Her frown lessened, though. This time it was for Selina to roll her eyes. "With that out of the way," she cut into the silence, "happy to work with ya, Lumina." They shook hands, then the other girl turned back to Kali. "Oh, and I'll be back for dinner starting next week. Ol' Razor has mercy on me."

"A month of unpaid work may have been overzealous," Kali agreed with a faint frown. "But you did kill his dog."

"Oi, how often do I have to say it was an accident?" Selina pouted now, arms crossed. "Stupid thing came at me first! I just didn't wanna kill it!"

"But you apparently did," Lumina deadpanned from the side. Her future minder grumbled and climbed down the palisade to fetch her spear. Lumina glanced to the women she was left with. "I take it the work was demanded as recompense?"

"Not really," Kali answered with a sigh. "She offered it on her own to apologise. Selina is a good girl like that, don't let her rough behaviour tell you otherwise."

Lumina could not care less about that, but she nodded anyway.

From that point neither Kali nor Ghira had much grounds to forbid her from joining the kill teams. He put his foot down on only allocating two hours a day to patrols, however.

Lumina learned to know the plains and sparse forests alongside Selina and Ilia; they took some time to teach her about local flora and fauna, which she appreciated. Ilia held an in-depth knowledge of just about every plant and its edibility. It took her a few days to overcome her reserved nature, though she bantered quite a bit with Selina.

They had a lot of time for banter, too. No beast made it even close as long as Lumina was with them. Selina fully agreed that the tiny girl did not need any form of protection. Ilia felt somewhat envious over seeing such effortless, almost graceful efficiency.

Unaware of and uncaring for their feelings, Lumina went on. She was too busy with her own situation anyway; her hosts insisted on three full meals a day and Ghira snuck her sweets at least once every day, too. Their solicitous behaviour alienated her a great deal. Yet they never asked anything outrageous; for all intents and purposes, they simply were that kind.

Two weeks after her arrival, Lumina's bony frame slowly began to fill out. Lying in bed that night, covered by a warm blanket and with a book by her bedside, she felt content. This was not so bad.

 

[Naron]

Waking with awful abdominal cramps was not a pleasant experience.

Lumina immediately hated that fact, the world, and human biology. Whatever fortune spared her of the ovulation cycle thus far seemed to have run out. The pain-laced annoyance was so great she almost forgot to lift her blanket off. The heavy cloth would pull at her wings if left in place. And as if to add insult to injury, the sky was overcast that morning. Then again, somehow Lumina doubted that embracing the sunlight would give her any solace.

Kali had the gall to giggle when she saw the bloodstains.

"I do feel for you, my dear," she soothed Lumina with a fond smile. "This will be a constant companion throughout your life."

Meanwhile, the moth seriously considered how to remove her uterus; its only purpose was to breed offspring anyway, a notion she disregarded eons ago after all of hers came out stillborn. Old pain flared in her chest as she glanced to the bright spot in the clouds. Remnant's sun, too, was one of hers. Only now she was the child being warmed by its rays.

Days of annoying cramps aside, Lumina had begun to eat more; her stomach finally accepted larger amounts of food without rebelling. Her hosts' attempts of convincing her to relax were ignored, however; the flesh may be weak, but she refused to let it rule her schedule. If anything, Lumina ended up killing even more creatures of Grimm. They were always a convenient target to vent her countless frustrations on.

"Is it just me or are there a lot more of them recently?" Ilia asked softly. She and Selina watched Lumina dismantle a small group of Griphons; their wings were clipped to make them crash. None ever rose thanks to the moth's follow-up. Ilia shuddered a little. "I'm pretty sure their numbers increased since Lumina joined us."

"Yeah, kinda." Selina stood at attention in case one did slip through, but by this point it was just a precaution. They all knew none would. "Bit odd, but it happens from time to time. Did someone die recently?"

"A few of the elders, but everyone made their peace with that."

"Heh, maybe Lumina's red rage draws 'em in."

"Selina!"

She was not even far off, though Lumina knew better than to say that. Her constant, simmering anger drew the beasts in like a beacon. More than one broken person had been exiled from her birthplace to prevent a horde, so she held her tongue.

Then the wolf girl threw an arm around Lumina's shoulder. Her sidehugs had grown familiar by now. "Don't let it get to you, you're a tough cookie. I'd say it gets better, but it really doesn't. Just be careful about acrobatics an' stuff when you're on your period, okay?"

She remained jovial, but a note of concern swung through Selina's entire spiel. Lumina sighed.

"There is no need to worry. Alas, my allotted time is about over. Do you want to keep going?" She often left the other two to continue their patrol outside of Kuo Kuana. The team's duty was to sweep the area for errant Grimm and deal with them; preferably before they came close to the walls or roads.

"Nah, let's turn in early. We've done a ton the last few weeks."

Selina's arm wrapped around Lumina's shoulders again. The other took Ilia in a similar fashion. Selina led them both back to Kuo Kuana that way. "Gotta get shortie used to period stuff. Y'know, lotsa greasy food and all the good stuff. Kali got you some bindings, right?"

"Yes. Hence why my clothes are not visibly red." If sarcasm were a liquid, Selina would have slipped on how much of it dripped from that sentence. As it were, she simply laughed it off.

Their march back to town was quiet for a time, though Ilia threw Lumina a few sympathetic looks. When the moth met her gaze to demand she speak her mind, the chameleon girl already piped up: "I'm starting to realise you aren't particularly happy."

Selina squeezed her shoulder, but she ignored it. "And I don't mean because your life was bad before. Mine was too, but I don't think I was ever... well, like this. I don't think I've ever seen you smile."

"You can be happy without smiling," Lumina retorted. There was little heat to it, though. "But you are correct. I have many, many reasons to be annoyed. That my own body decides to torture me is only the last in a long list."

"And are we on that list?"

"...no. Not even at your most agitating."

Lumina was merely being honest; she completely missed the implications in that question. It would take a while to realise that Ilia became less tense around her after this particular exchange. Selina's smile had grown a fraction as well.

The trio made it about two blocks into town before a gaggle of children intercepted them. Demands for playtime were denied by Selina, only to be reinforced with puppy dog eyes. One of the girls could do them literally, being a wolf faunus like her. Although Lumina was barred from joining by this point. Her Semblance had been deemed cheating in games of tag, which was fair; due to her current state, neither Selina nor Ilia allowed her any additional exertion. Patronising it may be, but she understood they did it because they cared for her wellbeing.

So Lumina watched the rest enjoy themselves instead; several of the more quiet children gathered around her. Insectoid traits were far less common than mammals, so her wings drew attention. Questions about them and her life before Menagerie were frequent. Some just liked to read by her side, though. Some watched the games with Lumina, too; Selina dominated tag for obvious reasons while Ilia with her colour-changing skin could run circles around everyone in Hide and Seek.

At some point Lumina decided to try entertaining the small group around her. She formed her light into a small sphere and had it amble around, casting away the shadows. The more adventurous children tried to catch it, only for the sphere to fly away. Lumina's expression was unreadable, though she took some pleasure out of the display.

As more and more joined in the attempts to catch the orb, her thoughts began to stray. She absently made a new one when a boy caught the first on Selina's shoulders; it was barely solid and popped easily.

Kali and Ghira freely offered her shelter. She killed creatures of Grimm in exchange, yes, but that did not feel quite right as compensation. Lumina refused to accept this as an equivalent exchange; killing these things was what she did anyway. She wanted to give them something more to reward their kindness. A gift, freely given. Something to support their ambitions in a more tangible manner. But what could she give to assist in growing Menagerie from an offshoot into a proper kingdom? She could not build cities for them. She could not transform the desolate wasteland into a lush garden. She knew too little to rule and had no pedigree regardless; the faunus revered a creator god. Male, capable of transformation from a humanoid into a dragon. That was all she ever wished to learn of the subject, too quickly reminded of the Wyrm she abhorred.

It took a while for Lumina to realise what she could give them. Without worldly possessions of note, that left knowledge. Remnanti people could work with their essence, SOUL, or their souls as they called it, just fine. Yet they barely scratched the surface of a field the scholars of Hallownest spent centuries expanding. Their own hubris created abominations, but their knowledge remained. Lumina may not recall all of it, but she remembered enough.

She needed to consider what to give her hosts carefully, though; any knowledge would propagate in time. Abominations may yet rise again and abominable acts would take place. Even if Lumina herself did not care much, the recipients of her gift did. So it had to be something impressive yet not too overwhelming and most of all safe. A new discipline of science to set Remnant on a path of discovery.

It took until the next Sunday before she brought it up. Her benefactors insisted on the seventh day of each week being a day of rest. A tradition of some sort. Lumina took this to her advantage and spoke up over lunch.

"I was meaning to tell you something," she began. Four gazes lay on her immediately; Ghira, Kali, Ilia, and Selina were the only people in the room. "I feel that my current contributions are not enough to convey my gratitude."

Several people spoke up at once, trying to reassure her. Lumina's eyes narrowed. "Let me finish. Please." Her order softened into a request and they fell silent. "I have nothing physical to give, but I hold knowledge that may be useful to you. To Menagerie as a whole."

"Like what?" Selina asked into the silence. "I mean, no offense, but where'd you learn something big like that?"

"Maybe some sort of secret research lab?" Ilia theorised with a light frown. "That would explain a lot, actually."

Lumina simply shrugged. "Does it matter?" Her aura began to gleam and warp; visible tendrils of gold reached out and pushed at the table. "The first one is something you may already be aware of, but the soul is more malleable than one expects. Aura especially so, being its offshoot. You can create a variety of techniques with practice." She saw them nod along; Lumina suspected they merely meant to indulge her, though. "Examples I am familiar with are shockwaves, projectile attacks, and short-ranged teleportation."

"Wait, teleportation?" Ilia leaned forward, as did Selina. The Belladonnas were just as surprised.

Lumina nodded. "I can not teach that as my movement is facilitated by my Semblance, but I know it is possible. Regardless, the main requirement of any such technique is focus. It demands to feel one's soul and shape its power." The moth girl raised her hand, producing a gleaming white orb. A flick of her wrist sent it flying around the room. "Being a part of yourself, it remains under your control as long as you can focus. Lose your focus and...." The sphere popped like a soap bubble.

"Intriguing," Ghira murmured. His own aura flickered; the women followed suit in trying to replicate the feat, but none managed. His attention returned to the satisfied Lumina after a minute. "How exactly do we go about this practice?"

Lumina spent a little while explaining the theory; meditation to sharpen one's focus, imagining the shape and separating a piece of one's aura. Her own single-minded determination and age made this simple, but they took some time. Ghira managed an orb of his own after an hour or so; Ilia did the same soon after. Kali and Selina failed, but two out of four was still promising.

"Practice is all it takes for this particular matter," Lumina ended their impromptu session. "The other knowledge I wish to impart is less familiar and perhaps far more valuable. More complex as well." Seeing that she had their undivided attention, Lumina continued: "Charmwork, the art of binding the properties of one's soul to an object."

She let the silence linger here. It was clear something about her words worried the group. Kali and Ghira exchanged looks, but it was Selina who spoke up: "Err, just to be clear here. This isn't some kind of self-mutilation, right?"

"It can be if you are sloppy." Lumina saw their wariness grow and rolled her eyes. "I imagine you appreciate honesty over empty reassurances. Charmwork requires precision most of all. The general applications are harmless, but we all know that not everyone is satisfied with just that much. One can process a person into a Charm, but a resisting soul often lowers its potency. Some are simply imprints of a greater being's final thoughts."

At first there had been dark yet understanding looks. Once Lumina paused again to sip her water, she saw incomprehension and confusion take over. Aware that she was about to lose her audience, she went on: "The power of a Charm aligns with the donor of the essence."

"I'm confused," Ilia admitted. "What makes these things useful? And anyway, how do you know this stuff?"

"It is quite fantastical," Ghira agreed.

Lumina arched a single brow in response. She wordlessly produced a metal plate organised for this exact demonstration. About twice the width of her thumb and perfectly plain.

"Watch."

Then she focussed on nothing but that plate. Her aura followed her will and began to flow; a rivulet of gold slowly entered the receptive metal. A tiny shard of essence was threaded through the plate, simple in pattern. A circle, no more and no less. With it came Lumina's intent for the effect to develop. The thread tightened by itself. Where blank steel merely reflected her light before, it soon began to shine on its own.

Once the entire seam was done, she blinked and remembered her surroundings.

Four intrigued faunus were watching the plaque in her hand; it was no longer blank. Two gleaming dots sat in its center, surrounded by black that turned to ivory toward the rim. The lower half became almost fuzzy to the touch, its top ran out in three silvery spikes; they reminded Lumina of a crown, as they should. Her crown.

She stared at it, too. This was a reminder of who she was and ever would be. The crowned light. The Radiance.

After a moment of solemnity, Lumina offered the Charm to Selina. Her companion sat closest. "I name it Radiant Light." Uncreative, but they would never know. "It will light your path, regardless how dark."

"Gee, thanks. Not like we all got darkvision here."

Despite her irreverence, Selina was clearly captivated by the Charm. Her astonishment related to how Lumina changed this plate's properties with aura alone. The moment she wondered how it worked, she knew. Selina gingerly slid the warm metal into her blouse, where it attached itself to her skin. She somehow knew a single thought would loosen it whenever she wanted.

Then she directed a miniscule burst of aura into the Charm and there was light. It bathed the whole group as if the sun snuck inside the house, even from beneath her clothes. All shadows were banished within ten metres of Selina. Yet somehow the pure sunlight did not hurt their eyes. None of them even needed to squint. All four stared in awe at the radiant display.

Silence reigned. Lumina allowed herself a smug smile, well aware how stumped they all were.

Once another poke with Selina's aura turned the Charm off, Ilia hesitantly spoke: "So it's like a flashlight?"

"Kinda?" Selina responded, shrugging lightly. "I mean, a flashlight that doesn't hurt your eyes, never runs out, and is super easy to carry. Right?"

"In effect, yes," Lumina grumbled. She was not entirely happy with her creation being compared to something so mundane. Then again, artificial creation of light was a notable achievement as well. "I went for something simple."

"Aww, no shooting lasers like you do?"

"Maybe later. A Charm like that requires far more time and effort to create." Not to mention more of her essence, which Lumina had to use sparingly; there was precious little left.

Kali chimed into the conversation at that point: "And you say that anyone can learn how to create such Charms?" Although Lumina nodded, the other woman slowly rubbed her eyes. "I saw it myself, but it is still hard to believe. Almost like magic."

Lumina barely refrained from snorting. 'Magic' was an excuse lesser beings used to speak of matters they could not comprehend. But she held her tongue and left it at that; the Belladonnas were certainly intrigued with her work. So much so that Ghira took time out of his schedule to help her write a primer on SOUL manipulation and Charmwork.

"If this works as you think it will," he told her with a kind smile, "then you just gave Menagerie a unique and valuable trade good. Completely unrelated to Dust, too. We can finally work on expanding further with the money this will earn us."

"That is why I told you," Lumina answered absently. She missed Ghira's bewildered look due to her focus on the primer.

At the end of that week, on Friday morning, a tired Kali presented them with a very basic Charm. It bore black fuzz and two triangles at the top, as well as leering amber orbs much like her own. Kali held it proudly nonetheless. "Here we are. A proof of concept more than anything, but it should work."

It was offered to Selina, who placed the black Charm next to Lumina's white one. Which was when the moth remembered another constraint.

"Do be careful how many Charms you wear at once," she cautioned. "I forgot to mention that there is a limit, dependant on the individual. The stronger your own essence, the more or stronger Charms you can bear."

"Okay? But these two are fine, right?"

"They are both basic, so yes."

"How can I tell how much is too much?" Ilia inquired next; her gaze nervously flickered between everyone.

Lumina needed to think back to the scholars she once observed. It felt like eons ago, even though the timespan covered a mere few centuries. "You can tell if a new Charm is too much. It will not let itself be attached unless you force it. Your own essence will reject it instinctively."

Her words immediately calmed them down, though they were clearly still intrigued.

"Out of curiousity," Kali ventured, " what happens if you do force more Charms than you can bear?"

"Fractures." Lumina had to pause, trying to think of how she could phrase it best. "Your essence will get strained, making it lose potency. Your body follows suit and becomes frail. Or, in other words, your aura depletes faster. Wounds are easier struck and take longer to heal." She decided to stop there, preferring not to mention the experiments that were all but molten into pure SOUL energy. So she changed the subject.

"Anyway, Selina? What does that Charm do, exactly?"

"Bumps up my aura." The redhead examined herself, but there was no visible effect. Her mint green aura flickered, its colour the same as ever. "I don't really feel it, but I know that's what it does."

Ghira chuckled at that, hugging his wife to his broad chest with one hand. "Well, you certainly got what scientists we have interested. They are already scrambling to investigate your notes and put hypotheses together." He looked all too pleased, as did Kali.

"About that," a new voice chimed in. Heads turned to a man stood before the veranda, smiling pleasantly. Lumina never met him before, but she took note of his garb; a dark tunic covered his broad chest, from which a white robe flowed to the ground. Equally white, pristine sleeves were visible from his elbows down. Though as tanned as everyone else around Lumina, he appeared like some sort of monk; the expression was only heightened by a hood in muted red casting his face in shadow.

Ghira's smile slipped somewhat, turning from warm to polite. "Ah," he greeted, "Mr. Albain. Do join us. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

He stepped around the fence, revealing a fox's tail protruding from his robe. Lumina studied him much like he studied her; Selina growled, but Ilia pulled her away. The new arrival sketched a bow toward Lumina.

"Well, I followed the many rumours surrounding our newest sister. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my dear. I am Corsac Albain, representative of Menagerie's White Fang."

His polite tone irked Lumina, if just for how familiar he assumed they were. "I am not your or anyone's sister," she retorted calmly. Corsac's expression barely even twitched, so at least he knew how to control himself. "But yes, a pleasure. I am Lumina."

"My apologies. I did not mean to presume. The White Fang has always prided itself on the strong bonds it fosters, is all; we are not mere comrades, but brothers and sisters all to confront that which plagues all faunuskind."

"I see." She did not need to ask what he was talking about. Even Lumina knew of the White Fang. Going by Ghira's miniature frown, he did not like that speech. Lumina could guess why. "I take it you came to recruit me?"

Kali interjected before Corsac could so much as open his mouth: "Be reasonable, please. She is fourteen, has been with us for just a month." Her firm tone still belied a pleading note. Corsac's expression smoothed over immediately, though this time Lumina gave him no chance to respond. She threw a sour look at the other woman.

"I can speak for myself."

Kali flinched back and Lumina felt a pang of guilt, but it was swept away by her annoyance with the situation. When she turned back to Corsac, his pleasant smile returned.

"Of course you can, Lumina. And you are correct in a sense. I have not come so much to induct you, but merely extend an invitation. Of course I would appreciate if you were to join our cause, but demanding that of you is unacceptable. Those of us who fight for a brighter tomorrow ought to put their lives on the line out of their own volition." He inclined his head to her, almost demure. "But if you were willing to join my brother and I for tea one day, so that we may get to know who it is that joined our community here, I would greatly appreciate it."

Selina growled in the background while Lumina mulled it over. She could tell her hosts were not fond of Corsac Albain. At the same time, she had no real reason to dislike him; Lumina's opinion on the White Fang was nonexistent.

"Very well," she said in the end. "Forward a time that is amenable to you and I shall consider it."

Corsac's smile widened a fraction as he bowed his head again. "Wonderful. Are you free this Sunday, perhaps around noon?"

Meaning, he already planned ahead. Regardless, Lumina was curious. "I am."

"Perfect. I am certain sister Ilia can lead you to the place at that time." He grinned at the reserved girl, who nodded back. Then his gaze fluttered to the Belladonnas. "Now I believe I should make myself scarce."

"Hold."

Lumina's demand gave the entire group pause. She had her own curiousity to indulge. "A question, if you would. Why is the White Fang on Menagerie in the first place? There is nothing here for you to fight for."

"Ah. A common misconception." Corsac's indulgent smile was annoying, but accepted. If only because he offered an explanation: "It is true that the faunus of Menagerie are free of suppression, but they are not safe. The local White Fang chapter concerns itself mainly with the protection of our fledgling kingdom's holdings. You will find that many members of the town militia and patrol teams are our brothers and sisters."

Her gaze flickered to Ilia, whose expression displayed a wild mixture of emotions. Then Lumina nodded.

"I see. Thank you for your time."

"It was no trouble. Until Sunday, then."

"Goodbye."

He offered a friendly wave and began to stroll away. If he was aware of Lumina's gaze burning into his back, he did not show it.

The target of her attention only changed when Ghira's hand landed on her shoulder. "Be careful," the chieftain urged. "They mean well, but their second purpose here is to recruit for the other chapters all across Remnant."

"There is nothing bad about that," Ilia chimed in petulantly.

That was, until Selina gave her a shove. "'Course not," she heckled. "Until we get to the part where they'll tell her to start lasering people." The sardonic quip reminded Lumina of a not so distant past. She did not care about a handful of mortal lives, she really did not. But destroying them for no proper reason was a waste.

"And what if it's to protect others? Did you ever consider that?!" Illia pushed Selina back; she pressed on while the wolf rotated to face her fully. "You know as well as I do how cruel humans are!"

"So that's why you told 'em about her, eh?"

"What?! I didn't! You'd need to be blind and deaf not to notice!"

Did her arrival really make such waves? Lumina glanced from the growing argument to her hosts, who each wore resigned expressions. Ghira in particular seemed almost pained; Kali rubbed his arm soothingly. That left it to Lumina to stop her companions from tearing into each other. "Enough," she declared, but her naturally quiet voice went ignored. Scowling, she threw an orb of light at each of their heads. "Enough, I said."

"You stay out of this!" Selina snapped back, only to reel when a beam of light exploded in her face. Shrieking, she covered her eyes. Ilia stared in shock, then wilted away from Lumina's unamused stare. Her skin had become almost as pale as the moth's.

"Will you stop?"

She nodded slowly, almost fearfully. It was enough for Lumina who stepped over to Selina. "And you stop that. The frequencies I used will leave no permanent harm."

The wolf girl kept rubbing her eyes, growling. "I didn't ask to be fucking flashbanged, bitch!"

That insult should have rolled off Lumina like a wave, as they always did. Yet somehow, from Selina, it hurt the tiniest bit. Enough to draw guilt, from which annoyance and then anger sprouted. At the same time, Lumina was at a loss for words. Her mouth opened and closed without any noise, brows drawn into a tight line. When Selina's vision finally returned, she found an irate moth standing right in front of her.

Then firm hands grasped each of them by the shoulder. "And that is enough of you two," Kali announced. Her tone brooked no argument. "Selina, Ilia, you both know better than to pick that particular fight. Lumina, I understand you wanted to help stop those two from fighting, but you went too far."

Her admonishment was delivered with a sharp, uncompromising edge. Selina's and Ilia's heads lowered in shame while Lumina reeled. She did no permanent harm, did not even inflict much pain. Yet somehow, she was in the wrong?

It galled her greatly. But at the same time, what would happen if she dug in her heels? Would they send her away regardless? Was a petty squabble worth risking an acceptable place to live?

She averted her gaze with a scowl, though it seemed to satisfy Kali. "Good," she said with a nod. Her stern expression softened, as did her voice. "Now apologise to each other, then we can have some cake."

Selina and Ilia wordlessly bumped fists, then the redhead turned to Lumina; the moth was still annoyed, burning with indignation really, but forced herself to say it first: "My apologies."

Much to her surprise, a pair of muscular arms wrapped around her waist. Selina pulled her into a tight embrace, Lumina's head flush against her chest. "It's cool," she murmured. "I got a bit carried away there, shouldn't have called you a bitch. Just don't do that again, yeah?"

Despite her desire to remain indignant, she relaxed into Selina's warmth. "Alright."

"Cool. Now about that cake?"

Her flippant response melted Lumina's annoyance. Her lips curled the slightest bit upward as she was ushered inside.

Nonetheless, the White Fang intrigued her; while she was not planning to join for any reason, Lumina inquired for more information from her hosts as they ate. As it turned out, Ghira himself once founded the group to improve the lot of faunuskind; he earned her respect anew for stepping up against all hardships. Yet he was clearly not happy.

He heaved a sigh once Lumina brought that up.

"This is... not at all what I imagined all these years ago. I always knew things may get rough, but I never wanted violence. Not like this."

"Those who have privileges will not surrender them without a fight," Lumina mused. She then added to that statement before Selina could cut in: "But as we see at the moment, the status quo remains."

"You say that like the Fang achieves nothing," Ilia quipped from her seat between Kali and Selina. "That's just not true."

Ghira nodded slowly. "No more open pogroms, brutality against civilian faunus has dwindled even in Mistral. I can not deny Sienna achieved good things. I just worry because she builds these achievements on fear. If she stirs the pot too fast, everything may yet collapse around us."

Ilia had no response to that. Lumina understood his meaning, too; she well remembered the extremes fear could drive a being to.

Selina sighed, refilling cups and plates in the quiet. "Don't worry too much, old man. Things will get better in the end as long as we believe in it."

"If only Blake came home."

The Belladonnas twitched; Selina was taken aback by the sudden comment and Lumina had to tilt her head in confusion. Ilia froze as soon as the words left her mouth. She hung her head in shame for some reason. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

Selina flicked her forehead and immediately changed the subject. Lumina had half a mind to ask who this 'Blake' was, but she stopped herself. Unlike before, Kali and Ghira seemed actually pained by the matter. So she waited for her patrol that day to bring it up with the other girls.

To a backdrop of dying beasts, Selina scowled at no one in particular. "She's Ghira's and Kali's daughter, not that she deserves it."

Ilia swatted a black, hand-sized bird out of the air before snapping back: "She's out there fighting the good fight!"

"And? And?!" Selina threw her spear at the nearest enemy; Lumina picked a different target and let the hunched-over form of a Creep get nailed to a tree. Selina turned to Ilia with a thunderous expression. "That doesn't excuse pulling this shit on them! She hasn't called in years, Ilia. No letter, no nothing!" She rubbed her forehead and stomped off to reclaim her weapon; Lumina saw her pull it back with Gravity Dust before, but she preferred to conserve that where possible.

Selina was calm again once she returned to them. The readhead explained further for Lumina: "The only reason we even know she's alive is that Sienna didn't send her condolences yet. That's the woman who took over the Fang after Ghira stepped down."

"I can understand being agitated," Lumina responded. An absent ray of light cleaned up the final creatures of Grimm around. "But you seem more irate than I would expect. Why is that?"

As they moved on, Selina shrugged. "I love those two. We're all orphans here." Ilia's head sunk, but she did not contradict the statement. Selina went on without paying attention to her friend: "Those two all but adopted me, same as you. Same as any kid that needs a parent. They treat me like their own child. And then there's Blake, who can't be assed to appreciate how good she has it. But no, not only does she run away after Ghira left, she up and calls him a coward for calling it quits."

Lumina inclined her head. She started to understand Selina's argument; though she never met Blake herself, these actions did not speak of a daughter who gave one whit on her parents.

Meanwhile, Ilia was more morose than angry. "It's been years. I'm sure she misses them, too. It's hard to reach out after so long, isn't it?"

"She still should."

The other girls kept exchanging half-hearted arguments for a time; Lumina soon realised they went through countless variations of this discussion before and left it be. The schism among the White Fang apparently parted more than just the group itself.

Meanwhile, Lumina herself thought of the two people who did so well by her. She got clothed, housed, and fed; even paid for hunting beasts, something she did without payment all her life. Kali embraced each of them with something akin to real joy when they returned. Nobody had ever been happy to have Lumina, excepting the old lady who long since turned to dust.

She could understand why Selina was so angry with Blake.

Moreover, these thoughts kept running through her head for a while. Lumina began to wonder why she even cared. They were all mortal, a single heartbeat in the cosmos' long life. Merely the chemicals in her human body made her happy to be around them.

Then again, why should she fight these impulses? There was nothing shameful in indulging.

Lumina lay awake for a long time that night. Her eyes stared all but through the ceiling as she ruminated on family. Kali and Ghira seemed willing to welcome her like kin. Selina was just as friendly, even Ilia became more pleasant. Her chat with Corsac and his brother Fenec revealed both of them as overall friendly individuals.

She had family, though. She never thought she would miss him as much as she did in that moment.

Lumina's body fell slack as her mind cast out into the ether. Every fibre of it began to gleam in radiant light, miraculously unseen by the nightlife in Kuo Kuana. Her essence permeated the room like snowflakes of solid light.

"Grimm?" She asked the cosmos, but no response came. "Can you hear me?"

When no voice answered even then, she began to repeat his name in every tongue she knew. Reproducing the bugs' clicking noises was difficult with fleshy lips, but she managed. Yet regardless how often Lumina called, Grimm held his silence. In the end her light extinguished itself with a shuddering sigh. A lone tear rolled down Lumina's cheek.

Unbeknownst to her, the call was heard. Far distant, in the ruins of an underground kingdom, crimson eyes snapped open. When his name repeated, carried upon a solar wind, it was answered with a grating chuckle. The sound failed to pass back and neither did the words that followed: "Oh sister dear. Of course you would not go quietly into the night."

As Nightmare's flames gathered to travel for where fleeting Dream yet lived, the black void took notice of His deparature. It shifted slowly and skittered along, for the void's heart knew Nightmare King Grimm. Alas, not even He noticed the crawling dark following in his wake.

To Remnant they went.

 

[Naron]

Sanus, the continent housing Vale and Vacuo, lay far distant from Menagerie. Just off its coast sat a small island, sparsely yet continuously populated. A cliff overlooking the open sea lay covered in snow on this very island. It made even the morning twilight look brighter.

Only a single set of deep footprints disturbed the serenity, belonging to heavy boots. Their owner stood atop the cliff yet did not gaze out to sea; her eyes settled on a stone tablet in front of her.

"February's halfway over, you know?" She told the marker with a melancholic smile. "Yang's going to graduate Signal soon, then she's off to Beacon. I mean, we don't know it for sure yet but she's top of her class. No way she's not getting in. She's really looking forward to it, too. But just between us, I think she just wants to show off to boys where Dad can't see."

She had leaned in to stage-whisper, giggling over her own quip. Once calm again she returned to swaying back and forth in place. "It will be a little lonely without her nearby, I guess. But I'll manage. I got Dad and Uncle Qrow at Signal after all! Even if, er, Qrow is out on missions half the time. You know how he is."

An ocean breeze took hold of the teen's crimson cape and black hair; both billowed out behind her, revealing red streaks throughout the dark strands. Although tights, an equally dark corset, and a multi-layered skirt that did not reach her knees were too little for Winter, she was unaffected by the cold; aura kept her warm and well protected. Frequent puffs of mist were the only interruptions during her babbling to the marker.

A simple message adorned its polished if weathered front: 'Summer Rose - Thus Kindly I Scatter'.

She slowed down and ultimately fell silent after a few minutes spent talking. Her expression lost its joy for a solemn moment, then she slowly stepped back.

"Well, I better get going. Bye, Mom."

The sun crested the horizon just as she waved to the gravestone. Gleaming rays made the white blanket around Ruby Rose glitter and she had to shield her eyes. Then a flake of light plinked against her nose, giving her pause; immaterial though it was, its touch sent a jolt through her entire being. Ruby missed the way her silver eyes began to glow momentarily over wondering what happened.

"Weird. Anyway, bye!"

Ruby waved again before turning her back to the grave and walking away. Snow crunched under her boots, cloak trailing along. A block of polished, red metal gleamed beneath the cape. She grabbed for it with practiced motions mere minutes later because her melancholy had drawn Grimm.

Ruby studied the handful of Beowulves, of which only a single one even sported proper bone plates. The rest had only their mottled, pitch black fur to offer aside from their gleaming eyes. They growled on the approach, undeterred by the unfurling scythe in Ruby's hand; its tip split open the frozen ground, the weapon as long as her wielder was tall. She sized up her opponents for a moment before grinning.

Then Ruby was gone, dispersed into rose petals. They raced toward the confused monsters and reformed behind the last in the pack. Her scythe's blade wound around its throat, slicing through on momentum alone. Ruby rotated her body and let the massive weapon carry her forward, right into the next monster. It was cut in half before the pack even finished turning around.

A gunshot disturbed a swarm of birds nearby, echoing loud in the forest; the third Beowulf died with a hole in its chest. The final pair lunged, only for Ruby to step aside. Both monsters bowled into each other while she swung her weapon in a wide arc, catching both halfway to the ground.

Coming to a stop, Ruby cracked a grin; her prey dispersed into black mist already and no more were coming. She pumped her fist with a quiet "Yes!", then hugged the scythe to her chest. "Good work, baby. You're finally perfect. I can't wait to show you off properly!"

Folding her scythe, Crescent Rose, back into its compact form, Ruby shook out her arms and legs. The fight was unexpected but it helped her loosen up a bit. Then a quick motion unfolded her Scroll and revealed its touch display; Ruby found that she made good time. Walking home would take an hour or so, getting into town more like ninety minutes.

The notion turned her grin outright malicious. It was time to screw her father's plans over once again.

Ruby dispersed into rose petals within moments. Her conciousness entered a state of separation, each petal her yet none truly. A crimson storm raced through the woods, leaving behind traces of red on the undisturbed snow. They accelerated each other, urging ever forward; Ruby had no mouth but if she did, she would whoop in exhilaration.

Five minutes was all it took her to reach town. Her entire being throbbed from the exertion, her aura was low, but she was happy. Ruby consistently managed to reach this far for a year now; she even had enough aura left for emergencies.

Though technically known as the city of Patch, few locals called it that. The isle as a whole bore the same name, so its ownly township was simply known as the town. They could have moved here years ago, be closer to Signal Academy and the market. But Taiyang Xiao-Long decided that a daily trek to and from their little cottage would be good on everyone's stamina. Ruby still suspected her father wanted to keep his two daughters from roaming. Rather, she all but knew because her uncle laughed at Taiyang when her own semblance manifested as super speed; then again when Yang bought a bike.

It was calm this early; most townsfolk preferred to stay inside, which Ruby understood wholeheartedly. She rather be at home, too. But the market was lively anyway, which she could appreciate as well; the young woman quickly bought herself breakfast, buttered buns with ham, then a sausage, and finally a pack of cookies for dessert. The middle-aged man at that particular stall already had her favourite chocolate chip cookies out when he saw her coming.

Ruby returned his jovial wave while he called out: "Long time no see. All of two days, eh? The usual?"

"Yep and thanks!" She already had the exact total ready; this transaction was always the smoothest. "I was kinda busy yesterday. Business still good?"

"Aye. Which reminds me, here ya go." He pushed another package over the counter. "A little extra for my favourite customer. Gotta support an up-and-coming Huntress, no?" He chuckled while Ruby beamed at him, hugging the cookies to her chest.

"Wow! Thanks a bunch!"

"Don't mention it, really." After saying so, he snapped his fingers. "Oh, right. Did you see it already? Someone put up a bunch of tents a bit out of town. There were some weird lights last night, but nobody's gone out to check yet."

Ruby had to shake her head, curiousity piqued. "I didn't. Which way is it?" He pointed in the direction and she smiled at him. "Thanks, I'll go check it out for you. Bye!"

The place was simple enough to find, really; magnificent, crimson tents were raised a few hundred metres from town. They were completely undefended, though; Ruby spotted no turrets, automated or manned. No guards either. Nothing. In fact, there was nobody outside at all except a pair of horses.

Ruby had never seen horses in person before. They were native to Sanus and Anima, but few found their way to Patch or the city of Vale. Each equine stood tall enough to look over Ruby's head! She marvelled at them with bright eyes, cooing. They were sleek and elegant, crimson fur groomed to perfection. It almost shone in the sun.

Once her urge to pet made Ruby slink forward, she realised they were watching her. Neither horse made much of a motion, their pitch black eyes looking straight at Ruby. She blinked at them, realising for the first time this was not normal. A little creepy, even; they were so still, not neighing or pawing the ground with their equally black hooves. Had Ruby not spied their chests move or seen their heads turn to acknowledge her earlier, she would think them statues.

Thinking better of petting them, she slowly crept around the square while always facing the horses. They gave no reaction to her frankly suspicious behaviour beyond idle curiousity. The sheer oddness of these horses spurred on her vibrant imagination and curiousity; just who put these tents here?

She poked her head into one of the smaller tents after a few more metres. There she found a bulbous woman toddling around the room, dressed in fine silk that did nothing to hide her bulk. Ruby stared for a moment, only to freeze when the other woman turned around. Everything on her face's right side was hidden by a bug-like mask that matched the grin of her actual mouth. The one visible eye studying Ruby was as black as those of the horses.

"Why, who do we have there? Hello, dearie. How curious you look, so full of youth and vitality."

Her voice was a vibrant chirp that calmed Ruby some. She barely took one step into the room when the other woman gave her pause: "This new body is not so bad, no, no." She toddled closer, unaware or uncaring of her guest's alienation. Ruby had no words when the other leaned in to take a deep breath; then she recoiled, eye opening wide in surprise. If anything, her grin grew wider.

"Oh, oh my! What a smell you have on you, dearie! Just a trace of light and dreams. Could you be Her? No, no. Too small, far too small. And yet." She sniffed again, making Ruby retreat.

"Erm, I kinda guess I got the wrong tent? Gotta go bye!"

She fled the weirdo as fast as she could, leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake. The woman herself chuckled, melodically trilling after her: "Do come back sometime, dearie!"

Ruby heard her but emphatically would not do that anytime soon. Yet once she put the small plaza between herself and the weirdo, curiousity won out again. She could have left, but she felt a burning need to figure this place out. And she forgot to ask that woman about it. Walking back in there would be far too embarassing now.

That was when a hot breath washed over her head, reminding her she hid behind the horses. Ruby leapt back with a squeak, prompting a snort from the equine that startled her before she began to pout.

"It's not funny!"

The other horse snorted as well.

"Stop laughing at me!"

Before she could continue arguing with the amused animals, an accordion began to play within the main tent. So she stuck her tongue out at the horses and turned away to check it out.

Her first impression was, again, red. Just like the outside, the inside was entirely crimson. An entry room clad in what may be velvet bore no decorations or objects, only a hulking, well-groomed man in dark clothes. He played the accordion with precision, well-defined muscles moving with every motion.

Having Taiyang for a father, Ruby felt no fear beyond her usual anxiety. She simply approached with a shy smile. There was not even a need to get his attention because he addressed her once Ruby got close.

"Visitor," he greeted in an almost monotone. "Speak with master."

A nod was given to the open pathway by his right, leading into a tunnel and some large room further away. Ruby looked this way. "O-Oh. Um, sure." Then, chancing a glance at him, she piped up again: "But can I ask you something first?"

The accordion music stopped. He studied her more carefully, revealing that his eyes were also pitch black from pupil to sclera. Except Ruby could see a tiny spark of crimson burn withinfrom this close. She fidgeted a bit under his discerning look but did not shy away until he nodded.

"...mrm. Ask."

With permission received, the questions blubbered out of her at a rapid pace: "What's this place? Where did you come from? And, uh, who are you? And who is the creepy lady in the other tent?"

He silently stared for just long enough to make Ruby feel mighty awkward. Only then did he rumble a response: "Master will tell. From Hallownest. Brumm. Divine."

"Errr...." She had no idea what to make of his response at first. After trying to backtrack what order she asked her questions in, Ruby went with what she thought she understood: "So your name is Brumm?"

"Yes."

"And she, uh, the woman out there is called Divine?"

"Yes. Presumptuous, but she chose."

Ruby smiled, put at ease by his commentary. "I mean, it's not so bad. I met at least two girls called Angel, that's the same thing isn't it?"

The giant considered this for a bit, a rumble in his throat. "Mrm. Teasing Master." He motioned for the path into the tent again; the hint was clear.

"Alright, I'll go now. Thanks, Brumm!" She made to move on but stopped after two steps and turned back with a grin. "Oh right, my name's Ruby! Nice to meet you!" Then she moved on, missing the faint smile on Brumm's face. He returned to playing the accordion with a bit more energy than before.

The tunnel passed by rather quick; it was merely a few dozen metres before Ruby entered a huge room. The auditorium was separated, set higher than the empty space she stood in. She heard of a circus before but felt there should be more animals than two horses. There were no attractions, no nothing.

At the same time, the owner clearly expected some sort of performance and an audience. Yet no matter how much Ruby turned her head and craned her neck, she found nothing. Brumm said to meet the 'master', but there was no one here. Did he play a prank on her? Was he that master in disguise?

Her worries were put to rest by a burst of crimson flame. Ruby made a choked noise in surprise, eyes snapping back to the room's center. Within the fire appeared an enormous figure, easily over two metres tall. Seeing his carapace made her immediately darted back to the entrance; this being was clearly not human. He almost looked like a Grimm. Wrapped in a grey cloak, unearthly red light shone from within his empty eye sockets and mouth. The mask he wore was of a pristine white.

Then the thing offered a sweeping bow toward where Ruby hid. His deep, scratchy drawl echoed off the fabric walls: "Step forward, little one. Curiousity has drawn you to us, yes?"

He straightened back up, looking right at her. Ruby hesitated and weighed her options; she could run from the creepy bug man, but if he was some sort of Grimm? Then she needed to put him down. On top of that, this was the first one she ever met who could speak. Therefore and against her better judgement, she snuck back into the room. He inclined his head once she neared.

"Be welcome then. I am Grimm, master of this troupe."

Ruby's hand immediately came to rest on Crescent Rose on her back. She barely held back from the natural response to the primal menace. This thing could talk and made no motion to attack. It was probably a trick, but maybe she could learn something?

"So you're a Grimm?"

Much to her surprise, this question gave the something pause for the first time since he appeared.

"Pardon?"

"Err...." Ruby was confused, too. She slowly motioned for beyond the tent. "Like, you know, a Grimm Grimm? Darkness monsters that want to kill all humans? Those Grimm?"

The flames in his eyesockets flickered, eerily reminiscent of a befuddled blink. Then he huffed and shook his head. "A misunderstanding, I assure you. I and these... creatures have nothing in common." His words were not that reassuring. He left a short pause to glance at the wall as if he could see through it. "Although now that I look beyond, they do appear familiar. I believe my caretaker was of similar make."

"Your caretaker?" Ruby could not even imagine creatures of Grimm caring for anyone. Either way, Grimm chuckled in response.

"Quite. But no matter, it is of the past. You are here now, are you not? The first to approach and oh so curious." He took a step closer, looming over her. Ruby ached to draw her weapon, but she stood her ground while being examined.

Something about this did not add up; everyone knew Grimm could not speak, so this being may actually be something different. If he knew the immediate danger he was in, he did not acknowledge it.

"Full of youthful vitality, I see. Hm." Grimm leaned even closer, eyes level with Ruby's. She could feel the warmth of the flame, ever more secure this person was not what she first thought. He had a feeling of power to him, something none of the creatures of Grimm ever had. And somehow he appeared more curious than anything else. Ruby tried to study him in turn, but his features were too alien to distinguish. Rigid.

He spoke again before she made any progress: "You have silver eyes."

This was not what she expected. Ruby squirmed a bit under his antediluvian gaze. "Uh... yes? I know it's pretty rare, I don't know anyone else who has them, but is there anything special about it?"

"You do not know?" Grimm appeared genuinely surprised. "I heard whispers that the eyes are a mirror of the soul. And your soul is permeated with light." His words confused Ruby, who always saw herself as just a normal girl. Grimm seemed to disagree, nodding to himself. "Yes, I see it clearly now. So bright like a miniature sun. But uncontrolled, unknown, untempered. In fact, not like my dear sister's light at all. More like... oh, how interesting."

"Uh, what? I don't get it."

He chuckled. "That is quite alright. You are yet young, no? Wisdom comes with age, you will understand in time."

This time Ruby pouted; she already got the 'you will get it when you're older' card from her father and uncle, she did not also need it from a giant bug man.

Grimm never stopped studying her, though. "You yet lack the frame of reference to understand, even were I to explain. Do you wish to learn?"

"Yeah?" Ruby did not even hesitate. Her curiousity burned. "I mean, it would be nice... wait." But once what rational thoughts a fifteen-year-old could have caught up, she realised she knew stories like these. Grimm absolutely wanted something in turn. "What's the catch?"

Her question prompted a thoughtful hum. "A catch? No such thing, my dear. Although there is a matter I need assistance with."

Ruby's grin turned victorious in the ensuing pause. "Aha! So there is a catch."

"I would not call it that."

"But it is!"

Grimm sighed, clearly exasperated; he reminded her of Uncle Qrow in that moment, making Ruby giggle. He thankfully took no offense and simply move things along: "Well, the choice to assist with the ritual is yours. I have much time to waste regardless, so I can speak of your light."

"Wait, a ritual? Like magic? What's it about?" Her attention was immediately captivated by that particular factoid. She did not even question that the bug man knew magic, too excited by the prospect. Magic did not sound too far-fetched at the moment.

Grimm's eyes gleamed brighter in response.

"Indeed. The Grimm Troupe performs for the fallen, gathering the sparks of their flame so that it may forever burn. No torch was lit here on Remnant but we arrived regardless and find countless embers. Another is needed to help my little one gather the flame, protect him from harm until the ritual concludes." He grew more excited with each sentence, voice carrying as he exclaimed: "A journey, adventure, camraderie! Struggle and perseverance against impossible odds! What say you, Ruby Rose?"

Ruby jumped over suddenly being addressed, but his pitch definitely caught her interest. She knew this was a bad idea yet could not resist the allure.

"Sure, I'll help. What do I need to do?"

Grimm managed to display eagerness even without a proper mouth, turning around to fiddle with something in his coat. Soft whispers and a quiet coo followed. When Grimm turned back to her, he carried a baby in his arms. A bug baby with black carapace and wide, equally black eyes. Once offered to her, Ruby skittishly received the tiny thing; it perfectly fit in the crook of her elbow, nestling against her warmth with another coo.

Ruby never hated bugs like Yang did and this one was positively adorable. She cooed back and rocked him back and forth with a silly smile.

A soft chuckle reminded her of the other person in the room after a minute. Ruby's cheeks flared with heat as she snapped to attention, standing perfectly still. Grimm did not address what just happened.

"This is Grimmchild. It is him who needs to feed on the flames our kin gather. He knows where to find them. Your duty as the caretaker is to protect the child, subdue our kin, and feed their flame to him. Slay them without regard or hesitation, Ruby Rose."

"Wait. You, er, want me to kill your family?"

Her hesitation gave Grimm pause in turn. He studied her momentarily, then shrugged. "They do not come to real harm. It is their chosen role in the ritual."

"O-Okay. Find fire bugs, kill fire bugs, feed fire to baby. Got it." Ruby looked down at Grimmchild in her arms, then back up at Grimm himself. "Alright. And that's all?"

"That is all." The troupe master bowed at the waist, which Ruby returned a little awkwardly. "I will see you in due time, Ruby." That was a clear dismissal, so she said goodbye and took her leave. Ruby waved at Brumm on the way out, who grunted in response. The accordion never ceased its song.

Once outside, Ruby slowly began to realise what just happened. She held onto an adorable, flying baby bug that looked just a bit too much like a Grimm. Carrying him into town may cause a panic. But more importantly, how would she explain any of this to her dad?

While Ruby fretted, a woman stumbled along a dirt path on Sanus proper. Surrounded by the crimson woods of Forever Fall she went, gaze distant. She favoured her left leg, limping as the right ankle was sprained. Blood covered her, though none her own. Soft curses rolled from her lips once in a while. She cursed the White Fang for being fanatics and Adam Taurus in particular. This did not go as planned. At all.

Cinder Fall did not understand where things went wrong. She had everything lined up, just like the Queen demanded. Adam was supposed to fall in line after a display of power, not strike at her out of spite! Her chosen source of disposable muscle was not cowed but eradicated in anger over being denied. She had nothing to show for her efforts; worse than that, her painstakingly assembled team was destroyed. Emerald and Mercury, carefully chosen and cultivated, died in the fight. Thirty-to-one odds were too much even with Cinder's magic. They were worn down.

Again, Adam killed both before she managed to defeat him. Cinder burned down the entire camp in her anger; retaliation was sweet but ultimately left her without supplies to pillage. Now she had to stalk through the forest, hoping to make it to civilisation before her meagre provisions ran out.

A bear-like Ursa was drawn in by the cocktail of anger, woe, and depression brewing in her heart. The beast stopped some ways away from Cinder, tilting its head. The unnamed Grimm in her arm wiggled and it backed off. Cinder herself hissed at the Ursa as she passed, not that it understood or cared. At least the beasts were not a problem for her.

Her mind was awhirl with plans that had to be discarded. She needed to reassemble the board if she wanted to make the schedule, but she would. No matter how, she would.

 

[Naron]

Ruby moved on home after reassuring the people in town that the new arrivals were safe if odd. It had been about an hour since she reached town, that and a proper breakfast with sweets helped her aura recover far enough to make the run in one go.

But she had Grimmchild now; the oddly warm bug was nestled under her cape to hide from casual inspection. He was surprisingly intelligent for a baby, too. Ruby coaxed him out once she was certain nobody could see for a closer examination. His carapace felt unexpectedly soft under her fingers, halfway between skin and chitin.

Holding him up to eye level, Ruby squinted. "Hm. I know I can take people along with my Semblance, but you're so young. Do you think you can take it?"

Grimmchild tilted his head, then snorted crimson smoke at her. Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she deadpanned at herself. "I should've expected that. Baby."

Unfortunately, this did not solve the conundrum. Yang threw up the one time she agreed to help Ruby test carrying someone else. Uncle Qrow took it better, but he still had some choice words about the trip; not the physical one at that. Ruby did not understand what had them in such a tizzy, but she saw the pattern.

Grimmchild uttered a coo before she could decide what to do. He leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers, then a foreign expression slid into her mind; a feeling of safety and assurance. She stared owlishly at the bug who met her gaze with honest curiousity.

"Ooookay. So you think you can, but should I really... okay, fine. But say something if it's too much, okay? Or make noise. Something."

Another coo was the only response.

Uncertain but willing to trust him, Ruby began to focus; her aura enveloped them both moments later and a storm of petals raced across the dirt road. They were not their usual red but proper crimson and some flickered with sparks of flame. Ruby failed to notice, too busy exhilarating in the thrill. She ignored Grimm, the creatures, on her way home this once. The island's forest and meadows flew by at a rapid pace.

Soon enough a sturdy wooden house appeared in the distance. Not terribly large but more than enough for three. Occasionally four, even. A small shed leaned against it, technically communal but mainly Ruby's domain.

Her aura broke a few dozen metres from the door, where she reformed and skipped a few steps forward before finding her balance and coming to stand awkwardly. Now all but rooted in place, Ruby glanced between her home and Grimmchild in her arms. He hid back under her cloak without prompting while she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

An excited bark greeted her the moment she opened the door. Ruby caught the corgi before he could jump around her legs, cuddling him with a squeal.

"Hey, Zwei! I'm back!"

The black-and-white dog celebrated as if she was gone for years instead of hours. Her voice prompted another response from the kitchen, too: "Hey, sport! Guess who's back too!"

That was her father, Taiyang. Ruby was about to greet him back when the words registered. She beamed and set Zwei down before racing into the living room, where another man sat on the couch. He was halfway up when Ruby went airborne.

"Uncle Qrow!"

She slammed into his broad chest without regard and firm arms closed around her in a gentle embrace, followed by a dark chuckle.

"Heya, squirt."

Qrow smelled faintly of alcohol as he often did, but his grey suit was neatly done for once. Ruby deigned not to point out the faint stubble or how his unruly black hair needed a comb. Then again, a confused coo distracted both before she could really launch into anything to greet her returning uncle after a month-long absence. Qrow's attention shifted at once, eyes widening.

"The fuck is that?"

Zwei growled at the flying form of Grimmchild, dislodged by Ruby's sudden movement. The girl herself looked back with a surprised noise; she quickly slipped out of Qrow's arms and snatched Grimmchild out of the air. Her protective embrace confused man and dog alike.

As the silence began to stretch, Ruby put on a sheepish smile. "Um, I can explain?"

A beat.

Qrow's hand slowly rose to his jacket. It slipped into a pocket, producing a flask. Only after taking a sip did he answer: "Yeah, you better. What freaky kinda Grimm is that, why's it in here, and why're you holding it?"

"What's that about a Grimm?" Taiyang interjected while leaning into the room. His brows rose upon spotting the creature in Ruby's hands. He fully walked in then, drying his hands on a towel. Tan and blond, he was almost a perfect opposite to Qrow's dark and grouchy demeanour.

"Okay, I can see it now."

Ruby fidgeted awkwardly and began to ramble: "Uh, I mean, he's not a Grimm? I don't think?" Grimmchild mewled in rebuke, to which she made a face at him. "I mean not that kind of Grimm, stop sabotaging me!" He trilled in response, exasperating her. "Yeah yeah, just laugh at me. Ugh."

After shaking her head, she became aware of her flabbergasted uncle and father. Ruby sighed, still clutching Grimmchild to her chest. "Look, it's hard to explain. I mean, I met this guy just outside of town and it sounds really, really weird but he's not, uh, human? Like, not faunus either. Super weird. And he says I have some kind of magic, and that he'll tell me about it, but he needs help too, so I kinda... you know?"

She hesitantly motioned with Grimmchild by way of explanation, flustered and halfway hoping they did not understand.

Qrow stared silently for a long moment, then he took another pull from his flask. Taiyang snatched it from his hand and emptied the thing himself. Ruby would have been mighty grateful if the ground had opened to swallow her just about now. Maybe she could crawl away and hide from this heavy silence?

Zwei stared up at Grimmchild warily; the little bug stared back with great curiosity.

After some more silent staring, Qrow finally spoke up. "Okay, I'll say it: what the fuck?"

That... was a fair assessment. Ruby fidgeted nonetheless. "Yeah, it's kinda hard to explain. He wants me to gather some kind of flame from... uh. Where do I need to go?"

She asked Grimmchild, whose head turned her way. Then he pointed it toward a wall. Their lack of response caused the baby to wiggle out of Ruby's arms; he fluttered around the room on gossamer wings and landed on a map of Vale on the table. The residents and their pet observed cautiously how he pressed tiny paws onto the map; sparks flew before forming into a dozen softly glowing markers, each one crimson and in the shape of a flame.

The entire family walked over to look at the map, Ruby sandwiched by the men.

Eight markers were spread across the valean plains, one in the city of Vale, and the final three sat at the edge pointing outward, to Anima. Grimmchild cooed and hopped back into Ruby's arms. She studied her father and uncle studying the map.

"Anything interesting in these spots?" Tai finally asked his brother-in-law. Qrow shrugged.

"Beats me," he answered before glancing to Ruby. "Any idea what this flame stuff's supposed to be?"

"Uh, he said something about bits of people. Like, soul stuff or spirits, I think?" She could not remember exactly what Grimm said. At least Grimmchild cooed in agreement, so she could not be that far off. The little bug fluttered down to Zwei when the corgi barked, allowing to be sniffed.

It was at this point that Ruby realised someone was missing. "Where's Yang? Still in Vale?"

Her father nodded. "Yeah. Probably won't be back before next week." He was not happy and Qrow grimaced as well. Ruby knew why; as much as Yang tried to hide it, she was looking for her mother again.

Well aware that her half-sister's absent mom was a sore subject for the entire family bar her, Ruby quickly pointed back at the map. "Soooo, can I go?"

A double "No" was the response she got, delivered so fast she needed a moment to realise. Ruby crossed her arms, pouting up at the men.

"Why not?!"

"Well gee," Qrow drawled in response, "maybe 'cause we got no idea what this shit is about? I'm gonna go have a word with that 'guy' and then we'll see how to get rid of that thing." His dismissive tone had Ruby clutch Grimmchild protectively. She stared at her uncle in shock and disbelief, making his harsh front collapse on itself.

That was where Taiyang chimed in, more measured than Qrow. He gently took her by the shoulders.

"Ruby, listen. We have no idea what we're dealing with. These things could be incredibly dangerous and we're not letting you just run head-first into danger." He had a point, not that she liked it.

"I mean, he did say I have to fight some guys that went out to gather up the fire."

"See? Not to mention, how can we even prove this magic is actually a thing?"

This time Ruby threw her father a flat look. "You mean beside the eight feet tall bug man and his baby bug child who can do fire stuff?" She pointed back at the map for emphasis, where Grimmchild's marks still glittered.

"...fair enough."

Ruby knew that concession was not permission to go. She doubted they would agree either way with how vehement they both were. Not that this stopped her from wracking her brain to figure out how to make them relent; Ruby may have inherited most physical traits from her mother, but she could dig in her heels like any Xiao-Long.

"How about Uncle Qrow comes along?" she finally suggested. "Is that safe enough to at least check it out?"

It may not be the best idea, but that definitely gave them pause. Her father and uncle exchanged looks, then Qrow grimaced. They knew she might just sneak out anyway, hence why Qrow sighed and pushed both hands into his pockets. "Alright, fine. But we're only checking it out, got it?" Ruby's beaming nod did not deter him. "You're still on break, right? Good, we're going tomorrow. Better hope you're up to snuff, squirt."

"Right back at you, old man!"

"Hey!"

She cackled and fled his mock indignation, cloak fluttering after her.

The rest of the day was calm, though she sometimes caught one of the two checking in on her and Grimmchild. Specifically Grimmchild, who curled up on her pillow while she read. Or on a shelf in the shed while Ruby worked. The day passed in a blur and soon enough she took the ferry to Vale by her uncle's side. With them were Grimmchild, safely hidden, and an excitedly panting Zwei.

"First stop is the plains," she muttered while looking over the map. Grimmchild's markings were as vibrant as the previous day. "South of Mt. Glenn."

"Bit of a trek, that." Even though he said it, Qrow quickly found them a cargo train to ride on. They hopped off an hour later, surrounded by grassland and the occasional woods or lake.

He mostly kept quiet, as did Ruby; she was too busy marvelling at the mostly untouched nature. A small number of Grimm were easily dispatched between the two of them, though she stumbled more than usual.

They reached their goal after another half hour of walking, right after cresting a hill. Just a few metres below its tip sat a lit brazier, the flame a familiar crimson. It was surrounded by flakes of muted light but nothing else revealed itself; not even another ruin.

They studied the thing for a moment, but nothing happened. Ruby glanced to Qrow, who looked back expectantly.

"Now what?" he asked, only for a soft coo to draw their gazes to Grimmchild. He made jerky motions with his head, pointing forward to the brazier.

"You want me to touch it?"

A trill was all the confirmation she needed, so Ruby stepped forward and made to grab the brazier. However, a masked buglet appeared from nowhere just before she could. Its colour was a muted red, closer to pink, and it was half as tall as Ruby. It also snatched the brazier away with a trill that almost sounded like laughter.

"Hey!" she shouted after it, indignant. "Give it back!"

The buglet waved the brazier mockingly before swinging it downward. A crimson fireball loosened and flew her way, but Ruby hopped out of its path. Grass burned away where she just stood.

Grimmchild screeched and Zwei growled. The buglet giggled, ascending skyward. Then a loud boom sounded as Qrow shot it with his weapon's rifle mode. Ruby followed up with a round from Crescent Rose, hammering a glittering hole into their enemy.

It laughed even as it fell. Ruby's rifle still transformed into its sniper form when Qrow advanced; his greatsword cleaved through the buglet, who dispersed into crimson sparks. They glittered in the light and Ruby found herself appreciating them, even though she squirmed at the thought of having killed the buglet.

Those thoughts were forgotten when its fading body unleashed a rivulet of crimson flame. The brazier dropped empty while Grimmchild absorbed the fire; its light faded swiftly, leaving only the four of them.

When nothing else happened, Qrow slowly lowered his guard. "Okay," he offered slowly, "so we're doing that a few more times and that's it?"

Ruby shrugged. "Looks like it? But the last three are in Anima."

"Fuck it, I've got time and questions now." He left a pause there before throwing a smirk at Ruby. "You up for running over the ocean yet?"

"Nope." She popped the P. "Never." And stuck out her tongue at Qrow, who snorted.

"Heh, figures. Then we better figure out a way to get there."

Ruby nodded and glanced to Grimmchild. "Any chance you can do Grimm's teleport thingy to get us there?"

He shook his head and Ruby deflated somewhat.

"Wait," Qrow interjected, brows furrowed. "What Grimm?"

It took a moment to explain how the man Ruby met was named such, after which he facepalmed. "Let's just keep going."

The other flames went much like the first, though Ruby did spot a herd of wild horses along the way. they were nothing like the pair she saw with the Grimm Troupe. Shy and wary of the humans passing nearby. Ruby quickly used her Semblance again to leave them be; Qrow was not happy about the fast-paced travel, but in his words: "It beats camping."

They got everything in the plains and the one from Vale by evening; that last brazier was thankfully hidden in a deserted back alley; Ruby carefully kept Grimmchild under her cloak while in town. They did not run into Yang, either.

"That went pretty well," Ruby chirped as they watched Patch approach. "Good haul, all in a day's work."

Her uncle nodded, clearly deep in thought. She was soon shooed to bed while Qrow talked to Taiyang. Ruby fell asleep in minutes after the day she had, Grimmchild curled up by her side.

Whatever her father and uncle decided, it seemed to have been in Ruby's favour; after an early breakfast the next morning, she and Qrow headed out for a cargo ship heading to Anima. "Pretty simple once you're licensed," her uncle explained along the way. "You get basically anywhere for free 'cause you double as an escort. Bit short notice but they were pretty happy anyway."

Ruby marvelled at how easily this worked; no one so much as batted an eye when they boarded. Zwei had to stay home this time, but Grimmchild remained nestled under her cloak.

Transit took a few hours, interrupted by the occasional gale or a few airborne Grimm; nothing dangerous but each little annoyance weighed on Qrow for some reason. Ruby caught him glaring at the electronics for most of the trip, especially while they were atop the sea.

They touched down in Shion village without issues despite it all. Instead of following their freshly enchanted map of Anima however, Qrow dragged Ruby into the nearest tavern for a late lunch.

Some people raised their mugs in greeting the moment they entered, others called out. Ruby shrank away a bit, but Qrow had it handled; he nodded at people and offered a word or two where it fit. He then leaned over to talk to the neighbouring table while they waited for their food; a group of elderly men happily told him the newest gossip. Grimm sightings, a row of petty thefts, and bandits in the area.

That last one had Ruby interject. "Bandits, you say? What do you know about them?"

Scenes of gloriously taking down criminals played before her eyes, but her expression must have given them away; one of the other patrons chuckled and destroyed the short-lived dream: "I admire your enthusiasm, lassie. But you shouldn't even think about it. Branwen tribe's not your usual bandit fare, they're tough as nails. Tougher than the White Fang, lemme tell you."

"But they're still bandits, right? So someone's gotta... wait, 'Branwen' tribe?"

Completely dumbfounded, she glanced to her uncle. The man she spoke to answered her question indulgently, completely unaware what actually confused her: "Ayup, the one. You're not from here, are ya?"

"Nah," Qrow drawled. "She isn't, we just arrived for a job. I'll explain it to her later. Sorry 'bout that."

"Oh, it was nothing. But that reminds me-"

And so the string of news continued. Ruby did not hear much of it, too focussed on that little nugget she got. Qrow pretended to listen as they ate their meal; once they were done eating, he somewhat politely cut them off and thanked them for the information.

Ruby barely held it in when they were back on the road, but even then she could not help but tease her uncle first: "I never thought you could be polite."

"Always pays to be, even if it's hard." He said no more, clearly grouchy. Both hands in his pockets, Qrow stalked ahead toward Shion's walls; they were far weaker than those of Vale. Patch only had small palisades because the Grimm population was always kept in check, but this was mainland Anima.

Ruby decided to broach the subject once they were outside of town. She did not know what was going on, but she doubted anyone should overhear.

"Uncle Qrow? Why are they called Branwen tribe? I mean, that's your name, right?"

At first he did not respond. They left Shion behind and Ruby let the silence fester; just like she thought, he ultimately gave in with a sigh. "Figures you'd find out one of these days. Ironic how Yang still hasn't." He paused to take a drag from his flask. "Those bandits are where I was born. Bit of a misnomer, anyway. 'Bandits'."

"So... they aren't bad people?"

He huffed. "Oh, they are. But they don't rob or kill... most of the time. I heard it became basically never since Raven took charge. She's pretty strict about that part unless someone royally pisses her off." Another pull was taken; Qrow peered into his now empty flask before pocketing it. "Thing is, what they do is loot villages after the Grimm rolled over them. Strength is key with them."

"It's kinda hard to imagine you going to Beacon then," Ruby admitted. Her mind caught up to what she heard after a few seconds and she frowned. "Wait. Raven? As in, Yang's-"

"And people started to blame their failing villages on us fourty years or so ago," another voice cut her off. Both whirled around and Ruby quickly spotted the woman lounging in a nearby tree. She peered down at the pair, voice sharp. Ruby felt mighty small under her attentive gaze.

"Said we drew the Grimm to them so we can cut a profit. Perhaps they should blame the petty squabbles of their chosen settlers, or corporate greed that sees them exploited. But no. They rather blamed a group that decided to thrive on their own merit, far away from any kingdom. As more hunters came to stamp us out, the previous leadership chose their strongest youths to train at Remnant's most prestigious academy. If they wish to fight us, then we will shatter their champions until we are left alone."

Silence reigned for a long moment. Raven Branwen's words cut like a knife and Ruby felt a little queasy at the prospect she outlined. Also intimidated, surprised, and overall lost.

Meanwhile, Qrow grimaced. "Yeah, that. And yes, that Raven. What are you doing here anyway?"

The last line addressed his twin sister, who hopped from the branch she settled on. Landing gracefully, the notably tall woman prowled forward like a lioness. Even though her hair was black like Qrow's, the comparison remained the same. A short glance already told her how much Yang got from her mother; both were tall and curvy, moving with supreme confidence. But where her big sister often bore a cocky smirk, Raven's lips were drawn into a thin line.

"The Nuckelavee appeared near our previous location, so I took us away from there."

"...yeah, makes sense."

"Um...." Ruby had no idea what a Nuckelavee was, but she felt decidedly worried about the energy between these two. Raven intimidated her with her mere presence. She also had no idea what to say and only realised after already making noise. "...hi?"

All attention was on her again; Raven's piercing glare had Ruby hide behind her uncle, which clearly did not impress the older woman. "Why did you bring her here?" she demanded of her twin. "Are you playing at something, little brother?" If she did not sound so severe, the title may almost be teasing.

"None of your damn business," Qrow snapped back, scowling. He turned away and began to stomp off. "Which way, Ruby?"

"Err, I, I mean." She shuffled awkwardly, looking between the siblings. "Shouldn't you, I dunno, catch up or something?"

Qrow stopped to glare back, Raven was indifferent. The silence dragged on for uncomfortable seconds before salvation appeared: a number of bear-like Ursa, some Beowulves, and even two Griphons. The latter faintly resembled the horses Ruby recently met, barring their beaks and wings. And the pitch black fur, of course.

Brother and sister put their differences aside the moment their cries became audible in the distance; Qrow drew his greatsword, Raven's oversized sheethe began to rotate; once it settled, she drew out a sabre with solid Fire Dust blade. Crescent Rose finished unfolding at the same time, earning a nod from Raven.

What followed was a slaughter. Ruby took a few good shots before the Grimm got in reach of Qrow's weaker rifle. A Griffon lost its wing, one younger Ursa its head. Then they were upon the trio; Grimm could not think or feel, meaning they never had the chance to regret their choice of target. Qrow and Raven almost danced between them, overwhelming power and grace in equal measure. Where one left an opening, the other closed it instantly. Ruby almost got hit when she paused to watch for a moment; it was hard to believe those two were estranged for over a decade.

Ruby herself took care of a few stragglers while the other two finished demolishing the larger Grimm. She was half tempted to ask if this twin telepathy thing actually existed, but bit down on it when Raven's gaze turned her way again. The woman stood to a backdrop of black mist.

"Qrow trained you well," she noted.

A hesitant "Thank you?" was all Ruby could muster. She had no idea if this was actual praise.

"Don't get complacent."

Her piece said, Raven made to leave. The moment she turned her back on them, Ruby had an epiphany: not only would Yang kill her if she did not at least try to reach out, siblings acting this cold with each other was simply wrong. In a moment of insanity, she called out: "Wait!"

When Raven stopped to stare her down again, Ruby shrank back. Her heart beat rapidly, the adrenaline of battle not yet flushed from her system. With courage she did not know she had, Ruby squared her shoulders. She had no idea how to go about this, so she may as well ask the first thing that came to mind: "Do you want to come too? We're doing magic stuff!"

Qrow groaned in the background, but neither paid him any mind. Raven's expression softened into something curt but not actively intimidating. "Magic, you say?"

Ruby could not believe that actually worked. She quickly kept talking: "Yup! I kinda-sorta adopted an alien magic bug and we're feeding him with stuff!" Grimmchild's head popped out from her cloak in response and he cooed a greeting at the nonplussed woman. Raven stared at him for a long moment.

Qrow snorted into the silence. His own grimace had mostly faded, features smoothed out. "Yeah, that's how I felt the last two days," he provided conversationally.

"...is Ozpin behind this?"

"If he is, he hides it damn well."

"Ozpin?" Ruby could not help but ask. "Like, Beacon's headmaster Ozpin?" When neither twin answered, she looked down at Grimmchild. "Do you know him?" He shook his head in response, prompting a disappointed "Aww".

In the meantime, Raven glanced between the three of them. She cocked her hips and was about to speak, only to be interrupted by a loud crack from behind.

Just as Ruby turned, she came face to face with a tree falling her way; the mundane threat was easily dodged by turning to rose petals. Upon reconsolidating into herself, Ruby saw her uncle scowl at nothing. Raven had taken a step toward where a metre thick log now lay; upon seeing her unharmed, the bandit queen gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"Alright, I want to know what this is about. Lead the way."

So Ruby let Grimmchild point them... and cringed upon realising she technically never introduced herself; the other woman did not seem to care. Ruby also tried to hold some conversation along the way and Raven was even willing to talk a bit about life in Mistral. Administrating a group of over a hundred souls took quite a bit of work, especially free spirits like her tribe. She did not entertain anything in regard to Yang, though.

Once they found the brazier and made short work of the buglet, Ruby hopped up and down while Grimmchild absorbed the flame. "Isn't this exciting? Real magic!" Unfortunately, neither twin shared her excitement. Raven waved off her joy, at which Ruby sighed. "Ugh, you act like you already saw a buncha cool magic."

Seeing Qrow stiffen, she paused to rewind what she just said. Ruby's eyes narrowed. "You did, didn't you?" she accused warily. "There's magic on Remnant, right?"

"No."

"Yes."

The twins stared at each other while Ruby stood at the sidelines. She and Grimmchild glanced between them, the girl with surprised excitement. Not that either of them were acknowledged for the moment.

"Now isn't the time," Qrow growled at his sister, who scowled right back.

"You even adopted his favourite excuse to lie. Why do you let yourself be chained like a dog, Qrow? He doesn't care for his pawns, you know that."

"That's not how this is and you know it!"

If his rising volume had any effect, Raven did not show. "Tell that to Summer," she spat back with actual venom. That name was all it took to send a little shock through Ruby's system.

"What do you mean?" she interrupted their argument. "What's Mom have to do with all this?"

Qrow growled, but his sister began to smirk. Turning Ruby's way, she answered her question: "Nobody told you? Summer went on some secret assignment, courtesy of old Ozpin. She went on her own and you know the rest." Just like Raven said, Ruby knew. Old pain flared in her chest while the older woman continued: "I imagine he never told Qrow anything, even after I let him know that."

"He did, actually."

The interruption had Ruby and Raven look to him; Qrow's expression was tight, voice softer than before. "He told me what he knew and I went to check, but the trail went cold by then."

"Okay," Ruby began a moment later. She was still a little hurt, mightily confused, and needed time to come to terms with all of this. She wanted to ask Raven more about her mother, but now was not the time; they got sidetracked from the actual subject. "Anyway, about magic? Is Professor Ozpin involved in magic? Does he have some? Do you have some? How can I tell?"

The twins exchanged a long look. In the end Qrow heaved a sigh. "Just remember to keep this a secret," he told Ruby. "Most people don't know for a reason."

His smirking twin transformed into a bird just then. Qrow followed right after, a raven and crow fluttering around each other. Ruby watched them fly with distinct disappointment; that was not magic, that was lame!

Once both siblings turned back to normal, she crossed her arms. "Boo! That was like nothing! I've caught you turning into a crow years ago!" Ignoring the shocked "Wait, what?", she went on: "I always thought that's your Semblance. How is it magic?"

Qrow was too dumbfounded to respond. Meanwhile, Raven huffed without any humour. Ruby faintly wondered how she managed to make everything sound so derisive.

The older woman made to speak but stopped herself upon spotting her brother's conflicted expression. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, she shrugged it off and explained: "The bird transformation was bestowed on us by Ozpin. He has a few more tricks than that, but he won't tell anyone. That aside, there is easy proof of magic existing."

She motioned for an approaching Grimm, which Ruby shot wordlessly. "These things are not natural. Technically speaking, auras and Semblances can be called a type of magic too."

"Wait, really? So magic is weird soul stuff?"

"...yes. Weird soul stuff, let us call it that." The implied rebuke had Ruby cringe, but Raven did not actually berate her. "That aside, where else do you need to go?"

Ruby checked the map and pointed, after which Raven showed her a trick; she flew there as a bird, then opened a portal to Qrow. Ruby beamed as they passed through the crimson vortex; that was far more impressive than turning into a bird. "This is so useful!" she gushed and Raven seemed mollified by her enthusiasm.

Like this the three of them gathered the final two flames. A quick meal in the field was all the breaks they took. In the end Ruby could not help but reflect; she spent a day out hunting with her uncle and... aunt? Raven loosened up a bit as the hours passed. But what did Ruby tell Yang? Not saying that she met the mother her big sister searched so long was out of the question.

When the twins stiffly said their goodbyes, clearly keeping it civil for her sake, Ruby decided to make another attempt. She approached Raven cautiously.

"Just to make super sure, you, uh, you're not going to come talk to Yang, right?"

The resulting stare, Ruby weathered despite still feeling intimidated. Yet she could not quite meet Raven's eyes, either. A few seconds passed, then the older woman turned away. "No. Yang still needs temperance before I will see her."

"Huh? How so?"

"Being associated with me will create a great many enemies for her, not to mention foolish opportunists who will attempt to get at me through her. I will not spend my life protecting her. So either she grows stronger still to wear being my daughter proudly, or gets that temper of hers under control to keep the secret."

Ruby was reeling. She never realised this could be an issue. It made too much sense even though she felt it was wrong. By the way Qrow snorted however, he did not buy it. "That what you tell yourself? Really? Yang's plenty strong and smarter than you give her credit for."

"And when Salem comes for her because of me?"

Only silence answered. Qrow's jaw worked soundlessly, which intrigued Ruby. She never heard of such a person before. "Who is Salem?"

With her uncle unable to respond, Raven answered instead: "It's is best not to know for now. That knowledge is a burden you aren't ready for. Grow stronger and find me on your own means, then I will tell you."

"Okay." Not perfect, but better than 'I tell you when you're older'. "How strong?"

"Strong enough to be a Huntress."

Raven let that sink in for a moment, then raised one hand. She was still not looking at them, but a portal opened by her side. "I will send you back to Tai."

Qrow walked through without hesitation.

"And Ruby?"

The words stopped her right before the gate. Raven was still not looking at her. "Summer would be proud of you."

Ruby's eyes widened, but she was pushed through before she could say anything. She stumbled into her living room right in front of her uncle and confused father. The portal dissipated mere moments later.

Into the renewed, doubly awkward silence, Ruby ventured: "Soooo... she wasn't so bad?"

Qrow just sighed and went off in search of alcohol. His flask was long empty. Soon enough his voice sounded from the kitchen: "Is Yang home yet?" When Taiyang denied that, a disembodied "Good" was the only answer. Then Qrow stuck his head out the door; he was so serious that Ruby straightened up unconciously. "Not a word to your sister. Knowing her, she'd run off to Mistral the moment you tell her."

"Ugh... I hate how I can see that. But I'm bad at lying to her."

"Just don't bring it up," Taiyang advised with a grimace. "She won't either."

Nobody was exactly happy with the state of affairs, but there was little else they could do.

The next day both men escorted her back into town and past to the Grimm Troupe's camp; their tents were just the same as before. Ruby went straight for the main one, trying not to think of Divine; that woman remained extraordinarily creepy. She did wave at Brumm, though. The hulking musician grunted in response, which prompted curiousity from her father and uncle. Neither had a chance to start interrogating him lest they lose Ruby, though.

Meanwhile, Grimmchild left the confines of her cloak and dashed ahead capriciously. He flew loops and stopped to rub his face against the tent's cloth. Ruby paused to try touching it after seeing that and the velvety texture surprised her a bit. Qrow did the same behind her and whistled.

"Damn, this is some fine stuff. Sturdy, soft, and warm to the touch. Any idea what it's made of?"

"Maybe they worked Fire Dust into the fabric?" Taiyang offered, but Qrow made a sweeping motion.

"For the entire thing?"

They kept arguing, though their eyes were never far from Ruby's back. She skipped ahead wholly unconcerned until they entered the auditorium. Once again nobody awaited them, but she remembered Grimm's little trick; he arrived in an explosion of crimson flame and with a sweeping bow just like last time. Taiyang and Qrow shut up to study him warily while Ruby bowed back; he stood heads taller than even them.

"Ah, you have returned, young Ruby. And with two more no less. Your father and uncle, I understand?" While Ruby nodded, Grimmchild fluttered around his father's head with excited coos. Grimm looked him over once he landed on a thin, almost skeletal hand. "And the little one is growing quite nicely."

Qrow stepped forward then, interrupting Grimm's musings: "Yeah, about that. Care to explain your whole deal a little more? What kinda ritual is this supposed to be?"

Now Grimm studied him, absently stroking the child's head. The silence stretched uncomfortably as he seemed to look straight through the seasoned Huntsman.

"It is a ritual of succession," he finally began. "To raise the Grimm Troupe's next master. It is a ritual of grandeur, to appease the furious fallen. It is a ritual of growth, for child and caretaker both. This ritual is many things, dear Qrow. Dangerous for you and yours, it is not. At least not in the physical sense." A dark, goosebumps-inducing chuckle followed. "I do pick caretakers of strong will, but my judgement of their ability to cope is not perfect."

Qrow scowled but Tai interrupted before he could tear into Grimm. "How about we take a step back, I was meaning to ask something else."

"Indeed. But first of all, introductions." There was actually some reprimand to his tone, prompting raised brows. He bowed again, though less deep this time. "I am Grimm, master of this troupe. It is a pleasure to meet the both of you, Qrow Branwen, Taiyang Xiao-Long. I greatly appreciate the assistance rendered to my chosen caretaker, Ruby Rose."

The formality did not calm Qrow, who scowled; only Taiyang bowed back a little awkwardly, though his brother-in-law twitched forward when he slapped his shoulder. Tai was clearly not keen on a fight. "The pleasure is ours. And of course we'd help family."

"Family, hmm." Grimm inclined his head. "It is. Now, your question?"

"Where do you come from? Something, er, someone like you has never been seen on Remnant before."

Grimm nodded at that. Crimson flared in his eyes, interest clear in his voice. "Ah, Remnant is what you call this world? An aptly chosen name, considering how much was lost. Alas, this is a question I can not answer, for I have no true beginning. I lasted eons and beheld an untold number of realms. From each I took a piece along with me, remaking myself in its image. For today I dwell on Remnant. Yesterday it was Hallownest, and who knows where I shall go tomorrow?"

Silence followed his announcement. Even Ruby was surprised by how ancient Grimm described himself to be. She was tempted to ask more about the other realms but Qrow spoke up first: "Okay. But why's the other guy human and you aren't?" He pointed back to where they could still hear the accordion play.

"Ah, Brumm? He is as everchanging as I am. Alas, our arrival on Remnant did not begin as the ritual otherwise does. The conversion was not total. And as it was I who decided to reach out to Remnant, it is also I whose form failed to adjust in time. Forcing them to suffer for my whims does not a good troupe master make."

Qrow stared hard at Grimm, brows twitching. "That... makes no sense."

"But does it have to?"

"Yes?"

"How unfortunate." It was clear Grimm did not actually care. "I can give you no more than I did." Instead of indulging their curiousity further, he clapped his thin hands. They clacked quite loudly. "Now we should continue the ritual. Qrow, Taiyang, please enter the stands."

"Wait a sec, how do you know our-"

Before Qrow could finish his question, both of them vanished in a puff of smoke. They reappeared on the stands a moment later; Taiyang was intrigued, Qrow annoyed. Meanwhile, Grimm turned back to Ruby. "The next part is for you and you alone. Draw out my essence so that the child may absorb it."

She straightened up once it became clear staying back was no longer possible. His words confused her a bit, though. "Um, how do I do that?"

"You already know how. Fear not, failure is of no consequence to the ritual. Merely try again."

Ruby did have a suspicion what he meant and did not like it. Grimm embraced Grimmchild, who crawled under his cloak; the larger bug began to glow crimson, his eyes smoldering like coals. An expectant silence swept the room as all three humans waited for what came next. Grimm raised a single hand and filled the auditorium with a resounding snap. Crimson and purple apparitions took every free spot, their white masks hiding all expressions and faces. They chitter-chattered excitedly with each other. Qrow and Tai stood out like sore thumbs but were accepted with grace.

Grimm himself offered another sweeping bow to Ruby, who bowed back. Then he vanished in a puff of flame, reappearing behind her. Ruby took his claws to the back before she realised where he went, stumbling forward with a cry. By the time she turned around, he was already gone.

"No fair," she shouted at the room, "that's my trick!"

Laughter rang from the stands in response. Even Grimm himself chuckled, directing her attention to the other side of the stadium. A series of crimson fireballs flew her way in the form of bats. They arced when Ruby weaved around, one flew by close enough to let its heat be felt. While Grimm vanished, she unfolded Crescent Rose with a huff... and some satisfaction when the crowd oohed and aahed over her weapon.

Grimm reappeared right in front of her a moment later. Ruby squeaked and leapt back, evading his swipe. Crimson lines followed each clawed finger. He leapt after her and vanished, replacing himself with a number of normal fireballs. One caught her straight in the chest but Ruby dispersed into petals before Grimm reappeared. His next volley of flaming bats charred a few petals, but the majority reappeared behind him. Ruby swung Crescent Rose with all her might, leaving a deep scratch in Grimm's carapace.

They locked eyes for a moment, the young reaper's momentum gone. Then so was Grimm. Ruby put her back to the wall and spotted his reappearance immediately. Again she vanished in response, making his attacks all but useless. But this time Grimm vanished before her swing connected.

It took a few repeats of this to realise he was playing cat and mouse with her. Whenever one appeared, the other vanished. The crowd cheered in the background. Sometimes she thought she heard her father's voice, but Ruby was too focussed to listen. Her aura dropped continuously without any progress. She grit her teeth and stepped out of his next swing normally, upon which Grimm followed up with another. Ruby swung right back, hitting him square in the face while her aura shattered. She was thrown back, legs weak.

The crowd broke into roaring applause.

Their first fight was over.

As she realised no more attacks would come, Ruby slowly collapsed her scythe. She was panting, heart beating all the way up to her chest.

Once the noise subsided and their audience vanished as suddenly as it appeared, Grimm inclined his head at her. "A good start," he judged. "You are a delight to dance with, young Ruby. Take some time to recover, then we shall try again."

He bowed once more and vanished, but only after Ruby returned the gesture. She sank to the ground then, sighing.

"Man, why was this so hard? The bugglies were like, poof, gone!"

A snort alerted her to Qrow and Taiyang returning to her side. Her father hoisted her back up while Qrow explained: "You had a good thing going for a bit. He caught you unaware at the beginning and that cost you a lot. Then you got stupid at the end."

"Ugh, I know! It's just so, so stupid! He could do the vanishing trick a lot faster and kept playing chicken with me!"

Both men chuckled. As they often did, her father comforted her while Qrow tore her down. "Sounds about right. The way I see it, he wants you to see the pattern in his attacks and react accordingly. If you don't play ball and do your own thing, he reacts to you instead. If you fail at either, you get beat up."

"You weren't so bad though," Tai added gently. "There were some good maneuvers there. I doubt he gets many people who can use his own technique against him. If you watch how he does it some more, you may be able to learn a few things for your own use. Like just now, we saw how you can dodge just about anything with the right timing. Just like Qrow said, you've got to figure out the pattern to his movements."

Ruby nodded slowly, thoughtful. This all made sense.

"You're surprisingly okay with the fighting," she ventured carefully.

Qrow shrugged in response while Taiyang sighed. "Not much we can do," her uncle drawled. "You're as bullheaded as the rest of us, we all know you ain't stopping. We already made it this far. 'sides, he did stop the moment your aura broke, so he's not an actual asshole about it. Might as well not waste time trying to stop you."

Ruby giggled about that and leapt up to hug Qrow. "Heh, I knew you'd see it my way one day!"

He snorted at that. "Yeah, yeah. Let's grab some food and kill an hour or two. You better not waste the whole day on this."

"No promises!"

Ruby did, indeed, waste the whole day on this. Her second fight with Grimm went better than the first, though. No longer caught unaware, she evaded the first strike and hit her opponent instead. From there she tried to take the initiative, only to have it taken from her two swings later. she slowly began to see the pattern to each of Grimm's attacks, but sometimes a new one slipped her up again. A storm of flying fireballs, she answered once again by dispersing. Her petals danced but this time too many were hit and her aura took the final blow.

She came out of it not happy but hopeful; Ruby was learning. This time Grimm stayed around to converse some more, too; he told her of the light in her eyes and how it resembled one he knew well. Yet it was not the same, so he told her to meditate on her spirit. In time she would be able to harness it. Ruby stuck out her tongue at that; meditation was her least favourite thing to do. She was so bad at sitting still.

"Alas," Grimm provided sagely in the face of her disappointment, "the road to improvement is paved with tasks one finds distasteful."

Her father and uncle shared a mutual grin while Ruby pouted. She completely missed the worry hidden underneath.

Her third attempt went further than the second. Ruby began to move in accord with Grimm's motions. She learned to gauge the reach of his swings and exploit the opening he left right after. But she still took too many hits and had to submit. Somehow, the many cheers helped invigorate her despite the disappointment. Their crowd still enjoyed the show.

"I can not tell the exact nature of your light," Grimm admitted during the following pause. "But simply looking into your eyes, I find it radiates a gentle hum even while dormant. Whether your personality was formed around its nature or you molded the light to fit your personality, I can not say."

"Wait, you mean that stuff changed who I am?"

"Not quite. You were always you, never anyone else. It is possible that this power made you develop differently. But does it matter? Ruby Rose is Ruby Rose, regardless her leanings."

He leaned closer while Ruby tried to work through this new conundrum; she did not like the idea of not being her own person. Only a chitinous hand cupping her chin cut off these thoughts. "Although perhaps it is also this light that makes you such an exemplary warrior. You do not surrender or retreat. You learn exceptionally fast and adapt your own abilities to match. Few caretakers were skilled enough to lead the dance, if even just a short time."

That... sounded a lot better than the other stuff. Ruby could not quite believe it, though. She averted her gaze shily. "I'm not that good. Qrow spent years hammering the scythe into me."

"Still learned it years faster than I did," her uncle quipped. "And I had old Ozpin to tutor me personally. That man knows how to use every weapon under the sun." Then he threw her a lopsided grin, hands folded behind his head. "And on top of that, last year's competition says you're the third best sniper in Vale. First and second place are both seasoned Hunters. That tell you something?"

"Stop it! I'm not some super prodigy!"

Grimm interrupted before she could continue her denials: "It does not do to refuse that which you are. Understanding yourself is an important step on the road to enlightenment. You are indeed gifted in the art of battle, Ruby. However, as you seem to realise yourself, the gift itself is not a mark of pride. It means nothing if not harnessed. What sets you apart is tenacity, a willingness to learn. Even though our first dance saw you soundly defeated, you did not give up on a task that seemed insurmountable."

"You sound like you got experience with that," Tai quipped. "Care to share?"

Grimm's eyes dimmed at that. All jovialty vacated the room as he stared down the three humans. While both Huntsmen squirmed under his attention, Ruby was mostly curious.

"I beheld the impossible a scant few years back. A tiny sprite challenged a true goddess, armed with but the relics of fallen Hallownest. I watched from afar how She was called to battle in her own domain, summarily defeated, and swallowed by the void. A primal being was slain before my eyes."

Ruby could only stare, trying to comprehend what she just learned. She had a million questions at the tip of her tongue, but something in Grimm's solemn tone struck her as odd. A tinge of sadness. "Did you know her?" she ultimately asked.

"Of course I know my older sister."

Oh.

"I'm so sorry!" Ruby followed up immediately. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

Taiyang chimed in there, supporting her. "Yeah. I don't know about gods, but I'm sorry for your loss." Qrow nodded along as well.

For some reason their reactions seemed to amuse Grimm. His chuckle reverberated through the room. "While tragic, She and I have always taken some distance to each other. We each live our own lives. Not to mention that my sister is nothing if not tenacious. Her spite is legendary. I imagine I will see her again sooner or later."

He seemed to laugh at something that was left untold. Ruby almost asked if the light he knew that was almost like hers belonged to this sister, but decided not to. Instead she changed the subject. Questions about other realms Grimm saw were indulged kindly and hours passed.

By the time her Scroll announced full aura, Ruby was giddy to try again. Tales of alien worlds hyped her up to leave the best impression she could. Thus she committed a blunder. Forgetting to bow first, she immediately shot Grimm in the face.

The audience gasped, he shrieked in anger... and lunged. Dozens of slashes rained down on Ruby before she even realised her mistake, breaking her aura in an instant.

She was left lying on the ground, uncertain what just happened. The crowd fell silent as it vanished, but Grimm did not reappear. She was not injured, though Tai and Qrow quickly checked her over anyway.

"Welp," Qrow quipped. "Guess that's why you don't piss off a showman. He's sandbagging hard."

Ruby's mood took a nosedive after that. She knew she messed up, but no amount of apologising to the empty room brought Grimm to show himself. For a time she thought he did not want her around anymore at all, but then Grimmchild cuddled against her. He reappeared each time the fight ended. That had to mean something, right?

Uncertain, Ruby dashed back to Brumm. The accordion squeaked to a stop when she appeared right in his face, babbling about what happened. He did not get a word in edgewise until Qrow followed to pluck her off him. But Brumm had listened.

"Hrm," he made. "Master upset. Give time. Will return."

That helped calm her greatly. Grouchy people she could deal with. Ruby thanked Brumm profusely, who grunted and went back to playing. Then Qrow and Taiyang took her back to town for an early dinner.

And indeed, Grimm revealed himself once they returned for a final attempt. He did not speak until Ruby spoke, though: "I'm really sorry about earlier. I wasn't thinking. It won't happen again."

A tense second passed, then Grimm inclined his head. "Very well. You are forgiven." His voice was still a bit curt, but he offered his customary, sweeping bow again. "Now, shall we try once more?"

Ruby bowed back and Grimmchild fluttered to his father. It was all the response they needed. The pair bowed again afterward, then the dance began anew. She still took hits on occasion but Grimm's motions remained somewhat constant. Aim and reach varied, but there were always four flaming bats. Always five fireballs after an upswing. There was always a moment of pause after his swipes.

Ruby's aura hit the red again as their dance continued. Her Scroll's screeching alarm, the crackling flames, and shouts from all around turned into white noise while she focussed solely on Grimm. His arm was taken off by Crescent Rose on the next pass, though a bat clipped her waist. She leaned under his next swing by millimetres, scythe already halfway around his waist.

A shot rang out and the weakened carapace broke under her recoiling blade. Grimm was neatly cleaved in two, then exploded into flame.

Ruby stood there as the crowd cheered, uncaring for the victor. She panted and stared dumbly, trying to comprehend that she won. Grimmchild appeared from the fires, cooing at her. His now crimson carapace emitted an almost sweltering heat; four wings adorned his back instead of two, fluttering with a faint hum.

"I did it," Ruby murmured as she held the baby.

Then Grimm returned, completely restored like the previous times. He apparently cared naught for being rent asunder. Rather, he gave another bow. "That you did. Now, for the penultimate act of this ritual. Once more I ask you to gather Remnant's flame and feed it to the little one."

Her slowly emerging jubilance was cut off by that. Ruby stared up at him. "Wait, again?"

"Yes. Once more, so that he may grow and prosper."

Ruby sighed. Of course she had to do it again. "Alright," she agreed. Her dad raised no quitter.

The man himself was by her side moments later, hugging her tightly. Ruby squeaked and swatted at him to let go; Grimm merely watched their celebration with curiousity, though. It felt a little less embarassing when he did not laugh. Neither did Qrow.

"Good job, kiddo," he simply said once Taiyang let go.

After they said goodbye to Grimm, the men escorted her outside. Only once the cool night air hit her did Ruby realise how tired she was. Even with breaks, four big battles left her yearning for bed. Well, three big battles and a beatdown for being a dum-dum.

The sun already crested low on the horizon as they walked. Ruby yawned, looking between her father and uncle. "Do we have time to look for more flames?"

"Depends where they are. I'm free a bit longer."

"Let's worry about that tomorrow," Tai mediated. He had a point, too. This could wait for after she had a good night's sleep. And a small mountain of cookies.

 

[Naron]

No light reached deep beneath the sea yet a pool of pure darkness bubbled, still distinct from the natural absence of light surrounding it. Unaffected by the water pressing down yet never mixing with it, the liquid black rumbled and burbled.

Then it contracted for the first time since its conception. Water rushed in to lick the bare, dry rock now offered. Primordial ooze from which countless thousands of monsters were since born now compressed into a single, tiny figure. Pitch black all over, their body wavered before gaining full coherence.

Then it twitched.

Round eyes even darker than black traced their surroundings.

Schools of fish swam by, mostly ignoring them; something made of too many teeth and spikes attempted to bite the creature, but their arm elongated into a whip-like shape that cleanly bisected the assailant. A cloud of blood spread, unseen and attracting other predators.

The being known as Ghost waited for more attacks but none came as the current dragged them away. They began to float that way, paddling as they learned to do.

An indeterminate amount of time later, Ghost noticed the world becoming brighter. First specks of light pierced the ocean's depths. They ignored the fish examining them, attention solely on the brightness below. They reoriented themselves to not swim upside down and moved upward.

Ghost hit a semi-translucent wall just below the surface. Everything above was blurred, but the light still passed through. They pushed their stubby arms against it, but the structure did not give. Ghost's head tilted ever so slightly before they reared back. A single swipe blew away at least ten centimetres of ice, followed by a geyser.

Ghost emerged onto the surface dry, all water rolling off their body because it found no purchase on the smooth void matter. They began to walk toward a frozen tundra spreading from the nearby shore. Hardy trees somehow lived in these parts and thick-furred critters scurried around in search of food. Ghost poked a few, all of which darted away; the rest ignored them and was ignored in turn.

Soon enough Ghost found kin, or something akin to kin. They knew they had many siblings yet these were different. They took unknown forms though their masks were familiar as a concept. Ghost approached one of the unfamiliar void beings and poked it, but received no response. The potential sibling ignored all the other critters, too. It ambled around aimlessly, emanating a sense of anticipation.

Ghost began to wander away, but a loud bang silenced the song of life. Ghost looked down at the hole through their chest area. Another bang sounded and steel punched a hole through Ghost's head.

All their not-quite siblings became agitated, turning almost as one toward the noise. As they ran to attack, Ghost focussed; the SOUL they gathered earlier gleamed white momentarily, then filled the holes in their body. Whatever weapon struck them was unfamiliar.

They followed to where all the other void beings went, only to find them swiftly dying. Two others fended off their assault, fleshy and without any carapace. They almost gleamed in the bleak countryside, sharing words that meant nothing to Ghost.

"Hah, told you it'd be easy! Just some nice search 'n destroy!"

"Don't get sloppy or we're toast!"

"Hah, as- gah!"

The first one's noise cut off abruptly when Ghost's arm whipped them in the face. They went flying with a scream. Gunshots sounded in response, but Ghost weaved around the bullets; their body contorted into a dark wave to flow aside. Their arm slammed home again and again, whittling down the flaring fields of SOUL energy that protected these beings. Each strike drew away some more of it.

Then the first one's protection visibly shattered. The other one tried to grab her as she stumbled, dooming them both. Ghost saw weakness and capitalised with a lump of void matter, pitch black but with gleaming white eyes. The Shade Soul ravaged their mark, tearing her into tiny shreds and red liquids; her companion's aura broke as well. That one could scarcely comprehend the shower of gore before another whiplike smack opened his head.

All the other beings of void had been slain somewhere along the way. Only Ghost remained in the sudden silence, viscous red slowly sliding off their body. Looking around for further threats but finding none, their attention turned fully to the dead. Ghost quickly grabbed every piece of gear off their bodies; the wet rags they wore were discarded but most else vanished in the folds of Ghost's body.

They stopped to study a number of cartridges filled with unfamiliar, coloured powder. It did not react to prodding or being emptied out. Only when Ghost fed some of the obtained SOUL into a cartridge did it explode. After healing up, they put the remainder away as well. Then they returned to wandering with no sense of direction.

Days and nights passed, but Ghost simply kept walking. They did not encounter any of the fleshy creatures during that time. Their not-siblings continued to dismiss their presence, too. Soon enough the plains began to lead uphill and grew into mountains, from where Ghost found caves to explore. The darkness inside did not matter to them, so they proceeded; through small tunnels Ghost wandered, squeezing past crevices and cracks until they reached a mine.

Ghost knew mines; they recognised the orderly tunnels, the pickaxes and lorries. The fleshy creatures worked here, wearing heavy shells of some sort. None of them bothered Ghost who walked past them in the shadows. This went well for a time until a particularly huge specimen barred Ghost's path.

"I dunno what yer doing here kid, but this place ain't a playground," he said with his arms crossed. Ghost did not comprehend those words; the lack of threatening motions had them simply stare up at that being, whose eyes narrowed. "Got nothing to say for yerself?" No response. "Whatever. Get out."

He pointed down a specific tunnel. Ghost followed the motion, looked back at them, and started walking.

"Can't believe they dress up like Grimm. Kids these days."

Ignorant of the muttered commentary, Ghost walked on. They soon exited the mine and entered into a settlement; it was vast and a second city flew overhead. Simply wandering the streets, Ghost learned that flesh people lived here, just like bugs lived in Hallownest. Humans kept gasping when Ghost walked past.

Unlike Hallownest however, Ghost soon learned they could not simply enter every open building. Some were guarded or expected to be left alone. So Ghost went on whenever they found such a place.

As the sun began to set, they found an open door in a place that appeared like the closed off areas. With no one stopping Ghost on the approach, they poked their head inside. A human with fuzzy tail lay on a table, unconcious; meanwhile, another with darker skin skittered around them on metal legs.

Ghost watched a procedure they did not understand; by the end the human on the table had a leg of steel where there was a simple stump before. Then another human carried the sleeping person away in their arms.

That was when the dark-skinned human noticed Ghost peering in. At first he gasped and stared, but after a few seconds he bared his teeth. "Hello there, little man. You are out quite late. Why don't you come in and warm up? Penny can walk you home later."

Ghost did not react. Their head only turned when another voice sounded; it belonged to the human who carried the sleeping human away.

"Who is it, father?"

"Oh, a lost child." Seeing Ghost still standing in the door, he beckoned them. "Come now, don't be shy." The gesture itself was familiar, so Ghost stepped inside. "I am Pietro Polendina, this is my daughter Penny." He motioned for the other person, who walked somewhat stiffly. Her hair was a light shade of red, closer to orange; big, green eyes focussed solely on Ghost, who stopped in front of the pair. She saluted stiffly but with enthusiasm.

"Sa-lu-tations!"

Ghost did not know the gesture, they merely stared. Pietro hummed into the resulting silence. "I do not think I have seen you before. What is your name? Where are you from?" No response. Ghost tilted their head. "Hm. I can't help find your parents if you don't speak with me. How about you take off that costume?"

He began to fidget when Ghost continued to do nothing. Meanwhile Penny stared right back. "Father," she ultimately said, "the probability of this child being unable to speak is high."

For some reason Pietro sighed in response. "Penny. You should not say it like this. Just say you think he can not speak."

"Understood! I think I am getting better at this!" Though cheerful, her face remained placid. After saying this, Penny turned back to Ghost while pointing at them. "Can you speak?"

This was a question they knew. They knew the answer and learned the correct gesture, too. So they shook their head twice.

"Ah, that explains it. Good catch, dear."

After saying so, Pietro offered Ghost a piece of paper and a pen to converse with them. They studied the writing implement and sat down to use it. Much to Pietro's disappointment however, no words appeared. Ghost merely drew a nail, a familiar symbol. Then they drew a scribble of themselves wielding the nail, at which point a noise from the human interrupted them.

"I see, so you came for a weapon?" The question made it clear this person was a smith. Ghost knew smiths. "Hm, but you are mighty young. Then again, Mantle is getting more dangerous these days. Say, do you have family?" Ghost stared, not comprehending the question. Pietro drew the correct conclusion and sighed, hanging his head. "My apologies, I figured but had to make sure. Do you have a place to stay?" Again, only a stare answered. The smith rubbed his eyes. "...Penny, would you mind terribly much if we sheltered this child?"

"Not at all! I can make a bed for him! Oh, is this what being a big sister is like?"

Pietro chuckled about her enthusiasm, then turned back to Ghost. "Well, how about it? Do you want to stay with us?"

The void vessel did not know what this question meant. They knew that tone of voice generally expected an answer, however. So they simply nodded, only to learn it meant being giving shelter.

Penny swiftly prepared something faintly like a bench. Ghost sank slightly into the soft fabric, unlike the steel they were used to. They did not mind either way, sitting down while the other two readied themselves for bed. They did not respond to Penny wishing them a good night.

Once it grew quiet, Ghost rose to poke around; the barely audible tap-tap of their feet was all the noise they produced. They found mechanical contraptions, none of which they recognised. In another room Pietro snored softly in another bed. Ghost left him alone after a minute.

Penny's room was different still. The redhead slept standing up, with several cords connecting to her spine. Clamps of steel surrounded her depowered body and some pokes revealed that she hid similar metal under her skin. Humans were different from bugs, wearing their shells inside. Ghost stared at Penny a while longer. Then they focussed their Essence into a gleaming blade. It shone brightly but garnered no reaction. Hitting Penny had no effect, either. She did not think in this state; neither did she dream.

Once there was nothing left to explore, Ghost returned to their bed and sat down.

The next day Pietro set out to draw a blueprint for the nail Ghost wanted. They learned about mecha-shift, but Pietro took the motionless staring as a no when asked about wanting it. Once the male human was busy toiling in his workshop, Ghost went to find the metal human. Penny read in the living room, not acknowledging Ghost when they sat down beside her.

After some time she glanced at the motionless being. "I was meaning to ask," she began, pointing at Ghost's head. "What is with this costume? Wouldn't that get you attacked if you aren't careful?"

When no response came, Penny's head tilted sideways. She slowly reached out. Ghost allowed her touch, having seen no aggression from her thus far. The gynoid felt around their head with varying levels of force yet never found the cloth she sought. No zipper, no fabric. Her smile dipped as she traced the oddly smooth skin again. Penny slowly pulled up the shade cloak, only to find more formed void beneath.

"You are not human, are you?" she asked, bright green eyes staring into Ghost's black ones. "This is not a costume." Ghost simply stared back. "You are a Grimm."

Grimm, Ghost knew. They shook their head, having since learned to deny being someone else. Penny stared back this time, flummoxed. "You're not?" No response. "But then, what are you?"

She had decidedly mixed feelings about this matter. Of course she told her father, but neither of them thought the little guy dangerous. If anything she felt a familiar emotion at new strength: curiousity all but burned in her circuits. She wanted to know just what it was that wandered into their home. How did he even get into Mantle to begin with?

A week passed and her self-imposed quest made little progress. He only reacted to specific questions and only ever with yes or no responses. His body was malleable like water that took solid form... without freezing. Penny did not understand how this was scientifically possible.

Then came the day her father completed the weapon their guest asked for. A blunt sword with sharpened tip, almost like a miniature spear. He also made a mask like the one on the drawing, fully plastic to be lighter. The recipient studied both objects, then stared at Pietro.

Her father beckoned kindly. "Come now, take them."

He stared a moment longer and began to pull stuff out of his cloak. Father and daughter could not help but watch as the impossible happened before their eyes. First a mecha-shift spear, then a wallet, two pots, and even a disassembled tent. How it all fit into wherever he put it, Penny could not fathom.

"What are you... oh." Her father understood when the things were put on the table. "So you mean to trade?"

Their guest nodded. Once the gesture was returned, he picked up the equipment. That weapon went into the cloak and vanished, the mask on his head. The unmarked grey made him even more like a Grimm, though black eyes stared out of the holes instead of yellow or red. Penny's thoughts were racing while her father examined the goods given in exchange. He frowned at the spear in particular. "That is a hunter grade weapon. Not one of mine, but I know quality work when I see it."

Meanwhile, she examined the wallet. It contained an ID, quickly revealing that this belonged to a missing student from Atlas Academy. Penny's assumptions were turned on their head, but any questions she asked were answered with that same, empty stare.

At some point even she got annoyed. "Why do you have to be so difficult?!"

Alas, he did not react. Simply looked at her.

"What do you think of this?" Her father asked some time later. Two hours passed since their find, but facing him instead made Penny's turbulent feelings quiet down. Only a hollow confusion remained.

"I don't understand," she admitted. "He says he is no Grimm, but he is absolutely not human or faunus. He can not speak, it seems like he does not even understand most things we say. I am more than a little worried he killed this student, too."

Though her observations puzzled him, he ultimately decided on a course of action: "Let's give it some more time to observe him. Not a word to James yet, okay?"

Penny nodded, visibly surprised. Her father chuckled. "We both know he will do something hasty if we tell him now. We don't know for certain our little friend hurt anyone, he might have just scavenged. Maybe he just picked these things up after they lost it in a skirmish." Then Pietro Polendina paused, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Although this reminds me, we do not have any name to call him by."

He walked in just then after exploring Mantle again. Penny followed him on his excursions once, but could not make rhyme or reason of his route. It seemed completely arbitrary just like his choices on whom to interact with. Now she approached with a concrete goal.

"Do you have a name?"

Thankfully he actually reacted; unfortunately, it was a slow tilt of the head. Penny tried again, pointing at him and speaking slowly: "You. Name?"

He nodded.

"Great! What is it?" This time she received another look. "Oh. Of course, you can not speak."

Her father hummed before calling up a list of names on his computer terminal. Ghost's attention turned to the screen and Pietro motioned for it. "Just point at the one that's yours."

They needed to teach him how to scroll first, but then he went right to it. Penny was hopeful for all of a few seconds, only to be struck again by how eerie the situation became. Their mysterious guest did not move a single muscle beside his stubby hand; he blankly stared at the screen. The list reached its end after five minutes of scrolling. He kept trying to go further down, then looked back to them.

"Well," Pietro mused with a sigh, "it looks like this is a secret for another time. You appeared like a ghost and are as mysterious as one."

Much to their surprise, he tilted his head and nodded. The gesture confused her father, but Penny managed to draw the connection with a recording of his last words: "Wait, is your name Ghost?"

She received another nod and beamed. A calloused hand ruffled Penny's hair while her father chuckled. "Alright then, looks like we got lucky. Good work, dear. But we still need to observe him further. And you need to prepare for Beacon."

This gave her pause, though. "Wait, Beacon? I thought I was signed up for Atlas Academy?"

"Ah, yes. I forgot to mention, James changed the plan. He wants you at Beacon. Calls it a test run." Pietro made a face, though Penny took it in stride; she understood the need to blend in with humans, even though she was none. "That aside, the Schnee heiress will attend Beacon too. James dropped some hints that he wants you to keep an eye on her."

"I see." Some static buzzed through Penny's auditive systems. She noticed a glitch in her chest as well, making it feel heavier. "Do I really have to go so far away? I'd rather stay with you."

He hugged her then, gently rubbing circles along Penny's back. Even though she barely felt it, the gesture still managed to soothe her. "It can't be helped," Pietro murmured, then held her at arm's length. "But I know you will do me proud no matter where you are. We need to do some upgrades first, though. Can't expect them to install a charging station for you, now can we?"

He chuckled at his own joke and Penny joined in after a moment. Ghost watched their interaction without comprehension.

 

[Naron]

It was a normal evening at the Xiao-Long home. Well, mostly normal; the family's youngest child was absent once again, which those present clearly felt. A considerably agitated Yang Xiao-Long glared at her father over the dinner table. Blonde like Taiyang and with the same lilac eyes, she moodily poked her potatoes.

The tension continued to grow until it snapped.

"Okay, that's enough. Where is she?"

"I told you, the faculty agreed on giving Ruby an independent study project to skip a grade."

Yang ground her teeth at that. "Independent study my ass! It's been two weeks and I haven't seen hide or hair from her! And every time I ask over the phone she pretends the connection dies and hangs up! I've had enough!" She slammed the table so hard her fist smashed through the hardwood. Dishes went flying as wisps of flame flickered around her golden mane, lilac eyes turning red. "Tell me what's going on! Why do you keep secrets from me?!"

Long familiarity with his daughter's temper helped Taiyang stay calm. He waited for Yang to finish, well aware this would be a tightrope to walk. Just as he opened his mouth however, the front door slammed open.

Yang heard it too, the two staring at each other silently; the sound of heavy boots hitting the wall broke their quiet standoff.

Yang was around the broken table in a heartbeat, Tai hot on her heels; they intercepted Ruby before she could do more than close the door. Yang gasped at her sister's sorry sight, once again lilac eyes growing wide. Even their father arched a brow.

Ruby's clothes were torn in places and she was dusty all over. A spot of tender, pink skin on her cheek still healed from whatever ordeal she faced. Her hair was cropped short, but Taiyang spotted a few charred tips. What was more, one particular tear in her corset had been stained red and revealed a scar underneath. And then there was a large, painfully familiar raven settled on the girl's shoulder.

"Brothers both, Ruby!" Yang dashed forward to hold her baby sister, horrified by what she saw. "What happened?"

All she got was a garbled response; Ruby slipped beneath her and shuffled into the house.

"Hey!"

Yang tried to grab Ruby's arm, only for rose petals to flutter out of her grasp. The bird cawed and took wing, somehow maneuvering inside the house; Tai could not help but follow her flight with a flare of pain in his chest.

Meanwhile, Ruby reappeared a few metres further. "Murgh. I want a shower. Talkies later. Hey, Zwei."

She gave the excited corgi a quick pat before leaving the two of them alone. Yang stared after her vanishing sister until she was gone and rubbed her eyes. Then she looked to her father with suspicion and crossed arms.

"I'm waiting."

Tai shrugged, still examining the bird. She stared back at him, only to avert her gaze and fly out the open window. The flutter of wings caught Yang's attention, too. "And where did she get that raven?"

"I wonder about that, too."

Yang missed the undertone in her father's voice due to her general distress. Taiyang meanwhile busied himself in the kitchen instead of answering her question; another plate of potatoes, steak, and veggies was swiftly prepared for his returning daughter, who plopped down on a chair twenty minutes after her arrival.

Ruby was still damp and clad in her pyjamas, completely ignoring the hole in the table. She swiftly inhaled her meal, followed by a pair of chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Then she sighed deeply and sunk back in her seat. "Thanks. I needed that."

Her father and sister had watched the whole thing with a mixture of incredulity and worry. Once it was clear Ruby would not run off again, Yang leaned forward. "Alright, now spill. Where were you?"

"...err, Vacuo?"

"What? Why?"

Ruby groaned. A desperate look was thrown at Taiyang, who rolled his eyes back at her.

"Ugh. Can we do the short version and you don't ask any questions? I spent two weeks hunting these stupid thingies across the desert. I need to patch my clothes and get the sand out of Crescent Rose and I need new Dust." She counted all the tasks on her fingers, visibly deflating with each one. In the end she sighed and slumped forward.

Yang's eyes had narrowed in the menatime. "So while I'm out in town for a few days," she summarised unimpressed, "you run off to Vacuo for some reason. To hunt these 'thingies'. On your own." Her disapproval was clear to all, though Ruby was too tired to be affected. She simply raised a finger.

"Not true! I had Qrow." The finger lowered. "For, uh, two days or so. Then he got a call and ran off to do some super secret thing." She ducked her head while Yang palmed her face. Tai merely sighed, well aware of his brother-in-law's antics.

"Not the point," Yang said. "Stop dancing around it and tell me. And what's with the bullshit about skipping a grade?"

"Ugh. Okay, look. I met an alien magic bug man and agreed to help him do a ritual. And for that I'm tracking down fire bugs to feed his alien magic bug baby. And the fire bugs are all over the world, so I've got to go get them, then fight them. Happy?"

Silence followed her explanation. Ruby was well aware how it sounded, but still; Tai and Qrow took it well enough.

Meanwhile, Yang displayed incredulity and even a mite of disappointed anger. "Pull the other one," she drawled.

Ruby crossed her arms in response; she was not quite pouting, but almost. "Grimmchild," she called and his name was all it took to rouse the tired buglet from her room. He buzzed inside with a soft coo, prompting Yang to leap from her chair with a shriek. Before she could do much of anything however, he landed on Ruby's shoulder. What was more, her sister cradled the thing against her chest.

"There," Ruby muttered. "Alien magic bug baby. And he's a good boy, so don't be mean to him." Grimmchild cooed in agreement, flicking a handful of crimson sparks at the flummoxed and agitated blonde.

The renewed silence was broken when Ruby made to stand. "And now I'm going to sleep. In my own bed. Praise be the Brothers." She shuffled away, bereft of most of her energy. Grimmchild followed, as did Zwei.

Yang stared between her father and the affront to everything she knew to be true. All she could get out was a confused "What?"

Taiyang shrugged again. He did that often of late. "Why did you think I'd come up with something silly like extracurriculars? Would you have believed that without Grimmchild here to confirm it? I'm not going to talk to the big one without Ruby either."

"Why? Is he dangerous?"

"Not really, I don't think. But he's skilled and powerful. And honestly, he creeps me out. I have no idea how Ruby can be so calm around him."

Yang sighed in lieu of an answer. It ultimately did not matter, either; her little sister was back home and mostly fine, the little burn on her cheek healed off over night thanks to aura.

Ruby wanted to spend the following day fixing up clothes and weapon as announced. Meanwhile, Yang wanted to spend the end of her break with Ruby. So she went ahead with a compromise and helped patch up her sister's corset. Ruby kept muttering about this or that she saw in Vacuo, which made Yang the tiniest bit envious.

Once everything at home was done, only the acquisition of new Dust remained. Yang decided to stop Ruby there and turned it into a shopping trip. Or in her words: "You need to let your hair down a bit! And get a haircut, really. What did you do, put your combat knife to it?"

The cautious "Maybe" she got back only assured Yang in her decisions. Ruby was not happy, but she allowed it. This was nice after scouring the desert for far larger bugs who hit harder and took more damage before dying. She still did not like crowds much but bore it for her sister's sake. Yang thankfully did not try to make her talk to people.

So it was that after a long day, Ruby finally got to visit her favourite shop: From Dust Till Dawn. It even worked out for the sisters, seeing that the owner offered discounts after sunset.

She was so engrossed in the selection that she only noticed a later arrival when he spoke up behind the browsing pair: "Oh my. I spy, with my little eye, a pair of prospective huntresses. Heya, blondie!"

Yang immediately froze up before groaning. "Oh no, not that guy!"

Ruby turned around to see who it may be, but was left befuddled. Behind them stood a man, easily more than a head taller than herself. Dressed in an immaculate, primarily white suit. Bright orange hair curled out from beneath a black bowler hat, hiding one eye from view. The other lay on the two girls while his lips were curled into what either would describe as a shit-eating grin. He was also flanked by a dozen broad-shouldered men in black suits and sunglasses. At night. Ruby had to give them that it looked stylish, though.

She warily piped up after a moment of confused staring: "Uh, are you robbing this place?"

"What, me?" He made a scandalised expression and pressed a hand to his chest. "Psh, no. Of course not, little Red. I'm just an honest businessman, promise."

"...I do know you're Roman Torchwick."

Bantering back felt not so bad with him for some reason. Maybe it was that she knew she could take him in a fight after the past ordeals, but her usual anxiety was simply missing. Or maybe it was Roman himself, who tipped his hat at them. Yang scowled at the gesture, which reminded Ruby of what was said earlier.

"Wait, how do you two know each other?"

Roman chuckled in response. "Oh, I saved your friend from making the worst mistake of her life a few weeks back. Girl really doesn't know how to negotiate. Or how to talk to people to get what she wants. But that's neither here nor there, now is it?" He smirked at the two and sauntered past them, to the counter with the elderly shopkeeper. "I'll have your entire stock."

Where the wizened man was frightened before, his jaw dropped in pure shock now. Much the same happened to Yang and Ruby.

"Wait," the older girl said. "All of it? Everything?"

"Yep. I've got some Dust-heavy plans to work on." So saying, Roman drew a credit card with the same familiarity and grace Ruby brandished her scythe with. Then, seeing Ruby's crestfallen expression, he snapped his fingers. "Ah, right. Can't have that. What were you looking for, girls?"

The question prompted confused stares to which he rolled his eyes. "Come on, I don't have all night. Dust, you wanted some, right? Which types?"

Though still befuddled, Ruby slowly began ticking off her fingers: "Um, mainly Fire Dust, and some Wind, Lightning, and Ice. Oh, and I need Gravity Dust, too."

"Alright. And you, blondie?"

"That's not my name and you know it. Ugh. Just some Fire and Gravity."

"Mhm. Gravity's a favourite, I hear. Fun to use for your fancy acrobatics and mobility. Shopkeep!" The other man was already busy carrying crates around, helped by the suits. He perked up at being addressed while Roman put on a roguish smile. "Put some of it extra. Five kilos of Fire, one Wind, Lightning, and Ice. And three kilos of Gravity. All on me." His lips curled up further over the gobsmacked expressions on the girls' faces. "Gotta do my part to support our protectors, no?"

They watched the suits and shopkeep work in silence, at least for the most part. Ruby had no idea what to make of this; a known crimeboss just bought her enough Dust to last for at least a full year if used sparingly. In the end she fell back on her manners.

"Er, thank you."

"Not a problem, little Red. Like I said, just doing my part."

"My name's not 'little Red', though."

"I know. Ruby, isn't it?"

This time both her and Yang's gaze raced back to him. Roman smirked. "I've been in this business long enough to do my homework, ladies. I know the graduating classes of every academy in Vale and every promising talent in the lower years. That goes double for children of seasoned hunters. On that note, tell your uncle I said hi."

"You know Uncle Qrow?" she could not help but ask. Roman shrugged.

"We met. You will find that I know a lot of people. And if either of you are in need of a man with connections, feel free to come find me." He put on that roguish smirk again and winked at them; Yang scowled but averted her eyes much like Ruby. Was that what her sister meant when she talked about bad boys?

"Anyway, looks like everything's done. A pleasure talking to you both." So saying, Roman herded them outside; the shopkeep hung up a 'Closed' sign while Roman and his underlings trooped off, each carrying suitcases and crates full of Dust. Yang and Ruby were left staring after them, their own gifted purchase in hand.

Ruby chanced a look to her exasperated sister. "You know, maybe he isn't so bad? For a criminal, I mean."

"...let's just go home."

"Kay."

The next morning was Yang's time to head out for Beacon. Ruby hugged her sister goodbye and told her to kick some butts. Yang just laughed before promising that she would.

Afterward it was only Ruby and Taiyang at home. Then her father had to get going as well; Signal Academy's faculty came together to discuss plans for the coming semester. He ruffled Ruby's hair on the way out.

"Don't worry, classes start tomorrow. You won't have much time to mope."

"That's not it at all," Ruby groaned. She had enough stuff to do, like finally sitting down to read a new book or making new bullets. "But I can't even go watch Beacon's Initiation. It sucks."

"You always knew they don't let people watch," Tai quipped. Then he kissed her forehead and started jogging off. "I'll be back around five, don't burn down the house!"

Zwei barked and followed after him.

"As if!" Ruby shouted. "And stop bringing up the toaster!" Only laughter answered and soon Taiyang Xiao-Long was a speck in the distance. Ruby could catch up to him if she wanted, but for now she was content pouting at empty air. She was seven, kids were allowed to do stupid things. She even put out the fire herself.

"Not like Yang never set stuff on fire," Ruby muttered. Then she turned back while shaking her head. Grimmchild trilled, buzzing around to cheer her up.

Grimm expected her, Ruby knew. Pattern recognition also told her there was a fight coming, so she spent some time on those bullets. Dust was carefully measured and injected in each casing before being meticulously sealed. She may be slower than a machine but Ruby took pride in her detailwork. Several hundred casings were filled when she stopped around noon.

She made ready to head out after washing her hands and cooking a meal of potatoes and beef; Ruby grabbed two apples as well. Grimmchild devoured his whole while she bit into hers. The juicy flesh parted easily, nice, tart, and sweet after the savoury food she had before. Only the crunches and Grimmchild's buzzing sounded for a minute; Ruby strolled leisurely until her treat was gone. The stem went flying all the way into the nearby forest.

Grinning cheerfully, she snatched Grimmchild and began to run. The countryside flew by in minutes and soon she arrived, skipping town entirely this time. It took walking halfway into the Grimm Troupe's compound before Ruby realised her aura felt different; far less strained. She blinked and checked her Scroll's aura-meter, where she found a surprise: about half of it was still in the tank unlike a few weeks ago.

Ruby heard that exertion helped aura grow, but that trip to Vacuo must have done more than she expected.

Amazed but undeterred, she kept on going. The two horses were in the same spot they stood before, studying her and bowing their heads to Grimmchild. Ruby bowed back, then hesitantly scratched one behind the ear. It whinnied in delight, dragging its feet. The other soon pressed against her hand in demand of the same, so Ruby spent some time indulging both creatures. She could not help but squeal a little, though nobody was there to hear.

Just as she left the equines and made to enter the main tent however, Ruby's gaze fell on another one. The one she avoided like the plague before. So far everyone in this troupe had been friendly, she told herself. Yes, this one in particular creeped her out more than Grimm himself, but that was just silly.

Firming up and changing track, Ruby entered the side tent. Once again the corpulent woman turned her way with a toothy smile.

"Ah, you return at last! I heard of your exploits, little flower. Impressive indeed, and to be chosen as caretaker for young Grimm."

Grimmchild fluttered in front of her face curiously, then landed on her hand. Ruby fidgeted. "Yeah, uh. Your name's Divine, right?"

"It is, dearie. Hm." The lady trundled closer, almost invading Ruby's personal space. Then she took a deep breath, weirding her visitor out again. She did not seem to care, grinning victoriously instead.

"Hah, your scent changed. Not particularly much, not yet, but I can tell. The light in you still remains, though."

Though poised to run, Ruby forced herself to bear the weirdness. She still had questions. "Yeah, that's kinda what I wanted to talk about. I mean, how do you smell these things?" She only realised how rude this sounded afterward, but Divine merely chuckled.

"Oh, dearie. I found so, so many interesting things ever since I joined Grimm's merry troupe so long ago. Sights, scents, tastes, textures, and so much more. What is the overlapping of my senses in our unending performance, really? I can see your words yet unspoken, complaining I make no sense." Ruby's mouth fell open. "Your next words will be 'Am I really that obvious?'."

"Am I really that- what?"

Divine giggled about her befuddlement. "I can smell your anxiety like the streak of crimson in your hair," she explained, brushing a single strand off of Ruby's shoulder. Then she stuck it into her mouth. "I can taste your youth, vitality, light, and sorrow. Yes, the memory of your mother clings to you still, does it not?" Ruby was too stunned to answer, or react to the finger gently tracing her jawline. Divine's mouth curled downward in a frown. "And I can feel your pain. My apologies for tugging at a wound that will never quite heal. I do get carried away."

A muttered "'s okay" was all Ruby could give in response. Divine had been correct in all points and the hollow ache still pulsed at the reminder of her mother's absence.

In turn Divine favoured her with a more gentle smile. "Regardless. How about a gift, as recompense for my lack of tact?"

"Um."

Ruby was confused now. She wanted to decline, but Divine began to chitter, somehow. Her body started jiggling, then she turned and bent over with audible exertion. Gagging noises followed before a small metal plaque was offered to her. Crimson like Grimm's flame, but also wet with saliva. Ruby's expression warred between curiousity and disgust while Divine nonchalantly wiped the thing off on her gown.

"Don't be shy now. Take it, for good luck."

Despite her better judgement, Ruby took it. She felt a touch lighter the moment her fingers touched the warm metal. Her aura did a little jig all across her body, rippling in visible red. She glanced down, then at Divine. "Is this a magic thingie?"

Her question prompted more chuckling. "Yes, yes. Charms do not exist here, now do they? A wonderful present just for you, dearie. Wear it over your heart and it shall let your soul's potential shine brighter."

That did sound interesting, at least. And this thing did something. Ruby fumbled around for a bit, unwilling to take her corset off here. Unfortunately attaching the Charm to its outside yielded nothing. Holding it in her hand was stupid, too. So she sucked it up and unlaced her clothes in the end. Divine helped before she could so much as realise she was undressing in front of a stranger; Ruby grew frantic for a moment but was distracted upon pressing the Charm to her chest; it attached itself and warmth flooded her system again. She knew exactly what to do now.

Grasping for her Semblance, Ruby Rose dissolved into rose petals. Her awareness remained in full, far sharper than ever before. She made her petals dance around Divine and Grimmchild, both of which joined her improvised motions into dance. Individual clusters split off and recombined until reforming into Ruby a minute later. She barely felt any drain and stared dumbly at her Scroll, which confirmed that. It never felt like this before.

"Did, did this thing just make my Semblance evolve?"

"Nonsense, dearie. Few Charms can alter yourself forever, I do not have that kind of power. This one merely gives you a little push to greater heights. It gave you nothing you did not already have the potential for."

Ruby was touched nonetheless. A smile slowly wormed its way onto her lips. She thanked the masked woman, who brushed it off and helped lace up her corset again, then ushered her out to see Grimm.

Although the child waved cheerfully, Divine's smile faltered once she was out of sight. What lay ahead may well break that delightfully bright spirit. Yet the master always chose carefully; with a little luck, Ruby Rose would remain at least somewhat the person she was now.

Ruby herself remained unaware of these thoughts. Brumm grunted in response to her greeting, the accordion's tunes accompanying the girl deeper inside. Grimm did not appear this time, even when Ruby called for him.

It took a few minutes of waiting and wondering before Grimmchild cooed for her attention; he fluttered to an opened flap behind the stands. Ruby followed curiously and found something akin to a bedroom.

That was where she found Grimm as well, his carapace cracked and withered in places. He hung from the ceiling, wrapped in his cloak. Ruby stared at the peculiar sight for a moment, a little worried for his decrepit state. Nothing happened, even when she slowly shook his shoulder; the hard carapace felt weird under her fingers, but that did not deter her.

"Uh, Grimm? C'mon, I did the thing. What now?"

Flakes of crimson light began to surround them, but he did not wake. Then Grimmchild landed on Ruby's hand, staring into her eyes as if searching for something. More flakes emerged and surrounded the two; she did not know what question he tried to ask her, but he seemed to find an answer regardless. Grimmchild began to glow ever brighter until suddenly, the light exploded and all turned white.

"Whoa!"

Her shout went unanswered. When her eyes adjusted, Ruby found herself in a much darker tent; night must have fallen. Grimm and Grimmchild were gone. Only one path led ahead, illuminated by familiar braziers. Circles of flickering, scarlet light faded in and out.

Fascination won out over worry; Ruby had come to trust Grimmchild, so she followed the path to see what happened. It soon opened back into the auditorium; the presence of an audience already told her what would happen soon. They awaited her quietly, yet all remained still even when Ruby stepped into the ring.

"Has... has anyone seen Grimm? Or Grimmchild?"

Some snickers sounded, making Ruby decidedly feel like a clown; her anxiety kicked in in full force and she rather be swallowed by the ground.

Before she could wilt away from the crowd however, crimson light shone upon her. Ruby looked up, only to behold a dark mass at the ceiling. Not quite round, specked with that same light. It pulsated once, a sound that reverberated through Ruby's entire being. It seemed to be right above and infinitely far away at the same time, more real than anything she ever saw.

She knew what this was, had known it since she was a little girl. No human lived without at least one nightmare in their lives; this was its origin, the Nightmare Heart. Without knowing how she knew, Ruby became aware she stood before a god. Parts of it overlapped, appearing greater than the space they occupied. Shades of scarlet she never imagined played across its veins.

Ruby was so mesmerised she barely noticed the growing tear within this being infinitely her greater. She slowly became aware of the expectant muttering all around; the light grew brighter, focussing solely on her like a scarlet spotlight.

Then the heart burst open in an avalanche of flame, revealing Grimm himself. His eyesockets were alight as he rocketed to the ground; an earthquake went off on impact but no cracks appeared. He was vibrant and larger than life, not the mere shell she faced before.

Rising in one fluid motion, he bowed toward Ruby to thunderous applause. She was perplexed but followed the motion instinctively.

"O-Oh. Okay!"

They both knew what would happen next. Yet Ruby was not prepared for Grimm to vanish and reappear in an instant. His flaming claws slammed into her waist and she flew with a squeak. Ruby turned to rose petals, only to be caught in an explosion of fire. Once forced to rematerialise, the Nightmare King kept pressing her; he was fast, ferocious, and merciless.

The moment Ruby's aura crackled she suddenly lost all feeling. Being thrown back she saw her own, headless body drop to the ground before impact with a wall cut off all vision.

She woke with a shriek, hands clawing at her intact throat. Panting, soaked in sweat, Ruby stared at Grimm's slumbering form with wide eyes. Grimmchild chirped comfortingly and nuzzled against her cheek. Ruby pet him absently.

"A dream?"

She received no answer beyond the little one buzzing away. He fluttered from her to Grimm and back, beckoning her. Ruby hesitated, shuddering at the memory of being beheaded. It felt so real. Yet it was not. Taking a deep breath, she reassured herself that it was okay. She did not really die.

"Okay," Ruby muttered. "Let's do this."

She did not, in fact, 'do this'. Death after gruesome death followed her first attempt, each one finding her awake in that same tent once more. She slowly began to understand his motions, but still did not last for long. Ruby had to go home after hours spent challenging Grimm and failing every single time. Yet the fire lit in her soul burned bright; she returned early the next day to try again, all but forgetting about classes.

Brushing off her many and varied deaths, Ruby simply kept going. She became a little better with every failure, her dance with Grimm growing longer if no less brutal. She barely spoke to her father and uncle, all thoughts on the all but impossible challenge before her. When they asked why she skipped classes, she cited helping Grimm; in truth Ruby completely forgot.

"We can't keep making excuses for you," Taiyang told her after the first week. But by that point Ruby was determined to see it through. Grimm entrusted this task to her after all.

He trusted her, much like Divine and Brumm; the veritable giant began to give her encouraging pats on the shoulder when she arrvied every day. Every day Ruby ran into town and back; her aura reserves grew under the constant strain. The nightmare was real enough to improve her body and soul.

"Just you wait," she swore to the sleeping figure. "I will do it. Sooner or later!"

Then Ruby dove back into the dream.

 

[Naron]

"Selina Uaine, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie recovered the white rook pieces. You will henceforward be known as Team Sunlight."

The screen above the four arrayed four letters, forming SNNL. Three red-headed women, one in green, one in bronze, and one in pink, as well as a lithe man favouring green as well. Only Nora and Selina smiled while the other teams around them applauded dutifully

Then Headmaster Ozpin's voice sounded once more over the speakers, ever even though with a hint of satisfaction: "Led by... Selina Uaine."

The faunus girl pumped her fist. "Alright!" she shouted and high-fived Nora. Ren and Pyrrha offered simple nods, polite applause sounded again and the four hopped off the stage. However, all three of Selina's teammates hesitated when they saw her expression morph into a nasty scowl; her gaze followed the the last team to be announced as they passed them, four girls that could not be more different.

"And lastly," Ozpin continued, "Weiss Schnee, Penny Polendina, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao-Long. The four of you recovered the white queen pieces. Henceforward, you shall be known as Team Spiceberry." The letters SPBY formed up on the screen above them. "Led by... Weiss Schnee!"

Weiss herself was a petite and pale woman; snow white hair crowned her head, bound into a purposefully asymmetric sidetail. The only disruption of her immaculate appearance was the thin scar running over her forehead, ending right above the eye. Weiss smiled serenely until Yang clapped her shoulder, the force of which sent her stumbling forward. Penny swayed cheerfully by their side in her green and black combat dress, hands clasped in delight. Lastly, her top and shorts monochrome and bearing raven hair to match, stood Blake Belladonna. She frowned much like Weiss did.

Selina chuckled to herself then. Her team noted the sudden swing in her behaviour, but only Pyrrha commented: "Surprisingly cheerful, considering you do not seem to like Weiss."

The quip earned a snort and Selina threw her partner an amused look. "Girl, I don't give a shit about Weiss."

"Really?" the other redhead retorted with a smidgen of curiousity. "I thought you were upset due to her... affiliations, during initiation."

"Nah, had nothing to do with her."

Meanwhile Nora nodded sagely. "Huh. I getcha, Pyr. Most faunus we've met don't really like the Schnees. Like, at all."

Selina heaved a sigh at that. Spiceberry scampered off the stage under renewed applause while she talked to her team: "You ever been to Menagerie?" All three shook their heads. "Figures. I'll explain later, let's grab dinner and a shower."

In a bid to beat everyone else to the communal showers, SNNL went there first and to the cafeteria second. Most everyone else had already gathered to eat by the time they arrived; this meant only a small line still waited for food, meaning they barely had to wait.

Once it was their turn however, Selina had to heave another sigh; she stared down at the plate of meats she was given with a thoughtful look. Her teammates all got a more balanced meal.

Pyrrha arched a brow while Ren watched on stoically. Nora voiced their confusion: "Hey, uh, why's yours different?"

"Eh, whatever. Go ahead and find us a table, I'll go take care of something."

"Like what?"

Selina did not respond to Nora's final question and strolled away. Her target was another table with a team of four, though one neither of them knew; upperclassmen, most likely. Two men, one a veritable giant and the other small in comparison. Two women, both brunette; one in designer clothes, the other with clearly visible rabbit ears. SNNL kept watching as they wandered over to SPBY's table and their sister team's gazes followed soon after.

They all watched Selina quickly chat up the hare faunus, who fidgeted minutely under her attention. Whatever the redhead said, it quickly relaxed the older woman. She shook her head at Selina, who grinned and put down her own tray. The hare stared for a moment, nodding along to whatever was said. Then her overabundance of greens was exchanged for Selina's meat.

"What am I looking at?" Yang asked at that point.

It was Blake who answered, scowling: "Racism at work. They see the ears and immediately think hare and wolf, so they give them too many greens and meat respectively."

A cheerful Selina strolled up to them, though her good mood clearly took a hit when she saw the other team. Taking the final chair opposite Weiss, she still forced a halfway earnest smile. "Heya, girls. Congrats on getting leader."

"Why, thank you." Weiss, though surprised about the lack of hostility from a faunus, kept her polite smile in place. "My congratulations to you as well. Although, if you would forgive me for saying so, I did expect it to be Pyrrha."

Selina waved her off at that. "Nah, I get it. I kinda did, too. Guess the powers that be saw something we didn't, eh?" Her quip earned chuckles from Nora and Yang. Weiss inclined her head as if to agree.

"...why are you just taking it?"

For the first time and much to her dislike, Selina finally acknowledged Blake. She truly wanted to punch her in the face a few times but knew that now was not the time. The fact Blake may have turned over a new leaf stayed her hand, but she still only had a flat "What?" for the other faunus at the table.

Then again, Blake hid her cat ears under a black bow. She did not even manage to stop them from flicking when she motioned for Selina's tray. "Why do you just take it? You can lodge a complaint or something. This is not right!" Her indignation easily outdid Selina's own.

The wolf stared for a long moment, long enough that Blake became uncomfortable.

"So first off," Selina began slowly, "this is none of your business. But I'll tell you anyway: these guys made an honest mistake. They're trying to be considerate and overshoot. I'm not gonna spit in their face by complaining to the manager, what kind of bitch do you think I am? I'll wait if they notice on their own if I keep trading with Velvet over there and if they don't, I'll mention it in passing and see what happens." Her barely calm tirade over, Selina threw an arm out to indicate the rest of Beacon. "What next, you want me to stab the first person to insult me in the hallway?"

Blake, who had been about to retort, recoiled. "What? No!"

Selina simply shook her head and got to eating. The others were watching the exchange silently, most some manner of disturbed. Weiss was the first who dared to speak: "Well, you certainly seem passionate about this matter."

"Meh, you'll get used to it. I'm a born Mistrali, this got nothing on the shit I had to keep up with as a kid."

The commentary made Nora perk up. "Oh, neat. So we're all from the same place!"

"In a way," Ren amended for her. "We have not been to Anima in years and you mentioned you're from Menagerie."

"Yup. Nice place. I'll take you there during break, you'll love it."

"Fine with me. You in, Pyr?"

"I will... consider it."

Weiss studied Selina while this exchange took place; she continued to do so afterward while the faunus woman ate quietly. It took a minute until she rolled her eyes and met Weiss's gaze. "If you want to say something, say it. I'm not gonna bite. Unless you want me to." She winked cheekily, to which the heiress' expression tightened.

"Your crude insinuations aside, I was merely taking notice of your, how should I say, surprising lack of hostility. As you may imagine, I rarely interact with faunus to begin with." She spoke carefully, half expecting some sort of eruption in response. Against her expectations, Selina simply nodded understandingly.

"And most of the ones you do see are the White Fang assholes, I getcha."

"That is... not exactly how I would phrase it, but yes."

Blake had been stewing in the background for a while. With Penny listening to the conversation her partner was involved in, it fell to Yang to deal with that. Her nudging yielded nothing, though; the black-haired girl simply finished her sandwich and stood to saunter away. Her chair scraped enough to draw the others' attention.

Yang followed her partner's retreating form with a low whistle. "Damn, she knows how to make an exit."

Weiss glanced in the same direction and rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, Penny turned to Yang curiously. "How do you mean? She just walked away."

"Yang means that Blake's got a nice ass," Selina quipped. "Can't deny that one."

"Oh, I see. How is this relevant?"

A beat. The other students looked between each other, then Selina stage-whispered to Weiss: "How is she more sheltered than you?"

Instead of taking offense, the heiress shrugged helplessly. Yang giggled to herself.

As the meal came to a close, Selina waved her team along and Weiss to her. The heiress was wary but followed the motion out of curiousity after their amicable conversation earlier. Selina threw her a grin. "Just wanted to say, from leader to leader, if you ever wanna hang out and compare notes, hit me up."

Weiss nodded, wary of such open friendliness but also intrigued. She thanked Selina for the offer and turned to join her team. Meanwhile, Selina allowed herself a grin and waved at Velvet and her team on the way out. The rest of Sunlight joined her at the door. "That went pretty well," she mused.

"What did?" Nora inquired.

"The path to a better tomorrow, duh."

"Ohhhh!" The other redhead left a short pause, frowning. "I don't get it."

Selina winked at her in response. "Big Daddy won't be in charge of Schnee Dust forever. And when Weiss takes over, she'll know not all faunus are assholes and terrorists."

"Or perhaps having an in with the heiress would offer alternate benefits?" Though Pyrrha was perfectly polite in her phrasing, the small sting in it was notable to all of them. Selina flipped her off.

"Fuck off, it's not like that."

She spent the trek to their dorm room brooding; fortunately, SPBY would be living right opposite to them. Selina opened the door for her team and leaned against it the moment it closed behind her.

"And while we're at it, tough girl: if you got a problem with me, say it to my face."

Taken aback by the sudden hostility, Pyrrha needed a moment to return to her polite self. "Nothing of the sort," she deflected. "What would give you the impression?"

"I dunno, maybe the constant sniping?" Selina received no retort to that and rolled her eyes. "So what is it? That I'm leader and not you? That I'm a faunus? C'mon, tell me now if it's that."

"And what will you do if it is? Challenge me?"

"Pff. If you wanna throw down, I'll talk about it with Goodwitch."

The other pair had watched their back-and-forth with some apprehension. Ren stepped forward at this point to use the tense pause. His quiet voice cut through the silence: "Perhaps we should all calm down." He threw a sharp look to Nora, who sheepishly stopped herself from chanting 'fight, fight, fight' as he knew she would.

Unfortunately, the other two redheads on his team were less inclined. Pyrrha's gaze narrowed ever so slightly, arms folded. "While you do have a point, I imagine it will be necessary to clear the air sooner or later." She then took a step forward, trying to stare Selina down; her partner was not impressed, if partly because they were roughly the same height. Pyrrha did not let that stop her. "I have no issue with your leadership. I will follow your orders. But neither do I want your friendship, nor will I go out of my way to accomodate you."

Despite everything, Selina snorted at that. The noise confused Pyrrha greatly, as did the jovial clap to her shoulder. "Heh, we'll see about that. Four years is a long time." The faunus walked past her, talking to the room at large more than her: "But fine with me. Just stop being a bitch about stuff and we're golden. I'm the only bitch in this team."

Selina flicked one of her wolf ears for emphasis, to a surprised blink from Pyrrha and Ren. Nora cheered, to which Selina sketched a joking bow before turning back to Pyrrha. "And I'm still gonna talk to Goodwitch about that match. We're drawing up an exercise plan tomorrow, ladies. And Ren."

He nodded mildly, as did the other two. The reminder of having a boy in the room gave Selina some food for thought, too. "Actually, you cool with changing in front of each other? I don't really care."

"Nope, don't care," Nora chirped. Ren nodded along.

"Me neither. Nora and I are quite used to it by now."

The final member of their team hesitated upon feeling three pairs of eyes on her. Her ears reddened, safely hidden under her scarlet mane even as Pyrrha averted her gaze. "I shall simply frequent the bathroom," she murmured.

"Cool. And if you're gonna fuck, please hang a sock on the door." Selina's comment had Nora and Ren sputter. "Or keep it somewhere else if possible. I'll do the same." This, Pyrrha left entirely uncommented. Selina congratulated herself on a joke well done and carried on. "Now, next on the agenda...." Only to be interrupted by a yawn. "Okay, one last thing. Semblances. I didn't see yours in the field, so you keep them secret ooooor?"

Nora immediately responded to her prompting, once again beaming: "Nah, mine's pretty obvious. I can absorb lightning and get super strong!"

"Hey, neat."

"And Ren can mute peoples emotions. Great for calming down and to hide from Grimm!"

"Double neat! I love you two already!"

All three looked to Pyrrha, who slowly shook her head. "I would rather not." She half expected complaints or prying, but Selina simply shrugged it off.

"Sure, fine. Tell us when you're ready. Just remember I can't plan for your stuff if I don't know it."

"I will keep that in mind."

About as soon as Pyrrha finished her deflection, Nora invaded Selina's personal space; she hung off her leader's shoulder and poked her side cheerfully. "Okay, now spill your own. What's it do? I bet it's something cool, like, like... like throwing fire! Or blowing stuff up on a touch! C'mon, tell us, tell us!"

Her enthusiasm was contagious; Selina chuckled and imitated a buzzer. "Meeep, wrong and wrong. You're never gonna guess mine. It's nowhere near as awesome as yours."

Nora cheerfully threw out more ideas, slowly becoming more absurd with each one. Ren offered a handful of more grounded guesses and even Pyrrha had an idea she added, having been caught up in Nora's curiousity. They were all wrong.

By the end Nora pouted up at the other redhead. "Oh, tell us already!"

Her despondent tone earned a grin. "Fine," Selina said, "Lemme just, ah." As if a switch had been flipped, her expression distorted into a grimace. "Ugh, Brothers, this is awful." After muttering to herself for a moment, she turned back to Nora; the other woman still hung off her shoulder. "Yep, you absolutely fuck. And please brush your teeth after giving head."

Pyrrha was flabbergasted at the sudden turn of events; meanwhile Nora visibly blushed, recoiling from Selina in shock. "W-What? How?!"

Ren averted his gaze, the only sign of his own embarassment. Now free of Nora, Selina approached him next with an arched brow. After a moment she huffed. "At least you return the favour, good on you. No idea when or how, but whatever."

"What is this, can you read minds or something?" Nora stared dumbly at her leader, all but confirming the 'allegations'. She received no answer.

Pyrrha stood near the window, worried and somewhat frightened of being exposed as well. Selina approached her slowly, almost skulking like the predator she knew she was. The faunus woman's nose scrunched for some reason; she stared into Pyrrha's eyes for a long moment. Battle-hardened she may be, but she was not prepared for such candid conversations. Her cheeks grew consistently hotter in expectatation of some lewd remark.

"Your perfume isn't so bad."

It took her a moment to comprehend the words. Pyrrha sighed in relief, grateful to be spared embarassment. She needed a moment longer for the clues to fit together. Her eyes widened. "Your sense of smell?" she inquired just to be certain. "That is your Semblance?

"Ayup. Super smell." Selina tapped her nose with a grin; Ren simply nodded and Nora was too busy covering her mouth to comment. Their leader grimaced again. "And let me tell you, it sucks to use anywhere people are. I can learn things about them I never wanted to know."

"It does not seem particularly useful for combat, either."

"But you can dig up aaaaaallll the dirt!" Nora grinned at them, waving her arms. Then realisation set in and she quickly covered her mouth again. Pyrrha did not quite know how to react to the reminder that her two teammates were an item of some sort. Selina just laughed at the display.

"C'mon, we're going to share a room the next four years. Welcome to your new normal. Also, promise I won't use this unless I gotta. Now let's get ready for bed."

Her team took the order with grace and began to change; true to her earlier words, Pyrrha felt too awkward undressing in front of them. While she vanished into the bathroom and Nora dashed along to brush her teeth, Ren approached Selina.

"I was meaning to say, you are surprisingly friendly with Pyrrha despite her behaviour."

Selina shrugged off her top as she mulled over his implied question. Ren politely looked elsewhere while she slipped out of her bra and into a loose, white shirt. "You're not wrong," she admitted then. "Thing is, that's how you get rid of the racism. Being a spiteful bitch won't get Pyrrha around. I wanna deck her, sure, but I can just as well kill her with kindness. It's not easy sometimes, but there's nothing more satisfying than making her change her mind."

He nodded slowly and left her to her own devices.

A calm if long night followed, thanks to Nora and Ren snoring. The two girls with them needed a while to grow used to the noise. Thankfully they had a rest day assigned to figure themselves out. The team began setting up the training plan.

Once Selina opened the door however, she found herself thigh to face with something odd. Black eyes stared up her from within a white plastic mask; the sight made her hackles rise and she unconciously retreated back from the thing. Their gear was in the lockers and not at hand.

"The fuck are you?"

"Is it some weird infiltrator Grimm?" Nora speculated from the back. "Did it come to kill Pyrrha?!"

Meanwhile, the thing kept staring at Selina. It just stood in the doorway; were it bigger, Selina may have seen it as menacing. As it were she was just reminded of creepy children in movies.

Neither of them moved for a full minute, until a commotion sounded from the opposite room. The door opened to reveal Penny, still clad in a green nightgown. "There you are!" she called and swept the creepy thing into her arms; it did not resist, nor did it react to her scolding: "You can not just wander, it is dangerous!" Meanwhile, the creature hung in her arms, still staring at Selina.

The wolf slowly spoke up after digesting that odd scene: "So... the creepy thingo is yours? What is it?"

Penny hesitated at that. Her gaze wandered between her sister team and the potential Grimm in her arms. By this time her own teammates were peeking out of their room, too. "Well," she began, "Ghost is, well, Ghost." The name had that masked head rise, turning 180 degrees to look up at Penny. She hugged him a little tighter. "I never figured out what he is, except not Grimm."

"Okay," Yang interjected from behind, still clad in shirt and shorts. "And why's he here?"

Weiss stepped out of the door next, clad in a modest, white nightgown similar to Penny's. She pinched the bridge of her nose, staring at Ghost and then her partner. "This is why your luggage was rattling on occasion, is it not?"

"Nooo? Hic"

The byplay drew a chuckle from Selina; if the others thought all was good then she would believe them. She approached to study Ghost up close, intrigued by how smooth his skin looked. "Whatever. Heya, little fella. What's up?"

Once she leaned close enough, Ghost poked her in the chest. Then his stubby arm ran over it, making her retreat. "Hey!" She covered herself more in surprise than embarassment, though her ears grew hot as well.

Penny took a step back as well, mortified. "Oh, I am so sorry! He normally does not do that. At all."

"Very convincing there," Yang quipped.

In that moment a ninth person arrived on the scene. "And what, exactly, am I looking at?" she asked; her calm if tense voice alerted them all to her presence; Glynda Goodwitch, Beacon's deputy headmistress and main combat instructor. Her white blouse and black pencil skirt were perfectly ironed, blonde hair done in a firm bun. She received no response at first, though her hand hovered over the riding crop on her skirt's belt at the sight of Ghost.

Seeing that all students stared at her like deer in headlights, she allowed herself an almost imperceptible sigh. "Ms. Polendina, Ms. Schnee, please make yourselves presentable. Afterward I would like to know why you saw fit to bring a living Grimm into the academy."

"B-But Ghost is no Grimm!" Penny shook her head rapidly, holding him up as if evidence. "He even says so himself!"

"Is that so?"

Seven out of eight students realised the nuanced demand to back down. Penny failed to do so and nodded eagerly. She put Ghost onto the ground and smiled at him. "You're no Grimm, right?" Ghost nodded, prompting Penny to beam at Goodwitch instead. "See? Not a Grimm."

Suffice it to say, the older woman was not impressed. Her attention never quite left Ghost, who used the renewed freedom to approach Selina again. He stared up and she stared down, now realising that his gaze still lay on her chest; specifically the right breast. It took her a moment longer to realise.

"Wait a sec." She turned around and reached under her shirt, ignoring a disapproving sound from the deputy. Selina had to fiddle for a moment before she managed to detach Lumina's Charm. She held it out to Ghost with an attempt at a smile. "Did you want this?"

Ghost reached out immediately, only for a scream to sound. It was not physical, shrieking straight through their minds. A blinding flash followed, burning half of Ghost's arm away.

He stared at the steaming, slowly reforming stump while everyone else stopped futilely covering their ears and eyes.

Selina stared at the Charm in confusion until Goodwitch spoke to her: "And what, pray tell, is this, Ms. Uaine?"

"...something a friend gave me. And it never did that before."

"What does it normally do?" Pyrrha inquired right after. Selina wordlessly palmed the Charm and focussed; bright light illuminated the area, driving all shadows away. The only darkness remaining was Ghost, stark black against the gold.

He kept staring up at her even when she cut off the light and shrugged at the others. "That's all it does. And what are you doing?" Her question went to Ghost and received no answer; he held a shimmering blade of some sort, not long enough to be more than a dagger. Selina tensed up, only for Penny to answer.

"Worry not, Selina! I do not know what this is, but it is not dangerous at all! I saw him poke a few people with that before, but it did nothing harmful. Or, well, anything at all."

Selina stared at her fellow redhead, whose beaming smile barely convinced her to simply hold still. The gleaming edge slapped against her aura to no effect; it fizzled out on impact, creating a mint green flare. Checking her Scroll, aura was still full. Nothing else happened. Ghost stared at her a moment longer, tilted his head, and turned to walk away. Penny quickly snatched him up.

After getting dressed, a lecture from Goodwitch, and a promise from Penny not to leave her 'pet' Grimm unsupervised, the eight of them went to breakfast. Only then did Selina realise she forgot to ask about sparring. She only got the chance to bring it up after their teams separated.

Later that day marked the first time Pyrrha handed her ass to her in the arena; it would not be the last.

 

[Naron]

"I was wondering, Selina."

Much to Weiss's consternation and relief, the faunus woman turned her way immediately. A week had passed yet despite them always sitting together for breakfast, it still felt a little eerie to be so close to somene who should by all accounts detest her. Weiss had no idea why they got along quite well and even had the occasional conversation. Teams Spiceberry and Sunlight gravitated together for some reason none of them could quite tell.

Either way, Selina was amenable. "Shoot."

In spite of her fellow leader's friendly demeanour, Weiss could not help but hesitate. "Well," she began slowly in an attempt to sound measured. " I gathered from previous conversations that you are not particularly... happy, with the White Fang." Conversation around the table ceased, though Weiss paid the others little mind. "Could you elaborate on your stance toward them? And, well, how common it is among faunus?"

"Ugh, heavy questions in the morning." Selina frowned, then glanced back down at her pudding. "Gimme a sec."

It followed a reminder of her lower class origins because she simply shoveled the whole thing down her gullet in record speed. Weiss wrinkled her nose but smoothed out her expression before Selina could notice. The other woman heaved a content sigh and returned to the matter at hand: "Alright, here's the deal: the White Fang has the right goal and a very wrong idea how to get there."

Weiss said nothing in an attempt to make Selina elaborate. Which Blake then ruined by chiming in: "What's that supposed to mean?"

The note of aggression did not slip past Weiss and she had to wonder again what it was with these two. They seemed to row near constantly and unlike with literally everyone else, Selina did not take it in stride; if anything, she scowled back.

"I'm in ol' Ghira's camp on that one," the wolf shot back. The comment made Blake flinch for whatever reason. If Selina noticed, she did not bring it up. "Now how'd he say it? 'Violence for violence only perpetuates the cycle we want to break'."

"Quite," Weiss could not help but agree. It was a sensible position in her opinion. "May I ask who this Ghira is?"

Just like that Selina's attention returned to Weiss. The heiress was once again surprised by how quickly her mood shifted back to conversational. "Ghira's the guy who founded the Fang way back when. He made it big by hard work and grit, in Mistral of all places."

Weiss's brow arched; although she knew the White Fang originated in Mistral, she never looked up any details. Selina nodded sagely, having caught her reaction. "You and I didn't really see much of it, but they used to be, er, not violent assholes. Heck, I was a junior member for years."

Now this had Weiss's brows meet her hairline. She tensed up instinctively, then felt silly when no attack came. Heads turned from the surrounding tables as well, conversation ceased. Selina paid no one any mind and kept going: "But the thing is, Ghira got lobbied out by the violent assholes. That was, five? Five-ish? Years ago? Roughly." She wiggled her hand for emphasis. "He saw how the wind blew and left, and a whole bunch of people left with him. Most of 'em live on Menagerie now."

"I see."

It was all she could say in response, Weiss really needed to read up on the subject. Meeting Selina ignited her curiousity. "And you left also?" A nod. "What kind of work did you do as a junior member?"

"Oh, you know. The usual stuff, drawing posters, writing letters to politicians, baking for fundraisers. Joining the smaller protests that we didn't expect would get mobbed by police or counter-protests. Toward the end they had me look after the younger kids and started teaching me how to use my spear for guard duty." Selina shrugged at her. "Stuff that a child can do without getting hurt."

Yang chimed in here, more curious than sensible: "And your parents agreed to all this?"

When Selina just stared back at her for a long moment, Weiss knew this was the completely wrong question to ask. The silence soon turned uncomfortable and made even Yang squirm. Then Selina shrugged again. "Got none, same as most of the kids we had along at the time. The Fang organised all the orphans they could find. Most were faunus, some humans.

"Shit, sorry."

"It's fine, I'm over it."

True to her words, Selina seemed ambivalent at most. The fact eased Weiss's nerves a bit. Meanwhile Penny's expression had fallen. "How sad," she said. "I can not imagine life without my father."

Though unintended, her forlorn rumination reminded Weiss of her own family; she very much could and did live without them now.

Meanwhile, Selina, shrugged. "Hey, cherish them while they're there as long as they're good people. Ghira and his wife looked after the lot of us whenever they had time to spare." She paused before turning back to Weiss. "That answer your question?"

"To an extent, yes. Thank you."

"Anything else you wanna know?"

Weiss did have additional questions, but some of them felt quite invasive and were better left for another time. While she still mulled it over, Blake chimed in again: "If the Fang is doing it wrong, then what do you propose to do it better?"

Though the aggression remained subtle, Weiss had to wonder. Blake seemed to care about faunus rights a great deal, but why did she seem so protective of the White Fang? She could not say anything conclusive just yet, but that went on the list of subjects to investigate. Thankfully Selina did not drive conflict any further. She simply threw up her hands.

"How should I know? I'm bad with big picture stuff, 's why I'm going to be a Huntress and not a politician. All I know is killing security guards and stealing Dust ain't it."

"Or assassinating my family," Weiss could not help but quip. A hint of bitterness stole itself into her voice, though no one seemed to notice.

"Or that, yeah. Is that why you're here? To protect yourself from the assholes?"

The sudden turnabout was a bit of a surprise; Weiss did not feel well sharing something this personal, but at the same time Selina was quite open. She could tell her at least one reason and simply not mention the rest: "To an extent. Among other things, the Schnees were renowned for their martial prowess before my grandfather founded the SDC. I wish to carry on with this family tradition as well."

"Makes sense. Good luck on that, I don't see it get much better anytime soon."

Though she appreciated the well wishes, Selina's comment made her think of her father once again. Weiss barely managed to suppress a sigh. "Neither do I."

From there they went through classes as before. History, Grimm Studies, Dust Handling, Combat; Weiss made sure to take notes even from Professor Port's droning stories of his own exploits. It took a few days to realise that these tales were a treasure trove of information if one could only dig it out. A small number of classmates tried the same, though Selina was not among them; she still listened with rapt attention, though. Then came Combat class, where the wolf faunus was paired off with Blake. The following beatdown was ferocious and gave Weiss newfound respect for her fellow team leader.

Selina's aura also went close to the halfway mark, but she consistently harried Blake across the room; her control of the fight never swayed, which made sense when a trained vanguard met an assassin type in a controlled environment.

What was more, everyone could tell there was some sort of tension to the pair. She heard some jokes about it being the romantic sort but did not ascribe to that.

The situation finally blew up at the end of that same day. Far faster than anticipated, not to mention far more public.

They were in the common room with a number of other teams when Blake blew her fuse after another snippy comment. "What's your problem?!" she shouted at Selina. "I have done nothing to you and you keep acting like I'm the worst person in the world!"

Several dozen people watched the fireworks. Weiss and Yang rose to step in, worried despite knowing this was coming. They were too slow to stop Selina from grabbing Blake's collar. Both women stared at each other from up close, furious.

Then the wolf let go with a laugh. "You don't know?" she taunted. "Seriously? Not the teensiest, tiniest idea why I may hate you in particular, Blake?"

"No! I've done nothing to you! What's wrong with you?"

"No, Blake. What's wrong with YOU?!" The sudden shout had Blake flinch back. So did Weiss, even though she stood a little distant. Her teammate fell flat on her rear after being shoved by Selina; the otherwise so reasonable faunus was irate. When Nora tried to pull her back, she received an elbow to the face. Selina stepped forward and reached out.

"You wanna know what you did? Well, let's start with that!"

Selina tore the bow off Blake's head on the final word. She yelped in pain and clasped her feline ears, only to realise that they were on full display for all to see. Weiss had meant to interfere but the sight stopped her cold. How did she not notice Blake was a faunus? Yang was equally dumbstruck, but that made little comfort right now.

Meanwhile, Selina threw the black ribbon away. "Talk about Faunus deserving respect while hiding these like you're ashamed of 'em," she spat. "That's the first bit. But hey, you do you. That's not it." Selina leaned down toward Blake, who stared up with wide eyes. A single finger poked the newly revealed faunus' chest with every word: "Call. Your. Parents."

Silence reigned. The entire room watched, breath held in anticipation. All Blake managed to utter was a single, confused "What?" which several others echoed. Selina snarled, poking her chest harder.

"Call your parents", she repeated. "It's been five years. Five fucking years, Blake. No call, no letter, no nothing. I still catch Kali staring at the phone hoping today's the day, sometimes. You're an ungrateful bitch of a daughter and by the Brothers, go fuck yourself!"

Selina turned and marched away on those words. Blake stared after her, completely flabbergasted and more than a little afraid.

Weiss did not know what to do; none of this made sense, she did not expect it at all. All she could do was watch as a woman she thought she got to know a bit became aware of the room. All eyes were on her.

Blake shrunk away, scrambled to her feet, and fled.

The silence lasted a short while longer, then the various groups began to discuss what they just saw. Weiss helplessly stood with the rest of SPBY and SNNL, all of which were close to the epicenter.

Nora spoke up hesitantly: "Shouldn't someone, I dunno, go after them?"

"I'll take Blake," Yang volunteered and trooped off. She was surprisingly serious unlike her usual, carefree attitude.

Nora and Ren then glanced to Pyrrha, who had remained perfectly at ease in her seat. With no input from her, the third redhead of Sunlight made to follow her leader. Ren joined her and so did Weiss; she felt out of place going after Selina, but she wanted to remain in this room even less. Moreover, she did worry; that was a bit of a surprise to realise and Weiss put it out of her mind for now.

Someone else joined them on the way out. Weiss glanced to the hare faunus momentarily who shied away from her gaze but made no motion to split off. Though on edge with yet another faunus so close, Weiss decided to just be polite. "I do not believe we met before," she began. "You are in second year, I believe?"

"Y-Yes, that's me. Hi. I'm Velvet."

"Weiss. A pleasure." She almost added her last name again, which she slowly began to realise people did not really do in Vale. She could not tell whether her upperclasswoman was afraid of her as a person or just generally anxious. "I imagine you wish to check on Selina as well?"

"Yeah. She's a good person. I didn't think she could blow up like that."

Weiss wetted her lips. Though Velvet herself appeared uncertain how to approach the heiress, she had a similar issue. As the last week showed, the general demeanour of a socialite used to Atlesean high society simply did not fit well into a valean hunter academy. Despite her internal fretting she offered the other woman a nod. "She always seemed quite reasonable when we spoke. Only Blake ever got that kind of reaction out of her."

Nora chimed into their halting conversation, thankfully preventing an awkward silence: "Where do you think she went?"

"This way are the forges, the workshops, and the gym," Ren told his partner, eyes only halfway focussed as he recalled the floorplan. "Let's start with the gym."

"Sounds good!"

They quietly followed Nora's lead, though all four students were familiar with Beacon's indoor gym. Hunters could not skip out on physical exercise, a truth even Weiss was aware of. She had worked out a decent amount for the past years to get in shape for Beacon, though that was still a light load compared to most everyone else.

Selina was exactly where Ren suspected her, grumpily bench pressing heavy weights; the load sat close to four hundred kilos, Selina's personal maximum. Nora dashed forward about as soon as the fact registered with Weiss.

"Damn, girl! Calm down! This is dangerous without a spotter!"

Selina let the bar slam back into its holder and flipped off her fellow redhead. "Go away," she ground out, though they could all tell the faunus girl needed that break.

"Is that any way to treat your teammates after how concerned they were for you?" Weiss chimed in despite her hesitation to draw Selina's ire. She implicitely included herself in that group, though thankfully no one seemed to catch on. Selina simply glowered at her and went back to lifting; Nora began spotting her.

The ensuing silence was only interrupted by the occasional grunts and clacks whenever Selina put down the weight. With Weiss worried for her standing with Selina and Ren lost in thought, Velvet was the next to take heart.

"Sooo, that was pretty intense back there," she tried but shrank back somewhat under the renewed glare that comment earned her. She did not flee as Weiss half expected her to, though.

The younger girl took the opening this presented, having had enough time to find some conclusions: "It may be mere conjecture, but I assume Blake's father is this Ghira you are so fond of?"

"Yep. Girl's got no idea how good she has it. Ghira and Kali are, like, the best people in the world. And she keeps hurting them."

Velvet hummed in agreement. "I did hear that the Belladonnas are kind people, yes."

Something about that statement gave Weiss pause. She warily glanced to the hare faunus, who seemed nonplussed by the sudden attention. Weiss just had to ask: "Hold on, please. You mean to tell me that Blake applied to Beacon under her actual name? While hiding her, erm, heritage?"

She was glad that neither faunus took offense; Velvet merely shrugged and Selina barked a mirthless laugh.

"Probably got it from her folks. Not a dishonest bone on either, so it figures she sucks at lying too." She put down the weight again and rested for a moment, wordlessly accepting the water bottle Ren handed her. Then another glance went over the quartet that followed her. "You guys, I appreciate that you came to check but I'll be fine. Just lemme work it out of my system for a bit and I'll be good as new."

Seeing the dismissal for what it was, Weiss took her leave there. Ren and Velvet followed, though Nora remained to continue her spotting duties. Weiss still felt a little odd being around faunus, but it turned out not all of them wanted her head on a platter; she even managed a short conversation with Velvet about second year classes and what to expect of end-of-year exams. Not the most riveting subject but certainly a safe one to start with.

Who would have thought? Weiss Schnee, getting used to the presence of faunus.

Alas, the next morning saw only seven of them sit down for breakfast. Saturday had dawned and with it the weekend.

"Never found her," Yang muttered when Nora asked about Blake. Weiss had noted how sour her teammate was when she returned after nightfall and decided to give her time to cool down. "Figured she'd come back after a few hours but she's not around. Her Scroll's off, too."

Selina only had a dismissive snort for that. "And good riddance," she commented. The glare from Yang went ignored much like Weiss's more curt look. While she finally understood Selina's issues with Blake, she also found them somewhat childish.

By noon the three members of Spiceberry began to worry. Blake was still nowhere to be found. Weiss frankly had no idea what to do with this. Her pride would not allow to just let her stay away or even leave the team; anxiety over her father's reaction to such a major mishap under her tenure as team leader only added to the mix. And then there was this small, creeping sense of worry for Blake's wellbeing.

She only had two options: inform the faculty, which would be admitting she could not solve this on her own, or put in the work herself. Hence why Weiss gathered Yang and Penny before going to the only people she felt she could ask for help.

"Regardless of anything else," she explained to SNNL, "Blake is a part of this team. Allowing her to simply run off is not acceptable." Though she made her case with the usual grace and logic, Weiss could not help but deflate. She hated having to request assistance from anyone. "Although, admittedly, I do not know how to find her."

Nora and Ren had listened with rapt attention; Selina kept her eyes closed without much reaction while Pyrrha seemed mostly aloof to the situation. Into the silence left by Weiss's admission, Penny raised her hand thoughtfully. "We could inform the police? This sounds like a missing person's case."

"Possible," Weiss agreed. "But such a case would take some time to resolve."

"We could go out and look for her," Yang suggested next. "But Vale is pretty big."

Ren then added onto her own realisation: "And we do not know if she is still in town." Though Yang winced, he did not quite notice. His thoughts were elsewhere. "...although." With that one word Ren's gaze wandered to Selina. Nora and Weiss followed, then the rest.

It took Sunlight's leader a full ten seconds to notice the expectant silence. Her eyes opened to find six other students looking at her. "What?" she asked at first, but realisation struck before Ren could explain his thought process. A flat "No" was her only answer.

"But you could find her, right?" Nora grinned as if she won the lottery. Selina scowled.

"Maybe, but I won't."

"Sel, please. She's my partner, we can't just let her run away!"

Though Yang's pleading softened the glower some, it did not seem like Selina was willing to give in. Weiss nibbled on her lip, then decided to use what she learned. "I concur. You need not do it for Blake's sake. Though I imagine her parents would be... disappointed, if you refused to help in this?" Much as she expected, Selina winced as if slapped. A dishonest strategy perhaps, but this was important to Weiss.

Unlike what she expected, Selina hopped to her feet and lumbered her way. Weiss stood warily, only to feel very small when almost two hundred pounds of irate wolf loomed over her. She could see the brown of Selina's eyes from this close but refused to avert her gaze. Weiss stood her ground.

Selina growled, but no attack came. "Fine," she spat, "but you owe me for this. Big time."

Her demand drew a frown from Weiss in turn, though she knew a bargain when she saw it. "Very well," she agreed. "What do you want?"

"No idea, I'll get back to you when I don't have to give myself a migraine for stupid people."

"I see." The businesswoman in her wanted to refuse this and demand a clear request. But this was important enough to disregard it. Moreover, Weiss trusted Selina not to abuse this favour. "I would not accept such an open-ended agreement normally, but... alright. And thank you."

"Meh. Someone go get me something Blake's worn."

"What? Why?" Yang was almost as befuddled as Weiss, who could finally breathe again because Selina left her personal space. Her heart fluttered as anxiety and suppressed fear crashed over her like a wave. And yet here she was, safe and sound. Weiss had trouble believing it.

Penny produced Blake's ribbon in the meantime. Selina accepted the offering and led the other six students back to the common room. Ghost followed right behind, ignored by everyone else. After figuring out which exit Blake took, Selina waved them all back. Much to SP_Y's confusion, she took a deep sniff of the ribbon and grimaced.

"I hate you all," she muttered. "So much." A few steps this way and that, then she pointed toward Vale. "That way."

No Bullheads flew in the evenings, meaning Blake trekked down the cliff on her own. Even Selina could barely follow the trail despite the absence of rain or other obstructions; everyone else climbed after her. The silver lining, Weiss reassured herself, was that this gave her some exercise. Ren spent the time filling her, Penny, and Yang in on Selina's Semblance. It certainly put into perspective why she grumbled so much.

Close to the mountain's foot, the redhead glanced Weiss's way with disdain. "I really don't get why you'd want her back."

"Is that not self-evident?"

"...right. You really haven't put together she's White Fang?"

Weiss stopped dead in her tracks. A flood of worry followed Selina's question. She had suspicions, but to have it just pointed out like this came as a shock. "Pardon?" Her teammates were equally surprised, she absently noted. "Perhaps you should have led with such a piece of information?"

"Eh." Selina made a dismissive motion. "I figured I'd give her a chance in case she actually left, but at this point I doubt it. That's why she hasn't been home in ages. Remember what I told you guys about how Ghira left?" Weiss nodded, as did her team. "Well, Blake didn't. No, she took it a step further and called him a coward, all but ran off. Just like this here." It was clear by her sour tone what Selina thought of that.

Penny hummed in thought. "So she is a member of the 'violent assholes', as you put it?"

"Yeeep. Last I heard she made second-in-command under Adam Taurus. He may be a moderate but he's still in that group too." And they all knew that name; Adam Taurus was a famous and powerful face of the White Fang. Leader of the Fang in Vale and a prized swordsman.

The following silence lasted for a long time. Weiss's expression turned stormy as she wrestled with this new situation. Did she want Blake back after all? But no, this was not in question. If Blake dropped out of Beacon entirely on her own accord, that was one matter. Weiss would not condone simply running off like this. She refused to let this reflect back on her. Not to mention that Yang grew increasingly worried as they entered Vale proper.

After a dozen streets and two more sniffs of the ribbon, it was surprisingly Pyrrha who spoke up: "If I may, I was wondering. Why is the White Fang named that way? The imagery is rather aggressive, for a group originally meant to be peaceful."

Selina was rubbing her temples at this point, but she indulged the other redhead's request anyway. "Yeah, kinda. I asked Ghira about it a few years ago, too. The important part is the colour. That we're ready to stand up, 'bear our fangs', but never use them."

"I see."

Weiss understood as well. This offered an interesting piece of insight she never even questioned before. Alas, worry for Blake slowly swept that away. Selina led them into the nicer parts of Vale; blocks made of singular houses with large gardens and other properties became increasingly more common. Subtle glances to their companions revealed that Nora and Ren began shifting awkwardly. Weiss had noticed before, but their clothes were well-worn; they must not be used to treading in such a neighbourhood. In opposition to them, Weiss and Pyrrha grew more at ease in familiar circumstances.

"You sure you got the right track?" Yang questioned when it was clear they would not swerve back into the backstreets, only to receive a nasty look.

"Do you want to try finding her by scent? No? Then shut up."

Yang threw her hands up in a placating gesture. "Geez, just saying! Calm down!"

"I'll calm down when my head stops killing me tomorrow or so. This way."

They changed direction at a cross-section. Weiss wisely kept her mouth shut, increasingly grateful that Selina was willing to hurt herself for their sake. She could not help but appreciate her own Semblance ever more, regardless the trouble some of its aspects gave her.

Her thoughts were cut off when they stopped in front of a particular house. The property was fenced off, two men in dark suits standing at the front gate. While everyone drank in the sight, Weiss glanced at Selina.

"You are certain this is the right place?"

The other woman nodded, though her glare had not abated any. Her voice remained mostly calm despite the display of aggression: "Yeah. There were like two other scents going the same way. Funny the people she knows. Your turn now, I'm done." She kept rubbing her temples while Nora gently clasped her shoulder.

With SNNL hanging back, Weiss cloaked herself in regal composure and strode forward. Yang followed only a half-step behind while Penny trailed after them. Weiss knew the suits were looking at them behind their sunglasses and did not let it bother her.

Once she approached close enough, one of the men nodded at them. "Can I help you, ladies?"

Weiss made to speak, but Yang tapped her shoulder. The request was clear enough, even though it drew a faint frown. Nonetheless, she let the blonde take over. Yang addressed the suit: "Maybe. We're looking for a friend of ours. A woman about this tall; long, black hair."

"And cat ears," Penny added from behind.

"...yeah, that too."

The suits exchanged looks, however that worked with sunglasses on. The one who held his silence so far piped up, voice almost a drawl. "Slender?"

Yang shook her head. "No, curvy."

"What kind of question is that?" Weiss could not help but comment.

"Just checking. One moment." So saying, the suit stepped away to talk into a radio.

A thoughtful Pyrrha joined the three during that lull in conversation. "We will escort Selina back to Beacon," she explained. "Please message one of us once this matter is resolved."

"Of course," Weiss answered with a nod. Pyrrha returned the gesture and retreated again. At the same time Weiss took notice how the remaining suit straightened up. She had to wonder if name-dropping Beacon was done on purpose.

The first suit returned moments later and pushed open the gate. "Boss says you can go in, just behave." Weiss thanked him and moved on, only for a startled question to stop her: "Hold on, what's that thing?"

Looking back, they were pointing at their small follower. Penny smiled. "Oh, of course. Come here, Ghost." He walked up once beckoned, only for Penny to pick him up. "He is completely harmless, I promise! Hic" The suit stared at her for a long moment. Whether he failed to notice the concerning lie or did not care, he waved Penny through.

Another suit opened the door for the three women, who were greeted by the sound of a violin. Yang chuckled at that. "Wow, I thought the music was just a movie thing." She nudged Weiss, who barely refrained from rolling her eyes.

"This is Ms. Neopolitan," the woman at the door explained helpfully. "She often practices over noon."

So they had a name to the owner or their daughter, although Yang did not seem to recognise it. Either way, Weiss felt proper etiquette had to be observed. "Do relay my compliments. She plays quite well." It was not a lie, either.

"Of course, miss."

Almost as soon as the door closed behind them, a playful voice sounded from their left: "Now now, what do we have here? A gaggle of schoolgirls?"

Yang groaned halfway through, burying her head in her hands with a desperate "Why?!"; Weiss and Penny were studying the man leaning in a doorway; his state of dress was impeccable, the suit well tailoured, and his confident smirk only mildly annoying. Then he decided to mime finger guns at Yang.

"Heya, blondie. Short time no see. How's your friend doing? Ruby, was it?"

Completely ignorant of the implication that these two knew each other, Penny began to muse: "How odd, the only Ruby you mentioned is your sister. Do you know any other Rubies?"

"Oh, sister? You two don't look alike at all." His quip prompted a heavy sigh, to which he huffed. Admittedly, Weiss could see the humour in driving her teammate to despair. She was also confused and had no time to figure out why this bothered Yang so much; the man looked them over. "But enough of that, who else do we have. Weiss Schnee, pretty obvious... and a ginger I don't know, holding what I really hope is not a Grimm."

"Oh, I am Penny. Nice to meet you, sir. And no, Ghost is not a Grimm."

He squinted for just a moment, then strolled forward casually. Weiss took notice of his smooth motion and the fact he seemed perfectly at ease. A hand was offered to her, which she shook with a polite smile. "A pleasure to meet you, mister....?"

"Torchwick. Roman Torchwick, at your service."

"I am afraid I am not familiar with your work, Mr. Torchwick."

"Oh, I wouldn't expect you to. Atlas is far and I rarely cut deals with the SDC."

Yang had listened to their introductions with a stormy face. At this point she chimed in: "Didn't you buy a ton of Dust just last week?"

He threw the blonde another smirk in response. "Well, yes. But I buy locally and for good reason."

Weiss nodded at that. "Supporting local businesses is perfectly understandable, of course. You are a businessman then?"

Roman winked at her while Yang groaned. "No, Weiss." She spoke slowly as if talking to a toddler. If not for what came next, Weiss would have been indignant: "He's a crime boss. Like, the crime boss in Vale. How haven't you heard of him?"

While the atleseans still stared at her in confusion, Roman piped up snidely: "Oh calm down already. It's not like I kick puppies for fun. Or kitties, for that matter." The emphasis had Yang on edge and finally confirmed that they had the right place. Roman caught their change in demeanour instantly. "Now considering there's three of you, I guess the stray I picked up yesterday is your teammate?"

Weiss nodded, now more reluctant. Torchwick returned the gesture and motioned them forward. "Good. Come on."

They were led into a tastefully furnished sitting room, currently occupied by but one faunus. Not the one they came to find, though; it was a mostly plain man with glasses and a stubby, brown and white tail. He glanced sideways at the sound of their entry, only to jump to his feet at the sight of Weiss.

"What the hell?! What's a Schnee doing here?"

Weiss bristled, but Roman pre-empted her with a roll of his eyes. "Can it, Acorn? She's here to pick up her wayward teammate, obviously. At least now I get why kitty ran off to begin with."

"Excuse me?"

Acorn glowered. "That explains a whole lot," he agreed and drew a knife. Penny pushed in front of Weiss in an instant. "Now-"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a gasp. A kitchen knife ran along his throat, belonging to a diminutive yet well-proportioned woman. Her hair split into pink and brown almost in the middle of her head. The suit she wore was second in quality only to Roman's and in her other hand she held a violin bow. Only now did Weiss realise the music stopped.

The sudden, foreboding silence was broken by Roman; his voice had lost the jovial note, revealing a far more dangerous man underneath: "Think very carefully what you were about to do, buddy. I told you lot before, all of Vale is my turf. If you want to operate here, you do it under my rules. And one of them has always been that you don't start shit in my house."

Be it the threats or the knife, Acorn shook with obvious fear. He nodded quickly, almost cutting himself. "I-I'm sorry."

"Good. I did you the favour you asked, we'll see where the girl goes from here. Now get out."

He left without a word. The woman Weiss suspected to be Neopolitan stalked after him. Three befuddled and faintly intimidated gazes followed.

Yang was the first to find her voice again. "Ooookay. That just happened."

"I am confused," Penny added. "If Mr. Torchwick is a criminal, why does he live in this house instead of being arrested?" Though a non-sequitur, this was an interesting question.

Roman just threw them another wink. "Why, I'm glad you asked! Atlesean just like little miss Schnee, I assume?" Penny nodded while Weiss bristled, though he paid her no mind. "Well, you see it is quite simple: a nice mixture of corruption and organised crime. There's no evidence connecting me to any of the bad stuff, I pay fines for the stuff they do get me for, and quite a few officers are willing to look the other way with some... encouragement. Being a known philantropist helps, too."

"But you just admitted all of this to hunters in training. We do have the legal authority to arrest you!"

"In Atlas, maybe. Vale's a bit tighter on who gets to play police. And in case that wasn't clear enough: it's not you. Now let's get back to your stray."

Roman hesitated there, which gave Weiss the chance to get her expression under control. She did not quite like how he talked down to them, but he was undeniably the person in charge right now.

His own frown cleared in the meantime. "Actually, one more thing. You already know she's Fang?" Three nods were given. "Good. The reason she's here, and that Acorn was, is that something went down recently. Nobody knows how or why, but Vale's White Fang chapter was wiped out."

This came as a surprise. Yang summarised for the team while Weiss was still struck speechless: "Wait, what? When?"

"Few weeks back," Roman answered, somewhat flippant but also wary. "Acorn's one of their agents in town, I heard it from him last week. A handful of the hundred guys made it out, everyone else is dead. The bull is gone, too. And you're here of all places because Acorn called me last night for a favour. Girl had a breakdown when he broke the news and no place for her to stay."

"And you lent aid why exactly?" Weiss could not help but inquire. Torchwick did not strike her as a charity worker. "I hardly believe you did it out of the goodness of your heart."

"Nope, I don't give a damn. But I did owe Acorn a favour and I always repay those."

That was fair enough in her opinion. Somehow, although she did judge his choice of path to walk, Weiss could not detest this man. He held an odd sort of honour to himself.

Just then Neopolitan stalked back in, sizing up the women and Ghost. Upon seeing no further hostility, she carried on into the next room; Penny's cheerful wave received an absent response, though. Neither her nor Weiss noticed that Ghost had been freed and walked away to explore. Roman shook his head with a grin. "Yeah, makes sense she's in a mood. Now let's get your kitten. I'll throw in lunch for the lot of you, can't say I'm a bad host."

They headed up after a quick stop at the kitchen to tell his cook about four more; Roman stayed behind, shooing them without a care in the world. For a moment Weiss wondered why he could be so blasé about it. Then she noticed the security cameras.

Entering the indicated room, they found Blake wrapped in a blanket. She silently stared out of the window from red-rimmed eyes, completely unresponsive. Her hair was disheveled, feline ears lying flat on her head.

The sight gave Weiss pause; she had meant to chew out their wayward teammate, but this tugged at her heartstrings. Her resolve crumbled and she could not bring herself to be firm. In fact she stood there helplessly and out of her depth; looking to her team earned a gentle shoulder clap from Yang, who thankfully took the lead. The blonde joined Blake on the bed, who belatedly gazed at Yang when the mattress sunk under her weight. Blake's head rotated upon recognising her partner, all but snapping to where Weiss and Penny were standing near the door.

"Wha-" "Shh."

Yang hugged her partner tight; Blake barely even squirmed, flabbergasted by their presence. Yang shushed her gently. "No talkie, okay? You had an awful night. Take as long as you need." Be it the words or what few shreds of composure Blake had crumbling, she melted into the embrace. Weiss's remaining anger drained away and was replaced with envy. She could not remember if anyone ever held her like this. It took a little while until she managed to shake off the notion; not only was it inappropriate at this time, she also did not need anything like this. It just made her weak.

After a few minutes of this, Weiss decided to busy herself by gathering Blake's discarded clothes. She needed that long to realise the other woman wore only her undergarments under the blanket she wrapped around herself. The rustle of her placing the pile on the bed drew Blake's attention. Their eyes met, but she averted her gaze.

"Weiss, I-" "No."

As much as she wanted to lash out, she was better than this. Weiss forced herself calm and nodded toward Yang. "As she said. We will speak later. As I understand, you and the deceased were close." Her words made Blake cringe, then nod. Weiss could not quite manage a smile, but the edge was equally absent from her voice: "Take your time."

"I hope she does not need too long," Penny commented. "I think lunch will be ready soon."

It took all three staring at her to realise her social ineptitude. "Did I say something weird?"

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and said nothing. Yang sighed ever so quietly before squeezing Blake once more. "...whatever. Yeah, let's get some food into you and then go back."

"You, you want me back? But-" "Shh."

Yang stared back sternly. "No talkie. Now get dressed, we'll be right outside." She let go and rose as she said it; Weiss ushered Penny outside ahead of the blonde. Meanwhile, Blake nodded dumbly and began dressing herself.

Once it was just the three of them, Penny spoke up thoughtfully: "You are quite adept at handling her. Do you have prior experience with counseling?"

The question drew a wince from Yang, but she caught herself well enough. "Not really. But I have a little sister and no mom, so someone had to comfort her when she got upset."

Weiss nodded slowly while thinking of Winter. Her own sister was more distant than Yang seemed to be from Ruby. At the same time the atlesean wondered just what kind of person Ruby Rose may be.

"Is she okay?" Penny asked next, to which Yang threw her a smirk.

"Yeah. Ruby's cut from sterner stuff, not that you'd ever think it from how cute she is."

That was when Blake stepped out, clothes rumpled and hair unkempt. She was not exactly presentable, but it would do. Neither of them quite acknowledged the other as they shuffled down to lunch with Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan, or Neo. Conversation revealed several interesting factoids, too: for one, much to Penny's confusion, their hosts were neither father and daughter nor husband and wife. Admittedly, Weiss had not known the concept of platonic life partners before either.

In addition, Blake did remember meeting Selina in the past now; she apparently needed all these reminders with how many orphans there had been. Conversation grew more reserved after that.

By the end Weiss thanked Roman for the hospitality. She could not help but be impressed by the spread and his perfect manners. Her thanks were waved off, though. "A pleasure having you. I may be a criminal, but I do support our hunters where I can." He offered his hand to shake again and Weiss followed without thinking. When a slip of paper brushed against her palm, she snatched it in an instant. Roman winked and saw them out without any further comment.

Weiss waited three blocks before opening her hand and checking the folded note. The outside read 'to Ozpin', so she quickly made it vanish into her pocket.

"What was that?" Yang inquired curiously. Weiss shrugged, opting for nonchalance.

"Something to think of later."

Penny's head tilted slowly: "Did he give you his number?"

"What? No!"

The teasing started from there. Weiss did not appreciate that it was at her expense, but she grousingly accepted her fate this once. If only because even Blake managed to crack a small smile.

 

[Naron]

Team SNNL had returned to Beacon via Bullhead after a quick stop for lunch. Everyone else kept their silence with Selina grumbling under her breath while nursing her migraine, even Nora.

Pyrrha was stuck musing on her partner's unusual behaviour; she knew she should disregard her as before but simply could not bring herself to. Selina was too intriguing; brash, blunt, boisterous, but also willing to help. To do the right thing.

As they stepped out of the Bullhead, Nora sidled up to her with a knowing look. "Something on your mind, champ?"

"Not particularly. I just wonder why Selina ended up helping with Blake despite disliking her so much."

"I mean, Weiss got her with that Ghira guy, right?"

"Perhaps," she allowed. Yet this did not feel quite right. "I doubt that was all there is to it, though."

Nora hesitated, likely unable to formulate a response. She glanced to Ren, who took over for her: "Maybe that was just the tipping point?"

"I can hear you, you know?"

Indeed, Selina was walking a scant few metres in front of them. Pyrrha averted her gaze just like the other two, feeling a little like when her mother once caught her with the hand in the cookie jar. The other woman's unimpressed stare soon swivelled away again; Nora took this as permission to ask questions and spoke for all of them: "So what was it? Why'd you help out?"

Selina heaved a sigh at that. "'Cause Weiss was right, kinda. More right than she knew. I know Ghira, he'd be disappointed with me. Not for ignoring Blake, but for not doing the right thing out of spite. And I wanna be better than that."

"Even with the migraine and stuff?"

"Yeah, even if it hurts. I try to put my money where my mouth is. Make way, losers."

She interrupted herself to elbow team CRDL's L, Sky Lark. The quartet were milling around in front of the entrance. However, much as usual, Selina's commentary was not taken well; the whole team formed something akin to a living wall around their leader and blocked their path.

Cardin Winchester was, if nothing else, huge. His team sat in the middle of the pack for combat rankings, but they had good synergy. Sky, Dove Bronzewing, and Russel Thrush were all more lanky; Cardin brought the bulk and power to their fights while those three snuck in hits and went after speedsters.

Cardin sneered down at Selina. "What's up, poochie? Did someone steal your favourite bone?"

His trio of idiots grinned at the jab while Selina was unimpressed. Perhaps her current pain just jaded her, considering that even Pyrrha felt a tiny bit intimidated despite not being the one Cardin towered over. She unconciously aligned herself behind her own leader, Nora and Ren followed. They waited for orders but Selina did not start anything. She simply shrugged. "Nah, and don't call me poochie."

"Aww, the little animal whimpers. Do you want pets? Maybe if you roll over."

Nora bristled and Selina grimaced. While Cardin's grin grew wider, Pyrrha began to wonder if this could have been her in his place. Then however, Selina made a dismissive motion.

"Nah, I'm good."

"Hey, let's break his legs!"

Nora's shout wiped the grins off CRDL's faces. They tensed up in expectation of a fight, likely aware they could not win. Nothing came of it, unfortunately; Selina lightly clapped Nora's chest with the back of her hand. "Down girl," she said, though her mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Cardin regained his bravado: "Heh, like you posers would even try! The only reason you're acting tough is Pyrrha!"

Now it was for her to bristle, but she received the same reaction from Selina as Nora. It was annoying and she considered ignoring her leader's order. Before she could come to a decision however, Selina somehow managed to fake a laugh. "You can just say if you wanted to hang out, y'know? I know there's hotties on this team."

Somehow all the tension died in an instant. Cardin was the most confounded, but none of them had seen that coming.

"Hold on," Pyrrha begged, "what-"

Yet Selina just kept going. "But sure, I can get us a ball from one of the upper year teams, we can play some football tomorrow. Better be ready to get your asses kicked! Tata!"

And just like that she strolled away. It spoke to the effectiveness of her response that CRDL could only stare after her in befuddlement. Pyrrha almost did the same before remembering whose side she was on here. Quick strides brought her back to Selina's side.

"What is this about?" she demanded more than inquired, previous annoyance warring with bafflement.

Unfortunately, all she got was a grumble. Selina power-walked to their dorm where she kicked off her shoes, threw off everything but her panties, and climbed under the covers. "We'll talk when I'm feeling better," she told the team and curled up, back turned to them.

Pyrrha had half a mind to shake her for an actual explanation. She wrestled the urge down and slowly followed her other teammates out of the room.

Once outside she admitted it: "I still do not understand."

Nora shrugged as well. Ren's eyes were narrowed in thought, though. "I think I get it," he told them. Both women immediately focussed on him as he explained: "Selina likes her aggressive approaches. So instead of giving Cardin the fight he wants, she throws him a curveball." Which was impressive when considering her state, though Pyrrha found the logic sound.

Then Ren averted his gaze. "That aside, do you know how football is played?"

That was indeed a good question. She knew some of the rules but never got to play. Much the same went for her teammates; Nora played a few times in past years while Ren watched, but she was rusty at best. So they decided to spend Selina's naptime with research on their Scrolls.

Much to her surprise, Pyrrha felt strangely excited to play.

SPBY returned some time later and split up. While Weiss and Penny went to see Professor Goodwitch, Blake and Yang headed to the cliffside for a call long overdue. Every step made Blake's feet feel heavier, dread growing ever stronger. She was scared, embarassed, and ever guilty. It was her fault things came to this. That was probably the worst about what Selina said the previous day; she was completely right.

"Come on, I'm here. You can do this."

Yang's gentle encouragements helped her overcome the first hurdle. She slowly dialed the correct number, then her partner cheekily pressed video call. Yang held her hand while the call connected. Every anxious moment was agonising, Blake would rather jump off the cliff. But somehow she made it through.

A click sounded, then a painfully familiar voice: "Belladonna residence, who... oh."

Blake held her breath, well aware that her disheveled self was now visible to her mother. Seconds passed in absolute silence, then the corresponding video feed opened. A wide-eyed Kali was revealed to them, still caught in surprise. Yet her features slowly brightened.

"Oh Blake, there you are."

She was so happy to see her, something Blake acutely felt she did not deserve. Her mother did not care for any such notions, she simply smiled. "Let me look at you. You've grown so much."

Blake squirmed nonetheless, face flushed and ears drooped. She had always failed to hide from her mother's knowing gaze; today too, Kali soon picked up on her state of mind.

"Did something happen?"

Such a simple question it was, but in the end it broke what composure Blake managed to retain. She slumped and started to stammer, uncertain where to begin or what to say. That was until a firm hand wrapped around her shoulder. Blake shut up, not that Kali needed the change to notice. "And who is that?"

Yang poked her face into the camera with a wink then. "Yang Xiao-Long, at your service. I'm Blake's moral support and hug dispenser."

Her cheeky comment eased Blake a little, but Yang's presence did more so. Kali chuckled warmly and offered her partner a nod. "Well met. I see Selina downplayed how sassy you are, not that I'm surprised."

"Wait, she talked about me?"

"Of course. You left an impression, dear."

"Wait." The mention of Selina reminded Blake that the other faunus girl was in contact with her family. Realisation slowly dawned on her, but she had to know for sure. "If she told you about Yang, then, I mean...." she knew what she needed to ask but words escaped her. Thankfully, Kali caught on in moments. Her sad smile was all the answer she really needed.

"Yes, she did tell me you were there the day after Initiation," her mother said. Blake deflated; humiliated, angry, but most of all guilt-ridden. Kali frowned at that. "Yang, dear? Please dispense a hug for me."

"Can do!" And just like that, the squawking Blake was squished against Yang; she barely managed to hold onto her Scroll. It took a minute, but she really came to appreciate her partner's presence here.

Once Blake managed to calm down, Kali leaned forward. "Now," she cut off the previous subject, "tell me how things have been. I have time."

Meanwhile, Weiss and Penny finally finished explaining the events that transpired to Goodwitch who had listened with her customary frown, though it was not directed at them. In the end she allowed the pair to board the elevator behind her office.

The headmaster's office was situated at the top of Beacon's highest tower, circular and tastefully decorated. Weiss almost stopped to admire the incredible sight that almost compared to standing at the edge of Atlas. Windows opened to all four cardinal directions, though the elevator shaft in the room's center blocked a perfect sight.

Ozpin himself sat behind a large desk above which an assortment of gears clicked into each other endlessly. His hands were steepled, supporting his sharp chin. Wise eyes studied the pair over his shaded spectacles. Weiss dropped a curtsy out of habit; being in the headmaster's presence always made her feel like she stood before a sage.

"Ms. Schnee, Ms. Polendina. Glynda already informed me of the pertinent points. You were given a message for me?"

His prompt implied well enough that he had little time. The small stack of unfinished paperwork on his desk only added to it. Weiss stepped forward and placed the note in his offered palm. He glanced down before allowing himself a soft huff.

"Ah, I see. Now I do hope the two of you will remain on the straight and narrow despite today's encounter. I know well how convincing Mr. Torchwick can be." Yet while saying so, he threw Weiss a little wink. She could only stare dumbfounded while her aged headmaster studied the message.

After taking a step back to Penny's side, she could not help but indulge her curiousity: "May I inquire what it says?"

The slip of paper vanished into a drawer and Ozpin smiled enigmatically. "Oh, Mr. Torchwick saw fit to inform me of an... irregular element in Vale's criminal underbelly. One that is either ruthless or thoughtless enough to threaten him directly, I imagine."

This told Weiss little. She could not quite tell if it was a dismissal or an invitation to ask questions. While she still attempted to figure this out, Penny spoke up instead: "I am still confused, Professor. You know Mr. Torchwick too, so why was he not arrested yet?"

Her inquiry drew Ozpin's attention away from Weiss, who relaxed somewhat. Penny was studied for a long moment with that same polite interest, though the girl herself felt like he saw into the depths of her soul. His tone remained conversational when he answered: "We have a bit of an informal truce, Ms. Polendina. Out of curiousity, are you aware of how many children and teenagers in Vale live in foster care? Or how many orphanages there are?"

"I am afraid not, sir? How is this relevant?"

"About ten thousand in foster care," he answered without acknowledging Penny's confusion. "Now were you aware that about sixty percent of these youths are sponsored by Roman Torchwick? That he spends great amounts of money on the two remaining orphanages in Vale?"

His words drew Weiss's brows into her hairline and Penny was just as surprised. The headmaster nodded sadly. "What you have to understand is that we could have removed him many years ago. However, Mr. Torchwick is quite skilled in making himself a bad target. Whether his altruism is actual kindness or calculus, he undeniably makes Vale a kinder place to live. Human and particularly child trafficking is at an all-time low, he mercilessly tips off the authorities whenever he notices such elements. He stamps down on trade of hard drugs while his own dealers trade in the less dangerous ones. And somehow, despite stepping on as many toes as he does, he rearranged Vales shadows into a carefully balanced tower where he himself is the only load-bearing beam. Remove him and it all comes crashing down into anarchy."

Silence hung over them for a long moment once the short lecture ended. Weiss's head spun as she tried to make sense of a man embroiled in crime also being a philantropist. She wetted her lips. "So he holds Vale hostage?"

A fond chuckle was his answer. "In a manner of speaking, yes. Yet we are powerless to act for fear of making everything worse and he knows that. Mr. Torchwick walks the streets in broad daylight without repercussions. His power lies in his position and for the last ten years, the city has not been worse for his presence. Which is why this," he motioned for the drawer the message went into, "is concerning. If he truly is being threatened by someone who cares naught for the precarious balance he created, this could spell trouble. Unfortunately for them, he is far craftier than they seem to expect."

"Should we help then?" Penny chimed in. Still thoroughly confused but determined. Ozpin shook his head.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but there is no need. I have it handled. Although, Ms. Polendina?"

Penny straightened up upon being addressed. Though still with some humour, Weiss could hear the rebuke in his words: "You may want to keep a closer eye on your unconventional friend."

He pointed to a spot behind them where Ghost sat. Penny made a surprised noise and scooped him up while the headmaster went on: "He climbed Beacon's cliffside an hour ago and wandered the grounds, then rode the elevator here. I can not even fathom how he made it past Glynda."

Though surprising, Weiss saw an opportunity in Ozpin's lack of anger or the like; she seized it immediately: "Actually, do you have any idea what he is? Penny insists he is not a Grimm, but his nature has us all stumped."

Ozpin sipped from his mug in response. Weiss felt almost naked under his gaze, as if readied for dissection. He closed his eyes to think then, releasing her from the spell.

"It is rare I find myself without an answer, but today is such a day, Ms. Schnee. Your 'Ghost' is without doubt a being similar to the creatures of Grimm, yet not one of them. Perhaps we face merely an aberration, but a completely separate lifeform is equally likely. I am afraid that is all I can tell you."

"I see. Thank you for your time, headmaster."

He inclined his head with a faint smile and Weiss ushered Penny into the elevator. Once they left, Ozpin leaned back in his chair. Only to himself did he admit that Ghost was not the sole conundrum in the room. Penny Polendina intrigued him ever since the day James came clean about her existence; she was created on his fellow headmaster's own initiative. Moreover, something like Penny was unprecedented; not even Ozpin himself could have created an automaton with a soul.

In truth the technical or mechanical aspects did not interest him as much. It was the ethical side that worried him. James wanted a disposable weapon and got a person. At the very least they were in agreement that Penny deserved to be treated as the latter.

Down below the subject of his considerations reunited with her other teammates. Yang seemed fine but Blake's eyes were puffy; unfortunately, the flat look Weiss graced her with drained most of the relief of catching up with her parents.

"Now," Weiss declared," we will speak."

It was not a pleasant conversation for anyone involved, but by the end they at least cleared the air. Blake had to admit she was and remained a member of the White Fang. She had been sent to Beacon for a proper education and to grow stronger for the cause. She honestly had no desire to sabotage this opportunity for a cheap shot at Weiss. Although, and this she kept to herself, she had considered it many times over the first week.

The next day Blake went to apologise to Selina as well. Her fellow faunus still rubbed her forehead on occasion but waved Blake off. "Meh, it's fine," was all she said. And that was that, apparently. Then she strolled off to talk to Team CFVY, Coffee, about a ball for some reason.

Blake felt a little weird to walk around with her ears on display after hiding them at first. Thankfully nobody said anything about it. Cardin scoffed and his gang of jerks pointed, but none of them got to start anything. Not that they had the time, seeing how Selina returned with a perfectly round football under her arm.

"Alright, big guy," she chirped with great cheer. "Time to get your asses beat!"

"Buncha losers who get ordered around by an animal?" he snarked back. "No problem. Let's go, guys!"

His cronies followed with laughter.

Blake could not help but hold Selina back. "I still don't get why you do this. He's a racist and keeps doing this."

The other woman made to roll her eyes, but then she simply sighed. "Talk to your dad again. You don't change peoples' minds by hitting them, that just makes 'em fight back." Her piece said, she walked away.

While Blake stewed over those words, Selina led her team into a spirited match four on four. With Pyrrha and Cardin as goalies, the other six went head to head. They swiftly gathered an audience of students and soon enough Professor Port arrived to referee. He called the match after ninety minutes and with surprisingly few fouls. It ended on a draw, 2-2.

All eight were drenched in sweat but grinning. Selina faced down Cardin without fear."Well, well. Looks like we need another match to figure out the winner. How about same time next week?"

"You're on, poochie."

Blake could only shake her head at that. Nonetheless, she still noticed that the insult had less heat to it than in the past. Perhaps Selina was right and she needed to call home again.

 

[Naron]

Lumina rose at dawn as she always had.

Though already wide awake she strolled into the bathroom to wash her face as became routine, though an errant glance into the mirror revealed something aesthetically pleasing look back. Her cheeks filled out, bones no longer as pronounced. Her hair was merely disheveled from sleep, no longer greasy or wild. Ever since Kali took scissors to it and gave advise on how to treat her mane, Lumina took care to brush it in the mornings. Her wings shone with new luster.

Thanks to proper nutrition, her ribs no longer showed. Her chest grew somewhat, though she appreciated it remaining close to modest. Physical activity Ghira insisted on had toned her stomach, arms, and legs; in retrospect, she appreciated being made not to rely on her Semblance so much. The bright sunlight tanned Lumina's skin as well, although her benefactors were quite surprised. She told them that the sun's rays would never hurt her, yet they were still confounded by the absence of burns.

All in all, Lumina was pleased with what she saw; at the same time she could not help but wonder how such an inferior shell had grown so much on her. Yet the crux of the matter was that it did and so she accepted it.

The thought drew a faint smile onto her lips; Menagerie was everything she had been told and more.

After some time spent on her morning ablutions while bathing in the light filtering through the windows, she strode back to her room in her undergarments. Kali had picked out a number of comfortable clothes for her to wear; shorts in plain white, as always her favourite colour. Unfortunately for her preference in tops, her caretaker still refused to let Lumina go bare. She originally accepted clothes out of habit in Mistral; human standards of decency remained odd to her, even after Kali sat her down to explain. Nonetheless, she conformed to them with a silver bustiere, tailoured to hug her waist and leave the back open for her wings. Two suspenders ran from the cups over her shoulders to keep everything in place.

Once she stepped outside to bask in the light some more, her thoughts returned to the past months. It had been absolute bliss compared to before. Lumina was happy, surprisingly enough. So happy that she forgot herself for a time. She made not a single step toward regaining divinity despite the improvements to her mortal shell.

It rankled. Somehow, simply existing failed to leave its mark even though she knew her memory rested within those around her and Selina far off. Yet that was not enough even with the faint echoes from others that heard of her joining the choir. She could not simply wait to ascend once more. Her everpresent Dream was weak, barely remaining in existence.

She needed a following, a reputation, and a legacy. The more people knew of her, the more her dormant nature could awaken. She needed time to grow from a pupa back into the moth she always was.

These thoughts persisted throughout the customary sunbathing. She still mulled it over during breakfast, to the point the Belladonnas took notice.

"Is something bothering you?" Ghira finally ventured. He seemed honestly curious, as he always did.

Lumina considered how to phrase her thoughts and feelings for a moment. "I want to become famous," she settled on. "Specifically world famous. I want every single being on Remnant to know my name. But I wonder how tenable that is and how to go about it."

Her ambitious declaration certainly surprised them. Kali leaned forward curiously. "That is... surprising? You never struck me as the type to want fame and glory."

"I care little for glory, merely for renown. Positive or negative are of no regard."

Ghira chuckled at that. "Well, it's all good as long as you don't become an infamous villain." Nobody else laughed and he turned a bit more serious. "As long as you remind yourself how difficult and taxing fame can be."

Lumina nodded; she was well aware... and surprisingly disinclined to play the villain, even if infamy was likely easier to attain.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" Kali chimed into her sudden introspection

"All my life, in one way or another." It felt odd to admit now of all times, but she did it anyway. "I need this."

Her serious tone convinced both of them easily. Ghira nodded thoughtfully and Kali clasped Lumina's hand. "I see. In that case, I am with you every step of the way." This surprised Lumina, though Kali just smiled. "Did you expect anything else?"

Lumina had no words. She certainly learned of their limitless support for anyone and everyone, but the fact this included her remained humbling. They saw not a goddess to revere and yet they immediately lent an ear and their knowledge or connections without prompting.

Ghira took a sip from his coffee while considering the situation. After putting down the mug, he broke the renewed silence: "You have several options for how to become a celebrity. Politics is one, the arts are another, and combat is a third." Lumina hung on his lips as he explained. "Becoming a national leader will give you the fame you want, but the path there is long and grueling. Not to mention your nature is rather straight-forward, which most politicians are not."

He had a point there, though Lumina still did not understand why politics had to be so convoluted. Regardless, she did see one particular opportunity to grasp: "I could try subverting the White Fang and put them back to the original order of operations?"

It would not be easy and she must defeat Sienna Khan to do so, but turning them into her cult may be a good start. Unfortunately, Ghira shook his head.

"That is unlikely at best," he cautioned her. "As fond as I may be of Sienna's wit, she is also fiercely loyal to her cause and her lot. An outsider will not be able to take over as easily as you may think, Faunus or not." He hesitated then, clearly worried. "That aside, I would prefer if you didn't. The Fang grows more fanatical with every year. I fear they are too far gone to return to what they once were."

Lumina nodded; she since accepted his wisdom in matters of Remnant. As much as she hated having her ideas criticised, she knew less than them. Ghira frowned softly, returning to the list he gave: "Next is the arts. An author, artist, or actress are all possible paths to fame. But competition here is fierce and few emerge on top. You are quite radiant, so actress may work out for you. But it requires acting, which you are bad at." He had a point there, Lumina could admit that without hesitation.

"And, as much as it pains me to say, there is fame through combat. Specifically as a Huntress. I don't like that this is the path best suited to your current skills, but anything else would be a lie. You are strong and bear a semblance well-suited to all kinds of battle. It is also the most dangerous path, considering your life will be in danger more often than not."

Once again she was surprised. Even now it never occurred to her that killing the creatures of Grimm could make her famous. It was something everyone did after all.

"It is that easy?" she could not help but ask, making Ghira chuckle for some reason.

"None of these are easy, but hunting may be easiest for you. Still also the most dangerous. You would need to make a lasting impression and work harder than all the living legends out there. You heard of Qrow Branwen?" he asked and got a nod. "He is one of them, one of the best of his generation. We know about him even here despite the fact he came to Menagerie exactly once."

"And Selina kept swooning," Kali added with a soft giggle. Ghira cracked a smile as well.

"I doubt he even noticed. Surprisingly abrasive, too. But a good man."

Lumina mulled over what she heard while they reminisced. With her deep in thought, it fell to Ghira to deliver the final nudge: "If you want we can see about the application tests for one of the schools? Considering everything, you may be able to make Beacon like Selina."

Lumina nodded to that. "I will consider it. May I read up on the subject for now?"

"Of course."

She excused herself to use the computer since installed in her room once they were done eating. The internet may just be one of her favourite inventions; access to an incredible amount of human knowledge, all at her fingertips with the press of a button. Though crude compared to the essence of Dreams with which she herself communicated, it was a marvel regardless. An engineered one at that instead of innate.

Lumina studied up on the subject of hunters and read accounts of the most famous names. A toothy grin began to form as minutes turned to hours; this was exactly what she needed to become known as. A protector, a guardian, that which The Radiance always was.

Moreover, there was something Ghira did not mention. She brought it up during breakfast the next morning: "I was thinking I could take the examination for the license directly?"

Her rumination befuddled the Belladonnas.

"You're not even fifteen yet," Kali reasoned, much to her annoyance. Age meant nothing to her. At the same time, she reminded herself, protecting one's young was an ingrained instinct in many species. Kali remained unaware of her thoughts and carried on: "Graduating hunters are aged between twenty and twenty-two. I have faith in your abilities, but this gap may be too large."

"She is right," Ghira added, obviously taking his wife's side. At the same time he clearly saw the fervour burning in Lumina's eyes. "But you already made up your mind, didn't you?"

She nodded wordlessly, meeting his gaze for a long moment. Ghira was struck once more by how vibrant her eyes could be, then he nodded back. "Very well. I need to check when the next license exam is."

"Beacon holds them in May, ten days from now," she informed him. "Applications are still open for three days."

Kali huffed, mostly exasperated but also fond. "And Beacon no less. You really don't do things by half." She cracked a smirk right after. "Alright. With how much work you have been doing since Selina left, we can definitely waive the fees for this."

Lumina nodded. At the same time she was reminded of her boisterous companion's absence. Patrolling with just Ilia felt odd after she got used to Selina's presence. Neither of them spoke much. Even though Selina called at least once a week, her absence was felt.

"That aside," Kali purred with an intent look, "we need to enhance your outfit a bit. It's serviceable and practical, but a prospective Huntress needs to look dashing."

Her remark left Lumina confused; she did not read anything about that. Ghira thankfully jumped in to explain: "Hunters are expected to dress well, even over-the-top, so that everyone can recognise them at a glance. People around the world draw hope, comfort, and a feeling of safety from their presence after all."

"I see." And she did, it made sense. Nonetheless, Lumina threw Kali a flat look. "And I accept. But what I have now will remain as a baseline."

Kali just chuckled. "That is alright," she agreed. "I already have something in mind."

Had Lumina not been inside at that moment, she may have recognised the crimson flare across the horizon. None other bar two could perceive it, but of those one had no mind to think, merely recognition. The other exception's eyes fluttered open next to an empty cocoon.

Awareness slowly returned to Ruby Rose. There was no reassuring coo to greet her, no pulsations running through grounds and tents. She lay on the ground and stared up, eyes wide.

Then she surged to her feet, pumping her fist with a pleased "Yes!" on her lips. She won! After a month of dozens of daily battles, she finally defeated the Nightmare King! She went head to head with the avatar of a god and won!

Once her elation faded back to normal levels, Ruby giddily glanced around for what else may have changed. The accordion still sang, though its song was more energetic now. Hearing that, Ruby strolled back and waved at Brumm.

"Hey, I won! What happens next?"

He simply shrugged off her question, though. "Will remain until summoned again. Enjoy." He left a pause to turn her way fully. "Well done."

Ruby beamed up at him and skipped along to give the good news to Divine who already expected her, aware of what happened just like Brumm. "Congratulations," she greeted Ruby. "And to come out as cheerful as you went in. You are certainly something, dearie."

"Thanks!" Still euphoric, Ruby offered her the Charm she received over a month ago. "And here. I'm pretty sure I reached the limit of my Semblance. And with the ritual complete, I figured you probably want that back?"

"Keep it, dearie." Divine giggled to herself and closed Ruby's fingers around the Charm. "It will be a memento if nothing else. Perhaps you can pass it onto another one day."

She reluctantly accepted the offer and took her leave after some more conversation. Ruby did stop to pet the horses again, though. Then she bought herself a packet of cookies and ran home. Rose petals fluttered along the dirt road, merrily splitting into several clusters; they sliced through the occasional Grimm along the way, leaving behind dissolving husks without ever stopping.

Once she reached home and reconsolidated, Ruby quickly checked her Scroll out of habit. Her aura was still above four fifths, yet another reason to celebrate. She waved at her father and uncle, then dashed forward to leap into Taiyang's arms.

"I won!" Ruby cheered while he spun her around. "I won!"

"Hey, congratulations! So now you can finally go back to school?"

The teasing remark put a damper on her cheer. Qrow chuckled at the side while Tai put her down. It was true Ruby skipped most of her classes and homework to spend more time fighting Grimm. She was dangerously behind. With her desire fulfilled, it slowly dawned on Ruby how irresponsible she had been.

"Oh... I'm sorry."

A moment passed before Taiyang sighed and ruffled her hair. "Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of your tenacity. But this is important for your future. You do want to get into Beacon, right? It'll be brutal without the recommendation from Signal."

"Yeah, what he said."

Seeing that even Qrow agreed despite his infrequent encouragements to run off and have fun, Ruby slumped. "I mean, you're right," she agreed, "but I need to be a good fighter, too. Grimm gave me practice in spades, that's got to count for something, right?"

Her despondence impressed neither man. They exchanged fond if exasperated looks, then Qrow stepped up. "Tell you what, squirt," he drawled while drawing his greatsword, Harbinger. "Let's see if you improved."

The challenge gave Ruby pause. For just a moment she seemed to look straight through Qrow, then she wordlessly unfolded Crescent Rose. Tai gave some distance with Zwei sitting attentive by his feet. But instead of starting out the fight, Ruby bowed at the waist with practiced ease. Qrow only arched a brow at that, though his amusement turned into exasperation when she mirrored the gesture. He bowed back while rolling his eyes, which prompted an impish grin.

"Good," Ruby said. "It's only polite."

On the last word she scattered into rose petals. One cluster darted behind Qrow who swung behind him in expectation of hitting a soft body. He only dispersed more petals and his cocky grin disappeared when a boot hit his shoulder. Once again he swung blind, only to hit empty air. "That's how you wanna play it?" he growled. "Fine!"

A pinch of Wind Dust was thrown and activated, turning into a whirlwind. The Dust reaction caught most of Ruby's petals and forced her to reform, but the gale flung her out of Qrow's reach; by the time he followed up, his niece already transitioned into a roll and leapt out of his swing. Harbinger left a metres-deep tear in the soft ground.

While he still pulled back, her momentum carried Crescent Rose's tip right by his face. Qrow heard the sirring of cut air and let go to evade. Ruby twirled around herself and brandished the scythe with a grin. It was wiped away when Qrow lunged for her, grabbed the weapon's handle, and punched her in the face.

But then Ruby's skull gave under his fist, once again dissolving into rose petals. Qrow was caught in a miniature storm of their own as they cut all across him, tearing his clothes and chipping away at his aura.

Shocked by the heretofore unseen technique, his reserves took a harsh hit as he tried to fend off the assault from all directions. In the end he escaped by turning into a bird and flying away. The crimson torrent gave chase but rapid wingbeats kept her at bay for a precious second. He turned back near Harbinger, grabbing the handle in passing. A mighty swing scattered the dense cluster of petals from which Ruby reformed. She landed on a small stone and tripped, squeaking in surprise; a bullet slammed into her chest just before she could scatter again. The first real hit Qrow landed through the entire fight.

Ruby was thrown back, only to evade the tumble altogether by scattering again. She reappeared on her feet half a metre later, ready to charge again.

Qrow had seen what he needed, though. He lowered Harbinger. "Okay, enough."

While his niece relaxed, he ran a hand over his face. That was more of an actual fight than he expected.

"What's your aura at?"

Ruby rubbed some sweat off her forehead before peeking at her Scroll. "About... seventy percent, roughly? But I was already around eighty when I came back."

He followed her example and opened his own Scroll; his own aura entered the yellow despite having been full. Ruby's Semblance was nasty to fight against. Maybe with wide-area Dust effects, but even that was not a certainty. At the same time overreliance could become an issue, one which he already curbed over the past years. Ruby assessed the situation correctly and relied on her strongest tool to face a superior opponent.

He did not like the implications of this bout. Yet going by the face Taiyang made, as if his brother-in-law bit into a lemon, they both thought the same thing. Qrow sighed, collapsing Harbinger into its storage form before attaching the weapon to his back.

"Yeah, you can drop Signal entirely."

"...what?"

"You heard me. I don't like it, but the main thing you need is combat strength. And whatever happened in these dream fights, you do have that in spades now. Everything else is extra and for when you wanna retire from hunter work for something less lethal." He shrugged at that point, well aware of his niece's befuddlement. Then he put on a reassuring grin. "Heh, I doubt you'll need that when you're already a decent engineer."

Still confused, Ruby turned to Tai next. Her father nodded slowly. "Qrow is right. You can sign up for May's license exam at Beacon and give it a shot." They both knew neither of them liked it, but with this showing, they also knew Ruby would waste six years in combat school. Adding her social awkwardness to that and it may well become a lonely six years, too.

"So... it's really okay?"

Tai huffed at that, smiling mirthlessly. "Of course it isn't. I didn't expect either of my girls to go into the field for years." Ruby began to fidget at that, but he dispersed her nerves by ruffling her hair again. "But it's okay. We're both teachers and hunters, so we can tell when you're ready. Give the exam a shot and if you fail, you just keep going to school. If you pass, well." He did not finish the sentence, but there was no need. Ruby nodded eagerly.

"Oh, this is awesome! I was looking forward to Beacon, but if I get to be a huntress just like this? I can't wait to tell Yang!"

Hearing this, Qrow conceived a sudden and diabolical idea. "How about we don't do that?" he suggested with an impish grin of his own. If he already had to watch his niece go into the world so early, he would at least milk the circumstances for some fun.

Tai clearly caught his meaning, going by his own grin. "Don't tell Yang that her little sister is coming to overtake her?" Quite literally at that, not that either girl knew it yet.

Ruby's mischievous smirk was ever so reminiscent of her mother's. "Done," she agreed, earning herself a clap on the shoulder.

"Atta girl," Qrow praised. "Now get inside and do your homework. We'll carry on like you're keeping with Signal until you pass that exam."

And just like that he drained most of her enthusiasm again. A huffed "Jerk" was all the response Ruby gave, though she dutifully shuffled past them and inside. Zwei shadowed her.

Only Qrow and Taiyang remained outside. Their smiles slowly faded as reality caught up with them.

"I don't like it," Tai reiterated. When Qrow offered his trusted flask, his brother took it without another word.

"Me neither, but she's not going to learn much in school anymore. You saw how she dodged everything."

"Yeah, the only reason she didn't get you on the first swing is that we both know she loves to come from behind." Tai sighed, heading the flask back so Qrow could take a swig himself. "I doubt she will fail and I don't want to stop her from making her dream come true."

Qrow nodded. "Guess all we can do is support her. Ruby's still a bit too honest from what I saw. No feints at all, just skittering around to get in my blind spots."

"Heh. You're right. We can talk to her about that tomorrow. Make her a real menace for Yang to deal with." And they were back to grinning at each other.

Ruby would spend today catching up on some of her schoolwork. But after that they would make absolutely certain she was ready to go into the field, even if it was the last thing they did.

 

[Naron]

Pyrrha was uncertain what to expect. Classes were over for the day but Goodwitch had sent her first years to the auditorium. All eight teams were present, 32 students that made it into the school. On stage stood Ozpin himself, back straight and oozing confidence; the headmaster made it a habit to stroll across campus in his free time so seeing him was not that much of a surprise. Yet today his demeanour was different, more serious.

Once everyone was seated and the deputy took her place by his side, Ozpin began to speak: "I am glad to see you all deigned to follow Professor Goodwitch's directions. The students have been ever so obedient since she joined our staff." Some laughter followed from the crowd, even Pyrrha's lips twitched. Goodwitch herself was not amused but Ozpin did not acknowledge her displeasure.

He carried on after his little joke lifted the mood: "Regardless of her presence, we never had to worry about our students' academic pursuits. It is my personal belief that education is one of the most important goods in this world. The fact my paycheck depends on it aside," he quipped, to some more amusement from the crowd, "it is knowledge that separates us from mere beasts. The ability to obtain and exchange it, to learn. Yet as much as we wish to say otherwise, claim all as equal, the truth of the matter is that some individuals stand out. Some stand beyond most any of us.

"Atlas, Shade, Haven, and Beacon prepare prospective hunters over four years. We teach you everything you need to know. Not just to survive in the field, but to thrive and improve. Among our alumnis are known names of just about every occupation. It is no empty boast when I say that, among your age group, you are among the best."

The praise felt genuine coming from him. Despite the many platitudes Pyrrha hardly acknowledged over the years, this once she felt herself glow with pride. Meanwhile, Ozpin seemed to look everyone in the eyes at once. He studied them, took their measure, and smiled.

"However, sometimes there are others. Less fortunate or more secretive souls, those born with a gift of one sort or other. People who either lacked the chance or the desire to apply for combat school. People who, through a stroke of bad luck, failed to enter one of the academies." Another pause was left, opening the room to an expectant silence. Pyrrha immediately suspected the upcoming license examination and was not disappointed.

"Naturally, we offer all of them a chance to become hunters as well. Be it their circumstances, their preferences, or outside interference that kept them from joining us, all are allowed to undergo the examination for a hunter license. As some of you may be aware, the time for this very exam is near." The excited muttering his announcement created, he simply cut through: "And like every six months, it is not just up to the faculty to render judgement on the hopefuls. It will be up to all of you to join our efforts."

The noise level grew so far that the headmaster needed to stop once again. People were talking across the room, even Selina and Yang started arguing what this might mean until Pyrrha and Weiss shushed them; she felt a certain kinship with the Schnee heiress in that moment, though not for long.

Ozpin simply continued to smile. "Usually, the excitement only starts with the following announcement: for the two weeks the examination lasts, first year classes are suspended."

He gave the shocked silence time to be broken by a collective cheer. Pyrrha did not join but was still pleasantly surprised by the break. She doubted there were no strings attached, though.

The headmaster continued as if reading her mind: "While the applicants are not aware of it yet, their first assignment will be a combat test. As is customary, they will run through a gauntlet of our entire first year class."

Though she expected something along those lines, this still came as a surprise; some others exclaimed about what sounded more than a little unfair at first glance. Over the ruckus however, one hand rose daintily. Ozpin nodded to its owner.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee?"

The room grew quiet again; Weiss waited until her voice could be heard, though she also projected it well to carry. "I understand that this examination is to be challenging, but why over thirty students and not a team of instructors?"

"A good question, if a frequent one. The answer I have always given is that we are walking a tightrope. Applicants need to prove they are not in need of the four years of education Beacon offers. Yet at the same time expecting them to go head to head with a full team of seasoned hunters goes too far. This is also why only our first years participate in this exercise. In addition, this gauntlet tests not only their martial prowess, but also resourcefulness. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes. Thank you, sir."

Ozpin nodded. He waited for other questions and continued when none came: "Good. Now, in addition to the experience of facing people confident enough to apply, each candidate you defeat will earn extra credit for the entire class. The faculty will not set a schedule or order; this will be up to you students. I recommend that you take some time to discuss strategies and find a good order."

The excited chatter began halfway through. That was a lot of potential extra credit to be earned, to the point it enticed even Pyrrha. While she began to muse what to do however, Selina's hand went up. Once Ozpin called on her, she asked her question. "Do we get extra if we beat all of them?"

Going by his smirk, he absolutely expected that one. "Yes. You would also turn out to be the third group in fourty years to achieve this."

"Oh, oh!" Nora waved her hand and shouted into the room without being acknowledged first. "Who else did it?"

Goodwitch's stern glare homed in on her, but she was too excited to notice. Ozpin indulged Nora without rebuke.

"The first time was twenty years ago. Team STRQ, Stark, set themselves at the end of their gauntlet and mercilessly cut down everyone who made it through. The same strategy was repeated last year by Team CFVY, Coffee. In both cases we saw two thirds of over thirty applicants defeated by the final team. I would not be too confident in such a strategy, however." His gaze somehow seemed to grow heavier. Conversation petered out and Pyrrha's breath caught in her throat. "In both cases the teams consisted of students with the potential to become legendary. STRQ should be especially telling. After all, you all know the name Qrow Branwen."

Excitement returned as the weight lifted from the room, except for Yang who seemed both interested and upset for some reason.

The headmaster answered a few more questions over the next minutes before dismissing them. Selina immediately left their side while dragging Weiss along; the pair moved between teams, exchanging words with their leaders. Even Cardin seemed to agree with whatever Selina said, going by his occasional nods despite the scowl she always earned from him.

During a somewhat late lunch, Selina explained to the rest: all team leaders would meet up and discuss strategy in the evening just like Ozpin suggested. Pyrrha understood the idea perfectly, though Weiss already scribbling notes amused her a little.

At some point Blake turned to Yang. "Do you know Qrow Branwen? You looked pretty excited when Ozpin mentioned him."

The blonde shrugged at that. "Well, yeah? He's my uncle."

To say Pyrrha was surprised was a bit of an understatement. The table had fallen silent, all eyes on Yang. Selina adequately put their feelings into words: "You're telling me you're related to a living legend? And never said anything about it?"

Her exasperation cracked Yang's nonchalant demeanour. She sheepishly played with a lock of her hair. "It wasn't really relevant?"

The subject intrigued Pyrrha a great deal. "Would you happen to know the other members?" she inquired curiously, but for some reason that made Yang slump. Her frown grew more pronounced.

"Yeah. My dad was on the team, and my mom too."

"Wow. Tight-knit team, I guess? What're they like?"

Selina only seemed to realise Yang's despondence after the question was already asked. "You okay? Don't wanna talk about it?"

"It's not that, I... yeah, I'd rather not."

Though Pyrrha was curious, she honoured the other girl's wish and steered clear of the subject. Selina nodded as well, then her gaze was drawn by something else. "Alright. And lookie there, I spy with my little eye a bunny. Be right back." So saying, she left the table and her half-eaten meal. Pyrrha watched her partner sidle up to team CFVY and start chatting with them. Velvet in particular became flustered after a minute, likely related to the way Selina beamed at her.

"What was that about?" she inquired once the wolf girl returned. This earned her a lopsided grin.

"Oh, turns out Velvet is the reason they got the clean sweep last year. She's all modest about it but everyone agreed it's because of her. So I organised us a spar for tomorrow, hope you guys don't mind."

Just this once Pyrrha took no offense with her leader making decisions without consulting anyone. The prospect of facing second year's top team intrigued her quite a bit. Especially after what she just heard, considering that Velvet Scarlatina did not stand out all that much. Yet a check of the database confirmed that she led the combat rankings by a decent margin.

Meanwhile, Weiss had begun to fret. She knew intellectually that Beacon's students had a great number of advantages, but the power of their opposition remained unknown. She could not plan for something she was unaware of.

Her nerves remained under wraps into the evening, when all eight team leaders met in the dorm's common room. They seized a table they could all fit around but only half of them actually prepared to take notes. The prospect of putting her head together with others was exciting if nothing else.

Selina seemed to just be giddy; She opened the discussion once greetings were exchanged: "Alright, everyone. I checked with Goodwitch, they've got thirty-eight people. Coco told me they let them form groups of two for the gauntlet and there's two fights a day with a few hours to recover for us in-between. How do we go about this?"

A moment of silence followed her announcement. Weiss immediately seized the opportunity to offer her opinion: "I imagine we should focus on attrition; Ozpin did say that resourcefulness is being tested here, among others. So forcing them to commit resources early on should allow later teams to win."

"We should probably draw out the first fights, yeah," one of the boys added. "See what kind of skills and weapons they have." That got a murmur of acknowledgement.

Cardin chimed in next, brow furrowed. "Just so we're on the same page: it doesn't matter which of us konks them out, we all get the extra credit, right?" Everyone nodded. This was how they understood it. "Good."

"We've got a few heavy hitters in first year," one of the girls supplied. "Pyrrha and Yang are our top dogs, can we do something with them?"

She had a point there; although Pyrrha already displayed the ability to defeat Yang handily, both were forces to be reckoned with. Selina seemed to agree as well, snapping her fingers in thought. "Actually, speaking of, I was thinking we should place my team at the end. Pyrrha is our strongest fighter, so we want her there to knock out whoever makes it through."

The group in general agreed with her idea and Weiss hoped her miniscule frown remained unnoticed. She understood the sentiment as well, but a tiny part of her desired for SPBY to be the final hurdle. The glory lured her.

Before she could speak up and make a reasoned argument, Cardin chimed in again: "Yeah, how about we don't do that?"

It was surprising if welcome support for her own desire.

"Any particular reason?" Selina shot back curiously, to which he made a so-so motion.

"Kinda. First off, I don't want to just repeat the same thing Ozpin talked about. That's lame."

"But effective," someone quipped. Weiss did not catch who.

Cardin rolled his eyes at that. "Yeah, fine. But I was thinking, if we put the strongest one at the end, anyone who makes it there can rally and know they're done afterward. So why not put her in the middle to lay on the pain and tire them out? Then we need someone who hits hard at the end to take 'em down."

His proposal prompted a moment of introspective silence. As much as Cardin's general attitude peeved Weiss, she could see his point. The psychology behind his idea was familiar as well. Not to mention that it served her own desires perfectly.

"That idea does have merit," she reasoned, pleased when Selina nodded. "Assuming Sunlight takes a center spot, I imagine Spiceberry will fit well at the end. Yang is without doubt the strongest in our year. Physically, that is."

Nobody argued that point. Seeing that they were in agreement, Cardin went on: "Alright then. And my team can go first to soften them up. The boys are pretty agile and I hit hard, so we can cover speedsters and bruisers." Again he earned some general agreement, though his smirk told Weiss that going first may have been his sole intention here. Not that she begrudged him such a preference.

As the discussion continued, Weiss sometimes took notice of their upperclassmen listening in. The approving nods and grins flying around filled her with determination not to disappoint.

They ultimately settled on CRDL first, SNNL fourth, and SPBY eighth. The other teams sorted themselves in the remaining spots; their priority was to mix heavy hitters and fast strikers, as well as Dust specialists and whatever shenanigans their Semblances could bring. After about two hours, Weiss was confident that they created a winning combination. A fire of passion burned in her chest, she wanted to excel and be among the select few who defeat all applicants. A legacy of her own or at least a first step in that direction.

She eventually found herself with only Selina and Cardin after wrapping up. The redhead nudged their classmate cheerfully. "You're surprisingly unbiased there, big guy," she chirped. "Change of heart?"

"Fuck off. I want the extra credit."

"And the glory," Selina added cheekily. His grousing did not seem to affect her at all.

And somehow it worked; Cardin heaved a sigh. "Yeah, that too. If I gotta play ball to get it, fine. But that doesn't mean I suddenly like you."

"Yeah, right." However one could fit so much sarcasm in two simple words. "Anyway, speaking of balls, we're still up for the day after tomorrow?"

"What, think you can get around another ass-whooping?"

His taunt earned but a chuckle. "Just you wait, the score's even again before you know it."

"Sure, if that helps you sleep? Later, losers."

So saying, he sauntered away. Only a bemused Weiss and an amused Selina were left behind. The atlesean could not help but comment: "He does seem more mellow than before. Whatever you are doing apparently works."

Much as she came to expect, Selina did not preen. She was surprisingly humble for a woman so brash. As it were she simply shook her head.

"Wish I could take credit for it, but it's all Ghira. I'd probably be right there with the other White Fang assholes if it weren't for him. He taught me to keep my calm and engage the other person instead of trying to fight them." A soft laugh escaped her before she threw Weiss a smile. "And it worked on you too, now didn't it?"

Only her saying it made Weiss realise that this was true. She meant to ponder the repercussions of this new insight, but was distracted by a muscular arm sliding around her shoulder. Before she knew it, she was pulled into a sidehug that was... not awful. If anything, Weiss had to fight herself to not melt into Selina's side.

Regardless of her craving the comfort, she mustered up a disgruntled response: "Could you not?"

"Not at all, or not where people can see?"

Weiss opened her mouth but stopped before she could sour their relationship unnecessarily. Despite herself she did not want to refuse Selina entirely. She slowly began to feel that she could be at least a little more open here at Beacon.

Her voice was quiet when she finally answered after an awkwardly long pause: "The latter."

Though there were few people left who could see them, her wish was heeded immediately. Selina let go. "Right, right. Can do."

Of course she had to ruin the moment right after: "And just to be clear, I'm not coming on to you. Not into girls."

"I, I was not assuming you were!" Weiss shot back, flustered. She started to stalk away, muttering to herself. "Of all the crude things to say...."

Selina followed with a chuckle. "Hey, just making sure we're on the same page. You've gotta keep these things in mind when you're friends with a raging lesbian."

When Weiss glanced at her with an arched brow, she motioned into the distance. "Ilia's a year younger, she'll go to Shade next year if she makes it in."

"I see." She had nothing else to say to that. Soon the two of them separated as well for the evening.

The next day, SNNL received a thorough thrashing by CFVY. Coco would later compliment them for putting up a fight, but the result was never in question. Fox was as swift as Ren, Yatsuhashi outmuscled Nora, Coco and Velvet had perfect coordination to take down first Selina, then Pyrrha. The only one whose aura went into the red was Coco herself, thanks to Pyrrha's efforts.

The leaders clasped hands with matching smirks in the end, though. Compliments were exchanged. The brunette made a motion for the younger team. "You've got a good thing going and a nice coverage. Your teamplay needs work."

In turn Selina threw a sour look toward Pyrrha's downed form. She lay on the ground catching her breath, sweaty hair clinging to her forehead. "I'm working on it," the faunus girl told her senior. Coco would be an idiot to miss the signs but decided not to pry. Pyrrha failed to notice their exchange.

The day after that, aside from training and their final classes before the break, they had the next football game. SNNL barely eked out a win and managed to tie up the score, much to Selina's pleasure. Other teams were playing as well and more balls found their way on campus.

While Selina was chatting with Dove and Sky about putting together an actual field instead of using the meadow, a glint of light caught her attention. Glancing out toward the city, what she saw gave her pause. Other heads turned in response to behold Lumina cresting along. Her gleaming wings were spread wide, somehow illuminated despite the overcast sky.

The moth surveyed the area momentarily before spotting Selina. The moment their eyes met, she angled her course and dove before making a gentle landing right in front of her erstwhile companion. What was more, her clothes now sported a layer of sheer fabric that fluttered with every motion.

"Selina," her friend greeted with a trace of warmth.

She was still too befuddled to just greet her back. "How'd you get here? I mean, not that I'm not happy, but how?"

"I flew. As usual."

Her nonchalance almost tripped Selina up. It really had been a while since they spoke more than a few minutes over the phone. Remembering that this was normal for Lumina, she simply nodded and suppressed a sigh. "Yeah, fine, fair enough."

"Friend of yours?" Yang chimed in. Her curiousity was clear for all, though most of the students were interested in the new arrival.

Selina grinned, aware she would get some fun out of seeing others interact with her. "Yeah. Meet Lumina." She motioned for the younger girl, who studied Yang momentarily. The blonde struck out her hand.

"Nice to meetcha. I didn't know there's faunus who can actually fly, but I guess it makes sense. You look pretty, heh, light to me."

Blake and Nora groaned in the background, but Lumina simply kept staring at the expectant girl. "A pleasure to meet you as well," she finally said while taking her hand. "I believe Selina mentioned you a few times."

Lumina may be one of the few people who missed Yang's disappointment; the far taller woman masked it admirably and put on a smile. "Oh, did she? Only good things I hope."

"She rarely has anything bad to say in general," Lumina answered before turning back to her fellow faunus. "Beacon seems to do you well."

She grinned back and gave a thumbs-up. "Absolutely! You should try to get in here too when you're older."

"Perhaps," Lumina allowed.

Selina then proceeded to properly introduce her tiny friend; if nothing else, that had not changed. Lumina even beat out shortstack Nora by several centimetres, though with not even half the boobs. Selina kept that comparison to herself, although she doubted her friend would take offense.

The last person she got to was Weiss, who shook Lumina's hand without hesitation. The heiress inclined her head. "A pleasure. I have to admit I am as curious as Selina about the purpose of your visit. From what I heard, you live on Menagerie?"

"That is correct. I have business with the headmaster and decided to attend in person. And while I was at it, I figured I might as well pay a short visit."

"Aww, you do care." Selina tried to play it off but the care on display surprised her nonetheless. Lumina was not an overly affectionate person. Others clearly caught how flustered she was.

Meanwhile, much to the wolf's surprise, Pyrrha chimed in: "You would travel half the globe for a meeting? That does seem quite important."

"Not overly much, mainly just an introduction." She paused at that point, faintly confused. "And it is not like I am losing much time." Her comment drew confusion from most while Selina quietly cackled to herself.

Weiss arched a brow in response. "The journey must have taken at least a week."

She was right in any conventional sense. Unfortunately for her, she dealt with an absolutely unconventional person. Lumina shook her head and checked her Scroll. "I arrived here about five minutes after my departure from Kuo Kuana. As it is my first time traveling to Vale, I had to make frequent stops to orient myself and took some time to admire the view. Now if you would excuse me, I need to see the headmaster."

She wandered off without another word, likely unaware of the crowd staring after her. Perhaps she was just unwilling to comment, though. Either way, Selina kept laughing; she forgot how fun it was to have her around. Weiss's flat stare, that wordless demand of an explanation, only kept her going.

Once she calmed down, the faunus woman shrugged. "You know how some people just have unfairly neat semblances?" She already expected the nod, considering Weiss was one of them. "Lumina is to those people what they are to some of us normies."

She glanced toward her friend's retreating back again, no longer pale but tanned a few shades lighter than her own skin. Wings folded up neatly, she looked healthy now. Not half-starved like when they first met.

"What do you think she's talking to Ozpin about?" Nora asked. Selina shrugged.

"No idea, maybe she's trying to get in early? I'll ask her later."

Alas, Lumina was nowhere to be found. They later learned that she zipped home immediately after the meeting, seeing that Kali asked her to do so. Everyone remained tight-lipped about the reason of her visit, too.

Selina decided not to pry, figuring she would find out soon enough. And she was right, much to her detriment.

 

[Naron]

Ruby felt decidedly out of place.

She sat among a large number of people, which on its own would already intimidate her. Adding in that just about everyone was older than her and the severe deputy headmistress delivering the orientation speech, then it became a most wonderful time. Not. It felt like the blonde on stage hated all of them and Ruby in particular, even though her piercing gaze never stayed on anyone.

Though intimidated, Ruby tried her best to listen to Professor Goodwitch just like the humans and faunus around her. They already did the general paper tests, which were multiple choice exams even twelve-year-olds could solve. Health evaluations were held ahead of time, she did those already. The most surprising part was that they could form teams of two people if they wanted. Ruby already expected the first ordeal to be a combat challenge, though nobody said what kind of fight it would be. Some people nodded along knowingly, which made her wonder if she missed something.

"The order in which you undergo the first trial is first-come, first-served. A list will be placed on this table, to be filled in at your discretion," Goodwitch explained while pointing to the furniture in question. Several sheets of paper settled under the power of her telekinetic Semblance. "Anyone who proceeds to the second stage will be hosted at Beacon in the interim. Provisions will be provided for the duration of your stay. That is all."

Ruby joined the polite applause while Goodwitch stepped back. With her presence receding, people around the young woman started to chat. Teams began to form but nobody so much as acknowledged Ruby. She in turn felt too awkward to talk to anyone. What if she asked someone and they brushed her off? What if they laughed at her? No, she reasoned, she could do it on her own. Although it would have been nice to make at least one friend.

She started walking to put down her name with a muted sigh, only to run into someone. Hopping back with a faint squeak, Ruby's attention snapped to the other person.

"I'm so sorry!" she started, only to be stopped short when she actually registered who she ran into. A tanned faunus girl clad in white and silver, with sheer fabric fluttering around her body in resemblance of the white gossamer wings folded on her back. Somehow this girl was shorter than Ruby herself, if not by much.

She thankfully shrugged off her apology. "There was no harm done. Everyone seems to be... excited."

A lame "Yeah" was all Ruby could provide. She awkwardly stood in place, unable to quite look away from the stranger who studied her in turn.

Then another voice grunted from behind her: "Damn, they let even kids in here these days."

The derisive comment made Ruby crumble a little more. Yet somehow the other girl's flat stare stopped her from shuffling away. Her gaze kept Ruby transfixed; something she could not understand went on behind those eyes.

Before she could really question how she knew this, the other girl commented on the byplay: "Age and aptitude are not necessarily linked."

It almost sounded like encouragement, which Ruby was grateful for.

"I guess so. It's still kinda hard when everyone's older than me."

"How old are you?"

"Uh, fifteen?"

Some laughter sounded around them; people were listening to them talk, which only made Ruby more anxious. Yet in complete opposition to her own feelings, the faunus girl remained unfazed. She simply nodded.

"Then you are not the youngest here, as I turn fifteen in a month and a half. Perhaps that helps. Now, if I may?" She motioned for the still blank list, completely ignoring the condescension around them.

Ruby stepped aside, only to pause in surprise as she realised what the other girl was doing. With how young she was, going solo just could not go well.

"Aren't you, y'know, looking for a teammate?"

The moth glanced back, expression unchanged. "I need no assistance and I will not suffer fools to slow me down. Not to mention," she added with a scoff at the crowd. "I believe the feeling is mutual."

Ruby made to respond but hesitated. If the other girl was so certain, even just asking the question felt daunting.

While she still worried about being denied, an older woman nearby interrupted them with a mean chuckle. "You girls should team up, you know?" she told the pair. Once both turned her way, her grin became outright mocking. "That way they only waste half the time with you. There's always kids getting in over their head, they never make it."

Her mouth fell open in shock at how mean this person was. She started stammering, only to be cut off by the moth girl: "And by your commentary, this is not your first attempt. I do not see how the words of a failure should concern me."

More laughter sounded, but this time probably not at their expense. The woman bristled and Ruby could only gape at the situation. Then the faunus girl motioned her to follow. "Come," she said and began to walk; Ruby did not even consider disobeying and fell into step with her.

"W-What just happened?" she asked after a few seconds.

"Do you want to team up?"

"Wha... yeah, sure."

Once the way this conversation went actually registered, she brightened up. "I'd love to."

"Good."

"But why? I thought you don't care?"

The more they spoke, the more eerie her surprise partner's unchanging expression became.

"Yes, but she does. So even if you are awful, I will see that we both pass the examination."

That sounded weird and hurt a little; Ruby did not understand how someone could just say that. Puffing up her cheeks, she shot back: "I'll have you know I'm pretty good. I mean, what if you slow me down?"

"Doubtful," was the instantaneous response, so certain that it convinced even Ruby. Another discerning look was given to the newly slumped girl in the pause that followed.

"But a pleasant surprise if true."

They reached the list then. First the moth girl grabbed the provided pen to write her name in the first slot. It was then offered to Ruby, who did the same; thankfully, she now got a chance to learn her surprise partner's name. The window to ask without it being awkward was already closed.

The moment she was done, the woman from before shoulder-checked her aside with a scoff. "Figures you brats have no idea how this works," she taunted. "First slot always goes in blind, that's why everyone else waited for some idiot to go first."

All that earned her from Ruby's partner was a snort. In a way it was impressive how much derision she fit into a mere sound.

They left the auditorium while others descended on the list alone or in pairs. Ruby needed a while to overcome her nerves, thoroughly intimidated by her new friend's confidence. She carefully ventured after several turns: "Sooo, your name is Hikari?"

A glance went her way, which she took as encouragement to continue: "I'm Ruby. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. It says Hikari on my documents, but I go by Lumina."

"Oh, Lumina then?" The other girl gave a nod. "Okay, I can do that."

With introductions finally made, Ruby became a bit more animated. "So with us being a team and all, how do you fight? What weapon do you use? I've got this!" She unfolded Crescent Rose without waiting for a response, hugging the giant scythe to her chest. "And I do speedy things!"

Lumina stared at her for a long moment, which made Ruby feel mighty awkward again. Just as the older girl began to beat herself up over it, her partner leaned in. She ran a finger over the hardened, crimson steel. Whatever measure she took, she did not say.

"My weapon is light. You do not want to look at me when we undergo the ordeal."

"Oookay?"

Ruby collapsed her scythe again, wondering what to make of that statement. "But how does that work? You can't just make a sword out of light, can you?"

Atlesean Hard Light Dust would do the trick, but that was still new and expensive. Checking Lumina over for any hint of a weapon revealed nothing at all, either. The faunus girl herself was thoughtful.

"I could in theory," she admitted without saying how that would work. "But forcing light into physical form is draining for me as I am. A suboptimal choice by far. No, I simply emit light in the correct frequencies."

This only served to confuse Ruby more.

"But, but weapon? You need one!" she whined, grabbing the surprised girl by her shoulders. "You need one! Every hunter has a weapon! You can't just go without one!"

"This, this is news to me."

Even her general deadpan could not hide how flabbergasted she was by the turn of events. Meanwhile, Ruby shook her lightly and continued to fret. "Oh, and we don't have time to make you one, we're up in an hour!"

"I could buy one?"

"What? No! You need to make one, or, or commission something! The store-bought crap is for militias and posers!"

Her short albeit fiery speech earned stunned silence. Lumina sized her up once more, but this time Ruby did not relent. She refused to accept anything else as truth on this matter. Seeing her determination, Lumina faintly inclined her head.

"...you are surprisingly intense about this subject. Did you craft that scythe yourself?"

That was a nicer subject. Ruby let go and went back to beaming. "Yep. She's my pride and joy! I can help you make one too when we're through this!"

"Unfortunately, I doubt I have the funds to afford your services."

The refusal was waved off in an instant. "Psh, it's fine. Now we got to go this way, right?"

"Yes."

They kept going like this. With conversation petered out, Ruby did not feel like speaking up again. At the same time she felt a lot less tense. Perhaps she actually managed to make a friend?

In the meantime, Beacon's students filled into the largest internal arena. It was built large enough to allow a decent amount of styles, even including ranged combat. Selina laughed as she plopped into a seat.

"At least one good thing for the poor sods we're fighting, they get to be destroyed in a pretty place."

"Hear hear," Yang crowed, high-fiving the other girl.

"Repairing the indoor arenas must be a massive drain on resources without Professor Goodwitch's Semblance at hand," Pyrrha mused from the seat next to Ren not occupied by Nora.

Weiss, sitting between Pyrrha and Selina, nodded. "From what I read," she explained, "actual matches were only allowed indoors when Professor Goodwitch joined the staff. Only carefully monitored exhibition matches could be held here. The headmaster added a clause to the rules that allows proper battle if a member of staff can deal with the damages."

Pyrrha nodded thoughtfully, gaze straying to the man in question; he sat several rows behind them alongside the portly Professor Port and a sharply dressed man from the valean Council. From what Weiss gathered, the group was put together like this to ensure objective treatment of all participants.

Then two clearly older men plopped down next to Yang. Weiss had to look twice and admonish herself for staring, but they were both handsome specimen; one with bared chest and well-toned muscles, the other in a suit and with sharp features. The latter offered her teammate a condescending headpat and dodged the instinctive swing with a chuckle.

"Heya, sunshine."

His drawl did things to Weiss she would never admit to anyone, though her hormones took a backseat when Yang reacted with abject surprise.

"Wait, what? What are you two doing here?"

All anger was forgotten, even though she never let anyone touch her hair. The men grinned at her.

"Oz called us in as outside observers," the blond and bare-chested man explained cheerfully. "Like we'd miss a chance to come back and bully Glynda a little."

His comment prompted a further increase in the muttering between the students; Weiss did not know whether to pity or admire such confidence. The man himself tapped his companion's side.

"Doesn't this bring back memories?"

"Yeah, good times."

The two shared a chuckle. Weiss felt there was something they did not say, but could not tell why or what it may be about. While she was still busy not staring however, Selina leaned past Yang to talk to the newcomers: "I take it you're the dad and uncle we heard about? So you're both from STRQ, right?"

That actually made a lot of sense. Weiss shook her head to get it back into the game. The man who had to be Yang's father nodded amicably, which by process of elimination made the dark-haired one Qrow Branwen. It was him who answered with a big grin: "Yep, the coolest team that ever came out of Beacon."

"The coolest team so far, you mean. Sir," Selina added cheekily. Qrow smirked.

Yang huffed at their banter. "She's got a point," she agreed in a similar tone to Selina. "We're gonna kick ass, just you watch."

For some reason that reassurance merely amused both Huntsmen. Yang apparently failed to notice their matching grins, but Weiss did not.

"Pardon," she interjected from behind them. "Could it be that you know something we do not?"

While Taiyang seemed the slightest bit surprised to be caught, Qrow's expression did not even twitch. He turned back with an arched brow and a somewhat intense gaze. Then he grinned.

"Oh lookie there," he drawled, "the smaller ice queen."

There was no heat to it, but Weiss still felt a mite intimidated. Hence why she took the only way a Schnee ever took in such a situation: straight forward.

"Excuse me?!"

Unfortunately, indignation had little effect on Qrow Branwen. "You heard me the first time, kiddo. Whoever got the stick out your ass did good work."

Giggles and chuckles sounded around them. Weiss was mortified and fighting hard not to visibly blush. Her jaw worked soundlessly, only to click shut when Taiyang whacked his friend's shoulder and interrupted: "Excuse him, he's used to dealing with your sister. They get along like a house on fire."

Wetting her lips, Weiss managed to regain her balance. "Yes," she agreed, "I can imagine."

She muttered about uncultured peons under her breath, unheard by all. Then Weiss squeaked when Selina flicked her forehead jovially.

"Come on, let's all get along. We've got fights to watch and ass to kick!"

Though it was rude, Weiss had half a mind to agree to that. Someone else thankfully spoke up from behind the entire group, a woman. She drew their attention with a loud snort.

"Not much to see for now. Just two brats about to get kicked all the way back to whatever fancy school they come from."

It seemed the other participants were present as well. Her commentary interested Weiss, though.

"Pardon?"

"Ah, right." And that was Qrow again. "There's always some kids trying. Around your age with their heads in the clouds. Pretty ballsy to go first."

That was news, although the intriguing kind. The man next to the previous woman laughed, though. "Ballsy?" he parrotted with great amusement. "Stupid animal didn't even think about it before going for the list."

Something about this comment had Weiss bristle, but she got no chance to berate him. He pointed ahead.

"Ah, there's Goodwitch. Looks like they're starting."

Indeed, the stern deputy entered the arena with CRDL at her heels. Despite the imposing figure Cardin cut right behind her however, it was quite clear who the most intimidating person among the five was. Goodwitch took position below while the students walked to their half of the arena; Cardin stood front and center, flanked by his compatriots. Dove made to hide behind his leader's considerable bulk.

"Preparations are complete," Goodwitch announced. Her voice carried well, though some were still chattering. A single sound like a whipcrack extinguished all noise right after; the deputy attached the riding crop back at her belt, expression unchanged. "We will now begin testing the first applicants, a team of Kamiya Hikari and Ruby Rose."

Though she did not even stumble over the mistralian name, a loud "What?!" interrupted the proceedings. All eyes in the room turned to Yang, who stared dumbly at her family. The men now wore grins that Weiss believed her friends would describe as 'shit-eating'. Yang kept staring a moment longer before repeating herself softly: "What?"

"Surprise," Taiyang almost chirped back.

Selina apparently caught on as well. "Wait, your sister is going for a license? Isn't she, like, fifteen?"

"Yes!"

"Huh. I wonder how she... oh."

The wolf fell silent upon seeing the two applicants enter. All first years recognised Lumina in her pristine white and silver attire. The wings were a dead giveaway regardless. She was accompanied by a slightly taller woman in red and black who did not look like Yang at all, dressed in a dark corset and fluttering, multi-layered skirt. Lumina quietly spoke to her companion without even acknowledging the room.

Meanwhile, Selina's expression had fallen. "We're fucked," she announced.

"Oh come now!" Nora leaned over Ren with notable cheer. "I'm sure Yang won't mind us beating up her sis a bit. Promise I'm not gonna break her legs!"

"I don't think Ruby is what bothers her," Ren informed his maybe-girlfriend, who blinked in surprise.

"Wait, really?"

Meanwhile, Selina ignored the byplay and heaved a sigh. "It takes longer to explain than it takes to see," she told them, then raised her voice: "Cardin! Be careful about flashbangs!"

That earned a grunt from below and a sour look from the Council representative, but no rebuke. Not that Selina would have cared, considering she just kept shouting: "And you better be ready to explain what this is about, 'Hikari'!"

Lumina had already perked up upon hearing Selina's voice the first time. At this point she evenly met the older girl's gaze; whatever she said got swallowed by the buzz of renewed conversation, but her faint smile told the story well enough.

Then, suddenly, the softer expression was wiped away. Lumina's head turned until she all but nailed Velvet of all people to her seat with a sudden and unprompted glare. The brunette made herself small until Coco pushed in front of her to glare back. Her response had no visible effect on Lumina, though; the moth girl merely returned her attention to CRDL.

When Goodwitch left the field, Ruby stepped in front of Lumina. Cardin loomed over the two diminutive girls.

"Sorry about that," he joked with faux jovialty, "but you two are going down."

"We shall see," Lumina riposted evenly.

"Yeah... what she said!"

Even Weiss had to smile over Ruby's attempt to hide her nerves. It was plain as day to the heiress that this one in particular had confidence issues.

Then however, the younger girl took a deep breath and firmed up. Anxiety peeled off her like an onion's first layer, revealing that confidence. She bent at the waist into a clearly practiced bow. Some laughed but Weiss found herself interested. The gesture was not returned, which prompted a small frown.

"Go," Goodwitch called.

A flare went off the moment the word left her lips. Dozens shouted in surprise, but Cardin and Russel in actual pain. A heavy impact sounded before Weiss's vision cleared. Once it did she found Russel at the wall; Ruby was in the process of slamming an oversized super scythe into Sky at Cardin's other side. Dove made to stab her with his dagger, but she burst into rose petals that crested around the blade.

Then a searing band of light connected Lumina and Cardin for but a moment. His aura-meter on the main screen got cut in half, going into the yellow.

Ruby reconsolidated next to Dove, perfectly positioned to swing at him. Her scythe's blade gleamed in the sunlight as it hit him in the neck; the girl's momentum was strong enough to pull him along. He was sent flying right at Cardin, who still clasped his eyes. Sky and Russel were equally blinded.

Another beam from Lumina sent Russel's aura into the red. The buzzer sounded but went ignored as the boy in question was already out of harm's way. Ruby hit Cardin over the head and stepped around his blind retaliation; the mace he swung made a single tip of her hair flutter, having missed by millimetres. The far smaller girl raced by under his arm, scythe trailing after as its blade hooked around his foot.

Then Ruby pulled.

Cardin fell just as Lumina ended Dove's part in the fight. The fourth and final beam zapped Cardin again as he hit the ground. That was the third buzzer.

Ruby ended the fight by winding up and slamming her scythe's head into the back of Sky's. His aura went into the red.

The auditorium was silent, as were the combatants. Lumina stared at her fallen foes dispassionately, though Ruby slowly began to beam.

"We did it!" she cheered

"That was never in question," the other girl returned with what was now clearly earned certainty. She left a short pause before acknowledging her partner. "Good work."

They were interrupted by slow clapping. Eyes turned to Ozpin, who wore a pleased smile. Taiyang and Qrow joined in right after, then some of the other applicants and first years followed. Weiss was among them; these two earned her recognition fair and square.

"You get it now?" Selina quipped, loud enough to be heard over the applause.

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "Yes, I believe so."

Meanwhile, Yang was plainly confused. "How?" She asked no one in particular before turning to her father. "When?" But he only offered a mysterious shrug and Yang looked back to her sister. "How do we fight that?"

That was a good question, one which Weiss hoped she would find some sort of inspiration for during the next few matches. Unfortunately, all Qrow had for them was another condescending headpat.

"Have fun, kiddo," he teased his niece, much to her annoyance.

Once the applause ceased, Goodwitch stepped into the arena again. "Team Cardinal was defeated," she announced for the blind but not necessarily deaf. She did not say it, but everyone could clearly see that neither challenger's aura dropped beneath 95%.

"Next up...."

Similar performances were given the next two fights. Lumina went down another ten percent, barely even moving thus far. She ended fights before anyone ever reached her. Ruby took a single, devastating hit and simply walked it off. She was firmly at four fifths of her total aura capacity.

Then it was SNNL's time to face the pair.

Selina felt wary as led her team into the arena but did not let it show, head held high and projecting confidence. She stood opposite Ruby, but only had eyes for Lumina; the moth never lost her casual confidence and met Selina's gaze evenly.

"There is no shame in surrendering," she offered.

This annoyed Selina for a moment until she realised she was being teased. Then the wolf snorted and made a dismissive motion.

"Sure, but I miss every shot I don't take. We're not going to win this, but I'm landing at least one hit on you."

Meanwhile, Lumina sized her up with newfound interest. Selina's challenge drew a smile onto her face. The second she showed since entering the room; small, almost smug, but certainly genuine.

"No," she responded, a trace of amusement sounding along the single word.

"Okay, now it's on!"

"Begin!"

No sooner did the Professor's voice sound that three pillars of light flickered around Selina. She almost stopped blinking the spots out of her eyes when the buzzer sounded thrice. Her head swivelled around, only to find her teammates' aura-meters universally in the red. Even Ruby had stopped in shock, staring at her partner. The entire room swiftly realised that Lumina was, if not sandbagging, then definitely not fighting at her best.

Then again, these three beams took a decent chunk out of her aura. Selina took notice of how her friend was below a fourth of her bar and almost in the yellow.

Steps sounded in the silence. Lumina folded both hands behind her back, that same smile in place. "But you shall have a chance," she continued their banter as if nothing happened. "Ruby. I have taken care of the other three. Would you mind defeating the last one?"

"Uh, okay? Sure."

Selina adjusted and accepted the new state of affairs. Her team awkwardly shuffled back to the stands while she squared off with Ruby. The fight was on, but it was not a good one; fighting this girl was like trying to hit a cloud. She kept dispersing and reforming, every single petal constantly cutting at Selina's exposed skin.

It was not a quick defeat, but her aura was slowly whittled away no matter what she did. Selina was already resigned to a loss, but this was frustrating. She wanted to at least shave off some more of her opponent's aura. One good hit at the very least.

She lost a strand of her bangs while bending backward, barely dodging a swing of that montrous scythe. At this point she finally got Ruby's measure. The next time the other girl reformed behind Selina, the spear's butt slammed into her arm and sent the next swing wide. Yet Ruby already vanished while Selina whirled around to capitalise.

How did one fight an enemy who could disappear whenever she became open?

"Oh for fuck's sake!"

Instead of keeping up the useless attempts to trade blows, Selina leapt forward and threw her spear with all she had. Right at the unsuspecting Lumina. This single second felt like minutes to her adrenaline-fuelled mind; the entire room held its breath as the weapon raced toward the moth, too fast to dodge.

Light flashed momentarily and Lumina was gone. Suddenly she stood a metre to the left, gone before the spear reached. It crashed past her and into the wall just as Ruby's scythe slammed into Selina's head. She stumbled forward and recovered, pressing three fingers into the transmitter on her glove. Ruby failed to notice, having moved in to pressure her.

"Dodge," Lumina said.

"Huh?"

Once again most people would have been unable to dodge the returning spear; Gravity Dust propelled it that fast. Ruby, however, scattered into petals just before it slammed into her thigh. Selina caught it with a disgruntled noise, well aware she almost ran out of tricks. A pair of aura spheres loosened from her free hand, skittering away. One hit Ruby in the side when she next materialised, the other was once again dodged and dispersed because Selina lost focus.

A final swing of that monstrous scythe sent her into the red seconds later. The buzzer sounded while Selina picked herself up from the ground. Though unhappy, she achieved at least one thing: for the first time since the exam began, Ruby was panting. Her aura sat snugly at a bit over half.

Unfortunately, Lumina's started to regenerate a few ticks over the break she was given.

Taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart, Selina gave Ruby a clap on the shoulder and flipped off her friend before walking back to the stands. Her unhappy team already expected her; while Nora moaned about it being unfair however, Pyrrha was clearly reeling from the fact she was defeated in a single blow.

"Guess you're not the Invincible Girl anymore," Selina quipped, which earned her an annoyed look.

Aside from them, everyone else was chattering excitedly. Qrow and Taiyang clearly had the time of their lives.

The slaughter continued until it was SPBY's turn. Every team tried to dodge but as one could predict, no one possessed the speed to dodge light.

Weiss was not confident, but she felt she had figured out a thing or two. Leading her team into the arena, she took the front line for a moment. Ruby bowed to them as she had every time, to which she saluted with Myrtenaster, her trusted rapier. Weiss almost missed the bright smile this earned her.

While Lumina sized up the opposition, Yang started trash-talking her sister: "I dunno how you got that good, but it's time you get the ass-whooping you deserve."

"You need to catch me first, sis."

"Your sister?" Lumina interjected with clear curiousity. "Do you want to take her on yourself?"

Ruby considered this with a soft hum. "Hmmm... yeah. If that's alright with you?"

She received a nod and moments later, the fight began with blinding light as expected. Spiceberry learned from the previous matches, though; Penny was hardy and her dozen floating blades immediately came for the moth. Light flickered between the constant barrage of slashes as she dodged them.

Weiss and Blake opened their eyes a moment later, having successfully timed the flash. A snow white glyph sprang up before Weiss, constantly kept between her and Lumina as a shield. Blake dodged the light beams by collapsing into shadows and reappeared behind herself; her clones were run through and faded immediately.

Ruby danced around Yang without trouble in the meantime. Her aura dropped by a few points while Lumina needed to actually exert herself now. The moth began to approach the halfway point of her aura after a minute of frantic motion.

Weiss dared feel hopeful for a second, having thought of a way to corner Lumina. She failed to parse the sheer annoyance emanated by her scowl. Selina saw, but by then it was too late to warn anyone. Just like with SNNL, a powerful beam struck Penny and sent her into the red in one go. Then another ate through Weiss's shield, shattering her aura with excessive force. She stumbled back with a pained yelp, her shirt's front in tatters.

While instinctively clutching the scraps to her chest to preserve her modesty, Weiss stared in disbelief how her plans fell apart. Four-on-two had become two-on-two, with Blake and Yang clearly on the backfoot. Even when Goodwitch ushered the heiress out of harm's way, she never took her eyes off the fight.

Blake was hounded across the arena, completely unable to go on the offensive; Lumina stood with gleaming wings spread wide, her aura dipped to below 40% from those two shots alone. It steadily fell but the moth's exertion was miniscule when compared to Blake's.

For a moment it seemed like Yang could finish her fight. Ruby appeared right in front of her, scythe pulled back for a decisive strike. The blonde smirked, hair alight with flame. She wound up and threw a devastating punch that never landed. Ruby dispersed, only to reform next to her sister as she stumbled forward. The scythe's head hammered into the back of Yang's, finally dropping her into the red. Blake's final dodge did the same a moment later.

Two buzzers sounded, announcing the end of the fight. That was it. Victory for the applicants against all odds.

Weiss felt a little numb but also humbled. As much as it annoyed her to admit, she could not deny these two were each beyond any student in first year. She belatedly joined the baffled applause while Ozpin himself congratulated the girls on their success.

After that was lunch break. Yang sadly gave her leader no time to process the defeat and her resulting disappointment; she dragged Ruby along with them. Selina did much the same with Lumina.

Once introductions were made, Selina poked her fellow faunus in the chest. "Now, what's with that Hikari thing?"

Lumina merely shrugged. "I needed to give them the name on my documentation, not the one I go by. I have never been called by that name before."

The commentary clearly confused Selina and Weiss felt a little befuddled as well, though she shrugged it off easier than her friend.

"It is aptly chosen," Weiss said in the end. Then she realised where that sentence was headed and stopped herself. Selina noticed and gave her a nudge, but she shook her head. "No, that would be rude. Either way, Penny, where is Ghost? I did not see him today."

"Drawing maps in our room," the other atlesean answered cheerfully. "He seemed to have fun, so I left him there."

That was that. While everyone else began to fall into conversation however, Lumina's attention focussed elsewhere.

"Excuse me," she murmured as she rose.

"You haven't eaten anything," Yang tried to stop her.

"I will not be long."

She strolled off and went right for what seemed to be Team CFVY; Velvet made herself a little smaller, clearly not looking forward to the confrontation.

Weiss was distracted from her observations when Blake tapped her shoulder. "What were you thinking earlier?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she attempted a flat stare. "Just an idle musing of mine which I realised would be quite inappropriate. While her name is apt, I am not certain what to make of the fact I meet a moth faunus whose name means 'light' and whose Semblance is based on it as well."

Cardin started to laugh in response while Blake bristled. Selina simply shrugged in response. "Yeah," she agreed, "that's kinda weird."

"Oh, not at all."

The unfamiliar, rich baritone cut through all conversation. Everyone turned toward the new voice and was taken aback; there, right in the seat Lumina just vacated, sat a man. Lanky, one may call him. About as tall as Cardin if not even larger, with fair skin and black hair. The red tips and his features appeared eerily similar to Ruby, who stared up in equal befuddlement. His eyes were a bright crimson, almost luminescent. He wore perfectly tailoured, scarlet robes.

"Wha-, who are you?" Selina demanded.

"And why do you look like Ruby?" Yang added, somewhere between accusing and wary.

The stranger's lips curled into a toothy smile. "Why, my dear Yang. I am certain you can think of a reason."

He chuckled over a joke only he was privy to, then inclined his head toward an equally clueless Ruby. "Though it is disappointing you of all people would not recognise me. It was you who shaped me into this form after all. You danced marvelously today."

His eyes began to glow as if for emphasis. They became intimidating scarlet bonfires, which in turn caused Ruby's eyes to widen.

"Wait," she said in disbelief. "Grimm?"

That was not exactly what Weiss expected. Her friends were similarly confused, though the now named Grimm simply grinned.

"Indeed, it is I," he confirmed. For some reason Ruby started to beam at him in return.

Selina interrupted their moment, clearly done with whatever performance this was. "...yeah, let's put that aside. What was that about Lumina?"

Her question coaxed a smile from Grimm, whyever one would name their child that. "Oh, it is quite simple," he explained with clear delight. "You have your order of events wrong with her. It is not that she wields light due to being a moth. She is a moth because she wields light."

"I do not see how this makes sense," Weiss interjected. If her dubious tone bothered him, he did not show any hint of it. In fact his features were worryingly still. Weiss felt smaller than she ever had when he looked at her.

"Because, as simply as that, moths have always coveted the light. They aspired to it long before they were moths, so much so that they came to resemble Her over time."

He left a pause to glance in Lumina's direction. She was talking at a slightly intimidated but mostly flummoxed Velvet.

"The Radiance."

Lumina's head snapped back their way in an instant. Everyone could tell her focus was solely on Grimm, who winked at her... and dispersed into crimson flame about as fast as she appeared by their side in a flash of light.

No one quite knew how to react to this; Lumina ran a hand through where he just was, only for crimson sparks to dance around her fingers.

Nora stared between the various oddities of the day. "Okay," she finally asked, "who was that guy?"

An awkward silence draped itself over them. Lumina stood silent, staring intently as if to make Grimm return by force of will alone. Ruby squirmed in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the attention.

Selina proved more adept at reining in her curiousity than Weiss, for she changed the subject: "Whatever. What did you want from Velvet?"

A moment passed, then Lumina slumped back into her chair. "Her Semblance interested me. She wields it crudely but there is potential with her, so I offered advice."

So saying, she dug into her meal with haste. No more words were offered to anyone; Lumina vanished in a flash of light as soon as she was done. She planned to sunbathe for the rest of the day. The other fights did not interest her to begin with.

Yet once at the cliffside, she grimaced.

"Why did I even miss you?" she muttered to no one but herself. Unheard by merely human ears, Grimm's laughter echoed on the wind.

 

[Naron]

Despite the excitement about Lumina's and Ruby's victory, there was one other applicant going in that day. He valiantly if barely made it past Cardin's team, only for the second to send him out of the running. The winning duo now received grudging acknowledgement from the people who previously scoffed at them.

In addition, just like Goodwitch said, they were allowed to stay at the Beacon dormitory; a number of rooms were held in reserve for this exact occasion.

Selina knew that the next phase for her friend would start the following day, though even she had no idea what it was. It rankled a bit to have a girl younger than her become a Huntress before herself, but Selina tried not to let it get to her. Lumina was different from anyone else she knew. She needed to take a walk and clear her head, though; not only to get rid of that sting of envy, but also to ruminate on what she learned today.

This was when she spied a friend in one of the inner courtyards; Velvet sat under one of the trees and intently stared a hole into its bark. The second year hardly even moved, her brows creased.

Seeing her reminded Selina of the incident during lunch, so she walked over and announced herself by plopping down onto the grass by Velvet's side. When that failed, she tried a quiet whistle that was also ignored. Which intrigued Selina more than it annoyed her, wondering what could have her friend so deep in thought.

She leaned in and whispered "Hellooooo" into Velvet's ears, which finally made the hare flinch out of her trance. "Selina to Velvet, are you alive in there?"

The other faunus stared at her in befuddled silence before giving a slow nod. "Yeah. Yeah. Just thinking is all."

"Well thanks, Captain Obvious."

Her wink made Velvet relax, even smile the tiniest bit. Selina made herself comfortable by leaning against the tree's trunk and started digging: "So what did Lumina talk to you about? I've never seen her glare like that before, either."

The memory of what happened before the first match only returned halfway through her question. Now Selina was definitely intrigued. Velvet cringed, though. She began to hem and hah about, slowly ducking her shoulders under Selina's attention. The redhead said nothing, unwilling to pressure her; not that she needed to. Velvet gave in on her own in the end.

"Oh fine, it's my Semblance. I can copy peoples' muscle memory and learn all their physical skills by looking at them."

"Holy shit, what? You serious?"

Despite her fleeting hope to have misheard, Velvet nodded. Selina put a hand to her forehead, trying to understand. How was such a Semblance even possible? "Shit, that's, like... how? What? Everything?"

Velvet nodded again. She hugged her knees to her chest and began to talk: "The first time you talked to me, I learned how you wield your spear. I can use all kinds of weapon by now, you know? It's... it's so easy. It always was. It feels like cheating."

"Yeah, I get it. Can't say I'm all that happy you just copy everything I worked for."

Her drawled response made Velvet look away. She hunched further, but Selina did not dwell on the renewed sense of inadequacy.

"How's that your Semblance anyway? It's an expression of yourself, so are you some kind of super thief?"

The brunette whipped around at once. "I'm not a thief!" she all but shouted, her vehemence giving Selina pause. Yet despite being scandalised, Velvet lowered her voice a moment later: "I'm not. I've never stolen anything."

She fell quiet then, wetting her lips and trying to find the words. "But I was always good at learning, picking up new skills. I speak fluent Mistralian, Atlesean, and Vacuan. All kinds of other stuff, too."

The image her explanation painted was an incredible one, but Selina knew her friend was no liar. Meanwhile, Velvet sighed. "It still feels like cheating," she muttered. "All of this comes so easy to me, I barely need to do anything. Others have to work for years to do something I get in months or weeks."

Things began to make sense, though they remained fantastical. Selina still felt a smidgen of bitterness, but she had always known not all beings were born equal. If nothing else, Lumina's mere existence drove the fact home. She swallowed her feelings in the end and wrapped an arm around Velvet's shoulder; the older girl relaxed against her, clearly relieved.

"I'm not actually mad, just so you know. This is just a bit more than I expected. Brothers, you beat out literally everyone I know on Semblance strength... except maybe Lumina 'cause hers is just as unfair," she said while giving Velvet a soft squeeze. "Now back to that, you used it on her and? What happened?"

For some reason the prompt made her friend shudder. "I-It's like I slid off a wall," she began haltingly, almost in disbelief. "I don't know how to describe it, like at all. And she noticed, no one ever did before."

Velvet shuddered once again as she recalled the experience. "It felt so weird looking into her eyes. She somehow held onto a part of me. I have no idea how she did it."

"Okay, yeah. I'd be scared too. And what did she say?"

Thankfully, this seemed to have been the worst of it. Velvet calmed down as she thought back to their conversation. "That's the weird part, really. She was not mad at all afterward. Just walked over and told me I'm inefficient with it."

Velvet's disbelief was clear to hear, even Selina was dumbfounded by that. Her friend went on without regard: "Like, how is this unfair thing inefficient? But no, she comes up and tells me to stop using it like a club. I was so confused!"

In the end Velvet's exasperation drew a snort from Selina. "Heh, sounds like her. Did she actually say how you'd do that?"

"...yeah. I didn't even get half of it, she talked about essence and patterns. I'm not even sure what will happen if I get it right."

"We can ask her, you know?"

"She's kinda intimidating, though?"

Selina rolled her eyes at that. Typical Velvet. "You sure are skittish for what might be the most gifted hunter of our generation," she quipped and stood. "Come on, let's go see her."

When the second-year turned toward Beacon proper however, she pulled her toward the cliffside with a grin. "She's always out at sunset."

That was indeed where they found Lumina. Her wings were spread and she stood motionless, bathing in the last rays of light. Velvet trailed behind while Selina approached; a cheerful tap to Lumina's bare back drew her attention and she waved cheerfully.

"Heya. I heard you gave Velvet some pointers for her Semblance. They suck, explain it better."

Velvet cringed again and made to apologise, but a look from Lumina cut her off before the first word was spoken. "Why did you not say so yourself?" the moth asked calmly.

"I mean, you just left for some reason. A-And I had to think it over first, too."

"That is... fair."

"So," Selina interjected herself with a grin. "Explain from the start."

Lumina gave her friend a long look, but relented in the end. "Very well."

Then she turned to Velvet and began: "Your Semblance touches the Essence of another being, then draws out specific parts. You may also call it the soul. It is an... intimate process, one which you can complete unassisted. I saw the use of various focii before, Dream Nails being the last of them. But never this."

Though her audience was clearly stumped, they listened with rapt attention as she went on: "Such a focus allows their wielder to read the thoughts of those they touch and enter their dreams. It disperses restless spirits on contact."

"Wait, what? No one's reading my mind! Don't you dare!"

Selina covered her temples protectively, which prompted a snort from Lumina.

"You would not even know if someone did. It takes practice and mental discipline to detect intrusion, more than that to repel it."

"Don't care! Can't you, like, make a Charm that stops this stuff?"

Going by Lumina's expression, the idea had some merit. "I could," she agreed. "But it is only as strong as I. If someone actually tried to break into my Dream, I could not stop them."

Seeing that this did not calm Selina, Lumina sighed and began to reassure her: "Rest assured there are no such focii on Remnant. The only one you have to worry about stands by your side and seems amenable to your refusal."

Velvet nodded resolutely, which did calm Selina; her friend may be a dirty cheater in the Semblance department, but she was also a sweetheart. Seeing that, Lumina glanced back at the setting sun.

"I can spare an hour or two before I need to turn in."

"But the next part only starts after lunch?"

The hare's confusion drew a chuckle from Selina, who pointed at her younger friend. "She gets up at dawn, always."

"Quite. Now do you want to learn, or rather wallow in mediocrity?"

Her confrontational demeanour gave Velvet pause for a mere moment. Selina was tempted to chide Lumina, had she not seen her upperclasswoman firm up in response. A rare smile graced Lumina's features once she nodded.

"Good."

Then a flash of light made their eyes snap shut. Both women had to blink the spots away, though Lumina waited patiently until they could look at the elaborate shape she burned into the ground between them. It was round, with a number of ellipsoid lines beginning and ending in the outer circle. They all revolved around the center.

"This is the shape you will need."

Velvet quickly realised that Lumina was quite knowledgeable on the matter for some reason, but she had no real chance to ask questions with the shorter girl's rapid pace. While Selina was told to meditate on her aura in an attempt to become more aware of herself and thus intrusions, the hare faunus had to continuously use her Semblance. By how Lumina told it, intuition played a major part when interacting with another's essence, which Velvet felt made sense. The only way to grow proficient with it was to use it.

Therefore, Lumina kept sending a particular thought at her that she had to read. It was a gruesome ninety minutes of tying her own mind into knots; Velvet generally had an idea how to approach it, but moving one's mind was harder than the mere words implied. She only managed it once, on the evening's final attempt. Three simple words echoed through her mind, delivered in ten thousand tongues.

'Dawn will break.'

It reverberated through Velvet's skull as she wandered away, only slowly leaving her mind.

She was accosted by a shadow no two turns into the dormitory. Velvet needed a moment to recognise Ghost, Team SPBY's mascot.

"O-Oh," she greeted, slightly confused at his presence. "Are you looking for Penny?"

Ghost stared at her. Seconds passed in increasingly awkward silence, then he produced a gleaming dagger. Or something like it, Velvet realised. The edge was glittering silver, its heft thin lines of light. Flakes of that same ethereal shape she was shown earlier flickered around the tool. She could not help but stare.

"What is this?"

Ghost struck her with the blade in response and Velvet was too perplexed to dodge. She felt a foreign pressure in the back of her head, an invisible gaze that observed a dozen different thoughts. Then it was gone.

Ghost kept staring at her as if waiting for something. Velvet slowly raised a finger, pointing at the thing in his hands. "Is, is that a Dream Nail?"

Much to her surprise, this time she received a response. Ghost nodded and Velvet gaped, clearly remembering Lumina's comment that no such thing existed on Remnant. Moreover, she also realised she never tried using her Semblance on Ghost. Considering he just read her mind, turnabout was fair play.

First she grabbed his skills, though; a wide variety of abilities from wielding clubs to drawing maps.

Then Velvet focussed and tried to read his mind. All was quiet, though Ghost tilted his head.

She tried again, straining herself to the point a handful of gleaming flakes swirled around her. She unleashed the balled power right at Ghost, yet nothing happened once again beyond that same tilt of the head.

"Did I get in?" she ultimately asked, only to receive a nod. "Why didn't I hear anything? You need to think something."

This time she received no response; Ghost simply turned and walked away. He left a confused second-year behind.

By the time she returned to her dorm, her team was already in bed. If there was one consolation, for Velvet, it was that she lucked out in getting an entire group of early birds to complement herself; someone staying up late while the rest tried to sleep would have been awful.

She was also too curious for her own good; one final attempt, Velvet told herself. She focussed on Coco and reached out with her mind... only to fall forward. The next moment she stood on top of the clouds. Right below her fluttered Coco, clothes in constant flux; no wind blew despite the height and Coco waved her arms like a bird, never once looking up.

Velvet drank in her surroundings with awe and a tiny bit of shame; she just invaded her friend's dream. Sure, it turned out to be something cute, but what if it was a wet dream she stumbled her way into? She would have died of embarassment. Something which Coco may still do if she ever learned that Velvet snuck a peek into this.

Then again, she knew the guilt would make her confess it within two weeks. So she instinctively pulled out of the dream. Her partner would get that confession right the next morning, they really needed to establish boundaries.

When her eyes opened, Velvet found herself face-down on the carpet. Soft it may be, but the ground underneath was hard. She was simply grateful to her aura for taking the hit as she fell. And with those thoughts Velvet got changed before shuffling into bed.

As the next day dawned, all were curious what the second phase would hold. Ruby and Lumina were called to the cliffs overseeing the Emerald Forest right after the first match and an early lunch. A group of students and license applicants milled around while they faced Ozpin again.

Ruby felt a little intimidated by the venerable headmaster, though his grandfatherly smile took most of the edge off.

"Again, congratulations on reaching this far. I hope you two are ready?" he asked of them. Two nods were given while the man sipped from a mug of what may be coffee. "Very well. Your task is as simple as it is difficult. For the second and final phase of the examination, you will have to survive in the Emerald Forest for a week."

He paused there to gauge their reactions; Ruby was a little confused and somewhat disappointed, having expected something more grand. Seeing her expression, he chuckled.

"You will be unsupervised and may act as you wish, except for returning to Vale. While I am aware that both of you possess the abilities to leave such unfortunate circumstances, I have to request you not use them. This would not be much of an examination if you did, after all."

That slowly made her realise what the big issue here would be. One full week in the wilderness, alone with all the Grimm in the forest and no chance to buy supplies or even a tent. As she began to worry, Lumina simply shrugged.

"We will make do," the moth faunus declared without any fanfare. Then she turned to Ruby. "Do you know how to eviscerate kills?"

"Uh... kinda?"

"I do too." That settled, Lumina turned back to Ozpin. "May we descend the cliffs now?"

Ruby had additional questions and no time to ask them. Ozpin nodded, spreading one arm toward the cliffside. Before he could so much as say a word however, the crowd became agitated. Nobody called out to them, but Ruby heard a lot of complaints about something that was drowned out. Lumina glanced their way while the headmaster chuckled.

"It seems our first years are not happy that they will remain the only ones we catapulted into the forest."

Ruby's world narrowed on him with the word 'catapult'. She knew, just knew that she wanted this. Her hand snapped up of its own volition as she practically vibrated in place. "Oh, oh! Can we do that? Pretty please?" Then she realised what she just did. "Uh, sir?"

Her ears grew hot under the laughter from behind, but neither Lumina nor the headmaster joined in. His amused smile was close enough, though he inclined his head.

"Very well."

As they were led to the platforms, Selina nudged Yang at the sidelines. "Your sis is a weirdo."

"Yup, the cutest weirdo in all of Vale!"

The blonde was almost unreasonably proud of that, but Selina could understand. Though that did not mean she could not make some trouble in paradise: "And Weiss is ogling her."

"What?!"

Completely distracted from the pair of the hour, Yang's head snapped around to Weiss. The heiress flinched back under the heated look, only to puff up. A clearly visible blush graced her pale cheeks.

"I was not!" she almost but not quite shrieked. Selina only giggled to herself, which clearly agitated her even more: "I told you I am not interested in girls!"

"To be fair, you were staring pretty hard," Blake added. She seemed mostly curious instead of teasing, though. "Any particular reason?"

At that Weiss sighed softly. "Just idle musings," she said, having swiftly calmed. "Ruby may be the most... genuine person I have met in my life. She is unashamedly herself, regardless of circumstance. A bit like Selina in that sense."

"Aww, I love you too."

Weiss averted her gaze at that, though Selina did not spot any sign of her being upset. Progress.

Perhaps it was for the better that they were all distracted from teasing the heiress by a loud wham. A happy shriek sounded right after as Ruby sailed away into the sky at breakneck speed. Lumina and Ozpin watched her fly for a moment, then the headmaster received a simple nod from the moth. A trail of light left his side, ending right next to Ruby where Lumina now flew. The two realigned and descended toward the forest together.

"Welp," Selina quipped. "Won't hear from them for a week. Anyone up for games?"

While the first years began to disperse, Velvet followed her teacher's descent thoughtfully. She felt incredibly curious about this new, heretofore unknown use of her Semblance. After getting over her team's moment of wariness, at least; Coco even gave her permission to check her dreams whenever, complete with this flirty wink she just knew embarassed her partner.

She focussed on Ozpin in a bid to distract herself. He and Goodwitch were talking quietly, the deputy newly arrived. An incredible curiousity made Velvet throw caution to the wind, though no one seemed to notice the glistening motes surrounding her.

First she focussed on the stern deputy, only to be violently rejected. Goodwitch's neutral expression morphed into a frown. She looked around carefully, unaware what exactly just happened or who did it.

Despondent about being repelled without even being detected, Velvet tried again. This time she aimed at the headmaster who was still talking amicably with his deputy. Just as Velvet's Essence touched his however, she was held in a soft embrace. An impression of depth followed, deeper than the darkest sea.

And then a voice echoed through her head, unspoken: "That is quite rude of you, Ms. Scarlatina."

Velvet disengaged and fled with a panicked, barely muffled eep.

Ozpin smirked at the little joke, but the woman he spoke to unfortunately took this as him poking fun at her.

Meanwhile, Ruby's next adventure began. She was not totally inexperienced with camping, especially after her recent stint to Vacuo, but this still felt different. Grimm were plentiful this close to Vale, though Lumina disposed of them with distinction. They found enough food, too. Sleeping was a bit of an issue, but aura helped make it bearable. They each held watch for half the night, both without complaint. It was generally quiet.

On the second day, right as they broke camp, Ruby spoke up: "Uh, hey, Lumina? I was wondering. Do you know Grimm?"

The other girl stared at her with a sudden intensity. Ruby wilted somewhat, but kept going anyway. This bothered her for hours now. "He talked like he knows you, at least."

They worked in silence. Only when it was time to move did Lumina answer. What she said surprised Ruby, though: "He is my younger brother."

"Huh? Wait, you're a bug-woman from outer space?!" And was there not something else he said about a sister? She forgot.

Lumina was only slightly stumped. "...technically, yes?"

"And you changed your form to fit in with us humans here?! Oh this is so cool!" Ruby's eyes were almost sparkling by this point. "Grimmchild never talked to me, what's your homeworld like? Are there more people like you and him? Is everyone that powerful?"

Her partner weathered the storm of excited questions; she seemed truly alienated for the first time since Ruby met her. Only when the older girl fell silent did she shake her head.

"There are none like Grimm and I, I don't think. Higher beings aplenty, but even they do not compare. From how you speak, I take it you were his latest caretaker?"

Ruby nodded, though slightly confused. Lumina returned the gesture thoughtfully. "I see. I should have guessed."

Then, out of nowhere, Lumina invaded her personal space. A warm forehead was pressed against Ruby's, immediately driving heat into her face. She fidgeted but did not dare pull away. Lumina's eyes were amber, almost gold like the morning sun. They stared into her own silver with that same quiet intensity, seeing to the depths of Ruby's soul.

"Yes."

Just one word, more breathed than spoken. "The Nightmare's flame is rooted within you. Just a spark, but it is there. You stood before the Nightmare's Heart and completed the ritual. I can feel it, now that I know it is there."

She let go at last. Ruby sighed in relief. She was not mad, just a little embarassed; more than that though, she was intrigued. If Lumina knew some of the things Grimm knew, then maybe she could help. "It's, uh, he also said I have some weird light powers. I still don't know how they work, but I can do this?"

With that she focussed hard and drew from within. Warmth rose from her core, all the way up to her eyes. Silver gleamed, flickering and flowing. Lumina observed with interest, though Ruby could only keep it up a few seconds. Breathing out slowly, she finished her question: "Do you know anything about that?"

Unbeknownst to them, every creature of Grimm within half a kilometre had fled.

"Hm."

She half expected Lumina to close in again. It was still embarassing, but Ruby bore it stoically; she was soon distracted when their foreheads touched. Something other grasped for her very being. Her crimson aura flickered into visibility. Lumina studied her with interest, musing as she did.

"It is light, but not like mine. A little different, mostly lesser. An offshoot, perhaps? With specific purpose at that. It slays the void, I can tell you this much."

"What's the void?"

She stared at Lumina from up close, slowly getting used to the proximity. Was it weird that this did not feel romantic at all? The movies lied to her.

Her partner did not seem to care for it, either. She simply explained: "The creatures of Grimm are all of the void. It seems your entire line developed to destroy them."

"Developed," Grimm's voice sounded from nowhere, "or created?"

"Go away, I am not talking to you."

His condescending laughter slowly faded. Once again the girls separated, though Lumina scowled now. Ruby did not feel quite well butting into whatever problems they had, but she was too curious not to.

"Do you, uh, not get along?"

The moth huffed and turned away. "He does not even have the decency to approach me upon arriving here," she groused, leading the way and forcing Ruby to scramble to keep up.

While they were busy in the forest, a second pair of applicants made it through the gauntlet by a hair's breadth on the day after. Selina was not happy about it, but they won fair and square.

That afternoon found her and Cardin in the gym, her spotting him despite the abrasive behaviour. For some reason he seemed particularly angry the last few days, but at least the eye candy was nice.

Once he completed another set and put the bar down, Selina handed him a water bottle. "You don't look happy," she prodded. "Something on your mind?"

To her surprise, Cardin looked away. "Nothing."

Now she was intrigued, he normally did not react like that. Selina leaned forward and poked him in the bicep. "Okay, being flustered isn't like you at all. Come on, out with it. It's just us here anyway, I won't tell."

But Cardin kept waffling around despite the prodding. Selina gave him some space, though she refused to leave; he did another two sets before finally calling it quits on the workout. Speculative glances went to Selina as they sat down on a bench.

In the end he came to a decision and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Look, not a word to anyone. Not even my team, got it?"

"You got it. So?"

Even then he hesitated for long seconds.

"That girl, Lumina. She...."

And did not even manage to complete the sentence. The way he trailed off said it all; Selina's eyes widened in surprise.

"No way. You're crushing?" Her sheer disbelief made Cardin flush visibly. Selina barely, barely managed not to laugh about the irony. "Oh boy. Oh dear. Brothers, you've never even talked to her."

"Shut up, I know! How do you think I'm feeling about this?"

Despite the momentary eruption, he heaved a sigh and idly wiped some sweat off his forehead. "It's just, I dunno. This never happened before." He did not even object when Selina patted his broad back. "What do I do? The boys will never let me live that down."

Things slowly started to make sense. At least they moved back into territory Selina could give advice on.

"If they're asses about it, fuck them. Real friends don't care about who you're into. 'sides, I can kinda understand it." A glance went her way again. She caught the implied question and huffed. "I'm not into her, but Lumina is larger than life. No one else has confidence like she does. She's one of those people that just leaves an impression."

Then, to alleviate some tension, she put on a grin. "Or maybe you're just into women who can kick your ass?"

She was shoved off the bench for her trouble, laughing all the way down. Cardin was nowhere near as amused. "Fuck you. If it was that, I'd be looking at half the girls in our year."

"Including me, huh?" She waggled her eyebrows, much to Cardin's renewed embarassment. "Well, you're pretty cute when you're flustered." Just as expected, he flushed some more. This guy was clearly unused to compliments.

But enough of that. Selina clapped his back again. "Relax, just teasing. Anyway, I'm telling you now, going after Lumina will be hard. Maybe she'll grow into it, but from what I saw she isn't interested in dating."

What Selina kept to herself were her own suspicions; there was more to Lumina than met the eye, even more than she originally imagined. That evening with Velvet, the lessons on how to protect her mind weighed on Selina.

Unaware of her wonder, Cardin stood with a shrug. She put the matter aside for now and appreciated the sight once more before nudging him. "Now I wanna do some sets, too."

"Oh, yeah, sure."

He took over spotting her without complaint. Others joined them soon enough and the room grew more lively.

Days passed for all of them. Lumina remained confident in her success, though she came to appreciate Ruby's presence a great deal more. Having a partner to switch watch with made the night far safer. In fact, their relationship may just resemble the core of humanity in a microcosm; if there was another, perhaps more suited to a given task one could rely on, this eased the lives of everyone. It was an interesting insight.

Fighting the creatures of Grimm was simple for the pair; if anything, they squabbled a bit over who got to kill what. Fresh water was secured and they had an easy time hunting game due to their speed. Sometimes they met others who also began the ordeal in the forest, but few made it through Beacon's first years.

It was not a comfortable week overall, but they made it through nonetheless. On the eighth day, both young women materialised on top of the same cliff their ordeal began. Ozpin already awaited them, together with a small crowd of students and others. Reporters here to see the first new hunters, curious civilians, and the like. One woman in particular sized them up rather intently, but Lumina paid her no further mind.

Both received their licenses from the headmaster under applause. Ruby exuberantly hugged Lumina, who allowed it this once while cameras flashed. This was really it, though. Some more cheers were given before the crowd began to disperse.

"Soooo," Ruby started a little shily. "I was thinking, uh, do you want to team up for a bit? I mean, we got along pretty well, didn't we? So if you don't mind, I mean, uh...."

She did not allow Lumina to get a word in edgewise until trailing off. The moth was about to dismiss Ruby's request, but remembering Kali and Ghira gave her pause. Selina waited nearby as well, she noticed. Lumina had to realise that, although she never cared for anyone's presence before, it had become quite pleasant to have them around.

After some contemplation, she nodded. "I do not mind. I can not promise it will remain so, but for now that is alright."

Ruby immediately brightened and began to babble excitedly. Selina threw them both a thumbs-up and a big grin. Then the wolf faunus waved to Velvet, who approached the small group with a conflicted expression.

"If you have a moment," the brunette interrupted Ruby meekly, "I wanted to ask something."

Into the pause she knocked on Lumina's mind. Flakes of Essence whirled around her, watched by a fascinated Ruby. Lumina could not help but feel a little pride swell over such rapid progress. She answered without speaking a word: "Then ask your question. I see you practiced."

Velvet smiled at the praise. "I did, yeah." She paid no mind to Ruby's and Selina's confusion at the unprompted response. "The first thing I wanted to know is, well, is it normal that Essence swirls around some people? I mean, you're gleaming. How is nobody else seeing it?"

Her question prompted curiousity from their audience of two, though Lumina acknowledged neither of them.

"It takes either a focus or ability to touch another's Essence to see. Ruby will see due to her circumstances, but no one else will. As for the Essence surrounding me, leave it alone. No one will enter my Dream."

Velvet nodded slowly while Grimm's laughter once again went unheard by all but two of them. Yet for some reason it cut off suddenly. Lumina continued to ignore her brother and focussed on Velvet. "What else?"

"Well, uh, what does it mean if I do my thing and get nothing? Like, it worked but I still heard nothing. Actually, you said there were no focii on Remnant, but Ghost has one."

Her eyes narrowed as theories coursed through her mind. She liked none of them. Velvet wilted under her scowl, but Lumina could not quite control her expression.

"That," she began slowly, measuring each word with barely suppressed anger, "means whatever you targeted has no mind. You can read even a corpse's final thoughts by the traces of Essence clinging to it. Were you aiming at a creature of Grimm?"

All that question got her was a mute shake of the head. Lumina's suspicion worsened. "I see. And that 'Ghost', where is it right now?"

Velvet opened her mouth, but did not speak. Her gaze shifted to behind Lumina. At the same time Grimm's voice reached her and Ruby. He spoke frantically, much unlike he otherwise would.

"Sister, I beg of you: do not turn around!"

She turned around anyway, only to stare into empty pools of darkness.

 

[Naron]

For one timeless instant, Lumina stared at Ghost just like they stared at her. Thoughtless. She could not comprehend their presence despite all previous suspicion.

Then that moment passed. All those present beheld her expression morph into a rictus of hatred; such pure and utter loathing coursed through her that the air began to shake. Lumina's golden aura crackled, sparks of light and silvery Essence whirling around her in an ethereal twister.

Ghost brandished a Nail made of finest atlesean steel in response. Their body coiled up, the challenge clear. They were still caught unaware when a luminescent beam punched a hole through their mask.

Plastic melted and fell as living darkness squirmed out of it. Ghost reformed and lunged, but Lumina disappeared in a ray of light. The ground tore where their Nail passed.

Their befuddled audience could only watch as beam upon beam perforated Ghost, who kept ever reforming to pursue. Their body warped and twisted, only to eventually spiral around the beams somehow.

"We've got to do something!" Ruby eventually shouted; her call roused the others around her, but nobody dared approach.

"But what?" Selina asked her. "I've never seen her like that before!"

It was true, too; while Lumina had been frequently annoyed, she was never outright angry. The power on display invoked fear in every single spectator and the fact their fight was almost completely silent only added to its surreality.

Then Penny arrived, drawn by the bright lights. Seeing what was going on, she immediately rushed forward in a panic.

"Ghost, no! Don't fight!"

Her words went unheeded; what was more, Penny was hit by an incandescent beam the moment she came close to the battle. It struck with enough power to break her aura, the half-second before it shattered was barely enough for Penny to evade the direct hit. The beam merely chewed through her shoulder instead of her reactor before fading.

The gynoid stumbled back and several people rushed to her with worried shouts. They were prepared for blood and bone, only to be surprised by silicon and steel.

Penny did not even get time to realise her secret had come to light because a blood-curdling scream drew their attention back to the fight. It echoed to the heavens, flattened the grass, and even pushed Ghost with such force they could merely stay in place. Lumina's impotent rage rattled Beacon and broke windows even from such a distance.

Their horrific dance continued then; not a single of Ghost's swipes caught Lumina, but the same was true in reverse. Excepting the first meaningless hits, Ghost dodged every single beam she threw at them.

Ruby checked her Scroll while more people approached at a rapid pace; Lumina was in the red already. Neither combatant cared for the crowd either. They did their level best to kill each other.

Just then Ghost gleamed; pitch black matter shaped almost like a head with glowing white eyes burst from their chest. The Shade Soul struck Lumina point blank, too fast for her human reflexes to spot in time. She still vanished to avoid part of it, but her aura broke the moment she reappeared. Ghost did not let up, continuously pressuing the moth as she adjusted.

Some had hoped her loss of aura would make the girl retreat, but she just kept throwing kicks and punches with a snarl. One particular kick flung Ghost upward, where they curled up and descended at breakneck speed. Lumina stepped out of the ballistic vessel's path, only to be blown away by an eruption of darkness that followed.

The crowd was stuck in place, awed and cowed by the forces on display. More than that, Lumina did not seem to give one whit about the bloody tears running all over her front; her clothes were already ruined, but she rolled off her momentum and pushed back onto her feet. Her aura crackled to life for just a moment; trails of blood began to run from Lumina's nose and ears over the exertion. Then light coalesced in her hand, forming a shard of ivory steel.

She roared again and leapt, but Ghost darted past her and jumped before delivering a heavy blow to her back. They hammered Lumina into the ground, where she landed with a pained grunt and the ugly crack of breaking bone. The Nail tore half of her left wing straight off.

Ghost landed in front of Lumina, who scrabbled for purchase as crimson rivulets ran down her body. She kept trying to push herself into a crouch even though her legs failed to move, her fury not abated in the slightest. All the while she spat words in tongues none of the others ever heard; from keening noises over mistralian all the way to a disconcerting series of clicks and clacks.

Ghost simply stared at their beaten foe, Nail held aloft.

Ruby wanted to do something, anything, but her legs were glued in place.

"Please stop," she whimpered, staring in horror at her broken friend.

Lumina refused to lie down even now; once she realised she could not rise, her arms stretched to barely reach the spike she made earlier. Ghost took a single step back the moment her fingers closed around it, leaving her reach.

"I believe that is enough," Grimm said just then. He appeared next to the two and swept up Ghost, much to Ruby's relief. The void vessel looked up at him, as did Lumina. Only she was snarling. Grimm seemed almost pitiful.

"Sister, please."

Lumina growled something incoherent, prompting a displeased sigh from Grimm. Yet before he could even begin to reason with his sister, a distant roar sounded. Screams followed in seconds as people found its origin.

Ever more eyes turned toward the heavens in these moments. A massive, winged shape approached Vale at great speed. The dragon Grimm came barreling toward them just as a tenebrous tide flowed from the Emerald Forest. More beasts followed from other directions.

The sight of it reached Selina. She kicked her own hesitation aside, took a shuddering breath, and rushed to her friend's side. "Lumina!" she barked, "snap out of it already! We need you here, right now!"

Selina's vision swam the moment that hateful glare fell on her. She stumbled and made a few steps toward Ghost as if in a haze. Her body fell into a combat stance on its own.

Then Grimm snapped his finger and the haze lifted, leaving her confused. The tall man sighed.

"Now is not the time, sister."

"Not the time?" Lumina repeated, almost dumbfounded. Her anger quickly spilled over again. "Not the time?! Let me kill this thing already!"

"So it can kill you once again? And this time for good?"

Grimm's calm tone did nothing to affect her rage. Lumina tried to scream once more, but it ended up as a bloody coughing fit. No one quite knew what to make of this.

Selina fully shook off her fugue and knelt next to Lumina. She spoke urgently, unwilling to waste time on finding the right words: "I've got no idea what's going on and I don't care. You're the best we have and there's a horde coming. We need you! Snap out of it, please!"

Somehow, miraculously, her plea gave Lumina pause. For just a moment the moth listened. Her gaze wandered from Ghost to Grimm, then to Selina, and then to the approaching monster. She heaved a breath, then sagged with a wince.

"I... can't. I can't feel my legs. My wing is torn," Lumina murmured. "The flesh is weak, it obeys no longer. Just... go. Do what you must. I will not die."

The reminder of her body's state had Selina's eyes widen. She did not want to go even though she knew she should. Yet somehow, Lumina's reassurance sounded sincere.

"You don't really got a choice," she quipped back, that being the only thing she could do right now. Lumina scoffed in turn, a smidgen of her usual confidence shining through as she met Selina's gaze.

"Go."

Hunters swarmed all around them already. Much like Beacon's instructors, Qrow and Taiyang led groups of students into Vale. The crowd dispersed fully as those unable to fight retreated to Beacon. Among them however, that same woman who sized up Lumina before watched her with great caution. Cinder Fall did not commit, though; Ozpin was near, the risk too great.

People ran home to dig out swords, clubs, axes, spears, and other simple but effective weapons across all of Vale. Some that were trained returned to the streets with guns of their own. A pair of black-haired twins nodded to each other, flanking a hulking man who carried a bazooka. Dozens of suits followed in their wake, each one with a tommy gun in hand. Much the same, Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan left their residence in a bad mood. The crime boss grumbled about business as they brandished cane and umbrella respectively.

Children were sent into prepared shelters, their instinctual fear drawing the darkness ever closer. Everyone was afraid, in truth. But Vale refused to bow to the outside threat.

Artillery upon the walls opened fire to thin out the horde once it got in reach, but they only managed a single salvo; a single pressed button ignited explosives across the walls. The bombs detonated as one, shaking the earth and tearing great holes into the defensive perimeter. Every single weapon emplacement was destroyed, much to the defenders' horror.

As Cinder carefully hid her smirk, Roman's died in favour of something ugly.

"She better never show her face again," he groused. "Should've just, gah! Let's kill some Grimm, folks!"

His cane was raised to point ahead and a group of gangsters fell in line with him.

The beasts soon reached the walls and began to pour through their many holes, only to run into a shield wall. Gunfire rained from every window, every rooftop. Griphons and Nevermores of all sizes fell before they reached city limits. Few of the defenders had aura, but numbers alone made up the difference. Their raised spears impaled the first wave as it was pushed into them by the throng of bodies.

Yet larger monsters followed and began to push the spears aside. Shields broke as Ursa and Beringels rampaged along; the bears and giant apes were too large to hold against. People were pushed back and died all across town.

Which was when the Hunters arrived.

CRDL charged into the fray where Cardin bowled over a Beringel even more massive than himself. His team delivered a swift beatdown before the beast could rise.

SPBY minus Penny and plus Ruby hit the front line like a wrecking ball at the same time; glyphs sprang up to protect, Yang hammered the largest Grimm in sight back into its friends, Blake swung past to slice throats, and ten thousand rose petals danced between the three; they cut the younger, unarmoured Grimm to ribbons and thinned out the herd.

SNNL and CFVY arrived together on their side of town, parting the sea of Grimm. Civilians closed ranks behind them and murdered any stragglers.

And a raven watched the proceedings for a time. She soon took flight toward where the circling dragon rained Grimm sludge from the sky. The residue formed into newborn beasts about as soon as it hit the ground.

Only Ozpin and Lumina remained atop the cliff. The headmaster scanned the approaching horde while Beacon's own defenses shot down airborne creatures rising above the cliffside. He propped Lumina up, though she could not sit properly.

"Your spine is broken," Ozpin diagnosed sadly. Lumina did not react, even now she still fumed. He could not help but admire her grit.

"You are surprisingly composed for the amount of pain you must be in."

The young woman scoffed at that. "It is transient. I refuse to bow to this weak body's whims."

"Admirable. But I wonder, why did you let Ghost drain your aura fully? You should have been able to disengage with your speed."

"I was, but I wanted to crush this thing."

The folly of a bad temper reared its ugly head once again, drawing a faint smile on his face. Ozpin made sure she could not see it.

"I see. Nonetheless, the power of your anger is impressive and a little frightening. All of these Grimm were drawn by you."

It was not a question, they both knew. Lumina did not acknowledge it though, so Ozpin continued to muse out loud: "The death toll will be sizable, much like the damages to Vale itself."

Not to mention that little act of sabotage; he needed to find Cinder Fall, the time of observation was over.

He had hoped for contrition, but there was no such thing in sight. Lumina squirmed, grimacing as she felt over her torn wing.

"I can't do anything about it now," she murmured. "This is too much damage for aura to heal."

Lumina transitioned into a proper scowl, but did not elaborate further. It was in equal parts tragic and worrying.

"Ordinarily, yes. You only just obtained your license, but the damage to your body will either require extensive prosthetics or retirement. I imagine you dislike both of these options?"

Again his question remained unanswered, but he could read her feelings out of her expression. Ozpin nodded gently. "I understand. If you could act, what would you do?"

The response took a moment. An oddly thoughtful mood struck her, which the headmaster found peculiar. Her answer was simple, though: "...kill them. As many as I can."

"And why?"

"Because I hate them."

She left a pause after that, long seconds filled only with the noise of battle and calls of beasts. Then she haltingly added another reason: "And... because I want to."

Unspoken words echoed in every single one she did say; this girl, this young woman, cared. And that surprised even her. That was all he needed to know.

Kneeling by her side, Ozpin offered a gentle smile. "Then let me offer you a gift. Call it congratulations for passing the examination."

His fingers began to gleam with a rainbow of colours, magic long forgotten. They gently connected with her exposed collarbone. Lumina watched curiously, felt her body slowly knit itself back together. Wounds closed, her spine reconnected and feeling returned to her numb legs. What was more, her clothes mended alongside her wing.

As Ozpin channelled more power into her to complete the restoration, her own Essence rose to meet his. When they touched, for just a moment, the aging man felt himself tranposed. He floated beneath an endless sky, eyes instinctually raised toward a sun that spread her tattered wings.

Her body was dreams made manifest, wrapped in ivory carapace riddled with holes. Where blood should leak, golden and silver motes of essence spilled out into the void. Three spikes crowned her head in reminiscence of a crown yet two were broken.

The mere sight took his breath away.

The Radiance's light shone upon him. She beckoned him into her embrace, to abandon his thoughts and anguish for the bliss of unity. For one timeless instant he felt the burden upon his shoulders lift. The man once known as Ozma felt young again.

But he pulled back, aware his duty was not yet done. Then he stood back on the cliff.

Ozpin swayed and gulped down fresh air as his body forgot to breathe out of sheer awe. The child that was not watched him with visible concern.

Neither spoke for a time, having forgotten the raging battle. The ancient wizard was too busy trying to understand what he saw; had he not known the might of true gods, the impossibility would have shattered his view of the universe. There was no other way to describe it, truly. It suddenly felt wrong to stand over a goddess and peer down at her.

Having sat up since, it was Lumina who spoke: "Are you... alright?"

A beat, disrupted by distant shrieks, roars, and screams.

"I believe so."

"...good. That's good. The last time a human saw the true me, he, er, did not take it well."

That explained a few things. Ozpin inclined his head reverently.

"I can see why you would keep such a matter secret. Most could scarcely comprehend the kind of being you are. But if I may ask, why do you pose as human?"

He was acutely aware of her narrowing gaze. With her body fully restored and aura recharging rapidly, her thoughts returned to the previous events. Pushing away his helpfully offered hand, Lumina stood of her own power.

"That thing is to blame," she spat, "and the Wyrm that created it."

Just like that she flickered away. Ozpin was left behind with melancholy and more questions than answers.

Within Beacon, Cinder dug deeper into her hiding place by a window; she was grinning brightly, yet there was no warmth in it.

Ghost wandered Vale as well; beings that could be siblings attacked, humans protected. The defenders mostly left Ghost alone for their lack of hostility. They were the first to notice, too; the familiar light shone across Vale. It illuminated the sky, bearing down on the city.

Rays of gold flickered between the moth's distant form and Vale proper. Some struck near where Ghost stood, yet not a single one was aimed at them. Not-Siblings around them dropped dead and dissipated.

People all across town looked up once the spectacle reached them. Roman and Neo paused in their work at a particularly heated chokepoint as an entire wave of monsters was slain before them. Selina disengaged an alpha Beringel just before its head received a sizable hole. The wolf's grin finally returned while her team marvelled. Penny saw it from within Beacon, having evacuated despite her desire to help. Her eyes widened in child-like awe.

Qrow and Ruby had just finished off a giant King Taijitu, cutting the serpent's heads on each end in near perfect synchronicity. They looked up when the nearby opposition died swift deaths and Ruby felt great relief at the sight of her newest friend being healthy.

Then a raven landed on her shoulder, cawing and flapping her wings. In the pause Lumina's interference granted them, she was faintly aware of Yang's cooing and the other two girls' amusement. SNNL watched as well, having met up with their sister team during the fighting.

Surprising even herself, Ruby was not embarassed today. She just shook her head at the bird. "I don't understand, talk to me!"

They stared at each other for a long moment as Raven considered her words, head almost but not quite turning to watch Yang right there. Then she hopped off her shoulder and reformed into her human self.

Everyone except Weiss grew tense in an instant. Raven ignored them all in favour of Ruby, pointing toward the dragon circling above. "Stop wasting your time with small fry. They will keep coming until that one falls."

Ruby followed her motion and squinted. The beast kept its distance from Lumina, its hide and armour too thick to destroy casually. It seemed the moth priorised thinning the herd to make the most of her aura reserves.

"...good point," Ruby agreed. "I think I can get up there."

"Good, do it."

"It's too fast for us, though," Qrow argued. He was not at all happy with the idea of sending his niece against such a beast on her own.

Raven stared at him for a long moment, then made an imperious motion skyward. Ruby obeyed without another word and a flood of rose petals ascended.

That done, Raven turned to glare at the two first-year teams in the meantime; most of them were mistralians. Nora and Blake quaked in their boots, Ren's lips were pressed into a thin line. Selina simply stared, too befuddled to act. Pyrrha was frozen as well.

"What... Mom?"

She gave no outward reaction to Yang's surprised and somewhat tender tone. Even if she did, the chorus of "What?!" from most of her daughter's classmates distracted her. Disbelieving stares were now levelled at Yang instead.

"Not now," Raven declared.

"But-" "Not now."

Having cut off her daughter, Raven threw her hand out to indicate the city of Vale. She could tell how much it aggravated Yang. The girl really needed to control herself better.

"Okay," Selina started slowly, speaking to herself. "Met Raven Branwen and she's a Milf. Never thought that's gonna happen."

She only realised she said that out loud when Qrow barked a laugh and she found herself the target of Raven's piercing glare. She wilted away under it while her fellow students stared in horror. "...sorry, didn't mean to say that out loud. Please don't kill me?"

The other woman closed her eyes for a long moment. Against all expectations, she ultimately turned around without a word to watch Ruby's ascent. A few Grimm that tried for their group were slaughtered by the force of elite students and actual hunters.

Raven spoke as the fog dispersed: "She's there. Qrow."

A chopping motion opened a crackling, crimson portal. Both twins leapt through and reappeared atop the flying beast. Qrow shouted over the rush of air while they found footholds between its scales: "Wait, since when can you portal to her?"

He received no response as Raven started hacking into their target. Seeing that this was a lost cause, he followed his sister's lead. Ruby rushed around them, appearing this way and that. Neither twin noticed how silver light glittered in her eyes, they only heard the beast's fearful screech. It reverberated through the massive body. The Grimm tried to shake them off but failed.

A flash announced Lumina's arrival, though she vanished upon spotting them. Rather, rays of light continued to hammer the Grimm still flooding into Vale.

The tide began to falter ever so slowly. Black mist blotted out Remnant's sun for a while, but her own light yet shone. Creatures of Grimm were fought back all across town; hunters low on aura retreated to recover, defenders cycled out. Children and teenagers too young to join carried supplies around. Food and drink, bandages and ammunition. Doctors and nurses worked across town, treating whomever they could.

At some point the dragon fell, whittled down by the unlikely trio. It barely missed Vale on the descent, crashing right outside of what was left of the walls.

After what felt like days but was actually merely a few hours, the final beast was slain. Adrenaline rushed through countless veins, a city abuzz with energy yet no more monsters left to kill. Slowly, almost warily, the cheers began to rise. Many wept for the loss of friends and loved ones, but the elation of having persevered drowned them out.

Lumina landed in town, well aware of the awed looks her arrival earned. She could feel the memories of herself burrowing deeper into their minds.

Then she beheld Ghost as they wandered in. Some gasps followed their arrival, but the perceived Grimm's docile behaviour kept anyone from making a mistake. Many looked to Lumina, whose tentative satisfaction morphed into anger. The damned vessel simply stood there and stared at her.

At the same time, she was tired. A week in the wilderness did not do her much good, but it was followed by two draining battles back to back. Noon had barely passed.

Ghost stared at her and she scowled back, but Lumina held off on another assault. She knew this thing was her enemy. She yearned to kill it before it killed her. She refrained nonetheless, painfully aware which of them would walk away the victor.

Their standoff continued for a minute or two, then Ghost simply turned around and walked away. The sheer irreverence baffled Lumina.

"Just like that?" she questioned the mindless creature. "You would... of course you would."

She heaved a sigh, having forgotten for a moment that Ghost could not hate her back. Their relationship was entirely one-sided.

The flashing of phones reminded Lumina of her audience. Some were still pointing, others chattering with each other. She managed a faint smile for them and waved, which a number of onlookers returned. Her duty done, Lumina flew back to Beacon; it was a long day that would only get longer.

 

[Naron]

No celebrations were held that evening. Anyone not too exhausted to walk helped out with the cleanup. The horrific damage to the walls was assessed, rubble from collapsed buildings cleared. Injuries were treated and dead collected.

Lumina did not join these efforts. Selina demanded she go back to Beacon and put herself in the infirmary the moment she was free to do so. Any reassurances as to her wellbeing were brushed off. Hence why Lumina sighed and did as she was told.

Meanwhile, Qrow and Raven faced each other awkwardly. The twins had not exchanged a single word ever since the dragon died. This was how Taiyang found them, but he did not quite know what to say either. The silent trio received some space by passersby and a curt look from Glynda as she strode by. STRQ was reunited, if forever without their leading S.

Some more time passed before Qrow heaved a sigh and broke the silence: "Okay, this is getting nowhere fast. How'd you get bonded with Ruby? You've met her once."

Raven did not answer; she scowled, though not at either of them for some reason. It still hurt a little to have his once wife so near, but Tai could bear it; the pain was less than he expected.

When it became clear Raven would not answer, he leaned at the wall next to her.

"Let's put that aside for now. Thank you. For coming."

A glance went his way, then Raven nodded. That was progress in his book. Then again, he knew she would not stay for long.

"I... guess you're going to get a move on before Yang finds you?"

"Too late," Qrow quipped. He nodded down the street where the young woman in question approached. Her team followed, though Penny had been temporarily replaced with a shily waving Ruby. Only Tai's youngest was pristine despite being the youngest period; the rest were beat up, their clothes torn in places. Yang still moved with a grim determination despite the fact.

Yang's partner, Blake, glared at Raven over his daughter's shoulder. Tai knew it was a mistake as soon as he saw it; the glare was answered in kind when Raven noticed. Her intense stare was familiar to him, but the faunus girl flinched back. Weiss and Yang were taken aback as well, though Ruby seemed more befuddled.

"Oh, so that's what that looks like."

"I am still unclear what the problem here is," Weiss added with a pointed look to Blake. "Would someone care to explain?"

The faunus woman scowled and threw out a hand toward them. "This is Raven Branwen. Her clan of bandits is infamous all over Mistral. She alone has killed hundreds."

She was not wrong, even Tai knew that. He pondered stepping in, but his daughter pre-empted any attempt. Yang's head swivelled to Blake in surprise.

"What do you mean, infamous?"

"I am similarly stumped. It seems to be a matter kept locally?"

Ruby had listened so far, but now she piped up: "...I get the feeling you never tried looking up her name."

The quip earned her a glare from Yang, though Tai could see the very real hurt in it. Ruby wilted, having noticed as well.

"Sorry."

He saw Raven cross her arms from the corner of his eyes. She scoffed, a lilt of sardonic humour to her words: "Big words for a terrorist."

Her accusation was concise and to the point. Blake stiffened while the men winced. Raven spotted her weakness immediately and capitalised: "Don't think I do not know about your ties to the White Fang. How many did you kill, either by your hand or your actions? Do you even care?"

Now the faunus bristled, prompting a smirk Tai knew was meant to rile her up further. "Or perhaps you're angry that I put your fellows to the sword?"

This was new, though. Tai's gaze slipped to Raven just as Qrow asked the question on the tip of his tongue: "Wait, what? That's the first I hear of this."

He received a sideway glance from his sister. She did not seem bothered by the matter and began to explain almost idly.

"The Fang tried to stamp us out a few years back. Ambushed some of our scouts. I never asked why and I don't care to know. Once word got back, I ordered ten of their convoys raided and killed a hundred of their members, then paid a visit to Sienna with a bag of heads. They left us alone ever since."

Ouch.

Taiyang winced, as did Qrow. Chancing a look to the kids, he found Weiss having paled back to standard atlesean complexion. Ruby was gaping and Yang just stood in place, deeply uncertain. Blake's eyes widened, though Tai could not say if she shook in indignation or fear.

Qrow sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Why's it always extremes with you?"

"How else would they learn?" Raven retorted with a snort. "To be Branwen is to stand on our own. We do not want or need help from anyone and take care of our own problems."

"Uh...."

Though quiet, Ruby's interruption drew their attention back to the other group. She pointed to her still rooted sister.

"Maybe take care of this problem, then?"

Ruby did not dare meet Raven's annoyed gaze, but Tai noticed that she in turn did not meet Yang's. Ruby sighed.

"...yeah, this will be a long night."

Which was when Tai reached her. He took his daughter by the hand, then nudged Blake's shoulder to get her moving. Qrow did similar with Weiss, though he threw a look back to his twin.

Soon only mother and daughter remained. Neither sought the other's gaze. After some time Raven firmed up and motioned for Yang to follow, but she remained in place.

"Why," the younger woman finally asked. "Why did you leave?"

Raven closed her eyes at that. She made to speak but no words left her. No noise sounded whatsoever. Yang watched several aborted attempts with growing confusion. In the end her mother shook her head.

"I can't tell you."

A flat "What?" was all Yang could get out at first. Anger pulsed through her veins, eyes narrowed. She took a single, aggressive step. Her voice rose as well. "What do you mean you can't? You left us, left me! Say something!"

She did not quite notice that Raven had become ashen-faced. She would not care either. Still the older woman shook her head.

"...I can't."

"Why?!"

"I just can't. I could give you the spiel about earning it, but that lie grew stale by now. Not to mention a bad lie, considering the power you displayed today."

Her words did nothing to soothe Yang's anger; lilac eyes turned red, now matching her mother. Seeing this, Raven began to frown at her.

"Calm down already, a temper like that will get you killed someday."

"Like you even care!" she shouted; her mother flinched as if struck, but she did not even notice. "You run away, I haven't seen you in forever, and now you don't even tell me why!" Her voice carried, but people wisely left the pair alone. "Does Dad know? Qrow?"

Raven waited a few seconds, visibly fighting with herself. Yang's feelings calmed a little, though they still simmered. Her mother answered the question then: "...no. Only Summer knew and she took my reasons to the grave."

Yang grimaced, more than a little angry that this woman dared bring Summer into this. At the same time, a realisation ran through her system with shocking clarity: she would not get answers by screaming, no matter how much she wanted to scream right now. It took a herculean effort to clamp down on her anger, but she managed somehow. She needed to know more than she needed to vent.

"Do you... know how she died? Or why?"

This time she noticed her mother's expression twist.

"I don't know how," Raven began. "But I know who is responsible."

Akin to her daughter earlier, her voice turned venomous. Whatever she was about to say however, she swallowed the words with a glance to the civilians in hearing distance.

"But that is not for right here. I have the feeling you will be involved in it soon enough. Ozpin likes his tin soldiers. What I can tell you is that it was his assignment Summer went on. She told no one what it was, not even me."

"What does Ozpin have to do with it?" Yang could not help but ask. She only talked to the headmaster once, but he never struck her as a bad man.

Her mother huffed in response.

"That man has played the most dangerous game since before you or I were born. Do not think him benevolent."

Yang's first response to that was a snort. She wanted to snipe back so bad, but at the same time she was aware this would not get her anything. Pinching the bridge of her nose in an unconcious imitation of Weiss, she took a moment to calm herself. She failed, but it was enough to not snap.

"Okay. Okay. Just, what can you tell me?"

Raven studied her daughter for a long moment. Then she motioned to follow once more; this time Yang did.

Meanwhile, Weiss and Blake were still led along to meet up with SNNL. Ruby trudged along much like her father and uncle. Afternoon already arrived as people worked to handle the damages around the walls; the only Grimm that made it into Vale proper were airborne or dropped by the dragon.

Weiss continuously noticed the way peoples' expressions brightened at the sight of them as they walked through town. Smiles, waves, and words of gratitude were offered to them. Even the faunus they came by were happy to see her. It felt oddly fulfilling, now that she had time to breathe; she helped protect all these people.

Then Selina appeared in front of them, staring at Yang's father with something akin to reverence.

"Okay, man. I've got to say, you must have the biggest balls on the planet."

Everyone was caught off-guard by that. The redhead was undeterred by the hesitant silence and just kept going: "Like, putting a child in Raven Branwen?"

Qrow began to cackle at that and Ruby giggled. Everyone else continued to stare at Selina, who crossed her arms.

"What? It's true!"

Taiyang let out a faintly amused huff at that. Weiss was just glad he did not appear to feel insulted at all.

"She used to be more mellow back when we were students," he explained kindly. "She was the R in STRQ."

His words were taken with disbelief from the quartet of mistralians, prompting a chuckle. "A little bit, at least. Our leader had a tight leash on her."

"Like, a literal leash? What kind of kinky shit were you lot up to?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Qrow indulged Selina's crude commentary with a smirk. Were Weiss not raised to higher standards, she might have considered joining Ruby with the gagging noises in the background.

"Can we not?" Taiyang requested with a motion to his daughter. "My youngest is right there."

"She's also a Huntress, Tai."

Somehow their exchange gave Selina pause. "Wait a sec," she requested before turning to Ruby. "That means you're Raven's kid, too?"

This gave Ruby pause. She interrupted her immature display, blinked, and shook her head. "Uh, no. Yang and I have different moms. My mom was the fourth member of the team."

Pyrrha swiftly used the golden opportunity to change the subject further away from whatever the last generation got up to: "Would we have heard of her as well?"

The question interested Weiss, too. She stood next to a living legend and met several other elite hunters over just the past few hours, after all. Unfortunately, Qrow and Taiyang exchanged looks before shrugging in unison.

"Don't know if you ever did," Qrow responded after a short pause. "Summer wasn't big on reputation, she just got the job done."

"Any chance we can meet her?" Selina chirped, only to realise the mistake when both men grimaced. Ruby averted her gaze, immediately earning Weiss's sympathy. Selina awkwardly ran a hand through her bright red mane.

"Oh. Sorry."

The younger girl shook her head. "You couldn't know, it's okay. I'm still luckier than some." At that her mood shifted as she put on a mostly honest grin. "I mean, I've got a cool uncle and aunt. And my dad can whoop ass, too. Sometimes."

"Hey!"

Ruby blew her father a raspberry and immediately hid behind Pyrrha, who was the broadest student nearby. Some laughter followed and somehow, miraculously, the mood lifted. Even Weiss found herself feeling a little lighter. She could not help but appreciate Ruby once again.

The day went on filled with work from there. A second shift took over shortly before sunset; Beacon's higher years and faculty patrolled the destroyed walls to ward off Grimm. First- and second years were sent back to rest and relieve their upperclassmen after breakfast.

Lumina was exempt from all this once again; she had been in the infirmary for hours and ultimately fell asleep there, too. Her slumber was an uneasy one as she meditated within her Dream. An empty expanse basked in twilight was all that surrounded her. Right above the mental construct of her current body rested a silken cocoon. The Crowned Light remained but a pupa, still weak but slowly growing once more.

She could feel it here, the many minds her light connected. It burrowed deep into the memories of Vale that day. Not deep enough to never be forgotten except for some, but it was a start. Had she truly wanted to test her reach and control, she could have offered them unity like she unconciously did with Ozpin. To become one within her light.

Lumina still pondered whether she should make the attempt when a spike of pure black pierced the horizon. Then excruciating pain woke her.

Her eyes snapped open and a gasp died in her throat. The woman standing over her bed slowly came into focus; she could make out little of her features in the moonlight shining through the window. Even if there were more, tears clouded Lumina's vision. Some sort of void matter pierced her chest, tearing at her essence. The pain was unlike anything she ever felt before, her self being slowly gobbled up by the void.

But she knew it, too. Memories flooded Lumina's addled mind unbidden; being confined within the Hollow Knight while the Wyrm snuffed out all memories of her. Raging against her living prison to no avail. The battle with that other vessel, as ineffective then as it was today.

Cinder Fall was unaware of the torrent of anger sweeping through Lumina, so visceral the moth could not even scream. She smirked down at her victim, gleefully feeling for the magic draining from her soul. Another Maiden, most likely; someone Ozpin sought to protect. Had it been brighter, she may have noticed the irate glare levelled at her. Had she been more adept in matters of spirit, she may have felt Lumina's Essence shift.

All she focussed on was the magic; it only came trickling in, but that did not matter. Resistance was futile before Salem's designs.

That was her last clear thought.

Something lurched, more felt than seen. Then blinding light surged through the Grimm matter connecting them. Cinder had no chance to react; she only let out a choked gasp as something infinitely her greater invaded her mind.

Her body fell slack while the light coursed through her veins; Cinder could no longer see the girl whose soul she was about to steal. She floated under an endless horizon, eyes never leaving the mere cocoon in the distance.

She fell, lost who she was as streamers of light engulfed her. They offered peace and unity she did not want, but she had no choice. She tried to struggle, but it was futile.

Her final concious thought was that this was not fair. She had so much yet to do!

Then Cinder Fall ceased to exist. Her sense of self was extinguished, her very soul burned away by the furious light. Nothing else remained in her body; void matter was burned away, the foreign Essence tied to Cinder's was released. It fled at once, drawn back to where it belonged. Lumina let it go, too focussed on her assailant to care.

The corpse of Cinder stared down at her now, eyes a gleaming orange. Then she blinked and returned to a normal colour. Both smirked in unison as aura healed the marks on Lumina's chest.

Lumina sorted through her Essence while maneuvering her newly acquired, second shell away. Imprints of the other woman's Essence remained even after she eradicated her. Some of them were strong enough to learn from.

She learned that this woman was an agent of a power acting in the shadows. She learned of what the children of Remnant called magic, tied to four Maidens that each held the key to a powerful artifact. Cinder stole half the Essence of one Maiden before, but failed. Her elite team was destroyed. She deemed Lumina a target of opportunity, infiltrated Beacon with the other people seeking shelter.

Then Lumina found the name of the one who sent Cinder: Salem. Every fibre of these imprints resonated with awe, fear, and envy at the name; though Lumina was intrigued, she knew to be cautious. This was a name she never heard before.

She fell back asleep over these ruminations. Yet while one body rested, the other one she now owned was puppeted away. She could not afford Cinder being seen. Her knowledge ran out like water through a sieve, so she picked up whatever she could; only muscle memory remained within the hour, useless without a weapon of her own. Cinder used to make hers from glass with a Semblance that was now gone.

Unbeknownst to her, the puppet body only made it out unseen after the lightshow because Ozpin was distracted; ringing alerts from Amber's life support told him that the comatose Maiden woke up.

As it were, Lumina slept through the night while her new slave brought distance between herself and Vale. The next morning she woke to an excited Ruby by her bedside. Her partner (?) was quietly talking to the girl Lumina injured yesterday; Penny, her memory delivered after a moment.

The redhead's shoulder was bandaged, although she did not seem to be in pain. At most Penny twitched on occasion. She also seemed mildly uncomfortable with whatever had Ruby so excited.

Lumina sat up and looked outside, not acknowledging how conversation ceased. She blinked at the window right by her bed, then sighed.

"I missed dawn."

It was the first time in her life as Lumina. At least Cinder was present to see the sun rise.

"I guess you did," Ruby said, reminding Lumina of her presence. The other girl waved. "Hey."

"Hello."

She glanced from Ruby to Penny, who wilted away somewhat and refused to meet Lumina's gaze. The moth frowned, well aware this was her fault. She did not quite want to apologise, but forced herself to do it anyway: "And my apologies for your shoulder. I was not thinking clearly."

Thankfully, this small concession was all it took to make Penny look at her.

"It is alright, I am not mad," she assured her softly. "I just, don't understand? What did Ghost do to make you so angry?"

Her halting question soured Lumina's mood immediately; both girls noticed, but she let it go with another sigh.

"Everything. Everything I face today is this thing's fault. Please do not bring it up in my presence again."

"O-Okay." Despite saying so, Penny began to fidget awkwardly. "Just, maybe, one more question?"

Lumina twitched, but nodded. "Very well, as recompense for your injury. What is it?"

"Yeah, um, that. No one I asked had any idea what Ghost is. I never figured out any pattern to his actions. He can answer questions but only some of them. He can learn all kinds of things but not others. He is weird and I do not understand."

That was an unexpected angle. Lumina sized Penny up for a long moment, but found only honest curiousity. She snorted at the irony.

"Of course you find no pattern. There is none. You also suffer from the misconception the vessel is male, that it has a gender at all. It is a thing bearing no mind to think, no will to break, and no voice to cry suffering. A being of the void, just like the creatures of Grimm. All it can do is learn, never understand."

Ruby had listened intently, but Penny's eyes grew wide. "There is no way! Ghost can't be a Grimm!" she called. And she was right, in a sense.

"It isn't," Lumina agreed. "But they are close enough. All this thing lacks is the pre-programmed aggression toward humans and faunus. But if you attack it, it will kill you without hesitation or mercy."

Penny became agitated by her derisive tone, but refrained from a rebuttal. Lumina almost dared her to defend the vessel. In the end it was Ruby who broke the somewhat tense silence.

"Mind if I chime in? I've got a question, too."

Both girls turned her way as she kept going: "There was something Grimm said that bothers me. I mean, Grimm Grimm, not the creatures." She was already understood, but Lumina nodded regardless. "He said something that you're a moth because of a radiance, but it just makes no sense. I mean, I know you're an alien, so Ghost probably is too, but... explain, please?"

While Lumina became thoughtful, Penny was simply befuddled by the subject matter. She did not get a chance to ask questions because Lumina spoke first.

"Do you value your sanity?"

"Huh?"

"The last time I was asked a question in this vein, I agreed to reveal my nature. That person," she led but hesitated. It still ached a bit to remember that day. Yet their curiousity made Lumina finish the sentence: "He went insane and died in short order. I can give you words of my nature, but not proof."

If there was one thing she knew, it was that this should not happen again. Not without her actually meaning to do it.

Ruby was taken aback, though she accepted her decision with a nod. So Lumina spoke.

"I am The Radiance, light incarnate. Where Grimm rules the Nightmare, I claim the Dream as mine. And that is all I should say on the matter at this time. I'm sorry."

She wanted to say more, but felt it would be better to remain tight-lipped on the details.

It was so confusing for Penny, who tried to make sense of the situation while Ruby assured Lumina that it was alright. Much to the gynoid's relief, it soon became socially acceptable to say goodbye; leaving the odd faunus girl to recuperate was the correct choice regardless.

It was a quiet walk unlike earlier; it was a little scary how excited Ruby had been about Penny's nature. Now the other girl was silent, deep in thought much like Penny herself.

Soon enough the pair met up with Weiss and Blake; Yang remained AWOL. As it turned out, Selina and Blake already called Menagerie to assure the Belladonnas all was well.

Once pleasantries were out of the way, Weiss addressed Ruby in particular: "I did not get the chance yesterday: congratulations on obtaining your license."

"O-Oh. Thanks."

Despite Ruby's sheepish fidgeting, Weiss remained undeterred in pursuing the conversation. "If I may ask, what kind of training did you undergo to obtain such mastery?"

Blake rolled her eyes for some reason. Penny did not follow why exasperation felt warranted here; she was curious, too.

Ruby averted her gaze, though. "Well, uh, that's a bit hard to describe, you know? Part of it was Dad and Uncle Qrow, but the rest is, how do I put it?"

She glanced around as if seeking an answer while the older girls waited. All things considered, Penny went out on a limb and made a reasonable assumption: "Is it related to the odd occurences recently?"

Her question drew a little grin from Ruby. "Yeah," she agreed. "'Odd' is one way to put it."

As it became clear the younger woman did not want to elaborate, Weiss dropped the subject. Her gaze wandered and an immaculate brow rose.

"And there is our wayward Y," she announced. Following her gaze revealed Yang, somewhat disheveled and clearly tired.

Ruby immediately took the out and started bickering with her sister instead; Penny found it interesting to listen in. Apparently Yang and Raven spoke for a time of life in Mistral. Yang was also incredibly displeased with the fact Ruby apparently met her mother several months ago and did not say, but they made up in seconds. That was fascinating.

While their Y headed off to catch up on sleep, the rest made their way outside to switch out with the hunters on guard duty.

Only days passed until an atlesean battlefleet rolled in and took over safety concerns. General Ironwood had already been on the way and made haste when he heard of the attack. Atlesean Knights swarmed across Vale with mechanical precision to relieve the weary hunters. Penny was proud to be the prototype of such well-crafted machines, even if not a single one of them had turned out like her.
More to her immediate delight however, her father joined the expedition. He came to see her after months spent apart.

With Ruby being over the moon in regard to all those technological marvels around her, Penny decided to introduce what may be a new friend to her creator. Somehow this ended up including Lumina as well. And somehow, about as soon as introductions were made, the General himself joined them in the laboratory.

"I hope I am not interrupting?"

He entered the budding conversation with a hint of jovialty. Dressed immaculate in his predominantly white uniform and taller than any of them. "When I heard of two fresh Huntresses, I had my curiousity piqued."

Ruby immediately fidgeted under his attention. On the other hand Lumina scowled up a storm. With her being a faunus, Penny thought she understood her immediate dislike and spoke up.

"I can assure you General Ironwood's reputation is more crass than he deserves. He has no ill will toward faunus."

"That is quite true," the man himself agreed with a nod toward Penny. Then he offered a polite smile to Lumina. "Even if I did, I always acknowledge talent, skill, and achievements. Your contribution to the defense of Vale caught my attention." He offered his hand then. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Huntress Lumina."

The self-professed alien stared at the proffered limb for a long, agonising moment. Then she took it, though her severe expression never lifted. Penny worried, but nothing happened.

"My misgivings are not related to human-faunus affairs. I could not care less about your thoughts on the matter, General. What irks me is what you brought to this city."

"Pardon?"

As if on cue, Ghost strolled in. Penny was torn from her ruminations when Lumina glared at... him? It? Them? And pointed to the door with a seething "Out!", which Ghost heeded after just a moment of staring. Then Lumina turned back to the befuddled general and explained, her mood clearly soured.

"You brought an army of golems to Vale. All as one, all the same, none able to form a thought of its own. None with a will or the ability to deny their orders. Not one with a voice to express desires they do not have."

The moth's nose wrinkled in distaste, but Penny could not quite draw any data from that. She felt like the ground fell away underneath her. She was one of them after all.

Lumina did not pay her any mind.

"What difference is there between them and the Grimm, beyond the target you point them at?"

Both older men were struck speechless by her almost passionate speech. Yet General Ironwood recovered swiftly and gave a faint nod.

"I can understand your concern," he attempted to placate Lumina. "Rest assured that IFF settings can not be changed easily. We saw to every possible precaution before beginning mass production. If need be, a self-destruct is built into every unit to ensure they can not bring greater harm."

Penny fell still entirely. She never heard of that. Was there one in her, too? Could she be gone at any moment? She sought her father's gaze, but his focus lay solely on the conversation; neither of the other two acknowledged the Polendinas. Ruby's comforting hand on her shoulder, she barely felt.

"Commendable. And yet all it takes to create a second scourge is a single order. Perhaps not from you, but you do not matter in the grand scheme of things."

The flippant comment cracked General Ironwood's calm and drew an irritated frown. Lumina was undeterred. "Old age or unfortunate events can remove you in an instant. Who says the next person will be as stalwart a man as you? You paved the way for an army without loyalty. For what possible reason would you need that?"

The general clearly did not like her rhetoric. Penny was too distraught to ponder if Lumina had a point. She only saw how his expression hardened.

"If I have the choice between hunters and good soldiers or a machine that costs no more than money to produce? I will send the latter every time. There is no cost too great to preserve lives."

She almost missed it. The violent flash of Lumina's aura masked it somewhat, but Penny saw: the way her expression twisted into one of pure loathing. Just like a few days ago, while she was fighting Ghost. Penny tensed up, as did the general... but no attack came.

Lumina exhaled slowly, eyes closed. She repeated this several times until her agitation faded.

"I see," was her only comment. She did not speak any further.

The two frowned at each other for long moments. In the end General Ironwood slowly inclined his head.

"It seems we will not see eye to eye on the matter," he mused. "Regardless, it was good meeting you in person. You as well, Huntress Rose." He once again acknowledged Ruby, who snapped to attention. After offering her a handshake also, the general made to leave. "But I can tell now is not a good time. I shall leave you be. Goodbye."

A smattering of responses followed him on the way out, but Penny remained quiet. She waited until the door closed before she spoke. Only a single question coursed through her mind; she needed to know even though she dreaded the answer.

"Is there, is there a self-destruct in me, too? Am I just a disposable drone?" Like Ghost, she did not ask. Her distress caught attention around the room either way.

"Of course not!" Her father shouted, both pained and worried. His spider-chair stalked over as fast as it could, then he hugged her tight to his chest. "I took it out of you the moment you started to think for yourself. James never asked to put it back in and if he had, I would have taken you away."

His embrace was comforting, as were his words. Yet Penny could not help but seek Lumina's gaze. The moth studied her curiously.

"Your Essence is true," she commented after a minute. A faint frown marred her features. "But not yours, is it?"

Father and daughter turned to the moth, who glanced between them. Her eyebrows rose slowly. "I see now," she declared. "You put part of your own essence, your soul, into her. From there it grew into its own, forming new life."

Penny's head whipped around. Her father had grown more pale, all but confirming Lumina's words. Meanwhile the faunus girl offered a genuine smile.

"Impressive. You have my respect, Doctor."

"W-Wait," Ruby interjected. "How would anyone do that?"

"Through careful manipulation. Perhaps a Semblance was involved as well. Either way, it is remarkable."

Penny was just dumbstruck. She did not know how to feel. Her joy nearly overflowed from the knowledge that Pietro Polendina gave her this gift; at the same time doubt settled with the fact it was not her own soul but his that gave her life.

She absently heard Ruby backtrack, glad it took attention off of her: "Can we, uh, go back a bit? Why did you get so mad at Ironwood? I mean, I get it, there's a lot to worry about, but this felt kinda personal?"

Lumina's expression soured immediately.

"The last person to think like he created those blasted vessels," she spat. "Nothing good comes of it."

She said no more of the matter and Penny was left to wonder once more: would she have been like Ghost? As the prototype of the Atlesean Knight, did this make her the proof of concept? Could the feat be repeated? What was she, truly?

No answers were found that day, only too many questions.

 

[Naron]

I am in a celebratory mood because I got my degree secured now. Therefore, you get an extra chapter this week. The next one will be on Saturday as usual.

---

The next few weeks became notably more calm. A total of four others made it through the gauntlet of Beacon students and three of those passed in the Emerald Forest. Miraculously, the two already in the forest managed to evade the Grimm horde.

Lumina recuperated for several days, mainly to keep up appearances. Then she went on a number of missions with Ruby; simple ones, mainly search and destroy. Her partner convinced her to look into a missing person's case once, but did not ask again when that ended with a corpse in the woods and more dead monsters.

After a month in Vale, she finally returned to Menagerie. Selina thankfully left out Ghost when she told Kali and Ghira about recent events. Lumina did the same. The pair already knew she made it but insisted on a small celebration of her success in the examination.

Ilia joined as well, currently recovering from injury herself; she began patrolling alone in preparation of her own application to Shade Academy. Her skill vastly improved, but so did the danger. As she told it, a waspoid Lancer caught her foot with its stinger; Ilia was limping, though slated to make a full recovery within the week.

They were momentarily interrupted by a storm of rose petals cresting over the horizon. Ruby had followed the trail of Lumina's Essence across the ocean. Her aura was low and the other girl winded from the exertion, but in good cheer regardless. The Belladonnas greeted her with interest and warmth; Ilia was wary, but warmed up to Ruby rather quick.

The three young women sat together at the coast that evening. They looked out to sea, all silent.

Lumina mused about her uncertain emotional state. The tranquility after that recent upset felt... nice. It was a peace she desired to last. Yet at the same time she knew it would not; Salem existed in the shadows, a scourge upon Remnant.

Were The Radiance alive, She could smite Salem with ease. As it were, the crowned light was dead but dreaming, now known as Lumina. She could not settle the issue with overwhelming power. At the same time she was curious about this Salem character; who was she and what did she actually want?

"Lien for your thoughts?" Ilia queried. The chameleon faunus had her bad leg stretched out to the side, Lumina noticed when glancing back. She shrugged.

"What to do next, mostly. There is a great deal of work to be done. Light once buried will awaken in time."

It spoke volumes that neither of her companions even challenged the cryptic statement.

Ruby nodded, offering a little smile. "I mean, we have a good thing going, right?"

"That we do," Lumina agreed. She was not just being polite there either; having a partner felt nice even if she did not need one. The moth could not help but study Ruby for a time; perhaps she should feel annoyed that she wanted to depend on someone, but she could not make herself.

Her partner did not seem to care much for the introspective mood. She piped up soon enough: "Actually, I never asked: why did you want to become a Huntress?"

"For the fame, mostly. I was killing creatures of Grimm anyway, so it is a simple path for me."

"...oh. That's not really what I expected."

So saying, Ruby could not quite hide her confusion. Her furrowed brows settled a moment later, though. The young woman snapped her fingers. "Oh, right! I was meaning to ask, shouldn't you have a weapon? You can afford it now!"

Her enthusiasm returned, not diminished even when Lumina shook her head. "Come on, it'll be great! Look, I'm not certified yet but I can make you something if you want! You can't keep running around without a weapon, it's just wrong!"

Ilia giggled in the background while tactical puppy dog eyes were deployed against Lumina. She weathered them stoically, yet Ruby's argument got her to thinking. If just for peace of mind, she may as well agree.

That realisation drew a soft sigh from Lumina. "Very well. I do have the money now."

Ruby cheered and dashed back on home right after dinner. Ghira remained amused but also thoughtful.

"Being able to move that fast is certainly convenient," he mused. "You could both find work as couriers around the world."

Lumina had to agree, though she preferred her current profession.

That evening, laying in 'her' bed, she idly played with a shard of sunsteel. Pure ivory, forged in the fire of a star and materialised from her Dream. It was firm and sturdy, but just this tiny shard drained a notable amount of aura. It was simply inefficient. Then again, taking a few days of downtime to materialise enough steel for a weapon may be worth considering.

Alas, most of her old powers still felt inconceivably far away. Unavailable, all because of that damned vessel. Thinking back to the encounter with Ghost still baffled and enraged her.

It took far too long to realise that this thing never fought her out of malice. It was not even programmed to act against The Radiance. No, it simply existed at her. It kept existing and surviving the cavalcade of bodies she threw at it in her anger. Until it found her and, in the end, killed her.

The godslayer dwelled on Remnant, yet its presence was not what bothered Lumina the most. She was furious with herself for taking so long to realise. Had she let go of her hatred in time, she never would have ended like this. Diminished, trapped in mortal flesh and at the whim of time. At the same time, she realised with sudden clarity, if she were still whole but sealed, she never would have met them. Selina, Kali, Ghira, Ilia, Ruby. Not a single one of them could have become dear to her.

As much as she might want to deny it, they all became precious. Far more than Lumina expected.

She pushed the entire train of thought away, unwilling to engage with it further. It was time to sleep.

Elsewhere, the Fall Maiden once more awoke in a secret laboratory below Beacon.

Amber was weak, that the wizened headmaster knew. She spoke faintly as he monitored her status. The Maiden's power was whole again, meaning that Cinder Fall died; he already called off the search for her. This did not undo the damage done to Amber, though. Her muscles atrophied after a months-long coma and she would require physical therapy to recover. Even that was just a pipe dream for now, though.

Then again, Amber herself seemed happy just to be alive.

"Fortune favours us of late," James ventured from his side when Amber fell silent. He kindly held up a glass of water for her to drink from. "Amber is whole again and there was not even a peep since the day of the dragon. What is more, a new legend is on the rise."

He glanced to Ozpin. "Are you sure you don't know what happened to Amber's attackers?"

He absently shook his head. Being reminded of Lumina brought back the handful of conversations they had.

"W-What happened?" Amber asked into the silence. "What dragon?"

While James filled her in on current affairs, the local headmaster continued to muse. Even the notoriously firm General Ironwood spoke of Lumina with respect. He freely admitted they did not see eye to eye, but he could appreciate the younger woman's down-to-earth demeanour.

Once his old friend finished the recounting, he spoke up himself: "What do you think of her, James?"

"That is a difficult question. She seems ulikely to stir up trouble, but her own beliefs are firm. Perhaps unshakeable. Having her for an enemy is a worrying prospect."

Which did say a lot; perhaps he had even picked up on the more subtle hints as to Lumina's nature.

Ozpin could only nod. "More so than you know, James. More so than you know."

He had meant to leave it at that, but James and Amber both displayed a great deal of curiousity. There was no real danger in telling them a little more as long as he was mindful of their mental states.

"It was her wrath alone that lured the dragon that day. From previous conversations I gathered that she drew Grimm to her like moths to a flame for a long time."

There Ozpin paused in realisation. He huffed softly. "Pun not intended."

It seemed neither of the other two quite noticed it themselves. Rather, they were concerned now. Reading their thoughts out of their faces was a simple matter. The oldest of the three inclined his head in agreement. "Yes. Such an individual would normally not survive to adulthood. For her, I can tell it was not luck that saw her through. She is more than meets the eye."

Before his mind's eye flickered another moth, one he but glimpsed. Everything felt so meaningless in comparison to Her radiance even now. As if in response to that thought, the great moth fluttered her wings; somehow Ozpin knew She was looking back. She knew he thought of Her. It was in equal parts intriguing, impressive, and terrifying.

"More in which way?" James inquired. It was not quite a demand, but his wariness shone through. This was something Ozpin needed to head off now.

"In a way that can upset all of Remnant. Whether she ends up a saviour or a villain, though. That is yet to be seen." He did mean to push James a little with that comment. Seeing his fellow headmaster's expression harden, Ozpin finished the statement: "Do not antagonise her. If she aligns herself with Salem out of spite, the world will be doomed."

James was clearly not happy, but he did not argue. Amber broke the tense silence with a question of her own: "You think she would? Destroy the world out of spite?"

He could do little more than shrug.

"Mayhaps. What I know is that these strong feelings of hers kept her alive. Leave her be, the both of you. Though I doubt you will meet her anytime soon," he added kindly toward Amber. "We can only wait for now. Wait and provide guidance so she is not led astray."

They left it at that and continued setting up a more detailed plan for Amber's recovery. Ozpin could tell James was still not happy with the situation regarding Lumina, but he would follow the older man's lead.

Days passed at Beacon, too. Soon enough the weekly football match between CRDL and SNNL commenced and ended. It remained tense from start to finish, both teams about evenly matched. In the end a swift goal from Dove turned it around in CRDL's favour.

"That's the score tied up again," Selina noted cheerfully. She passed the ball over to SPBY, who challenged CFVY to a match as well. "Guess we'll have to see who's boss next week. Good game, folks."

She bumped fists with Cardin, who wore a shit-eating grin.

"Looks like it. You better prepare to get your asses kicked again!"

Some laughter followed his playfully cocky announcement. Then Nora jumped onto the larger man's back. "Not a chance! We will do the asskicking!"

Selina and Dove cackled while their huge friend tried to throw Nora off. As usual however, it took Ren's intervention to dislodge her. Or rather to make Nora allow herself being dislodged. Once the excitement passed, Cardin took a look at his scroll and turned away.

"Time for me to get a move on. See ya!"

He was already out of reach when the words registered. Selina blinked after him owlishly, uncertain what to make of the sudden departure. "What? Where's he going?"

"Hitting the showers," Sky commented with a knowing look and a chuckle. Wrapping an arm around Selina's shoulder, he whispered conspiratorially: "Dude got a date lined up."

Selina whistled at that and glanced between her friends. "She cute?"

"Nah, not really my type." Sky let go of her right after, somewhat sheepish. Dove shrugged.

Meanwhile, Russel was fidgeting. "I mean, kinda?" he ventured. "She's plain, more like."

All three acted a little awkward, at least until Selina shouted after Cardin's retreating back: "Have fun, big guy! And don't be a jerk!"

He flipped her off over his shoulder, prompting laughter from most of the students present. It was a jovial moment for all of them, standing together like this.

Pyrrha brought up what Selina noticed only somewhat once everyone calmed down: "Is there a reason you three are so skittish."

The guys hesitated at that. Looks were exchanged as neither of them seemed to know how to answer the question. Ultimately it was Sky who made to respond with an awkward shrug: "Little bit. Never took Cardin for, er, y'know." He threw a look at Selina, but did not say any more. Not that she did not understand.

"Ah, so he asked out a faunus girl?" Three nods were given. "Good for him. Anyone we know?"

"Nah." Dove shook his head for emphasis. "Some girl in town. I think she's a deer? With her trait, I mean. Do deers have antlers?"

That was a good question. Selina had no idea. Thankfully, she had a Ren to field the question in her stead: "Rarely. It may be a caribou trait, or elk."

Not that it mattered in the end. Selina was happy for Cardin and pleased that conversion worked as intended. She had to call Ghira soon and tell him about her success; changing the world in one go remained a pipe dream, but doing so one person at a time still improved it.

Meanwhile, Lumina soared atop the Grimmlands.

She managed to head out alone because Ruby was busy planning up her partner's weapon-to-be. This was the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at Salem without exposing the other girl to danger. She still did not quite know how to feel about that being's existence, but she was certainly intrigued. Nobody else was informed, either. Lumina was out gathering information so that she could decide on a course of action.

Knowing the rough location from Cinder's memories, she could have flown far faster than she did. The scenery required some consideration, though.

This land was dead.

Rivulets of black sludge carved deep trenches into the barren earth. Not even proper void but dregs. No plants grew, no animals could be heard. The only noises beside a gale's soft whisper were the rustle of Lumina's clothes and the calls of beasts.

Though many of them noticed the moth due to her distaste of them, she was unreachable to the lot. Whatever flying creatures came close were exterminated. As gratifying as it would be to destroy them all, Lumina had a purpose here.

She still spent time searching for even a single spot of life, but nothing presented itself. Only empty plains and hills. Not even the sun shone onto this desolate realm, blotted out by a constant cover of thick clouds.

It took about an hour of flight before she spotted the castle. Hewn from black stone that may be solidified void matter, it loomed ominously above several pools of the latter. Lumina's distaste grew even stronger at the sight, but she held back once more.

Gliding closer on spread wings, she soon spotted a figure awaiting her on an elevated platform. Dressed in grey and black, the woman stood relaxed. Crimson eyes gleamed in the Grimmlands' eternal twilight. Lumina answered with a soft golden shine and descended on a ray of sunlight. Only upon landing did she realise that black veins ran across the woman's face. Her ashen hair was trapped in several tight braids, almost like a crown.

Lumina met her gaze evenly. Being human, she possessed animal instincts that told her to flee or curl up under this being's attention. Danger rolled off the woman like tangible waves, shards of Essence flickered and flared around her.

Any lesser being would quake in their boots, but what was she to The Radiance? Her threatening aura rolled off Lumina like water parts before a rock. Their silent standoff continued a moment longer, in which the woman seemed to find what she sought.

"Visitors are quite rare in these parts," she ultimately spoke. Her voice was deep, filled with an absolute certainty and the faint echo of something other. "Especially such prominent ones. What is it you seek, Huntress?"

Lumina snorted, uncertain if the attempts to alienate her were purposeful or mere happenstance.

"I come seeking knowledge," she retorted. "Your origin as well as your purpose and designs for Remnant. The question is: will you answer, Salem?"

This earned her a faint smile, pretending warmth that Salem did not feel. Beasts crawled around them, suddenly roused to motion. Lumina ignored them while Salem raised one thin arm.

"Colour me impressed. Few were ever brazen enough to seek me like you have. I will answer, but so will you."

"Very well."

Their accord struck, Salem turned around and led Lumina along. The instigator of Remnant's strife almost seemed to glide, the hem of her dress fluttering with every motion. They entered the castle and the gate closed behind them.

It did not take long until black and white were seated opposite of each other, darkness and light at each end of a long conference table. They both studied the other for a time, though little tension was felt. In fact, Salem even had tea brought to entertain her guest.

Once she had her fill of attempting to discern the other woman's nature, Lumina broke the silence. Her voice rang clearly in the vast room: "Now. Why are you, to begin with? The void is poison to those not of it and you are clearly human in nature."

Salem's brow creased ever so slightly, eyes gleaming a shade brighter. "You should learn some courtesy, child," she admonished. "I have walked these lands since ancient times."

All that earned her was an arched brow as Lumina sipped her tea. Salem's countenance did not reflect her actual train of thought. "Whatever Ozpin may have told you however," she continued idly, "will not be the whole truth. I am immortal, well and truly. No force in this world can kill me and have it stick. Such was the Brothers' punishment for defying their oppressive will."

That was interesting, if the tiniest bit irritating. To presume her an uninformed fool from the onset. Lumina's cup touched down with a soft click.

"First of all, Ozpin told me nothing. I came by the knowledge of you through other means. Secondly, do you speak of the Brother Gods? They existed?" A nod was given. "I see. I had my suspicions, what with how wide-spread their worship is. Although no one seems to remember them."

Her implied question was taken with a huff from Salem. When she spoke however, her voice was almost toneless: "Of course not. The Brothers eradicated all human life on this world when they left. The broken moon is their doing as well."

"What would make them do so?"

The moment of weakness vanished and Salem laughed. It was a frigid, haunting sound, yet failed to creep beneath Lumina's skin.

"I did," Salem declared with something akin to pride. "They threw a tantrum once their little humans stopped being obedient sheep. They cursed me, so I gathered an army and confronted them to steal their power."

At this point she paused, stopped by an incredulous look from Lumina. The immortal had the grace to be abashed for at least a moment.

"It failed," she admitted, "contrary to my expectations. But it made the two leave Remnant, never to return."

"And why are there still humans if they destroyed them on the way out?"

"They left behind residue of their powers. Not enough to truly uplift the world, but enough to recreate the humans they destroyed. The rest remains as Dust, ever-replenishing."

Now that was curious. Lumina still did not know how this woman came to be infected with the void, but she could definitely read between the lines of this statement. Her brows rose.

"You brought them back?" A nod. "It seems you ended up regretting that decision, considering your current endeavours."

"As a matter of fact, I did not." Salem took a sip from her tea and idly motioned for the world behind this room. "Eternity is dreadfully boring on my lonesome. Watching humans struggle to survive the inevitable is quite interesting. They always die in the end, although their methods and perceived solutions are rarely the same. The cycle will continue until the day I tire of it. The God of Light interfered once from far away. He called upon Ozma, whom you know as Ozpin, to oppose me. Neither understands the extent of my power. He is but human, oh so easily killed."

The immortal chuckled to herself as if hearing a beloved joke once again. Lumina could only incline her head, well aware how alluring the game of life could be. At the same time these 'gods' irritated her.

Then she realised that eradicating their former faithful in a fit of emotion was something not just the Brothers had done. The Pale King's actions suddenly seemed different in that light; the desperation with which he fought her in the end.

She did not know how to feel about that and got no time to figure it out. From one moment to the next, Salem commanded the room: "Enough. You are certainly not a normal faunus, child. Not once have you doubted my tale where even my own retainers meet notions of the Brothers with reverent disbelief. Why?"

The roles had been reversed. Lumina leaned back in her admittedly comfortable chair. She savoured the tea for a moment; a fine blend, not too bitter and with a floral scent.

"I know little of the Brother Gods," she began, "except they are not the only deities in existence." She could tell she had her audience's attention. "Nor are they the oldest. Truthfully, I was not aware they existed to begin with. And I have existed since the beginning of time."

Salem had leaned forward in interest. At the end she arched a brow and challenged: "Really, now? And you would claim this so openly?"

"You were truthful with me and so I shall return the favour."

She maintained her calm, having laid the trap: if Salem lied before, she would now have to wonder if Lumina noticed and did the same to her in turn. At the same time the moth doubted that any untruths had been spoken so far. She simply continued to stack the deck.

"I was once known as The Radiance."

And just like that Lumina felt the tiniest streamer of her Essence settle within Salem. Her name would be remembered, at least for a time. The immortal woman did not even realise.

"Let us say that you were not the only one with aspirations of destroying a higher being. Only the Wyrm succeeded. Or rather his weapon did. I survived him if nothing else."

It hurt to admit, but it remained the truth. Salem mulled over what she heard, studying Lumina.

"And yet you live," she finally challenged. A note of interest swung in her voice as well. Lumina chuckled in response.

"Spite is a powerful motivator. But no, The Radiance is dead for now. In time I will return to Her light."

"From the name and how you talk, she is a goddess of light?"

"Light is the medium through which She exerts her personal power. The Radiance's domain is that of dreams."

"And what of that 'Wyrm'? Who was he?"

Lumina scowled. Of course they would go there.

"The Pale King," she spat. "A being greater than mortals but lesser than I. He beheld The Radiance and envied Her dominion, and so he convinced Her faithful to forget Her."

She wanted to say more but stopped herself; Salem did not need to know how The Radiance was first defeated. She rather went into a different direction: "From what I gathered, he first came to the realm I made my nest from elsewhere. Perhaps another, younger god. His original form, the carcass of a dragon, still lies in the outskirts of Hallownest."

Now she had Salem's undivided attention. The immortal woman displayed real interest for the first time.

"A dragon, you say? The Brothers were quite fond of appearing as such."

Her implication was clear, though Lumina could only shrug. "Perhaps it was one of them. Perhaps not. It does not matter in the end."

Yet even as she said it, she realised that Remnant's void and the one formed from the dead dragon's blood were oh so similar. Although there was no reason to mention that now.

Going by the faint tilt of her head, Salem agreed with her judgement. She had a many-limbed Grimm refill her cup and took another sip while studying Lumina. "Then what interest do you have in these mortal beings? They are nothing, no?"

It took a while for the moth to respond. She thought much the same for a long, long time. Only recently did her feelings change; Selina, Kali, Ghira, Ruby, each of them became precious in a way she never imagined before. The only one who stood ever by her side was Grimm, but their relationship had always been a distant one.

In the end her response was contemplative: "Being mortal myself gave me insight into their thoughts that I always lacked. It is humbling, in a way."

"I can only imagine," Salem returned. There was no real emotion to her empty platitude, though it helped Lumina shake off her odd melancholy.

"Enough of that. Tell me more of the Brother Gods."

Salem complied, though she ultimately had little to say about the Brothers themselves; they left Remnant behind a long time ago. However, they formed a set of four powerful relics for Ozma to use; a set that was said to call the Brothers back to Remnant for some unfathomable reason if brought together. The wizard himself somehow managed to guard these Relics from Salem's designs for a millennium. He was also greatly diminished, having gifted large chunks of his magical prowess to four Maidens.

Lumina already knew of the Maidens. Their origins and the fact each of their powers could open a given Relic's vault Ozma built were news, though.

In addition, it appeared that faunus were a small error of Salem's recreation of humanity. She seemed pleased enough with their role in compounding the strife on Remnant. It irked the moth, but she said nothing.

Once the other woman closed, Lumina offered a few nuggets of information as well. Then she rose.

"I believe I understand now. It was an interesting conversation, but I now have to take my leave."

Salem remained seated, though she arched a brow. "And what makes you think you can leave?" she prompted, creating a heavy silence between them. "Those who approach me usually do so to strike a bargain of sorts. I do not offer charity. And you, claims of divinity aside, would make for a powerful agent."

Sparks of red and black flitted around her body, casting malevolent shadows.

"You should join me."

It was not quite certain which annoyed Lumina more; the attempt at intimidation or the demand she subordinate herself to another.

"No," she denied. "I came for knowledge and I gave knowledge in turn. No further transactions will be made."

"That is unfortunate."

Pain blossomed across Lumina's back before the final word was spoken. She turned with the motion, both her wings slashed apart; there stood a gaunt man with vibrant yellow eyes, grinning maniacally. He somehow cut through her aura with a pair of blades.

Pain and indignation drained all rational thought at the sight of how pleased he looked. A radiant beam of light chewed through his aura and his face; it cut a hole through Salem's entire castle. Then a barrage of colourful lights took her in the back before the corpse finished its descent.

Lumina's aura dropped precariously and almost broke, but she managed to evade. Flickering away with the final drop, she made it out of the castle. Yet she painfully dropped to the ground with both her wings shredded by the surprise attack.

Beasts converged on her, drawn by the incandescent bonfire that was her wrath. Lumina weaved between them, even managed to avoid them for a time. She regenerated enough aura to manage another flicker, but it only got her another kilometre away. It was a start, though nowhere near enough to get her to safety.

Her mind was awhirl with anger, both at Salem and herself. She got carried away again and was out of aura for it. She let her guard down trusting in its protection, now she paid the price for her foolishness.

Lumina kept jogging despite the self-flagellation and pain; if she could buy time until some more of her aura regenerated, she could escape and formulate a plan. She could make this damned miscreant understand the enemy she made today.

Unfortunately, these very thoughts continued to draw the beasts; not a single one was weak, each one ancient. Massive Beringels lumbered after her as Sphinxes descended from the sky. Lumina somehow barely stayed ahead of them; she was too focussed on that to realise that they all backed off when another joined the fray.

Its first lunge would have caught her if it had not shone with silvery Essence.

The massive hound caught itself and bounded after her; the next time it leapt, Lumina had to roll away desperately; sand rubbed over her tattered wings and drew a pained hiss. The moment of distraction was enough for the Hound to capitalise. Its jaws closed around her leg.

Lumina grunted as she was swung around; bones snapped and ligaments tore with every jerky motion until she could no longer move. Every part of her body burned, but she refused to scream. No tears escaped her, even when the beast started dragging her broken form back.

An agonising eternity passed before the castle appeared in her sight once more. Then Salem entered her field of vision, as irreverent as before. Calm, distant, pleased.

"Whether you spoke the truth or not," she mused with faux gentleness, "I always wanted to kill a goddess."

Lumina glared back at her, refusing to so much as twitch. Even though the pain nearly overwhelmed her, she refused her body's urge to scream, plead, and wail.

Salem was not impressed.

"Any last words you wish to utter? I do so adore collecting them."

That did it. Lumina's anger overflowed to the point several nearby Grimm flinched back from her. Eyes gleaming gold, she spat out a mouthful of blood. Her vision already grew hazy, but she did not care.

"This is not. Over." She spat, heaving with each word. Indignation alone kept her concious. "You. Will. Regret. This. Dawn. Will. Break!"

She fully expected a killing blow, but Salem just kept staying there. She still wore that faint, almost indulgent smile. Blood began to pool around Lumina, but her glare did not diminish. Salem clearly took notice of the expectant silence as her amusement grew.

"I am not going to give you the pleasure of a swift death after your declaration. Take your time, sooner or later that defiance will run out."

This was likely supposed to break her; on Lumina it had the opposite effect. Her wrath only grew at being denied that little bit of closure. This creature, this tiny little thing, was going to treat her death throes as a show. Not even that blasted vessel dared to do such a thing!

Her emotions ran strong enough to recover the tiniest spark of aura. Not enough to escape, but that no longer mattered. Lumina's mouth flapped, the half-delirious goddess grasping for words to speak. She could not hold to her usual eloquence, but then she did not need to. She remembered clearly what Selina would have said in her place.

"Fuck. You."

Then she promptly shredded her own brain with light.

Lumina dropped dead, leaving a befuddled Salem. The immortal woman bent down to study the corpse before shrugging her shoulders. "Huh. Oh well. Throw her in one of the pools."

The Hound approached once ordered and dragged the corpse away. Neither it nor Salem spotted how the Essence surrounding them dispersed.

Back at Beacon, Selina and Velvet suddenly got the faint feeling that something was wrong. Kali and Ghira felt it as well, yet no one could tell what caused the premonition. Ruby was still toiling in her workshop when it struck; she paused, squinted, and shook her head before getting back to work.

Cinder's body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. She lay dead in the Emerald Forest, ignored by the creatures of the void; an empty shell felt nothing, thus it was of no interest to them.

And in the Grimm Troupe's encampment, Brumm's jolly tunes slowed into a funeral march.

 

[Naron]

Lumina walked an endless plain for what felt like eternity. It was formless at first, only assuming shape as her perception began to return. Through primordial valleys she wandered, over bridges of clouds and beneath the earth.

She was not alone, either. Ahead and behind her were people, some old and some young. Members of either race and any gender. Crying infants floated past on clouds, their wails piercing the fog around Lumina's mind. The noise aided in the sharpening of her focus.

Then she stopped, blinking owlishly at her surroundings. Her head turned as spectres continued to move around her, then she slumped. With focus came memory and so she remembered.

This was it. A final death.

Some of her remained on Remnant, but she was too weak to drag herself back. Wherever she was going now, it was the final destination of every mortal being.

She failed.

Disappointment crashed over Lumina like a physical force. Her own arrogance brought her low yet again. She fell to her knees, forehead pressed into the rough stone that met her from the unformed void. Lumina shook silently, not quite sobbing but oh so close.

An undetermined amount of time passed before she slowly righted herself. It was not over yet, to that thought she clung even though she knew better. Something still drew her further along the path. An endless stream of people walked it, unaware of her or each other. Their eyes were blank but their Essence flickered; they shed their physical body just like her.

If nothing else, curiousity as to this anomaly drew Lumina forward. Step by step she began to walk again.

She did not know how long until it happened. Right after following the curve of a river, she found another sitting at the roadside just at the edge of a woodland. Where everyone else was but vague shapes and wisps, this person remained fully formed. Just slightly taller than Lumina and with pitch black, red-tipped hair. Her black and red corset, the cloak that was white on the outside and crimson within, even her facial features were too familiar to be a coincidence. Lumina recognised them all, yet not.

Her feet carried her to the woman who was busy drawing circles in the dirt. Only when Lumina's shadow fell over her did she look up. Silver eyes widened at the sight, the other struck speechless by another actual person.

"Who are you?" Lumina asked her.

The other woman blinked owlishly, though the question roused her somewhat.

"...Summer," she introduced herself softly. "I'm Summer. Who are you? Is something holding you back, too?"

There was real sympathy in her question, given freely for a total stranger.

"I do not know what you speak of. I merely just arrived," Lumina answered with a glance at the people along the road; none acknowledged their conversation.

"Do you know what this place is?"

Summer barked a bitter laugh at that. She never even made an attempt to stand, perfectly content to crane her neck.

"I do. Congratulations, kiddo. You're dead, and this is the road to reincarnation."

Lumina frowned back.

"I am aware that I died," she snapped. The reminder did well to rouse her dampened emotions; irritation began to simmer, its effect far more pronounced without a physical body: she began to glow. "And she better hope I am dead for good."

Her growl made Summer crack an actual smile. "You got spunk, I give you that," she praised. "I doubt it'll help you, though. This road is one-way unless you're stuck here like me. What's your name?"

"Lumina." And despite it all, she was curious. "Do you know what holds you back?"

"Nope, no idea."

"Unfortunate."

Lumina leaned closer to Summer, intrigued by the similarities to her partner. The other woman arched an eyebrow. When Lumina continued to peer into her eyes intently, Summer began to grin.

"Sorry, but I'm happily married," she quipped. "And the only woman I put out for is my bestie."

While Lumina was confused however, Summer became thoughtful. "I wonder how she's doing? How long has it been since I died?"

It was clear that Summer got used to following meaningless tangents to pass the time. Lumina did not care for them, she simply pulled their conversation back on track with a few words.

"You have silver eyes."

This simple comment was enough to earn the other woman's full attention. Lumina did not let her intent stare stop her. "The physical resemblance is too much to be a coincidence," she reasoned. "You are Summer Rose."

Summer nodded, dumbfounded. Her eyes widened when the implications caught up with her. "You know them? Did you see my little Ruby? Is she doing well?"

She stood in a heartbeat, grabbing Lumina by the shoudlers. Though startled, the moth mused about how mother and daughter were equally intense, if about different matters. "She was, last I saw her," she reassured the other woman. Though the reminder of Ruby saddened her; a friend she now lost.

Summer let go and dropped back down with a sigh.

"How old is she now?"

"Fifteen."

"I already expected it. My baby is all grown up and I missed it."

Her previous joy was wiped away. Summer hit the ground weakly, even as her expression contorted into an angry snarl. "And I can't even come back to her in another life because I'm stuck! Damn you, Salem!"

Her anger dissipated as fast as it appeared after that outburst. She waved her hand toward the path with a melancholic smile. "Just keep going. If you got the chance to move on, you should. Don't stay here with me."

Lumina had paused after hearing Salem's name, but disregarded the notion as irrelevant. "You do not want to hear more of Ruby?" she inquired, somewhat surprised. Summer just shook her head.

"Don't tempt me. It will only hurt more. I can bear it as long as she smiles."

"I see. Is this a mother's prerogative then?"

She received no answer, not that one was needed. Lumina nodded at the seated spirit.

"Farewell, Summer Rose."

"Bye."

She left Summer behind and continued to wander for a timeless instant. She knew she traversed an entire world, swam through deepest seas, but it all faded away in her memory. Perhaps no time passed at all.

Only in the end did she behold a pillar of pure light connecting heaven and earth. Her eyes widened at the alluring sight as it called to her. Lumina picked up speed, then spread her wings to fly over the final hill. There she dropped, mesmerised.

An axis of golden light grasped for the sky, surrounded by waves of silvery white. The stream of people ceaselessly approached it; every single person who passed the threshold dissolved and became another wave of silver cresting skyward.

All Lumina needed was a single glance to tell the pillar's function. Knowledge of its purpose almost pushed itself into her mind: this light washed clean each soul on its path to reincarnation, then guided them back to Remnant once it was their time. The process was perfect, though it included a complete loss of memories and ego to begin the cycle anew.

Moreover, she could feel it resonate with her. Strings of spun gold loosened from the pillar with but a thought and connected to her ethereal form. Slivers of Essence entered her system, chasing away the last bits of fog from her mind.

Lumina took a shuddering breath as her cocoon began to appear from nowhere. Each string was silver like the light of these souls; spikes of steel jutted out in various spots. She stared at the impossiblity before her.

She could regain divinity right now if she took it all. It was all there, ripe for the taking. She could have it all back, punish Salem with a flick of the wrist. Burn the pest away just like she did Cinder. She could spite the Wyrm that conspired against her, even the vessel that struck her down.

No one would ever know.

Yet Lumina hesitated. Something held her back. A sense of foreboding, only confirmed when more knowledge came unbidden as she strained herself to understand the pillar's function. Understanding arrived with ice-cold clarity: this structure was created by the Brother Gods. Moreover, it was needed.

Humans were a species the twin gods engineered. Their souls did not form quickly enough to sustain the species; they needed reincarnation to survive. If this were taken away, ever more children would end up stillborn or come out adjacent to the vessels the Wyrm once conceived. Even Lumina could not tell which of these two was more likely.

She had to decide between her divinity and the survival of humanity. It gave her pause, froze the moth in indecision.

And into that silence, a male voice shouted her name.

Lumina whirled around, startled; she knew that voice, if faintly. The moment her head turned, she recalled where from.

The boy sprinted her way even while only halfway defined. His black hair fell in gentle waves, framing a pale face and the brightest smile she had ever seen. He outright beamed at her and fell to his knees, prostrating himself.

"Finally!" he cheered, face in the dirt. "I was waiting so long for you!"

Lumina was taken aback by the sheer reverence on display. She did not even remember his name. The boy from Shiroyuri, the same one her actions inadvertently broke. Simple curiousity and interest in her were rewarded with insanity.

"Why are you here?" she asked him, a little put out. "You should have moved on."

"I wouldn't dare, oh Radiance!"

He failed to notice Lumina twitch due to his face still pointing down. When he did look up, it was with a fervent smile. "I was waiting for you, so you can reap me and take my Essence. It's only right that I do my part to raise you to your true might! Please accept it!"

His form began to collapse fully with these words; the fleeting energy approached Lumina, who stood frozen in place with wide eyes. Her wings drooped and the offering slid off her like water, reforming into the confused boy.

"What's wrong?" he pleaded. "Am I not palatable?"

Something heavy came to rest in the pit of her stomach. Lumina's chest constricted. Somehow the light felt bleaker. She did not answer the questions he asked, rather examining this feeling. She never truly felt something like it before and needed a while to realise that this was guilt.

This boy and his current state, they were her fault. Well and truly. She made a grave mistake and turned one who could have been great into a blabbering shell, content with being sustenance. Just like the Wyrm.

What was more, she murdered everyone when they became understandably upset over the matter. Even if the original sin was not hers but an accident, what followed certainly was not.

Lumina stepped forward as if in a daze. She needed to think. But first of all she needed to make this right as best she could.

The boy stilled when a pair of slender arms wrapped around him.

"Worry not," Lumina whispered into his ear. "All will be well."

She held him in her embrace for a long moment, then pushed him into the pillar of light. The last his wide eyes could behold was her brittle smile. "Better luck in your next life," Lumina wished him earnestly. Only in parting did she finally remember his name: "Onyx."

His Essence was washed away in a matter of seconds, leaving Lumina alone with her thoughts. Alone with the guilt. She sat down at the hole, feet dangling in a stream of light. Even now it would not affect her unless she let it and so she pondered.

Her thoughts went in circles for a long time. The more she thought over her stay on Remnant, the more she realised the colossal mistakes made. For the first time Lumina saw clearly how often her endless pride was her downfall.

She could absorb this light. It would be cruel, forcing the friends she made to be lost in oblivion. Callous even, after everything. And what about before Remnant? The Pale King? Her moths?

"Grimm?"

Her weak call needed no repetition, He arrived by Lumina's side in an instant. His form was that resembling Ruby, yet behind Him seemed to rest an endless line of creatures. Though their particulars differed, every single one bore the same crimson eyes. Grimm met her gaze evenly, waiting for Lumina to ask the question plaguing her.

"Was I wrong?"

Each word almost hung in the air, heavier than the universe.

Grimm mulled it over in silence, though He scooted a little closer to sit by her side. Lumina absently rested her head on His shoulder; the Nightmare's flame burning within Him spent comforting warmth.

He ultimately shrugged ever so slightly, the motion more felt than seen.

"It is not for me to pass judgement upon your actions, dear sister. You and I both do as we please with little regard for those we pass by along the way. I may care in the moment while my caretakers are yet in front of me, but before long I will cease. You truly cared for your moths and all the other worshippers. Being upset by the Wyrm's actions is perfectly understandable."

"Understandable, you say. But not right. The lengths to which I went, the scourge. Had I not, that vessel never would have come for me. The Hollow Knight, I could wear down over time." She sniffled. "How many times do I need to fail, how low do I need to fall before I stop destroying myself?"

"I do not know," He told her honestly.

Before them flew images of desolate caverns and a city which lay dead. Husks that once haunted this realm were no more, leaving but a handful of survivors. The void was silent, since calmed. For just a few moments they beheld a living being; a crescent-shaped mask hid her face while a red cloak covered her body.

She rested within a dank tunnel, but her head snapped up as they watched. Hornet looked straight at them and the image was cut in twain.

Grimm chuckled weakly.

"Sharp as ever, that one is."

Lumina could only agree. "The gendered child may yet return prosperity to Hallownest. I will not interfere with them anymore." She certainly did enough there.

After letting Grimm's flame warm her a little longer, she straightened up and wiped off her tears. Then Lumina stood, expression growing more determined as a plan began to form. Grimm stood, too.

"Is this it, then?" He asked of her.

She did not respond at first. A single step into the pillar she went before turning around. Streamers of gold connected to her again as she displayed a nasty grin.

"Oh no, little brother. This is the beginning."

Ordinarily, she would be too weak to leave. Yet with this surge of Essence she could reconnect to the pieces of her still on Remnant. All the memories within so many people guided her back. The Radiance yet lived, it was not over.

Soon enough the streamers disconnected from her fully corporeal self. She simply stood bereft of shadows, unaffected by the light's splendor.

"Salem puppeteers Remnant as she pleases. She acts in the shadows and hides her actions behind people," Lumina ruminated, her grin feral at this point. "Unfortunately for her, two can play that game. This is a dream shared by Remnant's dead and I am still the ruler of dreams. The curtain closes on Lumina, but the seeds of Salem's demise have since been sown."

As she spoke, Cinder's corpse stirred and rose. The body had lain dead too long to be fully functional, but she did not decompose too much just yet. It would work fine as a substitute. Lumina forced the heart to beat once more and suffused every cell with light. Outwardly, Cinder was perfectly fine. She even shared her owner's cheshire grin and began to walk.

In the Grimmlands, even though Lumina's body was completely dissolved by the void, her Essence remained. A mere trace it was, yet enough. Unbeknownst to Salem, a heartbeat echoed in the very depth of the pool she had the corpse thrown. Gleaming orange slowly spread through the unformed void.

It was the day of the summer solstice; the day a vengeful goddess had originally been reborn. Now it was also the day she set events into motion that would forever change the course of Remnant's history.

With enough power siphoned off to ensure her connection to Remnant, Lumina stepped out of the pillar. Grimm was smiling also; He inclined His head and vanished.

Lumina's gaze turned to the path she came from.

"And there is one more who will be interested in destroying Salem."

So she left her cocoon and the pillar behind, intending to find Summer Rose.

 

[Naron]

Selina dreamt of empire.

She walked roads of polished steel, treading among people who greeted her as an equal. Strangers all, yet smiles prevailed amongst their number. Human and faunus, all united. Utopia had come. Selina was content as she ascended a golden tower to look upon this beautiful city.

Then she snapped out of her trance, staring in befuddlement.

"What the fuck?" she asked the dissipating gold. Turning back, the contents of her dream swiftly faded into obscurity in the distance. Selina's gaze alternated between the endless ascent and the radiant city.

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

She received no response except for a soft breeze ruffling her red mane.

"Shouldn't I, like, wake up?"

All was quiet. Selina pinched her arm to no effect. Then she looked around again in an attempt to find clues. A barely tangible sensation drew her gaze back to the stairs; she wanted to ascend for reasons unknown. Something pulled her further up.

"Well, I guess?"

And so she kept walking. Whatever this was ought to have an explanation.

She took a moment to look back after scaling the infinite tower in what felt like seconds. Everything below vanished underneath a blanket of clouds. Looking forward, in front of her lay a flat roof and in its center a tear in existence. Iridescent lights played along the rims, standing out starkly against the bleached surroundings. Selina was mesmerised by the sight and could not tear her eyes away.

That was until she suddenly stood face to face with Lumina. A surprised shriek loosened from Selina and she flinched back, only to press a fist against her hip and scowl at her friend.

"Damn it, don't scare me like that!"

Her outburst took the moth by surprise and she averted her gaze.

"Ah yes," she murmured sheepishly. "My apologies. I did not mean to."

That was odd. Lumina was never this contrite. Studying her a moment longer, Selina realised that her friend's eyes were somewhat sunken. Lumina's wings lost their luster and she looked even smaller than she already was. But at the same time this was just a dream, it had to be. Except Selina's instincts said otherwise.

"This is really you, isn't it?" she asked. Lumina nodded mutely, once again worrying Selina. "How?"

Her dazzled question earned but a huff. Lumina grasped Selina's hand and led her away from the rift.

"I will spare you the details for your sanity's sake. Know that darkness lurks in Remnant's shadow and that I will destroy it before long."

That sounded more like the girl Selina knew, but she was still confused.

"I mean, sure. Grimm and stuff. But why do you come to me in my dreams? You could just drop by anytime. Actually, where were you? Ruby says you aren't back from your mission yet."

She really did not like how Lumina slumped in the face of these questions. Open displays of weakness like that were just not like her. Yet here she was, head hung. Her words were soft yet oh so damning: "I will not return, either. This is all that is left of me. I have only myself to blame for letting it come that far."

Selina's eyes narrowed at that. She really did not like the implications. "You're telling me... you're dead? Kicked the bucket? Bit the dust?"

The recital earned her a flat stare, but by now Selina knew none of this was right. She crossed her arms and scowled at the imposter. "Okay, yeah, no. Whoever you are, you aren't her. Lumina is the strongest person I know. She's not going down that easily."

Her denial clearly surprised the moth, who stared at Selina for a long moment; jaw slack, a single tear brimming in the corner of her eye. Lumina heistantly wiped it off while a smile stole its way onto her face, brighter than Selina ever saw before.

"Thank you," she said, confusing her friend mightily. "I never knew you had such faith in my abilities."

Then she sadly shook her head. "Alas, it was not my lack of power that brought me low. It was my temper. I had exhausted my aura before I knew it and was picked off."

This could not be happening. Selina refused to believe it. She pushed the surprised moth away, all but ready to throw punches for lack of a spear to shank her with.

"Stop pretending already! This is all a lie! I don't give a damn what you get out of acting as Lumina, but it stops now!"

And still the imposter wore that sad smile.

"How ironic," she mused. "The first time we met, the first thing you did was question my capabilities. Now your faith in me grew so strong you can not imagine me failing."

It did not add up and yet this was Lumina; every sense told Selina the same thing, but her heart was torn. She did not want to believe, but the thought crept into her mind anyway: what if it was true?

"No way," she rasped out, grabbing the still corporeal girl by her shoulders. "No way. There is just, there is no way it can be you. Lumina isn't dead. She can't be!"

She wanted it all to just be some sick joke, that was infinitely better than the alternative. But Lumina merely shook her head with a sigh.

"Unfortunately, I am."

A motion was made for the rift that still called to Selina. "I invaded your dreams from the final dream of Remnant, the road to reincarnation. Were you to walk through there, your soul will certainly be washed away and move on. Your memories of me were my beacon."

Selina's throat constricted as reality asserted itself. Vision grew blurry, eyes prickling under the strain of holding back tears. She wiped them away but could only stare helplessly.

"So what now? Is this goodbye then?"

And Lumina laughed.

For the first time she ever heard the tactiturn girl do so, Lumina laughed. It was not a nice sound at all; bitter, angry, and vindictive. Lithe hands closed around her shoulders.

"Selina, please! You should know me better by now."

Lumina's previous, delicate expression was wiped away in favour of a nasty grin. Her golden eyes gleamed as bright as miniature suns.

"Death is but an inconvenience to me. I have business left on Remnant, the first of which is to bring down the one responsible for my death. She will come to regret the day she made me her enemy."

The dream shook as palpable waves of wrath rolled off the moth. They passed through Selina and shook her to the core; while staring dumbly, she at least had certainty now.

"Okay. Yeah. You're Lumina alright."

Her deadpan took the air out of Lumina, who simply huffed. Her emotions settled and the dream stabilised. She left a long pause before indicating the distant, empty skies. "Anyway, this is where you come in. Lacking my own body, I am limited in my actions. But I have a plan."

"I'm in."

A beat.

Lumina was clearly taken aback. It was honestly funny to see this cocksure woman so confused. "You, erm, do not even want to know what it is?"

This time it was Selina who laughed. She sauntered forward and wrapped Lumina in a big hug. "You're my friend, girl. I trust you. Just tell me what needs doing and I'll do it."

"Even if I told you to commit crimes?"

"What's a good revenge plot without crimes?"

Miraculously, Lumina laughed again. This time it sounded far more pleasant. Selina grinned as well, even more so when her friend returned the embrace.

"Thank you," she said. "Truly. I never realised what a wonderful friend I found in you."

"Eh. Now stop being sappy and get on with it. Who got you killed anyway?"

The flippant question drew a sigh from Lumina. They separated and Selina was held at arm's length. Lumina had turned serious again.

"Her name is Salem."

As they spoke of most terrible fate, another at Beacon dreamt. Velvet often remembered flashes of lush nature, but tonight was different. Not for the pastures her mind painted but for how real they felt. Not to mention the visitor settled on a picnic blanket. That had turned her intrigue into certainty.

Lumina inclined her head to the hare faunus, breaking the silence between them: "Please have a seat. I am afraid I bring grave news."

Velvet studied the younger woman thoughtfully; she could feel the Essence coursing all around them like a river. It originated from the alluring rift behind Lumina. She wanted to investigate, but this felt more important. Seating herself gingerly, Velvet paid full attention to the moth.

"You never said you could enter other peoples' dreams from afar. Or did you break into my dorm?"

A soft chuckle preceded the response. "No," Lumina said without specifying which question she just answered. "I am visiting several people tonight. You are admittedly the one I most expect to refuse my request, seeing how little we know each other."

She was indeed wary, though she also remembered how willing Lumina was to help her before. Despite the incident with Ghost, Velvet did not think her a bad person. "I think that depends on what you need," she reasoned. "I guess it's urgent?"

"Not urgent so much as important, I would say. The fate of Remnant is on the line."

The revelation was so matter-of-fact that Velvet needed a second to truly understand what she just heard. She hissed and leaned forward, what little levity there was gone with the wind. "What do you mean? And why are you doing it like this when it's this important?"

She expected something odd, but not the melancholic smile Lumina showed her.

"Unfortunately, I died. This is the only way I can reach you."

"You what?!"

To say Velvet was shocked was an understatement. Before her sat the one person who she thought was even more powerful than the hare herself. An avatar of light, the fourteen-year-old who rampaged her way through the license exam and proceeded to protect Vale. How could she be gone?

Velvet blurted a question in that direction, prompting a grimace from Lumina. "My own arrogance, mainly," the moth admitted. "I ran afoul of the woman who engineers Remnant's strife for her own amusement."

She really did not like the way this was going; her eyes narrowed, yet she knew there was no one else on Remnant with powers like Lumina. Her curiousity burned as bright as her worry. Perhaps it was foolish to make a decision so soon, but Velvet wanted to trust.

"I'll help, but I want to know something first."

"Of course," Lumina agreed, inclining her head as she awaited the question.

"Who are you really? Or what?"

This earned her an arched brow, but Velvet was undeterred: "You know skills no one else on Remnant ever heard about. Your abilities are, honestly, absurd. What kind of power is it? Some sort of magic?"

Lumina had listened quietly to her elaboration. Now she smiled, ever so fondly in a manner more befitting a sweet grandmother. "There is no such thing as magic," she began to lecture, "not truly. Only power you do not yet understand. The ability to affect the ether, to shape the energy within your soul. To draw out your own essence and give it purpose."

She made a motion for the dreamscape surrounding them. The meadow bled away and became a mountain breaking through the clouds. At its tip rested a statue, reminiscent of a moth yet dilapidated. Worn down by age and wind. They now sat in its shadow and stared up at the starry night sky as Lumina carried on.

"But are you certain you wish to know? I will allow you to see as a courtesy, but the last time I did the boy who saw lost his mind."

That sounded overblown to her. More like an excuse than anything else. Velvet nodded.

"Yes, I want to."

She had made up her mind, unflinching even when Lumina stared into her eyes. Whatever she saw, it seemed to satisfy her; the moth nodded.

"Very well."

Then the tear still behind them opened further, accompanied by sounds akin to shattering glass and tearing cloth at the same time. A moment later Velvet fell through an endless void and toward gentle light; Lumina fluttered by her side and held her hand. The siren song tugging at her very self grew ever stronger, only to be extinguished when the light's source became clear.

Velvet's breath hitched, the young woman unable to avert her gaze from the radiant silk. It was a cocoon, easily the size of her if not bigger. The contents remained unseen beyond a number of ivory spikes, yet it radiated a pressure she felt only once before, when brushing against Lumina's mind.

"This is... you?"

She slowly tore her gaze away and turned it to the contemplating Lumina. Her erstwhile teacher nodded, one hand brushing over the silk the older girl did not dare touch.

"Yes. My true self is still gestating. I know not how long until I can hatch. This is all you will see of me, Velvet. For your own sake. I am the first ray of light that graced the universe, The Radiance."

A wave of golden light spread from the spoken words. Velvet could merely nod, too mesmerised to speak. They looked at each other, hand in hand; Velvet closed her eyes, taking deep breaths until she got a hold of herself. She had firmed up by the time they opened again.

"What do you need?" she asked.

Just as with Selina, Lumina began to answer the question. But those two were not her only targets that night. A third being at Beacon dreamt. This one, however, dreamt for the first time in her life.

Penny suddenly became aware; she stood within a sprawling city that stretched all across the horizon. Having never encountered a dream of her own before, her owlish look was soon replaced by wonder and she began to explore. Everyone greeted Penny kindly wherever she went, smiles and waves returned without hesitation. Somehow she knew they knew of her nature and accepted her anyway.

Despite the wave of content she felt along the way, this novelty soon wore off. As Penny began to wonder what happened, people no longer acknowledged her; their actions became meaningless without her attention.

About as soon as she started thinking clearly, she realised a faintly smiling Lumina settled on a waist-high wall by her side. Wings folded, illuminated by faint rays of light. She almost seemed to sparkle, though Penny was more surprised than awestruck.

"I read about this!" she chirped, happy to remember. "But why would I dream of you?"

"Because I willed it," Lumina said.

"...huh?"

The moth's smile grew a fraction and she hopped down to stand in front of Penny. A part of the sidewalk rose to elevate her, putting both girls at an even height.

"You are not a real person," she told Penny gently, whose expression fell. Hope blossomed with what followed, though: "Not yet, at least. But I am the ruler of dreams and so I gift you the ability to dream. From now and forevermore. Consider it a belated apology for the injuries I caused you."

Penny's eyes widened, then blurred as a surge of emotion ran through her. She had wondered ever since she learned of her father's actions. Wiping at her face in confusion, she felt wetness on her fingers. Moreover, all of a sudden, she felt her heart beat.

"W-What is this?"

"This is a dream," Lumina answered kindly. "You can do anything and be anything here. So for now you are human."

She swayed, caught in a maelstrom of emotion from trepidation to joy. After hugging herself, Penny leapt at Lumina and crushed her in a big hug as well. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! Is this really okay? How did you do it?"

Her exuberance did not abate at all. Penny started hopping in excitement as she babbled, carrying Lumina along. Even when she eventually let go, Penny still beamed at the smiling girl. Lumina seemed mostly amused while she indulged her questions.

"As I said, I am the ruler of dreams."

She made to say more, but stopped and glared to the side. Penny's head turned as well and she found Ghost right there in the crowd, staring at them. "And you are not...." Lumina began, only to trail off. She heaved a faint sigh. "Whatever. Make no trouble, vessel."

"I still don't understand why you hate Ghost so much," Penny admitted. It remained sad they did not get along.

Lumina scowled in turn but ultimately shook her head. "It matters little now. I have more important matters to attend than my old grudges. Tell me, Penny: were you told of the four Maidens? The four Relics? Salem?"

She could only shake her head slowly, prompting a somewhat more sinister smile from Lumina. "Because as much as I would like to give you this and be on my way," she continued, "I have more to tell you. And a request to make."

Penny was all ears.

Meanwhile, Ruby Rose dreamt of killing Beowulves under the moonlight. She grinned as the final beast died under her scythe, bullet casings lining the blanket of snow surrounding her. A crunch made her turn around to face new adversaries, only to stop dead as she beheld the spitting image of herself.

"Grimm? Why are you in my dreams again?"

Only after asking the question did she realise this was not Grimm; for one, while He looked eerily similar, He still appeared distinctly masculine. This person was softer and her face was different. Ruby knew it nonetheless, even without adding the forlorn, devastated expression into the equation.

"Wait. Mom?"

Summer Rose smiled weakly as she drank in the sight of her daughter. Ruby herself did not quite know what to say or do; it had been a while since she dreamt of her mother. Those dreams normally continued into hugging her tightly, or being the one hugged and assured all would be well.

Only this time Summer stepped closer with clear hesitance. She sped up when Ruby stayed in place, gently grasping her shoulders to look her over. Her smile was tender but tearful.

"Just look at you," she whispered. "All grown up. Strong and beautiful."

Her voice broke while Ruby stared at the irregular dream mom; she had no time to even ask what was going on, though. Summer pulled her into a bone-crushing embrace. She trembled, holding onto her daughter for dear life.

"I'm so, so sorry I missed it all. My little bud."

Ruby's arms rose slowly, almost mechanically closing around Summer's back. She was only a hair shorter than her mother. This was how it normally went, yet not even close. More than that, Ruby was almost painfully aware of her surroundings; this was not the usual, hazy dreamscape. Peering over Summer's shoulder, she spotted Grimm leaning at a nearby tree.

"What's going on?"

His eyes opened to meet her desperate gaze evenly, each a crimson blaze. "Unfortunate circumstances forced a change in paradigms," Grimm explained somberly. "Let me assure you this is no mere construct."

And then He was gone, unwilling to disturb them further. Summer chuckled weakly, her hold on Ruby loosening.

"Weird man, him. I heard he looks like my son because you helped him out."

Ruby slowly began to comprehend what was going on. Her grasp grew stronger. "M-Mom?" she could not help but ask, unable to believe it. "It's you? For real?"

"For real," Summer confirmed sadly. "It's me. And I'm so proud of you."

They finally separated to look each other over. Ruby tried to burn every detail of Summer's face into memory; they had the same silver eyes, the same hair. Summer did the same to her even as Ruby began to lose composure.

"What happened?" she asked weakly. "I don't understand, why are you here? Why like this? Where did you go?" Ruby sniffled. "Why didn't you come back?"

Seeing her daughter's eyes fill with tears, Summer pulled her into another hug.

"Hush now, it's okay. I'm here now. We have time."

Ruby cried. The old wound tore open in full, hurting more than it did in years. She was so confused in every way imaginable, happy and sad in equal measures. Old grief rose from the back of Ruby's heart to accompany the fresh feelings.

Summer held her close throughout it all. A hand softly stroked her back as she cried, a voice whispered reassurances to her. Ruby did not hear any of them and yet the burden slowly lifted. It was a long time since she shed tears like this; by the end she hung limply in her mother's arms. Summer sighed softly, cradling her head.

"Again, I am so sorry. I should have been there for you, there is no excuse."

Silence answered; Ruby was so scared that the spectre would vanish, she could not bring herself to speak at first. Her arms rose slowly, wrapping tightly around Summer to keep her there. A question burned in Ruby's mind, something she had to know.

"Tell me what happened?"

Summer stiffened noticeably. She hesitated for long moments before pulling her daughter closer. "That... is part of why I am here. I hate putting this on you right now, but you need to know: Lumina is dead."

Despite attempts to keep her close, Ruby jerked back far enough to stare at her mother askance. She could only mouth a silent 'what', which prompted a mirthless smile from Summer who went on: "That's how we met and how she opened the path to see you. She died by the hand of the same person as I. And believe you me, my little bud," she whispered as her eyes began to gleam a sickly orange, "this nightmare will end before long."

"M-Mom?"

Be it her voice or the audible fear Ruby felt at the sight, the light winked out in an instant. Summer grimaced.

"Sorry about that. I have... strong feelings on the matter. It's because of Salem that I couldn't see you grow into such a wonderful young woman. I'm going to pay her back for that, with interest."

She absently swiped a strand of hair from Ruby's face. "Lumina would have told you herself, but I asked her to let me do it. She's talking to a few others right now."

Ruby nodded slowly, even if nothing really made sense. She felt surprisingly fine despite the news her newest friend was gone, maybe because she apparently was not?

"I don't understand. What's going on?"

This earned her another of those mirthless smiles; there was a definite edge to it, though. "Salem finally made a mistake is what's going on," Summer told her. "She commands the creatures of Grimm and engineers struggle across Remnant. She wants to destroy humanity."

Here her smile turned into an actual grin despite her daughter's wide-eyed stare. "And not long ago she decided to murder Lumina for refusing to comply with her demands. I heard you two know each other, so you can guess how well she took that."

Another slow nod was all she could give in response. She saw Lumina raging before, but this? It felt far greater than what happened in Vale. Not to mention it still made no sense. "But, when?" she asked next. "How did she even find this Salem? And how is she doing this?"

Unfortunately, Summer could only shrug. "She didn't tell me when or how. I imagine she learned of Salem and went to investigate."

"...while I was busy making her weapon. Oh no, oh no, if I'd been there then she wouldn't-" "shush."

A finger landed on Ruby's lips, cutting off the spiral of guilt she was swiftly working up to. Her glittering eyes focussed back on Summer who shook her head. "You being there wouldn't have made a difference, except for producing another corpse. I'm glad she went alone, or I probably would have killed her myself. Don't blame yourself, you couldn't know."

Ruby averted her gaze, understanding but also ashamed that she let her friend go alone. That was until Summer let go of her. Ruby's head snapped back up as her mother took a little bit of distance, smiling.

"Don't worry," she soothed, "I'm not leaving just yet. And I will be back soon enough, we can talk more. But for now there are things I need to tell you." She visibly hesitated there; it felt as if she was not happy with what had to be said next: "Lumina and I, we need your help to bring down Salem."

Ruby's eyes widened at that. "Wait, really? Me?" A nod. "But why? I barely made Huntress a month ago. What about Dad or Qrow? Or, err, what of Raven? They're all way stronger than me."

Summer huffed at that. "I give you Tai and Qrow," she agreed. "But I'd rather spare them the heartache for now. They're known quantities, too. You can still fly under the radar for a bit. And from what I heard, your semblance is pretty useful for what we have in mind."

She frowned minutely before addressing Ruby's final point: "Raven herself would agree that this is not for her. She is too likely to break away partway through."

"She never struck me that way. She's always so confident about everything."

"You met her?" Summer asked back, receiving a nod. "She never came back for Yang, did she?"

"Wha-, how did you know?"

Ruby earned a melancholic smile for her surprise. Summer shook her head. "Because I know my partner. Raven is my best friend, little bud. I'm probably still the only one she has ever opened up to."

Seeing her daughter's expression gave Summer pause. "You're going to bring this up with her, won't you?" she guessed. The younger woman nodded, prompting a sigh from the older one.

Silence descended for long seconds during which Summer visibly fought with herself. In the end she leaned closer. "I promised her and myself I would take it to the grave with me." she began. "And I did. If you really want to help her, and help her help herself, you need to know this: Raven is a coward, deep down."

"...wait, what?"

Ruby had trouble believing what she just heard. For a moment she even suspected a prank of some sort. But Summer gave no such indication; if anything, she seemed even more melancholic now.

"Surprising, no? But this is how it is. Fear motivates her every move. She's afraid of being taken advantage of, so she accumulated as much personal power as she could. She shuns people for fear of rejection. She fears even her own daughter as well as the prospect of failing in raising her. That's why she left and cried herself to sleep for a year. It's a dichotomy you must never, ever reveal to anyone. Raven gets attached so easily, but she fears even these attachments of hers. Everything else is a mask she carries to hide the fear."

She stood there dumbfounded, listening to her mother speak. Of all the things Ruby thought might go through Raven's head, this was absolutely not among them. At all. But if it was true, then maybe she could help?

"Maybe she just needs a push?"

"That's what I thought when I encouraged her to accept Tai's proposal," Summer answered sadly. "We both know how that ended. Mind, I decked her after she left, but I should have seen it coming. If you really want to include her in this, be mindful of her. Raven cares about everyone she gets to know the slightest bit. She will never say it. But despite that, cowardice is her driving force."

After allowing herself another sigh, Summer's smile returned ever so faintly. "Now with that out of the way, let's get to it. What's your favourite fairy tale?"

 

[Naron]

That fateful morning, four young women woke at exactly the same time. The youngest of them sat in bed with a gasp, her vision blurry and eyes wetted by tears.

Ruby leapt up without regard for her blanket, turning to rose petals to escape when it began to entangle her. She rushed down to the living room where she found a scene odd enough to give her pause: a particular raven was perched on the windowsill, exchanging glares with Qrow who sat on the couch.

Ruby took a moment to watch their silent staring contest, absently rubbing her face. Then she darted forward and grabbed the squawking bird.

"Get over here, we need to talk! Good thing you're here!"

"The hell's going on with you?" Qrow hissed, mostly out of surprise. He threw a quick glance at his Scroll. "It's six in the morning."

"Yep, and we still need to talk."

By this point a disgruntled Raven came to stand next to her brother after fleeing Ruby's grasp. She crossed her arms, but for the first time her glower did not affect her niece. Ruby truly hoped her mother's revelation was correct, so far Raven gave no indication whatsoever. She simply challenged her as usual.

"What is this then?"

Ruby hesitated as she glanced between her uncle and aunt. Then the certainty in what she saw and heard that night made her speak a single, oh so telling word: "Salem."

By the way Qrow flinched and Raven grew tense, she already knew. Yet Ruby wanted to hear it from them.

"It's true then? She exists?"

"I have no idea what-" "Yes."

Qrow's attempt to lie fell flat; any other day Ruby may be a little hurt. Today she understood just fine why he would, as well as why he glared at Raven. The older twin's attention was focussed solely on Ruby, expression dead serious. "Salem is very real. How did you learn about her?"

"Mom told me last night."

The atmosphere shifted immediately. Ruby did not mean to, but both of them stared at her in utter confusion. Raven was outright slack-jawed, which actually chased away Ruby's dour mood. She could not help but smirk.

"Surprising, huh?"

Neither one commented on her quip. Qrow remained befuddled, voice quiet: "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Summer is, she's dead."

"Yup." Ruby nodded for emphasis. "So is Lumina. From what Mom said, they met up wherever dead people go and made some kind of deal."

"Wait, what? Hold on, stop. What's this with Lumina now?"

Although Qrow was insistent, they had to go on a tangent to explain who the moth girl was to Raven; her brow furrowed during her brother's short recounting and remained so after Ruby took over. The younger woman finished off leading back to Qrow's question: "Anyway, uh, I haven't seen her yet, but she was killed by Salem, too. Same as Mom."

While Qrow's expression hardened, it was Raven's reaction that surprised Ruby; her aunt's face lost all colour and she began to shake minutely. However, all traces of fear or nervousness vanished in an instant when she realised Ruby was looking at her.

She immediately spoke up, calm as always: "And how do you know this was actually Summer? I give you that something happened, considering you learned of Salem in your dreams. But it could well have been an imposter."

"Yeah, what she said."

Be it the situation or the fact he just agreed with his sister, Qrow drew a familiar flask and took a swig. Then he offered it to Raven, who had some of the alcohol as well before handing it back. Qrow pocketed it with a sigh. "I'm not saying it wasn't Summer, but was there anything to make certain? And, uh, you're taking this pretty well."

He had a point. Now that Ruby was over the initial shock and had a good cry overnight, she was nowhere near as depressed as she thought she might be. Still, she could only shrug.

"I'm a big girl."

This immediately earned her a snort from her uncle, which she answered with a glower that did not phase him at all. "Besides, Lumina is a magic alien like Grimm. She's not really dead if she can just come back in my dreams, now is she?"

"...that's fair."

"Good. As for proof, I know it was Mom. But she also said to tell you, uh, 'fuck you and get laid, Qrow'."

Ruby felt weird even just quoting someone else like this. At the same time Qrow gaped at the words that just came out of his soft-spoken niece's mouth. It was still embarassing but at least slightly funny, too. Raven seemed to agree if her faint chuckle was any indication. She answered her, too: "While that does sound like Summer, it is not conclusive proof."

Ruby debated with herself for a long moment, then averted her gaze. Summer's warning still rang clear in her mind; she would not let Raven know just yet, if ever. "Nothing else," she lied. "Please trust me on this."

Silence followed as brother and sister mulled over what she told them, with especially Raven watching Ruby carefully. Her niece did not dare meet her gaze, but she thankfully relented after some time.

"Very well," she allowed. "Let's hear what Summer needs you for from beyond the grave."

Ruby sighed in relief and looked at them again with gleaming eyes; literally gleaming silver, in this case. Both were taken aback and listened with rapt attention: "Mom and Lumina are taking Salem down, once and for all. But they're trapped on the other side, so they need help here. Lumina talked to a few other people I'm supposed to meet the day after tomorrow. I don't know who they are yet." She could guess Selina would be one of them, but not who the rest may be.

"And how are you going about it?" Qrow asked back with interest and worry in equal measure. "Ozpin's been fighting with her for who knows how long and she's still around."

To that, Ruby could only offer a mischievous grin. "I dunno, Mom didn't say. But it's Mom and Lumina."

Her simple rebuttal earned a huff from Qrow and an arched brow from Raven. Ruby elaborated without further prompting: "I trust them to have something. Mom told me about the four Maidens and Relics, too. She said those will be important, but we'll only learn what they actually need when we're meeting up. Safety reasons and all that, in case someone bows out."

She was completely unrepetentant even in the face of their incredulity. Ruby simply shrugged again, still grinning. "I guess I'm not making a good case, but I don't care. I just want you to know 'cause I'm going."

Her uncle groaned in response, hand halfway toward pulling out the flask again without even realising. "This is so flimsy. You know you could be walking into a trap, right?"

"But why make a trap like this if she can just bomb our house while I sleep?"

"...fair."

"No," Raven denied. She stared at Ruby with narrowed eyes now. "It fits Salem perfectly to push others forward to do her dirty work. You will be asked to do something dangerous, potentially illegal. Once it destabilises the area, your involvement will be revealed. You will be put in disgrace and face the blame while her plans come to fruition. That is how Salem works."

Qrow nodded along with his sister while Ruby frowned. She thought over the argument, but could not really find fault with it. Moreover, her aunt looked like she would actually physically stop her from going. The difficulty of that aside, she really did not want it to become a big fight. Meaning, Ruby had to convince Raven. The realisation drew a sigh out of her.

"Mom also told me one other thing."

"Oh? And you bring this up now, why?"

"Because if it's true, it must have been her. She said she took that secret to the grave."

Ruby almost averted her gaze, but forced herself not to. She saw how Raven made to speak, only to stop and blanch. She grew chalk white, wide eyes seeking Ruby's.

Qrow remained unaware, too focussed on his niece to notice. "And how'd we know to confirm this if only Summer knew?"

She did not say anything. All Ruby did was meet Raven's gaze, trying to convey without words that yes, she knew. She attempted her most gentle smile, yet her aunt still flinched back. Even still, Raven forced herself calm just as Qrow turned to look her way. In fact, she scowled up a storm.

"It's Summer alright. If she visits again, tell her I'm waiting to give her a piece of my mind."

The younger twin was starting to get confused and clearly not happy about it. "Okay," he drawled, "what's all this about?"

When neither of the two women gave him any sort of response, he threw up his hands with an explosive "Whatever" and walked away in search of coffee.

They watched him leave. Only when his deceptively soft steps were firmly away did Ruby approach Raven. The older woman watched steadfastly, but began to retreat when the younger one entered her personal space. Ruby shed her remaining fear and lunged, wrapping her arms around Raven's waist. She could not help but compare the experience to hugging Yang even as her aunt stiffened in her arms.

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. I think you're more brave than you know."

She could not see from up close how Raven's jaw worked soundlessly. Her aunt made to speak several times but remained unsuccessful. Her erratic heartbeat was ever so faintly audible from where Ruby was.

In the end she pushed Ruby away, revealing her pained, vulnerable expression. Raven stepped back into a portal and vanished without a word.

Ruby sighed. "I guess I should have seen that coming," she muttered to herself, then followed Qrow for breakfast.

Also at breakfast but with less arguments, Headmaster Ozpin started his day with a nice cup of coffee. Though he rarely had time to eat in the cafeteria, today was such a day; there was just something different about a communal meal with the faculty as well as their students nearby. The air was filled with chatter and excitement, but also glum despair. A typical Friday morning at Beacon.

Not completely atypical but still noticeable was the one particular student approaching the teacher's table. Her red mane swayed with every measured step, sometimes hiding the canine ears she so proudly wore. Selina Uaine came straight at him with a grin and a little wave.

"Heya, Headmaster. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course, Ms. Uaine. Please have a seat."

As she took the empty chair opposite to him, the old wizard could not help but appreciate her dauntless spirit. Though surrounded by the people who could and would determine the direction of her life, Selina was not cowed in the slightest. She fit right in with contemptuous ease as if she were one of them. Nonetheless, the younger woman also had bags under her eyes; she sat hunched forward, effectively unnoticeable to any without his keen eye for body language.

"Rough night?" he could not help but tease. "Or perhaps you were following more... amorous pursuits?"

It was always curious to see various youths react to a little needling. Some would flush and avert their gaze, be it in embarassment or guilt. Others sputtered, some simply said nothing. Personally, Ozpin preferred the straight-laced sort like Selina; she simply snorted and shook her head.

"Nah, not when I've got classes the next day. Why, you interested, sir?"

He chuckled while she batted her eyelashes at him, in front of the entire faculty no less. Glynda's brow twitched in annoyance, though the rest seemed more amused than scandalised. The headmaster genially shook his head. "Not quite. You are a lovely young woman, but this is not just highly inappropriate. You are also not my type."

"Oh? Our headmaster has a type?"

Ozpin sipped his coffee, well aware of the grin given to him. None of the sudden heartache made its way onto his expression or his tells; it had been so long, yet the mere reminder still hurt. A flash of golden locks and a gentle smile were all the memories he allowed himself.

"As most people do. Perhaps I will tell you in a decade or two."

"I'll hold you to that, sir."

Several other teachers chuckled over their banter; Glynda simply shook her head and returned to her own breakfast. Ozpin allowed himself another sip of coffee before cutting it off.

"Now what business did you have this early in the morning?"

That was when something curious happened: Selina grew hesitant.

"Err, that's the thing," she began slowly. "I kinda need to talk to you later, just wanted to let ya know so I don't just barge in." She glanced to the faculty and students around them. Ozpin's brow rose as he caught her drift even before she voiced it out loud: "Shouldn't talk about it here."

"My," Peter interjected with a jovial grin, mostly hidden by his mustache. "Considering how this conversation went, perhaps someone should chaperone the young lady."

The portly professor's quip drew several snorts and grins from around the table, including Selina herself. At the same time, Glynda remained untouched by the attempt at levity.

"Oh, not to worry," she promised no one particular. "I will."

And again Selina proved her courage, or perhaps a stunted sense of danger, by fluttering her lashes at the stern deputy. "Oh my, Professor. You do know how like two thirds of the students want to be, heh, disciplined by you, right? Someone might just attack me to take my place."

The older woman smiled mirthlessly in response. "Of course I do. The walls have ears here at Beacon. Unfortunately for your fellow students, the only discipline they receive from me are detention and extra work."

A muttered "Unfortunate indeed" from the other direction had her glare that way, but beside puerile giggling there was no one claiming responsibility. Glynda shook her head and told Selina to see her after class. While the student agreed without hesitation and left them to their breakfast, Ozpin made a mental note to clear his schedule.

Much to his surprise, Velvet Scarlatina accosted him on the way back to his office. Much like her junior, the hare faunus also requested a conversation. And then an hour after classes started, he received a message from Penny Polendina asking the same. Suffice it to say, the headmaster was confused by this point. Students rarely approached him directly, be it either out of respect or them being intimidated. They mostly went to the teachers if they had troubles.

For one moment he wondered if he actually had to turn down the sort of approaches he and Selina joked about earlier. It would not be the first time, but it never ceased to be unpleasant.

Regardless, he answered Penny to see Glynda after classes, much the same as Velvet was told before. The time until Selina's appointment was spent staying ahead of paperwork.

When the young woman did enter with the deputy in tow, she was the slightest bit nervous. Greetings were exchanged and he bid her to sit, where she kept playing with her fingers. It took a few seconds for her to speak up.

"Well, there's no easy way to say this. So, err, Salem?"

Ozpin froze. He barely managed to smooth over his expression before Selina's gaze rose to meet his. Glynda covered for him, fully composed: "What is that name supposed to tell us?"

"Yeah, no need to try hiding it, ma'am. I heard that Salem exists and I know at least he knows."

A nod went Ozpin's direction, who sat there with steepled fingers. This was not what he expected to deal with today. "Now where would you have learned something like that?" he inquired, genuinely curious. He could not think of any nearby sources willing to divulge information to random students.

Selina squirmed a little, but answered honestly: "Well, this is gonna sound weird, but Lumina told me last night. In my dreams."

As she likely expected, Glynda scoffed. Ozpin himself simply nodded, though. "Understandable," he commented. "Please continue."

Saying so, he had to hide a minute smirk behind his folded hands because both women stared at him flabbergasted. Selina blinked a few times before getting a hold of herself.

"Ooookay. So here's the thing: Lumina is dead, she said so herself. Salem killed her."

His amusement died a swift and horrible death. Glynda was dumbstruck just like him, he did not need to look at her to know. Selina saw their reactions and raised her shoulders into a helpless shrug. "So yeah. We have a bit of a problem. And she's pissed."

The implications would be nonsensical at any other time, but it made perfect sense that a nascent goddess could still reach for Remnant even from beyond. At the same time, he could not help but worry a great deal about the near future now. Leaning forward, the headmaster pinned Selina with a look.

"From the beginning, please. Do not leave anything out."

So Selina explained her dream of Lumina; of how they spoke mainly about Salem and her designs for Remnant. Her usual course of action and the fact Lumina apparently sought her for an audience. Knowing the young ancient's pride, Ozpin could see how easy a mistake it was to make. Selina did not say as much, more focussed on what had to be done than what went wrong.

"I didn't ask too much beside that. She's getting a group together and we'll get the actual task together. Which is kinda what I'm here about. I want to help her, but our break is still some time off and stuff. Anything you can do?"

Ozpin rubbed his temples in thought. He certainly did not expect this, but it was cause for great concern. Anyone not in the know or unaware of Lumina's secret may treat this as a particularly creative attempt to skip on classwork. He knew better.

"I will need to consider what actions can be taken," he finally settled on, offering a faint smile. "Thank you for your honesty, Ms. Uaine. Unfortunately, other students also made appointments with me for today. I hope you understand if we cut it short here."

"Sure. I need to think anyway."

"If there is anything else?" he asked just in case, but she shook her head. "Very well. A good day to you then."

The dismissal clear, he watched her rise and approach the elevator. Just then however, he remembered something else in regard to Selina.

"Oh, and Ms. Uaine?" His voice stopped the young woman right at the door. When she turned back, Ozpin favoured her with a smile. "Your request was approved. Starting second year, you will take additional tutoring with Glynda to obtain your teaching license."

Selina's bright grin almost split her face. "Sweet!" she cheered. "Thanks! Bye!"

And with that she jumped into the elevator. Ozpin allowed himself a smile and even caught his deputy doing the same. The enthusiasm of youth lifted his spirits some, reminded him why he had always stood back up no matter the severity of the setbacks.

After a few minutes of recapitulating what they heard, Glynda went to fetch Velvet. Unfortunately, their joined mirth faded fast as the previous conversation repeated, albeit more skittish. Though only Velvet was stumped this time when he accepted the dream explanation without missing a beat. Ozpin also learned that Lumina knew of the Maidens and Relics.

By the time Velvet left, pattern recognition gave him a decent idea what the third meeting of the day would be about. And he was right as Penny arrived with the same story as the others. Though she denied knowing who else was involved; with the absence of her usual tells and the fact she was an awful liar, Ozpin took her word for it.

As the conversation went much the same way, he decided to cut it short halfway through.

"Ms. Polendina."

Penny stiffened at his tone, polite if with a certain edge. Ozpin was not angry, but he felt being firm was the best option here. "If I may ask: why is it that you would assist a person you barely know, who approaches you in such a manner? Not to mention that Lumina was always at odds with your silent companion."

The gynoid wilted away, hesitation written all over her features. She squirmed under his scrutiny until finally giving in.

"Professor, you, you know what I am, right?"

Ozpin nodded. "I reckon your secret has since made the rounds. Rumours are bountiful as to your nature, ever since the day of the dragon. Though the dragon itself took most attention off of you."

His analysis made Penny's face fall; the headmaster's heart went out for her, so he added a little more to ease her mind: "But yes, James informed me prior to your enrollment. You are Remnant's first synthetic soul."

Even as he said it, he understood it was not quite the right thing to say to improve her mood. The last words made Penny's expression darken.

"I'm not," she denied.

"Pardon?" He was truly befuddled by this response. "As far as I was aware, you can project an aura. Which means you do have a soul."

Penny shook her head almost vehemently. "I have a soul, sir. But it's not mine. My father gave me a piece of his. He gave me the ability to think when General Ironwood only wanted a weapon to point at the Grimm. I'm not a person, I am just good at pretending to be one."

She was so certain that neither professor even thought to doubt her. Glynda took a sharp breath and even Ozpin was surprised. He unconciously made to sip from his coffee again, only to realise the mug was empty. Placing it down with a suppressed sigh, Ozpin began to encourage the girl. He at least knew how to start.

"I disagree."

The surprised look this earned him made the headmaster smile. "The anguish you feel over this distinction clearly means you can feel on your own. It does not matter where your soul originally came from, it is yours now."

Yet Penny remained sceptical even with his reassurances. Ozpin decided to let the matter rest. "So how does any of this relate to your willingness to help her?"

A pause followed as Penny morosely stared at the tabletop. Then she told them ever so softly: "She gave me dreams."

Both teachers waited patiently for Penny to elaborate while she gnawed on her lip.

"Just like that, because she could. I never had a dream before but she gave it to me. She helps me actually become a person. That is reason enough to help her."

"I see."

He heard enough to know that if this was a nefarious plot, it was well disguised. Thus he dropped the matter there and asked a few more factual questions of Penny's conversation with Lumina. In the end he saw the young woman off with a faint smile. "I will take your desires into consideration. You are free to attend that initial meeting in Forever Fall, but please be careful."

"Of course, Professor."

The first time with Selina had been a coincidence. This time he purposefully waited until she stood in front of the elevator.

"And Ms. Polendina?"

It took only that much for her to turn back.

"I wish you the best. In time you will understand what it means to be human."

Her expression brightened and she nodded enthusiastically. Once the door closed behind her however, Glynda spoke up for the first time in a while: "That was a cruel hope to give her."

Ozpin could not help but chuckle at that. "What hope? She is already human, if only in mind. All she needs is to understand that, I just gave her a little push."

He met her gaze to convey his certainty, earning a muttered comment about growing soft. Ozpin's smile grew more impish at that as he let it slide. "Now I want you to make preparations for an additional phase of assignments. First and second years specifically. The dragon's attack has shown they do need some more practice, no?"

Glynda rolled her eyes in response, but did not refute the point.

The headmaster himself wandered away in search of coffee before he went to work on the matter, though he still worried deep down; it was too early for these bright lights to face Salem. But if there was a chance? Lumina may just be able to do what he could not, so he would tentatively extend his trust.

 

[Naron]

As if to encourage their decision, the sun shone brightly on the day three teams of students headed out from Vale. Neither knew of the others yet their destination was the same: the forest of Forever Fall, year-long cloaked in blood red leaves and grass.

Weiss grumbled the entire way, of course; Penny learned by now that her friend just liked to complain. Everyone agreed to help when she explained after all. Then again, they only fully relented when she made it clear she would go no matter what they say. But they all came.

Yang remained thoughtful while their leader complained; her mood drew Blake's curiousity as much as the situation itself and it was the faunus woman who ultimately broke the silence: "Okay, I'll bite. Why are you going along with this?"

Yang frowned at that and made a vague motion. "It's just, it fits, you know? My... my mother, she said something similar. And that I'll probably find out soon. I don't really believe it, but it fits. And I don't want it to fit."

"I guess that makes sense. The least we have to do is make certain this isn't true."

"Except the headmaster gave his blessing to this madness," Weiss interjected somewhat bitterly. "So he does seem to believe it true."

Ignoring them, Penny waved ahead. "It's not far anymore!" she called and pointed. "This way!"

Glancing back to her team, the other women once again were confronted with a big grin and normally green eyes gleaming orange. Yang shuddered faintly and pointed at the gynoid.

"Besides, that's kind of a thing too. Are you sure your eyes are okay?"

"Absolutely! Lumina is guiding me at the moment, but the physical alteration will fade once she retreats."

Her reassurance did not quite achieve the intended effect, though she did not seem to mind.

"And you are certain it was a good idea to leave Ghost behind?" Weiss asked again. "His prowess would be helpful if this turns out to be a trap."

Blake fielded the question this time, having had time to think it over: "On the other hand, Lumina hates Ghost for some reason. It makes sense if she's involved."

"A fair point."

"I still don't get how that works, anyway," Yang added with a look to Penny, who beamed back from where she led them. The gynoid shrugged.

"Oh, I have no idea, either. Lumina just does as she pleases! Death does not stop her."

Yang nodded, though her expression turned thoughtful for some reason. Then it transitioned into a wry grin. "So all in all, she caught a decease?"

The reaction was immediate: Blake and Ruby groaned in response, Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose in a bid for composure. Yang snorted at her own joke.

"Hah, gottem."

"No, friend Yang. Lumina is dead, physically."

The blonde grimaced as her remaining teammates and sister were vindicated. No one quite dwelled on it as Blake carried on the more serious conversation: "But really, this is like out of a story. People die when they're killed, you can't just decide not to."

"She didn't," Ruby explained from the side.

"Yes, and that's what I don't... hold on. Where did you come from?"

Only now did the others realise someone who should not be there suddenly tagged along. Ruby cheerfully grinned at the cat faunus. "I was walking with you for a minute or two. And Yang, shame on you."

Even though her lips twitched, Yang was too busy staring at her sister in confusion to tease. "What are you doing here?"

Ruby shrugged at that, completely unrepentant. "Stuff is happening and I'm helping out. Same thing as you. Hey, Weiss! Hey Blake! Hey, Penny!"

She waved cheerfully, which Penny returned with great enthusiasm. It was magnificent to have another friend around. Weiss just nodded and Blake huffed, though she seemed more amused than anything else.

Yang for her part kept up the unimpressed act. "I'm surprised Dad let you come."

"I mean, technically I'm an adult since I have my license. So he couldn't tell me no even if he wanted to. But I'm pretty safe."

"I gathered as much from your performance at Beacon," Weiss noted curtly, only to be confused when Ruby shook her head.

"Nah, not that. I've got backup."

That was when a red-eyed raven landed on her shoulder as if to emphasize the point. A slightly smaller but equally impressive crow followed right after. The pair barely fit onto the diminutive young woman, though Ruby did not even seem to notice their added weight. Both birds were at ease even as they sized up the quartet of students staring at them.

"Wow," Penny gushed, "you are a bird tamer! How do I learn this skill?"

"I'm afraid you have to defeat me and steal my power for that!"

"Oh no! But I do not stand a chance!"

While Yang snickered over the banter, Weiss merely rolled her eyes. "Can you stop with the act?" she groused. "Where do we need to go next?"

"And how will two birds be any help in a fight?" Blake added.

Ruby just grinned. "Hehe, you'll see," she chirped before taking over the lead from Penny. "Just through that brush and we're there."

The younger woman dispersed into petals and bypassed the obstacle while everyone else jumped over it. They came to stand in a small clearing where a large rock reached out of the ground. Its base parted a brook in two.

The birds flew away while Ruby and Penny enjoyed the view. The other three took a quick break for water and snacks. In the meantime, they studied the apparent meeting place.

"I guess we're the first to arrive," Blake mused.

Weiss nodded. "It seems so. Shall we study the area to ensure this is not some form of trap?"

"Honestly, I don't think it is one," Yang commented. The curious looks she received were answered with a shrug. "Ruby wouldn't be here if it were, right? Like, even if someone managed to hack Penny and do something weird, you can't hack a human."

Something about her idle comment gave Weiss pause. Her brow furrowed, then she glanced back to Yang. "Actually, I would argue that point. If this is not targeted against Penny for being a gynoid, then someone has done something akin to hacking a human mind."

Her musings made the other two freeze up for a moment; they exchanged bewildered looks while Weiss nibbled on her lip. "Which presents several worrying problems, should it indeed be true."

They were distracted by laughter. Three heads turned to find that Penny and Ruby began to climb the rock in a race to the top. Yang could not help but smile at the sight, far more tenderly than her usual, boisterous self would. Then she noticed her friends' knowing grins, coughed, and got to her feet.

"Anyway, let's take a look around."

Weiss and Blake let themselves be distracted and joined Yang's endeavour without comment.

Team CFVY broke through the foliage about five minutes later. All attention lay on Velvet, who nodded back with her eyes in their regular hazel; they never changed colour like Penny's. "This is where the trail leads," the hare faunus confirmed.

Squinting again, she then looked up where Ruby waved from atop the rock. Penny was settled by her side, completely enamoured with a butterfly that settled on her nose. Her companion's shout startled the fragile insect, though.

"Heyyyy! Took you long enough!"

"Huh. Guess she beat us here," Coco quipped, staring up almost blankly, as if she could not comprehend being beaten to the goal.

Fox rolled his eyes. He stood about her own size, though his skin was dark and he managed to blend in better with the forest anyway due to his crimson vest. "I told you we should go earlier," he said. "But no, you need to put on make-up for a trek through the forest."

Coco tossed her short hair at that. "A woman always needs to look her best. It's not like you would understand."

Silence greeted her dismissal. Fox wordlessly pointed at his own, milky white eyes.

Coco waved him off with a huff. "You don't count. And don't say I don't smell good."

Next Fox pointed to Velvet, whom they all knew spent only as much time in the bathroom as it took to wrangle her hair into order. This time Coco pouted. Her partner was since done waving back at Ruby and turned back to her team with a sigh. "If you want to be a sexbomb, sure. I don't really care about being half the school's fap material."

"Pah, as if. It's at least two thirds!"

"I doubt that," Yatsuhashi quipped with a nod toward the group of three juniors approaching from where they made camp. Coco batted his side, unable to reach the height of his shoulder without stretching.

"It's not my fault there's so many hotties in first year, now stuff it."

Some snickers followed, but the team dropped their banter as the others came into hearing distance. Velvet's confidence dropped a notch as greetings were exchanged.

Just then however, the crow cawed and Selina's team burst through the underbrush some ways away.

"Ah, finally!" the wolf called with a wave. "Hey there, everyone! Hope we aren't late!"

"Oh come on, there's no way we'd be last!" Nora retorted cheerfully. She glanced around for more people to arrive, but no one else appeared.

Ren remained unaffected by her mood. "So far it does seem that way," he quipped. Her pout had no effect either and he rather went to say hello to the others.

"I wonder how many people are supposed to gather here?" Pyrrha mused after offering her own greetings.

"Good question," Selina answered. "Any guesses?"

Curious looks were sent to the other teams, but most of their members could merely shrug. Velvet seemed lost in thought, though she happily bumped fists with Ruby when the younger woman appeared next to them. Penny jumped to ground level as well and left craters around her feet.

Looking between the lot, Yang snorted softly. "Looks like all the awkward excuses earlier were for the same thing," she quipped with renewed cheer.

"Looks like it," Selina agreed jovially.

"Quite," an unknown voice noted.

Everyone halted. Heads turned back up to find a newcomer atop the boulder Penny and Ruby just vacated. Slender arms folded behind her back and clad in a partly ragged dress, messy black hair ran down her shoulders. Yet despite her haggard appearance, her posture was straight and firm. She stared down the entire groop without a care for the birds observing her.

Penny was first to speak up, voice raised to carry: "Sa-lu-tations, stranger! What brings you to these parts?"

The answer was rather obvious to all of them. An awkward silence hung over the group momentarily, dispersed only when Velvet gasped.

"She's chock full with Essence! It's like... Lumina?"

The hare's hesitant question prompted a grin. Cinder shook her head, though. "Not Lumina, at least not quite. You hear my words through her voice, no more and no less. Do not pay any mind to who she may be, it is ultimately irrelevant."

"Is she alright?" Blake asked next. She had spotted patches of discoloured or peeling skin. "She doesn't look so good."

The question was never answered. Cinder used the pause to turn into light and reappear before them. The display of Lumina's Semblance was enough to quiet all doubt of her identity. Ruby fidgeted a little awkwardly, trying to convince herself this was really her friend speaking and not a stranger despite what her eyes claimed.

"Okay," Ruby started, "so, er, Lumina. I've got a question, if that's okay?"

"Go ahead."

"What happened? I mean in detail, Mom already gave me the summary."

"Wait, what?"

Yang's surprised shout startled the rest, though she received no answer. At the same time the crow returned to Ruby's shoulder and glared at Cinder; she studied the bird with faint curiousity.

"Qrow Branwen, I see. And your sister Raven is in attendance also. Cease this charade, I did not call for you. And neither did Summer. Meaning, Ruby did."

A moment of confusion transitioned into surprise when the bird changed shape; Qrow interposed himself between Cinder and his niece. Raven took human shape behind Cinder, cutting off her retreat. The threatening motion did not even yield a glance back. Cinder remained placid, one brow furrowed.

"Consider, carefully, what you are about to do," she cautioned the twin at her back.

Contrary to what may be expected, Raven did not attack. Remaining alert, her free hand felt into a pocket and produced a slightly worn journal. "I have a question for you, 'Lumina', she drawled, uncaring for her niece's reassurances. "What is your aim and who are you?"

This did manage to befuddle Cinder. She glanced over her shoulder, halfway turning toward Raven now.

"I am a being known as Lumina to everyone present," she began. "I am more than that, but your feeble mind could not grasp the truth. You should not seek more than that."

Everyone watched Raven try and fail to stare down Lumina. Once it became clear her effort was futile, she took a deep breath and played her hand: "You were born in Mistral. Your aura was active the moment you took your first breath."

And just like that she had 'Cinder's' full attention, who turned fully now. Raven's eyes narrowed. "Your parents were, apparently, both humans. Despite that you grew the wings of a moth."

"Wait," Blake piped up despite her still present fear of the elder Branwen. "That can't be right. Two humans can't make a faunus."

Cinder nodded slowly. "And yet there I was. You are surprisingly well informed for a bandit queen. Is there something in particular you want?"

"Yes, and I already told you what it is. This journal here," she continued while presenting it for all to see, "one of mine found it in what was left of Shiroyuri."

She seemed almost victorious when Cinder tensed; Ren and Nora did the same for some reason, though only Selina noticed. Raven paid them no mind, her focus on Lumina as she explained: "What struck me as odd is that the village was not destroyed by Grimm. I remember that day well. Every single villager had a hole through their head, far too clean to have been by chance. And here is this journal telling of someone with exactly that ability and accuracy. Someone not among the dead."

The students listened with bated breath while Cinder stood frozen. They could all tell this was no mere fabrication. Raven took a single, threatening step. "Now let us try again: what are you planning?"

In that moment Velvet reached out with her Semblance. She just had to know if this was really true. Yet when her mind touched that of Lumina, it overflowed and caught hold of everyone. The forest faded away as over a dozen people fell through the ground, into an endless chasm of blackened silver. Some surprised shouts followed.

"Where are we going?!" Yang demanded. "What's happening?!"

"I don't know!" Coco shouted back, only for Fox's shrill call to drown her out.

"Why can I see?"

His entire team tried to snap his way in surprise, a threefold "What?!" the only response they could think to give. More hurried chatter followed, but no one understood anything before they began to slow. Of the lot, only Ruby and the twins remained calm. They were the first to touch down on an altar of silver; soon all of them stood under an empty sky, barely bright enough to spend light.

Lumina sat on a platform floating above the ground. She peered down at the lot of them like a queen, regal in form despite her humble dress. Even Raven she scowled into complianace, to the point Ruby almost reached out to reassure her aunt.

"You want to know what my plan is?" Lumina growled at Raven. "That is very simple: I will kill Salem so thoroughly that not even divine intervention brings her back. It is all I want."

The silence left by her declaration almost rung in their ears. Nobody doubted her sincerity for even a moment. Yet when Selina spoke up, she was hesitant. Worried, almost fearful: "What she said earlier, these people. Did you really do it?"

She did not shy away under Lumina's contemplative look. The moth held her silence for a time, long enough that everyone knew the answer even before she said it: "Yes."

"But why?" Ruby asked, filled with the same need to know.

To that, Lumina huffed. "I could find a myriad of excuses. They never cared about me, barely tolerated me at the best of times. That I had to defend myself. None of it is true. I was simply a fool, too absorbed in my own plight to keep my temper in check."

She slowly shook her head, straightening up where she slumped before. "It will not happen again."

"Yeah, about that," Qrow interjected warily. "Is there any proof you can give us for that?"

"I did not even want you or your sister for this," Lumina groused back with a renewed frown. "And for a reason. Salem already knows about you."

She was clearly about to keep going, but paused and shook her head. "But if you made it this far already? Whatever. No, I have no proof. I have nothing more to give than my word."

The group as a whole was stumped by the turn this conversation took. Wary, worried looks were exchanged.

Then Penny stepped forward, wearing her usual smile. "I believe you," she said. No more was needed. Lumina returned the smile just as Selina stepped forward, too. The respective teams followed, except Blake who remained wary. Velvet hesitated, as did Ruby.

Lumina peered down at them in particular. "You were always free to refuse," she reminded them. "I called upon people I trust and they in turn brought the rest of you."

Coco cocked her hips, unimpressed. "You barely even talked to Velvet and now you talk about trust?"

"I trust her to do the right thing, even if it puts her at odds with me later."

That brought the brunette up short. While Coco still scrambled for a retort to such a factual if rattling statement, Ruby spoke up hesitantly. "Er, could you, I mean, is, is Mom here?"

Lumina shook her head. "No. This is my personal Dream. Summer remains in the lands between, where I can not take you. It was draining enough to send her to you even when Grimm aided with that."

"Oh."

While Ruby was stumped, Qrow remained about as unimpressed as his sister. "Yeah, that kinda sounds like an excuse."

Lumina heaved a sigh at that. She hopped down her perch, gliding to stand before him. Although the young woman was almost comically small when stood before Qrow, she was clearly not intimidated at all.

"That is your problem, not mine," she told him straight-up, earning a confused blink. "I have neither asked for nor required your cooperation. The same goes for you, Raven," she added. The woman in question scowled, but Lumina did not let that bother her. "I have all but spit Salem in the face, I certainly do not fear you. If you worry so much about myself being a maverick, then accompany Ruby and ensure her wellbeing. I could not care less as long as neither of you sabotages the plan."

It was plain to see that she meant every word. Lumina bore the twins' incredulity without even a trace of indecision or hesitation, eyes narrowed. Neither spoke as both sides expected some sort of escalation.

That was when Weiss spoke up in an attempt to dissolve the tension: "Putting all of this aside for a moment, what is the plan? Magic, Relics, Maidens, none of this tells us what you need done. We can not decide before we know that."

She was immediately aware of the half dozen stares boring into her, but bore it stoically and focussed on Lumina. The moth met her gaze evenly and nodded.

"Very well. What I need from you is to lure Salem out into the open. She is too well entrenched, too experienced, and too careful to be tricked by conventional means. So I formulated a plan that carries with it risks. I chose you in particular, each of you, because you are skilled and capable but not too much so."

Qrow made to speak, but she cut him off before the first word was formed: "Yes, I could have contacted seasoned hunters. But seasoned hunters are known. Salem will never expect a group of students to be moving against her."

"Then what about Ruby?" Yang interjected with a motion for her sister. "You and her made waves."

"True. Involving her is one of the larger risks I take. But considering I am allied with Summer Rose," she addressed Ruby directly now. "I doubt you would want to sit it out."

The resolute nod this earned her was expected. Lumina carried on to her next point: "Not to mention I also picked based on trustworthiness. Not a single one of you will betray this mission to Salem. I can not say the same of those you brought, but I will trust your judgement of them."

The teams shuffled a little awkwardly from the profession of trust, though the twins remained undaunted.

"The plan," Raven prompted curtly.

"I was getting there."

Shaking her head, Lumina turned back to the group as a whole. "Excepting Selina and her team, all of you heard of the Relics before. Four artifacts of great power, left behind by the Brother Gods. Salem covets them and Ozpin guards them. One Relic is hidden in a vault beneath each of the four hunter schools; ordinarily, only a specific Maiden's power can open the vault she is attuned to. Spring for Haven, Fall for Beacon, Winter for Atlas, and Summer for Vacuo. It is an interesting bit of Essence engineering that we need not bother with. I want you to collect the Relics. Two, I deem a necessity to lure her out. Three will be needed to ascertain her actions."

While the group as a whole stared at her for so nonchalantly transitioning into grand theft, Selina whistled.

"Welp, that's what you meant with crimes. Any chance we can tell the bossman and ask nicely?"

Lumina shrugged in turn. "I am not going to tell you how. That would be hypocritical. You know yourselves and your allies better than I."

Meanwhile, Weiss had cast surreptive glances around to gauge the general mood. She could not help but sigh.

"While I am starting to regret agreeing to this, I can see Penny is unmoved," she mused. Her partner nodded sternly in response. "So I will not bother arguing. How exactly are we supposed to open the vaults? We do not even know where any of these Maidens are, let alone who."

Much to her and everyone else's surprise, Lumina... giggled. The sound was enough to alienate the majority of their group. Giggling and the taciturn moth simply did not mesh together.

She cared little for their confusion, still amused and almost chirping: "How fortunate for you that I recently obtained the same light that gives magic to Remnant. As I understand it, the old wizard split most of his power into these four mantles. They act as keys to the locks on the vaults which he built later. Having that light in hand-" she ended as four golden spheres appeared over her fingers. Each one a Charm, the black shape of a key on a disk as golden as the sun. "-I spent some time crafting these. Each one will open any of the vaults, but use themselves up in the process."

The four Charms floated toward them; one each came to a stop in front of Ruby, Selina, Velvet, and Penny. All but Velvet took theirs without hesitation and even the hare only needed a moment longer.

By this point Lumina's grin had turned maniacal. "Which Relics you obtain and how, I leave to your discretion," she closed her briefing.

"Hang on," Qrow demanded. He studied the moth with narrowed eyes. "You lost me at the reason why this is a good idea. What are you planning to do that no one else did before?"

He had a point in making that inquiry, even Lumina could admit that. But her plan did hinge on secrecy. "That," she began curtly, "I will not say. I can not rule out that at least some of you will be captured. Salem must not know the nature of my trap."

"What, so she's still going to spring it after torturing it out of someone?"

"Yes."

It was this simple agreement that gave the seasoned Huntsman pause. Lumina smirked. "The Relics she so long desired, of course she will want them. She will believe herself too smart, too impervious to be defeated by a trap she knows about."

While Qrow still tried to make sense of that reasoning, Selina shrugged. "Meh, it doesn't matter. I already know more than I need, really."

She then threw the surprised man a wink. "I told her that when she came to me, but I don't care about the deets. All I need to know is that my friend asked for help."

"You'd throw away your future?" he asked, incredulous. "What we're discussing here is grand theft at the least."

Selina smirked in return. "That's the fun part: if it fails, I can just go back to Menagerie. Yeah, sure, it'll suck that I don't get to finish Beacon, but that's life."

She shrugged once more, now sized up by both twins. Her team formed up around her, with Nora tapping her shoulder. "Any chance we can crash at your place if we become international fugitives?"

"Sure, that's what friends are for."

"Very well," Pyrrha said. "It is decided then."

Spiceberry was more conflicted than Sunlight, or at least they were until Yang noticed how determined Ruby was. Weiss, seeing the way the wind blew with Yang and Penny both on-board, barely refrained from pinching the bridge of her nose again.

"I will have you know this is madness. But I will be in trouble by association either way, so there is no reason to make a fuss."

Coco shared a long look with Velvet, then the rest of her team. Nobody spoke, yet they all stood by her side.

Lumina smiled. A kinder, more gentle one than what was on display before. She faded without another word and the entire area vanished with her. The young men and women watched the sky flare for a moment as dawn broke.

When they came to in Forever Fall, resting on the ground around that same rock, Cinder was gone.

 

[Naron]

"So," Selina asked. "How do we go about this?"

About ten minutes passed since they all woke up, no sign of Cinder or Lumina still being around. They slowly came to terms with what they learned; Raven scowled at nothing while Ruby read through the journal her aunt brought. The group as a whole congregated near the rock and set up a small camp.

Most of the other students looked to Qrow, who leaned against the mossy stone. He only shrugged at them. "This is for you to figure out, kiddos. But if you want some advice, here you go: Shade is suicide. Atlas too, but for a different reason. Jimmie has his army and Vacuo has the toughest hunters on Remnant."

"And they've got many of them too," Selina added to the last point with a sigh. "Honestly, I don't want to go to Vacuo. I'd rather take on Atlas."

Weiss frowned at the ground, adding her piece without looking at anyone: "Meanwhile, my return to Atlas would lead to complications due to my family."

"And Beacon has Professor Ozpin," Velvet noted.

Coco nodded at that. "Yep. We're golden if he agrees and fucked if he doesn't."

Selina dismissed that assessment with a shrug. "Meh, we're fucked either way. She said we need at least two, I'd say Haven and Beacon are the easiest ones?" There was little disagreement, so she carried on from there: "Good, Mistral and Vale are in then. Between Atlas and Vacuo, which one do we hate less?"

A moment of contemplation followed; quite a few of them were slowly digesting the fact they agreed to invade one of the two best defended places on Remnant.

"Well, Atlas may be a little better?" Blake reasoned in the end. She was clearly confused to utter these words, just like everyone felt. Seeing their expressions, she explained her train of thought: "Penny has ties to the military and Weiss is the SDC heiress. We may be able to snatch the Relic if we play their connections right. No one here is from Vacuo, right?"

"How do connections help with this?" Penny inquired. She earned a number of baffled looks for the mere question, especially when the others realised she truly did not know.

While Qrow took a moment to explain to a raptly listening gynoid, Weiss answered her teammate. "I hate that you have a point," she grumbled. "I went through a great deal of effort to get out of Atlas. But alas. Do we truly need three Relics?"

"We don't" Selina admitted, "but I want to do this right. We don't get a second chance, it has to work the first time. And I trust Lumina."

No one could argue with that, at least the first part. No one tried with the second either. It took a little while before Raven chimed into the contemplative silence: "It makes sense, even. In a twisted sort of way."

All eyes went to her immediately, even Qrow paused to listen. Raven continued to frown. "Even if her plan fails and Salem gets her hands on the gathered Relics, she only has three out of four. Whatever the full set may do does not matter, they can be reclaimed."

She made a short pause, scanning the group one by one. Only Ruby had an inkling as to the thoughts hiding behind her eyes.

"You are going to do this?" Raven asked of them, though the looks she got from the group seemed to tell her all she needed. Raven sighed. "Very well. I know the location of Haven's vault, its main defense is obscurity. Send a small team there."

Some were surprised, but no one challenged Raven on the matter. Qrow threw his sister a searching look that remained unanswered.

Selina hummed in thought. "Hm. And if old Ozpin agrees to give us what's at Beacon, that leaves the rest of us for Atlas? I mean, assuming we're going there?"

There was some grumbling, though no one outright refused.

Selina clapped her hands for attention, displaying a determined expression. "Alright, okay. Planning time."

From there they talked back and forth for a while. At first Blake was a shoe-in for the Haven run, but the existence of Mistral's anti-faunus sentiments made the team worry. After some time Nora facepalmed.

"We're dumb, guys!" She told everyone and waved toward their youngest member. "Ruby goes to Haven."

Looks were exchanged while Nora kept waving her arms as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Ren apparently picked up on her train of thought and explained for the others: "She's the only Huntress we have, not counting, well." He nodded toward the twins who listened attentively. "And Lumina wants us to keep a low profile, so we can not just have a legendary Huntsman walk in. Which does make Ruby our best option."

"You're not wrong," Ruby agreed thoughtfully. She motioned faintly for Qrow and Raven, too. "And, I mean, I guess I can take them along as birds?"

"...right," Selina deadpanned. "That was a thing. Remind me to ask what that's about later."

"Sure."

Coco interrupted them slowly: "So if I get this right, we somehow need to get all of us to Atlas. Preferably without getting kicked out of Beacon or becoming fugitives." She rubbed her forehead while the others nodded. "Yeah, we need Ozpin for this. If he doesn't help, we can kiss our careers goodbye."

"It is a considerable risk we're taking," Ren agreed.

Yatsuhashi nodded down at him and added his own piece: "Not to mention that we have several VIPs among us."

Eyes immediately wandered to Weiss and Pyrrha. While the gladiator merely squirmed, the heiress scoffed. "Please disregard that particular matter," she demanded, "at least where I am concerned."

Their argument carried on for a time, but in the end the fact remained: they needed Ozpin on board.

Suffice it to say, when they explained this to the headmaster, he stared at them as if they morphed into a singular entity before his eyes.

He slowly took a deep drag of his coffee, the lack of any commentary from Glynda behind conveying her shock better than any word could ever have. When the determined group of students did not suddenly vanish or declare a prank, Ozpin pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he took a deep breath to address them.

"I hope you are all aware that this is madness?"

His incredulous question earned a few shrugs, which in turn made him take another deep drag. The empty mug was set down as he pondered how to even begin addressing this. "I understand the idea of dragging Salem into a trap, but using the majority of Relics as bait? Is Lumina even aware of their individual powers, or what will happen when all are united?"

Seeing that not a single member of the group gave any such indicator, he was not surprised by the worried looks and headshakes. Ozpin nodded to himself and decided to tell them at least this much. Salem knew it already, anyway.

"I see. Then let it be known then that you were correct in your choices for the wrong reasons. The Sword of Destruction below Shade is the last Relic Salem should ever hold. I need not describe its abilities, do I?"

More frantic head shaking at least told him they did not lose their common sense entirely. Ozpin continued: "The Crown of Choice held at Beacon grants its wearer visions of the future, although they are random. The Lamp of Knowledge will answer any three questions each century, provided one knows the name of its inhabitant. And lastly, the Staff of Creation allows to create anything as long as one can convey the idea to its spirit."

He left a pause for effect, but also to let the students digest it all.

"When brought together, these four Relics will recall the Brother Gods to pass judgement upon Remnant."

Though Ozpin looked at them one by one, nobody dared meet his gaze in the ensuing silence. Nobody except Ruby Rose. They stared at each other for a long moment, he stern and she determined.

"That's why we're not grabbing all of them," Ruby responded at last. "It doesn't matter if Salem gets some, we can take them back. You met Lumina yourself, if anyone can do it, it's her."

She was filled with conviction and kept going when given no response: "I know it's a gamble, the risks are high, but playing it safe didn't work, did it?" she tried while motioning for the window overlooking Vale. "She's still out there."

Ozpin's expression was unreadable. Nobody spoke, even Glynda was struck speechless. The old wizard thought of Ruby's words, her determination, and those who came before her. An endless line of champions struck down either by intrigue, violence, or time.

Then he thought back to the moment he beheld The Radiance. Although the Brothers might return one day, he realised, a goddess had already come to judge Remnant.

In the end he rose wordlessly and left the room. The students' befuddlement was an almost palpable force.

Yang expressed the question on everyone's mind: "Where is he going?"

"I have a hunch," Glynda answered curtly, "and suffice it to say, I do not approve."

"Since when do you approve of anything?" Qrow snarked, thoroughly unimpressed by the glare that earned him. His quip at least dispersed the tension to an extent and elicited a few giggles from the students.

Minutes passed in silence. Nobody felt quite like chatting or sharing their suspicions of what was about to happen. Each on their own already suspected why the headmaster suddenly left, yet none of them could truly believe it. Then Ozpin returned carrying an item wrapped in white silk that he wordlessly offered it to Ruby. She stared at it and then at him before reaching out, receiving the item.

She hesitantly pulled the cloth away to reveal a black crown. It reflected the light in erratic patterns, almost shining from within. Gasps were heard while the surprised teen held one of Remnant's four greatest treasures.

"Throughout my long life," Ozpin began, immediately the focus of everyone's attention, "I have made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on Remnant. I implore you to not let this be another, Ms. Rose."

He met her gaze throughout his plea. Ruby was dumbstruck and unable to formulate words.

After a second, Selina sidled up to the younger woman's side and slung an arm over her shoulder. "Don't you worry about it," she assured Ozpin. "We'll handle it."

"I do hope so," the headmaster said. Then his brows furrowed and he returned behind his desk before addressing the group.

"Unfortunately, obtaining the Staff of Creation will be quite the undertaking. Not to mention risk countless lives. Perhaps you will reconsider the number of Relics you seek in a moment."

He left another pause here to ensure he had their undivided attention. "The Staff's power is what keeps the city of Atlas afloat. The moment it is used for any other purpose, the city will fall onto Mantle."

Nobody quite knew how to react to this, much to his quiet amusement. Morbid it may be, but Ozpin had long since found solace in dark humour.

"...oh," Selina finally expressed the group's feelings. "Uh... that sucks?"

Weiss sniffed at that. "An understatement if I ever heard one."

Meanwhile, Penny remained thoughtful rather than worried or shocked. She hummed in thought before speaking up. "You said it only happens if the Staff is used. Does that mean removing it will not trigger any adverse effect?"

"That is correct. However, carrying it on your person means that you can not let the Relics fall into Salem's hand. The moment her hand closes around the Staff, she will doom them all."

His rebuke earned some awkward shuffling, but none of them seemed ready to relent on their plan. If nothing else, the lot of them were determined to see it through. Coco was the one to answer him and change the subject: "Well, we weren't planning to fail anyway. But while we're here, can you tell us anything about Salem's allies? How will she try to stop us, assuming she knows we're on our way?"

That was a good question to ask. Salem's only confirmed supporters at this point were Cinder Fall, Hazel Rainard, and Tyrian Callow. He expected there to be more, especially after the revelation of Cinder's existence. Yet ferretting them out remained as difficult as ever.

Glynda took the chance to interject while he mused: "Let it be known that I do not approve of this. The lot of you are far too young for such a dangerous task. That includes you, Ms. Rose. Huntress or no."

Another snort from Qrow earned yet another glare, once again ignored. The deputy shook her head and stalked forward, typing queries on a separate console; Ozpin saw full well that she pulled up dossiers on the known elements. Glynda pulled through as always and her justification followed just as expected: "But if I must see you head against Salem, then you will do so as well prepared as possible."

Smiles were shared around the room and the group received a thorough lecture on what to expect.

Meanwhile, Salem herself studied a wayward agent with a smattering of curiousity. She did not expect the girl to crawl back after falling out of touch for so long.

"You have returned after all. For a time I thought you to have betrayed me."

"It was merely an inconvenience, I swear," Cinder explained. She did not plead, never pleaded, but her gaze lay on the floor and she knelt before Salem's throne.

"Is that so?" the ancient Witch probed. She had turned the hearts of humans for many generations; nothing escaped her gaze and she saw no deceit in Cinder. Just the tension most of her servants displayed under Salem's displeasure. "I see. Tell me then, of your failure to obtain the Fall Maiden's power. Explain how our carefully laid plans could be disrupted so thoroughly."

"Is this truly necessary, my Queen?" Another chimed in before Cinder could speak.

Salem glanced aside to a somewhat slim and pale man, sharply dressed and with an almost insultingly full, sprouting goatee. Arthur Watts spoke in his usual drawl, each word carefully measured to drip disdain for the failure before them: "The girl failed on a level we should not even bother with. She is clearly incompetent when it matters."

Salem inclined her head, noting that Cinder held her silence. The girl had certainly learnt her place, perhaps recent events finally taught her humility.

"You do have a point," the queen allowed. "But despite it all, this was Cinder's first blunder."

She then turned back to the girl herself. "You will not disappoint me again."

It was an order and all in the room knew what failure would mean. Cinder bent a little lower, face hidden by her dark hair.

"Of course."

Arthur snorted, making his thoughts more than clear. In turn, as he often did, Hazel spoke up in an attempt to moderate: "It was not entirely her fault, either." The stout, scarred man motioned for the empty seat by his side. "That faunus girl, her power was beyond anything we expected. She killed Tyrian in a single shot after all."

Cinder nodded at that, still on her knees. "I tried to salvage it after pressing the White Fang into service failed. Brought all that Dust and sabotaged the walls. But because of her, even every Grimm in a hundred kilometres was not enough."

While Salem was not impressed, she could certainly see that these were extraneous circumstances. The moth had not died quietly. Nonetheless, she already saw the crux of the matter. Arthur did as well, speaking the words Salem already considered.

"Who would have thought that trying to suppress a group fighting oppression may backfire?"

His idle drawl normally would have riled Cinder up, but she remained in place without so much as a clenching fist. It was always better to have them squabble with each other, Salem could learn more of their hidden thoughts that way. For now however, she needed to plan. Her judgement had already been made; a single miscalculation could be forgiven.

"Enough," she declared. "For the time being, Cinder, take your seat." The girl obeyed without a word while Salem herself addressed the room: "The loss of Tyrian is a problem. We will need to seek a replacement. And there is a Huntress that needs to be taken care of."

"Is this my next assignment then?" Hazel inquired.

"No," she denied. He was a force to be reckoned with, but the current situation did not require a more direct touch. Something had changed and they needed to adapt before they could strike. "No. You will remain here for the time until we see where you can be applied best. The same for you, Arthur. You two will contact our allies in search of information. Cinder, you assist Arthur for the time being."

Her orders were accepted. Arthur allowed himself a little grin, well aware that someone as proud as Cinder would be humiliated by being demoted to a mere assistant. It was true that her failure was forgiven, but that did not mean it was forgotten. The girl took her punishment without protest, which Salem presumed to be a sign of her acrimony.

Once it was clear there would be no objections, reasonable or not, Salem leaned forward. "We will observe Remnant for a time while I see to that particular Huntress. This Lumina cost me a valuable agent. It is only fair her 'partner' learns what price is to be paid in turn."

 

[Naron]

"Well," Yang commented. "That went better than expected."

Weiss could not help but agree; she was still somewhat in shock that the headmaster agreed with this madness. Yet he did and so she needed to adapt.

The whole group currently congregated in the CFVY dorm; with them being a second-year team, their accomodations were large enough to comfortably fit them all. Seeing that nobody so much as commented on her attempt to break the ice, Yang carried on after a moment with a motion for the Crown of Choice, currently cradled against her sister's chest. "What do we do with that anyway? You can't just carry it around, right?"

Ruby stared down at it in response. "That's a good question, actually. I don't think anyone thought about that."

She was right, which reminded Weiss how haphazard this entire endeavour ultimately was.

"Come on," Selina nudged the younger woman with a roll of her eyes. "Just wear the thing. You're the best we have and who knows, maybe it'll give you something juicy to help you later."

Nora nodded along cheerfully. "Besides, it's not like anyone would expect us to have one of these thingies in our outfits, right?"

Weiss was ready to take the wind out of their sails, but Ren pre-empted her. He often did when Nora was concerned. "It's still fairly obvious when you know what to look for."

"Oh come on, where's your sense for style! It's a crown!"

Ruby squirmed as the pair argued. She sought the others' opinions with a look, earning thumbs ups from Yang and Selina. Blake and Weiss were almost perfect mirrors of each other in shaking their heads, though the atlesean did it mainly over Nora's and Ren's antics. CFVY was still mulling it over.

In the end, Fox spoke up thoughtfully: "I think they're right, actually. Refuge in audacity and all that. If we assume Salem already knows everything anyway, we can't hide the thing or she will find it."

"Right," Velvet agreed. "So if she isn't aware we have the Crown, she won't look with us. And if she does, Ruby is the best to protect it anyway."

Coco arched a brow out that. "I'm not so sure about that one. You're at least as good as she is."

The pointed comment made her partner squirm while attention was focussed on her. Weiss did recall that Velvet was presumably CFVY's ace, though she had never seen her fight.

"But only one of them cheats with her Semblance," Selina quipped. It was evidently the wrong thing to say, seeing how her fellow faunus threw her a sour look. The wolf cringed. "Whoops. Sorry. Forget I said anything."

Now Weiss was intrigued, but she knew better than to ask that particular question. The same went for Pyrrha, but they also both knew Nora would have no such reservation. The bubbly girl almost jumped in her seat.

"Aww, c'mon! We're like secret agents now! It's fine if we know your Semblance, right? Right?"

Velvet gave no response beyond a minute frown. Coco pushed herself in front of her partner a moment later, warding off Nora's attention. "Let's not go there. We're not advertising Velvet for a reason."

As she spoke, Fox and Yatsuhashi also shifted to cover their skittish teammate. Weiss was uncertain what to do here. The Semblances on her team were well known, excepting Penny who had yet to find hers. SNNL was somewhat open with theirs, though only Nora's could be called obvious. Weiss only knew after seeing it in action. Pyrrha was clearly more understanding of Velvet's situation, considering that she still hid her own Semblance.

"It may not be for me to say," she began, cutting through the tension. Weiss left a pause to make certain everyone was listening. "But from what the headmaster said, all of us will receive assignments in Atlas. We need not work strictly together to obtain the Staff, but being aware of what each team brings to the table would be a great boon."

She felt this was a solid argument. In the best case they could have exchanged the knowledge of their Semblances, but the distribution of who knew what made that impossible. "Unfortunately, Spiceberry can offer little in terms of secrets to share. So I will not demand anyone else's, either."

"In fairness," Blake commented, "if we end up having to fight Ironwood, we're already in big trouble."

Weiss nodded. "A fair point."

"I do not see the issue," Penny chirped into the room. She seemed far too cheerful for that statement, eyes on Selina. "From how you said it, you know friend Velvet's Semblance?" Her question earned a hesitant nod, to which the gynoid smiled. "And you agree that she can match friend Ruby?"

Weiss already saw where this was going. Curiousity still burned in the back of her mind, but she successfully kept it at bay. Selina frowned in the meantime.

"No idea," she admitted. "I've never seen them throw down. But from what I know, I'm pretty sure she can take either of our teams. Maybe she won't win four on one, but she'd at least brutalise the lot of us."

This in itself was already glowing praise. SNNL and SPBY were among the highest rated first-year teams after all. Penny nodded along as well. "And I trust in your assessment. That should be enough to satisfy any need for planning, no?"

"That is true," Weiss agreed immediately. She silently applauded the simple yet elegant solution. She knew all the first years and Ruby were still curious, but their seniors relaxed regardless. Weiss addressed Velvet before anyone else could try to insist: "My apologies for trying to force the issue."

Velvet did not meet her gaze, but she seemed mollified. "It's fine. I get that everyone's curious. I just don't like talking about it because, well, Selina is right." She huffed faintly. "It's cheating. My Semblance carries me far more than any of yours do, it's that powerful."

"I see," Weiss responded in a bid to cut off everyone else trying to reassure the faunus girl. CFVY likely gave her all the reassurances she needed. "In that case, I would appreciate if you cheat as hard as you can during our time in Atlas." Now this earned her several surprised looks, including from the woman herself. Velvet stared dumbly at Weiss, who smirked back. "We will need every edge we can get."

Velvet's surprise faded right quick; the hare chuckled and nodded. "Okay, I'll make an exception this once."

Which was really all Weiss needed to hear. She was pleased, at least until Selina stage-whispered at the room: "Corporate princess asks poor faunus girl to commit crimes. Tale as old as time."

"Shut it, you!"

There was no heat to her rebuke, hence why the following wave of laughter drowned it out. Weiss herself smiled and even noticed Blake wearing a faint smirk.

While the final remnants of tension fled, Ruby once again stared at the crown. Weiss noticed that, as well as the fact the younger woman did not say a peep during the entire discussion. Their gazes met when Ruby looked up, only for the younger girl to wilt somewhat under Weiss's curiousity. Then she visibly firmed up and nodded to herself before passing the crown to Velvet.

"If you're as good as I am, then you should have it. I'm higher profile than you and I'll be mostly on my own."

Weiss had to applaud Ruby as well, if just within the sanctity of her own mind. She may be the youngest of them but she was certainly one of the most mature. Many others would have jumped at the chance to hold a Relic, including Weiss herself. Velvet just stared at the priceless artifact with worry and joy, likely for being trusted so much.

Then Selina huffed. "You got Qrow and Raven, though. Boy, I don't want to be whatever poor shmuck she sends to come at you. Fresh Huntress with support from two of the best? Yeouch."

Weiss nodded along with her fellow leader's words. Raven never made her way to Ozpin to begin with and Qrow left to prepare right after the headmaster dismissed them, but they all knew whom he would accompany.

"Although this is supposedly a last resort," she cautioned with a motion for the crown. "We want to keep as many aces up our sleeves as we can."

"Speaking of aces," Yang chimed in curiously, "what about Ghost? He can hit pretty hard if he wants to, right? Are we taking him?"

Yatsuhashi nodded to that. "I was curious about your pet anyway," he mentioned. "It is not a Grimm, right?"

In difference to before however, Penny hesitated. Weiss noticed how her partner did not immediately deny the question. "It's complicated. Let me go get him, we can talk about it then."

She shuffled outside and the group fell into light chatter as they waited for her. Some more ideas were thrown into the room and discussed, a few conversations about hobbies. Weiss got distracted by discussing musical theory with Velvet of all people, who it turned out could play the violin and piano. It took Penny returning alone and distraught to interrupt them.

The gynoid spent half an hour searching Ghost but failed to find him. That worried SPBY while SNNL seemed primarily worried for Penny herself. CFVY remained calm; Coco noted she saw Ghost walk around school every once in a while. It was likely he just did that again.

But Ghost was nowhere at Beacon. Penny did not see any sign of him for the next week, all the way until their assignments began. She even approached the headmaster, who did not see him either.

In the end it was Cardin who shed light on the mystery. He was just about the last person anyone thought to ask, which made the matter so much more ironic. "I haven't seen your pet the last week or so," he said. "But before that, uh, pretty sure it jumped down the cliff?"

It did not take long for Russel to confirm what his partner said, though that only worried Yang and Weiss for Ghost's wellbeing. It was odd how much the little fellow had grown on her just by proximity. Cardin just shrugged at the faces the girls made. "I thought that was weird, but when I looked down the little guy just kept walking. Didn't even look affected by the fall. So I figured whatever, he walks across school all the time."

"Thank you," Penny told him thoughtfully. She shrugged it off a moment later in favour of a smile. "And good luck on your assignment!"

"Heh, don't need luck when it's us."

CRDL formed up behind their leader, all ready for their journey to Vacuo. Cardin bumped fists with Selina on the way out. That was another oddity to Weiss, who had to fully acknowledge that whatever her friend did, it certainly worked.

Once the other team was gone, Blake made a thoughtful noise. "So, where did Ghost go?"

Nobody knew an answer or if 'he' would even return. The remaining teams decided there was little they could do, so they focussed back on readying themselves.

Meanwhile, Yang and Ruby were talking at the side. Yang remained worried despite all that happened, but Ruby expected it by now.

"Just remember," she reassured her big sister, "I've got my kickass aunt and uncle around. I'll be fine."

She was not exactly that certain by herself, but the unease remained hidden. Yang bought the reassurance, though she sighed anyway.

"I know, but I still worry. I would come with you if this weren't so important."

"Nope! Nuh-Uh! You stay with your team and do your part. I'll be fine. And don't you make me worry, yeah?" So saying, she leapt into Yang's arms. A big hug was always best to make the big sister stop thinking too much.

Afterward, Ruby waved goodbye and turned into rose petals; they danced around the small crowd before rushing away toward the horizon. Ruby vanished to parts unknown and began her own journey to Mistral. At the same time, CFVY, SNNL, and SPBY all mounted the Bullhead airships headed for Atlas. Three other teams also went that way.

They had yet to complete their flight by the time Ruby arrived. She stopped in front of the main gate and was waved through as soon as she showed her license, no questions asked.

Once inside she stopped to gawk at the foreign architecture; it was her first visit and the high-rise buildings took her breath away. Vale was warm and homey, but Mistral seemed more like a work of art. Colourful pagodas wherever she looked, paper lanterns hanging above the streets, and people dressed in robes of cotton and silk.

She stood out a little more than usual but was left alone beyond the occasional bow and excited children. Children, Ruby could deal with. Worried parents apologising for the trouble, less so.

She took some time to relax and sightsee nonetheless; her aura still needed to recharge from the journey. Not to mention that she earned a decent chunk of money on her missions already; meaning Ruby could buy all the sweets she wanted.

The second shop she entered, a young man around her age stood at the counter. He greeted her with a smile and a wave; a little scraggly and blond but genuinely friendly. Ruby waved back before skipping into the store proper; she grabbed a bit of everything, especially the local stuff.

The cashier chuckled when saw her full basket. "That's a lot for such a sweet girl, isn't it?"

Ruby squirmed a bit, uncertain how to take it. Was he just being friendly or....?

In the end she pushed the flustered response back and nodded."I guess? I like sweet things is all."

"Heh. Who doesn't? Let's see."

He rang her up nice and quick, but Ruby's brows rose once she was told the total. Looking between several filled bags and the display, she slowly shook her head. "That can't be right. It's way too low for this much."

"Oh, that." He huffed softly and took a closer look at Ruby. "Right, you're not from here. You're a Huntress in training, right?" That was not quite right but Ruby nodded anyway because she was so stumped. He grinned in response. "Then that's that. Hunters get twenty percent off on all purchases in Arc's Sugar Emporium."

And suddenly it made perfect sense. Ruby was in awe, having never considered such a thing before. Yet she also recalled the many times vendors gave her freebies, not to mention Roman Torchwick and his generosity. Perhaps this was more of a general thing than she thought. It was still a lot of money this man lost in the long run, though.

"Is this actually possible?" she found herself asking. "I mean, you've still got to make end's meet, right?" She could pay the full amount just fine after all.

He seemed more amused, huffing softly and half leaning over the counter. Ruby leaned closer as well on instinct, intrigued as he lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I'll tell you a little secret: whenever hunters are involved, you can deduct a lot of stuff from your taxes. I'm not losing nearly as much as you'd think."

"Ohhhh! That's smart!"

He waved off her praise with another laugh. "Nah, one of my seniors told me when I explained the idea. They're super helpful around these parts, even if we're technically competing. Makes me feel a lot more at home here, too."

That was a surprise; Ruby took a moment to study the young man as well, realising that he was distinctly not mistralian. "You're not from here?"

"Nope, born and raised Valean. I moved here some months back."

A woman about their age wandered past just as he said that; she seemed more native, petite and with straight, black hair. She also carried a stack of boxes. The cashier's eyes followed her for a moment and she threw back a knowing look before crouching to restock the shelves.

Ruby looked between them, to a helpless shrug from the man. "And there's the reason I left. She's a sweetheart."

"I see." Ruby could not help but smile; it was just really cute. She quickly put a stack of Lien cards on the counter. "Good luck to you both then."

"Thanks. Come again!"

Ruby grabbed her purchases and left the shop with a spring in her step. She had more than enough to snack on now, so she made a detour to check out the weapon- and Dust shops. They were wonderlands of new gear that sucked her in with no intention to ever let her go; Ruby's inspiration soared.

At some point however, the weight of a raven settled on her shoulder. There was some interested murmuring, but nobody really commented or called out to her. Ruby just greeted the bird and quickly spotted a crimson-eyed crow watching from a nearby building. Their vigil was reassuring if nothing else. It also helped her tear away from her bender, though Ruby still continued to window-shop for a little while.

Only when she was fully satisfied and brimming with new ideas did she make the trek up to Haven Academy. The school was built partly into the mountain overlooking the city of Mistral; it served as natural fortifications and the first line of defense against subterranean Grimm stalking the caves.

Ruby stood in front of the entrance soon enough, a gate easily twice her size. The doors were made of wood and beautifully painted, to the point she was hesitant to even touch them. The birds fluttered away to survey the area just like they agreed.

Ruby's plan here was simple: scout the area as a visitor, then infiltrate at night. No one could see her or Raven at that point, so she had to be quick.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby pushed the doors open and entered Haven Academy.

Her sister and friends set down in Atlas in just that moment. Not just the three teams of conspirators, but all the rest as well had been quiet during the ride; no one quite knew what to expect. The sun was just rising from behind the horizon, illuminating a behemoth of silver steel. All but Weiss and Penny stopped to gaze at the magnificent skyline, a floating city that braved the arctic cold.

Unfortunately, their awe was soon dispersed by heavy thoughts; Yang scowled at nothing, still wondering if her baby sister would be fine on her own. Weiss worried her lip for other reasons while Blake was just generally on edge. The only calm member of SPBY was Penny; if anything, the gynoid seemed ecstatic to be home.

Once Beacon's students disembarked, they immediately found themselves greeted by two neat and orderly lines of their atlesean counterparts. All in uniform, all with their backs straight. Human and faunus both, though clearly skewed toward the former. Before them stood the tall and broad frame of James Ironwood himself. His mere presence had a number of them snap to attention, including Penny.

"I am glad to see there were no complications on your way," he greeted the six teams with clear pride. "Though I doubt anything could have happened that you all could not have dealt with." And then he proceeded to shake hands with every single student. No hesitation, no trace of boredom or distaste even with the faunus. "Welcome to our wonderful city of Atlas."

Weiss felt this was a bit too much to be mere pleasantries. He certainly meant what he said, but it seemed the general continued to hold hunters and those aspiring to be in high esteem. His own students only broke their formation when he finished and waved them forward. Simple nods were exchanged, some of them waved or grinned, one particularly bubbly girl went for a high five that Yang accepted in passing. The stream of white and silver passed through their colourful ranks to enter the airships they just left.

Afterward, Ironwood himself led the way over pristine metal walkways and bridges, right back to Atlas Academy. He said nothing, perfectly content to let the students take in the sights. Weiss breathed the crisp air, quietly thankful for her active aura. She would be a shivering mess and bundled up in several layers of thick cloth without it. But the times she needed hand warmers in her pockets were long gone.

"Five Lien says this is the scenic route," Selina quipped. A chorus of "No bet"s answered from Yang, Coco, and Fox.

Blake began glancing down to the city of Mantle somewhere along the way; Atlas' sister, the slums housing mostly poor miners. Weiss had never been there, but the difference in aesthetics and cleanliness were clearly visible from up high. Atlas was elegant, Mantle rough and rustic.

"It just doesn't feel right to be here," Blake muttered to herself.

Even Weiss could now tell what this clear display of disparity meant to a faunus, any faunus really. Precious few of them lived up here.

"I dearly hope all will go well," she noted noncommittally, just in case they were overheard. Then she threw caution to the wind and tapped Blake's shoulder. "Do you want to take a closer look at Mantle later? I can not go, but I won't ask you to stay away."

"Thanks. I'll think about it."

They exchanged weary smiles and returned to their silence. Weiss imagined that all of them were wondering of the task ahead; they discussed before if they could convince Ironwood like Ruby did Ozpin. Alas, even their own headmaster thought it too great a risk and for good reason. The Crown of Choice was one matter, but this entire city would be in peril if the Staff of Creation fell into the wrong hands.

Not to mention that Ozpin preferred to keep plausible deniability just in case. In his own words: "As cold as it may sound, should you fail, someone needs to pick up the pieces."

That was the reason he could not simply request Ironwood and Lionheart to surrender their Relics. Not that anyone held much hope the general would do it even then, so they did not complain about it.

Thus, Weiss knew, they had to do this the hard way. That was what everyone prepared for. As soon as Ironwood delivered them to the academy grounds and took his leave, three of their teams would fan out to gather information. They knew the vault's location, all they needed to learn was the extent of its defenses.

 

[Naron]

Ruby was quickly greeted by an attendant upon entering Haven Academy. The woman smiled plainly and bowed at her.

"Ah, Ms. Rose. Welcome to Haven."

Some of the students milling around whispered with each other, mostly in Mistralian she did not understand. Ruby tried her best to ignore them and awkwardly returned the greeting: "Erm, hello. Headmaster Lionheart said someone would lead me to his office. Is that you?"

"Just so. Please follow me."

The whispers grew more pronounced as they left the entrance hall. Ruby became decidedly uncomfortable with the attention the further they went; civilians was one thing, but these were all people she might work with one day. They were also all older than her. Yet she somehow managed to walk with her head held high. Be it the confidence boost from actually being a Huntress or being on a mission. She just knew how to do it.

Her guide spoke up after a while, clearly attentive to the atmosphere: "Please forgive the students. We heard a great deal about you from the news, but little else. It's not often a Huntress this young comes visiting."

"Ah, it's fine. I don't mind," Ruby lied. A Huntress had to keep up appearances. If Raven could fake it till she made it, then so could Ruby!

She belatedly returned a blond monkey faunus' cheerful wave, only to finally wilt when he winked at her. That was a bit too much for her teenaged self. Ruby returned to the conversation to distract herself: "I heard a lot about Haven and was curious what life is like here. It looks like fun."

"Oh, it is. Though the students will probably disagree whenever classes loom over them."

Ruby giggled at that, suddenly glad that she got around classwork. She was always more of a doer, not a learner. Sitting still for so long was hard.

"Are you a student, too?"

"Not anymore," the older woman answered with a soft shake of her head. "I only made it through first year. Now I work mainly as an aide to the combat instructors. It took me a year or two to stop being bitter about it, but I enjoy the work now. And I only have the greatest respect for those who continue on to be hunters."

She seemed mellow at least. Ruby let out a quiet breath she was holding; accidentally insulting someone was really not what she meant to do, thank goodness her guide was not offended. But Ruby went for less dangerous questions next just to be safe; they chatted a bit about the life of someone working at Haven, then the younger woman shared a bit about her passion for engineering.

They arrived just before she could get really warmed up; the aide stopped in front of a large set of wooden doors, bowing once more and motioning Ruby forward.

"Please go ahead, the headmaster was already informed of your arrival. He will have to greet students from Beacon and Shade soon."

"Thanks," Ruby chirped. She made to go, but stopped and turned back. "Actually, what's your name?"

She may just imagine it, but it felt like the woman's expression grew a tad warmer. "It's Hana," she answered. "Now go on, Ms. Rose. Or may I call you Ruby?"

"Of course!"

They exchanged smiles and Ruby turned back to the doors. She felt better about herself now, nowhere near as intimidated at the prospect of meeting another headmaster. After knocking twice, Ruby pushed open the door without hesitation.

Her first impression of the office behind was warmth. It was mostly wood and decorated in earthy hues, with several potted plants arrayed around the room. What really caught her attention was the neatly organised desk standing front and center, though; there, facing the door, sat Leonardo Lionheart.

He was broad-shouldered and wore a predominantly brown robe, his head crowned by a thick yet immaculately groomed mane of greying hair. The same went for his voluminous beard. Sharp eyes rose to meet Ruby and he stood at once, opening his arms in greeting.

"Ah, there you are! I was quite surprised when you called last week. I didn't expect a Huntress based in Vale to take such an interest in the other schools."

Ruby closed the door and shuffled forward only a little awkwardly to shake hands with him. He had a firm grip, firmer than Ruby herself.

She only answered belatedly, still a little overwhelmed: "Ah, well. You know, my partner is born Mistrali, so I was kinda curious. And when I'm already here, I thought I should see Haven, too. Professor Ozpin said something about expanding my horizons, too." And that was not even a lie.

Lionheart's brows rose, but then he chuckled at the last part. "Is that so? It certainly sounds like something Oz would say. I had no idea that incredible girl was born here, though. I feel I would have heard of such a prodigy." He left a short pause to muse. "What was her name? Hikari? Yes, it does fit."

Ruby shrugged at that. She only sat when he motioned for her to do so, adjusting her posture on the comfy leather chair. "She never said much about it. I think she moved to Menagerie a few months back."

"That makes sense; as fond as I am of my country, it is not kind to us faunus."

"But you still made it this far," Ruby argued; she was a little surprised he would say it so easily. "Huntsman and even headmaster! That's amazing, isn't it?"

He chuckled indulgently, inclining his head. "Quite. It's always nice to have one's hard work appreciated. Although I will have to correct you on one bit, Ms. Rose. The majority of hunters are in fact faunus."

This was news. Ruby looked at him in wonder and received a faint smile from Lionheart.

"A surprise, I know. Even Haven and Atlas have a rough 40-60 split of graduating students, the fourty percent being faunus. Beacon sits at the opposite, 60-40, and Shade sees about 70-30 in favour of faunus students. The majority of applicants who pass license exams are faunus too. We come by these options more rarely and thus work far harder to make the best of them. Many more faunus have to grow strong to survive in this harsh world of Remnant, so we adapt. Of course certain people won't like if these statistics are brought up."

He effortlessly slipped into lecturing mode. Ruby nodded along, amazed by the simple yet clear breakdown. She never considered it from this angle before, but the headmaster made perfect sense.

"I think I can see it," she agreed. "I mean, I guess I was always a bit of an odd one out with my whole family being hunters, but yeah."

Lionheart nodded in turn, still smiling. "Another misconception, actually. Quite a few children of hunters end up becoming hunters themselves. Not the majority by a long shot, but you are certainly not alone."

"What about you, er, sir?"

He waved her off. "Oh, none of that. I will never demand a fellow hunter call me sir. All is well as long as we respect each other."

That was a little awkward, but Ruby nodded regardless. Lionheart continued seamlessly: "As to your question, I am the son of a humble baker. My mother is a novelist. I always thought I would inherit the family business, but certain events unlocked my aura at ten years old. From there on I could only ever think of the possibilities."

Ruby nodded along with great interest. She rarely heard where others came from because it just did not come up.

"What kind of events?"

The older man's brow scrunched at that. "Let us say that they were not particularly pleasant for me and leave it at that."

"Oh. Sorry."

Only now did she realise why he was so vague about it. Ruby felt very dumb, even when Lionheart waved off her apology. "It is quite alright. We all have our burdens to bear."

Just as he said so, an alarm on his Scroll began to beep. He turned it off, expression apologetic. "But as pleasant as our little chat was, I need to head out now. You heard about the joint training initiative Oz proposed?"

"Yeah, I did. I was around when he thought of it."

"I see."

So saying, the headmaster rose. Ruby did the same and looked up at him as he continued: "Well, feel free to tour the academy at your own leisure. We can provide a guide if you wish, too. I have no reason to refuse a bright young mind."

That was kind of him. Ruby smiled and nodded. "Thanks. I'll look around a bit on my own. Maybe we can do an actual tour tomorrow or something?"

"That is perfectly fine."

They shook hands again and parted ways right outside his office. Ruby was alone now and grew increasingly giddy. Not only did she have a super duper secret mission, she also got to see one of the most prestigious places in all of Remnant from the inside.

She thought of asking for Hana as a guide for a moment, but felt that would impose on the older woman's time too much. So instead Ruby picked a corridor at random and started to walk. She did not lie earlier, Haven interested her a lot. She may have only ever dreamt of Beacon, but each of the four academies would have been alright in the end.

There were far less students around now, what with the first and second years gone; Lionheart took them all along. Ruby knew that foreign students would flood the area soon, some of them even faces she had at least seen at Beacon.

Ruby made best use of the quiet to poke around; she toured the various empty auditoriums, almost interrupted an ongoing lecture, and decided to rather check out the indoor gyms afterward. From there she moved to a set of arenas for sparring as well as Dust labs. The forge and attached workshop kept her for much longer, though; she was too fascinated to just leave after she stumbled over the place.

Thankfully, the forgemaster took her interest with pride and fielded the entire cavalcade of questions about his equipment. They got to talk about her own a bit as well; this managed to remind Ruby of the unfinished sabre back at home. The middle-aged man listened curiously as she explained its properties; he was built like a bear and with beard to match, but fully human.

"My friend uses light a lot and has some sun themes, so I read up a bit. From there I got to black holes and I just found it too fitting, so I named that one Event Horizon. Lumina doesn't want to spend a ton on maintenance, so I kept it simple with just two modes. Sabre mode and flintlock mode. The bullets are common calibres so she can restock basically everywhere for cheap. Oh, and I put a tank of Gravity Dust into the body. It switches from push to pull and hits whatever she points the tip at."

The older engineer stroked his beard in thought, having listened with great interest. His assistants did the same even while they maintained equipment or carried supplies around. Once it was clear Ruby finished, he nodded sagely. "I've gotta say this does sound like a mighty fine weapon. Whoever commissioned it is lucky indeed."

Ruby fidgeted awkwardly at that. "Well, uh, I kinda volunteered to make it. My friend doesn't have one, you see? So I thought to myself, well, that's just not right."

"And rightly so!" He answered with the same excitement, if far louder. His booming laughter startled some of the students out of their work. Ruby could not help but smile as well; she even managed to brace in time so his jovial clap to her shoulder did not make her stumble. He grinned down at her.

"Ah, it's good to see such a bright mind in the next generation! Don't you lose that spark, you hear me? No one's got an appreciation for some good, solid engineering anymore. They'd all rather buy some crap off the assembly line and call it a day!"

This, Ruby could wholeheartedly agree with. She nodded eagerly.

"It's not even bad quality, but the standard stuff just isn't enough for a hunter."

"Aye, lass. Finally someone who gets it!" He clapped her shoulder again while Ruby beamed under the praise. "If ye need someone to bounce ideas off of, ya know where to find me. Was fun talking to ya, but I've still got some stuff to finish by tonight."

"Sure. Good luck with that!"

They said their goodbyes and Ruby left the building with a bright grin. Her path quickly led to a third gym, this one outdoors; mostly tracks and other stuff one could not do inside. The entire thing was built on a stone terrace overlooking the city of Mistral.

Ruby stood at the edge for a bit to take in the sights. Measured wingbeats drew her attention to Raven a minute later; she settled on Ruby's shoulder and cawed imperiously. The message was clear enough, so the younger woman went back inside.

It was a little odd how people paid more attention to her with the bird on her shoulder. Some actually approached Ruby, asking to pet the raven; she predictably turned her head away, so Ruby told them no and that her friend did not like being touched. It was true enough.

Once they entered the lobby behind the entrance, Raven took wing. She fluttered across the room and settled on top of the statue dominating it: a person holding onto a brass scale, the entire meaning of it lost on Ruby. She met Raven's gaze and nodded ever so faintly. Some others also admired the majestic and well-groomed bird, but no one else understood why she tapped the scale with one claw.

Once she was certain to have been understood, the bird returned to Ruby; the freshly made Huntress then had to listen to a lecture about 'not letting her pet shit up the rooms' from a nearby janitor. She quickly apologised and fled out the front door.

From there Ruby decided she had enough excitement and went to find her hotel. It was booked for a week, more than enough time to finish the job. Maybe she would even have some left for a vacation afterward?

Either way, once inside without Raven, her aunt portalled in with Qrow. It was better for nobody to associate this bird too closely with her. The three of them held a quick war council, now that Ruby understood Haven's layout. She enjoyed her visit, too.

"Now I'm getting a nap until sundown," she ended cheerfully, "then we'll rob them!"

The twins both stared at her in silence, long enough for Ruby's excitement to crumble. Did she say something weird?

"...I blame this on you," Qrow groused.

Raven just shook her head. "I disagree, that is all Summer."

"Fair enough."

"Huh?"

Ruby was just confused by this, prompting a bedtime story about Summer Rose's criminal energy. It would have been emberassing, had this not been about her mother; Ruby soaked up every word like a sponge. It turned out that the older Rose had a lot of juvenile crimes under her belt. Nothing serious, but she was apparently the most cheerful pickpocket the twins ever met.

"You should have seen Raven's face the first time Summer stole her stuff!" Qrow joked, all the while nudging his sister. Raven herself grumbled, though she could not quite hide a fondly embarassed smile.

Ruby was amused and intrigued; the mental image of Summer as a paragon of virtue may be shattered, but knowing she had flaws of her own made her feel a little more real. Perhaps, with a little luck, they could spend more time together, too.

Her silent hopes were answered once the two left to give her some peace and quiet. Ruby found herself on a sunlit meadow with her mother about as soon as she fell asleep. They did not have much time, but every minute was precious. Ruby recounted the heist plan in a few sentences, then went to prod for more about what she just learned.

"Did you seriously steal Raven's things?"

To her surprise, this did not prompt sheepish denials or even just confirmation, but an arched brow. Summer slowly nodded. "Oh, I did. But who told you that?"

"Qrow said you did," Ruby commented, somewhat forlorn about what apparently was a lie?

It took a moment, but then her mother broke into laughter. Bright as a bell, thoroughly confusing Ruby. Summer continued to giggle for a while and once it finally subsided, she wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh sweetie," she cooed, "he didn't tell you what 'things' I took, did he? I stole Raven's bra about every other week. By second year she went without to stop me, so I took her panties instead."

"Oh." Her ears grew hot in shared embarassment with her aunt. "That's... bold?"

Summer just huffed, clearly unconcerned. "Oh, you don't know half of it. Be a dear, grab all three of them in one room, and ask them about that double date we had in third year."

That was news. Especially... "Wait, double date? Like, you and Uncle Qrow?"

"Yup." The older Rose threw her daughter a winning grin. "They won't tell you anything about it and I just realise I probably shouldn't go into detail either." She winked. "Let's just say we had a lot of fun and the twins made us swear on threat of death to never tell anyone. Too bad for them I'm dead already!"

She laughed again while realisation slowly dawned on Ruby. She made some gagging noises to properly vocalise her thoughts on her family's sexuality.

"Okay, that's enough mother-daughter bonding! I've got a magic lamp to steal, bye!"

She somehow willed the dream to end, but Summer's hysteric laughter followed her into waking, if just for a moment. Ruby sat upright in bed, cheeks flushed with heat. She firmly shook her head and leapt into the bathroom to wash the remembered words from her memory. Then she called her aunt and uncle, who brought dinner with them. Pizza, to be exact. A jumbo-sized pizza for each of them.

Ruby could not look them in the eyes throughout the meal. She tried hard to play it off, but the memory was just too fresh. Unfortunately for her, they noticed as well.

"Did something happen?" Raven called her out once they were done eating. At first Ruby muttered something noncommittal, but quickly realised that neither twin was convinced or deterred. Then she sighed.

"Mom told me what 'things' she took from you."

Raven blushed ever so faintly, which was more than enough confirmation. Qrow heaved a sigh. "Damn it, Summer."

"She also said something about a double date in third year," Ruby went on miserably; she noticed that both twins twitched in response. "And I really don't want to know any more than she implied."

Silence settled over the room for a moment.

"Qrow?" Raven asked softly.

"Yes?"

"How about, once this is over, we find a way to break into the afterlife. Then we kill Summer double-dead."

Ruby did want to argue the point, but she could kind of understand the sentiment and kept her peace. Qrow shrugged in response to his sister. "I dunno about the killing, but she definitely deserves a spanking."

This drew another groan from Ruby, though Raven shook her head. "You know that's not a punishment for her."

"Can we please stop talking about this?" Ruby whined at them. "I seriously don't wanna know!"

Qrow huffed and ruffled her hair. "Sorry about that. How about we go commit grand theft instead?"

"Yes, please!"

 

[Naron]

They left out the window under cover of night, both twins in bird form; Ruby dispersed into rose petals and flew across Mistral on her own. She easily evaded a handful of guards by spreading herself thin. No camera outside could spot her.

She entered Haven through the outdoor gym, sliding past the shutters. It was so incredibly simple, what with no one seriously expecting a break-in at a school training hunters. Few people were this insane and even less had the abilities to do it undetected. Ruby just hoped there was no one in the main lobby.

Haven was not fully deserted even at night, though. She fluttered past a small number of students and a professor still about. Then she quickly took her distance from an amorous couple halfway into a closet, but that was the most exciting her infiltration became. Ruby arrived at her destination without issue, the lobby deserted.

With no one nearby, she quickly pulled on the statue's scale as Raven indicated earlier. It took some force, but then the hidden lever gave. The entire platform Ruby stood on began to slide downward, revealing itself as an oversized elevator.

"How did she know that?" Ruby whispered to herself, then decided to ask about it later. Not like her aunt could answer when she was not even in the room.

A second plate shifted in place once the elevator began to descend, hiding the secret path; Ruby sighed in relief at that. Nobody could find the conspicuous hole, so she was not on a clock after all. Then she quickly shot a message to Qrow, who arrived with Raven just a few seconds later. These portals were incredibly useful.

"So," she started to pass the time of their descend, "how did you learn about the scales?"

Her aunt shrugged minutely. "Leonardo is a coward. Offer him something beneficial to no risk and he will grab it."

"And what did you offer him?" Qrow chimed in curiously. His sister threw him a look in response.

"Not to reveal some of his shadier dealings. Nothing awful, but enough to lose him his post as headmaster."

"How bad are we talking? Drugs?"

"No, he invests greatly in the White Fang. And quietly benefits from some of their more... unorthodox targets."

"Ah. Yeah, that'd do it."

Ruby listened with some worry. She did not get the impression the kindly headmaster she met would do such a thing. But as she learned of late, people had a great many facets to them.

"Is it good or bad that he can be strongarmed like that?" she ended up asking.

Neither twin had a proper response to that. Raven was the one to speak as their elevator left its shaft: "Good for us, in this case."

Ruby accepted her reasoning and stepped off the platform, now that it finally arrived. The hewn stone made way for a bridge of natural rock; a pair of lamps spent a few metres of light, but everything beyond lay in darkness. They were still inside of the mountain. Moreover, a pebble kicked off the side produced no audible noise on the way down; it went far, so Ruby made certain to stay away from the edge. She could ignore gravity with her Semblance, but the possibility of a fall still unnerved her.

She then used her Scroll's flashlight to light ahead, but there was no great path to follow. No challenge or labyrinth. The stone bridge led right toward a wall and at its end sat a pedestal. A single stone arch was attached to it, the only other piece shaped by human hands. The mere sight of it made the Charm she carried pulsate softly while Grimm murmured reassurances into her mind.

The trio walked slowly, almost reverently. Even Raven was in awe, or perhaps too scared to rush ahead.

"How did they get this down here?" Ruby wondered idly, voice echoing in the empty cavern. "And who built it?"

Qrow snorted at that.

"Oz, obviously."

He took a sip from his flask and motioned for the stone arch. "The part where a secret doesn't work if too many people know it aside, this thing just screams Ozpin. It's exactly his style. He probably used some sort of magic to build it."

"He may have reformed the mountain to suit his needs," Raven added thoughtfully. Her gaze flicked around the area, yet the dim light made finding what she sought a chore. "I doubt he was just lucky to find such a natural formation in the exact spot he needed."

"Sounds about right," her brother agreed.

Their conversation was cut off then as they arrived at the arch. It rose above all three of them, somehow projecting an intimidating aura.

Ruby hesitated for a moment before reaching out. Golden light ran from her chest to her fingertips once she touched the solid plate of stone within the arch. It drove the darkness away and cast long shadows over their faces, illuminating the entire area. Ruby felt warm where it passed, only for that warmth to seep into the door; it clicked and crunched, gleamed in a slow rhythm, but did not open.

They stood before the bright contraption as intricate symbols slowly began to spread over the central plate. Light trickled along the revealed lines. Ruby waited expectantly, but nothing else happened. Her aunt and uncle exchanged glances.

"Is it, uh, supposed to do that?" Qrow finally asked. Ruby could only shrug.

Just then Grimm's voice whispered to her again: "My sister's light is similar yet different. It needs time to assimilate the vault."

Ruby's brow twitched in annoyance. "Thanks for telling us now," she groused back, receiving just an amused chuckle. Qrow groaned when she relayed his words.

Meanwhile, Raven stared hard at the vault; she was deep in thought, but never got a chance to finish whatever musings she followed.

Their silent vigil was disrupted by a heavy impact. All three whirled around and beheld a Grimm stalking off the elevator platform. And what a Grimm it was, canine but far more massive than any Beowulf Ruby ever saw. The beast's muzzle twitched as it sized them up. Pitch black fur stood out even in the dark while the lanterns and Lumina's light drew menacing shadows onto the ground.

Something about it raised Ruby's hackles; it felt unnatural, but she could not quite put her finger on why. That was, until she realised faint trails of silver rolling off its body; shards of familiar shapes fell like snowflakes on every step.

Essence clung to the beast.

"What is this?" Raven asked, just as stumped as them.

"Better question," Qrow countered while they drew their weapons. "How did it get here? It came from above!"

His question was answered moments later; a second figure leapt down the elevator shaft, almost exactly where the Hound had landed. He was familiar to all of them and their hearts sunk; Leonardo Lionheart, still impeccably dressed if suddenly wary.

"Now this is unexpected," he opened awkwardly as they stared at each other. Glancing between them, the Hound, and the tunnel, the headmaster made a face. "And not particularly good. Let me just...." He swiftly turned around and made to push the statue's scale back up.

A bullet crashed into the ornament, destroying it before he could.

Qrow never lowered Harbinger, the gun barrel still steaming in the cold air. His teeth were bared as he stared at his fellow Huntsman.

"Leo," he asked with forced calm. His anger still shone through. "What, by the Brothers, are you doing?"

Ruby was still reeling from the fact the kindly headmaster was leading this thing around. She had no idea how anyone could go about explaining this away. She liked Headmaster Lionheart.

The man himself seemed to rack his brain for a decent answer to give, but obviously found none.

"What does it look like?" Raven's voice cut through the silence. She let out a mirthless huff and motioned for the Hound as it prowled toward them. "He submitted to Salem."

Ruby took a wary step back from the beast; it seemed to home in on her, yet did not lunge or charge like most others would. It seemed almost intelligent in how it sized her up.

She only glanced away when Lionheart answered at last: "Why, I could ask you the same, Qrow. Associating with a known criminal, your sister at that? People will question your intentions."

"Do you have any idea how little I care what people think of me?" Qrow shot back. He motioned for the approaching monster with his sword. "You're associating with Salem, and why is that thing here?"

"Well, you see-" He snapped off a shot that caught Qrow in the shoulder just as the Hound lunged for Ruby.

She dispersed before it reached and focussed her attention on the thing coming for her. Fluttering around its swipes with contemptuous ease, Ruby reformed and dispersed again to test it; reactions, defenses, she attentively learned them all.

She reformed behind the Hound after a frantic minute. It snarled and swung around with its massive paw, but Ruby leaned out of the way and it missed by an inch. Crescent Rose struck the beasts side in retaliation, but its hide was too thick for the massive scythe to penetrate. Ruby dispersed again to avoid the counter, reappearing on the Hound's back; it reared up and threw her off in moments.

The Grimm's head turned this way and that, trying to trace her disembodied form by scent; Ruby reappeared twenty metres above it to abuse gravity next. She swung Crescent Rose overhead and rammed her tip into the Hound's skull. Her sheer momentum drove the weapon in a few centimetres before stopping, but the Hound simply growled and swiped at her scythe. The attack dented her before Ruby could pull her back out.

Horror and indignation stabbed through her focus; nobody hurt her baby!

Ruby grit her teeth and got back to it with renewed vigour. The dance continued to a backdrop of human on faunus violence, but she had no time to see how her family was doing.

A wisp of silver light washed over the Grimm but did not kill it. Something blocked her power. So Ruby went back to the tried and true, reappearing at various angles and leaving cuts and bruises on her opponent with every pass. The Grimm slowed bit by bit, but was never actually crippled.

Her aura went down to three fourths by the time she decided to commit to another big attack: Ruby reappeared right in front of the Hound and blew it a raspberry. She then dispersed just as it swung and consolidated standing on its paw; Crescent Rose's barrel pointed straight at the beast's face. The Hound tried to launch her, too slow to register the threat; a gunshot boomed and the high-impact round cracked its faceplate. Its recoil blew Ruby back, evading retaliation.

The Hound growled in what seemed like anger; half the white boneplate on its head was broken off.

Then, to her shock, the monster spoke.

"Find. Destroy. Rose."

Its voice was an inhuman drawl, but she knew she did not imagine it. The mere fact this thing could speak kept Ruby still and staring.

Just then Qrow and Raven came down on it like the fist of a goddess. Harbinger's scythe form and a thin blade of fire Dust each sliced off a hindleg, making the beast buckle. Their synchronous assault was repeated with its front legs.

Ruby appeared in front of its snarling muzzle just as it hit the ground. She pushed the barrel right into its maw and pulled the trigger.

Another boom sounded and the monster dropped dead.

The echo ran through the cave for an uncomfortably long time, eventually replaced by blessed silence. Ruby wiped beads of sweat off her forehead, panting. Her aura went close to two thirds, which was more than any singular creature of Grimm cost her in a while.

The beast already began to dissolve when she graced her aunt and uncle with a smile. "Thanks. I guess I need to work on my strength next."

Qrow's strong hand ruffled her hair right after. "Don't take it too hard, kiddo. That thing wasn't as massive as some of what I've hunted, but it was just as dense."

"I still wonder what...." Raven began, only to trail off.

Ruby did not need to ask why, she saw it herself.

As the Hound's black flesh turned to smoke, a person was revealed within its body. The three of them stared in horrified wonder at the deathly pale and emaciated man. His eyes fluttered open, staring without seeing.

Qrow was with him even faster than Ruby. He gently caught the gaunt figure, talking softly: "Hey, it's okay. You're alright. What happened?"

He mouthed something, but no sounds came out. Trails of silver pearled off his body and Ruby understood that what she saw earlier was his Essence.

"He's dying," Raven judged. She knelt by Qrow's side and carefully grasped the stranger's face. He leaned into her touch, the rest of his body falling slack. Unseeing eyes tried to find her, rotating in their sockets. Looking into them however, Raven took a sharp breath.

"And his eyes are silver."

Ruby's chest constricted as horror took a hold of her.

She knew exactly what her aunt implied there. She did not want to believe it, but everything made too much sense to be a coincidence. Her breathing became laboured as she took a knee next to Raven, seeing for herself what she already knew.

Summer never returned but was not entirely dead. Just like this man, her body must be alive out there somewhere. Buried within another such beast.

Tears blurred her vision as reality collapsed around her. Ruby stood frozen, unable to truly comprehend the meaning of their find.

Then she forced the horror back from the forefront of her mind, all the way down into a little box. She could freak out or break down later; for now they still had a task to fulfill.

Before the lamp however, she reached out for the unknown man. Ever so carefully, Ruby pulled him over until his head rested on her lap. His life was fading quickly, but he was still concious.

"It's okay," she comforted him, fingers brushing over skin as dry as paper. The feeling was revulsive, but Ruby did not let it show in her voice. "Your suffering is over. Go on and rest."

His hands weakly closed around hers, lacking even the strength to squeeze. He had silver eyes like her; they might even be related in some way. Ruby would never know.

His grasp slackened as he breathed his last.

She stared at his emaciated face, somehow peaceful in death. A smattering of tears ran down her cheeks and dropped onto his. She could not bear move him for fear of breaking something.

"This is awful," she choked out. "How could you do something like this? To anyone?"

Ruby could not even conceive such a cruel act before it slapped her in the face.

Qrow had no words for her, he was equally appalled.

Raven, however, nodded slowly. "That is the kind of person we deal with," she told Ruby in a tone that may be tender. "Salem knows neither friends nor allies. All she sees people as is tools. If you do not give in to her demands, she will have you hunted. I imagine Leonardo let himself be coerced so as to not die."

"And you wouldn't have?" She could not help but ask. Knowing what Ruby knew, her aunt was prime material for this kind of thing.

To her surprise, Raven snorted. "I'm smart enough to know Salem will discard all her tools sooner or later. Not that it worked out for Leo."

Be it the surprise or what she actually said, it made Ruby realise that the older woman's kimono was speckled with blood. It stood out starkly in the light now bathing them. She scanned the area and quickly found the headmaster's headless body lying near the gleaming vault door.

"...oh. That's kind of sad."

Somehow, Ruby felt little at the sight. They were fighting and it happened that people died. She could not quite bring herself to care right now, but it was sad to see him go like this.

"You shouldn't have done it," Qrow told his sister. He did not seem angry or particularly upset, just tired. "He might have known something."

Raven scoffed at that. "As if. Salem doesn't share anything her tools don't need to know. Especially him when he could run back to Ozpin at any moment. For all the issues I have with the man, he is forgiving where Salem isn't."

Much like her brother, she lacked her usual fervour. The night was a shock for all of them.

"...you could come back, you know?"

It was a hesitant request Qrow made. Raven's gaze snapped to him in an instant, then away. Her carefully schooled expression broke to reveal the turmoil underneath, but she did not speak just yet. Ruby would have loved to let them talk it out, but she knew this could go bad really fast; if Raven's fear took over and made her say something nasty, this fragile bond the twins rebuilt may just snap. She had to do something drastic.

Shimmying away from the body she had cradled and putting him down with all due care, she then darted forward to embrace her aunt. Raven stiffened in her grasp, but Ruby did not care; she simply cuddled harder.

"I'd like to have you around some more, too, you know?"

"It's not that easy," Raven said, voice tight.

"Of course it isn't. But nothing easy is worth having."

Several tense seconds passed, but then Raven awkwardly pet her head. Ruby took that as her sign to let go; she was met with a thoughtful expression that she took as victory. Crisis averted.

Then she realised she now had half-dried blood on herself, too. Ruby squeaked and fumbled for something to clean herself with. "Eww! How can you stand that?!"

"Experience," Raven deadpanned. Qrow chuckled in the background before helping with the cleanup. Not that it actually worked that well, Ruby's clothes needed a wash. Maybe she even had to throw them away!

Halfway through their efforts, some sort of current ran through the area. An even brighter light that threw long shadows. The trio immediately turned back to the vault; they found the stone plate set between the arch completely covered in gleaming lines and runes. It began to disintegrate before their eyes, revealing an endless desert behind. Natural light shone through, as did the gleam of a bright blue lamp. It hovered atop a lone pedestal on the other side.

Ruby made an awed noise and took a step, but Qrow's hand on her shoulder stopped her. He threw her a wink.

"Hey. Lemme do at least something here, yeah?"

She could not help but grin at that and motioned for him to go.

The women watched Qrow pass right through the opening, pick up the lamp, and walk out. The vault remained open, though it was now empty. He returned to them with a thoughtful look while Raven took over cleaning Ruby's clothes as best as she could.

"I gotta admit, I expected a little more," Qrow commented once he stood in front of them again. "But sure, fine."

So saying, he handed Ruby the lamp, who took it reverently before even considering what to do with it. After a moment of thought, the relic was hooked into her belt. It sat warm against her hip and thigh even through skirt and tights.

Nothing else happened. Mission complete.

Ruby took a deep breath and glanced back to the dead. She still felt sad about Lionheart's death, but he did fight for Salem. The unknown man trapped in the Hound was who truly tugged on her heartstrings. Maybe he had family somewhere?

"I want to bury him," she said. The thought came suddenly, but it was the least this poor person deserved.

The twins looked first to her, then each other. Ruby was still focussed on the body and missed their silent conversation.

Qrow and Raven wordlessly began to work; he kicked Lionheart's body and the shells they used over the ledge, she scanned the elevator for bloodstains before wiping them away with Water Dust. Then Raven pulled what was left of the scale back into place, portalling back to Ruby's side as the elevator rose; everything would return to normal.

Qrow then nudged Ruby to help him and they gingerly picked up the cooling body. He was far too light, even she knew that. Raven opened another portal for them, which they entered without hesitation.

The three landed in a large camp. A guard of sort had snapped to attention, but gaped upon seeing who all came through. He looked between them.

"Uh, did something happen? Why's-"

"Later," Raven cut him off. "We need to take care of something first. Fetch me three shovels."

He did it without question.

What followed was, perhaps, the most solemn hours of Ruby's life.

No one remained untouched by death on Remnant, one way or another. Yet the only deaths she was ever present for were her own in the Nightmare. Ruby still had some distance to the concept; the day of the dragon was such a rush that she never really saw anything, and her mother left no body. It was her father and uncle who erected the gravestone, too.

That night it was her and the twins digging. No one spoke. Only a small lamp and the Relic illuminated their work, shovel by shovel of dirt being removed from the gaping hole in the ground. At some point Qrow vanished, only to return with an old blanket to wrap the body in. Ruby was drenched in sweat, not helped by the humid mistralian night.

Once they made it two metres down, Qrow called a stop. His voice was oddly soft, not quite gentle but simply quiet. Ruby did not let him pick up the body, though. She did it herself before gently lowering the man into the earth.

A morose sadness welled in her gut as she looked down onto him; the dusty cotton was barely visible under what light they had. Life suddenly felt small, so easily extinguished.

They slowly filled up the grave again. It came easier now, her body working fine even though Ruby was emotionally exhausted. Once it was done, Raven patted down the small mound with her shovel. Qrow placed a crude marker on top; a piece of wood, quickly and sloppily carved into the twin dragons' spine. Three curved horns, the center of which was twice as thick as the outer ones. A symbol of the Brothers

The three stood in silence for a minute, paying respect to a man they never knew. Ruby hesitated at the marker's sight, but then she took her own knife and carved symbols into each outer spine; a crowned circle with two wings for one, a flame within a flame within a flame for the other. She did not know the Brothers, but she knew Lumina and Grimm.

Once she was done, Ruby stood once more and leaned against Qrow. She was used to physical work, but this was a different sort of grueling. Her uncle put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. Raven stood next to them, still distant even now. Ruby noticed despite her exhaustion and reached out to take her hand. Her aunt twitched, unseen in the darkness but barely felt.

She did not pull away.

"...this is all we could do," Raven finally said. "Let's get going."

Nobody objected. Raven led them back to her tribe's camp and to her own tent. Ruby fell asleep as soon as she reached the futon laid out for her.

 

[Naron]

Summer scowled. It was an expression Ruby never imagined her mother to make, but reality was unrealistic. Then again, she currently slept in a kind-sorta-not-bandit camp and met her kinda-sorta-not-dead mother in her dreams.

"In a Grimm?" Summer repeated, still in disbelief. "Another of her weapons?"

She growled, slamming her fist into a table of clouds that shattered like glass; the shards vanished before hitting anyone.

"She's going down."

Then the older Rose paused and displayed a nasty grin; yet another look Ruby could not fathom before actually meeting her again. "Actually," Summer reasoned, "this may be just perfect."

So saying, her expression returned back to normal and she gave her daughter a big hug. "Thank you so much, sweetie. Knowing this may help us a lot, and convince Lumina to let me come back here. She's grumbly because I keep badgering her about it."

Both shared a wry grin at that, then Summer booped Ruby on the nose. "But it's time for you to wake. I'll be around soon-ish."

"Okay. Bye, Mom!"

Ruby waved, then seamlessly transitioned to lying awake in Raven's tent. She fished out her Scroll and found it past ten, which made sense with how long into the night they were up. Ruby sat up after pushing back the futon's thick blanket, realising that someone took off her corset after she fell asleep. Her other day-clothes were still on, though; it felt awkward not to have to change.

Qrow crashed on a nearby couch, so at least that was a familiar sight.

And really, this was more like a mobile house than a tent. If the entire tribe lived like this, she could slightly understand why they stayed on their own. It felt kind of romantic just to be in here.

That sensation continued to bother her during the morning.

Raven was already up and soon fetched her family for breakfast, a communal one at that. The entire tribe seemed to sit together, joking with each other or swapping stories. Then there were the many curious looks thrown her way, which Ruby weathered somewhat. She still squirmed on occasion, but people seemed ready to interact with her normally. Qrow's reception was far frostier, though nobody commented beyond quiet mutters. Raven was the only one who actually spoke with her brother.

Ruby had to take her leave soon enough, though; on Raven's insistence that her up and vanishing would draw suspicion, the young Huntress returned to Mistral. Her aunt held onto the lamp to keep it out of sight. Meanwhile, Ruby was made to finish her 'vacation' even though she did not feel like it at all.

From one day to the next, walking this city felt entirely different. Life went on as it had even though the world irrevocably changed for Ruby. The disconnect alienated her and soured her mood. She could not even bring up much enthusiasm for weapons.

With nothing else to do, she went back to Haven for that tour. Hana was even free to show her around; when the older woman asked if she knew about the headmaster's whereabouts, Ruby mutely shook her head.

"Bad day?" Hana asked then, picking up on her subdued mood. Ruby shrugged.

"Kinda. Bad night, is all."

"Ah, I understand. It happens, don't let it get you down."

Hana offered a small yet reassuring smile that Ruby managed to return. By herself she wondered what her guide would say if she knew the truth.

Three days passed in silent reverie. Ruby slowly worked through everything that happened, helped by her mother's nightly visits. They spoke at length, there were hugs and kind words, and Ruby stuffed herself with sweets every day. Reuniting with Summer was not like what she always imagined; her mother was not all smiles, both of them knew not everything would be okay. But the hugs were everything Ruby hoped they would be. More than that, they could talk candidly. It helped a great deal to just let it all out.

The best part thowever, something Ruby never even considered would be this important, was that she could get to know her mother. As a person, not just a tale or an idol. Summer was mischievous yet sweet, cheerful one moment and thoughtful the next, but so incredibly vibrant. Even as a spirit she seemed full of life. She was also lewd as hell, but Ruby could get used to that with time. Hopefully.

She was mostly back to normal on the fourth day. The weight on her shoulders diminished and her smile became genuine again. But at the same time, conviction was lit alight within her heart; there were others trapped in these Hounds, held somewhere between life and death. She wanted to find and free them of their torment.

It was then that Ruby realised she ought to tell her co-conspirators. It only occurred to her over half a week after she actually did the thing.

Ruby felt a little silly as she pulled out her Scroll and called Yang. She had to wait a surprisingly long time until her sister picked up.

"Ruby," a low grumble sounded once the call connected, "it's three in the morning."

...right, she was on the other side of Remnant.

"Oh, uh... oops? I'll call back in five hours. Sorry."

She quickly hung up and drowned her embarassment in more sweets.

Meanwhile, Yang fell back asleep in her cot. She needed every minute with how hard the atleseans were working her, but was not really angry with her sister. By the time Ruby called again, eight on the dot, Yang already sat down for breakfast with her team. She picked up with a grunt.

"Heya," Ruby chirped. "Sorry again, I forgot the time difference."

"No shit, sis." Yang ignored the harrumph from Weiss and leaned back in her chair. "So, what's up?"

She was a little worried that Ruby got in trouble and needed help. A lot could go wrong, even with Qrow and, well, Raven around.

Much to her relief, Ruby told her the exact opposite: "I'm done, just wanted to let you all know. I'll head back to Vale tomorrow." Her words made Yang's eyes lighten up, even if the swiftness surprised her. Ruby failed to notice as she kept the conversation going: "How are things on your end?"

She could only grimace at that. Her sister would hear it even at voice call only. "Oh, same old. We're probably here for a while. At least two more weeks. Damn, the Atleseans are slave drivers! It's work, work, work all day!"

Yang exaggerated a little for effect, but there was definitely more on her plate than she had at Beacon. Blake threw her a look over the wording, which made Yang roll her eyes; her partner knew she did not mean anything regarding faunus. At least Ruby giggled over the playful complaints.

They chatted for a bit, then Ruby wished her big sister good luck and hung up again. Yang stared at her Scroll's dark screen for a moment, rubbing her face.

"We've got to get a move on. Ruby's already done."

Penny clapped her hands in delight, but Weiss was less impressed. She merely arched an eyebrow before shaking her head. "While I do appreciate her effort, I still believe we are saddled with the more difficult task. That aside, I will need a day or two more to reach out to my contacts."

She had a point, though Yang was not quite ready to let the mood go back down to reality. Ruby finished her half of the job and so fast, that was amazing!

"The faster we get out of here, the better," Blake grumbled from the other side. "It's not even been a week and I'm sick of the looks I get here."

"You know half of those is people looking at your ass, right?" Yang quipped back. Blake did not comment but averted her gaze. Some chuckles sounded from nearby students that overheard them.

Weiss was once again not amused. She pinched the bridge of her nose, then lowered her voice: "Yang, please. I know we agreed to let it slide in private, but I need you to keep it down in public. We can not afford this to reflect back on me, not if we want to use my connections."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, you don't need to tell me every day." Yang rolled her eyes, a little embarassed but mostly exasperated. "I've got you."

For some reason the reassurance only prompted a sniff; that could mean any number of things, coming from Weiss.

They finished their meal in silence, but did not make it far; a surprise awaited them right outside the cafeteria.

She was clearly visible because everyone gave her a wide berth. Smartly dressed in a mostly white pantsuit, white hair done meticulously and done up into a bun. Though the woman's severe expression made her resemble Goodwitch, she felt even less approachable than the stern deputy. Yang could immediately see the similarities to Weiss in her figure and face, too.

The moment her friend saw that woman, she lit up more than either of her teammates ever saw. Where every other student left her alone, Weiss went straight toward her.

"Winter!" she greeted joyfully. "What a surprise to see you here!"

So that was the oldest Schnee sister. She inclined her head minutely, though Yang spotted the ghost of a smile before it was wiped away. Winter's voice was even, bearing but a hint of humour as she answered her sister: "Yes, well, contrary to what many believe, the army does offer frequent leave."

She then pushed off the wall she leaned against, studying her sister. "You tanned a bit."

And indeed, standing next to each other, Yang could see clearly that Weiss's skin was several shades darker than Winter's. She was still pale, but no longer notably so. Winter gave no indicator what she thought of that.

"How is Vale?"

"I can not complain in the slightest," Weiss responded in an instant, more animated than one normally saw her. "Vale is overall different albeit enjoyable. Oh, and meet my team." She motioned for the other three as they crowded around her. "Yang Xiao-Long, Blake Belladonna, and I believe you already know Penny."

"I do indeed," Winter agreed before exchanging salutes with Penny. Then she offered polite nods to Blake and Yang. "A pleasure. And Ms. Xiao-Long, please relay my congratulations to your sister. Becoming a huntress at her age is no small feat."

Saying she was not a little intimidated by an older woman so well put together would be a lie; she played over it with a cocky smirk and threw a mock salute of her own. "Can do. There's never been a big sis more proud."

Winter arched an eyebrow, the effect somehow far more pronounced than when Weiss did it. For some reason however, the younger Schnee's expression became a little more guarded now. Yang got the feeling she missed something.

Before she could figure out what may have happened or if she should even ask, Winter motioned for an empty corridor.

"Walk with me," she asked, though it sounded more like an order. Weiss followed without hesitation, but Yang remained behind. Knowing Weiss, this may be sisterly bonding time. The rest of them should not be there for that.

Her friend stopped after the first step, glancing between them and Winter. Then, after a moment of thought, she sharply nodded her head toward the older woman. Yang was a little surprised to be included, but did as told and followed. Blake and Penny did much the same.

With four sets of footsteps following her, Winter remained quiet for a time. The corridor they walked down led into the academy greenhouse, which was by and far Yang's favourite place. The lights may be artificial, but the scent of soil and flowers just reminded her of home. They passed fruits and vegetable fields, currently alone.

"Are you certain of this?" Winter finally asked. Weiss firmed up in response.

"We are a team, sister. They already know more about me than most either way."

"And you know enough of them as well?"

The vote of confidence from Weiss of all people made Yang feel a little warmer, even if she still felt out of place. She wanted to pipe up and support her friend, but held back; whatever double conversation they had in front of them, she would not interfere unless Weiss was in trouble.

Meanwhile, Weiss herself gave a curt nod. "Yes."

"I see," Winter murmured. She never so much as turned around, gaze pointed ahead of them. "That is quite the surprise, you reaching an agreement with a known associate of certain groups. On both ends, really."

It still took a moment to parse her meaning; Yang really only managed because Blake started to bristle. Weiss said nothing however, letting her sister finish: "I reckon Father will not be amused."

"When is he ever?" Weiss retorted drily. Winter did not really react, but Yang could see her lips twitch from the angle she walked at.

"Quite."

Silence reigned for a little while. Yang admitted to herself that it was hard to understand what Winter was after; she remained polite the entire time and refused to say anything clearly. Like a politician, really; perhaps that was the idea?

"Is this why you came here, then?" Weiss finally asked. "Is Father leaning on you?"

That, however, sounded bad. Yang heard of the Schnee patriarch's stern hand and his willingness to get dirty about getting what he wanted. She listened intently, only to be surprised when Winter let out a soft huff.

"No. Father has no power over me anymore, as you should know." So saying, she turned around. At first Winter glanced to the rest of SPBY, then she met her sister's gaze. "Had it been him to contact me, I would not even have answered the call. No, the one who reached out was Mother."

Weiss inhaled sharply, but that was the only sign of her surprise. Yang glanced between the sisters, uncertain what to make of this new revelation; she heard basically nothing about Weiss's mother, to the point she thought the woman passed away. Neither of them answered her silent question. Weiss seemed to have no words at all.

Seeing that no response was forthcoming, Winter elaborated. "She took notice that you reach out to family friends and your peers, reaffirming relationships. Father may think it is just good networking, but we can tell a little more than that."

"And what, exactly, did she ask of you?" Weiss asked back with clear suspicion. "To stop me?"

Her sudden defensiveness surprised Yang, but the bitter note in her words even more so. Winter, meanwhile, let out an undignified snort.

"She says that if you are planning to take over, you better hurry. You will not be the heiress for much longer."

Not only made this little sense, Yang had no idea how these things connected. Weiss caught it just fine, considering how she paled. They somehow skipped a few steps and Yang knew she was lost.

"Okay," she chimed in slowly, "I don't follow anymore."

The older Schnee glanced back, fully acknowledging her for the first time since their walk began. She absently clasped both hands behind her back and began to explain.

"I imagine Weiss was sparse with details on our upbringing," she asked of them, receiving a set of nods. Winter next looked to Weiss, who inclined her head. Only then did she carry on: "Our father is extraordinarily happy with being in control, and this extends to his family. He tried his hardest to mold his children into pliable puppets, perfectly aligned with his own desires. When I slipped away and enlisted with the army, he made Weiss the heiress instead as a form of punishment."

Yang began to get the idea now; it sounded like a dick move, which honestly fit what she heard about Jacques Schnee.

Weiss nodded sadly. "You think he will try with Whitley next?"

"It is the exact same situation. Mother agrees, at that. She had a second request to deliver."

"And she could not have called me herself?"

It was a surprisingly despondent question coming from Weiss. Winter chuckled, almost indulgently; Yang could see her own relationship with Ruby in them just a little bit. More curt, almost frigid, but somehow it was there anyway.

"For one," Winter responded, "we both know you would not have picked up."

She apparently hit the nail on the head, going by how Weiss averted her gaze.

"And for two, Mother is a good bit more subtle than Father ever was. She knows he monitors you where he can, but not me."

Weiss heaved a sigh at that, absently stroking a tomato plant's leaves. "Alright, I got the memo. What does she want?"

"That you come visit. Not for her or Father's sake, but for Whitley's. I shudder to imagine the kind of pressure he is on under Father's undivided attention."

While Winter's demeanour did not change at all despite what she said, Weiss did shudder visibly. "I get that, I guess," she murmured uncertainly. "But Whitley and I never really got along."

"Mother seems to disagree," Winter argued. Another almost-smile graced her features. "For all her faults, she has always been the most insightful of us all."

Yang watched this entire exchange with a great sense of dysphoria. The family dynamics unfolding before her were so unlike her own. Yet somehow at least those two sisters were close anyway. She never could have imagined something like this existing before she met Weiss.

Right now however, her team leader hesitated. Chances were she was overthinking again. She really should not when the subject was family. It was time for someone to bring the confidence.

So Yang swaggered forward, wrapping an arm over Weiss's shoulder to offer a stealthy sidehug.

"Sounds like we're going to visit your folks sometime soon, eh?" she probed, immediately earning both sisters' attention. So she threw Weiss a winning grin and went on: "If your baby brother needs a hand, we're helping out. And Weiss, real talk from one big sister to another, I will punch you if you leave him hanging for no reason."

Though the threat was quite real, it still drew an undignified snort out of Weiss. One point for Xiao-Long once again. Weiss glanced to Blake and Penny, but found both resolute and ready to help. Winter shook her head at them, yet failed to suppress the smile tugging up her lips this time.

"I see what you mean now. The four of you complement each other well. Now, shall we move on to lighter matters?"

That seemed to be code for bonding time. Once it became clear she was no longer needed, Yang excused herself so the sisters could catch up in peace. Blake and Penny followed her lead on that and they caught up with Selina and Coco in the gym instead.

The news of their excursion to Schnee manor was taken with interest, but Selina did not seem too excited. Yang only realised the wolf faunus was unnaturally morose when Velvet called her out on it; the two were spotting their respective partners.

"Nothing to do with here," Selina explained, frowning. "It's just that Kali called earlier. Asked about Lumina 'cause she didn't drop by for days. Girl missed her own birthday party." That explained a lot and drew winces from their entire group. Selina heaved a deep sigh. "I didn't know what to tell her. Someone's got to explain this to them."

Blake nodded slowly. "Yeah. But how do you explain this to them?"

"I mean, it's not like they don't know Lumina is special." Selina mused, then shrugged with some mix between mirth and despondence. "From what Kali says, they're getting better at making Charms. A bit longer and we can start selling 'em. Lumina taught us how to make those in the first place, so... yeah. But I don't wanna do this over the phone."

"Maybe one of us can ask Lumina to visit them as well," Velvet suggested. "That may be best."

Selina snapped her fingers, mood lifting somewhat. "Oh, that's a good idea. I'll bring it up if she drops by."

Yang finished her own rep at that point and switched with Blake. The conversation turned idle for a while until Weiss joined them. She seemed notably happier, which no one missed.

Once the subject returned to the upcoming visit to Schnee manor, Selina piped up: "I always wanted to see how rich people live! C'mon, lemme come too!"

She rubbed her hands almost eagerly, which made Yang snort. Doubly so with Weiss's confused expression thrown into the mix.

"Why would you want that? It is not as... impressive as you may expect."

The notable pause was only noticed by Yang and Blake, who both understood Weiss meant to say something else. It made some sense too, after hearing how shit her friend's childhood apparently was.

Selina was undeterred, though. "Still wanna, I was always wondering. Pretty please?"

She batted her eyelashes in faux innocence, prompting a sigh from the heiress. Once Weiss agreed, she received a sweaty hug. "Yeah! Thanks!"

"If only because I would rather have more friends with me than less," Weiss muttered while she freed herself. Yang snorted and ignored the pointed look thrown her way.

"Guess you guys do that then," Coco commented from the side. She was wiping her face with a towel and grinning at the first-years. "We'll come up with something else to do in the meantime. Gotta speed things up a bit."

Her team shifted behind her, exchanging glances; even Yang could tell that Coco was shielding Velvet most of all. Nobody seemed willing to call her out on it, though.

However, the hare tapped her partner's shoulder. "We should go too," she said quietly, much to Coco's surprise. "Maybe I can dig up something helpful there."

"Are you sure?"

While CFVY discussed it among themselves, Yang found herself musing on what Velvet said. She had no idea what that woman could do with her Semblance, but she somehow became their main intelligence expert. With the speed she dug up secret knowledge, she may very well be a mind-reader. Then again, thinking puns at her really hard brought no reaction; so either she was not or stayed out of Yang's head. Either way was fine with her.

Meanwhile, Weiss was clearly blown away by so much willing support. She was not even really subject of that conversation, but Yang could tell her friend appreciated it regardless. She tried to hide it while lifting dumbbells with Fox and Ren, her face a blank mask. That was ironically the most clear tell of being emotional and desperately trying to hide it.

"Besides," Selina ruined it once CFVY figured themselves out, "that little bro, he cute?"

Weiss sputtered while Yang let out a startled laugh, much like the rest of them. Selina shot finger guns at the heiress, chuckled, and hopped onto the treadmill. Weiss glowered at her.

"If you could refrain from attempts to seduce my younger brother, I would be quite grateful."

That was too good an opportunity to pass. Yang joined the fray with a teasing grin. "I dunno, he's, what, Ruby's age? Fifteen?" A nod. "So he's right at that age and we're bringing a bunch of super hot girls along. You sure he will survive that?"

Weiss took a deep, calming breath. She considered the dumbbell in her hand and barely stopped herself from throwing it. The fact more giggles and laughs at her expense followed clearly made her consider it again.

Nora sat up, an empty water bottle put aside."So which of us you think he'd be into? Or maybe Ren?"

Her not-quite-boyfriend rolled his eyes where the shortstack could not see. Weiss remained the exact opposite of amused, but her thunderous expression could not quell the fun.

"Five Lien says it'll be one of us faunus girls," Selina crowed. "The forbidden fruit's always the sweetest!"

"Enough," Weiss half-shouted over the laughter. "Stop this right this instant or I will hurt you."

"Aww, look who's worried for her baby brother's chastity. Don't worry Weiss, we'll take good care of him."

So saying, Selina threw a wink over her shoulder. Then, seeing that her fellow leader put the weight down, she quickly began running faster. "Oh no, you'll never catch me!"

She was still on the treadmill, making comical gestures while running in place. Weiss stalked over there and scowled at her back, but did nothing else.

Yang allowed herself a final giggle and let the subject drop; some joking was fun, but she was also a bit worried for the boy. She could not help it with how Weiss and Winter talked about their father.

Then, all of a sudden, Weiss began to smile. An honest and incredibly mean smile. "Oh well," she began idly. "I hope you were not planning anything for today. If we visit the Schnee estate tomorrow, I need to put all of you into proper dress. You will not embarass me."

Yang shuddered at the delight in her tone, suddenly feeling herself on the receiving end of a shopping trip she usually bothered Ruby with. Yet Selina somehow shrugged it off.

"Sure, dress me up, girl. I'm pants at fashion. But you better make it something practical, or I will tear it if I need to move."

Her nonchalance clearly disappointed Weiss.

"Noted. I really wish I could get under your skin somehow. This is more infuriating than I ever thought it would be."

"Meh, I'm just not that shy."

As they would soon learn, this was a bald-faced lie.

 

[Naron]

All three teams had taken the following day off from their work. Weiss made certain that their request went through and ran herself ragged with preparations; yet despite it being so short notice, she pulled it off.

A little snag in her plan was that out of the twelve of them, Yatsuhashi could not come; he was overall too large to fit into anything except custom-order suits. The veritable giant at least did not seem perturbed about having to sit out, though; Ren and Fox maintained a similar state of zen, both comfortable in their dark suits. Meanwhile Coco had decided to be daring and dress similar to them, if in a notably higher quality. Her suit was maroon instead of black, too.

Of the other women, Pyrrha and Weiss had the easiest time in their dresses due to ample experience. Velvet and the rest of SPBY took it well enough, each wrapped in soft, non-threatening colours. Penny still felt the soft satin of her green and black dress from time to time; she was about the only one Weiss allowed to indulge in such a manner, too.

Then there were the two problem children. Nora shimmied around and was clearly not happy, but she bore it quietly; likely in an attempt to imitate Ren. Selina outright squirmed, however; the faunus woman's cheeks were tinged pink despite the fact her dress was the most modest out of them all; its dark green hem swished around Selina's ankles. She rumpled it up and smoothed it out ad infinitum, repeating the cycle each time she realised she did it again.

Weiss was not the only one to notice, either. Yang threw Selina a wink. "What happened to that boisterousness, eh?" she needled. "You're pretty cute like that."

"I thought this would be easier," the redhead returned glumly. "It's just weird."

She swished her hips experimentally and grimaced. "I want my pants back."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the complaints. "Oh, stop crying already. By how much you complain, it sounds like you never wore a dress before."

She expected some sort of retort, but was met with a suspicious silence. The wolf averted her gaze when Weiss sought it, surprising the heiress. That complicated things a little. And to top it off, Nora jumped on the subject at once: "No way! Never? I know it sucks but even I've worn one or two before!"

She grabbed Selina's shoulders in some odd expression of awe; Weiss felt similarly for a moment. She never conceived of a woman her age never having worn a dress before.

Selina herself shook her teammate off. "You wear skirts on the regular, it's not the same," she groused. "I haven't worn this breezy shit since I was five or so. Maybe even earlier."

She grimaced and, coming to a decision of some sort, turned around to walk back into SNNL's room.

"Where are you going?" Weiss called after her, to no response.

Coco chuckled. "Maybe she's getting cold feet?"

Yet nobody stopped Selina from leaving them. Weiss scowled and checked the time, but found they were a little ahead of schedule; if her friend needed to calm her nerves first, they could give her a few minutes.

They thankfully did not have to fetch her; Selina returned two minutes later, more at ease and clearly less awkward. The dress was still on, if a little rumpled. Weiss looked her up and down but could spot no difference. Her eyes narrowed.

"...what did you do?"

"I put on spats."

Weiss took in her cheerful tone and almost proud announcement, then palmed her face. A gesture she learned from Yang and really needed to stop using. "That is not proper, just so you are aware."

"Last time I checked I'm there to look pretty, not pull up that dress and flash people," Selina shot back with a wolfish grin. "So no one's ever gonna know I wear them. And honestly, no offense to you lot, but I don't feel like letting people peek at my ass when I don't mean to. That long skirt is just right for me."

Several others rolled their eyes at her commentary, including Pyrrha. It was also Selina's fellow redhead who spoke what they all thought in one way or another: "You are perhaps the most uncaring for incidental nudity among us all. Why exactly does this bother you now?"

"Just because, now shut up and let's go."

Some giggles followed, but they let her rebuttal stand. Weiss could hardly believe that brash and boisterous Selina's weakness was a dress; then again, perhaps she should not be too surprised. It just never occurred to her before that wearing these would not be common for her walk of life. She was not exactly happy, but her friend had a point; nobody would know about that little breach of decorum. Despite Weiss's scathing if mostly internal commentary, Selina was not the kind to casually hook up at a high society gala.

Though, and this she only admitted in the sanctity of her own mind, it would be funny. Especially with a faunus girl involved. And it would make for incredible blackmail material as well.

All these thoughts were dispelled with a final deep breath as Weiss centered herself, then led the group out of the dormitories. What students were around made space for their procession; Yatsuhashi walked with them out of solidarity, but remained behind at the academy gates with a few words of encouragement.

None of them were armed for the occasion, excepting Yang and Coco who could carry their weapons inconspicuously. Weiss was not certain she wished to know how her senior managed to fit a minigun into a purse, though she was tempted to ask some days.

They walked on foot toward the Schnee estate. Weiss's official explanation was to make an entrance; in reality, she was simply low on funds after renting so many dresses and suits. She was cut off from 'her' family account some time ago and since had to rely on what she put aside for rainy days. Not to mention that she found many of the fancier companies marking up prices for transporting faunus, or outright refusing to ferry them.

Regardless, an entrance she promised and an entrance they made. Heads turned wherever their group passed as was befitting a dozen well dressed, attractive hunters-to-be; anyone could tell, what with the complete lack of protective clothing despite the cold atlesean night.

The walk from Atlas Academy to Schnee Manor was thankfully not far, merely a few minutes on foot. A pair of limos passed them by and several more stood ready in the vast courtyard preceding the manor itself, disgorging passengers. Small groups chatted outside before entering, mostly greetings and some casual conversation with closer acquaintances. Conversation that ceased once Weiss's procession arrived.

They had fallen into formation without thought; Weiss walked front and center, back straight and her head held high. Selina and Coco flanked her, their respective teams following them orderly. Pyrrha and Yang took one side each.

Their arrival prompted surprised silence, followed by intent whispers. Weiss wore her fake smile and met gazes of people she knew before exchanging respectful nods. Her careful mask twiched ever so slightly whenever she spotted sneers direct to her left where Selina walked. Her friend seemed immune or simply unaware, more focussed on scanning the manor itself.

Seeing that nobody else moved yet, Weiss decided to make another statement; her step did not falter for a moment as she approached the entrance, ignoring whoever waited to be allowed in. Such was her right as a Schnee after all.

Security straightened up, but kept a respectful distance. The woman with the guest list scanned Weiss, then her entourage, and offered a simple nod. They were not on it, but nobody would deny her entry.

An announcer called for "Weiss Schnee and associates", which quieted the ample chatter inside. Everyone turned to look, immediately making Weiss the center of attention.

She imperiously took in the entire entrance hall and everyone inside, noting that she knew most of the guests already present. Her gaze paused momentarily on each of the other heirs and heiresses as she offered faint nods of acknowledgement.

The first to move was her father, as expected. The spell Weiss's arrival put on the room broke the moment Jacques Schnee approached them. He was dressed immaculately, his goatee neatly trimmed and eyes alight with the usual fervour. Weiss saw it, but her companions likely only saw that benign smile he hid his cunning behind.

"Ah, Weiss," he greeted pleasantly. Conversations started back up around them, though Weiss herself felt decidedly small under his attention. "Your agreement to join us tonight was on such short notice, I was uncertain you would make it in time. Now I see I need not have worried."

She hated it so much, being scanned from top to bottom like prized lifestock. But she did not give him any cause for complaint, posture picture perfect and smile firmly in place.

"Of course, Father. If I may introduce?"

She motioned for her companions and received an amicable nod.

Weiss knew everyone was still listening, even if they pretended otherwise. She knew it would cost her, but could not resist introducing Selina before Coco. The irritation was palpable and satisfying, not that she let it show.

Yet even by their responses to her father's mere greeting, it became painfully obvious most of them did not belong. Pyrrha and Coco managed. Yang and Blake somehow worked through the double-edged flattery without reaction beyond placid smiles. Everyone else displayed something from confusion to alienation.

She was just glad her friends managed to remain somewhat graceful. Blake in particular could have ended far worse, considering her White Fang affiliations.

"Now that introductions are over," her father transitioned smoothly once he finished pretending to be friends with each of them in succession, "I need a moment of your time, Weiss."

She already expected it, but remained a little miffed. They came for her brother after all; he stood nearby, watching with that same fake benign look everyone else wore. Though Weiss had little hope to delay her father, she tried anyway: "In a moment if that is acceptable. I have yet to see Whitley."

"And you will. Likewise, I have not seen you in months. He can wait a few more minutes."

Weiss received the message loud and clear, resigning herself to her fate. "Very well," she responded while motioning for her friends to go ahead.

The group split up there; while Weiss was busy playing mouse to her father's cat, Coco led Velvet and Fox into the circuit of social combat. Neither of them was much for it, but they managed not to offend anyone. Yang and Blake followed Penny, who quickly singled out General Ironwood in the crowd; he greeted them amicably and with something that approached actual warmth. Nora zeroed in on the buffet, with Ren hovering over her to keep an eye on her manners.

Selina, however, decided to try getting to know another Schnee. It was not a hard choice to make, considering everyone seemed to hate her equally in this room. Not to mention he was cute; not quite her type, a bit too haughty, but pretty close with his fair features and slight frame. The young man actually stood shorter than Selina, barely taller than Weiss. His sharp features were reminiscent of his sisters and father as well; there really was no mistaking him.

Pyrrha followed her as she approached the lonesome boy.

"Hey there," Selina greeted with a little grin. Whitley startled as if surprised to be spoken to. His gaze left Weiss and snapped to her, though he immediately surprised Selina with his restraint. There were not one but two bombshells right in front of him, yet his eyes remained firmly on her face. The only slip went up instead of down.

"Yes?" he responded after a notable pause. "Can I help you, miss?"

His faux pleasant tone reminded her eerily of Weiss when they first met. She certainly had her work cut out for her, not that Selina minded. She shrugged softly.

"Meh, not help, really. But I was curious what you're like, being Weiss's brother and all."

Be it her nonchalance or her attitude, she immediately scored a crack in his mask; it smoothed over in moments.

"Pardon? I am not sure I follow," Whitley answered, genuinely confused but also wary. "In addition, may I have your name? I recognise Ms. Nikos of course, who would not," he added with a smile to the redhead, who returned one just as fake, "but I do not believe I ever heard of you before."

She was pretty sure he just insulted her. But really, that was par for the course even if it grated a little. But as so often, she rather failed forward instead of getting angry; so she bore it with a grin: "Name's Selina. Beacon first year on merit, partnered with Pyrrha here, and team leader of 'Sunlight'. Well, guess it makes sense you didn't hear of us before." She threw a demonstrative look out of a huge window nearby, into the atlesean twilight. "You don't get much sun in these parts."

Her winning grin was met by an unamused stare; Pyrrha quickly smoothed out a more honest smile, fast enough that neither of them noticed.

"Funny," Whitley deadpanned. "I of course hold the deepest respect for anyone who can obtain a place at Beacon despite lacking a proper education."

This time she caught it just fine and rolled her eyes. "Figures. Weiss did it too, after all."

The younger man opened his mouth to retort, only to register what Selina said. No words came out as he tried to comprehend her words. Meanwhile, Selina threw him another grin. "Just because I'm not into the fancy speak doesn't mean I'm an idiot, boyo."

Pyrrha immediately nudged her to stop, which Selina appreciated. She let Whitley recover and watched with some fascination how his placid mask slipped back into place. "Of course," he agreed readily, though there may be something mocking in his tone. "If this is all, then?"

She did not need to say anything; Whitley clearly saw that Selina was not about to back off. Unlike her, he also remained aware of the people watching their exchange from a distance.

"Pardon, but I would prefer not to associate with your kind too closely."

Being so focussed on him, Selina spotted the way he tensed up ever so slightly. Chances were he expected violence over the slight. Selina just rolled her eyes again and cocked her hip. "Well, too bad I'm not your type," she teased, then pointed over her shoulder. "Maybe Blake over there?" Her fellow faunus currently shook hands with an elderly man in a rich suit, someone from the Atlas City Council.

She got him good this time; Whitley stared at her in utter confusion.

"...what?"

Pyrrha seemed equally stumped by the sudden turn of events. Selina's grin was basically welded to her face now. "Kidding," she chirped, congratulating herself on a jab well placed. Then she did away with the humour. "But seriously, you can't spend your life dodging every faunus you meet. That gets old very fast and leads to dark places. So why not talk to me a bit? I don't bite."

It was so, so tempting to transition into teasing, but Selina bit down on it. She clearly managed to irritate Whitley already. He did well in trying to hide it, someone not familiar with Weiss's or another Schnee's mannerisms may have missed the signs.

"And of course I want to-" he started sarcastically, only to interrupt himself when Weiss arrived. "Oh, hello, sister."

The heiress graced him with a faint smile, perhaps half fake by Selina's estimate. "Hello, Whitley. Just a moment, please."

Then she turned to Selina, completely unamused. "I thought I asked you not to harass him."

"Ain't no harassment, just trying to break the ice."

"I believe you broke more than that by now," Pyrrha interjected, though she seemed less upset and more amused.

Whitley failed to notice and took the comment at face value. "Quite," he agreed.

Selina rolled her eyes. "Great, now all the fancy pants are ganging up on me," she complained with a theatralic sigh, then peered around. "Guess I'll go talk to the iron man, or get some of the buffet before Nora eats it all."

"Good luck with the latter," Weiss murmured. She grimaced upon realising the quip slipped out; Whitley noticed as well, glancing between his sister and Selina's retreating back.

"You certainly associate with... colourful individuals of late," he ventured carefully. Weiss bit down on her irritation, having had to justify much the same to their father just now. It was not Whitley's fault.

"Selina is boisterous, but quite harmless. Amicable, really." Weiss huffed even as she said it. "And yes, I did not expect it either. Her view of this entire matter is rather quite simple."

"Oh?"

"Yes. 'Humans bad, faunus bad, Grimm worse.' She told me as much in these exact words when I asked her about it."

It was a refreshingly straightforward stance on this complicated net of racial politics and probably the reason Weiss felt at ease around Selina; her friend had nary a dishonest bone in her body. What she said was what one got with her.

"I concur," Pyrrha added diplomatically. "Selina's way of life is far more simple than either of ours." She inclined her head toward Weiss, who nodded back absently.

"Indeed."

And Selina was not the only one, either. Ruby and Lumina were much the same, if not in quite that way. Although there was obviously more to Lumina than anyone ever expected.

Silence settled upon them for a moment as Weiss contemplated the moth and her task. Then she disregarded these musings. She had something important to do tonight. But first she needed to get rid of the plus-one.

"On second thought, Pyrrha, could you save Selina from embarassing herself?"

The redhead agreed readily and strode away, leaving Weiss and Whitley alone. Brother and sister gauged each other with sudden awkwardness; Weiss did not think this through, she suddenly had no idea what to say. Where to start or even what subjects to broach. In her panic she fell back into old habits and did as Winter would: turning away from the gathering, Weiss motioned for her brother to follow. "Walk with me for a bit. It has been a while since I was home."

Whitley followed without complaint, though the polite disinterest remained prominent in his expression. They passed Velvet and Coco along the way, who were currently talking to General Ironwood and Jacques Schnee. Coco did well in keeping attention as she spoke of her experiences at Beacon; her partner was oddly focussed on Ironwood.

Walking closeby, Weiss caught something along the lines of it being every child's dream to go on adventures with magic and ancient vaults. She could not help but crack a grin, safely hidden from view. Whatever Coco was trying, the men smiled indulgently. The general may even mean it.

"What has you so amused, sister?"

And of course she forgot that Whitley could see her face. Weiss's mirth dimmed upon being caught, but she could not quite wipe the smile away. "For how down-to-earth Coco usually is, she seemed mighty excited. Especially when considering who she was talking to."

A note of fondness crept into her voice unbidden; Weiss knew he noticed it, too.

"That being?" Whitley inquired. "The lady in the suit?"

"Yes. She leads second year's strongest team."

"I see. She seems better adjusted to our way of life than most of your entourage."

"I assure you they are all quite lovely in their own way." Such a comment would normally be code for something unflattering, but Weiss actually meant it. There was no sarcasm to be found.

She did not give Whitley time to dwell on it, though: "Now, tell me how things have been since my departure."

Their conversation continued from there; Weiss listened to her brother prattle on about his own studies, occasionally sharing a bit about hers. The fact he kept all mentions of personal interests under lock annoyed her a little, but such was the Schnee way. Her own thoughts were kept from him as well after all. The few lures she threw him were either missed or ignored, Weiss could not quite tell which.

She managed to entertain Whitley for about half an hour, at which point it would become strenuous to keep faking interest in the manor. So Weiss reluctantly steered them back toward the gala. As they strode past expensive paintings and furniture however, she decided to make one last attempt.

"Did Father say anything unusual of late?"

"Not that I am aware of," Whitley responded after mulling it over. "But he does not include me in his important meetings."

"What of your own tasks?" She pressed carefully. "I imagine you do budget reports and event planning, much like I had to at your age?"

Her brother frowned at that, ever so slightly. "Quite. Although Father made overtures that he wants me to take additional duties in the near future. I am not quite certain what he has in mind." He did not look exactly happy, though he certainly did not miss the subject they arrived at. They were siblings after all.

"Do you have a particular suspicion?"

Weiss chewed her lip in thought, pondering if she should let him in on what both his sisters suspected. She ultimately decided that he deserved an advance warning at least: "I spoke to Winter recently. From how she tells it, you may soon be heir."

Much to her own surprise, that was what finally got under his skin.

"I what?" he hissed, head snapping around to stare at her. "But you are the heiress!"

"I am," Weiss agreed solemnly. "Alas, you know how much Father likes his control. He can not control me anymore, and it seems he starts to realise that. This is his final gambit, either get me back in line to stay heiress, or make you the heir instead.

It was truly final as well, considering there were no more children after Whitley. He seemed to realise that as well, seeing how he stopped dead in his tracks.

The buzz of conversation was already audible, just a turn and a door away. Weiss stopped as well, a little surprised by his visceral reaction to the news. She was adept at reading tiny details from a socialite's countenance, but that open, wounded look he had left her completely stumped. It just made no sense.

"I-I see," he stammered softly. His composure returned, though he immediately turned his back to her. "Regardless, I believe it is time for me to retire. If you would give everyone else in your group my regards?"

So saying, he strode away before Weiss could find the right words to address him. Or rather, he fled.

Weiss's return to the party was an utterly confounded one. She did not understand why Whitley was so upset by the news. She expected some disquiet at the prospect of being heir, but not this.

The first person to accost her upon returning was Yang, accompanied by Selina. The pair all but ambushed her the moment she came in sight. "Where's your brother?" Yang asked curiously. "You two left together, right? I was kinda curious to meet him."

"He retired for the evening," Weiss told her absently. She was still trying to make sense of her brother's behaviour.

Naturally, both of them caught onto her mood immediately. "Something happen?" Selina asked her quietly. "Trouble in paradise?"

That earned her a soft headshake. "Not as such, just an odd end to our conversation. He did not take the news as well as I thought he would."

Yang gave her a searching look at that, but Weiss remained plain confused. Her friends exchanged glances and Selina hummed in thought. She looked around the hall before heaving a soft sigh.

"So, how tight is security around the place?"

"Decently? I do not like where this is going."

"And, hypothetically," the redhead continued without acknowledging her worries, "if they find me somewhere I'm not supposed to be. Can you bail me out?"

Now that was a simple one. "Absolutely. But you will tell me what you are planning right this instant."

At that, Selina threw her a grin. "Talking to Whitley is like talking to you when we first met. Except without Beacon and a dozen other people to soften you up a bit." That assessment stung, but Weiss could not dispute her point. Selina knew it too. "So I'm going to go look for him, try to get him to talk. He doesn't really have anyone to talk to around here, does he?"

"...I just tried that," Weiss reminded her friend.

"Yeah," Yang chimed in with a little grin of her own. "But you did it in that weird noble way where you need to look at every word from five angles. I'd do it too, but Sel already called dibs."

"So, you ready to cover for me?"

Weiss was sorely tempted to massage her temples. These two would be the death of her one day, if just by the number of headaches they caused. But at the end of the day she trusted them.

"Fine."

"Great! I'm gonna go look around for a bit. Glad you don't mind!"

She waved and went through the door Weiss took earlier. The heiress only had a moment to watch her friend's retreating back before an audible sniff from behind alerted her to two of her peers approaching the remaining pair. Yang somehow put on something akin to a smile and Weiss also fixed her expression, then turned around to start networking properly. She could worry about Selina later, that one was excellent at thinking on her feet. Even if she sacrificed some of Weiss's reputation for it, as some clearly suspected her to be a faunus-lover now.

Meanwhile, Selina herself was on the prowl.

She hated using her Semblance for how much it tended to slap her in the face, but just this once it was bearable. The manor only saw a handful of people on the regular and was cleaned well. Admittedly, the leftover scent of disinfectant still stung a bit. She bore it stoically while following the fresh trail of Weiss and one other until they split.

Following the other one, Selina ascended a staircase and passed through several corridors; her heart thundered in her chest even in the low ambient light. She was ready to hide if there were any guards in her way, but she saw none; only the gardens outside were patrolled, she noticed while passing by a window.

"Can I help you, miss?"

Selina yelped in surprise, eyes swivelling back to the butler that she somehow missed until he stood right in front of her. She barely managed not to run into him, too surprised to come up with a good retort. "Oh, uh, sorry. Didn't see you there."

The man himself seemed a little stocky, with the only few wrinkles found on his face. He smiled benignly under his prominent mustache, but there was something hawkish to his eyes. And did they just change colour? "Not at all, little missy," he chirped with sudden glee. "Now, I see you must be one of the guests. What takes you so far away from the gala?"

This was surreal, but Selina could work with it. "Oh, just curious how the upper crust live, is all. Not everyday I get to see a fancy manor from the inside."

On second thought, that was a weak excuse. She had no idea what the man thought right now, he just studied her thoughtfully. Selina really did not like the idea of having to attack someone; that would be really bad right now.

In the end his eyes changed colour again, this time she was certain. The butler chuckled. "Why, I see no reason to deny a friend of the young lady Weiss. She has dreadfully few of them as is."

Laughing again, he leaned forward conspiratorially and lowered his voice: "But just between us, we never saw each other. Master Jacques will not be amused should you be seen in these parts. So please avoid the balcony as well. Master Whitley does not seem inclined to company at the moment."

Then he winked at her and strolled away, a spring in his step. Selina stared after the departing man utterly confused. Was all high-society staff like that, or did she just deal with a weirdo?

Shaking her head, Selina decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She quietly thanked the Brothers and the Moth for her good fortune, though; if Lumina heard that thought, she gave no reaction.

Selina tried to open the balcony door softly, but it was clearly not soft enough; Whitley immediately snapped to attention and turned her way, eyes wide. Moreover, they were a little red as well.

"What-" "Shh."

She shushed him quickly and glanced below, but the patrol seemed to be elsewhere for now. Once she checked that, Selina looked back to the anxious boy and tried a smile. "Heard you ran away, so I figured you'd be out here or something."

Only then did she realise his nose and cheeks also had some colour to them. "And you really shouldn't be out without an aura. Come on, let's get you inside."

He did not move despite the cold night's bite he must be feeling. When Selina took a step forward to corral him, he quickly made one step back.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, I don't bite."

"Well, excuse me for being worried to be alone with someone who, by all accounts, should want me dead. Not to mention that she can effortlessly break me over her knee."

"...you know what, that's fair. But seriously, if I had problems with you, I'd have problems with Weiss."

Maybe this was the fancy talk or something again; Selina really did not see the problem. And she really needed to get him inside. There was no time to argue. "Anyway, there's two ways we can do this: either you come over here, or I come over there and you get to make the trip over my shoulder."

Whitley twitched at the very real threat. He glanced around, considered the situation while Selina crossed her arms, and cautiously approached her. Almost like an abused animal, Selina thought before grimacing over the comparison. She stepped aside and gave him space to walk, grateful for his lack of night vision. Then she closed the door behind them, once again confronted with that same wary expression.

"So," she broke the silence before it became awkward. "You wanna talk about it?"

He stared at her for a long moment, clearly at his wits' end.

"Why do you pretend to care?" he finally asked. There was no heat to it, just confusion.

"I'm not pretending."

That earned her a scoff; Selina was uncertain if it was paranoia or because this guy just could not believe anyone would care. Somehow, this family consistently gave her more reasons to appreciate her own life more.

She heaved a sigh. If words could not convince him, then she would just do something instead. "Alright, fine. You know what? I'm going to give you a hug now. This is your five second warning."

A beat.

"What are you-" "Time's up"

He had no real chance to react or evade; before he knew it, Selina had him in her arms and held him tightly. It was the first time she really registered that he was shorter than her; not by much, but still. He was also stiff as a board, shaking ever so slightly. Yet when Selina did nothing beyond holding him, he slowly melted into her embrace.

"There there," she soothed, gently stroking his back and head. "You'll be okay."

All she got in response were a faint sniffle and a pair of arms sneaking around her waist. Progress. Selina smiled and repeated her earlier question: "Do you want to talk about it?"

He weakly shook his head, chin never quite leaving Selina's shoulder. She accepted it this time and stopped prodding. This was not exactly how she imagined things to go, but she would take what she could get.

By the end of the evening, Selina had nothing to tell her friends when everyone gathered to discuss the gala; she especially had nothing to tell Weiss. Part of it was that she would not risk her friend's ire by admitting that she gave Whitley her number. Even if it was just to stay in contact because the boy definitely needed more friends.

Weiss herself had networked with Pyrrha for support; Blake tried the same to much less success outside of the atlesean Council and Ironwood. Penny, Nora, and Yang mostly just enjoyed themselves while chaperoned by Ren.

When it came to the second-years however, Coco was grinning like a loon. "We got all the codes and passwords we need to get to the vault," she declared, to the group's notable excitement. Selina knew how she pulled that off, but kept quiet about it.

Now they needed to stake out the vault; it lay at the center of Atlas and was locked off to just about anyone. Which meant that there was more work to do.

By herself Selina rejoiced that she managed to do some good today. Just as she climbed under her covers, she received a short message thanking her for the company. Feeling a little happier, the wolf quickly fell asleep.

And back in a certain manor, Willow Schnee smiled at the recordings she perused. The evening did not turn out quite like she hoped, but she would take what she could get. All her children deserved better, she knew that better than most. It was a start.

With a sarcastic "Oops", she deleted everything the cameras recorded during the gala. Not that her husband would ever check, but still. He oftentimes forgot that he was not the only one who could play the game.

So thinking, Willow grasped for another bottle of wine.

 

[Naron]

Another week passed for the aspiring hunters; Weiss knew that progress must be slow and steady, but she could not stop herself from worrying with each passing day. Their stay in Atlas would soon find its end, too.

Blake and Ren, being their sneakiest allies, took over scouting out the flying city's depths. They were exceedingly careful like Weiss demanded of them. Though they remained undetected however, caution was paid with time.

Between assisting the people of Atlas and Mantle below as per their assignment, they slowly got an idea of the complex. What they learned was promising: security remained tight, but the personnel was lax. Nobody had even attempted breaking into these areas in decades, which left the soldiers on duty less vigilant and diligent than they should be. Cameras were often left unsupervised, the recordings never truly studied. Supposedly mandatory ID checks at the entrance were waived to save time, any atlesean soldier simply waved through despite half their faces being covered by helmets.

That last bit gave her an idea; probably the best one she would have, considering that they were getting low on time.

"What we need," Weiss began their final meeting, "is to inject a small team to open the doors for us. We need to go in fast and leave before anyone knows we were there. Preferably while also shutting down the cameras so they can not figure out who went in."

She was not happy with her conclusion, but it was the best she had. Once they got inside, they had all the codes to get past barriers and barricades.

Her co-conspirators were mulling it over, though Weiss could tell they did not like it much more than she did.

Blake was the first to speak up, brow furrowed in thought: "That's a tall order, you know? There's alarms on every emergency exit. I don't even know if turning off the cameras will work."

"It should," she answered her friend, "at least from the command panel. We have the codes, but they will be changed soon. I am uncertain who we should send, though," Weiss admitted. She left a pause at that point, glancing from Blake to Ren. They knew better than her if it was possible. "That is, assuming you two can organise Atlesean military uniforms for this."

Blake scowled in response and shook her head, only for Penny to raise her hand with notable cheer. "I can do that," she volunteered, much to the others' surprise. "I have access to the barracks, so I can just grab two or three and pass them outside. With how tightly Atlas was built, we just need Blake on the next building to grab them."

Others quickly warmed up to this idea. With the 'how' covered however, Coco brought them back to the other pertinent question: "It can't be Velvet or Yatsu. They're too distinct. Same for you, Yang, or Pyrrha, hair's too long to fit under the helmet."

Weiss nodded along with the assessment; nobody seemed to disagree. Blake sighed a moment later, though. "I don't think my ears would do well under one of these," she said with a motion for her head, which made sense.

"Now don't be a pussy about it," Selina teased with a grin. Blake glowered and Weiss rolled her eyes, even as Yang laughed about the pun.

"Well," Weiss quipped, "thank you for volunteering, then."

The other faunus woman turned her way, raised one finger as if to argue, then lowered it. "Know what?" she said with a shrug. "Fair. My build is pretty average without the ears visible. Maybe I can pass as a guy for extra safety?"

"That won't work unless you can make a deeper voice," Fox interjected. Selina considered this and heaved a sigh; it was a decent idea, but apparently not suitable for her.

Which was when Nora chimed in: "But Ren can do high voices, so if you don't talk and he plays the woman, you can still sell it!"

Attention swerved to Ren, who was bewildered but did not contradict his partner. Coco smirked at that and clapped her hands."Guess now we have two volunteers. Think we need more?"

After some discussion, they decided this was enough and got to work.

Penny's run to the nearest barracks went off just fine; the building was secure, but nobody expected her of all people to be part of the opposition. They did not really keep up security inside, only outside; Blake was too good to be spotted that easily, though. Weiss carefully paid little thought to the reminder of her friend's actual affiliation.

Once their 'acquisition' was complete, the group met in a small apartement belonging to Weiss that lay close to the vault complex's entrance. She laid out the plan one last time while their infiltrators prepared: "Alright. Selina and Ren get in. First they use the codes to shut down the cameras from the control panel. Then they open the doors for us and we proceed to the vault."

Some nods followed; it was a basic plan with few moving pieces, which made it easier to follow but not simple to complete. Then Penny raised her hand.

"Quick question: why do we even need to go in? Selina has one of those Charms, she can just go there on her own. Nobody goes to the vault itself, that should be safe."

Weiss immediately made to argue the risks, but stopped to consider the point. Selina could open the vault on her lonesome. Obscurity certainly made for a better shield than a few more students in an actual assault. Not to mention the improved odds of maintaining anonymity.

"You make a good point," she admitted in the end. "I am mostly worried about the case something goes wrong. If it is just the two of them, there is little they can do to evade capture. All of us together could at least stage a fighting retreat or push through to the vault."

"So more points of failure but less catastrophic consequences," Yatsuhashi summarised thoughtfully, "or a greater risk to those who go with less points of failure. Damned if we do, damned if we don't."

There were several lost looks thrown around at that. Weiss could understand them; she worried for her friends' safety. If all went well, great. But if someone supported the riskier option and things went wrong....

"How about someone puts on the Crown," Nora said then. "Maybe it'll tell us something?"

Weiss felt like cursing herself for forgetting they even had that. A magical Relic that knew the future and nobody even thought of using it before.

Velvet slowly drew it from her waist, where it had sat snugly for the entirety of their stay.

"I feel weird putting it on," she admitted hesitantly, but did it anyway after some encouragement from her team. First Velvet closed her eyes to concentrate, but in the end she shook her head. "Nothing's happening."

And as if it waited for these exact words, the Crown of Choice began to gleam. Velvet flinched and sat still for a moment, blinking owlishly.

"What did you see?" Blake asked into the expectant silence.

Unfortunately, the hare faunus shrugged. "Um, something happened. But I didn't see anything useful." Velvet frowned and recounted her short vision: "It was weird. Like I stood somewhere else entirely. It was dark and there was a pale woman bleeding orange. That's all I saw."

Nora groaned in disappointment. "Aww, no special future sight to help."

"Well," Coco mused, "he did say it's random, I guess these Relic things weren't really meant to be tools. But it was a good idea."

Pyrrha nodded. "Indeed it was. Well done, Nora."

Her fellow redhead beamed over the praise.

Then someone cleared their throat behind them. The group turned almost as one to behold two soldiers, weapons ready. One stepped forward and spoke in a clear, almost melodic female voice: "You were found plotting against the state. Please surrender yourselves and the Relic."

The other one's fanged grin gave it all away. That and something else Weiss completely forgot about. She stared hard at Selina's failing disguise, wondering if that could be solved. Ren would manage with how pale he was, but the other one's olive skin really could not pass muster.

"Coco, get out the cosmetics. We need to make some adjustments."

Selina's grin vanished. She looked down at herself and seemed to reach the same conclusion. Some others were berating themselves for having missed such an important detail. Selina herself just seemed despondent, though.

"I hate you," she told Weiss without any heat.

"Noted."

After that, she and Coco quickly applied enough powder to make what was visible of Selina's face atlesean pale. It was a rushed job, but they needed little finesse for this.

Selina herself absolutely hated it, but bore with the make-up for their mission's sake. She grumbled and resisted the urge to rub her face, at least until it was time to leave the house. After that she carefully kept her back straight and walked side by side with Ren.

Her heart beat so heavily she feared others may hear it, but the guards at the gate paid them no mind beyond a simple nod. She slowly input the code that was constantly repeated in her head; Selina memorised this one, though she also had the entire lot on paper.

Each tap felt an age long. She just waited for an alarm to sound and thousands of soldiers to attack them, but nothing happened. The panel turned green and the door opened. They were in.

Marching along, she allowed herself a quiet sigh of relief. This went better than expected, she thought, only for her eyes to fall on a sign at the wall. That was in Atlesean. Which she did not speak beyond a few words. Ren did not speak it either, she knew that.

"Well, shit," was all Selina could say to that. Ren's head twitched her way and she motioned for the sign, then the other ones around. He nodded almost imperceptibly and she heard a faint sigh, but neither of them really stopped walking. Down the corridor they knew led to the vault, side by side. They were already in, the only way out was through.

Even then, Selina was ever more sure this had been the better idea; even though it was a last-minute change, as few of them should be in here for as little time as possible. Dozens of guards milled around, half-heartedly patrolling or chatting with each other. At least the Atleseans were as taciturn inside as they were outside; no one passing them by did more than offer a nod or a word in greeting. No officers were around, either.

Selina did her best soldier impression, returning nods where they were given to her and otherwise trying not to stand out. Weiss explained some basics of social engineering, of how people rarely question something that looked like it fit into place; that confidence in whatever one said made for an easier sell. It almost sounded like magic to Selina and it was nerve-wracking, but the uniform hid her usual tells. She had no weapon on hand beyond the paltry sidearm, which did not count; its calibre was too small to hurt anything but the weakest of Grimm. This was a weapon to use on humans and she hated it.

Yet their disguises worked. Somehow. Even while completely stumped that they made it past soldier after soldier without needing to speak a single word or even stop, Selina was happy that things did not go bad. They had to run for the hills if discovered, hoping the disguises saved them from being identified.

But still, nobody questioned their legitimacy. She and Ren passed not one but two checkpoints; the guards were reading magazines, glancing up momentarily as they approached. Then they just waved the pair through.

This was almost too easy now. It put Selina on edge again; how could this be the world's most advanced military force? She understood that they would never expect to be infiltrated right now and like this, but still.

Despite her suspicions of a trap, nothing happened. They kept on walking until finally reaching a long corridor opening into a wide hall. It was only fifteen minutes or so, but it felt like hours.

No one was there beside them. Large ventilation shafts opened to the left and right, reaching into untold depths. Selina curiously peered down the nearest one, but could not see its bottom. More importantly, a giant panel of steel stood out in the back; it looked like a boarded doorway, gleaming faintly in the sterile light.

"Here we are," she quipped quietly. Ren just gave a nod and opened a nearby panel in the wall. The hidden console's screen flared active, after which he entered the access codes Velvet pulled from Ironwood's head.

Selina waited until her teammate disarmed the alarms, then approached what must be the vault. She knew from Ruby telling Yang that it would take a few minutes for the thing to open, but they were not discovered yet. Despite it all, Selina tensed up a little more with every step she took until the wall towered over her.

She reached out and touched her fingers to its surface, only to feel something warm flow from her chest. Down her arms and onto her fingers it went, where actual sunlight sprouted out of her gloves. It seeped into the door that began to shine brighter than before. Nothing else happened.

Selina sighed. She was tense like a bowstring, yet somehow they made it this far without being discovered. Ren joined her in front of the vault, expression as hidden as hers. Selina huffed at her friend.

"Feels unreal, doesn't it?"

He nodded. "Atlas grew complacent, so we are here. But yes, it is still hard to believe even after everything we saw."

"Ayup. Right there with you. Real magic, insane."

"Yes."

They fell back into a tense though companionable silence. The glow of Selina's dissolved Charm slowly trickled along, clearly intent to cover the entire structure. The pair gradually relaxed and Selina shot a text to Weiss: 'Waiting for the stupid thing to open up'.

She barely remembered to use code in time. Weiss clearly did not need to rewrite her response, seeing how fast it came: 'You better hurry, we are waiting for you'

Well, that was one way to say she was worried. Selina let out a little huff and showed Ren, whose lips twitched up ever so faintly.

After a nerve-wracking five minutes, the door finally dissolved to reveal a disc of steel in an endless expanse. In its center hovered an elaborate metal staff. Selina pumped her fist at the sight and ran inside to grab the thing.

Just as her fingers touched it, everything stopped. The air suddenly felt still and a blue cloud escaped the staff. Selina clutched it protectively, only to gasp when the cloud formed into a person. A man, easily larger than any human or faunus.

"Ah, finally!" the specter greeted her with a cocky grin. "I-"

"Sorry," Selina interrupted with a look over her shoulder, "but can it wait? We're kinda doing a heist right now." She really hoped the magic person would not be mad, but there was no time right now.

He had stopped when she cut in, clearly annoyed. After following Selina's gaze to where Ren was peering into the vault, he heaved a sigh and shook his head. "Truly? Well, not that I mind. Say when you're ready to hear my wisdom."

So saying, he returned into the staff.

Selina whispered a quick "Thank you" and darted back outside; she felt the flat stare Ren levelled at her more than she saw it, shrugging helplessly. "I guess I got used to supernatural stuff happening. Or just Lumina."

It was the best she could tell him for why she was not in awe of the blue guy.

From there they started to walk back, the staff strapped to Selina's back. Everything really worked better than expected.

They made it a few dozen metres out of the room before they heard the stomping of far too many boots coming their way. Nobody should come here, it could only mean one thing.

"Shit! Back!"

Ren wordlessly followed her order and they quickly outpaced the shouting Atleseans; upon returning to the vault room, Selina looked around wildly for a way to escape or hide. Something, anything to make use of. But there was only the open vault... and the air vents.

She did not like their chances of making it through there, but the only other way out was the one they just retreated from. Selina listened to the approaching soldiers for a moment, gritting her teeth. Nothing to it.

"Ready to do something insane?"

He did not even answer, just moved up to her side. They exchanged smiles, a little wry and equally hopeful not to get themselves killed.

When Selina jumped into the vent, Ren followed without hesitation.

The walls were smooth and gave no purchase, but the approaching soldiers quickly faded from their hearing; they were replaced by the clicks and clacks of her gloves and armour on steel. Her aura took small hits but held steady, even as gravity tugged her ever deeper into the shaft.

Several terrifying seconds were spent in utter darkness; not even faunus nightvision could aid her without any light at all. Selina had no way to stabilise beyond her own balance.

Then there was light. She had no time to even recognise it came from below before she left the vent. Mantle approached far too quickly where she fell. Selina's eyes widened and she desperately tried to animate her aura; she never figured out the teleportation trick, now it would fail anyway. The cocktail of adrenaline and abject fear kept her unable to really focus.

All she could do was pool all her aura on her front, spread her arms wide, and press her tongue to the roof of her mouth. The adrenaline made each motion feel slow, the descent an age long. She could only hope.

When Selina hit the ground, she slammed into it like a meteor. Dust and stone flew, joined by a second load when Ren came down a few metres away. Sharp pebbles scratched her armour as she lay in a crater of her own making. Painful aftershocks ran through her body and kept her on the ground, all air driven from Selina's lungs. She barely managed to take little gasps.

Her aura broke right after impact. Everything hurt. But she was not dead.

Once the dust settled, Selina flopped herself over with a pained groan. "Ugh, you still alive?"

A pained grunt was Ren's only response. Silver linings and all. Selina smiled to herself at the thought.

After wallowing in pain a little longer, she sat up gingerly and patted herself down. The front armour was a bust, but somehow she made it through without broken bones. Just a lot of bruises.

So reassured, Selina pulled off her helmet and grabbed the tissues Weiss prepared to wipe off all the powder. Girl really thought of everything.

Which was when a voice called out to them in Atlesean.

Selina's head turned slowly to not aggravate her bruises, only for her to find a small girl staring at them. She was wrapped in a heavy coat, eyes wide. Another question was asked, still in Atlesean.

She slowly shook her head and answered in Valean common: "Sorry, I don't understand you."

Now with an audience, she merely winced in the process of getting to her feet. But once she stood, Selina quickly took off the armour. Some of it had come off anyway and the entire suit was dropped into the crater she made with her face.

Her Scroll chimed, miraculously intact. Selina fished it out, well aware that they were now being watched by an entire gaggle of children; she could not quite tell if it was their entrance, the armour, or the fact she only wore a tank top and shorts now. More than that did not fit under the armour and that would normally be fine. But with her aura shattered, the cold crept in and made her shudder.

Ren somehow fit slacks and his green vest underneath. Selina would grumble, but she was too busy being miserable to complain. "C'mon," she urged her friend. "We've gotta get going."

However, the first girl who found them was with them before they made more than three steps. She urgently grabbed Selina's arm while babbling something in Atlesean. Selina shook her head, helpless to admit it: "I don't understand."

An older boy joined them, pulling at Ren in much the same way. He scrambled to explain in broken Valean at the same time: "Too cold! Go inside!" He pointed to the rows and rows of slapdash huts and houses starting nearby, finally making sense to Selina. When he looked at her, she also noticed his iridescent compound eyes.

Soon enough the entire gaggle urged the two of them to come with them. Selina stiffly held onto the Staff of Creation. Some children ran ahead, but there was little she could do beside shivering; the cold was nasty even within reach of Mantle's warming grid.

"I think I hate it here," she muttered, too quiet for even Ren to hear. At the same time, Selina promised herself to never complain about Menagerie's heat again. Too hot was far easier to bear than too cold.

The kids that ran ahead returned with a small group of adults, probably their parents. They were clearly wary but relaxed upon seeing Selina; most of them were faunus just like her. She and Ren were ushered into a nearby house and found themselves holding cups of warm water. The elderly woman living there wrapped another blanket around Selina, cooing gently.

"You poor dears. What were you thinking, going out into the cold like that?"

"They're not from here," one of the men commented from the side, nodding to Selina. "Chocolate girl over there can't be native."

His flippant comment earned some laughs while she rolled her eyes. "Just 'cause you lot are too pale for the rest of Remnant doesn't mean I've gotta be. But yeah. Unless not knowing a lick of Atlesean wasn't a dead giveaway already."

He chuckled at that. "True, true."

After taking a hearty sip of the water, Selina threw the miner a smirk. "'sides, how often do you get to see a tropic beauty around these parts? Enjoy the sight?"

The lady bustling around her tutted, but everyone else laughed.

Socialising done for the moment and bundled up, Selina pulled out her Scroll again. She had no time to answer Weiss before, but her friend's messages became more worried by the minute. Selina wiggled her fingers and typed back: 'Long story, but we're in Mantle. Can someone come pick us up?'

Then, in a stroke of inspiration, she followed up with another message: 'This was the dumbest dare I ever took. Tell Yang to go fuck herself, making us jump.'

She received no response, but somehow Weiss's judging look transcended any need for communication.

"So," one woman in the small group with them started curiously, "what's that the children say about you falling from the sky?"

Having already found her chosen story, Selina sighed theatralically. "Dumbest dare I've ever taken. I'm just glad my aura actually took it all."

She rubbed her bruised front with a wince. For some reason however, the people around turned more attentive. They whispered between themselves for a bit, then two men up and left. Selina followed them with her eyes, then turned to the rest.

"What's that about?"

The elderly lady chuckled, idly rubbing her fox tail. "Well," she answered wrily, "we don't like Atlas much in these parts. Whatever you did to stick it to them, we won't tell. The boys are just making sure your old 'clothes' aren't there when anyone checks. Especially for a pair of hunters."

Right, the uniforms. Selina huffed to play over her embarassment. "Heh, never thought being a faunus would be to my advantage for once. And don't gimme that look, you wouldn't be half as friendly if I weren't."

"Well, perhaps. We do have to look out for our own more than anyone else."

"I get it, still weird."

Weird how things could turn out. She was rubbing shoulders with the upper crust of Atlas a mere few days ago, now she sat in the slums.

While Selina shook her head over this whole mess, Ren inclined his; he quietly nursed his drink so far. "Of course we're grateful regardless. Thank you."

"Oh it is no bother. And such a polite young man you are."

They transitioned into some idle conversation from there, mostly Selina sating her curiousity about life in Mantle. After a while she was notified that Blake and Velvet were ferrying down to fetch them, so she said her goodbyes and headed out; with her aura recovered, she could take the cold now. She weathered the many curious looks over her state of dress and clearly foreign skin tone with ease of practice.

Their reunion with their friends began with a big hug that had Selina hiss.

"Careful!" she growled at Velvet, who hopped back in surprise. Even partly healed bruises still hurt. "Do you have any idea how much it sucks to hit the ground at terminal velocity?"

"I'm surprised you even know what that means," Blake quipped, which earned her a one-fingered salute.

"And fuck you, too!"

They were both smiling, though. Glad to have done the impossible and gotten away with it. The two local faunus who accompanied Selina and Ren seemed amused by the exchange and bid them goodbye.

Blake brought a suitcase containing clothes and their IDs; the wayward pair quickly changed and the Staff was deposited into the case, then they boarded the next ferry up.

Up above, Atlas was on high alert. Soldiers patrolled about half the city. Selina quickly decided not to get too close to ground zero with the Staff on her person; thankfully, only outgoing ferries were checked. They had no trouble coming back in.

That was how everyone met up at the academy instead, this time in SNNL's dorm. Much to her surprise, Weiss greeted them with a hug; she did quickly retreated and dared anyone to say anything with a glare, but her worry shone through nonetheless. Selina could not help but grin, then she had to embrace Nora for similar reasons.

"Did you seriously jump off the city?" her fellow redhead gushed, more excited than worried. "Oh, I wanna do it too! Hey Ren, can we-" "No."

"Aww, but-" "No."

Nora pouted, but Ren did not budge this time. Their byplay eased the tension some and gave Selina a chance to open the suitcase; everyone got a chance to admire the Relic so unlike the Crown they already owned. Both of them glimmered faintly.

"So that's it," Coco mused. She sat down heavily on Selina's cot and rubbed her temple. "We did it. Yay us. Now that thing has to leave Atlas and quick."

Nobody had any objections. If they were found carrying this thing around, Ironwood would come for them. Selina nodded seriously and tried to come up with a plan of getting this out. None of them had a Semblance that would help there.

Someone else did, though.

She tapped Yang's shoulder to get her attention. "Ruby is pretty fast, right? Any chance she can drop by and pick it up?"

"I can call her and ask?" the blonde answered with a shrug. A few people nodded along, so she grabbed her Scroll and placed a quick call.

Barely a minute later, a stormy, red portal opened by Yang's side and Ruby Rose plopped out of it. She wore a goofy smile and spread her arms wide. "Tada!" she chirped, waving at the surprised group. "Hey Yang! Hey Penny! Hey everyone! Now gimme!"

She held out her hands and Selina handed her the suitcase; Ruby grinned.

"Great, see you next week!"

She hopped back through the portal, which then vanished. Twelve dumbfounded students were left behind. Selina looked between where the Relic vanished alongside their co-conspirator, then to everyone else. She had enough of this for one day.

"...well, that just happened? Anyone feel like getting wasted?"

Ten others agreed, even Weiss. Only Penny stayed silent because she could not get drunk to begin with. They dragged her along anyway.

 

[Naron]

The remainder of the three teams' missions went off without a hitch; SPBY had been reinforcing security for a larger atlesean shipping company and CFVY finished supporting a construction team in Mantle. Meanwhile, SNNL completed their Search And Destroy assignment outside by bringing down an alpha Goliath. The elephantine monster was finally tracked and went down as the students supported a pair of licensed Huntsmen.

Selina was still a little tense even a week after the heist, but that big fight helped take the edge off. Then again, she could still see how desperately Ironwood combed the city, though she probably would not have realised without being in the know. She also learned from Whitley that the general covertly suggested to the major players that they may want to relocate; big daddy Schnee was angry about that, especially Ironwood's refusal to give actual reasons.

The moment she carried that little tidbit to Weiss, her friend buried herself in work. She had her faunus friends, mainly Velvet and Blake, drip-feed that Atlas may drop to the people in Mantle. Even with just rumours, quite a few people up and left at the prospect of a city falling on their heads. Many of the faunus made for Menagerie and some more for Vacuo. Schnee workforces swiftly plummeted in the home mines.

More damning was that the rumour spread upward, though. Ironwood's attempts to suppress the information only reinforced that what slipped through the cracks must be true. Selina stayed out of it and watched from the sidelines how her friend worked; she would hardly have noticed the quiet panic that followed without Pyrrha to point things out.

Then again, nobody could have missed the large number of fancy-pants at the airports on the day of their teams' departure from Atlas.

"Wow," Selina quipped with a glance around. "That's a lot more orderly than you'd expect."

"Atleseans," Pyrrha murmured to her team, earning chuckles from them.

Whether Weiss heard it was unclear, but she still preened either way. When Penny asked her about the uncharacteristic joy, the erstwhile heiress' grin grew a fraction.

"Quite a few stocks plummeted hard with the recent upheaval and uncertainty, despite attempts to keep them up," she lectured them quietly. "I now own a quarter of Schnee Dust. Winter will transfer the third she obtained over the next few weeks. With that I will hold majority of company shares. Father is yet unaware."

Several people stared at her in awe and surprise both. Selina already respected the girl, but she could be outright scary if she wanted to be. Then Yang started laughing almost hysterically and Selina joined in; it was just too funny that big daddy went down like this.

"Ohhh!" Nora beamed at Weiss, both ignoring the laughter. "So that's what this was all about! You own the show now!"

"To an extent, yes. But... would you two shut up already?" she interrupted herself, glowering at Yang and Selina. The pair threw her thumbs ups and slowly quieted down. Weiss shook her head and returned attention to Nora: "But I need to force Father out before he takes countermeasures. Which means a replacement is needed."

Pyrrha nodded her understanding. "Which means either someone outside of the family or your brother?"

"Unfortunately," Weiss agreed with a soft sigh. "Whitley is far too young to be CEO, even though he was raised for the position. I am too, even ignoring that I plan to become a Huntress. Winter will refuse no matter what I say. Mother is... no. Just no."

She did not elaborate on that and no one quite felt like asking. Weiss carried on uninterrupted: "I may have to neglect my studies and duties for a time to figure out who to call on. It has to be someone trustworthy and experienced."

And once again she had it all figured out already, at least beside the actual solution.

Selina tapped Weiss's shoulder to offer a suggestion: "Look through the company records, I'd say. From what I heard you can find a lot of gold there. Maybe one of the faunus that made it into management and didn't turn into an asshole along the way?" she suggested, laughing over her own joke. "That'd be a nice slap in the face, too."

Weiss peered at her from up close, not quite annoyed with how near Selina stood. Her good mood was definitely strong today. "If I did not know you as well as I do, this would very much sound like pushing an agenda," she said slowly. "Do be careful when saying things like these. Especially with so many potentially prying ears nearby."

Selina nodded quickly, she did not even think about that. Before she could actually get worried however, Coco slid an arm over each of their shoulders with a winning grin. "Not to worry. If anyone eavesdrops on us, I have my little bunny to dig up allll of their dirty laundry. Isn't that right?"

She definitely wanted Velvet to play along, but the other brunette merely grimaced and rubbed the base of her ears. "There is a reason I hate crowds," she murmured. "Please let the Bullhead come quick."

Her prayers were heard and their machine landed in less than five minutes. Atlesean students disembarked first, offering curt nods in greeting. A few stopped to chat for a minute before hurrying to catch up with the rest. The Beacon students entered the Bullhead afterward and sat down in an orderly row.

Selina pulled out her phone to check for messages; she did not get to physically see Whitley again, but they regularly wrote each other.

After a quiet discussion with Weiss, she sent him a quick warning that his sister was preparing something big for the SDC; the moment he read it, Selina deleted the message and replaced it with a 'shhh' emote. Then she threw a bunch of cat pictures at him. Actual cats, not Blake. Selina took to sending the boy a bit of everything nice and fluffy she could think of; considering the days he probably had, she felt he needed that.

Then a contingent of atlesean soldiers entered before takeoff to check everyone over. Winter Schnee was leading, which said something alright. Only the twelve who actually did the deed knew what was searched for, but they knew the Staff was long gone.

Winter also took a minute to exchange words with her sister, whose good mood almost infected her. She left without finding what she came for, yet bore a subtle upward tilt to her lips that Selina noticed only after Pyrrha pointed it out.

She prepared herself for a boring flight home and they soon took off.

In the meantime, James Ironwood prepared himself for the call he dreaded having to make for a full week now.

He had to face the facts: someone stole the Staff of Creation from right under his nose. No amount of blaming his subordinates would change that. In the end, responsibility for such a catastrophic blunder lay with him. It was time to face the music.

The call connected just then and Ozpin appeared on screen. It was a direct and encrypted line between them, so they could speak candidly.

"Ah, James," the older man greeted with a benign smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He paused at the sight of his counterpart's stormy expression. "I take it you have bad news?"

"Unfortunately," James answered mirthlessly.

"Well, when are they not?"

Though appreciated, Ozpin's attempt at levity fell flat. There was really nothing to be happy about. James heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. Nothing to it, he should just say it.

"Somehow, the Staff of Creation was stolen."

Ozpin leaned forward before the sentence was finished, immediately becoming dead serious. "Go on. What exactly happened?"

James scowled at that. "That is the most damned part of it: I don't know. By all accounts they stole several uniforms and just... walked in. The only reason we even noticed was that I am notified if anyone lowers security around the vault. The culprits were long gone by the time the response team arrived."

He knew how ridiculous it sounded, but that was the truth they could piece together. He ruffled his black hair in frustration. "This is a catastrophe, Oz! And I don't even know how they did it! The Winter Maiden is in good health and safe!"

A soft hum escaped the older man, who studied James thoughtfully. "There is more to this, no?" he prompted, far too calm as always. James' frown grew more pronounced as he had to confront the other issue with this entire disaster.

"Yes. Somehow, my access codes were used to enter the facility and circumvent every electronic safety measure."

He really should not have put off the retina scanners for budget reasons. But that was hindsight.

"That is concerning," Ozpin agreed thoughtfully. "It should not be possible to circumvent the vault locks, either. Alas, it could have been worse."

James stared at his old friend, utterly flabbergasted about his flippant response.

"...how, in Saint Andersen's name, could it haven been worse?"

The other headmaster's serene expression broke then; he grimaced and James already dreaded what bad news would follow. Few things could truly unsettle Ozpin.

He did not disappoint: "Well. As you may recall, Leonardo is missing."

That was all James needed to click the pieces into place. His stomach dropped and he urgently leaned forward. "You mean Haven's Relic is gone, too?"

"I do not rightly know," Ozpin deflected carefully. "Seeing how someone opened your vault without the Maiden's aid and his disappearance a few weeks past, I believe it is possible. So far it did not occur to me the vault may be at risk. I will send someone trustworthy to verify."

Meaning that they had to expect two out of four Relics gone. This got worse and worse. But James had not gotten where he was by doomsaying, his job was to provide solutions. "In the meantime, we need to shore up defenses at Shade and Beacon. If they're after the Relics, we need to stop them. Figure out who they are."

There he paused as something occurred to him.

"If it is Salem...."

"Then she would have no need to attack the Fall Maiden. Except to humiliate us, but she is not that petty."

Ozpin was clearly certain of his answer and James deferred to him on that one; the older man fought Salem in the shadows for far longer than any other human alive.

"Who else then?" he asked instead. "An unknown third party?"

"Potentially. I am not going to disregard Salem as an option just yet, but we may be dealing with a complete unknown. For now however, we do not know if they target Relics, headmasters, or both. Do be careful going forward, James."

He could see his friend's train of thought: one occurence was coincidence, but two formed a pattern. James being alive may be a miracle, considering the means the thieves must possess to somehow crack atlesean security codes. At the same time he could not help but wonder why there was not even a word about his failure. Ozpin was not the kind for harsh punishments, but he rarely let things slide either.

Sighing, James lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Oz. I failed to protect the Relic."

"Do not be," the older man comforted him kindly. "It seems we are dealing with someone well-prepared and motivated."

"And now all of Atlas and Mantle are at risk," James retorted. There was nothing positive about this. "They could wipe out the kingdom if they wanted to!"

Ozpin broke into his morose thoughts with a wry smile. "And yet they haven't," he reminded James. "Which means either they do not condone genocide, or they may attempt to ransom the Staff. They gave you time to put emergency measures in place. Use it."

James nodded; he saw the logic well enough once it was pointed out to him. The best time to hit Atlas would have been right after stealing the Staff. He had at least some time and needed to use it. But a second opinion never hurt.

"What do you suggest?"

"I imagine you are already taking steps?" Ozpin received a nod in response and smiled. "Then keep doing that. We will investigate who may be conspiring for the Relics in the meantime. Amber is in reasonably good health and kept hidden for the moment."

Right. James could not help but grimace at the reminder. "About that," he interjected. "Word got out that the city's engines are faulty. It is just rumours at this point, but any attempt to move the population will corroborate them."

"That... is a problem. I will mull it over. Be careful in the meantime."

"I always am."

The older man arched a brow; no more and no less, yet clearly communicating his skepticism. James almost averted his gaze, embarassed like the time his momma caught him sneaking sweets as a boy. Sometimes he envied Ozpin's skill in making people feel so chastised with just a look; it worked even on men like him, who spent over a decade in the army's upper echelons.

In the end he gave with a sigh. "Alright, I will."

"Good."

Ozpin smiled once again, folding his hands. He glanced at something out of frame, then turned back to James. "But while I have you here, is there anything else you want to talk about?"

They shifted to less depressing topics from there. It was a nice gesture of Ozpin to spend some time getting James into a better mood.

Some time later, the Beacon students disembarked their ride and tried to sleep off the jetlag. Weekend was near and classes would not start up until afterward. Yang called Ruby to let her sister know they made it back safe, too.

They then tried to figure out where to meet up. Ozpin's office sounded like a good plan for some until Weiss pointed out that he wanted to maintain plausible deniability. She had a point with her argument and they went back to the drawing board; the idea was now to go somewhere away from him.

After some conferring, Qrow suggested Mt. Glenn; a fallen city at the mountainside, overrun by Grimm a decade ago. The area was desolate and uninhabited, perfect to hunker down by his reasoning. The students agreed.

Thus all twelve of them had a big breakfast the next day and headed out. Selina was not happy with it and groaned loudly about being herded around, but nobody even entertained her. The urge to pout was strong, especially with how harrowing the heist was on her in particular. But she still got why this was so important and kept going, even while complaining.

At least they could get around a week-long walk thanks to Ruby and Raven; the bandit queen's portals were so incredibly nifty that Selina was half-tempted to see about some way to switch Semblances with someone else. She would not quite give an arm or a leg for a power like that, but if someone actually offered it to her Selina would be tempted.

They came out on a ruined street clear of Grimm. Ruby waved cheerfully, Lamp at her hip and Staff slung over her back.

"Hey guys!"

Selina waved back, as did most of the others. Yang hugged her little sister tightly and the group shared a laugh over her embarassment; then Selina and Nora went to bump fists with Ruby, who awkwardly offered the same to Weiss and Penny afterward. Even the heiress indulged her after her partner, more amused than anything. Selina trained that girl so well, soon she may even go for a high-five!

After greetings were out of the way and they each gave cliff notes versions of their adventures, everyone sat down to plan in one of the more intact buildings. A pinch of Wind Dust cleaned away most of the common dust, some rubble made for decent enough benches.

The basic idea they came up with was simple, too: fortify and wait for Salem to come to them.

"I do not see how she will even learn of this," Weiss said once they got that figured out. She frowned at a short list of notes she was writing. "We made certain not to leave any tracks that can be traced back to us. I assume you did the same?" she asked Ruby, who smiled mischievously.

"I did, but that's where Lumina comes in."

And suddenly everything made sense. Ruby's grin widened over the sounds of understanding from the group, fully ignoring questions about the details. "The best part is that we can get you back to Beacon for classes if it takes too long. Teleportation is so practical!"

Yang groaned at that and threw a bunched up plastic wrapper at Ruby. "Way to rub it in, sis!"

Ruby dodged easily and stuck out her tongue; Qrow shook his head over their antics, much like Selina and Coco did. Raven's expression was as stony as ever; Selina still felt intimidated by her, but she had to admit she would like to have a poker face half as good.

"Whatever," Qrow interrupted the banter. "If Lumina's right, Salem will come herself to take the Relics. Whatever plan she has better work."

His gruff voice was calm, but they all heard the 'or else we're all dead'; he did not even need to say it.

From there they split up and began pacifying the area. Lots of Grimm milled around, yet there was nothing they could not handle. No ancient specimen, nothing larger than Ursas. It was nice enough for Selina to have her old job again, even just for a little while. They all kept their eyes open for potential shelter, too.

Ruby and Weiss put their heads together to build some volatile Dust mines. Raven led a hunting party out of city limits, taking Velvet and Selina along. Qrow went off alone to kill more Grimm and level the playing field. Ren, Blake, and Fox focussed on scouting, with Nora for heavy support. Meanwhile, Coco, Yatsuhashi, Penny, Yang, and Pyrrha formed a core combat team that waltzed over the weaker Grimm in town. They were slower than the rest, but hit harder than every other student and even Ruby.

It was odd to not work within her own team, Selina had to admit that. She got used to her friends being around. But at the same time it was interesting to follow Raven's lead; as weird as it still was to have her around, her skills were the real deal. Selina learned a lot.

Like this they prepared for the final confrontation. And a half-step away from their reality, Lumina's grin grew malicious. It was a perfect mirror to Summer's, who stood opposite to her.

"Soon," the moth promised with vindictive glee.

Summer nodded.

"Soon," she agreed, much more severe than her co-conspirator.