20

Chapter 20

Blake frowned. "Were you spying on us?"

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Were you spying on a White Fang rally?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "So yes."

Qrow gestured to her. "So? Spill. What did you find out?"

Blake hesitated, glancing to Ruby, who shrugged, then nodded. "They've got a hidden base in Mountain Glenn that they're trying to recruit for. They're sending most of their people that way."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Mountain Glenn, huh? Yeah, that would make a pretty good place to go if you wanted to hide. If you could manage all the Grimm, anyway."

Blake nodded. "More importantly, they apparently have a bunch of Atlesian Paladins."

Qrow's eyebrows rose higher. "Those huge things Jimmy's been trying to show off?"

"Jimmy?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Ironwood." Qrow answered tersely. "Are you sure, Belladonna? Paladins?"

"Twenty feet tall, covered with weapons? Yeah, Torchwick was showing one off." Blake answered. "In fact... maybe we should DO something about that?"

Ruby went cold. "Torchwick is out... again?" She grimaced. "But I've been watching the news... nobody said anything about another jailbreak..."

Qrow looked uncomfortable. "Er... yeah. Somebody must have not wanted that getting out to the public or something..."

Ruby eyed her uncle warily. "Uncle Qrow... what do you know about this?"

Blake interrupted. "We can hash that out later. Right now, Roman Torchwick has an Atlesian Paladin, and he's probably going to get away if we don't do something pretty quick." She reached into the duffel-bag at Ruby's feet and pulled out Gamble Shroud. "And I say we go get him."

Ruby frowned. "If we attack now, they'll probably figure out that we infiltrated the rally... but... I really don't want Torchwick to get away AGAIN."

Blake hesitated. "Well, he'll be going to Mountain Glenn as well, right?"

Qrow raised an eyebrow at the fact that Blake seemed to be asking Ruby her opinion on the matter.

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "I... probably. If I were to... GUESS..." Qrow blinked at the way she emphasized that word, "that he'd be there when things... kick off."

Blake hesitated. "So... taking out him and one Paladin now won't reduce the odds at that end much, but it might cost us surprise later?"

Ruby grimaced. "I don't know!" She admitted, sounding frustrated. "I think... we could count on things going forward even if we caught him now, but... not in a way we could predict."

Blake sighed. "Better to know what we're facing than not know at this point."

"I want to change... what we know." Ruby whined.

Qrow couldn't make heads or tails of the conversation, but he'd heard enough to make his own decision. "The Intel we have now is worth letting one guy get away for a little while." He said firmly. "Even if he's a really annoying guy. If you're sure Torchwick will be there... then we can sweep up the whole operation with one go." He looked at Blake. "When will Torchwick be in Mountain Glenn, do you think?"

Blake looked at Ruby, then seemed to do some mental math. "Er... I think in about a month?" She looked to Ruby who nodded quickly, and Blake grew more confident. "Yeah. About a month from now. I think they have something planned as a distraction to happen just before it? That happens and we'll know it's about to go down... whatever it is."

Ruby nodded again, looking pleased, and Blake smiled at her. Qrow looked from Ruby to Blake in utter confusion. It was like Blake was getting clues on what to tell him from Ruby, but hadn't it been Blake who'd gotten the information?

Blake looked at him, looked thoughtful, then smiled. "It was smart listening in over my scroll, Ruby. Two sets of ears are better than one, right?"

Qrow's mouth opened in an O of understanding as that came out. Ruby had been on coms with the cat-faunus, huh? That made sense.

Qrow shrugged and nodded at Blake's weapon. "Better put that away and head on back to Beacon, kitten. Don't want any of your White Fang buddies to see anything that would give you away."

Blake bristled slightly at him using the nickname, but put her weapon away. "I should go back on my own. It'll be safer that way. Meet you back at Beacon?"

Ruby smiled and hugged her. "Keep your scroll on. If anything happens, we won't be far."

Blake nodded and held her scroll up. "You got it, boss."

Qrow grinned and stepped back himself, turning to go. "I'll do some more scouting, then I'll see you back at Beacon as well."

Ruby called out. "Wait, Uncle Qrow!"

Qrow looked around with a wince. "Keep it down, would you kiddo? We're supposed to be doing recon, not shouting our names to the rooftops."

Ruby winced, then moved closer, speaking quietly. "I just need one favor from you Uncle Qrow. Just a little thing?"

Qrow looked dubiously at her. "What?"

Ruby smiled winningly at him. "Could you sign my mission report for Professor Goodwitch?"

Qrow rolled his eyes, then laughed. "Sure... be worth it to see the look on Glynda's face." He gave her a mock salute, then jogged off again, turning the corner and disappearing.

Blake jogged off as well, taking a roundabout route back toward the ferry docks headed into Beacon.

Ruby sighed and turned to Yang and Pyrrha. "Well... guess we should get back as well. Probably best if we don't meet up with anyone in the White Fang who could recognize us on the way."

Yang shrugged. "We should skirt wide of that warehouse then. If they spot us, at least it won't be on top of their top secret meeting spot."

Ruby nodded, then pointed at the Club. "We should head that way first then, and circle around."

Yang grinned. "Cool! We can stop for a drink?"

Ruby glared at her. "Get your Strawberry Sunrises on your own time, Yang. We need to stay close to Blake so if she gets into trouble we can come help quick. So we can't get too far behind."

Yang sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go then."

Pyrrha patted her shoulder as she walked along beside her, following Ruby. "We can come back to the Club another day, Yang. Drinks on me."

Yang grinned. "Sounds good, Pyr. We had fun last time, huh?"

Pyrrha nodded agreeably. "For a rather disreputable establishment, it can be quite entertaining."

Yang grinned wider. "Sometimes the more 'disreputable' a place is, the more fun it can be."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "I'll take your word for it."

Yang waggled her eyebrows. "I know this great place in the faunus quarter. Underground fighting arena. You'll love it."

Pyrrha looked dubious. "I'm not so sure about that..."

Yang looked thoughtful. "OK, yeah. Maybe an arena wouldn't be that good, considering." Pyrrha shrugged helplessly. Yang smiled a bit sadly at her. "Sorry, Babe. I should have thought. You don't like to be the famous tournament fighter, right?"

Pyrrha sighed. "No. The fame, in any case. I didn't mind the fights themselves."

Yang grinned. "Well, that part I get... although I'm not sure I wouldn't like the fame. It sounds pretty neat to me."

Pyrrha shook her head. "I think you may, in fact, enjoy the trappings of fame, Yang, at least for awhile. But I fear that you would find it as wearing as I do after a time."

Yang thought about that. "Yeah. I get that. It'd be fun for a bit. People wanting your autograph, looking up to you... but I guess it'd get old, not having any privacy most of the time."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "Yes. That is it exactly. That, and the distance it put between me and everyone around me." She smiled warmly at Yang. "That's one of the reasons I appreciate having you in my life. You and Ruby and Blake as well. You treat me like a person. You value me for me, not for some impossible ideal I represent."

Yang shrugged. "You're a lot better than the person on those cereal boxes, Pyr. And I like who you are."

Pyrrha smiled. "And for that, I am very grateful."

/-/

They met up with Blake at the Bullhead ferry back to Beacon. There had been no sign of Qrow Branwen along the way, but somehow he was waiting for them as they stepped out of the Bullhead onto the Beacon Dock.

The qrizzled veteran hunter grinned at the four of them. "And that's a successful op. Pretty nice work, girls." He complemented.

"How did you know where we'd be, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked with genuine curiosity.

Qrow shrugged casually. "Hey, I'll have you know I'm pretty good at the old spy game myself. I've had to gather intelligence plenty of times. Still, I'm honestly impressed." He looked at Blake thoughtfully. "No wonder Jimmy isn't having any luck running your old crew down, kitty, if they've got people like you among them."

Blake winced. "I... would rather not..."

Qrow nodded, looking apologetic. "Sorry, kid. For what it's worth, I honestly respect what you did. I know about your folks, and I know how you got started. Your father was a really good guy. But things went bad, and it'd have been easy for you to just go along... follow orders. But you chose to get out, even though you had to leave people you cared about behind... even if it'd put you in harm's way. That took guts, kid."

Blake lowered her head. "I... thank you sir."

"Cut the sir, kid." Qrow told her. "Call me Qrow."

Blake smiled shyly up at him. "Alright... Qrow."

They walked into Beacon together, and were met by an unamused looking Glynda Goodwitch. She took in their appearances and frowned, staring hard at Blake for several long seconds before her eyes widened.

"My, Miss Belladonna. That is quite the impressive transformation. I would never have recognized you if you hadn't come in with your team."

Blake smiled faintly. "That was the idea, Professor."

Glynda looked at Qrow curiously. "Your idea, Qrow?"

Qrow shook his head. "Nothing to do with me. This was all their op. Beginning to end. I just... observed."

Yang looked at Qrow. "So... I guess Professor Goodwitch is in on this whole thing?"

Qrow tried to look innocent. "What whole thing?"

Pyrrha spoke up. "The whole thing where Professor Ozpin mysteriously always looks the other way when we are out... fighting terrorists or criminals. And seems to know much more than he says? The part where you showed up to... observe Blake infiltrating a White Fang rally?"

Glynda put two fingers to the middle of her forehead, looking mildly annoyed. "I see we're abandoning the pretenses, Miss Nikos?"

Pyrrha bowed her head to the deputy Headmistress. "If I may be so bold, professor, I believe we have passed that stage. The... horses have... may we say, been released from the stable?"

Glynda sighed. "I suppose it would be too much to ask for you to continue to keep up the charade among your fellow students?"

Pyrrha, Yang and Blake all looked to Ruby, who hesitated. "We may want to share a little with team WJNR, professor. If we need the help."

Glynda sighed again, then nodded. "I suppose that will be have to be acceptable."

She turned to Qrow. "How much have you told them?"

Qrow held up his hands. "Not a thing, Glynda."

"What can YOU tell us, Professor?" Ruby asked earnestly. "You know what we've been doing. You apparently even knew what we were going to do tonight."

Blake looked at the combat professor suspiciously. "You've been counting on my past with the White Fang to help deal with the current threat. There's no other explanation."

Glynda looked mildly disapprovingly at the cat-faunus. "Miss Belladonna. All evidence to the contrary, not everything is about... you." She sighed. "Nevertheless, to some extent you are correct. The headmaster chose to ignore your past affiliations in hopes that you would turn out to be the promising young huntress that, I am glad to say, you seem to be fast becoming. There was never any expectation on our part that you would put your knowledge to work in fighting the White Fang, although I can't say we were displeased about it." She frowned. "Aside from our concern for your safety, at the least."

Blake's shoulders sagged. "But... Professor Ozpin, he has been covering up for us? And he's known what we've been up to?"

Glynda Goodwitch nodded somberly. "To some extent, both of those assumptions have some semblance of the truth, although neither is quite accurate. The Vale council itself has no desire to punish huntsmen or huntresses for acts that protect the peace. Vale values the independence and... integrity of it's hunters, values that Beacon itself attempts to teach."

She smiled at the four girls. "And while it may worry me to no end, those values are something you four seem to have in spades."

Qrow chuckled. "I'll say. They're more 'independent' than my team was back in the day."

Glynda sniffed at that. "If I recall, your team was strong on the independence, but perhaps not so much on the integrity."

Qrow choked back another laugh. "OK, I'll give you that one."

Ruby blinked puppy dog eyes at Miss Goodwitch. "Even mom?"

Glynda blinked. "Well... no. Your mother was the saving grace of her team. If not for her, I have doubts any of them would have graduated."

Yang hesitated. "What about... my mom?"

Glynda glanced over at Qrow for a moment, looking at him as if for permission, but when he simply shrugged, she turned to Yang. "Your mother had many fine qualities, which you share."

Yang raised an eyebrow dubiously. "Really?"

Glynda raised an eyebrow. "You also possess many of her less stellar qualities... although I am pleased to see in smaller amounts." Her gaze softened just slightly. "You also remind me of Summer quite a bit. I'm glad to have you as one of my students, Miss Xiao-Long."

Qrow snorted. "You're ten times the huntress my sister ever was, Yang. You've got one thing she never had in spades."

Yang blinked at him. "What?"

Qrow sighed. "Courage. Integrity? I don't know what to call it. Stick-to-it-ness? My sister never had your guts." He shook his head. "I don't know where you get it from. Not Tai. Summer, I guess."

Ruby hugged her sister from the side, but didn't comment. There was an awkward silence before Ruby finally broke it. "Miss Goodwitch? Would you like my report on Monday, or should I summarize for you now?"

Glynda looked around the empty hall, then shook her head. "We might as well take this up to Professor Ozpin's office. I expect there are details we would not want to share with the rest of the school?"

Blake nodded. "That would probably be an accurate assessment."

Glynda took them over to the tower, and they crowded into the elevator as a group.

Pyrrha looked around curiously. "We won't be disturbing Professor Ozpin this late, will we?"

Glynda shook her head. "Not at all. In fact, no doubt he is expecting us."

Qrow chuckled softly but didn't comment.

The elevator opened onto Ozpin's palatial, if rather oddly decorated, office. Pyrrha looked around curiously, realizing that, in another life, her own life had ended in this very room. Her eyes wandered over the many moving gears, and she sighed. A room full of giant pieces of metal and I lost? I must have been still trying to conceal my semblance. If I ever have a fight to the death in this room, I will use every gear in this clock tower as a weapon if I have to, and NOT as a last resort.

Professor Ozpin was seated in his desk chair, his back to the elevator, but he spoke to them as soon as they entered. "Team RPBY. This is a pleasant surprise."

"Are you actually surprised to see us, Professor?" Blake asked with a cold edge in her voice.

"Perhaps surprised IS the wrong word. But it is a pleasure, nevertheless." Ozpin said mildly as he turned to face them. He nodded to Qrow. "Qrow."

Qrow saluted Ozpin with his flask before taking a swig. "Oz."

Ozpin glanced at Glynda, then at Ruby. "May I ask what brings you and your team here tonight, Miss Rose?"

Ruby glanced at her team for support, and they all nodded encouragingly. "Well, sir, we... or rather, Blake, just infiltrated a White Fang rally earlier tonight. We learned that they have a secret base in the south east... Mountain Glenn, where they are gathering a lot of troops and supplies."

"And Atlesian Paladins." Blake added. "Apparently a few... dozen fell off the back of a truck." She looked at Ozpin hard. "Also, Roman Torchwick was there. He was apparently the one who brought the giant robot."

Ozpin put his elbows on his desk and put his fingers together in front of his face, looking thoughtful. "I see. Is there anything else?"

Blake almost snarled. "Why didn't you TELL us that Torchwick had escaped again?!"

"Miss Belladonna!" Glynda said severely.

"It's quite all right." Ozpin said with a nod to his deputy. "I understand her concerns." He faced Blake squarely. "I admit, I was rather concerned what your team... and your leader in particular might do upon learning of his escape." He shrugged. "I will not apologize for trying to protect my students from the dangers of this world. You will be forced to face them soon enough."

Ruby spoke up. "Not knowing Torchwick was back on the street could have gotten Blake hurt tonight, if we hadn't been prepared for it." She frowned at Ozpin. "We needed to know."

Ozpin sighed. "Well, I could say that capturing Roman Torchwick is not your responsibility, but I'm sure you'd point out, and very rightly so, that you have done so twice now without harm to yourself or your friends... and no doubt you could do the same again if given the chance."

Ruby nodded, frowning. "Why weren't we given the chance, professor?"

Ozpin shook his head, sighing. "While I would like nothing more than to award students based solely on their abilities, this is a school, and a certain amount of responsibility falls upon me to act... at least in part, as if it was one. Encouraging first year students to hunt down criminals and terrorists is not in our normal curriculum." He smiled slightly. "At least, not until we assign missions. Next month, I believe."

Ruby nodded slowly. "Then give us a mission to Mountain Glenn, Professor Ozpin. Whatever Torchwick is up to, we need to put a stop to it."

Ozpin smiled and nodded. "While normally missions of such difficulty are not assigned to first year teams... in your case, I believe I will make an exception." He looked curious. "Will you need anything else?"

Ruby hesitated, then walked around the desk and whispered something in Ozpin's ear. The headmaster smiled warmly. "Of course, Miss Rose! I will contact Mister Agil no later than tomorrow morning. Will that be all?"

Ruby shook her head sweetly. "That's all I needed, Professor Ozpin."

Blake cleared her throat. "I'm not quite done."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Miss Belladonna?"

"How long has Torchwick been on the street?" She asked, looking intently at the man.

Ozpin sighed. "I'm afraid he never made it to the police station at all. He was rescued, presumably by a hunter level accomplice. The officer taking him to the station was found unconscious, but there was no trace of them."

Blake hesitated. "Do... do you have any idea who killed Tuckson?"

Ozpin shook his head. "I'm afraid that while the motive seems clear, besides the fact that it almost certainly had something to do with the White Fang, we have not found any leads as of yet. It was probably one or more hunter level attackers, but beyond that? I'm sorry I don't have anything more for you."

Blake sighed. "I bet it was Torchwick. The White Fang didn't... they didn't kill faunus who just wanted out. Not before..."

Ozpin shrugged helplessly. "I cannot say, although I suspect if you are not wholly correct, you most likely strike close to the mark. Whomever is behind their recent behavior, it is a distinct change from their usual patterns."

Blake looked at the floor for several long moments. "Have... you heard anything about... about Adam Taurus?"

Ozpin's eyebrow rose only slightly. "The leader of the Vale branch of the White Fang, correct?" Blake nodded slowly. Ozpin sighed. "Unfortunately, the status of Mister Taurus is also a mystery at the moment. He has not been sighted for nearly half a year."

Blake sighed, and nodded. "I suppose that's all I need as well."

Ozpin nodded somberly. "Very well, Miss Belladonna." He looked at Yang and Pyrrha. "Is there anything else?"

"I'm good." Yang said, looking a little uncomfortable.

"I believe Ruby and Blake have gotten to everything important." Pyrrha said quietly.

"Very well." Ozpin said softly. He nodded to Ruby. "You will get your mission. To avoid suspicion, it will be assigned when all the other team assignments are given out, but you may depart immediately after that." He peered over his glasses at them. "In the meantime, do try and take some time for yourselves. We cannot constantly be on the battlefield. Everyone needs time to relax, now and then." He smiled. "Team CVFY is in charge of the arrangements for the school dance this year. I'm sure it will be a magnificent occasion. One last chance to let down your guard and enjoy yourself before throwing yourselves into battle once more." He smiled softly. "I highly recommend it."

"Sure thing, Professor!" Yang said with a grin. "Wouldn't miss it!"

/-/

When team RPBY had gone, Ozpin looked to Qrow. "So... things went as expected then?"

Qrow shrugged. "Well, I didn't expect them to interrogate Glynda and you as soon as we got back... but other than that, things went OK." He nodded. "The Belladonna girl's good. She played it cool the whole time, and her disguise was perfect. With her mask on, I don't think her own mother would have recognized her."

Glynda spoke up. "Their reliance on wearing masks everywhere is a bit of a tactical disadvantage in some circumstances."

"Not much of one." Qrow disagreed. "Unless you happen to be faunus... and even then, faunus traits are pretty distinctive. You couldn't just infiltrate a cell by impersonating someone. You'd get spotted immediately."

Ozpin nodded agreeably. "Although I suppose at a larger gathering, like the rally tonight, it isn't quite so difficult." He looked curious. "Could you decipher what Miss Rose's plans were, in case Miss Belladonna was in danger?"

Qrow shrugged. "The other three stationed themselves a couple blocks away, near a popular dance club in the area. They were dressed to blend, hid their weapons in a bag... I don't think anyone made them."

Ozpin smiled. "I DID notice their rather atypical attire."

Glynda shook her head. "I have no idea how Miss Rose manages. She is acting as if she is a second or third year student... an exemplary one, in fact. If it wasn't for her age, I'd be tempted to allow her to graduate at the end of next year instead of forcing her to sit the full four. She obviously is able to keep up with an accelerated curriculum."

Qrow nodded. "She reminds me of Summer. She's way too talented for her age."

Ozpin looked at Qrow curiously. "You had a chance to evaluate Miss Belladonna and Miss Nikos as well, I believe? How did they do?"

Qrow wrinkled his nose. "Well... if Nikos pulled out all the stops, I'm not sure I could take her... but she's still holding back. She's terrifying for a first year though. And Ruby has her training her semblance to make her as scary as Glynda in a few years."

Glynda raised an eyebrow. "Is Pyrrha's semblance that strong?"

Qrow shrugged. "I think so, yeah. Still haven't seen her at full strength, but that's the impression I got. And even without the semblance, the kid's hell on wheels. Her combat training is top notch. She earned those tournament wins... even if she might have cheated, just a little."

Glynda smiled. "Proper use of one's semblance is perfectly legal in tournament competition, Qrow."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Which is why you always used to kick my ass."

"And I still can." Glynda reminded him primly. "If you ever wish another demonstration."

Qrow snorted. "No thanks. If I ever want to get tossed around like a rag doll again, I'll get Nikos to do it. She could use the training, anyway."

Ozpin drummed his fingers on the table. "Do you think they are ready?"

Qrow frowned. "You're not thinking of hooking up one of my nieces to that machine, are you?"

Ozpin hesitated. "Ruby WOULD be an excellent Guardian."

Qrow glared at him. "Yeah, but Tai wouldn't stand for it, and I wouldn't exactly be happy either."

Ozpin shrugged. "Then I believe my choice will still be Miss Nikos. She is a nearly perfect candidate. Even more so with such a powerful team to support her."

Qrow shook his head. "Yang is going to kill me."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "They're that close?"

Qrow shrugged. "Heck, all of them are closer than we were at that age. It's hard to tell who's dating who at this point. They're incredibly protective of each other."

Ozpin smiled wanly. "As well they should be. And they may not forgive me... but then, there is much for which I may never be forgiven. Regardless, we have little choice in the matter. Amber will not last forever, no matter how advanced Atlas technology has gotten."

Qrow sighed. "When will we bring them in?"

Ozpin considered it. "To be honest, I think it would be better to give Miss Nikos as much time to prepare as we can. We should not delay much longer. It will be... a difficult decision."

Qrow shook his head. "You know what she'll say already, or else you wouldn't have picked her."

Ozpin shrugged. "I have been known to be surprised. But yes... I do not think Miss Nikos will surprise me unpleasantly. Ever since the day I met her, I had a feeling, she would be the one. She's strong, intelligent, caring... but most importantly... I believe she's ready."

/-/

When they finally got inside their dorm room and closed the door behind them, Yang sighed. "Well... that was a thing."

Blake shook her head. "At least they're not lying to us anymore."

"They're not telling us everything though." Ruby complained. "How come we never knew Uncle Qrow was working for Professor Ozpin?"

Yang blinked. "I guess he is, isn't he?" She shrugged. "I mean, maybe he's in it this time because he's looking out for us."

Ruby frowned. "What I'm not sure about is, why did he get back from his mission early? The one that he couldn't talk about. In my original timeline, he didn't come back and see us until the Vital Festival was already started. That's months away still. What changed?"

Yang shrugged. "Well, you did, right?"

Ruby nodded, rolling her eyes. "Well, duh. What I mean is, what did I do that caused Uncle Qrow to come back early?"

Yang looked thoughtful. "Well, you've caught Torchwick twice... or we have, anyway. Maybe that changed things?"

Ruby sighed. "And we can't just ask Uncle Qrow, because we can't explain why we want to know."

Yang shook her head. "I doubt it's important. You changed things, Qrow showed up early. That's a good change, right?"

Ruby looked thoughtful. "Yeah, maybe."

Yang patted her on the shoulder. "Don't fret it." She turned to Blake, who'd gone to sit on her bed, and frowned. "Now, you... you we need to fret over a bit."

Blake looked worried. "What? What's going on? What did I do?"

Yang gestured at the top of Blake's head. "We've got to get your hair and ears back to black. And we've got to do it tonight."

Blake nearly whimpered at the thought. "What? Why?"

Ruby turned to her girlfriend and sighed. "Yeah, Yang's right. If Cinder or Emerald or Mercury sees you like that. Even if they just overhear someone talking about the fact that you suddenly have brown hair... well, it might not matter, but, what if they figure out your hair is brown because you wanted to be in disguise, specifically tonight of all nights? It probably isn't much of a stretch to assume you might want to infiltrate that White Fang meeting, and that you'd be able to do it."

Blake groaned. "Right... I should have thought about that." She shook her head. "Next time I'm getting a wig. Can we even get my hair back to black?"

Yang nodded, thoughtfully. "It's not going to be pretty, but yeah. Like I said, I've done the hair dye thing before." She patted her long, luxurious hair. "If there's someone out there who knows more than me about hair care, I'd be surprised."

Blake sighed. "Well, we might as well get started. I'm exhausted from all the adrenaline. We might not have had to fight a giant robot, but my heart was beating like I was a couple times. It's been a roller-coaster."

Yang moved over to Blake and rubbed her shoulders. "Don't worry, Kitten. I'll take care of you."

Blake sighed. "Yeah. Thanks Yang. I appreciate it."

Yang's eyes softened and for once she didn't tease. "I'll always look out for you." She glanced at Pyrrha with a smile. "All my girls." she grinned, suddenly in a teasing, cheerful mood again.

Pyrrha just rolled her eyes.

/-/

The next day, Weiss eyed Blake curiously over the breakfast table. It seemed that the faunus girl had let her hair care slip. It looked dry and lifeless. Weiss wondered if she simply couldn't afford proper conditioner, or if the brutish Yang simply used up all of the product in their dorm and they hadn't had time to go out for more? She decided not to mention it. Blake was almost always very well groomed. She no doubt was already aware of the problem. If things persisted for more than a day or two, however, Weiss would see about offering her some of her own, imported conditioner. It was the least one could do as a friend, after all.

/-/

That evening, just after dinner, Pyrrha got a text on her scroll. It was from professor Ozpin. Miss Nikos, if you could come up to to my office at your earliest convenience, I would appreciate it. She frowned at the message. Ozpin wanted to see her? Not Ruby? This couldn't be about the earlier night, or about their fight against the White Fang and... she who probably shouldn't be named, could it?

She hesitated, considering. "Yang, take a look at this." She said, showing her girlfriend the message on the scroll.

Yang blinked. "Huh. What do you think that is about?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I don't know. If it was about..." she hesitated, for there were ears around them. "The thing with our team, then surely he'd contact Ruby?"

Yang shrugged. "Maybe it's a message from home or something?"

Pyrrha frowned. "No, mother would contact me directly. I suppose some sponsor or another may have contacted Professor Ozpin in order to have him help convince me to do something? Product placement, perhaps?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You think the Professor would do that, though?"

Pyrrha shrugged helplessly. "Who knows? Perhaps he simply wishes to talk to me about my semblance training, assuming Qrow talked to him about it."

Yang frowned. "Well, guess there's only one way to find out." She looked curious. "Want me to come with you, Babe?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "That's not necessary. I'll tell you all about it when I get back to the dorms."

Yang smiled at her. "Well, good luck. I'll let Ruby and Blake know where you're going. See you soon."

Pyrrha smiled. "Thank you dear. I'd appreciate that."

Yang raised an eyebrow at that. "Dear?"

Pyrrha frowned sadly. "No good?"

Yang thought about it. "I don't know... I don't really feel like a 'dear'... maybe a 'hot stuff' or a 'Blondie' even. That's what Junior calls me."

Pyrrha laughed. "I'll let Junior keep that one. Hot Stuff DOES work for you, although I'm not sure it's the sort of thing I'd be comfortable calling you in public."

Yang grinned. "We won't always be in public... Babe."

Pyrrha nodded, eyes twinkling. "Very true, my love."

Yang swallowed. "Oh. Wow."

Pyrrha looked worried. "Too much?"

Yang shook her head. "No... that... that I kind of like."

Pyrrha beamed at her. "My love. Yes. I like it too."

Yang sighed heavily, her eyes soft. "Damn, girl. You're going to make me a big soppy romantic if you keep this up."

Pyrrha shook her head in mock horror. "How will the world ever survive without the cocky, flirty, fiery Yang Xiao-Long in it."

Yang grinned. "Meh. We'll never have to find out, Babe."

Pyrrha smiled. "Oh good."

/-/

Pyrrha finished riding up the elevator into Ozpin's office, and spotted the man behind his desk the second the elevator doors parted. She also spotted Qrow Branwen leaning against a pillar near the elevators.

"Qrow." She greeted the man warmly.

"Hey kid." Qrow said back, his smile slightly strained, even though she could tell he was genuinely pleased to see her, something seemed to be bothering the man. She chose not to pry, although the hairs on the back of her neck were starting to rise as her suspicions about the meeting started to amplify. Pyrrha gave Qrow one of her 'for the fans' smiles, not able to force out anything genuine all of a sudden, and turned to Ozpin, crossing the floor toward his desk.

"Hello Professor." She greeted the man politely. If anything else, the man had earned respect. He was the most renowned hunter alive, after all. "Would you please tell me, why am I here?"

Ozpin smiled pleasantly back, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. "Please, take a seat." Pyrrha did so gracefully, sitting up with her back straight, giving the Professor her full and polite attention. Ozpin folded his hands. "What is your favorite fairy tale?" He asked with what she'd normally consider a charming tone of voice.

"I'm... sorry?" Pyrrha recalled Yang commenting that the word 'sorry' was probably the one she used most often in the world, and she'd tried to cut back on the apologies, but sometimes, when she was puzzled, she just ended up falling back into familiar patterns, and she was certainly puzzled now.

"Fairy Tales. Tales from your childhood. I mean, you must remember some of them?" Ozpin asked mildly.

Pyrrha thought for a moment. "Well, there's the 'Tale of the Two Brothers', the 'Shallow Sea', 'The Girl in the Tower'..."

"How about the story of the seasons?" Ozpin asked her, interrupting smoothly.

Pyrrha smiled, that was indeed a story she knew well. "Oh of course!" She began, and, dutifully, started telling the tale. Her recent experience reading aloud to her teammates came to her, and she told the story as she remembered hearing it, letting the emotion of the tale color the emotion of her voice as she spoke.

When she had finished, Ozpin chuckled. "Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy."

Pyrrha smiled indulgently. "You're not that old, Professor."

"Well..." Ozpin said, his face shifting from bemused to deadly serious mid-sentence. "Would you believe me if I told you it was true?" Pyrrha's eyes went wide, was he serious? But then again...

She looked at Ozpin trying to read something, anything else from his expression. "I... I would say that this world can be stranger than most people think, or know."

Ozpin and Qrow exchanged a glance. "What makes you say that, Miss Nikos?" Ozpin asked gently.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed minutely. "Perhaps, Professor Ozpin, you could go back to explaining why you asked me here today instead?"

Ozpin nodded. "What if I were to tell you that there WERE four Maidens existing in this world, that could wield such tremendous power... without dust."

Pyrrha tried to puzzle out what he was trying to tell her. "You mean like, a semblance?"

"Like Magic." The older man said, his lip curling up and his eyes twinkling as he said the word.

Pyrrha blinked twice. "Magic is real?"

Qrow broke in. "Yeah... first time hearing it is pretty crazy..."

Pyrrha looked from one to the other, frowning. What was she supposed to say, that she'd already heard crazier? And from Qrow's niece? And that she very much DID believe that story to be true?

Pyrrha shook her head, turning back to Ozpin. "No. I believe you, Professor. Magic. Four Maidens. They're real." She nodded, and then shrugged, still not understanding the point they were trying to get at. "What does that have to do with me?" She frowned, concerned, and wondering. Was this about Ruby after all? Was her trip back in time the work of one of the Maidens, somehow? Ruby had said that she didn't know how she could have done it, and that she suspected it could have been done TO her. She blinked. "Is there a Maiden here? In Beacon?" She guessed.

Qrow and Ozpin's eyes both went wide. Pyrrha noticed. "There is?! Why is she here? Is something going on you're not telling us?" She looked from one man to the other. "Why are you telling me all this? What's going on?"

The two men exchanged another glance, before Ozpin seemed to come to a decision. "We're telling you this, Pyrrha Nikos, because we believe you are next in line to receive the Fall Maiden's powers."

Pyrrha blinked. "Me? What...?"

Just then the elevator door opened behind her, and Pyrrha turned to see Glynda Goodwitch... and General James Ironwood. Why was HE here? What was going on?

"Sorry we're late." General Ironwood said as he entered, adjusting his tie.

Pyrrha gazed around the room in confusion. "Is this about the White Fang? About what we've been doing? How is the Maiden connected to that?"

Ironwood smiled at her. "Not precisely, although I have to say, I am very impressed by your team's actions so far. Your fight at the docks was flawless." He stepped forward, looking her over as if he was about to buy a horse. "Is it true that your team leader held you in reserve specifically so that you could counter any huntsmen level opponents that might show up to back up Torchwick?"

Pyrrha blinked, her confusion renewed by the off topic question. "That was Ruby's decision, yes. I... I'm afraid I jumped the gun a bit, when it seemed like the fight was all but over."

Ironwood smiled indulgently. "At your age, I'd have done the same. To be honest, I'd have chafed at being held back. You're not one to hide in the shadows when you could be taking action, are you Miss Nikos?"

Pyrrha frowned deeper. This conversation kept twisting and turning on her, and she couldn't even begin to guess where it was going. "I think I'm still learning what sort of huntress I want to become. In hindsight, I should have trusted Ruby's judgement and stayed in reserve. I wouldn't make that mistake again. I've come to believe in her." She took in a breath, deciding that she'd already said a bit too much about her friend. After another long moment, she looked from Glynda to Ozpin to Ironwood. "Why are you all here, together, talking to me? If it's not about the White Fang... what do you all have in common? Why is there a Maiden here at Beacon?"

"You know who we are..." Glynda said in what she probably assumed was a reassuring voice, but instead sent shivers of fear down Pyrrha's spine. "We're the same teachers and headmasters you met when you first arrived at Beacon."

"Except we've got a little part time job." Qrow continued for her.

"We're the protectors of this world." Ironwood added smoothly.

"And we need your help." Ozpin concluded.

/-/

In the elevator once again, this time surrounded by what could arguably be called four of the most powerful hunters on Remnant, with the possible exception of Ironwood, who was, in any case the General of the strongest MILITARY on Remnant... Pyrrha felt more than a little intimidated.

They all towered over her, especially the General, who was a full head taller than she was. Even Miss Goodwitch was several inches taller than she was. Normally, that wouldn't bother her. She was Pyrrha Nikos. Tall, strong, and undefeated. But in the crowded elevator, surrounded on all sides by these powerful, influential people towering around her, she felt, for once, like a child. She hunched her shoulders, suddenly aware of how much bare skin she was showing in her combat outfit, while the adults around her were all dressed as adults. She was in a costume, meant to garner fans... to play off her sex appeal, but at the moment, that just was increasing her discomfiture. Worse, she knew intellectually that none of them cared about what she was wearing, that whatever was going on, it was about something much more serious than her appearance, and her fear spiked another notch.

She flexed the fingers on her right hand just a little, the tiniest bit of black aura seeping out, and she swept the elevator with her semblance so quickly and stealthily she thought... she hoped, none of them noticed. None of them were armed, save Ozpin and his cane, but Ironwood... Pyrrha relaxed just a hair when she realized that she'd be able to fling the General around like a rag doll, and use the man as a surprisingly effective weapon against the others. She'd have to take Glynda out first, or risk the Combat Professor using her own Semblance to counter Pyrrha's, but so long as she managed that, and kept them off balance by smashing the General around the small elevator as quickly and hard as possible, she might just stand a chance...

Pyrrha stifled that line of thought. It was, at most, idle speculation. The strong evaluating the strong. And in this elevator, even with Ironwood's glaring weakness against her, she did not feel like she qualified.

At most, twenty seconds had passed while her mind wandered. "Where are we going?" She asked, trying to control the shiver in her voice, looking at Professor Ozpin first, seeing as they'd taken the elevator directly from Ozpin's office, and whatever the man had done to have the elevator descend, it wasn't by pressing the ground floor button. This was his domain, so he would best be able to explain, right?

"The Vault." Ozpin explained simply. "Under the school."

The elevator went down a LONG way. By her best guess, it had taken twice as long to finish descending from Ozpin's office than it had taken her to get to it in the first place, so they should be... at least as far under the school as Ozpin's office was above it. A long way indeed. The elevator doors opened, and the adults all walked out, Qrow and Ironwood having to narrow their shoulders a bit to walk out without jostling Pyrrha, who, at first, simply stood in the elevator car and stared out at the immense room beyond in wonder.

As she slowly walked up behind the group, Miss Goodwitch paused and turned, waiting for her to catch up. "I'm sure you must have questions." The older woman said sympathetically.

"Oh, maybe one or two..." Pyrrha said with a wry smile, wondering how Yang would have responded to all of this. Probably with a joke. Still, now that they'd asked, she DID have questions to ask. "I still don't understand, you said I was next in line to receive the Maiden's power. What do you mean by that?"

"The maidens have existed for thousands of years." Professor Goodwitch explained calmly, as if giving a lecture. "But much like in nature, the seasons change. No two summers are alike. When a Maiden dies, the power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring that the Seasons are never lost, and that no individual can hold on to the power forever."

Pyrrha processed that. "So..." she started, her eyes peeking up at the others warily. "How does the power choose?"

Qrow glanced back at her as they walked. "Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules."

"QROW." Glynda said warningly.

"Hey, don't get mad cause I'm right." Qrow shot back flippantly, his hands in his pockets, and his shoulders tense. Pyrrha realized that Qrow was nearly as nervous as she was. She'd never have picked up on it normally, but she'd met the man in easier circumstances now, and the change was obvious when she thought to look for it.

"At first..." Glynda began almost hesitantly. "The only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed onto young women. But as time went on, we discovered that the selection process was much more... intimate."

"Intimate?" Pyrrha repeated the word, trying to keep from blushing... and trying to keep from picturing Yang and her together in Yang's room on Patch, what they'd done there together. Surely the deputy headmistress didn't mean...?

"As we understand it now..." Glynda continued, becoming a bit more upbeat. "When a maiden dies, the one that is in her final thoughts becomes the first candidate to inherit her power." Pyrrha blew out an unconscious sigh of relief. Her imagination had tried to take her in a very odd direction there for a minute.

"Unless it's a dude." Qrow added irreverently. "Or an old hag. Then the power goes to someone random, and our job gets a lot harder."

Pyrrha was trying her best to pay attention. This was starting to become fascinating, but it was a bit difficult as they walked and walked down the massive... hallway? It seemed more a hallway now that they'd been down it so far, although the sheer scale of it... the roof was shadowed in darkness, it was so high above. They passed through a four way intersection, and she could not make out where either side hallway ended either.

"Why tell me all of this now?" Pyrrha finally asked. "Why not wait till I've graduated?"

"Honestly?" Qrow said, sounding genuinely remorseful about it. "We're running out of time. I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high. The Grimm are growing stronger, more prevalent, and it's not going to be much longer before this peace we've all been enjoying so much goes out the window."

At first, Pyrrha was wondering if they were talking about the mysterious Cinder Fall's organization. Certainly what Ruby had told her seemed to fit much of what Qrow was saying. He was right, terrible things WERE coming. But what did the Grimm getting stronger have to do with anything? Perhaps they were, and certainly it didn't make their jobs any easier, but it wasn't like it was connected. Or maybe it was? Was the greater Grimm threat part of the reason Cinder Fall and her companions were acting? Because things were more dangerous? Maybe it was simply that they were taking advantage of the chaos, or perhaps the chaos had caused them to... what... seek for something?

Pyrrha eyes widened as an insane idea came to her. "Someone wants to take the Fall Maiden's powers!" She said out loud. She flushed and put her hands over her mouth, but it was too late, they'd all heard her plainly.

"Very good, Miss Nikos." Ozpin congratulated her. "Very nicely deduced."

"Nice, kid." Qrow complemented. "I can see what my nieces see in you." He sighed. "What you need to know is that one of the Maidens was attacked, and for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen."

They were reaching the end of the room finally. She'd been so distracted by their conversation and her own thoughts that she'd failed to get a good look at what lay at the end, but as they came to a stop, her eyes went wide in shock at what she saw. There was a glass and metal container, faint lights within illuminating a brown haired girl inside, her modesty barely concealed by a white piece of cloth around her chest and another around her hips. There were several computer banks between that pod and a second one, this one empty, dark, and laying a bit closer to flat, although both pods were held angled oddly by machines that obviously served to raise and lower them for some reason. Massive cables snaked out of the backs of all the machinery and joined together almost in a tree trunk of them rising into the ceiling far above.

Pyrrha guessed who the girl must be immediately. "Is that...?"

Ozpin sighed. "The current Fall Maiden. Amber."

Pyrrha took a better look, and noticed that the left side of the girl's face was discolored by some sort of scarring. Also that she was obviously young, a teenager perhaps, around her own age, or at most a few years older. Her dusky skin and sleeping face were attractive, Pyrrha decided, despite the scarring. If... if she ever woke, Pyrrha promised that she'd tell the girl that, that her scars did not bother her, and that she was still beautiful. But of course, from what Ozpin and his fellow teachers and headmaster seemed to be saying was, that the girl, the Fall Maiden, was not likely to wake. A painful sadness made Pyrrha's chest constrict.

Still, she had to ask. "Is she still alive?"

"For now." Ironwood answered. "We're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable, but there is a lot about this situation that is... unprecedented." The tall man looked away and stared at a point on the floor in front of him.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked, clutching her chest as if the pain she was feeling was somehow physical.

Ironwood closed his eyes before answering. "We don't know what will happen if..." he opened his eyes, looking to Ozpin. "When, she passes." he concluded with a grim finality.

"Won't her power just transfer to the next host?" Pyrrha asked in confusion. She somehow knew that this group wouldn't be so worried if that was the case, but she couldn't quite put together why things wouldn't continue as they had before.

"Glad you've been listening." Qrow said with an approving nod.

"Under normal circumstances, yes." Ironwood answered. "But this is a delicate situation and it's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be of their attacker." He looked towards the girl in the machinery. "And to make matters worse, no one has ever seen the power split like this. For all we know, it'll seek out it's other half."

"Her assailant." Pyrrha said with grim realization. Worse, she was starting to have a nasty guess who that might be.

Ozpin turned back to face her. "And that would NOT bode well, for any of us."

Pyrrha sighed, lowering her eyes. Was this all part of why Ruby had come back in time? Had her trip been powered by whatever magic the Maiden possessed? And Cinder Fall, they'd wondered why her final battle had been in Ozpin's office. But here, directly under his office, through an elevator that might possibly only be able to be directed to come to this Vault from there... she and Cinder had fought to the death. Was that what everything was about? Were the White Fang attacks, the Breach Ruby spoke of, the attack on the Vital Festival, Beacon, and Vale itself... was it all to give Cinder Fall access to what had to be the most valuable treasure on Remnant? Magical powers that would transfer to the slayer? If Cinder made it down here... assuming that was her goal, would the woman who had killed her become the next Fall Maiden? Or more than that... could she be the one who'd attacked poor Amber in the first place?

As she considered all this, she walked slowly forward till she could place a hand gently on the glass above the girl's face. She felt her heart pound in her chest as the pity and sorrow she felt for the poor girl within tore at her. Poor, poor girl.

She turned to face the four self proclaimed 'defenders of Remnant' frowning. Was Ruby's secret connected to this one? If so... should she tell them the truth? Tell them that they already knew what danger they were about to face... explain that, if she wasn't mistaken, already knew who held the other half of the Fall Maiden's power? Pyrrha's face fell. She couldn't tell Ruby's secret. Not to this mysterious and secretive cabal. Not without knowing more about them, not without talking to Ruby and the others. As unbelievable as this all was, she knew immediately that they'd believe her. And they'd be able to figure out what to do together.

"I... think I understand why you might want to keep this secret." She said, almost sympathetically. "No one would believe it... but... is that the only reason? How does no one else know about all of this? If the Maidens have existed for thousands of years... why doesn't everyone know about them?"

Glynda Goodwitch stepped forward, going into lecture mode with a placating expression. "From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge."

"Excuse me?" Pyrrha asked, confused and disbelieving.

"How do you think legends or Fairy Tales get started?" Qrow asked, pulling out his hip flask as he spoke. "Even the craziest ones come from somewhere." He took a drink, as if to fortify himself against the chill horror that, to Pyrrha, the Vault seemed to be filled with to the brim.

Glynda took up the story with a lighter tone of voice. "Our group was founded in order to protect both mankind AND the maidens. Those hungry for power hunted them with the hope of inheriting their strength."

Qrow put his hip flask away and picked up the thread. "And as you can imagine, the ones that succeeded weren't exactly the kind of people you'd want to have 'unimaginable' power." Pyrrha pictured Cinder's face, and tried not to shudder.

Ironwood broke in, his hands at his back. "And so this Brotherhood sought to remove the Maidens from the public eye, allowing their existence to fade away into legend."

"The things we're telling you go against hundreds of years of human history." Glynda continued. "Religion..."

"No one would want to believe us!" Ironwood stated firmly. "It would cause an uproar."

"It would cause panic." Ozpin agreed solemnly, turning toward Ironwood as if he was speaking specifically to him for the next sentence. "And we ALL know what THAT would bring clawing to our kingdom's walls." He sighed and looked at the floor as well. "Which is why... we would like to... ask you if you would agree to become the next Fall Maiden."

A few months ago, Pyrrha would have immediately accepted. With how uncomfortable Professor Ozpin appeared to be to ask this of her, she'd have, in fact, rushed to accept before he'd finished asking her, if only to save him the discomfort of thinking he was placing too great a burden on her. For was this not the very kind of destiny she had dreamed of attaining when she'd chosen to come to Beacon? She'd come seeking to grow strong, so that she could be a light against the darkness, to stand against the Grimm like the heroes of old and fight, not for the cheers of the crowd, but for the salvation of mankind itself? She knew it was vain to even think it, and yet... here they were, this secret cabal of headmasters, teachers, and generals. The self proclaimed guardians of the world. And they wanted her aid... they wanted to give her a legendary, mystical power. One that she could use! One that she could use to stop Cinder, and save Beacon, and Vale, and everyone! To keep her beloved Yang from being maimed... to keep Ruby from being the only one bearing the burden of her knowledge, could she do any less?

While she contemplated her answer, the room fell silent, the adults looking at each other, silent thoughts being exchanged.

Pyrrha finally nodded firmly. "I'll do it." She took another deep breath, wondering if Yang would be angry at her for choosing this without at least talking to her girlfriend first. If she should talk to Ruby and her other friends before taking this upon herself. But yet... she knew her answer would be the same regardless. It felt like destiny was tapping her on the shoulder. "If you believe this will help humanity. Then I will become your Fall Maiden." Pyrrha's voice was calm, her gaze steely. She would choose this of her own free will. But why did they look so uncertain at her answer?

Ozpin and Qrow exchanged glances, Glynda closed her eyes and crossed her arms, looking more resigned than pleased. General Ironwood would not meet her eyes, instead staring into empty space somewhere to Pyrrha's left and down.

"That's what you wanted?" Pyrrha asked, confused. "Isn't it?"

"It is." Ozpin said quickly, starting to step forward slowly, gesturing with his hands as if struggling to explain with words alone. "But I'm afraid it's not that simple. Given Amber's condition you won't be able to inherit her power naturally. However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution."

Ironwood's eyes rose to meet her own again as he spoke. "For the past few years, Atlas has been studying Aura from a more... scientific standpoint. How it works, what it's made of... how it can be used. We've made... significant strides."

Pyrrha blinked. Something about what he was saying was ringing a bell. 'The first synthetic life form capable of generating it's own Aura' Was how Ruby had described... how Penny had described herself in Ruby's stories about her. And Ruby had told them plainly that General Ironwood was the one keeping Ruby from meeting her again.

It was Qrow's words that caught her attention again. "Capture it, and cram it into something else." He said, glaring at the General. "Or in your case..." Qrow added, looking to Pyrrha. "SomeONE else."

Cram it into someone else? Was that how Penny had been created? Pyrrha frowned in confusion. "That's..."

"Classified." The General interrupted.

"It's... taking Aura from someone else like that seems... wrong." She didn't like equating Penny with such violation, but she also couldn't blame Penny for the means of her creation, no matter their source.

"The feeling's mutual." Glynda said in an acid tone, also staring at Ironwood as she did so. "But desperate times, call for desperate measures." She said to Pyrrha, her voice taking on a more conciliatory tone.

"And these are indeed desperate times." Ironwood continued firmly, stepping towards Pyrrha and looking her in the eyes. "We can't transfer Amber's powers directly, but we CAN give you what those powers are bound to."

"Her Aura." Pyrrha acknowledged.

"Her life..." Ozpin interjected. "will become intertwined with yours. The question is..." Ozpin trailed off, and Qrow picked up the thread.

"What's that going to do to you?" Qrow asked in his rough voice, sounding more than a little unhappy with the very idea.

Everyone was silent for a long moment before Ozpin spoke again. "You have an important decision before you, Miss Nikos." He shook his head. "There's no guarantee this transfer will work, and there's no telling if you'll be the same person if it does. I advise you to take some time to think on this matter. But understand, that before the Vital Festival is over, we will need your answer."

Pyrrha turned to place her hand once more upon the glass above Amber's face, looking at her. She could see her own face in the glass, the faint reflection of her image superimposed over Amber's, and it felt like some sort of premonition of the future.

Ozpin went on as she stared at the fallen Fall Maiden. "The assailant, that attacked the Fall Maiden, has made their first move, and there is no telling... when their next move will be."

Pyrrha saw, in her mind's eye, a third visage over that of her and Amber's faces. Cinder Fall. She'd gotten only a few quick glances at the girl... the young woman who Ruby claimed was behind all the destruction that would soon come. This all seemed to be falling, no pun intended, a small voice in her head that sounded like Yang said, into place.

The four adults moved to escort Pyrrha from the hall as she silently contemplated her future. As they made their way back to the elevator, her thoughts came back to what Ruby had said about the robot girl, Penny. Ruby had said she was sweet, and carrying, that the android had a soul, and a good heart. General Ironwood was one of those who must have created her, Pyrrha realized, or at least he was privy to her construction because of his rank. Right now, she could use what she knew... reveal just one secret, and perhaps... just perhaps let Ruby and Penny be reunited. Would that be so wrong? Even if it had been another lifetime, another Pyrrha Nikos, she'd been the one to take Penny from Ruby, to destroy the robot girl, fooled by illusions or not. Didn't she owe Ruby something for that? Didn't she owe Penny something?

As they were about to reach the elevator, Pyrrha spoke up, looking to the General once more.

"General Ironwood..." Pyrrha said softly. "About what you said... about making great strides with manipulating Aura, taking it from one place, putting it somewhere else... even... generating it, perhaps?"

Ironwood looked a bit surprised, but nodded. "Yes, Miss Nikos? You had a question? You understand that I can't tell you much."

Pyrrha frowned. Was she sure this was the right thing to do? What would Ruby want? What would Ruby tell her to do? Pyrrha realized that those two things might not be the same, and decided she'd make the call for Ruby's happiness instead of the call Ruby might want her to make, and she asked her question.

"Were you talking about Penny?"