23

Chapter 23

Pyrrha gazed languidly up at Ruby's bed hanging above her by ropes. She lay on her back, her legs and left arm splayed out in relaxed positions. Her right arm was tucked around Yang, who was cuddled up at her side. Her muscles felt loose, and a pleasant lassitude was the main sensation she felt, other than contentment.

Yang had indeed brought, as she called it, her 'A' game. Pyrrha glanced down the length of her own body, feeling a steadily dwindling confusion and an odd sense of pleasure as she regarded herself. She ran the fingers of her left hand over her tight abdominal muscles, and the feeling intensified just slightly. The part of her that Pyrrha was starting to identify as 'Amber' wasn't used to being quite so in shape, and while the differences still were mildly jarring, they felt like good differences.

Pyrrha let her eyes rove to her right, passing over Yang's impressively athletic form. Again, the feeling of confusion intensified, but only slightly. 'Amber' was growing used to Yang, finally. There was a mild but odd sense of jealousy at Yang's magnificent hair. Pyrrha giggled softly at that, and 'reminded' herself that her own hair, while not quite having the magnificent fullness and body of her girlfriend's, was quite long and healthy as well. Again, the confusion was mixed with pleasure. The disconnect between her and 'Amber' seemed to be fading over time. Pyrrha imagined that Amber's soul was slowly getting used to residing inside her. 'Amber' had been utterly bewildered by their lovemaking. While Pyrrha still got the impression that Amber had preferred men to women, the feelings of confusion, shock and wonder at the experience told her that Amber had likely not been in a relationship herself. She'd have to ask Professor Ozpin. She did still want to pay her respects to the woman's family and friends if she could, but something told her that there hadn't been much of that in the previous Fall Maiden's life.

Pyrrha noted idly that it was just starting to get dark outside, and frowned to herself, remembering that Ruby and Blake had cleared out, offering to even find someplace else to spend the night. She felt suddenly guilty about that, and she rolled on her side so that she could reach over Yang with her left hand.

Yang made a contented sound as Pyrrha leaned over top of her, and she cuddled into the front of Pyrrha's body. "Up for another round, Babe? You are insatiable tonight." The blond seemed pleased at the notion, although Pyrrha could hear the edge of fatigue in her voice, the hands suddenly roaming her body again told her that her girlfriend was perfectly willing to put action to her words.

"As much as I'd enjoy that..." Pyrrha told her with a smile. "I don't want to make Ruby and Blake stay out all night. It's probably not too late to call them back, don't you think?"

She stretched, halfway rolling on top of Yang in the process, but her scroll was just out of reach. Growling lightly in frustration, her hand glowed black and the scroll flew the last few inches into her hand.

She laid back, opening the scroll one handed as Yang continued to run her hands over Pyrrha's body. "Mmm... Yang, I'm trying to call your sister. Stop for a minute."

"Can't concentrate?" Yang teased.

Pyrrha giggled. "Not when you're doing... ah!" She squirmed. "Yang... not now!"

Yang chuckled throatily but stopped molesting her long enough for Pyrrha to pull up Ruby in her contacts list and open a call. She was careful to angle the scroll so that it only caught her face and nothing else.

After ten seconds or so, Ruby answered. "Hey Pyrrha? Is everything alright?"

Pyrrha smiled at her scroll. "Everything is fine, Ruby. In fact... why don't you and Blake come back to the dorm tonight? I would feel bad if you had to stay overnight someplace else."

Ruby looked conflicted. "Are you sure?"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. "I am."

Ruby looked at her in concern. "Are you sure you're OK?"

Pyrrha nodded solemnly. "Quite sure."

Blake's face peeked in from one side of Ruby's scroll. "We'll be back in half an hour or so. See you soon." Ruby's scroll cut off.

Yang grinned. "Half an hour, huh?" Her fingers went back to what they'd been doing a second ago that had been so distracting. "How will we ever kill all that time?"

Pyrrha gasped and her eyes closed. "I'm... sure you'll... think of something..." she said with a squeak as her voice raised an octave.

/-/

Ruby sighed as she closed the scroll. Pyrrha's hair had been more than a little disheveled, and the fact that her normal headdress and collar were missing had been plain to see. Ruby had hardly needed to see the contented smile on Pyrrha's face to identify what she'd been doing.

Blake grinned at her. "Pyrrha looked... happy."

Ruby winced. "I'm trying not to think about why..."

Blake grinned a bit wider. "Jealous?"

Ruby looked shocked, then a little queasy. "Eww... Blake. No." She waved her hands in the air. "I do not want to think about my big sister like that."

"Sorry." Blake said honestly. "I guess that would be a little weird."

Ruby sighed. "A little, yeah." She smiled at Blake. "Besides, why would I be jealous of Pyrrha and Yang when I have you?" She frowned slightly. "Actually, I was kind of looking forward to finding someplace to stay with you overnight..."

Blake smiled warmly at Ruby. "Yeah... but we do have classes tomorrow. It'll be easier if we sleep in our own beds, don't you think?"

Ruby sighed. "I guess." She looked thoughtful. "Let's kick Yang and Pyrrha out on Saturday. We can have the whole day together in our room."

Blake's eyes twinkled. "Wow. A whole day?"

Ruby blushed. "I didn't mean we'd... you know... the whole time..."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "You didn't?"

Ruby's blush grew. "Blake... stop teasing me."

Blake stepped in and hugged her. "OK. I'll stop."

Ruby hugged her back. "Maybe half the day." She decided.

/-/

They had classes as usual the next day. Pyrrha pretended not to notice how her entire team would look at her from time to time, more aware of her than usual. It wasn't hard, she'd long ago gotten used to pretending to ignore the extra attention she got, even being polite about it, and her team meant well. They were just concerned. She decided to let it go without comment. Soon enough things would go back to normal.

That evening, they brought down the bunk beds and set each pair of beds next to each other, with the mattresses snugged as close together as they could get, so that they would have some room to stretch out when they were sleeping together.

Unfortunately, Blake woke up in the middle of the night because she'd slipped between the two mattresses. Ruby was on top of her, and she was effectively trapped, with the wooden slats of the two beds pressing furrows into her back.

Blake growled and pushed, eventually waking Ruby, who apologized with a squeak and quickly slipped out of bed to help Blake pull herself out. They set about quickly getting the mattresses back into place and getting back into bed, but the set up made cuddling through the night troublesome. They could simply each sleep on their own mattress, but the point of all this was so that they could hold each other at night, and that wasn't working.

The next morning, they discussed what to do.

"It's Saturday, so why don't Pyrrha and I go into town and pick up a couple larger mattresses?" Yang suggested. "You two wanted to spend the day in the room anyway." She pointedly did not mention what Ruby and Blake had been intending to spend the day DOING.

Ruby frowned slightly. "Yang... it's against school rules to replace the beds..."

Yang wrinkled her nose. "Really? All we need to do is replace the four tiny little single mattresses with a couple queen sized."

Blake spoke up. "The school rules ARE pretty clear. We're not allowed to replace the furniture. I assume they want the room to be the same as we found it when we finally leave."

Yang groaned. "But we'll be here for another three years!"

Ruby frowned thoughtfully. "Well, we never got in trouble for the bunk beds... so if we're just sneaky about it..."

Blake grinned. "What they don't know won't hurt anyone."

Pyrrha looked concerned. "How are we going to get a pair of queen sized mattresses into our dorm room without anyone noticing?" She gestured to their beds. "Not to mention what are we going to do with the four mattresses we've already got?"

Ruby looked at the four small beds. "Well... we don't actually need to remove the old mattresses, do we? We could put the new mattresses on top of the old ones. And we could tie the old ones together so that they don't separate in the middle of the night."

Blake looked dubious. "Won't that make things a bit lumpy?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Maybe?"

Pyrrha spoke up. "Well, we could purchase a couple extra queen sized mattress covers, to hold the single sized mattresses together? If we do that and perhaps tie the feet of the beds together, they should be stable enough to support us without shifting." She scratched her chin. "I'm still not sure how we'd get a pair of queen sized mattresses into our room without someone noticing."

Blake spoke up. "Not to mention just getting them to Beacon. If we have them delivered, everyone will see the delivery truck. We can't bring them in on the Bullhead from Vale either, not unless we bribe one of the pilots to look the other way, anyway."

Ruby looked interested. "Why don't we do that?"

Pyrrha frowned disapprovingly. "I don't think we should really be bribing people so we can break school rules..."

Yang shrugged. "It's not like we'd be bribing them to break any rules themselves. And it's not like we're bringing in anything illegal."

Pyrrha's eyebrows were pinched. "Yang... while I'm sure most students would be able to get away with something like that without any real difficulty, it's not quite so simple for me."

Yang looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Pyrrha hesitated before answering. "Yang... one of the problems with fame is that people love to find out whatever you're up to. Especially if it's something scandalous. A bribe might work... but news that my partner and I were bringing... mattresses into our dorm room would probably sell for a good amount to various tabloid news organizations. And while I don't actually mind anyone knowing that we're together... that WOULD probably cause the school to have to acknowledge that we're breaking school rules."

Yang grimaced, then nodded. "Yeah... OK. That makes sense." She looked thoughtful. "OK, we need to get them delivered in such a way so that nobody suspects it has anything to do with you, right Babe?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "I suppose. How would we go about doing that?"

Yang grinned. "We bribe someone who won't sell us out, of course."

/-/

Nora walked into their dorm room five minutes later. "OK, what's up Yang? You said you needed our help?"

Ren followed her inside, looking mildly curious. "I'd like to know that as well."

Yang grinned at Nora. "We need some help smuggling some mattresses into the school."

Ren raised an eyebrow curiously. "What do you need with extra mattresses?"

Yang gestured at their beds, already arranged in pairs pressed up next to each other. "We want a couple larger beds instead of four smaller ones." She waggled her eyebrows at them. "For obvious reasons."

Ren blinked, then glanced at Pyrrha, who blushed brightly. "Ah." He acknowledged without further comment. "And how can we help?"

Nora's mouth had fallen open. "Wow..." she said, suddenly grinning widely. "You guys really are together together, huh?"

Yang grinned back. "Yup."

Nora glanced at Ren, trying to be subtle. "Lucky." She said with a sigh a second later, turning back to Yang. "You guys ARE pretty great together though."

Yang grinned wider. "We are pretty great together, yeah." She raised an eyebrow. "So... you in?"

Ruby broke in. "We'll pay you in high explosives!"

Ren rolled his eyes. "You don't need to bribe us..."

Nora cut him off, eyes flashing with interest. "Tell me more!"

/-/

Ren, Nora, Ruby and Blake set out to Vale less than an hour later, leaving Pyrrha and Yang behind. They'd decided that Pyrrha should probably avoid the mattress store entirely, to avoid anyone in the press getting ideas, and Ruby had agreed to postpone her plans with Blake till the following day in order to do the required shopping. She had more than one destination in mind, regardless.

Their first stop was at Agil's weapon shop. "Hey Agil!" Ruby greeted the large bald man as she entered. "Got my order ready?"

Agil laughed and waved for her to approach the counter. "I have no idea how you pulled it off, but Ozpin called me a couple days ago, gave me the go ahead. I just finished up with your order last night."

Ruby rubbed her hands together and grinned evilly. "Excellent."

/-/

As they exited the weapon shop, Qrow drove up in a battered looking truck. "Why am I doing this again?" He asked Ruby with a weary expression.

"Because you're the best Uncle ever?" Ruby said sweetly.

Qrow laughed. "I doubt that." He eyed her suspiciously. "OK, kiddo, what's this all about?"

Ruby sighed, and told him.

When she'd finished, Qrow was looking incredulous. "You want me... to help you smuggle a couple mattresses into Beacon so you and your girlfriends can sleep together?"

Ruby nodded, blushing but determined. "Yup."

Qrow put a hand to his forehead. "You're Tai's kids alright." He sighed. "Fine. Never really cared for school rules much myself." He looked curious. "You got a plan for getting them into your dorm without getting caught?"

Ruby grinned. "Yup!"

/-/

Hours later, well after the last Bullhead had flown back to Beacon from Vale, Qrow's rented truck came up the old road that lead up to Beacon from Vale the long way, and stopped next to the Beacon garages, where Yang kept her motorcycle, Bumblebee.

Everyone got out and Ruby gestured to Blake. "Blake, get high and keep lookout. I'll scout the route."

Blake nodded and threw Gambol Shroud up to catch on the lip of the roof of the garage, and vaulted up, while Ruby blurred off in the form of a blizzard of rose petals.

Nora and Ren helped Qrow start unloading the truck, and by the time they'd finished, Ruby had blurred back and appeared before them. "The route is clear. Let's move."

Nora and Ren grabbed one mattress and Qrow and Ruby took the second, and they started hustling them around the back of the campus, while Blake stayed up high, leaping from rooftop to rooftop to keep an eye on the situation from above.

They reached the outside of their dorm building without incident, and Qrow set his end of the mattress down, frowning. "OK, how are you planning on getting these inside?" He asked dubiously. "Your room is on the fourth floor."

Ruby grinned, and reached into the large dufflebag she'd brought for the day trip out. "You'll see." She got half a dozen of the metal strips she'd made for Pyrrha out and, making a small hole in the plastic cover that protected the mattress, slid them inside the cover one by one. She spaced them evenly, four in the corners, and two in the middle, and pulled out her scroll. "We're here. You're up, Pyrrha."

Four floors up, a window opened, and Pyrrha peeked out. She gestured, her hand glowing black, and slowly, the mattress started to lift into the air, suspended by the six pieces of metal inside the plastic cover that held the mattress. The mattress floated smoothly up to the window, where Pyrrha and Yang grabbed it, folded it so it would fit through the window, and slipped it inside.

Meanwhile, Ruby was slipping six more pieces of metal into the second mattress cover, and within another minute, the second mattress was inside as well.

Qrow grinned. "Nice caper." He chuckled. "Makes me kind of worried about what you get up to that you're not telling me about."

Ruby grinned at him. "You mean infiltrating terrorist rallies and fighting with criminals?"

Qrow laughed. "Nah, I knew about THAT stuff."

Ruby giggled. "Then you know almost all my secrets, Uncle Qrow."

"Almost all?" Qrow asked curiously. "What am I missing?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. That would be telling."

Qrow sighed. "Ah well. Guess I'll just have to wonder."

Ruby patted him on the shoulder. "You'll survive."

Qrow chuckled and started walking off. "Well, I'm going to go return the truck. You owe me one after this, Kiddo."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I know."

Nora waited for Qrow to get out of earshot before she crossed her arms and approached Ruby with an eager expression. "OK, what about our deal?"

Ruby grinned, patting the dufflebag. "They're all in here. I'll need to make some final modifications to get them ready for Magnhild MX III. I'll have them ready for you by tomorrow afternoon?"

Nora grinned. "Looking forward to it!"

/-/

The next day after breakfast, team RPBY and team WJNR met up in the training room they'd taken to using for team training, so Ruby could show them what she'd gotten for everyone.

She brought out the heavy dufflebag, and started unloading it on one side of the room.

"First... I've got these for you, Nora." Ruby announced, pulling out half a dozen rocket propelled sticky grenades. They each had a shaft about as large as one of Nora's regular grenades, and a head about twice as wide, with a suction cup attachment on the front. They each also had a timer on the side. Ruby demonstrated by shoving one into the front of Nora's grenade launcher. "They're front loading..." Ruby explained helpfully, "But they each carry a charge about three times as heavy as one of your regular grenades, and they're designed for armor penetration. They should crack the skull on just about any Grimm... but you could use them for demolitions as well."

"Oooh. Shiny." Nora commented, looking pleased.

Ruby grinned. "Now, they're set to detonate five seconds after they hit something hard, but you can set the timer to anything you like. They'll adhere to any smooth surface with suction. You could technically slam one into something by hand... but you'd have to swing it pretty hard. You can leave one attached in hammer mode as well, as if you get a solid hit it'll stick to your target, but don't worry if you accidentally jar it against something, or hit a target that it doesn't stick to. Their timers can't arm till they leave the barrel."

Weiss, who had been looking more and more concerned, breathed a sigh of relief. "At least there's some safety measures involved."

Ruby then started pulling out what appeared to be mines of some sort. "Sticky mines. They've got a strong adhesive, so you can slap them onto just about anything and they'll stay put. I've got some bandoliers that they go on, where when you pull them free, their adhesive will be automatically exposed, but they'll come off the bandoliers just fine. There are a bunch of options for arming them, but at the moment these will arm if you slap them down hard. Again, the timers can be set as desired."

She nodded to Ren. "I got some for you and Blake... since you both favor an in-close style of combat."

Jack pointed at himself. "What about me?"

Ruby grinned and brought out a half dozen small RPG's. "For your staff!" She explained. "They'll fit onto the rifle mode's barrel and you can use them as regular RPG's."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "What... no explosives for me?"

Ruby snorted. "As if I could convince you to use anything but Myrtenaster."

Weiss shrugged. "Well, I suppose you aren't wrong about that."

Yang pointed at herself. "What about me, Sis?"

Ruby frowned. "Well... I'd love to upgrade Ember Celica so she uses a higher caliber. You could use a much wider variety of ammo then. Even some sticky grenades... with a remote trigger to detonate them built into your palm, maybe?" She shook her head. "But it'd be a major project, and I haven't had the time to draw something like that up. Plus it'd be pretty expensive to rebuilt them from scratch."

Yang grimaced. "Yeah... stick in a pin in that though. I love my babies, and I'm not completely against an upgrade, but it sounds like something to work on between semesters."

Ruby nodded. "That's about what I was thinking." She nodded to Pyrrha. "I got you some sticky mines as well, of course."

Pyrrha blinked, then nodded. "Ah. I remember you talking about it. Yes. I suppose they could come in handy in some situations." Pyrrha thought about the Atlesian Paladins that the White Fang apparently had stolen, and was pretty sure she knew what Ruby was planning for her and the others to use their new explosive toys on.

Weiss shook her head in mild dismay. "I have no idea why you find it necessarily to arm everyone with explosives, Ruby Rose..."

Nora looked stunned. "But Weiss... explosives!" She opened her arms wide, and looked expectantly at her team leader. "Everyone loves explosives!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure Miss Goodwitch wouldn't approve of the use of heavy ordinance in combat class."

Ruby laughed. "Ah, no. Don't be silly. These aren't for combat class." She sobered. "I didn't get that many anyway."

Weiss looked at her dubiously. "What ARE they for then?"

Ruby shrugged. "Really big Grimm? Giant robots? That sort of thing."

Weiss looked unimpressed. "I find it highly unlikely we will have to worry about any such thing during our first year here at Beacon."

Ruby looked at her. "We fought a Giant Nevermore at initiation. What if there had been a bunch of them?"

Weiss frowned. "Well... I'm sure that the professors wouldn't have sent us out into the forest if there were that many giant Grimm about."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be so sure." She shrugged. "Also... we'll be getting our first real team missions in another three weeks. You never know when you might need a little extra firepower."

Nora grinned. "Preach it, sister!" She held up a hand and Ruby high-fived her.

Ren spoke up. "Ruby, I've never used anything like this before. Is there any way we could practice with these?"

Ruby grinned. "Actually, I have a practice model of each type!" She brought out one of each, which looked identical to the regular ones, except for a piece of blue tape on the side. "They work the same, but they just give off a loud beep when they'd go off. So we can practice without blowing ourselves or the training room up!"

Ren nodded. "That seems wise."

Weiss sighed. "Well... I suppose if we are going to consider carrying explosives, we should be well versed in their use first."

"That's the spirit!" Nora shouted excitedly. "We'll convert you to the world of high explosives yet, Weiss!"

They all practiced with the training mines and grenades till they were confident that they could use them without blowing themselves up. Ruby then added a word of caution.

"I got these with a special dispensation from Professor Ozpin. They're only for emergencies." She hesitated. "And we probably shouldn't mention it to anyone else. First year students usually don't get permission to carry explosives like these. We don't have permission to use them in the Vytal Festival either."

Weiss frowned. "Ruby... what aren't you telling us? Do you expect more trouble from the White Fang?"

Ruby shrugged, not quite meeting the heiress's eyes. "I just want us to be ready, Weiss. We're training to be huntresses. Life or death situations are part of the job. It doesn't hurt to be extra prepared."

Weiss sighed and nodded. "I suppose I can't argue with that."

/-/

"So... why are you giving team WJNR all those explosives?" Yang asked curiously when they got back to their dorm room. "I mean, I get why you want US to have more firepower. Mountain Glenn..."

Ruby nodded. "Yes. Mountain Glenn will be tough. I want every advantage I can think of."

Yang nodded back. "Yeah, I get that. But why Weiss's team?"

Ruby frowned. "I've already changed a lot. The White Fang might attack Beacon earlier, or something else could happen. All I know for sure is that there are plenty of enemies that we could face." She grimaced. "I still don't know how we're going to be able to beat that Dragon Grimm. I mean, hopefully we won't have to, but..."

Blake spoke up. "I've never heard of a Dragon Grimm. What was it like?"

Ruby grimaced. "Like... a hundred feet long. It's head was as big as a Paladin by itself. And it dripped black goo all over the place that spawned more Grimm."

Pyrrha shivered. "That is... terrifying. A Grimm that can spawn more Grimm?"

Ruby nodded. "And it flies, so it was bombing them all over Vale and Beacon."

"Right past the defenses." Blake said somberly. "Do you think the explosives you got us would be enough?"

Ruby shrugged. "They'll hurt it, probably. If we use them in the right places. I don't think even the heavy mines I gave Nora would crack it's skull plate though. I'd think we'd want to try and ground it... take out it's wings. A half dozen mines in the joints of the wings should take one off."

Pyrrha spoke up. "If we could ground it... what then?"

Ruby frowned. "I'm not sure. If we could pin it's head down for a few seconds, and get Penny behind and above it, she could try her laser cannon on the back of it's neck... try to sever the head where the armor's thinnest."

She pointed at Yang and Blake. "You two could pin it down with Gambol Shroud while Pyrrha tries to hold it down with... I don't know, a lamp post or something."

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "A hundred foot roll of thick metal cable, perhaps?"

Ruby blinked. "Oh! That's a good idea, Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha shrugged. "It's not really something I would typically think of as a useful weapon... but if I had to face down a Grimm THAT large... I'd want something equally large to deal with it." She frowned thoughtfully. "Perhaps a very, very large spear to pin it down with? But what could we improvise with to make such a weapon?"

Yang laughed. "We should get some I-beams and sharpen them!"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "And keep them in our dorm room as decoration? Where would we put them?"

Yang shrugged. "I don't know. I mean... we're talking about killing a dragon. I'm kind of out of my comfort zone here."

Ruby waved a hand at Pyrrha. "Well... maybe we'll have more options when you figure out how your new powers work?"

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to be able to do, actually. I really should speak to Professor Ozpin about that."

Yang looked interested. "I really want to see these magical powers in action. They must be something else for all this fuss."

Blake frowned. "Whatever the power does... it'll be at half strength, right? Because half the powers were stolen?"

Pyrrha nodded somberly. "Perhaps..."

Yang spoke up again. "You know... maybe I'm a bit of a savage to say it... but what happens if we kill Cinder? What happens with the powers, I mean?"

"Assuming Cinder Fall is the one who's got the other half of the powers." Blake cautioned.

"Yeah. Assuming that." Yang said. "So... what would happen?"

"In theory..." Pyrrha began. "It seems likely that I would gain the full powers of the Fall Maiden."

Yang grinned. "And THEN maybe you could take the Dragon out by yourself."

Pyrrha frowned. "I do not like the idea of... murdering someone else just for power."

Yang snorted. "She's a murderer herself. She'd have killed Amber if she could... and she killed you!"

Pyrrha shook her head. "She hasn't killed anyone. Yet."

"As far as we know." Blake said somberly.

"We can't kill someone because we suspect that they might kill someone else... or that they might have." Pyrrha said calmly. "Even ignoring the fact that that would be murder... it's more than a little morally questionable. Even if Ruby is one hundred percent correct, and Cinder Fall intends to attack Vale and Beacon, we cannot simply execute her. We don't even know for certain that she is the one responsible for Amber."

"We just have to stick with the plan." Ruby said firmly. "We catch Cinder in the act in the CCT." Ruby frowned thoughtfully. "We need to find out everything about how these Maiden powers work. Maybe there's some way of being able to detect a Maiden?"

Yang snorted. "Like what, a special magical girl detection wand or something?"

Ruby shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Ozpin's group must have some way of figuring out who the new Maidens are, right? If they've been keeping track of them for hundreds of years?"

Pyrrha smiled and shrugged. "It can't hurt to ask, anyway."

Yang stood up. "Well... let's go ask him then."

Pyrrha looked dubious. "On a Sunday?"

Yang shrugged. "Might as well go see. It's not like he's got anything more important going on, right?"

Pyrrha frowned. "He's the headmaster. Surely he has many important duties."

Yang raised an eyebrow at that. "More important than the secret cabal that keeps super powerful magical girls a secret from the rest of the world?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Well... perhaps he will have some time to spare."

/-/

Soon they found themselves once more riding the elevator up to the headmaster's office.

Ozpin was waiting for them behind his desk. "How may I help you today, ladies?"

Pyrrha spoke up first. "Actually, professor, I was wondering what you could tell me about the Maiden's powers?"

Ozpin smiled. "I'd be happy to help you, Miss Nikos, but first, could you tell me how you're doing with Amber's aura? Have there been any complications?"

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose. "Well, that would depend on what you mean by complications."

Ozpin nodded easily. "True. Perhaps you could tell me what you've noticed so far. Even if this is the only time this procedure is ever performed, it seems best to learn what we can from it for the future."

Pyrrha sighed, then nodded. "Alright. I can tell you what I've noticed so far." Ozpin simply nodded, looking curious. Pyrrha went on. "Mostly I just seem to have gotten Amber's... subconscious, I think. I can sense her... preferences. I can tell when she would like, or dislike something. Or if she's familiar with something, or if she's never seen something before." She sighed. "I feel thankful that Amber and I seem to share quite a bit in that regard. Beacon is familiar to us both, and so far her tastes in food do not differ too greatly from my own. I think she had a... similar personality to mine, although I have already noticed some differences."

"How so?" Ozpin asked.

"Well..." Pyrrha hesitated. "Amber does not seem to have shared my work ethic. Not that I am criticizing her. I realize that most people do not train as intensely as I do..." She blushed. "As immodest as that sounds..."

Ozpin smiled indulgently. "Not at all. I would call it nothing more than an accurate assessment." He nodded to her. "Have you noticed anything else?"

Pyrrha frowned. "I... I don't think Amber had much in the way of family... or friends. Although I'm not sure how certain I can be of that. It's just an impression."

Ozpin sighed. "I'm afraid you are correct. Amber's family died in Mountain Glenn. Her team here at Beacon split up upon graduation, and she did not form any lasting attachments afterwards, as far as I was aware. She preferred to travel, and to move around in remote areas where other hunters are seldom found. She wished to help people who were often without help."

Pyrrha smiled. "I can understand that last, at least. I'm sorry her team didn't stay together. I can't imagine having to be alone like that."

"And you'll never have to be." Yang assured her. "We're staying together after Beacon, if I have anything to say about it."

"I agree." Blake said firmly. "I like this team, and all of you. And I feel like we'll do a lot of good together."

"You bet!" Ruby agreed cheerfully. "Watch out. By this time next year we'll have saved the world at least once."

Ozpin chuckled. "I wouldn't put it past you." He looked to Pyrrha. "Have you noticed anything else?"

Pyrrha immediately blushed. "Well... er... I have noticed that Amber does not seem to have had much if any... romantic experience? She seems to prefer... male companionship in that area, but I don't believe she ever found someone..."

Ozpin coughed. "Well... as for that, I could not say, but indeed, she did not seem to have formed any lasting relationships during her time at Beacon." He drummed his fingers quietly on his desk, as if in thought. "Then to sum up, you can sense Amber's presence by feeling her emotions? Like, dislike, familiarity and confusion?"

Pyrrha nodded. "So far, the differences between us have been... clear, although the sense of... disconnect has lessened considerably. Right after the transfer, anything not familiar to us both would cause me waves of dizziness and confusion. Now the sensation is muted. I think with time it will probably continue to fade." She sighed. "I am a bit worried about what that means, to be honest. Will our... preferences merge?"

Ozpin sighed. "Probably, to some extent. It seems fortunate that you both were similar. And I would think that your own preferences would have the stronger influence on the end result. Still, I think in time you will most likely become something of an amalgamation of both of your personalities." He looked sad. "I am so very sorry, Pyrrha. I wish I had better news."

Pyrrha took in a deep breath. "That's alright, Professor. It is worse than I hoped, but better than I feared. When I chose to accept the risk, I was willing to accept much worse than this. I will be fine."

Yang put a hand on her shoulder. "Are... WE going to be OK?"

Pyrrha put a hand on Yang's hand. "I promise you we are, Yang. Amber... I think... no, I'm quite certain she would have liked you quite a lot. Perhaps you're not quite her... type, but... I don't feel like she is terribly unhappy to... be your girlfriend."

Yang grinned. "Hey, what can I say, I'm so hot I can even seduce the straight girls." Pyrrha giggled.

Ozpin chuckled lightly. "I believe we may be getting off topic..." He smiled at Yang. "Although I'm glad to see that your relationship is not damaged, and I am pleased to see how supportive you are with each other. You're both very lucky, I think."

Pyrrha smiled warmly at Yang. "You're right, Professor. I am very lucky."

Ozpin nodded and smiled. "Well, in any event, have you noticed anything else since the... transfer?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "Nothing yet. And I think over time I will notice less and less. Or that's how it seems to be going so far."

Ozpin nodded. "Very well." He straightened up in his chair. "Now, I believe you had questions about your Maiden powers? Was there anything in particular you'd like to know?"

Pyrrha frowned. "Well, how they work, to start with. What a Maiden is actually capable of... and, well, we were also wondering how someone would identify a Maiden, assuming you ran across them?"

Ozpin smiled. "Well, I can answer most of those. A Maiden has power over the elements. Wind, frost, lightning, and fire, primarily. I've seen Maidens call storms, call down bolts of lightning, create massive columns of fire or freezing winds so cold it would freeze anyone solid in an instant."

Yang whistled. "That's pretty awesome..."

Ozpin grinned at her. "It is rather impressive, yes. As for what you'll be capable of, Miss Nikos, I cannot say. With the powers split as they are, I imagine you'll be somewhat more limited in your abilities."

Pyrrha nodded. "I had assumed as much. But how do I actually... use these powers?"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Well... how do you use your semblance?"

Pyrrha thought about that. "Well, I will it. I activate my semblance, feel the metal, and move it with my mind."

Ozpin nodded. "The Maiden powers are much the same. If you can picture what you want, and will it to happen, the powers should obey."

Pyrrha looked doubtful. "Is it truly that simple?"

Ozpin shrugged. "I wouldn't call it simple, exactly. You will learn to harness your new gifts with time and practice, but the basics should at least be relatively simple. Also, like a semblance, it is possible to lose control of your power if you are angry, or agitated, or frightened."

Pyrrha frowned. "That sounds quite... dangerous."

Ozpin nodded. "All power can be dangerous. And the power of the Maidens is simply that. Power. But before you accepted the powers, you already were a very powerful... dare I say, very dangerous young woman. You could have been a terrible menace to those around you if you were not in control of your abilities. But of course, you have learned to control your semblance and you choose to be a protector of humanity, rather than a threat to it. Controlling the Maiden powers is no different, and I have every confidence in you to manage."

Pyrrha nodded. "I understand, Professor." She hesitated. "And... IS there a way to be able to detect a Maiden? We were wondering how your group has been able to keep track of the Maidens for all these years?"

Ozpin wrinkled his nose. "There are certain... signs that point at where a Maiden might be. Unusual weather patterns in an area, stories of powerful elemental abilities. Beyond that, if a Maiden chooses to hide herself, it can be quite difficult to find them. However, there is one tell-tail sign that will tell you if someone is a Maiden beyond all doubt."

He gestured to Pyrrha. "But rather than explain, perhaps it would be more educational for you to see for yourself." He smiled at her. "How would you like to try some magic? Something simple, to start with?"

Pyrrha hesitated. "Now?"

Ozpin nodded gently. "Now. It shouldn't be overly difficult, at least, I'm hoping not. You should still have more than enough magic within you to do it without much issue."

Pyrrha cleared her throat nervously, then straightened her shoulders. "Alright. Tell me what to do."

Ozpin nodded. "Very well. Close your eyes. Picture a flame... a candle flame, perhaps. One small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Then... will it into being."

Pyrrha blinked. "A flame? In my hand?"

Ozpin nodded. "Yes. Do not worry, your own magic will not harm you. Picture a flame... then will it into being."

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose, then nodded, holding out her right hand in front of her, palm upwards. She took a deep breath, picturing the flame in her mind. Then she concentrated, harder and harder. There was a small whoosh of noise, and her eyes opened. Upon her palm, a flame the size of an apple floated, burning merrily without fuel. She could sense the heat... distantly, but there was no pain.

"Ooh!" Ruby gushed with interest, then in shock. "Pyrrha! Your eyes are on fire too!"

Pyrrha noticed then the odd flicker of green coming from around her eyes, and she winced backwards automatically, trying to escape... the flame in her palm vanished, as did the traces of flickering color around her eyes.

Yang was staring at her, open mouthed. "Whoa..."

Ozpin smiled. "And that... is how one can be certain that they are looking at a Maiden."

Blake spoke up. "You mean the... flames coming from Pyrrha's eyes?"

Ruby spoke up. "They were... they were the color of your eyes, Pyrrha." She looked worried. "Did they hurt?"

Pyrrha blinked, thinking about it. "No. In fact, I barely noticed them." She looked at the palm of her right hand. "Nor did the flame in my hand burn me."

Ozpin nodded. "Your powers will not harm you unless you wished it so. And yes, the flames coming from the eyes are a clear sign that someone has Maiden abilities. Of course, since they only appear when the powers are in use, it can be quite difficult to locate a Maiden who does not wish to be found."

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "I see." She frowned. "Then, I suppose I should avoid using the Maiden powers in public?"

Ozpin nodded firmly. "That would be for the best, I think. We don't know where Amber's attacker is, and if word gets out that you've suddenly gained the powers of a Maiden, well..."

Yang gripped Pyrrha's arm, looking concerned, but Pyrrha smiled and patted her girlfriend's hand. "Well, it's nothing new for me to keep my abilities secret. I've managed to conceal my semblance thus far, it should be simple to do the same with the Maiden powers."

Ruby spoke up. "But Pyrrha still needs to practice with the powers, doesn't she? If she needs to use them...?"

Ozpin frowned. "Concealing the powers of the Maiden should be your primary goal. Unless it's a life or death situation..."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "I understand. And as I said, it shouldn't be a problem."

Ruby growled lightly. "She still needs to learn how to use the powers. We're huntresses. Life or death situations are a part of that." She threw her hands over her head. "Pyrrha needs to know how to use her powers just in case! What if the person who attacked Amber attacks Pyrrha! If she doesn't know how to use her powers then, she'll get killed!"

Ozpin smiled sadly. "While I think it is unlikely that Amber's attacker will discover the identity of the new Maiden, I cannot say with certainty that it isn't possible. And certainly, in a dire emergency, it's better to use the power rather than to let yourself be killed."

Pyrrha sighed. "I promise to be cautious about when and where I use these powers, Professor, but I would appreciate being able to fully utilize what gifts I have, in case they are ever needed. As Ruby says, we are huntresses, and someday we may face a threat that we cannot win against without using everything at our disposal. I will hide the powers to the best of my ability, but if there comes a time when my own abilities as a huntress are not enough to protect those I care about, I will want all the power at my disposal. I want to train in the Maiden powers as much as I can, so long as we can find a way to do so in secret."

Ozpin looked thoughtful. "I suppose I could give you access to the Vault under the school. There are a few areas that could be used for training, and no one will be able to observe you down there, save myself or Miss Goodwitch."

Ruby looked interested. "Oh! Pyrrha, we can train with your new weapons too!"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Are you changing your fighting style, Miss Nikos?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "Not exactly. I simply have decided to add a few tricks using my semblance, at Ruby's suggestion. She's given me quite a few ideas for how to use my semblance offensively, should I choose to use it to it's full potential."

Ozpin nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I can certainly approve of that." He smiled at Pyrrha. "Why don't I make it so you can access the Vault with your scroll, Miss Nikos, so that you and your team can go down there when you find time to train in your Maiden abilities?"

Taking her scroll, he added a program from his own, and handed it back. "Your scroll has a fingerprint identification function, as you know." Ozpin mentioned. "You'll need to use that each time you access the Vault. Also, if your scroll is lost or damaged, please let me know right away."

Pyrrha took her scroll back and carefully stowed it away again. "I will. Thank you Professor."

/-/

They went down into the Vault after that, and Ozpin showed them to a large empty room that was down a side corridor. After that, Pyrrha started practicing with her new abilities, while the others watched. Ozpin suggested a number of basic elemental effects for Pyrrha to try manifesting. In the next hour or so, Pyrrha managed to create a directed gust of wind, enough to blow about someone's hair or clothing, at least. She also learned how to channel enough frost for her to freeze a small patch of ground. He then recommend that Pyrrha simply practice those three techniques at first till she had gotten them powerful enough to use in combat.

Ozpin then excused himself, stating that he had school duties to perform, while Pyrrha continued to train for the rest of the afternoon.

After another hour of this, she turned to the rest of her team, looking a bit concerned. "Isn't this all terribly boring for you? You're just sitting there watching me practice."

Yang grinned. "Are you kidding? We're watching you practice MAGIC. I mean... when does that ever happen?" Blake and Ruby nodded in agreement. "To be honest, Babe..." Yang went on. "I probably wouldn't mind watching you practice anything. I kind of like watching you work, you know?" Pyrrha blushed, glancing at Blake and Ruby.

Blake chuckled. "Well... you are kind of impressive, Pyrrha, even when you're just doing weapon's practice. And your semblance makes objects float around... which is pretty cool. Add in magical powers and yeah... it's not exactly boring."

Ruby nodded agreement to that. "Oh! You should try lightning next!"

Pyrrha frowned. "Professor Ozpin seemed to think I should work on fire, wind, and frost first..."

Ruby looked dubious. "Your semblance is pretty much magnets... I bet you'll be really good at lightning."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "I suppose... but how should I do it? I mean... normally lightning comes from a storm, and I don't think I could summon a storm inside."

Yang grinned. "I bet you could..."

"But maybe you shouldn't." Blake cautioned. "At least not without asking Professor Ozpin about it first."

Ruby shrugged. "Why not just try and throw lightning out of your hands?"

Pyrrha blinked. "I'm not sure it works that way."

Ruby looked curious. "Are you sure? You make fire appear in your hand." She grinned. "I know... try charging Miló with electricity, then throwing it!"

Pyrrha looked thoughtful, then pulled her weapon off her back, transforming it into it's javelin mode. She pictured the weapon charging with electricity till it crackled visibly like Nora's hammer did when she used the lightning Dust crystal inside it. She opened her eyes, no longer really noticing the green flames, and found Miló was indeed crackling with lightning along it's length. She threw it at the far wall, where it hit like a thunderbolt, the lightning discharging violently into the wall and causing cracks to spiderweb out in all directions. Pyrrha winced. She'd blackened the floor here and there with fire, but this was the first real damage she'd done to the very solid looking walls.

Nevertheless, Yang and Ruby were both hooting and cheering at the display.

"Awesome, Babe! You're a regular thunder goddess!" Yang said with a laugh, leaping to her feet.

Ruby was grinning. "If you could keep people from seeing your eyes... you could pass that off as an evolution of your semblance, you know?"

Pyrrha blinked. "I... I suppose I could. I'll keep that in mind." She frowned. "Although I don't know how I'd conceal the fact that my eyes catch fire..."

"You could wear a mask." Blake said thoughtfully. "Like the ones the White Fang wear. That might work."

Pyrrha shook her head, frowning. "I don't wear a mask as part of my combat outfit though."

Blake shrugged. "I know... it's just a thought."

Pyrrha nodded. "Well... I'll keep it in mind, anyway."

Ruby looked excited. "Oh! Your armor is based on old Mistralian legionnaire armor, right?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Yes... as is the basic design of Miló and Akoúo̱. Why?"

Ruby shrugged. "Why not add a legionnaire helm? One of the cool ones with the red crests?"

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "I wouldn't be against the idea... in theory, but such helms typically didn't include eye protection."

Ruby grinned. "I think I can come up with something that looks traditional, but still covers your eyes. There are some neat visor options we could go for..." She hesitated. "Well... they're kind of pricey, but we could add infrared or thermographic goggles into the design. That way your eyes would be completely covered."

Blake spoke up. "Would that conceal the flames?"

Yang frowned. "Actually, wouldn't those eye flames damage a helmet?"

Pyrrha blinked. "I... I have no idea." She summoned fire to her left hand, then reached up to her face with her right, cupping her palm over the flames. "They don't feel hot..."

Blake spoke up. "Well, they seem to be stopped by your hand... let me try something." She unwound the ribbons she wore around her left arm, and walked up to Pyrrha. "Here, let me tie this around your eyes, and see if those flames are visible if your eyes are completely covered?" Pyrrha nodded, and Blake blindfolded her by wrapping her ribbon around Pyrrha's head three times. "OK. Try using your Maiden powers now."

Pyrrha nodded, and, after a moment, summoned a small crackling ball of lightning into her hand. "Can you see the flames in my eyes now?" Pyrrha asked as she held the glowing, crackling ball in her hand up.

Blake shook her head. "No... I guess if your eyes are completely covered, the flames can't escape?"

Ruby grinned. "Let me draw up some helmet designs for you, Pyrrha! If you could use your Maiden powers without anyone knowing it... the way you use your Polarity now, it'd be a big advantage."

Pyrrha smiled, and let the lightning in her hand vanish with a pop, then unwrapped Blake's ribbon from around her head, handing it back. "That sounds like a good idea, Ruby. My agent might not appreciate me wearing a helmet... but so long as I don't do so during the Vytal Festival, it shouldn't be a problem."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Why does it matter what your agent wants?"

Pyrrha hesitated. "Well, I still receive a number of commercial endorsements from various companies. My combat attire is part of the contract. I can't change my look too greatly without approval, or I risk losing those endorsements."

Yang frowned. "Oh. I guess that would be bad."

Pyrrha shrugged. "Those endorsements will not last forever. But for the moment, they do earn me a rather nice income. Most of which I have been putting away into savings, of course, but it would be nice not to have to worry about money in the future."

Yang sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I get that." She grinned. "Not that I'm complaining. I like your combat outfit. Sexy as hell."

Pyrrha blushed slightly. "Yes... well... that was rather the idea. While I had some input into it's design, my image consultant had the final say."

Yang gave her a thumb's up. "Well, it works." She shrugged. "It's just... you, Pyr. Sexy and strong. And I like the way you look."

Pyrrha smiled warmly. "I like the way you look as well, my love."

Yang grinned. "Glad to hear it."

Pyrrha frowned slightly. "Actually... speaking of my endorsements, while I had decided to walk away from the tournament scene in order to devote myself full time to being a huntress, I will be participating in at least one more tournament." She paused. "Or rather, WE will."

Yang nodded. "Right. The Vytal Festival tournament." She looked curious. "What about it?"

Pyrrha hesitated. "Well, if we were to do well... I imagine that all of you will gain a bit of notoriety as well. Possibly enough to land some commercial endorsements of your own." She nodded at Yang. "I know you've expressed some interest in that part of my life..."

Yang frowned, looking thoughtful. "Well... I'm not saying that I'd be against the idea. I mean, I like the spotlight and all, but wouldn't that just make things worse for you?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I am well used to the publicity, and if it would be something you'd enjoy... I'd be willing to put myself out there one final time."

Yang shook her head. "Babe... don't be dumb. You don't like being famous. I'm not going to make you go back into all of that just for my sake."

Pyrrha hesitated. "Well... I don't think it would be all that bad. Just participating in the Vytal festival will bring more publicity my way regardless of my desires. Especially if we do well."

"Especially if we win." Blake agreed. "And if we get to the one on one rounds, we're putting you forward for them, right?"

Pyrrha hesitated. "I wouldn't want to presume."

Yang grinned at her. "Nah, Blake's right. You're who we should send into the one on one rounds."

Ruby nodded. "I agree. Just remember not to use your semblance directly on Penny, OK?"

Pyrrha nodded with a small smile. "I won't. I imagine Penny will very likely reach the final rounds as well."

"She did the first time." Ruby agreed. "Penny's really strong. You can beat her, but you'd have to use your semblance..." She frowned. "If you just use your semblance like you normally do in combat class, you'd be fine, but Penny's wires really are a vulnerability. Your semblance is strong enough to... well, to tear Penny into pieces with them. You'll need to be careful."

Pyrrha nodded solemnly. "Winning the tournament isn't worth hurting Penny... or anyone." She shook her head. "Frankly, winning isn't even worth revealing my Polarity. If it comes down to that, I'll accept the loss."

Yang looked thoughtful. "OK, so..." She turned to Ruby. "If Pyrrha holds back like she's been doing in combat class, do you think she'll win the tournament?"

Ruby frowned. "I don't know. I honestly think Penny will probably win... but Pyrrha gave her a really good fight even before she panicked and..." She grimaced. "Er... anyway... before Emerald must have..." She shook her head. "Anyway... I think it'll be Pyrrha or Penny. I think Penny could probably even beat Cinder, actually. She's REALLY strong."

Yang grinned. "OK, so Pyrrha's going to at least get into the last round, right? That's still pretty good."

Pyrrha smiled. "I could let you take my place for the one on one rounds, Yang." She glanced at Ruby. "Or you, Ruby? Your scores in combat class are as good as Yang's... and you are our team leader."

Ruby shook her head. "I'm not the best at one on one stuff. There are lots of people who I can't beat. Yang's better at the one on one stuff... so long as she doesn't keep telegraphing with her right, anyway..."

Yang rolled her eyes. "I've got it, I've got it. You don't have to keep rubbing it in." She shook her head in mock despair. "You lose an arm in one alternate time line and no one ever lets you forget it." Ruby just rolled her eyes back, and stuck out her tongue at her older sister.

When the siblings had stopped antagonizing each other, Pyrrha spoke up again. "In any event, before the tournament, if any of you wished it, I could talk to my agent, get him to come up with some marketing? If we do as well as I... well, as, modesty aside, I believe that we're likely to do... you could each land an endorsement or two. If you wanted. It can be pretty lucrative, although you already know how I feel about the downsides, it's an option."

Blake looked thoughtful. "Well... I COULD use the money... but..." She shook her head. "With my past... it's too risky. It's one thing just participating, but I'm too well known in the White Fang. If Adam knew where to find me..."

Ruby shrugged. "That leaves me out too. I'm not risking Blake's safety."

Yang sighed. "Well, yeah, when you put it that way... maybe we shouldn't enter at all?"

Blake shook her head. "No... Yang. Nobody pays that much attention to the fighters in the four on four matches. As long as I don't go on into the later rounds, I doubt Adam will notice."

Yang looked dubious. "Somebody in the White Fang would see you, wouldn't they? And they could tell your ex?"

Blake sighed. "Maybe. I guess I could wear a disguise?" She brightened. "Actually, that could work."

Ruby cut in. "Wait, Blake... why did you participate in the Vytal Festival in my timeline then?"

Blake blinked. "I did?" She frowned. "Are you sure?"

Ruby nodded. "In the four on four matches, anyway."

Blake shrugged. "Well, there you go."

Ruby looked dubious. "Still seems a bit strange, if you were trying to hide."

Blake sighed. "Well... I don't really know, Ruby. I mean... apparently I also went to a White Fang rally in your timeline without wearing a proper disguise... so maybe I was just an idiot?"

Ruby shook her head seriously. "No, I don't think that was it."

Blake chuckled. "I don't know then." She tried to think about it. "Well, I came to Beacon because it's the best school for hunters and huntresses, but also because it's one of the safest places on Remnant. I would never have expected the White Fang to attack here. I figured I'd be safe." She sighed again. "Of course, now I know that they will... but I'd never have guessed. So maybe I just felt like the chance of being spotted participating in the tournament wasn't that much of a risk?"

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. "Well, after the Breach, we kind of did think that we'd stopped the White Fang's plans. Uncle Qrow said we were being naive... he said that... what was it?" She wrinkled her nose. "That crime had stopped completely... and that meant something was actually happening?"

Yang spoke up. "So after the Breach, crime stopped completely?" Ruby nodded, and Yang continued. "And Uncle Qrow warned us that things weren't over? Huh. Well, I guess he must have been investigating things after we got involved in the Breach or something. Too bad we didn't listen."

Ruby shrugged. "We were in school... and we didn't have any more leads. What were we supposed to do?"

Yang sighed. "Yeah... you've got a point. Why is it up to us to save the city again?"

Ruby looked sheepish. "Because of me, I guess?"

Yang nodded soberly. "Oh yeah. My sister is a time traveler. I keep forgetting."

Ruby punched her on the shoulder, hard.

The ensuing scuffle put an end to practice for the day.

/-/