118

Chapter 118:

"Wooooow!" Ruby gasped, sweeping her eyes across the assembled stalls, and taking in the sight of the countless people moving amidst them. She'd been treated to some incredible sights in her life, but this was one for the records, as far as she was concerned. Never before had she seen this many people, all in one place, all at once.

"Yeah, the Vytal Festival is a big deal," confirmed Jaune, with a small chuckle at Ruby's awe. Considering the things she had seen and done, there was something quite amusing about how she could be so enthralled by the sight of a mere crowd of people, however massive it might be.

Truth be told, he was a little amazed by the number of people present as well. It was a reminder that the Vytal Festival was a celebration that encompassed the population of all four Kingdoms, with members of those Kingdoms making their way to Vale for this year's celebration. In the crowd just in front of them, Jaune could make out people dressed in the kimonos and cheongsams of Mistral, or the lighter desert clothes of Vacuo, and a few dressed in the heavier clothes of Atlas. Here and there, he spotted some faunus who might have been from Menagerie, though he couldn't say for sure.

Ruby managed to wrench her eyes away from the spectacle before them, turning to take in the sight of her own team, along with Team RYNB, who were waiting at the steps of the entrance into Beacon's dining hall, where they'd been asked by a friend to wait.

"Did Sun say what he wanted?" asked Ruby.

"Not really," said Jaune. "He just mentioned a surprise. I figured he wanted to introduce us to the rest of his team, now that they're here. But I wouldn't call that much of a surprise."

Ruby nodded pensively.

Sun had been rather disappointed to have been away, when her altercation with Mason's forces had happened, having wanted to be there to help. Ruby appreciated the sentiment, once again glad for the blonde faunus' sense of loyalty to his friends. He and Neptune had taken a mission outside the walls this time, resulting in them coming back to hear the story of what had happened from Blake.

Another development that had taken place was Neptune finally coming clean about his reason for turning down Weiss for the dance, explaining his insecurity over his inability to dance. Naturally, no one on RASP or RYNB was really inclined to give him much leeway, given how paltry an excuse it was for the way he'd hurt Weiss' feelings. However, Weiss had graciously decided to bury the hatchet, granting Neptune her forgiveness. However, she'd also made it clear that she was not interested in a relationship with him any longer. Exactly why that was was something she'd never clarified, though her friends knew well enough, and Sun and Neptune had their suspicions…

"Hey!" a voice shouted from within the crowd of people milling about the festival grounds, which had taken over Beacon's courtyards. They caught sight of that familiar head of shaggy, blonde hair that was so indicative of Sun, the young man himself emerging from the crowd at the head of a group of eight.

Ruby was quick to recognize the other members of Sun's team. Neptune was easy enough, considering they knew him already, but she also remembered the two members Sun had identified as Scarlet and Sage, from the pictures that Sun had shown her and the others on occasion. With them was another team that was apparently from Haven, consisting of two girls and two boys.

Scarlet was a fair-skinned young man, dressed in a sleeveless white shirt, along with white pants, sporting a pair of belts. His pants were tucked into a pair of tall, gray boots that almost came up to his knees. His shirt sported gray collar that rose up his neck, while gray bandages were wrapped around his right arm, above the elbow, and his right hand. His most striking features were his red hair, which was swept to the right of his head, so that it completely covered the eye on that side, and the red marks around the outside corner of his left eye. A feather-earring decorated his left ear, and a military-style red jacket was draped over his shoulders.

Sage had an even more striking appearance, the dark-skinned young man being the biggest and brawniest member of SSSN by a substantial margin. A pair of gold eyes stared out from beneath a head of short, spiky, sage-green hair. His torso was covered by a long, white coat, left unbuttoned to display the chiseled muscles of his chest and stomach, its tails decorated with green, winglike designs, which appeared to be a match for the black wings tattooed across his chest. Even stranger was the set of numerals tattooed around his neck. His jacket was asymmetrical, with the right sleeve being completely missing up to the shoulder, which was covered by a gold pauldron, connected to armored leather straps wound around the rest of his right arm. A set of black pants, held up by a white belt, completed the ensemble.

"Yo," said Sun, grinning and raising a hand in greeting as he approached.

"Hey, Sun," said Ruby, grinning back. "Is this the rest of your team?"

"Yep," said Sun, gesturing to the two other boys. "Pretty-boy here is Scarlet David."

"A pleasure," said Scarlet, bowing forward in a surprisingly courtly gesture.

"And Tall, Dark, and Handsome here is Sage Ayana."

Sage nodded, apparently not feeling the need to say anything.

"Hmm..." Yang smacked her lips as she took in Sage's appearance with wandering eyes. "Me likey..."

Sage grunted, the nervous look on his face clashing with the sense of strength his imposing physique conveyed. The sight was enough that Ruby found herself masking a chuckle.

"And this..." continued Sun, gesturing to the other group of four people, "is Team Auburn. They're buddies of ours."

He gestured to the brown-skinned young woman, who observed them all with serious, olive-green eyes, sporting a head of flowing, platinum-blonde hair. She was dressed in a yellow robe that left her left shoulder and arm completely bare, with a black tube-top beneath it, over a pair of black pants, all held together with a red sash. "This is Arslan Altan, their leader."

Arslan favored them with a silent nod.

"Next to her is Bolin Hori," continued Sun, gesturing to the tanned young man with shoulder-length, black hair, wearing a yellow sash over a blue vest.

"Nice to meet you," said Bolin politely.

"And then there's Nadir Shinko," continued Sun, gesturing to the other boy on the team, a young-man with short, backwards-swept, pink hair, which stood out starkly against the dark color of his skin, only a couple of shades lighter than Arslan's, dressed in a white jacket with yellow hems over a black shirt.

"Yo," the pink-haired boy said cheerfully.

"And, last but not least, Reese Chloris," finished Sun, gesturing to the other girl on the team.

Reese's appearance stood out distinctly against that of her teammates, looking a bit more like an extreme sports enthusiast than a student-Huntress. Her long, wild, turquoise hair was swept to the right side of her head, from which a pair of green eyes stared out with a sense of almost wicked mischief. Underneath her eyes were black, rectangular marks, reminding everyone of the eye-black that many professional athletes painted underneath their eyes to help absorb the sun's glare. She was clad in a dark-purple, hooded sweater over a lighter, mauve-colored one. Her legs were covered by a pair of black shorts, and she sported knee and elbow-guards, completing the athletic look.

Reese stood out to Ruby for another reason. From the moment she'd arrived on the scene, Reese's eyes had been fixated on Ruby in particular. For her part, Ruby thought there was something familiar about Reese's name, though she couldn't quite place where she'd heard it before.

Rather than offer any kind of greeting, Reese continued to stare at Ruby, an odd, strangely neutral look on her face. "You're Ruby Rose, right?" she asked.

"Y-yes," replied Ruby, not sure of the emotions conveyed by Reese's voice.

"I knew it." Reese's voice was almost a whisper. "It is you."

"Huh?" Ruby grunted, unsure of what Reese was getting at.

Her confusion was compounded when Reese surged forward. Before Ruby could react, Reese had thrown her arms around Ruby's shoulders, hugging her tightly. The complete lack of malice in the gesture had left Ruby unable to respond, until Reese was already hugging her. "Um...uh..."

"I can't thank you enough," Reese whispered, resting her face against Ruby's shoulder. "You brought Mom back to us."

"Your mother...?" Ruby blinked in confusion, before something clicked into place, a certain doctor she and Sasame had met in a town in the mountainous territories of Northern Mistral. "You're Dr. Chloris' daughter?"

"That'd be me," said Reese with a giggle, pulling back, tears dripping from her eyes. "I can't believe I finally get to meet you."

"I...I uh..." Ruby averted her eyes slightly. "I'm sorry I couldn't save your mother."

"That's not your fault," said Reese, her smile fading slightly at the mention of her lost family member. "That was before you got there. Mom was a Huntress. She knew the risks. If I couldn't accept that, I wouldn't be here, now."

Her smile returned. "What's important was that you gave Dad closure. He told me all about what you did."

"How is your father?" asked Ruby, tilting her head quizzically.

"He's doing all right," said Reese, wiping her eyes. "When I told him I was heading to Vale for the festival, he told me to give you his regards, if I ran into you."

"I'm glad to hear it," said Ruby.

A cough interrupted their moment, and they both looked around to see that all their friends were staring at them. The pair blushed, then jumped apart, prompting a few chuckles.

"So she's the one, huh?" asked Arslan, giving Reese a questioning look.

"Yep," agreed Reese, regaining her composure more quickly than Ruby recovered hers.

A small smile appeared on Arslan's face, and she stepped forward, extending her left hand in greeting. Ruby took it, accepting the firm squeeze that Arslan gave her, and returning her smile. "It's nice to finally meet the girl Reese was so excited about," said Team ABRN's leader.

"Um...What was all that about?" asked Sun, looking on with no small amount of confusion. Ruby's own friends and teammates from Beacon were no less baffled.

"It's a bit of a story," said Ruby nervously. "I guess I can go ahead and tell you all."

"You can tell your story over lunch," said Sage, rubbing his stomach. "I'm starving. Airship food isn't very good at all."

"The Kingdoms' airships are so cool!" declared Natsuki, her face pressed up against the glass, violet eyes staring out with an expression of wonder as the waters of the bay between Vale and Beacon passed beneath them.

Shinomori Natsuki was dressed in a sleeveless, blue shinobi shozoku with grey hems and short leggings, held together by a pink sash, tied into a bow behind her. Her blue and green hair was cut to chin length, framing a girlish face, while the rest of it was tied into a long braid behind her, the strands of colors being separated out and woven together. Her feet were covered by white socks and zori-sandals, complimented by blue wrappings around her ankles and calves. Her forearms were protected by a pair of light bracers. Finally, her weapons, a pair of kodachi, one slightly longer than the other, were thrust into her sash, behind her back, so that they crossed over one another, their hilts protruding slightly out to either side of her waist.

Natsuki took everything in with a sense of childlike wonder, contrasting sharply with the more-restrained expressions of her two companions.

Ibuki Miyu was an elegantly-composed young woman, sporting a head of vivid, scarlet hair that cascaded down to the small of her back in a smooth wave, complimenting the grayish-blue eyes that stared out from her face. Miyu was rather simply-dressed, wearing a pale-pink kimono, complimented by a sky-blue sash around her waist, tied in a rather simple knot at the front. Her kimono was tucked into a pair of identically-colored, loose hakama, left untied at the ankles.

Standing beside Miyu was Nagi Setsuna. He was a serious young man, his demeanor somewhat contrasting with his boyish face, with its rounded cheeks, set beneath a pair of intense, amber eyes with slit-shaped pupils. His silver hair was cut short at the front, and slightly longer around the sides and back, with the back hair going all the way down the back of his neck. Setsuna's outfit consisted of a simple, white, long-sleeved shirt, tied together at the front, with a blue stripe running horizontally across at the level of his chest. Below that, he wore a pair of pale-blue shorts, his legs bare all the way down to the white socks over his feet, which rested on a pair of wooden geta. A white sash was tied around his waist. Behind him, crossed in a manner similar to Natsuki's kodachi, were a pair of kama, sporting handles of gray steel.

Even though Miyu and Setsuna's reactions were more subdued, they too stared out with looks of wonder. It wasn't just the sight of the bay's waters passing soundlessly beneath them that drew so much amazement though.

"Look at that!" gasped Natsuki, pointing out the window. "They have an entire flying building."

"I can see that," observed Miyu, a smile on her face, and a warble of laughter in her voice at her friend's exuberance.

"Isn't that the coliseum?" asked Setsuna. "That's where Ruby-chan is going to fight."

"That is what I've heard," said Sasame, coming up behind the trio, fox-tail wagging back and forth behind her in a steady tempo.

"So we'll get to go up there and watch her, right?" asked Natsuki, beginning to hop up and down.

"If we can get seats," said Miyu. "I imagine that securing tickets to such a venue will be...tricky...especially for people like us."

"Well...I'm sure arrangements can be made," said Sasame, smiling slyly. "For now, let's focus on meeting up with Ruby-chan. We can worry about the minutia later."

The airship banked slowly, now giving them a magnificent view of Beacon Academy itself, including its signature tower. Natsuki gasped, clasping her hands together and hopping up and down in place. "Oh wow! Ruby-chan gets to go to school here! It's so awesome!"

"It certainly is a sight," agreed Miyu, leaning forward slightly, in spite of herself.

"Ruby-chan must have learned so much since she got here," guessed Natsuki.

"That she has," agreed Sasame. "You'll be able to find out more, when we see her in person."

"It's gonna be tricky, finding her in a place this crowded," noted Setsuna.

"Nonsense," declared Sasame. "All three of you are plenty well-practiced with Extension to locate her. The fact that, in the Kingdoms, only a small number of people have their Auras unlocked will make her stand out all the more. On top of that, she'll probably recognize your Auras even before you recognize hers."

Natsuki nodded eagerly.

Sasame rested a hand against Natsuki's bare upper arm in a feather-light touch. She spoke in a much softer tone, keeping these words just between her and Natsuki. "Remember, Natsu-chan, there's one more person you'll need to meet, while you're here."

Natsuki's smile vanished briefly, replaced by an uncharacteristically grave look for a few seconds, and she nodded. "Right," she said, her voice more serious than before.

"There's nothing to worry about, Natsu-chan," said Sasame with a giggle. "Ozpin-dono doesn't bite."

Nearby, a pair of hazel eyes, mixed with other colors, fixated on the diminutive girl, and her gently wagging fox-tail. That's...

In the dining hall, Ruby related the story to all her friends, old and new, about purging the nest of Ungols in the mountains of Mistral. RASP and RYNB had heard about this in class before, but it had never been something Ruby had gone over in detail...for good reason. Just thinking about those spider-like Grimm gave her the chills and made her skin crawl; and thinking about those tunnels, the mass of fangs, black-furred legs, and malevolent red eyes, always had her breaking out in a cold sweat.

"God..." Sage whispered under his breath, after Ruby finished. "We'd read about Ungols in class, but I've always hoped I'd never have to deal with them."

"It's a good story for giving you chills in the summertime," added Scarlet, actually rubbing his arms.

"You've got some serious guts, taking those things on," commented Arslan with an approving smile. "Now I'm kinda hoping we don't run into you during the tournament."

"Ditto," agreed Nadir, while Bolin nodded sagely.

"So Mom's stuff was at the bottom?" asked Reese, who'd been hanging on to Ruby's every word.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "Her armor and weapon were all we could find of her. Her bones were probably there. But there were the remains of so many people..."

"It's okay," said Reese, sniffing and rubbing her eyes. "I'm glad you brought even that home, even though you had to hike all the way back up the mountain."

"It was the least we could do," said Ruby, averting her eyes. "Is Hinagiku still doing all right?"

"They're doing okay," said Reese with a shrug. "They've got traffic coming through the pass again, thanks to you." She paused. "Oh! You should see what they did with the road. They turned the Ungols' tunnels into a military base. It's actually kinda cool now. I got to see it, the last time I went home for a visit."

"That sounds pretty neat," said Ruby. "I heard that was what they were planning to do. I'm glad it worked out."

"Yeah, the extra soldiers means more economy for the town," added Reese.

They talked a little longer. Ruby and her friends shared what stories they could about their adventures. There was only so much they could say without touching on the secrets of Ozpin's inner circle. However, they were able to relate their fights against the White Fang at the docks, and in Vale's industrial district. They were also free to talk about the sea voyage Team RASP took, and their battle with Morgan's pirates. Their new friends were hanging on to every word with a vigor.

Finally, lunch finished up, and the different teams decided to go their separate ways. ABRN and SSSN went to get settled in their rooms at the visitor dorms, while RASP and RYNB headed out to take in the festival grounds.

They were heading down the steps of the dining hall, Ruby in the lead, when she froze mid-step, her eyes going wide, a soft gasp escaping her.

"Ruby?" asked Jaune, looking at her curiously. "Everything okay?"

Abruptly, Ruby broke into a run, dashing forward, completely ignoring her friends' calls for her to wait. Ruby dodged her way through the crowd, slipping between people as quickly and efficiently as she could, chasing down the source of the familiar Aura that had brushed against her own, an Aura that was now exuberantly approaching her.

"Natsu-chan!"

"Ruby-chan!"

The two friends collided, practically slamming into each other, wrapping one another up in a tight hug as the two girls laughed excitedly.

"You're here!" exclaimed Ruby, resting her chin on Natsuki's shoulder. "You're really here!"

"You bet!" replied Natsuki. "When Sasame-sama offered us the chance to come visit you, we knew we couldn't turn it down."

"'Us'...?" Ruby pulled back, looking at Natsuki quizzically, eyes blinking in confusion. Then she tilted her head to look past Natsuki's face, and see the two people standing behind her. "Miyu-chan! Setsuna-kun!"

Miyu raised a hand in greeting, before being seized in a tight hug of her own, which she happily, if sedately, returned. After a moment of embrace, Ruby transferred her affections to Setsuna, before releasing him quickly.

"No love for me, Ruby-chan?" asked a familiar voice behind Ruby's visiting friends.

"Sasame-nee!" squealed Ruby, throwing herself at her sister, the two hugging, and Ruby getting tossed in the air again.

"Welcome back," said Pyrrha, she and the rest of Ruby's friends panting softly, after trying to follow Ruby through the crowd of milling visitors.

"Hello, all," said Sasame, setting Ruby aside and beaming at her friends. "It's good to see you all again." She directed a sly grin at Ruby. "Ruby-chan, I believe introductions are in order."

"R-right," said Ruby, coming to stand beside Natsuki, with Miyu and Setsuna standing on her other side. "Everyone, these are my friends from Onmyo. This is Shinomori Natsuki..." She gestured to her best friend, who managed to rein in her natural energy enough to bow politely. "And these are Ibuki Miyu and Nagi Setsuna." The girl and boy bowed as well.

"It's an honor to meet all of you," said Miyu politely.

Ruby in turn introduced her teammates and friends from Beacon to her friends from home. After that, the entire group began making their way through the festival grounds together.

"It's great to finally meet Ruby's friends from the Mibu," said Pyrrha, taking in the trio that had come with Sasame.

"It's nice to learn that Ruby-chan's been able to make friends here as well," said Miyu. "We were a little worried, when we first heard. Ruby-chan had a bit of a hard time, back home."

"Yeah, but that was because I was an Outsider," Ruby pointed out.

"True," agreed Setsuna, he and Miyu lowering their heads slightly.

"Well, that wasn't much of an issue here," said Blake. "Most of us had never heard of the Mibu, before Ruby told us about them."

"Yeah, Ruby didn't have too many problems here," declared Nora, now draping herself over Ruby's shoulders. "She's the bee's knees."

Ruby blushed furiously at Nora's praise.

"Sasame-sama told us you were doing some crazy stuff over here," said Natsuki.

"If only you knew half of it," muttered Weiss.

"My, it sounds like quite a bit has happened, since I was last here," noted Sasame, raising a curious eyebrow.

"That's putting it mildly," said Yang.

"I'll have to get the details out of you later," said Sasame. "I believe the four of us should try and figure out some form of living arrangements."

"Let's go to Professor Ozpin," suggested Ruby. "I know you're not Academy students, but maybe there's still a spare room in the guest dorms he can give you."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," said Sasame. "We needed to see Ozpin-dono soon anyway."

"Huh?" Ruby glanced at Sasame, who shifted her eyes towards Natsuki meaningfully. Oh...

As they wandered through the crowds, gradually working their way to Beacon Tower, their conversation drifted.

"I can't believe you walked all the way to Vale," Ruby was saying to Natsuki.

"Why are you surprised?" asked Natsuki. "You did it too, remember?"

"Y-yeah, but I was in training," Ruby deflected.

"Well, it was training for me too," declared Natsuki proudly, resting her fists against her hips, throwing out her chest and sticking her nose up in the air. "So there."

"If we weren't with her, she'd probably have run the whole way," added Setsuna tiredly.

"Keeping up with her was training enough," said Miyu.

Miyu and Setsuna paused, finding a sympathetic hand on their shoulders. Turning their heads to look, they saw Ren looking at them with an expression of the greatest sympathy. "I can understand your plight," he said.

"Yeah," agreed Yang with a cheeky grin.

"We have a Nora, after all," added Blake with a wry smile.

"Hey!" protested Nora, puffing out her cheeks and pouting.

"Yeah, you guys are mean," agreed Natsuki, standing next to Nora and mimicking her pout perfectly. Their friends burst into laughter, which only made them pout all the harder.

"Natsu-chan did set quite the pace," noted Sasame. "It only goes to show just how excited she was to see you again, Ruby-chan."

"Of course I was!" protested Natsuki, flailing her arms, which prompted Nora to back away. "You didn't tell us you were going to enter Beacon already, Ruby-chan!"

"I wasn't planning on it," Ruby protested. "I wasn't expecting Professor Ozpin to invite me in two years early, like that." She tapped her fingers together, averting her eyes shyly. "I'm sorry. I wish there was some way I could've told you myself."

Miyu hugged Ruby from behind, resting her chin on Ruby's shoulder. "It's fine," she said. "We know that this was your dream."

"And we should've known you were the kind of person who'd get invited early," added Setsuna with a smirk. "You're just that good."

Ruby blushed furiously, ducking her head under the praise, her friends chuckling.

"Wait!"

"Hmm?" Ruby's head perked up at the sound of the shouted voice. It was distant, and she couldn't be sure that whoever was calling out was actually calling for anyone in their group. But there was something else, a sensation of familiarity.

"Please, wait!" the plaintive voice called out again, this time sounding closer.

"Is that for us?" wondered Natsuki, turning in the direction of the voice.

It turned out unlucky for her. Right as she turned, a figure emerged from between a pair of passing pedestrians, stumbling forward in his haste...and slamming right into her. Natsuki squeaked in surprise as the boy bowled her over, the two of them winding up sprawled on the ground.

"Uh..."

Blinking, Natsuki found herself staring up into a pair of unusual eyes. They were mainly forest-green, but accented with burnt-orange and yellow around the pupils. As the eyes pulled away, she found them set into a face of tanned skin, the cheeks beneath those eyes decorated with freckles, and a messy mop of black hair on top of that head.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed the young man, pushing up and away from Natsuki, scrambling to get out from over her. "I'm so sorry!"

"I-it's okay," said Natsuki, sitting up.

She and the others took in the sight of the boy as he meekly offered Natsuki a hand up.

He was dressed in an olive-colored overcoat, with shoulder pads and a belt of dark-red. Underneath that, he wore a white, collared shirt, with bandages wrapped around his neck and collar. The shirt was tucked into a set of black trousers, their legs tucked into dark-red boots. Orange gloves covered his hands, connected to black wrist-straps that formed an x-pattern over his forearms.

"Were you calling for us?" asked Ruby coming forward.

The moment she met the boy's eyes, he froze. "I...um...uh..." His voice almost completely failed him.

Ruby squinted a little. There was something familiar about this boy, particularly his eyes. She also thought she remembered that freckled face, though it had been younger, the last time she'd seen it. A moment later, it sank in, and her eyes widened as she sucked in a sudden intake of air. "Oscar...?"

"Y-yeah," said Oscar, nervously averting his eyes.

"Oh my God!" gasped Ruby. A second later, she was gone, a scattering cloud of petals in her wake as she threw herself at the boy, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in an excited hug. "It is you! Wow! It's so great to see you again!"

Oscar froze in place, face turning bright red. His own arms spread, almost as though he wanted to return Ruby's embrace. However, they seemed to lock into place before he could bring them around to hug her back. "Y-yeah...It's good to see you too."

Observing Oscar's reaction, Sasame tittered softly. She wasn't the only one. You didn't need to be an expert healer to read the signs in Oscar's behavior. Most of the others expressed varying degrees of amusement. Only Jaune didn't look particularly happy. He'd read the same signs that everyone else had, but he didn't find it all that amusing.

Ruby released Oscar, pulling back, but keeping her hands on his shoulders, eyes sparkling. "I can't believe you're here," she said. "What are you doing here? Are you here for the festival? Did your aunt come with you-?"

"Ruby-chan." Sasame's voice cut through Ruby's inquiries easily.

Ruby froze, and she turned a sheepish grin on Sasame, who looked back with a wry smile.

"Perhaps allow Oscar-kun to answer a question, before you move onto the next one," she suggested.

"O-oh...right..." Ruby turned back to Oscar, letting him go and looking down abashedly. "Sorry," she said.

"I-it's okay," said Oscar.

"A-anyway, are you here for the festival?" Ruby began again.

"Y-yeah," stammered Oscar. "I-I saw you in the news. It was a pretty big deal, over in Mistral. A-and I figured that, if you were at Beacon, you'd be fighting in the tournament, so I came to see you."

"Pretty bold," commented Yang softly, glancing sidelong at Jaune.

Jaune was frowning, but not angrily. His expression was more pensive than anything else. Yang was a bit surprised. Then again, she was a bit surprised by her own feelings, upon meeting a boy who was clearly nursing a serious crush on her little sister, if it had driven him to travel all the way across Anima and Sanus to come to Vale to see her. Much to her confusion, Yang was amazed at how little hostility she felt towards the boy, considering how she'd regarded Jaune, at the beginning to the school year.

Part of it she put down to the fact that Jaune was older than Ruby, while this new boy was clearly younger. On top of that, Oscar seemed so...so...harmless. That was the best word Yang could use to describe it. Oscar's attitude and behavior made her almost incapable of seeing him as a threat in any capacity. He was an adorable little teddy bear of a boy...though Yang decided to keep that observation to herself, if only to spare the poor boy any further embarrassment.

"Wow!" gasped Ruby. "What about your aunt? Did she come too? Or are you by yourself?"

"Ruby..." chided Sasame again, a bit more forcefully this time.

"Uh...right...sorry," said Ruby, blushing again.

"Also...maybe an introduction for your other friends," added Sasame.

Ruby turned, regarding the group of eleven people who were now watching her and Oscar. Immediately, her face flushed as red as his had, and she bowed her head contritely.

"R-right...sorry." Lifting her head back up, she grinned. "Everyone, this is Oscar Pine. Sasame-nee and I met him when we were traveling through Anima."

I'm guessing there's a lot more to it than that, if he went through all this trouble just to see her, thought Pyrrha. She wasn't the only one to think along those lines.

"I-it's nice to meet you all," said Oscar.

"It's good to see you again too, Oscar-kun," said Sasame, stepping forward, her presence doing a great deal to calm the boy down and soothe the heat of his embarrassment. "And how is Emalee-san doing?"

"Auntie Em's doing great," said Oscar relaxing a little. For some reason, Sasame didn't make him feel as nervous and self-conscious as Ruby did. "She's still on the farm though. It's getting close to harvest time."

Sasame tilted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't come by yourself, did you, Oscar-kun?"

"N-no," replied Oscar. "I mean...I've been doing some training, but..."

Abruptly, his back arched slightly and he yelped in pain, the sudden action prompting a yelp of surprise from Ruby, who jumped away from him slightly. The reason for Oscar's shout was the shaft of a walking stick, which had been rapped sharply against his shin.

"There you are, you little devil," scolded an elderly voice. "You have a lot of nerve, leaving me in the lurch like that."

"S-s-sorry, Ms. Maria," said Oscar contritely, turning towards the woman and lowering his head.

"Hmph!" grunted the woman. "As soon as we got off the airship, you went haring off on your own without so much as a 'by your leave.' I thought you were raised better than that."

"I'm sorry!" repeated Oscar, bowing his head low and scrunching his eyes shut in a nervous grimace.

"Um...Who is this?" asked Ruby, regarding the woman.

Despite her small stature and hunched posture, an obvious concession to her advanced age, the elderly woman was clearly formidable. Her silver hair was tied into a simple braid, running down the center of her back, contrasting sharply with her dark skin. She was clad in a dark-blue dress, with its full-length skirt consisting of alternating layers of dark and light-blue. Over all that, she wore a dark-blue cloak, its edges trimmed with white triangular designs. Heavy, brown boots and gloves rounded off her appearance, giving her a well-traveled look.

However, the woman's most distinctive feature was the mechanical prosthesis that had apparently replaced her eyes. It looked almost as though the front end of a pair of binoculars had been grafted into her skull, the lenses illuminated by flickering, blue lights, with a set of shutters that appeared to allow her to mimic the optical component of human facial expressions to some degree. Those shutters narrowed slightly, as the woman looked up at Ruby, studying her carefully.

Her gloved hands rested atop a wooden walking stick, topped by an ornate, blue skull. Said walking stick was what she had been using to whack Oscar's shin earlier. But now the woman stood with it planted on the ground, her hands resting atop its domed skull.

In answer to her question, Oscar tried to introduce the woman. "This is-"

"Maria Calavera," declared the woman, cutting the poor boy off. "I can handle my own introduction, thank you very much."

"Y-yes, Ms. Maria," said Oscar, bowing his head to her again.

"In any case, I'm Oscar's chaperone for this trip," said Maria, mechanical eyes narrowing and tilting in what was clearly a sidelong glare she directed at the boy in question, who blushed and averted his eyes, "when he doesn't go running off on his own."

"I'm sorry," said the boy once again.

He apologizes almost as much as Pyrrha used to, noted Ruby, though, in this case, it was less because of an ingrained tendency towards modesty, and more out of a frantic desire to placate the formidable woman he was traveling with. Ruby could certainly understand that. As old as she was, Maria exuded an aura of natural authority, commanding respect from those with enough awareness to realize that there was a great deal more to this old woman than there seemed, at first glance.

Despite her age, Maria's Aura buzzed with impressive intensity. From its state, Ruby guessed, rather easily, that she had been a Huntress, earlier in life. She might have lost some of her previous stature, but Ruby could sense taut muscles beneath that dress, suggesting that she still had a substantial portion of her old strength.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Calavera," said Ruby, bowing politely to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," said Maria brightly. "I'm certainly looking forward to a chance to get to know you better, later."

"I'd like that," said Ruby, a nervous feeling rising up within her. There was...something...about the way Maria had said what she'd said, something that Ruby couldn't put her finger on. It was a vague, distant memory, but she was reminded of the feeling she had gotten the first time she'd met Kyo's father. Back then, Kyoichiro had regarded Ruby with intense interest, for reasons she had never learned or understood. And now...for some reason...Maria appeared to be regarding her with the same kind of interest.

"Well then, now that you've found the one you were looking for, why don't we all take in the festival together," suggested Sasame politely.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," said Maria.

The group set off once again, their path still meandering in the direction of Beacon Tower, though they took their time getting there. As they did, Ruby walked alongside Oscar, chatting excitedly with him. Sasame walked along his opposite side, Maria a short distance away from her.

As they walked, Ruby couldn't help but notice a few things about Oscar. He'd grown since the last time she'd seen him. That much was fairly obvious. Oscar had only been eleven, during their first encounter. However, Ruby had been able to sense other developments.

For starters, he'd developed some impressive muscles, hard and taut. She could sense them with her Extension, and had gotten a decent feel of them when she'd hugged him earlier as well. And while Ruby imagined that working on a farm was fairly physically intensive, Oscar's muscles seemed a bit more sculpted than mere physical labor could explain. In fact, Ruby was willing to bet that he'd been getting combat training.

That was made all the more apparent by the state of Oscar's Aura. It had been unlocked already. Furthermore, it was practically bursting with power. In fact, Ruby's assessment of Oscar's Aura-reserves placed him only a bit below Jaune, in terms of overall volume.

The other thing that leapt out at her was that both Oscar and Maria's Auras were Tempered. Just as it had been with Yukimura, Ruby realized that there were other people outside the Mibu who had discovered the ways the Mibu used to cultivate their own Aura, at least in part.

As they reached the base of Beacon Tower, Sasame skipped forward, before spinning about to face the group, her tail wrapping around her briefly. "Well now," she said. "It would be a bit unwieldy to bring this whole group up to the top," she said. "So, for now, let's make it a small group. Ruby-chan, Natsu-chan...if you two would come with me."

"Okay," said Ruby and Natsuki in unison.

Behind her, Ruby could sense Miyu and Setsuna share a sidelong glance, though neither of them expressed any opposition. She wondered if they suspected a reason that Sasame had chosen Natsuki specifically. Or maybe they know already, she mused. Given how long she'd been away, she wondered if maybe her and Natsuki's two closest friends had been entrusted with Natsuki's secret in the meantime.

"In the meantime, why don't the rest of you keep exploring," suggested Sasame cheerfully. "This might take a bit, and it would be better if you spent that time having fun, instead of just waiting for us. We'll catch up with you later."

"Sounds like a plan," said Yang. "We'll show your old friends around."

"We'll see you later," added Jaune, glancing sidelong at Oscar.

"Uh..." Oscar dithered a little. A second later, he yelped as Maria's walking stick smacked his shin again. Tugging on his sleeve, she brought his head down closer to her level.

"Don't be clingy," she whispered to him. "You'll have plenty of chances to see each other, while you're here. The festival's barely started."

"Y-yes," replied Oscar, grimacing as he straightened up, leg still throbbing from the impact.

"We'll show 'em around," said Jaune, walking up behind Oscar, resting his hands on the younger boy's shoulders.

"Thanks," said Ruby, giving Jaune a warm smile, before turning to follow Sasame and Natsuki up the steps into the tower lobby.

Jaune nodded, back and gently steered Oscar away. As he did, he leaned down slightly. "We should talk," he said to Oscar.

"W-we should?" asked Oscar, shifting nervously, wondering what Jaune wanted to talk about.

"Yeah," said Jaune, already guiding Oscar away from the rest of the group. "We'll catch up to you guys later."

"Pretty chummy of him," said Weiss, raising an eyebrow at Jaune separating Oscar from the rest of the group.

"Well, it's pretty obvious what he's going to do," said Yang, the others nodding in agreement.

"Oh...And what's that?" asked Maria, who apparently felt no need to follow Oscar, if Jaune was going to be with him.

"Jaune's gonna set the record straight, about Ruby," said Yang.

The shutters of Maria's eyes widened considerably. "Oh...I see...I hope Oscar takes it all right."

"What is this all about?" asked Miyu, looking at Yang quizzically, Setsuna mimicking her look from next to her.

Yang chuckled and grinned at Ruby's friends from the Mibu. "I guess we should fill you guys in too. A lot's happened since Ruby came to Beacon after all..."

"Do Miyu-chan and Setsuna-kun know?" asked Ruby, as soon as the elevator doors slid closed.

"They do not," said Sasame. "They clearly suspect something, but have not pried into the matter. We were considering informing them."

"Oh..." said Ruby. "My friends at Beacon know, by the way."

"They do!?" gasped Natsuki.

"Not about you specifically, Natsu-chan," said Ruby, before grinning sheepishly. "A lot's happened..."

"I see," said Sasame, giggling. "It appears you have quite a few stories to share with us, Ruby-chan."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby. "By the way, did you notice, about Oscar and Maria?"

"I did," said Sasame. "It would appear that a certain someone has been training quite hard. And, interestingly, his training has apparently been more in-line with our own."

Ruby nodded.

"What are you talking about?" asked Natsuki.

"Oscar and Maria's Auras were Tempered," explained Ruby. "That's pretty rare in the Kingdoms."

"The Kingdoms have a different manner of developing people's Auras than we do," added Sasame. "But did you notice something else about Maria-dono?"

"Um..." Ruby frowned.

"...Like how you didn't notice her at first..." prodded Sasame.

Ruby gasped, eyes going wide. "Oh! She can do Suppression too."

"She can?" asked Natsuki, blinking.

Ruby nodded. Now that she thought about it, she realized she hadn't even sensed Maria's approach. No one had noticed the old woman had been there until she'd rapped her walking stick against poor Oscar's shin the first time. Not only was Maria capable of Suppression, but her Suppression was flawless, not even a faint leak of Aura present to give her away.

Sasame had noticed a few other things, mainly Maria's sudden interest in Ruby in particular. However, she chose to keep that to herself for the time being. Besides, the elevator had just arrived at Ozpin's office.

"Woooow!" cooed Natsuki, her eyes sweeping throughout the office, taking in the massive gears turning both above and below them, as well as the window, with its sweeping view of Vale's distant skyline.

Ruby and Sasame both stifled giggles at Natsuki's wonder. In the meantime, Ruby couldn't help but notice that Ozpin was not alone in the office. Both Glynda and Ironwood were there with him, the three of them behind Ozpin's desk. From the scrolls Glynda and Ironwood were holding, both unfolded into their tablet modes, and the way they'd been bending to look over Ozpin's shoulders to look at something, Ruby guessed that they had been discussing the security collaboration, right before the three visitors had entered.

Both Ironwood and Glynda jerked upright, looking towards Ruby and her companions with surprise. The response confused Ruby a little, given that she knew that Ozpin would have known they were coming, having needed to give his approval for the elevator to even take them up in the first place. Apparently, he hadn't bothered to inform Glynda and Ironwood that they were coming.

"Ms. Rose," said Ozpin, smiling congenially at her in greeting. "Ms. Mitarai, it is a pleasure to see you again."

"It is my pleasure as well, Ozpin-dono," said Sasame bowing to the trio behind the desk. "It is good to see you as well, Goodwitch-dono. I hope that Ruby-chan has not given you any trouble in the time since I was last here."

"Not the kind of trouble I would ever hold against her," said Glynda, sporting a rare, pleasant smile on her face.

Sasame's gaze went to Ironwood. "I do not believe we have been introduced," she said, bowing again, this time directly to Ironwood. "I am Mitarai Sasame of the Mibu Clan."

"This is General James Ironwood," said Ozpin, gesturing to Ironwood. "He is the Headmaster of Atlas Academy, Commander in Chief of the Atlesian Military, and member of the Atlesian Council."

"Ah," said Sasame, bowing again. "It is an honor, General."

"Hmm..." grunted Ironwood, giving Sasame curt nod, somewhat at a loss as to how to respond to her.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow in Ironwood's direction. He knew full well that Ironwood's feelings on the matter of Ruby's sister would be...complex. After all, given the business that had just happened with Mason Ayers, multiple visiting members of the Mibu Clan had the potential to cause tremendous complications, if word of their presence reached the remaining two Council Members (the process of electing a third to replace Mason had been deferred until after the festival's conclusion). Given what had happened, since he had arrived alongside his students, Ironwood knew better than to view the Mibu with hostility or contempt. But that didn't change the fact that their mere presence might well make things difficult for him and Winter.

Sasame took all of that in with a single glance, understanding that there was no need to unsettle Ironwood unnecessarily.

"So then, what brings you to me this time?" asked Ozpin.

"I apologize in advance for any difficulties this causes you," said Sasame, bowing once again. "I am afraid that, this time, I came accompanied by a few others. You see, Ruby-chan's friends at home have been eager to see her again, so I decided to allow them to accompany me to Vale. Because of that, we would require actual accommodations this time. I dislike imposing, especially out of the blue like this. However...it is my hope that there was some arrangement you could make for the four of us."

"I see," said Ozpin. He glanced sidelong at Glynda. "Glynda...?"

Glynda fiddled with her scroll for a moment. "I am afraid that space is at a premium," she said. "The visitor dorms are already filling up. Naturally, finding accommodations in the city would be nigh impossible at this point. Practically every hotel room in Vale has been spoken for."

Ruby watched Ozpin and Glynda with a downcast look. However, Ozpin smiled. "However, I do believe that there is a set of rooms in the visitor dormitories that is available, and you have Ms. Rose to thank for their availability."

"Me...?" asked Ruby, confused for a moment.

"Indeed," agreed Ozpin, his smile taking on a wry quality. "After all, you are the reason their previous occupants had vacated them."

"Oh..." Ruby's mouth hung open as it dawned on her.

Ozpin was, of course, speaking of the rooms that had once been occupied by Cinder Fall and her "teammates." Now, with Cinder dead, Emerald and Mercury in custody, and Neo staying with Roman as a member of Beacon's own faculty, Team CMSN no longer had any claim to the rooms that had been theirs in the visitor dormitory.

"I would've thought that another team would've taken them already," said Ruby.

"The visitor dormitories are reserved for teams participating in the tournament," said Ozpin. "Because that was set well in advance, there was not enough time for Haven to recommend a replacement team, so their rooms remain unoccupied. I would be perfectly happy to allow Ms. Mitarai and her charges to occupy them instead."

"It sounds as though quite a bit has happened since I was last here," mused Sasame.

"Yes," agreed Ozpin. "I suppose it would be a good idea to bring you up to speed."

"Ozpin, what-?" Ironwood began to protest.

Ozpin raised a hand to forestall the rest of the General's outburst. "Ms. Mitarai already knows a great deal about the general situation, James. The Mibu are well-informed." His gaze slipped to Natsuki, who'd been waiting quietly, if somewhat impatiently. "In fact, I believe that the reason she is here now is not just about finding accommodations for her group. It would seem that Ms. Mitarai has something to brief us about as well."

"That would be correct," replied Sasame. She waved Natsuki forward. "Natsu-chan, it's time to introduce yourself to him."

Natsuki swallowed nervously, before taking two steps forward to stand ahead of Ruby and Sasame. She bowed to Ozpin, Glynda, and Ironwood. "It is an honor to finally meet you, Ozpin-dono. I am Shinomori Natsuki, Ruby-chan's childhood friend, and..."

She straightened up. A startled gasp escaped from Glynda and Ironwood, both of them taking a step back as violet flames began to stream from the outside corners of her eyes.

"...I am the Summer Maiden," she finished.