Pure White

I woke up hearing my Scroll ringing and picked it up to see who was calling me at... 6:09 in the morning, and the caller was labeled Little Cookie Monster, so Ruby. I answered my Scroll after I yawned.

" Morning Ruby."

"SilvayouwouldnotbelievewhatIdidlastnightIwassuroundedbyBeowolfsandIwasall!"

The little cookie monster was making a bunch of silly action movie sounds in an excited fashion, and my mind was still half asleep, so I asked.

" What?"

" I kicked Grimm butt last night!"

" Good for you, Ruby."

I stated plainly as I rubbed my eyes, and Ruby then said.

" I just wanted to call and thank you again for letting me use your lab to upgrade Crescent Rose; the thermal blade cuts so good! Plus, the minimum recoil from the rail gun that can pierce multiple targets in a straight line works like a dream. AND THE THRUSTERS!"

The little cookie monster started giggling like a mad woman, and I rolled my eyes at her weapon mania. I pulled myself up from my bed and saw I had two guests snuggling up against me. I decided to end the call.

" If that's all, Ruby, I need to get up and start breakfast."

"WAIT!"

" Yes, Ruby?"

" There's one other thing I want to talk to you about, Silva."

The little cookie monster meekly added, and I replied with a casual tone.

" Shoot."

" Well, you know that Yang is going to attend Beacon next semester, right?"

" Yeah."

" I remembered that you are the same age, so... I was wondering if you were going to attend one of the Huntsmen Academies, and if you are, which one?"

I haven't really told anyone outside Pyrrha and the girls living with me in Vale that I am going to Beacon as I wanted to surprise a few people, namely Weiss, to tease her and Yang to try to make things a bit friendlier between us. I asked Ruby while feeling curious.

" What brought this on?"

" Well, I was just curious and thought it would be cool to attend the same academy as you..."

The little cookie monster's tone made it easy for me to imagine her blushing on the other side of the Scroll, but that's probably just me. I then told Ruby.

" Ruby, clean out your ears and listen closely; also, make sure no one overhears this call."

" Okay, give me a sec... Tell me!"

Hearing Ruby's excited tone, I started telling her.

" You see, Ruby, I have thought long and hard about the sort of Huntsmen I want to be and where I want to go."

I paused for a moment, and I heard Ruby oo and aw, then continued.

" So, after careful consideration of the Huntsmen Academy, I am attending is... A secret."

I could practically hear Ruby's stunned silence as I started snickering at messing with her, and the little cookie monster booed me, which made me snicker some more. Ruby was not amused as she said.

" Real funny, Silva."

" Oh, come on, it was a little funny."

" Okay, maybe a little..."

" All seriousness Ruby, my decision was made a long time ago, and I won't change my mind regardless of who asks."

I said this to give the illusion that I was not attending Beacon so that Yang would try to avoid me by attending somewhere else if she learned of this conversation. I gave my goodbyes.

" See you later, Ruby."

" K, Silva, bye."

Ruby hung up, and I focused on my current situation. On one side, I have Argint nibbling my torso, and on the other, I have Luna curled up. During these last few years, Argint had gotten more, for lack of a better word, human, as she is mostly independent and far more expressive than when I first picked her up. The vampire bat faunus grew up into a petite young woman of average height, with her silver hair reaching down to her hips and pale translucent skin still flawless. Her cute heart-shaped face with her fangs poking out of her mouth looked peaceful as she nuzzled my torso.

However, my current developing headache is Luna; when I first picked up the white wolf faunus, she was crazy and more than a little violent. I brought her with me to give me more experience in mending minds, and I got it, but things turned out in a way I did not expect or want. For starters, after my sessions in trying to help her heal her mind, she developed an obsessive love for me. To her, I was a God, one that went out of his way to help her without asking anything in return. I did not intend for this to happen in the slightest.

Basically, Luna became my own personal Tyrian Callows. The white wolf faunus can function in society without issue, but that's just an act she puts on to not worry me. I sighed as I looked down at her and gently scratched her wolf ears which made her smile as the white wolf girl snuggled closer to me. She was not as deathly pale as Argint but was still pale nonetheless. The scar over her left eye crossed with the one that reached from one side of her face to the other in a straight line directly under her eyes.

The two girls beside me in bed are the ones I am most likely to find with me, regardless if they are near proximity to me. Both will be coming with me to Beacon, but for different reasons. Argint wishes to attend with me as she still views herself as my servant despite my efforts to get her to free herself from that mentality. Luna, however, I have to keep a close eye on her, so she does not go too far in a conflict, as restraint is a foreign concept to her, or rather she selectively forgets it when convenient.

I honestly would not trade these two for anything in the world, but still, they give me headaches for different reasons. I got myself out of bed and went to get breakfast started early.

***

After a while, I went to see Willow to see how things were progressing at Atlas. I opened a pitch-dark portal and went through it to find the Schnee matriarch in her home office as usual. She noticed me right away and greeted me with a friendly smile.

" Hello, Silva."

" How has your day been, Willow?"

" It has been well, especially since Robyn helped me find and vet some new secretaries to handle the more miscellaneous duties of the SDC."

One thing I have found to be a major improvement in Atlas is that Robyn Hill is now part of the council, and James Ironwood only retains one seat instead of two. I later found out that the former vigilante and Schnee matriarch are considered THE central faction in Atlas' political landscape. They have revamped Mantle in its entirety through their combined efforts making it a better place to live in. Robyn put her full efforts into ensuring that the faunus had more rights, there is still a divide, but it's better than before, from what I have learned.

Willow also systematically cleaned up the Schnee Dust Company's reputation and dealt with the corruption left behind by Jacques. Plus, she now has more time for her children and she now regularly spars with Weiss and teaches her about Glyphs. Whitley can now defend himself but still prefers to leave the fighting to others, and he is far more likable and friendly. While Winter and I are dating, my favorite ice queen is mainly focused on her military career, which means we have not done it yet, but I am in no rush as she is happy the way things are for now.

Willow came up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck as we exchanged a deep kiss. The Schnee matriarch then told me as we separated.

" I missed you."

" Me too, Willow."

We took a seat across from each other as we made small talk and talked about days. Willow then brought up something to my attention.

" Am I a bad mother for wanting Weiss to attend Atlas Academy instead of Beacon?"

" Not necessarily, as you just want her close by since you have finally started to mend your relationship with her and want to spend more time with her."

" Maybe, but she really wants to attend Beacon in order to see more of the world outside of Atlas."

The Schnee matriarch looked down as she asked me.

" What am I to do?"

I considered her question, and a thought occurred to me that could give Willow some closure on Weiss leaving the nest.

" Why not give Weiss a test to see if she can look after herself? After all, if she can't handle herself you can not in good conscience let her leave."

" Would that not be unfair to her?"

" Maybe, but life is unfair, Willow, as you know better than most."

The Schnee matriarch nodded in acknowledgment and asked with concern.

" What sort of test do you suggest, Silva?"

" Something that not only truly tests her but also gives her a decent chance to succeed and preferably benefits her in the long run."

Willow looked lost in thought then her eyes lit up as she had come up with something.

" I know just the thing! Dad did something similar to me when I was younger and just starting out with my Glyphs."

" Oh, and what do you have in mind?"

I asked curiously in case the Schnee matriarch didn't have an idea; I suggested pitting Weiss against a strong Grimm that would serve as a summon in the future if the Arma Gigas does not exist for her to face. Willow then summoned a hand-size version of her preferred Nevermore summon and told me.

" Dad, had me face a Grimm that was above or near my level of strength in order to serve as a catalyst for the Summoning aspect of the family Semblance, and in the long run, it worked. I can probably find a suitable opponent for Weiss to face, and even if she succeeds, I can let her attend Beacon with peace of mind knowing that she has an ace up her sleeve in case of emergencies."

Well, I guess Weiss is going to get her Royal Test after all.