((A/N: Hello~! I know the gap between publishing chapter 1 and chapter 2 was pretty long, and you all probably hate me for it, but I have some more free time now and I'm going to write as much as I can without rushing!

((Of course, this chapter is going to be pretty long. It's probably the longest of them. The one after this will be slightly less long, but I'm writing it as this is published.

((This is the next chapter I'm going to update for the next week. After that, I'll try to get at least a chapter per week constantly for the next month! That being said, I'm very grateful for all of the favourites and reviews from you all! I hope to see this story through to the end for you!))

The cemetery was very nicely cared for; tree surgeons came once a month to treat or remove old and diseased oaks, florists decorated around where they could with various patterns and colors of plants, blacksmiths carefully maintained the iron fences, and finally, the stone smiths had the most precious job of all, which was to keep the headstones as brilliant and smooth as the day they had been placed there. It was times like this one had to step back and appreciate just how much Vale cared for the deceased.

Today, as anniversary for the Battle of Beacon, the friends and families of the fallen gathered to pay their respects. The air was not as downtrodden or depressing as expected. Quite the contrary, everyone carried a proud air about them. I knew myself that there had to be at least one child that would lay down a patch of flowers and promise the person in the grave to be as brave and strong as them. At least one husband or wife reminiscing to the headstone about their first date or the way they had been together. As I had stated before, though, I had no friends that I cared for who passed on after the battle… aside from Emerald, whom I still had barely known. But Mercury had requested she be buried in Vacuo, her home country.

On normal circumstances, I would have forced myself to at least bring a bouquet of lilies. However, this trip to the cemetery was purely based on my legal need to visit the woman in charge of my persons. This was not the type of setting I typically prefer… in fact, I questioned if she had chosen this place in order to continue guilting me for my past life.

Further ahead, down the path, past the groups of people at each grave, I saw the two women. One with brilliant white hair that reflected any and all light that touched it and another, much older woman, with fading blonde hair spotted with grey pulled into a tight bun. Both of them were facing a great white pillar with an oddly shaped cane resting on one side of it. At the very top, carved in marble, was 'OZPIN'.

The white haired woman heard the sound of my feet and Cudgel against the path and turned to look at me with impatient eyes. I resisted the urge to roll mine back at her and instead fixed my cane under my arm as well as took off my hat. The blonde woman did not quite turn to meet me.

"Torchwick," the Ice Queen nodded flatly

"Lady Schnee," I mused with the utmost sarcasm

She gave me a scowl but then relaxed, "You've already checked in at the Police Station?"

I curtly nodded and she continued, "Then you'll be at the Opening Ceremony at noon-sharp."

It was not a question, which I felt mildly irritated at, but I nodded to the young Schnee regardless. Personally, I was not eager to speak with her. By what others had told me, she was considerably sweeter than she was six years ago. However, she did not extend this 'sweetness' to me. Therefore, I retaliated with the same bitterness. Therefore, Weiss Schnee and I did not grow to be good acquaintances.

The blonde woman interjected our moment of tension, "You were with Mr. Belladonna this morning, I recall. But he's not with you right now. Has he already left off to be with Professor Belladonna?"

"Yes he has," I said with a bit of a cooler tone. "I'll be sure to message him to check in with you before noon."

She waved her hand dismissively, still staring at the white pillar, "That won't be necessary. So long as he has made his presence aware to a Huntsmen or Huntress of Vale, he's fine."

I squinted and moved my gaze off to the side. Then why would she target me for this monotonous meeting?

"And in case you're wondering why you had to check in," she chimed. "It's because, unlike Mr. Belladonna… I simply don't trust you still, Mr. Torchwick. You were a crime lord and a sad excuse for a human being long before the war. No amount of sting operations will change that."

My lips pressed together and Weiss Schnee suppressed a giggle. I was far too smart to retaliate… mainly because she was quite right. I threw my hat back on my head and stood straight, as though I had become a soldier saluting a general.

"Am I dismissed, Ms. Goodwitch?" I politely asked through a strained smile

I could hear her breath through her nose, "Yes, that will be all. Find us again after the opening ceremony."

Weiss Schnee interjected, "And don't be late again."

A friendly chuckle was forced from my throat and I made motions to leave. However, I felt some form of tug in me. Adam's words came back to mind; '…just try to be a little empathetic today'. Ah, even when he was with his wife across town, the bull still nagged me. I huffed and turned to look at the grave they stood at.

The young Schnee girl was very tightly drawn; be it by the Head Huntress of Vale at her side or that this was the grave of a widely respected man, I did not know. Goodwitch, however, did not face the pillar with any form of formality. Rather, the manner in which she stood with her relaxed shoulders, still hands, and softly placed feet would give one the impression that she was enjoying a conversation with a close friend.

Goodwitch inclined her head towards me ever so slightly, "Is there something else that you need, Mr. Torchwick?"

I rubbed my hands together, the finely crafted leather gliding over itself without a sound. I did not personally know the former Headmaster of Beacon. Nor did I personally know Glynda Goodwitch. However, I did remember seeing the funeral from my holding cell just after the final battle;

The sky had been rather clear in the morning, but just before noon a parade of dark clouds stepped in the way of the sun. No rain came down and no thunder tapped at the sky. I was holed up in my cement room, awaiting a monotonous trial that would happen in the next three days. The prison director thought it would be delightful to have me placed in a room that perfectly overlooked the city… specifically where the cemetery was.

I was none too aware of what the day was. I followed my usual routine; wake up, finely comb over myself, stretch myself out to avoid losing figure, receive and eat the breakfast that had been slid under my door as well as read the morning paper. Nothing special really came to my attention until I had read the headline:

'Beacon Headmaster Ozpin's Funeral Scheduled for Today.'

The title caught me off guard, since I had no knowledge that the old man had even passed away. Reading further along, I came to be less surprised. Ozpin had tried to protect a handful of students… Unfortunately his opponent was a man with an army of unfeeling androids. The paper contained a brief testimony from one of the students that the fight was brutal, fantastic, and Ozpin was valiant… however, he perished by a cheap shot.

Folding back up the paper, I decided to distant myself from reliving the same story and move to the window. I very much enjoyed looking outside on the town; it certainly gave a better experience than waking outside and having things thrown at you. My eyes—my good one, at least—caught sight of a long line of black congregating to the southernmost part of town. There was another line on the street next to it, and another to match flowing into it. I leaned closer and squinted to see that the black rivers were people. Occasionally a line would be broken by a passing car… but most of the cars that were moving were moving to the same place as the people. And then I saw it; all together, they were moving to the cemetery.

I chuckled at the sight of this, purely based of how simply ridiculous it looked. So many people… possibly more people than there were in Vale as a whole. How in Remnant would they fit all of those people in there? At this, I laughed again… and then I grew silent.

There was a deafening silence amongst the crowd. Occasionally there was chattering or murmurs between people, but everything else was filed with the sound of procession. Then everyone stopped. At the funeral, a large and thick circle of people were crowded around a white pillar and black box. There were two women standing on either side. One I recognized as Glynda Goodwitch, the other I assumed was the undertaker. Between them was a man dressed in black and red.

He stepped up to face the crowd, and said things that I could not hear. Because I could not hear him, I diverted my attention away and flicked my gaze to two girls whom were staring at the speaker attentively. One had brilliant blonde hair, the other a shining red cloak. I was so amazed by seeing the sisters that I did not see the man in red and black cease his speaking and move towards the girls, both of them taking him into their arms reassuringly.

Then Glynda approached the black box, and gently placed what looked like a white rose on its cover. She stepped away, and next was the man in red and black with his rose. Closely behind him followed Red and her sister as well as a formidably built blond man whose sniffling and sobbing I could hear from even where I sat. After that there were so many people who stepped forward just to place their flowers on the box. I was so moved by the number of people that I turned away from my window to breath.

Everything was completely silent for another ten minutes. I wondered if the ceremony was over, and moved again to look out of my cell window. Someone shouted something loudly, but I could not understand. Not half a second passed when a thunderous roar came from the crowd. It was so loud that I assumed everyone shouted it… even the sky…

"LONG LIVE BEACON!"

Glynda narrowed her eye at me, "Is there something else you need, Mr. Torchwick?"

Receding from my memory, I opened my mouth to speak, "He… must have been a great man."

She paused at this and half-turned to me. Glynda blinked through her thick glasses and then lowered her gaze, "Yes, he was… He led this school with everything in him and taught the greatest Huntsmen and Huntresses in history…"

I bowed my head, "As I've seen… He would be quite proud of what his students and peers have done, then."

This made Weiss Schnee look down and smile softly. I had only seen her wear such a look once at Blake and Adam's wedding, so one could imagine that such an expression came to me as a shock. Glynda had ever-so-slightly raised one corner of her mouth but quickly flattened her expression.

"Thank you, Mr. Torchwick. But you still need to check in with me after the ceremony."

Damn.