Well, I kinda wish that this chapter came out two days earlier...because it was the first year anniversary of GVLP on April 8th. Crazy to think about the fact that this story is one year old, really. I'm really happy that people enjoy reading the story enough to follow it, and I want to thank everyone reading for following it as I write through it. It's been a journey, and I'm hoping that this year doesn't involve a near four months without an update on the story.

Hope you enjoy the chapter! Here's to another year of this story.

Chapter 39: Silver Lining In Sight

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.(Chapter Start)

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September 16th

Monday

Very Cloudy

Azura pushed off of the wall he was leaning on, putting his scroll away. Having just finished a conversation with Velvet about the details of Aurora's situation and promising to go and talk to her at a later point in time, there was a lot on his mind, including his curiosity of what Velvet wished to talk about. The orphanage had burned down, killing everyone but Aurora, and he had no idea how or why.

He wasn't exactly the most happy person at the moment, but seeing his team all talking to each other did put a smile on his face. He had already met up and gotten all of the hugs out of the way with them, thinking about how there was a lot of hugging yesterday. He shook his head, amused by the idea, and just watched everyone talking. Even Pyra was more talkative than yesterday, which he liked.

Pyrrha was the first to notice him watching them, a warm smile on her face as her green eyes keenly looked him over. She waved him over towards her, and once he made his way towards her, she spoke quietly to him as everyone remained distracted by their conversations.

"Feeling better than yesterday?"

Azura shrugged, replying just as quietly. "It's so-so, I guess. A lot to think about, but I am glad to finally get to sleep in my own bed again."

She laughed under her breath. "That is good to hear. Now...you said you wanted to tell us something? We are all aware of the topic, but you wanted to bring it up, I believe."

"I do want to tell them, yeah." Azura said in his normal voice, looking up to see the others going quiet and were watching him. "I did promise Ruby I would."

"Promised Ruby you would do what?" Nora said, tilting her head.

"Introduce Aurora to you guys." Azura explained. "Given her current situation, and the fact that she agreed, Ruby and I figured it might help her to have a small group of people to go to if she needed help. Though, you guys know the situation already, huh?"

"Kind of, yeah." Jaune said, his blond locks being pushed to the side. "She's an orphan that you and Ruby have been visiting, and something happened in the breach to have her be brought to Beacon."

Azura nodded, his eyes downcast.. "That's right. The orphanage she lived in was...burned down in the breach, killing everyone. Velvet told me." He felt Pyrrha's gloved hand on his arm, and sighed as he gave a small smile and looked back up. "She's likely scared and hurting right now...and Ruby and I want to help her. The first step we want to take is to make her feel like she has people here for her. Team RWBY has helped her start to grow accustomed to Beacon, but we want you guys to help as well, if you want to."

"Of course we'll help!" Nora said, and Azura felt a little odd seeing her look so serious. "No one deserves to be left alone after such a horrible event, right Renny?" She continued, looking up at Ren.

The quiet boy nodded. "You're right about that, Nora. It's the least we could do, Azura."

"I would be glad to help out, if I am able to." Pyra said, her blue eyes watching Pyrrha more than him.

"Team Juniper is here for you, Azura. We help each other out in any way we can." Jaune said, a wide smile on his face.

Pyrrha nodded, sitting by his side. "Family is important, and I can see you consider Aurora to be like family to you. It would be wrong of me to not help as much as I can."

"Thanks, you guys. It means a lot." Azura said, his eyes bright with warmth as he smiled. "And it certainly makes my next action a lot easier."

"Your next action? What do you mean?" Ren asked.

"Well, I suppose it's in a few actions, but I mean telling Ruby that I can take Aurora off her hands for now to meet you guys." Azura explained himself, before continuing. "For now, though, I need to caution you guys about her semblance. It's not bad, but I want it to be kept in mind."

"What about her semblance?" Nora asked. "What does it do?"

"Well, as far as I have seen, it allows her to be able to read the emotions of people around her." He said. "And given what she is going through, I'm not sure if she could handle a spike of emotions so suddenly."

"The ability to read emotions…" Ren said, looking at his hands.

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Jaune asked.

"I'm not saying that you guys should just stop feeling emotions or something, or to stuff them down and away. But, like, try to not be too emotional with her. She'll be overwhelmed if you do, and she already has to deal with her own negative emotions at such a young age."

"We can do that, Azura." Pyrrha said, reassuring Azura. "How about this, we let her get slowly introduced to us in small doses and go from there?"

"That sounds like a great idea!" Jaune said, looking among everyone. "We could do it in groups of two...uh, by partners. Me and Pyrrha first, then Nora and Ren, then Pyra can introduce herself with Azura being there. And, I'd assume she knows and likes Luna?"

Azura nods, having Luna already out and visible with his semblance. "Yeah, she does."

"Then she can be there as a support as well as Azura. Sounds good, everyone?"

"That would work well." Ren replied, nodding his head. "Allows her to have space and get to know us on a more small scale."

Seeing no other response, Jaune nods. "Perfect, then." He looks over at Azura. "Will she be coming over soon?"

Azura nodded. "Yeah. I was actually waiting to see if you guys wanted to do it first. I can go and get her now, if you'd want."

"That would be wonderful." Pyrrha said, letting her arm fall as Azura stood up.

"Right. Well, give me a minute, I'll be right back." Azura said, heading towards the door and opening it.

He closed it a moment later, sighing in relief. He hadn't expected them to say no, but he was glad to have gotten that out of the way. He looked at the door to RWBY's dorm room, wondering what exactly he would find. Summer wasn't talking, but he appreciated the feeling of someone being there.

Taking the three short steps it took to reach the door, he knocked on it, taking a step to back away, and then waited for a response. He could already hear the muffled noise of people within the room, the sound becoming clear as the door opened and Ruby stepped out of the dorm.

"I'll be right back, you guys." She called back, closing the door right behind her. She turned her face to look at him, and Azura could tell she was avoiding having to look at his left side. "Hey…"

"You sound tired." Azura commented, hand on his side. "Everything okay?"

Ruby nodded. "I'm fine, just a bit worn out, I guess. You?"

"Likely feeling the same as you." Azura said blandly, sighing afterwards. "Sorry, you know what I mean."

"I know."

"Seriously, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"Just tired, I promise." She said. "Can we not do this routine we do right now?"

"If you want, sure."

"Thanks." Ruby said, smiling at him. "Aurora likes everyone, just to say. It's kind of funny to see, really."

"How is she?" Azura asked, a slight lilt of Summer's voice coming out strong as he asked.

Ruby blinked, distracted for a moment, before shaking her head. "She's still quiet, obviously. She'd rather listen to us talk than talk herself still, but we shouldn't expect progress so soon. Blake is kinda uncomfortable with her semblance, but has expressed interest in helping her find replacements for the books she lost...in the fire." she paused for a moment, thinking. "Yang kinda fits right in for Aurora, but hasn't really been able to find something to do, since she only got released from medical stuff earlier today. Weiss, though...it's like a completely different person."

"Weiss?" He said, repeating the name as a question. "I think I got a glimpse of that yesterday, actually. Maybe she's just a little more comfortable now?"

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe. But Weiss has been really kind to Aurora, and is currently helping her do something with hair. I'm not much of a hair person, so...yeah. But it's cute. I think Aurora likes her the most."

Azura smiled. "That's really cute, yeah. And well, I'm sure Weiss could help out a lot. She has that quality about her."

"Quality?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow.

Azura tilted his head, trying to explain himself. "It's like a rare gentleness she has, I guess. I don't know, she doesn't have those moments where she drops all pretenses of herself and kind of just be herself?"

"Oh. Well, she kind of does. Like, she's been like that since yesterday, but I don't really remember many moments where she was all...uh…"

"Open?" Azura supplied.

Ruby nods. "Yeah, that works."

Azura remembered the CCT like it was yesterday. That tired look and sigh, as well as the rather hesitant yet hasty responses to being asked if she'd like to talk to her family. He shook the thought from his head, responding to Ruby. "Well, everyone in the JNPR dorm is open to the idea of seeing Aurora, if I can have her."

"Of course. You kind of mean a lot to the girl, if one of the few topics that gets her to talk being you means anything." Ruby said, her tiredness forgotten as she got to talk about Aurora. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Azura remained silent as Ruby opened the door back up, speaking to her team within as Azura came up behind Ruby to look inside.

Azura's here!"

Weiss dropped Aurora's hair from her hands, though it was a little too late, seeing that Azura already caught her sizing up a small side ponytail. Beyond that, Yang and Blake were both scrambling to pretend that they weren't joining Weiss in the antics. He found the scenario quite funny, glad to see that Aurora was rather distracted and looking more lively, even if she wasn't talking much, as Ruby said.

Though, she did spring more into action upon hearing Ruby's words, quickly making her way to the door to look up at him. Ruby laughed briefly before moving out of the way and allowing Azura to be in front of her.

"Hi…" She said quietly.

Azura smiled down at her, crouching down to be eye level with her. "Was Weiss trying to get you to have a different hairstyle?"

The girl nodded, her pink eyes wide.

"I don't want to hear it, Azura." Weiss said from the room.

He looked past Aurora to see Weiss, responding in amusement. "No no, don't you worry. I'm sure you'd be a great hairstylist, Weiss! Could work with a business of side ponytails."

She gawked at him, responding hastily. "I said I didn't want to hear it!"

Azura merely shook his head, returning his gaze to Aurora. "Anyway, I have a question for you, Aurora. How would you feel about visiting my team at school?"

She tilts her head, as if debating it. "They are...nice?"

"Nicest people I know." Azura replied, shooting an amused look at team RWBY as they all reacted without words.

"Then...okay. Will you be there?"

Azura nods. "Right in the same room with you. Luna will be there as well."

"Okay." She replied simply.

Azura stood up, nodding his head to everyone. "Thanks for taking care of her. I'll take her off your hands for a few hours, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Ruby said, answering for them. "Have fun, Aurora, okay?"

Aurora nods to Ruby, shuffling out of the room as Azura backed away, letting Ruby close the door as they did so, and walked back to the same door Azura had first exited. Azura looked down at Aurora, a supportive hand on her shoulder, and a warm smile coming to his lips.

"Ready?"

She nods, and Azura raises his scroll to unlock the door and open it up. Guiding Aurora inside, he could see everyone's heads turn to look at her, and the girl froze for a brief moment. Pyrrha and Luna were on her bed, with Jaune nearby, while Pyra and Nora had been talking, with Ren on the right side of the room, observing. Azura eased Aurora further into the room, crouching down just behind her and speaking.

"These are my teammates, and we all make up team Juniper." Azura first said. "The one next to Luna is Pyrrha Nikos, and she is by far the kindest person here."

Pyrrha's cheeks flared up slightly at the praise. "Hello."

"Warm…" Aurora whispered, quiet enough for only Azura and Luna to pick up, though he could tell that she had spoken without thinking.

He shifted and pointed over to Jaune. "That right there is the leader of our fine team, Jaune Arc. Nice guy, he'll try to help you however he can."

Jaune smiled. "Heya."

"Kind…" She whispered again.

Azura gave her a moment to sort through her semblance before moving on to the next nearest person. "That's Nora Valkyrie. She's the lightning dust of our team and will definitely find a way to do something crazy and fun. She's kind of the excitable one."

Nora's greeting was not as warm as Jaune's and Pyrrha's, nor similar to how Azura worded her, but held a knowing tone as she softly spoke. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh...she…" Aurora whispered, surprise on her face before it faded away back to a neutral look.

Azura wasn't sure what Aurora had picked up on there, but got to the next person. "There's my partner, Pyra Sol. She's a good person, and I trust her to help me if I need it. Maybe you could feel the same way."

Pyra nodded. "Hello."

The lack of a notable whisper set a different tone as Aurora inched ever so slightly closer to Azura's body. Pyra looked away, shaking her head and sighing quietly. Azura frowned as he watched it all, feeling like it would be better to just wrap up the introductions.

"And last, but not least, is Lie Ren. Though, call him Ren. He's quiet, like you and Blake, and will probably give you more advice about tea or his daily words of wisdom than you thought you would need."

"Welcome to our humble abode at Beacon." He said, his voice calm and measured.

"...Peace." Aurora whispered this time.

Azura looked at Ren as Aurora whispered, and the green-clad boy raised an eyebrow, noticing the look. Azura looked away, turning his gaze to Aurora again.

"Why don't you go greet Luna and maybe Pyrrha?" He suggested. "I'm sure they would be delighted to talk to you."

Aurora looked at him for a few moments, mouth open like she was going to speak. Seeing his smile, she slowly stepped away and shuffled to where Luna and Pyrrha were. Jaune was nearby, simply watching with a look of patience that Azura did not see on the blonde boy too often. He turned his gaze to Pyra and Nora, who were now talking to each other quietly while Pyrrha fully introduced herself, noticing that Pyra was looking at Aurora. Azura stood up, watching as Aurora was sat on the bed by Luna, now sitting in his mother's lap as her tail wrapped around the girl. He smiled as Aurora relaxed with Luna by her side, gingerly grabbing the tail out of nervousness.

"I assume that she was whispering to herself during your little introductions of us?" Ren asked, having approached him.

Azura leaned against the door, watching Ren lean on the wall next to it, looking at him. "She was, yeah. I think she was trying to sort her semblance, if I had to guess."

"Makes sense." Ren replied. "The reason I ask is because of two things. I'm sure you are curious about what she whispered about me, and want to know about Nora being all...not Nora."

Azura looked at Ren, wondering why he brought it up. "It's not like you to really open up about stuff, Ren. What's up?"

Ren caught Nora's eye, gesturing to Azura, a silent conversation between the two occuring. Nora nodded her head, a smile coming to her. Ren nodded in return, gaining Azura's attention again as he spoke. "Well, I will not go too in-depth about things, but Nora kinda knows what it's like for Aurora. She was an orphan as well, before we met...back home."

"Oh...I never knew." Azura said, a frown on his face.

"It's okay, Azura." Ren replied, waving his worry off. "Nora is more okay with the topic now, just doesn't really bring it up if she can help it. The fact that she let me tell you is a sign that she trusts you enough with the information now, but that's not my point." He said, a hint of a smile coming on his face. "Nora's always been empathetic of others, but has a soft spot for those who have gone through hardship she understands. If you ever want help, Nora should be the one you go to."

Azura looked over at Nora, smiling. "I'll keep it in mind. That does sound like Nora, really. On top of everything else 'Nora', it fits."

"It truly does." Ren agreed. "But, this other thing...I think you will want to hear this."

Azura fixed his eyes on Ren's magenta ones. "What is it?"

"My semblance. Now that I am aware of Aurora having a semblance, as well as what it does, I feel like I am the opposite." Ren said, his gaze distant as he spoke. "You have not heard about my semblance, correct?"

"Er, no." Azura said. "It's just never been brought up between the two of us, I guess."

"Figured as much." Ren replied, nodding. "My semblance, Tranquility, allows me to mask the emotions of myself and others near me. It's main use is to mask negativity, but there are plenty of other ways for me to use it."

"Then, it's as you said." Azura said quietly, looking at Aurora, who was entranced by some story that Pyrrha was telling. "An opposite to Aurora's semblance."

"Exactly. And, well, I wanted to suggest something that I felt you might like."

Azura turned back to Ren with a quizzical gaze. "And what do you want to suggest?"

"Well, from what I can guess, Aurora has trouble with handling her semblance, correct?"

Azura nods. "Yeah. Easily overwhelmed if she's around multiple people without assistance. If I had to assume, I'd say her semblance is more passive than active, though I haven't really tried to get her to explore her semblance at all."

"I figured as much." Ren said crossing his arms over his chest. "Which is why I want to suggest the possibility of me helping Aurora with her semblance. I have the feeling that the experience I have with a semblance that masks emotions might be beneficial to helping her with her semblance. What do you think?"

Azura was surprised, his eyes wide as he replied. "Ren, that sounds amazing. You'd do that?"

Ren nods. "Of course. If not for training to be a Huntsman, then for being your friend. That is what we do for each other, obviously. We're a team, the six of us. We have to help each other out if we can."

Azura smiles. "Thank you, Ren. It means a lot to me that you want to help Aurora." He shrugs. "It might not help with her grief, but I think it's a great step forward if it works."

"Great. Though, I would like to ask that you be there whenever I do this, hopefully soon." Ren replied, waving a hand with a flick of his wrist.

"Well, I won't say no. I planned on being there anyway. But, can I ask why?"

"Just not sure how my semblance could affect hers, if it comes to that." Ren said simply, shrugging. "So, you up to do this at some point?"

"Yeah, of course I am." Azura said. "I'll be sure to make it up to you somehow. Just, uh...if you need help or something, I'll be there."

"Not needed, but I know you will." Ren replied with a chuckle, pushing away from the wall. "Come on, I'm sure Aurora would like for you to be with her at this point."

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.(Line Break)

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Azura frowned, staring at the chessboard before him while in Ozpin's office. By all rights, it looked like he would win, with his three white pawns, one white bishop, both white knights, both white rooks, and the white queen and king pieces. Ozpin was clearly at the disadvantage from a pure numbers standpoint with the black chess pieces, having only one pawn, one bishop, one knight, and the black queen standing in front of the lonely king piece.

And yet, Azura was losing. He had too many pieces, and did not wish to play a sacrifice to get rid of more of Ozpin's pieces. If he stepped too far, and sacrificed too many pieces, he would be run ragged within a few turns. He frowned stubbornly, glancing at Luna who was simply watching, then looked back to the board. With a sigh, Azura took a pawn and moved it forward.

"Your turn." He said, glancing at Ozpin, who had been looking at Merlot's scroll while he waited.

Ozpin nodded slowly, fingers intertwined as he rested his chin on them, looking over the board. He placed two fingers on his black queen and moved it forward, knocking the pawn Azura just moved out of the game.

"Checkmate, Azura."

Azura looked over the board and frowned. "My queen can take yours out if I chose to."

Ozpin nodded. "Correct. But you would lose your queen because of my knight, leaving your king defenseless for the next turn. If you move right, my rook takes your king, If you move left, my bishop takes it."

"Damn." Azura muttered. "I surrender."

Ozpin began taking the pieces and putting them away from his desk, the night sky framing the lit office. As he did so, he spoke to Azura. "Do you know why you lost that match, Azura?"

"Because I was unwilling to move?"

"Partially, yes. You were unwilling to let any of your pieces get taken off the board, and unwilling to play the game of attrition that was occurring. But there was something else." Ozpin said, looking over at Azura once he put the board away. "You were so stubbornly against the idea of losing pieces that you accidentally began to play defensively instead of keeping your advantage."

"That makes sense, I suppose." Azura replied, sighing. "Why did we even play that game of chess, anyways? You just had it set up when I came in."

"Call it a curiosity. A look into how you might lead a group of people, or an army. That is what chess reflects, of course." Ozpin said, a smirk on his face.

Azura nods. "Huh. I never thought of it like that."

"Now, I suppose we should actually discuss what we wished to speak of." Ozpin said, taking a moment to drink from his mug. "We can go through the topics in whatever order you want. I assume that Aurora's stay is what you would like to talk about first?"

"That would be great, thank you." Azura said.

"Well, some things have been seen already. She currently has no guardian or parent figure, and it seems that the woman in charge...I believe Velvet called her Lu. Well, it seemed that Lu had no records of her. I mean to say that Aurora was taken in without being a known birth in Vale."

Azura tilted his head, confused. "What does that mean?"

Ozpin sighed. "It likely means that Aurora was not born in the city of Vale itself, and was abandoned somewhere." Azura's jaw tightened in anger, but stopped from getting up when Ozpin held a hand up. "Now, Velvet told me more. Lu had taken her in just as she left the White Fang, opening the orphanage shortly after."

"Then, the fire that Velvet mentioned could have actually been an arson…?" Summer said, horrified as she trailed off.

Azura licked his lips, catching a concerned look from Ozpin. "She was in the White Fang...and left?"

"Correct." Ozpin said, now narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "Is everything alright, Mister Heart?"

Azura nodded, bracing himself. "Yeah, it's nothing to worry about. So, what happens to Aurora?"

Ozpin smiles as he answers. "That happens to be good news. She's now been secured as under your care, Mister Heart. Well, more specifically, you are the official guardian, but she is under the care of 'Beacon'."

"Wait, what?" Azura asked, bewildered. "I mean, I'd be happy to take care of her, but how was this decided so quickly?"

"Well, I was not actually contested on such a decision." Ozpin explained. "And once I promised that Beacon would take care of her when you are unable to, I was able to set the rules there. Though, I must tell you that, outside of classes and training, Aurora is purely in your care."

"No, that's fine. Again, thank you, you've really helped me out with this." Azura said, truly thankful.

"It is merely my job as your headmaster. Before I get to my own topic, is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

"It's about the Nightmare Grimm. I did tell you that it was in Vale the night of the Breach. I'm really worried about that still." Azura said, leaning forward. "I can't just let it live, especially now. It will be waiting for me and Luna to be in a bad position as it gathers its strength."

"Yes, I really must agree." Ozpin said, sighing a moment later. "But it would take some time to track it within these parts of Vale. That can be a topic of discussion later, though. What I would like to know is what it was capable of, Mister Heart."

Azura gave it some thought, thinking about what he remembered from his struggle against the Nightmare. "It fought with a massive blade that looked like a giant claw attached to its right arm, and its left arm seemed to be for grabbing things. It could also create some...moisture from its body. It latches onto the bodies of Grimm and makes them fight for it, to the death."

Ozpin furrowed his brow as he took in the information. "That is...certainly concerning to know. A Grimm that can control other Grimm...is very bad. Is there anything else?"

"It also devoured Grimm. It was able to create the same moisture from a group of Beowolves, though I do not know what it was trying to do with that." Azura said, feeling a chill go down his spine as he recalled the scene of the Nightmare just squeezing the life out of the Beowolves.

"Hm...very interesting. Thank you for the information, Mister Heart. We shall have to discuss this further at a later point, though."

Azura looked at Ozpin quizzically, Summer's presence now present. "You want to talk about something?"

"Yes, if you do not mind." Ozpin said, waiting for him to nod before speaking again. "If you recall, I asked you to know your favorite fairy tale. So, I shall ask now, what is your favorite fairy tale?"

"As a kid...I mean, I guess 'Little Red Riding Hood' was my favorite because Luna always read it to me. It was a little gruesome, with how the girl got eaten and how a Huntsman saved her by cutting the wolf's stomach open, but it gave me the idea to be a huntsman like my mother." Azura said, a nostalgic smile on his face as he thought about it.

"I know I've said it before, but that fairy tale has always been a favorite of mine. Always felt special to me." Summer commented softly.

"Very interesting. The moral of the story...one could say that it is how one should not stray from the path before them. Not anything related to fate or destiny, yes, but still an interesting way to see it." Ozpin said, a small smile coming to him. "My personal favorite has to be the 'The Story of the Seasons', as it holds some importance, for me at least."

"The seasons?"

"Yes. It is a story that few seem to remember." Ozpin said, nodding his head. "The story is a simple one. It tells of an old wizard who lived alone in a cabin, simply living out the rest of his days. Then, one day, four girls came to him, seeking to spread kindness to whoever they wished. These four girls, named after the seasons we now have, were so kind to the wizard that he decided that he would help them out. He gave them powers, each of them different to each other, in order to further spread that kindness and compassion. It is said that the seasons were born from the decision, the cost being the majority of the wizard's magic."

"If he's telling this story again…" Summer muttered, then sighed a moment later. "Just stay alert, Azura. That is all I ask."

Azura listened to her, his gaze sharper as he straightened in his chair across Ozpin. Summer's words brought a series of questions to his mind, wondering if he would know why Ozpin wanted to talk about fairy tales.

"Would you like to know why you were truly brought here, Azura?" Ozpin asked.

The change to using his first name made Azura feel like this was some sort of a test. If he said no, he felt like he would be allowed to leave as is. But, if he said yes, something more would happen.

"No matter what you say, I will support you in any way I can. If you can put such an unending amount of trust into me, then I will be sure to justify your trust in me by fully trusting you." Summer said, her voice very serious. "But...if you do say yes, there will be no turning back from here. Do you understand?"

"Loud and clear." Azura said, thinking long and hard about the question.

Ozpin was watching him patiently, and Azura knew that he was simply waiting for his conversation with Summer to end. If Summer knew what was happening, then Ozpin was definitely aware of what he was being told by the woman in Azura's head.

Azura nodded a few moments later, looking at Ozpin in the eyes. "Will this help me defend my friends and others I care for from terrible events like the breach? Will it help me to kill the Nightmare Grimm?"

"There are some things I might actually be able to help you learn to better defend your friends and those you care for, and make it possible for you to fight in several more ways than I know you and Summer have been able to work with." Ozpin explained, waving a free arm to gesture towards Azura. "In fact, I believe it might be possible for you and Summer to see each other in person again. Obviously, the soul bond will likely stay intact, but I think the theory should still work."

Azura nodded, taking the words into consideration before answering. "Then, if that's the case...I accept your offer to know why I was brought here."

Ozpin smiled. "Thank you for accepting. That fairy tale I told you, Azura, it's true. That is something that actually happened."

"I...what?" Azura asked, confused. "How? Magic doesn't exist."

"In a world of semblances, aura, and your current situation of being soul bonded to a ghost, is it so unbelievable?"

Azura looked down. "I guess that's true. But, why is it not accepted as truth, then? It's probably been known as a fairy tale for a while, right?"

You would be correct, but that is because it has been kept secret for centuries now. You are one of the very few people I have decided to tell this to, Azura." Ozpin said. "The four girls given that magic are called Maidens, and the powers are passed down to a different girl each time a Maiden were to die. These maidens are protected by people like me, and others that are within the Inner Circle. And our goal is to take the Grimm down and those that wish to stop us."

It clicked for Azura in that moment. "And you wish to ask me to join this group?"

"Yes, I would. Now, Summer had already been in the group, and I know she is very suspicious of me even asking you to join." He said, looking at Azura. "Which is why I am asking both of you this time. I assume she has told you what this is?"

"Kind of, yes. She has told me that she'll support me no matter which way I answer, though." Azura said, a look of determination on his face. "I want to be able to protect those I care for, and I trust Summer with my life at this point. She has saved me from death twice now. I'll join the inner circle."

Ozpin nods. "I see. I'm sure she knows of those in the group. Glynda, Ironwood, the other headmasters...Qrow."

Azura ignored the stab of emotions that came to him at the mention of Qrow, deciding to speak instead. "Even so, I wish to join. If it is for the greater good, to be able to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and for me to protect those I care for, then I'll join."

"Then, I shall welcome you within the ranks of the Inner Circle, Azura. And we have much to discuss."

"Such as?"

"The main threat facing us. The Black Queen, also called Salem." Ozpin said, looking like he had more to say.

Azura hissed in pain, the mention of the name sparking the same sense of energy that he felt just a short few nights before. He held a hand over his left eye, wincing in pain as the markings on his left arm seemed to flare in pain. It started to subside a moment later, leaving Azura gasping for air. As Azura took in the office once more, he saw Ozpin standing from his chair, ready to move around the desk.

Seeing him not in pain anymore, Ozpin sighed in relief. "Perhaps it is not wise for me to speak the name. You should go, Azura. We shall speak of this matter about her later, when Summer is more prepared for such a topic. I shall be sure to ask for your presence here when we can talk again." He sighed again. "Thank you for deciding to join us, Azura. Be sure to rest and heal in the coming days."

Azura nodded, slowly getting up from the chair. The dull ache of his arm and eye was not a fun sensation, but he pushed past it to speak. "I promise to do that, then. Thank you for your help with Aurora, and for deciding to help me."

"Of course."

Azura turned, walking to the elevator and letting the doors close as he held his left arm with a sigh. Summer's presence was gone, but he could feel the guilt from her. As the elevator began to go down, he whispered to himself, talking to Summer. "It's okay, Summer. Whoever she is, whatever she is, I would rather avoid knowing it if you cannot handle it."

He just hoped that he could help her through the clear problems that she had with certain topics.

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.(Chapter End)

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So, (late) anniversary of GVLP aside, I enjoyed getting this chapter together. Lots of setting up within this chapter, obviously, and other things. Don't worry, school life will continue soon enough, so it won't be a bunch of boring talking 24/7 for the next few chapters...hopefully.

Have a nice day/evening!