He dares touch my sweetheart?
He gets no mercy.

Ruby's world shrunk down to the man holding her scythe. Nothing else mattered to her at that moment. One hand cocked back into a punch, but it never collided with his chest like she planned. Ice surrounded the man's body from an angle she couldn't see. Her hand slammed into the frozen wall. The man winced in sympathy as her knuckles reddened. Ruby lifted her head and stared into the ice to catch sight of a faint white ripple over her shoulder.

"Come on, Weiss! He's got Crescent Rose! Let me hurt him!" she pleaded as she shook out her hand.

"Ruby…" the other girl's footsteps were soft against the floor as she approached. With one hand she none-too-gently yanked Ruby backwards, away from the entrapped man. "Let me deal with him." The faunus grimaced as Weiss pointed the tip of Myrtenaster towards his chest.

"If I had known examining a weapon was going to get me in this kind of trouble, I would have never taken this job," he growled. The heiress shoved the tip of her rapier a little closer, and flicked through the dust chambers until she had it set to red.

"What job is this?" she pressed. His sedate gray eyes met her frosty gaze, but the voice that answered came from the doorway once again.

"Miss Schnee! Miss Rose! What are you doing to our new weapons design instructor?" The voice wasn't the sedate tones of Professor Ozpin, but the proud voice of Peter Port. The Faunus sighed.

"He touched my scythe without permission. We're teaching him not to touch other people's weaponry." Ruby retorted. Port chuckled.

"Why, Miss Rose, Kieran would never intentionally damage or sabotage another person's weapon! Make unauthorized improvements, perhaps, but never intentionally cause damage!"

"How good of you to support me, Peter," the man in the ice replied dryly, "But telling them that isn't going to help." He shuddered and looked up from Weiss's face to stare at the gray-haired teacher. "Did you come in here for a reason?"

"Only to offer some assistance, but you seem to have things under control. Carry on!" With that, the man left. Kieran rolled his eyes.

"He hasn't changed a bit. Anyway, I'm Kieran Argentum, and as Professor Port just said, I'm the new weapons design and maintenance instructor." He shifted his weight around slightly in the ice. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be defrosted so I can put the scythe down and explain." Weiss snorted, and tapped the tip of her rapier against the frozen restraint. With the slightest cracking noise, the frost shattered, and Kieran stood flat on his feet once again. "Thanks," he grunted. With cautious motions, he flicked the switch to convert Crescent Rose back into its rifle form and set it on the bench top. The second he stepped away, Ruby filled the space he left and cradled the weapon in her arms as the faunus walked over to a stool.

"Well, where should I start?" he asked.

Ruby's response was instant, and she raised her head away from whispering to her scythe to ask. "Why do you feel entitled to handle other people's weaponry?"

"I'll explain through what I have with me." He grasped the large Scroll from the workbench where it sat, and pressed a pair of buttons. In an instant, a holographic projection emerged before the girls, with the display a weapons blueprint. Ruby raised her eyebrow as the next design flickered up on a slow slideshow.

"I've seen these before, in Weapons Illustrated. That's from Issue 96, the silencer-bayonet," she noted, with a gesture at the floating display. Weiss scowled.

"Did you just download these? I know they're free use, but how is this supposed to tell us who you are?" she snapped. Kieran rolled his eyes.

"She recognized the designs, but none of those were the published variations. There are minor details missing from each one, but eh, I guess there's nothing to prove my identity here," he retorted. His right hand slid inside his jacket. Ruby's eyes were fixated on the hologram, but the Schnee heiress wasn't distracted from the man. The point of Myrtenaster was instantly touching his Adam's apple. A black object slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor as the designer locked eyes with his assailant.

"Go ahead, Kieran. Make this day even worse." He just stared her in the eyes, but a pale hand took the decision from her as it jerked her arm backwards. Ruby's right hand clamped down on the sword before Weiss could stab the man in reflex. Her left hand held the chunk of black plastic that he'd dropped, and Ruby's face was simply filled with shock as she moved between the pair.

"Weiss… I just… This isn't possible…" Weiss scowled, but Ruby shifted her gaze to Kieran and pressed the object onto his face. Instantly, the upper-half was obscured with a familiar shape; a mask, painted to resemble black stone. The wry smile that the man put on was instantly recognizable. Myrtenaster clattered to the ground.

"Obsidian…" Her hand twitched slightly as she stared at him. Obsidian was a legend. A one-time Beacon student, he'd been critically injured by a giant variety of Ursa eight years before and had washed out due to those wounds. After that, however, he spontaneously emerged as a writer for Weapons Illustrated with a cult following towards both his designs and the videos he regularly released talking about design, maintenance and the combat forms of almost any weapon from behind a mask identical to the one that Kieran carried. Ruby followed his developments almost religiously. The faunus chuckled, amused by the response, but the eyes behind the mask tore into Weiss in frustration.

"She gets it. I'm sorry for all the mystery, but I'd rather not have everyone suddenly mentioning that I'm working here. Anyway, Ozpin asked me to…" he stopped and turned his head slightly, his mouth tilting into a confused smile. "Uh, where'd she go?" Weiss blinked, and a groan slipped from her throat. In the span of two seconds, Ruby had vanished into flower petals. She turned back to Kieran to explain, but a sudden thud removed the need. Ruby was back in the doorway of the room, her arms wrapped around a magazine.

"Can I get your autograph?" she squealed. The faunus smiled, and nodded. To his surprise, it was the first issue he'd written in.

"Anyway, Ozpin asked me to talk to you about your injuries, but he also suggested I mentor you," he explained, the black pen scrawling the familiar signature. Weiss scratched her head.

"I thought you were so badly injured, you couldn't be a hunter any more. What could you mentor Ruby in?" the heiress prompted.

Kieran snorted. "I'm a weapon designer, and a weapons master. Just because I don't fight monsters doesn't mean I can't fight. I'm going to teach her how to design, repair, and use almost any weapon she wants."

"Even if she wants to improve her skill with the scythe?" Even with the acid in her voice, Weiss found her remark simply shrugged off.

"Yes, even then. I'm not rated to use one in combat anymore, but I can use one to demonstrate at least. If I need to help Ruby with her scythe work, though, I'll just put out a call. I'm pretty sure I've got contacts with advice that can help her improve."

"So, where do we start?" Ruby placed the magazine to one side and hopped up onto a stool opposite the designer, Crescent Rose once again firmly in her hands. "Ooh, can we start with your designs for the railaxe? I want to see first-hand how much damage it can do!" In response, Kieran sighed and pulled his mask off.

"We don't start any time soon, Ruby. First, you need to lose the cast. We're not starting while the doctors are concerned about your arm."

"But …"

"Then, I'll need you to do some tests. Strength, knowledge of design, materials and Dust, and of course what skills you already have." The faunus was counting off his fingers, marking off the different things Ruby needed to do as the girl looked more and more distraught. Weiss could only barely hide a smile at Ruby's disappointed face, but Kieran didn't seem to be paying attention. "Before you ask, I have watched your Vytal Festival performances, but they only show me what you used to be able to do. Not what you are capable of now."

"But …"

"Finally, once you've done all that, then we can start your training with light design and construction work, as well as repairs to your scythe."

"But …" Finally, the faunus took note of the girl's downcast expression, and a faint chuckle rippled from his throat. As the girl glared at him, he gestured defensively.

"Ruby, I would have needed you to do the tests anyway. The delay about the arm is me trying to protect you. How do you think I would feel if I had you doing too much work, and you damaged your arm to the point where it stopped working? Say, you tore a tendon in your shoulder and lost full movement range. You'd never be able to wield a scythe again." Another remark passed under his breath, and for the briefest moment he seemed depressed. Then, it passed. "However, I've set you up with some little things, before everything starts. It's book work, so boring stuff, but …"

"I'll do it!" Ruby cheered. All the instructor could do was shake his head, amused.

"Well, I don't know how interesting you'll find it. I want you to go talk to Doctor Oobleck, and get his help in reading about weapon designs and notable fighters in history, going back as far as the war. Its interesting stuff, at least I think so. More importantly, you need to learn from yesterday if you plan to innovate tomorrow." Ruby felt her body slump. Book work? Weapons in history? Kieran chuckled again. "Don't worry; you don't need to write an essay. I hate assignments like that. Just think about what you read, and keep it in mind."

"Alright … I'll do it. Thanks, Obsidian." With a slow, practiced movement, Ruby shifted the weight of the rifle to her good arm, and brought it to her mouth to whisper a goodnight, sweetheart to the gun. With the same methodical movement, she placed Crescent Rose back on the bench, and walked out the door. Weiss snorted, and turned her attention back onto the faunus. He raised an eyebrow, but gestured for her to proceed.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I'll let you in on one thing. If Ruby gets hurt in your training, then you'll have to deal with me." Kieran laughed.

"Pretty sure her uncle, father and sister would be on top of that list, but I'll remember that." The faunus slid from his seat, and smiled at the heiress. "You don't need to be so protective, she'll be fine. Trust me." A beeping noise rang through the room. Kieran froze and turned to stare at the holographic projection from his Scroll. "I won't be, though. I'm late!" Before Weiss could react, Kieran's scroll was in his hands being folded down to a smaller size, and without even a farewell, he was out the door. Weiss rolled her eyes, and followed the racing faunus out the door. If Ruby was studying, maybe she could help there.

The library was quieter than usual. Even with the frequent rush of a green blur depositing mountains of books on the desk; Noir had to savour the moment. It wasn't often that he got to enjoy quiet.

"Ah yes, will that be all Mister Storia?" Doctor Oobleck's staccato query snapped into the young cat's thoughts. Gingerly, he nodded.

"I think so. I just came in here for a few maps, though." Noir gestured to the piles of atlases and history textbooks stacked in front of him. "This is overkill."

"Nonsense! Knowing the history of the region could proof necessary for your mission." Oobleck seemed to bounce from foot to foot, and Noir could only roll his eyes. "After all, those who do not learn from history …"

"Are doomed to repeat it, I know." The cat sighed, and raised his eyes to the nearest bookshelf, as if hoping that the contents would spirit him away. While he remained firm in his seat, one of his ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Hello? Doctor Oobleck? Are you in here?" Instantly, Oobleck blurred as he moved to find the girl calling for him. Noir smiled faintly and set aside the heavy history textbook he had on his lap as he shifted his focus to a map. In seconds, his mind was cast backwards to his days living in Sunset Valley, and a faint smile crossed his face as the memories took hold.

"I'm coming back, Ame. Soon, I'll be home," he whispered.

"Oh? Where are you going, Noir? And who's Ame?" Noir's head flew up from his daydream, only to find a set of silver eyes with a confused look staring back at him. Ruby smiled faintly at him, but the faunus simply tensed up as if cornered by the huntress sitting across from him.

"Don't worry about it, Ruby, it's nothing important." The girl didn't look convinced, but Noir continued onwards. "What brings you out to the library, anyway?"

"Homework." All it took was the one word for Noir to raise an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Like I'd believe that, Ruby. We've graduated. No more classes. No more homework. So, why the library? Are you really that bored?" With that, Noir returned his eyes to the map. The young huntress scowled at his disinterested tone.

"I could ask you the same thing, Noir. What's with the map and history books? Don't tell me you've got a real urge to read about the history of …" her voice died away as she scanned the books and map. The name seemed familiar, but she wasn't quite sure why. "The Veil of the Rose? Where is that?"

"You'd probably know it better as the Sunset Valley." With his head lowered, the cat's voice was muted more than usual. He sounded almost sad. "I lived there a couple of years ago, so Ozpin asked me to help with a basic mission plan. Common types of Grimm, any groups that would have joined the Dusk that I know about. That kind of junk." He sighed, and gently tapped the map. "It's nothing too exciting, especially since all I needed was the map. Oobleck got it into his head that I need to read up on the history of the place."

"It's Doctor Oobleck to you, Mister Storia. You should still read up on the history, as there may be important information about the Cage of the Kings held within." The doctor seemed to emerge from nowhere, and offered Ruby a faint smile. "Ah, Miss Rose. I take it you are here for your research assignment?"

"Research assignment?" The faunus scowled and raised his head from the map once more. "What research assignment?"

Ruby blushed. "Well, there's a new weapons design teacher here at Beacon, and Ozpin asked him to run me through some masterclass stuff. I have to start with background reading. He wants me to read up on weapons and notable fighters. Something about learning from yesterday to innovate tomorrow, along those lines." The girl lowered her head. "It doesn't sound very interesting, to be honest, but I'm bored. Off active duty, so I can't get missions. Yang's got some kind of punishment, Blake and Sun are doing couple things, Weiss is Weiss, and Jaune's only just left hospital. Pyrrha's starting to help him get back his strength, so I'd just be in the way with my cast." She sighed, and stared at the tabletop. "I need something to do, even if it's just reading old books."

Noir nodded, and shifted lightly. His hands grasped a textbook from the stack of books, and set it on the table before flipping to the contents page, as the history teacher vanished once more into a green blur. "Tell me about it. Being taken off duty is a pain, but you have to humour them." He flicked his way through the book, before stopping at a photograph of an old, ruined doorway into a cliff. "That's the Cage of the Kings. It's a tomb in the Sunset Valley, out of the safe zones, in Grimm infested forest. According to these books, it was the final resting place for royalty from the Kingdom of Vale for generations. And yet Cain told me that there were answers about …" his voice died away, and he seemed to shrink into the chair, shying further away from Ruby's silver stare. "Answers about something I have to know. Because he's a member of the Dusk, Ozpin thinks that it might be helpful to the war." The cat's hands flicked forward through the book without thinking, passing over an intricate painting of a brown-haired woman as he flicked forward. Ruby's eyes widened. Something about the woman's face seemed familiar.

"Wait. Noir, go back to that painting." The cat raised an eyebrow, and slowly turned pages back to the image as the girl walked around to stand next to him. She felt her heartbeat pick up. The woman's hair was longer than her dream, with a long, intricate braid sitting in her lap as she posed elegantly for the artist. She was dressed simply, with a long black dress worn over a cream blouse. She had a polite smile on her face, which was reflected by the almost sad glint in her silver eyes. She rested a hand against the image, and bit her lip simply.

"Huh … Juliet Rose." The cat's voice was faint in her ear, background noise that barely slipped past her beating heart. "It says she was a general of the armies of Vale and Duchess of the Sunset Valley. That explains the nickname of the Sunset Valley as the Vail of the Rose." He sounded perplexed. "Is she an ancestor of yours, Ruby?"

"Maybe …" A rapid tapping rose to her attention, but when it stopped with a whoosh, she guessed the cause. "Doctor Oobleck, can I borrow this book for a few days? It might help with the readings about famous fighters I was asked to do." She finally tore her eyes away from the painting, and winced when she caught sight of the teacher. He had a small mountain of books in his hands. The titles she could see were all related to weapon design, some of the material Kieran wanted her to look at. More books than she could read in a week. She shuddered slightly, but smiled at the man.

"Well, if Mister Storia is finished with it, then I see no reason why you cannot add it to your reading material." He placed the tower of paper on top of a nearby table. "Now, let me find you materials specifically on fighters." He vanished again, leaving the two young trainees once more. Noir grasped the book at that page, and shook his head.

"It's overkill, of course, but Oobleck means well. Enjoy it, Ruby." The faunus slid over in his seat, and placed it onto the other table. "Hope that book helps with your project, because it didn't help on my mission plan." He sighed again, and settled back in to studying the map. Ruby nodded, and gently rested a hand against the book once more, a faint smile across her face.

It was time to learn more about her family's past.

A/N:
Too much has happened. Too long, has this been without an update. As fans, we lost an inspiration: Monty Oum's passing actually effected me pretty personally. I met him, back in late 2013, and told him I'd cosplay Sun. Well, after he passed on, I did. And I haven't stopped cosplaying Sun either - it's been six conventions so far, and I've worn that costume to every single one, to the point where other cosplayers know me simply as Sun. But, that's beside the point. You guys aren't here for me.

You guys are here for the story. I can't believe I haven't updated this since the end of March, 2014. I've been working on this on the backburner for all that time, and I'm devastated I've taken this long to get it to you all. Hopefully this chapter raises some questions, and hints at a few natures still to come. Anywho, as always, reviews are appreciated, and questions via PMs are always fun where I can tease details, if not outright confirm them. Anyway, expect more of this and of Perchance to Dream in the future, and I love you all for sticking with me. Thank you all.