Woooo! Another chapter and this time without several days waiting! I enjoyed writing this one, especially the first segment!

Thanks to everyone for reading! Feel free to leave a review! Every comment, bit of feedback, or just cheerful little statement, help me get inspired!

It was a little after noon when the trio found themselves atop the dorm's roof yet again, huddled together as Pyrrha looked to her scroll nervously. This would be the first time she was calling her mothers since she had started the relationship with Jaune and Ruby, and while she wanted a chance to tell them about her partners, it was more than a little intimidating to think about.

"Um…" Ruby peeked over her girlfriend's shoulder meekly, staring at the scroll as Pyrrha hovered a finger nervously over the 'call' function. "If you aren't sure about having us here, we can wait."

"No, it's okay… I just, I need to work up my confidence." Pyrrha said softly, looking back at the shorter redhead with a smile. "Having you both here is important, it's just a bit nerve wracking. The last time I introduced someone to my parents, things soon ended poorly, thanks to my fans."

"It'll be different this time." Jaune reassured the taller girl, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently. "We're with you, Pyrrha. For as long as you'll put up with us."

"I think I could say the same to you." The Argussean chuckled, before looking back towards her scroll, taking a deep breath. Tapping her finger on the glass screen, she pulled up the list of contacts, finger hovering over 'manoula.' Feeling Ruby's hand land on her shoulder, mirroring Jaune, she smiled, and clicked to call.

It rang for what felt like an eternity, though Ruby was sure only a minute or so had passed. Finally, a woman with familiar emerald eyes and shortcut scarlet hair came into view of the video, looking a bit surprised to have been called. "Matia mou? Is that you?"

"H-Hey mom." Woah, this was the first time Ruby had seen Pyrrha look quite so sheepish. It wasn't as though the taller redhead wasn't nervous before or anything, this was just different. More intimate, Ruby supposed. "How are you?"

"Pyrritsa, we've missed you so much!" Pyrrha's mother exclaimed, smiling brightly. "Would you like me to get Dama? She'd love to see you, too!"

"Ah, of course, mom!" Pyrrha agreed with a smile, eyes shimmering with a warmth that Ruby found rare for her girlfriend. "I have something to ask the two of you, so it's important you're both here."

"Dama! Louloudi mou! Pyrritsa is calling!" The redhead on the other side of the screen exclaimed, Pyrrha chuckling fondly at the sound of her mother's voice.

"She seems nice!" Jaune noted cheerfully, his taller girlfriend's cheeks warming as she was reminded of her partners beside her. "I can see the family resemblance."

"Yes, I've often been told that I look a lot like my mother." Her gaze turned towards Ruby, the shorter girl jumping a little sheepishly as Pyrrha smiled warmly at her. "I guess that's something we have in common."

"Y-Yeah!" The younger redhead chirped, blushing a little at the sight of her girlfriend's smile. She looked so happy and it just made Ruby feel so embarrassed to see her that way. The stupid "butterflies in her stomach" feeling again. "Jaune's right, though. She seems really nice."

"She is." Pyrrha agreed, a gentle smile on her face as she turned her focus back to the scroll, eyes lightening up with excitement as she spotted her stepmother walk into view. "Dama! How are you?"

"Pyrrha! My little warrior!" The woman standing beside Pyrrha's mother was tall, maybe about Jaune's height, with long brunette hair, and freckled, hazelnut brown skin. "We've missed you so! How are you?"

"I'm doing well, Dama." Pyrrha's cheeks darken slightly as she blushed, her eyes darting towards Ruby and Jaune. "Better than well, maybe."

"Better than well? Well, well." The brunette gave a playful smile, "why don't you introduce us to your "friends," Pyrrha?"

"Um, right. This is Jaune, leader of Team JNPR, and my partner at the academy. And this is Ruby Rose, she's the leader of Team RWBY, one of our fellow teams this year." Pyrrha's cheeks were practically matching her hair, and Jaune and Ruby's faces weren't doing much better, the trio blushing brightly as Pyrrha finished her explanation. "They are my… boyfriend and girlfriend."

The cheerful squeal Pyrrha's stepmother let out caused Ruby and Jaune to jump in surprise, though their girlfriend seemed rather used to it, given the lighthearted chuckle she let out. "Congratulations, Pyrrha! They look lovely!"

"Dama! You know I don't just care about looks!" Pyrrha insisted, her cheeks warming again. "But, yes, they are both wonderful. I am happy to have found them."

"W-Well I'm happy to have found you two, too, Pyrrha!" Ruby squeaked out, eliciting a laugh from her girlfriend's parents, while Pyrrha just smiled gently, wrapping an arm around Ruby's shoulder and hugging her close.

"Yeah. Me too." Jaune mumbled shyly, shifting a little closer to Pyrrha, who happily brought him into a hug, too. "It's, uh, it's nice to meet you two."

"It's nice to meet you, too, young man." Pyrrha's mom said warmly, before turning her gaze Ruby's way. "And what about you, young lady?"

"Oh! I-It's wonderful to meet you!" Ruby peeped out, hiding behind Pyrrha nervously. "I-I'm glad that Pyrrha h-has such loving parents."

"Oh, she seems sweet, Pyrrha! A little shy, though." Dama commented, earning a gentle chuckle from the taller redhead. "So, what is it you want, little warrior?"

"I, um, I was planning to take Jaune and Ruby out on a date, and I know you're from Vale, so…" Pyrrha blushed as she scratched at the back of her head sheepishly, an awkward smile on her face.

"You need help finding a place to go?" Pyrrha nodded, eliciting a teasing chuckle from her stepmother. "Try along the north river, across from the residential districts. There's quite a few Northern Mistrali restaurants there. Why, I think I met Anemone in one when you two were visiting the Kingdom when you were just a little girl. Where was that, again?"

As Pyrrha's stepmother asked her mom about where the restaurant in question was, the taller redhead had a gentle smile on her face, not even noticing as Ruby slipped a hand into hers, smiling up at the taller girl.

"They're really nice." Ruby noted, squeezing her girlfriend's hand, "I'm glad."

"They really are." Pyrrha said softly, returning the affectionate gesture. "If you ever have the chance to meet them in person, I'm sure they'll dote on you almost as much as I want to."

Before Ruby could try denying anything, the couple on the scroll spoke back up, Pyrrha's mother taking the lead, now. "Pyrritsa, there's a restaurant called "Alkyone's Hearth," that serves wonderful Argussean cuisine, where I met Dama. You should take your agapimenoi, they'll love it I'm sure."

"I will, mom." Pyrrha agreed, a grateful smile on her face, eyes looking a little watery. "Thank you both for being so accepting. I-I was worried."

"Sweetheart, you know that you'll never have anything to be ashamed of with us." Her mother reassured, smiling warmly at her daughter and her partners. "We love you, Pyrrha. Don't be shy about calling!"

"I love you, too, mom, Dama." Pyrrha returned happily, a relieved sigh escaping her lips as the call ended. As soon as she put her scroll away, she drew Ruby and Jaune into a tight hug, smiling brightly as she held them close. "Thank you, both, for being there."

"We're happy to be there, Pyrrha." Jaune insisted, smiling as he joined the embrace, Ruby following just after.

"You're our girlfriend, and you're really amazing. We'll always be there for you, okay?" Ruby reassured the taller redhead, looking up at her with a cheerful grin. "Now let's get to the cafeteria, before we miss out on lunch entirely!"

"Hey, Blake, do you think we can talk?"

The feline Faunus froze, Yang's hand gently holding on to her sleeve, violet eyes unwilling to meet her own as the duo stood in the halls. They had just finished the last class of the day, and were about to join the rest of their friends on the way to the cafeteria, before the blonde had stopped the brunette.

"Um, yeah. Sure." She was expecting this, really, after what had happened that morning. Things had gotten carried away, and it was probably her fault. She certainly blamed herself.

"Look, um…" Yang chuckled nervously, cheeks pinkened lightly. It was easy for Blake to tell that this was just as awkward of an experience for her partner as it was for her, which didn't make things easier for the Faunus. "A-About this morning…"

"Yang, I… I can't." Blake insisted quietly, amber eyes focused on the floor as she tried to avoid eye contact with her partner.

"Why not?" The blonde softly asked, her voice cracking slightly as she reached for the Faunus' hand, hesitating a few inches away.

It broke Blake's heart to hear her partner so sad, but she knew she couldn't commit to something like this, not right now. She'd made a mistake, she'd gotten too comfortable, and she couldn't let this go on, it wasn't fair to Yang. "I can't. Not right now."

"Why not? D-Did I do something wrong?" Yang's voice was barely more than a whisper, but the self loathing in it was something that Blake found very familiar.

"No! No, Yang, you're perfect, I-I'm just…" Blake worried she might regret doing so, but took Yang's hand into her own, giving an affectionate squeeze. "I'm not ready to commit to something again, Yang. Wh-what happened with Adam, it was… it was bad. I-I loved him, and he was a… a monster."

"Blake, that isn't your fault." Yang insisted, returning the affectionate gesture with one of her own, looking up to her partner with a solemn smile, which Blake struggled to return. "You were just a kid, and Adam was a lot older than you."

"That doesn't change what happened, Yang. What I did." Blake retorted, perhaps a bit snappier than she had intended, regret flooding her as she saw the blonde flinch, the grip on her hand loosening. "I-I'm sorry! I just… I can't. This is all my fault, I-I'm trying to keep myself from going too far with this crush, b-but it's hard!"

"Hey, I'm the one who initiated things this morning." Yang interrupted, the severity in her voice making it clear that she wasn't going to just sit by and let the cat Faunus blame herself yet again for what happened. "If anything, I-I'm glad you realized you aren't ready, yet. I-I like you a lot, Blake, but I don't want to do anything that'll make you uncomfortable."

"Yang, you've never made me uncomfortable." Blake said softly, squeezing the brawler's hand tightly, "just because I'm not ready for a relationship doesn't mean you aren't a wonderful person, Yang. Y-You're more than wonderful, really. You're beautiful and confident and I just hope that I can live up to the example you give as my partner."

"You're giving me too much credit." Yang deflected, cheeks dusted with pink. "I mean, I'm pretty great, but you've never had you as a partner before."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blake found herself giggling a little as Yang gave her a playful smile.

"You're way more agile than me, and always quick in a fight." Yang told the cat Faunus, the playfulness in her voice fading away into sincerity. "You've got a good heart, you're concerned about more than just you. You're exactly the kind of Huntress Ruby wants to be."

"And what kind of Huntress do you want to be?"

"I… I don't know." Yang admitted, Blake offering her a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine, though! I've got four years to figure it out, right?"

"Yeah, we've both got plenty of time." Blake nodded, slowly letting go of the blonde's hand. "And maybe… after Adam, after I've had time to m-move on safely. Maybe then we can revisit this… stuff."

"I still don't think you should let him control you like that, but…" Yang sighed, returning the smile. "Maybe I'm not the person to talk to about that. I'm not really… equipped for it. I don't have the same experience that you do, so I shouldn't be so presumptuous."

"It's fine, Yang. It's just… he was five years of my life." Blake admitted, sighing softly, a hint of reminiscence mixed with regret. "It's… hard, even now. Some small part of me still thinks I have to do what he says, be friends with only who he approves of. But I know that's wrong, because he'd never have approved of you, and you're amazing."

"With the kind of guy you've described, I don't want his approval." Yang retorted, giving a cocky smile. "Anyways, I… I am sorry about this morning. Things got carried away and I guess I'm just glad you had the sense to snap us out of it."

"Yeah. Thanks, Yang." Blake said softly, a nervous smile on her lips as she looked at her partner. "We should get going, before anyone gets the wrong idea."

"Yeah." Yang agreed, "just, uh, give me a minute to catch up?"

"Sure thing." The Faunus agreed, giving a gentle wave as she left the blonde.

As soon as her partner was out of eyesight, and hopefully hearing distance, Yang fell against the wall, hands clenched tightly as she bit back a sob. She should've known it was too much to wish for. Just… for once in her life, why couldn't things have gone her way. She remained for several minutes, just breathing in and out as she tried to collect herself, before standing back up.

"N-Next time, right?" The blonde reassured herself, "she's just not ready. This doesn't have to be the end of things."

If only that made it feel any better.

Ruby was worried about her sister. At dinner with the two teams, Yang had been far more reserved than usual. Pyrrha's hand gently squeezing hers drew her from her wandering thoughts and back to the present, though she resolved to speak with Yang later. If her sister was feeling down, that meant something bad had happened, and there was no way she was just going to ignore it.

"Are you ready?" The taller redhead asked, her other hand occupied with the collection of fairy tales that contained The Warrior in the Woods. Jaune was on Ruby's other side, looking rather nervous to be approaching the headmaster yet again.

"Yeah." Ruby nodded slowly, breathing in slow as she followed her girlfriend towards the elevator of the CCT. They'd sent a message to Professor Ozpin asking if they could meet with him, and surprisingly, he'd said yes, despite how vague they'd been.

"I guess this is it." Jaune mumbled sheepishly as they stepped inside the elevator, jolting awkwardly as it shut without being prompted, and began its journey. "I guess, uh, he has an override in his office."

"Most likely." Pyrrha noted, giving a reassuring smile to the blonde. It was pretty obvious to Ruby that Pyrrha was the most well adjusted when it came to speaking with authority figures, probably because of her fame in Mistral. It was clearly something she hadn't wanted, but Pyrrha was definitely able to control whatever nerves she might be feeling a lot better than Jaune or herself.

"I, um, how do we want to tell him? I don't… really know what we're supposed to do." Ruby admitted, looking towards the ground nervously. "Like, we can't just walk up to him and be like "hey Professor Ozpin someone I don't know sent me a message to read a fairy tale that had a woman with silver eyes, what's up with that," that'd be… silly."

"Why not?" Jaune asked, chuckling nervously as the two redheads looked his way. "Maybe not those exact words, but… being concise will only help us, since we can get to the meat of the issue."

"Jaune's right," Pyrrha agreed, the blonde's smile growing a little more confident at her reassurement. "If we just tell him what's happened, he will be able to provide advice much sooner."

"I-I guess." Ruby nodded, feeling more than a little awkward at the idea. "D-Do one of you want to start, then?"

"I can," Pyrrha offered, smiling warmly at her girlfriend as she gave another affectionate squeeze of her hand.

Ruby returned a shy smile, cheeks warming as she blushed. "Thank you. I promise not to hide behind you two the whole time."

"Don't worry, Professor Ozpin is on our side. He'll want to help." Jaune said, though it was hard for Ruby to tell if he was reassuring her more than himself.

The elevator let out a ding as it came to a stop, the trio stepping into Ozpin's office as the headmaster calmly sipped cocoa from his mug. "Ah, students. I hope I may be of assistance today." Placing his drink down, he folded his hands in front of him on his desk. "Now then, you said that Miss Rose received an unusual message?"

Pyrrha stepped forward, quickly explaining the important details of the situation, while Jaune and Ruby held back awkwardly. Seeing Pyrrha take charge like that wasn't common, but it was both intimidating and breathtaking, in Ruby's opinion. Were it not for Pyrrha's own reservations with the spotlight, Ruby found herself wondering if she might've made a good team leader.

"I see." Ozpin calmly sipped from his drink again, almond eyes neutral as he looked over the students. "That someone was able to access your records and find your scroll number is quite distressing, Miss Rose. I will speak to Glynda about having a new one assigned that isn't directly connected to the network, I believe you're familiar with your uncle's?"

"Yes sir!" Ruby chirped, a little surprised at the idea. "He's shown me it before."

"Good. Now, onto this story you were directed to." Ozpin placed his drink down, adjusting his strangely designed spectacles as he looked into Ruby's silver eyes. "Miss Rose, how much do you know about your family?"

"Um, not much, sir. My dad was an orphan from Vacuo, and my mom was from Vale. I-I think Professor Greene mentioned she was a noble? But I've never heard that."

"Yes, noble isn't quite right, but your mother comes from a rather influential family." The silver-haired professor gave a gentle smile, one that again made Ruby feel like it was what a grandfather would make. "That isn't what's really important, though. The story speaks of your eyes- of silver eyes."

"Yeah! What's the big deal about that, anyways?" Jaune piped up, forgetting his nerves for a moment. "I mean, they're pretty. Um, pretty unusual, I mean. Not that they aren't pretty! They're definitely pretty! I, Um… I'll shut up, now."

Professor Ozpin let out a gentle chuckle, the hint of a smirk on his often immutable expression. "Now, now, there's no need to apologize, but we'd better focus on matter at hand, young man." Ozpin let a small sigh out of his lips, before placing his spectacles on the desk. "It is true, there are a few stories of those with eyes of silver, brave warriors who fought the Grimm in a time before Huntsmen- before Kingdoms. Back before the founding of the first Kingdom."

"How much is true, of course, is up to much debate." Professor Ozpin continued, standing up and facing away from the students, his hands behind his back as he looked out the window and towards Vale. "Over time, they have become conflated, abilities and skills tied to them that likely never existed. What we can be sure of, Miss Rose, is that those born with silver eyes are born to live the life of a warrior."

"The life of a warrior?" Ruby was confused, to say the least. Part of her wanted to shout that there had to be more to it, but she wasn't sure, and she had definitely always felt compelled to be a Huntress; fighting the Grimm had been her life's goal for as long as she could remember, first, because she looked up to her mom, then to live up to her legacy.

"Yes. I want to reassure you, though, that you have nothing to worry about." Ozpin cautioned, turning back to the students. "Whoever sent this may have had an ulterior motive, and I will make sure that they do not have access to you again."

"Thank you, sir. I'm sorry for bothering you." Ruby squeaked out, ducking her head slightly.

"There's no need to thank me Miss Rose. You are one of my students, as headmaster of this academy your safety is my first concern." Ozpin insisted, calmly returning to his seat and placing his spectacles back on. "There's still plenty of time in the evening, you three should concern yourselves with your studies, or spending time enjoying yourselves. I'll make sure that nothing is awry for Miss Rose, and that she receives a new scroll in the morning."

"Oh, um, okay." Ruby nervously mumbled, looking awkwardly towards Jaune and Pyrrha, before returning her focus to the headmaster. "Is that all, sir?"

"Yes, Miss Rose, that will be all." Professor Ozpin confirmed with a nod. "Don't forget, I want all of you taking the next couple weeks off from any… extracurricular activities."

"Yes, sir!" Ruby chirped, giving a hearty salute to the headmaster. She was still a little nervous about what had happened, sure, not everyday you get a weird unsolicited message on your scroll after all, but Professor Ozpin had done well to reassure her.

The trio made their way to the elevator, sharing nervous smiles as Ruby gave the headmaster another sheepish wave, which while he made no indication he had noticed, she could've sworn she'd seen a slight gleam in his eye. "I think that went okay?" The shorter redhead noted, as the three waited for the elevator to start, "he didn't seem like he was really bothered, right?"

"It went fine," Jaune reassured the shorter girl, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze as the elevator started the descent downward. "I'm glad he's being so quick to act on it, I was a little worried they'd treat it like it wasn't a big deal."

"I'm sure they wouldn't do that, Jaune." Pyrrha insisted, though Ruby could recognize a slight lack of conviction to the champion's voice that made her a little sad.

The shorter girl got the impression that her girlfriend was thinking of what she'd told her and Jaune, about how her concerns over certain fans had been dismissed. Reaching a hand out to Pyrrha's, she intertwined their fingers, giving a reassuring smile. Pyrrha returned one of her own, and Ruby could tell she was feeling at least a little better at the show of support.

"That makes me wonder, though." Jaune noted, brow furrowing slightly. "What would your mom be if Professor Greene was wrong about her being a noble?"

"I don't know." Ruby admitted, shrugging at the blonde with a smile on her face. "It doesn't really matter, right? That's not what Professor Ozpin was asking about."

"Yeah, you're right." Jaune agreed, ruffling the shorter girl's hair, eliciting a giggle from her. Looking over to Pyrrha, he gave her a gentle smile, noticing she had her brow furrowed as she looked toward Ruby, though her pondering expression faded to a relaxed one as she noticed Jaune's smile, returning it with one of her own. "Do you think we could take the night off, maybe? We could just relax, maybe read some of the other fairy tales in that collection?"

"That sounds fine, Jaune." Pyrrha agreed, looking to Ruby, a hint of concern in emerald eyes that she did her best to hide with a smile. "Would you like that, Ruby?"

"Of course!" The shorter redhead chirped cheerfully, smiling brightly as the elevator reached its stop. The trio stepped into the main floor of the CCT, sharing smiles as they made their way to the exit, ignoring the occasional curious glance from another student.

"You seem distracted." Glynda noted as she approached Ozpin, her colleague standing at the window, eyes following the trio of students she'd passed as they left the CCT, no doubt. She hated that it seemed they would have a role to play in the things to come, but things had already been set in motion, despite her best efforts.

"Of course." Ozpin agreed, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he turned around, looking far more tired than she was used to. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him this way, but it was always disconcerting to see him when he had been lost in memories of lives before. "It never gets easier, does it?"

"What?" Glynda asked, if only to humor him. She already had an idea of what he meant.

"Lying to them. Telling them that everything will be alright, when we know for a fact that it won't be."

"I recall you telling me that they were children." Glynda retorted, though her statement lacked any bite. "Do parents not lie to their children sometimes, to reassure them when things are at their darkest?"

"Perhaps it would be easier if they were actually my children." Ozpin noted sadly, a slight frown on his face. "She looks so much like her grandmother, I almost thought I was speaking to Aurora again."

"You could always tell her, you know. She would love to have some connection to her family." Glynda said, a frown forming on her face. "The way they've kept even stories of Summer from her, it's disgraceful."

"Maybe, but I understand why they did. Is it not the same thing I have done, for thousands of years?" Ozpin replied, placing his mug down and sighing again. "Everytime I have children, it only serves to bring more grief into the world, it seems."

"Do not be so harsh to yourself, Ozpin." Glynda insisted, gently reassuring him. "They have done great good, even if they are not always valued by those they protect. She has found herself two wonderful guardians, I'm sure Ruby will live a long, happy life."

"I hope so. Seeing yet another of my descendents so eager to join the fight against the darkness is both inspiring, and heartbreaking. I only hope we can do what we must to end this war, before it claims her as it did her mother."

"We can, Ozpin." Glynda replied as the headmaster picked up his mug again, "James may have been a fool to bring so many troops, but he's been working with us well, otherwise. Hopefully his specialists will succeed where Vale's police have failed."

"Indeed," Ozpin nodded, his expression calming to one of neutrality. "Speaking of the General, I'd like for him to provide assistance in tracking down a number on CCT. And Miss Rose will need a scroll, one that is disconnected from the direct network."

"Oh dear, I guess whatever Miss Rose and her companions had to say was rather serious."

"Yes, someone is directing her towards secrets she will hopefully never need to know," Ozpin stated cooly, grip tightening slightly on his mug. "I would rather she not be burdened by them as her mother was. Thank you, Glynda."

"Of course." The deputy headmistress nodded, making her way towards the elevator as her scroll connected her to General Ironwood, a frown on her face as the doors shut and he gave his typical overly eager greeting.

Ozpin gave a slight roll of the eyes as he caught the start of James' ever interested greeting, not at all surprised by his right hand's disinterest. With Glynda gone, he returned to the window, resting both hands on his cane as he observed Beacon's campus. It warmed his heart to see so many students fill the streets of the academy, he only hoped such times could last. First things first, they would need to assign a new Fall Maiden, and reclaim the rest of her power.