Author's notes.

Small chapter here, getting back into writing this. The chapter was partially finished before the hiatus, and I felt bad deleting all of the work, so I decided to finish up what I could, publish it, and let you know I'm not dead! So... Think of this as a teaser for post-hiatus stuff!

Chapter 3

"I-It's okay, it's alright, it… It's not your fault…"

A blonde girl, no older than twelve, shudders violently and grasps her younger sister tightly to her chest. She dry heaves, softly pulling her sister away from the gruesome scene and out of the room.

"It's not… your fault Ruby… It's not…"

Yang grits her teeth and carries her sister up the stairs and out of the basement, collapsing at the last step and doing all she can to breathe in the air no longer tainted with the scent of death. She crawls a few feet before her vision starts to fade into black.

It had been an argument. Her sister had been strangely moody and Yang always had a temper. Ruby ran from home, and it took a few hours for the panic to set in and Yang to come chasing after. She'd heard about kidnappings on the news, but when she tracked her sister's scroll to find it in a house she'd never seen before, she could feel panic turn to horror.

Based on the scene she discovered, the kidnappers had made a terrible mistake.

"Are you really that much of a suicidal idiot, Ozpin?"

The Headmaster of Beacon sighs and shuts his eyes, tilting back in his seat as Glynda leans against his desk. He tries with all of his might to ignore the piercing glare, and after approximately ten seconds of tense silence, he finally gives up with a small sigh, locking eyes with a very irritated Glynda Goodwitch.

"Glynda, we've been over this."

"No, Ozpin, we really haven't," she growls. "You've been surrounding yourself with James, Qrow, or others as a way to specifically avoid this, Ozpin!"

Ozpin takes a long sip from his mug, not bothering to refute that point. "Then what would you have me do, Glynda? I can't go back on my word, now, can I?"

"You can and you will!"

"I can, but I will not. Miss Rose-"

"Don't call it that, Ozpin," Glynda warns, her glare threatening to kill him on the spot.

"Miss Rose is a child. I have looked into it, Glynda."

"Child or not, it is dangerous! It is weak, and it'll only get stronger with age, we should deal with it now before the Queen-"

"You and I both know Miss Rose would not turn to the Queen's side."

"No, we don't, Ozpin!" Glynda nearly shouts, standing up straight. "What makes you think that it has a heart of gold, Ozpin, hm? That it won't use the opportunity to slaughter seven of our potential guardians before they ever have a chance to fight back?"

Ozpin's gaze hardens. "I know its kind better than anyone, Glynda. Do not forget what I have told you."

Glynda quiets down immediately, eyes downcast, before Ozpin clearing his throat gets her attention. He sets his scroll down on the desk silently as a hologram appears, and a video begins to play.

Glynda watches with a mix of shock and horror as the silver-eyed brunette sits in Miss Xiao Long's lap, face buried in her half-sister's side. Glynda's eyes grow wider when Miss Xiao Long visibly stiffens in pain, yet continues to comfort her sister.

"Is she…?"

Ozpin closes his eyes.

As Miss Xiao Long's face begins to pale, the brunette pulls away, allowing the two professors to see the large, almost animalistic gash in her side. Miss Rose disappears, leaving floating roses in her wake, before reappearing shortly afterwards with bandages.

Ozpin pauses the video and takes back his scroll, looking up at Glynda quietly, a hardness in his eyes not often seen.

"It is my belief that Miss Rose does not wish to hurt people, Glynda. Miss Xiao Long, as you know, has a strikingly high tolerance for pain, an above average-sized aura, and a semblance designed to strengthen her as her aura diminishes."

"Her sister knows," Glynda whispers, eyes filled with grief and fear.

"From what I have gathered, she does not know exactly what her sister is."

"Then why…? Why does she let Miss Rose do that to her…?"

Ozpin rubs his temples quietly. "When Summer passed, her husband became a workaholic recluse. It is likely that Miss Xiao Long… is more of a parental figure than her actual father."

Glynda frowns, limply falling into a seat and clasping her hands together in thought. "What will we tell the other students? The Arc, most importantly?"

"The two will be leaders of their respective teams," Ozpin states quietly, looking down at his mug. "Miss Schnee and Miss Nikos must be separate, as well. Miss Xiao Long should stay with Miss Rose, and Miss Valkyrie has shown an attachment to her childhood friend that should not be tampered with. I believe that Miss Rose's team should be told, but Mister Arc's not."

Glynda shakes her head in frustration. "Once again, Ozpin, how?"

Ozpin takes a sip from his mug and sighs, holding his head in his hands. "We will figure that out once Qrow has finished his… reading assignment."

"That's not an answer and you know it, Ozpin. What will we tell them? Will they believe it? You didn't tell your first little project's subjects until they found it out for themselves."

"And that was a mistake," Ozpin finishes, closing his eyes wearily. "We will… go slowly, with these children. We have time, after all… Though much less than I'd like."

Glynda sighs, rubbing her temple. "And Qrow? Taiyang? Do they know too, Ozpin?"

Ozpin sips from his mug, the steaming coffee doing little to heat his cold and numb face. Too long has he spent in this room, too long has he spent reading, researching… "Qrow doesn't know," He states plainly, running a hand through his silver hair and biting his cheek. "I doubt anyone in Miss Rose's family truly knows what she is… Though perhaps… one…"

Glynda expectantly raises an eyebrow, setting her hands on the headmaster's desk and narrowing her eyes.

Ozpin smiles lightly, chuckling. "I don't know for sure, Glynda, that's what I need to find out," he answers, despite Glynda not asking. Glynda stands up tall once more, shaking her head and biting her lip. "I'm sorry we didn't talk about this sooner, Glynda, but we need her, more than anything. To get her on our side now, to teach and guide her, to keep her from…"

"Her…"

A smile.

A small gesture.

A wave of the hand, a tilt of the head.

Back straight, chin up.

It has always been, and will always be, far more effective to make other people work and toil and labor for your own gain.

As the lowly, eager to please, keen and infatuated little bug approaches, She is ready and willing to give him a smile. To wordlessly show Her… appreciation, for his deeds. For all the work he's put in just to make Her happy.

Another reached maturity some years ago, somewhere out there on Remnant… To find it would be a boon, a tool to gain even more and in so much less time…

"Have you found anything for me, Tyrion…?" She asks, face blank and chin held high.

"N-not yet! Not yet, no, no… b-but-"

She raises Her hand, Her little germ stopping mid-sentence. "Your lack of progress is… disappointing," She explains with a gentle frown, nearly bringing the insect to tears on the spot. "I have something new for you. Cinder has done well, but she was not perfect in her… execution. Find Qrow Branwen, and bring him to me. It can wait… for now…"

It cannot hide from Her.

Nothing can.