Sixteen Years Ago… Beacon Tower…
"Has there been any word yet from Raven?" Ozpin asked as he stood from his desk and moved over to stand near the window where he could look out over the campus. It was early afternoon, and the students were beginning to mill around the school grounds as they left the dining hall and headed in the direction of their various classes.
"Not yet," Summer replied, pushing a lock of dark hair away from her eyes, luminous even in the light of the office. "Qrow doesn't seem worried, so Tai and I are trying not to either. I know she's two days overdue, but we've all had missions like that. Granted, her portal Semblance means she should be able to come to any of the three of us, so transportation isn't an issue for her, but there could be any number of other reasons for the delay."
"Very true," Ozpin murmured. He looked back over his shoulder at the leader of Team STRQ. "What about the rest of you?"
"Qrow was planning on heading out again as soon as Raven gets back. He and Tai were talking about heading over to Mistral and trying to find a few Beowulf or Ursa packs to clear out. As for me, I wanted to head up to Atlas to see Fria again, maybe check in with James. Nothing was set in stone, though. We were waiting for Raven to get back in case you had any specific instructions for us after you get her report."
Ozpin nodded. "All good plans – I approve, assuming Raven doesn't bring back any information that we need to act on immediately. I don't think she will, since Theodore is sending regular reports and he hasn't heard anything of concern yet."
He looked back out the window at the courtyard. Another new year, and another batch of prospective Huntsmen and Huntresses. From what he had seen of the new first year students, they had a great deal of potential. The new school year always brought mixed feelings for him. It was a pleasure to greet the new students, to see their bright and eager faces so willing to learn and ready to get out into the world to defend the rest of the people of Remnant.
At the same time, however, it brought immense sorrow. These were children – children who were unknowingly becoming soldiers – no, not soldiers, but weapons – in his shadow war with Salem. Not being able to inform them of the true nature of the fight that they would be waging pained him every time he looked at their faces and watched the enthusiasm with which they threw themselves into their studies. But despite his feelings on the matter, the Academies served too vital a purpose in his war for him to not take advantage of the opportunity. Team STRQ was a perfect example of that – they were some of the best agents he'd had in many incarnations, and that was thanks to their own skill and the training they'd received by attending the Academy.
"Oz, are you okay?" Summer's soft voice brought his attention back to the present.
"Yes, of course," he assured her. "Just thinking about the new students. I –" he stopped as his terminal chimed with an access request. Turning back to his desk he saw the notification icon and cleared it. "Come in." He looked back to Summer. "Raven's here."
Summer chuckled softly. "She always did have a sense of dramatic timing. I wonder what kept her, though?"
"We'll find out," Ozpin replied. He was glad to know that Raven had made it back from her most recent mission successfully. He was eager to get her report, since she'd been scouting in Vacuo and listening for any signs that Salem was recruiting among the rougher side of Vacuo. Sowing discontent and discord was her standard tactic, and Vacuo – more than most Kingdoms – had reason to experience discontent, which is why he relied on the regular reports from Theodore to keep an eye on anything that might be simmering.
Theodore didn't hear everything, however, so he had other agents who could move more freely in the parts of the Kingdom where his allies like Theodore couldn't move. Qrow and Raven were two of those, so they spent a good chunk of their time there – in the underworld of all four Kingdoms, in fact – when he didn't need them for more urgent missions. Thanks to the magic he'd gifted them, they had much more mobility than some of his other agents, and their alternate forms allowed them to observe in a much stealthier, casual way. Summer and Taiyang would never fit into that world the way that the Branwen twins could.
The elevator doors slid open, and Raven stormed into his office, her hand clenched tightly on her weapon. Ozpin watched her approach, one eyebrow rising as he took in the seething anger that seemed to be radiating from her. He could see Summer's shock as well as she took in her teammate's expression and posture. "Good afternoon, Raven. Is something wrong?"
"You son of a bitch," Raven hissed, as she stopped in front of his desk, and slammed her hands down on the surface. If it weren't for the fact that the desk was metal and the holoscreen technology was sturdy and resistant to impact, she might have succeeded in actually breaking the desk.
"Raven!" Summer cried, moving as though she wanted to put herself between the desk and her teammate. "What are you doing?"
Ozpin held up his hand, and Summer stayed where she was. "Summer, why don't you go back downstairs and let Raven and I talk about whatever is troubling her? I'll call you when we're finished, and we can continue our discussion then." It was an order, framed as a request, and he could see Summer's posture change as she recognized the implied command in his tone and words. Four years of being her headmaster, as well as the past few years of being her boss had drilled obedience into her, and she only nodded and headed for the elevator.
Only once the door had closed, leaving him alone with Raven did he return his attention to his former student. He knew that Raven had a temper, but until now it had never been directed at him in this way. He didn't want to provoke her further, but he could feel the tension building in his shoulders, and he straightened slightly. Long Memory was within easy reach, but he didn't think she was angry enough to actually attempt to attack him – however, long experience and many past betrayals told him not to make assumptions. "What have I done to deserve that greeting, if I may ask?"
"You bastard – you've been lying to all of us for years."
A little thrill of fear ran through him, but he kept his face calm with an effort. What had brought this attack on? Raven had been on a simple scouting and information retrieval mission – she'd taken similar missions on many times over the past few years, so what could have changed that would spark this much anger? "I don't recall lying to you about anything. Could you clarify what you mean by that accusation?"
"You know damn good and well that Salem is unstoppable, but all this time you've been manipulating us and making us believe that we could stop her if we worked with you. But instead of facing her directly, you would rather hide up here in your little tower and send children out to fight for you."
Hearing that actually calmed some of his tension – it was an accusation that he had heard many times, even before the Huntsman Academies were founded. He had been thinking about this very thing just a few minutes ago. The only difference was that before the Academies and the establishment of the Huntsman profession, the accusation had come from members of his various inner circles who felt like he was using them unfairly or putting their loved ones at risk for retaliation.
"What happened, Raven?" he asked calmly. "If you have concerns about something…"
"Concerns," she sneered. "Oh, you'd better believe I have concerns."
"I'd be happy to discuss this with you and alleviate any of the concerns you may have. If you feel that I've withheld important information about anything I've asked you to do…"
"I'm done," Raven said. "No more missions, no more scouting – I want nothing to do with this damnfool quest of yours."
That… was problematic. Not because he thought that Raven would start shouting his secrets for all the world to hear – even if she did, her background would cause doubt from anyone who heard her. Of course, he would never force her to do anything that she didn't want to do, but as an ally, she was invaluable. Finding someone to replace her would be difficult, and it would cause gaps in his information network.
However, he didn't want to press her when her ire was clearly high and risk her actually lashing out. If she did, he would defend himself, of course, and he didn't want to see her hurt. He cared about her too much to risk that happening.
"Very well," he said quietly. "If that is your decision, I won't stop you. However, before you go, I would ask two things of you. If you have your report from your mission, I'd like to see it. And…" he paused for a moment. "I would ask that you keep the things you've learned while you've been working for me to yourself or only among the people who are already in the know. More than anything, it is important to prevent the spread of panic, and while many people would not believe the truth about Salem and the Grimm, there are still enough out there who would. It would either cause panic amongst the people, or it would give her allies as people who crave power seek her out."
He gave her a serious look, hoping to convey the gravity of his request. "Will you promise me that much at least, Raven?"
Ozpin's Apartment… Wednesday evening…
"Is Qrow okay?" Oscar asked immediately. Despite his initial anger over the way the elder Huntsman had lashed out in the wake of the Jinn incident, he'd also understood Qrow's reaction after a few hours to think about it and had forgiven him by the time they reached Atlas. It had taken a bit longer for Qrow to get over his anger over the deception and lies that Oz had been feeding him for years, but the Huntsman had eventually apologized for striking Oscar and had begun to warm up to him again. Then the words Ozpin had said sank in and he blinked up at the Headmaster in surprise. "Wait… Raven? She and Qrow are together? When did that happen?"
"Yes. After our discussion on Saturday, Qrow decided he wanted to find Raven and the Spring Maiden – Vernal, I think you said her name is?" Ozpin sighed. "He doesn't want to believe that Raven could betray us, at least not to the degree that you spoke of, which I understand and sympathize with. He went to find Raven and Vernal to convince them to come to Beacon to speak with me."
"Oh." Oscar wasn't sure how he felt about that. He obviously wanted to change things now that he'd been given an opportunity to do so and reaching out to Raven before Cinder or Salem could get to her was a logical move for Ozpin to make. Bringing her back into the inner circle would add another powerful fighter to their side, and it would take an advantage away from Cinder and Salem because the Spring Maiden would be safer under Ozpin's protection, getting training for her powers, than she would be wandering the wilds of Anima with a bandit camp.
And if the worst should happen and they weren't able to prevent the Fall of Beacon or Ozpin's death and reincarnation into Oscar, Amber and Vernal could flee with Raven, regroup somewhere with Qrow and Oscar, and continue to stay one step ahead of Salem and her forces.
But at the same time, knowing what Raven had done when she'd been given an opportunity to rejoin them at Haven… it was all so hard to reconcile in his heart.
"You don't agree?" Ozpin asked curiously, one eyebrow raised over the rim of his glasses as he studied Oscar, observing the reactions that Oscar was certain he wasn't masking very well at all.
"I – I don't know," Oscar admitted, absently stabbing at his potatoes with his fork. "I understand why Qrow would want to stop it from happening – Raven's his sister, after all. But I watched Ruby and Qrow try to persuade her – and Lionheart – to come back over to our side right before the battle at Haven started, and both of them still chose to fight us."
Ozpin sighed, but nodded, a sad expression on his face. ""Sometimes, the first, best step you can take is to offer the hand of kindness, trust, and friendship. It may not be accepted or reciprocated, but by making the gesture you're planting a seed that may bear fruit in the future. Ultimately, however, everyone has a choice, and Choice is one of the gifts given to us by the Brothers, after all. With everything I've seen, I would venture to say that it is the most important gift."
Oscar hummed in thought and tentative agreement. As someone who had worked as a farm hand, he knew all about the careful tending one had to do with crops, especially in the early stages while the seed was still sprouting and developing. Relationships weren't that different in that respect. It was something else he'd become painfully aware of after hearing Jinn's story and having to rebuild trust with RWBY, Qrow, and JNR once they'd learned the truth. He toyed with the edge of the table absently, feeling the texture of the wood grain and running his fingertip over it again and again. Thoughts of those awkward days in Argus, of trying to reach out to the General at Atlas, of trying to convince Hazel that following Salem was the wrong course… "How – how do you know who is worthy of trust? How do you know when it is the right time to offer that hand?"
Ozpin was silent for a long time, clearly thinking through his response as he slowly began to cut up his meat. "There is no absolute way to tell," he finally replied. "I know that as well as anyone. Over and over again, across my many lives, I've extended that hand numerous times. Sometimes it's been rejected, many times it's been accepted, and then there are the times when someone who accepted it at first turned around and spat in my face later. Sometimes…" he trailed off, and Oscar saw pain in the lines around his mouth and eyes.
Do you really think Leo was the first? That he didn't say those exact words to me? The memory was still so fresh, hearing Oz shout those words with Oscar's mouth and voice at the others.
"I can't pretend to be an expert in the matter, Oscar." Ozpin's lips twisted into a wry grimace. "History has proven more than once that my judgement is not infallible and that I've made mistakes in those I've chosen to trust. Now that we have your warnings, it's becoming obvious that I may have once again been very misguided with those I've offered my trust to. I certainly don't relish the idea of having to confront Leonardo over his loyalties. As far as Raven is concerned…" he sighed. "I understand Raven better that I'd like to admit."
"How so?" Oscar asked curiously. He didn't know Raven very well, and none of the group had wanted to talk about her after the fight at Haven. When he'd asked Ruby about it, she'd only told him that Qrow was struggling with his anger over the situation but was trying to fight past it in order to deal with the Mistral Council and the fallout of the battle. Yang had been stubbornly silent on the topic of her mother, according to Ruby.
Ozpin sighed again and it was his turn to fidget, absent-mindedly toying with the hilt of Long Memory where he'd leaned it against the edge of the table beside him, running his fingertips over the smooth white pommel. "I knew her as a student before she was an ally, of course. She was an extremely gifted fighter – only Qrow was her equal during their time at Beacon, but her teammates Summer and Taiyang were right behind her. She was skilled and fierce, and passionate about championing whatever cause she decided to believe in. When she was given a mission with the rest of team STRQ, she always put her full effort into it."
"Those all sound like good traits," Oscar observed.
"They were – they are," Ozpin agreed. "She was probably the most standoffish of anyone on her team – in her year, actually. It wasn't shyness, it was just keeping people at a distance and not wanting to form attachments to them. Summer and Taiyang eventually broke through some of her barriers, but not all of them."
"That sounds like Blake, a little," Oscar said. "She was hiding the fact that she was a Faunus for so long from what I'm told. But even after I got to know her and she had stopped hiding, she was still the quiet one of the group."
"Raven didn't have that reasoning, but as a whole, team STRQ was one of the best teams in their year. When they graduated, I didn't see any reason not to let them in on the truth. They were shocked and surprised, of course," Ozpin continued, "but they understood the importance of standing against Salem and why it wasn't widely known – or at least I thought they did. Raven served loyally for several years after that. She didn't flinch at any possible danger to herself or her teammates, and she was always wanting to know more – more about what we were facing, more about Salem, more about the Relics…" Ozpin sighed. "I didn't see anything that might have led me to believe that she wasn't as strong as she tried to make people believe."
"She seemed strong to me – what little I saw of her fighting at Haven," Oscar ventured.
Ozpin opened his mouth to respond, but his Scroll chimed before he could say anything. He picked the device up and read whatever was displayed there. "They're on their way here. Qrow thinks they should be here within an hour or two since they're flying over in their alternate forms. However, it sounds like there was an incident at Taiyang's home."
"An incident? You mean… wait… were Yang and Ruby involved in some way?" Oscar asked.
"I'm not sure. Qrow isn't the most loquacious of individuals when he's sending a report over a secure line," Ozpin said. "Given what I do know about how matters stand between Taiyang and Raven, it wouldn't surprise me." He set his Scroll back down beside his plate and returned his attention to the food.
"Poor Yang," Oscar murmured, stabbing at his meat. He could only imagine what coming face-to-face with her mother was going to do to her. And Ruby – she was always so in tune with Yang, so she'd be hurting if Yang was hurting. He wanted to be there for them, but they didn't even know him yet in this timeline, so he couldn't even extend the offer. He refocused his attention on the issue at hand, however. "You're going to talk to Raven tonight?"
"If I have to," Ozpin said. "Raven can be difficult to deal with on a good day, and we didn't exactly part ways on the best of terms. Hopefully she'll agree to stay the night in one of the rooms we reserve for professors so we can have a longer discussion tomorrow, but I'm not going to count on that."
"Do – do you want me there?" Oscar asked tentatively. He wasn't looking forward to meeting Raven again. She hadn't physically harmed him, and even her betrayal had been distant to him. Oz hadn't even been particularly surprised by it at Haven, and that emotional distance between Oz and Raven had acted like a buffer of sorts for Oscar. Lionheart's betrayal had cut Oz deeper and had affected Oscar more directly.
"Not tonight," Ozpin said. "I don't know that I'll be able to convince Raven to cooperate with us again, and if she does ultimately end up siding with Salem, even out of self-preservation, it's imperative that as little information about you gets out or reaches her ears."
"Yeah, okay." Oscar pushed the food around on his plate again. "I don't know what Cinder or Salem may have promised Raven to get her to side with them. All I know is that when we got to Haven the night of the battle, Raven was already there. Ruby and Qrow tried to convince her to fight with us instead of against us, but then Raven opened one of her portals and let Cinder and two of her followers into the school, along with Vernal. Qrow was fighting with Raven while the rest of us were fighting the others, but then Hazel found out that I was the next incarnation and attacked me, so Qrow came to help me and Raven went into the Vault with Cinder and Vernal. We didn't see Raven after that. Yang eventually was able to chase after them and came back up with the Relic a short time later."
"Do you remember anything that Raven did say?"
Oscar frowned, trying to remember. "She accused Qrow of scheming against her. She also admitted to having the Spring Maiden. When Qrow asked her to hand over the Maiden and work with us, Raven said she didn't understand how he still didn't get it after working for you all those years, and how he didn't understand that Salem couldn't be beaten. Ruby said that she was wrong, that we could beat Salem if we worked together."
"How did Raven respond to that?" Ozpin asked, his features tightening slightly. It was an odd reaction – but Oscar suspected he knew why. Ozpin still didn't know that Oscar knew all about his past with Salem, since Oscar hadn't mentioned the Jinn incident. Most likely, he was afraid that Raven had somehow learned the secret he was keeping about Salem not being able to be killed.
"She just stared at Ruby for a second and said that Ruby sounded just like her mother. That was when she opened the portal and let Cinder's group in."
"I see." Ozpin said with a sigh as he shook his head.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Oscar looked up from his half-empty plate. "You were saying something before. About how you understand Raven better than you want to admit to."
"Yes," Ozpin said softly. "Living as long as I have – or rather, as many lives as I have – I've seen the best and the worst that humanity has to offer. I accepted Raven and Qrow as students because I saw an opportunity to give them a chance to choose to be something better than bandit children. A hand of trust if you will." He sighed. "Qrow seized the chance I gave him. Due to his Semblance, he's always been worried that any choice he makes will only hurt others, so he always tried to keep his distance from everyone, especially those he cares about. If he doesn't get close, his Semblance has less of a chance to affect them. Until they enrolled here, Raven was his one anchor and his one comfort that there was someone else out there who cared about him."
Ozpin paused for a moment and shook his head sadly. "Raven on the other hand –" He sighed again. "I don't know if it's because of their upbringing as bandits, or because of something else, but Raven has always been wary of making new connections with people, which is ironic because of what her Semblance is."
"She bonds with people, right?" Oscar ventured. "In order to create her portals?"
"Exactly," Ozpin replied. "Her Semblance requires her to create and maintain bonds with others in order to use it effectively, but because she's so self-contained and private, that's difficult for her. It means trusting others – caring about others – and much like Qrow, I think she doesn't want to face the fact that there may be people she cares about who don't return her care, so she pushes them away first." He looked down at his own plate. "I can't fault her for that behavior when I've experienced lifetimes like that – lifetimes where gathering the courage to offer that trust is the hardest thing in the world."
Oscar tried not to squirm in his seat at the frank confession, the clear memory of Oz crying in the snow sneaking back into the forefront of his mind and his role in that debacle. "What – erm – what do you think caused her to leave in the first place? To go back to her tribe, I mean," he asked quickly.
"I have my suspicions," Ozpin admitted, "but I prefer not to say, in case I'm wrong. Qrow's asked me that question many times before and I've told him the same thing. I don't want to sully Raven's reputation among our circle if I'm wrong and events transpire that lead her back to us."
"Oh, okay," Oscar replied. He pushed his food around on his plate again, deciding to change the subject. "Have you heard from Amber?"
"Not since yesterday," Ozpin replied. "She sent an update on the mission that she's on. She's still on track to arrive by Friday, fortunately. If the timing is correct, she should be returning about the same time we return from your check-up with Doctor Ashburn."
"I hope she makes it here," Oscar said softly. "I didn't know her before all of this, but I've seen Cinder, and I don't want to see her get any of the Maidens' power."
"From what you've told us, I would have to agree," Ozpin replied. "At any rate, we should finish eating before everything gets cold, and then I need to go and deal with Raven. I may send Qrow down here while I'm talking with her – I suspect trying to talk to both of them together won't bode well for any success in convincing Raven to rejoin us. He's too close to the situation to remain objective."
"Okay," Oscar said. "I – I can distract him, if you need me to, I guess." He poked at his food again. "I don't really know what to talk to him about though – it won't be the same as it was before."
"That's true. Perhaps you can find out how your friends are, after what happened at the house?" Ozpin suggested. "Even if they haven't met you yet, Qrow can certainly tell you how they're doing at the moment."
"That's a good idea," Oscar agreed. "I'd like to know more about how Ruby and Yang are doing, since it's probably going to be a while before I can see them again." He took a few more bites. "I hope they're okay, especially if they saw Raven at their house."
"I'm sure they're fine," Ozpin said. "From everything Qrow has mentioned over the years, as well as what you've told me about them, they're both determined and skilled."
"Yeah," Oscar said quietly. "That's definitely true about both of them."
Patch… Xiao Long / Rose Residence…
Ruby reached out and took Yang's hand as they reached their own yard again, Zwei trotting beside them. She could feel tiny tremors running through her sister's hand as they approached the back door of the house. The lights were all still on inside, and the back door was still open. "What are you going to do about Dad and your mom?" she asked. It felt odd to refer to the strange woman who had been with Uncle Qrow as Yang's mom. Mom was Mom, after all, and that was the way Yang had always referred to Summer. Finding out that they had different biological mothers hadn't changed anything – they were still sisters.
"I don't know," Yang admitted, stopping short. Zwei looked up and whined quietly. "I'm still so – so mad that they've refused to answer my questions all this time."
"But?"
"But – I met her. My mom," Yang said. "I don't know what I really expected from her, considering that she left me here with Dad. I – I don't think I was expecting her to hug me and tell me that she missed me, but I think I was hoping for some acknowledgement, some explanation."
Ruby squeezed her hand. "We can ask Dad together. Like you said, you've met her now. There's no reason for Dad to not answer your questions."
A scowl crossed Yang's face. "Unless he still just wants to keep things from me."
"I don't think he'll do that," Ruby objected.
"Maybe."
Ruby squeezed her hand again. "I'll be right here with you – whatever it takes to get your answers."
Yang offered a wan smile. "Aren't I the one who's supposed to look after you? I'm the big sister, after all."
Ruby laughed a little. "I can take a turn every once in a while."
Together they headed across the yard and up onto the porch. Together they entered the house and found their dad sitting at the table. There wasn't any trace of the food, but he was twisting a mug of coffee in his hands. He looked up as they entered and sighed a little. "You're back. Yang, I –"
Yang didn't let him finish. "I want to know about my mom."
Taiyang rubbed his forehead. "Yang, I know how much you want to know about her, but there's a good reason why your Uncle Qrow and I haven't talked about her much."
"What could be so bad that I couldn't know about my mom? That I never got a chance to visit her, even though it seems you and Uncle Qrow have both known where she's been all this time?" Yang demanded, hurt in her voice.
"Your mom –" another sigh. "Yang, your mom is… complicated. You were too young to know everything and to be able to understand it.'
"I'm sixteen now," Yang replied. "I have a right to know why she abandoned me!"
"I don't even fully understand why she left, Yang," Taiyang replied. "We haven't spoken since the day she left until earlier today."
Yang's face was full of frustration and Ruby reached up and rubbed her arm comfortingly before looking at her father. "She didn't tell you anything or give you any hints before she left?"
Taiyang shook his head. "Raven was always hard to read. She didn't talk much about what she was thinking or feeling, but her temper was on a hair trigger while she was pregnant. We – Summer, Qrow, and I – all thought it was just hormones and tried to give her space. Then you were born… and shortly after that, she left you with me and disappeared. I haven't seen her since."
Ruby glanced up at her sister and saw tears beginning to gather in the corners of her eyes. It was such a foreign sight to Ruby, who didn't see her sister cry very often. Yang was always strong and composed. "Why didn't she want me?" Yang whispered.
"I want you," Taiyang replied, standing, and moving towards his daughters, tentatively opening his arms for a hug.
"So do I," Ruby said in solidarity, cuddling into one side of their father's arms and tugging Yang forward. Yang resisted slightly, but only for a moment before she joined her sister in the embrace. They stood there together, holding each other as Yang trembled in their arms from all the unexpected emotion of the night.
"Why wasn't I enough for her?" Yang whimpered.
"I don't know Dragon," Taiyang said softly. "I wasn't either – even Qrow wasn't enough to hold her with us. But Ruby and I are here for you."
They finally broke apart and Yang pulled back, rubbing at her nose.
"Let's have dinner," Taiyang said softly. "It won't take long to reheat."
"I'm uh – not that hungry," Yang replied. "I kind of feel sick, actually. I'm just going to go up to my room." She picked up her gauntlets from the counter where she'd put them while they were washing up earlier in the evening and offered a weak smile before heading out of the room and towards the stairs.
"Yang…" Ruby said, and the golden head turned slightly. "I love you."
"Love you too, sis," Yang replied, voice just above a whisper.
Ruby watched her go, before looking back at her father. "What are we going to do?"
"I'll reheat dinner and you can take a tray up to her in a little while," Taiyang replied.
"No, I mean – about her mom – er, Raven," Ruby said as Taiyang moved over to the fridge and began pulling out containers.
"There's nothing we can do. Raven made her choice to leave," he replied. "She made that choice to cut us out of her life."
"But Yang…" Ruby said. "It's not fair for her to be left miserable after what Raven said and the fact that she wouldn't explain why she left. Knowing that Yang would be safer here with you will help some, but it won't be enough to keep her from trying to get more answers."
"I know," her father replied, sadness in his eyes and the frown on his face. "I hate that Raven showed up tonight with Qrow. I knew it was a bad idea to let them come, but Qrow told me it was urgent that they get to Beacon to speak with Ozpin, so I allowed it." He sighed. "That was my mistake."
Ruby frowned. "Why would Professor Ozpin need to talk to Yang's mom? I know when Uncle Qrow left a few days ago he said he was taking a mission from Professor Ozpin, but what would that have to do with Raven?" It was so weird to be mentioning Yang's mother by name. Until Mom had disappeared, both of them had thought of her as their mother.
"I don't know, Ruby. I don't entirely know what Raven's been up to since she left. I can make some guesses based on what I know about her, but as for why Professor Ozpin needed to see her, my only guess would be that she must have sent word that she has important information, so he sent Qrow to meet her and escort her back to Beacon."
"Oh." Ruby looked down as he placed a bowl of soup in front of her. She picked up her spoon and stirred it absently as he joined her.
"Yang will be okay," her father replied. "If there's one thing I am grateful for, it's the fact that she inherited the potential for strength that Raven had, but it was your mom that helped her refine it and helped to make her who she is today."
Ruby looked up. "She did?"
Taiyang nodded. "Summer had a quiet strength. Raven was standoffish, but not quiet. When she fought, she didn't try to hide her strength – it was clearly evident with every move she made." He smiled a little. "It only makes sense that Yang would inherit some of that from Raven, but that Summer would be the one to teach her how to use the strength."
Ruby thought about that. It did make sense when he put it like that. Ruby had been young when Mom had left on what would turn out to be her final mission, but Yang would have had at least a couple more years with her than Ruby did and would have learned a lot from Mom. "Yeah, I think you're right. May I tell that to Yang? It might help once she's had a chance to calm down."
Taiyang nodded. "You might be right." He looked at her. "I'm proud of you Ruby, for standing with your sister."
"Why wouldn't I? She's my sister and she's always been there for me."
"I know, and I'm glad the two of you are so close. It'll be nice to still have you here when she goes to Beacon next year though. I'm not quite ready to give up both of my girls at the same time." He returned to his own soup. "Finish your soup and I'll put a tray together for Yang that you can take up to her."
Ozpin's Office…
Mug in hand, Ozpin settled into his chair behind his desk while he waited for Qrow and Raven to arrive. He leaned Long Memory in its customary place against the edge of the desk. Based on Qrow's last message, they should be arriving at Beacon any time now, and it was important that he be ready for them. There was a great deal riding on this meeting, and he needed to be sure he was fully prepared to deal with Raven. So much had happened in the span of just over a week, and some of it even he hadn't fully processed yet, which left him in a precarious position coming into the meeting. Raven had always been suspicious, even before the final argument that had led to her leaving their inner circle and returning to her tribe, but she was also incredibly perceptive. If he didn't believe what he was telling her and convey it in a way that was not only true, but convincing, he'd lose any hope of swaying her back to his side.
He sipped from his mug, trying to order his thoughts enough to make sure he would be able to convey what he needed to when Raven arrived. He would send Qrow down to Oscar once they arrived – Oscar could get the information he wanted on how Ruby and Yang were doing and keep Qrow distracted so he could focus his attention on Raven.
According to what Oscar had said – and what he hadn't, but which Ozpin could surmise from experience – in his timeline, Raven had been swayed due to fear. As he well knew, that was a favored tactic for Salem to employ. Her appearance, her power, even her very attitude all conveyed threat and could inspire fear in even the hardiest, most determined individuals. A person's ability to resist her was very much determined by their own strength of character – and sadly, there weren't very many of his allies throughout his various incarnations who had the fortitude to resist when the moment of truth came. She was a master of manipulation as well and knew how to blend threats and promises into exactly what someone needed to hear to be willing to betray their morals and beliefs.
Raven was a formidable fighter, as he'd told Oscar. Her physical strength was not in question, nor was her cunning or ability to improvise in the moment during a fight. All of those were positive traits that the best Huntresses could lay claim to. But mentally and emotionally…
He understood her attachment to her tribe – when she was with them, she had power of a different sort, and the fact that she and Qrow had been raised by them did provide a powerful tie that would be hard for her to reject. Qrow had been able to move past that tie, as he had found a stronger connection in his teammates Summer and Taiyang, and validation in the fact that his Semblance could actually be used to help people instead of hurting them.
If Oscar could be believed – and thus far, Ozpin had no reason to believe he couldn't – Raven's betrayal wouldn't – on its own – cause disaster for his side of this shadow war. It would, however, indirectly lead to Salem obtaining one of the Relics, because it would force them to remove the Lamp from its Vault. That was something that needed to be avoided at all costs. Keeping the Relics separated and locked away was the best way to protect Remnant until the world was truly united and ready and the Brothers could be summoned back. So, the best way to protect the Relics would be to convince Raven that he could keep her and the Spring Maiden safe. His magical powers may not be what they once were, but he had kept Salem at bay for millennia with his tactical cunning and his commitment to fostering peace and harmony amongst the people. That wasn't an achievement to be ashamed of, despite the hardship and sacrifice that had been required.
The notification for the elevator popped up on his terminal with Qrow's identification. Ozpin took a slow breath and cleared it before, "Come in."
The doors slid open and Qrow strode out, hands shoved in his pockets and a scowl on his face. Right behind him was the shorter figure of Raven, one hand already on the hilt of her sword, a white Grimm helmet concealing her face from view. Her clothing was the same red and black she had favored as a student and as one of his agents, and she carried herself stiffly, displeasure radiating from her in near-tangible waves. It was an uncanny echo of the last time that Raven had set foot in his office, only instead of Qrow being here, it had been Summer.
"Qrow. I'm glad you made it," Ozpin said, rising from his chair, deliberately keeping his hand away from Long Memory so as not to convey any threat. "Raven, it's good to see you again. Thank you for coming and being willing to sit down with me."
She inclined her head but didn't speak. The hand on the hilt of her sword tightened perceptibly, so Ozpin turned his focus towards Qrow, but kept his eyes on Raven so she wouldn't feel like he was being dismissive of her. "Is everything alright with Taiyang and the girls? Your message wasn't clear on details."
Qrow's scowl deepened. "No. We needed to use Taiyang as a relay point for Raven to portal to. Yang and Raven came face-to-face for the first time since Yang was born and Yang wasn't happy. As soon as this is over, I need to get back and talk to Tai and Yang."
Ozpin frowned slightly. "I see. Please let Tai know that I'm here for him if he needs anything, and that I'm sorry this caused disturbance for his family." He shifted his focus back to Raven. "Raven, I –" he paused, eyes narrowing in thought as he studied his former student and former ally. There was something…
He put the sensation aside for a moment to return to later. "I'm glad you accepted Qrow's invitation," he continued. "Please, pull up a chair from the back and have a seat."
Raven shifted but didn't make any move to come closer. "I want an assurance from you first," she said sharply. "Qrow said that I could walk out of here when this was over."
"You can," Ozpin assured her immediately. "This isn't a trick or a trap. I just want to talk with you." He was careful of his phrasing – the word with would imply he wanted to have a two-sided conversation, rather than saying he wanted to talk to her, which would imply he wanted to talk without giving her a chance to have any input.
Qrow had pulled two chairs from the closet at the back of the room and moved them in front of Ozpin's desk. Before he could sit down, however, Ozpin held up his hand. "Qrow, I'd like to talk with Raven alone, if I may."
"What?" Qrow blinked. "But with everything we know…"
"Why don't you head down to my apartment and talk with Oscar? He wanted to hear about how Ruby and Yang are doing."
Qrow looked like we wanted to protest further, but Ozpin levelled him with a look from over the top of his glasses, his gaze flicking back to Raven for a moment before he returned his gaze to his ally. "Qrow." It wasn't a request this time, and his tone made that clear.
Qrow glanced between Ozpin and Raven before nodding tersely. "Fine. Let me know when I can come back up." Shoving his hands into his pockets, he slouched towards the elevator as Ozpin keyed it open from his terminal and gave it the destination and access for his apartment. Once the door slid closed behind the other Huntsman, he returned his full attention to Raven.
"It's been a long time, Raven," he said softly. "Please, take a seat." This was a request, but he was leaving the choice in her hands.
Raven stayed near the door for a moment before crossing the room and taking one of the chairs Qrow had pulled out. Her hand was still on her blade, and due to her helmet her face was unreadable. Ozpin sat down as well, keeping his desk as a buffer zone between the two of them in order to ease the palpable tension. He picked his mug up again and took a sip, organizing his thoughts.
"I hope you've been well since we last met," Ozpin continued. "Qrow's been giving me updates when he can and when he knows something, but –"
"Skip the pleasantries and get to the point," Raven interrupted harshly.
Apparently Raven hadn't changed much since their previous argument almost two decades ago. Ozpin wasn't particularly surprised by that, but he had hoped that Raven's agreement to meet with him would mean that this would be at least somewhat amiable. It didn't seem like that would be the case.
"As you wish, although this has the potential to be a lengthy discussion. I'd be happy to offer you a room here for the night and I can clear my schedule for tomorrow and we can give this due consideration."
Raven snorted. "Then I'm leaving. Qrow made it sound like this was urgent, but clearly it's not." She started to stand, and Ozpin shook his head.
"Please, Raven," he said, half-rising from his own seat. "I was merely trying to be courteous, as I know you used your Semblance to get here, and then had to fly over from Patch. But if you'd prefer to talk tonight, we can." He gestured toward the chair again.
Raven remained standing for another moment before reclaiming her seat. "What is this about?"
Ozpin took another sip from his mug before setting it down, trying to decide where to begin without revealing too much until he was sure that Raven was back on his side for good. "We've gained the potential for a very large advantage against Salem. I've made contact with an informant who knows a great deal about her upcoming plans."
"And that concerns me how?" Raven demanded. "I told you years ago that I don't want any part of your war against Salem anymore."
"I remember," Ozpin replied. "You made your position about the matter quite clear."
"Then what do you want from me?"
"Ideally, I'd like you to come back to join us, Raven, but I will respect your choice if you choose not to. However, as someone who was once my student, as well as my ally, I felt it was only fair to warn you of what might be coming so that you could be fully informed – not only for you, but for those under your care, like your tribe. I may not agree with some of your choices or actions, but I won't take them away from you. This concerns you because Salem is a threat to all of Remnant, including you and your tribe."
"Save it," Raven hissed. "My tribe is insignificant in Salem's eyes. We keep to ourselves and don't interfere with her or her plans. There's nothing about us that would draw her attention."
"The Spring Maiden."
Even though her face was still concealed, she couldn't control her instinctive flinch back or the tensing of her body. "What?" Her voice didn't match her physical reaction as she tried for an unaffected response.
Ozpin sighed. "I know you have the Spring Maiden, Raven. My informant knows as well, and while Salem herself doesn't know that fact yet, if she finds out she will come after you. Your tribe will no longer be insignificant, and they will be in danger."
"How –"
"It doesn't matter how – the fact is that he knows. The Maiden's power is easy enough to detect for those who know anything about them, and I can assure you that Salem does. If used carefully, with training, a Maiden can make magic look like a powerful Semblance, but Salem and I – or rather, any of my incarnations – would always be able to tell the difference."
He studied her again as he took another sip from his mug, thinking quickly. "I'd like to try to resolve our differences, Raven."
"Resolve our differences?" Raven asked, her tone incredulous.
"Yes. I'm not even fully sure what caused the rift between us in the first place, but if it's something that we can fix, I'd like to do so."
Raven finally removed her helmet, but her red eyes were filled with disbelief. "You have no idea, do you?"
Ozpin placed his mug on the desk and leaned forward in his chair, folded his hands, and placed them on the surface of the desk. "Enlighten me, please."
Ozpin's Apartment…
Oscar had been waiting – somewhat on edge – for the sound of the elevator ever since Ozpin had left to return to his office to wait for Qrow and Raven. While he did want to ask Qrow about Yang and Ruby – he missed his friends, after all – he was a little nervous about having to keep the Huntsman distracted, knowing that Raven would be right upstairs. He had a feeling that Qrow would want to question him more about the future, and specifically what he knew about Raven's role in the events, and Oscar wasn't sure if he should give any of that information without Ozpin being there as well. The last thing he wanted to do was say something that would drive a wedge between Qrow and Ozpin.
He still hadn't been able to muster the courage to talk to Ozpin about everything he'd learned from Jinn, but he knew that sooner or later he would have to. If he was going to prevent everything that had happened before, they couldn't afford division amongst themselves or their allies – and the best way to keep their side united would be for Ozpin to tell them the whole truth. But Oscar would have to be the one to persuade him to do so.
But maybe… maybe he could start laying some groundwork with Qrow, so that when he did eventually persuade Ozpin to tell the rest of his inner circle the truth, Qrow would be less likely to lash out the way he had after learning the story from Jinn. If it worked with Qrow, then maybe it would work with Raven, or even Lionheart and the General.
He heard the elevator ascending through the shaft, but it didn't stop at the apartment. He blew out a nervous breath, knowing that meant that Raven was here and would be talking with Ozpin. Any minute now, the Headmaster would send Qrow down, and he'd have to find a way to distract the Huntsman. He pushed himself up from the armchair that had sort of become "his" by default over the past few days and began pacing the living room, waiting for the chime to alert him to Qrow's arrival on the floor. He didn't mind the idea of talking with Qrow, but the problem was that he liked the older Huntsman – he always had – and he didn't think that was all due to Oz.
Qrow had been the first person he'd met once he'd accepted Oz's presence in his head and made the decision to go to Mistral. Right from the beginning – and even in a state of perpetual drunkenness – Qrow had been kind to him, especially when Oscar had been overwhelmed by everything that was happening. He'd been the one to remind Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren to give Oscar space when they'd all first met. Oz and Qrow had often sat together in the months before the battle at Haven discussing matters, which – even though he hadn't been in control during those talks – he'd gotten emotional feedback from Oz – relief that Qrow had survived Beacon, long years of friendship, and a mutual understanding of the gravity of what they were facing.
Qrow had been the one to take over in handling the fallout from the battle at Haven during the first week while Oscar had been going through the worst part of his recovery and when Oz had been exceedingly careful about always asking before taking control again – which meant he wasn't always available to guide Qrow in how they should deal with the aftermath. And even when he'd been mad at the older Huntsman for punching him after hearing Jinn's story, he'd never stopped liking Qrow.
He didn't want to give more bad information to Qrow because he liked the older Huntsman so much, and Qrow's Semblance had already given him a bleaker outlook on things than most people would view them.
No, he couldn't fall into the trap of thinking of things negatively like that. Ozpin had asked him to distract Qrow and get information about Ruby and Yang while he talked with Raven. Oscar could do that much. There was still plenty of time before the next Vytal Festival, after all, and every positive change they could make had a chance to changing that outcome, and thus changing the outcome of events at Haven and Atlas.
He brought his hand up to rest against his burned chest, still protectively wrapped in bandages. It was a lingering reminder of everything that he'd been through and the ways he'd failed so far. But at the same time, all he could do was what he could do. That was all he'd been able to do since all of this started. It was not the best plan, but it was something until they knew more about where things stood with Raven and Lionheart and Ironwood. Control had been taken away from him in so many ways, but he could still make choices and take action depending on whatever situation he found himself in at any given moment.
The elevator dinged and Oscar took a deep breath before dropping his hand and moving over to the doors. He pressed the button to open the elevator. As he'd expected, Qrow was standing there, arms crossed over his chest, a deep scowl on his face. He blinked as the brighter light from inside the apartment hit his face and he saw Oscar before making an effort to straighten up. "Hey kid. How have you been?"
"Better," Oscar admitted, stepping back to give him room to exit the elevator. "It's going to be a long recovery, but I can do a little more every day, so I'm working on getting back to where I was before…" he trailed off, not wanting to think about the memories of his torture at Salem and Hazel's hands. It was still too close and the last thing he wanted was to trigger another nightmare once he went to bed. "Ozpin said you found Raven." He turned and led the way into the apartment.
The older Huntsman didn't respond. Oscar glanced over his shoulder to see Qrow's slumped posture become more pronounced at the mention of his sister, and the scowl back on his face. "Yeah."
Oscar took a seat in "his" armchair and nodded towards the loveseat. He might as well start on his job of distracting Qrow from thinking about Raven. "How are Ruby and Yang doing? Has Ruby started training with Crescent Rose yet?"
Qrow smiled a little and flopped down onto the couch. "Yeah, she has. She's in her second year at Signal Academy, and students create their own weapons in their first year. Right from day one, she knew she wanted to develop a scythe like mine." He reached behind his back and patted Harbinger where it was holstered. "Yang though – she always liked getting up close and personal with her opponents like her dad's fighting style, so Ember Celica was a natural outgrowth of that too."
His smile faded and again turned into a scowl. "They were doing well, until I made a stupid mistake and brought Raven to Tai. Now Yang hates her father and me, and probably won't trust us again."
Oscar frowned, trying to think how to respond to that. He knew – from personal experience – that Yang had a fierce temper when it was provoked. He remembered their first meeting, after she and Weiss had showed up in Mistral with Qrow and how suspicious she'd been of Oz after hearing Raven's version of events. Her temper burned hot and fast, but he also knew that she would eventually calm down given enough time. She'd eventually warmed back up to him by the time they'd left Argus, although she'd still been suspicious of Oz, especially after Oscar had relayed how Oz had intervened to help make a successful crash landing so that they would have a ship that could get them to Atlas.
"I don't think that's true," he finally offered. "Yang cares too much about the people she loves to stay angry with them. At least, the Yang I know would eventually calm down and try to understand whatever made her mad in the first place. I can't imagine she's any different now, and I think if you can actually give her an explanation as to why you and her father didn't tell her about her mom, she'll forgive you."
Qrow let out a harsh, sarcastic chuckle. "Maybe." He eyed Oscar with an unreadable expression on his face. "How well did you know the girls? In the future?"
Oscar offered a tentative smile. "I know Ruby a little bit better than Yang, since I met her first. We were – are, I guess? – friends, but it was a little awkward, what with me having Oz with me. Ruby was always kind to me, especially since I was the youngest in the group. Yang – it was a little harder to get to know her, but she had been through a lot by the time I first met her, and she was more uncomfortable with the idea that I was sharing a body with Ozpin, given everything that happened to her during the Fall of Beacon."
He frowned as something occurred to him. "What day is it today?"
Qrow gave him a strange look. "Wednesday."
Oscar shook his head. "No, I mean – the actual date." He was trying to add up the days in his head, but they were blurring together somewhat because of his stay in the hospital.
Qrow frowned as well. "October sixteenth." He glanced at the beautiful grandfather clock along the wall. "Well, it's only a few hours from being the seventeenth."
"Huh."
"Why does it matter?" Qrow asked, giving him a look that was equal amounts curious and suspicious.
"It doesn't really, just…" Oscar sighed. "Sunday was my sixteenth birthday – or, I guess it would be if I hadn't come back in time. Everything is kind of confusing, since it wasn't October before… well, when I was in Atlas, and it feels like I just turned fifteen."
Qrow shook his head. "Too confusing for me. This whole 'time travel' thing you're talking about is hard to believe."
"For me, too," Oscar replied. "I didn't do anything to cause this, as far as I can figure, anyway." He forced a little laugh, but it felt strange coming from his lips. "I feel like I've lost some time, rather than gained it. I guess this is what it must be like for Oz."
"What do you mean?" Qrow asked, palming his flask before he tucked it back inside his shirt again without drinking it.
Oscar watched the movement of the flask carefully. He couldn't view Qrow's drinking with the same objective innocence that he had before the Jinn incident anymore. He shrugged. "It just – it must be disorienting for Oz whenever he reincarnates and has to adjust to a new body and being a new age." He shook his head. "It seems with every new thing I experience, it helps me understand Oz more and more."
Ozpin's Office…
"I know you're not that ignorant," Raven hissed. "You wouldn't dare to pretend you don't know all of the things that you've done."
That was a loaded statement if Ozpin had ever heard one. It took all of his self-control to not laugh sarcastically, since Raven wouldn't take it well. He paused for a moment, making sure he kept control of his expression before he gave her an open look. "I think you forget, Raven – I've done many, many things over my various incarnations, and I have a very good memory of all of them. You'll need to be a little more specific if I'm going to know what you're referring to."
"So you're denying the fact that you recruit children to fight a war for you? Children who believe they're just fighting the Grimm, but without even knowing it are drafted to fight a war that will never be over?" Raven demanded. "You're going to pretend you didn't do that with Qrow and I? That you don't know that it is impossible to beat Salem?"
Her answer was a deflection of sorts, Ozpin recognized immediately, but there was also something there that rang of sincerity in her words. But rather than call her out on the deflection and cause an argument – since Raven was proud and would feel attacked, he decided to address the deflection and remove it from the discussion so they could focus in on the other part, and he could press her for the more truthful reasoning. He steepled his fingers and considered her over the top of his glasses. "I won't deny that," he said slowly. "Yes, the Huntsmen and Huntresses fight the Grimm, and in doing so, contribute to my war with Salem. Yes, unless they are particularly gifted or I feel that they could be useful allies to my cause, they do so unknowingly for the most part."
She started to say something, but he held up one finger to stop her as he continued, keeping his voice level, despite the deeply personal nature of the topic. "But, that was never my intention, Raven. When the Academies were founded, they were supposed to be for the former soldiers who had fought in the Great War – to allow them to learn new skills to protect the newly reorganized Kingdoms now that we were no longer fighting each other, and the Kingdoms didn't need armies as such." He sighed. "It was only about forty years ago – during my previous incarnation's time – when it was decided to allow teenagers and students to attend combat school and enroll in the Academies – and I was not a Headmaster at that time."
His words had made her pause, interrupting whatever head of steam she'd been building up to, and giving him a further opening to press his point. "I never liked the idea, but there were so many young men and women who wanted to become Huntsmen and Huntresses that the Kingdom Councils collectively decided to allow the admission age to drop to seventeen, and I wasn't in a position politically where I could stop it. The four united Councils didn't see a reason to force students to become soldiers first before enrolling at the Academies, and even the objections of the Headmasters of the time weren't enough to overrule the Councils on the matter."
"I –" she started to speak, but didn't finish the thought, instead looking away, even as her hand tightened on her sword hilt.
"Due to that decision, I've had to continue to allow youngsters to come to the Academies. All I can do is try to ensure that they are trained to their absolute peak, as well as make sure that they're educated in other topics, in case the day would ever come when they could no longer Hunt. At least then they would have other skills and knowledge to fall back on."
He folded his hands again. "You and Qrow chose to come to Beacon – at the behest of your tribe perhaps – but can you deny that you left Beacon without more knowledge than you arrived with Raven? Are you trying to claim that you didn't get some benefit from your time here?"
She remained silent and wouldn't meet his gaze.
Now to pinpoint that bit of sincerity that he had heard in her voice and try to get to the truth behind it. "I am waging a shadow war against Salem, and I am at the disadvantage against her, because she has an unending source of Grimm to draw upon, whereas I would only have myself if I didn't reach out to others. I may choose some of the best students to come out of the Academy to bring into my confidence, but I don't keep them in ignorance once I do. When I proposed adding team STRQ to my inner circle, all of you agreed to it. I gave you a choice, and if there is anything you should know about me by now, it's how much I value choice. I told you the things that I felt you needed to know at the time, since there is a lot of information to share. As various situations came up, I gave additional details that I determined were pertinent to the situation."
Still no response from Raven, so Ozpin decided to push a little more. "Not only that, but you were all compensated extremely well for your services. Given all of those facts – what else have I done to wrong you so badly, Raven?"
"I –" she finally started. "You –" Without her mask, her face was visible and despite her best efforts he could read her emotions clearly as they played across her features. The emotions he saw there, however, surprised him.
Anger, shame, pain, hatred… all negative emotions, but curiously, none of it – or very little of it at least – appeared to be directed at him. Instead, they all seemed to be directed at herself, and it interested him, since that was not something he would have expected of her. But it also saddened him, since he knew all of those emotions far too well across his various incarnations, and he hated to see them on others, especially on those he had once called 'ally' and even 'friend'.
Those sorts of emotions didn't come out of nowhere – one didn't develop self-hated without good reason and a lot of exposure to situations where self-blame and anger were also present. He knew that all too well. It had been several incarnations of bad situations and loss that had driven him to isolate himself in a cabin deep in the woods, until he had met the women who became the first Maidens.
There had to be something that was fueling these emotions, and he suspected that it had nothing to do with Raven's actions as a bandit. Someone who chose that lifestyle wouldn't feel shame or self-hatred at her own actions. If she didn't want to be a bandit, she wouldn't have gone back to them when she'd run away from Taiyang and her daughter, or she would have returned of her own volition at any point over the past sixteen years.
This wasn't the Raven he knew – or at least, this was a different Raven than the one he had taught all those years ago. That Raven had always portrayed an air of confidence and strength, even aggression at times when she wanted something. She would never have showed feelings of shame or pain if anyone else was anywhere near her. She would never be able to succeed as a leader of her tribe if her people saw these emotions from her, so she likely held herself under iron control when she was with them.
"Raven," he said, gentling his voice. "If there's something I can do to help, I'd like to."
"You wouldn't understand," she hissed, anger twisting her features – anger that was directed at him this time.
"I don't think you really believe that," Ozpin said quietly.
Most of his followers didn't understand how much he had mentally tortured himself over the idea of creating the Academies in the first place, and then again when the Kingdom Councils had decided to lower the application age to allow children to apply. They had no idea the various hells he'd been through over the millennia – having allies yes, but constantly being betrayed and ultimately finding himself alone time and time again. Bad enough when it happened in one life, but for an immortal, that pain – like monetary interest – compounded over time, and his pain had had more than enough time to etch itself deeply inside his soul.
He slowly rose to his feet again, leaving Long Memory behind the desk as he circled around to the second chair that Qrow had pulled out and took a seat next to Raven. "Raven, please talk to me. What caused this anger and resentment towards me? It didn't come out of nowhere – something must have happened to cause this, but I can't help if I don't know what the root cause is. You went on that last mission to Vacuo, and then when you came back…"
He paused as something occurred to him. Raven's last mission to Vacuo – it should have been an easy information gathering mission, just there and back – but Raven had been two days overdue in her return. Something that shouldn't have happened given her portal Semblance and the fact that she had had portals to Qrow, Taiyang, and Summer, and all of them had been in Vale or Patch at the time. There weren't many reasons why she should have been delayed in her return without notifying them ahead of time.
That, combined with the anger, the shame, and the self-hatred…
The puzzle pieces fell into place for Ozpin. "Raven… your last mission to Vacuo…"
"Don't," Raven hissed, standing up abruptly and starting to move towards the elevator.
"Salem got to you, didn't she? She captured you"