Quiet Visits

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Ironwood had always been taught and believed, from childhood, to training and then to his staffing assignments, that a sign of an effective military leader was the state of their office. Even in the direst times, an officer of rank sufficient to have a personal office should have their floors cleaned, their shelves well-ordered, and their papers cleanly sorted and stacked on their desks.

'Even in the middle of a crisis, you should always keep to order.' His father had once said once upon a time, helping him reorder his books on his shelf late at night, when one of the shelves had fallen out and spilled his books across the floor of his room. 'Keeping order is a man's highest duty. No matter what comes, keep to order.'

And so here he was, an hour past the end of his itinerary shift.

Still in his office.

Trying to get the paperwork on his desk signed, organized, and ready to go out come the morning.

Trying and, safely, failing, thanks to his throbbing head and aching shoulder. His medicine wasn't doing the job, again, and hadn't really fared well at it since the Battle. Sighing and pinching his nose, he tugged out his Scroll and flicked it open on his desk, finger flicking through the contents for-

"Ah." He blinked, and then sighed, shaking his head and closing the device. Ozpin hadn't made contact in his new body just yet, so he couldn't call him up and ask him over for tea. "And even if he had, he wouldn't be here yet… Or strong enough to help."

Rolling his stiff shoulder, he turned back to his work, reading through the next field report, detailing a defensive action against Grimm threatening a nearby village. It had been a simple affair, barely more than a pack of Beowolves and a small herd of Ursai, dealt with by a squad of regulars, a single Specialist, and a Bullhead for aerial support. No casualties aside from a broken arm, too.

And a very happy village singing Atlas' praises.

And Vale's too, of course.

Smiling, he signed his acknowledgement of the report and set it on the stack of the same at one corner of his desk. His smile fading, he reached for the next report on the other corner, signing his name at the top of the manilla folder holding and then flipping it open to read it. It was more of the same, a Grimm defense with a handful of men and aircraft, but hey. This time it was a fort they'd defended, not a village.

So, points for being different, if nothing else.

He heard a knock on his office's door and sighed, already knowing who it would be even as his hand slipped under the desk to hit the unlock button.

"Winter." He nodded as he heard her heels on the metal, approaching him. "You should be in your quarters."

"That makes two of us, Sir." She answered sharply, setting a large, lidded serving tray on his desk and then turning to retrieve his second chair from where it rested in the corner, when he didn't expect to play host. "But," she said as she sat, "neither of us are in our quarters. Are we, Sir?"

"Just because I have work keeping me busy doesn't mean you have to spend your evening here, Winter.��� He argued, fighting desperately not to smell the food she'd brought. "Your free time is yours."

"I know." She smiled, leaning forward to lift the lid off and setting it on the floor, nudging a small tray of stir-fried rice, chicken and vegetables to him while she took her own. "And I choose to spend my free time ensuring you eat properly, Sir."

"Winter…" He sighed, setting the report aside and taking the plate, "Tending to me isn't your duty, Winter."

"Nor is seeing to and managing the defense of a separate Kingdom yours." She shrugged, setting a chilled bottle of water in front of each of them and turning the platter so he could reach his fork. "We are all of us seeing to duties not quite our own of late, General. The men don't begrudge theirs, you don't begrudge yours, and I do not begrudge mine."

"I see." He smiled, "Thank you."

"Meds first." She chided as he started to take a bite, the man rolling his eyes and pulling the bottle of pills out. Smiling, she watched him take them and then offered, quietly, "You're welcome."

"Mhm." He grunted, choking down the pills and then turning to his food. Taking a bite he asked around it, "How is your sister?"

"Better." She nodded, picking out a piece of chicken and balancing it on her spoon while she went on, "I saw her the other day, sparring alongside her team's other wounded member. Both are recovering steadily."

"I'm glad" He nodded, "Team RWBY demonstrated remarkable bravery during the battle. Weiss is no exception to that."

"That they did, Sir." Winter smiled proudly, "Weiss acquitted herself, and her name, quite well during the Battle. Were it not for her

"I've considered offering them medals." He commented quietly, pausing to take a drink and, subtly, see what the woman thought of that. Bright eyes flicked to him in surprise and pride and he smiled, explaining as he sat his water down again, "Ruby Rose put herself between me and a powerful combatant, to protect me and our collective objective alike. Miss Xiao Long also suffered grievous injury to protect her team leader. And your sister, caught by surprise, coordinated a defensive maneuver with local forces and succeeded at holding the line."

"Yes, she- I mean, they did and… I'm very proud of her for it, too." Winter nodded, slowly setting her spoon beside her food. "And her team, of course. But aside from Atlas Academy students, Atlas can only offer medals to our own soldiers and accredited Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"I know." He nodded slowly, taking, chewing and swallowing a bite before he turned to her, "Which is why I am considering offering them Atlesian licenses."

"What?!" Her eyes widened and she almost stood, before she caught herself. Instead, quieter, she said, "They're all too young, General Ironwood. And they're only first years besides, Sir. They aren't ready for-"

"Winter." His simple, quiet word silenced her, the woman grimacing and easing back into her seat. Setting his spoon aside and interlacing his fingers, he rested his chin on top of them and sighed, "I know that they are not quite ready. And I know that you are worried about your sister. I understand it, believe me."

"But…?"

"But we need the morale boost that would come with a proper award ceremony." He said simply, "We have numerous soldiers and Hunters that we can award. Further, if we license them then we can monitor their situations. And by explaining that Miss Rose fought in my defence, and publicly awarding her for it, we explain their protective detail."

"Removing them from public scrutiny." Winter filled in, grimacing tightly, "The enemy is no doubt aware of their fourth's condition, though."

"Yes, but I can't do much of anything to resolve that problem, unfortunately." Ironwood sighed tiredly, reclining in his chair and eyeing his mostly eaten meal. "As licensed Atlesian Hunters, they would also be granted citizenship. Meaning that I can station a protective detail at Beacon Academy under my own authority."

"Circumventing politics and procedure, and keeping the secrets involved more tightly held." Winter nodded, taking a bite of her food and sighing, "Clever."

"Mhm." He sighed, "It is."

"You sound… Bothered, Sir." Winter murmured, drumming the fingers of one hand on the table while she ate with the other, "Would it be… Impudent to ask why?"

"I'm using a loophole to avoid dealing with proper legal procedure." Ironwood explained quietly, "I'm an elected official, serving our legal body. But for my own ends, for my own convenience, I'm… Flaunting them."

"For good reasons."

"Every criminal would say they did what they did for good reasons, Schnee." He sighed, "I'd put good Lien on Taurus saying he had good reasons, too."

"You're not the same as him, General-"

"I know that, Winter." He grunted, setting his plate on the tray and taking a final drink from his water. Quietly, he went on, "Intellectually, I understand the differences. The significance of our fight, my decisions. But emotionally…"

"Not so much." She sighed understandingly, setting her empty plate atop his and putting the lid back on the tray. As she worked, she spoke, "I understand the dilemma, Sir. But for what little my opinion is worth-"

"Your opinions are worth quite a bit to me, Winter." He pointed out, draggin the report from earlier back in front of him and skimming it. "Never believe that how you feel, or what you think, isn't something I would want to know."

"I… Understand, Sir." She murmured after a moment, retaking her seat, "I, um… Thank you, General. That means a lot, to me."

"I know." Her father, for his many faults, could never count being an overly attentive parent among them. He knew very well by now what that had done to her, and what being listened to really meant to her. Setting the report aside, his signature emblazoned on it, he prompted her gently, "Your opinion, Specialist Schnee?"

"Oh, um, right." She stammered, thinking for a moment and then going on, "I was going to say that the differences don't just end at the causes that you and Taurus fight for, Sir."

"Oh?" Ironwood gave her a look, one brow raised, "Such as? I'm presuming that you mean beyond the obvious moral differences."

"I do." She paid him a small, warm smile, "Taurus, by all accounts from those we've captured, had no one who challenged his decisions. Who challenged his decisions if and when they thought them wrong."

"And I have you." He filled in, giving her a smile of his own, "Is that it?"

"A-And the Ace-Ops, but, well…" She flushed and sighed, looking away with a frown, "As I said, it is a difference. And, in my opinion, a substantial one. It won't be particularly easy to fall down the slippery slope with us watching you, and offering our thoughts on your plans and decisions."

"True enough, I suppose." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he signed and set aside another report. The last one for the night, he decided after a moment, standing and sighing again, "I think that will be all, for the night, Winter."

"It should be." She nodded, standing with the tray balanced on a hand and her half-full bottle of water in the other. "It is rather late, General Ironwood. And you have a lot to do tomorrow. And a lot to consider, besides."

"I'm aware." He sighed, looking at the half-stack left of reports Finally, resignedly, he shook his head and turned from the work, "Get word out to Specialist Clover. Tell him I need him to vett a candidate to serve as my assistant. I can't properly process all this paperwork on my own."

"Understood." She nodded, "Why Ebi, Sir?"

"Why do you think?"

"Semblance."

"Semblance." He confirmed with a little nod and laugh, "Don't tell him I said it, but… I'd be lying if I said I hadn't considered benching him, to run reports and paperwork. Ever since the Arc inquiries… Well, I suppose it speaks for itself."

"It does." She nodded, "Will that be all then, Sir?"

"It will." He nodded, following the woman towards the door. Turning the lights off and locking the door, he paid her a farewell nod, "Good night, Winter."

"And to you, General."

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As she had done for nearly a month and a half now, Weiss woke up stiff and aching. At first, it had been because of her cast and the broken bones. While she was healing she'd had to be restrained to sleep, to prevent her from irritating her injury while she rested. But, secured so she couldn't move, she always woke up aching, sore, chafing and stiff. A far cry better than waking up screaming for agony in her arm, but an annoyance all the same.

Now, she was stiff because the hospital beds were utter trash.

"I can't wait to sleep in our own beds again." Weiss murmured, sitting in one of several chairs they'd borrowed from the nurse's station. Watching Yang pointedly not use them and instead stalk up and down the hall in front of her, Weiss sighed, "Don't you agree, Yang?"

"Yep." She grunted, offering a single raised thumb to her as she passed.

"Real food appeals, too. Hot, fresh meals made by real chefs..." Weiss murmured, "At least, having them on a regular basis does. Yang?"

"Sounds good, Weiss."

"Uh huh." She sighed, resting her chin on her hands and watching Yang pace by again, "And I certainly can't wait for your sister and I's date, whenever we finally get out of here. Why, I've even got hotel rooms reserved, just for us."

"Mhm." She nodded as she passed by, "Sounds fun."

Flicking a hand as she passed by again, Weiss summoned a Gravity glyph, locking Yang's feet into place. The blonde flinched, squeaked in surprise and jerked to a stop, arms flailing at her side as she tried unnecessarily to regain her balance. Once she saw Weiss' black glyph, and realized she couldn't fall down, she turned a scowl on the Schnee.

"What the hell, Weiss?!"

"I'm sorry, did you think pacing a hole in the floor would help you with… Whatever this is?" Weiss asked quietly, giving one of the Atlesian guards across from her an exhausted look. After a moment, the soldier shrugged and, figuring that was all the support she was about to get from them, Weiss turned back to Yang, "They'll be here in a moment. Calm. Down."

"B-But what if they-"

"If they blame you for what happened, their opinions aren't worth worrying about." Weiss cut her off sharply, waving her concerns off with a hand and smiling reassuringly. "They'd be fools to blame you, and not at all the kinds of people that would have given life to someone as honorable and just as Blake."

"Y-Yeah." She nodded, lips pressed into a thin line, "I, uh, guess you're right…"

"I always am." Weiss smiled sweetly, letting it die a fiery death a moment later as she cocked her head and pointed at the seat beside her, "Now then. Sit. Down. Before I break both of your knees and tie you to this chair, Xiao Long."

"Damn, Weiss-cream." Yang chuckled, giving the same guard Weiss had looked at earlier a look of her own, cocking a hip and raising an eyebrow, "You gonna just let her threaten me like that, soldier boy?"

"Girl." The woman grunted quietly, "Armor isn't very flattering."

"Ah." Yang blinked, "Sorry."

"No problem." She shrugged, "Also, yes, I'm going to let her threaten you like that."

"Why's that?"

"Probably because you were annoying the Grimm out of her, too, Xiao Long." Weiss suggested, smiling sweetly, "You're really rather good at annoying people, after all."

The blonde gasped and pressed a hand to her chest in theatrical, feigned shock and gave the armored woman a scandalized look. The soldier shrugged and Yang rolled her eyes, plopping down into the seat beside Weiss and staring death up at the roof. For a few minutes, the blonde was quiet. Uncomfortably so, to Weiss' mind, too.

But at least she'd stopped pacing.

Weiss had learned, by now, to count the little victories and enjoy them, when she got them.

"You really think they won't be mad, Weiss?" Yang finally asked quietly, still staring death up at the roof, her foot bouncing anxiously. "I couldn't protect her, Weiss. If I… If it was my daughter, in there, like that, I'd be mad at me, too."

"No, you wouldn't." Weiss corrected her simply, shrugging when Yang's gaze snapped to her, "You're a brute, Yang. And loud, and delinquent, and rude, and good stars you're loud-"

"Does this have a point…?"

"The point," Weiss smiled, watching the same slowly stretch over Yang's features, "is that you're a good person, Yang. You aren't the type to hold what someone can't help against them. Race, sex, name… The tide of a fight or other things that we are not allowed to talk about right now."

"You sound so confident." Yang chuckled, "I almost believe you…"

"You should." Weiss smirked, folding her arms across her chest, "I'm always right, after all."

"I guess, yeah." Yang shrugged, going back to staring up at the ceiling quietly.

Minus the death glare, though.

And again, small victories.

"Ma'ams." The guard grunted quietly, a few moments later, "The Belladonnas just reached the checkpoint with your team leader. They're being checked right now, and… Specialist Amin thought you two might want a second's heads up, and passed the word."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Weiss nodded, giving Yang a worried, sidelong look. When her knee only sped up its bouncing and her fingers started drumming on her knees anxiously, Weiss sighed, and took one of the brawler's hot, calloused hands in her own. Smiling when the blonde turned to her, Weiss tried to reassure her, "It'll be fine, Yang."

"I know, I just-"

"I know." She gave the brawler's hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled thinly, "Just breathe."

"Yeah." Yang sighed, squeezing Weiss' hand in return, "I'm working on it."

They heard the two faunus coming before they saw them, or rather, they heard Ruby leading them before they saw them. The young woman had volunteered for it, probably for an excuse to move rather than wait anxiously like they had. And now, she was leading the two Faunus back and chattering excitedly about, of all things, Crescent Rose's new magnification set-up.

Because Ruby Rose would never change, short of the Grimm conquering the world.

Which, from what her Uncle had told them, and everything else they'd learned before-hand…

"Obsessing will do nothing but give you wrinkles and headaches, Weiss." She told herself, shaking the worries off and standing to meet her teammate's parents.

Blake's mother, in Weiss' opinion, looked like a carbon copy of Blake herself. Albeit older, with the slightest of wrinkles on her tired, but smiling face. And obvious maturity, to her frame and her eyes. Eyes which found Weiss and widened ever-so-slightly before she calmed herself and laid a hand on her husband's arm, whispering something to him that only he could hear as they approached.

And speaking of Blake's father…

"By the gods," Weiss thought, flushing slightly, "her poor pelvis…"

Where Blake's mother was like Blake herself, relatively thin and lithe but with more than enough muscle Weiss could see to pose a threat, her father was a positive bear of a man. He towered over each of Weiss' team, his own wife, and the soldiers and droids he passed by, and stood as wide as two of Weiss besides, trundling along beside his wife with heavy but measured steps. The kind that said he knew how large and imposing he was, and was used to people reacting negatively to it.

So, if he was used to people reacting negatively…"

"Mister Belladonna." Weiss nodded, folding her hands politely in front of her and flicking her gaze to the woman, "Missus Belladonna. It's… Well, a pleasure to meet you, if I set aside the reasons for it."

"Yo." Yang grunted beside her, still apparently anxious enough to find it hard to find words.

"You must be Weiss." The gargantuan man rumbled, laying a hand on the back of his wife's shoulders that stretched from the outside of one shoulder to the other. He offered his other and smiled, "And I feel the same, about meeting you and the reasons for it."

"Of course." She smiled, taking his hand and shaking it as firmly as she could.

He was remarkable gentle with her hand, enough that she blinked at it, and the feeling of barely concealed claws on her wrist. Laughing, the Faunus withdrew and held his hand up, flexing his fingers and pushing out short but razor sharp claws, "They're tearing claws, not cutting. So don't worry, I won't hurt you with them."

"I, uh…" She swallowed, looking at them and fighting the instinctive urge to flare her Aura, "I wasn't aware that there was a difference, Chieftain Belladonna."

"They're like teeth, dear." Blake's mother chuckled tiredly, turning her head to flash her own razor sharp canines at her and pointing at them, "These are cutting, for instance. Just like yours are, just… Bigger."

"And some big wildcats have gripping and ripping claws instead of cutting ones." Yang filled in quietly from behind her, shifting side-to-side awkwardly, "It's so they can grip prey and drag them down to get their teeth in. They kill with their teeth rather than their claws."

"You're rather knowledgeable about big cats." Blake's mom purred, sidling up to the blonde and wrapping an arm around the suddenly wide-eyed woman's shoulder, "Is there a reason you know so very, very much about big cats, Miss Xiao Long?"

"Y-You can call me Yang." The blonde stammered, standing stiff and anxiously, "A-And, um, I like… Animals."

"You can both call us Kali and Ghira, then." Kali smiled, hugging the blushing blonde tighter against her shoulder and smiling widely. Still smiling, the woman asked, quietly, "And is it animals you like, or Faunus? Or, maybe, one in particular?"

"N-Nope!" Yang forced, waving a hand at Ruby, "Back me up, Rubes!"

"I thought you only liked dogs, though, Sis." Ruby murmured quietly, standing beside Weiss with her head cocked to the side, "I remember you always complained when Daddy sent us into Patch, to work on that little farm when we were kids."

"I-I, um, I mean…" Yang's protests died a fiery, pitiful death, the blonde hanging her head and letting out a low, keening noise.

"Dear," Ghira prompted quietly, smiling thinly under tired, weary eyes, "have mercy on the poor girl, would you?"

"But Ghiraaaa…."

"Now, now." The man rumbled, Yang looking up to him in clear hope. His warm smile turned predatory, suddenly, and he added, "It's fairly obvious she wasn't ready to meet the parents, yet, Kali."

Yang's hopeful eyes widened and then she flushed, spluttering her responses for several long, amusing moments before she finally threw her hands up in surrender. "Fine, I looked up cat claws a few days before the shit went down so I'd know what I might be dealing with, sue me!"

Rumbling a laugh, Ghira turned to his wife, "I think it's time we visit our daughter, and have mercy on her… Partner, don't you?"

"Oh, alright." Kali sighed, letting the blonde woman go and turning to the door. More soberly, she asked, "Is, uh, this the right room?"

"It is." Weiss nodded as they formed up at the door. Looking at the woman, she added, "Do you… Want to see her alone?"

"Please." She nodded, giving Weiss a small look, her eyes already watery, "If you don't mind, that is."

The three RWBY members, of course, told them that they didn't. And then spent the next twenty minutes or so sitting together on those seats, waiting until they were done with their private visit. Neither Ruby or Yang wanted to sit beside the door, so Weiss took the spot herself. And if Weiss heard low, keening sobs, and a pleading 'Blake'...

Well, she didn't see any reason to say anything about it.

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No Jaune or Juniper in this chapter. Instead, Irondaddy and RWBY split the chapter between them. Next chapter will probably be almost completely just a Juniper chapter, so don't worry.

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Zenith Tempest :

Yeah, Ironwood is not aware of the fullest extent of what Jaune can do. Both because Jaunue hasn't said and because Jaune isn't a master, yet, and can't do some things just yet.

Dr Kilinger :

He didn't get 'turned into' anything. Literally the only point he isn't being a possessive manchild blowing things up to 'get back what's his' was in Blake's trailer, before he lost her. And for like, a third of his trailer.

Beyond that? He's always been this character. He's Gaston and the Cursed Rose, and expecting anything but what fits that isn't going to let you enjoy the story. That includes many of mine and RT's.

Just a word to the wise.

Greer 123 :

Adam is nothing if not clever.

Or, well, I mean he's a lot of things. Abusive, bull-headed - *snickering sounds* - a good fighter, way too narrow-minded.

But, uh, clever is in that list!

Argus :

Politics, as ever, are a beast to properly convey in a story. I just hope I properly convey that angle, military policy and the politics it is shaped by and shapes and the politics around what happened during the Battle of Beacon, well as things go. And the large, black, furry consequences that naturally come as a result of it.

Smokey Panda :

Yes!

You should have!

Blackimus Prime :

Hey, I aim to please.