The Beginning of the End

Team RRYNBW led by Torchwick gathered up and readied to leave Mountian Glenn, whatever they brought they made sure to stow on their person. There was an issue that arose as soon as they tried leaving the ruined city. They had no bullhead waiting for them, it was a usual sight that was now absent during their trip to Mountain Glenn.

Weiss groaned and kicked stones in annoyance, she was a Schnee seemingly abandoned without no mode of transportation. Bullheads refused the moment they heard Mountain Glenn in their sentence, they could try convincing them that Mountain Glenn was clear but that would reveal Hanns and the gang's location to the world.

Hanns saw the situation and aided them in leaving by forming into a bomber. It was a problematic solution though. The latest one he had was too large to fit the crude-looking runway that Torchwick painstakingly tried to create last second so Hanns instead tried using the old one to fit everyone.

The ride towards Vale went as well as it could. The odd stray nevermore or two tried to attack them but the multitude of weapons team RWBY had made countering the attackers easier for Hanns.

He couldn't dog fight normally when he was using the lumbering hunk of metal, so he relied on the others to defend him while he flew.

They saw the terrain turning red, which let Hanns know that they were close to landing. He would spot the clearing he and Neo were in before and let team RRYNBW off. The landing gear reveals itself and touches down to the ground.

The bomber bumps and shakes from the uneven surface it was trying to land on. Hanns activated the brakes and the entire plane shifted from the action. Hanns slowly came to a stop nearly hitting the edge of the forest that surrounded the runway.

After team RRYNBW left the bomber they split up in two. Roman and Neo were going to get started in setting up a base of operations where they could discreetly plan with team RWBY on how to find Cinder and eliminate her influence through Vale.

They traveled through the streets incognito. Passing by the barriers and inconspicuously reaching the commercial district.

The industrial district was sure to hold the resources that Cinder managed to steal with her new replacement. Torchwick would need to set up far from there. Using a store as a front would be good since they didn't need storage. Team RRYNBW just needed a place to discuss things without being seen by prying eyes.

An ice cream store would be bought, a few favors here and there and Torchiwck could set it up. His criminal empire would have to suffer for a while, Cinder was still a big threat and if he didn't take care of her first then he'd get nowhere.

Beacon emerged from view, the darkening skies were contrasted by the light and brilliant white of the academy. The sole tower in the middle that held the CCT stood out from the rest of the campus.

Each member was thankful that they could catch the last bullhead going to their school. They chilled from the time they had to navigate down from the cliff Beacon sat in.

Ruby was currently leading her team to the front door leading to the dorms, she felt her hand grip the cooling metal from the knob and twisted. The rigid and unmoving handle was met with dismay by the team. They were too late and the dorm was locked.

Ruby entered a state of thought, she remembered a cool clip of someone picking locks in a movie. She didn't really know how to unlock a door with just a thin piece of wire but she wasn't the type of person to give up.

"Does anyone have a hairpin?" Ruby turned to her team.

Weiss patted her pockets on her skirt and fetched the item Ruby requested. She tossed it her way and leaned in closer to the door.

"I didn't know you picked locks, Ruby." The sound of small clicking was heard from the door knob. While Ruby used another hairpin to turn the cylinder. She wipes a bead of sweat off her forehead and turned to answer Weiss.

"Well, I don't" Silence sunk in as the ambient noise of random scraping emitted from the locks. Weiss started fuming at Ruby's admission.

"You dolt-"

A loud click was heard and the lock from the door was miraculously released from securing the entrance. Ruby smirked at the dumbfounded Weiss.

"You were saying?" She snarked.

Ruby slowly turned the knob which did so without restriction. The door swung open to reveal an angry-looking Glynda staring into their souls. A crack from her riding crop made the team resign themselves to their end.

"...Oh, Miss Goodwitch. Are you… uh taking a stroll out too? Can't blame you, always watching out fo-"

A quick silencing nudge from Yang made Ruby stop her futile attempts to escape the terrible fate that was awaiting them at the hands of the stern professor.

"Headmaster's office. Now."

She turned away uttering only three words to the group. Their late entry back into Beacon was not taken kindly by Glynda.

Each member went inside while Ruby was still frozen in fear. Weiss tapped her shoulder to call her attention. Weiss wore a neutral look as she passed Ruby and uttered the same phrase Ruby used to answer her a while ago.

"You were saying? Ruby?"

Ruby sighed and followed in shame with the rest of her team. They reached the elevator and in it was Glynda looking at them with furious eyes. They all quietly made their way toward the elevator. Ruby tapped on the display to make them reach the top floor.

The ride towards the top only took a minute or less but the glare drilling holes behind their heads made the wait take more time in the minds of team RWBY.

When the doors opened they were surprised to see the headmaster himself smiling at the group.

Glynda ushered them in and went beside Ozpin while still holding her stare at the group. The headmaster starts swirling a cup of coffee and sipped just as he motioned for team RWBY to sit.

Glynda waved her riding crop and her semblance takes nearby chairs and propped them up in front of the table where Ozpin sat.

They look at each other and nodded, they all sat at the same time, curious as to what amount of scolding they were going to get. The headmaster stared blankly before acknowledging their presence by asking a question.

"Girls, what do you prefer, coffee or hot cocoa-"

*CRACK*

The mug he held spit from the top, the ceramic flinging off towards the floor. A purple glow showed itself before dissipating. The girls turn to look at Glynda who had a visible vein popping out of her temple while huffing out air.

Ozpin calmly picks up the broken piece of the mug with a cloth he fetched under his clothes and tossed it in a bin nearby. He returns to his seat and places his damaged mug on the table.

"Ehem, moving on. Do you girls know why you are here?"

The members stiffened, they were late out at night and they had stayed hours away from the curfew. Blake volunteered to answer by raising her voice to answer.

"We were late, we missed curfew so now we are getting punished."

"Oh, I almost forgot, that is another matter. Glynda is here to address that. On the other hand, I have my own questions I would like for you all to answer."

They were confused at first before recalling their conversation with Torchwick. Not risking revealing their recent activity, Ruby thought of a quick excuse.

"Oh that, we were out scouting the competition as Weiss said."

Ruby quickly shifted the conversation to what they talked about during the morning. Weiss initially wanted to deny such a thing but remembered that it was the right move.

"Wha-. I mean yes, we are sorry that we didn't take your advice on not taking the tournament seriously but my team leader proposed we should do our best."

The headmaster nods at their answers. He lifts his mug and takes another long sip. Team RWBY was nervous since the headmaster was seemingly nonchalant about everything. After the long pause from Ozpin sipping his cup, he stared at Ruby.

"Well girls, then you should be able to explain why I have received complaints by a certain bullhead pilot on a group of huntresses in training going to Mountain Glenn." He took another sip. Letting the team process the revelation.

Ruby opened her eyes as much as she could at Ozpin's words.

'Gah! Me and my stupid mouth saying stuff without thinking!' She shrieked in her head.

She had inadvertently revealed their status as Beacon students by shouting about them being huntresses in training while they rode out towards Mountain Glenn.

To solidify the discrepancy in their story, Ozpin started swiping at his scroll. A few seconds later the display on the table lit up and showed a video taken by a passerby during the commotion Weiss created.

Glynda spoke up from the side.

"Weiss Schnee, the SDC heiress, throwing large sums of money towards the same pilot."

A fan of Weiss started recording the moment she walked in. Hoping to get a few views at their run-in with the heiress and singer

The video continues where Weiss began to offer larger and larger multiples of payment toward the bullhead pilot. Where the video ends when the pilot relents and makes them pay the normal fee on the condition they stay away from him.

Ozpin looks at the video and chuckles at the conversation "Ah yes, the negotiator."

Weiss looked awkward when the rest of the team stared with disappointment at the display. Ruby makes up another excuse.

"Well, we wanted to… train our team fighting capabilities! We wanted more of a challenge so we traveled there."

Ozpin sighs at the girls' determination to keep them from knowing everything.

'So she doesn't want to disclose what she knows. That is fine by me.' he thought.

"Well that is all for my questions, I will head down to leave you with Miss Goodwitch here."

The team relaxes at the sight of Ozpin heading towards the elevator. Only for them to stiffen as soon as a riding crop hit the table. The strike startles the group and the looming figure of Glynda marches toward each member of team RWBY.

"Going out to grimm-infested land without telling anyone and lying? Not even a mention to the teachers or asking for permission. Staying out late, worrying your fellow students and more importantly the teachers. What to do, perhaps you all would like to recommend your punishment?" Glynda says with a devious smile.

Everyone screamed in their minds but was at least thankful that they managed to keep them from knowing they worked with Hanns and what they planned to do in Vale.

Ozpin watched the situation from behind while he waited for the elevator to arrive. He looked to Ruby and his welcoming smile turned into concern.

Ozpin during the day overheard the talk RWBY had in their dorm. He was about to move away from listening in before bumping into Ruby. Ruby had done the same thing during the earlier days of beacon so she didn't see the headmaster being out of place.

'Let us hope that Hanns is a capable obstacle against... her.'

The elevator doors opened and the brightly lit insides shined through the room. He walked inside and pressed a button on the holographic pad inside. He took out his scroll again and grew even more worried.

'I hope team RWBY knows what they are doing.'

The scroll phased a screen to life, its light color displaying a message from Qrow. An eerie phrase relayed from a week's out-of-contact agent of Ozpin. It only had three words.

"Queen has pawns."