A/N: So...that was a long hiatus, huh? Well, I'm finally back with another chapter! I'm not going to be sticking to any particular schedule this time, and I'll just be uploading whenever I have something I'm satisfied with. With Volume 4 ongoing at the time of this upload, some of the headcanons that I'd been implementing into this fic have been slightly...challenged, and my plans for Qrow and Raven's backstory will have to change just a bit. Thankfully, the changes will be pretty minor, and my overall story is still mostly the same as it was before.

This is also the first chapter I'll be uploading while a volume is still airing, so I'm not sure how that'll affect traffic on my fic. Only time will tell.

Hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 4: The Meeting

Mountain Glenn

"...And you're sure you're not trying to pull my leg?" Fie Forrester asked.

Summer stared at the professor in desperation. The four Huntsmen had found her browsing the HCA Toy Store, packed to the brim with every 'cute' thing imaginable-from bouncy balls modeled after a pink kitten's face, little keychains depicting chibified versions of famous Huntsmen, and even adorable fluffy Grimm plushies that were significantly cuddlier than the creatures that tried to kill you. The sickeningly sweet scent of perfume was producing a very stuffy atmosphere in the shop that made Summer quite uncomfortable.

"It really happened, I swear!" said Tai earnestly. "That guy from earlier today-Doctor Merlot! He seriously tried to kill us! Said we were some kind of 'experiment', or something!"

The professor just shook her head, smiling. Both her hands were occupied with heavily-filled shopping bags that read "HCA" in big bubbly letters. "It's not even summer and the heat's already getting to your heads," she chuckled. " Merlot, one of Beacon Academy's own alumni, try to harm a student? You must really have an imagination!"

"Professor-" Raven started, but wisely closed her mouth. It seemed she'd accepted from the start that this was a lost cause. Not many people would believe four students claiming they'd just fought a robot controlled by a renowned scientist in an exploding underground lab. It sounded like the plot to a terrible spy movie.

"Wait, Merlot?" Summer frowned. Fie's offhand comment had caught her attention. "He was from Beacon?"

"He sure was!" Fie nodded. "He was before my time, of course, but I hear he was one of the smartest people to ever attend the school! Funny enough, even though he never had an interest in teaching, they say that more than half of the Grimm Studies course is based on the research he did while he was still a student! Bet the teachers hated him for it! Still, it's impressive, huh? Now if only I could…."

She looked like she was going to ramble on and on. Anything Summer would've liked to say was now lost in despair. It was clear they were going to accomplish nothing this way. "Come on guys," she sighed. "Let's get back, or else we'll be late."

Nodding dejectedly, Raven, Tai and Qrow followed her out of the building, leaving the professor to happily continue her shopping spree.

Somehow, night had fallen by the time they made it back to their hotel. Greeted by an irritated-looking tour guide, likely fresh off an afternoon of putting up with obnoxious tourists, Team STRQ was quickly informed that it was almost past curfew and that they had better head back to their dormitory, with the helpful tip that if they were caught sneaking out they'd "have hell to pay, goddammit". Mercifully, the man was not so unkind as to leave four strapping young Huntsmen to starve to death on a cold night, so he begrudgingly let them grab a quick supper at the cafeteria before shooing them upstairs to their room.

The moment they were inside, Tai leapt for his large, warm bed, landing facefirst in the soft silk sheets before remaining motionless. "Ahhhhh….now that's more like it," he mumbled, the events of the day all but forgotten.

"Well, I guess it could've been worse-she could've had us locked up for being crazy," said Qrow bitterly.

"We did good out there, though!" yelled Tai, having rolled over on his back with a grin. His short blond hair was in quite a mess, slightly covering his bright blue eyes. "Especially you, Summer! That new weapon of yours is putting in some serious work-with moves like that, I might just fall for you, y'know?"

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Summer gave a slight laugh. "Um...thanks, I guess." Turning her head, she noticed Raven staring at her with a look of annoyance in her eyes. "...What?" she asked after an awkward silence.

"Nothing," the dark-haired warrior replied, a bit too quickly. "It is curious that he mentioned Harriet though. I wonder how he knows her?"

At the mention of that name, the atmosphere in the room underwent a noticeable change. Tai stopped doing sit-ups on his bed. Summer glanced at the floor, her gaze sullen. She wondered where the rabbit Faunus was right now, and what unfathomable forces their false friend could be conspiring with….

"Isn't that the million dollar question," Qrow muttered, flashing a glare at his sister. "We're obviously not gonna do anything else tonight, so why don't we hit the sack, huh?" Without a word, everyone nodded, and that was that.

It was sometime close to midnight when Summer woke up, yawning. Freeing herself from the warm embrace of her blankets for just a moment, she glanced around groggily at the darkened room. Just like back home at Beacon, she'd gotten the top of the bunk bed, which had initially scared her for reasons she could no longer comprehend.

It was a dim light out of the corner of her eye that caught her attention. Peering in that direction, she noted that it was Raven at her desk, poring over some notes. Oh, Rae...studious as ever, huh…. She thought, smiling. Preparing to retreat back into the world of dreams, Summer noticed the book she was reading. From above, it was hard to make out exactly what was written, but judging from the images, depicting bizarre-looking Grimm and artifacts that she'd never seen before, it definitely wasn't any of their textbooks.

Then it hit her. She'd seen that book before. It was when they'd been on the plane to Pandora Village last year-Raven had been reading it. According to her, it had been a record written by her great-grandfather, filled with knowledge from the beginning of Remnant's history. The old tome looked as worn-down as ever. Summer leaned in for a closer look.

Raven was writing on a page depicting what resembled a large, pitch-black whale that encompassed two full pages. From the molten red glow gleaming from appeared to be eyes, it was clear that it was supposed to be a Grimm. As Summer watched, she hastily drew a circle around a smaller image at the bottom of the page, in which two identical orbs were shown glowing with black and white energy respectively. I wonder what she's doing?

Summer considered calling out to her friend. But then Raven tilted her head ever-so-slightly, giving her a brief glimpse of her face. Something about the deep intensity she saw in the Huntress' red eyes made her hesitate. For one extremely silly moment she felt as though she were looking at an enemy. Of course, the moment passed quickly, but Summer had lost her resolve-and had gotten her drowsiness back. Before she knew what she was doing, her head was back against her pillow, and she was pulling her sheets back onto herself.

Before slipping into unconsciousness, she had the vague realization that Tai's snoring, emanating from the other side of the room, was rather cute.

Beacon Academy-Headmaster's Office

Ozpin sat quietly in his seat. The last of the Beacon staff had left for home, and all the classrooms had been boarded up for the night. Perhaps there was one or two unfortunate first-years who remained trapped in the cafeteria after sneaking in after hours, or a few starving rats weaving in and out of cracks in the wall, but otherwise all was silent in the grand monument that was Beacon.

Normally at this time of night, the old headmaster would be calmly sipping a mug of hot coffee, as was his custom on these cold nights. He might even be reviewing tapes of his students' performances, to judge which of them rose higher than the rest. Which ones were the most...worthy. But tonight was different. And sadly, that meant the coffee would have to wait.

Reaching for his cane, Ozpin quietly murmured a short set of words. The top of the old stick split open, revealing a small crystal underneath. A transparent object that glowed with an ominous light, and would seem to the naked eye as if it were constantly changing shape. It pulsated with a steady rhythm, reminiscent of a heartbeat. Wordlessly, Ozpin touched the tip of the mysterious object.

Immediately, the clean, pristine scenery of his office faded away. Where Ozpin stood now was what appeared to be an endless abyss, with dark blue smog surrounding everything around a small area of space, where four grand pillars stood atop the corners of a pure white plane of marble. The ominous heartbeat could still be heard, even here. It was not the most welcoming place to hold a monthly meeting, but it was one of few places in the world that guaranteed complete privacy.

As Ozpin took his place atop a pillar, he remarked to himself that he was the last one there.

"You took your time, Ozzy," said Headmaster Onyx, standing on the pillar to his right. "I was starting to believe you wouldn't come at all." He turned to Thane on the opposite corner. "At this rate, I'm afraid you'll be overthrown for title of most incompetent headmaster, my friend."

Headmaster Thane said nothing, but flashed a worried glance at Ozpin, who merely smiled. "Is it not right for a teacher to watch over his own students?" he asked coolly. "They are, after all, our greatest responsibility in these trying times."

"'Responsibility' is something that seems to be sorely lacking in people these days," the fourth figure remarked in a haughty voice. Throwing back her long amber hair, the woman continued: "Not that our enemies are any better in that regard, of course."

Onyx chuckled. "Ah, Carnelia. Always a source of optimism, eh?"

Carnelia Stein, headmaster of Haven Academy, didn't humour his remark, not even with a simple look of disdain. Her regal scarlet sash, immaculate black cloak and piercing grey eyes made her a truly imposing figure. She was respected almost unanimously among citizens of Mistral, ending decades of long-held prejudices and traditions by becoming Haven's first female headmaster through sheer determination. Even in this peculiar meeting, the three older men were well aware of her talents.

"Let's begin with the most pressing issue," said Ozpin. "Has there been any update on the Winter Maiden?"

"All of our searches have ended in failure," replied Carnelia decisively. Her scornful face glanced around her, as if daring anyone to chastise her. "Why must we continue with this wild goose chase? At this rate she is likely in Salem's grasp already."

Thane shook his head anxiously. "It's true that it's been three years since the previous Maiden….passed, but while we haven't found any clue as to who it might be, there's been no intel implying our enemy knows any more than we do."

"Nevertheless, it is paramount that we find her," Ozpin insisted. "There must always be Four Maidens. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter….only together will we have any semblance of hope. The Winter Maiden's successor is out there. And deeming this search as impossible will achieve nothing."

His words brought the others to silence. For a minute, all them said nothing, as if lost in thought. Onyx was the first to break the silence.

"Well, the Maidens are certainly a problem, but what about more short-term issues, hmm?" he asked, tugging at his beard softly. "Ever since the riots last year during the tournament, Atlas has been seeing a disturbing increase in crimes-many of them by Faunus." The old man clenched his teeth in frustration. "Those degenerates have gotten bolder, it seems. We may have locked up Buck London, but it seems like he got what he wanted!"

"That sounds like your problem, not ours, Desmond," said a disinterested-looking Carnelia.

Thane nodded in nervous agreement. "That's right! A couple petty criminals are hardly worthy of our attention!" he spat.

"Oh? Then let us change to subject to something that concerns you," replied Onyx with a predatory smile. "My candidate, Latte Adel, and his team are currently stationed in Vacuo for their assessment, to investigate an increase in activity by the Brotherhood of Gehenna. From the intel they've managed to collect,it seems that the Brotherhood are using special weaponry designated specifically for Shade Academy's use. Please, Thane, do explain yourself, hmm?"

Thane had gone pale. "I don't know what you're talking about…" he said angrily. "They must have stolen them...th-though I'm certain I would have known if anything had been lost…" Looking at his face, Ozpin was inclined to believe him-the bewilderment in his eyes seemed genuine. Then again, it was difficult to tell with Thane…

"I suppose it's no surprise, honestly," Onyx continued smugly. "Your reign as Headmaster has been plagued from beginning to end with the most scandalous accusations. Violating the acceptance policies, conspiring with the black market...of course, not that you'd be the only one with such things on your conscience!" he added, glancing at both Ozpin and Carnelia in turn. "To you, aiding a terrorist cult must simply be the next logical step!"

Thane was left speechless. He remained motionless where he stood, his mouth open yet saying nothing. Mercifully, it was at this point that Carnelia changed the subject.

"Your candidate...Latte Adel?" she murmured. "I suppose that's an adequate choice. That would make me the only one without a candidate...since it seems you've also made your decision, Thane."

"Yes," The Shade Academy headmaster admitted. "I wanted to keep it secret at first, but that's over with now. She's...the daughter of a well-known scientist in Vacuo. She and her father have been helping out old Professor Polendina in Atlas, with some revolutionary Aura-related experiments. Their collaboration was meant to be hidden…"

Carnelia nodded. "I can see why," she mused. "Atlas sharing such priceless resources and technology with other Kingdoms-and Vacuo of all places! Not something anyone would want to go public."

"So you see!" Thane cried. "I've acted perfectly rational with all these matters and still I'm being accused of criminal activity? It's unheard of! And might I add," he said, his tone becoming more vicious, "that none of you should have any right to speak of such things! What of our 'candidate' system? Deliberately granting career advantages and knowledge-forbidden knowledge, banned by the Council themselves!-to students we seem to choose at the drop of a hat? Even a weak little girl who, or so I hear, could barely graduate from a third-rate combat school run by peasants!" His anger had shifted to Ozpin now.

Ozpin felt a tinge of irritation at his fellow headmaster's immaturity, but he chose not to let it show. "You know as well as I do that this is different," he said slowly. "There are things beyond the Council's jurisdiction...and those matters are what concern us. What I do-what we do-is for the good of the Kingdoms. For Remnant."

"Yes...for Remnant," echoed Carnelia.

After that, the atmosphere of the meeting became calm once again, though it had come dangerously close to going out of control. This was happening more and more recently, a fact that had Ozpin rather worried. But he chose to let things slide this time.

One by one, the headmasters gave brief updates on what was happening in their schools. Atlas was initiating a new military training course despite repeated warnings from the Council. Haven's student count was at an all-time high. Shade Academy was considering higher wages for its lower-class faculty.

Finally, the meeting was done. It occurred to Ozpin that he was almost relieved that it was over. "Until next time," he bowed to his fellow headmasters. "Make no mistake, troubled times are coming. Salem may not have made her move yet-"

"But she will," said Onyx ominously.

"She will," Ozpin repeated in agreement. "And when she does, Desmond, I think I can trust you to be the first to know." Before waiting for a reply, he pressed his cane to the pillar, causing the meeting room to dissipate. He was now back in his office, as though he'd never left.

He was smiling. He wondered if he had gotten under old Onyx's skin with that last remark. He trusted that Carnelia had already figured it out. And of course, while Onyx conspired with Salem and other malevolent forces, Ozpin was setting his own plans in motion….

As he reminisced over the night's events, he reached over to the coffee mug on his desk, and was pleased to find that it was still hot.

Next Chapter: The Mission