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I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the execution of some parts of this chapter, but at the very least it's all things that needed to happen and I'm not really feeling great lately, so I'm posting it. Also, I retconned the old credit cost of a scroll of resurrection because I can't do math sometimes and that was way too high. Divided it by 10

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"You need to relocate to Beacon, at least temporarily." Ozpin doesn't even bother greeting me as I come into his office.

I groan. "No. Absolutely not. That's out of the question for like, so many reasons." Okay, so maybe most of those reasons are emotional rather than logical, but I'm an emotional woman, and now that I've established a home it's going to take a lot more than just some people who want to kill me to drag me out of it.

"Are you confident you can protect yourself while living in your own home?" Ozpin says, making a stupid rational logic point.

"Ugh, look." I start emphasizing my words with my hands, trying to get the message across. "I need to have a constant environment to practice the things I need to practice. If I move somewhere else, it'll slow down my work by like at least three days. I can defend myself reliably, I just need time. I have a lot of ideas, and I'm confident that once I'm properly secured no one will be able to challenge me within my own domain."

"How exactly do you intend to do this, if I may ask?"

"Wards, baby. I haven't set any up yet because I've been focused on runes first, but now I'll have to, and once I do anyone who comes after me will be weakened in all kinds of nasty ways, and I'll be stronger than I would be otherwise. You see, the biggest advantage a wizard like me has is when you give them time to prepare themself, to buff and set up defences. I can do all of these things, I just need a little more time." Okay, so I haven't exactly so much as developed any other kinds of wards yet, but with runecrafting there are all kinds of things I can do with them, so seriously, I'll get there eventually.

Wait. I haven't considered how I'm going to inscribe the runes I need to add to create more types of wards yet. Shit, it's not like wood is a good conductor of mana. Wait, maybe instead of carving the runes I could ink them on. I'd have to somehow get an ink that has a decent concentration of gold and maybe some mercury to do it, but that's actually a really good idea.

And, wait, taking that idea further, I could potentially make a trap out of wards anywhere, so long as I have enough time to prepare. A trap that could, say, restrain a Maiden and her friends, if I can manage to get arcana and runecarving to 100.

"I've got it! I'm a genius! A genius!" I interrupt my pacing with a shout, only then realizing that Ozpin was actually saying something during my little train of thought. "Oh, sorry, what'd you say?"

"No, by all means, you may as well explain your revelation first." Ozpin graciously gestures for me to continue.

"Okay, so once Cinder and company get here, I'm confident I can take them all out at the same time without any risk by making a trap out of wards. Some to knock them all unconscious, more to keep them trapped in an area until they do lose consciousness, and one that will suppress her ability to use magic. Oh! And then once we've done that I can contain Cinder in my basement with the same kind of setup. Wards to suppress her stolen magic, and to make sure she can't get out."

"In your basement?" Ozpin raises an eyebrow at me.

"Okay, so that bit sounds weirder than it is, it's just that's where she would need to be so I can make sure the wards continue functioning." I won't kill her, not if I can help it. Cinder hasn't caused the Fall or killed Amber yet, after all. After the childhood she's had I really want to try to give her a second chance. It might be possible. "And, when we pull that off, don't be too hard on Emerald or Mercury either. They never wanted to get roped up in all this, and I'm pretty sure they don't really understand exactly what it is that they've become a part of."

Quest Added: Burning Coals

"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

Objective: Capture Cinder and her allies, ensuring that their plans do not come to fruition.

Reward: 500,000 exp, 20,000 credits, massively increased reputation with Ozpin's Circle​

"In truth, I had intended to kill her, in the hope that doing so would return her stolen magic to Amber and allow her to recover from her current state." Ozpin's tone is apologetic, but pragmatic, and I absolutely hate it.

"I can't let you do that. I won't participate in a plan that involves killing someone to save someone else. I'll find a way to heal Amber myself and I was planning to anyway, but I won't allow for you to execute someone like that." I have to save everyone damnit, every last person. Because I have the power, or at least the potential.

"You believe you can do it?"

"Yeah, I'm guaranteed to get my hands on healing magic eventually." I shrug. "Given enough time I am capable of doing literally anything." That's the power of the Gamer, baby.

Ozpin sighes. "And I fear that you may not have the time you need. But I do wish to protect lives where I can, so very well. If you are ready to enact your plan before the Tournament starts, we'll do it, and I will provide whatever support you need."

"Great. I'm going to need something that can function like ink and has as high a precious and heavy metal content as possible. Gold and mercury would be ideal, and if you could make the ink out of plants and herbs that would also help."

"That would take some time to prepare, but it can be done." Ozpin nods. "I still must insist that you should stay here where I can protect you more reliably for the time being."

"Ugh." Logically, I know that I absolutely should take him up on that. That if Roman decides he wants to torture me until I spill all my secrets or whatever the hell he thinks of me at this point, I can't fight him right now, much less Cinder or anyone else working for Salem. But I need to maintain the same living space damnit. I really, really, hate the idea of moving out. But I should. "Okay, I need that ink to ward things. So how about this, in the few days it takes you to get me that first batch, I'll spend that time here at Beacon developing more ward types. I'll still need to take some trips to my home, because I have some very important plants there that I need to harvest from and will die without my personal care. Then, the first thing I do once the ink is ready is ward up my place, assuming I feel like I've got enough prepared to be safe."

"I believe that that is the most reasonable plan you have come up with since we first met." Is that a sense of humor I detect creeping onto Oz's voice? Is he making fun of me? I'd be offended if he weren't so right. "However, wouldn't these wards of yours draw Cinder's attention? Any portion of magic is sufficient to detect its nearby use."

"Ohhh yeah, I hadn't thought of that." I hum thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, I'm sure I'll figure out some way to conceal them. Actually, let me set up a ward right now and you can tell me how noticeable it is to you." It takes a little bit of time to make a ward, it's less a matter of making something happen than it is a matter of carefully constructing a magical array. Detection wards are simple though, so it's basically only like half a minute. "Alright, how's that?"

"How is what?" Ozpin stares at me, probably confused by how I've just spent thirty seconds staring at a point in space.

"I set up a ward here." I point right in front of me. "You can't tell it's there?"

Ozpin canes his neck forward slightly, his eyes narrowing. "Only because you've specifically pointed it out to me, though its nature is unlike any magic I've seen. It's... oddly contained. I doubt anyone with less experience than myself or Salem could find it."

"That's a good sign then." I guess this must be because the magic the people of Remnant got from the Gods only seems to work on an instinctual level, meaning that they aren't familiar with magic that's in a stable form, only the relatively wild magic from various branches of evocation. Essentially, a ward or any other kind of structured magic is an outside context problem for them, at least when the ward isn't actively having an effect on anything. I'd expect anyone magical to notice once an offensive ward activates and starts harming them.

"Good. You'll be given one of the empty guest rooms on campus for your stay here, as they're being prepared to house Vytal Tournament attendees anyway, though they won't be arriving until after you've finished, in all likelihood."

"Alright." I go back to pacing. "There's more I should probably go ahead and tell you. What was it?"

"I believe you know something about Leo's motivations?"

"Right. Yes. That. And I should probably make sure you send the right people to prevent the Breach entirely too, give you time to plan it out." I muse, mostly to myself. "Anyway, Lionheart is a coward. That's it. He just doesn't want Salem to kill him."

At that, Ozpin slumps imperceptibly in his seat, his disappointment palpable. "Are you certain?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry about that." I scratch my neck lightly. I actually feel sort of sorry for the guy, he must be really tired of betrayal, and that's pretty much the most shallow reason anyone could ever have for a betrayal, aside from money. "But also, at some point a mission is going to appear to investigate irregular activity in the ruins of Mountain Glenn, and normally it'll go to the students. You should send professionals there. A significant force, or maybe an elite one that can handle the situation quietly." I do not want to risk butterflying RWBY into getting seriously hurt on that mission, or letting Vale get attacked freely later on.

"Why? What plans are there for Mountain Glenn?"

"They want to use the old underground tunnel network to lead a bunch of Grimm into the center of Vale by ramming a hole in the sealed tunnel with a train. If they find out they've been discovered they'll go for it early, so you need to be ready to respond on both fronts. Roman Torchwick will be in charge of the operation, with a bunch of White Fang grunts as backup."

"I'll see that that is taken care of then." Ozpin nods.

"Oh! Another thing in that same general timeframe. Cinder is going to try to upload a virus made by Arthur Watts to the CCT that will give them complete access to Amity's systems and your communications on the night of the Beacon Dance. I think you should let her, and then take advantage of her thinking she knows what you're doing based on your digital communications. Not to mention that if she can't rig the Tournament matchups she would have to change her plans, which would be bad."

"I agree, and I'll see what countermeasures I can develop to deal with the virus once its usefulness has passed."

"Yeah. I think I'll want to help with most of the missions I mentioned, they shouldn't be necessary for months anyway. I'm pretty sure the excavation of Mountain Glenn hasn't even begun yet, so it would be too soon to move on them."

"I see."

"Yeah. I think that's everything." I take a deep breath. What an exposition dump, it feels like I just finished explaining the first part of JJBA to someone. Although, there is something unrelated to my foreknowledge that's been bothering me. "Hey, so... I'm sorry about some of the things I said to you when we first meant. The calling you incompetent stuff. It was arrogant. I really don't have any room to talk, considering that I've screwed up on my very first attempt at doing this stuff directly."

[+10 reputation with Ozpin(50/100)]

Ozpin nods once, his voice somber. "Your apology is accepted. For what it's worth, I will readily acknowledge that I have made more mistakes than any man or woman in Remnant."

"I know." I smile a little at the fact that he once used the same line of Ruby before turning serious. "That said, if you ever so much as approach Pyrrha Nikhos or anyone else about giving them Fall's powers with an aura pump I will... well, I can't kill you, since that would just doom whatever poor soul is next in line for your reincarnation, but there will be consequences. I won't let you take advantage of your students like that."

"I understand. With your assistance, I don't believe that will be necessary."

"Good." I go back to smiling and give him a little wave. "I'll go get set up in my new temporary living space then, if you don't mind having someone show me where it is."

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The comparatively small dorm room Oz has given is okay, for now. I'm still very displeased to be forced out of my home, even if I know it's for the best right now. I don't bother doing any more runecarving right now since it's already dinner time anyway. It's annoying that I can't cook for myself here either, but I guess going to the cafeteria will give me the benefit of having more opportunities for social interaction, even if I do need to be focused on spell development and rune practice right now. I do let Blake know that this is my address at the moment, just in case.

In theory I have plenty of time before the Tournament, but I'm way too paranoid about things escalating before that ever comes around, either because of my involvement or pure Gamer plot bullshit. Plus, you know, the aforementioned Roman catching onto me for a relatively minor matter.

Today it seems like my random social encounter is going to be with Velvet and Coco, because Coco ends up practically dragging me away from the little corner I initially tried to mopily eat my dinner in. Have I mentioned that I don't like change? Because I don't like change, or living in unfamiliar places, even temporarily.

"Sit." Coco says, patting the space between herself and Velvet in a tone that leaves no room for argument. "These are Fox and Yatsu, our other teammates."

From across the table, Yatsu nods sagely in my general direction.

"So your Coco's new prey." Fox casually remarks.

Being referred to as prey is way hotter than it has any business being. At least Fox can't tell I'm blushing because he's blind.

"Can I ask why you're strong-arming me into eating with you?" I meekly request as I take the spot, surrounded on either side by a pretty girl who's taller than me.

"You look as tired as a senior who's been studying for their final exams." Velvet's answer and concerned frown are enough to make me chuckle nervously.

"I do? I mean, I've been doing a lot of important stuff, but I've been sleeping a normal amount too, I shouldn't be that bad." I feel fine, everything is fine and the solution to all my problems is to work harder and longer, so obviously that's what I've been doing, while still taking care of my physical needs.

"When was the last day you didn't spend focused on work?" Coco asks, radiating disappointment.

"Uh..." I try to count how many days it's been since the time I hung out with Blake then Ruby, and fail miserably. They all just blend together when I'm busy fighting for my life and/or unraveling the mysteries of the arcane. "Okay, so just because I don't know that, doesn't mean I'm not okay. I lose track of time super easily. Just, gone, like whoosh. Especially when I don't have some sort of weekly schedule to measure my life around." I don't even know how many days I've been here on Remnant, it's not like I checked a calendar when I arrived here.

Everyone at the table glares at me like I'm a complete idiot, which, fair enough. I'll accept that assessment of me.

"You dumbass." Coco outright glares at me. "Do you really think that you're doing fine right now?"

Is it really obvious how frayed my nerves are? But I mean that's not because I'm working too much it's because I can't get the work done quickly enough the longer it takes the more danger Vale is in.

"Of course I'm fine I have to be fine I can't not be because then I'd have to slow down and if I slow down I might fail and I can't do that I can't..." I babble, doing absolutely nothing to convince anyone around me.

Oh my goddess I've personally taken it on myself to protect an entire city full of people against a literal immortal who outclasses me in every possible way. An entire world, even.

And you've only just begun. It's okay, breathe, just breathe for me. Nice and slow. There you go. Good girl. You're doing a great job, and I'm so proud of you.

Somehow, my benefactor says the exact words I need to hear right now, soothing me, helping me get myself back under control. I don't think anyone's ever told me they're proud of me in a way that feels meaningful before.

"Sorry." I murmur, both to the voice and CFVY as I slowly regain control over my breathing, my grip on the table before me loosening.

No, don't apologize dear. I only wish I could do more for you.

What?

You'll understand someday.

I... okay. Someday. If I live to reach it.

"What do you need?" Velvet asks, her voice soft while still cutting through the noise of the busy cafeteria. It's enough to bring me back to awareness of my surroundings.

"I need..." There are so many things I need. Power. Rest. Peace. Safety. Companionship. But right now? "I need many hugs, some validation, and a break." Just because Gamer's Mind has given me enough of an attention span that I can spend a large amount of time working on things, doesn't mean that my mental health can handle it. I can't afford to push myself like this. It's just too much.

Coco slowly wraps her arms around me from the side, careful not to startle me. "You're doing well. You deserve a break."

I slump into her hug with a soft exhale, in a state of awe. When was the last time anyone acknowledged that I was working hard? Never, I think. My best was never good enough, and no one ever understood how tired I was because it seemed as if I hadn't even done anything more than a cursory effort when I was actually perpetually burnt out.

I still shouldn't be taking a break from this, though. Not from saving an entire city.

"You won't be able to save a damn thing if you're burnt out." Coco scolds. I must have said that out loud, I guess.

"I guess." There are definitely tears falling from my eyes, but at least I'm managing to stay quiet and retain some sense of self-control. It feels like I'm still so powerless and weak in some ways, even after all this.

"Did you choose to be a huntress?" Yatsu asks, and though his voice is quiet something about it carries clearly through the air and through my thoughts.

Did I? Sort of. It's not something I would ever change, given the circumstances. But honestly? I'd have been perfectly happy with a more mundane life. "No. I guess circumstances just sort of ended up in a position where it was my best option. I'm not ready for any of this, and I never was."

"You're here to protect people. That's more than good enough as a start, and it's already more than some of the people here at Beacon have to say about themselves. The rest takes time, but I believe you'll get there eventually." Velvet takes my hand and sandwiches it between hers, not quite holding it, but getting the same kind of intent across.

"The rest being stable mental health, huh?" I joke, making Fox snort as the others frown disapprovingly at me.

"No, that doesn't happen until after retirement, if ever." Fox says.

"Of course, how silly of me." I've managed to distract myself enough that I'm not crying anymore at least. And... wow, I really appreciate what Velvet said. She's not wrong. I know that even if Beacon falls it's not the end of the world, and by the time Salem goes after Mistral I'll probably be more than ready to take her on. From one point of view (not mine) it's normal to expect the Fall to happen anyway. But... I do have more time than I think, and it's not the end of the world if I fail.

I take a deep breath, slowly moving away from being on the verge of more tears. "Thank you."

[+10 reputation with team CFVY(10/100)]

"A friend of Velvet's is a friend of ours." Yatsu points out, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Anytime." Coco pats my back twice and ends our hug, expression unreadable behind her sunglasses. "I can never resist a pretty face, after all."

Ah, and there I go blushing again. It's so weird to feel pretty all of sudden. "Uh, well, I think I'm gonna go take a nap now. I always get tired after a breakdown and stuff. Thanks for dragging me over here." I smile nervously at Coco before getting up and heading for my temporary home.

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"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem." Weiss says exasperatedly, her casual disregard of their argument only serving to incense Blake further.

"That is the problem." Blake could just leave. She could walk away, spend some time crashing with Sil, and just not deal with this for the next four years. Forget it ever happened, keep hiding that she's a Faunus just like she's been planning on doing this entire time.

"You realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you?" Weiss stands up from her bunk, her arms crossed stubbornly. "The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil."

"There's no such thing as pure evil!" Blake gets up and glares right back at her.

There are so many reasons why she shouldn't be bothering with this, but right now she just doesn't care. It's not a matter of pride, nor camaraderie with that Faunus who had been stowing away on the ship. Even now that Weiss has unilaterally declared all of the old friends she wishes she hadn't had to leave behind, along with her own godmother to be pure evil, it's not about all of that.

Even on a practical level, it would make her life so much easier to have a teammate who isn't racist, or who is at least less blatantly racist, even if she never reveals that she's a Faunus to anyone. That's not what's important right now. It's not even that making the Schnee heiress recognize the reality of modern racism would be a meaningful long term benefit to the cause. Right now, this conversation is running on her sheer spite and shock at how utterly insane and idiotic the things Weiss said about the blond stowaway were. And maybe just a little bit of her anger at the humans at the top of the world who perpetuate cycles of violence for their own personal profit. Or a lot of anger.

"If it weren't for people like Cardin, people like you," Blake angrily jabs her finger at Weiss' chest, "the White Fang would neve have needed to exist in the first place, and neither would the Red Fang before it."

"People like me?" Weiss clutches her hand to chest like some scandalized socialite, and she has the nerve to look indignant about it, even after everything she's said today.

"You're discriminatory!" For fuck's sake, it's so blatant that Blake's almost convinced that Weiss is just pretending to believe what's coming out of her own mouth solely to piss her off and waste both of their time.

"I'm a victim!" Weiss declares, shocking Blake into utter silence. The audacity of this bitch. "Do you want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War. As in, actual bloodshed. Sabotage, arson, theft. And every day, my father would come home furious, and that made for a very difficult childhood."

"Weiss," Ruby steps in and places a hand on Weiss' shoulder, trying to diffuse the tension between them, "I-"

"No!" Weiss brushes Ruby aside, stalking back up to practically spit her words in Blake's face. "The White Fang are nothing more than a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers."

Nothing Weiss just said has anything to do with the argument that started all of this. It's a complete non sequitur, and Blake's not even sure how things got to this point anymore, but she won't let it stand. "Well maybe we were just tired of getting pushed around!"

There's a brief moment of silence as her words sink into the room, comprehension dawning in all four parties at once like the first hint of smoke from a tragic fire.

Weiss takes a step back, looking almost like a scared animal. Ruby purses her lips worriedly, well aware of the extent of this sudden disaster. Yang is struck with a look of dumb surprise.

This is too far gone, so Blake bolts, not even paying attention to where she's going, she just needs to get away from here, away from all this. She will not put with any more of Weiss' shit, nor anything her other teammates might have to say.

-----------​

I'm woken up from my nap by a rapping, something tapping at my chamber door. No, wait, that's my window, actually. No Edgar Allen Poe references for me today. Shame.

"Ugh, I'm up, I'm up." I groan at the window, instinctually fumbling around for my glasses, only to remember I don't need them anymore. It's... Sun? Why is Sun knocking on my window?

Eventually, I lumber my way over to the window and open it, letting in Sun, with a disheveled looking Blake on his heels. Ah, I see.

"Okay, so Blake has a permanent no questions asked invitation to any given place of residence I may occupy, but why are you here?" I ask Sun. I refuse to so much as ask Blake a single question about what's going on, admittedly, I already know, but I'd extend the same courtesy even if I didn't.

"I'm a transfer for the Tournament, but I'm early because I'm a stowaway and they aren't opening up our dorms for a few more days." Sun grins roguishly, as if that somehow means he's fine.

"Alright." I shrug. It's not like I'm going to not give someone shelter for a few days when I can. I glance at the time. "Oh, shit. My sleep schedule is gonna be screwed for the next week thanks to that nap."

Blake doesn't say anything. She just glances at me, rolls her eyes, and crawls into an empty bed, curling up in it.

"Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?" I say to Blake, not getting too close to her.

"You got any waffles?" Sun asks, completely butting in, only to wither under my glare. "Okay, okay, I know when I'm not wanted." He holds up his hands placatingly and hops back out the window, closing it behind him and sitting in the crook of the tree on the other side.

Instead of answering, Blake just turns away and buries herself under the covers. Fair enough. I bet she's tired from arguing with Weiss for literally the entire day.

Cheering people up is definitely not my strong suit, so I guess I'll let Sun back in. "What's your name, anyway?" I ask quietly as he comes back in. Why he didn't just leave through the door to begin with, I do not understand.

"Sun." Sun at least has the decency to then go to sleep, even if I end up staying up later than I want to reading, thanks to my lengthy nap.

Dealing with this situation at least means spending time around people, so I guess it's not a huge deal, as far as problems go. Weiss ought to be capable of coming around on her own, although the show never actually explained the how or why of it in any kind of detail.

The part that worries me more is that we're already nearly done with v1. I don't know how much time I have left until the tournament. I guess my progress is pretty good though, especially considering I came here a bit after the school year had already started.

Still, I guess I can probably afford to take time to focus on people. I really want to, anyway.