Professor Ozpin came to visit her here in Patch. Yang still hadn’t quite wrapped her mind around that fact when he began laying out his reason for coming.

He was a lot less rude and unemotional than Raven’s stories would have had Yang believe. He introduced himself calmly, with a warmth that didn’t feel forced, and even ordered the two of them some tea. Whether it was a coercion tactic or not, Yang was never one to turn down free food or drink.

“Your heroic deeds precede you,” he said, gesturing around the restaurant. “Everyone in Patch feels much safer, thanks to your efforts.”

“You’re staying here, too?” Yang asked. She was hesitant to fall into any traps he might be setting for her without her knowledge. She needed to choose her words carefully.

“I am,” Ozpin said with a nod. “This inn always makes me feel so welcome. I am in town for a few more days to meet with the Signal Academy administration regarding this year’s Beacon entrance exams.”

“Why stay at a place like this?” Suspicion laced her question. She drank more tea while he formed his answer.

Ozpin laughed. “A valid question. I see no reason to take privileged private housing near the campus. Certainly, I am Beacon’s headmaster, and that comes with a degree of clout, so to speak. But I’d much rather live among the people we strive to protect as Huntsmen and Huntresses. At the end of the day, I’m no different from any of them, am I?”

He stopped to sip his tea, and smiled at her over the rim of the cup.

“I guess not,” Yang said uneasily, twiddling her thumbs on the table as she tried to feel him out. What was this all about? He obviously wasn’t here just for small talk.

“Well, Ms. Branwen, I’ll make this quick. I’m sure you are a busy woman.”

She nodded, giving him a hard, expressionless stare. Whether she was in good graces with her mother or not, she knew enough about the truth hidden beneath the surface that it was probably best not to trust Ozpin right away. Not for her mother’s reasons, but for her own. She was determined never to act on behalf of Raven Branwen ever again.

“I’m going to oversee the standardized portion of the entrance exam at Signal this week, and I would like you to take it.”

Yang spat out her tea and lost all ability to speak or function for a good ten seconds. When she was sure he had really spoken the words she thought she heard, she sputtered, “Excuse me?”

“You didn’t misunderstand me,” Ozpin said, sipping more tea and pouring himself another cup. “I am asking you to come to my school. Your skills would serve you well there. I don’t even need to see you in action. Given your parentage and your feats outside of Patch today, I’m confident you’d do well at Beacon.”

“Thanks, but I’m all good,” she said with a bit of snark.

He took her biting tone in stride, adopting a thoughtful frown. “Are you sure?”

“Very,” she said curtly, standing up and downing the rest of her tea. “Not interested.”

He attempted to sway her, but without even giving him the chance to finish his sentence, she blurted out in a harsh whisper, “I know about Salem.”

The look on Ozpin’s face was priceless. All pretense left him, and he stared at her with an unreadable expression. She wondered what he must have been thinking, but had a pretty good idea. Here he was, left speechless and ashamed in front of a girl a fraction of his age. One who would not be fooled like all those who came before her.

“I see,” he said, his voice shakier than before, but still retaining a measure of calm.

“I’m not interested,” Yang repeated, turning away from the headmaster. “Have a nice trip back to Beacon.”

“No matter what you may think of me, it’s true that this world does need people like you, Ms. Branwen. Grimm are an ever-present threat, as you well know. That’s worth considering, don’t you think?”

She didn’t answer. Realizing he was getting nowhere with that angle, he tried another.

“You know, I heard your sister wants to attend this year as well. Her chances of getting in are looking very favorable. I don’t directly determine who is allowed into the school, but from what I know of her, she has a good chance of acceptance.”

Crafty bastard.

“Yeah, well, great news for her,” Yang said, starting toward the stairs.

“If you change your mind, I’ll be staying in Room 12 on the second floor until the end of the week.”

“Don’t hold your breath, Professor,” Yang said coldly, disappearing up the staircase amidst the prying eyes of several customers and staff members. They muttered things to one another and gazed in awe at her shining body armor. The reactions had lost their novelty after receiving so many today.

Upstairs, she got out of her armor and into her casual clothes, which the staff washed for her while she was away and left in a plastic bag. She sighed and fell back onto her bed, relieved to have escaped Ozpin. Her muscles still ached from the demands of battle, but aura was slowly easing the pain. On the spur of the moment, she decided to help it along, and dressed down again to relax in the tub. Ex-warrior princess or not, she could get used to this life of comfort.

Yang let the hot water caress her tired muscles. Left with nothing better to do but think about her family, and Ozpin’s bold proposition, her thoughts drifted to Ruby. Was Ruby going to get roped into things with Ozpin the way Team STRQ had? Yang stopped herself. What did it matter? Why should Ruby be her responsibility? Even so, it didn’t feel fair for her sister to go into attending Beacon blindly, without even the slightest clue she was being led on by a fraud.

All that aside, Beacon Academy trained Huntsmen and Huntresses to wipe out the threat of Grimm wherever it appeared. Ozpin and those at his school had a duty to protect the innocent. That fell in line with her own moral code much more so than anything Raven preached. She wanted adventure, and wanted to continue feeling the high of knowing that she was using her strength to help those she formerly victimized. These were all great reasons why she should have leaned in favor of Ozpin’s offer, but all those years hearing about his manipulative plans, whether skewed by Raven’s opinion or not, had an effect on her. Whether Yang wanted to admit it or not, she couldn’t look at this from an unbiased perspective.

She thought back to her late friend April. Yang used to run to her at times like these. April was like a goddess among mortals, but also incredibly human. The powerful, yet gentle Spring Maiden. She always knew just what to do or say when Yang needed help making big decisions. Then one day, she was gone, and it was up to Yang to think for herself. Of course, Vernal and Raven were there for her, but there was no one quite like April.

“What should I do, Miss April?” Yang asked with a sigh, laying her head back against the tile.

Eventually, she moved on from lathering and rinsing her body to direct much-needed attention to her hair. It hadn’t seen a good wash in a few days. The cathartic process of washing her hair took the edge off of her overwhelming anxiety, but when Yang returned to her room to sit on the bed, the choice still remained. It hung over her like a dark cloud.

Frustration led her to leave the room and go for a walk on the outskirts of town to clear her head. At least this way, she wouldn’t run into Taiyang or Ruby. It was dark out by the time she returned, and she was too tired to think. Just the way she wanted it. Yang fell into a deep sleep, welcoming dreams that would help her forget all about Professor Ozpin’s proposal and the awkward encounter with her father the previous day. Her final thought before she nodded off filled her with regret.

I really shouldn’t have stayed in Patch.