{THIRD PERSON POV}
The Bullhead's door opened with a loud hiss before Miles stepped out.
"Beacon, huh? It's... been a while since I came here..." Miles thought out loud, which wasn't entirely wrong. It had been about a year since he last stepped foot in Beacon.
Nowadays, Miles received his missions either from Ozpin calling him or from the Vale Council requesting him for a mission. He usually traveled from Orleans to wherever the mission was headed without ever stepping foot in Vale or Beacon unless there was something important, like his current mission.
Miles let out a sigh, still tired from going through his memories... memories he wished he could forget, but he knew it would be close to impossible with how important they were to him.
His father's last words... there was no way in the seven hells he would forget them.
"Sigh... Miles... focus on the present for now. You can think about that later." He shook his head, then walked to the entrance of the Bullhead station and saw Glynda Goodwitch standing there, waiting for him.
Glynda Goodwitch... Miles had met her a few times before. She had become Ozpin's deputy, the closest thing Ozpin had to an assistant and right-hand woman, as well as the combat professor at Beacon a year ago, when she was 26 years old.
Now that Miles thought about it, he didn't think there was a deputy when he was a student at Beacon. Either Ozpin created that job specifically for her, or there were no good enough Huntsmen available for the deputy position. Miles had a feeling Ozpin created the job for Glynda.
Miles wouldn't put it past Ozpin to do that kind of thing. He was the Headmaster of Beacon, after all. If anyone could do that, it would be him.
From what Miles had gathered, Ozpin had taken Glynda under his wing and trained her to be a potential Maiden candidate, but it turned out she had become far too valuable to be a Maiden.
The life of a Maiden... it was something Miles would never want to happen to anyone he loved. He had seen firsthand what that life could bring. It was either a life of being hunted for the rest of your life or being a bird in a gilded cage.
"She's lucky she's more useful as a Huntress than as a Maiden..." Miles thought to himself.
"Mr. Arc," Glynda greeted him, and Miles nodded to her before stopping a meter away.
"Miss Goodwitch, you know there's no need to wait for me, right? I attended Beacon. I know my way around." Miles tried to bring some levity to the conversation, but between Glynda's professional demeanor and Miles's own bad mood from his previous trip down memory lane, his attempt fell flat.
Miles shook his head, then looked back at Glynda.
"Miss Goodwitch, shall we?" He motioned toward the building, and Glynda nodded.
"We shall, Mr. Arc. It would be best if we don't keep the Headmaster waiting," Glynda replied coldly, then started walking. Miles quickly followed, a bead of sweat sliding down the side of his neck because, damn, this woman was cold.
"Headmaster? Damn... what did Ozpin do to make her this mad? Last time I met her and Ozpin, she called him by his name, not his title, and she wasn't this cold. That was one year ago, when Ozpin invited the inner circle to welcome her into it. What did Ozpin do?" Miles shivered slightly at the venom in her voice when she said the word Headmaster. He wished Ozpin good luck, because Ozpin was going to need it.
The walk to Beacon Tower was tense, to say the least. Students parted to give Glynda space as she passed.
Miles glanced toward a tree and saw Professor Port trying to hide behind it. Miles wasn't sure if he should be concerned that Port was hiding from a woman three times smaller than him, or if he should laugh at how ridiculous it looked to see a large man trying to hide behind a tree that wasn't even wide enough to cover him.
"So... nice day, isn't it?" Miles tried to start a conversation with Glynda, but all he got in reply was the coldest shoulder he'd ever received. Even Luna hadn't been this cold to him in the days after he stopped Jaune's training. His thoughts drifted there again, and he forced himself to refocus.
The rest of the walk passed in awkward silence until they reached the elevator.
"Can I force the elevator doors open and jump out?" Miles thought as he stood beside Glynda in the small elevator, sweating because he couldn't stop wondering what Ozpin had done.
Miles didn't want to die young, as young as 38 could be. He had eight kids to feed, and he didn't want to get caught in whatever was going on between Ozpin and Glynda.
The elevator ride dragged on for a few more minutes before the doors opened. Miles wanted to step out quickly, but Glynda was directly in front of him, and he didn't want to risk getting on her bad side.
When Glynda stepped into Ozpin's office, Miles would have sworn he saw Ozpin flinch. It was the same Ozpin who didn't flinch when students were thrown off a cliff during initiation.
Miles gave Ozpin a look that clearly said, "Don't talk."
"Headmaster Ozpin, I have escorted Mr. Arc here as per your request. Do you have any further requests, Headmaster?" If looks could kill, Ozpin would have died on the spot from how cold Glynda's glare was.
Ozpin glanced at his empty mug, and before he could speak, he noticed Miles's expression.
Ozpin stayed silent, then shook his head.
"That will be all, Glynda."
"If that is all, then I will return to my office, Headmaster," Glynda replied, putting even more venom into the word Headmaster than before.
It wasn't until she stepped into the elevator and the doors closed that Miles finally breathed easier, relieved that she wasn't in the room anymore.
"Ozpin, what did you do to make her this mad?" Miles asked, scratching the back of his head.
"Well... I may have told her what my original plan for her was," Ozpin told Miles casually, looking down at his empty mug with a faintly regretful expression. "I should have asked her to bring me a refill."
Miles stared at him, feeling like his brain had emptied out.
"So you basically told her she was trained to be... no, she was basically groomed to be a sacrificial lamb?" Miles pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling to process the audacity.
"I would phrase it more carefully, but yes. I told her the truth," Ozpin said, and Miles could hear regret in his voice.
"Ozpin... do you realize how messed up that is? Never mind." Miles shook his head. "Let's talk about why I'm here. You told me over the call that the Maiden is missing." Miles crossed his arms and looked at Ozpin seriously.
Ozpin nodded. "Yes. The Fall Maiden, Anbar, has been missing for the past week." Ozpin had tried everything he could to find Anbar, and he had even considered searching for her himself if Miles couldn't.
"You already checked her usual spot?" Miles asked. Not that he remembered where it was anymore, considering it had been a decade and a half since he last saw her.
"How about Qrow? Where did he look for her?" Miles asked, since Qrow was one of the best Huntsmen when it came to tracking someone down, and his ability to turn into a bird only made him better.
"I sent Qrow out four days ago. He checked both Sanus and Anima as thoroughly as he could, but he couldn't find her. Qrow even asked me for my opinion on going to Raven and asking for her help," Ozpin said, rubbing his hands before tapping a finger on the desk. "Not that he needs my permission, but this is serious."
Miles's eyes widened, and he pressed his palm to his face.
"Please don't tell me you involved Raven. Do you forget how power-hungry she is? I wouldn't be surprised if she backstabbed Anbar and took the Fall Maiden's power for herself," Miles said, sincerely worried about what that would mean.
Ozpin coughed lightly into his fist, pulling Miles back into the room.
"Do not worry about Raven. I strongly suggested Qrow leave her alone, and by that, I mean I ordered Qrow to stay put and wait because I would be requesting your help in finding the Fall Maiden," Ozpin said, then stood and walked to the windows, looking out over Beacon.
That eased Miles's nerves. Raven was dangerous, and Miles remembered her well from Beacon. Even as a first-year, she had lived by ruthless rules, and she had once had a crush on him that had been difficult to shut down.
Miles looked back at Ozpin. "So where is Qrow? Is he here in Vale?"
Ozpin shook his head. "No, he is still in Anima."
Miles raised his eyebrows and nodded, since it made sense. Qrow probably started in Vale, searched Sanus, and then moved on to Anima.
"So the mission is to find her, right? It would be better if Qrow joined me. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, and I'd rather have backup if things get dicey. The Fall Maiden wouldn't disappear without a good reason," Miles said.
"So when is the mission going to start, and where am I being sent?" Miles asked.
"Preferably now. You will be sent to Anima to meet up with Qrow. I trust you and Qrow to handle it on your own," Ozpin replied.
Miles nodded and turned toward the elevator, but stopped when Ozpin called out to him.
"Oh, Miles. I'm curious why you didn't send your child here," Ozpin asked.
"Artoria thinks Atlas Academy is more suited for her, considering it aligns better with her preferences," Miles replied, which was true enough.
Ozpin nodded. "That is expected. She is very disciplined, from what I have heard from you. Good luck, Miles, and may Oum be with you."
Miles nodded, stepped into the elevator, and rode back down.
In his opinion, this mission was going to be unpleasant, but he would at least have Qrow with him as support.
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