"Yo..You have dark blue eyes", the blonde in the white dress observed as he extended a hand to the figure lying on the ground. "Cobalt…" the figure replied taking it and dusting dirt off his back. It seems he had been lying near what looked like the statue of 2 humans intertwined and wielding weapons.
"So you're Cobalt? got it, look I would love to help you out more but I made a promise to someone and I really need to get back to them….soooo take care!" The boy turned around and rushed towards what appeared to be an auditorium of some sort from whence lights and music seemed to blare.
"No Cobalt isn't…" The figure tried to clarify but seemingly to no one "it's just the color of my eyes…."
Seeing no better alternative, the individual followed the boy he had seen a few moments ago. Upon reaching inside he saw several humans mingling and dancing, the hall had a high ceiling and bright white walls which only contrasted the array of colors in the garments of the individuals present. A wave of repulsion hit the pit of his stomach and he winced at the bright lights and the loud sounds. He spied a secluded figure near the edge of the room heading down the stairs and he quickly made his way over to her in the hopes of avoiding too much attention.
"Hello….Caaan I help you?" The short haired lady asked with a puzzled look. A few people glanced their way but most were busy with their festivities.
"Greetings miss, do you know where I could find a man named Ozpin? Last I saw him he was about my height and always had a cane"
"You mean Professor Ozpin? Wait 'Greetings'? Are you a student from a different school?"
"What is a school? Ah the place where you pass you all knowledge to your offspring..I remember, look I just need to know where Ozpin is"
The music was getting louder still as 4 figures had taken center stage in the brightly lit room and were shining as they moved in perfect sync with the music and each other.
"O..Okay he is over there.." The little girl pointed at the far end of the hall on the other side where a bespectacled man stood alone with his drink musing at the events unfolding on the dance floor.
"I am very grateful, Miss…..?"
"Ruby..and you are?…."
"Ughh….My name is…Cobalt" The man replied before hurrying in hushed steps towards Ozpin.
Cobalt stared intensely at Ozpin, scrutinizing his every aspect to determine if he had reached the right individual or not. Ozpin noticed his gaze and drew his attention away from the rhythmic figures.
"Ozpin correct?" He asked
"Can I be of assistance to you?" Ozpin spoke in his usual tone of calmness.
Yes this is him, Cobalt determined.
"Yes, I need to talk to you. Somewhere less…open, if possible" Cobalt shifted uneasily, the company of so many humans was unsettling to him.
"I must apologize but I am a bit engaged at the moment, I cant leave the dance unsupervised. Furthermore, I don't believe I have had the pleasure of making your acquaintance" Ozpin gave Cobalt a critical look.
"Look, I don't want to stay here any longer than I need to. I know you are the cursed" Cobalt pulled off his bowtie and got more comfortable in the suit he had chosen to appear in. Had he known it would be this suffocating he may have forgone clothing altogether despite his knowledge of human society telling him that would attract too much attention.
Ozpin raised an eyebrow "Are you perhaps one of the 8?"
"Thank the old man, this shouldn't take as long now"
Ozpins's eyes widened, a rush of fear blew over him. The 8 themselves were not a threat but their appearance could not be a good omen.
"Wh-what is your dominion" The bespectacled man adjusted his glasses as he regained his composure.
"Reality" Replied the man with deep blue eyes.
"Maybe Qrow is right, far too many complicated and arbitrary rules"
"What?" Cobalt asked
"Nevermind, follow me" Ozpin pulled out his cane and made his way toward the exit.
As Cobalt left the building he turned to see the blonde boy he had met dancing with a figure in red, he felt a strange tingling on his face, his muscles making involuntary movements. Ah, right….that is a smile, he made an internal note before moving.
The two men walked in silence all the way to Ozpin's office, the sound of the music dimmed with every step they took until a complete silence fell over the two. *ding* The elevator opened and Ozpin stepped into the dimly lit room moving to his chair and taking a seat behind his desk. Cobalt chose to remain standing and carefully observed the room decorated with clearly a minimalist approach with only a desk and other administrative essentials.
"So…what brings you to beacon?" Ozpin had apprehension in his voice, almost as if he did not want the answer to his question.
"I don't know yet"
"You…don't know?"
"Yet, not specifically…I have a general idea but you should know that the only thing that would force me to make a physical appearance is the violation of a domain"
"So someone has succeed in creating an anomaly?"
"No, they are about to succeed. They haven't yet. I convinced Dia to let me bend the rules and go back before they got the chance, the last time we excused an offense such as this one the world was shattered along with the moon"
"Oh I remember the tale of your inaction during the birth of Remnant very well and also how hard you tried to make it a footnote. The 8 of you did nothing" Ozpin spoke with a hint of disdain in his otherwise calm voice.
"Do not expect me to be responsible for the incompetence of your species kid" Cobalt responded in a commanding tone, slamming his palm on the desk.
"No, I don't. Although I do expect you to serve your purpose" Ozpin matched the intensity in the other man's eyes and refused to be shaken. it was clear that between the two of them, Ozpin had far more experience handling emotions and a human body. He let out a dull sigh before continuing:
"We have special rooms for students with physical disabilities that are going empty, they are spacious and can accommodate you for a time, I'll let my staff know you will be staying with us"
"Good" Courtesy seems to have escaped Cobalt after their recent altercation.
"I do expect you to lay low and not raise too many questions within the staff or the student body. We will continue our conversation tomorrow with a few more select individuals"
*Ding*
The elevator opened again and two guards rushed outside and taking positions to either side, a shorter bespectacled blonde woman approached as they parted.
"Oz- who is this?" She changed from worried to inquisitive and back to worried in the span of a few seconds. "Nevermind that, we have a problem" She continued.
"Ah you do have good timing, I seem to have a problem of my-"
"Someone infiltrated the school and stole sensitive information by hacking into our terminals"
"Ahem, it seems yours is more immediate" Ozpin rose from his chair and extended his cane.
"Ruby Rose engaged the infiltrator in combat but they escaped as Ironwood arrived on the scene" Goodwitch handed her scroll to Ozpin indicating that she had finished her verbal report. Ozpin scrutinized the scrolls details for an extended period before speaking.
"I…see, could you call the two in here. Tell them it is rather late so they wont be asked for more than a cursory report and that we will save the details for the morning" As Ozpin finished his sentence Goodwitch nodded and left the room but not before giving the blue eyed being a side glance.
Perceptive, precautious and…..problematic. Cobalt made a mental note.
"I will have to ask you to retire for night, you should join us in our meeting tomorrow. Once this mattered is…settled, we can discuss any proceeding issues" Ozpin turned back to Cobalt.
"I feel that this infiltration of yours was one of the things I was told about but I don't think I was paying much attention"
"That does not surprise me"
Whistles and howling is uncommon when a group of simple students walked by at night but when 3 of the 4 were in beautiful dresses it seemed like a more appropriate reaction. The one obviously attracting the most eyes was the unnaturally muscular blonde man still in a rather short dress.
"Jaune, you could have changed before we left. You didn't need to walk back to our room in that too" Pyrrha's voice was clearly muffled by her attempts to stifle her laugh
"I think it suits him, he has the figure of the ballerina and the mind of a…Jaune" Nora's tone changed from the beginning to the end of her sentence.
"I agree, he cleans up quite well" Ren added.
"Oh haha, Jaune makes a pretty girl, why don't you all become my sisters too" Jaune grumbled.
"They made you dress up too?" Pyrrha asked.
"Oh all the ti-I mean on occasion. When I couldn't be annoying enough to escape"
At the time a security detail of 4 was escorting a lone individual towards the way Team JNPR was headed, their dorms. Seeing something interesting to distract herself, Nora seized the chance to leave red and yellow alone.
"Hey Ren! We have a prisoner in our dorms"
"A priso-"Ren was rushed by his arm before he could finish as Nora pulled him along.
This was a common enough occurrence that the other two sun shaded members only chuckled as it happened.
"I wonder what that is" Pyrrha said smiling, she seemed in a jovial mood despite being dejected not too long ago.
"Yeah…Hey Pyrrha..I…I wanted to apologize" Jaune stopped.
"What for Jaune?"
"I should've been paying more attention, I…I didn't mean to make you feel lonely. I…I am just an idiot" He looked to the blades of grass at his feet not meeting the eyes of his partner.
Footsteps approached the boy and two palms held his head repositioning his face so he looked the lady in red straight in her eyes "No you aren't Jaune and you did not make me feel lonely, I told you that you are the reason I have any meaningful connections at all. I….I a so very lucky to have you all in my life"
Jaune pulled back with the slightest of blush on his face, invisible in the dim lights of the passing night.
"Ugh…th..thanks..I..I" Jaune struggled to find the right words to say.
"Hahaha, its okay Jaune"
"No its not, when you told me about yourself on the balcony earlier today…I…realized how difficult it must be for you to simply have what I don't even think about. Once I learned who you are, I did the same thing as everyone else, I thought that our worlds were too far apart. I need to be a better partner to you" Jaune's voice was clearer than before.
"You are a great partner Jaune and we will get better at this…..together"
the redhead smiled and clutched his arm but as they walked away in their immaculate dresses, Jaune could only think that the toast he made with Ruby earlier today had been very appropriate.