Finding a new history professor had been one of the hardest duties Ozpin had had when he took on the role of headmaster of Beacon. History was never a favorite class amongst the hunters-in-training and it was rare for a hunter to want to teach the subject when they had better things to do with their time.
Ozpin knew first hand just how much students detested the history class at Beacon Academy. As a previous student of the school and as its previous history professor for a brief stint of time, Ozpin could confidently say that no one – absolutely no one – liked history.
So Ozpin had spent weeks of his first summer as headmaster trying to find a suitable hunter to take on the role of Beacon's history professor. Weeks had passed and dozens of interviews had occurred, and all had played out in similar fashions. Many of the applicants were older hunters – those select few hunters who were still alive and way past their prime – who couldn't believe that someone as young as Ozpin could ever be chosen to be headmaster of such a reputable academy aimed to train hunters and not academics. Multiple applicants had even had the audacity to ask if he was legally an adult, to which Ozpin had to respond by saying he was well into his thirties and if that was all we will begin the interview.
Clearly any applicant who had complained about his age had not been considered for the job. Ozpin had already had to deal with a staff heavily comprised of his old-teachers-turned-colleagues-turned-jealous-employees; he did not have the energy to hire another old, curmudgeon, retired hunter for his teaching staff. By not even considering those who had complained about his age, though, Ozpin had thrown out roughly half of the applicants without further consideration.
The other half had not been offered the job purely due to their biases. A good majority of the applicants had been sons and daughters of veterans of the Great War, and they had inherited their biases from their families. Ozpin had to endure hours of listening to the same drivel about how heroic the humans were during the War, and how the Grimm were beasts and the Faunus were animals, and how humans founded Remnant with their bare hands and a healthy dosage of Dust.
Overall, many of the applicants had a very one-sided view of history which was the main thing Ozpin was trying to avoid. It hadn't helped that just about every applicant either had a negative or an apathetic view towards the Faunus population, which just wouldn't do for Ozpin. Beacon Academy had Faunus students and far too many professors who still harbored ill-will towards the Faunus population; historically, a professor who was prejudice towards any one of his or her students tended to not be a very effective teacher, or a generally good person.
So Ozpin had endured weeks of horrid interviews with judgmental old hunters and it had gotten to the point where he was seriously considering stabbing himself in the heart with his misericorde when Bartholomew Oobleck showed up for his interview.
It had been only a few weeks until the fall semester started at Beacon and Ozpin had been about to conduct his last interview of the day. Ozpin had been tired, a headache had been forming behind his eyes, and he had to force himself to look over Mr. Oobleck's application before he called him in for his interview. A few details had caught his eye about Mr. Oobleck which had caused Ozpin to raise an eyebrow out of interest.
For one, Oobleck was younger than Ozpin by about five years. He was also not from Vale, so he hadn't graduated from Beacon. And his semblance had been listed as speed, which normally wouldn't have been all that interesting had it not been for the fact that Oobleck's speed had been faster and far more long lasting than Ozpin had expected from such a common ability.
Having been satisfied with the application, Ozpin had called out for Oobleck to enter the room as opposed to getting up and welcoming the man in like he had done with the previous applicants. Ozpin had still been talking when he had been interrupted by the loud bang of his office door, followed by the sound of whooshing stamping footsteps, and the creaking of the empty chair as a body plopped down into it with little consideration for its sturdiness.
Ozpin was left with his mouth agape as he stared at Bartholomew Oobleck. In his peripheral vision Ozpin could see stacks of once organized papers that were then scattered around the office as if a strong wind had blown through. He had quickly glanced over to his office door to find that it was completely thrown off its hinges, and Ozpin looked back at Oobleck with wide eyes.
Oobleck, not noticing that he had effectively destroyed Ozpin's office, had sat in his seat with a smile on his face, his body subtly vibrating from excess energy. Ozpin took in Oobleck's messy green hair, his pale skin, his rumpled and unkempt clothes, and his sharp brown eyes behind dirty glasses. Based on appearances alone, Ozpin could tell that Oobleck wasn't completely present in the moment, and most likely would never be one hundred percent aware of what was going on around him.
But that fact didn't stop Ozpin from conducting the interview. Ozpin had begun by asking Oobleck simple questions that purely pertained to how Oobleck was feeling, a bit about his teaching background, and how he found out about the job. The answers that came out of Oobleck's mouth were some of the funniest and most entertaining answers Ozpin had received in any of the interviews he had previously conducted. Oobleck had a habit of saying certain words multiple times in the same sentence (I'm wonderful, simply wonderful! – It was a most dreadful experience, absolutely dreadful.) and his hand movements while he talked had been sharp, fast, and were accompanied by whooshing sounds.
Ozpin had had a smile on his face by the end of the first phase of the interview, which was an achievement considering the perpetual frown he had thought he had developed from the previous interviews. He had been in such good spirits that he asked Oobleck if he wanted anything to drink. Coffee had been his answer and Ozpin took the time to prepare the drinks as he explained the second phase of the interview.
Ozpin conducted his interviews in two stages. The first phase was when he asked questions to confirm an applicant's application. The second phase was a request – each applicant had to teach Ozpin something he didn't already know. As an ex-history professor, Ozpin knew a lot about the subject so phase two was merely a way for him to determine what an applicant thought was an obscure history fact and showed Ozpin how well they could teach under pressure.
The past applicants had stuck to more well-known historical accounts (only adding their own bias spin to make it seem knew to Ozpin), or they would recount a personal story and treat it like it was a part of history (not that Ozpin was discrediting their life-story, it just wasn't relevant to the curriculum).
But Oobleck, with his coffee mug firmly gripped in his hand, went on to lecture about the cause and effect of the Great War from the perspective of the Faunus community. Ozpin had sat and listened to Oobleck's lecture with a smile on his face as he watched the younger man zoom around his office as he talked about the human-Faunus relationship during the War and how it would later have an impact on the events leading up to the Faunus Civil Rights Revolution. Oobleck had paused his lecture frequently in order to drink his coffee, the slurping sounds a drastic contrast to his fast-paced speech. He lectured for well over an hour, which was far longer than Ozpin had allowed any of the other applicants, and Ozpin had only requested the lecture to stop when Oobleck asked if he could make another pot of coffee.
Ozpin hadn't needed to think about appointing Oobleck as the new history professor – he knew the man was perfect for the job as soon as he started his lecture. Not only had Oobleck not brought up Ozpin's age (or lack of one, as some of the others had complained) but he had been sympathetic to the Faunus community and had a far more neutral outlook on history than most people. When Ozpin had asked if Oobleck wanted the position Oobleck had agreed to it without much thought (yes that is excellent, most excellent!).
And so the new semester began with Oobleck being the official history professor, and Ozpin was no longer the youngest member of the staff. As the semester progressed Ozpin kept an eye on Oobleck and how the students felt about their new teacher. The general consensus was that Oobleck knew his stuff and was very enthusiastic about it but many of the students were put-off by his constant fast-paced movements and his lack of cleanliness in the classroom. Overall there were no extreme complaints from either the students or the staff, and so Ozpin was happy to let the man continue to do things the way he wanted to.
Fall semester came and went, along with winter break and the first couple weeks of spring semester when it finally happened. After months of constant movement, Ozpin finally stumbled upon Oobleck remaining perfectly still.
It had happened on a random Wednesday sometime in early February. It had no doubt been the date of an anniversary since Ozpin never could seem to sleep on an anniversary night. It was a little past three in the morning and Ozpin, after tossing and turning in bed for hours, had decided to venture out of his quarters and wandered around Beacon. He moved around the deserted halls feeling more like a ghost than he normally did.
He had walked aimlessly around the campus for a while, his feet leading him to the Great Hall without much prompting. He opened the doors with ease and listened as the doors banged against the wall with a deep thud. At first glance the hall looked empty, but on second glance a speck of green caught Ozpin's eye, and his heart jolted as he finally registered who it was.
Oobleck sat in the far corner, completely still. Ozpin raced over to his colleague, hoping that the man wasn't dead, and sighed with relief when he saw that Oobleck was still breathing.
Not that the relief lasted for very long. When Ozpin could finally see the fine details of Oobleck's face Ozpin saw that he looked terrible. He was paler than normal with dark rings underneath his eyes. His shoulders were slumped and his clothes were past disheveled and reaching tattered status. He had a distant look in his eyes, as if he finally came to a startling realization that he couldn't comprehend. It looked like reality had caught up to Oobleck and he didn't know how to handle the pressure.
"Bartholomew," Ozpin greeted with a nod. Oobleck jolted in his seat, staring up at Ozpin like Ozpin had looked at him the first time they had met – mouth agape, eyes wide, unsure of how Ozpin got there.
"Ozpin, yes hello. How are you this morning?" Oobleck asked, his voice hoarse.
Ozpin stared at Oobleck, taking in the dried water spots on his lenses and the rawness of his voice.
"I feel terrible. Couldn't sleep even if I wanted to," Ozpin confessed as he took a seat opposite his colleague. Oobleck kept his eyes on Ozpin's movements, as if his actions could distract him from whatever was the matter.
"And how are you today?" Ozpin asked with concern.
Oobleck started to nod his head, and he looked like he was about to say something before he shook his head instead, like he was shaking away his response.
"It's an awful day – dreadfully awful," Oobleck declared instead. He swallowed a lump in his throat and Ozpin could see his hand try to reach for an imaginary coffee mug only for it to realize that nothing was there for it to grasp.
"Yes, today is an awful day, though I am having a problem remembering why," Ozpin stated, his mind reaching out for a memory that eluded him.
"It's the day human troops tried to quell the Faunus protests within Prairie Village – the Prairie Village Massacre, as some call it," Oobleck replied immediately, his voice sounding robotic.
Ozpin cringed at the answer as a barrage of emotions and memories came flooding through his mind.
"Right. That happened ten years ago today, correct?" Ozpin knew the answer to his own question but Oobleck nodded anyway.
"Correct. Today is the day the humans invaded a small town in Vacuo in order to silence the Faunus population there. The humans believed that the leaders of the Faunus movement were hiding out in the town and they were only partially correct. Two of the main five Faunus leaders at the time were residing in the town as opposed to all five like the humans believed. The complete slaughter of the Faunus population within the town sparked the second wave of Faunus rebellion, escalating the revolution that many humans believed to have been dying down at the time. An absolutely dreadful, dreadful day today."
The two men sat in silence each one remembering the day a decade ago.
Ozpin remembered why he considered today an anniversary. Today was the day he had fully realized the consequences of becoming a traitor. Today was the day where his plans came to a head – where his false story created with the help of the Faunus leaders had been relayed to his human General so Ozpin could keep his cover as a spy. Oobleck was right, humans did believe that all five of the Faunus leaders had been within the town, but that was only because Ozpin had given false information. The attack had been strategically planned, but not by the human army.
Ozpin had had a hand in the plan – like a chess player he tricked the enemy into attacking a pawn instead of his queen. Too bad the pawn had a Faunus population well into the hundreds.
It wasn't a move he was very proud of.
Minutes passed and the men remained silent, each descending further into depression as the seconds ticked away. Ozpin glanced up to check on Oobleck – he looked awful.
"You can take today off if you want to," Ozpin spoke up suddenly, looking at Oobleck in the eye.
"No, no, that won't be necessary," Oobleck announced, voice still hoarse. "I'm planning on teaching the children about the Prairie Village Massacre today. It seems applicable and a relevant topic to discuss."
Ozpin nodded and he felt his eye twitch, though Oobleck didn't see the tick.
"Besides," Oobleck continued, a forced cheeriness in his voice. "I highly doubt my mother would want me to skip work for such a silly reason. After all, starting today it has been ten years since her death; it's about time I start moving on."
With that said, Oobleck got up from his seat at a normal human pace. Ozpin was amazed that Oobleck could move so slowly.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get some coffee or else snails will start to surpass me in the hallways."
And with that remark Oobleck walked out of the Great Hall at a sedated pace, not looking back at Ozpin once. The doors clanged shut once Oobleck left the room and Ozpin collapsed in on himself and sighed.
There were enough clues in Oobleck's words and behavior to know why today upset him so much. Oobleck might not be one himself but that doesn't mean his mother wasn't one when she was alive. It isn't that common for a Faunus and a human to breed, but it is possible.
And it looks like Bartholomew Oobleck got his species from his father and not his mother.
Ozpin put his head into his hands and stared down at the table. This wasn't the first time Ozpin had met someone who had inadvertently suffered because of his decisions. With each passing year, Ozpin realized that he had caused more damage than he first thought. Meeting people like Oobleck only drove that realization further into his heart.
It has been, and always will be, a bitter pill for Ozpin to swallow.
Author's Note:
Firstly, I don't own RWBY. Secondly, I have a certain headcanon that Ozpin was involved in the Faunus Rights Revolution in some capacity, so this story is hinting at my own thoughts on his involvement.
Thirdly, I've heard Monty and the others on the RWBY team talk about how Faunus/Human offsprings can occur and I took it from there. I felt like Oobleck would be a good candidate because of his sympathy towards the Faunus students who were bullied along with his delivery of "If you don't learn from history then you are doomed to repeat it" line.
I have it in my head that Oobleck's mother was a pronghorn Faunus, which is the second fastest land animal next to the cheetah. Unlike cheetahs, pronghorns can sustain their top speeds for a longer time, so endurance won out over top speeds in my head.