This was not the ideal situation to be in right now. Tatsumi had he not had the training by Night Raid would have been fidgeting nervously but the experience he had gained over his time with the group of Assassin's made him appear calm and collected despite his given situation, not giving anything away, his weapon Incursio had been confiscated upon entering the building. Leone and Akame were in separate interrogation rooms and so was Esdeath, at least he hoped that Akame and Leone were separated from Esdeath. None of this was making sense to the young Assassin. None of this should be possible. The last thing he had remembered before coming too in a rather awkward position with Esdeath, was Akame readying herself to stab him with Murasame before he could lose control over the Tyrant trying to take over. He was completely human when he had awoken in the strange street with the others.
In all honesty he should just be happy that his own teigu wasn't trying to devour his soul or the very fact that everyone in this building wasn't skewered on pillars of ice. Esdeath was seemingly going along with whatever was going on here, for now anyway. He didn't know how long he had been sitting here under an hour closing in on that time however, a short while but long enough to make him feel nervous, it would only be a matter of time before Esdeath's patience wore thin and she decided to find answers on her own terms. It would result in a lot of meaningless death. The room he was in was completely empty apart from the table he was sitting at, the chair he was in and another chair that would seat another opposite him. That was all. One door in or out of the room and a small device up in the corner of the room with a red light on it which Tatsumi could only assume was some kind of strange monitoring device.
Tatsumi had so many questions yet nobody had spoken to him since they had put him in here. He had complied to follow their instructions under Akame's own instruction Tatsumi figured it was to find out what was going on and so that they could potentially form a plan on what to do next, Leone had done the same although kept Lionel, after all to those that were their captors only knew it to be a belt. The three assassins of Night Raid along with the General of the Empire were somewhere none of them knew of. Upon awakening in this strange place it was clear they were no longer in the Empire, not to mention the fact that the four were together. While there was definitely hostility towards one another, well between Night Raid and Esdeath, however the questions of Where and Why outclassed their animosity towards one another, for now at least.
Tatsumi hadn't had much time to speak to either Akame or Leone before he had been stuffed into the back of a moving cage with Esdeath. How they managed to pull it without horses or some kind of danger beast Tatsumi was unsure of, probably an advanced form of technology that the Empire wasn't privy too, he had witnessed Akame and Leone entering another of the strange moving cages. Esdeath had remained quiet during the journey, simply watching him with a familiar fond look she tended to have when she looked at him, she hadn't spoken a word to him during the trip to this holding cell. There was still a lot of strange air between the two, especially now. He hadn't known how to speak with her and hadn't tried to make an effort to do so really. Neither had she, probably a lot on her mind just as much as his.
Any word on Akame and Leone would have settled his nerves drastically and until he knew about Esdeath's circumstance he would be on edge. But still nothing. He didn't know what kind of guards that pulled them to this building was, or their intentions but they had no idea what monster they were holding. If Esdeath so chose, she could easily escape. While they had taken Akame's Murasame and Tatsumi's Incursio away, Esdeath's Teigu was her blood and he doubted they knew of Lionel's belt being a weapon. So that was in their favour.
All he could do was sit here and wait for what was to happen next. Luckily enough, that time had come. The door to the side of him opened and he glanced up to the man entering. A middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes entered the room, wearing shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the cowl around his neck. His attire mainly consisted of an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wore black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants. In one hand was a white cup with something steaming from within while the other was leaning on a cane of sorts.
"Tatsumi, yes?" The man spoke as he entered the room, the door closing behind him. Tatsumi had given his name when they had taken him and the others into custody when it had been asked of him, Esdeath had done the same. The man passed over the room to the unoccupied seat, to which he took and he sat across from Tatsumi, placing his mug down atop the surface of the table. "You're friends are fine, being well treated you have nothing to worry about." Tatsumi breathed a sigh of relief as he relaxed, finally some news.
"Good to hear." Tatsumi nodded. "Can you tell me what's going to happen now?" He asked causing the man to pause slightly before going to reach into his jacket causing Tatsumi to stiffen slightly. The man noticed this and gave a smile before slowing his hand but not stopping it. Tatsumi watched as he pulled out a small glass device from within. Confused by it, he was even more so as it lite up with numerous lights.
"My name is Ozpin, Professor Ozpin." The man introduced himself. "I'm what is called a Huntsman." Tatsumi frowned slightly, sure it was nice to be getting somewhere but he'd like to get to the point. "In fact, I run an academy to train Huntsman, Beacon Academy." Ozpin continued, his fingers dashing across the glass screen before he placed it on the table and slid it across to Tatsumi who was surprised to find a picture of an enormous structure, Ozpin flipped through showing young teenagers strangely enough some of them with animal traits. Ozpin continued to flick through the pictures, more images of the building, others of classes being held some even showing training between students. Tatsumi sat back in his chair, even more confused than he had been previously.
"I don't get it." He spoke honestly, he knew of the training academies in the Empire, having gone up against some students of the Imperial Fist temple. What he didn't understand was the entire situation he was on, showing him these pictures didn't explain what was happening.
"No, I'm sure you don't." Ozpin chuckled lightly raising his mug and taking a sip of what Tatsumi assumed was coffee considering the potent smell. "Tell me Tatsumi, do you believe in magic?" Tatsumi rose an eyebrow. "You're sceptical, I understand." He continued. "But how would you explain how you and your friends are in another world to where you originally came from?" Tatsumi's eyes hardened slightly but the man didn't flinch, not even the slightest bit of surprise. "By no means do I have any knowledge of where you came from, who you are or what you did."
"You're going to want to hurry and get to the point." Tatsumi spoke seriously. "I don't know what she's playing at but you have a very limited amount of time before Esdeath decides to find answers of her own accord, and trust me. You won't like how that goes." Tatsumi stared into the eyes behind the glasses making Ozpin nod.
"Yes, I'm aware of the danger Esdeath could potentially be and I have no intention of making her an enemy, nor you." Ozpin began causing Tatsumi to frown slightly, the fact he didn't want to make Esdeath an enemy sent warning bells through him, but to also not wish to make an enemy of Night Raid, sure he didn't know them, but just what did he want? "Just being near her makes me feel uneasy, but it appears she is waiting for something in particular." Tatsumi frowned slightly at that. "Akame and Leone are much like you, remaining calm and calculating to their current situation." He chuckled lightly. "Akame has only asked for food which has been delivered and a few of the stations officers were slightly red faced due to a few of Leone's actions." Tatsumi groaned and did his best from slamming his head into the table top. Ozpin smiled as he watched the young man in front of him. "You were brought to the police station so that I could speak with you, after we've spoken you'll be free to leave." This perked Tatsumi up slightly.
"You'll just let us go?" Tatsumi asked getting a nod from Ozpin, this only confused Tatsumi that much more, if they were only here for questioning why was it in such a weird manner? He was so confused right now.
"I'm sure you know nothing of where you currently are, do you?" Ozpin asked.
"Not in the slightest." Tatsumi breathed out getting a chuckle from Ozpin.
"The world we reside in is called Remnant." Ozpin began. "Remnant is made up of four Kingdoms, Vale, Vacuo, Atlas and Mistral." He added. "It is not known to many, perhaps there are even less than I believe, but Remnant is filled with magic." He smiled, but it was a smile that wasn't one of happiness. "But I'm sure you're not interested too much in the history of this new world you're in, at least not yet." Tatsumi rose a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing at it as Ozpin continued. "Our world is filled with the creatures of Grimm, monstrous beasts that plague this world." Tatsumi frowned, so this world has its own chaos to deal with. "That is why there are Huntsman and Huntresses, we protect those that cannot protect themselves and there aren't many safe havens that remain. A dangerous career path, but many choose it for their own reasons." He sighed, some were for unsavoury reasons.
"I feel as though this is leading to something big." Tatsumi frowned, he didn't expect that he'd get an answer now or in the near future but Ozpin looked to be a planer, someone who was far more than just some man with a cane and a mug of coffee. The man actually made Tatsumi nervous, just how much was this man hiding?
"I have no doubt that the four of you are strong capable warriors, with talents that far exceed experienced Hunters of Remnant." Tatsumi didn't know where to classify hunters on the skill level but he knew what he himself was capable of and same for Akame and Leone plus Esdeath wasn't called the Empire's strongest for nothing, none of them were pushovers. "Which is why I'd like to extend a branch to you in this confusing time." Tatsumi frowned slightly, he didn't know what was going to happen from here on out. "Beacon Academy, my school." He began. "I believe that my students may be in danger and are ill prepared to deal with what is inevitably coming." He told him honestly. "There is only so much I can protect them from. Which is why I'd like to invite you to Beacon Academy and masquerade as students." He explained. "Not only will you learn more about this world that you've come too, but also be able to protect students where teachers are just unable too. There are forces at work that most don't even know about." The man's tone had shifted, he was serious and Tatsumi could feel that he was desperate also.
"I can't decide that on my own." Tatsumi told Ozpin. "I can't decide for others, it's not fair on Akame and Leone if I just agree to go along with this." Ozpin nodded in understanding, raising to his feet he gestured for Tatsumi to do the same.
"I'll take you to them." Ozpin told him getting a nod from Tatsumi. "I just have one last question." He said turning to look back at Tatsumi. "What about Esdeath?"
The stoic reflection stared back at her from across the room. A large mirror that was obviously only one sided stared back at her, she pictured at least three others behind the glass moving about. A small pitcher of water sat beside her along with a glass that was half full, something she herself had requested. It had been a test to see if they were hostile or not but they seemed to be accommodating to her needs. Esdeath simply sat back in her chair, her arms folded lazily over her chest as she crossed her legs staring at the reflection in the mirror, she was slightly dishevelled from her prior battle with Tatsumi but otherwise looked flawless as per her usual state.
She wasn't ignorant to the fact that the current situation changes things, drastically. They weren't in the Empire anymore and if she was being completely honest, not even in the same reality that the Empire was located. She herself had never seen such building structures, no machines like she had seen in her brief glimpse after arriving here, the biggest indicator had been the shattered moon. She was still unsure of what had happened for herself and the three members of Night Raid to even be here, had it been some unknown teigu?
"Best not to dwell on the 'How', the fact of the matter is that things have changed, no changing that. I'll adapt as I always have." She thought to herself, her fingers beginning to drum on her arm. She had been docile up until now, believing that information would come with patience. However that patience was beginning to wear thin. She didn't know how long she sat here, but it was becoming too long for the General. Tatsumi was in the same building as her, she could feel it. He was close by. She had enjoyed his presence in the strange moving carriage, but neither had spoken a word to one another during that time. Esdeath had wanted to ask how he was doing after their battle, but didn't want a harsh backlash or worse be ignored by him and resolved to remain quiet, the last time she had seen him she had all but destroyed his monstrous Tyrant form when he had gone berserk.
She was honestly glad he was okay. He was a survivor, just like she was.
About to reach for the half full glass of water she stopped when she heard the lock of the door and it opened inward, her heart hammered in her chest as Tatsumi stood there, the obvious presence of Akame and Leone could be seen in the room behind him but he was the only one that entered, closing the door behind him. He had Incursio in his possession once more, strapped to his lower back, she wasn't surprised when he drew it and simply rested it against the wall beneath the mirror. She smiled as he approached the table, pulling the chair out and sat down across from her, Esdeath taking the time to sit up properly, placing her hands on the table as she stared into his green eyes.
"I've been waiting." She told him, her smile not leaving her face. "I didn't really think it would be you to be the one to come in and speak with me. I was expecting it to be one of the people here."
"I was afraid you'd kill one of the officers or start something with either Akame or Leone if it wasn't me." Tatsumi admitted staring back at her, her eyes showing the same emotion she had when they were alone together, it still made him nervous and slightly embarrassed but he did well to hide it. "It's probably best I tell you what's going on rather than you searching for it on your own."
"Wise choice." She nodded. "Where are we?"
"A world called Remnant." Tatsumi began. "A professor named Ozpin asked us to be held here after our arrival, once we're done here we're free to leave." This surprised Esdeath somewhat but she didn't let it show, simply sitting back in her chair once more, a calculating look on her face as Tatsumi continued. "Akame, Leone and myself have decided to take the offer he's given us." Esdeath's eyes hardened slightly, unsure what this meant for her. "The three of us will be attending a training Academy for warriors here of this world, it'll help us adjust to this world so that we can decide where we want to go afterwards."
"Not searching for a way back?" Esdeath questioned, her smirk holding a little bit of amusement.
"I don't see the point." Tatsumi replied honestly, feeling as though a heavy weight was lifted. In the days leading up to the final confrontation with the Empire, Mine had passed away in her coma and Najenda would know what to do now that the Empire had fallen and rebuilding could start, Night Raid was no longer needed, it would be best to just disappear. "We have no way of knowing how we got here, each of us don't have any knowledge of how it happened and I'm guessing you don't either." Esdeath shook her head confirming his words. "Something happened for us to be here, but there is no evidence that we can return. We've agreed to figure things out here and do what we can to move forward."
"Smart." Esdeath nodded. "This Academy you spoke of, what is it?"
"A school that trains warriors, Hunters and Huntresses." Tatsumi began, not going into the details of why Ozpin wanted them to head there, if Esdeath came to the Academy he'd let Ozpin go over the details with her. "We'll learn more about Remnant and with our skills being Hunters is probably going to be the best bet for us." He explained, both Akame and Leone had agreed with him on this. They both had spoken to Ozpin when Tatsumi had come and he had explained the situation to them, both had agreed that for now it would be the best course of action for them to take if only to gather information on this world. The only thing was, Ozpin was expecting Esdeath to come with them. All three were sceptical about Esdeath being among them, after all they were enemies. "Ozpin intends to offer you the same circumstances."
"Oh." Esdeath seemed amused by this. "I don't think I need etiquette in the killing arts." She stated folding her arms once more, eyes passing over Tatsumi to the mirror behind him, a slight smirk coming to her face. "Or is there another reason for sending three highly trained assassins to a school?" She mused with a slight smirk as her eyes once more drifted to Tatsumi. "You're hiding something Tatsumi and I feel like I should know before I give my answer." She told him making Tatsumi sigh.
"We'll be protecting the students while also helping them grow stronger, masquerading as students ourselves." Tatsumi decided to inform her, it would have been better than causing an argument here, this only made Esdeath glance at him with a raised eyebrow. "The school places students into groups of four, if you're attending you will be a member of our team." Tatsumi began, Esdeath's eyes opening the slightest bit in surprise, this was nothing something Esdeath had expected to hear. Herself and Tatsumi in a team together. "Things will need to change if we're to mov-."
"Very well." Esdeath stated interrupting Tatsumi's words making him blink at how quickly she decided as Esdeath rose from her chair. "I'm sick of sitting in this room, I think we should move this along now." She stated marching past the stunned Assassin stopping by the door and looking down at Incursio before reaching down and grabbing it before tossing it to Tatsumi who caught it. "Wouldn't want to forget this now." She smiled before opening the door and stepping into the room behind the mirror. Akame and Leone stood before her, both eyeing her wearily, Akame's hand was on the hilt of Murasame ready to draw at a moments notice while Leone… looked to be in a half transformed state. Esdeath knew the results of Lionel's transformation, but it only looked half activated, had something happened during the events of the last battle to meld her body with the beast Teigu? Interesting. Perhaps she could investigate some more later.
"If you four will just follow me." Ozpin began with a smile. "We'll take the airship to Beacon Academy and have you settle in. The new year starts in just over a week so you have some time to get acquainted with the school's facilities."
"You must be Ozpin." Esdeath stated turning to the man, who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Let me be clear." She started walking towards him, Akame drawing Murasame slightly to put the threat across that if she tried anything, none of them would stop until she was dead. Esdeath smirked and turned to face Ozpin once more. "I have no reason to trust you, the first thing you do that I don't like." She leaned towards him. "I will slaughter you and anyone that gets in my way."
"That sounds unpleasant." Ozpin smiled in the face of death. "I'll be sure to make sure that your stay at Beacon Academy is as pleasant as possible. If you do have any issues, please don't hesitate to let me know."
"Man has some brass ones." Leone whispered to Tatsumi who did his best to hide his smirk while Akame resheathed her teigu, however keeping an eye on Esdeath as they followed Ozpin out of the police station. There was going to be a thick tension for the foreseeable future.
The airship ride was unlike anything the four had ever experienced before, even riding air-manta's didn't hold a flame to the airship that they had ridden on. The technology of Remenanat far outclassed the Empire by leaps and bounds. The view itself was amazing, Leone and Tatsumi were all but breaking through the glass of the window by pressing on it like they were, both Akame and Esdeath were more reserved in their viewing of the new world that they were in, mostly because of Esdeath's maturity and Akame keeping an eye on the general.
Ozpin sat on the empty seats, the five were the only ones aboard apart from the pilots doing their jobs. While he was smiling, his mind was working. These four severely outclassed seasoned hunters, just being in their presence made it clear that they were superior in a number of ways. Most people didn't have a presence about them, but that couldn't be said for these four. It was unnatural just how much you could tell them apart from those of Remnant.
The dark haired beauty hadn't taken her hand off the hilt of her sword since Esdeath had left the interrogation room and her eyes had barely left the General. Esdeath either didn't notice which was doubtful to Ozpin, or just didn't care. Leone resembled a Faunus with her animalistic traits, however something Ozpin had noticed about her, unlike the Faunus native to Remnant, Leone had more than one animal characteristic about her, where a Fanus might just have ears, a tail or even a skin tone natural to that of an animal, Leone had both ears and a tail.
All four of them were a complete mystery to Ozpin, where had they come from? How had they gotten here? Just who were they? So many questions that his mind wanted answers too. There was no doubt the trace of magic that had brought them here, but whether their coming was an ill omen or a blessing he had yet to decide. The future held war, Salem wouldn't stay docile forever, she had probably already made her move and in the coming months the entire world of Remnant will shake because of her. Nothing would be the same and Ozpin wanted all the help he could get, if it happened to fall onto the shoulders of four otherworlders, so be it.
The rumble of the engine came to a slow hum as the airship began it's descent. Raising from his chair he headed for the entryway, Esdeath noticing his movement followed after her.
"This is kinda cool." Leone grinned. "It's kinda been a while since we did something this exciting?" She added.
"I can say that I'm looking forward to a comfortable bed." Tatsumi told her. "The cots we had the past few days have done a killer on my back."
"Want a massage?" Leone smirked suggestively at him.
"I-I'll pass." He quickly responded to the teasing as he made some space between them. "I'm not that sore."
"Well the offers always there." Leone grinned as the airship came to a stop on the ground, Tatsumi noticed that the engines that Ozpin had explained to them upon them not knowing how the machine worked, hadn't turned off. The door to the airship slid out and open Ozpin leading the four from the transport. Once Tatsumi left the interior the door slid shut and once more the Airship lifted off and flew away into the night sky.
"Seeing as it is the early hours of the morning, we will have to leave the tour of the Academy and the Grounds till tomorrow morning. I'm sure you'd all like to get some rest." Ozpin explained as they headed towards the large structure that Ozpin had showed Tatsumi on his scroll. The four were relatively quiet as Ozpin led them to the Dormitory, the professor giving a few idol explanations of rooms that they passed.
Finally they reached a room and he opened the door and stepping to the side.
"This here will be your shared dormitory, please make any changes you'd like we give the students free reign to design their own rooms." Tatsumi entered first followed by Esdeath and Akame, it was Leone who cocked an eyebrow at the professor.
"So let me get this straight, these teams of students, are co-ed?" She asked. "And you see no problem with a bunch of hormonal teenagers bunking together?"
"I can see your point." Ozpin gave a ghost of a smile. "However, I believe that responsibility is best left up to the students own self reasoning." He explained. "By no means do we condone such acts, however we see no reason to forbid the students from their natural instincts." He added. "While they may just be students, they aren't children. Once they graduate this academy as Huntsman and Huntresses, they will be risking their lives. All I hope is that their smart enough to use contraceptives if the need arises."
"Just making sure." Leone grinned at him and entered the room where the four beds were lined up against the wall in a row, it seemed Esdeath had chosen a bed closest to the far wall while Akame had taken the complete opposite leaving two beds remaining in the middle. Tatsumi gave an awkward look at the blonde who simply grinned before she pounced on the bed closest to Akame.
"You're the damn devil!" Tatsumi's mind mentally shouted as he undid Incuriso's sheath from his back and laid it down on the bed. He did everything he could not to make eye contact with Esdeath who was idly staring at him as he did.
"Now, I will see you four in the morning and you'll be given a tour of Beacon Academy." Ozpin explained. "Good night." Ozpin simply left, closing the door behind him leaving the room in an even awkward tense silence that it had been previously. Tatsumi just wanted to break the silence and looked to the usual one to do that, but she was already climbing into the comfort of the bed, Akame doing the same. Sighing gently he pulled the covers back and made the mistake of raising his gaze to Esdeath who simply smiled at him before raising her own blanket and slipping beneath the covers, her back towards them.
"Yeah, I'm getting no sleep tonight."