A/N.
A brief note before the start, This is not a harem fic. I feel the need to drop this warning since four of the girls will have some intentional love interest type interaction. This is because I haven't actually decided yet who the main character's love interest is and was intending to write a few chapters and see which dynamic I liked best so I intentionally left all four choices a bit of a seed for a romance subplot so that I could more easily start it once I do get going.
The protagonists last name is pronounced. Luh-roh, not Lee-Roy. It's French. That is all.
The first thing Cyan noticed was the pounding in his head. Note to self, combat boots to the face at 80 miles an hour hurts, aura or no aura.
Scarlet eyes cracked open and scanned the holding cell. It had a cot bolted to the wall and supported by a chain at either end, A small alcove with a toilet, and was only big enough for a single occupant. Outside a disinterested cop was reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee just in reach and half-eaten bagel fallen on the floor next to his desk. The room was warmer than you'd expect from the gray walls and iron bars, and the whole place smelled of bleach mixed with something lemon scented to mask its odor. All in all one of the nicer lockups he'd seen. Cyan rose to a seated position on his cot as he casually eyed the door. Electronic lock, likely using a key card since a sharp-eyed crook could eye up a combination even from opposite the door.
All right now what to do. The lock would be easy enough to short with that lightning dust I picked up, but the guard would probably hit a panic button the second he heard the fizzle. I could just blast of the cop, he probably doesn't even have his aura unlocked, but if he doesn't make it I'm a cop killer and I can't afford a ticket to Vacuo. Hmm.
Cyan's eyes went to the toilet, and an impish grin crossed his face. He quickly took on a neutral mask as he got up. He took a quick look to make sure that the cop hadn't suddenly taken an interest now that he was moving. The officer casually flipped a single page of his paper without a care in the world. Cyan slid into the alcove with his nice, shiny, and most importantly hidden from view toilet. Really worrying that much about the prisoners not getting embarrassed. They were practically begging someone to use this as a quick and easy way out.
A cylindrical tube glass tube filled with blue dust appeared in his hand. The trick that had kept him out of any permanent lock up. A semblance that let him store objects, somewhere. He honestly wasn't sure where they went just that he could hide things somewhere and then bring them back to his hand. Anyway, he carefully sprinkled a small pile of blue dust into his hand. He channeled a bit of aura into it and dumped it into the toilet. He reached for the lever and.
"Ah, Mr. Leroy I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Cyan panicked and jumped the unflushed dust quickly froze and expanded tearing the back off the wall. The water pipe now exposed blasted Cyan square in the chest. He thrust he hand up out of reflex, taking a step back. He slid on the wet floor tumbling and smacking his head on the concrete floor below. He tried to scramble to his feet and getting hosed in the face, sliding back to the ground. After several seconds of flailing, he finally managed to crawl out of the spray. He wiped his eyes and looked up to find a white-haired man with a coffee mug looking rather amused at him.
"Shall I send for a plunger?" The man asked with a chuckle. "Or a towel at least?"
Cyan glared daggers at the old man. "What do you want?"
"A little chat with some of your colleagues has led me to believe you may know something of value to me?" The old man answered.
"I ain't ratting nobody out." Cyan started.
"Information I am prepared to offer you a deal that will keep you out of prison in exchange for." The old man took a swig off coffee.
"To just anyone, but you seem like a very trustworthy individual," Cyan said forcing his best business smile.
The old man chuckled from behind his mug. "Quite now there is an interrogation room ready for our little meeting but first I feel I should ask."
Cyan started to sweat a little as the man took another swig. No doubt trying to pressure him into answering before he had the deal even on the table. Not buying that one big guy.
"Would you like a dry change of clothes?" The old man asked.
Cyan's smile, forced as it was, gave way to another glare. Or he could just be rude enough to take a drink mid-conversation. Ass. "What?"
"I merely assumed you didn't want to have a discussion that would determine the course of your future in a pair of soaked pair of pants." The old man answered with a shrug.
…
"Yes, I would like some dry clothes," Cyan grumbled.
"Excellent I shall alert my assistant." The old man said turning to the officer behind the desk. "Would you please open this cell?"
"Yeah, yeah." The officer said marking his page and setting his paper down. He stood and reached behind his back for the key card only to drop it as he actually looked into the cell. "What!? Why is the cell flooded?"
-/-
Cyan felt the heat from the interrogation room spotlight beating down on him. Now wearing an orange jumpsuit, he had to cut a hole in for his long rattlesnake like tail himself, sat at a table across from the old man and his assistant. A blonde woman with a purple lined cape and an outfit that gave off a bit of a sexy librarian vibe. The old man sat across from him and slid a mug of hot coffee in front of him.
"Now the I suppose introductions are in order." The old man said. "I am Ozpin headmaster of Beacon Academy."
"Huh, Didn't think I warranted huntsman attention," Cyan said trying to sound casual, even as he tried to process what kind of insanity he had gotten himself into. Why oh why didn't he just listen to his first instinct and tell Junior no. Oh right, threat of having the twins sicked on him. Man, he hit that wall harder than he thought if he forgot that. "Well since you knew my last name I'm guessing you know my first."
The blonde glared even harder at Cyan, knuckles turning white as he clenched the riding crop she was carrying. Seriously what kind of sadist actually openly walked around with a crop in plane view for all to see. Cyan tried to hide his panic by taking a long swig of his coffee.
"Indeed, well no sense beating around the bush, your employer one Roman Torchwick, had a bullhead pilot," Ozpin said with a chuckle, not even pretending he didn't notice Cyan's panic. "I was told you were the only one to see her completely."
The getaway driver. That's who they were after the getaway driver and not the mastermind. Well, that made him worried. If she was more dangerous than Roman "kill a man for delivering sub-par cigars" Torchwick than suddenly just staying out of jail might not be worth it.
"Maybe I did maybe I didn't," Cyan said eyeing Ozpin suspiciously. "What's in it for me if I did?"
"I believe we have discussed that already," Ozpin said sounding amused.
"You said you could keep me out of jail," Cyan said. "That's not exactly a detailed summary."
"Hmm, I suppose it's not." Ozpin looked at the crop wielding blonde and nodded to the table. Wordlessly she placed a tablet model scroll down in front of him. "Simply put if you provide all information you have on the woman, Torchwick, and anything you know about their operation the police are willing to release you into my custody. A student at Beacon Academy where hopefully you can learn to put your… skills to better use."
"A gilded cage," Cyan said as he held up the scroll with the contract on it. "Tell you what you wanna know and I get a probationary sentence somewhere nicer than prison and far removed from Vale."
Somewhere no doubt the police hoped would mean he'd get eaten by a Grimm and save them a bit of paperwork.
"Of a sort, however a cage as much to keep threats out as to keep you in. As of right now only you and the three others of your group who are in custody are still alive." Ozpin said putting down the coffee his tone taking a deathly serious edge. "All others except the ones in custody have been found dead face down in the bay. All others except Torchwick,"
"And the driver." Cyan finished for him. Well, well guess she really was a big deal. "So I give you what I got and I get to take my chances with the Grimm in a building far from the city where literally everyone else is a guard and you the warden. Or go to jail and almost certainly get stuck in my sleep."
"Well, there is also the chance to turn your life around, make something of yourself while you're still young. I won't try to convince you it was my only motive but I would be lying if I said saving a young man from a life of crime didn't have something to do with the offer." Ozpin said giving a sympathetic eye to Cyan's tail. "Especially one who would have so few other options through no fault of his own."
The sympathy card, ha. Like that wasn't some obvious attempt to garner a bit of trust. Well sorry, Oz but you ain't the first to try that one. Still, that wasn't an offer he could easily turn down. After all, nothing provided motivation for charging into almost certain death quite like being tailed by absolutely certain death. "Alright, Where do I sign?"
"On the line that says signature." The blond answered in a clipped tone all the while giving ol' Oz the same dirty look she had given him.
Rather than throw out some smart ass remark at the huntress towering over him he simply huffed and did his best to sign his name using his index finger as a pen. He passed the pad over to his new teacher/parole officer and leaned back in his chair arms crossed behind his head.
"So do I get the chance to go gather some of my stuff from my old place or do I gotta go to school in a prison jumpsuit?" Cyan asked.
"Of course once you've provided the information promised Glynda will escort you to your home so you may retrieve your belongings," Ozpin said glancing over the document. "Wouldn't want you getting killed before you even start your first day would we."
Ah, fantastic stuck at his apartment with only the ice witch glaring holes in the back of his head. Because the other option was being alone at a place that might be being watched by one of the most dangerous criminals in Vale, and his apparently even worse boss. How could his week possibly get any worse?
-/-
"Oh, my baby sister is going to Beacon with me!"
Cyan watched in barely restrained terror as the girl that had personally introduced him to his new best friend Mr. From Dust Till Dawns solid brick front wall was dragged into a bear hug by some blonde girl. She might have been pretty he'd have to check when he wasn't busy cursing Ozpin's name, family, and his little dog too for not warning him the girl who got him arrested would be one of his classmates. Because hey it's not like he had enough problems right. Not like worrying if a girl he knew for a fact could destroy him in a fight would inevitably recognize him and then what? Declare him to everyone, sure Oz knew but the other students would avoid him like the plague. No allies to throw at the inevitable retribution attempt by Torchwick, his boss, and whatever help they had. He needed meat shields damn it! Also, she'd probably pick a fight over the criminal standing right there which, while not fun, was still a lesser evil in this situation.
Okay no calm down all he had to do was not get recognized by her. He had been wearing a uniform from juniors boys at the time, the hat and shades would have disguised his hair and eye color. The ill fit should have concealed his build at least a little bit. The sound of his tails rattle scrapping against the wall he had unknowingly backed into caught his and several other students, attention. Oh right, giant blue snake tail, ain't hiding that. … maybe he could saw it off before she saw him again. No, no his panic was getting the better of him. All he had to do was avoid the girl like a barrel of rats, like a barrel of rabid, starving, plague-infested rats, who were all on fire. Yeah, that should work.
Cyan enacted his new plan immediately walking as quickly as he could without drawing undue attention to himself to the other side of the deck. He figured he was rather successful, only running over three people on the way there. He needed to blend in as best he could, scanning the crowd he found someone. A girl, bright red hair, bronzed outfit, body like an hourglass and all alone. He could have sworn she looked familiar but the sound of his diminutive nemesis shouting something interrupted that train of thought and he decided to dive in headlong.
"Hi there," Cyan said leaning against a nearby wall.
The girl's eyes widened in, likely in surprise at the sudden attempt to start a conversation. "Hello. Did you want something?"
Crap didn't think this far ahead! Quick improvise you, idiot. "I just saw you standing here by yourself and thought hey I'm alone you're alone. Why not be alone together?"
No bad brain. That sounded like some idiot's idea of a pick line. Well, this was a bust.
Time to start building his reputation. At the least if he convinced everyone he was a pathetic dork then fewer people would buy it if the hooded brat ran around telling everyone he stuck up a dust store.
"Well, I suppose I could use someone to talk too." The redhead answered with a chuckle.
…
Roll with it.
"So name's Cyan." He said setting up for a fist bump.
"Pyrrha." The girl answered grabbing his fist and shaking it.
Cyan raised an eyebrow and looked at the mistake. Pyrrha followed his eye line. She quickly pulled her hand back and smiled awkwardly while folding her hands behind her back.
"So what brings you to Beacon?" She asked quickly.
"An airship," Cyan answered plastering an amused smirk on his face.
Pyrrha let out what he assumed was a polite laugh, and shook her head. "Okay, why did you want to go to Beacon."
"I hear Atlas is too cold, Vacuo 's too hot, and I'm wanted in Mistral for five counts of murder, thirty-seven robberies, two counts of disturbing the peace, and littering." Cyan answer ticking off a finger with each country listed and giving a lopsided smile at the end of the last one. "That was a crazy weekend."
Pyrrha's hand slapped over her mouth as she laughed at that one. "I see. You'll have to tell me about it sometime."
"Sure thing, I should warn you though it's not one for the faint of heart." He said with a shrug. Distraction successful.
A voice echoed over the comm system. "Attention students we have arrived at beacon academy. Please exit in an orderly fashion and collect your belongings."
"Well guess we should get a move on eh," Cyan said scanning the crowd to ensure he left behind the cape-clad nightmare.
"Looks like it," Pyrrha answered walking towards the exit.
He followed after her only just noticing that somehow he and his new potential future meat-shield had just become the center of attention. The looks ranging from surprise to outright glares. He wondered what that was about for all of a second before just deciding to ignore it and move on.
"Cyan are you coming?" Pyrrha shouted from the door. The hateful looks intensified.
"Yeah," Cyan answered to quiet for her to actually hear even as he started walking towards her. He half shouted. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up."
Alright, the first chapter in the bag. And just to let you know this story is using an unreliable narrator element. Not a "the Narrator straight up lies to the audience" style unreliable narrator more a "the narrator doesn't have all the facts themselves" narrator. So there are going to be some intentional contradictions born from two narrators having different ideas of what something they both saw was.
Also yes Ozpin and the Vale P.D. Do know what Cinder looks like in this story and that will change how the plot plays out.