"So you're telling me..."
"Yes?"
"...that I'm in another world?"
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
"And... you expect me to believe that?"
Glynda scoffed softly, one eyebrow raised, as if she found it offensive that it was her that didn't believe them this time.
"I don't believe you have a choice," Ozpin said matter-of-factly, and then proceeded to sip from his mug.
Tiella pursed her lips. She sat at a comfortable chair, steaming hot cup of very sweet milk held in both hands. On the chair across her, Glynda sat, a warm cup of tea placed on the table in front of her. And by the Headmaster's desk sat Ozpin, another full mug of coffee in hand.
"I can't believe it's actually 7 in the morning... it was 2 in the afternoon last I checked."
During the elevator ride back to Ozpin's office, Ozpin took the time to explain to Tiella that she may have been from a different world based on their prior conversation. It had come as a surprise to her, so she immediately thought that it was a joke. However, the serious looks on Ozpin and Glynda's faces said otherwise.
"Another fucking world? Are you serious?" still not entirely sure what to believe. She sipped her milk and placed it down on the table in front of her, then sighed and looked back to Ozpin.
"Anything to make me believe?"
Ozpin placed his mug down and put his hands together in front of him, hiding his mouth from their view.
"For starters, you don't know what Grimm are."
"Well..." she said, letting her eyes roam around, avoiding Ozpin's gaze.
"And I don't believe we've heard of a... Greece. If it isn't the thick oily substance that you meant, then I can only imagine that it's a place where you're from."
"You're really not joking?"
"I don't think it's a time for jokes at the moment, so no."
"Do you have a world map that I could borrow?"
"Glynda?" Ozpin addressed, turning his head to face Glynda who had been content to sit quietly until spoken to.
"Of course." she immediately responded and stood from her seat, providing her handheld device to Tiella that was set to display the world map.
"Do you know what this is?" Glynda asked.
"Looks like a new model of a smartphone," Tiella replied, one eyebrow raised, scrutinizing the device.
Glynda hummed in thought, slowly and begrudgingly acknowledging Tiella's nature as an 'otherworlder'.
"This," Glynda raised the device momentarily, "is called a Scroll. It is a communications device that can also provide the user with various things such as-"
"So it's a phone."
"I don't know what that is bu-"
"I mean, it sure sounds like one."
"..."
"Does it have a calculator?"
"Yes."
"Lets you take photos?"
"Yes."
"Do kids spend most of their days fiddling with it until they fry their brains out?"
"..."
"..."
"...yes."
"So it's a smartphone."
"Perhaps in your world, it's the equivalent of... whatever a smartphone is," Glynda explained, clearly annoyed at being interrupted multiple times. "But here, we call it a Scroll."
Not wanting to be interrupted again, Glynda immediately placed her Scroll in front of Tiella, tapped the screen a few times, and instantly, a hologram of the world map flashes itself, mildly catching Tiella off guard.
Glynda let a tiny smirk appear on her lips after seeing her reaction, but let it fade away just as easily as it appeared.
"Okay. It's a really hi-tech smartphone." Tiella said, tilting her head left and right, mildly impressed that a small and ultra-thin handheld device is capable of showing holograms of world maps. Glynda, on her end, could only twitch her eyebrow at the comment.
After carefully studying the provided world map, she came to the conclusion that she did not know anything at all about it.
"You could be fucking with me by giving me a fictional world map..." she said softly, only half-convinced of what they're telling her.
"I see." was Ozpin's only reply. He thought for a moment, then stood from his seat and walked over to the large window behind him. He then looked up, as if searching for something.
After a few seconds, "What is the moon like in your world? Can you describe it to me? In detail, please." he said, still looking up outside.
Confused, Tiella took a short moment to think before she answered, "It's round, has a bright yellow light on some days though it's usually just sort of blue on most days, and it's pretty small unless you have a telescope or something."
"Does it look anything like that?" Ozpin said, still looking up, hands on his back, forcing Tiella to join him by the window, confused as she was already.
Looking up, Tiella found nothing out of the ordinary. Just a big blue sky with some normal looking clouds, and a giant fragmented moon. Nothing weird about seeing the moon in the morning.
"Wait-" mouth agape, she walked closer, toward the window where she nearly placed herself against it.
"Is that... what I think it is..?" eyes wide in shock, she stared at Ozpin, looking for any signs to prove her thoughts to be wrong.
Glynda saw the shock in Tiella's expression and it confused her, sending her a scrutinizing gaze. "Is there a difference between our moon and theirs?"
After a short moment, Tiella felt weak in the knees and fell, holding on to the glass window for support, one hand covering her face. Ozpin took a knee and observed how she would further react.
"Did someone bomb the moon..? Why would someone bomb the-..." her eyes darting left and right in rapid succession, mind racing. "No. I need to stop ignoring reality."
Tiella took both hands to her face, head hung low, holding it in resignation. Long and heavy sighs escaped her before she raised her face once more to meet Ozpin's eyes.
"...I really am in another world, huh?"
"I'm afraid so."
Tiella just sat there, staring out the window, at the moon, trying to take in what it really meant to be in another world.
"Why don't we return to our seats?" Ozpin offered along with his hand for Tiella to take for her to stand. "We still have our warm drinks to finish after all."
"Okay."
Still confused, Glynda took the chance to ask incredulously, "Is there a problem with the moon? Is it not normal to see the moon in the mornings where you're from?"
Tiella heard the question but didn't answer immediately. She took Ozpin's hand to stand, then walked over to her seat. She took a big sip of her still hot cup of milk and gently placed it back on the table. "No, we see the moon in the mornings at times too, nothing weird about it."
"Then..?"
"Your moon is broken," she said, nonplussed.
Glynda gave her a look, not understanding what she meant. "The moon has always been broken."
Fearing that their discussion will get derailed, Ozpin spoke before Tiella could respond. "Why don't we discuss this topic for another time? We have more important matters to discuss after all."
Both Tiella and Glynda gave Ozpin a look but agreed nonetheless.
Ozpin was back on his seat, mug in hand.
Glynda as well returned to her seat and took a small sip of from her teacup.
Tiella was holding her cup of milk with both hands again as if trying to warm her hands through the fingerless tactical gloves she wore.
For a long while, they sat where they were, feeling varying degrees of anxiousness as they focused on downing their drinks. Both Ozpin and Glynda letting the reality of the matter sink, not only for Tiella but for the both of them as well.
A minute later and Ozpin's mug had been emptied. While reaching over to the pot of hot coffee on his desk for a refill, someone finally broke the unnerving silence.
"Can you help me make it back?" Tiella said softly, only staring at her cup with a blank expression.
Ozpin paused for a moment, but easily resumed to refilling his mug. He didn't answer immediately, opting to finish refilling first. "Short answer, no. Not yet at least."
She scowled at her cup after hearing his answer. Angry at the fact that things were far more complicated like she feared it would be. "Gods fuck me. Nothing's ever fucking easy." she thought as she let another one of the very many sighs she felt she would be letting out in her time here.
"And the long answer?" she said, only sending a side glance down Ozpin's way.
"It would be very easy to return you to your world using the power of the relic that we have. However, if the relic that we've been keeping safe and hidden had indeed been used as I feared, accidentally or not, then that would mean we can only use the relic's power once more. And as soon as all of the relic's charges have been used up, it will enter a sort of deep sleep mode in an attempt to recharge itself for the next 100 years. And until that time, it will be nothing more than an antique whose only use is to collect dust."
"And because you said you have enemies, you want to keep as much trump cards as you have for the right time."
"That's right."
"You're basically telling me to stay here. For your war," she said through tightly clenched teeth, her words cut harder and harder as she spoke.
"I can understand that this is a very difficu-"
"Stop," she spoke sharply, her hands clasped tightly together, visibly shaking as she hung her head low, elbows resting on her knees. "Just... shut up for a bit..." her words cut cold, nearly spine-tingling, even to both adults in the room. "I don't need you patronizing me."
Ozpin did as told, observing Tiella from his desk with that stone-cold look that he usually wore.
Glynda, on the other hand, looked away, arms crossed in front of her. She did not dare look at the young girl across her. Not out of fear of her, no. But to keep herself from pitying the girl any more than she already did.
An actual child soldier, if she were to believe her story, inexperienced with what constitutes a normal childhood, had just been robbed of her life and home. Granted it wasn't anything like the life a teenager should be experiencing, but it was a life that the young girl had grown used to, depressing as it may sound. And even that was ignoring the fact that she had a team, possibly her friends and family in her own world.
Left behind with a very real possibility of never seeing them again.
She understood Ozpin's intentions clearly. Their fight against 'her' was a threat that always took precedence over anything no less than possibly world-ending. But it didn't mean that she would not feel guilty for the girl, for she, even if indirectly, was part of why Tiella can't return for better or for worse.
If she ever saw the crumbling form of the young girl directly across her, even she feared that the hard scowl she'd been using as a mask would crumble just as well.
And so she looked passed Ozpin, out the window where the sun was slowly rising along with her worries for the future.
Out the window where a small bird was flying towards them at a seemingly unnatural speed.
"There's something wrong with that bird..." Glynda thought as she scrutinized said bird.
Seconds later, said bird had doubled in size as it got closer. Then tripled. And in that very moment, Glynda's expression hardened.
"Ozpin!" she yelled, stood to her feet, and entered a battle stance, riding crop in hand.
Ozpin, immediately sensing the tension from his assistant, looked behind him with his cane already in hand.
"Glynda," he called, never taking his eyes off the approaching bird. "I believe now would be a good time to return her weapons."
"I don't think weapons unenhanced by Aura or Dust would do a thing to help her here," Glynda responded while re-positioning her glasses, though she was already returning Tiella's weapons to her nonetheless.
"It's more for her own peace of mind." He said, turning to give Glynda a look and Tiella a reassuring smile.
Tiella, still distraught and only understanding that there is a possible enemy approaching, confusedly received her weapons. She holstered everything save for one pistol, which she held and aimed at what she guessed was the enemy.
"A bird? What's so dangerous about a bird?" she thought, not really registering the possible size of said approaching bird yet "I mean, sure it's big but..."
"Ms. Margory," Ozpin called, "prepare to jump to the side. While I doubt the Giant Nevermore will be able to penetrate the window, it is still better to be cautious."
"Is that..." slowly taking in his words, connecting the dots in her head while observing the so-called Giant Nevermore. "...a Grimm?"
"Yes, it is one of the few common Grimm that can be found within Vale's borders. I'll discuss more about the Grimm with you later, for now, however..." he gave Glynda a look, and easily she obliged, standing ahead of Ozpin where she was closer to the window.
"...we'll let Glynda take care of it."
As soon as Ozpin had finished speaking, Tiella saw Glynda re-positioning her glasses once more while waving her riding crop in midair, not unlike what she did to restrain her. Not a second later, a large purple glowing runic circle appeared, slowly rotating clockwise on the other side of the window.
Mesmerized by the glow as she's able to actually appreciate it now that it wasn't aimed at her, she watched in mild awe as another smaller rune of the same structure appeared, rotating slightly faster and the opposite way in front of the first rune.
The Giant Nevermore was fast approaching, already charging with a loud screech, likely to be just a dozen meters away from them at that moment. And it was then that Tiella understood why it was called a giant and why both adults had been alarmed, albeit mildly in Ozpin's case.
During the Giant Nevermore's charge, another much smaller rune appeared in front of the second rune, rotating the same way as the first rune although at a much faster rate. And as soon as the third rune appeared, each rune spun at even faster rates. During said rotation, the largest rune glowed even brighter, and then the second, and then the third.
Instantly after glowing, a large bright purple light shot out of the center of the first rune, which passed through the second rune, causing it to condense, glowing much brighter as a result. And after passing through the last rune, it had condensed down once more to a thin but highly compressed laser and glowed exponentially stronger than it did at its base, piercing through the Giant Nevermore like it was paper.
The extremely bright laser continued rushing forward, reaching dozens of meters beyond, before fading into nothing just as quick as it had appeared, leaving small, bright purple particles behind that danced and flickered in the air, and blinked out of existence shortly.
Tiella's mouth hung agape, not only did she understand why it was called a Giant Nevermore, given its uncanny likeness to a gigantic crow with its wingspan just barely shorter than an average bus, but also because she'd just witnessed an incredible amount of power being summoned and expelled all within a time span no longer than four seconds.
Had she not stood behind Glynda and Ozpin, she likely would have been blinded by the light for a short while.
She watched as the Grimm that had a hole blasted through it split apart and evaporate as if vanishing into thin air. She saw Glynda wave her riding crop in a flourish, twirling it in her fingers, and subsequently collapsing it, then sheathing it back to the holster on her right boot.
Still holding her gun forward, though it had been lowered as she wasn't aiming at anything anymore, a loud "Holy shit!" was everything Tiella could think to say after what she saw.
"Being honest with them was probably the greatest choice of my life. Probably." Tiella thought, sincerely believing that not attacking them like she'd been wanting to do since the beginning was a true lifesaver.
"Right..." she drawled, "I've seen some pretty strong Skill Users before but nothing like that," she said, still awed by what she witnessed. "So, what drew that thing here?"
Glynda and Ozpin both shared a look between them when they heard the term "Skill Users", though they chose to answer her question first.
"Grimm," Ozpin started, "they are creatures that don't need any form of sustenance to continue existing. They can live for an indefinite amount of time, and grow stronger and wiser with age."
Tiella hummed in thought, wondering how that answered her question.
"They will ignore everything around them, uncaring for the plant and animal life that surrounds them."
"Okay," she said, sitting back down to her chair, noting that her hot cup of very sweet milk already warmed down.
"With the exception of mankind," Ozpin stated matter-of-factly, opting to sit down as Tiella and Glynda did.
"Okay?" she drawled, still unsure how that answered her question.
"Now, what attracted the Grimm to this place, to us in particular," Ozpin took a more serious tone as he spoke, "would be negativity."
"Negativity?" Tiella repeated in disbelief.
"Negative emotions, to be precise." he clarified. "Emotions such as anger, resentment..." he said while giving Tiella a look, "...despair..." then to Glynda "...and guilt,"
Tiella's eyes widened at his implications while Glynda could only purse her lips and look away, arms crossed in front of her.
"among other similar negative emotions." Ozpin finished, his tone returning to the usual indifference his voice normally carried. He let his words sink, taking the time to grab his mug for a sip.
"Though," he continued, grabbing the attention of both ladies, "this one time was certainly an odd one. I've never seen a lone Grimm purposefully charge into the source of negativity so recklessly, especially since it was within the kingdom's walls."
Ever the fast thinker, Tiella guessed at Ozpin's words, "So you're saying those giant crows don't always just fly above your cities?"
"No, they do not. While young Grimm do tend to be reckless, it is definitely unheard of for any Grimm to enter a kingdom by its lonesome. Even they understand that doing so would end up a fruitless endeavor, just as you had witnessed earlier."
"You saying my little Pity Party was so loud that it just called out to the nearest bastard that felt it?" she asked sharply, hazarding a guess as every oddity so far has been related to her in some way.
"I won't say that that's definitely the case, but it's one of the few reasons that I can think of, yes," Ozpin said, in that ever so stoic expression of his.
She clicked her tongue at his answer and looked away, clearly annoyed. "Of course it'll be negative fucking emotions..." reminded that she herself carried a Skill that was largely related to negative emotions, though it was something she was content to ignore and forget for as long as she doesn't need to use it, even as a last resort. "Nothing's ever fucking easy."
"Is that why you're such a stoic bastard? To keep away the Grimm by staying so un-fucking-feeling?" she asked sarcastically.
Not appreciating the sudden verbal assault, Glynda scowled and was about to reprimand Tiella, though before she could...
"Hahahaha!" Ozpin, since the time Tiella met him, and a long time since Glynda last heard, let out an actual laugh. It wasn't a loud laugh, no, but it was a very audible laugh, one that he did not bother to hide. A small smile can be seen on his face, and shortly after his laugh, he wore a wry smile.
"You're not wrong, but it's mostly due to my advanced age." giving Glynda a look that told her that it was fine. "When you reach my age, it becomes hard to be surprised at a lot of things anymore. And that is especially true considering my previous profession as a full-time huntsman and current position as Headmaster."
"Makes sense."
"Which reminds me of our current situation."
At this, Tiella tensed, suddenly remembering that she had no way of returning unless provided by Ozpin.
"I understand very well what it's like to lose a home you can never return to," Ozpin said, a melancholic tone heard in his voice. "I've also experienced what it's like to lose people very dear to me and being forced to acknowledge that I'll never see them again."
He stared intently at her eyes and spoke sincerely, "So I urge you to believe me when I say that I understand."
Glynda's expression softened when she saw the look Ozpin gave to Tiella, reminding her of an earlier time when she knew very little of the man before him.
Tiella can only stare back at Ozpin, searching his eyes for any signs that he was lying or simply patronizing. A short moment later, she broke the silence.
"I'll... be willing to hear you out, at least." arms crossed and close to her person. "Not like I can do anything else, anyway."
"Thank you for trusting me."
"I'm not."
Ozpin can only wryly smile at her. He looked at her figure, arms crossed protectively in front of her, eyes downcast and looking away.
"Very well. Glynda?" he called, "Why don't you go ahead and prepare for your class? And also, do take care of our little situation from before. I'm sure some of our students are feeling a little uneasy about the fact that a Giant Nevermore nearly crashed itself into the school."
Taking it as her cue to give them some privacy, Glynda obliged. "Of course. Have a good day, Professor."
"Thank you, you as well," he said as Glynda bowed her head just outside the room before closing the door.
Tiella remembered that she still had a half-finished cup of warm milk, so immediately she grabbed her cup and took many small sips. Milk always did help her relax, reminding her of a more peaceful, innocent time.
"So? What do you want?"
"I'd like to offer you a scholarship here in Beaco-"
"And be one of your child soldiers? No fucking thanks, please." immediately she interrupted, her anger returning to her.
"Please, do hear me out. I'm afraid that you're misunderstanding what it means to be a Huntsman in this world."
She eyed him critically, thinking back on their past discussions so far. "Fine."
He smiled, glad to see that she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"But make it quick, I'm tired of listening to you speaking so vaguely."
"Of course." he wondered, how many times was she going to force a wry smile on his face?
"Simply speaking, a huntsman is a person looked up to by the people. Defenders of mankind against the darkness that is the Grimm."
"You're saying it like they're heroes."
"It's an apt description, yes."
Tiella, for her part, can only scratch her head in response. "I guess it makes sense to want to see heroes in action if you have black furry cunts wanting to annihilate you and your entire race for feeling sad about ice cream that fell on the pavement."
Another wry smile, "Will you accept then?"
"No." was her immediate answer.
"May I ask why?"
"Two things." she held one finger up, "One, I'm a professional, not a hero." then she held a second finger up, "And two, I hate kids."
"Are you not fairly young yourself? 18 is still just barely stepping into adulthood after all. And I'm sure you'll find people your age here as well."
"Still no."
"May I know the real reason then?"
"..."
"..."
"Fine..." she sighed out, actually embarrassed about the fact, "I've... never had a formal education," she said, eyebrows scrunched together, eyes avoiding Ozpin's gaze.
"I see."
"Yeah, yeah, now you know."
"All the more reason for me to offer you the scholarship."
"Really? Can't you just, I dunno, take no for an answer? That's never gonna make you popular with the ladies, you know?"
He sighed, "Under normal circumstances, I would have taken your first answer easily, as I wish to respect people's choices for the matter." he saw Tiella giving him an angry, pouting look, which he found somewhat adorable despite her sharp eyes.
"Yeah, yeah..." already tired of not having her way.
"I'm truly sorry, but I feel that I must have you near me at the very least."
"You want me on a short leash."
Ozpin didn't answer immediately.
Tiella again weighed the pros and cons of her possible decisions in her mind, "If I keep saying no, he'll probably force me into staying here as a last resort, blackmail or something, maybe threaten me into submitting. But I just... really don't want to play chummy with a bunch of weaponized horny teens. Is there really no other way? What if I pushed my luck for a bit?"
She sighed once more, scratching her head before speaking. "I won't accept a scholarship. I don't want to be a student," she gave Ozpin a hard look. "I've learned to make do just fine by getting hired for odd jobs. Bodyguard this, escort that, kill this particular bastard, kill that particular bastard. The works."
While Ozpin's expression hadn't changed, he certainly felt uncomfortable to be reminded that this girl claimed to be a Mercenary.
"So!" she said loudly to break the unnerving stare she got from him just then, "If you want me to stay while still respecting my so-called wishes, why don't you just hire me to do odd jobs for you?" her hand outstretched, her making the offer instead, "That way, I can make a living while you keep me here, tied to you like you want, but without me playing chummy with your kids."
Ozpin looked at her hand, then back to her eyes. Eyes clouded by anxiety.
"If you're willing to accept this..." she continued, "if you're willing to hire me for a job..." she swallowed thickly, "then I'll be... willing to play your game." she finished in a low voice.
"Everywhere I go, it's my only use."
Immediately she perked up, "Nothing sexual though!" she said, putting up a casual front and continued, "If you're that itchy, I'm sure there'll be a red light district here and there for you to visit." she said, giving Ozpin a wink and a casual smile.
Ozpin continued to stare at her intently for a few moments longer, a stoic expression betraying none of his thoughts.
"Very well." he finally spoke, "Why don't I hire you as a helper among my Professors? As it is, I'm currently a little understaffed, an example being my assistant, Glynda, handling all Combat classes for all year levels."
"Wow, no wonder she looks like that."
"Yes," he spoke wryly, "well, I would appreciate it greatly if you can make things easier for my Professors by handling some of their smaller matters."
She thought things over for a short moment, sipping her milk that's gone from warm to lukewarm. "Alright, sounds like something I can do. What about my pay?"
"How much do you usually take?"
"Where I come from, I take no smaller than $50,000 per job."
"Dollars...? My apologies, I'm not familiar with this currency. The currency we use here is Lien." he explained, "Taking the number you provided, a 50,000 Lien monthly salary would put you in the upper middle class, all things considered, such as food, housing, and monthly bills for a family of 5, for starters."
"Just about the same then," she said
"I see," Ozpin said, deep in thought. "What if I provided you with free boarding, food, and other daily necessities for free and a 30,000 Lien monthly salary?"
Tiella hummed in thought, "It's not that bad an offer... but it's a little low compared to what I'm used to." she sipped, "Though the big difference here is it's actual stable income."
"This, of course, does not include the more... hazardous jobs I will likely put you through."
"Oh?" eyebrow raised.
"Yes, if you are indeed a Mercenary like you claim, it would be a waste to let your skills rust away. I may have to ask you to join some of my own private operations." he finished, one eyebrow raised.
"Right, you said you had enemies."
"That I do."
They were quiet for a moment, Ozpin letting Tiella think things through, taking small sips of his coffee in between.
In Tiella's mind, the implications of her fighting possible Skill Users like Glynda lit a small fire in her heart. "I get to continue my training for an actual reason, even here. Very interesting."
She stood, taking the cup of lukewarm milk with her and downed the remaining milk in one swig, leaving a faint white mustache just above her lips before licking them away. She then walked over to Ozpin's desk and extended her hand.
"You've got yourself a deal."
Ozpin smiled at her answer. He stood as well and reached to shake on it.
"I'm very pleased to have you on board, Ms. Margory."
"'Ms. Margory'? Come on, please, no. Ms. Margory was my sister. Tiella is fine."
Ozpin blinked a few times at her implications and gave her a knowing smile. "Very well," they shook hands, sealing the deal, "I'm very pleased to be working with you, Tiella."
"Likewise."
Letting go after one good shake, Ozpin spoke, "For the moment, we currently have no accommodations available for another live-in staff member, so I hope you don't mind living in the student dorms for your first few days."
"Not like I have a choice, do I?"
He gave her another wry smile, "Sadly."
Ozpin checked the time, which was 8:17 am, and immediately called for Glynda on his Scroll.
And not a second longer,
[How may I help you, Professor?] Glynda's voice could be heard.
"Yes, could you show Tiella to one of the vacant student dorm rooms? I've offered her a job." Giving Tiella another look. Noticing the exhausted look on her face and posture. "I'll have another staff member look for proper accommodations for her, but in the meantime, I'd like for her to rest in one of the student dorm rooms."
[...]
"..."
[...]
"Glynda?"
[...of course, Professor. I'll be there in a minute.]
"Thank you, Glynda. That would be all." and disconnected. "Glynda should be here shortly to show you to your room. I'm sure that you're tired, so, please. Do take the day off. I'll have you start tomorrow."
"Okay..." she drawled, exhaustion nearly taking over, "What about my papers? I didn't exactly exist here until an hour ago."
"You don't have to worry about it, I'll take care of everything."
"That's handy."
A knock on the door was heard.
"Ah, yes. That should be Glynda." he said, "Come in." he spoke in a slightly louder voice.
"Good morning, Professor Ozpin, Tiella." Glynda greeted courteously, bowing at them both. "I've found that room 312 by the West Wing Dormitory is currently unoccupied."
"Wonderful."
"Very well," Glynda said. She bowed to Ozpin once more and faced Tiella, her expression the very picture of professionalism, "If you would please follow me, I will show you to your room." already turning around, out of the room.
"Umm... thanks?" Tiella said, feeling a little awkward after everything so far. "Oh! And,"
Glynda paused and looked back, waiting for Tiella to continue.
"I'm sorry for calling you Blondie McHardass."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"None taken." the face of professionalism never breaking, "Let us move along, please. I still have a few classes to prepare for today and I'm already behind schedule." turning around once more, she lead the way out.
Not wanting to be left behind, Tiella hurriedly followed but stopped by the door to address Ozpin. "Also, I'm sorry I called your face fugly, Headmaster!" she said loudly, then shut the door immediately.
Inside the room, Ozpin stood still behind his desk, staring at the closed door, eyes blinking multiple times, and thinking about what a morning it had been. From where he was, he faintly heard Tiella asking Glynda a few questions. Now that he was alone, he fished out a strong bottle of Tequila that he'd been hiding behind one of his desk drawers and added a very generous amount into his coffee, spiking it to the high heavens.
In his own personal opinion, it was going to be a more interesting year from what he first thought with Ruby joining early, but that didn't mean he would not be stressed about it.
"So..." Tiella started.
"..."
"Today's a school day?"
"As you can obviously see, yes," Glynda responded, re-positioning her glasses correctly.
"What day is it? Actually, no. What's the full date today?" Tiella asked. "Wow, I never thought I'd be asking that. Even as a joke."
Glynda paused and turned to face Tiella's casual smile with her own professional look. "It is the 14th day of the 5th month, 1215 AD."
Tiella hummed in thought. "It was December 6th, 2018 for me just a couple hours ago. God this is so fucking disorienting."
"How many months do you have in a year?"
"12. We have 365 days a year, all year round." Glynda turned, leading the way once more.
"Almost the same with ours then," Tiella said, holding her chin in thought. "So what's AD stand for? After Death?"
"After Dawn." Glynda corrected, "It marks the dawn of mankind. The beginning of our fight against the Grimm."
"Hmm, poetic."
They were quiet for a moment, so Tiella let her eyes wander around.
She saw students going to and fro, giving Glynda a short greeting as they passed and her a look before returning to what they were doing and where they were going.
She also saw students with animal accessories. "Are bunny ears a thing around here?" she thought, watching a brunette with long bunny ears on her head walking through the beautiful courtyard. "Looks oddly realistic. I guess a more advanced technology means better cosmetics."
Another short while later, Glynda finally stopped.
"This here will be your room. Room 312 of the West Wing Dormitory. Please do not forget that."
"Alright."
"And here are your keys." which Tiella graciously accepted.
"Do you have any other questions?" Glynda asked, just realizing that the young girl she'd been talking to was meeting her at eye level, thinking that she likely would have been an inch taller if it weren't for her own heels.
"Yeah, where do I go if I have other questions?"
"There is a staff room on the first floor of this building. Head down there and turn left when facing the exit. A sign should be visible. Staff members are always present there but if you don't find anyone, head to the main building and look for me. I'll be in the Combat classroom."
"Great."
"Will that be all?"
"Are you still mad that I called you Blondie McHa-"
"If that is all then I'll be taking my leave." Glynda hurriedly turned, interrupting Tiella. "I have classes to prepare for and it is only the 2nd day of the school week."
Tiella could only purse her lips at Glynda as she watched her walk away. "Damn. Guess she's not used to disrespect, huh?"
Not feeling like standing in the hallways any longer, she keyed the door to her temporary room and stepped in, immediately plopping herself on the nearest bed. "Four beds, huh. Whatever."
She let out a long and heavy sigh, letting exhaustion finally take over, face covered by her forearm. "What a day... and it's not even over. Maybe if I sleep, I'll wake up in the tent with those fucking idiots."
Still feeling a tad uncomfortable, she groggily removed her weapons and threw them on the other bed.
"I'm sure they'll be fine without me." she thought, trying to convince herself that they don't need her back there, more than anything.
AN: Hello again!
Are people still with me?
I know, I know. The calendar system is a *little* lazy.
Okay, I lied. It's very lazy. But I just couldn't think of a reason why I shouldn't just do it that way!
What about the very short fight scene? If you could even call it that. Was it too vague? Too wordy?
Do let me know!