AN: I'm back with another story for the Team Ozpin series. I'm going to make a guess that this series will last at least thirteen stories. Hope you guys like this! Please give me feedback on what you think.
*Baltimore Schnee was the manager of the Schnee Dust company, one of the largest dust manufacturers in the world of Remnant, and one of the most powerful men in Remnant as well.
Ozpin was a lucky man to visit him.
Baltimore sat at his desk with his fingers laced in front of him. Everywhere Oz looked, he saw himself staring back at him. That was because there were mirrors all over the walls. There were mirrors both big and small, mirrors that were round, rectangular, square, and some were even triangles. Behind Baltimore, on the glass wall that overlooked a large portion of Vale, was a picture of a large black and white snowflake.
"Ozpin is it?" Baltimore asked. He poured himself a mug full of tea and brought it to his lips.
Oz raised an eyebrow and the corner of his lips curved up.
"Yes, sir. I am here to offer you something. I know someone who would benefit from working for you."
"What is his name?" Baltimore asked.
"His name is Jasper. And if you accept him, I will pay you a very handsome sum of money to take him."**
Twenty-Four Hours Ago…
*Roman Torchwick was normally not used to having a beautiful woman sitting on the edge of his piano listening to him as he played. It was one of the few talents he had that his father actually appreciated, but having a woman like Theodora appreciate it as well added a special touch.
"You do play beautifully. I admire your precision," Theodora complimented. Roman cleared his throat to still his anxiety and continued to allow his fingers to move across the keys. He played to the tune of 'All Our Days', a song that was mostly taken up by piano.
The song also worked well to conjure up an emotional connection with him. His mother had actually sung the song to him when he was a small child.
I will cling, I will clutch, I'll hold onto you, I won't turn away. I won't leave, I won't go, I will stay with you all our days.
If only fate was so kind. His mother had been killed by a violent group of Faunus several years ago. To make matters worse, they had taken her body away. No one had been able to find it.
The memories stopped Roman's fingers. He took a deep breath and scratched his orange hair.
"What's wrong, Roman?" Theodora asked. Roman simply grunted and stood up. Theodora slid off the piano and went over to his side, slipping her arm between his own arm and his side.
"You're thinking of your mother again, aren't you?" She asked. Roman silently nodded.
"You know that it was more your father's fault than the Faunus," she pointed out. Roman clenched his fist so tight his knuckles turned snow white.
"They still played a part. My father didn't kill her, they did," he said.
"It'll all be fixed. You just have to listen to me," Theodora assured him. Roman grabbed Theodora's arm and yanked it away from him. He kept his grip on her.
"What exactly do you have to offer? You don't care about me. You care about that Ozpin fellow. The one you've had your eye on for a long time," he said. Theodora shut her eyes and slipped out of Roman's grasp.
"Have a little faith. I want you to trust me. Soon, your father will be dead. You will own the club and your father's wealth, and Vale will be freed from an enemy. In this matter, everyone except your father wins," Theodora said. Roman picked up the cane that was resting against the piano and twirled it in his hand. He smirked as he watched it move.
He whirled around and started to walk away.
"You can see yourself to the door deary. I have other matters to attend to."**
*Ozpin loved the library, probably more than was healthy to. Seeing other people read real books was a rare find these days, considering that a lot of people just read on electronic devices or from their computers.
Ozpin didn't. In fact, he would normally devour two to three books every week. His quest for knowledge almost never rested.
Glynda enjoyed reading fiction, but Oz read up on history. At the moment, he kept himself engrossed in a book about the largest war in the history of Remnant. A war that took place only sixty years ago. It was a terrible conflict that involved discrimination against free expression and individualism.
The war had gotten so violent, that it was one of the largest reasons why Vale was in the sort of state it was in now, as a city so deeply wounded and broken, that the idea of its recovery seemed almost impossible.
That was something that Oz wanted so badly to fix. But how was he going to do it?
His phone buzzed, yanking him out of his thoughts. He shook his head and picked it up, reading the text sent to him from James Ironwood.
I need your help.
What is it?
There's something I want. Something that will help me with my project.
What project?
We'll discuss this somewhere else. Come with me.
Where are you?
Look up.
Oz looked up from his phone. James was sitting at a table across the room waving at him. Oz chuckled and pocketed his phone.**
*Oz and James walked side by side in the residential district. There, they would have less ears listening in on them.
"So what's this all about, James?" Oz asked.
"I heard that there is going to be a shipment full of equipment from the Schnee Dust Company on the docks tonight. There's something I want to get from it," James replied.
"What is it?"
"Most of the supplies are related to their robots. One of the things is a microchip that's technically a robot brain. I want to get one of those chips and use it for a project I'm working on."
"By saying 'to get one of those chips', you mean steal one of those chips," Oz said. James stuffed his hands in his pockets and vaguely nodded.
"This is Schnee Dust equipment. From what I've learned, they're not interested in sharing."
"We're not criminals James. Besides, stealing from the Schnee Dust company would likely lead to extreme consequences. Why would you want to take that risk?"
"Because I hate them. They deserve every bit of violence they have gotten from the small pockets of Faunus that have been rising against them."
"Are you sure they really deserve all that? They're not like Collus, James. They use dust for good."
"That's what they want you to think. Believe me, Oz, I know what I'm talking about. Please, just this once, help me take from them. If we're caught, I will make sure to take full responsibility for it."
Oz felt a headache begin to blossom. He wasn't sure to whom to trust in this matter. He wanted to believe James, but everything he had heard about the Schnee Dust company was admirable. They used dust to keep stretches of land healthy, in order to protect the environment. They kept the grass green, even if it meant having a little bit of industry involved. Sometimes, questionable things had to be done to make things better. Oz was beginning to see that more and more. If Collus had to die for instance in order for the crystals buried in Emerald Forest to stay protected, so be it. On the other hand, James did more research into the Schnee Dust company than Oz did. It was obvious he knew things that Oz did not. He decided to trust him on this one, at least for a while.
"Alright. I'll help you, but I'm only doing this once."
James grinned from ear to ear. "You won't be disappointed, Oz."**
*While waiting for the cover of nightfall, Oz and James took a detour to a small used goods store. Oz was especially intrigued when he saw James pick up a pair of small, rectangular glasses.
"No smudges, no scratches, no cracks. Looks as good as new," James commented.
"Not for yourself I presume?" Oz asked.
"No, not for me. If I tell you, would you promise not to tell Glynda?"
Oz raised an eyebrow in question but shrugged and nodded.
"I'm getting these for Glynda. I saw her squinting to read a book the other day. If she's not going to get glasses for herself, I'll get her a pair," James said.
"You really don't have to," Oz chuckled.
"But I want to, and I will," James declared. Oz didn't argue any further with him. He wasn't sure why he felt reluctant about it, he just…did. He thought about how he had danced with her just a few days ago. He remembered the look on her face. It looked so content. So at peace. She felt so safe being close to him. It was a bond they shared that was special.
He guessed that that was the reason for his slight jealousy at the thought of James doing something buying glasses for her. He wasn't sure how to take it. He began to wish that he had thought of the idea first.
The door to the store opened, ringing the bell that was directly above it. Oz looked to see Jasper standing in the doorway. His eyes darted left and right quicker than Oz could keep track of. When Jasper's gaze landed on Oz, a bright smile exploded across his face.
"It's you," he said. Oz fidgeted, unsure of what to do then.
"Hello Jasper. How are you?" He asked.
"I'm…I'm doing fine. Okay, I guess."
"Well it's certainly better than 'not' okay. Is there something you need?"
"I…I want to talk to you. Alone," Jasper admitted. Oz glanced over at James for approval.
"We still have about two hours left. Go on ahead," James said.
"Very well then. Come along Jasper," Oz said, walking to the door to follow Jasper out. Once they were outside, Jasper led him to an alley between buildings.
"I think I can trust you, you know, after what you did for me."
"It was a small thing. But trust me about what?" Oz asked. Jasper reached up to the round fur hat around his head and slowly took it off. Underneath his hat on his head were two little bear-like ears.
Oz bit his tongue to keep himself from gasping. Jasper was a Faunus? He had helped a Faunus?
Not that that was distasteful to him, but it was a surprise. He had helped a homeless Faunus, even though the action was very small in scale.
"Do you hate me now?" Jasper asked.
"No. I don't hate you. You turning out to be a Faunus does not change my opinion of you," Oz replied. Jasper let loose a small, grateful grin. Before he could put his hat back on, Oz reached out and took his hands.
"No. Leave it off. Don't be afraid to show the world who you are. Be strong, and live your life without others telling you what you can or cannot do."
"Thank you, sir," James said. A tear rose in his eye which he caught with his hand before it could fall to the ground.
"Perhaps we'll meet again. In the meantime, be careful out there," Oz said. He then made a small salute and began walking back to the store.
Ozpin felt proud of himself for the way he treated Jasper.**
*About two hours later, it was time to go to the docks. James had several spare uniforms that belonged to Schnee Dust Company workers, complete with fake employee IDs.
"We're both only nineteen, James," Oz pointed out.
"The Schnee Dust company hires…adolescents for work like unloading ships or flipping switches. They'll be fooled easily," James assured him.
"I hope you know what you're doing."
"Believe me Oz, I do."
Oz and James looked around at the docks where a large ship was about to land in the center. They joined up with several other employees waiting to unload the supplies. One of them was holding a checklist and he was older than the rest, with a piercing in his nose.
"You two are behind schedule," he grunted.
"We apologize. Several Faunus were giving us a hard time," James explained. The older employee shook his head in annoyance.
"Don't try to explain yourself out of it, just get in line with everyone else," he said.
"Yes, sir," James replied. Without further argument, James and Oz joined the other employees, all of which looked miserable to be there.
"So tell me again why Mr. Schnee is having more means for tighter security sent here," one of the employees asked another. The other employee shifted uncomfortably, not really wanting to talk in the first place.
"There have been confirmed reports of small groups of Faunus hijacking shipments and stealing supplies. They're growing more dangerous."
"As if the war didn't teach both sides how deadly that can be for the people around them," the first employee mumbled. The ship's hatch finally opened up, making itself as a ramp for the crew to come down. Some came with crates on hoverpads to unload the ship.
"A few of the smaller boxes will be taken to a storage facility in the industrial district, we'll have the larger ones left here to unpackage later," the ship's pilot declared. The smaller crates began to get passed down for employees to carry away. James managed to take one with a mischievous grin on his face. Oz placed a hand on his shoulder as he passed by.
"One last chance to rethink this," he whispered. James stared at him long and hard, his eyes had become impossible to read. All Ozpin knew was that his friend had become almost madly driven to do what he wanted to do.
"All I need is one chip," he whispered back. After that, Oz shoved James away, hard enough to take him off his feet. James dropped the crate and it broke open, spilling its contents all over the place. Chips of many different kinds were scattered everywhere.
"Hey! What's going on?" The older employee demanded, pushing his way through the others to get to Oz and James.
"He pushed me! He made me drop the crate and spill everything!" James yelled.
"What are you trying to do?" The employee said, stepping closer to Oz.
"I got angry at him and I pushed him. There's no problem with that is there?" Oz asked.
"Problem? No, no problem. Except for the fact that you spilled all of that equipment on the ground because of what you did!" The employee screamed.
"It seems I'm about to lose my position then," Oz said. James got up beside him and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"I've had enough of this. I'm done. You can tell Mr. Schnee that I will no longer work for him," he said.
"And I think I will step down too. The boss would fire me anyway," Oz admitted. They both turned and walked away, leaving the confused employees behind.
"This isn't over! Mr. Schnee will have you pay him back! I swear it," he claimed. Oz and James grinned but didn't answer.**
*Back on the streets of Vale, Oz walked James back to The Witch's Apple.
"I must confess that was a little amusing," Oz said. James smirked.
"I told you you can trust me. I'm doing the right thing. It's for the safety of Vale."
"What exactly are you trying to do, may I ask?"
James reached into his pocket and pulled out the microchip he had slipped into it while no one was looking. "This is the first step in creating the first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura."
Ozpin's mind was blown. He wondered if it had been literally, because his ability to think was completely gone. A synthetic person generating an Aura. It was unheard of. It didn't sound possible at all. At the same time though, Oz had very little knowledge in the science behind technology, but he knew that James practically bathed himself in it every day. Maybe he was truly onto something. And yet…
"Well, if it doesn't work out, then your robbery tonight was a waste of time, and morality," Oz said.
James only smiled and examined the chip more. "It's so small, yet can do so much. You know how they say something good can be worth every penny?" He asked.
"Yes."
"I think I'll give this chip a name. I'm calling it Penny. I'm calling this Project Penny," he said. The two of them couldn't help but laugh. It was an amusing and fun night for Oz. Now, he had something in mind. He wondered how Jasper would feel if he got him a job in the Schnee Dust company.**
*Early the next morning, James came to the 'happy place', holding the glasses he had bought for Glynda. Glynda was finishing reading the last few sentences of Third Crusade.
"Glynda, come here," James said. Glynda came over to Oz with eyes already glowing beautifully when they gazed at the glasses.
"I have something for you," James said. He slipped the glasses on Glynda's face himself, smiling as if he had created something new that looked gorgeous.
"Now, how do you see?"
"James, I didn't realize until now how handsome a man you are," Glynda commented. Heat blew through James's face and his ears turned red. He wrapped his arms around Glynda and drew her close, feeling so lucky to be with a woman like her. He never wanted the moment to end.**
*"A job? For me?" Jasper asked. Oz couldn't possible contain his delight for the young Faunus. Things were going to get better for him, and he was more than happy to contribute to that.
"Go now. Make some people proud," he said, nudging Jasper to get on the ship, which would take him to Baltimore's palace in Atlas.
"Thank you, Mr. Ozpin," Jasper said.
"Don't thank me, now go."
Oz watched Jasper board the ship and stayed until it flew out of eyesight, leaving him to wonder why he had been called into the Emerald Forest by his father.
He and his father haven't spoken a word to each other in eight months.**
