"The offer is tempting, but what do you get out of it?" He asked.
His caution appeared to amuse her, a small smirk creeping into her expression.
"You're quite perceptive for your kind."
He chuckled.
"So are you refusing?" She asked, slowly gliding to her feet.
"I'll be honest, I'm neither refusing, or accepting."
She nodded. "When you have made your decision, I will return."
He sighed and looked up, mouth agape. She was gone, the same as she had appeared, as if she had never truly been there at all.
Rain. Her favorite, and now, her most hated weather. When she was little, she used to dance around in the cold afternoon rain any chance she could after preschool, her mother always warning her not to stay out too long, if she didn't want to catch a cold. Other times, she forgot her raincoat, and the teacher would send him out after her.
In her pale hand, a relic, of a better time in her life, when her friends, her family were still whole. It had been taken years ago by her mother, when her team had graduated from Beacon Academy. He had always been by her side for as long as she could remember. At first, she thought of him as only her friend, but as the years passed them by, she came to realize she was slowly falling for the orange haired idiot.
Why didn't I tell you sooner? She wondered.
On many occasions they had some drunken...fun, but it had never gone farther than cuddling, games, and the occasional playful flirting.
It hurts.
Her chest was tightening as the memories rolled on. Her heart felt as if it had shattered.
First Emmy, and now you.
She sniffled, holding back her tears.
It's my fault.
A small, round, and clear, stain appeared on the photo. She turned to keep the rain from ruining the photo, but it wasn't the rain. She shuddered as she realized, they were tears. They rolled gracefully down her cheeks, and down her nose, the occasional droplet falling from the tip.
I miss you.
She let go of her umbrella, letting it roll to the side, as she leaned against a support column. She slid to the ground and covered her mouth as more choked sobs escaped her.
She held the photo to her chest.
"We'll need to find your successor soon." She said callously as they continued on.
He houghed, watching as his warm breath swirled in the cool air. "Do we have to speak of this now?" He asked, obviously annoyed.
"Yes." Her tone shifted to something akin to a mashup of worry and pity. "You're not getting any healthier, and at our age, you're lucky you're even still standing."
He opened his mouth to deliver his rebuttal when a bolt of pain wracked his body, sending him into a coughing fit.
"Ozpin!"
He fell to his knees, doubled over, his whole body shaking.
"Ozpin!" She screamed.
It sounded as if he was coughing up a lung.
With every cough, he sucked in as much air as he could, only achieving small, shuddered breaths. At the back of his throat he could taste a coppery, metallic liquid.
Not now. He told himself. I'm not ready.
His eyes still rested on the far wall.
Still the same old wall. He told himself.
It had been a few days since the woman had appeared, and her offer still hung in his mind, festering, growing like a tumor.
"Out of all these people, why me?" He wondered aloud.
"Because, you are unique."
He glanced to his side and saw the woman again.
"How am I unique?"
She slowly looked to him. "You're the only being here to have been born without a semblance."
"I'm the only one?" He asked softly.
She nodded.
His brow furrowed. "And how does that make me special, compared to everyone here?"
She giggled lightly. "Not special. All beings are special. You're unique Roman."
He chuckled.
"I'll let you choose."
"What?"
"I'll let you choose your semblance."
He stared at the porcelain woman for what felt like an eternity in itself, before shutting his eyes. "Will I be able to see Cinder?"
She had stumbled upon them by accident she she had started walking home. She helped to keep the old man from passing out as the woman she assumed was his wife called for paramedics.
When they had arrived, they loaded him into the ambulance and asked the woman for a name, to which she replied "Professor Ozpin."
The paramedic's skin paled, then he started barking orders to his colleagues.
"Ma'am please get in." The paramedic had told the old woman.
The woman in turn told Cinder to come with her. She complied, her mind having been shellshocked.
As they rode to the hospital, Cinder kept glancing from the old man to the old woman, her mind racing at a million miles a second.
When they had arrived, several doctors and nurses wheeled the old man away.
She exited with the old woman who beckoned her to follow as she went inside.
As the old woman checked in at the receptionist desk, Cinder walked over to the waiting area and took a seat, and soon the elderly woman joined her.
They had sat in palpable silence for several minutes before the old woman turned to her and asked, "Do you know who I am?"
Cinder sheepishly smiled. "I think I do. If that man was who you said he was, then you must be professor Goodwitch."
The elderly woman smiled and nodded. "Sadly I don't teach anymore, so please, just call me Glynda, Cinder."
"Yes ma'am. Wait, you remember me?" Cinder asked, a tad bewildered.
"Of course, what kind of professor would I be if I forgot my student's names." She chuckled. "It's been what, ten, fifteen years?"
"Eleven."
Glynda chuckled warmly. "Must be strange seeing me now."
"Sort of. I mean you kind of got old." Cinder chuckled.
"I got wrinkles and grey hair, but I'm still a hardass teacher at heart." She winked.
"You were more of a badass than a hardass Glynda."
Glynda's smile grew slightly and she patted Cinder's shoulder. "Thank you honey, that means a lot."
She nodded, and slowly her eyes drifted to the far off doors they had taken the old man through. "What's happened to him?" She asked softly.
Glynda sighed. "Carcinoma."
Cinder furrowed her brow, visibly confused.
"Lung cancer." Glynda said softly.
"Oh my god...Glynda, I'm so sorry."
"So am I, that dumb old man spends even more time working now than he should be."
"That's Ozpin for you." Cinder said softly.
"Anyways, how is your team? Have you and Roman married yet?" Glynda asked.
Cinder's cheeks were dusted pink with embarrassment. "Uh, sadly no, how did you-"
"Honey, when you've been married as long as I have, you start to realize how obvious kids can be. I honestly am surprised you two never just went at each other in class."
"Glynda!" Cinder yelped sheepishly.
"Oh come on, tell me you're at least dating!" Glynda chuckled.
Cinder opened her mouth, then froze. Tears rolled down her cheeks like tiny streams.
Glynda slowly glanced over at Cinder and felt her heart sink a little.
"What happened?" Glynda asked softly.
"He's gone Glynda. He committed suicide. He died in my arms, and I couldn't save him!" Cinder cried.
Glynda winced as her heart dropped again. She pulled Cinder to her, and held her as the young woman sobbed.
"I couldn't save him!" Cinder's sobbed.
"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay. I'm sure he's in a better place." Glynda cooed softly.
"I've made my decision." He said softly.
She appeared again, as if she had always been there and he hadn't looked hard enough to see her. She turned and she smiled. "Wonderful, what have you decided?"
He shuddered as the words were caught in his throat. He shut his eyes and forced them out. "Deal."
Hi everyone, QroZ here, hope you're enjoying this so far, leave a comment below (if you want), doesn't matter if they're positive or negative, bring them on! Anyways, hope to see you guys in the next chapter, till then, see ya next time!