Chapter 2: A Second Chance to Make a First Impression
AN: The chapter that establishes the basics of Kassidy's past, and the foundation for the relationships she'll build with people. Lots of dialogue incoming. As always, don't hesitate to leave a comment critiquing my work so I can make the future entries that much better.
(Perspective: Ozpin)
"You want to come to my school?"
"More than anything."
"Well, okay." As Glynda groaned yet again at Ozpin's unorthodox methods and Ruby's eyes widened, the headmaster was pleased with how events were passing tonight. Well, the events so far. "One more thing, if you don't mind?"
"Of course! I mean, uh, sure." Ruby practically yelled at Ozpin from sheer excitement before she could get herself in check.
"It has to do with that girl who was with you tonight. She is proving to be quite the enigma. I was hoping you could help us in learning more about her."
"Oh yeah." Ruby looked at the table at the mention of the strange lady who showed up out of nowhere tonight. "She seemed pretty hurt, but I think we'll be able to talk. If she's up for it."
"Now there we seem to have a problem. If you could follow me."
The trio left the room, and after a short walk found themselves on the other side of a one-way mirror to another room. There, Kassidy was seated in a chair, staring into space. A black box, which seemed to be some sort of computer, was chattering away at her, which she either ignored or mumbled at. Grabbing a clipboard, Glynda turned to Ruby.
"She's been like this for a while now. Once she got seated, she dug in her bag for some bandages that couldn't possibly be sterile and quite poorly addressed the wounds in her abdomen. After that… she's been completely zoned out. She hasn't even conversed with her device in any meaningful way."
"Alright. She seemed to be in a lot of pain when we were on the way over here – maybe that's why she hasn't said anything. I can try and see if she'll talk with me, but…" Ruby thought for a moment. "What are you wanting me to talk with her about?
Ozpin didn't even look away from the mirror. "For now, just make sure she's alright and see if she wants to talk."
(Perspective: K)
This is bad. I'm stuck in an interrogation room without my weapons and with metal in my gut. I knew I shouldn't have trusted that woman.
The room swam around Kassidy as she tried to focus on the hell that had been the past hour. The adrenaline high which helped her ignore the shrapnel in her stomach crashed hard and let the pain return with a vengeance. The car ride was miserable, taking turns just hard enough to make the pain force its way to the front of every thought. It took everything she had to not scream and bawl like a baby. When they arrived at… wherever they were, Kass was promptly disarmed. She didn't like it, of course, but she wasn't in much position to do anything about it.
And then I got dropped in this room. At least they've left me in peace so far. Staggering to a seat, Kassidy had wasted no time in digging some grimy cloth out of her bag and wrapping it around her torso. It was practically a flashing neon sign of infection and did nothing about the actual problem of scrap iron in her abdomen, but it cut the bleeding down to manageable levels. Still, it did nothing to alleviate the pain that almost had her doubled up in fits of tears. So Kassidy did the one thing she could do about it, which left her in her current state.
Letting her focus drift, she was able after a minute of concentrating to deaden her nerves from feeling. Kassidy cutting herself off from pain was nothing new, and there had been multiple times in the past where it had come in handy. The searing fire in her midsection had died down to a dull ache.
But eliminating sensation doesn't come without drawbacks, she thought grimly. Ignoring the signals from so many nerves had the effect of partially separating her from the world. She knew the air conditioner kept the room freezing cold only because of the goosebumps on her skin; she couldn't actually feel the temperature. She knew the chair was uncomfortable only from the way she kept shifting her posture. Her body felt like it was made of lead, it was impossible to focus her vision on anything, and any sound was horribly muffled, like she was underwater. She was vaguely aware of Bob trying to get her attention.
"Bob, you know how I space out when I need to remove the pain." The words came out slurred, as if she were drunk. "Just… don't talk to me unless someone comes in so I know to snap out of it." The computer said something again, and Kass groaned. "What was that?" Focusing all her will on hearing, she was just able to make out:
"Someone is here. The Scythe Girl."
Blearily looking around, Kassidy was just able to make out a swirl of black and red. Focusing again, she willed feeling back into her body, and the world suddenly came rushing back. A gasp was shuddered as the pain came flooding back as well, but at least now it wasn't dominating her mind.
"Hey there." Kassidy was surprised at how weak her own voice sounded. She must have lost more blood than she thought.
"Hi!" The little girl took the chair opposite the table, and motioned at her midsection. "Are you okay? That doesn't look good."
"It's fine. For now." Forcing out a weak smile, Kass could tell that the girl wasn't buying it. I always was a terrible liar. "Do you have a name, kid? Bob keeps calling you Scythe Girl, but I don't think that's it."
The girl giggled. "Ruby Rose. And who's Bob? Is he who you've been talking to over your box?"
"Bob's my computer. Say hi, Bob."
"Greetings, Ruby Rose. I am Bob, an artificial intelligence program. Well, that's actually a bit of misnomer as I've yet to achieve sentience, but-"
"She doesn't need the whole spiel, dingus. And I'm Kassidy. So what brings you to my little slice of paradise?"
"The woman we were with was getting concerned about how you were looking. She wanted me to come check on you and see if you wanted to talk." Tilting her head to the side, Ruby was the picture of adorable curiosity. "Where did you come from? A giant metal suit's kind of hard to hide in, but I didn't see you earlier."
Some idiot forgot how to perform basic calculus and killed everyone. Even thinking about it, the phrase sounded ridiculous. "Just arrived in town not long before that scuffle in the street. I'm a traveler."
"Oh. Where did you travel from? Atlas?"
"I'm…" Alright, how do I put that I'm a multi-dimensional universe hopper? "… not from around here. And do you seriously have a country that's named after a book of maps?"
"Yeah, it seems kinda weird. Oh well! So… you're from outside the kingdoms?"
"One could say that." Offering a grin, Kassidy's attention was drawn by the door opening and a silver haired man walking in. Black and green suit, black spectacles, and a cane all shouted that this guy thought he was someone important. He probably is too. "Looks like they decided they're ready to interrogate me. You… might not want to be here for this."
Glancing behind her, Ruby saw Ozpin walking in with another plate of cookies and a fresh cup of coffee. Glynda was standing by the open door. "Oh, he's not going to interrogate you! He's really nice and – "
"Ms. Rose? If you could come with me so that Ozpin can talk with the lady…" Glynda motioned, and Ruby sulked out, but not before giving a wave and saying how nice it was to talk.
Taking Ruby's seat, the man being called Ozpin set the plate of cookies down in the middle of the table before speaking up. "Please relax, Ms. Kassidy, this isn't an interrogation." Wouldn't be the first time I've heard that. "I can arrange to have a doctor look at that, if you want." Ozpin motioned to her torso.
Sitting up straighter – only to clutch at her wounds in pain – Kassidy eyed the man in front of her. "Thank you, but I'll be able to take care of it myself once I get some fresher bandages."
"Yeah, because you're so good in dealing with the squishy stuff." Even with being a computer, the mirth in Bob's robotic voice was palpable. "If you throw up on me again…"
"Shut up, Bob." Ozpin gave her an inquisitive look. "Forgive him, err, us. It's been a while since we've dealt with people not trying to kill us." Kassidy offered a grimace. "And I may or may not have a weak stomach."
"I see." Ozpin was slowly, methodically choosing his words. At least they haven't gone straight to the torture. "You've caused quite the stir around here, believe it or not. Showing up in a flash of green light, wearing a suit of armor, and breaking up a storefront robbery."
"I always did have a knack for being in the wrong place at the right time." Useless information, small talk. Just keep him talking, get him distracted from- .
"And yet you chose to intervene. Despite, from what I understand of the events that transpired, having a strong inclination towards not dealing with excitement."
"They tried to rob a kid. She barely looks twelve. Once they drew on her, there wasn't a choice to be made." Sighing, Kassidy looked at the wall over Ozpin's shoulder.
"Yet that doesn't explain why you almost drew your weapon on my associate here." Pulling out a screen from absolutely nowhere, Ozpin showed a video clip from Wand Woman's perspective: Kassidy reaching for her pistol, then stopping whenever she looked to the side to see Ruby. "Tell me, what made you think about attacking the woman that just saved your life twice?"
Kass' mood visibly soured. "There's a saying where I'm from: it's not paranoia if the world is actually out to get you. I didn't know what she wanted, and I still don't really know. But past experiences have taught me that I save myself hassle and injuries when I don't find out."
Ozpin's eyes narrowed. Kassidy's heart strained against her chest. "And who, exactly, has been out to get you such that you would have this demeanor? You certainly have the look of one who's lived a hard life."
Oh shit. What do I say? Do I lie and probably get caught? If I tell the truth, then the best I could hope for is a jail sentence. Wait, is it? I haven't done anything illegal here… yet. But if I can get away with lying, I can walk free and start establishing myself in this brave new wo-.
"Are you alright, Kassidy?" Ozpin looked at her expectantly. Not threatening. Inquisitive. Maybe I can work with this.
Letting a breath out, Kassidy composed herself. "Everyone. The gangs were trying to kill me because I wasn't one of them. The authorities were trying to kill me because they thought I was with the gangs. Anyone who somehow hadn't picked a side yet were trying to kill me because they thought I was trying to kill them." Kass made eye contact with Ozpin. "Being a good person got you killed. I chose to live."
Ozpin seemed almost… amused? "You have most certainly lived. And your skill with a gun does reflect that you've had to use it quite often. But tell me this:" Ozpin leaned in, their faces only a foot apart. "Did you regret it?"
The question caught her off guard. "Did I…?"
"Did you regret killing the people you killed this evening? The ones out at the shop, trying to rob a young girl."
Wow, this guy is into some deep stuff. Leaning back into her chair, Kassidy gave the question some thought, genuinely not knowing the answer. They were robbing a kid. What kind of low life scum does that? The world's better off without such folk. Her face settled into a scowl. Except I'm a low life scum too. Everyone has a story, and I had no idea what theirs were. I just ended the stories. Would I want someone gunning me down for some of the things I've done?
"Do you regr-"
"Yes, I do. I don't regret having acted, but the fact remains that I killed them." Kassidy looked at the wall again, unable to meet Ozpin's gaze. "There could've been a better way, if I was thinking clearer, relying less on instinct. I wouldn't want someone gunning me down for doing some of the things I did, without knowing my story. But I didn't know their story; I just ended it without caring about the contents."
Ozpin appeared deep in thought. Eventually, his face softened a bit. "Do you know who I am?"
Kassidy gave it some thought. "You're apparently a certain Ozpin. But that's only a name. As to who you are…" Kass thought a little longer. "Ruby called the woman we were with a huntress. She seems to have deferred to you, and you have similar mannerisms, leading me to believe that you share fields – that is, a hunter – and that you're her superior as far as rank goes. But you also carry a scholarly air around you. A highly inquisitive mind, a keen eye for detail seems to suggest academia. Your outfit shows that you think quite highly of yourself, an opinion that was probably earned. And I sincerely doubt you could afford that kind of outfit on a law enforcement officer's salary." Finally meeting Ozpin's gaze, Kassidy grinned despite herself. "My best guess? You're a professor at a local university, highly esteemed, and you do consults for the local law enforcement."
It was Ozpin's turn to grin. "It appears you have quite the eye for detail yourself, though you're only partially right I'm afraid. I am indeed a professor, though the school isn't quite a university. I am also a Huntsman, though we aren't quite law enforcement officers. Rather, Huntsmen and Huntresses are the guardians of this world, protecting people from the evils that threaten them. I myself assist mostly by serving as the headmaster for Beacon Academy, a school focused on training the next generation of Huntsmen."
Kassidy had a few seconds to take in what was just said, then Ozpin continued. "You have entered a far more dangerous world from where you left. Intelligence and tenacity have gotten you far in coming here, but the things that wait outside will not care. You will need resources and instruction if you hope to prevail against them. Resources and instruction which, if you're willing to accept my offer, I can provide."
Here it comes. "What kind of offer?"
"Normally, entrance to Beacon Academy is conditional on the passage of a rigorous entrance exam. This exam is meant to measure one's aptitude for learning as well as for combat, to determine whether they can be trained to be this world's guardians. But, after seeing you in action and talking with you now, I have little doubt you would pass the exam with flying colors."
Kassidy's eyes widened. Is he actually…
"I would be willing to drop that requirement and allow you entry into my academy, on one condition. That condition being that you strive towards higher ideals than mere survival. Being a good person might have gotten you killed earlier, but this is different. As a huntress, you will need to be the good person that prevents acts of kindness from becoming lethal to the average person."
Taking a thick swallow, Kass let out a breath. This is too good to be true. There's no way he's actually giving me a way out. But a look into the hazel eyes told all. But what if it is true? This is the break I need, really badly. Collecting herself, Kassidy regarded the man in front of her. "Well, I've made agreements on shakier grounds than that. I can't promise that I'll instantly be the nicest person around…" Her eyes sunk to her lap. "But I'll work on it. Old habits die hard, but I can do what it takes to make them die. So, is there a dotted line I need to sign or something?"
Ozpin stood up. "That won't be necessary. What will be necessary is getting you to a surgery, however. Opening day for my school is tomorrow, but I've managed to secure quarters for your lodging for tonight. And I'd rather not pay to replace blood-soaked sheets." Offering a hand to help Kassidy up, Ozpin reached for the untouched plate of cookies. "If you aren't going to have any, I will. I worked hard on these."
"I'll have some too, please." Bob decided to try his luck at speaking out again. Because a tablet computer eating cookies was totally a logical happening. And totally something that he'd say, too.
"Tell you what, buddy. If you can get them, they're all yours." Kassidy felt a genuine smile form on her lips for the first time in years.
"You enjoy teasing me, don't you?"
"Of course."
