Chapter 11
Riley impatiently fidgeted in her seat. She was sitting opposite of a bean shaped desk that seemed to be comprised of several large gears encased in glass. The desk belonged to Professor Ozpin, but was presently unoccupied. Riley had been instructed to report to the professor's office and wait for him there. She had been waiting there for almost thirty minutes and was getting antsy from having to sit still for so long. Trying to distract herself from the dread of waiting, Riley took in every detail of the room so as to preoccupy her mind. It was large and circular and very spacious; aside from the desk in front of her there and the chair she was sitting in there was nothing else. Early morning sunlight streamed in from large glass panels that acted as oversized windows. There seemed to be a balcony that encircled the room above her as she could see protective railing, but there wasn't anything that immediately stood out up there from her present point of view. The walls and floor were covered in large gears similar to the table; Riley surmised the professor had some affection for the clock tower feel considering the state of his office.
That was about it. A bland office that was virtually empty. It certainly wasn't what Riley had expected of the headmaster's private room, but then again Riley had always found Professor Ozpin to be someone outside of the standard preconceptions one might have about him. She jumped as the elevator dinged behind her and turned to see Ozpin walking toward the desk sipping a small cup of what smelled like coffee while reading something on his scroll. When he finished partaking of his drink he cast a warm smile at Riley and said, "Good morning, Riley. I apologize for the delay. I just got back in from checking on Westley."
"Oh…"
Riley felt a pang of regret clang in her stomach. It'd been two days since she and her team had touched back down at Beacon and she'd spent most of the time alone. She'd been excused from classes temporarily because of the special circumstances regarding her situation and Riley had wanted time to decompress by herself. As such she had never gotten around to visiting Westley in the hospital. It also didn't help that a severe sense of dread constantly held her back whenever she contemplated going. As Ozpin moved around the table and took a seat opposite Riley, the faunus inquired, "So…um…how is he doing? How bad is it?"
Ozpin raised and eyebrow, "Westley?"
Riley gave a timid nod to which the professor commented, "He's stable for now. Have you not had a chance to visit with him?"
The faunus shook her head.
"Ah. I see," began Ozpin, "Well he's not presently conscious; the doctors thought it best to induce a coma to allow his body to focus solely on repairing itself. Several of his ribs had been shattered completely and those fragments tore through an extensive portion of Westley's insides."
Riley winced at the image. Continuing, Ozpin further explained, "But he's receiving some of the best medical treatment this side of Atlas. I expect him to make a full recovery. Even if it takes several weeks for him to mend completely."
"That's good…" Riley trailed off.
Casting a glance to Ozpin she inquired, "So…why exactly am I here?"
Ozpin took another sip of his coffee before explaining, "Well first and foremost I wanted to see if you were alright. The ordeal you experienced a few days ago is one students of your tenure aren't expected to have to deal with until at least their second year. Most are lucky enough to never experience it while attending an academy. And while your position does lend you to encounter more precarious scenarios compared to your peers, it is unfortunate you had to go through something so traumatic so early."
Riley frowned. 'Her position'. That was a topic that had most definitely been at the forefront of her mind since her return. She'd mulled over everything Axel had told her and recounted all the hairy details of their previous mission and in the end she had several questions concerning 'her position' relative to team WNTR. Before the meeting was over, she was going to have her answers, but for the moment she decided to simply answer Ozpin's immediate query.
"I'm making it. I've had plenty of time to calm down and work on figuring things out, so I'm not as bad as I was the first night back."
"That's good to hear," Ozpin said with a slight smile and a nod, "The next order of business I'd like to address is a recounting of the details of what transpired on your mission. Normally I would be satisfied with a single report from Westley, but considering the circumstances I thought it better to have everyone share their tale. I talked to Axel the day you returned and Pelyope yesterday."
Riley gave a slow bob of her head and asked, "So what exactly do you want to know regarding our mission? I was under the impression you knew everything about it."
"I know of the parameters set for the completion of your mission, yes, but how the team went about meeting those parameters was left to the discretion of your team's leader. I'm also never immediately privy to how events transpire through out said mission. I was just hoping you could walk me through, step by step, what occurred up to your return to Beacon. As I said, I've already received parts of the story from Axel and Pelyope, but I believe you have more details than they do. And with the whole picture at my disposal I can move to respond accordingly to issues brought about in the wake of your mission's completion."
Ozpin wetted his mouth with another sip of coffee and waited for Riley to start whenever she was ready. Taking a deep breath, Riley began explaining to Ozpin exactly how things went down on her first mission. She started with the arrival of the White Fang and then moved to her first sighting of the man in black. Next, somewhat begrudgingly, she explained how she had gone off on her own to purse the man in black and her total defeat. Westley's intervention and eventual routing came after that and then the ride back to Beacon. For the moment, Riley withheld the fact that Axel had told her about what had happened to her predecessor. Aside from Ruruki's death, Riley did her best to convey every element of the mission she could remember. Ozpin remained quiet and seemed to be listening intently the entire time Riley spoke. When she was finished, Ozpin gave a nod to her and said, "Thank you. Your attention to detail was impressive."
"What now?" asked Riley, "Was that it?"
"Now," began Ozpin, "I get the impression there is something you'd like to discuss with me. If I'm correct, by all means, say what's on your mind. I have nothing left to discuss on my end."
Riley flashed back to what Axel had mentioned about her wearing her emotions in her sleeves. She wondered if her displeasure was obvious enough to tip Ozpin off to her intentions. Letting out a sigh, Riley nodded, "Yeah…there were a few things I wanted to talk with you about. I was going to ask Westley about it, but Axel suggested you would be the better option."
"I will do my best to appease you," he answered.
Riley paused for a moment, taking time to organize her thoughts, and then started with, "Well first and foremost what is going on with WNTR? The other three obviously know things I don't and are purposefully keeping them from me. For crying out loud, my first mission with them was protecting a cargo train that was raided by the White Fang! What are students doing clashing with a political group? I don't like being lied to!"
She snapped he mouth shut, not having meant to have raised her voice. Ozpin didn't seem fazed, however. He took a sip of coffee in the silence that followed and then replied, "I apologize for the others, Riley. You are correct. There is actually a lot more going on than you are presently aware of…"
He paused, obviously being careful with how he worded his explanation. When he was apparently satisfied with himself, he began, "I want to preface by stating it was not my nor the rest of your team's intention to lie to you. I hope after I have elaborated on exactly what team WNTR's purpose is, you will understand our hesitancy at immediately bringing you into the fold."
Riley offered naught but a nod in response and, with arms crossed over her chest, waited for Ozpin to speak.
Continuing presently and without hesitation Ozpin explained, "Riley, there is so much more to our world of Remnant than you know. There are forces and individuals scattered across every continent that would like nothing more than to see humanity fall to ruin. I couldn't begin to offer any sort of insight into their thought processes, but the fact stands. These forces work behind the scenes to further their goals and have become increasingly proficient in their affairs. I have been privy to this knowledge for a long, long time and have dedicated myself to striving for the safety of human and faunuskind alike. To this end I have sought out like minded individuals of every race and creed to assist me in my objective and while I am confident in the strength of our small band, it has become painfully obvious that the extent of our reach is limited compared to our opposition. We are spread thin across every continent and have responsibilities that restrict our actions. I do not command an army like Atlas, my influence is not so grand, nor do I have the luxury of opposing them conspicuously. I needed something that could help me in realizing my goals while maintaining enough ambiguity to keep out of the cross hairs of more malevolent forces. The concept that was birthed from my need was a sort of first response unit that could act without oversight from national councils and normal law enforcement."
"And team WNTR is that unit?" questioned Riley, not entirely understanding Ozpin's logic, "Why use students? Why not experienced Huntsmen?"
This drew a small smile from Ozpin who answered, "That's a fair question. The answer stems from my previous point of wanting something ambiguous. Huntsmen naturally attract a lot of attention and most, if not all, have at least some sort of reputation based on the work that they do. Academy students can, similarly to normal Huntsmen, take on missions that can send them to any continent, but unlike their Huntsmen brethren they can move about with significantly less scrutiny. And if the students themselves keep low profiles at their academy that helps even more."
A thought crossed Riley's mind and something suddenly clicked for her, "That's why Pelyope suddenly dropped out of going to tournaments and fighting publically last year."
Ozpin's smile persisted as he continued, "Indeed. So the long and short of the issue is that I required a force that could move around in ambiguity. To that end, I scouted the absolute best of the best of the rising student class last year and brought them together to form the first iteration of team WNTR. Westley, Axel, Pelyope, and Ruruki were the strongest upcoming students to ever grace Beacon Academy in recent years and I believed, or rather still believe, that they are the only proper choice for this responsibility."
"Then why me?" inquired Riley, with a pleading in her voice she didn't mean to have but couldn't control, "I am constantly being told that I was the right choice, that I am definitely up to the task set before me. For the briefest of moments I actually started believing what everyone was feeding me. But this mission made it plain to me that I am completely over my head. What possessed you to pick me? There have to be better choices out there. Thousands of students in the world and you choose me. Why?! And don't feed me that crap that I killed a strong Grimm. I know that there were others in my class that could have beaten it."
"Two."
"What?" blinked Riley, not sure what he was getting at.
"Aside from you there were two other students I was absolutely sure could defeat the Huntsmen Slayer in single combat. And I know that is not a reason you want to acknowledge, but I want to affirm to you that while it wasn't the most major factor in my interest in you, it was something you should take pride in. Amongst every other student in your class, only two of your peers could have matched that feat you performed with one hundred percent certainty."
Riley narrowed her eyes, "Who?"
Without missing a beat Ozpin answered, "Oswin Osprey and Pyrrha Nikos."
Pyrrha was definitely a name that had crossed Riley's mind when Ozpin had mentioned two others of her class, but Oswin's name drop caught her slightly off guard. She had always figured Oswin was skilled, but since Riley had never seen her fight, she didn't have any sort of reference. Pursing her lips, Riley asked, "Then why didn't you pick one of them?"
Ozpin chuckled under his breath, an action that drew a scowl from Riley. The professor drooped his head and murmured to himself, "What is it with this generation of young people questioning my team making decisions?"
The comment obviously wasn't meant to be heard by Riley, but she picked it up nonetheless. Ozpin slowly lifted his head and proceeded to watch Riley for a moment before finally saying, "Truth be told, Riley, you are correct. There are other individuals of a higher skill level than you that I could have picked. Of my peers who were observing your class I was the only one who had hopes for you; the others favored Ms. Osprey or Ms. Nikkos for your present role. But you have something that your friends do not and that I why my support fell on you."
Ozpin sipped from his cup and then continued, "The other two are blessed with a tremendous amount of talent that they have cultivated from an early age. They have trained for the better part of their life and the results are quite apparent. And while they can and likely will continue to improve, their pace has been set. They will only advance at a predetermined amount. That is where you are different. The bulk of your talent has remained mediocre at best during your recorded schooling. It is obvious from a simple review of your file that you lacked any sort of ambition for your training prior to your third year at Signal. That's when you finally set your mind on a goal and started trying. In that single year you grew at an incomprehensible rate. Your academic grades skyrocketed, your combat scores went through the roof, and you have yet to slow down. Your potential for growth exceeds your peers with almost no equal. That Riley is why I hoped you would find the Crystal Relic. That Riley is why I knew you'd find victory against the Huntsman Slayer. That Riley is why I felt and still feel that you were the most proper choice for team WNTR."
Silence fell heavy on the room as Ozpin finished. Riley sat in total quiet as Ozpin's words were milled through by her mind. The professor watched her with a similar reticence, patiently waiting for what Riley would say next. Finally the faunus had come to a decision as to what her response would be, "Sir, I appreciate what you're saying, honestly. There haven't been many people in my life who would say things like that to me and mean it; I can actually count the number on one hand. That aside, the mission made one thing very clear to me. Despite your praise, despite what everyone else has said, I am way out of my league."
"Riley-"
The huntress cut him off, not in any attempt to be rude, but to make sure she was able to get her point across while she still had the courage to talk to the professor so bluntly, "I understand that there are people out there that want to bring down humanity or whatever and that you chose me to try and help stop that, but I'm not ready. Even if you think I'm the right call for this position, as I am now, I just don't think I'm ready for that kind of task. What I'm ready for right now is learning how to fight Grimm and actually fighting Grimm. Me going out into the world to save it from people leagues stronger than me? No. That's not what I signed up for."
Riley gave a sharp exhale as she concluded, "Maybe in a year or two, after I've gotten better. After I've experienced life as a student. If what you said is true about me, my 'potential for growth', who knows where I'll be at in a year. If you're still in need of help then and I think I'm in a good spot, I might just take you up. But for the time being, I want to be taken off of team WNTR; I can't continue on my current path right now as I am."
In what seemed to be a recurring happening for this conversation, silence once again descended on the two. This one, however, was significantly longer than the previous ones. Riley and Ozpin sat in total stillness for several minutes before the headmaster gave a small nod, "If your wish is to be removed from team WNTR, so be it. I still believe you are perfectly fit for the role as is, but if you yourself do not there's nothing much I can do about that. Forcing you to remain a part of the team would be nothing more than detrimental to you and your teammates. However, I have a single stipulation for your request."
"And that is?"
"Give yourself a week. A single week is all I ask. Think over what we've discussed today, reflect on everything that has led you to this point, take time to truly make peace with the trauma you've experienced, and if you still feel the same come seven days time I shall officiate your request."
Riley pursed her lips. She knew what he was trying to do. He was hoping she would falter in her resolve to leave the team, that she would talk with a friend or something and decide not to go through with what she wanted, but the facts were quite plain. Her very first mission pitted her against someone so monstrously powerful he had destroyed her weapon and completely crippled her in one attack. She had witnessed yet another person she knew get struck down by an overwhelming foe in an effort to protect her from harm's way. If those were the kind of threats WNTR was expected to tackle and she couldn't defend herself, how was she was supposed to continue on knowing she'd be nothing but a liability? A week wasn't going to change her mind. There's was no train of thought she could think of that would justify staying on the team and there was definitely nothing anyone could say to her that would sway her. Resolute in her resolve she decided to indulge Ozpin to spare herself the hassle of any sort of argument. Giving a nod she answered, "Fine. One week. But after that I want off team WNTR."
"As you wish," answered a solemn looking Ozpin.
Taking a short breath, he then inquired, "Was there anything else?"
Riley shook her head and rose to her feet, "No, sir."
Ozpin gave an affirmative nod and said, "Understood. Be safe and be well, Riley."
The faunus returned his gesture and turned toward the elevator. Her body felt unbelievably heavy and she was trying desperately to remain composed in front of the headmaster after the serious discussion that had just transpired; speaking as bluntly and as forcefully as she had to a man of Ozpin's calibur was incredibly taxing. The elevator dinged immediately when she pressed the down button and after she had entered she turned to face Ozpin. His expression neutral, the professor watched her silently until the doors had closed and the elevator had begun its descent.
