Chapter 21: Clearly Advice is Not Something I should Listen To

You know when Ozpin told Percy and I that we shouldn't leave the school's campus? Wait of course you do, it was literally a chapter ago, if you were that dumb you'd be reading something slightly worse, like Twilight. Luckily for me, you aren't dumb and you're reading this.

Okay where was I? Right right, Ozpin telling us to not leave the school. Well we passed the message onto Silvia and Matt, who'd kindly told us that Ozpin had already told them that. And by kindly I mean that Silvia nodded politely at the news and Matt growled that they knew that already.

The most annoying part about being stuck in the school was my inability to hunt Noir. According to my intelligence he's behind the uptick in White Fang protests in Vale. They don't tend to work with humans, then again he isn't a normal human. The team had a discussion (which Percy filled me in on later), and came to the conclusion that the protests were to lure Matt out, something we couldn't fall for.

In all honesty the only person still talking to me was Percy, which was incredibly unfortunate because that means I was spending way too to much time in the music room. Which is where I currently am, listening to Percy compose something sad.

"Dude, does it always have to be sad?" I ask from the couch. He misses something and a sour note rings out.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Sad. Does it have to be sad?"

"N-no, but my music reflects how I feel." He says, setting aside his guitar. There's a pause and from the looks of it, he's building himself up to say something huge. After a moment, my suspicion holds true and he speaks up. "We aren't a team anymore!"

"Percy buddy, I've been apart of a lot of groups, they never last. Best not to get to attached to anyone." I say with a yawn, I roll over and grab my bag. I want some chocolate, and it's in here somewhere.

"Is that how you've always lived?" Percy whispers, or maybe he's just speaking at his normal low volume and I just think he's whispering because he's across the room.

"Since I was eight." I mutter absentmindedly. "AH HA!" I shout, triumphantly holding up a chocolate bar. I unwrap it as I turn my attention back to Percy, who's looking extra shakin. "You good buddy?"

"I just…. I've always had my family. Even when they aren't super supportive, they're there. Guess it's just strange to me that you've been alone for so long," he says. My companions and help have been so inconsistent, every time I think I'd found something good, it'd be taken from me in some way. Death or abandonment, good shit.

"Eh, it's no biggie." I take a bite of chocolate and shrug "I'm serious dude, the three of you are still close. That's what matters!"

"But you and Silvia were so, you know!" He gestures wildly, clearly to awkward to put a name to it.

"Yeah well, that's not important to her anymore," I mutter, taking another bite. Why's Percy making such a fuss? "I've got to go." I jump up and nod to him before walking out of the room. I think I hear him make a noise but I don't turn back to see. Once out of the room I hesitate, I had no idea what I wanted to be doing. Actually, that's a lie, I knew exactly what I wanted to be doing. I wanted to be out in the city right now, taking out Noir. However, because of Ozpin being afraid of war, well you know the rest.

I make my way aimlessly through the halls, finding myself at the large balcony near the rear of the castle. It over looks a huge mountain range, the sun just at the peak of the highest of them. It's rather relaxing, and that's coming from me. I hate nature. This view though-

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice says behind me. The gentle tap of a cane shows it to be Ozpin. He comes up to my left and leans on his cane next to me. He takes a gentle sip from his cup.

"I guess it's pretty yeah." I mutter, running a hand through my hair.

"I know what you want to be doing, but you can't."

"Yeah yeah. A war can't be fought without soldiers. I just don't like being cooped up." I groan. It's just the worst. I'm not a chicken! I'm a turkey! Wait. No

"I'm protecting you." Ozpin says, taking another sip. "It may be hard to see right now, but what I'm doing is wh-"

"Oh shush."

"Excuse me?" Oh dang that was funny. I'm pretty sure Ozpin isn't really used to people speaking to him like that, especially a uh younger person, such as myself.

"We both know I'm not just a kid, I can handle myself."

"This isn't another job Azure. You've failed three times to kill Noir, do you know why?" Ozpin asks, turning his full attention to me.

"Because I didn't believe in the heart of the cards?" I fire back with a wink.

"No. It's because you can't kill him, not alone at least."

"Oh god, is this the power of friendship speech, or team work, or that kind of shit? Because I'm so tired of that." Though come to think of it, I'm not sure if I've ever received that speech in it's pure anime form.

"Not exactly no. You tried once with a team didn't you? And yet you failed."

"That's right. They abandoned me." I mutter. Grumpy at the memory of Zane and the rest leaving me.

"That's because they weren't invested in killing him. You do need a team. A man like Noir, with power as great as his, you can't do it alone. Few could, I admit even I would not seek a solo confrontation with him."

"So if you can't do it, I can't do it, and a team of pro assassins couldn't do it, who can, oh wise wizard." I ask him.

"I'm no wizard." He says with a small smile.

"Could've fooled me." Seriously, he could've.

"Mm. I'm sure. What you need Azure, is a team, but a team of people you trust who want him dead as much as you. Zane and the other two just wanted out, they were simply trying to get the Amplifier and run. Perhaps if they'd cared enough to do what you wanted it would've been done. But they did not. Because he's scared them, as he always does."

"Scared them uh? Figures." Stupid cowards. They left me alone.

"Noir defeats his opponents before the fighting starts, that's how he's lived for as long as he has. Think to your fights, what happened before each?"

I frown and think back. Before our first fight, he'd disowned me, and tossed me aside, before the second he'd shown me… well you know what he showed me. And the last one, I don't know what he did to the others, but by the time I got there I'd seen what he'd done physically to them. That bastard, he'd psyched me out every time!

"So you think that without these mind games I could beat him?" I question.

"One on one? Doubtfully, he always has the advantage over you due to your past. But with a good team. Perhaps."

"Uh. Well I should go try that then!" I turn quickly before he grabs my shoulder.

"However, I don't want you seeking him out still. Or leaving the school in general."

"The war doesn't bother me! I'm not involved."

"And that's the reason I don't want you seeking out Noir either."

"That doesn't make sense!" I practically shout, ripping my arm out of his grip.

"It does, think about it, and you'll understand. Hopefully you can fix it." He says gently. He takes a slow sip, and with a final nod turns away and walks down the hall, to where I don't know. Or care.

Stupid Ozpin and his weirdly cryptical advice. Fix what? Do I need Bob the Builder? Who knows? Not me!

Whatever, I'm going to get something to eat, that's not chocolate, and then after that, I'm going to eat some chocolate.

Down in the cafeteria I found an amazing plate of waffles, which I am now eating. I eat alone, which has become the norm recently.

I'm so absorbed in eating my waffles that I don't notice anyone approach until I hear the loud scrape of a chair being pulled back. I look up and find Silvia sitting down with something sad, a salad.

"Uh hey?" I ask, I'm sure the uncertainty is super clear. She sort of stabs the salad a few times before looking at me.

"Percy told me to come talk to you." Wow Percy, I'm not sure if I should thank him or not. Guess I'll find out.

"Well… that was nice of him." I say, with a smile.

"Azure, he wants things to go back to the way they were. They'll never go back there." There's a moment of silence after she says this that drags on. The words of wisdom that Ozpin literally just imparted onto me slide through my brain. Heh, slide.

"Why not?" I ask.

"Because you're a killer!" She cries out.

"You know that before Arthur, what changed?"

"I got to see it, truly see it. It was horrible." She mutters rubbing her forehead. "This was a mistake, I should leave." She starts to stand but I grab her hand. There's another, awkward pause. I wish I'd thought that through before, you know, doing it. I slowly let go, trying for another smile.

"Sorry. It's just that… I understand that it's hard to see, but that wasn't bad, it really wasn't. Killing for you and Matt is taboo, something that is gross. For me though it's been a necessity for years." I tell her, trying to reason with her. Reason is good, it's reasonable.

"That doesn't make it right!" She counters.

"Maybe not, but it's how I'm alive right now. You two haven't had to, not to survive."

"That's right, because we weren't paid killers." Silvia growls. She is not wrong.

"You weren't, but Silvia please, I except that you don't kill, why can't you except that I have to!"

"What you're asking me to except impacts other people!" She whisper shouts. She's being kind enough to not draw attention to us with our argument.

"Silvia, why do you have such a huge hang-up about this?"

"Because it's not necessary." She hisses violently.

"It is! Noir can't be held! And as for Matt, well… you see why he's being dumb right?"

"I… it's war. It's different!"

"How? How is it different? Are there less people trying to kill me, less pain, less blood? Or maybe there's more loneliness, is that it? Where's the difference Silvia, because I don't see any!" She takes a step back, pain on her face.

"Azure I'm sorry, it's not right-"

"Stop! Stop." I interrupt her, breathing heavily. "Just stop. Silvia all I want to do is help people, and you think I'm what I've tried not to be. So you were right, this was a waste of time, but not because you're done with me, but because I'm done with you." I growl, standing as well. I turn around and walk away, I hear her shout something, maybe asking me where I'm going, or maybe asking if I'm going to finish my waffles, but I don't stop. I'm tired, and I'm angry, so now I'm going into the city. There's a protest to break up.