I do not own RWBY
Mountain Glen, the base of Vale's failed expansion, was not only filled with grimm but also a drug smuggling front for Niko's organization; not that she would know anything about that. Landing gently in the ruined street, Ruby straightened as her team landed beside her while Raven transformed and flew off to scout their surroundings. They'd already been given orders to establish a base of operations for the duration of their mission. She was hoping to find a place that was well defended.
Raising an eyebrow at the approaching pack of beowolves, Ruby glanced at Jay. The faunus met her gaze for a moment before shrugging and lunging toward the grimm. Watching his movements closely, Ruby raised a hand to stop Weiss when the girl started to help him. Ignoring the curious glance that was sent in her direction, Ruby observed her bodyguard obliterate the grimm. It was still strange to think about having a bodyguard, but Jay was a good fighter. The chain he used was a weapon that she'd never seen before; she wanted to fight him. Pushing the battle urge to the back of her mind, she allowed a small smile to appear on her face as the boy came to a stop in front of her.
"Well," he asked after pressing a button on the side of his mask. Watching the material recede from his face Ruby knew he was asking for an assessment of his skills. The bright grin on her face told him that she was very impressed.
"That was amazing," she said being rewarded with a twitch of his lips.
"Thank you, Princess," he teased watching as the grin was replaced by a blank expression. Her obvious disapproval of his nickname did nothing to persuade him to change it. Hearing Liam laugh loudly she forced her annoyance to the back of her mind as Weiss moved forward to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. Glancing toward the heiress she frowned at the concern on her face. Weiss knew all about having unwanted nicknames, didn't she? It hadn't helped that Blake had smirked at the nickname causing the embarrassment that Ruby felt to skyrocket.
"Moving on," Ruby stated deciding to ignore Jay's teasing. Turning to face her team she trusted Jay to guard her back as she grinned at them saying, "Our first order of business is to find a base."
"What about Raven," Yang asked her tone cold. All of them noticed the blonde was trying to separate herself from her mother but Ruby saw the pain still lurking in her sister's eyes.
"She'll find us later," Ruby said. Staring at her sister in confused worry she didn't see the hand Liam laid on the blondes back. Relaxing at his touch Yang sent a small smile to her sister as Blake eyed the exchange with a raised eyebrow.
"What's the plan," Weiss asked as she laid a hand on the hilt of her rapier.
The White Fang was supposed to be here; even now they could be watching them from the shadows waiting to strike. While she might have a deal with Viper, there was no telling how the other agents who were not under his command would react. That was a lie until she took over the SDC she was still an enemy of the White Fang. If she wanted her peace she would have to survive until the day she gained control and power in Atlas. Until then she would do whatever she had to do to protect herself and her friends even if that meant she might have to kill. Hearing Ruby clap her hands, the heiress straightened.
"We'll split up into three groups: Blake will go with Weiss, Yang can go with Liam, and lastly I'll go with Jay," Ruby announced. Watching her teammates careful she noticed annoyance flash through Blake's golden eyes if only for a second. In fact, if she hadn't been watching, she wouldn't have even noticed just how annoyed her Second was with the idea.
"I want to go with you," the girl stated despite knowing that Ruby wouldn't change her mind. She could still remember the way Mercury had looked at her Leader and while she logically knew he wasn't here; she didn't want to leave Ruby alone.
"Sorry Blake, I need you with Weiss, there are White Fang agents around here Weiss is the Schnee heiress, with your enhanced senses you'll be able to keep her away from any agents you find," her leader said. Straightening Blake looked at their white-haired teammate who had taken to staring at the ground.
Ruby was worried about Weiss being in what could be a White Fang stronghold and frankly, Blake agreed. If Weiss was found, then the White Fang would either take her hostage or kill her depending on who was commanding them. A pair of sadistic golden eyes flashed through her mind and Blake resisted the urge to shiver. He wasn't, couldn't, be here. Leaving Sienna just to come to command a field operation wasn't something that sadist would do.
"Understood," she said. The firm nod she gave was rewarded with a bright smile from her leader that she couldn't look away from. Staring at the bright expression on Ruby's face, Blake suddenly felt warm. Shifting on her feet she looked away from her teammates in favor of surveying their surroundings; part of her actually hoped a grimm would attack so that she would stop feeling this. Feeling Weiss move past her toward the alleys around them, she took one last glance toward her leader before following.
"Be careful Ruby," Yang whispered as she patted her sister on the shoulder.
"Always."
Once her team was out of sight Ruby changed. The bright expression darkening to something much more dangerous. Turning to face Jay she looked into the dark emerald eyes staring down at her. She didn't want to entertain the idea that she might be betrayed by someone she liked but she was sure that Mercury and his team were the ones plotting to destroy Beacon. The fact was that he'd targeted her right from the start and, knowing that someone as attractive as Mercury wouldn't be interested in someone like her, it was easy to see he had an ulterior motive.
That wasn't to say that she didn't like Mercury; she really did like the older boy, but she wasn't blind. He'd been seducing her from the moment he arrived at Beacon, thinking about it he was actually quite good at seduction. Based on Blake's report of a woman with fire abilities at the White Fang meeting, assuming it was the same woman from the night she met Roman, Ruby supposed they knew of her connection to Ozpin. If Cinder was that woman, Mercury seducing her would give them an advantage over Ozpin when they struck. Of course, this was all just a theory.
"Tell me what you know about Mercury Black," she ordered causing Jay to straighten. Looking down at her he inclined his head.
"As you wish."
Twenty minutes later she was following Jay through the streets with a steady hand on her weapon just in case they were attacked while her mind considered the truth that she'd learned. Mercury shared the same last name as an assassin known throughout Mistral as such it was likely the boy was an assassin himself. It was possible that the shared last name was just a coincidence; personally, she wanted it to be a coincidence. However, she was mature enough to realize that getting what she wanted all the time wasn't possible.
Gods she was frustrated. Why did everything have to become so complicated so quickly? At this point it wouldn't be too inaccurate to blame Ozpin for her current issues, however, she only had herself to blame. The turning point in her life was the day she fought Roman in that dust shop; a man she was now working to save. If she'd never walked into that dust shop would Ozpin still have recruited her or was that simply what got his attention? It was doubtful that the man hadn't known about her with all the ties he had to her parents. There was also the fact he knew about the Vale underworld enough to have meetings with Niko; Ozpin it seemed was far more attuned to the darkness of Vale than she'd thought. Just who was the man behind that mask?
No, right now it didn't matter who Ozpin truly was. Their mission to save Roman, as annoying as he was, came first. Roman wasn't a good person, at this point she honestly didn't know if anyone was a good person, but he didn't deserve to die. Glancing at Jay who had stopped a few feet away she could see the questioning light in his eyes; great now her bodyguard, wait was she getting used to that, wanted to interrogate her too. Sighing, because she knew she couldn't avoid him, she gave a reassuring smile and motioned for him to ask his questions.
"What are you going to do," he asked curiosity tainting his tone. Watching her twitch as her smile became even more strained, he shifted on his feet.
"I don't know," she admitted. She wanted to wait until Ozpin came out and told her everything but that didn't mean she wasn't going to fact check everything; Niko had drilled proper information gathering into her head at an early age. Plus it didn't help that she didn't want Mercury to turn out to be a villain. Tapping a beat on her weapon, she said, "I'm still hoping that it's a coincidence."
"Because you like him," Jay stated as if it was a well-known fact. Taking the way, she looked down in shame as an admission he asked, "How much of your conversation before we left was real?"
Ruby stilled completely. It wasn't hard to say that if it was anyone else then she wouldn't be answering this question. In truth, it hadn't been hard for her to realize that she actually liked Mercury despite how foolish the thought was. Mercury was amazing in a way that made her realize just how much she wanted someone to care about her the way Niko cared for Glen. Her family loved her, she knew that, but there was something missing in her life. However, she would not put her personal emotions ahead of doing what she had to do as a Huntress.
"All of it," she finally said. She knew that Jay wouldn't spill her secrets. Reaching up to tug at a strand of her hair she decided to tell the truth saying, "Mercury is… well in truth I like him much more than I'm willing to admit."
"But he might be an enemy," Jay pointed out as if she hadn't already thought about the possibility.
"Yep," she agreed only for her fake cheerfulness to fade when she realized he wasn't going to let her get away with her admission. Sighing she tugged at her hair again before saying, "Jay, it's possible to like someone without trusting them just like it's possible to trust someone without liking them."
"Raven and Ozpin," he said with a nod.
"This entire situation is going to get worse before it gets better," she said. The defeated tone of her voice didn't surprise him as she moved to lean against the wall beside him.
That was an understatement. This entire world was going to set itself on fire before the end of the year and they would be at the center. His hand twitched at the thought of the chaos coming in the next few months, in truth, he had no idea if it was despair or longing that filled him.
"War," he stated just to clarify. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he said, "The tribe is stationed between Vale and Mistral; we won't be able to arrive if anything happens to Beacon."
So, Rave was preparing for war instead of just being ominous. With the Tribe ready to beat back the grimm and protect the smaller villages, people would be safe. Now all they had to do was protect Vale and it's people. Still, the idea of someone attacking a school full of huntsmen and huntresses was worrying; just how strong was their enemy going to turn out to be.
"That's fine," she said with a shrug. Just like him, she felt a twitch of excitement at the prospect of a difficult fight; she blamed her Branwen blood. Offering him a small smile she said, "Beacon is a school full of warriors; there is not a single one of us that will back down if attacked."
"And if it's Mercury attacking," he asked. Seeing her smile become wooden he wondered if she was starting to fall for the other male. In truth, he wouldn't mind if she managed to turn Mercury to their side but at the same time, he wouldn't make her compromise who she was for what they needed. Resisting the urge to run a hand through his hair he asked, "Do you want me to deal with him?"
"No, I will continue hoping that he won't become my enemy," she admitted. There was no doubt that Jay would kill Mercury if she wanted him to.
"And if he does," Jay asked pushing the issue. It was obvious that she didn't want to think about what might happen if Mercury became their enemy, but he had to know what she wanted him to do.
"Then I will deal with him myself," she stated.
There was no hesitation in her voice this time as she stood gripping the metal of her weapon. Her vibrant eyes were cold as ice and he knew that this expression should terrify him, yet he felt content. His Princess was strong enough to shove away her emotions to deal with a threat, knowing that he wasn't afraid of leaving her alone. Ruby was far more like Raven than he'd thought she was.
"As you wish,"
(Velvet)
Taking the elevator up to Ozpin's office, she held a shaking hand to her ribs. Yatsu still hadn't woken up, Fox was almost catatonic, and she…she felt horrible. If she'd been stronger then maybe Coco would still be here. Ciar had said that Coco was still alive, but she wasn't here. Coco had always been here for her, and in the time, Coco needed her Velvet was just sitting here unable to do anything. She was so useless. They were struggling, so much, without her leader.
When the elevator stopped, she could hear angry shouting. Letting her hand drop from her side she walked into Ozpin's office slowly to find Ciar screaming at Ozpin with nothing but fury on his face. The boy's entire team was in the office too, but they were just standing there watching the one-sided shouting match. Ozpin was, of course, ignoring him completely in favor of looking at his scroll. Glancing up at her the man dropped his scroll and stood immediately.
"Miss Scarlatina, are you alright, do you need to sit down," he asked as he rounded the corner of his desk. Laying a hand on her shoulder, he led her to the couch without waiting for her to answer. Sitting down slowly she fought the urge to wince but managed not to show the pain.
"I'm fine Professor. I came to ask if there's been any progress," she asked softly. Hearing Ciar snort she glanced over at him. He was glaring at Ozpin with a heated gaze; not even Zero's placating hand on his shoulder could calm him down.
"We shouldn't be standing here waiting for news, we should be out there looking for her," he snapped. His glaring eyes shifted to Velvet for a moment before he looked away. If he'd been with Coco then she wouldn't be missing. There was no way that he would have allowed a serial killer to even breathe in Coco's direction.
"Mr. Kearney, for the last time I am not going to send a team of second years to search grimm tunnels. I already have a trained, graduated huntsman searching for Miss. Adel," Ozpin explained for the fourth time. Feeling his hand twitch as Archon's laughter echoed in his mind, he resisted the urge to rub his forehead.
"Well you're not going fast enough," Ciar said. Instead of yelling his voice had lowered until he was almost growling. "You have no idea what she's going through down there!"
He didn't either due to Glynda not allowing him to use his semblance for a couple more hours but he still remembered the fear on her face when she realized just how alone she was down there. He couldn't do a damn thing to help her and that killed him. Even after all these years, he was nothing more than the scared little boy who couldn't do anything but watch. Seeing the concerned look his twin sent in his direction, Ciar wondered if his fear showed on his face.
"Ciar just calm down," Velvet said softly. She was trying, gods he knew she was trying, to keep her composure but it didn't matter. Even now he didn't care that she was only saying this to help him calm, he just wanted to hurt her.
"No, if it wasn't for you she wouldn't be down there in the first place," he snarled. It was easier to blame Velvet because she'd been there when Coco fell.
"That's not fair," the faunus stated her eyes hardening. The suddenly cold expression on her face caused him to smirk.
"What's not fair is you coming into her life, and getting her thrown off a fucking cliff," he told her unconcerned with the way she flinched. He didn't care that he was hurting her if anything it felt nice. He hated that she was the one that Coco chose over him.
"Ciar," Zero whispered playing a hand on his shoulder. Shrugging her off he almost snarled as he took a step toward the faunus.
"No, if I was there then Coco would be here," he said enjoying the way the woman flinched. Every action he took was to hurt her and all of them knew it. Seeing his twin look away Ciar rolled his eyes at his weakness. He believed Velvet was at fault for what happened to Coco and nothing could change his mind.
"No, she wouldn't. Not even you in all your infinite arrogance could possibly believe you could be a match for a trained huntsman," Ozpin stated reminding them all that he was in the room. Looking at his students with a cold expression he tried to push down the sudden feeling of exhaustion.
Feeling a hand grab his arm he stiffened barely resisting the urge to slap away the offending limb. Looking down at the brown-haired girl holding his arm he raised an eyebrow at the anger in her eyes. He'd never thought that Velvet would be brave enough to get touch him without permission; it was slightly impressive although he doubted it had been a premeditated movement.
"That serial killer is no huntsmen, he's a monster and he's still out there," Velvet snapped her grip on his arm tightening.
"There is nothing you can do to change that," He said without hesitation. There was no guilt at the reminder of his lie. The fewer people who knew the truth about Tyrian meant he could hold the man longer.
"So, let us go look for Coco," Ciar said. The determined tone echoed in the office causing Ozpin to still.
Honestly, at this point he was beginning to regret decided to become a headmaster; it got difficult after a while to watch his students go off and make the same foolish decisions time and time again. He knew how this would play out: his students would go off to save Coco only to die themselves while clearing the tunnels. They wouldn't even get close to the brown-haired girl, instead, they would sacrifice their lives for nothing.
"No," he said trying to end the conversation. He hoped they would just let it go; he would not sacrifice his students. Feeling a tug on his arm he frowned his eyes meeting Velvets.
"Please," she whispered softly on the verge of tears.
They weren't going to give up, were they. On the other hand, he wouldn't have given up either if he was in their shoes. Loyalty was a good trait for huntsmen but… he didn't want to let his children die. Taking a deep breath, he gently pried Velvet's hand from his arm and stepped forward; even if he stopped them here, they would find a way to go through with their foolishness. There was nothing he could do to stop them, yet he could guide them.
"Teams CFYV and CEZR are assigned to act as support to Qrow Branwen effective tomorrow, for now, you should all rest," he ordered. Mentally he apologized to Qrow for throwing these children on his shoulders.
"Thank you," Velvet whispered a small smile appearing on her face.
"Don't thank me for this," he stated. Pinning them with a harsh stare he said, "you will all be in grave danger. I do hope you realize that."
"We'll be careful," Ciar said with smug satisfaction.
Watching them leave his office, Ozpin realized with a bitter taste in his mouth that they had no idea how to harsh this world could actually become. Stumbling back to lean against his desk he raised a trembling hand to his face. Even with the makeup hiding the dark circles under his eyes he couldn't hide his exhaustion any longer. It didn't surprise him that he was finally going to crash after spending so long awake, but he'd been hoping for just a little more time. There was still too much for him to do, sleeping now just wasn't possible. He just needed more time.
(Coco)
The human stank. It was a fact he'd been steadily ignoring for the last two moon rises, which given the fact she did nothing but rest and eat, had led him to tolerate her presence. What he wouldn't tolerate was the scent of blood and human she was leaving on his nest. He'd been forced to sleep on his reserve furs due to her presence, and now she'd contaminated his nest. Eye twitching, he glared at the still sleeping human in annoyance.
Tossing her in the river was out of the question, the aquatic grimm would eat her, so he'd have to take her to his bathing pool. He hated the thought of sharing another of his things with a human, but it was either bathe her or let her continue stinking up his nest. Gritting his teeth, he moved over to the human and picked her up slowly. Holding the girl gently he walked out of his nest and toward the underground pool that he'd claimed as his bathing area.
Light from the water shinnies, which he had several of, kept the area well lit. As a plus, there were no aquatic grimm, mainly because he'd killed them all. Walking to the edge he tossed her into the water with no shortage of amusement. Watching her come back up sputtering he growled out a laugh that earned him a glare before moving toward the water himself. Sliding into the pool he cooed at the coolness.
Coco shivered her eyes following the grimm with distrust as he made laps around the medium-sized pool. Watching him clean his nails she realized he was bathing meaning he'd probably brought her here to do the same. Hugging herself she raised an eyebrow as he dived downward but decided to focus on herself rather than what he was doing. Taking a moment to pull at her wet clothes she frowned; she was mostly healed although her aura was completely restored yet. Running a hand through her hair she sighed before tugging herself onto the cold cave floor surrounding the pool; tugging off her boots she tried not to think about the fact she was undressing in an underground cave with a grimm.
Surfacing he placed his newest shiny on the floor, bath time was also shinny collection time. Glancing toward the human he tilted his head in confusion. In all honesty, he'd forgotten that humans had removable furs which he honestly thought was strange, not that he cared. Seeing her drop back into the water without her furs he shrugged it off before diving once again. There was another shinny that he wanted to collect.
When he surfaced again, he let out an amused growl as the human floated with her eyes closed; at least she'd finally relaxed. Placing the three small shinnies he'd gathered next to the big one he frowned; he wouldn't be able to carry his shinnies and the human back to the cave all at once. While he could take the shinnies back first, there were grimm in these tunnels that would take the chance to kill the human if he left her alone. If he took the human back first that could mean him losing his shinnies which was not acceptable. Growling in frustration he glared at the wall.
"I could carry them back," Coco said softly. The sudden sound catching the grimm off guard, but he didn't flinch. Giving her a distrustful glance, he watched her shiver in the cold water. Was he getting so used to her presence that he'd dropped his guard?
Droplets of water dripped from her hair down her neck as the grimm stared at her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking but she flinched when he leaned forward to sniff her hair. Satisfied that she no longer smelled, he cooed in approval before pulling himself from the water. Although slightly wary Coco did the same. Pulling back on her clothes she shivered as they clung to her skin. It didn't help that the soles of her boots were soggy too. If Yatsu was here he would have laughed at the disgusted expression on her face; running her hands over her arms she winced slightly at the reminder she was alone, she really missed her team, mainly Velvet. Turning, she found the three dust crystals being shoved into her hands before the grimm started stalking from the room.
Scrambling to keep up with him, she flinched as low growls filled the air around them; red eyes tracking their movements closely waiting for any sign of weakness from either of them. She almost rushed into the nest when it came into sight. Letting her go first the grimm sent one last warning look toward the lesser beings loitering in his territory and was satisfied to see them flinch away from him.
(Ozpin)
The cheerful landscape of an abandoned castle greeted him when he opened his eyes after passing out at his desk. Given the fact he had insomnia along with a mild coffee addiction it had been a long time coming; especially since he hadn't slept in three days. Glynda was going to be so upset with him; he just hoped he hadn't broken his glasses when he toppled backwards in his chair.
Taking a moment to look down and clench his hands he smiled; it was good to be back in his original body again, although it was only possible in this plane of existence. It was mainly due to this place being a physical manifestation of his consciousness along with that of his hosts. Running a hand through his hair he wondered who had woken up for this place to be fully manifested so soon.
"You know this upcoming 'war' wouldn't be a problem if you'd went with my idea in the first place."
Paling slightly, he turned his expression changing slightly as he looked at the black-haired man leaning against the castle wall. The golden crown and long green cape marked him as the King of Vale and one of Ozma's past lives, but it was the dark green eyes currently lit up in bloodlust that scared Ozma. Twirling the sword in his hand the King grinned at the shocked look on the other man's face; he loved shocking people.
Ozma had always been a man of peace; the King, on the other hand, was a warrior and a soldier. He was the man who tore down his enemies with both words and actions. He was also a sadist who brought Remnant to its knees just because the other rulers missed his birthday. That wasn't even touching on the fact that the other man's idea was to rule four united kingdoms with an iron fist then send them all against Salem.
"I did not summon you," Ozma said cautiously. He wasn't all that surprised that the King had woken up given the fact war was about to break out, but honestly, he could do without the man trying to goad him into starting the war early. There was also the fact that his past lives woke up in droves, so if King was awake then others were too. He supposed four years of peace was enough, but he'd hoped to at least get through this trying year without voices in his head.
"Nope," the man admitted as he stopped twirling the weapon. The serious expression that crossed the man's face was unsettling enough but when paired with the fact he knew this man inside and out it was truly unnerving. The man knew it too if the smirk was any indication. Switching his sword to his other hand the King said, "But right now you need to be a warrior and a King, not a peacemaker."
That was true but given the fact Ozma had no intention of allowing a war to break out at all and the measures he'd taken to prevent it he didn't think the man was understanding the point. Then again, the King had always been a little insane which had definitely become a trait all on its own after they'd merged. Ozma had tried to channel it constructively but seeing the source of that madness again he wanted to both coo and retreat. Two because he remembered that the boy had been ten when he'd reincarnated into him and ten-year-olds did not have glares they had pouts. Retreat because he'd been perfectly content to sit back and watch as this man slaughtered hundreds just to prove a point.
"Now, now let's leave Oz alone, it's not like he's needed us," Jester said from behind him. Ozma did not flinch since at this point, he'd expected the other man to appear at some point. The blonde held an aura of sass that reminded Ozma of Qrow.
If possible, King softened as Jester ruffled Ozma's hair. While they'd been born in two separate ages, they were incredibly attached to one another; especially since King saw the other man as his vassal. Jester was the man who Ozma had gained his more humorous traits from; the ones he used to drive Glynda mad.
"He's putting all his hopes on a child," King said darkly. In his time such an action would've been okay since their children had been trained since birth to kill but now it was insanity. Salem would not hesitate to kill a child especially one with silver.
"A cute adorable child," Jester cooed, however, the tone was no less lethal. Ozma had forgotten how ruthless his past lives could be. Where was Archon when he needed him; the man was a lot less homicidal even if he was a merciless tease. Wizard was most likely still sleeping given the fact the man seemed tired all the time now then again he was over six hundred years old.
"Cuteness has nothing to do with war," King said. The words causing Jester to give a mocking wince as the man lunged bypassing the sword entirely to hang off his King's shoulders like a scarf. King didn't seem to mind considering he hadn't stabbed the other man.
"Your so mean," Jester whined as he pouted. When King made no move to argue that fact the slim man turned his attention back to Ozma saying, "Ozz tell him he's mean."
"I –"
"Then there's the fact little Ruby looks almost exactly like our Rose."
Never mind there was Archon. The man was amused as he looked between the other two who had jolted at his sudden appearance. Ozma relaxed at the twinkling glow in the man's eyes acceptance and warmth were two things that Archon excelled at. Well along with teasing everyone in a twelve-mile radius.
"Holy shit man don't sneak up on me," Jester complained. Tossing his long hair over his shoulder the man jabbed at Archon's chest with his finger. It did nothing to quiet the laughter in the other man's eyes.
"I will stab you," King threatened although there was no heat in his words.
"Why me," Ozma whispered. Rubbing his forehead, he was once again reminded that having similar souls did not mean they were always all in agreement. He was truly a mix of their quirks and personalities at this point. Sighing in exasperation he said, "As nice as this reunion is I really have to go-"
"I used the dungeon for k-"
"Die Deamon," King shouted cutting off the brown-haired man that had spoken. Laughing the brunet dodged the attempt on his life with the grace of a dancer. Deamon was Ozma's most recent past life and just an all-around annoying guy. Well to King mostly. There was just something about him that the black-haired man hated more than anything else.
"Can I just wake up now," Ozma complained as he considered bashing his head against the wall.
"Nope," Jester said as he stepped between King and Deamon.
"You want to leave us again," Archon complained.
"Oh, gods! Just say what you want to say already and let me wake up!"
For a moment the area was silent before all four of them turned him with varying levels of annoyance. None of them liked it when he told them off much less when in front of one of the others. Archon seemed mostly amused by the situation but that was mainly because he was too busy thinking about how similar Ruby was to Rose.
"…Rude," Deamon said. The blunt deadpan tone was accompanied by narrowed eyes as he silently challenged the other man to take it back.
"Like dude can't you just be happy to see us," Archon asked when he realized it would be out of character for him not to say anything.
"Come on Ozzy aren't we just your favorites," Jester cooed. Given he was a grown man Ozma found it very disquieting.
"Bow down peasant and apologize," King ordered. His green cape fluttered in the non-existent wind as he glared. Because, yes, making his cape flutter was the best use of his time and anyone who thought differently could join the devil in hell.
"I apologize that was rude of me," Ozma conceded. It was easier to just say the words and have them let it go rather than fight with them about it.
"Oh it's no issue dearest," Jester said waving away his apology. Ozma twitched resisting the urge to roll his eyes; they were bipolar, it was the only explanation for how strange they were.
"We're here because it's time for the annual reunion of Ozs," Archon teased. The wicked smirk on his face was matched only by the bloodthirst filling the eyes of King. Ozma rolled his eyes they were a few dozen short to have a true reunion.
"I'm here because we're going to war again soon and I don't want to miss that," the man said. If he got the opportunity to cut off that grimm woman's head again then he'd be happy.
"So, in other words, you all just woke up, went through my memories, and now will be annoying me for the next few months," he summarized. The way they all shifted in slight guilt was amusing, well all but King but he was sure that man would never show guilt for anything.
"Well when you put it that way it sounds kind of l-"
"Yes," King stated cutting off Deamon without hesitation. Rolling his eyes, the man simply shrugged at his counterpart's bluntness.
"Great, well what do you want right now because I'm sure I fell asleep in my office again," Ozma said hoping that they would hurry it up. He truly hated being in his original skin. Especially since he was pretty sure that Ozpin had slunk off somewhere. The observation reminded him that he would have to make a title for the other man eventually. It was easier to refer to them by titles than to actually remember their names. He was torn between Strategist or Headmaster. Both would describe the man, but he was also worried since Wizard and Paladin were missing too. Usually, they were here to mediate at least.
"Ozzy you've been drinking too much coffee."
"You need to sleep more."
"A King needs sleep to function."
"You have an issue."
"Focus, please," he said before they could continue lecturing him. He knew he had an issue, but he wasn't about to admit it to anyone much less himself.
"Right well I'm here because I've missed chaos," Jester said bluntly.
"I want war," King stated. Oh, really hadn't noticed. Rubbing his forehead Ozma wondered if he could lock King away as he'd done with Tyrant. It wasn't like they could kill each other or anything but he supposed he'd need the man eventually. Well, he might need Tyrant too, but he'd unleash Wizard or Paladin before allowing his darkest life free reign.
"My daughter," Deamon said softly. Seeing those familiar eyes look at him with gratitude Ozma nodded.
"Little Ruby" Archon stated. He missed Malic and Ruby reminded him of Malic. He just hoped that the girl hadn't inherited any of his brother-in-law's more vindictive traits.
"Right well it's good to see your all awake," Ozma deadpanned.
"Is it really," Deamon asked his expression turning teasing once again.
"…No."
Hey guys
So I don't really know if I feel better or not but writing does make me less tense.
Let's see I figured I'd do something different this time around so I decided to list some things that would happen next chapter.
- Ozpin and Tyrian finally talk
- Raven has a discussion with Yang (finally)
- Weiss almost falls in a hole
- And Qrow has horrible luck with kids
- Oh, and Ironwood and Glynda talk
I also revised the first eight chapters of We are the Last and published chapter nine if anyone is interested. Chapter ten should be out by next week and then I'll start working on Feral again. So what did you guys think of Ozpin, Ruby, and Coco this chapter? I almost feel bad for my sleep-deprived caffeine addicted immortal.
- Shyla
