I don't own the Fate or RWBY universes.

Interlude: Oscar

A short and hazel-eyed teenager sighed tiredly as he walked through the dark streets of Mistral. "Are you sure you know where we are going?"

"Patience, Oscar. I have a friend there who can help us out. The location was a pre-arranged set-up between us, just in case something had happened to me," Ozpin replied in his head.

"If you say so," Oscar said. Truthfully, he didn't mind the long walk. Oscar hasn't seen much of the outside world beyond his village and thus was understandably awed at the sight of a huge city like Mistral.

The long walk also allowed Oscar some time to think about his rather unique 'magical' situation. Just a few weeks ago, he had been madly pacing around his home and vainly convincing himself that the voices in his head certainly did not exist. But when Oscar started to remember memories that clearly didn't belong to him, he finally admitted things weren't the same anymore. And it took another few more days after that for Ozpin to convince Oscar to leave his aunt's farm to go to Haven Academy.

In order to save Remnant, apparently.

But…it would be a lie if Oscar said he didn't dream of becoming a bit more special than a simple farm boy (though certainly not at this scale). Still, if everything what Ozpin had said to him was true, where did that leave Oscar Pine? His soul wasn't solely his own anymore. Who was he in the end?

"Oscar, you are same as you always been," Ozpin interrupted him after sensing Oscar's inner fears. "You are a good person, Oscar. I wish I didn't have to overturn your peaceful life, but Remnant is in grave danger. It needs us both to save it."

"Then what can I do?" Oscar asked him challengingly. "I have no prior training or experience as a huntsman. Nor do I have anything else useful to offer in this situation."

"You have me, Oscar," Ozpin reminded him. "I am a strong huntsman and a former headmaster of Beacon to boot, you know. I am sure that we can whip you up to fighting shape and more in due time."

Right, Oscar had nearly forgotten about that little detail. Still, Oscar had a healthy dose of apprehension (and fear) whether he can keep up in a fight that was clearly out of his league.

"And in any case of serious danger, I will be in command to protect both of us," Ozpin added later.

Oscar nodded though not without a sense of bitterness. He was very uncomfortable with the idea of someone taking over his body and Oscar was sure he was never going to get used to it ever. The first time that Oscar allowed Ozpin in control, the sensation felt so alien to him that Oscar immediately took back control instinctively. The process was hard to describe exactly, but it is like moving into the backseat of a moving vehicle to let Ozpin into the driving seat. He could somewhat tell what his body was doing, but it was ultimately up to Ozpin what he would do next. Of course, Oscar could wrestle back control unilaterally, but he suspected Ozpin was somewhat cooperative in that aspect.

What if Ozpin didn't feel like giving up control easily? Will 'Oscar' even exist after that? But Ozpin wouldn't ever do that to him, right?

Oscar finally snapped out of his dark thoughts as he somehow found himself inside a small alley. Huh, he must have gotten so distracted to take a wrong turn here. Oscar sighed heavily as he turned around to exit, only to see a rather dense haze appear suddenly all around him.

As the fog soon thickened visibly around him, Oscar started to cough badly as he collapsed onto his knees. His vision started to blur while his throat burned…it was getting hard… to breathe…

"Oscar! Activate your Aura now!" Ozpin shouted at him urgently.

Right… Oscar closed his eyes and concentrated inwardly just like how Ozpin had briefly taught him to do before. When his eyes opened again a few moments later, an emerald-green glow now covered the entirety of his body before seemingly fading away visibly. His eyes were still stinging and his throat felt raw, but he was breathing much easier now. More importantly, he was still alive.

"Oscar, are you alright?!" Ozpin exclaimed in worry.

Oscar coughed out a few more times as his vision returned back to normal. "Gakgh! Gak! Kak...! I-I'm fine…this fog has something strange in it."

"Poison. Thankfully, we managed to unlock your Aura before in case of a situation like this. But you obviously need more training to subconsciously have a cloak of Aura on at all times." Ozpin grimly concluded.

Oscar did note that his Aura was easier to activate this time around as he cautiously stood up on his feet. He looked out cautiously and noticed that the entirety of street was covered with this strange smoky white-grey mist. He had the feeling this wasn't normal in any sense.

"Um, Ozpin? Do you know anything about this fog?" Oscar asked nervously.

"…No. I am afraid this is quite unusual from my years of knowledge. While it is true that Mistral does get periodic fogs, it is certainly not like this one. It is no wonder that the streets are empty at this time," Ozpin responded in a troubled tone.

"What do you mean?" Oscar asked.

"Well, Mistral normally has an active nightlife during this time, especially in the higher areas where we are. But if you hadn't noticed yet, the streets are completely empty right now," Ozpin explained.

Oscar did note that the streets were much emptier right after the sun came down, but he didn't take it much seriously before. But with Ozpin's words in mind, it appears that the people of Mistral weren't staying at home voluntarily. The poisonous fog must have scared them from lingering outside at night.

But how did this fog appear in the first place?

His gut churned from anxiety. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"So do I," Ozpin agreed. "Let us get on the move, shall we?"

The quiet and misty scenery made things quite eerie as Oscar's steps echoed throughout Mistral's empty streets. It soon reminded him of the setting of a certain mystery novel about ghosts.

Oscar shuddered and shook his head from those frightening thoughts. That is just a fictional story. Ghosts don't exist in real life.

Yet magic does exist in real life. So why not ghosts?

"…This poison seems to be a strong corrosive substance, judging how it causes a burning sensation to the eyes and throat. Yet this mist has something else mixed in it as well…" Ozpin observed in seemingly deep thought.

"Good to know. But I am more interested in getting out of here," Oscar replied in a sarcastic tone as he walked briskly. Ghosts or not, he would much rather get out of this creepy fog as soon as possible. His Aura did help things a bit, but he could tell he wasn't going to last long at this rate.

"Of course, but it is interesting to kn-…hold it," Ozpin paused.

"What is it?" Oscar asked.

"I don't know… But I sense something isn't quite right here… Be on your guard," Ozpin said seriously.

Oscar tensed up as he looked around his surroundings nervously. Ozpin already proved that he had keen experience and senses that Oscar lacked. But something Ozpin himself couldn't pinpoint? What could it be? C-could it even possibly be…a ghost?

"Are you our Mommy?"

"Eek!" Oscar whirled around in fright upon hearing an unknown voice.

But instead of seeing a frightening ghost, Oscar found a small child looking at him rather curiously. She appeared to be on the thin and dirty side due to malnutrition and lack of proper hygiene. She had bleach-white hair and pale skin with distinct yellow-greenish eyes. Her attire was consisted no more than her skimpy black rags over a white undershirt. If Oscar didn't know any better, she was like one of those orphans he had found playing earlier in the streets.

However, it was very strange to find a young girl in the streets right now. And how was she doing fine in the middle of a poisonous fog? No normal human can possibly be fine in these conditions.

Unless… she isn't a normal human.

In the meantime, the said young girl had observed at him closely with a slight frown. Oscar gulped nervously under her strangely evaluative gaze. S-surely, she wouldn't be one of those vengeful ghosts that he had read in his books, right?

The young girl then slowly shook her head in apparent disappointment. "No, you aren't Mommy. You…were like one of us."

"Like you?" Oscar found himself asking curiously despite of his uneasiness of the situation. And what is with her strange way of addressing herself?

"Yup. You didn't know about your Mommy, just like us," The young girl declared rather confidently.

Oscar froze at her words. "H-how did you know that?"

"Easy. Your eyes show us that you lost someone. We thought it was us you lost. But…it was your Mommy." The young girl giggled before quieting down. "…We are trying to find our Mommy again."

Oscar didn't know what to make of her strange answer, but the young girl didn't appear to be lying to him. It was true that he didn't know his birth parents when he grew up. He had only heard that his mother had died giving birth to him and his grieving father committed suicide not long after. Oscar would have been sent to the orphanage if it wasn't for his aunt, who was his mother's younger sister and who ultimately raised him as her own. He was still grateful to her for that.

But this young girl was different. She didn't know who her mother was at all. And she apparently didn't have anyone else who loved her from her appearance. She was a rather pitiful child.

Looking at the young girl's now-gloomy face, Oscar decided to offer his own sympathies. "I'm sorry to hear that. But I do wish you can find your 'mother' soon." His words may be empty hope, but he could at least try to cheer the young girl up from her apparent sadness.

Thankfully, the young girl did seemingly brightened up from his words. "Hn…! We won't give up ever…! You seem like a nice person, what's your name?"

His name? "You can call me Oscar."

The young girl looked thoughtful as she placed a finger upon her lips. "Oscar…then it is only fair we should give ours, right? We are called Jack! Do you want to play with us?"

Jack. What a strange name. "Sorry, I have to go somewhere right now. Maybe we could play at some other time," Oscar apologized.

Jack didn't look too bothered at his answer. "Okay, then! We can play later!"

Oscar blinked as Jack suddenly started to walk away. "Wait, where are you going?"

"We are going to keep looking for Mommy now! Bye-Bye!" Jack replied cheerfully before she disappeared into the fog.

What a strange little girl.

"That child is unusual," Ozpin commented.

Oscar smiled. "Yeah, but she seemed quite nice as well."

"Yet you didn't notice how she appeared in the middle of nowhere and seems to be doing much better than you in a fog filled with poison?" Ozpin questioned.

Oscar frowned in thought. "Well, I admit that was a little odd…but that doesn't mean she is a bad person. She just wants to find someone who cares for her."

Ozpin then sighed in resignation. "I simply ask of you to be careful here. Not everyone is as what they might appear at first. And didn't your aunt teach you not to speak with strangers? And to think that you..."

Oscar tuned out Ozpin's nagging as he noticed that the fog had cleared up around him. And he finally saw the small tavern that Ozpin had described to him in the far distance. Well, it seems that luck was finally turning around for Oscar Pine.

As Oscar entered into the small tavern, it was nearly empty inside. But there was a man sitting alone in a bar and looking down at his still-full glass.

"That's Qrow, right there. Come Oscar, let's introduce ourselves," Ozpin said.

Oscar nodded as he took a few steps closer to the man. "Excuse me."

The man named Qrow turns around to face Oscar. His dull-red eyes glance at him with slight disinterest. "You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak."

"Tell him I'd like my cane back," Ozpin said.

Oscar turns his head slightly in irritation. "Shut up, I'm getting there." He turns his attention back up at Qrow, whose eyes widen slightly before narrowing in slight suspicion and anticipation.

Oscar gathers up his courage to speak again. "Umm… I'm supposed to tell you… I'd like my cane back."

Qrow blinks at his statement and closes his eyes for a brief moment. He then nods with a slight smile before standing up to his full height. This inadvertently causes Oscar to take a couple awkward steps back.

Qrow then retrieves what looks like a collapsed cane from his back hip and looks at it. "Hmm. It's good to see you again, Oz."

Qrow abruptly tosses the cane to Oscar, who catches it reflexively. To Oscar's surprise, the cane immediately extends itself to its full length as one of his fingers accidentally pressed against its button. His other hand automatically grasps its shaft firmly as he examines its intricate workings and design.

It was a long cane with a grey handle embellished with floral patterns. The handle had a large knuckle guard with an opening at the bottom filled with small gold-colored gears. The square gray-black shaft bore many slight dents and scratches, attributing to countless years of use and combat. It felt familiar in his hand, though it was obviously designed for someone of a much taller height.

The Long Memory. Ozpin's oldest and current weapon of choice.

Oscar then looks up at Qrow with a face of determination despite of his nervousness at his new reality. His adventure has only begun.

From that point on, there's no going back for Oscar. He will become someone much more than just a simple farm boy. Although…was it alright for Qrow to drink so heavily right now?

This is a just a pretty short interlude before heading back into the main storyline. Oscar and Ozpin are pretty interesting characters to study in context. Oscar starts out not unlike the 'classic hero' as he has shown such key traits and events in the show (such as the 'the call to adventure' and 'mentor'). He is an emphatic person yet more than willing to fight if comes down to it.

On the other hand, Ozpin (or Ozma) was already a hero in his first life. But being someone who has been reincarnating for eons with no victory in sight (plus making countless mistakes) led him to become more of a cynical man with secrets. He has the tendency to keep away information that would have been more than helpful to his allies, yet shows he still cares a lot about his students. I would compare him like a cross between Dumbledore and Archer EMIYA in a sense.

As for writing them accurately in the story…well, I think I could have done better job.

A side note: This is just a question for those readers who would like more Servants in the story. I know that a lot of you don't like adding Servants into the story and I understand your point. But I already have a few solid Servants characters in mind (including this one) to add into the story gradually.

So what Servants (include Class) would you like to see in this story and why? (You can also note who that Servant's Master is, but that is optional). Do note that I am just mulling over various ideas at the moment and I may not implement it if it doesn't work plot-wise. But I do appreciate any ideas you can come up with.

If you are reading this story, then please take some time to favorite and follow this story and its author. Thank you for your support.