Roman loudly burps and sighs in content. Once he realized that Neo had already helped herself, he no longer had any reason to hold himself back in reserve. Needless to say, it was a feast. Shrimp, fish, chicken, pork, beef, potatoes, noodles, soup, and so much more! Even better, neither he or Neo had to put in additional orders, as the blonde girl did it all for them at a constant rapid fire pace.
"Master, try this! Oh, this drink is tasty!"
"... How much more are you going to order?"
"Obviously until I'm full."
Flugel sighs and turns his gaze towards the other two at the table.
"Why don't you two introduce yourselves?"
Roman considers it for a moment, then shrugs.
"Considering you fed us, I guess that's only fair. Name's Roman Torchwick."
He points a thumb towards his younger partner.
"And this one here is Neopolitan, or Neo for short."
The one in question waves a tiny hand with a smile.
"Roman and Neo," Flugel nods. "My name is Flugel, and that one over there is Flandre."
Flandre, paying zero attention to the conversation, waves down a waiter to send in another order.
"Master. Dessert."
When the waiter hands out the dessert menus, Neo quietly fidgets in her seat while her eyes are locked on a specific item.
"Go ahead and order whatever you'd like," Flugel encourages.
Neo's eyes brighten, then she points a finger at the menu item.
Shaking his head, Flugel sighs, "I won't know what you mean unless you make it clear."
Neo turns the menu around to face him, then points her finger at it again.
"Flandre, do you know what she means?" Flugel teases.
"I haven't the slightest clue, Master," Flandre dramatically shrugs.
With a look that is a mix of frustration and a pout, Neo opens her mouth and takes a shallow breath of air.
"Ice... cream... sundae," she whispers with a voice that would be barely audible in a library.
"And?" Flugel presses with a smile.
"... P-Please."
"Damn... You actually got her to talk," Roman says, both impressed and surprised.
"Waiter," Flugel calls out. "One Mega Deluxe Ice Cream Sundae for the little one."
He points to an image featured at the very top of the dessert menu, far above the one Neo had pointed out. When he catches an expectant look in Flandre's eyes, he quickly corrects himself.
"Actually, make that two, for both of the little ones."
"Calling me little again," Flandre growls. "You are only forgiven because of the dessert."
Neo's eyes are wide open with stars shining inside of them as she stares up at Flugel with a look of worship. Obviously, she'd noticed the premier dessert listed at the top, but after giving it some thought, she decided to settle on something more modest, yet desirable. The price of the Mega Deluxe Sundae would equate to around a week's worth of stealing, and eating normal ice cream is already a rare luxury for her. Therefore, she did not want to risk losing this opportunity by being greedy. When she heard Flugel modifying her order, she had to silently pinch herself on the thigh to make sure this was not some kind of dream.
Flugel on the other hand, is impressed by the restraint this little girl had just demonstrated. In his eyes, her thought process was like reading an open book, and he greatly appreciates her calculated approach to his generosity.
"T-Thank you mister," Neo shyly whispers.
"You are welcome," Flugel smiles and pats her head.
"Though your treatment of us is greatly appreciated," Roman slowly says. "But why? In case you forgot, we tried stealing from you. Based on my experience, nothing is ever free, so what's the deal?"
"Hmm..." Flugel hums. "Just call it luck or fate."
"... Huh? Fate"
'What the heck?'
"Pfft," Flandre snorts. "More like convenience."
"It's called being efficient," Flugel snaps back, then coughs into his hand. "So, why do you two resort to robbery? From what I've gathered so far, the both of you aren't stupid."
"Isn't it obvious?" Roman scoffs. "Who would bother hiring a pair of street rats like us? They're all scared that we are incapable, will steal from their business, or both. We don't really have a choice other than to steal in order to survive."
"What about enrolling into one of the Academies? Don't Huntsmen and Huntresses do quite well for themselves?"
"Look, having money is nice, but so is not dying violently to the Grimm. Doesn't sound like a pleasant way to go, in fact, it sounds shitty. Besides, even if we assume that we wanted to enroll, how can we afford the air fate to any of the other Kingdoms? Plus, the other students have had the luxury of training many years at supplementary combat schools, so how are we supposed to compete? Actually... Neo might be able to, but that's not the point."
"Then..." Flugel interlocks his fingers. "If someone offered you two a job opportunity with stable income and housing, would you take it?"
Roman crosses his arms.
"Assuming the pay is legit and we aren't being taken advantage of in any way, yeah, I guess we would."
Flugel cheerfully claps his hands together.
"Then congratulations! You two are in luck! Coincidentally, I will be starting a business in Vale in the near future, and I just so happen to need shopkeepers!"
Roman returns a blank stare.
"The way you said that makes it sounds like a complete scam..."
Both Neo and Flandre nod their heads in agreement.
"What? Why are you on their side, Flandre?!" Flugel demands.
"You two are smart to suspect him," Flandre leans and whispers at Roman and Neo. "Don't let the stupid look on his face fool you. He's a ruthless predator!"
A hand sharply chops down at her head.
"Ouch! What the heck, Master?! It's true! You're a freak!"
Both Neo and Roman blankly stare at the pair as Flugel's knuckle grinds against the top of Flandre's head.
"Ahhh! You're going to burn my cap! Okay, I'm sorry, Master. You're not a freak. Just a weirdo!"
Flugel lets her go and leans back into his chair, acting as if nothing happened. Flandre removes her cap and blows at a smoking burnt mark on her mob cap.
"All joking aside," he coughs. "I really am in need of assistants. Of course, you two are free to refuse. I'll just have to find someone else once we return to Vale."
Flandre suddenly perks up and loudly exclaims, "There are more important matters. Dessert! Sundae!"
A waitress rolls a cart to their table, topped with two large glass bowls with diameters the size of basketballs. Stacked inside of each bowl are large scoops of vanilla and strawberry ice cream, topped with fresh bananas and strawberries. In front of the table, the waitress artistically decorates the bowls by lining the lips with dollops of whipped cream, alongside swirls of chocolate syrup. Both Flandre and Neo clap their hands while bouncing in their seats as they watch the performance.
'Excluding the bowl, that thing has to weigh at least 10 pounds!' Flugel mentally sweats.
"... To say the least, the picture in the menu does not do the actual dessert justice," he says as he stares at the towering mounds of ice cream with half lidded eyes. "How is any normal person ever supposed to finish this?"
"Ice cream~ Ice cream~" Flandre sings sways back and forth in her seat. "Master, make sure to-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Flugel sighs.
He lazily taps each bowl, engraving a small glowing glyph that prevents heat transfer between the dessert and the surrounding air, effectively keeping them at optimal temperature. On Neo's, he engraves adds an additional glyph that reduces the weight of the massive dessert.
Neo curiously leans forward and tilts her head at the glowing symbol, then looks up at Flugel.
"Just a small trick to keep your dessert cold," Flugel smiles down at her. "Take your time to enjoy it, and try not to get a stomach ache."
Shrugging and not willing to pursue the specifics, she turns her attention back to her prize and grabs a pair of spoons. She offers one to Roman with a wide grin, then digs her spoon in. A high pitched mew escapes her mouth as she the creamy sweetness spreads through her mouth.
Unable to keep himself from cracking a small smile at Neo's glee, Roman takes the spoon she'd offered and scoops some for himself. As he does, he curiously eyes the glowing symbol etched into the side of the bowl.
"You know... both Neo and I haven't discovered our Semblances, and as stated before, we don't have formal training with regards to Aura. But even I can tell that this stuff you're doing can't be a Semblance."
"What makes you say that?" Flugel questions with a small smile.
Roman quickly recalls their initial encounter with this mysterious pair.
"When you took your Lien back, I initially thought that you were using a Semblance of some sort. However, that notion was shattered when no one paid any attention to us when I started to yell for help."
He gestures to their surroundings.
"Even now, the waiters, waitresses, and customers don't come near our table unless you or your partner explicitly calls for them. Then, there's whatever you just did with these ice cream bowls. I have never heard of a Semblance being that versatile. Am I wrong?"
"No, you are not wrong. That sharp head of yours is wasted by using it for mere robbery," Flugel chuckles.
"Thanks for the compliment..." Roman slowly says, then asks, "Then how are you doing all of this?"
"I am but a humble magician traveling with his pet midget."
"Who are you calling a pet midget?!"
Flugel casually flicks a finger, launching a ball of ice cream straight into Flandre's mouth. Her indignant expression instantly disappears as she is distracted with devouring the snack.
'T-That's all it takes...' Roman internally sweats. 'Note to self... always keep sweets on hand. Just in case.'
Neo looks up with smudges of chocolate lining her lips and gives Flugel an inquisitive look.
"Magic?" She quietly repeats.
"That's right," Flugel smiles, then snaps his fingers. Their surroundings suddenly disappear, and they find themselves and their table floating through the starry night sky.
"Woah!" Roman exclaims, jumping out from his seat.
Neo looks around in awe, and without looking, reaches out to tug at Roman's sleeve.
"W-What's up, Neo?"
She promptly points at Flugel with shining eyes.
"Job... Take..."
"... What if it really is a scam?" Roman asks.
Neo rolls her eyes and gestures at their current setting.
"Okay, fair point... But aren't you at least a little bit concerned with this series of events? It's all kind of... out of this world, to put it lightly."
She frowns and points at their dirty cloaks.
"True... We don't have much else to lose at this point..." He admits.
He turns to Flugel and sighs, " Well, as you can see, Neo's pretty adamant. She's never this trusting of strangers, so this has to mean something, right? What is this business of yours again? You said it's in Vale?"
"For lack of a better description, it will be a shop."
"A shop? Doesn't sound too complicated, but considering it'll be you who owns it, you've got to be planning on selling some crazy stuff..."
"There's nothing to fear," Flugel chuckles. "It will be a completely normal shop that any man, woman, or child can find great use for. Nothing overly complicated."
"... I have a weird suspicion that your definition of normal is most definitely not normal for everyone else."
"Will you accept?"
Roman looks at Neo, who is nodding her head vigorously.
"Yeah, I guess we are."
"Wonderful," Flugel smiles, and taps a finger against the table. In the blink of an eye, they are all back inside of the restaurant, surrounded by the ambient sounds of plates clattering and the voices of other patrons. "Currently, Flandre and I have some additional business to take care of, so I'll be sending you two off to some acquaintances. You will find them to be quite hospitable."
"Wait... Send us off to where?" Roman asks. He has a feeling that something was about to happen.
"Be sure to mind your manners," Flugel smiles, then claps his hands together.
"What're you-"
Before he can complete his sentence, he, Neo, and their dessert disappear. Flandre lightly snorts and turns her attention back to her dessert. Meanwhile, Flugel calmly retrieves his Scroll and places it onto the table.
It does not take long before it loudly buzzes from an incoming call.
"Flugel!" Taiyang's voice exclaims through the speakers. "Who the heck are these two?!"
"She is so cute with her pink and brown hair! What's your name, little one?" Summer's voice squeals in the background.
"Where'd you send us?!" Roman's voice yells out.
"Ah, good," Flugel nods. "They arrived safely. Those two are Neo and Roman. Do you two remember the business I am planning on opening in the near future?"
"Uh... Yeah?"
"These two are my future employees. Please take care of them while Flandre and I deal with our current endeavors. I apologize in advance, but there is nowhere else I can think of."
"Little one, your name is Neo?" Summer coos in the background. "Come on, you need a bath."
"Is this a common occurrence?" Qrow blankly asks Taiyang.
The only audible response is the sound of Taiyang clapping a palm against his forehead.
"Okay... I don't even... We'll take care of them," he sighs.
"Thank you," Flugel nods.
With a click, the call ends and he puts the Scroll away.
"Shall we head towards Haven now?"
"But I'm not done yet," Flandre says as she cheerfully takes another bite of her dessert.
"..."
*** Haven Academy ***
The chilled air of night bites at the skin, and the moonlight leaking through the clouds illuminate the clay tiles on the rooftops of the Academy buildings. Aside from the dimly lit lamps lighting the paved roads, the campus is blanketed by darkness, as all the students and the majority of the staff are fast asleep. In the midst of this darkness are two figures casually strolling into the Quad and its massive fountain, looking around as if they are sightseeing tourists.
"Much more reserved compared to the buildings in Beacon," Flugel hums as he and Flandre make their way towards the Grand Hall. The simplistic, yet elegant approach taken towards Haven's architecture is a plus in his book.
"Too bad the security is pathetic," Flandre snorts as they walk right past one of the Academy professors on patrol duty.
When they reach the Grand Hall doors, Flandre crudely kicks it off the wooden frame using the sole of her foot. Thanks to Flugel's perception and auditory wards, no one takes notice. They pause at the center of the Grand Hall, where in front of them is a mahogany podium. Right below that is a white marble statue that has been carved to depict a beautiful woman with golden chains shackled to her wrists.
Flandre cracks her neck, and her wings emerge from her back. One of her crystalline prisms point straight down at the ground before it ripples with orange colored energy.
"Time to party!" She declares with a wide grin.
From the prism, a beam of orange erupts and instantly disintegrates the stones floor below them. Like cutting through butter with a red hot knife, there is no resistance as her laser drills a hole without causing the slightest hint of a rumble. Within seconds, a hole is punched through the ceiling of the Vault chamber.
"All done," she cheerfully smiles and hops into the hole.
Chuckling, Flugel follows after her.
They float down through the ceiling and lightly land on a stone platform with glowing blue circles leading to a rocky outcrop at the end. On the face of the outcrop is a large, narrow door with no handles. Instead, golden fan-like plates overlay each other like flower petals. Behind the rocky outcrop is a large tree looming over the rest of the platform with delicate golden flowers swaying from non-existent wind. Taking zero time to take in the view, Flandre skips up to the door and dramatically declares.
"Open... Sesame!"
At the same time, she throws her arms up into the air. She remains in that pose for several seconds as her voice echoes off the walls of the chamber, and as expected, nothing happens.
"... You thought that would actually work?"
"It did once," Flandre huffs. "Then I beat up that sand tiger."
She makes a fist and spins her arm as she rotates her shoulder.
"Besides, I just forgot to do one of the steps," she confidently smirks.
With a hop, she gets within arms reach of the Vault door, then pulls her fist back with a vicious smile.
"OPEN SESAME!"
When her fist makes contact, the three inch thick plates of metal crumble like tinfoil as a man-sized hole is punched through.
"Wow look, Master!" Flandre exclaims. "It worked!"
Flugel blankly stares at the hole.
"This was a work of art that they undoubtedly spent countless hours on creating..." He finally sighs.
Shrugging, Flandre skips through the hole and across the floor of the illusory desert within the Vault dimensional space. When she nears the Relic of Knowledge resting upon a stone pedestal, she tilts her head and curiously looks over it.
"Hey... Master," she calls out.
Flugel walks up and leans in for a closer look. The corner of his mouth curls up in amusement.
"No wonder they call this the Relic of Knowledge," he lightly laughs.
He takes the Relic by its handle, then lightly taps its glowing surface.
"Come on out."
With no response, he taps the Relic several more times with a knuckle.
"I know you're in there."
When it continues to remain inert, he shrugs and tosses it into Flandre's hands.
"Hmm... You asked for it."
A gleam flashes across Flandre's eyes as she stares down at the Relic like it's a piece of meat. She slowly lifts the Relic above her head, then begins to shake the Relic.
Violently.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~ I wonder how much of this you can take? Don't disappoint me!" She maliciously laughs.
Her arms are nothing but a blur at this point, and she is shaking so fast, space itself seems to bend.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! S-Stop! STAAHHHHHP!"
"Wrong answer!" Flandre declares, and her arms speed up another notch.
"O-OH MY OD! I'M GOING TO... I'M GOING TO THROW UP! OKAY, OKAY! I'M COMING OUT. I'M-"
Thick clouds of blue mist erupts from the Relic and gathers together to form into a woman. Her usual neat and silken hair is a mess, and her eyes are spirals as she clutches at her head. Immediately, she falls to her knees and retches.
"Y-YOU... MANIACS!" She manages to yell out, before having to cover her mouth again, green in the face.
Flugel shrugs, "If only you'd answered when I called for you initially. You only have yourself to blame."
"There... is... a... process... to... summoning... me!" She wheezes. "What kind... of insane... individual would shake my vessel... like that?!"
"Your vessel?" He chuckles. "That-"
He points at the Relic in Flandre's hands.
"is most certainly not yours, Jinn."
Jinn freezes and blinks.
"You... know my name?"
Shaking her head to stave off the dizziness, she leans in and squints her eyes to get a good look at Flugel and Flandre. As his purple robes and her crystalline wings come into focus, her mouth slowly drops open with shock.
"S-S-S-Sage... F-F-Flugel… A-Aeturnum?!" Jinn screams. "And M-Mistress Flandre?!"
"You sure have grown over the years," Flugel hums. "Last time we saw you, you were but a minor spirit with no definitive form."
"B-But... how? W-What..."
Jinn stutters, at a complete loss for words and in disbelief.
"You disappeared!"
"And now we're back," Flugel casually responds. "To start off, let's get rid of those unsightly chains. Flandre, if you would."
Flandre grins, "Long time no see, stupid fairy."
"Eep!" Jinn yelps. "M-Miss F-Flandre."
Flandre clenches her hand, and the shackles around Jinn's wrists and ankles shatter into pieces. The golden chain connecting her to the Relic disintegrates, and she falls to the ground. She looks down at herself with wide eyes before rubbing her wrists.
"I'm... finally free," she numbly says, before tears appear at the corners of her eyes. "Master Flugel and Flandre! It really is you two!"
She lunges forward and hugs the edges of Flugel's robe, then begins to sob loudly.
"I-I missed you two so much!"
Flugel sighs with a smile and kneels down to pat her head.
"You've endured this for a long time, Jinn. Though I have my suspicions, can you tell us what happened after we left?"
Jinn sniffs and wipes her nose with the back of her hand.
"O-Of course. As usual, I was performing my usual duties of looking over your Library. When you suddenly disappeared, Od Laguna began to take your Tower into itself for safekeeping. However, before the process was complete, those two brothers managed to steal several items from your Tower, this Library being one of them."
"Hooooh?" Flandre hums with predatory eyes. "To think those two had spines like that. I'm going to enjoy ripping them out."
Jinn shivers once, then continues.
"To prevent unwanted spread of your knowledge, I used the failsafe lock you'd implemented and used myself as the medium to source the energy required. Even under their enslavement, they never got a single book out. In fact, they couldn't break the seals on the other three items either. Their functionalities were so limited that they were practically useless to them."
"You did well," Flugel gently smiles at her.
"Not bad," Flandre compliments.
"After the genocide, the brothers had no choice but to leave your belongings on what is now called Remnant, lest Od Laguna track them down. In order to incite war, they spread the Relics throughout the world. For me in particular, I was to answer 3 questions every 100 years. Unfortunately, under their shackles, I could not warn humanity of the brothers' intentions with regards to the Relics."
"Hmm..."
Flugel takes his Library from Flandre's hands. With a thought, it rapidly shrinks in size, then he fastens it to his ear as an earring. Like the Library, Jinn shrinks and darts into the earring. Her head pops out and she curiously asks.
"Now that you've finally returned, what are you plans, Master?"
"Based on your account, the Relics are in actuality, my personal belongings. Therefore, what was once mere curiosity is now a necessity in taking them from the remaining three Academies. In the meantime, we have one final task left for this location."
Flandre nods, and her array of prisms glow with power as she connects to Flugel through their contract. His pupils begin to glow with various hues, and his hair and robes slowly flutter from the increasing density of Mana. Like a master calligrapher, his wrists gracefully flick through the air, and dozens of various symbols and glyphs manifest before him. He brings a leg up and stomps, creating a massive multi-layered circle around the Vault. When he points his finger up into the air, the symbols he'd created shoot up into the sky, then fall like a shower of stars around the borders of the magic circle he'd summoned.
"Now."
"Got it, Master!"
The master/familiar pair simultaneously raise their arms, then swing them down, bringing a massive wave of Mana along with it. The space inside of the Vault rumbles violently as Mana is injected deep into the Ley Line below them. Flandre and Flugel rotate their wrist, as if twisting something, causing the rumbling to intensify. After about a minute, the trembling finally subsides, and the illusory setting of the Vault begins to destabilize and fade.
Sighing and lazily stretching their arms, Flandre and Flugel stroll out through the hole. As soon as they do, the Vault dimension crumbles and vanishes, leaving nothing but an empty doorway leading to a stone wall.
"And we have to do that soooo many more times," Flandre groans. "The worst part is, is that it's not even challenging, just incredibly boring and tedious... Ugh..."
"I'll call for you when needed, Jinn," Flugel instructs. "I've already unlocked the Library for you to use. You must have been quite bored having nothing to read over the years."
Jinn's eyes brighten.
"Thank you, Master. Aside from the slavery, it was not as boring as you'd think. Observing the humans has always been an interesting pass time for me. Especially when they had to start all over."
"Then I'll be relying on you to tell me some interesting stories as we move on to the remaining Academies. I'm very curious of your opinions and observations regarding mankind's accomplishments over the years."
"Of course."
"Hmm... Where should we go next?"
"Doesn't matter to me," Flandre yawns. "It'll all be the same result anyways."
*** Two Days Later ***
Clouds of dust blows across a savanna with sparse greenery and overall lack of life. The heat of the sun beats down relentlessly across the vast plains of dead, dry grass. A flash of light appears and two figures step out.
"... I don't know what's worse. Vacuo or this place," Flandre groans.
Flugel deploys a glyph around them, functioning as a filter for the billowing clouds of dust, as well as cooling and regulating the humidity of the air. He looks around before sighing.
"A place that should be teeming with life is instead barren and dry."
He lowers himself onto a knee and places his palm against the cracked earth, then closes his eyes.
"It's me. I've returned," he whispers.
A small wave of Mana emits out from his palm and travels deep underground. After several minutes, the sound of distant rumbling fills their ears as something rapidly travels up through the planet's crust. Semi-transparent gold liquid seeps through the cracks and forms a small puddle that wraps around his hand. The liquid's glow pulsates in a hypnotic and rhythmic fashion.
"I know... It has been far too long," Flugel lightly smiles, then nods.
"That's right. The correction of those four nodes are the work of Flandre and I."
"Long time no see, Od," Flandre nods.
The liquid pulses and hums in response.
Flugel turns the palm of his free hand upward, and a pitch black sphere appears above it. The golden puddle instantly shines excitedly at the sight of the Mana.
When Flugel lowers it towards the puddle, it snaps out like a starved animal and engulfs it, sucking it into the ground. Then, it hums and vibrates against his hand one final time before disappearing.
"Caduceus," Flugel calls out, and a staff appears before him.
It stands at about 3/4 of Flugel's height and its material is an unknown metal that shifts between multiple hues like oil on water. From the base, a pair of serpents spiral up the main shaft, and their mouths are wide open as if to swallow the emerald crystal that glows and hovers at the tip. Finally, a pair of large fern leaves unfurl themselves from the shaft like wings.
"I still can't believe that they used this to hover a rock," Flandre mockingly laughs.
Flugel pinches his brow as he is also a bit flabbergasted that they couldn't come up with a more efficient method in keeping Atlas afloat.
"It... couldn't be helped I suppose," he finally sighs. "No one has any idea what Caduceus is, and it was in its sealed state."
"But hovering a stupid rock?" Flandre scoffs. "If they used their brains, they could have at least rediscovered the basics of alchemy."
Despite Flandre's constant mocking of Remnant's inhabitants, Flugel can not help but agree that Caduceus's potential was greatly wasted.
"Like the two serpents endlessly spiraling around each other, Caduceus is capable of waking the sleeping, and sending the awake to sleep. If applied to the dying, their passing will be gentle; if applied to the dead, they can return to life. A cycle of life and death," Flugel recites. "Return to where you belong."
The staff stabs and drills itself into the ground. A pulse of life ripples out across the savanna planes, and the harsh winds die down considerably.
"Good," Flugel nods. "By the time the Ley Lines are repaired, these barren lands will be completely transformed."
"By the way, Master," Flandre mischievously grins. "Isn't it about time?"
Flugel nods with an equal amount of amusement.
*** Patch ***
"Let me know if you'd like some more," Summer gently smiles at Neo.
"Mmm," she nods.
"Once again, we appreciate your hospitality," Roman says.
Much like Flugel had told them, Summer's family has been incredibly welcoming to both him and Neo. As he turns his attention back to his lunch, a sudden flash of light appears in the middle of the dining room.
"Ahh! Seriously, I'm going to have a heart attack!" He exclaims.
Summer instinctively covers her eyes.
"You two are just in time for some lunch," she smiles at the pair. "I take it that your trip was a success?"
'Seeing how she casually reacted to their entrance, this must be a regular occurrence.' Roman thinks to himself.
"It was," Flugel responds.
"Flan!" Yang yells out excitedly.
"Hey brat," Flandre grins.
"Where is Taiyang?" Flugel asks while the two of them take their seats at the table.
Summer sets down a pair of plates and utensils.
"He is working overtime, claiming that he has to make up my portion of work," she smiles.
"And what about you two?" He asks Roman and Neo.
Neo hops off her chair and runs into the kitchen, then returns with a still half full bowl of ice cream that is just as cold as when it was initially served.
"As you can see," Roman sighs. "She's been enjoying herself and slowly savoring that monster of a dessert. Though, Miss Rose is a large factor to that as well."
"She won't get the vitamins and nutrients to help her grow if she spoils her appetite with too many sweets," Summer huffs. "Anyways, Mister Flugel and Flandre, can I see them? I've never seen a Relic up close for myself before-"
She is interrupted by her Scroll buzzing loudly with an emergency tone. Summer immediately stops and retrieves her Scroll in a hurry.
"Ozpin?" She reads the caller's ID.
Flandre grins and rubs her hands together.
"Looks like it's time for a show."
Quirking an eyebrow, Summer lets the call come through and puts the Scroll on speaker.
"Summer, we have an emergency," Ozpin urgently says.
"Why? What's the matter, Ozpin?" She asks, but she is starting to have an idea of what's going on.
"It's... All of the Academies have been attacked, and in the same exact manner."
"What? What do you mean?" Summer asks why knowingly glancing at Flandre's wide grin.
"Take a look."
An image pops up, displaying a perfectly circular hole in the middle of Haven Academy's Grand Hall. Then, three additional pictures come up, one at Atlas Academy, one at Shade, and the final one right outside of Beacon Tower.
"According to the reports, they all suddenly appeared at the same time about an hour ago."
"At the same time?" Summer gasps. When she looks over at Flugel, who shrugs.
"To make matters worse... All four of the Vaults have been ransacked, and it was not done with the help of the Maidens."
Four pictures of the Vault doors are enlarged, each with what looks like a hole that was violently torn open.
"So that means the one at Atlas is gone? Then how is it still floating?"
"I don't know! James says that they aren't able to go through the hole, saying there's some kind of barrier!" Ozpin's voice cracks. "But this has to be the work of those two..."
Each of the four images zoom in at a message burned into the Vault doors.
"This is mine now, fools!" - FF
Summer struggles to maintain a straight face as Flandre snickers in the background.
He releases a tired sigh.
"FF... This can only be the handiwork of those two… which means that there's little anyone can do. Do you realize how much of a panicked state the other headmasters are in? Though he doesn't show it, James is the worst out of all of them. He's barely keeping it together."
"So what's your plan of action?" Summer curiously asks.
"If possible, I'd like to get in contact with Sage Flugel… The last time I saw him was a few days ago when I was notified that he was staying at a hotel in Vale. Evidently, he did not wish to speak with me so he ended up promptly disappearing."
Summer hears him grumble about wasting two hours waiting outside of an empty hotel suite.
"Do you, by any chance, have a way of contacting him?"
"Ozpin," Flugel calls out.
"... My apologies, Summer. I must be hearing things now due to the stress. Please give me a moment to compose myself..."
"Actually... Mister Flugel is right here," Summer lightly laughs. "Both he and Flandre have stopped by for lunch."
"... I'll be there right-"
"No need," Flugel says, then snaps his fingers.
"away..." Ozpin's voice trails off when he suddenly finds himself in a completely different setting. His eyes widen when he realizes that he's in Summer's home, with Flugel and Flandre right in front of him.
"How?"
"I placed a mark on you the moment we met."
Ozpin tightens his grip around his cane, then finally releases his breath before collapsing down onto a chair.
"Sage Flugel… Why did you set your sights on the Relics?"
"Because they belong to me and Flandre."
"They... belong to you?"
Flugel lifts his right hand and the silver ring around his index finger expands in size.
"That's... the Relic of Choice..." Ozpin mutters.
"You lot were using it as a tool to gain insight into future events. Am I wrong?"
Ozpin slowly nods.
Flugel's mouth twitches.
"Actually, this was something I made a long time ago. Similar to your understanding of this object, it calculates future events based on the inputs. The reason I bothered making such a thing was because of her."
He jabs a thumb towards Flandre's position, who sticks her tongue out in response.
"She's such a troublemaker that I had to make this thing in order to deal with her... tendencies. Over the years, I've had to rely on this ring less and less as I got to know her better, until eventually, I did not require its assistance any longer. I kind of left it somewhere in my Tower and forgot it existed. I didn't even bother giving it a proper name."
'The Relic of Choice is nothing but a random side project?!' Ozpin thinks incredulously.
"I-I see," he coughs. "Then... what about the Relic of Knowledge?"
"Jinn," Flugel calls out.
Her head promptly pops out from his earring.
"Did you call, Master?"
"... Master?"
"Hmm? Well well well… If it isn't Ozma?" Jinn lightly sneers, defering her humble attitude only reserved for her superiors.
"That's the Relic of Knowledge?" Ozpin gasps.
"It's my Library, and Jinn is its keeper. Think of her as a glorified librarian."
"So... Jinn... is not a creation by the Brother of Light?"
Jinn's eyes narrow into a glare.
"Like either of those fools could accomplish such a thing. They'll soon have their comeuppance."
She huffs and pops back into the earring.
"Okay," Ozpin breathes out. "And the Relic of Destruction?"
The room instantly grows heavy.
"Those two dared touch Lævateinn with their filthy hands," Flandre snarls.
She extends an arm and what looks like a crooked clock needle appears. It is identical in whatever material composes her wings. The air surrounding the object howls and screeches, causing everyone in the room to cover their ears.
"As you can see," Flugel gestures with a hand. "What you call the Relic of Destruction is Flandre's weapon."
Ozpin, heart pounding from the mere presence of Lævateinn, swallows a lump of saliva before posing his final inquiry.
"A-And the Relic of Creation?"
"Is currently not here," Flugel responds. "Out of these four, Caduceus is by far the most important. It is something birthed by the world itself, and was entrusted to me. I have returned it to its rightful place. To be honest... I am still baffled by the fact that the best use you found for Caduceus was as a glorified battery to keep Atlas afloat."
"Morons," Flandre scoffs.
"One question," Summer chimes in. "According to what Ozpin said earlier, all four Relics were taken at the same time. How did you do that? Were you in four places at the same time?"
"We took the Relics over the course of two and a half days. We wanted to get some sightseeing done. First was Mistral, then Atlas, then Vacuo, and finally Vale. The reason why no one noticed until recently was-"
"Magic," Summer blurts. "Of course."
"A combination of perception and repellent wards, to be precise," Flugel nods. "I simply added a timer to each of them at the sites."
"Such a thing is possible? Even though they were right in front of everyone's eyes..." Ozpin mutters.
Flugel merely smiles and claps his hands together. When he does, Ozpin finally notices the presence of Neo, Roman, and Yang.
"T-This is..." He stutters with wide eyes.
"Exactly what I was talking about," Flugel finishes. "Now, let us talk about the reason why I summoned you here, Ozpin."
Ozpin's back stiffens and he listens intently.
"The Tower will return, and when it does..."
"When it does?" Ozpin slowly asks. Sweat forming on his brow.
"I think I will open a school," Flugel brightly smiles.
"... What?!"