"A school?" Ozpin slowly repeats. He resists the urge to nervously shift in his seat while faced with Flugel's calm, yet knowing smile.
"May... I ask for what purpose?"
Flandre scoffs while raising an eyebrow, making her annoyance towards him clear for asking such a silly question.
"Seriously? What kind of question is that?"
Ozpin gulps while suppressing a shiver. The memory of her nearly leveling Beacon Tower with a casual wave of a hand is still freshly burned into his mind.
"I do not mean any offense with my line of questioning. To make it clear, I am aware that the subjects covered in your school will most certainly be based around magic," he hastily clarifies. "However, there could be a few... logistical concerns?"
Thoroughly amused, Flugel slaps his knee and laughs, "Logistical! You certainly have a way with words!"
After giving himself several moments to catch his breath, he states, "You believe that once my academic facility becomes public knowledge, the balance between the Huntsmen Academies, and subsequently, the Kingdoms, will be disrupted."
Though hardly noticeable to most, the subtle, uncomfortable, shifts in his facial expression do not escape Flugel's or Flandre's eyes.
Flandre scoffs, "Just who do you think you're dealing with, boy? Stop your word games. In case you've already forgotten, Master and I have lived far longer than your own pathetic existence. So stop trying to be cute by being clever. In my eyes, you're no different than Yang over there!"
She points a thumb backwards at the one in question, who is currently sucking a thumb while digging for gold in her nose.
Summer glances down at Yang, then back up at Ozpin. The corners of her mouth quivers as she tries her best in maintaining a straight face.
"P-Pfft!"
Though feeling quite insulted, it is greatly overshadowed by the fact that the Sage had just accurately stated his true thoughts. From his perspective, his concerns are quite valid, seeing that he'd spent a great amount of effort and time during the War. Just how much blood was shed in order to establish order between the Kingdoms? Too much...
The Grimm and Salem are an ever-present threat, but currently, humanity is in a much needed era of peace. He has no doubt in his mind that should the Sage and Flugel step into the limelight, they will instantly be treated as a superpower, and rightfully so. Once that happens, who knows how the current balance will shift?
Ozpin releases a tired sigh and slowly answers.
"I will not deny your assessment, however... rather than believe, it is more of a concern. One that I truly hope does not turn out to be the case."
"The peace held between these human nations are so fragile?" Flandre mockingly says while shaking her head. "I can't say that I'm actually surprised."
One of her eyes crack open and a bright crimson pupil stares directly at him.
"You don't have to be so reserved, so go ahead and speak everything on your mind. One of the major concerns you have are the future students of Master's school. Your Huntsmen and Huntresses, though they mainly specialize in killing Grimm, are a major asset to each respective Kingdom's military strength. Therefore, it goes without question that your Kingdoms will categorize these hypothetical students of Master's the same way."
Ozpin resists the urge to shudder.
'Terrifying... She is completely on the mark...'
He can do nothing but numbly nod in response to Flandre.
Meanwhile, Roman and Neo silently watch and listen from the side. The vast majority of the topics being discussed are going over their heads, but there is one thing they know for certain. Even in the suburbs of Mistral, they had heard the stories and rumors surrounding the young headmaster of Beacon. So to see him act so contrary to those stories while facing Flugel and Flandre could only mean one of two things. Either those stories were greatly embellished, or their future employers hold even far greater power than they'd given them credit for.
Summer, on the other hand, maintains a rather awkward smile as she glances between the two parties.
'I've never seen Ozpin so flustered before...' She mentally chuckles. 'It will probably ever be in front of Mister Flugel and Flandre he ever loses his composure like this.'
"Well," Ozpin lightly coughs into a hand. "To be fair, as far as the Academies are concerned, they have all just been attacked by an unknown enemy... Please trust me when I say that the headmasters are all capable and trustworthy individuals, but the current situation has... put them on edge. It is understandable that they will be prone to reacting quite a bit more dramatically than usual."
"Hmm... That certainly does sound like quite the headache," Flugel casually hums. "And you are likely the only voice of reason and calm between you four."
"... Yes. Yes it is quite the headache," Ozpin mutters while the corners of his mouth twitches in irritation. "This morning was rather... hectic."
'He is well aware that this is due to his actions. Yet, why is he intentionally giving me a difficult time?'
"Dealing with distraught individuals first thing in the morning," Flugel dramatically sighs. "I can relate quite well. There are certainly better ways to wake up in the morning. Wouldn't you agree?"
The frustration gnawing at Ozpin disappears, and his eyes waver as they widen.
"... Sage... Are you perchance... referring to the morning visit to your hotel suite?" He hesitatingly asks, almost unable to believe that he is bringing this up in the first place.
"He finally gets it!" Flandre cheers while lazily clapping her hands together.
At a complete loss for words, Ozpin slumps into his chair. When the news had come out that the Vaults were compromised, he'd theorized multiple reasons for why the Sage would do such a thing. Declaring war? Boredom? Curiosity? Why do it in this manner, when he could have easily taken the Relics without leaving behind any evidence?
And now that he'd finally gotten the answer to the Sage's actions, his brain is barely able to process the information. Out of all the possibilities, these two supremely powerful individuals had caused a scene because they are annoyed about their sleep being disrupted?! Over such a petty reason?!
He resists the urge to vomit blood and reevaluates his impression of the Sage. If anyone else had dared to play these kinds of games, he would have had them apprehended and locked away for the rest of eternity! But alas... what can he possibly do to the Sage and his familiar?
"W-What about Atlas?" He finally asks after collecting himself. "Why is it still afloat after you've removed the Relic of Creation?"
"Ah... That one was a bit of a unique case," Flugel chuckles. "I am assuming that you have received a report stating that the Vault is inaccessible, despite the gaping hole Flandre punched through?"
'She punched them...'
Without a word, Ozpin nods in response. Ironwood, in his brief moment of panic, verified that there was an unknown barrier blocking access or vision into the Vault. Seeing how there are no signs of Atlas falling from the sky, he was able to somewhat calm the General down.
"Basically, we replaced the power source," Flugel shrugs. "Instead of using the staff, the floating city is instead now powered by a nuclear fusion reactor. Ah, but there is no need to worry, as my wards and barriers will keep any harmful radiation waves from leaking out."
"Nuclear... what? Radiation?" Ozpin asks.
"Apparently, I was getting ahead of myself. Essentially, there is a miniature sun in the Vault that will provide the energy required to keep that landmass afloat. You won't have to worry about it running out of fuel any time soon. Around... 100,000 years or so, based on the amount of hydrogen I've left in there?"
'... What? A sun?! 100,000 years?!'
"Hey Master. Shouldn't we have charged Atlas commission?" Flandre loudly whispers.
Flugel pauses, then silently curses under his breath.
"Damn! You're right! What a missed opportunity!"
"Um... Technically, didn't you two rob Atlas?" Summer asks. "Wouldn't asking for payment be extortion?"
"Minor details," Flandre dismissively waves a hand.
'That's... not minor at all...' Summer internally sweats.
"Anyways," Flugel says. "There is little to worry about with regards to the Kingdoms."
"What do you mean?"
"It means that we don't give a damn about what your Kingdoms think," Flandre sneers.
"What she means is that we will remain neutral," Flugel sighs. "If it brings you any peace of mind, the school's physical location will not be on any of your Kingdoms' continents."
"Not in any of the Kingdoms' territories..." Ozpin mutters to himself. After a moment, the implication of Flugel's statement sinks in.
"... It couldn't be... Menagerie?"
"Free real estate," Flugel says while flashing a thumbs up. "Am I right to assume that no one has claimed ownership of the inner sections of the island?"
"Though Faunus heavily populate Menagerie, they all live on the coast," Summer explains. "Their economy relies on exporting fish to the rest of Remnant, and the fertile soil near the coast combined with their tropical weather makes it suitable for specialized agricultural goods."
"As far as I'm aware, there are no known historical records of the inlands being hospitable for human or Faunus life," Ozpin sighs. "In fact, even Grimm are seldom observed in those lands. Many years ago, several Faunus and even humans had the idea to migrate into the those lands, with the hope of finding ways of living off the land. The temptation of having to deal with little to no Grimm was too great to resist. As you can imagine, things did not work out quite as planned. And since then, no one has claimed ownership of those lands, as they are considered a complete waste of time and money."
"Excellent," Flugel smiles and claps his hands together.
"Tch," Flandre clicks her tongue. "Taking away from someone is way more fun than picking up freebies..."
"Having said that," Ozpin continues. "Though Menagerie is independent from the four Kingdoms, all this will do is draw ire and suspicion towards the island's current residents, rather than towards one of the Kingdoms. I foresee that things are going to get... complicated. May I ask, why Menagerie of all places?"
He hardly buys that the only reason the Sage would choose such a location is because it is free.
Flugel's mouth curves up into a small, enigmatic smile.
"Based on the stories, where does the Sage reside?"
"The Tower..." Ozpin gasps.
Flugel leans forward.
"I am curious. Do the words Od Laguna mean anything to you?"
"Od... Laguna?"
When Ozpin repeats those words, he feels something within him resonate deeply, as if instinctively responding.
'How odd... Why is there a feeling of familiarity?'
"I... don't know," he honestly replies.
"I see," Flugel smiles to himself. "You are not aware, but your origin is deeply tied to Od Laguna. Your source can not lie, and I know you feel it."
"Origin?" Summer asks.
Ozpin's eyes widen.
'That must mean...'
Flugel turns to Summer.
"Do you remember what Jinn called him earlier?"
"I think she said... Ozma?"
He nods, "Ozma is the root of his source. His first and true identity."
"His first life," Summer gasps.
"Though it was not from Jinn I heard this from," Flugel says with a twinkle in his eyes. "I heard about it all from your wife."
He pauses.
"Wait... or is it ex-wife? That particular detail was never made clear."
'Oh no...'
"Wife?! Ozpin, you have a wife?!" Summer exclaims while waving her arms, then suddenly freezes. Her face goes pale as her brain connects the dots.
'... There shouldn't be anyone else Mister Flugel and Flandre had contact with in the past few days.'
"And they even exchanged Scroll numbers with her," Summer mutters to herself in disbelief. "O-Ozpin..."
"Excuse me. What in the blazes do you mean by Scroll number?!" Ozpin nearly yells.
He turns to Flugel for an answer but pauses when he notices the Scroll the table, already ringing with the dial tone. From the side, Flandre is loudly snickering to herself, apparently, quite amused.
"W-Who are you- Oh gods..." Ozpin whispers in horror.
When the dial tone finally clicks, he shuts his eyes closed and attempts to calm himself as much as possible.
"... Yes?" A soothing female voice asks.
When Roman hears Salem's voice, he can't help but slightly blush. Whoever this woman was must surely be a stunning beauty, based solely on her alluring voice. However, contrary to Roman, Ozpin suppresses a shudder.
'That is most definitely her...'
They all blink when the horrified screams of men can be heard in the background, creating a rather strange contrast to Salem's serene voice. In fact, they can all swear that the screams are an equal mixture of both pain and panic.
"SHE'S A MONSTER! RUN! RUN!"
"SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME! I'M BURNING! AHHHghhh-"
The blush on Roman's face quickly disappears and is replaced with horror and utter disbelief.
Ozpin's hands tightly clench into fists, trying not to imagine the atrocities Salem is committing right this minute.
Flandre, however, leans forward with an ecstatic expression.
"She sounds like she's having an absolute blast over there! I'm so jealous!"
"... Is this a bad time?" Flugel asks with a raised eyebrow.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
A thunderous crack of lightning nearly pops the Scroll's speakers, causing Roman, Neo, Summer, and Yang to jolt in surprise.
"Not anymore," Salem calmly replies. "My business has just been finished."
As if to confirm her claim, the background is not eerily quiet.
"Is there something I can help you with?" She asks.
Ozpin blinks in shock. Of all people to hear a polite tone from, she would most definitely be one of the last.
"Have you had the chance to check the news this morning?"
"Up until just a few moments ago, I was rather... busy," Salem sighs. "But I have a guess as to what you are leading up to."
Flugel chuckles, "And you would be correct. Flandre and I have confiscated the Relics from the Academies."
"Was the Relic of Knowledge helpful?"
"In many ways, yes."
Salem smirks, "Interesting... And how has dear Ozpin reacted to this news?"
She makes no attempt in hiding the amusement from her voice.
Flugel rubs his chin.
"At the moment, he looks as if he will pass out very soon."
A moment of silence passes.
"He is there?" She finally sighs. "Do you have anything to say, Ozpin? It has been a long time since we've spoken, after all."
"... Indeed. Forgive me for being at a loss for words. To think that you of all people would willingly be on friendly terms with a non-Grimm individual."
Salem lightly scoffs, "Do not act as if you know me so well. You lost that right a long time ago."
"But I think I do," he curtly responds. "We all heard it for ourselves not too long ago. Or were those screams of terror an auditory illusion?"
"Don't be so quick to assume," she tiredly sighs. "Those... things, deserved death. If you were in my position, you would have done the same. Do not act the fool and pretend that benevolence is a prevalent trait of man."
"..."
"In fact," she continues. "If I could, I would do it all over-"
She suddenly pauses. Though barely audible, they can hear Salem softly speaking to someone if they strain their ears.
"-tle one. -afe. It's... -kay..."
After several seconds, she evidently returns to her Scroll.
"This conversation is over, Ozpin," she hastily says. "Sage Flugel, if there is nothing else you need my attention for..."
"You sound rather busy at the moment," Flugel lightly smiles. "We can discuss the topics I had in mind another time."
She releases a sigh, "Until next time."
As she ends the call, they clearly hear Salem ask in gentle voice, "What is your name?"
Seeing that everyone is opting to remain silent after the call ends, Roman chimes in.
"So... who was that exactly?"
"That was his wife maybe ex-wife," Flandre snickers while pointing at Ozpin. "To the general public, she's known as the Queen of those Grimm trash."
"Q-Queen of-" Roman sputters, nearly falling off his chair. "U-Uh wow... You er... sure know how to pick em?"
He stares at Ozpin like he's some sort of freak.
'Don't judge,' he constantly tells himself. 'Everyone's got their fetishes and his just so happens to be... urgh...'
Flugel mentally chuckles at Flandre's deliberate wordplay, as her statement can be taken as either past or present tense.
"Sage... Do... you truly have no qualms with her?" Ozpin slowly asks.
In response, Flandre scoffs and shrugs.
"Meh. We've seen and met much worse. All things considered, I'd say you lot got pretty lucky."
"More importantly, you and Salem really were uh.. are... married?!" Summer exclaims. "The one who you've said is humanity's greatest enemy is actually your spouse?!"
"Summer, please," Ozpin urges with a hand. "It... is rather complicated between us."
"Well that's the understatement of the century!"
Flugel waves a hand, signaling for her to sit back down.
"What he says is true, Summer."
Ozpin glances at Flugel in surprise and relief. However, that feeling evaporates almost immediately.
"Divorce has always been a complicated matter," Flugel sighs. "Unfortunately, this has been observed to be the case in every world Flandre and I have traveled to throughout the years."
"Divor-" Ozpin spits.
Summer blinks several times and her breathing slows.
"... I suppose that's fair... I overreacted. But..." she lightly frowns. "Doesn't that mean that humanity has been embroiled in a senseless war against the Grimm due to what is essentially a marital spat?"
"Actually-" Ozpin starts, but is interrupted.
"A logical conclusion," Flugel sagely nods.
Covering his face with a hand, Ozpin mutters, "Please do not oversimplify the situation to nothing more than a disagreement between spouses. Far too much has been sacrificed for the current peace we are enjoying."
"Yeah, yeah," Flandre yawns. "Whatever. All of this is the fault of those two morons anyways."
Ozpin bitterly smiles, "So Salem and I have been reduced to nothing more than morons in your eyes?"
"What?" Flandre quirks an eyebrow. "Not you two, you idiot. I'm talking about the other two. The moronic pair of brothers."
His eyes widen.
"Jinn," Flugel calls out.
An ethereal blue mist leaks out from his earring, and a miniature version of Jinn pops out.
"Yes?" She cheerfully asks.
"Compile a simplified copy of information pertaining to Od Laguna. It would be best if Ozpin here has a firmer grasp on this topic."
Jinn raises an eyebrow towards Ozpin, then sighs before bowing her head.
"Of course. It will only take a moment."
"It is quite strange, seeing Jinn acting so subservient," Ozpin mutters with a strange expression.
"I heard that. And speak for yourself," Jinn remarks as she reemerges. "Take this. It's been tailored so that only you can read it. If anyone else's eyes land on its pages, it will be blank."
A nondescript notebook floats through the air into Ozpin's hands.
"Thank you Jinn," Flugel nods.
"Of course, Master. It is my job, after all," Jinn smiles, then bows before disappearing.
Ozpin's hand traces over the book's cover, feeling a thrum of magic coursing through it.
"I highly suggest you read it," Flugel says.
"This is..." Ozpin starts, but pauses when his Scroll loudly buzzes. When he glances at the caller ID, he releases a groan.
A four way meeting between him, Theodore, Lionheart, and Ironwood...
Amusement dancing within his eyes, Flugel says, "It appears that you have your work cut out for you."
"... Indeed. Er... Sage, if you could-"
"I brought you here so it is only natural that I send you back."
Flugel lazily points at Ozpin's feet, teleporting him back into his office in Beacon Tower.
"Well, that was weird," Roman comments. "I have... no idea what that was all about."
Neo nods, then shrugs.
"Mister Flugel, is it okay to antagonize the Academies like that?" Summer nervously asks. "Couldn't you have taken the Relics in a more... peaceful way?"
"I certainly could have," he nods.
Flandre snorts, "If something like this is enough to fracture their Kingdoms, then it's not something worth having in the first place."
"So... you're testing them?"
"An added benefit," Flugel chuckles, then mischievously grins.
"It really was quite annoying, how he and that assistant of his incessantly knocked on the door."
"... ... ..."
"Now as for these Maidens, I believe they're called. There are four of them?"
"Ah... yes," Summer nods. "Before you two came into the picture, the Maidens were the only four individuals who can use magic, excluding Ozpin and Salem of course. We refer to them as the Seasonal Maidens, and like the name implies, each of them represents one of the four seasons. The Fall Maiden can only open the Beacon Vault, Winter to Atlas, Spring to Haven, and finally, Summer to Shade."
"Do you know who the current Maidens are? I am rather curious to meet them."
"The Fall Maiden should be the oldest of the four, and is actually expected to pass in a few years. From what little I'd heard, she is planning to pass on her Maiden powers to her granddaughter. I think her name is Amber? The second oldest of the Maidens is the Winter Maiden. I've never met her in person, but I do know that she rarely, if ever, leaves Atlas. Honestly, I kind of feel bad for her. As for the Summer Maiden, despite my name, I know pretty much nothing about her," Summer finishes with a laugh.
Then, she pauses and looks down, fidgeting her fingers as she organizes her thoughts.
"The Spring Maiden," she whispers. "She's a close friend. In fact, she was one of our teammates back when we attended Beacon, which includes Taiyang and Qrow. She's always been... unconventional, I guess you could say..."
She picks up Yang and affectionately brushes her hair with her fingers.
"She-... Raven is Qrow's twin sister. And she is also Yang's birth mother."
Summer looks up and chuckles, "There's a saying... That once someone becomes a parent, something in that person fundamentally changes. Up until the day Raven gave birth to little Yang, she was always as cold and sharp as a sword. She rarely, if ever, let her emotions show externally. According to her, such behavior is one suited only for weaklings."
She brightly smiles as she closes her eyes.
"When Raven held Yang for the first time... the love I saw in her eyes was a real as the sun and moon. To be honest, the level of tenderness she displayed took me by surprise. I wish I'd taken a picture with my Scroll..."
Her eyes reopen, but her pupils are slightly dim and her smile disappears.
"The previous Spring Maiden," she sighs. "I hate to say it, but she was a coward. Unlike the other Maidens, she'd received her powers due to sheer luck. Though, from her perspective, it was nothing but due to pure misfortune. The power of a Maiden is great, but the responsibilities and burden that come with it are heavy. So heavy that not everyone is capable of shouldering it without being crushed. This girl, Emily, was timid to a fault. Even after spending numerous years under the wings of Haven, she was never able to nurture the mind of a warrior. Eventually, having no other choice, Haven's headmaster, Lionheart, asked Ozpin for help. That was when Raven and I became involved, and we were assigned to attempt training the girl. At this point in time, Yang was born not too long ago."
Flandre hums, "Huh... Okay, I think I know where this is going."
Summer tilts her head in surprise.
"You do?"
"You've already stated that this Raven girl is the current Spring Maiden, meaning that Emily is dead. I'm going to take a wild guess that she didn't die from illness or disease, which leaves one other possibility," Flandre shrugs. "Now... we know the Maiden powers transfer to the last person in said Maiden's thoughts. From the top of my head, I can think of two main ways of accomplishing this. One is by having a deep personal bond with the passing Maiden, which I highly doubt happened. Therefore, it was accomplished with the second method. Do I have to spell it out?"
She gives Summer an amused, yet almost uncaring smile.
"... When we arrived at Haven, Raven and I were given a room in the faculty dorms. Our first meeting with Emily was scheduled to take place the following morning. Unfortunately, that meeting never took place. That night was the night the Spring Maiden had decided to flee. Raven was the only one who'd caught sight of Emily, due to her habit of staying up on top of roofs at night. The two of us immediately went after her, while notifying Lionheart with my Scroll. By the time we caught up with her, we were pretty far out from the city's borders, making it difficult for Lionheart's reinforcements from accurately locating my Scroll's signal."
Summer clenches a hand into a fist.
"It was clear that the Spring Maiden, Emily, was not in a stable state of mind. The fear, madness, and spite emanating from her was palpable. She was rambling on about joining Salem, and how that would ensure her safety. That none of this was her fault. At that point, there was no point in trying to reason with her, so we engaged in combat."
She absentmindedly rubs the left side of her torso.
"The previous reports on Emily stated that she barely had a grasp on her Maiden powers. I guess it goes to show that under extreme stress and desperation, a large degree of power can manifest. Even though Raven and I had far more experience, the sheer raw power of a Maiden made it an extremely close fight... too close. I... got hurt pretty badly during our engagement, and before Emily could deal a finishing blow, Raven took that opportunity to deal a fatal blow. No one ever found her body because she fell down the gorge we were fighting on... Flandre's conjecture is right. Raven received the Spring Maiden powers because she was ultimately Emily's killer."
Summer deeply sighs, "Things weren't supposed to turn out that way. Our initial goal was to stall for time while Lionheart's forces arrived, or apprehend if possible. I guess Raven lost control when she saw the dangerous state I was in. I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same if our positions were reversed. In the end, it was reported that the Spring Maiden had gone missing. When we returned to Patch, Raven left the following night without a word. The only thing she left behind was a simple note, that she'd had enough of the life of a Huntress. The rest is history..."
"Hmm," Flugel hums with an interested expression. "This woman, Raven, has quite the resolve."
"Not bad," Flandre nods. "For a human, that is."
"What makes you say that?" Summer slowly asks.
"Assuming your description of events and this woman are accurate, then the reasons for her actions are rather obvious. After all, the actions one takes reflects the heart with far more clarity than words. There is a key question to ask with regards to your story. Why did Raven even bother returning to Patch if she was planning on leaving? What was the point?" Flugel asks hypothetically.
His gaze trails down to the young blonde infant contently asleep on Summer's lap.
"The inherent burdens and danger that comes with being a Maiden... alongside the mechanism that drives the transfer of said power," he says with a smile small. "The love of a mother for her child should not be underestimated."
Summer's shoulders shudder with emotion. She wipes her eyes as she gives him a sad, yet relieved smile.
"Raven's always been misunderstood since she doesn't like to talk much. And when she does, it is always brutally blunt. She's prideful, almost to a fault. Selfish... Cold... But despite all of that, I never once believed that she left Yang behind out of cruelty. Not after seeing the look in her eyes when she first held her in her arms."
"It's too bad her actions ended up being a waste of time," Flandre yawns. "I'll give her credit though, even if it's a little misguided."
Flugel lightly flicks the back of her head.
"What?" She mutters while rubbing her head. "I'm not wrong. Besides, this means that she can come back to be with Yang without worry. It's not like the Relics should matter to these people anymore."
He pinches his brow.
"That's not the point," he sighs. "Would it kill you to read the mood and comment in a more appropriate manner?"
"Maybe it would kill me," Flandre huffs. "I don't want to risk testing that theory though, so too bad!"
Summer blinks her tears away and brings a hand up to her mouth.
"You're right!" She gasps.
"See? Even Summer agrees that I shouldn't take such a risk."
"No, not that," Summer shakes her head. "Your comment about Raven and Yang! I-I have to tell Tai, but... how should I explain all of this?"
"Just tell it like it is?" Flandre scoffs. "You know, it is still mind boggling to me that both female members of your team ended up marrying that buffoon. What's his name again? Tea?"
"I'll admit that Tai can be... unreliable at time," Summer smiles. "But at the same time, he's very reliable! Besides, do I need to have a list of specific reasons for loving someone?"
"Hmph."
"Then... why don't you tell us all about why you love Mister Flugel so much?" She teasingly says to the vampire.
"WHA-" Flandre spits.
"Aw... Don't be shy."
"S-SHUT YOUR MOUTH! AND STOP LAUGHING, MASTER!"
"Ahahaha!" Flugel loudly laughs. "Go on Flandre! We're waiting!"
"GAAAAAH!" She screams while clutching at her mob cap.
Yang, having woken up due to the ruckus, yawns and laughs at Flandre.
"Flan... tell?"
"N-Not you too, Yang! You're supposed to be my most obedient follower," Flandre cries. Out of desperation, she glances at Roman and Neo.
"Uh... We're... note involved with whatever the hell is happening?" Roman nervously mumbles.
When Flandre's eyes narrow dangerously, Neo's eyes widen and she elbows Roman's side rapidly in succession.
'Stop trying to get us killed, stupid!'
He instantly straightens his back and corrects himself.
"I-I mean, teasing shouldn't be taken so far! There's a limit you know! Yeah..."
A grin forms on Flandre's face in the blink of an eye, and she arrogantly points at Flugel.
"You heard the evidence, Master. You took it too far. Apologize. Grovel at my feet and beg for forgiveness!" She demands.
"Yeah, yeah. Please forgive me," he replies in a bored, monotone voice.
"Did she just call me evidence?!"
"I want more toys. There is a brand new model of hard light television I want, and naturally, that requires the latest video game console," Flandre begins to list off. "And in order to properly play games, I'll need snacks. Lots of them. Oh! There's also-"
Flugel's arm snaps out and his hand grips the top of Flandre's head, and he testily smiles at her.
"O-Ow, o-okay! You can exclude the snacks!" She quickly compromises. When his grip tightens, she continues, "And the television! I'll settle for a previous model! I'm not giving up the game console!"
"..."
Flugel sighs and releases her.
"I hate it when you do that, Master. It always creases my mob cap," she pouts.
'Why is her hat the main issue here...' Summer, Roman, and Neo simultaneously think to themselves.
"Now," Flugel says as he leans his elbows against the table. "We should move on to the topic of business."
Summer's eyes brighten.
"The shop you want to open in Vale? Actually, I found a relatively cheap plot of land in the downtown area. Apparently, the original restaurant there caught on fire, and the owner decided to just sell it."
"That is perfect," Flugel says.
"I thought you'd say that," she grins. "So, I went ahead and reserved the purchase by pulling a few strings. Being a Huntress, and not to toot my own horn, a relatively well known one in Vale at that, comes with a few perks."
"Abusing your position of power," Flandre nods approvingly. "Well done. I like it!"
"It's not abuse of power!" She hastily denies. "It's a benefit!"
"In either case," Flugel chuckles. "We will leave it up to you to finalize the purchase. As for the capital required..."
He waves a hand, and a dark portal manifests in the air. From the portal, several bars of metal stream out and organize themselves neatly onto the ground, forming a small pile.
"Though we don't have any formal currency, I trust that these can be exchanged for a fair amount."
Summer picks up one of the bars and taps it with a finger.
"Iron?" She mutters. "... This has to be some of the purest iron I've ever seen. It practically has a mirror finish!"
"Indeed, it is iron," Flugel nods. "Through alchemy, the impurities were removed, then forged into these bars before you."
"This means that the quality of the steel made from these bars will be on another level," Summer says in amazement. "These iron bars can likely sell for double the usual market price, and the amount here should easily cover the cost of the land. As for a buyer, I am 100% certain that my weaponsmith will be interested. Any decent weaponsmith would clamber over each other for high quality material like this."
"I will leave it up to you. Whatever iron bars are left after covering the cost of the land, you may have as commission. As for transferring these bars..."
Flugel retrieves a brown satchel bag and hands it to Summer.
"Do not let its appearances fool you. There is quite a bit more space in there than meets the eye."
Summer curiously looks over the plain looking bag and opens it. When she peers inside, her eyes widen in surprise, seeing what looks like a wide room. When she reaches into the opening, her arm is mysteriously able to reach the bottom. She takes one of the iron bars and places it into the bag, verifying that it barely takes up a corner of the bag's interior. Better yet, she feels zero increase in weight, despite the iron bar weighing at least thirty pounds. With great enthusiasm, she moves the rest of the iron bars into the bag, then comfortably secures the bag over her shoulder, before patting it with a pleased expression.
"You may also consider the bag as a gift," Flugel chuckles.
"Thank you!" Summer says with a giddy smile. "Just imagine how many weapons I could carry around with me! And groceries too, I guess. If we head out to the city today, we should be able to get back by dinnertime."
"Then what are we wasting time for?" Flandre grins. "This is the perfect time to pick up my promised television and games!"
Summer quickly write a note and leaves it on the table, just in case Tai returns to an empty home.
"All ready," she nods.
"Then off we go."
*** Vale ***
As Summer had claimed earlier, her weaponsmith was more than willing to purchase all of the iron in her possession. In fact, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he verified the purity of the metal. With the Lien in hand, the group stop by the real estate firm and finalize the purchase without a hitch. And now, they are standing before said purchased land, with a few hours to spare before lunch.
What used to be a small family style diner is now nothing but a pile of burnt wood, shattered glass, and charred concrete. To prevent anyone from entering the premises, several layers of yellow cautionary tape surrounds the perimeter.
"This will work quite well," Flugel nods, then taps the ground with his feet, erecting a perception ward around the property. As it immediately takes effect, the civilians walking close by naturally change course to move away.
Next, Flandre steps forward while lazily yawning into her hand. She casually squeezes a hand into a fist, then turns back around. Like ice rapidly melting during a hot summer afternoon, every single piece of debris crumbles into indistinguishable piles of dust that is blown away by a gust of wind.
Summer, having seen this before, maintains a calm expression. Externally, Neo simply blinks, but internally is shocked. Roman, on the other hand, is sweating bullets as his imagination runs wild. What... would happen if she did whatever she just did to say... a human? Or even worse... him?
Flandre knowingly and nefariously shoots a grin at him, causing him to further pale. Flugel lightly slaps the back of her head.
"Stop intimidating my employee!"
"You should have seen his face," Flandre cackles. "He looks like he's about to soil himself!"
Neo curls her nose and takes a step away from Roman.
"Wha- Neo?"
Sighing, Flugel waves a finger, and a large portal appears above the plot of land. A variety of miscellaneous materials stream out, ranging from glass, bricks, concrete, wood, and metal. Next, a large circle consisting of triangles, circles, and lines organized into a symmetric symbol covers the plot of land. The alchemy circle activates, and the mountain of materials in the center melt into a pool of silver that spreads out across the ground. Once the area is covered, the alchemical liquid molds itself, and once the shape of a building is established, the silvery color fades away, revealing the finished result.
In the span of less than a minute, a humble white building with brick walls, wooden roof, and large window panels is created. Hanging above the wooden door is a large sign.
"The Taberna?" Summer asks. "What does that mean?"
"It means 'shop'," Flugel chuckles.
A crack of dark pink lightning arcs out and strikes the store sign. The sudden noise caused Summer, Neo, Roman, and Yang to cover their ears and look away from the bright light. When it fades away after several seconds, they raise their eyebrows at Flandre, who is blowing smoke from her index finger.
"Much better," she comments, quite pleased with herself.
They look back towards the sign, finding a newly drawn image of Flandre posing beside the store sign. Unlike reality, the drawing depicts her as an alluring woman in her mid-twenties, posing with a hand against her hip and winking. They can tell that it is supposed to be Flandre due to the matching outfits.
Flugel pats her head and gives her a pitiful look.
"Maybe someday..." He dramatically sighs.
Flandre growls and slaps his hand away.
"What do you mean someday?! That is a spitting image of me!"
"I-It's okay, Flandre," Summer encourages. "You're plenty adorable as you currently are."
"... I'll show you all one day," Flandre grumbles under her breath.
"Come," Flugel gestures towards the door. "It's time we take a little tour."