Music Choices: Oh No! by MARINA, I Can't Decide by Scissor Sisters, Children's Summon by Zeal & Ardor
Eclipse
Chapter 55
The White Rook
Final
"Now then. Who would like to go first?"
Rihanna turned to her with a confused stare. The freshman seemed unsure of how to proceed now that she had been proven wrong about many of her core assumptions about life. Raven nearly rolled her eyes at that, but considering she was currently staring down their Headmaster, she decided against it.
"I will," she raised a wry brow. Ozpin's smile remained the same, enigmatic as ever, betraying none of his personal thoughts on the matter.
"By all means," he nodded politely, as if opening the door for someone else.
Taiyang glanced at her, the warmth of his arm pressing against her much cooler bicep, and Raven nearly took his hand in her own.
"There seems to have been a misunderstanding," Raven continued dryly, leaning back in her chair as if getting comfortable. As if she could get comfortable here. "I thought Rihanna was possibly a plant from the King's Service or one of our other enemies and wanted to ensure we were not in danger; and she thought, well - that she was communicating something else, apparently."
Summer's ears flicked as Raven spoke, silver eyes glancing between Ozpin, Raven and Rihanna.
"I see," Ozpin hummed, taking another damn sip of coffee. She felt like he was observing some unseen aspect of her aura or astral form, tracing out patterns that she could not see herself. For all she knew, he very well could have been. "Thank you. And Rihanna?"
The freshmen smiled automatically, mirroring Ozpin's enigmatic presentation likely as a way of self preservation.
Little too late for that...
"I thought that I could make other magical allies here, and might have gotten my wires crossed on what the social decorum is around Vale," Rihanna grinned, trying to lay on the charm. Raven could see the light shift in Oz's eyes, as he grew amused that she was trying to play his game with him.
I have to hand it to her, though. She sure does not know when to quit.
"You thought that you could make an ally of Raven?" Ozpin prompted, sounding almost sincerely confused. "By tricking her into the Mirrorways unprotected?"
Rihanna's smile didn't crack nor did she falter; but Raven heard a quiet, yet familiar rumble. Taiyang shuffled a little, taking Summer's hand in his, while Qrow coughed. Oz made no comment on this display whatsoever.
"Not exactly, no," Rihanna admitted, trying to look unconcerned. "I wasn't-"
"You weren't really interested in making allies of other magic users, were you?" Ozpin beamed. There was hidden danger there and Raven was glad she was not on the receiving end of that smile. "You thought you were playing mind games with another aetheri. Correct?"
A slight creak as Summer looked around Taiyang's shoulder.
" What ?"
Rihanna didn't flinch, wince, nor break out into a sweat; she was too busy trying to find her footing seated across from a literal warlock who looked like he was dissecting her in his mind's eye. She did, however, take a slight moment to break eye contact to glance Summer's way, still wearing her auto-pilot, charm-the-masses' smile. That didn't last long as she looked back at Ozpin when he started chuckling.
"I'm sorry to say, Rihanna, that Beacon is not much like the Stygian Mirror - which, my apologies, I know you didn't pick it yourself. But that is such a pretentious name for such an unaccomplished Guild," Ozpin was chuckling softly, his platinum locks falling over his brow. Raven took note that he had a standard for Guild's, meaning that some had either existed previously or still did elsewhere. "You people haven't encountered anything or anyone truly Stygian before - let alone reflected their true nature. Or you would all be quite thoroughly insane, instead of only somewhat deluded."
Raven did her best to appear neutral to all this fresh information, but it was difficult. Ozpin had never, truly revealed anything quite like this to them before, including that Grimm were really the corrupted spirits of the dead; it was like a mask had slipped a bit, and while she typically preferred the absolute truth of something, she was still genuinely uncomfortable with what she was picking up.
How old is he really? What is he really? What exactly is a warlock, or a mantle thief or whatever it is he's got going on? And most importantly: why is he choosing to show us this side of himself now ?
Rihanna stared, her smile having slipped when he revealed how much he knew about her stupid guild or whatever, but still trying to rally. To keep playing the game.
"I'll see if they're open to workshopping it," Rihanna hummed, as if a little bored. "So, I have a lot of questions."
"I'm sure you do," Ozpin nodded, taking another sip just to antagonize her. "I'm not particularly keen to answer any of them though; considering you nearly just killed one of my students while trying to quite foolishly play Guild games with someone who is very much above such pettiness."
Raven blinked in surprise, before eying him carefully. She didn't want to believe he was genuinely concerned for her well being, Summer's, or any of theirs for that matter; likely he was just being territorial with another magic user who had invaded his territory with an agenda.
"Do I not count as one of your students then?" Rihanna parried.
"You tell me," Ozpin returned pleasantly, folding his hands. "You do seem conflicted about what role you wish to play here, at the very least."
Raven appraised the pair. It seemed that STRQ was largely in the clear here, at least for the moment. Rihanna had angered Ozpin to the point where he was actually 'defending' Raven publicly. Not that she expected this to last for long.
He must be absurdly pissed that she stepped on his toes. But, didn't he know she was an aetheri when he let her in? Did he not also know she was a part of this dumb guild then? It seems unlikely at this point.
Rihanna was looking a bit nervous now, as she apparently realized the same thing as Raven at the same time.
This was a fucking setup.
Raven inhaled slowly, counted to four, and exhaled, trying to get a handle on the outrage that blossomed in her chest.
Son of a bitch - he knew who Rihanna was coming in and exactly how she was going to react to another aetheri on campus !
But what was the point? To push STRQ closer to him and create some kind of wedge? Between who exactly, the other aetheri? As some kind of weird fucking loyalty test?
Here he was bitching about mind games, when he was the one playing the majority of them!
"But -" Rihanna floundered, apparently stunned that she had been played from the beginning, and Ozpin went for her throat while wearing a polite smile.
"I typically don't allow Guild affiliates on campus, much less allow them to become students," Ozpin pressed his glasses back up his nose. "The Stygian Mirror's culture of… hm, well, it produces people who would make awful Hunters, to be quite honest. Easily corruptible, self centered, manipulative, and highly egocentric - we don't need more people like that becoming Hunters. We have enough problems in our community as it is. And then there's the fact that none of you ever care to properly conceal your magic use the majority of the time, endangering every other magic user you leave behind in your wakes and leaving those of us who care about them to clean up your messes. I let you in specifically, Rihanna, because I can see your potential - quite literally see it - and wanted to know if you genuinely wished to become a Huntress? Or if this was just another game to you. This situation was a test of your own design. And you failed it."
Rihanna's face faltered briefly before setting stubbornly.
"I want to become a Huntress," Rihanna insisted, leaning forwards.
"Do you?" Ozpin asked, glancing at team STRQ. "I can tell you why they want to become Hunters. And they've also proven their dedication to that goal repeatedly, in scenarios that, frankly, I doubt you currently have the mental or emotional fortitude for."
Rihanna puffed up a little at that, her pride visibly stinging. Raven gave the aetheri a dry look, but glanced away when Ozpin caught her.
"You haven't given me the chance to prove anything!" Rihanna exclaimed with a frustrated smirk, crossing her legs as she gestured. "You were just waiting for the first excuse to expel me-"
Raven's widened briefly in shock, and recognition.
All of this is a pattern with him - this is like my first year all over again. The entire year he played me like a fiddle, and he is doing the same thing with her right now. He isn't going to expel her at all. He's just trying to get her to jump through his hoops.
Taiyang met her stare briefly, and she realized that he could see it too. The blonde's brow furrowed.
"The first excuse? No, no," Oz sipped. "This is a very serious offense. It's not like you were simply playing hooky or picking fights or anything else mundane that teenagers get up to when truly away from their parents for the first time in their lives."
STRQ collectively fidgeted as Rihanna geared up to keep arguing.
"But-"
"You also broke into my desk and went through the private records of all your classmates," Ozpin hummed thoughtfully. "Which, I should mention: is a very serious offense."
"I didn't have any other choice!" Rihanna scoffed, shaking her bright blue locks. "I needed to determine who the best team would be to mentor mine, because half of these schlubs running around in the corridors aren't the right fit and I am not leaving that up to chance! What if we got some loser, backwater team like BBLK?! I can't work with that!"
Tai made an incredulous noise as Qrow started actually laughing, while Summer's ears flattened; Raven rolled her eyes, though the image of Becca being tormented by Rihanna as a mentee was extremely entertaining.
"You expect me to believe you broke into my office to pick out your preferred mentors?" Ozpin asked, finishing the rest of his coffee. "That was your entire motivation?"
"Not entirely, no, but it was a big factor," Rihanna admitted, clearly unashamed in the slightest. "I want my team to go to the Vytal Festival - therefore, we need the best team as our mentors. I needed to know who that would be, and we're running out of time!"
Ozpin was not sold on this, but he was genuinely amused by Rihanna's dedication to it.
"I see. You don't get to pick your team's mentors, Rihanna. And even if you did, such a privilege would be revoked by breaking into my office," the Headmaster hummed. "Because actions have consequences."
Rihanna stared briefly, before putting up her politician smile.
A quick, familiar knock on the door, before it opened without Ozpin saying anything. Raven didn't need to look to recognize the familiar marching over the marble, and nearly sighed in relief.
Pleeeease get us the fuck out of here, Joan.
"Sir," Arc clipped, walking around his desk to stand near him. "It's getting late. STRQ needs rest, they've been up here half the day, and they have class in the morning."
Raven's fingers fidgeted towards her hilt, feeling guilty but also confused. There was no way they'd been gone that long, at least from her perspective.
Perhaps it had something to do with the Mirrorways, or shutting her portals while still between? She would have to be more cautious about experimenting with that in the future, then.
"Indeed they do. My apologies, STRQ," Ozpin smiled, a much nicer smile than what he'd been directing at Rihanna. Or perhaps it was just because his handler had shown up now. "I do think we'll need to speak to the rest of RAZR here shortly, though we might need to tweak some things regarding what we tell them."
Joan folded her arms, giving Raven a quick once over to ascertain she was in one piece and nodded.
"Uh - wait," Rihanna's eyes sparked with concern. "Look, I'm sorry I broke into the desk! And for the um, misunderstanding? If I get in trouble, or expelled, I understand - but my team? They didn't do anything, they don't know anything-"
"Well, Miss Gladsbrook, you should have thought about how this would affect them before doing any of this," Ozpin said, almost sounding regretful.
Raven watched Rihanna's reaction, which seemed genuine if only for a moment.
She thinks he's going to hurt them. You little idiot, you're just thinking about this possibility now ?
Rihanna looked her way quickly, a slight gleam of panic shining through.
"I had hoped that placing you in the team leadership position would encourage less, ah, selfish behavior on your part," Ozpin admitted, his voice still infuriatingly mild. "But it seems I was misguided, as it apparently has only gone to your head."
He's dangling her team's safety in front of her as a punishment for challenging him - he won't hurt them, but she doesn't know that. Especially if she's coming from an environment where this sort of thing is common fare.
Raven inhaled slowly, the anger she'd felt earlier at being used as a political pawn rising quickly once again.
This isn't right. Alejandro and the others had no idea about any of this, and they don't deserve to have their safety brought into fucking question by someone who is supposed safeguard them!
Raven could feel her lip pulling into a combative sneer, when she noticed Ozpin appraising her from his periphery.
He's trying to bait me, too! This motherfucker!
Ozpin was either trying to get a rise out of Raven as well, or he was testing to see how she would respond to a perceived injustice, once again. Despite that injustice being perpetuated against someone she had absolutely no reason to defend or give a shit about. A person who not only annoyed her on a spiritual level to the point of wanting to throw herself off a bridge, but who was also seemingly incapable of learning anything from her mistakes or accepting that other people might know more than her about literally anything.
Doing something, saying something, right now? Would not benefit her or her team - her family, her tribe. The opposite in fact. It would at best inconvenience them, and at worst put them back on Ozpin's shitlist, which she was not positive they had ever fully left at any point.
Interfering would cost far more than it would ever give back, and play right into whatever weird little test Oz had set them up for likely months in advance. Wouldn't it be better, for her own well being and that of those she cared about, to do and say absolutely nothing? To just look the fuck away for once?
Am I really just jumping on a 'grenade', every time I try to do the right thing? How much of me is just a reaction to the horrible shit I've been through, and how much is me making a decision based on my own ethics?
Raven held his eyes, for what felt like a much longer moment than perhaps it actually was. Her grip on her hilt relaxed, as she subconsciously brushed over the bonds again.
There had to be a middle path, here; between self destructing and doing nothing.
She just had to find it.
"Professor?" Raven started coolly, keeping her tone largely detached. Arc and Ozpin both turned to her at once, before exchanging slightly sheepish glances. "I think expulsion in this scenario would be doing more harm than good to your little masquerade. Especially considering none of Rihanna's team is veiled in. They're going to want to know why they are now leaderless, and in Alejandro's case, without a partner ; considering how deeply it will impact them, they might ask questions that even the best lies won't satisfy."
She gestured lazily towards Rihanna, who was staring at her with a shocked expression that quickly masked up into political neutrality. The rest of STRQ were giving her very similar stares.
"And this one isn't exactly prone to keeping her mouth shut. Trust me, she does not shut up," Raven continued, refusing to let the stares irritate her past annoyance. "Expelling her will take away any….incentive she has to not tell them everything. Unless of course you were planning on a more permanent solution-"
Rihanna's shoulders went absolutely rigid.
"-but I doubt either of you would ever go so far as to do that. Even for the sake of protecting the veil or whatnot. You are, after all, good people."
The office was silent save for the softly turning gears. Then Joan scowled.
"Raven. Are you accusing us of considering assassinating Miss Gladsbrook and her team?" Professor Arc droned flatly.
Taiyang coughed into his fist, looking away, while Qrow reached around her back to pat him in solidarity.
"Of course not," Raven quirked a brow in response. "I said you wouldn't do that, because you're good people. I apologize if that was unclear."
"Uh huh," Joan glared at her a little, but it lacked heat. Ozpin, meanwhile, was simply smiling like always. "Tone it down. You know that's not appropriate to insinuate."
Raven smiled back at him.
"I'll do my best, Professor."
He fucking started it!
The Headmaster's eyes were blatantly amused, though whether it was by her refusal to be baited or by something else, she couldn't say.
"Indeed," Oz turned back to Rihanna, but Raven could still feel his gaze on her. "My apologies, Miss Gladsbrook, that implication was never my intent. Your team and yourself are under no threat of harm from us. I simply meant that, as a team leader, your choices will always impact your team and their well being. You coming under risk of expulsion or disciplinary action will obviously affect them."
Raven sighed lightly through her nose.
You are so full of shit.
Joan continued to give her a stern glare; Raven wished she could shake the older woman's shoulders and snap her out of it.
Why couldn't Joan see what a manipulative bastard he was? She was hardly the kind of person who seemed like she would fall for or tolerate such horseshit. Unless she approved of what he was doing when he behaved like that?
But no, that couldn't be right at all. Joan cared enough to risk her life, career and freedom to help people who could not help themselves; she must genuinely believe, then, that Ozpin's intentions were to protect magic users as a whole from something.
Raven stubbornly held Joan's glare as Ozpin continued to speak. The little paladin naturally didn't flinch, but seemed perhaps somewhat surprised that Raven had not conceded. Arc's eyes narrowed a little, trying to decipher whatever Raven was silently conveying.
Frustrated, Raven finally looked away.
"So, as Raven has very helpfully pointed out," Ozpin continued, 'oblivious' to the drama playing out in his periphery. "Expelling you or giving you a public punishment of any sort will put the veil at risk, at least to a degree. However, I have a compromise I believe we can both agree to, to avoid this. But your silence on this matter will be necessary. Telling your teammates the truth about anything that has happened today will result in me having to veil you all in together - and then expelling you and potentially them as well. Arguing with me on this point, or attempting to circumnavigate it in any way? Will lead to the same result."
Joan seemed like she wasn't necessarily in agreement with that idea, but she seemed to - for whatever insane reason - trust the man's methods and intentions; and did not call him out.
Rihanna's mouth twitched as if she had caught a counter argument just on the tip of her tongue; she nodded slowly.
"And this compromise is? What exactly?" the freshman asked, her tone far more cautious now that she'd learned just what was in the balance.
Ozpin folded his fingers, looking almost cheerful. Raven's eyes narrowed, feeling a change in the air pressure.
"Twice a week, you'll have mentorship sessions - off the books, of course," the Headmaster stood, walking around the desk to the wall where the coffee pot was. "Coffee, anyone?"
Qrow raised his hand a little eagerly, even while Summer gave him a glare. He ignored it. Joan raised a finger, her arms still folded. Ozpin poured three cups and brought one for Qrow as well, without ever having to look back to see who had asked.
Rihanna had glanced Summer's way, almost a little hopefully. Seeing how the color drained a little from her cheeks and she looked away quickly, Raven deduced that Summer was not keen on this idea.
"Mentorship sessions with who? Sir?" Rihanna prompted, clearing her throat.
"Ah, with Raven," Ozpin gestured promptly, meeting Raven's crimson calmly.
Raven's mouth parted.
You cunt.
"Um. Sir?" Rihanna started, giving Raven a very telling stare. "I don't want to be dumped in a landfill?"
Qrow guffawed immediately, and Taiyang managed to kick his leg, hissing at him to shut up; Qrow kicked him back instinctively, and they very nearly devolved into a kicking-fest that Raven was caught between before Arc cleared her throat, and they stopped.
"Professor, I really -, " Raven started.
"No. She's not doing it."
Qrow sighed loudly, while Raven's eyebrows flew upwards, as her eyes widened. She turned towards her partner, simmering as she leaned around Taiyang. Summer didn't wince when she met her glare, but there was something there that Raven couldn't really identify; her bond was still all white noise, as Raven kept suppressing it intermittently.
"I can make that call for myself, thank you," she insisted, her voice sharpening with frustration and a little hurt.
Tai slumped a little in his chair, stuck in the middle. Summer didn't back down though, because of course she fucking didn't.
"Raven? It has been a long, Dust damn day for literally everyone . And we can talk about it back in the room?" Summer insisted, leaning in. "But what he is suggesting right now is, no - no way."
Summer's ears were flat as she glared at Rihanna and Ozpin. The Headmaster looked concerned by this reaction.
"Ms. Rose? Do you have something to say about my proposal?" Ozpin asked, while Raven could feel her face heating up in embarrassment and anger.
Does she seriously think I can't make fucking decisions for myself? What am I, a fucking child?!
"Yes I do, actually, it's a terrible proposal!" Summer whipped towards him.
Inhale. Count to four. Calm down.
"It's like you're punishing her, and not the person responsible, who is the grinning little shitstain sitting in that chair!"
Exhale. Calm down.
"Summer," Joan warned, her voice layered with a warning. "Keep it professional."
"Oh, this is keeping it fucking professional!" Summer snapped at Arc.
The majority of the room stared at the little faunus in shock, while Raven did her best to not set the desk on fire with her glare.
"I have sat here, and listened to this for the past nine goddamn hours, and said next to nothing - but not about this! My team is already overwhelmed with responsibilities, training, and helping you two save the fucking day from magical gods damned fascists!" Summer growled, her eyes flashing. "Now you want us to make more time to babysit some spoiled brat who thinks abducting my partner is how she gets my attention instead of getting her throat torn out?! You're fucking high !"
Ozpin blinked mildly at this proclamation, while Joan clearly struggled with the impulses to put Sumner in her place or to send them all to their rooms with no super like naughty children. Mostly, everyone was just gobsmacked by how blatantly angry Summer was.
"Miss Rose-" Oz started.
"My priority is seeing to my team's well being and safety, and right now? You're jeopardizing that with this under the table, speakeasy Ursa manure and I'm not going to fucking tolerate it!"
Raven caught Oz studying her again, and realized he was waiting for her reaction to Summer trying to take agency from her decision making in front of her colleagues.
Dust, he's playing with my relationship insecurities now? Is nothing off limits for this guy?
She forced herself to keep it cool. She was not going to jump on the grenade. She was not going to let him provoke her further. She was not going to air her relationship drama here.
She was not going to strangle her partner.
"I see," Ozpin hummed after a heavy pause. "Are you going to let me finish describing my proposal? Or keep yelling?"
"I'm still on the fence about it," Summer growled.
"Perhaps I should take a moment to point out, Miss Rose, that ultimately this is not your decision," Ozpin insisted, though his tone was not unkind. Like it was ever fucking unkind. "But Miss Branwen's. Even though you are her team leader, this is not a typical scenario and one that is ultimately outside your authority. You don't get to make this decision for your partner. I would have thought that you would have understood that?"
A wince in her periphery, a sharp, anguished burst of static over the bond.
Oh, he's really, really trying it, isn't he? Bastard.
Raven sighed softly through her nose, going through her options here. In the end, she went with the most obvious.
"What exactly are you proposing?" Raven drawled, feigning disinterest in the tension cutting through the room. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that by mentorship, you don't actually mean basic training as a Hunter?"
Rihanna was fidgeting a little, looking off kilter as the Headmaster smiled and gestured.
"Oh no, not mentorship in martial prowess or the ins and outs of being a Hunter in training," Oz beamed. "I mean in magic."
….What?
"Huh?" Qrow grunted, pulling himself out of his coffee and looking her way. "Sir? I thought we were all here today because, ah, we weren't supposed to be doing magic on campus?"
"You mean like how you were shifting about earlier while looking for your sister?" Ozpin hummed.
Raven brushed the feathers at her hip, but found Tai's fingers instead, who had offered his hand casually. She was too invested in the moment to be embarrassed. Qrow paused, before shrugging casually.
"Yea, exactly."
Summer sighed audibly, while Rihanna's mask dropped to reveal no small amount of indignation.
"What, hey?! Why am I in trouble but the shifties are in the clear!" Rihanna swept her arm towards the twins. Qrow pulled a face at that word, mouthing it.
"Well you see, because Qrow didn't abduct anyone and put their life in danger," Ozpin explained mildly. "Or break into my desk."
Qrow grinned and pointed roguishly, rocking in his chair.
"Not yet I haven't."
Joan gave him a very unimpressed glare. Qrow smiled wider, while Rihanna grumbled under her breath.
"Professor," Raven started before anyone else could comment. "I'll admit, I don't understand why you would want that. Considering, well. Everything. This does seem more like rewarding Rihanna than any kind of disciplinary action-"
Summer bobbed in her periphery, clearly still very upset.
"-and I confess that I don't want to teach her a damn thing," Raven tilted her head. "And even if I did? I doubt that she'd be capable of listening or learning anything, considering she seems to have some kind of bizarre, bigoted complex towards other magical castes."
"Seriously?" Tai quipped, turning towards Rihanna, his face souring. "You're serious? Are you a fucking moron?"
"Shifties - ohhhh, did you slur us?" Qrow asked, bewildered and amused at the same time. "Ha, is that a slur you made up? Cuz it's fuckin lame. That's a stupid fuckin word, go make a better one."
"Actually, first go and try to smell a scratch and sniff sticker at the bottom of the gym pool, I hear that can be really great for creativity," Tai suggested.
"Very zen, I hear," Qrow nodded in agreement. "Becca does it all the time, and she is so emotionally balanced."
"Hey, maybe she can be your mentor? You guys probably have a lot in common," Tai carried on, his flippant tone not concealing the anger in his voice. "You did say you were a huge fan of BBLK after all."
Rihanna tossed her hands in frustration, pointing out how he, Raven and Summer were all holding hands.
"I am not a bigot - and why do they get to sit there holding hands like a daisy chain while insulting me!? Yell at them, too!"
"Daisy chains don't hold hands, Becca," Qrow snorted.
"OH, you did not just call me Becca-" "Sweetheart, I can call you sooo much worse."
"Oh no, see," Tai held both his hands up, which were still firmly clasping Summer and her own fingers. "They're holding my hands so I don't try to pull your spine out with my fingers and beat your corpse like a meat piñata! So cheers, you dumb bitch-"
"That's enough!" Joan interrupted brusquely, as Qrow tried to bite back his chuckles about 'meat piñatas'. "Out of all you! I know you're all stressed, tired and angry, but this is still a professional setting and not tantrum central! You are going to remember that, and act accordingly. Have I made myself clear?"
STRQ eyed Professor Arc sullenly, but no one commented on this. Rihanna exhaled.
"Thank you-"
"Gladsbrook?" Arc snapped, arching a pale brow. "Shut up."
The freshman shut up.
As the quiet stretched, Ozpin finally deigned to continue the conversation, apparently amused by the banter more so than anything else that she could tell.
"I can see why such a compromise might be confusing at first glance," the Headmaster admitted, glancing between Raven and Rihanna. "However, I promise I have very good reasons for such a suggestion. Namely, that of the handful of magic users on this campus, it is the two of you being left unsupervised who are most likely to ah...potentially cause a violation of the veil or upset my security guards-"
Security guards?!
"Which - please don't intentionally antagonize my security? They're very sensitive, and they might get a little out of hand before I get there. They're still a bit sore at your mother too, twins, seeing as she killed one of them in the Library the other week and most of them hold grudges," Ozpin admitted, sounding a bit sheepish and almost looking like a normal twenty-six year old at that moment.
Joan sighed and rubbed her brow, muttering under her breath, while Raven and Qrow exchanged bewildered glances.
Mom did what - when?!
She couldn't say she was surprised that he knew the Morrigan had been on campus at this point.
"But yes! I would like you to mentor Rihanna in magic and perhaps introduce her to magical cultures outside of the Stygian Mirror's limited scope," Ozpin sipped, trying to skip past that other part. "You can have free reign to access the different magical planes around the school for your projects, so long as you keep me informed and don't do anything that could destroy any wards or leave any backdoors open. I will also monitor your sessions at times and offer my own instruction on occasion about subjects outside your knowledge bases."
Raven had listened to all of this, concealing her shock and trying to deduce what his angle could possibly be for this.
He knows what he's doing, dangling such knowledge in front of me like this...
But what could he gain by instructing her in magical knowledge, when this is something he's sought to conceal from the world for so long? And on top of that, thinks she's a threat to that security that parallels Rihanna's own lack of subtlety?
Is he trying to earn her trust? There had to be a catch of some kind, other than just keeping an eye on her - he didn't need to offer her anything to do that, he already did it.
Was he trying to get to her family through her in some way? With her portals, she had access to not just one, but technically two of the most powerful free magic users on the planet. Surely Ozpin didn't appreciate them, running around with the likes of Set and who knows what else, threatening his stupid veil?
These were dangerous waters that she was swimming in, and if she wasn't careful, she would definitely get pulled under. She squeezed Tai's fingers a little tighter, focusing on their warmth and the emotions that flickered over their bond. He squeezed back.
"Well. That's definitely not what I was expecting," Raven admitted dryly.
Ozpin smiled, inscrutable.
"But Summer did make a good point earlier," Raven sighed, aware of her partner shifting her weight in her periphery. "As a team, we just do not have time for extra projects right now, not with this course load and our extracurriculars. I have no free time except when I should be asleep, and I am not sacrificing a single second I should be sleeping to 'tutor' her. Unless, say, we suddenly get more free time, it's not going to happen."
The Headmaster nodded.
"State your terms, Miss Branwen," Ozpin folded his hands and leaned forward ever so slightly.
His eyes betrayed his amusement. He thought it was funny that she was playing his game with him, like a child pushing pieces across a board whose nature and rules she did not understand and could not currently comprehend. She could only mimic the moves she'd seen played out at a distance, and fumble to align her pieces appropriately.
Her eyes narrowed as she accepted his challenge.
"I want STRQ moved out of Port's class and into Combat 401," Raven declared, aware that she was going to get shot down. She wasn't actually aiming for 401. She was aiming higher.
Joan made a disapproving noise immediately, as was expected.
"That's - no!" Professor Arc huffed immediately. "That class will conflict with the rest of your schedule! And Peter is, well, he's proficient in combat theory at least -"
"We don't need combat theory ," Raven sniffed in disdain. "Our collective experience as a team outweighs his theoretical knowledge - we are too advanced for his class and it hurts his ego, so he takes it out on us. I'm tired of it. If we can't have 401, then I want Professor Arc to privately tutor us in advanced combat techniques three times a week. And to have free blocks where Petey's class is, where we can do whatever we want."
Arc gaped at her, which was admittedly extremely funny, while Ozpin merely raised an eyebrow; the rest of her teammates had various expressions ranging from eager to stunned.
"Well then," Oz hummed. "Is that all?"
Qrow raised a hand. Ozpin turned towards him.
"Yes, Qrow?"
"I want a new mentor," Qrow drawled.
Raven nodded immediately, adding it to the list of demands to be met.
"Qrow gets a new mentor," Raven asserted.
"What's wrong with the one you have now?" Arc asked, sounding almost affronted. "I picked JADE - JAGD out for you lot specifically."
The twins exchanged looks briefly, before starting up at the same time.
"Unforeseen complications-" Raven started.
"We fucked," Qrow shrugged. "And now it's awkward."
The room fell silent, save for Taiyang, who was biting back a full belly laugh and clenching Raven's fingers almost too hard in his desperation to keep it in. Summer, meanwhile, was rubbing her face in despair with her free hand as Arc glared at Qrow.
"Qrow!" Professor Arc hissed.
"Yea?"
"What did I say about keeping it professional!?" Joan asked. The poor woman was being pushed near her limit by the lot of them, it seemed, and Raven honestly felt bad about it.
"Oh, my bad," Qrow cleared his throat. "I meant, we had sex and now it's awkward."
Taiyang sputtered and finally let it out, guffawing. Qrow looked a little pleased by his partner's hilarity, while Professor Arc looked ready to throttle her brother; which, perhaps, he was pleased by too.
"Qrow," Summer started, trying to intervene before Joan vaporized him.
"Yea, I know, I'm sorry," her brother held his palms up in surrender. "Toning it down."
Even Qrow wasn't bratty enough to try to piss off both Joan and Summer at once.
Professor Ozpin cleared his throat a little while Joan tried to keep it professional herself. Rihanna meanwhile looked torn between laughing herself and beating her forehead against Ozpin's too big desk.
"If I do get you a new mentor," Joan started, her teeth grit in frustration. "Will you keep it in your pants?"
Raven elbowed her brother before he had the chance to say any of the idiot things that visibly came to mind when she asked that question, and he coughed.
"Yea - yes. I'll behave, I promise. Learned my lesson - besides, he uh instigated it kinda, and I well-."
Raven snorted. She'd called it.
"Perhaps we should have a conversation with James, then, about what is appropriate behavior between a mentor and mentee," Ozpin suggested to Joan, who nodded, still looking like a thundercloud.
"Yes. We should," Professor Arc muttered a bit darkly.
"Uh look, I'm not tryin to get him in trouble," Qrow started, a little nervous about Joan's expression. "We both - I'm just tryin to make things less uncomfortable for us both. Ok? Not get revenge. So please don't go after him on this? We're both adults, and things got weird. That's all."
Joan looked unconvinced, while Ozpin nodded in understanding.
"Very well," the Headmaster acquiesced. "Do you have any other demands?"
Raven considered it, but didn't want to push their luck. Having any or most of these agreed to would be worth it in her book, but naturally she wasn't going to reveal that. In the end, she was the one who was going to be driven up the wall several times a week by the little idiot she had to babysit. She also had to come up with things to actually teach Rihanna about, and would likely need to go talk to her moms about all of this, especially Ciara.
"Hmmm," Raven tapped her chin as if considering other options. "No, but I may need to re-negotiate if she becomes unmanageable."
Rihanna glared at her, but seemed to be sharp enough to hold her tongue for the moment, considering Raven had just saved her ass.
"Hold on," Joan jumped in before Ozpin could say anything else. He did not seem surprised by this at least. "When exactly am I supposed to tutor you lot? My own schedule is full, and the only time besides your little break is going to be in the evenings when you should be doing physical training! Also, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but I have a life! And a family I'd like to talk to once in a moon! And would also like to sleep occasionally as well, gods be willing!"
A flicker of guilt and Raven winced a little. She hadn't considered that Professor Arc was also likely overwhelmed with the amount of responsibilities she had. The woman always seemed so invincible that it was easy to forget that she needed rest and relaxation, too.
"Considering you've been pulling more than your fair share of the workload this semester," Ozpin started, turning to his colleague with the most sincere expression she'd seen on him yet. "I can arrange it so that Peter starts taking on the things he should be covering. He's had enough time to adjust by this point and needs to take on more responsibility. I can also get some of the others to pitch in to assist, Dust knows they owe you. That will give you space to breathe, Joan; and I think tutoring with you in the evenings should surely count as physical training, don't you agree?"
Professor Arc glanced Raven's way, and suddenly smirked a little. It was a dangerous smirk, and almost reminded her of her mother.
Uh oh.
"I will ensure that it will."
Raven shrugged a little, feigning nonchalance even though she was a bit apprehensive. She knew Joan was going to absolutely kick their asses, but it's not like she hadn't asked for it. This would be the best way for their team to improve, after all.
"Do the rest of you agree to this?" Arc asked her teammates. "I need to hear each of you agree to these terms, and mean it, considering it affects you and your schooling as well."
There was minimal hesitation from most of her teammates, which helped alleviate her nerves to a degree.
"Totally," Tai grinned. He hated Port's classes, too, and could never stay awake half the time.
"Yep," Qrow grunted, rocking back habitually in his chair. "Sounds good to me."
Summer was silent for a moment; Raven could feel the tension and upset flickering over the bond intermittently.
"I don't like this," Summer started finally, holding Ozpin with a nearly hostile stare. "I think that it is reckless, and that you're expecting my partner to take all of the real risk, while pretending that this is a compromise. I respect that I can't make this decision for her. But if something goes wrong? I am going to hold you accountable, Oz."
Raven felt her neck eat up, still angry with Summer for trying to make decisions for her earlier; but she had to admit, hearing her talk that way to Ozpin of all people definitely did something for her.
Down, girl - stay focused.
Ozpin nodded calmly, even though Joan looked on the verge of correcting Summer once again.
"I understand your concerns, Miss Rose," he smiled, gesturing with his coffee cup. "Please rest assured, however, that - strange though my methods may be- I do have reasons for them; ones that aren't as, ah, self-serving as perhaps you are interpreting them to be."
Summer's face said exactly what she thought about that , but she kept any comments on that to herself.
"Very well. I agree then, Professor Arc," Summer addressed Joan, before turning to look at the rest of STRQ. "Now, if we are finished, Professor? I would like for my team to be dismissed so we can get some rest, please."
Both of the Professors acquiesced to this at the same time, again sharing embarrassed glances, before ultimately dismissing STRQ. Rihanna made as if she was going to leave along with them, but was stopped by Ozpin.
"Miss Gladsbrook. I do have some more things I'd like to go over with you before you depart. Namely, rules, and a few stipulations I have that you'll need to abide by personally if you wish to remain a student here."
Rihanna sank back into her chair with a sigh, but Raven didn't wait around to see how things would go. Joan was there, so the brat wasn't in imminent danger, and Raven was so tired she could barely walk in a straight line. She didn't look back once as the four of them hurried out the double doors of Ozpin's overly spacious office; but despite the doors closing behind them, and the lack of windows, she still felt Ozpin's gaze was on her and knew it would be for some time to come.