V2E4: Conspiracy Theories
Ask anyone who has a sense of optics, and they will tell you that parking an entire squadron of fighter crafts next to a school is pretty over the top. Ask Anon, and he'll tell you that it is completely unnecessary, if still pretty fucking baller.
He called Hope looked from Ozpin's office at the squad of much smaller but still imposing advanced Atlan bullhead V-TOLs descending unto the landing bay. He shook his head disapprovingly.
"Someone's flexing." He commented.
"I've been saying so for years now." Glynda shook her head as well.
The gears turned over the glass ceiling, the gentle tick-tocking serving as background noise. Ozpin was busy typing on his desktop computer.
"Well, running an academy and a military makes him a busy man." The wizard argued, not looking up from his screen. "Although I will agree that they are quite the eyesores."
As he spoke, three more flyers came in. Ozpin smacked his tongue at more angular, unappealing, utilitarian aircrafts uglifying his landing zone.
Glynda, meanwhile, looked like a damn zombie. Anon gently rubbed her shoulders, she let out a pleasant sigh of momentary relief.
"How bad?"
"I've been overworking, I'm currently running on five hours of sleep because I've been grading papers late last night."
Anon groaned in understanding, himself having worked unreasonable overtime during his time as an office worker. Glynda stretched out her back with a pained breath.
"Been hunched over your desk for how long without standing?" Anon asked, eying her hunching back
"Too long."
Anon blanked before walking over to Ozpin's desk. Ozpin looked up curiously at Anon, who waved for him to move. Ozpin raised an eyebrow but complied, morbidly curious as to what the seer had in mind.
James Ironwood was a man of many trades. He was a son, an avid student, a warrior, a teacher, a huntsman. But above all, he was a headmaster and a general. And despite the many difference in their approach, he couldn't help but admire Ozpin's Academy. Although he personally preferred his own Academy's utilitarian aesthetic compared to the immortal wizard's, he himself had to admit that he liked the warm and welcoming feel of Beacon to Atlas's coldness.
"It has been quite a long time since I last came to visit." The general mused to himself. "And yet, not much has changed, still the same marble floors, the same wooden frames."
He hummed to himself.
"This place could use some automatic doors though. But I guess analogue has its charm."
He stopped his musings there, he wasn't there to renovate (Or in his mind, modernize) his old friend's school. No, unfortunately, he was here to discuss worrying news that dripped down the grapevine.
"Qrow is an unreliable drunk at the best of times, but when he does his job; he rarely disappoints," He muttered. "I hope to the Twins that this once, he'll be wrong."
...
The Atlan general stood in front of an elevator door, waiting for the Beacon headmaster to give him permission to enter his office.
"He's really taking his time." Ironwood tapped his thigh impatiently.
At last, the elevator doors opened themselves wide. Ironwood stepped inside and selected the floor he wanted to go to.
"He really should put on some music here."
The elevator ride was quick enough, ascending rapidly then coming to a stop. The door opened and the general's eyes squinted in confusion. Ozpin's office was mostly as he remembered, one big glass box separating the clockwork machinery of Beacon's clocktower.
He never knew that Ozpin's desk doubled as a massage bench, though.
Glynda was laying on her front on top of the desk as a man Ironwood doesn't know straddled her back. The man had brown hair and eyes and looked fairly young and if his arms are to be trusted, somewhat athletic. Glynda was making... noises that Ironwood didn't know the frigid combat teacher could make. The feeling of bewilderment deepened when he realized that she was completely topless, barely covered by her blouse, which was laid on the desk like a towel.
"Ah!" Glynda moaned. "Oh~ That's the spot."
"Glad you like it." Anon smiled. "I wish I had some lotion thought, I know a witch that makes some damn good poultices."
Glynda moaned again, biting her lower lip sensually as the youngster applied a firm but gentle force to her exposed back. There was a loud pop followed by a cry of surprise that turned into an elongated sigh of relief.
"Looks like I found that knot you were complaining about."
"This is the best." Glynda moaned happily. "Your hands are magical..."
The bewildered general looked at Ozpin, who stood to the side looking amusingly at Ironwood.
"What in the gods damned...?"
"Ah!" Ozpin exclaimed. "There you are, James."
Glynda slowly pivoted her head to meet Ironwood's puzzled stare. Anon just snorted as he met the general's gaze.
"Kek."
Anon got off of Glynda who held her shirt against her chest, cursing herself.
"Why the fuck did I completely take off my bra?!" She whisper-screamed.
"Because it was uncomfortable and you complained that had gotten tight recently," Anon said immediately.
"Don't just say that so casually!" She scolded in a panic.
Glynda snatched her discarded underwear off the floor, still clutching her blouse while red in the face with embarrassment. She walked rushingly towards the elevator.
"Oh! Before I forget," Anon said.
Glynda stopped momentarily to listen.
"Don't forget to take periodic naps and to do light exercises to avoid the problem in the future."
Glynda nodded to herself slowly, still looking away from everyone out of embarrassment.
"I'll keep that in mind..." She muttered.
"Good. Because if you don't take care of yourself, I'll do it for you."
The serious tone made Glynda pause.
"R-right..."
The Good Witch rushed past the general and smashed every button on the floor selector. Before the door closed, Anon merrily waved at her.
"If you need any more of my services, my door's open!" He chippered.
The door closed before she could give a response but Anon just knew that she'd come back.
They always come back.
"You should lighten her workload, wizard," He scolded while still looking at the elevator. "She's a hard worker but this is too much."
Ozpin put his stuff back on his desk.
"I'll think about it."
Ironwood continually shifted his confused stare between the two men.
"What..." Was all he could say.
"Indeed," Ozpin said before walking to an earthenware set and bringing it to his desk. "In any case, welcome to my academy, general."
Ironwood shook off his confusion.
"Please, drop the formalities. We've known each other long enough," He asked politely. "Although that's the first time I've seen this side of Glynda..."
Ozpin poured out two cups of coffee, giving one to the Atlan general.
"Well, mister Hope has made a habit out of bringing out Glynda's softer side."
Anon leaned against the desk.
"I've been where she is." He shuddered. "I know what it's like to be one of the only ones who keep the shitshow running through hard work, sleepless nights and deadly amounts of caffeine."
Anon glared at the immortal wizard.
"Seriously, ease her workload or at least give her a raise. For fuck's sake."
"As I said, I'll think about it," Ozpin said before wetting his whistle.
Ironwood had been eyeing Hope since Glynda left. He hummed pensively.
"So this is the man you've told us about. This... Prophet, I think you called him."
Anon scoffed mockingly.
"Right, Moses 2.0 in this bitch." Anon extended his hand forward. "Anon Hope."
Ironwood gave a hearty shake.
"James Ironwood, Headmaster of Atlas Academy and General of the Atlan army."
"Oh, I know."
Anon glared at Ozpin.
"Who else did you tell about me?"
"The other headmasters. Other than them and the Beacon staff, I told no one."
Anon sighed through his nose.
"Fuck." He groaned silently.
He walked towards the window, leaning against a rail.
Fuck, that means he told Lionheart. Hopefully, I'll fly under Salem's radar for long enough that this issue won't matter. This is a problem...
Ozpin crooked an eyebrow at Anon's sudden moodiness but made nothing of it.
"So, James. What in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas?" He sipped from his cup. "Headmasters don't typically travel with their students, for the Vytal Festival."
Ironwood sneaked a shot of hard liquor from his flask into his cup before sipping on it.
"Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year." He explained. "Besides, with you hosting, I thought that this might be a good opportunity for us to catch up."
Ozpin shook his head dourly, looking outside his window at the grounded Atlan aircrafts.
"I can certainly appreciate some quality time between friends, James. However, the small fleet in my backyard has me quite concerned."
Ironwood dropped any pretense of lightheartedness.
"Concern is why they are there, and why I am here." Ironwood looked seriously at Ozpin. "You know why I brought those men."
Anon chuckled sourly.
"Waving your cock around isn't going to scare anyone that matters, Tinman." Anon breathed cynically.
The headmasters turned to Hope.
"Pardon me?" Ironwood asked, somewhat annoyed at the coarse language and the blatant disrespect.
"People are easily scared, but those who would see you fall see right through this..." Anon waved to what stood behind the glass sheet. "Show of bravado."
He turned to face the Tinman.
"My point is: The optics on this are absolute dog shit."
Ironwood wasn't fazed by the critique.
"Our informant gave us information that gave reason to do what I've done."
Anon rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, Queen has pawns. I already told Ozpin who it was."
Ironwood was taken aback, physically recoiling in shock.
"What?!"
Ozpin smiled knowingly.
"Indeed, he gave me a list of suspects. All I need is to find them and monitor."
Anon growled.
"I already told you to sack them the moment you find them, Oz."
Ozpin scowled.
"Due process, mister Hope. It's innocent before proven guilty."
Anon facepalmed.
"You fucking egg!" He cursed. "I already told you that if they're left unchecked-"
"I am aware, but we can't just arrest people under the pretense of some seer telling me that they work for the Queen of the Grimms."
Anon glared at Ozpin like he was an idiot.
"You really don't know what I meant..." Anon rubbed his eyes. "I'm asking you to have them killed, you idiot."
Ozpin looked away in disgust.
"Perish the thought!"
"Oh really?!" Anon began to imitate Ozpin mockingly. "Ah yes! I will send these barely adult teenagers on dangerous missions that will probably see them maimed or murdered but I will absolutely not have confirmed traitors to Remnant as a whole assassinated because of some retarded, backwards morals!"
Anon glared at the immortal wizard.
"You were a head of state, Ozma. You should know the necessity of wetwork."
It was the wizard's turn to glare.
"They are not 'confirmed traitors', they are suspects. Just because you say something doesn't mean you're right." He pointed to Hope with his cane. "You said yourself that you weren't prescient, that you could be wrong. Who's to say this isn't the case?"
Anon threw his arms in the air in exasperation.
"Then why in the sam-FUCK did you force me to join your school, you knobhead?!"
"Because your predictions have been proven to be consistently reliable. Hence why I am taking what you say into account seriously but not believing it blindingly."
Ozpin looked away for a moment, flashing a sad frown.
"And that aside... I'd much rather avoid returning those more... Barbaric times."
Anon just sighed.
"You know what, whatever."
Anon walked past the two headmasters.
"I already gave you the jigsaw piece, if you decide to eat it with the side of glue you've been guzzling instead of completing the puzzle, that's on you."
He turned to Ironwood.
"I suggest you keep in mind that hundreds of foreign soldiers occupying the streets are an awful look."
His stare hardened.
"I'm only being cautious."
"No, you're not," Anon said coldly. "If you were, you wouldn't announce it to the world by bringing your mechanized warhost to Vytal Fest."
"What do you suggest I do then?"
"Plainclothes is a surprisingly effective method of not making yourself known to the public!"
Anon turned away and walked towards the elevator.
"Keep an eye on your tin cans." He warned. "Because if shit goes haywire, they'll turn on you at the worst possible time. Artificial intelligence can be rewritten on the fly, the human mind can't."
Ironwood felt a chill from his words. he stomped forward, outraged.
"Preposterous!" He denied. "Atlas has the most advanced military-grade coding and operating systems! It's practically hackproof!"
Anon glared glacially.
"Two words: Arthur Watts."
Ironwood froze.
"What?! But he's..."
"Alive," Hope revealed.
Anon entered the elevator.
"The witch holds him by his ego. When it'll be time, the false maiden will use his mind to put a virus in the centre of communication."
Ozpin crooked an eyebrow.
"False maiden?"
Anon tapped his foot inside the elevator.
"The one responsible for the poor bitch downstair's current condition." He explained.
The wizard's eyes widened slightly, quickly recollecting himself.
"So you know about Amber."
"Yes. I also know that if the false maiden isn't stopped, she'll finish the job and be powerful enough to vaporize your current form."
Ozpin blinked impassively.
"So my death is ensured."
"If you do nothing, yes. Not just yours, but many innocents and..."
Pyrrha.
"The one you plan on using to replace Amber."
Anon sighed before checking the time.
"If I don't hurry, I'll miss the shit show at the library," He muttered to himself. "I'll be taking my leave but before I go, I have one last question for you, Oz."
The two locked stares.
"Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?"
Ozpin closed his eyes.
"I desperately hope they won't have to..." He breathed.
Anon shook his head sadly before pressing the button for the ground floor.
"Arranged like we are? I'm afraid they will."
The door closed between him and the headmasters.
"They will..." Anon repeated grimly as the elevator descended.
Beacon's library was probably had one of the world's most complete collections of literary works. Most of the books were meant for learning, such as medical encyclopedias and historical accounts but there were also some historically significant works of fiction. Anon was currently busy penning an essay on Grimmology for professor Port, specifically on ancient Grimms that are either extremely rare or straight up have gone extinct. He frowned dourly at the sight of the Grimm Dragon (Or wyvern, whichever is proper), or as the book called it: Jabberwock. Supposedly extinct, the Jabberwock was last seen at the Mountain Glenn during the Great War. No one knew exactly what it was truly capable of, but it was assumed that it was quite ancient due to its cunning intellect and savage yet efficient brutality when it was encountered. Anon gnashed his teeth.
Only a Silver-Eyed Warrior can take down that fucking thing and the only ones available that I know of are an old lady from Mistral that lost her eyes to some she-twink lizard person and the other doesn't even know how to fucking use them.
He groaned softly before closing his book and letting out the most aggravated sigh.
Fucking Ozpin. I get that due process needs to be applied for a fair and just system but we're talking about people actively trying to end the world, knowingly or not. I think that warrants an exception.
On one side of their table, JNPR was up to what they were doing in the show which was studying. Well, Ren and Pyrrha were studying. Jaune was pretending to learn and was instead reading some comic book. Nora was snoozing, a massive snot bubble shrinking and growing from her nose. Pyrrha caught Jaune slaking and confiscated his entertainment, much to his chagrin... Only for her to get curious and reading it herself.
Boring.
Meanwhile, The other side of the table was utter pandemonium. Ruby and Yang were throwing banter around as they played a board game. Feeling the need to get his mind off of things, Hope decided to spectate. To his surprise, this was nothing like Remnant: The Game. From what he got from the show and the IRL board game, it was basically the bastard child of Risk and Yu-Gi-Oh. For one, the board was gigantic and looked like a massive tablet. In a cardholder on the side were weird futuristic-looking plastic cards divided into three piles. each player also had a smaller but still substantial card deck. Each was obviously themed around the four kingdoms of Remnant if the cards currently in play were any indication.
"What the fuck am I looking at right now?" Anon thought aloud.
"I'd like to know as well," Weiss admitted while holding just way too many cards.
Ruby obliged.
"We're playing Kingdoms of Remnant!"
Anon blinked.
"Say what now?"
Ruby harumphed.
"Do you live under a rock?!"
Anon smiled shittily.
"No, I'm just not a nerd, sorry."
"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed.
Yang slid next to him and presented him the board.
"Here, let me explain it a simple as possible."
Yang then spent a solid ten minutes explaining to him how to play and what the point of the game is. Anon blinked a few times when she was done.
"So it's basically Settlers of Catan mixed with Magic: the Gathering? With an... Age of Empires style Era mechanic?" Anon questioned, completely baffled.
Yang blinked with a blank smile.
"Yes?"
Anon suffered critical flashbacks to his early adolescence and frothed at the mouth uncontrollably.
"Oh sweet fucking Christ, please no! Not again! I can't relive the fucking Sliver decks again!"
Yang looked on in curious horror as she watched her friend going into the fetal position and muttering about "Control" decks and "birthing pods". After coaxing him out of his panicked state, Yang sat him down next to Weiss so that he could help her, seeing as he had played games similar to this while Weiss was a complete newbie. Anon shivered again as the memories of pure, funless, cheese-mongering munchkins reared their ugly heads. He looked at her absolute mess of a play hand.
"Oh god, what the f-" He squinted painfully at the hand. "No, no, god no..."
"What?" Weiss asked.
"Yang, can you deck out in this game?"
The little sun dragon nodded.
"Unless you have Salvaging-type cards then yes, you can deck out."
Weiss looked at her hand again.
"So... am I winning?"
Anon sighed.
"Oh, this is going to be hell."
Yang snorted, waving cheekily at him.
"Good luck!"
Ruby looked at Anon sadly.
"And yet another person turned off from the game."
Blake wasn't paying attention, deep in thought. Anon shrugged.
"If there's something I've learned during my LCG and CCG days is that I'll manage... eventually..."
Yang rolled her eyes.
"Sure you will..."
...
"Oh hey, I've managed." Anon huffed in shock.
Ruby's mouth was gapping in pure shock while Yang was ripping her hair out. Anon and Weiss just crushed Vale when only a dozen of turns ago, they were on the verge of collapse.
"What?! How?! WHY?!" Yang's eyes partially turned red. "I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"
Anon smiled tiredly.
"What: I saved Weiss's disaster campaign."
"It wasn't that bad..." Weiss pouted.
"How:" Anon continued, disregarding Weiss's comment. "I realized that the factions are balanced around certain eras. In this case, Atlas ramps up slowly until it reaches the Industrial Era and later. Weiss had stagnated but after some quick resource management and trade with Mistral (I.E. Atlas's main trading partner), I've managed to pull us into the Industrial Era. At that point, Atlas can snowball due to cards like 'Necessity breeds Innovation' and 'Survivalist's Grit' that enhance my tech level upgrades and give me Solitas specific environmental bonuses respectively. That and since Solitas has a lot of Dust and natural resources that just needs some modern tech to reach due to permafrost, we were flushed with resources by the end game. Food is an issue but we have trade contracts to mitigate the problem and with the advent of indoor hydroponics, it became a non-issue."
Anon took a deep breath after explaining everything in a single breath.
"As for Why..." He smiled smugly. "Fuck you, that's why."
Yang fumed silently as Anon kept being smug. Yang let out an angry, shaky sigh.
"Great!" she complained. "Now I've lost my trading partner and my tech supremacy has been usurped!"
Anon's smug widened.
"Oh, it's gonna get worse for you, Miss Vacuo!"
"Oh, What now?!"
"Without Ruby, you can't trade for food," He revealed. "Once your stocks run out, your people will starve."
"But I'm in the Modern Era! I can't just run out of food!"
"Yang, you're in a desert. You don't have any arable lands beside the coast for fruits. Hydroponics can mitigate but without proper farming or trade, you're fucked in the long run. And considering your population density... Yeah, no. You're just screwed."
"But you also don't have good farmlands!"
"True, but I also have living trade partners and actually valuable resources that I trade with instead of the blasted and barren shithole you call a kingdom."
He clapped his hands semi-quietly.
"For Vacuo, it's goodbye golden age and hello age of ruin. Coming in a few turns!"
Yang held her head in her hands in disbelief. Ruby, though bummed at being defeated couldn't help but chuckle at Yang's expense. Who knew that Yang would lose at her own game by someone who's never heard of it in the first place? Yang raged at Hope's cockiness.
"Oh, you think you're cute, asshole?!"
Too easy.
"Bitch, I'm adorable."
Ruby had to hold Yang from jumping over the table and strangling him. He wasn't helping his case, throwing his arms to the sides challengingly.
Blake set down her hand, her eyes focusing on nothing in particular. She didn't look responsive, something that Weiss noticed. She shook her friend's arm lightly.
"Blake?" She called.
The black cat blinked twice before humming questioningly.
"You seem to be out of it. Are you alright?"
Blake didn't answer at first.
"I'll be fine," She said flatly after a few seconds.
Jaune walked in before Weiss could go any further.
"Hey, can I play?" The yellow squire asked the players.
"Well," Anon scratched his neck. "Ruby's out for the count, but we're still at the max player count."
"Then why are you playing too?"
"Because Yang's an idiot and thought that giving me over to Weiss would even the odds since she's basically half a player," Anon smirked. "In more ways than one."
"Hey!" Weiss cried out.
Anon snickered while Weiss humphed.
"Besides," Weiss added. "This game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt that you possess."
Anon and Ruby deadpanned at Weiss. Hell, even Yang stopped trying to kick Anon's ass long enough to join them.
"Sweety," Weiss shivered at Anon's nickname. "I had to railroad you into not sinking your own fucking fleet. If it weren't for me, you'd have lost in the same turn that would have won you the game."
Weiss crossed her arms, pouting like a scolded child. Jaune wasn't deterred by Weiss's doubts.
"Bring it on, Snow Princess!" He challenged. "I'll have you know that I have been told that I am a natural-born leader!"
"By who?" Weiss sassed. "Your mother?"
Jaune gulped.
"A-and Pyrrha!"
The Canadian waved.
"Hello again!"
"Come on! Let me play your hand for a turn or two!" Jaune pleaded.
Anon shrugged.
"Sure, I don't mind."
Weiss, however, did.
"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Atlas!"
"Why not?! You've trusted me with way more important stuff before!"
Anon stood up and put a hand on his shoulder, partially so that he wouldn't accidentally snitch on Blake.
"Give it up, she's just being an ass."
"Hey!" Weiss cried out again.
A sound of dampened foot footsteps came from the entrance. Anon smiled at the SSSN'al duo's entrance.
"Sup, losers!" Sun greeted while holding up a pair of peace signs.
"Sup, chucklenuts." Anon greeted back, holding out his hand for a predator handshake.
"My man!" Sun grinned.
The two joined hands, their arms flexing and muscles bulging like two certain iconic action heroes.
"Who are they?" Yang asked.
Weiss looked Neptune up and down, seemingly liking what she sees. Anon held a presenting hand up.
"The guy with the monkey tail and the eight pack is Sun Wukong. I've helped him out of a pickle not long ago."
He shot a wink at the gang.
"Nice to meet y'all!" He pointed his thumb at his partner. "The cool guy with the blue hair's an old friend and my partner."
Neptune gave his trademark shining smile.
"Neptune Vasilias." He returned Weiss's 'appreciative' glance. "You gonna present us?"
Make it more obvious, can you?
He pointed to the members of Team RWBY. Each gave a wave as they were named, minus Blake for obvious reasons.
"This is Ruby, Yang, Blake..." He looked at Weiss, who gave him the stink eyes. "The resident Snow Princess."
"Why does everyone call me that?!" Weiss questioned angrily.
It's literally your entire character archetype. That and because your sister's the ice queen.
"Because almost everyone here has a nickname," Anon said. "And yours is Snow Princess because fucking look at you."
Neptune looked at the mess of cards on the table as well as the game they were playing.
"Err, aren't libraries for reading?"
Ren threw his hands up in exasperation, seeing as someone else gets it.
"Thank you!"
This outburst woke up Nora, who shot up in her seat.
"Pancakes?!" She blurted out.
Sun rolled his eyes at his friend.
"Shut up, don't be a nerd!"
Vasilias waved his finger condescendingly.
"Tut-tut-tut, the proper term is intellectual, okay?"
Sun and Anon shared a mutual look, coming to a silent agreement.
"Neeeeeeerd!" They insulted in unison.
Weiss leaned forward on the table, supporting her head with the back of her hand.
"So Neptune, where are you from?"
Neptune approached confidently, his winning smile unfaltering.
"I'm from Mistral originally but my folk moved to Vacuo." He recounted. "Still, I'm a proud student of Shade and that's never gonna change!"
Anon took a mental note of that change.
He's not from Haven? No, instead he's from Shade, which means the rest of SSSN are too... Interesting.
Neptune's smile became flirtatious.
"I don't believe that I caught your name, snow angel."
Weiss held her chest, blushing lightly. She smiled at the blue-haired man warmly.
"Weiss Schnee, a pleasure to meet you."
He winked.
"The pleasure is all mine, Weiss."
To Anon's surprise, Jaune didn't make any comment or complaint.
He won't go for Weiss? Actually, that's good because holy shit was it was painful to see him try to get with her. That also means that he probably won't go to the dance in a dress... Good. Knowing my luck, he'll probably try and drag me into that fucking harebrained scheme to cheer Pyrrha up. The worse part is I probably would go along with it because I'm an idiot.
Sun looked over to Blake, frowning worriedly at her empty expression. The monkey approached the cat casually, his arms behind his head.
"Hey there." The absent look she gave him made him worry further. "Are you ok? You don't look well."
Blake blinked before looking at her play hand. She passed the cards to Jaune, who smiled like an idiot at being allowed to play.
"I won't let you down!"
Blake shrugged.
"Good luck, I guess..."
The moody cat got up from her seat.
"I don't feel too great," She said. "I'll be doing some research at the dorm."
She moved past everyone but stopped midway to look at Sun.
"It was... Nice to meet you."
And there she went. Nora shrugged.
"Women, amirite?" She elbow nudged Pyrrha.
Hope looked at her as she left with a lidded stare. He sighed.
"I'll be going too," He announced. "Someone's gotta keep her in check."
Or else it'll end up just like in the show with her overexerting herself. Sigh, the things I do for people.
...
The hustle and bustle of the busy Beacon hallway were ignored by Blake as she adjusted some details in her notebook. Despite the population density of the corridor and her occupied vision, Blake deftly maneuvered out of the way of anyone coming her way. She mumbled to herself thoughtfully.
"Roman is supplying Adam and the Fang. In exchange, Adam sends recruits to do Torchwick's dirty work. This gives them experience in both subterfuge and intimidation from the store smashing, shakedowns and nighttime theft."
She shook her head rapidly.
"But the question remains: what about the Dust? Why would they need so much?"
"The better question would be: What does a terrorist organization do with highly volatile compounds?"
Blake didn't look out from her note, her mind immediately recognizing Anon's voice. Still, to hear that her forebearer's darling voice of the Faunus was being called a terrorist organization was disheartening. The gears in her mind didn't take long to find an answer to the question posed.
"Munitions: ammo and explosives." She answered.
"And what do you usually use munitions for?"
She stopped walking, lowering her notebook with a pained expression.
"With that amount..." She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "Go to war."
She lowered her head, not wanting to look him in the face.
"Or commit an atrocity that will shake the world for the worst."
Blake didn't make a sound, her heart strangling.
"What's going to happen?"
Anon stared blankly, he felt his heartstrings tightening. He gently pet her ears behind her bow.
"Something bad, like kingdom shattering bad."
Her head shot up, her eyes wide with horror.
"When?" Her tone was desperate.
"Soon," He took a notepad from his jacket. "But we have time."
He gave her the notepad. She leafed through it, immediately picking up on what he had just given her.
"These are sighings and activity reports."
"Aye." Anon nodded. "It may be incomplete, but it holds most of the White Fang activity that has been reported in Vale since before the beginning of the Beacon school year."
She looked at the notepad, then to him.
"When did you do this?" She asked curiously. "It's almost completely filled out."
He gave her a lidded stare.
"About the same time you've spent doing research alone."
He flicked her forehead, which pinged off her Aura.
"We're partners-in-crime, remember?" He walked past her and toward his dorm. "Let me lighten your load, will ya?"
Blake looked at his distancing figure. She smiled for the first time these past few days before rushing to his side.
"ARGH!" Yang nearly screamed in frustration. "I knew Jaune was bad news the moment he came into play!"
"And whose fault is it?" Ruby snapped back snidely. "I told you to help me flank his troops!"
"He had a home-field advantage! Even if it had worked, my army would have been depleted!"
"Well MAYBE if someone had set up proper trade routes with me, I would have had an excess of resources to donate to you!"
Weiss, who had endured their complaining, decided to not listen to them anymore.
"It's just a game, calm down."
The sisters squinted at her.
"You were the first to rage-quit when you got crushed first," Yang said. "You don't get to talk."
Weiss sulked in silence.
RW*Y kept on complaining about Jaune's cheesy strategy of mid-game curb-stomping by rushing to the middle ages and destroying every other stone age loser. Weiss stopped when she heard two familiar voices behind closed doors. Curious, she listened in on the conversation.
"And then?" A feminine voice asked seriously.
"The Fang won't go down quietly," A masculine voice explained. "You should know as much."
"...I sadly do."
"Then you know what we'll have to do once things go wrong. We won't be able to persuade them to stand down."
"...We never stand down. We can only be put down..."
"You're not with them anymore. I hate to put it this way but now, they're just rabid animals. A good chunk of them has become just like what they said they weren't."
Weiss kept listening attentively, putting her ear closer to the door. The sisters had stopped complaining about Kingdoms of Remnant when they saw what their teammate was up to. Ruby and Yang walked up to her.
"What are you doing?" Yang asked.
Ruby recognized the dorm's number plaque.
"That's Anon's room!"
Weiss harshly hushed them before waving them to listen in with her. Yang accidentally pushed the door very slightly ajar. It seemed to have been poorly closed. Yang almost panicked but the door barely moved. If anything, she actually gave them the chance to look inside the room. The three human members of Team RWBY peered into their friend's room.
...
Blake sat in a rolling chair, looking intently at the bulletin board and the many connections and link the pair established. The amount of information became so unwieldy that the two sides of the board were now used. On one side was the Wizard's Circle, Ozpin and his accomplices. While Ozpin was ostensively their ally, it didn't help that he kept way too many secrets and lied way too often. Anon insisted on keeping tabs on Ozpin and Blake had her own suspicions, so there wasn't much of a fuss. Not much has been added but since they rearranged the setup, they changed the top-down tree of links to an expanded web of intrigue with Ozpin at the centre.
The other side, however, was dedicated to the Witch's Cabal. Enemies, every single one. Some were in for selfish reasons, others were just complete lunatics. Once again, the tree of links was changed into a web of intrigue but it was also expanded.
Blake stood up looked at the new entries.
"The mad assassin, the reluctant giant, the genial egotist... Why don't you just put up their names?" She wondered. "You obviously know who they are."
Anon snarled.
"I tried, same as with the obscured photos. For some fucking reason, the info gets scrambled."
"You think someone's messing with the board?"
He shook his head.
"Not a damn chance, I would immediately be notified if someone got into my room."
He flashed his scroll, showing his room's security setting. Anon nibbled on his thumb's nail.
"It's like if the cosmos was fucking me over for its own enjoyment," He muttered lowly. "Tsk, it's not like it would be the first time."
Blake wiggled her ear at that statement.
"What do you mean?"
Anon glanced at her but immediately returned his gaze to the board.
"Never mind me, we have to get more concrete info to prepare for the Fall. And avert it, if we can."
...
Yang squinted in confusion.
"The Fall?" She questioned. "Fall of what?"
Ruby's eyes were glued to the board.
"I'm more curious about that board."
Weiss winced.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.
"Look, above Torchwick."
The picture in question was that of a man with blood-red hair and wearing a visor-like white mask.
"Who that?" Yang asked.
Weiss's wince turned to a hateful glare.
"Adam Taurus, a commander of the White Fang. He's a complete sociopath hellbent on the eradication of my family and its business. Before the Beacon year started, he and an unknown accomplice hijacked an Atlas cargo train. He and his men took everything of value and destroyed the machinery. They also severed the locomotive from the rest of the train, stranding all of the crew members."
She inhaled, her frown deepening into a furious grimace.
"Not a single survivor. He left them all to the Grimms."
"Sooooo a bad dude?" Yang gripped the doorframe, bringing her eye closer to the gap.
"The worst..."
...
"We need a plan of action." Blake declared. "We can't let this 'Fall' happen, whatever it is."
Anon smirked.
"So you're not going to question what I say?"
Blake looked determined.
"I learned my lesson at the docks. You knew who I was, you knew about the Fang's plans for the Schnee cargo... You knew what would happen to Tukson. Heck, you even tried to avert it."
She shook her head.
"You know things we don't. And I can't turn a deaf ear to what you have to say."
Anon leaned next to the door, his arms crossed.
"As I said before, I know what should happen. What will happen, I don't know."
"So far?"
He shrugged.
"I'd say about the same, but the details are what seems to change the most," He informed. "Jaune would have been Cardin's bitch-boy, you wouldn't have met up with Tukson, Sun would have been there instead of Yang."
"Those are some pretty big detail."
"My point exactly. I guess the best way to put it is... The story beats stay the same, but the character's backgrounds and some story details are off."
Blake scoffed mockingly.
"So like a crappy fanfiction then?"
Anon tried and failed to hold back a smile.
"Heh, pretty much!"
The two shared a laugh. The moment of mirth was short-lived, as they looked back at the board.
"What's the next story beat then?"
He rubbed his chin, thinking.
"Investigation part one."
"What's gonna happen?"
"...Well..."
He flung the door open, and the rest of Team RWBY crashed into Anon's room.
"GUYS?!" Blake exclaimed in shock.
"These assholes get involved," Anon said like he was delivering a punchline.
The girls smiled cringingly and waved at a still-shocked Blake.
"Hey..." Ruby waved weakly.
"So this is what you two have been doing," Yang commented as she stood up and dusted herself. "And here I hoped you two would be doing lewd stuff."
Blake blushed furiously as Anon snorted. Yang blinked.
"Wait, wha-"
"SHUT UP!" Blake bellowed in embarrassment. "NOT FUCKING CANON!"
"What isn't canon?" Ruby asked innocently.
"NOTHING!" Blake insisted. "Nothing happened! Can we please get back to the point!?"
Weiss helped her partner off the floor before giving Blake an angry glare.
"Glad to see you're keeping your promises." Her bitting sarcasm made Blake cringe.
"So I take it she hasn't been keeping you guys up to date?" Anon asked. "Figured."
Ruby approached the board and inspected it curiously.
"What's all this for?" The Lil red reaping hood queried. "It looks like one of those boards from a detective thriller."
"It's basically what it is."
"It's so messy..." Ruby complained. "Wouldn't it be easier if you used a digital board instead?"
Anon grimaced and pointed at Blake with his thumb.
"That's what I'm saying but noooo! We have to do it like in the books!"
Blake turned her nose up at him, huffing as she went.
"I think it's cooler!"
Anon rolled his eyes.
"Whatever, hon."
Yang kept looking between the two.
"Are you sure you two aren't-"
"Not canon!" Blake reiterated.
"Riiiight." Yang disregarded her partner, looking to Anon. "Anyways, what's up?"
"Oh you know, a world-spanning conspiracy. Real typical shit."
Yang blinked at him.
"Oh. Goody."
"Yeah, it's wack."
He walked in front of the board, facing the girls with a mysterious smile.
"So. You guys want in?"
Weiss crossed her arms, frowning uncertainly.
"I don't know... The headmaster told us not to worry."
Yang nodded.
"Yeah, between the huntsmen and the police, I don't understand why we would need to get involved." She shrugged. "I think they can handle them."
Anon chuckled darkly.
"If only you knew."
The girls looked worriedly amongst themselves.
"Ozpin's an idiot," Anon explained. "I already told him what needs to be done and he just sits on his hands with his thumbs up his ass."
He pointed to the ground.
"And now, the enemy isn't just at his door. It's in his fucking home, it's eating his food and drinking his beer."
Yang gasped in horror.
"The fiends!"
"Oh, it gets worst! They also want to curb stomp him and burn his fucking house down!"
"They?"
He pointed to three of the photos labelled: The False Maiden (Bitch-in-Chief), The Thief (with a good heart) and The Iron Footwork (Paraplegic asshole).
"These ne-er-do-wells."
"uh, what?" Ruby was confused.
"...Bad guys, Ruby. They are bad guys."
Weiss shook her head.
"What do you propose we do? Let me once again be the voice of reason: we're students! We're not ready to handle this sort of situation!"
Anon sighed sadly.
"You honestly think that they'll let you graduate before enacting their schemes? Let me rip the band-aid off. If we do nothing, not just Beacon but Vale as a whole will be down shit creek without neither paddle nor boat."
Weiss looked down thoughtfully.
"You don't really have a choice anymore." Anon continued. "They're come gonna come out swinging and they won't wait until you're ready to sucker punch you."
Weiss held the side of her head before sighing in defeat.
"I guess you make a fair point. If no one steps up to the plate," She looked up, determined. "I guess we'll have to do it ourselves."
Ruby clapped her hands with a big manic grin.
"Okay then! All in favour of becoming the youngest ever Huntswomen (And Huntsman) to single-handedly take down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale, say AYE!"
Yang grabbed her sister by the shoulder and brought her close, keeping pace with Ruby's intensity.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" She exclaimed. "I love it when you're feisty!"
Weiss played with a strand of her hair, twirling it around her index finger.
"If I must, then I will."
"I've been in since the start." Blake's eyes glimmered with determination.
Anon smiled at Ruby before she could pout.
"Aye aye, cap'n."
Ruby smiled pridefully and posed with her chest puffed out and her fists to her sides.
"That's right, we're in this together. Now, we need to hatch a plan!"
Ruby stopped herself and gasped, remembering something.
"I forgot the board game at the library!"
The group collectively facepalmed.
"We're doomed..." Weiss dreaded quietly.
Anon dragged his hand across his face.
"I'll get it, you guys start planning." He turned to Blake. "Bring them up to speed with what info we do have."
Blake nodded seriously.
"Roger that."
The evening took over the late noon and the sun began to fall. The student body that littered the hallways had begun to thin. Even despite the waves of people that remained, Anon just walked in a straight line, passing through the black shades that made up the extras of this world. Anon's steps began to echo slightly as the mass of people became nearly nonexistent.
Well, that lasted long...
The hair on his neck stood on its ends and he felt a delicate hand slithering into his pocket. Without a second thought, he snapped into action. Anon gripped the would-be thief's wrist and twisted his body around, twisting the person's arms as he went. With a swift kick to the chins and a lifting shove over his shoulder, the thief flipped head over ass and onto their back.
The thief, a green-haired woman with dark skin, held his wallet as she laid on the floor with a ten-thousand lien card slightly hanging out. She wore Haven's school uniform. She coughed a few times before struggling to open her eyes. Her eyes shot open at the sight of a gun barrel, the silhouette of a bullet visible through the enclosed chamber.
"You know, once upon a time, we either hung or cut the hands off of thieves."
He brought her face closer to his, his frown worsening into a menacing grimace.
"I'll have you know that I am quite keen on reviving the tradition..."
The thief gulped loudly, her grip on the wallet loosening. Anon scoffed and snatched his wallet back, letting go of the mint-coloured thief. The sound of heels alerted him to the last person he wanted to meet today.
"Dear me." The husky, sultry voice made him shiver. "What has happened here?"
That sure as shit ain't Jessica Nigri. But then again, everyone's voice is... Well, I'd say off. Their voices sound natural instead of dramatized.
Anon turned to face the seductive voice, his furrowed brow loosening from rage into caution. In front of him stood a black-haired beauty with a mature yet playful disposition. Her amber eyes, though soft and kind seeming, burned with the kind of ambition that would otherwise be admirable if it wasn't so despicable. Next to her was a man with steel gray hair and eyes, smirking at the girl on the floor.
Great, Cinder's here. This might get hairy...
"Your friend here thought me gormless." He waved his wallet in front of him. "So I taught her to be careful about who she tries to swindle next."
The false maiden smiled innocently.
"I see~."
Cinder approached Anon, much to his repressed anger.
"I do very much apologize for her behaviour." She bowed slightly as she apologized, her voice slightly up-pitched. "Emerald was once an urchin, you see. Even with our best efforts and that of our headmaster, it seems her old habits die hard."
A sound excuse, a pretty accurate one even. But I know better.
"I see." Anon played along. "I guess I can't fault her too much if she is trying."
"Indeed." Her smile disappeared. "She is trying."
Her tone became cold, demanding even. Emerald shivered, which made Anon glare at the amber-eyed woman.
"Knock it off, you're scaring her."
Cinder blinked rapidly.
"Oh!" She seemed to have understood what she did. "A thousand apologies! It's a small tick of mine. I swear I'm not usually like this."
I might be better off playing dumb...
"Bah, don't sweat it," He reassured with a convincing smile. "I can get pretty annoyed when my friends act like idiots at times."
She smiled warmly.
"I'm glad you understand." She bowed thankfully.
Anon glanced back to Emerald, who sat up and rubbed the back of her head. Anon sighed.
I guess being in her good graces could help...
Anon held a hand out for Emerald to take.
"Sorry, I went pretty overboard."
She snarled, ready to slap his hand away but one look from Cinder was enough to make her docile.
"Y-yeah, sorry. Force of habit..."
She took his hand and he helped her off her feet, he even dusted her off. Feeling cheeky, Anon slipped something in her pocket without her noticing. Hope looked back to the false maiden, his brow slipping back into a frown.
"You guys shouldn't be here."
Anon panicked internally at having let his hostility slip.
Cinder crooked an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Anon recomposed himself internally.
"You guys are from Haven, right?"
"Ah, yes. Did the uniform give it away?"
"It did. Anyways, the visiting students have their own dorms."
Cinder faked being surprised.
"Oh! Dear me, it seems we got turned around." She joined her hands. "Could you be so kind as to show us the way?"
Anon blinked.
"...It's literally the next building east."
Cinder blinked back.
"Oh." She replied flatly. "Nevermind then!"
She waved him goodbye.
"I guess we'll see each other around, then."
God, I hope not.
"Sure thing."
Emerald rushed to her boss's side as she left. Anon felt the need to add something.
"Oh, and one last thing."
Cinder stopped but didn't turn around.
"Yes?"
"Drop the act, it sucks."
Her head tilted up slightly before a soft chuckle left her lips.
"Is it that bad?" She asked with her husky voice.
"You went from sexy seductress to overly apologetic to cold rage and back to apologetic way too quickly," He explained. "It's fucking weird and really suspicious. I suggest you stick to one in the future."
"I see. Thank you for the feedback."
To his surprise, she sounded genuinely thankful.
Just in case...
"I suggest that you make your 'studying' of rival teams more discrete."
Another crystalline chuckle left her luscious lips.
"Nothing gets past you, is there?"
"Hardly anything. I may not be a competitor, but I won't let you have it so easy now would I?"
Anon couldn't see her but he swore he heard her smile.
"Indeed, I would do the same if I were you."
She waved again before slowly walking away.
"Goodbye, mister guardian."
Anon didn't move yet
"Yeah... Goodbye, miss rival."
Emerald looked back towards Hope's open backside. Her gut was telling her that he was bad news but as soon as she looked forward, Cinder's cold glare made her forget everything else.
"I'm so-"
"Quiet." Cinder ordered.
Emerald clammed up. Cinder sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"We have been here exactly one day, Are you trying to blow our cover?!" She scolded quietly but furiously. "Could you wait a bit longer before you feel the need to steal everything in sight?!"
Emerald stayed quiet, knowing that if she talked back she'd get told off. Or worse.
"If you can't keep your nose out of trouble, consider yourself benched." Her cold glare became arctic. "Understood?"
"Y-yes, Cinder." Emerald felt drops of sweat drip behind her ears. "I promise that it won't happen again."
Cinder's frown softened and her mouth curved up into a soft smile.
"Good!" She peeped with an up-pitch.
She racked her throat, remembering Anon's criticism.
"That man..." She muttered with her husky and seductive voice, her true voice. "What do you two think?"
Mercury chortled.
"I like him! Especially the way he flipped her head over ass! That was hilarious!"
Emerald made an annoying noise.
"Asshole." She insulted. "And so is he."
"You did try to steal from him, Em."
"Shut up!" She whined.
Mercury's mocking glance turned serious.
"That guy's trouble, I can smell it."
"You sure it's not your hair gel?" Emerald joked.
"No," Mercury continued without missing a beat. "That guy was real cautious around us and I'm pretty sure we haven't met before. Something's not right."
Emerald caught on to what he was saying.
"Now that you mention it, He did change his tune when he saw Cinder."
"Yeah, you're right actually. You think he played dumb?"
Cinder huffed.
"Oh, absolutely. Maybe he's naive but I highly doubt him to be stupid."
"Is he going to be trouble?" Emerald asked.
"Perhaps..." Cinder pondered.
As she walked, Emerald began feeling something weird inside her pocket. Curious, she reached a hand inside and grabbed whatever it was. Once in view, she was gobsmacked at the sight of a crisp ten thousand lien card. Mercury tried to snatch it out of her hands but Emerald pulled it away from his grasp.
"Not this time, asshat!" Emerald decried.
"Where'd you get that?"
She looked at it again.
"I... don't know actually. Last I saw one I was-"
Emerald remembered that Anon had one in his wallet. She whipped her head back to where he was. Anon was still in view, smirking.
"Consider this my apology for pointing a gun at you," He said.
She looked back at the card in her hand.
"Is... Is this really ok?"
Emerald was used to stealing petty cash but this was a lot of money. And she didn't even steal it! It's like a gift! Anon smiled warmly.
"Yeah, it's cool. Just promise me you won't spend it all in one place."
Emerald rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, feeling good at having so much money.
"What are you, my dad?"
Anon flinched for a second, before smiling flirtatiously.
"I can be if you want me to be."
Emerald froze with a jolt. Mercury leaned in front of her, tending an ear out.
"What was that?" He mocked. "Was that the sound of your heart swooning?"
Her face darkened.
"S-SHUT UP, MERC!"
Anon chuckled lightly before turning back. He waved at them as he walked away.
"And to you homewreckers, a warm welcome to Beacon..."
Cinder looked at the disappearing silhouette, her eyes squinting in suspicion.
"Emerald, Mercury."
"Yes, ma'am?" They answered in unison.
"Keep an eye out for this man." Her eyes were locked to where he was. "I sense that he'll be quite troublesome in the future..."
V2E4: END!
NEXT ON PLAYLIST: V2E5 - PLAY?