Chapter 58

The gear-themed clock on the wall ticked incessantly in the silence, casting a solemnity over the group as they sat in a circle on the maroon couches. The twins, as the newest addition to everything, glanced across the group nervously, and Jaye felt it necessary to do something to break the awkward tension in the room. Weiss beat him to the punch.

'So, the Maidens. Magic. Salem. It's all true?' She began. Qrow gave a non-committal "uh-huh" in response, and Oscar turned towards the blonde girl.

'Miss Xiao Long, is this more or less what your mother told you?' He asked, and Yang remained silent, arms crossed, staring at the jade green ornate table before her. Weiss glanced at the sullen girl.

'For the most part.' She said, and Yang finally responded, arms still crossed.

'You forgot something.' She said, turning confrontationally towards the ex-headmaster. Ozpin/Oscar watched her quietly, his face impassive. 'You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother.'

The room went silent once more as all eyes turned upon Ozpin. Jaye leaned forwards onto his elbows, his curiosity peaked as he raised an eyebrow at the ex-headmaster. Jaune finally spoke up.

'What is she talking about?' He whispered, and Qrow rolled his eyes to himself.

'Oh great.' He grumbled, and Ozpin/Oscar sighed quizzically.

'Hmm. That's not a secret I thought she would give up so easily. You mother must trust you a great deal.' He turned to the blonde girl, who returned his gaze with a glare, and Jaye couldn't tell if that statement was a compliment or not. Ozpin/Oscar sighed wearily.

'My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, isn't without a few key benefits.' He explained. 'Much like the Maidens, I too possess a certain… "magical" power.' He got to his feet, tapping his cane as he walked around the table. 'Using this power, I was able to gift the Branwen twins the ability to "see" more; to move freely and be unburdened by their natural bodies. I…well…' He stopped beside Qrow, waving a hand towards the man. 'Gave them the ability to turn into birds. Rather ridiculous sounding out loud, isn't it?'

The starkly unimpressed looks that remained plastered across Jaye and Kamina's faces were contrasted against the stunned disbelief of the rest of the group, and Ren voiced the query on everyone's mind.

'You turned them…into birds.' He said slowly, one eyebrow slowly raising above the other, and Nora scoffed at the lot.

'Alright, now you're just messing with us.'

'What else is new.' Jaune folded his arms angrily, and Weiss shook her head.

'He's telling the truth.' She said, hands still folded on her knee. 'Yang's mom… changed, right in front of us.'

Yang started off her spot on the couch, still glaring daggers at the reincarnated headmaster. 'Why would you do something like that? I mean, what is wrong with you?'

'Yang, that's enough.' Qrow said, holding up a hand to the girl. 'We made a choice. We wanted this.'

The girl's anger turned to surprise, and Ozpin/Oscar gestured to the surly man.

'May I?' He asked, stepping forwards to the centre of the group. 'Granting this power to them was no trivial task, and I can assure you it was not done frivolously.' He paused in his pacing, placing his hands atop his cane. 'I required assistance in gathering information on Salem's plans, as well as searching for Maidens when their hosts became unclear.'

'Okay so, have you done this with others?' Ruby asked. 'Like General Ironwood, or Professor Goodwitch?'

Ozpin/Oscar paused beside Yang, once more placing his hands atop his cane. 'As helpful as that might be, unfortunately it is not that simple. My power is finite, and if I'm being honest, dwindling. The amount I gifted to Qrow and Raven was–all things considered–rather miniscule.' He cast his eyes down to the floor. 'You see, centuries ago, I sacrifice a great deal of power to four young women, who I hoped would use my gift for good. They were the first maidens.' He turned once more to the blonde. 'Miss Xiao Long, it was never my intention to lie to you. To any of you.' He amended. 'There are just some matters that I prefer to… play close to the chest. I believe that's how you phrased it?'

Qrow chuckled, giving a sly grin to the ex-headmaster. 'Heh, yeah.'

'Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers, and the responsibilities that came with them. And, later, one of them chose to abandon her duties in favor of her own self-interest. Now, all of you have a choice.' He cast a gaze around the room. 'If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There's not shame in disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat.' He smiled confidently. 'Well then–?'

Yang got to her feet, staring down at the jade green tabletop and refusing to meet anyone's eye.

'If Ruby sticks around, then I will too.' She said, turning to smile at her sister. 'If there's one thing I know about her, it's that she somehow always knows the right thing to do.' She raised a hand in the air, her tone turning firm. 'But if we're going to help–if we're going to keep risking our lives–no more lies. No more half-truths.'

She stared down the small boy, and Ozpin/Oscar looked to Qrow for support. The surly man shrugged with his elbows, and Ozpin/Oscar smiled at the girl.

'Understood.' He grinned, and Yang sat unhappily down. Jaye smiled to himself, and Jaune wiped a bit of dust off his armor.

'So… what now?' He asked, and Ozpin/Oscar pondered quietly for a moment. 'I mean, what can we do?'

'Mm, that is a difficult question. One that I believe is best answered tomorrow.'

'What do you mean?'

'The road ahead is undoubtedly filled with hardships and peril. However, it's been far to long since you've all been together.' He placed a hand on Yang's shoulder. 'Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment.'

Ozpin/Oscar's eyes glowed gold, and the look on his face turned from one of endearment to confusion. He snatched his hand away from Yang's shoulder, clutching his cane to his chest. The two girls giggled at the adorable boy, and a loud "oooooh!" erupted from across the room. Nora stared across the group with wide eyes.

'Raven? Qrow? They're birds!' She squealed, reclining on the couch. Ren shook his head exasperatedly at the dense girl. 'Cracked it!'

Jaye rolled his eyes at the two, catching the eye of the blonde girl across the room from him. The rest of the group latched back into conversation, and Jaye gave her a little smile.

'Later?' His eyes said.

'I'd love to.' Her eyes said back.

Back in their rooms

Jaye leaning his swords in the corner, stretching out his arms and sighing contentedly. Good food and lots of catching up later had made him sleepy, but he still had something to do that night. He let his arms fall to the side, throwing his jacket onto the chair and psyching himself up for the task ahead. He jumped as a knock sounded on the door and turned to face the wooden panel.

'Hey Jaye.' A muffled, but unmistakable voice rang out from the other side. He rubbed his arm nervously, and the door latch clicked as it opened. A mop of messy blonde hair fluttered in through the doorway, and Jaye groaned internally as a pair of lilac eyes appeared in the doorway. Yang peered past the wood, raising an eyebrow at the boy standing nervously in the middle of the room. He waved her in, and she pushed the door shut behind her. He noticed her eyes travel to the swords leaning against the wall and back to him, and he groaned internally once more.

'Hey Yang.' He rubbed his neck nervously, fidgeting a little on the spot. The tall girl paced into the center of the room and Jaye kept his eyes fixed on her boots. 'It's been a little rough.'

'Looking at you, I guess "little" is an understatement.' The blonde bombshell smiled at him, stepping a little closer. Her robot arm whizzed quietly as she moved it, and Jaye eyed the thing impassively.

'That's pretty impressive.' He said, gesturing at the prosthetic, and Yang shrugged.

'It's a welcome addition. It uh… almost makes me feel whole again.' She said, gazing at the palm quietly. 'But at the same time, it's like a reminder of what I've lost. Always there, always haunting me.' Jaye watched her eyes go to the swords in the corner again, and he braced himself for what was to follow. 'But I guess I'm not the only one being haunted, huh?'

'Yeah. Yeah, something like that.' Jaye rubbed his neck again, and Yang stepped a little closer. 'I uh… I'm gonna be honest here. I have no idea how I'm supposed to face you. Things are… complicated. Really complicated.'

'Yeah, it's the same for everyone. Which puts us on equal ground.' Yang folded her arms across her chest. 'I think the way forward from here is to talk about it.'

'Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Just… maybe not right now.' Jaye said, his eyes falling back to the swords in the corner. His face contorted into a mask of pain, and Yang felt her heart shatter into pieces. She surged forwards to the boy, wrapping him in her arms and he pressed his face into the crook of her neck. Jaye squeezed his eyes shut, trying in vain to stop the tears from flowing, and Yang pressed her lips to his hand.

'I'm here for you.' She whispered, and Jaye pushed himself off the girl quietly. He raised his eyes to meet hers, the tears still flowing unabashed down his cheeks.

'I know.' He pressed his lips to hers, and she leaned into him, relaxing against his chest. Jaye ran a hand up her back, and she moaned softly into his lips. The blonde finally pulled away for air, and Jaye took a shaky breath.

'That was long.' She muttered, stroking the boy's cheek. Jaye breathed a ragged breath once more, casting his eyes up to the ceiling.

'Indigo's dead.' He took another trembling breath. 'She died because of me!'

'Mm-hmm.' Yang stroked the boy's hair, holding him tightly as he cried.

'I loved her so much–!' He choked, pressing his face into the blonde's neck. 'I know it's not fair to you, but I don't know how to live without her–!'

'I know. It was always complicated. But we can't change the past; we can only look to the future.' Yang pressed their foreheads together, wiping a tear away from the crying boy's face. 'I don't want to be your rebound, or your way of getting over her. I want you to love me for me. But I'm going to be here for you, no matter what.'

Jaye finally opened his eyes. 'For the first time in my life, I have no idea what to do. Indigo was always there to be my anchor; to guide me along the paths I walked. But now she's gone, and I'm lost.'

'Then maybe it's time you walked on your own.' Yang pulled the boy to his feet, taking his hands in hers. 'I can't replace her; I can't be your anchor in the storm. Not when I'm… broken like this. I can't guide you down a path that I can't even see myself, but you don't have to follow me. We can walk it together.'

'Thank you.' Jaye whispered, kissing her again. Yang responded in kind, pulling him closer to her as she pushed him back. His knees hit the bed, and they fell onto it heavily. Jaye pulled her jacket zipper down, and she slid off the article with barely disguised fervor. He paused for a moment, placing a hand on her metal arm. He laced his fingers with hers, and she watched them curiously.

'Can you feel me?' He asked, and Yang caressed his face with her free hand.

'I can.'

'Are you… comfortable with it off?'

'I am… but I want to hold you with both my arms.'

Outside the room

Weiss peeked through the gap in the doorway, raising an eyebrow at the two figures atop the bed. She glanced back at the red-clad girl behind her, who was still waiting on an update.

'Umm, so I know Yang said to wait until she gave us the go ahead to come in, but aren't they taking a little long?' The innocent girl said, and Weiss shifted uncomfortably on the spot as she pondered what to do now.

'Um, they don't look like they'll be done anytime soon, so I think we should talk to them tomorrow.'

Chapter 58 done. I hope this relationship still interests ya'll, and I'll try my best to write better as we move forward