From what I have seen throughout the years of being a bartender is that there are times when a bar can get very quiet and stay so for a very long time. Usually only ten people would enter, fifteen at tops, and that is considered to be a low number of guests. Things could get pretty boring at those times, especially when the guests you're taking care of are only drinking coffee or soft drinks. Right now me and Freddy were having such a day. Jaune and Pyrrha had left the bar, paying their drinks respectfully. I did some research on the currency, and it turns out that four Lien is considered to be a normal price here on Remnant. By doing some math and some guessing I figured one Lien was about the same price as half a Euro, or two to four dollars at tops. In the bar I work at in the Netherlands people pay two Euro's and fifteen cents for a drink, which is considered to be a normal price, so I adjusted some of the prices of some drinks since Ozpin didn't really give me any tips on how I should "price" my content.
So soft drinks were about four Liens, and the alcoholic drinks were about the same reasonable price of six to eight Lien. I talked to Freddy about the prices too, since he has a little more experience and he complimented me on how good I handled it… followed up by a smack on the ass, and a jab from me. I swear one of these days I am going to break one of his ribs with all of that jabbing. Ah well, he keeps asking for it, so I am not to blame. I think, at least. I decided to do some last minute checks before taking yet another seat. We actually did end up having some people come over. They were mostly "background characters" if you can even call them that. In the show you see them every now and then and think "Hey, those dudes look alike, I wonder why?" Well, I tell ya, sometimes editing can be hard and copy and pasting is one's best friend in those kinds of situations.
But the people who entered were really impressed with the bar and would inform their friends about it too, so I hoped we'd get some more people up in here. And as I was watching the entrance door open, I raised an eyebrow. "Ms. Goodwitch... what are you doing here?" I asked, dusting off my jeans and walking towards her. "If you're here to check on us then don't worry, I've been handling things pretty well with Freddy. And we even got some people in the bar! I tell ya this place is going to get famous in no-time, and if not then I'll just have to promote it!" I said, placing my hands behind my back.
"That sounds very fun and all, but that is not the reason I came here." Goodwitch replied, holding her head in what appeared to be frustration. "There is someone who was all too eager to see the bar for himself," she said, walking towards the entrance. "You may enter, General."
I watched in curiosity as General Ironwood entered the bar, escorted by two of his soldiers clad in armor that I could only describe as something Disney could come up with. They inspected every corner of the bar with just their eyes, and gave a nod to one another before standing guard at the door.
"Careful not to shoot anyone wanting to enter." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Greetings, General, how may I help you this fine afternoon?" I asked.
"When Glynda told me about the bar being nice she wasn't over exaggerating." Ironwood said, looking over the bar with curious eyes. "An outstanding job. Although aren't you scared students will be consuming alcohol when they are clearly under aged."
"We keep track of that," Freddy suddenly chimed in, standing beside me and staring at the General. "And who might you be, sir? I must say you look good for your age."
"I am General Ironwood, headmaster of Atlas Academy and General of the Atlesian military force. We are the tip of the iceberg in human versus Grimm combat. Our ships, weaponry, everything is made to protect humanity and kill Grimm." Ironwood replied, placing his hands behind his back. "I'll have some Hayden's Dust, with ice, please."
I nodded, turning around and walking towards the bar. I got behind it and checked the upper level to look for the drink called Hayden's Dust. After some searching and taking several bottles of liquor off the shelves I finally found the bottle I was looking for. Taking in my hand with a firm grip, I opened the bottle and took a quick moment to smell it. The smell was similar to that of Baileys—the coffee liquor. Taking a whiskey glass that stood near a stack of twelve long-drink glasses, I poured the alcoholic substance in the glass before walking towards the freezer. I opened it and took out four blocks of ice before standing up and placing the glass on the counter of the bar. "Your drink, sir." I said, motioning to it. "I prepared it with ice, I hope that's okay."
"That's excellent, just the way I like it." Ironwood replied, taking the glass and taking a sip from it, sighing in delight. "Now this is something I can't get enough off. Of course I'm not Qrow, but still this is something good, I'll tell you that." He looked out of the window, but turned his attention to Goodwitch as soon as she shifted from her spot. "Glynda, care to join me?"
"I didn't know you were allowed to drink while on duty, General." Goodwitch replied, putting the emphasis on General as a way to remind Ironwood of his status.
"If that were true then I'd never be able to enjoy any drinks or free time." Ironwood replied, shaking his head. "I still need to discuss a few things with Ozpin tomorrow, and I don't want another excuse for an answer. This is important to me as it is to Ozpin, Glynda."
"And I fully understand, General." Goodwitch replied.
I watched as Goodwitch's glare towards Ironwood deepened. Damn, she really didn't like this guy all that much, did she? Ironwood let out a long sigh before gulping down the remainder of his drink. He turned to his two soldiers and motioned for them to follow him as he left the bar. "I will be back, Mr… I'm sorry, I think I forgot to ask your name."
"It's Ramses, sir." I replied.
"Ramses, yes. A peculiar name. I will be back, Ramses. I promise you that." Ironwood announced before taking his actual leave, but not before leaving a few Liens on one of the tables.
I walked towards the table and picked up the Liens. Looks like he actually left a tip for us. Wow… this guy might actually be a nice guy after all. I mean in RWBY he isn't necessarily a "bad guy" per se, he does have his traits that could make him an unlikable character. He does things by the book, but so do other Generals. When you command an army as big as he does… you tend to do things your way, even if that means following protocol and making sure everyone is safe. Although this "occupation" of Beacon did seem a little overkill it would prove necessary. I didn't even want to think what would have happened to the other students and festival goers had General Ironwood brought a smaller fleet of ships. Alas he did not, and I know things that he does not. If I remember correctly the Atlesian Knights will be infected by a virus developed by Cinder and her goons. And after that everything just goes to shit.
And after that… terrible things happen. Pyrrha, Yang, and everyone else's lives will be at stake. Whether I like it or not, this is something that I have to prevent from happening. I don't know why my mind is taking this all so lightly. Being in a different world and whatnot is something you wouldn't expect to happen on a daily basis. Perhaps it's because I am familiar with this world? Or perhaps because Freddy is here with me. When in dangerous situations you one always tends to seek company or security from another person. And I think that Freddy is my security, and I am his. Sometimes I wonder how my life would have turned out had Freddy not been around. I shook that thought out of my head before walking towards Goodwitch.
"You really don't like him, huh?" I asked.
"I just don't like his way of thinking, and the way he does things." Goodwitch replied, turning towards me. "Do you have those kinds of leaders back where you're from?"
"Believe me, Ms. Goodwitch, there are people out there who are ten times worse than Ironwood. That much I can tell you." I replied, placing my hands behind my back. "And even though the guy might seem like a dick, you have to remember who he is and what he does. Being a General that is in command of probably the biggest military force on Remnant and at the same time being the Headmaster of a school that trains Huntsman and Huntresses can be stressful." I sighed, shaking my head. "But he's not a droid. He's not heartless He makes the decisions that protect the people. That is his number one priority. That is every General's priority."
"Looks like you're putting him on a pedestal." Goodwitch commented, crossing her arms.
"I am not." I replied. "But sometimes making the right decision comes with consequences. Every decision does. But is it okay to just judge people for their decisions? Perhaps, but to a certain degree."
"I get the feeling he doesn't fully trust Ozpin." Goodwitch commented.
"Ozpin is a man clouded in mystery." I replied. "I've heard some crazy theories, I'll tell you that."
"Theories?" Goodwitch asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "And what kind of theories might you have heard of?"
"That he's a time-traveler, over seventy years old, that his mug never runs out of coffee. You know, the usual shit." I replied, smirking. "But those are just theories. But what I'm trying to say is… well, you can't judge a book by its cover. Ironwood might be a different guy in his free-time… if he even has any."
"James can be… a very irritating individual, but I guess he means well from time to time." Goodwitch replied.
"And if he gets annoying you could always shut him up with some hot fire. And before you ask, yes, that means insulting him." I said, smirking. "Men hate it when you talk about their skills in bed, so just roast him on that and you're set."
"I'm an adult, Mr. Ramses, not a teenager." Goodwitch retorted, shaking her head. "At least not anymore."
"Well… if you ever get annoyed feel free to come by I'll gladly teach you some ways to shut a man up since they've been used for years among my group of friends… also known as me, my friend Dave, my stepbrother, four other dudes who I love, and a Canadian guy who I met via a website and have been talking with ever since. I have friends, mind you, but I consider those friends to be "closer friends."
"I see." Goodwitch replied. "And I heard you say 'stepbrother', does that mean that your parents are divorced?" she asked.
"Yes. Yes they are." I replied with little emotion. "They've been divorced for twelve years now. My stepfather is the best stepfather you could wish for, and my dad… he's had some pretty rough times, and is still going through rough times, but I help him out wherever I can. Even if that means giving some of my paycheck to him."
"You'd do that?" Goodwitch asked/
"Have been doing it for four years." I replied. "I mean it's the least I can do. He's still my dad, you know."
"A very noble thing of you to do." Goodwitch commented. "I am just going to be blunt by saying this, but you seem like an interesting individual, Mr. Ramses. Even though you are from a different world your view on certain things, your ideals and you morals are... very interesting. I can see why Ozpin listen so good to you. And I ca certainly see why he'd like to talk to you even more." She turned towards the exit. "Perhaps if I have the time I will visit the bar for myself."
'Why is everyone suddenly insisting they want to see the bar?'' I thought to myself, raising an eyebrow. "I would love that, Ms. Goodwitch. Have a nice… well, late afternoon, I guess." I said, walking towards the exit and opening the door for her. "See you."
Goodwitch nodded. "Thank you."
I watched as she took her leave and smiled. Perhaps not all teachers were as bad as they were portrayed. Goodwitch seemed like a bitch when introduced in volume one, but she evolved so much and I grew to respect her as a character. But now that I've actually met her I feel that I could potentially get to know her better. Heck, I could get to know everyone better. I mean I've literally done the impossible. I met team RWBY, team JNPR, Ozpin, Goodwitch, ironwood, and have established a nice job for myself in the place where all the action takes place. Beacon Academy… this place is like heaven for some people. For students it might be a living hell from time to time, but for me it's just a relaxing job. I can't believe I was able to get this far in just my first day in Remnant. It's kind of weird too, but I can't complain... yet.
I walked towards the bar and took a seat on a nearby stool again and let out a sigh of relief. Today had been a good day, now onto the night.
Tonight was a shit night. I can't believe we didn't get more than ten visitors. Like is everyone just so busy with their lives that they can't even get a drink or two? What happened to that "being teenager means you got to get wasted" attitude? I thought that's what the kids liked these days. Either that or unprotected sex on a daily basis, and guess which one I won't be doing in the next five years? That's right, leaving the toilet seat down.
No way in hell I'm going to wait that long for some good ol' sexy time. And I already got wasted on numerous occasions. There's a reason why I have two active brain cells. The rest of my brain cells are just... recovering from a hard-fought battle. I think that's a valid reason. Anyways, this night had been shit. It was 11.30pm and we were just about to close the bar. We had cleaned all of the tables, the bar itself and re-filled the drinks that had to be re-filled, and we were enjoying a cold soft-drink ourselves. I sighed as I took a seat at a nearby table, resting my head on the palm of my hands as I groggily looked outside. It was dark, and the destroyed moon shone brightly over Beacon Academy.
I closed my eyes, but opened them again when I felt someone tapping my shoulder. "What?" I asked, looking up to see my uncle tapping his foot impatiently. "What do you want, uncle? Can't you see I'm tired?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Freddy asked, crossing his arms.
"Oh, right, Pyrrha and Jaune." I sad, yawning as I stood up. "Well I better go on ahead and wait by the entrance. I mean they're going to be arriving soon and probably want to talk."
Talk.
Talk…
Why did that ring a bell?
Oh fuck my right in the asshole.
"Ozpin!" I exclaimed, turning towards Freddy. "Freddy I fucked up! I fucked up big time! I promised Ozpin that we'd talk each day to see if something happened, and I'm supposed to meet him after my shift ended!"
"Calm down," Freddy slowly instructed, holding out his hands. "This is what happens when you make too many promises. Now you're going to have to be a man and tell Pyrrha and Jaune you need to meet with Ozpin."
"But won't that raise any suspicions?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ozpin is a pretty busy guy, and him wanting to talk to a bartender seems like something he'd not do at this time of the day."
"Then just chicken out." Freddy suggested, shrugging.
"No! I never go back on my word! I made a promise… I just have to find a way to contact Ozpin and tell him I'll be a bit later. I just have to find a way to-."
"Hello, Ramses?"
I slowly turned towards the door. "Yes, I'm here." I called back to the voice that presumably belonged to Jaune. "I… uhm… I'll be there in a minute." I added. I turned t Freddy. "Okay, I'm going to be home late. Don't you dare fall asleep on me. You have the key to our room, remember?"
"I won't." Freddy replied. "Now go so I can go to our room and get some rest."
"Freddy I told you not to fall asle—""
"Ramses is ready to fight you, Pyrrha!" Freddy interrupted me.
"Thanks for the heads-up." came Pyrrha's reply from the other side.
"Freddy you stupid kut!" I shouted at him.
"Using Dutch swear words isn't going to help the situation. You better call an ambulance, because you're about to lose your balls."
Call? That's it!
"Jaune!" I called out to him.
"Yeah?"
"I need your scroll real quick. Can you help a friend out?"
"Sure!"
"Okay! Love you!"
"…"
Freddy chuckled. "I assume that was sarcasm?" he asked.
I nodded. "No testicles for this guy."
