Chapter 4: A Grimm Memory
One would think that after a few months of being awake after who knows how many years of stasis would bring his body back to full steam. Sadly Tobi's calculations on this matter were groosley underestimated. It wasn't so much that he didn't have time to train, Goodwitch's class more than made up for that. No, it was the constant musings on each and every emotion, their role in his life and if it would be worth the energy to master them. His musings were unfortunately an utterly pointless baseline, he needed an outside source to learn from. That was the basis of making the other members of his team his Nakama.
But between adapting to school, the absurd but fitting teachings of a Hunter academy and seeking out the missing Tessa unit. There was very little room for error in judgement let alone study practices. If he was at his prime he'd doubtless be able to almost effortlessly keep up. However Tobi knew full well the effects of stasis lock, a condition that can occur when one is put in stasis for far too long. If his estimates were right, he was currently at maybe seventy percent of his full capacity.
"Excellent work miss Orion, though I do wish you'd spar with someone besides Arc for once. I don't think his pride can keep up with your winning streak. And please refrain from your fighting game terminology while in actual combat, it's a waste of energy." Glynda's critique was blunt but fair as usual, though Tobi couldn't stand her almost smug grin as she gave it.
"Hey! I resent that statement; even if it's partially true." Juane's statement was either sarcastic or ironic, most likely both.
"O-oh! I've b-been picking him this whole semester? I barely noticed!" Naya wasn't the type to play dumb, but in this one instance she absolutely had to.
"Why do you pick Juane so often? You are aware that there are far better sparring partners?" Glynda was admitedly curious, and it likely showed in her body language.
"I er, like the way he swings his sword?" Naya blushed immediately after she said it when Yang busted out into a rolling laughter. She knew exactly why even though the pun itself was as bad as Juane's footing.
"Ahem-yes that's an admirable reason I suppose; even though he somehow makes swish swish stab actually complicated." Glynda wasn't positive as to how, but Arc seemed equally skilled and untalented at his chosen weapon.
Tobi wasn't even sure he could call Glynda's methods of education a class really. Sure sparring was a good learning tool yes, but she was doing little to refine her students performance outside her critique. Peter Ports and Doctor Ooblec were both competent instructors of their field though he had to contain his internal screaming when the historian of the pair started going on about mantle. Ports on the other hand was entertaining, while he had a difficult time staying awake for Goodwitch's class. The bouts themselves were interesting, it was just the monotony of hearing her critique and waiting his turn. When his name did come up he almost locked up deciding who to choose every day. It really didn't help that he was going on extra jobs on top of the missions with his team either. Searching for Tessa was a bigger priority than regular sleep hours, he also spent a good amount of time installing new speed drivers for his legs since Naya removed the previous pair that were connected to the overdrive unit he now lacked.
"Must you prance like that miss sunny yellow dragon? You realize you're wasting energy?" Tobi could have simply used her last name, but the actual meaning of the phrase was far more puzzling.
"Prancing? It's the switch step man, and it's an important part of daddy-jitsu." Yang had already sparred with Tobi a few times, she figured she could relax with this match.
"Daddy...jitsu-I see; it's a pun because Tai Yang is a joke to fight sometimes?" Tobi did recall Yang's father being a point to vent about. His sparring matches after classes just ended up being their go to way to blow off steam.
"Ouch, you really don't pull punches in class; it looks like I won't have to go easy on ya then!" Yang did her best to hide her smirk, it was inwardly amusing how quickly the emotionally stunted bookworm got how people ticked. The guy could seriously make a carrear out of bouncing off of people if he could fix his attitude a bit.
Overall sparring with miss Xiao Long was infuriating in some ways while enlightening in others. Her style lacked grace of any kind yet she displayed potential as a close range brawler. Tobi's frustration with this was due to being used to training against armed opponents rather than direct hand to hand. It wouldn't be as bad if she didn't spend so much energy making her moves as fancy looking as possible. Such a childlike approach to mixed martial arts was admirable but faulty at best since it made her easy to read. He could spot her every strike from orbit, yet she was just quick enough for him to not be able to react in time. On the off chance he did manage to block a strike, it was either a second early or a second late, meaning he took the full force of it. Thankfully the only limb he really had to protect from that was his left arm, everything else he could just fix.
"Come on Tobi, why're your swings so slow today? It ain't like you to sandbag!" Tobi knew it was Yang's voice, but those words froze him in place.
"Getting slow already Tobi? You know full well sandbagging will get you nowhere."
Yang's words brought back a bitter memory, one of the mentor he'd rather forget. That man had an infuriating way of playing with his food. Backhanded critique often followed by a taunt to try harder, in order to entertain him. Ozma was a powerful old fool, the same man who stirred his semblance awake with such ease. The long stay in stasis had reversed whatever sorcery the mentor used to awaken his abilities. It was Ozma who suggested time travel to begin with, Ozma who suggested that it was the only way to surpass his father. The old man had tricked him into having hope, now he was back to square one, no light bending powers to flaunt, and no mother to impress with his hard work. It would be sufficient to say his blood was boiling, at this point he only saw Ozma, smiling back at him. As far as he was concerned, he had just unlocked the safety protocols on his speed boosters.
"Ozma, how many times do I have to tell you? It's very rude to play with your food!" Tobi swung at Ozma with a high arching kick. Of course the old man blocked it with his cane, obviously still toying with him.
"Ozma? He couldn't mean...could he? This...could be bad." Glynda thought aloud as she quietly pressed a button underneath her desk. Ozpin would want to know about what spurred this sudden change of demeanor immediately.
"Yikes! I almost didn't catch that one! Heyo...earth to Tobi? You there dude? I've given somebody the look you're giving me right now before, and spoiler alert I only give that look to one person!" Yang caught the kick just in time, the blow was strong enough to slide her to the side an inch. She then snapped her fingers in front of his face, his eyes were stone cold. "Look if it's about me holding back, uh, this is class? You know, not a life or death situation?" Yang blinked as she watched Tobi take a few steps backward while cracking his knuckles.
"Training or not, life or death is the only way to keep up with you. I've been itching to try these new features anyway. Tessa has this functionality as well, consider it a demonstration." Tobi took his fighting stance, and then tightened the core muscles of his arm. "Don't...blink." He stated coldly as he began to take a step forward.
"Er? Don't Blink? What do you..." Yang blinked when Tobi vanished from normal sight. "Oh Fuck m-" A split second later, Tobi reappeared, inches away from her face. His right fist then burrowed deep into her stomach. She felt air leave her lungs, she had slid back a good two feet even after bracing for the impact. Her ears were ringing slightly from the strike too, this was exactly why Ruby wasn't allowed to use her semblance when they sparred back home.
"Tobi! I have no idea who this Ozma is, or what they've done to your pride. But you are facing Yang Xiao Long at the moment, open your eyes. This amount of excessive force is worthy of suspension, or even expulsion, regardless of the circumstances." Glynda had to snap him out of whatever trance he was in. That name was not one to be taken so lightly, nor could it be thrown around at the drop of a hat.
"Owwwwwwwch, just, fucking, owww, that's...going to leave a mark." Yang lifted her shirt to check after regaining her composure, sure enough there were black spots where Tobi's fist once was.
Tobi bit his lip as his blurred vision returned to normal, he had heard of chasing ghosts but this was truly out of turn. He wasn't sure what to think, what to feel, the rage had subsided and he'd regained his default composure. This outburst was one of the many reasons emotions hindered him. It was strange, but the sensation of emotion at all was growing more and more common as of late. More than likely it had to do with the removal of his overdrive chip. It was the only thing that made the current mishap logical, let alone him abandoning logic for emotion a few weeks prior.
"Apologies Glynda, apologies Yang, it appears I was in error. Yang's taunting brought back a rather...Grimm memory..." Tobi didn't even know what he could say to make up for what he did.
"Boo..." Yang had fully regained her composure at this point, even though she wanted to laugh at the horrible pun.
"Ahem! Anyway, it appears even I am succeptable to phantom chasing once in a while. I have been working myself far more than usual lately, clearly I underestimated the tole it would take on my senses. The phantom I was chasing was not a pleasant one, thus I forfeit my match to miss Yang." Tobi finished with a serious tone as he bowed in respect to his oponent.
"Tobi Kandezume, please report to my office immediately; come prepared. I have some questions regarding your outburst today." Ozpin didn't sound angry at least, in a way his tone seemed almost intrigued. Though there was only so much one could draw from school sanctioned loudspeakers.
Tobi didn't know Ozpin that well since the dean rarely showed himself to the students. Whenever he needed something he would always have Glynda take care of it. While he wasn't all that familiar with school based education he knew exactly what a call to the principals office meant. High praise for something unusual was out, obviously a parent teacher meeting was out, other than excessive force which really he understood Glynda's motion to potentially suspend him nothing seemed logical. He was also concerned, who would be so knowlegable to wrangle the likes of Oobleck, Ports, and notably Goodwitch to his side? The elevator ride was a long one, he was even tempted to press the button for every floor. He was too nervous to move at the moment, except holding down the button that closed the doors to the elevator so they wouldn't open.
"So anxious Tobi, please, do come in." The doors opened up as the man spoke, revealing the large almost empty room.
"You do realize overcompensation usually signifies a significant...lack of certain qualities..." Tobi felt as if he could freely speak his mind here, nobody was watching. He took two steps forward to exit the elevator as he spoke.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same, wouldn't you agree?" Ozpin spoke confidently, sitting in his chair and sipping black fragrant coffee after his comment.
"I'm...not entirely sure I follow?" Tobi raised a brow, why was he being so mysterious?
"You never were the following type, I can agree with that much. Always so bold, blindly forging his own path with no true goal in sight. It's no wonder you always feel so...lost, is that it? The brilliant Tobi has lost his way?" Ozpin casually sipped a bit of coffee and placed it down on his desk, then he slowly stood up.
Tobi adjusted his glasses. "I'm lost, you think that's it? That I'm a mindless sheep? Then tell me oh cryptic shepard, what is it I must do then? Everything I know is gone, everyone I loved is gone, and the only man with the potential to guide me is a cryptic old fool." Tobi had to restrain himself, he hated the feeling of loss, he hated being lost. At one point he'd have done just about anything to find his way.
Ozpin sighed. "Yet again, you're thinking too much boy, calm down...take a moment to...drink it in. Honestly I'm surprised it hasn't clicked already. If that outburst today was related to your sleeping semblance, I have...ways of fixing that." At this point he was playing games with him, just like the old days, he really was amusing at times.
Tobi didn't really have much choice as the doors closed behind him, he took a step forward, then another. Slowly he inched toward the center of the room, taking in every detail. If it was a riddle, he could easily solve it, but there were no words. This was some kind of test, but of what exactly? He circled around the chair in front of Ozpin's desk once, taking in the entire room. His eyes finally met with that cane again. All at once, it all came rushing back. Everything leading up to his time in stasis, especially his training with a certain individual. Most importantly, one memory was burned into his mind, the day he was cheated.
"You expect me to rely on your sorcery again?" Tobi sat down in the chair and crossed one leg over the other. "No chance, fool me once and all that. Who else knows, very few I bet." At this point he was just mocking Ozpin's demeanor, he wasn't going to play that game any time soon.
Ozpin smiled. "So you do learn. At least let me point you in the right direction, then. However, I can't promise it'll come so easily...your semblance is...complicated. I've not encountered a semblance quite like yours you know, why else do you think I was eager to awaken it?" He pulled a large oak box out of one of the drawers on his desk and placed it in front of Tobi.
"Dust Crystals?" Tobi spoke aloud as he opened the case, inside four decently large samples of dust. "Ah, but you wouldn't be Ozma if the clue didn't have some kind of catch." He could see right through the crystals, one for each of the four base elements. Naya would be set for weeks with just this batch alone.
"Not just any dust crystals, the purest cut, and a further supply if you succeed in a special mission I'm planning. And, I think you already know the 'catch' Tobi. Come now, you think you'd have learned by now." Ozpin wasn't sure if giving the boy a crutch was the right move, but it was the only risk worth taking at this point.
Tobi sighed in frustration. "Silence doesn't ever come cheap does it? If you think this means I'll take your side..." He was admitedly curious now, dust was only a hint, but was the quality of dust really that much of a hint? "You never did answer my question. How many people know?" He asked once more, this time more firmly as he closed the case and took it.
"I was afraid you'd say that! Well you can't win them all I guess, and oh, just a few...very...trustworthy few." Ozpin let out a sigh of defeat, he hadn't counted on Tobi becoming stubborn again.
"You mean useful people, I highly doubt the average staff know. And while I'm at it, you don't plan on telling Rose about those eyes of hers do you? Let me guess, someone important has to die first or it's not fun." Tobi had the man's attention at the moment, so he figured he'd wring it out of him if he could.
"I'm wounded Tobi, truly I am. You know as well as I do that those secrets are...powerful, those kinds of things in the wrong hands could be bad for everyone involved. Especially Rose..." He was more concerned about how childlike she still was.
"Then answer me this...how many like her are there, and I mean...breathing." Tobi had to admit he was curious, but he knew Ozma well. He was the type of man to keep track of that sort of thing.
Ozpin audibly groaned. "There is...one, at least that I'm aware of currently, and they're a bit of a basket case. Do pray that you never encounter them, let alone fight them. Trust me when I say that Rose is far more likable, and well...sane, that's the big one." He cringed just thinking about that woman. She actively put herself in harms way, and frequently experimented with dust in freaky ways. The woman was a hazard to herself and those around her.
"Sounds entertaining, and if they annoy even you, that's quite high praise isn't it?" Tobi had a hand to his chin, now he was curious. "Are we done, I'd like to get to work analyzing your little 'hint' and finishing my schoolwork." Tobi stated as he stood up and closed the box containing the dust.
"Yes yes, go back to your analyzing and data collecting. And...do try to make some friends Tobi, those can be rather useful tools even for people like us." Ozpin stated after taking a sip of his coffee, Tobi had a unique way of getting information from people.
"I am nothing like you, and Nakama are certainly not 'tools'." Tobi stated coldly as he waved his hand while leaving the room, he had a lot of ground to cover and very little time to cover it.
"Come on, you're the only mechanic besides himself that he trusts. Ya gotta have some juicy info on him?" Yang had been pestering Naya for almost an hour while waiting for the person in question to arrive.
"S-sorry, Tobi doesn't really talk about himself all that much; the closest thing to opening up he's done was calling us his Nakama. He's a little bit strict and curt at times; however it's clear what his intent is when you talk with him r-right? He's told us where he's from and what his position was in his father's company and...that's about it." Naya was surprised Tobi could be patient with Yang, she seemed so forward and nosey on top of being loaded with energy all the time.
"He is a bit too easy to read, it's like he doesn't care what people think. I think one time he said actions spoke louder than words ever could, is that how he's been reading into everyone? Kind of a boring way to get to know people, plus you could totally get the wrong impression." Yang was fairly sure he'd said something similar when she bugged him about interests. "It's kinda weird, sometimes he's totally open but most of the time he's all 'my own interests are my own interests' or whatever." Honestly the only person harder to read was Ozpin, she'd only met him once though.
Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "Tenebres told me Tobi ebbs and flows like the tide. I really don't get what she meant, but maybe we should just be patient with him? Blake took forever and a half to warm up to us and Tobi's even more closed off than she is, which is saying a lot." Ruby just knew he was smart and had cool robotic limbs.
"Where even is Tobi anyway, it's not like him to be la-hit the decks!" Naya was surprised to hear him coming toward them so quickly. He had shot between the small group almost in the blink of an eye, slamming hard into the wall of the building behind them.
"Note to self: disingage speed boosters when absorbing blunt force trauma." Tobi had fallen to his knees, reeling from the blow that was delt to him a few seconds ago.
It wasn't long before Tobi's attacker arrived on the scene. She was a pale skinned red head, bearing an old fashioned corset dress, with black leggings that had green thin linings. She was roughly Tobi's height, had green eyes and wore a pink bow in her hair. Her movements weren't quite as fluid as the average person, Tobi had assumed she was mechanical by design. The only mechanical being he knew was the rogue Tessa unit, which is what he had assumed his attacker was. Tessa did enjoy taking on random disguises to mess with him, some of them bordering a sick and twisted mindset. The girl seemed to act quite suspicious when he asked if she was mechanical, furthering his suspicions that she could be Tessa. Both Tobi and the attacker were scuffed up a bit, implying that they had been fighting for a good deal before they arrived on campus.
"Penny? Uh...what...are you doing with Tobi?" Ruby blinked in confusion as she watched the hand to hand combat resume once Tobi regained his composure.
"Ruby! Oh I uh...just making a new friend! I think he's really just being shy." Penny replied as she turned her focus back toward her opponent.
Tobi sighed in frustration. "That's enough fun for now Tessa, why must you be so difficult?" Tobi asked seriously as he blocked her strikes as best he could.
"You're the one being stubborn! If I was who you think I am, don't you think I'd you know...recognize you?" Penny replied with a rather firm tone as she managed to strike Tobi with a strong left hook, the blow would have sent him flying if he hadn't braced himself.
"Hmm..." Tobi spit some blood out and quickly regained his composure. "Perhaps you do have a point, I still don't trust machines...especially not ones with a left hook like that." He had nearly been knocked off balance, that was a rare occasion to be honest.
"Ugh, I'm not a machine! I mean ok, maybe I sorta am...but I'm also like, not, it's complicated! Can't you just, you know, take a chance? I could even help you find your friend. And for the last time, my name is Penny." Penny stomped her foot and thrust her fists downward as she spoke.
Tobi took a step backward in bewilderment, this machine got more intriguing by the minute. Not only was it insisting it wasn't a machine, it even offered to help locate Tessa. Granted the offer itself wasn't strange, she had called Tessa his friend. To be honest, Tobi did wish to be friends once, but something occurred that drastically changed that opinion. Tobi put a hand to his chin for a moment to think, he could use more help regarding his search for tessa. And someone outside a certain person's influence would be a useful boon indeed.
"Penny...now that you mention it, Dr. Light did ramble on about a 'penny' from time to time." Tobi crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "I still don't know, how can I be sure I can trust you. If you're anything like Tessa..." He paused and tapped his foot on the ground. "Bah, I'm overthinking it, and I could use an extra pair of eyes. Very well miss...Penny, I accept your offer. The real trick will be letting you roam freely without your father butting in." He finished with a small shrug of his shoulders as he offered his hand to shake.
Penny tilted her head to the side. "You'd change your mind, just like that? You're a hard one to figure out you know that? And...yeah...father is...overprotective, it's super annoying." She was a bit surprised, this Tobi certainly wasn't as odd as he seemed. Though, he clearly marched to the beat of his own drum most of the time.
"Pot...meet Kettle..." Tobi replied with sarcasm in his tone. "I know the feeling, my father was...difficult, at least yours is entertaining to be around. Though I honestly don't blame him, I've done the math on how many credits went into building you. It'd be a shame if you were to fall into the wrong hands, innocent as you are." He didn't mind being so blunt that time, she seemed like the type to take a hit like that in stride.
"Hehe...you got me there!" Penny chimed playfully bonking herself lightly on the head as she said it.
Ozpin had approached the group with a smile. "Making new friends already Tobi? Pardon me for sounding surprised, you've only just opened up to your teammates." To be honest he was quite surprised, the Tobi he knew would spend months analyzing values and quirks before even thinking of trusting someone. Maybe that extended stay in stasis had done him some good after all.
Tobi adjusted his glasses. "You know me old man, I like to make a habbit of allying myself with valuable people. This lass is worth every...penny." He folded his arms and smirked as he watched Yangs eye twitch. She'd probably be booing him if she wasn't so annoyed. "Is there a reason you've split our two groups up for these two missions headmaster? The power dynamic between our eight members is quite...lopsided. That...and I don't think us first years are ready for field work yet honestly." He had assumed that since the four schoolmates here were called for a mission, obviously the four remaining were assigned a job as well.
Ozpin chuckled. "Sharp as a tack like always, honestly Tobi can't I have at least a little fun for once? But yes...as you say the remaining members of you eight have their own mission in a few days. As for the reason, think of it as...an experiment, one that might prove quite useful to the lot of you. Think of these two missions as a dry run, to judge what sorts of missions to allow the first years to take." He glanced between the young red head and Tobi, she had kind of hid herself behind him. "My...I hope that doesn't mean you two are an item, she doesn't look remotely like your type." He finished with a smirk, he was pretty confident that wasn't the case. Tobi was absolutely hopeless as a romantic, even if the boy refused to admit it.
"An item? Me? Uh no no, no items here sir! Just uh, normal...non romantic people. Definately no items-ow!" Penny stopped talking when Tobi elbowed her gently, obviously she was saying too much.
"Wait, so that means...me and Yang are going on a mission with Tobi and Naya? And Blake and Weis get stuck with Chrome and Tenebres? That's...kind of a weird combination, there's no like...logic behind it." Ruby asked with a raised brow, she knew from observation how odd Tenebres and Chrome were. Naya and Tobi were equally odd, but they seemed to get along with their teammates just fine.
Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "Oh but there is logic to it Ruby, think of it as a...team building workout. One day you may be forced to cooperate with classmates you aren't entirely familiar with. Those types of situations can be rather dodgy, let alone dangerous if you aren't mentally prepared." He kind of pulled that one out of his ass, but at least it did have some merit.
"I mean you're the headmaster, so it's not like we can really complain. But seriously, you're sticking me with Tobi? Naya's ok but Tobi's not exactly a team player...at least from what Chrome told me a few days ago. He kind of just...does his own thing until he finds some miracle way to unify the group and pull off some big maneuver." Yang had to admit it'd be weirder working with Chrome and Tenebres though. Tenebres speaking in third person most of the time was kind of annoying, and Chrome was weirdly flirty, like even when she was joking.
Tobi shrugged his shoulders. "Right, and I'm the only person in the world who operates that way. It's not like I choose to be a leader, the group just kinda...works that way. It's hard to explain really, but I do stress that there are others who's team functions just fine operating as we do." Yang did have a point, he knew damn well he had to work on his teamwork skills. It was easier to work with people once he understood their personality more.
"Guilty as cha-ow...Yang what was that for?" Ruby was surprised when Yang bonked her on her head, making her bite her tongue in the process.
"Ex nay the teamwork bay!" Yang whispered in an annoyed tone. "Ahem, soo professor Ozpin, what's our mission? Some big bad beastie in need an ass woopin I hope!" She slammed her fist into her hand as she spoke, she was itching for a decent fight.
"Oh no, nothing quite so...life threatening, Glynda's recently given me a slap on the wrist about that. You four will be investigating some abandoned dust mines. The Shnee family no longer owns the property, due to natural hazards in the area, but their security cameras have detected...suspicious activity lately." Ozpin stated with a slight chuckle, Ruby's team were a rowdy bunch compared to the others.
Ruby's eyes lit up. "What kind of suspicious activity? Rogues, bandits, criminal organisations?" She got more and more excited with each listing, even though they were practically the same thing.
"Nothing that shady I'm afraid, you'll be investigating some odd rock formations within the mines. Let's just say there's something...unusual lately about the tremors in that area. Your job will be to identify the cause of these tremors and report any dust related findings back to me. And another thing, if you do encounter anyone or any...thing." Ozpin paused and tapped his cane on the ground. "You are not to engage with them, Grimm or otherwise. You have four days to...bond before your mission, I suggest you use that time wisely. That goes double for you Tobi, now if you all will excuse me I have work to do." He gave the small group a slight bow before heading off to where he needed to go next.
"So...who's up for scary movies, nail polishing and gossiping about cute boys?" Tobi stated sarcastically with complete dissinterest in his tone.
"Oh come on! It's not like that's ALL we do." Yang replied with her arms crossed, how much did Tobi know about girls, like at all.
"Oh I'm sorry, I left out shopping for clothes, pillow fights, and reading romance novels." This time Tobi was a little more annoyed. "Nothing wrong with those activities, but in case you didn't notice I don't have tits. I don't know the first thing about women, let alone those my own age. So forgive me if your usual activity choices make me cringe a little." He really wished he could've worded it better after he'd said it, but he figured that he could attempt to be honest with them.
Yang smirked. "Jesus, you don't mince words do you dude? I think I liked you more when you didn't talk much!" Yang tried not to laugh, she'd heard blunt before but this was just painful. "In all seriousness, there's more to us girls than...girly shit...but I can see how it can seem that horrible on the outside looking in. But let's see...what can we have you do that isn't twisting your arm?" She asked more seriously as she crossed her arms, this would be tricky to do. At least he seemed open to suggestions and willing to be adventurous for once.
"Um! There's a really awesome manga cafee in town! It's got a mega huge selection of all the latest stuff! And an arcade, and tons of box sets of the latest anime. And they don't even charge rent if you work seven hours a day there." Naya spoke up first, hoping to break up what little tension was mounting with the group.
"I...uh...oh, there's this new weapon and dust shop that I've been dying to check out! Weis says their prices are way beyond our budget but we could still snoop around." Ruby figured that'd be something at least sort of useful.
"And once we're done with all that I know this badass club with some rockin DJ's. We can totally binge ourselves some grub and hit the dance floor. You might even meet a new lady friend!" Yang had to wonder if Tobi could even dance, let alone with a partner. Still, it'd be better than the usual chill activities that they would've had to offer.
Tobi paced a bit before sighing in defeat. "Very well, so long as the headmaster insists we spend time togeth-hey." Yang had grabbed him by his organic arm. "What on earth are you doing?" He questioned seriously planting his feet into the ground as he spoke.
"Taking you to the manga shop, duh! The headmaster even said to use our time wisely." Yang was surprised at how well he held his ground against her strength.
"He also said we had three whole days, there's no need to rush..." Tobi flinched when Naya joined in and started helping tugging his arm.
"If we start now we'll have more time to chill later, come on...it'll be fun." Naya stated seriously as she made sure to tug Tobi from his arm rather than tugging on Yang.
Tobi tilted his head. "Fun? You can't be serious, why on earth would I take part in this...fun?" He was of course half joking to see how serious they were taking his cluelessness. Though to be fair, he really didn't know much about having fun, much less with a group of females.
"Gasp! It's worse than we thought! Quick, we need to get some entertainment in his system fast." Ruby shouted in a sort of panic as she started shoving Tobi from the back.
"Come on now, I'm not dangerously ill. Fine, but I'll walk on my own two legs thankyou." Tobi straightened his stance and shook all three of them off with little effort. "Honestly, this is kind of why I avoid interacting with females. Hey, wait up you lot!" They were already off to the races without him, clearly females had way too much energy to burn.
Although he was being sarcastic, Tobi had drastically underestimated the vigor in which females could entertain this idea of fun. Something that he thought was only going to be a few minutes became thirty, then an hour, then multiple hours. The more fun he attempted to have, the more puzzled he was. They always seemed so shocked whenever he confirmed that he was enjoying himself. The manga shop had many volumes to read, some of which he purchased. The arcade was exhausting with all the sounds and various activities to do. And then there was the shopping, dear lord the shopping. He thought they were just going to window shop a single store. But oh no, it slowly turned into an all day affair with him barely keeping up with the three of them. Ruby of course was the most energetic of them all, letting out deeper sighs every time they couldn't afford something. Naya was much the same way, except with all the dust crystals. Yang seemed to hang in the middle of the other two, still full of excitement, but she had a more level-headed approach.
Overall, his mind was buzzing with ideas, his body was fully burnt out and he had very little energy left to resist their musings. And of course the day did in fact end with them going to a night club, at nearly midnight. He was almost relieved to see Chrome at the entrance, but she seemed to be struggling to get the door open. Tugging with all of her might in various ways to get the door to budge.
"Hey Chrome! ... Still ... so... fluffy..." Ruby chimed in excitement as she stared in amazement at Chromes large and fluffy fox tail.
"No time for tail hugs little red, this stupid door just won't open! I got in last night! They musta changed the lock on me or something." Chrome gently shoved Ruby away from her with her leg while still pulling on the door as hard as she could.
Yang stood there and watched in amusement. "Uh, maybe it's an uh...you know...what do they call those? Push doors?" She asked seriously as she crossed her arms, she had heard Chrome was a ditz from Naya in class.
"Oh get serious! I'm pretty sure this club has a pull d-" Chrome froze in shock when Yang slowly opened the opposite door with one arm. "Heh, obviously that side is a push door! Which means without a doubt that this side is a pull door. See, I can be all logical and smart too." She finished with a good amount of pride in her tone.
"Should we...maybe open the door for her?" Yang whispered to Naya with moderate concern in her tone. She had to give Chrome some credit for persistance though, she was detirmined if anything else.
"Don't worry, once Chrome sets her mind on something it's hard to convince her otherwise. She'll give up and go home once they close though!" Naya had to hide her snicker, she knew that Chrome would be able to hear it.
Once they were inside the club Tobi found it quite hard to breathe. The floor was set with flashing lights and there were some fog machines rolling out full blast, and dear god the music. Granted it wasn't so bad, he could easily hide himself away in a crowd this dense. The smell of alcohol was almost overpowering, thankfully you couldn't actually get drunk from the smell alone. The club overall made the sound and music from the arcade seem like kid stuff. All he could do was stand still and watch the people on the dance floor shift about.
"Hey! Doing alright there temporary team leader?" Yang asked playfully patting Tobi quite hard on the back, almost knocking him off his feet.
"People honestly expect to have fun in these places? I think all this motion is making me sick." Tobi stated as he regained his composure, he had literally locked up for just a moment until Yang snapped him out of it.
"Bah, just a bad case of first time jitters! Take a moment to chill and get into the atmosphere, you'll be groovin to the beat in no time. If you're really that sick, go find us a table dude...you put in some serious work today." Yang was surprised how open he was being at the moment, maybe all they had to do was physically wear him out to get him talking.
"Work, I thought we were having fu-" Tobi paused when Yang melted into the crowd already. "And...she's gone..." He quickly searched for the quietest part of the room and sat down at an empty booth. "Fun...is exhausting." He collapsed onto the table and let out a deep sigh of relief, glad to finally be alone for a bit.
It would be different if he could at least hear himself think, but the gods weren't that generous in this place. If he was a Faunus he was pretty sure his nose would be overstimulated by this point. At least the DJ decided to switch from the loud base music to a smooth jazz number. Tobi raised a brow when he noticed Ruby waving at him from behind the DJ desk. Did she really bribe the DJ just to let him have some peace? He had little time to ponder why, some person was causing a commotion in the crowd. Many people telling someone to watch where they were going, a few people saying crazy woman, and he was pretty sure he heard a cat yelp. What sort of comedy act could be causing a commotion like this at a night club?
"Pardon me~ Scuse me~ imported huntress coming through dear!" It was a woman's voice, possibly the perkiest tones he'd heard in a long time.
"Forgive me for asking, but I don't believe busting a move involves...walking on one's hands." Tobi stated with a hand to his chin.
The woman in question was quite tall, most of her height came from her legs. She had copper hair that would go past her shoulders if she was walking upright. Her dress was a bright green western gown, the kind that typically had a wire grate around the inside. Her leggings didn't quite match the dress, they looked like something one would wear for a one night stand. While she wasn't super voluptious, the volume of her curves were noticable. She was definitely older than Goodwitch, but due to her character he had no idea how much older.
"My my, aren't you a grouchy guss. If you believe that you really aught to give it a try. Although...my blood is starting to rush to my head, whatever am I going to do? This method of getting around was giving me a nice break from my semblance. Well sort of, the flashes aren't nearly as...violent." She was unfazed by Tobi's bluntness, her voice was still as sing song as it was before.
"Perhaps you should...you know...stop then? Miss...huntress?" Tobi had to wonder if all graduated hunters and huntresses were this strange. The few that he'd met certainly seemed to suggest as much.
"Oh you are so right dearie, silly old me hadn't thought of that! Hup...and woo~" She first took the time to balance on one finger, then did a smooth backflip, landing squarely on her feet. "Oops! Almost dropped my sunglasses, bad Hazumi, you know what your mentor said about showing off." She had fallen backward slightly before regaining her balance and composure, all the while clinging to her very dark sunglasses with her free hand. "Care to move dearie? You're in my seat~" She stated with a slight huff as she crossed her arms.
"Is it really? Then I'll be going...why are you standing in my way?" Tobi had shifted where he was walking, but the woman kept blocking his path. Her stance was wide open, but her guard was far from exposed.
"Oh no, no, no, sweetheart, you simply must stay! You absolutely cannot leave until you hear what auntie Hazumi has to tell you. It's very, very important I assure you. You do of course want to hear your fortune don't you?" Hazumi simply couldn't resist teasing this one a bit, he was so stern and honest. Kind of like another man she knew, although this boy didn't seem quite as stubborn as him.
"You're so free flowing you probably won't really make up your mind will you?" Tobi crossed his arms as he attempted to walk around her. Despite a significant uptick in speed, she still effortlessly got in his way.
"Hmm...nope~" Hazumi chimed playfully as she egged him on just a bit.
"And if I attempt to strike you, you're not the type to hold back. Even against a student of Beacon, right?" Tobi kept trying to bypass her, now this was quickly becoming a bit of a scene.
"Mmmm...nope!" Hazumi repeated just as chipperly as she had done before.
"And you aren't leaving me alone until you give me my so called fortune..." Tobi stepped his speed up just a bit more, short bursts like this were quite manageble. Although it still required quite a lot of energy, and the woman was still somehow keeping up with him.
"Yeah...nope~" Hazumi finally gave him a big smile and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Ngh, unhand me you kooky old-" Tobi took a deep breath and sighed in defeat. "Ugh, very well, but two things. One, you are not my 'auntie' and two, I am certainly not a 'dearie' either. My name is Tobi, no more and no less." He stated firmly as he managed to squirm away from her without causing too much of a scene.
"Kooky? Bah, sour sport, you're the one who's kooky! You don't even know what fun is!" Hazumi chimed clapped her hands together as she scooted into the booth. "Now then sweetheart, what kind of fortune would you like me to give you? It's my profession you see, oh and the first prediction is always free, and seventy five percent accurate." Hazumi blushed a little mentioning that ballpark, she really was that accurate most of the time.
"Only Seventy Five? That's a...strikingly generous percentage for error." Tobi stated seriously as he crossed his arms. "As for the fortune...let's see, perhaps...a palm reading?" He was kind of curious how she could go about predicting the future.
"Ah, simply wonderful sweetie, that's the easiest one! Just a moment...oh and, hold out your good hand dear. I can't read the lines of sheet metal after all." Hazumi began fiddling about in her satchel, looking for some nonsensical item no doubt.
"Anything to quell your chipper insistance..." Tobi placed his left hand on the table, palm facing upward. "So how exactly does this wor-hey...what in blazes are you doing?" He had little time to react, the woman had set off a small firecracker like bomb using what appeared to be a teabag. The end result was a thick, brief cloud of dust particles. Once the particles cleared he looked at his palm and immediately frowned. "Seriously? And what is this? Dust?" He paused when he flexed his hand, the dust particles coating his palm refracted white light very briefly.
"Don't be such a sour puss, you wanted your palm red...so now it's red! That's what we call a little fortune telling humor sweetie. Hmm...how interesting..." Hazumi paused and watched light refract off of the boy's hand. "Sweetheart...do you use dust with your semblance by any chance?" She asked curiously as she examined him closer.
"Semblance? Um...I...can't use mine, I've tried all manner of science and logic to stir it awake but I've come accross nothing. It's infuriating, I feel as if I'm just so close...but not quite there, you know?" Tobi flexed his hand again, this time seeing if he could make the light happen on his own. "Strange, I...thought I had something for a moment..." He was incredibly dissapointed now, Ozpin's hint wasn't as fruitful as he had hoped.
"Not to worry hun, these things take time. You're just a late bloomer is all! You'll be off to the races in no time I assure you, just keep playing with dust. Oh, and...perhaps light, yes yes light, that's the big one I'm sure of it!" She had a brief flash involving the boy, he was using dust in quite an interesting way. "Now, fortune telling jokes aside...would you still like to hear my prediction?" She finished with a serious tone as she thought about it. She didn't want to let him down after making such a big deal about it.
Tobi sighed. "Of course...light, how have I been so clueless? But even still, how...and what must I do to use it?" He checked the dust on his cybernettic hand, to his surprise there was no reaction. "Very well, you've given me a valuable hint...I think. But be quick about it miss Hazumi, I'm bloody exhausted and my patients is wearing a bit thin." He still couldn't wrap his head around the concept of light. He knew light was energy, and that dust contained energy within. But how on earth was he meant to move light using dust, and a theoretical muscle that wasn't physical but mental?
"Yay! I knew you'd be a good sport love! Now let's see~" Hazumi closed her eyes and hummed to concentrate for a bit. "I predict...a friendly arachnid and a rocky endeavor!" She chimed with vigor as she came accross a rough outline of an event. Her visions went by so fast that it was quite hard to piece together the information.
Tobi tilted his head. "That's really your prediction? Do you have any way of knowing, you know...when and how it'll happen?" He had to admit that was a rather simple prediction, not very descriptive either.
Hazumi sighed in defeat. "Dear, they're brief flashes of the future that happen at random intervals and involve people I haven't even met yet. It would be rather handy if I could pause them and read them in more detail, sadly I cannot I'm afraid. And besides, isn't half of the fun knowing hints of what may happen and waiting to see what exactly happens? That's like, the whole point of fortun telling sweetie~" She explained with a chipper tone as she thought about it some. "Although, I do wish I could change the...subject of my visions. All these poor, poor dears and I can't do a damn thing about it!" She let out a huff as she said it, there were times where she really wished she was stronger.
"Are you not a huntress? Can't you just...you know, do huntress things and prevent the visions from happening?" Tobi shrugged his shoulders as he said it, unsure if the absentminded woman was even paying attention to him.
"Ach! Good heavens no! It's incredibly unclassy to fuddle with time. There's an old folk tale about an old man who toyed with time. Wanted to be with his wife forever, well the short version is he got us royally fucked. Basically all the terrible shit we deal with now is linked to that one mistake...if my research is right, that nonsense includes the bloody moon of all things." Hazumi replied with a slightly more serious tone than she normally used.
"I wonder what the gods have to say about time travel..." Tobi uttered jokingly outloud, surely he would have been punished by now. Maybe his punishment was living in the remains of what was.
Hazumi scoffed. "Ha, time travel...there's a lark! Oh dear me, my my this won't do at all." She sighed as another vision came into focus. "Apologies dearie, I have another warning to spout off to a firey young lady. You wouldn't happen to know a lass by the name of...something fall would you?" She tilted her head as she said it, she really had to leave in a hurry if she was going to locate her in time.
"Ah..." Tobi watched as the woman got out of the booth and did a hand stand. "Surely you don't mean miss Cinder Fall? She's...around I think? I don't know her well enough to know her patterns, she's...difficult to miss in a crowd though. I don't think you'll find her at any random night club." He thought about prying for details, but he had a feeling knowing too much would lead to danger. "Do take care I think? There's something...not quite right with her, though I can't put my finger on it. See you again sometime miss Hazumi." He finished with a sigh of relief, he was glad the woman was leaving him alone despite her giving him a valuable hint earlier.
"Oh yes yes sweetie, we will see eachother again very soon I think. Indeed I will be careful, she shouldn't be too much of a bother. After all she only stole half!" Hazumi stated playfully before starting to walk off while singing an odd melody.
"So...gonna introduce us to your lady friend champ?" Yang stated seriously with a big grin on her face, she looked somewhat exhausted.
"No, I don't think that's needed, call it a hunch but I get this disturbing feeling we'll see her again sometime." Tobi couldn't put a finger on it, but there really was something quite strange about that Hazumi lady.
"On what grounds?" Ruby questioned tilting her head, Tobi seemed moderately perterbed by something.
"She's a fortune teller? And she said so? But something else bothered me." Tobi crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "She chipperly claimed that Cinder wouldn't be too much trouble, and that she only stole half...half of what I wonder, and from whom. This is going to be bothersome to figure out." The woman was quite strange, but there seemed to be a method to her madness at least to him. He had chosen to be honest with them, only to be met with laughter.
"Don't tell me ya had a run in with the crazy old tea lady? She's always rambling on about avoiding this or that! She talks so fast I'm surprised you understood a word she said." Chrome had met the woman Tobi was talking about, she couldn't make heads or tails over tails with her.
Tobi sighed. "Enduring Ooblecks lectures have taught me a thing or two about translating incredibly fast talking, you would do well to do the same." He explained with a serious tone as he thought about it. "How...did you deal with the door?" He raised a brow as he noticed two angry bouncers approaching. "Don't tell me you knocked it down..." Tobi finished with a stern glare as he eyed the entrance of the club.
The second day of spending time with his temporary team was moving along slowly, but Tobi felt restless regardless. He had learned what fun was yesterday and surmised that it was exhaustion incarnate, but still worth the time invested. Today he found himself still musing over what Hazumi had said about Cinder. He was honestly more concerned that the old bat wasn't concerned. There was another matter though, over the past few weeks he'd felt eyes on him. Granted it was likely just concerned staff, but he still didn't like the feeling. Enduring the good doctor's lecture was a nice distraction honestly, at least until the moment the bell rang. Tobi crept out of his seat and attempted to reach the door unnoticed.
"Tobi. As an instructor it pleases me to see you...eager to spend more time with your classmates." Oobleck stated confidently as he took a sip of his coffee.
"But..." Tobi replied with an annoyed groan, he knew exactly what was coming.
"I have been observing you whenever we happen to cross paths. It's not my place to interfere, but I am...curious. Even with a smile on your face, you always appear to be...distant." Oobleck replied with a bit of seriousness in his tone.
"What of it?" Tobi turned to face the doctor. "If it's not your place, why even show concern doctor?" He asked with a bit of annoyance, teachers tended to get this way from time to time and he hated it.
"Because Tobi, as a professor of this academy it's my duty to ensure a bright future for even the most troubled youth. Hence my curiosity, so, why build so many walls?" Oobleck questioned with a raised brow as he thought about it. He was mainly concerned because even Belladonna had opened up to her team by this point.
"Are you aware of the function of walls doctor?" Tobi asked coldly, his interest in this conversation was fading fast.
"Walls have many uses, but their main use is protection. So Tobi, why struggle so hard to keep others out?" Oobleck was quite curious to be honest, Tobi seemed like an earnest young lad. And despite his misgivings, he was particularly driven.
"They aren't there to keep others out..." Tobi paused and leaned his back on the door. "They're to keep me...in. How well do you know Ozpin doctor?" He had the professor's interest at the moment, so he figured it would be harmless to ask.
Oobleck adjusted his glasses. "Well enough, though I hardly see his relevance to this conversation." That was a rather odd time to bring up the headmaster, but the personal way he said his name was quite intriguing.
"If it's one thing I have in common with the old fool, it's that we're both...passionate." Tobi paused as he thought for a moment. "I keep myself distant to protect not only myself, but those that I care about. I may look fairly harmless, but I've been to some...dark places, mentally I mean. Don't mistake my meaning, I still care about my classmates. But that so called distance protects me from honestly giving a damn. That good enough for you doctor?" He figured he could explain it using those words. If he mentioned how well he knew Ozpin and why, that would cause even more problems.
"I see..." Oobleck took a sip from his coffee. "Pardon me for asking, but what would you do if for example...an enemy forced you to...give a damn." He honestly felt the weight behind the boy's words, but he was intrigued by the deliberate use of that phrase.
Tobi reached out with an open hand. "Crush them, without mercy, or remorse feh...guess I got a little bit of S-miss Cinder in me too." He stated coldly as he clenched a fist with that same hand. He honestly wanted to say the s word, but mentioning her would certainly get him called to the office again. "Don't mistake my meaning, I'd still do it with honor, and straight murder is beneath me. Honestly I hate spilling blood at all if I can avoid it. But that wouldn't stop me from enjoying every bit of their humiliation." He paused and shrugged his shoulder. "Dark humor aside doctor, I really do care about my classmates, the lot of them...even Weis. I just...tend to get carried away sometimes, I am after all only human." He figured he could admit that much now that he was kind of being honest.
"Faccinating, that you have the place of mind to strike a delicate balance between light and dark tendancies and have the humility to admit you're human. However, as a professor, I do advise caution." Oobleck paused and nodded. "Emotion can grant us great power, but we must be wise enough not to lose ourselves to it. Furthermore, the odd bit of darkness can sometimes be useful; however I would suggest you focus more on the right thing to do. As you say, we are only human...and humans can...falter in the darkness." Oobleck was a bit surprised, Tobi was quite introspective for someone who couldn't properly comprehend emotion.
"I'll keep that in mind doctor, why the bloody hell do you think I ponder emotion so much? I can't very well tame something if I don't understand it now can I? Is that everything, I was going to ask miss Neopolitan something and I only see her with her team during lunch." Tobi finally let out a sigh of releaf, that did get rather dark for a hot minute there.
"That will be all I think, yes. However do make sure to take a break once in a while. Sometimes time away from a problem is the best way to find a solution. Rousing your semblance for example." Oobleck replied with a nod as he figured the boy was getting impatient.
Tobi was unsure if confiding in the good doctor was a wise move, it could have been his exhaustion talking. However his advice was sound and logical at the very least, and he had quite a bit of schoolwork to catch up on. The question now was if he'd missed his window to grab miss Neapolitan's attention for a moment. The headmaster seemed to trust the imported students fairly quickly, though Tobi never understood why. The end of the year was closing in fast, he had very little time to prepare for a particular event. Though that was weeks away, his current focus had to be on optimising his performance for the so called test mission. If a single screw or wire was out of place, it could cause drastic errors which could be life threatening.