A/N: Changed the name of the story and the femme name used. 'Ossie' the name was a leftover from my first attempt at this story and I had been looking to replace it for a while.
The next day I awoke from a dreamless sleep feeling far more refreshed than I'd felt since I started on this journey. The bed was warm and I awoke feeling so utterly comfortable that I had trouble wanting to convince myself to leave, so I just blinked my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. After everything that's happened, sleeping in a proper bed and doing so because I actually fell asleep rather than passed out, it helped my mental state a lot.
"I take it you slept well? We have much to do today. The first matter of business should be getting the staff to whom I mentioned yesterday. You will need to ask Glynda about who they are, she should be just above in the office."
Yeah yeah. Can you blame me for wanting to sleep in for once?
"Perhaps not, but there will be better days for something like that than today. You need to deliver the staff, see if your weapon is complete, get an outfit suitable for the work of a huntress…"
Alright alright…
I groan and roll out of bed, standing up in one motion to avoid the temptation to lay down again. After remaking the bed, I put my pants back on and went over to where I had left everything from last night (other than my bag, which was situated next to the bed), the desk.
First was the scroll, I grabbed it and turned it on. The time was shown, about 8 AM. Not too early but not too late. I was used to waking up earlier, life on the farm started at sunup after all, but with how tired I was I must have slept a couple hours more than usual… Granted I wasn't sure what time it was when I fell asleep.
I began messing with the device, checking out the different pre-installed apps and uses the device had. It could display my aura, which was useful. Right now it was completely healthy, the bar was full. I hadn't learned to really project it that well yet, but I at least had access to it. I'd need to work on it more, as Ozpin said.
Then I switched to the contacts list and went over to my bag, digging out the information I got yesterday. I added Cobalt and Ruby both as contacts, but left it at that, then I folded up and put the scroll in my pocket, it was much too early to be messaging either of them. Just because I woke up this early doesn't mean the others did, besides I doubted Ruby had even begun to build my weapon yet, so there was nothing to bother her about.
"You might be surprised, based on what I read from her records, her love of building weapons is second to none."
Still, I would hope she at least slept.
I walked back to the desk and looked at what was in front of me. The Long Memory and the staff.
"If you bring the Long Memory out with you, I recommend keeping it concealed unless it's absolutely necessary. If any students of Beacon recognize it, they might start asking questions they shouldn't be."
Good idea.
For now, I took the Long Memory and went to put it in my bag, but then I remembered that other than the notepad, I had dirty clothes and a new dress in there, thankfully in separate compartments. I took the dress out but left the dirty clothes in, I would need to go to find a place on campus to clean them so I might as well just take them in the bag.
"When do you plan on wearing that dress? It seems important to you, for a simple sundress."
You had a point when you said there'll be time to rest. Once I'm done with things to do today, maybe. I want to wear it, but I have to put the important things first.
"You're already learning how to manage time. Good."
I stored the Long Memory and zipped up my bag, throwing it over my shoulder and going over to grab the staff. It wasn't collapsible, so I was just going to have to carry it until I could find this mystery student.
My first stop was one floor up, after putting my shoes back on and getting on the elevator, I arrived back at the office, where Glynda sat, doing paperwork of some kind. When she spotted me approaching, she raised an eyebrow, "Ah, Oscar, what brings you here?"
I stopped in front of her desk and held up the staff, "I need to give this to that student you told Ozpin about yesterday, he said it was important."
Glynda's face remained stone and indiscernible, she was silent for a few moments before responding. "Very well." She takes out a pen and writes down a number, before handing it to me, "This is his room number. I gave him a vacant first year dorm since he will be attending the school one way or another in a few days. I must warn you, he's not very talkative."
I nod, that wasn't really something for me to worry about. If Ozpin wanted to talk with whoever this was, then that was his choice and not mine. I was all for leaving people alone if they just didn't want to be talked to. "Alright, I'll head down there."
After taking the elevator down I left the tower I had ended up sleeping in and looked around. The campus was just as beautiful during the day as it was during the night, although the atmosphere was a lot less mysterious and now just very stately. There was the rare student I saw walking around the courtyard, or a staff member doing much the same. Yet I didn't pay attention to any of them, instead I had Ozpin tell me where the first year dorms were and made my way there.
The building itself was nice, wood panel floorboards with a cozy atmosphere. It seemed this place did everything in its power to make the students feel at home. It was going to be interesting being a student here, but that wasn't my concern right now. I instead headed to find the room number that was written on the paper. When I did find it, I noticed that there was an electronic lock on the door. Ozpin mentioned that these were in place for the security of the students, and that their scrolls were synced to the device to be used as a key. Not exactly being able to unlock anything right now, I knocked on the door. "Uhm… Hello! My name is Oscar, I have something for you."
At first I wasn't sure if someone was on the other side, but then I made out the sound of shuffling feet until someone spoke to me from the other side. "...Wh-What is it?" It was a slightly high pitched guy's voice, with a soft tone to his speech. He sounded… Shy? Apprehensive? He reminded me of myself, although after everything that's happened over the past few days I like to think I've gained a bit more backbone.
"Your new weapon, I was told to bring it to you." I waited, there was silence for a few moments and I was worried that he might not open the door, but then I heard the soft turning of the knob and then the door opened.
His hair was black with silver streaks running through, I couldn't tell if it was dyed. Yet, looking at the rest of him… He was pale, like he barely saw sunlight pale, and his eyes were amber, yet they lacked any brightness. He reminded me of myself in some ways, how I looked when I looked in the mirror. What had he been through, I wonder? "Ah… The Headmistress told me to expect something like this." His voice was soft, restrained, like he was afraid of raising it.
His clothing was simple as well, he wore a green T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants right now. Probably because he had absolutely no intention of going outside, so why bother looking presentable?
"What happened to you…?" Ozpin's voice sounded forlorn, concern and worry plagued him, I could feel it. What was his relation to this boy…?
"Yeah." I awkwardly responded, holding it out to him. "You… Haven't been here very long, have you?" I wasn't sure what else to say, usually I relied on the other person to hold a conversation, but in this instance this boy certainly didn't seem up to the task. So it was on me.
"...No." He takes the staff and turns around, walking further into his dorm again. "Was there something else?" I knew Ozpin wanted to talk to him, but I wasn't sure exactly how to approach that. What was I to say?
"Tell him the truth. He deserves to know." That shocked me, Ozpin was usually Mr. Secret-Keeper, to be so willing to to have everything out in the open to someone we just met was big, but I had the feeling Ozpin at least knew of this person in passing.
Stepping inside, I looked around the room. It was fairly clean at least, although it was easy to tell which bed he was sleeping in. Said bed looked like it experienced a lot of tossing and turning from him, and there was a scroll sitting on the bed as well. "...What's your name?"
"Alder." He responds, not looking at me and instead grabbing his scroll and sitting down, "I…I guess there is something else, then?" As much as I wanted to just let him live in blissful ignorance, away from any knowledge of Ozpin or his workings, I also felt like I needed to humor Ozpin's desire for him to know everything. After all, this didn't happen every day.
"There is." I respond softly, "...To put it bluntly, a while ago now I was just a normal farmhand. Until one day a cryptic old man decided he wanted to live in my head. That man is Professor Ozpin, he's… Immortal. He can see everything I see and I can hear him talking to me, he can even take over my body sometimes, if he needs to or if he asks first. He… He Wants to talk to you. Is that okay?"
A number of emotions went through the boy's face. Shock, anger, confusion… A few more I couldn't place. Yet he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "...Okay. Go ahead."
At that, I allowed Ozpin to take over, "...I'm so sorry we had to meet like this, my son." Wait, what?! "I had hoped to meet with you sooner, but the enemies of Beacon got to me before that."
Alder stood up and walked towards the window, looking out, "...Yeah?" His voice wasn't filled with trepidation and sadness like it usually was, instead it was filled with barely restrained anger. "You're my real dad? Then… Where were you, huh?" Ozpin was about to respond, when the boy turned back, tears of anger and sadness flowing freely from his eyes. "Where were you my whole life?! You know where I grew up? An orphanage. Tossed aside like a pebble on the road! Nobody talked to me, nobody tried. Every time people would come around to adopt one of us, it was never me. I was the weird one, the one nobody wanted. And then…" He takes a deep breath, his tears not abating, "You know what your gift of magic did for me?"
Ozpin didn't respond, instead just staring at him. I could feel the old headmaster's heart slowly tearing apart. "Last year something happened, I don't know what I did, but the whole damn place burned down! I know I did it… I saw the fire leave my hand, nobody ever knew. The end result was the same. The whole place burned down… People died that day! For the longest time I blamed myself, but… If you had just raised me! Or even visited and tried to teach me what I had, how to control it… Those people would still be alive! Nothing like this would have ever had to happen! Now I'm here… All because of that stupid dust heist those guys did… Glynda didn't give me any choice."
He turned away, fists clenched. "Just… Don't even try to justify yourself. Just go. I don't want to talk to you right now. Maybe I never will. It's not Oscar's fault… It's all yours, father."
Ozpin didn't say anything, instead he retreated into my mind and I felt a distinct lack of his presence. He must have locked himself away, "...Sorry about that. I'll go." Alder just nodded, and I quickly made my way to the door and left.
When I was outside, I sighed. He had a rough life… I can't blame him for hating Ozpin. I was curious as to why he didn't raise him up himself either, but it probably had something to do with the evil that defeated his old form to begin with.
All I knew was that there was nothing I could do about it. Instead I just went to exit the building, I still needed to get some new clothes. I wasn't going to bother Ruby about the weapon like Ozpin wanted me to, there was absolutely no way she was finished with it. Even someone of her skill needed time to work.
Instead I took an airship back down to Vale and ended up wandering around the commercial district. I didn't just need clothes. I need clothes that would be fit for a hunter! There were tons of shops that offered various different types of clothing, but I wasn't satisfied with any of them. Too tacky, too garish, too skimpy… I eventually resolved I was going to need to have some clothes made to order, that seemed like the only way I was going to get an outfit that would serve me well in the battles to come.
Eventually I came across this shop that advertised itself as offering made to order clothes of the highest quality for hunters of all kinds. They also advertised that they could get the job done a lot quicker than other competitors, which I found hard to believe. I went inside anyway, because at this point I felt that being picky wasn't going to get me anywhere.
Indeed it seemed like a proper tailoring/clothing store, with portraits of prior customers wearing their outfits hanging on the wall. They did all look good… Form, function, it seemed they had everything.
The person behind the counter was a young man wearing a rather colorful suit, a leopard print coat with a dark purple shirt. I wasn't sure I'd call that high fashion myself, but to each their own… Once he saw me, he stood up, revealing a matching pair of purple pants. "Ah! Welcome, welcome! How can I help you today?"
"Uhm… Hi." I responded awkwardly, and I suddenly realized that I had no idea how to handle ordering clothes like this. It'd never happened before! "I'm… Well, I'm a huntsman in training and I wanted some clothes before classes start at Beacon in a couple days… Is that possible?"
"Another huntsman! I love working with you guys, always offering unique challenges and deadlines. Of course, I'll always perform to expectations!" I had to wonder how this guy was going to do it, maybe a semblance?
"I've never ordered clothes before." I responded, although he could probably tell based on my outfit. A T-shirt and work pants didn't scream 'fashionable' to anyone, I imagined. "What do I have to do?"
"Simple." He starts explaining, "Tell me what you're looking for in your outfit, if you have a style preference, all that, and then I'll have my sister take your measurements and I will make your clothes. It will be done quickly, I assure you! My sister's semblance allows her to know your measurements by just looking at you."
Well that was convenient, I could see why these two were able to operate a business this successful.
So, over the next hour or so I talked with him about what I wanted out of the outfit. Truthfully it was more him throwing out ideas once I told him that I was just looking for something that would be appropriate for a huntsman to wear into battle. I told him he could make whatever he thought was best, and that seemed to excite him more. I guess it wasn't often a client came in and just gave him free reign to make whatever he wanted, but growing up on a farm wasn't exactly conducive to me having fashionsense.
His sister then did as was advertised, she only had to look at me for a few minutes to fully ascertain all of my measurements. That was a relief, I'd always heard that was the most awkward part of getting tailored clothing. That was when her brother revealed that his semblance allowed him to weave fabric into clothing in no time flat, that he could make any piece of clothing so long as he had a clear idea of what he wanted in his head. It seemed to me that he did, as he went into the back to do just that.
That being said, I was still waiting for another hour, at least I had my scroll. I spent the whole time looking at it, checking the various apps on it and also the CCT. A seemingly endless web of videos, music, and other types of content. Although I couldn't listen to anything right now because I had no headphones or earbuds.
At the end of the hour, the man emerged from the back, carrying several neatly folded pieces of clothing and a rather decently sized satchel. "It's done! Now, for payment…"
After sorting out how much it cost (a rather sizable chunk of the Lien that Glynda had given me) I was offered the ability to use one of their changing rooms to try out the clothes. So I soon found myself in one of those rooms, changing into the outfit and looking over myself.
The whole outfit was apparently infused with dust to give it more durability and flexibility, which I didn't even think was possible but was apparently an old way of using dust from a time long ago. A dark green shirt went under a pine-green 'combat jacket' as the tailor called it. It had some decorative fancy golden buttons on the front of it, and reminded me of the kind of military jacket someone from Atlas might wear, although with a different color scheme.
Black gloves covered my hands, my best guess was that they were made of leather. Nevertheless I was able to move my hands just the same, here I was worried they'd limit how dexterous I could be. A belt went around the forest green combat pants I wore, a slightly different color to the rest of my outfit, I guess he felt it gave my outfit more flare. Finishing it all off were a standard pair of combat boots, nothing too fancy there. Form over function when it comes to something like that, I suppose.
The satchel was your standard satchel, it was clearly intended for holding a variety of supplies a huntsman might need on their travels, and I already had one idea for what it could hold. After attaching it to my side, I reached into my backpack and took out the Long Memory, before putting it into the satchel. That would be far easier to grab in a hurry than from the backpack… After reattaching the holster containing my revolver, I gave myself a once over.
…Not bad at all. It beat trying to do combat in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. That just wouldn't be practical. I left the room, thanked the two awaiting siblings and told them I was happy with it, which certainly seemed to make their day. They asked to take a picture of me wearing it, which was… A bit uncomfortable. Yet I allowed them all the same, and once that was done I left and went to gather a few more things off my mental checklist.
Namely dust rounds for the revolver, and also to get it cleaned by a professional. I knew a bit about maintaining a gun, but not enough to trust myself to make sure this thing was still operational after everything it'd been through.
After that was done, I returned to Beacon and… Had absolutely nothing left to do for the day. Ozpin was still hiding away, Glynda told me there was nothing I needed to do immediately and that when I got hungry I could go to the Dining Hall to eat, and train at the coliseum, but other than that she told me I was free to do as I wished.
So of course, I went back to my room. These past few days still left me feeling sore physically and mentally, so I felt entitled to at least some rest before Ozpin came back and the initiation started. The trouble was finding things to do…
Well, there was one thing…
Properly alone for the first time without any expectations on me, I took out the sundress, as green as my outfit. I guess it was just my color? I certainly loved it. After removing my outfit, I slipped on the dress, which fit over me perfectly. I then looked at myself in the mirror.
It was hard to describe exactly how this made me feel. Euphoric? Maybe that was the right word. I spun in place and watched the dress flow with the wind, which brought a stupid smile to my face. I knew that almost nobody else could relate to how I felt about something as simple as wearing a dress, but it meant the world to me. Everything bad melted away and all I could think about was how pretty the dress looked and how one day I'd love to wear this out in public. Once I felt comfortable enough for it.
"One day…" I mutter to myself while staring in the mirror, "Everyone will call me Ozza. Everyone will respect me, even if I'm… Not a normal girl. They'll appreciate me, and if they don't… Then they'll learn to live with it."
I wore the dress for the rest of the day, since I didn't need to go outside for the rest of it. Although I did take it off before bed, I didn't want to get it all wrinkly. Instead I folded it up and returned it into the bag I'd been keeping it in and just put on a regular shirt for bed.
I eventually texted Ruby and Cobalt to let them know I had gotten a Scroll and this was where they could reach me. Ruby told me she was on track to getting the weapon done in time to bring it to me when she came to Beacon for orientation, and Cobalt told me he was looking forward to potentially fighting alongside me at initiation. Nothing new there.
During one of the days I had left, I finally washed the clothes that were in my bag and deposited them in my quarters. I didn't intend on wearing them again, at least not anytime soon, but I wasn't going to throw them out. Too many memories attach to them, good and bad. Ozpin joked that I was more sentimental than he was, but I ignored him.
Finally, the day I had been told to look forward to for several weeks had finally come. The day all of the new students would arrive and I would have a chance to meet the people who might be my new teammates. It was… Nerve wracking to say the least. Although the thing that worried me more was that I had neither seen nor heard from Alder since that day, Glynda told me that they routinely checked on him but other than that, nothing.
Once I saw the airship docking at the end of the main avenue, I walked over to it, staying to the side to avoid getting trampled. I was immediately rewarded for my caution as the second the doors opened a blonde haired boy ran out and off into the grass. I wasn't sure what he was doing at first, but soon I realized he probably had motion sickness or something because he added a new kind of green to the grass. How embarrassing…
After him came the rest of the students. The first one to catch my eye was a white haired boy, about my age, wearing a gray vest, white dress shirt, with black details and a black tie, he looked like he was from some rich family.
After him came a girl. Short and curly ginger hair with a rather noticeable cowlick at the top, a pink bow finishing off the rest of her hairdo. Freckles covered her face and her bright green eyes looked around excitedly, she was also wearing this rather old-fashioned looking blouse under a gray dress with green highlights. She was downright bursting with excitement, it didn't take a genius to see that.
After them I saw Ruby and her sister, although her sister quickly abandoned Ruby to go hang out with some incredibly nondescript friends and Ruby seemed to be getting into some sort of altercation with a white haired girl who bore a passing resemblance to the boy I saw just before, although she had a man who clearly had to be a butler pushing a cart stacked high with various suitcases. Although a few had been knocked onto the ground by Ruby blundering into them, which revealed that at least one of them was carrying several vials of dust.
I was about to go join their discussion (and hopefully get my weapon) when suddenly Ruby sneezed and… Exploded? That might be the right term. There was now a crater where Ruby and the white haired girl had been standing, although they both seemed unharmed. The butler had managed to push the cart out of the way in time, which was miraculous considering that if that explosion had caught more dust in it, there might have been nothing left but a stain where Ruby and the other girl were.
I started my way over, the other girl stormed off, reminding me of a rich stuck up brat. The exact kind of person my life in Mistral taught me to really hate. I already didn't like her. Yet my focus was on Ruby, not her. She was still laying in the crater.
I got there at the same time as someone else, Vomit Boy I had chosen to call him. "Heyy, I was supposed to be the one to help her." He complained, although it seemed to be a joke. At least I hoped it was. I just smiled at him, then at Ruby as I held out my hand.
Ruby seemed relieved, "Oscar!" She exclaimed, before reaching out and grabbing my hand, "We need to stop meeting like this, huh?" She notes with a nervous giggle. It was pretty embarrassing, I agreed…
I tried to put her at ease, "It's okay! I mean… Who doesn't blow up every so often?" It was weak, and clearly didn't help much, but it did make her genuinely laugh, which I took as a victory.
Vomit Boy spoke up, "Soo… You two friends? Are you two going somewhere? I uh… Don't really know anyone here, so if I could tag along that'd be great." At least he was honest.
Ruby nodded, "Sure thing, Vomit Boy!" Great minds think alike I guess, the blonde haired boy deflated.
"Motion sickness is a serious problem! My name is Jaune Arc." We all exchanged names, and quickly walked off, I started guiding them towards the auditorium while we all got to know each other a bit more. I'd already met Ruby, so Jaune was really the only new person I had to try and acquaint myself with.
He seemed just as awkward as me at least, although he tried to mask it by playing himself up as confident and skilled, which just made me assume he was probably neither of these things. The topic of weapons came up, and all he had was a sword and a shield, very simple, but Ruby seemed to appreciate the basics.
"Oh! That reminds me!" Ruby pulled a thin cylinder off her side and held it out to me, "Here! Press that button right there and be amazed!"
This must be my weapon… I did as she asked, and almost dropped the thing in surprise! It extended to easily be at least six feet tall, the metal an amber color, or maybe it was more bronze? I had a hard time pinning it exactly. After it reached full length, the weapon's top then split into three, before the prongs emerged from the top. It was certifiably a trident, and a portable one at that!
"Woah… Ruby, this is amazing!" I was utterly floored by her prowess, but that was not all there was to it. She told me to press another button on the side, and when I did the three prongs opened in the middle, there were small holes but big enough for darts or bullets as I noticed they were indeed gun barrels. Of course it had to also be a gun.
Ruby explained, "I call her Amber Pine! The middle barrel can shoot darts infused with dust, which I have so thoughtfully decided to provide for you this time. The other two can be loaded with either separate types of dust rounds, or the same kind, it's really up to you. Soo, impressed?" She held out a small sack that I assumed contained the dust darts, which I took.
"I'll say!" I wasn't sure what else to say, this was now one of the best things I owned! That and my new clothes. I emptied the rounds out of the tiny bag and into my satchel, before handing her bag back to her. "This is amazing Ruby, you're just as talented as you say you are."
"Ooh I know." Ruby grins, proud of herself, "Now you're all ready to go for tomorrow! We should get to the auditorium, huh?" Jaune had been watching this whole time, he looked kind of jealous. I had to assume it was because I now also had a cool weapon, and he was still stuck with his sword. Not that there was anything wrong with a sword and shield, but it must have made him feel a bit underequipped.
Once we got to the auditorium, Yang waved us over. It seemed her friends were off somewhere else. Once we got over to her, she grinned. "Heey Ruby, cute boy, Vomit Boy." Her nickname caused me to blush and look away, while Jaune just seemed indignant at his nickname being spread around like that.
Eventually, the white-haired girl from earlier came along and started bothering Ruby about dust safety, as much as I wanted to get a word in to defend her, I didn't really have the volume to my voice to cut her off. However, Jaune inadvertently managed to save the day by starting to flirt with her, causing her to groan and leave after giving Ruby a pamphlet and asking her to stay away from her.
Well, she was rude.
Not long after that Glynda arrived and started giving her speech. It was at this time that I felt Ozpin's now-familiar presence return to my mind. I hated to admit that it was starting to feel weird anytime he wasn't there, but I guess that happened when you just got used to something that constant. "Glynda has taken to the role of Headmaster well, I knew she was the right choice."
How long have you two known each other?
"I met her a long time ago, when my old body was much younger and attending Beacon the same as everyone else. Naturally, I was considered a prodigy and quickly became Headmaster after graduation. Glynda was on my team, so I appointed her my second."
Imagining you as a young man is really weird.
"You'll get used to it, once more of my memories become apparent."
I sincerely hope I don't see anything compromising.
He didn't respond to that, and I just chose to hope that he would keep those memories to himself. I had a hard enough time dealing with how uncomfortable I was in my own skin without 'remembering' myself dating other people as Ozpin or one of his previous incarnations.
We were soon dismissed to explore the campus, and were told we could store our gear in the locker numbers we'll have sent to our scrolls momentarily. It occurred to me that I had absolutely nothing to sleep on, since I came here with almost nothing but what was in my backpack.
"Regrettably, going up to your personal quarters isn't a good idea. You have a few friends, or prospective friends, who might ask questions if you vanished for the rest of the day."
I couldn't disagree with that, I just took a seat on a cozy armchair in the room and settled into it. I figured if I had to choose between a chair and the floor, I'd always choose a chair.
I spotted that white haired boy again, sitting in a corner. Ozpin told me his name was Whitley, son of the Schnee family. His sister was here too, Weiss. Yet Weiss was nowhere near him, I had to assume they were either not on good terms or just didn't care to spend time together.
"I couldn't tell you why two of the three Schnee children are here. You'd think they'd want to go to school in Atlas."
Maybe they wanted to be away from home?
"A distinct possibility."
My musing was interrupted when suddenly someone leaned in front of me from my left, and suddenly my face was filled with the visage of the ginger girl from earlier. Startled, I jumped a bit in my seat, but didn't leave it thankfully. "H-Hey, not so close please." I tried to keep my voice down, people were already going to sleep after all.
"Apologies!" The girl exclaimed, "I will keep in mind that you don't like being surprised that way." She seemed just as excitable close up as she did far away, "I wanted to meet other students and learn more about Beacon, I saw you sitting here instead of laying in a sleeping bag so I decided you were the most interesting person to talk to!"
I was certainly not the only person that was sitting instead of laying down, maybe I was just the first person she spotted? "Uhm… A-Alright, my name is Oscar Pine. It's nice to meet you." I held out my hand to offer a handshake, only for her to just… Stare it?
"Ooh, this is a handshake! Forgive me, I've never been offered one before." …A handshake? Was this girl kept in isolation her whole life or something? The girl reached out and took my hand after staring at it for a few seconds, before gripping it tightly and shaking it.
"T-Too strong!" I complained, causing her to loosen her grip and gain a visage of worry.
"My apologies! I will keep that in mind for the future." She was so strong and so strange… Who was this girl? She shook my hand for a moment longer before letting go, "My name is Penny Polendina. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"
"...This girl is different, I can't place my finger on how. She's certainly not a normal girl."
I know, but there's a lot of 'not-normal' people in the world. Like me.
"Nice to meet you." I responded, rubbing my still aching hand. "Are you from Vale?" I wasn't sure what to think of this girl yet, she was odd but clearly well meaning. If that really was the case, I saw no reason not to be friendly towards her.
"I'm from Atlas! I came to Beacon hoping to follow in Weiss' footsteps and become an excellent Huntress!" Oh, she was Weiss' friend? Well, I guess Weiss couldn't be all that bad if she had a friend this nice.
"That's admirable. I'm… Here for a similar reason." In reality I hadn't wanted to come here at all. Yet as time went on, I began to see the people who died as not a reason to want to go back, but a reason to push forward. Salty and the doctor… They died so I could keep walking the path that's been laid before me. I needed to see it to its end, at least as far as I could.
Penny smiled at me, she seemed excited, "Wow! We have similar goals! Do you wish to be a huntress too?"
H-Huntress? Did she know…? No, no way. Just one of her oddities. "...Yeah." I responded, Penny grinned at me.
"Amazing! Wondrous! Would you like to be friends?" That was.. A rather forward and clunky way of trying to be friends with someone, but I wasn't going to say no. How heartless would you have to be to do that?
"...Yeah. We can be friends."
Penny was absolutely over the moon, she leaned down and hugged me. Her grip was way too strong! I gasped as I felt the air escape me, "P-Penny! Air!" Was all I could manage out.
"Oops! Sorry!" She let go, "Well, I must prepare to sleep." She let out a hiccup, must have been too excited or something. "Farewell, new friend. I hope we're partnered up tomorrow!" Then off she went.
"Well, that was intriguing."
Tell that to my ribcage.
"You'll be fine, nothing your aura won't have healed by tomorrow. She has a point though, you should try to sleep as well."
I knew he had a point, so I looked around one final time. Most people were already going to sleep, I saw Cobalt in the middle of the room, fast asleep. Ruby was staring at the ceiling, but I was sure she'd find sleep soon. Everyone else as well, was either asleep or getting ready to sleep. It had been a few hours since we settled in, so it must have been the right time.
I tried my best to get comfortable in the chair, and although it took awhile, I did eventually manage to fall asleep.
The next day was a flurry of activity, everyone was getting ready in the locker room. I saw people getting in their armor, others sharpening their weapons, I saw Jaune talking to Weiss and this red haired girl I could have sworn I saw on a cereal box once. Ozpin told me her name was Pyrrha. I saw Whitley as well, he was still not talking to anyone really, going over what I had to assume were important things on his scroll. He was wearing the same outfit he was before, maybe it was also his battle gear?
Now that I thought about it, Weiss was wearing the same dress as yesterday as well. I guess battle attire took on a lot of different forms.
Not that they were the only ones wearing some eccentric outfit, Ruby was still in her dress. I, for my part, was already wearing the gear I bought. The Long Memory tucked in my satchel, with Amber Pine at my side. Ozpin expressed that maybe I should try and get a new finish put on the Long Memory to make it look distinct enough that I could use it openly without anyone noticing.
That was a good idea, but I wasn't going to not use Amber Pine. I paid for it and everything! Besides, Ruby made it! I was double checking my gear when suddenly the boy known as Whitley walked up to me.
"Pardon me, you appear to be very well equipped and well-trained. Would you like to be partners?" His voice was polite and diplomatic, it almost felt… Artificial. Like he didn't actually feel the way he was speaking.
"Well, I have a couple other people who want to be partners too… Let's see how they make us get partners first, okay?" Was the best I could offer. I didn't want to be rude to him but since I hardly knew him I was hardly going to just accept his offer, especially since Ozpin told me that partners were usually random.
He seemed pleased with that, "Very well. My name is Whitley Schnee, my father owns the Schnee Dust Company. Perhaps you've heard of our business? We're the forefront of dust production in Remnant, I can assure you, you'd have no better partner."
That was… A weird way to advertise yourself. "Uhm… Alright." I looked him over, and noticed his weaponry. A sleek looking sword rested at his side, I think it was a dueling saber? I'd heard of these things before. Although this one was slightly thicker, It had a grip that was noticeably a pistol grip, there was no mistaking it for anything else after all the action movies I'd watched with my aunt and uncle when I was a kid. On his other side was a cylindrical… Dispenser? I couldn't see what was in it, but it looked like the kind of thing you'd press and it'd spit something out for you.
He shifted his posture, closing his eyes and lifting his head in a show of pride, "I see you've noticed my weaponry? The sword is a special design fashioned by only the finest weaponsmiths Atlas has to offer. Lightweight yet deadly and capable of swinging just as much as it is of piercing. Unlike my sister's sword, it also comes with a built-in gun barrel." To demonstrate, he opened his eyes and drew his sword. Indeed, I saw a barrel running along the blade, "This way I have far more utility than she does."
He seemed to have some sort of issue with trying to show up his sister. I guess all siblings had this kind of problem sometimes?
It was then that Weiss came along, "Whitley! Are you trying to get a partner? We have no idea if they'll be random or not. There's no point - I only just found out myself. So don't bother!"
Whitley huffed, he seemed agitated that his sister appeared so suddenly and ruined his 'cool' vibe, sheathing his sword, he crossed his arms. "Does that mean I can't show how promising I am to other students? As if you weren't just trying to flaunt yourself in front of Pyrrha Nikos, as if she'd want to partner up with you!" Oof, I could see how electrified this conversation was getting. They started bickering, and I used that as my chance to escape.
"Those two are certainly interesting. Promising students, at least."
Maybe, but man they are arrogant.
Whitley put on airs but part of me felt like he was just acting. Maybe he wasn't, but I guess we'd have to wait and see.
Eventually it was time for initiation, we were all summoned to a cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. Ozpin warned me what was going to happen - We'd be launched off the cliff into the air, our first challenge would be landing. Ozpin refused to take over for me during this whole 'initiation' thing, he said that relying on his skill wouldn't prove anything, and Glynda would know if I called upon him to fight.
So this was my battle alone. Not nerve-wracking at all. At least I knew what to expect of initiation. Once we were all lined up, Glynda began to explain our objectives. We were to make our landing, whoever we made eye-contact with first would be our partner for our whole time at Beacon, and we would be bid to find some artifacts hidden somewhere in the forest. Once a duo had one, they would have to make their way back to the top of the cliff.
Simple, right?
Looking around, I noticed Alder was still missing. Ozpin noticed it too, "Where is he?" He asks, concerned. "He was supposed to be here, to learn to use his magic properly."
I don't know. We'll have to go look for him after everything is said and done today.
After that I started looking around again at those around me.
I was flanked by Cobalt on my left, who grinned at me and gave me a thumbs up. On my right was Whitley, who gave a smug self-assured smile. Did he know what was to come, I wondered? Penny was just one over from Cobalt, and she was bouncing on her heels waiting for initiation to start.
Slowly but surely everyone was launched, from left to right. Once Penny was shot into the air, I saw Whitley notice what was happening. His self-assured smile faded into an ill-disguised look of panic.
Well, I hope he can stick the landing.
"He'll be fine."
Cobalt went next, I felt my nerves growing. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I crouched ever so slightly to have better control as Ozpin advised.
Then before I knew it I had left the soil and was flying through the air. I heard Whitley panicking behind me, and Jaune panicking ahead of me. Both of them had such girlish screams… I was jealous, honestly.
I saw Penny as well, she seemed to be having the time of her life laughing and somersaulting in the air. She seemed at ease with this, at least! Her confidence was almost contagious, and I felt a small smile creep up on my face as I tried to prepare. The ground was quickly coming up.
"Take out Long Memory and hold it out, will yourself to slow down!"
At Ozpin's last minute advice I did just as he asked, quickly taking the cane out of my satchel and closing it before anything could fly out, then I held it out. The ground was coming up fast and I had no idea if I'd be able to make it, but then I saw the staff begin to glow green. My body suddenly began to slow, and felt a lot more lightweight. Before I knew it, I was able to touchdown standing straight.
Why didn't you tell me I could do that before?
"I like to leave surprises, it keeps you on your toes."
Bastard.
I wasn't that angry though, how could I be? My adrenaline was pumping, my heart was racing, and I was ready to start looking for a partner!
That was when I heard Whitley's undignified screaming closing in on me, he was still in the air.
Do I have to? I kind of wanted to partner with one of my friends.
"I'm sure he's not that bad. Besides, you could still end up on a team with them."
Fiinee…
I saw him above me, and he was now falling at such an angle that he was going to land either on top of me or right next to me. That'd hurt, even with an aura, so I did the only thing that came to mind. I extended the staff and caused him to slow down, he was above me before he slowed completely. I suddenly felt exerted, as if I was carrying him around myself.
The magic ended, and he fell straight down. All I could do was extend my arms and catch him bridal style. I was panting from the exertion, while he was breathing heavily from the shock of having just been launched hundreds of feet into the air.
We shared a look, and once the reality of our situation set in on him, he started blushing a bright red, and I was certainly no better. I set him down on his feet, and he cleared his throat, looking away indignantly, "...You didn't hear anything, did you?"
I couldn't help but smile, "...I think the whole academy did, sorry." He deflated, so much for the smug and prideful act, huh? To his credit, he recovered quickly and stood up straight.
"Well, no matter! It's not like I was the only one." He straightened his vest, "Well, partner, we should get looking for those artifacts, correct?" Afterward he draws his sword and holds it tightly in his hand.
He didn't seem to notice the significance of the Long Memory, which was a relief. I collapsed it and placed it back in my satchel, before taking Amber Pine off the other side and pressing the button that caused it to extend into its true form. I would be lying if I said I wasn't pleased by how surprised Whitley was when he saw it. "Yep. Let's go!"
We started wandering around, through the trees and bushes. I gripped my weapon and kept a careful eye at everything that could possibly be a shadow of some kind. It wasn't until we got to another clearing that I heard inhuman growling. Ursa? Had to be. "Stop." I commanded, Whitley stopped and I noticed him looking rather nervous. I wondered if he'd ever fought Grimm before now? Not going back now, though.
I pointed to where the growling was coming from and we both made ready, sure enough through the trees came two rather angry looking Ursa Minor. Small ones, but still a threat nonetheless. "Take the one on the right, I'll take the left!" No formal combat training to aid me here, but I did have experience.
Wordlessly agreeing with me, Whitley readied his weapon and changed at the creature. I couldn't pay attention to his fight though, I had my own. Rushing forward, I lowered myself as I charged. The creature didn't seem intent on dodging as it reared up and went to swipe at me. Remembering how Ozpin dealt with a similar situation, I ducked and slid under its legs, on the opposite side of it I stabbed the creature in the back, causing it to roar out in anger. I pulled the prongs out, then revealed the gun barrels and unloaded dust filled rounds into the creatures back, sending it flying forward. Just like that, the beast was dead.
Whitley seemed to be having a harder time, he spent more time dodging than he did attacking. Just as I was about to take aim at the creature though, he exclaimed, "Don't! I can take care of this!" He sounded embarrassed at how long this was taking. We were wasting time!
I did wait a few more minutes. Yet he seemed to be struggling to get an upperhand. Finally I just took aim and shot a dart into the creature's side. The fire-dust infused dart lodged itself and then promptly exploded, sending the creature flying and causing Whitley to get sent back a few feet as well. "Uhh… Sorry!" I called over to him.
He got up and dusted off his vest, although it seemed covered in soot. "Ugh… I had him! Let me take care of it next time, alright?!" He seemed genuinely angry for some reason, although it was hidden under his thinly veiled polite tone.
"I'm just trying to help! Let's just get going, alright?" I didn't want to argue, I hated arguing. Whitley seemed indignant still, but nevertheless we pressed on with no further comment from either of us. The air between us was now certifiably awkward, I could tell he was still peeved and I was just confused as to why it mattered so much. As long as the creature died, who cares who killed it?
Ozpin didn't offer his thoughts, so I just ruminated on my own.
After spending what felt like half an hour searching, we eventually arrived at a cave. Whitley pointed to it, "There! We'll find the artifacts there, I'm sure of it." Whitley took the lead, and I could already tell that trying to fight with Amber Rose in here would be a bad idea. If it got caught on a cave wall I'd open myself up to attack! So I collapsed it and hesitantly took out the Long Memory.
Whitley shone a flashlight ahead of us, he must have had it in his satchel. It was a welcome light as he continued forward. I was starting to think we might not find anything when I felt something was off. I couldn't explain it, maybe it was Ozpin's instincts at work? As if to confirm, he spoke up.
"There's an alcove to your right, duck in there."
Following Ozpin's instructions, I grabbed Whitley by the back of his shirt and dragged him over to the small space. He sputtered about being grabbed so suddenly, but we didn't have time for pleasantries! The fit was tight, but luckily we were both small enough that we had some breathing room, although we were still too close to each other for my liking.
"W-What's the meaning of this? How dare you grab me like that?!" I responded by placing my index finger over his lips to get him to shush, and not a moment too soon. Girly screaming that had to belong to Jaune rang out as the man himself ran past us, followed by what else but a giant scorpion Grimm! I wasn't sure what the official name was, but it was scary regardless. After him came Pyrrha, shouting after him and trying to get him to slow down so she could help kill it.
With the coast clear, I left the alcove and dusted off my jacket, "Sorry but we didn't have a lot of time." If it were any other kind of situation I would have never done something that bold in a million years. Yet I didn't have time to try and explain anything to him.
Whitley emerged soon after, his face once again a bright red as he dusted off his vest, grumbling under his breath about this treatment being unfit for one such as himself like him. He quickly took the lead again, still determined to find any sort of hidden artifact in the cave.
Not the thankful type, is he?
"You can expect nothing less from his family. He'll grow out of it, I'm sure."
I sure hope so. Otherwise this will be a long four years.
Onward we pressed, and eventually the cave opened up into a proper cavern. Inside were indeed some artifacts, Ozpin let me know that these weren't the only ones hidden around the forest, but these would serve all the same. I walked over and grabbed one, a chess piece, the Queen.
I slipped it into my satchel and just as I was about to suggest leaving, I heard two more pairs of footsteps. Whitley and I turned towards the source, and saw torchlight illuminate who else but Cobalt leading the way, and Penny following shortly behind. "I knew it!" The boisterous man exclaimed, "Greetings, you two!" He waves excitedly, Penny and him rush over.
Cobalt went to grab one of the pieces, the other Queen I think, while Penny… Kept rushing towards me. "Oscar!" She then jumps at me and before I could react I had fallen over, with her hugging me tightly again.
"Gah! P-Penny, please! Too tight!" How did she manage to always be this energetic?! I swear it was nigh-inhuman! Penny sheepishly stood up, helping me up in the process.
"Apologies! I was happy to see you again, look! I made a new friend!" She gestured to Cobalt, who walked over to join us with a grin. Then she spotted Whitley… And promptly jumped at him too, "Whitley!"
"P-Penny! Personal space!" He struggled to get out of the hug and Penny quickly let go, apologizing again. That was a habit she was going to have to break, or at the very least she would need to put less energy into the hugs.
"Well." I looked to the others, "I guess we've got what we came for. Let's go!"
All of them agreed, and we were about to leave when the cave started shaking, we all turned towards the source: A giant tunnel, and I took a deep breath. Whatever this was, it was going to be big…
What emerged wasn't shaped like a beast, but rather a giant monstrous human. Covered in bone that looked like pieces of armor, the creature held a… Club of some kind? The club was black, so maybe it was just an appendage? I had no idea. Regardless, it was easily at least ten feet tall and was only able to stand up straight in the spacious cavern we were standing in.
"Ooh boy." I mutter, gripping the Long Memory tightly. I could switch back to Amber Pine, but I already had this weapon out and the creature didn't look intent on giving me time to swap weapons as it immediately rushed at us and swung its club wide, Cobalt and Penny were able to get out of the way quickly but as I looked around I couldn't see a safe place for me to hide, so I braced as best I could for impact.
Only for a glyph to appear, blocking the creature's attack and causing its club to struggle against it, I looked over and saw Whitley holding his sword up, the glyph clearly coming from him. He gritted his teeth, trying to hold the glyph, "G-Get ready to move!"
Even with his glyph it was going to be tough, but as he prepared to drop it so we could both run, I saw Cobalt leap at the creature's chest, slashing into it with his glaive, "Hah! Take that, beast!" The creature stumbled backwards, and then Penny took her chance to attack. Swords were flying behind her, swords that she spun in a ring and sent after the creature, slashing into its skin all over its body.
"Do not worry friends! I am combat ready!" Penny declared, I didn't have time to think about what a strange statement that was, instead I rushed forward to join the fray. I didn't have the agility that Cobalt seemed to have, so instead I whacked the cane against the creature's leg. I didn't expect much, but the Long Memory delivered far stronger force than I anticipated, causing the creature to stumble back and the weapon itself to bounce off of it.
Capitalizing on this, Whitley rushed forward and jumped in the air, using a Glyph to act as a launch pad, catapulting him forward as he threw a dust crystal in front of him, dispensed from his side. Slashing into it with his blade, he sent the shards into the creature's body before getting a good downward slice into its midsection, landing on the ground with a roll, "Shoot it!" He yelled at us, and we were happy to oblige.
I drew my revolver after taking several quick steps back and shot at it, while Cobalt's glaive started shooting its own ammunition into its side, I hadn't noticed before but he had a gun barrel attached to it as well! Penny's weapons formed into a circle, spinning quickly above her as they began to shoot energy at it. Meanwhile Whitley ran back to us, shooting at it with his swordgun. Gunblade?
The dust shards mixed with our concentrated fire caused the creature's front to explode violently, making us all recoil and turn away from it. When we looked again, the creature was dead, having fallen back into the tunnel it came from, black vapor rising into the air.
"Victory!" Cobalt pumped his fist into the air.
Penny began jumping up and down as her swords disengaged and returned to her back, resting there. "We did it friends! We've won!"
Whitley was breathing heavily and said nothing, but he had a big smile on his face.
I walked over to him and patted his shoulder, "...Good thinking there, partner." He looked at me, confusion on his face for a moment, before his smile grew wider.
"Y-Yes, it was, wasn't it?"
Before we could celebrate any further, the cave began to shake again, but this time it wasn't a Grimm. The tunnel the creature came from and had subsequently fallen back into started to fall apart, crushing what remained of the creature under heavy rocks, and we knew we'd share its fate if we didn't hurry.
"Run!" Is all I managed, before leading our shared charge outside of the tunnel. We were cutting it close, the whole cave system seemed ready to collapse on us! We raced as fast as we could, as winded from this fight as we were.
Eventually I saw the light of the exit, and finally breached through back to the sunlight, tripping onto the ground as a piece of rock that was jutting out of the ground conspired against me.
I started to get up… Only to have Whitley trip and fall onto my back. Then Cobalt fell onto him, and before any of us could start to get up, Penny declared, "Group hug!" And jumped on top of us all, causing a collective struggle from the three of us to try and get out from under her.
Penny got off us quickly after that, and we were all able to stand up and dust ourselves off. The cave we came from had completely fallen in on itself, and it was at that realization that Whitley facepalmed, "The flashlight! I dropped it during the fight! Ugh…" That got a laugh out of the rest of us, much to his chagrin.
Afterward we all made our way back to the cliff. Thankfully, there were no other complications, although on our way back we managed to see the end of two other team's trials, Ruby was among them, along with Weiss, Yang, Jaune and Pyrrha. There were some I didn't recognize, a black haired girl and a redhead accompanied by a rather tired looking black haired boy.
We all met up and shared pleasantries, although Whitley and Weiss just glared at each other the whole time. Sibling rivalry for sure. I was lucky I had the foresight to put away the Long Memory before we met these people, I knew at least Ruby would recognize it since she'd likely seen it before.
All of us headed to the cliff, and were soon ushered off to the academy.
Later, everyone was gathered in assembly as teams were named, each time the giant screen above the stage displayed the initials of the team that was formed. A bunch of teams went first, I couldn't remember all of their names. Then Jaune's team, JNPR, which he was placed in charge of. I felt bad for him, he clearly looked scared at the idea of leading. Glad it wasn't me!
Ruby's team went next, dubbed team RWBY.
Finally, it was the cave team's turn, our turn.
Glynda looked at all of us, "Oscar Pine, Whitley Schnee, Penny Polendina, and Cobalt Lazuli. The four of you will form Team Opal." The initials OWPL appeared on the screen, "May you all find success in your time here. Oscar will lead you."
Wait, what?!
