A/N: There are a couple of paragraphs in this chapter that discuss changes to the body relating to transitioning. I wanted to give a heads up incase it makes anyone uncomfortable, and so that it wouldn't catch anyone off guard. Additionally, I upped the rating from T to M in anticipation of future events that might cause the rating to need to change anyway. Enjoy!
""Congratulations!" Cobalt patted me on the back, causing me to stumble forward.
"Absolutely wondrous!" Penny declared in agreement as we all started to walk off stage, with the rest of the auditorium filing out as well now that all the teams were named.
Whitley was a lot more reticent as he spoke, "Yes… Congratulations." His voice sounded strained, maybe he wanted to be leader? I'd gladly give it to him! Yet there was no changing leaders once they were assigned. I was stuck with this role, Ozpin told me teams usually stayed together long after graduation as well, so that meant I'd need to get used to this.
"Don't be so nervous. You'll absorb more of my memories in time, and I've been a leader in many a lifetime."
Great, so I'll become even more like you?
"If it means having the leadership skills of the King of Vale, then yes.
That was you?!
"I told you I built the academies, it should be a natural assumption."
I mean, yeah now that I think about it. I just never made the connection.
With that exchange done, we were all given our dorm numbers, although I received a message from Glynda of all people, telling me that she needed to talk with me before I turned in for the day.
"I uh- Forgot something back there, I'll be back." Cobalt and Penny seemed to buy it, although Whitley seemed curious at what I could have possibly forgotten.
No time for that now.
Back in the auditorium, Glynda was waiting in front of the stage. "There you are, Oscar." She seemed worried, her usual stoic demeanor replaced with one of utmost concern, "I'm afraid I have a most concerning report to share."
There was only one thing, one person this could be about. It made a chill run up my spine, "Is it about Alder?" My heart sank as she nodded her head.
"...While I was attending to affairs today, it seems he's… Slipped out. He's not on campus, nor is there any record of an aircraft being taken down to Vale."
"Impossible. Let me take over!" Ozpin sounded panicked, which was something I'd never heard from him before. I relented, knowing that this was one of the times where he would be better suited for a situation than I.
"How could this happen?! Was no one on security? Not a single patrol?" Glynda seemed just as taken aback as I was as she blinked in surprise.
"That's another problem, the footage of the timeframe he could have possibly gone missing was looping an old recording. It seems we may have a breach in security. I've already put our most trusted professors to the task of sniffing out the rat, but it may take time. They might not even be here anymore either."
We took a deep breath, before Ozpin guided us to start pacing back and forth. It seems his mind was starting to sort out the pieces, "This isn't good. It means that someone was able to breach security and had the purpose of extracting Alder from the school. Who could have even known of his existence?!"
Glynda continued to be surprised by Ozpin's emotional volatility, but answered nonetheless, "That's the problem, we don't know."
Ozpin seemed to be slowly getting back into mental and emotional balance as we took another deep breath. "Very well. I take it you've already begun searching for him?"
Glynda recovered just as quickly from Ozpin's earlier outburst, "Yes, I have several professors out looking for him. Only those who we can trust with potentially discovering his hidden capabilities. If they, or anyone else, finds anything, I'll let you know. For now… Regrettably there's nothing we can do."
Ozpin knew that, he knew that since I was now committed to going to Beacon that I couldn't just run off to go looking for someone. He knew that that meant he was stuck waiting too. I could tell he hated it.
Retreating back into my mind, Ozpin told me he was going to close himself off for a while to think things over and devise a strategy for when we found Alder. I accepted that and relayed it to Glynda.
Glynda sighed and cast her gaze to the auditorium doors, "Very well. Then I bid you return to your team, for now just go about your life as normal. When I've learned something I will contact you and Ozpin as soon as possible."
With nothing left to say, I just nodded meekly and turned around, starting to head out. This was a new side to Ozpin, one decidedly more human than what I was used to. Not the thousands of years old immortal I knew him to be, nor even the 'Headmaster of Beacon' like he first introduced himself as.
No, today I saw Ozpin the Father.
That night was… Interesting. It at least kept my mind off of everything that had happened earlier.
Cobalt and the others had already gone through the effort of decorating our room, Cobalt added portraits of famous heroes to the wall and filled our bookshelf with tons of books relating to said heroes, Whitley had placed a painting of his grandfather on the wall, and Penny had… Well, Penny hadn't actually done anything. She must not have known what to put up, if she had anything at all.
The beds were comfortable at least, we all slept soundly that night.
It was the next morning that proved to be the real learning experience.
I awoke wearing shorts and a T-shirt, stretching as I yawned. I figured wearing boxers would be inappropriate considering I was sleeping with other people around. That was when the smell first hit me, it was… Bacon? That was enough to wake me up, I cast my gaze over to the kitchen to see who the culprit was.
It seemed Cobalt had taken cooking duties upon himself today, his sleep attire was a pair of pajama bottoms and a T-shirt, not too dissimilar to me. Except he now had an incredibly dorky 'Kiss the Cook' apron on to protect him from grease.
It seemed the smell had roused the others too, Penny was already up and ready for the day, she must have woken up earlier than Whitley and I. When I looked over to him, I saw him in a much more disheveled state than me. I never picture him with messy hair, yet it seemed that his hair had decided to give me that image. He looked a lot more… Normal like this. He was wearing a silk pajama top and matching bottoms this morning.
As I got out of bed and stretched, Penny greeted me, "Goood morning!" She exclaims with all the energy and exuberance I'd come to expect from her. "It is approximately 70 degrees outside, with a moderate wind speed and a cloudless sky! It is, by my calculations, a beautiful day!"
…That sure was specific, I just rolled with it. "Great!" Now that I was all stretched, I looked towards Whitley, "Not much of a morning person, are you?"
Whitley just grumbled, "Need… Coffee…" After getting out of bed, he trudged his way to the kitchen, where he'd placed a coffee maker last night.
Cobalt for his part was just as chipper as Penny, "Worry not, Whitley! Breakfast is almost ready. A perfectly nutritious morning meal to get us all prepared for anything that Beacon could throw at us."
Cobalt and Penny both were such go-getters that it was hard to feel sleepy or dour about waking up when I did - Besides, I usually woke up this early anyways. "Sounds perfect. Let's… Have a team breakfast?" I suggested meekly, it was the best I could offer in the way of 'team building' even if we were going to be eating together anyway. If I was going to be the leader, I needed to learn how to act like it, even if that meant giving incredibly obvious suggestions at first.
Penny seemed all for this idea, "Sen-sational! Time spent like this will improve our bond in no time at all!" I honestly wasn't even surprised by how blunt she was, 'nuance' wasn't in her language.
"Right!" I clapped my hands together and made my way to the kitchen - There was a round table there that the Academy provided for us to eat at. I took a seat, while Cobalt finished cooking and placed four plates around us. The food looked good, four strips of bacon each with two over-easy eggs and two slices of toast each. "Wow, Cobalt… I had no idea you were such a good cook."
Cobalt grinned, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Well. Truthfully, I had a lot of time to learn. My grandmother used to cook for me all the time - I learned from her, eventually I started cooking all the time. I like to think I became rather good at it!"
"Heartwarming." Whitley grubbled, now seated and nursing a cup of coffee, sipping it occasionally.
"Very true!" Penny agreed, seeming to not catch on to how grumpy he was, "Your dedication is to be admired, Cobalt!"
Hence why I thought he would be a better leader than me, but there wasn't anything I could do about that. I wondered what had gone through Glynda's head in making that decision, just because Ozpin lived in my head didn't mean I was as naturally skilled at leading as he was.
We all began eating - Even Whitley seemed to take one bite of the food before realizing how good it actually was, and then digging in with as much enthusiasm as the rest of us. It was almost uncharacteristic of him, but I understood it. This food was really good. I didn't think it was possible to make bacon taste better than it did without any special treatment, but he seemed to have a magic touch.
Cobalt was the first to finish, standing up, "Time to prepare for the day!" Then he marched off, I saw him getting his school clothes out of the trunk that sat in front of his bed - We all had one - Then he headed into the bathroom.
Next was Penny, by this point Cobalt had reemerged, "I too will go prepare for the day!" Then she went to do much the same as he did. Well, except for the fact that she started to remove her shirt in front of us, and Cobalt had to tell her to please go change in the bathroom, which Penny thankfully obliged.
Whitley was looking livelier by the minute, it seemed the mixture of coffee and breakfast had restored his strength. "So, Oscar, have any plans for us today, fearless leader?" I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or trying really hard to be enthusiastic about our situation.
The first thing was obvious, "We need to go to class soon - That's our first priority! After that… Well, I don't think there'll be much time left in the day. So that's all we need to do."
Whitley seemed satisfied with that answer at least.
After we had all finished and dressed in our school uniforms, we were off to class, and thanks to Cobalt's punctuality and Penny's keen sense of time, we made it with ten minutes to spare!
Several hours later, we were in a class that related to the various usages of dust as well as the history of the material. Dust was what gave us the upper hand against the Grimm, we were told. So it was important to know everything we could about it. Eventually the professor decided the class was best ended with a partnered assignment, he handed out papers and bid us answer some questions together about dust and how to use it.
It eventually became apparent how little I really knew about it. Ozpin's memories were extensive, but I couldn't call on them on demand, not unless he bid it so, and he had still not returned from his isolation. "So… Bright orange dust is used for… Burning things?"
Whitley rubbed his forehead, this was yet another question I had no idea how to answer. "No, bright orange dust is meant to be heated to a high temperature and then can be used for various applications. Such as…"
I tried listening as best I could, but I mostly just found myself nodding along to everything he said. The number of questions I could answer were few and far between. It was embarrassing and really drained my motivation… How was I supposed to be a leader when I couldn't even properly answer a stupid test?
Whitley for his part at least tolerated my lack of knowledge, tiredly explaining every concept as best he could, even if a lot of it went over my head. I was grateful - And apologetic - for all the time he had to dedicate to this.
When the test was over we handed our paper in and headed out. This was the last class of the day, so the two of us began to make for our dorm room. Only for me to spot Glynda, leaning against the railing of one of the balconies of this building, she looked at me. Was she waiting for me this whole time?
Whitley didn't seem to notice, so I turned and walked over to her. I raised an eyebrow, a silent question. Yet she shook her head, so what was this about?
"I've been watching you today. You're struggling, aren't you?" I couldn't help but deflate, as blunt as she was, she was right.
I walked over to the balcony's railing next to her and rested my arms on it, staring at the beautiful Academy grounds - At this time of day the sun was getting ready to set, the sky casting orange and red across itself. "It was that easy to tell?" I softly respond, lowering my gaze down to the grounds beneath, watching the students milling about. Joking, laughing, generally seeming content with their life.
"It wasn't enough for me to have to leave my home and risk everything to get here. I was thrown into the deep end - Become a huntsman, or die trying. He's still not talking, and I'm left blundering around like someone trying to find the light switch in a pitch black room. I don't know half the things the students here were taught as children. It makes me look stupid."
Glynda listened to me vent, as I recalled today. "...More than a few times I just had no idea what the answer to anything was - Even things that were supposed to be obvious. It was always someone else answering - If it was my team, then Cobalt or Whitley answered. Otherwise… I just had to keep quiet, because I knew if I spoke up I'd just be embarrassing myself."
I closed my eyes and shook my head, "Fighting Grimm? I learned a lot about that on my way here, from watching him fight." I stopped myself from saying his name directly, I knew that a passing student could listen in and hear that and think I was either crazy or hiding something. "Leading a team, learning about dust, anything like that… I just don't understand."
Finally, I voiced a growing frustration I've felt all day today, other than just feeling dumb. "Cobalt is so much better at everything than me - Fighting, speaking, leading… I don't see why you made me leader, he would have been a natural. With him, I wouldn't have had to worry about dragging the rest of us down because of how inept I am."
The silence hung in the air for a few moments before Glynda spoke. "I chose you for several reasons… And not just because of your special circumstances." I opened my eyes and looked at her, curious. "Even before the initiation, I knew you had a special quality. You braved half the world just to get here, even with the help you had, that was no easy feat. Many would have given up, or simply never left home to begin with, and during initiation I could tell you had the ability to draw people together. When you're confident and speak up, people listen. When you gave commands to your partner, he listened, despite not knowing or trusting you. That was because you spoke with the authority of a leader."
She pushed off the railing, and I turned around to look at her as she walked forward before turning back to me. "It's not going to be easy. Just know that you're not the sum of what's in your head. Trust in yourself and the rest will follow. It will be hard work, that is undeniable, but I know you have it in you to succeed."
Turning around again, Glynda started to leave, "He wouldn't have chosen you if you didn't."
I let all of her words sink in as she left. Once she was out of sight, I started to leave as well.
Once I rounded the corner, however, I stopped in my tracks. Whitley was there, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. "Did you… Hear that?"
"Most of it." Whitley explains, his voice was… Softer. "I'm not going to lie to you, Oscar. When I first heard you would be our leader, I was upset. Not because I wanted to lead. I wanted Cobalt to lead - I felt he'd be a better choice. Yet… The Headmaster has a point. I don't know what she sees in you yet, but she's far more experienced than I." Opening his eyes, he looked at me, "...So while I still don't fully like this situation, we're going to have to get used to it. So… I'll do my best to help you. So long as you actually listen to me when I offer advice."
I was taken aback at first, not expecting him to be so… Understanding. He rarely showed any sympathy or understanding, yet here he was offering an olive branch. I felt a small smile find its place on my face, "...Alright."
Pushing himself off the wall, he starts down the hall, "And Oscar." He looks back at me, "...Next time you decide to drag me into a tight space… Let me know first!" For a moment it almost sounded like he was just going to leave it like that, but then he continued, "I'll accept it so long as we're in mortal peril." Then he started off towards our dorm again.
My smile grew, and I followed behind him.
The next few days things started to get better. I tried to listen when Whitley explained something, and although it went over my head sometimes he would also repeat himself, which I was grateful for. Out of everyone on the team, Whitley was certainly the least likely candidate for the 'most time spent with' award and yet it ended up being that way.
Not to say I didn't talk to the others, I did, it was just that Whitley was always the one tutoring me, so he and I spent the most time together.
One day, however, we were all in our dorm, it was our first weekend so other than studying and preparing for the next week, we had plenty of time to talk about whatever we wanted and do whatever we wanted - It was a Saturday afternoon, after all.
I sat on my bed, against the wall and looked at what the others were doing.
Whitley was reading a book while laying back on his bed, his head propped up against his pillow. Penny was staring out the window, idly half-twirling as she stared at people walking around. She didn't seem to be the type to just take a lazy day for what it was, no she always wanted to be doing something.
Meanwhile Cobalt was cleaning the kitchen. We had some dishes leftover from breakfast a few hours ago and he asserted it was his turn to clean them. Of course 'doing the dishes' to him also meant making sure every nook and cranny of the kitchen was spotless. I swear without him we'd be a bunch of slobs living in a pig sty.
Well, not necessarily, I had to imagine Whitley wouldn't put up with that. Although the idea of him trying to keep everything clean on his own was amusing. He did his share of the dishes and such, but I couldn't imagine him going beyond that. He'd mentioned before how his family always kept maids on payroll.
An intrusive thought deigned to appear in my mind - An image of Whitley in a maid outfit. The sheer absurdity of it made me snicker, causing both the target of my rampant imagination and Cobalt to look over at me.
"Something funny, Oscar, or have you finally lost it?" Whitley quipped while I did my best to wipe the smirk off my face and banish the thought from my mind, as funny as it was.
"Oh, nothing." Now that I had my mind back on track I was able to think about something more productive,"So… Our first weekend as a team, should we… Go into town or something? Maybe check out some stores, eat lunch? I think it'd be fun."
Penny was the first to respond as she whirled around and clapped her hands a few times, "Absolutely! None of us are from the city, and yet we haven't tried to explore it yet!" She had a point, now that I thought about it none of us were from Vale, so this would all be new to us.
Cobalt called to us from the kitchen, "Grand idea! Maybe I can find a place to get some upgrades to my armor."
Whitley looked at all of us, before sighing. "Well… I suppose it beats sitting around all day." Then he bookmarks his book and sits on the edge of his bed, "So are we ready to go then?" He acted aloof about it, but I was starting to pick up on his mannerisms. If I had to guess, I'd say he was just as excited as we were.
"I need to change out of this…" I look down at the t-shirt and pajama bottoms I'd been wearing. "I can't go out wearing these, I'll get weird looks."
Whitley smirked, "It would be fitting for someone as disorganized as you, Oscar."
I rolled my eyes at his barb and went to grab my regular gear, then I went into the bathroom to change. Just my usual huntsman clothing, which I had quickly just made my everyday clothes as well. They were comfortable and fashionable enough, so I didn't see why not. I also took my satchel with Long Memory in it, just in case, and attached Amber Pine to my side.
When I emerged again, Cobalt rubbed his chin, having already put on his regular street clothes - A solid blue T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and running shoes. "Do you always go outside as if you are prepared for battle? It is admirable, I must admit."
I felt a bit embarrassed as everyone looked at me, shrugging meekly, "Well… It's better to be over prepared than under prepared, right? Besides, it's not like I'm wearing armor or anything. Just my regular clothes and my supplies!"
Nobody could argue with that, especially since Penny and Whitley both wore the same clothes when they were out casually as they did when they were fighting. Cobalt was really the odd one out here, as he didn't feel like wearing his armor would make much sense for this outing; So, he just decided to wear his street clothes while keeping his glaive at his side, folded into its portable form.
We all took one of the Beacon airships down to the city of Vale, and once we were there, we began thinking of where to go. Luckily, Penny seemed to have at least some prior knowledge of this place.
Pointing in a certain direction, she declares, "If my data is correct, the commercial district is this way! Let's go find places to enjoy!" I knew that much about Vale, thanks to Ozpin's memories, but his memories didn't account for anything specific. For example, I knew what the districts were and could get a general idea of where they were, but I couldn't tell you what was there. It was somewhat helpful but mostly just frusturating.
We spent the rest of the day window shopping, or in the case of Whitley, just shopping. He had money to spare, and he wasn't shy on getting yet more dust rounds for his weapon, or getting the most expensive treat from the confectionery shop we visited a few hours into our day out in town.
At one point, we were all on one particular street looking at the variety of shops that offered all sorts of goodies, when I spotted a clothing store I had yet to investigate. Peering into the window, I looked around at what was available, and I wasn't disappointed. All sorts of pieces of clothing I thought would look cute on me when I had the time to wear them. There was a dress, a white one that cut off above the knees and had a wide skirt that looked like it'd be perfect to twirl with.
Not that that was all I looked at, I decided to go inside and I even picked out some stockings to go with it. I had eyed a pair of leggings but ultimately decided against them, even after I came out wearing things like that would be… Challenging, to say the least.. After I bought both of these things, I carefully fit them into my bag. If the others saw these they'd be asking some major questions, and I couldn't lie to them and say they were gifts for my sister or anything - They knew I didn't have a sister.
After I exited the store with thankfully nobody catching me, I rejoined the others. As I thought more about it, I realized my wardrobe wouldn't really change that much even when I was out. Sure, it'd mean I could wear dresses without anyone I knew questioning me, but mostly I'd probably wear the same stuff I always wore. However, I resolved that there was nothing wrong with that. Why would there be? Girls wore the same kinds of clothes guys wore all the time.
As the day was coming to an end, we were preparing to return to Beacon for the night when I thought I saw someone suspicious entering an alleyway. Not one to leave something un-meddled with, I decided to take a look while the others were still getting their stuff together.
I rounded the corner just in time for a cloaked figure to vanish out of sight into a building. I raised an eyebrow - That was suspicious, but there wasn't anything I could really do about it… It might be nothing, it might not. I'd have to let Glynda know. If there was someone running around doing something malevolent she'd want to know.
Afterward I turned around and rejoined the group, telling them I thought I saw some Lien on the ground. They bought it, although Whitley was disappointed that I didn't find any in the end.
With that, the day drew to a close. Together we all walked back to Beacon, in one way or another content with a day well spent.
There wasn't much of interest that happened for the next few months.
Classes became a blur as we all knuckled down to try and do our best in school. Even Penny was a lot more focused than she usually was - Which was saying something because she was usually the one who had the most going on in her head at any given moment.
We started studying as a group, after all we needed to drill everything we could into our skulls for the finals that were already on the horizon. Looking back on everything that happened leading up to this, I found it somewhat strange that I went from worrying about staying alive to worrying about final exams.
One thing about these past few months I was happy about was the kindling of a friendship between our team, team RWBY, and team JNPR. We didn't share a lot of classes but we often all mingled at lunch so it wasn't uncommon for us to talk about whatever interested us at the time. Whitley and Weiss still didn't want to interact that much, but other than them we all got along very well. It was nice, especially since I knew that if I only ever interacted with my teammates, as much as I care for them, I would probably go insane.
A major positive as the months went on was that I began to notice the changes Ozpin promised. It didn't happen all at once, rather it was something that happened gradually. I wouldn't have noticed had I not been looking for it, at least at first. The first thing is that my… 'Chest' area began to hurt. It wasn't super painful, but it was embarrassing. I never mentioned it to anyone, but more than a few times over the past few months I had winced at seemingly nothing and had to explain it away to my friends. Anytime I searched for information on this all that came up was related to puberty in girls, which just served to lift my mood relating to the whole thing…. Although eventually breasts started to grow, which I knew would be impossible to explain away - Instead I started wrapping my chest to keep what development there was hidden for now. There wasn't a lot yet, but there was bound to be more as time went on.
My skin became softer, smoother too. This was something that I basically couldn't hide, but luckily nobody looked hard enough to notice that things had changed. Not yet at least. What little body hair I had also began to disappear - Much to my relief, I always hated it. I was always grateful that I never grew facial hair, and now an ever-present menace was being driven back!
I didn't have a lot of it, but what fat I did have began to relocate itself or burn - Moving from where it had been to other parts of my body, which started to give me a more feminine form. My face got softer and my thighs and hips got squishier. Additionally, while I didn't notice it right away, it seemed some of it had relocated to my… backside, which would be embarrassing to think about if it didn't make me feel so elated. I also noticed that - When I checked my weight on a scale - I had gained a few pounds. It was nothing serious, but it seemed my body relocating the fat had also gained me more in some of those areas.
The bad thoughts that often invaded my mind were lessening as more changes happened, at the end of those months when I looked at myself in the mirror I didn't feel as bad as I did before. Now instead of worrying about getting more masculine, I was looking forward to getting more feminine.
I knew that at this rate the changes would be undeniable by the end of the year. I resolved to come out to my team on my birthday in September. I knew they'd support me even if I came out right now, but it still made me incredibly nervous to think about. I could fight Grimm, take tests, and so much more. This, though? It was a different, unexplainable kind of worry and fear.
However, just because things were going well in that department didn't mean everything was peachy.
We still had no idea where Alder was, it was almost like he'd just vanished into thin air. Ozpin had eventually returned from his isolation, but he seemed to want to avoid talking about it. I supposed I couldn't blame him - Nor could I ignore his urgings to focus on finishing the semester before anything else happened.
On the last weekend we had before finals - and before the semester would end - preparations began for the Vytal festivals. Whitley seemed intent on dragging us down to Vale so we could see how things were coming along.
So there we were, wandering around near the docks. Whitley was smiling brightly, it was kind of unnerving seeing the normally reticent Whitley acting so excited for something. Although I had to admit… It was kind of charming, in a totally one-hundred-percent platonic way.
We stopped outside of the docks where a 'Welcome to Vale!' Sign had been raised over the street, "Isn't it marvelous?" Whitley begins, "This is one of the beauties of our world, how everyone can come together and enjoy our similarities and our differences."
"I never took you for such a culturally sensitive person, Whitley." I crossed my arms with a smile, "This is a totally new side to you."
Penny, however, backed him up, "It is completely understandable, the Vytal Festival is absolutely wondrous!" She took a few steps forward to stand next to him, making a wide gesture with her arms towards the banner, "We will get to see so many people! I wonder if Father will come see me."
I was about to ask about her dad when suddenly we were passed up by a Faunus with a monkey tail who grinned at us. In our confusion, we didn't notice Team RWBY charging towards us in a blind race after the man until it was too late. After they crashed into us, we all ended up little more than a tangled mess on the ground as we all complained or grumbled in some way or another.
As I stood and dusted myself off, I looked over everyone else. Penny didn't even seem to fall over, while the rest of us weren't so lucky. Dusting off my pants, I spotted Ruby rubbing her head while sitting there on the ground.
I couldn't help but smile at the irony of this situation happening a third time as I held out my hand for her, "Hey Ruby! First time we see each other outside of school in months and it's in this situation again."
Ruby looked at me in surprise for a second before recognition set in and she started to giggle, "Oscar! I almost didn't recognize you in those clothes! I'm so used to seeing you in the uniform… It's hard to imagine you in anything else!" She accepted my hand and I helped her stand up. Her face was dusted a bit red, probably out of embarrassment, this was a rather awkward situation after all. "Your clothes look really nice, where'd you get them?"
The compliment made me feel warm inside, "Oh, there's this shop that tailors clothes in the commercial district. It's run by a brother-sister duo that have semblances that help with making clothing. If you want I can show you some day!"
Ruby smiled at me, there was an emotion in there I couldn't place at first. Was Ruby Rose nervous? Nah, that'd be crazy, "Sounds nice! We can work something out later."
That was when Whitley cleared his throat, "Excuse me you two, but if you haven't been paying attention, it looks like two of Ruby's teammates are fighting with each other. Specifically my wonderful sister and the dark haired girl."
When I looked at him he appeared annoyed, sure, but he seemed to be glaring more at Ruby than at me. Probably because it was her teammates causing the commotion.
"That is most certainly the reason."
Why do I feel like you're making some sort of insinuation here?
"You must be imagining things."
Ruby quickly went to try and diffuse the situation, "H-Hey guys! You can calm down…" Yet the two just kept arguing and ignoring her attempts to bring them down.
Yang came over to me, whispering, "She tries her best, but those two have been at it for a while now. Blake thinks Weiss is being discriminatory. I kiindaaa agree."
I looked at Yang and nodded in understanding.
As much as I wanted to help Ruby break up the fighting, there wasn't really anything I could do. While I knew Blake and Weiss, I didn't know them well enough to interject in an argument this heated. Besides, Whitley seemed intent on getting us away from their arguing as fast as possible so we could go back to checking out the preparations for the Vytal festival.
Ruby told me she'd text me later and then both our teams parted ways, ours went back to checking out the docks for a time, although the smell of fish eventually drove us off and back towards Beacon.
That night we decided to try and distract ourselves from thinking about the rather upsetting arguments we heard today by studying. When we did this, we pushed our beds together to make a comfortable place for us to sit that didn't make us sit at the kitchen table for several hours. It would have been too bothersome to do if Penny wasn't so strong;She was able to push them all together and then push them back with no effort, even moving the trunks with absolutely no effort.
We sat in a circle, going over some problems, there was eventually a silence that came over us as we read some of our textbook material. However, it seemed Whitley wanted to break the somber mood with a joke, with his usual smug smirk he quipped, "Oscar, you seem to be putting on some weight. Were your legs always like this?"
I was wearing shorts tonight. I had managed to get away with pajama bottoms for most of the semester but since summer was almost upon us, it was much too hot for that. I supposed this part of the change would be obvious, sitting cross-legged as I was. I felt a blush dust up my face as I thought of a retort, "Why are you looking at my legs, huh? Maybe you need to put on some weight too, you're shaped like a stick!"
That got him as he started sputtering, causing the others to laugh and for the tables to turn. Cobalt grinned, "He has a point, Whitley! You eat your fill, but you've made no progress in gaining muscle! A strong warrior needs to be in peak physical form." To demonstrate this, he flexes one of his muscled arms.
Penny tapped her chin, "Although he does have a point, your body proportions have changed by a ratio of at least 30% since we first met."
I deflected with practice, "I just like a little extra to eat sometimes, okay? Now let's get back to this." I flipped the page on our history textbook. We were now basically caught up to the history of Remnant and going over some 'modern history' as the professor called it.
Only for it to be a segment on Beacon - A picture of Ozpin holding Long Memory in front of him matching his portrait in the Headmaster's quarters. It was always strange seeing him like this, actually alive, and posing for a painting no less.
"I've been in many portraits - You've seen a few of them in this book."
I know, but seeing you as you were before you came to live in my head is strange.
Whitley hummed, thinking for a moment before speaking, "You know, the Long Memory looks an awful lot like that cane we've seen you use a few times before. Any reason for that, Oscar?"
What should I say?!
"Just say it's an inspired design."
Ah… That would work.
I relayed that, waving it off. "I thought the idea of having a lighter, smaller weapon was a good one, since I can't use Amber Pine everywhere, the cave from our initiation comes to mind. Is it so wrong to be inspired by such a notable weapon?"
Cobalt shook his head, buying it with no fuss, "Of course not! I based my weapon off a famous weapon from the Great War! I'm sure everyone has inspiration somewhere, and I hear Headmaster Ozpin was a rather prodigious individual. He became Headmaster so young too - Maybe you'll follow in his lead?"
I laughed, "Ooh I don't know about that…" I smiled nervously, looking at the textbook, "I've enough to worry about with these tests, becoming Headmaster sounds like a pipe dream."
"Perhaps you will take that mantle some day. When all is said and done."
Maybe…
Thinking about the future was something I preferred not to do in great detail. It was a habit formed first of a desire to not imagine my life falling apart due to coming out to my aunt and uncle, and now it was because I simply had no idea what was to come. Between school, whatever killed Ozpin still being out there, Alder being missing, and everything else… I couldn't afford to dream about things that far in the future, there was no room for it.
We spent the rest of the night studying without incident, and when all was said and done we got our furniture returned to normal before going to bed.
Two days later, I got a text from Ruby, but not one that bore any sort of good news.
"Blake is missing, after that argument two days ago she left and hasn't come back! We need to search the city. Can you guys help?"
Of course I had to accept! A friend of Ruby was a friend of mine.
When I got word I gathered up the team, classes were done for the day so it's not like we were doing anything anyways.
"Alright, team!" I started pacing back and forth in our room while the three of them watched me with curiosity, "We are needed by our good friends from Team RWBY. It seems that Blake has gone missing! She apparently ran off into the city two days ago and hasn't been seen since. We have been asked to assist in her recovery!" I form one hand into a fist and punch my open palm with it, "Are you all up for the task?"
Cobalt and Penny were all for it, "Yes, sir!" They declared with light-hearted yet determined tones, although Whitley crossed his arms and huffed.
"Must we drop everything so suddenly to help my sister's team find their stray friend?" He bore a frown, the kind he usually wore when thinking about his sister, "She made the mistake of letting her emotions get the better of her, shouldn't she be the one to fix this?"
I countered, crossing my own arms as I looked at him, "That's not the point of this, Whitley, it's helping find a missing friend. With the string of robberies that have been going on just getting worse, who's to say she won't be attacked by thieves or criminals? She can handle herself, sure, but…" I think, before coming up with something to retort with, "Let me ask you this: If any one of us went missing, would you not jump at the chance to look for us? Wouldn't you get upset if one of your other friends refused to help?"
Whitley's eyes widened at the comparison, staring at me for a moment before closing his eyes and looking down. "Alright, fine. Let's get our gear and get looking."
With that little roadbump handled, we all took turns changing into our actual gear and out of our school clothes. Cobalt and Whitley were comfortable enough to change in front of each other while Penny changed in the bathroom. I was going to change with the other two but then I remembered the wrappings I kept around my chest, so I just waited for Penny to come back out before going in and changing.
Once I came back out, Whitley pointed out my strange behavior, "What, not comfortable changing in front of us, Oscar? All three of us are men."
Someday you'll know the truth. When we didn't have so much to worry about.
"Just a habit." I wave my hand dismissively, "Let's get going."
Fully armed and ready, we made our way out towards Vale to join the search effort.
When we got down to the city we split up, I knew team RWBY was already down here looking and I had to imagine if JNPR was available they'd be doing the same as us. We weren't sure if we'd find her, but with at least seven people, possibly more, scouring the city, how hard could finding one runaway be?
Turns out it was harder than it sounded. We'd been at this for a few hours and night had almost fully set in. Eventually I linked up with Cobalt and Yang, the two of them seemed to have found each other by accident and decided to start searching together. If this weren't such a dire situation I was almost certain the two of them would be… Interesting to hear a conversation between when it was just them.
Eventually our blind searching was brought to an end when I got a call on my Scroll.
"This is Whitley. I've found them, although it looks like they're about to get into trouble."
As if waiting for the perfect moment an explosion went off at the docks, causing the three of us to turn towards it. "Was that the trouble?"
"Yes. They're fighting some criminal in a bowler hat. What should I do?"
More explosions.
"Tell him to stand by, if he joins now we might lose the element of surprise."
I relayed that to Whitley, who agreed and hung up. The three of us then began our race towards the dock.
Once we arrived, we rendezvoused with Whitley, who at that time had been joined by everyone else from both team RWBY and my team. Apparently JNPR was preoccupied with something else so they couldn't assist in the search effort, which was a shame.
Especially because we saw Blake and the blonde haired faunus from the other day (Sun was his name, apparently) fighting what looked to be members of the White Fang. They were working with the bowler hat man described before, Ruby frowned when she saw him, "Torchwick! He's the one behind all the dust robberies, I know it! We need to catch him!"
Cobalt counted the number of White Fang that were converging on the two hunters-in-training, "...There's a good number for each of us! With more on the way, I should imagine! A glorious fight." He drew his glaive, prompting the rest of us to draw our own weapons and leap down into the fray.
When Roman saw us, he called casually to Ruby, "Little Red, you're out past your curfew, and you brought some friends! How delightful."
"Let me handle him!" Ruby declared, racing forward and engaging with the ringleader, while the rest of us found ourselves engaged with the veritable horde of henchmen he brought to the table - A small army of White Fang, with several Bullheads
I found myself gripping Amber Pine as tightly as I could while staring down our opponents, swallowing a lump in my throat, "Let's do this!" Together we charged into the fray before splitting off into separate pockets of fighting. I saw Cobalt taking out broad swings with his glaive and sending whole groups flying, Penny's floating swords similarly cut down swathes with her powerful attacks while Yang's punches sent every enemy hit flying.
I struck forward with my trident, stabbing into one person and then swinging them into some of their comrades, they collapsed atop each other and I used that opportunity to shoot a dart into the small pile, it detonated and sent them all flying in separate directions.
Another small group ran towards me, I one-handed Amber Pine and grabbed the Long Memory, extending it out as far as it would go because taking a single broad swing with it. The force and power of the weapon alone was enough to send them all sprawling on the ground. Retracting my cane again, I returned to my trident as I suddenly had to jump out of the way of machine gun rounds coming from the Bullheads up above. The large machine seemed to be spraying at anyone it could - I just so happened to be the most convenient target.
As I prepared to start firing at it, Penny's spinning blades suddenly cut it straight down the middle like a knife through butter. I looked over at her and we shared a smile, before I turned my attention back to some approaching goons.
I worked my way through them as they came, swinging my trident or stabbing it forward, shooting at the ground to blow back groups I deemed too large to take on. I saw the others fighting, better than I was that was for sure. Roman was on the ground and Ruby easily dealt with her own set of bad guys.
When the fighting finally started to wind down, and no more came to fight us, we were all exhausted. Each of us panting or otherwise drenched in sweat. It was only when Ruby shouted that we all perked up again, "Torchwick's gone!"
There was one last VTOL, and it seemed he was on it. We saw him laid back against the floor of the aircraft, probably unconscious. How did he manage to get up there?! We all readied our weapons and began a hailstorm of bullets and projectiles that covered the thing in smoke, that should have taken it down.
Yet when the smoke cleared, we saw a golden barrier surrounding it, "Who-" Before a cloaked and hooded figure emerged from the aircraft, I saw Roman in the back, unconscious.
The figure conjured up several golden colored orbs in the air, at first we were unsure what they were, until they all shot towards us. We barely had any time to react as each of us tried to take cover or leap away, although as I tried to dive out of the way of one, it exploded and sent me flying a few feet in the direction I was already heading. As I landed on the ground, I groaned in pain. After that massive fight, there was no way I could take on whoever this was…
As I tried to stand again, using my weapon for support, I glared at the robed figure, it was then that I noticed they were also wearing a facemask covering their nose down. Afterward, everyone who had the strength to fire their weapons unleashed yet another flurry of rounds towards the aircraft.
Then as they held out their weapon to block the oncoming attacks I suddenly knew who it was.
The same staff I had given Alder now shielded our enemy against our attacks, the sudden roar of wind from so many blocked attacks sent their hood flying back, defying the conclusion I had reached just a moment ago.
A girl with long, curly blonde hair and brown eyes glared directly at me, she raised her voice, it seemingly projected by magic. "Tell my Father that I know his tricks! What he stole from me - How he betrayed us all!" Then she conjured up a single large orb of energy in the air, before throwing it at us. As I braced for the explosion, suddenly for the first time in several months Ozpin took over. Reacting quickly, he grabbed the Long Memory again and held it out - A green barrier materialized above the dock, just in time to catch the explosion, which sent out massive magical waves across the open sky, the golden color of the energy was so bright and so wide-reaching that for a brief moment it looked as if day had come early.
When the sky cleared, the Bullhead was gone and the barrier dissipated. As Ozpin put the Long Memory away and retreated back into my mind, I suddenly felt the massive weight of his actions hit me like a truck. Vision blurring, I staggered before collapsing on the ground, unconsciousness soon overtaking me.
When I opened them again, I was in the featureless white room where I had met Ozpin 'in person' last time. He was standing across from me, solemnly looking at the ground, holding his cane planted in the ground with both hands.
Once everything that had happened returned to me, I was immediately hit with a wave of emotions. Confusion? Fright? Uncertainty? "O-Ozpin, who was that girl? Why was she talking to me about you? How did she know about you?" She didn't say outright that Ozpin was who she was referring to, but I knew deep down that was the case. Who else but one of Ozpin's children could conjure such powerful attacks?
Ozpin said nothing and suddenly a vision filled the room, with me playing the lead role.
I saw myself in a room - The top of a tower, I recalled. The place I kept the person most important to me since Salem betrayed us all. I recalled why I was here: After I rejected Salem's proposal to rule over all of humanity with our power, she turned on me, her wrath spilling over to even her own flesh and blood. She killed several of them, each one was another thread of hope in my life severed.
Now there was only one. My youngest daughter, laying in her crib. I knew Salem would be coming after me again - After my daughter again. Anything that opposed her was a threat. Her own flesh and blood was just as disposable as anyone else.
I sensed her, she would soon be upon us. I couldn't allow her to take Ambroise from me!
"My daughter…" I used my magic to lift her gently out of her cradle. "So young… You will not remember this. You will not remember me. I'm sorry… But I must let you go in order to give you the gift of life. One day you may learn the truth. You may hate me. I care not… As long as you're happy."
I reached my hand out and cast two spells simultaneously - There was no time to decide what she was going to look like - Boy or girl, blue eyes or brown, tall or short, all I could do was cast the glamor spell and make it as strong as possible. Salem was closing in, I simply cast the spell. I combined it with another spell - One which would take her out of time, out of Salem's reach. She would reappear one day - A long time from now. Hopefully the world she returns to will be a brighter one than what she's in now…
As she vanished, I let out a heavy sigh, then grabbed my staff off my back. Once more, I would have to battle the woman I once loved more than anything else in this world.
The vision ended, and I was left speechless. Alder was… A girl the whole time? Ozpin hid this from us, AND her?! I walked forward, a sudden rage boiling my blood as I clenched my fist and punched him across the face. His head turned with the hit, the mark on his skin vanished not long after it was created. "...I understand your rage. What I did - I did without choice. To protect her. To give her a second chance."
"Did you ever stop to think about what would happen to her?! She must have felt so lost and confused her whole life - With nobody to guide her! You could have adopted her, saved her the second you knew she existed - And I KNOW you knew she was in Vale, don't try to hide it. This all could have been avoided, Ozpin!"
"I couldn't risk it." Ozpin remained reticent, whatever his reasons were, he wasn't sharing. "We must find her again, we have to make her see reason. Regardless of what happened in the past, I know she can be brought back."
"I will, but not for you." I turned away and started walking away, "For her." As I left him behind, the blinding light of my own mindscape overtook me, darkness following not long after.
I began to wake up, blinking my eyes open slowly. I was in a dark room that I didn't recognize immediately. I still felt some of the weight of Ozpin's exhausting actions upon me, I had anticipated that he would be gone, yet I still felt his presence.
"I apologize for using that power without asking first. The teams that witnessed it will be asking questions."
Better that than dying…
"I will refrain from using such power, it must be yours to control. The more of it you use, however, the closer we will be to merging."
Wonderful, are we close now?
"No. That was a mere dip into the pool compared to the kind of magic that would need to be performed to bring us to the edge right now. You may begin to notice you're taking on some of my mannerism, but no more than that."
…Great.
I grunted as I sat up, placing a hand over my stomach. My whole body ached, but it was manageable. I was still wearing my clothes, and as I looked around I noticed that I was back in the dorm room. Yet the others were nowhere to be seen. It was odd being the only one here… Even more so given the circumstances.
Slowly but surely I managed to stand, it seemed like the curtains had been pulled over the windows. I could see sunlight on the other side, meaning I must have been out for a few hours at least.
I pulled back the curtains, squinting at the sudden change in brightness, and then I slowly made my way over to the kitchen. I needed water…
Once I had a glass full, I drank it all down immediately. I felt hungry as well, but before I could see about getting something to eat, I heard familiar voices on the other side of the door.
Whitley was the first one I heard, "Hurry up! He could wake up any minute now, and we need to be there when he does!"
Then I heard Ruby, "For once, he's right, c'mon guys!"
As the door opened and Whitley stepped in, I saw him and everyone behind him freeze as they saw the open blinds, before they turned their attention towards me.
Meekly, I raised my hand towards them in greeting, "...Hi guys."
The first to react were Penny and Ruby, "Oscar!" They shouted in unison before I was suddenly tackled by a ginger blue and a red blur at the same time. Following them was almost everyone else rushing over to either give me a hug or ask questions about how I was feeling, with Cobalt being kind enough to stand me up. Although he soon joined the group hug of bodies around me.
It wasn't just them either. Yang was here and giving a hug tight enough to rival Penny, Weiss and Blake were both standing beside me patting my back or resting a hand on one of my shoulders, both smiling widely.
"I must admit, that stunt you pulled saved us a lot of pain." Weiss begrudged, although the smile on her face indicated how happy she was to see me up.
"Yeah… Thanks." Blake's solemn gratitude belied how relieved she sounded.
"I didn't know you could do something that cool!" Ruby gushed while still holding me in a vice grip of a hug that I had yet to get free of.
"G-Guys!" I struggled, "Still sore-!"
"Excuse me!" Whitley's voice rang out, causing everyone to look over to him. He was holding several large paper bags in his arms, "You all just dropped the food we were carrying. You're lucky nothing spilled."
Sheepishly the group hug was broken up and I was given time to breathe. We didn't have nearly enough space to sit at the table, so instead I was directed to sit on my bed, a bag was placed next to me by Ruby.
"We wanted to get some food to celebrate the whole not dying thing, so we got a bunch of paper bags and raided the dining hall!" She was grinning from ear to ear, and the image of this whole entourage of students bursting in and taking half the menu made me smile as well.
Everyone seated somewhere, people began to eat. Yang was taking huge bites of turkey legs, Blake was eating sushi (did she always have cat ears?). Weiss was trying her best to look refined while eating a shishkebab, and Ruby was eating some cookies before eventually grabbing some actual food in the form of a small container that held some chicken.
Cobalt was having at a large burger while Penny seemingly downed a whole bowl of rice in one go, Whitley was… Holding a burger, looking at it awkwardly. He looked at me and I smiled at him encouragingly, which caused him to look back at the burger and finally take a bite. After chewing for a bit, he started to eat with as much vigor as everyone else.
I had a bag in my lap - My own assortment of food contained within, "Guys… You seriously didn't have to do this."
"As if!" Yang rebutted, "Did you not see how cool your own semblance was back there? You totally saved us and the dock!"
"I don't know who that fiend was, but you saved us from spending several days in recovery at least." Cobalt picked up, "Although your semblance certainly is versatile."
"Indeed." Whitley mused, "You were able to stop me from falling, and now that shield? All tied to your cane…"
Before I could respond Ruby spoke up, "C'mon guys, give the third degree a rest! He's been through a lot and he hasn't even eaten yet. We can ask him all the questions we want after we've eaten. Alright?" I was relieved that at least someone could recognize that I was far too hungry for this right now.
I started to eat, knowing that while Ruby had defended me this time, the seeds of curiosity were already planted in everyone's mind. I was going to have to tell them the truth, and most likely it'd be as soon as we were all done eating.
"Think about this, do you really want them to know the truth?"
I've been thinking about this all Semester, they can handle it.
Keeping the secrets I kept was exhausting, and while one I had already started planning on how I was going to reveal it, this one was one I hadn't even begun to figure out. Yet it seemed now I didn't have a choice.
One way or the other, by the end of today they would know the truth about why I came to Beacon.
