5h of Sea Feilong, year 1025 of the Imperial Calendar
"Thank you for accompanying me, Private Belladonna."
"No, thank you, Brigadier Schnee." Suzaku replied.
"Whatever for?"
"Well, for not placing another collar on me for one, ma-" Winter glared at him, "Sir. Most would consider these too lenient." he stated, gesturing towards his pair of regular handcuffs that seemed almost loose around Suzaku's wrists. Considering the temporary holding cell she'd brought him to barely felt as such, what with being a standard meeting room accompanied by a guard stationed outside for security, the handcuffs were perhaps the only way to tell Suzaku was even a prisoner.
"Not at all, I regret the need for even them. Your assistance was commendable."
"He escaped, Sir. As did the other terrorists. And your Knightmare-"
"Can be replaced. It would've required significant repair to make functional again regardless, thanks to Kewell. And Taurus has plagued this Area for almost two years now. I wouldn't consider a single Knightmare, missing an arm no less, accompanied by a bruised and beaten Private stumbling upon him mid-combat capable of surviving the encounter, let alone driving him back. You fought well." She insisted, aware than Adam had defeated a few Knightmares with skilled pilots at once in their past attempts to capture him, when they'd expected his presence.
"What about… What about Zero?" Suzaku hesitated to mention.
"They escaped, along with One and their other accomplices. Unfortunate, but unavoidable. There have been no Britannian casualties this night. Other than Nu's pride." she chuckled, "And I'm sure that will heal in time. Overall, I'd consider this a success."
"A success? But Miss Rose was-"
"Was temporarily removed from Britannian hands."
"… You caught her?" Suzaku asked, his voice betraying clear worry and disappointment after a short gasp.
"Not exactly." Winter assured him, "She returned to her unit not an hour after the incident at the warehouse. They were none too happy about her initial capture, and quite adamant about refusing to relinquish her."
"I'm glad." Suzaku replied with a small smile.
"Apparently, they were also concerned with your arrest."
"I'm not-"
"A concern Prince Clovis shares, I am told." Winter interrupted before elaborating, "Apparently you are to be transferred into their custody before the trial, if one even occurs at this point, once the paperwork has been processed. While much has still to be determined, I dare say your prospects are looking far more promising than a few hours ago." She added, much to Suzkau's relief.
"I… I don't know what to say."
"I realise this is a lot to take in." Winter admitted with a small sigh, "I'll give you a few minutes before debriefing-"
"No, I'm fine." Suzaku interrupted, before realising he'd interrupted a superior when she stared at him in shock, "Sorry, Sir. But please don't delay on my account – I'm prepared to answer any questions you have."
"… Good man." she eventually replied, "I want you to recount the events of tonight in as much detail as you can manage when the scribe arrives." she ordered while sending a message on her scroll, assumedly to the scribe in question.
"But before that… I had another topic I'd like to discuss."
"What?"
"You." Winter replied, "I must say, your service record is rather impressive. Voluntarily an Honourary Britannian at age 13, high scores in hand-to-hand training and simulated combat – top of the class in Knightmare variety. Quite intelligent, too, if your academic performance is to be believed."
"Please, Sir, you're too kind."
"The only thing not here is motivation." Winter stated firmly, "Why are you a soldier, Suzaku Belladonna? Why do you want to serve the country who, for all intents and purposes, ruined your life by age 10?"
While silence held at her question, it was broken but a few moments later by Suzaku's resolute answer.
"Because I want to change Britannia for the better." he declared, deciding that his honest intent would be the only appropriate answer here.
"… Many would be disappointed in such an answer."
"I know." Suzaku confessed, his head slumping slightly.
"Many are resistant to change, many fear it. Change brings with it the unknown. The unknown can bring instability. And instability can cost those in power dearly."
"I know."
"And still, you seek it?"
"Absolutely." he replied without hesitation
"… I see." Winter replied neutrally, placing her elbows on the desk as her hands supported her head, glancing out the nearby window in thought. While the time ticked on in silence, Suzaku wondered if that was the end of their conversation, before she eventually posed a question.
"Does your change restrict itself to Area 5?"
"What?" Suzaku asked in confusion, "No, I want to change the system as a whole, on a fundamental level in some places."
"And you think you can accomplish this task as a low-ranking soldier in a satellite region still not fully integrated into the empire?"
"… No." Suzaku admitted, "But I'll climb through the ranks, and then-"
"You'll find yourself unable to progress, on account of nepotism." Winter stated with a sigh, "After a certain rank the military finds itself occupied entirely by nobility – barring one very notable exception. If no commoner can progress, do you think an honourary Britannian will fare better?"
The question hit Suzaku hard. He'd always known that his task would be difficult, many would say impossible. But he'd always believed that through hard work and dedication, he could prove his worth and rise through the ranks.
But as Winter said, that would be a nigh impossible task for an ordinary Britannian. Add in the honourary status, and now this stain on his record, and it was all but certain he'd never reach the position he would need.
"I… I guess not. But that doesn't mean I won't try." he decided, resolving himself despite the hopelessness of the situation.
Maybe it is impossible. Maybe I won't accomplish a thing. But if I don't try, my failure won't be a maybe, but a certainty.
He'd known the chances unlikely before, and that had never stopped him.
Why would that change now?
He realised, a tad too late, that his answer had been too blunt, impertinent even. He wondered how the Brigadier would respond. She'd asked him, and he'd answered honestly, but it could still be interpreted as disrespectful to a superior officer. Suzaku thought she might reprimand him, chastise him, possibly even charge him with insubordination.
The last one is unlikely though, with everything else going on…
"The military needs more men like you, Suzaku Belladonna." She stated with a genuine smile.
He hadn't thought she'd give him a compliment.
"Tell me, would you consider transferring to another branch of the military if the opportunity arose? I'm sure General Ironwood would be more than pleased to have a fine soldier such as yourself under his command."
He certainly hadn't expected she'd give him a job offer.
"How could you drop her!?"
"I didn't drop her, she jumped off!"
"Why did you let her!?"
"What, are we kidnapping people now!?" Blake yelled, to which Ohgi had no reply.
"Dammit!" he yelled, slamming his hand on one of the abandoned building's walls in exasperation, "What the hell are we supposed to do now!?"
"… I don't know." was the only answer Blake could give. They'd rescued two Britannian captives and then lost them both within the span of 15 minutes. While Ruby at least left of her own volition, she'd still failed to keep her safe like Lelouch and Yang had asked. Her own brother had been re-captured by Britannia, and the whole ordeal would make him look infinitely more guilty.
Dammit, Lelouch… You better have an actual plan to get him back. If those were just empty words then- Wait… Blake thought, noticing the sound of footsteps approaching outside. Readying herself for combat, Ohgi followed suit.
"Hey, here's an idea on what to do: Stop screaming like Grimm before somebody notices." A familiar voice hissed at them.
""Kallen!"" they both exclaimed as the girl slipped into the room, re-sheathing their weapons.
"And now anyone nearby knows my name. Thanks."
""Sorry."" they both whispered, realising their discussion had become too loud for their own good.
"So, what the hell happened?"
"We fell back, Ruby ran off, we knew we couldn't catch her with her weird semblance and the incoming Britannians, but we got here without issue." Blake reported, to which Ohgi nodded in confirmation.
"Sorry we let her go…"
"Don't be, I'd probably be dead or captured by now if you hadn't." Kallen replied, before filling the two in on the other half's events.
"That's…"
"A lot, I know." Kallen replied, the two needing a minute to process the information.
"… So…" Blake began slowly, "What will you both do now?"
"Well…" Ohgi sighed, scratching his head in thought for a few moments, "It's true, going back to the White Fang would be… difficult, now, even if I wanted to."
"You can say that again…" Kallen echoed.
"So I guess it comes down to running and hiding or…"
"Following Zero?" Blake guessed.
"You'd be up for it after he alienated us from the Fang like that?" Kallen asked, not disapprovingly but rather with genuine curiosity.
"I can't say I agree, but… He did follow through, rescued both of them despite the odds. Sort of. Can you think of anyone else that could've done that?"
"No." Kallen replied immediately, "Maybe Todoh with a squad of Knightmares. Probably Sienna with a small army. Either with only five people, a fancy car and an old van?" Kallen asked incredulously, "No way."
Did you really plan all of this, Lelouch? Blake wondered, aware that her friend was capable of many things, but perfectly predicting the plans of Adam, a man he'd never met before, was stretching reason.
Her thoughts were interrupted by another message coming through her scroll, which had now been returned.
"Anyone we know?" Kallen asked sarcastically.
"I…" Blake started, before sighing almost in resignation, "I'm going with Zero. I'm with Ohgi in that I don't like the manipulation, and I'm still not entirely sure on what his methods will be. But I know he's still the best leader we've had in a while."
"Beats civilian casualties and indiscriminate attacks, that's for sure." Kallen added, a sentiment both Blake and Ohgi agreed with wholeheartedly.
"Which is the best we've had since… Well, since Ghira, come to think of it." Ohgi realised while either not noticing or ignoring Blake flinch, "If you guys are in, so am I."
"I'm in." Kallen immediately stated.
"Well then, we better pack our bags." Blake explained, turning the scroll so the both of them could see Zero's message, "Kallen, we're headed to Vale."
"So, level with me, did you actually know the Wh- those people would be there?" Yang asked, aware that talking openly about a group of terrorists in the middle of a crowded train station probably wouldn't end well.
"Of course."
"… You're screwing with me, aren't you."
"Of course." Lelouch chuckled, earning a light hit to the shoulder from Yang, "But well-laid plans and all that. I certainly couldn't appear to have been blind-sighted in front of a potential key recruit. I'd rather appear Machiavellian than foolish."
"Well, I guess you did beat a royal's army with zero prep." she replied, now unconcerned with their conversation as Lelouch made it appear blatantly suspicious.
"Well, I do love limiting the time available to make my moves."
"Ugh, please stop with the chess analogies." Yang drawled.
"The moment you stop making puns." Lelouch replied, staring Yang in the eye.
""Never."" they both said in unison with faces of utmost seriousness, before looking away and breaking into a laugh.
"So, what about the start? It looked like you were expecting your power to hit the woman back there. Or was that all part of the plan?" she asked with scanning speech and an mock-evil grin for emphasis.
Her comment darkened Lelouch's face, "No. It seems the power comes with limitations." he stated, before scanning the crowd and eventually settling on a certain point.
"Play along." he whispered before walking over to a seemingly random member of the crowd, someone who appeared to be a teenager with light blonde hair and blue eyes, looking all around the station with a carefree smile.
"Hey." Lelouch called with a slight wave to get the boy's attention, "Could you stand on your left leg and place a finger to your nose for five seconds."
"Sure." The boy responded before doing exactly that. A few seconds later, the geass' control slipped and he came back to his senses, quickly returning to a normal position after his initial surprise.
"What-"
"Excuse me, could you stand on your left leg and place a finger to your nose for five seconds."
"… No, I'm sorry, what?" The boy asked in confusion.
Oh, I get it… Yang thought, realising the purpose of the test, It only works once per person or something, right?
"Damn, guess I lose." Lelouch replied with a sigh, "2000, right?" he asked, turning to Yang.
"Uhh, yeah." she replied after a moment's hesistation.
"I'm guessing I'm missing something?" the boy asked.
"Sorry, I bet my friend I could get a random person to do some random movements. Apologies."
"Oh, is that all?" the boy asked, before adopting the pose Lelouch had requested once again for five seconds.
"… I'll pay you back later." Yang told Lelouch.
"Oh I'm sure."
"So, you guys going to Vale too?"
"How'd you know?" Lelouch asked with a hint of suspicion.
"Well, you said 2000, right? Either you're talking about lien or you guys are serious gamblers."
"Well, I mean, nobles make stupid bets all the time, right?" Yang suggested.
"You guys don't strike me as nobles."
"Oh yeah?" Yang asked, failing to hide a slight chuckle, "Why's that?"
"We've been talking for nearly 2 minutes and you haven't commented on my ancestry." the boy said flatly.
"Oh, right. How dare you speak with us, worthless commoner." Yang joked while waving her arm dramatically. The boy laughed in kind, after what seemed to be a moment of shock.
"Apologies, my liege. However should I be punished-"
"Train V5C, bound for Vale, will be departing in 10 minutes. V5C, departing in 10 minutes." An announcement played.
"That's us."
"Hey, do you guys mind if I stick with you a while? I've never really left the homeland – I meant to reach Vale a few days ago, but…"
"The transport network to leave Britannia can be a tad confusing." Lelouch provided, "But we actually-"
"Had a spare seat anyway." Yang interrupted, much to Lelouch's chagrin, "Welcome aboard." she offered a hand, before Lelouch responded in kind, albeit reluctantly.
"Charmed. Lelouch Lamperouge."
"Oh, I'm Yang."
"Thanks again! I'm Gino Weinberg, great to meet you!"
5th of Sea Feilong, year 1025 of the Imperial Calendar
In a cold warehouse hidden amongst the streets of Vale, a lone man reviewed his scroll with a mixture of irritation and exasperation. Sporting orange hair with green eyes, outfitted with a fine white suit and black bowler hat, each with subtle red highlights, finished with a grey scarf, the man put the scroll down with a sigh while taking out a new cigar.
Seriously? I look away for 5 minutes and Red high-tails it to Britannia, gets captured, gets rescued, goes back, and then gets an official pardon by the third damn Prince. I mean, I could tell she's good for a kid, but that's just fuckin' insane.
"And then there's these jokers!" He exclaimed with a slap to his scroll, picking it back up to look through more of the details.
Zero and One, eh? A pair of numbers, 'cause that's not gonna get confusing… Or maybe that's the point? He wondered, realising that an obvious way to refer to the two would be 'numbers', the same term used to discriminate against native citizens of Britannia's satellite regions.
Wastin' their damn time… But I guess it's not a concern of mine, so long as they don't screw with any of my operations up in five… He decided, about to turn his attention to other matters.
"… Nice outfits, though." he briefly commented with a slight nod of approval, "Better than anything else those animals bother with…"
"I see you're keeping yourself well informed of our friends over the mountains, Roman." A new voice emerged, and with it the young woman said voice belonged to. With Ashen-black hair covering one of her amber eyes, donning a dark red mini-dress with yellow patterns down the sleeves and around the neck, accompanied by a blue flower accessory, black shorts, and a black choker, the woman gave off an air of subtle intimidation.
"Cinder…" Roman all but whined, evidently none-too-pleased with the woman's arrival, who slowly approached the man, stalking him as if prey.
"To what do I owe the pleasure? The dust collection's all on schedule, so-"
"Oh, I'm sure." Cinder purred, "But I'm here for… related matters."
"'Related', great. Mind telling me what and how?" Roman asked, picking up his nearby red-white cane and tapping it to the floor on the latter two words for effect. Turning back to her, he flinched slightly after re-focusing on her face.
She… Looks damn tired. He noticed, the exhaustion expertly hidden but still apparent to a trained eye.
"One shift from now, we're expecting a particularly large shipment of dust to arrive in Vale via the docks. Relief efforts for the tragic shortage we're currently experiencing." she explained, glancing towards the veritable mountain of dust Roman had collected.
I really need to organise this stuff, I'm working in a damn powder keg… Wait…
"Guess they're bringing out the big guns. So, that'll be early Monstra, right?" he asked about the date of the shipment as innocuously as he could.
"Correct, I'm glad your calendar knowledge is sufficient." Cinder replied with the smallest of chuckles.
It's rare I get 10 day's notice, forget sixty… Roman noted, confirming his suspicion, Either she's had her personality whacked into shape in the last week, or something's got Cinder Fall spooked.
"Thanks for the heads up, I'll make sure to get enough men ready."
"That won't be necessary. Negotiations were tense, but we have our source of thralls."
Thralls? What- Nooo….
"I told you, Cinder, I won't work with those damn ani-"
"And I told you, Roman." Cinder replied, igniting a burning flame in her palm from thin air, "You'll work with whoever I wish you to work with." she demanded, before calming the flame and using it to light Roman's cigar which had thus far hung from his mouth unused.
"Won't you?"
"Fine. I'll make it work." Roman huffed, taking the cigar out of his mouth as she leaned back, tapping it to drop the incinerated specks at its end to the ground, "Anything else?"
"Yes, actually. I need three transcripts for Beacon's initiation."
"Yeah, and I need a cigar that won't set off smoke detectors." Roman laughed, before he realised his joke wasn't appreciated and Cinder never made one.
"Wait, seriously!? That's in three days, I can't just magic shit outta thin air! I'm not you!" he loudly complained, before fire returned to the discontented woman's hands.
"I mean" he back-pedalled in a placating tone, "Even pulling in every favour I've got it'd be hard to get one person into that bag of suckers and hormones without its goody-two-shoes teachers picking up on it, let alone three." he explained, "I know you wouldn't want to settle for such a shoddy job, and I just don't have the contacts to-"
"You misunderstand, Roman." Cinder interrupted, cutting him off with an amused smile while extinguishing the fire after realising the reason for his complaints, "We can have a contact provide a suitable excuse for our unexpected entry into the initiation. We merely need three well-forged transcripts which would cast no doubt on our capabilities as prospective huntsman-in-training. Something I believe you've already accomplished."
"Yeah, for one kid with half a year's notice…" Roman grumbled, "But if it's just the transcripts I can get it done. Just send me the names and some pictures, plus anything you want incorporated."
"Excellent. I'll send the details and collect them tomorrow."
"Tomorrow!? Are you-" he flinched, Cinder's pressuring glare reminding him of his situation, "… Are you sure that gives your contact enough time?"
"I'm quite confident in their status with Beacon's headmaster."
"Good, good… Anything else?"
"Hm, a massage would be nice…"
"… That… that was a joke, right?" Roman laughed nervously.
"No, actually. But that's nothing you need concern yourself with." Cinder smirked, "I'm aware your quite incapable when it comes to a woman's needs…"
"Ha, ha…" Roman laughed awkwardly, every fibre of his being now focused on not snapping at her taunts.
"So I shall seek assistance elsewhere."
"The transcript details-"
"Will be sent to you shortly. Don't disappoint me, Roman." Cinder finished with a slight flick of her mini-dress, leaving as quickly as she'd arrived.
"Yeah, yeah, next time…" Roman grumbled, organising the information he'd need in his scroll until she left.
"Don't disappoint me, Roman." the man muttered with a voice imitating a petulant child, "Make those transcripts in a day, Roman. Steal all the dust in Vale, Roman. Don't ask any questions, Roman. Be my fucking bitch, Roman!" he finished as resentment flared in his voice, whacking a nearby crate with his cane in anger.
"… When did it all go so wrong…" he sighed while removing his cigar to inspect it, seeking an answer in the Colorado's folds and stains before throwing it to the ground in frustration. Calming down, he noticed the slightest of shifts by one of the dust crates.
"You can come out now, Neo." he sighed, whereupon a short young woman with heterochromic pink-and-brown eyes and split-colour hair to match emerged. Dressed in a white cropped tailed jacket with interior pink highlights and simpler brown pants overlaid by black-and-white knee-high boots, she appeared seemingly from the air itself with a crystalline shimmer.
"So, how much did you hear?"
The girl began walking around in a purposefully pretentious manner, gesturing her hands this way and that while voicelessly moving her mouth to imitate a slow and drawling manner of speech, before suddenly stopping to mime tearing her her out in frustration.
"Sounds about right. We're up shit creek here, Neo, and the only paddle we've got is a usefulness that I doubt will last long. If you want out, I could-" Was all Roman could say before Neo stamped her foot with a stern glare in refusal.
"Just thought I'd better ask." he replied with a smug smile and small chuckle, "But if you're sticking around, this criminal mastermind may have come up with a plan."
With a sadistic grin, Neo pulled out an umbrella which revealed a sharp bladed tip, using her eyes to gesture twice where Cinder had left before returning focus to Roman.
"Oh, golly gee, why didn't I think of that!" he bumped a palm to his forehead for effect, "We just have to kill the bitch with the most bullshit fire semblance I've ever seen, that can apparently cow even Adam godsdamn Taurus into submission! It's so simple!" he exclaimed, voice dripping with sarcasm that turned Neo's smile into a petulant frown.
"No, we can't kill her. And quitting ain't exactly an option. But…" Roman paused, picking up the scroll and focusing on an image from a recent news report, "If we get dealt a halfway decent hand and play those cards right, we might be able to find a new employer. One who isn't a Beowolf in high heels, but apparently might be able to make sure said Grimm doesn't bite us." he stated, turning the scroll to Neo to give her a good view of the picture.
It's probably a stretch, but at this point I'll take whatever I can get. Beats waiting for her to off me.
"I'll keep the bitch of flames happy, you keep both ears to the ground. Anything we can find about Zero, One or their merry band of faunus, I wanna know."
The quiet stillness of Beacon's night was interrupted by the roar of engines, a bullhead passenger airship arriving from the city of Vale. Ordinarily tasked with the job of carrying teams of huntsman or dozens of Beacon students, the mere two occupants filled but a small fraction of the available seats.
"Finally…" Yang moaned, slumping in exhaustion from the events of the past two days coupled with a scarce few hours of sleep.
"You could have slept on the train, had you not insisted on bringing the only man alive more exuberant than yourself." Lelouch reprimanded.
"He was lost, and he seemed cool..." Yang slurred, "And I'm still mad at you."
"Why?"
"He nearly gets himself killed a day after I get mad for nearly getting himself killed, and he asks why I'm mad. Why do I even bother?"
"The alternative was complete loss, potentially getting all of us killed or captured." Lelouch rebutted, "The risk I took was entirely calculated."
"And here I thought I sucked at math." Yang replied with a sigh, as the bullhead's sliding doors opening.
Beyond laid Beacon: The crown jewel of Vale. The academy of dreams, within which studied those who would one day become some of the greatest heroes in the world. All topped by Beacon tower, a grand spire to which headmaster Ozpin laid claim, Remnant's so-called 'wise wizard'. An institution which half of Remnant's history books lauded as one of humanity's foundational pillars.
"Ugh, we're finally home…" Yang sighed.
"Actually, I'm home." Lelouch corrected, "Yours is, what, only a thousand kilometres across the ocean?"
"Ssshhh" Yang whispered, putting a finger to Lelouch's mouth to silence him, "I have a bed here. I'm home."
Technically it's a guest bed… You just happen to be the only guest that uses it. Lelouch thought, too tired to argue that point at this moment.
Traipsing through the grounds, the two walked towards the heavenly solace of sleep, edging closer, before a *ping* of Lelouch's scroll prompted them to speak.
"It's Clovis." he reported, "All charges have now been officially dropped. Ruby's resting with the unit she's apparently a part of, while Suzaku's free to do as he pleases."
Yang's scroll received a message before she could even reply.
"It's Ruby, she replied." Yang stated, referring to her message sent to ask if Ruby was ok, sent in part out of genuine concern and in part from Lelouch's prompt to do so for avoiding suspicion.
"And?"
"Basically confirming what you just said but in a million more words." she said with a tired laugh.
"Then I believe we can call this operation a success." Lelouch finished with a triumphant smile, one which Yang returned in kind.
"I'll come up with a reason you disappear. You'll probably still have to interact with Blake, but I'll make sure she knows you're no longer a participant."
Yang's smile quickly turned to a frown.
"What?"
"We rescued Ruby and Suzaku, and thus our contract is complete. I wouldn't force a friend to-"
"Who said anything about force?" Yang interrupted, "I want in."
Looking at his friend, Lelouch couldn't help but frown in turn.
"Yang, this isn't some game."
"Says the guy making constant chess jokes."
"They're jokes, Yang, or analogies at most." he stated in frustration, "We may have my brother's support, but that may well be temporary. And make no mistake, what I intend to do is terrorism. Carefully targeted and ideological, yes, but still terrorism. People will die, on both sides. You saw it yourself: I nearly died twice in just as many days. This isn't something you can just jump in to."
"Says the guy jumping into it."
"That's different." Lelouch insisted.
"How?"
"Because I decided long ago that I would bring Britannia to its knees" he seethed, anger at the world mixing in with his frustration at his friends careless attitude to such a task, "I will make the world a better place, create a bright future for Nunnally, for my true family, by whatever means necessary."
"Yeah…" Yang drew out, "That was, what, like eight years ago, right? When you left Menagerie?"
"… Yes…" Lelouch answered suspiciously, unsure where his friend was headed.
"Well, it's just that I can't help but remember saying something pretty similar about eight years ago too." she finished, sending Lelouch's mind back to the time in question.
To a time shortly after he'd arrived at Beacon, a few weeks after he'd become friends with Yang. A time when Qrow had taken the two out to Vale. A time when the two ran off on their own while the man took greater interest with a particularly pretty young woman working at an ice cream parlour they'd visited. A time when a visiting Britannian nobleman was accosting an innocent faunus for the heinous crime of being hit with his expensive Mistrali sports-hover-car. A time when Yang had been about to run up and scream at the man, before she was stopped by her companion. A time when Lelouch apathetically walked over to the damaged vehicle while the noble was distracted, and sent the gravity dust into overdrive, floating it away to force the man's attention from the faunus. A time when the young Yang had given him nudges and nods of approval, deeply angered by the nobleman's manner and proud of her new friend. A time when Lelouch had informed the young girl that the man was only a symptom of Britannia, a reflection of its true nature. A time when he'd told her the only way to stop people like him would be to completely overhaul the Empire of Britannia, likely tearing down its foundations in a sea of blood.
To a time when the girl had nonchalantly replied, 'Then let's do that', and badgered him until the two promised to do so.
"Hahaha…" Lelouch chuckled quietly, smiling at the memory which had brought the two considerably closer.
"Honestly, I thought you'd forgotten about that…"
"Hey, we promised to tear down Britannia and make the world a better place for it." Yang said light-heartedly, "That's not something a girl forgets."
"True, but we were just children."
"And now we're just teenagers." Yang countered, "But I'm willing to bet we're teenagers who can do this." she claimed with a determined glint in her eye, holding a fist out to Lelouch, "Together."
"Heh… A disgraced Prince and an island commoner against the great Empire of Britannia, the strongest nation Remnant has ever seen?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You don't think we can do it?"
"Hardly." Lelouch replied, narrowing both his eyes with a keen grin and lightly tapping Yang's fist with his own.
"Today marks the date Britannia's fate was sealed. They merely fail to realise that fact."
Walking through the halls with a spring in her step, Velvet Scarletina was having a great new day. A faunus with brown rabbit ears to match her eyes and long hair, she wore a cropped jacket and shorts of the same colour, highlighted by a yellow metal trim and shoulder guards.
Walking through the deserted corridors of Beacon so early in the morning may be unnerving to some, but to Velvet there was no better time. With no other students, she could freely go around the academy with no fear of threat or intimidation owing to her faunus heritage. Combine that with the fact her team had recently completed a mission to prove her combat efficacy for 2nd year purposes, plus her recent completion of the extra reports that had been required, and she found herself simply bubbling with energy despite the early hour of the morning.
I wonder if I should've gone into Vale with Coco… She thought briefly, unsure what to do with her unexpected abundance of time for the next few days, before quickly brushing off the thought.
No, not after last time. She stopped momentarily while shuddering, remembering the outfits she'd been all but forced to buy.
"Never again." She reminded herself with a whisper, quite content with her own modest taste in clothing. Instead, she decided on a trip to the library.
If I've got some time, I might as well put it to good use. Just because I was held back a year, doesn't mean I can't study more advanced dust combat techniques.
"… Why did you even go with that?" Velvet heard a familiar voice as she approached the corridor's corner.
"Well, I am the One who's always pulling you out of trouble."
"Of course it was a pun… Oh, Velvet." The young man noted upon seeing her.
"Hey Vels."
"Hi Lelouch, hi Yang." Velvet responded in kind with a slight nod and wave, before noticing the bedraggled state of her two friends.
"Are you both ok? You look…"
"Terrible?"
"Unkempt, yet beautiful?"
"… Tired." Velvet settled on.
"It's been a long night…" Lelouch said with a chuckle, hiding a plethora of emotions Velvet could only guess at. Amusement? Some irritation? The only one she was sure of was exhaustion.
"Well, don't let me stop you, I'm just headed to the library for a bit."
"It's four in the morning, Velvet. While I can appreciate the pursuit of knowledge, entering an academy year tired is a poor start."
"Yeah, aren't you already pretty smart?"
"Well, if I was then I probably wouldn't have failed, would I?" Velvet asked with a small chuckle to soften the statement, but still unable to hide the self-depreciation in her smile.
"You already have knowledge admirable of a third year, Velvet." Lelouch reprimanded her, "Let alone a second as you should be. You'd have passed last year with flying colours were you not seemingly incapable of standing up for yourself." he sighed in irritation.
"Or getting help from your team-mates. Or us!" Yang added, frustrated at their friends refusal of outside help.
"Oh, it was fine… Doing those people's reports didn't take too long, really..." Velvet tried to claim, convincing neither of the two before her, "Besides, you know more than me and you're not even a first year!" she offered, trying to rebuff the main point.
"I'm not what you'd call a… Standard metric."
"He took the 4th year finals a couple'a shifts ago after I dared him." Yang added.
"How'd you do?" Velvet inquired with curiosity.
"I inadvertently raised the grade boundary with my score. Were it not for Ozpin's correction of the situation, there'd be another student in Beacon repeating the academic year."
"How can you frustrate people you've never even met?"
"Experience." Lelouch smirked, earning a poorly-concealed laugh from Yang.
Must be some kind of inside joke… Velvet realised, before her eyes flashed in recollection.
"Oh! That reminds me! Ozpin wants to see you, Lelouch."
"Can it wait?" he asked, somewhat desperately, deteriorating into a tired groan when a sympathetic shake of her head gave his answer.
"Well, have fun buddy!" Yang exclaimed, slapping him on the back with a smug grin, "You're probably in trouble, but I'm sure you'll be able to control the situation, zero effort. And don't worry, I'll send you a postcard from the land of nod."
"Feel free to remain on vacation indefinitely…"
"Sorry, can't hear you over the sound of my bed calling out!" she exclaimed while leaving to head to the resting place in question.
"I'm sure he won't take much of your time." Velvet reassured him.
"It's not the duration I'm worried about…"
"Ah, thank you for joining me, Mr. Lamperouge." Professor Ozpin said in a welcoming tone. A tall man with silver hair and brown eyes, Ozpin greeted the young man from behind a semicircular desk. A desk clad in accessories reminiscent of clockwork mechanisms, a style shared throughout the otherwise barren room. The man wore a simple unzipped black suit and dark green shirt, with shaded spectacles and a small cross-shaped pin with a centre of purple adorning a lighter green scarf.
Shuffling through the papers on his desk to finish some organisation, he gestured to an opposite chair for his guest to take.
"Good evening, Headmaster." the boy returned, walking towards the desk's opposite chair with a gait betraying his fatigue.
"Once again, Ozpin is fine. So, long night?" he guessed.
"Once again, when you call me Lelouch." he echoed, "And you could say that, yes…"
"Too tired for a game?" Ozpin asked, gesturing to a nondescript case the two were now intimately familiar with the contents of.
"Never."
"Very well." the man chuckled, opening the case to reveal a chess set, one he had Lelouch set up while preparing the two a hot drink.
The next minute or two passed in silence, the game opening with Ozpin's standard pawn to d4 while Lelouch responded with his usual Mistralian defence. From there the game evolved, with Ozpin moving more pawns forward and the occasional knight for greater control. Lelouch's defence evolving into the Queen's Mistralian defence, and the game progressing as Ozpin vied for control of the centre directly with his pawns, while Lelouch aimed for a more indirect approach.
"So, how was the trip?" Ozpin asked moving another pawn to g3.
"It was…" Lelouch considered his responses while eyes flitted over the board, "Rather eventful." he decided while bringing a bishop to a6.
"Yes, I heard. Quite a kerfuffle, it's no small relief that you and Miss Xiao-Long returned unharmed."
"How did you know she-"
"I rather doubt you'd be play such a calm game were she in any degree of danger." Ozpin interrupted while bringing another pawn forward to b3. Lelouch's response was a simple chuckle and brief hum of acknowledgement while bringing his second bishop to b4, thrown into Ozpin's side yet somewhat safe.
"Even if the play is a little aggressive." Ozpin noted while moving bishop to d2, threatening Lelouch's own, "Rather similar to your decision to visit Area 5." He glanced up towards the young man, "Again."
"Well, what is life without the occasional risk?" he replied with knight to c6, defending the at-risk bishop.
"But most risks are taken with purpose." Ozpin refuted while moving a pawn to e3, content to continue building his defensive line.
"Yang wants to see the world; I see no greater purpose than initiating that in a relatively safe environment." Lelouch replied while taking the d2 bishop with his own.
"Sightseeing?" Ozpin asked with an eyebrow slightly raised, not believing Lelouch for one second but content with letting it slip at the young man's nod.
I had hoped our games would prove sufficient without resorting to underground gambling dens…
"Perhaps it would do you well to fully consider the risk in these things going forward." he suggested while taking the pressed bishop with his queen, defending his territory while moving an important piece further into play.
"Perhaps…" Lelouch thought while tapping his finger against the desk in thought.
"… No, you're right, of course." he sighed while slumping slightly as if defeated, "I'll try and temper the urge to explore going forward with a more cautious rationale." he said while castling to g8, a defensive move to emphasise his point.
"Perhaps not entirely. I do not mean this school to be your prison." he allowed with knight to c3, "Merely to assist in your safety."
"Of course." Lelouch replied with rook to c8, seeking a set up for further down the line.
The necessary conversation surrounding Lelouch's absence dealt with, the rest of the game continued in silence. As time passed, Lelouch gained the upper hand in terms of numbers, but Ozpin held more than one superior piece. While appearing pressed, Lelouch soon levelled the playing field by promoting to Queen after hemming down Ozpin's pieces with his army of cannon fodder, all the while moving his King alongside the to-be-promoted pawn. The later stages became brutal, but after a time the end was reached.
"Stalemate." Ozpin declared.
"It would appear we are evenly matched once again." Lelouch laughed, slightly surprised at the outcome.
"Indeed, and in spite of your weary demeanour."
"Says the man with bags under his eyes." Lelouch countered.
Surprised, Ozpin went to put a hand to his eyes. While it was true he had not seen sleep in the past two days, he was confident in his ability to hide this fact, until now. It was only when Lelouch wore a triumphant smirk that Ozpin realised his mistake.
"You know, deception isn't usually a skill considered desirable." he stated with a small smile after being caught out by the young man's bluff.
"But it is a useful one." Lelouch replied, taking a sip of the tea Ozpin had prepared.
"True." Ozpin admitted, "With your skill in tactics and social finesse, I imaging you'll surpass me in leadership before long." he let out a light-hearted chuckle.
"I fail to see how I've demonstrated tactical prowess."
"Your ability to draw with a headmaster suggests otherwise." Ozpin replied, confusion and curiosity reflecting in the statement.
"Chess is hardly indicative of tactics." Lelouch explained.
"Oh?" Ozpin asked in surprise. This fact in and of itself was obvious, of course. What surprised him was Lelouch's admittance of this, being the first time in all their games the young man had made such a claim.
"Within reality, there are countless differences that make this game a poor substitute." He answered Ozpin's surprise, absently-mindedly picking up his King and twirling the piece in his hand while muttering "A fact I learned quite well recently." under his breath.
"Would you care to list a few?"
The question seemed innocent enough, but there was another question hidden within, a challenge to identify something.
One Lelouch quickly picked up on, listing as many differences as he could think of. The real-time nature of reality was an obvious start, but to add to that were the often unequal distribution of forces, and the presence of unknowns on the battlefield in regard to enemy numbers, terrain and hazards. The potential for three or more opponents facing off at once, the list went on.
"And finally." Lelouch finished after exhausting his comprehensive list, "People are complex. Morale, weapon proficiency, preferred weapon qualities, semblance, aura capacity, aura regeneration, et cetera. Even when you consider things from a pragmatic perspective…" He stated, before looking Ozpin directly in the eyes for the final point.
"People aren't pieces."
The statement was followed by a moment of silence as Ozpin took a long, contemplative sip from his mug of hot cocoa.
"An excellent answer, Lelouch, as per usual." he decided with a smile.
"There are a few points you missed, such as the ability to alter the board in your favour in advance of the situation, or even the fact that arriving in the situation of combat is oft-times undesirable to begin with. But overall, excellent." he explained, knowing that Lelouch had probably thought these separate concepts to consider from the differences, but that in reality they were intimately linked.
"I must say, in these past years you've met almost every expectation I've had of you, even exceeded some."
"Almost?" Lelouch questioned in a tone of mock-overconfidence.
"Your Aura capabilities exceed only your abysmal physical constitution." Ozpin answered with brutal honesty.
"I fail to see how those are traits becoming of a fallen Prince."
"But surely you see how they are becoming of a hunstman?" Ozpin rebutted, "Or more accurately… Huntsman-in-training."
While the comment caught Lelouch by surprise, he soon sighed and made to refute the suggestion.
"Ozpin, we've discussed this before-"
"I've taken every precaution to ensure we are fully capable of completing your huntsman education without your identity leaving these walls." he said in reassurance, both of them aware that public knowledge of Lelouch's situation would only spell catastrophe for the both of them.
"But as you say, my physical ability-"
"Is currently untrained, something you'll have plenty of time to work on in the next four years." Ozpin interrupted before bringing out some sheets of paper, "Especially with these already in hand." he stated, showing them to be the Beacon final written exams Lelouch had already finished with top marks.
"But even so-"
"You're concerned that you will not have the motivation to push through the training. But I am fully confident that you will quickly adapt to the regimen, perhaps even enjoy it. If not, dropping out at a later date is always a possibility."
"Leaving one poor team lacking a member-"
"An issue countless huntsman-in-training have to deal with, for various reasons."
Not all of which are so tame… the man considered in bleak recollection, unfortunately familiar the countless teams who had lost a member, or more, in active training duty.
"Additionally, I will make arrangements such that you can continue living with your sister during your tenure here."
"… You seem more keen than you usually are about this." Lelouch noted, eyebrows slightly raised and skeptical about the man's motives.
"Because I am confident this is the best for you." Ozpin answered immediately, "And for Remnant. I know that you will make a marvellous huntsman, should you have the means and motive to pursue it. I…" he paused.
"… I know you wish to create a brighter world for your younger sister." he stated in a hushed and empathetic tone.
"And you believe running around killing Grimm is the way to accomplish that goal?" Lelouch asked in disbelief.
"No." Ozpin answered immediately, "But a qualification as a huntsman, coupled with the learned skills, contacts and knowledge it entails? To that, I believe the answer is a resounding 'yes'."
A minute passed, with Lelouch occasionally taking another sip of tea, from a mug Ozpin was happy to refill when needed. He was happy for Lelouch to take all the time he needed.
But I'm afraid time appears not on my side. At this point I need you to say yes…
"I… Have a counter-offer." Lelouch eventually replied.
"I would expect nothing less." Ozpin smiled. He expected as much, confident the boy would ask for some provisions, some assurances that he could leave, some contingencies to ensure he didn't disadvantage a team, or maybe some improvements in living quality for himself and Nunnally.
But he would accept.
"Instead of accepting one additional hunstman, I would ask you accept three."
"Excluding you?" Ozpin guessed, expecting him to try and bait Ozpin with superficially superior huntsman as a placation.
"Including me." Lelouch assured him, "I have two friends that want to become huntresses, but due to various circumstances they weren't able to apply."
Well… Ozpin thought, processing the offer in his head.
I wasn't expecting that.
"Welcome back, Miss Yang." a brown-haired and light brown eyed woman dressed in a maid uniform greeted the girl in question as she stepped into the abode nestled underneath Beacon academy.
"Hey, Sayoko…" she tiredly greeted the woman, "Is my bed…?"
"Prepared, as usual." the maid replied with a small nod towards her room. But before she could take another step towards the stairs, Yang was stopped by a small hand asking she wait, "However, Miss Nunnally would like a word."
"She's not asleep…?"
"Nope!" a smaller voice cried from further in, one Yang recognised immediately.
Stepping through as Sayoko moved to the side, she was greeted with the smiling face of Lelouch's younger sister sitting at the main table in her wheelchair.
"Really, Nunna? It's 4am."
"And I've not seen you or my big brother in days." Nunnally pouted.
While brushing off her comment with a brief "Yeah, yeah." Yang walked over to ruffle her hair in a small show of affection, "Good to see you too."
While Sayoko brought the two some cold drinks, Yang took a seat as Nunnally filled her in on what Beacon had been like while she was gone: Largely the same, but with neither Ozpin nor Glynda finding the time to keep her company. Professor Port had come for a few hours to give Sayoko some time to herself, narrating tales of a dashing Huntsman charging into a horde of Grimm bare-handed to rescue a fair damsel. She hadn't spent much time with the man herself, but from her brief impressions, and Lelouch's horror stories of a man too occupied with the sound of his own voice to notice the despair of his audience, she doubted they'd been as enthralling as Nunnally claimed. Of course, the questions soon turned to what Yang and Lelouch had been up to, something she hadn't been expecting to explain on her own in such a sleep-deprived state.
"Well, uh, y'know, nothing major…" She lied flawlessly.
"But you've been gone three days!" Nunnally exclaimed in apprehension, nearly spilling her drink with the force.
"Yeah, well, I mean…" Yang struggled to think of something, before remembering the advice Lelouch gave for situations like this.
'Think of a related truth you'd be reasonably hesitant to tell. Give small hints and imply that is what you wish to hide. Then, when it is discovered, your foe believes themselves the victor while your true secret is secure and forgotten.'
"I think I should probably wait until Lelouch comes back… I guess it's pretty major in a way, after all…" she said in a cagey yet almost teasing manner, tracing her finger around the edge of her glass and looking away. While Nunnally wouldn't be able to see the actions, her years of blindness had gifted her with impeccable hearing: She wouldn't see Yang tracing her finger around the glass, but she'd probably hear the small tone it let out. She wouldn't see her turning her head, but she'd probably notice the difference in how her voice reached Nunnally's ears. Plus, slipping into the correct body language made the tale easier to go with, almost tricking herself that it was what she had acted nervous about.
"No way! Big brother never tells me anything!" Nunnally refuted with another pout.
"But if he knew I told you-"
"I won't tell him!"
"… Promise?"
"Promise." Nunnally replied while holding out her little finger.
"What are you doing?"
"Sayoko taught me this while you two were gone. It's called a Menagerian promise." she claimed while prompting Yang to take the little finger in one of her own.
"Cross my heart, hope to die, eat a thousand needles, if I lie. Pinky promise song!" she exclaimed while bobbing the two's hands up and down.
Well… That's kinda morbid.
Leaving aside the rather distressing implications of where a song like that came from, Yang was confident Nunnally was unlikely to say anything. Not that it really mattered, but it was still important that she thought the secrecy mattered so she thought what Yang had to say would satisfy her.
"Well, while we were on our way back from Area 5 something kinda happened…" she started, pausing to ensure she had Nunnally's full attention, "Which wasn't anything that major, but it set the two of us off. I was kinda harsh on him and Lelouch was, well…"
"Him." Nunnally provided helpfully.
"Yeah, and while we were arguing he let something slip. He tried to act all cold and detached but I was havin' none of it."
"Did he start brooding again?"
"I stepped away for a minute to calm down. Preeetty sure his edgy sulk-o-meter went off the charts while I was distracted." she joked, a small laugh escaping Nunnally to show that she appreciated the humour but wanted Yang to continue the story.
"So I, being the bastion of grace and elegance that I am, convinced him to accept a more rational demeanour and we discussed our problems like adults."
A few seconds after tapping her finger to her lips and looking down with a face displaying serious concentration, Nunnally eventually asked "How hard did you punch him?"
"Nunnally!" Yang exclaimed in clearly falsified shock while placing a hand to her chest, "I am shocked and appalled! Appalled I tell you! I would never harm a friend during a time of such emotional turmoil! I did guilt-trip him hard, though."
"Oh my…"
"Yee~p" she confirmed, popping the p, "He confessed in the end, but only after I cried, dumped on my family, said you guys were where I belonged, the works." she confessed with a bittersweet smile she hoped only translated as jovial in her voice.
"I'm sorry that you've had such difficulties-" Nunnally started with a small voice after a similarly small gasp.
"Hey, I wasn't trying to-"
"But I'm happy that you feel so at home here." she finished with a sincere smile.
Blushing slightly at the heartfelt statement, Yang played with her hair for a moment while thinking of a response. She hadn't meant to throw the conversation off the rails, but the fact was that, at this point, staying here she basically felt at home. Her own wasn't terrible or anything, but here everything just felt… right. It had always been good to come here, but after their memorable trip to Area 5 and the revelations therein, she felt more like this was where she belonged than ever. Soon replying with a brief "Well, who could resist when you're here?" while standing up to lightly ruffle her hair again, she was caught by surprise when Nunnally gestured for her to pull into a hug.
One Yang found herself unable to resist.
"I'm glad you're here Yang."
"Wouldn't be anywhere else." she replied honestly, savouring the feeling of bliss overcoming her.
Or maybe falling asleep, it was hard to say at this point.
A minute after recovering from that unexpected emotional roller-coaster, Yang made to go to bed on account of that conversation being the exhaustive straw that broke the Ursa's back.
"Wait, you never told me what Lelouch confessed!" Nunnally protested.
"Oh yeah." Yang realised, "But come on, surely you've figured it out…"
"…! You mean-"
"Yep."
"He told you how-"
"Yep."
"But… He would never…"
"Like I said, it was a pretty emotional situation."
"I can't believe it…" Nunnally muttered in shock.
"Yeah, I can't say I wasn't caught off guard myself…" Yang replied.
I mean, I know they have a personal maid and Ozpin takes special care of them and they're always concerned about their faces being seen and Qrow made it incredibly clear I couldn't talk about them and Lelouch talked like a fancy pants since he was 10 and oh gods how did I not figure it out sooner!?
"… Though I probably should've seen it coming."
"So, what did you say!?" Nunnally asked, leaning forward on the edge of her seat.
"Well I mean I can't remember the exact words, but basically 'I'm sorry'".
Her response could've been mistaken for an arrow piercing Nunnally's chest with the speed she sat up and threw her mouth open.
"I know you like joking around, but that's too far…"
"Hey, I was sincere!" Yang defended, "When he told me I realised I'd been an ass, so I apologised!"
"Oh, right…" Nunnally sighed in relief, "But then what? Did you… Did you accept him?"
"What?" Yang asked in genuine disbelief.
I mean, it was a shock but come on, I'm not gonna just turn my back on him because he had to keep his whole royalty thing a secret. Though I guess some people might take it too personally…
"C'mon, Nunnally. Of course I did." she said with a smile and small laugh for effect, "You really think I wouldn't?"
"You did!? I'm… That's…"
"There's no need to overreact… We're still friends, right?"
"The best!" Nunnally nodded enthusiastically.
"Right." Yang replied with a slight chuckle. Satisfied that Nunnally was appeased, and starting to feel her grip on consciousness struggling, Yang made her excuses to leave and began to chug the rest of her drink so as to not waste any.
"I mean, if things to well – oh, and I'm sure they will - and you and Lelouch get married then we'll be sisters!"
The last thing Yang remembered was spitting out half her drink, choking on the other half, and elegantly crashing to the ground to get some well-earned rest.
The atmosphere in the White Fang's temporary base was bleak. Of course, with the disastrous operation only having just finished, that was hardly a surprise. Even so, Tamaki found the oppressive mood all but unbearable.
"C'mon guys, look on the bright side!"
"What bright side?"
"Yeah, we lost good people and for what?"
"Well… The Britannian's didn't get to execute Belladonna – that's something!"
"Yeah, and no thanks to us…"
"You seriously gonna stick up for those idiots!?" Tamaki spat back, "Adam's been leading us for years, and has he led us wrong before? No!"
"Then what in Shade were we doing!?" one of the more experienced members yelled, "We lost half our guys, told the Britannian's we're here, we lost Ilia for gods sake-"
"Hey, don't say it like that!" Tamaki refuted, "I told you, I saw one of the Britannian's capture her! She's not dead, she's just-"
"Might as well be." one of the members replied in a defeated tone.
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"Tamaki…" the experienced faunus started, "We've been at this for years. When was the last time a White Fang captive saw anything other than death or an even worse fate?"
Tamaki went to reply, but found himself able to do naught but bite his lip in response.
Their enemy didn't consider the White Fang a real opponent. They were considered a nuisance. An unruly, unpredictable, violent nuisance. They never got a chance to negotiate, the only thing they could count on was the sight of a Britannian's gun barrel sooner or later were they to be taken.
Or worse… Tamaki thought in spite of himself, aware of the unfortunate fates some of his brothers and sisters had faced. Life imprisonment, torture, enslavement… Nothing was off the table when the prisoner was a faunus, a 'deviant'.
"You guys just don't have any faith!" he shouted, trying to convince himself almost as much as those he called comrades, "I'll show you! I'm gonna go get Adam right now!"
His piece said, he stormed off in a huff to their leaders private quarters.
Damn recruits… They just don't know Adam like I do! Like Ilia does! And Blake- he paused momentarily, struggling to come up with a reason for their companions apparent betrayal, She knows what she's doing. She has to… That's it! I bet her and Adam are planning something together! Must be pretty big if they couldn't keep me in the loop… he eventually decided, content with the idea his superior simply had plans that he wasn't able to share.
But I bet he'll tell me if I ask. I mean, we need to keep the recruits in line, and he's my bud-
"- you mean inopportune!?" he heard the man in question shout through the door.
He on the scroll or something?
A few moments passed, his conversation partner evidently talking, before he continued on this end.
"Look, I don't care how much this damn mess has 'interfered' with whatever you're planning. You promised me support!"
Support? Tamaki wondered, I knew he had something! He realised, pointedly ignoring the clear issues that 'something' was currently facing.
"No, no, I told you we've got enough dust, I need power. Knightmares, superior weapons, something! And you're going to deliver or this deal is over."
Yeah, you tell 'em!
"… Are you serious?" Adam asked incredulously, "… Uh-huh... I see…"
I don't! What're you seeing!?
"If that's true, then what you offer is… acceptable. But I'll be the judge of just how strong they are. If I'm not completely convinced what you claim is accurate…"
"Fine, how long?" Another pause, "Yes, that should work. I'll contact you then."
The conversation ending had barely registered in Tamaki's mind when the door flew open, Adam's scowling face revealing itself.
"Hey man, sorry to bother you! The recruits are gettin' all uppity and-"
"Damn cowards…"
"Yeah, tell me about it…" Tamaki agreed nervously, forcing a small laugh and rubbing the back of his head, turning away to conceal his expression and not have to face Adam's directly, "I mean, they just don't know you, right? They don't know you've got it all under control…"
Adam paused, "Then we make it clear."
"Uhhh…"
"I'll be upstairs. If anyone has doubts, tell them to come and face me rather than whining like a pathetic child."
"Right, right… But I mean, I could tell them what it was you were just talking about back there, I bet it'd calm a lot of them right down…"
Again stopping to think, Adam eventually relented with a sigh and informed Tamaki the main points from his call.
"We're receiving reinforcements. Only a single individual, but I'm told they're on the level of a well-trained Huntsman."
Oh shit!
"But the only guy anywhere near that here is you!" Tamaki exclaimed in surprise, quickly trying to back-pedal when he noticed Adam's glare, "I mean, except you, who's way above that level, Mr. I-can-take-down-a-Schnee-in-a-Knightmare!"
"I'd have finished her off were it not for her horde of Knightmares arriving…"
"Hey, come on, we'll get her next time! If you can take her down in a situation like that, imagine what it'll be like when there's not a rescue going on!"
Considering his words, Adam eventually huffed but wore a small smile, evidently content with his answer. Turning and marching upstairs while calling a final statement back to Tamaki.
"Inform the troops. Tomorrow, we need to start gathering information. Area 5… No, Vale is changing, and we must prepare."
Cutting down the last of the simple Beowolves, a huntsman turned to face the final few Ursa Minor, bear Grimm with bone-like spiked spines, sharp claws and a red-patterned mask.
Guess I must be near a large village. The huntsman thought, noting how relatively weak the Grimm he faced were compared to what he'd encountered these past weeks.
As an Ursa charged, it was all but child's play to sidestep the lunge before spinning his weapon around to cleave the beast's head off in a single strike.
This'll be easier than I thought… he idly noted as the remaining three approached, confident his victory was already assured. While they approached from all sides to avert the fate of their fallen comrade, the huntsman simply leapt forward and up, blocking the beast's attack with his weapon with a flourish before brining it down into the creature's skull.
It was in this moment that a pair of flying Grimm arrived – Griffons; enemies with weaker constitutions than the Ursa he faced, but with the advantage of aerial mobility and limited ranged attacks. Forced to quickly jump off the Ursa to avoid the Griffon's assault, the huntsman soon found himself without a weapon, buried as it was in his prey's still-dissolving skull.
Just my luck… He groaned, forced to use his Aura-enhanced arms and legs to block the Grimm's attacks when dodging proved too difficult. Beset by the two Ursa, his only reprieve was their large frames blocking the Griffons from raining shards of bone down upon him. He was slowly forced away from his weapon, too concerned with avoiding a damaging blow to consider a counterattack. One Ursa clawed from the right, he blocked. The other took a bite at his leg from the left, he kicked its face in retaliation. When the Griffon's found a gap, they threw shards at him from a range, so he weaved to re-position the melee-bound Ursa between them. Eventually, one of the Ursa was able to force him back against a tree. The Ursa struck, he dodged, and then noticed the particularly tall tree was now standing by a thread after the Ursa's attack, seeing as it was already damaged by some kind of rot.
One of the Griffon's flew down to attack, evidently tired of the stalemate the two sides found themselves in. An idea forming, he stood directly in front of the tree, intent on holding his ground against the Ursa for a few seconds while the Griffon approached. They were able to land harsher strikes with his insistence on staying in place, but the results were worth it: When the Griffon lunged, he jumped, then kicked off the tree to soar over the Griffon and back to his weapon. The force severed the already-damaged trunk, gravity taking hold as it quickly caved in. While the huntsman used his velocity to continue on, the Grimm were not as fast. At the centre of the event, the Griffon was quickly pinned down by the tree, while the Ursa turned to focus on him and charge. In their bloodlust-fuelled haste, they failed to notice the falling tree bearing down upon them until it was too late.
Three Grimm, one tree… heh. The huntsman chuckled to himself in amusement, turning to face his final opponent which was assumedly still hovering above him.
What he found was a Grimm attempting to flee the scene after realising its chances were fatalistic at best.
"Oi, get back here!" He called in annoyance, not wanting to let one escape. He rushed over to his fallen weapon, where the scythe's centre began turning like clockwork, receding the blade and morphing the weapon into a great-sword.
"I said…" he muttered, pulling both arms back and over his head.
"Stop!" he yelled, throwing the sword with incredible speed towards the flying foe. The Grimm turned its head, perhaps out of instinct, perhaps to keep its prey in sight, perhaps to try and observe & evade the oncoming attack. Regardless, it proved a useless gesture, as the sword flew through its turning head, splitting the skull in two so both the Grimm and sword stopped moving. Soon, it crashed back down into the trees.
Jogging lightly to find where the enemy had landed, the huntsman soon found the creatures body dissolving, leaving behind his sword.
Balanced high in the branches of a tree.
"… Of course." the man muttered bitterly before going to retrieve his weapon, all the while internally moaning about magic, Grimm and 'blonde bastards that got all the luck'.
Having reclaimed his weapon he used the height of the tree to regain his bearings, finding the tops of some houses poking out from the treeline a couple of kilometres away. Feeling the needs for a drink out of something other than his flask, to sleep on something other than the ground, and company that weren't trying to tear him limb from limb, he decided to head over and spend the night in safer territory.
Nearing the village edge, his scroll suddenly pinged a few times.
Huh? I've only been out of CCT range for a few days… Usually I only miss a couple'a calls at most… he thought, after the scroll kept pinging at his side.
And pinging.
And pinging.
Tired of the sound, he pulled out the device.
"Let's see… 26 missed calls from Taiyang!?" He exclaimed after seeing the frankly ridiculous number of missed calls from his ex-brother-in-law, "And three from Ozpin!?" he responded similarly to the far smaller amount.
Whatever it is, it can wait a few minutes… the man decided with a sigh, I need a drink…
While on his way to the local tavern, he thought instead to briefly skim over the messages he'd been sent. While his brother-in-law's were a panicked mess which he didn't even want to try and decipher, Ozpin's was a single VNN article headline.
'Patch citizen Ruby Rose arrested on Vale soil by the Britannian Empire on charges of treason!'
Across the ocean within the heights of Beacon tower, a silver-haired professor answered a call on his scroll to be greeted by Qrow's slew of royal-focused profanities moments later.
A/N:
And so we reach the end of move 2 - Next week we'll be properly in Beacon, which means the things are going to start slowing down after the initial onslaught of a lot all happening from the word go. Hopefully the slower pace will still be entertaining, though; it's honestly been surprisingly fun just plotting out how precisely initiation will be panning out with the jumbled cast, so with any luck reading it will be similar.
Next chapter may be in 2 weeks but may be 3 again; Some straggelrs from the January work rush to take care of, then should be able to get a chapter out every fortnight.
Other than that it's the usual feel free to comment with thoughts, predictions, criticisms, etc. etc.
Hopefully see you next time!