Greetings everyone!
I hope you enjoy this new story, and please don't take it too seriously. I wanted to write something silly and goofy just as a kind of relaxing activity. Life has gotten pretty crazy, and I'm still adjusting to my new schedule. I won't lie to you all and say that I've had no time for writing, but I've honestly just been so tired and frazzled that I've been putting it off to spend time with friends or just read. I think I'm ready to dive back into things, however, because writing this was a ton of fun!
I can't promise that I'll manage to update things quickly (If I'm not happy with something I usually take some time to work through it or take time off to think), but I'll work on managing time better and actually putting some words on the page!
Anyway, let me just get this out of the way: I have NOTHING against Ozpin as a character, I just wanted to write something silly and kinda gravitated towards the 'Old Wizard Dude'. If it doesn't become glaringly obvious, this story IS NOT cannon compliant. I'm hoping to include as many things from cannon as possible, but there will be many minor and major changes. Characters may not behave EXACTLY as they do in the series, but I'm going to try and get them as close as they could be with all this fresh new madness sprinkled about on top of them. I'll leave some thoughts at the bottom.
This story will not be a directly linear tale, it will jump around in time a bit (Nothing major, like first day of Beacon one chapter to a story about Oscar the next) and things may interweave into multiple segments. Right now I'm viewing this story as more of a fun writing challenge, not a serious epic that needs to be told; I know how it must end, but getting there's going to be a bit of an adventure for me too.
To everyone who's ever written me a review: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I read each and every one of them and am truly touched that you chose to take the time to leave a comment on my work. Even if it's a correction, it means so much to me that you'd make the effort to help me get better.
You all keep me going, and I truly hope you're days are as blessed as you make mine feel.
-Amaratsu
When Raven 2.0 walked into his office, headmaster Ozpin regarded her over steepled fingers. Or, well, he tried to. It was difficult to see her through the small window he'd built, and she hadn't had the good sense to enter a little more to the right.
Good grief, some people just never learned.
"Oh for—" The stern woman cut herself off with a frustrated hiss. "Professor Ozpin." She said a moment later, sounding only slightly more composed, "What are you doing?"
Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon academy, seat-holder on the council of Vale and wizard extraordinaire shifted in his seat so he could see her face while still maintaining his wizardly pose from within the fortress of paper he had constructed. "Paperwork." He answered in a cryptic voice, adjusting his non-prescription spectacles (wizards needed spectacles, it wasn't his fault this body hadn't managed to fall in line with expectations!) so that they reflected what little light made it through the hole he was using for a window.
2.0 Took a deep, calming breath. "Why, pray tell, have you chosen to go about doing paperwork in such a manner? She asked, her voice shaking ever-so-slightly with barely repressed irritation, "The new term starts soon, we don't have time for this foolishness."
"I have a plan, dear Lydia." Ozpin declared boldly, "A plan that will strike a mighty blow against our hated enemy, a plan that requires this paperwork to be handled in such a manner." 2.0's joints popped as she squeezed her riding crop in a white-knuckled grip. "Yes…" Ozpin crooned lowly, "Give in to your anger Gilda, let it flow through you… Destroy this nasty paperwork, we can chalk it up as another 'filing error'! If we're lucky—and lax with discipline—we might not need to dig into any student's permanent records for years!"
The sound of teeth grinding together filled the room. Ozpin really wasn't sure how she managed to do that so loudly so often without being left with only gums. Perhaps she was a witch, just like he was a wizard. Hadn't he only sought her out because he'd heard she was a particularly good witch? Why had he thought that again? Questions for another time. He'd answer it one day, just like he'd discover the answer as to how Salem managed to cause global warming and invent/popularize decaf coffee.
Damn that Salem. Her evil deviousness knew no bounds or limitations.
What was he doing again?
A riding crop slapped on the palm of a hand, bringing him back from his important wizardly thoughts quite rudely. Ah yes, duty called, he supposed he could forgive her for her lack of patience. "Headmaster Ozpin," 2.0 snapped, sounding rather bitter about that first word, "I've already processed most of this paperwork, most of it only requires your signature."
"Why not use that nice forgery set I got you for your last birthday?" Ozpin pointed out reasonably, "It was quite difficult to obtain."
2.0 growled, looking mere moments away from losing all semblance of sanity. He kept telling her that she needed to work on her patience. "Headmaster," She said, eye twitching wildly, "As long as you remain in charge of this school, I refuse to do your job for you."
Ozpin took a sip from his mug of liquid magic and reached out to lay a comforting wizardly hand on her shoulder. Unfortunately, since he was still encapsulated in paperwork, he settled for awkwardly patting the window. "Worry not young Lindsey, once this body passes, I have great faith that you'll be able to run this prodigious academy until my return."
2.0 looked mere seconds away from breathing flame, which would serve his purposes nicely if she could manage it, but she managed to wrangle in her temper with an explosive (unfortunately not literally) sigh. "Headmaster, please just come out of there. You can't stay in there forever."
"Categorically false!" Ozpin cried, scandalized, "I had the good sense to bring the coffee maker in with me this time, I can stay in here as long as it takes!"
2.0 blinked, then peered around the fortress of paperwork to where his coffee maker usually sat, "You didn't… ugh, you did, dammit Ozpin…"
"With this, I have become unstoppable." Ozpin declared ominously, steepling his fingers in that way he'd been told looked appropriately mysterious and wizardly, "There's only one thing I need to bring my plan to fruition."
"I'm not helping you destroy the paperwork, headmaster."
"Two things." Ozpin corrected, "Lysandra, be a dear and hand me that empty bottle beside you. You took longer than expected and I have… need of it."
He may have broken her, which would be a shame. 2.0 lacked the flair for dealing with paperwork that he'd so loved in the original, but she made up for it somewhat with her efficacy. That and he'd grown quite fond of the coffee she brewed, it always made his mouth numb and tingly in that wonderful way he'd come to crave.
It also had made his hair go white prematurely, but sometimes sacrifices had to be made in the fight against Salem.
Ozpin was brought out of his musings by the gentle 'ding' of the elevator as 2.0 pointedly walked out of his office. Ah, she'd taken the bottle with her, that felt rather unnecessary.
Oh well, he had other means of getting the help he needed.
Ozpin's fingers danced across his scroll, pulling up and dialing a number with the ease of familiarity. It rang for nearly a full minute before it was picked up, "Oz…?" A voice rasped, groaning as its owner apparently checked the time, "What's up, it's early…"
"Crow. We have a situation." Ozpin said solemnly, careful to only refer to his agent by the codename he'd so carefully selected.
"Oz, y'know I don't do 'situations' before noon…" Qrow grumbled as sheets rustled.
"Quite." Ozpin said shortly, he was well aware of his agent's… proclivities, "However, something unexpected has reared its head."
That seemed to get Qrow's attention. Bloodshot eyes closed as the man let out a monstrous yawn before cracking his neck and fixing Ozpin with a surprisingly lucid stare. "So did you want me to give up my mission here?" Qrow said, raising an eyebrow, "I think—"
"Crow." Ozpin said sharply, "You know better than to discuss the mission without first ensuring that both of us are 'clean'."
"Wha—Oz, you can't be serious!" Qrow protested.
"Password Crow, I taught you better than that."
Qrow's explosive sigh buzzed through Ozpin's scroll, he ran one hand through his hair (a pointless gesture really) before squinting blearily at his palm. "Gimme just a second here, it's, uh, leadsten? Wait, no, loadsten? Dammit, I told her not to write her number over—"
"Loadstone." Ozpin corrected, rolling his eyes. Still, it was a relief, only Qrow could get the passcodes wrong so reliably. He'd have actually worried if the man got it on the first try.
"Right." Qrow snorted but had the good sense not to roll his eyes, "I'm close Oz, I can practically taste the 'Legendary Doro'. Ya still want me to pack things up and head back?"
Ozpin blinked; He'd been so busy with paperwork that he'd nearly managed to misplace that particular piece of information. He hadn't forgotten. Wizards don't forget things.
"No." He said regretfully, "If you're that close, we'd be best served keeping you where you are. Such a rediscovery could give newfound hope and joy to humanity for years to come, striking a devastating blow against Salem and her forces of darkness."
"Yeah, yeah." Qrow said, yawning again, "Still got dibs on first bite though, that giant chip's got my name on it, mark my words."
"I can hardly begrudge you your finder's fee, Crow." Ozpin chuckled, "I'm still shocked that this matter flew under my radar for so long. I would have never realized that the word 'dorito' means something like 'little doro' hinting at the existence of a bigger legendary snack chip without the insights you provided me from that lovely 'read it' site."
"Er, yeah! I'm glad you agreed it was worth a look. Don't you worry, I'll leave no skirt unturned." Qrow enthused before paling inexplicably.
"A good plan. The locals could be hiding a clue. I've heard of all sorts of things being shoplifted under women's apparel, makes me think that we really should go with Ironwood's old scheme of mandated mini-skirts."
"I would be behind that all the way." Qrow said seriously, color returning to his face as he smushed it against the camera.
"I'll look into it. Contact me if you find anything, I'll send your new code word through the usual channels."
"Er, yeah, could we talk about that?" Qrow said hurriedly, giving Ozpin pause. The old wizard cocked an eyebrow, and his dark-haired agent squirmed uncomfortably. "So, could you maybe just send the codeword over my scroll? I don't know how you're doing this, but the last time you sent your 'attack birds' I was in the middle of chatting up—Er, getting some good information."
Ozpin gave Qrow a considering look, careful to hide his slight smirk behind his folded hands. "I'm afraid what you ask is impossible Qrow." He said calmly, "Some things, once put in motion, are impossible to stop."
"Come on Oz, work with me!" Qrow pleaded, sounding desperate, "It'd take just a couple of seconds if you sent me the code over my scroll."
"Not safe enough." Ozpin replied easily.
"Ironwood had our scrolls secured himself," Qrow argued, "They're secure."
"For lower level communications, perhaps." Ozpin conceded, "But not for the messages we share."
"Oz—"
"I'm sorry Qrow, my hands are tied." Besides, it had taken hours of hard work ignoring paperwork to train those birds. He'd be damned before he wasted all that effort. Ozpin let a slight smirk play out across his lips, Salem had no doubt ever considered the possibility of using coded pigeons, just another reason he'd no doubt achieve victory over The Mistress of Evil.
"Could you at least send the codeword all at once rather than one letter at a time?"
Ozpin refocused on the conversation at hand, what had they been talking about? Oh well. He gave Qrow his best wizardly grin, eyes dancing with secrets no mortal could ever comprehend, "I'm sorry Qrow, but that's just how it works."
Qrow studied Ozpin's face for a moment, then let out a defeated sigh, "Yeah, alright. I'll let you know what I turn up." He groaned.
"Excellent." Ozpin said, pleased. The other man just let out a long-suffering sigh before giving a careless salute and cutting the feed.
Ozpin settled back in his chair and took inventory. He was surrounded by the enemy, closed off from any support, and in possession of a dangerously full bladder. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He picked up his scroll and dialed a number.
It only got through the first ring before going suddenly dead. Ozpin frowned, redialed, and was promptly informed that the device he was attempting to contact had been turned off. The old wizard raised a single eyebrow, then made a few complex motions with his fingers and hit the call button again.
Somewhere far across remnant nearly thirty scrolls, including one that had until just seconds before been turned off, rang simultaneously.
This time, they picked up. "What?!" A voice snarled through the receiver; The video feed tellingly disabled.
"We have a situation." Ozpin said calmly, graciously choosing to ignore the rude greeting, "Do you remember the last codeword I sent you? I can send another if—"
There was an odd crunching sound, and the line went dead. Ozpin frowned. A few more complex gestures later, he tried again.
"How do you keep getting these numbers?!" The voice seethed once they'd picked up once more.
"I have my ways." Ozpin replied, smiling slightly. He was fortunate that her little army of bandits hadn't changed their numbers once Qrow had moved away. His little trick would only work once if he didn't sell it, maybe not even then, but the threat he faced was more than worth the risk.
The sullen silence on the other end of the scroll told him that he didn't have much longer to make his case. "I'm in need of your assistance agent Edge-Lord." He said formally, more than aware of the risks he asked her to face.
There was a beat of startled silence and Ozpin leaned forward to stare down at his scroll curiously, momentarily worried that she'd hung up again. Close as he was, he nearly toppled over when the scroll exploded into an ear-shattering blitz of expletives and obscenities.
"Young lady, I don't know where you learned this kind of language, but—"
Raven cut him off by telling him to do something with parts of his anatomy that, if possible, would have been an impressive bit of flexibility and matter manipulation. Ozpin pinched the bridge of his nose, "Raven, you don't understand—"
"No, you don't understand Ozpin," Raven hissed, spitting his name like a curse, "I put all your self-righteous bullshit behind me years ago, I gave everything up for this! You can't make me come back."
"Well, not technically true." Ozpin corrected on reflex; going by the deathly silence that settled over the line, it was a mistake.
"Your 'gift'… I see." Raven said, her tone dangerously neutral. Ozpin cringed slightly, it was never a good sign when she sounded like that. "I should have known it wouldn't come without a catch."
"Now, now, Raven," He reasoned, trying to hold onto his wizardly composure, "Let's not go putting words into my mouth."
"I think the time for that is well past." Raven said, her voice a deadly purr of rage and anticipation, "I won't be coming quietly, and I won't give you the chance to force me either."
Ozpin blinked as he heard the telltale sound of a portal swirling to life, he'd honestly thought that it'd take him more work to convince her to drop by and help him with his problem. Oh well, sometimes he even had to admit that he impressed even himself, he was a genius after all. Speaking of…
"What the fu—What is this?!" Raven snarled as she portaled herself right into his trap.
"Elementary my dear." Ozpin said with a satisfied smirk, "I didn't want it to come to this, but I of course took your semblance into account while building my bunker. You may have some control over where your portal ends up, but there are rules that even your portals must follow."
"Did—Did you just box me in?"
Ozpin allowed his smirk to grow, "If there's only one place for your portal to appear, appear there it shall."
Raven let out a wordless howl of rage, and he heard the orgasmic sound of paper shredding as a crimson blade was torn free of its scabbard with a vicious grace only one woman was capable of. Ozpin leaned back in his chair, satisfied. 2.0 was good, but even she paled in comparison to the original model. Still, he felt that a fair warning was in order. "I'd be careful if I were you," He said, somewhat apologetically, "I was forced to strategically make use of your daughter's paperwork." He definitely hadn't forgotten and included it in the fort without thinking, he wouldn't do that.
Paper rained down like confetti as the whirling ball of rage and steel stilled, crimson eyes found his and he had to repress a shiver at the eerie similarity they held to another's gaze. He'd offered to have them replaced once, Ironwood had been more than happy to provide the technology for what he'd believed to be a wounded warrior, but she'd been rather adamantly attached to her eerie eyes for some odd reason.
"You—You dare threaten me with…?"
Ozpin frowned, pulling himself back into the moment as Raven's crimson eyes widened with some emotion he couldn't identify, her face turning bone white, mouth thinning into a single severe line. He was distracted momentarily as the resemblance intensified, "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" He finally asked.
Raven's eyes were pinpricks of black nested in an ocean of red, her breathing quick and shallow, Ozpin might have asked her if she needed a chair if he hadn't already used them to support his escape tunnels.
He was once again thankful for his plentiful foresight when Raven burst into flame and launched herself at him with an enraged scream.
Opzin's aura flared against the sudden heat as he ducked into one of his escape tunnels with a composed and controlled sound that most certainly wasn't a yelp. "I believe you might be misunderstanding something!" He shouted as a veritable papercut-tornado materialized in his office, whipping papers around with hurricane force.
He'd always known paperwork would be the death of him, damn that Salem and her cunning ways.
"It's you who doesn't understand!" Raven roared over the howling wind, "I gave up everything to stay out of this, I won't let you drag me back into it! You may have raised me old man, but I've paid my worth in blood and friends and years!"
"Technically I'm still owed that subway coupon." Ozpin's mouth said as he ducked out of sight, he really needed to tell it to stop doing that.
"That's not a thing! No one knows what that is!" Raven screamed, "I never know what you're talking about!"
"Then it should be believable that this is all another big misunderstanding, right?" Ozpin reasoned from where he crouched heroically behind a pillar, the ball of energy and death that was his one-time pupil seemed to search for him and he was relieved to find that the winds were hiding the origin of his voice.
"It doesn't matter." Raven said after a moment, "You'll just pull me back in anyway now that you know the truth."
"I am quite disappointed in you, young lady." Ozpin chided her gently, "This is a big thing after all." He watched as the figure in the eye of the storm stiffened, and smiled a little to himself, Raven had always hated to disappoint him. Still, this little game had gone on long enough, so he stepped out into sight confidently, leaning on his cane. "Just when were you planning on telling me about your new Semblance? It's impressive, but I hardly see how this is something worth killing a lonely old man over."
The winds cut out as abruptly as they came, and Raven settled back down to the floor with a defeated slump to her shoulders. "You don't have to pretend; I know you recognize Maiden powers when you see them."
Oh, right, of course, he knew that.
"So, what now?" Raven said, sword hand falling even as her grip on the weapon remained firm, "You know that I betrayed you; Took the power of a Maiden to prevent either you or her from getting the relic. I'm not going to come back Ozpin, you'll have to kill me to pass it on."
Ozpin opened his mouth to assure his former student that he wasn't nearly so barbaric, no point raising a finger when time would do the job for him after all, but once more his mouth beat him to the punch. "Technically that depends on whether the machine in the basement works or not, actually." Raven stiffened, crimson eyes flashing along with her weapon as she slid back into a defensive stance. Ozpin rushed to cover his mouth's blunder, "I very much meant the technically in that statement. I have no intention of lifting a finger against you or yours."
Raven looked like she had no idea how to process what he'd said, and while she'd slid ever so slightly out of her stance, she was far from relaxed. Oh well, he'd learned to accept small victories centuries ago. "You expect me to believe that?" Raven said, her voice low and incredulous, "I betrayed you, is there something about that you just don't understand?!"
Ozpin blinked, giving the woman he still couldn't help but see as a girl his full attention for the first time in their conversation. A small smile played out across his lips as the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place. Raven was as polished and deadly as the weapon she favored but, just like the Katana, she was brittle when struck in just the right place. "Raven, it's not as if you're preparing to hand those powers to Salem on a silver platter." He said calmly, regarding her over the silver gleam of his spectacles, "I am no longer your keeper, and it would not be the first time a Maiden rejected my aid and protection."
…Now that he thought about it, had any Maidens accepted his help? They'd all seemed more than happy to listen and learn when he'd sought them out to explain their (often dangerously unstable) new powers and responsibilities. It was truly bizarre that all of them eventually rejected his help, perhaps the Maiden powers brought with them mental instability and impacted decision making? A shame, it was truly irresponsible to believe that cool magic powers made you untouchable.
Raven was staring at him with an expression most akin to shock, but her sword had fallen to rest limply by her side. "You're just going to accept it?" She asked with a weak chuckle, "I abandoned Ta—I abandoned everyone. My friends, my family."
Ozpin shrugged, "I abandoned my home long ago in the name of destiny, multiple times in fact." He blinked, "Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure the one time I didn't try to ditch a family member is the incident that kicked off this whole mess." He shrugged before leaning forward to give Raven a steely look over his spectacles, "Firm your resolve with the righteousness of your cause, to admit defeat is to admit that every sacrifice you've made was pointless. After all, if you never admit when you're wrong, one day you'll no doubt be remembered as right."
Raven laughed at that, even if it was rasping and painful as she shook her head for some reason. Still, he was glad to see her let go of some of the tension kept her shoulders ramrod straight. Raven had far too little joy in her life, it was a relief to see her let go even in the smallest of ways. A good healthy laugh was beneficial for the heart, so he chose to ignore the single glistening tear that tracked down one cheek, and she eventually sheathed her sword and turned her back on him. "You're right, it's far too late for second guessing."
The tension was stiffening her shoulders again, and Ozpin sighed internally as he realized he'd likely have to step in. He'd never been especially good at the whole 'parenting' thing. "For what it's worth, while I may not agree with your decision to stay out of things, I am proud of you." Raven froze, and he smiled again, "It takes true courage to take the world onto your shoulders Raven, I should know. You've sacrificed much, and while I may say that it will all one day be worth it, that does not make the decision any easier. It is simple to become a martyr, to die a hero. It is infinitely harder to live with yourself when you must take actions that cast you as the villain."
Raven had turned back to face him, and he was startled to see the haunted look in her eyes. She must be more troubled than he'd expected to leave such obvious signs of weakness visible in her expression.
"When you die a hero, it only takes one decision. A difficult one, to be sure, but only one. You've made a decision that you must remake every day; One That you must live with every day. Do not look down upon the strength it takes to reaffirm your choices, that in of itself is worthy of respect."
There, it was done. Ozpin allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. Perhaps it was the knowledge that he didn't hold her decision against her would ease her troubled mind. It was a difficult choice to leave one's family, but it was the nature of little birds to one day leave the nest. If he'd known that she'd so regretted her time apart from himself and Qrow, he might have sent his agent to visit her sooner. Still, he was flattered, he'd had no idea that she'd been so emotional about leaving his side. His little hatchling had truly grown into a fine woman.
Raven stared at him for a moment longer, then let out a quiet chuckle as her shoulders relaxed. "Maybe I shouldn't be surprised that that's what you'd think of this whole mess."
Ozpin shook his head and let out a rueful chuckle, "If life is a learning experience, then I've had a rather inordinate amount of time to ponder its lessons."
"A surprisingly mature sentiment, all things considered."
Ozpin laughed, "I'll have you know that I am a mature adult, despite what you and Glanndis seem to believe. Now help me set fire to these children's transcripts, if we move quickly, I can likely fake my death long enough to check out that new brand of Keurig before anyone can enforce the restraining orders."
Raven glanced at him, then stared out over the remaining mounds of paperwork for a long time with a look of deep contemplation. "Is… is she anything like—" She paused, her voice oddly wooden, "Is she like me?"
"Glyndis? Oh, spirits no, I wish I could mold her into your image, but I fear she'll never share your… flair. Why, I nearly had her ready to trash all this horrid paperwork before you arrived, and she refused. Even after I gave her a rather stirring speech about the benefits of 'misfilings'! I have a reputation to uphold as a 'chill' and 'hip', headmaster! I can hardly accomplish that if I'm forced to maintain a permanent record of all their misdeeds. Just think of all the trouble some students may be in already for underage drinking, or starting bar fights, or dress code violations! I swear at times that we have far too many restrictions. We're raising warriors, we can hardly expect them to be model citizens."
Raven smirked, but her smile was brittle in a way that eluded him. "So, you're saying that Glynda didn't believe that being lenient on natural troublemakers would end well? Shocking."
"Isn't it just? I simply can't understand some people. Children will be children, and this way I can focus on what's really important: Force-breeding a semblance that produces infinite coffee!" He paused for a moment, "Oh, and fighting Salem I suppose."
Raven snorted, but finally turned back to face him. There was something to her expression, some resigned determination that he couldn't quite grasp, but he knew she'd made her choice. "I suppose I'm feeling nostalgic." She said simply, "I've come a long way since I was forced to be your secretary; Makes me wonder if I still have the magic touch."
"Magic touch…?" Ozpin said slowly, then burst out laughing. He wiped a single tear from his eye and gave his greatest protegee a proud look, "It is funny because you now have Maiden powers, quite the sense of humor I've instilled in you."
"Yeah." Raven said, her expression oddly wistful, "It's strange how you pick up things from the people you love."
"I'll pack my things, oh and get the body double ready! It's just like I told you when I was locked in that freezer for a day, always have a decoy!"
"Sure, Ozpin, sure." Raven said distractedly, her eyes following the old man for but a moment as he wandered out of earshot. It was fine, he was used to talking to people who'd long since disappeared or stopped listening.
She turned back to the veritable disaster zone that littered the floor of Ozpin's study, idly waving away some of the ash still raining down from her earlier assault. This would take a lot of fire. She glanced around at the sparsely decorated study and felt a small grin tug at the corners of her lips. She'd wondered when she was a little girl why the powerful old wizard never put more efforts into his living spaces, but she'd long since learned of his proclivity for burning down everything in his life on a regular basis.
They were similar in that respect.
"It's not much of a late birthday present, but I hope this helps kiddo. I'd tell you to stay out of trouble but you're our kid, so this may just be the best I can do for you."
She closed her eyes and a small lick of fire flickered to life in her hands. For just a moment she allowed herself to imagine it sitting atop a small cake, lighting a face she hadn't seen since it was small; Then she let it grow into a blazing inferno. "Happy birthday." She whispered.
/*/
"And you're sure those papers will work?" Jaune Arc whispered desperately into his scroll, casting a nervous look around the small diner he sat in before making an effort to sit up and appear inconspicuous. The effort was spoilt slightly by the guilty looks he kept shooting over his shoulder; By this point every patron in the establishment had already unanimously dubbed him 'The Hands in the Cookie Jar' kid in their heads.
"Trust me kid," His contact replied, somehow managing to make his voice swagger, "I have reason to believe that our forging methods are gonna be just good enough to pass muster."
Jaune took another guilty look around him before glancing down at the blank icon on the screen. He'd been lucky to be directed to AClockworkOrange on the online forums, if only he could meet guy in person to at least shake his hand. "Thanks again, you're a real lifesaver. Worth every Lien."
"Make me proud kid, make me proud."
/*/
Blake Belladonna paced the floor of the run-down hotel room anxiously. She couldn't believe she'd mistakenly sent in the wrong paperwork! There was no way they wouldn't know who she was, her last name was already intrinsically linked with The White Fang!
She'd only realized her error when she'd received her acceptance letter and realized that it wasn't addressed to Noire Nightshade, but to her true name!
Maybe they didn't know, maybe there had been a filing error and she'd just managed to slip past unrecognized… She had to lay low, play up the part of the bookworm loner… If she could slip by under the radar, she'd have no reason to fear someone busting out her file for discipline and coming to a painfully obvious conclusion based on her last name.
Blake sighed, slumping against the chipped paint on the door in defeat. She'd never exactly been a social butterfly, but Beacon was supposed to be her chance at a new life… It would have been nice to at least try and find some friends.
Oh brothers, her ears. She'd been planning on a fresh start, a new life, one she wouldn't have if she was a Belladonna with obvious cat ears. Was she trying to get caught?! Her eyes darted about in obvious panic, before falling upon the heavy black curtains that separated her from the dingy view outside. Not the highest quality fabric, but it'd do.
Blake glanced around at the obvious disrepair of the room she'd paid for and shrugged.
Gambol Shroud didn't let out so much as a whisper of sound as she drew it from its sheath.
/*/
"The transcripts must be infallible." The woman said imperiously over the screen hovering above his desk, the Queen piece taking up the majority of the image the only clue as to who exactly he was speaking to. "There must be safeguards in place, checks and double-checks. We may be able to fly by under the radar on something simple, but I will not stand for mediocracy, and neither will she. While I have taken the liberty to filling out the necessary paperwork myself, regrettably it falls upon your shoulders to ensure the proper steps are taken to sell our identities. I don't have to explain what will happen should anything be found to be… amiss. Do I?"
"No." Leo Lionheart, headmaster of Haven academy whispered.
"Good." The voice purred, as silky-sweet as honey but with a smokey undercurrent of cruel excitement that told him it was closer to propane. "I've taken great pains to ensure this plan succeeds, so you must follow my instructions to the letter."
Leo closed his eyes, his head sliding down to rest on the solid wood of his desk as the woman's voice droned on over him, he was fortunate that his contact remained so adamant about not making use of their scroll's built in camera. The woman went on to outline a ridiculously complex plan to ensure that her transcripts were not only infallible but were snuck into Beacon's archives without the knowledge of its defenders using a series of spies and plants.
Leo just didn't have it in him to tell his benefactor that he'd sent out an empty envelope weeks ago, and had received confirmation of their acceptance in the Vytal festival soon after.
It wasn't his place.
/*/
"And so, the wheels of fate turn once again." Ozpin whispered to himself, looking out into the distance as he considered the ripples of causality. "Pieces move, are sacrificed, in an endless game of cat-and-mouse."
"Um, Mr. Ozpin, sir, I'm not sure what you're talking about, but we really should be getting back to Beacon before Miss Goodwitch finds out. We're going to need this transport to drop the initiates off in the Emerald Forest for their test, and I'm already going to have to rearm and refuel it at this rate…"
"Oh, pish posh." Ozpin said, waving a hand dismissively, "We already had a perfectly functional method of delivering the students, you needn't worry so unnecessarily."
Ozpin's copilot, who seemed to be under the mistaken impression that he was actually the pilot, twisted to give him a deeply concerned look. "You mean those launch pad thingies? The ones that were discontinued years ago? The ones that Beacon came under investigation for using after they launched some poor kid into a sheer rock face?"
"Ah yes, good times." Ozpin said with a sage nod, "Whoever came up with the idea of launch pads was nothing short of a genius, wouldn't you agree?"
"Er."
"We're training the next generation of warriors my good man; We can hardly afford to coddle them."
"That's all well and good," The pilot allowed hesitantly, "But aren't landing strategies primarily taught in one of the second-year classes?"
Ozpin blinked, "They are?"
"Sir, I really must insist we turn around."
"Hold that thought." Ozpin announced abruptly, "It looks like Miss Goodvibes wasn't fooled by my body double. Shame on her, she knows that she's legally obligated to report a body." He shook his head disapprovingly, eyes fixed on the monitor showing his secretary rapidly approaching behind them on her telekinetically propelled riding crop.
"Sir?!"
"No time for that my good fellow." Ozpin interrupted, "Tell, me, you've got your parachute correct?"
"It's standard issue safety, sir—"
"Excellent," Ozpin said hurriedly, "Make sure you fire a flare on the way down."
"Wait w—"
The copilot's question was lost in a startled scream as Ozpin deftly primed and yanked the man's auto-eject lever, calmly watching as his gambit was lost to the encroaching dusk falling upon the Emerald Forest. Excellent, Raven 2.0 would never abandon an innocent unless she had to, he'd trained her well after all.
A flickering corona of light momentarily engulfed the vehicle, "Interesting." Ozpin murmured to himself, his secretary's telekinetic powers were growing stronger if she could attempt to influence a vehicle of this size at this range. Ozpin worked to coax more speed from the engine; 2.0 wouldn't be able to keep up with his getaway vehicle's top speeds, especially carrying his copilot.
As if to prove him wrong, the flickering telekinetic hold attempting to slow his Bullhead solidified. Ozpin tutted, and pushed the throttle forward, trying to buy a few more minutes. He nearly made it. A glance from the aft camera showed his furious secretary in hot pursuit, she must have switched from slowing his craft down to actively pulling herself after it, a clever tactic. The lights of the city twinkled, so tantalizingly close…
Well, in for a penny as they say. He never had learned to land, after all.
Ozpin slammed the stick forward, nearly flipping craft, and followed his brave copilot's lead.
/*/
He might have gotten away with it, might have faded back into the darkness of the city streets, had 2.0 not anticipated his sneaky scheme and flung the Bullhead at him. Ozpin clicked his tongue, there was no way he could allow an airship belonging to Beacon academy to smash into the commercial district of Vale, they were only just moving past the last batch of lawsuits…
It was an impressive maneuver, forcing him to play defensively in their little game. He'd have to mention how proud he was, his approval was certain to at least cool the flames of her anger.
Green energy flickered and crackled around Ozpin as he forced his aura outward into a small dome around him, falling to one knee and narrowing his eyes in concentration. He waited a beat, a single gentle inhalation, and then forced a portion of his aura downwards with explosive force to assist in rocketing him into the sky.
Green lightning struck around him as he blasted upwards towards the rapidly descending airship, tendrils of energy that sparked off the craft's armor and left it blackened and scorched. Ozpin extended his staff in a motion he was forced to practice with every new body until it was as ingrained in its muscle memory as it was in that of his soul, and forced the shimmering bubble of aura into a single point.
For a single, blissful moment his senses supercharged. He felt the beat of his life-force as it shot through every inch of the Bullhead until it found the fuel. Dust was highly reactive to aura, and as he wrapped the ship top to bottom in his own considerable reserves, he set it alight.
Anyone watching from the ground might have claimed to have seen a new star being born. The Bullhead turned white hot as the resulting explosion was carefully held to the surface of the vehicle like a second layer of skin.
What fell down to the city beneath him could hardly be identified as a part of anything, much less a transport from Beacon.
Ozpin smirked, satisfied, as he allowed the tug of gravity to pull him back to the streets below. The smirk fell when a corona of power wrapped around him and whipped him into a nearby building. Recovering quickly, Ozpin hurriedly broke the telekinetic field around him with a burst of aura and rolled to avoid the shrapnel 2.0 pelted towards his position. "This reaction hardly seems an appropriate response to a little mismanagement of files!" He called out, ducking a streetlamp that his secretary had torn from the ground and sent spinning after him.
"That was HOURS of my life Ozpin!" 2.0 screeched, a few strands of hair falling out of its usual neat bun as she turned anything and everything she could get her telekinetic mitts on into a projectile.
"Your sacrifice was as great and generous as you are!" Ozpin reasoned, splitting a mailbox with an aura-enhanced blow from his cane, "And now no one will have to suffer that fate ever again, isn't that a good thing?"
2.0 responded with a wordless howl, and Ozpin stumbled as the paving stones themselves were torn up from beneath him.
The unmistakable crack of a heavy weapon split the air.
2.0 froze, her eyes widening. Several more shots followed from nearby.
"Oh look, literally anything else!" Ozpin said, swiftly jumping on the opportunity, "You should go deal with that."
2.0's eyes snapped back to him, and the paving stones around him creaked ominously. Then an explosion rocked the evening air, followed by a plume of smoke rising from a street or two over. She seemed to struggle with something for a moment, the pointed an imperious finger at him. "You're coming with."
"Oh, pooh." Ozpin chided her, "You hardly need my help for an incident like this."
2.0 ground her teeth together, the sound notably similar to the creaking of the paving stones still hanging around him. "I'm not letting you get away Ozpin."
"Well, you're not technically letting me—"
He cut off as a young man in a Vale police uniform rounded the corner at a sprint, skidding to a halt as soon as he spotted them with a look of shock. 2.0 dropped the rocks immediately with a guilty start. The young officer seemed to collect his bearings, then ran forward to address them. "Are you two Huntsmen?" He asked hurriedly, "According to dispatch there's some little girl fighting Roman Torchwick ahead!"
"Oh my!" Ozpin exclaimed, trying and failing to hide his smirk, "Miss Goodwizzle, you must assist the young lady, Beacon's reputation may be on the line!"
2.0 shot him a venomous look, then seemed to come to a realization and turned to the officer with a sudden, calculating smile. "There's no cause for alarm officer, Beacon is already on the case; Headmaster Ozpin here has already managed to intercept one of Torchwick's automated Bullheads. You should take his statement while I apprehend the scoundrel."
Ah, playing to his ego, a crafty strategy.
The young man nodded hurriedly, clearly relieved to have a job that didn't involve running headfirst into the waiting arms of a dangerous criminal. "Understood Ma'am," He said respectfully, "Good luck!"
2.0 gave the boy a determined nod and cast one last stink-eye in Ozpin's direction before throwing herself into the air as another gunshot split the quiet of the darkened streets. The officer watched her go with a gobsmacked look on his face, but surprisingly little envy as he panted for breath after what had to have been a relatively short sprint. "Lucky I ran into you," He said after a moment, still sounding slightly winded, "These streets usually empty around this time when all those mom 'n pop stores close down."
"Perhaps our enterprising criminal was counting on that." Ozpin murmured distractedly; He hadn't realized he was on a time limit!
"If it's alright sir, I can take your statement now."
"Klaatu barada nikto." Ozpin stated immediately, then looked to the officer expectantly.
"Um, what?"
Ozpin blinked, stunned that the man didn't recognize his fail-safe codeword. Weren't all officers trained to release him if he told them the codeword? He could have sworn he'd worked that into Vale's laws… It wouldn't do to have the men and women of the law unnecessarily restraining him while he went about his business, after all. The boy must be new and had simply forgotten.
"Er—"
"It's quite alright." Ozpin reassured him magnanimously, "But perhaps we should step off the street. The remains of the Bullhead are scattered about, and I feel it would be better safe than sorry."
"Oh, of course." The officer said eagerly, relieved, "I'm sure we could walk to the station and—"
"That won't be necessary." Ozpin interrupted him gently, "We only need do little more than step off the battlefield. Why, this convenient alley right here should suit our purposes nicely, wouldn't you agree?"
"Oh right, yes, of course." The officer said, practically tripping over himself as he hurried to follow behind the older man like an overeager puppy.
Ozpin smiled, "Go ahead and take a seat, officer, and we can… do what must be done."
His new coffee machine was waiting.
/*/
One cane-assisted amnesia spell and about twenty minutes later Ozpin finally answered his scroll, casually pushing his newest acquisition in his endless battle against the forces of darkness behind a convenient dumpster and out of sight as he did. 2.0's withering look lost little of its power despite being restricted to the small screen, and he gave her a winning smile, "So how's our student doing?" He asked, trying to distract her.
2.0 snorted, "Surprisingly, she's not one of ours."
Ozpin blinked, "Really? That's a shock, the officer seemed so convinced it was a child fighting. Were they actually a young huntress?"
His secretary shook her head, casting a disapproving look over her shoulder at something offscreen, "She's only fourteen, apparently goes to Signal. I think we need to have a talk with a certain someone about teaching reckless fighting styles to a minor."
"Interesting." Ozpin murmured, suddenly businesslike, "Send me the security camera's footage of her fight."
"What?" 2.0 exclaimed, "Why?"
"Just a hunch." Ozpin said distractedly, opening the file as soon as it arrived. "Miss… Rose, is it? She fights quite well for her age."
"Yes." 2.0 said grudgingly, her tone suspicious, "She'll make an excellent huntress one day."
"One day soon perhaps." Ozpin said confidently, "Have her remain at the station, I wish to speak to her."
2.0's eyes narrowed dangerously, "She's just a child Ozpin. She may be talented, but she'll be far more talented when she comes of the proper age to attend Beacon."
"Never fear Glados," Ozpin said, once more glancing over the images of the young girl fighting. "There are many reasons I need this… Miss Rose, at Beacon; Many of which of a nature so sensitive that I do not wish to reveal them until I have more information."
2.0 stared at him for a moment, then her brow crinkled in an interesting combination of confusion and irritation, "Is this about your weird idea for a real-life magical girl anime again?"
"I need the Moe Glandis!" Ozpin shouted, "It's an integral facet for evening out the teams that's sadly absent from a large majority of our student's age group!"
"You can't be serious." 2.0 muttered, slapping a hand against her face.
"No, no, listen." Ozpin reasoned, "Just look at those adorably round cheeks, those huge puppy-dog eyes! She's perfect. I'm watching her smack around a bunch of suited goons and I still want to give her a cookie."
"I—I can't even—"
"Relax, I'll be there to meet her soon enough." Ozpin interrupted her hurriedly, plans he'd long since given up hope on coming together behind his eyes, "There's much to do in preparation, I feel like this year will be our best one yet!"
"Headmaster, I—"
Ozpin hung up, enthusiastically hefted his package and practically skipped down the street towards the police station. He hadn't lied, there was much work to be done. For his perfect plans to come to fruition, the girl would likely need some help. Perhaps a tutor of some kind? Her fighting style had been oddly familiar, perhaps he should hire one of her teachers on as her coach!
He froze suddenly, a snippet of the conversation coming back to him with startling clarity. She'd gone to Signal? Perhaps Qrow would know who'd taught her!
Nodding to himself, Ozpin set down his newest toy and quickly dialed his agent's number. The man's newest codeword wouldn't have arrived yet, but it should be fine so long as they stuck to vague information.
For once the man answered before the sixth ring, "Oz!" Qrow wheezed, his voice rough and panicked, "I've been trying to reach you!"
Ozpin blinked down at the man's image, he looked like he'd been through the wringer. His normally artfully messy hair was greasy with sweat and covered in dust, his clothing torn and dirty. "What on Remnant happened?!" The old wizard demanded.
"It was real Oz… I can't believe it was real…"
"Er, you can't believe what was real?"
"The Doro, Oz! It was real. Not a joke, not a myth, IT. WAS. REAL."
"Um, I—" Ozpin started hesitantly, not quite sure how to reassure the man.
Qrow didn't give him the chance. "It was really, really, real Oz! Can you believe it was real?!"
Ozpin blinked, "Weren't you the one who told me it was?"
Qrow turned red, "Er, yeah, definitely." He said hurriedly, "I'm—uh—just shocked I found it is all. Like, can you believe it?!"
"Right." Ozpin said, drawing out the word, "So what happened? I'm assuming the chip didn't do that to you."
One of Qrow's eyes twitched spastically, "No actually. Salem's goons did."
"She found the Doro?!" Ozpin exclaimed, alarmed.
"We did." Qrow stressed, "It was like some weird team-up episode from a cheap hero show! Then it turned us against each other… we fought over it, Oz." The dark-haired man shook his head and gave Ozpin a haunted look, "It's gone. Lost in the depths of the world. I'm starting to think it's better off that way."
"Oh. Well, I suppose it's alright so long as she doesn't have it." Ozpin tried to console his agent.
"I can't believe it was real. Can't believe I had to fight for it…" Qrow muttered, his eyes flicking around him rapidly, looking for threats, "I can't believe this is my life…"
"Um, well, yes." Ozpin blustered, trying to regain control of the conversation, "You've done very well. I had a question for you, but that can wait."
"Right, yes." Qrow muttered distractedly, "Can't believe that just happened…"
Ozpin shook his head sadly, privately deciding to send the man on a less stressful mission next, perhaps something low-key like actually fighting Grimm for once… "Get some sleep, agent." He said, waiting for Qrow's shaky nod before cutting the connection.
"A pity," He mused to himself, "Still, where one source of joy and positivity has been lost to us, another has been found." He glanced down at the images of the girl with the oversized scythe with a wicked smile, "Operation Moe is a go."
/*/
Somewhere deep in the Emerald Forest, a man swung listlessly from the torn parachute tangled hopelessly in the branches above. Not for the first time in the last hour, he mentally kicked himself for not having his flare gun properly secured to his person; Consequently, he'd lost the tool of his salvation immediately upon his ejection from the Bullhead.
"Hello?" He called out without much hope, he very much doubted anyone had managed to see his fall in the encroaching darkness.
What were they going to do for initiation? He was the only pilot trained to operate the new troop transport for Oum's sake!
I had to watch the Cinder vs. Ozpin and the Ruby/Glynda vs. Torchwick and Co. fights frame for frame for this one, it's like Blake vs. Torchwick all over again! There's a lot of powers that just kind of happen with no explanation in RWBY, like, I'm ASSUMING Glynda used her telekinesis semblance with dust to create the storm above Torchwick's Bullhead that rained ice, but IDK? You never see her use dust, there's no indication that she used it, it just looks like magic before they decided THERE'S NO MAGIC TOTALLY DEFINITELY.
But I digress. There's not a TON of information I could find for how Ozpin does things like move so fast to create after-images (And yet doesn't completely overwhelm Cinder in hand-to-hand) or spawn bubble shields, so I improvised. In this story, Ozpin has had CENTURIES to master the manipulation of aura. Most fighters use their aura to increase their strength and speed, but I figure it's not necessarily easy, and most just use it for a flat increase. Ozpin, on the other hand, has mastered fine control. He can push ALL of his aura into increasing JUST his speed, or JUST his strength, sacrificing in other areas while boosting certain attributes to INSANE levels. It requires intense concentration, thus why he can only do it in certain situations (When he does the super-speed thing, he holds absolutely still, and only makes precision strikes while never leaving his position; When he does something similar to strike Cinder, he does what appears to be a VERY practiced series of blows. We later see him teach that SAME combination to Oscar, who notably does it slower, but still pretty fast.) I kinda imagined it like Goku's explanation for his use of Kaio-Ken while fighting the Ginyu Force: Oz can boost certain attributes to EXTREME levels for a short period of time, but only in bursts. Think of it as temporarily putting 95 percent of your energy into your speed, while only 5 percent into strength. It'd be helpful for stopping something like ice, which easily shatters with precision strikes, but not so helpful for stopping another hunter's aura-empowered blow. Additionally, since aura is linked to the SOUL, I figure an ancient being like Ozpin would have plenty to work with. When you can technically out-speed OR out-strength any hunter in the world and use a little fine-tuning to get your other attributes to levels high enough to make up for it, you'd seem pretty unbeatable.
Ozpin in this story must be very powerful, that's why he can get away with some of this junk, but he's also inherently not unstoppable. Being immortal, he doesn't fear death, so he'll never truly fight with everything he has. If nothing can end you, I feel that you'd be hard-pressed to really view anything as a threat. Additionally, this Ozpin thinks himself a master negotiator, violence is so barbaric after all!
Let me know what you think, I know everyone wasn't necessarily 'on point', but I hope they were still enjoyable!
Stay happy and healthy.