Taiyang was worried about Yang. Well, more worried than usual.
It started a week ago, after Yang woke up screaming from another nightmare. The day after that she shut herself in her room, and then the day after that she was acting… strange. Sometimes she was quiet, which was the new normal for his daughter, and other times she was murmuring under her breath, looking like she was talking to herself.
Of course Taiyang tried to approach her about it, but Yang had brushed him off, saying it was none of his business.
He had thought that the arm Ironwood had gifted her would get her out of her funk, or at the very least make her smile, but that didn't work.
Sometimes, he wished Yang would just talk to him.
"Dad?" Well, speak of the devil. Taiyang turned around to see his daughter. Strange, Yang was usually asleep by now.
"Oh, hey, sweetheart," he greets his daughter with a smile. "Sleep not working out?"
Yang blinked. "Uh, no- I mean, I'm sleeping better, but that's not why I'm… not sleeping."
Taiyang frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked.
"I came down to ask you a question, actually!" Yang says, suddenly sheepish. "Maybe more, depending on your answer."
Alright, that's cryptic. "Okay…?"
"Right! Uh… what was Headmaster Ozpin like?"
"What?" Of all the things Taiyang thought Yang would ask, asking about her (presumably) dead headmaster wasn't on the list.
"Like- what do you know about him? His home life, his semblance, his secrets, stuff like that." Yang says, face a little red.
"… Not much." A ton, but Yang didn't need to hear that. "He is-was, a good man, but I didn't know him all that well" He hated lying to his daughter, but to be fair he didn't expect her to suddenly ambush him with questions about his body-hopping, thousand year old boss. "What's with the sudden interest?"
Yang seemed to be thinking for a response, her face scrunched into a grimace. "I- I'm just curious?" Yang says, unconvincingly.
Taiyang raised an eyebrow. "Yang..."
Yang laughed, incredibly forced. "It's... crazy. You'll think I'm crazy." She looks down.
"Oh honey..." Taiyang pulls Yang into a careful hug. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
Yang hugged him back with her one arm. "I'm just... scared."
"And that's okay. You're just a kid after all. It's alright to be scared, especially after what happened to you."
"It's... not just that, anymore." Yang pulled away from her father and took a deep breath. "I... hear his voice. In my head."
What? Taiyang looked at Yang incredulously.
"I-It started last week, that night in my room. I didn't know what was happening and I know it sounds crazy but I swear that he's there and I'm-" Yang was cut off by Taiyang hugging her again, a bit too tight.
"..." Taiyang was silent for some time. "... What's Oz saying now?"
"He's saying... I'd like my cane back?"
Taiyang only hugged Yang tighter.
"... So what's... this?"
"Perhaps you could elaborate, Miss Xiao-Long?"
"This. The whole thing with you in my head. Is it your semblance?"
"Of a sort."
"Why are you still so cryptic? The whole 'me thinking you're made up' stuff was because you were being so vague about everything!"
"I tried to explain, you just didn't listen. Worry not, all will be revealed in time."
"This about the guy dad went to get?" Yang asks. Taiyang had pretty much rushed out after making sure she wasn't going to break down into tears (it was close, but he didn't need to know that) talking about 'needing to get someone'.
"The 'guy' is a she, but yes." Ozpin corrected.
"Hm." Five seconds of blissful silence passed. "God, this is so weird."
"Gods"
"What-"
"I'm back!" Taiyang announces, opening the door. "Hey Yang, hey Oz."
"Hey dad." Yang greets her father. "Find who you're looking for?"
"Uh, yeah. You might recognize her actually, it's-"
"Hello again, Miss Xiao-Long."
Yang's eyes widened in surprise. Yeah, she definitely remembered that voice. Hard to forget it when most of the time it was telling her to go to detention.
A familiar figure walked through the door. Clad in her usual white blouse and purple cape, Glynda Goodwitch, her former teacher and the current headmistress of Beacon Academy.
"I'm glad you've recovered." Ms. Goodwitch says. "But I suppose you'd like answers for you and Ozpin's predicament."
"Uh, yeah, kinda." Yang mutters. She sits down on the couch, still surprised by her old teacher's sudden appearance. "You know about Ozpin's semblance?"
"I never said it was my semblance. Only that you may describe it that way." Ozpin buts in.
Of course Ozpin's still being cryptic. Yang's honestly surprised she never found it annoying before.
"Yes." Glynda says, looking down at Yang. "Although, I'd have never expected you to be his latest host. No offense." She admits, looking at Taiyang, who has decided to sit on the table in front of Yang.
"Yang, the situation with you and Ozpin's is... complicated. Honestly, the truth's kinda insane." Taiyang says.
Yang smirked. "Dad, I have a voice in my head and you're both acting like that's normal. Nothing's gonna faze me anymore."
Glynda and Taiyang looked at each other. "Very well then." Glynda begins.
"What's your favorite fairytale?"