Chapter 8: We are gonna be friends
Fall is here, hear the yell
Back to school, ring the bell
Brand new shoes, walking blues
Climb the fence, books and pens
I can tell that we are going to be friends
Yes I can tell that we are going to be friends
My day was already terrible as Yang and I walked to the dining hall after having to stay after class to talk to Professor Peach.
"Can you believe it, an icon of pop culture and she called it childish, fucking childish!" I ranted to Yang.
"I think she was more concerned about us playing it during class." She retorted, playing devil's advocate.
"It doesn't matter, she called Digi-oh the Gathering 'childish nonsense' like it's not the most competitive and influential card games out there, I mean people win millions in pro-league tournaments." I complained.
"It's a bunch of cards with robot ghosts printed on them Nick, it's not exactly high art." She pointed out.
"Well, I guess you're allowed to be wrong then." I said.
"Hey Nick!" a random student greeted for the umpteenth time.
"I have no clue who you are." I snapped as I breezed past them.
"Sorry, he's not used to compliments!" Yang called back to the shocked student. "You know it wouldn't kill you to be a tad kinder right?"
"It's true though, I have no clue who they are." I countered.
"They're just trying to be friendly." She pointed out as we walked into the dining hall.
"That's vaguely unsettling." I shuddered as I grabbed a tray.
"Like it or not, you're a hero now Nicky," She explained. "So you better act like one."
"And how does one act like a hero, Blondie?" I asked sarcastically.
"Be kind to people, stand up for others, save people." She listed off.
"Yeah, like that'll ever happen." I snorted as I followed her towards our table.
As we neared the table though I saw the path was blocked by a group of students. The obvious leader was a thin and lanky student who had his long greasy hair in a ponytail. His pale skin was pudgy, his black eyes looked rat-like and his mouth was drawn back into a sneer showing his crooked teeth. His gang, which was filled with more creepy misfits, seemed to be blocking someone while laughing at something he was reading to them.
"Oh there so strong those arms of his, for them to hold me would be such bliss, a tender caress a lovers embrace, he'd press a kiss against my face." he rhymed in his condescending nasally voice, causing his cronies to burst out laughing again
Suddenly Velvet managed to shove her way past them, her face twisted in anger and shame. She made a swipe for the book in his hands, but he yanked it away from her.
"Give it back, it's mine," she cried out, extremely embarrassed. "That's private, stop it!"
"Naw naw, I'm not done yet." he sneered at her, holding the book out of reach.
"Hey, walking cum-stain, mind moving back into your mom's basement so we can actually get to our table?" I interjected. His eyes narrowed and he scowled as everyone near us laughed.
"My, my, you're more well mannered than I thought you'd be." he said, his slimy grin slithering back on his face.
"Excuse me?" I asked, confused.
"Well I just didn't expect a street rat to have good manners." he giggled, his cronies joining in.
I've never been ashamed of being a vagrant, to me it was just another job only instead of worrying about paperwork it was trying to find food or a place to crash for a week. But something about the way he inferred that I was lesser because of it made my blood boil.
"You wanna take that back slimeball?" I growled.
"Naw, but I do want to know which basic education test you took to get in here, kindergarten or preschool?" He bent over laughing as his minions burst out laughing.
"Good one Morti." one of his goons guffawed.
"Hold this." I growled as I shoved my food tray into Yang's hands and marched up to him.
The freak, Morti, was laughing so hard he didn't see me until I smashed an uppercut directly in his mouth, whipping his head back. Not even giving him a moment to process what had happened I drove my right fist into his jaw again, this time I heard several things crack and felt a searing pain shoot through my ring finger.
I grabbed his collar and punched him a few more times in the face before throwing him to the ground. I was about to dive on him and continue the beating when a force field formed around me and a shrill voice reached my ears.
"Mr. Nicholas, what on earth do you think you're doing!" Glynda yelled at me as I stood trapped in the field.
I looked at Glynda, then at the bloody and battered Morti, then back at Glynda before asking.
"Is this a trick question or something?"
"Motherfucker!" I screamed as I threw an empty bullet casing at the wall in frustration. I looked down at the piece of white bone protruding from the crooked finger on my right hand. I had taken 4 ounces of dust, 6 bullets and even a crystal chunk and for some reason it still refused to heal. I was considering going and getting pliers from the forge when a knock at the door interrupted my pity party.
"It's unlocked." I grunted, staring at my finger. The door opened and Velvet walked in timidly, staring at the stuff that I had thrown strewn around the room.
"Is this a bad time, because if it is I..." she began.
"No it's ok, I just busted my finger." I showed her the twisted appendage.
"Oh my Oum, does it hurt, we can go to the doctor if you want." She began to fret as she grasped my hand and began to examine it.
"It's fine, I'll just ignore it until it heals." I dismissed, pulling my hand away. "Why are you here?"
"I came to see if you're ok, and to ask what happened with Oz." she explained as she sat down next to me.
"He went on some long-winded lecture about my 'anger issues' and how I need to 'just count to three' and said I need to come back to discuss my punishment, my finger was killing me so I didn't pay attention all that much." I explained.
After I finished I realized how close she was sitting to me. Normally I hate it when people are near me but for some reason, I didn't mind.
"Thank you again, and I'm sorry that you have to keep saving me." She apologized timidly.
"It's nothing." I brushed off.
"No it's not, you put yourself in harm's way to protect me, that's far from nothing." She explained.
"If you say so," I sighed, not wanting to get into it. "Why don't you fight back?"
"It's complicated." She deflected while fidgeting with my sheet.
"Not really, you just beat the crap out of somebody if they say something you don't like." I explained.
"It's not that, it's just...I don't want to sink down to their level." She said.
"Trust me violence is the only thing those people understand, it's a by-product of their cowardice." I said as I leaned back. "A thousand soft spoken words couldn't deliver the same message as a punch in the face."
"Oh, um, so...why were you and Yang late?" she said changing the subject
"Peach caught us playing Digi-oh in class." I said, Velvet's eyes lit up instantly.
"You play Digi-oh?" She asked, surprised.
"You play Digi-oh?" I countered, equally surprised.
"What faction do you play?" She asked, smiling.
"The Techno-mancers of course." l grinned, she groaned and wrinkled her nose.
"Nick, please tell me you don't Revive Swarm." She begged. My shit-eating grin gave me away almost instantly. "Oh Oum, you are the worst kind of player in the game!"
"Alright miss high and mighty, what do you run." I asked, grinning like an idiot.
"Polter-byte Assassins." She snickered.
"Alright, you legally cannot make fun of me while you play the single most unbalanced faction in the game!" I laughed.
"What does Yang play?" Velvet asked.
"I'll give you a hint, she's never one a single game." I said.
"Data Reavers...no, LAN riders?" She guessed
"Nano-mummies." I answered.
Both of us were silent for a second before we both burst out laughing. Velvet doubled over and I nearly slid off my bed.
Unfortunately, our laughter was cut short when I accidentally flexed my hand, sending pain shooting through my finger.
"Oh my god, Nick are you ok?" Velvet asked as I grimaced in pain. She grabbed my hand again and looked at it once more.
"Wait a minute." she muttered as she grabbed the bone and gave it a small tug, pulling it out of my hand. Instantly the pain vanished and my finger immediately straightened out. I looked over and saw that the 'bone' in Velvet's hand wasn't actually a bone after all. It was one of Morti's teeth.
"Oh my Oum!" Velvet yelled as she flung the tooth across the room and wiped her hands on her skirt "You had his tooth in your hand!"
"Holy fuck!" I yelled before dissolving into giggles, Velvet soon joining me.
"It's not funny." she laughed.
"No it's not." I giggled in agreement.
Maybe people aren't so bad after all.
Velvet and I talked for an hour (or two, or three) before she had to go back to her dorm to study for a test, but we had agreed to meet up at lunch to squeeze in a quick Digi-oh match.
With nothing better to do I decided to actually attend my meeting with Ozpin just to kill the time.
As I approached Oz's door, I noticed voices from behind the door. From the sounds of it several men were in a heated argument while one tried to calm them down.
Hesitantly I knocked on the door to no avail, the shouting must have been too loud. I knocked a few more times but after the same results I pushed the door open and invited myself inside.
Three men were standing around Ozpin's desk arguing, while Ozpin fruitlessly tried to calm them down. Their arguing stopped as soon as I walked as they turned to stare at me. Ozpin, who was sitting at his desk, looked relieved at my appearance.
"Nicholas, do come in." He practically begged.
I walked in and got a better look at the three men. The only man sitting down was muscular with scarred olive skin, a massive mustache and dark green eyes. He was dressed in a plain desert camo uniform, in fact, if it weren't for the medals pinned to his uniform I would assume he was a basic foot soldier.
One of the men standing was well built with greying hair, a short beard, blue eyes and implants in his head. He wore a white suit with lapels, a black shirt under it and a red tie.
The other man standing was young with a sharp chin, slicked-back brown hair and grey eyes. He was wearing what appeared to be a green camo fox hunting jacket with black undershirt and pants. He also had a cane under his arm and a flat cap in his hand like he was just about to leave.
"Mr Nicholas this is General Abdulla, General Ironwood and General Osian." He explained.
"So this is your weapon Ozpin." Osian said in a haughty voice, inspecting me.
"For Oum's sake Leon, he's a boy not, a weapon." Abdulla said gruffly, Osian flinched from being referred to by his first name.
"You may be indifferent to your people's suffering, but I refuse to abandon those whose fate I have been charged with protecting." He hissed back.
"Just the rich ones, or have you improved your policing since the last time I visited." Ironwood sneered.
"Gentleman, let's not forget why you are here, as you know according to the Salem War treaty if any persons that have strong or unusual powers is discovered in a kingdom, their existence must be brought to the attention of the leaders of the other kingdoms' armies." Ozpin explained desperately.
"And brought it to our attention you have, now excuse me but I have better things to do than spend my time in the company of incompetent cowards ." Ironwood said before turning heel and storming out of the office. Osian turned his attention to me, puffing his chest out and staring directly in my face.
"If you find yourself in Mistral you better toe the line or I will lock you up and melt the key." He spat before leaving like Ironwood. Abdulla stood up and walked over to me next.
"I apologize for them, they are like children." He said cheerfully as he extended his hand. I shook it, matching his firm grip which caused him to laugh.
"Saadah Abdulla, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He said.
"Nick, just Nick, and same to you." I returned.
"Well Nick if you ever find yourself in Vacuo, give me a call and I'll show you around." He smiled as he left the room too.
Ozpin gestured for me to have a seat.
"What the fuck was that?" I asked as I sat down.
"Politics Nicholas, just politics," He sighed. "Now let's discuss your consequences"
He straightened up and rearranged a few stray pens on his desk.
"Now Glynda suggested very strongly that I punish you harshly for your...transgressions" He said as I rolled my eyes. "I however, feel you deserve to have a chance to work out your issues in a more constructive and supportive environment."
He stood up and took a sip of coffee before continuing.
"And so I have decided to assign you mandatory therapy." He declared.
"...What?" I asked, I must not have heard him properly.
"You have therapy, Nicholas." He repeated.
One of my eyes began to twitch and my brain started calculating how far I could get before someone found his body.
"Do you wake up in the morning trying and decide to be a cunt to me or does it just come naturally." I asked