Big Issues
AN: First things first, today is the last day of 2021! I hope you all have a good New Years celebration. Hopefully, 2022 will be better for all of us than the past two years. At the same time, the one-year anniversary is coming up, though I can't say that I have anything special planned for it beyond ensuring that the series will continue.
But now, things begin to get more serious and will stay that way for quite a while. The emotional roller coaster will continue to roll on with a lot of track ahead to travel on. But let's get to the story.
Vytal Tournament – Vital Secrets
"Well, it comes to no surprise that they've chosen you to move onto the final round of the tournament." Ozpin praises Pyrrha as she sat on the other side of his desk. The two had begun the exchange of small talk almost as soon as the girl had stepped through the elevator, which coincidentally kept the pair in the shadows from being noticed "Your performance has been exemplary."
"Thank you, Professor Ozpin. But I never would have made it this far without my teammates." Pyrrha was as humble about her accomplishments as expected. This was something that was hoped to continue as there were far too many Huntsmen and Huntresses who became overconfident and boastful of their skills, some to the point that they'd neglect their own training to ensure that they could back their words.
"Personally, I think it's the other way around." A rough voice calls out from the shadows, causing the Mistral Champion to turn in her seat to find Qrow now leaning on one of the pillars in the office where just enough light reached from the desk to reveal the scruffy looking man.
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've been introduced." Pyrrha stands from her seat to face the man directly, still being as polite as ever.
"The name's Qrow." The man introduces himself.
The name sounded familiar to Pyrrha, an uncle of Ruby and Yang if she recalled correctly. But she didn't get the chance to ask as Ozpin began speaking again.
"Qrow is a trusted colleague of mine." The Headmaster gestures to the Huntsman as the girl looks to him.
But things began to feel a bit off to the Spartan warrior and she wanted answers. "Professor, if you don't mind me asking, why have you called me here?" She asks.
"Please, take a seat." The man requests and from the corner of her eye, Pyrrha sees that Qrow had yet to move from his position of leaning on the pillar with his arms crossed. Clearly, he was there to listen and be a witness of sorts… but to what? She returns to her recently vacated chair, still glad that it was large enough to hold her rear comfortably. She was also glad that she had changed from the pajamas she had been wearing and back into her armor, at least to maintain a professional appearance.
Ozpin leans back in his chair and clasps his hands in front of himself. "What is your favorite fairy tale?" He asks with a smile.
The question caught the redhead off guard. That was the type of question best asked in the library, if it were to be asked at this school for any reason. Otherwise, it would be left to asking to a child, not to someone who could fight and destroy the nightmares made reality that were called Grimm. "I'm sorry?"
Behind her, Qrow watched with some curiosity as he got to see someone else go through this routine. The last member of the Circle to be brought in was James Ironwood and he had needed some convincing, though as much as Qrow hated to admit it, the man was capable of commanding a lot of firepower if it was ever needed. Probably part of the reason that Ozpin brought him into the secret, not just because he was also in the traditional position of Headmaster.
"Fairy tales. Stories from your childhood. Surely you must remember some of them?" Ozpin maintained his smile. While it was usually something that helped to put others at ease, the circumstances were making it just feel out of place right now.
Pyrrha sat there staring at the man, silently judging him for a few seconds before deciding to entertain his query. "Well… there's the Tale of the Two Brothers, The Shallow Sea, the Girl in the Tower- "
"What about the story of the seasons?" Oz interrupts her list suddenly. It was almost as if he didn't want to hear if she'd tell that tale but covered it up well with his question.
"Oh, of course?" As much as the conversation seemed to be out of place, she was getting into the relaxing intercourse of ideas.
"A callous old man who refuses to leave his home is visited by four traveling sisters." She begins to recall the tale from memory with a smile. "The first understands his reclusive nature and urges him to use his time in solitude to reflect and meditate. The second brings him fruits and flowers, tending to his crops and revitalizing his garden. The third warms the mans' heart, convincing him to step outside and embrace the world around him. And the fourth and final sister begs him to look at all that he has and be thankful. In return for their kindness, the man grants the maidens with incredible powers so that they may continue to help others all over the world. They graciously accept and promise to use their gifts to help the people of Remnant until the end of days. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Four Maidens." She tells proudly.
"My mother loves that story." She recalls, closing her eyes as she remembers her childhood and being read books in bed with a glass of warm milk.
"Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy?" Ozpin asks with some amusement in his tone. He noticed the small chuckle from Qrow behind her and the eyes rolling from Anya.
"You're not that old, Professor." Pyrrha laughs, believing that the question was just a joke, hoping that this entire meeting was just to help her relax before the final matches.
"Well, would you believe me if I told you, it was true?" The man's shift in tone from jest to serious was something that couldn't be ignored.
"I beg your pardon?" Pyrrha tries to diplomatic rather than calling him crazy as she knew half her team would say if they were in her place right now. Probably the same for most of her friends, now that she thought about it.
"What if I were to tell you that there are four Maidens existing in this world that could wield such tremendous power without Dust?" The Headmaster remained serious and it showed as he leaned forward to rest his arms on the desk and all traces of joviality were gone from his face.
"You… mean like a Semblance?" Pyrrha asks, trying to wrap her head around such concepts as a bedtime story being true. It was well known that many tales had some basis of truth at their cores but had been exaggerated wildly over time as few people would tell the story the same way as they heard it, adding more exaggerations to the story than before until it was almost unrecognizable unless someone was willing to go through the effort of researching the histories of the tales themselves and documenting the changes through time.
"Like magic." That comment from Ozpin wasn't helpful for her mental state.
"Yeah, first time hearing it's pretty crazy." Qrow scoffs from behind her, still having not moved from when she first saw him.
"Are you serious?" The redhead asks as she turns back to her Headmaster.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" The man in the green suit asks with a straight face, a small snort could be heard from the shadows.
The silence from the lull in the conversation was filled by the ticking of the gears around the office that ran the clock that was just on the other side of the glass. "No." Was her quiet answer. "Why, why are you telling me this?" There was some desperation mixed into her tone now, trying to solve the mystery that was being shoved into her face but she couldn't see the clues or how it lined up.
Ozpin looks over her shoulders to the two others in the room, getting nods of confirmation to keep going with the plan. The man takes a deep breath to steady himself before speaking. "We're telling you, Pyrrha Nikos, because we believe that you are next in line to receive the Fall Maidens powers."
The girl sat in stunned silence before a word clicked in her mind. "We?"
Almost as if cued to arrive, the elevator chimed and the doors opened up to reveal Glynda Goodwitch and James Ironwood standing there looking as serious as Ozpin. "Sorry we're late." James says as they step out, straightening his tie as he walks.
"Wait! What is this?" Pyrrha turns back to Ozpin to ask her question. If things weren't bad enough before, they were getting so much more confusing for the girl now with more people arriving. "Who are you?" She was getting suspicious of being set up and the possibility of people impersonating the Professors.
"You know who we are." Glynda answers, sounding far gentler than Pyrrha had ever heard her speak, it was almost soothing to her fraying nerves. For Glynda, she was glad that she had been able to hear the entire conversation so far during the ride in the elevator thanks to someone recording it with their scroll. "We're still the same teachers and Headmasters you met when you arrived at Beacon."
"'Kept we got a little part time job." Qrow finally moved away from the pillar to stand with the new arrivals, his rough speech somehow calming yet adding to the mystery before the youngest in the room.
"We are the protectors of this world." The General adds his two Lien to the confusion.
"And we need your help." Ozpin finishes.
Silence reigned supreme for a while as Pyrrha tried to process everything. She was stunned into silence as she had little idea where to start or what questions to ask first to help her work through this. She jumped when a hand touched her shoulder.
"Yeah, there's a lot to process but you'll get your answers in time." Anya tells her, adding yet another layer of confusion to the younger girl as to why the red eyed girl was even here. "C'mon, we'll show you." A hand was offered and Pyrrha took it as she stared at the one who she knew best as a fellow student.
The elevator ride down the tower was tense. The fact that Pyrrha and Glynda took up so much of the available space by themselves was bad enough when there were six people in the metal box, and that Ironwood and Ozpin weren't exactly as small as they used to be at the beginning of the school year didn't help. Even with Qrow and Anya being the thinnest, there wasn't any real room to move without bumping into someone.
Yet it was the silence that was carried along with them that made things worse.
"Where are we going?" Pyrrha needed some answers to ease her mind and talking helped to keep her thoughts from running too wild.
"The Vault, under the school." Ozpin responds.
Unfortunately, that only added more questions to her already plagued mind. Pyrrha turned to Anya but she was leaning against the wall with her eyes tightly shut and a look of concentration. Maybe she was claustrophobic? The concern for the girl gave her something to distract her from the problem at hand.
And yet the elevator continued to descend deeper into the ground, far deeper than the tower was tall above them, judging by the time it was taking them to go down to the final destination without any change of speed.
Then finally, the ride stopped and the door opened with the usual alerting chime. The older Huntsmen and Huntress were quick to exit, though they allowed the blonde to go first as she was the largest, leaving Pyrrha and Anya behind.
Green eyes were wide open as they took in the sight of the dimly lit room. Though calling it a room was an understatement as it resembled a cave with how large and dark it is but the pattern in the architecture made it clear that this was no mere cave.
"C'mon, some of the answers are up ahead and we can fill you in a bit as we walk." Anya guides her out of the elevator so the doors could close and they followed the older four.
Glynda stops and turns back to watch as the girls slowly catch up, the taller of the two looking everywhere. "I'm sure you must have questions." The teacher says once they caught up to her position.
"Maybe one… or two." Anya lets out a small snort of a laugh at the understatement of the year.
The six of them continued to walk along in their own ways. From Ozpin using his cane without any true need, to Ironwood with his straight back and hands behind himself, to Qrow slouched over with his hands in his pockets.
"I don't understand." Pyrrha says as she falls in step with Glynda and Anya. "You said I was next in line to receive the Maiden's power. What do you mean by that?"
"This is going to be fun." Anya mutters as she crosses her arms.
"The Maidens have existed for thousands of years. But much like in nature, the seasons change. No two summers are alike." Glynda explains, her role as a teacher coming in handy for this situation yet also the one most capable of the gentlest tones. "When a Maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring that the seasons are never lost and that no individual can hold onto the power forever."
Anya watched as the younger girl went silent and looked to the floor as she tried to comprehend what was going on. She didn't blame her for that, she had done the same when she was first introduced to the Maiden's tale and the eventual demonstration that sealed it.
"So… how does the power chose?" The redhead asks quietly, though in this room, sound traveled well as they were the only source of sound around.
"Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules." Qrow responds as he looks back over his shoulder.
Goodwitch didn't take kindly to his words. "Qrow." She raised her voice warningly.
"Hey! Don't get mad 'cause I'm right." The man grumbles loud enough to be clearly heard as he faces forward again.
Anya rolled her eyes, having dealt with the man enough during the Battle of Cloudspire and other missions to be used to his attitude. Sarcasm came naturally to the Huntsman and the two of them had bonded a bit over having red eyes and both felt it was bad for others to be too close to them due to their Semblances.
"At first, the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed onto young women." Glynda explains as if she were in the classroom. "But as time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more… intimate." The last word was said as she couldn't find a better way to phrase it.
"Intimate?" Pyrrha echoes, unsure how to take that. She is a teenage girl and had hormones and thoughts that were quite active, even if they were suppressed from the outside world by her humility and professionalism.
"As we understand it now, when a Maiden dies, the one who was in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power." Glynda continues.
"Unless it's a dude or some old hag." Qrow chimes in. "Then the power goes to someone random, and our jobs get a whole lot harder."
It was hard not to notice that they had been walking for a while, the elevator too far away to be seen in the dim lighting and they were currently passing through an intersection within this vault, both side tunnels perfectly matching the corridor they were walking through now. From the high ceiling, dim green lamps, supportive arches, and reaching further than her eyes could see. It was still surprising that this was situated under Beacon without anyone knowing. Granted, they were likely so far underground that they were probably in the bedrock and there was little that would be felt in the school if anything short of a total collapse happened here. It was certain that should anyone be trapped here, there would be no help coming as she only knew of a single entrance and exit.
"Why tell me all of this now?" The Spartan asks, not satisfied with such a large mystery and only getting small answers that raised more questions. "Why not wait until I've graduated?" It was not an unreasonable request.
"Honestly, we've run out of time." Qrow looks back at her again, sounding kinder than at any point he'd spoken so far in that one sentence. Then his sarcasm was back in full force. "I dunno if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high. Grimm are getting stronger, more prevalent, and it's not gonna be much longer before all of this peace that we've been enjoying goes right out the window."
"Things like what happened at Cloudspire are happening more often." Anya elaborates. "Villages that had been stable for a while are being wiped out at a faster pace over the past few years and there aren't enough Huntsmen to protect them all, especially with stronger Grimm on the loose."
"You're not talking about war?" The new girl asks.
"Not a war between Kingdoms." Ironwood speaks for the first time since they boarded the elevator.
Qrow looks back again at the three women, specifically at Pyrrha. "We can fill you in on the details once we know you're with us. For now, all you need to know is that one of the Maiden's was attacked, and for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen."
That revelation was shocking to Pyrrha, yet she couldn't help but to notice the slight self-loathing edge his voice took when he brought up the attack. It made her wonder exactly what had happened yet doubting she'd get any straight answers soon.
They continued to walk for a few minutes more until some light could be seen that wasn't green and coming from the walls. Ozpin finally stopped near some devices that looked to be a pair of oversized coffins with several computer terminals between them along with some machinery that was difficult to make out in the dim light. But what was easy to notice and drew all of their attention was that one of the coffins are occupied.
"Is that…?" Pyrrha couldn't finish the question, even as she took a step forward for a clearer look between the men.
Ozpin takes a deep breath and lets out a long regretful sigh. "The current Fall Maiden. Her name is Amber."
"She's… still alive?" Pyrrha could see that the caramel skinned girl inside the dimly lit chamber was unconscious, more than likely medically induced given that there was a large screen displaying her vital signs. The girl wasn't much older than she is, no more than middle twenties and seemed to be in fairly good physical condition. But the slight bruises on her skin, mostly exposed due to the white tube top that kept her chest covered and white skirt keeping things decent down below. Traces of small cuts and scrapes that should have been healed long ago were mostly confined to her limbs where such injuries would be expected. But it was the scars across her face, the worst just under her left eye, that drew attention. The wounds were barely healed over and looked like they were the result of some sort of acid attack… but one that was confined within something like a spiderweb.
"For now." James bluntly says. "We're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable. But there is a lot about this situation that is… unprecedented."
"What do you mean?"
The General sighs as he wishes he could do better. "Well, we don't know what will happen if- when she passes." Nobody missed his slip and correction but none called him out for his hope, they were all plainly aware that Amber was on borrowed time.
"Won't her power just transfer to the next host?" Pyrrha tries to be positive using the little information she had.
"Look who's been listening." Qrow declares before lowering his voice a bit to Ozpin. "She is smart." Anya rewarded his comments with a kick to the ass hard enough to lift his heels from the floor.
"Under normal circumstances, yes." James answers. "But this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be of their attacker." He glances to the side and faces Amber directly. "And to make matters worse, no one's ever seen the power split like this before. For all we know, it will seek out its other half."
"Her assailant." Pyrrha finishes quietly.
"And that would not bode well for any of us." Ozpin tells them all as he turns to the youngest. Pyrrha looking to the floor before closing her eyes, clearly wrestling with her own thoughts. She was silent as she eventually walked over to stand in front of Amber, to get as close to the comatose woman as possible. Even putting her hand on the glass over her face as if to touch her.
"If all of this is true." Pyrrha began as she turned around to face the adults and her friend. "Why keep it secret?" She began to plead for answers, confusion evident. "If this girl is so important, if- if we truly are on the brink of war, why not tell everyone?"
"Just look at how well you're taking this now and remember that we're easing you into this with proof." Anya responds, there was an odd mix of sarcasm and concern in her voice. But the answer was enough to make Pyrrha stop as she began to consider the general population being told about magical girls and such around the world, being hunted by an unknown attacker. She was standing in front of a girl who was barely clinging to life who is the current Fall Maiden… the average person didn't even see a Grimm in person. Something like this? They'd think of it as a prank or attention grab with few taking it seriously.
The adults were silent for a few seconds as they watched as the initiate came to the conclusion that they knew already. Then Glynda stepped forward. "From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge."
"Excuse me?" Yet another revelation that confused Pyrrha.
"How do you think legends and fairy tales get started?" Qrow asks as he opens his flask and takes a swig. "Even the craziest ones come from somewhere."
That made sense in an odd way. Pyrrha was aware of how things could be exaggerated, from first-hand experience, she had her share of fans and interviews where they couldn't remember what she had done correctly and overplayed her accomplishments even when they could see it on video from multiple angles. If things could be done to her like that in a matter of weeks or a few years, how would stories from the past before recorded history be changed from the true events?
"Our group was founded to protect both mankind and the Maidens." Glynda explains, finally getting to the basis of things. The blondes tone turned to a tightly controlled anger for the next part. "Those hungry for power hunted for them with the hope of inheriting their strength." The tight fist was a good show of her dislike of the past actions against those who she helped to protect now.
Qrow put away his flask. "As you can imagine, those that succeeded weren't exactly the type of people you wanted to have unimaginable power."
"And so, this brotherhood decided to remove the Maidens from the public eye, allowing their existence to fade away into legend." James finishes, making Pyrrha wonder just how long ago it was that they did just that if the Maidens were previously only a bedtime story to her just earlier this evening.
"The things we're telling you go against hundreds of years of human history, even religions." Glynda emphasized just how long the group had been around.
"No one would want to believe us. It would cause an uproar." James voiced what Pyrrha had thought of not too long ago, showing that they had known of that detail for a long time.
"It would cause panic.' Ozpin cuts in, words that few on Remnant ever wanted to hear as they all knew that fear from panic would be baiting Grimm for miles around to attack. "And we all know what that will bring clawing at our kingdoms' walls."
Pyrrha didn't need a reminder, the Breach not too long ago was enough as she had seen the destruction caused by the dark creatures and saw a few bodies before the situation was contained and the threats removed. To think that was localized to a few blocks in the city and resulted in so much damage… the thought of even a whole city, let alone the world if this kind of thing were broadcasted… The Breach would seem like a fond afternoon in comparison.
Ozpin continues. "Which is why we would like to- "
"I'll do it." Pyrrha interrupts his question, drawing attention to her from everyone. "If you believe this will help humanity," she says softly before determination galvanized her voice. "Then I will become your Fall Maiden."
At her words, the five looked between themselves, having a silent conversation with their eyes.
"That's what you wanted, isn't it?" Pyrrha asks, confused at their silence.
Ozpin's features turned apologetic as he stepped closer. "It is, but I'm afraid its not that simple. Given Amber's condition, you won't be able to inherit her power naturally. However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution."
The General remains in place, standing at attention as he speaks. "For the past few years, Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific standpoint. How it works; what it's made of; how it can be used." As proud as he seemed to be with what had been accomplished, there was some hesitancy as he spoke now. "We've made significant strides. And we believe we've found a way to capture it."
"Capture it and cram it into something else." Qrow scoffs. Meanwhile, Anya looked extremely uncomfortable and rubbed her arms, taking a step away, specifically staring with some fear and loathing at the Atlesian. "Or in your case…" he let the words hang as he gestured towards Pyrrha, allowing her to reach the conclusion herself.
Fear filled her face and body, eyes wide. "That's- "
"Classified." James interrupts her.
"-Wrong!" Pyrrha finishes anyway.
"The feeling is mutual." Glynda gives the General a glare, as does Qrow and Anya maintains hers. "But desperate times call for desperate measures." She relents as she understands the bigger picture.
"And these are indeed desperate times." Ironwood cuts in, agreeing with the blondes' conclusion before stepping closer to the young girl. "We can't transfer Amber's powers to you but we can give you what those powers are bound to."
"Her aura." Pyrrha says as she takes a step back from the General, almost afraid now that he'd do the transfer on her now.
"Her life, would become intertwined with yours." Ozpin informs her, changing the subject slightly. "The question is…"
"What's that gonna do to you?" Qrow finishes for his boss.
Once again, fear overtook Pyrrha. Or maybe it would be more accurate that the fear spiked as it hadn't really left since Ozpin had asked if fairy tales were real. A glance at Goodwitch and she found sympathy, shame born from having to resort to this. Qrow looked more annoyed that this was even being considered as an option and she couldn't imagine what he'd be doing or saying if Ruby or Yang were in her position right now. She didn't have to look at Ironwood to know that he was locked into firm determination, believing that this was their only option and would ensure that it would happen. Ozpin was full of regret, looking far older than he was. Anya... looked to be pleading to do this while begging for forgiveness at the same time.
"You have an important decision before you, Miss Nikos. There is no guarantee that the transfer will work, and there's no telling if you'll be the same person if it does. I advise that you take some time to think on the matter." At least Ozpin was being up front about the risks but that did little to settle her emotions. "But understand that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer."
Pyrrha looked at the four adults, who were looking to her for her help. She turns around to see Amber, showing no signs that she was aware of what was going on around her. It may have been a coincidence, but her face was reflected off the glass over Amber's own, from her point of view it seemed like their appearances were merging.
"The assailant that attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move." Ozpin says, referring to the attack on the CCT during the dance. "And there's no telling when their next move will be."
The ride back up to the surface was even more tense than the decent, with good reason. Anya and Pyrrha were let out on the ground floor before the rest continued the ascent to the Headmasters office. The two girls wandered their way to the dorms, glad that there was no one out at this late hour.
"How long have you known?" Pyrrha was quiet but Anya was expecting the question.
"Nearly two years now." The older girl was just as quiet.
"Why?" Pyrrha's voice hitched. "Why me?"
"To be honest, because in this case, I'm your backup."
Green eyes snapped up to lock onto red. "Backup?"
"Fall isn't the only one, remember? There's three more and I'm meant for Summer, just in case." She let out a heavy sigh. "Unfortunately, my team is meant as a safety net in case I don't get it." She didn't like the idea of putting Talon through that, she had put her through enough trouble with her own Semblance.
"But…"
"Yeah, while I'm here, I've been first in line until they found someone else. You're that someone. You're just not alone in this."
"So, I can talk about this with you anytime?" Pyrrha sounded hopeful, yet desperate.
"Me, Talon, Itazura, or Denko. Yeah. We're in on the whole thing."
"Denko? But he's…"
"A guy? Yeah." Anya smiles at the unintentional joke. "But someone needs to know about this crap who's also capable of defending the next in line. That's his job."
"So… all of this you said before about being security for the Vytal Festival?"
"That's true too." Anya stretches her arms over her head until her spine cracked as they walked. "What? We can do plenty of stuff at once. Helping you out now, that's just one more thing."
The taller girls' heels clacked on the stone walkway as they walked in silence. "I'm not allowed to tell my team, am I?"
"It's preferred that you don't. Need to know basis and all that stuff."
"There's more to this, isn't there?"
"A lot more. But you have enough on your plate, so let the old guard and my team handle the rest." Anya pats her shoulder. "We'll figure things out after the festival is over and fill you in on the rest then. Until then, why don't you, Yang, and Sun kick some ass in the finals? It's rare enough for a First Year to make it to the finals. We have three this time."
That got Pyrrha to honestly smile for the first time since she was in Ozpin's office. "I'll do my best!"
"Good, we have a day to rest up so make sure you get you're ready to put on a good show."
Arriving back at the common room, the two girls should have expected the scene before them. Ruby and Weiss occupied the couch together, their legs tangled in the middle with their heads on the soft armrests and pillows. Denko and Yang were joined on the floor by Sun and Blake, the boys propped up against the couch with the girls leaning on them. On the other large seat, Ren and Jaune were still sitting in their spots but with Nora resting her head on Ren's lap and her feet on Jaune's. Neptune had taken the chair used by Sage and Scarlet who were stretched out on the floor together. Itazura was sprawled across her chair while Talon sat on a stool and leaned on the counter with her head in her arms.
"Umm… are we sure that they are reliable fighters?" Pyrrha couldn't help but to ask. The situation was so drastically different to what she had just been through that it was funny. Not to mention how many of her friends she could see were drooling. Yang and Denko were softly snoring, Nora was making an obvious puddle on Ren's leg, while Jaune had a small trail from his open mouth.
"Well, these are the people we chose to be our friends. We take them as a package deal, the good and the bad." Anya calmly says as she makes her way to her sister and hefts her onto her back.
"Are… we going to take them to their rooms?" The redhead asks, stopping the only other conscious person in the room.
"Yeah right, Talon is heavy enough for me. If you want to drag anyone off to bed, go ahead." The red-eyed girl dismisses before hauling her heavier sibling out the doors.
That left the chosen Guardian standing alone among the sleeping bodies. She looked around and her caring and protective nature won out, going to a closet and pulling out an armload of blankets. She went around and covered the sleeping people, glad that most of them were large enough to cover a pair at a time. While covering Sage and Scarlet, she heard a soft thump, finding that Sun was now on the floor with Blake's head on his softened stomach. She had heard of and seen the cat girl and her habit of resting in warm spots, from sunbeams while reading to heater vents… and apparently monkey boys.
She made sure to cover them before moving onto the girls on the couch and the blondes on the floor. Itazura was practically buried under the large blanket as she was the smallest in the room by far and alone. Neptune wasn't much better. Then came her teams turn.
Covering Ren would smother Nora and doing so for Jaune would only cover the girls' feet. So, she set the blankets to the side and lifted Nora, not only was she heavy but she was a heavy sleeper, not really doing anything as she was dragged down to lay across Ren's lap and her head on the armrest. She didn't think that Ren was a heavy sleeper, showing no signs of being so all year, but maybe he was just used to Nora moving in her sleep and that's why he didn't seem to be disturbed. That done, Pyrrha covered the pair before turning to Jaune. She noticed that since moving Nora, a space was opened up… one that made her blush as she sat down to occupy the cushion between the boys and having to set Nora's feet on her legs. The blush remained as she spread the last blanket over herself and her leader, seeing him relax as the air around him began to warm.
Pyrrha did one last look around the room, the friends she has who see her for being her, not a Mistral regional tournament champion four times over. She'd do anything to keep them safe and she knew it was her duty as a Huntress to do the same for the rest of the people on the planet when it came to fighting off the Grimm.
But to potentially give up who SHE is? If she wasn't herself, would she still have the same values? Goals? Loves? Would she be the one in charge of her own body as she had her entire soul compared to the half that was barely keeping Amber alive with technological assistance? If Amber would be part of her, would they be able to communicate soul to soul?
The questions were endless and had no clear or even vague answers.
But she was determined to help as many people as she could… she just wanted to be the best that SHE was, on her own terms.
Sleep didn't come easily to her that night, but she was able to relax, enough to clear her mind when she found herself leaning on Jaune's shoulder.
"I still don't like that we're doing this Oz." Qrow grumbles as they enter the office.
"Neither do I, if things weren't so dire. I'd be doing everything in my power to prevent this from even being thought of!" Glynda was furious at the actions being taken, letting out her emotions once again.
"But it's necessary." James insists.
"Maybe on the whole, Jimmy, but I'm still pissed off that you wanted to use my nieces for this." The usually drunk Huntsman turns on the taller man with a finger pointing at him.
"I thought it would be best if we used someone close to the Circle as they would trust us more that way and be more open to help." The general defends his reasoning.
"I'm not going to abuse the trust of my family!" Qrow shouts, wishing that he could focus his Semblance to make his pistols misfire right now. "I put enough strain on them when I'm around them as it is when I'm with them as it is. Doing what you wanted would just fuck things up for the worse!"
"Qrow! Language, please." Glynda chides, out of habit if nothing else.
"Pfft! We're all adults here." Qrow sasses back before taking a deep drink from his flask, emptying it.
"James, Qrow, enough!" Ozpin raises his voice from his desk where he was sitting. He clasps his hands in front of him as the men turn their attention to him and cool off. Their relationship in the Circle had always been rocky but it had been something he could work with and it did bring up points of view that he didn't think of thanks to them clashing. It made him glad to have Glynda with him often, though she had different ideas of what to do as often as she agreed with him.
"Yes Qrow, we did think about Yang and Ruby as potential candidates to inherit Amber's remaining powers. But as we all know; Ruby is too young to undergo such a process and she already has a target on her back thanks to her heritage. Yang is a strong candidate but as you've pointed out, it would be an abuse of her trust in you… and Taiyang would not be happy about any of this if he found out that his daughters were even considered."
"But you're still keeping Yang as an option?" The uncle crosses his arms and his words came as more of a statement rather than a question.
"From a very short list… unfortunately yes." Glynda was ashamed of the admission of the plan, unable to look her friend in the eye.
Qrow sent a small glare at the tubby teacher before relenting. "And that's why you made sure to have Anya there? To be the next in line?"
"I thought you would be more in favor of having someone not related to you being selected." James says.
"I'm not in favor of this shit at all!" Qrow snaps at the man, he didn't care if he was the smallest in the room, he was the one with the most experience in combat thanks to being the field agent. "I'm only going along with this at all because we have no other choice beyond finding the one who stole the power from Amber and killing her!"
The caped man walks to the elevator. "I know what my job is with this group, I'm the one you rely on to do the dirty work from gathering intel to taking out Her pawns when I can find them." He jabs a thumb at his chest before pointing at Glynda. "She's here as someone to mingle with the students more as their teacher and to be Oz's backup in case something happens to him. Same thing with Teddy and Rumpole."
He points at James. "But I know that both you and Leo have nobody to share the work load with, nobody to take over your spot here in this Circle if something would happen to you."
"Qrow!" Ozpin calls out, having stood as the elevator door opened. "What are you going to do?"
The man pauses and lets out a deep breath. "I know what I'm doing Oz." He looks back at his boss and friend. "I'll be sticking around because everything I know points to being here. I gotta talk to the team about what they've found so far anyway. Maybe spend some quality time with my girls while I'm here yet."
Ozpin simply gives him a nod of acceptance, even Glynda being appreciative that he was as dedicated as ever while balancing his family life. James, was as still as a statue but at least looked like he was regretting his words. That would be enough for him before the doors closed to take him down to ground level.
"I believe that we all should get some much-needed rest." The Beacon Headmaster 'suggests', ending their meeting as he sits down and turns away to look out among the nighttime skyline of his school and the Kingdom of Vale. Behind him, Glynda escorts James to the elevator and waited for it to return.
Once they descended and the doors opened, the blonde smacked the General in the back of his head, causing him to pitch forward from the unexpected attack.
"Glyn- "
"There is such a thing as tact, you idiot. Try using some rather than simply resorting to brute force and rushing things no matter the cost. A victory doesn't mean anything if there's no one left to know it." The furious blonde chastises him before rushing off as fast as she could without running.
James stood there, rubbing his head with his left hand and her words cut deep into him. Something he would have to consider as he made his way back to his ship for the night.
AN: I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter, even with it being as heavy as it is emotionally and controversial as it is with the planned procedure on Pyrrha. The good news is, she's not alone in this. And might as well say that Glynda slapping Jimmy as a good point as well with the way he was acting.
As always, reviews are welcome and I wish you all a Happy New Year! Oh, and I'm still waiting to see if anyone is willing to guess what Denko and Anya's Semblances are. Little hints keep getting thrown in at times.