One broken computer, one new computer lost in the mail, and the return of the old computer...plus a bunch of other complications and everything being on fire right now, here it is. The final chapter, clocking in 42 pages and over 25k words.
Here's hoping it lightens the load a little.
Edit: Weird thing, this place is. Thanks for letting me know about some of the issues they were having and why this chapter wouldn't post. Seems like it's good now, so here's the end...for real this time!
The faint thrum of the engine buzzed in his ears as Oscar rested against the closest wall of airship. He probably wouldn't have even noticed the sound if it weren't for the fact that the rest of the ship was silent. It was a quiet sound, but calming in a way, and slowly his eyes shut with a sigh, spurred on by the exhaustion seeping into his bones and lulled by the gentle hum and dull vibrations against his back. His body ached with the need to be resting on something…anything other than the hard metal of the ship and his mind simply wanted to shut off for a while. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to be able to do either of those anytime soon.
Brothers, what a day it had been.
Admittedly, Oscar was a little surprised he and everyone else were even on an airship heading towards Atlas, and for that alone he was grateful. For a while there, he was convinced they were going to get stopped one way or another…though whether it was going to be by Cordo arresting or killing them all or by being eaten or burnt to a crisp by the giant Leviathan was anyone's bet. He still hadn't decided which one he would've preferred, but luckily it didn't matter. Somehow, they…well, Ruby, really…had managed to convince Cordovin to let them go even after they missed their prime opportunity to escape and instead squared off against the Leviathan. Not that he disagreed with going back to save Argus, he whole-heartedly agreed with everyone else and would've been incredibly disappointed with any other decision. He didn't regret it, none of them did. But he could also acknowledge it was a bit of a miracle the way things turned out as they did…that everyone was exhausted on an airship instead of in a jail cell or the belly of a Grimm.
He sighed again and cracked his eyes open, glancing around to take everyone else in once more. Blake and Yang were across from him and had been practically attached at the hip ever since they came back from the communications tower together. Not that he could blame them. When Blake explained what happened with Adam Taurus, the name of a man Oscar only knew vaguely about, he didn't understand every detail of what happened, but he got the gist of it. He understood it was bad, and he felt the horror and subsequent relief everyone else felt at Learning Adam made an attempt on Blake's life and that he was now dead. That Blake was still alive was the first small miracle of the day in and of itself, helped in large part by Yang. Still, despite their victory, they hadn't said much of anything to anyone else since the ship had taken off for Atlas, not that he could fault them with that either. The ordeal they just went through was sure to resurface some old pains, and even though they "won," it was clearly not a victory to celebrate.
Weiss sat next to them, giving Blake and Yang just enough space to themselves and not much else. For the first part of the trip, she was regularly asking them if they were alright and trying to get them to talk. Weiss had long since given up in that regard, or perhaps she was satisfied with their answers, but Oscar still caught her checking them over every so often. She would never admit to it, but Weiss was very…sensitive in that way. She was very protective and fond of her teammates, which was a sweet and sometimes striking difference from the airs she typically put on. It was nice to witness, especially in these quieter moments after days like today. When she wasn't worrying over Blake and Yang, or Ruby when the girl was sitting back with them, Weiss was dozing off. Another thing she perhaps wouldn't admit to, but it was obvious the girl was wiped. After everything she did today, she had every right to be.
And as he watched Weiss's blue eyes fall shut again, Oscar turned his head slightly to look at Team JNR sitting next to him. All three had been relatively quiet as well, alternating between dozing off themselves and fiddling on their scrolls. Oscar noticed the extra, worried glances Ren shot the other two though. He had been hovering by Jaune and Nora ever since Cordo shot at them on the cliff and nearly took them down. Oscar was pretty sure that was the most emotion he had ever seen Ren express, the guy was usually so calm and collected even in the heat of a fight. But like Weiss, despite his outward appearance, it was obvious he cared a massive amount for his teammates. That he wanted to make sure they were alright as well was only natural, especially after all of the hardships the three of them had faced in particular. Every so often Oscar would catch them talking, snippets of quick conversations in hushed voices, and they had talked to him a few times as well, but overall they also seemed drained and not too keen on disrupting the silence that had settled over everyone else.
The only ones he actually heard anything from on a consistent basis were Maria, Qrow, and Ruby. Maria and Qrow had struck up a variety of different conversations since they took off, probably trying to keep each other awake and entertained as they piloted the ship. Ruby flitted back and forth between them and everyone in the back, chatting with her uncle and Maria or talking with whoever was awake at the time. She seemed to be the only one with any energy still, either practically unable or completely unwilling to sit still, and it was the one thing Oscar really couldn't understand. She had done so much today, she had shot down the barrel of Cordo's giant robot's canon and then turned a Leviathan to stone with only her eyes, and somehow Ruby seemed the same as always. She had always been the most energetic one of the bunch…but still. The adrenaline and nervous energy from the day's events should have worn off hours ago. Maybe it was because she was still excited from things working out as they did, she was probably the only one more nervous than he was about it last night. There were hiccups and more than enough scares today to last him a month, but he could understand the potential elation she was feeling that everything worked out as well as it did.
He knew it was one of the few things that actually lifted weight off his shoulders, instead of adding more.
Because…well…then there was him. Oscar knew he hadn't been any chattier than anyone else on the flight, and with good reason. Despite his body aching with the need to sleep, even if only for a few hours, his mind wouldn't—couldn't—stop. All he had done since they had taken off was replay the moment Cordo shot their small airship out of the sky over and over again in his mind. The cacophony of the chorus of beeps and shrieks from the monitors of the ship still screamed in his ears. That was why he found solace in the hum of the ship's engine now; it confirmed the ship was still running and it filled the silence. The sound drowned out the memory of those noises…that panic just enough that he didn't feel completely beholden to it.
And it was true panic he had felt in those moments. He could still hear Maria's startled cries harmonizing with the ship's own screaming, he could still hear the faint, chaotic whirring of her robotic eyes as she proclaimed she couldn't see and demanded he take over piloting the ship. He could still feel the constricting fear wrap itself around his chest and stifled a gasp as he remembered how hard it was to breathe when he grabbed hold of the control column in front of him, unsure of what he could even do. He was a young farmhand, he had never even been in an airship before, let alone thought of piloting one! He didn't know the first thing about an airship, how was he supposed to make sure it wasn't destroyed in the crash?!
Oscar could still feel the way it felt like his throat was closing as he frantically racked his brain for something to do, and he reminded himself to breathe again. To focus on the buzzing against his back and the gentle hum in his ears. He wasn't there anymore, the ship had made it…they had made it. But it certainly didn't feel like they were going to in that moment. The only thing he could think to do then was to pull up as hard as he could, then at least maybe he could prevent the whole thing from smashing into the ground. If he could protect the engine and the wings, the ship would've still been able to fly, and they would still have a chance…right?
It made sense, and it was the best he could come up with, but he still hadn't been sure. He had still felt doubt, fear filling his mind, telling him that this was all for naught. That after everything they had been through, everything he had been through, from going to Haven to protecting it, from learning about Oz and Salem to losing Oz, from Brunswick Farms to Argus to now, it had all been for naught. This was the end, this was where it all came crashing down quite literally…and it was all because of him. He was the one who demanded they bring attention to the ship after Ruby was nearly blasted off the cliff face. He was the one who noticed the missiles popped out instead of into the canon, and he was the one to suggest blowing those up to take out Cordovin's robot in the first place.
It was his plan that Cordovin saw through and his plan that put them hurtling towards the ground in the only thing that gave them any chance of an escape.
Breathe. The utter despair he had felt in that moment still choked him, still tore at him. Oscar shifted and turned against the wall a little to avoid anyone potentially seeing the tears pricking his eyes. He didn't want to talk about it, not yet at least…maybe not ever. But he had felt so utterly worthless in that moment. The only thing he had ever wanted from everyone else was for them to see him without Ozpin. For them to see him as Oscar. He had felt so good about figuring something like the missiles out too, he was able to help and provide useful information to the team…to actually be a help instead of a hindrance holding everyone back. And then, there he was, about to wreck the only hope they had left, all because of a plan he had devised and one he couldn't fix when it went wrong. They were all going to fail, all because of him.
Looking back on it, he was a little ashamed of how easily he had given into despair, it wasn't something he ever wanted to feel again. He had almost started crying on the ship. In the chaos of the moment, he was sure Maria and Ruby hadn't noticed the tears that threatened to spill as he desperately tried to do anything he could to keep everything they had worked so hard to achieve from literally crashing down around them. He didn't want this to be the end, he couldn't let it be the end. There had to be something, some obvious thing he was missing or some…locked away memory from Ozpin or something he could access to do anything to keep the ship alive.
Maybe it was that panic, or maybe it was his desperation to find anything he could to help that triggered it. Oscar still didn't know, but he wanted to believe it was the latter.
A sense of calmness wrapped around him as they were going down that, even now, he still clung to the remnants of. It had eased the tightness he felt in his chest and the constriction around his throat, allowing him to breathe again. It quieted the thoughts racing in his own mind and for one, blissful second, it had quieted the dissonance of the world around him. It was a familiar feeling, one he had grown used to in moments like that, when everything was going wrong and he was supposed to somehow make them go right. It filled a space in himself he had been trying to ignore for a while. It was guidance.
"Stay calm. It's going to be okay."
Those were the only words he heard, they were the only ones said, but that was all Oscar needed. Ozpin had come back when he needed him…when they all needed him. Oz didn't take over, he didn't intrude and land the ship himself, but the memories that flooded Oscar's mind were definitely not his. They helped though, they calmed the furor of his mind searching for any logical answers and guided his actions as somehow…somehow he managed to land the ship without completely destroying it. Somehow there was still a chance—no, not somehow. Ozpin had given them one more chance at getting out of there. Oz had come back to help him…all of them.
"We're still in one piece!" Oscar had never been so relieved in his life as he was when he tumbled out of that airship onto land. Looking back, it probably sounded like he was announcing that to Maria and Ruby, but if he was being honest, he was talking to Ozpin. In the rush of joy at their survival and Ozpin's return, all Oscar could think about was all he wanted to say to Ozpin. Gratitude, apologies, reassurance…they were all circling in his mind and he didn't know which one to start with.
It wasn't until he took a breath to calm himself that he realized no one responded to him. Not Maria or Ruby, sure, but there was no voice in his own head talking back to him. That empty space…that space that should've been filled by another presence, another part of himself that he had quickly grown so used to having was empty again. Almost as suddenly as he appeared, Ozpin was gone again, locked away in the back recesses of his mind, completely untouchable.
In the midst of the chaos of the battle raging on before them, Oscar hadn't had much time to dwell on it. They were already needing to move on to their next strategy to survive. Ruby had already jumped down the barrel of the canon. But ever since they had gotten out of Argus…well…he wasn't very chatty himself because all he could do was think about that moment and think about Ozpin.
There was some relief and validation to it. He had told Ruby last night he wanted to believe that if their plan to get to Atlas was truly a bad one, then Oz would come back to tell them. He hadn't said it at the time, but that extended into his belief that Oz would come back in general if and when the time truly called for it. He wouldn't leave them all hanging when things went bad, Ozpin would help. He cared about them, Oscar knew that. He had felt that care and compassion Ozpin held for the group, he had experienced he…understood it.
Oscar felt the same way.
And besides, Oz was not a vindictive man. He would not withhold his experience and assistance just because of what happened. He had never withheld his knowledge to be malicious. Oz may have been cautious, his decisions may have been wrong, but he had never been spiteful. And now he was hurt…and if Oscar felt and understood those fleeting moments earlier today correctly, Oz was tentative and scared. He didn't want to intrude anymore where he was not welcome. He didn't want to cause any more problems.
And Gods, Oscar could understand that all too well now.
Yet despite it all, he still came back. Despite his conflicting emotions, despite what the group may have felt towards him and despite how he may have even viewed himself, Ozpin still came back. He still made the right decision and helped when he was needed. He wasn't gone forever. And if nothing else, that gave Oscar hope. He would return at some point, it was only a matter of when.
"That's it, isn't it?"
He hadn't tried a whole lot to talk to Oz since they had left for Atlas, but every now and then Oscar would try to initiate a couple bits of conversation here and there. He knew it was pointless, Ozpin was locked away tight again. But it wasn't as tight as before, it was difficult to explain but it felt like it was a little easier to potentially reach him. It felt like he was at least for sure being heard now, and that was enough.
"You'll be back when you're ready."
It wasn't a question, not really. Oscar already knew the answer to it, he didn't doubt anymore. All he had wanted to know—needed to know was that Ozpin would be back at some point. Today proved to him that would happen. Ozpin might not even know it himself, but he would come back, Oscar trusted that. Oz wasn't going to abandon him and the world at large. It was just going to take time, however long Oz needed to sort his own emotions out and that…it was okay. Somehow, some way, Oscar would hold everything together until that time came. That was the least Oscar could give him after everything he had done…after everything he had been through.
Oscar owed him that much.
"We should have just enough fuel to make it!"
Maria's announcement pulled him from his thoughts, and Oscar looked around as everyone else either woke up or started paying attention again as well. Ruby thanked Maria for piloting the ship and getting them to Atlas before turning around and joining the rest of them in the back once more. Maria and Qrow returned to talking between themselves.
"I'm sorry you went through that nightmare, but…I'm glad Yang was there for you," Weiss said, taking the opportunity of everyone being awake to once again express how happy she was Blake was okay and that Yang was there for her, even with the awful circumstances. That marked the fifth time since they had taken off for Atlas, if Oscar was keeping track properly.
"We were there for each other," Yang corrected her with a smile, taking Blake's hand in her robotic replacement. The conclusive ending with Adam seemed to have finally cleared the air completely between the two of them, and for that he was glad. Everyone probably was, the tension between Blake and Yang had slowly been dissipating since they were reunited at Haven, but it was nice to see it finally, fully dissolved. It was also good that threat, that memory of Beacon's fall no longer loomed over them as it did. It would remain with them forever, of that he had little doubt unfortunately, but it no longer had to be so overbearing.
"Took the words right out of my mouth!" Nora sighed and looked at her team. Everyone else seemed to agree, smiling and looking around at the people they were aboard the airship with. The people they chose to undertake this crazy adventure with.
There was a sense of accomplishment and calmness in the cabin he didn't think he'd felt with the group since they started traveling to Argus. More than that, there was a sense of trust emanating off of everyone, and that wasn't something he had felt since maybe just after they protected Haven and got the Relic. Even then though, it still felt different to what was happening now. At Haven, they didn't know everything, not like they did now. At Haven, they didn't need to face the fact that the situation they were staring down was potentially pointless in the long run. At Haven, they didn't have to question what everyone else was thinking about the situation and if they could really rely on each other to be in it for the long haul or not.
Now though…the events of today had only proven that everyone was on board no matter what.
Oscar smiled, simply appreciating the atmosphere after everything they had endured that day and the past week or so. It was a nice return to normal, or as close to normal as they could get now. And because of it, he knew it wasn't just him who would hold everything together while Ozpin was gone. He wasn't alone in this. This whole group, Team RWBY and Team JNR, Qrow and Maria and himself, they would all set out continuing to do what they needed, what they initially set out to do. Just like he trusted they would.
"This is what I meant back then, Oz," Oscar said, hoping the man was seeing what he was. He wasn't expecting a response, but he was hoping that crack, that loosening in the back of his mind was Ozpin being a little more willing to listen. "When I said to trust them, this is what I saw. This is what I wanted," he continued. And he meant it. He couldn't explain how or why he knew, but when he stood on that snowy mountain top and revealed Jinn's name, this was the ending he had faith in. This was what he wanted to achieve, a group of people who knew everything but persisted regardless. A group of people who came to trust each other so thoroughly it didn't matter what they faced. He was glad his trust was never misplaced.
"And I know you saw it too."
Oscar knew Oz saw it too. It was obvious in how he treated the teams back at Beacon Academy and even in the fact Oz decided to impart his partial truths on them in Mistral. Even more than that though, Oscar knew Oz saw it too because he felt it. He knew because he felt how Oz felt when they reunited back in Mistral: elated but not entirely surprised this group of kids decided to keep going. He knew how Ozpin felt when explaining things to them, information they had finally earned the right to know in his eyes. Oz was proud of them, but at the same time sad for them and the innocence he was slowly going to be chipping away from them. He knew by how Oz spoke of Ruby and meant every word he said, by how he spoke to Yang and Jaune and considered their thoughts and questions, by the memories he had of them at Beacon and how fondly he treasured them.
Oscar knew because of how deeply their reactions cut Ozpin on that mountaintop. And how he decided to return, in that one moment on the airship when they all needed him, despite it.
"They'll come around, Oz. I do trust in that too."
That trust existed for a lot of reasons, but Oscar bit back a chuckle as everyone turned their attention to their de facto leader. It always came back to Ruby, didn't it? "Hey…stop that," Ruby waved them off, almost immediately trying to prevent the rush of praise that was assuredly coming her way. They hadn't exactly talked about everything that had happened with Cordo and the Leviathan, but there was no doubt they wouldn't have gotten through it without Ruby. Between taking the lead on their plans and throwing herself headfirst into danger and strategizing their plans in real time, she deserved every ounce of praise she was inevitably going to deny.
"You petrified a Leviathan after diving down the barrel of a cannon!" Ren exclaimed, bringing words to the thoughts Oscar had from the start.
"Oh…heh…well…don't act like you all haven't done crazy stuff before," Ruby stuttered out and shrugged. She started frantically looking around the ship, obviously trying to find someone else to deflect the attention to. Oscar tensed when her silver eyes landed on him. "I'd…I mean Oscar made a successful crash landing!" she exclaimed, with way too much gesticulation towards him. If it were any other situation, he would've found it humorous and be honored she even noticed. "He's a fourteen-year-old farmhand!"
"That was seriously impressive," Jaune agreed.
"We'd have been stranded without you," Blake added on.
Oscar grimaced, momentarily at a loss for what to say. He didn't want the attention any more than Ruby did, but the discomfort he felt at Jaune and Blake's praise was distinctly unique to not wanting to be in the spotlight. The calmness of Ozpin's voice still wrapped around his mind, and he was positive this would've been a completely different situation if it weren't for that. For Oz. He had been debating since they had started for Atlas if he should tell the rest of the group…or rather how to tell them. He knew they deserved to know, he wouldn't be a hypocrite. This all started because he decided they deserved to know the truth, he wouldn't start withholding that now.
"I—thanks but…" Oscar trailed off and paused, unsure of how to say what he was thinking. Perhaps he should have told them immediately when it happened, but given the gravity of the situation with Cordovin at the time, it just wasn't possible. Ruby jumped down the barrel of a cannon before he had the chance to utter a word. And in the midst of the Leviathan, saving Argus from the immediate threat became a much more pressing issue. Hopefully they'd understand he wasn't trying to hide anything, it was just way too chaotic to mention it earlier. Though now, it was probably best to just come out and say it, that was how he'd handled every other difficult truth. "I've been meaning to tell you guys, I didn't land the ship on my own…"
"Ozpin took control?" Nora asked in shock, cutting off any additional explanation. Honestly, he was thankful he didn't have to explain what he meant any further.
"No," he shook his head, "He guided me." It was different. Ozpin took control back at Haven, during the fight with Hazel, to protect them both in a fight Oscar was clearly outmatched in. He tried to take and retain control when Oscar told them Jinn's name, out of fear and despair. The ship wasn't that. He wasn't looking for control, he was simply giving Oscar the information he needed at the time. Almost like a memory, the ins and outs of piloting a ship and preparing for a crash landing suddenly came to him, and Oscar chose to follow through with the knowledge. It felt like he had known what to do for forever, and with the knowledge came a hesitant, gentle pride.
It wasn't about control, it was about assistance.
"And then he was gone again," Oscar admitted. He wished the presence stayed, that Ozpin was back for good. But Oscar understood why he didn't, and he wasn't worried over it anymore. Oz would be back, he was sure of it.
"Does that mean he's been watching us this whole time?" Yang asked.
"I dunno, but…it at least means he's looking out for us," Oscar answered, gently pointing out the reality of the situation.
He felt an unexpected flash of indignation boiling over in his gut at the subtle accusation in Yang's voice. It calmed just as quickly, but he wouldn't deny his frustration towards the situation. He knew hurt feelings and wariness were still abound with the group, and he knew that was all still justified. Ozpin had made several mistakes in their eyes with how he handled information. It was going to take time to mend that trust, and it didn't help that Oz was no longer present to defend his side of the argument. Oscar knew that.
But it didn't change the fact that Ozpin helped. He was under no obligation to do so, especially after how they all had treated him, but Oz still saved them by helping him save the ship. It didn't matter if he was watching or not, though honestly Oscar hoped he was watching, because it meant he was still looking out for them. And the simple truth of the matter was, none of them would be on this airship to Atlas without said help. Suspicion or no, hurt feelings or no, Ozpin wasn't malevolent, he never had been. There was no reason to think Oz watching them was a bad thing.
Oscar trusted them all, and that trust had been proven time and again…but he also trusted Ozpin, of that he was certain now. At the end of the day, they all just wanted to do what was right by the world, Oz included. Eventually the group would come around to that again too, Oscar knew, he just wished it would happen quicker than the current pace.
Before anyone could say anything else, Qrow cut in to tell them they had made it to their destination. Oscar breathed a sigh of relief, the tension in his shoulders easing some as the conversation about Ozpin was cut short before it could go anywhere worse. He didn't really want to start anything, he was too tired to start anything, but he wasn't sure he would have been able to avoid saying something he'd later regret if the topic continued. Oscar didn't expect to be quite so defensive of Oz, but…well, he could admit to understanding why Oz did what he did now. He had seen a great deal of betrayals in his time, Oz had said so himself. He was hurt and he was exhausted and…everyone else did exactly as Ozpin predicted upon learning the truth he so desperately tried to hide.
And in his place, Oscar had weathered the emotional fallout.
Oscar rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment, listening to everyone else get up to go to the windows and look out at Atlas. "I know I've said this before, but in case you didn't hear, I am sorry for causing you this pain," he said and looked over when Nora called for him to come look at Atlas. He nodded and got to his feet, "I wish I had gone about it differently. There were better ways to handle it, I understand that now. But I still don't regret the decision as a whole."
He paused, momentarily taken aback by the sight of Atlas above them as he peered up out the window. "I really do trust they'll come back around to you," Oscar said with a smile. They'd finally made it, all their efforts had finally paid off, just as he knew they would. "Just as I trusted they would keep moving forward…and I was right."
He let out a small sigh, brushing his hand over the cane…his cane strapped to his side. "I trust that you'll come around too, Oz, because I trust you too." Oscar knew he could trust Oz too. Ozpin would be back in his own time, when he was ready. He tore his gaze from Atlas for a moment to look down at his cane, smiling as he gently wrapped his fingers around it.
"I'll be waiting for you when you do."
If you've gotten this far, I do sincerely mean it when I say thanks! And if you just so happen to enjoy these deep dives and my writing, hang tight for the volume 7 sequel ;)