HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLO! I am back, ya'll! Did ya miss me? (Wow, even my writing sounds more southern). Geez, well, despite that, I wanted say sorry for this being a YEAR LATER. I was called back to finish serving my mission in Orlando, Florida and didn't have time to finish this chapter before I left. But I got back just a couple days ago and finished it! SO! To make up for it, I'm uploading rewrites of chapter one and two, this chapter, and chapter sixteen. You're welcome. Now a quick series of thanks to all those of you who followed and read the story, DESPITE ME BEING GONE FOR SO LONG. I am thoroughly impressed and thankful.
Special thanks for Follows/Favorites: ElizabethPhillips21, Nerve Ender, William Stefalu, minpy, Alewar Warinot, King ofheros, and Scoobert2doobert.
Dr. Oobleck was flying around his classroom, cleaning up the room after a rather disastrous test with coffee and a Grimm when team RWBY entered. At seeing the room, which was covered in pieces of Grimm, paper, bone, and a rather familiar smelling, brown liquid, they stopped, wondering if they should leave.
"Ah, Ms. Rose! Glad you're finally here." Ruby looked towards professor Oobleck's voice only to realize he was right next to them.
"Aaaaaaahhhh!" Ruby yelped and jumped into her sister's arms, while Yang stared blankly at the entire situation.
"Ms. Rose, I highly suggest you calm yourself. For this to be the most effective it can be, a calm mind and a steady heart rate is absolutely necessary." Dr. Oobleck said as he disappeared in a blur of movement and there was suddenly a couch and a couple padded chairs. "Let's sit down so we can talk."
"Okay, I guess." Ruby walked over to the seats slowly, followed by her team, dodging bits of Grimm, bone, and other random debris that was strewn about. As they sat down, Dr. Oobleck suddenly became very calm and the reflective sheen on his glasses disappeared.
"It would be best to resolve as much conflict as we can before the end of this first session." Oobleck's voice was surprisingly smooth, and it oddly set team RWBY at ease.
"That's perfect, Professor-"
"Doctor, Ms. Xiao Long. I didn't get my PhD for nothing."
"Dr. Oobleck. Sorry."
"Forgiven. Now, I've invited Mr. Anderson to join us at a later point because I feel it is important we discuss some of the important things with you on your own before we have Mr. Anderson join us."
"Sounds good, Doc."
"Alright." Dr. Oobleck pulled out a recorder, which he set on the table, and pulled out a small notebook, before looking to the four teenage girls, "I believe it would be most beneficial if we should start from the beginning of the conflict. Ms. Belladonna, I believe you were the first to have conflict with Mr. Anderson's ideals. Would you please explain why?"
Blake nodded, pulling her legs up into her knees. She looked to Dr. Oobleck nervously, unsure of what to share. Seeing her hesitation, Dr. Oobleck set his notebook down and looked directly into her eyes.
"Ms. Belladonna, I know about your past. As Beacon's student councilor for these kind of things, I have to so I can best help them. I promise you, nothing you say in this room will be shared unless you specifically request it to be. Please, speak freely. I can only help you all if you do."
She took a shaky breath, before speaking. "When I saw Bryce kill those White Fang members, I will admit, it terrified me. I… had seen people be killed before because of my involvement with… with the White Fang, but never like that. And with how he seemed to treat it like it was no big deal, I felt like I couldn't trust him. It… Reminded me too much of someone I knew in the White Fang. The reason I even left them in the first place. That man was a monster with no morals or regard for life besides his own vengeance and agenda. I couldn't separate the two's choices and their reasons. Just that, from what I could see, they were both murderers."
"Interesting. So what is your standpoint on killing a criminal then?"
Blake paused. "I just… I can't justify doing it. Nothing should justify taking someone's life. If they're dangerous, we can lock them up, put them in prison, give them a chance to change, something other than tell them they don't get anymore chances."
"A valid stand point. Ms. Schnee? How about yourself."
Weiss sighed. "I guess you could say I find myself in the middle of the extremes. I do not think we should kill most criminals we come across, and everyone deserves a second chance. But… Some of those people are either too dangerous to be given a second chance or have been given one and rejected it."
Weiss looked to Blake, and asked, "Do you remember in that argument with Bryce how he mentioned how the White Fang were terrorists and how they were in essence soldiers?" Blake nodded. "While I know not all White Fang are like that, it reminded me too much of my own childhood. Of the war against my family. And about… About my friend." She choked back tears. "I lost my best friend to the White Fang, Blake. And as much as I want to say I'd give them a second chance if I ever met them, I wouldn't. They've done too much." Weiss took a deep breath before she continued.
"So, I don't think I will ever end up killing someone. But I understand that sometimes, it's what must be done. I don't like it, I don't want it, but some people… some people sadly deserve it."
"Weiss…" Blake didn't know how to respond. She was happy Weiss wanted to give others a second chance, but hurt that she wouldn't give some of the White Fang that opportunity. And yet, she understood it. If one of her family had been killed by a group of people, she couldn't say she would give them forgiveness.
"I'm not saying you need to agree with me Blake. Maybe… Maybe some of the White Fang truly are misguided. I wasn't close to them as you were. I've only seen the worst of them. But I want you to see what I have come to see. I'm not to where Bryce is, but I can't say I disagree entirely. And I'm not where you or Yang are at, but I also don't disagree with you."
"I… understand what you're saying, Weiss. While I don't fully agree with it, I can respect it."
Dr. Oobleck smiled. "See. This is the first step of progress. Understanding and agreement are two separate things. You can understand someone without agreeing with them. That is very important if you are to grow closer as a team. There will be many times you will disagree with each other. But if you talk it out and come to an understanding, you'll be able to trust one another more and work together even better. Now, to the next dilemma, Ms. Xiao Long. What are your thoughts on the matter."
"Honestly? I'm not too far from where Blake's at. Growing up, I didn't have my biological mom. She left when I was born. So, when my dad met Ruby's mom, she felt like my real mother more than my biological mom. Summer was always baking cookies for us, playing with us, and whenever she would tuck us in for bed, she'd read us stories about heroes. About how they'd save the day, get the girl, and all that cheesy stuff. But the lesson that always stuck out to me was that the heroes didn't kill the bad guys. They always found another way. Making them lose their powers, throwing them in prison, banishing them, all these different things, but almost never did they kill them." She paused, looking at Ruby.
"I don't know if we were supposed to be awake, but one night Summer was going to leave for a mission and she came upstairs to talk to me while Ruby was asleep. She talked to me that night about what I wanted to be when I grew up. I obviously answered a huntress, because she was cool and I wanted to be cool like her. Then… She told me something that stuck. She said 'Then I need you to be the hero for your little sister. She' s got it in her mind to be a hero too, and I want you to show her what that looks like. Always give people a second chance, Yang.'"
Yang smiled fondly at the memory. "I promised her I would. So I try to do exactly that. I always try to give people a second chance. Now, I may beat them to a bloody pulp on occasion, but I'll make sure they get a second chance."
Yang glanced at Ruby, but Ruby didn't look her direction. Yang felt worried she'd crossed a line. Not sure what to say, she reached up and placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Rubes?"
Seeing the situation, Dr. Oobleck finished writing some notes down before looking to the young reaper. "Ms. Rose. Is there something you would like to say."
Ruby didn't respond immediately. She just looked at her hands as she refused to look at her sister. Minutes passed by as all of her team looked in worry towards their leader.
"Yang?" Ruby's voice was quiet, almost a whisper. For a second, Yang wasn't sure whether she'd imagined it or not. When she realized Ruby had said her name, she responded.
"Talk to me, Ruby. Please."
"..." Ruby didn't say anything at first, but eventually, she said. "I was awake that night." Yang looked surprised, but she wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean.
"Okay. Well, it's a little late for me to get after you for being up so la-"
"Do you remember why Mom took that mission?"
"What?"
"Do you know what the mission Mom took was?"
Yang shook her head. "No, I never heard it and Dad never really wanted to talk about it after she died."
"I do." The revelation wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it was worrying nonetheless.
"Mom was taking a mission to take down a guy who'd escaped jail and was kidnapping people to sell. Mom had been the one to take him in before, from what I remember she and Dad talking about."
Ruby looked up at Yang. "He killed her, Yang. He forced her to choose between a civilian's life or her own and she chose her own. He got away." Ruby was shaking, and Yang tried to comfort her, but Ruby slowly pushed Yang's hand away.
"I… I need to get this out, Yang. Please." Yang didn't say a word, choosing to let her hand fall to her side.
"When Bryce told us his reasons for the first time, I was conflicted. I could see how that might be right, but like Yang said, we grew up listening to and learning from stories of heroes who never did that kind of thing. They always gave everyone some form of a second chance. I wasn't sure if he was right. But… When Cardin gave me the recording, I realized something. There are some people who can't be given that chance."
"That doesn't make killing them okay Ruby. We still have other options. I thought Mom was your hero. She wouldn't agree with this."
"Well maybe I'd still have a Mom if she did!" Ruby's outburst scared everyone. They could all see the tears streaming down her face. "Maybe if Mom had killed him she would still be here!"
Ruby sobbed as she curled up. "When I heard Bryce's story, all I could think of was how it was that same thing that had gotten Mom killed. The guy probably begged for forgiveness and Mom gave him it. And look where that got her."
"Ruby." Yang was heartbroken. This obviously wasn't something Ruby had faced recently. This must have been eating at her for years. "Why did you never tell me?"
"What was I supposed to say, Yang? I didn't know what to think myself and you always seemed so strong in following what Mom had said that I didn't want you to question it."
"I'm your big sister, Ruby. I'd rather you talk to me about this, rather than hide it. I'm always here for you Rubes."
"I know that, Yang. But I didn't, and I'm sorry. But I have to talk about this now. I want you to know why I did it."
"You mean why you killed Roman?" Blake asked, looking Ruby in the eyes. "So you had decided before you got there."
Ruby looked at her feet, kicking them slightly. "Not really. I hadn't really made a solid decision up until then. I was still arguing with myself. But when Roman took Weiss and was going to escape, I remembered Mom…"
"And then your decision was made." Yang finished
"Yeah. I… I just couldn't lose Weiss. I've always wanted to protect people, Yang. I've always wanted to be a hero. But something Bryce said during that fight with him really hit me, and it's really what started this."
Yang tried to think back to that argument and remember anything that could have been meaningful from what Bryce said. Blake and Weiss both seemed to be doing the same, until Weiss gasped.
"'Sometimes it's better to be the monster that saves everyone-'"
"-Than the hero that fails to save them." Ruby finished.
"Is that what you want to be, Ruby?" Yang's expression was horrified. "A monster? "
"No, Yang. I don't. I don't think I want to do it the way Bryce does. But Yang, I'd rather be the hero that saves people no matter what. Both people there in the moment, and the people in the future. I don't want that pain of someone I captured escaping and hurting someone I love. I don't want to be a hero that failed."
Yang finished the thought this time. "You don't want to end up like Mom."
Ruby didn't respond. She didn't need to. All three of her teammates didn't know what to say to their leader. They didn't know what to do.
"Does that mean you're going to kill the White Fang? Or any dangerous enemies we fight?"
"No. I… I don't think I could do that." Ruby shook her head. "I don't think I could be okay with myself if I did. But… but if I feel like they've passed a line, and they're a really, really bad person…"
"We get it Ruby." Weiss said. "I think we are all surprised about this decision. I can safely say of all of us, it wasn't you that I expected to decide this."
"Yeah… I didn't think I'd make this choice either. But, I just… I just can't let anyone die. Does… Does that make sense at all?"
"Yeah, Ruby," Yang said, letting out a sigh. "It does. I don't like it, and I wish you thought differently. But, you're old enough now to make your own choices. I won't stop you."
"Thanks Yang. And I promise I won't be making that decision lightly. I don't want to kill anyone. Only if I have to."
"I'll accept that for now. Just don't do it again while we're in Beacon. We're not real Huntress' yet, so let's save that for the professionals."
Ruby nodded and smiled at her big sister before Yang grabbed her and hugged her tightly. As Ruby squirmed in her sister's grip, Yang gave her a noogie. Weiss snorted ath the display while Blake smiled silently.
"So do you all feel you've sufficiently worked out the conflicts among each of you?" Dr. Oobleck asked. "Do each of you feel like you understand one another?"
The four girls looked to one another before smiling. While they didn't all agree, they could all be okay with that, and felt like they'd grown closer as a team.
"Yeah, I think we're good now." Ruby smiled. Dr. Oobleck nodded, before pulling out his scroll.
"Good. Then I believe it's time we resolve any final issues by having Mr. Anderson join us." Team RWBY waited patiently as Dr. Oobleck messaged Bryce to join them. It wasn't a minute later that Bryce opened the door to the classroom. As he waved at the four of them, the three that hadn't seen him stared in shock at the change in his appearance.
"Hey guys." He waved. They all waved rather slowly, taking in the physical differences and the offsetting feeling they got looking at Bryce's eyes. Noticing their attention, he groaned. "I should really get some sunglasses or something. This is becoming a rather common occurrence."
"Well, stop doing crazy things, and the staring will stop." Blake added dryly. "It's a fairly simple concept."
Bryce looked to Blake silently for a moment before laughing heartily. "Fair enough." Bryce sat down with them, looking between the four girls. While the difference and movement in his eyes made it hard to notice, they could see a little worry hidden in them. He was worried about how this would go. And they couldn't blame him. He still had some explaining to do. Like normal, it seemed.
"You know, I feel like you end up in the interrogation chair fairly often." Yang snorted, helping to lighten the mood. "You ever thought of trying to be on the other side of the table?"
"If I could find an opportunity to do so, I would. But fate seems to want me to explain myself a lot recently. Must be a really desperate time for Exposition. I feel like we could've filled four or five chapters in a fanfiction by now with how much explaining I've had to do the past couple days alone."
Everyone looked at him funny at that comment. Bryce just waved it off. "Ignore me, I'm rambling."
"Now that you're here, Mr. Anderson, I believe it's time we answer any questions or conflicts left unresolved between you all. Let's start with you Ms. Belladonna. Do you have any concerns you wish to bring up?"
Blake nodded, before looking Bryce in the eyes the best she could. "What makes your actions any different from what the people we're fighting do?"
Bryce cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"I… I knew someone in the White Fang that killed people too. He was… is a monster. He kills anyone who gets in the way of his goals. How can you justify your actions when they're doing the same?"
"That's a fair question. One that I had to ask myself at one point. My best answer is that I do it differently." Bryce leaned forward in the chair, his hands grasping each other. "Whereas they kill anyone who gets in their way, I don't. I only respond with deadly force when deadly force is given. Or when it's needed. I don't kill or even hurt those not involved. I don't want to kill Blake. It's a sad truth that I've become desensitized to it, something I ask to never let happen to any of you." Bryce looked at all of them, specifically Ruby as he said that.
"That, and I grew up in a war zone. Killing your enemies was really the only option you had in a fight. It was you or them, and I always chose them. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt."
"Does that answer your question?" Bryce asked. Blake nodded slowly. She knew the difference now. The recent fight with Torchwick and how Bryce had worked to save as many people as he could showed her that.
"Cool. Is that your only question for me?"
"Yes, it is."
"Alright. Ms. Schnee, do you have any questions or conflicts with Mr. Anderson you wish to resolve?" Dr. Oobleck asked.
"No. I believe we have reached an understanding at an earlier point." She said, nodding to Bryce. "I have no quarrels with him."
"Ms. Xiao-Long?"
"Yeah, I got one." Yang glared directly at Bryce. "I can get why you do it. Why you kill the ones you deem too dangerous to live. I don't agree with it, but with what you've been through, I can be okay and deal with it. What I'm not okay with is giving my little sister the thing she needs to join you in your crusade and give her a kill count. So, the question of the day." Yang looked Bryce directly in the eyes for as long as she could, "Why'd you give Ruby those Hollow Point rounds?"
Bryce leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. "It wasn't something I did lightly, I can tell you that much. It wasn't something I originally planned on doing. But, as I was preparing to send team JNPR to help you guys, Ruby texted me one more time. She asked if I had anything that could help them take down Roman. Possibly for good."
"Seriously?" Yang looked incredulously from Ruby to Bryce.
"I wasn't sure about it at first. It was kinda like when you go to steal a cookie, and you do, but then you worry about if you should eat it." Ruby said. "I didn't know if I could do it. I wasn't sure I wanted to do it. But I felt like it might be… Safer if I at least had it then if I didn't."
Yang stared open jawed at the two of them. She grit her teeth, taking in a deep breath, before placing her hands on the chair.
"Okay. I guess that answers that. I'm still not happy you did it, but at least you weren't making the decision for her. But," Yang pointed her finger at Bryce, "If you help her do that again while we're attending Beacon, not even your super powers will be able to save you. Got it?"
"Trust me, I have no intentions of doing otherwise."
"Good. I've got nothing else to hash out with you… except maybe in the ring." Bryce just grinned at that comment. He was willing to accept that challenge any day.
"Finally, Ms. Rose. Do you have anything you'd like to resolve or ask Mr. Anderson?"
"Well… just one thing." Bryce was surprised at that one. He wondered what Ruby had against him. From everything that had happened, he thought she was the one that was doing the best with his decision.
"Well, what's up?"
Ruby looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Does it always feel this bad? Does it always hurt to kill someone?"
Bryce just looked at her sadly. "As long as you're a hero, Ruby, it will hurt. Only a true monster doesn't hurt every time they're forced to take a life."
'Like me.' He thought.
"I think it'd be a good idea to refrain from that line of thought." His new voice, Nekro as he'd been dubbed, said. "We all know we feel a little sorry for them. You're just used to the pain."
'That doesn't make it better. But I don't mean that as a bad thing. I know what I'm becoming.' Bryce' s eyes hardened slightly, 'And I'm okay with it.'
"Remind me to give you some books, Yang." Bryce said, turning to the older sister who was trying her best to comfort the smaller reaper. "They have good advice for coping with killing someone and with how to help someone who's going through it."
"That'd be appreciated. This is… new territory for me." Yang said, rubbing the back of Ruby's head as she hugged her.
Dr. Oobleck closed his notebook. "Well, I believe this has been a very revealing and helpful session. For most of you, I shouldn't need to see you again. However, Mr. Rose, I believe we will need to talk again in private." Ruby nodded as she wiped some of the tears from her eyes.
"Okay."
"Beyond that, I believe that is it for today. Please, if anything else happens, come to me or talk to each other." Dr. Oobleck said, before gesturing towards the door. "Enjoy the rest of your day."
"Will do." The five teenagers responded, before all heading out the door. As they walked down the hallway, Bryce turned to the four girls.
"Soooooooo… Friends again?"
All of them looked at Bryce blankly before Yang snickered. "Yeah, we're friends again."
"Good, cause I was getting really tired of avoiding you guys." Bryce said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Seriously, I get so bombarded by people asking if they can get favors, training, among a million other things if I'm not hanging with you or team JNPR."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Oh Dust save us." She looked at him, a glint in her eyes. "So the big, bad alien can cleave through Grimm like butter and hold bridges up as if it's not a big deal. But if he be faced with a crowd of needy people wanting his attention, the world comes crumbling down."
It was at this point Yang took up the joke and acted it out. Doing a voice that was way deeper than Bryce's voice, she began to fall to the ground dramatically, 'stumbling' as she did so. "No, please. I can't defeat you. You're all innocent, I cannot harm you. Your oily skin is my weakness, aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Yang fell to the floor, waving her hand dramatically. "It's too much, I can't do it. If only four girls with no dramatically strong super powers were here to save me." Then, she died. Bryce just looked at them unamused as they all began laughing.
"I'm glad you can find it funny, 'cause the paparazzi and the creepers trying to get pics of me through my window hasn't been."
"Ew, that is creepy." Ruby's nose twisted a little in disgust. Yang just grinned as she stood up.
"After what I saw, I can't blame them. You got a nice six pack."
"And they are reserved for one person. And they are not said person." Bryce narrowed his eyes at Yang, drilling her. "Nor are you, I might add."
"So what's up with the eyes?" Yang asked, suddenly desperate to have his eyes not focused on her so directly. It was still uncomfortable.
"It's because of the stress I was put through while I had some poison in my system. It messed with my soul, and because both my energies and my aura naturally affect my soul and my body, when my soul had to reshape itself a bit to keep me safe and alive, this is the result."
"Woah." Ruby looked at them in amazement. "That's so cool."
"No. No it's not. It's extremely dangerous, and you better not do it yourself."
"I would never."
The other four looked at the crimsonette with blank expressions and answered. "Yes. Yes you would." As they continued walking towards the Cafeteria, Yang turned to Bryce.
"So I know I'm back tracking here, but what's your girlfriend like? You've talked about your family before, but you've never really told us about her."
"I will admit, I'm fairly curious about her as well. I wonder what kind of girl would capture your heart."
"What do they say about cats and curiosity, Blake?" Blake felt a little offended by that comment. "Besides, don't you have your own *cough* 'Romantic' material you can draw from for your… Unwholesome ideas?" and now Blake felt embarrassed and horrified. Maybe this question wasn't worth it.
"What do you mean by that?" Ruby asked innocently. Bryce just looked at Blake, then back at Ruby.
"I believe that's a topic for a different time. One that your dad and your sister should be involved in."
"You're very good at dodging questions," Weiss' comment brought everyone right back to the question Yang had asked. "We don't mean to invade. We just want to know more about you. We know about your history, but not so much about you, your friends, your family."
"Fair…" Bryce took a deep breath before letting it out slowly, smiling. "Well, the first thing you need to know about Natalie is she's beautiful, but not so much in the model kind of way." Bryce looked to the four of them. "Don't get me wrong, she's drop dead gorgeous, but it's more than that. She's confident in herself, yet doesn't show herself off like a racehorse. She's got a certain glow to her eyes that just takes your breath away. She loves to tease, and is very subtle with her humor sometimes. She's also wicked smart, she's always getting the top grades in our classes." Then Bryce grumbled, "Generally without studying, which was majorly unfair."
"Wow. She sounds pretty cool." Yang grinned. "Can she fight?"
At that, Bryce just laughed. "Yang, asking that is like asking if the Grimm are bad. The answer is a resounding ``Yes." Bryce chuckled a little bit before he became a bit more somber. "She's awesome in so many ways. I just hope she's doing alright."
…
"So, let me get this straight." Tai said, his eyes still a little dilated from the shock. "You're from another dimension."
"Yes."
"Your boyfriend," Tai pointed to the still image of Bryce holding up the bridge on the TV, "Got pulled here by accident while trying to learn how to jump to different dimensions and couldn't leave because of some 'Dimensional weight.'
"Also yes."
"Everyone at home thought he died, but you and his parents had the suspicion he was alive."
"Good so far."
"So they built a machine to send you here, all in the hopes of finding him and then letting them know through a messaging device that he was okay."
"Yup."
Tai stared silently at the teenage girl across from him. There was a full minute of silence before he said, "This is so crazy. I don't know if I can believe this."
Natalie snorted. "Would you like another example?"
"No, no, the tree turning into a robot was example enough."
"Then I don't see how you wouldn't believe me." Natalie said as she folded her arms.
"It's more my brain is having a really difficult time processing this well enough to believe it. It's a lot to throw on a guy in a short amount of time."
"I know. And I'm not asking you to help us get home." Natalie's voice softened as she spoke, "I just need to see Bryce again. It's been months since I've seen him."
Tai took a deep breath, still trying to overcome the shock he was in. He took another look at Natalie and could see the worry and sincerity from a mile away. She was telling the truth. She was so desperate to see this Bryce kid again that she had told him the entirety of the truth, no lies, no half-truths, all of it. It showed him how much she missed this kid.
"Alright." He sighed. "I'll call Ozpin. He's the headmaster of Beacon, and he's a personal friend of mine. He'll be able to arrange transport for you. I can't promise it'll be fast, but we'll get you there pretty soon."
Natalie felt hope for the first time in a long time enter her chest. She smiled warmly at Tai, holding back tears. "Thank you. I really do appreciate it."
"No problem." Tai got up from the couch and began to walk up the stairs towards his room. "I'll call Ozpin. For now, you better get some sleep. It's getting pretty late."
Natalie nodded, still curled up on the couch. She looked longingly at the image of Bryce, her heart yearning to be with him right then.
"We'll see them pretty soon, partner." Andromeda said. "They're not going anywhere."
"That's what we thought before, Andromeda. Then he ended up getting stuck in another dimension and almost dying."
"Have a little faith in him, Natalie. He's strong. We both know that. And we both know what he will be. "
"You're right." Natalie smiled. "He's done it before. I know I can trust him, better than anyone else." Natalie leaned her head against the back of the couch, looking to the moon outside the window in all its shattered glory. "After all, I'm his Prostásis."
Upstairs with Tai, he entered his room, picking up his scroll which he'd left on his bedside table. As he did so, he looked at the picture on it. Four people stared back at them. Himself, though many years younger, a younger Qrow, a woman with long black hair, and a smiling girl in a white cloak, holding up a peace sign.
"She reminds me a lot of you, Summer." He smiled. "She definitely loves him with all her heart and wants to protect him." Tai laughed as he thought about it. "Thankfully, it seems he's not as dense as I was and took the hint way earlier." He smiled sadly. "Oh, if only."
Turning away from the photo, he dialed a couple numbers before hitting the call button. The phone rang a couple times before he heard a click.
"Tai. It's good to hear from you. You haven't called me in ages."
"Yeah, Oz. It's been a while. I've been kind of busy teaching here in Salus."
"I can imagine. Paperwork and homework do take up a lot of one's time, especially as a teacher." They both laughed. "Well, I'm afraid if you're looking for an update on Qrow, we haven't heard anything from him in a while. We're not-"
"Actually," Tai interrupted, "This isn't about Qrow. You have a student attending Beacon right now named Bryce Anderson, right?"
"Yes, I do. Is there any reason he catches your interest? "
"Well, not my interest he's caught. It's a seventeen year old girl who's staying at my home right now."
"Well, I can assure you, Bryce has caught the eye of many a girl at the school. What makes this young woman so special?"
"Well, other than the fact that she's his girlfriend and wants to see him pretty badly, nothing much."
There was silence on the other end of the scroll for a moment. Tai grinned a little bit as Ozpin finally answered. "What's her name?"
"Natalie Viewman."
"Well… This certainly changes things." Ozpin smiled. "The dance is coming up in a few days. Tell her I'll have a bullhead ready and there at your home to bring her here just in time for the dance."
"Sounds perfect, Oz. I'll let her know in the morning."