Ch.8: Investigation
I wake up and feel unease. I go to pick myself up, but I can't get any feeling in my body. I try to move my arm and feel nothing. My hand, nothing, my toes, nothing, even my eyelids, nothing. All around me is darkness and the sound of something metal being set down. Where am I? What did Ozpin do to me? Ozpin. That name is a forest fire of anger in my mind. He took control of me to the point where I couldn't stop his spell. And now I'm here; wherever here is.
My eyes open and I see a bumpy, white ceiling. But it wasn't me that opened my eyes.
"You're finally awake." Nadir says. My head shifts to him eating a bowl of Captain Canada flakes.
"Am I in Ms. Bell's clinic?" My lips say. I try to will my hand to cover my mouth but still nothing. I Imagine it moving wildly up and down but it only moves to Ozpin's will. It's as if I'm in sleep paralysis and a parasite has invaded my body and is controlling it.
"Ozpin!" I yell, but my lips don't move and no sound escapes out into the world.
"Yea, she moved you to her bed since you passed out five days ago."
Five days? Ozpin had me out for five days because of his stupid magic. What happened to the town by then? Is everyone okay? Is Lily? "Listen to me!"
"Is the town alright?" Ozpin says, moving up with my body. I thought about Nadir somehow figuring out my situation then punching me, or Ozpin rather, like Qrow did. Would I feel it? I can feel the crunch of the bed sheets, so I guess I would. It would be worth it.
"You can't just take over my body like this. Don't you care about my rights? Aren't you suppose to be some kind of hero for the world? What kind of hero steals a kid's body?"
"Yea, we've been defending it but the attacks aren't waning."
"I need to discuss that with you." Ozpin pulls my legs over the bedside and clutches my head. "But first…do you have some hot cocoa?"
"Uhh…" Nadir looks all over the room. "No. I would be surprised if anyone had that."
"Cold cocoa would do too. Or just chocolate, any kind of chocolate."
"Oh, well these Captain Canada flakes has some of that in it."
Ozpin grabs the box and dumps almost half of it in my mouth. The taste is dry, crunchy with a powdery chocolate texture. "If you're trying to ignore me then you're going to need a lot more chocolate than that."
"This doesn't look normal. I think I should call Loreen? And have your eyes always been glowing like that or should I really stop eating this cereal."
"It's fine, just a result of my collapse is all. I know you have some theories on why the Grimm keep attacking."
"If you can call it that." Nadir rotates his cereal with his spoon.
"Mr. Nadeshiko, I need your knowledge right now. The town needs it. Without it then this situation will only get more dire." Ozpin puts my hand on his shoulder, looking directly at the side of his face. Nadir stops his listless spinning and turns.
"My knowledge isn't worth that much. My team never listens to what I say after all."
I can sympathize with that. When I was in Mistral with Ruby and them everyone needed Ozpin more than me. Either for training advice, an explanation or what they needed to do next. Qrow even woke me up in the middle of the night to talk to Ozpin. It was as if I was just a body for Ozpin, just like now. I didn't feel I gave much to the team, and that's exactly what Nadir is feeling like now.
"I see, you have a low level of confidence in yourself." Ozpin says. That was blunt.
"Um, if you want to say it that way."
"So rest assured , when I say I need your knowledge it's because I see in you something that you have blinded yourself to."
"Why do you keep calling me by my last name?"
"See, that is what I need." Ozpin smiles and points. It feels like someone putting hooks in my mouth and forcing me to grin. "Your astute observations. Now, I'll ask you again, will you lend me your knowledge Nadir?"
Nadir purses his lips and says, "Okay, I think there is something drawing the Grimm here." I think about the relic, another way Ozpin got me into trouble with everyone. It's not on us now, but Ruby and them have it. I hope they aren't dealing with any Grimm problems like us.
"What do you think it might be?"
"Two ideas. A Grimm nest somewhere nearby. We haven't been able to go out of the town at all since we came here. The furthest we've been out is when we met you back when we had to chase that Geiss down. The second is that there is a lot of negativity going around town."
"Then that's what we'll do." Ozpin stands straight up with my body. "You check out the surrounding area and I'll investigate the town."
"Wait, shouldn't you get some rest? I know you just slept for five days but still."
"Elsinore needs us. We have no time for more rest. Let's go."
Once Ozpin was done talking with Nadir, he began his investigation. He starts off at the Twinkling Lounge to see if anyone was holding any negative feelings. All he got from everyone was that they're happy that either their friends, families or lovers are back. He goes to the farmer's market and it's the same story. Everyone is happy with no negative feelings that would attract a Grimm. Especially at the magnitude that we keep getting.
"Maybe they are lying." Ozpin mutters to himself, taping my foot. He stands at the corner of an intersection eating Captain Canada flakes out of a bag. The light turns green and the cars move on, halting any foot traffic.
"Heeey there Oscar." Right beside my body, Lily comes up greeting Ozpin with a smile and a hug. It kills me to hear her call him Oscar. It hurts even more that I could feel her warmth but couldn't do anything on my own to hold her back.
"Hello there Ms–Lily." Ozpin says. He looks at the empty backpack on her. "Have you just finished an errand?"
"Yea, my teacher asked me to give the study material and homework assignments to the students who didn't show up today in class."
"Didn't show up? Are they sick?"
"Not sure, I didn't see them only their parents at the door. More importantly." Lily turns my body so that we're eye to eye with each other. She leans in and whispers, "Where is Oscar?" Her eyes glow golden, her semblance activated. I feel my heart flutter when she shows concern for me. I hoped this sudden question would throw Ozpin off but he still remains cool.
"He is still here."
"May I see him then?"
"He...cannot come out now." Both of them are whispering to make sure the crowd around them doesn't hear.
"What did you do?" Lily drops her smile. Her gaze is icy and as cold as the freezing weather. "Right now his soul is small and wailing while yours is big and burning way too much."
"You're very astute." Ozpin smiles. "Do not worry, he is safe."
"He is trapped."
"He will be let out when Elsinore is safe."
"I can scream." Lily says, a growl behind her words. "Scream that you hurt me. That you were so stressed from fighting the Grimm that you took your rage out on me. The police would come and lock you up. Then you'll know how small Oscar feels."
I've never seen this side of Lily. It is scary but oddly comforting that she's willing to fight for me. But that's going way too far; I would be locked up too.
"Then Elsinore would lose one of its protectors." Ozpin says. "Don't you want to make sure you and your neighbors are safe?"
"I want to make sure Oscar is safe too." She pulls my body in closer until my arm is touching her breast. I pull away instinctively but, right can't control my own body. So instead, he stays there staring her down.
"I assure you he is, and I'm the only one who can make sure of that. We are sharing a body after all." If you call this sharing; I'm a prisoner in my own mind. "Now, I could use your help on something."
She bares her teeth at him and growls like a wild animal. She then let's go of my arm and walks into the street once the light for pedestrians turned green. "Wait." Ozpin says, chasing after her. He pushes past everyone in his way but doesn't end up catching her until they cross the road.
"You are too needy. That's so unattractive."
"I don't need to be attractive now, The Grimm have enough handsome faces to tear up. I need your help to figure out why the Grimm keep coming here. Your eyes can see more than mine and I'm not getting anywhere on my own."
"Fine, but only because it's for the town." Lily turns away then walks off. Abruptly, she spins back to me. "Oh and I didn't mean that stuff I said earlier to you Oscar, just to uhh, what's your name?"
"Me?" He pauses for a moment, deep in thought. I can't hear his thoughts like he can mine, but I'm sure he's weighing telling her his true identity. "You can call me Ozma."
"Okay Ozma, I'm watching you. Don't do anything weird with Oscar's body. Now follow me to Macbeth."
They arrive at the combat school, Macbeth. It's not an especially big school, it only is one story tall after all. Students sat outside on benches maintaining their weapons, talking or treating their wounds.
"Let's talk to one of them." Ozpin says.
"No, it'll be better to talk to Antle. He talks to everyone around town so he'll know what people are hiding."
"Alright, lead the way." They walk into the building. The halls are empty and there's a slight echo from our steps."By the way, you talk to everyone. What do you think is the cause of all the negativity?"
"I'm not sure. Everyone seems like their usual selves. That's part of the reason why I'm helping you. I want to see this negativity you speak of."
They stop outside of a door and head in. On the inside there's a man writing on papers at his desk. At least, I think he is. His hand isn't moving and his head is hung staring at his sheets.
" ?" Lily says, then the man immediately bolts to attention. His hand keeps on moving as if nothing happened.
"Hey Lily, did you deliver the homework like I asked?"
"Yes of course." She is bubbly now, completely opposite of how she was with Ozpin. It's like she flipped a switch and turned on her emotions again. It reminds me how aunt Nettie would scold me then bring me in for a hug and fix me a plate of steaming hot vegetables.
"Elizabeth is probably crying over another guy. She has so much potential with her semblance. If only she didn't get attached so easily to boys. She's just 14!" He sighs. "So, we have a guest. What's your name young man?"
"Oscar." Ozpin says. I feel my rage simmer as he said that. Like something was stolen from me right in front of my eyes. I try again to move any part of my body, but again I'm met with nothing. Lily's eyes glow and she stares daggers at him, but only for an instant then she's back to perky.
"Ah you must be the huntsmen in training sent here. I think I remember you fighting now, you…"
"Never mind that. I would like to ask you some questions about the town. There seems to be a large number of Grimm attracted here. Is there anything on people's minds that are making them overly negative?"
"Surely not. I just heard Jim go on and on about how much he's glad his wife Betty is back. Samantha down by the salon is happy to have her workers back and heck I mean look." He spreads his arms wide. "We have police again. We can finally rest feeling secure again."
"You haven't heard anyone talking about any worries of anything?"
"Nope. Just the usual talk."
"Well then, thank you for your time." Ozpin leaves the rooms with Lily in tow. Once they are out, he asks, "What did you see in him?"
"There was a small dimmer when he started talking about Jim and Samantha. But it wasn't a lie, those look like a sudden jerk of fire. His soul flame became wider but smaller at the back."
"So, he's hiding something?"
"No, it wouldn't look like that. The color of the soul flame would change and his was still partially black."
"Black? Didn't you say before souls were green?"
"That was Oscar's soul flame's color. Everyone in Elsinore has a black color to theirs."
"Why is it like that? That doesn't sound normal."
"It is. Ever since my semblance awakened, I've seen everyone's soul flame in Elsinore. They all have at least dots of black on them. The only odd ones are you five."
That makes sense. Huntsmen, even those in training, don't live ordinary lives. Maybe that has an effect on how our souls end up looking.
"I see. Well, let's go to an area where a lot of returnees are."
"That's…" She puts her hand to her mouth, sighs, then nods her head. "That would be the orphanage. I'll lead you there."
The orphanage is bigger than Macbeth. It's a red and gold building like the rest and has the town's flag engraved in it, a dark blue background with stars surrounding the sun. "This is the place with the most returnees?" Ozpin asks.
Lily nods. "Right ahead of the police station in number. When only a few left, Madam Gracy was sad but she said she could handle it. When more began disappearing it devastated her. Now though, she's the happiest I've seen her in months."
"Orphans and police disappearing out of the blue like that is truly bizarre. Where did they go? We should start with Madam Gracy."
They walk into the Orphanage and see Madam Gracy reading a story to the younger orphans. "Finally, the eldest spoke, 'I beg your pardon sir but we did not do these things for you because you are special. We do what we can for everyone because we are able." The elderly lady pauses, then turns towards us. "Ah,Lily's back and she brought one of the town's protectors with her. Do you need anything?"
"We have questions but please continue. This happens to be my favorite story." Ozpin says.
She did and afterwards she tells the children to play outside while they talk. She looks over to us. "Come join me over for some, what do we have left? Hot water, would you like that?"
"I prefer mines cold." Ozpin says. "If you have any chocolate then I would like that as well." Madam Gracy picks herself up from the rocking chair. Lily and Ozpin follow, but he isn't keeping pace with them. I see him using his cane more and more in this investigation. I know he gets tired when he possesses me, so maybe this spell is too much for him. If he is this weak then I might be able to escape.
They all sit down at the kitchen table. Madam Gracy looks at the cane in my hand. "Oh my, a child needs a cane at your young age?"
"No, no not really. It's mostly for style."
"The lies you tell. It must be those Grimm. Why if I was out there I would CRESCENT ROSE and EMBER CELICA until their tiny, bony faces look like BUMBLE BEE." She turns to the faucet to prepare the water while Lily and Ozpin sit in awkward silence after the onslaught of curses. For such a kind looking odd lady, she has a mouth full of manure. Ozpin leans over to Lily.
"Does she, um, always talk like this?"
"Yea she doesn't think much of it since it's just words to her. We usually have Margaret follow her around with a censor, but she's taking care of her folks that just returned."
"Okay then."He leans back up in his seat. "Madam Gracy, correct?"
"In the flesh you cute little CRECIA MORS cupcake."
"Uhh, thank you?" It's nice to see him squirm in his seat like this. It's as if the world is getting my payback for me. "We want to ask, have you talked to any of the returned about where they were at?"
"Of course, I have." She places the water cups in front of them. "I was worried sick the whole time so I had to ask. They all told me they were in the Crestilia forest."
"That's not too far from Wisteria south of here." Lily says.
"You said all, correct? None of them were taken anywhere else?"
"No, they all told me the same thing. Now I can only imagine what a bunch of children just reaching puberty would do in a forest like that. They were probably HARBINGER their SCORPION."
"Mam, please stop. That's inappropriate."
"Young man, you sound just like Margaret. She got absolutely red at the face when I caught Timmy HUSH."
"I believe that's enough questions." Hestands up, mentally exhausted. "Let's go Lily."
"Already? Don't you have more questions to ask?" She says, laughing and getting a kick out of this as much as I was.
"No, I think we have enough information."
They both left out of the front door, but not before Madam Gracy said, "Bye dearees, don't let the door hit your ANESIDORA on your way out."
"Everyone went to the same area, that doesn't make sense." Ozpin says as they step out onto the street.
"It would if it was a kidnapping."
"Right, but how could someone kidnap this many people? And it wasn't an all at once thing, it was gradual. People gradually going missing, that wouldn't be an average kidnapping."
"Maybe we're dealing with a person, or group, with a semblance that could make that possible."
"Possibly." They both sit on a snow-covered bench. The cold's really getting to me now. I didn't have any winter wear and with all of the Grimm attacks, I didn't have time to get anything. I kept myself warm so far by staying inside, or by doing physical work to keep my temperature up. Still, even when I want to shiver, Ozpin shivers at a different time. We're completely out of sync. Despite the cold, he still keeps thinking out loud. "Whitney said he rescued everyone; we should ask him."
"Can't."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Can't." She repeats, pulling her legs up on the bench to hug them. "He's been writing for the past week and doesn't want to be disturbed. Not even Reyez bothers him."
"But t-this is of the most importance. We can't l-let something like that get in our way."
'Then you try to break into his house."
He pauses, almost as if he was considering it. I wouldn't be surprised. Add breaking and entering into his list of crimes, right after body napping. He holds onto my body tightly, teeth clattering.
"Come on." She grabs onto my hand.
"Where are we going? To Whitney's h-house?"
"Just come on. Everywhere we go doesn't have to be part of the investigation."
They end up going to a shack, two stories tall, at the end of the residential area. The place barely looks kept at all, as if no one has lived in it for years."Wait there while I get something." Lily says. She darts up the degraded pipes and crummy edges of the building. A moment later, she prances down with a green, puffy coat in her arms. "Here, take it." She says, sternly. So sternly in fact that it sounds like an order instead of a present.
"Thank you?"
"I didn't want to give it to you but since you were shivering so much, I thought I should. And when I mean you, I really mean you Ozma. That belongs to Oscar."
"I see, thank you."
"I rather hear that from Oscar."
"So is this your house?"
"Yes."
"Then why not use the front door? I'm sure that works."
"I rather not talk about that."
My scroll began buzzing in my pocket. He gets it out and it's Bolin on the other side. "Hey first ring this time. Come back to the business district. We have Grimm right outside the gate." He says then hangs up.
"I have to go, Grimm." Ozpin darts off towards the business area.
"Don't get Oscar anymore hurt!" She yells.
Over in the business district, there is a Beringel and several other Grimm attacking the Daily Bread. The area is evacuated with a haphazard barrier put up by Nadir. He is standing on the outside while the rest of team ARBN takes care of the Grimm attacking.
"Nadir let's go." Ozpin says. He rushes past Nadir, barreling over the barricade.
"But Arslan told me to secure the perimeter."
"If you really want to protect everyone then you'll join the fight now." He says, looking back at him. He gulps then jumps over the barricade.
Ozpin starts with the Beowolves first. He moves my body faster than I thought I could ever move. Each Grimm he hits more than twenty times in only a moment, then they're gone. He dips and dodges through all the fireballs, frozen and tossed Grimm with such ease, all while slaying Boarbatusks, Beowolves, creeps and Griffons. It's like he barely needs to try to slay Grimm.
The Beringel drops down in front of him. It roars in his face, but he stands unflinching. "Nadir, to me!" He says. Nadir finishes off a Beowolf then comes to Ozpin's side. They both block a heavy punch from the Beringel but it still sends them sliding back.
"That thing's hide is tough. We won't be able to penetrate it with our weapons." Ozpin says.
"Beringels usually live a long life due to their strong bodies. But that means they also get a lot of battle damage so it must have a weak point."
"There." Ozpin points to its rib section. One of the exterior bones has cracks running down it. "Strike there and we can hit its soft flesh underneath."
"Roger." Nadir begins to shoot at the Grimm, keeping it in place while Ozpin closes the distance. The Beringel blocks his strike, but in an instant he hits again on the other side. He attacks all over its body with a ferocious speed that is too fast for it to keep up. When it tries to hit him, Nadir comes in parrying it's attack.
"Now! It's wide open." Nadir says. Ozpin does a spinning cane slam on the Beringel's weak point. It lets out a roar then in one more thrust it's nothing but Grimm ash. I haven't been able to slay a Beringel yet, despite one coming every two days. But here, Ozpin does it without getting hit.
"Nadir why did you come in here? I told you to secure the perimeter." Arslan says. She walks over to us appearing livid.
"I-i'm sorry, I thought I could be helpful."
"And he was." Ozpin says, looking Arslan straight in the face with narrow eyes. "I couldn't have taken down the Beringel without him."
"He wasn't helpful because his job was to stay on guard like I said. We all have a role to play in protecting everyone. What if a Grimm got past while he wasn't guarding, huh?"
"He is protecting everyone."
"Are you trying to undermine me, shortstack?" Arslan is right over me, looking down. Despite the height difference, he matches her fierce expression, furrowed brow and squinted eyes.
"Woah woah, chill out everybody." Reese comes in between the both of us. "Save the fighting for the Grimm. Trust me, they want all of that heat you two are putting out."
Ozpin sighs then takes a step back. "She's right. I'm sorry about my behavior." He extends a hand but gets nothing in return.
"As long as you're sorry." Arslan turns and walks away.
"I wonder what has her so uptight." Ozpin says.
"Beats me." Bolin says, walking up to the group. "She's been like that since the Vtyal festival. I keep telling her she's trying to be too perfect but she just won't listen."
"I think it's because she uses fire and you know people that use that are always hot headed, like that blondie we fought at the festival. What was her name, Bang? Rang? Yin?" Reese says.
"She has a lot on her plate. I think it's best to leave her be." Nadir says.
They all remove the barricade and tell the town folk that the area is safe. The Daily Bread is safe and I couldn't do anything to help at all.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading. This chapter wasn't originally in my outline because I didn't expect Ozpin would do this to Oscar. Man, what a crazy guy. When I thought of that, I had to back track to make sure everything is still on course. It is, just with some meaningful detours.