Enslaved to A Flame
Chapter 8
William's arm clenched, every muscle snapping tight at her name. It couldn't be. He barely managed to keep that tension out of his fingers as he pulled away.
"Really? Did you come in this morning?" William asked, shifting the subject easily as he moved past her to deposit his bags.
"Indeed. My headmaster got a letter from Dr. Ozpin asking for a transfer. Ozpin said he had a potential leader that may suit me." Victoria replied. William could feel her eyes on his back, picking at his body and posture.
So she was an observer…
"Really?" William asked, straightening up as he tossed Moonlight Sonata on the bed. "I'm interested to see why Ozpin thinks we may be compatible." He gave her another once over.
Solid biceps, she was used to wielding a weapon. Her forearms had more muscle than most, which pointed to her weapon using wrist movements as well. Toned thighs from running, a moderate chest, slim calves, along with a tight stomach. She was in good shape, but the average sort of shape for a huntress.
"Finished staring?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.
"Depends on if you are." William shot back, reaching down and flicking the hem of his shirt up. "I'm about to hit the showers. I probably stink of blood sweat and dirt. You can stay or go, but I'm going to head up and talk to Ozpin after my shower anyway, mission debrief." William explained.
"Of course." Victoria's violet eyes shifted to his exposed skin, a flash of recognition in them as they noted the long scar on William's muscles flesh. Then it disappeared. "I'll be down the hall, one of the teams is all-girls and I'd like to get to know them.
"Talk to team CFVY as well. I just got back from a mission with them, they're a fun bunch." William added, moving into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. He had gathered some things from that encounter already, but nothing solid.
William turned on the shower, stripping off his filthy combat uniform and undershirt. He stretched while the water warmed, then stepped in, hissing as the scalding water hit his back.
His skin flushed, but he felt the tightness in his back loosen. William hummed softly, reaching out for the soap, only to find everything had been moved.
Six different bottles had been set around the bathroom shelf, his bar of soap missing. William pursed his lips, drumming his fingers against his thigh for a moment.
"Victoria." He concluded, picking up a likely bottle and reading the label. Lavender body wash. Good enough.
He showered, scrubbing the dirt and grime off his body until his flesh radiated lavender. Then he set to work stretching his muscles, working the kinks out of his shoulders and back. Limbering up his legs and fingers.
Satisfied with his body condition, he turned off the shower and toweled off, leaving his hair to air dry as he moved to his locker. He pulled a pair of compression shorts, a dark gray shirt, and jeans out, tossing them on the bed.
He shook the water out of his hair before sliding the compression shorts on under the towel. He abandoned the towel after that, shimmying into the jeans and pulling the gray shirt on over it. He tugged at the collar, shifting awkwardly when he realized the V-neck showed the fringes of one of his scars.
He scratched at the scar, the memory rising up out of it. It replayed in front of his eyes. He was lost in the memory before he could fight it off.
Roman parried his latest sword stroke, bursting through his shoddy guard and knocking Moonlight Sonata out of his hands. The silver blade flipped through the air before being snatched out of the air by a black gloved hand.
It sliced through William's shirt and into his flesh, a hot burning wound that had William sucking in ragged breaths and wheezing in pain.
William blinked, the memory gone.
Instead the carpet has risen up to meet him. He felt a throbbing in his head, which pointed to him having fallen over. He rose slowly, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.
"Get yourself together." William muttered, heading out the door.
He had an idea for how to get familiar with Victoria. Something for him to judge her off of. He paused as he walked out, catching the door before it slammed closed.
A guitar lay on Victoria's bed. At a glance, it was well maintained and used. A soft discolouration where the black neck was touched. A gleam where the bridge and pegs were touched. It could just be a normal guitar.
But this was Beacon Academy. And nothing was just a guitar. William threw his semblance out, snatching it off the bed along with Moonlight Sonata. He smiled as he weighed the guitar, definitely heavier than a normal one. Now to find her.
RWBY was just down the hall, and CFVY was up a level. He'd try RWBY first.
He strode down the hall, passing a few doors before knocking on one. The response took a little longer than he expected, but it opened. Blake cracked it open, glancing sheepishly behind herself before turning her attention partly back to him.
"Hey William." She said sharply, a loud bark piercing the air.
Instantly she shot up and across the room, nearly teleporting on top of the bed, which William noted was suspended in a less than stellar manner. He hummed, walking in since she left the door open to inspect the room. Running around the floor, was a small dog. William raised an eyebrow at it, then at Blake.
"You seen Victoria?" He asked.
Blake hesitated, glancing between him and the dog. "Bathroom." She stated. "Can you…" She paused. "Help me for a moment?"
William huffed, examining her again, staring into her yellow eyes. He smirked. "Sure thing." He said, reaching up and scratching his wet locks of black hair. He bent down, whistling sharp, low.
Both Blake and the dog flinched, then the dog laid down, staring at him for a moment. William jerked his head towards the bathroom door, "Gehen." he growled the word harshly, roughly. The dog cocked its head, then bounded away to the door, standing in front of it obediently.
William looked up to Blake. "That what you wanted?"
Blake narrowed her eyes, then nodded slowly. "How'd you guess."
William grinned, noticing her black bow twitch. "Took a lucky guess." He replied. "I take it you don't like dogs too much."
Blake shook her head, her eyes flickering to the dog's sitting form by the door. "Not at all." She took a half step back when it turned, regarding her for a moment. Then it turned back to the door.
A moment later it opened, Victoria stepping out. She paused, seeing William, holding her weapon in one hand, and the other resting comfortably on the hilt of his own. She frowned, nearly tripping over the dog.
William turned at the door, "Victoria." He said, his throat constricting as he stared at her. "I figured since you're in my team now, I'd need to see how you fight." He said, holding her weapon out to her.
She took it, slinging it over her back before crouching down and playing with the dog, making puppy sounds, and whatever else that was. William grimaced and turned to regard Blake. "This what she's been doing the past hour." The black haired girl nodded, seeming amused at the prospect of touching the mutt.
William snapped his fingers impatiently. "Victoria." The girl pursed her lips.
"Shut it Will!" She replied, rubbing the corgi's belly as it rolled over. "He just wants some love! Besides, I'm sure a minute won't matter. The arena is open as far as I know. Most teams are getting ready for a mission. Blake included, her teammates are collecting a backpack or something."
William huffed, then addressed the dog. "Fuss!" He snarled the word, startling the girls. The dog turned, barking in response, then bounding over to his foot, sitting down on it's hind legs. "Bleib!" William ordered, then turned and walked away, beckoning his teammate with a single finger. "Thanks Blake!" He added as he passed the threshold of the door, Victoria grudgingly on his heels.
Blake turned to regard the dog, who sat perfectly still on the floor, panting happily. She blinked, backing away slowly, then racing out the door, slamming it shut to find her teammates. She didn't care if Zwei was found at this point. Until she learned William's magic over dogs, she wasn't being left alone with it. Ever again.
"That wasn't very nice of you." Victoria stated once they exited the door.
William frowned, unsure of what she meant. "What wasn't?" He asked, stuffing his free hand in his pocket, heading to the arena.
"Yelling at the dog." She replied. "Even if you're giving it orders, corgi's prefer gentler methods. It's good for them. Kindness, rewards, that thing." She explained.
William raised an eyebrow. Was she really going to scold him for snapping at a dog? He sighed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "Did the method produce the desired result?" He asked, not waiting for an answer, "Yes. Yes it did. Therefore, while it might not be 'Nice'" He said, using air quotes for nice, "it's effective. I'll work on nice later. I had more important things that worrying about what a dog less than a foot tall cares about me." He replied.
Victoria pursed her lips again. "Fine. So what did you have in mind? Training course? Target practice?" She prompted. "I don't really have a ranged weapon so to speak."
William hummed, considering that tid bit. Then he shook his head as he pushed open the doors, holding it open for her. "Nope. Sparring." He said, advancing into the ring without pause, drawing his sword as he stepped towards the middle of the ring.
Victoria frowned openly now, sliding her guitar around in front of her even as she did the same. "But didn't you just get off a mission? Shouldn't you rest?"
William shrugged fillipiantly. "That's what I was doing earlier. Shower for the muscles. Weapon maintenance clears all the rest for me. I'm used to long hours." He explained. "You'll get to learn that I'm not one to quit, or slow down. I don't stop for anything. If I have a mission, I complete it." He settled in a stance, holding his blade off his hip, angling it towards her, so she could only see his side.
She adjusted her sleeves, rolling them up to her elbows, then placing her fingers on the string. William noticed she didn't have a pick in her hand, through her nails could likely serve the purpose. He doubted that her guitar played normal music.
"Ready?" He asked.
She strummed a few times, the tone filling the arena. She reached up, tuning one of the strings before nodding. "All set and ready to rock." She replied.
"Then go!" William barked.
She strummed once as William stepped forward. Then she nodded sharply, bringing her hand up and bringing it down hard on the cords. The air in front of her pulsed, purple outlining the shockwave as the sound wave rippled out. William, caught off guard, got it full in the face, blasting back head over heels.
He flipped, his ears ringing as he landed on his feet. He staggered, then righted himself, preparing Moonlight Sonata as she strummed again, staring into his sea-green eyes with his violet ones. He charged forward again, his semblance flickering out as his other hand went to work, preparing.
Again she strummed, the air rippling out. This time William was ready, and he suddenly was pulled out of the way, his momentum unchanged as he charged up to her. Victoria pivoted, now playing in full, her fingers strumming, pulling and pressing the chords on a solo, sending a reverberating force out.
William lashed out anyway, interested in her semblance now. Nearly an inch away from her neck, his sword stopped, shaking, the air under it shimmering violently. It was almost knocked out of his grasp as the air around her popped, propelling him back a couple feet. He landed on his feet again, flipping it to bow form and effortlessly sending a cluster of arrows at her.
The blue aura arrows deflected off the waves coiling around her, protecting her. He hummed, then changed targets, sending a quartet of arrows bouncing off the shield right in front of her eyes. Her reaction was was he expected, a pause, and a yelp as her vision suddenly was invaded by deadly projectiles, and then voided of it in an instant.
That instant was all William needed, sending an arrow in a fraction of a second after his first barrage, the arrow connecting with her hand as the field faltered. SHe flinched, drawing her hand back in surprise. Realizing her mistake as he rushed in to invade, she switched grips on the guitar, grabbing it by it's head and swinging it at him as he closed it. The V body suddenly slide down, just as the neck extended out, now sheathed in a blade, likely something that attached as the body slide down it.
He ducked as the chain-sword whipped over his head. He lengthened the maneuver into a roll, letting her recover, the weapon now fully transformed. The body has slide up the neck, then twisted to provide a cross piece. The neck was now plated in a sword blade, the cords being the wires that extended it out. Guitar with a chainsword, who would have guessed.
He rolled to the side as she lashed out, swinging it down on him, the tip whipping out exceedingly fast, to the point where he narrowly avoided it. He prepared for the next attack, lashing out and knocking the blade aside as it neared him. Immediately it retracted, but he pulled an Aura Blade out, throwing it out at her, his semblance keeping it connected by a thread.
She blocked it with the crosspiece, her sword still retracting as he crossed the rest of the distance. He came up in a low slash, and she lowered her crosspiece to guard. Then William pulled back, jumping out of the way as her sword whipped around where he had been.
He huffed, giving her an expression of annoyance. "So you can control it even retracting." He stated. She nodded, confirming his announcement.
He hummed, placing a hand on his hip, his eyes lingering on the discarded Aura Blade by her foot. He could pull the same maneuver he had with Ruby. But what fun was that? She had plagued his nightmares, her name for years. Victoria. He wondered if she was even the girl. The name wasn't exactly common, but there could be multiple Victoria's.
He stepped forward carefully, his toes light on the ground, ready to spring away as she readied her blade. Then she swung, wide, horizontal. He felt the rush of adrenaline, his sea-green eyes focusing on the blade as it neared him, about to cut him him in half at the waist. He jumped, twisting his legs up and over his head into a backflip. He landed as it came back around, and he jumped again, pulling Moonlight Sonata back as he widened his eyes, focusing in the blade as it passed under him.
No good. He thought, landing in a crouch. He turned, charging towards her as the sword reformed. She pulled it back, thrusting out at him. He ducked, surprised as it shot forward, the blade slicing a thin line on his cheek. He twisted, knocking the rest of the length aside before it could come down and cleave him in half.
He pushed himself forward with his free hand, using it as well to regain his lost balance as he charged under the extended blade. Victoria dropped down to a crouch, swinging the sword down with it. William grimaced, then reached back, pulling the second Blade free, channeling his Aura into it as the blade came down on his head.
It expanded, forming a small buckler, with a radius no longer than four inches across. William shoved the blade away, straightening up, the buckler leading the way in his right hand, Moonlight Sonata in his left. She attacked, whipping the blade around him, then pulling it back, retracting the surrounding blade. The tip slammed into the buckler, and William twisted with it, else it would rend his back open as it retracted this time.
He felt his muscles protest at the surprising force behind the blade, but he didn't comment as he dropped the shield to his side. He huffed, cocking his head as he examined her stance.
"What a pain." He decided.
Victoria grinned, a smug expression. "What? Mad you can't win against a girl?" She asked.
William chuckled, low and menacing. "No." He said, shaking his head. "Not at all." He held out a hand. "I could. But what fun would it be if I did?"
Victoria frowned, not understanding his semblance, or how it worked. Instead she lashed out again, downward. The blade sparked against the ground, and then arching up, producing a rippling blade bouncing in an 'm' at him.
William jumped over it, landing neatly on the blade, his metal soles protecting his feet. Victoria tugged on the blade, then pursed her lips as William started walking down the pinned blade.
"Not a wise technique." He informed her.
"Try this then!" She snapped, pulling a trigger on the blade. William heard a whine, and then electricity shot through his body, sending him off the blade and back off the blade, next to a small hole in the wall. He grimaced, his hair standing on end.
"What the…" He muttered, trying to rewire his brain and figure out what just happened.
"Railgun bitch!" Victoria yelled, pointing the tip of the blade at him. She squeezed the trigger again.
William grimaced, then seemed to move at an inhuman speed, his fingers flashing out in a blur. The round, a small metal pellet, propelled by magnetic force, likely supplied by something inside the blade components of her chainsword, launched and accelerated down the length of it, split as it hit his wire. The following threads diverted the halves, letting it run down along the wires, into the wall on either sides of William's chest.
He shook his head, then stood up, walking back confidently towards her. "Semblance." He stated, "Vibration, amplification, or perhaps control over general vibrations, this extends to soundwaves."
Victoria pursed her lips as he walked forward. She lashed out again, firing as she did so, charging her sword with a burst of electric power. William jumped over it,twirling his sword to bow form.
"Power is not your strong suit." He added thoughtfully, his Aura Blade humming to life as the whip sword came back around.
He jumped again,pulling Moonlight Sonata back, and slamming it between the sections of the sword. The tip closed and locked in place, William having made sure that he drove it deep enough in the ground to hold. Victoria pulled the trigger, and William stepped back as the metal pellet charge through the system, connecting with the blade edge of Moonlight Sonata, and splitting in half.
Victoria paled as William kept going forward. He held the Aura Blade lightly, his Aura channeling into it, a blade lengthening into a katana form. He stalked forward, his eyes clouded over, lost in a memory. He stopped in front of her, raising the blade high, swinging it down.
Then with a jerk of recollection, he stopped the blade, just before Victoria's Aura blocked it. He stared into her violet eyes, noticing the slight look of terror in them. Then he grinned, laughing opening, a deep belly laugh. He staggered away, shaking his head.
It was all an act. A ruse to make her think he wasn't moments away from cleaving into her flesh, his blade shearing through the rest of her Aura and into her neck, down into her chest. He would have done it too, lost in his memories of the past, of killing her father. He still would, because if he did, then he wouldn't have to live that memory over and over again every time he looked her in the face.
She hesitated, then tugged on her sword again. Moonlight Sonata pulled free of the ground, and it, along with the rest of her sword, retracted back. She reached up, about to pull his sword free when William spun back around and with surprising speed, beat her to the draw, literally. His hand closed around it long before her fingers had reached it, and he whipped it free of the chain sword, pivoting and thrusting it at her.
She leapt back, swearing loudly as the blade narrowly miss, her Aura flaring, pushing it off anyway. William lowered his sword, the tip nearly touching the ground, the hilt resting against his hip. He shook his head.
"Hey, please. Don't touch the sword." He said simply, his eyes dark, sorrowful all of a sudden. "It's a special case."
Victoria stiffened, then nodded slowly. "Sorry." She muttered, hesitant now as she examined her opponent.
William nodded. "You alright?" He asked. "We can stop if you want." He added, pulling out his scroll and with a quick tap, checking their Aura levels. She was in the green still, he was almost in the red. Sounded like even odds to him.
She shook her head. "Let's just go to red." She said.
William nodded, and then with a flick of his wrist, ended it. His Aura Blade, lying forgotten behind her, sprang to life, a pulsing blade appearing as he pulled the thin Aura wire. He'd wrapped it around her waist, and now as he pulled it, the Aura Blade ran up and down her stomach, slicing into her Aura, dropping it rapidly. He stopped, turning off his semblance as she hit red, reconnecting a new string to his Blade and pulling it back to him.
"Set match." He said sheathing the blade, and dropping Moonlight Sonata into it's holster. He sheathed his other Aura Blade a moment later, nodding to her as he approached.
Victoria glared at him. "That was sneaky." She accused.
William shrugged. "Why? Because you didn't notice it? No. That just means you need to open your eyes and observe your surroundings. You need to be more observant. And you also need to work on close combat, you can't keep them at range all the time, and if you don't have time to switch your weapons around, you need to be able to defend with that sword, and not just with your semblance." He added sharply.
Victoria frowned, but didn't comment, realizing he was right. She relied on her semblance in close combat, using it to shield her and blast away opponents. It was impressive, but it wouldn't would for larger opponents, things that outweighed what force she could produce.
William snapped his fingers. "Not bad though." He admitted with a smile, "Technique might not be a strong point, but that move you pulled was pretty interesting. Maybe we can work on giving you some more complex attack sequences." He said, almost absentmindedly.
Victoria huffed, finally admitting that he was likely that superior combatant. She followed him out the arena, slinging her guitar behind her back. William walked out with his hands in his pocket, almost comatosis as he walked.
"Hey Will." Victoria said.
William was silent as he pushed through the doors, walking out of the building. She followed after him, noticing his far fetched gaze now. "William!" She called a bit louder.
William jumped a little, his hands jerking in their pocket, one pulling free and touching the hilt of his sword, then he slipped it back in the pocket. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." He said softly, staring up at the sky. "I get kind of spacey when it's a full moon." He informed her.
Victoria snorted, setting one of her hands against her hip as she regarded him. "You couldn't space out in the fight?" She retorted.
'Snappy. Sharp. Punkish attitude.' William decided in his mind. 'If only you knew how far out I was. Any farther and you'd be a corpse.' The thought brought a cold, amused smirk to his lips, that he was so broken and twisted that something like that could even happen.
"I guess you'll just have to try again next time. Hm?" He proposed. "I'll spar anytime you want. And if we get team members, I'll take you all on." He assured her. "Anytime." He nodded to her. "Now if you'll excuse me." He said, "I have a small errand to run." He bowed slightly, and then walked away at a casual pace towards the main building.
Victoria hummed, considering her leader. He was an interesting individual, hidden, mysterious, but calm, cool, icy cold. She grinned, this year would be a fun year. And with that final thought, she headed back to the room to shower and wash the dust and sweat off her body before tuning up her guitar.
"What are you doing." William calmly demanded as he threw open the door to Professor Ozpin's office.
"Mr. Lance this is-" Glynda Goodwitch started, turning to address the boy as he strode into the room.
Professor Ozpin held up a hand, withholding her comment. Then he clasp his hands together, leaning forward and peering at him, meeting his gaze with a steady, blank expression of his own.
"You tell me William."
William frowned, but sat down in the chair in front of the headmaster. "I think you're trying to fix me." He stated.
The headmaster smirked a little at the reaction. "And what makes you think that?"
"Because." William replied. "I can't get a read on you, but I can tell you this. You likely talked to Coco, who informed you of my fighting style, my habits, my tendencies, maybe even my word choices. You talked to Velvet, and Fox, and they told you everything little detail, about how I lie or avoid a topic. About how I hate my uncle and how I don't like dealing with certain things. About how I avoid the past. So I think you've pieced together a story where I'm a broken charity kid who needs help to realize something. So you assign me a team and have me piece them together like a good little leader, and when that's all through I'll miraculously find all my faults to be forgiven and all my pieces to fit in place. Right?"
Professor Ozpin chuckled, shaking his head. He reached out, grasping his coffee cup and taking a sip, finishing off the cup. He hummed, swirling the dregs in the cup longingly. "Perhaps." He said wistfully, before getting up, setting the mug on the table.
"Miss Goodwitch, I believe that Mr. Zaffre should be arriving soon at the port. Please go pick him up for me? I'll deal with Mr. William."
The woman glared at him, as if resenting him for a brief moment, or questioning his judgement perhaps. Then she nods sharply, collecting her clipboard and walking out to attend to the task he'd just set for her.
Ozpin sighed, getting up from his chair and walking to the window. He folded his hands behind his back, then suddenly asked William a question. "What do you think of the world William?"
William paused, then got up as well, taking the place to Ozpin's right, standing level with the man as he peered out into the darkening city. Supper was no doubt being served in the mess hall by now, though he had no desire to eat tonight. He had other matters on his mind. Lights were slowly turning on to illuminate the streets, and businesses were closing down, as families head home for the day.
"Dark." William finally said. "Cold. Depressing." He added after a moment. "I think the world is a cruel place, where your birth dictates the paths you have at your disposal. I see the dark of the world rather than the light. I see corrupt officials who will gladly turn a blind eye to even the most heinous of crimes, as long as their pockets are well filled when they leave. I see parents who neglect their children because they don't have time, when rather they forget what's important, or rather, allow other things to take their time from them. I see people who refuse to stand up for what is right, because it's an inconvenience to them. So what do I see? I see a world that's falling apart. I see something dark and twisted slowly consuming the little light left in the world. And nobody seems to be willing to stop it."
As he talked, the lights extinguished, one by one. Businesses closing down, the street lights flickering and shutting off, When he had finished, only a few lights stayed on, even then, some flickering, struggling to ward off the dark. William turned from the window, leaning back against it and crossing his arms.
Professor Ozpin hummed thoughtfully, as if contemplating Williams answer. "Perhaps." He said after a moment. William felt a shift in his tone, sensing it more than hearing it, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling.
Suddenly a light flicked back on, inside a house, likely a family getting home and starting dinner. Across the dark city more lights flicked on, in shops, restaurants and houses, as if the city wanted to spring back to life once again and return to the bustle of the day.
"But there are also hope in these dark times." Ozpin stated. "Families and loved ones who band together in the strife and even those who attend to the needs of others. For every soul that does not care, I can promise you I can find another that does, with far more enthusiasm than the other is capable of. I find it is not the amount of people fighting the dark, but rather the strength of the light produced by each individual."
William snorted. "Quality over quantity?" He asked. "But how long does it take for that light to grow and become as strong as you say?"
At that the professor smiled. "Depends. Some, like a certain little girl here, already emit a great light, and in her case, it's special. It is light, but it is also hope, love, forgiveness and innocence. I believe you've seen that now. Others, such as yourself, emit the opposite. You exude an aura of sorrow, pain, and your eyes are filled with mystery, of wounds half healed, and as such, you throw yourself into combat with reckless abandoned, to die on the field rather than face what you either were, are becoming, or are scared to become. You are the unlit candle. The light that is waiting to come on. All you need is a reason to light it. And that is the hard part. These lights are a fickle thing, as each require a special purpose behind each lighting them. For some it is as trivial as a desire to be helpful, for others, it is much more complex." The professor turned to William. Am I correct?"
William bit his lip, staring out into the city. "Maybe." He replied. Then he changed the subject. "In my uncle's line of work. In the work he has me do. I have learned to read people's, expressions, body language, eyes, anything and everything. It's why I'm alive, because I learn how to exploit that. Sometimes it's harder to use what they hate, Coco and Fox don't like talking about their relationship. Others are easier. Velvet is nervous when I look her in the eyes, more so now. Some take time to figure out, Yatsuhashi will. And then there is you." William turned to meet his gaze. "A man who exudes nothing. I can't sense malice, or anger unless you seem to force it out. I cannot feel kindness or love. I feel nothing from you. Everything is neutral, and yet you speak so radically about this world, about beating back this darkness with light. And it baffles me how I can't feel this sense of authority or power or something from you. Instead all I feel is that you expect more from me. Not sorrow, not sadness at me, just disappointment. As if you want me to achieve all I can. And yet you never say that. Why?" William asked. "Why are you different?"
Ozpin hummed, a small half smirk growing on his lips. He reach up, adjusting his glasses slightly before replying. "I have lived many years, and made more mistakes than any man, creature or living thing has before. I have slipped up because of emotion, so I learned to control them. My mistakes far outweigh whatever you have done. And as such, I've learned to be thorough. You, William, are no threat to the light, nor are you a threat to anyone on this campus. You may threaten Coco, and nearly kill Velvet. But I can tell in your eyes, you cannot. Not these students. As soon as you do, you will lose what little light you have left in you and you will fall into the black. You will shatter because then you will have become the monster you most despise. The moment you do, you will cease to be William Faolan Lance. You may exist. But every moment will crush your soul and burn your very mind. So I don't worry about my students. That is not a mistake. Instead I worry what will happen if you do nothing, if you stall, and continue working for your uncle. You will still fall, but I fear that fall will lead you at deeper than the previous, soaking you slowly in darkness until you are beyond what help I can give. Until you yourself inherit the role of your uncle. I know who he is, he isn't fooling me. Not with you in any case. If you continue down this path you will reach a fate much worse than that which I described earlier. You will become what you most hate, and won't even realize what you're doing. Or will be sucked too far down into it to escape. You will be contorted into a villain, twisted and as corrupt as these officials you have seen, guiding goons to destroy shops, pilfering supplies from those who are starving. And at that point, you will become a threat. And I will destroy you William. If you follow down that path, your end will not be a pleasant one, of that I can assure you."
William wasn't sure what was weirder. That this man was explaining his life and putting it together piece by piece into a puzzle, or that he'd just been threatened to be erased by a man who has absolutely no emotion. He didn't detect a single thread of malice or rage during that threat. Just. Emptiness.
"But I believe you have a final path still open." Ozpin added. William grimaced. "I believe you still have light to be lit inside of you. I'm sure you've noticed by now what I've tried to do with Team CFVY. I wanted to show you how a team worked. And I wanted to show you how people, strong people, can still care. And now is the second step. I want you to lead a team, and I want you to be their leader, teacher, mentor, and protector. These members aren't the best, but not are they the worst. They are special, because they are misfits, broken and as cracked as you are. And I think this is what you need to come back. To piece yourself back together by working out your team. In fact, I can guarantee that by the time the team is running like you want it to, you'll be a light which no one has ever seen before." Ozpin added.
William returned Ozpin's steady gaze with an open scowl and a glare. "That's your idea? Make me a leader? When I'm a bloody broken wolf? I nearly killed Velvet!" He barked, suddenly angry. " I could understand being part of a team! I could understand being a member like Team CFVY! But me a leader? You don't understand! They won't be led by me. I won't lead them. I can't lead. I control. I dominate. I break and use. That's what happened to me. That's all I know!" He clenched his hands into fists. "I can't!" He snarled.
"Why?"
William turned away, pacing back to the center of the room, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're the smug one with the plan. You tell me." He snapped.
"You feel you'll break them like Roman broke you." William jerked at the name of the crime lord. Roman needed to work on his forgery. That or William needed to work on his acting. Doubtfully, he could fool Cinder, and nearly anyone else, but not Ozpin. "You feel that you'll control this team and break them into dogs, and that will force you farther down a dark path. You are struggling to claw away from it and it seems that adding his weight will drag you down into the hole. I understand. But you have no idea which direction is up or down right now. You're spiraling, running in a circle, unable to see which way will lead you to the light. Each member is special, lost in misery custom to their past, and for you, the most broken of all, they will be stepping stones to the light. Their issues will piece you back together, solving what you cannot come to terms with."
William remained silent, then turned to him. "What am I to you? A machine to fix? Or do you like playing with people? Do you like making perfect little soldiers?"
Ozpin's smirk faded to a straight face again at the comment. "William. You are a person. All I am doing is helping you from knowledge of my own mistakes. And that knowledge is extensive, and neither you nor anyone else will ever be able to match it. Mistakes are stepping stones. Lessons to learn by, leaving small mementos on our hearts, minds and bodies. They are scars, memories, regrets. They are fears. But they are also what makes us human. You just have to find the lesson in all of it. It's that simple and that complicated."
William stared at him for a long time, then turned back to the door. He took one step, then whirled around, with a roar, he drew Moonlight Sonata and jumped on to his desk, raising it above his head to strike the man. And then stopped.
Ozpin stated up at him, a look of perfect amusement on his face. Like that of a father find in his child do something he'd done long ago. Moonlight Sonaa clattered to the top of the desk. William trembled, staring rebelliously into the man's eyes.
"Why do you look at me like that?" William growled, his whole body shaking.
"Because when I look at you I see my own mistakes. I see lives I could have saved. I see men whose blood will be on my hands. I see regrets. I see pain. And I see what I myself have had to deal with. And all I want is to guide you down the road with fewer thorns, but I also realize you won't, because that is who you are. You have to test the waters for yourself. You have to see what is what before you take a step. And something new you can't understand, terrified you. You don't have a mask for it. You don't have a programmed response for it. No codes or plans against it. Because until now, it didn't exist. Nobody cares about you. Until now. And now you don't know what to do with it."
William sniffled, and then abruptly turned away. He dropped off the desk, snatching Moonlight Sonata off the desk, casting a neat stack of paper to the floor as he ran out the room, unable to stay inside it any longer. Ozpin let him, standing exactly as before until the door slammed shut.
Then carefully, he walked across the room, to about halfway to the door and knelt. He reached down, pressing his finger to a small wet spot, no bigger than the eraser on a pencil. He sighed, deep, heavily as he felt the warm liquid. He straightened up, shaking his head.
"Even the strongest of men can cry William." He muttered to the empty room. "You may not realize now. But you are recovering even now. You are more human everyday you stay here, out of Roman's grasp. And I pray that you stay here long enough to break free upon your return."
Hey ya'll. So if any of you older readers are sticking around. You've noticed I only changed the intro. Which, is kinda sucky for me to do, but I have my reasons. Main reason being, I burnt myself out a while ago.
At this point, I'm kinda puttering around on whatever writing project I've been starting. But I haven't been finishing anything. And I feel that's unfair to you guys, as well as William.
So to fix that. I'm skimming through the next chapters and editting bits and pieces instead of total rewrites. The main issue I had was character development and subplots and such. I wanted WLVS to be closer than it was at chapter 23. So I'm also adding shorts. Small time lapses between chapters that will have moments of character interactions. They'll be added as seperate chapters as I go, and I expect them to be a mixture of comedy and romance. Almost like a crack fic for my OC fic.
In the end. I really want to end to come about, because all of this is for William. Who, if Im being honest. Is a small part of me. That's something else entirely though, and not in the way it seems. So, sorry for not totally upping the quality of this fic. I still love William. I still love Victoria and Leo and Sandra and all of them. But I want to finish this. I want to see the end of it. And maybe then I'll start back at the beginning.