Enslaved To A Flame
Chapter 13
Repose
William didn't have a tradition for the Bullhead ride back. He didn't plan on making one either. Coffee was expensive, and as enjoyable as it was, he already knew that Victoria and Leo weren't coffee drinkers. And he wasn't about to buy tea leaves over some bonding in a cramped Bullhead bay.
So instead they rode in relative silence. Every now and then Leo would start up a short conversation. A banter played out between him and William, bouncing back and forth with increasingly flirty or aggressive comments before they ran out of ideas.
The girls joined in, more Victoria than Sandra. Sandra seemed content to rest her head against the metal wall, her eyes closed, her gills puffing out as she breathed. After a time, she shifted her head, dropping it against William's shoulder.
William didn't react to it, though he could feel Leo's gaze shift to weigh on him the moment it happened. Perhaps Leo got attached. William smirked, but quickly swallowed the expression.
He was exhausted. His shoulder burned, his mind was scattered. He should have just blown all the collars to start with. But instead he had picked up Sandra Carmine, the very girl he'd helped capture.
William flicked his scroll out, checking the time. He had two missed messages. Both from two different unknown numbers. It didn't take much thought to conclude they both belonged to Roman.
He couldn't review them now though. Too many wandering eyes. William slide the scroll back into his pocket, glancing at Sandra.
Her platinum hair had parted on either side of her neck, draping over her face, but revealing her neck. William could see the scar on the back of her neck, exposed in the gown. An ugly stitch job had left a faint scar. Five vertebrae down, just low enough to get mixed in muscle, and not interfere with normal motion, but high enough to be extremely lethal.
William slid his eyes off the mark, turning them to stare at Victoria and Leo. They had sat together before William could get it. Leo made since. He was sitting across from Sandra, and it was easy to drop her into a seat and then take the one behind him. Victoria didn't. She was awkward with Leo, more comfortable in his company since Leo played the flirt.
Neither were paying much attention to the other though, and Victoria glanced up infrequently at him, giving him flashes of nervous violet eyes. She had shifted her weapon, idly plucking the strings, letting a few assorted strings ring through the bay, but never letting a tune truly start.
"Attention Hunters." The intercom clicked on. "We'll be landing shortly. Gather your gear and be ready for unloading."
William slid his hand down his side, feeling the weight of his sword and the bumps of the Aura Blades in his pockets. Leo toed his greatsword, which he'd set on the ground to fit better. Victoria slid her guitar strap over her head but kept picking at the strings.
"Sandra." William shook her slightly.
She awoke with a jerk, her gills flaring out as her eyes opened. For a moment they were a tropical blue, encompassing the iris and she took a deep breath.
"Miss Carmine." William started, his semblance uncoiling off his limbs. "Calm down."
She froze, the blue in her eyes fading back to a green. She relaxed, bunching her bony frame up and curling her legs up under the gown.
"I'm fine." She rasped.
"We're back at Beacon now. Leo will take you to the infirmary so they can get your injuries taken care of and prescribe medicine for your splicing. Then I suspect you'll want something to eat." William glanced at Leo, giving him a nod.
"Naturally." Leo pursed his lips, but he didn't further the issue and complain. "What should I tell the nurses?"
"She's been spliced with a Grimm, her DNA altered and boosted. Right now, more than anything, she needs food and water. And somewhere safe to sleep." William looked back at Sandra.
"She can speak some too." Sandra defended, though the volume of her voice told William just how much she actually could.
"Very well." William acknowledged, bowing his head at her. The Bullhead whined down, dropping at a measured pace. They must be landing now. "You may dictate your treatment, Leo is at your disposal. I will be taking Victoria to report to Ozpin."
"Me?" Victoria jerked back, pressing her back against the wall. "But-I-"
"Problem?" William asked, casually shifting his gaze to her as the Bullhead set down. "It's just Ozpin."
"You mean the professor of this entire institution who hands everything at this place. Who also has the power to do anything at all if I make a bad impression." Victoria shot back. "Right after a mission?"
"That's typically when after mission reports are conducted." William replied, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Why? Scared of a white haired old man who has to drink coffee to keep his heart beating?"
Red shot up Victoria's neck the same time a blush found it's way to her cheek. "No." She snapped, swallowing whatever her next words were. "Come on." She pressed the bay doors, moving to the front of the door and waiting impatiently.
William grinned, letting the expression blossom on his lips. She was easy to manage sometimes. A few prodding comments and she was willing to face Ozpin.
The Bullhead touched down and Victoria slipped out. William waited for the blades to stop rotating, then dropped to the concrete, heading after her at a quick walk. He glanced back, finding Leo and Sandra getting off. Leo had picked her up again, heading off in the direction of the infirmary.
"What are your thoughts?" William asked as soon as he caught up to Victoria.
She glanced back at him, seeming caught off-guard by the question. "On what?"
"The mission. Leo. Us." He gestured between them. "And my choice with Sandra."
She pursed her lips, focusing on walking for a while. The silence stretched, long enough for them to reach the doors before she answered.
"I don't know if I agree with Sandra coming back with us. She's unstable at best. You see how she woke up. If she has a terror, and attacks us when we're asleep, or unprepared…" Victoria trailed off, giving him a meaningful look instead.
"Do you think it was wrong to try and save her?" William replied. "She's still sane. Human even, depending on how you look at it. Should I have let her die?" And pile another sin on myself? He wanted to add.
Victoria bit her lip. "No. But I don't think Beacon… No I don't think we, are equipped and ready to handle something like this. She's been spliced with a Grimm William. I don't know of any other case of any person like that. We don't know what side effects that has."
"I do." William's answer was firm, definite. "And I know how to handle her. She's frightened first and foremost. Her body is changing. Her mind is shifting. Her abilities aren't normal. She barely knows who she is, much less who she can trust."
"So you sympathize."
William jerked, almost coming to a stop before he caught himself. Then he smiled and shrugged. "I suppose. My world is turning as well. But Sandra's has been deconstructed and rebuilt from the ground up. She's lost. And I think all she needs is a place to start again."
Victoria tapped the elevator button, leaning against the wall by the console and fixing him with a curious look. "She couldn't get that at home?"
"Hardly." William returned her look with a sour one. "Her home life isn't very supportive. Musicians can be difficult when their singer suddenly kills their crowd instead of fills it with wonder. They were hard on her before she was kidnapped. I can only imagine what they'll think if she came back with gills and a killer voice."
"You knew her?" Victoria cocked an eyebrow.
William hummed, keeping quiet until the elevator had arrived. They stepped on together and William leaned against the back wall.
"Can't say that I did. But I know plenty of things." He dodged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He closed his eyes, yawning and cracking his neck.
"What do you know about me?" Victoria broached.
William's eyes flicked open to meet her gaze. She was staring, almost looking like she'd been cornered. Afraid. Of him?
"You can tell a lot about people based on how they act, look and move." William dodged. "But what I know about you, and what I care to know about you, are two very different things. And they can be completely unrelated." William assured her as the elevator dinged.
"So what do you know?" Victoria pressed, dropping her voice as they stepped out into Ozpin's office.
"I know you have just as many scars as I do." William replied easily, keeping his pace level as he made it to the center of the room.
Ozpin's back was to them. He was staring out the window, but William couldn't tell exactly what from the angle. Vale had been cleaned up, building's repaired and streets cleaned up. Corpses disappeared, perks of Grimm, and injuries healed. But Ironwood's fleet has moved in, circling overhead like oversized mechanical vultures.
William took a guess at what was on Ozpin's mind.
"I don't think he can see you glaring at him from here." William eased around the desk, leaning back against the glass top.
"Tell me. How did your mission fair?" Ozpin replied, turning on his heels and heading over to the desk. He didn't seem phased by William's snark, even with the grim situation.
William shrugged, letting Ozpin get to the desk and take his chair before he answered. "96% complete." William let Ozpin's eyebrow raise before he continued. "One person was salvageable. Theoretically. Sandra Carmine, I take it you're familiar?"
"I believe so. She disappeared a few weeks ago. Kidnapping. Her family is a band of musicians. Some folks think it was a blessing. Her father has more than one-"
"Domestic violence charge. He's had three. Two on his wife, one of Sandra's older brother." William cut in. Ozpin nodded, letting the interruption happen without a qualm. "We recovered her. She's been spliced, but the second shot hasn't been administered. I think if her aura and body stabilize, she can reach a state of…" William weighed his hand and shrugged again, unable to find a proper metaphor for it.
"Balance." Victoria supplied, jumping into the conversation.
Both men turned to her suddenly, as if forgetting that she had been in the room. Then Ozpin took over, moving onto the next topic.
"I'll have to see to Miss Carmine's health personally. I don't know what sort of experiments happened in that lab, but I would like to be fully aware of whatever side effects could be feasible in her condition."
William slid his hand into his pocket, withdrawing the zip drive he had pulled data onto. Roman hadn't put a bug in it. Nothing to indicate if it had been tampered with. Roman trusted him that much.
"Oz." Victoria was shocked at the ease William used the nickname. William held out the flash drive. "This is all the data from the lab. It will tell you everything you need to know."
"Strings attached?" Ozpin guessed.
"He'll want it when you're finished. Be quick about it. He'll want me to deliver it."
"Who?" Victoria asked.
"None of your concern in this matter, Miss Violet." Ozpin assured her, taking the flash drive and placing it by the computer. "Mr. William pulled data about the happenings of that particular lab. Perhaps it could help us in dealing with or treating Miss Carmine's affliction."
"How was the clean up?" William asked, pushing off the desk and heading to the window. There weren't any fires, but William could guess that there had been. A train blasting through a city didn't cause just structural damage. Not when Roman was involved.
"Messy. Pressure from the higher ups about dealing with it. A handful of injured hunters. Nothing to weaken Beacon or its surroundings. But certainly, enough to focus on the integrity of our border."
William paused, staring up at Ironwood's fleet. "So, you're getting the brunt of the failure because some fat cat doesn't want to admit he should have realized Mt. Glenn tunnels would be too costly to block properly."
Ozpin hummed, seeming to enjoy that answer. "In a sense. Yes."
Victoria frowned, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "But Professor, you don't have any control of that. Hunters and huntresses didn't have any reason to police Mt. Glenn area until now, nor did they have any inclination of the inside of it. How can they blame you for that?"
"Because I am the enforcer of security for Vale. Whether or not I had knowledge of that breach or not, it still falls upon me to take hold of that failure." Ozpin explained, taking his coffee mug in hand and taking a long drink from it.
"Translation. There's a fatass in the Council who likes to sit in a big comfy chair who cares more about if his wine is chilled to the exact temperature he wants than easing public tension. So, they find a viable fall guy instead of admitting their mess up. A few thousand more lien and they could have poured more than just a plug for the rail tunnels. They could have sectioned it off in mile long strips." William turned sharply from the window, his stride irritated as he circled back around to Victoria's side.
Ozpin chuckled. "Sounds like you know a few of them."
"Knew." William corrected, letting that connotation hang in the air.
Ozpin nodded, setting his cup down and lacing his fingers together. "William. You may go. I'd like to speak to Miss Violet for a moment if you please."
William hesitated, then nodded. "Very well." He took a step back, sizing Ozpin up and then casting a sparing glance at Victoria. "I'll wait on the ground floor." He told her, heading to the elevator.
Ozpin waited for William board the elevator, and several moments more for the doors to close and the elevator to depart before he spoke again.
"Is something wrong sir?" Victoria asked, a trickle of fear creeping into her voice.
Ozpin shook his head, getting up from his seat and picking up his mug. "No no. Not at all. I wanted to know your thoughts on your team leader."
Victoria let out a breath, sinking back down in the chair. Her grip on the armrest relaxed. She folded her hands in her lap a moment later, as if only now realizing she'd been gripping the cushions.
"I was worried it was something more serious." She muttered, turning away as if embarrassed. Then she swallowed, pushing past her thoughts and moving to address Ozpin's concern. "I think William is a suitable leader for people like me."
"Why? What's your opinion on him?" Ozpin furthered the question as he walked across the office to a coffeemaker, setting his mug down and picking up the pot.
Victoria squirmed, mulling the question over as Ozpin fixed his coffee. "I think he's reckless." She started slowly, replaying how William had fought and reacted. "I think he's lost consideration for his life. I can see that in how he fights, and how he attacked Cardin. I can also tell that he doesn't have much of a response to pain." She took to drumming her fingers on her thigh as she thought.
"Do you think he's a viability in combat?"
She shook her head. "Hardly. William is ferocious. He had been injured at the start of the mission, but he was fine. The wound had even started filling with puss and acid and he hadn't really reacted. He fought and took down a handful of difficult splice grim with me. I didn't notice him faltering at all." Victoria sucked in her lip next, chewing on it before she voiced a question of her own. "What is William's background?"
Ozpin hummed, taking his sweet time to answer her question. He moved back to his chair, easing into his chair and enjoying a few sips of his coffee before setting it down. He leaned forward, clasping his hands before he spoke.
"William is in a very precarious situation, to say the least. He has been raised in such a manner that it's difficult to tell you what he values at this point and what he doesn't. His life is certainly one of the aspects he does not. Through training, or brutal punishment, or a combination of both, William has lost his instinct to survive. William is far more broken than either you, Leo, or even Miss Carmine, as it seems William intends to keep her as part of the team." Ozpin explained.
"Broken how?"
Ozpin hesitated, seeming to weigh that information. "Do you truly wish to know Miss Violet?"
"I feel that's important knowledge to have if he's someone I'm supposed to trust. I need to know how to react and what to expect of him. His hallucination came as a surprise during the mission. He threw himself off a catwalk three floors in the air and hit the ground but kept moving. Yet he didn't react at all when a monster crawled over him to tear his throat out. Was that just venom, or what that something else?"
Victoria swallowed, realizing slowly that it couldn't have just been venom. Not if William had been moving normally before and recovered from it in just a few minutes. He had even been fine in the Bullhead. Quiet, but fine.
Ozpin hummed, as if weighing invisible scales. Finally, he picked up his cup of coffee and rose from his seat. He didn't speak as he walked around his desk, taking a seat beside Victoria in the chair provided.
"I feel that you should know the full truth from William. If he has not shared this burden with you personally, then he is not equipped well enough to share it yet. You will have to have patience with him. He is just, if not more, troubled than you are Miss Violet." Ozpin started. He turned the cup in his hands, as if it would help churn his thoughts.
Victoria let Ozpin think. The office was quiet, the lights outside drawing her attention. The starlight was just starting to shine, piercing through the night sky. It was a pretty sight from so high up.
"William's uncle, as he implies, is not a good man."
"William mentioned that he had been involved in the experiments at the lab." Victoria muttered absently, her eyes distracted.
"To say the least. That man has trained William. You've seen that training first hand. William is strong. He is reckless not from overconfidence, but discipline. His life is forfeit regardless of if he wins or loses a battle. In his mind he's already lost the war. All that's left is to decide how long he can go before his noose is pulled tight."
Victoria pursed her lips, suddenly wishing she hadn't asked. "Like a slave."
A memory flashed through her mind. A fragment of one at least, the knife flipping through the air. An angry voice. Then pain. Victoria blinked it away, feeling her eyes burn.
"Very similar." Ozpin agreed, the contempt in his voice measurable. "I'm sure you know what happens to a child in a house without love or kindness. I won't spell out everything. But William has more than just physical scars. I do not believe the venom affected him that badly. But I will leave it to you to delve into the true reason behind his actions." Ozpin stood up again, leaving his mug on the armrest.
He surprised Victoria as he gently set a hand on her shoulder. "I have no intentions of taking you away from your current team Victoria." She shifted her gaze to his. Her vision was blurred at the edges. "Get attached. William will not leave you. Not once you become his friend. He may be hard and difficult, but friends are something precious to him, whether he realizes it now or not."
Victoria nodded, swallowing a lump that had appeared in her throat. William had defended Fox the other day. Furthermore he'd defended her, and took point breaching the complex even with an injured shoulder.
But was that protectiveness or a want for the worst? William could just as easily put himself in the front to die.
"Will that be all Professor?" Victoria asked, her voice just barely above a whisper.
Ozpin stared at her for a time, his hand lingering. Then he removed it, retrieving his mug and heading back to his desk. When he sat down without answering Victoria took it as a sign to leave.
"One more question." His voice stopped her at the doors to the elevator.
Victoria slowly turned on her heels, finding Ozpin leaning over the desk, examining the flashdrive William had given him.
"Actually," He muttered, "A statement and a question." His green eyes flicked up to meet hers before dropping back down to the drive. "You never answered why. Why I assigned William as your leader. But I don't know if you're truly ready to answer that yet. Instead I have a simpler question for you currently." Ozpin finally turned to his computer, plugging the drive in.
Victoria could hear it hum from across the room. The desk brightened, likely the screen in this case. Something was loading. The files most likely.
"Do you think William is good or bad? Is he a good person or a bad person?" Ozpin tapped the folder once it loaded, perusing through the files.
Victoria bit her lips. What did he want with that question? Did he want her to tell him William was a good man? That he was kind and sweet and a generous person?
"The truth." Ozpin added, glancing pointedly at her. "I have my own opinion. I don't want to hear it again. I want yours."
Victoria swallowed. His gaze bore weight. Even just the glance made her stiffen, the air in her chest freeze.
"I…" She started, then stopped. He'd asked her to be honest. She swallowed again, looking down at the floor.
"I don't think he knows which he is." She finally said. "He said that his world was spinning around earlier. I think he's having a hard time coming to terms with things. He's so used to one thing, risking his life, not being worth anything. With…" She paused, the word on her lips. Killing. Murder.
She slipped by it, too afraid to voice it. "With being beaten. I don't know if he knows what is right or wrong in this environment."
"A similar case to you if you will."
Victoria's gaze shot up from the ground. Her violet eyes blazed, a fire lighting in her chest suddenly. "No." Her next words came out sure. "I knew what was right. And I knew that she was doing wrong. But I didn't have the power, the strength, nor the courage, to do what I should have."
Ozpin smiled, seeming pleased by her reaction. "And what should you have done? To a wicked abuser?"
"Ki-" The words nearly slipped from her lips, but Victoria swallowed it. Kill? Kill her? Murder her in cold blood and run? No. That wasn't the right thing. Her father wouldn't have wanted that. Never.
"Forgive. Forgive and leave. And turn my back on her."
"That takes far more strength, far more courage, than spilling blood." Ozpin assured her. "The strength to set a matter so personal aside, and proceeding on to greater issues is not something easy to gain. Few warriors can manage to learn that lesson so early on in life. While the price was high, that knowledge will serve you well in the future."
Victoria nodded, but it wasn't sincere. Nothing was worth the price she'd paid. Nothing was worth that. Not even the moon.
"That is all. Thank you for your time Miss Violet. You should find your team leader." Ozpin nodded at her again, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.
Victoria hurried to the elevator, feeling his eyes on her back. She refused to turn about. The doors opened and she managed to press the lobby button. Ozpin's gaze lingered on her until the door's closed.
She slouched, grasping the elevator railing. She could feel a cold sweat on her back. Those eyes. She shook her head, a shivering riding down her spine.
He wasn't just picking at every scar, every piece of her mind and body. No. He was peering into her soul and weighing every piece.
Victoria managed to get her breath by the time she reached the ground floor. She had steadied herself, calmed her heart and readied herself to deal with William's questions. He would likely be curious what Ozpin had asked her. A few obtuse questions to pry, but he was subtle about it.
He wasn't waiting at the door. Victoria cocked an eyebrow, stepping out into the lobby. Then she saw him, curled up in a dark corner. His back was to the wall, his hands on his knees and his head to the side. His mouth was open and now that Victoria listened she could hear the soft rasp of William's breathing.
She stifled a giggle. He'd fallen asleep.
She approached him cautiously. He has always so alert, so sharp and prickly. Catching him napping was a treat.
The hard contours of his face had softened in his sleep. The cold look in his eyes had vanished, replaced by weariness and calm. If it wasn't for the scars on his hands, she could almost believe he was normal.
Those hands though… hard. Calloused and worn. Scars dotted the skin, creating a net of nicked and torn flesh. They, she'd touched them and felt the smooth skin and the rough callouses on his fingertips.
Two scars caught her eye. Resting on the back of his palms. A large cut, larger than the others, and deeper than any of them. It was a sunken section in the back on his hands, between the bones and tendons. A little more than an inch long. A knife blade for sure. Identical on both hands. Almost as if…
They would overlap. Connect. The same knife.
Victoria reached out, the barest brush of her fingers over his hands. William jerked to attention, his eyes flying open as he sprang to his feet. One hand dropped to Moonlight Sonata, the other went forward. It just brushed her wrist when William came to a stop.
They stared at each other for a moment, William's hand on his sword, his hand on hers. No doubt he had been about to throw her to the side, giving him room to draw and attack.
"A little on edge?" She teased, hoping to ease the tension.
William deflated visibly. The weariness returned to his shoulders, tension vanishing. His hand dropped free from his sword, though his other hand lingered by her hand for a moment longer.
William nodded, cracking his neck before slouching a bit. "I suppose. The venom must have taken more out of me than I thought."
Victoria smiled, a bad lie when he had been moving around just fine. "Oh really?" She asked. He was safe to tease for now. Too tired to retaliate, too weary to defend. "And here I thought you were undefeatable."
William snorted, heading for the doors. Victoria matched his pace, walking beside him. "I'm only human." He paused, then added, "I'm not used to being so vulnerable though."
She slapped his back, feeling his flex and tense as soon as her hand hit. She ignored it, ignored fear as his hands clenched to fists for a fraction of a second. She was his friend. He wouldn't hurt her.
"I've got your back." William hummed, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. They looked tired. More than just physically tired. As if William had been managing just as many things as Ozpin had today.
He was silent for a time, letting them walk across the moonlit campus. There wasn't any one else out. WLV had likely been the last team reporting back today. Everyone else had already gone to bed.
William stopped at the door to the dorms, his fingers resting on the doorhandle. Victoria flicker her eyes up to his face. He looked as if he was contemplating.
"Thank you." He turned to face her, letting his hand drop off the doorhandle. He extended it to her, palm open wide, scars bare under the lamplight. "I'll trust you with it. Partner."
Partner.
Beacon operated with partners. Two pairs in a team of four. And partners got close. Close enough to share sadness and know the other inside and out. Know all their secrets and scars and fears.
Was she ready for that?
Her hand trembled as she slid it into his. She squeezed it firmly and William smiled faintly, looking like there was a million other thoughts in his head. As if he hadn't just assured her that he would tell her every scar, every pain, before anyone else.
"Let get up to the room. I need a shower." William broke off, turning back to the door and proceeding up.
Victoria hesitated, measuring his pace and gait. He was thinking for sure. Was he watching her still? Did he trust her? More importantly did she trust him?
She bit her lip, finding her eyes burning into the back of his head as they walked down the hallway. Did she want to trust someone like William? Someone who had killed other people? With a past just as broken and dark as hers?
She wasn't sure. She had to try. Ozpin had assured her. Told her he wouldn't leave. She had to have faith in that. If not, then she didn't have much keeping her here.
The room was empty when William opened it. Leo must still have been taking care of Sandra. William headed straight into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and giving Victoria the room to herself.
She dropped onto her bed, feeling the ache in her bones and the warmth of her blankets. She groaned, rolling over and pressing her face into the pillow.
"Life is hard." She concluded.
William could wait. A partnership, a true partnership, could likely wait as well. For right now. All she cared about was getting a hot shower and getting in bed. She deserved to sleep. She'd just spend hours going through a nasty gross lab with mutated Grim-people in it.
She stretched on the bed, listening to the water turn on and the soft clap as William's boot hit the tile. He'd be out soon enough. She closed her eyes, resting for a moment.
Bitch better hurry up. She hated falling asleep still wearing her boots.
Alrighty then. This turned into a chapter in and of itself. Not really intentional. I'm sorry if this seems like a whole lot of words and not a lot of story, but I wasn't… I didn't truly control this play out if you will. I just started writing and it flowed. I think this is a fair capture of William and Victoria' interactions with Ozpin. I did elaborate, and attempt to make it not just dialogue, but there can only be so much movement in a scene where dialogue is the motivator.
I apologize for that.
I also want an opinion on Victoria. Preferably for a person of the female gender, seeing as how I can only guess at the multitude of thoughts and subjects that run through a 16-year-old female in these types of situations. Give me feedback on if her thoughts, reactions and feelings are realistic.
This was a fun chapter to write for me. I enjoy the dialogue between William and Ozpin, as well interactions between Victoria and William. They're both fun characters to work with.
I hope you like them as much as I do.