Vale. A city full of pride, mysteries and colorful people.
Owen was contemplating out of the window as the airship floated above the lake separating the City of Vale and Beacon Academy.
Far below the Academy, he could spot a port with some small boats connecting the city and Beacon.
Owen always had wondered why so few people seemed to use them.
As the airship made the final adjustments to dock, he felt a rush of excitement. And dread.
He still didn't know if he would be able to stop the onslaught in time.
His gaze swept through the passengers. Mostly everyday commuters, he thought.
A nervous, brown haired teen; A fox faunus with an unusual combination of red, black and blue spiked hair ;
A young mother with two excited kids.
Something caught his eye, an elderly man was reading the newspaper, Vale Times.
Roman Torchwick's grin was clearly printed onto an article.
If he is still alive, this must be before the Vytal Tournament, Owen thought. That's good. I guess.
Owen's train of thought suddenly stopped when the hatch sprang open. He was slightly startled, stumbling forward as he exited the ship.
He looked up, Beacon Academy with its elegant tower hovering above the blooming gardens before him, waiting to share its secrets.
Walking on, he noticed the serenity surrounding Beacon.
He was certain, the attack couldn't have happened yet, they were all too relaxed.
A pair of purple orbs accompanied by a mischevious grin bumped into him.
He was slightly dazed and for a moment and he believed he had seen someone he... knew.
Indeed, he knew this person from sometime, somewhere...
He was pondering what was so familiar about...her, but then his concentration faltered and his thoughts were put to an abrupt end by the loud and apparently never-ending rambling of a rather clamorous, moustached and portly hunter better known as Professor Peter Port.
Alongside of him walked an even more infamous huntress known by the name of Glynda Goodwitch who was subject to his constant ramblings.
Her expression wasn't a pleased one. Observing more closely, Owen could notice she was trying to put some distance between her and Port, to no avail.
Despite the corpulent appearance of Professor Port, he was quite able to keep up.
This is my chance.
He apologized rather absent-mindedly to the girl, just pausing a moment to look into those purple eyes he was sure to know from somewhere. He then trotted off to meet the teachers.
Just running away was probably rude of me, but I cannot lose them from sight, he thought to himself.
They will expel me from the academy grounds if the find me wandering around the buildings looking for Ozpin.
Owen knew just sneaking into the school wouldn't end well.
He decided speaking to Glynda was worth a try. Talking to her was probably the fastest way to get to Ozpin.
'Miss G...' Oh. There is no way I could know her name, right?
Owen cleared his throat and tried a different approach.
'Excuse me ma'am, maybe you could help me. I wanted to speak to the headmaster'
Miss Goodwitch turned around and looked him in the eye. Pretty threatening.
'And you would be?'
'Owen Crown. I'm sorry, I just thought you could know, you look like a teacher'
'Like old and bad tempered?' She arched a brow and hovered before the weirdly clothed student, at least it was weird for her standards.
'Hah, no, no! Just, mature'
At that statement, a slight smile appeared on her face just to disappear a moment afterwards.
Owen pondered on how to explain the situation to them.
I just want to help against the impending bloodshed, it was just difficult to put it into words like that.
Nope, that wouldn't work.
Something flashed through Glynda's face, Owen wasn't sure what had changed her demeanor but he noticed her defensive stance had relaxed a little.
'I am indeed a teacher and if you would follow me, I could bring you to the Headmaster myself'
Ms. Goodwitch turned around and apologized herself to the portly teacher.
'Peter, I'm sorry, I will take Mr. Crown to Ozpin, we will have to postpone this talk'
Then I realized what had brightened her mood.
My request had turned into her excuse, a perfect escape plan.
It seemed she would do anything to get away from Port.
Glynda half heartedly waved at the sturdy professor as she turned around and led the stranger to the Headmaster.
Professor Port observed them leave from the distance, a little disappointed this young chap had interrupted their spirited conversation.
Well, it seemed rather important, the poor lad had a quite alarmed expression, he contemplated.
We walked through the halls but I wasn't really paying attention, as I was more concerned not knowing what to say to Ozpin, much less if Glynda decided to be present there, listening.
She had introduced herself to Owen as a teacher and assistant to Ozpin while they walked through the gardens.
'So Mr. Crown, what kind of matter did you intend to discuss with the Headmaster?'
I have to stall for time... 'Please call me Owen'
'Of course, Mr. Crown'
A hard nut to crack.
'It is a matter I rather discuss with him myself...'
I don't think she will buy it just like that...
'I...want to see his reaction first' Owen fiddled with his necktie.
At that, Ms. Goodwitch turned around slightly and her intrigued eyes narrowed on Owen, her walking pace unperturbed.
'It is a matter affecting the school, so I guess you coul...should join us as well' he quickly added.
Owen saw her brow rise and Glynda stopped walking altogether.
He thought for a moment that he had said something wrong but then Ms. Goodwitch turned around and pressed a button on the side of a couple of sliding doors.
'Here we are' Glynda gestured for the doors.
Huh?
In my haze, I hadn't realized we were already in front of Ozpin's office.
Riding the elevator up, my heart began to beat irregularly.
There is so much at stake here. I cannot fail.
What should I do?
Glynda nodded for me to step inside the office and a coffee slurping Headmaster stood up to greet us.
Ozpin shook my hand and motioned for a seat. I've never seen any other seats in this room. He brought this for me?
Goodwitch positioned herself behind the Headmaster, slightly to the side, watching over Owen.
I better don't make any sudden movements.
Ozpin seemed concentrated, trying to guess the reason for Owen's hesitation, which let a small smile onto his face.
'Mr. Crown, Ms. Goodwitch told me in advance you were coming but she wouldn't state what you wanted to discuss'
Owen peeked at Glynda, who smirked, her eyes unfocused.
Just when did Glynda text Ozpin and tell him? She seems to be quite good at hiding her scroll.
He proceeded to sit down while Ozpin silently observed him.
Owen was wearing a plain white shirt with a red tie.
He had also some worn out jeans and was wearing a leather jacket on top of that.
Ozpin could swear he had seen a green smudge on the shirt, but it was partially covered by the jacket.
Ozpin had never seen something like this, so out of place.
This man was a puzzle for him.
But Ozpin was an intellectual above all things and puzzles intrigued him.
Owen went through the facts in his head.
He had already formed a somewhat logical explanation by that point, something both teachers would be willing to believe.
'Well, I will get straight to the point. Your students are in danger'
'We know that, Mr. Crown, this is a Combat Academy after all' Glynda interjected. Ozpin raised a brow at Owen's remark.
'Yes, what I mean is someone will target them personally and will try to wreak havoc in this school.
And they may succeed in killing some of them'
That ensured a almost unnoticeable look between the two teachers.
'The correct term is Academy. And may I ask where you get this information from?' Glynda inquisitive tone rang clear in my eardrums.
Hrmph. 'I cannot tell you for varied reasons but let me assure you my only interest is the well being of your hunters in training'
I had realized I couldn't tell Ozpin the facts straight as they were, it could change enough of the future for it to be completely different, making impossible to know when they would attack or how.
I considered withholding information was a risky move but certainly worth it.
Knowing about some parts of the future may just be enough to make it possible changing it.
In the other hand, changing the future too soon may make some things inevitable.
Ozpin cleared his throat and Owen realized, he must have zoned out.
The headmaster repeated the question he had asked before.
This time it was Ozpin who talked with his eyes slightly narrowed.
'What would you want in exchange for this information, Mr. Crown?'
In exchange?
'I...' Owen gulped 'I want to watch over them'.
I hadn't thought it through, but it was my sincere wish.
'Why?' Ozpin asked nonchalantly, at least he made it look that way.
'Because those students are the best shot at peace we have and they are also the only ones who can help fighting the Grimm menace'
That was mostly true, even if my own personal reason was simply to avoid the deaths of people I knew I could save, somehow.
Everybody wins, I guess.
'I doubt you are in shape to protect anyone, let alone protect yourself' Glynda remarked.
'Personally, I think that knowledge and willpower can do more damage to the enemy than raw, brute strength.
Furthermore, the body can be trained and the mind can be nurtured' Owen noted.
Man, am I touchy today. Big words Owen, big words.
Ozpin's brows relaxed and Glynda seemed more at ease, despite her narrowed eyelids.
'I have fought and protected others already, I just need to hone my skills and gain some experience' Owen concluded his plea.
'Then I reckon it would serve best both of your aspirations if you attended the Academy, just like any other student'
Glynda inhaled sharply at the comment but didn't interrupt Ozpin.
Owen's own brows rose and he barely managed to stop himself from hugging Ozpin. 'I think I like that proposition'
Glynda was quick to bring him back down to Earth...err Remnant.
'You should not talk about this meeting with anyone until we know more about the dangers this situation implies or the possible perpetrators'
'That goes without saying' Owen nodded.
'Then the matter is settled' Ozpin was a man of few words.
Owen could certainly respect that.
Ozpin took another gulp of his coffee, rose from his chair and took his hand to his chin.
He didn't motion for Owen to stand up, so he remained seated.
Ozpin was deep in thought, concentrated in the stranger before him
His gut told him this individual was probably interested in the newly arrived students, the freshmen.
Probably team RWBY, he was sure of it, but he might be concerned regarding other teams as well, like... the team of Jaune Arc, the boy who had entered the Academy with forged documents.
Ozpin certainly knew of those.
Mr. Arc couldn't fool him, no matter how well forged those documents were.
But this guy, he was an unknown in every respect.
That made the man in front of him even more interesting. And dangerous.
Mr. Crown didn't even try to cheat his way into his Academy.
Owen was outright asking for it.
Ozpin decided he would have to ask Glynda for her opinion later.
She had always been a good judge of character whenever he was grasping in the dark.
They could always kick Owen out of the Academy or take him down if necessary.
It was worrisome if this man was a part of those who were to harm their students.
Yet Ozpin could think of just a few individuals with the means to doing so and Mr. Crown didn't have the distinctive aura of hatred those people usually had.
Ozpin kept deliberating on the subject.
Desperation in his voice? Dishonest intentions? Owen seemed to be on their side. He seemed sincere.
Would he harm his students? No, not my students. But what about the staff?
Hm. This man seemed to follow his convictions thoroughly, he wouldn't compromise the students.
He would attack the staff if necessary.
Ozpin would put this theory to a test.
'Mr. Crown? Just one more thing'
'Please, call me Owen'
'Owen, will you look after them, no matter who or what is trying to harm them?'
'Yes, I will' There was confidence in his voice.
'And if this foe is overwhelming and relentless?'
'I won't give up..'
Glynda was about to interrupt, but Owen's gaze followed her and she could almost feel the weight of his words when he spoke them.
'...no matter what this means for myself. I know, this won't come without sacrifices, without a cost'
His eyes were fierce, his voice masked in determination.
His heart full of doubt.
But he wouldn't let them know that.
'Very well, we will decide on which team you'll be assigned to and inform you'
Ozpin meant to conclude the meeting, he had risen from his seat and when he grabbed Owen's hand to shake it, he felt something...
'Thank you, Mr...?' Owen realized he had never heard Ozpin's last name. Or maybe Ozpin was his last name.
'Just call me Ozpin'
'Or Headmaster', Glynda coughed inbetween.
'Ok. Thanks Ozpin'
Where will I sleep tonight was the question nagging at Owen's mind.
He hoped he could get a room for a few days in Vale for the money he still had left.
After that...he didn't know.
He would have to get a job, probably. Good luck with that, without any papers.
Well, he had started from zero before, he could do it again.
Owen had turned around and was almost out to the elevator when Ozpin motioned for Glynda and gestured Owen to wait for her.
Glynda bent down towards Ozpin, who was sitting behind his desk.
Ozpin spoke softly to Glynda, Owen being too far away from them to actually hear anything.
Glynda looked Ozpin in the eye with a silent, questioning expression and nodded slightly.
Ozpin spoke louder this time, for Owen to hear.
'You may visit the Academy. But as all teams have already been assembled, I will have to assign you to one of the freshmen teams'
Glynda took her scroll out and showed it to Ozpin, who seemed to consider something.
'Let me see. I think team JNPR would be the best choice, Glynda.'
Owen was about to protest but then it occurred to him he wasn't supposed to know anything regarding teams or individuals.
He couldn't discuss about anything without exposing himself.
Ozpin noticed his hesitation.
'Something the matter? Is this assignation troubling for you?'
As if he knew what I was thinking. But what could I do? Nothing but accept.
'It's nothing, I just hope they accept me into their team'
'Oh, I wouldn't worry so much about it, this team seems to make new friends quickly.
I don't think you will have trouble settling in'
Wait. Why would I even reject it? It was exactly what I wanted. Maybe because of.... nah.
'You may stay in the Academy from now on,' Ozpin nodded to Glynda as he spoke to Owen.
'...Miss Goodwitch will bring you to the dorms'
Owen was ecstatic. On the surface, he faked his calmest smile.
Ozpin nodded and motioned for Glynda. 'That would be all, Mr. Crown'
'Thank you for your time' Owen made a slight nod and turned around to leave.
When the sliding doors closed, Ozpin was left alone with his thoughts.
The Headmaster took another sip of his coffee. Something shimmered on the dark surface.
I don't know how far you are willing to go stranger, but I will let you try.
Ozpin decided, embracing this new opportunity may be the best course of action,
despite being something completely unexpected.
It may come in handy in the future, more beneficial than dangerous.
After that meeting, Owen couldn't help it but to wonder.
Why was Ozpin so willing to let him into the school? The man certainly knew more than he was letting on.
Time would tell him, he hoped.
His thoughts were interrupted when Glynda cleared her throat and seemed to ask him something.
'I'm sorry, what were you saying?'
'You've almost lost an entire semester of readings, classes and combat training'
'I can make up for it'
'Are you sure?'
'Yes. I will manage somehow'
It wouldn't be the first time I had to catch up years of classes and training in a short time frame, Owen thought.
Glynda looked at him intently 'It would be easier if you stayed back and started next year...'
'No, it won't matter. At some point I will be forced to leave classes for missions I have no clearance for anyway.
It will happen eventually, evil never waits until you are ready'
After that exchange, they walked down through the corridors in silence, Owen following close behind Miss Goodwitch.
I never understood why so many people liked her. I mean, her character was ok-ish, she was a teacher after all and should be somewhat intimidating. And she was a badass.
It was the ...hotness he didn't get. Of course she was attractive. ...walking so close behind her was certainly clouding his judgement in that regard...
Glynda turned around to see that Owen hadn't wandered off and was just in the process of taking in his surroundings.
She kept her pace, leading him to his designated dormitory.
Owen was glad he stopped eyeing a certain witch just a second before she turned her attention to him, otherwise he would have been a very dead man.
Myra's words resonated in his head. It's impolite to stare.
He chuckled to himself.
Glynda knocked twice on the door and announced herself. After a few moments, a voice I would later realize as Jaune's told her to come in.
She opened the door and was about to make introductions but to her surprise, Owen interjected her attempt to explain the new arrival, despite having himself a somewhat nervous expression.
'This is Mr...'
Owen turned around to Glynda and grinned 'Miss Goodwitch, Thanks but I think am old enough to introduce myself'
She raised an eyebrow and nodded for him to continue. If she was offended, she didn't show it.
He turned around to the strangers before him and introduced himself. Well. Not strangers...but you get my drift...
'Hello, I am Owen, I may be staying with you for a while'
Glynda seemed in a hurry to leave...
'Then I shall leave the introductions and further explaining to yourself, Mr. Crown'
She left the room swiftly, but just before the door closed, an unusual smirking Glynda appeared again, leaning into the room.
'Ah and Mister Crown?'
'Yes?'
'Meet me at the Atrium tomorrow morning at 7:30 for your initiation'
Owen visibly gulped. Nora grinned. Ren and Pyrrha didn't. Something told them Owen would have to fight alone and it wouldn't be easy.
A glint of malice glowed in the teacher's eyes 'I think you are also old enough to fight for your life'
With that, she left and closed the door behind her. With her gone, there was no way to argue about it.
That was just plain evil, Owen thought. The perks of being a teacher, he guessed.
Seeing Owen's troubled expression, Jaune tried to help him out with what he thought was causing his concern.
'The atrium is in front of the conference hall, pretty easy to spot'
Pyrrha smiled and made Jaune aware of something he might have failed to realize.
'Jaune, he probably doesn't know where that is either'
'Oh, right, but we can show you the way there tomorrow before classes if you want'
'Yeah, that would be nice guys'
Awkward introduction, here we go.
'Sooo...Hello. I am Owen, Owen Crown. I guess I might be part of your team from now on.
I hope you don't mind. I will try to avoid making much trouble'
Pyrrha offered a 'Hello' before looking to Jaune, who was startled by her gaze and offered his hand.
'Oh, hello, I am Jaune. I am the appointed leader of team JNPR. J is for Jaune , N would be Nora
Nora grinned. Owen just smiled and offered a hand which Nora shook vigorously.
Jaune continued the introductions 'P would be Pyrrha', who waved and smiled. 'Hello Again'
'And R would be me, Ren', who nodded politely to Owen.
Jaune pointed to the couch 'Feel free to unpack your things, I think you can put your bags beside the couch'
Team JNPR began preparing their notebooks and school papers for the coming day.
Ren looked to Nora and asked if she had done all her papers for tomorrow.
She nodded and jumped to her bed, giggling. 'Story time!' Ren sighed with an inevitable smile on his face.
Owen grinned at the pair's awkward interactions, Nora's quirkiness and Ren's patience with her.
They had left him to his devices, so he turned around and decided to unpack.
Oh. Right.
He had virtually nothing to unpack. His very possesions were in the bag Myra had bought him but as far he could recall, there was not really much in it besides a change of underwear and some snacks.
He wanted to buy more clothes in Vale but had totally forgotten it.
And his suitcase was still jammed.
Owen felt his muscles and bones slightly aching. It has been a long trip, he thought to himself.
'Shaving would be nice, he thought aloud.
If only for the sake of appearing younger and avoid awkward questions.
Whose daddy are you? Who are you visiting? Owen mentally facepalmed at the stupid image in his head.
Then he scratched his chin involuntarily.
Ren casually approached him and whispered 'I just have one straight razor for shaving but I can show you tomorrow where to get one in Vale'
Surprised at Ren's willingness to help him and the observation skills of the quiet asian guy with the pink streak, Owen simply smiled and nodded his thanks.
Wait. Not asian, just asian looking. There is no Asia in Remnant.
Owen had always wondered how the different cultures of Remnant developed.
'Ren, I want to know what happened to the Badass Baroness and the Fellowship of Awesome!' Nora exclaimed.
Ren quickly made an apologetic expression 'Duty calls'
'Thanks Ren, I appreciate it'
Owen felt sympathy for Ren yet all he could do was to smile.
While walking back to her room, Glynda decided to check up on Ozpin before calling it a night.
Something like this was likely to keep him busy for hours or at least intrigue him.
She had seen his chess expression and knew what it usually meant.
She knew him very well indeed.
The elevator doors opened, showing the spacious room where Ozpin worked and met his guests in the academy.
Glynda cleared her throat and Ozpin motioned for her to sit down on the seat he had brought initially for Owen.
As she felt the silence had stretched long enough, she decided to speak up.
'It has been an eventful day Ozpin, what keeps you awake?'
'It would make sense for Atlas to send one of their spies in advance' Ozpin was thinking out loud.
'Atlas? He seemed of a...warmer kind.'
'Glynda, you know best how hotheaded James can be and he is as atlesian as they come.
'Point taken. I still don't think Owen Crown is a spy...'
After an inquisitive look from Ozpin, she added 'Not from Atlas anyway'
'Time shall grant us more answers' Ozpin took a sip of his dark, liquid treasure.
He squinted, his eyes roaming around the room unfocused, a clear sign he was deep in thought.
Glynda had simpler questions nagging at her mind. How come he never runs out of coffee?
Ozpin blinked a few times and looked up again 'I just hope we didn't make another mistake'
We? Glynda thought.
'Should we ask James about this?' Glynda had a concerned expression on her face, different from her usual scowls.
He returned to his thinking stance 'I don't think he would tell us'
Some secrets are meant to remain secrets. And something tells me not even Ironwood knows about this man. Ozpin shook his head, mostly to himself.
Glynda looked out of the window and recalled their meeting with Owen.
'Mr. Crown was a little...different. I entertained the thought of him not being a spy at all, albeit only for a few moments'.
'Even if he is a spy, the information he gave us may still be correct, we cannot afford to leave our guard down'
Ozpin took another sip of his coffee and continued.
'There are many unknowns. They may be getting better at concealing their true motives and outright lying or maybe our judgement is getting worse, Glynda'
'Speaking of bad judgement, we haven't heard much from Qrow lately'
'I sent him on a special mission, I hope we hear something soon, it worries me'
'What worries you? Qrow, or the mission you sent him after?'
'Both'
I am here. This is awesome. A fanboy kind of awesome.
Standing in my room is Jaune Arc, a tall blonde who might be brighter than he gets credit for and with a serious case of goofballitis
Nora Valkyre. Fear her. No matter if you are on her side or against her. Fear her. And prepare for soul-crushing hugs.
Pyrrha Nikos. The greek goddess with lightspeed reflexes who will hear you out and will always have your back.
Lie Ren, the misterious, silent and most patient of companions. Words aren't needed if you have trust.
Owen Crown. A completely broken, suitcase swinging, not-a-real-hero, student dropout.
Damn, I really have to work on my résumé.
Pyrrha tried to lift my spirits while probably thinking my troubled expression was caused by more serious reasons.
'Don't worry about tomorrow, you can do it.' Her reassuring smile didn't have the desired effect, to be honest.
'You cannot know that Pyrrha, he may as well die in the woods after encountering the very first Grimm.
Or maybe he trips and get smashed by talking stones or gets scorched by burning, dancing trees!'
'Nora!' Ren facepalmed.
'Oh, sorry Owen, I'm pretty sure you can do it, I mean, you managed to get into Beacon, right? You cannot be that bad'
At that statement, the concerned look in Jaune's face told Owen a lot of things.
Jaune probably wasn't that scared of them knowing about how he got into Beacon. Not anymore at least. They were his friends.
He was scared sharing that bit of information with Owen, a total stranger who could betray him to Ozpin.
'Owen?' Pyrrha was worried now. Owen seemed rather anxious and all jittery by the initiation due the next day.
Oh, sorry, I spaced out'
'You were probably thinking of a landing strategy, right?' Jaune assumed.
'What?' I wanted to ask them about that actually. Maybe they had exaggerated it in the show for dramatic purposes.
Had they?
Jaune shrugged.'Nevermind'
He then scratched the back of his head. 'It's usually Ruby who asks this kind of awkward questions, but what weapons do you have?'
Ruby's weapon fixation seemed to be well known...
'Well, I have a sword and...my suitcase'
'A suitcase. As a shield?' The incredulous look in Ren's face told me, suitcases weren't used as shields here.
Unsurprisingly neither did they in my world.
'Exactly. It was more by chance than anything, I got attacked by Grimm and took what I had at hand'
'Ohhh was it an Ursai? No no no, I bet it was a Beowolf...'
Ren tapped on the redhead's shoulder, who turned around, bubbly as ever, to her together-not-so-together partner in crime.
'Nora, I am pretty sure Owen is tired, at least as tired as much as we are. I bet he will tell us his stories another day, now we got to sleep' Ren winked at him, who nodded his thanks.
Nora listened to Ren's reasoning. She pouted but conceded defeat in the end.
Stories about monsters and cat girls will have to wait, Nora, Owen thought and felt bad for disappointing her.
He was glad for Ren's intervention. Indeed, he felt like a walking wreck.
Maybe being on the edge the whole day had burned off his nerves and exhausted him more than it should have.
He stretched his limbs, fearing they might fall of their sockets and yawned involuntarily.
'I think I will take the couch then'
'We could look for an extra bed...' Pyrrha offered.
'Nah, don't worry. I will talk to Ms. Goodwitch tomorrow. If I survive the initiation, that is. ' Owen grinned.
Nora gave him two thumbs up and winked.
Ren and Pyrrha gave him a weak smile, more worried than anything.
They were probably thinking about what would have happened to Jaune if he faced the odds alone back then.
Jaune himself hadn't fought too bad in the initiation, but the further classes and combat training went, the more concerned they were about his abilities or lack thereof.
Jaune came out of the bathroom, wearing his characteristic onesie and brushing his teeth. 'Shu shd shmthng? Bhtrum s yahrs'
'No, don't worry Jaune, just tell me when you are done' Owen was perplexed he actually understood what Jaune had meant to say.
One cracking noise outside the room got Owen's attention.
A moment later, someone knocked on the door.
'Jaune, are you still awake? It's me, Ruby.'
'Whaibtlagfmhumgl' Owen clearly heard Ren facepalming behind him.
Jaune took the brush out of his mouth and spoke again, this time also in a language comprehensible for us, human beings.
'Oh, yeah Ruby, come in'
Ruby, the young and charismatic leader of team RWBY entered the room.
She was wearing her cute pyjamas and already had a sleepy face.
'Tomorrow we wanted, well team RWBY wanted to...' At the unusual sight in the room Ruby paused, blinked and rubbed her eyes.
'Uh, you have a visitor?' Her right brow rose up, almost dramatically.
'Oh yeah, he is the new addition to our team...' Jaune replied.
Ruby's eyes brightened up. She was suddenly awake. 'A new member?! That's awesome!'
Owen offered a hand which Ruby quickly took. 'Ah um, hi, I'm Ruby'
'Hello Ruby, I am Owen'
'Oh, you got to meet my team...ehm...' she looked to the her closest friends in team JNPR for a silent sign of approval, which came from both Jaune as a smile and from Pyrrha as a subtle nod.
She disappeared into the corridor and crossed to their own room.
You could still distinguish the voices, as both doors weren't closed
'There is a new guy in team JNPR!'
Weiss wasn't exactly quiet. 'What!? This late in the middle of the semester? This is unprecedented! Who does he think he is?'
They could clearly hear Yang's indifferent humph as well.
Only Blake remained silent or couldn't be heard.
Not even two full seconds after that, Yang was striding into the room and stopped just shy of hers and Owen's noses touching together.
'Hello guys ah girls...erm you know what I mean' Jaune greeted team RWBY, whose entrance had only been given away by the cracking noise in the corridor.
He shut up quickly at the scene unfolding before them.
Yang seemed surprised 'You?'
'Me?' Owen was slightly startled but he recognized the pair of liliac eyes he had met earlier that day.
At this distance, he was rather sure those were the same, if her surprised look was proof enough.
'Nevermind. First of all, let me be very clear, if you just look at my little sister the wrong way, you will never experience the joy of being a father'
'Ahm. I'm Owen. And you don't have to worry too much about your little...'
'Hey' Ruby interjected while pouting.
Owen continued' ...younger sister, at least not concerning me'
He grinned awkwardly. Maybe I will get alive out of this, somehow .
Yang still wasn't sure if this guy would beg for his life or if he was lucky, gamble his very life.
She decided to give him the benefit of doubt and let him live for now.
But there were still things to be clarified yet. Poking on his chest with one finger, she warned him.
'Just a reminder Cheesecake, never tell me what I have to do'
After that had sunk in, she offered her hand and firmly shook Owen's hand once.
'I'm Yang'
Owen relaxed a little and an involuntary smile appeared on his face.
'Ruby is my sister and this here is Blake, my partner.' The rest of team RWBY seemed to have slipped into the room while I was fearing for my life, err talking to Yang.
'Hello, nice to meet you' she offered Owen her hand and a smile, which was, for Blake's standards, a whole lot.
Yang was a little confused at her partner's unfamiliar forwardness. She would ask her about that later.
Owen peeked at her bow while he gently shook her hand. Yang noticed him glancing but didn't know what he was looking for.
How she noticed him looking, you might ask. It's not like she had been looking at his eyes. Nope. Not at all.
An annoyed sound could be heard from the direction where the Schnee heiress was standing. 'Hey'
'Oh yes, this is Weiss, my partner', Ruby explained.
The Schnee heiress offered one of her slender hands while cocking her head slightly to the side, a greeting probably inculcated into her since an early age. 'Sehr erfreut'
A German greeting? Let's try some French.
'Très enchanté Mademoiselle' Owen bowed and pecked the back of her hand. A gentle kiss.
Weiss was puzzled what to think about this stranger.
This guy is well versed in etiquette and speaks foreign tongues?
No. You are a Schnee. You won't fall for petty dirty tricks.
And he has a scruffy beard.
She was trying hard to ignore the unfamiliar, outlandish charm.
Owen was oblivious to Weiss' musings as was most of the group.
But not Ruby, she was quick to notice the puzzled expression which Weiss could mask most of the time through her polite scowls, as Ruby liked to call them. This time though, she seemed to have lost her usual composure, if just for a tiny moment.
As if needing to explain their sudden appearance or maybe just to think of other things, Weiss cleared her throat and tried to justify themselves.
'It's not like we were curious, we couldn't let Yang put our reputation at risk, so we followed her'
At the blatant lie, Blake simply rolled her eyes and a small smile appeared on her face.
Yang simply grinned and shrugged, not even trying to deny the false accusations concerning her.
The sudden silence was interrupted by Jaune, who couldn't stop himself from yawning.
'Sorry guys, I'm just...*Yawn!*...too tired'
'I don't mind it at all, Yaaawne'
'Yang! Damn it!'
Blake loved the puns the blonde brawler usually made but someone had to keep her in line. Who would, if not her?.
It was difficult though, when everyone was laughing. Even Jaune.
Weiss faked a cough to hide her laugher.
Blake saw her and knew that if she asked the heiress, Weiss would probably blame it on the exhaustion.
Ruby smiled. Jaune was right. She was sleepy too.
The girls bid team JNPR and company goodnight and slowly went back to their room.
Owen looked at the couch, waiting for him, offering him a well deserved rest.
He would love something to read. But this damn suitcase won't open.
Being honest, he was actually pretty tired.
He went to the bathroom, loosened his tie and was slightly surprised when he grabbed into Myra's bag.
She even packed a new toothbrush for me.
The strange sight of grey baggy jogging pants and a Grimms & Roses T-Shirt confused him.
He was glad she had put those into the bag, he really had no other change of clothes.
Myra...you didn't...
She must have packed them before they travelled to Pockety. They were certainly hers, but she didn't mind to share.
With brushed teeth and a fresh change of clothes, he felt grateful everything had worked out at last.
Before he passed out, he smiled unconciously.
Myra, I owe you one...
She was, indeed, his guardian angel in this world.
Owen fell into a deep slumber on the couch.
Tomorrow awaits.
I know that it seems pointless
I know that it feels fake
I know you can't stand the thought of
Being stray
One more day
A/N:
This should be the longest A/N ever done. But I will keep it short.
First of all, thanks for returning. I know, I had promised this chapter since...March?
But, although the concept was done a while ago, I couldn't complete it, the other chapters, backstory, [story specific] lore and many other things sucked up my attention and then my newly bought laptop wouldn't work properly.
It turns out, the official updates from the maker made the keyboard useless, deactivating many keys and even the...well...it fuc*ed the laptop.
Using the usual OEM System restore/factory reset only managed to destroy the OS without posibility of another factory reset. That laptop is awaiting a custom setup for which I haven't had the time yet.
And I am doing the work of 3 at home. [This bit is censored, why would I want to write that here? XD ]
I hope I will release the 5th chapter in the next couple of days or at most, a week from now.
Numero 5 was actually quite complete before this one had even taken a real shape.
I am still reformatting and restructuring the earlier chapters, but I wanted to get this chapter out, so I could concentrate the work on the other chapters (earlier and later).
If something is hard to understand, please feel free to point it out.
If you find any blatant errors or grammar sins, please point them out. I usually proofread at ungodly hours.
I have caught myself tearing my hair out after reading some passages I proofread half asleep.
I prefer private messages, but you may leave a review too. Please, don't crush my soul. Thanks :)
By the way, this is the longest chapter I have posted so far, with almost 6500 Words. Whoa.
ps: Almost 70%* of the fic main plot points are actually written. They have been written for months, but fleshing the chapters out and ironing out inconsistencies keeps me busy.
*Wild Guess.
ps2: As a matter of fact, just as I was finishing this chapter (A/N already written, just proofreading etc),
I had a memory leak (or overflow, didn't really look into it), but my laptop crashed, bluescreened and reset.
AS THE CHAPTER WAS LITERALLY BEING UPLOADED. *FML*
That's why I needed a new laptop, this one is already 10 years old and has some random glitches from time to time.
ps3: This is meant to be posted on my profile but as some of you might not see it, I'll do it here as well:
For most of the chapters, I envisioned certain tracks, background music or simply songs to be listened along. This is in no way something you must do. It is totally up to you.
Some of those cues were simply 'Working tracks' while I wrote, but they may catch the mood or ambience of the setting.
If you are curious, here is the link:
pastebin dot com /55HKWqUY
[It is WIP, older chapters will get their soundtrack, but it has low priority right now]
ps4: I will most certainly grab my head in the morning and fix some of the formatting errors.
It turns out, FF won't take some of the formatting.
I will do what I can while my eyes still work, somehow.
ps5: Shavranekto, you didn't... Thanks mate for all the suggestions and fixes. [Millions of them]
ps6: As of February of 2019, this chapter has also been fixed for typos. Some lines were rephrased too.