Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that there has been an update on the event I'm at which takes place next Thursday (8th). Before I said that I would strive to release a smaller chapter of around 4,000 words, but that's going to unfortunately not be possible. I will be trapped arranging, organising, and taking part in rehearsals for pretty much the entire day before, before I'll be leaving on the Wednesday to attend a pre-event networking evening dinner that will run from 6pm – 10pm. It's all very annoying and basically means I have no free time Wednesday or Thursday.
As a result there will be no White Sheep next week. I apologise for that, but I've tried really hard, even trying to book a holiday from work so I could write ahead of schedule, but the event is taking so much of my time that I had to cancel those holidays and work through them. Yet again it's a case of me being the only one really putting the work in, as I have arranged for over 70 guests now, and when I quizzed my team who were also working on it (and who were the ones who were meant to run the whole thing alone), I've been told they have gained 1 guest in the last two weeks. ONE.
So, yeah, I'm doing everything and can't trust them for anything, which means I'll be too busy to write White Sheep next week and won't actually have any free time in front of a PC from 6pm Tuesday to 10pm Thursday. Sorry about that, but things will return to normal afterwards.
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Kegi Springfield
Chapter 53
Awakening came as something of an anti-climax.
He'd expected something dramatic; a gasp, start, or a lurch, but wakefulness didn't so much come with anything other than a realisation that his eyes were open, and he'd been staring at the white ceiling for the last two minutes. His dorm didn't have a white ceiling and it didn't have nauseating patterns of plaster swirled into it. Nor did his room have about twenty empty beds all around and a horrifying scent of anti-septic and chemical. He had a feeling he'd have remembered if it did.
"Jaune?" a familiar voice sounded to the side and white hair pooled across his vision as his partner's face appeared. Weiss didn't so much smile as raise an eyebrow. "It's about time you woke up. I've been sat here for two hours."
He blinked past his confusion to look around and realise that yes, he was in the infirmary, and yes, he probably was injured – none of which really explained why Weiss was acting like her presence was his fault. "Sorry?" he said, asked. "I should have woken up sooner?"
"Yes. Yes, you should have. You know now for future."
"Were you waiting at my bedside?" Jaune asked, struggling to sit up. "How long-"
"Two hours, and no, sorry. The doctor assured us you were unharmed, and I'd have waited until you were dismissed if it were my choice. Sadly, Winter somehow got hold of the information you'd be waking up today and dragged me here saying I should be at my boyfriend's bedside when he wakes up." She glared at him to make it clear that was his fault. "I also now have to reconcile myself with the fact my sister either reads trashy romance novels or watches trashy romance movies. How are you, by the way?" The last was added so randomly that he wasn't sure what to say.
"I'm okay. I think? I don't know. What happened?"
"We fought Hentacle," Weiss said. "We managed to rescue Ren, fight off that monster, and make it back to you in time to find out you'd discovered a White Fang and Grimm invasion of Vale. I'm not entirely sure whether I should say `good work` or not for that." Some of the irritation faded from her face and she looked him over. "I'm glad you're safe anyway. Well done for staying alive."
She had no idea how little he deserved that. If anything, they deserved praise for beating back his Grimm form when he lost control. His head ached at the memory and he could feel Remy asleep inside of him, exhausted. The last thing he remembered of that fight was choking Ruby. His eyes widened. "Ruby. Is she-?"
"She's fine. I'm surprised you noticed her."
Noticed? Weiss stepped aside, revealing the bed next to his where Ruby lay covered in a white sheet. There were no noticeable injuries, but she seemed unnaturally still. Weiss must have thought he'd seen her and that was how he knew. He could remember being the one to almost hurt her.
"We're not sure what's wrong with her and no one is telling us anything." Weiss sounded almost furious at that. "She fought against Hentacle and did something… again, no idea what. Yang got her back here safe while the rest of us came to rescue you."
"That's a relief…"
"You should thank Yang for that," Weiss said. "Preferably not in my sister's line of sight. She's been here to visit you and Ruby a few times, Yang that is. Everyone has, really. Well, Blake only came because Nora dragged her along saying something about not trusting her with Ren when she wasn't watching, but still." Weiss paused, blinked, and then held a hand to her forehead. "Sorry. I'm a little out of it myself. I've been sat here for two hours without as much as a book to read. I can only watch two of my teammates sleep for so long before I start to lose my mind."
"Everyone is safe, then?"
"Pretty much. A few people were injured when the Grimm came up, but no one died and there were no civilian casualties." Weiss seemed to hesitate after that, watching him with an odd expression.
"What is it?" he asked.
"After you fell unconscious the Grimm… they acted strangely."
"How so?"
"They finished off the White Fang but didn't attack us. One of them even saw your unconscious body but didn't touch it, even when Pyrrha was next to you. It was like… I don't know what it was like…" Weiss sighed and stepped back. "Never mind. I don't know why I'm telling you anyway; you were out cold when it happened. Suffice to say things ended a lot better than they could have."
Relief rushed through him and he released a long breath. The last thing he really remembered was people not believing him when he told them to run, so to learn that they'd listened – or at least moved at the last second – lifted a weight from his shoulders.
"I'll tell the others you're awake," Weiss said, standing. "I was here when you woke up so I've done my girlfriend duty." She rolled her eyes. "If Winter asks be sure to tell her we had a very romantic moment."
"I will," he laughed. "Why don't I come with you, though?"
Weiss sighed. "Because I'm not the only one waiting to talk to you." She pointed off to the side and Jaune noticed the other figure stood arms crossed by the entrance. It was Qrow and he waited with an impatient scowl. "You asked if I'd been here waiting for you to wake up and the answer was no, but he's been here all day, and probably the night before as well."
"I'll thank you not to make me sound like some kind of predator," Qrow called.
"Then perhaps you'll refrain from acting like one."
"My niece is in here. Maybe I'm here for her."
"If that were the case you'd have walked up to check on her instead of spending your time staring at my partner." Weiss was clearly unimpressed if she was talking back to someone who sort of ranked as a teacher. That said, it might have been having her time wasted tending to Jaune.
"You're as cold as your sister," Qrow snorted.
"I'll take that as a compliment, sir. At least my sister doesn't hover over young men's beds while they sleep."
"All I did was suggest you wake him with a kiss."
Weiss bristled and stomped past the man while Jaune winced. Ah, so that was why she was so angry. He could easily imagine Qrow being just as bored and distracting himself by baiting Weiss. Little wonder she'd been so desperate for him to wake up and spare her the aggravation.
"Man, what a sour puss," Qrow said, ambling forward. "She's just like her sister; neither has a sense of humour to speak of."
"Were you really waiting for me to wake up?" Jaune asked.
"Don't read into it, kid." Qrow swigged some booze and sighed. "Seriously, don't read into it. I'm here because Ozpin told me to be here. You did a number on yourself by the looks of it, even if there's not a wound to speak of. What knocked you out?"
Jaune eyed the man warily, unsure what he should say, especially if Ozpin was going to hear about it. From Weiss' story he'd figured out that the Grimm must have taken his parting words as orders, or surrendered to his will when he exerted it, but neither option could be provided here. "I don't remember much," he said, the lie coming easily. "All I remember is an intense pressure in my head and me warning the civilians they had to get away." There would be no lying about that of course, since the headmaster was bound to have witness testimony. "I fell unconscious soon after. I just couldn't stay awake."
"Did it feel like you were overwhelmed?"
"Yeah…"
"That's not unusual in the case of unlocking a Semblance." Qrow dragged a wooden seat toward the side of the bed and sat down with the back facing Jaune and his legs on either side. He leaned his arms over the top, one clutching his flask. "Some Semblances are purely physical, kind of like Ruby's. Those unlock when you need it most, or through training, and can leave a person feeling exhausted – it's the sudden energy expenditure and the fact the body isn't used to it. Others take a more mental toll," he said, and tapped the side of his skull. "Semblances like Glynda's, telekinesis, use the mind and it's that which gets exhausted. I've heard tell it can feel like the worst migraine you've ever had, at least the first time, and it's not uncommon for people to pass out once the adrenaline fades. I get it a lot with kids in Signal."
It took Jaune a long second to realise what Qrow meant, and what he was saying. "You think I unlocked my Semblance?"
"Sounds like it to me, kid. Those folks back there said you sensed the Grimm coming, that you knew about it beforehand and told them to run for it. That's not a skill you had before, is it?"
It was. Of course it was, but if he'd learned anything about lying in the short time he'd been around humans it was to not interfere when someone was doing it for you. "I've never been able to sense Grimm," he said. "Wow. That's my Semblance, huh?"
"If it is then it could be a very dangerous one, kid. You need to understand that. There are a lot of people who'd like to have that kind of power on their side, and not all of them will ask nicely. Some might even want you out of the picture entirely."
"I think I'll be okay." It wasn't like his own mother was going to have him killed off. Spanked, sure, and probably grounded for weeks – but never harmed. "I doubt the Grimm can get into Beacon anyway."
"I'm not talking about the Grimm."
"Huh?"
"Vale, Atlas, Mistral, Vacuo, the SDC, the White Fang – anyone and everyone who counts the Grimm as an enemy would kill for a power like yours, whether it be for early warning, scouting, surveying or even hunting Grimm." Qrow leaned back with and took a long drink. "And I doubt the walls of Beacon will be enough to keep all of those people away."
So many…? He could understand some of them, he supposed, and some might even have other people's best interests in heart, but the picture Qrow painted wasn't a pleasant one. The White Fang couldn't get me, could they? Cinder has a deal with them. Wait; was Cinder responsible for all of this? No way. She wouldn't! He bit his lip. The denial felt weak. "What am I supposed to do?" he asked Qrow.
"Depends what you want. People will start by making offers before they resort to anything else."
"I want to stay in Beacon. I want to stay on my team and carry on like I always have."
"Glad to hear it. In that case you've got Ozpin's support. He's doing his best to suppress this as much as he can, but that's pretty hard given that several people already talked to the media. He's trying to hide your name instead, claiming as a ward of Beacon it has to be protected. Everyone knows a Beacon student sensed the Grimm and warned everyone, but not who or what year they're in."
"And you'd like me to keep it that way?"
"If possible. Tell your team if you want but tell them to keep quiet. I'll talk to Ruby about it so you don't have to." He nodded to his niece, who was still fast asleep. "Despite what the mini-ice-queen said I'm here for both you and Ruby."
"This is… this is a lot to take in. You're saying people are going to be trying to find out who I am?"
"Possibly, yeah. There are a lot of people already demanding to know and Ozpin is stalling." The implication was clear; Ozpin was stalling to help him but would probably expect some kind of repayment in kind.
They're basically saying someone is going to try and use me, but I can pick who I want. If I want to stay in Beacon, then I have to side with Ozpin and Qrow. That wasn't too bad since he agreed with their methods, well, apart from the part about killing his mother, of course. The real risk was that if all these people were looking for him then there would be more attention than ever. If he messed up, or someone somehow found out it wasn't a Semblance, then there would be questions. The kind of questions he couldn't answer.
He wasn't even sure if he could have a Semblance or if his Grimm heritage might somehow suppress it. Remy probably wouldn't know either and the poor parasite was exhausted. In the meanwhile, the excuse of claiming this as one would at least let him avoid interrogation from Ozpin, Qrow, and his teammates. He just hoped whatever Ozpin had in mind for him wouldn't come back to bite him.
"I'll do it," Jaune decided. "I'll keep it a secret."
"Good kid," Qrow said, standing with a sigh. "I'll pass on the message to Oz. I'm sure he'll be pleased you're on board with his idea." And pleased at the implicit acceptance that he had Jaune's loyalty as well. The huntsman paused at the door, one hand on the frame before he left. "You could do with some other help in making sure no one tries anything, though. Your friends might help there."
"I'll tell them, don't worry."
Still Qrow hesitated. "There are other people who might help as well." He sighed. "I'm not saying I agree with the way she does things, but results and results and you could ask your mother for help."
Jaune froze. "M-Mom?" he stammered.
"I know she's a piece of work, but she has her ways," Qrow gritted out. "At the very least she'd be good for silencing people who might try and take advantage."
"I-I don't know what you mean. M-Mom wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Kid, I'm no idiot." Qrow sighed, completely ignoring Jaune's rising panic, or how he was preparing himself for sudden combat beneath the covers. "She and I never saw eye to eye but Raven doesn't take shit when she doesn't have to." He turned away. "Give it some thought."
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Jaune alone with Ruby's unconscious form once more and three-and-a-half tentacles under the bed sheets, one still recovering from being cut off. They'd been prepared to attack the moment Qrow did, but were now left to twitch periodically, as confused as their host and owner.
"Who the hell is Raven?"
/-/
On the other side of Beacon, a slightly less tense affair began by Coco raising a can of beer – prohibited in Beacon's dorms, but since when had Coco Adel cared? – up in the air. "To my teammate Velvet, who finally snagged her man!"
"Cheers!" Yatsuhashi and Fox called, with Velvet and said man echoing it a little more reservedly. Mercury felt as out of place as he ever had, what with being surrounded by the teammates of the girl cuddling against his side, his arm over her shoulder.
"Even if it took her a while to figure out which man she wanted," Coco teased. "I swear, we were about to stage an intervention if you kept going after that Jaune guy."
"Coco," Velvet whined piteously, her cheeks flushed bright crimson. "You shouldn't insult Jaune. He's a nice guy."
"But not your guy, right?" Coco teased.
Velvet's eyes flicked up, meeting Mercury's as he glanced down, and she `eeped` in embarrassment. "N-No," she admitted. "Coco, do we have to have a party? This is embarrassing."
Coco laughed. "Ha. Embarrassing is walking in on you two sucking face. Embarrassing is hiding in the bathroom like an idiot because I don't want to interrupt, then being forced to listen to you to making out." She leaned forward, and both Mercury and Velvet leaned back. "You two don't know the meaning of embarrassing. You're lucky I don't stage this party in the cafeteria as revenge and invite every single person in Beacon!" Coco grinned once it was clear Velvet had surrendered the point. "Still, this is a celebration, bun. You got a boyfriend. That's big. Congrats!"
Despite her mortification Velvet smiled and leaned against Mercury's side. "Thanks."
"And you too, tall, silver, and taken. Yats and Fox will give you the `don't hurt our teammate` talk later, but for now I want details. Last I saw was Vel running out the dance and you chasing. Details. I need details."
Mercury wasn't used to be the centre of attention and stiffened the moment it turned on him. He couldn't escape, not with Velvet attached to his side. His – dare he say it – girlfriend… and he was still trying to wrap his head around that, or to think of a way to explain it to Cinder and Emerald without them biting his head off. So far, he'd gone with the `don't` approach and that had worked wonders, but they were bound to find out sooner or later.
"There isn't much to say," he lied, choosing to save the two of them the embarrassment. He didn't miss Velvet's relieved sigh. "I caught up with her, we talked, and then things just sort of sorted themselves out."
Coco looked unimpressed, and unconvinced. "Is that why we found the two of you in bed together when we came back?"
"W-We were dressed!" Velvet shrieked.
"Yeah, and I got a full shot of just how messed up your boy-toy's shirt was. What was it; two buttons popped, three? He was either attacked by a Beowolf or something far, far, hungrier." Her leer made it clear she was referring to Velvet and the faunus flushed wildly.
"We didn't do that," Mercury said. "Which you know full well since you'd have been able to tell. We just talked a lot and Velvet got tired." After all the crying, that was. The crying and the shouting, the latter on both their sides, and then the inevitable eruption of dormant emotions when he'd pushed her against a wall and challenged her and she'd lashed out in return.
Then there had been hands on his face and lips on his, before his own had wound about the warm body before him and they'd lost themselves to anger and passion. It was all a haze of warm skin, soft lips and bated breath to him. But he knew they hadn't gone that far, despite how much his body protested the decision. They'd just talked. Heatedly talked. Mouth-to-mouth talked.
Mercury coughed awkwardly. "We didn't do anything exciting, really…"
"Bullshit."
"You've heard our side of the story."
"And I saw those marks on your neck."
"I lost a spar with a teammate."
"Sure you did." Coco grinned and glanced to Velvet. While he might have been a proficient liar she wasn't and couldn't meet her teammate's eyes. "You go, girl. Never knew you had it in you. Or on Mercury, I guess."
"C-Coco please…"
"I think we should give our teammate a rest," Yatsuhashi said, coming to Velvet's aid and peeling Coco aside. The gentle giant smiled at the two of them and nodded to Mercury. "I'm very pleased to see you took my advice at the dance, my friend. I see you have discovered the truth of what I said."
What truth? You just spouted a bunch of random nonsense. The only reason I went after Velvet was to knock some sense into her. Everything that had happened afterwards was other things getting away from them. He smiled and nodded to the man anyway, not quite willing to cause any discord in his girlfriend's team.
And Gods, it was official, wasn't it? Mercury looked down to the rabbit faunus against his side and swallowed. She felt comfortable against him, like she fit there, as if there had always been something missing until this point. He knew it was nonsense, of course. Hormones and chemical reactions and other things that made otherwise normal people act like idiots.
He just wasn't sure when he'd been infected, or what he was supposed to do now that he didn't really want to find a cure. Velvet sensed his attention and glanced up. Her cheeks flushed but she managed a cute and loving smile.
It was like a knife twisted into his stomach, even as he grinned back.
It wasn't going to end well; not at all. Leaving aside the differences between them there was the fact that he was involved in a plan to pretty much destroy Beacon – a plan that would put her in incredible danger. Even if she came out of that in one piece, what was there left for the two of them? He'd be a wanted criminal. She'd be a huntress without a school. I shouldn't have agreed to this, he thought. I should have turned her down. Told her I didn't feel the same. Lied to her.
Or better still, he shouldn't have felt the same at all. Things had gone wrong far too quickly on that front. She'd ensnared him better than Cinder ever had, and with just a smile and a gentle touch.
Trapped like a rabbit in a snare. What irony.
"To Mercury and Velvet!" Coco cheered, can held high. Yatsu and Fox clanked theirs against it while the new couple cheered weakly. Once they'd all had a huge swig, Coco grinned wildly and pointed at them. "Now seal it with a kiss!"
"COCO!"
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
Velvet stammered and squirmed, eyes flicking between Coco's and his, her teeth nibbling on her lower lip as she didn't quite pull away or complain about the idea. Her cheeks heated, and it only got worse when Mercury cupped them and turned her face towards his.
It was a bad idea. It was a doomed venture. Even before he'd killed his dad, the bastard had warned him not to get in so deep that he couldn't escape. That was how every assassin ended up getting killed; they formed attachments, gained weaknesses, boundaries. Morals. With all the shit Cinder had planned the best thing he could do was back out now and save both himself and Velvet the inevitable pain.
But they were kissing before he realised he'd leaned forward, and once he had the scent of her, and the taste, there was nothing he could do. She was poison.
And he'd willingly sipped of it.
/-/
"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. I've yet to discover who it was that alerted the people as to the approach of the Grimm."
"And I've told you a thousand times that I don't believe you," James Ironwood replied, staring at an old friend who was fast becoming an annoying one. Ozpin made a show of feeling some offense, even if they both knew it was fake. "I know how you work, Ozpin. There's no way you don't already know who the student responsible for this is."
"I have my suspicions."
"Don't play games with me, Ozpin."
"I'd do nothing of the sort," he said, glancing down at his scroll. It was a message from Qrow. He read through it and smiled victoriously. Perfect. Exactly the kind of news he needed before a difficult meeting. He put it away and tried to hide his pleasure when James shot him the most suspicious look he'd ever seen. "Come now, James. We have a meeting with the Council and you know I can't keep them waiting."
"Perhaps we wouldn't be doing so if you hadn't continued to dodge my question for the last three hours!"
And perhaps his old friend would get the hint after he'd played dumb for the five-hundredth time. Really, the man was too used to having everything go his way, no doubt a result of years at the head of the military with men and women eager to follow his ever command. Oh, he'd tell his long-term ally in time, but now was not that time and the people were in an uproar. For now, it was best to keep his cards close to his chest, and his hidden aces even more so.
With a nod to the doorman, Ozpin and Ironwood entered the large Council Chambers of Vale. They were a central conference and meeting room in the middle of Vale's Town Hall building, a huge structure that dominated the city, if not in height, than in terms of status. The room was plush and warm-lit with a long wooden table, polished to a shine, and a tiled floor with marble excavated and shipped from Vacuo. There were several important figures sat at places about the table, and even a representative from the media – under strict embargo as to what exactly they could report – stood in the corner, prepared to take down minutes and prepare tomorrow's front page.
Ozpin took the seat labelled for him, though in his time he'd sat at a few others – not that the current head of the Council realised. I do recall that was a rather thankless life even if it did allow me to push further funding into Beacon in preparation for this one. The paperwork had been killer, though. Really, he considered himself fortunate to have discovered Glynda in this incarnation. If only he could pass on his curse to her as well, but he didn't know how and very much doubted she'd agree to an eternity of handling his paperwork. She'd kill him first.
"Ozpin," the current head declared. He was a round and chubby man with three chins and a large stomach. He had a feeling the man hadn't seen his waist without the aid of a mirror or at least a decade.
"Yes, Council member?"
"There are a lot of conflicting reports going around at this time, Ozpin. It's becoming difficult for us to handle the flow of information, especially when we're not sure what is correct and what is rumour." He huffed, clearly frustrated at his ignorance. "Some of the things I've heard today beggar belief. Perhaps you can shed some light on them."
Ah, phrased like a suggestion and not the order it was. It seemed they'd learned from dealing with him, though even combined they did not have his experience. "What rumours might those be, esteemed council? There are many that have crossed my ears and I would not dare to waste your time listing them."
"The rumours that someone predicted the attack," a white-haired man to the left snarled. Wiry and thin, his patience did not hold as well as the others and several council members glared at him for having spoken so rashly. Even so, he continued. "Numerous eyewitness reports claim there was a huntsman who somehow warned the people of what was to come. Some are claiming it a prophet, others that he is an agent working with the White Fang, and yet more are suggesting he has some kind of empathic link with the Grimm themselves, hence why they retreated without harming your students. It's ridiculous!"
"It certainly sounds it. I'm afraid the reality is somewhat less esoteric. We do not have a prophet in our ranks, or a traitor, or some kind of Grimm-in-disguise." He paused, allowing the pressure to build, even as a few laughed awkwardly at his last joke. In the corner, the journalist's pen creaked under the pressure of the fingers holding it. Ozpin picked up the mug before him and took a short sip of coffee. It was bland and unsatisfying; nothing like the coffee he enjoyed in Beacon.
"Well, out with it, man!"
"Hm?" Ozpin feigned confusion, even as Ironwood groaned. "Oh, I apologise. Yes, our investigation so far suggests this is the origin of a Semblance that allows the user to detect the Grimm. That is the nature of our recent stroke of good fortune."
The response from the council was immediate. Their voices rose and merged together, becoming indistinct and lost as each shouted to be heard over the other and yet more argued between themselves. Fists slammed on the table, mugs shook, and faces with far too much fat grew red from sudden exertion. Through it all Ozpin sat with his mug in hand.
"You do this on purpose, don't you?" Ironwood asked.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean."
The pitch in the council room reached its peak, echoed by the sound of a chair falling back and clattering onto the tiles. The room stilled for a millisecond, and the head council member took that chance to slam both fists down on the table. "Calm!" he shouted. "You shall remain calm. We are the Council of Vale, not a group of rowdy students!"
"You'd never know the difference," James whispered.
"I know, right?" Ozpin agreed. He glanced away as all attention came back onto him once more. No one had heard him, and his face was the picture of polite indifference. The Council's were less so, many of them run ragged from the recent disaster. Or the recent miracle as some of the papers are writing it. A miracle organised by Beacon. I normally like to plan these things myself but if Lady Luck wants to throw me a bone, who am I to complain?
"Ozpin," the head declared. "You claim that someone detected the Grimm?"
"That is what I claimed, yes."
"Detected…"
"Radar…"
"Incredible…"
"Think of the applications!"
"Silence!" A stern glare was enough to quell the peanut gallery. "What of the one responsible, Ozpin? We need to find him, or her, and see to this Semblance immediately! Such an asset belongs to Vale and-"
"Ahem," Ironwood coughed.
"And her allies," the council member recovered admirably, "and it wouldn't do to see such a person swayed by anyone else. You shall make their identity available to us immediately and remove them from Beacon while you're at it. Such a location is too dangerous for someone so valuable." The proclamation earned a hum of approval, along with a call for the mysterious person to be trained to use their gift. Made into a weapon for the council, more like. Such wouldn't do. It was callous and cruel.
And besides, Ozpin thought. I saw him first.
"I'm afraid the identity of the one who sensed the Grimm is, as of yet, unknown to us, honoured council. I do apologise." He finished with a sip of coffee, more so that he could hide his smile than anything else.
"You expect us to believe you're not aware of who this person is?"
"That's what I said," Ironwood groaned.
"It has been quite a hectic day, council members, as I'm sure you can imagine." Ozpin placed his mug down and adopted a benign expression, inwardly delighting more than he really should. He could hardly help it, not when everything was coming up roses. Literal Roses, in fact. Miss Rose had shown evidence of her silver eyes manifesting and Mr Arc was some kind of Grimm Sensor. "There were many students of Beacon who massed to defend Vale against the Grimm. Finding the one responsible among them was not easy, not when there were over one hundred in attendance."
"Hmm…" The council stared at him. Their faces said they didn't believe a word he'd said but couldn't fault the logic in it, nor find the holes in his story. As such they wouldn't dare question him, their political power too valuable to waste accusing the man in charge of the school which had just – quite literally – saved all of Vale.
"I will of course be looking to locate and speak to the one responsible, but that might take some time and with the Vytal Festival on our doorstep, time is not something I have an abundance of."
"I could help," Ironwood offered. "I'd be happy to take over security for you."
Ozpin's face twitched. "No, that will be fine, old friend."
"But you'll have enough on your plate trying to find this mysterious asset, Ozpin." He turned to the council. "Atlas stands ready to aid in the defence of its ally. We will, of course, adhere to all local laws and customs."
"Beacon just stopped a White Fang attack!" Ozpin interrupted. "We're more than enough for the festival, and Atlas has failed before. In fact, they failed when they lost the Paladin prototype to Roman Torchwick."
"Which we reclaimed."
"In the middle of Vale, my friend," Ozpin said. "In what could have endangered lives."
"But which didn't, old friend," Ironwood gritted out.
The two glowered at one another, or rather they both exchanged glances that spoke of much glowering but included little of it. It would not have done for two such powerful and respected men to resort to such pettiness, after all.
"General Ironwood does raise a good point," the council head said, and Ozpin's eyes widened, even as Ironwood's smile grew. "If he took over the security then it would better allow you to focus on other matters, not least of all finding the one responsible for this early warning and bringing him to our attention."
"Thank you, esteemed council," Ironwood said, nodding. "I shall personally ensur-"
"Putting us in charge would better help me find this person." Ozpin ignored his friend's indignant expression. "After all, it was in Beacon's defence of Vale that this ability was discovered. If we seek to recreate the situation, having my huntsmen and huntresses at the forefront of any defence, then not only would it enable us to better find this individual, but if something did happen, he or she would discover it early and raise the alarm." Ozpin smiled and raised his mug in a silent salute. "Having the forces necessary to repel any Grimm is good, but having the ability to sense an attack before it happens, and evacuate all the civilians safely? Why, such a thing might be even better. Not to mention it would reveal once and for all who our saviour is."
The council murmured and whispered between them, even as Ironwood tried to catch Ozpin's eye and Ozpin pointedly ignored him, not quite prepared to deal with it. Eventually, the man at the head of the table nodded.
"Very well. Beacon shall be in charge of the security for the festival."
"Thank you, esteemed Council," Ozpin said, even as Ironwood let out a long, irritated, sigh. "I shall not let you down."
/-/
Jaune's hand hesitated an inch before Ruby's sleeping face. He took a deep breath, and felt hers against the palm of his hand. He swallowed and pulled it back, then forced himself to continue and touch his fingers to her eyelids, his own clenched and prepared for agony. It didn't come. Instead a primal and strange anger did; a distant feeling of rage that beat against the bars of some imaginary cage. He shook it off with a sigh and pulled his hand back. Ruby slept obliviously through it all.
There's no telling what might have happened if you didn't stop me. Would I have killed the others? Would I have killed Yang? It was hard to tell. The memories were blurred but one thing rang true through them all, the blistering pain and agony of silver eyes staring into his – into his soul, into every part of his body, ripping and tearing before they winked away. It had been like staring into the sun and feeling your eyes burning.
His head spun just to remember it and he had to catch himself on the hospital bed with one hand. His chest rose and fell as he struggled for breath.
"What are you doing to me?"
Ruby didn't answer, and he was sure she wouldn't know what he was talking about even if she did hear him. The Grimm side of him had already recoiled and vanished, and he even felt his tentacles stirring, quivering like they were afraid to come out.
"I warned you about befriending one of her kind."
"I know," he said, out loud. "I don't regret it, though."
Remy sighed and let the matter be. Jaune echoed it and turned away, leaving her to her rest. It was about time he found the others and made sure they were okay – and that he contacted Lavender to find out what was going on. Then there was Cinder… a conversation he wasn't looking forward to at all. And Ozpin, he reminded himself. The list never ended.
He didn't notice the girl on the bed stir as he left, and Ruby awoke only in time to see the back of his head as he closed the door. Her throat was too sore for her to shout out and she felt light-headed and faint. She fell back on the bed with a quiet thump.
I wonder if he was visiting me, she thought, easily recognising the Beacon infirmary and remembering what had happened. It made sense her team would be worried, and Yang, but it left her feeling giddy to know he'd stood by her bedside. Damn it. if only she'd woken up a little earlier she could have surprised him. She closed her eyes and imagined what she might have said, but when she thought of his face a lance of pain shot through her head.
"Ow," she whined, and clutched a hand to her temple. The pain originated deeper inside, almost in her eyes, and as she thought of her teammate again she felt her eyes sting, not painfully, but an uncomfortable tingling, almost like they were too dry, and she needed to blink.
For some reason the feeling returned whenever she imagined his face.
"W-What's happening to me?"
So, that all happened. You know I actually received a PM which asked me whether Velvet was going to get with Jaune or not, which kind of surprised me because I thought I'd made it 1000% clear that Mercury and Velvet made out after the dance, but hey ho, here it is for confirmation. They're a thing. I guess you could say Mercury's… going down the rabbit hole!
…
I'll see myself out.
And Jaune has now become… well, what's the opposite of public enemy number one, public hero? Public `need to know identity`? I don't know. Whatever the case, the whole world of Remnant is now after him, though not exactly for the right reasons.
I know some people have this idea that I dislike Ironwood, mostly because he faired poorly in Professor Arc, but I actually really, really, like him. Sure, he makes mistakes, but he's quick to act, professional, and has people's best interests at heart. I honestly like him way more than Ozpin. It's just how the stories roll in some cases. Ironwood, as a stern and disciplined man, just works better with comedy bouncing off him and him being the butt. It doesn't mean I hate the guy. Apart from Jaune, Ironwood is probably my second favourite male character in RWBY, beyond even Qrow and Ren. I know the list isn't long, but he edges out people like Tyrian, Watts, Hazel, Qrow, Ozpin, Oscar and all that, at least in my eyes.
I guess I like that, similar to Jaune, he is a guy in over his head. He's the leader of Atlas' military, yes, but he doesn't have all the answers like Ozpin does, yet he tries his best anyway. He's not in it for greed, glory, or because he's some kind of eternal wizard. He's just a man – a man who has obviously seen hell – doing his best to protect his Kingdom. I like that he's normal, if well-positioned. It means he has to succeed through wit, grit, and determination - not special powers he's born with.
But I don't need to like or dislike a character to sometimes make them an antagonist, and oftentimes I write characters I genuinely like going through bad things not because of personal feeling, but because it's just what I need for the story. Same thing with Mercury, really. I'm utterly "meh" on his character in the show, but he has a big presence here just because it fit what I wanted from the plot. A lot of people tend to decide that I dislike certain characters based on how little I use them or what I put them through, but I'd honestly say my top five characters - men and women included - are thus: Jaune, Blake, Ironwood, Sun, and Yang. I like Neo artistically, but there isn't much to her character so she doesn't make the list. And yet, surprisingly, despite my top five being that I have no Ironwood or Sun fics. No real reason, though. It's just the way the cookie crumbles.
Next Chapter: 15th February (2 Weeks)
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur