Update on Stories
My mother has had her operation, survived, and is being released today. By the time this goes out, she'll have already been released, though I am saving this until after she's home, just to make sure nothing changes, etc.
That means an end to the short chapter stint, bar this one – because I've obviously been at the hospital much of the day. Future chapters will be back to full length. Thanks for the support on my mother, she is… well, you can't say "cured" for a heart attack, obviously. They've told her she will likely have more and that all she can do is try to minimise the risk. She has already had a few heart operations before this, so they're running out of options.
But she is alive and well for now and that is what counts. You have to take what you can day by day.
As to "why" I am telling you all this, I don't really like letting people know about my private affairs normally, but since I have a strict deadline of updates I kind of need to let you know, because if I don't, you won't know why I suddenly write short chapters or don't post one at all. I'd get inundated with PM's asking where the chapters are or what's happened, etc. So, to those genuinely asking why I'm telling you all this, that's the answer, because "not telling you" involves a whole load of confusion, PM's and people emailing me.
Basically, I am not expecting everyone to care, etc, though I am grateful for those who offered sympathy and thoughts, I'm simply putting you in the know because if I don't, people will freak out.
On Troll:
The troll is still wasting his time in the reviews. Ignore as usual.
Quick Explanation re Jinn:
Though almost everyone got it, there was one person who didn't, and because there may be more, I shall explain. Jinn cannot answer questions with regards to the future, but Ozpin did not ask any questions that would require her to do so in the last chapter. He asked what Salem's PLANS for the future are, not what WILL HAPPEN in the future.
Salem "plans" to die with Nicholas, "plans" to support her children and "plans" to call Nicholas for some phone sex, in the last chapter (You can even see the moment where Jinn realises the last bit, as if her "knowledge" is being updated, real time, as Salem decides to do it).
Jinn could answer this question, though naturally it means things could change later. I "plan" to finish White Sheep before Christmas, but that does not mean it will necessarily happen. I could be struck by a meteorite or the site could crash, or I could lose both hands in a freak biscuit-dipping accident.
But it doesn't change the fact that I "plan" to do so. Ergo, the "plan" is current tense, even if it's with regards to the future.
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Kegi Springfield
Chapter 92 – Interlude 2
Nicholas Arc was not a man who had ever expected to have a large family, nor was he a man who would ever say he had wanted a large family. His own under his parents hadn't been a kind one, even before his sister died, and there was always that fear, that niggling doubt, as to whether he could be any better a father than his had been. It weighed down on him and had been the main reason for why he'd avoided the dating scene as much as he had.
Of course, things hadn't gone entirely to plan.
Not that he could complain.
"Daddy!" Amber crashed into him and wrapped her arms around his neck, and then two tentacles around his back for purchase.
"I've got you, sweet," he said, placing one hand on her back to hold her up and gently slapping her tentacles away with the other. Some would have asked Nicholas how he was so calm with children so obviously inhuman.
To be fair, if the question had been asked twenty years ago, he might not have a good answer. Now? Well, time had a way of making you get used to things, and he had a lot of practice holding, carrying and wrestling with tentacled girls.
"Up you go!" he shouted, throwing Amber in the air. She squealed happily, wriggling as she fell. He caught her under her armpits and swung her down, so close to the floor that she shrieked. He didn't let her fall, of course. Instead, he pulled back at the last second, placing her on her feet. Nicholas laughed as Amber beat her hands against his chest. "Hey, you used to love that when you were younger."
"I'm not a little girl anymore, Daddy! I'm a teenager!"
"You'll always be my little girl." He ruffled Amber's hair as she huffed and tried to look imposing. Key word, tried. Looking beyond her, he let his eyes rove over each of his children, from the imposing and frowning Sapphire to impish Jade and Hazel, no doubt already planning what trouble they could get up to in the frontier outpost of Ansel. The only one missing was Coral and Jaune, and with good reason, or so he heard.
Damn it. He'd really wanted to give that Qrow fellow a talking to.
"I guess you're all staying with me for a little while, girls. At least until this heat dies off."
Sapphire looked around the decent-sized home Nicholas called his own. Well, he owned it, but he couldn't say it was `home` per se. If home was where the heart was, then his was in the Grimmlands – something he'd said once or twice to people and earned approving looks. Then again, they probably thought it meant he was married to his work.
"Is this place sanitary?" Sapphire asked.
"Huh? I cleaned up when I knew you were coming over."
"Not that…"
Nicholas cocked his head, though he thought he had a good idea what she meant when Sapphire's cheeks heated up. "Your mother and I haven't `broken the place in` if that's what you mean."
Pretty much all the girls relaxed, "Oh thank the Gods," Sable muttered.
"We're not that bad."
"You are!" they said as one.
Nicholas rolled his eyes. They didn't get to talk about keeping others awake, not when each of them had been the ultimate cockblocks as children. Whether it was one of them crying for milk mid-coitus or coming in complaining of a nightmare, they'd all gotten in the way of premium nookie.
"I'd give you a tour of the place, but I don't stay here all that often. Explore for yourselves and have fun. As for transformations, you're free to do what you like in the house, but it's human form outside, girls."
"Aww…."
"No `awing` me, ladies. This is a human settlement. Until your mother and brother sort everything out, you have to stay hidden. That means no befriending the local Grimm, either. Also, Amber, Lavender, Jade and Hazel are going to a local school."
As expected, the reaction was immediate.
"What?"
"Nooo!"
"You can't!"
"But Daaad!"
"No buts, girls. I spoke to your mother and she agrees that if Grimm and humans really are going to become allies in the future, you need a better education. Not to mention experience in interacting with them."
"But we already know how to interact with humans," Hazel whined. "We have you and our Uncles."
"Your Uncles don't count, especially not Tyrian. He barely counts as human."
"Wow, faunus racism from you?"
"I was not referring to him being a faunus, more an idiot."
Jade considered. "Touché."
"Anyway, you need to learn how to act around people your own age without relying on your heritage or powers associated with it. I'd have sent the others if they weren't too old for the school here."
"What do we do if boys hit on us?"
"Kill them," Nicholas said offhandedly. "But kill them without tentacles."
"Do not kill them," a new voice interrupted, low and feminine. Cinder strode into the room, looking worse for wear after what must have been quite the journey from Mistral. "If any men should try their luck, turn them down."
Nicholas' eyes lit up. "Cinder!"
Cinder's eyes narrowed. She glared at him. "No."
Nicholas opened his arms wide and took a step forward.
Cinder stepped back. "No! I said no. Absolutely not!"
"Cinder, you know you're like a daughter to Salam and me. You're my eighth daughter. Now, come give your father a hug."
"I am not your daughter, and I am certainly not giving you a-" Cinder shrieked as Sapphire slipped behind and have her a solid push, catapulting the angry woman forward. Her golden eyes had about half a second to widen before Nicholas stepped forward and caught her.
"Oh, look how you've grown. And I hear you were looking out for Jaune. You've always had a soft spot for him."
"Lies!" Cinder cried, struggling.
Nicholas petted her head, easily adjusting to keep her held. "There, there, it's fine. You don't have to be embarrassed." He gave her head one final stroke before letting go, laughing as Cinder leapt back so hard she nearly crashed into the wall. Her face was bright red and she glared at him. Nicholas smiled back, amused. "You're so easily embarrassed, Cindy."
"Don't call me Cindy!"
Ah, they grew up so fast. He could still remember when Salem first took her in, when she'd still been a little unconfident and wary. Though she'd never admitted it, even then, she had stayed close to him where possible. Her loyalty had been to Salem, but he, being human, was the familiar one she instinctively sought out when she had problems.
"Stop reminiscing," Cinder snapped, realising what was happening. "No nostalgia. None!"
"You know, I still have a picture of you cuddled up with Jaune on my scroll."
Cinder drew a deep breath and didn't stop drawing. Her face went slack, her eyes distant. Her face paled and she froze solid, dreading what he might do with such material. He had a feeling she'd try and steal and destroy his scroll later, not that it would help. Salem already had a photo album for Cinder.
"We'll take Cindy to her room," Jade and Hazel offered, appearing on either side of the shell-shocked woman. "Dibbs on the biggest room here."
"You can't do that!" Sapphire cried. "I am the oldest and should therefore get the biggest room."
"And Dibbs has existed since mother's time. Deal with it."
The invocation of `Dibbs` started a stampede, all the girls rushing upstairs to claim their rooms before they were left with the dregs. Nicholas didn't bother telling them every room was the same size. Better to let them have their fun.
The Arc name was well-known in Ansel, and somewhat celebrated. The frontier town had been more a village when he arrived and beset by Grimm. He'd been looking for somewhere to set up a human abode, one that he hoped his wife might be able to visit one day. It had been a long shot of course, but he couldn't spend all his time in the Grimmlands, and he wasn't willing to stay in Vale anymore, not with Ozpin there.
So, the Arc family had settled in Ansel, and lo and behold, the Grimm fled before him and never again bothered the people here. Naturally, that had led to him being hailed the hero of Ansel, a title he both did and didn't deserve.
"Well, I was responsible for the Grimm no longer attacking…"
Maybe someday soon, the people would learn the real reason why. That would depend on what happened with Jaune and Salem; he was not going to risk his children's safety by revealing themselves early.
Gods, he wished he could be there with them, there to support his son, his wife.
There to scare the living shit out of that Qrow guy.
Marry my daughter without asking my blessing, will you? We'll see about that…
In the end, though, someone needed to look after the girls in case something went wrong, in case the Kingdoms refused peace on the basis of what Salem was, on the basis of what had been done. If that happened, it would be best those too young to fight had somewhere to stay safe. He just hated that he had to be the one to fulfil that role.
Nicholas Arc had never planned for a family, for a wife, for children, for eldritch tentacled babies, megalomaniacal adopted daughters, eternal conflicts, immortal conspiracies or magical nonsense like Relics, Jinns or asshole Gods. He'd not wanted a part of any of it.
He couldn't say he regretted a single moment of it, though. As the TV replayed the news broadcast of Jaune meeting with Ironwood in Atlas, and all the news and theories surrounding it, he couldn't help but watch his son – his son – with more than a little pride.
/-/
"What do you mean I can't see my daughter!?"
"This isn't my decision, sir," General Ironwood said, fighting – and failing – to sound like he had any shits left to give. "I can understand your frustration. Hell, I can understand it because I'm feeling it just as badly after having a meeting with the Council of Atlas, but the situation is complicated."
"The situation is that you have my daughter locked up," Taiyang Xiao-Long snarled. "I think I have a handle on it."
"And yet your daughter is also engaged to the heir to another Kingdom."
Taiyang's mouth fell open. "W-Well, I'll admit to not having known that."
"A Kingdom which, if something happens to your daughter, will no doubt be declaring war on us. I hope you can understand why I have to limit access to her, even if I'd personally like nothing more than to gift wrap and deliver her, and you, to the Grimm."
Ironwood paused to reflect on that.
"I mean that as non-threateningly as possible… which is something I never thought I'd say about giving people to Grimm." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Forgive me, it's been a long week."
Oddly enough, Taiyang did. "Tell me about it. I go to the pub to complain about how both my daughters don't tell me anything anymore, and I arrive to find some Prince of all Grimm calling her his wife – and saying she's pregnant."
Ironwood opened his mouth, closed it, sat down and reached under his desk.
Two glasses slammed down atop it, followed by a bottle. It was half-empty. Or was that half-full? No, given the current circumstances, Taiyang felt quite justified in saying it was half-empty.
"Drink?" Ironwood offered.
Taiyang sat. "Fuck yes…"
"I had reports of your coming," Ironwood said, pouring them each a glass – and then a second when they downed the first. "I'm sorry I can't roll out the welcome mat and have your daughter here to meet you, but she's being kept in confinement more for her safety than ours. Well, second-hand at best, since if something happens to her…"
"Nothing better happen to her, Ironwood."
"Mr Xiao-Long, I would pretend to feel threatened by you, but I'm afraid the Grimm have beaten you to that one. If something happens to her under my care, you will not get a chance to pull my head from my shoulders, because an army of Beowolves will be gnawing on it. Your daughter is safe. I have my most trusted men guarding her. Her `prison` has been turned into a fortress." He paused. "Might I also add that your daughter is incredibly high maintenance."
"Oh, tell me about it," Taiyang groaned.
"She is eighteen and yet she constantly asks for Strawberry Sunrises. I had to pay a bartender from Vale to come just to make them for her."
"She gets it from her mother's side."
"She is also incredibly abrasive, referring to me as Jimmy Irondick."
"Mother's side. Or Uncle's, but it's kind of the same thing."
"She also sings, badly, tries to start fights with the guards, orders the most expensive food she possibly can and constantly makes the worst puns."
"Okay," Taiyang admitted, "That, she gets from me."
Ironwood glared at the man. And then sighed. "I will try and arrange a scroll conversation between the two of you this evening. If you give me your number, I will bring her a scroll with her meal."
Taiyang relaxed. "Thank you. I'd appreciate that. It's not perfect, but if it's the best I can get…"
"I'll see about more, but it will take time. In the meanwhile, I have to negotiate for her release with the Grimmlands while also juggling politics on my side. To top it off, I need to arrange for the delivery of a fresh lobster dinner from Mistral with Vacuan mashed potato, red wine gravy – Six Peaks' Red wine, of course – and a starter of truffles, Mistral light-cheddar and a dessert of the finest ice-cream chilled and sold in Menagerie."
"Yang's dinner?"
Ironwood grunted.
"You realise she's just ordering the most expensive things to piss you off, right?"
"Yes. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to deny the Princess of the Grimm – whom we accidentally kidnapped – anything she demands."
Taiyang winced. "Right. Well, if you can get a scroll in with all of that…"
"I will see what I can do," Ironwood said. "On a side note, wasn't there a dog with you?"
"Zwei? He should be outside."
Ironwood paused and pushed a button on his desk, opening the door. With it came all the sound from outside, along with a sight he'd thought he would never see. Winter Schnee, Specialist, stood with a small puppy in her arms, brought in close to her face as she nuzzled her cheeks against it, speaking as one might to a baby.
"Who's a good boy? You are, yes, you are! Such a good boy!"
The dog barked happily and licked her face.
Winter giggled.
Giggled.
Like the little girl Ironwood wasn't sure she had ever been.
Ironwood stared for a long moment, and then slowly pressed the button again, closing the door and cutting off the frankly bizarre scene. He regarded his empty glass forlornly, considered his timetable, and decided that attending a Council meeting drunk probably couldn't make anything worse than it already was.
"Bottoms up."
/-/
Ozpin stopped on the outskirts of the lonely house set beside a forest deep in the countryside of Vale. He drew a deep breath and let it go, but it did little to calm his frayed nerves, nor his mind, which alternated between running wildly and pounding with a headache. His muscles felt weak, his entire body – nay, his entire spirit – drained.
He did not approach. Did not expect he would be welcomed, but more than that, he did not wish to startle those inside. Instead, he waited until someone noticed, as they inevitably would.
It didn't take long.
The front door opened, and a tall man strode forth. Dark blond hair flecked with grey that fell to his shoulders, a neatly trimmed beard, grey and green clothing and a sword slung on one hip. The man was tall, imposing and distantly familiar to Ozpin.
Of course, he had not known what he had before.
He expected to feel anger, despair, perhaps even jealousy for what had once been his and what this man had now taken for his own.
But he didn't.
He felt tired. Spent.
The man strode forward to meet him, a hand on his weapon but no steel drawn. Ozpin waited in kind, his cane pushed down into the ground and the Relic of Knowledge hanging at his waist, attached to his belt. When the man came to a stop, Ozpin smiled wearily.
"Nicholas."
Nicholas Arc regarded him. "Ozmar."
Ozpin's eyes closed. "So, she told you…"
"There are no secrets between Salem and I. She told me everything when we married. Both the good… and the bad."
Ozmar smiled. He wasn't sure why, he certainly didn't feel any cheer, but he did so anyway. "So, you're aware of how she came to be? Of what once was. What…" He trailed off, only recovering after a moment to swallow. "What she and I once were."
Nicholas did not move a muscle. "I am aware."
"It… Does it not bother you?"
"I'll admit, some parts of it did. But the past is the past, Ozmar. No one lives a life without mistakes, and Salem – and you – have lived many lifetimes." Nicholas shifted. "As for what once was. It doesn't matter how many people a woman has been with, only who she chooses to spend her life with in the end. She may have been your wife once, but that relationship ended. It died."
Ozpin's eyes drifted shut. "I cannot argue with that. What we had… It is over."
"Salem told me a little, when she could. You both made mistakes. She knows that, accepts it."
"Is... Is that so…?"
The memories had been long buried, long forced away. There had been bad times, of course, but beneath it all there had also been the good times. So many beautiful memories of what had once been.
"You both made mistakes," Nicholas said, crossing his arms. "But that's in the past. She has moved on, she has a new family now, a new life. And I'm not willing to stand by and let it be torn away from her again." His hands fell, one to his sheathe, the other to the hilt of his weapon. "So, tell me. Do you come to fight? Because if history is going to repeat itself, it'll be over my dead body."
Ozpin, Ozmar, shook his head. He let his cane fall flat on the grass.
"I came to talk, Nicholas. To… Understand. Nothing more."
Nicholas' hand left his sword. "If that's true then you're welcome here, Ozmar."
"I never thought to hear those words…"
"Would you like to meet them?" Nicholas asked suddenly. "Our children…?"
Ozmar's throat caught. He nearly choked, nearly lost control. He caught himself and took a deep breath, recalling those little faces but for once not forcing them away. They were gone now, of course. Salem had accepted this, found a new family, moved on.
Unlike him.
He had made many mistakes in his life, and in the dark times he would sometimes wonder if falling in love had been one of them. He had never been able to say it was, not with all his heart. After all, he could still remember holding her, and, in the depths of his heart, holding their children. Children he had loved as much as Salem had. Such mistakes he - they - had made to have it end like this, but end it had.
Perhaps it was time he accepted that.
Ozmar smiled. He stepped forward, leaving the cane behind.
"I would be honoured."
So, I've still not watched Season 6, but I am receiving spoilers, so I have some of the lore down - I just don't have every bit of dialogue, etc. Honestly, it doesn't really change much about White Sheep, even if some have said it should. Really, it seems to reinforce more than it changes, maybe even turning White Sheep from "total crack" to "comedy AU". Salem was someone eager to have a family. Salem would have had reason to be super protective over Jaune and his siblings when they were young, considering what happened to her before, and Salem can marry and have children.
It certainly explains why she would freak out at the thought of Jaune attending Beacon of all places. In this story, Nicholas essentially becomes the second coming of Ozpin, showing Salem that she can love again.
To note, I don't hate Ozpin, despite what some people like to say (the usual, "Oh, he's portrayed badly in a fic, you're bashing him" nonsense). I think Ozpin is an interesting character, mostly because I like characters with complex pasts and emotional states. By virtue of the premise of this entire story, Ozpin had to get the short end of the stick.
I just wish he and Oscar would have stopped monopolising all the time and dialogue in volume 5, and that they would give the other characters a little more time to shine. I don't mind Ozpin and Ozcar becoming main characters, I just want more balance between them and RWBY and JNPR, because at the moment it feels like it's the Ozcar Show. Either way, I'm not above putting characters I like through terrible situations. That's just part and parcel of writing.
Next Chapter: 22nd November
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