Forced by the darkness
Into the flame
Will I be lost
Or just stay the same?
"I have to stay in hospital for another day!? Seriously!?" Ruby exploded. Her eyes were fixed on Tira and left the girl stuck straight in the firing line of a silver glare. Helpless, the medic shrugged.
"The doctors wouldn't let me. They want you in for one final night's observation. They want to make sure the fact you saw Cain won't affect your sleep patterns." With a growl of frustration, Ruby slumped back into the hospital chair, and allowed Tira to continue the tests.
"It's not fair. Noir and Yang were both injured, and they get to sleep in their own rooms. I'm stuck in the hospital again." The girl's pout started to quiver, but Tira simply ignored it and kept her eyes on the checklist in her hand.
"Yang's injuries were superficial. Minor contact burns on her knuckles, nothing that required major medical attention. Noir was unconscious for thirty minutes, and had lost a fair bit of blood, but he's got a few little unique traits that make the injuries he sustained easy to treat without hospitalization." The medic made a few small notes about the girl's sudden tension, before continuing. "You, on the other hand, were unconscious for two days, with reasonable blood loss. On top of that, right now you're showing the onset of an anxiety disorder rooted in your injuries from the Ursa and compounded by your battle with Cain." Ruby shook her head. She couldn't comprehend what the medic had said. Her aura flickered around her hands, as red as a newly-opened rose, but she couldn't expand it past there as Tira laid a hand on the girl's shoulders. "I know you are going to be ok, Ruby, but right now, the doctors want to be sure that you aren't suffering nightmares, that you are stable." The long strands of copper hair that framed Tira's face highlighted her gentle smile. "Ozpin's organized for someone who's been in your position to talk to you, starting as soon as the medics say you are ready, and they've said tomorrow."
The younger girl burst from her chair, and ignored the tears burning down her face as she stared at the healer. "I don't want special treatment! I just want to be a normal girl. Everyone's treating me like a little kid. I can take care of myself!" Tira's smile faded away, and she nodded once. The gesture sent a flick of copper around her face.
"I know, but at least humor Ozpin. You might be surprised what he's organized for you. How about you head over to the dorms, so you can get some stuff together for tomorrow." Tira raised the checklist, and pulled a face of mock frustration. "I've got to fill out these forms and convince the doctors that you're ready to go tomorrow, but you come back before seven, alright?" The redhead nodded and slid from the examination room. Slowly, a grin spread across her face. It was only four o'clock, and she had until seven. It was time to start fixing her baby.
It was not, Ozpin reasoned, the dirtiest dorm room he'd ever been in. There was a pile of books along the left-hand side of the desk, the walls held a couple of posters, and a pair of guitars lined the wall closest to the windows. Noir wasn't the tidiest hunter, but he was by no means messy compared to some of his teammates.
"So… I presume you're here to debrief me, Professor." The cat lay atop his bed, eyes closed as if he had been asleep. His voice was flat, almost emotionless.
"That would be correct," the elder man responded. "Are you in pain at all?" The Faunus shrugged.
|"No more than the last time I split the scars." The cat opened his eyes, but neither pain nor drowsiness entered his expression. Instead, frustration was the only emotion evident. "Of course, you aren't really here about that, or to ask about how Cain fights. You must be after what he said to me. After all, you already know about him, don't you?" Now his voice was coloured with an accusatory tone. Ozpin frowned slightly behind his mug, but kept his voice at the same even tone he had used before.
"You are correct. I know about Cain. It is unfortunate that he has targeted Miss Rose, although the idea of siding with the Dusk would appeal to him. He was a killer when I first heard of him." Noir was silent. His eyes continued to bore a hole through the ceiling, so Ozpin continued. "I am surprised that you managed to fight him so directly. There are very few people who can claim to have fought him and survived."
"He was going to kill Yang, wanted to take Ruby, and hinted that everything I believe about the events of Amelia's death was a lie. I wasn't going to hold back." Noir grunted as he sat upright. The effort strained his arms, but he turned his head to face the professor. "You know the truth, don't you?" Ozpin held his voice back. There were three possible answers to that question, but only one that the cat wanted to hear, and it wasn't the time for him to hear it. Noir growled slightly, but lay down again.
"I thought so," he murmured, reading the truth in the professor's silence. For a few moments, he simply lay there, and Ozpin could almost feel the teenaged faunus gathering his thoughts. Finally, the cat spoke again. "What do you know of the Cage of the Kings?" Ozpin sipped at his coffee, and prepared a response.
"It is a tomb, inset into the mountains that border Sunset Valley, where members of the royal family and noble houses were buried until soon after the end of the Faunus War."
"That's about as much as I know, to be honest, but Cain said 'the Cage of the Kings holds the answers you need'. Either he's talking about something tied to the war, or about…" the cat's voice died away, leaving his final words unsaid.
"I understand. Perhaps a mission out there is in order." Ozpin sat his mug atop the worn desk, and studied the cat.
"I need to be on the team." Noir's voice burst forward as the young man sat up. He winced slightly at the movement, but made no comment. "From experience, I'll be at full fighting fitness in just two days, and I know the area better than most of the others." That was an understatement, and both men knew it. Noir had lived in the valley for around a year, while most of the others would only be familiar with the name. Ozpin kept his gaze upon the cat.
"You want me to send Team Sentinel to the Sunset Valley?" Ozpin suggested, but the faunus shook his head.
"I was thinking more of a stealth-focused group. Sure, Sun and I have the ideals down, but Langford is only good at stealth over a long distance, and Tira hasn't really got the hang of it." The cat remarked. "I was leaning towards a specialized, hand-picked team. Blake Belladonna and Lie Ren come to mind." Ozpin nodded slowly, and met the cat's gaze with one of his own.
"I will have to think about it, but there will be a briefing in two days. You had better look into the history of the Cage of the Kings." The faunus's eyes lit up. "You mean I'm going?" The professor smiled faintly. "We shall see. But, even if you don't, I would like you to brief the team on the terrain." Noir nodded.
"I'll see Professor Oobleck this afternoon for some assistance on that. Thank you, Professor." As the elder man stood to walk out, he picked up his coffee mug.
"Oh, and one last thing, Mister Storia: The newest member of the Beacon staff has asked to see you in the armoury when you are ready." Ozpin's voice held an audible smile. "I believe he said something about wishing to examine your weapons for damage." Noir rolled his eyes.
"Of course he did. I'll see him in half an hour or so." The black-clad teen swung his legs off the side of the bed, and flicked the clasps from his bandages. "I've got to change my bands before I do anything else." Indeed, Ozpin saw dried blood stained around the metallic strips along the teen's arms, but he walked out with the same even smile. That was the easier interview. The hard one was underway. Not because of the interviewee, but more the other interviewer.
The blonde sat completely still, her back pressed against the cushioned backing of the wooden chair as she cowered before the huntress's rage.
"Who gave you permission to hold a party in Forever Fall? That forest is still being regularly patrolled for Grim infestations and now the presence of Dusk soldiers." Glynda Goodwitch kept her eyes locked on Yang's. Her tone was a brutal weight against Yang's ample chest, and the girl couldn't suppress a shiver. Annoyed even further with the young woman's silence, the Huntress slapped her riding crop into the table, which produced an involuntary "eep" from her interrogation subject. "N-nobody did, Miss Goodwitch. I thought that it would help Ruby's morale, since she was injured, and so we just went out," she blurted.
Glynda sighed. "Miss Xiao Long, you understood that Forever Fall and the Emerald Forest are both restricted areas, and yet you flaunted the rules." The Huntress wasn't holding back, and she kept both of her eyes locked on the teenager. "What's worse is you attacked a known criminal with no intention to capture or restrain, but to 'avenge your sister'. Do you understand what kind of risks you took there? And think about your teammates. What kind of situation did you put them in?"
Yang stopped squirming, and scowled at the interrogating huntress. "I was brought up to protect my sister, no matter what. When she identified Cain, I wasn't going to let him escape and endanger her again."
"And in the process, you endangered everyone that accompanied you! You are aware we managed to recover twenty unconscious Dusk soldiers when we extracted your friends, and they had no information of use other than orders to capture "Red", which we understand to be your sister." Glynda slapped her crop against the desktop again. "Aside for endangering her in multiple ways, let's look at the injuries. Noir lost a number of litres of blood and suffered a minor concussion from the feedback of his semblance..."
"He'll be fine! Tira told us that he's suffered similar injuries before!" Yang looked to be on the verge of tears. Her eyes were watery, and her bandaged hands seemed tenser than before. Glynda looked at the slight movement, and seemed to soften her approach.
"And then we reach your injuries. Cain managed to burn your hands through your own fire-based semblance, and it will be a few days before the doctors are comfortable that there is no lasting damage." The huntress sat in the plush, comfortable chair behind the desk, her one concession to comfort in her typically spartan office, and sighed. "Miss Xiao Long, if you had been on active duty, I would have requested you face court-martial, or at least a sentence decided by the coalition's leadership. But, I've been requested to leave your punishment up to Professor Ozpin, who will be here shortly." Yang shifted, clearly uncomfortable. The door creaked as it opened, and the girl jumped in fright.
"Miss Xiao Long." The voice was warm compared to the frigid tones Glynda still carried as the man walked in, a fresh mug of coffee clamped in his right hand. "Professor," the girl replied, her head bowed to hide the blush across her cheeks. "You seem to be concerned about my upcoming judgement." Yang nodded at the professor's words, but as she turned to face him, she saw a gentle smile on his face. "You shouldn't be. Your punishment is to assist the Vale Police Force for two weeks, after the medics certify you for combat." Glynda's head dropped down into her hands, while Yang's shot up like they were connected by a see-saw. Ozpin simply sipped at his mug, savouring the contents.
"You… I'm going to be a police officer?" The teen stammered. Her eyes were wide, with the barest hints of excitement appearing on her face.
"That is what I said, isn't it?" Ozpin replied, and with that, delight spread over the blonde's face.
"I won't let you down, Professor!" Yang stood and dashed from the room without waiting for permission to leave. Glynda slumped in her chair, and glared up at her superior.
"Do you always have to reward the troublemakers?" she spat. Ozpin simply had an enigmatic smile as he continued to enjoy the contents of his mug.
"Remember why you became my secretary?" he replied. As expected, she stayed away from that topic.
"Still, I feel sorry for her sister. All the bad luck she's having… are you certain that this idea of yours will help her regain her confidence?" she asked.
Ozpin simply smiled into his coffee. "I can say with complete certainty that she will be surprised, nothing more," he responded.
It was almost like a second home. Benchtops filled with components, and storage shelves laden with weapons being built and repaired. The faunus smiled broadly. It'd been too long since his last time in Beacon. Gingerly, he ran his hands through his messy black hair in an attempt to keep busy as he waited. His long jacket was the same colour as his hair, with his thick gray and white tail protruding through a slit at the back. Other than that, he was dressed like an average young adult - black t-shirt with his jagged crescent emblem, blue jeans and comfortable skate shoes. A sword hung from his belt. Finally, he unleashed a bored sigh. His hands dove into his jacket pockets to withdraw a folding scroll. A few quick pulls and it unfurled to its full size, the same as a standard piece of paper. He flicked through a few saved weapon designs and examined the details. Then he set it aside as the draw of unique weapons caught him. The first set seemed like a pair of curved daggers. He studied them thoughtfully, but didn't touch them. The next weapon to catch his eye was twice the size of the two daggers combined – a red and black rifle. Aspects of the design seemed familiar to him, so he lifted the firearm. The first thing he noted was the weight – it was far lighter than it looked; an impressive feat of engineering for a student's weapon. His fingers brushed against a switch. Stunned, he could do nothing as the weapon unfurled into a long scythe of the same colours. "It's been too long," he murmured as he examined the weapon. Almost immediately, he noticed a few factors. The weapon could be fired while in this melee form. That concerned him. The light-weight construction hinted at a lack of expanding recoil dampers. If he had to bet, the scythle could throw it's wielder around like a ragdoll. The next factor was the damaged blade. The piece of steel that formed the curved killing edge had formed into globules of metal from heat exposure. It explained why the weapon was in the armoury, but did it… "What the hell?!" The faunus spun around at the outburst, the scythe still in hand, and found himself face to face with a short redheaded girl in a red cloak. Her eyes were wide, but her face quickly contorted in rage. "Who gave you the right to touch my sweetheart?" The man opened his mouth to explain, but it was no use. Ruby lunged.
A/N: It's been too long! Far, far too long, since I updated this. I'm sorry! Uni and work kinda jumped up on me, so I had to put this on the backburner a little bit for more academic works. But don't worry, folks, I'm not one to forget about an awesome fanbase like you! Seriously, I've loved the feedback I've received on this, so I'll be doing what I can to work on a little surprise to come with chapter fifteen. Anywho, I'll have the usual, thanks. Feedback, questions, you name it. Oh, and so you're aware, I do have a forum set up on here for you to publicly ask questions to the cast, as well as to me, and for you to submit characters and ideas directly to me, unless you'd rather send those directly. I don't know... hopefully it won't be quite as long until I update again, but with Australian unis... you never know...
Anywho, enjoy!