Ozza's Remnant

by ToastyAuthor

"I always thought I was destined to be a normal farmhand and that the biggest drama of my life would be coming out to my Aunt and Uncle. Instead, I ended up sharing headspace with an old man, which just made my identity that much more awkward." MTFTrans!Oscar. Ozza is 17 at the start of the story. Rewrite and continuation of old version.

9. Parsley

We planned to leave as soon as possible, although Ruby wanted to check on Yang first. She, Cobalt, and I went to go see her, however she was… despondent. Laying facing the wall. I didn't know her half as well as Cobalt, so I stood by the door silently while Ruby and him went to talk with her.

Ruby seemed to be unsure of what she could say, she was never that good with words after all. Cobalt, however, had plenty to say as he knelt next to her bed and placed his hand on it, "Yang. What happened was terrible, but especially for you." His voice was uncharacteristically soft, "Take as long as you need, but know that I will always support you, as will the rest of us. I cannot imagine a world where we do not have Yang Xiao-Long to brighten our mood!"

Yang slowly turned around from facing the wall to look at him. He smiled at her, and although it was weak and melancholic, she managed one back. "I look forward to having my combat companion back in action." Cobalt stood, patting her shoulder, "Get better! There's no glory in giving up."

Ruby told Yang she loved her and then we went back down to join Whitley. Now that we were all together again, we headed out towards the bullhead landing that Ruby told us about so we could take it to where Ironwood's fleet was. He was waiting for us, so we needed to head straight there now that we were all capable.

The bullhead ride was uneventful, although the pilot apparently had heard what we'd all done in defense of Beacon and passed on his thanks. He said he had a daughter at the school, so he was glad to hear that the students were able to work together to defend it in a time like that. It helped him rest easier.

We were glad to accept his thanks, afterward we talked among ourselves about what we'd do in Atlas. As far as we knew at the time, there wasn't really much we needed to worry about there. Whitley seemed ambivalent on going back, when I asked him what his opinion on the place was, he smiled, "It's home. Still, if there's one thing Weiss and I can agree on, it's that the place feels too fake at times. That's part of why we agreed to go to Beacon rather than Atlas Academy together. Neither of us got along very well, we still have our disagreements as well, but we could agree that neither of us wanted to go to Atlas. That's the equivalent of signing up for the military."

The idea of a Huntsman Academy designed entirely to create super-soldiers didn't sit right with me. Hunters were supposed to be able to do whatever they needed to do to save people, free of those kinds of rules and regulations.

Maybe I was being too quick to judge, I hadn't really met anyone that was from Atlas Academy before, other than Ironwood but he didn't count. There was the team we fought, but they didn't really talk to us at all.

"Atlas is a nice place. I should know, I helped build it."

'Of course you did.'

We heard about Team FNKI from Ruby, apparently they were pretty interesting, although I would have to meet them before I could say whether or not I thought they were nice.

Especially because, as Ruby put it, Neon was 'very annoying.'

That was saying something, it took Ruby a lot to feel annoyed at someone, so saying that must have meant that person was well and truly annoying.

The carrier airship that Ironwood was on was massive, hangers for bullheads, fighters, and other vehicles lined the sides. The inside was massive as well, the hanger that the ship landed in didn't want for space, despite all the ships and staff milling around.

However as we left the bullhead, the activity seemed to stop as the staff began to salute us. This caused the four of us to share a look of confusion, I smiled nervously at the soldiers standing at attention, "Well, at least we know we're welcome."

Ruby shifted in place nervously, "It's nice to feel appreciated, but…this is awkward."

Cobalt returned the salute for a moment as he smiled, "I say do as they do! What was that old adage? When in Vale, do as the Valeans do, when elsewhere, do as they do elsewhere!"

Whitley had his hands behind his back as he looked at the assembly and cleared his throat, "Reminds me of when I still lived at home. Except our staff never went as far as to salute us." Suddenly one of the metallic doors slid open and we all spotted Ironwood entering the room, "Ah, here's our real welcome wagon."

Ironwood was not alone either, at his side was Whitley's eldest sister, Winter Schnee. They both approached and stood with their hands behind their back as they came to a stop, although Ironwood quickly relaxed and spoke, "At ease, everyone." The soldiers and workers quickly did so and returned to whatever they were doing before.

Ironwood continued, "Apologies for that, but it felt well deserved after what happened at Beacon." He smiled at us, "I was overjoyed to hear you'd be coming for a visit to our city, even under these…terrible circumstances." He closed his eyes and lowered his head as a show of respect as all of us gained downcast expressions as we thought of Penny, although Ironwood rebounded fairly quickly, "Rest assured though I have already alerted Pietro, her father, to start building a new body for your teammate."

That got us to relax as I smiled, "Thank you, General, it means a lot to have your support in a time like this." I rested on my cane with both my palms on top of it as it was in front of me, "I always knew we had a friend in Atlas, and that's…me talking, not Oz."

Ironwood nodded, then gestured with his head back towards the door, "Come, let's walk and talk. I'll show you to your rooms." So we followed him and Winter as they walked. I could see Whitley exchanging looks with his sister, it was clear they both had things they wanted to say, but in private. I could understand the desire for privacy, at least.

"Although rarely do you get it. Apologies for that."

'You try your best, given the circumstances, I'm grateful for that.'

Ironwood spoke with a warm, if formal, tone, "Atlas has already deployed construction teams to help repair Beacon, after all, Glynda can't do this all on her own, as much as she wishes she could." He smiled. I imagined he was recollecting Glynda's efforts to repair every little thing that broke down in the school, especially back when Team STRQ was around.

…Now that was a new memory.

He continued, "Atlas has already taken on a few temporary transfer students so their education can continue until Beacon is fully repaired, we're not the only ones either. Shade and Haven have done much the same, but enough about that. Let's talk about this ship, where you'll be staying for a few days during our trip. Apologies for the extended travel time, but a ship this size isn't exactly as fast as a bullhead."

We passed a mess hall as he explained, "However, just because you're on a ship doesn't mean you won't be comfortable. The mess hall is at your disposal, and I've set aside bedrooms for all four of you, as friends of Atlas, you will be afforded only the best."

That was unnecessary, really, but I wasn't going to complain.

"James has always been…what was it the kids say? Extra?"

I had to stop myself from grimacing at Ozpin's usage of slang, it felt wrong, 'Never say that again, please.'

"Very well." He sounded more amused than anything else.

We were eventually all shown to our rooms, however Ironwood had more to say to me specifically, once the others had retreated into their rooms to get situated, "Do you still go by Oscar?" I shook my head, "What's your name?"

"Ozza." I responded with a small smile. Even if I hadn't actually said anything to him, I supposed now that I was no longer making any efforts to hide the changes and my voice being a lot softer and feminine than it used to be was more than enough for him to pick up on it.

He nodded, "Very well, Ozza." He smiled and gestured for me to follow, and I did so. Winter was following but said nothing. We didn't say anything to each other until we reached a room that, once it was opened, was shown to be his office, judging by the oak desk in the center of it all, along with his personal effects scattered about. As we headed inside, Winter stayed outside, guarding the door. That felt unnecessary in a place like this, but I supposed there was some sort of protocol.

There was a coffee maker on a countertop in the corner. It looked fairly advanced, the kind that was basically always ready to make whatever he wanted. He placed a mug underneath and asked, "How do you take your coffee?"

"With cream and sugar." I responded easily as I walked to one of the wooden chairs in front of his desk and sat down, "I take it you needed to speak about a…delicate matter?"

Ironwood nodded, "It has to do with the Winter Maiden. She's…bedridden. We have her comfortable in a secure hospital bed in military headquarters, but between her advanced age and her Alzheimer's, I don't have high hopes for her future. I…wanted to ask Ozpin what he thought, if that's okay."

I nodded and closed my eyes, the familiar feeling of Ozpin taking control washed over me as I was once again made a passenger in my body.

We cleared our throat, "Fria was always a stalwart defender and one of our best, it's a shame to hear that she is nearing the end of her life. I take it you have a suggestion for her successor?"

Ironwood nodded, "I do, and I think you would agree that she is the best choice." He finished preparing our coffee and brought it over, holding the mug out. We took it and sipped as he made his way to his armchair.

We had an idea of who Ironwood wanted, "Winter Schnee?"

He looked surprised for a moment before breaking out into a smile, "There's no keeping secrets from you, is there? Yes, Winter Schnee, I believe she has all the right characteristics we look for, additionally, she is an incredibly strong fighter. The power of the Winter Maiden would be safe with her, and the one whom you two fought at Beacon would have a much harder time with her, than someone who was young and inexperienced."

"And firmly in place within your military." We responded smoothly, "I see the benefits you would have if the next maiden was more loyal to you than our cause, James. You will not be opposed to me thinking about this, I hope?"

James seemed a bit taken aback by what we pointed out, but he nodded, "With the state the world is in now, it only seems right that the next Maiden be a military prodigy. Fia was no such thing, but she's from a different generation, born in a much more peaceful time. Take as long as you need, but I assure you, her being loyal to me is the same as being loyal to our cause. I have not given you a reason to doubt me, I hope."

We hummed and sipped our drink before responding, "Your stunt with your military and your lack of faith in my methods don't encourage confidence. I understand that you view them with frustration, but I hope the attack on Beacon has shown you that not every problem can be solved with military force."

He struggled to find a response for that. After all, as a military man, he could not deny the results. Our students defeated an army of Grimm and with much less Atlesian help than Ironwood would have liked. There was no denying that the children he said couldn't win a war, could at least win a battle, "...I realize that my actions have perhaps given you reason to doubt my intentions. Rest assured that I only did what I felt was right for our continued struggle. I hope that you will come around to my suggestion, I think you'll find that Winter is more than capable not just as a soldier and Huntress, but as a person."

We twirled the remaining coffee in our drink before nodding, "I will not dismiss the suggestion off-hand, of course not. I still respect your opinion, James. I must do my own vetting as well, though."

My eyes flashed as Ozpin retreated into my mind again. I smiled at Ironwood and sipped my drink, "Was there anything else?"

Ironwood nodded, "A question. What happened to the Fall Maiden's power?"

I scratched my cheek, "...I don't know how she died, but I received half of the power. Although Cinder managed to steal more of it from me, I still have around a quarter of it. We…don't know exactly how she died, but it was…very well timed."

Ironwood had a knowing look in his eyes, he must have seen me starting to gain a questioning gaze as he nodded, "Forgive my deception, but I…overheard your conversation with her. I had my suspicions about you from the beginning, they only became more pronounced as time went on."

First Cobalt and now Ironwood? Was it that obvious? I leaned back as my eyes widened, "Wait, Ironwood, you're telling me…"

Ozpin sounded shocked, 'James…'

He gained a remorseful look as he nodded, "I did what had to be done. I took a gamble, thinking that maybe given your…situation, your soul would be recognized as female by the Maiden's Soul, and I was right." He looked down and sighed, "I made it quick, and I felt no joy in what I did, but I did it without choice. We were at risk of losing everything, and with that power, you were able to turn the tables."

"I don't like it either, but he does have a point…"

'It was still a reckless gamble. I would have expected better from him.'

"Desperate times, desperate measures…"

'Perhaps.'

"Well…" I sighed, "We're torn. I'm torn, you did kill that girl, but…She was going to die anyway, and I can't deny the results." I held my palm upwards and focused, a small flame appeared in the middle, "This power…Is not like Ozpin's. I can use it without worry, but…Right now it's very limited. Too weak for most of what a Maiden should be capable of." The flame sputtered and died and I sighed.

Ironwood nodded, "At the very least you have some of it. That's less power for our enemy. We will kill her, rest assured, and you will get the rest of your rightful power as the Fall Maiden. Although I wonder how it mingles with Ozpin…"

At his request, he took control and tried to use the maiden powers. However, we found that they would not answer our call. Only when he retreated again did they return, "It seems that they don't like him very much."

James smiled, "To be expected, I suppose, given the parameters he assigned to those powers." He checked his watch, "I think I've kept you long enough. You saw where your room is, if there's anything you need…Don't hesitate to ask."

I thanked him and then left, he'd already given me plenty to think about. When I got to my room, I found that my luggage was already there. We all had time to pack, although I didn't have much to my name. Thankfully, however, I was able to get the clothes that I kept in my personal quarters in Beacon before we came here.

Not that I would be wearing anything other than my huntsman gear for a while, maybe once we got to Atlas I could change into something else for a time, but if I remembered correctly Atlas got very cold. Especially at this time of year.

"You could always go shopping. Atlas does have more than a few clothing stores that you might find fit your fancy."

I gasped as I remembered that, 'That's right, I'll have to do that!' I moved my suitcase off the bed, removed my cloak and sat down, leaning against the wall as I finally had some time to breathe. I loved spending time with my friends, but sometimes it was good to have peace and quiet.

Ozpin spoke slowly as he tried to figure out exactly what he was saying next, "I must say, it is…strange taking control now. Your body and soul are very different from mine now, it feels…wrong."

I had to imagine the soul of an immortal wizard who had fused with nothing but men before did not sit well finding themselves in a female body whenever they wanted to take control, 'Now you know how I felt before I transitioned.'

If Ozpin could have sighed, I was sure he would have, but he found a silver lining at least, "I find myself growing ever more grateful for the presence of the Maiden Soul possibly preventing our full merger."

While I was sitting there thinking everything over, I thought I saw something in the corner of my eye. I looked and there was nothing. Taking a deep breath, I shook my head. Just my imagination…

I decided to go check on the others, after all while I had Oz's memories, this was entirely new territory for them. Well, except for Whitley, but I doubted he had ever been on an Atlesian carrier before.

I headed out of my room, the tapping of my cane was the only noise in the hallway right now. It seemed everyone was busy, although luckily it didn't take long for me to get to the first door. I knocked on it and Whitley opened the door, he seemed surprised to see me so suddenly, "Ozza!" He smiled, "Come in, come in." He walked back and beckoned, I followed him inside.

All our bedrooms looked the same, so there wasn't much to comment on. A twin-sized bed tucked into the wall in an alcove, his luggage against the white metal wall, a desk in the corner where he'd rested his gunblade… He walked a few feet more away from me and then turned around, smiling, "How'd your meeting with Ironwood go?"

"Well enough." I would keep the darker details to myself for now, the others didn't even know about the Maidens, let alone that I was now supposed to be one. I smiled, "You know, I never got to ask how your part in the battle went. If you don't mind recounting, I'd love to hear."

Whitley nodded, "I don't mind at all." He walked over to his bed and sat down, patting the spot next to him, "Sit! You can tell me what happened on your end as well." His smile was warm and inviting, a far cry from what he used to be like.

We'd all done growing since we became students, and I believed Whitley had grown the most, or at least he was on level with me.

I felt Ozpin retreat and lock himself away, so I wasn't worried about him eavesdropping on us at least. Although he had a funny habit of doing that anytime I was around Whitley, strangely enough…He'd done it with Ruby a few times, but not as often.

I walked over and sat next to him. I wanted to sit close to him, but I left a small distance between us. There were so many factors about me that were different, I didn't know if Whitley was still…Interested in me. I would understand if he wasn't, for whatever reason he might have had. He seemed accepting of me regardless.

He began recounting his part in the defense, his 'landing strategy', which I would have loved to see because it sounded amazing and a vast improvement over what he used to be like. Then he talked about his fight with the Trolls, those giant beasts that we had fought during our initiation, a time that felt so long ago now.

During all of this, I hadn't noticed his arm moving until he had put his hand around my waist. My eyes widened and my face reddened but I made no move to pull away, instead I took it as an invitation to move closer while I listened to his story, butterflies flying around my stomach. He seemed as nervous as I did, doing what he did must have taken some courage on his part.

I rested my head on his shoulder as he continued, talking about how he summoned his own Troll and used it to fight alongside him. During all of this I slipped my arm around his waist, which caused him to start before he relaxed again and smiled.

Finally, he finished, "A-And after all of that, well, that was when you…blew up." Whitley sighed as he looked up at the ceiling, resting his head on the wall behind us, "I'll admit I was worried. I saw you falling…"

I smiled softly, "It scared you?" He nodded and I giggled softly, "I get it. I would have been scared as well, if it were you in that situation."

He swallowed a lump in his throat, sitting this close to him I couldn't help but admire how handsome he was. Elegant and refined, yet approachable. His hair wasn't as well groomed as it used to be, now bits of it stuck out in one direction or another, evidence of his shedding of his family's general pomp.

A blush covered his face still, it was cute. I found my own face heating up more just from my observations, he began to speak, "You know…It got me thinking. About…Our team, our time together, myself…More than anything though, it made me think about you." My eyes widened as he continued, "About how you behave, how much of a…dunce you can be at times, but also how smart you can be, how you've matched me point for point in everything I've done. Once upon a time, I thought you were the wrong choice to be the leader of our team, now though?"

He looked down at me, locking his blue eyes with my hazel ones, "I realize that I couldn't have dreamed up a better leader. In spite of everything, you've pushed on, and…somewhere along the way, you pushed straight into my heart."

I gasped, normally I might have joked about how corny that was, but right now I felt tears welling up in my eyes, my heartbeat was drumming in my ears, my voice was soft, "Y-You mean that? Even though I'm…"

Whitley placed a finger over my lips and drew slightly closer, "You're a lot of things, and I…I love you because of those things, because to me, you're not Ozpin, you're not your old name…You're Ozza, you always have been…And I wouldn't have it any other way."

He removed his finger from my lips and I spoke softly, "W-Whitley…" Tears were flowing down my cheeks. When I came to talk with him today, this was not what I expected to happen, and yet…I wasn't complaining. "I love you too…"

As soon as those words left my mouth he closed the distance between us and pressed his lips to mine. My eyes widened before they fluttered shut, his did the same. I returned the kiss passionately, pulling myself closer to him as he put his arms around my waist. My stomach was swarming with butterflies and the fluttering in my heart defied expectations by growing in scope, like fireworks were going off inside me.

His breath tickled my face, and mine did the same to him. Somewhere along the way I moved my arms around his neck. We held that kiss for several moments, but I could have stayed that way for an eternity. When we pulled apart, out of breath, both of our faces were brushing bright.

I rested my palm on his cheek gently. I smiled and softly joked, "How are you going to explain this to your father?"

Whitley smirked and returned the gesture, resting a palm on my cheek, "Let him complain, I know he's planning on disowning Weiss, he would have a lot of trouble disowning me. If he did, he'd have nobody left to bequeath the family business to. Besides, he doesn't even have to know that you're trans. Let him think you're not, if he ever finds out you are…Well, we'll deal with that when it comes to it, but I'm not going to let him get between us."

I nodded along, keeping my smile, "That we will. What's one old man compared to us?"

Whitley smooched me on the cheek, "Exactly. Now, how about we go see how the others are doing? I shudder to imagine how Cobalt and Ruby are settling into a place like this…"

Thinking about Ruby and Cobalt let loose on an Atlesian airship did give me pause. I nodded and stood up, grabbing my cane from where it was leaning against the wall, "You're lucky I don't wear makeup, you know." I giggled as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, then the two of us headed out.

Cobalt and Ruby weren't in their rooms, and while it took some looking to find them, we did eventually discover the two of them sitting next to each other and eating in the mess hall and chatting amongst themselves. Of course the two of them would go straight for the food…I smiled as the two of us headed over to them.

Once they saw us, Ruby gasped, "Hey you two! We wondered what was taking you so long. Don't you want to try the food here?"

The two of us sat down across from the other two as Cobalt picked up where Ruby left off, holding a chicken leg in one hand, "You would be missing out! I thought military food was supposed to be terrible, but the food on this ship is simply grand!" He punctuated his statement by taking a bite out of his food.

I smiled, "Well, we had some things to talk about." I clipped my cane onto its place at my side and tapped my chin, "You know…If we're a team right now, what should we call ourselves?"

Whitley rested his arm on the table and hummed, "That's an…interesting question. It's not necessary, since we're not an official team, but I suppose it would be good to have something to refer to ourselves as in the meantime."

Ruby was in full agreement as she smiled, "My team isn't together right now, so I guess it makes sense! It's exciting to think about, actually, like a team exchange program or something. I wonder if that's a thing at Beacon?"

Cobalt hummed, "I have heard of teams occasionally swapping members in order to get used to operating with other compatriots, but it is not something that is necessarily common, except in case of emergency.

We all wracked our brains, ideas were tossed out, ideas were rejected. Eventually Whitley and I got some food of our own before returning to the table and discussing our options. Eventually, it hit me, "Oh! P, R, S, L, Parsley!"

Whitley smirked, "It's even green, fits perfectly with our dear leader's color pallet. I'm for it, what about you two?" He looked at Ruby and Cobalt.

Cobalt responded with a nod, swallowing what he was eating before he responded, "It works for me! Parsley fits well with us, I think."

Ruby agreed with a smile, "It's just as good as our other team names, if you ask me! So I guess we can consider ourselves Team PRSL for now, huh?" The rest of us nodded, Ruby broke into a grin and held up her fork in between all of us, "Awesome! If anybody messes with us, they won't know what hit them!"

Cobalt agreed by placing his fork on top of Ruby's in a facsimile of how you would use your hand for such a pact, "Agreed! Our team will know glory greater than any could possibly comprehend! We will get Penny back, and we will meet any foe that faces us with our full strength!"

Whitley rolled his eyes before adding his fork to the gesture, "Indeed. Weiss will be jealous of how well we work together as a team, she can sit back and watch, while we do the hard work."

I giggled before I added my fork to the assembly, "Then let's promise to always have each other's backs, through thick and thin! Friends and teammates until the end, even after we get our old teams back! We can call it…The Oath of the Forks!"

"Here here!" Everyone agreed in chorus, getting some looks from soldiers just enjoying their meals, but more than a few of them were smiling.

To them, we were just kids making a pact of friendship, to us, it meant so much more.

---

That night everyone had gone to bed and yet I was up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. I sat on my bed, dressed in my green nightgown, and sighed as I looked up at the ceiling.

Ozpin questioned me, having come back some hours ago, "Something bothering you?"

I huffed, 'I don't know what. I feel…weird. It's been in the back of my head since I woke up, I feel like…there's someone else who wants to talk to me.'

"Talk to you? Hmmm…"

That was when, once again, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone. Someone familiar…

Then she said, "I knew you were the right choice, Ozza."

I gasped as I looked to my right and saw sitting there on the ground a ghostly form of Amber, the former Fall Maiden, "A-Amber? Wh…How…?"

Amber smiled, "I'm part of you, now, even with an incomplete Maiden Soul, I have the ability to speak with you. Although I appear to be the only one right now…The others are with the woman who stole my power, and yours." She sighed and looked down, "You plan to fight her again, don't you?" I nodded and she closed her eyes, "Be careful. She was strong before she had our power, now? She's bound to be even stronger with a more complete Maiden Soul."

I nodded, looking at my cane, resting against the wall as it is, "You're probably well aware now, but I'm not exactly without my own tricks either."

Amber nodded, "I could feel his presence within our soul…It is strange, and I wonder the same thing as you. Would having a complete Maiden Soul prevent your joining? I am…unsure, given that the magic that makes Ozpin immortal was given by the God of Light. Still, the implications of a Maiden and Ozpin fusing are…Not good, at the very least. What would become of the Fall Maiden if the soul fused with Ozpin, or vice versa? What rules would the soul follow?"

She shook her head and stood up, starting to pace, "There's never been a situation like this before for a maiden, Cinder was the first to steal her powers in the manner she did, and then you managed to gain the power in spite of Ozpin's presence…"

I looked back up at the ceiling as I laid back in my bed, "I have no clue what's going to happen next, we're going to Atlas to get Penny back, but then what? Do we just…wait until school starts again? How long can I wait, until Cinder comes back looking for more? She's lost the element of surprise, sure, but she's still a very powerful fighter. I'm sure I could fight her, I might even win, but at what cost? Last time it caused my soul to fuse with Ozpin's even more…"

Amber sat on the bed, although I couldn't feel anything, "I don't know either…No more than you do. There's…not much I can do in this form." She looked at her hand, "But…I know my purpose. My presence will help speed along your learning of what little Maiden power you have right now. Ozpin can help, I'm sure, but he can't exactly demonstrate."

I nodded, "You're right about that. It seems that while the powers work with me, they don't work with Oz. I guess it's understandable…"

Amber's form flickered as she sighed and looked at her hand, "I can't hold this form for as long as I would like…There's just one last thing I need to tell you about." I raised an eyebrow and she continued, "That tugging feeling in your soul will grow stronger when the rest of our power is near. Pay attention to it, it's like…an early warning system." She smiled as she began to flicker even more, "...Good luck. We'll talk again soon."

Amber vanished and I sighed, looking up at the ceiling, "Add phantom Maidens to the list of things I have going on with me, I guess."

'Yours is an interesting case, that is for sure.'

I sighed and got back under my covers and tried to sleep, with Ozpin as always retreating away so I could fall asleep without feeling his presence.

The rest of our trip went by without any issue, honestly it was remarkable just how unremarkable it was. With everything that had happened during the Fall, and leading up to that, we had expected something to go wrong. Yet nothing ever did, and even if it had, I doubted we would have even had anything to do, given that we were aboard a heavily armed military carrier.

We docked and Ironwood invited us to stay at Atlas Academy for the duration of our time here. So we found ourselves taking up residence in one of the empty dorms, although we stuck out like sore thumbs compared to the rest of the students that milled about. Atlas Academy, in contrast to Beacon, was a very orderly place, and felt very…washed out. Gray uniforms, white floors, gray walls…The decor was nice, but it still felt thoroughly drained of color and self expression.

And wasn't that what the Great War was fought over?

After we got settled into our shared dorm, Ironwood told us that while he wanted to introduce us to some important people, they were on a mission and were indisposed for a few days. So, in the meantime, he told us where we'd find Pietro Polendina, in Mantle. He gave us permission to use the bullhead transportation to and from Atlas, although before we went to see Penny's father, Whitley's father wanted to see him.

So, we found ourselves heading to the Schnee manor, and while I had heard Whitley talk about it more than a few times, I was floored by just how massive it was. The thing was staggering, it could have held hundreds of people all at once if needed to, but I knew from the stories that Jacques Schnee was not exactly a very accommodating person. He put on airs, but he was ultimately the same Jacques who caused so much trouble for the faunus and worked his company in a gray area that had made him a lot of enemies on both the black and white markets.

We all walked up to the entrance, with Ruby speaking with awe, standing on my right as she was, "You guys live here? It looks more like a museum than a home…From the outside, at least."

Cobalt nodded, standing on my left, "I must admit, it does not look like a very…warm place to grow up. I would take my grandmother's home over a place like this every time."

Whitley, who was leading our pack, sighed, "You're not the only one who would take something smaller. When I was younger I thought this place was amazing, but as I grew older, I began to realize just how cold it really was. With a few exceptions…"

I was standing behind him, in the center of the group, and I patted his back, "Hey, home is where the heart is, as they say. Your home doesn't have to be this place." He looked back at me and we shared a smile.

"You're right." He said as he looked forward, "I already decided some time ago that my home is with Team OPWL…and Team PRSL now, I suppose." Whitley took a deep breath as we all placed a hand on his shoulders, then he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

The man who opened it must have been a butler, a relatively short balding man with brown hair, a handlebar mustache, and light brown eyes. He wore what I could only assume was a Schnee uniform, a white dress shirt, a black vest, a pair of dress pants and dress shoes. He had a friendly smile on his face as he looked at all of us, before his eyes rested on Whitley, "Good to see you, Mr. Schnee." Whitley crossed his arms and the man smiled, "Would you prefer Snowball?"

Whitley grew flustered as he realized he'd just had that nickname blasted in front of his team, "Whitley would have been fine, Klein, but…I'm glad to see you. Father wanted to talk with me?"

Klein nodded and stepped away from the door, allowing us all to walk inside, "Yes, he's in his office." His voice lowered to a whisper as his eyes turned red, his voice shifted with it, "He's always been a bit of a blighter, don't you think?" Then they returned to normal while Whitley covered his mouth to suppress a laugh.

Whitley smiled warmly, and I got the feeling that Klein had most likely been a better father to the boy and his sister than Jacques ever was, "You're right about that. Can you show my friends to the patio in the garden? I'll be along after I've talked with Father."

Klein nodded, Whitley went up the massive stairs of the foyer while Klein led us towards a door, "It's wonderful meeting Whitley's friends. Weiss and him both have talked in great detail about you all in our correspondences."

Ruby gained a smirk as she tried to hide her deviousness, although she wasn't doing a good job at it, "Uhm, yeah, so…Weiss, what has she said about her team? You know, Team RWBY, not team OPWL, which I am a part of."

Klein smirked, his eyes temporarily turning blue, "Did something change, Ruby Rose?" Her face paled and we all laughed, he explained, his eyes returning to normal, "I watched the tournament, as if I would miss Weiss' grand debut. As for what she's said about your team, well, you'll have to ask her yourself, she's in her room, you can visit her after Whitley gets back."

Ruby gasped excitedly, "How's she doing?" She asked while we reached a round patio table with four chairs, the three of us sat while Klein stayed standing, "Her dad called her back so suddenly, we didn't even really have time to talk with everything that happened…"

He patted her shoulder, "Rest assured she is doing well. Although she's just received some news that I'm sure will have her in a dour mood at the moment…An old friend of hers is up there now, consoling her. You'll meet her as well, once you go up there."

We all shared a look, with Cobalt voicing the obvious, "I did not expect Weiss to have friends here in Atlas, is this friend also a friend of Whitley's?" Klein nodded, causing Cobalt to gasp in surprise, "Defying expectations even when he is not around to gloat about it! That is very much like Whitley."

We all shared a laugh, Klein then looked off towards the door we came out of, "I'll get all of you some tea, for now, enjoy your stay." He smiled and then he walked off, leaving the three of us to talk.

I leaned back in the iron patio chair, with its intricate design and the pillow on the seat that made it just a bit too comfortable for my tastes, and I sighed, "So this is where Weiss and Whitley grew up? No wonder they were…The way they were when we met them."

Ruby smiled, "You mean jerks?" She giggled and I laughed, then she continued, "I guess anyone growing up in a place like this might end up with some…bad outlooks on life. We're lucky that Weiss and Whitley both are great people removed from all of that." Her eyes grew concerned as she looked down at the table in the middle of us all, "I wonder what news she got, I hope she's okay…"

Cobalt spoke reassuringly, "She's a brave fighter, a courageous person, and a stalwart friend, I'm sure whatever she was told is nothing that she can't recover from. Besides, she has that friend of hers up there, maybe they will help her feel better."

Ruby sighed, "I hope you're right. Still, I wonder why the two of them never brought up having a friend here in Atlas…From the way they behaved, you'd think that they barely even had each other while they were living here…"

I hummed in thought as I looked up at the slightly cloudy sky, "I guess we'll have to wait and see, there must have been a good reason. Maybe they're not a nice person and it was just circumstance that they became friends, or maybe they just didn't think to talk about them at all."

Eventually Klein returned with our tea, which we accepted gratefully, and once he was gone we continued to speculate about Whitley and Weiss' friend, before resolving to just ask Whitley once he was back.

He came back after another ten minutes, he didn't look upset, so I assumed whatever they talked about wasn't bad. Then again, I knew he had an annoying habit of hiding how he was feeling at any given moment. I'd ask him later.

He took his seat, and his tea, and then spoke, "You all want to ask me about something don't you?" He looked at all three of us, "...I see that look in your eyes." He smiled, "What is it?"

I cleared my throat, "So…You and Weiss had a friend before coming to Beacon? Who were they?"

His expression darkened as he looked down with a solemn sigh, "Orchid…" He closed his eyes, "She…was our friend, yes, although…Father didn't approve, we'd both known her since we were all children, she's a gardener here you see, and before that Weiss had met her just on the playground. Father made us say some…regrettable things to her. Things I fully intend to make up for, once I see her again."

We were all surprised by his words, but I pushed on, "Klein said she was talking with Weiss right now. Was what you said that bad? If it was, I'm surprised that she's still working here, let alone talking with Weiss…"

Whitley sighed, "It's a bit more complicated than that. Of course, Weiss would never admit it, but the two of them were…Inseparable. I was a friend, of course, but nowhere near as close a friend as Weiss was. She cried for nights after being forced to say what she did, words I'd rather not repeat."

Ruby nodded, "Well…If that's the case…" She gulped down the rest of her cup of tea, "We should go see them! What bad news was Weiss given, do you know, Whitley?"

Whitley nodded, "Weiss was disinherited, I'm the new heir to the Schnee Dust Company." Ruby gasped, and Whitley continued, "Weiss had always been far more…rebellious than I. I played a lot nicer with Father, tried to understand his methods, and worked with him on some projects. Weiss had always stood opposed to him, she looked up to Winter, who left to join Atlas Academy early on, and took every step she could to be a pain in the neck while still staying within Father's lines. Although now I suppose she must have done something to set him off…"

Ruby stood up, "Well, let's go talk to her then! I can't just let my partner wallow in her sadness!" Whitley looked longingly at his cup of tea before he just grabbed it and took it with him, the four of us made our way towards Weiss' room, with Whitley leading the way.

We were speed walking through the halls to get to her room as quickly as possible. We weren't sure what to expect, but we certainly didn't expect to hear…singing? It was faint at first, but it became clearer as we got closer. It wasn't Weiss, it must have been her friend, singing in a soft and gentle tone. I recognized the song as well, 'Home'.

We just caught the end of it as we reached the door, "Yes I know that when I'm with you I'm at home…" It sounded like she was consoling Weiss with the song, she was a good singer too, so I hoped it worked.

We all shared a look before Whitley knocked on the door, "Weiss, it's me, and…a few friends."

We heard footsteps, although it wasn't Weiss that opened the door.

The girl who answered wore a set of overalls over a pink shirt, and while she had a pair of gold and black headphones around her neck. She was fair skinned and looked to be our age. Her eyes were amber and, strangely, the irises were hexagonally shaped, same with the pupils. Her hair was evenly horizontally striped in blonde and black, each part of her hair swapped between the two colors and didn't stop until her hair ended at her upper back and over her shoulders.

On top of her outfit she had a necklace that looked like it was made out of ice dust shaped like a snowflake. I assumed it was probably a gift from Weiss or Whitley when they were younger.

That made this…

Whitley stepped forward and wrapped the girl in a hug, "Orchid. I'm so sorry about everything…Those awful things Father made both of us say…We were cowards for choosing what he wanted over our friendship."

Orchid just smiled and returned the hug, "It's okay, really…" She patted his back, "You all aren't here for me though, you're here for Weiss." They broke the hug and Orchid stepped to the side, showing Weiss sitting on her bed. Her eyes were slightly red, and her cheeks were stained with tears.

We all headed inside, and there were a lot of hugs to go around. Whitley hugged Weiss, which seemed to surprise Weiss the most as Whitley said, "I'm not happy with Father's choice, but…I'll endeavor to live up to our name for both of us, Weiss. You deserved better."

Weiss started to tear up all over again as she returned the hug, "I did everything he asked and it still wasn't enough…" Whitley sat next to her on the bed while they continued to hug, "I tore down a…bond, I sacrificed so much…And this is how he repays me?"

It was Ruby's turn to join the hug, as she raced over and hugged Weiss, she said, "You don't need to sacrifice anything else! You have us!"

Weiss seemed to have not noticed Ruby until now, because she seemed totally shocked, "R-Ruby…?" She was crying again now, with Cobalt, Orchid, and I watching with a soft smile.

Cobalt decided to join, walking forward, "Exactly! We were not exactly 'friends', more acquaintances, but you can consider me a friend nonetheless now!" He joined the group hug.

Orchid stepped forward, walking behind Weiss and the others and joining the hug by hugging Weiss' back. There was just the front now left for me, so I naturally walked forward and joined by putting my arms around her, "Who needs a vast fortune anyway? Not you, and you know that."

Weiss seemed thoroughly overwhelmed as she sobbed, although now she had a smile on her face. We held that hug for a while longer, until she stopped sobbing, and then we all broke off and gave her some space, with each of us taking a seat on her rather massive bed.

Weiss sighed, "Sorry…I didn't mean to break down like that…You guys are here to get Penny back, right?"

Whitley nodded, "Just as I told you over the phone, we're going down to mantle soon. We wanted to see you first, though, make sure you were doing okay. Do you…want to come with us?"

She sighed shakily, "I…Would, but…" She looked back at her friend, who smiled at her, "I have some catching up to do first…I still haven't apologized enough."

Orchid shook her head, "Weiss, if you want to go with your friends, then go. I'll be here when you get back, you know I will."

Yet Weiss seemed unmoved, "I know, but…Still, I can always go with them again later. Besides, they're just going to see Penny's father, they won't need my help."

Whitley patted his sister's shoulder and stood up, "Right, well, we'll leave you to it then."

I nodded and stood up as well, taking my cane off my back and extending it so I could walk with it when we left, "We'll be back, I'm sure, we just need to see when we can expect our teammate back."

Ruby stood as well, "Yeah, what happened to Penny…" She sighed and looked down, before perking right back up, "It was…So awful. But! We'll see her again soon, I know it!"

Cobalt had a muted expression on his face as he walked towards the door, "Indeed. I will enjoy getting to do battle with the bastard who did it. When that time comes…" He smiled and looked back at us while he opened the door, "I fully intend for Penny to be there with us."

We were all in agreement there, so we left Orchid and Weiss to talk while we headed out and left the building. We knew where to go next, there was a bullhead landing at Atlas Academy we were cleared to take down to Mantle, and getting there was not a difficult task in the slightest.

Although we didn't expect trouble, I advised the others to grab their weapons from our dorm, just in case, after all, if my memory served, Mantle was a place that had its fair share of crime and Grimm attacks on occasions. Although I hoped sincerely that the walls and security would hold.

Before we knew it, we were ferried down to Mantle, the city where smokestacks dominated the sky and, in a way, the place made me imagine a much darker version of Vale. A place where the civilian population lived markedly less comfortable lives than the literal upper class, floating high above them.

Ironwood had offered to give us an escort, but we didn't need it. There was nothing we couldn't handle on our own, after all. There were drones that patrolled the city, and it seemed like in place of police there were soldiers. I wondered if Mantle had ever had a regular police force, or if it had always had military police like this.

It didn't inspire much confidence in how the council ran the city, particularly with all of the people we passed looking poor or down on their luck. Rarely did we see people who looked relatively normal, but maybe that was just the part of the city we were in.

While we were walking, I asked Whitley, "Did you come down here when you were living in Atlas?"

Whitley nodded, "More than a few times, although Father never liked it when I did. He said this place was above me, and I always chided him for pointing out the obvious." I smiled at his joke as he continued, "Although the city was a lot nicer when I was down here as a child…It's really starting to fall apart."

"James has been neglecting the city, so has the whole council."

I thought sarcastically, 'I don't see how that could possibly backfire, not at all.'

"Indeed."

We had been given directions to Pietro's workshop on our scrolls, and it was easy enough to find. The place was a hole in the wall workshop, not exactly the kind of place you'd expect to find a world renowned inventor who created the first artificial human with an aura.

Pietro himself was surprised to see us, "Well well! What can I do for you young'uns today? Need something fixed up, your weapons upgraded?" Although once we drew closer, he leaned forward and squinted at each of us, "Wait…You're Team Opal! And you…" He looked at Ruby, "You're Ruby!" He moved out from behind his desk, revealing that he seemed bound to some high-tech wheelchair that walked with legs rather than wheels.

I rubbed the back of my head, "Ah…Yes, indeed, we are." We all looked around his clinic, it certainly looked like a cross between a place of construction and a place of healing. On his desk was a solid black metal cube, "I-Is that?"

Pietro nodded, sighing as he looked down, "Penny. Her core. She's in there, although without her body and her aura, she's basically comatose." He coughed into his hand several times, it seemed clear to me that the man was sick, or growing weak, "...I have been working with Atlas to create a new body for her, that is coming along, however…There's a problem."

Cobalt spoke before any of us could, his facial expression was hard to read, a cross between worried, desperate, and saddened, "What is it? Anything you need, I-We…We can help!" The usually brave and unwavering soul of our group was wavering, I knew, yet we didn't say anything. This was between him and Pietro more than it was between Team PRSL and Pietro.

At least we could be there for him.

Pietro smiled weakly, "...She told me a lot about you, Cobalt Lazuli." Cobalt appeared surprised, Pietro looked back at Penny's core, "She sent me so many letters, so many emails…Talking about her partner, who taught her what camaraderie means. What…Living was like. I want to get her back as much as you, believe me, I'm her father, but…" He looked at his hand, his aura flashed briefly, it was weak, "...My aura is weak. I could probably infuse her one more time, but I still worry that maybe…" He looked down, "Maybe it won't be enough."

Cobalt looked down and away, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before he looked back up and walked over to Pietro, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Then let me do it! Let me give her some of my aura!" Pietro looked at him in surprise and was about to protest before he continued, his voice firm and resolute, "I have enough of it for two, and you're an elder, you need what strength you have. Would it change her, would it be a problem, if it was me and not you? If not…I won't hesitate."

Ruby walked over to Cobalt and placed a hand on his back, standing next to him, "There's no talking him down when he's decided on something like this, I don't even know him as well as Ozza or Whitley, but I know that. So…Would it work?"

Pietro moved away and looked at the cube resting on his desk, "...I suppose it would. Penny is not just her robot parts, but the girl. With her core, I don't see why being infused with someone else's aura wouldn't work, although I would need to do a lot more testing into that before I could say for certain. After all, if we do this, and it goes wrong, then we might be left with someone who isn't Penny anymore. We don't want that."

Cobalt took a deep breath and calmed himself, "Very well…Do what you need to do, but when the time comes, know that I want to be there regardless of what happens, so do my friends…Penny deserves to wake up surrounded by people that care about her."

Pietro nodded in agreement and was about to speak when suddenly sirens began to go off, alerting of a Grimm attack, "I hope you all are cleared to use your weapons in the city…" He said as he saw us preparing to leave.

I smiled, "I would have a few choice words with Ironwood if we weren't. Now…" I raced out of the door with everyone close behind, in spite of everything I couldn't help but smile. A chance to stretch my legs in battle was needed after so many days of being bedridden, or being aboard a ship…

"Ah, the vigor of youth…"

'You get to experience that over and over, don't you?'

"More or less.'

We reached the street and saw civilians fleeing from a pack of rampaging Beowolves, "How did they get past the wall?" I heard Whitley ask under his breath before he shook his head and took his gunblade off of his back and rested it on his shoulder, "This town certainly has changed, and not for the better…Let's clean up this sorry mess!"

We were all in agreement, Ruby raced forward and slashed into a Beowolf, cutting it clean in half. Hot on her trail was the rest of us, Cobalt stabbing and slashing with his glaive with his usual expertise, bringing down Grimm after Grimm as he did.

Whitley stabbed outward and pierced a Beowulf in the heart as it leapt in the air towards him before he fired off his Gunblade and sent the corpse of the create flying back into the rest of the pack, then he held his weapon in the air and summoned several glyphs which began to fire out ice-infused needles towards the beasts, killing several of them in the process.

Finally, my turn, I lunged forward towards an advancing Beowolf and swung my cane downward, cracking into its bone armor before kicking outward and sending it onto its back, then I leapt forward, the end of my cane connected with the things torso as I used it as a balance to flip over the beast with the one hand on the cane. Landing near its head, I saw that the beast had died, so I moved on to the next.

Another came up on my right, I jabbed outward and struck several times with my cane before sending it out with one final powerful blow that sent the Beowolf into a lamppost. One was running up on my left, but as I turned to attack it, Whitley shot with his gunblade, the round sailed past me and connected with the thing's head, blowing it off.

He hurried to my side and smirked, "Getting sloppy, Ozza, I think you spent too long in that bed on Patch."

I rolled my eyes with a smile, three were racing towards us. Cobalt's glaive flew past us, encased in crystal, and it turned the Beowolves into a shishkebab before he raced over and yanked his blade out, "And perhaps you, Whitley, spent too long fretting over her state, sitting at her bedside day and night!" He grinned as Whitley blushed and huffed before Cobalt then raced forward again to deal with more.

Ruby had been busy as well, zipping around and striking down any that she saw, shooting with Crescent Rose as necessary to either leap into the air or to get rid of excess foes.

She spun her scythe and prepared to strike at another coming up on her before it was suddenly killed by someone we'd never seen before, an incredibly buff, tall, brown haired and brown-tan skinned woman wielding a hammer who crushed the thing with one fell swoop.

Soon her allies came in, a brown haired, fair skinned man who wielded a…fishing pole? Then a dark-skinned, green-black haired man wielding what looked like a boomerang, then, speeding past us was a dark-skinned woman with platinum blonde and brown hair shaved on the sides, who moved as if she was fueled by electricity. Then came the final member of what I assumed was a team, a tall man with short shaved gray hair, deathly pale skin and several tattoos on him. He wielded a throwing star.

Each of them fought with such practiced ease, I knew just from looking at them that they were far more skilled than us. They made swift work of the small horde of Grimm that remained, Grimm that while we could have beaten, would have taken significantly longer than it would have otherwise.

When the dust settled, the five of them approached us, with the man with short brown hair speaking in a friendly tone, "You kids aren't half bad. It's a good thing Ironwood already told us about you, otherwise we'd have to arrest you for unlawful use of weapons and semblances in the city."

With the battle over, I relaxed and rested my cane in front of me, my two hands on top of it, "The help is appreciated, and it was a pleasure to see you work. Who might I be thanking?"

The man smirked and looked at the rest of his team, "I'm Clover, that's Marrow," He pointed to the man with green-black hair, "That's Harriet," He pointed to the woman with the blonde and brown hair, "That's Elm," He gestured to the woman who, appropriately so, was built like a tree, "And that's Vine." He gestured to the tall, pale man. Then he placed his hands at his sides and grinned, "And we…"

"Are the Ace Ops."