Ch31: Collecting Strays
(Wednesday, Y+1, M+4, D+22)
[Crystal's Cafe, Glenn Square]
"My name is Lisa Lavender, and I'm here with the one and only team RWWBY; a team instrumental in saving the city of Vale from the Grimm incursion just yesterday." Lisa says, sitting across from us at a table, a cameraman over her shoulder and the ravaged Glenn Square over ours. Crystal's cafe is pretty much the only building in Glenn Square that survived yesterday structurally intact. We are sitting in the order of our letters in the team's name; Ruby, Weiss, me, Blake, and finally Yang. I'm wearing my combat armor and my helmet is sitting on the table in front of me. "Now, Miss Rose, you are actually the youngest person to ever be accepted to Beacon, what is it like being the youngest person in the academy?" Lisa asks, directing her microphone to my little sister for her answer.
'Well, um, it's not all that bad really. I mean, I left most of my friends back at Signal, but I've made lots of new ones. It also didn't hurt that my brother and sister got in too." She says. I can tell she's a bit shy and nervous, but somebody who doesn't know her probably couldn't tell.
"That'd be Kurt and I." Yang clarifies.
"Pardon me asking, but how are you three related?" Lisa asks, a little confused.
"Ruby and I are sisters, we share a father." Yang says, trying (and succeeding) to keep her emotions regarding Summer and her mother under control.
"And I'm adopted. I woke up on Patch just under a year and a half ago with amnesia and they took me in." I say, gesturing to my sisters.
"Thank you for the explanation." Lisa says. "What I think we'd all like to know now is how your five became involved in the single deadliest Grimm attack in the past decade."
"Well it all started on our first away mission in Mountain Glenn, just yesterday." Weiss says.
"We had just set up camp for the night with Professor Oobleck, the Huntsman we were shadowing." Yang continues.
"I had taken first watch when our dog Zwei, who'd come along with us, went outside to use the bathroom. After he did what he needed to do, I heard some voices. I decided to investigate and spotted a pair of White Fang members. I followed them to the entrance of their base and when I went back, a sinkhole opened up in the road and I fell in." Ruby says.
"Our dog, however, didn't and went back to the campsite to get help. He brought us to the sinkhole and we found that it opened into a massive underground cavern that the White Fang had turned into a base." I say.
"They'd repurposed the old Mountain Glenn-Vale rail line and had loaded a train full of stolen weapons, Dust and mechs. Just before the train left, we found Ruby, who'd been captured by the White Fang. As the train started to move, we boarded it and ended up on the last car."
"It didn't take us long to realize that the car was filled with crates of Dust and a bomb, which quickly activated." Yang says.
"We were set upon by many White Fang members and mechs. Oobleck decided that it would be best for Ruby and himself to hold off the White Fang while Yang, Weiss and I attempted to get to the front of the train and stop it." Blake says.
"And what about you Mister Wagner? What did you do?"
"I got the message out. I knew that if the train hit, there would be casualties. Innocent people would die. I teleported to Headmaster Ozpin's office to warn him. He managed to get the warning out a few minutes before the train hit. If he didn't, civilian casualties would have been much higher." I say, picking up my helmet and staring into the black T-slit visor.
"Oh, well then. Mister Wagner, what is your opinion of the cause of the White Fang?"
"I can see why they're angry, but taking that anger out on the innocent is entirely inexcusable. On the other hand, I am not exactly impressed by the opinions of certain Humans; we aren't animals, we're people too. I just wish that more people could see that." I say, a bit solemnly if I do say so myself. Which I do.
The interview drags on for about half an hour, during which I try to prevent myself from showing the extreme boredom that I was definitely feeling.
"I think that's enough for today, thank you for being here today team RWWBY." Lisa Lavender says.
"You're welcome." We all say simultaneously, before looking at each other and all making some sort of amused expression. We walked back to Beacon together, taking in the scenery and the differences in the mood of the city after the attack. There were squads of Atlesian soldiers and AK androids patrolling across the city. A few of the Atlesian airships were in the air over the city with flights of gunships sweeping the city was on lockdown.
"What were they trying to do?" I ask aloud, my helmet clipped to my belt.
"They were trying to lead Grimm into the city." Yang says.
"Yes, but what was the end goal? They must have known that the Atlesian military was here in Vale. And Hunters, and the Valean military, and students from Beacon. The only question was how long it would take for the Grimm to be eradicated and the Breach sealed. Sure people died, but Vale still stands." I say, my arms spreading out to gesture to the city as a whole.
"The White Fang are terrorists, and if you haven't noticed, the citizens are quite scared." Weiss says.
"Yes, but unless there's some sort of follow-up, the entire attack just wasted resources. Now that I think about it, what were all of the White Fang doing on the train in the first place? The entire plan consisted of effectively a suicide run towards a massive wall in a train full of high explosives being chased by an unholy number of Grimm. How were they planning on getting out alive?" I ask. "I mean, they must have known the Atlesian military was in town, they weren't exactly subtle about it. I mean, even though they seem to use almost nothing but androids, they're quite formidable."
"What do you mean by that?" weiss asks a bit pointedly.
"Androids are a formidable weapon, but they're not exactly the best weapon: they're individually quite weak, they're expensive and rely on intricate and therefore maintenance-heavy systems, they're unable to adapt as well as a human soldier and best of all, unlike a human, you can hack them!" I say, stopping dead in my tracks as we pass through a small park. "...Waitaminute…" I think a bit, the girls stop and turn around to look at me. "Ruby?"
"Yes" She answers.
"Didn't you say that after that woman infiltrated the CCT, an image appeared on all of the screens?"
"Yep: a black chess piece, a queen, on a green background. Why?"
"Because, if an image appeared, then she must have put something into the system. Some sort of virus. And since ALL transmissions in the kingdom are routed through the CCT, the Atlesian combat networking, which includes their androids, must pass through it! And if there's some kind of virus in the system, they might be able to hack into the Androids. And if they do that, they could wreak all sorts of havoc, maybe even take over the city if they play their hand right." I muse to the girls. We've all since moved under the cover of a tree, taking advantage of the shade.
"What makes you think she's with the White Fang? From what you said, she was human." Yang asks.
"The girl I fought behind the ballroom was the same woman Ruby fought at the CCT, who in turn was the same woman who Ruby and I fought near the Dust shop, who was working with Torchwick, who has been almost exclusively working with the White Fang. Therefore, the mystery woman is likely working with the Fang." I say.
"Alright then, point made: don't question the all-knowing, all-seeing Kurt." Yang says quite sarcastically.
"I'm not done yet. My next question is how did she escape? When she launched the Dust crystals at me, it kicked up a good bit of smoke and dust and blocked my vision, so I didn't see where she went. But based on the fact that I intercepted her heading into the ballroom before she escaped, and the fact that nobody caught her despite quite an intensive search, the most likely explanation is that she made it into the ballroom and blended in with all of the other students. And since she managed to blend in with a bunch of students, she must be or appear to be around the same age as us. You girls following me?" I ask, they nod a bit hesitantly. "Good. And since she looks like a student and managed to blend in at the dance, she either is or is posing as a student; either one from Beacon or a transfer student. I think we can discard the idea of her being from Beacon because that would either require well-forged documents or a spy amongst the teachers. And since ozpin thoroughly vets all of the staff and students, I think that that possibility can be discarded too. So, we likely have an infiltrator in the school posing as a transfer student who may have the ability to take control of the better portion of the atlesian military in Vale. Wonderbar." I say. "I need to speak to Ozpin." I say, bamfing to The Cave. "Hey Ivan! Where'd you go?" I ask, seeing him emerge from the shipping crate that I use as an armory.
"I was looking at your guns." He says.
"So I've told you about what this school does, right?" He nods. "Now, would you like to become a Huntsman? You'll have to train a lot to catch up. Pretty much all of your free time will be spent training, but in the end you'll become the a warrior of a skill level unheard of back home. You will be able to break the laws of physics by the mere act of existing and will be able to carve through armies of Grimm without breaking a sweat… Is it just me or did that sound like a recruitment ad for the Marine corps?" I chuckle at the end of the dramatic speech.
"Yes." He says with a bit of a smirk, still standing in the doorway to the armory.
"To which one?"
"To both."
"Alright, now I just need to convince Ozpin to let you stay. I mean, it's not like you've got anywhere else to go." I say, before remembering something. "When we get to his office, keep in mind that I've never told him about Earth, as far as he knows, I just woke up one day in a forest with amnesia and don't know where I'm I've told him is that I woke up in a forest one day with no recollection of my family, friends or who I was. And as far as I know, the same thing pretty much happened to you."
"So where am I going to stay? You've showed me your team's dorm, it doesn't look like you could fit another person in there."
"I'll set up something down here for you. And I pretty much live down here so I'll just keep doing that. Plus it'll give me time to get you up to par with everybody else here. Just to let you know, nobody here has any appreciation for a good firefight, they all want to get up in your face. I've kinda got it easy since I can just teleport away so the melee training will probably help me as much as it does you." I say, motioning for Ivan to follow me as I head towards the door. "C'mon, let's go talk to Ozpin." I walk to Ozpin's tower with Ivan in tow. "Why he couldn't just put his office in a more easily accessible location I'll never know." I say, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor. The elevator reaches the top floor and the doors open with a ding.
"Hello Kurt, I see you've brought your new friend." Ozpin takes a sip from his coffee mug. "How may I help you?"
"Actually I was wondering if you could admit Ivan into the academy. You see, he's kinda in the same boat I was in when I woke up about a year and a half ago, he doesn't remember his friends, family or himself. I've asked him and he wants to become a hunter, so what do you say?" I ask, Ivan right next to me as we stand before the headmaster's desk.
"I can tell this means a lot to you Kurt. He can stay, I will file the paperwork tomorrow." He says, taking another sip of coffee, as a smile spreads across my face. "But you are responsible for making sure that he is up to speed. At least make sure that he can stand even with Mister Arc." He says with a small smirk.
"Sir Yes Sir!" I say, deciding to snap ramrod straight and salute the headmaster. Surprisingly he returns the salute and I decide to ask him something else.
"Headmaster. I have come to an… intriguing conclusion." I say.
"And that conclusion is?"
"The woman both Ruby and I fought after the dance has planted a virus in the CCT that may possibly be able to take control of the AK-200s in the city and may also be posing as an exchange student here in Beacon."
"And how did you come to that conclusion?"
"Through the powers of deduction, my dear Ozpin. Though, if I'm being entirely honest, I'm much more certain about the intruder being a transfer student. But I must go now, i've still got to introduce Ivan to the team."
"Ivan? I thought you said that he didn't remember his name?" Ozpin asks.
"He doesn't, I just decided that he sounds like an Ivan and he hasn't complained so far."
"Young man, what do you take to be your name?" Ozpin asks Ivan, looking to the Ruuskie.
"Ivan…" He looks down at his (red) shirt. "Ivan Redovitch Headmaster." He says, nodding.
"Alright then Mister Redovitch, you and Mister Wagner may leave."
"Kurt Wagner, that name sounds familiar." Ivan says as the elevator door closes.
"That's because I stole it. You see, when I first saw myself in a mirror, I noticed that I bear quite a striking resemblance to a comic book character named Nightcrawler, whose real name was Kurt Wagner. The fact that I am fluent in German and tend to speak with a German accent may have also had something to do with that. Plus it was the first name that popped into my head." I say. We walk to the Team RWWBY dorm, discussing various topics, from the politics of remnant to what weapons were possible in the wonderful physics-breaking world of Remnant.
*Knock Knock* I rap on the door with my knuckles.
"Hey girls, I've got a friend I'd like you to meet." I say, hearing Ruby squee a bit. I open the door to see the girls sitting/laying on their respective beds.
"Girls, this is Ivan Redovitch." I say , stepping to the side of the door to let him in and gesturing towards him. "Ivan these are Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang. They are my teammates." I say, watching as my teammates size up Ivan. Ruby is excited, Yang is interested, Weiss is suspicious and Blake takes a peek before returning to her book.
"And he's the person you rescued from the White Fang yesterday? He doesn't look like he's in that bad condition." Yang says.
"I wasn't in there for very long before Kurt decided to show up. A couple of hours actually. I woke up in a ruined city and started to wander around a bit, wondering to myself how drunk I'd been the night before. All of a sudden a couple of guys dressed up in some uniform I'd never seen jumped me and knocked me out. Next thing I know a guy with antlers is punching me and yelling things like who are you and where did you come from. So I started cursing him off in my native language. Kurt must've heard me and, well, you know the rest." He says, a small smile on his face.
"And what else do you have to tell them?" I ask, leaning against the wall, idly twirling a knife.
"I've been accepted into the academy at Kurt's request. I'm going to be training to be a hunter."
"And I'll be training him until 's at least my level, so I won't have much free time. Just letting you know. Now, does anyone want to help me design him some weapons?" I ask, knowing that really only one person in the room would answer.
"Yesyesyesyesyes! Omygoshitsgoingtobesof-" Ruby wordvomits.
"Yes Ruby, you can help." I say, watching her face light up. She had matured a bit over the past few months, but her excitement at the prospect of weapon-forging was undiminished.
"C'mon Ivan, let's design you some weapons." I say, as Ruby leads the way to the Beacon forges.
We emerge a bit after midnight, tired yet content. We'd finished forging Ivan's first weapon: a four-barreled rocket launcher integrated into the head of a warhammer. The weapon had two modes: a rocket launcher mode and a warhammer mode. In rocket launcher (RL) mode, it resembled an M202 launcher. In warhammer mode the grip extended and folded out into a four foot-long pole while the head compressed a bit. It also locked in the rockets in hammer mode so that when they fired they would propel the weapon forward while also detonating the warheads on impact. The body/head was a jet black, while the grip/handle was a bright red. It could fire a variety of 50mm rockets including incendiary (NAPM), high explosive (HE) and armor piercing (AP) , which Ivan could carry individually in a quiver-like armored container on his back, to be loaded as necessary. A secondary trigger/selector switch allows Ivan to switch from single-shot to simultaneous fire, which launches all four rounds simultaneously. next, we'd managed to construct Ivan a partial suit of combat armor, a chest piece, shoulder pads, boots and a headset/HUD. We (Ivan and I) had also decided that he needed another, lighter, bullet-based, weapon. Although Ruby didn't understand why Ivan needed another weapon she was more than willing to help make it. Ivan and I headed down to The Cave while Ruby headed back to the dorm. Earlier I'd set up another hammock in the corner for Ivan, so we changed into our sleepwear and promptly fell asleep.
(Friday, Y+1, M+4, D+24)
'"HELP!"' I hear a shriek in the middle of the night and I shout, bolting upright from my hammock, causing me to become unbalanced and fall face-first into the floor.
"Are you alright Kurt?" Ivan asks, getting up from the bed I'd installed for him in The Cave.
"I… I heard someone." I say, realizing what, or rather who, I'd just heard. "Somebody I know is in trouble. Kit up." I say to Ivan, already stepping into one of the shipping crates to change from my pajamas to my combat armor. Ivan was in the next one over following my lead. We both exit our respective crates a couple of minutes later all kitted up. He slings his rocket launcher over his shoulder and hefts a borrowed AR from my armory crate.
"It seems it's time to put your weapons to good use." I say, before closing my eyes and concentrating.
"What are you doing?" Ivan asks, a bit confused.
"Quiet. I need to concentrate." I say to him, still focusing. '"Neo, where are you?"' I get a response soon after.
'"Near Junior's club. Please help!"' I hear, fear and urgency carried along with the message.
"I've got her." I say, "Hold on." I say, placing a hand on his back.
"Nyet, not again." He bemoans.
*bamf* We appear on a roof overlooking Junior's club, to a scene that would be well at home in a World War Three movie. We see a trio of Paladins trying to pin down an agile little figure with the support of a large group of White Fang mooks, while another group, led by a certain chainsaw-wielding psychopath, was busy holding off another group of surprisingly well-dressed mooks, a set of red and white twins, and a rather large man with a rocket launcher/bat.
"Ivan, if you wouldn't mind taking down the mechs? And do try not to hit the well-dressed chaps in black and red or the red and white girls, they're sort of on our side." I say, dropping down onto one knee and shouldering Blue Death to crack off a chain or shots against the mooks trying to pin down Neo. "And the other girl with the parasol, she's the reason we're here. I know her." I say, placing a pair of rounds into a mook's center of mass, dropping him/her. Soon the enemy realizes they have another problem, although that was more due to Ivan explodifying their Paladins than anything else.
"Let's move Ivan. Follow me. And try to watch out for the chainsaw-guy. he's not very fun to be around." I say, cringing as he eviscerates one of Junior's men. I mean, I've killed people before, but that's just unpleasant to see. I jump off the roof, shifting Blue Death back to AR form and attaching the C-100 to its bayonet clips.
"Da Comrade." He says with an almost stereotypical accent, landing next to me.
"And now the psycho sees us. Great." I say maybe a bit too loudly, seeing as the Lieutenant revs his chainsaw and charges at us from about a hundred yards away.
Ivan raises his rifle to take a shot, but I push it down, keeping my hand on the barrel.
"Hold on." I say when Psycho McChainsaw is about ten yards from us.
*bamf* We appear a few feet behind the group of mooks who have finally managed to surround a wounded, tired Neo. I see her raise her parasol in a last attempt to ward off the imminent fusillade.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" I shout, lobbing conc-frags amongst the small mob of mooks. The grenades detonate, scattering them and I start stabbing and bashing my way through to Neo, Ivan close behind, having decided that it was easier to just shoot the mooks in the face. The White Fang mooks break and run, apparently having had enough. I run up to Neo, Ivan covering my back.
"Sorry we're late. What happened?" I ask, helping Neo up and supporting her with my shoulder. Ivan was firing off short bursts at the White Fang, who were performing a surprisingly competent withdrawal. I walk with Neo over to Junior and his men.
I hear the faint clacking noise of a couple dozen guns being raised, accompanied by the sight of pretty much all of Junior's men raising their weapons, quite a few held in gangster style.
"It's alright, I'm not here to fight you." I say, pulling my bucket off with my free hand and clipping it to my belt. "I'd just like to talk to Junior." I explain, a bit irritated.
"Just put your guns away boys. Why do you always point your guns a peop-oooh it's you." he says, recognizing me.
"And don't forget them." I say, indicating Ivan and Neo. "I'd just like somewhere to sit down and get an idea of what the hell just went down." I tell Junior. He visibly relaxes.
"Oh, good. You can sit anywhere you'd like."
"Can we use one of the back rooms? I may need to patch Neo up and the front doesn't look like it's in the best of conditions." I say, seeing that the front of the club looks like Yang's been through… twice. "And I have some questions for you." I say, assisting Neo on the way to the back room, motioning for Junior to follow.
When we made it to the back, I helped Neo lie down on a glass coffee table and pulled a small emergency medical pack from my greatcoat. Opening it I pull out a spray bottle of disinfectant, a roll of gauze, and some medical tape.
"This'll sting a bit but I doubt you'll care." I say, spraying the disinfectant into a deep gash in her side, before pulling a large bandage from the medkit and placing it over the wound. I go about bandaging and disinfecting all of the various cuts and wounds.
"Could you please explain what the hell was going on out there?" I ask.
"Neo walked in here and got a drink. And then another, and another, and just before she finished her fifth, some White Fang guys showed up and tried to get past the bouncer. He didn't like that very much and before I know it a hundred or so White Fang guys, some mechs and that chainsaw-swinging freak show up and start trying to kill Neo. of course I'm not a big fan of nutjobs trying to kill my clientele, it's bad for business you know, along with the fact that they were trashing my club. So I decided to step in with my boys, and then you and your friend showed up and pretty much ended it all." Junior explains.
"Neo, you haven't… said anything, are you alright?" I ask, trying to find the right word for however the hell we communicate. 'Is it some sort of mental thing? A semblance? Ah, screw it.' She's still laying down on the table, staring at the ceiling.
'"This is it. It's all over. I'll never be able to get a contract again."'
"What? Why?" I ask, Ivan and Junior looking at me a bit weirdly. "Could you two leave us alone for a bit? Maybe you can try to figure out what you'll tell the Atlesian military and the Police when they actually bother to show up." They quickly get the message and walk out.
'"I failed my contract. I ran. I lost my charge to a bunch of kids, I nearly got beaten by a bunch of thugs, and most of all, nobody'll ever hire me again when they find out that I helped take part in the Breach. I barely even have anyone to go to for help. I don't even have a working weapon anymore."' I hear in a saddened tone as she turns her head to look at me. I crouch down to get to eye level with her.
"Why did the White Fang attack you?"
'"Something about cleaning up loose ends they said; now that Torchwick's been captured I was just an inconvenience."' She sounds both sad and a bit spiteful.
"Hey, you're still here in one piece. And if you really don't have anyone else to turn to, I'll help you get back onto your feet." I promise her. "You smell like booze and spent Dust, by the way. Let's get you somewhere you can get cleaned up." I say, grabbing her by the forearm and helping her upright. I pack way the medkit and feel something heavy on my back and a pair of arms wrap around my neck. Neo has decided that I'm now a horse Faunas, apparently. "Neo." I say flatly.
'"Yes?" She responds, her tone a bit happier.
"Why have you climbed onto my back."
'"Because I'm tired and still a bit drunk."
"Alright." I sigh, standing up with a bit of effort and walking out to get Ivan.
I walk into the front to see ivan and Junior chatting about something over a couple bottles of what is probably the Remnant equivalent of Vodka.
They turn to look at me and promptly burst into laughter, Neo has apparently fallen asleep while still somehow managing to hold onto my back.
"Junior I swear to Murphy, keep that up and I'll be bringing my sister back." I say, a bit of irritation in my tone.
Junior just keeps laughing. 'Oh, yeah, I never told him.'
"Let me jog your memory pal." I say, walking over to him and showing him a picture on my scroll. He takes one look and promptly shuts up. He hands me a bottle of probably-vodka.
"It's on the house. Tell Blondie I say hi. Turns out I owe Jenkins fifty Lien." He says, "Never should have made that stupid bet." He mutters.
"What bet?"
"I bet Jenkins fifty Lien that nothing could trash this place worse than Blondie." He says, gesturing to the bullet-holes, blood stains, holes in the wall and a wrecked Paladin in the corner.
"Yeah pal, that right there's called tempting Fate. She can be quite the bitch sometimes. Let me know when you get this place back together, maybe I'll stop by for a drink." I say, taking the bottle and clapping him on the back. I walk over to Ivan and hand him the bottle. "Merry Christmas. let's go." I say to him. "Hold on." I grab onto his forearm and hear him mutter what's probably a curse in Russian.
*bamf* We reappear in The Cave.
"Go do what you want Ivan, I've got something to take care of." I try to set Neo down somewhere so I can get dressed into something a bit more comfortable and with a few less blood stains but, as my luck would have it, she just grips tighter and nuzzles into my neck in her sleep.
"I'm going to see the headmaster. She'll need somewhere to stay. And, to be entirely honest, I've got absolutely no other legal ideas on how to help her." I sigh and bamf to the base of the tower. It would be rude to enter without warning, especially considering the little mercenary currently sleeping on my back.
'"Where are we going? Why are we at Beacon?"'
"Because I'm a student here and I'm taking you to see the headmaster. Please do try not to kill anyone." I say, chuckling a bit at the end. I press the up button and step inside, selecting the top floor.
"Would you mind getting off of my back? It's not exactly the best impression you could make on Goodwitch."
'"Goodwitch?"'
"She's the school's second in command."
'"No thanks. You're comfy."' She nuzzles into my shoulder.
"You're still drunk, aren't you."
'"A little."'
"Wonderbar."
'"What?"'
"Wonderbar. It translates to great." 'Shit.'
'"From what?"' She asks. 'Shit.'
*ding*
"Oh look, we're here." I say, stepping into Ozpin's surprisingly empty yet impressive office.
Glynda and Ozpin are both present, Ozpin at his desk sipping from a cup of coffee, probably to cover the smirk on his face, and Glynda looking rather annoyed with her whip in hand.
"How may I help you today mister Wagner?" Ozpin asks, still looking bemused at my predicament.
"She followed me home, can I keep her?" I ask, a small smirk on my face.
Ozpin's bemused look remains while Glynda's scowl deepens.
"Would you mind explaining to me why you have decided to bring a convicted criminal into the Academy Mister Wagner?" Glynda asks rather coldly.
"it's a long story. Suffice to say that she's a merc hired to guard Torchwick, and now that Torchwick's gone, the White Fang apparently decided to clean up a loose end. I happened to have met her once or twice before and she was kinda in a bad way so she asked me for help. So I dragged Ivan out to Junior's club and we find about a hundred White Fang, a handful of Paladins, and the White Fang guy with the chainsaw trying to kill Neo and Junior's crew." I say, before taking a deep breath. "Ivan and I decided that we didn't like that and we sent the White Fang running. And on a somewhat-related note, Ivan's combat abilities are actually quite a bit above the level of your average civvie, even a bit above the level of an actual soldier." I go off on a tangent. "But back to the matter at hand. Neo here is out of a job, weaponless, homeless, and I am pretty much the only person she has to fall back on. And I decided that I would help her. I gave her my word that I'd help her." I say, Neo still hanging onto my back, probably giving some sort of cheeky smile. "So if you wouldn't mind letting her stay here until she can get back onto her feet, I would be quite grateful." I say, still unable to get my mind off of how ridiculous I must look with a pint-sized mercenary riding on my back.
"Well then Mister Wagner, with that being said I have only one question for Miss Neapolitan." Ozpin says. 'How does he know her name? All I said was Neo. He appears to have done his research. Or gotten Goodwitch to do it.' He pauses dramatically and I assume that Neo tilts her head inquisitively. "Would you like to attend my school?" I see Goodwitch's scowl deepen even more, but there's no surprise. 'Almost as if she knew what was going to happen. Now that I think about it, this is quite like what happened with me and Ruby, and with Ivan. Hmmm.'
'"What do you think Kurt?"'
"I'd say go for it. Should you need anything, I'll be there to help. But could you please stop using me as a form of transport?" I ask, causing Ozpin to raise an eyebrow and Goodwitch to look at me like I'm a bit crazy which, to be entirely honest, I kind of am.
'"Nope. You're comfy."'
"I'm wearing metal and ceramic-based combat armor, I highly doubt that." I reply.
"And of my offer, Miss Neopolitan?" Ozpin asks, getting a bit tired of what seems to be me talking to myself.
Neo nods.
"I shall take that as a yes. Have a nice day you two." He says. I turn to leave. "And Mister Wagner?" I stop and turn back around. "Please do try not to make this kind of thing a habit."
I chuckle a bit. "Will do sir." I turn back around, walk into the open elevator and press the button for the bottom floor. "You do realize that this means you have to apologize to my sister for trying to kill her a couple of days ago." I say.
'"The blonde was your sister?"'
"And the little red one. I'm adopted."
'"Oh."' She laughs nervously. '"Sounds fun."'
"I'll try and make sure they separate her from her weapons first, though."
'"Why are we taking the elevator? Can't you teleport?"'
"Can't you teleport too?"
'"Good point."'
In a small flash, we are suddenly in The Cave… a meter or so above the floor.
*THUD*
"Welcome back Comrades! I trust your meeting with the good Headmaster went well." I hear Ivan say from the corner where I've set up a small living area, complete with a small bathroom. 'To think I originally asked Ozpin for a workshop, I don't think turning it into an extra dorm was ever in the agreement. But I guess he doesn't have a problem with it.' I look to the small 360-degree security camera in the ceiling that's been there since day one. 'After all, nobody was using it.'
'"I'm tired."'
"Then you can use my hammock. It's the blue one. I'll scrape together something else for myself." I say, walking over to my shipping crate, the one with my symbol painted onto the front doors. "Now if you wouldn't mind getting off of my back, I need to take this stuff off. Believe me, combat armor is not comfortable to sleep in." I say, barely suppressing a yawn.
'"I think I'll stay."'
"You leave me no choice then." I reply.
*bamf* I teleport a few feet ahead, leaving Neo behind. *thump* She hits the ground.
'"Hey!"'
"I'll be done soon." I say, quickly running into the container and locking the door. I quickly change into a black pair of gym shorts and a blue tee-shirt. I stack my armor and bodysuit in their places and make sure my various weapons are ready to be used at a moment's notice. I step outside to see Neo standing in front of the door irritatedly tapping her foot on the ground. "Yes Neo?"
'"..."'
"Is there something you want?" I ask.
'"I'm tired."'
"The hammock's over there," I point to it and turn towards another container, "Now-"
'"I can't go to sleep."' She sounds a bit embarrassed, dropping the irritated look to one that matches her tone.
"And how am I- The hammock's not big enough for two." I say.
'"I just want to cuddle. You're comfy."'
"Alright then. I'm going over there to get some blankets and then I'm going to set up a bed on the couch. Feel free to join me." I say, quite tired, as I walk towards the shipping crate, retrieving a blanket and laying down on the couch. As I fall asleep I feel a warm weight press down on my body and snuggle closer to me. 'It's gonna be a long week.'