Hector was on his knees, head bowed and hands on his lap. The room around him was completely dark save for the small circle of light he knelt in. A whistle came from the shadows.
"Hector, Hector, Hector, what are we going to do with you?"
"We've already discussed what to do with him. What remains is what he will say in his defense."
"Defense," another voice said with derision, "what defense? He's guilty."
"Yes, yes, we already know that he's guilty. What remains is the punishment."
"I say we lop off his head and be done with it. The boy is soft, always has been."
"We aren't killing him. Recent events have strained our Orders relationship with the kingdoms. His actions have put him in a unique position to help us with mend our image."
"We shouldn't be killing him anyway. He saved a ship full of people."
"A ship full of pirates you mean. We're lucky most of them were already dead when he let them go, honestly."
"Regardless he must be punished. Do you have anything to say Minor Judge Hector?"
Hector raised his head and looked into the darkness, unflinching. "I-"
"It doesn't matter. You're being assigned to Beacon Academy as an agent of the Court's will."
"I'm a spy?" Hector felt sick at the thought.
'No boy, spy implies they won't know what your there for. Your official title is going to be envoy but everyone will know that you're really going to be a watchdog."
Hector didn't understand "For what purpose, do you not trust Headmaster Ozpin?"
"Mind yourself. We're doing the questioning, boy."
"He's right to ask. We are asking much of him."
"Best let him know what we suspect, so he can know what he's looking for."
There were murmurs of agreement. "Very well, we have learned that Ozpin has recently been making some very suspicious actions."
"He's been recruiting some very notable individuals."
"Some of which you helped him with."
What did they mean by that? "Do you mean-"
"He currently has a terrorist, a criminal brawler, a prodigy, the scions of three ancient and noble families, a Mistralian champion, and two very skilled street rats attending Beacon."
"All in the same year no less, even on the same teams. They were all given personal entry by him, it's suspicious. The Vale council might trust him but we do not."
"We believe that he is building up his war chest. For what reason we do not know and he will not share. So you will oversee his actions and report to us if you find anything out of the ordinary. Is that understood?"
Hector couldn't help but hesitate. This felt wrong. "I-yes, Supreme Court, I will do as you command. Should I return and prepare for my time here?"
"Why bother, you're already there."
"But my armor…"
"You will bear the scars of your choices for all to see. You will return when we say you may return."
"Now get to it then. And be grateful we aren't harsher on you for your transgressions. Honestly, a Judge who bows? You're lucky no one would believe those criminals. But continue to foul up things like you're doing and we won't be as lenient with you as we are with that fool in Atlas."
With that the room brightened and Hector looked up to see that the office had gone back to normal. He rose as a door opened behind him and Ozpin strolled back into the room.
"A productive meeting I hope?"
"That is a word for it. I fear that I must apologize."
Ozpin raised an eyebrow, "oh?"
"It appears that admission of my recommendations has made the Order less than trusting of your intentions. I am to be envoy of the Sable Judges here at Beacon."
"This means you are to observe and report all you see back to the Supreme Court." Ozpin said as he sipped his drink. "That is quite disconcerting."
"I realize this, and I wish for you to know that I will try my best to not disrupt anything here."
Ozpin seem to eye his armor before taking another sip. "Quite. Well-"
Just then the elevator dinged and out stepped Professor Goodwitch. She seemed to be eyeing her scroll and reading it off as she walked inside. "Headmaster, all the teams are accounted for and morning classes set to begin within the hour." She looked up and noticed Hector, her look turning wary as she stiffened. "I have also set up our visitors in the guest quarters for now. They are comfortable"
Hector nodded. "Thank you professor, your work is appreciated."
Goodwitch returned the nod curtly. "Do you have any idea how long you'll be needing the quarters?"
When will you be leaving was the real question. Hector and Ozpin exchanged a quick look, both trying to force the other to deliver the news. Hector had the helmet but he was also the guest. He braced himself before speaking.
"It appears that I have been assigned to Beacon as an envoy of the Sable Judges until further notice."
Her eyes narrowed and Hector could feel himself sweat a bit under his helmet. The woman was terrifying. "The Order has decided we need a watchdog then?"
"He has already apologized for the inconvenience and promised to try and avoid disrupting the student's education. I believe that is all that we can reasonably ask of him."
Her gaze turned glacial. "Of course, well classes begin soon if he wishes to see how we do things here." With that she spun on her heel and walked back to the elevator. Ozpin gave Hector an apologetic look before they followed her. As the group headed down Hector began to think. Even since he had arrived at Beacon the Headmaster had been nothing but kind and hospitable. The students and teacher though avoided him like the plague. A Judge made prey of the hunters, a Judge in a school of them screamed that something was wrong.
He would have to find some way to soften his image and make those at the school more comfortable with his presence. Otherwise his time there would be more harmful than helpful.
They left the elevator and exited Ozpins tower as the entered Beacon's grounds. The school was a sprawling academy built along the edge of the emerald forest. It had initially been a castle made to protect the slowly growing City of Vale against the grimm incursions from the eastern forests. It had been converted into an academy later, the forests proving to be the perfect proving grounds for the students to test their mettle. The areas around them were practically deserted though. Which must have had something to do with the fact that classes were about to begin.
Hector couldn't help but soak in the scenery. "This place, it reminds me of the architecture back at the tower."
Ozpin hummed. "Yes, they would have been made in the same era. Around the time where humanity was building its footholds against the grimm. We've added many modern additions but the old foundations can still be seen."
He was right. As Hector looked around the stonework looked as sturdy as it must have been a millennia ago. It had been built to withstand the endless horde of grimm, which made the place capable of holding up to sieges. Off-handedly Hector wondered if the school had underground catacombs like the tower did.
His thoughts were interrupted as he saw movement. Looking over he saw a group of students sprinting through the courtyards. They looked just like…
"Is that-?"
"That would Be Mr. Lie, Ms. Rose, Ms. Xiao-Long, Ms. Belladonna, Ms. Valkyrie, Ms. Schnee, Mr. Arc, and Ms. Nikhos, yes." Ozpin said before taking drink.
"Clearly taking full use of the faith you've put in them," Professor Goodwitch added with a sigh. "Honestly, they nearly don't even get to attend the school and they have the gall to arrive to their first class late."
Hector couldn't find it in him to be offended or berate them too hard. After an initiation like that he wouldn't want to attend classes the next day either. Ozpin had let him watch the recordings and apparently all of his cases had apparently gravitated towards one another. Team RWBY was a strangely apt name lead by Ruby. It consisted of the girls he had helped in Vale and Ms. Schnee. Meanwhile Ms. Valkyrie and Mr. Lie had ended up together on team JNPR. They were teammates with the Mistralian champion, a Ms. Pyrrha Nikhos. As well as Mr. Arc.
The Arc was a strange one. No footage existed of him in between his initial launch and his help in defeating the giant death stalker. It was as if the boy had been in the forest cameras blind spot's the whole time. From what he did see Jaune had a strategic mind and a protective nature to go with his noble name, but something just seemed…off about the boy.
But he could look into that later, after they were all settled in. For now he'd go talk to Weiss, Ren, and Nora after classes, to let them know that he was safe thanks to their help. All three must have been having quite a time adjusting to their new settings. "They are just children, and the first day of school is a hard one. Especially for those of them who have never attended an academy like this before. I am sure they will shape up in time."
Professor Goodwitch gave him a look he couldn't read before straightening up. "Let us hope. So what exactly do your responsibilities now entail as an envoy?"
Hector realized the Court hadn't really specified that part. They just wanted someone to keep an eye on the school and report back. "I suppose I should be checking in on classes. To get a feel on the curriculum here, that may be a good place to start."
"I thought you said you would try your best not to disrupt our work here?" Goodwitch said with a glare.
"I think that's a wonderful idea," Ozpin said to the surprise of the others.
"You do?" Hector and Goodwitch asked simultaneously.
"Yes, it will provide a great opportunity for the students to get used to your presence here."
Goodwitch shifted uncomfortably. "Headmaster, I don't think that-"
"In fact, why don't you attend one of the lectures right now?" Ozpin said to Hector's confusion. "Professor Port's classroom is just in that building over there. I am sure that he'd make a wonderful first class to sit in."
Hector couldn't help but feel uneasy at the suggestion, he felt like an invader. "Are you sure it would not be too much of a bother for him? It is the first day after all."
Ozpin just waved the words away. "It will be fine, knowing Peter he called roll call before delving straight into his lesson. The students might be glad for the distra-I mean they'll be fine with you there, truly."
Hector thought about it and realized that he would have to start somewhere. He gave the headmaster and the professor a nod and a farewell before following Ozpin's directions. They led him to a door inside a nearby building, a boisterous voice coming from within the room. Hector braced himself before knocking. The voice stopped and called out.
"Come in."
He took a deep breath before entering. "Hello, I am Minor Judge Hector. I was told-"
He was interrupted as a high pitched scream rocked the room. "You're alive!" He was then suddenly bowled over and knocked to the floor.
Hector looked to see a set of familiar turquoise eyes looking down at him. "Hello, Ms. Valkyrie."
She gave an excitable giggle before looking back at Ren who had stood up and was walking over with a small smile on his face. The class was buzzing with muttered conversations as everyone looked at the scene. "He made it, I told you he would!"
"I never doubted you, but I think he'd like to get up now." Ren said and Nora hopped of Hector's chest. Together they helped Hector up and he brushed off his armor.
"It is good to see you again, both of you. I am glad you managed to make it here in time for the initiation."
"We did awesome!" Nora shouted excitedly. "You should have seen us. I was like boom, boom, boom, and Ren was all like bang, bang, bang." She said emulating the noises of their weapons.
"It was an excitable time," Ren added calmly. "But we were worried about you. What happened with the pirate ship?"
"Pirate ship!?"
The yell brought Hector's attention over to the lecture hall seats where he saw team RWBY sitting. Ruby was looking at him practically fidgeting in her seat. Yang and Blake were next to her, they gave him a smirk and a smile respectively along with small waves. Weiss was there too, she seemed to be relieved at his arrival, but as he looked over at her she looked down. She almost looked ashamed. Hector made a mental note to discuss it with her later.
He realized though that he had come in and interrupted the whole class, he felt intense guilt at the idea that he had ruined the lecture. "Professor Port," he said turning towards the mustached man, "I apologize, and I didn't mean to interrupt."
He raised one of his massive eyebrows and chortled. "Nonsense lad, I have to confess, I am a bit curious myself as to what Mr. Lie and Ms. Valkyrie are referring too."
Hector realized that he now had the attention of the whole class. "Oh, well on my trip here to Beacon the blimp I had been traveling on was attacked by pirates." He left out the fact that Weiss had been on the blimp as well, he didn't know if she would be comfortable with the attention. He proceeded to tell his story, as plainly and factually as he could. But no matter how little he embellished there was no helping the fact that it had been an insane few days for him. Ren and Nora chimed in every once and awhile to add a bit of perspective to the tale. He left out a lot of names, but by the end the room had a general idea of what had happened. "Which lead to me being here today." He finished.
For a few moments there was nothing but silence. Nora had a beaming smile while Ren still wore a serenely plain look. Then all of a sudden a voice broke the quiet.
"That. Is. Amazing!" Ruby screamed, the rest of the class rapidly beginning to voice their agreement. "I can't believe you teamed up with pirates to save a baby and fight of the grimm. It's like a Spruce Willis movie!"
"Yes, quite a magnificent tale lad." Port said as he ran a hand over his mustache. "Why, it reminds me of the time I-" He began to get into his lecture, for which Hector was very grateful for. Nora and Ren led Hector to an empty seat beside them and he sat there to observe the rest of the class. Looking over he saw their leader Jaune who gave him a small nod and awkward smile. Next to him as his partner Pyrrha, who gave him the hardest stare he had ever seen.
He could hardly process how someone so young could compact so much negativity into on look. Hate, suspicion, and disgust were just pieces of it. Someone so young shouldn't have been able to pull of the look but her emerald green eyes pierced him like lances. The spell was broken as something rattled nearby. Hector looked over to see a metal cage in the corner shaking and trembling. He didn't understand its purpose until Weiss entered the room wearing her combat gear.
As Professor Port opened the cage he realized it was an in-class test against a live boarbatusk. Hector considered it strange for such a dangerous creature to be let loose when only one person was armed. But Port was a veteran huntsman. He could probably kill the beast with his bare hands. Weiss though seemed to be having issues with the monster. Port was giving commentary as she ducked and rolled, even losing her weapon at one point before getting it back. Her team was yelling support. But when Ruby gave her some advice on how to kill the grimm Weiss snapped back venomously yelling at the girl. Ruby seemed hurt and as Weiss killed the grimm Port applauded her efforts before dismissing the class.
Weiss stormed out of the room, Ruby quickly following as the rest of the class shuffled out of the room. Yang gave Hector a thumbs up before trailing after her sister and Blake gave him a small smile and nod before doing the same.
Professor Port had already left before Hector could thank him for his courtesy. He stood with team JNPR outside the classroom. "That class was…educational," Hector said lamely. "I do hope that…" Pyrrha had already begun to walk away. Jaune just looked between Hector and her confused before quickly running after his partner.
"Pyrrha, wait up!"
Ren and Nora looked at their teammate's departure with equal parts curiosity and worry. "Sorry," Ren said confused, "Pyrrha has been a perfectly courteous teammate so far."
"Yeah, she didn't seem mean at all when we met her." Nora added. "She's been a super awesome."
"So has Jaune."
Hector just waved their concerns away. "It is fine. Many people have different reactions to Judges. I am glad you like your teammates. But you best joining them, I don't want you two to be late to your next class."
They nodded and Nora gave him a quick bone-crushing hug before running off with Ren after their teammates. Hector watched them go, feeling a warm happiness at their comfort in such a new setting.
"You know, it is alright to feel a little bad about that." Ozpin said as he walked up beside Hector. "It is a shame how people have come to view your Order."
"It is something I cannot change," Hector said. "I will try to not let it bother me. I am more concerned with Weiss. Her actions today, and Ms. Rose's reaction, were troublesome."
"I believe that they will be fine. They will find their own solution or their own help if they seek it. Sometimes it is for the best, we can only guide the students here, not directly solve their problems." He gestured for Hector to follow and they began to walk through the hallways. "How was your first sit-in then?"
"Convenient."
"Oh?" Ozpin had the gall to raise an eyebrow at the statement. Honestly.
Hector wasn't the most intelligent Judge in the order, but he wasn't dumb. He had somehow ended up in the classroom with those he had shown the most mercy towards. This had led to a nice conversation free of fear or worry with two students in front of the room. By now word must be traveling through the school of him and his adventures. It was the perfect first day towards his goal of a softer image within the school. It had been too perfect.
"Thank you, for your help."
Ozpin gave him a smile. "You are welcome. I have already had Professor Goodwitch print out a schedule of classes you may attend to as well." He handed Hector the paper. Looking over it he saw that there were plenty of classes to attend. But there was still one glaring problem.
"This schedule has quite a few gaps in it."
"We can't expect you to attend all the classes. This is just a list of some of our professors more important lectures."
It made sense, but what was Hector supposed to do in the off time? He would have like to have been able to head into the city and help the police department but he was bound to Beacon. The Court had made it clear no leniency would be granted. He was to follow their orders precisely and without question. This meant he would have hours to spend doing nothing, the thought irked him.
He figured he could think of a solution later. He said his goodbyes to the headmaster and proceeded to attend the classes on the list. Doctor Oobleck was chief of the schools department of history and anthropology. Sitting in on his class had been…interesting. He had never been introduced so quickly and thoroughly before. The lesson had sped forward and Hector had been impressed at the man's dedication to his subject and the speed at which he taught it. He wondered if he'd be interested in discussing history with him, it had been one of his better subjects back in the tower.
Afterwards Hector had attended Professor Peach's survival courses. The woman was a sadist in her workload, and her room was practically a greenhouse with all the plants and the humidity, but she knew her stuff. By the end of her lesson Hector knew more about the tree sap from Forever Fall forest and its uses than he ever thought possible.
The rest of the classes were manned by teachers working under the directions of their department heads. Oobleck's historians, Peach's survivalists, and Port's grimm hunters. They taught the students different aspects of their crafts and Hector was impressed by the variety of knowledge available. Professor Goodwitch was the only he hadn't seen in action, according to the schedule she was in charge of combat courses every other day. He would have to wait until tomorrow to really get a read on how the school tested its hunters.
For now what he saw wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It was just teachers and students with the power to wipe out cities going about their normal school day. This was the norm for every hunter academy on Remnant, so Hector wasn't too worried. Things were looking up too as the word of his presence spread throughout the school. There were still plenty of fearful looks and quick exits when he entered a room. But the fact that the students weren't outright panicking when he entered a room was a victory in itself. The teachers eyed him warily but not with outright hostility, and none nearly as cold as Professor Goodwitch. He was feeling more hopeful about his stay by the minute.
Eventually the day came to an end and Hector realized he would need to write his report soon. He headed back to the Beacon guest quarters. A small square building put to the side for visiting guests off to the side of the school grounds. He entered and headed up to the suite Ozpin had let him use. When he entered the rooms he was met by the sound of wailing and arguing.
"-do you mean you don't remember?"
"I mean I don't remember where I put it!"
"That was our only bottle Rollo!"
"I know, I know, can we please just look for it?"
Rollo and Canary had been allowed to stay in the suite at the insistence of Ozpin. He had said that the couple was still recovering from their time in the forest and Hector had agreed. He didn't need a majority of the amenities provided by Beacon for the suite so he had told them to use them instead. Canary had been uncomfortable accepting charity but Rollo had convinced her to take the help, at least until they could find some jobs and get back on their feet themselves.
He was glad they had come with them, because it seemed like they could use all the stability they could get. The argument raged on as little Teddy's screams echoed through the rooms. Hector noticed a small bottle on the coffee table and picked it up. He headed to the kitchen to find the baby alone, his parents probably off ransacking the suite in search of his bottle. They had put him in a small padded basket on the table. Hector headed over and looked down at the wailing infant.
He was a small thing, his tiny bear ears fidgeting in agitation. He had small pudgy hands that ended in sharp little claws that gouged at the side of the basket as he fussed. Hector lowered the bottle down and Teddy grasped for it before bringing it to his lips and drinking deeply. Hector would have just let him have the bottle but the baby had grasped at his hand. Tiny bear claws had gripped his fingers securely and he was afraid that he would damage the child if he tried to force his hand away. So he just lifted the basket and sat in a nearby seat, continuing to hold the bottle as Teddy drank contently.
The arguing in the other room continued as Hector just sat there with the baby. Teddy kept his grip on Hector's hand, if he had to guess he would have thought the baby might enjoy the coolness of his gauntlet. No matter the reason the two kept each other company as the arguing in the other room ebbed down and Teddy's haggard looking parents re-entered the room.
Canary's hair was frazzled and she was in her workout clothes. She had told Hector that she wanted to get off the baby weight as soon as possible but he had never expected her to mean so soon. Rollo on the other hand looked far more casual. He wore loose fitting comfortable looking clothing that Professor Goodwitch had let him take from the schools lost and found. They both looked like they hadn't slept in days. Which was only semi-accurate.
"Hector? When did you get back?" Rollo asked as he took a seat. The man had adopted his wife's causal use of Hector's name. He didn't mind it, but it was still strange to be spoken too so causally by civilians. "Hey, you found the bottle. Where was it?"
"The coffee table," Hector said.
Rollo cringed as his wife sent him a glare and began to sift through the refrigerator. She pulled out some beers and placed them in front of Rollo and Hector before popping her own open and drinking. Rollo did the same while Hector just kept feeding Teddy. He was full of sable energy which meant he wouldn't actually need to drink for a while. He appreciated the thought though.
"So what'd you do all day?" Rollo asked.
Hector replayed the events of the day for them. By the end Rollo seemed relieved while Canary just looked concerned.
"Your bosses are jerks," she said causally causing Rollo to start hacking out his drink.
"Babe, you can't say that!"
Canary just shrugged. "Why not, they are."
"They're his bosses," Rollo said eyeing Hector with a concerned look.
Hector just hummed neutrally. "They make decisions for the best of all, and as my leaders I have to obey their orders."
"Their orders suck. But I don't think Ozpin is much better."
Hector's eyes narrowed under his helmet. "The man is letting us all stay here free of charge. He has done nothing but help me since I met him."
"Yeah, so why is he doing it? Why help you?"
"I would like to think that it is because he wishes to be helpful."
Canary snorted into her beer. "Yeah, right, that must be it."
Hector looked over to Rollo who shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he shrugged. "She isn't wrong. It all seems kind of sketchy."
"I can't believe you two," Hector said shaking his head. "The man saves our lives and you repay him with suspicion and distrust." Canary just rolled her eyes and put something on the table. It looked like a small bundle of wires. "What are those?"
"This place was bugged, I de-bugged it." She took another drink. "Dad was a paranoid man. I learned to screen my room every week to make sure he wasn't listening in, especially after I started seeing Rollo."
Listening devices, the thought made Hector feel…disappointed. "I do not understand."
"He wants something from you Hector. With all the favors he's done you it's only a matter of time before he asks for something back. He's got to keep tabs on you until then I bet."
"You're saying you believe he means us harm?" The words came out chilled, and the thought made him angry.
"We're not saying he hasn't been good to us," Rollo hastily added. "We don't have to do anything too hastily. We're just saying that somethings up, and we need to keep on our toes here."
Hector nodded, he felt like an idiot. "I should have seen this coming." No huntsman trusted a Judge. Why would someone in charge of an academy for them trust him? Was his help earlier just another ploy? Was it another favor to bring up later, to put him in the man's debt?
The looks of the other two became sympathetic as Rollo patted his arm. 'We're not saying he's a bad guy, Hector. Just that it might be smart to keep your eyes open, you know keep your guard up."
"Which, seeing as that's impossible, is why I'm going to apply for a job here." Canary finished. The men exchanged confused looks.
"What?"
"Babe, what are you talking about?"
"If there's an opening for a trained huntress here, I'm going to take it.." Canary just sighed as she walked over and took Teddy out of his basket. The baby boy clung to his mother and let Hector's hand go as she lifted him. He was already tired from his feeding and fell asleep quickly in her arms. "Look Hector, I know you're not helpless. You can handle yourself fine. But you can be a bit too…trusting."
"How is that a bad thing?" One could be too trusting? He didn't know how not to have faith and trust in others. It made no sense. "We have to believe the best of others, it's the only way things can get better."
"Hector the fact you believe that is amazing, and we wouldn't be here if it weren't for that belief. But the fact is that your bosses left you here to do this all on your own. They might be morons but they're right. Ozpin might be up to something and you're going to need to keep an eye on him. He's an important man, which makes him a dangerous one too. That also means you'll need someone watching your back."
"If it is so dangerous why does it have to be you helping me?" Hector asked. "I do not want to put your family in danger."
"It isn't up to you what we do or where we choose to go, we ran away to be free to make our own decisions. This is one of them."
"Does Rollo agree with this?" Hector asked looking over at the man. He hoped that at least one person at the table would see reason.
Rollo just rubbed the thin scruffy beard he had begun to grow before sighing. "I'll ask if they have an opening in the armory for a blacksmith." He said as he reached his hand over and took Canary's hand in his. "Maybe then I can help you make your armor actually look presentable. That'd be nice right?"
Hector couldn't believe this. "I cannot ask this…it's not right. You two do not owe me anything."
"Nope," Rollo said nodding. "But we're friends, and there aren't any debts between friends." He raised his hand to stop Hector from protesting further. "Remember, we're the couple who ran out into grimm infested forestlands and stuck too it till it almost killed us." He had a point. "You aren't going to change our minds. We're staying and we're helping."
Hector looked between them and saw the determination in his eyes. He could only hold back a sigh and barely prevent his shoulders from sagging. This was insane. He felt the weight of decision on his shoulders but realized that they were set in their decision. "You know Ms. Duff-"
"Nope, absolutely not," she said shaking her head. "That isn't going to fly anymore."
"What?"
"It's Canary and Rollo, the baby is Teddy. We have first names, I grant you permission to use them, or whatever."
He shifted uncomfortably at that. "It is far too casual-"
"We saved your life, you saved ours, and you freaking married us. We're friends now. Friends use first names, period."
Hector had never used the names of others so casually, except for his brothers and sisters but he rarely ever saw them. But the look on Canary's face made it clear that she wasn't making a suggestion. He didn't want to be rude either. What a conundrum "Alright, Canary," saying the name felt so odd on his tongue, "you know your brother is attending this school, yes?" He had seen the name on the student board they had set up to measure combat scores. Canary stiffened at the mention of Cardin. "If you work here, there is a high chance you'll encounter him." What would happen next, Hector was unsure of. Canary confronting her family with a new faunus family in tow would be explosive, that was for certain.
"I get that," she said nodding. Her hand squeezing Rollo's and he squeezed back to show support. "And you need to get that we aren't leaving, even if that means dealing with a family reunion."
Rollo smiled at her and gave Hector a shrug. "I had to meet my new brother-in-law at some point. Though last time we had a chance to talk…"
"My brother can be a complete ass," Canary finished with a smirk. "He can get tolerable once you get to know him but still…complete ass."
Hector couldn't muster any words. "I'm touched."He felt oddly light.
"Please don't cry, I'm scared you're going to rust."
"Wait, does that armor rust?"
The trio kept talking deep into the night. Hector couldn't remember the last time he had felt so relaxed. It had been a long time since the last he had friends to talk to.
So we begin Part 2, plot threads have been set up and the new state of things established. Canary and Rollo as Hector's support is a way for me to ease into the things going on at Beacon in the background. Have anyone noticed that for three seasons we only ever see three classes and three teachers with an implied fourth of each? Anyway Hector has a lot to deal with coming from both the teachers and the students. For now I've confined the story to Beacon in order to better focus on Hector's struggles with the academy and it's students. His free time will also be a useful plot point for later but I digress.
Since this a short chapter I've decided to add not one but two extra bits. The first being an experimental short for an end-chapter series I thought might be nice. The second being the preview for a story I might continue on in the future. I like Hector as a character so much I wanted to throw him into other stories and see what happened. There might be a poll later deciding whether or not the story continues on. For now I just thought it would be a nice little addition to this chapter.
Sable Chibi: Lords of Valetown
It was a bright sunny day at beacon and team RWBY and all the teams were out enjoying their weekend. Team RWBY was enjoying a picnic out in the Beacon fields, enjoying the sun and each other's company.
"What do you mean you didn't bring the sandwiches!?"
"I asked Weiss to bring them!" Blake responded heatedly.
"Oh, you were serious?"
"Why wouldn't I be serious?"
"That's butler work. Either way it's not my fault, I told Ruby to bring them."
"And I did," Ruby said proudly. She lifted her picnic basket, only for Zwei to poke his head out and cough up some crumbs. "Oh, um, seems like their all gone now, heh, heh…"
As they began to argue the idyllic scene was quickly interrupted as the sound of wheels rolling down the nearby path caught the group's attention.
"Is that…"
"No way…"
"It isn't possible…"
"How do you do fellow students?" Hector asked as he rolled by them on a skateboard. He wore an ill-fitting t-shirt, a baseball cap he wore backwards, and sneakers over his armor. The clothes looked stretched to their limits and about to burst at their seams.
"Judge Hector," Ruby said tilting her head confused, "what are you doing?"
"In order to fit in better at the school I have decided to try and dress more fashionably. I have also decided to learn how to speak more casually in order to converse more naturally with the student body, dudes."
"That's an…interesting approach," Blake said. The others nodded awkwardly. Yang was holding back a laugh.
"Thank you Ms. Belladonna, it is a radical day we are having, is it not?"
Now the entire team was red in the face trying not to laugh. Ruby managed to inhale enough to get out a coherent sentence. "Who…," she took another breath, "who taught you all this stuff anyway."
"You know Ms. Rose it is funny you should ask that."
"Hey girls!"
Yang and Ruby were no longer laughing. They quickly began to pale as someone else rode up to them. "Dad?!"
Tai Xiao-Long wore the exact same outfit as Hector and smiled as he hopped off his skateboard. "I see you've already met my apprentice. He's nearly as cool as me, huh?"
The girls gave Hector horrified looks. Ruby pointed at Hector accusingly. "You're learning how to be cool from my dad? Why?! How could you think this was a good idea?"
Hector shrugged. "I looked up cool on the dustnet and he came up as voted coolest in his class."
"Yeah," Yang said as she face palmed. "Like a million years ago."
"It wasn't that long ago…" Tai said dejectedly as he kicked at some dirt.
"So Mr. Xiao-Long's…coolness aside," Weiss cut in, "this still doesn't make any sense. How do you think the teachers are going to react when they see you two like this?"
"I would not worry about that."
Before Weiss could ask why Professor's Oobleck and Port suddenly appeared. She suddenly understood.
"How do you do students," they said simultaneously. Both wore t-shirts, backwards caps, sneakers and held skateboards.
The four girls took in the scene before fainting. The four men looked at each other confused just before Ozpin rolled up to them and took in the scene.
"My word, what's happened with them?"
"No clue," Tai said shrugging, the others doing the same.
"Very well, are you gentleman ready to make history?" He received a cheer back before the group quickly skated off.
History marks this as the beginning of Vale's most famous mid-life crisis skate group: The Lord's of Vale Town.
Tales from the Sable Library: Daily Life With A Monster Girl
It was a quiet day in the library. There had been a lot of quiet days lately. Ever since Hector had moved to Japan it seemed like there were less and less people checking out books. The location seemed to be the biggest problem. The building was placed at the very edge of the cities liminal district. Where the liminal's usually stayed until they could go live with their homestays.
Three years ago governments around the world revealed the existence of extra species populations living beside humanity. Creatures of myth had suddenly become real and the humans as a species had been rocked by the revelation. Hector's own life had seen some changes but he had ended up fine in the end. A friend had needed his help and he had moved to japan to take care of him. When his friend had died he left Hector the only thing he had left, a musty old private library. It was the best gift he could have possibly gotten.
He spent his days cleaning and fixing up the old and tattered books. Some would have considered his work boring, but Hector couldn't have been more content. He only wished that more people would stop by. Books deserved to be read, and they wouldn't be if they were gathering dust on the shelf all day.
Suddenly the bell over the front door rang followed by…clopping. Hector looked up from the catalogue he had been updating to see something he never had before. It was a woman, with tan skin, brown hair and freckles. He had seen women before but this one turned into a horse at the waist and was two meters tall. Her horse half was a chocolatey brown color, with a black tail that swished behind her. The library was at the edge of the liminal district but he realized that he had never seen one come in. And now there was a centaur girl in front of him.
Not wanting to be rude Hector kept his eyes off her horse half and gave her a smile. She gave an awkward smile back as she fidgeted in place. The poor girl seemed so nervous.
Hector decided to break the ice. "Welcome to Sable Library, may I help you?"
The centaur suddenly started shifting side to side before taking a deep breath and giving him a determined look. "I-I want to check out a book. A lot of books, medical books, please."
"Of course," Hector said standing up. "The medical section is right this way."
The girl looked at him slack jawed before following him. "You're actually letting me rent them out?"
"Of course," Hector said as he stopped in front of the medical section, "what was it that you needed again?"
"Oh, um, a book on anatomy and one on physiology. The most advanced you have." she said still a bit stunned. "Your fine with me being…" she gestured to her horse half.
Hector pulled her books of the shelf and carried them to the front desk as she followed. "Books don't care about the race of whoever opens them, and neither do I. Just follow the rules and you're free to come back anytime." He stamped the books and handed them to her. "This is medical school level literature, are you a student?"
She rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm in this country to get a medical degree. I'm not doing too well in my classes and the library at school won't lend them out to me so I've had to look through the local libraries for books to study."
"You haven't had any luck then with that I suppose."
She looked down sadly. "No, none of the ones I went to would let me check them out. Plus I kept getting stopped by security asking for my papers and where my host was. You wouldn't believe how many times I've had to pull out my student visa today."
"I can hardly imagine."
"I found this place by accident," she said taking the books. "Thanks for your help."
"Come back anytime, and good luck with your studies."
She smiled as she left and Hector got back to work. Over the next few days the centaur girl would return to keep checking out books. She was reading through them at an impressive rate. Hector learned that her name was Rosalyn and that she was a light weight class of centaur, they were also called racing centaurs. This meant that she was smaller than other classes and more fragile, but way faster with a love for running. Most centaurs like her were trying to break into the medical profession, in order to better help their kind with the issues that came with their bodies being so prone to injury.
She asked why he constantly wore a black medical mask over his face, and he explained that it was to prevent the inhalation of dust when he was cleaning. This was true enough for the most part. Besides the details behind it didn't really mater anyways. When she asked why he always wore a black bucket hat too he explained that it was just because he liked wearing it. Also true enough for the most part.
For a small time she was the only regular he had. Until one day he heard the bell ring, and when he looked up it wasn't Rosalyn like he was expecting. She was a regular looking woman, the only thing that marked her as a liminal was the fact that she had a single large dark brown eye dead center in her forehead. She had clothes that reminded Hector of a nun and regarded him with a cool stare.
"I am looking for books on Buddhism," she said flatly.
"They should be in the religion section, right this way."
The woman took as many books as she could carry out the door. She kept returning throughout the week. Giving Hector simple requests, saying no more and no less, before leaving. He learned from Rosalyn that she had to have a part of the one eyed monks. They were Monoeyes who had converted to Buddhism during their time in the human world. They were infamous for judgmental and harsh personalities, but Hector couldn't understand why. Until one day the one eyed monk walked up to his desk with an annoyed look on her face. Her single eye intensifying the stare more than any human could have delivered it.
"This book is faulty.' She said placing it on the counter.
Hector stopped his filing and gave it a look over. True to her word there were pages actually missing, looking as if they had been torn out. Hector was at a loss, who could have done this? "I apologize, this is strange. You are the only one who has touched these books."
"Is that an accusation?" She asked, her one eye narrowing in suspicion.
Hector just shook his head. "No, just that it doesn't make sense that the pages are gone like this. I haven't seen anyone come in or out of that section."
His explanation seemed to calm the woman down, her stare softening and becoming more focused. "I do not think that I am the only one who has been to that section."
"What do you mean?"
He followed her to the section of the library where the books were and pointed to some parts of the carpeted floor. "There are tracks leading to the back of the library."
He couldn't see anything but she explained that as a monoeye she had advanced eyesight that could see that sort of thing, like a nearly invisible dust trail leading away. With her help they followed the trail to the back storage room.
"This is where the tracks end," she said looking around confused. But Hector realized that the room wasn't a dead end.
"They must have gone this way," he said as he pulled down a step ladder that led into the attic. He told his companion to stay behind. He didn't want her exposed to all the dust and lint in the air up in the attic.
He headed up and turned on the small light hanging from the ceiling. The attic was a musty old place he cleaned as often as he could, but still ended up being completely filthy whenever he came back. Tarps covered various pieces of stored furniture and created a small maze to walk through. Hector made his way through not seeing anything too out of the ordinary. That was until he stumbled upon a small opening between some tables and a column of chairs stacked in the corner.
It was small, and he wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for a small draft that came through. He had to duck and squeeze himself through until he made it to the other side. There he saw how a small area had been cleared. It bathed in the light coming from an open window above it. This explained why the place kept getting so dirty. But what really drew his attention was the diorama sitting in the center of the area.
It was…the library. A small, perfectly crafted version of the library. As he leaned to examine he realized that it was paper mache. It seemed to have been glued together using a mixture of water, some glue and…silk? They almost looked like spider webs.
A shuffle nearby brought his attention to some shadows nearby. There in the shadows several points of shined in the dark. Hector walked over and knelt in from of the area and saw that there was a small figure in hiding, seemingly eyeing him warily as he approached.
"Hello," he said calmly, "who are you?" No response, the shining points receded a bit. He decided he needed to take a different approach. "Did you make this?" He said gesturing to the diorama, "It's very good." The points seemed to perk up and come a bit forward. "But it's made of books you've harmed, and that is not right. We will need to talk about it."
Suddenly the eyes looked down, seemingly in shame, and Hector backed up a bit so the figure could come into the light. He didn't expect what he saw next. It was a small girl, dirty, thin and wearing a tattered tarp for clothing. Her bottom half was that of a black and white spider. She had around eight eyes from what he could see as her matted dirty grey hair shifted as a breeze came in the through the window and caused her to shiver.
'M'sorry," she said sincerely with a downcast look. "I didn't wanna hurt books. I just like making things."
Hector felt a great weight on his heart as he looked at the small child. "Have you been living up here, child?"
She nodded and looking over to a pile of supplies and hunted prey in the corner. Hector realized that she might have been there for months and he hadn't noticed. She must have been suffering for so long.
He couldn't bear seeing a child in pain. He held a hand out to her. "Come. let us find you something warmer to wear, and some food to eat."
Her eyes filled with hope. But her hand flinched back as she reached out to grab his. Dread and anxiety filled her features and Hector was suddenly frightened that she might make a run for it. He slowly reached up and pulled down his medical mask, revealing his face in full before smiling softly. "Come now, everything is going to be alright."
The gesture seemed to calm her down. She reached out and gently took his hand, and together the two left the attic.
This is the prototype for another story I've been playing around with. I felt like having Hector run a library throughout the multiverse and seeing which ideas stick with me the most. Everyone is free to offer suggestions for the next Tales from the Sable Library and maybe if they flow well they can become full stories.