college is stressful. not even university yet…

Keep Moving Forward

6 August 2018

…

…

The clock ticked its eternal tune; its metronome filling the room as Ozpin sighs, putting away his business scroll to glance at the clock again.

"Three... two... one..." he mutters as the hand hits the hour, prompting the cuckoo to burst out. The large bundle curled up on the futon in the corner falls off with a loud THUD, Jade poking her head out from under the blanket. "Ah, Miss Fae. Nice to have you with us again." Ozpin says casually, pulling a coffee pot out from under his desk.

"I seem to recall that I owe you a cup. You said you liked yours black?"

Stammering, she looks around the office: bright sunlight pours in from every wall, the room barren of furniture except for the futon she rests on, his own desk, and a guest chair.

"I... yeah. I guess." She takes a seat, eyes still darting around the room.

"Is she... what happened?"

"Regarding Initiation?"

She nods, Ozpin letting out another sigh as he poured out the coffee. "If you were hoping to hear otherwise, then I'm sorry. But, your partner is indeed gone."

He could sense her aura immediately begin to flare, her sadness literally oozing into the room's atmosphere.

"Why..." she spat out quietly, grinding her teeth. "Why did she have to die like this..."

"My dear, taking the initiation was her own choice. Something she wanted to attempt in order to make herself and others happier at the end. And speaking of happy..."

With a slight smirk, he reaches behind his desk and pulls out three small vials. "Two spoons of honey, a sprinkle of brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon. Best way to take one's coffee, in my own opinion."

Jade still glares at him, a death stare so intense that he puts down his mug in defeat.

"Miss Fae, I'd recommend that you keep your emotions in check, lest you attract further Nevermore to the academy."

She rolls her eyes and scoffs, but blocks off her aura and puts her hand in her jacket pocket. Not a moment later, she opens her eyes in shock and immediately lunges forward, grabbing Ozpin by his shirt collar.

"WHERE IS IT?!"

"I... beg your pardon?"

"MY SCROLL! WHERE DID YOU PUT IT?!"

"Your scroll? Why, it's ri-"

"GIVE IT BACK, NOW!"

Alarmed at her tone, Ozpin fumbles with the handle on his desk drawer and practically throws the device at her. Within an instant, she inserts the earbuds into her human ears and begins blasting music at such a volume that even he had no trouble hearing it. Goth rock, by the sound of it. She bobs her head slightly in tune with the rhythm, eyes closed, and soon begins to slow her breathing.

"Apologies, Professor. I… can be emotionally unstable without my music."

"As long as you're better now. I must admit though, it's quite loud. By chance, is that Fairy Dust, by Fantasy Unification?"

Her eyebrows raise in surprise, eyes still closed. "You recognize Fairy Dust?"

Ozpin stifles a small laugh, somewhat in awe that Faunus hearing could be applied to this type of multitasking. "Lucky guess, I suppose. Many of those in detention tend to bring amplifiers to pass the time, so I suppose it's only natural that we as mentors would be exposed to this sort of youth culture."

She nods slightly. He takes another quick scan of the room; her aura, while no longer projected, seems to be oscillating in time with the song.

"Now, regarding Skyla."

Jade takes in a breath through her teeth.

"While I hate to admit it, you were right. She had to have agreed to this, and should've known the risks." "

Well, now that we got past that point, I'd like to bring up the other two."

Her aura spikes slightly, blood-red eyes snapping open. "What other two?"

Biting his lip, Ozpin taps a few commands into his keyboard and brings up the images of the two others killed by the Hydra, projecting them onto his desk. "Nicole Vanta, and Dolores Vermillion. And now that we're discussing them, I seem to recall that the two of them took the black pawn pieces as well."

He fills up his cup again, only now realizing that the pot is now empty; he looks at hers and sees it hasn't been touched.

"What exactly does that mean?"

"I see you haven't tried your coffee yet. Really, it's quite a wonderful blend, I highly re-"

"Professor, I asked you a question. What exactly do you mean when you say this?"

He pauses cautiously. "Take a guess. I had assumed you had an aptitude for gleaning knowledge in situations like this, and I'd hate to be wrong for both of our sakes."

The melody shifts; what was once rhythm-heavy metal now leans into a classical piece with electric guitar.

Her eyes narrow, and she looks down. "We would be on the same team."

He nods casually. "Correct. You four seemed like the perfect fit for each other, but unfortunately… well, only gods can change the past."

"'And we in ourselves can change the present, making a brighter future together'. Sienna Khan, before her arrest six years ago."

Ozpin chuckles halfheartedly, pouring more coffee powder into the pot.

"Very good, Miss Fae. I was hoping you'd get that one. And while I certainly don't condone the White Fang's violence…" He picks up his spoon and waves it absentmindedly in the air. "I can always appreciate a message with such positivity. Is something the matter? You don't seem too interested in what's going on. Would a different blend be better? I have a few in stock, if you'd like."

"No, it's not that. Just…" Jade takes in another deep breath, in what looks like an attempt to swallow her next sentence. She steps out of her seat and pushes it back in, bowing politely, blank faced.

"If you'll excuse me, I'd like to get going. I don't see much reason for me staying at this point." She walks over to the door to access the elevator and jiggles the handle, rattling it back and forth within a few seconds.

"Well, why didn't you say something? I have the key, if you wish to leave." Ozpin says calmly as he pulls a key ring from out of his coat pocket, several dozen hanging together.

"Now, which is it…"

Somewhat surprised, she walks back to the table and reaches out for the key, only to be blocked by his hand.

"However, I'm fairly certain we aren't quite finished with this conversation. Sit down for a bit longer."

Surprised, she turns the volume down on her scroll and takes her seat again.

"Thank you. Now, if I recall. Didn't you mention, that you'd like to remain as a student here at Beacon Academy?"

A frown crosses her face for a split second, covered up immediately by a blank mask. "That… I wasn't properly thinking at the time. While it does have some interest for me to stay here, it's not a good idea overall."

"Oh? How so? I thought you were leaping for the idea to stay here in Vale proper? Why, to my recollection you escaped from the hospital wing simply to participate in the initiation."

"Under the influence, yes."

He blinks in surprise. "Influence? Of what? All you had was the medication we gave you. An aura enhancement, not an inhibitor."

"Please don't insult me like that, Professor. I may be young, but I'm fully aware both of what Sodium Amytal is capable of, as well as the sensation of being on the receiving end. Additionally, if it was just a simple aura enhancement, then why would a continuous dose have been deadly after I fainted in the initiation? I'd otherwise still be receiving it, by all accounts."

Ozpin stutters for a moment, stunned at her accusation. Then laughs. "Guilty as charged. VERY good, Miss Fae. Full marks. Yes, I admit that you were dosed mildly with Truth Serum, I won't beat around the bush. Now, why do you feel that you don't want to stay here? You completed the objective at hand, no denying that. You admitted earlier that there was someone in Vale that you wanted, correct? Yet, this goal is sub-par to your current agenda?"

"Well… you see, when you stay in the freelance business, you're bound to get hunted down eventually. Particularly nasty bunch that I would have avoided if I could. I'd rather not tangle the kingdoms up in all of this. Or longer than is needed, at least. Besides, I'm old enough to already be in my third year here, and I'm sure this would cause you endless amounts of paperwork."

He takes another sip of his coffee, eying the stone cold glass in front of her. "I see. Well then, if that's all, I bid you farewell, and hope you have a safe trip to wherever it is you need to go. Know that you're always welcome in my office if you stop by again."

He hands her the key as she stands up to leave, not even pushing in her chair this time.

"Of course… I'm truly sorry about having to call James into this matter. But, as you said, you'd rather not tangle up the kingdoms for longer than needed, so we should get this over with."

She pauses in her tracks. "James… Ironwood?"

"The very same. You see, around a week ago, an alarm was triggered in the same area of Vacuo you claim to have been in. Naturally, a warning flare has been sent out to the other kingdoms that the vigilante terrorist who singlehandedly cleared out a White Fang facility was unable to be found."

Frowning again, she takes her seat for the third time.

"And… what does this have to do with me, exactly?"

"Oh, a great deal, apparently. You see, the terrorist not only had great skill, but also a great reputation. The Jade Dragon, in some areas of the world. You've heard of him?"

"I… can't say that I haven't. But that's just the name given to an unknown group. One that works in the shadows, whose list of operative is impossible to glean."

"Mm. Well, you see, we now have reason to believe that you, my dear, may be on such a list of members. Just last year, the international council determined that one of them, who's been doing more of the recent attacks, is a Faunus."

"Oh, great. Profiling me, just cause of my name and general appearance. Where have I heard that before."

Ozpin feels a small buzzing feeling prying into the back of his head, a sensation he knew all too well. With a furrow of his brow, he concentrates his own aura and with one well delivered blast, pushes the foreign sensation out of his consciousness.

"Hm. Well, everything's been under suspicion and profiling for a very long time, until this most recent incident. Mainly since this time around, the facility had shreds of video recording left over from its destruction."

The probing sensation tries again, requiring more of an effort to expel from his thoughts.

"Point being, multiple militaries now have at least a general figure to arrest for suspicion. Tell me, Miss Fae, what do you think of this figure?"

He puts up another image, this time one taken from the video footage; the figure is a white haired Faunus girl in a dark hoodie, with feline ears and an ornate white mask. Some number of frames later, a different image shows the same figure with the mask fallen off, and bright yellow eyes standing out against black sclera.

The probing sensation accelerates into a sharp shooting pain, stabbing into his conscious to gain deeper and deeper access. With one strenuous push, he expels the intruder and glares at Jade.

"Please stop doing that. While I admit it's remarkable you have this much aura control this young, it's rude to try and read the thoughts of others."

She glares back. "You're willing to turn me in to Ironwood on a hunch? How can you be sure this is me? My eyes are red, not golden. Plus, your nurse can confirm, my arm's been like this for much longer than a week."

"All fair points. However, he directed the Council to issue orders for the arrest of anyone even remotely resembling this figure. There's really nothing I can do… however, I'd like to freely add to this conversation that documented students likely won't turn up in criminal searches anytime soon. But shame that these incredibly long sign-up forms, taking about five minutes, are far out of the way for this to be manageable. Perhaps there's some in my drawer, but that's just a pipe dream. And of course, the Headmaster or Deputy in charge is required to authorize such a signature, which in most situations is quite the hassle…"

"You're blackmailing me into enrolling." Her blank stare continues to crack for fractions of a second at a time, hate burning in blood red irises only to be put out instances later.

"It's entirely up to you. I'm just informing you that criminal or not, James Ironwood will want to have a word, willingly or otherwise. And in all honesty, the so called 'evidence' doesn't really incriminate you in my opinion. There's a similarity, yes, but as you mentioned, the eyes and limb count are different. But in any case, criminal or not, all humanity is the same. Every saint has a past,"

"'And every sinner, a future'."

"Ozcar Taeme, yes. So, do you accept our offer?"

The clock chimes again, one more tone than previously. How quickly an hour passes.

Now visibly irritated, she stands up to leave yet again; he could feel her aura continue to radiate outward, in a dangerously pulsating manner. "You already have these forms filled out, judging by your attitude towards me staying. Do what you will, but just know that I plan on leaving my business is done."

"Perfectly fair." he accepts, hands folded in front of him. "I'll have you in our records within the hour. Students have Bullhead full-access passes free of charge on weekends and holidays, so you can conduct said business. I'll send a message to your scroll regarding your dorm room and course schedule later, however, as I currently have a couple phone calls to make regarding the three late trainees. Any further questions before we're done?"

She pauses, hesitantly coming forward. "Yes, actually. May… may I see their bodies? Before they're buried or sent home, I mean."

He raises an eyebrow, surprised that he failed to consider an attachment to her would-be partner.

"Of course. They're currently being held in cold storage beneath the school… I'll ask one of the other professors to show you the way. It wasn't your fault, if that's what you're thinking."

"I… know. I just want the chance to grieve."

"As would I. Now then, I should get prepared as well, but before I do…" He presses one last button on his desk, standing to reach the unlocked drawer in the shelf above his head.

"This… I believe belongs to you."

…

…

"Hmmmhmhm… there we go." Jade mutters, moving away from the adjusted camera.

She backs up and clears her throat, blatantly obvious that her voice is much higher than it was before. Not in a feminine sense either… like the kind of high pitched mad scientist voice you'd listen to on Saturday morning cartoons. But also mixed with the kind of voice that you can immediately tell that he's physically attractive. Static flies across the screen, and distorts the background audio.

"Hello, my lovely audience!"

The camera zooms in and focuses, making it also clear that her eyes aren't red, but instead golden. With a cheerful wave, her right arm becomes visible: somehow covered in black scales, almost reptilian.

"Today I come to you with the aid of FourthWallCo™'s magical reputation. Now, to clarify, I'm not Jade… or whatever she calls herself these days. I am the marvelous and magnificent Lucifer! Not that one that you're thinking of, obviously, but I have quite a reputation in my own right. Anyways, if you're too scared of me, just call me Lucy! I'm sure we'll be the best of friends!"

(S)He [?] jumps up and down giddily, like one of those blonde airheads every time you imagine 'rich', 'white', and 'beauty parlor' together in the same sentence… or the first thing you imagine when thinking 'flamboyantly gay'. Or both. I'm a wall of text, I'm not here to judge.

"Ahem. Now then, this motherfucker, being me, would like to talk to you all about this motherfucker. Say 'Hi', sweetie."

He takes a step to the side to reveal a hooded figure tied to a chair. When he takes the hood off… it's the author.

The author blinks a few times to adjust to the lights, and panics.

"Wait, what… how… who the hell… WHY AM I HERE?! How are you even real?!"

"Not my problem hon, you're the one who came up with my character development while simultaneously watching that Deadpool movie. Good-ass movie, I hear they're making a tre-quel."

"THAT DOESN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION OF WHY I'M TIED UP BY A FICTIONAL CHARACTER!"

"Isn't all fanfiction just something dirty shown in a way that makes it less so? Besides, I brought you here to apologize."

"Uh… apologize for what?"

"For forgetting about us, you asshat!"

Lucy takes a pistol out of nowhere and fires it into the ceiling, causing the author to flinch.

"I never forgot about you guys, I… I just had other things to do."

"Like what? I live in your head, you do nothing 34 percent of the time. 33 percent was class, and that's done with, while another 38 percent was gaming."

The author frowns, and inaudibly begins counting.

"I don't think that's correct…"

"My point still stands! Either do more writing on this or write something else, for fucking out loud…"

"You think that's a threat? You're not real! And besides, I've been meaning to write something else anyways! OC inserts are hard, they gotta stick to the main plotline, and stuff."

"You… oh, that's it. You're done for."

He storms over to the camera and fakes a smile, blowing a kiss at the audience before scowling again and reaching over to turn off the recording.

The last thing heard is the author yelling, "THIS WOULD'VE BEEN BETTER IF I KNEW HOW TO ANIMATE!"