Bill Edwards found himself confronting General Ironwood outside of the infirmary. The general was speaking onto his scroll and finished the call before he finished his conversation and moved it back into his pockets. "Captain Edwards, thank you for bringing this issue up to me." He began. "I will take care of the cadets. Forgive me for their behavior, I do hope those two do not muddle your views of our academy."
The American captain smiled. "Don't worry, general, I've seen their lot back at West Point." The officer replied. "I guess even a military academy in another world isn't so different."
"You have a military academy in your world?" Questioned the puzzled Ironwood. "That is quite a surprise. What kind of academy is this?"
"Army Academy, the United States has a naval academy somewhere in Philadelphia, but it's quite a nice place." Answered Edwards. "Though, I did have to spend a couple years there before I joined the other officers at the front."
The general nodded his head before he took a step back. "Farewell, captain, I have some business to attend to." Then he made his way in the academy hallways as the captain watched him off.
When the general turned around the corner, he slipped through the doors of the infirmary as he found the bunny girl sitting on her cot. However, there was a nurse who was wrapping the wounded ears with bandages, but Edwards noticed the blonde was on the last procedure of the bandages.
The nurse made the finishing touches and began to walk away. "Let the bandages heal, but don't touch them. It will only make it harder for the healing process."
When the nurse was in another room, the captain grabbed a stool and placed it beside her cot. However, she looked up to take note of his presence as he began to take his seat. "Captain Edwards, thank you for helping me out back there." The bunny girl began.
The captain smiled as he unstrapped his helmet to reveal his hidden blonde hair. "No problem, Velvet." He replied. "I am not fond of bullies myself. So I can understand where you are coming from."
"You have been bullied?" She wondered with surprise. "I never expected a human like yourself to be hurt. You don't have any faunus traits on you, so I find it hard to believe."
He shook his head. "Sometimes bullies prey on the subtle traits of a person they absolutely dislike. For me, I am part German, but some of the strong-armed boys back at West Point thought of me as some kind of German spy for the Third Reich." Bill chuckled into his past. "I often had some old guys in business suits keeping their eye on me."
"How did you deal with it? It must have been hard."
"Well, I didn't fight back since the Army had a no tolerance to bullies." He said as he shook his head. "Though, they had some degree to justify themselves to bully me. However, I am wondering why do they bully people like you. You're a nice girl with bunny ears."
Then the faunus girl looked down on the floor. "Sorry to say, but Remnant has a long history of discrimination against the faunus. Long ago, we even went to the lengths to rebel against man since we had enough." She answered one of his questions. "Just only recently, the White Fang are one of the reasons why people dislike the faunus because that group associates itself as the front for the Faunus Rights movements."
"If there is one thing I know, if bullies exist, so do guys like us."
Velvet raised her head from the ground as her ears were lowered than she normally was seen to do. "I do have a question, why would people want to hurt you?"
Edwards placed his helmet in his lap. "There was an attack on my country in a place known as Pearl Harbor. I heard it was a wonderful place, but the Empire of Japan bombed our fleet stationed there." He answered. "However, it goes even further, but days after Japan unprovoked us into a war, their allies, the Germans declared war on the United States." Soon after, he crossed his arms. "Anyone with any German ancestors, including myself, were suspect for being spies."
"That is just horrible." She commented. "What did they do to you?"
"Nothing, like I said before, the Army didn't have a tolerance for bullies." Then he sighed. "When I got to the front there were some officers who showed me a dirty eye. Some outright told me to burn in Hell for being a kraut lover. To others, they thought it was a good idea to take things into their own hands."
Velvet straightened her back as her hands rested on her shoulders. "I am sorry to hear that, I didn't expect humans to dislike other humans."
The officer shook his head. "Miss, bullies exist out there, but when there are people who enjoy being bullies there are always people who fight them. Even I had someone watch my back."
"Really?" She asked as her ears rose out of curiosity and a hint of excitement. "Who was this guy?"
"Captain Durante and Captain Derby." He listed with a proud smile on his lips. "When I had the pleasure in meeting them for the first time, Derby called everyone out to be barking dogs with no teeth. As for Durante, he's the sort who would steal their things and refuse to hand them back."
Then she giggled at the thought. "That is funny. You have those kinds of friends helping you out in your time of need."
His head tilted. "Don't you have friends as well?"
"Yes, but they're not always around." Velvet lowered her head. "We're busy studying in Atlas Academy and the guys are on the opposite side of the academy."
Captain Edwards gave out his hand. "Then you have made a friend. If you need any help keeping the bullies off your back, I can get some of my men from Baker Company make sure you don't have your ears hurt." The officer stated.
After raising her head to see his gaze, she shook his hand with a smile from her worrying mind. "Thank you, Captain Edwards."
Soon after, he slipped down from his stool. "You're welcome." He replied. "Besides, I don't see why a cute girl should be attacked for her cute bunny ears." Then he grabbed the stool and made his way out of the infirmary.
Captain Edwards looked over his shoulder, only to see the faunus girl wave him off as he returned the gesture back.
Winter Schnee took her fighting stance as her sabre was ready in her right hand while her free hand remained behind her back. She stepped forward to give angled slashes, only to be cutting nothing, but air. The specialist imagined her human opponent in a fencing match long before she took the rank of specialist in the Atlas Military.
From behind her back, she heard the door slide open as she stopped practicing with her sabre and sheathed it away. Then she looked over shoulder, only to find Captain Durante with his hands inside of his jacket. "Captain, what are you doing here?" She questioned him.
The captain shrugged his shoulders as he took a seat on the bench besides the door. "I was passing by and noticed you practicing here." He replied. "I decided to have a close up of what the Snegurochka does in her spare time."
"Did you just insult me?" She demanded with a tone of agitation.
Durante pulled his jacket closer to his chest. "Pardon my Russian, but I just called you Ice Princess."
"Hey!" Winter called him out.
He pulled his hands out and gave the gesture of innocence. "I'm sorry, but half of the time you're giving people cold looks. That's really on you for that."
She shook her head as she continued to practice four different angles with her sabre. "Don't you have a company to take care of."
The officer dismissed her concern with his hands. "They're Rangers, they can handle themselves." He assured her. "Besides, doing all that paperwork can get tiring on the mind."
"It's part of an officer's duty."
"Winter, of all the times we've talked. Do I look like a proper officer?" She stopped in her angled swipes and turned to see the captain.
"You have made your point." Winter replied. "But don't you have anything better to do?"
"I would if I had any of that cash called Lien. Otherwise, I could walk around in this place and bore myself to death." Captain Durante answered. "Besides, I like talking to you. For someone who is stuck up and tries to control herself-"
"I am not stuck up!" Winter cried out against the officer.
Then she noticed him raising his eyebrows. "With all due respect, it's hard not to associate that with you since you keep giving me a 'I am better than you' look."
The Schnee grew more flustered at his comments as she gripped onto the handle of her sword and sheathed it beside her belt. Then she aimed for the door as he rose from his seat and confronted her. "Would you please move aside, captain?" She asked of him.
"First, allow me to apologize." Durante began. "If I crossed some line I didn't know, I am sorry. If there is something we can both share, we both have our own secrets. I just wanted to annoy you."
"Captain, you don't understand what I have been through. It is quite different from your world and it is quite cruel than those petty wars." Looking down on the Ranger officer, he stepped aside as he allowed the specialist to continue to the door.
When she was almost within the doorway, she heard him speak. "Seventy-three."
Then she stopped and looked to see the captain look down at the dirt. "Pardon me?"
"Seventy-three men. That is how many men I had lost under my command and for each man, I had to personally write the letters to their mothers and fathers." The captain answered. "It is a secret I don't usually tell most people."
"Apology accepted, maybe I have been quite harsh on you." Replied Winter as she saw him raise his head and turn to face her. "My attitude comes from my father expecting high standards for his children." Soon after, she heard him chuckle. "What is so funny?"
"I had a dad just like that." Answered Monte. "Demanding high standards for his children, expecting me to have a white-collared job as lawyer or an accounted."
It was a long time she had found someone in a similar situation, but Winter found it a relief that she wasn't the only child to have this kind of father. "How did your father react?" Then she noticed him laughing.
"Oh, he was absolutely furious when I wasn't in the house for more than a week since I was in boot camp." Then his smile disappeared. "Before I got shipped to London, he… refused to talk to me. When I did try to talk to him I did want to be in the Army, he basically told me that he hoped I die in some godforsaken foxhole with my entire body blown off."
"I guess that makes two of us. My father had a similar reaction when he learned I joined the Atlas Military. Though, we still talk to each other from time to time." Suddenly, her scroll vibrated from her pocket. "Excuse me, I have a call to make."
After she pulled out her scroll and activated the call, she looked at the caller ID as she prepared herself for the conversation. "Yes father?"
A voice of pride revealed himself. "Winter, I have an upcoming party with military representatives, I wonder if you can inform General Ironwood of this meeting."
"Yes father, I will inform the general about this?"
"Before you go, it's has been quite some time since our family has spent its time together. I was hoping you had the time to take a break and come to us." His voice said through the speaker. "Weiss and Whitely miss you and your mother is worried sick about you ever since the attack on Atlas Academy. I tried to assure her that you would be fine, but she still insists on seeing you."
"I… understand, I will come home for mother's sake." Replied Winter.
"Good, I hope we get to see you soon." Then the specialist turned off her scroll as she almost forgotten about Captain Durante being present.
He rolled his shoulders before speaking up. "I take that was your father."
She nodded. "Yes, he wants me to be with the rest of the family. I guess this is my only time to see how my little sister has improved since I last met her."
"I guess this is where we go to our separate ways."
"I guess so."
"Farewell and have fun with your family." Said the captain as he left Winter Schnee to her own time.
"Fun… I wonder if his family had any."