The small escort marched through the city, Penny and Goodwitch at the front, two guards following behind, two at the rear and the remaining two directly either side of him. As they entered a more crowded part of the city, Penny would occasionally glance back at him, giving a reassuring smile.
He welcomed the gesture, given the fact that her smile was the only one directed at him, the sea of unfamiliar faces around just stared at him, making the journey feel unsettling as they walked.
Where ever we're going. It must be on the other side of the city, feels like we've been walking for at least half an hour, or even longer. He thought to himself. As he did, one of the guards seemed to be considering the same line of reasoning, speaking his mind as they walked.
"This is taking far too long, this 'objective' here needs to pick up pace. We're not here to give him a private tour of Vale. I don't get paid by the hour for this, and I get the feelin' as if he's stalling us somehow..."
"Private... shut your pie hole would ya! We don't get paid to hear your whining neither, so hush up and fall in line. But I do admit ma'am, our guest hereseems to have slowed his pace a little, even with the fact we're in this district of Vale."
"Um, Miss Goodwitch. Can I make an observation? As well as propose a solution?"
"I'm listening miss Polendina."
"In the time I've spent with our friend here. It seems that he has never been in Vale, nothing here registers' as 'familiar' to him, from the way he constantly glances around at the local surroundings. From his mannerism, he seems to be cautious, if not apprehensive to the whole ordeal, trying his best to find something here he recognises.
Also, in the time that we've been walking, I've been ensuring that he felt safe as we moved along this path, maintaining periodic glances at him.
As I did so, it appears that he seems to become more relaxed, picking up pace.
I suggest that I directly accompany him during the rest of the journey. I postulate we will get to the airship quicker this way, seeing as how we still have another half an hour or so of walking. Especially since Vale is welcoming more and more newcomers from the surrounding kingdoms at this time of day..."
Sighing, Goodwitch agreed to the proposition. Just as Penny had suggested, the escort did appear to be moving a lot faster, arriving to what looked like a dry dock, the ships however seemed to be suited for the skies rather than the seas.
Once in the air, the ride itself was very relaxed, the guards remained active, taking it in turns to monitor their escort.
Penny, had the freedom to move about the ship, but she wasn't too far from him. Goodwitch was on the opposing side of where he sat, typing on a device that employed holographic projections and not material feedback, appearing to be no bigger than a piece of A4 paper.
Occasionally, she would look up from what she was doing and glance at his general direction, often registering a chill down his spine, causing him to quickly avert his stare as she did. Roughly halfway through the journey, he glanced through his window and saw what he could only describe as a partially built inverted mountain, seemingly remaining stationary in the air.
"Hey Penny, what exactly am I looking at?"
She slowly walked towards where he was seated, gesturing to one of the guards that it was okay for her to sit next to him, despite his suggestion to remain where she was and not come any closer. Once seated, she leaned over, getting a better view at what he was so intrigued about.
"That impressive structure, is the Vytal stadium."
"What's so vital about it?"
A large smile spread across her face, letting out a small chuckle.
"The stadium is vital as each of the four kingdoms' finest hunters and huntresses in training compete in battle against one another, showing off their abilities and skills in the art of combat in its arena to thousands of spectators.
The Vytal tournament and festival serve as a testimony to those who have lost their lives in the wars fought centuries ago, demonstrating to its people how we have come a long way from conflict waged between the kingdoms, to now living in peace.
It's also a time for bonds to be strengthened between the kingdoms, either by its citizens exploring a new kingdom and meeting new people, or by businesses working on branching out to off shore locations. The 'Vytal' festival signifies one of the most important days of the year for all of Remnant, just a week or two before the start of a new year."
Just as he was about to respond, the sound of the engines died down, Goodwitch and the guards getting up from where they sat, awaiting for the pair to follow, signifying that they had reached their destination.
Disembarking from the ship, he was greeted by the sight of a large courtyard that led to what resembled a castle , the tallest of its' spires almost touching the clouds, as it grew nearer so too did its beauty.
He wasn't sure of himself, but he had a feeling of Déjà vu, perhaps it was how eerily quiet it was. Apart from the small group present, there wasn't a sign of a single person near or around the tower. As they entered the large spire, four of the guards remained in the foyer, the remaining company rode an elevator to the top floor.
Stepping out, the room appeared to resemble the inner-workings of a clock, gears and cogs in periodic motion, the mechanical melody filling the quiet room.
The party were greeted by two men, the first appeared to be of medium build and had a white streak in his jet black hair. He was dressed in a white uniform that gave him an air of notoriety, and had an impassive look on him when he saw them.
The other was tall and slender, wearing a black suit with a green scarf around his neck, he had grey hair and wore glasses. He gave an expression that suggested he was a little more receptive than the former, with both hands resting on a walking cane.
He smiled at them, before speaking he looked over to his colleague, suggesting that the two remaining guards were dismissed from their current duty. Once the elevator doors shut, he finally spoke.
"Hello, my name is professor Ozpin, I am the headmaster of this academy, I would like to apologize for the ordeal you may have gone through during the last few hours."
'Um, thank you for the apology, just a little shaken up about where I am currently, it's quite a sight, being here that is."
"Indeed. I'd like to introduce you to general Ironwood, the general thought it necessary for you to have such a large escort once you were recovered."
"It was only a necessary precaution Ozpin, who knows what else he might have done in Vale had we not intercepted him with the task force that did."
"Clearly though the situation was handled quite poorly if you really want to know James. If anything, having them there only brought more attention to ourselves by locals passing us by, we would already be finished with this conversation had I gone alone." Goodwitch interjected.
"And I'm sure you've become quite familiar with Professor Goodwitch, she is second in charge of this school, sometimes running it better than I do."
Glancing at all three, he took note of each of them and their behaviour as they addressed each other.
Right now he felt that he would rather not talk to Professor Goodwitch for the moment.
Ironwood being a general sounded a little better, then he remembered that he was going to address Penny about what she did today and so he would rather not say anything directly to him or else Penny would be punished even more.
But this headmaster, he was the one who seemed to make him feel welcome, despite it only being a few minutes, if he was going to have a hard time, the headmaster would probably be the most understanding.
"So now that you have been informed as to who we are. Could you tell us who you are and why you had your sudden outburst in the city streets?"
The general said, not waiting for anyone else to really speak up.
"Uh, well, I-I, I don't remember, anything. I can't remember what happened before I awoke, where I was at the time, where I was when I awoke, I don't even know my own name."
"I see." Ozpin said, as he slowly walked behind his desk to sit, grabbing a picture of water, pouring a glass and offering it to him.
Sitting back in his chair he gestured for his guest and Penny to be seated, as they did, the headmaster's desk began to light up.
"And how do you feel at present? Dizziness, nausea, fever or muscular aches?"
"Well if you asked me several hours ago, then yes, I was feeling all those things. Now however, I feel perfectly fine, a little tired but you can imagine why after nearly being made a temporary statue when I was found by your search team."
He said, glancing at Goodwitch and Ironwood, the former almost boring into his soul with her stare, causing him to regret finding a sense of confidence.
"So you say you're perfectly fine, no injuries what so ever?"
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Aside from feeling that I am under trial or something, and the fact I have no idea where I am entirely, I am do aye okay."
He said starting to feel like they wouldn't be happy with what he said, no matter how honest his answers were.
"Alright, although you may claim to be fine. I'll keep that in mind, however the fact you have amnesia has me worried, the events transpired today are a worry."
"You realise that your actions today mean that you may face the court, charged with disturbing the peace and terrorism." the general said, almost yelling in frustration.
"James please, calm down. We'll get better answers if we talk, rather than to bellow at him, I'm starting to think that perhaps he may not be to blamed directly for his actions."
" How can you say that? He was directly at the epicentre of it after all."
"From what I can see here, I believe that the courts may not be able to charge him for the crimes you are suggesting."
"What exactly are you implying Ozpin?"
"What I am saying is for you to have a look at this before you say anything else."
The general walked over to the headmasters' side and viewed the images in front of him, eyes widening as the footage played. Ozpin continued to address everyone in the room as the general remained silent for the moment.
"This report Glynda has given suggests that the distress call was made minutes after the explosion. When she arrived at the scene there was no one present at the epicentre, someone reported to her seeing this young man and miss Polendina leaving the area.
However the witness did not claim to be definite that he was responsible, they merely made the presumption that he was the cause of the incident."
As he said this, Ironwood finally walked back to where he stood previously, maintaining his composure . The footage showed the street moments before the incident occurred, it was very much empty, then a minute later a bright blaze of white filled the screen before cutting to static.
" I apologize for the sudden outburst, I have no reason to turn you over to the authorities for acts of terrorism, given the evidence put before me." the general said in an ashamed tone.
"However, the next question arises. If he is indirectly responsible, how did he get there? Could his amnesia be the result of the incident itself? You're sure you don't remember what happened to you before you were found by miss Polendina?"
"No, nothing whatsoever."
"Also, I notice that your aura levels appear to barely register."
"My aurora what now?"
"Aura. It's the physical manifestation of one's soul, rendering a person safe to attacks that would appear fatal...or at least that's the basics. More likely its link to the genetic makeup of a person, along with their semblance"
"Assemble what exactly?"
"Young man, I know you may have amnesia, but surely you are aware of the most basic trait that all life in Remnant have. Did you even pay attention in class when you were told about them?"
"Glynda please, I'm sure our friend here feels the same as how you are right now, so please just try to be a little more patient.
Which brings me to something else. Since you will be staying at the academy while you try to regain your memories, I doubt most of the staff or myself would keep referring to you as a nameless individual, so we have to find you a suitable name . Tell me what you are thinking of right now, and we'll see if we can get close to your real name."
"M-m-my m-m-mind right now is going a million miles a second. T-t-trying to find any sort of memory that says who I am, where did I come from, how did I get here, where am I going and I-."
"Zen..."
"I'm, s-sorry?"
"Zen, do you know what that is...?"
"I-I-t, it's the state of mental awareness, as well as a feeling of peace and relaxation, where ones' mind feels enlightened by meditation?"
"Close enough. More importantly, it's what you need right now, I can see that today has been quite a test of your mental stability and right now, prodding you with questions is going escalate the situation more than determine what happens next.
You will be sleeping in the same dorm room as miss Polendina, I understand that there are two beds, since the rest of her teammates have either chosen to stay in other dorms or are still yet to arrive at Beacon. Get some rest and we can proceed with this in the morning."
As they entered the dorm room, Zen laid down on the bed, letting all the weight he carried on his shoulders just melt away.
So many questions, where do I fit in any of this?
He glanced over at Penny who was holding what resembled a large power cable, as soon as she realised that she was being watched she placed it down on her bed, turning to address him.
"I'm going to take a shower now,
hiccup
And if you are still awake could you be polite as to turn your head the other way."
Hiccup.
He nodded, and as the door closed behind her, the sound of the shower plus the softness of the pillow meant that Zen was dead to the world.
"... That's one small step for a man...the universe is in us, we are made of star stuff... mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam on a pale blue dot... you ever wonder why we're here?"
And so it looks Beacon is going to be Zen's new home for a while, wonder what he's going to be doing there?
Another chapter done hope its alright. This one might not have that much in terms of 'stuff' going on but I am just trying to criticize my own work in that regard, if you guys are happy with it, then that's all that matters.
Also I will note that there will be several chapters before we see team RWBY, but stick with it and it will be great when the OC interacts with them.
Loving how Vol 6 is going great so far, but will admit that when I saw ep 2, looking at how I've written Ozpin (from a vol 1-3) makes me challenge how I see this version of him (I still like Ozpin, but the show really wants me not to). Also horay, I actually care about Oscar (at least when I see how he did in ep 2). Won't bring up anymore Vol 6 talk, even though I am cheap and watch it when its a week behind.
Anyway that is all I have to say, have a great day and enjoy reading RWBY fanfics (The more fluff the better).