Yo!

Another early upload, but tbh I just wanted to upload this and go and do other things.

So here's this.

Chapter 34

General James Ironwood didn't normally think of himself as much of a conversationalist.

He was a General, after all. It was his job to have a firm tone. To be strict. To have a powerful, booming voice. A consistent cadence. He had delivered at least fifty speeches in his time, and he found that he was quite good at giving them.

That skillset, however, was an entirely different one to trying to cheer someone up, especially a distraught teenager who appeared to be going through a rather rough patch.

Ironwood wrote his own speeches – well, most of the time – but he often had weeks, if not months to compose such things.

And he was attempting to do this on the fly. On nothing more than a whim.

…It was for Penny, however, so in this case, needs must.

"I suppose I would be remiss to ask you how your day has been, when I see the bags around your eyes, and the general sullenness in the way you walk." He opened, and while he felt it might've been a good way to address a soldier under his command, someone who was required to take his word as law…

He would admit that it was perhaps not the best way to earn the respect of a woman who rather clearly didn't think very much of him.

Not that he'd done much to earn that respect, in this particular woman's case.

"You'd be remiss, yeah." Emerald Sustrai said under her breath, letting out a quiet breath of exasperation as she stepped in time with him. "…Can I ask what the hell you're doing here in the first place? Were you looking for me?"

"Nothing of the sort." He spoke the truth. "I happened to be walking by the classroom you sought as refuge while you exited. I simply took the opportunity to have this conversation with you."

Emerald hummed out noncommittally, not meeting his eye, and he found himself giving a tiny grimace. His words had not come out particularly believable, had they?

"What are you here to ask me, then?" Emerald sounded frustrated. "Going to tell me not to mess with Penny anymore? Going to tell me that I'm a bastard for yelling at her, and getting upset? I assume that's why you're here at all, yeah? Because she told you about that?"

She was not wrong in her assumption, so Ironwood nodded his head.

"Yeah, figures." Emerald's brow pinched together. "I didn't… tell her I'm sorry. I lost my temper. I shouldn't have. The whole thing was my fault."

Ironwood wouldn't admit that he was the smallest bit surprised at the girl's maturity. Perhaps he really had been terribly unfair to paint Sustrai in such an unflattering light when she and Penny had… er…

Well, regardless, it seemed she had a good head on her shoulders.

Still…

He'd heard enough about what had happened from Penny to know that Sustrai hadn't blown her top just because she'd been aggravated with her. No. There had been something else bothering her, and from the cursory information that Ironwood had been able to gather over the course of the day – he would claim it had been out of curiosity, but perhaps he had been hoping to meet the girl and talk with her as he was now – painted a rather clear picture as to what had gone on there, or at the very least, with whom her problems lied.

That was a topic for later, however. For now, he would continue the current line of conversation.

"I do not believe that is entirely true, Ms. Sustrai." He began, giving the girl time to absorb his words before continuing. "The way Penny told it, she blamed herself for much of what occurred. That she did not understand all of what was going on, or, perhaps it would be better to say that she did not understand what it was you were saying."

Emerald looked even more downtrodden at that, and he wondered why briefly before she cut in.

"And how is that her fault?" Emerald murmured bitterly. "It's not Penny's fault that she's not the same as other people. It's not her fault that she can't quite grasp how social cues or conversational cues work, is it? She was born differently than I was, and yet I yelled at her as if…"

She bit down on her lower lip, and Ironwood felt a small bit of sorrow in his heart at seeing tears gathering at the edges of the girl's eyes.

If he'd had any doubt that Emerald truly did care for Penny, it had been erased in that moment. Clearly, she was as distraught about this situation as Penny was herself.

And perhaps most importantly… she knew.

She knew of Penny's robotic nature. She knew she was different from everyone else. And yet… she treated her just the same; better than that, she took active measures to work with her, and understand that she would not grasp certain things that others took for granted.

Ironwood had a feeling that Pietro would've more than approved, and he felt himself groaning internally as he realized what an ass he'd been to Sustrai before giving her a chance.

She'd been better to Penny than he had.

"Penny doesn't blame you. I want you to understand that." Ironwood felt the need to hammer that particular point home. "She was distraught that she had hurt you, and not at all concerned for herself."

If anything, his words had the opposite effect he'd intended. Sustrai only looked more distraught.

"She should blame me." She said under her breath. "She has every reason to blame me."

"Penny's a kind girl. I'm sure you know that." He shook his head, because that wasn't the point. "Moreover, she cares deeply about you. I'd like to think that you share those same feelings."

Emerald didn't meet his eyes, but he had a feeling she was, in doing that, answering his question.

"You are hard on yourself. That is a trait that the two of us share, I believe." Ironwood spoke evenly. "You have the eyes of someone who has seen much in their life. The reactions of someone who is used to danger being around every corner."

At that, Sustrai finally did look up at him, but it was with her brow drawn down, an almost distrusting look in her eye.

"I am not judging you, to be frank." Ironwood clarified. "I am more… I suppose being wistful. I am old. I have seen much by proxy. To see my own eyes reflected in someone less than half my age saddens me. That the world can be so harsh, espouse such cruelty."

"Is this going somewhere?"

Ah, she wasn't one for pity, then. She had that in common with himself as well. Her standoffish nature might've earned her a glare from others, but from him, it only brought an amused smile to his lips.

"Not particularly. I am merely rambling, which I'm sure you'll find that all older folk do on occasion."

He was, to be fair, not terribly old. He was forty-one, and while having aura kept the body spry, even he was starting to feel some of his more reckless actions the day after he'd done them. Even still, he likely felt older than the average person his age did, on account of…

Well, being a general, for starters, but more everything.

"May I ask you a question, Ms. Sustrai?"

Emerald shrugged, and he nodded his head, wondering how to precisely word this so as to not spook the girl.

"…Does your concern have anything to do with Ms. Goodwitch?"

Emerald's pace briefly faltered, and that was all the answer that Ironwood needed. The way that Emerald avoided his eyes, and sped up slightly so that he could not see her face, only further confirmed the fact.

"I see."

"You don't 'see' anything." Sustrai practically spat.

"Perhaps not." Ironwood admitted. "I am, after all, not one of your teachers, or even a staff member of Beacon Academy. I do not know you as well as many here do. But I have heard much about you from Penny." He found himself smiling. "She talks about you quite often. You are very rarely out of her mind. I think she cares about you a great deal."

He could not see Sustrai's face, but with the way she turned away from him even further, he felt he had a decent idea as to her expression.

"Regardless of that, however… I had a feeling it was related to Glynda because of how concerned she was in a meeting earlier today."

Again, Sustrai stiffened. This time, however, it was clear she was much more interested in what he had to say, for she hung back ever so slightly.

Teenagers could be rather obvious about their emotions, at times.

"She was worried about a certain student, although she would not reveal who it was for fear of violating their privacy." He explained, watching as every word seemed to paradoxically grow and shrink the woman walking alongside him. "She said she was worried that she'd hurt them, and that she was going to do her best to make up for it as soon as she could."

Sustrai took a shaky breath, and Ironwood averted his eyes from her face out of respect.

"It is rare, at least for me, to see Glynda so animated." He laughed. "I have known her for years, truthfully, and in that time… well, she has always had her moments, but often, she is more… reserved. To see her so blatantly concerned… I couldn't help but feel that, hearing what Penny had said, and knowing of her involvement with your team's leader, that it might be you that she was worried about."

He did not look over, even as he heard a small sniffle.

"I will not tell you what to do. I will not even attempt to turn you one way or another. I often find that trying to control one's actions will only lead to them doing the opposite out of spite. I will say, however, that I believe that you should trust in the people around you. You should understand that they care about you."

He had not been expecting a response, to be perfectly honest. In fact, he'd expected the conversation to end there, hell, he'd even picked out a line that he could use to exit, and yet…

"It's hard."

He perked up somewhat, looking at Emerald out of the side of his vision as the two of them turned down another corridor, going nowhere as they simply paced the halls of Beacon Academy.

"It's hard to… to believe that those around me genuinely…" Sustrai shook her head. "I've never really… I've always cared too much. I've always put too much stock into the people around me, and then… I always ended up the fool for it. So… I… I heard something that made me doubt everything. That made me… I don't…"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Ms. Sustrai." He wanted to convey that most importantly. "Not unless you want to."

Emerald seemed to ponder exactly what it was she wanted for a moment, before she let out a heavy breath and nodded her head.

"Life's just been hard. Always. And now everyone around me is telling me it's easy. They're all just… it's all so easy. And… and nice, and… but a part of me can't believe it. Won't believe it. Because every time it's tried before, it's been stabbed in the back, and trodden upon, and…"

Sustrai cut herself off.

"Why am I even telling you this, of all people?" She let out a pitiful laugh. "What the hell's wrong with me?"

"There is nothing wrong with you at all, Ms. Sustrai." Ironwood assured her. "In fact, the reason that therapists are so easy to talk to is that they have no stake in your affairs. That they can offer an unbiased opinion. Well, that, and they are professionals in their field, but that is a different matter. I suspect that there is something similar going on here. I am merely someone who will not take your side, nor fight against you. I am ostensibly a neutral party."

That wasn't exactly true, given that Ironwood understood how much Penny cared about Emerald, and was starting to understand that that care went both ways. He could also see how hurt Sustrai was, and on top of that, how much he'd vilified the girl for she and Penny wanting to be close to one another.

So perhaps he was on her side more than she knew…

But she didn't need to know that, he felt.

"I suppose." Emerald Sustrai murmured. "I just… I don't know."

"And that's fine, not knowing." Ironwood felt the need to say. "I don't think there's a single one of us who really knows exactly what we're doing. But we try, and we fail, and we keep going. Life's never easy. It's never just, or fair. It simply is."

Emerald let out a laugh at that.

"Funny. I had the same thought a few days ago."

He smiled at that. "It seems we think rather alike, Ms. Sustrai."

The woman nodded, before she stopped on a dime in the middle of the corridor. Ironwood turned to look back at her, and he saw her meeting his eyes, a smile on her face.

"…Thanks. I uh… didn't really expect you to… I don't–"

"To treat you kindly?" Ironwood offered.

"Yeah I guess."

"I would like to apologize for the way I've treated you in the past, Ms. Sustrai." He bowed his head. "I was irrationally upset about my daughter's choices, and could not see that I had no right to dictate them for her."

"I… kind of get it." Emerald sounded vaguely amused. "You went all 'overprotective dad', yeah?"

Ironwood snickered. "I suppose that is one way to put it."

"I… Well, Penny and I, we're not… y'know… we're not like… that."

Ironwood pretended to believe her, nodding, but the blush on the poor girl's face very clearly spoke the opposite to her words.

"But I guess… I guess I do care about her. I'll talk to her… soon."

"Take as much time as you need. I've already instructed Penny to give you some time to yourself."

Emerald seemed surprised about that. "…Thank you. I uhm… I will?"

He just nodded his head.

"And I'll… I'll speak with Ms. Goodwitch." Emerald's voice was quieter as she said this particular piece. "About… about a lot of things."

He nodded. That was her business entirely.

But he did have one last thing to say.

"About Penny's… secret." He cleared his throat. "I appreciate the discretion you've shown in not revealing it to anyone. I think the fact that you've kept that for her speaks remarkably well of your character. I… hesitate to say this, but I believe that if her father were here, he would give you his blessing."

Emerald's eyes went a bit wide on that, even as she looked away, let out a nervous sort of laugh, and said, "Oh… uh… yeah. Of course."

He smiled in response.

"Alright, I believe it is likely time that the both of us retired for the evening." Ironwood said, gazing at his watch and seeing that it was nearly midnight. "If you'd like, I could put you up in a bunk aboard my flagship, if you were uncertain about sharing a room with your team?"

"No, no…" Sustrai shook her head. "I've… I've been avoiding them all day. I should stop running."

He didn't say it, but he thought she'd made the right choice in that regard.

"Thank you, again, General Ironwood."

"You're very welcome, Ms. Sustrai."

And then he stepped away. As he made his way towards the teachers corridor of Beacon Academy, where Ozpin had given him a guest room to stay at for the duration of the festival, he found himself grinning rather widely as he considered the woman he'd been talking to.

Dry and a bit witty. Had clearly seen more than her fair share of darkness, yet treated Penny with care and compassion, and looked out for her, even going so far as to attempt to work past her lack of knowledge on social skills.

All in all, she was a shy girl, Sustrai, but she seemed like a kind young woman.

…Penny couldn't have done much better, James thought.

/

A way's away, staring at the back of General Ironwood of Atlas as he retreated into a nearby stairwell, several thoughts were filtering through the head of one Emerald Sustrai, not the least of which was just what the hell she was going to be doing in the next few days to properly communicate… all of what she was feeling to those that were involved.

At the moment, however, Emerald couldn't help but wonder about something that Ironwood had said to her a few times during their conversation.

Namely…

…What had he meant by Penny's secret, exactly?

/

Glynda Goodwitch had been in the vault beneath Beacon Academy before.

That was, in actuality, a bit of an understatement. She'd visited more and more often of late, usually alongside Ozpin, sometimes Qrow, rarely James. Today, it was the former. She stepped alongside Ozpin out of the elevator, and took in the grand room they'd entered into.

The ceiling seemed to stretch upwards for miles, even if it couldn't have been more than a hundred meters up. Still, that in and of itself was impressive. The entire space just seemed larger than life, which was, Glynda supposed, aided by how ethereal the space was in general.

Paying attention to such aimless matters helped to distract Glynda from the quasi-overwhelming emotions inside her breast that threatened to spill over at any time. At least, that was how things felt these days.

What with Cinder, Emerald, and all that time having Amber's condition hanging over her…

Glynda understood, truthfully, that Amber's chances had degraded to zero long ago. That all they were doing in keeping her alive at this point was delaying the inevitable, prolonging the suffering of a woman who was already dead.

If she hadn't known what was at stake, she likely would've let Amber pass by now, were it up to her.

Ozpin was silent as the two of them made their way to the machine at the back of the room, which gave off quiet beeping noises. A heart monitor had been installed to make sure that if Amber's condition were to suddenly worsen, they would know, no matter how terrible that made Glynda feel.

"…She is dying." Ozpin spoke, and although it was an obvious thing to say, Glynda understood he was not necessarily speaking to her. "Perhaps she has a month? If that? I doubt she will make it long past the Vytal Festival… and I doubt our enemies will give her that long regardless."

Glynda nodded. It was the truth, no matter how bleak.

"Tell me, Glynda, if it were up to you, what would you do?"

She found herself pondering that question for a time. Perhaps ten or so seconds.

"If it were up to me, I think I would allow Amber's passing, regardless of the consequences. I would give the Maiden powers to whatever assailant sought to take them, and I would see where the chips fell afterwards."

"Hm." Ozpin hummed, and there was the smallest touch of amusement hanging within it. "You are more a gambler than I, Glynda."

"Or perhaps I have simply seen less."

"Perhaps. But I am not sure these days if the things I have seen aid me, or destroy me. If the visions that haunt me will not eventually be my undoing. If my differences from humanity are not an ascendancy, but a reversion." Ozpin spoke, reaching out and putting his hand on the glass that encased Amber.

There was nothing. No movement. No twitch. Just the steady breathing of a woman on borrowed time. Glynda found her spirits falling, despite it all.

"It has been a while since this world has seen all-out war between myself and Salem. Perhaps a single Maiden's power going to one of her agents would not trigger such a thing, but I cannot help but think that it will start sooner rather than later regardless of our actions here. If that is the case… if a war is inevitable regardless, then I would like to keep as much power in our hands as possible, no matter how callous that makes me."

Glynda nodded along, but in all honesty, she found herself curious about something. Enough that she asked, "What was it like, the last time? The last war between yourself and Salem?"

Ozpin turned to her with a conflicted expression, and to Glynda, at least, it was clear he was debating whether or not he should speak at all. Eventually, however, he seemed to make up his mind, and he nodded his head.

"Hm… I assume you have heard the tales they tell of the Great War?"

"Of course. I was raised on them. My grandfather fought in it."

"Mm. Then you know the history. I likely do not have to tell you that I was the King of Vale at the time, and that I personally led the attack to push back Mantle and Mistral myself on many occasions." Ozpin's eyes darkened. "…To hear such a petty conflict called 'The Great War' by this current incarnation of Humanity always draws a dark chuckle from my lips."

Glynda's eyes widened slightly. "Petty conflict? The Great War resulted in the loss of nearly eleven million people."

Ozpin just shook his head. "Yes. A war over a decade long period will inevitably have a large amount of casualties. But… that conflict, at least, was in my eyes fought for a just cause. To allow the freedom of expression, the end of slave labor in Mistral, and eventually, to stop the discrimination that the Faunus faced a few years later. At least those deaths were not in vain."

Glynda frowned. "And… a war between you and Salem?"

Ozpin's eyes became glossier, as if he was disappearing into another space, another time.

"The last time would've been… perhaps two thousand years ago, now? Long enough for the horrors of Salem to be turned into tales, and then into stories, and then into myth. A fictitious fable of a witch who controlled the Grimm. As true as can be. And yet… thought of as a mere… fairytale."

Glynda would not admit that she was paying perhaps more attention than she would've normally to Ozpin's words.

"At that time… I was at my strongest. To say that I was leagues more powerful than I currently am now is an understatement. I had united the world. Created a veritable utopia. A single, solitary Kingdom, acting together. I thought that, if ever there were a time to push into the Grimmlands, to try and cordon off Salem's power, and perhaps, even, to try and destroy her once and for all… had come."

"I was hasty." Ozpin said after a few seconds pause, shaking his head. "I was not as attentive as I should have been. Far too lax. I allowed the Relic of Knowledge to go missing… And because I was so confident in my power, so utterly foolhardy, I simply charged on. But Salem has always been crafty. Smart, intelligent, and wondrously creative. In our time together, she used those things to aid humanity. To work alongside me."

Ozpin's face lost any and all residual goodness that might have still resided upon it.

"In order to strike out against the Grimmlands in the first place, I first had to tell the world of Salem's existence. This was to try and strike at her capital of power, at Evernight, but… well, Salem had known. She had used one the wishes of the Relic of Knowledge to learn of my plan. She had used a second to find out where my nation was at its weakest. And then… she had used the third to discover the locations of the other three relics."

Glynda's breath caught, even knowing that inevitably, their conflict had come to a stalemate.

"When I told the world of Salem, I did so in a very… public manner. Via magic, I translated my words to all corners of Remnant, addressed nearly every human alive. And in doing so… I inevitably caused panic. Small, or, well, small on a global scale, it was in fact quite a hideous amount of panic. But… on its own, it would've been recoverable. Unfortunately, Salem did not wait."

"She used my message as a chance to attack. She knew the weakest points, the most vulnerable positions to assault. She sent monstrosities upon mankind, and then, when they had unleashed true and utter destruction upon them… she did the same as I had. She used her magic to cast visions of the horrors she was inflicting upon the world. And… the panic spiraled. Many of my previous colleagues have asked why I do not tell the world of Salem's existence… well, because the last time I tried, Salem nearly won."

Glynda nodded, even if she found herself curious.

"How did you recover from such a position?"

"I did not." Ozpin admitted, and the words sent a chill down Glynda's spine. "She annihilated most of humanity, and acquired two more of the relics, Choice, and Creation. She had thought them the most powerful, and had bet upon me being too soft, too caring to ever utilize destruction to its fullest potential. At the time, I believe I would have agreed with her."

Ozpin shook his head, sighing horrendously.

"But our losses were too great. It was clear to me that if I did not act… the entirety of Remnant would be destroyed by Salem, utilizing all four relics."

Glynda had gathered, tangentially, that something would occur if all four relics were ever brought together. He had never told them all exactly what that was, but…

Well, Glynda was able to parse that it would lead to the end of Remnant.

"Despite my best wishes… I used destruction. And with it I… destroyed. My target was the Grimm that came in waves as thick as the oceans, but… to wipe the Grimm in the amounts Salem had summoned from Remnant's surface… I could not discriminate. I simply had to destroy, regardless of what."

Glynda felt a bit sick, hearing such a thing.

"And in a span of less than three months… humanity went from a population of close to four hundred million… to roughly seventy or eighty thousand." Ozpin's voice just sounded tired. Tired and frail. Showing his true age. "It was enough to repopulate, at least. The Relic of Destruction also purged every single Grimm that Salem had created from Remnant. For a time, Remnant was at its most peaceful. The only Grimm that existed were those that Salem sought to bring into being at Evernight itself. But of course… destruction was entirely spent. As was knowledge, and though creation and choice have no limits in such ways… they are limited, regardless. I utilized choice, and was shown my options. Either I could risk it all in a final confrontation against my enemy when the both of us were at our weakest… or I could shepherd humanity back to prominence. I… suppose you can imagine which I chose."

Glynda nodded her head.

"I often wonder if that was a mistake. If not taking the risk then was not the greatest failing I have ever made. If I had simply charged there with the last remaining Huntsman, that I could not have won the day. But… I suppose the time for such thoughts has gone away."

Ozpin stared at Amber for five seconds, then ten, then fifteen. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the man spoke again.

"I will not make the mistake of underestimating Salem again. Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer. Especially not when Salem would go after destruction first this time. With creation I might be able to hold back its assault, but… it would be far too risky. I will not play games with the fate of humanity at stake, nor will I take unnecessary risks. Not again."

He turned to her, and in his eyes, Glynda could see just a glimpse of the man he'd had to become. A man that could, if pushed, be nearly as monstrous as Salem herself.

And she hoped she would never have to meet him. Not truly.

"I will keep the deadlock, even if it means that I must sent Huntsman and Huntresses to their deaths every day, knowing that perhaps I could do more. Even knowing that prolonging Amber's life only keeps the Maiden's powers out of Salem's hands for a time, or at best, dooms another of our students to be her target. Even knowing that maybe I am fated to fail in the end. I will give humanity as much time as I can."

Glynda felt rooted to the spot as Ozpin looked back towards Amber one last time, sighed, and turned around. He began walking back towards the elevator, back towards Beacon itself.

"No improvement once again. Then we've no choice."

"The aura transfer machine, sir?"

"Yes." Ozpin spoke, shaking his head. "I have a candidate in mind that I believe will be our best option, remiss as I am to consider this at all."

"Were that I were only a few years younger." Glynda lamented as the two of them boarded the elevator, and began to rise out of the abyss.

"Hah." Ozpin muttered, barely audible at all.

"Were that life could be so simple."

End Chapter 34

Another week, another chapter.

Next week will be pretty big, I'll just say that much.