Writer's Note:
Just a head's up for this chapter, it's mostly setup and displaying each character's thoughts and feelings towards Neo's imprisonment. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm stalling, regarding the cliff hanger a couple of chapters ago, but there's a lot of ground I should cover before I fully reveal the outcome of that situation. That being said, I do think this chapter has some rather interesting parts to it and the plot does advance, if only by a little. Still, if you would rather cut to the meat of the action, I'll leave a TLDR at the end. Rest assured that I don't plan to keep you in suspense forever. I plan to get back to Neo's perspective in Chapter Twenty-Four.
Chapter Twenty-One: A Melancholy Meeting.
As with most things in school, rumours spread quickly, much to the dismay of everyone. It was one thing to be told that your friend has been locked up by the police for destroying a military base, but it was another thing to suddenly begin hearing baseless gossips about how someone you admire is actually some evil, horrible person who likes to torture cats, do away with people who disagreed with her, and killed her own parents. It gave Team NTRO no end of irritation to hear such things when they were confident in Neo's innocence. Supposedly.
That evening, an impromptu meeting was held in Team NTRO's room, featuring Neo's three team members, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR. They sat in a small circle at the centre of the room and were already locked in various conversations of various topics, before Oberon addressed the room and caused a series of blank holographic screens to hover in the air above their heads.
"Settle down." He spoke. His voice was calm but serious, as if he were leading some kind of fire drill. "As you know, we are here to discuss the topic of Neo's incarceration. Before we discuss the subject of what we should do regarding the matter, I would first like to see a show of hands. Who currently believes Neo is innocent of the crimes she was accused of?"
A few hands immediately shot up. Thea, Rylee, Ruby and Pyrrha were the first to raise their hands. Then, Jaune, Nora, Blake, and Weiss. The only people yet to raise their hand was Yang, Ren and, to the disbelief of almost everyone in the room, Oberon himself.
"The majority, it would seem, believes in her innocence." He continued, not addressing the scepticism of people for the moment. "Yang, why do you believe that Neo is guilty?"
"Well, I'm not saying she is guilty, but I haven't really seen anything concrete to suggest otherwise. This is the same person who kidnapped my sister in order to make her tell Neo if she ever saw Torchwick again. You know, the same person which she's supposed to have broken out of jail?" Yang explained, speaking firmly but like she was trying to put things delicately. It was likely that Neo somehow managed to rub her the wrong way.
"And Ren?" Oberon inquired.
"I don't know her well enough to be a good judge of character." He stated, speaking quietly and monotone like usual. His words were like rain upon the windows. "I only know what she is capable of. And the competence to perform the crime she's accused of is well within her abilities."
Oberon nodded, calmly. "Both are valid opinions. Before we proceed to making any plans of action, does anyone have any counterpoints which they would like to share?"
Ruby Rose quickly raised her hand and stood up. "I've spoken with Neo on and off for the past week and ever since we had that tea party in the closet, I could always feel that she was hiding something. And she was. But it wasn't this. She's been suffering in silence for weeks and feeling like she has to do everything by herself. Except, she doesn't have to do that. Are we really going to turn our backs on her when she's at her lowest point? What would be the point in capturing Roman, and then breaking him out of jail? It just makes no sense to do that!" She then sat down.
"…Neo and I didn't really get along when we first met." Thea began, as she rose to her feet. "We couldn't really communicate at all, honestly. She was mute and I was blind. But she saved my life during the initiation test. Neo risked everything just so that I could be safe. I refuse to believe that someone so selfless would commit an act so vile completely out of the blue."
There was a moment of silence as Thea sat down. Oberon was about to continue, when Rylee spoke up and said what most people in the room were thinking.
"Oberon, you're yet to tell us what you think. Don't tell me you think she's guilty…?"
The strategist took a long breath. "I don't want to talk about it."
Naturally, an uproar began to arise, seemingly out of nowhere as if the tension of the room had suddenly erupted like a volcano. 'What do you mean you don't want to talk about it?!' 'Does she mean that little to you?!' 'I bet he just wants to be leader again.' 'None of us want to talk about this. What makes you so high and mighty?' 'He's hiding something, too.'
Oberon just gritted his teeth and took the abuse as he closed his eyes and massaged his temples, trying to find a way to disarm the situation. He took a deep breath and counted to five. One… two… three… four… five. "If I didn't care about her, I wouldn't have called everyone here to begin with. Of course, I'm worried about her. I'm just… not entirely convinced of her guiltlessness."
Thea suddenly took a step towards Oberon, her face twisting into a grimace. "Why. Not…?!" She asked, angrily, pausing between the words to further their impact.
"I don't want to sa –" He began, before Thea grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer.
"How can you be so selfish at a time like this!? Now is not the time to play your cards close to your chest! Any information is pivotal right now!"
"That's not -!" He tried to say, before Thea raised a fist. She was about to swing when it was caught by Pyrrha. Even so, Thea tried to pull her hand from Pyrrha's grip, but the warrior proved resolute.
"Don't tell me you're siding with him!" Thea hissed, without turning around.
"Fighting amongst ourselves will get us nowhere." She replied. Thea scowled but lowered her fist.
"…Fine. You want to know so badly? I had my reasons for keeping this information to myself, but if you're insisting that any information is pivotal right now, then feel free to take a look at this." Oberon growled, sitting down, and letting his floating hands fly across the floating screens. He'd previously been writing down the points of both sides of the argument, but that information was minimised to reveal a page of hand-typed information. It was a detailed page about Neo and everything he knew about her. In a sense, it was her entire life reduced to numbers, ratings, descriptions, and features.
''Neopolitan.' Former name: 'Trivia Vanille.'
Danger Category: SS. Semblance: Overactive Imagination. (Creation.)
Strength: 7/10, Dexterity: 9.5/10, Constitution: 5.5/10, Intelligence: 7.5/10, Wisdom: 7.5(-5)/10, Charisma: 8(-2)/10.
Summary: An incredibly powerful ex-criminal who excels in the art of deception, trickery, strategy, and subterfuge. The full extent of her semblance is unknown, but she is capable of creating powerful illusions which can manifest in a large variety of forms. Her weapon: 'Hush,' is designed to be used primarily against humans, instead of Grimm. What it lacks in range, it makes up for in the deadly art of cloak and dagger. She is currently suffering from some kind of night terrors, likely as a result of her apparent amnesia and criminal past. In said past, when she went by her legal name, 'Trivia Vanille,' she was involved in a large number of crimes, from pickpocketing to armed robbery, and later from grand theft auto, to first degree murder. It is believed by multiple sources that she played a great part in Roman Torchwick's rise to infamy after his turnabout with the Spiders came to its finale. After the elimination of Hei Xiong and her own parents, which she was believed to also have had a part in, she disappeared alongside Torchwick and it is commonly believed that they became a particularly effective crime duo across Vale.
Conclusion: She may have the appearance of a harmless young girl, but she has the experience and knowledge of a trained killer. If you become her target, she could be anyone, anywhere and anything. Her semblance is easily one of the most powerful in existence and her fighting style excels in turning a losing situation into a winning one. The only way to surely defeat her would be to catch her unaware with an attack capable of instantly rendering her incapacitated.'
The room was filled with silence as everyone's eyes scanned through the document. Reading, re-reading and then reading through it once again just to make sure that these were definitely the words that their eyes were observing. The reactions were rather mixed. Rylee's blood boiled as they read it aloud for Thea to hear, and Thea had to restrain the urge to throw a chair out the window. Probably with Oberon on said chair if she could help it. She couldn't believe that he'd been documenting her as if she were some sort of animal. No, not an animal. A weapon. And the first words he used to describe her weren't 'friend,' 'leader,' or even 'rival.' It was 'ex-criminal.'
Whilst Rylee and Thea were furious at Oberon's description of their friend, Ruby was just plain horrified. Was this really the same person as the one which she had previously shared desserts with? The same emotionally vulnerable person who began crying as she apologised without reason? The same person who she had hugged after they had managed to bring down a renowned criminal together? It couldn't be, right? There had to be some kind of mistake.
And then there was Pyrrha's reaction to this information. Quiet, cold, and calculating. Her eyes scanned the document with a discerning gaze and began trying to piece together the facts. These words may have all been correct, but they also didn't mean much at all. The description was apt but overlooked a key, pivotal detail. Unless Neo had been lying, she was deprived of her memories ever since the day she had joined Beacon at the start of the semester. Whilst it was natural to retain certain skills after losing memories, it is very often the case that people's personalities and goals shift after their memories are tampered with. It is experiences which are the building blocks of personality. When large sections of foundation are removed, a building would collapse and become different. With that being said, if Neo did regain some sections of her memory, it would be up to her which life she clung to. That brings it all around to asking the question: 'Does she deserve this?'
That was a question which Pyrrha would be unable to answer until she found Neo again and spoke with her. If Neo was acting differently to her usual self, that would be a good indicator.
"…So…who believes in her innocence, now?" Oberon asked, with a pained expression on his face. He slowly turned around to face the group, lifting his head and seeing just how many people had now lost faith in Neo, just because of who she once was. They had once had an overwhelming majority vote towards her innocence. It had been all except three. Now, only four people clung to their belief that Neo was guiltless. Thea, Rylee, Ruby and Pyrrha. Oberon nodded, seemingly disappointed but unsurprised by this outcome.
"Now do you see why I was so hesitant to reveal everything, Thea?" he asked, emotionlessly. "The truth is not always easy to hear. What we need right now isn't exactly entirely based in fact. We need the trust and hope of our friend, and our peers. Information is decisive, but some should be private."
"It's better than lying to us." Jaune stated, seeming rather hurt by being deceived by both Neo and Oberon. His eyes were filled with apathy, and he laid backwards in his chair, looking up at the ceiling.
"There is a difference between lying and not telling the truth." Oberon justified.
"That's still being deceiving." Blake chimed in with a frown. "I don't think it even matters whether we think she's guilty or not. Roman Torchwick is still out there, and Neo is behind bars. If she's found innocent, she'll be released, but the dust thief will probably continue making victims. Surely, the bigger problem is Roman Torchwick being out there again? Not to mention the White Fang."
"That is true. However, we don't have a moral obligation to hunt him down. It's likely we're not as informed as the police are, regarding his whereabouts. If you want to try and recapture him, that is your decision. I suggest that we split into two groups. One group to check up on Neo, and one group to track Roman. However, nobody will force you to join a group. Any objections?" Oberon asked.
His statements were met with only silence.
"I'll take that for acceptance. Who'll go and check on Neo?" He asked. Oberon watched as hands began to raise. Some slower than others. First was Thea, then Rylee, then Pyrrha, Ruby and, lastly, Oberon, himself. The final arrival to this group came as a surprise to them, but Oberon moved on before they could question his choice. "And who will go after Roman?" Yang and Blake quickly raised their hands, followed by Weiss and then Jaune. The only people who decided not to go on either trip was Ren and Nora. It wasn't too surprising, since Ren didn't seem particularly bothered by either event, and Nora would follow Ren into the sun if he decided that was where he wanted to go.
Reaching some kind of conclusion, the meeting split into two different groups, with the lovebirds deciding to go study in the library, instead. Team Jabberwocky (JBWY) opted to go and discuss tactics in Team RWBY's room, whilst Team Report (RPORT) stayed where they were. As soon as the door closed behind the hastily named Team JBWY, the room practically exploded as Thea and Rylee began jumping to accusations, and Ruby and Pyrrha practically had to drag them back onto their seats. Oberon just held up a hand. Then four more.
"You probably think I'm a jerk right now. I get it. I really do." He began, before sitting down and floating that holographic script into his hand. "But let me be the first to say…I really want to believe she's innocent. I'm just…struggling to cast aside this doubt of mine."
"What's with the document, then?! Why are you labelling her as a threat to everyone?" Thea asked, her voice beginning to break. "Why do you think she's such a danger to the world?!"
"…Because she is. I strongly believe that someone like her has the power to change the course of history." He admitted. "Whether it's for better…or for worse is yet to be seen. Right now, though… she's only a danger to herself and anyone who is caught in her path."
"…Please… stop seeing her as just an object." Thea pleaded. "She's a person, too, you know? A person with feelings, thoughts, motivations, and attachments! She's in a really dark place right now, and she needs us now more than ever." She stepped forwards, and Pyrrha moved to get between the two, but Oberon placed a floating hand upon the warrior's shoulder as if to assure her that it was okay. Hesitantly, Pyrrha sat back down, and Thea stood in front of Oberon, who rose from his chair to meet her. Rylee watched with bated breath as Thea took Oberon's hand and held it tightly in her own. "Please…look past who she was and realise who she is."
A look of guilt rushed across Oberon's face for a moment.
"Neo's our friend, right? She never wanted to be the leader of the group… but I think she's the best leader that we could ask for. Instead of taking the mantle and wearing it like some kind of authority figure, she let us play at our strengths and work as equals. She was always there to cheer us up when we were sad or demoralised. Always put us in our place when we overstepped our boundaries. And always made sure we were a team, instead of just some hierarchy. Honestly, the fact that she's not here with us right now is probably why we're falling apart and at each other's throats!" Rylee added.
The look of culpability continued to grow on his face, and he just sighed.
"…I'm sorry." He breathed. "I'm not very in-tune with my emotional side. I suppose I'm just a realist, and that can sometimes cloud my judgement. But…you're right. I should put more faith in her." He admitted, before turning his gaze to the other four. They looked back at him, flashing him approving expressions.
"That's better." Pyrrha smiled. "Now that we've got ourselves together… maybe we should actually discuss what we're going to do? It's not like we can just walk into the police station and ask to see her." She frowned, before glancing around at the other four to find them sighing in agreement. Except for Oberon.
"On the contrary… we can do exactly that. We just need to do something else, first."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, leaning forward in anticipation.
"We just need to ask Ozpin. He's always been laid back and calm. If we just tell him that we want to check up on our former leader – and close friend – I highly doubt he'd object to the idea. The worst he would do is warn us before we go and ensure that we go through the proper security measures."
"…You know, that does sound a lot like what he would do." Pyrrha admitted. "But wasn't she taken in by the Atlesian military? Wouldn't that make it harder for the headmaster to arrange a visit?"
"Probably. However, he is close friends with General Ironwood and, though they may have their differences in opinion, I don't think even Ironwood would stop Neo's classmates from visiting her in prison." He smiled. "To do so would be incredibly heartless."
"Think we'll have time to do that, today?" Ruby asked, before glancing at the time on her scroll. "It's only… half nine in the evening!? Where did all the time go?"
"Time flies whilst you're caught up in things which mean a lot to you." Pyrrha replied. "And Team Juniper was late. Twenty minutes late. I didn't think making pancakes took that long."
"Oh, Ren always has to make three batches, since Nora has a black hole for a stomach when it comes to pancakes, sweet things, and desserts in general. Come to think of it…Neo's kinda similar in that regard, isn't she?" Ruby wondered, tapping her chin in thought.
"I guess Neo is the smart and swift version of Nora, to some extent. Whilst Neo is more likely to solve problems delicately, Nora sees every problem like a nail… and she has a big hammer." Rylee chuckled.
"…Getting back on track, I'll arrange a meeting with Ozpin after Monday's sessions are concluded and will update you all on the time. Please do not be late and keep your schedules free. Ideally, we'll aim to leave as soon as possible, since Neo's mental health is dwindling and I fear the impact that will have on her, and the people around her." Oberon announced.
"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow!" Ruby chimed, before standing up and walking out the door.
"…I hope she's alright. I doubt they'll go easy on her, considering her charges." Pyrrha sighed. "Stay strong, Neo…" She murmured, before standing up and leaving shortly behind Ruby.
"…She's been strong for too long. And yet the world demands more of her…" Thea exhaled.
TLDR: Teams RWBY, JNPR and the remnants of Team NTRO gather together to have a meeting regarding Neo's innocence. Thea is annoyed when she finds out that Oberon doesn't believe in her innocence and tells him to tell everyone why. Under duress, he does so, revealing he has been documenting her and has based his opinion on who she used to be, as opposed to who she is. The teams split up, with one team going to try and find Roman and the other trying to find a way to check on Neo.
