How Long Do Ya Got?
The Land of Darkness: Salem's Palace
"This sucks," said Emerald as she sat on the floor in a large, fairly empty room of Salem's palace. Like the others, it had a purple color scheme with a number of large windows, pillars and a pair of wooden doors on either end. "I hate being in the dark about what's going on."
"I hear that," said Mercury as he threw a kick at Exo, who managed to block it with his forearm before countering with a left hook. Mercury dodged out of the way as they moved back and forth around the chamber, exchanging blows with measured intensity. "At least Cinder kept us on the up and up."
"Most of the time anyway," commented Exo as he moved his head out of the way of a high kick.
"Could I ask you two something?" Emerald inquired as she lifted her head up from the position on her knees.
"You're going to one way or the other," replied Mercury as he ducked another swing from Exo.
"Just nothing philosophical please," said Exo as he stopped a knee strike aimed at his side, "those give me a headache." Emerald thought of how best to ask the question before finally deciding she'd just say it outright.
"Alright, Mercury, the night Cinder and I found you and she made her offer, why'd you accept," Questioned Emerald.
"That's a bit out of the blue don't ya think," commented Mercury as he and Exo paused their sparring session.
"Answer the question Merc," Said Emerald, more of an order than a request.
"Nothing big," said Mercury with his hands up, "It just made the most sense at the time."
"You chose to go off with two strangers you'd never met before that night all because it made sense?" Questioned Emerald, relatively skeptical.
"My father trained me my whole life to be an assassin," said Mercury, "He wanted a son that was a ruthless killer like him. Then, low and behold, not hardly a few minutes after I end his miserable life, you two show up and just happen to need a guy with my exact skill set. It just seemed right, like it was meant to happen."
"So that's all there is to it, huh," said Emerald, "What about you Exo, you just in it for the lien?"
"Money is no object, especially when you grow up in Vacuo," said Exo as he and Mercury lowered their guards, "that being said, I do have an ultimate motive if you don't mind hearing the explanation that goes along with it."
"If you really feel like you gotta go the long way," said Emerald as she motioned for Exo to continue.
"Well it goes like this," said Exo as he walked over to one of the pillars where his gear was at, "as you likely know, growing up in Vacuo isn't easy, our culture is survival after all. But I suppose I was a little luckier than most, I had both a mother and father and they definitely loved me, at least enough to teach me how to fight and survive. Despite that, I hated my old man, not because he was harsh in the training or because he was negligent, but because he was content to stay where he was."
"You really think he could've done better than he was in a place like Vacuo," questioned Emerald.
"I know he could've done better," said Exo as he donned his knife holsters, "But he was 'happy' with the life we had, just a guy helping run security against bandit raids when he could've been running the whole show as the boss of security. So I aimed to do better and convinced them to enroll me in Shade Academy where I got the rest of my training. But then I noticed something about huntsman, a lot of time they take high risks for nominal, sometimes even no reward, which for a guy like me who wants to work his way up, well it doesn't work at all."
Exo donned his armored coat then before he continued speaking. "Then I also noticed something else, being respected is good but people are still willing to cross you every now and then, like this trash talking newbie that came into the school one day, thinking he was hot stuff. I didn't just beat him in our sparring match, I made the difference between our skill levels undeniable and then he had the nerve to try and strike me in the back at the end of the match. Sure I may have mocked his pathetic skills a bit at the end, but the fact that he was stupid enough to charge a superior fighter with no aura, in my opinion he deserved to lose his head."
"You mean-," Emerald asked, already knowing what the answer was.
"That's right, my first kill was not while I was a mercenary," said Exo, "my first in a long string of decapitations was in the halls of Shade Academy. Sure they tried to lock me up, but with a semblance that lets a guy teleport to anything he marks, I escaped in no time. Fled to Mistral after that, made my first connections in the black market and never looked back. Not long after that, I realized what I really wanted out of my life."
"And that would be," Asked Emerald, wondering if the mercenary had a point to telling his life's story.
"I want to become one of the shadows of the underworld," said Exo, "What I mean by that is I want my name to be one of those whispered among the baddest of the bad. The kind of guy whose reputation makes even the rich and famous come crawling on their knees in fear when they call upon him. I want to be one of those guys that can go where they want and do what they want because nearly everyone else will be too scared to tell him otherwise. To do that, I need capital, regardless of the source, and I need people that will spread my reputation around. Now that I've arrived here, making bank working for the biggest big bad out there, I feel as though I'm well on my way."
"You wanna be a big dog," said Emerald, "Though that does explain how you and Cinder got along so well. She wanted to be feared too."
"We'll all be feared, respected big dogs if we win this thing for Salem," said Mercury, "So I'm not really getting what you think's wrong with our motivations."
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with your motivations," replied Emerald as she stood up and walked towards them, "It's just, I only ever really wanted one thing. Cinder found me, taught me, even cared for me. But now that it's just us here, I'm not really sure we-."
"Oh don't you get it by now," questioned Mercury with a shake of his head, "Cinder doesn't really care about me, Exo here or you. She never did." The look on Emerald's face went from shock to anger in an instant at his words.
"You don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about," said Emerald through gritted teeth as she advanced on Mercury.
"Wow, you really are in denial aren't you," said Mercury, "Guess you really have gotten so good at lying you'll even believe the ones you tell yourself."
"RAAAAAAAGH!" Emerald yelled as she lunged at Mercury with a right haymaker. The silver-haired fighter dodged out of the way of it before blocking a second, then a third strike with his hands. "You sound exactly like Wayne! He didn't know a thing and neither do you!" Mercury avoided another few punches and a kick before catching Emerald's wrist as she attempted another right cross at him.
"Or maybe he wasn't as naïve as you thought," said Mercury with a tight hold on her wrist, "Unlike you, he has a mother that loves him and a father that definitely doesn't hate him like mine hated me!" Mercury pushed her away then before advancing on her. "I'll bet his father didn't beat him mercilessly in every training session they had, I'll bet his father didn't steal his semblance the day he got it and make false promises about giving it back when he was stronger!" Mercury punctuated each of his points with a kick or a punch, forcing Emerald back as she kept her hands up, desperately trying to ward away his strikes.
"And most of all I'll bet his father didn't force him down the path of being a huntsman, it was something that he allowed him to choose. But I had to work harder than anyone to make it this far because I had no other choice! So if you want out of this because Cinder isn't here, that's your problem, but I'm staying here because it's where I feel like I belong!"
Emerald grit her teeth as they charged each other, Mercury with a nasty roundhouse and Emerald with another right cross. But their blows never connected as Exo jumped in between them, stopping Mercury's leg with one hand while grabbing Emerald's wrist and directing her blow upward with his other hand. "I think that's enough," said Exo as he released their limbs, "I doubt this will solve either of your problems and besides, we've got an audience." The sound of Tyrian's laughing cut through the chamber then, halting any other animosity between the two.
"It's so true isn't it," said Tyrian as he slinked out of the shadows of the doorway, "The world is such a cruel place, but it's alright because I'm a big, scary man now, just like the others." The scorpion Faunus put his hands together as his face shown with a gleeful expression.
"And Just how long have you been camping out over there?!" Demanded Mercury as he advanced on Tyrian.
"Oh long enough to know that pain and violence is the only thing you learned in life," said Tyrian, "And what's so tragic is that now, you're too afraid to even try to leave it, am I right?"
"What would a psycho know about me?!" Mercury shot back as he tried to high kick the Faunus in the head. But Tyrian quickly dodged back and countered with a kick of his own, knocking Mercury down to the floor. Before he could recover, Tyrian was standing over him with his new, metallic tail inches from his throat.
"Hey back off-," Emerald started to advance before she was silenced by Tyrian shushing her with a movement of his tail even closer to Mercury. His eyes then moved over to Exo, who'd discreetly pulled one of his knives out of his coat.
"Love the new tail," said Exo, "Now tell us what this is about."
"Well first I thought I'd tell you all a little secret," said Tyrian, "You're not asking the right question. You want to know what you're getting out of this, but really you should be asking do I love what I'm doing? Because if you're not, then this simply isn't the field for you."
"So you're saying if we don't like it, we should just up and leave?" Questioned Emerald, clearly confused by the psychotic Faunus's reasoning.
"No, no, no absolutely not," said Tyrian as he laughed, "That would be silly if you tried to leave."
"Hate to say it but he's right," Exo pointed out, "We know secrets that most other people don't. That's not something you just walk away from."
"So if you're not telling us to leave, then why are you here?" Questioned Mercury from his position on the ground.
"Why I simply came to say farewell to you all for now," said Tyrian as he retracted his tail from Mercury's throat, "You see her grace has decided that our priorities are now in Atlas. If General Ironwood actually becomes reasonable again and requests aid from Vacuo, then any hope of victory could very well be lost to us. So the doctor and I are departing to Atlas to make preparations."
"What in the world are we preparing for in Atlas?" Questioned Emerald. She didn't get an answer, however, as Doctor Watts called from the doorway.
"It's time for us to take our leave Tyrian," said Watts, "You can play with Cinder's posse later." The scorpion Faunus let Mercury up then and headed for the door, but not before giving them a few parting words.
"Remember children, find the thing that makes you happy," said Tyrian as he moved his tail threateningly, "I implore you." The psychotic man proceeded to slink back into the darkness then, chuckling all the way. After a moment of stunned silence, Exo finally let out a sigh.
"You two are gonna be the death of me, you know that," said Exo as he returned his knife to his coat and placed his sword on his back. "I was afraid I'd have to use my trump card on that psycho, not that I'd mind finally taking his head off."
"No one's making you hang around with us," said Emerald, "come to think of it, why do you keep helping us out?"
"What, are you kidding me," said Exo as he crossed his arms and leaned against the nearest column. "That guy's an unhinged psycho who's barely under control, Watts is an arrogant prick with no respect for those under him, Hazel complains about my methods despite my calling card being decapitation and Remnant knows I ain't spending any more time with Salem than I have too. You guys are probably the only ones in this whole castle I can even have a decent conversation with while I'm here."
"Well I guess there are worse reasons you like keeping us around," said Mercury, "Which reminds me. Didn't you have something you wanted to tell Emerald at the end of our little sparring session?"
"Ah, thanks for reminding me," said Exo as he pulled out his scroll, "I got news from an old friend who made her way back to Mistral recently. You remember Neo, right?"
"I remember liking her psychotic nature a lot better than Tyrian's," said Emerald.
"Well guess who's joined up with Cinder and making their way to Atlas," said Exo with a smirk.
Argus: The City Streets
Déjà vu was always a weird feeling. When things seemed to be happening all over again, even when it's a different day in a different place. In Wayne and Aegis's case, they were feeling a bit of déjà vu right now. "So remind me what it was we did the last time one of our friends suddenly ran off," said Aegis as they walked down the street looking for Oscar.
"We sniffed around for a bit, had a bite then sniffed some more," said Wayne, "The only thing we haven't done yet is split up to cover more ground, but with team RWBY covering one side of the city and team JNPR covering another, that almost seems unnecessary."
"Except for the part where we're in an enormous city," said Aegis, "And I don't know Oscar's scent as well as I knew Blake's back when she ran off."
"That's when we rely on dumb luck," said Wayne, "When it comes down to it, we'd probably be just as likely to find him if he's in the city by not looking for him."
"Assuming the guy even wants to be found," said Aegis, "Jaune laid it on pretty thick with that whole 'he could be the evil one' accusation."
"We all laid it on pretty thick," said Wayne as they turned a corner, "Qrow punched him, Yang wanted to punch him, Weiss and Blake were angry at him, and me, I went and told him he could leave if he really wanted."
"Let me guess," said Aegis, "Something about this wasn't his choice and therefore he shouldn't feel responsible for carrying this responsibility. I got enhanced hearing to ya know."
"Well that saves me a whole explanation," said Wayne, "At the time we were being affected by those Apathy pricks when I said it, but it definitely didn't help."
"You told the truth as you saw it, same as always," said Aegis, "Given what we learned about Salem, I've had my own thoughts about finding another fight after we get that relic to Atlas."
"Except you won't go anywhere so long as Yang's still fighting," Wayne pointed out.
"Well what other reason does a guy need to fight than for his friends," Said Aegis, brushing off Wayne's implication.
"What about the little secretive looks you give her every now and then," said Wayne, "Sure I'm usually just joking about it, but let's be honest here bro, that's not the way you look at a friend."
"You want honesty," said Aegis, "I'm honestly pretty hungry, so I'm gonna swing in that little café there and get us something to eat while you wait here."
"Hey do what you gotta do," said Wayne with a shrug, "Just be sure to keep an eye out for Oscar while you're in there."
"Yeah yeah, I got it," said Aegis as he went inside the café, leaving his brother leaning against the wall scanning the crowd and sniffing the air. 'I don't know what you're thinking Oscar,' mused Wayne, 'but you'd better have a good explanation when we do find you.'
"Excuse me," said an unfamiliar voice, breaking Wayne from his thoughts. "Are you lost?"
"No, we're," Wayne felt his voice die in his throat as he turned to see who was speaking. It was a girl in a long brown coat with furred edges, black gloves and boots. But what made Wayne stop was her red hair and green eyes hiding behind a pair of glasses. Even with her hair down, she bared a striking resemblance to Pyrrha Nikos. "Looking for Someone."
"I'm sorry if I startled you," said the girl as she adjusted the flowers in her arms, "You just seemed troubled about something. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I can't ask a total stranger to help us find 'our' friend," said Wayne, "Though if you have seen a freckled kid with dark hair and a farm boy's get up walking around that would help tremendously."
"Well I did see someone who was clearly new here walking around not too long ago," said the red-haired woman as she pointed down the street. "Down that way is a clothing store called 'Gentleman's Garb.' It's a little on the nose I know but I did see someone of that description wandering about."
"I see," said Wayne as he looked down the street, "Well I suppose it's worth a shot. By the way, you wouldn't happen to be familiar with the name-," Wayne turned around to ask his question, only to find the mysterious woman gone, "-Nikos?"
"Yo Wayne," said Aegis as he exited the café, "They got these great chicken and ranch wraps in there. Obviously no Oscar though, Wayne?"
"Right," said Wayne as he accepted the wrap from his brother and took a bite.
"You got that look on your face, ya know the one when you're thinking about something strange," said Aegis, "What's up?"
"Well I'm not saying for sure," said Wayne as he began walking in the direction he'd been pointed, "But I think I might have a lead on Oscar."
"Where'd you get this spark of inspiration?" Questioned Aegis as he took another bite of his wrap.
"A very helpful redhead," replied Wayne as they came in sight of the clothing store. Taking a few cautionary sniffs of the street, Wayne found something interesting. 'That smells a little, familiar,' he thought as the two of them proceeded into the store. Their senses were assaulted by the scent of new clothing that had been freshly washed, but with concentration, they managed to pick out one scent among the others.
"You smelling what I'm smelling?" Questioned Aegis with a hopeful tone in his voice.
"Worth a shot," said Wayne as they followed the scent into a section that seemed to have older style clothing. And there, with his hand on his chin, stood Oscar, apparently trying to decide whether or not he should buy something.
"Ya know," said Wayne, startling the farm boy as he leaned against one of the clothing racks with his arms crossed, "I believe I said you'd need to talk to Ruby first before you just up and left."
"What, Wayne, Aegis," said Oscar as he bumped into another rack of clothes, "What are you guys doing here?"
"Looking for you," replied Aegis, "And so is just about everyone else right now."
"You guys have been out looking for me?" Questioned Oscar, clearly surprised at this.
"You make it sound like we shouldn't be," said Wayne, "Which brings us to the question of the hour, why did you up and disappear?"
"I didn't mean to disappear," said Oscar, "I just needed a place to think, but with everyone splitting up around the house, well."
"So you thought the best thing to do would be to slip on out without telling anyone," asked Aegis with a raised eyebrow.
"I was just taking a walk and got lost in my thoughts," said Oscar, "With everything that's been happening lately, it seemed like the best thing for me to do was just get out of everyone's hair."
"So were you planning on heading back at any point?" inquired Wayne, "As said, you've been out for quite a while."
"I was going to, eventually, maybe, I don't know," said Oscar as his shoulders sank a bit, "Everyone's just been so angry and upset with all that's happened lately. I've never had so many people wanting to punch my face in."
"It's not your face they want to punch in," said Wayne, "It's Opzin that everyone, including me, wants to pummel. As for JNR, well, they weren't there when Oz sealed his mind off from yours, so it's gonna take some time for them to get their heads around that."
"But what if Jaune's right," said Oz as he put his hands to his head, "Ozpin said in time our souls will eventually merge and we'll become one person. But what'll be left of me when that happens? How do I even know there will be anything left of me when it happens?"
"I mean maybe he'll stay on permanent lockdown," suggested Aegis, "It could wind up with more of you than him when this merger happens."
"But then his knowledge might all be lost," said Oscar, "I don't like that he lied to everyone either, but he knows things that the rest of us don't. What if we run into something that only he can get us out of?"
"But weren't you the one who keeps insisting that you have to fight your own battles," said Wayne, "Sure Oz knows a lot, but what's the point of all that knowledge if he keeps leaving the important bits out? From what I've seen, the only person he's really protecting by lying is himself. So if even one part of you still remains when your souls merge, I hope it's your honesty, because Ozpin's lies haven't helped any of us, or him."
"That's pretty optimistic," said Oscar, "I just hate that the cost of the other voice in my head stopping is losing everything that I am."
"I do know the feeling," said Wayne, "At least to a degree. You remember my conversations with Oz about the aura shadow right?"
"I remember what happens if you're not careful," replied Oscar, "But I also remember something about you hearing voices, mostly the kill everyone kind. Which, now that you mention it, does sound pretty scary."
"I learned the technique because I knew I needed to be stronger," said Wayne, "But the price for it if I let it get out of control, well that's something that truly scares me, because every bit of that darkness is me, but also isn't."
"And the rage mode ain't much better," said Aegis, "the first time I used it I wrecked an entire side of the Vytal festival arena taking down my opponent. It took me months of practice before I could even distinguish friend from foe."
"Yeah but you guys don't have time limits on how long you've got left in this world because of those techniques," said Oscar.
"We all have time limits on our lives," said Wayne, "Our parents could've lost their lives on a number of occasions. Everyone in our little group has nearly lost their life at least once. But even if we weren't going down this path, there'd still be no guarantee that we'd see tomorrow. Accidents, health problems, random Grimm attacks, criminals and many other hazards threaten us every day. That's why we do what we can with our lives, before our time runs out."
"It sounds a little fatalistic when you put it that way," said Oscar, "Do what you can before you die."
"Hey that's why you don't think about it like that," Said Aegis, "Since none of us know when our time's gonna run out, there's no reason to worry about tomorrow either. Maybe it'll be good and maybe it'll be the end, who knows. So until you know otherwise, keep on going like you're gonna live forever."
"Now you two are definitely sounding like Ruby," said Oscar as he finally smiled, "But maybe that's why she can stay happy despite everything. And here I am feeling sorry for myself because I got another guy's soul stuck in my body."
"Hey that's still heavy stuff," said Wayne with a hand on his shoulder, "But here's the way I see it. If you really wanna call it done, at least give the group a proper good bye first." Oscar seemed to think about if for a second before giving his answer.
"No, no I don't think I'm calling it done just yet," said Oscar, "If I return home now, my soul might merge with Ozpin's the next day and then I'll be heading out again. So for now, I'll stick with you guys and see this thing through to the end. But before I go back, would you guys mind helping me out with something?"
"Sure thing, what do ya need?" Questioned Aegis, happy that they could cheer up their friend.
"Could you help me pick out something that doesn't scream 'farm boy,'" requested Oscar, "I may as well get something after hanging around this store for so long." The Ursario brothers both nodded happily.
Sapphire's Apartment: Later That Night
"I am certain this is a pleasant sight for the neighbors," said Terra Cotta as she adjusted her grip on the infant in her arms. Sapphire was quick to silence her with a light elbow to her side. But everyone knew she was right as they looked at a groggy, drunk Qrow rubbing his eyes while sitting on the steps of the apartment. Because of his most recent drinking binge, the veteran huntsman wasn't even aware that they'd been out looking for Oscar.
"So did you guys find anything," asked Blake as team JNR also walked up.
"Nothing I'm afraid," replied Ren, "We searched everywhere we could think of."
"But we're not giving up," said Jaune, "If we're going to Atlas, we're bringing Oscar with us."
"When you say we," said Ruby as she helped her uncle off the steps, "Do you mean?"
"We're still with you," said Jaune, "And sorry about the way I acted earlier, I was out of line. And sorry we won't be staying Saph."
"Yeah, no you're not," replied Sapphire with a smirk and a hand on her hip.
"Well why don't we finish the rest of this conversation inside and out of the cold," suggested Terra Cotta. Before anyone could answer, though, the door to the apartment open.
"Hey guys," said Wayne as he stood in the doorway, "I thought I heard someone outside the door."
"Wayne," said Weiss, "Where have you been, you and Aegis haven't been answering your scrolls for the last hour!"
"Well we had to drag his feathered ## back here for starters," said Wayne as he indicated Qrow, who was finally able to stand on his own two feet. "But we also wanted to surprise you guys."
"I don't think this is the best time for surprises," said Maria, "We've had plenty of those in the last couple of days." Wayne simply stood to the side, allowing Oscar to step forward.
"Hey everyone," said Oscar as he stepped into the doorway, "We were wondering when you'd all-."
"OSCAR!" Yelled teams RWBY and JNR as they all seemed to leap in the air in joy.
"Oh crap," said Wayne and Oscar at the same time as they tried to move out of the way, only to be barreled over by the collective teams. After a moment of painful hugs, the two were allowed to get up off the floor.
"You had us all worried," said Weiss with a concerned expression on her face.
"Are you doing alright Oscar," Questioned Ruby with a hint of her own concern in her voice.
"And where did you find the new outfit?" Questioned Nora, without the slightest hint of concern at all. She was referring to the fact that Oscar was now wearing a green, old style gentleman's coat that reached to his knees with new red boots and a belt with pouches for storing things.
"At this fancy gentleman's clothing store," Wayne answered, "found him there after getting some directions from a helpful lady. That and ya know, good sense of smell."
"Speaking of smell," said Terra Cotta as she walked in with Sapphire, Qrow and Maria, who was now carrying the infant, "Is something in the oven?"
"Oh that," said Oscar as he rubbed the back of his head, "I kinda thought you guys might like something to eat after scouring the city looking for me all day."
"Don't forget to mention roping us into it," said Aegis as he walked out of the kitchen, tossing an apron over his shoulder, "I hope you guys like elbow pasta because there is a lot in there."
"Before we do any of that," said Jaune as he stepped forward, "I need to say I'm sorry for earlier Oscar. It was unfair, it was way out of line and you didn't deserve-."
"Hey it's okay Jaune," said Oscar as her raised his hands up to stop the blonde from going on a rant, "I understand where you're coming from actually. I've been worried over these past few days about some of that same stuff. I know I don't have a lot of time left before I'm not really me anymore, but with some thinking, and a couple of helpful opinions, I've decided I want to do as much as I can with the time I have left."
"That's a relief," said Jaune as a smile crossed his face, "This isn't quite the same team without you here." Everyone else smiled in approval of this before a buzzer went off in the kitchen.
"Oh nuts, we need to take the casserole out!" exclaimed Oscar as he gripped his head.
"Don't worry chef, we got it," said Sapphire as she and Terra Cotta went into the kitchen.
"So," said Ruby as everyone's attention turned back to Oscar, "I like the new combat gear you picked out." The farm boy smiled sheepishly before Ruby's attention was diverted to the sound of her uncle walking up the stairs.
"Why are you heading up there?" Questioned Ruby as she approached the stairs.
"I just feel like I'll be spoiling your little celebration if I hang around," said Qrow as he continued up the steps slowly.
"After spending all day out in the city the least you could do is sit with us for a little while," said Ruby.
"Hey, I'm glad you kids were able to work out whatever problem you thought you were having," said Qrow as he kept walking up the stairs, "But I need some time to-."
"Aegis, wall," said Ruby, prompting the half bear Faunus to erect a pane of glass in front of the drunk huntsman, preventing him from going up the stairs.
"Okay fine," grumbled Qrow as he turned back to the Ruby, "I thought it would rain on everyone's parade a bit if I point out that we're no closer to getting to Atlas than we were before."
"That's not entirely true," said Jaune as he also approached the stairs, "I may have something of an idea for how to get there. But before I share, I should let you guys know it's kind of a no-turning-back kind of idea." Ruby thought for a moment before answering.
"Any idea's better than none at all," said Ruby, "What've you got Jaune?"
"Well with the embargo in place and Cordova watching the city's airspace," explained Jaune, "the only airships cleared to leave or enter the city are Atlas airships. So if we're gonna get into Solitas, we'll need to steal an Atlas airship." Jaune said the last part rather sheepishly.
"That's not just against the law," said Weiss, "that's definitely asking for an international incident."
"And then there's the little problem of how we're gonna get on the airfield in the first place," Yang pointed out.
"Well first," replied Jaune, "I haven't quite got that far, but there should be-."
"Alright you need to just stop right there," said Qrow, "What you're suggesting is not something we can just fight our way out of if everything goes South. We're talking about going up against the Atlas military here, so for all our sakes it might be better if you just dropped this line of thought right now." Jaune didn't have anything to say to that as an uncomfortable silence fell over the group.
"You know what," Ruby finally said, "I want to hear his plan."
"Ruby you can't be-," Qrow started to protest before he was cut off by his niece.
"I want to hear the plan!" Ruby exclaimed before going back to her regular voice. "I know you want to keep us all safe and you're probably thinking there's no way we could do this, but right now what you think isn't getting us anywhere." Ruby's tone caused a look of surprise to spread across her Uncle's face as she continued. "You're not the only one here who can come up with an idea, so there's no reason to act like we're out of options."
"Even without Ozpin, we managed to make it this far, and we've gotten out of bad situations without the help of an adult coming to save us or telling us what needed to be done. Our way has worked before and we're going to do things our way now. So if you think you can keep up with a bunch of kids, we'd be happy to have you tagging along." Qrow was clearly trying to think of a response to this, but he was coming up with nothing as Calavera simply chuckled.
"It seems you haven't been giving the girl enough credit," said Calavera. Qrow simply sighed as Ruby turned to Jaune.
"Alright, let's start coming up with the rest of the plan," said Ruby.
"Oh sure," said Wayne, feigning offense, "I suggest breaking the rules and everyone goes 'haha that's funny Wayne.' But when Jaune suggests breaking the rules everyone's like 'what are your orders captain?'" The elder Ursario did a mock salute to emphasize his point.
"Uh, sorry," said Jaune as he rubbed the back of his head in confusion.
"I'm kidding Jaune," said Wayne as he punched the blonde in the shoulder, "Now, what say we come up with an evil plan."
And so, Oscar has returned with some new duds, and the gang begins to plan their very first heist against the Atlas military. But will everything go according to this plan? That's a question for next time, and speaking of next time, I may be combining chapters 10 and 11 together given that they're both a little shorter in comparison to the last few chapters, let me know if you think it's a good idea. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got a brilliant little idea to make the story better. Be sure to stop in next time as our heroes go up against Atlas security with: A baby and some stink bombs? 'Til then.
