If Ruby noticed there was anything wrong on the way back from Anima to Vale, she did her damn best not to show it. However, she was never quite adept at schooling her features, or handling awkward silences (absolutely hated those), to begin with.
What exactly happened?
Even if she asked, Ruby had a hunch that no one would answer, or at the very least, they'd make some sort of excuse. Adults were always like that when they didn't want to share things that they thought children shouldn't know. The fact that Uncle Qrow had gone to the extent of knocking Emerald out and ferrying the two away spoke volumes.
Ruby was fidgeting, gaze focused on the floor while occasionally glancing up at the others around her. Gradually, her lips pursed, her mouth dry as she wondered how she could even attempt to break through the silence. She glanced towards Emerald, but she obviously wasn't going to be of any help when she was too busy glaring murder at Qrow for knocking her out prior.
Then who else did this leave her to seek cooperation with?
Her first choice came to mind.
Tentatively, Ruby snuck peeks towards Archer, trying to gesture at him in their 'secret code' that she'd devised in her childhood, a mix of hand and finger movements that Shirou would surely be able to understand.
Minding his own business, Shirou inwardly regretted it when he found himself glancing Ruby's way. It was like she was practically waiting for this moment and began taking action.
Shirou, wearing the guise of Archer, cringed, placing a hand over his face and glancing away in hopes that Ruby would get the message, but it only encouraged her to try harder with what she was doing. Realizing that he couldn't pretend that he hadn't noticed, Shirou looked at Ruby and resolutely shook his head to dissuade her, but Ruby nodded all the same and began signalling to him.
'Good, he noticed.' Ruby beamed while trying to convey what she needed.
'S' - Two fingers crossed and curled twice.
'O' - Thumb and pinky forming a circle on either hand.
'S' - Hands clasped together, followed by pouting helpeth me face.
"You know we can talk through our link, right?"
Ruby suddenly faltered in her actions at the reminder. She looked ridiculous, especially when the silence made all her movements especially loud. If Ruby thought that she had been subtle, she wasn't in the least.
Emerald snorted, breaking Ruby out of the odd perception that only she and Shirou were around, and making her realize that everyone was staring at her.
'M-Mission failed.'
Ruby quickly tucked her head into her shoulders, shying back and floundering. It wasn't her fault. No one was telling her anything, so what else was she supposed to do?
'Shirou, what happened?' Ruby asked inwardly once the heat died down from her face.
"Something complicated, but it's not my place to tell you."
'Please?'
"Sorry."
Well fine. Ruby brooded, crossing her arms. If no one was saying anything, then Ruby decided that she could find out on her own.
"Yang?" Ruby whispered to Yang who sat directly beside her.
Ruby thought that she'd get somewhere. It was Yang, right. They were sisters! They trusted each other, unlike uncle Qrow who kept insisting that she was too young.
Ruby's expectations about discovering the truth rose, only to be met with a polite way to say 'be quiet,' or 'don't talk to me,' by Yang.
Frowning, Yang tried to force a smile but couldn't. Instead, she shook her head. "Not now, Ruby."
Ruby's mouth clicked shut at the rejection, finally realizing that no one had any intention of telling her anything because she was too young, or it was for her own good. What no one else knew but her, was that Ruby didn't have to ask to try and understand.
The flight back to Vale would take another hour, and in that time, Ruby ended up getting acquainted with the mechanics of her future diary.
First, no one else but her seemed able to see it.
Secondly, it had a high degree of accuracy.
Thirdly, it wasn't a static object.
For instance, Ruby discovered that if she made a change, the content of the diary going forward would also alter. The newest instance was the entry regarding Yang. It changed from:
['Yang was never the same again.'] to ['Yang assimilated the power of a Maiden.']
Huh?
"What's a Maiden?" Ruby blurted out, not noticing everyone aside from Emerald snapping their gazes in her direction while Yang's breath hitched in shock.
"Ruby…?" Yang called out tentatively.
"What? Why is everyone looking at me?" Ruby shied away, but noticed Yang continue to stare at her for just a tad longer. "Y-Yang?"
"Forget it. It's nothing," Yang shook her head after noticing Ruby's ignorance much like the rest did.
Ruby didn't buy it. She was air-headed and childish at times, but she wasn't stupid. Turning her attention back to the 'The Sword of Remnant,' she realized that there was a meaning in the word Maiden and noted it down for later. Meanwhile, she took the opportunity to flip through to the last entries to see what all these events led up to and-
A lump formed in her throat, her jaw clenching.
T-This couldn't be real.
[His Anniversary]
The entry was titled as such.
[An older Ruby stands overlooking a grave, weeping in distress.]
Ruby felt her heart hammering, her chest constricting, making it difficult to breath.
[Engraved on the tomb stone was a short verse: In loving memory of a dear friend, loved one, and Hero. Here lies ****-]
"Is something wrong Ruby, you look pale?"
Ruby shut the diary closed and threw it away as if burned. She couldn't form a response at Shirou's inquiry, and just stared at Shirou as if she was going to cry. It wasn't true. It can't be true! For a moment, Ruby didn't dare pick the diary back up. She wished to pretend as if she'd never even saw it, but knew now more than ever why a future version of her would want to somehow send the diary back.
'I-It's nothing,' Ruby messaged Shirou back inwardly. Although shaken, she didn't forget that the diary had the chance of disappearing if she tried telling others of its existence.
Her words were flimsy, and far from convincing, but after sensing Ruby's present emotions through their link, Shirou could only relent.
Tentatively picking the diary back up, Ruby found new meaning on the words written desperately on the front. 'Save him. You have to save him!' It read. She gripped the diary tight, feeling the weight of the emotions held within it that managed to cross the ocean of time.
To prevent that bad end, Ruby could only try her best now that the life of someone she cared for was on the line. No matter what, she had to change things for the better. H-He can't die. It won't happen!
Opening the diary again, she flipped towards the most recent future entries, one of which was the start to a whole slur of events stemming from it. She'd never been good at studying, but she did her damn best to memorize as many scenes written in the diary as she could to keep herself prepared. As such, it came as no surprise to her when a certain figure appeared to greet everyone upon the bullhead's landing in Vale.
A grey-haired man wearing wire-rimmed glasses stood on the landing platform near a Vale departure bay. This was an intersection area where passengers could choose to do a layover to central Vale, or towards it's most prestigious Huntsman Academy, the Shining Beacon.
Who else had appeared before everyone if not Beacon's current Headmaster, Ozpin?
Seeing Ozpin's corroborating with the entries in her future diary, Ruby was growing more and more certain of that particular future to come. She balled her hands into fists, her palms all clammy from cold sweat.
"Ozpin," Qrow greeted first upon exiting the bullhead.
"Qrow," Ozpin acknowledged, nodding. He glanced away from Qrow and towards Yang who had her head lowered while walking down from the bullhead.
Around Yang, Ozpin could sense a familiar and intrinsic sensation of his own former magic. He took in a long breath and returned his focus on Qrow. "So, it's truly as you've said," he spoke.
For a moment, the two men just stared grimly at each other, something that Ruby didn't miss when she left the bullhead a little behind Yang. Of course, with Ruby's appearance, a subtle gleam flickered across Ozpin's gaze.
Qrow elbowed Ozpin on the side, already guessing what Ozpin could have been thinking, but knowing that he didn't have the right to bar Ruby from making her own choices. He was already crossing the line of her boundaries by refusing to get her involved with the magic side of the world. There was no way he'd involved in deciding her academy life.
"You are, Ms. Ruby Rose, I presume?" Ozpin asked Ruby as she drew near with Yang.
"Y-Yessir, that's me," Ruby nervously swallowed down the urge to fidget under the attention of someone with Ozpin's prestige and reputation- especially when she already knew what question was coming.
[Headmaster Ozpin asked me to enroll early into Beacon.]
"How would you like to join Beacon Academy this year?" Ozpin offered, seemingly on a whim. However, the intent behind his question was by no means simple. "Your sister will be attending Beacon this year as well, so the two of you can even attend the same classes. Do consider it."
Ruby furrowed her brows. On the corner of her eye, she could see Qrow trying to dissuade her, but to be frank. She was the only one who knew that she couldn't refuse. If she wanted to change anything, then what would sitting out and not getting any stronger do for her in the long run? Nothing. Her life-long friends and her strongest allies were found in Beacon. This wasn't a task she could do alone in the first place.
"I accept," Ruby said more solemnly than intended. Qrow noticed this, and much like Yang began to frown.
Ruby was never a subtle person, more so for those who knew her. The shift in her mood on the ride back to Vale was noted by many who cared for her including Shirou who decided he needed to watch her more closely.
It was around this time that the others on board the bullhead also began to disembark. Normal passengers came out first, followed by Shirou and then Emerald who trailed behind and made a face as soon as she saw Ozpin. From Emerald's reaction, this wasn't their first meeting. The exception to this, was Shirou's case.
This would officially be 'Archer' and Ozpin's first meeting together, and Shirou would have to act the part.
"You must be Archer?" Ozpin was quite enthused, no matter how he tried to feign his composure. This meeting was long since overdue. "A pleasure to finally meet you, though this obviously isn't the best place to hold a proper conversation. How about my office, say on the next ride to Beaco-"
"Exactly," Emerald cut in, not liking the look Ozpin was giving Shirou. It was the same one 'Scarlet' had used when she suggested enrolling in Beacon. "Pleasure's all yours, but us? We're busy."
"Ah, yes. A pleasure to see you again too Ms. Sustrai," Ozpin greeted while Emerald's features twisted. "Ms. Scarlet was quite adamant the last time she brought you over for training that you'd be a grand fit for the academy."
"Ugh, in your dreams."
Emerald tugged on Shirou's sleeve in the direction of another Bullhead back to Vale and not to Beacon, not realizing she was barely dragging him along at all.
Meanwhile, Yang stated that she and Qrow would be home later to Ruby.
It wasn't until Ruby started pushing on Shirou too for whatever reason that Shirou began to move along. Perhaps she was simply in a rush to get home?
At this point it didn't matter.
"Well, maybe we'll have that talk next time," Shirou smiled wryly at Ozpin behind the mask he wore. However, Ozpin wasn't one to give in so easily. He'd lived for years on end, and had developed an acute sense of shrewdness.
"Please take this," Ozpin presented a wrapped letter to Shirou just before he left.
"This is?" Shirou inspected the offered letter while Emerald felt a shiver go down her spine, an ominous feeling assailing her.
"An invitation."
Ozpin's words did nothing to alleviate Emerald's concern.
In comparison, Shirou hummed while flipping the envelop over to inspect its backside before flipping it back to its front. Nothing seemed odd about it, so he figured that he could just hand it off to his Archer counterpart the next time that they met.
Seeing Shirou accept the letter, a smile tugged on Ozpin's lips like a calculative old man.
The letter was simply one of many in a bid to gather a unique team of Remnant's finest youth. The next generation.
He'll call them the Revengers- or something like that.
Hehehe.
Time would tell if his efforts would breed any real result, but the die had been cast, and the pieces to assemble...
-In a distant training ground in a quaint island west of Vale known as Patch, the magic of the seasons would learn to be harnessed and grow.
/-/
"Not good enough. Again."
A growl escaped Yang's lips as Qrow whistled while watching Yang trip over her own feet and dirty her hair in copious amounts of mud. Between her ankles, a formless haze of misfortune was ruining her entire tempo and aggravating her to no end. This was Qrow's semblance. Admittedly, Qrow was practically a saint for having to endure it all of his life. Being freely able to control it and watch others from a bystander's perspective was still surreal even now, but this abrupt training wasn't for the sake of enjoyment.
"Control it." Qrow hardened his tone, red bleeding into Yang's hair as tongues of flame created free-flying embers. "Don't let it overcome you, now more than ever."
"I'm trying, alright!" Yang lunged forward in a bid to sock her uncle in the face, but a branch fell from a nearby trees and planted her back into the ground. She bristled, infuriated. It wouldn't have been so if she was actually getting beaten up. It was more like she was beating herself up at this point. "Dammit!"
Yang punched the ground and tendrils of lightning crackled in the skies above her, casting a shadow over her features in the onset of flashing light. Worse, it began to rain heavily…only on her. What the hell even was her uncle's Semblance? Was it always this bad? No wonder he always drinks.
"Listen closely Yang, but you have to understand the gravity of the situation," Qrow snapped Yang out of her inner musings. He was no longer acting as the 'cool uncle' here. He was acting in line as a proper Huntsman and a concerned relative. "I'm sure you're well aware of the situation Raven and I explained to you. Like it or not, there was a reason she didn't want you to come."
"You make it sound as if she was protecting me? Maybe she just wanted the power for herself?" Yang spat while grudgingly getting back onto her feet. "Uncle Qrow, how long are we going to do this?"
"Until you get good?" Qrow placed a hand beneath his chin and frowned while Yang felt dirty, sopping wet, and miserable. "You're going to need to get stronger and fast. In Beacon, the headmaster and I have prepared a specialized training program for you."
"Joy," Yang's tone was utterly flat while imagining her life in Beacon at the start of the semester.
More than anything.
Just one punch.
Just one.
Fire burned in Yang's eyes.
Nearby, a Beacon recommendation letter was left propped next to Qrow and Yang's belongings.
-Overflowing kindness is a virtue given only by those compassionate enough to believe themselves capable of aiding and sympathizing with even their enemies. In short, idealism in its greatest form was possessed solely by the most foolish, yet most caring. Idiots closer to martyrs than actual heroes.
/-/
In the Arc Family House, Jaune read through a letter he'd gotten in the mail and swallowed audibly from all the clamor still going on outside. There was a crowd. A large one beyond belief as if he was some famous singer without any accompanying protective detail. He groaned from it all, a white glow encompassing him from the Banner of the Saint he left propped by the side of his bed. It must have had some sort of mental fortitude effect because just being near it soothed Jaune to no end.
He dared not peak out the window anymore, his social anxieties mixing in with stage fright. That, and the fact that everyone practically knew his face wherever he went. No one treated him normally anymore as if he was either fragile glass, or precious treasure that needed to be 'protected' through safekeeping (A euphemising of house arrest).
Honestly, Jaune could see where people were coming from.
The sheer prospect that just being near the aura field of the Saint's Banner could consolidate and unlock their Aura was enough to inspire madness in ordinary people. Why else would government officials, businesses executives seeking to monopolize a new industry, and even common civilians continue to pester the Arc family on their own land?
"Mom, a group of bastards outside insist that they are here for Jaune's protection detail, can you believe them?!"
"They're just opportunists!"
Jaune could hear the anger in the tone of his sisters from even his room. They'd practically been shouting like this every time people would crowd around the house. Of course, Vale authorities offered to let them move to a securer area, but it wasn't a stretch to say that he'd be as safe as he'd be trapped. Speaking of government…
"This is the Atlas institute of development and progression. We would like to-"
"Why is Atlas here! Get lost! This is a Vale Council representative requesting for terms of negotiation about the monopoly of what should be a public good for the sake of the kingdoms as a whol-"
The scream of a mother's fury momentarily curbed all voices.
"Oh, fuck off with you! Leave us alone!"
"My baby boy's not some public commodity!"
Jaune cringed at his mother's shouting, and the embarrassment of it all.
"It's ridiculous! Nicolas, hurry and drive them away!"
"J-Just me?"
The sound of his father's whimper of a tone left Jaune with little doubt about his father's confidence in the current situation. One look out the window would be more than enough of a reason to feel faint. It was a miracle a mob hadn't been started from how densely people were packed and this was after Nicolas had already tried shooing them away.
"Take the sisters!"
Jaune could imagine the expression on the faces of his seven sisters when their mother practically threw them under the bus with that one, Huntresses or not.
"M-Mom, we don't think this is a winning battle…" Aurelia Arc spoke on behalf of her fellow siblings who gulped along with their father.
Enough.
Jaune couldn't bear the guilt his presence in the family home was having on his family. At the same time though, they'd never agree to just let him move freely as he was too important. Moreover, there was still his dream of becoming a Hero, something he felt he'd never accomplish being protected all the time.
What he'd experienced in Mt. Glenn had already changed his perception on certain things. He couldn't just remain idle while others suffered. It would do the banner that appeared before him a grave injustice.
Staring back at the letter and the scroll it came with, Jaune made up his mind.
Turning on the scroll, an image of Ozpin appeared, seemingly bemused and expecting such a result.
"Well, Mr. Arc. Have you come to a decision?"
The sound of a window breaking caused Jaune's eyes to bug out, loosing his aloof expression he wanted to use to leave a good impression on Beacon's headmaster.
"Jaune, they're rushing in!"
Panicking, Jaune desperately clutched at the scroll.
"GET ME OUT OF HERE!"
-The grit and determination to see something through despite oppression was the catalyst for meaningful change.
/-/
In the main district of Vermillion, Blake Belladonna swooped down from the roof of her father's study and perused through the various letters and papers left over the desk. She generally wouldn't resort to stealing, but this case was different. There was something that she had to do.
Grabbing the invitation letters belonging to the Huntsman Academies throughout the Kingdoms, Blake quietly leapt out the window of her father's study, and into Vermillion's vibrant roads.
Blake knit her brows while basking in the mix of Human and Faunus populating Vermillion alike. From the moment her family had moved to this city and out of Menagerie on an invitation from Vermillion's council for their efforts in the White Fang, it was like she was in a dream.
Everything that the White Fang had ever tried to fight for was created in this place. This beautiful Kingdom. Her kingdom.
Much of what made this possible without the interference of the other Kingdoms was the existence of the sun left behind by the Huntsman of Red, the believed Guardian and Protector of Vermillion.
Vermillion's 'Day Star,' it was called. It had the effect of warding Grimm, and also served as a reason for other Kingdoms not to encroach on Vermillion. Many were much more interested in studying the Day Star's properties, while others worried that doing anything untoward may provoke the Huntsman of Red's animosity.
Because of several of these underlying factors, Vermillion had been able to flourish to the point that it even had its own Huntsman Academy that was slated to prove itself in this year's Vital Festival. Blake like many Faunus would have been proud to represent Vermillion, but something changed for Blake along the way.
Adam was working as an instructor in the school, and Blake had obviously tried to take on the same roll, but was deemed lacking. She gritted her teeth at those sleezy evaluators. She and Adam always worked as a team. Her level of skill could be compared with him! She could teach just as well. She was sure of it!
Personal justifications aside, this wasn't the main reason for Blake's interest in other Huntsman Academies. It was primarily a plan devised with Adam that she knew her father wouldn't have approved of.
Blake was never really a nationalist, but after living in Vermillion for several years, there was no doubt that she'd developed pride for it like many members of the White Fang.
What if in the Vytal Festival, the two teams to fight for number one both had origins from Vermillion? What an honour that would be, right?
Of course, this could also be seen as a political move to infiltrate other academies to elevate Vermillion's own, (hence why Ghira wouldn't have approved of it) but Blake didn't see it that way. A part of her, a very strong part of her wanted to get it across to all the Kingdoms that the equality and freedom found in Vermillion among humans and Faunus, was the true grounds for breeding excellence.
Skimming through the customary Huntsman Academy slogans found in the letters, she found herself focusing on Beacon Academy in Vale.
The Huntsman of Red was spotted in Mt. Glenn, a detachment of Vale, so didn't that mean she could potentially meet him? Then there were also the magic weapons that practically everyone was curios over. More importantly, there'd been a sneaking suspicion she'd had ever since video's of Mt. Glenn had been released. There, she like many others noticed a young red-haired girl with striking resemblance to the child seen with the Huntsman of Red. Of course, the mask the girl was wearing got in the way of verifying the girl's identity, but there had to be some relation right?
If the Huntsman of Red appeared in Mt. Glenn, then didn't that mean the girl who was seen with him would also have been there?
Vale suddenly seemed to get quite interesting.
Let the mission begin.
-Being strong may not necessarily mean being happy. Sometimes the happiest are those who live common lives.
/-/
Within Argus, a port city in the northern region of the kingdom of Mistral, an undefeated champion hummed in thought, an open letter left on top of her dresser. It was a young woman with vibrant red hair tied up into a ponytail, her face features on kid's cereal boxes.
Yes, this was Mistral's Pyrrha Nikos, the 'Invincible Girl.'
At present, she was making an important decision regarding which Huntsman Academy she would join. Be that as it may, she was caught in a dilemma of sorts, and it had to do with her latest tournament rival.
Ectoras Verdant, or Ector for short, a survivor of Mt. Glenn.
Ectoras of the Verdant family had become a staunch competitor with her in the arena, however relations weren't exactly the best between families. There was something that happened along the lines that shifted relations from simple rivalry to flat out animosity that Pyrrha felt helpless about…her uncle had been cuckolded by a member of the Verdant family, namely, Ectoras's father or uncle, Pyrrha wasn't too sure. All that she could infer was that her uncle's wife-to-be was bewitched and snatched, the family at war ever since.
Pyrrha had nothing against Ectoras, but they weren't friends either. It was kind of hard to be with constant familial pressure expecting them to fight duel after duel.
Knowing the Verdant family, Ectoras would likely attend Mistral's Huntsman Academy in the same way Pyrrha was expected to.
Frowning, Pyrrha stared at the letter from Beacon's headmaster on her dresser again.
If she attended the same academy as Ectoras, awkward would be the least of her concerns. Instead, she'd likely be pushed to always be better than him. To be the model student, untouchable, unreachable, and yet, that was far from what she actually wanted.
Should she take a gamble? Her choice would likely be completely opposite to what anyone would have expected, but she wanted to live her life the way she wished.
Beacon Academy?
She made up her mind.
Having travelled to the Rose Mercenaries headquarters, Shirou was allowed in without much fuss considering the guise of 'Archer' that he was under. Then again, the building was rather small and sparsely populated in one of Vale's harbour areas. This was the reason people could hardly find it. Only those truly determined to hire the mercenaries would find this place. Emerald who was tagging along beside Shirou relaxed when the building came within sight. Bidding a stuttering farewell, she retreated to her private chambers with a grin. It was a home sweet home sort of thing for her, but the same couldn't be said for Shirou.
Shirou had arrived at the Rose Mercenaries HQ for a specific purpose. Namely, for Archer whom he could sense had returned from his trip to the Grimmlands.
In the same way that Shirou could feel out his Archer half's presence, his Archer half could do the same.
It was no coincidence when the two ended up in a secure storage room at the same time. Finally, after Shirou ascertained that he was out of view and earshot, he removed his guise as Archer and assumed his standard form. Across from him, Archer nodded.
"Trouble? You wouldn't have posed as me otherwise," Archer quibbled.
"Like you're one to talk," Shirou quipped back, crossing his arms.
It was the first time Shirou had seen his Archer half in a while, but it was fine since the two had general contact through registered Scrolls, so it wasn't as if they needed to meet face to face. Moreover, if one side wished to express something without words, they need only use the existing link between them to communicate.
"How was the trip to the Grimmlands? Anything to be concerned over?"
"I wouldn't say so, but there were some matters that I need to deal with." Archer shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. "Would you like to know?"
"Can you handle it?" Was all that Shirou asked in turn.
"It shouldn't be a problem," Archer admitted, only to think better of it. "…But it will probably be best for you to know the details anyway."
Wordlessly, Archer began to emanate his magic energy around him into an aura field, Kanshou and Bakuya appearing in his grip. For a second, Shirou raised a brow, but he soon understood what his other half was intending when he too Traced his own pair of swords.
Archer nodded before clashing blades with Shirou's own.
There's a magecraft that allows mastery of old skills and experiences by invoking them from a previous life, but this was different. Archer and Shirou were technically the same person, and the Reality Marbles within them were identical in function and make. Each clash of their swords allowed for resonance and a bleeding effect that went two ways.
In the end, Archer learned of what transpired with Shirou in Anima, and in turn Shirou learned of what transpired in the Grimmlands.
Dispelling their weapons, Shirou and Archer stood in silence, processing everything that they'd just learned.
"Y-You, that's…"
"Yeah," Archer let out a long breath. "I felt the same way too, but you understand, right?"
Shirou hardened his features, now having a lot more to think about. Suddenly, the significance of the letter that Ozpin had given to him became a lot more impactful. Rummaging through his belongings, he decided to give the letter to its original recipient. "This is for you. You should know who it comes from."
"Should I take a guess, anyway?" Archer asked wryly while taking the letter off from Shirou's hands and opening it.
Shirou snorted. "It's from Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy. The one who Summer trusts and is working with."
"I can see that," Archer replied while glancing over the paper's contents with a type of bemusement. Pocketing the letter away, he turned his attention back on Shirou who was already in the midst of dematerializing.
"I'll be on my way," Shirou said while staring right into Archer's eyes. "You're basically me, so it's not as if I can't see where we're coming from, but remember, the Master's safety can't be neglected."
"I know," Archer acknowledged.
Shirou nodded before the last of his body dematerialized into astral form. From here, he could phase through walls and obstacles to return to Ruby's side the fastest.
/-/
Left on his own, Archer departed the isolated storage room and began to head towards the heart of the Rose Mercenaries HQ. Located a distance away from the mission reception hall was the 'main office.'
It was called the main office, but it was basically synonymous to Roman Torchwick's room.
Out of all the Rose Mercenaries, Roman was the one with the most expertise in managing an organization. Whether it was through acquiring contracts, info, or threat evaluations, it would always pass through Roman first. Otherwise, with Emerald's recklessness and Summer's impulsiveness, nothing would ever get done. The fact that the number of official Rose Mercenary members could be counted in one hand meant that there was a lot to handle. This added with Archer's popularity meant that the task of sorting through missions wasn't an easy one.
They really did need more people, and this was precisely Archer's reason for seeking Roman out.
Stopping by a door, Archer knocked before languidly opening it despite the 'do not disturb sign,' and Roman's subsequent smartass reply that he didn't call for room service.
"Hey, did you not read the sign!" Roman who was lounging on a reclining chair with his feet kicked up over an office table, gnashed his teeth in annoyance. Said annoyance hardly lasted. One glance to ascertain just who had entered past his door had the man do a one-eighty. "O-Oh, uhm, it's you. Never mind then."
Roman fixed the bowler hat over his head, tidied his suit, and made himself appear presentable. "Can I help you?" He put on a cheery smile that didn't quite reach his lips as if he hadn't been caught slacking.
Rather than reply right away, Archer put down a stack of recruitment papers that he'd obtained after passing through the mission reception area, and placed it over Roman's desk.
Tentatively, Roman skimmed through the papers with his eyes, and quickly felt a migraine setting in. He rolled his eyes at Archer. "You're thinking of expanding, aren't you? You want me to handle it."
"I can't say that I'm not," Archer shrugged.
The interactions between Archer and Roman was always fairly curt, but this was the way that they liked it. Neither too close nor too far. Colleagues was the most apt term.
The Rose Mercenaries were useful in that they drew public attention, and garnered jobs that would be of aid to people enduring suffering. They were like Heroes that people looked up to when Huntsmen Huntresses were absent. A light of hope for those who need it. Or, at least that's how Archer saw it. There was also the added benefit of expanding a legal network of connections between people in higher positions in society. Thereby earning favours. This was how Roman saw it.
A win-win sort of thing.
Roman was in full agreement with expanding, but not so much with getting more shit to handle.
"Ah, dammit you're killing me here," Roman scratched at the top of his head and slumped over the table. "Can't I just let Neo choose?" He groaned, glancing towards Archer with a grimace then back at the papers Archer had laid out.
"Do you really want to?" Archer's response was concise, not falling into Roman's whining and striking at the heart of the matter. "…You know the kind of choice that she'd make. That girl's sadistic enough, but at least she likes you. Can you guarantee the same for whoever she decides to select?"
At this, Roman fell silent and glared at the recruitment posters as if they'd disappear if he just stared long enough. Already, there were applicants sending in their details and photos for inspection. From the long list that had formed a pile over Roman's table, a few had already been marked for consideration. As Roman was still slumping over the desk, having not even seen these papers until now, only Summer could have been the one to highlight the particular applications.
There were several of them.
A Marcus Green, some person A, another person B, a wandering merc in his twenties going by Forge Steelheart, and some upstart called Mercury Black.
"Have fun, Roman." Archer patted Roman on the back and turned to leave.
Roman's brow twitched; his features knitted.
"You know, I should resent you right now for all the shit you're throwing my way, but unlike the last employer, I'm being given a choice, and…a rather high salary," Roman rubbed a finger over his nose while straightening his back. "Whatever, just get going."
Archer snorted, and did just that, leaving Roman alone to his own devices. For a moment, Roman grew lost in thought.
It was no secret that Roman embezzled funds from every Rose Mercenary mission accomplished, but Archer had never spoken a word about it. Call it a premium if you will, but the extra funds went a long way to maintain Roman's underground networks, and overall impression of operations. Not only could he remain a master thief by stealing from background checked targets (Namely upstarts that could threaten his hold on his turf), but from another perspective, he was also in a position of power.
Don't get anything wrong, although Roman was number three in the Rose Mercenaries, he was practically the owner. Archer was often out on missions to help others, while 'Scarlet' generally dabbled in her own affairs to care too much about the organization.
Roman was the real man calling the shots here, and he was all for it. In a way, he was both the Kingpin of Vale's hidden syndicates and mobs while also a lead figure in the light. If he could just bear through the mortification that he was basically leading a kid's power trooper force, then his life practically had an upgrade. Of course, by 'kid's power trooper force,' he meant the Rose Mercenaries varying character colours. Ugh.
What made it worse, was when Roman glanced at the applicants that Scarlet had highlighted, Mercury Black's hair stood out among all of them.
'Great, now we got the Silver Ranger. What is she? A child obsessed on her children's cartoons? She's doing this on purpose, I know she is!'
Lips twitching, Roman decided to just get this troublesome matter over with. Grabbing a red pen, he haphazardly made his decision.
There, there, and there, let them all have an interview and better yet, he'd have Ranger Green deal with it.
Roman nodded. Delegation, ah, truly. What a beautiful word.
Suddenly, Roman blinked.
'Wait. Ranger Green…D-Did I really just think that- NNOOoooooo.'
Roman cradled his head. He was getting corrupted.
While in the midst of his own inner demons, Roman was somewhat surprised when he noticed that Archer had returned all of a sudden. The door the office creaked open, and Archer held it open with a hand.
"Do you know where Neo is?" Archer asked. "There's a new mission that I'd like her and Emerald to participate in."
Hearing Archer's words, Roman sighed.
There goes Green Rang- Roman pinched himself hard to correct himself. Emerald. There goes the simp. She was practically Archer's yes woman with how easy it was for her to agree with Archer. In any case, Neo too?
Roman shook his head and cleared his mind. Only two things mattered in regards to a mission: Time, and money.
"Duration?" Roman inquired.
"A semester or two, or maybe even a couple years, all depending," Archer answered.
"Pay?"
"See for yourself."
Archer handed over the letter that Shirou had passed to him over to Roman. Rather than a recommendation letter of any sort like Ozpin had sent to other promising students, this one came in the form of a mercenary contract that Emerald wouldn't even be able to nitpick at.
Ozpin, what a sly man to use such a loophole.
Roman opened the letter, took out the page inside, and briefly widened his eyes.
"That's a lot of zeroes there…Beacon's pulling all the stops, huh?" he commented with a whistle. Moreover, there was the added benefit of obtaining insider information that could be sold in the black market with this arrangement.
Roman's thoughts stirred. Glancing over his shoulder, Roman stared at an empty corner of the room where a tall plant stood. "Neo, what do you think? This should be enough for our long overdue vacation."
Shattering like glass, the plant dispelled to reveal Neo who strutted behind Roman and leaned over his shoulders to read the mission details in Roman's hands. Wordlessly, the two made eye contact before Roman grinned.
"She says, yes," Romain said while staring at Archer.
Archer nodded, a thoughtfulness in his demeanor.
With this, the first step has been taken.
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Next update: Birth of a Legend V2
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