It was night.
On one of Vale's rooftops, he sat on the edge and enjoyed the shattered moonlight.
However, his main purpose wasn't to stare at the beauty of the moon and its shattered pieces, but to witness the robbery of a dust shop.
How did he know, you wonder? He was told, of course. He had his sources. He believed one needed allies and connections in order to survive.
In particular, after hearing an absurd, or that's the term he used to describe it, tale from his mother.
Regardless, his source told him that the dust shop would be robbed, and he was only there to confirm it.
He was surprised, however, to see a young girl with black hair and red tips entering the same shop he was keeping an eye on.
"That's an absurd coincidence," he sighed.
Surely, he never imagined that girl would be here at all.
"Well, Roman might not show up at all tonight," he said, hopefully, not believing it would actually happen.
Having his source confirmed meant that what his mother told him might be true.
Nevertheless, he trusted his source.
The same dust shop was really entered by Roman Torchwick and his goons.
Standing up, he began to consider whether he should intervene.
'In the best case scenario, I convince Roman to leave the shop this time, and that's highly unlikely. In the worst case scenario, I would face Roman and his goons. Can I beat them? 100% guaranteed. Unscathed? Probably, but difficult. I don't want to attract unwanted attention either. Let's just observe, if Uncle taught her the basics, she would be fine, but not against Roman though. He, as far as he was told, is an above average Huntsman level threat. But Roman wouldn't waste his time. I hope.'
Blackmail was also an option, but he didn't want to throw this card now.
Suddenly, the girl in the red cape broke the shop's glass and burst out, kicking one of Roman's goons in the process.
She was kicking their asses as he sat down again to watch the fight.
'What's with that absurd scythe?'
The girl was carrying a scythe twice her size. She made it seem effortless, but he knew it took training to achieve this level.
'The scythe was Uncle's influence, obviously.'
She pinned the scythe to the ground and used it to turn herself and kick another in the face.
'That's absurd, awesome sure, but still absurd. What had Uncle been teaching her? No shame in asking later.'
When Roman and the girl were about to begin the final showdown, Roman chose instead to fire his cane as a distraction to escape.
'Although some might call him a coward, I would call him wise. After all, the robbery failed, so it wouldn't be wise to fight a pointless battle when the police may arrive at any moment. Well, it's time to intervene.'
Roman could be useful to him since he knew every inch of Vale. If he were to be arrested, it would force the employer to either leave Vale or change plans, which would hinder his investigation of the so-called employer.
Meanwhile, Ruby noticed Roman Torchwick climbing a building's ladder to reach the roof; he probably had a way to escape, so she needed to hurry.
She turned her head to the shop owner. "You okay if I go after him?"
"Uh-huh," the old man nodded.
If necessary, she would run and catch up to him using her semblance, but she wasn't able to do so when someone landed right in front of her.
As though he had appeared out of nowhere, and she regretted not paying attention to her surroundings and only concentrating on catching Roman, she realized she still had a lot to learn.
The stranger's most distinguished features were his short black hair and red eyes. He was wearing black jeans and a jacket with a white shirt underneath and also white shoes. His choice of clothes screamed normal, and he also had no obvious weapon with him, but she wouldn't underestimate him because the way he appeared out of nowhere put her on edge.
With Crescent rose in hand, she immediately got into a combat stance and narrowed her eyes at the stranger.
"Who are you?! Are you one of Roman Torchwick's men?! If not, why did you stand in the way of bringing him to justice?!"
The stranger just smiled and put both his hands up, "You really don't recognize me? That makes me somewhat sad, I didn't think a mere seven years would change me that much." She didn't know if he was being sarcastic or not.
She looked at his face carefully, but then it hit her: black hair, fair skin, red eyes, and looked like a mix of her uncle and sister.
She lowered Crescent rose with widened eyes and mouth open.
He nodded with a smile, "Yup, missed you, Ruby."
She hadn't felt her semblance activate as she knocked him to the ground with a crushing hug.
"Oh my God! You are back! Leaden!"
A chuckle was all that Leaden could muster, "Feels good to be back."
Their moment was cut short when they heard the sound of a bullhead's engine coming to life. Both on the ground, they looked up to see Roman gazing down at them from above.
"Hate to interrupt your emotional moment, Red," he said. "But I hope I don't see you again," without caring if they even heard him, he threw a fire Dust near them on the ground and was about to fire his cane.
A shock spread over Leaden's face, "Oh, shit!" Ruby was on top of him, but suddenly, she felt the ground beneath her, and Leaden was nowhere to be found.
The moment Roman fired his cane, Ruby's mind went blank from the surprise of Leaden's disappearance, and the dust that was about to explode. She couldn't think of using her semblance to escape. But luckily for her, another figure appeared right in front of her.
The explosion was blocked by the newcomer. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her savior. The person had blonde hair, green eyes, and her outfit made her look like a witch from the fairy tales she loved, even though this person was wearing eyeglasses.
Roman's smirk died down when he realized that someone had intervened. "Damn Huntsmen and Huntresses, always ruining everything!" he groaned as he looked inside the bullhead with a frown, "Go already!" he shouted.
The Bullhead didn't stick around much for the Huntress to try and bring it down. The distance between the ground and the bullhead didn't help the situation either.
As much as Ruby wanted to release her inner fan-girl in front of the Huntress, she had something more important on her mind. Her eyes wandered around but couldn't find Leaden.
Behind her, she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Looking for me?" The boy said from behind.
She squeaked and turned around, and found Leaden smiling again, "Where did you go!? And also, how did you do that!?"
"Do what?" He looked confused.
Ruby was dumbfounded at his answer, "You know! Appearing out of nowhere!"
Realization hit Leaden, "Oh, I guess that's what it looks like for everyone else."
"Ahem."
Both Leaden and Ruby turned to look at the source of the voice. The Huntress, who had saved Ruby, was looking at them with narrowed eyes as she crossed her arms.
"My apologies for the inconveniences, but there are matters that must be discussed."
Embarrassed, Ruby felt her face heat up. She didn't mean at all to ignore the Huntress, especially the one who had saved her.
"I'm s-sorry!! I didn't.. mean.. any sort.. of disrespect!"
Leaden guessed that Ruby wasn't used to being formal, but still she was trying to be.
Leaden put his hand on her shoulder, "No need to worry, Ruby," he then turned his attention to the Huntress, "And if I may ask, who are you?"
The Huntress sighed, "I'm Glynda Goodwitch, Headmistress of Beacon Academy. I want you to come with me, Miss Rose, we must discuss your actions tonight," she then looked at Leaden, "you too, Mr. Branwen."
'Beacon?' He didn't miss how Ruby's eyes widened.
Leaden narrowed his eyes, "I don't remember telling you who I am. How did you know?"
Ruby stared at both of them, feeling awkward.
"If you come with me, I will answer your questions," Glynda replied unfazed. "I suggest you accept the offer when I'm asking nicely."
He kept staring at her for moments, but then he gave up. "Fine."
'I hope it's worth it.'
# # #
In the interrogation room, Leaden sat by himself waiting. The room didn't have much to it, a table, 4 chairs, and a monitor.
He wondered if it meant anything that Ruby and he were in separate rooms.
'The Huntress knew who I am, does that mean she wants to talk about the tribe? I fail to understand how she knew. Connections and allies could fill the gap, that would make the perfect sense, but in the end, it doesn't matter how she knew, the world is just absurd, anything is possible.'
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long because the Huntress entered the room, but much to his surprise, she wasn't alone.
She was accompanied to the room by a middle-aged man, he had gray hair and wore an unzipped black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest and green shirt. He sat on the chair across from him.
The Huntress stood behind the man with a frown on her face.
The man smiled, "it's nice to meet you, Mr. Branwen."
"Likewise. If I may ask, what do you want from me? I could understand wanting to talk to Ruby since, you know, she put a stop to Roman Torchwick's robbery." Of course, he had some ideas, but he thought it was best to play stupid.
The man chuckled, "Straight to the point, aren't you? We have finished our discussion with Miss Rose and allowed her to leave. But aren't you curious who I am?"
Leaden shrugged, "An Officer? A Huntsman?"
"Yes, indeed, I'm considered a Huntsman, but I'm also known as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. You can call me Professor Ozpin."
Then it clicked, he realized he was the Ozpin from his mother's tale. Leaden tried to keep his poker face from now on, because to him, this was an interesting opportunity to learn as much as he can without giving away what he knew.
'Absurd coincidences right after another, this really is an absurd day.'
He also figured out why the Headmistress knew his identity. 'The once absurd situation made perfect sense.' But he still wondered how she recognized him? It's been seven years.
He can understand if it's a family member like how Ruby recognized him almost immediately, but for a stranger who maybe only seen a picture of his younger self is suspicious.
'Someone was keeping tabs on me? Uncle Qrow? But he would have shown himself.'
He failed to realize that some things were more simpler than what it seemed.
He allowed his eyes to widen, "The Beacon Academy? Why do the Headmaster and Headmistress of Beacon want to speak with someone like me? At first, I thought that the Headmistress was just doing Huntress stuff, but the Headmaster too? That's absurd."
Glynda Goodwitch wanted to respond, but Ozpin raised his hand to let him do the talking.
'How did he know she was about to speak? Was she even about to speak? Does he know her that much to know what provoked her? Or is there just some absurd reason to it?'
He always drowned in his own thoughts, questioning almost everything. This trait of his was a double edged sword.
"Let's not waste our time then, Mr. Branwen, why did you come to Vale? Were you ordered to?" Ozpin cut to the chase like Leaden wanted, but it was what Leaden feared. The Headmaster brought up the tribe, as he should be. It wouldn't be the first time a Branwen came here with ulterior motives, and it certainly wasn't going to be the last.
Leaden sighed, "That's what it looks like, huh? No need to worry, I turned traitor and left the tribe for good. I came to Vale because I wanted to live with my family again."
Ozpin looked at him for a couple of seconds, making sure he wasn't lying. He wasn't.
"Is that so? Then do you mind answering why did you help Roman Torchwick escape?"
His poker face almost crumbled at this, but he wasn't going to back down. The surveillance cameras shouldn't have any footage of him watching on the roof. They should only have seen him when he appeared in front of Ruby. He doubted Vale monitored the roofs.
But roof monitoring or not, it was natural for Ozpin to ask such a question. In the end of the day, Ruby was distracted by him, and that kept her from going after Roman.
"What are you talking about? I only heard the glass break and came to find Ruby about to chase after him. I understood the situation and stopped her from doing anything reckless and hurting herself."
Ozpin narrowed his eyes, "Stopped her from doing anything reckless and hurting herself? Are you saying that you wanted to protect her? Then I fail to explain your actions next."
When he pointed to the monitor, the monitor turned on, displaying Leaden's disappearance from the scene the moment Roman threw the fire Dust.
Knowing what he was going to talk about, his poker face broke to nothing but shame.
Ozpin continued, "As you can see here, in the moment of danger, you abandoned Miss Rose to her possible demise. We will talk about your semblance too, but let's focus on this first."
If Ruby forgot, because of panic, to turn on her Aura, she would have been dead. He understood that.
Leaden lowered his face, "It's a bad habit."
The answer seemed to anger Glynda, "A bad habit! Is this what you have to say after abandoning someone to their death!? And not just anyone, your sister!" she growled.
He looked at her in the eyes,"I have nothing to say. As I said, it's a bad habit, I acted on reflex."
Glynda didn't back down. "I don't fully blame you, given the fact of who you were living with, it seems her teachings were quite thorough."
"I'm well aware of my own absurdity, my decisions are mine to make. Yes, it's a shame what I did, but I have no regrets, I would do it again. It's absurd, I know, but that's who I am," Leaden replied, crossing his arms, and unfazed.
If Glynda was angry before, she was furious now. Eyes narrowed and teeth gritting, if she had his red eyes, she would look more like a demon.
"I can't help but to notice your frequent use of the word 'absurd', Mr. Branwen, why is that?" Ozpin spoke before she could do something she would regret.
Leaden sighed, "It's a long story."
"We have time," Ozpin insisted.
"And I don't want to," Leaden replied with a blank face.
Their eyes were locked at each other for a couple of seconds but for Leaden, it felt like eternity. Knowing the potential truth about Ozpin, he understood why he felt that way. Like he was about to get devoured, a prey about to get hunted. Ozpin was the literal definition of a Huntsman.
It was a different feeling from what his mother gave off. His mother was a wild predator, if she wanted something, she would get it, but if it was more than she can handle, she would give up.
Ozpin wouldn't give up.
"I give up, I will not force you. Let's get back to the recorded video. Your semblance allowed you to disappear from under Miss Rose and according to her, you appeared out of nowhere twice. Does that make your semblance some sort of teleportation?"
Leaden nodded, "Yes."
That was the basic and the simple way of it, so it was not a lie.
He kept the limits of his semblance to himself, with no need to share his weaknesses with anyone at all.
Ozpin seemed satisfied by his answer, but it was Leaden's turn to ask a question. "How do you know me, then? The Headmistress seemed to know my identity, and when I demanded how, she told me if I came with her she would answer."
Glynda didn't plan on answering any questions for him but Ozpin answered on her behalf, "Your parents were my students at Beacon, and continued to work for me after they graduated, so of course, we would know of your existence."
Leaden already knew this. "But how did the Headmistress recognize me? It has been seven years since I left Vale," he asked his real question.
Ozpin raised his eyebrows at this, "Professor Goodwitch saw your interaction with Miss Rose and heard your talk, she made a guess and was correct."
Leaden was dumbfounded.
'Oh, I didn't think it would be that simple. I made absurd conspiracies already.'
"I see."
More simpler than what it seemed.
Ozpin seemed amused by his reaction. "Speaking of your parents being former students of Beacon, do you have a desire to be a Huntsman?"
"No," he answered quickly and without hesitation. Glynda scoffed at his answer.
Ozpin smiled, "Why, Mr. Branwen?"
For a lot of reasons, actually. The first reason was that he didn't want to waste four years of his life learning things he knew most of it anyway.
The second reason was that he didn't want Ozpin to keep an eye on him, he would be restricted in Beacon.
The third reason was that Ozpin wanted to make a model huntsman out of him, and Leaden thought that it was nearly impossible even if he wanted it.
The fourth reason was that helping people wasn't for him. He helped people a lot but it was within his reasons.
The fifth and the main reason was that Leaden knew he wasn't worthy to be one.
Leaden sighed, "Simple, I'm not cut to be a Huntsman, you can't change my mind on this. I went toe to toe with Adam Taurus, my combat skills wouldn't change much at Beacon, so it might be better to train on my own time."
Glynda was speechless and Ozpin blinked at this, "Adam Taurus? Why would you come across a terrorist?"
"It was an absurd coincidence, believe me."
"it must be. You seem to be confident in your skills."
"Learned from the worst," Leaden grinned.
Ozpin laughed a little at this, but Glynda rolled her eyes.
"If you come to Beacon though, I assure you would be given the chance to reach your potential and exceed your current level by far."
'Gods, he is persistent. I just don't want to go, old man. End. Of. The. Story.'
"I know. I didn't mention Adam to show off, I'm aware that I'm not close to legendary Huntsmen and Huntresses. I only wanted you to know I'm not a weakling, my training wasn't a joke."
Ozpin sighed, "No one suggested that, Mr. Branwen. Fine, if that is your decision, I will respect it. But speaking of your training, did Raven tell you anything that seemed absurd to you?"
'This!'
Yes, that was his confirmation of his mother's tale. He now was mostly sure it's true.
"Absurd like what?" He asked, eager for a confirmation.
"Like, the reason why she left her family behind, did she tell you that?"
'Sneaky old man.'
Leaden sighed, "No, but I can tell, she felt this life wasn't for her."
Ozpin nodded, "I see, thank you for your time, Mr. Branwen, I appreciate it."
They both stood up and shook hands.
Leaden smiled, "No problem, I had a great time talking with you, Professor Ozpin. If I may ask, could you please not mention the whole abandoning Ruby to death thing to anyone, especially to my family. I want to start over after all these years in the tribe."
"Don't worry, none of what was spoken here will leave the room." Ozpin assured him, but Leaden wasn't so sure himself.
Leaden smiled, "Thank you, it means a lot to me." He can only hope.
Leaden didn't notice that Glynda was already gone. She obviously didn't like him.
When he was finally out of the police station, he wanted to make a call before going to Patch.
That's when, "Yeah!" Ruby jumped on his back as a surprise attack, "I can appear out of nowhere too!"
Leaden couldn't help but laugh at this, it was adorable, Ruby was adorable. He forgot what it was like to have younger siblings. Back in the tribe, everyone was treated the same. What only mattered was how capable you were.
'She grew up to be a really admirable person.'
When Leaden's laugh stopped, he made Ruby get off his back. "ok, that's enough. Why are you still waiting in the first place? Professor Ozpin said that he allowed you to leave."
Ruby crossed her arms, "Duh! I was waiting for you, obviously!"
He patted her on the head, "Thanks but you didn't have to."
She brushed his hands off, "I'm not a kid! Also, what do you mean I didn't have to? It's nothing, really! I can't wait to go home and tell Dad and Yang th-" she gasped, "They still don't know you came back! It's going to be so much fun when we three go to Beacon together! We will be team Siblings!"
He doubted that Professor Ozpin wouldn't make his presence known to his father.
He blinked at that, "Ruby, slow down, what do you mean you are going to Beacon?"
She blushed and played with her fingers, "Ahehe you know, Professor Ozpin probably overestimated me, but he decided that I should attend Beacon two years early."
Leaden smiled at her, "You are amazing, Ruby. You don't give yourself enough credit." With what he saw of her earlier, she would be fine at Beacon. Well, in theory.
She blushed further, "Thank you. It's not like I'm not excited, but I don't want anyone to think I'm special or anything. I want to feel normal and treated normally."
Leaden's smile vanished, "I know what you are feeling, Ruby. Trust me, you will be perfectly fine." Her statement reminded him of himself. After all, he wanted the same thing.
The stars were back in her eyes again, "Of course! With you and Yang with me, I will be perfectly fine!"
"Ruby, I'm not going to Beacon."
Her excitement suddenly stopped. She was brought down to Remnant. "What do you mean? Didn't Professor Ozpin offer you a place? I mean, he told me he would."
Leaden sighed, "Yes, he did but I refused."
Ruby seemed to not understand. "What do you mean refuse?! How could you refuse?! How can anyone?!" Ruby said, swinging her arms up and down.
With a panicked face, Leaden raised his hands defensively, "Because I don't want to be a Huntsman."
Ruby was dumbfounded, "Then what do you want to be?"
Leaden tried to think of an answer, but he settled for the truth instead, "I want to be a hero."
Ruby looked at him as if he was stupid, "You are weird."
Leaden laughed, "Not weird, the right word is absurd."
Ruby rolled her eyes, "Absurdly weird!""
"Better!" Leaden continued to laugh.
Ruby pouted, "Stop laughing! Anyway, it's late, Dad and Yang are probably worrying sick and waiting for my return. They will be so surprised!"
Leaden smiled, "I can't wait. Listen, Ruby, I have something to take care of. You should go home first, and I will be there shortly after."
Ruby was confused, "Take care of what? It's already near midnight."
Leaden smacked Ruby's back playfully, "I won't be late, promise."
"Fiiine," Ruby huffed.
"Thanks."
# # #
On a private Bullhead, Ozpin and Glynda were on their way back to Beacon.
Glynda didn't say a word since they left.
Ozpin chuckled while drinking his coffee, "Were you that irritated, Glynda?"
Glynda raised her eyebrow, "Actually, I'm happy that he isn't coming to Beacon. Accepting a terrorist and now trying with a bandit that has no morals. You should stop, Ozpin. Not everyone will turn a new leaf and be good."
"That wasn't my intention. Of course, I hope for them to be a model Huntsman and Huntress who aid the people and stand against her, but I also want to bring them under my watch. Mr. Branwen refused the offer, and that is concerning."
Glynda scoffed, "That way, he won't be a danger to the students or leave them to their deaths, he only cares about himself."
Ozpin nodded, "You see it from that angle but the way I see it, Mr. Branwen is indeed a selfish individual, and that's exactly why I wanted him to attend Beacon. Someone like that, who only cares about his safety, can be easily swayed if she gets to him."
Glynda felt a shiver down her spine.
Ozpin looked at Vale from the sky, "Of course, I hope it doesn't come to that."
He took a sip, "Also, Glynda," Ozpin made sure Glynda was giving him her full attention and when he got it, "He knows," he quietly said.
It was indeed concerning.
# # #
Meanwhile, Leaden landed on the roof of the Dust shop that Roman wanted to rob earlier.
He looked at the Shattered moon and felt relieved. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared and reappeared in almost the same spot, but now he held a scroll.
He made a call.
"Yes?" A voice answered.
Leaden walked and sat on the edge of the roof, enjoying the shattered moon, "You were right, the robbery did happen. I guess that makes your information valid about the existence of an employer."
"Of course, I'm right, Human," the voice scoffed.
"I didn't say you weren't, Faunus. Anyway, what do you want in return?"
"I want you to do me a favor, do it and we will be even then."
"I'm listening," Leaden hummed.
"I want you to find someone, my partner, Blake, betrayed me, us and ran away. I want you to search Vale and-"
"I don't kill, you know that," Leaden lowered his voice and head. That seemed to trigger a memory.
"That's not what I'm asking. You just find her and inform me of her location. I will take care of the rest.
Eventually." The voice seemed irritated at his response.
"Oh," Leaden snorted, "I guess I can do that."
"You always jump to conclusions."
Leaden laughed, "Can't be helped, well, we have a deal, Adam."