It was almost time for the press conference, soon enough, the whole island would know what the Albian brothers had been doing, Blackmail, falsifying official documents, smuggling illicit weapons onto the island, the list went on and on, peeking through one of the side windows out into the manor courtyard, she could already see what looked to be a crowd of what must have been around a hundred people gathered in front of the manner, at least a dozen of them were sporting press badges while the rest just seemed to be the average citizen that had come in person to their chiefs announcement.
"Blake?" Her mother called out to her softly from her seat at the side of the entry hall, she glanced back over her shoulder toward family and friends. Sun looked up from his place leaning against the wall beside her mother offering what he hoped would be a reassuring nod, how she envied his optimism. Her father meanwhile continued to pace across the entrance hall, reading and re-reading his speech in preparation for what was to come.
"It looks like the last of the reporters have arrived." She informed them "Should we be worried about the crowd, Ilia's still out there and we don't know who else might be working with them?"
"If there are any White Fang members among them, Corsac and Fennec will be keeping them on a short leash" Her Father was quick to assure her. The Albion brothers prided themselves on the image they had created of the White Fang on the island. The raid the Menagerie guard had carried out on the port office had put them in a precarious situation, he doubted any public figures among their ranks would attempt to make a scene, but that was no reason for them to let their guard down.
While the White Fang may have publicly branded her as a rouge operative, such status would grant young Ilia the freedom to act outside of the restrictions the White Fang's image on their island had placed upon them. It pained him to see someone so young, someone Blake had once called her friend carrying out such acts in the name of a fanatic, he sighed in frustration... how had it come to this?
Ghira felt a hand rest on his shoulder, he tilted his head to find Kali by his side, offering him a reassuring smile "Are you ready?" She asked him.
"Yes." He replied taking a breath to calm his nerves, Ghira reached up to pull his glasses from his nose, tucking them away back into his breast pocket. "It won't be easy for the people to hear, but the truth often isn't." Though with the amount of evidence they'd gathered over the last few days, he had faith the people would share their disgust "I know they'll do the right thing."
Blakes stepped towards her family resting her own hand on her father's free arm and gently nuzzling her head against his shoulder in a show of joint support. Ghira smiled down at his daughter, she'd grown so much during her time away and while the path she'd walked might not have been the easiest it was those challenges that helped mold her into the young woman standing before him today.
A third hand patted him across the back surprising the three Belladonnas as one they turned back to find Sun offering his own confident smile towards the Belladonna patriarch "You got this." He says, Ghira regards the young man for a moment before nodding slowly, breaking away from his Wife and Daughter he steps towards the front door, pulls it open and steps outside to greet the crowd that had amassed in front of their home.
While making his way down the steps of his home towards the edge of the stage His Wife and Daughter following close behind, he spotted Corsac and Fennec in the corner of his eye noticing his gaze the two bowed their heads in what he knew to be false respect, he ignored them for the moment his eyes back towards the stage, a squad of the city guard acting as a barrier between him and the crowd with Saber and another group of Menagerie guardsmen flanking the rear of the crowd ready to intervene at a moment's notice should things get ugly.
Stepping up towards the podium he raised his hand gesturing for the crowd to quiet down, once the last murmurs had died down he began to speak "Thank you all for assembling here." He nodded toward the various reporters and townspeople stretching out across the crowd in front of him "I wanted to take the time to address some of the rumors that have been circulating around our island. I believe that it is important for the people of this territory to understand the truth. No matter how you feel about the human race, I think we can all agree that the event now known as the Fall of Beacon was a tragedy." He went on his voice quickly gaining momentum.
"A tragedy that will set both man and Faunus-kind back. While the main aggressor is still unknown, we do have official confirmation that Adam Taurus..."He could not resist glaring at the Albion brothers, who seemed unaffected by the reveal "... the leader of a powerful splinter group working inside the White Fang was partially responsible for these attacks. His actions not only tarnished the reputation of an organization originally created to bring peace and equality to all, but to our entire race. With each day that this man remains unpunished, it becomes increasingly difficult to condemn those that look down upon us."
The crowd began to murmur and whisper among themselves once more. "Recently, a spy from the same splinter group set their sights on this very home. My own daughter, Blake, and her friend did their very best to apprehend this individual. While they were unsuccessful after being physically assaulted and seriously injured, they were successful in obtaining the assailant's Scroll." Ghira drew said scroll from his breast pocket holding it aloft for all to see "With this, we have been able to ascertain that Adam Taurus has plans to overthrow the current leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan, and take over the reins himself." He watched the faces of those in the crowd shift in shock then clear concern, some even glancing toward the Albion brothers in clear suspicion.
"Though his radical plans do not stop there, many of you will likely have heard rumors of a raid conducted on the port office earlier this week, due to the efforts of the menagerie guard and my own daughter, it was found that members of this splinter group have been using our island to funnel various weapons and supplies, to Adam Taurus and his supporters in Anima, the documents on this scroll outline the target of his next assault to be Haven Academy and its attached CCT Tower." Ghira proclaimed to the flashing of scroll cameras and the continued rise of voices amount the crowd.
A pair of hooded figures near the back of the crowd glanced towards one another, the shorter of the two of them wearing a thin cloak with a series of patches and stitch marks marring its form, looked as though she was about to step forward, though her companion held his arm in front of her shaking his head slowly, golden eyes narrowed up at him from beneath the hood, a low huff leaving her as she settled back in her previous place beside him.
"Their plan is to strike on the last full moon before the beginning of the Fall semester, roughly two months from today. I have sent my swiftest messenger to the government of Mistral, but I believe we have a greater responsibility. My relationship with the White Fang has been... an interesting one. Years ago, I led the organization to help try and create a world where I, and every Faunus who wished, could walk alongside the human race. And while I believe we made great strides toward this goal; it was made clear to me that the people both in and out of the White Fang wanted faster results. So, I stepped down, and Sienna Khan was appointed as my successor."
That had likely been his greatest failure, had he remained in his position as high leader he may have been able to notice the rot featuring inside the organization far sooner " It's true that I do not fully condone many of her methods. What I do condone is what Sienna fights for: the idea that the Faunus and humans are, and should be, equal. Adam Taurus does not seem to have that goal in mind. What he has done benefits no one but himself. I think it's time that the Faunus showed the world that we are equals! Time, that we snuff out this splinter group, and restore the White Fang to what it once was" The crowd cheered loudly in response to his words.
"To do this, I think the answer is clear, we must go to Haven and protect it at all costs!" Ghira proclaimed throwing his arms wide, only to be met by the shocked silence of all those present, seeing the hesitance among the people in the crowd, Ghira cleared his throat and continued. "Before we proceed any further, I'd like to invite my daughter to come and share her story. Not only as a former member of the White Fang but also as a survivor of the Fall of Beacon." He said gesturing back towards Blake as she approached the podium.
As Blake stepped up to the podium her father laid his hands on her shoulders "You can do this." he said reassuringly, Blake nodded back to him and turned back towards the Podium, taking a breath she opened her mouth to Speak.
"TRAITORS!" An all too familiar voice called out from the crowd, donning her Grimm mask Ilia cast her cloak aside the people around her back away in shock, reporters turned their cameras toward the White Fang agent as she glared up towards the podium Blake returned the glare in full.
"Ilia" Sun whispered in clear frustration.
"Cowards" Ilia proclaimed "...After everything the humans have done to us, everything they've put us through, you're asking us to help them?!"
Ghira stepped forward gesturing out with his hand not towards Ilia, but to Saber who had been slowly closing in on the girl with the rest of his squad of guardsmen. If they made her feel boxed in there was a chance she could end up lashing out or taking a hostage " I know we haven't been treated fairly..." he tried to reason, only to be cut off by the irate girl.
"Where was their help when the Dust companies treated our people like slaves?!" Ilia snarled before turning her attention to the Faunus around her "Where was their help when Kingdoms hunted Faunus just for being who they are?! Where was my help when my parents were killed in a Dust mine?! WHERE?! " She demanded, a few people around her began to murmur and whisper among each other.
"Young lady, progress takes patience and cooperation!" Ghira tried to counter, she was in pain and had likely been for a very long time, and while her anger might have been justified given all she'd been through, what she and her cohorts planned for Haven would only make things worse, perhaps even punish the world back to the days where their people were fear almost just as much as the Grimm.
Ilia turned her attention back towards the stage pointing up accusingly toward Blake and her family, unannounced to Ilia a large, scarred Faunus had begun making his way through the crowd towards her, despite the voice screaming in his ear for him to stop, this farce had gone on long enough. "The Belladonnas are the worse kind of Faunus! They want us to work with the same people that are trying to hold us down! If you truly, truly want to help your people now is the time to support Adam, not the Belladonnas! He will bring about the future that you deserve. And if you are unwilling to fight, know that the White Fang-"
"Are Honorless Cowards!" A voice called out interrupting the chameleon girl's tirade.
Ilia's head snapped back towards the voice "How dare-" her voice died in her throat, her eyes widening behind her mask as she stared up at the greying Faunus standing at the edge of the crowd, his scarred face twisted into a snarl, his sapphire blue eyes glaring down at her, piercing through the veil of her mask and into her very soul, he spoke once more his voice deep and course like gravel.
"You speak of a grand future for the people, a world where they need not fear Humankind, where they will one day rise above them, a Utopia that the Faunus will inherit in this new age... the world you speak of is one built upon the blood and broken bodies of countless innocents" Whiger snarled back at her, turning his attention towards the townspeople around him. "To accept that world is to embrace a path of cruelty and blood, the Fall of Beacon is proof enough of that, how can one claim they care for the betterment of this world when they stand beside those who would butcher the next generation of its most stout defenders." He proclaimed pointing accusingly at Ilia, the crowd around them began to murmur once more their eyes turning towards the White Fang girl, several of the younger members of the crowd no longer looking at her in shock or hesitation but anger and scorn.
Ilia clenched her fist in frustration, they knew from the attack on the safe house that Blake and her family weren't the only ones on the island working against them, and his arrival here seemed like too much of a coincidence for him just to be a disgruntled member of the crowd. Was he part of the group that had attacked them? "For there to be progress sacrifices must be made, because of Beacon Humans will always think twice before taking advantage of our people, that there will be consequences to the pain they've caused us, that-"
"Shut up!" Sun leapt out of the crowd from behind towards Ilia intent on finally taking her down, Whiger moved to join him but found himself pulled back by a far smaller form, he glanced back to the side to find Kelly glaring up at him.
"We can't get involved, not yet" she whispered back to him seriously. "Just trust me, okay, this is how things are supposed to happen, Paradox said so."
Whiger growled in frustration, while he still questioned the credibility of this time-walkers wisdom it was clear the child was already set to follow the path this 'Paradox' had laid out for her, she had no qualms with handing over the documents they recovered from their attack on one of the White Fangs safe houses, so why was she hesitating now, did she not realize the tactical advantage of capturing one of their enemies' agents could bring them, the information she may have on their future operations would be invaluable, and not only to them.
Pulling his arm free he turned back to the scene unfolding in front of them but by now it was already too late to intervene, as Ilia had managed to hook her whip around the nearest tree using it to swing up and away, spring-boarding from one tree to another in an attempt to put some distance between herself and the Menagerie Guardsmen already hot on her heels.
"...Fine" he relented, as all eyes were focused on the chameleon girl's grand escape the two backed off into the crowd disappearing among the various bodies around them, meanwhile, Fenix and Corsac slipped back into the crowd and moved with them as they dispersed back into the city streets, once they'd made it passed the borders of the Belladonna compound the two exchanged troubled looks, while they were glad that young ilia had been able to escape unscathed, it would seem the unrest between the White Fang and the city were growing far quicker than expected, their plans may have to be accelerated.
Back on stage, Blake glared off in the direction Ilia had fled to her hands slowly tightening into fists, this had been a disaster instead of outing the White Fang for their crimes they'd set the stage for them to deliver their message to the whole island, the only saving gracing having been that man in the crowd who'd called out Ilia in front of everyone.
She might not have known who he was personally, but she had a feeling he might have had something to do with those documents that showed up at their house a few days ago, the fact he knew about the true events of the fall of Beacon while the majority of the island was still mostly in the dark, on top of him apparently having a bone top pick with the White Fang only helped to reinforce her theory.
She glanced back towards her father, who'd stepped forward to help disperse the crowd of ravenous reporters firing off one question after another at him and the rest of the Menagerie Guard, a few had even cornered Sun on his way back to the stage, she probably should have stepped in but in all honesty, there wasn't exactly much else he could do to make things worse, she sighed hopping down from the stage and beginning her trek back towards the house dragging her hand down her face in frustration.
"Blake" Her mother called out to her softly.
She paused at the foot of the porch, she looked back over her shoulder towards her mother's approaching form, Blake sighed defeatedly "This was a disaster" she added leaning back against one of the support beams, her head lolling back against the ruff surface and staring up at the roof above.
A thoughtful look passed over Kali, while the result might not have been what they'd initially expected, progress had still been made "I wouldn't say that." she replied wrapping her free arm around her daughter's back as a sign of support "They might have been able to spread their message to the island but thanks to that man so did we, we just need to have a little faith. This will have been a shock to everyone, but once they've had time to process everything they'll come around."
'To our side or theirs?' she asked herself. A chance at revenge could be a powerful motivator to the right people, especially those who'd lost family to the conditions of the dust mines and lumber yards, even if she'd admit to having such feeling after the Fall of Beacon. She'd thought about it more than once, what she might do if someone came to her with the offer of being able to deliver Cinder Fall to her on a silver platter, she'd wondered how it might feel to slide Gambol Shrouds' blade between her ribs and watch as that monster's life came to an end.
Did that make her a terrible person?
For wishing death on someone who'd inflicted so much pain on her and her friends, for taking away the man she loved.
"Excuse me?~" A polite and somewhat echoey voice called out to them, pulling Blake from her thoughts and back to reality, she and her mother turned to find a pair of cloaked figures standing a few feet away, their faces concealed beneath the shadow of their hoods, a sword strapped across the tallest ones back. Blake was immediately on guard, stepping in front of her mother and reaching her hand back toward Gambol Shroud.
"Who are you?" she hissed, ready to draw her weapon at a moment's notice.
The man raised his hands in a placating gesture "Please, I understand after everything that just happened you'd be-"
"Aurico" His companion sighed stepping past him and drawing her hood down, revealing herself to her fellow Faunus "This girl is far too paranoid and far too distrusting to believe a word you're saying, let me take it from here." Sienna waved off the Aquatarion's attempts at arguing and instead turned to address her old friend. "How I might wish it were under better circumstances, but...It's good to see you again, Kali."
"Sienna..." The elder cat Faunus breathed, at the sight of the woman she once thought of as a sister.
/
Adam stirred lightly the sound of what seemed to be shouting rousing him from sleep. The Black ranger rubbed at his eyes glancing around the room for a few seconds as he regained his bearings, though another muffled shout quickly snapped Adam back to attention, throwing a shirt on and pulling open the door to his room, stepping out into the hallway the voices became far clearer than before.
"How is this even possible?" Came Pyrrha's voice, swiftly followed by Nora's.
"Maybe he aged backwards!" she seemed to ask, wait who or what had aged backwards? Adam picked up the pace rounding the corner into the living room, where he spotted the members of Raven crowded around what looked to be a young boy around the age of 14. The boy shrunk back into the red armchair behind him glancing between the four teens around him nervously as they rattled off one of their many theories after another.
"Or... what if he reincarnated?" Ren offered, glancing between the boy and his teammates thoughtfully.
"Either way, it's super weird." Ruby remarked throwing her arms out toward the boy.
"Anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Adam asked from the doorway. The four teens almost jumped at the sound of his voice Qrow glancing over to him from his place in the doorway to the kitchen their eyes met, and Adam turned his attention back toward the kids, glancing between the members of RRVN his eyes landed on Oscar, the young man chuckled awkwardly at the Black rangers questioning gaze, turning his attention towards Qrow, he asked. "Maybe we can start by explaining who our new friend here is."
As one, the Members of Team RRVN took a step back from Oscar, the young boy looking towards the Black ranger grateful for the chance at some much-needed breathing room. "You're... Adam right?" He asked. Ozpin had mentioned him and the rest of his people a few times on their trip. He still had trouble believing half of it, other worlds, Aliens, the kind of things he'd seen on the pages of a comic book.
The Black Ranger crossed his arms over his chest "I am" he replied leaning against the doorframe, studying Oscar with a keen eye he was absolutely certain he and the boy had never met before in their lives, though the fact he knew him by name, and no one was questioning why this kid was here at all, Qrow especially, which meant he had at least some knowledge of who they were.
Him being the child of one of the Huntsmen Qrow had tried reaching out to was a safe bet, though given all the yelling about possession and reincarnation he heard a few minutes ago made that seem far less likely, well there was only one to be sure at this point. "I know for a fact we haven't met before, so do you mind telling me who you are and why you're here?"
"Oh...uh, well... it's kind of hard to explain." Oscar trailed off rubbing the back of his head nervously, the memories were really fuzzy, almost like it was a dream, Oz had told him that was normal during the first few months after that things would start to become a lot clearer, but he could just manage to piece together the flashes of their, well his and Professor Ozpins, first meeting back at Beacon. "My name is Oscar and we've met before, I just... didn't look like... this." Adam quirked a brow, glancing towards Qrow who'd taken a seat on the couch across from him watching the scene unfold. "I know this might seem weird but, you probably know me as... Professor Ozpin."
Oscar had expected a lot of things at that moment, shock, denial and a mountain of questions being piled down on him, even though he barely understood half of it himself "So two entities existing in one body... does he act like a split personality, or were Ren and Nora a little closer with-it being possession or you being a reincarnation?" Adam asked in what seemed like genuine curiosity.
'He's taking this remarkably well' The Old Wizard currently living inside his head mused 'Though given his background It's possible he's seen something similar to ourselves before.'
"Uh, I think it's more like a combination of the last two." Oscar replied, receiving a small hum from the Black ranger in response.
"How are you not, like, freaking out about all of this?" Nora finally blurted out, while their time with Alex at Beacon had helped opened their eyes to a lot of things about the world she never would have thought existed, even she'd admit this all seemed like a bit... much, and here the two of them were talking about it the same -well maybe a little more awkward, in Oscar's case- way, you would about the weather.
Adam chuckled lightly, he forgot how overwhelming stuff like this could be to newbies, it was probably for the best if he let the kid explain everything, turning his attention back towards Oscar he asked "Would you or maybe Oz, mind explaining to everyone what's going on, I gonna go out on a limb here and say some people here have more than a few questions on their minds." The members of Team RRVN looked between the Black ranger and Oscar eagerly.
"Right" Oscar sighed leaning back into his chair as the four teens took their place around the room, Nora and Ruby joining Qrow on the couch, Ren remained where he was while Pyrrha settled down on the armchair across the other side of the coffee table her emerald green eyes remained fixed on the young boy across from her, she had many questions for the man hiding behind the young boys face, the biggest regarding her partner and if Ozpin had any knowledge on how they might free him from those monsters influence.
'If you wouldn't mind, Oscar, may I have control for the next part?' The old wizard asked, making the young boy groan slightly.
"Yeah, okay." This was the part that he'd come to dislike the most, sure they'd... practiced a few times back at the barn and on the way here, but even with all that time he still had to deal with this feeling of vertigo that washed over him every time he passed control over to Oz.
It wasn't like everything just shut off or anything, he could still hear and see everything that went around him, feel the clothes on his back, the air in his lungs, and that disgusting coffee Oz always seemed so desperate to shove down his throat every time they swapped places, but... something about it just didn't feel right, like being awake but also asleep at the same time. "Just so you know, I'll still be here." he added mostly for the benefit of the people around him, before slowly closing his eyes and letting go.
Those around him watched in a mix of awe and confusion as a green and white aura passed over the young boy's body, a moment later Oscar opened his eyes, except... they weren't his eyes, his once forest green eyes shone a bright gold, looking toward his students Ozpin smiled "It's very good to see you again students" When he spoke it was as if the headmasters' voice and Oscars were overlapping one another creating a small echo.
The members of RRVN were all taken aback by the almost otherworldly display, though none more so than the Invincible Girl herself whose eyes remained locked on the young man across from her, she recognized those golden orbs if not for the intensity and focus of his gaze then how old they seemed in comparison to Oscars own a few scant moments ago.
Anyone seeing it from the outside might have assumed it was just a trick, the source being either the young boys' Aura or a semblance of some kind. There were certainly a number of variables that could account for the flash of light, even the rapid shift in personality or mannerisms could be attributed to Ren's ability to instill a perpetual sense of calm in either himself or those around him was evidence of that.
The silence was broken by the tentative voice of their usually stoic teammate "...Professor Ozpin?" he asked.
"Correct" Ozpin replied, though he was quick to assure them of his current host's well-being "And though I may be the one speaking, Oscar is still present mentally." He gestured back towards himself "He's merely handed over the control, so to speak."
"Just... please, please don't make us do anything embarrassing..." The young boy pleaded from inside his mind, the old wizard fought the urge to roll his eyes, honestly, he was being rather overdramatic.
"...I heard that."
Shaking his head lightly he turned his attention back to his former students. "I'm afraid this all must be very perplexing." he began, trying to keep his and Oscar's minds on the situation at hand.
"And alarming, and bizarre, and just really kind of hard to believe overall!" Nora reeled gesturing between him and her teammates wildly.
He couldn't help but laugh "It's good to see you children still have your sense of humor." He was glad that even after the trials and tribulation they'd experienced, they hadn't lost themselves to the grief and sorrow that had consumed so many others in the weeks following the Fall of Beacon. "I know you've all been through tremendous hardship already." Still...now that they'd been exposed to some of the more closely guarded secrets of their world, he couldn't help but think there would be more of those trials to come "I'm sorry."
Ruby leaned forward in her chair, settling her hand on the arm of Os-err Ozpin's chair, offering her best reassuring look to the immortal wizard "I mean, it's not your fault, the Psycho Rangers, Cinder... Salem, they're the ones responsible for what happened, not you."
Ozpin sighed his head falling slightly as a tired sorrowful look passed over him, he appreciated the gesture nonetheless, but the girl couldn't be any farther from the truth. "I'm afraid it's quite the opposite" He lamented.
Qrow shifted lightly in his seat 'Here we go.' He thought to himself bitterly there'd be no going back after this. Qrow sighed looking between the young faces that dotted the room before settling his gaze on Ruby, he'd always known Oz had planned to reach out to Ruby and Yang eventually, given their family history and Ruby's own... lineage and the target painted across her back that came with it, it was inevitable... he just never imagined it would be this soon or under these circumstances.
"I told you once that I made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, and I wasn't exaggerating. I'm... cursed." There was no other way to describe it, regardless of how the gods might have worded it, until the day his first love drew her final breath, he would never know peace "For thousands of years, I've walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying, and reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul. The Professor Ozpin you all met was not my first form and clearly, it wasn't my last." He sighed, leaning forward in his chair he stared down at the floor, fingers steepled together. "It's... an extraordinarily strenuous process, on everyone involved."
He gave them a few moments to process his revelation, though throughout his speech he couldn't help but feel a familiar pair of eyes burning into him, glancing out the corner of his eye across the room his eyes met with the perpetrators.
Pyrrha stared back at him blankly, while her body remained relaxed giving off an air of calm, peering into those emerald, green orbs he could see the shock, the trepidation... the recollection, yes, he supposed his own sordid state wasn't all too different to what he and his compatriots had warned her may have happened had she been the one to step into James machine and receive the remnants of the Fall Maiden Powers and perhaps even a part of Amber herself.
"Is...Is she okay?" Oscar asked him.
'She had the chance to receive a great power once... but in doing so risked sharing the reality we now find ourselves in.' he relayed back to the young man silently, recalling the memories of those final weeks at Beacon and the offer he had made to the young woman across from him, never would he forgive himself for trying to place such a burden on one so young, yet at the time he could see no other alternative and miss Nikos had been there most promising candidate.
"I'm going to guess this wasn't something you volunteered for." Adam surmised, to live and die a thousand lifetimes on repeat with no end in sight... he couldn't imagine what that kind of life could do to a person.
The fact Ozpin, -if that was even his real name or just one he'd taken over the centuries- was still sane after so long, seemed like it was a miracle in itself, though that raises an even bigger question. What kind of being could find it necessary, or rather was so cruel, to impose this kind of fate on someone, and honestly... whatever that answer might be, he had a feeling he wouldn't like it.
"Who would?" Ozpin whispered under his breath, releasing a small sigh he carried on with his tale "With every rebirth, my soul is eventually merged with another, and I am changed, but my memories stay with me. "His gaze shifted down to the hands of the young boy he now inhabited, Oscar was certainly one of his youngest incarnations to date, if there was only one thing he could change about the conditions of the curse laid upon him, it would be the age of the hosts he was limited to bonding with, a child should not be forced to carry such a burden as this." This curse was bestowed upon me by the Gods because long ago I failed to stop Salem" His hands tightened into fists "But we must stop her now."
"And... how do we do that?" Ruby asked.
Ozpin rose from his seat, bringing his chain up to rest in front of him as he addressed those before him. "We start, by ensuring the safety of the Relic of Knowledge."
/
The bullhead arched down, the distinct architecture of Mistral, its large, layered towers and wide circular buildings coming into view as they made their final approach towards the Bullhead docks. "Apologies for the delay, Echo-Two-One-Niner were just wrapping up down here." Came the voice of the air traffic controller "Proceed to docking-bay twelve. Be advised ground crews will be on stand-by to assist if need be."
"Copy, control." Cassie replied adjusting their heading towards the marked docking bay and reducing their speed in preparation for landing before adding "... If it's not too much trouble what's the status of Oasis-two-five?"
From her place in the co-pilot seat, Weiss peered out over the crowded landing zone in search of the stricken Mistral aircraft they'd encountered along the way. Her search didn't take long as said airship rested a few docks away, a line of Police offers judging by their dark brown uniforms marked by the Mistrilion flag formed a barrier between the growing crowd of onlookers and medical teams tending to both the crew and passengers who'd survived the grueling ordeal.
A moment of silence passed before the radio buzzed to life once more "Emergency crews are on site... but from what I'm hearing over comms, all crew and passengers are accounted for."
"Thank goodness." Weiss whispered, Cassie, smiled offering the former heiress a small nod before turning her attention back to the sky ahead, pulling back on the stick she began the process of bringing them in for a landing, the ship shuddered as it touched down on the tarmac. Slipping back into her heels Weiss unbuckled her belt and rose from her seat, picking up her weapon and suitcase.
Engaging the entrance ramp Cassie rose up from the pilot's chair behind her, pulling off her flight helmet and tucking it under her arm as she fell in just behind the former heiress she glanced back out the canopy catching sight of a trio of Mistrilion police officers making their way towards the ship, the one leading the pack standing out among their peers, one of the higher-ups more likely, and given that Atlas had officially began pulling its troops out of Mistral there might be some questions as to why one of their airships was still present in Mistrilion airspace.
The pink ranger reached out catching Weiss by the shoulder before she could make her way down to the exit. "What's wrong?" said girl asked, looking back towards Cassie and following her gaze down towards the approaching trio of police officers "...Oh no" Weiss whispered, she wasn't sure with CCT being down that her disinheritance and subsequent disappearance had reached beyond Atlas just yet, but the sight of the SDC heiress travelling alone would likely raise some red flags. "What do we do?"
Acting Quickly Cassie gestured Weiss over towards the storage lockers secured to the wall behind her "Weiss go to the locker over there, there'll be a file with some documents and an I.D mask inside Grab them and meet me in the passenger compartment." She instructed " I'll be back in a few minutes." Weiss nodded turning swiftly and moving towards the locker pulling it open and finding the file resting on one of the shelves above, below that the blank visage of the I.D mask stared back at her.
Meanwhile, Cassie stepped through the automatic doors at the back of the cockpit Cassie moved through the rear passenger compartment, and after passing through a second security door began her descent down the entrance ramp, as she stepped off the steel ramp onto the tarmac she had just enough time to remove her flight helmet before being confronted by the lead officer.
"I take it you're the one in charge of this vessel." She asked in a no-nonsense tone.
"I am." Cassie replied, taking a glance at the lapels of her uniform she took notice of the twin yellow bar insignia identifying her as a captain.
The captain quirked a brow at her glancing up at the airship, folding her arms behind her back "I was under the impression, that the Atlesian military forces station in the kingdom had been ordered to withdraw from Mistral?" The captain inquired without looking at her. "May I ask about the nature of your mission?"
"Asset recovery." Cassie began, trying her best to stick to the cover story they had in place in the event they were stopped by either Kingdom's authorities. "This was meant to be my final run between the kingdoms before I'm scheduled to return home." She said gesturing back up the entrance ramp into the ship behind her. "I have the paperwork on board if you'd like to take a look at it?"
"If you wouldn't mind." The captain replied.
Nodding Cassie made her way back up the entrance ramp into the ship, passing through the security door she found Weiss waiting for her in the passenger compartmentally reading through the first page of the documents she'd found inside the locker, the I.D mask laying in the seat beside her, hearing the door open she looked up from the documents, snapping the folder closed and then holding them out towards her "Are you sure these are going to be enough?"
"It'll be enough" Cassie assured her, accepting the folder and tucking it under her right arm "Pass me the mask." Weiss complied, flipping the mask over Cassie quickly inputted some settings and then handed it back to the Schnee "Put it on." She said, Weiss looked down at the mask curiously for a moment before turning it over in her hands and bringing it up and over her face, in an instant, a clear sheen passed over the white-haired girl's form, Cassie nodding to herself as the sheen finished passing over the younger girls body.
"Did it work?" Weiss asked, looking down at herself, despite the feeling of the mask resting on her face, her appearance hadn't seemed to have changed at all. "I don't think I look any different?"
Cassie flicked her head towards the windows "See for yourself."
Weiss glanced towards the window beside them taking in her new appearance, the first thing she noticed was how much taller she seemed, having grown from her once admittedly diminutive five feet to almost the same height as Yang, with her body proportions having filled out more in order to match her new height, her combat outfit replaced by a matching Atlesian flight suit, her hair shifting from its pristine white to a jet black running down to just above her shoulders, the scar that once covered her left eye having been erased in its entirety along with her once crystal Blue orbs having been replaced by a dark hazel.
Weiss's eyes widened in awe at her new appearance glancing between herself and her reflection. "I stand corrected." She muttered taking a moment to take in all the changes to her appearance before quickly recomposing herself and turning back to Cassie "What now?" She asked.
"Just follow me and play along." Cassie advised, shifting the folder under her arm she stepped back towards the doors leading back onto the entrance ramp, gesturing with her head for Weiss to follow. The former Schnee heiress nodded falling in line behind the Pink ranger as they made their way down the entrance ramp and onto the tarmac, Weiss couldn't stop the cold sweat forming across her brow as she laid eyes on the smalls quad of Mistrilion police officers, the idea that every struggle leading up to now being all for nothing seemed very real at the moment, thankfully her ID mask hid her nervousness behind the image of the trained soldier she was impersonating.
"Sorry about the wait." Cassie held out the file towards the Police captain, the officer accepted the file, flipping to the first page she began to read through the document, dark brown eyes scanning over one line of text after another looking for any discrepancies that could point to there being something more going on rather than just their 'Asset Recovery', given the urgency that the last military detachment had left in, it felt a little off that they'd be seeing Atlas again so soon.
Though that in itself lent credence to their claims of this being a clean-up operation, given the speed the northern kingdom's presence had departed from the majority of Anima, there had to have been equipment left behind, probably nothing groundbreaking given what she and her own people had found inside a few of the installations close to the capital, but advanced enough they wouldn't want it being left for some scavengers to find and sell on the black market.
So far the documentation was good, and their story seemed to hold up, however, it paid to be thorough especially given the sudden decline in the capital's huntsmen population over the last few months, more pressure was being put on the Police force and the last thing she needed right now was a case of possible espionage being thrown into her lap. "Everything here seems to be in order." Closing the file, the captain offered the documents back to Cassie who accepted them with a nod. "However, given your unexpected arrival into the kingdom, I must ask that we be allowed to inspect your cargo." Both to ensure a lack of contraband and to ensure none of it was damaged and risk them having a bomb sitting on the tarmac.
So long as they could confirm just what exactly they were carrying and that there wasn't any contraband that could be considered an immediate threat to the kingdom on board, she was willing to call it there. As there was little to no evidence of criminal activity from what she could see, there were no reasonable grounds to press on the situation any further, some might argue otherwise, especially given the incident in Vale the year prior, but in her experience, criminals didn't risk their own necks to protect civilians, especially when those same civilians were giving them an opening to pass into a kingdom unobstructed.
Weiss glanced at Cassie from the corner of her eye, the pink ranger maintaining a calm composed expression. "That won't be an issue." She gestured along the ship towards the aft section and the sealed cargo bay before tilting her head back to Weiss. "Becca, head back up to the bridge and see if you can get in contact with command, fill them in on our delay and see if they can wire us some funds for lodging and repairs, I don't feel comfortable about us making the trek back home given the condition the ships in, we may be stuck here for a while." Translation, grab your things and get ready to leave, we'll be heading out once we're done here.
It didn't take long for Weiss to realize the hidden meaning behind her words, and while not trusting herself to speak, offered a stiff if passable salute before turning and making her way back up the ramp at a brisk pace.
"Quiet that one." One of the male officers noted curiously, Stewert, judging by the name tag above his badge.
"She's just a little rattled." Cassie offered "This was meant to be her first real mission outside of the kingdom and it went from a milk run to us being up close and personal to the mother of all hornets."
"She going to be alright?" The other asked, Winters, his own tag read.
"She'll be fine, believe me, the kids tougher than you'd think" Cassie replied knowingly "Either way she'll be back home with her folks soon enough." She glanced up towards the academy resting atop the hill at the center of the city, the last signal pulse from Adam's communicator put the house he and the others were staying in just outside of the main campus.
She could still hardly believe it had been just about a year now since they'd seen each other in person, somehow it felt a lot longer than that, then again they'd both been busy over the last year, navigating through Atlas elite and its militaristic ideals had been a pain, it would be good to see her old friend again.
A feeling that was no doubt dwarfed by her young travelling companion.
'It won't be long now.' Cassie thought to herself, glancing back over her shoulder, and spotting 'Becca' looking down on them from the canopy above. She offered a reassuring nod, one that the teen slowly returned, turning back ahead she paused beside the access panel in the exterior of the ship, opening the hatch she reached down and engaged the manual cargo door controls, a low shudder ran through the ship as the doors creaked open.
The captain nodded to her fellow officers who stepped past them and into the hold, and towards the few crates still strapped down while the police captain moved to stand beside Cassie. "I can't help but notice your cargo seems a little...light." she noted glancing down at the manifest in her hands, then up towards the cargo bay, and then up towards the deep gouges into the metal surrounding the cargo door that stretched up onto the roof.
"Things got a little too close for comfort and we had to dump half of it down that hornet's throat." Cassie replied smoothly receiving a hum from the captain, that defiantly matched up with the report from the Oasis crew, before losing sight of them on the island, one of the crew had spotted them jettisoning cargo into the hoard, certainly one of the more unique combat strategies she'd seen over the years but given they had managed to make it to port she wasn't about to critique its effectiveness.
"All of which was destroyed I hope." The captain asked snapping the file closed and offering it back to Cassie, who nodded back to her.
"We were over ten-thousand feet up when it happened, if it wasn't the explosion then the impact with the lake would have taken care of the rest." Cassie supplied, earning a slow nod from the captain.
"I just need confirmation for my report, once everything is finished here, you and your co-pilot can be on your way." The captain replied evenly.
"We aren't under arrest?" Cassie inquired.
"No." The captain shook her head in response "While your presence in that area may have been questionable, however, no one can deny you saved lives today and for that, you have mine and most likely that entire ship's gratitude." The captain bowed her head slightly towards her then back towards the open cargo bay greeting her two subordinates as they left. "Anything?" She asked.
"Ships clean" Stewert replied, his partner nodding in agreement.
"Then we're done here." The captain replied turning to take her leave, before pausing beside Cassie and offering her hand out towards the Pink Ranger "Thank you for your co-operation Captain, and welcome to Mistral." Cassie accepted the offered hand returning the gesture in full, as the trio of police officers made their way back towards the growing crowd around the oasis craft Cassie stepped into the cargo bay, triggering the door as she stepped inside.
As the door shuddered shut behind her Cassie slumped forward a long sigh leaving her 'That was close.' she thought to herself, passing through the cargo bay she made her way up the service leader pushing open the hatch into the cockpit, where 'Becca' resided, her bag and weapon case resting by her feet as she stared out the canopy back towards the Oasis landing site.
Hearing the hatch open she turned with a start towards the source of the noise, only to sag slightly in relief at the sight of the older woman "Cassie, I saw the police leave are we okay to get going?" she asked.
"We're all clear, but I'd suggest keeping your mask on for a little while longer." It'd be easier for her and 'Becca' to move through the city than Weiss Schnee, at least until they reached Adam and the others, speaking of which. "Everything ready?" She asked, nodding her head down to the bags by her feet.
Weiss bent down scooping up her meagre belongings into her arms "Ready."
"Then let's go."
/
"This. Is. Perfect!" Nora cried out bouncing up beside, Osc-Ozp- oh whatever, she was too worked up to care right now. "We were stuck at a dead end, but now, we can just take little cute boy Ozpin to Lionheart and have him set things straight!" She cheered.
Ozpin sighed "Please don't call me that." he asked both to maintain the seriousness of the situation, as well as having felt the young man inside him shrink in on himself from how miss Valkyrie seemed to fawn over the two of them, it would seem miss Valkyries... personality was a tad overwhelming for him.
Qrow shook his head lightly, hell he wished things were that simple. "Yeah... we're not too sure that's the best idea right now." Something was off with Leo and he and Oz were sure it went far beyond just the academy having lost people or Mistral's Huntsmen Population being stretched thin by the Grimm.
Nora huffed, marching back over towards the others, flopping back onto the sofa between Ren and Ruby "But I thought the Headmasters all took their orders from you." Ren inquired, if what he'd said about each of the Academy Headmasters answering to him, it didn't make sense how bringing this to Headmaster Lionheart would be such an issue.
"That was the intention." Ozpin replied clasping his hands together in mild frustration "Four lieutenants I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation. But Qrow told me about your meeting with Leonardo." No longer able to stay seated the former Headmaster of Beacon rose to his feet making his way across the room to stand before a painting of Mistral's capital his eyes focused on the academy itself "He isn't just behaving irrationally; he's disobeying specific instructions I had left him. Something's wrong. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to rule out any possibilities, either." Not when a single misstep could mean disaster "No one outside of this room knows that I've paired with Oscar, and I think it may be best to keep it that way."
"You think he might have been compromised?" Adam surmised and from the sound of it, he was starting to think that just might be the case, he'd need to make a few rounds through the house tonight for hidden cameras or listening devices, if Qrow hadn't already.
"Either way, it's better if we play things close to the chest from here on out." The Black Reaper added.
"Precisely" The old wizard agreed "However, that still leaves two steps ahead of us, the first being to enlist the aid of more Huntsmen."
Recalling how the council already denied their request following their meeting with Headmaster Lionheart Ren tried to argue "But the Mistral council-" But Qrow was already a step ahead of him.
"Doesn't own Every Huntsmen in the Kingdom." Qrow waved off before gesturing back to himself "And I've been here enough times to know where we can find some more."
"As long as they're trustworthy." Ozpin was quick to remind his old friend, they couldn't quite involve just anyone now.
"You can trust them to put up a good fight." Qrow was quick to assure the old wizard, he'd seen these guys in action enough times to know they could go toe to toe with some of the best. "I'll throw together a list tonight." he said, laying back against the sofa and propping his foot up on the coffee table, it creaked audibly, then a moment later the leg closest to Qrow gave out the table toppling over, splashing his tea across the floor and up his pants leg. "Ugh!" Qrow groaned patting down his pants with one hand while lifting the table back up with the other.
"Well... good luck with that." Nora shot back dryly.
Moving on from...that, Ozpin turned his attention back towards the students "Well, with that out of the way we can move on to the next step."
"Which is.. what exactly?" Nora asked.
Ozpin levelled his chain towards the four huntsmen in training "That would be getting you all into fighting shape." The four teens blinked as one before sharing surprised looks with one another.
After a moment of silence, Ruby finally spoke up "But... don't we already know how to fight?"
Her question was met with the headmaster's cane coming to rest only a few inches from her nose, a small squeal slipped past her lips as she leaned her head back from the ornate weapon. "You can only fight so long as you have Crescent Rose, but you're still lacking in hand-to-hand combat." The young girl's surprise quickly shifted to embarrassment at the mention of her most crucial flaw.
"Well, I..Uh, Yeah." She lamented.
Nodding knowingly the headmaster swept his cane over each individual member of Team RRVN "I am fully aware of the trials you have faced on your journey here, and while you have all done admirably this first true taste of the world beyond the Academies combat halls and instructor lead expeditions. It has also proven you all have a-ways to go before you're ready to pose any real threat against Salem and her forces, even more so now due to their alliance with the Psycho Rangers."
His gaze shifted past the children towards the Black Ranger at the back. "Mr. Park, given your experience, your aid in this matter would be invaluable in further preparing them for future engagements, can I trust your aid in this matter." he asked earning a look of understanding from the Black Ranger who nodded back reassuringly, his gaze shifting to the youngest member of their group.
"We don't exactly have the right facilities for it but, there are a few Combat drills my team and I went through back in the day I can run them through." It wouldn't be anything like the 'Pit' Zordon and Alpha had 'introduced' him, Rocky and Tanya to back at the Command Center. Though compared to his own team these kids already had some real-world experience fighting those Wack jobs to help fill in the blanks.
Ozpin nodded in understanding before continuing. "As for myself, while Oscar can give me temporary control, he'll still need to strengthen his body and his Aura."
"Wait... what!" The young man began to panic, having finally realized what the former headmaster was leading up to.
"He will eventually inherit my muscle memory-" Along with much else further down the line"- but practice can only expedite the process."
"...I guess." Ruby agreed, glancing between the five of them and the lone Power ranger, he seemed pretty outnumbered, which probably eliminated the chance for any one-on-one sessions, still, it wasn't every day you were trained by a dimension-hopping superhero, this was going to be so cool! Turning back towards the black ranger she offered a swift salute, Nora quickly joining her "We're ready for whatever you throw at us." Pyrrha covered her mouth slightly to hide her smile towards her teammate and current leader's antics.
Adam smirked "We'll see about that." He liked the enthusiasm... for however long it might last.
"We have approximately one month before classes resume at Haven" The headmaster carried on "If Salem were to plan an attack, it would make sense that it would occur prior to students' return. It's not much time, but it's better than nothing." Regardless of the time limit, he had faith in his students, despite the trials of their journey they had persevered through them growing somewhat with each one, becoming the young warriors their world would need them to be.
A sudden knock at the door tore the immortal from his thoughts, cocking an eyebrow he glanced towards the door and then back towards the group gathered in front of him. "I believe we have company." He noted finally drawing the attention of the room's occupants, the commotion began to calm as all eyes turned towards the door; a moment later another series of knocks was heard.
'Is something wrong?' Oscar asked him.
Ozpin remained silent narrowing his eyes lightly, not about to jump to conclusions he turned his gaze back towards the others "I don't suppose anyone is unaccounted for, or you were expecting someone this evening, a food delivery perhaps?" he asked once more Qrow cocking a brow up at him, still fiddling with the table, while three out of the four members of RRVN silent shook their head in response, all except their final member who wore a look of realization that quickly shifted to one of embarrassment.
"There was... a girl at the window earlier who saw me while I answered the door." Pyrrha began to explain, her eyes turning down towards the floor her face flushing a deeper shade of red. "She took some pictures of me before I was able to shut the blinds, it could be reporters or some fans outside." She offered, it certainly wouldn't be the first time the place she'd been staying in the capital had been swarmed by her fans, only this time around there was no Mitral Security Service or her own agent to help shew them away or give her an opening to slip away. "Sorry, I'll... I'll go deal with it." She quickly pointed towards the door, shuffling past her team as another series of knocks sounded.
Ozpin shook his head lightly as she passed more amused than frustrated by the sudden interruption, if anything it was a much-needed source of levity after such a grim point of conversation. 'Are you okay?' The young man he currently occupied asked. 'It's nothing' He replied evenly 'There's just much to be done, for both of us.'
'Do I really have to...'
'Yes, Oscar.' While he might have preferred this young man have never been involved in such a situation as this, unfortunately, unwilling as he might have been, he was a part of this now and as time went on more and more responsibilities would fall upon him, the best thing he could do for the young man right now was make sure he would be ready for it both mentally and Psychically.
'This is really going to suck, isn't it?' Ozpin paused for a moment, considering the boy's non-existent training on top of the fact he'd be expected to match the individuals currently in the room, the youngest of which already had close to a decade of experience on top of him already... he nodded slowly, a long sigh leaving his now eternal companion '... knew it.'
'If it's any consolation, you won't be suffering alone' That wasn't a total lie, once Oscar retook control his connection with their body would become somewhat muted again, yet he would still be able to feel much of what the young man di-
"WEISS!" The two were torn from their internal conversation as a miniature typhoon quickly encompassed the room, pictures were torn from walls glasses shattered against the floor and a sofa was overturned, had he not instinctively braced himself against the sudden winds, given Oscar's smaller -'Hey!'- form he would have been bowled over by the winds.
The source of which was currently sprawled out atop an all too familiar white-haired girl. "Ruby!" Weiss called out to the girl currently clinging to her body like a barnacle rubbing their cheeks together affectionately "Ruby Get off of me, I,...ugh! I know you know better than to just run into people like that!." The Schnee shook her head dismissively." Improper, Embarrassing and overly childish... you haven't changed at all have you?"
"Critique me more Weiss!" Ruby squealed uncaring of how that might have sounded to those around them, the older girl rolled her eyes dismissively, yet nothing could hide the smile that blossomed across her features, her own arms that had snaked around the younger girl's waist holding her just as tightly perhaps even more so.
"I missed you too." The former Schnee Heiress whispered in a much softer tone, as one by one the Remaining members of RRVN came to join their teammates in greeting their long-lost friend, across the room another reunion was taking place as Cassie and Adam embraced each other, their relief in seeing the other unharmed was palpable.
It would seem the night wasn't through just yet.
AN: To be continued