Ch. 29 Welcome to Beacon
Ozpin stood in front of the large window in his office, as he so often did.
Except this time he wasn't enjoying the view quite as much as normal. He supposed a veritable armada of airships coming in from the north would ruin any view, despite their peaceful intentions.
While Ozpin remained relatively stoic, Glynda Goodwitch, who was currently standing next to him, had no qualms about showing her displeasure. Ozpin had no doubt in his mind that her frown was aimed equally at the Atlesian military as a whole as well as at the man leading it.
"It would seem the meaning of the term excessive show of force is lost on the General."
"Now, now Glynda. I'm sure James believes this to be a reassuring gesture for the populace."
"Nah, it's always a dick measuring contest with Irondick."
"QROW!"
"Zorry, sorry. I meant General Ironwood of course."
"HOW DID YOU GET HERE!"
"Through the window, duh! Also that's what you're angry abouzt?"
"Qrow, as much as I appreciate your ability to discreetly pass information directly to me, today isn't about that."
"Right, right… I'm going to fly back down and walk back here. But if I have to walk, I'm going to get drunk."
"Are you implying you're sober?"
"I meant more drunk, Glyn."
Qrow nonchalantly leaned on the frame of the open window and took a long swig from his flask.
"Don't call me Glyn."
Glynda all but growled at the drunk huntsman.
"Isn't that what Irondick always called you? Hahahaha!"
And just like that Qrow leaned back through the open window and fell backwards. It was probably for the best that he chose to do so himself, since Ozpin was fairly certain that Glynda wasn't far from catapulting him out the window with her semblance. As he glanced out the window he could see a familiar crow gliding through the air towards the transport pads.
"How… unfortunate… that he's your best agent. Sometimes all I want is to wring his fragile bird neck."
"Please don't do that. He really is the best man I've got."
=O=O=O=
Weiss sat at the head of her bed, knees pulled up to her chin. After Ruby, Jaune and that ginger girl found her and they returned to Beacon together, she finally caved and followed Nora's advice. Though right now, she felt conflicted about the result.
"Hey, Weiss…?"
"Hmmm? Oh, hey Blake."
"I know I'm maybe not the best person to ask this, but… Are you ok?"
Weiss contemplated the question for a few seconds. She felt ready to dye her hair black, put on heavy black makeup and listen to emotionally charged music for the rest of the day… or week, maybe month.
"I… No. I don't think I am."
"Is it… because of me?"
"...oh! Nononono, this isn't about… well not about you specifically I guess?"
The White Fang was pretty much confirmed to be involved in stealing dust all around Vale. According to her brother, the terrorist group was behind stealing the entire SDC shipment. And to make things worse, Roman Torchwick was apparently also a part of this.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"What brought this about?"
Weiss was apprehensive about venting about the White Fang making her family situation more strained than it already was, especially to Blake. That was just asking for trouble.
"Cocra's been… complaining about our team's cohesion. And I guess she's right. That and I'm pretty sure if I try to leave the room alone, Maroon will ambush me to keep me company so I don't run off and do something stupid… again."
Weiss could feel the corners of her mouth rising involuntarily. Strangely, it did make her feel better that as different as she was from Blake, they were both plagued by the same idiocy.
"That… does sound like something the two would do."
"She's really good at sneaking up on me, you know she once surprised me when I was reading in a quiet library."
"That's actually impressive, considering you are… yeah…"
For a second Weiss thought she did it again… this racial thing was really hard to navigate.
"I know! Do you have any idea how irritating it is? I could hear a pin drop on the other side of the library and somehow Maroon fucking Taylor somehow sneaks up on me! I swear it has to be her semblance or something."
Weiss felt a wave of relief wash over her when Blake started complaining about their teammate's uncanny ability to be silent instead of being angry at Weiss for pointing out the obvious. Maybe she was making it out to be harder than it actually was. Regardless though, she would steer the conversation away from Blake's faunus features.
"I suppose. We never really had a talk about our semblances… anyway you wanted to know what was wrong… do you think you could hear me out?"
"I uh… ok?"
Blake was a bit stumped. She didn't exactly expect the Schnee girl to open up when she posed the question. Normally Weiss would just hang out with Nora and talk to her about… whatever it was that bothered her.
"So, basically… Nora convinced me to talk with my brother… so when we… had that dispute I went to the CCT and made a call."
"...did it… not go well?"
"That's the thing. It was pleasant. He was nice to me and it seemed he was genuinely happy to tell me about how he's been! He even gave me advice on what topics I should avoid if I had to talk with father anytime soon. It made me feel like a monster for abandoning him, for avoiding him, for treating him like he was just another version of my father! I'm a sorry excuse for a sister."
Blake was stumped. She knew of Weisses strained relationship with her family. After all, it was borderline impossible not to figure it out when a short call from her father put her on edge for the rest of the day.
But to hear her say it outright… It cemented the thought in Blake's mind that Weiss Schnee may not be the personification of the horrors the Schnee Dust Company inflicted on the faunus.
Actually it seemed none of the younger generation of Schnees may be anything more than fellow victims of their father. Blake was vaguely aware of Willow Schnee, Weisses mother, but all that was known about her publicly these days was that she liked her alcohol more than being involved with the SDC, or with her children apparently.
It also brought up the thought of Blake's own family, and her neglect thereof. If Weiss could reconnect with her brother…
Maybe after the Vytal Festival started… or ended… she would get around to calling her parents eventually.
=O=O=O=
"UNCLE QROW!"
What seemed like a brewing battle between an Atlesian Specialist and the most competent and most drunken huntsman in Vale, maybe even on Remnant, was quickly quelled at the name calling stage by the arrival of a rose coloured comet called Ruby Rose.
"Hi!"
"Hey kiddo."
"She's your niece?"
"Yup. What, are you surprised?"
"If anything I'm surprised that the files didn't lie."
"Awww, Ice Queen, did you look into me? I'm flattered."
"In your dreams Branwen!"
As the two descended into another bickering contest, all the while Ruby hung from Qrows arm as if he was a jungle gym, another conversation was happening a little to the side.
"Hello, Penny. Did you arrive with the Specialist?"
"Friend Jaune! Yes, Specialist Schnee was so kind as to accompany me here."
"Well, in case no one has said it yet, welcome to Beacon. And thanks for the help the other day. We could have still been looking for Weiss if it wasn't for you."
"I assure you, it was no bother on my part. Well I suppose I got scolded for vandering Vale alone, but I was already doing that when I met you."
"Mhhm…"
Jaune made a noncommittal noise as he contemplated the last thing Penny said as well as the unsettling feeling that had once more crept into his periphery.
Then suddenly it clicked. Like the last piece of a puzzle slotting in, it all made sense. And the picture it painted was bleaker than he would have liked.
"Penny, would you mind letting Ruby introduce you to her Uncle? I'm sure she would love to introduce a friend of hers to him. Sorry Ruby, Qrow, would you mind excusing me and Specialist Schnee for a moment. Specialist Schnee, could I have a word with you? Privately."
"If I may ask, master Arc, in what capacity do you think you're entitled to this talk?"
"I may be a master smith, but I was hoping you would see me as simply a friendly acquaintance of Penny Polendina and your sister. Weiss gave us the impression that you have a strong moral compass. I hope not to be proven wrong."
Luckily for him, Ruby quickly dragged Penny in front of her uncle and started talking his ear off about how they had met her.
Jaune took the opportunity to point out a slightly out of the way spot of the courtyard, where they would be out of earshot, but could still keep an eye out on the people they left behind.
"Well? What did you wish to talk about?"
"Let me ask you this. Are you aware of the true nature of Penny Polendina."
Winter narrowed her eyes and put her hand on her military sabre threateningly.
"I am. However this brings into question how much you know and how you found out. I'll let you explain, on account of being a friendly acquaintance of my sister's, but depending on your answer I may be forced to take action."
Jaune wasn't all that surprised by her reaction. Well, maybe a little taken aback as it only now occurred to him that she probably could have just arrested him or something in order to be taken in for questioning. There was a good chance that she couldn't do it because they were at Beacon right now but Atlas generally doesn't mess around with threats.
But Jaune wasn't one to look a gifted horse in the mouth and so he quickly began his explanation.
"As I'm sure you're aware, given you obviously looked into my background following our interaction with Penny, I was trained by Cobalt Févre. We recently had a chat about his work for Atlas and he offhandedly mentioned a few things about military projects and their security.
On a completely unrelated note, I appear to be more sensitive to aura than your average huntsman. When I first met Penny I felt… unsettled by something. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time and so I disregarded the feeling. Now Penny seems like a nice albeit VERY sheltered teenage girl so I believe I was right to disregard the feeling and treat her in a friendly manner.
Unfortunately everything I've seen or heard regarding Penny and her everyday life seems in line with some of the things Cobalt talked about. Hell, your very presence, Specialist, seeing as you've accompanied Penny here instead of her arriving with her team like most would, is just another thing pointing to this being the case. But the real smoking gun was when I talked to Penny again just a few moments ago and finally recognised what that unsettling feeling was.
My semblance recognizes Penny as a weapon. Not something on her person, not some part of her, her entire being from body to aura is being categorised as a weapon by my semblance. None of the students here register, none of the trained huntsmen register, not even you, a trained soldier register as an outright weapon, but Penny does.
So my conclusion is that unless Penny is somehow a weapon forged of steel in disguise, Atlas seems to have done something rather unethical to a young girl and then forced her to grow up in the confines of military secrecy.
Realistically, I don't actually want to know any specifics and I don't expect you to tell me any. But considering I'm on friendly terms with Penny and Ruby already considers her a friend, and so Penny is likely to spend more time with us as a result, I simply have to ask. Is Atlas treating Penny Polendina as a person… or a weapon."
"I assure you, Penny is being treated like a person. A high profile one, but no one is treating Penny as just a weapon."
"Good. And I hope should that change in the future, I can count on you to follow that moral compass that Weiss said you have.
On an unrelated note. This conversation never happened as far as I'm concerned. I'm not going to reveal my suspicions to anyone unless Penny wishes to confine in us about the nature of… well her I suppose."
Winter pinched the root of her nose and sighed. She supposed it was inevitable that someone would notice something off about Penny. Though she always imagined it would be some blunder on Penny's part rather than a semblance specifically attuned to weapons.
The fact that he not only didn't know the truth but apparently had no desire to find out or share his suspicions was good.
"If you only know this much… I propose a deal. You don't know enough of the specifics for a nondisclosure agreement to be strictly required, so I will not force you to sign one. But in exchange, if Penny does decide to share her secrets, I would appreciate it if you could inform me at such a time."
"I will, but I reserve the right to tell her of our arrangement before I do and potentially delay informing you if sufficient reason from her side is provided."
And she thought having to deal with that drunkard would be the low point of her day. Considering Arc suspects Atlas of some sort of human experimentation, on children no less, she cannot really oppose his objection. Actually it may be prudent to let Penny be alone with them to alleviate his concerns. They cannot keep her under surveillance 24/7 anyway, so they may at least ensure that she's with people that had their background checked already.
"I suppose that's fair. Now as you said, this conversation never happened. If anyone asks, we discussed my sister's recent escapades."
"Of course, I'm simply concerned about her mental wellbeing. Though I'm sure she will be fine, her team seems to have talked things out since."
"Glad to hear it. Now if you'll excuse me I believe I have some official business to attend to now, and a sister to find later. I'll leave Penny with you in the meantime. It would seem your team leader is planning to involve her in your next activity."
"Oh yeah, tonight's a movie night. We'll probably keep her quite late."
"That should be fine. So long as she lets us know of her whereabouts and doesn't wander Vale alone again."
=O=O=O=
"Psst, hey Car."
"Don't call me Car. What do you want, Yang."
"Isn't that your girlfriend over there?"
Cardin immediately felt really stupid about how quickly he turned his head in the direction Yang pointed out to him. He would never live it down when it turned out to be a prank.
To his surprise though, there she was. Mint in all her glory, sure there were two other women strutting in front of her along with a guy dressed in all grey, but Cardin couldn't help but focus on Mint.
"Let's go introduce ourselves to her team. It seems polite to welcome them to the academy."
Sky led by example and started walking towards the new arrivals. Pyrrha was quick to follow as was Yang, but Cardin only started walking when Mint turned towards him and met his gaze.
He tried his damned hardest to look composed, but it was all for nothing when mint decided to just run up to him and tackle him. She might only be four foot ten, but that's more than enough to knock him to the ground and straddle his waist. Cardin was pretty sure his attempt at looking composed was well and truly over.
Her team for the most part seemed to ignore Mint's antics, instead choosing to focus on introductions with the parts of team SWNY currently not on the ground. This only included half the team as Yang was on the ground, laughing at Cardins predicament.
There were things a teenage guy like him just couldn't pretend weren't happening, a girl he was crushing on holding him to the ground with a mischievous smug grin on her face just happened to b
e one of those things. And there was no way said girl didn't notice.
"Hey, Mint… um, welcome to Beacon."
=O=O=O=
Author's note:
Drunk Qrow being a menace, Blake and Weiss have a bonding moment, Jaune comes to a slightly wrong conclusion about Penny, Cardin being a teenage boy and Neo being Neo... or I geuss Neo being Mint.
All of these things will have a pronounced effect on the story... well maybe except Qrow, him being a drunk menace is kinda normal.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to the next chapter: Ch. 30 A brewing conflict