I turned my head, intent to discover the source of the cry.
There I was able to see Ruby, sending a look of panic my way. Was she worried about the intruder I caught? I could understand if she was; from the outside perspective it looked like I'd just grappled some random woman.
I saw the headmaster standing next to her, tense and staring at me. By now I was sure the general would have told him the situation via scroll call, so I only looked to him, waiting for any instruction as to what to do next.
"Blake!" Yang cried making to leap for me, only to be stopped by the headmaster holding her back.
"Stand back Ms. Xiao Long."
"What are you-"
"I said stand back!"
Yang looked to freeze at the sudden shout, and the headmaster returned his gaze to me. He must have known just how dangerous the woman was, and despite his powerful tone it seemed he still put the safety of the students above all.
Although the shout from Yang had worried me. She cried out for Blake, which caused me to wonder if the girl had gotten hurt somewhere nearby. I let my head move around the room, my eyes scanning for any signs of the Faunus girl. However I was met with nothing but the worried and curious looks of the surrounding students; some of them even whispering to each other.
"Headmaster, the general told you what happened right? So what should we do now that I caught her?" I asked as the murmurs grew, with Yang looking furious.
"Caught her? So you're saying that Ms. Belladonna there was our mysterious extra guest?" He questioned as I felt a wave of confusion flow over me.
"Blake? What does she have to do with this?" I tried again as he raised an eyebrow.
"You cheeky fu-" Yang tried as the headmaster clamped a hand over her mouth. She sent another look to him as he pulled away. This time she settled on sending a death glare my way.
"Vermillion, I'll put this bluntly: why are you grappling Ms. Belladonna?' He asked as his eyes trailed to the woman in my hand.
My confusion returned in full force as I sent a quick look to the masked woman in my hands.
"What are you talking about? This isn't Blake."
.
.
Ozpin felt his concern multiply ten fold as the boy spoke, and the students began a whole new thread of whispers with some even taking out their scrolls to record the scene.
One thing was clear however: Vermillion believed he had the intruder in his grasp. Ozpin sent a quick look to the panicked Belladonna girl as she held the boy's arm. Her face had yet to turn color, so it was clear she could still breath, but from the looks of it she wasn't very comfortable.
What's going on?
Ms. Belladonna was a rather unique individual, with her comically sized bow covering her cat ears atop her head. He'd yet to see someone with such a fashion statement in years aside from some of the second year students, but even so it was never to the degree that the Faunus girl was.
Hold on a moment...
Ozpin felt an idea spring up, a small and quite strange one, but one that could potentially shine some light on the situation.
"Vermillion, please describe the physical appearance of woman you have there." He ordered as the boy sent an odd look his way.
"Uh, headmaster sir, what are you doing?" Questioned Ruby as she gave him a side glance.
"Trying something." He spoke as Vermillion looked back between the girl and himself.
"Are you sure? Can't you see her clearly from over there?" He asked as Ozpin nodded.
"I can, but I want you to tell me anyway."
"Okay..." He gave curiously as he studied the girl's face for a moment.
"She has black hair... smooth features... a black eye mask-"
There!
"Stop." Ozpin ordered as the boy did so, with Ruby sending a look to Yang.
"Blake's not wearing a mask." Ruby stated as Yang held a serious look
"I know..." She looked up to Ozpin. "What's he getting at?"
Ozpin had a feint idea, and so he spoke again.
"A mask... and do you by chance happen to see a large bow anywhere on her head?"
Vermillion gave Blake another once over before looking back.
"No."
"Are you sure." Ozpin pushed as the boy took another more focused look.
"Positive."
The whispers evolved into chatter as everybody looked to have no idea how to take what appeared to be blatant lies.
"Is he blind?"
"Who's he think he's fooling."
"Dumbass."
The students were ruthless in their discussions, allowing ample time for Ozpin to piece together an idea.
"Headmaster, what's going on with him?" Asked Ruby as she looked out to Blake who seemed just as confused as everyone else.
Vermillion was seeing things, that was now revealed thanks to the answers he provided. Now it was only for Ozpin to get his agent out of the troubling situation he found himself in. How or why he was seeing things didn't matter at this point, as the students were more riled up than before.
"Listen to me closely: whatever you're seeing, it isn't real."
"What?" The boy questioned as he turned back to Blake.
"Vermillion, look at me." Ozpin ordered as the knight did so. "Follow my instructions to the letter: shut your eyes, lower the girl down, and let her go. Do not react or listen to anything other than my voice."
If Vermillion was hallucinating then there was a chance that at any moment it could turn violent; the last thing he wanted was a brawl in such a packed area. The boy did not hesitate however, instead he did as told.
Vermillion shut his eyes and slowly lowered the girl down, releasing her throat and returning his hand to the side. Blake looked at him wide eyed for a moment as she rubbed at her neck before slowly backing away; keeping her eyes on him all the while.
"Headmaster?" Ruby started up as he let out a minor sigh.
"He's hallucinating. Stand back, I'll take it from here." Ozpin let out as Yang spoke up.
"What? Why?"
"I don't know, there could be a number of reasons. Right now I need to get him somewhere away from here until it passes. For some reason he thinks Ms. Belladonna here is someone else. Given some time away from everything I'm sure he'll regain his senses." Ozpin explained as he slowly approached Vermillion.
.
.
Ruby watched with worry as the headmaster took Vermillion's arm, saying something as he led him through the hall and out the door.
What was that?
Ruby didn't quite understand what had happened, and it seemed that the other students did either.
"Blake are you okay!?" Came the worried voice of Weiss as she rushed up to the girl, wrapping her in a hug; said girl reluctantly returning it as Yang chose to speak up.
"How's the neck?" She questioned as Blake rubbed at it.
"A little sore, but I'll live."
"What the dust was that anyway!?" Questioned Weiss as Blake looked divided.
"I don't... I don't know. One moment I was relaxing off to the side, and the next I'm up in the air." She answered as Yang jumped in.
"Bastard, I gave him one chance and he does this!? I should have never let him out of my sight." Yang sighed as she turned to Blake. "Sorry, if I'd paid better attention none of this would have happened."
"It's not your fault, you couldn't have known this would happen." Blake reassured as Yang brushed it off.
"But if I paid attention I could have stopped him before he got to you."
"Hallucinating."
All three of them turned to Ruby.
"You okay sis." Yang asked as Ruby looked deep in thought.
"The headmaster said he was hallucinating, that means he didn't really know what was going on right?" She asked as they looked between each other.
"I mean... she's not wrong." Weiss spoke as Yang shook her head.
"Let's hold on a moment: Ruby, what are you getting at?"
"If he was seeing things then that means that he didn't know he was attacking Blake right?" Ruby tried as Weiss spoke up.
"Even if he didn't know it was her he still attacked someone. What if he tried to hurt her?"
"No... he wasn't." Blake said as all eyes were on her.
"Care to elaborate partner?" Yang questioned as Blake rubbed her neck again.
"He was holding me up, and I didn't feel him try anything else; he just... held me there."
"And? Is there somewhere you're going with this?" Yang asked as Blake faced them.
"Remember what he said to the headmaster? He said he caught me, and do you remember the headmaster's response?" Blake asked.
"He asked if you were the 'mysterious guest'." Ruby answered as Blake gave a nod.
"Exactly, meaning that the headmaster knew who Vermillion was referring to."
"Hold up!" Yang spoke as she raised her hands. "So you're saying the headmaster knows what the guy was seeing?"
"Maybe, but also maybe not. He referred to the person as 'mysterious' meaning that he probably never seen them face to face, but he knew there was someone." Blake explained as Ruby chimed in.
"Vermillion also said he 'caught' you. Does that mean that the 'mysterious guest' is bad or something, otherwise he wouldn't try to catch them." She reasoned as Weiss gave a thoughtful look.
"Maybe, but that would also mean that they're hiding something."
"So what do we do?" Yang asked as everyone looked among themselves.
"We could try asking Vermillion later." Ruby said as Yang gave her a look.
"You sure that's a good idea after tonight?"
"The only other lead would be the headmaster." Ruby stated as Yang looked over to the other two.
"It might be worth a shot." Weiss voiced as Blake nodded.
"He was calm and respectful tonight aside from the incident just now. If it was just a hallucination like the headmaster said then it might be worth considering. He might at least give us something." Blake said as Yang let out a sigh.
"Fine, we'll ask him later."
.
.
"Cutting it a little close." Mercury whispered as Emerald bumped his side with her shoulder.
"Quiet you, it worked didn't it?" She spat as he gave a slight nod.
"True, Cinder's already long gone by now." He admitted as she let out a small smirk.
"And with everyone caught up in V's little scene nobody saw a thing."
That was true, with Vermillion causing a ruckus Cinder was given enough time to slip away; by now she should have just arrived in Vale. Mercury had to admit, as much as he liked to poke fun at Emerald he couldn't deny that using her Illusions on the guy was the best option.
At first he was worried when he got the text from Cinder about the guy on her tail, even more so when she got a few side looks upon entering the hall. She wanted him to secure her escape, and he was drawing blanks at the time. It was only when he caught sight of Emerald did he have the idea to ask for her help.
Her eyes had lit up, and she told him to play as Cinder's dance partner for a bit. He followed along, putting his trust in her to not let the guy spoil the plan. Cinder had followed his lead and let him take her into a slow dance while keeping an eye on Emerald and the entrance.
To nobody's surprise the guy showed up moments later, strolling in and scanning the crowd. It was at that moment that Emerald looked to smirk, and he got to watch the scene that had just unfolded.
While everyone was caught up in the heat of the moment he quietly led Cinder to the back where she ran off into the night.
"So we calling it a night?" He asked as she sent a quick nod.
"Yep, but not right yet. Let's wait until the heat dies down, otherwise we'll look suspicious."
"Fine, if we're going to be here for a while I'm gonna try and score a dance with one of the ladies." Mercury spoke as he wandered off.
Emerald could only roll her eyes.
.
.
"So it's ready?" Asked Ruby as the older man smiled.
"As ready as it'll ever be." He said as they gazed upon the massive vessel.
To be completely honest it looked mostly the same as before, but Ruby was able to feel a different air about it. The whole thing gave off an aura of life as she watched the crew above moving crates and supplies around.
It also looked much better out in the open rather than the damp warehouse it had lived in for the past years. Who knew a week of touch up could breath such a strong presence into the thing. It was bold, powerful, and even a little bit glamourous compared to the dirty boat from before.
"So when can we move out?" Ruby asked as the man looked to think about it.
"I'd say... by the end of the day it should have everything it needs aboard. We could leave then and have swift sail for the few remaining hours of daylight, or we could wait until tomorrow; it's your call." He explained as she nodded and let out a hum.
Tonight or tomorrow?
If she left early then it would ultimately be faster, but if she waited a bit she could potentially get better supplies before she left. There was also the matter of Mrs. Blossom and Pebble to deal with.
While Ruby was sure that Mrs. Blossom would be fine and wish her well on her journey, she wasn't so sure about Pebble. The young boy had grown attached to her over the week, leading her around and showing her the various places of the town. Sometimes he would try to do something he couldn't and would ask her for help, to which they would complete it together. He was always smiling when she was around, standing next to her whenever they went anywhere.
Then there was the matter of him always sneaking out into her bed during the nights. Ruby never brought it up, but she had a hunch that Blossom knew about it. Even when the older woman was with them Pebble still stuck close to her, and she couldn't figure out why.
And the worst part was that she was getting used to it. Each and every little thing he did, tried, learned, or created left her with a small feeling of pride. On it's own it wouldn't be so bad, but considering the fact that she had to leave him behind... well, she'd rather not think about that until later.
What am I doing? I don't have time for any of this.
"Tonight, we'll leave tonight." She stated as the man nodded.
"Alright, we'll set sail after supper. We should still have some light left for a few hours then." Alcove told as she let out a breath. She gave him one last nod before taking her leave.
.
.
"You can open your eyes now Vermillion."
I did so and noticed that we were back in the headmaster's office, with the man himself sitting across from me at his desk.
"Now that we're here we can talk, or more specifically about what just happened back at the dance." He said as I saw the general standing next to him; said man then faced me.
"Ozpin is right, we're here to talk about what you saw and the last place the intruder may have gone." He started as Ozpin sighed.
"Yes that too, but first I'd like a better description of how you ended up in that situation back there. Vermillion I want you to tell us how you came upon Blake."
"What do you-" I was about to ask when he raised his hand.
"What I mean to ask is how did you end up with her in your hold. I know you thought she was the intruder, but how did you first see her?" He asked as the general sent his gaze my way.
I took a moment to think about it before I spoke up.
"I was chasing her around the school, particularly around the pillars out front. I was able to track the Grimm emotions spilling from her arm."
"What!" The general nearly yelled as the headmaster tapped the table, silencing him before waving me to continue.
"Then at some point she pulled out her scroll and did something with it before running towards the dance. I remember seeing her slow down and walk into the crowd, at which point I let my armor fade as not to cause a panic." I continued as his eyes seemed to light up.
"So from that point on you had to rely on your other senses correct?" He asked as I gave a slight nod.
"Yes, I can't use my Grimm sense or any of my other powers without the armor. So when I walked in I searched throughout the crowd, it was then that I spotted her in the distance standing against the wall. At that point I slowly paced through the crowd while staying out of her sight until I got close enough. You know what happened next."
"You made your move, taking her by the throat and lifting her off the ground." The headmaster finished for me as I nodded. The general hummed as he looked to the headmaster.
"So the hallucinations must have begun when he got to the crowd." He said as the headmaster's eyes narrowed.
"Yes. A little convenient don't you think?"
"Do we have any records on hunters in the city?" The general asked as the headmaster brought up a screen.
"I can't get all of them, and I doubt the council would ignore such a bold request." He said as the general sighed.
"And knowing them they wouldn't do very well at keeping the scene and news undercover."
"It may be too late for that anyway. I'll do my best to get the council to stay out of it, but I'll need your help with it." The headmaster told as the general stroked his chin.
"I could try to present the story that we may know about the semblances of some of the White Fang. They should at least provide the records of the Faunus hunters with that, although I'm not sure as to how we get the Human hunter records." The general explained as the headmaster tapped at his desk again; the screen disappearing as he stood.
"We can leave that to Qrow, he has some friends out there who should have access to such things." He said as he looked over to me. "Tomorrow I will tell the rest of the staff that you had an episode due to the crowded room. While not the perfect solution, it should at least get them to look the other way for now."
"Understood." I replied as the general sent a look to the headmaster.
"We can have him continue with his lessons for the rest of the week so long as we keep him away from the students." He tried as the headmaster looked to agree.
"That would be best. However I believe we may be able to use this incident to our advantage."
"What are you thinking." The general asked as the headmaster looked over to me again.
"Vermillion, for the rest of the Vytal Festival I'll have an announcement occasionally play over the speakers asking for you to come to my office for 'therapy sessions'. When you arrive this way the students should stay clear of you."
"I'm getting therapy?" I asked as he shook his head.
"No, that is only the excuse we'll use for why you are called to the office. Instead we'll use it as a way to give you information or orders. This way you won't look suspicious whenever called here without reason." The headmaster explained as I gave a nod.
"I understand."
"Good, then you may head back to your room for the rest of the night and relax."
With one last nod I took to the elevator, watching as the headmaster gave one last nod before the doors shut.
Author's note
...
Yeah, we have a shorter chapter this time I know.
Mostly due to the fact that this felt like it was starting to drag on. After fifty chapters I'm starting to feel the burnout.
Just so you know this doesn't mean anything bad, it simply means that I'll be tackling future chapters differently. Essentially I'll just be keeping the chapters a bit on the shorter size, similar to this one.
The plot doesn't change or anything due to the fact that each chapter always has many different perspectives, I just need a moment to rest so I don't let the story feel like a chore. Gotta keep that motivation up and all. Might give a longer chapter every know and then, but I'll focus on letting myself breath for the sake of quality.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed and see you next time.