"I just don't see it… really, I don't." Roman felt the comforting hand of his partner pat against his back. Sure, the table alone was comforting, but it was good to know Neo shared in his plight; or perhaps she was just trying to make him feel better - either or, it didn't matter too much.
"You're still here?"
Lifting his head from the table, the crook was graced - or perhaps cursed - with the sight of his partner in not-crime, Clover. The man bore a curious face, one that spoke less of outright scrutiny and prying, and more along the lines of a kid asking questions they really shouldn't ask. But Roman was not a mother dodging the 'where do babies come from' question that every parent dreaded; no, he was just plain annoyed with how he was supposed to go about things.
"Gee, what gave it away?" Roman plopped his chin down in his hand as he delivered the line, and even to his own ears the retort sounded less enthused in comparison to his usual array of tomfoolery.
"Some of the other soldiers out in the halls were questioning why the infamous Roman Torchwick was just 'moping around'."
"And as usual, they lack any sense." Roman offered a grumble as Clover took a seat ahead. Aside from Neo, the leader of Atlas's Ace Ops appeared to be the only other person in the whole cafeteria; weird, considering the Academy was practically bursting with new students since the fall of Beacon; sometimes being the second best of all available options could come in handy, and what better reason to take the number two option when the first is removed from the picture?
"I'd say avoiding a well known criminal is plenty sensible." Clover sent a small nod to Neo, and Roman didn't even need to look to know she replied with a smile; at least she took amusement in the company of the general's goons... or perhaps it was best to refer to them as allies now, even if such thoughts made him shiver.
"I come here every time you bring me in; does nobody question why I'm always walking around without an escort, or cuffs for that matter?" Roman whipped up his wrists to bring home his point, but apparently driving a spade through this particular patch of dirt did little to dissuade Clover's thought process.
"Why should they? They know the general's letting you walk around freely."
"Then again; why are they being idiotic? Where is the sense in standing one room away from me as opposed to standing right next to me. Are you catching on yet?"
"I know what you're saying, but they're not really avoiding you out of caution or fear; they just don't want to get too close on the off chance you end up causing a bit of trouble, or as a few have come to calling it: go rogue."
"Go rogue…" The man then sighed while rolling his eyes. "At least they can give their idiocies a proper title, even if it's a little overused."
Clover just shrugged, with a relaxed appearance.
"Blunt is good; no use in wasting time with overly-complex naming when you can just keep it straight to the point and call it a day."
"I guess that's one thing we can agree on." Roman whipped out one of his cigars, and sadly enough, he realized it was one of his last - he'd need to pick some more up later, preferably the good stuff - imported straight from Menagerie... if there were any of those types still in Atlas that was.
"Speaking of not wasting time: when are you planning on heading down to meet up with Miss Polendina? She's waiting for us, you know."
"Agent P huh?" Roman puffed a couple bouts of smoke, to which Clover just faintly fanned them away with his hand; seeming for the most part unfazed by the airborne toxins. "And what do you mean by we?"
"You know the drill, we can't exactly have you let loose in the middle of Mantle until your official 'escape'; too many questions would arise."
"And being accompanied by an Ace Op looks better, how?" Roman shot back, to which the man merely smiled.
"What makes you believe we'll be seen?"
"With the amount of machines old iron-arm has patrolling about, I'd be shocked if Robyn or some of the other nobodies running around haven't taken control of a few already. But hey, if you want to chance fate, fine, but don't get mad when she starts counting cards."
"Then I suppose we just need her to deal a good hand, and fortunately for you, I'm known for having quite the lucky streak."
"Fate favors the bold." Roman sighed as he leaned back into a more relaxed posture. "And what could be bolder than risking our entire operation; a plan with absolutely zero repercussions in the making."
"Great, I'm glad you understand." Clover's smile was more irritating than usual, and part of that was due to his stupidly vague semblance - not to mention the high dosage of 'luck' throughout the entire exchange. Roman's whole career for a good portion of his upbringing was based solely on the draw of the cards, and seeing as Clover's whole semblance was based around indirectly rigging the deck, you could say it peeved the man a little bit.
Why couldn't he himself be the one with the good luck semblance?
"So what?" Roman began, having come to terms with and resigned himself to the outcome. "We just casually take a stroll down the block and have lil' miss robot do all the work?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. I of course will be the one doing the brunt of it though, so you'll have the honor of sticking with Neo so we won't be seen; keeping an eye out for any trouble or points of interest the two of us might miss."
"And what's stopping you from just leaving me behind and taking Neo instead?" Roman cocked a brow, to which Clover just smiled.
"Neo has made it clear plenty of times she takes orders from nobody but you."
"Of course."
That was perhaps the one thing that made Roman genuinely happy. The sassy little psychopath was perhaps the one person in all of Remnant who he could fully rely on, and it was the same for her vice versa. Sure, he could order her to play nice with the others, but if they did something supremely stupid she'd just up and high-tail it out of there. Roman had a feeling Clover knew this, and rather than chance it - which was ironic in a way - the irritating little weed opted to drag him along for this excursion; it was a smart play, but still annoying for Roman, as he really just wanted to relax for a bit before 'breaking free'.
"Come on, don't look so sour; Neo seems excited."
Of course Neo would be excited, she was the one getting all the praise for brothers sake. Roman tossed a glance to his partner, and sure enough she was mimicking a flattered maiden - false blush and all - and waving Clover off as if he were a pestering little lad. Neo listened to Roman alone, but she took compliments however she pleased, and despite Clover being the loyal little hound of Ironwood, he'd somehow captured Neo's playful side; like an older sister teasing her much younger and ignorant little brother.
Roman relented fully now; there was no escaping the job now.
"Whatever; just tell me when we're leaving."
"Now." Clover said as he stood, and Roman restrained a snarl as he popped himself from his seat, choosing not to comment on how that peaceful little smile did nothing to hide the smirk etched deep beneath the surface; despite his carefree demeanor, Clover was a ripe little Nevermore.
"Pushy." Roman rolled his eyes before settling a glare Clover's way. "Well, lead the way captain."
.
.
"Mr. Oobleck dear, can you go get Gold please. I asked Magenta to collect him when she left for groceries for tonight's meal, but she forgot."
"I said I was sorry!" Cried the aforementioned woman, only for Kali to call back.
"I wasn't blaming you."
Oobleck just chuckled to himself, turning to face Ghira and setting his cup of coffee down beside him.
"Apologies, but it appears I'm needed. Shall we continue this conversation later?"
"Certainly." The chief of Menagerie replied, humming to himself as he skimmed through a few more pages of the book Oobleck had brought along for the discussion. "This particular discussion has been rather eye-opening, and I personally feel it's my responsibility as the island's representative to keep updated on these more recent developments."
"And thank you as well. I rarely get the chance to discuss such concerns with one of power, especially one who isn't consumed by greed whilst locked in a power struggle." It was true; being able to speak with the head of the island had been quite the interesting and pleasant experience, and once he got back he was determined to continue their discussion on the White Fang's movements and changes from when the man stepped down and the infamous Sienna Khan stepped up to the plate.
Oobleck himself did his best to give the 'Human' perspective on the Fang, as well as his own personal opinions on their excursions over the years - while explicitly stating that these were indeed personal opinions of course. Oddly enough, throughout one of their previous chats, the girl known as 'Ilia', who had also been a member of the organization and was also a friend of the Belladonna family, overheard their conversation and joined them for a bit. She'd offered insight into the group's change from activists to terrorists, and even provided context as to what caused such a thing - the light she'd shown on Sienna Khan's eventual change in attitude towards their path had been particularly interesting, and acted as a reminder that she too had been just a person, as opposed to the murderous monster the world liked to paint her.
Yes, Sienna Khan had been without a doubt a killer, but it was crucial that people seeking to understand how groups like these turned to violence remembered that the killers were once ordinary people like everyone else. This information was useful in seeing the early signs of such drastic changes, and could even help in creating preventative measures to quell groups like the White Fang from traveling those darker paths. Yet for these things to work, people needed to be given hope, and with how the people of the past looked at Faunus before the violence, Oobleck himself had to admit that the creation of a terrorist sect was inevitable.
Oobleck offered a final wave as he stepped out into the hall, and soon enough, out the front door.
From his place on the upper patio, he looked out to the bustling streets, taking joy in the peaceful meanderings of the ordinary people of the island. A few noticed his person, and while most merely returned to their daily motions, a few offered light waves here and there. He returned them with honest appreciation before starting down the steps and joining the people on the streets, committing himself to the tides of wandering peoples. Many by now knew he was Human, and while there were plenty who avoided him because of it, there were also those who looked at him with curiosity.
The people of Menagerie had nothing but rumors and their own personal experience with the outer world to draw from when judging their opinions on Remnant's second, and more domineering, race. While the doctor loathed the fact both races were judged on such principles as commandment over the world, but that was just unfortunately how the world worked. More importantly however, he also understood that most opinions of differing people were usually born of either ignorance or experience. People feared that which was different, and yet they looked to said differences with honest and innocent curiosity. They didn't want to be afraid of different people, but it was instinct that drove these fears, and depending on both circumstance as well as interactions, those fears could either be erased entirely, or hardened into an impenetrable wall.
People were, in essence, tribal in nature, and escaping that mindset was a long and arduous process.
Menagerie was about a forty-sixty split in this regard; with the lesser of the population having come from the outer world due to their treatment at the hands of Humans, and the greater margin having grown up on the island without ever having met anyone of the opposite race in person. It were these more secluded members of the citizenry that looked upon him not with loathing, but intrigue, with some even having greeted him from time to time, asking questions about the outer world and Humans as a whole.
Oobleck did his best to answer the curious youths and elders alike, but he was only one man, and had nothing but his extensive knowledge of history to provide.
It was due to his familiarity with Remnant's history that Mrs. Belladonna - preferring to just be called 'Kali' in casual conversation - at one point asked him if he'd consider hosting a small history lesson for the children of the local orphanage on weekends - even going so far as to sponsor it, providing him with payment and equipment to teach. He'd taken her offer, not only for the chance to put his years of study to work again, but also to provide knowledge for the youths of tomorrow. With how little people in general understood of the world's history, he felt it important that people not only have access to that information, but are provided a good environment to learn and ask questions. He made it clear however that he wished these lessons were available not only for the children, but any and all who sought to learn, and Kali agreed.
Oobleck slowed his pace, having come to the crucial turn in the road. This new road was much less crowded, and that was because he was coming to the edges of town. The good doctor knew exactly where Gold was today, as he'd spent most of his time in one particular spot when not tending to the Belladonnas or his fellow teammate Magenta. After a bit more walking along, the young man came in sight, kneeling before a pair of graves. One of the graves belonged to Sienna Khan herself, but the other belonged to someone else: the second of the four recent individuals Oobleck himself failed to save: Lapis.
Oobleck approached, knowing full well that the boy could hear him, and yet surprisingly enough, Gold did not scoff under his breath this time.
"Let me guess: either Kali or Magenta called for me, didn't they?"
"Yes, Mrs. Belladonna wanted Magenta to collect you at first, but the thought slipped her mind while she was gathering groceries." Oobleck told, only for Gold to chuckle lightly.
"And she's always complaining about me making stupid mistakes." Gold paused afterwards, taking a breath, but not really moving to stand. "Hey, old man, I want to ask you something."
"Hmm… what is it you wish to know?" Oobleck certainly wasn't used to this; Gold hardly ever acknowledged him to begin with unless absolutely necessary, so to do so willingly was intriguing.
"You said you had a book full of all the people you failed; was Lapis in there?"
"Of course." Oobleck allowed his tone to fall into a somber trodding; four of his most recent failures, almost directly one after the other, with the most damning being Steele and the man sitting before him, the one who merely continued to look upon the grave of his friend. "Not only him, but you, Steele, and Magenta as well."
"They told me something a long time ago, you know." Gold paused, stretching a little from his place in the dirt. "They told me about a trip to Vacuo, and how they couldn't agree with one of your decisions."
"Ah, that one." Oobleck remembered it well, as it was yet another of his many blunders. "Yes, I remember it. Sometimes doing the right thing isn't always the best thing. Sometimes I try to tell myself I was forced into the decision due to my role as a Beacon staff member, but even so, had I chosen to look the other way, perhaps the pair wouldn't have run off."
"And they wouldn't have joined the Fang, meeting up with me, and aiding in the assault on Beacon... at least, in Magenta's case anyway." Gold kept a steady pace with his words as he spoke, sounding neither accusatory, nor forgiving. "They've given me the short of it, but I'm curious as to what actually happened."
"Honestly, there isn't much to tell. We'd settled down in one of the lesser outposts along the rims of Vacuo. There were reports of large groups of Grimm attacking, and they were short on hunters. Both Lapis and Magenta were just entering their second year, and so they'd been allowed to tackle the more dangerous missions. The battle went well, all things considered; nothing we hadn't seen before from previous trips elsewhere."
"Then what went wrong?" Gold's voice held a bit more stress to it, however it was so minor that Oobleck almost missed it. Nevertheless, the teacher continued.
"We'd been clearing out the last few Grimm when we came across a caravan. Naturally we went to check on them, and when we did I noticed how uncomfortable they seemed with us around. We questioned them, and they adamantly denied any forms of stress. I was about to leave it all behind, assuming the trip through the desert was rough for them, when a noise and a knock came from inside. Curiously I asked to inspect the noise, but they kept trying to claim it was nothing."
"Oh..." Gold offered a mild chuckle. "I think I know how this goes."
"Predictably, I'd assume, and you'd be right. The noise grew, and so I had to resort to threatening them. Nothing violent, but I told them I'd be forced to report their suspicious behavior to the authorities if they did not concede. This caused them to relent, and once I looked inside, I spotted a fairly well dressed fellow, restrained and hidden under a series of coverings. The man was terrified, and of course I was on edge."
"Hollow Opal; Magenta told me how you found him, meaning the rest of what she claimed must have been true as well." Gold spoke, and Oobleck simply hummed.
"Perhaps. Now truthfully, the man had already been under investigation at that point, but this took place before those accusations were proven true, and so I'd based most of my decision around that. We ended up letting them go, however Both Lapis and Magenta seemed to already suspect what I would do, and made adamant attempts to dissuade me. As an authority figure however, I was required to do the legally responsible thing. Both students at the time warned me that if the man was set free he'd most likely seek revenge, which was something the caravan claimed as well; they feared for their lives. They were correct, as only a week after his rescue and the imprisonment of the few members of the caravan who admitted to the crime: not only were the prisoners found dead in their cells, but the rest who'd not been arrested disappeared completely. Shortly after, both Lapis and Magenta dropped out of Beacon."
"They knew what would happen, and yet you made the final call."
"I did, and it resulted in the deaths of multiple families. Even so, I was a member of Beacon, and regardless of whether I agreed with the students or not, I still had a responsibility to the law. Sometimes I wonder just how much they hated me for that decision, and if they'd ever understand the regrets I bore. Ironically, I was one of the few who was skeptical of Mr. Opal's business practices, and realistically I had great suspicions that most of the accusations were true, but still..."
"You were bound by your ties to Beacon, and the position you held." Gold hummed again, rolling his neck a little as his eyes settled on the sky above. "They never spoke of hating you, not really. They hated the decision, but one night when I questioned why they left Beacon, they told me of how they hated being forced to concede laws when the outcome would ultimately result in the suffering of innocents."
"They did?" Oobleck hadn't known that, and strangely enough, he felt a small weight lift from his shoulders at the revelation of such.
"It's like you said: as a member of Beacon, you were bound to do the legally responsible thing. Yeah, hunters get a little leeway when it comes to handling things like that, but that flexibility only goes so far." Gold paused, and his eyes settled this time on the dirt ahead of him, right before the grave. "It's strange: the more I think, and the more I learn, all these things together make it harder and harder to keep hating you as much as I have all these years. When I'd joined the Fang for the first time, acting violent wasn't allowed; I needed to do it in secret. And then, once Adam took charge, everything changed. Violence was not only allowed, but encouraged."
Gold looked to shake a bit as his voice rose.
"I could kill and destroy at my leisure without any consequences or pushback. Then, when Lapis and Magenta showed up, I became the indirect leader of our team of three. This was all in Mistral though, and by technicality, I wasn't even a full fledged member. I skipped most training and protests to hunt down targets of my own choosing; people I'd learned took advantage of Faunus. I was more of a vigilante than anything, and I'd turned both Lapis and Magenta along that same path. When we'd crossed paths with you again, we still weren't even in the Fang officially; it was only when we got called here to the island that we began our membership in full, and it was here where we had V assigned to our group. Funny, the 'officially' new recruits ended up having a traitor assigned to the crew."
"But he wasn't a traitor, was he?" Oobleck said, leaning back a little. He hadn't known when he'd sat down beside his once carefree student, but it hardly mattered as he continued. "Both Mrs. Belladonna and Ilia have seen fit to explain the boy's role in Miss Khan's ruse, back before she passed."
"They've done the same for me." Gold threw out, not bothering to look up. "And it only makes things weirder; I can't even hate him now. That hate; the burning desire for revenge, it was what carried me all these years. It feels... wrong, now that I don't have it. I've killed plenty of people before, feeling especially exhilarated when they were a high priority target, such as mister big shot Opal himself; in his own damn prison cell even."
"I see, so that was you." Oobleck commented, and a soft grin crossed Gold's lips. The man was eventually found out for his crimes of course, but around three days into his prison sentence he was discovered dead; torn to shreds from an explosion.
"Gifts are always checked before being allowed in prison, but for me, I didn't need to hide anything inside to make my mark."
"Quite." Oobleck watched the side of the man's face, seeing how the grin settled into a calm line of apathy. "Tell me this: have you ever felt remorse for those you've killed."
"No, none at all." Gold made no attempts to hide the contempt in his tone as he carried on. "All the people I'd killed were monsters; beasts who choose to kill and hurt without remorse."
"I see, but by that definition, would you not be one of those monsters yourself?" Oobleck didn't throw anything more than a simple sprinkle of curiosity in his speech; he wanted it clear that this was only a question, and that he wasn't trying to antagonize the man.
"What better way to deal with monsters than to send one of your own?" Gold leaned back, sighing aloud. "But I can't really call myself much of one anymore. The last time I'd directly killed someone personally was back before V arrived. Yeah, I caused some chaos at Beacon, but I spent most of my time throwing out random explosions to create a sense of chaos, and Adam himself only had me clearing the way when I was available; everyone else did the killing."
"And how did you feel about that?"
"I don't know... I don't think I've really felt anything for a long time. After Beacon, everything was just... meh. The only time I'd felt anything was when I saw you again, and even then, just trying to enjoy my dream of revenge was more of a hassle than anything; I had to constantly hype myself up just to get a kick."
"It sounds to me like you're tired." Oobleck stated, and for the first time he'd drawn the eyes of the bomber.
"You've finally noticed?" Despite how taunting the words came out, the doctor responded casually.
"Fatigue usually leads to introspection, and while daunting, it is often a vital part of one's experiences in life."
"Right, so what you're trying to do is tell me to just let everything go; as if I haven't heard that one before."
"Not entirely; it is ultimately up to the individual to choose which experiences and beliefs to assign value to. If anything, I'd recommend you look over your beliefs and drive, and ask which ones hinder, and which ones help you. It is not my place to decide what's best for you, but I would suggest that you choose those which prop you up at times, as opposed to dragging you down. Anger has been your lift before, yes?"
"Yeah..." Gold sent an off look to the doctor.
"And does it still elevate you? If it does, then keeping it would make sense. However, if that certain rage no longer carries you, then perhaps it is best to find a new method of rising. Anger is, like any other emotion, useful as a fuel, but like other intense emotions it can very easily blind you to the best, or even necessary, decisions you have yet to make. Take heed not to let it control you."
"I think I'll stick to what I have in mind." Gold rolled his eyes, and yet Oobleck caught a quick glimpse of how the boy's expression looked to falter. Yes, Gold would hold onto his rage for a while more, but Oobleck had an inkling the young man was wise enough to see beyond it. Maybe he was just getting too sentimental over the past, and instead looked upon Gold as if he were still a student of his, but despite that no longer being the case, the weary doctor still wished for the man to find the strength crucial to walk beyond his previous boundaries.
Sienna Khan had very much turned out to be a pleasant surprise, and if the one responsible for inciting the violence of which the White Fang was known for could double back on her ways, then there was very well a chance the young man before him could too.
Oobleck figured this was the end of their conversation, and chose to stand. Gold would make his way back soon, Oobleck was sure of it; he just needed a little time, and so the doctor would give it to him.
Ten minutes later and the young man was offering his final goodbye to the slumbering grave, turning to leave down the very same trail as his once loathed nemesis.
Perhaps, had he a chance, growth might occur. Yet this was merely one of many lives to walk that path, and with the clock quickly ticking down, Remnant's destiny was closing in; everything hinged on two individuals, and yet another 'reset' was on the horizon. The souls would yet again forget…
All but one, and eventually... two.
Author's note
...
So... Roman and Clover - plus Neo, can't forget about her - are off to find 'Agent P', we also see how the others are doing on Menagerie... alright.
Now, while I'm sure many of you wanted to see RWBY and crew dealing with the aftermath of Jinn's revelation, or perhaps a look into V and the supposed story general Ironwood spoke of: I felt it was important to get this section out of the way. Why, you may ask? Well, it's actually very simple.
This is the last main appearance of both Gold and Oobleck; heck, Menagerie as a whole even.
Truth be told, this should have been done long ago, however we ended up crossing into the whole bit with Argus, which in and of itself was one of the more important sections of the story - technically it won't officially be over until RWBY and the crew get to Atlas, which luckily won't take much longer.
So the wrap-up of Oobleck and Gold's little spat got sidelined until I got a chance to slip it in: right now, when all other recent major events have reached a resting point. Was it as exciting as some might have hoped? Probably not, but at least it got an ending; most characters just end up dead - not exactly a good track record, but oh well. Besides, we're still forgetting about a certain someone though, and if the pair above aren't the ones dealing with them, then who will?
Anyway, I'll see you all next time.