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The set I was led into was nothing like what I imagined. There was a couch, an armchair, and a desk on some carpet but it was all false. It was made to look like a whole room when in reality it was missing three walls and a ceiling. Above the fake room were metal struts with bright lights shining down on the armchair and couch in particular. Then the set had cameras on cranes and equipment of all sorts pointed at it. It was an illusion and a false room with one tan fake wall with a pseudo window in place behind the couch of foggy blue glass.
Someone with a tag came up to me and attached a microphone to my shirt without a word. Then the young woman pointed at the couch. "Have a seat there, make yourself comfortable."
I agreed and leaned back on the couch. I was in my hunting get up but somebody took my weapon from me when I entered the building. I missed the familiar weight in this unfamiliar environment but I'm not sure what I would have done with it had I been allowed to keep it.
The couch and armchair were a soft purple and red respectively and the desk was a hard dark brown.
I recognized Lisa Lavender. She was wearing a suit with slacks and a jacket and a dark blue button up shirt with a collar. She was in heels and had a set of crystal purple earrings on. The same assistant that came up to me walked up to her without a word and attached a microphone to her collar.
Then Lavender came towards me. I stood up from the chair and held out my hand. She was only a few inches taller than Weiss which left me most of a foot taller than her. She was slim at the shoulders such that I was closer to three times as broad as she was than two times as broad. Her stature reminded me of Weiss in terms of how she was built with slender legs as well. She took my hand softly and shook it. I was wary of crushing her little hands. She was a civilian.
"Cloud Strife; it's a pleasure to meet you," I said softly.
She smiled up at me and let go of my hand. "Lisa Lavender; the pleasure is all mine, Professor. Won't you sit again? Let's ignore the cameras and just have a nice chat."
I sat down at once. A camera on a crane lowered and pointed directly at me. I found it difficult to ignore.
I had no idea what to do with my hands. Why did I not know what to do with my hands? They were just hands. Where did hands go? I ended up folding them over my lap one over the other.
A man with a headset held up three fingers before us and Lisa sat down in the armchair. "And we're live in three… two… one..." the man counted down.
Lights on the camera's flickered to life.
"Hello, I'm Lisa Lavender with Vale Tonight and today I'm joined by a special guest, Professor Cloud Strife, Beacon Academy's very own combat instructor," she addressed the cameras directly, then she turned to me. "How are you tonight, Cloud?"
"Doin' well," I managed. "And yourself?"
"Very good, thank you for asking," she returned. "Tell us a little about what you do for Beacon and Vale."
"I help students master their weapons, semblances, and fighting styles to prepare them for the opponents they will face in their role as Vale's protectorate."
"Opponents like who exactly?"
"Bandits, murderers, especially Grimm," I listed with a casual shrug.
"You yourself fought bandits and murderers. Such as Khagan Branwen whom you killed in single combat."
"Bandit leaders are definitely included in that, sure. I wasn't aware that was such public knowledge."
"Khutan Branwen was no ordinary bandit leader. How did you manage to overcome her when Valean and Mistrali militaries failed.
"That's true enough… Raven's power allowed her to escape most traps. In order to defeat her I had to come up with a way to destroy her before she could open a portal and run. My power lets me become stronger and faster for a period. With the right timing I was able to engage her, put her in disadvantage, and destroy her before she could escape."
"And did you know the Khaganate would shatter without her in play?"
"That was the general hope."
"But you weren't certain and in Anima alone the number of raids has increased by sixty percent since you killed her. The shards of her empire run rampant across two continents. You must confess some responsibility for that. And now we hear that you weren't even certain the Khaganate would collapse."
"That's temporary. These are the death throes of her empire. No Khanate has ever outlasted the death of the Khagan for long. Without real leadership and Branwen's organization and with communication back up things will eventually go back to the way they were before Black Out Day. Of course I'm in part responsible but Raven had to go down and she was never going to die quietly."
"On the subject of communication let's discuss the satellite; how do you feel about the Atlas having a presence in Vale again?"
"It's a good thing. Vale and Atlas were close before Black Out Day. There's no reason that should change because of some terrorist hackers and the actions of the White Fang. Vale's enemies want us to hate Atlas and to remain divided. Atlas support can help deal with the bandit tribes that remain."
"But Atlas showed up with a military force with no warning. How can you justify that?"
"Atlas should have communicated that they were moving with Vale. But they had to keep the existence and movement of the satellite a secret. Look at the bombing of the airfield. If the bombers succeeded in attacking the satellite we would still be in the dark days."
"But Vale is democratic and there was no referendum to move the satellite here and then Vale had to bear the brunt of the bombers. Atlas may work in the dark but Vale doesn't. Vale is open with its citizens. The fact that Atlas moved without Vale's express consent and installed a military force which led to a bombing of Valean airfields is not alright with many Valean citizens. Especially in light of the events of Black Out Day. As many as fifty-five percent of Valean Citizens polled want the Atlas military to withdraw from Vale's airspace."
"That's exactly what the bombers want. We can't give in to fear because we all know what that will bring. It's not like Atlas wants a war with Vale."
"But you can see how their presence is domineering. Atlas can't just violate Valean airspace with military operations whenever they please, can they?"
"We should expect moving the satellite to be the exception rather than the rule."
"But Atlas machines slaughtered Valean citizens in the streets on Black Out Day. How can we feel safe with Atlas once more occupying Vale?"
"I fought on Black Out Day against Atlesian machines. I know the damage they caused. But it's the hackers at fault for the tragedy. Not Atlas. These terrorists want to divide Atlas from the rest of the world. It's critical that they not succeed."
"What about your ties to Atlas?" Lavender interrogated.
"My ties to Atlas?" I wondered.
"You've served in their Special Forces for one," she pressed.
"Only briefly. There are some targets that I'm ideal for deployment against. I worked with Winter Schnee, Penny Polendina, and General Ironwood on tasks other hunters just aren't up for."
"On the subject of Schnee, you are involved with Weiss Schnee, former heiress to the Schnee dust company."
"I don't see what my personal engagement to Weiss has to do with my loyalty to Vale. I served Vale on Black Out Day even when I could have run. So did Weiss. Many of Beacon's students fought. Yes. I also served in the Atlas special forces for a time. But it was only to assist in my pursuit of those criminals that caused Black Out Day. I killed Adam Taurus, Mercury Black, and Cinder Fall while working with Atlas. I hunted Vale's enemies."
"And what work are you doing for Vale now?"
"Well, I've worked with Councilor Agustine recently. I'm not sure I'm allowed to share the details but I hunted some pretty big game and I'm always on the lookout for serial killers in the city and working with the police on that. I'm ideally suited for taking down Grimm other hunters can't and shutting down rogue hunters."
"Why you in particular?"
"My power is an Alexandria package with a few other quirks. It makes me difficult to contend with in the neutral and makes my advantage state oppressive against the vast majority of opponents."
"Could you briefly explain what you mean by neutral?"
"Sure it's when you don't have a positional advantage over your opponent and you understand the spaces you can threaten and the spaces they can threaten. Neutral is where you actually 'win' over your opponent. Then you let your punish game take over. The idea is to only need to outplay your opponent once."
"And your power? Reports from Atlas indicate you have a grab-bag semblance with Mover five, Brute eight, Trump four, Striker eight, Blaster three, and Breaker six ratings. This report indicates you are exceedingly dangerous. How do you respond?"
I reeled back slightly. I'd never heard my numbers before.
"I am dangerous. But that's the point. Isn't it? If I wasn:t dangerous I wouldn't be good at what I do. I wouldn't be able to hunt big game or deal with mass murderers."
"Like Raven Branwen or Adam Taurus?" She asked.
"Yeah. If I didn't have real power they would still be loose. Somebody has to have real power in order to deal with them. And that someone happens to be me. Like I said I also hunt big game for the Vale state. And I have systems in place to keep me touch with the police if they need some big guns."
"You also trained Princess Gainsborough. She was in your care for a matter of months and you were her coach at a recent tournament."
"I did. That's correct."
"Would you comment on your relationship with the Princess? You were seen escorting her at the festival gala at Gainsborough castle."
"We're friends of a certain sort. It's difficult to say for certain because I'm still her teacher first and a friend second. After she graduates that could change but we'll remain just friends."
"You never graduated yourself. Where did you train? Where did you come from?"
"I was born in Anima. I spent my formative years in Vale and attended Beacon until Black Out Day. I came into my power a little more while traveling and combating the Branwens in Anima again. But I only really gained my strength in Atlas when I joined the Special Forces. It was convenient at the time and it was where I had to be to do the most good."
"And tell me how you came to be a teacher at Beacon?"
"Well I trained Rosé-"
"Princess Gainsborough," she nodded.
"Right. The Headmistress saw the work I did with her and thought I was a good candidate for combat instructor. And I agreed."
"Would you be better put to use for Vale in a military role?"
"Maybe. It's… it's difficult to say with certainty. The Council knows where to find me if they have targets for me to take down. This is a best of both worlds scenario."
"Tell us more about your relationship with Weiss Schnee. Does she know about you and the Princess? Do you have a taste for royalty? Perhaps? Or close to it. Schnee isn't a princess but she's rather close."
"Weisd knows we're just friends. Weiss and I recently became engaged. I'm committed to her. Nothing has ever happened between Rosé and I."
"Congratulations on your engagement. You must feel like a lucky man."
"A little," I agreed.
"Can you tell us a little more about the work you do for Vale beyond your duties as Beacon's combat Professor?"
"I take on missions for the Council that other hunters aren't able to handle. Just one so far but there will be more."
"But you can handle them because of your ratings," she cut in.
"That's right. Hunting is dangerous work and I can't leave the work to my peers because they could get hurt. I also keep my eye out for serial killers in the city and I worked a little with the police on the recent faunus killer vigilante."
"And how do you feel about the faunus?"
"They're Cetra. They're people. Same as you and me. I don't hold anything against them as a race because of the White Fang."
"But you have clashed with the White Fang. You fought and killed Adam Taurus. You killed him."
"It's my understanding that even the White Fang disavowed Taurus. They didn't want to touch him. He was too gross. Nobody wanted him to be on their side despite his power. When he died he was alone and without any allies. But sure, I'll fight the What Fang too. I did when Beacon fell. I'll do it again if I have to. I'm not afraid to throw hands with them if it comes to that."
"Do you think it will come to that?"
"I think the Fang is a shadow of its former self. They're certainly a non-zero threat but they're much smaller with fewer allies and less support even from its own faunus base in Menagerie. People seem to want pacifism. The unions that once supported the White Fang in Atlas turned to other networks. People are tired. They're still mad and probably rightly so, but they're also tired of fighting. What did the attack on Vale do for the faunus workers of the world? It didn't improve the safety standards of faunus miners in Mantle. Robyn Hill did that but she was voted in peacefully. I think collective action and voter efficacy is the best path to enfranchisement. Not terrorism. And I don't think I'm alone in thinking that. The old White Fang was effective and supported because it strove to end things peacefully."
"You talk a great deal of peace for a military man," she pointed out.
"I served Atlas the same way I serve Vale now. The best way to use my power was to join the Special Forces."
"Then why not join the Vale Guard?" She pressed.
"I don't need to be in the military to serve effectively here. I never liked taking orders and I don't really have to and if an emergency comes up the Vale Council knows where to find me."
"Could you respond to emergencies quickly from Beacon? Wouldn't it be better to join the armed forces and serve from there? And if you're so powerful, why teach at all? Someone weaker could surely do just as good of a job and you could be handling threats no one else can, couldn't they? Are you shirking your duties to Vale by remaining a Professor? Don't get me wrong, it's an important job. But if you're really this effective in combat shouldn't you be doing that all the time?"
"It… it depends. On how you look at it, I suppose. I can't be fighting all the time."
"No one says you have to. But are you most effective as a force for good in Vale as Professor or as a member of the Guard. Surely you'd have time off and protections in place for your mental well being. Breaks and so forth. But you'd also be using the existing networks to protect Vale. I understand you have something of your own in place but should you really have to? Should you really be dedicating all this time and energy to that when you could be serving more effectively as a Guard member? Why did you serve in Atlas and not Vale? I'm given to understand you were a citizen of Vale first."
"To get things done and be in a position to serve I had to join the Special Forces. Here it's different. I can serve without joining the military so I don't. I think that's what it comes down to," I murmured. "It would have been difficult for me to confront Cinder Fall if I hadn't joined the Special Forces."
"Why was it so important that you face her?"
"She killed Ozpin, that made her the clear and present danger."
"I wasn't aware of that fact. It was well known she was a dangerous threat but not on that scale."
"She was a powerful pyrokinetic with dust sewn into her clothing. She fought with glass. She's easily the most powerful opponent I ever faced."
"More so than Raven Branwen?"
"I think so. Yes."
"I think we're done here," she said.
"I agree. Thanks for the chat," I managed. "I'm glad I could enlighten you."
If only I could enlighten her into how bad things really were. My sisters were out there and they were powerful enough to shake my resolve. They outnumbered me one to seven. There was only one magical demigod on the side of humanity and there were seven demigods and one entire goddess aligned against us. This bitch had no idea how close to extinction we ran every single moment of every single day even without my Mother and just the Grimm to worry about.
I sighed.
If only I could actually enlighten her. I would sound like a mad man. And perhaps I was crazy. My mother's machinations made me more than a mad man. I'd gone around the twist a long time ago and I'd done it again. Then I came back. And the truth was that people should be scared. Mother wasn't idle. She wasn't the sort. She'd bring them despair if it took a thousand years. And she had the time. I didn't.
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-WG