Emerald liked to think of herself as a reasonably intelligent woman with a good firm grasp on reality. However, that belief had been challenged as of late thanks to some recent events involving, a botched terrorist attack, copious amounts of alcohol, bounty hunters cosplaying as pirates, a marriage between and student and a croc, more bounty hunters (Or were they mercenaries?), and finally the Ozluminati running around in circles trying to make sense of everything that has happened in a vain attempt to decipher what will happen. Normally she would have found the whole mess rather funny and for a while, she did but then the insanity began to affect the people nearest to her such as Mercury who was never the same after an encounter with that girl with a beanie, Though I will admit that she did have a really creepy eye that felt like it was peering into my soul… just the memory of that unearthly eye sent a shiver up her spine but she quickly shook herself out of it, I know he has a plan to get rid of her but how are a pillow and a lantern supposed to help? Maybe there's something there that I'm not getting or maybe he is just losing his mind.
And it wasn't just him, even the woman she respected the most in the world seemed to be acting rather oddly... Though in hindsight Cinder did go out of her way to make the mess bigger than it would ever be on its own not to mention that the White Fang would have never been able to pull off the Breach on their own. So really when you get right down to it, all of this insanity is her fau- NO! I must not doubt her. She has never steered me wrong and she isn't going to start now, I just need to trust her and obey.
Despite her personal grievances and internal conflict it would be far too much of a stretch to suggest that she doubted her mistress's plans, on the contrary, she thought it was a stroke of genius! Cinder had taken what should have been a setback as well as a burden and used it to place the enemy into an even deeper state of confusion thus allowing her to push the true plan forward while they were stuck trying to make sense of things. It was poetry in motion however Emerald had one teeny-tiny criticism and that was that maybe Cinder was just a little too… hopeful about how far they could take this. After all, Ozpin and his allies had been at war against Salem for longer than either she or Cinder have been alive, and during that time they have most certainly seen and deciphered many attempts at subterfuge in the past with this just being the latest iteration.
Thankfully that was a fact that Cinder seemed to be aware of which led to Emerald's current predicament or specifically why she was currently crawling through an air vent and making her way towards a room that on paper should not exist... perhaps it would be a good idea to take a step back and properly explain how this situation came about. It began just after breakfast…
Cinder frowned, blinked, and then looked at the floor plans again but she still couldn't make sense of it. She tried rotating the image, zooming in and out, looking at older versions of the document but nothing made sense, A room without a door? It's clearly another one of Ozpin's secret rooms but this is ridiculous, I'll have to send a minion to find out what is in there. There were only two choices, three if you counted Neo but she was never around, and more importantly she wasn't trustworthy. That left both Mercury and Emerald who were trustworthy to a degree but she wasn't sure where the cripple was which left the clingy one who happened to be hovering close by, "Emerald."
"Yes Ma'am?" She stood at attention, eager to serve and please which would have certainly made Cinder proud if she had bothered to put down the scroll and actually look at Emerald… She didn't but it wasn't like she needed to look at her in order to issue orders, But I rather she did.
"I have located what appears to be yet another secret room in this damn Academy but, this one seems to be far better hidden than the others. I want to know why."
"Understood Ma'am!"
Cinder pressed a few buttons on her scroll, "I just sent you directions on how to get there, the floor plans, and the schedules of everyone who would have a reason to be in that area. Now find Mercury so he can help you get in." That lazy bum isn't getting out of this.
Emerald frowned, I know how to break into rooms without being caught, I was literally a thief before I joined you! So what possible reason would I ever need that dunderhead's help for? She was about to voice her objection but quickly and wisely changed her mind before she could put her foot into her mouth. "I won't let you down, Ma'am."
"Record everything you see in there and if it's safe then I want you to contact me the moment you find out what's in there, now go."
"Yes Ma'am!" with that she was off and as she marched down the hallway she quickly checked the directions on her scroll and began to head straight there. As for Mercury, she did not know where he was but she knew that the quickest way to find him was to just use her scroll and ask him directly, assuming that he answered.
Fortunately for her, he was quick to pick up and greet her with his usual snark, "Miss me already?"
She rolled her eyes, "No, but Cinder has a new room for us to check out, I'm going to text you the location and then meet you there alright?
"That's fine but can I get ten more minutes? I'm almost done here."
Emerald rubbed her temples, "I swear on the brothers, you better not be taking another shit or jacking off in a bathroom stall."
He scoffed, "Oh ye of little faith, believe it or not, but I'm actually in the library reading Carlos Verde's treatise on the impact that the Great War has had on the technological innovations of Post Industrial Vacuo."
"What?"
"We've had this conversation before, I enjoy playing the role of student, and now I doing homework. Specifically, it's for Doctor Oobleck's class, he recommended the book in order to help me better understand a few historical events from the point of view of western Mistral in comparison to the eastern and northern provinces."
"What!?"
"It's for my Thesis on the socioeconomic factors that led to the founding of the Academy system, it's all rather fascinating."
"WHAT!?" People were starting to stare at her but she ignored all of them, getting to the bottom of this was far more important than what a bunch of strangers thought of her.
Likewise, Mercury seemed to ignore her reaction, "I know that it doesn't sound interesting but did you know that at the time there were at least five other systems that had been suggested but, then there was a closed-door meeting between the rulers of each kingdom that cut that number down to three? Even better was how no authenticated records exist of what was even discussed in that meeting! All we know for sure is that shortly afterward several settlements were founded just to serve as the testing grounds for each system, it was an inhumane experiment that ended in hundreds of ruined lives! All of the academies are built on top of a figurative mountain of corpses!"
Emerald took a deep breath to try and calm down, "Mercury I'm not going to be mad, I just want a straight answer; Are you fucking with me right now?" That was a blatant lie, she was already pissed.
"Um, no? Why would I do that?"
For a while, she didn't say anything but not because of a lack of effort or things to say. On the contrary, she had many things she wanted to say, too many. So many that it was taking all of her willpower just to hold back the deluge that was threatening to spill out if she said the wrong thing, "I- I- I don't have time for this...," Get a grip! You don't want to disappoint Cinder! Wait, that's it! I just need to ask myself, would Cinder say in this situation? That was a rather easy question for her to answer and mere seconds later she knew just how to approach this. "Look, I'm going to forward the location to you and wait for you there. If I don't see you within 15 minutes then I'm going to tell Cinder that you bailed."
"That's a dick move, Emerald."
"No, that's a choice you need to make. All I did was advise you on what I think would be best for all of us." He grunted and hung up on her without saying anything but she wasn't worried, he'd show up even if it was only to avoid Cinder's wrath. If only she had been here to see me, she'd probably tell me how proud she is of me!
Then with a great big smile, Emerald began to make her way over to the location, and as she did she allowed her mind to wander. She imagined a multitude of scenarios each one involving Cinder praising her and each one more unlikely and out of character than the previous one. She was so engrossed by her fantasy that she never once noticed that at one point she had stopped walking, she was now skipping like a giddy schoolgirl whose crush had just asked them out on a date. If she had any level of self-awareness she would probably recoil in horror in the realization that she wasn't as above the insanity as she thought she was but sadly, she was too busy walking on cloud nine to care… then one hour later her mood plummeted back to the earth and died an ugly death when it hit the pavement.
So what had happened to trigger such an incredible reversal?
Well, she reached the spot and found nothing but a dead end whose only distinguishing feature was an air vent. This did not bother her, after all, how could a room be considered a secret if anyone passing by could find the door? So she cracked her knuckles and got to work determined to find the door before Mercury could arrive and that is where her problems started. The other hidden rooms they had uncovered in the past all had panels marked with what appeared to be scratches but in reality, were a riddle whose answer was known only by those who were a part of Ozpin's inner circle, even Emerald would begrudgingly admit that Cinder was not an exception in this regard. It's a good thing Ozpin e-mailed the answers to the members of his cabal, otherwise, we would have never figured it out.
Ten minutes later Mercury arrived and found his partner on her hands and knees scouring every inch of the floor while using Aura to enhance her vision to the limit. Without saying a word he also enhanced his eyesight and began looking at the nearest wall but soon noticed that something was off. "The walls are clean?" He looked again but there was no denying it, the wall was completely spotless and so was the other ones, the floor was an option but if there was anything there then Emerald would have found it by now. This can't be right, maybe Cinder misread the floor plans or perhaps there was a room here but Oz decided it wasn't needed anymore… His eyes drifted to the only distinguishing feature of this dead end; the air vent. No way... but then again, it does look oddly big and what other option is there?
Meanwhile Emerald kept searching in vain for something that did not exist, "Where is it? Where is it!?" She leaped off of the floor and desperately felt up the wall for what must have been the umpteenth time looking for the scratches or a secret panel or anything else that could activate the mechanisms keeping the door hidden, Assuming that there is a door... no! I mustn't doubt Cinder, I just need to keep looking? Cinder would never make a mistake like this, clearly, I'm the one who's messing up!
"Have you tried the air vent?"
She spun around and glared at Mercury who wasn't even searching anymore, he didn't even have the decency to look at her. Only Cinder gets to ignore me! "What about the air event?!"
He didn't answer her right away but it wasn't out of any lack of respect for her rather it was out of concern. Emerald wasn't aware of it but Mercury could see that her eyes were bloodshot and twitching, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm just peachy! Why would you ask?"
"N-no reason," he decided to quickly change the topic to avoid pissing her more than she already was. "I'm pointing out that you've already looked everywhere else and couldn't find anything. So maybe the problem isn't that you can't find the hidden door but rather that there isn't a door, to begin with."
"And you think that the air vent holds the answer?"
"Do you have anything to lose? Besides doesn't it look a little, too big?" He then walked past her and up to the wall before kneeling. "Alright, up you go."
Emerald sighed but did as her partner suggested and to her horror found that he was right, the air vent grill was indeed oddly big, big enough that someone could easily fit through it. Even stranger was that when she peeked between the slits she saw that the vent itself was disproportionately large and squeaky clean, as though it was built to be crawled through. "Holy shit, is this for real?"
"Do you see anything?"
"I can't believe I'm saying this but I think you were right, the air vent is the hidden door!" She examined the grill and found that to her great surprise there didn't seem to be anything preventing her from removing the grill and crawling into the vent. They were probably relying on the assumption that no one would think to look here and they were nearly right.
"Hey, could you hurry up? No offense Em but, you're not exactly the lighes- ouch!" She stomped on his head before he could finish but didn't really hurt just like she wasn't really offended. It was just some light ribbing between friends in order to help her relax a bit and it worked.
"Okay, I'm going in."
"Do you want me to come with you or would it be better if I stood guard?"
"I should be alright with my Semblance but there is nothing I can do if someone catches me by surprise, so it's better if you keep guard." She lifted the grill and began crawling inside the vent as Mercury helped push her in.
"Okay, I'll keep people away from here and give you the heads up if someone comes. Good luck and stay safe."
"You too," With that, she began her journey through what was becoming increasingly clear a passageway hidden inside of a ventilation shaft. Or maybe, it was actually a ventilation shaft that had been reposed into a passageway? Either way didn't really matter, what mattered was whatever was at the end and she was eager to find out what it was.
"So what if I haven't slept during the last three days!" Who has time to sleep when there is a mystery that must be unveiled for the good of everyone? No one, that's who!"
She froze, Who was that, what the hell were they yammering about, and more importantly where are they? She began to use Aura to enhance her hearing but even when taken to its limits, all she could make out was incoherent mumbling from what sounded like an adult male who was ahead of her and possibly inside the secret room. What should I do? The smart thing to do would have been to play it safe and retreat, for now, she could tell Cinder that they found the room and make arrangements to return later. And then she'll ask me why I didn't use my Sembalace… She pressed forward but more slowly than before while using her enhanced hearing to try and gather as much information as possible.
"Besides, who needs sleep when you have access to copious amounts of the strongest coffee in the world!? What!? I'm already down to my last flask… well shit."
She paused again, she wasn't sure of the context of that sentence but she was certain that his voice was louder but it was still difficult to tell how close he was much less what he was talking about but, he was undeniably closer. She slowed her pace down even further, her Semblance could protect her but it was the type that needed a target in order to work so it was vital that she saw him before he saw her. After what felt like several minutes she finally reached the grill at the end of the vent and carefully peek through the slits in order to find out what kind of situation she would be walking into. From her vantage point, there was very little that she could glean about the room, for example, she couldn't see who was inside but she could see a conference table of some sort with chairs around it, further, in the back, there was what appeared to be a noticeboard with multiple pieces of illegible paper attached to it and brightly colored string connect one piece of paper to another, and that was it. If she wanted to see more she would have to exit the vent and that was not something she was willing to do until she had a clear line of light on whoever the other guy was so she could place an illusion on him.
Fortunately for her, whoever that mystery person was had started to move and they just happened to walk right past the vent giving her the chance she was waiting for. All it took was a moment and the man became trapped in her Semblance, if she wanted to she could dance and sing right in his face and all he would see and hear was empty air. But she chose to remain inside the vent for just a little longer until she was sure that he was the only other person in the room. After another minute or so of waiting and careful listening, she decided that the risk of discovery was low enough and crawled out of the vent. Once outside she scanned the room looking for anyone else that could have been there and when she found no one, she decided to find out who the man was and came face to face with, James Ironwood.
She cautiously took a closer look at the General and notice that his normally well-kept hair was now a complete mess, his vest was unbuttoned, the tie was crooked and, the inner shirt was partially tuck in and partially hanging out but it was his eyes that really caught her attention, they had dark circles surrounding them, he eyes were bloodshot, and his pupils shrunken. The man was clearly on the verge of some kind of breakdown and he made her feel unsafe despite the fact that he could not perceive her on any level. In the back of her head, she felt the urge to retreat back into the vent but she persevered and followed closely behind the General until he stopped right in front of the noticeboard, she then took out her scroll and began taking pictures.
James Ironwood pulled out his flask and drank what was left of his emergency coffee supply and restoring a little bit of sanity before starring back at the noticeboard. Or to be more accurate he was starring and trying to make sense of the wall of paper and string that might possibly have a noticeboard buried undeath it all, he honestly wasn't sure. Reaching out with his hand he grabbed one of the papers and began to examine it only to find that he could not make sense of what was written down which was a surprise since he was the one who had written it. Or at least he thinks he did, to be frank, the last few nights have been a bit of a blur, and it's fully possible that he didn't actually have anything to do with this collage before him… even though it was written in his handwriting, Shit, well I better make good use of my remaining sanity. He returned the paper to its original place and took a step back in order to try and take the whole thing in but the mess was starting to hurt his eyes.
He blinked a few times and gave his eyes a good rubbing before picking a spot on the board to serve as a starting point, "Now where was I? Oh yeah, I was about to prove my theory that this was all put into motion ten years ago when … wait, what did happen ten years ago?" He grabbed a newspaper clipping from the board and examined it, "Oh yes, the White Fang was trying to deliver supplies to a settlement in northern Mistral but kingdom security forces confiscated it by claiming that they were smuggling contraband, a few members were even arrested." He then began to trace one of the strings and it led him to another newspaper clipping, "The courts eventually ruled that the arrests and confiscation were unjustified and the arrested Faunus were released but the supplies were never returned nor did any of the officers suffer any consequences for their abuse of power." He then took a step back, "So is this a collage about how the White Fang became what they are today? But why would I make something like this?"
Emerald pinched herself so hard that it left a tiny bruise on her cheek that would soon disappear via Aura, Okay so I'm not dreaming, I really am watching one of the powerful men in Remnant trying to make sense of his own handiwork and failing to understand it… how the hell hasn't Salem won already?!
Suddenly there was a sound coming from the other side of the room and Emerald wasted no time moving to find out what it was, that was when she noticed that there was an air vent on every single wall of the room. For one moment she felt a pang of fear as she realized that the sound she heard was the sound of someone entering the room from one of the air vents, But which one? For a second she was frantically trying to look at each one at the exact same time, Calm down Emerald, just be patient and listen… the sound was steadily getting closer but that just meant it was also getting clearer, and soon she was able to pinpoint from just where the sound was coming from and then, an oddly familiar voice emerged from the vent.
"I know you're in there James, stop being so childish and get out of that room, or am I going to have to drag you out by the ear!?"
James then shouted back at whoever it was that was heading towards them, "There's nothing childish about this Glynda! There is something else going on and we have all the pieces right in front of us, we just have to put it together!"
"You're not going to figure anything out on your own, besides you don't actually have all the pieces yet," Glynda Goodwitch emerged from an air vent and began to walk around the room completely unaware of Emeralds presence. "I'll admit that you have put in a considerable amount of effort into creating this but it has gone for far too long, you need a break or the next crisis will break you." She then walked up to the noticeboard and began to look it over, frowning as she tried to follow the general's logic, Does he really believe that the White Fang are the true masterminds, or perhaps he is trying to figure out when did they come into contact with Salem? The latter would make more sense here but I'm not sure how the answer would really help us.
"Well, no offense but I'd feel more comfortable about taking a break if it didn't feel like I was the only one working on this puzzle - ouch!" He nearly leaped into the air as Glynda's riding crop smacked against his ass, much to Emerald's disbelief and horror.
"Don't be a brat James, especially when Oz went out of his way to help you interrogate those so-called, Lost Boys."
"It doesn't change the fact that I've been the one pushing this investigation further and I've been working on this well before the Breach ever happened!"
Glynda opened her mouth to defend Ozpin but she couldn't muster the words, she knew that James was right. As much as she wanted to trust her friend and mentor she couldn't help but wonder if the Breach would have happened at all if Ozpin had been more proactive in his defense of the kingdom. This doubt only grew deeper when she considered how many of the big breakthroughs involving the case were discovered by students acting on their own, sure Ozpin had encouraged them to do so but it wasn't fair to give him credit for what those students had done on their own accord. Even the arrests of the Lost Boys was a result of the students and the bounty hunter working together rather than anything that Opzin or really anyone in the inner circle could take credit for, And of course, I can't ignore how it was the students who convinced Tock, Mason, Cecco, and Turley to aid them… what have we actually done in comparison?
It was hard to accept but the truth was undeniable, they had failed as both educators and protectors. In hindsight, it seemed that the only thing that they had done right was choosing who the next guardians would be, Is that really it? Surely there had to be something else other than choosing who ought to be next on the frontlines… she couldn't think of any. She tried too, she really did but they could really take credit for either Maria or the Spring Maiden since if they had done their job well the two women would have never been in danger.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to either of the two, Emerald had finished taking pictures of the noticeboard and was now recording their conversation and had been doing so from the beginning. Unfortunately for her, she would soon regret that decision.
James watched as Glynda walked over to the table and sat down on one of the chairs with a sigh, he then took the seat across from her, and for a while, neither spoke. Both had things that they wanted to say, things that they had been keeping to themselves for a long time for one reason or another. Reasons that ranged from legitimate to petty excuses to avoid being honest about their true feelings because… We were scared.
"Brothers I'm so stressed out," Glynda suddenly bemoaned as she sank deeper into her chair. "There is a mountainous pile of evidence all suggesting that Salem is planning an attack but for some reason, the goddamn Vytal festival hasn't been canceled or even delayed! From the very beginning, we have been struggling just to keep up with an enemy that has been constantly several steps ahead and worst of all, it's been our students who have been doing most of the work!"
James was quick to agree with her, "Tell me about it, I got an army parked right here and Winter is scheduled to come here with even more troops who are just going to join the others in doing nothing but sit on their asses all day!"
"It's even worse since Ozpin has assured me over and over again that we'll finally act once we know more but it's never enough! He wants me to believe that we'll actually start doing our job when Qrow arrives with Maria but we all know what's really going to happen."
"Yes!" James's fist hit the table out of excitement. "First we'll talk, then we'll stop and process the information, and then we will just continue to sit on our asses because we either don't know enough or it just isn't the right moment to act. Fuck me!"
"Gladly," Glynda got up from her chair and began to start undoing the buttons of her blouse.
"Woah, what are you doing!?" The General was shocked by his colleague's actions but at the same time was very eager to find out just where all of this going.
A purple light engulfed Gylnda's body as she used her Semblance on herself, lifting her right over the table and gently dropping her right next to James. She then reach into the back of her head and pulled out the pin keeping her hair up and neat, allowing the beautiful blond strands to fall down and frame her perfect face as she removed her glasses, "I am pent up, so either show me the Ironwood or I am opening up my little black book and making someone else really happy while you take a cold shower and wallow in regret."
The last thing that Emerald saw was Ironwood standing up and ripping his clothes off of his body like a man on a mission, she didn't stick around to find out what happened next. Instead, she bolted for the nearest air vent in a desperate bid to avoid what was coming but only realized far too late what a horrible mistake she had made as the sounds began to echo throughout the shaft. No matter what she did she could not block out the horrible noise as it began to reverberate throughout every part, every cell in her body, and even down to her soul leaving her feeling utterly powerless to anything other than pathetically crawling away or just give up and curl up into the fetal position and hope that her mind could survive the bombardment. She was about to give in when she saw a light at the end of the tunnel and rushed towards it as though her very existence depended on it.
The last thing she remembers is the concerned look on Mercury's face after she merged from the air vent.
Nearly an hour later, Emerald was back in her dorm room, was sitting on her bed, had a warm cup of medical tea in her hands, was wrapped up in blankets, and was nervously waiting for Cinder to finish reviewing the photos and footage that she managed to capture. Meanwhile, Mercury was hovering close by trying his very best to pretend that he didn't care about what was bothering the only person in the whole world that he could call a friend. If Emerald hadn't been so focused on trying to forget what she had witnessed and… heard echoing through the very fabric of her being, then she'd probably poke some harmless fun at him.
"Is this it?" Cinder's voice was neither angry nor disappointed or happy, it was just neutral and that was unnerving.
Emerald put the cup down and pulled the blanket tighter around herself, "Yes, they suspect that Salem's plans are still proceeding but have no idea what those plans are or how everything is supposed to fit together. They are getting frustrated and are losing patience with Ozpin… but I don't think that-!"
"Your job isn't to think," interrupted Cinder. "Right now your job is to tell me what you saw while keeping your opinions to yourself so I can decide on our next course of action."
"I- I understand ma'am, sorry." Emerald unconsciously began to tighten her grip on the blankets.
"Continue your report."
Emerald wasn't sure what to say, actually that wasn't true. There was a piece of information that she had that she knew Cinder would greatly appreciate but it required her to remember something that she'd rather forget… But if it's for Cinder. "Towards the end of the video, there is proof that Ironwood and Glynda... are sleeping with each other."
"I fucking called it!" Mercury pumped his fist and nearly leaped into the air, "I just became 300 liens richer!" His celebration was ignored by his teammate and boss.
"Where is the rest of it?" Cinder suddenly asked.
"The rest of it?" replied Emerald rather confused by the question, "I recorded everything important."
Cinder showed Emerald the screen of her scroll and on display was the video recording for the conversation between Glynda and Ironwood, the video ended just as Ironwood ripped off his clothes. "Where is the rest of it?"
Mercury walked over and took a good look at the screen, "Damn, Ironwood is just as buff as I thought he'd be, this is going to be great!" He then turned around and started walking towards the kitchen, "I'll get the snacks and drink ready while you prep the TV, don't start without me."
Emerald was confused, "Start without you? What are you talking about?"
"Obviously we're going to watch this together."
"Watch what!?
"The sex tape of course."
And now it clicked together in her head, "What!? No! Brothers no! Why would I ever record something like that!?" What followed was silence. It was profound and deeply uncomfortable, the type of silence that only came into being out of pure disbelief over how badly someone had fucked up and it was usually broken by an eruption of anger. The only question was who would be unable to contain their emotions, Cinder or Mercury… okay, so it's wasn't really much of a question.
"You were right there." Mercury spoke softly but there was a deadly edge in his voice, "I would have paid good money to be in your place, I would have even killed and I know for a fact that I am far from the only one."
Emerald's eyes widened when she realized that he had just spoken the truth, He isn't joking, he really would have killed to have been there. "Why on earth would you want to watch our professors have sex with each other!?"
"You would have a point if those were normal professors, but we are talking about Glynda 'Please step on me Mommy' Goodwitch and James 'Harder Daddy' Ironwood! They aren't just professors, they are goddammed SEX SYMBOLS and you were RIGHT THERE!"
"W- well... maybe for you but they don't do anything for me!" Emerald retorted with a lie since even she'd admit in a heartbeat that both James and Glynda were undeniably attractive, But what is with those nicknames?
"Then do it for the Money we'd make with a video like that!"
"Money!? What money!?"
Mercury took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, and then walked to the door of their dorm room, "Allow me to elucidate you." He then opened the door and a dark-skinned man their age with dreadlocks and wearing a green sleeveless vest over a dark shirt fell into the room as though he had been leaning against the door. Behind him stood a familiar-looking girl in a baggy hoodie with a beanie covering… that unearthly eye, and behind her stood a small but dense crowd of eager-looking people.
"Uh, hey neighbors!" The guy in the vest picked himself up from the floor and tried to act as though nothing had happened. "I um, couldn't help but overhear that you've acquired a… particular film th-!"
He was interrupted by the beanie girl who shoved him aside, "What Roy and everyone else here, myself included wants to know is if you have a tape of Glynda and Ironwood going at it like rabbits. If you do then congratulations you lucky bastards and how much for a copy?"
Emerald slapped herself to see if she was dreaming, she wasn't. Meanwhile, Mercury turned to face the beanie girl and tried not to think about the hidden eye, "I'm sorry to say that we are sadly not in possession of that piece of, art." There was no sarcasm in his voice as he called that nonexistent piece of voyeuristic pornography a work of art, even worse was how everyone nodded along in complete agreement.
However, Roy wasn't about to give up, "Please! I'll do anything, pay you any amount you want, perform any depraved act you request! My whole team would gladly join in on it, right May?" he asked as he looked over to the beanie girl.
"Yes," She didn't even hesitate.
"What the actual Fuck is wrong with all of you!?" Emerald nearly shouted.
For a moment nobody said anything until May walked right up to Mercury and put a hand on his shoulder ignoring how he flinched at her touch, "It must suck to be on a team with such a prude, you have my condolences."
Surprisingly the son of an assassin relaxed a little as though he was learning to focus on the girl rather than the creepy eye that was still out of sight but not out of mind, "Thanks, I'll admit that it gets tiring at times."
"Well if you ever want to bitch about teammates, you know where to find me." May then looked at her own teammate, "Roy I think it's time we left these people alone."
The man ran his hair through his dreadlocks while eyeing the crowd still at the door, "Well what are you all waiting for? We all misheard so let's leave these people alone, okay?" There was a little grumbling but the crowd did disperse with May and Roy being the last ones to leave and both bidding Mercury goodbye one last time before he closed the door.
"And I rest my case," Mercury triumphantly stated when they were finally alone.
Emerald was quick to retort, "Th-that proves nothing except that between me and all of you, that I'm one with any shred of common sense of decency left."
Cinder had been quiet for a while, her focus had been entirely on the scroll and specifically the image of James Ironwood and Glynda Goodwitch looking at each other from behind the table just before the proposition that sent Emerald fleeing, and then she spoke, "Emerald."
The young lady felt a shiver running up her spine as she slowly turned around to face her mistress, "Yes, Ma'am."
"I'm disappointed in you."
The word struck like an arrow into her heart before burning it to ash, "Why? What did I do?"
"It's what you didn't do," Cinder help up the scroll for Emerald to see. "You didn't keep recording."
Emerald's world was turning inside out, "No, there's no way that's true, there is no way you wanted me to record that filth. This must be a nightmare! That's the only thing that makes sense!" She then slapped herself again in a desperate attempt to wake up, "Ouch! I- I don't understand, I even turned off my Aura to make sure that would hurt but I'm still here… which means this isn't a dream." The poor girl then fainted with Mercury being able to catch her before she hit the ground, he then gently placed her back on top of her bed.
Meanwhile, Cinder just watched secretly rather amused about the whole ordeal, Though I admit that I'd never expected a girl who dressed like she does to be such a prude. Perhaps it's a cultural difference I wasn't aware of, in that case, fuck me for jumping to assumptions.
The Bullhead touched down on Beacon's landing pad and the door slide open to reveal Qrow who jumped out before turning around to help Maria out as well. Then two then silently walked inside the Acadamy and made a beeline towards Ozpin's office, had either of the two been in less of a rush then they might have thought to use their scrolls to inform their colleagues of their arrival. Alas, they didn't so really they had no one but themselves to blame for the fact that they were about to walk into the middle of a meeting between Ozpin and a very special guest...
"Thank you so much for your cooperation, I promise you that I will do everything in my power to help you and your crew be able to start anew when all of this is over," he extended his hand to offer a handshake.
"Ta, a've made mony mistakes in mah lee bit this doesn't cop lik' yin o' thaim," Tock graciously took his hand and gave a firm shake sealing the deal and guaranteeing a future for herself and her crew.
Then the moment was shattered into a million tiny pieces when the door swung wide open and Qrow all but pranced inside the office and with a dramatic bow guided their attention to the woman walking inside, "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce all of you to the one and only Grim Reaper herself, Maria Calavera!"
Both Ozpin and Tock went pale as they watched the blind grudge baring Huntress walk in with a smile on her face and together they both thought the exact same thing and the exact same time, Oh shit.
Authors Notes: Damn this was a fun chapter to write but the next chapter is one that I've been looking forward to writing ever since I first got the idea for this crackfic. We are soon going to be in the final act of this Fic that has admittedly gone on for far longer than I thought it would, not that I am complaining since it has proven to be excellent practice.
Either way, the young man with the dreadlocks was Roy Stallion of team BRNZ, with him out of the way there is only one member of this team who hasn't made an appearance yet. Truth be told I'm not even sure why I did this running gag but I don't mind since it's been fun, I've said this before but stories have an odd way of taking on a life of their own. One of the secrets to becoming a good writer is being able to allow yourself to go with the flow up to a certain point, sometimes but not often you'll need to put your foot down to get the story back on track, and other times you need to just let go of the reins and see where the ride takes you.