Chapter 84 - Beacon - Rumors
72VE, October through December
Cover Art by Mi Chumi
Cove Aura Training Center, 72VE, October
They were going to lose three of their students, among the most talented, and there was nothing they could do about it.
"You've tried appealing to their sense of national pride?" Chieftain Ursulus asked the Director of Cove.
Nagata laughed. "Hell, Urs, you know I did. I tried bribing them with your money, too. Two of them are legacies, parents went to Beacon. The third has family still in Mistral and wants to attend Haven." He took a drink of the whiskey Ursulus had offered. "That one we can manage. Lionheart will run interference for us. But the other two… that's gonna cause some ripples, maybe some waves."
"We knew this was coming, do what you can, and leave the rest in Panzoa's hands.
"Never took you for a Believer."
"Never was, but with things going the way they are, I figure I might as well hedge my bets."
Beacon Academy, 72VE, October.
Ozpin was experiencing what one might refer to as a "full plate."
Not only was he required to plan for the upcoming initiation in late October, and immediately following that would be the 36th Vytal Festival in Vale itself. In fact, were he to take a half breath to turn and peer out the window of his offices atop Beacon Tower, he would see Amity Arena already hovering over the city of Vale, and he anticipated that most of the delegations from Atlas, Haven, and Shade would be arriving within the next two weeks. Frankly, it was only the fact that Glynda was handling review of first year applicants themselves that made his workload remotely bearable.
At the moment, he was reviewing the latest Grimm density data from the Emerald Forest. Years of experience had told him that it tended to increase fairly linearly for the smaller, less dangerous Grimm, but that the rate at which the ruins attracted larger Grimm could be much more variable. This information determined the required culling for November's initiation testing, focusing on any alphas and larger base Grimm. He was almost finished when the scroll upon his desktop announced his private elevator was bringing a visitor upstairs. Glancing at his scroll, he confirmed that it was his deputy.
That in itself was unsurprising. Glynda Goodwitch was the most frequent occupant of his guest chairs, along with Qrow Branwen. Typically if he met with the other professors, it was in the form of a larger staff meeting in the administrative areas of campus.
And of course, Qrow Branwen seldom bothered with the elevator.
However, Glynda was at this moment supremely aware of the stresses that he was under, and should not be disturbing him, unless she had found something remarkably problematic.
The look on Glynda's face as she exited the elevator wasn't so much disturbed as it was perplexed. "Ozpin, I'm very sorry to disturb you, but I think you need to see this," Glynda said as she set a series of physical folders on his desk and eased down into the comfortable chair, legs crossed. Ozpin remained bemused by her insistence on hardcopy reports, but he had to admit there was a certain quaint satisfaction in using a pen or pencil to mark up paper copies.
"Oh?" he said, easing back from the larger holographic display, and eyeing the folders.
Glynda motioned toward the paperwork. "Yes. It's about the latest batch of applicants. Two of them are…" her voice lowered, "unusual."
Unusual. Ozpin's face pinched. When Glynda used that tone, it invariably meant something problematic which would make life interesting for anyone else involved. "In what fashion?" He asked, peering over his pince-nez.
She held his gaze. "Well, for one, they're from Menagerie."
Ozpin's eyebrows rose. It was exceedingly rare that Beacon Academy received an applicant directly from Menagerie, for various reasons. The first was that faunus who fled to Menagerie seldom could obtain suitable pre-training to meet Beacon's high standards, and thus did not bother to apply. The second reason was that those who fled to Menagerie often had good reason to remain there, and a significant distaste for the four Kingdoms as a result.
To have two applicants in one single class-year was nearly unheard of, unless. "Are they, perchance, siblings?"
"No. Their parents went to Beacon, but in different years and different teams. That or a sibling link would have eased some of my surprise, Ozpin," Glynda blinked. "They are completely unrelated, other than having a second anomaly in common."
"And the second?" Ozpin asked, pulling one folder toward him, and opening it. He found himself faced with an older female faunus, dressed in combat gear and holding what was clearly a mechashift mace. His eyes flicked over her biographical details, finding nothing out of the ordinary.
"That both candidates purport to have received a condensed training regimen at the hands of retired Huntsmen in Kuo Kuana, which is believable, but also that they have completed their final year of training at something called Cove Aura Training Center, and have included a certification to this effect."
Ozpin's brows shot up further. "Aura. Training. Center."
Glynda nodded, switching her posture. "That was my reaction as well. I was surprised enough to research more about it than the, admittedly, sparse details they provided, through the broader CCT network. I found that details are not exactly broadly published. What little I have found is rather surprising." She slid out the third folder, and opened it showing a meager report. "It appears that a Combat-School level training program has sprung up in Menagerie."
Ozpin's face went very still, while his mind ran down myriad pathways.
In general terms, a new Combat School program, if credible, was a boon to all of Remnant. It was something to be encouraged. Nurtured. Supported. Promoted publicly.
However, a new Combat School Program in Menagerie risked upsetting a delicate balance. Ozpin had spent decades quietly pushing for gradual improvements in Faunus rights in Vale and the other Kingdoms, along with recognition of Menagerie's status as a sub-Kingdom. And at every turn, he'd met with the strongest resistance from Mistral and Atlas. In fact, the more legal progress made regarding Faunus Rights, the more… dramatic the backlash appeared to grow among those societies, as if it were a fault line where the more movement occurred on one side, the more the stresses on the other grew.
Ozpin had begun to fear that, if a significant enough shock were felt, such would tear itself apart violently.
That was, of course, assuming… "And do you find their claims… credible?" He asked, eyes skimming over the report. It was, as Glynda had indicated, sparse on detail. She'd been unable to find any officially published information, other than a few photos of hardcopy flyers and discussions on blogs.
Glynda's lips pursed. "The mentors they listed were in good standing prior to retirement, and were well regarded by their peers during their careers." She flipped a page on one of the applications. "And those same mentors included letters of endorsement for the final year of each applicant's training as well." She leaned forward and indicated, on the second page of her report, a table. "I also found, on a bulletin board discussing Huntsman training programs, that someone had posted this Center's class schedule."
Ozpin frowned. "Problematic. Do remind our own students that posting their personal schedules on public facing media can be dangerous. You never know who would wish to exploit such knowledge."
"Of course."
He reviewed the schedule along with the listed instructors. "Hmm… interesting. I recognize some of these names. Especially this one."
"Kali Belladonna, teaching Faunus studies."
"Yes, one can't say she isn't qualified, considering her background and vocation, and frankly, I would be hard-pressed to find someone as knowledgeable without being dogmatic. But what is this… Aquatics Program?"
"Would you like me to ask about that? Our applicants did not put that on their applications. They apparently did not pursue that elective, but they may know something of it."
"Please do."
Beacon Academy, 72VE, November.
Before his ornate desk, Ozpin regarded Glynda and Qrow as they watched the video playing on the holographic screen above his desktop. It was a recording of the most recent initiation, and was just wrapping up. "Thoughts?"
"They aren't the best first-year students that I've ever seen, but they're definitely in the upper quarter," Qrow said with a critical eye.
"I agree with Qrow," Glynda added. "Quite talented, but nothing out of the normal distribution of students."
"True. True." Ozpin mused. "But that is placing them among the population of all first-year students. Students who come from the best Combat Schools in Remnant, or who had paid professional trainers." Ozpin shook his head. "Are we to believe that in a single year, Menagerie has created a program that can deliver not one, but two such candidates to Beacon? Candidates that are better than the average of those mature programs? And I am told a third has been accepted at Haven?"
That had been an additional surprise, and had only come because Glynda had asked the headmasters of Mistral and Vacuo.
She had not bothered to ask Headmaster Ironwood. She seriously doubted a Menagerie Faunus would apply to Atlas Academy. It was surprising enough that one had applied to Haven.
"Well when you put it that way…" Qrow rasped.
"Indeed. There is something… uncanny about this situation. We must rule out the possibility that this is, in some fashion, Salem's doing."
"Surely, Ozpin..." Glynda replied, blinking in surprise a the direction his mind had gone. "I mean, what purpose could training more Huntsmen serve Her?
"I cannot imagine, and that is my fear," Ozpin turned to his most trusted agent. "Qrow-"
Qrow waved his hand in something between acceptance and dismissal. "Yeah, yeah. Do the thing. Make sure it's nothing nefarious. Report back. I'm on it." He stood and shared a look with Glynda.
"Thank you, Qrow. I await your evaluation," Ozpin said.
Patch, 72VE, November.
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby squealed as she body-tackled him before he could even make it through the front door. Eight-year-old Ruby had leaned out a bit more and was hitting the "all arms and elbows" phase of childhood. Qrow figured that if he hadn't had Aura, she might have stabbed him to death with them.
"Hey pipsqueak," he rasped back, laughing as he tried to extract her first by prying, which didn't seem to work, and then by tickling.
"EEEEEeeee! Stahp it! I hate tickling!" Ruby flailed, which caused her to fall off him.
He managed to catch her from falling on her bottom, but she just flailed harder. "Stopping! Stopping! Where's your mom and dad?"
Ruby's eyes narrowed and she stilled in his grip, pouting a little. "You're not here to visit meeee?"
"Sure I am, kid. But I need to talk to them first, okay?"
"Fiiinnnee. They're upstairs. I was hoping you were here to visit me. It's boring without Yang here."
"Oh, she with my sister?"
"Yep. Training in Mistral with Auntie Raven." Ruby rolled her eyes. "I mean… it's kinda cool sometimes because I get mom all to myself. But I miss Yang. Nobody to play games with. Dad's too busy and mom's no good at video games," she huffed as Qrow set her back on her feet.
Heheh. Auntie Raven. Gods that never gets old. "You take the good with the bad, kid. How's her training going?"
"She's always in a bad mood when she comes back. She says half the time it's 'cause she was having so much fun she didn't wanna stop, and half the time it's 'cause Auntie Raven rubbed her face in the dirt too many times. She's been trying to get mom to unlock her Aura." Little Ruby gave him a sly look… "I was thinkingggg."
"Nope. Wayyy too early. Trust me on this, Ruby. Trying to tame an Aura, gods forbid a Semblance if it unlocks too, at your age is a nightmare. Give it time, you'll get there. Thought about your weapon yet?"
Ruby's silver eyes lit up. "Like Harbinger… but better."
That gave Qrow an authentic laugh. "Heheh. Good luck with that!" He patted the weapon sheathed across his back. "This baby is the crème de la crème of cleaving Grimm."
She crossed her arms. "I bet I can design something even cooler and better."
"Oh reallllly," Qrow drawled, matching her posture, and watched her deflate a little after a few seconds.
"Yeahhh…. Uh… but you'll help, right?"
"You bet! Now, seriously, I gotta talk to Summer and Tai. And after I'm done how about we can go a few rounds PvP on your gaming console?"
"Awesome!"
. . .
Summer greeted him with a warm hug, Tai with a hearty backslap. "Qrow!" Summer exclaimed happily, then sniffed his breath. "Gods, and sober, too!"
"Oh come on, Sum." Qrow mock-complained.
"Fine, I'll stop with the poking, but really, I'm proud of the progress you've made."
"We both are," Tai nodded from behind her.
"Well, I figured if that Dr. Mazarin could do the Pirate Lady some good, maybe there were some things I needed to do the whole brain pan treatment on." He rubbed his jaw. "Turns out my hunch was right."
Both Summer and Tai sobered at that. "Anything you want to talk about?" Summer asked.
"Nah, not yet. And it's not all about you and Rae, so don't get a big head." He grinned rakishly.
"So," Tai said, changing the subject, "to what do we owe the unexpected visit?"
And again Tai proves why he's ultimate bro.
Qrow sobered, which considering his current state of non-inebriation wasn't a long trip. "I'm off on another mission for Oz and…" he sighed. "I want to know how you need me to play it."
Summer and Tai exchanged glances.
It had been almost a year since Summer had tagged along with Qrow to find Amber, and had rocked his entire worldview with a series of revelations about Salem, Ozpin, and the Maidens. She'd promised, afterward, to tell him more. And she'd kept that promise. Tai and Summer had sat down with him and told him that there was a group out there, people who she wouldn't name in order to protect them, who were working specifically to end the whole shadow war between Salem and Ozpin. End it without Salem winning and without involving Ozpin if at all possible.
It had sounded nuts, and when he pressed them for details, Tai had looked at Summer, and she'd just shaken her head. "First off, we don't know yet, because we're still figuring out what we can do, what we're capable of. Second, you're too close to Oz. If we told you everything, he'd make some side comment in front of you…" she trailed off.
"And my eye would twitch or something, give the game away," Qrow finished sourly.
And frankly, at this point Qrow wasn't even mad. It was true. He was close to Oz… probably closer than anyone other than Goodwitch. So close that if he knew too much, and said the wrong thing at the wrong time…
Yeah. It was better to voluntarily stay in the dark, a little.
But only because it was Summer and Tai he was dealing with. If it had been just Raven, he'd have poked and prodded until she either spilled it while she beat the shit out of him, or told him to fuck off and threatened to beat the shit out of him without telling him anything at all.
But Summer was his Team Leader, and she and Tai were his best friends. Hell, they were family in a way Raven hadn't always been.
It had struck him, two beers in after one particularly insightful session with Dr. Mazarin, that he was, deep down, happy to be used. Not in a bad way, but in a good way. He liked being useful to people who deserved his help, and he didn't demand much in return except an awareness that they appreciated the effort that he put in. He'd brought that up the following session, and Dr. Maz had agreed but also had told him to be cautious that this desire to please didn't turn into an abusive relationship.
And he was beginning to think that, meaning to or not, that's the dynamic he and Oz had created, and he wasn't sure it was all Oz's fault, either. At some point in the past, he'd stopped asking questions, challenging his boss, at some point, and just gone where he was pointed. And he suspected it had come after Raven and then Summer had been lost to him.
Anyway, all that was a long way to say that he knew enough to know that their short-term plans involved Lionheart and Menagerie, and now Oz wanted to send him to Menagerie so…
"Oz wants me to go to Menagerie and check out some sort of Combat-School level program there. Make sure it isn't one of Her ploys." Qrow saw their shared glance. "Annnndd that's exactly what I thought. It's yours, isn't it?"
"Eheh," Summer mumbled. "Well, Qrow my bestest bud. I'd offer you a drink but…"
"First off, I haven't stopped drinking, I'm just not drinking constantly. Second, the fact that you went there tells me I'm gonna want that drink. But first I owe Ruby a few rounds of Tales of GrimmGate Castle. We can have our talk after she's passed out for the night, if she hasn't beaten me into the dirt before then."
"Fair enough. And Qrow…"
"Yeh?" he paused in mid-turn.
"Thank you. I mean it," and Summer hugged him.
And he believed her.
. . .
In the end, they collectively decided that it was a smarter approach not to tell Qrow what they had in mind for Menagerie, not until after he'd seen for himself and had a chance to draw his own conclusions.
"That way, you only know what you've seen, and our input can't color your impressions and give even more away," Summer offered.
"That's great and all, but how do I spin it?"
"Honestly, I think… don't lie to him. Seriously, you can't afford to get caught in a lie. Just… maybe err on the side of it not being so clearly great as it might actually be?"
Qrow gave a low whistle. "And that gives me more to chew on. There's really something big cooking there, huh?"
"Mayyyybe?" Summer smiled coyly.
"Alright. But when I get back, I'm gonna want the full story on Menagerie. That can't be top secret if it's out in the open like this." He saw them share another look. "Fine. Fine. We'll see when I get back. Sheesh."
Kuo Kuana, 72VE, December
It there is one nice thing about this bullshit trip, it's the weather.
Instead of spending December in the cold and slush of a Valean winter, Qrow Branwen was leaned against the railing of a combination cruise ship / passenger ferry bound from Lushu and coming within sight of the Menagerie coast. He'd been here once, years before, running errands for Ozpin same as now. He was scanning the coastline, looking for any obvious changes that he might find.
And what the actual fuck...
Because it wasn't like you could miss the differences. Sure, there was a definite increase in boat and ship traffic, which stood to reason. And he could see some changes in the city proper, if his memory was any judge. A few taller buildings. A little denser. Maybe the industrial sector near where he remembered the Bullhead docks being was a bit bigger.
Nah screw all that. There's a damn honking big Tower perched on the clifftop to the east of the city. It stands out like a pearl in a pigs ear, and looks kinda like mother-of-pearl to boot.
And Qrow Branwen had been all over Remnant. He'd had seen enough towers to know one thing.
I'd bet my life savings on a blind hand that aces over kings that is a CCT Relay, and not something thrown together, either.
Which, considering he'd had scroll signal all the way from Lushu to here… well originally he'd assumed the ship had a repeater, but when they'd gotten out in the middle of the Shallow Sea and still had signal…
Yeah nah. That's a CCT relay, and a good one, too.
He couldn't quite see any detail because of the angle and the height of the cliffs, but he would swear there was a large structure behind it, too. And if what Oz and Glynda had said was correct, that was the so-called Aura Training Center.
Though if the CCT Relay was anything to go by, he had the feeling there wasn't any so-called about it.
. . .
His second shock came when he disembarked and found two members of the Kuo Kuana Ceremonial Guard flanking two older faunus waiting for him, one of whom he recognized immediately.
Thanks for warning me, Summer, woulda been nice to know I'd have a VIP welcoming committee.
"Qrow Branwen," Chief Perine Ursulus didn't even bother making it a question. "You know who I am, and this gentleman is Director Nagata."
Qrow paused, and then nodded before turning to the second man, who he did not know by name or reputation.
Nagata held out his hand. "I received word you might want to visit my training facility, and thought we'd make it as straightforward as possible."
Qrow blinked. That was not what he had expected to happen. He'd expected to be thrown back into the sea, and have to sneak around and do some snooping. This?
He shook Nagata's hand, and the older faunus didn't try to break his. "Uh…. Yeah. That's right. Hoping for a little… tour?"
"For Beacon's Headmaster," Ursulus added.
Alright. Cards on the table, huh? "That's right. Beacon received two solid candidates this year, from your… facility? Passed initiation with flying colors."
"And he wants confirmation there's no hanky panky going on, because of course, it's impossible for mere Faunus to drag themselves up from the muck by their own bootstraps," Chieftain Ursulus said with a mock glower. "Well, I guess it can't be helped." He looked from the director to Qrow. "Send him my way after you're done chewing on him, so I can have what's left," and he turned away followed by his two guards.
Ugh. Well this is going to go well.
. . .
Over the next thirty minutes, Qrow changed his mind.
"Don't mind Ursulus, he's got a chip on his shoulder the size of Atlas. Because of Atlas."
"Yeah, I get it. But Vale isn't Atlas."
"No. No, it isn't," Nagata nodded, looking ahead as they walked. "But Vale is lockstep with Atlas Academy, and Atlas Academy is an integral part of Atlesian military culture."
Qrow chewed on that, and decided based on the tone of the conversations so far… "Preaching to the choir there, Director."
"I thought as much, based on your reputation," Nagata smiled.
"Hey, I'm not drinking nearly that-"
"I was, of course, talking about your reputation as a Huntsman, Branwen."
Qrow rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah. Well. Heh. Yeah." He realized they were walking toward the Bullhead docks. "So how are we getting to that school of yours?"
"I've got a Bullhead waiting just up that hill, he nodded with his chin. "It would be a waste of dust, which is damned expensive here, but I expect you'll want an aerial tour anyway, so I figured get it out of the way."
"Alright. Sounds good to me."
. . .
As the Bullhead lifted off and began gaining altitude. Qrow's eyes were again drawn to the CCT Relay that peeked over the rise, it's scarlet antenna arrays reminding him of some kinda weird feather thing he'd seen in some nature special. Couldn't remember all the details cause… well he'd been pretty drunk that evening most likely.
"I see you admiring our Relay," Nagata said beside him.
"It's impressive."
"We've got a secondary repeater on a larger island offshore, and another in Lushu, to ensure the signal is boosted enough to get coverage all the way there. Some pirates tried to hit it a month ago." He smiled thinly. "It didn't go well for them."
That answers that question. Qrow nodded.
The silence stretched out as the Bullhead curved around the seaward side of the plateau.
And then the entire campus swam into Qrow's view as they gained altitude. "Holy shit…"
"Yes. It's a thing of beauty, isn't it? Mostly local materials," Nagata lied. "Crushed coral with a binder, and some concoction that one of our locals cooked up as a pearlescent coating."
Qrow's eyes goggled. "That damn building is huge!"
"Well, before you lose your mind, it's not a building. That's really more of a façade. The dome is just a framework, and the walls you see are individual buildings. It's only one-story tall inside." For now.
Qrow felt his shock ease a little. "Huh. Okay. But still. You're running a Combat School-"
"Aura Training Center, Branwen. Not a Combat School." Not yet.
Qrow held his first reply back which has been along the lines of 'bullshit', in favor of asking a more civil question. "What, in your mind, is the difference, Director Nagata."
The faunus smiled with entirely too many teeth showing. "Well first off, we don't have the staff or funding to claim a full-fledged Combat School. We're operating on a shoestring budget here, Branwen. And to make matters worse, we're open to all age ranges."
Qrow blinked and glanced between Nagata and the Campus that they were slowly curving around at a height. "Eh?"
"That's what I said when Ursulus first suggested it. But we're managing. No, we've got them roughly segregated by age categories, but we're training pre-Academy kids, Academy-aged, and post-Academy aged students here."
Qrow absorbed that, and realized with a start that he was getting actual answers. Honest answers. He'd expected to sneak around and pry but… the hell with it. "What's your staff look like?"
"Overworked, underappreciated, and stretched thin as hell. Branwen, the Chief knows what your Headmaster is worried about. Hell, I do too. But this is Menagerie. We're desperate for Huntsmen and Huntresses that we can rely on to be there for us when the Grimm hit the fan, and we can't do that if our choices are ad-hoc mentorship here combined with losing half the resulting students to the Academies in the four Kingdoms or to Grimm here." He eyeballed Qrow. "Do you know what happens to Faunus who go to an Academy?"
"They become Huntsmen?" Qrow answered sarcastically.
"Funny. They get put on a Team, Branwen. A team with people who aren't from Menagerie and probably have never been here, and have zero interest in coming here. Once a student goes to one of those Academies… what's the 10-year mortality rate of Academy graduates?"
Qrow blinked at the apparent gear-shift, then frowned. That was an ugly question. And it wasn't a secret, but it also wasn't talked about a lot outside some very high up, very quiets meetings. He exhaled and answered quietly. "About 25%."
"You want to guess what percentage of those survivors ever come back to Menagerie, even as retired Huntsmen?"
Qrow nodded. "I see where you're coming from."
"Right. And Atlas won't let us build an Academy to fix that. And you know that is damn-well true. If we tried, they'd embargo the hell out of the technology required until we bankrupted ourselves or gave up."
That left a bad taste in Qrow's mouth. "Surely it's not-"
Nagata put a leathery hand on Qrow's shoulder and squeezed gently. "Branwen, let's be clear here. Back in Vale, you folks are the best of the crop. But you aren't slapped in the face with the reality on the ground. Atlas won't admit it, and they'll hide it. Ask the Chief what happened when he tried to buy materials and equipment to build this facility, when it was just supposed to be a CCT Relay and Security Post. Hell, we can't even afford to buy a Bullhead, this baby is rented through intermediaries, so it doesn't get back to the owner that 'filthy Faunus' are using it, and he jacks up the rate."
"Ugh. Alright , you made your point, Nagata."
"Right. My point is, this is a Training Center to train Menagerie Faunus, of all ages, how to use Aura and fight Grimm in Menagerie. That's it. Some of our students, despite my best efforts to dissuade them, applied to Beacon and Haven Academy. I doubt I'll ever get them back." He frowned, and Qrow got the feeling he was honestly disappointed. "And that means that while we can't grant a Huntsman's license," yet, "we can provide an education and training that will keep them alive here, and allow them to test for a license back in the Kingdoms if they want, Academy or not."
That all sounded… damn pragmatic. But it still left one question. How the hell are they paying for all this, all of a sudden?
"Are you gonna sic your student body on me if I ask where you found the funds to do all this? I mean," he gestured, "I'm no general contractor, but if it was this easy, you woulda done it years ago."
"No idea," Nagata said, "Ask the Chief. He's the money man. I just run myself ragged trying to make it work."
Great.
"Pilot," Nagata yelled toward the front, "bank right, let's show him the bay and Aquatics Center."
. . .
"The hell?" Qrow exclaimed when the large building half in the water, hove into view past the cliffs.
"That is the heart of the training center. Menagerie is a coastal nation, Branwen. 99.9% of our population resides within a few hours walk of the sea, even ignoring aquatic faunus and the fact that almost half of our food sources are from the ocean. What you see there, that big ugly brick of a building, is our Aquatics Center. Nobody has anything like it, and no one is training Huntsmen to fight in aquatic environments like we are."
Qrow absorbed this. "Can I see it?"
"Damn right you can see it."
. . .
There were things that Director Nagata wasn't showing him, Qrow as sure of that. It was clear in the way he skimmed past, for example, the Combat Arena with an "And that, of course, is our Sparring Arena. Purchased what we could on the secondary market, and had to hide even that, or doors would have slammed shut on us."
Qrow was starting to see a theme. The Bullhead had landed Cove's private dock, and they'd walked toward that huge domed structure, and then through a gap in the walls which turned out, as Nagata had said before, to be buildings instead of just walls. To his right, he could hear and smell the familiar sounds of weapons forge in operation, as well as see maintenance shops. And then through another opening where kids were milling around.
The age ranges were staggering. He saw everything from tweens to people in their thirties. He pointed to one older duo. "Are those two staff?"
"Hmm? Well the one with both arms is, but the other one is in training. Lost his arm to Grimm in his twenties, and he's been trying to get revenge ever since."
"And you're training him?" Qrow said in disbelief. No Academy would have accepted someone maimed like that with no prosthetics, and few Huntsmen would have taken them as an apprentice.
Nagata gave Qrow a careful look. "Why the hell wouldn't we, Branwen? He wants to learn. He wants to fight Grimm. We are in desperate need of that. Just because your Academies have an excess of applicants and high standards, doesn't mean we can afford to turn people away." He waved at the man, who waved back, face set. "He might not be alive in five years, but he'll go down on his own terms. That means something to him, and it means something to Menagerie. In the meantime, we're paying for his room and board here, and covering his tuition."
Qrow blinked.
Nagata chuckled. "Well I say that. He donated his life savings to the Center first." He shook his head. "Anyway, the pre-Academy kids are expected to stick to their Quadrant here," he motioned to a quarter-slice of the innermost pie. "And the older kids and adults stay out unless they have a pass."
"How many students total?"
"What day is it?" Nagata said sourly. "We have pretty high turnover. We accept anyone who wants to make the effort, and we work them hard, and a lot drop out. Right now? I'd say we have about thirty students pre-Academy, a dozen Academy-aged, and a half-dozen post Academy. Applications coming in next three months will likely double that, temporarily."
Qrow rubbed his stubbled cheek. Lessee, typical combat school has 100 students first year, decreasing to 25 applying to Academies at the end of year four. The four Academies take about 25 students per year each, but with the privately trained ones and having more combat school graduates than slots…
Huh. Pretty small, compared, though they've only been operating a year. "What's your total capacity?" Qrow said, sidestepping to avoid a gaggle of teenagers who were deep in discussion about gods-knew what.
Limited by staff." Nagata shook his head as they waited for the kids to pass. "A lot of our students live with their families, so it's not housing. Our limitations are qualified instructors. That'll resolve itself over time, but we're at capacity right now." And every single damn word I've just said is the gods honest truth, if you define "over time" as being within the next four years.
. . .
The tram ride down to the Aquatics Center was another surprise. They'd spent some money on it, that was clear, and the source of that funding? 'Ask the Chief' again. The Center itself was a marvel. Qrow wasn't partial to water, himself. He preferred to fight Grimm on land or in the air. He'd generally avoided battles in water if possible.
This? This practically begged you to wade into it and meet Grimm head-on. Nagata showed him the partially submerged classroom, and explained that they had a significant mer-faunus contingent now. He showed him the jet-skids (again, expensive, where money? Ask Chief.) and the water gates to the bay. And the Grimm swimming back and forth outside those gates, trying to get in to the people inside. "Much like your Emerald Forest, we have to cull them from time to time," Nagata explained. "They wander over from the other side of the bay where they nest, or from the shallows outside the bay, and over time they end up camped out here, pissed because they can't reach the yummy crunchy center." He laughed darkly. "Or at least that's what my Aquatics Instructor tells me. You should have seen my nervous breakdown when I first saw those kids fighting Grimm in here." He looked thoughtful. "Would you like to see the footage?"
"Would I? Damn right I would!"
. . .
An hour later later, Qrow was sitting in Director Nagata's clearly barely-finished and barely-furnished office. He could tell that the entire administrative building was a work in progress. They're putting what money they can get into the program, not their pockets.
An hour after that, Qrow was shaking his head in disbelief. "What the hell? I mean… I've never seen aquatic combat like that before, it was impressive as hell. But those kids… they aren't even Academy- aged and you've got them facing Grimm under water!"
Nagata laughed. "I can tell you that my initial reaction was the same. What you don't see on the video are the Merchant Marine gunship poised to intervene, as well as the fact that our instructor, Salt Boudda, was no more than two arms-lengths from Mr. Aukei at all times." He grumbled, "Still scared the piss out of me."
"Yeah but. Mixing ages like that?"
"As I said, we have limited staff, limited aquatic faunus, and limited lives to sacrifice to Grimm. We're doing what we can," Nagata said, slightly stiffly. He considered volunteering the fact that those same students had participated peripherally in an anti-piracy raid last month, and then decided the look on Qrow's face wouldn't be worth it.
Qrow shook his head in completely disbelief. "No wonder the kids you sent us are doing well, you guys are insane."
Nagata laughed. "Insanity. Desperation. Pick your poison, Branwen."
Qrow chewed on that, and thought about what else had struck him about the campus. "Any chance I I can get a tour of the CCT Relay?"
"That's not part of the Center, officially. You'll have to ask Ursulus that."
"Ah then-"
"He'll say no," Nagata continued matter-of-factly. "We're very protective of that facility, and paranoid about sabotage. I promise you, it isn't happening."
"Fine. I think I got a good feel. I… shit I appreciate you taking the time to do this."
"It's in our best interests that Beacon especially understands what we're doing here, and the quality of the students who complete their studies here." Nagata leaned forward. "We understand the risks of what we're doing here, Branwen. We're doing our best to allow people to maintain their little fantasies regarding what we are and are not." He leaned back. "I hope I make myself clear?"
Qrow chewed on his lip. "Clear. Very clear. Thank you again, Director Nagata."
The Faunus smiled broadly and genuinely. "And you, Huntsman Branwen."
. . .
The meeting with Ursulus was less fruitful.
How could they afford all of that? They couldn't. A ton of the buildings were still empty or unfurnished. Other parts were paid using loans that they'd owe on for decades.
Where did the funds come from? It's all public record. Taxes. Charitable donations. Tuition from those who can afford it.
Sure buddy. Sure.
Qrow figured that at least some of the "Charitable Donations" were likely Atleisan technology that had been, at some point, pilfered from its rightful owners. That didn't mean Ursulus or Menagerie was responsible for the theft, just that they'd probably not been picky about the sources of materials and tech. Hell, they couldn't be, if some of what Ursulus and Nagata told him was true. And based on the prices for dust that he'd seen, he could believe it.
He spent the rest of the week hanging out on the beach, or eating good meals, or hanging out in the hotel bar. Not that he was being completely slothful. He was chewing on what he'd seen, and listening to what the locals were saying about Cove.
Beacon, 73VE, December
Qrow Branwen shivered with the cold as he waited in Ozpin's office, Aura or not.
Why didn't I stick around Kuo for a little longer... like two months? I already managed to skip most of the madness of the Vytal Festival...
He knew the answer.
Summer Rose had put the seeds of frustration in his cranium, and they were now sprouting. Why the hell couldn't he take some time off. Have some downtime. Chill on the beach for a couple more weeks?
Because… well shit he probably could. He'd just have to tell Oz.
And then Oz would call him on the Scroll, halfway through whatever break he'd arranged. There'd be some thing. Something that might be critical, and Qrow as the only one Ozpin trusted to check it out.
And wasn't that just some bullshit?
Because at this point, Qrow wasn't the one Ozpin could trust to check it out. Because Qrow knew two things right now.
He knew, for a fact, that Cove Aura Extreme-Psycho Center was no plan of Salem's, and that it was openly and honestly an effort to benefit Menagerie, and not intended to fuck over the four Kingdoms at all. This was based on everything he'd seen and heard. Nagata had told him the honest truth.
And his gut told him that the above was true, but it was also bullshit, because they were cooking up something bigger in Menagerie. Too much money was being spent that had no clear source and no clear benefit to the moneyed elites. There were things they'd been careful not to show him. The Sparring Arena for one. He'd stopped off at the Beacon Dorms when he returned, and asked the two newest students from Menagerie how they liked sparring at Cove compared to Beacon.
And they'd told him that both facilities were excellent.
That meant that Cove's was about as good a facility as Beacon's was. And that was… not trivial either.
And he remembered that when he'd gone to Ursulus' office, there'd been a picture of Lionheart and Ursulus, shaking hands, on the wall outside his office. A recent photo.
Qrow noticed little details like that.
When you added it all together, what did it mean?
"What did you find, Qrow?" Ozpin asked, interrupting his musings. Qrow focused his attention on what his mouth would say to the two others in the room.
"Right. Well… it's unorthodox, chaotic, and flying by the seat of its pants, Oz. They're desperate for local Huntsmen, and they're accepting anyone who is willing to try, and then beating the living shit out of them until all that's left are the ones that can thrive in that environment."
"So you don't believe this involves… Her?" Glynda asked.
Qrow turned to consider Glynda, then shook his head with feeling. "No. I don't. I mean, she might use any chaos caused if Atlas gets its knickers in a twist over the fact that Menagerie is *gasp* training people to be better Huntsmen. But that's not on Menagerie."
Ozpin frowned. "No, it is not 'on them', however-"
To everyone's shock, Qrow interrupted the Headmaster. "Oz, what's the alternative? Tell them to not do anything? Rely on the four Kingdoms to protect them?" Qrow shook his head again. "The two closest Kingdoms are Atlas and Mistral. Atlas wouldn't lift a finger. Mistral doesn't have the means to defend itself and Menagerie."
Oz sighed. "You are not… incorrect. James would wish to assist, but the Atlas Council has proven... difficult." He mused on this for a while. "And so… you found nothing… suspicious?"
"Oh hell, I found a lot that was suspicious. I suspect they have been siphoning money off from somewhere else, though I dunno how or where. I suspect they're buying black market tech, because Atlas won't sell them legit goods or would mark it up ten or a hundred times. I suspect they'd like to have an actual Academy, but they're making do with what they have." Qrow stood up and paced in front of Ozpin's desk, earning a look from Glynda. "I talked to the Director there. He reminds me a lot of Phoenix Brand over in Argus. Hell the whole…" holy fuck I think I just got it, "setup reminds me of Argus. A second-tier city trying to do the best they can to keep up with the big boys, with a CCT Relay and a Huntsman program. It's not like they've got a vault underneath them, right?"
There was a long silence as Ozpin hummed softly, eyes gazing into the distance.
Inspiration struck Qrow. "Look, if you want, I can head back there, maybe make it a longer trip. Spend some more time snooping around." Bask on the beach. Find a nice bar. Maybe check out the local single ladies and night life.
"I suppose you are right, and all is as it appears, though it is still problematic." Ozpin shook his his head. "No, we will not impose upon you with a second trip."
Dammit. Cursed.
Patch, 72VE, December
Yang had returned from Mistral via Portal, but she and Ruby were both away on a sleepover. Which meant Qrow could be blunt and loud.
He regarded half his team across the coffee table, and set his drink carefully down in front of him. "Alright, I did the dirty deed. And I gotta say, I'm impressed. Now, spill it. I get Menagerie's motivations. I understand Lionheart having an interest, considering he's a Faunus and Mistral's a cesspit." Qrow paused and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "I've been doing some thinking. There's a lot of damn money floating around. Raven's getting paid off. Menagerie's getting funding." He shook his head. "Where the hell is it all coming from?" He glared at them both. "And why does my gut say it has to do with Argus?" He watched them do that thing again. "And stop fucking looking at each other, you're making me paranoid!"
Summer laughed, but she also looked embarrassed. "I know a few people you'd really get along with, drawing links like that." Then she sobered and chewed her lip. "Do you… really want to know? We talked it over, and… we trust you. As long as you're sure you can keep your relationship with Ozpin going, too. But it's your call, Qrow. You know Ozpin."
Qrow thought about it for a few minutes, carefully sipping his whiskey. Gah. "Dammit. My call." He frowned. "Nope. Mushroom me. Keep me in the dark and feed me shit. Fuck it. It's safer this way. If I keep figuring stuff out, I can pretend some of it has to be bullshit." He sighed. "I did think of one thing. Nagata kept talkin' about staffing. And you're teaching at Signal- STOP FUCKING LOOKING AT EACH OTHER! Dammit!" His voice lowered. "I knew I was right on that one." He took another drink. "When are you moving?" There was a hint of sadness in his tone.
"Not sure. Probably a couple years." Summer leaned over and put a hand on Qrow's. "We'll still just be a Raven away, Qrow."
Ugh. Still. "Gonna sell the house?"
"Nah, Ruby and Yang would throw a fit. We'll probably rent it out."
"Not gonna be easy, being humans in Menagerie," Qrow mused. "They're open now, but that's because we're visitors. We're not invading."
"Yeah, we've talked about that, too. It'll be… a learning experience to feel the shoe on the other foot. For us and the kids and for the locals. But it's the safe thing to do, for the girls."
"Yeah. Yeah. Get some distance." Qrow rubbed his stubbled chin. "How the hell did it end up so fucked up?"
Summer took a sip of wine, silver eye sharp. "Well, this magic-wielding girl whose dad was an overprotective idiot prevented her from emotionally maturing enough to deal with having her true love die unexpectedly. And then the Gods inflicted both of them on us unhappily ever after." She shrugged. "Also Maidens and Silver Eyes. And Oz gave you and Raven magical powers, too."
"Shit."
"Yeah."
"Hey Sum."
"Yeah?"
"You were right." Qrow had the pleasure to see Tai's blue eyes widen.
"You mean R-" Summer started.
"Don't fucking say it," Qrow poked her in the chest. "You were right. I don't care about who was right before you were right. Got it?"
Summer giggled. "Got it, Qrow."
[A/N]Thanks as always to my recent reviewers, AtomicR4y, Rookie80, and Shadowstorm-Vash!
And here we have another chapter where things are gradually coming to a head with Cove / Breakwater, with Qrow VOLUNTARILY keeping himself in the dark now, which is different from how Ozpin handles secrets, and is making a difference. And amazingly, I think I wrote a new chapter without actually involving a new named OC's perspective, lol. Yay me?
Credit for the God of Animals being called Panzoa goes to fanfic author BryonNightshade!
Next Chapter is drafted, and involves Atlas finding out a few things!