Sera grunted with exertion as she crossed swords with Qrow in the backyard. Or rather, the new training ground. She and Qrow sparred on one end of the yard while Oscar and Ruby were on the other practicing their hand-to-hand combat. Jaune stood aside and waited his turn with Qrow. Yang and Weiss sat on the porch and watched them. Nora and Ren stood by and watched Ruby and Oscar. On the far side of the yard, Neo watched them all with a smug expression on her face. No one else really wanted to mess with her, but Sera and Yang were itching to fight her again.
Ozpin figured that since Qrow was the most skilled at swordplay, he should continue to teach Sera and take Jaune under his wing as well. Pun intended.
She hasn't gotten the chance to talk to Oz about her dreams yet, but she had a feeling Qrow might have mentioned it to him. She'd overheard them talking in private, but the part of the conversation she caught had to do with the huntsmen and huntresses he was searching for. Turns out, he couldn't find a single one. That was why only Yang and Weiss had returned with him. They'd just up and disappeared, and no one knew where they were. That worried her a bit, because it turns out that they really might be the only ones taking the fight to Salem. Hence why they were training so hard at six in the freakin' morning.
Sera parried a swipe from Harbinger and drove the point of her sword towards his chest. Qrow knocked it aside with ease and followed up with a sharp blow to her ribcage.
"You're still a bit sloppy," he said gruffly.
WHAP
"Try deflecting into a new attack!"
WHAP
"No, the other way!"
WHAP
"You're killin' me, Snowball! Where's all the fire you had in Patch?"
WHAP
'Give me a break, I just woke up!' she thought irritably.
Sera groaned and used the flat of her blade to smack Harbinger aside, then swung Igni with two hands at Qrow's chest. He just barely caught it on his hilt and smirked at her.
"Better!" he laughed, shoving her back. She rushed him with a flurry of fast attacks, but he managed to block or parry every one of them.
"Qrow," Oscar—no, Ozpin, said. The two of them looked over to him with their swords crossed, Sera panting hard. "You know what to do," the headmaster nodded.
"Oz—" he started.
"Do what?" she raised an eyebrow. Ozpin had a grave look on his face. After a moment, his eyes flashed green, and Oscar was back.
Qrow inhaled sharply and shoved Sera back. She blinked at him, just barely managing to block his sword before it could cleave her in two.
"Come on, kid!" he locked eyes with her. "What are you gonna do when Cinder is in front of you? Are you gonna fight like you are now? Or are you going to beat her?!" He swung Harbinger at her even faster. His sword moved in the blink of an eye, and she had to duck under it to avoid its sharp edge.
"Hey!"
Sera gritted her teeth and attacked again. Harbinger caught her sword in a flash, and Qrow kicked her away and made her fall on her back. She looked up at him with wide eyes, wondering why he was suddenly going full throttle. Sera scooped her sword up and rolled to the side, aiming to hit him in the back of his knees.
Qrow jumped over the blade and kicked it out of her hands with ease. Igni skidded across the grass, just out of reach.
"What are you gonna do, Sera?" he asked, then brought Harbinger down on her.
She jumped to the side and performed a handspring, picking up her sword in the process. "I'm going to fight her!" She swung Igni at the huntsman.
"I hope you're going to put up more of a fight than you are now!" he blocked it with a flick of his wrist, transforming his sword into a scythe before spinning it in his hand.
Sera balked at the sight of the weapon. She knew Qrow was better with the scythe than his sword. Still, she charged.
Harbinger spun in circles to deflect her blows with ease, and Qrow casually walked backwards while Sera attacked viciously. She knew he was goading her on, but she wasn't sure why. To make her fight harder?
The amnesiac swung her sword in every way she could think of to get an edge on the huntsman. She kicked, side-stepped, thrusted, swiped, and even jumped to his side to try and get around the wide area his scythe covered, but it was no use. She couldn't land a direct hit.
"You would be dead by now if I was Cinder! She's had time to perfect the powers of the Fall Maiden, and you can't even hit me!"
Sera yelled and swung Igni harder. He was trying to make her angry, and it was working. Her sword spun and slashed at Qrow. She finally made it past his guard, but the huntsman just ducked under her swing and drove the butt of Harbinger's staff into her gut.
The wind was knocked out of her and she doubled over, eyes bulging. It felt like she'd just been kicked by that Nuckelavee. Qrow lowered his scythe to her neck, and she froze. By then, everyone around her had stopped what they were doing and watched from afar as Qrow beat the tar out of her.
"Fighting like that is going to get more of your friends killed. Is that what you want? Do you want to see them dead at your feet because you weren't good enough?!"
"N-No…" she choked, trying to get air back into her lungs.
Qrow pressed the edge of his blade into her neck. Her aura wasn't active, so she winced when the scythe drew a line of blood. "That's exactly what's going to happen. Picture it."
Images flashed through her head of her friends laying around her with fatal injuries on their bodies. Ruby with Magnus's sword through her gut. Yang was missing her other arm and laying on the ground, her eyes glassy and lifeless. Weiss sprawled on the ground with a black sword embedded in her back. Nora and Ren laying together, motionless. Then Jaune was on his knees, and Cinder was incinerating him the same way she'd done to Pyrrha.
Something snapped within her.
The huntress balled her fists, clenching them so tightly her nails drew blood from her palms. Her entire body tightened as she threw her head back and yelled to the sky, her voice full of rage and anguish from the images she'd seen.
Qrow stepped back with a nervous look in his eyes as blazing violet aura enveloped her entire body and burned a fifteen-foot pillar of purple light into the air. The others could only stare in a mixture of wonder and shock as Sera's scream reverberated through the yard and made the windows vibrate.
Sera looked down at her palms within that inferno of violet aura and turned her hands back and forth. Her skin was snow white, her nails black, and dark veins webbed across the tops of her hands and up her arms. Since she was only wearing her purple tank top and black jeans, she could now clearly see what the transformation did to her body.
Her mind still reeled from the emotions brought forth by those mental images, but the seething rage only intensified. Like before, she closed her eyes and forced herself to chill out. Once the anger faded, all that remained was faint sadness and a slightly familiar sense of power. Aura coursed through her limbs and made her restless, all of her nerves lighting up with adrenaline. She opened her eyes and focused on her sword laying just feet away.
Before the blazing aura could fade, she leapt out of the pillar of violet light with her sword raised.
"Whoa!" Qrow exclaimed, just barely deflecting Sera's first strike. She'd appeared in front of him in an instant, her red eyes burning with an intense glare straight into his.
Sera slapped her wrist and allowed Pyrrha's shield to expand to its full size before smacking Harbinger aside, driving the point of her sword straight into Qrow's chest.
She finally landed a hit.
Qrow grunted when Igni's tip collided with him. He jumped back and twirled Harbinger in his hand, but Sera was already on top of him again.
The huntress raised her arm to block a powerful hit from his scythe, then swung Igni in a wide arc. Qrow managed to raise Harbinger's shaft just in time to block the attack, and the two were locked in a fight for dominance with each of their weapons pinned.
Sera gritted her teeth, digging her heels into the ground to push against the huntsman. Qrow could only stare into her glowing eyes and try not to look too shaken from the amnesiac's appearance. He smirked at her, but she was quickly starting to overpower him.
"Very good, Miss Calypso," Ozpin said approvingly. "You've tapped into your latent power and—"
She glanced over at him and saw a pleasant smile on his face that just barely hid the nervous look in his eyes. Ozpin was scared, she realized. Then she saw the looks on her friends' faces and she froze. Ruby and the rest of JNPR had seen her like this before, but they looked skittish. Yang and Weiss stared at her with wide eyes, and Weiss was holding her hand in front of her mouth like she'd seen something horrifying.
In an instant, her arms suddenly felt too sore to move. Her legs went wobbly, and she couldn't stand. Sera gasped sharply and fell to her knees, releasing her hold on Harbinger.
Starting from her fingertips and going up her arm, her skin returned to its normal lightly tanned color, and the glow dimmed in her eyes as red morphed to violet and her black sclera lightened to white.
Qrow planted his scythe in the grass and kneeled down to put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay, kid?"
"Y-Yeah. I think so," she breathed heavily. She heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Oscar standing above her. He held a hand out to her, and she took it so he could help her to her feet.
"The likeness is uncanny," Ozpin said. "I needed to see it for myself, so I asked Qrow to try and bring that power out of you. Apologies, Miss Calypso. I hope you'll forgive me."
She pulled her hair behind her to get it off her shoulders and sighed heavily. "It's Kallisto, actually..."
He blanked. "I'm sorry?"
Qrow squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
The amnesiac clenched and unclenched her jaw and shut her eyes for a moment. "Kassandra Kallisto. That's who I am."
Ozpin's eyes widened. He seemed to inspect her more closely, examining every little detail of her face before bringing a hand to his chin.
"Say what now?" Ruby exclaimed and rushed over to her in a flurry of rose petals. "That's your real name? That's so cool! Does that mean you have your memory back?" She bounced up and down excitedly with her fists raised in front of her chest.
Sera smirked and ruffled her hair. "Not exactly, no."
"I know you," Ozpin said quietly. She looked over to him, his eyes still calculative and full of caution. He took a breath, clearly annoyed. "How did I not recognize you sooner? Ozma, you stupid old man."
"Wait…" Sera blinked. "You knew me? Jeez, it couldn't hurt to recognize me when we were in Beacon?"
"Forgive me," he pleaded. "It's been so long, I… I never even considered you might be her."
"Okay, I'm lost," Ruby said, utterly confused. The others started to move in closer to hear just what they were talking about. Even Neo was curious about the amnesiac's true identity.
"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked. Sera looked at her, seeing her eyes soft and full of worry and curiosity.
Qrow squeezed her shoulder again. "Go ahead. Tell 'em, Snowball."
She gave a muted sigh and looked between each of them. Hopefully, this would be the final time she'd have to explain herself for hiding something. She recounted her previous dreams regarding Kassandra, telling them exactly what she'd told Qrow a few nights ago. Her friends seemed to take it rather well, but their expressions morphed from confusion to utter shock in a matter of minutes.
"You… What?" Jaune stared at her.
"Some kind of split-personality, yeah," Sera mumbled, rocking on her heels. "Kassandra told me I'm the one in control, but… I keep thinking—what if she takes over?"
Ozpin pounded his cane into the dirt. "I knew I should have kept looking for her."
Sera raised an eyebrow. "How exactly did you know her—me?" she corrected.
The headmaster sighed and gripped his cane tighter. "Kassandra Kallisto was a warrior I knew long ago. I even helped to train her, from time to time. She was always eager to learn more," he chuckled, gazing off into the distance as if remembering some long-forgotten memories. "One day, she went missing. I searched for her for days, weeks even. Kassandra just vanished. But I didn't know that she also knew Salem on a personal level, to a degree. If I had, I…" he trailed off. "Well, I would've made sure you stayed away."
Weiss was looking at her critically, like she couldn't believe any of this was true. Yang just looked lost, and the others seemed to share that sentiment.
"Perhaps later I can tell you more," Ozpin said kindly. "I feel my hold on Oscar growing weak. He will resume control soon. Once I'm able to, I'll politely ask him to let me talk to you. For now, you all keep training. I'll be watching," he gave a mischievous wink, then his eyes flashed.
"Whoa," Oscar swayed on his feet. He looked at Sera with cautious eyes, smiling awkwardly. "That's some pretty heavy stuff…"
"I'll say," she mumbled, shoulders sagging.
Her friends shifted uncomfortably, still in shock over what they'd heard. She felt small under their gaze.
"Quit staring!" she forced a laugh. "Jeez, acting like you never met a living fossil before," she gestured with her eyes over to Qrow.
"Hey," he said indignantly, a smirk on his lips. "Okay, Knight Boy. You're up," he pointed at the blond. Jaune's eyes widened slightly, but he went with Qrow to a corner of the yard, glancing over his shoulder at her. Even from a few dozen feet away, she could see the worry in his eyes.
"So… What? You're two people? Like Ozpin?" Nora asked.
Sera ran a hand through her hair, frowning when she was once again reminded of how long it was. "I don't know, you guys. I just don't. But I know this—no one is going to hijack my body again. Whether it's my past self, or that… that dark side. Next time that ugly bitch shows up, I'll kick her ass," she raised a fist, trying to put on a determined grin.
"Yeah," Yang smiled. "And we'll be here with you for that."
"Definitely!" Ruby added.
Weiss gave a confident nod to her. "You can count on us."
Sera couldn't restrain the smile that spread across her face. "I always can."
"Yeah! We're not gonna let someone try to steal our fourth teammate!" Nora said.
Ruby glared at her. "That hasn't been decided!"
"Yeah! Who says you can just take her?" Yang raised a fist.
"Guys!" Sera laughed. She didn't need this boost to her already inflated ego. "I'm still on both of your teams. I mean, whose team is Oscar gonna be on?"
Ruby, Yang, and Nora glanced at each other, as if they hadn't considered that before. Then, they proceeded to fight over who got to have the olive-skinned boy as a new teammate. Of course, RWBY lost that for obvious reasons.
While they argued, Sera went to Weiss's side and flashed a grin. "I'll just stand in for Blake until she gets back. What should we be? Team RWSY (Rosy)? I mean, it sounds goofy, but it could work."
Weiss just giggled and shook her head. "That sounds ridiculous."
Sera crossed her arms stiffly. "Like you know anything about naming stuff."
"Hey!" she said indignantly and slapped Sera's shoulder. The amnesiac laughed, a genuine smile on her face.
She glanced around the backyard and flashed a sly grin. "What do you say? Wanna ditch the training and go into town?"
Weiss's eyes widened. Sera knew she was probably still the prim and proper heiress that always had to behave and do as she was told, but she'd also seen Weiss's rebellious streak when they snuck out of Beacon to go see what the White Fang were up to.
The heiress looked around. Qrow and Jaune were sparring intensely, Oscar was talking to Neo off to the side (a one-sided conversation for sure) and the others were still arguing. She looked back to Sera and saw the devious smile on her face, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Sure," she heard herself say. "At least for a little while."
"Great!" Sera said. She brought a finger to her lips, signaling to stay quiet, then motioned for Weiss to follow her. They snuck into the house and to the front door.
. . .
Sera led Weiss to the impressive market she visited often. They talked the whole way over, just catching up one-on-one and discussing things they've been through that weren't mentioned last night during dinner. They didn't argue, didn't yell at each other, didn't talk about Sera's weird powers and mental issues. They just laughed and had a good time.
Weiss had just gotten finished explaining how she'd killed the Queen Lancer attacking her airship when they arrived at the market. Needless to say, Sera was very impressed. She could only imagine how cool it looked when her knight sliced the Grimm in two.
"Wow…" Weiss gasped when she saw all the vendors and small tents in the market. The sun was rising higher in the distance, warming Mistral and making the view even prettier.
"Yeah," Sera smiled at her. "Come on!" she grabbed the heiress's hand and pulled her through the market. When she looked behind her, she saw Weiss smiling.
When they arrived at Lavender's tent, the two of them were giggling and laughing like they couldn't stop. Sera tried to let go of Weiss's hand, but she still held tightly. Then Weiss realized what she was doing and released it quickly, her cheeks pink and her eyes cast to the side. Sera was about to ask about it, but a new voice cut her off.
"Sera! Just in time, your shipment came in early!" Lavender smiled at her. Then she saw Weiss, and her eyebrows raised. "Wait, that's not…?"
"Weiss, Lavender. Lavender, Weiss. She was on my team in Beacon," Sera smiled. In her free time, she went to the market at least once a day to see if her new things had come in. Sure, she'd been told it would be a while, but she just couldn't wait. She was too excited to see what Lavender had cooked up.
"Oh! I thought you were messing with me when you said Weiss Schnee was on your team," she laughed.
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You were talking about me?"
"Uh…" Sera trailed off. Weiss was smiling at her lightly, amusement in her eyes. "I was talking about everyone! Right, Lavender?" She looked to the vendor hopefully.
Lavender smiled, her eyes glancing between Sera and Weiss. "Oh, sure. You did seem really excited about whatever performance you and her put on during a school dance, or something like that. Something about Weiss Schnee singing very well."
Sera paled. Weiss laughed and looked over to her teammate. "You're still hung up on that? It was so embarrassing!"
"Hey, we were good together!" she realized what she said. Lavender and Weiss looked at her expectantly. "I mean… We performed well together! Everyone was clapping and stuff!"
'What am I saying?!' she screamed at herself.
Weiss chuckled, fully enjoying the flustered state her friend was in. "Is that so?"
Lavender grinned. She knew what was going on here. Clearing her throat, she pulled out a large shipping box and set it on the table between them. "Ready to see your stuff?"
"Yes!" Sera squeaked. She cleared her throat. "I mean, yeah."
"Smooth."
"Shut up," she grumbled and grabbed the box. Weiss hid her smile and did her best to look aloof while her teammate's face burned as bright as a tomato.
Sera mumbled to herself and tore the tape off before lifting the folded lids. Her eyes widened at its contents. A nice, new white jacket was folded up neatly inside. Atop the jacket was a shiny silver necklace in a small plastic bag.
"Gods, your fashion sense is horrid," Weiss muttered.
"Hey," Sera laughed indignantly. "Leave me alone, Miss Combat Skirt."
"She has a point," Lavender shrugged.
"Thank you," Sera said.
The heiress huffed and crossed her arms.
Sera just smiled and lifted the jacket out of the box. It unfolded to its full length, and she smiled wider. White cotton and polyester with violet trimming, an Omega symbol pendant on the left lapel, and violet interior that had black floral stitching sewed in. And it had it had a long coattail, like her other jacket. Then she noticed something odd.
"It doesn't have any sleeves."
"Of course not! How else are you going to show off that tattoo?" Lavender said.
She blinked. "Huh. Guess I would look pretty cool…"
Weiss nudged her. "Try it on, then."
With a grin, she slid her arms through the holes and pulled the jacket on. The coattail went down to the back of her knees, and silver buttons led all the way up to the collar. It felt odd to wear a jacket with no sleeves, but it did feel pretty damn cool.
She flashed a grin and spun in a circle, glancing over her shoulder to watch the tailcoat sway. Sera looked at Weiss and smiled broadly. "Whatcha think? Pretty groovy if you ask me."
The heiress was staring at her, focusing on her alone. She blinked and shook her head to pull herself out of whatever trance she was in. "It—Uh, yeah. Mm-hm," she nodded.
Lavender laughed, clearly amused by the pair of white-haired girls.
"What's so funny?" Sera frowned.
"Nothing," she waved the thought away. "Like it?"
"Love it. Thank you, Lavender," Sera smiled.
"No problem," she shrugged. "Glad to be of service. Anything else I can help you with?"
"Hm," Sera thought about it. "After seeing how you delivered on this, I'm curious to see what you'd do with a weapon, like you talked about before."
"There's no way you'd get another weapon," Weiss shook her head.
"Schnee, I can never have too many weapons. Watch out, or that little rapier might go missing," she winked.
"You better not..!"
"Eh, it's too small of a sword anyway. Might poke my eye out," she laughed, enjoying the flustered look on Weiss's face.
The heiress crossed her arms. "Too small for your ego, maybe."
"What was that?" Sera raised her eyebrows.
"All right, all right," Lavender laughed. "As funny as it is to watch this lovers' quarrel, you're hogging my business."
Weiss's face reddened. "This is not a…!" she couldn't seem to finish her sentence.
"Yeah!" Sera added, but she could feel her own face heating up even more. She glanced around and noticed that people were waiting behind them. "Uh… Let's go, Weiss. We are holding up business. Thanks, Lavender!" She grabbed her box, then waved as she and Weiss walked away.
"You're welcome! Come back any time!" Lavender waved.
Sera and Weiss hurried back to the house in uncomfortable silence. Neither seemed keen on discussing anything else.
"Lover's quarrel…" Weiss muttered and crossed her arms stiffly.
"I know!" Sera said, trying to ignore how warm her body felt. Her heart hammered in her chest. "I don't know what she was talking about. You hate me."
Weiss looked at her as if trying to think of what to say. "I don't hate you," she finally said.
"Come on, yes you do," Sera tightened her grip on the box in her hands. All that was in it was her old jacket and the new necklace she hadn't looked at, but at the moment it was nice to have something to hold onto. She felt like she was about to float away from how nervous and embarrassed she was. But why? Just minutes ago, she was fine, then Lavender just had to say that, and now her insides were all mushy.
Weiss sighed. "No, I don't. I mean, you used to be really annoying, hard to be around, and generally an unpleasant person, but—"
"Wow," Sera said unenthusiastically. "I feel so special."
"But you're not anymore," she continued.
Sera faltered. "What makes you say that?"
"You've matured."
"Matured? Me?" she blanked.
Weiss smiled lightly. "Yes, you dolt. You were almost as childish as Ruby, and equally as annoying."
"Hey!" she said indignantly.
She laughed, and Sera's scowl disappeared. She remembered all of the dumb things she'd done during her time at Beacon. It was easy, since they'd all just talked about it the other night.
Sera grinned. "Okay, maybe I wasn't the best huntress around, but it was you guys that helped change that. I don't think I would've even survived The Fall if it wasn't for the extra training. Especially Pyrrha. I would not have made it as far as I did without her."
Weiss's expression softened. "You two really got close, huh?"
She shrugged, a smile on her face. "Best friends, in the end. No offense to you and the others. Trained every day until we could hardly move, and I'm still not as good as her. Probably won't ever be."
"Hey," Weiss said gently. "You don't need to do that. Compare yourself, I mean. Everyone knows Pyrrha was good, but you're the one who's still here."
Sera narrowed her eyes. "Don't say that. You and I both know why that is."
"I didn't mean it like that," she said in a small voice. "What I mean is, you're stronger than you think. It wasn't Pyrrha that saved the others from those kidnappers, or who saved those Faunus from being trafficked. That was you. So stop being so hard on yourself, okay?"
She wasn't sure what to say. When did Weiss get so touchy-feely?
"…I didn't think you'd remember the thing with those Faunus," she said, looking down at the box in her hands.
"Of course I do," she smiled lightly. "I admired you for that. I'm pretty sure the others do too."
Sera forced a smile. "Sure, yeah. I was just doing the right thing."
"That's why the others and I know everything to do with your 'condition' is going to be okay. That's why Jaune doesn't hold you accountable for that night. You always do what's right, moron."
"Wait… Really?" she asked.
"Duh," Weiss rolled her eyes, a smile on her face. "We're your friends. We know you'll do the right thing. So, I told them that no matter what, you'll stick with us."
"Wait, you told them that?" she smirked.
Weiss's face went slack. "Well—I, uh—"
Sera nudged her with her elbow. "Thanks, Weiss."
She smiled, recomposing herself in a matter of seconds. "You're welcome."
For the next few minutes, they just walked in silence. Occasionally, they'd glance over at each other, but quickly averted their gazes and kept walking. When the house was just a block or so away, Sera cleared her throat.
"Love the new outfit, by the way. Definitely better than that crap you wore in Beacon. Too frilly."
Weiss tried to look offended, but it didn't last long. She smiled lightly and looked down at her new clothes.
"Yeah, well, the new hair is an interesting look."
"Ugh, I hate it," Sera rolled her eyes. "Too long and it makes my head feel hot like, all the time."
Weiss reached out and took a lock of Sera's hair into her fingers. Normally, Sera would pull away, but something kept her from moving. Her eyes were glued to Weiss. Then the heiress smirked and flicked her hair back at her.
"It's not a bad look," she stated, a warm smile on her face.
"Uh, R-Right," Sera stammered. Gods! She screamed at herself. What the hell is going on?!
"W-We should probably hurry and get back. I bet Ozpin's going to get onto us for ditching."
Weiss shrugged. "Who cares?"
Sera quirked an eyebrow. "Since when do you not give a shit about breaking rules?"
"People change, dork," she scoffed.
Weiss walked ahead of her, and Sera could only stare at the heiress in disbelief. Weiss Schnee, the prim and proper heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. For as long as Sera's known her, she's been a stickler for the rules. What happened in Atlas to make her change?
She realized something else, too. Weiss has been insulting her a lot in the past few minutes, but there was no hostility in it. It was like she was calling her an idiot in an endearing way. She liked when Weiss called her a dork. Whatever was going on between her and Weiss, she was starting to warm up to it.
"Yeah… I guess they do," she smiled and walked faster to catch up.
. . .
Sera was right. Whenever she and Weiss got back, Oscar Pine was waiting for them. They entered the house, and the younger boy was sitting by the front door with Ozpin's cane in his hand.
"Uh… Hey, Oscar," Sera said, setting her box onto the table.
"Hey," he said a little nervously. "Sorry, it's just Ozpin wants to talk to you."
She and Weiss traded glances.
"What about training?" the heiress asked.
"Oh… I mean, you can if you want to. Some of the others are still out there. So, uh, do what you want?" he said.
Sera wasn't sure how to feel about Oscar. Sure, he was a nice kid in a weird situation, but he was kind of awkward. Then again, he did have Ozpin in his head. She'd be awkward too if she was in his shoes.
"Sure, Oscar. You okay with that?" Sera asked.
He chuckled. "Do I really have a choice?"
"Yes," she said without hesitation. "You absolutely do. Trust me, just because someone's in your head, it doesn't mean you don't have a say. Ozpin's a good man, but it's your body, Oscar. Remember that."
"Uh… Okay," he blinked. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. But he does have something important to talk to you about, so… I don't mind."
"Okay," she nodded.
Weiss shifted from heel to heel. "I'll just… go."
"Hey," Sera said, and the heiress turned to look at her. "It was nice talking to you."
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah. Definitely."
Sera returned the smile, and Weiss left her and Oscar alone.
"Okay," Sera inhaled, preparing herself for the conversation to come.
Oscar shifted on his feet. "Would you mind if… I talked with you about this whole 'person in your head' thing later?"
She blinked. "Yeah, of course. You okay?"
"Just…" he gestured to, well, everything.
Sera smirked. "Yeah, you got it."
Oscar took a deep breath. "Thanks. Okay…" He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, his hazel eyes flashed green. Oscar straightened himself out and folded his hands behind his back.
"Well," he spoke, his voice sounding like both Oscar and Ozpin speaking at the same time. "Decided to skip out on your daily training?"
Sera chuckled, scratching the back of her head with one hand. "Yeah-h-h, about that…"
"It's quite all right," he said warmly. "You'll just have to get an extra session later tonight."
"Wait, what?"
"Another thing," he straightened. "It's admirable that you wish to make Oscar more comfortable with our situation, but I assure you that there is nothing to worry about regarding his free will. I've been through this time and time again, and I've learned it's best to live with your 'roommate.'"
"…You heard that, huh?"
Ozpin smirked. "I see and hear everything that Oscar does, Miss Calypso. Er, Kallisto. And vice-versa."
"Oh. Hi, Oscar," she gave a small wave.
The former headmaster chuckled. "That aside, I do wish to speak with you about, well, you."
"Oh… Well, what's there to talk about?" Sera laughed nervously.
Ozpin shook his head, a light smirk on his face. "My, you truly are like her. The more I look at you now, the more I see of her in you. Aside from the white hair and purple eyes, of course. Your shield—may I see it?"
Sera just blinked and pressed the gauntlet on her wrist. Pyrrha's shield expanded to its full size, and its weight nearly pulled her arm down. Funny, when it was in its collapsed form, the weight nearly disappeared.
Ozpin examined the shield, his eyes scanning the shiny golden metal. "I see. You've taken Miss Nikos's shield as your own."
"Well, sort of…" she said. "It feels like I'm carrying a part of Pyrrha with me. Honoring her memory, y'know?"
"Believe me, I do. I asked you bring it out because Kassandra carried a similar shield with her."
"I know," she said. "Qrow probably told you that I saw a memory of hers. Two, actually. In both, she had a shield. I thought it was cool," she smirked.
He nodded. "How does it feel on your arm?"
Sera glanced down, the polished metal of the shield reflecting her face. "…Natural."
"I thought as much," he said. "Kassandra and Pyrrha were brought up in similar societies. It's no coincidence that you were drawn to each other. Warriors from Argus value a life of combat, and Miss Nikos was no exception. Her family in particular is popular for upholding the old ways, which is why Pyrrha fought with particular styles of weaponry. Kassandra was raised the same way, back when most of Mistral was ununified and always fighting with each other."
Sera processed what she was hearing. It was… odd, to say the least.
"So… I'm from Mistral?" she asked.
Ozpin chuckled. "Yes, you're from Mistral."
She ran her hands through her hair and paced the room. Finally, she could get some real answers about who she is. Finally, she'd know.
Sera stopped and looked Ozpin in the eyes. "Who the hell am I?"
He gave a small smile and gestured to the table nearby. "You may want to take a seat."
So, she did. Sera sat cross-legged at the head of the table and rested her elbows onto it, anxiously tapping her hand while she watched Ozpin go to the kitchen. He started making tea, and apparently already had water boiling in preparation for their talk.
"There's a lot I won't be able to tell, unfortunately. Kassandra led an interesting life, and I didn't know her for much of it," he said as he set a cup in front of Sera and poured tea into it.
Sera sat in silence, watching the body of Oscar Pine walk to the other end of the table before taking a seat. He took a long sip from his own cup of tea and set it down.
"I only knew Kassandra for a few months, but she… was quite the woman."
"Ugh, you didn't bone her, did you?" Sera scowled.
Ozpin chuckled. "No, I did not. There's nothing to worry about there. I only meant that she was a good person to know. Though it is strange, she was a bit older than you are now."
"…Yeah, she mentioned that. She thinks Salem must have like, reversed her—our age, or something. Know anything about that?"
"Hm," he rubbed his chin in deep thought. "I suppose it is within her power. Why she would do that, I have no idea. To make you more suitable to be in a huntsmen academy, I suppose. Still, it is an odd thing to do."
"…That's weird."
Ozpin laughed. "Welcome to Salem and her strange antics. It's not the weirdest thing she's ever done, if I'm being honest."
"Jeez, the more I learn about this woman, the less I like her," she muttered.
"Yes, well… Just hope you never meet her in person."
"Pfft, how am I gonna clobber her if I don't if she's not within face-beating range?" she scoffed.
Ozpin chuckled. "I suppose you're right."
Sera tapped her nails against the table. "How was Kassandra? As a person, I mean. You said she was 'interesting.'"
"Ah," he took a sip of tea. "Very much like you, Sera. Strong-willed, loyal to her friends, a bit arrogant, but always eager to further her training. She was rather famous for her deeds, but the most popular was—"
"The bull man," Sera interrupted. "Tai told me. What even was that?"
He shrugged half-heartedly. "A rather powerful type of Grimm. I'm not sure if another one has even been seen since then. It was a Minotaur, or 'Minotaurus,' to some. Larger than an Alpha Ursa, and over twice as powerful. It looked like a man with features of a bull. Head, legs and tail. A single charge could topple a building."
Sera whistled and folded her hands behind her head. "Sounds strong. I wonder what super badass huntress managed to take that thing down."
He smirked. "Truly a mystery. Anyhow, Kassandra managed to kill it, but not before it nearly leveled the city she was in. Prior to that, the Grimm left a trail of destruction across what is now Vale. There was a reward for killing the Minotaur, and Kassandra used it to found a new village in the city's place."
The hair on the back of her neck prickled. "Tseldora."
"Precisely. I feel like a fool for not realizing who you were when you were sent on that assignment," he said.
"Huh… So, I have a village," she twiddled her thumbs.
"Technically, yes. Good luck convincing the citizens of that, though," he chuckled.
"I dunno, I did save them from that Hydra," she shrugged.
"True," he said.
Sera straightened. Another question that's been bothering her popped into her head. "Did I have parents?"
"Hm," Ozpin frowned. "I'm not certain, to be honest. If you did, you didn't speak of them. At least, not that I can remember. I recall asking about it once, but I don't think Kassandra revealed much about them. Perhaps she didn't have a good relationship with them."
Sera tried not to look too disappointed. "Well, thanks anyway."
"Of course," he nodded. "Do you have any other questions?"
She glanced down. She had nothing but questions.
"Can you just tell me everything you know about her—me?"
"Aside from everything else? Let's see… Well, she was quite a capable warrior. I'm sure you know that much, now. As I said, in many ways, she was much like you. She had her faults, just like anyone, but she had a strong sense of morality. Even now, knowing that she knew Salem to some degree, I'm confident that she only did so because either A, Salem tricked her, or B, she thought she was doing the right thing. Or both, even. Salem is tricky, and she knows how to manipulate people to do her bidding. Or… she was holding something over Kassandra. I know not which it is."
"Great," Sera said unenthusiastically. "So, I was either manipulated or blackmailed. Awesome."
"I wouldn't worry about it. It's all in the past now."
"Ha-ha."
"I'm serious," he smiled lightly. "Salem tried to create a mindless warrior to do her bidding. If her plan had gone accordingly, you'd be with her right now, unable to control your own body while that other presence was 'in the driver's seat,' as you'd put it. Plus, who knows what else might have occurred during The Fall if you hadn't taken control back? You might have lost more friends than just Miss Nikos and Miss Myst. Consider yourself lucky."
Sera scoffed. "Lucky…"
Ozpin took a sip of his tea. "What would have happened if Ruby had reached the top of the tower while you were still out of commission?"
She faltered. "I have no idea."
"Precisely. You were fortunate enough to break free when you did."
For a few moments, she just thought about what he said. If Ruby had reached her while she was all possessed like that, she would've died. Her, Magnus, and Cinder versus Ruby alone? She didn't want to think about it.
Ozpin cleared his throat. "Kassandra Kallisto was a good person to know. Her personality drew everyone to her. She could make people laugh, inspired others to better themselves, and made it clear that she would try just as hard as them to improve herself. Sound familiar?"
"…Yeah," she admitted. "But she sounds way cooler than me, if I'm being honest."
"Nonsense," the headmaster chuckled. "My, Qrow was right. You're too critical of yourself, Miss Kallisto. Then again, so was Kassandra. Just know that you're doing better than you believe yourself to be. And from one leader to another, don't let your allies see when you are."
She laughed with disbelief. "I'm no leader."
"Are you not?" he raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of tea. "Who was it that inspired the students from Amity into battle against the Grimm? Who led her friends from Vale to Mistral, with no adults or huntsmen present? Who was it that led team JNPR in the tournament when Jaune wasn't able to compete? Who is it that her friends look to for advice when times are hard?"
Sera stared into her cup of tea. She still hasn't taken a drink of it. With a sigh, she met Ozpin's eyes. "Qrow was following us the whole way here."
"Is that your only rebuttal to what I've said?" he chuckled.
"…Yes?"
"Miss Kallisto, like it or not, you are someone that others look up to. Just as Kassandra was. Both of you think you are unfit to lead, but both of you have never failed to inspire confidence in your friends and allies. Think about it, and you'll see that I'm right."
Sera tapped her nails, unsure of what to say.
"I'm afraid there isn't much else I can say about Kassandra, unless you wish to hear about some of her accomplishments."
"…Nah. Last thing I need is to feel even more undeserving of 'my' own reputation. But thank you, Professor. That helped clear up a lot of stuff."
"You're welcome," he dipped his head.
A door opened, followed by the sound of laughter and conversation. Sera looked over to see the others enter the dining area, save for a few that stayed in the living room. Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Jaune looked surprised to find Sera and Oscar sitting at the table.
"Oh… Are you two still talking about your, uh, past life?" Ruby asked.
"Just finishing, actually," Sera sat up.
"Oh, good," Ruby said. "Well, we finished our training for the day!" she told Ozpin.
"Yeah," Yang snickered. "You should've seen Nora fall on her butt fighting Qrow."
Nora's voice came from the living room. "I slipped!"
"Sure you did, Sparkplug," Yang replied.
"Ugh!"
Sera snickered.
Ozpin smiled lightly. "If that's all that you wished to know about Kassandra for now, I'll let Oscar resume control of—"
"Wait," Yang said, her expression souring.
Sera froze and turned to look at her, but she was looking at Ozpin instead with a hard expression.
"You forgot to mention something when we were having that talk the other night," she told the professor.
Ozpin raised an eyebrow, clearly unsure of what she was talking about.
"You didn't say what you did to Qrow and my mother."
His eyes widened. "Ah. That." Ozpin chuckled briefly, which only made Yang look more irritated. Qrow appeared in the dining area upon hearing his name.
Ozpin scanned the crowd, seeing their confused expressions. Even Sera didn't know what Yang was talking about.
"Just like the four Maidens, I too possess a certain amount of magical power. When Qrow and Raven were still students and working under me against Salem's forces, they came forth with a request. They sought a way to move undetected, to better gather information. I, well, gave them the power to turn into birds. It was silly, really. But it worked. The Branwen twins could move through the skies freely and spy on anyone without worrying about being caught."
Sera wasn't really sure what to say to that. She just looked at Qrow, imagining the huntsman covered in feathers like some big chicken. She giggled at the thought of a feather-covered man flapping his wings and flying through the sky with a noble expression on his face.
The man shouted, 'I am Qrow, the Crow! Here to fight evil doers and serve justice to lowly criminals!' Then a very hawk-like screech erupted from his lips, and she laughed harder.
Ozpin glanced at her with a warm smile. "Humor, good. I was afraid—"
"What is wrong with you?" Yang slammed her fist into the wall, cracking its surface. Jeez, what's gotten into her? Just minutes ago, she was laughing her head off.
"Yang!" Qrow berated. "We chose this. Settle down."
"He can't be serious," Ruby waved it away, then looked at Ozpin with wide eyes. "Can you?"
The headmaster looked uncomfortable. He gave an awkward smile. "I'm afraid I am, Miss Rose."
"It's true, we saw it ourselves," Weiss said. "Yang's mom… changed. One minute a raven was flying straight for us, then she changed and was standing right in front of us."
"That's… Concerning," Jaune said.
Qrow shrugged and pulled his flask out. "It has its uses."
"I'm sure it does, Bird Brain," Sera laughed. "Holy shit, you're a bird! How funny is that?" she gasped in realization. "And your name is 'Crow!' And your sister's name is Raven! Man, you are just a walking joke, huh?"
He chuckled and walked over to her. "Come on, Snowball. I'm gonna be your training dummy, since you wanted to smart off."
"Aw, come on!" she whined as she was pulled away from the table and into the backyard. The door shut behind her, and she could only watch the faces of her friends get smaller and smaller as Qrow pulled her by her collar.
"Okay, kid," he tossed her a few feet in front of him, and she tried not to fall on her face. The huntress stumbled and shot a glare at the huntsman as he drew Harbinger.
"But I don't even have my weapons!" she whined.
Qrow shrugged. "Guess you'll get in some unarmed training, then."
Then he rushed her, Harbinger swinging in a deadly arc right towards her face.
Sera yelped and ducked under his attack, the edge of his sword just narrowly missing her scalp. She jumped to her feet and raised her fists. Honestly, she had no clue how this fight was going to go. She's never fought Qrow unarmed while he had Harbinger. Then again, she wasn't entirely unarmed.
Qrow sent another attack her way, and Sera was fast enough to slap her wrist. Pyrrha's shield expanded to its full size and caught Harbinger on its surface, a loud DING ringing through the yard when the sword struck.
"Hmph, not bad, Snowball," he smirked.
Sera braced her free hand against her wrist when Qrow started to push her with Harbinger. She planted her feet and shoved the sword away, then tried to slam her shield into him. Unfortunately, Qrow was fast. He sidestepped her, pressed his hand to her back, then pushed her past him.
"C'mon, kid. Gotta do better than that."
She gritted her teeth and whirled around, aiming to kick him. Qrow caught her leg and threw her across the yard, then twirled Harbinger in his hand.
"Come on!" she complained as she got to her feet. "At least let me get my sword or something!"
"Would Cinder let you get your sword if you were disarmed?" he said coldly.
Sera sighed. "Are we really doing this again?"
"No, not that," he held Harbinger at his side and walked towards her. "What I'm saying is, in a real fight, the enemy isn't going to allow you to get your weapon. You have to think on your feet, kid. If you can't fight without your weapon, you shouldn't be fighting at all."
"…Isn't that supposed to be Ruby's lesson?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah, but I've decided that it should apply to the rest of you, too. You need to be able t' fight just as well without your stuff, kid. You've trained with Yang and Tai, and you and I have had a bit of unarmed combat, but what're you gonna do when someone catches you off guard and you can't draw any of those weapons you're so fond of?"
"Uh…" she trailed off. "Kick their teeth in?"
Qrow smirked. "Prove it."
Then he rushed her again.
Sera planted her feet and raised her shield, holding her clenched fist at her side while she watched the huntsman approach. Qrow had the full reach of his sword to hit her with, so she had to stay close and within his guard. She remembered her times fighting opponents with more range than her, and she knew what to do.
When they have the longer reach, get in close. He won't be able to fight as well if I'm in his face. She thought. At least, she hoped it would work. This was a professional huntsman she was talking about here.
She ducked under Qrow's first swing and stepped into his guard, hoping to land a punch to his chin. At the last second, he turned his head to the side, and her fist hit air.
"Huh?" her eyes went wide.
"Still too slow!" Qrow stepped aside and swung Harbinger at her.
In a flash, her shield raised just in time to block his attack. Sera blinked at it. She didn't remember moving her arm. Then Qrow attacked again, and she couldn't think about it any further.
She blocked another hit and slammed her fist into his chest, and Qrow made a funny face when the wind was knocked out of his lungs. Sera smirked and followed up with a shield bash to his abdomen, and Qrow stumbled back.
"Heh," he chuckled, holding his chest. "Not bad, Snowball. Remember—hands up, light on your feet."
"Yeah, yeah," she said, doing as she was told.
Qrow inspected her stance, eyeing every detail about how she held herself. He tapped her inner ankle with the flat of his sword.
"Feet wider apart. You don't wanna get knocked on your butt."
"I know how to stand!" she said indignantly.
"Do ya?" he smirked, then pushed her shoulder.
She shifted slightly but held her ground. Sera scoffed at him, holding up an L to her forehead.
"Huh, guess you do. Not bad, kid."
"See! I'm not just some clueless student anymore," she crossed her arms.
"Maybe, maybe," he walked around her side. "But your guard is wide open."
"Wait huh?"
Qrow used his foot to pull her ankle out from under her, and Sera went crashing to the ground. He smirked down at her, all full of himself like usual.
"See? Just a kid."
Sera grumbled to herself and shot to her feet, collapsed her shield, then sent a barrage of punches towards Qrow. He used his palm or hilt of Harbinger to knock her hands away, stepping backwards while she kept up with him.
"Sloppy, Snowball. You can't just mindlessly punch things and expect to come out on top," he told her.
"The hell I can't!" she kept going.
She watched him. The way his hands moved to block her attacks, how his feet walked backwards, and that annoying smirk on his face. She'd intentionally attacked in a certain pattern, aiming her fists at his chest, then shoulders, then gut.
"Mix it up a little!" Qrow said.
When he stepped backwards again, she took her opportunity. Sera used the same trick he'd just used on her and hooked her foot around his ankle. Qrow's eyes went wide when he realized what happened, and Sera quickly expanded her shield to punch him in the chest. He landed on his back, and Sera stood above him with a devious smile on her face.
"Get your opponent into a false sense of security, then make your move," she recited, remembering what Yang had told her when they first started boxing. She held her hand out to him, and Qrow smirked before taking it.
"Not too bad," he dusted himself off. "Okay. Maybe we can kick this up a notch."
"You sure, old man? Not getting too winded?" she put her hands on her hips, as smug as ever.
"Funny," he readied Harbinger.
Sera raised her fists. "Was that all you got? Might be getting a little slow."
"Oh, now I'm the slow one?" Qrow scoffed.
Sera grinned and rushed him. Harbinger flew through the air in the blink of an eye and caught her shield, and Sera used her free hand to punch him square in the chest. That didn't seem to do too much, though. His aura crackled under her fist and shielded him from the blow.
"Hey! I thought it was no aura during training?" she said.
"Real life training scenario, Snowball," he smirked, then shoved her back.
"Fantastic," she muttered. With aura, it'll be over twice as hard to take Qrow down. So, she raised her fists and got ready to fight again.
They clashed again, her shield against Qrow's sword. Since Sera was in the clear to use her aura, she was free to attack without fear of being injured. Unless her aura is depleted, that is.
The two of them traded blows for over a minute. Whenever she saw an opening, Sera rushed Qrow and delivered a hard punch to his sides or chest, just like she was taught. Occasionally though, she got a shot at his chin to knock him off balance. In return, Harbinger shaved off a chunk of her aura with every hit it landed. She could only block some of his attacks, and the ones that hit made her stumble or interrupted her flow.
It was tiring to fight with just a shield, but she had to admit, it was kind of fun. She could chain attacks and switch between using her fist or the shield. Imagine if she had a more appropriate weapon to fight with, like a short sword or lance like Kassandra or Pyrrha had.
"Stop!" Qrow held his hand out just as Sera was about to clobber him with her shield.
She panted heavily and lowered arm, staring at the huntsman. "What?"
Qrow lowered his sword, his chest visibly heaving. "That was a good warm up, but I want you to try something."
"What is it?"
He smiled lightly. "That transformation. Use it."
"Uh… I'm not sure if I can—"
"Try," he urged. "You need to be able to use it on your own, kid. You can't just expect some of that trauma of yours to trigger it like a get out jail free card. What if you're in a sticky situation, and using that power is the only way to guarantee your survival? Or a friend's life? If you can't use it of your own will, you could die. The same goes for your semblance. How long do you expect to make it if you can't use all the abilities you're capable of? You have to own it, Snowball."
Sera shifted in place. Qrow was right, she knew that. But after learning more about herself and her affiliation with Salem… it didn't feel quite as right as it did before. She must've had a pretty strange look on her face, because Qrow's expression relaxed.
"What is it, kid?"
"I just… don't feel right about it. I think it scares people. And something about looking like Salem is weird."
He chuckled. "I know what you mean. Well, kind of. But I know that you shouldn't be afraid of your own abilities. Especially when a life depends on it. So?"
Sera fidgeted with her hands. "…Fine. I'll try. But I can't promise anything. Remember how long I spent trying to do this in in the first place? And my semblance? What if I can't?" She sounded whiny, like a kid. Great, even more reason for Qrow to call her one.
Qrow put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "Kid, relax. You've done this what, three times now? Should be a piece of cake."
"Okay," she took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll try. But when it doesn't work, I don't wanna hear it."
He let go of her shoulder and nodded at her. "When you're ready, Snowball."
Sera sighed and closed her eyes, blocking out all noise around her until she could focus. She's gotten pretty good at meditating, all things considered. It was nice to quiet her mind for a while, but she was fully aware that meditation alone had never helped her with what she was trying to do. Still, she had to give it a shot.
Her mind was teeming with a dozen different thoughts at once. It was always like that. When her thoughts ran wild, it was an endless barrage of conflicting ideas. One after the other. One thought triggered a dozen others, and she could never focus on one for too long. It was exhausting. Sera forced herself to think of nothing, as impossible as it was. She decided to use the trick she'd learned when she first tried meditation—focusing on the environment of her dreamscape. The endless void.
Finally, her mind was nothing but blackness. She focused on that transformation, imagining herself all pale and scary looking. The power that had coursed through her veins and made her feel stronger than ever. The unbridled rage that came with it.
Anger filled her being, and she shut her eyes tighter. Anger towards Cinder and Salem, the White Fang, the Grimm, anything that ever pissed her off. She even felt it towards her friends. Ruby's anger for her when she brought Neo into the house. When Blake ran away during the first semester, and then abandoned them during The Fall. Junior Xiong and his goons. Qrow's smugness when they fought, like he knew she wasn't good enough most of the time for him to fight seriously. Every little thing just piled up into one big ball of anger that made her furious.
Qrow watched her intently. When she started to shake, he raised an eyebrow. Sera looked angry. A scowl formed on her face and she shut her eyes tightly, her frown deepening over time.
"Kid?" he asked.
She didn't respond.
In Sera's head, she was in the middle of a sea of rage, and she wanted to act upon it. She imagined herself standing in the abyss, much like when she slept. It dominated every fiber of her being. Her fists clenched tightly, and her boots dug into the ground.
A violet flame appeared in the void of her mind, hundreds of feet away. She walked towards it. Her aura visibly glowed around her. The closer she got, the brighter it glowed until it looked like purple flames danced along her skin.
Qrow just stood there, watching her. Unsure of what else to do, he tapped his fingers along his sword hilt and waited patiently.
Sera was a hundred feet away from the flame now. She reached towards it, wondering what it would be like to touch the violet aura.
Then something strange happened. Out of the corner of her eye, a red flame appeared, much larger than the purple one. It burned like a raging inferno and made her skin crawl, like looking directly into a Grimm's eyes. Then a blue one, smaller than either of the others. The blue one barely even flickered, like it was about to go out. Unlike its red counterpart, it gave her a sense of… familiarity. Warm and calming, like walking on the beach. Sera wasn't sure what it meant, but she should probably stay away. She returned her eyes to the purple flame and kept walking.
She got within a few feet of it when she was suddenly yanked away, as if some invisible force had grabbed her. She fought against it, but it was no use. Its grip was as strong as iron, and it was dragging her directly towards the red aura.
"No!" she screamed and fought harder.
The anger she felt was amplified as she got closer and closer to that dominating red light. She knew what it was now. What else could it be?
The violet aura was her. The blue had to be Kassandra… and the red had to be the other presence in her head, locked away in her mind and waiting to come out. The thing that killed Pyrrha. Of course it wouldn't want her getting anywhere near something that could unlock that power within her. It's the only thing that's kept it at bay for so long.
In the real world, Sera started fidgeting and the expression on her face from angry to terrified.
"Kid?" Qrow raised his eyebrows. When she started to wave her arms and hyperventilate, he grabbed her shoulders. "Sera! Snap out of it!"
"N-No!" she screamed and fought against him.
She was getting closer to the red aura. She didn't know what would happen if she was brought into it, but she feared the worst.
Something struck her across the face, and her eyes flew open. Qrow was standing in front of her, his eyes full of worry while he held her shoulders tightly. She blinked, realizing that she'd been slapped. When she started to settle down, Qrow released her.
"What was that?" he demanded, but he sounded more worried than anything.
"I…I don't know," she admitted. Sera quickly explained the events of what happened in her head. By the time she was finished, he looked more confused than anything.
"Well… That certainly complicates things," he rubbed his chin. "Look at the bright side, you made some progress."
"…Please don't ever make me do that again."
Qrow chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Okay. At least not today. You know you'll have to get it figured out soon, though."
"Ugh…" she groaned. "Can we go inside now?"
"Sure, kid. Just… be careful, yeah? Had me worried for a minute."
"Wait, really? What happened while I was doing that?"
"…You looked like you were about to explode, kiddo. Then you started freaking out, like something was coming for you. Makes sense now, I guess."
She looked at her own hands, wondering if they'd suddenly turn pale. "Why me?"
Qrow shrugged. "Who knows? We all have our problems. You just have a few more than most."
"…Thanks."
"Hey, no problem. I'll talk to Oz about what happened, and we'll see what he thinks. Sound good?"
Sera lowered her hands and stared at the ground. "What do you make of this? The stuff in my head, I mean."
"Honestly?" he put Harbinger away and looked at her cautiously, like he was choosing his words carefully. "I don't like it. Nothing about some dark presence in your head sounds good. If I didn't know you... I'd probably try to put you down. But it kinda helps to know that 'transformation' keeps it back a bit. The last thing we want is for it to get out, yeah?"
"Absolutely," she said without hesitation.
"Good," he ruffled her hair again, and she smiled. "C'mon kid, it's getting dark."
"Finally," she sighed.
The two of them headed for the house. Sera could smell food cooking. Laughter and conversation came from inside.
Just before they reached the door, Qrow clapped a hand to her shoulder.
"You're a good kid, Snowball. Try not to let any of that stuff get to you."
She smirked. "Thanks, old man."
He shrugged. "What would I do without my favorite punching bag?"
Sera slugged him in the shoulder. "You're the punching bag. Just wait 'til I can use my semblance and stuff."
"We'll see," he laughed. "Nice jacket, by the way."
She looked down. "Oh, right. Almost forgot about this thing."
Qrow opened the door. "Saw that Schnee checking you out in it," he winked, then stepped inside before Sera could physically assault him.
"Wha-?!" her cheeks warmed. She stamped her foot and ran her hands through her hair.
Great! Other people see something too! Well… At least it's not just me, I guess… Gods! She sighed, her arms falling to her sides.
Sera straightened her hair and composed herself, then went inside.
. . .
After dinner, Sera decided to sit alone in her room for a while. She needed to be alone and process what she'd just seen in her own head. Unfortunately, one of her newest friends had other ideas.
Someone knocked on her door just as she was about to get ready for bed. Sera looked up, her eyebrows furrowed. "Come in?"
Oscar cracked the door and peeked inside, an awkward smile on his face. "Hey..."
Sera blinked. "Oscar or Ozpin?"
"Oscar," he chuckled and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "I... was hoping we could talk. Remember, from earlier?"
"Oh. Yeah," she said. "Come on, sit down."
Oscar blinked uncertainly and approached the bed with a bit of hesitation. Once he sat, he looked rigid. Finally, she realized why he was so nervous. Teenage boy about fourteen years old alone in a room with a girl.
"Relax," she rolled her eyes with amusement and sat cross-legged on the bed. Oscar's posture laxed a bit and he smiled awkwardly "Okay, what did you want to ask about?"
He took a deep breath. "Just... All of it. What's it like for you? Having someone else in your head, I mean."
She shrugged half-heartedly. "Our situations are a little different. You've always been you, then Ozpin showed up one day and now your head's all screwy. For me... I'm the Ozpin, only there's no you. I don't know how much you know about me, but a while ago, I woke up with no idea who I was. No name, no clue what I was doing there, just nothing. I was brought to Beacon by Qrow, and Ozpin gave me my new life. Promised to let me attend the school while he looked into finding out who I was," she explained. Oscar listened intently, his eyes wide with surprise at her story.
Running her hands through her hair, she continued, "I made friends and learned how to fight, but for some reason, I'd already had a pretty good handle on that part. Turns out, I have amnesia because I didn't exist before waking up in that forest. This is the body of Kassandra Kallisto, some famous hero from hundreds of years ago. My real name. But somehow, she's locked in my head, and I'm the one in control. Do you know how that makes sense? Because I sure as hell don't."
He shook his head. "I... Wow. I mean, I knew that because of your talks with Ozpin, but still. That's a lot."
"You're telling me," she exhaled. "Kassandra isn't here right now, like Ozpin is for you. So, I really don't know what that's like, but I have spoken with her."
"If she was there like Ozpin is for me, what would you do about it?" he asked.
She knew he was trying to ask what he should do about Ozpin, but the truth was, she had no idea. She took a deep breath and tried to formulate her thoughts.
"Honestly? Ozpin's already said that he'd rather... coexist with you, if that makes sense. I wouldn't sweat it. He's a pretty good guy, when he's not hiding the whole truth from us."
Oscar's eyes searched the air for a moment. "...He says he has his reasons."
"I'm sure," she laughed dryly. "Still, I wouldn't worry too much. But for me? I have no idea. This isn't my body, so... I'm not sure. I'd probably do like Ozpin and try to coexist with her, if possible. But I'm not going anywhere, you can count on that."
He nodded in understanding, taken aback by the sudden fire in her eyes. "I see. I don't know you well, but I believe you."
Sera smirked and held out her fist, and Oscar hesitantly pressed his own against it.
"There's only one thing you need to know about me Oscar. I'm not going to let anything happen to my friends. No matter what, Salem isn't going to hurt them. I'll die before that happens, and now, you're one of them," she smiled lightly. "But since you've got Ozpin in your noggin, I expect a lot from you, kiddo."
He laughed nervously. "Does this mean I have to spar with you too now?"
She brightened. "That's a good idea, actually. Might have to show you a thing or two that that old man hasn't yet."
"Oh, great," his shoulders fell.
Sera laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Is that all you wanted to know?"
He shrugged half-heartedly. "I guess."
"Okay," she nodded. "You and I have a lot in common because of what we're dealing with. Only you're stuck with an old man and I get a chick that looks almost exactly like me," she smirked playfully.
Oscar scoffed. "Must be nice."
Sera laughed. An amused smile spread across Oscar's face. She had to admit, it was nice to have someone she could relate to. Oscar seemed like a good kid, even if he was a bit awkward. The longer they'd talked, the more he seemed to relax.
After a moment, his expression turned a bit serious. "Were you telling the truth? About... Beacon Tower, I mean."
She faltered and looked down for a moment. "...Yeah. I know he's listening, but don't let Ozpin control you like I was controlled. It's horrifying, having to watch yourself move against your will."
"I won't," he promised. "Ozpin also says he wouldn't do that, to anyone."
"I know," she said. "Just... I had to tell you."
Oscar nodded, his eyes a little sad as he looked at her. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. Oz regrets that he couldn't stop Cinder before that happened to you."
She nodded, trying her best not to think about that night for too much longer.
"I'm sorry this is happening to you, too. I'm sure it isn't easy," she said.
He shrugged. "It's getting easier."
"Still," she said.
Oscar nodded, an understanding passing between them. After all, they were the only people who knew what this was like, even if it was under different circumstances.
"Tell me more about Beacon?" Oscar asked. "I'd like to know what it was like, before The Fall. I'd really only read about it, and I can see a lot of Ozpin's memories, but I'd like to know about it from a student's perspective. You had shorter hair back then," he chuckled.
Sera felt her hair, frowning at its length. It was quickly replaced by a smile. She was thankful for the change in subject. The whole person-in-her-head thing was getting a little depressing.
"Okay," she shifted, getting into her story-telling position with her hands on her knees. "So, it really all started when I met the bunch of idiots that're my friends..."