Cerise could only stare in response to the question, her entire body numb with shock. The very logistics of getting from Vale to Vacuo in a single day were already unsettling, but seeing the very man who had tried to pry into her personal details standing before her in short order was even more so. Professor Ozpin was tall and lanky, looming over Cerise as he kept his hands folded atop a long cane that was pressed down into the doormat. His hair was mostly white with blackened tips that matched the dark lenses of his circular glasses, which hid his eyes entirely. The man wore a fuzzy black tailed coat that ran the length of his body over a green dress shirt and black slacks, none of which seemed suited for the desert heat. It looked as though he had hopped on some sort of plane immediately after their scroll call, and Cerise had a distinct feeling that that was exactly what had happened… especially given how Sasha looked as well.
The faunus was wearing her work uniform, though the white blouse was more unbuttoned than usual and showing off a bit of her bra. Sasha wore a gold chain necklace with her much larger, weaponized chain secured around her hips. The bulky links rested atop a black pencil skirt with a slit up one side, giving the young woman a professional, if totally unfitting look. Sasha's arms and legs were scarred and muscular, with light lines of battle damage along the otherwise dark skin. She looked severely out of place in any professional setting… and yet somehow even more so in the Vacuan desert. Her expression matched how uncomfortable her outfit looked, suggesting that she hadn't come willingly at all.
The sound of Qrow dropping his cup and letting it shatter against the tile floor of the kitchen snapped Cerise back to reality, and she made the only decision that made any sense in her mind. Without a word, she slowly reached forward and pushed the door closed, hoping that it would somehow be enough to keep the pair out of the beach house. At the last possible second, the tip of Professor Ozpin's cane wedged itself between the door and the frame and forced it open with ease, allowing him to begin making his way inside.
"…really? That's your move?"
"Shit," Qrow cursed as Bartholomew handed him a new mug as though nothing had happened. "Professor! Welcome to Vacuo! Uh…"
"Please," the man said, sounding thoroughly unamused as Sasha followed him inside and Cerise backed away. He removed his coat and threw it over the back of the nearby couch before adopting his idle stance once again, both hands atop the head of his weapon as he looked around the living room. "I'm well aware that none of you want me here. Speaking of- I would advise waking the others. Quickly."
"On it," Raven offered as she swiftly retreated from the kitchen and made her way to the staircase, leaving only her brother, Bartholomew, Cerise, and Sage on the ground floor.
"…so, you're the man in charge," Sage offered from his place on the couch before giving Professor Ozpin a nod. "Good morning."
Professor Ozpin gave the young huntsman a nod, though he didn't move from where he stood. Sasha kept her eyes on the staircase and held her breath, avoiding the eyes of everyone else in the room.
"I am indeed. Sage Ayana, is it?" Professor Ozpin asked, receiving a nod in response. "Terribly sorry that you and yours ended up involved in this mess. That was never my intention for any team from Shade Academy, unless it became absolutely necessary."
Qrow took a step closer to the edge of the kitchen, staring down his headmaster as he kept his new cup in hand.
"…to be clear, that's also where we were coming from. We did what we did because we had to, not because we wanted to."
"I am well aware," Professor Ozpin acknowledged. "I am not here for a confrontation, Mr. Branwen. I am here so that we might work through this in a way that makes sense for everyone involved, and to emphasize the importance of the continued secrecy of Salem."
"There it is," Cerise commented as she continued making her way around the room and back to the kitchen, remaining as far from Professor Ozpin as possible. "That last part. 'I'm not here to threaten you, but you fucked up and I want to make sure you know it.'"
"Well, I am certainly not here to praise any of you," Professor Ozpin admitted. "From my understanding of events, all of this could have been avoided had more care been taken. That being said, I do understand that bar a few mistakes, you are doing the best you can, and thus far, you have served me faithfully in tasks that are far from easy. One major misstep does not erode all of that good will."
Qrow let out a breath, well aware that Cerise had moved behind him for safety and not at all looking forward to the potential event of trying to protect her.
"…well in that case… coffee? Tea?"
"…is hot chocolate available?" Professor Ozpin asked. "Unlikely in the desert, but…"
"It is," Willow answered as she led the group down the stairs, still in a lace nightie and looking surprisingly calm. "Powder is in the cabinet above the stove. Professor."
"Heiress," Professor Ozpin returned as he watched the group slowly file into the living room. "Sasha? Anything for you?"
The faunus kept her arms folded across her chest and flicked her eyes over to the headmaster before quickly returning them to Kali as her friend made her way down the stairs.
"Uh… I don't know. Just water, I guess."
"Sasha?" Kali asked, quickly closing the distance to the taller, far more muscular girl. "Holy shit, he dragged you all the way here?"
"Something like that," Sasha confirmed. "I had no choice, but… I think things are going to be okay. I hope. He's… been reasonable."
"And so I will continue to be, provided all of you are open and honest," Professor Ozpin advised. "Come, take a seat. Let us get settled in and comfortable. I have a feeling this is going to take a while."
"Professor Calavera is on her way here," Adam pointed out as he took a seat on the couch near one of the armrests. "Should we wait for her?"
"So is Sienna Khan," Cerise added.
Qrow nearly fumbled another cup while he worked to clean up the shards of the first one. The boy poked his head up to be visible over the countertop, his face pale.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Cerise rolled down the waistband of her borrowed pajamas, revealing the kunai she had hidden within them as all eyes trained on her. The girl held it up and let it rock back and forth slightly between her fingers while she had everyone's attention.
"…yeah. She visited the house last night. I intercepted her, and she offered to train me after I stood up to her for you guys. It was… weird. I didn't say no. Considering she was talking about Salem, I don't think we should do this without her. She's not a fan of the grimm queen."
Professor Ozpin had taken to pinching the skin of his forehead with one hand and let out a weary sigh.
"…I won't turn away another potential ally, especially one already involved in this shadow war. Let us start there, then. We should discuss everything known about this Sienna woman… as well as what you saw in my office, Sasha. Fill us in."
"They already know," Sasha protested, though she sounded somewhat weak in her argument. "I told them right after it happened."
"Most of them, perhaps," Professor Ozpin considered. "But you still haven't told me. Not completely. Besides- the more detail, the better. It is imperative that we're all on the same page, which is why I didn't press you on the flight over. The time has come to reveal your hand, Sasha… and for me to add whatever detail is needed."
"Hey," Kali chimed in, settling her hand atop Sasha's as she squeezed in closer on the couch. "This whole thing may be a huge, stressful situation that you don't even know the half of yet, but… we're all in this together, Sash, and we could have a worse leader than Professor Ozpin. He may be kinda shady sometimes, but he does give a shit."
Sasha's mood changed ever so slightly as her lips curled into a smirk. The faunus shook her head and let out a sigh, as though she was already done with the entire situation.
"…I know more about all this than you do," Sasha admitted. "Why do you think I'm so on edge and quiet? He told me everything on the way here."
"I told her a lot, but not quite everything," Professor Ozpin confirmed. "And that is part of why, no matter how it may have appeared in our earlier call, I cannot be truly upset with all of you. Annoyed, yes, but… Sasha Rainart is now equally involved. Her Semblance is a useful one, and her spirit is fiery. She will be placed on an accelerated track and working alongside STRQ and OKRA, much like Willow does now, but… we are getting ahead of ourselves. Miss Rainart, if you would. What exactly did you see when I stepped away? I think it's about time I know what has you so shaken, though I do have a guess."
Sasha let out a sigh and scooted forward slightly on the couch, looking to Professor Ozpin. Despite the man's calm demeanor, her eyes were full of fear. It took her a moment to begin speaking, and when she did, it was clear that she was choosing her words very carefully.
"…whenever someone touches a weapon with intent to use it, they leave behind an… a little wisp of themselves," Sasha began. "It's like a timestamped version of who they were the moment they touched it, and it lingers. All of its intent, knowledge, feelings at the time… I can hear and see it all, even if the person is now dead. That's my Semblance. I touched the cane you're holding right now, and… you're not who you say you are. You're not even a person- you're many people. People that are… trapped. Screaming. Unable to move on to death. I saw hundreds- thousands of people that aren't who I'm looking at right now, and none of them could detach from that weapon. I don't know how, I don't know why… I've never seen anything like it. It's like you're some kind of… amalgam of souls."
Professor Ozpin's expression didn't change at all throughout the explanation, nor did his posture. He simply looked at Sasha evenly from behind his sunglasses, considering the girl's words and finally offering just a small nod at their conclusion.
"That is… fairly accurate, yes. As you all know by now, I am incapable of dying. The mechanism by which I remain immortal is… unpleasant. That is a detail I have yet to share, but you should all know now. I've not told any of you everything just yet. In fact, I would say that there are none alive who know the full story, Salem included. The short version is that a bargain was made that I've come to regret, and there appears to be no reversing it. So, in the infinite time I've been allotted… I have pledged myself to stopping the only other being on this planet to successfully make such a bargain as well. It isn't healthy for Remnant, or for either of us. Living forever isn't… pleasant."
"Okay," Kali said skeptically. "But what does that have to do with you having so many souls? If you die, does that mean whoever you are right now gets 'stuck' here in soul form?"
Professor Ozpin tilted his head down slightly to meet Kali's eyes over his spectacles. His expression conveyed a deep regret, as well as a warning.
"…they're not trapped 'here' on Remnant, if that's what you mean. They're trapped within me, as is the man you know as 'Professor Ozpin' right now. Nothing of him remains beyond his physical body and his thoughts, which I can hear and he cannot voice outwardly. When this body expires, the cycle begins anew, and the being you are speaking to, Ozma, will jump to another body, carrying the man once known as Ozpin with him. I fear it is likely that the next host will be one of you…"
Author's Note:
Rules are slightly different than in canon for Oz. It's only gonna get worse from here.
-RD