Hey, are you there?
Nothing.
Oscar fidgeted with his belts for another moment, nervously looking over the others' sleeping forms. The light from the moon filtered in through the bars of their cells, casting long shadows against the floors. He sighed.
"Stay calm. It's going to be okay."
"You mean he's been watching us this whole time?!"
Was he looking at them now, through his eyes? Or did he lock himself away once more? When Ozpin had re-appeared, Oscar had felt flickers of surprise and confusion before a gentle calm had come over the other's presence. That had been enough to steady him- and enough to land the plane without any deaths.
The others… their reactions had been varied but Oscar expected that. Other than Yang, no one was angry as much as they were surprised or wary. Oscar had heard them speak of Ozpin- he knew of the missing fourth member of JNPR and how he had been grooming other students like Ruby and Jaune's teams to combat Salem without giving them the full story.
He had wanted answers too. But the price…
His hand came up to clutch at his chest. He had felt it all: the terror, the anguish, the mortification, all as acutely as if it were his own. And considering the merge, it would eventually become his own. Then the resignation that followed in watching the anger, disbelief and disgust of the others with no sign of understanding or empathy…
I'm sorry.
He had been thinking it towards since Ozpin had come back, hoping the man would hear or acknowledge it. Right now, it didn't matter to him what he had done or how many people had died in this war. No one should have gone through what he went through- not the thousands of years, or having those memories pried open for all to see.
It wouldn't surprise Oscar if Ozpin lost all faith or trust in them. He'd be within his rights to.
"Still up?"
Oscar looked up- Ruby smiled tiredly from where she leaned against the bars of her cell door across from his own. "Yeah."
She gave a weak laugh. "My eardrums are still ringing from General Ironwood's lecture."
Oscar was torn between smiling ans grimacing. He knew that they were in for a rough landing when they saw Atlas (A FLOATING CITY WHAT EVEN) surrounded on all sides by airships ("Mantel-5, welcome back.") But the fact that General Ironwood was there to greet them (with a look that could kill a man a hundred times over) and then "escort" them away- because while Cordovin had given them the chance to leave, the theft and fight had still been broadcasted to Atlas- quickly destroyed any feeling of triumph the group had.
And when they explained why Ozpin wasn't present to give him the details…
"If you think you'll receive any sympathy from me, you are sorely mistaken. Be grateful I'm not sentencing you to the full time for your crimes."
Oscar's eyes flickered over to where Qrow was snoring, his entire left cheek purple and black with part of his lip split.
"Why didn't you do anything to stop this?! What, were you just drinking while all this was going on?!"
"… um…"
CRACK!
Yang and Blake were asleep against the wall- and if it didn't exist, they'd be back-to-back. Maria had taken it in stride and was the first to fall asleep.
"It's bad enough that you compromised the only man capable of giving us direction and wasted a question on the relic, but you let loose the most compromising information possible in front of a complete stranger! What if she had been a spy, or enemy?!"
"You know it's rude to speak of someone when they're right in front of you."
"You're not involved in this!"
"I'm feeling pretty involved!"
Nora was snoring quietly, sprawled over her cot while Ren and Jaune were curled up in their blankets.
Weiss… had been taken back to her manor. Oscar knew she hadn't been eager to return, but one look at Jacques Schnee made it clear why. Ruby had made it clear that they wouldn't leave Weiss alone from the moment it was made clear they'd be returning to Atlas. His eyes closed in sorrow at remembering the looks on their faces.
"This is my fault."
Ruby looked out over the others, her eyes hidden by her bangs. "Ruby," Oscar said gently, "you know that's not-"
"Don't lie to me!"
"When Ozpin said he had trust in you, I went along with it. He's wiser than I could have ever given him credit, and I only learned this after it was too late. But now, even I can see that his faith and patience was misplaced with you all. I'm cutting you out of the fight- from here on out, you are no longer affiliated with us. Any of you. You've all made it clear that you are not worthy of trust."
Her fingers clutched at the cell bars, eyes filled with tears. "I'm the one who asked Jinn! I'm the one who traumatized Oz! I'm the one who insisted on the plan! I'm the one who wouldn't back down! I'm the one who wrecked the mecha! I'm the one who attracted the grimm!"
"You're not huntsmen, or huntresses. Neither would ever conduct themselves like you did. Right now… you're nothing but criminals and thugs, bulldozing whatever's in your way with no regard for consequence. You should be ashamed of yourselves."
Ruby crumbled to the ground, one fist slammed on the ground while her other hand was barely able to muffle her sobs. "Here I was, thinking we could do things better-! But we only made everything worse! If I hadn't- the Cotta-Arcs- Argus- Oz-!"
Oscar's heart clenched harshly and while he knew it was impossible to reach her, his hand outstretched towards her, trying in vain to give her comfort.
"He must hate me-" she choked out, voice cracking in despair on the last two words. "I'm the one who asked Jinn- the one who- who-"
No. No. I don't. I could never.
Oscar stiffened at the voice, filled with sorrow and compassion. "Ruby, he doesn't hate you!" his voice cracked, eyes burning with tears. "He couldn't!"
"How do you-?!" Ruby began to snap before her eyes widened. "Is he-?"
But just as quickly as his voice and presence had returned, both were gone just as fast. "He's gone again," Oscar sighed before his gaze hardened with determination. "But I heard him. He doesn't hate you Ruby- and I know it. I felt him- he was sad, and he wanted to help…"
Ruby stared in wonder before wiping the tears and snot away. The two sat in silence and Oscar desperately wished he could reach her.
"The first time I ever saw him…" Ruby said softly, "I got into a fight with some crooks. I thought I was going to go to jail- even though I had saved someone- and he just… came in with a plate of cookies."
Oscar blinked at that- he had seen pictures of Professor Ozpin (and a younger Ruby) and the image of him just giving a plate of cookies to a fifteen year old girl was at once completely at odds with the man… and suited him exactly.
"I… I met him during the morning," he said quietly- it felt like years had passed since then, even though it had only been a few months. "I felt something strange and I looked in the mirror. I felt crazy- and then out of nowhere, he just says 'I'm Professor Ozpin' so brightly. Like he was saying 'the sky's blue' or 'grass is green'."
Ruby stifled a giggle. "That must have really shocking."
"It was- I fell over backwards and nearly cracked my head open."
"That's nothing- you should have seen the initiation exam. We were launched right into a forest filled with grimm." Her face adopted a half exaggerated, half sincere horrified expression. "And the worst part was that whoever we made eye-contact with first was gonna be our partner for the next four years!"
Okay, that was a little much- not just the platforms and grimm, but the eye-contact thing. What if he locked eyes with a jerk or something? How would they co-exist? But he could see that the thought of social activity was what horrified Ruby the most, and considering his own lack of friends and peers, he could identify with that.
"Well, it worked out for you didn't it? You and Yang seem really close with Weiss and Blake."
Ruby snorted a soft laugh. "Me and Weiss couldn't stand each other at the beginning! You should've seen-"
She stopped, eyes rolling back before she sweat-dropped and said with a higher-pitched voice, "Actually, it's better that you didn't see."
Oscar chuckled softly at that. "He sounds… unconventional."
"He was… but he was really warm too. Weiss was mad at me at the beginning for not taking leadership seriously. And Oz helped me come to terms with it."
She stopped for a moment. "He… he said he made more mistakes than any man, woman or child. But he didn't consider making me leader one of them."
Oscar smiled. "It wasn't a mistake. You… you're absolutely amazing," he said with earnest.
Her smile fell off, expression saddened. "I don't feel like it. It's my fault we're in this mess."
Oscar frowned at the loss of the mood before his teeth clenched. He was not going to give up.
"You made a mistake, but you're not the only one who did. We all made mistakes, every last one of us. We could have done better, we could have handled things differently… but we didn't."
His hands tightened on the bars. "But if we let that stop us, and didn't try to make things better or improve… then we really wouldn't have the right to be called huntsmen or huntresses."
Ruby looked back at him, eyes wide. "Oscar…"
His chest tightened. "We did something… horrible. And we escalated a situation that put a lot of people at risk. So we have to make it right. We have to get better, be better… and then, we can make things right with everyone. We can make things right… with Oz."
"… the others aren't gonna like it," Ruby said sadly, eyes flickering to where Yang, Qrow and Jaune's cells were.
Oscar's eyes hardened. "Well they're just gonna have to deal with it." His hand settled against his chest. "We can't let things stay like this. I can't let things stay like this. And I won't."
Ruby looked at him with an expression he had only seen her use towards Ozpin before they went to Argus, or Qrow when he showed his power: admiration. He could feel his stomach flutter and his head ducked down, face burning.
"I'm in."
"Huh?"
He looked back up as Ruby rose to her feet. "You're right. We can't let things stay like this. And you've made it clear… you're gonna stand by his side, right?"
Oscar nodded, resolute.
"Then I will too." Ruby gave him a true smile. "Promise."
His smile widened. "Ruby… thank you."
She nodded before giving a yawn. "We- we should… hit the hay."
He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Very funny," before going back to his cot and pulling the blankets over him.
"Good night," he murmured, to Ruby and Oz.
As sleep overtook him at last, he could hear a soft, Good night, echo in his mind…
Chapter 2
Oscar blinked awake, wincing from the cot's hardness. The light from outside was cold and gray but he could tell dawn wasn't far off now.
Good morning.
He nearly gasped at the voice echoing gently in his mind before he calmed just as quickly, relief settling in right after. Morning, he thought back.
Are you well?
As well as I can be. What about you? How are you doing?
He didn't get an answer but Oscar could feel several flickers of different emotions: forced calm, muted sadness... a flicker of resentment that was immediately and harshly crushed a second later. Oscar winced and his eyes closed.
I'm sorry. You have every right to be angry-
That doesn't matter. Things could have gone much worse but they didn't.
The words were far too flippant and Oscar's eyes widened in disbelief at his words, barely registering the newest emotion. We forced your memories out and then yelled at you for it when you were the most upset!
Correction: Miss Xiao-Long yelled at me for understandable reasons while the others questioned what to do in the background.
Qrow punched you!
Also for understandable reasons- Qrow has always been an emotional person and that was not the first time we've come to blows. But it was the first time he actually managed to catch me by surprise.
Oscar couldn't believe what he was hearing. I'm the one who told them how to use the relic!
You wanted answers. And the way I conducted myself... it was not the best way I could have handled things.
His teeth gritted together. It's okay to be angry about this! You don't have to pretend, not with me- we're going to become one and the same eventually.
Oscar could feel more emotions flicker before what he could only describe as spiteful optimism crushed them. Things could have been much worse.
How?!
You could have given up entirely. You could have been beset by Grimm. You could have turned on each other and-
The thought cut off abruptly and Oscar felt a fresh pang of grief and guilt before the spiteful optimism overpowered them both.
But you didn't. None of you did. You're still committed to this cause and are still determined to fight.
Oscar's teeth grit together in frustration. It would have been so much easier if Oz was angry- but the fact that he was defending the others so calmly while refusing to acknowledge his own emotions made his stomach curdle and his mouth fill with a bitter taste.
That doesn't excuse what we did. We hurt you, and kicked when you were down. That wasn't right-
Oscar.
The boy froze at the tone, authoritative and stern.
I have been hurt by far worse, and for far more malicious reasons. If I was truly angry-
Clang!
The thought cut off and Oscar felt his presence disappear again. He groaned under his breath in frustration at the interruption before it was cut off- General Ironwood was by his cell door with two guards.
Oscar got to his feet as the cell door opened, the two guards flanking him as he was led out. They kept walking in silence until they reached a conference room. General Ironwood took a chair and Oscar followed suit. The guards saluted quickly before quickly marching out.
"I'm sorry for that," the man said after the door closed. "It would look suspicious if I didn't bring you all in."
Oscar blinked before remembering the last night. "It's okay," he waved off. "I would have gone with them even if you offered me another place to stay."
"Oz-"
"I'm not Oz."
The man's eyes flickered before sighing harshly. "My apologies," before murmuring under his breath, "Gods, this is such a mess..."
Oscar could see the man's age more acutely- the dark circles under his eyes, the wrinkles on his face, the way he was barely holding himself up despite his really impressive muscles (Oscar felt absolutely puny next to everyone- when was puberty going to come?)
"It... could be worse," he said before General Ironwood's absolutely flat look made him shrink against his seat.
The look melted off before the man sighed again. "It could be better too."
"Well, it's not. We just have to deal with what we have, and hope for the best."
For a moment, Oscar feared he over-stepped himself. But all General Ironwood did was chuckle softly. "I can see how Oz's soul gravitated to you. He always said it was at random, but..."
Oscar's face burned- he wasn't sure if it was a compliment he wanted to accept. "General Ironwood, about my friends-"
"They won't be tried for the full sentence, but that's all the leniency they are going to get." His tone was final and stern. "They might have had good intentions, but they put an entire city at risk and stole Atlesian military tech when tensions couldn't be higher. If they are not punished, it will only invite others to follow their example."
Please, tell him...
Oscar froze as Oz's voice came back. What?
He listened to the man's plan, eyes widening. "Is that Oz?" General Ironwood's fists tightened, a look of hope in his eyes. "What is he saying?"
"He... he wants Teams RWBY and JNPR to enter Atlas Academy."
General Ironwood's eyes widened before hardening. "Out of the question."
"They've already fought against Salem's cronies- they've all got targets on their backs whether they're taken out of the fight or not. They've only had one year of formal schooling- they need more teaching."
"And how do I know that's what he really wants?" General Ironwood's eyes narrowed. "How do I know you're not just trying to protect them yourself?"
Oscar's eyes widened at Oz's next words and could barely get them out without cracking up despite the situation.
"Remember that time when you got drunk on the 8th and filmed yourself singing and dancing to the latest Sun-Stepping song in n-nothing but a lampshade? Qrow has never let you live that down once, and Glynda secretly keeps the video on her scroll."
The look on the man's face nearly broke Oscar's control right there. "You know how it's going to look, don't you?"
"They were given a great deal of freedom in Beacon, but little structure. Atlas Academy can give them that, along with discipline and downtime- they've felt like they've had to rush into things as quickly as possible, and that's what contributed to their theft. And they won't be going there as regular students, but rather under the Juvenile Placement."
General Ironwood nodded to this but he didn't look convinced. "You're too forgiving for your own good, Oz. What they did... there's no way I can condone what they did to you."
The rush of touched surprise and warmth made Oscar's eyes close in sadness. "Neither of us are asking you to," Oscar said determinedly. "I don't either- that's why I'm gonna talk to them about what happened."
"... I will see what I can do." He clicked a button on the desk and the door opened with a buzz, the guards coming back in. "And Oz, if you need anything..."
His expression was devastatingly concerned. "Please. Don't hesitate to ask."
James... it's not your fault.
"He said it's not your fault," Oscar said quickly.
General Ironwood turned away, fists clenched and head bowing. That was the last Oscar saw of him before he was led back out.
Chapter 3
Well.
This was worse than what she feared.
Weiss stared up at the bars erected over her door and window- she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep and dawn was slowly but surely approaching. Myrenaster had been wrenched out of her hands at the first possible moment and now she had no idea where it was or if her rapier was even in one piece.
She wished that the bruise on her cheek was the worst pain she was in. The slap before had been more startling than painful- she hadn't expected a fist. And she hadn't expected the bracelet that was slapped on a moment later, that dug into her arm with sharp prick-pins.
She had heard of aura collars- thick, metallic bands that dug into the skin and interrupted the flow of aura- and knew they were used to keep criminals and rogue hunters from escaping. But the fact that Jacques had bought it for the sole purpose of making absolute sure she wouldn't be able to use her aura made her stomach twist in terror and nausea. It felt completely unnatural and left her feeling weaker than she ever remembered being despite her health.
Dust, she felt pathetic: she had stood up against armed criminals, fought for her life more times than she cared to keep track, took a spear through her side and came out stronger than ever, and helped take down multiple types of grimm. Yet she was helpless before a man whose only power laid with a name that wasn't his by right.
A man who allowed the faunus workers to be branded like animals, from what Yang had described to her. The letters "SDC" scarring across the face of a man who put Blake through a nightmare no one should have been subjected to. She was relieved he was dead… but this brought her no joy or relief. She had known of the Schnee Dust Company's "controversial labor laws", but this…!
How isolated was she, how sheltered, that she didn't even know what was happening to her own company's workers? If she had so little idea of what was going on in her own family's company, how could she hope to restore it's good name?
A name that he had cut her off from. The only reason she was here now was because if word got out of a Schnee committing such blatant crimes, then the SDC would be in jeopardy. Or at least, that was the reasoning she figured out behind Jacques' actions.
Were the others okay? Or at least in living conditions? Atlas had little mercy for criminals and the fact that Valian students and a Mistralian hijacked a plane and were partly responsible for attracting grimm to Argus… she could only imagine how tensions would rise between the three nations and what the fallout could bring about.
Weiss's head rested in her hand. This was her fault: if she had just gone to Atlas herself, then she could have gotten a transport for the others and not have had to break the law. But she had been too scared to suggest it, too scared to go by herself back to-
She couldn't even call this place "home". All it was was the place where she lived- a gilded cage. Beacon had been her home. RWBY and JNPR were her home now.
Now she had no idea if she would ever see them again.
As she looked out her window, Weiss felt a stab of deja vu: Salem had been in this situation before. Trapped by a cruel father, locked away from the world and unable to save herself despite the power she held.
Until she met someone that had opened her heart up and saved her from that isolation.
There were too many parallels between them now that Weiss couldn't ignore, or the revelations that came with them.
If anything were to come to happen to them- Ruby, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Ren, even Oscar who she had barely known a few months- Weiss would move Remnant, Valhalla and Helheim themselves to help them, to protect them, to bring them back from the brink. Her heart ached at the mere thought of harm coming to any of them, but…
If anything happened to them, would she do what Salem did? Would she risk everything, even spiting the gods themselves, if it meant she could have them back?
She knew the answer to that question, and it terrified her.
Dust, she mind was still reeling from Jinn's story. Their race was the second coming of humanity, the existence of actual gods who wiped out their own creations, Salem and Ozpin's history and just how far back it went… and how that fleeting dream of love had turned into a nightmare.
(That fight between them that leveled their castle and killed their children… it hit too close. It was too familiar.)
Weiss had wanted answers and still felt the frustration at being denied answers when they were fighting for their lives. She still felt the stunned horror and hopelessness at Salem's immortality. She knew that so many had died over thousands of years for a war that the man who fought it had no idea how to end. She felt for Qrow and the others for feeling used, but…
Remembering the look on Ozpin's face, seeing the man- who had been as unflappable and in control as he could be- openly weeping… hurt her heart.
Klein and the other servants had always been ready to make her laugh, bring her tea, or hold her when she was feeling down. When she had told the others of the bloody feud between her family and the White Fang, Ruby had been the first one to try and comfort her. When they had questioned their reasons for becoming huntresses, Blake and Yang had been there to help make sense of things.
Ozpin… had had none of that.
How much had that hurt, having those scars ripped open with no understanding or empathy offered? How alone had he felt, with his past laid bare for all to see?
And what did it say about her that she felt more guilty about that than stealing an airship? It didn't outweigh putting Argus and the Cotta-Arcs in danger because of their actions (What if things hadn't gone as well as they had? What if they had been hurt- or killed?) but it was still enough.
But could she say that to the others? Ruby would listen, at least, and help defend her point. Blake could… Yang wouldn't. She used to believe Jaune, Nora and Ren would remain as angry as her, but since they had found Oscar but… and that wasn't even factoring in Qrow or Miss Calavera-
"- absurd! She is my daughter, and I will discipline her as I see fit!"
"She is also an adult and must be charged for the crimes she has partaken in."
"If one of my blood is seen as a felon-"
"You already disowned her- you made that very clear to me."
"I-I-"
"Therefore, she is no longer your concern."
Weiss recognized that voice. How could she not? A wild hope clutched at her chest despite her fear. She heard the heavy footsteps outside come to a halt before the door.
"Miss Schnee, I suggest you stand back."
She retreated to the farthest corner of her room and covered her ears. A second later, the door and the bars around it were blasted aside. From the smoke, she could make out two guards who stood to attention as General Ironwood walked in.
Weiss controlled herself enough not to flinch as the man walked to her before gently taking the wrist that had the aura collar. With a single-placed snap! it fell away from her skin, leaving four bleeding prickpins behind.
"Miss Schnee, I'm placing you under arrest," he stated gently. "Please come along quietly."
As Weiss accepted it and strode past Jacques' disbelieving sputtering and into the vehicle parked outside, she wondered what her life had become when being taken from a home of wealth and comfort via arrest had brought tears of relief to her eyes.
The life of a huntress.
Chapter 4
Blake winced at the sound of Qrow's retching coughs, trying not to breath through her nose. If there was one downside to having four ears and highly advanced sense of smell, this was it.
"Well, what did he expect? Aura or not, he's still going to go through withdrawal," Maria commented blandly from her cell. "And considering how much he's been pity-drinking over the past few days..."
Another groan echoed down from his cell, the sound of vomit hitting water following a second later. Yang winced in pity but just shook her head. "Well, at least that's the worst we're dealing with right now."
"Yang. We. Are. Literally. In. JAIL!" Nora enunciated while gesturing to the bars before burying her face in her hands, voice cracking from anxiety and upset while rapidly becoming colorless. "Now everyone we know's gonna cut off contact with us because we're criminals and nearly destroyed a city and we're gonna be stuck behind bars and forget the sweet taste of freedom and how to fight and even if we do get out we won't be able to adjust to normal society-"
Ren took her hand into his own through the bars, gripping it gently. "Breath," he murmured.
"... I was talking about his withdrawal symptoms," Yang finished lamely.
"She's not wrong though," Blake said with a worried frown, ears drooping against her hair. "By this time, everyone's going to know seven Valian students, a Valian teacher and a Mistralian stole Atlesian tech and illegally crossed into Atlas. Things are going to get more tense between all three nations now."
Gods above, what had they been thinking?! How did they come to the conclusion that this had been the best plan they had?!
But she knew why: they had been tired of running, wanted to get the job done, believed that they could do what others who had been fighting longer couldn't. But whatever the reasons, they had chosen to do something that put so many people at risk and would have killed thousands if things hadn't turned out the way they did.
If we had a different plan, then he wouldn't have-
It hadn't been a hallucination, or her imagination. Just think that he had been stalking her and her friends across Anima, biding his time until she had been alone...
But she hadn't been alone. And even when she was, she had been able to fight back. Even when she was afraid, she was able to hold him off. Even when Gambol Shroud shattered in her hands, she...
A dozen different emotions made her chest tighten at the memory- the feeling of Gambol Shroud in her hands and the weight of his body against it, the smell of blood and sweat, the look of stunned surprise and realization on his face, that single, "Oh..."
Adam Taurus was dead. Blake's aim had been true and struck him through his heart, and Yang's went through his lungs. As he fell, she had heard the crack! of his spine before his body hit the river. Even if he had been alive when he hit the sub-zero cold water, he wouldn't have the strength or ability to swim to shore and drown.
But that brought her no joy, no relief. He had been so many things to her, been a part of her life for so long and even though he had brought her so much grief-
She stiffened and then relaxed at the feeling of Yang's fingers entwining with her own before gently squeezing them. "Whatever happens, we're gonna get through this," she said resolutely. "Together."
Despite her barely able to hold back tears, a trembling smile crossed Blake's lips. She had been so afraid of being rejected when she returned- Yang would have been well within her rights to do it.
But she welcomed her back with a gentle, "Yeah".
Even when things were awkward, she was assured that she didn't have to run herself ragged.
When she had said something wrong ("I'll protect you." "... what?"), that hadn't destroyed what progress she made.
And after what they had done...
"I won't break my promise. I swear."
"I know you won't."
"We were there for each other."
Things changed between them many times: from their conversation before the dance, the Fall of Beacon, reuniting at Haven, to their final confrontation with Adam. For so long, she was afraid of what those changes signified and if she was heading to the same place that what she felt for Adam would lead her.
But now... she could put those fears to rest.
"Jaune?"
Blake's eyes flickered over to where Ruby was addressing him. Every few seconds, he would at the cell block door.
"Do you think Oscar's gonna be okay? Ozpin and Ironwood worked together, and... " He looked at his fists for a moment before staring back at her. "Why didn't you guys tell us the rest?"
Right- they had only gotten as far as Salem and Ozpin's history, the former being unkillable and the latter not having a plan outside of stalling before...
We didn't do anything back then to protect an innocent boy.
His fists clenched. "I'm still angry with him- that hasn't changed one bit. I can't agree with him sending people out to die for a plan that doesn't exist. But Ruby... what you guys did..."
Blake felt Yang's fingers tighten against hers, her expression torn between anger and regret.
"I had no idea that's what Jinn would show us," Ruby said in a small voice, barely keeping it from cracking. "None of us did- except..."
And there was the Goliath in the room.
Gods existed and they played with a man and woman's life before wiping out their own creations. The woman became immortal, corrupted by grimm and her own pride. The man was ripped from the afterlife with incomplete information and thrown into a millennia-old fight.
Not even Jinn knew where faunus came from, it seemed.
There were so many theories about how the faunus came to be- from genetic tinkering to fornicating with literal animals- but no one had any idea where they had come from. Not even the faunus themselves knew.
The Brothers had antlers and horns but faunus didn't exist until humanity's second coming. Did they rise from the ashes of the first human race, or did they come from elsewhere?
A chilling thought entered her mind: did the racism between humans and faunus come about from suspicions and fear of both races, or did Salem kickstart it out of spite to the Brothers? Did she see the faunus and were reminded of the Brothers who had put her down that hell?
From what Jinn had showed them, Blake couldn't discount such a possibility. Dust, but this was terrifying: this wretch of a woman who was not only unkillable and literally drawn to death and destruction, but was patient and manipulative enough to twist people against one another and had enough devoted to her (or afraid enough) to cause such damage.
And she had used that to twist Ozpin (Ozma?) around her finger until it took her making it clear she wanted to wipe out humanity 2.0 and replace them with their bloodline via their daughters (the oldest who couldn't have been older than twelve), regardless of what they wanted. The image of him trying to escape with his children before she appeared, that head shake and silent plea that went ignored before the castle went down around them...
It was far too easy to draw parallels between Ozpin (or Ozma?) and Salem, and herself and Adam. She had seen him as "spite", but that woman had upstaged him completely with her actions.
And Ozpin...
"If you need anything... please don't hesitate to ask."
"There are only two people in this world: those who hurt others, and those who stand by and do nothing."
She had done nothing, as the man who accepted her into his school and allowed her to meet her team and partner have his life shown to all. She had done nothing, as the man who promised that she had a place there no matter her past, had been shown his worst mistakes were ripped from his mind. She did nothing, as the man who pleaded with her that she could speak to him if she wished, could do nothing but cry as he was condemned.
Yet... she couldn't ignore the facts either.
Ozpin had no way to end the stalemate between them. There was no plan. And the fact remained that even if they fought to protect others from Salem, she could still wreak havoc so long as she was alive to inspire others to follow her way.
How could they possibly fight when the one spearheading didn't even know how to bring it to an end?
Clang!
Blake looked up as the cell door opened up. General Ironwood stood with several guards. Between them was Oscar and-
"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, tears of relief in her eyes.
Jaune and Ren were to their feet, Nora's color was back and Yang's face lit up with relief.
Weiss wasn't even trying to hold back her tears and from the redness of her eyes, Blake could see that she had done so earlier. But the fading bruise on her cheek and the red prickpins against the skin of her wrist drew her attention first and foremost.
Her teeth ground together, white hot anger that could only be associated with Jacques Schnee and others of his kind smoldering in her belly. So he didn't even bother to treat his own daughter with basic decency, it seemed-!
"Please tell me you at least punched the bastard," Yang said, half a plea half a growl as Weiss was led into the cell beside Maria.
Weiss gave a wet laugh as she wiped at her eyes. "N-Not yet," she got out, sniffling and smiling.
"We'll do you one better: we'll break his legs!" Nora declared passionately, cracking her knuckles.
This probably not the best thing to say in front of the guards, but Blake couldn't bring herself to care. If anyone deserved broken bones...
"I'll leave you to explain things here," General Ironwood said to Oscar, and left a moment later, the cellblock door shutting behind him.
Chapter 5
Are you okay?" Ren questioned.
"Why did they take you?" Yang fired.
"What's going to happen to us?" Blake asked.
"They didn't do anything to hurt you, did they?!" Nora exclaimed.
"Guhhh…" Uncle Qrow moaned.
Weiss still remained silent, resting against her cot while Oscar held his hands up, trying to calm them down. Ruby wished she could reach her partner, do something that might give her comfort, especially after what had happened. (She promised not to leave her alone and the moment they arrived, it had been broken.)
But for now, she had to take charge.
"Oscar, can you please tell us what happened?" she raised her voice over the others, who fell silent after.
He explained what had happened between him, the General and Oz. The pit in Ruby's stomach quickly became smaller the more she heard and she felt dizzy with relief. She couldn't believe it- was this really happening?
"WE'RE NOT GOING TO JAIL!" Nora whooped as she bounced all over her cell, leaving dents in her wake. "THANK YOU, OSCAR AND OZ!"
Blake and Ren both sighed with relief, though the former's smile was more relieved while the latter's was exasperated by his partner's screeches of joy. Jaune looked conflicted at the news but was leaning more towards optimism and Yang… just looked away with a pensive expression.
Well, at least it wasn't outright anger.
"Wouldn't get too excited, not about Juvenile Placement."
Ruby looked to where Uncle Qrow pulled himself back onto his feet- he still looked pretty nauseous. "What do you mean?"
"It's name's recent- and still work-shopping- but this has been part of the academies since they were founded," the man explained, voice still slurring a bit with pain. "Basically, they recruit convicts and criminals with promising skills and power with the promise of 'rehabilitating them into society.'" The quotation marks around those words couldn't have been more cutting.
"That doesn't sound so bad," Jaune remarked.
"It also comes with a bigger work load, none of the school privileges outside of what's required to pass, and a pretty bad stigma: there're plenty of students who get into the academies through their own hard work and perseverance, so they've usually got a lot of bitterness to the criminals who got to go there. Life's never been easy for anyone in Juvenile Placement, and it's a big reason why a lotta criminals would rather bunk down in prison or escape on their own. Not to mention the fact that our faces're gonna be plastered all over the news, so everyone's gonna know why you're there."
Ruby winced at his wording and her eyes closed. They knew the risks of breaking the law, and they were so incredibly fortunate they wouldn't be rotting in prison for their actions. But this news…
"Well, it could be worse. We're getting a second chance. We can't waste it."
"Wait, what about Qrow and Miss Calavera?" Blake questioned. "Did General Ironwood say what he was going to do with them?"
Oscar stopped for a moment frowning. "We only talked about our teams- none of us really brought them up…" His head ducked, sheepish. "Sorry."
The look on her uncle's face was devastating and he turned away. "Pff. This isn't the first time I've been jailed- and it probably won't be the last considering the last few days," Maria declared before shrugging, "Still, as far as prisons go, it's not the worst."
… Ruby was not going to comment on that. She didn't trust herself. "It's okay. We'll think of something. Thank you so much, Oscar," she said with a smile.
"Oz- Ozpin was the one who suggested it. I just said the words."
"He didn't take control of you?" Ren asked.
"No. He just asked me if I could tell the general and offered a way to make him believe I wasn't just lying in front of him."
"Why?"
Ruby turned to where Yang was staring Oscar intensely. "You heard what General Ironwood said: we're not a part of this anymore. Why would Ozpin stick his neck out for us?"
This was what she was afraid of. "Yang-"
"Look, I'm gonna keep fighting. There's no way I'm gonna be able to rest safely while that- that witch is alive, doing who knows what. But not on his terms."
"Yang-"
"He was grooming us to fight in a war he had no intention of telling us what it was for or why it started! A war he has no idea how to end!" Yang snapped, her fist slamming against the wall. "And not just us! JNPR, STRQ, CFVY, SSSN, FNKI and who knows how many others… for thousands of times longer than any of us have been alive!"
Ruby was about to protest when she saw Blake flinching away from Yang, flickers of fear on her face. "Blake?"
Yang turned to her, anger melting into confusion and concern. "I'm sorry," she said, voice hushed as she held her hands with the palms up. "I'm sorry."
"I-It's fine, it's just-" Blake looked away, hands coming to clutch at opposite arms. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be-"
"No, no, I shouldn't have-" Yang cut herself off with a tired sigh before looking back to her, worry and upset palpable. "I can't lose you all because of this war."
Ruby's turned away, unable to hold eye contact. This was the crux of the situation: what Oz had done… she couldn't agree with it either. Those people deserved to know what they were getting into, what they were fighting and dying for. And he had put them in danger by not telling them about the relic: even if he had told them before the train in Haven, they could have made a plan to minimize the danger. Not to mention directly lying about the questions left on the relic, even after he promised to be more truthful with them…
Her words died in her throat as her thoughts kept circling back into each other. How could she turn this around?
"You're right," Oscar agreed. "Things need to change. Not just with him, but with us as well."
Yang looked back at him. "You're taking his side, even after what he did to you back in Haven? And after he left you to take the brunt of what happened!"
Oscar's eyes closed. "I'm not defending his actions, or saying he's completely in the right-"
"Then what are you saying?" Yang pressed- she was clearly forcing her anger down but only just. "That we should just do as he says, do everything his way without question?"
"I'm not saying that either."
"And what about him? First he locked himself away in your head, and now he's just coming back whenever he pleases? How do we know he wasn't watching us this whole time? And the only reason we're in the clear now is because of him."
Ruby blinked, trying to piece together what her sister was insinuating.
"Are you trying to say that he only came out to help so we'd be in debt to him?" Oscar's eyes narrowed, voice taking a sterner tone.
"I. Don't. Know! And that's the problem!" Yang's arm emphasized her words as she gestured to the others. "We don't even know WHY we had to bring the relic to Atlas, just that we had to! He's the only one who knows why we're here, and we can't know why unless he shows up again! He's basically holding that info hostage on us!"
"That's not what he's doing!"
"Well, it sure as hell looks like it!"
"Yang," Ruby tried to interject, "let's just calm down-"
"Is that it then?! You're just gonna twist my words so you can stay angry at him?!"
Ruby stared at the boy- for the first time since she had met him, Oscar looked truly angry.
Yang was especially taken back before she tried to protest, "That's not what I was-"
"I'm not gonna tell you what to feel, or what to think. And neither has he. From the moment he's met up with you, he gave you every chance, every choice, to walk away or do what you want. Now I see why: he wanted to give you the chances and choices he never got."
Yang's scowl deepened. "That'd be a lot more meaningful if the bastard didn't lie to our faces or keep that information from us!"
"So that gives us the right to hurt him, threaten him, to violate his privacy when he respected ours?! Would he have done that to you if he wanted answers from you?! From the others?! From Ruby?!"
Wait, why was he including her specifically?!
Yang looked ready to retort before it died in her throat. Ruby knew her sister knew the answer to that question.
"Yang, I felt what he felt in that moment," Oscar pressed on, hand clutching at his chest. "He wasn't angry that his 'ruse' was broken, he was traumatized by having his past played back to him for everyone to see!"
His expression became as anguished as her sister's before, just barely holding back tears… but the anger was still the strongest. "And then, what you all did to him… why do you think he locked himself away after what happened?!"
Yang recoiled, realization apparent. The regret and anger were both at war but at the moment… regret was winning. Blake and Ren were both silent, expressions pensive. Nora looked ready to burst into tears and Jaune only looked more conflicted. Ruby couldn't see her uncle's face, but from the way he had slumped against the wall, hands clutching at opposite arms… she really didn't want to.
"Yang… I get it, okay?" Weiss said. "I wanted answers too. But the way we conducted ourselves, and what we did…"
Her fist clenched around the bars. "We didn't behave like hunstmen or huntresses. We waved our weapons and stamped our feet when we didn't get our way… and we hurt one of our own allies. There was nothing okay about our actions. Nothing right. Nothing moral. We crossed a line that shouldn't have been crossed."
"… so what are we supposed to do then?" Yang asked softly, looking back to her.
I have no idea, she wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Not now.
"We do what we're going to Atlas Academy to do: think over things properly. Try to calm down and relax. We rushed into this trying to get too much done at once and that's why we're here now. And once we finally process everything… we can talk things out properly… and decide where we can go from there."
Thankfully, this was generally accepted. Yang sat back down, Blake taking her hands into her own as best she could, Nora and Ren doing the same. Jaune looked between her and Oscar, pensive. Weiss curled on her cot and was asleep in seconds from the looks of it. Maria just shrugged at this all while Uncle Qrow just slid against the ground, curling into himself.
Oh…
She turned away, unable to look at him anymore. She knew how much her uncle idolized Oz and how devastated he had been in the aftermath (which still didn't excuse him punching the man- not when he was already in great emotional stress and definitely not since it hurt Oscar as well)… and how that had contributed to the two of them butting heads. The irritation and frustration from him constantly drinking while ignoring the world (the fact that he cared more about the alcohol than the fact they were running for their lives and terrified… well, she finally understood the term "die a little inside") were still fresh in her mind, but he had still stepped up at the end… even if it ended with them in jail.
Okay, this train of thought is not going where I intended it to go.
She sighed and slumped on her cot- she had barely gotten any sleep last night and the conversation from before drained more out of her than she thought.
She looked at Oscar from across the hall and her chest tightened. She couldn't imagine what he was going through- at least she and her team and friends had trained for some time and had chosen this lifestyle.
Oscar… never got that. From the moment Oz's soul came to him, Oscar had no choice and faced the inevitable loss of his own identity.
But… he didn't give up. He traveled across Mistral, found them and devoted himself to helping them. He was scared, but still fought alongside them. Even after the train crash, Jinn, the Apathy, and Jaune… he was resolved to do what he could with whatever time he had left.
They had all been so happy and relieved back then when he said that, but all Ruby could feel as she remembered that was a deep, twisting sadness. That boy was braver than she could fathom and it was so, so unfair that she would lose him to-
Wait, where did that come from?
She shook her head- she needed rest. As she pulled the blanket over her, she noticed Oscar looking in her direction before giving her a smile. She returned it tiredly, the twisting in her chest lightening and warmth seeping in.
Chapter 6
Yang blinked awake. Her body ached from where she had fallen asleep on he ground, fallen over sometime during the night. She pushed herself up and looked over at the window out of her reach.
They've only been locked up for a day and a half but it felt like years. Yang didn't know how'd she cope if they were stuck in here for the full sentence.
But they weren't. Hell, they were even going to another Academy- she knew CVFY transferred to Shade last she heard of them along with SSSN. She might have considered Haven at one point, but after what happened...
She looked out from her cell- while she couldn't see Ruby, Qrow, Maria or Weiss unless they were leaning against the bars, her cell was right beside Blake's and she could see Jaune, Nora, Ren and Oscar still asleep. This hadn't been her first time in jail either (Trashing a nightclub was still a crime, especially since she was the one who threw the first punch) though it had been a cell for minors.
She should be relieved. None of them would be trapped here for much longer, if the school year was any indication. Ruby and Oscar wouldn't face prison. Blake and Weiss wouldn't be separated from them in a country where the former's race wasn't accepted and the latter whose family (sans Winter and her mother) were filled with assholes. They'd find a way to get Qrow and Maria out of here, by legal or-
The memory of the heist that nearly destroyed Argus made her thought freeze in it's tracks. That line of thinking had put the Cotta-Arcs in danger, not to mention her baby sister throwing herself into harm's way too many times a row for her liking.
She learned too many times that throwing herself into anything without thinking would bite her in the ass. Not just the failed heist but their actions with the Relic.
Yang knew the others were right. She knew Oscar wouldn't lie to their faces about what he learned. In her head, it all made sense; but in her heart...
They were all giving their lives to this: not just Yang, but her baby sister, her friends, her family, Blake. They could never get back those peaceful, idyllic days before the Fall of Beacon. The adventures that she hoped she'd be able to go on would never be anything more than a dream. Even if they left now, Salem and her cronies undoubtedly knew who they were and they could track them, possibly even attacking their families and friends in retaliation.
Like it or not, they were in this until they were dead.
So why did he lie to their faces? Why hide information that could have protected those people from them? They weren't enemies and they had made it clear they were ready to fight for him! So why?!
What more could he possibly want from us?! Just what kind of lengths is he expecting us to go through just so we can have the info we need to fight?!
They were all in this together! They deserved to know what they were giving their lives for! So why...?!
"Do you really think Leo was the first?! That he didn't say those exact same words to me?! I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my actions are backed by experience."
She never considered that his actions had been driven by something so... human. Now looking back, she could see the signs acutely: post-traumatic stress disorder, paranoia being the most obvious signs (Dad hadn't pushed her to see a therapist after the Fall of Beacon, but he had brought books pertaining to the subject) that came up.
Considering what Jinn showed them, and the fact that the man had been close enough with the former headmaster that he addressed him as such even when he stabbed him in the back... and that wasn't even touching on the shit that Salem had put him through.
"I'm sorry, but... that world just isn't as dear to me without her."
And dammit if those words didn't make her think of her. Yang didn't know when, but Blake had quickly become someone she would move Remnant itself to be with her. Even the thought of dying for her sake didn't scare her- because she knew if it came down to it, she would.
He had gone back, and was willing to take up the fate of the world... just for another chance to be with her.
The anger was still there. It sat bitter and dark in her stomach like a pit, no longer hot and smoldering like fire. Part of her wished it still was: she wanted to grab onto it, wanted to fuel her, wanted to feel what she felt before back at the destroyed train so she could-
"So that's it then?! You're just going to twist my words so you can stay angry at him?!"
His words had been like ice cold water on her, and remembering them now made the anger shrink in her stomach, shame and regret becoming stronger along with true clarity.
She didn't want to be angry with anyone.
She didn't want this bullshit anymore than the others did. She didn't want to be wary of the people who were fighting alongside her, let alone the one who had been through that hell for literal fucking millennia.
When Oz had promised to be more open, she had been so relieved. Maybe things could go differently and what her mom had spoken of could be nipped in the bud right then and there.
Even before all of this, he had been the one to give her baby sister a place in Beacon. He was there to help translate her dream to reality and help her work through things when they were difficult. His philosophy was what she adopted herself: to help others better themselves. Ruby was almost never wrong when it came to people- if she put her faith in him, so could Yang.
But how could she trust him when his words and actions clearly contradicted themselves? How could she trust him when he kept information that put innocent people at risk when they could have done something two weeks beforehand? How could she trust him when he admitted to not having a plan? How could she trust him when he had scouted out Summer Rose and brought her baby sister into his fold for his and Salem's war? How could she trust him when he might have been watching them during these last few days and their attempted heist, yet did nothing? How could she trust him when there was still so much they didn't know and he refused to come out?
Well, the last one was their fault. Yang was not going to deny or protest that. As much as she was angry at Oz for this bullshit...
She was the most angry with herself. Because Oscar was completely right.
She raised her weapons at her uncle. She let a man's past be shown for all to see. She screamed at said man when he was crying before her feet. Just remembering her actions before made shame and regret burn all the hotter in her stomach.
There were a million things she could say: she was still reeling from the earlier fight, Raven's words were making too much sense, he shouldn't have kept that info when they had two weeks to make a plan to shield the relic-
But it didn't change what they did, and what they did... crossed so many lines.
And then, when he saved her baby sister, an innocent boy and the admittedly badass old woman who was tutoring said baby sister...
She felt no joy that they had made it through, no relief that they were okay; just fear that he was watching them when she thought he wasn't, and anger that he had shown up at all.
The fact that she hadn't even focused on Ruby or Oscar being safe in her anger terrified Yang. What was wrong with her? When had she ever prioritized her anger over the ones she loved?
But this anger wasn't what she was used to feeling- it wasn't hot, bright or consumed her senses. It was cold, bitter and sat deep within her like a dark clarity or logic. The fact it could pass for either only made things worse.
They needed to talk- things needed to change and they needed to change now. If not... Yang didn't know what would happen to her.
But how the hell were they going to get him to come out of Oscar's head again? With the downtime (in Atlas Academy hopefully, Juvenile Placement notwithstanding), they'd at least not be constantly fighting for their lives. Maybe she could ask Oscar to talk with him, convince him to let them work things out?
Yang was still pissed he left Oscar to deal with the fallout, but understanding why he did now... made her feel like an utter bitch. No amount of wanting the truth was worth what they did.
If you were that devoted to the truth, you'd tell it yourself.
Her lips turned, jaw clenched tightly at the thought, disgusted and bitter in her mind. She knew she would have to tell them eventually. But every time she thought of telling them, every time she tried to open her mouth...
"I... I'm sorry..."
... her words died on her tongue. She couldn't even sound them out in her mouth.
She knew what this would look like: she had made it clear she wanted answers and the truth from Oz, yet she hid this from the others. And she couldn't say that what they were hiding was different: Raven was a Maiden and one of the few magical users. As long as she was alive, Salem would have her eye on her.
And yet... she couldn't speak of it. And if she did...
They'd hate you for this. They'd never trust you again if they knew what a coward and hypocrite you are. They'd turn on you just like you turned on him-
Clang!