He found himself in a dark, isolated room with only a small spotlight shining right above him. He waited for an unnecessarily long time before the door clicked open. A figure slowly revealed himself as he walked forward, letting the light reflect his whole body, which was carrying a half-empty mug of hot chocolate.
A man with silver hair greeted the teen; he wore black and green clothes, and a pair of shaded glasses over his brown eyes. 'Professor Ozpin?' the teen wondered why the headmaster of Beacon Academy had come in.
"Xavier Faust," Ozpin called out the teen's name. Smiling as they meet each other's eyes, bringing out a hidden agenda that Xavier noticed. The teen stayed silent, waiting for the headmaster to continue, "Do you have any interest in becoming a huntsman?"
"No," Xavier answered without delay, his apathetic face remaining unchanged as he gave his reply. Ozpin paused for a brief second before he spoke another word, "Even with your potential?" he asked, wanting to dig deeper.
Xavier played ignorant with the question, "What potential?" he said, following the advice his lawyer in his previous world had given him whenever he didn't want to answer something in an interrogation room. Seeing how Xavier is acting, Ozpin gave a simple smile of amusement as he took a sip of his mug.
"You see, after reviewing some of the footage during Roman Torchwick's attempted robbery of the Dust store. Every individual involved suddenly found themselves outside, with you as the exception…" Pausing, letting Xavier digest his words, he took another sip from his mug before continuing. But Xavier stopped him, "And? How does this relate to me? A nobody?" His poker face remained intact, not even once slipping to reveal his irking feeling as he tries his best to continue feigning ignorance, not giving up his quest to attain a somewhat normal life.
"Mr. Faust. Need I remind you that we have reviewed all available footage of the incident?" staring directly into Xavier's eyes, Ozpin continues. "There was no other 'unique' individual in the vicinity, just you, the girl, and Torchwick with his henchmen. Every civilian, except you, had already evacuated during that time, not to mention the timing of them teleporting outside the store just before they busted the windows, leads me to believe that you are not a nobody."
'Oh right, the cameras...' Xavier face-palmed himself inwardly.
"Normally, if you were just an ordinary civilian like you claim to be; you'd only be asked questions according to the routine. Like names and addresses." He took a breath, "Mr. Faust. You have a gift. A gift that could help many people." Hearing this, Xavier fell into his thoughts. 'Ah, I see what your aim is…' Xavier came to a realization.
"Again, not me. You've got the wrong person. Maybe they knew that there were cameras and decided to hide from them? " Waving off Ozpin, Xavier continued, "Also, what made you think I, of all people, am special?"
"Because, even if there were such a person present and had hidden themselves, there would be no reason for that person to help keep a mere glass window from shattering. Unless that person happens to be working there and doesn't want to trouble themselves with cleaning up." Xavier fell silent, unable to argue with the logic presented to him.
"…"
Ozpin emptied his mug, as Xavier tried to think of a way to rebut the claim; sadly, there was no such luck. Sighing, he resigned and gave up the act, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses, flickering into seriousness.
"Alright, what the hell do you want with me that made you want to ruin my plans of a quiet and modest living?" his tone became confident, almost nonchalant.
"Well for starters, let's talk about your semblance," Ozpin suggested, only to be met with a mocking smirk. "That's for me to know, and you to figure out."
Ozpin stared directly at Xavier's eyes, who showed no signs of revealing anything. "…Well that's fine." He replied. A moment of silence passed, during which the two men busied themselves with trying to read each other's thoughts. Ozpin was the first to break the silence as he deemed it to be pointless. "I want to recruit you into Beacon, Mr. Faust."
Xavier was slightly annoyed, by the statement. "I have already told you that I have no intentions of becoming a huntsman."
"I am aware. However, Mr. Faust. Your semblance, from what I see. It is a type of teleportation semblance. A very sought-after ability, one which could lead you to more unfortunate events should the word of it get out." Xavier listened intently. Not because he worries people would come and hunt him down, if anything he welcomes the entertainment. But it was the word 'unfortunate' that prompted him to think. A small revelation of his capabilities had already landed him in this much hassle; what more could being a huntsman bring?
"I am giving you the opportunity to protect yourself, Mr. Faust." Ozpin continued staring at Xavier's eyes, to the point where the latter got weirded out by the former. "Dark forces are out there, lying, waiting for an opportunity to strike, and you could very well be their target."
Xavier made a thoughtful expression, contemplating deeply on what to choose, as his next words could very well be the most important choice he has on his life. At least, that's what Ozpin thought. Xavier had already been firm on his decision to stay in a somewhat normal life.
"Thank you for your offer, but I'm still gonna have to decline," Xavier said with utmost sincerity.
"...I see," Ozpin sighed in disappointment.
"Am I free to go now?" Xavier couldn't help but ask, since he felt that he had already been here long enough, and he really wanted to go home and rest.
"Yes, of course." He said, smiling a smile that gave Xavier a bad feeling. He sat up, ready to leave. "However, Mr. Faust, we recently found something strange about your documents." Xavier stopped midway through his standing-up action.
'Aaand there it is.' He groaned inwardly. "And what might that be?" He asked cautiously.
"Forgery is a serious crime, Mr. Faust." Sitting back down, Xavier sighs. Ozpin brought out documents relating to Xavier and tossed them on the table for the latter to read.
"Name, Xavier Faust. Age, 17. Birthdate, June 6th. Currently living alone in a cheap apartment, and works part-time on 'From Dust Till Dawn', evening shift." As Ozpin recited the documents, Xavier started thinking.
'Persuasion didn't work on me, so now you resort to this?' Xavier was amused. Ozpin's desperation to want him to go to Beacon was very amusing for Xavier.
"Fake documents, and background. Like you just decided to pop out of nowhere. A new identity perhaps? Or starting anew?"
"So how about this?" Hearing that Ozpin was about to make a proposal, a deal that he's likely forced to take. "Clearly, you want to live modestly, free from danger, and free from any troubles that come your way." He took a breath. "You enroll in my school until graduation, and I'll take care of your documents. After that, you can either continue living a normal life or continue following the path of a huntsman."
Ozpin laid out Xavier's first option. Sounding sweet and enticing.
"Or go to prison for 15 years." The second option, however, sounded blunt, but nevertheless true.
Xavier made a thoughtful expression, he already knew that he had to take the offer. Otherwise, he'd waste time sitting around in a cell, depriving him of his youth.
"Before I agree, I want to know. Is money gonna be a problem for me?" He asked.
"No." He was met with a quick reply.
"Okay. I want to remain inconspicuous, so I want my team to at least be average in terms of ability." He requested. "I want to just be a background character, so don't make me stand out."
"Unfortunately, Mr. Faust. All teams are random, it just depends on your luck. I cannot make exceptions." Ozpin delivered.
'Again with luck?' He clicked his tongue. "Alright, when's school starting?" He asked
"We will be contacting you on that." Ozpin gave a satisfied smile as he spoke
They talk more on details for a few more minutes, making sure there are no loopholes and exploits that could be taken advantage of. Filling out a form, and then letting Xavier free to leave after final checks.
Xavier left feeling exhausted, with a bag of drinks in his plastic bag.
(To be continued)
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