Chapter Eleven: Better Than the Truth
Oscar set up bags of groceries in the kitchen, going over the non perishable supplies with Qrow. The sight of food drew Nora's attention, and the resulting scuffle keeping her away from their foodstuffs provided an adequate distraction for Yang to slip off with some other items procured on the market: a pill to be taken after, and taken regularly once the relationship was out in the open.
She wouldn't mind explaining to her sister why she had them. She'd tell her and Weiss everything soon enough… but it was a conversation that would be uncomfortable for Ruby even if she wholeheartedly approved and even with the necessary setup. She'd tell Ruby what the pills were for, but she didn't want to tell her she was taking them yet. As far as everyone knew, Yang and Oscar had just gone out to get supplies. Once the veil was lifted and the others knew they were dating, however…
Weiss and Ren would be smart enough to backdate this: to see a new context for Yang and Oscar's coincidental disappearances. She wasn't bothered that they'd know, but she did wonder if their opinion of her might change knowing how quickly she and her boyfriend…
Yang shook her head. She was so very tired of doubt. She shouldn't have had any reason for it.
Her friends adored Oscar. Nora tackled him with the same energy and enthusiasm she had for Ren. Ruby didn't talk about him too often, but often enough Yang could tell she was fond of him and liked having him around… though perhaps only so she wasn't the baby of their group anymore. Maybe she was savoring finally getting to be older than one of her friends.
Yang shook her head once again. His age certainly hadn't made much of a difference behind closed doors, but out in the open… she didn't think any of them would disapprove of Yang dating him, but some of them might (very quietly) disapprove of her sleeping with him.
Revealing the relationship first, she resolved. After they took that step they could gradually work their way to the others.
Yang headed back to the kitchen for a water bottle. She amused herself watching the scuffle as Jaune and Ren restrained Nora and Oscar promised to make her a grand feast for dinner… none were any the wiser to Yang washing down her pill. None of them had reason to so much as look at her.
Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were in the front room talking about something. Apparently Blake had heard back from Sun about his teammates and Weiss made a few discreet inquiries about Neptune. Only Neptune and not Sage or Scarlet, she couldn't help but observe. That was kind of sweet...
Yang headed over to join her girls. She briefly met Blake's gaze but allowed herself to betray no animosity. With Weiss and Ruby around, she had her buffers to keep any resentment in check.
It'd be nice to simply rebuild their friendship to whatever state they could… but she really had no idea what Blake wanted from her anymore. Yang felt as though she'd lost the ability to read her, but she assumed Blake would also want to appear civil and cordial in front of their mutual friends…
Only a while longer. Blake just had to bite her tongue until they were on the train, maybe a few hours on their way to Argus…
Yang drank her water bottle and listened to Weiss protest Ruby's teasing. Sure, some things had changed, but just enough hadn't and that was a precious thing to witness… and cling to.
The girls insisted on cleaning up after dinner. Oscar had devoted time to cooking after going out to get supplies -and being out and about for a few hours- and they told him to rest and entrust things to someone else for a change. Oscar didn't fight them too hard for the honor of doing dishes…
He went back to his room, sitting on his bed and looking at the lamp still sitting on his nightstand; still safe after several days out of the vault. Now that they had to be out in the open there might be some interested parties looking for it…
But then, there was reason to be optimistic. Blake had mentioned that her friend Sun had successfully reunited with his teammates from Haven despite Lionheart's betrayal. They had managed to elude Tyrian and Hazel's pursuit of them, and even if Salem sent her lieutenants after the relic, Oscar would be transporting it while defended by a team of even more capable Huntresses…
It is some relief to know his students managed to elude Leonardo's purge.
Oscar paused. He'd just started getting used to only having one set of thoughts again… "You've been quiet for a while."
I thought that was what you wanted. You and Yang got to enjoy your relationship without feeling as though I was looking over your shoulder; chaperoning your every interaction… I used to be a teacher, Oscar. I know all too well how young people act when they think they have an audience.
"...right," Oscar muttered. "So, are you back to stay now? Or did you just feel like visiting?"
If you don't mind my company.
"Right now? No, I don't mind," Oscar acknowledged. "Right now I think… well, I think I can admit you gave me some good advice and I can thank you for that."
The further along this goes, the more we'll have to speak like this. It'll be easier to impart memories when we are not actively resisting each other.
"And am I doing anything you think you need to… resist?" Oscar wondered.
At the moment? At the moment, Oscar, you have someone who motivates you to carry on this journey. When you have someone you want to protect, it becomes all the easier to go on the mission. And while I may have advised you waited a while longer… well, I already told you how highly I think of them. Of all of them.
A subtle warning, Oscar thought. A reminder that just because he and Yang were now a couple didn't mean he could forget the others… all of whom were now -to some extent- under his charge. He had already been granted some sense of leadership, some respect, some authority…
They were also all his friends. So protecting all their lives should have been second nature…
Oscar rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. "So, do you think this General in Atlas will help us?"
I like to think so. Although, I have wondered of how we might inform him about the events at Haven…
"Oh?" Oscar wondered.
If you don't mind my borrowing your body for a moment, I'd like to speak to Qrow. I think we can send a letter to James ahead of our departure, and let him know things are more… complex than we told the local authorities.
It was encouraging to think Ozpin wanted to be… if not completely honest, at least more honest with his friends…
"Sure," Oscar agreed. "I'll go talk to him in a few minutes."
Oscar perused his Scroll for a few moments, going over his list of contacts. Just this small gathering of friends, entrusted with the fate of the world…
Dating one of them would affect all of the others. But he didn't think that any among them would be unhappy to find out. He didn't think there was any reason that they'd be upset to learn the truth a few days later rather than right at the time, before he and Yang even knew what they had…
That was a compromise too. But being honest all the time… even Yang -who'd openly requested they have no more secrets- understood the importance of timing. She understood it wasn't always easy to acknowledge something, even when you firmly believed it yourself.
They were all stuck with one another now. Better they should let the truth come out with some preparation and forethought, rather than let it be discovered by accident…
Neo curled herself into a tight ball, huddling over to draw in what little warmth she could find… only pausing when her fingernails dug along the cold wood of the awning. She remembered where she was and why she'd taken up residence, but for how long she'd rested…
She peered up at the sky over the inn. Darkness. She checked her Scroll. Had she slept for so long…?
Neo quickly glanced down, peering in the window, indifferent to being seen. She found exactly what she expected: an empty bed, neatly folded. She peered to the ground, searching for a familiar yellow motorcycle…
Her quarry was gone. Sometime during her sleep…
Neo quickly composed herself. She knew the direction they'd come from. She could narrow her search very tightly…
She had rested now. Her mind was as sharp as her blade.
Though she would not be so keen to maim these two, if she could help it. She'd want to repay them for managing to entertain her so thoroughly…
But still, should it prove necessary…
Neo reminded herself there was only one reason for which she lived. Everything else was just distraction.
When her work was done, if she lived…
If she lived… then she might wonder who remained. Then she might think about what followed. But until Ruby Rose repaid her debt, these thoughts were unnecessary. These considerations could weaken her at an inopportune moment by allowing herself… sentiment.
Neo set back out over the rooftops. She knew where she'd spotted them, and just had to find the trail back from there.
A day, maybe two to canvas that corner of the city… and after that…
He had beautiful hazel eyes. Neo hoped she might see them again.
And she hoped when she didn't she wouldn't have to close them…
"And?" Yang curiously inquired.
Ruby held up the gift bag, resting it on the palm of her hand, displaying it to all her friends. "Ahhhh!"
Weiss sighed. "What an absolute waste of time-"
Yang hastily interjected. "What did you get me?!"
"You'll have to wait and seeeee," Ruby replied in a singsong tone. Yang frantically reached over to peruse the contents of the bag before Nora jumped between them, pushing the sisters apart.
"Oh, I can't believe we're taking the train to Argus!" Nora beamed. "The beautiful northern coastline…"
Oscar savored the sight. It helped him to see Yang retain some childish quirk; something that made their four year gap seem a little less distant. And of course, seeing his girlfriend in a playful mood had its own high points…
Weiss chimed in to note the trouble she went to in leaving in Atlas, and the irony of hastening her return to it. Ruby immediately shifted gears to try and reassure her, reminding her that her reassembled team were with her now. Still childish, perhaps, but uplifting in its way.
"No one's gotta be worried with us around."
A pair of… Oscar's first thought was 'delinquents' approached the gathering of friends at the wait station. They were brandishing their maces and their firearms over their shoulders, boasting about how they were the assigned huntsmen for the train, the Argus Limited, and offering "extra protection" for a "generous tip…"
Huntsmen, perhaps, but Oscar thought 'delinquents' was more apt. Fortunately, Qrow finally joined them, interceded and shut the two down. "A professional Huntsman, right," Qrow murmured. "Well it seems one of you… heroes left the staff entrance to the caboose wide open." Qrow defiantly crossed his arms. "It'd be a shame to lose your job before it even started…"
His unsubtle threats finally convinced the two to try and coerce someone else out of their spare change and they ambled off. Ozpin mused to Oscar: I do hope those two weren't Beacon graduates…
Oscar nodded. "You know, sometimes the burden of saving the world seems overwhelming." He turned to the others, still watching the delinquent Huntsmen head off. "But then people like that come along and make me grateful it's our job and not theirs."
"Uh-huh," Ruby nodded.
"Yeah," Jaune chimed in.
"So, you kids ready to go?" Qrow asked. "Bike all locked up?"
"Yep," Yang confirmed.
"Just waiting on Blake," Weiss explained. "As usual."
Oscar had yet to meet Blake's friend Sun and his student Huntsmen teammates. He might've enjoyed taking the opportunity to, but it seemed they wouldn't be accompanying them on the journey, so perhaps that was a meeting they could hold off on…
His gaze shifted back to Yang. She gave him a subtle nod.
Not right away, but sometime during the course of their trip…
Oscar merely nodded back. Without Blake around to pay attention, he doubted any of their gathering of friends would pick up on the body language. Ren might've, but Nora was already drawing his attention away from them.
He reminded himself to be patient. He reminded himself that the change would be drastic, but it was just an acknowledgment of something that had already happened, and something that their friends would… at least eventually welcome the news of.
Yang went back to Ruby and Weiss to discuss setting up their team in a single compartment, while Oscar would join Jaune, Ren, and Nora. At some point they'd all gather in one place and that would be when they told the gathering… in the middle of a railroad miles from anywhere to retreat.
Oscar sat beside Jaune on the bench, waiting for boarding to start… waiting for the inevitable call to put their plans in motion…
"Alright girls, I think it's time for an official team exercise," Ruby proclaimed. "Who wants to play video games?"
Yang smiled. "I mean, if you want me to kick your butt… yeah, sure. Let me grab my Scroll."
When she went for her bag on the shelf, Blake moved over from her position by the window to grab an available end. "Here, let me help you with that."
She succeeded in getting the bag down for her, but Yang wasn't so eager to accept her help. "Blake, you don't have to do that…"
Blake averted her gaze. Her ears flattened atop her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Yang tried to be patient. It was just an overcorrection; an attempt to be helpful rather than patronizing. She reminded herself that Blake was still capable of compassion and empathy, even if at times it was hard for her to see it… it may have simply been executed poorly.
"I'm fine," Yang assured her. "We're going to be fine. It's just gonna be a bit before things get back to normal."
She felt Ruby and Weiss's eyes on her back. She knew they were looking for any conflict to end quickly, and Yang didn't feel this was a battle worth fighting. She'd allow herself to believe Blake had meant well. She put on a smile, hoping it looked authentic enough. "But I'm glad we're back together."
Blake's ears perked right up. She smiled back… "Yeah, okay."
"How touching…" she heard Qrow chime in from the open hallway door. He had such timing…
"Oh hey, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby greeted. "You want to play too?"
Qrow chuckled. "Kick your butts? Sure…"
Yang was certain she'd heard that line somewhere before…
Qrow moved to step inside, only for the train to suddenly jolt, knocking Qrow's elegant glass of liquor from his hand. Blake's ears perked up again as she heard the sounds of other passengers crying out in fear. "What was that?"
"Exactly what it sounds like…" Weiss dryly replied.
Blake sighed. "Just my luck."
Qrow peered out the window and narrowed his gaze. "It's not yours'..."
When Oscar opened the window and poked his head out from the train, he almost immediately tucked back in as a Manticore sailed past, scratching up the steel and narrowly missing the top of his head.
Not the first time he'd ever seen a Grimm, but certainly the closest he'd ever been…
Shall I? Ozpin inquired.
It would've been the wiser choice to let Ozpin intercede. It would've ensured his friends' safety.
But Oscar had to learn how to fend these creatures off too. He had to put those sparring sessions to good use. "No, I'm keeping control."
Ozpin fell silent, leaving Oscar to the clarity of his own thought. This did little to help his coordination, however, as the first thing he did upon sliding back into the train car was to bump into Jaune.
"What's going on?" Jaune asked. Oscar prepared to answer him, but the screams of nearby passengers quickly rendered the matter moot. Jaune put his game face on and moved to corral the rest of his team.
Oscar followed suit behind Jaune, Ren, and Nora as they opened the car door and headed outside, into the howling, freezing winds. As they scaled the ladders up onto the roof of the train, Nora lamented: "Why is it always something?!"
Oscar was unsteady on the slick metal surface, but quickly gained a sense of the battlefield unfolding around him. One of the two Huntsmen they'd encountered before was attempting to fend off the Grimm with mounted turrets, using some sort of control device to aim and target. Ruby, Yang, and their team were further along the train -a few cars ahead- trying to fend off any Grimm who'd landed and damaged the hull. Oscar moved quickly over to Qrow, firing from Harbinger to keep the Grimm at range. "How can I help?"
"You can get that idiot to shut off the turrets!" Qrow replied. "They're just drawing the Grimm towards the passengers!"
It wasn't a particularly glamorous assignment, but defending the civilians seemed like a good use of his time. Oscar rushed over to Dudley -sans his partner- and frantically tried to get his attention over the frequent discharges of his rifle. "Stop! You've got to shut the turrets off!"
"Are you crazy?!" Dudley snapped. "No way!" The turrets seemed to agree with him, shooting another Manticore from the sky, sending it dropping past the tree line. "Yes, another one down!"
Oscar could've been more assertive…
He tried to remain cordial, but stood firmer, taking hold of Dudley's shirt. "Stop! We have to lure the Grimm to the back!"
Dudley did not taking kindly to Oscar placing hands on him, violently shoving the much younger man down to the cold roof, before arrogantly inquiring: "What does it matter if they're dead?"
Before Oscar had a chance to followup, however, he noticed the Grimm retreating from the turret position, moving away from the train, back towards the snow. Dudley glanced around, wondering: "Where are they going?"
From lying on the roof, Oscar had a better vantage point. Much as he didn't want to warn Dudley of what lay ahead, he shouted on instinct: "Tunnel!"
Oscar had warned him. He didn't try to aid the strategically challenged Huntsman any further, swiftly sliding down the side of the train and back inside the passenger car. Dudley moved to follow, but was a few seconds too late…
Oscar tried not to be too satisfied with the snapping sound he heard. He tried not to relish the comeuppance too much…
May I?
This time, Oscar was content to release the reins. He probably wouldn't have interceded and let Qrow continue to lambast Dudley for his incompetence. Ozpin's calm words might've spared them any further infighting.
Oscar's eyes shifted their shade. Oscar himself felt the familiar weightlessness of yielding his body to Ozpin, who caught the flesh in hand and stood a little straighter. "I'm afraid there's one complication…" he immediately drew the others' attention. "The Grimm are also attracted to this." His hand gestured to the lamp, shrunk down and clipped once again to his belt.
"What's that?" Dudley wondered.
"None of your business," Qrow harshly cut him off, before turning to meet Ozpin's gaze. "Oz, are you serious?"
He had to be. But why hadn't Oscar known about it? Why hadn't the man sharing his soul seen fit to tell him about this risk?
Yang stormed over. "Why wouldn't you tell us that?!"
Oscar's heart sank. He could not recall a time Yang had been upset with him -surprised, or firm, or blunt, but never this- and it made for a jarring sight. He knew she could be fierce, but this...
He must've known there'd be a day his girlfriend would be upset. He just hadn't expected to be powerless to respond to her when she was.
Ozpin was composing some nice explanation; something that wouldn't be too condescending or too self-congratulatory… Oscar could already sense it. "I-"
"It doesn't matter right now," Ruby interjected, moving to stand at Ozpin's side.
Yang crossed her arms, but showed no further defiance. She relented, deferring to her leader.
Ruby quickly filled them in on her plan, to break up into two groups to fend off the Grimm with her team -as well as Qrow, Oscar, and the relic- while Jaune and his team stayed behind to keep the civilians safe from the Grimm, shielding them with Ren's Semblance. During the course of her explanation, Oscar regained control of his faculties, turning his attention from Ruby to Yang… only to find the tall blonde's attention fixed on Ruby instead, never once turning her gaze back to him.
He understood why. He knew why she was upset. He knew it wasn't him who'd provoked her ire.
But now that they were going to split their forces, there went the plan to tell their friends…
Oscar tried not to dwell on it. He focused on doing his part.
The others would expect answers from Ozpin first… including Yang. He didn't get to just tack on an announcement he'd starting dating her after they covered the revelation about the lamp.
Just another delay… Ozpin was the one she was angry at, not him.
She could separate Ozpin from Oscar, couldn't she?
She'd believe him when he told her he didn't know… wouldn't she?
"Great," Yang grumbled as she dug her motorcycle from the snow. "This is just great! We're stranded, we've lost a third of our party, and we gained a defenseless old lady!"
The old lady in question -found in the same separated train car with them, rather than evacuated to the rear with the other passengers- took umbrage with Yang's characterization. "My name is Maria Calavera, and I am not defenseless. I'm just a little hard of hearing… and blind without my eyes, which are in desperate need of repair." She tapped on her prosthetics, before grudgingly acknowledging Yang's argument. "...okay, I'm starting to see your point."
"Yang, knock it off, will ya?" Qrow grunted. "If we lose our cool now, we'll just be inviting even more Grimm…"
"Does that even matter?" Blake wondered, turning her gaze to Oscar and the relic. "Apparently we've been attracting Grimm ever since we left Haven?"
Yang was not immediately keen to agree with her. But she was -by far- the most affronted among them, turning her attention back to Oscar. "Oh, and how could I forget about that? What happened to 'no more lies and half-truths?'"
Oscar did his best to placate her, speaking -more to Ozpin than Yang: "Yeah, I think it's time we got an explanation."
Hopefully that reminded her that he wasn't the one to blame. Hopefully that reiterated to Yang that her boyfriend supported her and didn't want her to suffer from Ozpin's… misstep.
When Ozpin asserted control again, he immediately corrected her. "I did not lie to you... "
"Well you certainly didn't tell us anything about the relic," Weiss observed.
"Please, now is not the time," Ozpin quickly asserted.
"No, we're past that!" Yang quickly interjected. "We want to know why you're still not telling us everything!"
She was so angry. All of it directed his way.
Oscar tried to convince himself her anger was only for Ozpin, and she had no choice to catch him in the crossfire. He tried to believe she would calm herself once Ozpin said his piece and Oscar was back in control… that she wouldn't continue to be angry just because his body was the mouthpiece of bad news.
"It is true that the Grimm are attracted to the relics; it is faint, but undeniable," Ozpin explained. "I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure… regardless, I feared making you aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option."
"You know, I'm getting real tired of people deciding what's best for me," Weiss dryly noted.
Yang's emotion had mostly abated from her face, but her voice still dripped with tangible venom. "Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?"
Safeguarding the Haven Headmaster's reputation… rather than acknowledging he'd succumbed to fear and willingly betrayed them to Salem. Oscar tried to believe Ozpin had good intentions in continuing to craft his lie, and to assuage the tensions between Atlas and Mistral. He'd thought it for the greater good.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," Ozpin replied. "I deserved the kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth. And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not the… unfortunate missteps he made in his final years."
"Missteps?!" Yang repeated, her temper flaring again.
"What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible," Ozpin continued. "I am not here to argue differently. But does one lapse in judgment truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets? You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him."
When Ozpin shared his memories with Oscar, he had him picture a tea set… a gift he gave the Headmaster for his loyalty and service, and to celebrate the appointment in a place like Mistral, against all odds in such a… traditional setting, unwelcoming of Faunus, no matter how learned, no matter how experienced. Inklings of those same memories implied at least some affection for the man, as Ozpin lamented what happened to turn him into Salem's creature during the battle at Haven.
Yang had managed to stall her temper. She was at least slightly more amenable to seeing Ozpin's perspective. "Look, we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us! We're not gonna turn our backs on you-"
But Ozpin took the reins of anger from her, abruptly raising his voice, demanding of her: "Do you really think Leo was the first?!"
Oscar heard something in that flurry of emotion. The squeaking of a mattress. A heeled shoe on a wooden floor. An open window. The flapping of a wing. The soft landing of a black feather on the windowsill.
Looking at Yang, he still saw her. She had the same messy hair; the same persistent cowlick. When she was angered, her eyes burnt the same bloody red.
Ozpin quickly composed himself, and the sound and image both left Oscar's thoughts. Just Yang standing before him in the snow.
"That he didn't say those exact same words to me?" Ozpin inquired. "I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have any reason to think that you will betray me: I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do, the secrets I keep, the reason I…"
Doubt. Ozpin wasn't shielding himself as completely from Oscar's mind. Some genuine panic had struck him. "...where's the relic?"
"Right here," Ruby explained, holding the lamp up in both hands. "It got scattered in the crash."
"Please, hand it over," Ozpin requested, extending Oscar's hand.
For the first time since she'd met him, Ruby hesitated. Or at least, it was the first time Oscar recognized it as such. "So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity… that was just for everyone else?"
Ozpin sighed. "That's not what I meant to suggest, Miss Rose. The relic is a powerful item and I simply feel as though it is my burden to bear."
"But… you said it couldn't do anything right now," Ruby pointed out.
"Why does it matter who carries it?" Blake asked.
Fear again. They were catching on. He always knew they were capable, but he hadn't expected this situation to arise so quickly. He hadn't immediately prepared a response for this eventuality.
They would find out… what? What could be so important?
Oscar felt himself shut out again. Ozpin pleaded: "I need you to listen to me-"
For the first time since the merger, Oscar reached out. He tried to reassert control, holding Ozpin's tongue in place.
Not now, Ozpin insisted. We can discuss it later.
Still Oscar pressed. His friends needed to know right then. Even if it meant making them experience negative emotions that would call the Grimm. What secret could be so damning?
Oscar, you don't understand, they don't realize what they're doing! If they call Jinn now-
Jinn?
A pall. A gap just long enough for Oscar to regain control, even as Ozpin pressed on his back. Oscar reached out his hand but could move no further, standing static with his arm outstretched.
"Oz?" Qrow wondered.
"Hurry," Oscar implored. "He's… trying to stop you…"
Don't do it, Oscar! They're not ready!
"Stop her from what?" Yang wondered, curiosity supplanting anger, if only for the moment.
"He's afraid…"
Oscar, if you tell her this she will never trust you again! She will leave you!
Real fear. It might've been enough to tear down his walls and give Ozpin control again.
But Ozpin was afraid too. And with their minds interlocked, their souls clashing and the images flowing back and forth.
A blue woman. Summoned in times of great need.
Needs of many different men. In one era or another.
"You'll find out… what he's hiding…" Oscar managed to mumble out.
You fool, Ozpin lamented. You can still fix this. You can put the thought in their heads-
He told himself he didn't have to anymore. He didn't have to do that.
He and Yang… they didn't have to fear it…
Oscar drove himself into the snow. The cold would remind him he was in control of his body, fend off Ozpin's insertion with the sudden jolt.
The blue woman had a name.
He called her to him, in one lifetime after another…
"Her name is Jinn," Oscar told Ruby, trying to fix his gaze on her silver eyes. "Call her name to summon her."
"Her name?" Ruby repeated.
The wind picked up. The snow beat down on them only harder.
The relic started to glow in her hands…
"Jinn…?" Ruby tentatively inquired.
Ozpin's thoughts had no tangible words. Only a roar of frustration.
And around them, the winds and snow… stopped.
Everything stopped. Snowflakes hung suspended in the air. No wind rolled their cloaks. The only sounds their breathing… and the quiet reverberation of the relic.
Calling her out. A new voice.
But she knew who had summoned her. She knew who would be in attendance. She had always known. From the moment of her creation to this very moment in time, she had known exactly what she needed to know when the moment came for her to know it.
She was immediately eyecatching. Her blue skin, her long flowing hair, her soft smile… the golden chains she adorned herself with…
Ozpin called her so often. Not only for knowledge. Not only for tactical advantage in his endless war with Salem. Just to witness her drawn from the lamp. Just to see her smile upon him and offer her favor.
He called her to this boy long before he was prepared. Oscar wondered… had Ozpin meant to call her out only for… only for her presence?
Her presence and his, locked away from the pull of time…
"Wonderful," Jinn observed, glancing around her gathering. "Tell me… what knowledge do you seek?"
Neo received a message to her burner. They had left the city. They had boarded a train and headed north.
Not only the Xiao Long, but a party of others. A Faunus girl, and the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company…
And no doubt, Ruby Rose. Neo clenched her Scroll in a rage.
While she slept… while she'd allowed herself to be distracted…
The boy… the infuriating farm boy…
She tried to calm herself. She knew where they'd headed. She'd been close and they'd slipped through her fingers, yes, but it was only a setback, not-
It did nothing to convince her. And if she couldn't convince herself of it-
Hers' was the only voice left she allowed herself to hear. And she knew that this… this nostalgia she'd indulged in had cost her.
She had allowed herself to think about the after. She had allowed herself to be weak and it had given Ruby Rose just enough time to elude her.
The spiders had served their purpose. Now Neo thought she should… reward them for their help.
She sent a request for the name of the train, the destination, anything else they could tell her. If they had more information for her, she would reward them.
Reward them one final time before she left… and left no witnesses to share the information they were always so eager to barter…
"You're in luck, I am still able to answer-"
Ozpin finally managed to overpower Oscar, casting him aside long enough to shout in his voice: "That's enough!"
Jinn, however, was undeterred. "-two questions in this era."
They were shocked. All their gazes turned to Oscar, still writhing on the ground, still wrestling Ozpin for control.
He'd told them she had no more questions to answer. He'd told them they couldn't use her powers.
Caught in a lie right when they trusted him the least…
Jinn chuckled to herself. "It's a pleasure to see you again, old man."
He was the only one in the world older than her. He was the only creature -other than her creators- she could defer to, having known of the world before this one…
World before…?
"Ruby…" Ozpin begged. "Please… don't."
Qrow stepped towards Oscar on the ground. "Hey-"
All of Ruby's teammates leveled their weapons at him. Even Yang took up arms against her own uncle.
All of them so loyal to her… and so untrusting of their supposed mentors.
Qrow relented to the will of the majority. "Do whatever you think is right, kiddo."
Ruby pondered her question. Oscar's own curiosity got the better of him, allowing Ozpin to reassert control, to lift himself from the snow.
"Jinn…" Ruby began. "...what is Ozpin hiding from us?"
"No!" Ozpin cried, rushing towards her.
Rushing to intercede. Rushing to… harm-
Oscar tried to stop his hand. But he never got the chance. Ruby faded from sight.
Instead all he saw was a castle, surrounded by verdant green land. A castle with a distinctly tall tower…
He'd read the fairytale in his youth. His aunt read it to him.
But it was Jinn's voice that filled him in, as the castle was replaced by a single bedroom, and a tall, blonde-haired, green-eyed woman seated before a mirror. "Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower that sheltered a lonely girl…"
Ozpin stopped fighting Oscar for control. He could do nothing but stare at her, at this memory Jinn cast for them.
All his deeds laid bare. His greatest mistake of all.
His worst memory… and his best. The first woman he loved.
"...named Salem."
She had gone a long time without anyone to warm her bed. She went through many lifetimes where such things were… unnecessary. She'd gone through one royal court after another, outliving a great many skilled and clever men who'd never once been granted the privilege of her intimacy.
Hazel Rainart would've likely been her enemy, had fate taken a different turn. Had it been her Grimm or her lieutenants who killed his sister, he'd have dropped to his massive knee and sworn eternal fealty to Ozpin instead. He'd have been a thorn in her side, and she'd have detested him.
But in this life, Ozpin's recklessness had cost Hazel his loved one's life and left him alone in the world. In this life he had pledged himself -body and soul- to someone who shared the same wish as himself: revenge, at the cost of everyone and everything.
He had not tired of her yet. His Aura reserve was large. His Semblance made him immune to her scratches and outbursts of magic. He was older than she had been when the brothers froze her in place -older even than Ozma had been after the birth of their fourth daughter- but time had embraced him gracefully, giving him the countenance of a wizened, experienced man… and not dulled his stamina.
She did sometimes wonder what he thought of, when she called him to her bed. Had he ever longed for any women he knew? Ever known a bond closer than friendship, or stronger than camaraderie?
Did he ever mistake what Salem wanted from him for anything more than the base?
He betrayed nothing. When Salem called, he answered. When he joined her in her bed, he forgot she was eternally branded by the Grimm pool. He gave her the appropriate respect due her station… but his body treated her like a woman.
When at last she tired, she allowed him to remain in her bed. She slid herself under his massive arm and pressed against the warmth of his chest.
Some part of her still coveted this. But Hazel would not be able to sate her forever.
His best years were already behind him. Time would dull him further… short of achieving her final victory, he too would pass on like the others who'd entered her service, and his death…
She did not fault him for being mortal. She did not fault him for being an imperfect substitute for what she'd sought.
Still, even the queen of the Grimm could pity her lover…
After a long rest, Salem drew herself from her bed and let Hazel rest a while longer. When she looked down at him, she wondered if she valued him enough to upend the slow progress she'd made; to append her plans with something more immediate.
She told herself it wasn't for him. She told herself he'd simply benefit from her change of plans.
She told herself he wasn't special.
It had been many lifetimes. He was not the first, nor would he be the last, should the hunger find her again.
His happiness would just be a boon… a reward for his faithful service. Nothing more.
Nothing more.
"Salem can't be killed…" Yang realized. "You all heard her too, right?!"
Her eyes found Oscar on the ground. Ozpin still had control, but he couldn't think. Tears were streaming from his eyes as he was forced to relive it all.
The loss of his love. The death of his children. The crushing of all hope as he learned his battle was completely futile.
The schemer could not find any clever words in voicing his protest. "I-"
"There was so much you hadn't told us!" Yang raged. "How could you think that was okay?!"
She was angry at Ozpin, Oscar tried to reassure himself. He'd helped her, he'd been on her side...
Ozpin didn't argue the point. He hung Oscar's head in shame.
"Professor," Ruby began. "What is your plan to defeat Salem?"
In that moment… raw truth. "I don't have one."
Even Oscar was caught unaware. He knew Ozpin hadn't shared any specifics on how to defeat Salem, and could even accept there was no way he could destroy her… but he thought there was something he did to… contain her, to eventually prevent her from doing anymore harm.
All he did was put out her fires…
Before Oscar had any further chance to dwell on it, he saw the air spin around him. He heard his body crash into a tree. When Ozpin used Oscar's eyes to search for the source of the sudden attack, he saw Qrow's fist still outstretched.
"No one wanted me…" Qrow mumbled. "I was cursed. I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world… I thought I was finally doing some good."
"But you are!" Ozpin declared with Oscar's mouth.
Qrow ignored him. "Meeting you was the worst luck of my life…"
Oscar felt Ozpin's disbelief. He felt that sinking in his chest, that icy pain of rejection… "Maybe you're right."
Then a burning pain in his cheek, and a dull pain in his back. Oscar instinctively reached his hand up to his bruise, to the spot where Qrow punched him-
Punched him. It was his pain now. All of it.
In control again. Oscar searched for Ozpin's thoughts…
Nothing.
Less than nothing. Not even eerie silence. Just the feeling of the world around him. The cold of the wind, the pain of the strike, the saltiness of the tears Ozpin had shed.
Where had-
"What happened?" Ruby inquired, quickly recognizing how Ozpin's demeanor had changed.
"He's… gone…" Oscar tried to explain.
"That bastard!" Yang snapped, pointing her right index finger at Oscar. "Tell him we're not done yet!"
Her anger had spilled over. It wasn't just Ozpin she was yelling at...
"No, this is different," Oscar tried desperately to explain. "He's gone. It's-it's like he's locked himself deep inside my head -our head?." Oscar reached both hands up to either side of his head. "I hate this! I want it to stop!"
Yang was still glaring at him. There was no pity, no concern, no… affection for this boy she'd called her-
"He just left us?" Weiss asked.
"What are we gonna do now?" Blake wondered.
Yang growled. Oscar looked up at her, still in such fervor, all directed at him…
"Enough!" interjected Maria Calavera. Right, she'd been there the entire time… hearing the same disturbing revelation everyone else had. Yang seemed eager to continue the argument, but Maria cut her off. "No buts! I understand that you're upset. Honestly, I'm still coming to terms with the fact this is humanity's second time around. But if we don't move, we die. And I'll be damned if I've lived this long just to die out here in the cold."
It hadn't quelled Yang's anger to be talked down to again but Ruby managed to step in. "She's right. Come on."
Once again, Yang deferred to her. Once again, Yang set her anger aside for her sister's sake.
For her sister, but not for him?
Not for-
Oscar briefly found her gaze. Yang quickly averted it, turning her eye to Maria, helping her up onto the backseat of her motorcycle.
She… she didn't want to look at him. She didn't see Oscar Pine looking back at her; not any longer.
A day beforehand, he'd thought he had nothing in the world to fear. He'd thought they'd made real progress, and today would be the day they told their friends about what they had.
Now…
There was nothing but now. Yang wouldn't remember yesterday. She'd only remember this.
"I'm just going to be another of his lives, aren't I?" Oscar mused.
"Of course not," Ruby interjected. "You're your own person."
She returned his cane -Ozpin's cane- to him. She briefly put her hand over his own.
Oscar felt, for a moment, that maybe she still believed in him…
"Don't lie to him, Ruby," Qrow grunted, uncorking his flask. "We're better than that."
Ruby released his hand. She averted her gaze too. She made no effort to correct him.
Ruby may well have wanted to be his friend. He had never known her to lie.
But he thought perhaps… maybe she'd tried to be kind, and in her haste said something she hadn't meant.
He'd never known how to tell the difference. The person he'd been learning from had fallen silent. The girl he'd been with could no longer look him in the eye. None of them could.
Ozpin had told him to put the thought in their head. He'd warned him what would happen if he hadn't used the magic.
So this was what it was, to do what he believed to be right…
Forsaken. And cold.