章 765: 108
Chapter 108:
"Yeah, I heard about that, Red," said Roman, taking a swig from his coffee mug. "You're sure in a rough spot there."
"Do you have any idea what's going on?" asked Ruby.
"What makes ya think I'd have anything?" asked Roman, leaning back in his seat. "I've been in a cell for the past few months. And now I'm a teacher. I haven't been out and about for quite a while."
Ruby glanced at the girl currently standing behind her, by the door to Roman's office (Boy did she find it weird that she was visiting a criminal she'd helped capture in a teacher's office at Beacon.) "Because I'm thinking that, even if you weren't out and about, you had someone who was."
Neo beamed and nodded, before waving a hand back and forth in front of her face.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Red," said Roman. "Neo was busy working for Cinder, thanks for breaking us outta that, by the way."
"So...you have no idea who could be behind it?" asked Ruby.
Roman frowned, tipping back his hat. He cast his eyes around his new office. There wasn't much to it at the moment. A bare desk, an empty bookshelf, plain white walls; that was all he had to his name right now. Of course, he'd only just started here as a teacher, and it wasn't as though he'd had a chance to decorate, nor did he have much to decorate with. Given time, Neo could retrieve enough stuff from one of their stashes to make this place tolerable. But she was presently busy bringing their quarters up to snuff first.
He might have been a thief and a scoundrel, but Roman Torchwick never settled for anything less than the best...unless he absolutely had to.
"I wouldn't say that," he admitted. "You gave me the rundown of that op, so I can think about some possibilities, based on their methods."
"Really?" gasped Ruby.
"Yep," said Roman, reaching into his pocket, then pausing and sighed. "Damn...and that hardass, Goodwitch, said I can't smoke."
"It's bad for you anyway," said Ruby.
"You only live once, Red," said Roman. "Don't give me grief for indulging in life's little pleasures. Anyway, you wanted my read on your situation, so let's get to it."
Ruby nodded.
"The biggest tell is how the guys who tried it disappeared," said Roman. "Your friend put a call in, someone they thought were paramedics showed up, but the grunts disappeared after that, and no one at the actual emergency dispatch ever recalled getting a call about it."
Ruby nodded.
"That's a pretty neat trick," said Roman. "In order to do that, they monitored the event, intercepted your friend's signal, had someone answer her in the style of a dispatcher, and even had impersonators ready to haul their people off. That's some serious preparation, and all on damn short notice. That tells me that this person is well-connected, has some deep pockets, and some competent staff. Even if they didn't manage to pull off the grab, they managed to make the evidence that would have fingered them disappear."
"And why is that important?" asked Ruby, not doubting that it was, but wanting to know Roman's reasoning behind it.
"Because that means keeping anonymity is more important to them than carrying out the job," said Roman. "If the one behind it gets fingered, then they are gonna crash hard. That tells me that it's someone with a reputation to protect, which means that they're someone who's got a legitimate face."
"A public figure," guessed Ruby.
Roman nodded. "To my mind, I would hazard a guess that whoever's behind this has some serious clout, so there are only three prime suspects."
"Who?" asked Ruby.
"The members of Vale's Council," said Roman simply. He whistled. "I wonder what ya did to make an enemy of one of them, Kiddo."
Ruby stood there, floored by Roman's suggestion. When she finally spoke, she said, "I think it has more to do with who I know, and where I came from, than anything I did."
"Yeah, I heard about that," said Roman. "Mibu, huh. Can't say I've ever given them much thought. They're way outside my area of influence, so it's not like I've got any reason to care about them. Then again...you did come from them, so I guess they're indirectly responsible for my situation after all."
"I'm directly responsible," Ruby reminded him.
"I know, I know," said Roman, waving a dismissive hand. "Holding a grudge like that is pretty pointless, truth be told. Besides, even if you're the one who got me into hot water with Cinder, you're also the one who got me back out of it. So it's pretty balanced overall."
"So...you think someone on the Council is after me?" asked Ruby.
"That's my best guess," said Roman. "Of all the people in Vale, they're the ones who'd be the most dead-set against acknowledging the existence of the Mibu, and would be doing pretty much everything they could to keep word about the Mibu from getting out. So, if any of them figured out that someone who was raised and trained by those people was at Beacon, they'd want to do something about it."
"Is it all of them?" asked Ruby. The idea of having the entirety of Vale's government secretly targeting her was a terrifying prospect.
"Nah, probably not," said Roman. "While I was speaking of them collectively earlier, there's only really one who actually has anything against the Mibu. The other two are just following custom. Though, if you tried to go public about where you came from, well...the third guy would probably be able to turn the other two against you pretty easily."
"Who is this person?" asked Ruby.
"Councilman Mason Ayers," said Roman. He pulled up an image on his scroll, turning around to show Ruby. It was of a rather unassuming man, with plain black hair in a bowl-cut, dark-blue eyes residing behind the rounded lenses of a pair of glasses. He was shown in a rather simple black suit, the kind one would expect to see any ordinary businessman or politician wearing. "He's a former officer from the Valean Military, a veteran of the expeditionary forces."
"Expeditionary forces...?" gasped Ruby, her eyes going wide.
"That's right," said Roman, taking another sip of his coffee. "Obviously, he's too young to have been part of the one that went to Leng, but he was educated by, and served under, people who were a part of it, and saw it as a huge humiliation, and held a pretty big grudge against the Mibu as a result. If there's one guy in all of Vale with the clout and reason to go after you, it would be him."
Ruby swallowed nervously.
Mason Ayers looked up from his desk at the sound of his scroll ringing. Picking it up, he noticed the lack of a contact number. That alone was enough for him to know who it was. "I hope you have a reason to call me at work," he said.
Eira's voice responded in her normal clipped, businesslike tone. "I have made additional acquisitions in securing the target," she explained. "Our new employee turned out to have better connections than we ever thought."
"If that is all you have to report, then prepare for a reprimand," said Mason with a sigh, lowering his head. "I have enough to deal with at the moment. The residents of the Faunus Quarter have been getting noisy again. I don't really need you chiming in to report rather simple developments that you can deal with yourself."
"An information pipeline directly into Beacon's systems is a simple development?" asked Eira wryly.
"What?!" yelped Mason, nearly dropping his scroll in his sudden burst of excitement.
"It would appear that one of the people connected to Mercury Black's employer is a gifted programmer," explained Eira. "He developed a virus, which has been installed directly into Vale's CCT, enabling them to access everything throughout Vale, and at Beacon. We now have all of Beacon's information fully open to us."
"That is a remarkable development," Mason conceded, turning to look out the window of his office.
Vale's Capital Building, which the Council and the main courts operated out of, was one of the taller buildings on Vale's skyline. Its position granted Mason an excellent view of the Kingdom and, beyond it, the cliffs of Beacon, with the CCT tower standing tall against the sky.
Beacon... How long had he and the other Council members desired a way to access the veritable treasure trove of information that Ozpin kept sequestered at his school? There were student records and histories, containing information on students who might either be assets of threats to the Kingdom, along with the means to control them. There were rumors that Ozpin supported his school through unreported means, founding independent settlements and locating unclaimed Dust deposits, in order to funnel extra resources into the Academy, all under the noses of the Council, and the people of Vale. There were rumors of secret chambers containing powerful weapons and tools, far beyond anything currently in use.
Much of that was wild speculation, of course. Mason found even the notion of secret Dust mines to be a rather silly one. They had records of Beacon's Dust purchases from various suppliers, mainly the SDC, as that was a component of their regular budget, along with records of purchases and acquisitions by their students. Added altogether, the numbers indicated that the Dust purchased by Beacon, and its students, matched the estimated usage of the school's facilities and the students' own expenditures, which meant that there was probably no secret outside source. However, Mason had long believed that Ozpin did have access to some manner of hidden resources, which the Kingdom would undoubtedly benefit from.
Of course, even if all that proved to be nothing more than unfounded rumors, it would be worth it to find a source of information from within Beacon itself, if only to find a way to finally oust Ozpin from his position, and secure it for someone who would do what they should have done long ago, namely bring Beacon under the control of Vale and the Council. As far as Mason was concerned, the Huntsmen produced by Beacon, which was funded and supported by the Kingdom of Vale, should be loyal to Vale in turn.
Certainly, Ozpin often made grandiose statements about how Huntsmen and Huntresses should be dedicated to the good of people as a whole, but all that truly amounted to was a gaggle of overpaid freelancers, who always needed to be hired on a case-by-case basis to deal with problems caused by the Grimm. The fact that their position superseded the control of the military and the police meant that they were forever sticking their noses into the business of those who actually worked for the people of Vale.
"Will this be any help in supporting our operation?" asked Mason.
"I believe so. Already, we're taking advantage of the new access and control we have over Beacon's systems. We believe we will be able to draw the target out with that. On top of that, we have found some rather interesting information."
"What?" asked Mason, leaning forward over his desk.
"Ruby Rose is presently not the only Mibu at Beacon," replied Eira.
"Who else is there?" demanded Mason.
"Presently, Beacon is playing host to none other than Demon Eyes Kyo himself," replied Eira.
"That man..." Mason's eyes narrowed.
He'd long suspected that Kyo was one of the Mibu, given his habit of wandering amongst the settlements, before periodically disappearing. He'd been reported in the territories of all three Kingdoms, and had caused numerous disruptions. Oh, they had always had potentially altruistic foundations. He annihilated a pack of bandits in one region, before wiping out a large group of gangsters in another. However, his actions occasionally, however indirectly, crossed those with deep pockets. It had been a generous donation by a businessman, who'd wanted Kyo targeted for eliminating a group of his "enforcers", as he called the hired bandits who had served as the muscle he'd been using to keep certain assets in a particular settlement under control, that had prompted Mason to incite the Council to post Kyo's initial bounty in Vale.
And now he was at Beacon.
"His circumstances appear to be quite interesting," noted Eira. "Officially, he was arrested out in Mountain Glenn, when the Atlesian forces went to secure the encampment the White Fang were using as a base of operations. However, for someone who is supposedly a prisoner, he appears to enjoy a substantial degree of freedom. He's been seen wandering the campus freely. He apparently has been granted space in the faculty quarters, rather than being confined to a detention cell. He is permitted to carry his weapon freely, and has even been seen sparring with the students."
"Fascinating," said Mason, eyes narrowing.
This information alone might be enough to send Ozpin's credibility tumbling down. Of course, they would first have to "prove" that Ozpin was housing a notorious criminal. Simply revealing information that had been illicitly acquired wouldn't be good enough, or even turn things back against them.
"However, most important of all, there is one link that you might find quite helpful," continued Eira.
"And what is that?"
"The target is apparently Kyo's adopted sister."
Mason's eyes widened. There was their opportunity. "Make sure you secure her as soon as possible," he ordered.
"We have a plan in place," said Eira. "I will report with the results, once it has been implemented."
With that, she hung up, leaving Mason to his own thoughts. He found himself staring down at his desk, excitement thrumming through his bones. This was everything that he could have hoped for and more. A dangerous threat to the Kingdom would be eliminated, and he would finally have what he needed to take down Ozpin, and bring control of Beacon where it belonged, under the Council of Vale.
Pulling off his glasses, Mason pulled a cloth out of his pocket, and wiped down the lenses. Though the threats facing the Kingdom were grave, the future looked all the brighter.
Hanging up her scroll, Eira turned to face the man that Mercury had brought into their base of operations with him. "You have my gratitude, Doctor, for your prompt cooperation."
"I am happy to help, however I can," said Watts, offering a formal bow, supplemented by a smug smile. "I have always endeavored to work for the betterment of the people of the world."
Beside and slightly behind him, Mercury rolled his eyes, scoffing quietly.
Eira frowned. "Yet you faked your death in Atlas, and have decided to drop completely off the grid. Surely you could have continued to do great good for the people there."
"Not under Ironwood," growled Watts, genuine anger in his voice. "The man has a criminal lack of vision, and an intolerable lack of an eye for real brilliance. Despite everything I did for the Kingdom, has continually undervalued my work, and destroyed my credibility."
Given that he was outside the doctor's field of view, Mercury didn't need to hide the fact that he was rolling his eyes. For all that Watts undoubtedly was a brilliant man, it was obvious that his ego exceeded his intellect by an order of magnitude. From the slight narrowing of Eira's eyes, Mercury could tell that she was thinking a similar thing. There was nothing that threw someone's credibility out the window as quickly as a tendency to toot one's own horn to excess. Still, Eira feigned understanding and agreement, if only for the sake of keeping things running smoothly, responding with all the eloquence of a true professional.
"And you are confident with the plan to secure our target?" asked Eira.
"I am indeed," said Watts. "Mercury's plan is surprisingly solid, for something he suggested."
The backhanded compliment made Mercury grunt and glare at the back of Watts' head. He would have liked to do more than glare, but the two figures looming behind him kept him in line.
"And, once the girl walks into your custody, you can count on our assistance to ensure her...compliance." Watts glanced back at Tyrian and Hazel, who waited behind Mercury.
"I see..." said Ozpin, folding his hands in front of his face, leaning on his desk as he processed the information that Ruby had just brought him. "This is troubling, if Mr. Torchwick's guess is accurate."
"It seems more than a little plausible," said Glynda. "However, until we have definitive proof, we cannot be certain of Councilman Ayers' involvement. Casting aspersions without evidence would only serve to do more harm than good."
Ozpin nodded. "However well-founded his reasoning, there is also still the chance that Mr. Torchwick's suggestion is incorrect, so we are not able to move on this at present. I hope that you understand, Ms. Rose."
"I do," said Ruby, nodding emphatically. Behind her, her teammates watched quietly.
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Pyrrha worriedly.
"Fortunately, we have an open avenue of investigation," said Ozpin. "I shall have Qrow begin to look into matters discretely. With any luck, he may find the evidence we need to move openly on this. Until then, remain cautious. Whether the Councilman is behind this or not, we cannot predict the next course of action all that accurately, so there is no telling what their next move against you will be, Ms. Rose."
"Okay," said Ruby.
"With that cleared up, you are dismissed," said Ozpin. "Remember not to work yourselves too hard. Your next set of missions begin next week."
"Yes, Professor," said Ruby, bowing her head to him.
As Team RASP left the tower's lobby, they were approached by a familiar pair.
"Hey, Sun," said Ruby, grinning in greeting as the familiar blonde faunus approached, Neptune walking alongside him.
"Yo," said Sun, grinning and raising a hand in a cheerful wave. "How's it hanging, Ruby? You guys have been racking up the crazy adventures, I hear."
"Not all of them by choice," said Jaune, edging closer to Ruby, an uneasy feeling blooming in his gut.
He wasn't the only one. Pyrrha also shifted nervously. Ruby was disconcerted as well. All three of them kept one eye on Weiss, whose expression was strangely neutral.
For his part, Neptune seemed utterly clueless, with regard to the situation. Instead, he flashed his trademark grin, complete with light glinting off his perfectly-white teeth. "Hey there, Snow Angel. Good to see you."
The other three members of her team edged away from Weiss. But Weiss herself barely displayed even the most trace degree of hostility towards Neptune. "Hello," she replied flatly, brushing aside his flirtatious greeting like one might an errant cobweb.
"Uh..." Neptune blinked in confusion, apparently not used to having his lady-killer look bounce off someone so completely. Even if Weiss was still upset with him over turning her down for the dance, he'd expected at least a small blush from her.
I guess she's really over him, thought Pyrrha, a bit surprised herself at the ease with which Weiss had brushed off Neptune's greeting.
"How are things going with you and Blake?" asked Ruby, deciding that the best course was to ignore Neptune for the time being. Even if Weiss was over what he'd done, Ruby still felt more than a little inclined to at least give him some form of punishment for being such a jerk.
"They're all right," said Sun. "We've done a few things together. But Blake hasn't had a huge amount of time, and she isn't the kinda person who likes going out on dates all the time anyway." He grinned. "I don't want to be too pushy with her."
"Good for you," said Pyrrha approvingly. "I'm sure Blake appreciates your consideration."
Sun's smile softened. "Yeah. She's coming off a bad relationship with that Taurus-jerk, so I can't blame her for being a little wary. So I'll just have to win her over a little bit at a time."
Ruby felt a warm feeling welling up in her chest. "You probably already have," she confided. "Blake just has her habits. Just take it easy with her and you'll be fine."
"Sure," said Sun. "Anyway, I heard you've got people after you again, Ruby. You okay?"
"I'll be fine," Ruby assured him.
"Just remember, I've got your back too," said Sun. "Plus, your brother is pretty cool, so it's fun to spar with him."
"I'm glad to hear it," said Ruby, grinning at the notion that Sun had fun with Kyo.
Neptune looked back and forth between Sun and RASP, getting the distinct feeling he was being shut out deliberately. None of the Beacon team's members were acknowledging him now.
"So, now that Torchwick-guy's teaching classes," commented Sun. "Talk about crazy."
"Honestly, it's kinda nice to experience some crazy we aren't responsible for," said Jaune.
"Unless you count that Ruby was the one who captured Torchwick in the first place," noted Weiss. "So she, at least, is indirectly responsible for this."
"Not sorry," said Ruby.
"You shouldn't be," commented Sun. "Whatever else you can say about him, the dude's got a way with words. You know that class is never gonna be boring."
"Especially the part where he starts randomly shooting people," commented Jaune.
"Eh, it's a good way to keep you on your toes," said Sun. "Reminds me of life in Vacuo. You have to be pretty on-the-ball to keep up with life over there."
"What's it like?" asked Ruby eagerly. "Kyo-nii, Sasame-nee, and I were all going to go over after I finished traveling across Vale. I never got a chance to see the desert."
"It's a wild place, that's for sure," said Sun, falling into step with RASP as they headed back to the school proper. The five of them conversed as they walked, Sun sharing facts and stories about the deserts of Western Sanus, while Ruby hung onto his every word, peppering him with questions. Neptune lagged behind, feeling more and more left out by the minute.
An hour later, Sun and Neptune were returning to their dorm. The conversation had been enjoyable for Sun, but a complete drag for Neptune, who hadn't been spoken to at all. In fact, his few attempts at joining had been all but shut down, Team RASP barely even acknowledging his presence.
"That was such a drag," he groaned. "And Weiss doesn't even look at me anymore."
"From what I hear, she got over you," said Sun. "She went to the dance with that faunus girl after all. Apparently they've been hanging out a lot."
"They a thing?" asked Neptune, giving Sun a sharp glance.
"Heck if I know," said Sun. "It ain't my place to ask. I've heard rumors that it's a kind of publicity stunt, but I doubt it's just that."
"Publicity stunt?" Neptune gave Sun a baffled look.
"The girl's a civilian," explained Sun. "She's a friend of Ruby's. I guess Taurus was sore over Ruby beating him at the docks, so he tried to use her to get at Ruby. They stopped him, and she's been staying at Beacon, with her family, 'cause they're still being targeted by the Fang.
"Anyway, because they're all friends, it looks pretty good for a Schnee to be friends with a faunus who's being attacked by the White Fang...sort of a solidarity thing, though I think Weiss and her really are friends." And maybe something more, thought Sun. He hadn't been watching Weiss' actions closely, but he'd gotten the impression that she'd been discreetly spending quite a bit more time with the civilian girl-I think her name's Ashley-than one might expect from mere friends. There was a bit of gossip that suggested they might be something more. But even more people put it down as the Schnee milking her friendship with a faunus for all the good publicity it was worth.
Sun figured it wasn't his place to pry either way. If Weiss and Ashley were more than friends, good for them. He didn't know a lot about the Schnees, beyond his experience with Weiss, but he figured that, if they were in a relationship, then it was possible that the rest of her family might not take it well. In which case, he could understand them being discreet.
"So Weiss is still single...?" pressed Neptune.
"No idea," Sun replied. "Ask her yourself."
"But she won't even talk to me," protested Neptune.
"I wonder why?" groused Sun sarcastically. "I mean, it's not like you completely blew her off for stupid reasons, and acted like the thought of going to a dance with her was totally lame."
"We've been over this before!" Neptune snapped, glaring at Sun. "I know it's a lame reason, but I can't dance. That's even lamer."
"So you'd rather they think you're an asshole," observed Sun. "How's that working out for you, by the way?"
Neptune grunted, his head dipping.
"That girl put herself out there, asking you to the dance," said Sun. "She genuinely wanted to go with you. I can't say for sure how she'd have reacted to learning that you didn't know how to dance. But you shot her down in the worst possible way, and made her feel like an idiot for even trying. If she got over you, I don't blame her for that, and it's your own fault."
Neptune slumped. "What are you saying I should do?" he asked.
"I don't know," said Sun. "I mean, I'd normally say that coming clean couldn't hurt, but I get the feeling that knowing you turned her down for something so stupid probably wouldn't help their opinion of you. But honesty's pretty much the only hope you've got of clearing the air to the point that she'll actually talk to you again. Whether or not that'll give you any chance with her in the future..." Sun shrugged.
"Then what's the point?" grumbled Neptune.
"Uh, maybe because they're cool people, and hanging out with them is fun," Sun pointed out. "If you want to avoid them for the rest of the time until we head back after the Vytal Festival, I ain't gonna stop you, but I ain't gonna join you either. You could come clean, be honest, and maybe have a chance at not being treated like a wooden post for the next couple months. But that's up to you. Whether or not you can hook up with Weiss because of it shouldn't matter."
Neptune groaned and slumped even further. "You're not gonna give this up are you."
"I'm just not gonna give up hanging out with my new friends," said Sun. "If you want to tag along and not get left out in the cold, then maybe try being honest for a change, instead of hiding behind that stupid macho posturing you keep using."
Sun walked on, but Neptune remained behind, staring at his feet, thinking over what he'd been told.
The week practically flew by. Roman's classes in particular had become a highlight, the days they were scheduled. The man was a gifted orator, a master of keeping his audience engaged, which was a welcome change from Port's classes (though nobody had the heart to tell the bombastic man such). It didn't hurt that he'd pop off shots at different students with little to no warning, trying to catch them off-guard. He succeeded as often as he failed, not seeming to mind either way. As it was, since their first session with him, not a single student entered his classroom unarmed.
Neo did her part too, flitting around the classroom under the cover of her Semblance, announcing her presence with the occasional sharp jab to the ribs, a painful, if harmless, reminder that she was there as well, forcing students to try and keep track of her, even as they tried to listen and pay attention to Roman. It was nerve-wracking for many of them. Ruby and Pyrrha had it easiest, Ruby easily able to track Neo's Aura, even when she was invisible; while Pyrrha discreetly magnetized Neo's weapons upon entering, using the sense of repulsion and attraction to remain aware of where the diminutive girl was. Of course, that was only a help to the two of them, and their friends were all forced to find their own ways to figure out when Neo was close.
Besides Roman himself, the course material was incredibly engaging. As one might expect, the class covered all different manners of crime and criminals, with a main focus on which kind had the biggest impact on the morale of the areas and people they affected. Roman also called attention to the kinds of crime that didn't produce immediate surges of negativity, but could cause ill-feelings to build up over time, resulting a gradual, sometimes unnoticed, increase in pressure from the Grimm, a problem that might quietly compound itself, until it was too big to stop, before anybody realized it.
He also went over the individual districts of the Kingdom capital, detailing the different criminals active there, and what kind of crimes were more prominent in one part of the Kingdom over the others. His curriculum also covered the law, which crimes broke what laws, and how criminals utilized that knowledge to their advantage. Roman proved to be as knowledgable as almost any lawyer in that field.
"A good crook always knows where the technicalities and loopholes are," he'd said. "It's worth it for the chance to squeak through those gaps, when the prosecution probably thinks they have you nailed down. Even if a conviction is certain, with the right knowhow, you can haggle down to a way lighter sentence."
Ruby found it all fascinating. She'd had a standard education with the Mibu, as far as her regular schooling went, which hardly went into all the nuances of crime and the law. And, when they did, it pertained to the matters involving the Mibu, not other Kingdoms. Her training and education with Kyo and Sasame had revolved around fighting and surviving in the wilderness. The only criminal activity Ruby could count herself as fairly knowledgable of was banditry, itself a problem out in the settlements, but not something that directly involved the citizens of Vale.
This was something completely new to her and, unlike Dust Science, Ruby was basically starting on the same page as all her friends. Sure, some of them might have had a little more knowledge and experience on this sort of thing than she did, but not enough to make any meaningful difference in the classroom. They were all learning together, covering something that was fairly new to them.
As such, it as almost a shame to leave Roman's classroom at the end of the week, with the expectation that they wouldn't have him again until they returned from their next missions. Ruby knew that not all her friends and classmates shared that sentiment. Quite a few of them still despised Roman, and the fact that they had to listen to him, all while he showed zero remorse over his past criminal activities.
Blake had actually put the question to Roman himself in class. His response was enlightening.
"You expecting some grand confession of guilt, Missy?" asked Roman, flashing Blake a cheeky grin. "I fully admit to being the worst kind of person. I knew what I did was wrong, when I was doing it. No amount of talk about survival and putting yourself first ever changes that. Just like I know that up and turning around and helping you kids doesn't make all that go away, no matter how much good I do.
"When you're a crook, that's the truth you wind up having to live with. Even if you get caught and serve your sentence, none of that erases what you've done. My being here, teaching you brats, doesn't balance some kind of metaphysical scale. It doesn't do a damn thing for the people I've already hurt, the lives I've ruined, or even ended.
"I fully admit that, if this can lead to an earnest chance to turn over a new leaf, I'll take it. I could do without spending my life looking over my shoulder, watching for the law. I'll admit that it's selfish, that all of this is more about me than it is about any of you. If you hold that against me, then that's your right. I won't hold it against you, just so long as you don't go using that as an excuse to not pay attention!"
His cane flicked over, firing a shot at a random student, who barley managed to bat it away with his weapon, his chair tumbling over backwards in the process.
Roman chuckled before lowering his cane and continuing. "Honestly, if I did try to put all that behind me, and act as though I can just wipe the slate clean, I'd think that'd be even more disrespectful to all the people I hurt. So I'll face up to it head-on. Whoever I might be in the future, I have no intention of letting it make me forget who I was."
Ruby had noticed that Roman's answer had touched a chord within Blake. She'd definitely been much more pensive throughout that class, and afterward as well, to the point where Ruby had feared that she might attract one of Roman's shots for not paying attention. It was apparent that Roman's statements about himself had reminded Blake of the guilt and remorse she felt for her own actions. Roman might not have been remorseful himself, but his situation wasn't all that different from her own. Ruby noted that Blake was troubled the idea that leaving the White Fang, and working to stop them wouldn't absolve her of her guilt for the crimes she'd previously committed.
However, further contemplation on the topic would have to wait until their next missions were completed. Ruby was looking forward to this next set of missions, as it would be RASP and RYNB's opportunity to participate in the more mundane kind of missions, ones they would get to choose for themselves, rather than be assigned as part of an ongoing investigation, or strong-armed into through the actions of Weiss' father. Even if those missions proved to be nowhere near as exciting as the ones they'd already participated in, Ruby looked forward to the opportunity to do a proper Huntress' work.
Before that though, there was one other important development. Upon wrapping up their training, Saturday afternoon, Ruby and the others were present when Jaune got a text from Yukimura, announcing that his new Huntsman outfit was ready.
"You guys didn't all need to come," said Jaune, looking at all his friends.
"Hey, it's the debut of your new duds, of course we'd be there," said Yang, with an easygoing grin.
Jaune hadn't been surprised to see the rest of his team coming along with him. It hadn't even been all that big a surprise when Team RYNB had joined them. But then Sun had invited himself along as well, with Neptune tagging along (still very much dealing with the low opinion Weiss' friends had of him). Weiss had brought Ashley as well. Penny had come along too, much to his confusion (he figured that she was just taking advantage of the increased freedoms Ironwood had granted he, seeing as she was present without any other members of her team). Finally, Qrow had rounded out their numbers.
Kyo had wanted to come, but had declined, mainly to avoid causing a stir by being seen around Vale. Likewise, Amber had stayed behind, citing her still-lacking stamina, leaving her unable to keep up with the rest of the group, unless she wanted to saddle one of them with the task of pushing her wheelchair. Ruby and her friends had offered, but Amber had turned them down. Weiss had even extended an invitation to Winter, who had declined with some amusement, though she'd said she looked forward to seeing Jaune's improved appearance.
All told, it was a fairly large group that had crowded into Yukimura's shop, in order to see the results of the new design. Jaune was feeling more than a little pressure on his part. If his new outfit fell flat, he'd be making a pretty big fool of himself in front of quite a few people. That was the kind of thing that got him feeling tense.
Still, Yukimura had welcomed them all happily, shaking his hand vigorously.
"You brought all your friends, I see," said Yukimura, chuckling at how nervous Jaune looked.
"Y-yeah...A few of them invited themselves," commented Jaune.
"I'm certain that everyone is looking forward to seeing the new you," said Yukimura.
"Hopefully I dress to impress," said Jaune.
"I'm sure you will," said Yukimura. "Now come, let's get you into your new outfit."
He led everyone back, leaving Jaune's friends in the reception area, while leading the boy into the dressing room. Jaune stripped out of his old clothes, setting aside his outdated armor.
First, Yukimura furnished him with his underclothes, two dark-blue pieces that reminded Jaune of the long-underwear he'd worn on winter jaunts with his family, a long time ago. Sliding on the top and the bottom, he found himself relishing the feeling of the soft, smooth fabric against his skin. It extended all the way down to his ankles and wrists, ensuring full coverage of his body. It felt cool against his skin, but not unpleasantly so. Along with that, he pulled on the socks that he'd commissioned alongside the rest of the outfit, the fabric feeling a fair bit thicker than the socks he typically wore (and quickly wore out).
Next came the shirt and pants. The shirt was short-sleeved, similar to a basic t-shirt in design, sliding over his torso, mainly to serve as an extra layer of padding beneath the armor. There were no buttons and clasps, as Yukimura had explained that they'd only get in the way of his outermost layers. The pants were long, well-made slacks, composed of royal-blue cloth. Their make was rugged and sturdy. Their weave felt a little coarse. But with his underwear, Jaune wouldn't need to worry about the texture. They were fastened into place by a black belt with a gold buckle.
After that came the main piece of the ensemble, the overcoat. It was a royal-blue greatcoat, its tail hanging down to the level of Jaune's shins, with its sleeves extending down to the level of his wrists. There was gold lining along the hem and collar, standing out sharply against the blue of the rest of the fabric. Its front flaps were held together with snapping fasteners that lay flush against the fabric to keep it from catching on his armor, when he put it on later. Likewise, the collar didn't fold over, the way it did for most greatcoats, merely ending at the level of his neck, ensuring that Jaune wouldn't need to fiddle with the flaps of a collar when putting his armor on over his coat. A second belt of blue fabric helped to hold it closed, wrapping around him, just above his waist, its buckle hovering just above the one that held Jaune's pants up.
Over his hands, Jaune pulled on a set of black, fingerless gloves, metal plates resting over the back of each hand, the hems of the gloves extending up above his wrists, so that they were covered by his sleeves. Over his socks, he pulled on a pair of heavy, black hiking boots, their design reinforced with metal to better protect his feet. They were a good bit heavier than his sneakers, but not to such a degree that Jaune felt they weighed him down.
Jaune hadn't exactly needed any help with the clothes. But the armor was a different matter. Obviously, this was meant to be something he could do on his own, without needing assistance. However, this armor was a bit more elaborate than what he'd worn before.
First came the cuirass. Unlike the chestplate he'd worn earlier, this armor piece completely enclosed his torso. To Jaune's amazement, the cuirass wasn't one single piece, but actually consisted of carefully connect plates, forming joints in the armor that would enable him to bend and flex his upper body more. There was a single plate, covering his chest, starting just below the level of his collar, and extending down to the bottom of his pectorals, ending in angled lines that sloped slightly down towards one another. Below them was a set of four vaguely rectangular plates, covering his abdomen in two rows, sloping to meet one another in the middle. The backplate had fewer parts, consisting of a large upper-plate, which reached up and over his shoulders to meet the front. Below it hung two broad plates, which met at the middle, right above his spine wrapping around under his arms to meet with the four plates that covered his abdomen.
The points at which the plates met one another had been lined with gold, while the majority of their surface was a fine silver color, with a matte finish. The front and back portions separated, when the piece was taken off, but joined together with concealed clasps, once Jaune had put it on. The clasps were surprisingly solid, ensuring that they wouldn't come undone by mistake, but Jaune found he was easily able to manipulate them, when he needed to put the armor on or take it off. The joints made the cuirass amazingly flexible, allowing Jaune to bend and twist his torso, without feeling as though his upper body had been locked into place. Even more amazingly, though it covered so much more than his chestplate had, it wasn't even half the weight, Jaune feeling light as a feather, even wearing it over his other layers.
Next came the curved, slightly hemispherical pauldron, which Jaune slid up his left arm, and then fastened to the shoulder of his cuirass. It was followed by the rerebrace, which fastened around his upper-arm, ending below the edge of the pauldron. Finally, Jaune slid the vambrace into place, around his forearm, before sliding its companion onto his right forearm. Like his cuirass, the armor over his arms was predominantly silver, with gold around the edges. The vambraces were slightly different in design, the left one featuring two pairs of gold loops that wrapped around the circumference of his forearm, denoting the slightly recessed grooves that would provide a secure hold for the straps of his shield, ensuring that it wouldn't slide off in the middle of battle.
Under Yukimura's guidance, Jaune crouched down and fastened the silver and gold greaves around his legs. Just as with all the other pieces, the clasps were concealed, ensuring that they didn't catch on anything when Jaune was fighting. With that, Jaune stood up, experimentally working his arms, while twisting at the waist and chest, testing the mobility of his new outfit.
"What do you think?" asked Yukimura.
"This is awesome," said Jaune, rotating his left arm to feel how much movement the pauldron allowed, amazed to feel that it barely kept him from moving his arm more than usual. "It's so light."
"That's good to hear," said Yukimura. "Protection is important, but mobility more-so."
"It seems kinda weird though," said Jaune. "Shouldn't the armor be under the coat?"
"It is, most of the time," said Yukimura. "However, I designed this to be the other way, mainly because the coat was made so that it wouldn't interfere with the set of your armor, and it would keep your coat from getting torn, if you get hit in the chest or back."
"That makes sense," said Jaune, not liking the idea of his brand new greatcoat getting rents in it from the first Beowolf that managed to take him by surprise.
"Any concerns?" asked Yukimura.
"Nothing," said Jaune, taking a look at himself in the mirror.
He could scarcely believe the difference it made. He looked more like an actual knight, not some overgrown child, playing make-believe. In an outfit like this, he felt like an actual Huntsman.
"Wonderful," said Yukimura, clapping his hands together. He presented Jaune with his weapon, Jaune able to hang the sword and sheath along the belt that wrapped around his greatcoat. "Let's go show your friends your new look, shall we."
Emerging from the dressing room, Jaune found himself facing an appreciative audience.
"Wow! Now that's a good look for you, stud," said Yang, grinning.
"You look so cool, now!" exclaimed Nora, bouncing in place, while Ren nodded sagely next to her.
"I am no expert on such things, but I believe this to be a definite improvement," observed Penny happily, her compliment making Jaune sag. Wow...even the android thought my last look was sad.
Blake smiled silently, though she didn't say much. Beside her, Sun grinned, clapping his hands enthusiastically, something Neptune mimicked with notably less enthusiasm. Pyrrha admired Jaune's appearance with an approving smile. Ashley was also impressed, her tail waving excitedly behind her.
Ruby might have gotten a preview, thanks to seeing Yukimura's final concept drawing. But seeing Jaune wearing the actual outfit was a completely different thing. "You look incredible," she said.
Her words made Jaune blush furiously, glancing down.
The only person who didn't seem openly impressed was Weiss. Instead, her eyes were narrowed as she scrutinized Jaune's outfit closely. Stepping in closer, the actually pinched the fabric of his greatcoat, running her fingers over it. Frowning more, she gently rapped a finger against the chestplate of Jaune's cuirass.
"Uh...everything okay, Weiss?" asked Jaune, leaning back away from her scrutiny.
Abruptly, Weiss whirled about, glaring at Yukimura. "Just what kind of scam do you think you're pulling?" she demanded harshly.
"I...I beg your pardon?" asked Yukimura, canting his head slightly.
"Uh...Weiss, what's the problem?" asked Yang. "Did the guy skimp on the materials?"
Jaune flinched. Everything felt as it should. The fabric of the different layers of his outfit felt just like the swatches Yukimura had shown him. Of course, being no expert and having nothing more than a simple touch to go on, Yukimura could have probably swapped out the fabric he'd been demoing with something cheaper, and Jaune wouldn't have known the difference, so long as they were similar; assuming Yukimura hadn't been straight up lying about the quality of the fabric he was using in the first place.
"No! It's the opposite, in fact," declared Weiss firmly, still glaring right at Yukimura. "These materials cost a fortune. You're planning to milk Jaune for every last lien, aren't you. Just what kind of extortionist payment plan did you get him to agree to?"
"Uh...none," said Jaune, answering in Yukimura's place. "I paid for it all up-front."
"Huh?!" Weiss' arms hung to dangle limply at her sides. "B-but that's...There's no way you could have had enough...Just how much did you pay for this?"
Jaune gave Weiss the price, and she reeled in shock.
"That sounds pretty expensive," said Nora.
"We'd only be able to afford it if we weren't spending our stipends on ammunition..." added Ren, before adding as an aside, "...and pancake ingredients."
"It's a pretty penny, all right," said Blake, Sun nodding beside her.
"It's more money than I have right now," said Ashley. "And I've been saving up for a while."
Weiss' mouth worked silently for a moment. Finally, she took a deep breath, then glared furiously, not at Jaune, but at his outfit. One by one, she began to list out the different materials that made up his garments and armor. Jaune was frankly shocked that she knew so much. But since the majority of them were manufactured with the assistance of Dust in some fashion, it made a little bit of sense.
Laying out those materials, along with their approximate costs, Weiss listed out the final total, dropping jaws around the room, her estimate being substantially higher than what Jaune had paid for the outfit.
"And that's without factoring the cost of labor and craftsmanship," added Weiss, turning to Yukimura. "Just what kind of game are you playing here? Even if you added every conceivable discount, there's just no way you could have dropped the price that low."
"Well...this is awkward," said Yukimura, his smile taking on a strained quality.
"Might as well fess up, Yuki," said Qrow with a soft chuckle. "Leave it to Mini Ice Queen to know about money."
"Hey!" protested Weiss reflexively.
"Fess up...?" Jaune looked at Yukimura questioningly. "About what?"
Ruby gave Yukimura a very similar look. At the sight of that, his smile faded more, and he averted his eyes, looking slightly ashamed.
"Guess I'll say it then," said Qrow. "Ruby...Yukimura here ain't just an old friend of ours. Say hello to Yukimura Azarola...your godfather, Yang's too."
"My...godfather...?" Ruby stared at Yukimura with wide eyes.
"What's a godfather?" asked Nora.
"It's a position that has its roots in some old religion," explained Blake. "A close friend of the parents is sworn to take an interest in their child's future. In modern days, it denotes someone designated to take over parental responsibilities, should something happen to the actual parents."
"Wow..." said Nora.
"Dad mentioned a godfather, once," said Yang, staring at Yukimura in confusion. "I had no idea this was him."
Yukimura sighed, before giving Yang a somewhat sad smile. "You mean you don't remember me coming around, when you were little? I did visit, from time to time."
"I..." Yang vaguely remembered that friendly face, dropping by to deliver treats for her and Ruby. But those memories were hazy at best.
"I...I don't understand," said Ruby. "I can't remember you at all."
"I'm not surprised," said Yukimura. "You were very little at the time. And after your mother...Taiyang banned me from ever setting foot in that house again."
Ruby remembered Qrow telling her that before. "But why not tell me?" she asked.
"I..." Yukimura averted his eyes again. "I couldn't bring myself to face you, not when I'd shirked my responsibilities to such a terrible extent."
"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.
"Hearing what Taiyang was doing, I should have taken action sooner," said Yukimura. "I should have sued for custody of you and Yang, so that you would have an actual chance to follow your dreams. I was considering it. But I hesitated. I was sure that Tai's overprotective actions were just a brief phase, brought on by grief over what had happened to Summer, and your resemblance to her. But then he kept at it for years. Before I could come to a decision, you'd already fled. I helped Qrow look for a while. But then he assured me that you were looked after, and that was that.
"And then you showed up in my shop. I couldn't bear to reveal how much I'd let you down. So I wanted to at least do what I could for you. I figured that your friend's outfit would be something of a gift for you, after failing you six years ago."
Yukimura looked pointedly away from Ruby. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I couldn't bear to learn what you thought of me, after I failed you so badly."
Walking slowly, Ruby closed the distance between them. Raising her hand to Yukimura's cheek, she turned his head so that their eyes could meet. "You're really my godfather?" she asked.
"I am," said Yukimura bashfully, "however much it's worth now."
He was caught off-guard when Ruby surged forward, wrapping her arms around his torso, hugging him tightly. Yukimura froze, his arms rising, but freezing in place. "R-Ruby...?"
"It's okay," she said, looking up from where she'd pressed her face against his chest, tears leaking from her eyes. "I forgive you."
Yukimura's own eyes began to spill over with tears, and he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Thank you."
"I'm just glad to have even more family than I thought," said Ruby, rubbing her face against the fabric of her cloak to wipe away her tears. "I can't wait to tell everyone back home."
"Or when they come over here," added Pyrrha.
Ruby nodded, before resting her head contentedly against Yukimura's chest. Unbeknownst to her, Yang quickly raised her scroll and snapped a picture of the pair of them.
Yukimura smiled down at her, before looking up at Jaune. "My apologies for the deception," he said. "Were I to come up with a feasible excuse, I would have made that outfit for you for free. But I had none, and was still afraid to tell Ruby the truth."
"So you basically counted on us having no idea what this was really worth," said Jaune, wearing an amused smile as he admired his outfit. "I think I get it."
"I'll return your payment, if you'd like," said Yukimura.
Jaune held up a hand. "Nah, it's fine. Keep the money." He chuckled nervously, flashing a sheepish grin, while rubbing the back of his head. "If there was some way for me to actually manage it, I'd insist on paying what it's really worth. But it doesn't sound like that's even remotely possible for me right now, so I'm fine with at least letting you keep what I did pay you."
Yukimura chuckled. "You're a fine man, Jaune Arc. With someone like you at my goddaughter's side, I know she'll be in good hands."
"I plan on giving her nothing but my best, Sir," said Jaune with firm conviction.
Yukimura looked over to see Yang watching them with a longing gaze. Shifting Ruby in his arms, he kept one wrapped around his shoulder, while extending the other to Yang. "I'm sorry for neglecting you too, Little Sparkler."
Yang gasped softly, that name faintly jarring her memories, rendering them much clearer. "Uncle Yuki," she whispered.
"You're welcome here too," said Yukimura. "You're both my goddaughters, and I know Tai hasn't been treating you well lately."
Ruby pulled away from Yukimura just enough to look at Yang too. Releasing one arm from her godfather's side, she extended it out to Yang too. The look on their faces, and their open arms prompted Yang to surge forward, joining them in their embrace.
Qrow chuckled softly. "Now this is what a family should be," he said softly, snapping a picture with his own scroll.
Meanwhile, Ruby and Yang's friends circled around them, congratulating them on meeting their godfather, the three holding tight to each other for many minutes after that.
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