Chương 714: 57
Chapter 57:
Oliver and Elowen huddled together on the floor of their apartment, in between the seats and couch that occupied their living room. Around them, the white-masked members of the White Fang lounged on the furniture, their leader having taken the couch himself, sprawling across it lazily, his feet kicking in the air, while he rested his head, with its prominent ram-horns, on the opposite arm. He idly held up a sword with a crude-looking, blocky blade, which he was turning to catch the light from above.
One of his compatriots, a lithe young woman, occupied one of the armchairs. She was casually inspecting her free hand, the other closed around the handle of her rifle. Every now and then, the muscles of her fingers would twitch, and a set of nasty-looking claws would emerge from beneath her nails, prompting a frightened twitch from the couple on the floor, which in turn prompted a vicious grin from the young woman, before she retracted the claws, only to repeat the process a moment later.
Another soldier rested in the other armchair, one leg casually crossed over the other, a cheetah tail draped over one of the chair's arms, while the masked man kept the rifle in his hands casually trained on the pair on the floor.
Finally, the fourth member of the group leaned against the wall, just beside a window overlooking the street outside. His mask did nothing to conseal the set of whiskers that extended out from above his lips, and he kept his arms folded, a sheathed sword with a broad, curved blade resting on his left hip.
"Relax," said the ram-faunus on the couch, turning his head to smirk at Elowen and Oliver, "this'll all be over soon."
"Wha-what is the meaning of this?" demanded Elowen.
They had been settling in for the evening. With Ashley at work, the pair were prepared for a quiet dinner, only for them to receive a knock at the door. The Faunus Quarter wasn't the safest place in Vale, but neither was it the hive of scum and villainy that the media sometimes painted it as. Oliver hadn't thought twice about opening the door to see who was there. As a result, he was caught completely off-guard when four faunus, all of them wearing the infamous masks of the White Fang, bulled their way in, knocking him over in the process. Oliver's forehead sported an ugly bruise from the hit he'd taken from a rifle's butt in the process of the White Fang soldiers' entry.
From there, the pair had been swiftly cordoned off, forced to kneel on the floor of their own home, while these invaders took up their positions on the chairs and couches, and against the wall.
"Well...you see...your daughter's been a baaaad little girl," explained the ram. "She seemed to think that we'd overlook one of our own associating with a human Huntress."
"One of your own...?" Oliver blinked, then glared at the man. "Our daughter would never join the White Fang."
"Think again," taunted the ram. "In any case, your daughter is supposed to be punished. 'Course, if she doesn't want to pay the price herself, then you two are gonna pay it for her."
"Just who do you think you are!?" shouted Elowen. "I thought the White Fang was supposed to help faunus! But here you are, forcing your way into people's homes, threatening them for the actions of others! You're nothing but thugs and bullies!"
"Careful what you say," snarled the woman, unsheathing her claws again. "This is bigger than any one faunus, and we can't allow our work to be undermined."
"Plus, your daughter deserves it," added the cheetah on the opposite chair, "fraternizing with the enemy like that."
"Shut it!" snapped the whiskered faunus by the window. "All of you just shut up. We came here to do a job, so quit being assholes about it."
Elowen and Oliver exchanged a wary look. They got the impression that the one by the window didn't like what the group was doing. But he didn't seem committed enough to actively oppose it.
The tense, nervous silence stretched on. Oliver had tears streaming from his eyes. More than the fear he felt at the danger to him and his wife, right in their own home, he was afraid for their daughter. The White Fang was out to kill their precious Ashley...and there was nothing they could do about it.
Then someone knocked on the door again.
All at once, the four White Fang soldiers jolted into action, the three seated ones shooting to their feet. Weapons were leveled at the door, as the knocking continued. The soldiers traded uneasy looks, unsure of what to do. Whatever they had been prepared for, apparently someone knocking on the door of their targets' apartment was not it.
"Hey there!" shouted a girl's voice from outside. "Got a special delivery for ya!"
The sound of glass breaking prompted the four soldiers to whirl towards the window, just in time to see a gray canister strike the floor, before exploding into a cloud of pink smoke that flooded the apartment.
"What the hell?"
"What's going on!"
"Who cares?"
Before they could figure out what to do, the door suddenly exploded inward, fragments of it catching Claws in the chest and face, the Dust-round that followed blowing her off her feet. Cheetah and Ram both turned towards the door, Cheetah raising his rifle and firing off a barrage, while Ram raised his sword. Meanwhile, Whiskers was backing up towards the wall.
The window the smoke grenade had been fired through shattered completely, one black shadow flying in, followed by a second. Cheetah turned towards the sound, rifle rising, but was instead caught by a fist to the side of his head, as another figure rushed through the shattered door.
Whiskers slashed at the approaching shadow, his sword cutting it in two. However, the shadow abruptly vanished and, the next thing he knew, a heeled shoe slammed into his face, breaking his mask and sending him flying to slam his head against the wall.
Ram brought his sword down at the figure who'd just taken out Cheetah. But the figure swiftly turned to meet the incoming attack, a fist surging up in a vicious uppercut that snapped the crude weapon in half, before following up with a powerful straight from the opposite fist, slamming dead-center into Ram's mask, and sending him flying into the wall with enough force for his head to smash through it. Fortunately, his Aura kept his skull from shattering, but he was definitely out of the fight.
Elowen and Oliver clung tightly to each other, completely baffled as to what was going on. They both screeched when a pair of hands descended, one resting on Oliver's shoulder, the other on Elowen's.
"It's all right," whispered a calm, male voice to them. "We're friends of your daughter."
"Clear!" shouted an exuberant female voice from over by the broken door.
"Clear," responded a calmer voice from where Whiskers had been knocked against the wall.
"Clear," called the voice of the young man by Elowen and Oliver.
"Well...for a given definition of clear, anyway," commented the young woman at the door. "Can we do anything about this smoke now...maybe crack of open a window, or...?" Yang's voice trailed off, able to feel the deadpan stare Blake was leveling in her direction, a silent reminder of Blake's mode of entry. Yang chuckled sheepishly. "Right..."
Behind Elowen and Oliver, Ren sighed and rubbed his face. "The smoke should clear in a moment," he said.
"Cool," said Yang. "I like being able to see...and why does it smell like bubblegum?"
Oliver and Elowen had had the same question, but figured it was bad form to start complaining about the way their lives had been saved.
"Best to ask Nora, yourself," Ren replied, helping the couple to their feet. "Are you two all right?"
"We're...fine," said Elowen.
"But what about Ashley?" asked Oliver frantically. "These bastards said that she's a target."
"Your daughter is in good hands," said Ren, the clearing smoke now thin enough that he was able to see the pair's faces, and they his. He gave them a reassuring smile. "Ruby and her team went to help her."
Elowen and Oliver shared a look with each other, before turning back to Ren. "Ruby did?"
"Yes," said Ren. "Ashley called her for help. Ruby figured that you two would be under threat as well, so she asked us to come help you."
"Good thing we did," added Yang with a grin.
"We...we can't thank you enough," said Oliver.
"Don't thank us just yet," said Blake. "We should get moving."
"Moving?" asked Elowen.
Ren nodded. "The police are coming to see to the White Fang. But that doesn't mean you're out of danger. Until we're completely sure of your safety, we are gong to relocate you to Beacon Academy for the time being. I hope you don't mind."
"W-well, considering what just happened, I certainly have no complaints," said Oliver.
"I suppose we have no choice," agreed Elowen.
"Then gather what essentials you can," said Ren, "along with your daughter's. She'll be joining you there."
Oliver and Elowen quickly gathered the things they'd need: toiletries, a few changes of clothes, and certain possessions they couldn't leave behind. Afterwards, they went through Ashley's room to gather the same for her. While they did, Blake and Yang went through the process of restraining the unconscious soldiers, while Ren called Nora, telling her to move over to the roof of the building they were in. Finally, he called the bullhead that had dropped them off for pickup.
Elowen and Oliver were just assembling with the three students, when a buzzing sound, the sound of a scroll set to vibrate, came from the pocket of the whiskered White Fang soldier. Pulling it out of his pocket, Yang looked at the unfamiliar scroll number. Realizing what it must be, a wicked grin spread across her face, and she answered it, putting it on speaker.
"It's me...Do it."
Blake twitched, trembling as a familiar voice came from the device. "Adam," she whispered softly.
Yang flashed Blake a grin, before turning back to the scroll. "I'm sorry, but the thug you've just called is unconscious, and can't come to the scroll right now. Please leave your name and a brief message after the groan." Then she held the scroll up to the mouth of Ram, and pushed his stomach in, prompting him to let out a low, pained groan. Finished, Yang hung up.
"He's not going to like that," observed Blake.
"Too bad," said Yang. "He's the last guy who should be getting what he wants."
"W-was that...?" wondered Elowen.
"The order for them to kill you," confirmed Ren, prompting Ashley's parents to go pale. However, he gave them a small smile. "But, considering what Ruby told us, if he's saying that, then that means he lost. So Ashley is all right."
The pair let out sighs of relief. Ren patted their shoulders. "Let's get going," he said. "You'll be safe at Beacon."
The couple nodded, and hoisted their bags over their shoulders, with Ren, Blake, and Yang each taking additional bags. From there, the five of them made their way up to the roof, where the bullhead was gradually lowering. The whine of its engine drowned out the sound of the sirens, but they could see flashing blue and red lights approaching from the streets below.
Boarding the bullhead, Elowen and Oliver paused, taking one last look at their home, wondering if they would get the chance to see it again. However, that brief pause was all they had time for. Soon, the airship was making its way out of Vale, and across the bay to Beacon. On the ride over, they listened to Yang bicker with Nora over the contents of her smoke grenade, while Ren and Blake listened to the pair with fond amusement. It was strange to think that this quartet of people had just saved them from almost certain death.
Silently, the couple prayed that their daughter would reunite with them soon.
"What do you mean she's under arrest?" demanded Weiss, glaring at the police officer.
"I've got orders to take in all White Fang on the scene," replied the officer, looking down at his scroll, his tone unconcerned.
"Yes, and you have," Weiss pointed out.
Now the officer lifted his eyes to glare back at Weiss. "The White Fang is a faunus organization, so any faunus on the scene is a suspect," he replied.
"That's not how it works at all!" Weiss snapped.
Behind them, Ashley, still wrapped in Ruby's cloak, began to step forward. "B-but-" Ashley began to interject, before she was stopped by Jaune and Pyrrha.
Jaune gently grabbed Ashley's arm through the cloth of the cloak to get her attention, shaking his head when she met his eyes. "Don't say anything right now," he advised her.
"You can't just go around throwing out blanket accusations like that," Weiss protested.
"You don't have the right to dictate our procedure," the officer countered, now glaring at her. "We'll get this sorted out at the station. Whether or not this faunus is a member of the White Fang is something our interrogators will find out."
"Because we know that your interrogators are so dedicated to getting the truth," Weiss retorted sarcastically. "It's not like they have a track record of harassing and browbeating innocent faunus in an effort to force a confession out of them."
The officer grit his teeth. "Like I said, you don't get to dictate our procedures. Like it or not, that faunus is coming with us. So hand her over."
"Not on your life," Weiss replied.
"Then I guess you want to come down to the station too," said the officer.
"You can try and make me," Weiss growled back, her left hand twitching.
Ruby, who'd been standing slightly behind Weiss, reached out and rested a hand against Weiss'. Looking back at Ruby, Weiss saw the younger girl shake her head slowly. Weiss paused, letting out a slow breath. Ruby smiled, then stepped forward. She kept her expression calm, meeting the officer's gaze squarely. "I'm sorry, Sir, but Ashley is coming with us. After what just happened, we need to get her somewhere where the White Fang can't reach her."
"That is none of my concern," growled the officer. "I won't have you removing a suspect from my custody."
"Ashley isn't a suspect," Ruby countered. "She's the victim, and a witness."
"That will be for us to determine," growled the officer. "Listen here, you brat! I've had it up to here with you damn students conducting your unauthorized activities and interfering with our investigations."
"Maybe we wouldn't have to if you did any actual investigating," Weiss scoffed.
"Weiss...not helping," said Ruby, following it up with a sigh.
"That does it!" snapped the officer. "Stand aside, or you can join that faunus in the patrol car."
"If that's necessary, then I'll go with Ashley," said Ruby, drawing a surprised gasp from Weiss and Pyrrha, though Jaune merely wore a rueful smile, having figured that Ruby would say something like that. "No matter what, I'm not leaving her alone."
While the officer clearly didn't like that, it was apparent that this was a compromise he was prepared to accept. However, whatever he had been planning to say next was cut off by the whine of a bullhead's engines. They looked up to see the curved hull of one of the familiar airships swooping by overhead. It came to a halt, its engines already shifting into hover-mode. As they did, Ruby's eyes narrowed.
Given that the vessel in question wasn't smoking from one engine, it was safe to say that this was not the bullhead that had brought them out to the scene. It hovered in place, not descending any farther; not that it could, the open space before the construction site clogged with police cars. But then the bay doors folded up, and a familiar figure strode out to the edge.
"Are we in trouble?" Jaune asked, his tone rising.
The others could understand his worry. Compared to the police officers around them, one of whom who had been threatening to arrest the lot of them for protecting Ashley, the sight of Glynda Goodwitch, staring sternly down from her perch, was far more intimidating, not in the least because they were fresh off a round of detention from the last "mission" they'd conducted. They couldn't help but wonder if Glynda would be as upset with them as she had been last time.
Drawing her riding crop, Glynda pointed it downwards, then flicked it back and forth. A pair of the police cruisers were lined with violet light, their forms lifting up and levitating away from one another in a display of Glynda's trademark telekinesis, creating a space wide enough for the bullhead to set down. The sight of the woman moving two multi-ton vehicles with a pair of simple gestures was enough to completely cow the police, and prompted Ashley's jaw to drop.
Now the bullhead was free to lower. Setting down on the open ground, Glynda stepped down and walked towards them, her gaze severe. "Is there a problem, officers?" she asked.
Taking a few extra seconds, the officer that had been accosting them drew himself up. "Y-yes," he said, forcing out a harsh tone. "Your students are interfering in an active investigation. They've conducted an unauthorized operation in the middle of our jurisdiction, and are now refusing to turn over a suspect."
Weiss growled, her fingers clenching. But Ruby stopped her with a light brush of fingers across Weiss' knuckles.
Glynda's expression didn't even flicker before the officer's anger. "I'm afraid there are some errors in your statement, officer," she said.
"Huh?"
"First, this is not an unauthorized mission," said Glynda. "This mission was authorized by Headmaster Ozpin himself. Second, Ashley Forrest is an important material witness in our investigation. Recovering her safely was the primary objective of this operation. Her parents have already been secured by one of our other teams, and are on their way to Beacon as we speak."
The confirmation that her parents were all right, and being taken to safety, nearly made Ashley's legs buckle in relief, Jaune and Pyrrha moving to support her.
"Th-that's..." The police officer bared his teeth, trying to come up with something. Unfortunately, he was out of moves.
If RASP's mission had been unauthorized, they would have been left without a leg to stand on, legally speaking. The police would have been free to take Ashley away, with Ruby accompanying her being the only compromise they were willing to agree to. Despite Weiss' desire to the contrary, resorting to force was out of the question, as that would have constituted an abuse of power, according to the laws governing Huntsmen and Huntresses.
However, Glynda's intervention, and her assurance that the mission had been authorized by Beacon and Ozpin, changed all that. The authority of Huntsmen on-mission superseded that of the police, and even the military. Technically, as students, RASP had no such authority, even if their mission was officially authorized. But with an actual Huntress, in the form of Glynda, on the scene to lend her authority, they were now protected.
"That being said, you are free to continue investigating the scene," said Glynda. "And we will gladly leave any actual prisoners to your care, officer." She turned to regard RASP and Ashley. "Now then, get aboard, and we will return to Beacon immediately."
"Yes, Ma'am," said Ruby, giving Glynda relieved smile, before turning to her friends. "Let's go."
The five of them walked past the paralyzed, but angry, police officer, Glynda falling into step with them. They climbed aboard the bullhead, Ruby pulling Ashley up by her hand. Getting settled into their seats, they relaxed as the bay doors closed, and the aircraft lifted off.
The bullhead was a utilitarian aircraft. Therefore, luxuries, such as sound dampeners, were generally of the cheaper kind, cutting out just enough of the engines' drone for them to hold a conversation, if they spoke just below the level of a shout. Despite that, because Ruby was sitting next to her, she was able to hear the faint sniffling coming out from beneath the red hood covering Ashley's head.
"Are you all right?" asked Ruby, leaning forward a bit to inspect her friend's face, beneath the cowl.
Tears were streaming down Ashley's face. "It's just...I'm so happy," she said. "You saved me."
Ruby reached up and brushed tears off Ashley's face. "Of course I did," she said, giving Ashley a warm smile, before pulling her into a hug.
Ashley leaned in, resting her head against Ruby's shoulder, sobbing in relief. Jaune, Weiss, and Pyrrha all looked on with fond smiles. From the far end of the row of seats, Glynda found herself with a smile on her face as well...though she would deny ever making such an expression in the future.
It was a matter of minutes before they arrived at Beacon. Despite that, between her fear and relief, Ashley had all but fallen asleep on Ruby's shoulder. Though she didn't want to, Ruby roused her friend when the bullhead began to land. Blinking blearily, Ashley allowed Ruby to help her up, so that they could disembark. Another bullhead had already landed on an adjacent pad. Team RYNB was there, along with Ashley's parents.
"Ashley!" shouted Oliver, he and Elowen breaking into a run at the sight of her.
"Mom! Dad!" Her fatigue forgotten, Ashley rushed to meet them, her parents enfolding her in a tight hug.
"Thank God you're all right," Elowen whispered into her daughter's ear.
"I feel the same," said Ashley, shedding still more tears as she pressed into the embrace.
RASP, RYNB, and Glynda all looked on, glad to see the family reunited. For the moment, they were content to watch Ashley hug her parents. However, the tap of approaching footsteps, and the slurp of liquid from a mug, announced the arrival of Ozpin, also smiling fondly.
"Well, it's good to see that things have gone well," said Ozpin, giving the entire group an appreciative look. His voice prompted Ashley, Oliver, and Elowen to break up their hug, the three of them turning to face the Headmaster.
"We can't thank you enough for this," said Elowen, she and her husband resting hands on their daughter's shoulders.
"There's no need to thank me," said Ozpin. "There is someone far more deserving of your gratitude." His eyes drifted to Ruby, who looked down with a blush, while Pyrrha and Jaune chuckled softly. Even Weiss was wearing an amused smile.
"We have a great deal to discuss, particularly concerning this night's circumstances," said Ozpin. "However, you've been through quite the ordeal, so that can at least wait until tomorrow. Glynda will guide you to your quarters here. In the meantime, though it is late, I would like Team Raspberry and Team Rainbow to report to my office for debriefing."
"Yes, Professor," said Ruby and Ren dutifully, while Yang and Nora stifled tired groans.
"I'll give you some time," said Ozpin, already turning back towards the tower. "Go ahead and say your goodbyes."
"Thank you," said Ruby.
Glynda waited off to the side as the two teams gathered around the Forrest Family.
"We can't thank you enough for this," said Elowen. Looking over, she met Weiss' eyes specifically. "Ms. Schnee, I owe you an apology."
"F-for what?" asked Weiss, blinking in confusion.
"Even though it was not where you could hear it, I have said some...unpleasant things about you, and made assumptions," said Elowen, lowering her gaze. "I was wrong to do so."
"It's all right," said Weiss, giving the woman a rueful smile. "Considering who my father is, I can't blame you."
"But that's no reason to pass judgment on his daughter," said Elowen. "You aren't him, and I shouldn't forget that."
"Thank you," said Weiss.
Meanwhile, Ruby and Ashley were standing before each other, Ruby wrapping her friend in one last hug. They pulled away from each other, and Ruby gave Ashley a sheepish smile. "Uh...Can I have my cloak back?"
Ashley averted her eyes, using her hands to pull it tighter around herself. "Um...Ruby...Could I maybe...keep it?"
Ruby blinked, surprised by the request. "You can't," she said.
"But...you have a spare, don't you?" asked Ashley.
"Why does she want to keep it so badly?" Nora whispered to Yang.
Yang smiled. "Well, it's something Ruby put around her when she was feeling vulnerable," she pointed out. "I bet it was a huge source of comfort to her. And..." Yang's smile turned sly.
"And what?" prodded Nora.
"Nothing," Yang answered.
"I'm sorry, but you literally can't," said Ruby, trying to explain herself. "That cloak's made from my Aura. It's not even real cloth. Even if I don't take it back, it'll just disappear on its own before long."
Ashley's eyes widened. She remembered what Ruby had told her about Aura. That explained why she felt so secure and protected in it. Ruby had literally wrapped Ashley up in the protective essence of her soul. Even so... "Then...could I keep it until it does?"
Well, I get the feeling I won't need it back tonight, thought Ruby. And my Aura will recover on its own by morning. So... "All right," she said.
"Thank you," said Ashley. She stared down at her feet, gently scuffing her shoes against the asphalt. "Um...Ruby..."
"Yeah?" Ruby canted her head.
"I...I...well...I..." Ashley had no idea how to say what she wanted to say, how to put her feelings into words. But she managed to lift her face to look Ruby in the eyes once more. "You were my hero, today, and I...well..."
Ruby blinked, still waiting for Ashley to make her point.
An impulse rushed up, and Ashley found herself surging forward, her hands rising to grip Ruby's shoulders. Normally, with her reaction-speed, Ruby would have been able to do a half-dozen things in that time. However, her mind was locked by confusion as Ashley brought their faces together, and planted her lips against Ruby's.
Startled gasps and exclamations made their way around the two teams, with both of Ashley's parents looking on with a mixture of surprise and amusement.
"Knew it," said Yang, her smile becoming a grin.
Ashley pulled away, and took in the dazed expression on Ruby's face. "I know it's sudden, but...do you think we could...um...?" Unable to finish her sentence, Ashley awkwardly looked away.
Ruby blinked in confusion for a moment, before finally processing what Ashley was saying to her. Her cheeks flushed, and she gasped slightly. Then she frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, but we can't," said Ruby.
The sound of Ashley's heart breaking was almost physically audible. "Wha-why not?" she wanted to know.
Ruby did her best to put on a reassuring face. "I'm flattered, I really am," she explained. "But it just wouldn't work between us."
"Why not?" wondered Ashley. Because you're a Huntress, and I'm a civilian? Because you're a human, and I'm a faunus?
"Because I'm straight," Ruby answered simply. "Sorry, but I don't like girls that way."
Ashley's jaw hung slack for a moment, while an awkward silence fell over the entire group. Pulling back, she ducked beneath her borrowed hood, her entire face burning red. "You can just kill me now," she said. How ironic. She'd escaped death at the hands of the White Fang, and Adam Taurus himself, only to now die of embarrassment.
"Ashley, please!" protested Ruby, grabbing the hem of her cloak, and using it to gently tug Ashley towards her. "I'm sorry. I know it's not what you wanted. I understand." She ducked enough to look up under the hood to meet Ashley's mortified gaze, not a difficult task, since Ashley was a little taller than her. "It's all right," she said, using her thumbs to brush tears from Ashley's cheeks.
"B-but I..." Ashley averted her eyes.
"I'm grateful," said Ruby. "I'm sorry that we can't be more, but can we still be friends?"
Ashley sniffled. "Yes."
Ruby sighed, and pulled her friend into another hug.
As they embraced, the others were doing their best to contain their reactions. "Well, that's a pity," said Yang, resting her hands on her hips. "Those two would've made the cutest couple. I bet Sasame would have been over the moon."
"I hope it's not too much of a disappointment for her," said Blake.
"Aw well," said Nora, shrugging.
"I think she'll be fine," said Ren. "Her feelings likely came out of the heat of the moment. Once she calms down, she should be able to recover."
Weiss sported a wry smile, glancing sidelong to take in the expression on Jaune's face. "Try not to look too relieved, Arc."
"I...I don't know what you're talking about," Jaune stammered, while Pyrrha laughed into her hand.
Meanwhile, with Ruby's help, Ashley was managing to calm herself down, though her face was still looking distinctly flushed. Glynda stepped forward. "I'm sorry to call an end to this," she said with all sincerity, "but I believe it is time for me to show you to your quarters. You all will be free to visit the Forrest Family, when you have time. But, for now, you eight should report to Ozpin."
"Yes, Ma'am," said Ruby, before turning to Ashley one last time. "I'll see you soon, okay?"
"All right," said Ashley, drawing Ruby's cloak about herself a bit more tightly.
After that, she and her parents turned away. Glynda flicked her riding crop, levitating the family's bags with her Semblance, before leading them away.
"Well...let's go get debriefed," said Ruby.
Ozpin was waiting for them, having set out eight chairs in his office. Two, for Ruby and Ren, were at the front, while the other six were arranged in a row behind them. Ruby couldn't help but wonder where Ozpin got those chairs, considering she hadn't seen them before, and there wasn't any place in the office to keep them...that she could see anyway.
They took their seats, Ozpin sliding mugs across the desk to them. Ruby was surprised to see that, instead of coffee, they were filled with hot cocoa.
"You're going to want a good night's sleep after this," Ozpin pointed out. "As such, I figured that coffee was probably a poor choice."
"Well, you're not wrong," said Ruby, fighting back a yawn.
Then her stomach chose to add its own two cents, with a low gurgle rising from her belly, her body reminding her that she had gone on this spur of the moment mission without having any dinner. A range of similar sounds came from behind her, and she realized that her call to action had likely interrupted her friends' dinners as well.
"Well, perhaps after a hearty meal," noted Ozpin. "The dining hall is closed. However, we do have a few staff on call for situations like this. You wouldn't be the first team to return from a mission late at night. Once we are done here, I will notify them, and you will be able to get something to eat."
"Thank you," said Ruby gratefully.
"Now then," said Ozpin, leaning forward on his desk. "I want to begin by saying that you have all done excellent work, especially you, Ms. Rose."
Ruby blushed. "Thank you, Professor," she said.
"Considering the urgency of the situation, I took a calculated risk, and chose to trust your judgment," said Ozpin. "Clearly, that was the correct choice. Thanks to the decisions you made, a family was saved from being torn asunder by violence tonight."
Ruby smiled contentedly, while her friends shared proud looks.
"That having been said," continued Ozpin, "I would now like to go over the particulars of you mission, starting with you, Ms. Rose."
"What about me?" asked Ruby.
"Please explain to me the reasoning behind your course of action," said Ozpin.
Ruby nodded. "Well...I think we both realized that the White Fang could have caught Ashley a lot sooner than they did. So I knew they'd deliberately let her run. And, from what she told us, she was obviously being manipulated as far as what way to run."
Ozpin nodded. "And, because of that, you determined that it was a trap."
"Yeah," said Ruby. "I don't know how, but someone figured that Ashley and I were friends." Granted, the "how" of that could have been any number of things. After all, now that she wasn't at risk of being hounded by the press anymore, Ruby hadn't exactly been trying to keep her meetings with Ashley covert. "That information made its way back to Adam Taurus. So he decided to use it to...pay me back, I guess, for beating him at the docks."
"It is the kind of thing Adam would do," said Blake. "He really hates losing. If an operation failed, he would be furious."
"And you determined that he was using this situation to draw you out," said Ozpin.
Ruby nodded. "That's the only reason that they'd go through such a roundabout way of running Ashley down. If it were just about anyone else, I figure they'd probably just kill Ashley and be done with it."
A shiver went down her spine at the thought of it. Ruby dreaded that more than the thought of risking her life fighting for her friend. Such an act would have been a powerful psychological blow in its own right. Ruby would have learned about Ashley's death, and been powerless to have done anything about it, because she hadn't been aware that Ashley was in danger in the first place. Ironically, Adam's grudge, and his desire to score payback directly, had been what saved Ashley this night.
From there, Ruby went through how she realized the White Fang had deliberately turned on the lights, while looking for Ashley, so that Adam could have them turned off when the fight began, trying to capitalize on his advantage of faunus night-vision.
"And what prompted you to send Team Rainbow to Ms. Forrest's parents?" asked Ozpin.
"Because I realized that Adam hates losing," said Ruby, echoing what Blake had just said. "I figured that, if he was trying to draw me into a fight on his terms, he would be pretty confident. But, after last time, he'd want to be sure that, if he couldn't beat me down on his own, he could at least punish me for beating him. First, he tried to have Ashley killed while he was fighting me. Because Ashley was our reason for being out there in the first place, he knew that would be even worse for me than losing to him. But I also figured that, if he'd go that far, he'd probably go the extra mile, and go after Ashley's family too, on the off chance we managed to beat him and protect Ashley."
"As vindictive as Adam is, that's definitely the kind of thing I'd expect from him," added Blake.
From there, they went into a detailed analysis of the fights themselves, going over RASP's strategy for fighting Adam and protecting Ashley. Jaune, Weiss, and Pyrrha related their fight against the diminutive girl who'd attacked on Adam's behalf. Team RYNB went over their strategy for rescuing Ashley's parents.
On the whole, the debriefing went on for about an hour. By the time they wrapped it up, they were all failing to fight back their yawns. Nora and Jaune, in particular, were on the verge of conking out in their seats.
Finally, they wrapped up with RASP explaining their confrontation with the police. Ozpin nodded, taking in all the information they'd related. "You've all done very well tonight," he said. "This was a mission worthy of professional Huntsmen, and you all have every right to be very proud of yourselves."
"Thank you, Professor," said Ruby, blushing again.
"Now then...Ms. Rose, I would like to speak with you a bit more," said Ozpin, drawing a surprised start from Ruby and her friends. "The rest of you are dismissed."
"Um...Really?" asked Jaune, giving Ruby a worried look.
"Don't worry," said Ozpin, giving Jaune a smile. "She is not in trouble. There is another topic we need to discuss."
"All right..." said Ruby, feeling a bit confused.
The others filed out of the office, leaving Ruby and Ozpin alone.
Ozpin smiled apologetically at Ruby. "I'm sorry, Ms. Rose, but I suspect that we do not want the others to be around for this discussion."
"Um...What discussion?" asked Ruby.
"You've forgotten?" wondered Ozpin. "Lest we forget, it was only happenstance that Ms. Forrest called you when she did. But you were already in my office for a different reason, remember?"
"Oh?" Ruby flushed in embarrassment. In all the excitement of the evening, she'd all but completely forgotten why she'd happened to be in the office with Ozpin, when Ashley made her call. "Whoops..."
Ozpin chuckled. "Somewhat understandable, considering the...hectic...evening you've just had. However, I believe that this might be a matter that we should not put off." His expression hardened considerably, and he leaned forward, his mouth hidden behind the steepled fingers of his hands. "Now then...what was this about someone dangerous and evil being here, at Beacon?"
Ruby swallowed, her face heating up, even as a chill made its way down her spine. The memory of meeting Cinder in the hallway, of her senses brushing against that twisted, corrupt soul, rose up within her. All of a sudden, Ruby was very grateful for her empty stomach.
"W-well..." she said. "It's going to take some explaining. I'm not entirely sure what happened, myself." She took a deep breath. "All I know is that she did something...terrible."
"Well, it's best to start at the beginning," said Ozpin.
Ruby nodded, then took a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, she fixed her eyes on Ozpin's. "Professor...do you believe...in magic?"
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực