Draconic Funhouse: Full Circle (ch. 8)

"This was not 'the plan', Mr. Auburn." Ozpin did not sound displeased though, much the contrary. He had been close by during the entire fight, so we now both had first class seats to Ruby Rose bawling her eyes out on her mother's lap.

"What are you doing there? You're not too old to hug your mother yet, come here."

Correction, to Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long bawling their eyes out on their mother's lap.

"I thought she'd be more confused to be honest." I admit, inclining my head to the side.

"Oh, she likely is. She's just always been amazing like that." Ozpin says, a soft smile on his face. "Is she…"

"She is Summer Rose, with memories up to a bit before she died." That had been what I had requested at least.

"Can you just—"

"No. It has a cost attached." I answer before he finishes the question.

Ozpin merely smiles and his eyes twinkle, as if amused. "And you decided to pay it?"

"Yeah, well, don't go getting used to it. This was a special case."

"Of course. Of course." His next slurp sounds rather irritating for some reason.

I watch on with a sort of fuzzy feeling on my stomach as Ruby Rose finally removes her face from her mother's bosom, only to seemingly search for someone, before locking her tear stricken eyes with mine and offering me a smile brighter than her silver eyes.

"Tell me," Ozpin begins, eyes facing forwards, dancing around the matter. "You were not particularly close with the black haired woman you arrived with, correct?"

I snort. The notification had pinged my device more than ten minutes ago. "Trying to gauge whether I will flip out over her being dead?" The old man said nothing, but I bet he was at least a bit surprised.

In front of me the students I had been… 'sparring' with are being quietly but efficiently guided away by Oobleck, Port and what I presume are the rest of the teaching staff. It's funny how most of them keep shooting me nervous glances every five seconds.

It is not something I had any practice with happening to me, yet I would be lying if I say it does not have its appeal.

This feeling, of being powerful, of being feared, respected. A man could get addicted to this.

"Did you offer her a chance to surrender?"

"Three times," says a woman's voice, "when I pinned her to the ground. Another two after she tried to kill me with her stolen powers. I did not have the chance to offer a final time, as the woman's Aura was on the brink when she decided to throw herself against Amber's capsule and ended up immolated by the very same woman."

Glynda Goodwitch floats to the ground, and I can't help but appreciate the view. God damn she is a fine looking woman.

Besides, it's not like I can't bring Cinder back anyways.

Ozpin looks at his right hand woman with a frown. "Amber, did she—?"

Glynda's eyes are, for a mere second, bathed in fire, and that is answer enough. Either Glynda had put herself on the other machine, or she had been the last person Cinder or Amber were thinking about, depending on who died first.

"Cinder was… yeah, she was what she was. If you offered her a chance to surrender and she didn't take it, that's on her. We didn't know each other long anyways." I frown. Behind me is Emerald, and I can feel her nervous glances. At this point she hadn't known Cinder for that long too, but she likely held more affection for the woman than I did to be certain. "Emerald though, I'll bite the head off of whoever kills her before bringing her back. Cinder was irredeemable…" Emerald is not, is implied.

Ozpin hums in acknowledgement, before once again doing something that surprises me. "Miss Nikos," he calls out.

The student in question, barely recovered from the fight, points towards herself before quickly stepping towards us, awkwardly side stepping the mother-daughter trio that's still making up for lost time on hugs.

"Yes, sir?" Pyrrha Nikos asks. Her hair is not bound in the typical ponytail, and the look suits her. She seems… freer, this way.

Ozpin motions towards Emerald. "I am given the impression that you would rather dislike having to partner with someone that cared overmuch for your fame, am I correct?"

"Ah—uh, yes? I mean, yes sir." Pyrrha nods, confused, and probably a bit embarrassed that her feelings are obvious enough her new headmaster so quickly picked up on them. Of course, it's no fault of her own in reality obviously.

Ozpin is just bullshit.

"The only thing you'll have to worry about if the young miss behind me starts looking too much at you is if your wallet is in an easy position to be stolen." Both Pyrrha and Emerald choke on air at hearing those words. "I think it'll do good to both of you if you partner up. What do you say?"

Pyrrha throws a weary glance Emerald's way, who in turn turns to look at me, clearly out of her depth. Still…

"It's your life, Emerald. What is it that you want to do?"

She is caught off guard by the question. Had she ever even been asked such, I wonder.

"I…" she says, carefully. "What do you think is best?"

I sigh, inadvertently. Emerald had stayed. Unlike Cinder, and despite her previous loyalty to the woman, Emerald had stayed behind with me. If I am to be honest, I like her. I enjoyed her portrayal in the show, I lost gallons to porn of her, but… Emerald Sustrai, right here, right now—is a real person.

I am not having second thoughts over capturing her, or Cinder, or Salem, or anyone else for that matter. But at the same time, treating her like nothing besides a disposable minion… it doesn't feel right. She threw in her lot with me, it'd be incredibly boring of me if I just threw such devotion to the side.

"I think it'd be good for you… if you made some friends." I could tell she was not expecting the answer. "You're in your formative years right now, it won't do for you to simply follow me around like a lost puppy. Besides, it's fucking Beacon, I'm sure it teaches actually useful stuff."

Ozpin chuckles, raising his mug in my direction. "I appreciate the vote of confidence."

"You need friends growing up, otherwise… life just becomes so incredibly fucking dull." I can feel my power… swirling, as I say those words. It reacts when I'm having Fun, empowering me, allowing me to do stuff that I had no right to be able to do.

Likewise, when my mood gets down, my Element acts up, as if trying to kickstart a failed engine.

"Mister Auburn," Ozpin starts, tone as if talking about the weather, "you too, why don't you—"

He doesn't get to complete his sentence though. He nods, as if the interruption was expected, and he was merely uncertain about what time it would arrive.

Before us stood a swirling red portal, and from it, a slender woman with long wild black hair and wearing a Grimm-looking full face mask, steps out.

"So she could notice her then." Ozpin mutters, and I quickly realize what he is referring to.

Yang may no longer be pinging her Semblance about some possible danger she may be in… but the fact a ping she hasn't felt in more than a decade resurfaced should also be enough reason to make Raven Branwen show her face.

Slowly, Summer Rose gets up dusting off her skirt, and smiles. "Hello, Raven. I am led to believe it has been quite a while."

If I had a bucked of popcorn I would be stress eating the fuck out of it. That last episode had left everyone with more questions than answers. Clearly Summer and Raven had something going on, but what was their relationship actually like. What did they knew, what had they tried to do?

Raven says something, but I cannot understand it. The same sound ceases and begins multiple times.

Is it code? Is she speaking in code?

Sighing, Summer approaches her teammate, and carefully removes her mask—

To reveal Raven Branwen bawling her eyes out like a little girl.

Summer sighs, and behind her I can see Yang with her mouth open, seemingly unable to react beyond that.

"I suppose I did say you're never too old for a hug." The shorter woman spread her arms wide. "Come over here."

Raven Branwen… falls, for the first time in years, her knees touch the ground and she cries out like a newborn babe.

"Pssst, hey, pssst," I discreetly rib Ozpin until he turns to face me, a forlorn look in his eyes. "When do you think it'll not be awkward to tell her I need her to open Mistral's Vault for me?"

Ozpin takes a rather long sip from his cup. Raven's cries do not seem to be any closer to stopping when he finishes. "Give them another minute or two please."