Chapter Text
What We Call Home
Nora glanced up at Ren, unable to do anything other than blink and wait for him to pretend like nothing weird had just happened.
He looked just as perturbed as she felt. Great. We’re all crazy then.
Jaune stepped forward first. “Wait- what just happened?”
Ren asked hesitantly, putting to voice their disbelief, “Professor... Ozpin?”
The same low, even-keeled voice continued emerging from Oscar’s young face. It was almost unnerving, and Nora found herself shrinking away into the couch cushions as he explained, “Correct. And though I may be the one speaking, Oscar is still present mentally. He's merely handed over the control, so to speak.” Leaning forward and clasping his hands together, he added ruefully, “I'm afraid this all must be very perplexing.”
Nora jumped in, trading panicked looks with everyone else. “And alarming, and bizarre, and just really kind of hard to believe overall!” she cried.
Rather than trying to soothe her, the young boy (man? Child? Adult? Professor? Oh, I don’t like this, Nora groaned internally) chuckled. “It's good to see you children still have your sense of humor.” However, his face quickly fell into a frown, his voice lowering wearily. “I know you've all been through tremendous hardship already. I'm sorry.”
After a moment of disarmed silence, Ruby said, “I mean, it's not your fault.”
Sorrow twisted Ozpin’s face. “It's all my fault.” He ashamedly hung his head.
Nora frowned, listening carefully to his voice. It almost sounded like before, as if there were multiple voices speaking out at the same time. Underneath the many layered tones, she could pick out Oscar’s saddened voice as well. It was utterly uncanny.
Out of the corner of her eye, Nora could see Qrow’s expression fall as well, the older Huntsman quickly excusing himself to the kitchen to avoid whatever it was that Ozpin was going to say.
After taking a shuddering breath, Ozpin murmured, “I told you once that I made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, and I wasn't exaggerating.” Shaking his head, his voice slipped back to normal, then became layered yet again.
It’s like a bad CCT recording, Nora thought, grimacing as he continued to speak. “I'm... cursed. For thousands of years, I've walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying, and reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul. The Professor Ozpin you all met was not my first form and clearly wasn't my last. It's... an extraordinarily strenuous process on everyone involved.”
They all gave a moment for the words to hang in the air- heavy, weighted. This… this just can’t be real, she thought to herself.
Finally, Jaune asked, “So who... what... are you?”
Ozpin smiled, but there was a bitterness in it that set Nora on edge. “I am the combination of countless men who've spent their lives trying to protect the people of Remnant.” As he spoke, Qrow sauntered past, this time handing Ozpin a small, steaming mug. Ozpin took it without question, his eyes long having glazed over with memories- and, clearly, regrets- of the past. With every rebirth, my soul is eventually merged with another and I am changed, but my memories stay with me. This curse was bestowed upon me by the gods because I failed to stop Salem in the past.” Sighing, he looked up at them, resolve hardening his expression. “But we must stop her now.”
Ruby murmured, “And how do we do that?”
Surprisingly enough, a small smirk appeared on Ozpin’s face. The man crossed an ankle over one knee and leaned back, looking utterly at home. “We start... by ensuring the safety of the Relic of Knowledge.”
“Is that the one located in Haven?” Jaune asked, crossing his arms.
Ren sighed, walking around to sit on the armrest of the couch between their team and Ozpin. Ruby shuffled over on the couch to make space for him, but he shook his head. “So Haven really is going to be the next conflict zone,” he murmured sadly.
Nora leapt to her feet. They had already discussed this, hadn’t they? “This is perfect!” she cheered, running to Ozpin’s other side. “We were stuck at a dead end, but now, we can just take little-cute-boy-Ozpin to Lionheart and have him set things straight!” She grinned, propping her hands on her hips and looking over to Ren. Then we don’t have to waste any time, right?
Ren simply rolled his eyes and shook his head tiredly. Ozpin seemed to agree with that response, murmuring uncomfortably, “Please… don't call me that.”
From behind Nora, Qrow added, “We're not sure that's the best idea.”
Nora pouted, groaning as she stomped back to the couch, filling the space between Ruby and Ren. “Fine,” she grumbled under her breath. “Waste our time, then.”
If Ren heard her comment, he didn’t respond. “But I thought the headmasters all took their orders from you.”
Ozpin nodded slowly. “That was the intention. Four lieutenants I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation. But Qrow told me about your meeting with Leonardo.” He pushed himself up to his feet, clasping his hands behind his back as he strolled across the living room, his back to the others. “He isn't just behaving irrationally, he's disobeying specific instructions I had left him. Something's wrong. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to rule out any possibilities, either. No one outside of this room knows that I've paired with Oscar, and I think it may be best to keep it that way.”
Qrow offered, “Play things close to the chest until we get a better hand.”
“Precisely,” their old headmaster agreed. Spinning around to face everyone, his expression seemed grim, set. “Now, we have two steps ahead of us. The first is enlisting the aid of more Huntsmen.”
Ren stated, “But the Mistral council-“
“Doesn't own every Huntsman in the Kingdom,” Qrow interjected, “and I've been here enough times to know where we can find some more.”
“So long as they're trustworthy,” Ozpin insisted sagely.
“You can trust them to put up a good fight,” the man growled back. “I'll throw together a list tonight.” He leaned back, his arms behind his head as he propped a foot up on the low coffee table. The moment his foot touched it, however, one of the legs snapped clean in two, and his tea spilled sadly onto the woven mat on the floor.
Nora rolled her eyes. “Good luck with that,” she muttered over the sound of breaking porcelain. Her mind was already racing in a completely different direction, all avenues reaching on main question: Who is he going to find for Huntsmen?
A quick glance over at Ren told her that he was thinking the exact same thing.
Qrow groaned, pushing up his sleeves to begin cleaning up the spilled tea. While he worked, Ozpin said, “After that, we can move on to step two.”
She stood warily as Ozpin walked back to the armchair he had been sitting in. “What’s step two?” she asked, moving to stand with the rest of her team opposite to Ozpin.
Rather than taking a seat, however, Ozpin merely reached over and grabbed his cane, brandishing it towards them almost menacingly. “Getting you four into fighting shape,” he announced.
Nora raised a brow, looking over at her teammates. They all shared similar expressions of confusion. “But, uh, we already know how to fight,” Ruby squeaked.
Dramatically, Ozpin pointed the end of his cane right in Ruby’s face, forcing her to lean back to avoid the hit. “You can only fight so long as you have Crescent Rose, but you're still lacking in hand-to-hand combat.”
An embarrassed smile crossed her lips. “Well, uh, yeah,” she chuckled with a shrug.
Shifting targets, the Huntsman then spun his cane to point at Jaune. “Mr. Arc, I'm glad to hear you've improved, but sorry to say, you've yet to unlock your Semblance.”
Nora’s heart ached for the sorrow and regret in Jaune’s eyes as he looked away, ashamed.
Ozpin continued, “All of you still have a ways to go before you're ready to pose any real threat against Salem and her forces. And though Oscar can give me temporary control, he'll need to strengthen his body and his Aura.” Finally pulling his cane away from their noses, he spun it around expertly until it landed upon the floor, a smooth thud echoing in the house as he leaned on the cane. “He'll inherit my muscle memory in time, but practice will expedite the process.”
Ruby frowned, perplexed. “But if Qrow's out looking for Huntsmen, then who's going to teach us?”
Out of nowhere, the Huntsman leapt backwards into the air, landing gracefully onto the armchair. With an air of total ease and nonchalance, he began to twirl the cane, a relaxed grin on his face. “Well,” he mused, “I believe I was the headmaster of Beacon Academy.”
And that was all it took for the novelty of the situation to wear off on Nora, leaving behind nothing but a stark realization of what this whole situation meant. It hadn’t hit her yet- but now, after hearing the reality of it all, the only things in her heart were bubbling, brewing frustration, and bitterness, and anger.
It… was his fault, wasn’t it?
A part of her tried to keep calm. Getting angry wouldn’t do any good, after all- what was the point of lashing out? It was her job to stay calm, and stay upbeat, and make sure everyone else was happy, and-
No.
No one else noticed her drop in mood. Oblivious, Ozpin said, “We have approximately one month before classes resume at Haven. If Salem were to plan an attack, it would make sense that it would occur prior to students' return. It's not much time, but it's better than nothing.” Holding his cane still, he announced boldly, “Just don't expect me to go easy on you.”
And then, his eyes glowed that same bright, unnatural green and white, and a familiar, high voice began to yelp in fear as the figure lost his balance on the chair. Stumbling, he fell backwards, dropping the cane and knocking the armchair clear on its back. Oscar groaned in pain, making no move to get up. “You've gotta be kidding me,” the young teen mumbled.
They all moved to look at him, ensuring he was alright. When it was clear it was mostly his pride which had been damaged, Qrow stood tall, stretched, and sauntered into the kitchen to dump the pieces of his shattered mug and the dishcloths he had used.
Ruby helped Oscar back to his feet, and Qrow finally re-emerged from the kitchen. “I’m heading off, kids,” he called, sauntering to the door. “I’ve got some calls to make before it gets too dark.”
“Be safe!” “Good luck!” “Please don’t get drunk again!”
He waved without looking back, closing the front door and leaving them with Oscar, who was looking thoroughly embarrassed.
The moment that the lock clicked behind Qrow, however, Nora finally let her contained anger out. She stormed up Oscar, balling up her fists to avoid striking out. “You,” she growled. “Turn back into Professor Ozpin. Now.”
“Wha-why?” Oscar protested, backing away from her.
Ren was by her side immediately, his firm grip on her shoulders. “Nora, you can’t blame him-“
“I need to know why you chose Pyrrha!” she cried. “Bring Ozpin out. We need to talk to him-“
To her surprise, Jaune joined Ren and held her back. “Nora, no,” he murmured, his voice rising in mild hysteria. “Stop it.”
She paused, glancing up at the two boys in shock. “What… but we have to know!” she insisted, stomping her foot on the ground. “You… you can’t just…”
Pyrrha is gone because of the Maidens.
Ren sighed. And then, the next thing Nora knew, his arms had wrapped around her in a warm embrace, turning her away from Oscar. “Ren…?” she breathed, cheeks instinctively flooding with heat. Is… is Ren hugging me? In public?!
She could feel his voice rumble through his chest as he asked, “Oscar. Can you ask Professor Ozpin to answer a few questions for us?”
Oscar paused, eyes darting between them all. “Is… is Pyrrha the girl who was with you all?” he whispered mournfully.
“She was,” Ruby whispered, clasping her hands nervously in front of herself.
Nora’s heart fell. She could hear how thick Ruby’s voice had gotten- a clear sign that the girl was approaching tears.
“Still with us,” Jaune murmured. Even without looking, Nora knew that he was likely clutching the ring with all his might.
Finally, Ren let her go, gently squeezing her arms in solidarity as he turned to face the younger boy.
Oscar relented, “Okay.” And, with a flash of green and white light in his eyes, the familiar voice of their old headmaster emerged past Oscar’s lips. Ozpin said, “What did you want to ask?”
He’s here. Her mouth grew dry as she turned to face the boy, but Jaune stepped in before she could even speak. “We don’t know the whole story,” he said tensely, “but we know enough about the Maidens, and the Relics, and why we have to protect it all. We get why it was so important to make sure the Fall was protected. But… why did it have to be Pyrrha?” he whispered, clenching his fists, face tight and withdrawn. “She was so scared-“
“I know, Mr. Arc,” Ozpin replied, taking a step back to lean against the wall. He let out a long, haggard sigh. “I know. We just… we were desperate.”
“To not let the rest of the Fall’s powers into Cinder’s hands?” Ruby murmured.
He nodded, leaning heavily upon his cane for support. His mouth was twisted into a weary grimace as he spoke. “We asked Pyrrha to think on it- but before even hearing our limit, she agreed.”
“She didn’t even think twice, did she?” Ren murmured wryly. He placed a comforting hand on Nora’s shoulder. “She wouldn’t have said no.”
It was somewhat gratifying to see the sadness in Ozpin’s face. “You knew your teammate well,” he said gently.
Jaune snorted. “It wasn’t enough to save her.” Looking up angrily, he added, almost accusatory, “After you lost… Cinder killed her. At the top of Beacon Tower.”
The sadness on Ozpin’s face grew a thousand fold, twisting Oscar’s expression into one of solemn grief and regret. “…I see.”
“Pyrrha’s gone because of this whole thing,” Nora whispered. “She shouldn’t have had to do it.” Reaching up to clutch Ren’s hand still resting upon her shoulder, she said, “You could’ve chosen any girl in Beacon, but you chose her.”
“She was the most suited.”
“She had so much to live for!” Jaune cried angrily, stepping forward.
Immediately, Ruby rushed between him and Ozpin, holding her arms out protectively. “Jaune,” she begged, “don’t- it wasn’t anyone’s fault!”
After a moment of trembling and glaring at the former headmaster, Jaune finally relaxed, head drooping low and body losing energy. “I know.”
He did. They all knew. Pyrrha was just that kind of person- the one who would happily step up to defend anyone who needed it. Her dream had been to protect others, after all. She had longed to be a Huntress who was able to bring peace to everyone in need.
But Pyrrha had also just been finding herself for the first time at Beacon. Nora remembered it all so well- showing Pyrrha different kinds of chocolates since her mother apparently hadn’t let her eat a lot of sweets growing up- long weekend mornings spent braiding her red hair in silly ways because Nora never had the patience to grow her own hair long enough to do fun things with it- watching heaps of bad action movies to keep Jaune company, while Nora made faces the whole time trying to get Pyrrha to laugh because god, Pyrrha hated those movies- Sunday noodle nights when they would link arms and skip into town with everyone and put on more casual clothing, giggling the whole way down because Nora always forced Pyrrha to wear cute outfits to get Jaune’s attention-
Nora staggered back, plopping onto the armrest of the long couch she had been seated upon earlier. “This whole thing is so unfair,” she whispered.
Knowing Pyrrha, she didn’t have regrets going to face off against Cinder.
It didn’t mean that they didn’t have regrets for the life they were supposed to have lived by Pyrrha’s side.
Ozpin’s smile was strained. “I know,” he replied quietly. “I know. If I could go back in time and save her, I would. But,” he added bitterly, “unfortunately, unlike my own curse of reincarnation, time is not such a thing which can be manipulated like that.”
An eerie silence settled over the room. Finally, Ruby stood. “Hey,” she murmured. “You’ll be staying with us, huh?”
A flash of green light brought Oscar back. “…Yeah,” he breathed. Any doubts of whether Oscar was still aware of what was going on while Ozpin was in control vanished into nothing- the sheer horror on his face was proof that he had listened to every single word.
Ruby’s smile was tight, but she waved him along anyways. “C’mon, Oscar. If you’re okay with it, there’s an extra bed in Qrow’s room. You can share with him.”
“Okay.” Obediently, Oscar trailed after Ruby up the stairs, but not before casting one more broken, sorrowful look at the remaining three in the living room. He paused, as if listening to something, then called out, “He says he wants to begin training tomorrow.”
And then, they went upstairs.
Jaune stretched, not a speck of energy left in him. “I’m… going to bed,” he mumbled.
“’Kay,” Nora replied, still slouched over on the armrest of the couch. She was utterly drained emotionally. She didn’t want to move.
After Jaune’s door shut upstairs, however, Ren grabbed her arm and tugged her to her feet. Wordlessly, he guided her upstairs onto the large balcony, then popped back inside. In a minute, he returned with a blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders and guiding her to sit down.
She complied with all of this, not bothering to fight. She knew what he was doing. This was what Ren always did when she was truly too angry or frustrated, but couldn’t deal with the source of the issue the way she wanted to. It was rare, but over the years, the movements had still become efficient, practiced.
Without a word, he sat down beside her and guided her head onto his shoulder. Placing a hand on her hair, she saw a tinge of pink light from his Aura envelop her body, swathing in her soothing calm.
Hearing Professor Ozpin’s voice had brought to light more feelings than she could’ve expected. “I miss her, Ren.”
“As do I,” he murmured. “But he didn’t intend for this to happen.”
“I know. Oscar’s innocent.”
“He’s one of us, now.”
“Yeah.”
“…Why did you call him that?”
“What?” She sat up straight, thinking back to what she had said. “What did I call him?” Before Ren could answer, however, she realized what he meant. With a weary, but now quite gleeful giggle, she nestled back against his shoulder. “He’s a little-cute-boy, it’s true!”
“Nora…”
“What?” she mocked innocently.
In the evening light, she could see his ears turn pink as he bit back his protests. Ren’s jealous, she cooed silently, and she smiled despite the weariness and the sadness in her heart. It had been a busy, tumultuous day- but they were closer to their goal than ever, and that had to count for something.