o1 . text, un: beacon

[clocktowers]

Welcome, to all arrivals, new and old. My name is Ozpin.

It seems our arrival has fallen on October's doorstep. It was, to put it lightly, a dangerous month in Deerington. Even here in Trench, I would be unsurprised to find that we are entering a season of bloodshed and Beasts.

It would be wise to prepare. Even should that degree of danger fail to arrive, many of us have been newly burdened by powers we have not yet learned to control.

In the world of Remnant - I do not think it right to call it 'home,' in light of our situation - I served as headmaster of a combat academy. I guided young people in learning to harness their powers and hone their abilities, even in the most dire of circumstances.

If you are interested in such training, I am now accepting students for private instruction. It seems our currencies won't be of much use here, so allow me to propose an alternate price: stories. I have always been a scholar of folklore and fairy tales, and I would like to hear what your own worlds have to offer.

[ Ozpin hesitates a long, long beat. Then: ]

I shall even trade you one in return. My favorite, as of late, is about an old hermit and the visitors who changed his life. For those who have heard some of my more recent tales, you may be pleased to know that this one has a happy ending.

Comments

un: beloved

[pinnedwings]

What if we don't know stories.

[clocktowers]

In my experience, stories are a human universal. Perhaps there is a fable you recall from your youth, however distantly. You might have heard something intended to frighten wayward children, or to inspire confidence or courage.

[pinnedwings]

[He does try to think of something. Ritsu wasn't much of a storyteller.]

Maybe something.
What are they worth to you?
How much of your time?

[He needs something to do.]

[clocktowers]

[ Amusing that he seems to think this a closely-tallied trade, and not Ozpin making grand gestures in his newfound retirement. ]

That will depend on your current skills, and the work we have ahead of us. I would be glad to meet for an assessment, if you like.

un: A.

[fabrications]

A combat academy, rather than a military academy?

[ It's not the strangest thing Akechi's heard since arriving, not by a long shot, but the distinction strikes him as interesting. ]

[clocktowers]

Indeed. In most kingdoms of Remnant, combat training was divorced from military oversight. [ A man has never been so thrilled to speak of his home in the past tense. ] The greatest threats to face our borders were posed by monsters, not other nations of men, and thus small and maneuverable teams were of greater value. It translates rather well to our new environment.

[fabrications]

That's convenient, isn't it?

[ He's say almost suspiciously so but, again, this place is fucking weird. ]

Do you only teach teams, or are solo combatants also included?

[clocktowers]

It is my belief that Sleepers would be safer and more successful were we to fully embrace teamwork. We all have weaknesses best covered by our peers, and strengths best highlighted in coordination with them. On Remnant, four-person teams were the norm.

With all that said, yes, I will teach individuals.

text; un: mako

[arclightning]

Stories are fine but you know you still have to eat, right? They don't accept stories as currency.

[clocktowers]

You may consider these services provided for the benefit of the community. The stories serve more as a tip.

In any case, having met a few scholars of Gaze, I am not so sure even that holds true.

[arclightning]

Yeah? They'll take stories? Guess that's good to know. The closest thing I've found to money is rocks. Someone let me buy vegetables for a feather.

What kind of happy ending are we talking about here, for yours?

text; un: e

[howtheworldwas]

i know a bunch. which kinds are your favorites

[clocktowers]

I would be delighted to hear those you consider most important, or most meaningful. Which had the greatest impact upon you? Which seem to convey a lesson worth learning?

If stories are a universal language, then I am most fascinated by what it is we choose to say.

1/2

[howtheworldwas]

this one saved my life

2/2; text > audio

[howtheworldwas]

[ Here, Eurydice switches to audio. Typing this all out would take too long, given that she doesn't have much practice with it. ]

When the king of the Underworld was young, he fell in love with a woman who lived on the surface. He saw her in her mother's garden, against the sky, and it was like he'd known her all along. He was the god of death, and she was the goddess of spring, but despite their differences, they loved one another. She agreed to marry him.

So he took her home, to be his queen. There was no sun in the Underworld, where the king lived, and so they decided she would spend half the year in his world, and half the year in her own.

They say that is where the seasons come from: when the woman is on the surface, the sun burns hot and bright, and it is summer. When she is down below, the world cools, and it is winter.

[ As stories go, it's a relatively simple one. Still, Eurydice's voice is soft and careful as she tells it, as if each word means a great deal. ]

( not here )

[cryptograms]

[ Ford has never been through a traditional breakup, or even a normal severing of a familial or platonic relationship. They've all involved swearing to seek vengeance or resolving to never seen the other person again or leaving town (or the entire dimension, a few times) and never looking back. He's never been in a situation where avoiding an ex is something he has to actively work towards, rather than it being a natural side effect of their circumstances.

Not until now. Now Ozpin is just kind of here, existing in the same town as him and having many of the same friends as him and neither of them are plotting to overthrow the world or destroy each other or anything. It's weird, and it leaves Ford ill-prepared for things like stumbling across one of Ozpin's public network posts. So unprepared, in fact, that his first thought is not how annoyed he is, but rather that he's actually stumbled across a few folktales and fairytales that originated in Trench, and that they're something he thinks Ozpin would like to hear.

He catches himself well before he thinks about writing a message, though if it weren't for that mortifying-in-hindsight encounter on the boardwalk he might have as some sort of peace offering. Now, however, just the idea of interacting with Ozpin is enough to make him want to squirm out of his own skin. Instead of writing anything out, he simply sets aside his Omni and decides to focus on something else.

Maybe next time. ]

text; un: willthewise

[deadboywalking]

people have POWERS now?

[Kiddo, your blood literally lights up like it's under a blacklight, what are you talking about.]

[clocktowers]

It seems that way. Those who had once mastered their powers have found those abilities strangely altered, and I suspect those who never had abilities at all have found themselves empowered in surprising ways.

You may yet have magic you've not learned to unlock.

[deadboywalking]

huh.
you think it's for everyone?
i didn't really have powers before.
in deerington, i mean.

Text; un: darkness

[survivalthroughhate]

I have been thinking of doing the same thing myself. Offering lessons, I mean. I learned in Deerington I apparently have some talent for it.

[Surprising for those who knew the Zabrak but he worked hard to make sure he instructed people in the exact opposite way he'd been taught, which meant he used patience, a calm nature, and much repetition to get results. Maul honestly cared about those he took on as students, which was far more than Sidious had ever done for him.]

I did like your last tale. Care to tell me another some time?

[clocktowers]

[ Ozpin recognizes the username, and he is profoundly unimpressed. This is the man who took Glitch's arm without any evidence of remorse; his presence shall not be borne long enough to waste breath on stories.

Of course someone would come along to remind him that this is not a retirement free of responsibility. He still has children underfoot, and those who would cut them up for the crime of being children. ]

Perhaps. But I find this medium a bit lacking in depth; let us discuss it should we cross paths in the city.

[survivalthroughhate]

I'm sure we will sooner rather than later. This city may be larger than Deerington but it is still just that: a city.

[Much to Maul's detriment. He can't even escape to another planet if things get too hot for him here, so it means he's got to be on his best behavior for as long as possible. Of course, the curse he's under is also keeping him under control. Once that's gone, who knows how he'll react?]

Text | UN: ClickClickBloom

[onekindsoul]

If this new place ruins my birthday too. I'm gonna flip.

[clocktowers]

[ This world lay through the blood door; it seems a foregone conclusion that October will be a nightmare. But he'll let her hope. ]

I suppose there's nothing to do but wait and see. If nothing else, we might consider ourselves uniquely prepared to face that threat, as Sleepers and as Huntsmen.

[onekindsoul]

That's true.
We might want to be careful either way though. It didn't really help us from destroying ourselves last time around.
Not to be a negative nancy about it but I hope you're right that it gives us an edge.