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o1 . text, un: beacon

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.

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What if we don't know stories.

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. ]

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

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.

i know a bunch. which kinds are your favorites

[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.]

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.

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.

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.

[ 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.

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?

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?

[ 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. ]

people have POWERS now?

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

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.

It is the story of a bitter old man unwilling to leave his front doorstep. By the efforts of four brave and enthusiastic young people, his heart was changed. He learned to appreciate the world around him.

I would be happy to tell the full tale over tea, some time. Or perhaps a game of Pai Sho.

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.

I seem to have a lot of time on my hands.
When should I come?

[It's either this or lay on the floor and contemplate the point of his existence.]

this one saved my life

[ 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. ]

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

In Remnant, it was commonplace to possess power not yet discovered, which would only manifest through careful training. I find it likely this world operates by similar principles. It certainly seems to have exerted more of a change upon us than Deerington did.

There is no harm in exploring the possibilities.

If you can forgive the current state of my home, which is still in the early stages of what we shall lightly term 'remodeling,' I seem to be available most all the time. Tomorrow afternoon should do.

I can meet you anywhere you prefer, of course. Gaze is simply my new home district.

[ There's a longer pause than usual before Akechi responds. ]

I don't know that I'd get much use out of lessons.

But I have experience working in teams against monsters. If you'd like an assistant I might be of some help.

Sounds like he really lucked out in the young people department.

[ After all of Ozpin's tales, after everything Mako has managed to figure out about this man—and with so much uncertainty clouding the air like the mists back in May—Mako's actually... pretty happy to hear this. Ozpin sounds happy. Genuinely, actually happy, maybe a little relieved.

Maybe like this is the fresh start he needed. ]

Once you've settled in and Ruby's stopped setting your house on fire, I'll take you up on that. We have a lot to learn about this world if we're stuck here as permanently as it seems like we are.

I have a story for you. Someone I met on the beach. You'd probably like him. Or hate him, actually.

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