An Anon's Journey: Remnant Act 1

V3E10: Bad Hand, Still Playing

The morning was a time of day Headmaster Ozpin usually relished. The sun was up, its blood-red light turning a beautiful gold, the coffee was freshly brewed and it suddenly became socially acceptable to drink it. Normally, Ozpin would enjoy his morning coffee and get on with his day,  with today being a strategy meeting with Qrow and Glynda on the docket.

Normally. However, today was going to be quite awful seeing as the first thing to happen was Hope showing up, unannounced and ready to sling foul language like a boorish oaf.

"Oh, dear..." Ozpin muttered upon Hope barging in.

"You are damned fucking lucky that you're a soul parasite, otherwise I'd have blown your head off!" The seer seethed.

Glynda glanced concerningly at Hope, then to Ozpin.

"Soul parasite?"

Hope noted that he'll have to explain Ozpin's possession ability to her later but ignored her for the time being.

"Team RWBY requested to withdraw and you fucking vetoed it!" Hope resumed, livid

The headmaster adjusted his spectacles.

"I have judged Ruby Rose to be sufficiently able to end the tournament. I have a great deal of faith in her abilities."

Qrow smirked smugly, looking like a complete dweeb in how proud of his niece he was.

"She's a good student."

"It's not about ability, you twats!" Hope scourged. "It's about her mental health!"

Qrow's attitude bruskly shifted from pride to deep worry, as shown by his smile turning upside down.

"What do you mean? Did something happen?!"

"She had an emotional meltdown and bawled herself into unconsciousness."

Glynda nodded sadly.

"I concur. The poor girl looked awful."

Qrow grabbed Glynda by the shoulder with a desperate grip.

"Where is she now?!"

Hope rolled towards the windows, opening them and letting in a waft of fresh air.

"They went to the cafeteria to get breakfast."

A mass of shadow swallowed the older man before compressing into the shape of the bird he was named after. Hope nodded to the corvid.

"Fly to her, she needs her uncle."

Qrow lowered his head before looking forward again. He squawked a thank before flying through the opened window. Hope smiled. Despite his borderline crippling addiction to the bottle, Qrow knew when to keep his head clear. And nothing sobers him up like family needing him.

He may be a colossal drunken douche, but he loves his family. And that, Hope could respect.

Back to the original problem at hand, Hope wiped his smile away and his hateful glare returned to someone he believe rightfully deserved it.

"All that just because you were too fucking dim to notice that she wasn't built for this." Hope scorned.

Ozpin took off his glasses, revealing his tired and hopeless thousand-yard stare. He rubbed them with a heavy sigh, betraying how truly exhausted he was.

"Amber is not long for this world," Ozpin noted. "I understand that you're furious with my decision, but even you can see that we need someone, anyone, who can take over the mantle of the Autumn Maiden. To keep it out of Salem and her cabal's hands."