RWBY Through Worlds

106: New World

Winter remembered the first day she'd learned something of Ozpin's real relationship with the General.

A few years ago now, when the General had only been general for a short time, relatively, himself.

She'd just made the special forces.

The General was personally overseeing her training. Back then she only knew that Headmaster Ozpin helped oversee the Atlas school and the other training academies and was a personal friend of Ironwood, but not about the secrets behind those office doors.

Her first inkling of that had been when she'd been waiting for the General to call her in for a debriefing after a mission, and her then team had been sending her updates on her scroll.

But she would have thought it was them or someone even higher ranking who would somehow make it to that floor of the school without setting off some kind of security alert.

Instead, some obviously drunk-looking man with a ridiculously large sword came swerving along the hallway.

(Winter later learned this was because the window in the office had been locked, and Qrow had had to find one much farther away to slip into unnoticed.)

Winter was stunned that anyone would let this fool past security and put her hand to her sword.

"Halt, civilian," she said in her best commanding voice. "This level is off limits unless you have an appointment."

"Relax, sweetheart. I'm an old friend," the man had said, without the slightest bit of respect in his tone.

Winter raised an eyebrow.

Well...it wouldn't be the first riffraff who claimed that and tried to sneak attack an Atlas elite on a whim.

"I'm afraid if you can't produce your credentials, I'll have to call security," she said. Or deal with it myself, she thought more hopefully.

She was finding the waiting dull.

"Credentials?" the man snorted. "I need credentials to see Jimmy now? You're new--wait." He narrowed his eyes at her, though, since he was drunk, she doubted it helped much. "I know you, don't I?"

"I doubt it." Winter's tone implied, "I hope not."

"Yeah, I do... Schnee?" he guessed. "Not Willow Schnee..too young for that. You must be Winter Schnee. The one who ran off, right?"

Sore point touched.

"My name is of no concern to you whatsoever." Winter patted her sword meaningfully. "My rank, on the other hand, is a special operative, and I expect you to address me with the appropriate respect. Now, do I have to ask you to leave again, or will you go of your own volition?"

"Somebody graduated early," the man said instead, as if she hadn't spoken at all. "And got a little too big for her britches, I take it. They let cadets become special operatives now?"

"Cadets? I assure you I have completed my training." Winter was insulted. "I am qualified for this position, which if you test my tolerance for this amount of impertinence any longer, you will find out."

"Is that a threat?" The man looked way too happy about that idea.

"It's a guarantee," Winter had said frostily.

"Oh, ho ho." The man grabbed his own weapon. "Threaten me with a good time. Kicking the a-- of one of his own watchdogs outside his office would be a great way to let Jimmy know I'm in town. Is he not in?"

"I do not have to answer that," Winter said.

"On the other hand, wasting time like this might not be the best idea..." the man muttered to himself. "Probably should at least try to do this the easy way..."