"Oh.....My......Oum." Coco sat down across from Acnologia and Glynda who were both sitting at Glynda's desk grading papers that piled up from Acnologia's absence in the classroom over the past week. "You....you both.....when did this happen?!" She asked as she threw up her hands,"And why wasn't I told about this first?! Miss G, where's the trust? The juicy gossip, the advice I could have given? J-just forgotten. W-why?"
It had been less than a day, it now being the Friday before the weekend, since the two Professors had returned to Beacon, hand in hand with the revelation of their relationship. Everyone, especially Yang and the other girls who loved to 'Ship' people together as Acnologia learned, were especially happy for the two. Even Ozpin was pleased with the outcome of Acnologia's draconian season. Coco was to but at the same time......she was quite unhappy that she wasn't included in the evolution of the relationship, something that confused Acnologia to no end.
"Coco, mine and Acnologia's new relationship is very....complicated and it started very spontaneously. Yes, we had feeling for each other before this began but.....It is difficult to explain." Glynda told her as she gestured between her and her new mate. "B-but that's not fair! I've been pushing this ship since I saw you two together!" Coco complained as she stood up.
Acnologia leaned back in his chair,"I am confused, why exactly are you angry me and Glynda are.....what did you call it?" Glynda looked up with a half smile,"Dating." The dragon slayer nodded,"Yes that, why are you angry that we are....dating. Hm, I like how that sounds." He finished with a smile directed at his mate who smiled back.
"I'm not angry that you two are together, your freakin' adorable together! Just look at those smiles! I am angry that I was not apart of the reason you two hooked up!" The fashion manic said as she paced in front of them. "Seriously, Acnologia vanished from class for a week, You got kidnapped in a mission, Acnologia went after you because I told him, you were absolutely terrifying when you smashed through your door by the way, and then you both came back with these smiles on your faces that said 'Guess what, were a couple now.' I....NEED.....DETAILS."
Glynda laughed to herself as Acnologia chuckled,"I'll explain it all to you a little later Coco, now run along back to the rest of your team. We have a lot to catch back up on now that we are both back in the classroom." Coco's sunglasses slid to the bridge of her nose as one of her eyes twitched,"I will get answers. I swear it." She said before stomping out of the room. "I know that when I went mostly dragon during last week, and I was terrifying. But she was honestly much scary than me."
"That's Coco Adel for you. She has your best interests at heart and she loves to push those interests as far as possible." Glynda said as she scribbled a grade down on one of the papers. "Shall we postpone the rest of these grades for this afternoon? Our next class should be coming in soon." The dragon slayer said as he balanced his pen on the tip of his finger. "That would be a good idea, my hand is starting to cramp up from all this writing." The blonde haired Professor agreed as she rubbed her dominant hand.
Acnologia tossed his pen on the desk as he stood up,"We can't have that now can we?" He said as he took her hand, a subtle golden glow coming over their joined hands. "Really? Healing magic for a cramp? It would have passed." Glynda chuckled as Acnologia quickly healed her hand,"And why would I let it last if I could fix it right now?" The mage asked placing a kiss on her hand after the magic glow vanished.
"UUUUHHHHH are we interrupting?" A voice called from the door. The two teacher looked back to see Jaune and the rest of his team standing at the door frame. Pyrrha and Ren were looking away from the show of affection with light blushes and Nora was pulling on Ren's sleeve,"See I told you they had something going on!"
Glynda stood from her seat with Acnologia standing beside her,"No you weren't interrupting anything. I was simple helping Glynda with a cramp is all." The mage explained as he helped his hand in a gesture to it. "Oh....right. Sorry its just, it is still a little unexpected to see you two in such a close relationship and all. Not that its bad or anything I-" Pyrrha put her hand on Jaune's shoulder, a signal to just stop. "Its understandable Mr. Arc. Its still quite new for us to be so open with ourselves." The blonde teacher said. "But, enough about us. Today's class will be hosted outside, so go ahead and head towards the forest that you all took your Entrance Exam at."
"Yes Ma'am." The four students quickly replied before running towards their given destination,"Go on ahead Glynda, I'll stay here and direct students on where they need to go." Acnologia told his partner,"You sure?" She asked grabbing her Scroll Tablet from her desk. The dragon slayer only responded with a nod,"Alright then, I'll see you when class begins then." Glynda promised before starting off towards the location they would be having class at.
Once she was gone Acnologia turned himself towards the window in the back of class, the sun shining through it. He took a deep breath in and then let it out in a content sigh,'What a perfect day.'
That thought would turn a little less joyful as the day progressed.
-The Forest Surrounding Beacon-
Coco was taking a stroll through the forest, trying to think of what could of happen between Acnologia and Glynda in the short time from when she told the dragon slayer about his partner's capture and then their return to Beacon as a couple. Everything she thought of just seemed to fall apart when she really considered Acnologia's personality and Glynda's.
"AAAAHHHHHH! Why is this so hard to figure out?!" Coco screamed out to no one in particular as she racked her brain for answers. Her years as Beacon's leading relationship specialist had nothing for the anomaly that was Acnologia and Glynda Goodwitch.
Her musings were quenched as a faint cry sounded out,"Hello?! Is anyone there?!" It was feminine and fairly soft for a yell, but it was still easily heard. "Uhhhhh, Hello?" Coco called back only to hear to feminine voices call out in excitement,"There is someone around here! You were right! Hello?! Where are you?!" The voice called out again.
"Uh, Here? Where are you?" Coco called back,"We're lost! Can you help?!" The voice asked. "Sure, I guess! Just follow the sound of my voice and I'll come towards you!" The leader of Team CVFY slowly made her way to the voice as they continued to call out to each other.
Within just a few short minutes, the two voices that had been calling out to her were finally in view. "Oh, Thank God." The one who did most of the talking spoke out. Coco was slightly taken back by their appearances. Specifically the blonde haired one, she looked really similar to another blonde she knew. "I've never seen you guys before, what are you doing out in the woods like this?" Coco asked the two. "We're not sure, we....were in quite a bad situation and then we found ourselves here. IF you don't mind me asking, where is here?"
"Your just outside of Beacon Academy, in the forest surrounding it actually. Where are you two from?" Coco asked another question,"Not from around here, we're.....travelers sort of speak." The other woman spoke, a red haired woman. "But now we'd like to go back home, any chance you have some kind of way for us to get transportation?"
"Uh, yeah sure. I'm sure there's a Bullhead going towards where ever you two are from. Hey, I got an idea! A couple of my teachers are holding a lesson out here today, I bet they would have a good idea of how to get you where you need to go." Coco told them,"Come on, follow me."
As they go on their way, more questions arose from both sides. "Your teachers? So you are a student?" The red haired woman asked. "That's right, fourth year Team Leader. Maybe you've heard of my team, Team CVFY?" Coco asked with pride in her voice. "Afraid we haven't. Sorry." The blonde told her. "Oh well you guys are travelers after all, I shouldn't really expect you to anyways." She told them.
With them walking, Coco got to get a better look at the two women. The blonde wore a form fitting black dress with gold outlining it and white accenting some of it. Her long blonde hair was put up in a pony tail that went to the small of her back. At her waist there was a small brown patch hanging that would occasionally make a jangling noise that Coco assumed was a set of keys.
The other woman, the red head wore very reveling black clothes with a long black cloak that draped around her. Her extremely long scarlet hair was braded into four long braids decorated with gold bands and reached down to her back with two hanging in front and two in back. However most of her face was covered by a large black and white fur hat that had long spines hanging from the black that led to the small of her back. She wore black gloves that seemed to resemble claws. She carried a large wooden staff that ended in strange anterior like shape.
To Coco, both women wore very strange clothes that for some reason suited them extraordinarily well. "So uh, if you don't mind telling me, who are you two?" Coco asked them. "Oh of course, how rude of us. My name is Anna, Anna Heartfelia." The blonde told her,"I'm Irene Belserion, and who are you?"
"The names Coco Adel." The leader of Team CVFY replied as they continued to walk. However, as they continued on their way the sound of metal clashing filled their ears. "Woah, watch it! You almost cut off my tail!" A familiar voice to Coco shouted out. "Sorry, Fox!" Another voice called out in apology as the sound of metal clashing returned. "Oh, sorry about this you two but we gotta make a detour. Yo! Yatsu, Fox can you hear me?!"
"Huh? I swear I just heard Coco. Hey Coco, you here?!" Fox called out. After a couple of moments, the three women came into a small clearing where Fox and Yatsu stood with their weapons in hand. "Coco? What are you doing here? I thought you were trying to figure out what happen between teach and Miss G." Fox asked causing Coco to give him a death stare,"I am! You have no idea how infuriating it is to not know how it happen! But that's when I found these two, their lost." Coco explained.
A sudden flash from a camera blinded Anna and Irene as Velvet stood of to the side with her camera out,"Oh sorry." She said as she came over to the rest of her team. "Anyways, what are you guys doing out here?" Coco asked her team. "Well Yatsu was wanting to learn more about survival stuff and I was trying to help him out, but we decided to tak a break and train for a little while. The Vytal Tournament is just around the corner after all." Fox explained.
"Oh alright I gotcha, well do you guys know were Professor A and Miss G are?" Coco asked to which Yatsu nodded,"Their not to far away in that direction. We heard the first few fights."
"Let me guess, Professor A took em' down easy huh?" Coco asked to which the three other members of her team nodded with chuckles in their voices. "Alright, thanks you guys." Their leader told them before she waved Anna and Irene towards the direction they pointed,"Hey wait up we'll come with you!" Fox shouted as they caught up, with him stopping by Anna and Irene. "The names Fox, who are you two ladies?" He asked with a slight roll of the tongue.
Velvet smacked him on the back of his head,"Stop it Fox. I apologize for him, he's been in this kind of mood all day. My name is Velvet and the tall one is Yatsuhashi but everyone just calls him Yatsu." The bunny faunus explained. The blonde laughed slightly while the red head chuckled,"Its alright, I'm Anna and she's Irene."
"Well its nice to meet you both." Velvet told them before the sounds of combat echoed off the trees. "Looks like the next team is having a go. Wonder if they've even gotten a hit off on him yet." Yatsu spoke his thoughts aloud. "Doubt it, that's like saying they stopped a train barehanded." Fox said,"I heard Cardin's team did well enough for him to tap into his magic during their fight." Velvet said quietly. This got Anna and Irene's attention as they heard magic. "Did you hear that Irene, they said magic. Theres more of us here."
Irene nodded slightly,"Don't get your hopes up Anna, we've been here long enough to know that magic is a rarity but its possible that we just haven't come across a mage yet." Anna's head hung low,"Your right." The entire conversation was quiet enough that Team CFVY didn't hear a word.
"No way, a first year team getting to fight that first hand? I bet it took him like three seconds to finish the job." Fox said as he put his hands behind his head. "If you don't mind my asking, who is this teacher of yours who can use magic?" Anna asked as they continued to walk. "Hm, you guys haven't heard about him? That's a surprise, especially since he kinda just showed up."
"Yeah that is kind of surprising. I figured everyone knew about the man that just showed up and became a teacher at Beacon like it was nothing." Coco agreed. "And the fact that he's a dragon faunus. He's an inspiration." Velvet finished. "He sounds like quite the man, what's his name?" Irene asked.
"His name is Acno-" Before she could finish, Nora went flying over their head screaming,"WEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"Welp, guess we know who's trying their luck today!" Fox said happily as he saw the rest of the first years class standing at the tree line with Glynda watching while Team JNPR was trying their hand against Acnologia, who was covered in smoke from a dust explosion. "Ren, Pyrrha try to flank him while I distract him." Jaune ordered before a blue blur shot behind him,"Don't yell out your plan Jaune!" The dragon slayer told him before he smacked him away with Jaune turning just fast enough to block it with his shield.
Acnologia stood tall before he looked over to Team CFVY, a smile present on his face. That smile turned to utter shock as he saw Irene, but not Anna, with them both sharing the look on his face. Anna quickly grabbed the members of Team CVFY and pulled them back,"Get back!" Acnologia's eyes widen further as Irene pointed her staff at him.
The dragon slayer quickly threw out his hand as a massive red blast hit him. Everyone's eyes widen as Acnologia skidded backwards, his bare feet ripping through the ground as he tried to hold himself down. With a mighty roar, he grabbed hold of the blast and threw it to the side causing it to disperse.
Glynda and several of the student's looked ready to attack on their teachers behalf but Acnologia shot Glynda a look that stopped her, a look that told her he had a plan for this. She held out her hand, stopping the students from going to help.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Coco shouted as Anna pulled them away from the fight,"Keeping you all from getting hurt, you may not know who he is but-" She tried to explain, thinking of Acnologia as the monster from their shared past. "We know who he is! Do you?!" Coco told her as Irene prepared to fire another blast.
Thankfully for everyone, Acnologia just smirked and stood tall. "That's where we'll end this fight now, Team JNPR. You can lower your staff now Irene." Acnologia said causing the red head to become confused and stop the spell,"W-what?" The dragon slayer ignored her and turned to the group of students in front of him,"Tell me, what did our guests do wrong?"
Everyone looked on with wide eyes before they all softened,"Oh its just apart of the lesson!" Cardin shouted out causing everyone to let out a sigh of relief. "Come on Professor, why wouldn't you tell us about some guest instructors?" A student called out causing both Anna and Irene to look incredible surprised. "And where's the fun it that?" Acnologia asked with a smile,"But back on track, what did they do wrong?"
Yang raised her hand which Acnologia called on her for,"Yang?"
"They should have coordinated and waited until you were more open to attack." The dragon slayer nodded,"That's correct. Heed that lesson, sometimes waiting to strike is better than forcing an opening that could be turned on you. Alright, why don't we end class early today?" He asked the class as he walked towards them. "For real?!" One of the students asked excitedly,"Yes go on ahead, me and Professor Acnologia have a lot to do especially with these guest Instructors here." Glynda told them, readily catching onto his plan.
Two of the students fist bumped out of excitement while they all packed up happy to have the afternoon to themselves,"Cardin." Acnologia called out to the blonde team leader before he could run off,"Can you handle today's meditation session? I feel as though I won't be making it today."
"No problem, I got a lot of practice doing that when you were out sick." Acnologia patted the boy on the shoulder,"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow." Cardin smiled at his teacher before running off to catch up to the rest of his team,"See ya later Professor." As the first year students ran off a good distance away, Acnologia's fist clenched behind his cloak and he turned to Irene with anger in his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here Spriggan?!"
Irene's eyes narrowed,"I could ask you the same thing Black Dragon." Glynda quickly placed herself in front of Acnologia,"I don't know who you think you are or what your doing, but you endangered our students with that attack." Acnologia growled in agreement, before his nose twitched. His face softened and his eyes widen,"T-that's impossible."
From the forest, Team CFVY rushed to Acnologia's side. "Hey Teach you alright?!" Fox asked as he slid to a stop next to him with Yatsu on the other side and Coco and Velvet next to Glynda, them all ready to fight. "Team CFVY? What are you doing with her?" Glynda asked them.
"They told me they were lost and I told them that I could help them find where ever they wanted to go but if I had knew they'd this I would have never helped them out." Coco explained. "They?" Glynda asked as Anna walked out next to Irene's side. Acnologia took a sharp breath in at the sight of her,"A-Anna." At the mention of the name Glynda's own eyes widen,"That's her? That's Anna?!" She asked looking at the blonde.
"A-Acnologia?" Anna questioned out, seeing him next to the group of students and a teacher all of whom weren't afraid of him, instead they were protective. Acnologia's face narrowed,"What are you both doing here? How did you even get here?"
"Wait, you know who these guys are Teach?" Fox asked. "You could say that, their from my world." Acnologia replied. "What?!" The four students asked turning to the dragon slayer,"But I don't know why their here. So, start explaining." Acnologia said, taking a step in front of the group. "Acnologia, calm yourself." Glynda said putting a hand on his chest.
The mage growled but stood still,"I can only assume you woke up here just like us, with no idea how you got here?" Irene asked. "I died." Acnologia replied with anger in his voice causing both Irene and Anna to widen their eyes in response. "You died?!"
"Don't act surprised, it was your plan wasn't Anna?" Acnologia asked hostilely before he stood tall,"Though I can't say I am not pleased with the result of my being here. But yes, I died and thanks to you trapping me in that time rift I gained some control over time. That power saved me from meeting my end and resulted in my being here. But you Irene don't have time magic and I doubt you simply died from anything Anna, so how did you both get here?"
"No idea, we just woke up here a few months ago." Irene said,"Though I never would have expected to find you here Acnologia, especially not teaching."
"A lot can change Spriggan." The dragon slayer retorted with a snarl as he placed himself further in front of the group he stood with. "A-Acnologia, a-are you....you?" Anna asked, taking a step closer causing Acnologia to look at her as well as Glynda who was curious of the woman the Acnologia first loved. "Are you....my Acnologia." She asked, having come close enough to try and put a hand on his face. Her eyes widen when Acnologia grabbed her wrist before she could touch him, not in a harmful way but in a way just to stop her.
"I will never be your Acnologia again." He told her as he step backwards,"I may not be the destructive monster I was, yes, am I the man that once laid with you....no." Anna's eyes went wide as he stood next to Glynda who looked slightly annoy at the woman,"I should I have assumed so, I did plan to have you beat didn't I?"
"You were not in the wrong for that Anna, but I'm afraid I've moved on from our time together." Acnologia said as he took Glynda's hand causing the blonde teacher to blush slightly,"Did you really have to do that now of all times?" She asked him,"Would you prefer I let her caress my face?"
"Don't make me hurt you Acnologia." Glynda threatened,"Back on topic, tell me why are you travelling with her?" The dragon slayer asked as he pointed his head towards Irene. "Because like you, I to have come to my senses." The scarlet haired mage said as she walked closer to the group,"Or have you already forgotten about how I died?"
The blue haired mage shook his head,"I did not. Hm, team CFVY." Acnologia asked as he turned his head towards the team. "Y-yes sir?" Velvet answered, taken back by the situation. "Go and get Ozpin, tell him we have.....guests so to speak." He told the four. "Yes sir, right away." Velvet nodded before running off with Yatsu falling behind her, leaving Coco and Fox to stare at the four in front of them like it was some kind of Rom-Com. "Did you two not hear me? Go on."
"Oh, come on it was just getting good!" Coco complained. "Coco Adel, Fox Alestair, if you don't do as Acnologia says I'll have you both stay after class tomorrow for disciplinary action." Glynda threatened, releasing her hand from Acnologia's and walking towards them with her riding crop in hand. Fox and Coco's eyes widen before they turned heel and ran,"Yes Ma'am, have a nice day!" They shouted as they ran away at full speed.
Glynda turned back to the two women that interrupted their class session,"Are the two of you hungry?" The two female mages exchanged looks before their stomachs growled against their wills.
-The Outdoor Patio Area-
While Anna and Irene ate quietly at a table, Acnologia sat propped on the ledge of the barrier between the elegant garden behind him and the patio he was in. Glynda stood beside him as he kept an eye on the two mages from his world, particularly Irene due to her past allegiance.
"Care to explain which of them you are keeping an eye on?" Glynda poked at Acnologia only for him to let out a huff of air,"You would know if I was looking at Anna with any kind of desire Glynda."
"Is that another one of this mark's magical properties?" Glynda asked the mage only for him to look at her,"Sort of. That mark connects us Glynda, you feel what I feel to some extent and I you. If I'm in pain, you will know it. You won't feel my pain, but it will feel like a tugging sensation in your chest. At the same time if I am angry, sad, happy.....lustful, you will feel a similar sensation to." Acnologia explained.
"And you feel these things to?" She asked her mate,"I do. And since I can use magic, I can tap into that mark to find you no matter where you are." The dragon slayer told her,"Oh so your basically tracking me?" Glynda asked with a chuckle. "Not constantly Glynda. Its something that takes a conscious effort, and soon you'll be able to do so to."
Glynda's face twisted into slight confusion,"What do you mean I will be able to?" Acnologia turned to his mate,"That mark shared my magic power with you to some extent, that hows the mark formed. You will have the slightest amount of magic from that, and that magic power will never go away as long as that mark is there and that mark cannot be removed by anything less than one of our deaths. And I don't plan on that happening for a very long time."
They both smiled lightly at each other before Acnologia heard the sound of a cane tapping the ground every few seconds. "Ozpin's here." On cue the white haired Headmaster stepped into the covered patio,"One day back, Professor Acnologia, and trouble seems to follow." The dragon slayer snickered as he stood up,"Don't remind me."
Ozpin turned to the two girls eating and stood with his hands atop the cane,"You must be the two that attacked one of my best teachers, yes?" The two looked back at the white haired Headmaster," Greetings, my name is Ozpin, I'm the Headmaster of this Academy. Based off Miss Adel's description, you must be Irene and you must be Anna." He told the two, pointing out them both to the description given to him by Coco.
"That we are. And you said your name was Ozpin? You are the one who allowed The Black Dragon to teach?" Irene asked, curious of the man that she believed converted the Ender of Eras into a school teacher. "That I am, and it has proven to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. Professor Acnologia has been an inspiration to the students at my Academy and I would wager that many of them would owe a great deal of gratitude to him for the changes they have made in themselves, in fact I owe him a great deal for all he has done."
Acnologia stood off to the side, not reacting to the praise in the slightest. "But I haven't come here to talk about one of my teachers. I am here to talk to the two of you." Ozpin said as he pulled one of the chairs under the patio and took a seat in it. "I can only assume that, based off your knowledge of our mutual friend here, that you come from the same world that Acnologia does. Earthland I believe?"
"You told him?" Anna asked the dragon slayer to which he nodded,"I saw no need to lie to the man." Acnologia replied,"Indeed. I know much about Acnologia, and at the same time I know very little. Less than Glynda does I would assume. For instance, I do not know why you call him the Black Dragon but I have a few guesses that I shall keep to my self."
"So you haven't told him of your past have you?" Irene asked Acnologia, leaning back in her chair. "Not to the degree you most likely mean, no. He does not know about much of it, as I do not know much about his. We have a mutual respect and trust that are respected secrets are ours to keep, it is that simple." The blue haired mage explained,"But she knows, as does the four children that led you to me." He told them as he pointed at Glynda.
"And yet neither they, nor her, fear you. Perhaps you have changed more than I previously believed." Irene told him,"Funny, I feel the exact opposite about you Spriggan." Acnologia rebuked. The two stared each other down before Ozpin spoke up,"Thats enough out of both of you. Professor, a word?" Acnologia gave Irene one final glare before following Ozpin off the patio and out into the garden that surrounded it.
"So.....nice weather we're having." Anna spoke up trying to defuse the conversation, however it fell flat as Irene didn't respond and Glynda was staring out at the two who were currently talking about the situation.
Ozpin stood relatively still while Acnologia continued to pace around him,"You seem quite unsettled by the two of them appearing my friend. Care to tell me why?" The dragon slayer stopped in his gate for a moment before looking up at the headmaster,"That Spriggin is dangerous."
"And you aren't?" Ozpin countered causing Acnologia to shoot him a look,"All I'm saying is that once upon a time it seems you weren't the nicest of people either. Perhaps we should consider that, like you, she has changed." The dragon slayer growled but couldn't refute Ozpin's words. "How about this, why don't you question Miss Irene about some of the things you are worried about to see if she has truly changed? And if she hasn't, we'll figure out something later."
Acnologia stood still, staring at Ozpin with a begrudging look on his face. "I hate your logic Ozpin....your sound, well thought out logic." Ozpin smiled before bowing slightly,"Well I do try. But I will say, you find Miss Irene to be untrustworthy, yet Miss Anna has done nothing spark some form of unrest. Care to tell me why?"
"If you think its because I still hold feelings for my old lover, your sorely mistaken." The mage said as he turned away from Ozpin,"I hadn't realized the two of you were something of a couple once, but that's something I'll refrain from asking of. However it still doesn't tell me why you trust her." Acnologia rolled his eyes,"Anna was a teacher and protector, not a destroyer like myself and Irene. She would never do anything to hurt the students here or any child anywhere." He explained.
"She was a teacher? How....fortunate." Ozpin said as he tapped his chin causing Acnologia to look back at him,"You couldn't possible be considering-"
"I hired you didn't I?" The headmaster said with a smile causing the dragon slayer to grumble under his breath,"Lets just test Irene before you make any hasty decisions." Acnologia told the white haired man as he turned to walk back to the patio. "Such a confusing individual you are Acnologia." Ozpin muttered before he followed suit.
As the dragon slayer walked back onto the patio, he immediately stood before Irene with a serious look on his face. "Do you have a problem, Black Dragon?" Acnologia growled slightly before Ozpin stepped between them,"I'm afraid, given the circumstances and Professor's....disapproval of you, we need to ask you a few questions. Is that all right?"
Irene looked over the two men who were questioning her before she sighed,"Very well, if it will end your silly concerns ask away." Ozpin bowed his head slightly in a sign of thanks before he gestured to Acnologia who looked dead at Irene with utter seriousness across his face,"Before we begin, you should know that if I sense even the slightest bit of a lie.....I will not hesitate to end what I started back on Earthland." The once Queen of Dragons' eyes widen at the implication,"Lets begin."
"Do you regret your past actions? Has your time here cleared the haze that plagued you as a dragon? Remember, answer truthfully or else." Irene waited a moment before she looked at Anna who simply nodded which made the ex-spriggan turn back to the dragon slayer awaiting her answer,"You ask very....personal questions Acnologia. But yes, I am rather.....displeased with how I handled myself after...."
"That's enough Belserion, next question." Acnologia halted her words, finding that she had said enough of the matter and had said it honestly. "Should you pass my questions and decide to align with Ozpin, would you return to the Black Wizard if he somehow returned?" Irene's eyes widen,"Are you saying Lord Zeref is dead?" Of course Anna was shocked by the implication but Glynda and Ozpin were left in the dark, which Ozpin merely waved off as it being the past of another world.
"Hm, I forget that you sacrificed yourself before his death. Yes the Black Wizard was defeated by the son of Igneel, Natsu Dragneel. I believe he was a friend of your daughters." Acnologia told the red haired mage,"Now answer the question." Irene's eyes hardened at the dragon slayers persistence and relentless nature,"I only aligned myself with Lord Zeref because of my....past. However, my past and this world have nothing to do with each other. So if I choose to side with you, oh Mighty King, I would not abandon what ever cause you seem to support."
Acnologia turned to Ozpin who was smiling slightly. The dragon slayer grumbled a little before he turned back to Irene to move on to the next question with a light breath out,"Are you prepared to amend for your past actions, as I am trying to do?" This one caught Anna's attention as well as Irene's,"I am." She answered fairly quickly.
"Would you protect the people of this world, the students here at Beacon, anyone that needs to be saved as the we have?" He asked her, gesturing to the two other teachers behind him. "If need be, I would." Acnologia made one last look back at Ozpin who only nodded back,"Well then, just one more question. Are you ready to answer it?"
"As ready as I have been for these last few." Irene replied almost sarcastically,"Are you prepared to learn of this world, its true dangers and to bear the responsibility along with it? But most importantly, are you both willing to do so?" Acnologia asked, looking to both Anna and Irene for an answer this time. "What do you mean by that?"
At the response to the question, Ozpin stepped to Acnologia's side. "He is asking if you are truly willing to help me? To help Beacon Academy, all of Remnant?" Both mage's eyes widen once again for what must have been for the hundreth time this afternoon. "Well?" Acnologia prodded,"Your asking us to stay here, aren't you?" Irene asked.
Ozpin nodded with a smile,"To become teachers here, or at any of the four schools established around the world and to protect the world you now find yourselves in. It is not an easy thing to answer, but I assure you that it is truly worth it. You both were very hostile to Acnologia upon your meeting earlier today, but from what I gather he is very different than when you remember. If he is protecting and fighting for peace instead of destruction, don't you think that why he is doing that is something quite important?"
The two mages looked between each other and the hesitance and curiosity in their faces were quite clear. Ozpin sighed before he spoke again,"Before you decide anything, please let me show you something." Glynda's eyes widen,"Ozpin are you sure? We didn't even show Acnologia until quite recently. We don't know much about these two." Ozpin simple chuckled,"Professor Acnologia, would you say that our new friends here are trustworthy enough to know?"
Acnologia sighed,"As much as I want to say no, I'm afraid that the Spriggan answered the questions.....correctly. And Anna would never do something to harm an innocent living creature. So, yes. They....they are." He said as he retreated next to his mate. "Are you sure?" Glynda asked him,"As much as I hate to admit it, I'm afraid so."
"As nice as that is, what exactly do you plan on showing us?" Irene asked,"Your vagueness is honestly concerning if I had to be truthful." Anna added. Ozpin gestured for them both to stand,"Follow me and I will show you."
-Ozpin's Office Elevator, a few minutes later-
The group of five slowly travelled down in Ozpin's elevator, progressively heading further down to the secret bunker which housed the injured fall Maiden. Acnologia halfway leaned onto Glynda as his motion sickness bothered him earning them an interesting look from Anna, not of jealousy but of curiosity.
"Tell me, what exactly could lay under a school besides some kind of basement?" Irene asked,"Something secret of course." Ozpin replied with the same vagueness as he did when he first showed Acnologia the secret vault. "Always with the vague answers Ozpin, uhg....How much longer?" The dragon slayer asked.
On cue, the bell to the elevator dinged. "Right about now." As the doors opened, Irene and Anna both had their expectations blown out of the water as the long dimly lit corridor opened up before them. The three who had already seen it moved out of the elevator, leaving the two female mages behind. Ozpin turned, noticing their absence, before he gestured for them to follow.
Anna and Irene quickly shook of their shock and followed the three Beacon teachers,"This is....surprising to say the least." Anna spoke up,"You get used to it." Acnologia told her,"So this is the secret you were implying of?" Irene asked,"No." The dragon slayer quickly responded,"The secret we mentioned is something much....darker than a mere bunker."
"Its actually a vault." Ozpin corrected,"A vault for what?" Anna asked, with hers and Irene's interests being piqued. "You shall see." Acnologia said, speaking for Ozpin. True to his word, the five continued down the long corridor to a strange machine where Ironwood was checking a panel on the machine. The General turned just in time to notice the group approaching them,"Ozpin....and guests. Who are these two?"
"James Ironwood, Irene Belsrion and Anna Heartfelia. Old....friends of Acnologia." At the subtle lie, Acnologia grumbled. "Friends is stretching it." Iroonwoods eyes narrowed and his fist clenched,"So were just allowing anyone into the know now are we?" He asked with a displeased look on his face. "Trust me General, I don't exactly like this either but its this or they roam free. And I don't feel comfortable with that." The dragon slayer spoke up. "Nothing about being in Ozpin's inner circle should be comfortable, Acnologia."
The blue haired mage sighed,"I know, just......a word please." Acnologia said as he gestured away from the group. "Fine." Ironwood said as he walked passed the group and Acnologia. The dragon slayer followed suit, giving the group one last look before he walked off. "Well he's certainly a happy one." Irene said. "James has the best intentions at heart.....but I'm afraid some of my decisions go against his better nature. Just like this one. Now then, tell me....What do you two think of fairy tales?"
While Ozpin began to speak, Acnologia and Ironwood got a decent distance from them to give them their peace. "What did you want to say?" Ironwood asked with a bit of anger in his voice. "Careful General, I don't generally like to be spoken to like that. But given the situation I shouldn't expect you to be calm."
"Oh really?" The General asked with sarcasm laced in his voice,"James." Acnologia said harshly, catching Ironwood by surprise. "Listen to me. What I'm about to tell you is about as far fetched as things can go, and I'm saying that with the knowledge of Salem and Ozpin's ability to reincarnate."
"He finally got around to telling you that. Not surprising." James told him,"Right. Regardless, I need you to listen to me closely." The General was taken back by Acnologia's sudden seriousness,"Remember when we first met, you asked me if there was anything you needed to know about me further than what Ozpin told you and I told you that there was nothing to concern you....well now it concerns you."
"What exactly is there to be concerned about with you?" Ironwood asked,"Everything you don't know about me." Acnologia told him. "For instance, I'm not as old as Ozpin but I am over four hundred years old." The General's eyes widen,"What?! If you haven't even told me your true age, what else haven't you told me?"
"Careful General. I don't have to tell you this, but I feel as though it will.....explain things and help smooth over Anna and the Spriggan's arrival." Acnologia explained,"Spriggan? Like the fairy?"
"Please, don't get me started on that." The dragon slayer said as he squeezed the bridge of his nose,"Regardless of the group Irene used to be apart of and my disgust of them, I'm going to tell you a story. And much like the one I'm sure Ozpin told you, it will sound like a fairy tale."
The mage gave the General a shortened version of his, and partially the other two mages, history and how they came to be in the world of Remnant excluding anything that Ozpin didn't know. "And the others know this?"
"Considering mine and Glynda's new relationship, yes. There is much I passed over that she knows about, but now you know as much as Ozpin and he trusts me so it should be enough." Acnologia told him causing a shocked expression to cross over his face,"There's more?" The dragon slayer chuckled,"Four hundred years can only be summed up in pieces, it would take hours for me to tell you everything and I would still forget things. I have a good memory, not a perfect one."
"Four hundred years, another world, magic.....and I thought I knew everything there was to know." Ironwood said, speaking his thoughts outloud. "Believe me, I know the feeling and I have centuries on you in age. Goes to show you that you can always keep learning." Acnologia told him as he looked back to Ozpin, who was reaching the end of his own story. "So what's it like?"
"What's what like?" Acnologia asked,"To know there's worlds upon worlds out there, or at least that theres a possibility of them being out there? That there is a possibility of worlds were people are far greater than even us or you! The three of you have travelled from one to another, so what's that like?" The General questioned with a strange intrest in the mutli-universe, or multi-dimensional, possibility. "When you consider how we came here, its not exactly something I would consider doing again." Ironwood slowly nodded,"Ah, yes that....that is a hefty price to pay."
The dragon slayer shrugged,"Not for myself or Irene, we were the villians of our stories. Victims of consequence, our lives were hell or at least they appear to be now. I much prefer the way I life I live now to the one that I had on Earthland, but had I been on the side of good like I am here where, if had friends and family there....I don't believe that I would find the price worth it, would you?"
"No, I don't believe I would." The General replied, thinking about Acnologia's words. "Well then, should we rejoin with the rest of our group?"
"Just....one more question. I overheard some students, a couple of faunus actually, talking about you spoke before you battled the Grimm that breached Vale. They said you said something about you and the Grimm sharing the title of Monster, and that tied into something I heard Ozpin mumbling something about titles. He kept saying,'what was his title?' and so, I'm asking you. What was your title?" Ironwood asked.
"I should have figured he would be curious about that. My title.....is no longer mine. I passed it off to another, so it doesn't matter." Acnologia told the General,"Will that be sufficient for you?"
"It'll do." Ironwood said as the two started to walk towards the rest of their group just in time to catch the end of Ozpin's story. "-With all of that in mind, will the both of you stay and help mine....all of our cause?"
Both Irene and Anna gave each other a short look before they gave the Headmaster their answer.
-Much Later, On the Cliff over looking the Emerald Forest-
Acnologia sat at the edge of the cliff side where the first year students had their initiation test several months ago now. The dragon slayer would go there to watch the sunset every so often when a day of class was to stressful or, like today, when a day proved to be to informative.
Only today Glynda was at his side, enjoying the beauty of the fire colored sky with her head resting on his shoulder and their fingers interlocked as their opposite hands rested on Acnologia's lap.
However, the moment of quiet was interrupted as the sound of light footsteps filled the blue haired mage's ears. "Glynda." He said softly causing her to sigh,"We only got one day to ourselves. I'm starting to wish we never left that hotel room....I'll be going back to the dorm room so you and her can have what ever discussion you need to have. See you there." She told him with a quick kiss before standing up.
Behind them, Anna stood with a surprised look on her face. Acnologia himself was slightly surprised over her knowing who came up behind them, even if he knew who it was. "Alright, I'll be there soon." He told her as he too stood up, keeping his back to Anna as Glynda walked just passed her. The two blondes giving each other a kind smile and a nod as a level of thanks and acknowledgement passed by the two of them.
As Glynda walked off, silence ensued between Acnologia and Anna as one would think would happen between to ex-lovers. "You came to talk I assume, so talk." Acnologia told Anna, keeping his eyes on the falling light of the sun. "Always to the point. It seems not everything has changed about you."
"But enough about me has changed from four hundred years ago." He told her,"That is very true. So....She is your...." Acnologia let out a short breath of air as a smile came to his face,"Yes, she is."
Anna smiled at his sudden prideful tone,"She seems like a nice woman, and you are much kinder than even when we were together. You two seem like you will be happy together." She told the blue haired mage,"This world has made me kinder, civilized me, and for once in my life....I am content. I know that my past actions were wrong, my convictions came from a good place but I allowed them to make into the same kind of monster that I wished to vanquish. But here, my abilities, my ferocity, my knowledge, they can all be used for something good instead of something destructive."
"Who would have knew? You have a teacher's soul." Anna told him with a smile on her face,"I got it from you and it only grew with my time here.....I guess what I'm trying to say, is thank you. If it weren't for you and those seven children, I wouldn't have the opportunity to better myself the way I have. So thank you."
"A-Acnologia, did.....did you just compliment me for helping kill you?" The blonde haired mage asked him only for him to scratch his head out of the strange nature of the thanks,"I....believe so? This entire situation is weird enough on its own without us prodding into its innards."
"Fair enough. Well, were going to be introduced as teachers. I am curious to see how this world's teachings will differ from what I taught oh so long ago." Anna told the dragon slayer beside her. "It will be....an enlighten experience to say the least." Acnologia said as he turned to her for the first time in this conversation,"Well, in any case-" He began, outstretching his hand. "-Welcome to Beacon."
She gave him a surprised look before taking his hand,"Thank you, I'll pass the welcome to Irene." Acnologia rolled his eyes slightly at the statement,"You do that." He told her before he began to head towards the dorms.
"Oh, and Acnologia." The blue haired mage turned his head to acknowledge her calling to him,"Your welcome." Acnologia smiled slightly before he turned and began his walk again, giving Anna a wave as the wind caused his cloak to whip behind him with the sun shining down on his back.
It was a peaceful end to a day. Little did anyone know-
-it was the beginning of the end.