Reed POV:
Well. Todays the day I go on this stupid little field trip. Why the hell did I agree to this? I mean there's no real harm in going but it's more me feeling lazy. There's a good chance I go there and leave with nothing, so it's just a waste of time.
I get out of bed and shower quickly, not wanting to waste time. It's 7:40 so I have 20 minutes to get ready. Should be enough.
I won't lie though. I'm a bit nervous. I'm meeting a whole new side of humanity...not really humanity but they're still humanoids. And these people are enslaved, broken, completely submissive and it's 100% not by choice.
No. Just shut up. It doesn't matter. Even someone like you was thrown to the wind. Just focus on your own life damnit.
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I dry myself up and get dressed in some black jeans, black jacket with a tan undershirt underneath and some black sneakers. Nothing special really. I'm not going to a fucking funeral or anything.
I go over to my mirror and see my hair go down to my shoulders. Do I put it in a bun? I don't think I care right now. If Ozpin were to know anything about my old family then it would be too late, the silver eyes gave it away. I'll still wear the contacts at least.
I head back down to my living room and notice my wallet. If we really are going inside these facilities then I'll probably need an ID. Thankfully I have had that covered for awhile now.
I grab it and head out, locking the door to the cabin and heading out into this open area close by. It would be the only way that a bullhead or some other aircraft would be able to reach here without destroying the forest.
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It's been about 20-ish minutes now and-
Oh. There it is.
I look up and see the bullhead slowly descending towards the ground, the grass and some trees flowing from the wind. As it lands on the ground the side door opens and I notice Ozpin with his...busty assistant. God she looks miserable. Is that her normal face or is it because of the Trade?
Ozpin: "Good morning Reed. Ready to head out? It's not everyday a new batch of these people come in."
These...people?
I sit up from the tree I was sitting up against and step inside of the bullhead, closing the door and sighing.
Reed: "I knew you were old but not old enough to where you say "these people"."
Ozpin shrugs and sits back in his seat, waving to the pilot to lift off the ground once again.
Ozpin: "At least I'm addressing them as a people unlike what some would say."
You know what. Fair enough Ozpin.
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I imagined this trip to be quiet and NOT an interrogation yet here I am...
The sounds of heels approaching to me gets louder and louder until it stop. My eyes may be closed but I can feel the persons presence.
Glynda: "Rose."
...
Reed: "Excuse me?"
She knows. Ozpin knows. Even if I said earlier that I wouldn't care so much if he knew...it sucks to know that they actually pieced it together.
And if Ozpin and Glynda know that family name...then they must know those two...
Glynda: "Is that your last name? We only know of one family with black and red hair with silver eyes."
...great.
Reed: "...okay yeah what about them? Are you trying to send me back? Was this some ploy to get me sent back there?"
Glynda stands there stammered with a shocked expression on her face.
Glynda: "What? So you are him! W-Why are you not living with your family?"
Reed: "I was neglected by my parents. They chose their favorites, preferred my sister over me. I did them a favor and ran. All I wanted was to be loved by them but that's a chance that is so far gone now..."
Silence fills this part of the bullhead and it's a VERY LOUD silence.
Ozpin: "That's not true...is it?"
Reed: "Very much is."
I stand up and take my jacket and shirt off, exposing my chest with a couple very bad looking scars on me. Ozpin gasps and Glynda puts a hand over her mouth, tears forming in her eyes.
Reed: "I was left out of most things thanks to how they decided to be parents. Birthdays? Nothing. Family dinners? Nothing. Holidays? Nothing. I always tried to get them to love me but nothing ever worked."
I feel a tear go down my face but I wipe it away quickly before sitting back down.
Reed: "One fateful birthday. Yang was playing on some game console and I asked if I could play with her. Not ask for a turn, but just to join her. Hell, even just watch. She kept on ignoring me and I just started to cry. I wasn't even whining, I was just silently crying and asking why she hated me. That's when she did this to me. It only ever happened once but it showed me the reality of the situation, the reality of my life. I had to face everything alone, deal with everything alone. Even now I still need to."
Ozpin sighs angrily and rubs his forehead, clearly annoyed and angry at something.
Ozpin: "Alright...I'm very sorry we brought this whole thing up. We will continue this talk later though. We'll even bring you back to Beacon. We have extra dorm rooms that aren't used. You don't deserve to be exiled anymore. Especially not after hearing that story."
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3rd person POV:
Reeds face is slightly red from his gentle crying. He looks at Ozpin and nods before breaking down slightly. Glynda sits on the other side of Reed, patting his back slowly and rubbing it in slow circles.
Ozpin: This makes no damn sense! He has shown proof of that beating so I know he isn't lying. But why would Tai and Summer want him back if they neglected him?! They're taking me for a damn fool. No. I'll get the truth from them. No one uses me like this.
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Reed POV:
Even with someone like me being a broken kid, not being aware of how society works and what's okay, this Trade ordeal doesn't sit right with me.
But...I'm a bit glad that Ozpin and Glynda would be here to support me. But it also sucks that they're aware of who I am now. At any point Ozpin could go to my parents and ask them about the truth now that I've opened my mouth. That would expose that I'm alive still and even now staying at Beacon temporarily.
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Half an hour has passed and we're finally at this damn facility. I'd imagine this is a pretty popular thing to participate in nowadays but why is this facility so far from everything? It's in the middle of fucking nowhere.
Once we land and all of us step out and make our way towards the main buildings front doors, I look over at Glynda and notice her looking off.
Reed: "Are you alright Ms. Goodwitch? You don't seem very comfortable."
She chuckles a bit but keeps a somewhat sad look on her face.
Glynda: "That conversation on the way here didn't sit right with me. But I'm also not the largest fan of this place. All the Faunus here are naked so if you aren't someone who doesn't mind nudity then things become awkward. It also gets very hot in those rooms and I hate the feeling of sweat on my body."
Naked Faunus in a hot room. Great. Sounds like a perfect way to spend a Monday morning.
My conversation with the two is not making her feel good though. Why? I get that it's a sad story but usually the listeners would just feel guilty is all. I'll have to ask about that later then I guess.
We head over to the main desk as Ozpin sorts through some paperwork with the receptionist. Thankfully that's over quickly and we're led towards a room with a big obvious sign on it.
NEW SLAVES.
Tch. Yeah. Doesn't feel right. I'm not going to fight for their freedom but that doesn't mean this feels normal to me.
We step inside and are met with a couple front row seats with a long platform in front of it. As we all sit down we hear one of the side doors open with a man coming out.
???: "Hello, Hello! Oh! Ozpin! Good to see you! Glynda as well! And who's the young man?"
This guys seems a little too excited and cheery in a slave trading camp.
Reed: "My name is Reed..."
I look to my right and see both Glynda and Ozpin nodding with smiles on their faces.
Reed: "...Rose."
???: "Nice to meet you Mr. Rose!"
He sticks his hand out and we both shake. He seems like a nice older man. Though I think he could relax on the coffee and antidepressants a bit.
???: "I assume you three are here for the new batch? It's becoming more and more rare to find some new unused slaves but there's something even more special about these ones! I won't spoil it though. Oh! And Reed? Just call me Mr. Carey."
Reed: "Right..Mr. Carey. Nice to meet you too."
He smiles and nods before going back into the side room he came from. Even with the door shut I can hear him yelling at some people though I can't hear the exact words. The door opens again and he steps out followed by 7 Faunus slaves, all naked with name tags and chains wrapped around their wrists. All of them form a line and step onto the platform.
This is weird. I know Ozpin showed me a picture of one on his scroll and then I saw some on that website but seeing them in person is a whole different experience.
Mr. Carey: "And here we are! The new ones! I know this isn't exactly your thing Glynda so there's no pressure. But Reed! Ozpin! Take your time!"
I hesitantly get up alongside Ozpin and begin my inspections.
I begin on the left while he starts on the right. I look over at him and see him already eyeing them up and down, looking at their muscles and seeing if they're in top shape.
Ozpin may be a bit old but I know him well enough to know he isn't looking at them for those purposes...especially since he's looking at a male Faunus currently.
My first one is what seems to be a Monkey Faunus. He has a blonde monkey tail with blonde hair, tan skin and he's decently built. He has a couple scratches along his body but for the most part he seems fine.
What's his name?
I grab the name tag and turn it so it's not sideways.
Sun Wukong.
Heh. That's just humorous, ain't it?
Anyways, I don't think he'd be for me. I don't really know what would be for me anyways but that's besides the point.
I move over to the next one and it's a Cat Faunus with long black hair and black cat ears sticking out from them.
Reed: "Man this is weird. This may be stupid to ask but can you move those like an actual cat?"
???: "Y-Yes sir."
She closes her eyes and slowly wiggles her ears back and forth.
Reed: "Woah. That's really interesting. Sorry to ask that, just curious was all."
Mr. Carey: "Why're you apologizing Reed? They're Faunus."
Reed: "I had never seen one up until this point. I barely know much about how this place and how anything works really. I'm a bit of a special case."
I look to the one next to her and notice she looks...strangely similar to the first one. I look at their name tags and my eyes widen at the revelation.
Blake Belladonna.
Kali Belladonna.
Reed: "Are you two sisters?"
Mr. Carey: "That's the little surprise with this lot. Mother and daughter. They don't normally put them together like this but the idiots who gathered them up just assumed they were sisters. As a punishment to those workers but a reward for the consumers, the Belladonnas are a package. You buy both for the price of one."
Really now...?
Reed: "Hmmm..."
Mr. Carey walks up behind them and puts a hand on their shoulders.
Mr. Carey: "I have a sense of when someone is intrigued with my wares." He says with a grin.
Reed: "You might be right on that."
Mr. Carey laughs and heads over to the other room for a second to grab some paperwork. I look at the two and take in the sight.
Not the sight of two naked girls.
The sight of a broken family. A broken daughter and mother. I wonder what happened to the father. Did he die maybe trying to hold off some hunters so these two could escape and hide? Maybe she's a single mother? I don't know the story but I do feel bad for them. I don't feel bad in the way of looking down at them with pity, but I do genuinely feel bad that this is their life.
If I were to buy them right here...I'll attempt to make their lives as easy as possible. I won't spoil them, no. They will still work, but I know certain owners treat their Faunus somewhat kindly.
I'll do the same.
Mr. Carey comes back with some papers for me, handing me them. He's holding two leashes in his other hand...am I supposed to walk them out of here with that on them?
Mr. Carey: "5000 Lien and they're officially yours."
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I wish that were a joke but I know it's not. It says so on the papers here.
I pull out my wallet and painfully take out a credit card. He happily takes it and goes back into the other room to basically drain it.
This better be worth it.
After a couple seconds he comes back and gives me my card which is most likely asking for the sweet release of death. He puts the collars around their necks and attaches the leashes after I put the card back in. He gives me the leashes with a grin but immediately switches to a stern look towards the two Belladonnas.
Mr. Carey: "Thank your new owner for giving your lives a purpose."
Blake/Kali: "Thank you Master Rose. We will serve you as best we can." They say this with a quick bow after it.
It almost sounds rehearsed. And I'm not so sure about them calling me Master. Might have that changed sooner then later.
Ozpin: "Huh. Didn't think you'd do it Reed. What changed your mind?"
Reed: "There's a certain level of desperation you feel when you're completely isolated for so long. Having these two there to help with chores around the place but also just being there will help me a lot."
Ozpin laughs and pats my back with his cane. Why his cane?
Ozpin: "Seems you'll have an almost full dorm then with those two included. Remember, it's my academy. I'm the headmaster and I can do whatever I want with the place in terms of visitors and people. I'm sure they'll also appreciate the living space that isn't that old cabin."
Wait, seriously? He can just do that! That's...wow he really just doesn't care.
Reed: "Well let's try to finish up here then."
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Ozpin never ended up actually buying any of the others. Whatever will happen to them...I don't want to imagine. It makes me feel bad for leaving them behind but these fuckers are pricey.
I don't see why humanity hates the Faunus. I can understand the White Fang with being a terrorist group in its final years, there's an actual excuse to not liking them, but what about the normal Faunus? They're just humans with extra physical features.
We head to the main lobby with our two new additions and sign some more documents, making me the new owner of some Faunus. We leave the facility and head back into our bullhead, starting our trip back to Vale.
Somewhere in the depths of my mind I feel like I've just made a mistake.
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Next Chapter: New Life, New Teacher.