Disclaimer: I. OWN. NOTHING.
It has been a trying couple of days for Ruby Rose and her friends since they left Mistral.
First there was the Grimm attack on the train to Argus, that forced the group to split, with Jaune, Nora and Ren continuing to the city of Argus while the rest stayed behind with the relic of knowledge.
Then there was the confrontation with Ozpin that led to Oscar forcing out the password to the relic, leading to the revelation of Ozma's and Salem's origin.
Next came an incident in which Team RWBY, Qrow and Oscar had to spend a night in a ghost town that turned out to be quite literally haunted by a horde of apathy Grimm.
Things began to settle when the group finally made it to Argus and were reunited with their friends, who were staying at the house of Jaune's older sister, Sapphron. However, this was not to last, as once Ruby told Team JN(P)R what they had found out the day before, mayhem broke out again.
It all took a turn to the nasty when Jaune began to loudly question Oscar's trustworthiness, going as far as attacking Ozpin's young host.
After that altercation died down, the group decided to disperse for a while. Jaune and his team took to the upper floor of the house, Weiss, Blake and Yang went out to buy food, Qrow was out drinking since before ,and Ruby left for the back yard, where she found old Maria Calavera sitting.
"You know," said Maria as Ruby threw her scroll away in frustration after not being able to contact Qrow. "I came out
here to avoid the yelling."
"Sorry," said Ruby. "The others went to get food for tonight."
"Why not go with them?" asked Maria.
"I don't know," said Ruby. "I don't know
anything. I feel like I'm letting everyone down."
"If you're tired of not knowing anything," said Maria. "How about we discuss those eyes of yours."
"Oh! Uh, yes ma'am! I would be honored!" exclaimed Ruby, jumping unto her feet.
For a long while they stayed, and Maria told Ruby of the origin and nature of the silver eyes, according to what her own father had taught her many years ago.
"But," began Ruby. "That can't be right?you said the light only reacts to Grimm, but I used it during our battle at Haven. It reacted to Cinder."
"Interesting," said Maria. "Perhaps there was something that you just weren't seeing?"
"Ruby!" suddenly came Yang's voice from inside the house.
Ruby hurried inside to meet her sister and teammates.
"Oh... Hey, guys!" she said.
Jaune and his team soon stepped in as well.
"What's going on?" asked Jaune.
Yang looked to Blake whose cat ears were folded, indicating fear or distress.
"It's Oscar," said Blake. "He's missing."
Everyone was shocked, but before they could even initiate a thought another voice was heard. An unfamiliar voice, cold and assertive; And it did not come from a singular source, but rather was heard all around them.
"And until he is ready to face you again, none of you will lay eyes on him!"
The world sizzled and warped around Team RWBY and JNR,
and if Maria's startled "What the-" that sounded from the back yard was to go by, then the case was the same for her.
When it all died down, the eight temporary inhabitants of the Cotta-Arc House had found themselves standing in an enormous dimly lit hall. It was a terrible situation; unarmed, in an unfamiliar location, and Ozpin's host is gone.
As they scanned their surroundings they noticed that the hall was, in fact... a cinema theater?
This confused the party mighty, but once again they had no time to process as just then a cry and a thud came from behind them.
They turned to the direction of the noise and saw Qrow Branwen lying on a knee-high stage under the biggest screen any of them had ever laid their eyes on.
"Uncle Qrow!" cried out Ruby and Yang as they rushed to help him get up.
Qrow on his part groaned in disoriented pain as he slowly advanced with his nieces' support to the rim of the stage and sat down.
"Oh come on," came the voice again. "You fell less than your own height!"
It did not echo as much this time, but more importantly, it had a source.
Everyone turned the way opposite of the screen.
Between the two most central rows of chairs stood a slender young man in a black tuxedo and a top hat; his left hand on his hip and his right was on a walking cane with a curved, mechanical looking grip.
He looked to Ruby like a weird combination of Ozpin and Roman Torchwick.
"You!" yelled out Jaune. "You are the one that brought us here!"
"Perceptive!" said the man in the tux sarcastically. "How did you figure that one out?"
"Don't play games with us!" shouted Yang. "What do you want?"
The stranger's face became serious.
"To protect Oscar Pine!" he said, noticeable aggression in his voice.
"By keeping us away from him?" shot Nora. "Makes sense — NOT!"
"Makes sense — Yes!" exclaimed the man. "The last thing your friend needs right now is to have to deal with your toxicity any further!"
The group went silent for a moment as they took in the man's words. Jaune lowered his head in shame. Then, Ruby stepped forward.
"I know we didn't treat Oscar great," admitted Ruby. "But he's all alone out there! If you really want to protect Oscar," she pleaded. "Then please, let us find him!"
The man did not answer immediately. Rather, he closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and took a deep breath.
"Oscar is in a very sensitive mental state," said the man slowly. "I know you didn't mean to hurt him, but the damage is done, and I found that any intervention on your part will most likely just worsen it. He can recover on his own, but he needs time to do it by his own pace."
They didn't know who this strange man was, or what he had to do with Oscar, but hearing this filled the heroes with feelings of shame and defeat. Remembering that Oscar was the one who told them Jinn's name, and thus allowed them to find out about Salem's immortality, only made matters worse for team RWBY.
Then, Qrow decided that it was his turn to stand up and speak up.
"Let's say we believe you," said Qrow slurrishly, still exceptionally drunk. "How the hell is any of this YOUR business?"
"Well, it isn't," the man in the tux answered simply. "But if you behave yourselves during your time here, the next person I'll bring here will be General Ironwood."
The heroes went silent. If the man would let them speak to Ironwood, they could get a flight to Atlas ordered for them!
The man looked at them and grinned.
"Got your interest now, haven't I?" he asked.
No one answered. None of them knew if to believe the complete stranger.
"Why should we trust you?" asked Qrow.
"You shouldn't: you don't know me!" the man said matter-of-factly. "But what better choice do you have? Because let's say I sent you back right now (don't worry about Oscar – he is almost certain to return to you on his own in a matter of hours);" he continued. "What will you do? Steal an airship and fly it all the way to Atlas? Even if you succeed against all odds, what do you think Cordovin would do when she finds out where the people who stole from her were staying?"
No one, not even Qrow, argued back. As much as they hated admitting it to themselves, the man in the tux was right, and the last thing Jaune wanted was for his sister and her family to suffer because of him.
"Fine," said Yang in defeat. "We'll stay in your stupid cinema."
"I'll pretend you didn't say that," said the man.
"What do you want us to do, anyway?" asked Blake. "Watch movies while we wait for Oscar to 'recover', as you put it?"
The man smirked. "In a way, yes," he said as he began to move across his level. "But they won't be the kind of movies you are used to."
"What do you mean?" asked Nora in annoyance.
"They aren't works of fiction," said the man.
"So, you are going to show us a bunch of documentaries?" asked Weiss.
"Those are the worst kind of movies!" spat Ruby.
The man gave her a quick glance and his smirk grew. "I guess you could call them that..." he said.
"STOP TALKING IN RIDDLES!" roared Yang, her eyes red and her hair on fire.
The man looked at her with boredom for a moment, but soon the smirk returned to his face.
"Very well!" he said. "I will show you... The Multiverse!"
There was an awkward silence for a few moments, until Maria, who had kept quiet so far, broke it with a sudden and loud: "WHAT?!"
"The multiverse?" cried Jaune in disbelief. "You mean other dimensions?"
"Yes!" exclaimed the man in the tux.
Nora leaned towards Ren. "I think this guy is a little Cookoo," she said quietly.
"I am very Cookoo – Thank you very little!" complained the man.
"You are going to show us different versions of reality?" shot yang. "I don't buy that!"
"You will!" said the man in a deep, throaty voice.
Suddenly, it seemed to the group that the whole cinema has shifted position. A few moments later, they realized it wasn't the cinema, but they themselves. They found themselves seated in very good chairs in the center of the theater. They looked around trying to find the man when a whistle made them turn their heads one way.
The man in the tuxedo and the top hat was sitting by the right wall of the theater. He was on a high, spinning chair, like the ones found in bars. Before him was a tall desk with an array of screens and devices laid upon it.
"Before we start," said the man. "I should mention something; since I brought you all here, essentially, because of Oscar, I found it fitting that the content I show you will focus on him."
"Just show us your 'multiverse' already," said Yang, wanting to get this over as soon as possible and hoping that the man was accountable.
The man smiled softly. "Very well," he said. "Let's start with something easy."
(This took *FAR* longer than it should have. Sorry if it came out too long. Hope I could update soon. Might take requests, so leave ideas in comments.)