3rd Person POV
RWBY Dorm
"Say that again," Yang demanded. She, Blake, and Weiss sat on the bunkbed opposite Sincline and Ruby. After returning from the CCT tower and informing Ironwood of what had happened, the two had decided to sleep the rest of the night and let the others know what occurred in the morning. Needless to say, they were taking it well. "What happened last night?"
"Well..." Ruby exchanged looks with Sincline before turning back to her sister. "After Sincline and I danced last night, I was having trouble with my heels, so we went outside and saw this woman in black running on the rooftop. We followed her to the CCT, and we... we..."
Sincline gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll take it from here," he assured, seeing that Ruby was still having trouble handling what she saw last night. While he had little doubt that she had the capacity to take someone's life, he knew that the sight of so many dead would be traumatizing for someone at her age... at least, that's what he could tell from what he found in Beacon's library.
Nodding, Ruby sat back, and Sincline faced the others. "We followed the woman to the CCT just as Ruby said. But when we got there..." He glanced at Ruby before turning back to the others. "Everyone was already dead."
Weiss gasped, and Yang's fist clenched, but Blake remained indifferent, only glancing at Ruby worriedly. She had been part of the White Fang, so death was no stranger to her. But for Ruby to see it like that...
"We tracked the woman to the top floor and engaged her, hoping we could keep her pinned till help came or..." Sincline trailed off.
"Or what?" Weiss asked.
Sincline glanced at Ruby, then at Yang. "Take her out," Sincline replied, shocking them. "She fought with glass weaponry and used Dust in ways I've never seen before. We almost had her... and then she took a cheap shot at Ruby and knocked her out a window. I went after Ruby, and when we returned to the tower... she was gone."
The three girls were silent, not really sure what to say. Yang was horrified among many other things. To think that her baby sister had witnessed all that.... and that she had been willing to kill someone.
"Do you think it could have been that woman you fought before you came to Beacon?" Blake asked, moving the conversation forward. Dwelling on last night would change nothing.
Sincline blinked. "Wait, Ruby fought her before?" he asked, stunned. That woman had been able to fend off both him and Ruby, albeit with a lot of difficulty, so if Ruby had fought her earlier without the training and experience she had now...
"We'll fill you in later," Weiss said before turning back to Ruby. "Well?"
Ruby hesitated, the memories of last night still fresh in her mind. "Maybe. They fought kinda the same... maybe it was her."
"What—" Whatever Yang was going to say was cut off as Goodwitch's voiced echoed over the intercom.
"Would Ruby Rose and Sincline please report to the headmaster's office? Again, would Ruby Rose and Sincline please report to the headmaster's office?"
"We've gotta go," Ruby said, standing up with Sincline following her lead. "Wish us luck."
"You're gonna need it," Yang joked half-heartedly, still shaken from learning what had happened last night. Sure, she had hurt a lot of people, but to learn that her sister had almost killed someone...
"No kidding," Sincline agreed, holding the door open for Ruby before walking out after her, leaving the three silent girls behind.
Ozpin's Office
"They were here," Ironwood growled, slamming his fist on Ozpin's desk as he fixed a steely glare on the headmaster. "Ozpin, they were here!"
"We are very much aware of that; thank you, James," Glynda snapped, arms crossed over her chest.
"Fantastic, you're aware," Ironwood retorted. "Now are we going to do something about it, or should we just stay the course and continue to ignore what's right in front of us?! Not to mention the men who lost their lives last night in a war that they—"
Just then, an alert beeped, and the elevator doors hissed open, revealing Sincline and Ruby.
"Thank you for coming, you two," Ozpin said. "How are you both feeling after last night?"
"Okay, I guess..." Ruby replied uneasily. "I'd feel better if my bad guy catching record wasn't 0 for 3." She gave a nervous laugh.
Sincline shrugged. "Same as usual."
Everyone gave them a look.
"Okay, so that's the tone we're going for..." Ruby said, scratching the back of her head awkwardly as her voice died down. "Got it."
"Ruby, Sincline," Ironwood stated, stepping forward. "I'm sorry for what you both witnessed last night. I feel it's appropriate to let you know that I think what you two did is exactly what being a Huntress and a Huntsman is all about. You recognized a threat; you took action, and you both did the very best you could." More children being brought into this war, the General thought. Those of Ruby's age shouldn't have to witness so much death. Last night was supposed to be a day to bond, to bring up spirits... not that.
"Thank you, sir," Ruby said gratefully, taking Sincline's hand in hers and squeezing it gently. "It wasn't just me though. Sincline helped a lot too."
"So, we've heard," Ozpin said with a small smile before clearing his throat and getting their attention. "Now, the General here has already informed us of the events that... transpired last night. But now that you've both rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add."
"Was anyone else with her?" Goodwitch pressed. "Did she look familiar to you at all?"
Ruby hesitated, glancing at Sincline, who nodded encouragingly. "I... I don't know. She was wearing a mask, and she never said anything to either of us. But we know she fought with glass and used Dust. I don't think that was her semblance though. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked."
"Like this." Sincline summoned a holoscreen and scrolled through his video files. Selecting a video of them battling the woman, he pulled it up and showed it to them.
"Save for the glass..." Goodwitch murmured, examining the footage as Ozpin and Ironwood did the same, "that seems like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby."
Eyes narrowing, Sincline made a mental note to ask Ruby about that later. He could have probably just asked Goodwitch, but... he didn't really trust Ozpin, and since she was one of his staff....
"Embedding Dust into clothing is an age-old technique," Ironwood stated. "It could have been anyone."
"Wait," Ruby said slowly, getting their attention. "You think this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?"
Everyone turned to Ozpin.
"It's possible," he admitted. "But we lack the required evidence to link the two together."
"Actually," Sincline said, an idea coming to mind. "I might have a way to do that."
"How?" Ironwood asked.
"Do you have any footage of the night you met Ruby?" Sincline asked.
Goodwitch nodded and pulled out her scroll. "This is all the security footage we could retrieve."
Nodding, Sincline accepted the scroll and pressed a finger on its surface, and a purple glow suffused the screen.
"What are you doing?" Goodwitch asked suspiciously.
"Copying the files," Sincline replied and handed it back. Looks like Galra engineering is more compatible with other tech than I thought. Summoning a holoscreen, he tapped the surface, scrolling through the feeds. "Here we go. If I just isolate the woman..."
A digital copy of the woman from the tower materialized above his hand, and a copy of the woman from the footage appeared next to her. "If the footage is accurate, they have the same form and signature," Sincline said as the two images slid together and overlapped without error. Closing his hand, he crushed the hologram into dozens of glowing particles.
"Incredible," Ironwood marveled, awestruck by how easily Sincline solved a situation that probably would have left them scratching their heads. While Sincline could improve our technology, if anyone like Torchwick stole any prototypes...
"How did you do that?" Ruby asked curiously.
Sincline shrugged. "I just pulled up one of the screens from one of my ships," he explained. "From there, all I had to do was connect to the files I copied from Glynda's scroll and, well... bam, I guess."
"Now, we just need to figure out what this woman is planning," Ozpin stated, placing his hands on his desk and lacing his fingers together.
Sincline and Ruby exchanged looks.
"Actually," Ruby spoke up, "I think I remember her saying something about a hideout or something."
"Yeah," Sincline agreed, catching on. "In the Southeast, just outside the kingdom." Wait, if we said that she didn't say anything earlier... oh Oum, this is never gonna work.
Ozpin quirked an eyebrow. "Interesting..."
Goodwitch frowned, and Sincline eyed the riding crop at her side warily. "I thought you said the intruder never—"
"Thank you for your cooperation, Ruby," Ozpin interjected, cutting her off, much to Sincline's and Ruby's surprise and Sincline's suspicion. "Why don't you and Sincline go and spend some time with your team? You have a big day ahead of you."
"Anytime," Ruby said happily and started leading Sincline toward the elevator, but Ozpin said, "Oh and one more thing."
They turned to him.
"Please, try to be discrete about this matter," Ozpin requested.
She nodded. "Yes, sir."
With that, Sincline opened the elevator, and they walked inside.
"We're telling the others everything, aren't we?" Sincline asked as the doors closed.
"Yep."
As the elevator began its descent, Sincline couldn't help but think back to the conversation that happened moments earlier. Ozpin knew we were lying, he noted. But if he did, why would he... He couldn't figure it out. What would Ozpin gain by covering for them? And why would Ironwood not question it either? Just what are you playing at, Ozpin?
Timeskip
Walking down the stairs to the dorms, Ruby and Sincline opened the door and were promptly met with an excited Yang, Weiss, and Blake.
"What happened?" Yang asked eagerly, voicing the thoughts of the other two beside her.
"Um, well, um..." Ruby scratched the back of her head and laughed nervously, exchanging looks with Sincline as he sweatdropped.
Timeskip
"That was a risky move," Weiss stated, facing Ruby as she sat on Sincline's lap opposite Yang and Blake. After practically being dragged through the doorway, the two had been sat down and interrogated by their teammates.
"No, I think you handled it well," Blake corrected, nodding at them approvingly.
Sincline gulped. "Um, Rubes?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I might have accidentally tripped into an alternate reality again," he whispered. "Blake's complimenting us."
"I know, weird, right?" Ruby whispered back and looked down.
"What is it?" Sincline asked.
"I just... I hope we did everything right," Ruby admitted, tightening her fist as she remembered the woman... and the bodies.
"I'm sure everything will be alright, Ruby," Yang assured, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. She grinned, getting an idea. "Oh, I know what will cheer you up!"
Ruby tilted her head. "What's that?" she asked curiously as Sincline glanced at Yang questioningly.
"Is it cookies?" Sincline guessed.
Yang shook her head. "Nope," she replied, popping the P as she picked up a cylindrical package that had been lying on the table. "It's this." She held it up.
Sincline tilted his head. "I don't get it. What is it?" And why am I picking up a life signal from it? he wondered.
"I don't know yet," Yang replied, shrugging. "Dad sent it to us. I thought we could open it together."
"Eeeh! Something from home!" Ruby squealed and launched herself at Yang, attempting to grab the package.
Yang gave the package a small shake, and a grey roll popped out, falling to the ground. It twitched, causing everyone to stare at it in surprise.
"Um, is that normal package behavior?" Sincline asked, tilting his head curiously. Something told him that wasn't the case.
Everyone leaned in to get a closer look, and the roll unraveled, turning into... a black-headed tricolor Corgi with gray eyes, a bobbed tail, and a red collar with a gold pendant bearing a vertical black bone and two black dots on either side.
Sincline jumped back. "What is that?!" he yelped, eyeing the strange animal warily.
"Zwei!" Ruby squealed happily, picking up the dog.
"He sent a dog?!" Blake hissed and backed away, her body tense.
"In the mail?!" Weiss added.
"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time," Yang replied, waving a hand dismissively as Ruby cuddled the little Corgi.
"Your father or your dog?" Blake asked, eyeing Zwei uneasily from where she was hiding on top of one of the bunk beds.
"What's a dog?" Sincline whispered.
"That." Weiss replied, gesturing to Zwei with one hand. "That is a dog."
"Oh. Cool." I wonder why Blake's afraid of it? he wondered, tilting his head as he regarded his feline teammate.
"Now," Weiss said, leaning down to get a better look at the dog, hands on her hips. "Are you telling me that this mangy..."
The dog looked up at her.
"Drooling..."
Zwei barked.
"Mutt... is going to wiv wif us forever?" Weiss asked, finishing off with a bright smile and petting the dog. "Oh yes he is, yes he is!"
Sincline blinked. "Is that... normal?" he asked, eyeing Weiss worriedly.
"For people to do around a dog?" Yang asked, fighting back a laugh at how easily the Ice Queen folded. "Yeah, that's pretty normal. I'm surprised it worked on Ice Queen though." She nodded at where Weiss was happily petting Zwei on the head.
Sincline tilted his head. "To be honest, I'm a little freaked out right now." Weiss is supposed to be... well, Weiss. This is... this is just... disturbing. But then again, he had met her child version in the Nightmare, so it wasn't that weird.
"Please, just keep it away from my belongings," Blake requested, hiding behind Sincline and peeking over his shoulder at the Corgi.
Just then, Glynda's voice called over the speakers, "Would all first-year students please report to the amphitheater? Again, would all first-year students please report to the amphitheater?"
"Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for a week," Weiss said as Zwei jumped out of Ruby's arms, sniffed Sincline's leg, ran over to the base of the bunk where Blake was, and started barking up at her.
"Look, there's a letter," Yang said, pulling said object out of the package. "Dear girls... I'm leaving the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang."
That must be from their dad, Sincline realized. He tilted his head. "Food? How could he fit all the food in..." He trailed off as Yang turned the package upside down, spilling out enough food cans to make a pile as high as Sincline's waist. His jaw dropped. "...how?"
Ruby giggled. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it," she assured.
"What is he supposed to do with all that?" Weiss asked, gesturing to the pile of food cans. "He can't exactly open them on his—" A can opener fell out of the package.
Sincline blinked. "Um..."
"Well, that settles it!" Yang declared. "Come on guys; Zwei will be here when we get back."
As she walked out, Weiss smiled at the cute Corgi. "Oh, I'll miss you so much; we're going to be best friends; I can't wait to see you again and..."
As Yang, Blake, and Weiss exited the dorm, Sincline looked over at Ruby, who was frowning. "Everything alright, Rubes?"
She tilted her head, examining Zwei; then her eyes lit up.
Sincline gulped, seeing the strange gleam in her eyes. "Uh, Rubes? What are you planning?"
"You'll see~" Ruby replied gleefully, her voice sending a shiver down Sincline's spine.
Timeskip
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sincline asked, holstering a black and red backpack over his shoulder as he walked next to Ruby. I don't think this is going to end well.
"It's the best idea," Ruby assured as they entered the auditorium alongside the rest of the other students. At least, I hope so.
"Quiet, quiet please," Goodwitch called as Sincline set down the bag and joined his other team members. "Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin sending you out across the Kingdom." She moved aside, and Ozpin stepped up to the microphone, cane in hand.
"Today we stand together, united," he began. "Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale... the four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day nearly 80 years ago, the largest war in our recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression.
"A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with who... but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons. One of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you all are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity, through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it.
"As first-year students, you'll be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission," Ozpin said as multiple holographic screens appeared on the walls. "Some of you will be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe; remember your training; and remember to do your very best."
As everyone began picking their assignments, Ruby grinned. "This is perfect!" she cheered. "All we have to do is shadow a Huntsman working in the Southeast."
"Yeah," Yang agreed, catching onto her plan. "We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip at night."
"Shouldn't be too hard," Sincline agreed... while in reality, he was thinking the exact opposite. If it's a Pro Huntsman, doesn't that mean that they'll be able to track us down when we try to give him 'the slip'?
"Let's check 'search and destroy,'" Weiss suggested, nodding toward one of the mission categories.
Exchanging nods, the five of them walked over and scanned the list of available missions that hadn't been taken.
"Here we go!" Ruby said, pointing at one of them. "Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out."
"Well, it's in the Southeast," Blake mused.
"Sounds perfect!" Yang said cheerily.
Sincline tilted his head. "Wasn't there a saying like 'if something looks too perfect, it probably sucks?'" he asked, remembering a show that he had watched with Yang.
"Eh, that's just a saying," Yang said, waving a hand dismissively as Ruby tapped the transparent screen and entered their team's name. Just as Sincline expected, it registered as invalid and unavailable to first-year students.
"Wonderful," Weiss sighed, shaking her head.
"It looks like that saying has more truth than you thought," Blake commented, placing her hands on her hips.
"Any other ideas?" Sincline asked.
"We mail ourselves there," Ruby suggested... which absolutely no one agreed to.
"Sincline?" Weiss asked, getting the Trans-realty mech's attention.
"Yeah?"
"What about you?" the Heiress asked. "Any ideas?"
Sincline tilted his head. "We could use one of my ships," he suggested. "They're faster than any Bullhead."
"Well, that's one option."
Everyone turned and saw Ozpin walking out from behind the screen, scroll in hand. "Unfortunately," he went on. "We determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for a single team of first-year students."
Sincline and Ruby exchanged looks.
"It seems that particular region is rather popular," Ozpin commented. "In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that the five of you will make your way there no matter which job you choose."
Everyone looked over at Sincline and Ruby, who laughed nervously. "Whatever makes you say that?" Ruby asked as a bead of sweat dripped down Sincline's neck.
"I'm still curious as to how you all found yourselves at the docks last semester," Ozpin mused. "And I'm also interested to know how you really learned about a 'hideout' in the Southeast. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago."
"Umm.... Well.... It was Sincline's idea!" Ruby yelped, pointing at the mech-turned-human, who raised his hands. "I'm innocent!"
"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for," Ozpin commented, eying the two in amusement. "So, how about this: Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?"
Ozpin tapped a few letters on his keyboard, and the mission popped back up.
Ruby grinned. "We won't let you down. Thank you, Professor."
"Do not thank me for this," Ozpin replied. "Teamwork and persistence have carried you far, but you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the Kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsman at all times and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory." With that, he walked off. "Good luck."
"Why do I get the feeling we'll need it?" Sincline wondered aloud, but he couldn't help but narrow his eyes at Ozpin's departing back. First, he covers for us with Ironwood and Glynda. Then he allows us to go on a higher mission than we should be ready for... what are you playing at, Ozpin?
Timeskip
"That wasn't exactly uplifting," Yang commented as she, Weiss, Blake, Ruby, and Sincline walked out to the airfield outside Beacon where they were supposed to meet their Huntsman.
"I don't think it was supposed to be," Sincline said, shouldering Ruby's backpack once more as the young Rose held his hand happily, his thoughts still on what had happened earlier with Ozpin.
"But it was the truth," Blake pointed out, shrugging.
"It's going to be tough, but I know we can do it!" Ruby said in an attempt to encourage them.
"Hey, Team CFVY is back!" a student shouted.
Everyone turned and saw the group of second-year students walking by. "Team who?" Sincline asked, but Ruby and the others were already moving, leaving him beside four dotted outlines. Shaking his head, he sighed and jogged after them.
"Velvet?" Blake called, walking toward a girl with long, brown hair, eyes, and rabbit ears. She wore a cropped brown jacket with a gold zipper and her emblem on the right of her chest over a thin black top and brown shorts decorated with a metal trim over black tights and golden metal flats. Accenting her outfit were a pair of gold spaulders, cuffs, and a belt with decorative patterns that had a strange black and gold box attached to the back.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Velvet replied, turning to face her and the rest of Team RWBY as Sincline jogged up to join the rest of the team. "I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me." She gestured over at one of her team members: a tall and athletic-looking young man with shaved-short black hair and tanned skin. He was clad in a long, short-sleeved robe, which he wore on one shoulder over a black muscle shirt. It was fastened at the waist by a leather armored belt with two pouches on it. He also wore brown pants and black and green boots. His left arm had a 5-layer sode that extended up past his shoulder. He had a massive two-toned Greatsword as long as he was tall affixed to his back with a padded brown strap slung over his shoulder. He also had a pair of bracers, as well as a pair of black gloves with green plates on the backs.
"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago," Weiss pointed out, placing her hands on her hips. "What happened?"
"Nothing happened," Velvet assured. "It was just... there were just so many." She trailed off, shifting from side to side.
Everyone exchanged looks.
"Oh, but don't worry," Velvet assured. "You first years are just shadowing Huntsmen, so you should be fine." Seeing Sincline, she tilted her head. "Who's this?"
"This is Sincline," Ruby said proudly. "My boyfriend, and our newest team member." It was strange, referring to Sincline as her boyfriend... but it also felt right.
"Boyfriend?" Velvet asked, glancing at Sincline in surprise. "Looks like you lot have been busy." Smiling, she held out a hand toward him. "I'm Velvet."
"Sincline," he replied, shaking her hand gently. "Nice to meet you."
"Velvet?"
Everyone turned and saw a young woman with short dark-brown hair and dark-brown eyes. She was clad in a long, cocoa-colored shirt with an upturned, layered frill collar with a black single-strapped waist cincher. She also wore black trousers that had gold lining the pockets and ribbons attached to the back of a golden zipper seam around her knees. A black golden-studded belt was wrapped around her waist and hidden by a large cocoa-colored belt with gun cartridges on the left side and a large golden crosshair buckle. She also wore a pair of dark black, high-heeled leather calf-high boots with golden buckles. She had black, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses covering her eyes and a black shoulder bag with gold studs held by a bandolier strap.
"Coco," Velvet smiled, acknowledging her teammate with a nod before she turned back to Team RWBY. "This is my friend, Coco. She's the team leader."
"A pleasure." Coco looked over at Sincline and tipped her glasses at him, a glimmer of curiosity in her gaze. "So... who's this~?"
"He's our newest team member," Yang said, patting Sincline on the back and nearly knocking him over. "Also, he's my sister's boyfriend/love toy."
"Yaaaaang!" Ruby whined, puffing her cheeks as her face reddened and Sincline scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Love toy, huh?" Coco raised an eyebrow at Ruby. "Looks like speed isn't just in your semblance." Smiling at Ruby's flustered face, she turned to Sincline. "Nice outfit, by the way," she commented, eyeing him approvingly.
"Thank you?"
"Oh, oh, Sincline, show her your armor!" Ruby encouraged excitedly while desperately hoping to change the topic.
"Armor?" Velvet asked.
Sincline hesitated and, at an encouraging look from Weiss, summoned his armor, the invincible steel covering his body in a flash of purple energy.
Coco's jaw dropped, and Velvet's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the bladed tail as it scraped across the stone pavement. "You're a Faunus?!"
Sincline shook his head as he dispersed his armor, shattering it in a burst of purple fragments. "It's a long story."
"You don't say," Coco commented, eyeing him with newfound interest. "Is that your semblance?"
Sincline shook his head. "I'm not even sure if I have one," he admitted. He was fairly certain that having a semblance required an Aura, and if he didn't have one when he first fought Voltron...
"What?!" Velvet exclaimed.
"...It's a very long story."
"Right, well, I suppose we'll have to hear it later," Coco said, turning to Velvet. "We should get going, Vel. We still need to check in."
"Right." Velvet nodded and turned back to the others. "I should go... be safe, okay?"
"That's not always a guarantee these days," Sincline said, earning himself an elbow to the ribs from Yang.
Giggling, Velvet waved goodbye and jogged after Coco as the brown-haired girl entered Beacon.
"We can do this," Ruby said, causing everyone to look at her. "We've never backed down before, and we're not going to start now!"
Blake nodded. "Right."
"Besides, it won't only be us out there," Ruby pointed out with a grin. "We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Huntsman!"
"Yeah!" Yang agreed.
Timeskip
"Why, hello children!"
Sincline, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake stared at the man before them in horrified shock.
Sincline gulped. "Um, Ruby?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it too late to go back to being trapped in the Quintessence Field?" Sincline asked hopefully. That would be much better than being stuck with... this.
"If it's not, please, take us with you," Weiss agreed, staring at the sight before them in absolute terror.
Standing before them, dressed in a long, brown great coat, a khaki buttoned safari shirt, a pith helmet, and a rather large backpack hung over his shoulder... was Dr. Oobleck. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"