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Orphan Squad Chapter-Things

Part 1

  "Oscar, come on," Winter ordered through the closed door. None of them could truly remember how long the door had been shut, or how long it would take to open it. "We have to go." There was no answer.

  "Oscar?" Nora asked, soft and worried. They were all worried these days, especially the remaining members of JNR. Oscar was one of their main priorities, but neither one of them could do anything to help him if he was cooped up in his room.

  "I…"Ren trailed off for a moment, pausing nervously. "I don't think he's up to leaving his room yet."

  "Oscar, please. You can't sit there all day, we have to help." Even though the tone was still kind, it emphasized their role in the world now. Atlas had fallen, and the refugees needed support. But there was still no answer from the other side of the locked door. That was when Emerald walked by.

  "Hey, I was going to-" she said, getting interrupted by the scene. The door was clearly shut. "Have you tried the door?" It wasn't really certain whether she was being sarcastic or not.

  "Yes, we've tried the door," Winter replied, her teeth clenched in annoyance. That phrase seemed to add to Emerald's understanding, as her face quickly fell.

  "And he locked you out." Nora looked at the floor, obviously distressed by the event.

  "We've tried talking to him, but it isn't working," she admitted. Nora paused for a second. "Oscar just keeps pushing us away." Ren gently placed a hand on Nora's shoulder, trying to comfort her. All of them could've used some good news.

  "Depressed people tend to do that," Emerald muttered awkwardly. There was a long and silent pause. "I'll leave you to it." Then she continued walking, leaving the others to deal with the unfamiliar mess.

Part 2

  Ruby was sitting outside, staring at the sunrise. Oscar wasn't sure why either of them were awake yet, or why they were suddenly back in Mistral. It was quiet, as if not even the birds were awake. Had he hit his head again? Were they brought back to the safehouse from Shade Academy? Had it all been a dream? So many questions filled his head.

  "Do you need someone to talk to?" Oscar asked kindly, coming up to her. Ruby looked up at him, then gestured that it was okay if he sat down. So, he sat down. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." Ruby started crying, and some of it all came back. "I wish I could say everything will be okay. I'm really sorry."

  "I saw her fall," Ruby blubbered, her tears glittering in the sunlight. "She saved me." Oscar sighed for a moment, feeling he didn't know what to do. "Now she… now she's gone. I didn't even get to say goodbye!" The boy's eyes welled up as every emotion he'd been feeling came back to him.

  "I'm sorry."

  The air hiccupped in his lungs as his eyes opened. There were tears rolling down his face, just like they had in the dream. If only it hadn't been just a dream. Oscar sat up and tried to dry his eyes, but nothing worked. The tears just kept coming. In the dim light of the room, there he frantically rubbed his eyes.

  "Oscar, please," Ozpin said, with a voice tired and clearly worried. All he'd done was lay down for a nap. All he'd done was try to rest and get this slump out of his system. It hadn't worked whatsoever.

  "I can't," he mumbled back, feeling more helpless than ever. "The stars are dark." What he meant, which Ozpin knew, was that Ruby was gone. Oscar's stars had disappeared and his protection from the world had evaporated into nonexistence. It was a harsh reality that both felt was undeserving of either young party.

  "Breathe. I have something to say." It took a moment, but he was able to do as asked. Unfortunately, the tears were still flowing and he wasn't yet calm. "I need you to promise me something." Feeling lighthearted by the statement, Oscar then remarked that it sounded ominous. Ozpin couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Promise that you will remain who you are."

  "I'm not sure that I can promise that."

  "I know," Ozpin admitted. There was a short pause. "But you can try."

Part 3

  She'd found him! She'd really found him! She'd found him and now he wanted nothing to do with her. For what it was worth, Emerald was kind of peeved that Mercury was being such a butt. A butt? Wow, she'd been around the heroes for too long. Their pact of no cursing was rubbing off on her.

  "Emerald, I can't," Mercury whispered urgently, trying to convey that he couldn't leave. "Tyrian will kill me." While that was undoubtedly possible, that wasn't the answer she wanted or needed.

  "Yes, you can," Emerald firmly replied, in the same tone. This was not a permanent way for him to live, he clearly needed some motivation. "And you have to. They really need our help." And Mercury needed her. All they needed to do was getting the dummy away from the evil scorpion. Mercury seemed very shocked though.

  "What? No, that's not right. You're lying, you have to be." Even he didn't believe their bad luck.

  "They have a depressed child for a leader, they lost about two-thirds of their team, and the ones that are left don't know what to do." She shrugged with all the confidence of a terrified cat. "We don't stand a chance." Mercury still seemed very hesitant on doing anything to fix his situation.

  "Maybe it hasn't sunk it yet, I but don't…" he trailed off, thinking of what to say next. "Even if I can get away, they won't trust me." That was a fair point. Yet, Emerald wasn't deterred.

  "Not completely, but they'll try," she admitted, with all the knowledge of one who had gained an acquaintance with the most important of the group. Not that it was of much use, since the acquaintance was a lump in a room. "They're surprisingly trusting as long as you don't betray them." There was a long pause after that statement.

  "What did you mean by 'depressed'?" Mercury sounded serious now. And, apparently, finally taking notice of things Emerald had said previously. It was kind of confusing how lost he seemed right then. "How 'depressed' is their leader?"

  "The kid's 'won't leave his room' depressed. It's ridiculous." And yet, she could see why he was acting like that. If she was in the same position, there was a chance she would feel pain over losing Mercury. As odd as that felt to realize, of course. It was truly very unusual to contemplate. So she stopped thinking about it.

  "I have to go now," Mercury said, a concerned tone to his voice. "If I stay any longer, Tyrian will get suspicious." And just like that, he disappeared into the shadows. Emerald was left alone once again.

Part 4

  It was almost better outside of the school than it was inside. Mostly because they were immediately reminded of their young friend when they were inside. None of them wanted to think about what happened, and it seemed they would all suffer for it as well. But, in this case, they felt suffering was better than the alternative.

  "We should think about what to do when Oscar returns," Ren said, speaking about the ordeal as if the boy had gone off on a mission by himself. Nora, hurting just as much as her companion, looked at the ground with light distain.

  "Keep him away from ledges?" she offered up, partly sarcastic and partly morose. It sounded ridiculous the moment it came out of her mouth, but it was too late to take it back. The words had already been said. Ren furrowed his eyebrows. It wasn't a warning. It was more saddened, introspective. Almost like he was considering the words.

  "No, I don't think that will be necessary." Nora was surprised that he'd thought it over, as it wasn't supposed to be taken seriously. But, now it was being rerun through her mind, she realized how realistic a possibility it happened to be. "Oscar wouldn't do that. It would…" Ren then trailed off, not even finishing. Nora already knew what he meant, so she frowned.

  "Right." It was silent for many seconds after that. Neither of them said a word, as if they were still taking in everything from the previous conversation. How could things go so wrong?

  "Should we check on him?" Ren wondered. It had only been a few hours, but it wouldn't hurt.

  "Probably," Nora replied, her voice still slightly getting caught in her throat. She wrapped her arms around herself. "I mean, he probably won't let us in or say anything. But we have to try, right?" It was the most reasonable question that they could think of at that moment. They had to try.

  "Right."

  They walked in silence back into the school. Nora wanted to say something to Ren, make sure he knew that everything would be fine. That nothing that happened that day was their faults, that it was none of their faults. Ren wanted to say the same. Yet, neither of them could bring themselves to utter a single word at that moment.

  "Oscar?" Nora said, having walked up to the door. There was soft disorganized breathing on the other side, as if the boy was suffering from an increase in stress. Or, more likely, had just woken from a dream. "I know you don't want to talk right now, but we're here for you when you're ready." The gentle crying-like noise continued through the wood, at which point Ren gave her a questioning look. "I think he's been crying all morning," she whispered worriedly to Ren. "The way he's breathing doesn't sound good."

  "There's a chance he won't want to talk about this at all," he reminded her, in a quiet tone that they hoped the youngest couldn't here. Nora acknowledged Ren's statement. "It almost seems like he can't communicate what he's feeling, as he's in so much pain. Then, as soon as the pain is gone, he goes to communicate it and the cycle starts all over again."

  "Ren, I'm not sure that's going to help." Ren nodded in agreement, silently and knowingly. That was when someone caught their attention.

  "Hey," the voice greeted, sounding sullen. Almost as if he, too, had been crying. Though, his face didn't say. Ren and Nora turned and looked at Sun blankly, noticing immediately that Neptune was there as well. They both looked just as sad.

Part 5

  "Is there anything we can do to help?" Neptune asked, his voice just as sullen as Sun's. Nora did her best to keep from crying right then. There was so little any of them could do, especially when it came to poor young Oscar. They had to keep their heads up though, for everyone else's sake. For their own sake, too.

  "You've already done plenty," she told them, her sadness showing in her tone. Nora paused, looking off to the side for just a moment. To gather her thoughts some more. "We're just… waiting for someone." It seemed the other two knew who it was before she even thought to say the name. Was it that obvious?

  "How is he taking it?" Sun wondered, seemingly just as concerned as the rest of them. Ren admitted Oscar wasn't taking it well. It was the truth of the matter, even though none of them wanted to think about it.

  "If Jaune was here, he could probably help." That was the worst part, knowing everything could be made right if only one person had made it through the portal. If it had been Ruby, the problem wouldn't be there in the first place. If it had been Jaune, then it would be solved through some much-needed conversation.

  "What? Does he need an Aura boost?" If only it was that simple. If only that's all it took.

  "No, he needs someone to talk to," Ren explained, feeling the same guilt that Nora was. Knowing that everything could've been solved so much quicker if better things had happened to them.

  "It's not a physical issue," Nora continued, starting to ramble a little. "Not yet, at least. It's mental still, but it could turn into a physical issue if we don't help him." It seemed terrifying to put into words, knowing that everything was crumbling at their feet. Just one little person was causing so much damage. Not that Oscar's dilemma was small, it was monumental.

  "You don't think he'll…" Neptune began, cutting himself off before he could even say the words. It was the same question Ren and Nora had been asking themselves since that morning. The same one that Ren had reassured Nora wouldn't happen. That it wouldn't end up that way. It was frightening.

  "We aren't certain, but there is reason to believe it could become worse," Ren replied, hoping he had been right. Hoping that Oscar really wasn't that torn. That there was still time to reverse the damage before that point of no return.

  "Oscar stopped eating yesterday, today he locked his door," Nora revealed, feeling the pressure just as much as anyone else. Without something, there was a good chance they'd have to force the door open and make sure he ate. No one wanted to do that to him. "We're not sure what to do."

  "Have you tried talking him out of it?" Sun inquired, as if he had a plan. Of course, he'd managed to fix Blake. In his mind, this was probably no different. It was just one crack in the wall, and he could plaster it up. But, much to his worry, Ren and Nora nodded in unison. There was still hope in his voice though. "Maybe I could try?"

  "That's really kind of you, but it probably won't do anything." It was unusual for Nora, of all people, to think that. Before this, it seemed like she thought any small moment could change everything. It seemed that had changed in Atlas, or when they arrived in Vacuo, as well. Everything really was crumbling then.

  "Well, if you can think of anything we could do, just let us know," Neptune reminded them. All they could do was nod.

Part 6

  Any day now, Qrow would finally fly into Vacuo and make their jobs twenty times easier. Any day now, everything would be okay. Qrow would have a plan to help Oscar, and it would work. The boy would be rescued from his own demise, which was the greatest hope of them all at that point.

  "I don't understand," Winter said, frustrated beyond even her own comprehension. "What's wrong with him?" They had taken a break from caring for the refugees, and it had immediately turned into another conversation about Oscar. As if they didn't have enough on their minds already.

  "Winter," Nora acknowledged, trying to get her attention. She and Ren had figured out something that the young woman hadn't quite yet. But, her voice fell on deaf ears.

  "Oscar won't say anything to anyone, and doesn't leave his room." Nora firmly repeated Winter's name. "Ren, do you know anything?" If she would just shut up for a few seconds, they would have a lot to tell her. But that wouldn't happen unless something very shocking happened. Something like…

  "Winter!" Nora exploded, getting impatient. Winter automatically answered with a firm question. The younger of the two girls let her face fall. She appeared quite saddened. "Oscar's acting like Jaune." Winter blinked, then repeated her question in a confused manner. It made sense, but not to the young Maiden.

  "We remember, just after the Fall of Beacon, when Jaune was just coming to terms with Pyrrha's…" Ren tried to explain, immediately quieting himself after just a few words. Clearly, this wasn't something he wanted to talk about. Luckily for him, Nora then stepped in. They could only help that she understood.

  "And he didn't really want to do anything for a while. That's how Oscar is now." Nora shifted from side to side, pausing to let it all sink in. "I noticed a pattern, that's all." And they were very good with those sorts of patterns now.

  "Ren?" Winter said, turning to the only boy of the group. Clearly, she was asking what was going on with Oscar's emotional state. What the young man had to say was not pleasant. Nor did they expect it to be.

  "Right now, he is full of multiple emotions," he began, calm as he ever was. "There is fear, but also regret, grief, and an abundance of sadness. Oscar desperately misses Ruby, and it will only get worse." There was another pause, as Winter contemplated all of this new information. Her next words were slow, full of realization.

  "Oh."

Part 7

  The hallway was plain, just as it had been that morning. Winter didn't know why, but she was standing outside of the dorm that housed the young man that was currently hiding from the world. Admittedly, Qrow would do the same in such a situation. But that was clearly besides the point. Oscar was far more mature than Qrow was. At least, she hoped he was.

  "Oscar?" Winter asked through the door, trying to sound as nice as possible. It was actually kind of difficult. "May I talk with you?" There was no answer. "Please." She paused, hearing nothing else. "I spoke with Ren and Valkyrie, and they told me what I should've known from the start." She made her tone firmer, as if that would help. "Oscar, please. I want to help. Eating food would most likely be enough to calm their worries." There was a tiny sniff.

  What had gone wrong? What had she said that made things worse? It seemed ridiculous to contemplate, but Winter knew things had not been ideal for a very long time now. If she said anything wrong, she wanted to know immediately so she could fix it before more happened. Most importantly, before Qrow found out she'd said something wrong.

  "Fine," Oscar finally replied, his voice sounding hoarse and tired. It sounded as if he hadn't slept in days, and had been crying the entire time since they had arrived in Vacuo. But the door then opened, with the boy on the other side. Oscar's eyes were puffy and red, and there were fresh tears on his face. Winter couldn't help but think it was a sorry sight.

  Not only did he look dreadful, more was also obvious from his appearance. As indicated by a forsaken book in his hand, he had attempted to entertain himself. It was clearly with no avail, as not even a finger was keeping place. She remembered that the boy had kept a library in his dorm back in Atlas, so this was a startling occurrence.

  As seen behind him, the curtains were closed. The room was mostly dark, and the bed looked like it hadn't been made in a very long time. And, judging by his rumpled and thin nature, the boy hadn't gone anywhere either. If he hadn't opened the door right then, there had been a serious chance of starvation. It was something she didn't want to think about.

  "Right, let's talk," Winter replied, semi-serious and mostly comforting. With a short and curt nod, Oscar let her into the dorm. She didn't know why that worked, but she was glad that it did. If this mess had gone on much longer, who knew what could have happened.

Part 8

  "Seriously? 'Have you tried talking him out of it'?" Sun said, mocking himself. The words he'd said repeated in his mind as if it were a record or a song. "Wow, do I sound like an idiot. When did I get so bad at talking to people?" Sun was sitting on his bed, with Neptune sitting on the floor.

  "I don't know, two days ago?" Neptune guessed, picking the exact number. It had been two days since the worst thing he had ever heard. "You've been pretty off lately." Sun grumbled that he was fine. Neptune knew it was a lie. "You won't even talk about it." Somehow he felt grumpier by that, if that was even possible.

  "What do you want me to say?" he blurted angrily, getting mad for reasons he didn't completely understand. "That I miss her? That I wish I hadn't left?" Sun felt like he wanted to punch something. "I'm mad. I'm grieving. Give me a break." The words coming out of his mouth weren't words that he knew what to do with.

  "No, I'm not asking you to say anything. I just wanted to see how you're acting." Sun glared, turning away in frustration. It wasn't the nicest view, but a wall was better than looking at a human that he cared about. If something could happen to Blake, then something could happen to his friends as well. They sat in silence for a long time.

  "I'm not mad at you. I'm just..." Sun's voice disappeared, feeling everything starting to sink in. The anger turned to a deep sadness. Unable to hold it in anymore, he let out a little sniff as his eyes started to water. It seemed to paint a picture.

  "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," Neptune apologized, sounding sad. "I wasn't thinking. Look, I-" For some reason, his friend hesitated. It was soon clear as to why. "You're not the only one who's suffering. I miss Weiss. Had I known her a bit longer, I think I would've ended up feeling like you are." Instead, he was now heartbroken with no real way of expressing it to anyone. In a way, their situations were similar.

  Then, at the wrong time, a message came in that it was lunchtime. Even though he could feel his stomach trying to eat itself, Sun didn't feel like getting up. Didn't feel like receiving condolences again. Didn't feel like asking for someone to get him food while he sat in the door. So, he did the only thing he could think of.

  "Go ahead, I don't feel like eating," Sun assured Neptune, rolling onto his back so he could stare at the ceiling. Neptune sighed, but still left the room. Apparently, his friend didn't feel like stopping him today.

Part 9

  There was still no word from Ruby or Yang, and he didn't expect it now. They were far from Atlas, or what was left of it. It was impossible to get a proper signal from them, or anyone in the team, now. Finally deciding it wasn't worth worrying about for that moment, and noticing the view from the window, Qrow looked up from his scroll.

  "Where are we going?" he wondered, with his scroll still in his hand. Curious, Robyn raised an eyebrow at him and his question. "I didn't notice before, but we're going toward Argus." It was weird that the man had noticed, as the windows were still only showing ocean. "Why aren't we going to Vacuo?"

  "The base needs to know what happened to Atlas," Marrow said firmly, sounding like he'd rather be anywhere else than in that airship. Qrow sighed, then sank back into his seat. This was going to be a long ride, and he was actually kind of glad that he wasn't the one in the driver's seat this time.

  They arrived before nightfall, unlike what happened when Qrow had arrived in Atlas. Qrow was still looking quite gloomy, to the entire airship's understanding. Cordo was waiting for them, standing there with a perplexed look on her face. She was clearly questioning why this visit was happening.

  "Welcome," Cordo greeted, stern but solemn. The news hadn't reached Argus yet, but it was clear that she knew there was something very wrong. The Ace Ops nodded, then solemnly got out of the airship. "Where's Calavera?" The question was pointed directly at Qrow, who would obviously know the answer. But he didn't.

  "South of somewhere," he replied, trying not to look at the ground. Qrow wasn't trying to be smart. Robyn gave him a very disgruntled look. It was clear she though he was being snarky. "We'll know more when Amity is found." Cordo nodded understandingly, then led them all inside of the base.

  "We have information about Atlas that you need to know," Hare admitted, standing at attention. Cordo had them sit down at the table, then sat down herself.  She was definitely all ears. "Atlas has fallen into ruin, Ironwood is dead, and the surviving refugees are in Vacuo." It was all extremely and sadly true.

  "I see," Cordo said, sitting silently. There was a long moment of silence. Qrow wasn't sure whether to say something or not, but it was obviously unnecessary in a few moments. "I suppose that you are in need of accommodations?"

  "Only for the night," Elm explained, speaking for the entire group now. "We'll be heading to Vacuo in the morning." Qrow remained silent, knowing that anything he had to say wasn't going to help. They had said all they needed. Cordo nodded acceptingly. Everything was going much better now.

  "Very well."

Part 10 (released on 6/23/2022)

   It was a long time before Ren and Nora saw Emerald again. She looked annoyed, as if something had happened that she hadn't wanted to happen. Somehow, they could agree with that. A lot had happened in the past days that they hadn't wanted at all. Yet, they were still fighting. They were still going.

  A very good part of that day was that Oscar had began eating again. Winter had been given the credit for that, as she was the one that had convinced him to open the door to the dorm as well. It was going to be a long time before Oscar was okay, but this was definitely a step in the right direction.

  Emerald, however, hadn't gotten the memo about Oscar being out of the dorms again.

  "What's going on?" she blurted, very confused. Thankfully, the topic in question wasn't near. Oscar was, in fact, sitting several tables away. At least he was eating though. "I thought he was being all difficult. How did you fix that?" Nora tensed a bit, furrowing her eyebrows. A nerve had been accidentally struck.

  "Oscar wasn't being difficult, he was adjusting!" Nora replied defensively. "Without Ruby, he's the new leader. Oscar isn't used to being a leader. We needed to help him, but we thought that he needed space. This whole time, we have been trying to revive a dying spark." While it could've been taken as an extended metaphor, Nora knew that Ren understood what she was talking about. Ruby had inspired Oscar, and now they were seeing the effects of the inspiration's fall.

  "You're not making any sense." Maybe she wasn't, but it was overly clear that they had been mistaken on how to help. It wasn't a simple concept, so it couldn't have a simple answer. Nora wanted to make that clear, so she accidentally started to rant an explanation of everything.

  "Ever since they met, Oscar had clung to Ruby for just about everything. Now he's on his own again, and all he has is us. Oz is there for him, of course, but there's only so much he can do. We have to pick up the pieces," Nora's face fell, looking down, "Or he falls and crumbles. And, personally, I really don't want to see that happen."

  "It won't," Ren reassured her, doing his best. "We will be there for him." Nora nodded silently, agreeing that they would. It was the least they could do.

  "Today hasn't been that great, has it?" Emerald said, looking like she was starting to understand.

  "Not even remotely," revealed Nora.

Part 11 (released late on 7/9/2022)

  They had gotten a call hours before. It had caused a tizzy of excitement, and that was good. So it wasn't a surprise when the three of them and Winter greeted Robyn, Qrow, and what was left of the Ace Ops. Not bad for a few days late. But who could blame them when they had finally arrived to help.

  "Sorry we're late, everyone!" Robyn apologized in a chirpy tone, which was rather unusual for her. "Accidentally got turned around and was heading for Argus." Something told them that they hadn't gotten turned around, and it had really been on purpose. But they weren't going to say that at that moment.

  "Wait, this is it?" Marrow blurted, very confused. The young man was looking around as if he still didn't know what was going on. That was when Winter looked up, noticing Qrow was there. It was strange, as they'd known that he was there. Or, at least, the three teammates had known. It was still very strange though.

  "You're here," Winter breathed, surprised. The surprise in her voice was a bit shocking. She awkwardly walked forward and gave Qrow a hug. "I'm so sorry," she added, sounding sad. It was the most un-Winter thing they'd seen yet.

  "Whoa, what's this for?" Qrow blurted, still not returning the hug quite yet. It was as if he thought she might fight him at any moment. Even though that was probably not going to happen.

  "You're alive, you idiot." She was crying, but was almost laughing as well. Qrow's face calmed, all shock and negative emotions washing away. Calmly, he said that he could say the same thing to her. Then he finally returned the hug. Marrow still didn't seem to understand what was going on, as he continued to look around.

  "What happened?" he asked, still searching. It wasn't that hard to figure out, especially if he asked Qrow. But, it was pretty clear that he hadn't asked. "Where's the others?" Qrow looked around at the familiar faces, finally noticing Oscar in all of his awkward glory. So he let go of Winter and headed toward the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  "At least you're safe," Qrow said, just before looking at Ren and Nora. "All of you." It was nice to know he cared. But Oscar, who had kept his head down the whole time, began to cry. The man immediately noticed. "I know, kid. I know." It was immediate that Robyn asked what was wrong with Oscar.

  "These past few days have been very hard for him… for all of us," Winter explained, sounding sad. It seemed to bring a lot more understanding into the area. The comment was almost unnecessary, but well received at this point.

  "Well, now we're here to help." Qrow lightly patted Oscar on the shoulder, eyes locked on Winter as they spoke. It was more than reasonable given the circumstances involved. "What can we do?"

  "For now, all we can do is protect the refugees that made it here. Our next steps are uncertain, but this is what is available to us." That really was all that was available, as sad as it was.

  "Right," Harriet agreed.

Part 12 (released late on 8/13/2022) 

  "Are you okay?" Qrow asked, sitting down next to Oscar. "I know they already talked to you, but… Do you need anything?" Oscar tiredly replied that he was fine. Qrow only grew more concerned, and more awkward. "I know that we're not as close as Oz and I are, or as close as you are with Ren and Nora, but you can come to me if you're not okay." Oscar shifted, uncomfortable.

  "I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me," the boy reiterated. Qrow silent nodded, then said the offer was still there if he needed it. Then he stood up and walked over to Robyn.

  "So? Any luck?" she asked, automatically hesitating once she said it. Wrong choice of words. "Uh, I mean, can you help?" Qrow gave her a look, then sighed. There was something to be said about how well he was taking the news. It was almost sad how resigned he was. But, it was seemingly all he knew.

  "Oscar is…" Qrow replied, hesitating as well. There was a moment where he didn't know what to say. "We're still watching the situation." Confused, Robyn asked what that was supposed to mean. "It means we don't know if he's gonna stay like that. Oscar isn't taking this well, he could start breaking at any point."

  "Why is he like that? Is it because of… um…" Qrow visibly grew sadder within the span of that question almost being asked. But it was clear what the answer was.

  "We think so, yeah." Robyn sympathetically said, "poor kid". Qrow hesitated again, not sure how to respond. Of course, he agreed. But the concept was painful to think about, let alone discuss. "Yeah." Robyn then said she was going to try something, walking over to Oscar and sitting down. Qrow feared for what would come next.

  "You know, this isn't so bad," she said, getting a weird look from the young teen. What did she mean by that? "In societal terms, you're practically a king." In an instant, Oscar's eyebrows furrowed. That was, perhaps, maybe not the most elegant way to phrase that statement. And both of them knew it.

  "I don't want to be a king," Oscar argued, frustrated and annoyed. Whatever she thought would happen wasn't happening right then, that was for certain. There was no room for comment there. "I want to be a normal warrior. I never asked for this." It was true, not to mention painful. To hear and say.

  "Yeah, I don't think you get to pick what you are." It was jokingly blunt, and the teen didn't appreciate it one bit. She could tell because he said that didn't help. "On the bright side, being a king means you have power that others don't. If Ironwood had listened to you, maybe things could've gone a lot different. Maybe Atlas would still be floating. It may be more responsibility, but it's also more than that. You can do things that we can't, you can do more good in this world that many can only dream of doing." Something in his face changed. The frustration and anger disappeared.

  "The world needs help, and I reached out my hand." It was mostly to himself, said in a curious tone. While Robyn didn't know what the kid was rambling on about, there was something to it.

  "That's the spirit!" she cheered, smiling just as much as she had been before. "Now, come on. There's probably something we can do here." The young teen smiled faintly, then nodded in agreement. Common ground had been met.

Part 13 

  While the heroes were off helping with the refugees, Emerald was sent on a specific mission that only she could do. Of course, this mission had been given to her by a child. A fourteen-year-old boy, in fact. But that was something she was trying to ignore. It was still something to do, and it was her responsibility.

  "I got away as quick as I could, but I don't know if we're safe," said Mercury, looking nervous. It was probably one of the few times in her life that she'd seen him be nervous. If it wasn't a stressful situation, she'd try to mock him for it. Instead, she tried to calm him down and get the plan further set.

  "Merc, we're in a dark alleyway and I can barely see your face," she reminded him, given the young man a look. "I think this is the safest we're getting here." It was clear that he knew she was right.

  "Do the heroes even know you're here?"

  "Of course, or else I wouldn't be out of their sight." It was unfortunately true, as much as she'd rather not admit it. "They're trusting, but not that trusting." They had good reason to be as well, which is why she couldn't blame them.

  "What do you even know about them?" Mercury blurted, his paranoia starting to show. Emerald knew she had to get him away from Tyrian, and fast. "That one kid, what about him? You said he was depressed."

  "The moment he realized 'Miss Hero' was gone, he shut himself in his room," she revealed, watching as his eyes widened in surprise. Apparently, he hadn't thought Ruby didn't make it. Not that she could blame him. "Locked the door, stopped eating. All that stuff. So far, the others have gotten him to stop it." She looked away. "Not sure for how long though."

  "Was he telling the truth about everything?" Emerald nodded, watching as Mercury grew more worried. "Em, this is bad."

  "I know. But as soon as we can get you away from Tyrian, we'll have one less thing to worry about."

  Meanwhile, Qrow was pacing around. The number of jobs they could give the teens was dwindling, which was worrying.

  "We've spent long enough on this, everyone is recovering and building their lives back," Winter reminded him, standing there like she was. Qrow couldn't help but scoff, though he didn't. "We can sit and watch progress grow." She acted as though he was worried about the refugees.

  "That's not what I'm worried about," he replied. "Complacency will cause relapses." Winter asked relapses of what. "Depression! I don't know, whatever that emotion thing Oscar's dealing with that caused him to hide in his room for two whole days. We just have to keep him from 'relapsing'."

  "What?"

  "It's something Ren said, I don't really know what it means." Qrow stopped pacing. "We just have to keep him busy. Keeping the kid busy will keep everything safe. Keeping everything safe will give us time to figure out if there's a way to get Ruby and the others back, or if they're even there to get back."

  "So your plan is to keep the boy, who happens to be in love with your missing niece, content and not grieving for as long as humanly possible until you find a possibly dangerous and impossible way of bringing her and her friends back?" she asked. It sounded stupid when she said it.

  "Well, I'm going to try."

Part 14

  Gasping as he shot up in his bed, Oscar tried to calm himself. It didn't work. The memory of his dream rushed into his brain as he tried not to think of it. The young man didn't want the pain, nor did he want the dream to flood this thoughts. It was supposed to be better now, he was supposed to be better now.

  "Not again," he mumbled to himself, clutching his head as he tried not to cry. Ozpin asked if he was going to tell them this time. "No, I can't worry them like that. They have their own grieving to do." Oscar didn't want to be a burden like he had been the previous few days. None of them needed that, especially as he was tired and weeping now.

  "Qrow has offered to help you, yet you continue to suffer on your own," Oz remarked, sounding very concerned. Not that he could blame the voice, as things hadn't been optimal recently. But that was no reason to chance more pain. "How long do you plan to keep this going?" Oscar sniffed, trying to keep his nose from running.

  "As long as I have to." The young man sounded the same as before, tired and weepy, but he was now determined. "Qrow, as well as Ren and Nora, have to focus. I don't have the luxury of all this pain, I need to push my grief aside." It was very profound, but Oz probably felt it was extremely stupid. And Oscar wasn't stupid.

  "It is not a luxury, especially in a case like yours," Ozpin argued firmly, trying his best to convince the young man that what he was suggesting was the best course of action for what was going on. Oscar couldn't pretend he hadn't loved Ruby, that he hadn't seen Jaune as his older brother, but he didn't need to hide away either. "I believe it is time you sought out help from your friends."

  By morning, the voice had managed to convince the young man that it was for the best. The help that Oscar needed could not be found in a book or by searching through pasts that weren't his own. So there they were, standing about thirty feet away from the two in question that the young man needed. So there they were, standing about thirty feet away from the two in question that the young man needed to talk to.

  "Now is the time, tell them the truth," Oz advised him. Oscar took in a deep inhale, then sighed. Feeling a little nervous, he approached Ren and Nora. Quietly, he asked if he could talk to them.

  "Of course," Nora replied, appearing concerned. Not that he could blame her. "What is it? Are you okay?" Feeling out of place now, he sat down between them. Their eyes bore into him like drills to a rock, it was almost enough to make him not want to continue talking. But he had to reply to the question, didn't he?

  "I'm fine," Oscar lied, immediately regretting it. Then he hesitated, crumpling in shame before continuing. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Ren and Nora exchanging a quick look. "Actually, no. I'm not okay, I-" Before he knew what was happening, Nora had hugged him. Quickly, Ren joined in.

  "We're here for you, no matter what." Her arms were tight and comforting, like the hug he'd received from Jaune when they'd found him in the whale. Not that he wanted to think of the whale, though it was unavoidable. "It isn't fair to keep pushing us away." Oscar suddenly found himself crying, unable to stop.

  "I'm sorry. I should've told you, but I didn't want to make things worse." Ren told him to not apologize, that it wasn't his fault. And Oscar believed him.

Part 15

  They were on vacation. Mandatory vacation. Winter had decided that they needed to step away from the refugees for a time, so they were now sitting in a little house closer to Vale. Nora was convinced that the vacation had been set for young Oscar's benefit, but she and Ren didn't think Qrow would agree.

  "Did you hear that?" Nora asked, concerned. There had been an unusual noise, like a splash. She looked over at Ren, who had wide eyes. "Something's wrong." Ren set down his book, then they jumped to their feet. They ran down the hallway, heading straight for the door. "Oscar?" There was no answer.

  "What's going on?" Qrow inquired, coming into the hallway. Almost instantly, he noticed the noise as well. "Oh no." As if it was instinct, he charged at the door. There was water all over the floor, puddling around where the splashing was occurring from. They all scrambled to collect the instruments that would ensure Oscar's safety.

  "It's okay, kid. I got you." Calmly, Qrow pulled Oscar from the tub, watching as Ren wrapped a towel around the young man and assisting Nora in settling the boy to the ground. Oscar was gasping, water rolling down his face as tears started to let loose. It was clear the boy had been exhausted. "How long was he down?"

  "No more than fifteen seconds," Ren replied, appearing certain in his answer. Qrow seemed to relax slightly, as if that was a positive number. Nora saw it as anything but good. "We will need to watch over him in case there are any problems." The air seemed to release tension with every second. It was going to be okay.

  "Stay awake, Oscar," Nora told the boy calmly, making sure that he was still breathing. If he stopped breathing, then they had problems to deal with very quickly. "Just stay awake a little longer."

  "I'm sorry," Oscar mumbled weakly, still sputtering and coughing. How much water had he got in his lungs? It seemed nearly impossible to get the reaction that he was getting. And yet, Ren seemed perfectly calm. Nora looked up at him, knowing that concern was washing over her face. All he did was place a hand on her shoulder.

  "Don't worry, kid," Qrow tried to reassure him. "You'll be okay soon." After Oscar was probably taken care of, and placed in the front area where the television was, the three older members of the group hovered nearby. "You two are in charge for the next few days, okay?" he told them softly. "Raven needs to know what happened."

  "But what will we do if Winter comes by and you're not back yet?" Nora asked, trying to stay quiet for Oscar's sake. "What do we say to Oscar when he sees you leaving? This can't be a rash decision." Ren agreed with her, though it was mostly wordless. "This was supposed to keep stress levels down. This will cause stress."

  "Just keep him calm until I get back. Then, maybe, we might know what to do next." Qrow silently gave them a look, then left the house. Ren and Nora were left with the emotionally unstable young boy, hoping that everything would be okay.

Part 16

  It was bordering the third day of their vacation. Oscar was curled up with a book, perfectly content to do so the rest of the day. Ren could somewhat agree with that idea, thought it was obvious Nora did not. Especially as the young woman quickly jumped to her feet. What was she planning to do now?

  "Come on, let's go do something fun while we're here!" Nora exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she pulled Oscar out of his seat. The young man was startled, having not recovered yet from the times he'd been tackled. "Ren, don't you agree? We need to loosen up a bit." Ren nodded, perfectly calm and with a faint smile on his face. "This is a vacation! Stop sitting on your butt, reading a book and being all sad!" Smiling to himself, finally, Oscar rolled his eyes.

  "She has a point, you know," Ozpin said, which seemingly infuriated the young man. Oscar, mildly annoyed yet amused, thought for Oz to shut up. "I see that someone is feeling much better. Perhaps this break was a good idea after all." Then he paused, allowing Oscar to guess what was going to come next. It, undoubtedly, would not be something he'd want to hear. "Even though you still refused to sleep." The thought was correct.

  "Where are we going?" Oscar wondered, completely ignoring Ozpin's finally comment. It was easier than getting caught in a silent argument, or having to contemplate why he was refusing to sleep. It was always better not to.

  "What about the beach!" Nora offered, nearly bursting with excitement. "There's a beach nearby, right?" Ren shook his head, taking that off the table. "Okay, then what about the movies? Or we could stay here and watch a movie! Or play a board game!" Nora continued to rattle off possibilities, with Ren refuting each one with a reason Oscar wouldn't like it.

  "A board game sounds nice," Oscar responded politely, having waited patiently for quite the amount of time. Nora's eyes lit up as she ran off. There was a stack of board games in the corner, which they'd been waiting for the right moment to play. Quickly, they gathered around the table and began to play.

  After a while, Nora started complaining that Oscar had an advantage. The young man just ended up laughing at that, as Oz actually hadn't helped him at all. Maybe it was easier to play dumb for a bit and give the other two a chance to win? Ozpin agreed that it would help, though it didn't seem to work as well as Oscar thought it would.

  In the end, they ended up reading for about half an hour before Nora got annoyed again and made them watch a movie. It was going to be a long day if that was what they had to deal with. Although, Oscar quickly found himself unable to respond to that thought, since he ended up falling asleep just after the movie stopped.

  "There's, um, there's some news," Qrow told Ren and Nora. Oscar startled slightly, managing to hide the fact he was now awake. Although, it was a narrow escape. Ren would probably know soon, whether anyone liked it or not. "I think we should wait until later before telling him." Telling what to who?

  "Tell him what?" Nora blurted, asking the right questions. Exactly! Saying what! It had occurred to the young man by then that the "he" being referred to was, in fact, Oscar himself. Probably best to stay where he was. Qrow hesitated for a long moment, seemingly growing more nervous with each moment.

  "Not right now." Was that it?

Part 17

  They were all sitting in front room, sitting in a circle. The room was as eerily silent as when they had discussed what Raven had shared with Yang and Weiss. It was going to be an interesting conversation, of course. But it wasn't going to happen if Qrow didn't say anything to begin with!

  "What's all this about?" Nora asked, raising an eyebrow. Qrow looked at them all awkwardly for a moment, clearly unsure if he should actually tell them anything. Why was this so difficult for him? What was the information that he wanted to tell them so badly? What had he learned on his journey.

  "Well, I have pretty good news," Qrow replied, finally focusing on Nora. "Good news, of course. And I think that you'll all be happy about it." The three teens gave each other confused looks, wondering what he was talking about. What did know that would make them happy? Qrow hesitated for another moment before explaining. "They're alive."

  "They are?" Oscar blurted, his voice cracking as he stood up. Every fiber of his being was rumbling with shock and possible joy. "What are we doing here then? We need to get-" The young boy had begun to run toward the door, but Qrow stopped him before he could. Oscar struggled against the physical barrier.

  "Look, kid," Qrow was holding Oscar back by the shoulders. Oscar continued to struggle, so Qrow decided it was time to raise his voice. "Kid!" Oscar froze, no longer struggling. "I know you want to get Ruby back right now, but we need to be a little patient. My sister is stubborn, and you're not exactly high on her list of people she trusts." The man laughed a little, then focused again. "I'm not either, but she'll listen to me."

  "When will we know if she's agreed to it?" Nora wondered, appearing to still be confused. Qrow admitted that Raven said they'd know within a few days. Oscar seemed like a few days was too long. They'd been waiting so long already, so why not just give them an answer now? It was ridiculous!

  "There is a good chance she will agree," Ren commented, perfectly calm. Qrow nodded. It was clear to everyone that Ren had put his new power to use. It was good to know that everything would be okay.