Chapter 10

As the sun would begin to rise on Monday morning, Xavier found himself asleep at what would eventually become his desk, a somewhat heavy thing despite its relatively small size. Nevertheless, when he was awakened it was with a start as the sting of a riding crop striking his forehead would jolt him from his slumber. Xavier bolted upright and clenched his teeth, muttering a few curses under his breath as he turned to face Glynda and Ozpin, the latter of whom simply sipped his drink before speaking. "...Rather unbecoming when you have a bed of your own, Mathis."

Xavier gave a small sigh before yawning and stretching, several of the joints in his arms and vertebrae popping. "sorry... got a little carried away last night,"

Glynda would make her way around the all but abandoned classroom, carefully examining most surfaces, tracing her finger along a few. Xavier had indeed put in some effort as even much of the decrepit and broken furniture had been restored to a better condition. After a few moments of silence, she would give an approving model to Oz, who in turn gave one to Xavier. "...Making good use of the resources at your disposal I see. I expected no less." He would turn to leave, leaving Xavier a bit confused, though Glynda would linger for a moment.

"...Finish out this week without incident, and make sure this room is kept in this state of cleanliness. Now, I believe you have a class to attend." Xavier nodded, considering going back to sleep for a brief moment before hauling himself to his feet.

The week did indeed pass without incident, Xavier made himself pretty scarce throughout and focused more on studying the world around him instead of the people within it, only returning greetings when they were given, mostly by Yang or Nora strangely enough. Mercifully, the anticipation was nearly over when the last bell would ring on Friday afternoon. Yang would immediately attempt to approach Xavier, however, Glynda would deter her with a simple instruction. "Mathis, you will remain here for the moment." Yang gave a somewhat concerned look, but Xavier reassured her with a smile before she left.

Xavier approached Glynda's desk and leaned on one arm on the farthest corner from Glynda herself. "don't suppose i have time to change into something more presentable than a hoodie?"

Glynda shook her head with a bit of annoyance. "No. You will make your way to Professor Ozpin's office without any further delay, am I understood?" She didn't even look at Xavier when she gave the instructions, instead rummaging through the file drawer of her desk for... Something of import apparently. Though Xavier got the message.

"yeah..." He had a hundred questions, but figured he wouldn't get any answers from her. With a silent shrug, he would make his way towards the headmaster's office without delay. Glynda was always serious, but this gave the impression of something else entirely. Once he had reached the end of the main hallway and boarded the elevator, he could practically hear his heartbeat, something that was... Frankly a bit disturbing. "...am i early?" He asked once the elevator opened, it wasn't just Xavier and Ozpin inside the office as the old man looked out the window, his coffee cup for once was simply sitting on his desk. He didn't turn to Xavier as he spoke.

"Right on schedule..." Ozpin nodded a bit, holding his hand up. "This is the friend I told you about." Then he held his hand to Xavier. "This is the liability I told you about." He gestured towards an older man who wore an immaculate white suit.

"General James Ironwood of the Atlas Military. And Headmaster of Atlas Academy." He held his hand out for the much smaller man. This man was dressed to the nines with a white and light grey suit that seemed to be a hybrid between contemporary men's fashion and a combat-ready uniform. An officer undoubtedly, despite looking not much older than Ozpin, the lines on his face and grey streaks in his hair spoke to experience. As did his gaze set upon Xavier.

"xavier mathis, rogue of space" He introduced himself politely and shook the man's hand firmly. Normally a quip or a shot would have been fired back, but he was attempting to be on his best behavior here. He could tell immediately that every movement, expression and gesture was being analyzed, and so would be careful to not portray anything... Too unusual.

Ironwood stood tall and politely, clearly far better trained in the art of stuffiness than even anyone at Beacon, including Glynda. "From what I hear... You're an interloper from another dimension with reality bending powers capable of distorting or possibly destroying the world as we know it."

"you have heard... correctly," Xavier admitted with no small amount of reluctance. "though i would like to state for the record that many of these abilities are locked behind a barrier of sorts that i cannot penetrate" He wondered if even Ozpin believed him when he first spoke of the bargain he struck and how weak it had rendered him. Ironwood gave a methodical nod towards Xavier as he spoke.

"Interesting... I trust you won't mind if I treat you as though that's not true." He let out a half laugh, checking his watch. "There were supposed to be a few others here today, I thought..." And with that, the elevator opened behind Xavier right on cue, he would quickly step back as an approaching Glynda made her way into the office, looking even more uptight than usual as she carried a handful of files in under her arm.

"Pardon the lateness. I was..." She cleared her throat, straightening her glasses and... skirt. "I'm here now. General Ironwood." She bowed politely to him, taking her spot on the right hand side of Ozpin's desk. The gesture didn't go unnoticed, and got only the faintest of smirks from Xavier before his poker face returned. He looked over at Ozpin, a silent question of 'is anyone else coming?' came from a slight tilt of the head.

"I certainly hope so..." Ironwood sighed, looking out through the window to see another Atlas airship landing just in front of the school. "Ah, there she is. It'll only be another few minutes." He nodded a bit, looking over at Glynda. "You're as uptight as ever, Goodwitch."

"You're one to talk." She crossed her arms, looking away from him. There was an insincerity to their words, a sort of inside joke he couldn't pick out. Xavier quirked a brow, maybe he read the situation wrong? Either way this was somewhat entertaining. He looked over at Ironwood, he was certainly a familiar presence, sure, capable, and willing to take action. Despite how he appeared, this seemed like a man who wouldn't hesitate to join the front lines, should it be more tactically sound. His observations complete, he gave a small nod, knowing the man would be picking him apart all the same. Ozpin would soon break the awkward silence of the staring contest.

"I presume the rest of the party will join us swiftly." He took a sip of his Cocoa, the sound echoing through his office loudly and awkwardly... The huge room was bad enough, but everyone else in it was being so serious, one could hear a pin drop, until he began slurping of course... which caused both Ironwood and Glynda to suddenly burst into laughter for just a brief moment. And this caused his own mask to crack, not that it was really well secured in the first place. Xavier seemed shocked if nothing else, as if discovering that these two were capable of laughter. Especially Glynda. That just seemed unnatural...

"I wasn't prepared that time, I didn't expect you to do it in front of Xavier." She huffed a bit, shaking her head, but smiling.

"You still lost, though." Ironwood huffed in turn, looking back towards the ship in the courtyard. "What is taking so lo-..." He let out a deep sigh, seeing his operative picking a fight with some drunkard as students gathered around in droves to watch... "Godsdammit..." Xavier would make his way to the window and observe for a few seconds before asking Ozpin...

"should we do something?"

Oz took another sip from his mug and shook his head. "No. However, while there is time, I would like you to observe... Preferably closely." Xavier nodded his head and snapped his fingers, disappearing in a flash of blue light towards the assembling crowd and pushing towards the front. It took some effort given how quickly the situation was spiraling out of control. Quite frankly, Xavier was shocked. Both parties involved appeared to be moving faster than he could keep up at first. On the other end of the innermost circle of the crowd stood Ruby and Weiss, who appeared to be cheering on the two as they fought. Xavier would attempt to sense their individual auras, but with this much of a crowd around him, even two bright and powerful lights were blocked out in a wave of other, smaller flames. His eyes didn't fare much better until their battle left the confined circle that had sprung up around the two.

Upon taking their battle to a more acrobatic approach with the drunken man and his sword having trouble keeping up with the woman in white and her agility, Xavier could finally keep up with the action. It seemed as though the two had realized how seriously they were taking this battle and instead chose to slow down, making a spectacle out of things... Xavier could see what no one else seemed to realize, however, and that was despite the woman having the advantage in terrain and footwork, the man was dictating the pact of this little performance. Even when she chose to use her Semblance, one that puzzlingly resembled Weiss's own, the man seemed to have an answer. It was only when Ironwood finally arrived that the action was put to a sudden halt. "Schnee!" ...And that certainly explained it. Xavier attempted to blend in with some of the crowd as they scattered, preferably heading towards the fountain to avoid drawing the gaze of the aforementioned Schnee, as well as Ironwood. He needed a moment to mull this over.

Ozpin would soon join Xavier by the fountain as he lit up a cigarette. The older man seemed somewhat amused at Xavier's perplexed expression. Xavier strongly considered what he could make out about the two involved here, the half-gone man and the serious woman. He was very curious as to who would have won this engagement, they were both obviously high level combatants. Part of him wondered if anyone in this group was touchable at his current level... Something that he tried his best to bury. He could only barely follow their movements, and what little he could sense was... Terrifying. Xavier came to the realization that he had vastly underestimated what humanity was capable of, as well as his own place in the food chain here, a thought that he would quickly shove to the back of his mind as instead, he would catch the last glimpses of Glynda repairing the damage that had been done to the walkways, archways and pillars of the courtyard. "...i still don't get how she does that" He whispered to Ozpin about Glynda's seemingly spellcraft.

"She possesses the Semblance you pretend to. Our weapons act as a lens for Aura, Channeling and focusing it." He seemed content to leave it at that for now. "The others will have gathered, finish your business here and return to my office as soon as possible." He delivered his instructions in a rather casual tone as he walked off, though it wasn't long before the black and green was replaced with a blur of red as Ruby practically tackled Xavier.

"Did you see my uncle?! Ahhh he's so cool!"

"your uncle?" He looked between Ruby and the man, taken aback by the girl's speed. Of course, once he managed to get his focus back, he could see a slight similarity. The energy they seem to possess, the way they carry themselves in combat, yeah, that made sense. He gave Ruby an awkward smile. "your family continues to impress..."

"Of course~!" She smiled proudly, puffing out her chest a bit. "Oh, looks like everyone left..." She glanced back, Watching Qrow wander off towards the Cafeteria, while Winter and Ironwood had vanished as well. "I... guess you're not busy right now then?"

"i...?" He looked back to see they had all left, before turning back to Ruby with a shrug. "probably not, but that many important-looking people don't gather in one place just to let you off the hook so we’ll see if it lasts," From the brief time he got to see the man in action, he put something together. "..he taught you didn't he? the scythe is a tricky weapon,"

"Yeah! I mean, since I was a baby, basically." She nodded, folding out her scythe just to show it off. "This one's still my first so it's not as good as his. I'll build another one while I'm here, or... something. But um..." She glanced around, folding it back up. "Oh, right. I need to talk to you."

"alright but we should make it quick," He hoped that Yang hadn't started any rumors, or else he'd fear for his life. Or his job? Actually he could lose his life, the job was harder to replace. She herded him into the back part of the courtyard. Down a side-path between the buildings... a secluded place. And like that he needed a smoke, hoping she wouldn't snatch it or anything. "...you've got a serious look, ruby"

"Well... You've sort of seriously been messing up my friends, I think." She huffed a bit. "I... I try to be nice, so I'm assuming you're not doing it on purpose... But I think as their leader, I have a responsibility to at least... try to understand what's going on."

Xavier gave a slow, deliberate nod, being caught a bit off guard by the sudden, but inevitable conversation. "that's... fair, honestly wasn't that long ago when i was in your kind of position," He gives a sigh and shakes his head. "listen, whatever it is, it’s probably my fault and i realize that... i... it's complicated, but i'll tell you what i can,"

"Obviously..." She crossed her arms a bit. Not really understanding women herself, if she was being completely honest. "You... y-you know, did the thing. With Blake. And then when she said to give her space, you started hanging out with her friend instead. That... kinda looks a certain way, you know?"

Xavier gave a nervous, awkward chuckle. "well... she started hanging out with me, she found out that i didn't really have any friends and then pulled me into hanging out, and well, i didn't mind because i really... don't... have any more friends..." It almost sounded pathetic near the end of that sentence, but in part it was trauma resurfacing. Was that a tear? Nope, gone quickly. "yang is awesome, but like... she reminds me too much of a big sister, you know?"

She nodded. "I see... So you don't like her?" That was... a bit blunt, but she meant romantically.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Xavier sighed and shook his head a bit. "ruby... i'll be honest, i kind of fuck up every relationship i touch, but... i don't know, and i don't want to try anything until i'm sure, because honestly? i don't want to mess anyone's life up..."

"That's not true." She sighed. "Relationships are a two way street. They don't come apart just because of one person. And they can't be built just by one person either. Even if one person goes away... The relationship still exists until the other is ready to move on. And sometimes that takes time, other times not so much.... It uh... Depends? I forget the rest." She laughed a little bit, tears dripping down her cheeks now too.

He blinked and almost reflexively attempted to put an arm around her shoulders in a bit of a lazy hug. "hey don't cry... please..." He wasn't far from it himself. "i... you're right, and i know you're right, and..." She was a little young to have that kind of experience but that was besides the point. "have, you ever lost someone close to you and then met someone else that was alot like them? like, so much so it's uncanny?"

"I..." She gulped, taking a deep breath and sighing. "I-I haven't... But... P-people tell me that all the time." She tried not to hug him back, but did start crying fully.

It left his mouth before he could even think otherwise, but when he saw the first tears... "koko don't cry- er, ruby... it's okay,"

Hearing that name... That made her close the gap, hugging him tightly. "Shh... I-It's gonna be okay... It's not your fault, a-alright?"

"yeah... alright, um, ...are you okay though?" He was kind of confused as to why she was crying first. "...i ...i know what kind of position you're in, i was made a leader at 16, and my friends looked up to me, it's terrifying,"

She shook her head, wiping her eyes as she broke their hug. "I-it's not that. Um... Th-that speech I gave you. It's... It's what my dad told me when I asked when he was gonna remarry after... after my mom died."

"oh-" And like that most of the color drained from his face. "..i ...damn," He didn't know what else he could even say to that. Fortunately Ruby would continue.

"Um... D-don't tell anyone else, but... Yang and I come from different mothers. She... never really knew hers. She left when Yang was born. So... Dad remarried and Ruby came along. And... Well when I was a kid, our mom went out on a mission and... never came back. S-so you know... Dumb little kid me thought that meant it was time for another mom."

"i... see” He was caught in an awkward spot here, giving sympathy might be the last thing she wanted, she’d probably heard it all before, but... “i kinda know how that feels...“

"I guess... th-the point is that everyone is different. Sometimes... When a girl leaves, that doesn't mean it's over for you. It depends on how you feel, but it depends on how she felt about you too. Feelings... affect each other, like that."

"yeah..." This was starting to become kind of... really, really awkward. "i mean, yeah, you're not wrong, ...you're pretty wise ruby, do you try and help out everyone you meet?"

Ruby shook her head a bit. "N-not really." She glanced away. "I mean... My teammates are a different story... but like..." She sighed a bit. "I dunno."

He gives a small chuckle and pats her on the head. "...hey, i should probably go before Glynda hunts me down, but let's talk again sometime okay?" It wouldn't be hard with his soon-to-be teaching gig.

"Right, right... B-bottom line, it's okay to feel however you feel about whoever. Feelings change, and if you don't like someone anymore... It's not wrong to let yourself like someone else. But if you still like someone, it isn't wrong to take your time either."

"...yeah," He felt a sense of relief that he didn't realize yet. If Ruby could see that, well, he was probably overthinking things. "hey, try and smile today alright? i'll catch you later!" He didn't want to leave so abruptly, but felt the more time he spent, the more trouble he'd be in. Now to start the run to Ozpin's office...

Oz nodded a bit once the elevator opened, the room now full of the necessary precipitants. "There he is again. Beacon Academy's newest professor." Oz stood this time, resting on his cane as the others glanced over at Xavier. There were now six people standing inside of this room, including the two that were brawling just moments ago. The first one to acknowledge Xavier was the woman, dressed in what he could only assume was a customized variant of the uniform that Ironwood wore, a somewhat functional white suit that undoubtedly had some combat functionality. Her cold blue eyes bore into Xavier's own as she spoke in a firm, businesslike tone.

"Specialist Winter Schnee of the Atlas military." She stood tall, twice as stuffy as Weiss and maybe even moreso than Ironwood... She absolutely resembled everything a Schnee would be from Xavier's limited experience.

He gave a respectful nod. "xavier mathis, well met," The other man in the room made no move towards him. No handshake, no salute, he didn't even stand up. Slumped over the back of a chair.

"Qrow Branwen. Former teacher at Signal Academy in the City of Vale, professional Huntsman." He... seemed like he barely got through that sentence. A bit shocking considering that technically this was the first ever true professional Huntsman that Xavier had ever met, with the rest being teachers more than anything.

"ruby's uncle, she talks highly of you," He knew what he was seeing, this guy was three sheets to the wind and trying not to show it, or hungover enough that speaking was pain. A smile came to him from that. And then the realization set in that he managed to fight in that condition...

"Hands off." It seemed that the mention of Ruby was the only thing he picked up on. Winter sighed and shook her head.

"When are you ever going to BEGIN to take things se-"

"Winter. That's enough." Ironwood cut her off the moment she raised her voice, Winter's eyes widened for a split second before she settled into an attentive stance.

Qrow smirked, laughing halfheartedly. "Yeahhhh, Good doggy." He groaned, standing up and rubbing his eyes.

Xavier attempted to reimplement his poker face, successfully not laughing at the burn. "...i take it i'm among this meeting of the mighty for a reason?" He only hoped they didn't plan on trying to kill him. Such a thing would complicate his place on this world.

"Indeed." Ozpin nodded a bit, setting his cup down on the desk for probably the first time since Xavier had met him. "You pose a near insurmountable threat to us. We count ourselves merely lucky that you are on our side. Because of this... In exchange for a full or substantially more than partial explanation of your circumstances, goals, and abilities..." He glanced from Glynda, to Ironwood, to Winter, to Qrow, then finally back to lock eyes with Xavier, dead on. "We are prepared to reveal the same or similar."

"Think of it as an olive branch. A chance to solidify a bond of cooperation." Ironwood stated while adjusting his tie.

Xavier nodded, and then let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "...alright, full transparent honesty then, but i'll warn you that alot of what i'm about to say is going to sound completely ridiculous and/or outright impossible," He looks over at Ozpin, then to Glynda, and Ironwood. "...the first thing you need to know is that i chose to impose a limit onto my power that i myself cannot unlock, the reason for that is that i don't want to completely fuck over every world i find myself on"

Qrow made a sound somewhat like choking on a laugh. "Trust me, we're used to it." When Ozpin spoke before, it was as if every single drop of alcohol vanished from Qrow’s system. As if he could sober up on command.

"So you mean to tell us that you're capable of traversing not just this world, but several others? At will?" Glynda’s eyes widened at the idea. Such a thing was science fiction at best as far as they were concerned.

Xavier gave a nod towards her. "we- ...i, selected this world after observing it for awhile, it seemed like a place where i could be myself more than anything, ...remnant, it has several elements to it that are familiar, yet alien, all in all i'd say that it was a choice made because it seemed... fun?" That may not have been the only word, but it was the first one that came to mind.

"You saw a reality referred to with a word that means ‘Whatever is left behind’ and thought it sounded... fun?" She furrowed her brow. Clearly upset with the notion that he took their entire existence lightly.

"considering that alot of my friends hailed from a world called new alternia, which came from a world called alternia, which was then preceded by something called beforus, yes," That sounded like a terrible joke, but his look and tone ensured he was serious. "...but, as oz and i have discussed before ...maturity could be a factor" He admitted reluctantly as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "my body... doesn't age the same way anymore, i've essentially been stuck at 18 for a long time, it's... effected me,"

Qrow raised a brow. "How old are you, then?" Winter seemed surprised and again upset at that notion, but the others didn't bat an eye.

Xavier seemed to give it some thought, but soon gave a shrug. "stopped keeping track after a couple of centuries, it doesn't matter... i'm unfortunately immortal, you can kill me, hell at least 3 of you could do it easily,” That very notion seemed to give him some pause, though he didn’t point out which among them. “but i don't stay dead, trust me, i've tried"

Glynda and Ironwood looked at Ozpin, who smirked a little bit. "Well... I'd say it's a pleasure finally being in the company of someone my own age, but I'm afraid your inability to progress past 18 definitely seems to have extended to your mentality, Xavier."

That got a bit of a scowl from Xavier, not directed at anything but the ground. "believe me i know," He sighs, as if the proof wasn't clear from the beginning of the semester. "...sorry to get depressing on everyone, just, yes i came here because it's fun, i hope i can stay and do... something, because despite being a dimension hopping space god i haven't exactly had anywhere to call home for a very long time,"

Ironwood glanced over at Ozpin, preparing himself before he spoke. "So you're capable of leaving Remnant entirely at any time, correct?"

Xavier shook his head. "not just on a whim, creating portals takes more energy than i can hold right now, i would need to release my limiter,"

"You said that someone else controls that limiter. Who are they? and where are they located?" Glynda spoke with the usual air of authority but there was a certain... Hesitation in her voice.

Xavier's face seemed to lose all color as he struggled to even form a reply. "...um ...i guess that means you'd like to meet her?"

Glynda crossed her arms under her chest. "Answer my questions as they are asked, Mr. Mathis."

He gave a dry, nervous chuckle. "well... speak of the devil i suppose, um" He seemed hesitant to do so. "she's... my partner, the yin to my yang, time to my space, as for where- ...and more appropriately when she is, i can't say i can get in touch with her but she doesn't hang around very often"

After a moment of pondering the conversation thus far, Ironwood would speak. "Would it pose any threats to us if you contacted her now? And more importantly, would she be willing to disclose her whereabouts without spontaneously coming here?"

That last part got a chuckle out of Xavier. "she doesn't pose any threat, it goes against her role as a healer but... hers is a constant duty to the flow of time itself to ensure things go as they're supposed to, i've got a bit more free reign than most, but even if she told us where she is, it would probably somewhere none of us have ever heard of"

Everyone had mixed levels of belief. Ranging from Winter's quiet, seething anger. To Qrow's complete lack of reaction at all. Ozpin smiled softly. "Would it be possible for us to contact her independently of you?"

Xavier nodded. "here," He handed over his glasses. "this is the only device that has pesterchum 2.0 on this world, hers would be the only profile in my roster that's online" Glynda and Ozpin had seen his computer specs in action before, but they lit up almost immediately and opened the application.

Oz looked it over, showing it to Glynda for a bit of help. Technology wasn't his strong suit. "I wouldn't mind keeping these... But i think it would be best if we had a separate form of contact. James?"

Ironwood took the glasses from Glynda’s grasp, examining them for a moment. "I know someone who can create an identical version of these glasses down to the micrometer, if you let me borrow them for a few weeks."

"...shit, um," He combed through his sylladex briefly and produced a more toned down pair without the functionality of a smart device. "if you can somehow replicate the application, keep it a military secret, even i don't know its programming, and time doesn't appear to be much of a factor when using it,"

A nod from Ironwood. "Naturally. The Atlas military has more secrets than you could count." Qrow scoffed at that statement.

Ozpin cleared his throat. "Let's move on to another topic... Xavier. When unlimited, please describe your powers."

That gave Xavier a long pause. He genuinely attempted to piece together his words as carefully as he possibly could, given the circumstances especially. "...my title is the rogue of space, while each class and aspect are different and have deeper meaning, this particular combination can be seen as... one who borrows from creation, i utilize the power of physical reality, matter, energy, and the ability to shape these building blocks down to the subatomic level in order to create, or break down, whatever i can think of, my only limits are the amount of energy available to me at any given time," He paused for a moment, taking in the reactions of the room before continuing. "my usual kit involves the ability to manipulate gravity, teleportation to anywhere i can see instantaneously or via portals to anywhere i've been before regardless of distance, while those are powers that all space players can utilize to some extent, my gravity manipulation is incredibly precise, but that could be attributed to training... i also have my aspect patterns, which are a handful of skills unique to me, and my fraymotifs, which are powerful single-use skills that give temporary buffs, those take a full 24 hours to recharge when used... my deadlift record without energy manipulation is somewhere around 40 metric tons and i've clocked 120% light speed..." And with one final pause he would give a shrug, spelling out the last of what he could think of. "let's see... i'd say i'm more of a glass cannon focused on speed and evasion, dealing damage and bypassing armor rather than staying around to take a blow, does that make sense?"

The best ways to describe his abilities involved use of gaming and RPG terms, the only one in the room that seemed to see it as such, much less understand, was Qrow. "Sounds pretty badass if you ask me. But not what I'd call a God, exactly." He rubbed his chin a bit, stepping closer and putting a hand on Xavier's head, tipping it to the side and closing one eye. Using his left eye to peer directly inside Xavier's right eye...

He raised a brow but continued to meet Qrow’s gaze. "...um ...what are you doing?"

"Quiet... I'm lookin' for something..." Qrow focused his eye. Xavier could see his pupil dilating far, far more than what was considered normal for any human. Even faunus. turning into a speck as wide open as the period at the end of this sentence. Drinking in the vast darkness inside Xavier's soul... looking for a flare of light, no matter how faint. What he would find was unlike anything he had seen before, a bright blue light, something in the shape of a spiral. The aspect of space was indeed a part of his soul, but it felt like something may have been... missing. He pulled back, closing his eye first and covering it firmly with his hand, opening the other and panting a little bit. "Yeah, the kid's got no Aura. Not even close. Just a tiny speck where his core would be."

Ozpin stood from his seated position on the desk and approached Xavier. "Interesting... Xavier, would you mind if I tried something on you briefly?"

Xavier briefly waved his hand in front of his nose. "...so long as you don't have whiskey on your breath, i'm game,"

Glynda’s eyes widened immediately. "O-Ozzy maybe you..."

Ironwood’s own expression turned grim, what little color there was drained from his face. "You can't seriously be consideri-"

Ozpin raised a hand to silence them both, a quiet smile on his face as he stepped out from behind his desk to face Xavier. "...He's game."