#no Ozpin never claimed he was perfect and that he completely got rid of these issues i.e. systemic racism

[nightmare-foundation]

Back on my RWBY bullshit again (ranting in my head about the Academies legal processes, how Ozpin isn't responsible for every bad thing that happens in the kingdoms, and how the belief of the previous point colors the fandoms views on certain things in the show)

[masterweaverx]

With Catlike Tread

Page the First: What Ought We to Do?

Ruby shut the door behind her, pinching her brow with a sigh. “Okay, it’s pretty bad.”

“Did you find them?”

“Yes. Apparently, Qrow got drunk again, and now he and Oscar are being held in jail. That’s not the big issue, though.” Ruby walked over to a chair and slumped into it. “They confiscated the relic.”

Yang blinked. “Sorry, did I hear that right? The Relic of Knowledge--”

“--was mistaken for something that the two ‘vagabonds’ obviously stole from some rich guy, so now it’s in the police chief’s safe and it’s going to be moved to a more secure vault tomorrow. I tried to say it was a family heirloom, but they demanded proof and, well...” Ruby spread her hands. “I got kicked out.”

“Oh, that’s perfect.” Yang leaned against the wall and groaned. “That’s just great, that... what is wrong with the cops in this town?”

“The town’s called Keisatsukuso,” Weiss said dryly. “I’m somehow not surprised in the slightest.”

“What’s the town’s name got to do with anything?”

Blake cleared her throat. “Well... in the original tongue from which the name is derived, it translates--”

Ruby held up a hand. “Look, let’s just get to the point. We need to break out Qrow and Oscar, and we need to get the relic out of the police chief’s hands.” She gave Weiss a look. “I don’t suppose you have enough to bribe them out?”

“Hmm.” Her partner looked through a suitcase. “...Enough to pay bail for the boys, maybe. Not nearly enough to get a priceless artifact back.”

“Maybe you could say it belongs to the Schnees,” Blake suggested.

“I... don’t think that would work,” Ruby said hesitantly. “I saw some pretty foul anti-Schnee graffiti on the side of the police station... it looked a couple weeks old. If they didn’t get rid of that...”

A dry chuckle came from the hall. “So, the old wizard got himself in trouble, eh?”

Yang turned her eyes on the hunched over woman hobbling into the room. “Hey, just because you knew him before he was Ozpin--”

“Let’s not start this up,” Weiss sighed. “Miss Calavera--”

“Call me Maria, please.”

“Miss Calavera,” Weiss repeated firmly, “we need to get Qrow, Oscar, and the relic out of police hands. If you have any suggestions at all, we would be happy to hear them.”

The old woman hummed thoughtfully, a finger tapping on her skull-headed cane. “Yes... somebody to get into a fortified position, retrieve one item, and break out two targets... and the police here are, hmm, well trained and armed. The way I see it, overwhelming force is not going to work, not that you have that anyway. But... if somebody were to slip in and liberate the targets themselves, we might be able to slip away under cover of night.”

Blake shook her head. “You said it yourself, the police are trained and armed. I’ve... been on a few missions like this myself, and I think they’d be ready for any of us.”

“Humans and faunus, yes...” The old woman had an unnerving smile on her face as her goggles focused on Blake. “Have you ever heard the story of the lost village?”

Ruby put her head in her hands. “This is going to be another one of those ‘fairy tales that turn out to be true,’ isn’t it?”

“Well, yes. Don’t blame the wizard for not telling you, it hasn't been relevant before and it could do quite a bit of damage if the story was well known.” The woman hobbled over to the table, pulling a mortar and pestle out of her robes. “There’s quite a number of variants, of course, but the core elements are the same: there was a village that befriended fairies in the local forest, so when they were attacked by raiders they turned to the fairies for help. The fairies let them take traits from the various animals living in the forest, which helped the villagers to survive even after they were scattered.”

“...You’re talking about the faunus,” Blake said, quietly.

“Yes. People who know... part of the story, who see the blessing as a curse, they’ve tried to ‘cure’ faunus before. Burned off their ears, cut off their tails...” The woman shook her head, putting a few herbs in the mortar. “It is best that particular story remain forgotten. Still, for our purposes, it does provide us with a unique opportunity.”

Yang narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“There’s magic in your young lady’s blood. It’s mostly dormant, but with the right potion...” The woman smirked as she worked her pestle. “Well, the guards won’t be looking for something small and furry.”

For a brief moment, the only sound was ceramic against ceramic as the woman continued to crush together small plants.

“...Are you suggesting we turn Blake into a cat?” Weiss asked, very carefully keeping her voice level.

“Well, I am skilled in enchantments. What with being a hedge witch and all.”

Yang shook her head. “No. No, we’re not letting you put your voodoo on Blake.”

The old woman smiled wryly at her. “Technically, it isn’t voodoo.”

“Whatever! I mean, what, turning her into a cat just to get a doodad? That’s an insane idea.”

“I’m... not comfortable with it myself,” Blake allowed.

“See?”

“...but...”

Yang stared at her incredulously. “What, seriously Blake?”

“I want to know what exactly this would entail before I reject it completely. That’s all. And...” Blake rubbed her arm, not quite looking at her. “I mean... faunus heritage, right...?”

“Faunus... I...” The blonde’s mouth worked for a bit as she tried to figure out a way to say what she was thinking without offending anyone. “...Ruby! Come on, you’re against this, right?”

“I’m sorry, I know this is a serious discussion, but my brain is stuck on ‘Blake as a cat would be adorable.’“

Weiss shrugged. “I mean... you’re not wrong, but that shouldn’t be the primary reason we do this.”

“Oh, obviously. And we’d need Blake’s consent, of course.”

“And already you two have more ethical standards then three quarters of enchanters in fairy tales.” The old woman chuckled wryly. “Don’t worry, it’s certainly not permanent. Three hours, three hours and fifteen minutes... somewhere in that time frame.”

Blake took a breath. “And are there... side effects?”

“Oh my gods,” Yang groaned, “we’re actually considering this.”

“Not at all. Well, as a cat your senses would be altered, of course--balance, scent, vision, all of that--but beyond that, there’s usually only a mild sense of disorientation following the transformation from faunus to cat, and vice versa.”

“Wait.” Yang held up a hand. “What do you mean, usually?”

The old woman hummed thoughtfully. “I’ve never seen it happen myself, but the texts I learned this potion from have mentioned that some faunus come out of the transformation with an additional trait. A tail, claws, it’s not very common.”

Blake turned, pacing around the room. One finger wrapped around her chin, while the other hand rubbed her ear.

Yang took a breath. “Look. There are more mundane, far less heavy body-modifying options. Ruby could zip through the building and take what she wants. Weiss could send a tiny summon in to sneak around. Blake already has the ability to basically ninja anywhere, and I...” She glanced down at herself. “I don’t know, maybe I can seduce the guards or something.”

“I’m doing it.”

Yang’s eyes snapped to Blake. “What?”

“I’ll take the potion. It’s something the police wouldn’t have been trained for, so it’s our best bet to get everything we need.” Blake cleared her throat. “And, if I get caught, somebody could always come in and claim they ‘lost their pet cat.’ Easy extraction.”

“I mean, they’ve seen Ruby and I’m famous,” Weiss mused, “so it would have to be Yang...”

Blake nodded firmly. “Right. So... I’ll take that potion. I mean after we make a plan. Ruby, you’ve got an outline of the building, right?”

“Right, of course.” Ruby stood up, pulling out her scroll. “I wasn’t on the second floor, but that’s where the relic is, I think.”

“It would be best if the rest of us were waiting outside, just in case we needed to help.” Weiss leaned over Ruby’s shoulder. “Patrol around the windows, in case she needs to jump...”

Yang pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, we’re actually doing this. Fine.”

She paused.

“And for the record, she is not my young lady, alright? She’s her own young lady. Okay, granny?”

The old woman nodded. “Of course, of course.”