On wanting/possibly getting a Glynda...

[shining_beacon]

If you are expecting me to protest this desire of yours... you will likely find this response lacking. After all, there are some things that hold true, regardless of time and place. Chief among them is that Huntsmen and Huntresses work best in teams. These teams can only be as efficient and effective as the trust between those teammates.

That said, I have known Glynda for longer than most. Peter and Bartholomew are good friends and I would trust them with my life at the drop of a hat, yes. However, Glynda knows me better than she probably should, for her own safety. For so long we have been partners in Beacon and the field that... attempting to operate without her has put me... off balance almost.

[He stops and takes a sip of coffee.]

Now I know you will read romantic inclinations into that sentiment, and there's really nothing I can do to stop you. However, that will forever remain the business of Glynda and myself, and I will not simply speak to the validity of such claims as it stands. First and foremost, Glynda is a respected professor at Beacon, one of the best Huntresses in Vale, but most importantly, my friend.

Comments

the most impulsive decision, this is it hsldjla

[glynt]

[ just going to... arch an eyebrow at you. ]

If only you were quite as verbose when it came to school matters.

Do not fret! The world NEEDS MORE GLYNDA!

[shining_beacon]

[He's just gonna take a long sip of coffee, actually feeling a lot better just seeing her again.]

I am as verbose as I need to be. Considering our students, do you really think I'd be able to hold their attention with long speeches?

[Y'know... since it works SO WELL for Port's class?]

[glynt]

You accommodate them far too much.

[ aka you're such a softie, ozpin... but she supposes someone has to be. ]

[shining_beacon]

Do I? [There's a small chuckle.] Sometimes I wonder if I accommodate them enough.

[He knows you're just as much a softie as he is. You can't hide it from him.]

[glynt]

[ yes, well, she happens to hide it a lot better, thank you very much.

in response to his words, though, there is the faintest pursing of her lips. but when she speaks, her tone is soft. ]

You can't save them all. You know that.

[ just as much as she knows he'll still beat himself up over it, regardless. ]

[shining_beacon]

[He sighs, all that coffee seeming to drain out of his face, suddenly looking very tired.]

I have to try. That is my own badge and burden.

[Have a hand on your shoulder, Glynda.]

...One that I could not handle without the support of such gifted Huntresses and friends like you.

[glynt]

[ there is a brief moment of silence on glynda's end, who doesn't really react to the touch... which is probably more telling than any other reaction might have been.

and then she's rolling her eyes good-naturedly. ]

Save the flattery for James. They're much more effective on him.

[ she hardly needs any further incentive to be right where she is, after all. ]

DID SOMEONE SAY JAMES

[mobilizes]

Glad to hear I'm still in your thoughts, at least.

[shining_beacon]

[Ozpin will just chuckle and take a sip as he releases Glynda's shoulder.]

I'm not in the business of flattery, regardless.

[Just occasionally wants to remind Glynda how much he appreciates her.]

[mobilizes]

You know how kids are by now, Ozpin - they'll romanticize anything if given the chance to.

[ Spoken with a smile, if not just a little forced - they may be at odds on how to handle the current situation, but they are friends... and, he hopes, they can remain so through whatever is to come next. ]

[shining_beacon]

Yes, but my mun has long aged past that threshold, however. He's a grown man, and yet, here we are. I suppose there is some virtue in keeping that outlook on life, however.

How are you doing, James?

[That's probably been the hardest bit of running Beacon. The politics associated with it. Still, he's not going to just burn a bridge unless forced to.]

[mobilizes]

Age of body and age of mind aren't always the same, you know. In fact they pretty rarely are - you've always acted like an old man, for example.

[ That's right, let's just keep things light here - no need to bring up any growing tensions, or stolen military technology or anything-- ]

I'm... [ Trying to figure out how to handle the fact that one of his Paladins was seen rampaging through the streets ] ... Busy, but what else is new?

[shining_beacon]

It's the hair. Be thankful you only have a single stripe of gray, James.

[Yes, Ozpin is actually rather curious as to how a gangster like Torchwick got access to a Paladin sporting White Fang emblems, that just happened to be in town the same day the Atlasian Knight demonstration happened. But, time and place.]

I can imagine. The Vytal festival is never a small undertaking, after all.

[mobilizes]

I'll catch up to you soon enough, I'm sure.

[ Between running his own academy and preparing for the escalating situation with the so-called Queen and her pawns, he's bound to end up with more than a few more gray hairs before all is said and done.

But talk of the festival is a welcome reprieve from his recent frustrations, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he replies. ]

Every year we consider cutting back to make it easier... I don't think we ever actually have, though.

[shining_beacon]

Relish what time you have though.

[To be fair, the primary issue he's skirting at the moment is how four of his students kind of... went Batman on the White Fang, causing the chase, and proceeded to dismantle the Paladin.]

I don't think any of the kingdoms have. Vale certainly hasn't. If anything, I think costs have gone up over time.

[mobilizes]

Tick tock - I'm well aware, believe me.

[ Ironwood's not going to be thrilled to learn it only took a handful of first-year students to obliterate what's supposed to be one of his newest frontline defense units... that's an issue for sure. ]

It's important for the students. They only have so much time before they'll find themselves right in the thick of it. [ A pause, eyes hardening a little. ] If some haven't, already.

[shining_beacon]

[He'd never say it out loud, but he's secretly rather proud that four first years were able to demolish that paladin. Sorry James.]

Not just the students. Especially for Vale. I'm sure you've heard of the recent string of Dust thefts ranging from small scale store robberies to stealing entire freight containers. The people need this return to normalcy every bit as much as our students.

[He meets that gaze unwaveringly. 'Cause, y'know... he's still not 100% on having the Atlas Military on his front lawn.]

[ballisticfists]

So you're telling me you don't have a thing for Ms. Goodwitch? Are you suuuuuure?

[ This :3 is the face Yang is making at you Professor. ]

[shining_beacon]

[Have a small eye roll.]

Whether I do or not has no bearing on how I run my school, or how the classes are structured, so I do not see the need to divulge such information.

[ballisticfists]

Aww, c'mon Professor! I'm sure you guys play he "Who's into who" game all the time in the staff room, right? Right?

[ Never let it be said that Yang is not persistent. ]

[shining_beacon]

We all have other more pressing concerns when we meet.

[Slow sip.]

Like four young women infiltrating White Fang rallies, intimidating nightclub owners, and getting in chases with stolen Atlisian military hardware on a crowded freeway, while at the same time enlisting a pair of exchange students in those shenanigans.

[ballisticfists]

...

[ Well shit. ]

Uhm...well, at least we won? Sort of. Torchwick is planning something, Professor. We can't just sit around and do nothing.

[shining_beacon]

Yes, I'm well aware.

[He sighs.]

This obviously isn't simply black and white. The fact that the White Fang had Atlisian military hardware muddies things. I will say that chase exposed that fact sooner, rather than later in a more organized attack. I would much rather find out with a single Paladin being dismantled by a single team, rather than have a dozen marching on Vale in the middle of the night.

That said... this is not something I can fully turn a blind eye to.

[ballisticfists]

We're more than capable, Professor. I know we shouldn't have gone off unsanctioned like that, but we couldn't just sit around cooped up in school listening to Professor Port's lecture all day.

Torchwick is a bad man, sir. We saw a chance to stop him before he could hurt anyone and we tried our best to take it.

[shining_beacon]

I do not fault you for thinking that way, and I will admit, a Huntsman or Huntress would not have been able t infiltrate that rally just by virtue of being a more visible public feature.

Yes, however, without hard evidence - evidence we are admittedly one step closer to having - any apprehension would be thrown out, and he would be right back on the streets, emboldened. Trust me, Miss Xiao Long. We are not simply ignoring him. He will be taken down, and when we move, it will be decisive.