White Noise over the Past's Shadows (4)

"The only one who can decide your worth... is you. If you want to earn something, you need to reach out for it. Pro-athletes give up their teenage years to train. Business owners put up collateral to borrow money. That's how it always works. To make your ambitions come true, you have to take risks. The larger the ambition the greater the risk. That might involve time or enough work to affect your lifespan… So make your choice. Live in peace as a wannabe or risk losing it all to reach the very top. You're the one who needs to decide. " – Yumeko Jabami, Kakegurui

~John's POV~

A full day passed in Atlas. A day lacking any signs of uneventfulness, danger, or even anything positive on my part.

Only a strange sense of calm that only bringing the worst sense of uneasiness over my current predicament.

After spending so much time in Remnant, especially with how certain events around me have gone, I was outright unsure over long periods of time that just saw me pondering over the recent circumstances.

And with the fact that the meetings with Ironwood were proving to be fairly easy to go by without causing any major diplomatic incident between the Kingdom and Menagerie, I was given plenty of chances to contemplate about my current problem.

It was the greatest issue I had to face yet, and one that was both expensive and annoying to ignore in most of circumstances. The very thing that was now tightly-attached to my wrist.

It was heavy, not truly much of a hindrance or something that limited my capacity to move my arm, but I was starting to get incensed by the sensation of having something this 'metallic' and cumbersome on me.

I held myself from whining about this dreadful novelty near to Sienna, as I was pretty sure that she had been quite 'clear' with her motivations for this dumb limitation I was now forced to deal with.

While I had to admit that punching an Anti-Aura Blade right on its edge and wandering with the barest minimum of guards around an area in the capital that was filled with quite the assortment of criminals were things that just sounded so dumb for a sane person to go through in a merry mood, I wasn't wrong in believing that every risk had a chance of rewards.

I understood her message clearly, yet this restriction was both an issue for me and for those that I might end up encountering here in Atlas.

I was sure that I was going to met more people along the way, perhaps individuals that could seriously screw with Salem's recruitment campaign and weaken her means to strike around without any hesitation.

Still, I was quite surprised when Sienna had not forbidden me to make some 'solo' walks around the city while she was busy with some of her final bits of her diplomatic job, mentioning that I wasn't a prisoner to anyone here, but still pointing out that she would have been aware of any danger if things went south during any of those strolls.

I had to also accept General Ironwood's impos-request of accepting another member to my escort squad, to further bolster my chances of not getting mugged or killed during any of my trips around the capital.

I didn't mind having to deal with another soldier to keep an extra eye on me, but I soon realized that things were far from my first expectations of this newcomer.

Especially because of his peculiar choice of weapon and… his Semblance.

This new guy was capable of not only nullifying my efforts to move around in case of anything suspicious, but he was also good at outright screwing with my lucky/unlucky streaks with his bullshit ability.

Specialist Clover Ebi was a tall, brown-haired young man with green eyes. He was pretty bulky, but just enough to keep up with the usual frames of the guards.

The young man was friendly, his tone sounding incredibly genuine when trying to inquire about my current health and safety… but goddamn, why he was assigned to me and not to a task that could make best use of his unfairly good ability.

Good Luck. I was walking around with some glorified Lucky Charm that was meant to keep me away from trouble.

And it was working way too well!

But while I was quite irritated by this good, but also bad predicament, a single thought had fully materialized within my mind and… I couldn't just ignore it.

Seriously, why didn't Ironwood pick this guy to join the defense force when he came for the Vytal Tournament?!

I had heard of someone having a Semblance the opposite of what Qrow has, but to think that he would have been among the higher ranks and within James' circle? Of that I was quite unaware about.

So he just… didn't tell you?

While James and I share a strong sense of justice and a need to eradicate the Grimm's menace, he can become quite tight-lipped when discussing of anything or anyone that could be regarded as an important secret for Atlas' supremacy.

[So he decided to limit Atlas' presence in Vale… to not make his nation appear too weak?]

Painting that circumstance in such light is… partly-correct, yes. But I would like to also bring up the fact that James was restrained by some absolute orders from the Council, from having the Tournament's force to be just sufficient enough to sustain multiple low-level Grimm assaults… to have Ms. Polendina fight without surrendering during Vytal.

Wait, what?! You mean that Penny's death-

Was something that James had expressed sorrow about mere moments it had happened. He had tried to wrestle about this very point when the fight against Ms. Nikos was announced, but the representative of the Atlesian Council proved to be quite adamant in not making Ms. Polendina yield the match.

...That was a big epic fail now that I learned about it. But to think that it hadn't been a screw-up from Ironwood, and one of the Council here in Atlas? I was left with a mix of irritation, confusion and-

"Is everything alright sir?"

I was brought back to reality by the query leaving Clover's mouth, my eyes blinking in brief realization as I turned to look at the young man.

"Peachy, Clover," I muttered quietly as I took a sigh, staring away from the concerned look on his face. "Just pondering over the fact why dumb people are those that make important decisions in most occasions."

Blinking at my words, the Specialist seemed to be a little surprised by my response, but he sobered up pretty quickly as he spoke once more.

"Sir, you were talking about someone with… a bad luck Semblance?"

The mere mentioning of this brought me back on the discussion's tracks as I nodded with a small smile.

"Oh right," I hummed quietly. "There is this guy in Vale that got some really bad luck. I was thinking if you know anything that could heighten his Semblance's effect, perhaps some lucky charms to-"

"Truth be told, sir, I don't think a Bad Luck Semblance can be influenced by superstitious objects," The Huntsman admitted quickly, interrupting me. "But I will surely give it some attention considering the fact that I had always wanted to see someone with the opposite of my Semblance."

I nodded. "So you want a phone number or-"

"It will have to wait for a while, to be fair, sir," he interrupted again. "I still have to deal with your protection, and I can't give precious attention about it this away so suddenly and without thinking about it."

"I suppose that's a fair point," I admitted with a huff. "Still, I've to warn you that he is quite the drinker."

The Specialist blinked, showing a little bit of uneasiness at the matter. "How much is 'quite the drinker', sir?"

I didn't reply quickly at that, finding myself surprised at the fact that I didn't exactly have a 'proper answer' to that.

Sure, Qrow was a heavy drinker in the series but…

Did Qrow's beer addiction worsen up when Summer died in the previous timeline or was his pacing over it always like that?

I would say that Qrow didn't like to drink that much before Ms. Rose perished, but I think I can easily mention that both him and his sister are quite attached to alcohol, with Raven being the one that enjoy it the most.

I suppose this is referencing to the fact that her logical mind can survive that much booze.

Perhaps. I never inquired about this habit of hers, never found a reason to.

[Did she perhaps made a point where she didn't want to talk with you in general, Ozma? I think that would fit well with her personality.]

Despite what my insistence about having Raven brought back to our side might have alluded about, I am not someone that keen to know 'everything' about my former students and allies.

And I deduce from this defense that you have the same mindset about Ironwood.

I... I do, yes. He is capable of making good decisions most of the time.

Before I could have indulged some more about this little opening in Ozpin's shell, my attention was taken away by loud footsteps and someone crashing onto my legs, causing me to almost trip back.

"S-Sorry a-and!" The feminine voice sounded incredibly uneasy, but just as I glanced down to see what just slammed into me, I found only orange lighting moving around me and settling behind me as-

More footsteps, this time I turned to look at the approaching figure and… I blinked at the curious state of this young woman that was now standing in front of us.

The girl had light-blond hair that were tied in a ponytail, her tanned complex contrasted by her vibrant violet eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless dark-brown robe that reached down to her armored black boots.

"Sorry to disturb you both but did you see a- a..." The young woman blurted out quickly in the heat of the moment, freezing up with her eyes going wide as she noticed the man standing beside me. "S-Specialist Ebi, didn't expect you to-"

"At ease, Ms. Hill," The Specialist interjected politely, a small smile on his face. "Please, state what is the reason that see you chasing… something?"

The young woman nodded, her posture easing up a little bit at the man's words.

"I was dealing with a mission with my team. We were supposed to make a proper presentation for Atlas Academy to the pre-Combat school," The girl started to explain. "Then one of the students ran from the classroom and from the school, thus I decided to quickly give chase and-"

"You ended up here," I interrupted with a nod, the huntress finally taking notice of my presence too, her posture tensing up a little in recognition.

"Mr. Bukharin, I didn't think that-"

"Fret not, Ms. Hill," I interjected the clearly nervous outburst. "I understand that you're still dealing with a pursuit."

The reminder did well to make her already-wide eyes to open up even more at my words.

"I- Yes, I- Did you see… a young girl, around ten and… with blonde-brown hair? She was using her semblance, a speed-augmenting one."

I blinked at the questions, my focus moving a little bit away as I felt a pair of small hands grasp at my shirt from behind, feeling quite the tension from the newly-revealed cause for my prevented stumbling.

"It's unique for a child of her age to be able to use her Semblance this early," Clover pointed out with a hint of awe. "I genuinely hope everything is alright. I'm still confused as to why the girl would need to be using it so suddenly and without any major reason."

The huntress appeared a little nervous, but shook her head.

"Nothing happened in that classroom, Specialist Ebi," She stated curtly. "But I guess you've seen nothing about the child. I will be going now instead of disturbing you any longer."

"Then please, return to your task, Ms. Hill," The Specialist replied swiftly, the woman didn't spare any other glances at us as she quickly rushed away to one of the streets to the side.

Silence persisted for a little longer, but soon the tight grip over my shirt lessened and the child slowly walked around and stopped in front of us.

Staring up right onto my face, I studied the quiet girl's looks.

The young student had short dark-brown hair with a frontal section that was a platinum-blonde, her tanned skin a little darker than the huntress that had just left our sights and… she had some curious dark-pink eyes.

She was wearing a light-blue shirt and a pair of dark jeans.

"Hello," I finally spoke up, gaining her attention once more back to reality. An uneasy smile forming on her face to try and match up with my calm, but kind one.

"Hi," It wasn't a truly shy response, but rather one of awkwardness that I felt accustomed about.

"It seems like you got quite in some trouble, young lady," Clover mused with a patient tone, drawing her glance at him. The child looked even more nervous at that comment and I sighed.

"I think there is more to this than what Ms. Hill told us, especially with someone that has stopped running now," I muttered back with a nod, getting a surprised look out of the curious girl. "By the way, I'm John Bukharin, a diplomat, and this here is Specialist Clover Ebi."

At hearing the introduction, the tanned girl nodded slowly.

"Nice to meet you… I'm Harriet, Harriet Bree and..." She paused a little in her own reply and then she resumed with a braver look on her face. "And I want to become a Huntress!"

The loud conclusion lifted some surprise onto my face at that little proclamation.

I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up becoming a Specialist if she goes along this path.

[She seems to be quite swift with her Semblance. Her Control is admirable.]

The praises were restricted within my mind and the girl looking fairly nervous as we didn't react at her final bit, but then I decided to give her a solid nod and smiled even more at that determined sentence.

"That's a big dream… I suppose with your Semblance you will surely make it."

Harriet looked surprised, her jaws dropping low at the comment.

"W-Wait, you aren't going to tell me that… it's not possible?"

And why not? She doesn't seem to have any problems that could hinder at that opportunity.

I frowned at her shock, but before I had the chance of inquire about this sudden rebuttal, it was Clover to ask about it.

"I don't see why you shouldn't be able to," The Specialist mused with a confused look. "You seem to be healthy, your Semblance is incredibly useful and… is there a reason for you to think that you can't?"

Despite the praise, the student kept quiet for some time, her eyes darting away from making direct confrontation for some time as I tried to understand what might have caused that kind of perception to stick by the girl's mind.

The first thing that I shot down as a possible cause was racism.

While there are Faunus that do have some 'hidden' animal features in their bodies, there were still some telling signs of any declination of that kind.

The girl did seem to be lacking any of these signs, her only curious detail being the blond-platinum part of her hair.

Then I shifted to the possibility that her parents were poor or anything like that, but I was quite sure that this very notion wouldn't generate any impact over the chances of someone to join a Combat School.

People needed warriors, and class-based restrictions for Hunters weren't a thing even here in Atlas.

I continued to ponder over this curious development, failing to grasp at what might have created this predisposition within the child to think as such.

[For a ten years-old girl, she is quite short.]

That's actually… a fair point.

That is not a 'fair point', John. I'm aware that you know that there are Hunters that have heights below average-

I wasn't referring about school's requirements. I was referring about normal school.

...Care to elaborate?

Harriet is a little bit shorter than someone her age should be, she is a girl, and she has low self-esteem. The ideal target for-

Bullies. Now I can see where you are trying to go with this logic.

It was the only logical conclusion, at least with what clues I could work with right now.

But instead of keeping the silence going even now, and turning this predicament in quite the awkward scene for the girl to be part of, I crouched slowly so that I could have a level-headed conversation with her.

The action immediately caught her attention, dark-pink eyes now fixing on my face as I sighed.

"Harriet, you are going to become a Huntress if you want to," I commented with conviction. "If you put forward the very determination you used with that comment against the challenges before you, it will be an easy win for you."

A frown adorned her face. "B-but-"

"No butts, kid," I hummed happily, her face gaining some color at the interjection while her lips twitched with some hints of amusement. "You will be able to do it if you truly want it."

Then I glanced up to Clover, the man staring back with a frown. "In fact, do you want to know why Specialist Ebi is here with me?"

Because you are known to stupidly run into dangerous cases?

[Because you are a man-child?]

You are ruining the moment, you know?

I turned to look back at Harriet, the girl giving me a curious look. "Well, I-"

"Diplomat Bukharin has repeatedly gone headfirst in dangerous situations that put his safety in jeopardy," The Specialist explained over my voice. "But while his actions are to be considered foolish because of his lack of Aura and Semblance, he did save lives by putting his own life on the line."

I snorted, the tanned girl alternating to stare at the two of us. "Specialist Ebi is kind of correct, I was quite reckless during these instances… but the final result, to avoid people to get hurt while kicking some baddies' butts was what truly mattered in the end."

"So… I should still try because… I want to," Harriet tried to summarize slowly and quietly. "And not listen to-"

"The kids that are bullying you?" I concluded for her, and her jaws dropped at my sigh as I nodded at her silent queries about what just happened in the conversation. "I can recognize the actions of some dummies. And… I think they are just envious of the potential you have."

She sighed. "But I'm not special-"

"Nope, you are not," I replied quickly enough, causing her to pause as I continued. "You are just Harriet Bree, a young girl that wants to become a huntress. And I can already say that you will manage to get at Atlas Academy… but from there, it's all up to you how you want to become a warrior for Humanity."

I stood up, humming quietly as I noticed Harriet now giving me a wide-eyed look, her face displaying a mix of awe, admiration and… realization.

"So from now on, the next time you have someone that tells you that this dream will never happen, you ignore them," I concluded with a final nod, patting her head. "Now, let's see to have you escorted back to school before you-"

"He-hem."

Clover was already look behind us while Harriet and I tensed up a little before glancing at the origin of that voice.

Ms. Hill was staring at us with an annoyed look, her arms crossing by her chest as she contemplated the sight in front of her.

"Specialist Ebi, Diplomat Bukharin, I suppose that this little scoundrel has been caught by you two."

I blinked at the term, noticing the immediate tension intensifying in the little girl's body.

"We had a discussion with Ms. Bree," Clover admitted calmly while staring directly at the young woman. "And she will not face any punishment, nor detention for this instance."

The sincerity leaving the young huntress surprised. "W-What?"

"Ms. Bree has sincerely apologized over what had happened, accepting to offer apologies where those are due while also promising to never consider committing this little chaos once again," The young man replied seriously.

"B-But sir-"

"Also, I wish to remind you that there was a certain 'scoundrel' back at the Academy that did much worse than what Ms. Bree had done today," The Specialist continued, ignoring the flinch coming from Ms. Hill.

"I-… I understand, Sir," The light-blonde woman conceded, taking a few steps toward us and taking hold of Harriet's hand as she carefully started to walk away from the scene, leaving me perplexed and confused over Clover's sudden vehemence at the situation.

A couple of silent seconds passed as we were finally left alone once again in that street, but then I decided to inquire about this much to my tired state of mind.

"So… what got you so much worked up for Harriet's situation?" I asked politely, glancing at the Specialist with an inquisitive look. "I didn't think you would have gotten this much emotional over it."

He blinked in surprise at the comment, but then he sighed.

"I suppose that I drew some comparison with the stories I've heard of people that had been part of my team," The man admitted quietly. "There have been some that had experienced this kind of senseless hindrances like Harriet has."

"Really?" I pressed on with a surprised look. "I didn't expect Atlas to be this much-"

"Despite Atlas' reputation to have the greatest education system, we still have some flaws within it," Clover interjected quickly and with an honest tone. "And these issues cause for our manpower to sometime have some weakened assets."

…

"I will keep an eye on the girl from now on," The Specialist continued with renewed seriousness. "She does have plenty of potential to possibly surpass me."

I blinked at that follow-up and I started to hum at it. "That's a tall expectation… but I guess your luck is going to make you successful about it-"

"Good luck isn't perfect luck, Mr. Bukharin," He interrupted again with a sigh. "It can do so much before it actually ends up failing me in a serious battle."

I frowned at these, pondering over this discovery as I had expected him to be… nigh-impossible to kill.

But considering how Qrow's Semblance isn't a 100% case of screw-ups, I could only guess that my early assumptions were unfounded and quite silly to even think about.

Just like many other plans of yours.

[Oh shush, it's not like you can really talk about 'that'.]

I ignored the inner exchange as I smiled up at the Specialist and nodded at his legitimate comment.

"I suppose I was wrong about that…" I mirthfully finished that conversation as we finally started to made our way back to the headquarters, my mind already setting up some plans to spend the rest of the day back to the shared room to recover from this draining meeting…

But then, when we finally reached the building, I was met with quite the sudden development I wasn't sure how to truly react to.

…

Actually, I was pretty capable of reacting to it but true issue about it all was something connected to the fact that-

"Sienna… what do you mean we've been invited at the Schnee Manor for dinner?"