Base of Operations

VERY IMPORTANT: So, thing's are gonna slow down because I'm dealing with some problems IRL and need time to myself to handle it. Shouldn't take too long but figured I'd let you all know.

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Within Theodore's office, Ryder had finished explaining his origins to explain where the Dragon Balls came from. To say Theodore was surprised is an understatement. Another world exists out there and by technicality, an alien is standing in front of him.

These Dragon Balls also sparked his curiosity. From his understanding, they're Relics from another world and hopefully only Ryder and those Ryder told knows about them. Theodore was informed that the ones who know about the Orbs are Ozpin, Ironwood, Glynda, Kairos, Qrow and Taiyang. 

"Well, that's the gist of it." Ryder said. 

Theodore was standing in front of his desk, or well leaning on it, and was absorbing this information that was given to him. He honestly couldn't believe it. It sounded so, surreal. Almost like a fantasy came to life. Yet here Ryder stands. Theodore did check Ryder for any potential aura of lying but he couldn't find anything.

His eyes or body movement didn't say anything about him lying. Couldn't even detect it in his voice. So Ryder is telling the truth, despite how bizarre it may be. All Theodore does is whistles to himself as he processes this information. 

"You certainly have an interesting life." Theodore joked. 

"Interesting in the sense that i cannot explain how I got here?" Ryder asks, going along with the joke. 

"Something like that." Theodore answered. "So, how do you plan on finding these Dragon Balls?" 

"By using the Dragon Radar." Ryder said as he pulled out the device he named. 

"What does it do?" Theodore asked. 

"It's basically a Dragon Ball locator device." Ryder simplified. 

"I see..." Theodore said, his voice fading away as he stopped talking. 

"But if I'm going to look for them, I'll need a base of operations." Ryder said. 

"Shade Academy has a few spare dormitories you could use." Theodore suggested. "You're still a student for Beacon Academy, so we can consider this a formal visit to Vacuo." 

"You sure you're willing to house me?" Ryder asked. 

"Of course. We're both trying to fight against Salem." Theodore said. "We're allies now, and allies need to help each other." 

"This was surprisingly easy." Ryder comments. 

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not fully trusting yet. But if Ozpin trusted you with information about Salem, I could give you some level of trust." Theodore said. 

Ryder was glad to hear this. He had gained another ally and even a base of operations in Vacuo for his time in the Kingdom. Searching for the Dragon Balls won't be easy as he has a lot of land to cover. He has three Dragon Balls so far which is good, but the other four will be extremely hard to find. But he has the Dragon Radar, so things balance out.

Theodore then takes Ryder around Shade Academy, showing him around and giving him the lay of the land. But as he was guided around Shade Academy, he thought about his friends and their time at Beacon Academy. He then thinks about how he just left everyone behind. He tried to tell himself that it's for the best as he's doing this, so they don't have to. He's doing this so he won't lose anyone else. 

[Rose-Xiao Long House, Patch] 

Within the Rose-Xiao Long Household, Yang was in her room staring out the window deep in thought. It had been some time since Ryder left and not long after, Ruby left too. At least she knew where Ruby was going but Ryder? She had no idea. To her, he just left and abandoned them after the Fall of Beacon. She knows it's not like Ryder to just up and leave, but she can't help but be hurt by the action.

Tai claimed he had no idea where he was going, same with Qrow. The Unknown side of it also made her concerned for Ryder. She heard from Tai how hurt Ryder was to hear that Pyrrha died. Yang knew that Ryder never experienced something like this before during his time on earth. So right now, she's mad and concerned for her best friend. 

She would've wanted to join him, but she lost a part of her. Her arm was missing, and it wasn't coming back. She's still haunted by what happened at Beacon and she tries to shake it off, but nothing is working. She wonders what Ryder would do if he was here. Most likely tell a joke or two to lighten the mood or just read her one of the stories he writes to get her mind off it.

Now thinking about Ryder made her think about Kairos, Ryder's teammate and rival. Kairos had been busy with Vale and never really visited. She didn't expect him too. Sure, they're kind of friends, but Kairos isn't really the social gathering type. So, she holds nothing against him. The only times she'd seen Kairos was when he stopped by one time to talk to Tai about something regarding Beacon. 

Downstairs, Tai was in the kitchen staring aimlessly at a cup of water he held. He was leaning against the counter deep in thought. 

"Is Miss Xiao Long still, you know?" Glynda asked. 

Tai looked over to Glynda who stood beside him. He also glanced over to Kairos who was leaning up against the wall in thought. Kairos looked slightly different mainly with his clothes. Instead of his trench coat he now wore a black leather jacket with a purple accent. He also wore dark grey jeans with all black shoes that had a faint purple decal on the side of it. Underneath his jacket he had a grey T-shirt. 

"Yeah, she's still not herself." Tai said. 

"Beacon affected a lot of people. Woke us up from our sheltered reality of peace." Kairos comments. 

"Familiar with it?" Tai asked. 

"You could say that." Kairos said. 

"So, how are things going on in Vale?" Tai asks. 

"The same. We're still handling the aftermath of the Fall of Beacon. But we're managing." Glynda said. 

"Wish i could help. But I'm needed here." Tai said. 

"Take your time, Tai. We can manage without you." Glynda reassured. 

Tai nods. Things weren't great, but maybe there was a light at the end of the tunnel coming for them.