Leon Alexander Gates
-----
The moment he realized what happened, Leon wanted to yank out his hair.
"And I win again." Chrysos slammed his cards on the table. "Take that!"
This had to be a joke.
How could he be this bad at the game? He used all the best cards, planned his moves, and pulled out every trick in the book. Yet no matter what he did, Chrysos managed to find a way to outwit him each time.
"Let me see. . ." Chrysos marked another tally on the scoreboard. "Looks like I'm a little ahead now. Fifty to none isn't that big of a lead, right? You still have a chance."
Leon crossed his arms. "Hmph."
The faint aroma of freshly baked batter and melted chocolate tickled Leon's nose, instantly watering his mouth.
"Here you go, boys." Mother entered the dining room and placed a couple plates of steamy chocolate muffins in front of them. "I hope you're hungry."
"Thanks, Leon's mom," said Chrysos. He touched his muffin and flinched. "Ouch."
Leon rolled his eyes.
Mother giggled behind her hand. "You're welcome. And like I said before, you can just call me by name. I don't mind."
"Nope." He made a funny face. "It feels weird."
Mother sighed in defeat, and when her gaze drifted over to Leon, a cold chill ran down his spine.
"Oh, geez." She grumbled and buzzed around him. "You're a mess."
"Mom," he tried to get away, "stop."
"How many times do I have to tell you to take care of yourself?" She glued him to the chair and went to work. "The least you can do is fix your clothes and comb your hair. I bet you haven't even cleaned your room like I told you to do, have you?"
Leon's cheeks burned, and all Chyrsos did to help was to sit back and laugh into his muffin.
Heavy thumps barreled down the stairs.
Father slid into the dining room, panic scrambled across his face.
"Lily," he said, "have you seen Tereo and Tharros?"
Mother scowled and left Leon alone (Finally!).
"I must've left it outside to dry when I cleaned it." She stomped over and poked his chest. "And would it kill you to do that yourself, Leonard? It's always filthy and smelly. I swear, if you forget again when you get back, I'm going to scrub it with your beard. Got it?"
Mother's sharp tone made Leon sit properly, not daring to make a peep or move a single muscle. Chrysos also went stiff, forgetting about his muffin entirely, while father sweated and nodded enough to become a broken bobblehead.
Mother sighed. "Wait here. I'll go get it."
As she left the living room, father let out a long breath before coming over and checking out the game.
"I remember this." What had to be fun, old memories twinkled in his smile. "I used to play Remnant: The Game when I was a kid. Say, who's winning?"
"That'd be me, Leon's dad." Chrysos raised the piece of paper with their scores. "Fifty to zero."
Father's eyes bulged. "Leon, seriously?"
Leon turned away and nibbled his muffin; it was really good.
"Well, if that's the case, then before I go," father pulled up a seat, "how about I play one game with you, boys? And if I win, we're gonna train extra hard when I get back from my mission, Leon."
Leon moaned at the future pain awaiting him. "What about if I win?"
"Hmm. We'll do whatever you want then."
A lightning bolt of motivation zapped Leon to life. "Really?"
"Anything."
"Then can we go fishing?"
Father blinked and shared a dumb look with Chrysos.
"I don't know if you know this, son," he said, "but we live in Vacuo."
"I know, but I noticed that Vale has a lot of lakes." Leon poked the forested lands of said kingdom on the game board. "Do you think we can go there and fish when you get back?"
Father laughed under his breath. "It'll take some work, but yeah. We can take my truck up there. . . if you win."
Leon jumped and cheered.
"And we can bring your friend with us."
Leon slumped. "Aww. . ."
"That's rude." Chysos flicked a card at him. "Besides, I always wanted to see Vale for myself."
Father's eyebrow lifted. "And why's that?"
"Because the orphanage taught us that Vale is a really pretty place and that out of all four Huntsman Academies, I hear Beacon's the most popular." Chrysos struck a pose and pretended to swing a sword. "I wanna go there one day and become a super cool Huntsman like you, Leon's dad."
Father puffed his chest. "If you put it that way, then who can complain? Now, enough talk. Let's get this game started."
-----
The voice of Oobleck stirred Alexander awake.
"Now, students," he said, "can anyone tell me who commanded the small group of soldiers that defended Vacuo's Dust mines?"
Alexander exposed his eyes to the harsh light and the professor's caffeinated skid around the classroom, searching for anyone to answer his fiery question.
The heiress dutifully rose to the occasion.
"Yes, Miss Schnee?"
"The answer to that question would be General Gerard Edmond Laconia." She sat straighter than if a stick was stuck up her ass. "Most commonly referred to as General Laconia for short."
"Correct!" Oobleck zipped to the giant map of Remnant on the wall. "Because of his great deed, him and many soldiers were granted great status in Vacuo. However, it wasn't without dreadful repercussions." He smacked different parts of the map with his pointing stick. "General Laconia was originally aiding Mistral during the Great War. That was until he ultimately defected to Vacuo and leaked vital information regarding Mistral and Mantle's campaigns."
"Because of that, his name alone became infamous through heavy propaganda in Mistral," he continued. "And to this day, the General is still seen in a negative light by the people of Mistral, some more than others. It saddens me to say that this hatred, which several of you may already know, is what led to the brutal massacre at the Laconia estate in the outskirts of the city of Vacuo seven years ago."
A sickening pang seared Alexander's gut, and judging by the awkward shifting over by the Haven and Shade students, they felt it too.
Alexander gritted his teeth and tuned it out for the rest of the class.
Beside him, Roderick and Stiofan also seemed distracted themselves, considering how they kept glancing at the clock.
It was obvious why.
When they woke up to find Cooper's bed empty this morning, they figured the archer got up rather early. However, the realization something was wrong hit them the moment Roderick actually managed to eat a breakfast that wasn't stolen from under his nose.
Luckily, Cooper replied to the leader's panicked messages and calls, reassuring them that he was still around and not avoiding them again, but the place he ended up staying all night wasn't any better.
-----
Alexander and the others went straight to the infirmary once classes ended, and they were greeted by the most unexpected person coming out of Cooper's room.
It was a tall man in a pristine, snow white uniform. He was clean cut, had greying black hair, and the metal bandage-like strip above his right eyebrow made his identity unmistakable.
"Ah, Stiofan." Ironwood's hardened wrinkles stretched with surprised delight. "It's been awhile since we last spoke. How have you been?"
"Greetings, General." Stiofan placed a fist to his chest. "I am well, although, Beacon has been. . . far more interesting than I've bargained for."
"Yes, Huntsman Academies will do that to you." Ironwood chuckled and gestured to the rest of them. "Ah, where are my manners." He extended his hand. "Ironwood. General James Ironwood. I presume you two are Stiofan's teammates?"
"H-hello, sir." Roderick gave a shake and tried to figure out whether to salute or not. "I'm Roderick Hill, leader of Team RTLS, sir."
Alexander also returned the shake. "Alexander."
"A pleasure to meet you both." He slid aside to give way to the door. "Are you here to collect Tannum?"
"Indeed," Stiofan said. "How is our teammate?"
"Certainly better compared to when I found him last night." Ironwood's jaw tense and the corners of his eyes fell ever so slightly. "Nothing too serious, might I add. Doctors say he should be free to leave anytime now."
Roderick wiped the worry off his brow. "Thanks for telling us, sir."
"Forget the formalities, Roderick." He crossed his arms behind himself. "You're no soldier of mine, so think of me as nothing more than a humble visitor."
The leader relaxed.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, there is another matter concerning my attention with regards to Headmaster Ozpin." Ironwood walked off. "Good day to you three."
So, that's the General, huh.
Was he questioning Cooper before they arrived? Made sense considering the circumstances. Guess they'll find out for sure in a second.
Roderick snapped towards Stiofan as if he was famous. "You know Ironwood?"
"I'll explain another time." Stiofan opened the door and led them inside. "But enough of that. I believe there's someone eagerly expecting our company."
On the other side, Cooper swung his legs over the side of the bed and dug into a cup of pudding.
"Hiya, mates," he said, mouth slathered in chocolate goo. "Did you meet Woody on the way here? He's surprisingly soft despite his stiff aspect."
Alexander snorted, and the others shared a small laugh.
"Do you have any idea how freaked out we were when you told us you were here, man?" Roderick sat on the chair by the bed and huffed out his worries. "How you feeling?"
"Just dandy." Cooper tossed the pudding cup and sunk it in the trash can behind him. "I wasn't smacked that bad."
"Glad to hear." Stiofan leaned against the wall. "Though, I don't believe the mere injury of a random student is enough to warrant the attention of the General himself."
"Right, well. . . How should I put this?" He stuffed the spoon in his mouth, hummed, then pulled it back out. "A gal broke into the CCT Tower last night. Me and Ruby tried to stop her, I sorta got knocked out, the intruder escaped, and Woody found us. Oh, and don't tell people that. It's supposed to be a secret."
Seriously?
Whoever had the nerve to break into that place, especially when Atlesian soldiers were on guard duty, must have a screw loose.
Those towers are what allowed instant communications across the world. If something went wrong and the tower got damaged, then the connection between all four relaying CCT Towers would be severed, shutting communications down permanently and throwing mankind back into the dark ages.
Whatever the case, whether it be a nuisance or catastrophe, whoever did it clearly had big plans, and Alexander's imagination ran wild at the idea of it hitting them at a global scale.
Concern weighed on Stiofan's face. "That definitely is something that would warrant the General's immediate attention."
"And that's why he wants to keep it a secret or else it'd cause panic. In other words, Grimm," Roderick said like he still had trouble believing it. "What else did he ask you?"
"You know." Cooper waggled the spoon between a finger and thumb. "Typical interrogation stuff. At least he was nice about it. Didn't feel like he was trying to rip answers out of me. More like bribing me with candy—custard in this case."
The incredulous stares told Alexander he heard right.
"Bloody delicious, might I add." Cooper licked his lips clean and perked his tail. "I told him everything I knew and a bonus tid bit trick to boot."
Roderick's jaw fell. "You lied to the General?"
"Not exactly lie per se." He put on a lopsided grin. "Just lead him in the right direction, really."
A ball of confusion ricoheted around the room.
Stiofan pushed off the wall and stopped at the foot of the bed. "What do you mean, exactly?"
"The southeast." Cooper pointed his spoon to the window. "Remember what the cat and monkey told us after our last trip to Vale? You know, Roman Torchwick and his whole White Fang operation over yonder."
Alexander couldn't help but approve of his partner's quick thinking.
Roderick laughed and patted the archer's back. "That's awesome, man!"
"Excellent work." Stiofan smirked and leaned on the footboard. "Hopefully, the Atlesian military will move in haste and intervene before the White Fang enacts whatever plan they may hold."
"W-well, I can't take all the credit." Cooper hid under his hat. "Before she left this morning, Ruby told me to say that if I was questioned. She'll probably say the same thing when it's her turn, too."
"Ruby was here this morning?" Roderick scratched his head. "That's weird. I swear I saw her leaving the dorms with the other girls."
"Uh, how do I say this?" His cheeks flushed. "Ruby was actually here with me all night. That speedy Semblance of hers is quite handy, don't you agree?"
Roderick and Stiofan went wide-eyed, and Alexander snorted.
"But enough of that. We got a mission hanging over our noggin and we aren't even close to ready." Cooper sprung off the bed and ushered them out the door. "Tally-ho!"
-----
Once they finished packing their bags for whatever journey was coming at them, the assembly in the amphitheater came next.
"Quiet. Quiet, please," said Goodwitch on stage. "Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin."
The Headmaster stepped to the microphone to speak about the largest war in recorded history nearly eighty years ago.
The Great War.
Fueled by ignorance, greed, and oppression, the conflict was meant to be more than what borders fell or whoever traded with whom. It tackled the very idea of individualism itself, suppressing art and self expression to ward off Grimm, and the people took a unique method of resistance against their oppressors.
They began naming their children after a core aspect of art itself: colour, a trend held to this day.
"We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity," Ozpin said and continued his long winded speech. "As I have said, today we stand together; united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it."
Holographic screens activated along the wall, displaying several different mission options.
"As first years," Ozpin's gaze swept the room, "you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."
The crowd applauded, and Ozpin retreated off stage.
"So, whaddya say?" Cooper slung his arms around Roderick and Stiofan's necks and pulled them to his level. "A trip outside the kingdom, take a gander at those villages, and see if they have anything nice we can—"
Alexander smacked him.
"No need to get rough about it." He rubbed the back of his head. "Can't a bloke make a quick quip every once in a while?"
Alexander scrolled through the available missions on the holographic screen and pointed at the most appealing one.
"Search and recover," Roderick said. "You guys wanna do this one?"
"Missing supplies." Stiofan scanned the details. "Quadrant 4, south of Vale. It also appears to be effective almost immediately upon acceptance."
"So, once we take the job, it's a straight go?" Cooper reached for the keypad. "Then what are we waiting for?"
Stiofan snatched Cooper's wrist shy of the button. "It's not for us to decide, my friend. That judgement rests in our leader's hands."
The newly mentioned responsibility hit the leader like a pop quiz. "Oh, right."
Roderick punched their team name into the keyboard. Their scrolls beeped soon after, notifying them that they had an hour to prepare before departure.
"I guess we're game," Roderick said. "Since we've got time to kill, you guys wanna grab a bite?"
None of them voiced otherwise and left the amphitheater.
On the way out, they passed by the courtyard, and heading in the opposite direction were four familiar faces.
The disheveled sight of Coco, Yatsuhashi, and Fox trudged towards the dormitory, and behind them, barely able to stand on her own two feet, was Velvet.
Alexander breathed a little better.
The rest of his team kept walking, completely oblivious to Team CFVY passing them by.
Alexander caught up to Velvet and tapped her on the arm.
"Oh, Alexander," she said and struggled to smile. "I'd love to stay and chat, but if you don't mind, I need sleep."
She buckled, and he caught her.
The darkening eye bags, dirt smudging her head from toe, and the sour stench shrieking from her clothes were clear enough signs that this was it for her.
Alexander took the camera box dangling on the photographer's fingertips and scooped her into his arms.
"W-wait." She failed miserably at escape. "I can walk on my own."
"Sleep tight, Scarlatina," he said.
Velvet flushed and ultimately sank against his chest, her elongated ears drooping like an umbrella over her face.
Alexander came across a vending machine on the way to the dormitory, and an idea flicked him.
It took some effort to fumble for his wallet while holding her, but he managed to buy a couple bars of the same chocolate she gave him from before, slipping one into her jacket pocket and keeping one for himself.
If memory serves, it was her favourite.
Alexander made no more detours and dropped Velvet off at Team CFVY's room and into Coco's nursing hands.
"I really appreciate you helping Velvet get back here, Alexander." Coco gave him a full ass slap of appreciation. "Nice work."
"What happened out there?" Alexander said and ignored the burning handprint. "You're late."
The mood around Coco quickly dropped.
"Oh, uh. Just hit a bit of a snag. Nothing too bad." She readjusted her dirty beret and pushed her greasy sunglasses so far up, it wouldn't be surprising if it went through her face. "More importantly, I heard first years are getting their first missions today. Shouldn't you focus more on that than us?"
Alexander stared.
"What?"
He kept staring.
Irritation twisted the bottom half of her face, and after several more seconds of their staredown, she relented.
"You got one nasty stare, you know that?" Coco sighed and stepped out into the hallway. "Okay, look. We went to rescue a village called Lower Cairn, somewhere near Mountain Glenn."
Last time Alexander checked, Mountain Glenn was a project meant to expand the city of Vale, only to be abandoned after a Grimm invasion.
The fact that Team CFVY had to go anywhere near that place was already dangerous enough.
"We didn't make it in time." Coco leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "The village was already destroyed."
The subtle way her sleeve crinkled under her grip told him more than she did.
"The rest of it was just Grimm trouble," she said. "There. Happy?"
"What about the survivors?" said Alexander.
The moment the question left his mouth, she flinched as if he held her at gunpoint but still tried to stay cool.
"The villagers—" She cleared her throat. "The villagers are safe now."
Clearly, there was more to it than that. For Coco's sake, though, it was better to not dig into it any more.
"Adel." Alexander thought of his next words carefully and softened his voice as much as possible. "Do you like chocolate?"
Question marks bubbled over her beret. "Say again?"
"Chocolate." He showed her his chocolate bar. "It's good."
Coco simply looked at him like he said something stupid until she broke into a toothy smile, her giggles gradually rising into a shoulder shaking chortle.
"You're a funny guy," she said between breaths, "you know that?"
Guess she's not a chocolate person.
"I see." He walked off. "Take care."
"Hey, hold on." Coco swiped the bar out of his hand. "Nice choice; Velvet has a thing for these." She gave it a bite and moaned. "After living off of bland rations for all those days, you have no idea how good this is."
That was a good reminder to bring decent food for later.
"And just so you know, I didn't mean any harm when I laughed." She hooked her sunglasses on her belt. "You're a good kid, but if you really want to cheer me up, then go out there and finish your first mission." The mocha of her eyes offered a glimmer of an apology and gratitude. "I'll feel much better knowing you did a better job than us."
Alexander kept that in mind, silently promising her that he'd do whatever he could.
-----
Tannum "Cooper" Oakwood
-----
With his rump glued to a table, Cooper wasted no time indulging in a hearty meal to nourish his tummy.
"Where'd you think Xander went?" Cooper munched on his pizza. "He just buggered off."
"Yeah." Roderick poked his salad and fiddled with his cheese toastie. "He tends to do that a lot, doesn't he?"
"You know how Alexander enjoys his alone time." Stiofan examined his chicken fingers and chips. "Although, it does feel like he's avoiding us sometimes, wouldn't you agree?"
Cooper pointed his pizza at him. "You can say that again."
"Do you think he doesn't like us?" Despair clouded over Roderick. "I mean, we're nice to him and stuff, right?"
"Only Alexander knows the answer to that question," Stiofan said, "and until then, all we can do is hope it's in our favour."
A mashup of purples and greys across the dining hall caught the corner of Cooper's eye.
"Uh, we got a problem incoming," he said and directed them at the gal in a polo neck and coat marching straight over.
"Um, excuse me," she said and scrutinized them like lab rats under a microscope. "You're Leon's team, right? Team RTLS."
"You bet we're Team RTLS." Roderick scrunched his brow. "And who's Leon?"
"For a leader," Cooper picked a crouton out the leader's salad and flicked it at him, "you're quite daft for forgetting Xander's name."
He blushed and threw a crouton back.
"By Leon, I suppose you mean Alexander," Stiofan said. "Do you have business with him or us, perhaps?
"I've been meaning to speak with you three, actually." She smirked and pointed at herself. "Name's Nebula Violette, leader of second year Team NDGO (indigo) of Shade Academy. Leon's my brother."
Cooper almost choked while Stiofan and Roderick stared as if Nebula flipped their food trays for no good reason.
"What a pleasant surprise," Stiofan said and regained his composure. "I believe none of us were aware that Alexander has a sister."
Nebula swept those indigo bangs out the way. "He's adopted, actually."
Cooper blinked. "Adopted?"
"Forget about it." She leaned onto the table. "I'm not here to talk about family, and I'm sorry for springing this on you guys all of a sudden, but I got a couple favours to ask."
"Okay, that is kinda outta nowhere." Roderick propped his elbow on the table. "What do you need?"
"To be honest," she looked them each in the eye, "I've been watching you three since I came here. Not in a weird way. I needed to see if you were right fit for the job."
"And what is that, exactly?" Stiofan said.
"This might sound strange, and it might be tough considering how Leon always is, but just hear me out." Nebula let out a long breath. "Because if anyone can pull this off, I believe you guys can do it."