Комната Историй / The Room of the Stories: Глава 6

"Yes?" Ruby agreed slightly nervously, blinking her unusual eyes. The heiress continued her questioning.

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 17:36

"And he's in Beacon?"

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 18:01

"Well, no, he's usually on a trip, even though he's a teacher in Signal, but..." a menacing look made the young girl fall silent, then quickly shake her head. "No! He's not in Beacon!"

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 18:01

The people listening to this little interrogation also frowned. At least those who began to understand that something was wrong. Ren put the book down on the table and thoughtfully read the contents of the last lines again. Why did Weiss startle at this? It seemed like nothing out of the ordinary... Ren stopped his thought when an idea struck him. Turning his head, he stared at Jaune in surprise. All this time he was watching from his point of view, or rather from the book, but the story was now told from Jaune's point of view. And it was he who thought about Uncle Ruby and Weiss's sister fighting in that place. And here one "But" appears.

Camrad_RIP 17.11.24 в 12:32

Why didn't the real Jaune know anything about this? There was only one explanation.

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 18:02

"Weiss, is your sister in Beacon?" Ren asked, tilting his head thoughtfully. Weiss turned around, as did everyone else. Judging by the girl's furrowed brows, the brunette realized he was right. Apparently, the heiress of a large company was thinking the same thing.

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 18:03

"No," Weiss replied, causing the others to freeze in shock. "Although she is in Vale now. Due to her many commitments, she can hardly visit Beacon. At least until the Tournament begins." Weiss turned to Ruby. "What about your uncle? Does he have time to visit the Academy?"

Camrad_RIP 17.11.24 в 12:34

"I..." Ruby trailed off. She looked pleadingly at Yang. Yang was also frowning and tapping her fingers on the table, clearly lost in thought. "He is usually traveling. Often for several months. Maybe he will have time, but I'm not sure..."

Camrad_RIP 17.11.24 в 12:35

Meanwhile, Glynda turned to Ozpin and frowned, whispering, "What's going on?"

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 18:04

Ozpin didn't answer. He was thinking. Remembering, to be precise. Up until this very moment, the book had been able to tell a lot about the students, to reveal their personalities, and also to show the potential of many in battle. And all of this matched reality. From thoughts to events in the past. But now there was a discrepancy. Because Ozpin remembered that Qrow was supposed to arrive only at the beginning of the Tournament. At most, after a few fights, but not now. And here... here it said that Winter Schnee and Qrow had fought. There was nothing unusual about it, from their first meeting, they had become like two poles of a magnet. They were ready to start a fight almost every time they met.

Camrad_RIP 17.11.24 в 12:38

The matter was different.

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 18:05

Time.

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 18:05

The timing was off. Ozpin stared at Ms. Schnee thoughtfully. She thought she said that Winter could have come by the start of the Festival… and Qrow too. Ozpin began to beat rhythmically on the table. He didn't notice that everyone had gone silent and were staring at him. He didn't notice the piercing gaze of Cinder, who was silently listening and noting everything in her head. He didn't notice the worried look in Glynda's eyes.

Camrad_RIP 17.11.24 в 12:40

Ozpin continued to look at the book on the table and think.

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 18:06

//"Qrow should have arrived by the time the Festival started. Winter would have been free by then. Could they have met?" Ozpin didn't even have to think. He sighed. "Knowing Qrow, he would have made a big show of himself, like destroying a few Atlas droids to get the attention of the senior Schnee. And this is a duel..."

Camrad_RIP 17.11.24 в 12:46

"Um, sir, what's going on?" Yang finally couldn't stand it any longer, raising her hand and asking the director. "Why is it written incorrectly in the book? Is it a typo?"

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 21:13

"A typo? Seriously?" Mercury repeated, but was cut off when Em hit him in the shoulder. "Ow! For what?"

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 21:19

“Shut up,” she said menacingly, turning to the headmaster.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 21:14

The Academy Headmaster remained silent, but this time, the tapping of his fingers stopped. The students could not understand what he knew. Because they were missing one key detail that could explain what was happening in the book. One detail that could dot all the "i's". And that was...

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 21:15

Time.

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 18:06

In all the few chapters they had been able to read, not once was a time mentioned. No date, no month. And yet they had been able to figure out that it was before the Festival. Because… well, the Festival was still a few weeks away, so how could someone write about something that hadn’t happened yet, right? Ozpin was also sure that the book was about events that took place “Before the Festival.” But now. After the words of… bookish Mr. Arc. Ozpin changed his mind. The students only knew that Weiss’s sister would arrive at the start of the Festival. They didn’t know that Qrow was supposed to arrive at the same time. But Ozpin and Glynda knew.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 21:20

And obviously, the book Jaune Arc knew about it. And if he knew, then so did the Author of the book. Ozpin picked up his coffee mug, took a sip, and continued his thoughts. Of course, all of this could just be a typo, an event that the Author wrote based on his knowledge of the characters in the book. But here the question arises. Why would he need to do this? Why tell such an insignificant detail that was hardly needed to describe those constructs?

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 21:21

The answer is simple.

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 18:06

There was no need for that. But the Author had written. And then Ozpin wondered. What if the events that took place in the book actually didn't happen before the Festival, but right at the beginning of it? Could the teachers and the headmasters have come to an agreement by then? Ozpin was sure that they would have been able to accept a reliable answer then. Either yes or no. Right now, they were still thinking. But by the time the Festival began, they would have had an answer.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:57

The coffee was bitter. Or was it the aftertaste of someone far more power than Ozpin had initially thought? Not just mind control, space control, but also reading… the future? Knowledge of the future? Could someone find the Relic of Knowledge and ask it a question… no. That was stupid. Semblance. It had to be Semblance. That would also explain how someone could write a book about Mr. Arc, in just a few months. But how long ago? How powerful was this future-sight?

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:58

His gaze fell on the bookcases. Dozens, if not hundreds, of books stood in a neat row, causing his gaze to instinctively slide over them. They were empty. But Ozpin knew they would not be let go so easily after reading this book.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 11:00

"Headmaster?" A young voice interrupted his thoughts. Blinking, Ozpin turned and met silver eyes. He blinked again. "Um, is something wrong?"

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 11:01

"Huh?" Ozpin asked, noticing the many gazes directed at him. Ozpin's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled softly. "Just thinking. Mr. Ren, you may continue reading."

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:46

"But what about the mistake!" Blake pointed out, frowning. The other students, including Ren himself, also drew their eyebrows together. There was a strange passage in the book, so why was the headmaster acting so calm? "Shouldn't we discuss it?"

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 11:01

Ozpin smiled softly.

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 19:41

"Everyone makes mistakes. Writers are human too," the headmaster cleverly noted. At his words, the frowning looks of several people disappeared, replaced by... something more puzzled. Of course, none of the students wondered whether the Author of this book was a human. They only exchanged puzzled glances and decided that after this chapter, they would discuss all the strange and incomprehensible moments that happened to them, as well as their book versions, on this day. There would be dinner and after it, they would have the rest Miss Goodwitch warned them about. Therefore, they did not grumble about it. However, it is worth noting that some students were still dissatisfied with how easily the director discarded this point.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 11:06

And only Jaune was happy.

Camrad_RIP 22.09.24 в 19:42

//"Now it doesn't matter what they write about me, I can just say it's a mistake!" Jaune stared with genuine admiration at Ozpin, who continued to drink his coffee from his mug. The blond didn't notice the headmaster's clouded gaze. But Cinder did and narrowed her eyes. She didn't say anything. But she definitely remembered that moment.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 11:02

\\"Whether it's a mistake or not, it's definitely important," a fleeting thought flashed through the half-maiden's mind.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:41

Meanwhile, Ren was also looking thoughtfully at the lines in the book. Although he was perhaps the smartest among his teammates, even he could not guess the Author's thoughts when he wrote this sentence. And yet, like Cinder, he also noted that this could be more than just a mistake.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 11:08

But since he didn't know what to do with it, Ren decided to just continue reading the book.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 11:08

And while there was still an air of confusion among the students, especially Weiss and Blake, who were each annoyed in their own way: Weiss because her sister had been mentioned, and Blake because of the error in the book. Her cat… ahem, human curiosity simply couldn't sit idle.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:40

One "mistake" seemed to affect everyone in the room... well, almost everyone. Nora was still Nora... Jaune didn't seem too shocked or upset by the mistake either. Neo was also sitting there blinking her eyes. Maybe Mercury and Emerald too?

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 11:08

Ahem, let's just say that half of the Beacon students felt weird after reading that line of text. The rest simply forgot about it, choosing to focus on the ongoing story.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:36

Oh, and since we're talking about the story, why not continue it?

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:36

Ren's voice began to tell the story of Warchief Jaune of the Arc family again.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:34

<…> The wings pointed out like spokes, with curved architecture reaching down from the central tower to join them. I'd seen Ruby's Uncle and Weiss' sister fight atop those, though I wasn't sure why they had, or why no one else hadn't been at least a little concerned about it. - Weiss and Blake frowned at the same time. Ozpin's gaze grew more misty, while Glynda crossed her arms thoughtfully next to him. Ren and Cinder mentally noted again that this simply couldn't be a simple mistake. And perhaps only Jaune himself was thinking about what his doppelganger had said. //'Really, why doesn't anyone care that Uncle Ruby and Weiss's sister fought? Although, no, wait, where else have they fought?' Jaune blinked, missing his chance.

Camrad_RIP 06.11.24 в 18:49

Actually, if you think about it, they were all fixated on the fact that Sister Weiss and Uncle Ruby were fighting. But no one even thought about why they were fighting? Why they were fighting in that place? Even if it was a typo or a mistake, even so, isn't it strange that no one thought about it?

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:34

Jaune shook his head.

Camrad_RIP 06.11.24 в 18:49

//"Okay, I'll ask about it during the break. I don't think it should be a big deal anyway... I guess?"

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:33

<…> Either way, Beacon was shaped somewhat like a compass, except that the four spokes that made the wings didn't actually point in the cardinal directions. That felt like more an architectural mistake than anything else, though. When it came to the wings, they still tended to have the points of a compass as names. - Ozpin blinked and coughed discreetly into his fist. - <…> We'd come from the South Wing, which didn't have any objective points in it. That was where most of the older students bunked on account of them knowing Beacon well enough to not get lost finding their lessons.

Camrad_RIP 06.11.24 в 18:50

This time, many people focused their attention on the words of book Jaune. For the first time in the entire book, the people in the room heard the location of the main characters. Now everyone could understand that the journey to find food and Zwei's escape took place in the South Wing of Beacon.

Camrad_RIP 23.11.24 в 10:33

<…> Right now, we were in the West Wing, and that was bad because it meant we were not only moving into contested territory, but that we were crossing close to the cafeteria – the seat of the women's powerful empire. - Having said all this, Ren's face remained calm, his poker face did not waver. Although, unlike him, several girls blushed with embarrassment. Yes, hearing that they were part of the Empire of Women was quite embarrassing.

Camrad_RIP 06.11.24 в 18:52

Suddenly, Ren stopped reading and said: “There is a note next.” He did not say that the note was from the book Ren since that was obvious.
<…> (And what a seat it was. Apart from the obvious advantages of food and supplies, the cafeteria's position as the most central point of the Academy also allowed them to react quickly, taking the direct route to any engagements. It was a powerful place to hold, let alone call your capital.)

Camrad_RIP 06.11.24 в 18:52

Turning the page, Ren said, "The story continues here," some nodded, showing that they had heard him. So he continued telling the story. - <…> "I'm thinking we should maybe try the North Wing," I said, pointing to the map, and coincidentally toward the second-year dorms. "It's opposite the South, so it'll probably be the last place they think to look for us."

Camrad_RIP 06.11.24 в 18:54