[ He can tell that Stanford answers carefully, by the long silence over the line and the way he chooses his words. This response is not surprising, but nor would he call it a reassurance. The pursuit of freedom above all else will always have the ability to make Ozpin's blood run cold. That fixation on the concept of being trapped, and the ability to regard absolutely anyone as a jailer...
Well. He knows— intimately, repeatedly, even recently— how destructive that type of person can be. Nothing can stand against her scorching self-righteous fury. Nothing can stand against that relentless drive.
He is not eager to see what it looks like on something as erratic as Bill Cipher. ]
I understand.
[ But, oh. He turned Gravity Falls into a living nightmare is jarring to hear, and said so matter-of-factly that for a moment Ozpin does not know how to receive it. He has heard Stanford talk about his home a great deal, and never in the tones of someone reminiscing about what is now a ruin. (Of course, Ozpin has spoken of Beacon a great deal, and not at all of the Fall. But Ozpin is very well-acquainted with nostalgia and loss. He has been learning to tell stories as though they do not hurt for a very, very long time.)
He wonders what became of the town. It has been a long time since Ozpin was in this position: low on information, late to the story, caught up in someone else's war. He can do nothing but trust his sources and choose his side. He is not king, commander, or a player at the table. He is unequivocally a piece on the board.
Perhaps there's something freeing in that. Mostly it is simply tiring. ]
It is apparent that you know the situation best, Stanford. [ Ozpin sounds weary, but not bitter: he is settling in with the resignation of someone preparing to commit troops to a battle that will, without question, bring casualties. ] You are most familiar with this mission and this threat, and so I will trust your judgment. What is it you intended to ask me?
[ Ford doesn't miss the weariness in Ozpin's tone. He finds himself wondering if he shouldn't have simply given Ozpin a warning and left it at that. It probably would have been kinder.
But the fact of the matter is that Ford doesn't think he has the luxury of not asking. There are few people in Deerington Ford can consider truly trustworthy, and fewer he would consider skilled or experienced enough to survive something like this. Of that tiny pool of people, Ozpin is the only one that hasn't already volunteered himself for Bill's plan. More than that, Ozpin among those that Ford trusts the most outside of his immediate family. On par with Glitch and Lev at the very least - and even then there are things Ford will tell Ozpin that he'd never tell any of the children.
That Ozpin could simply say 'no' doesn't occur to Ford; he's already certain that if he puts forward a somewhat reasonable request, the answer will be 'yes'. The greater implications behind such an assumption are something else that don't occur to him. ]
Bill's already proposed a plan for dealing with Sodder's Guardians. My concern is for the teams working on the portals and the dangers they may need to deal with. There are some volunteers already, but I'd feel more at ease knowing you were there as well.
I was hoping you might be able to keep an eye out for Dipper's safety in particular. I suspect he'll stay close to me, but I'm afraid being a magnet for trouble is a family trait.
[ That last part comes out a little wry, if not exactly amused. Ever since the four-way argument his family and Bill had in December it's something that's been in the back of Ford's mind. ]
[ It's a Huntsman mission. A simple task of escorting the research- and engineering-minded individuals through dangerous territory and keeping threats at a reasonable distance while they work. For a moment, he is amused: this is not really so different from that first trip to the mountain, just the two of them. Merely a difference of scale.
It is readily within Ozpin's skillset. His options are to take the mission and have front-row seats to whatever plays out, or sit at home through the whole matter and let the cards fall where they may. He will not be a major force steering the outcome, in either case. He will only be there to keep people safe.
He does not even really consider a 'no.' ]
Of course. I will accompany your team, and I can speak with the other Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant if more help will be needed.
[ Even with the outcome murky, this does not sound like the sort of fight any of them would wish to turn away from. It is not their war, but Ozpin has never lied about the role of a hero, and that is what his children have trained to become. Their task is to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and to keep things from falling apart.
[ Ford wasn't expecting anything else, but hearing Ozpin agree makes the tension in Ford's chest start to uncoil. The reassurance that he'll look after Dipper not only hastens the process, it leaves something warm where the tension used to be. ]
Thank you, Ozpin.
[ The relief and gratefulness in his tone are unmistakable, but he doesn't dwell on them for long. They're short on time as it is, and there's still more ground to cover. His tone slips back into something solemn again, albeit more steady than it was a moment ago. ]
But there are a few more things you should know about Bill, first. His skills and abilities are dangerous, but dealing with him as a person can be...
[ He falters here again, but only because choosing just one negative trait to explain Bill is a bit of a challenge. ]
... upsetting. If you have a few moments I can explain.
[ He can hear the warm relief in that thanks, and it stirs an answering warmth in his chest. He chooses not to examine that too deeply. Ozpin is under no illusions he will be walking into anything other than a mess, but it is now a mess in which he has clear goals and people to protect. He bears less responsibility here than in almost any war he's ever fought. Like their trip up the mountain, there is something reassuringly simple about being presented with a goal he has the ability to address.
There is something reassuringly simple about being, to Stanford, genuinely just a man.
[ Part of the problem with admitting to knowledge of Bill's means and methods is that you also end up tacitly admitting to having experienced or at least witnessed those methods yourself. Fortunately, Ozpin has never given Ford the impression that he'll push for more information than Ford is willing to give. That makes it easier to speak. ]
Bill is very good at upsetting people, and I believe it's something he takes great personal enjoyment out of. He won't hesitate to use images of people close to you to make a point or get under your skin.
[ Which brings them back to a subject that Ford's been hoping he can sidestep, but now realizes he can't. No choice but to go all in. ]
You and I have already exchanged memories and discussed Remnant extensively. Qrow told me about your magic, Oscar mentioned you've been divorced, Ruby told me she was one of your students - you should be prepared for him to bring up any and all of these.
[ He understands the hesitation. That Ford has an extensive history with the demon is more than clear, and while Ozpins is certainly curious, it is mostly in the terms of a tactician: he'd like to know what they are up against far more than he means to pry into Ford's difficult past. Ozpin knows very, very well about wanting to let one's mistakes stay buried. In the same tones of focused calm: ]
Abilities of that sort are not unknown on Remnant. I will be certain to...
[ There is a baffled little pause here, in which a silent side conversation begins to take place. A beat of delay, on Ozpin's end, stretching out as he attempts to carry two conversations at once— and then an irritated little short exhale. ]
I see.
[ Oscar has been meddling. In profoundly well-intentioned ways, it seems, but Ozpin does not actually find this helpful or appreciated. ]
That is something of an oversimplification, and not one I prefer to see discussed publicly. My relationship with that individual became... violently fraught. It is, I'm afraid, a very long and unpleasant story.
[ And, in what is very clearly meant to close the conversation: ] Should he take her appearance, I will be prepared for it. Thank you for the warning.
[ He will not actually be prepared for it. He never is. ]
[ So apparently the post was about Ozpin, who... didn't know? That strikes Ford as rather odd; Stan's attempts to play matchmaker on Ford's behalf have never been subtle, never mind a total secret. It's not something Ford had any way of knowing at the time, but he feels as though he's done something needlessly invasive all the same.
Naturally, Ozpin's request gets a quick response. ]
Ah-- right. Of course.
[ Ford doesn't need to be told twice to not go poking into a personal matter that isn't any of his business. He doesn't need to be told that at all.
He can't help but wonder after the apparent contradictions in Ozpin's story, though. Ozpin told he and Stan that his wife had passed away. What on earth could have happened to make claiming she was dead was easier than admitting they had split up? ]
That's all I needed to tell you. We're working right now and Bill says everything should be ready by the 12th. Any time you can help between now and then is fine.
[ Ford flusters and shuts down, and that is... better than prying, at least. It does strike a pang of something uncomfortably like guilt through Ozpin. The man is plainly trying to help; he'd only repeated what he'd been apparently told. And, given a truly dizzying variety of opportunities to dig for Ozpin's most personal stories, he has made no move to do so. He has allowed Ozpin his secrets and his space.
He is grateful. The tension settles some, even as Ozpin remains distracted by the background conversation in his head. ]
Of course. [ The tone is a little... absent, with his attention elsewhere and his emotions unsettled, but it's better than the brusque shut-down. Ozpin tries to gentle somewhat: ] I will clear my schedule. Where and when will work be taking place?
[ Ford isn't great about reading emotions, and tends to hyperfixate negative ones when he does. Still, he knows Ozpin at least somewhat well by now. Ozpin might sound distracted and distant, but isn't completely shutting down the conversation so he's not that upset.
Probably. ]
The first portal is being built in the amusement park. Construction is already underway, so I can meet you at the entrance and lead you to the exact location as soon as you like.
[ This pause again drags long; Oscar is still speaking, and they are getting onto a more nuanced topic. Difficult to split his attention this way. If Stanford thinks he's angry to have been intruded upon, he'll simply have to show otherwise in person. ]
I can meet you there in an hour. Thank you, Stanford.
[ It's the reflexive and unreadable thank you of ending a call. Ozpin is now thoroughly distracted by his other conversation. ]
[ There is a flicker of surprise and something deeper— more acidic and unpleasant— at that 'you deserve to be happy.' Then back to the staticky simmer of annoyance. ]
'Forgive me, I must be misunderstanding. You have been openly consulting the network about my dating life?'
[ The static ratchets up, and it comes with the mental impression of a sigh. ]
'Of course. Oscar, you may rest assured that this is not my first, tenth, or even hundredth experience navigating the possibility of romance.'
[ Was that acknowledgment of feelings for Stanford? It might have been. This does leave aside that it's been at least a century, and he has not necessarily been very open with his partners, and counting the romances of his hosts is tenuously relevant at best. But Ozpin is not interested in discussing those facts. ]
'I would prefer to handle it without external assistance.'
[Oscar pressed his lips together, stubbornly not backing away from the insistence.]
'We both know it's been a while.'
[The impressions, the fragments of memories, had become closer to the surface since his fall from Atlas. There were moments when he could almost feel threads of power at his finger tips-- and the memories, if he searched, were clear as the skies of a Mistrali summer.
He didn't dare to search too often.]
'He's also not from Remnant, so you can't necessarily follow the same rules. Dipper mentioned some... disturbing things about their world.'
[Body snatching demons, for one thing.]
'You need to be careful, but not so careful that you both hurt each other. We both know how that goes, too. You deserve better than that.'
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Well. He knows— intimately, repeatedly, even recently— how destructive that type of person can be. Nothing can stand against her scorching self-righteous fury. Nothing can stand against that relentless drive.
He is not eager to see what it looks like on something as erratic as Bill Cipher. ]
I understand.
[ But, oh. He turned Gravity Falls into a living nightmare is jarring to hear, and said so matter-of-factly that for a moment Ozpin does not know how to receive it. He has heard Stanford talk about his home a great deal, and never in the tones of someone reminiscing about what is now a ruin. (Of course, Ozpin has spoken of Beacon a great deal, and not at all of the Fall. But Ozpin is very well-acquainted with nostalgia and loss. He has been learning to tell stories as though they do not hurt for a very, very long time.)
He wonders what became of the town. It has been a long time since Ozpin was in this position: low on information, late to the story, caught up in someone else's war. He can do nothing but trust his sources and choose his side. He is not king, commander, or a player at the table. He is unequivocally a piece on the board.
Perhaps there's something freeing in that. Mostly it is simply tiring. ]
It is apparent that you know the situation best, Stanford. [ Ozpin sounds weary, but not bitter: he is settling in with the resignation of someone preparing to commit troops to a battle that will, without question, bring casualties. ] You are most familiar with this mission and this threat, and so I will trust your judgment. What is it you intended to ask me?
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But the fact of the matter is that Ford doesn't think he has the luxury of not asking. There are few people in Deerington Ford can consider truly trustworthy, and fewer he would consider skilled or experienced enough to survive something like this. Of that tiny pool of people, Ozpin is the only one that hasn't already volunteered himself for Bill's plan. More than that, Ozpin among those that Ford trusts the most outside of his immediate family. On par with Glitch and Lev at the very least - and even then there are things Ford will tell Ozpin that he'd never tell any of the children.
That Ozpin could simply say 'no' doesn't occur to Ford; he's already certain that if he puts forward a somewhat reasonable request, the answer will be 'yes'. The greater implications behind such an assumption are something else that don't occur to him. ]
Bill's already proposed a plan for dealing with Sodder's Guardians. My concern is for the teams working on the portals and the dangers they may need to deal with. There are some volunteers already, but I'd feel more at ease knowing you were there as well.
I was hoping you might be able to keep an eye out for Dipper's safety in particular. I suspect he'll stay close to me, but I'm afraid being a magnet for trouble is a family trait.
[ That last part comes out a little wry, if not exactly amused. Ever since the four-way argument his family and Bill had in December it's something that's been in the back of Ford's mind. ]
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It is readily within Ozpin's skillset. His options are to take the mission and have front-row seats to whatever plays out, or sit at home through the whole matter and let the cards fall where they may. He will not be a major force steering the outcome, in either case. He will only be there to keep people safe.
He does not even really consider a 'no.' ]
Of course. I will accompany your team, and I can speak with the other Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant if more help will be needed.
[ Even with the outcome murky, this does not sound like the sort of fight any of them would wish to turn away from. It is not their war, but Ozpin has never lied about the role of a hero, and that is what his children have trained to become. Their task is to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and to keep things from falling apart.
A little more gently: ]
I will do my best to keep an eye on Dipper.
no subject
Thank you, Ozpin.
[ The relief and gratefulness in his tone are unmistakable, but he doesn't dwell on them for long. They're short on time as it is, and there's still more ground to cover. His tone slips back into something solemn again, albeit more steady than it was a moment ago. ]
But there are a few more things you should know about Bill, first. His skills and abilities are dangerous, but dealing with him as a person can be...
[ He falters here again, but only because choosing just one negative trait to explain Bill is a bit of a challenge. ]
... upsetting. If you have a few moments I can explain.
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There is something reassuringly simple about being, to Stanford, genuinely just a man.
He settles in to listen. ]
Of course.
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Bill is very good at upsetting people, and I believe it's something he takes great personal enjoyment out of. He won't hesitate to use images of people close to you to make a point or get under your skin.
[ Which brings them back to a subject that Ford's been hoping he can sidestep, but now realizes he can't. No choice but to go all in. ]
You and I have already exchanged memories and discussed Remnant extensively. Qrow told me about your magic, Oscar mentioned you've been divorced, Ruby told me she was one of your students - you should be prepared for him to bring up any and all of these.
1/3
Abilities of that sort are not unknown on Remnant. I will be certain to...
2/3
3/3
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Ah, yes...? He was asking for advice on the network and spoke in vague terms, but I believe it was about you.
[ Is he wrong? Ford doesn't think so, but it's certainly possible. ]
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I see.
[ Oscar has been meddling. In profoundly well-intentioned ways, it seems, but Ozpin does not actually find this helpful or appreciated. ]
That is something of an oversimplification, and not one I prefer to see discussed publicly. My relationship with that individual became... violently fraught. It is, I'm afraid, a very long and unpleasant story.
[ And, in what is very clearly meant to close the conversation: ] Should he take her appearance, I will be prepared for it. Thank you for the warning.
[ He will not actually be prepared for it. He never is. ]
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Naturally, Ozpin's request gets a quick response. ]
Ah-- right. Of course.
[ Ford doesn't need to be told twice to not go poking into a personal matter that isn't any of his business. He doesn't need to be told that at all.
He can't help but wonder after the apparent contradictions in Ozpin's story, though. Ozpin told he and Stan that his wife had passed away. What on earth could have happened to make claiming she was dead was easier than admitting they had split up? ]
That's all I needed to tell you. We're working right now and Bill says everything should be ready by the 12th. Any time you can help between now and then is fine.
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He is grateful. The tension settles some, even as Ozpin remains distracted by the background conversation in his head. ]
Of course. [ The tone is a little... absent, with his attention elsewhere and his emotions unsettled, but it's better than the brusque shut-down. Ozpin tries to gentle somewhat: ] I will clear my schedule. Where and when will work be taking place?
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Probably. ]
The first portal is being built in the amusement park. Construction is already underway, so I can meet you at the entrance and lead you to the exact location as soon as you like.
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I can meet you there in an hour. Thank you, Stanford.
[ It's the reflexive and unreadable thank you of ending a call. Ozpin is now thoroughly distracted by his other conversation. ]
4/3 for Oscar only
'Oscar. What, precisely, have you shared with Stanford about my history?' ]
Re: 4/3 for Oscar only
'... Only that you're divorced and the ex-wife is a bitch. That you're kinda shy because of it.'
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'This does not strike you as a extremely tenuous and indeed frivolous reduction of the truth?'
[ A beat, and then the irritation ratchets up. ]
'Was this posed to the entire network?'
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[Oscar sassed-- the multitude of half truths Oz had told over the centuries made this look.... Innocent.]
'I didn't name names. Anyone who figured it out only did because they know you.
You and Mr. Ford have something interesting going between you, and I think you deserve to be happy too.'
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'Forgive me, I must be misunderstanding. You have been openly consulting the network about my dating life?'
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'Not You, but an older friend of mine. I told you, I didn't name any names.'
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'Of course. Oscar, you may rest assured that this is not my first, tenth, or even hundredth experience navigating the possibility of romance.'
[ Was that acknowledgment of feelings for Stanford? It might have been. This does leave aside that it's been at least a century, and he has not necessarily been very open with his partners, and counting the romances of his hosts is tenuously relevant at best. But Ozpin is not interested in discussing those facts. ]
'I would prefer to handle it without external assistance.'
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'We both know it's been a while.'
[The impressions, the fragments of memories, had become closer to the surface since his fall from Atlas. There were moments when he could almost feel threads of power at his finger tips-- and the memories, if he searched, were clear as the skies of a Mistrali summer.
He didn't dare to search too often.]
'He's also not from Remnant, so you can't necessarily follow the same rules. Dipper mentioned some... disturbing things about their world.'
[Body snatching demons, for one thing.]
'You need to be careful, but not so careful that you both hurt each other. We both know how that goes, too. You deserve better than that.'
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2/3
This is Ozpin's face as he tries for patience. Given Oscar's innate link to his emotional state, it's not very convincing. ]
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