[ He does not choke on his cocoa— this time— but only because he knew better than to take a sip. Right. Hm. This is a situation he seems to have been placed in.
Ozpin, with precisely zero hesitation, chooses to deny it all. ]
Ruby seems to have misunderstood a crude joke at my expense.
I don't know where it originated, but James has very few fans among our companions from Remnant. His political sense can be a bit... heavy-handed.
[ Granted, Stanford may know him well enough by now to interpret a bit heavy-handed as friction on the scale of declared martial law and shot anyone in the way. ]
[ One of Ford's initial assumptions, when Ruby had first messaged him, was that it was a euphemism - but between Ruby's apparent interest in the alleged pogo stick and her 'doing taxes' metaphor Ford had shifted his assumption to something much more literal.
It hadn't occurred to him that Ruby may have misunderstood, which feels incredibly obvious in hindsight - and leaves him feeling deeply, deeply embarrassed to have brought the subject up with Ozpin at all. ]
[ Well, Ford does indeed know Ozpin well enough to be able to read a bit between the lines of the phrase 'heavy-handed'. Ozpin rarely seems to describe people or situations in anything but the most mild of terms; even his brief return home had been nothing but a 'rough few days'.
It comes as a surprise, though. James is stern and focused, obviously a military man, and doesn't hesitate to take digs at Ozpin, but even so he hadn't given Ford the impression he was possessed of any sort of ideals that could be considered heavy-handed.
It's a little concerning, especially considering the assistance Ford had lent him with TRUST. ]
[ Stanford drops it readily enough, which Ozpin is relieved to see. That is not a mess he has any interest in navigating.
He does, however, consider the question for a long beat. The dots jump as Ozpin lingers over his reply. Stanford has trusted him with a great deal, and he trusts Stanford in turn. The man has a unique outsider's perspective; he alone might be able to regard the situation with a level head.
Still. This is not his war. If they are lucky— and Ozpin is careful— they'll not see tensions reach that fever pitch in Deerington. ]
Not generally.
I regard James as a good man, albeit one prone to sometimes drastic moments of tunnel vision.
His style of controlling a situation often clashes severely with my own, which has caused us not insubstantial difficulty in the past. But I do not consider him an enemy here.
[ 'Not an enemy' is perhaps alarming language to hear from him after they all spent a night sleeping in the same room. But should Stanford ask Qrow or Oscar for answers, Ozpin finds it likely he'll encounter the truth. It is best to manage his expectations... carefully. ]
[ Ford is by no means a socially savvy person, but give him enough time around the same person and even he'll start to pick up on the subtleties. Ozpin hasn't given Ford any reason to not trust him, so he's not upset to have spent an evening in close quarters with James and sees no reason to believe that Ozpin is wrong about him not being someone to worry about.
Still, there's a good deal of alarming information in Ozpin's explanation. I do not consider him an enemy here in particular brings the phrase 'damning with faint praise' to mind, but drastic moments of tunnel vision and not insubstantial difficulty aren't exactly reassuring to hear, either.
But there's one little word that grabs Ford's attention more than the rest. ]
[ He cannot fault Stanford for the caution, but there is another thoughtful delay before Ozpin responds. He has no interest in explaining the timeline discrepancies, fascinating though he's sure Stanford would find them. ]
Our relationship back on Remnant is rather nuanced. You will recall that we are in the midst of a war, and the other side seeks to divide our forces. Very successfully, as of late.
[ It is, once again, not reassuring to hear that - but Ford knows what it's like to have to work alongside someone you don't trust, particularly someone that may have been trusted in the past. The war is, of course, and added complication that Ford will be the first to admit he doesn't have all the context for - but the context he does have tells him plenty. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Ozpin, with precisely zero hesitation, chooses to deny it all. ]
Ruby seems to have misunderstood a crude joke at my expense.
I don't know where it originated, but James has very few fans among our companions from Remnant. His political sense can be a bit... heavy-handed.
[ Granted, Stanford may know him well enough by now to interpret a bit heavy-handed as friction on the scale of declared martial law and shot anyone in the way. ]
1/2
It hadn't occurred to him that Ruby may have misunderstood, which feels incredibly obvious in hindsight - and leaves him feeling deeply, deeply embarrassed to have brought the subject up with Ozpin at all. ]
I see. My mistake.
[ Best to move on, then, but-- ]
no subject
It comes as a surprise, though. James is stern and focused, obviously a military man, and doesn't hesitate to take digs at Ozpin, but even so he hadn't given Ford the impression he was possessed of any sort of ideals that could be considered heavy-handed.
It's a little concerning, especially considering the assistance Ford had lent him with TRUST. ]
Is it something I should be worried about here?
no subject
He does, however, consider the question for a long beat. The dots jump as Ozpin lingers over his reply. Stanford has trusted him with a great deal, and he trusts Stanford in turn. The man has a unique outsider's perspective; he alone might be able to regard the situation with a level head.
Still. This is not his war. If they are lucky— and Ozpin is careful— they'll not see tensions reach that fever pitch in Deerington. ]
Not generally.
I regard James as a good man, albeit one prone to sometimes drastic moments of tunnel vision.
His style of controlling a situation often clashes severely with my own, which has caused us not insubstantial difficulty in the past. But I do not consider him an enemy here.
[ 'Not an enemy' is perhaps alarming language to hear from him after they all spent a night sleeping in the same room. But should Stanford ask Qrow or Oscar for answers, Ozpin finds it likely he'll encounter the truth. It is best to manage his expectations... carefully. ]
no subject
Still, there's a good deal of alarming information in Ozpin's explanation. I do not consider him an enemy here in particular brings the phrase 'damning with faint praise' to mind, but drastic moments of tunnel vision and not insubstantial difficulty aren't exactly reassuring to hear, either.
But there's one little word that grabs Ford's attention more than the rest. ]
You don't consider him an enemy here?
no subject
Our relationship back on Remnant is rather nuanced. You will recall that we are in the midst of a war, and the other side seeks to divide our forces. Very successfully, as of late.
no subject
Understood. I'll be careful.
And avoid inviting him to anything unnecessarily.
no subject
On the contrary, I would like to foster a stronger relationship here than could have been possible back on Remnant.
I don't want to see those same divisions play out again.
Simply know that it is best to tread carefully around discussion of the situation at home.
[ A beat, and then: ]
Thank you for understanding, Stanford.