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... You ask that as if there's a choice.

[A choice that he had taken advantage of for over two years. Oscar sighed-- and knew explanations were in order. ]

I'm sixteen now, and everything this year has shown me that I need to be doing better than this. On Remnant, I was already helping Ruby fight Grimm when I was fourteen. Since I had a chance I knew I'd never get back home, I took it.

... Now I've gotta pick up a weapon again. Not because there's Grimm, but because I'm tired of watching everything fall apart.

Isn't there?

[Content with the extend of his fold, Paul braces his hands on the mat below him and unfurls into a handstand. His hair is long enough that he thinks absently (as he does every time he does this) that he should tie it up next time.]

That's what everyone tells me all the time. That you don't have to pick up a weapon and go to war to be useful, or to protect people.

I'm fairly sure you were one of them. So what's different about you, specifically?

[It was true. Oscar was a big advocate of trying the non-violent methods at every possible step. It was why he had chosen to face Ironwood alone-- and apparently how he managed to get Hazel and Emerald on their side.

Flopping over, Oscar pouted at the screen.]

It's a matter of self defense. I'm realizing that I'm useless if words don't do the job, and that I need to be better able to protect myself if everyone is busy or compromised.

There it is again. 'Protect'.

[He arcs over into a back bend, planting his feet on the floor and pressing until his spine hums comfortably.]

When I think of protection, I think of a shield, not a sword.

But, don't the two usually go together?

[That's how it was in his stories. Even Jaune knew how to fight better than Oscar did, and he was by default a protective knight. ]

Usually.

[He concedes, lightly.]

But I've seen some of the things Ruby makes. She's inventive, and so are you.

And if you're intent on a weapon, but still don't know what you want - I'd recommend a gun. They're popular for a reason.

Well, yeah. That's why I was using one in the first place.

[Because even in Remnant, before his injuries and setbacks after over a year in the Dream, he had only been good enough to defend himself on the field or work in tandem with others. He had only managed small Grimm on his own.

And gotten a hit on the agile and tricky Neopolitan. That had been using his wits though-- and once he lost the element of surprise, all bets were off.]

A gun and a shield though? They don't really lend themselves to anything light or easy to carry.

Oscar...

[Paul breathes out, heavily, as he lowers himself back onto the ground. He stretches out there, toes pointed and hands over his head, before he knits his fingers into a cushion at the base of his skull.]

What I've been trying to tell you is that I can't make this choice for you. You don't know what you want. You know a few of the things you don't want, but that's not enough to narrow things down.

When you use a weapon, every time you pick it up might be one of the most critical decisions of your life. If you use a shield, you may not be able to use a gun, and vice versa. You have to decide which one you want.

I know. I'm not asking you, too.

[He frowned, and pulled over a notepad with which to jot down a few notes for later. This entire call had been an accident, but at least it was proving to be a little helpful.]

I'm just getting ideas. Lots of physical weapons started as farm tools, you know? Like... a scythe. So, my tactics have usually been the same:

Use what I've got to protect what's important, whether it's the harvest, my home, or my friends.

Since meeting Ozpin and Ruby, I've learned that they can be very personal too. That's why I'm collecting ideas to brainstorm with Ruby. I never actually had a weapon that was mine before the one Chara broke.

Ozpin's cane doesn't count.

I only don't want to draw you down the wrong path.

[Practically or morally. The idea of Oscar taking up weapons the way Paul uses weapons makes him uncomfortable for multiple reasons.]

I'd never seen anyone use a scythe as a weapon until I met Ruby. But I think we tend to have more knives lying around than you do.

I dunno. Knives are pretty important if you spend any time in the wilderness.

[His infinite bag of holding wasn't just stocked with snacks, after all. Oscar leaned back, listening to Paul's words.]

... About that. I might be on the wrong path by trying to avoid everything. While I generally know the rules and the skills because of everything, I haven't taken the time to build up my body and my instincts for it. And, since leaving Remnant? I thought I could get away with not doing it.

But. Not having those instincts is part of why I keep getting in trouble.

[Paul blows out another light sigh, more restful than unsettled.]

Since you came to me for advice...

[Technically, Oscar didn't come to him, but he did ask for advice.]

You keep getting in trouble because you don't avoid things. Which might be an instinct worth developing next to your fighting skills.

[It was hard to avoid things when your primary influence is Ruby Rose-- the girl that took out a giant mech suit from inside the barrel of its own rifle. But, that was beside the point. Oscar held his tongue from quipping that this was an accidental call, and instead went to the point.]

Doesn't both happen at the same time anyway? I mean, part of karate is not getting punched in the face, right?

If you're already in a fight, of course you want to avoid getting hit, but I'm talking about everything that happens before one. The choices you make that lead you to that moment, or away from it.

[All the Beacon alumni strike Paul as uncommonly eager to go to battle, but he's taken that as part of their world and its dire necessities. He understands dire necessity.]

Deescalation isn't a word they use often on Remnant, is it?

By the time we get there, we've got other problems.

[Like Grimm. He didn't feel like he needed to elaborate.]

The one time I tried kinda backfired, too. So I don't really have a lot of practice.

....Shields, though. Hm.

[The wintertime restlessness was getting to him. He wanted a project to do with his hands, not necessarily more philosophical discourse.]

I don't want to mess with the blood magic too much. It's part of why the soil's a mess, But, I wonder if there's a way we can work with what's around to do something similar? Like, combining the idea of it with how an Aura can work?

See? There's something.

[Paul sits up, folding his legs underneath him, with a slight smile finding its way to his face.]

I don't know much about Aura, but if you take that to Ruby, or your Professor - that's what I'd advise.

Then it's something that feels like your own.

Or both of them.

Maybe it's time to try learning how to enchant things> I've never tried that before.

[He frowned. Much of his time had been avoiding those aspects of his self and his potential, and he wasn't even sure where to proceed at that angle. Perhaps research was the best route to go-- but he couldn't help but shift uncomfortably on screen.]

The professors at the local school are too stuffy. I tried going for basic lessons, but it just wouldn't stick.

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