A/N: After 2 full rewrites and almost 8 hours of editing, I'm proud to say welcome to Perseverance! To get this out of the way, Artis is taking Pyrrha's spot at Beacon, if that's a deal breaker for you, I understand. That being said, she will still be in the story but in another facet. I hope you'll give this OC a shot. I really hope you guys enjoy this and stick around for the ride.
Artis Zaffre sat in the ship's seat, his head held in his hands and eyes fixated on his black boots. The blue haired man sent out silent prayers into the skies, hoping for any of them to be answered this time. A massive stone dog rested beneath his feet, his breath tickling his master's ankles but he paid it no mind.
Please give me the luck I need. I've worked so hard for this; I need to get in this time. I don't know how many more times I can take this ride and be sent home.
His mind catapulted him back into the memories of all of the other times he'd taken this trip. Every emotion he felt coursed through him. The fear, the excitement, the anxiety, the joy, and the millions of other emotions that invade his heart. He mailed a final prayer to the heavens above before reaching down and petting the stone dog. .
The creature grumbled at being awoken from its nap but licks the hand that is offered to him. A gesture of solidarity and comfort as much as a greeting, something Artis is in dire need of now. Reassurance that he was doing the right thing, that he wasn't a failure, that he'd get it right this time. What was not a gesture of solidarity and brotherhood however, was the drool that now coated his fingers.
With a sigh, he wiped his fingers on the leg of his black army pants. Peering down, he spoke.
"Can you go fifteen minutes without drooling all over the place?" The hound is indifferent to his question and sits in silence. "Come on Dusty, work with me here a bit." Dusty simply panted, letting his tongue hang out and creating a veritable puddle of droop beneath him. With a shake of his head, Artis fell back into his own thoughts.
Alright, the plan remains the same as last year. Make a beeline for the northwest corner. Ozpin has had the chess pieces there every year in the cave. I need to secure that before anything else, finding a partner can be sorted out after I guarantee my spot at the school. No stopping to help out or pull someone out of a tree. Learn from your mistakes Artis. You've got this.
Artis's one man pep talk is cut abruptly short by the sound of someone retching violently onto the floor. Turning his honey colored eyes to the sound, he saw a gangly blond boy wobbling around on his feet. His hand covered his mouth, trying to halt the surging tide of sickness attempting to evacuate his bowels. Artis watched the boy's eyes hunt around the ship, looking for anything to be his trashcan.
After several seconds, his fortitude seemed to run out and he vomited all over the brown, now sickly yellow, boots of a blonde girl with lilac eyes. She was gorgeous, with a smile that lit up the ship and hair like the sun. Her aforementioned lilac eyes changed very quickly to a vibrant blood red and she launched to her feet, screaming enough profanities to make a sailor blush. Her actions did little to help the poor boy's sickness as his skin took on a green tint and his heaving continued. The girl in the red hood sitting next to the angry blonde restrains her as much as she can, considering the size difference, as the boy looks for any sort of refuge. He seems to find it on the other side of the ship.
Feel sorry for the poor bastard that gets him for a partner. A tone chimed and all eyes shift over to the intercom. A voice called out.
"Good afternoon students, I am deputy Headmaster Glynda Goodwitch." The ship began to turn, allowing the port side window a view of the river that runs right up to the cliffs of the school. It's an incredible view, the water grapples with the rocks below, each vying for dominance. The might of land meets the unending tide. Its poetry in motion and Artis couldn't pry his eyes away.
He'd seen this at least seven times before but it never ceased to fill him with awe. To see that endless battle between surf and stone over and over again, a fight the stone knows it cannot win but it persists, aware that it has to fight even if it can't win. The Deputy Headmaster's voice smashed his thoughts as she continues.
"Please exit the ship and make your way to the main hall for Headmaster Ozpin's opening remarks. Welcome to Beacon Academy." The ship slowed to a stop and the hatch opened up, allowing everyone to leave. Artis reached over to the hunk of white steel on the seat next to him, taking and securing it to his back as well as slipping his backpack onto his shoulders. His hand finds his hip where he checks the security of the holster with his knife in it. With a grunt, he stood and made his way for the exit only to be bowled over by the same gangly blond boy that had been vomiting all over the ship earlier. Before Artis can say anything about his assault, the blond throws himself into a nearby trashcan, emptying the contents of his stomach
At least it's not someone's shoes this time… Artis found his feet and followed the mineral mutt as it leads him off the ship. When his nose wasn't buried in the grass and dirt, it sniffed the other students who keep passing glances at Artis after giving the animal a pat on the head and a scratch behind the ears. All progress halted when the blonde and hooded girls crossed his path, causing him to roll onto his back for belly rubs like a puppy in a playpen. The girls were all too eager to abide him, drawing a sigh from Artis. Familiar faces passed him by as he watched the hound play. He wasn't the only one to have made this trip more than once. A silent nod is shared between them as Artis turned back to Dusty. His tongue clicked twice and he called out.
"Dusty, here." The creature rolls back to his feet, all four hundred and twenty-seven pounds trotting back to his master. The girls looked to the man and the blonde girl with lilac eyes spoke, her face set in a deep pout.
"Hey, we weren't done with him yet." She closed the gap between the creature and herself, resuming her stroking. "I thought Beacon had a pretty strict policy against pets." Artis gave a noncommittal nod.
"As far as I know yea but Dusty here isn't a pet, if the fact that he's made of rock didn't give it away." Her hands found her hips.
"So what is he? A construct that you can summon like some kind of wizard?" Artis gave a small laugh and shook his head.
"Sadly no, I am not a wizard. Technically, he's my Semblance so he's kinda like a construct I guess. Still, he's got an Aura that's separate from mine, and has his own thoughts and emotions. He's about as smart as normal dog though, drools like one too." He spared a glance down at the animal as it continued to drip like a leaky faucet. "Should the worst happen though, I can resummon him but it's pretty draining and takes a hefty chunk of my Aura to do it. For all intents and purposes, he's my partner as well as my best friend." Artis gave Dusty a scratch behind the ears, causing him to roll onto his back again.
The blonde crouched down, taking the opportunity to resume her rubbing, now cooing at him like a baby.
"We" She motioned to the girl behind her with the hood. "Have a dog back home named Zwei. If I'd known putting him down as my Semblance would've let me bring him here, I would've put that on my transcripts." Another light laugh escaped the blue haired man and the blonde stood back up, offering a hand. "I'm Yang. Yang Xiao-long." She pointed a thumb back over her shoulder. "That little bundle of social anxiety is my little sister Ruby." Ruby mumbled out a response that sounded a lot like.
"I am not a bundle of social anxiety." Her point was countered by the fact that she attempted to hide in her hood. Artis gave Yang's hand a squeeze.
"Artis Zaffre, nice to meet you both." He waved to Ruby, who returned the gesture. His tongue clicked twice again and Dusty gets back to his feet. "We should probably get inside." He turned and began to make his way towards entrance of the massive building. The two girls follow after.
"You seem to know your way around here Artie, done this once or twice?" He knew that she didn't mean anything by, how could she? Didn't stop the words from stinging. If only it was that many times. He gave a shrug.
"You could say that. And please don't call me Artie" Silence sets in as they move.
"Soooooo… what kinda weapon do you use?" Artis giftwraps a silent thank you to the gods above for Yang not pressing the issue and mumbled under his breath about going to church on Sundays.
"I use Dusty here." He patted the animal's head and slipped an eight inch serrated blade from his hip holster. "This little guy right here." Then he reached behind his back to the white block attached. "And a custom built, semi-automatic, anti-material rifle, complete with a range finder, wind log, and specialized Dust ammunition." She went quiet and Artis peered over his shoulder to see her eyebrow rise and her hands find her hips. He sighed. "Big gun that shoots big bullets." There was a look in her eye now and she smirks.
"Really? Well isn't that interesting… Ruby, don't you use a custom automatic, semi-build, sniper thing too?" The hooded girl scoffed.
"Yang, you know that Crescent Rose is a fully customizable, high impact sniper rifle." The blonde gave a dismissive wave of her hand.
"That's what I said." Artis could hear the smile on her face as she continued. "Well, why don't you two kids talk more about your toys while I…" Her eyes scanned her surroundings. "Go get us a spot for the Headmaster's speech." Before the final word can even leave her lips, she's gone. Artis and Ruby shared a look.
"Well then." Ruby lets a nervous laugh escape her lips. A beat of silence passes. "So, you use a sniper rifle as well?" Their pace slows to a stop as the hooded girl nods and pulls out a large red and black rectangle. She tapped a button on the side and it begins to grow. Two seconds pass and now she's holding a massive six foot scythe that's infinitely more intimidating than its wielder. Artis's jaw parted but no words leave his mouth save one. "Wow." Ruby gave another awkward giggle.
"This is Crescent Rose." She ran a hand along the flat side of the blade. "Like I said, my baby here is a fully customizable, high impact sniper rifle that is also a scythe." The blue haired man blinked at her. He'd seen a lot of weapons in his twenty-four years of living but he couldn't remember a time when he'd seen anything like that.
"Where'd you get a thing like that?"
"I built her." Artis furrowed his brows.
"You built that whole thing?" She nodded "By yourself?" She nodded again as her cheeks darken.
"Pretty much. I used my Uncle Qrow's scythe as a template and kinda sorta kept adding onto it." The name Qrow struck a chord in his mind. He conjured memories of a man taking sips from a flask as he leant against a scythe, giving directions to sparring students. Another memory of a dark haired man giving a test and passing out on his own desk. She can't mean THAT, Qrow, could she?"
"Wait a sec, do you mean Qrow Branwen? The teacher at Signal?" She nodded again.
"Yep. That's my uncle." A small smile found his lips and he inclined his head. Silence set in again as Artis's mind wandered back to his time at Signal. The girl in front of him dragged him back to the present when she put her own weapon away. "So what about your weapon? Can I see it?"
"Yea, sure." He reached behind him, grabbing the white block on his back. With the tap of a button, it morphed into a six and a half foot monstrosity of precision and steel.
"This is Ivory's Song." He held the gun out in front of him so Ruby can take a closer look. "She comes complete with an impact absorbing stock, insulated firing chamber for protection against the elements, a folding bipod, a fully adjustable scope, rangefinder, wind log, and specialized ammunition." Ruby's eyes lit up like she was just told she can open her Christmas presents early. She reached for the gun and he lets her take it. Her hands run down the snow white and royal blue paint job.
"Did you make this yourself?" He nodded.
"Funny story about that." She raised an eyebrow. "I actually hadn't planned on making that from the start. You see, I built her a little while after my daughter was born. She'd wake up in the middle of the night and because my girlfriend at the time was still at Beacon as a Huntress-in-training, putting her back to bed was on me. Well, little Ivory would scream and cry long into the night. By the time I got her to actually go back to sleep I was wide awake. I knew I needed a better weapon than the rifle I'd been using for the last few years, other than my knife, if I wanted to keep trying to be a Huntsman. So I built one. Took a little over a month and a hefty chunk of lien from my bank account but I got it just how I like it. Figured it was only right to name it after my pride and joy."
Ruby braced the stock against her shoulder, aiming at the ground, and peering down the sights. Several seconds pass before she lowered it and spoke again.
"Wait a minute… You have a daughter!?" Artis nods..
"Yep. She just turned four last month." She handed the rifle back to him.
"Wow. What's she like?" Artis tapped the button on the side again and Ivory's Song folded back up into its storage mode before it gets secured on his back.
"She's the light of my life and very temperamental." To himself he mumbled. "Just like her mother." Talking about Ivory allowed his mind to be consumed again. Was she OK? Did anything happen? Was she being good for his parents? Did she need anything? The rational part of his mind knew that everything was fine but a parent's mind wasn't always a rational thing. Before she could ask any more questions, a familiar blond boy made his way to the pair.
"Excuse me, but do either of you know where we're supposed to go?" It was Ruby who answered him.
"Hey, Vomit Boy! You're that guy that threw up on Yang's shoes!" His hands flew up.
"I get motion sick! It's a very common problem!" Ruby snickered.
"Whatever you say Vomit Boy."
"Follow me; I'll take you both there." The two of them nod and the group made their way into the school. As they walk, Artis asked. "So what's your name?" The boy gave a grin that was somewhere between confident and terrified.
"Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." The blue haired man shook his head, scoffing.
"Sure Champ."
"They do!" He paused, his head drooping slightly. "Well, they will." The group came to a room stuffed to the brim with people, some he recognized and some not, as well as a stage with two familiar faces. The woman standing on the right peered down at a tablet. She didn't need to be on a stage to make everyone feel small. Her natural height coupled with the heels she wore as well as the perpetual scowl etched onto her face is more than enough. The man standing next to her is built like a cypress tree; all length and greenery. His right hand rested on a cane and his left pushed his glasses up as the room fills in. A voice rang out, drawing the attention of Artis's little group.
"Ruby!" They saw Yang waving her arms. "I saved you a spot!" The young girl turned to her two traveling companions.
"Hey, I gotta go." She turned to Artis. "Thanks for showing me the way here." She gave Dusty a light pet before running off. "I'll see you guys after the ceremony!" Jaune sputtered out.
"Hey! Wait-" His eyes found the floor. Artis nudged him with a shoulder.
"Chin up kid, that long face won't help you with the ladies." He opened his mouth to speak but the man behind the microphone cleared his throat. Artis's arms crossed over his chest. Wonder if his speech is going to be any different than the last few…
"I'll… keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge." Evidently it will not. Swell. His eyes scanned the surrounding students. Over his years of participating in Beacon's initiation, Artis liked to think he'd gotten rather good at discerning who gets in and who goes home. Naturally, there was an element of luck, but still. He was right more often than not. He turned his gaze to the two girls from the landing pad.
Definitely Yang, Ruby's a maybe. She's small, what is she? Twelve? His eyes found Jaune next. Not a chance. Next he came to a girl with snow white hair and piercing blue eyes. The luggage she carried with her was worth more than his car. A Schnee. Why's she here? Why not go to the academy in Atlas? Stay a little closer to home. Whatever. He paused to consider. She's a maybe.After the Schnee, he spied two kids, a boy and a girl. The girl was all smiles as she bounced around the boy, talking his ear off. To his credit, the black haired boy took it like a seasoned pro, nodding along with whatever she was saying. Girl maybe, guy yea. She needs a stabilizer or she's gonna wash out. The guy's got a good shot, looks like he's taking in everything around him, analyzing the competition no doubt. As the speech concluded Artis's eyes came to a dark haired girl with a bow in her hair. She hugged the side wall like she's trying to become part of it. Nope, this isn't a profession that you can hide away forever like that. The Deputy Headmaster's voice rang out.
"You will all gather in two hours the ballroom. Initiation begins tomorrow morning. Be ready." She paused as heads began turning to one another. The nervousness was strong enough to taste in the air. She inclined her head. "You're dismissed." Prospective Huntsman began to filter out of the room, Artis followed soon behind. The sun began to descend by this time. Don't need a locker really, not yet at least. Should make my way to the ballroom to claim my spot.
It's a short walk to the Ballroom but apparently he was not the only person to think about getting a spot early. The girl with the bow in her hair sat against the wall, face buried in a book. Artis's entry dragged her from her literary escape and he nodded to her. She gave a small one in return before going back to her reading.
In his previous attempts, Artis would explore the campus or try to meet some of the other students participating in initiation. By his seventh try though, there wasn't much left to explore. It was a school. The only difference between a huntsman Academy and a normal school were the sparring areas and a better stocked nurse's office. He didn't particularly feel like talking with the girl with the bow. He knew how he felt when someone interrupted him when he was busy, would be hypocritical to do the same to her. So, he did the only other thing he could do, e flopped down on the floor against the same wall as the girl with the bow, slipping his gun as well as his knife into his bag. Dusty made himself comfortable, using his master's leg as a pillow. Artis pulled out his Scroll and peered through his contacts list. He found the desired person and started the video call. After three rings, a woman's face came into focus. Curly cobalt hair framed her face and dark green eyes stared back at him. Strong laugh lines are etched into her cheeks as well as the crow's feet near her eyes. Her smile was electric and her energy infectious.
"Hi Baby! It's so good to hear from you! How's Beacon? Have you finished Initiation yet?" A smile found his face.
"Hey Mom. Beacon's the same as it was last year, couple new faces, but nothing else that you wouldn't have seen when you were here a thousand years ago." She laughed and stuck her middle finger into the foreground. "As for Initiation, you know that's tomorrow morning. Your mind slipping at your old age?" She barked out a laugh.
"Keep it up boy; I'll fly over there at the drop of a hat. You're not too old to be put over my knee." He let his smile grow and shook his free hand in mock fear.
"I'm quaking in my boots." The two shared another laugh and Artis sighed. "How's Dad?" She looked off screen and then back to her son.
"He's good; he just put Ivory down for bed. I'll go get him." Her voice echoed through his childhood home as she called out to her husband and longing tugged at his heartstrings. I shouldn't be here. I should be at home taking care of Ivory. How could I put my own daughter on the backburner for my own dreams? That's not fair to her. Artis had been having the same argument with himself for four years and hadn't made any headway going one direction or the other. The mental battle would continue as a man appeared on screen. He may have been an Ursa in a past life and that must have carried over to this. Duke Zaffre was a man not easily missed. His height coupled with his shiny bald head and bright yellow eyes allowed him to stand out in a crowd. This was helped along by his voice which clapped like thunder.
"Heya Boy, how ya doin?!" His wife slapped his arm, causing him to wince and cradle the afflicted area. One of the downsides of being with someone who had an Aura when you didn't. He gave her a light shove and turned. "Dammit Marjorie, that stings!" She took his injured appendage and kissed it softly.
"Better?" He harrumphed and she chuckled. "You just put little Ivory down for bed dear, maybe we don't yell and wake her up?" The bald man grumbled again before turning back to Artis.
"You alright Art? Feeling those pre-Initiation jitters?" He shrugged and let his hand run across Dusty's flank.
"Yea, something like that." The bald man gave a dismissive wave of his hand.
"You'll knock em dead, son. I've got a feeling in my gut that says this time is special. Something's different this time around." Artis grinned.
"You sure that's not just Mom's cooking making your stomach act up?" She put on a mask of mock hurt.
"You wound me!" His father tossed one of the throw pillows at her.
"In all seriousness though, I know you'll get in this time. Seventh time's the charm right?" He offered a reassuring smile and his mother appeared back on screen. "Just do your best Artis, it's all anyone can ask of you. If it doesn't work out, then you'll always have a home to come back to and a family that loves you." Artis knew what he was trying to do. Even if what he said was completely right, and he had no reason to think it wasn't, he'd still be going home a failure. That was something he couldn't let happen, not anymore. The blue haired woman nodded and took her Scroll from her husband's hand.
"We love you so much baby. You're gonna be an amazing Huntsman one day just like I trained you to be." Artis smiled and began to scratch Dusty behind his ears, causing the animal to roll onto his back. His mother yawned. "It's getting late." Artis looked at the top corner of the screen.
"It's barely eight." She waved a hand.
"Like you said honey, we're old. We go to bed early." Artis chuckled again.
"Fair enough. Night guys, give Ivory a big wet kiss for me OK?" His mother smiled and inclined her head.
"Of course. Goodnight baby we both love you so much. Do your best tomorrow and know that no matter what happens, we're so proud of you." His father shuffled back onto screen.
"Get some rest Artis; you'll need it for tomorrow." He nodded again, waving his free hand.
"Sleep well guys, I'll call you tomorrow after Initiation." The bald man bowed his head and Artis's mother called from off-screen.
"Give Dusty our love too!" Artis smiled to himself, ending the call. By this time, it was no longer just him and the girl with the bow. People were filing in, taking the various available spots. Night had begun to set in, the fractured moon beginning to make its appearance. A voice called out and he turned to the source.
"Artis!" He smiled and waved.
"Hey Ruby." In a flash, she was before him, a pile of rose petals in her wake. She'd traded in her skirt and blouse for a black tank top and white sleeping pants complete with rose decals. Did she have a rose phase when other girls went through the horse one? Another figure made its way to him, this one in a yellow tank and shorts barely able to be called as such. "Hey to you as well Yang." She grinned.
"How ya doin Artie?" He shook his head.
"Like I said before. Please, anything but Artie." She smiled mischievously.
"What's wrong with Artie? Does it make you blue?" Ruby groaned and fell onto her back like her sister's words caused her physical pain. Artis opened his mouth and closed it again.
"That was awful Yang." Ruby sat up, sitting cross legged. Yang scoffed.
"That was comedy gold dear baby sister. Take notes." Ruby just shook her head, turning to Artis.
"What'd you think of the Headmaster's speech?" He shrugged.
"Eh, it's the same speech as last year. And the year before that actually. I didn't even listen to it this time." Ruby nodded but Yang raised an eyebrow.
"You mentioned earlier that this wasn't your first time doing this. How many times have you tried this?" Artis knew she didn't mean anything by the question, probably just general curiosity. That didn't change the fact that her question caused his blood pressure to spike.
"Please let it go Yang." She cocked an eyebrow.
"It's not that big a deal, we're all friends here. Talk to us! Tell us about all the times you've tried to get into Beacon."
"It's none of your business, drop it." Artis hoped the venom in his voice would be enough
to get her to stop. Why can't she just let it go? I don't want to talk about it, that should be the end of it. The blonde doesn't back down, either not noticing or not caring about his tone.
"There's no need to bite my head off about it 'Artie.'" The logical part of his brain is trying to wrestle control away from his anger but it's fighting a losing battle. You idiot! What are you doing? Why are you picking a fight on the first night?
"There's no need to stick your nose where it doesn't belong either." He rose to his feet and she stepped forward. Stop it! She just asked a question! Apologize and sit down like an adult, Artis.
"Excuse me for being curious 'Artie.'" Her eyes shifted from lilac to scarlet in an instant and the temperature of the room began to rise.
"You know what they say about curiosity killing the cat." Don't threaten her! What did dad tell you about escalating the situation? She jabs a finger into his chest.
"That a threat?" Dusty begins to growl, a sound like rocks grinding down to dust against one another. Great, now Dusty's getting in on this. Great, just great. You're going to ruin your chances at being a Huntsman because you couldn't handle a question. Smooth. Ruby placed a hand on both of their shoulders.
"Guys stop. Please. You can't fight on the first night!" Yes, listen to her, she's smart! Her pleas are ignored as the room filled up with students.
"Maybe it is." Fuck. Movement appeared behind her and he peered over her shoulder. The anger in his chest faltered and a smile tease his lips. The blonde raised an eyebrow and turned. Immediately the temperature dropped and she spewed out a small laugh. Behind her is the lanky blond boy from earlier that had thrown up all over the ship and her shoes. It seems he traded out his armor, hoodie, and jeans for a onesie. Not just any onesie either. It was pale blue with a massive rabbit face on the chest. The cherry on top though, were the floppy bunny slippers, complete with button eyes.
The anger between the two seemed to evaporate immediately, giving way to deep, raucous laughter. Their joy brought them to tears immediately and then to rolling on the ground. Ruby soon joined them. Several minutes passed before the three of them stop giggling, allowing Artis to sigh and lean against the wall.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you. Trying to get into Beacon as many times as I have has made me a bit…." He stops, hunting for the proper word. "Sensitive about the topic." Yang nodded.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry for pushing so hard and for losing my temper so easily." She extended a hand. "Forgive and forget?" The blue haired man inclined his head and shook her hand.
"Of course." His eyes go right to the clock on the wall. "You guys might wanna get to bed soon. Initiation starts early tomorrow morning." The two nod before Yang asks.
"Any tips you can tell us?" He placed a hand on his chin for a second before shaking his head.
"Nothing really outside of move quickly." The two girls nodded before waving and making their ways to their sleeping bags. In truth, there were hundreds of things he could've told them, from the location of the site, to the proper routes, to saying to have a landing strategy. However, even telling them the simple things increased his chances of not being amongst those to get a chess piece and at this point, he wasn't going to take the risk. Still, he wasn't willing to give them bad information on the chance that it could cause a problem if they get in. He pulled out his Scroll and went into his pictures. His daughter's face lit up his world and he kissed the screen lightly.
Goodnight little one. Sleep well. He shoved the device back into his pocket before taking out his sleeping bag and setting up shop. He doubled the use of his backpack by using it as a pillow and looked up at the ceiling. Please gods, let this be my last Initiation. I can't go home a failure again. Several minutes later, sleep welcomed him like an old friend.
A/N: As always, reviews of all kinds are appreciated. If you hate my OC and want him tarred and feathered, tell me why. If you love him, sing his praises. If you're indifferent then let me know. I want all of your opinions on this. Chapter 2 comes out August 7th. As always, may fortune favor you all.