How's it going everyone RebelKira here. Coming at you with a new story I've been tossing around for a while. If you enjoy this, I recommend checking out my other stories RWBY: Kitty-Kat and RWBY: Red Ice. I also recommend you check out Team BAWM on TheBurningRuler's page. I Co-Write it along with Ruler and another great author by the name of Nightmare 6-4. Anyway, on with the first chapter of RWBY: Shining Destiny.
"Cian Riley! What is taking you so long?" My mom yelled from downstairs.
"I'll be down in a sec mom." I called out.
I put my chest plate on over my shirt and grabbed my duffle bag. I had short light blue hair and was wearing black pants with a blue shirt under my armor. I also had on metal gloves and boots. Attached to my chest plate were two swords hanging off my back. I put my domino mask on and headed downstairs.
"Bout time you came down. Any longer you'd probably miss your ship." My sister said sprawled out on the couch.
"At least I know what I wanna do with my life." I asked.
"That's enough both of you. Honestly Aelita, can't you just be happy for him?" Mom said.
"My baby brother is going to become a big strong huntsman, of course I'm happy for him." Aelita said. She got up and walked over to me. "I still don't get why you wanna go to Beacon. Haven Academy is just as good. Besides it's a shorter walk when you decide to come home and give up."
"Aelita!" Mom said.
"It's fine mom. Haven is where dad trained to be a huntsman. I don't wanna be compared to him. To have extra expectations put on me because of him. I wanna make my own legacy." I said.
"Well if you don't get going, you'll never get that chance." Mom said.
I looked at the clock and saw my ship left in ten minutes.
"Alright I'm off. I'll try to call when I get the chance." I said.
My mom walked over and gave me a hug and kiss. I waved at my sister and walked out the door.
"Hey!" Aelita called out from behind me. I turned back to her. She wrapped her arms around me. "Just be careful, I don't think mom could take it if she lost you and dad."
"I'll miss you too. I gotta get going though." I said putting my arms around her. We separated and I started running to the docks. The ship wasn't as big as I expected, but I suppose with most students from Mistral going to Haven Academy they don't need one very big to go to Beacon. I went to get on the airship, but my foot caught the edge and I fell face first into the ship.
"Well I'm off to a great start." I said rolling onto my back.
"Do you need some help?" A girl asked holding her hand out. She had long red hair with a gold ringlet. She wore a brown corset and a black skirt with a red sash around it. She had long brown gloves and a shield on her back with the handle of some weapon sticking out. I grabbed her hand and she helped me up.
"Thanks, um…" I started.
"Pyrrha Nikos. It's nice to meet you." She said.
"I'm Cian Riley. So, I'm guessing you're going to Beacon also?" I asked.
"Well that is where the ship is taking us." She said.
"Oh yeah, I guess you wouldn't be on the ship if that's not where you were going." I said.
"If you don't mind my asking, why are you wearing a mask?" She asked.
"My dad used to wear one just like it. So, I wear it to honor his memory." I said.
"Used to?" She asked.
"We lost him about eight years ago. Grimm attacked the village I live in, he fought them back along with the two other huntsman that lived in the village. He ended up getting poisoned with deathstalker venom and didn't make it." I said.
"Oh gods, I am so sorry." She said covering her mouth
I smiled and shook my head "It's fine I expected to get asked. Besides, he's the reason I wanted to become a huntsman." My smile didn't last long though. "He's also the reason I chose Beacon over Haven. He graduated from Haven Academy. I don't want to be expected to live up to his example. I wanna make my own story."
"Doesn't that contradict wearing the mask then?" She asked confused.
"The only reason he wore the mask was because of me. When I was about five, I called him a superhero. Somehow it gave him the idea to start wearing a mask whenever he had to work. Which only made him even cooler to me at the time. From what I was told he stopped being a fulltime huntsman after my older sister was born. He'd only take a job from time to time to help pay for things. Anytime he'd go on a mission though he'd always make sure to wear the mask when he left. I don't know if he ever actually kept the thing on or not, but he always left and rarely ever came back without it on. I figure since he only wore it for a couple years, he wouldn't be known for it. So, to honor him I wanted it to be part of my normal attire." I said.
"I think that's a very wonderful and sweet idea." She said.
I put my hand behind my head and turned a bit to conceal my blushing. "So um… Why did you choose Beacon over Haven?"
"It felt right. Something about Beacon stood out to me over Haven. So here I am. Ready to take on whatever destiny has in store for me." She said.
"Destiny?" I asked.
"I'm guessing you don't believe in it?" She asked.
"Not particularly. I don't really know what I believe. Maybe things are written in stone, or maybe we have the power to choose our own fate. I don't feel like there is a definite answer." I said.
"What do you mean?" She asked interested.
"Well think of it this way. You have two paths that both lead to the same place. One is a strait line, and the other has a bunch of twists and turns. You can choose to take either path, but your destiny is to end up in the same place either way. On one hand it could be seen that your choice won't matter because the outcome will be the same no matter what. However, each path contains its own challenges. You have the choice to decide, but your personality could make it seem like you are destined to pick only one path. A more cautious person would elect to take the strait path expecting it to have less to worry about. Where as a more adventurous person would take the other path for… well adventure. So even if it seems like you have a choice it may be fate for you to only choose one path." I said.
"You seem to have thought about this a lot." She said.
"Well you're not the first person who I've talked to about this. I used to hear a lot that it was my dad's destiny to protect his village to the end. On one hand I can see where that's true, but if you think about it. He had another choice too. He could have taken me, my mom and my sister to safety instead of fighting. Because of his personality he chose to fight." I said.
"Do you think if he'd chose to take you away, he'd still be around?" She asked.
"Who knows, maybe we'd have been ambushed and all of us would have been killed. There's always so many other factors and we don't always know what the outcome is going to be." I said.
Before she could reply a hologram of a woman appeared. She was an older woman with blond hair wearing white long sleeved top and a black long skirt.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon! My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."
"Ready to see what destiny has in store for us?" I asked smiling.
"You think you'll make the right choices?" She asked with a small laugh.
"Guess we'll find out." I said.
As the airship docked. I grabbed my bag and followed Pyrrha out. I stopped and stared up at the huge structure that would be my home for the next four years.
"This place is amazing don't you think?" I asked. No one responded. I looked around and noticed Pyrrha had disappeared. "Well that lasted longer than I expected." I started following a group of people towards hoping I was going the right way. After a while I'd made my way to the amphitheater. I still had no idea where Pyrrha had gone so I decided to stand in the back. Sometime later Glynda had made her way to the stage with someone ahead of her.
"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." The man said.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight, tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." Glynda said.
I once again followed the crowd to find the ballroom.
'I really should have gotten Pyrrha's number earlier. Maybe I wouldn't feel as lost.' I thought as I looked around before noticing a place next to a girl with a black bow reading. I walked over toward her.
"Excuse me. I'm sorry to bother you, but do you mind if I set up next to you? There doesn't seem to be a lot of free spaces left." I said.
"Sure, just try not to be to noisy please." She said.
"Thanks." I set my stuff in the empty spot next to her. I removed my gloves, boots and chest piece. I started setting up my sleeping bag when two girls walked over and started talking to the girl with the bow. I mostly ignored them and started reading my own book until the shorter girl asked what the girl with the bow's book was about.
"Your book. Does it have a name?" The shorter girl asked.
"Well... i-it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body." The bow girl said.
"Oh, yeah... That's real lovely!" The blond-haired girl said somewhat sarcastically.
"I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters... They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!" The short girl said.
"And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?" The bow girl said with a small laugh.
"Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!" The short girl exclaimed.
"That's... very ambitious for a child. Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale." The bow girl said as her smile disappeared.
"Well, that's why we're here! To make it better." The short girl said.
"Oh, I am so proud of my baby sister!" Yang said.
"Cut it out!" The short girl said trying to break free from Yang's grasp.
The bow girl gave a small laugh. "Well, Ruby, Yang, it's a pleasure to ha…"
She was cut off by a girl in white yelling at the two girls fighting.
"Sorry I don't mean to bother you again, but the book you're reading. It's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, right?" I asked.
"Yeah actually, have you read it?" She asked.
"No, but it's one I've been meaning to check out. I've just never been able to find a copy." I said.
"Well I suppose I could let you borrow it at some point." She said.
"Thanks, but I'll probably just see if the library has it. I already lost the first friend I made I'd feel bad if I never got it back to you." I said.
"You lost a person?" She asked.
"Well after I got off the airship I got distracted and she kept waking." I said.
"Well I could always give you my scroll number in case they don't have it here." She said.
"Thanks. I'm Cian by the way" I said holding out my hand.
"Blake." She said shaking my hand. We quickly exchanged numbers when she noticed my book.
"How about you? What are you reading?" She asked.
I gave a small chuckle. "It's about a book that doesn't actually exist. It's written as an abridgment to a longer book by an author that also doesn't exist. It's got romance, comedy, action, drama, suspense, and murder all in one. It can make you actually believe that the book it's talking about actually exists. It's actually one of my favorites." I said.
"That sounds interesting, maybe we could swap when we've finished." She said.
"Sure, we should probably get some sleep though. It might be a long day tomorrow." I said.
"Yeah you're probably right." She said. She blew out her candle and we both went to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up fairly early. I noticed not a lot of the others had woken up yet, so I decided to take advantage and get a shower quick. Once I'd finished getting ready for the day I walked back to where my stuff was and started reading again. A few minutes Blake woke up.
"Morning sleeping beauty." I said.
"What did you just say?" She asked with a slight blush.
"Huh? I said…" I started before I realized why she questioned it. "N-nothing I was just quoting a movie. I wasn't calling you beautiful. N-not to say that you aren't beautiful. I mean the bow does make you look cute. Wait I didn't mean that. I mean I did, but not in the 'I like you' way. Not that I don't like you. I mean you do seem really nice, and I'm just gonna stop talking now."
She started laughing a bit. "Don't worry about it, how long have you been up?"
"A-about forty-five minutes maybe." I said trying to compose myself.
"Looks like most everybody's still asleep." She said.
"Yeah I figured I'd wait till more people woke up till I go to breakfast. I'm pretty sure I'd get lost on my own." I said.
"Well give me a few minutes to get ready and we can head there together." She said standing up.
I continued to read my book occasionally looking around to see of I could spot Pyrrha to no avail. I watched as a girl with orange hair in a white and pink outfit moved rapidly around a guy with black hair and a pink stripe wearing a green long coat. She continued to move around him at high speeds talking a mile a minute while he got ready all while staying silent. Once Blake got back, we packed up our stuff and headed to the cafeteria.
"So, if you don't mind me asking why the mask?" She asked.
"My dad would wear one when he would go out on a job when I was a kid. It's my way of honoring him." I said.
"Okay, but then why aren't I able to see your eyes?" She asked.
"It's part of being a superhero. You have to have a mask that covers your eyes." I said.
"Don't tell me you wanna be like the superheroes in comics too." She said with a chuckle.
"Of course not." I said.
"Good." She said.
"They are all fake. There's only one real superhero. My dad wore a mask like this because I used to call him one. When he wore it, he looked like a real-life hero. Not like the ones you see in stories. He gave his life protecting those he loved like a true hero." I said.
"It's touching, but don't you think it'll cause trouble in class or make you a target?" She asked.
"It probably will, but what hero doesn't have to overcome adversity? Super or not." I said.
"You really like playing the hero, don't you?" She asked.
"Well when you can pull it off as good as me why not?" I said making a ridiculous pose.
"Really? I don't think I've heard of a hero babbling like an idiot trying to explain himself." She said crossing her arms with a smile on her face.
"Ha ha ha. I'm not trying to play a hero like some kid at a convention or whatever. It's just the way I want to remember him. How about you? Why do you wear the bow?" I asked.
"I have ever since I was a little girl. It's just something I never grew out of." She said a little nervously.
"Hey, I wasn't trying to make fun of you or anything. I like it." I said.
"I believe you said it was cute actually." She said with a chuckle.
"That's not… I meant…" I tried saying.
"It's fine I'm just messing with you." She said as we finally made it to the cafeteria.
"Cian!" Pyrrha yelled out from a few tables away.
"I'm guessing that's you're lost friend?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, you wanna I'm sure you're welcome to join us." I said.
"It's fine you go catch up. I'll catch you later." She said.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yeah I'll be fine." She said walking away.
"Alright I'll see you later." I said. 'Hopefully.'
I walked over and sat next to Pyrrha.
"What happened? You were next to me on second then you were gone the next." Pyrrha asked.
"I could say the same thing. I looked up at the school and you vanished." I said.
"I kept walking I thought you were still behind me." She said with a small laugh.
"So, have you put any thought into teams?" I asked.
"Not really, I mean we don't even know how teams are going to be formed yet." She said.
"Yeah I guess you have a point. I just hope I at least get on a team with people I know." I said.
"How many people do you know here?" She asked.
"Well there's… you and Blake. That's it." I said.
"While I'd be happy to be teammates with you. I don't think your odds are very high." She said.
"I can hope." I whispered.
"What?" She asked.
"N-nothing." I said.
After breakfast we headed to the locker room. I placed my bag inside my locker and walked back over to Pyrrha. She was talking with a girl in a white dress.
"Well... I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together." The girl in white said.
"Well, that sounds grand." Pyrrha said.
"Great" The girl in white said.
A boy with blond hair and armor over a sweatshirt walked up to the girls at the same time I did.
"You know what else is great? Me. Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you." Jaune said to the girl in white completely ignoring Pyrrha.
"You again?" She asked annoyed.
"Nice to meet you, Jaune." Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, yeah. So, Weiss, couldn't help but overhear your fondness of me the other day." Jaune said pushing Jaune aside.
"He can't take a hint can he?" I asked.
"I'm sure he means well." Pyrrha said.
"Don't worry. No need to be embarrassed. So, been hearing rumors about teams. I was thinking you and me would make a good one! What do you say?" Jaune asked.
"Actually, I think the teams are comprised of four students each, so…" Pyrrha started to say before getting cut off.
"You don't say. Well, hot stuff, play your cards right and maybe you could join up with the winning team." Jaune said.
"What makes you think you'd be the winning team? I'm pretty sure snow white here could beat you with one hand." I said.
"Do either of you have any idea who you're talking to?" Weiss asked.
"Nope." I said.
"Not in the slightest, snow angel." Jaune said.
"I am Weiss Schnee heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. This is Pyrrha Nikos." Weiss said.
"Hello, again." Pyrrha said.
"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum." Weiss said.
"Never heard of it." Jaune said.
"I didn't train there." I said.
"She's won the Mistral Region Tournaments four years in a row. A new record." Weiss said.
"The what?" Jaune asked.
"She did? I must have missed that. No wait I think that's when we visited my cousins in Vacuo. We go about the same time every year." I said.
"She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box." Weiss said waving her arms anger.
Jaune gasped. "That's you? But they only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters."
"Yeah, it was pretty cool. Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you." Pyrrha said.
"I didn't like it anyway, so I usually skipped right past it in the cereal aisle." I said.
"So, after hearing all of this, do either of you really think you're in a position to ask either of us to be on your team?" Weiss asked.
"I guess not... Sorry..." Jaune said lowering his head.
"Well to be fair I didn't ask to be on your team. I don't think I'd really want to be if you act like this. Plus, with everything you just said do you really think you deserve to be on a team with her any more than either of us?" I asked.
"Of course, I do! Pyrrha and I only deserve the best. Not nobodies like you and him." Weiss said angrily.
"Actually, Jaune, Cian, I think you'd both make great leaders." Pyrrha said.
"D'oh, stop it." Jaune said perking up.
"See, she thinks were somebodies." I said.
"Please stop it. Their behavior is not something that should be encouraged." Weiss said.
"Maybe you could try it some time. It might make you more likable." I said.
Jaune pushed his way between me and Weiss. "Sounds like Pyrrha's on board for Team Jaune. Spots are filling up quick. Now, I'm not supposed to do this, but maybe I could pull some strings, find a place for you. What do you say?"
"Okay that's enough." I said grabbing the hood of his sweatshirt. "Pushy is one thing, your getting creepy." I started pulling him away from the two girls and outside.
"I wasn't trying to be pushy or creepy. My dad said all women look for is confidence. So, I was trying to seem confident." Jaune said.
"Yeah pretty sure that wasn't confidence. Pyrrha doesn't seem like the type of person to get offended by that kind of behavior, but I'm pretty sure you've been black listed by Weiss. Although I'm pretty sure your better off." I said.
"I could always try a different approach." He said.
"That would probably help. I remember a while back my sister said. 'Just be yourself, if they don't like you for who you are then they aren't your true friends.' Although I'd say Weiss is still a lost cause." I said.
"Like any other girl here would give me a chance." He said.
"Well drop the act and you never know. It's only like day two. Who knows what the year has in store for us?" I asked.
"Aren't we here for four years?" He asked.
"Same thing." I said.
We walked to the cliffs and took our places on silver panels on the ground.
"Who's the guy in green?" I asked the guy next to me.
"Seriously? That's Headmaster Ozpin. How do you not know that?" The guy asked.
"I'm from Mistral and never saw a picture of him." I said.
Glynda cleared her throat emphasizing for us to be quiet.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin said.
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today." Glynda said.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said. The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years. After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die. You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?
"Yeah, um, sir?" Jaune tried asked.
"Good. Now, take your positions." Ozpin said.
One by one the students were flung into the forest.
I channeled my semblance into my boots causing them to glow blue. As soon as my panel launched me, I released the energy sending me flying even higher while sending an energy blast back at the panel. I continued channeling energy into my boots and releasing it to slow my decent into the forest while getting farther than any other student had gone. Once I saw an opening in the forest, I stopped channeling as much energy in order to land. I channeled a small amount of energy for a final blast to the ground. It left two small craters where I had landed. I started walking towards the clearing I'd seen. I ended up tripping on a root sticking out of the ground.
"Seriously again?" I said as I stood up. I took one of my swords out and slashed at the root. "Pointless, but I feel better."
I kept walking until I reached the temple. There were three other people waiting two of which were holding… large golden chess pieces?
"So, I'm guessing I'm the forth person to get this far?" I asked with my hand behind my head.
"Well there's no one else here is there?" One guy said annoyed. He had short teal hair and wore a white jacket and white pants with a teal shirt under his jacket. He had black and red bands over his wrists.
"Yeah I guess so. I'm guessing one of you is my partner then?" I asked.
"That'd be me baby." A red headed girl said stepping forward. Her hair was about neck length with an odd flower in it. She wore a wine-colored jacket with a black jacket underneath and a long skirt of the same color. "Name's Ariana Lavel, How about you, cutie?" She asked.
"C-Cian Riley." I said.
"Will you cut that out Ariana?" The final person said. He wore a black news boy cap with short green hair sticking out underneath. He also wore a black shirt and pants with a white belt that had purple balls attached to it.
"Oh, I'm just having a little fun with him." Ariana said.
"Both of you cut it out. Our mission is to get the relics back to Ozpin. We have our fourth member now so let's move." The teal haired guy said.
The four of us started walking back with our pieces.
"S-so Ariana was it? Mind if I ask you a few questions?" I asked.
"Shoot sugar." She said.
"R-right, so who are the other two?" I asked.
"Oh, right I guess you weren't properly introduced. Well the one with he rod up his ass is Archer Tealos, and Mr. Boombastic there is Proton Caribe." She said.
"Boombastic?" I asked.
"Those purple things on his belt are different kinds of explosives." She said.
"I see." I said.
"They don't even compare to my Murder Wings though." She said holding up two pistols shaped like black wings. "Put these babies together and they make a beautiful axe." She said.
"You named your weapon?" I asked.
"You don't? They are part of us. They say everything about us." She said.
"I guess I never put any thought into it before." I said.
"Let's see… If I remember right Archers gauntlets are called Burning Death. Protons are… well whatever kind of explosive he's using. He doesn't seem like the creative type anyway." She said.
"I heard that!" Proton said.
"Archer has gauntlets? Oh, is that what his wristbands are?" I asked.
"Yeah when he activates them, they cover her his hands and forearms. They have fire dust built into them. Hence Burning Death." She said.
"Guess I'll have to think about it a name for mine."
"Oooh how about Hack and Slash, Cut and Tear, Kill and Joy, Doom and Despair, Seduce and Strangle! Actually, that one sounds like it's better suited for me. Oh, how about…" She was cut off by Archer.
"Silence. Listen…" He said. We could hear the faint growling closing in. "Enemies incoming." Archer activated his gauntlets.
"Alright kid let's see how you do in a fight." Proton said.
I unsheathed my swords and began channeling energy into them.
"Oh, Light and Saber. No that's just stupid." Ariana said.
"Focus." Archer said.
We were soon surrounded by four beowolves, and three ursa. I swung both of my swords sending blue slashes forward tearing three of the beowolves in half. Proton followed by throwing two bombs towards the ursai. They exploded freezing two of them in place. Archer ran towards the frozen ursai and slashed upwards at their heads. Ariana had shot down the remaining Beowolf and began running at the final ursa while shifting her pistols into their axe mode. She slammed the handle of her axe into the ground and kicked the ursa while doing a backflip. She pulled her axe out of the ground and slashed at its throat, decapitating it.
"That was too easy." Ariana said.
A loud roar cried out as an ursa major and an alpha beowolf smashed their way towards us.
"You were saying?" Proton said annoyed.
"Now it's a party!" Ariana yelled as she charged at the ursa major.
"Cian you and Ariana take the ursa. Proton you're with me." Archer said.
"Got it!" Proton and I said.
I started channeling energy into my swords and swinging towards the ursa sending multiple blue slashes at it. They seemed to do nothing as they hit its armor.
"We need to get it on it's back before we can do any damage." Ariana said.
"Got any ideas?" I asked.
"Follow my lead." She said.
She separated her axe back into its pistol modes and started firing. She jumped up into he trees and continued her assault. The ursa chased after her and tried climbing the tree after her. I replaced my swords and ran towards it channeling energy into my fists. I threw a punch towards the ursa to get its attention. It turned towards me and tried clawing at me. I ducked its attack and sent an uppercut to its jaw with my still charged fist. The energy blast caused the creature to fall on to it's back. Ariana jumped down from the tree she was in and landed on its stomach imbedding its back spikes into the ground. She started firing multiple rounds into the Grimm's neck. It tried to fight back, but any time it made a swing at her I sent an energy fist towards its claws. Soon after the ursa started to fade away.
"Now that was fun!" Ariana yelled.
Archer and Proton joined us after having slain their Grimm as well.
"Any injuries?" Archer asked.
"Aww you do have compassion." Ariana said.
"I don't wanna have to drag back dead weight." Archer said.
"UGGG you're no fun." Ariana said crossing her arms.
"I think were good." I said.
"Good let's keep moving." Archer said leading the way.
As we were walking, I tripped on another root sticking out of the ground.
"Gods Damnit!" I yelled.
Archer and Proton looked at me with a condescending look before continuing forward. Ariana started laughing while offering a hand. I accepted her help and kept walking. The rest of the time we were walking Archer, Proton and I stayed silent while Ariana was making jokes. Once all the students had made it back, we were assembled into the amphitheater to be given our teams.
"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by... Cardin Winchester!" Ozpin announced.
"Were next. Think you can make it up the stair without tripping again?" Proton asked.
"Very funny." I said.
"Archer Tealos. Ariana Lavel. Cian Riley. Proton Caribe. The four of you retrieved the black knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team TRAP, led by... Archer Tealos!" Ozpin said.
'Yeah saw that coming.' I thought.
"You want help down the stairs now?" Ariana whispered.
"Screw you." I said.
"Not on the first date honey." She said winking.
"T-that's not what I meant." I said.
"Will you two cut it out." Archer said.
"… Led by Jaune Arc." Ozpin said.
'Did he say led by? Guess Ozpin and Pyrrha have the same… odd mindset. Well good luck to him and his team… Wait how did he get lucky enough to be on the same team as Pyrrha?' I thought.
"And finally, Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!" Ozpin said.
'Well at least I had better luck than Blake and didn't get stuck with the snow witch. Plus, now I know the short black-haired girls name.' I thought.
After we were dismissed, I grabbed my stuff and headed towards my dorm room. Once I had my stuff put away, I decided to pull my book out and start reading.
"Alright listen up." Archer said standing in the middle of the room. "I wanna lay out some ground rules. First, I expect everyone in the room by nine sharp. Second, absolutely no visitors after nine. Third, Lights are to be completely off by ten no exceptions. Fourth…" He was cut off.
"No, no, no, and for whatever four though I'm guessing thirty-seven at least are, no. You may be the team leader but that doesn't mean you're our parent. You can't and will not tell us how we are going to act and behave. We're not some robots for you to control." Ariana said.
"Yeah, I gotta admit, I'm not a big fan of rules. I'm probably gonna try to break them first chance I get." Proton said.
"What do you think Cian?" Ariana asked.
"Well…" She cut me off.
"He agrees. Besides we won't do anything too stupid." Ariana said.
Archer gave an annoyed sigh. "Fine. Just don't do anything to get us kicked out."
"I thought you'd see it my way." Ariana said. She got up and sat on my bed. "So why the mask handsome. Got a shady past you wanna keep hidden" She started tracing the outline of my mask.
"I'm out." Proton said walking out the door.
"N-nothing like that. Its just to honor my dad." I said.
"Oh? Was he some criminal master mind or something?" She asked.
"No, he was a huntsman back in Mistral. He died protecting my village." I said.
"Aww you poor thing. Well if you ever need a shoulder to cry on let me know." She said.
"For fuck sake Ariana can you not act like a succubus for five fucking minutes." Archer asked.
"I could, but the look on people's faces is priceless." She said getting off my bed.
"Normally I wouldn't condone this, but feel free to use a force punch or whatever that blue power of yours is on her." Archer said.
"You are seriously no fun." Ariana said leaving the room.
"Seriously I'll look the other way and deny everything." Archer said.
"Thanks. Ill be fine though. I think. Out of curiosity you seem to like order. Wouldn't Atlas have been a better place for you?" I asked.
"It probably would have been. To late now." He said.
"So why didn't you enroll with them instead?" I asked.
"I knew I'd be chosen as a leader here. I felt like Atlas would have overlooked my skills and given me a rank lower than I was worth." He said.
"So then leading a bunch of misfits sounded like a better idea?" I asked.
"We worked well in the forest. I think things will work out just fine. With me in charge we shouldn't have any issues." He said.
"Look I'm all for cooperation, but clearly the other two aren't as gung-ho on the idea. You may want to ease up on the leader role and try to earn their respect first. Otherwise I'm pretty sure they'll probably just ignore you and cause more issues to spite you." I said.
"This coming from the guy who can't walk a strait line without finding something to trip over." He said.
"Oh the one time." I said.
"By your reaction I'm pretty sure it wasn't the first." He said.
"Whatever. Look I'm willing to try, but you can't just push us around and think we'll listen to everything you say." I said.
"I'll take it under consideration." He said.
'This could be a long four years if you don't.' I thought. I got up and started walking towards the door. "I'm gonna head down to the cafeteria. You wanna come with?"
"I'll be down in a few, I have a few more things to do first." He said.
"Alright, catch you later." I said.
When I entered the cafeteria, I saw teams JNPR and RWBY sitting together. Pyrrha noticed me and called me over. I saw there was a seat next to her, so I grabbed something to eat and sat down next to her.
"Everyone this is my friends Cian." Pyrrha said.
"Weren't you set up next to Blake in the ballroom last night?" Yang asked.
"Yeah that was me." I said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Cian." Ren said.
"Yah what he shed." Nora said wither mouth full.
"Sorry about earlier." Jaune said.
"You both should be." Weiss said.
"Still bitter Pyrrha got teamed up with Jaune and not you?" I asked.
"No!" Weiss yelled.
"That Pyrrha was right and he's the leader?" I asked.
"No!" Weiss yelled again.
"Alright Stop flirting you two." Yang said.
"As if!" Weiss yelled disgusted.
"What she said." I said.
"So, where's the rest of your team?" Ruby asked.
"Archer's still in the room I think. I have no idea where Proton and Ariana went." I said.
"Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear." Ariana said sliding her arms around me.
"Can't you act normal around me once. Please." I said.
"What would the fun in that be?" Ariana said.
I gave a slightly aggravated sigh. "This is Ariana." I said.
"Nice to meet you all." She said.
"Likewise…" Yang said slightly uncomfortably.
Ariana removed her arms from me. "So, is Archer still being a stick in the mud or am I free to head back?"
"I don't know. He should be coming down soon." I said.
"Sweet, I'll catch you later babe." She said heading out of the cafeteria.
"Sooo, are you and her…?" Nora asked.
"No. She just does stuff like that to get a reaction out of people. I'm pretty sure she was just feeding off all of yours." I said.
"Well she definitely got a reaction out of Jaune." Nora said.
"Nora!" Ren, Jaune and Pyrrha yelled.
"I don't get it." Ruby said.
"Well…" Nora started saying before Ren put his hand over her mouth.
"No." Ren said.
"I'll explain it later." Yang said.
"Ugg fine." Ruby said.
"So, we're just gonna ignore the fact Nora was looking there?" I asked.
"Yes!" Everyone except Ruby and Nora yelled.
"Looking where?!" Ruby said upset no one would tell her what was going on.
"Don't worry about it." Pyrrha said.
"Well I'm pretty sure I'm done eating now." Weiss said.
Most of the table agreed and decided to head back to our respective dorms.
"Cian wait." Pyrrha said.
"What's up?" I asked.
"I meant to give you my number. Let me know if you need help with anything okay?" She said.
"Think you could get Ariana to stop acting the way she does?" I asked.
"I think that's a little out of my power. However, if you need an excuse to get away from her, I'll try to think of something." She said with a slight laugh.
"Good enough I suppose thanks." I said.
"No problem. Good luck." She said.
"Yeah I'll probably need it." I said.
I went back to my room and saw that no one was there. I sat down on my bed and started reading. A few minutes later Ariana walked out of the bathroom wearing her pajamas.
"So, what did your friends say after I left?" She asked.
"Well they asked if we were together. Otherwise it was just followed by a fairly uncomfortable conversation." I said.
"Yes, I win!" She yelled out.
"You realize that act of yours is gonna get old quick right?" I asked.
"Maybe eventually." She said walking towards me. Once she was next to my bed, she bent over. "Are you saying you don't like when I do this?"
I gave a sigh and turned back to my book. "There is no correct way to answer that question without making things worse." I said.
"Aww Archer is starting to get to you." She said walking over to her bed. "Come on there's nothing wrong with a little teasing."
"Until the wrong person gets the idea." I said.
"You worry too much. Besides we have four years here. Might as well have a little fun along the way." She said.
"Well I think I've had enough fun for the day. I'm gonna turn in." I said.
"Alright. My bed's open if you wake up and need someone to cuddle with." She said.
"Riight. Good night." I said.
"Niight." She said.
'Alright so Archer likes his rules, Ariana is all fun, and I don't know a lot about Proton yet. He seems to get annoyed fairly easy though. This should be an interesting year.' I thought before passing out.