Autumn in Vale had just begun. Forests dotted the landscape; the sea of green was punctuated by orange, yellow and red. The cool fall breeze brushed against the branches and leaves, swaying them gently. An airship streaked through the early morning sky, headed toward a massive tower surrounded by a large city.
The corridors of Beacon Academy were teeming with life as students made their way from their dorm rooms toward the assembly hall. The attendees chatted amongst themselves, waiting for whatever announcement the staff had planned to start. The four friends and huntresses-in-training that made up team RWBY filed into the immense theater together, along with the remaining students.
The auditorium was filled to the brim with prospective hunters and huntresses. The headmaster of the academy, a tall, thin, white-haired man named Ozpin, walked out onto the stage and stepped up to the microphone, followed by a little over thirty people, no older than the vast majority of those in attendance. However, nobody seemed to recognize them. He patiently waited until the last of the chatter died down. Once he was satisfied with the noise level, he cleared his throat and began, "As you know, this academy prides itself on its willingness to accept others from all walks of life, no matter your race, religion, creed or background. We have always strived to maintain a level of respect for everyone, be it teacher or student, human or Faunus. I bring this up is because we have a few special guests today," he gestured toward the strangers behind him. "These young men and women have come here looking to start anew and I ask that you treat them with the same respect that you show each other and your instructors. You will be able to get to know each and every one of them over the course of their stay. Help them feel welcome; treat them as if they have been here since the beginning. Thank you for your time. That will be all."
Yang Xiao Long nudged her sister with her elbow, "You hear that, Ruby? Fresh meat!" She exclaimed excitedly with a twinkle in her eye.
"Uh, yeah, sure, Sis, whatever you say," Ruby Rose smiled awkwardly. "Just promise me you won't go overboard again?"
"What are you talking about? When do I ever go 'overboard'?" Yang retorted, putting her hands on her hips.
"Well, remember when that guy bumped into you in the hall a few weeks back? You scared him so bad he peed himself," Ruby answered sheepishly.
"I was just messing with him. Besides, he should've been able to handle it. He wants to become a hunter, right?" The blonde claimed defensively.
"Or that other time when you beat up Marcos so bad, he actually pays you to avoid him?"
"He doesn't pay me!" Yang exclaimed.
Blake Belladonna stopped next to her friend. "Ruby has a point," The blonde glared at the faunus. "What? She does," She stated simply, shrugging her shoulders. Ruby smiled triumphantly and stuck her tongue out at her sister.
"You're not even part of this conversation, Blake," Yang muttered grumpily as she flicked her sister in the forehead.
Blake rolled her eyes at her, "You know she's right. You're a bit of a show off."
"I am not!" Yang crossed her arms in front of her chest, playfully pouting.
"Yes, you are," sniped the team's fourth and final member as she passed by before spinning on her heel to face her friends. "Now, let's go. We'll be late for class," she finished, briskly whirling back around to begin marching away. Blake and Ruby followed the Ice Queen and walked past the blonde, the latter turning around to snicker at her sister. Yang scoffed and began jogging to catch up with her teammates.
The first class of the day for team RWBY was with the mustached hunter Professor Port. When the four friends walked in, they immediately recognized the three people lined up in front of the class as being from the assembly. There was a female and two men. "Now, it seems we have a few guests for today's class. Would you three be so kind as to introduce yourselves and name where you're from?" The professor started jovially, gesturing toward the girl.
She looked down and shifted her weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. She was somewhat small in stature; she wore no identifiable uniform. Instead, she sported a black jacket, a white sweater and a pair of jeans. She had long brown hair that she draped around one shoulder and piercing blue eyes. "My name's Yarri Morez. I was born here in Vale, but chose to attend Atlas. I didn't like being so far from home so I decided to transfer back," she added a nervous giggle before giving the class a quick informal bow of her head.
"Gail Holt. I'm from Mistral, born and raised," the first man stated. He had thick, shaggy, jet black, his eyes were a vibrant green, and he had a small scar on his bottom lip. He was average height and, while was by no means ripped, he had a fair amount of muscle hidden slightly behind his uniform. He wore glasses and a Haven uniform.
"I'm Barrett Unger. I was born in Atlas, but moved to Mistral when I was thirteen," he finished, offering the class a friendly wave. He too wore a uniform from Haven. However, his blazer was unbuttoned, and his sleeves were rolled up. He had dark skin, and had blonde hair that was shaved down close to his head. He was a pretty intimidating fellow, his height was unrivaled by just about everyone in the room and he sported broad shoulders.
"Excellent, thank you all very much for sharing," Professor Port interjected appreciatively, slapping the two men on the back, before facing the the bespectacled one. "You know, I once knew a Gail. I met him on a mission many years ago..." the professor began. The class audibly groaned, but it did nothing to deter him. Gail and Barrett just smiled awkwardly; they were unsure of what was truly happening. They were just trying their best to placate the short and stocky hunter.
"Anyways, I managed to wrestle it to the ground, holding it still so he could get everything ready. Before it knew what happened, I valiantly tossed it in, ignoring the bites and scratches. And that, is the story of how I helped him wash his cat," the professor finished his overly-long, drawn out story dramatically. He didn't seem to notice the complete lack of investment from his students. Gail had fallen asleep next to the teacher, still standing upright. Barrett and Yarri were seated cross-legged on the floor beside them, playing rock, paper, scissors. The rest of the class paid about as much attention, opting instead to do something more exciting, like napping or watching grass grow through the classroom window. "I appreciate you three listening to one of my stories. Should you choose to attend this school, I can assure you, you will get another opportunity to be regaled," Professor Port boasted proudly with a hearty laugh, slapping the sleeping form on the back again, jolting him awake. "Now, would you please take your seats? I must start my class."
Gail yawned and stretched exaggeratedly, waiting for the other two to pass him before following them up the stairs. When they sat down, Gail whispered to Barrett, "Wow, that guy loves the sound of his own voice."
"No kidding. I didn't think anyone could make a story about giving a cat a bath more boring than it already is," he retorted. The two of them snickered to themselves.
"Now, students, today we'll be learning about Grimm weak points: where they are, how to hit them, and, most importantly, what it-," the mustached man was cut off by the bell, signaling the end of the lesson. Everyone in the room all but bolted out, leaving behind a few pieces of paper that gently floated to the ground.
Outside the classroom, Gail and Barrett continued making rude and juvenile jokes at the expense of the mustached hunter when they realized they had no idea where they were going next. They checked their schedule. "Professor Bartholomew Oobleck," it read, followed by the room number, which didn't help much. They knew the name and the class, but not how to get there. Gail turned around and approached the first person he saw: a short girl with deep red hair. "Excuse me, Miss, but could you help us out?" He asked hopefully.
"Uh, sure, what do you need?" She responded cheerily, if a bit awkwardly.
Gail handed her his schedule, "Do you know where this class is?"
"Oh, yeah, that's Professor Oobleck's class. He teaches history. I can show you where it is, if you want."
"That'd be great. My name's Gail, by the way," he introduced himself.
"Ruby Rose," she offered enthusiastically.
"Barrett, good to meet you. We appreciate the help. Um, I don't want to be rude, but you seem a little young to attend here," Barrett pointed out.
"Well, that's 'cause I skipped a few years. You see, I was going to Signal- it's a combat school here in Vale- and I managed to stop a dust store robbery," she began. The two older students glanced at each other as she rambled. "Long story short, Professor Ozpin decided to let me-," she was cut off by a blonde with gold bracelets walking up to her and dropping a hand on her shoulder, who was followed by a girl with black hair and a ribbon on top of her head and a white haired girl with icy blue eyes.
"There you are, Ruby, you disappeared back there," the white haired girl said, somewhat irritated.
"Sorry about that. These guys wanted to ask me something," Ruby explained.
"Hey, my name's Barrett. This is Gail," Barrett introduced them.
"Weiss Schnee, nice to meet you," she offered, switching from irritated to professional rather abruptly.
"Yang," the blonde stated casually.
"Blake," the black haired girl offered reservedly.
Gail took a quick glance at his scroll and noticed the time. "Hey, Barrett," he interjected, tapping his friend on the shoulder to get his attention, "I hate to cut the introductions short, but we're going be late. Do you mind showing us where 'Professor Oobleck's' classroom is, Ruby?"
"We're all part of the same team, actually. That's our next class. You guys wanna follow us?" Yang offered.
Ruby gasped, causing everyone to look at her questioningly. "We can be your guides!" She squealed excitedly.
"Yeah, if you want to," Barrett accepted, chuckling at the young girl's outburst. "We have no idea where we're going."
"Sure, it's no trouble at all," Weiss reassured them.
"Alright then, we appreciate it," Gail nodded gratefully. "Lead the way."
The group was the last to arrive since Ruby insisted on taking the "scenic route." Team RWBY took their seats while, just like last time, Yarri, Gail and Barrett took their places at the front of the class. "Attention, students, we have some guests here today. Why don't you three introduce yourselves," the high strung man they hesitated to call a teacher ordered. Just like last time, they offered up their names and origins. However, this time, the professor barely let them finish a sentence before moving on to the next person. "Excellent! Now, please, sit down," he demanded after they were finished, before continuing on with his lesson. "Now, who can tell me why Mistral and Mantle came to the conclusion of abolishing all forms of self-expression, and why?"
Finally, Professor Oobleck's class came to an end. Team RWBY and their two tag-alongs stepped out of the classroom, but they were joined by three of the four members of team JNPR. "Hey, guys," a blond hunter began, waving as he approached. He looked at the two transfers. "Oh, you're the new guys, right?"
"Yeah, name's Gail," he offered, extending his hand.
"Jaune Arc, maybe you heard of me?" Jaune boasted in what he thought was a suave voice. He positioned one arm across his chest and placed the other on top, vertically, in a refined manner. When neither Gail nor Barrett spoke up, he started flexing in a variety of poses, "I'm one of the strongest fighters in Beacon, so please, hold your applause. I'll sign autographs later."
Weiss and Blake dropped their heads into their palms as Yang wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him into a tight headlock. "Easy there, killer. You don't want to scare these guys away already, do you?" The lavender-eyed huntress sniped humorously.
"Hey! Yang, Let go of me!" Jaune exclaimed, attempting, in vain, to pull himself out of her grip.
"I'm Nora, but you can just call me Nora," the orange haired huntress blurted out as she stepped a bit too close to Barrett as he would have liked.
"Uh, ok, I'll keep that in mind," Barrett replied with a confused laugh and took a small step back.
"My name is Ren, it's a pleasure to meet you both," the other black haired hunter offered politely, shaking Gail's hand.
"You can just call him Ren," Nora interjected as she leaned on his shoulder.
"Nora," Ren started.
"Yes, Ren?" She asked innocently.
"What else would they call me?"
"I dunno, but now they won't call you anything else!" She exclaimed.
Gail and Barrett looked at each other. They certainly were interesting characters. When the last team member of JNPR finally exited the classroom and approached the group, the two new guys were hit with a wave of recognition. "Whoa, you're Pyrrha Nikos!" Gail shouted excitedly, completely star-struck.
"Uh, yes, I am," she smiled awkwardly, caught off guard by the sudden greeting. "You two are the transfer students, right?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm Gail and this is Barrett," he scratched the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. "We're really big fans!" He finally exclaimed after he thought he had gained a bit of composure. Gail suddenly felt the sharp pain of Barrett's elbow colliding with his ribs. He clutched his side, groaning, and bent over to try and alleviate the pain.
"Please, Ms. Nikos, ignore him. He's not very bright," Barrett offered, ashamed of his friend's actions. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand as a peace offering.
"Just call me Pyrrha," she said as she took his hand. "Is he OK?"
"He'll be fine," Barrett waved off the question.
"If I do that again, you have permission to shoot me," he whispered to Barrett after he finally caught his breath, rubbing his still-aching side. He straightened up and turned back to Pyrrha, "Sorry about that."
"It's alright," she dismissed his apology. "Believe it or not, I've had more awkward interactions than this."
"I can only imagine," Barrett chuckled as the conversations lulled. "So, what's next?" He said finally, looking around at the other group members.
"It's actually time for lunch," Weiss said. Nora snapped to attention at the prospect of eating food.
"If you guys are ready, then, let's get down there," Gail suggested.
"Yeah, I'm starving," Ruby commented, rubbing her stomach.
"Let's stop talking and go get some grub, then!" Nora shouted before whirling around and skipping away excitedly.
The group followed suit and headed down to the lunch hall, catching up to Nora along the way. It was a sizable room that housed row after row of tables and benches. The walls were covered with massive bay windows that overlooked the school grounds. They got their lunches, found a spot that could fit all ten of them and sat down. They ate their lunches in silence momentarily, allowing Gail and Barrett a chance to take in the rather gothic architecture and general atmosphere. Finally, Pyrrha broke the silence. "What do you two think of it here?" She asked curiously.
"So far, so good," Gail answered with a shrug. "This seems like a nice place."
"Hey, I have to ask: are all your teachers as out there as Port and Oobleck?" Barrett inquired.
"They… can take some getting used to, but they really are great teachers," she replied, carefully choosing her words.
"You won't hear us deny that. Well, maybe that Port guy. He wasted the entire class period telling us a story about him washing a cat," Gail teased.
"Like I said, they take some getting used to," Pyrrha shook her head, still giggling from his remark.
"So, why are you guys thinking about transferring?" Ruby asked.
"Well, we weren't being challenged enough. Gail and I have pretty much spent our lives training, so when we got to Haven, we were already above the curve. We heard about Beacon's reputation for strong hunters so we thought we'd give it a shot," he pointed out, shooting Jaune a playful look.
"Where did you train?" Yang asked.
"My father was a big-shot hunter. He trained me and my brother almost non-stop, when he was home." Barrett interjected, taking a bite of his mashed potatoes.
"And I spent a lot of years going to training camps. My parents were also hunters, so I guess they were hoping I would become as strong as they were," Gail explained as he pushed the vegetables on his plate around with his fork.
As the others discussed different topics, Barrett turned to Weiss. "So, I never would've expected to see a Schnee heiress all the way out here. To be completely honest, not many people from Atlas even leave the region, especially not to move to Vale," Barrett remarked.
"Well, it's a small world, as they say. My sister stayed in Atlas and now works directly under General Ironwood," Weiss responded proudly.
"No kidding?" He whistled impressively.
"What about you? You said you were born in Atlas, right? Why did you leave?" She asked.
"Boring family stuff, mostly. Let's just say 'dysfunctional' is putting it lightly," he offered dismissively and somewhat somberly. Weiss nodded understandingly. "What about you? Why did you leave?"
"Same thing. My father isn't the easiest to get along with," she offered comfortingly.
Barrett thought a moment before responding, "That can't be easy."
"Nothing ever is, is it?" Weiss trailed off, looking down at her food.
They stayed quiet for a few moments before Barrett nudged her arm with his elbow. She looked back up at him. "Look at us," he teased as he shot her a warm smile, "moping about family when everyone else is having a good time. We're just a couple of sad-sacks."
"You're right. We should change the subject," Weiss nodded, adding a small laugh before turning back to the group.
Gail had taken a moment to admire Yang's gauntlets, impressed by her weapon design. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a pistol. He showed off the different types of ammunition he uses. "I can use ice rounds, explosive rounds, high impact, armor piercing, lots of options," he informed them, trying to avoid sounding like he was boasting as he pulled on the grip of the gun. It gave way, straightening out completely. A blade fired out of a compartment underneath the barrel, turning it into a sword. The blade itself was rather thin and had a sharp point, almost like a rapier. The sword had no hand guard either. He pressed a button on the side of the hilt, and another blade, identical to the first, shot out of the bottom of the hilt, creating a long, doubled-sided sword. "The gun barrel is still usable as the blades have a separate compartment that they slide into," he said, showing them the trigger on the underside of the hilt right above the grip.
Ruby was astonished by the versatility. "That's so cool!" She gushed.
"Thanks," he began, "but it's a bit annoying to use. This isn't a high end weapon, so I have to manually switch the different modes with all manner of buttons and switches. That's why I like your weapon design, Yang; beauty in simplicity."
"Well, what can I say?" She cocked one of her gauntlets smugly, "I'm awesome."
"What's its name?" Ruby asked.
"Uh, name?" Gail looked around, seeking clarification. When his eyes landed on Barrett, his friend only offered him a slight shrug. "I didn't know I was supposed to name it."
"Well, you don't have to, but most of us named ours."
"Yeah, Gail, didn't know that?" Barrett teased. "Everyone names their weapons."
Gail shot him a scowl. "I guess I just never thought about it," he shrugged, "I don't even know what I'd name them."
"Well, you obviously need to name them something cool. I mean, if you don't, then we just won't associate with you ever again because you wouldn't be cool, making us uncool for knowing you," Nora spewed out. Everyone glared at her. "Uh, no pressure!" She offered finally, shooting Gail two thumbs-up.
"Right," Gail said under his breath, "no pressure."
After lunch was sparring practice. Everyone changed out of their uniforms and into their fighting garb. Gail changed into a gray jacket, a black t-shirt underneath, a pair of light brown cargo pants, and lightweight, but durable, sneakers. He had a shoulder holster that housed his pistol underneath his jacket. Barrett switched out his blazer for a long sleeve shirt and a pair of off-green military pants. He stuffed the cuff of his pants into his black combat boots.
Everyone had left to watch the fights except for the two transfer students. "Who would have thought that naming your weapons was a common practice?" Gail asked rhetorically, tightening his belt.
"Well, every school's got a 'thing', I guess," Barrett stated.
"Sure, but it just seems, I don't know… narcissistic," Gail commented.
"To each their own. What does it matter, anyway?"
Gail shrugged as he pulled his shirt over his head, "It doesn't, really. I was just thinking aloud, I guess." A quiet overtook them as they continued getting dressed, the sounds of muffled battle echoing.
"So, Gail," Barrett finally broke the silence, "what do you think of this place?" He had one leg propped up on a bench and was tightening the straps on his boots.
"It's nice, for a locker room, I guess," Gail joked. Barrett shot his friend an annoyed look. "What? I already answered this question at lunch."
"Well, sure, but I want an honest answer, not a bull one you gave just to be nice," Barrett replied, having finished what he was doing and turned around to sit on the bench to wait for his friend.
"My answer was honest. So far, impressions are good. But we've been here for less than a day. How about we wait until the end of the week to make a decision?" Gail suggested as he stepped over the bench onto the same side as Barrett. He set his jacket down next to him and seated himself. He leaned down and began tying his own shoes.
"I'm just getting a feel for things, you know?"
"I got it, man. I'm just busting your chops a little," he retorted, leaning over to tie his other shoe. "Listen, so far, I'm feeling good about this place. Good people, good environment, interesting teachers," he commented, earning a chuckle from Barrett. "I'm liking what I'm seeing. If this keeps up for the whole week, then we'll be golden." Gail finished and propped his elbows up on his knees. "What do you think? You and, uh, what's her name? White hair, scar over her eye," he snapped his fingers to try and jog his memory.
"Weiss?" Barrett corrected.
"Yeah, her. You two seem to be getting along."
"I guess," Barrett looked down at his feet, suddenly feeling very shy, "she's pretty cool. We've got some things in common. I could imagine being around her a lot more."
"Then we should be right as rain. But if something changes, we let each other know, okay?"
"Yeah, of course," Barrett agreed. "There's a reason why we're best friends." He extended his fist towards Gail, who bumped it with his own.
"Cool. So, you and Weiss, huh?" Gail teased.
"It's been less than a day. Let's wait until the end of the week to make a decision," Barrett deflected, using Gail's own words against him.
Gail shook his head humorously and laughed, "That's fair. Alright, let's get out there. A match has already started, and I want to know how we compare to everyone else." Gail stood up and slipped on his jacket. Barrett followed suit and they exited together.
They rejoined their new friends in the stands where they watched the ensuing battle attentively. Team RWBY was seated in the row second-from-the-top and three members from team JNPR were seated in the row below them. Gail sat down next to Yang and Barrett sat down next to him. "What took so long? You aren't secretly chicks, are you?" Yang sniped.
"We were just talking," Gail said, ignoring her attempted jab. "We got anyone good up?"
"I think you'll be pleased about who it is," she winked at him.
He looked down towards the arena to see who was fighting, "Why? Who's fight- OH MY GOD, ITS PYRRHA!" Gail shrieked excitedly as he saw the red-headed starlet battling it out with another student. Yang burst out laughing as just about everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared up at him, including the combatants. Barrett slapped him on the back of the head.
Gail cleared his throat and almost visibly shrank. After a few moments of awkward silence, the instructor, Glynda Goodwitch, regained order of the class and demanded the fighters continue. Yang turned to the young man, trying to regain control of her breath, "Wow, I wasn't expecting that." Gail's face turned beet red.
Pyrrha and her sparring partner clashed in the middle of the arena. Her opponent was putting her all into her offense, but was unable to land a blow. Pyrrha dodged and blocked the incoming attacks, counter-attacking when she saw an opening. She was easily breaking through her enemy's defense, chipping away at her aura. They disengaged momentarily. Pyrrha allowed the girl some breathing room as it gave her a chance to formulate a plan of attack. The other girl was breathing heavily; her aura had sunk into the yellows. She didn't know what she was going to do. She had neither the skill nor the speed to keep up with Pyrrha Nikos. She doubted anyone did.
Up in the stands, Gail watched the fight with intense focus. It took him a few moments to realize who Pyrrha was up against: the other transfer student, Yarri. She wielded a bow and arrow that she fired with deadly precision. Had she been up against anyone else, she would have fared far better, but she was unlucky enough to have Pyrrha Nikos as her opponent. She was surprisingly proficient in close quarters, even with just the bow. She had swapped her jacket and jeans for a black, hooded short-sleeve shirt that stopped just above her waistline and form fitting, beige pants, and lightweight boots that stopped halfway up her shin. She had a small deep blue scarf wrapped around her neck. Her top had a white zipper that led from the right side, underneath the scarf and ran down to the hem of the shirt. Her hair was tied in a French braid that was still draped over her left shoulder. She wore brown gloves and had a silver bracer on her left arm that protected her from the drawstring.
The match ended soon, leaving Pyrrha as the clear victor. Yarri slunk off the stage, more disheartened by the cheers for the winner. She headed out of the arena over to the medical kiosk, as was mandatory. The medical staff started checking her out, noting the bruises. Once they finished asking her questions to make sure she hadn't suffered a head injury, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned to see none other than the green-eyed warrior. "Hello," she began. "Are you OK?" Yarri nodded her head nervously. "Your name is Yarri, right?" Pyrrha pressed when she realized she wasn't going to get anything else out of her.
"Yeah," Yarri said quietly. She wasn't used to people approaching her like this.
"My name's Pyrrha," the red head extended her hand toward the girl.
"I know. I don't think there's a single person who doesn't know about you," Yarri replied. It suddenly dawned on the girl how rude she was being. "Oh, I'm sorry; it's nice to meet you!" She squeaked out. She quickly took hold of Pyrrha's hand and shook it.
"It's OK," Pyrrha waved her hand passively. "You're quite a strong fighter. If you worked on your agility, I'm sure you'd be unstoppable."
Yarri blushed slightly, "Thank you. That's always been a weakness of mine. I've been trying to increase my strength as well, so I can draw my bow faster."
"I can see it's worked well. Your speed is certainly impressive."
"Thanks," she said appreciatively before looking down at her feet.
"Are you sure you're OK?" Pyrrha pushed after a few moments.
"Perfect! Well, not perfect, but I'll be alright."
"OK, then." Pyrrha looked back when she heard her teammates calling her over. "I should go. Don't hesitate to say "hello" if you see us," she smiled and began walking back before stopping. She turned back around and said, "By the way, welcome to Beacon!" With that, she left to join up with her friends.
Class ended after sparring practice, releasing its students from its grip. Barrett, Gail, and teams RWBY and JNPR made their way out of the school corridors and towards the dormitories. They all chatted idly, talking about the day and discussing certain events that transpired. "That outburst was the last thing I was expecting from you, Gail," Jaune teased his fellow hunter.
"Yeah, well, I warned you guys I was a huge fan," Gail muttered defensively, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. "By the way, Pyrrha, I'm sorry for distracting you in the middle of your match. I've never done that before."
"Its fine, you don't need to apologize," Pyrrha shook her head, giggling slightly. "I'm flattered that you think so highly of me."
"Yay! We're all friends again," Nora yelled as she threw an arm around Gail and Pyrrha, pulling them into a tight hug. Ren grabbed her by the ear and pulled her back out of their personal space, earning an "Ow, ow, ow" from her.
"Where are you guys staying?" Weiss asked.
"The dorms in the east sector. I think Ozpin said something about it usually housing exchange students," Gail answered.
"We'll see you guys tomorrow, right?" Ruby queried.
"Maybe. Our schedule changes day-to-day, so we're not going to have the same teachers. We hope to see you guys more, though," Barrett offered, glancing at Gail for confirmation.
"Absolutely. You guys are pretty cool," Gail nodded genuinely.
"Aw, that's so sweet," Yang remarked, punching Gail in the shoulder.
"Yeah, well, what can I say? I wear my heart on my sleeve," he rubbed the sore spot on his arm.
"Especially when you're blurting it out in the middle of a match," Barrett teased his friend. The group laughed as Gail's face reddened slightly.
With the day over and the sun setting fast, they realized goodbyes needed to be said. They all exchanged numbers, planning on meeting them the next day, even if they did not have the same classes. The two transfer students said their peace and started towards their dormitories. They walked quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the breeze. "So, your thoughts?" Barrett asked once the others had disappeared from view.
Gail thought a moment. Even though he had teased him a few hours earlier about the very same line of questioning, his opinion had been drastically altered. He looked over at his best friend and grinned widely. "If the rest of the week goes this smoothly, I think we might've found it."
Hey-o guys. I appreciate you taking the time to read through this chapter. I won't be doing a lot of A/N's, mostly because I won't always have something to say. But, seeing as this is my first chapter, I might as well say something. I hope you guys enjoyed the OCs, some will be more relevant than others, more will be introduced as well. I really want to stick to what makes the show great, i.e. great characters, great writing, great chemistry, funny interactions, interesting concepts and themes, etc. Hopefully, I wasn't too off the mark with this first chapter, but whatever you think about it, I'd love to hear it. Whether you liked it, hated it, 'thought it was alright except for that one part', or you 'thought it mostly sucked, minus that other part.'
Thanks, Slow-mo.