The descendants of Erich Zahn
Disclaimer:I wish I owned it, my favorite damn short story ever. Also praise Monty Oum
On the planet now known as Remanent, there exists a family, over the many centuries their family name had undergone many changes, been spoken in many different languages, and been hidden for generations in a futile attempt to protect themselves. They are now known as the Arcs, but in the distant past the had been known as the Zahns', a family of musicians and warriors who despised violence, who are pursued from one end of the globe to the other, who's frenzied playing had lasted throughout the centuries in an effort to keep the world safe from a threat that originated from beyond the sky and beneath the oceans, and now the newest scion of the Zahns' has at last become desperate enough to seek solace and a perceived safety from the company of others.
Airship heading to Beacon Academy
(Insert Piano Trio II, by Franz Schubert if you want to know the music I pictured)
Every prospective student on the airship bound for Beacon Academy was spellbound, there was no talking, no shifting, no coughing, almost nothing that could disrupt the music that was pouring forth from a simple wooden violin. Ruby Rose and her sister Yang Xiao Long stared at the boy who had entranced an entire airship. He was a blond, of above average height, dressed in a grey pinstripe suit that while looked professionally tailored but had seen better days. An open white Violin case was on his right, while a closed and locked black violin case was on his left. He sat in-between the cases with his eyes closed, gently rocking from side to side keeping tempo as he played.
As they docked, he quietly placed his violin into the white case and close it before standing with a case in either hand before quickly exiting the airship. The rest of the students shook themselves out of their stupor before leaving the airship.
As they left the airship, Yang had briefly encouraged Ruby to make some friends before abandoning her, Yang had at least had the decency to look sheepish as she abandoned her, but in the process she had had gotten knocked over into a rather irate pale girl's luggage, who was currently waving around a dust vial in Ruby's face. Abruptly, Ruby sneezed, and the dust that had been hanging in the air because of the vial the pale girl had been waving around exploded.
A few minutes later
The blond shook his head from where he'd been watching, he approached as heiress and the girl with the bow on the top of her head both left. As the blond approached he shifted his violin cases into his one hand and held out his free hand to help her up. Ruby looked up gratefully up at the blond. "Thanks, Im Ruby, Ruby Rose." She paused as she realized that he was the musician from the airship. "Hey your the violin player! It was sooo good, why do you have two instrument cases though?"
The blond grinned as he pulled Ruby to her feet. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a simple paper card that had 'im sorry but I'm mute' embossed in the card in faded gold lettering. Ruby looked at the lettering briefly before nodding in acknowledgment. The blond pulled out another card 'Im Jaune by the way, Jaune Zahn Arc' Ruby smiled. "Its a pleasure to meet you Jaune." A comfortable silence fell between them as Jaune and Ruby as they walked across the campus. The silence was broken by Ruby as she reached behind her and unfurled her weapon. "So… I have this." Her weapon was a masterpiece of engineering and smithing, it was a scythe which was huge in comparison, after the dramatic unveiling she couldn't resist talking at a completely indecipherable fast clip as she explained about her weapon, ending with "Its also a gun, sooo, what do you have?"
Jaune smiled at the little reaper as he placed both violin cases on the ground before opening the white violin case and drawing out a simple wooden violin and bow, before flipping the violin to show a embossed script that read, white rose. He then held up a card that read, 'White Rose's strings are woven with wind dust, it allows me to influence wind pressure to a certain extent and create blades and barriers of wind.' Ruby's squeal of joy was ear-piercing.
"Thats SO cool! But what does your other violin do?" Jaune hesitantly looked at Ruby who had hearts in her eyes as she stared at Jaune. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another card that read, 'this is a secret, understand? My semblance is vary dangerous'. Ruby nodded energetically, desperate to see what the other violin weapon did, Jaune looked at her for a few moments longer before closing the white violin case and opening the locked black violin case to reveal an violin that was made out of yellow white material that Ruby belatedly realized was bone. The violins construction was a dark masterpiece of shaped and glued bone.
Jaune looked at her seriously before taking out another card. 'This is the Zahn family weapon, its name is Requiem. Each first born male Zahn for the past hundred generations has had a musical semblance that allows us to play Requiem. Requiem is actually where I got the idea for the wind blades that White Rose uses, whenever I play Requiem rather then just a few dozen I can make with White Rose, I can make a few hundred, it also increases the range of my semblance.' Ruby nodded in awe of the ivory violin. "So what does your semblance do?" Jaune turned the card over to show the the reverse side.
'My semblance is the manipulation of the five senses, anyone in the range of my music while I use my semblance is under my control.' Ruby gulped. Jaune put the card away before pulling out yet another card, 'now do you understand why I keep it a secret?' Ruby nodded. Jaune smiled gently and patted her on the shoulder, he then looked around and frowned before flipping the card. 'Do you know where we are supposed to be going?' Ruby shook her head looking betrayed. "I thought you knew! I was following you!"
Beacon Academy Assembly Room
Yang watched as Ruby and the violin player from the ship entered into the assembly hall. Making a split second decision to invite both of them over she raised her hand and called Ruby over. "Ruby! I saved you and your new friend a seat!" She saw Ruby turn to the blond violin player and spoke briefly to him, the blond looked pensive for a second before nodding and following Ruby to over where Yang was standing. Yang grinned at Ruby mischievously. "So Rubes, I leave you alone for 5 minutes and your already making friends with musicians huh? Bold of you my little Ru-baby." Ruby's face turned as red as her cloak as she moaned, "Yaanng! How could you leave me like that! I exploded!" Yang scoffed. "Wow, so a meltdown on the first day?"
Ruby shook her head, "No, I literally exploded, their was some fire, some lighting, I think there was some ice… And there was this really mean girl who was yelling at me-" Ruby was interrupted by said girl who recognized Ruby, and the the blond, who she pulled into a hug. "Jaune Zahn! Its lovely to see you again." The blond put one his violin cases down before reaching into a inside pocket of suit and pulling what looked like a business card out and showed it to the girl with the silver hair and pale skin who giggled. "Ha, very funny, but you know this dunce?" The musician now revealed as Jaune frowned deeply at the girl before pulling out a card.
"Hey! Thats-"
Another card.
"Don't you miss Weiss me Jaune Arc!"
Another card.
"Now thats uncalled for!"
Another card.
'But she-"
Another card.
"Fine!" Turning to Ruby, Weiss bowed her head. "I apologize for yelling, but the luggage you had crashed into was carrying munitions grade dust. I was attempting to communicate how badly it could have gone if fore then just a few grains of the dust had exploded in the air but I was overzealous, I apologize." Turning to walk away she glanced back to Jaune. "Talk to you later?" Jaune nodded and Weiss smiled before walking away with a spring in her step.
Yang looked at Ruby in a mixture of disappointment and amazement that she had managed to actually explode in the ten minutes she hadn't been by her sisters side. "You actually exploded little sis? I cant leave you alone for five minutes apparently." Ruby looked down in shame before Jaune reached into his pocket and pulled out another of his cards and showed it to Ruby who snorted in laughter once she read it, he then flipped it to the reverse side that Yang could have sworn was blank and Ruby outright guffawed at whatever it said.
Grumpy that someone else was making Ruby laugh, especially after she had just finished telling her off, Yang snapped at the blond violin player. "What, to good to talk to anyone?" Ruby looked at Yang in shock with her mouth hanging open. "Yang! How could you say that to Jaune!" The blond now revealed as Jaune just cocked an eyebrow before pulling another card out and showing the front side to Yang. 'Actually, I'm mute." Yangs face fell as she stuttered, Jaune just ignored her as he turned the card over to show Ruby something. Ruby read the card and gave Jaune a nod. Jaune returned the nod and walked off with one last look at the still stuttering Yang.
Authors Note
I was reading some Lovecraft when I came across a short story that inspired this. Two other things though, 1, I REALLY need a Beta, anyone who knows a good one please tell me, or if you think you can Beta tell me. 2, Cookie if you can guess which author wrote this.