Author's note: This is my first real attempt at writing. Like, writing a story. I've written essays before… Maybe… Probably not, actually. I've always done pretty poorly in paper heavy classes. Heh. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy. I'll see how this is received and update when I remember to. Or when I can force myself to sit still for a while. Yea. Great start, Blanky… (03/23/2016)
"Victor, can you wait up?" I heard Chloe call from behind me. I turned to face her, walking backwards. She had been right beside me when we disembarked the airship but was now a good twenty yards behind.
"C'mon, you gotta move faster than that!" I called back to her. "If we take our time out here we won't get good seats at the assembly."
"I'm sure there's plenty of room. I just need to get used to being on solid ground again."
I watched as she swayed closer. When she was still two or three steps behind I turned back to Beacon. "Whatever," I said. "Everyone else is ahead of us, we should get a move on."
She sighed, but I heard her footsteps quicken. Now next to me again, I watched as she took three steps to match two of my own. A grin tugged at the corners of my mouth as she struggled to keep up. Her breathing was starting to pick up with the effort.
A loud explosion boomed out behind us, close to where the airship had docked. Chloe stopped and spun around in fright, meanwhile I continued toward the main campus. "What do you think -" She cut herself off when she realised I wasn't next to her anymore. "Hey! Victor! Where do you think you're going?!" She shouted as she jogged to catch up.
"To the assembly hall, where else?" I respond nonchalantly. "Do you know how to get there?"
"No… But what if someone got hurt?! Shouldn't we see if -"
"If they were accepted here, they'll be able to take care of themselves. We shouldn't concern ourselves. Now, if we lose track of the group we won't know where to go. So hurry up."
"Geez, you could stand to be a bit more compassionate, don't you think?" It was a statement more than a question, but I shrugged anyway. We had to keep up or we'd be left behind. If that explosion held some people up, it wasn't our problem.
"Like I said, they're students of Beacon like us. We have to handle situations as they come. Maybe it was a test for stragglers." I turned to look at Chloe, a playful smile plastered on my face.
She didn't respond. Instead, she was focused intently on her feet. "Let's just get to the assembly. I'm sure they're fine," I said, not meaning to make her upset. She always took my jokes a bit too personally, but it couldn't be helped. We walked the rest of the way in silence.
By the time we arrived at the auditorium, most of the students had already arrived and were milling around. Snippets of conversation rose above the clamor before being drowned out. I looked around for people I recognized from Signal.
Blanche and Greyson were standing together with a couple of students I didn't recognize. Yang was chatting with a few of our classmates I'd never bothered to get to know. She would occasionally look up, almost like she was waiting for someone. Glancing across the back end of the hall, I notice Pyrrha Nikos standing by herself. "Chloe, look! Pyrrha Nikos is gonna be part of our class!"
"I saw her already. What - or who - I'm more interested in is the girl with the singed white hair. Think she was caught in that explosion we heard?"
"Could be." We continued moving through the crowd of students, generally moving toward the girl. As we entered shouting distance, she turned and began yelling at someone. I couldn't hear exactly what she was saying, but I could tell that I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of such a tirade. "Can you tell what she's saying?" I ask Chloe.
"Something about being blown off the side of the cliff… and now proper Dust handling… she's a Schnee!" Chloe exclaimed. "Oh, Yang is talking now, trying to calm things down."
Without getting closer, all I could do was listen to Chloe's summary of what was happening. I doubted anyone that wasn't standing directly next to them understood their situation, and yet Chloe could eavesdrop from two groups over. She had truly remarkable hearing, even among other faunus. My thoughts were interrupted as she continued relaying information to me.
"'... just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay? Yea! Great idea, Sis! Wait, what?" Chloe stopped.
"Sis? As in "sister"?" I asked.
"She just introduced herself: Ruby. Huh? She's also from Signal, but wasn't she younger than us?"
"Yea, by like two years. What's she doing here?"
"Apparently making Weiss Schnee blow up. Guess it wasn't a trap for slow walkers, was it?"
"C'mon, you're still on about that? Lighten up, it was just a joke." I playfully pat her shoulder, to which she pouted. "Let's go talk to Yang, find out what's -"
I was cut off by the headmaster clearing his throat on the microphone set up at the front. I looked at Chloe and shrugged I mouthed "guess it'll wait" to her, to which she nodded.
Ozpin finished speaking. He'd been brief, to his word. His words didn't exactly inspire confidence.
"That was… nice?" Chloe said hesitantly. "Glenda said that we'd be in the barn tonight, does that mean we'll all be sleeping together?"
"Does this answer your question?" I asked. Sleeping bags were strewn across the floor, groups of students were whispering in hushed tones and a select few had claimed corners where they wouldn't be disturbed. "Though I must say, it's pretty posh for a barn."
"Posh is right. I was imagining something… redder."
"With bales of hay all over?" I ask with an impish grin.
"Yea, maybe…" she responded absently, not picking up on my sarcasm.
"Sure that's not wishful thinking?" I asked, still trying to get a rise out of her.
"You know," she began, turning toward me. "You can be unbearable. Seriously, I look for the same accommodations as everyone else. My thoughts about how this place would be-"
"Ugh, you know I'm kidding," I interrupted. "No need to get all huffy, it's not like I'm actually racist."
She scowled, refusing to speak. Without a word, she turned and began looking for a spot to call bed for the night. I followed unbidden, not looking to stand by awkwardly.
"It was just a bit of fun, Chloe! Ease up!"
She found a spot on the floor that was unoccupied claimed it as her own. She unfurled her sleeping bag and knelt down to pat out some wrinkles.
"What, you're going to ignore me for the whole time at Beacon?" I asked, a seed of fear I refused to acknowledge taking root inside my gut.
With a sigh, she turned to look at me. "No. But I'm done with you tonight. Find somewhere to sleep, I'm sure we'll need our rest for tomorrow's plans."
"...Okay. Goodnight, Chloe." I went in search of my own floorspace. While most of the room was taken over by clusters of students, some areas near the walls were free. I began walking in the direction of a girl who was reading by candlelight.
"You alone too?" I ask her. I waited few seconds for her to respond, but she didn't even look away from the book she was reading. "That's a cute bow." That got her to glance up. There was a certain hardness in her eyes, and I suspected it wasn't an aversion to being hit on. "I've never had a pet," her fingers tightened around the edges of the book, "but I have had my share of faunus friends."
"I don't know what you mean," she said carefully. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Ah, trying to hide it. Okay, I can play your game. The word's mum, you know? Hush hush and all that."
"You certainly talk a lot." She was still acting cold, obviously upset that I'd interrupted her. "What do you want?"
"Just looking for somewhere to sleep, Chloe wasn't too happy with me," I said, scratching the back of my head. "You looked lonely over here, thought maybe I could cheer you up."
"No."
"No?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I'm reading. Find someone else to bother."
"Aww c'mon! You mad cuz your disguise didn't fool me?" I didn't wait for her to respond. "Can at least get your name? I know when to back down, but never before I get something I want."
"That's a dangerous statement to make."
"Hey, if you don't tell me-"
"What, you're going to expose me for what I am?" At this she put her book down and bared her teeth.
Keeping my composure, I said, "Nah, I'll just come up with my own name for you. Chloe over there was Dikky for a whole week before she cracked." I told her the last part with an impish smile.
"Go away…" It was just a breath, but her lowered head and closed body language made it apparent that she didn't want me there.
"You know how to get me to go, eh Kitty?" My smirk only grew more pronounced as her head shot up. "Man, did I guess it in one?!"
"Blake," she said quickly. She picked up her book and made a good show of reading voraciously.
"Hmm? What was that?" I pestered.
"Blake! Now go, before you get hurt."
I whistled, but I stood up and turned to leave. "Night, Blakey!" I called with a wink. She buried her head further in her book.
Not too far away I found myself an open spot on the floor. Sitting down, I twisted around to examine the students around me. I leaned against the wall. I could still see Blake where I'd left her, and I watched as Yang dragged a girl toward her. Settling in to watch the show, I thought about how done with people Blake must be after me. A small smile cracked my face. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I watched how the three of them acted. Yang was about to walk away when I saw the girl and Blake actually engage with one another. Yang and the girl, who I could only guess was Ruby, broke out in a small fight. The Schnee girl came over and the muffled sound from the group became more distinct before disappearing entirely when Blake extinguished her candles.
I don't exactly remember falling asleep, though it couldn't have been long after the lights went out. The foot on my chest assured me that I'd remember waking up, though. Following the foot up past the ankle, above the calf and beyond the thigh attached, my blurry eyes tried to make sense of the face swimming above me. I caught a glimpse of bright yellow eyes before I began rubbing the sleep out of my own.
"Get up, almost everyone else has left already."
"G'morning, Blakey-" Anything else I might've said was cut off by Blake driving her heel into my sternum, expelling all the air from my lungs.
"Don't call me that." Without another word, she turned and strode out of the barn.
Fitting with what she'd said, the floor was much less crowded than when I'd dozed off. I could hear water running and smell breakfast foods cooking from somewhere beyond the doors. Sitting up and rubbing my chest where Blake had stepped, I let loose a yawn before rising to my feet. Once standing, I stumbled my way to the showers. I'd have to skip breakfast if I wanted to be on time for initiation.
I quickly undressed and untied my hair. Deep green filtered my vision. As I let the water wash away yesterday's grime and the morning's sleepiness, my thoughts turned to initiation. I wondered what was involved in becoming a hunter initiate. As I pondered this, I washed down and let the shower pull my hair down my back. My thoughts shifted from today to three years ago.
I'd just gotten a haircut, the same cut I'd been getting since I was a toddler. I stared at my own crimson eyes as the shears clipped the ends off of my hair. It fell like so many pine needles to the floor, where it would be swept away. I'd always longed to grow my hair out, but whenever I'd tried it would reach a point where I couldn't tolerate how unruly it was. I was going to enter Signal soon. Another haircut for another year. This year would be different, though. I was no longer just learning history and math; this year I'd be learning how to fight. This time I'd let my hair grow.
I snapped myself out of the memory. Turning off the faucet, I turned to leave the shower but stopped short. "Leave it to me to forget a towel..." I muttered. Activating my aura, I focused a small amount in my left hand and allowed my semblance to take shape. A small breeze quickly grew into a miniature cyclone on my palm. I swept the tornado over my body, taking special care of my hair. When I was dry I began to gear up, a slight chill creeping up my spine from air drying.
I rushed out of the bathroom and out of the barn, luckily catching up with a group headed for initiation. Craning my neck, I could see the wild blonde mane that was Yang. The locker room loomed ahead. Once again, I began imagining what was in store for us. Suddenly my thoughts turned to Chloe. Where was she? She would've had no trouble waking up on time, but she -
My thoughts were cut off as my sight went from forward to downward. A body had made its way in front of me and now both of us were falling. I wrapped my arms around them and twisted to fall onto my back. Lightly furred ears twitched under my nose, a small body trembled against me. I tilted my head to look at who I'd tackled. Deer ears and auburn hair took up most of my vision, and were replaced by wide rose-quartz eyes when the girl turned to look up at me.
"Mornin', Chloe. Feeling better?" I asked. "Silly question, something's obviously up. Nervous?"
"W-what makes you say that?" She asked as she disentangled herself from my arms and stood.
"You'd never walk into someone unless you were really distracted. Kinda your thing, always wary and all that. So, you nervous?" It was a rational argument, especially paired with the knowledge that we'd been friends since our first year at Signal. It took a lot to fluster her, but she really lost track of things if she became overwhelmed. I stood and brushed myself off. As she hadn't responded yet, I pressed on. "You okay? Hurt anywhere?"
She shook her head, though she still seemed uneasy. "I've heard some rumors about the initiation..." She began.
"Oh? I've been wondering about that myself... What've you heard?" I was seriously curious. If these rumors had Chloe losing her bearings that meant today was going to be big.
"I don't know if it's true, but supposedly teams get formed today..."
"That's not too bad. What's the big problem with that?" I asked.
"Teams are together for the rest of the time we're here."
I must've had a look of shock on my face, because it broke through Chloe's debilitating fear. She let out a soft giggle. I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around what she'd just told me.
"Seriously? They pair us up for our lives at Beacon?" I was incredulous. No way could they enforce that. There had to be a way to negotiate or... "Wait, how are teams determined?"
Again she shook her head. "That part I haven't heard, but it's not just pairing. Supposedly, teams are groups of four."
We'd walked from my locker to hers, and I looked on as she removed her weapon. The silver barrel shone, except where numerous scores marred the surface. They were deep enough to cast shadows into the pits, making them look black against the gleaming surface. As Chloe fitted the rifle against her shoulder the grooves took on a rosy tint. The gun was almost as tall as she was, so she leaned back slightly when she held it. She'd been told in the past to widen her base when firing from a standing position, but she occasionally needed to be reminded.
"Chloe-" I began. She turned to look at me, her body following after her head. The barrel swung toward me. I ducked down and to the right, coming up on Chloe's left before forcing the gun down. "Geez! Watch where you're pointing her!" My shout came out slightly higher pitched than I'd hoped.
"Sorry!" She yipped. She seemed to deflate fractionally before twisting her face into a rare sneer. "Tarnish isn't loaded. What, are you scared of a little girl, then?"
"Yes. Utterly terrified. Of when you forget to unload her." To accentuate my point I tugged open the bolt. A single Dust cartridge was expelled and clattered on the locker room floor. A deep blush slowly crept up Chloe's neck and face, even tinging her faunus ears a light pink. Her eyes fixed on a spot just in front of her feet.
A heavy sigh escaped me. "Listen, you're fine. I just wanted to tell you that your stance was off." A nod. "You want to keep your left foot in front, a bit wider than your shoulders." Another nod. "Are you going to sulk all day?" She shook her head. "Are you going to talk?" Another shake, this time accompanied by a shaky breath. "Hmm, then I guess you won't complain…"
I brought my hands up, resting them gently on her cheeks. I could feel the heat from the blood that flushed her face. A slight jolt went through her body and her ears twitched. I slid my hands higher, combing my fingers into the hair near her temples. Her breathing had picked up significantly from when I'd first touched her. My thumbs gently touched the tips of her deer ears, which flicked in response. I ran the rest of my fingers on each hand up the back of her ears, pulling ever so slightly on them once I'd gotten to the top.
The slight pressure from the pull must've set her off, because the next thing I was aware of was the cold steel of the locker behind me. Strange, it seemed to be cradling me somewhat. Chloe was standing five feet in front of me with her arms outstretched, a look of fear and horror in her eyes.
"Sorry, sorry," I apologized. "You know I have a hard time knowing when -"
"Oh my gosh are you okay?!" She rushed forward and was checking me over, her ears folded flat atop her head. "I'm so so so so so sorry!"
"What? Chloe," I began, taking her hands into my own. I held our hands in front of me, between us, and looked directly into her eyes. "You're fine, I shouldn't have been messing around so much. And look, I'm fine!" I began jogging in place, trying to get her to smile. "See! Nothing to worry about!"
She'd begun to cheer up by my antics, but I watched the color drain from her face as she looked behind me. "Eep!" A tiny yelp escaped her.
"Huh?" I turned around to look at the locker that I'd crashed into. "Umm, that was a locker, right?"
"Mhm," I heard Chloe confirm behind me.
The misshapen metal before us vaguely resembled the locker it used to be. The holographic keypad was glitching slightly, flashing at irregular intervals. The face of the scrapped locker had the distinct impression of my back, armor and weapons. "Let's... let's get out of here before anyone else notices..." I gently coaxed Chloe away from the scene, resting my hand squarely between her shoulders. I wasn't keen on upsetting her again too soon.
As we milled around the locker room awkwardly, the PA system kicked on. Glenda's voice came through, summoning us all to Beacon Cliff. Grateful for the opportunity to leave the scene of the crime, Chloe and I hustled our way to the assembly site.
Once we reached our destination, we were greeted by Glenda Goodwitch, Professor Ozpin and a breathtaking view of the valley below. Several platforms with the emblem of Vale were laid out near the edge.
"Choose a platform and wait for your classmates to join us," Glenda said. "Then we will begin."
With a curt nod, I led Chloe past the two instructors to the platforms farthest from the locker room we'd come from. I wanted to be far from the wreckage we'd left behind us, and my restlessness did not go unnoticed. I felt Chloe tentatively touch my arm, though she could've been reassuring herself as much as me.
Other students steadily made their way to the cliff where we stood, some slowing to gawk at the view. Glenda greeted each as they arrived, but Ozpin's dismissive attitude from last night hadn't changed. He looked over the side of the cliff, but something about his gaze made me feel that he was looking past anything real. He seemed lost.
The last few students finally arrived at the cliff and took up positions on the platforms. Yang arrived with Ruby, and the last platform was taken by the blonde guy who had puked on the airship.
