After venturing further into the forest and finding a nice branch to rest on, I begin to think about what kind of partner I'm really looking for. According to Ozpin, the first person I make eye contact with is my partner, meaning I would try my hardest to avoid Ruby. There is no way I am getting paired up with her. I barely even survived the years we lived in the same house; I wouldn't last a second in the same room.
The next second, I see a golden blur fly past and land on the forest floor beneath me. Identifying this blur as Yang, I start to debate with myself, comically lifting my hands in the process. On one hand, literally, I could have a skilled fighter on my team, but on the other hand, having her on my team would mean I would have to put up with her for all of my years here. Whatever I was to choose, I notice I have to choose quickly, as she looks about ready to leave the area. it takes nearly every ounce of strength to resist shouting towards her, yet I still call out to her.
"Hey, Yang! Up here!" I yell.
As she turns around I suddenly realize that this person was definitely not Yang. This will be troublesome
"What did you just call me?" The unknown blonde shouts from below. She looks ticked off, albeit confused, but still angry at being misidentified.
"Oh, sorry! I thought you were someone else!" I yell down to not-Yang. I don't especially feel like dealing with this situation at the moment, "You know, I think I'll just leave now, so uh, bye!" I say awkwardly before turning around and heading away from the clearing.
As I run back along the tree limbs, though, I feel cold heavy object tug on my shirt. At first, I think it's just a branch, but when I turn to look at the obstacle, I learn that the new obstruction is actually a three-pronged, barbed hook. Did this chick really just use a grappling hook on me? Okay, I'll admit, this may have been a bit of a mistake.
"Hey, buddy! Didn't you hear Ozpin? We're teammates now!" She calls to me as she reels in the deathtrap that is currently attached to me. I resist slightly at first, but the pulling is powerful, so I am eventually dragged off of my high point. I land flat on my back and my new 'teammate' leans over my now limp body.
"Hey there, glad you could join me on this fine ground here." She states, laughing slightly.
She detaches her hook manually and I roll backward, ending up on my feet again. After I'm done dusting off the back of my pants, I look over to her and spot her weapon. It appears to be some kind of gauntlet with several gadgets hooked up to it. unfortunately, I already know what one of those 'gadgets' does.
"Do you think you could have possibly brought me back over here without tearing a hole in my combat clothes and nearly breaking my back?" I ask.
"Of course I could've! But it was much more fun this way," she responds cheerfully.
"Right..." I mutter unenthusiastically, "So fun."
"I guess we better get introductions out of the way then!" she says eagerly, extending her right hand.
I sigh before fulfilling her silent request for a handshake, then proceed to give her my name in the same manner I gave it to Weiss, "I'm Diamond, Diamond Rose. You are?"
"My name is Maria," She states, clasping her hands together behind her back and bouncing slightly on her toes, then, as if suddenly remembering something, continues, "Oh, and these sweet puppies," she unclasps her hands and raises them to about eye level, motioning toward her gauntlets, "Are named Lucis and lacertus."
"Light and Strength," I translate, "Nice names."
She looks at me blankly for a split second before her face lights up in joy, "You can speak Latin?"
I shrug, "I do my homework," I respond humbly as I continue to examine her appearance.
Her gauntlets are mostly black with silver running in streaks along the sides. There are several other colors as well, such as blinking lights with gold, blue, and red. As for the rest of her, She has short, curly blond hair, bright, magnificent green eyes, and a pointed light-green necklace. She also wears a short green top that cuts off right where her green skirt begins, showing a bit of her midriff. At her shoulders and hips, small armored pieces fashioned similarly in style to her gauntlets are visible. The sunlight happens to pierce through the trees and hit her at the perfect angle, leaving her in a small area of light. She looks almost… dazzling as I take a moment to admire her. For a while, I am at a loss for words as to how I mistook her for Yang.
"Are you okay there? You've been standing there about a full minute." Maria questions, bringing me back to reality.
I guess I stared a little bit longer than I should have.
"Yeah, it's just that… you wear a lot of green." I manage to get out, making an excuse at the last second.
"Nice save!" I compliment myself.
"Oh, yeah. I guess you could say I just really like this color," she quietly mentions as she looks down towards her necklace.
Suddenly, something in my head clicks together, "Hold on, are you the same girl I tripped over last night?" I ask, unbelieving.
Her head shoots back up and her eyes widen, "That was you?" she questions incredulously, "Wait, how did you even recognize me?"
Now it was my turn to look away and quickly respond, "Oh, you know, the hair.. and stuff."
Maria gains an almost smug grin, "So, you like my hair?"
"No! I mean, yes. Kind of, but...you know, it's just really... noticable," I blurt out, stumbling over my words.
Maria bursts out laughing, "I was just joking, you don't have to get so flustered, Diamond"
Oh, her laugh was incredible.
In an attempt to distract from my embarrassment, I send her on a little mission, "Hey, why don't you go follow that path and tell me what's down there. I'll go this way and we can meet back here."
"You got it!" She shouts excitedly, happy to be given something to do.
As she rushes off, I sigh loudly and continue on my own path that I had designated. I finally had some time to think to myself, and I had a lot to think about.