These chapters keep happening faster than I expect them too. If I'm lucky and I don't burn myself out I might actually be able to keep up an almost weekly update. As far as the story as a whole, I'm definitely going to write to the timeline end of season one and very probably to the end of season two. Beyond that I haven't decided anything. But enough rambling, on to the chapter!
Chapter 3
(Pyrrha)
"Okay guys, time to get up," She said to her slumbering teammates. Teammates, and I'm their leader. I still can't believe it.
"Just five more minutes," Ruby mumbled, snuggling further down into her pillow. Blake had been roused by Pyrrha's first attempt and made her way into the bathroom. Nora was still happily sawing logs.
Pyrrha sighed. She was something of a morning person herself, if not as energetic as most who would call themselves morning people. She moved over to Nora's bedside. "Come on Nora, we really shouldn't be late on our first day of classes," No response.
"I have a whistle," Ruby said with a mild tone of mischief from behind Pyrrha. The champion turned around to look at the now fully awake prodigy, who was holding the small metal object.
"I know for a fact that waking up via whistle is a very poor way to start the day," Pyrrha said calmly, thinking back to a few of the more rigorous trainers her parents had hired in the past.
Ruby put a pouting face on as she pocketed the noisemaker. "Alright."
Pyrrha turned back to Nora's prone form. I don't want to be harsher than is necessary, but I can't just let her keep sleeping. What to do, What to... A memory of the pink clad girl from yesterday came to mind. She was chattering away to the boy sitting next to her, Ren, that was his name, scarfing down pancakes all the while.
A little harmless mischief never killed anyone.
Leaning down, Pyrrha started whispering to Nora. "Nora, if we don't hurry then Ren will eat all the pancakes."
Years of trained reflexes were the only thing that prevented a mutual concussion by Nora sitting up fast enough give a lesser person whiplash. "Ren, how could you?!" She screamed and bolted for the door.
She stopped as she noticed her still pajama clad state. "Oh, have to get ready first," She said as she stopped and bolted towards the-
"Nora, wait!"
Too late. The hyperactive girl was already closing the door to the bathroom behind her. The bathroom Blake was occupying.
The red themed girls heard a yelp of surprise from Blake and a not at all ashamed 'whoops, sorry Blakey' from Nora. There was a beat of silence, then.
"YOU'RE A KI-". Nora's yell was cut off by what sounded almost like a slap. There were a few moments where only the occasional thud was heard. Pyrrha and Ruby exchanged a glance. Then another yell of 'Nora, wait!' came from the bathroom as the troublemaker came bursting out as abruptly as she had entered. She also had the biggest happiest smile on her face Ruby and Pyrrha had ever seen.
"Guys! She's a-"
"Nora!" Blake hissed, cutting her off yet again as she exited the bathroom. Her entire face was bright red, though from embarrassment, anger, or some combination thereof, they couldn't tell. She was clad in her school uniform, but what held more attention was that she was holding her hands on top of her head.
Nora zoomed over behind Pyrrha, putting the spartan between herself and Blake not unlike a potential meat shield.
"She has- She- I- Her- Oh my gosh she actually-"
"Nora," Pyrrha was the one who cut her off this time, using her best 'stern team leader' voice. Sufficiently chastised, Nora closed her mouth and looked at the floor. Pyrrha then looked to Blake, who still held her hands on her head. "Sorry about that Blake, we didn't mean to... Is everything alright?"
Blake's expression was many things, but most evidently it was conflicted. She was looking between her three teammates, looking less and less sure with each glance. Something apparently broke as Blake gave an unhappy sigh. "There's something I have to tell you guys."
She brought her hands down from her head and perked her ears up. Her cat ears. "I'm a Faunus."
There was another beat of silence. Those... are surprisingly cute. Pyrrha thought quietly.
"OhmygoodnessyouhavekittyearsthosearesoadorableI'mjealousBlakewhydidn'tyoutellusyouwereakittyyou-" Ruby did not have as much restraint as Pyrrha.
Ruby's outburst was all it took for Nora to get going again as well. The two girls ran over next to Blake chattering like caffeinated squirrels. Blake was doing what she could to back away slowly but was having little success, apparently not expecting such an enthusiastic response. Pyrrha once again stepped up for her partner.
Clearing her throat with enough emphasis to make her mother proud, Pyrrha brought everyone's attention to her. "Ruby, Nora, I believe Blake still needs to finish getting ready."
Giving her partner a thankful look, Blake nodded and moved for the bathroom again before the other two could stop her.
As the door to the bathroom closed once again, Pyrrha turned to her other two teammates. "Okay you two, I think it's pretty obvious that Blake hasn't come to terms with her heritage, or at least has some sort of stigma regarding it. I'm as surprised as you two are but we should probably still leave her be about it until she wants to talk," Ruby and Nora deflated a bit but acquiesced all the same. Pyrrha wasn't quite done yet. "And Nora, I think you owe Blake an apology. Her business is hers, teammate or not you should have respected that," Nora hung her head again and gave a sad 'okay'. I wonder if this is what having siblings is like.
Blake chose that time to step out of the bathroom, bow tied over her ears.
"I'm sorry!" Nora blurted. Again surprising her Faunus teammates. She continued before Blake could respond. "I'm so sorry Blake I didn't mean to barge in on your ears but Ren was eating the pancakes and your ears were so cute and please don't hate me!" Nora dissolved into a clingy bundle of tears and apologies as she tackle-hugged her black-haired teammate.
Blake looked equal parts confused and worried (again) as she looked at the orange haired girl bolted to her midriff. She awkwardly put her hands on the girls shoulders in a hopefully comforting manner. "It's okay Nora, I, uh, accept your apology," She said slowly.
The Valkyrie looked at Blake with watery imploring eyes. "Really?"
"Of course."
"Yay!" Nora yelled as she re-glomped Blake, getting an unfortunately tight grip around her neck in the process.
Ruby decided to step in once Blake started turning purple, prying her partner away from the oxygen deprived ninja. "I think we should probably get moving, classes start in twenty minutes and we still need to get ready," Ruby said while eyeing her bedside clock.
Pyrrha, who had been ready for a while, sat down on her bed and looked around. We're going to have to unpack after classes today. She thought, not registering Blake moving towards her as Ruby and Nora continued getting ready.
"You're really not, like, angry? Or anything?" Blake asked.
"Why would I be angry?" Pyrrha asked, legitimately confused.
"I mean, I hid that I was a Faunus, I hid something important from you and you're not at all mad?" She clarified, still anxious.
Pyrrha gave a small smile. "Blake, you have every right to keep personal matters private. And I can definitely say that I and the others do not think less of you for being a Faunus. So, no I'm not angry that you kept something like that to yourself. If anything, I should be asking for your forgiveness what with accidentally siccing Nora on you," Pyrrha finished in a light tone
As Nora and Ruby finished getting ready for class and Pyrrha led them out the door, Blake hung back a moment. She looked around at the room she would spend the next four years living in, and thought about the people she would be living with. For the first time in a long time, Blake smiled when she thought about the future.
(Weiss)
Team Jaguar's morning had been significantly calmer than their counterparts', and made their way to Grimm Studies with relatively little fanfare.
"Demons, monsters, prowlers of the night, more commonly known as the Grimm," Professor Port said to the class, gesturing flamboyantly. "But I merely refer to them as prey, ho-ho!"
And every single member of Team Jaguar felt that their time could be better spent elsewhere. Ren, ever the good student was reading through the textbook, though ignoring the lecture entirely. Yang was taking a nap with her head on the desk. Weiss was taking notes where she could, but her largely blank paper spoke more than her notes did. Jaune himself was listening but didn't have any paper out.
"The moral of this story is that a true hunter must be honorable, dependable, strategic, well educated, and wise. Who believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Port finished his tale, turning to the class.
Weiss was about to raise her hand, when she heard Jaune mutter 'not falling for that again'. She kept her hand down and shot him a raised eyebrow.
Jaune noticed the look and explained. "I had a teacher who tried something like this before. Think about it, year one, day one, and he's asking who thinks they already embody a trained hunter. He's looking for arrogance," He said quietly.
"Is there truly no one here who believes themselves to be a true hunter?" Port said with a tone of challenge.
One Cardin Winchester, who only just started paying attention, raised his hand. "I do sir."
There was an almost imperceptible pause where the professor furrowed his brow. Then it passed and he continued in his customary theatrical tone, "Very well then, let us see your mettle then," He said as he kicked the side of a heavy metal cage, eliciting a feral growl from its inhabitant.
Cardin made his way to the front of the room, toting his mace over his shoulder. When he reached the floor, Professor Port retrieved his Sunderbuss and readied the axe half.
"Let the match begin!" Port yelled as he severed the lock on the front of the cage with one clean swing.
The door fell away, revealing a juvenile Boarbatusk that sniffed its way out of the cage. It looked around and spied Cardin, scuffing its foot angrily.
"What's some dumb pig gonna do? Oink at me?" Cardin taunted, at least having the sense to ready his mace.
Whether the Grimm in question understood the jab is up for debate. What isn't is whether it took the sound as a prompt to charge.
Cardin waited until the armored monster was close enough, then he brought his mace down towards it in an overhead swing. The Boarbatusk parried, parried, the blow, and followed up by using its remaining momentum to crash into Cardin's legs. The surprised trainee stumbled from the unexpected hit and nearly dropped his mace. The plated boar finished the job, jumping around bringing its larger tusks up to hook around Cardin's right arm, the one holding the mace, and yanked.
The sound of a dislocating shoulder is surprisingly loud as it turns out. The tearing pop gathered winces from those closest and a few gasps from those further back.
To Cardin's merit, he only gave a strangled yell and was able to free himself from the tusks remarkably quickly. Though now he was without a weapon and far less capable of dodging with an angry Grimm spinning up and moving for him.
A few of the students reached for their own weapons, Jaune among them, as it looked like Cardin had bit off more than he could chew. But their actions proved unnecessary as Peter once again brought his axe down, this time splitting the irritable beast clean in two before it could further harm his student. Cardin sighed shakily in relief as he fell to his knees and cradled his damaged arm.
Without a hint of his earlier bravado, the retired Hunter turned to the class. "I think we all know what the lesson here is today, you all have years of training to do yet. Class dismissed."
After everyone had left the classroom and Cardin was on his way to the infirmary, Weiss thought back to the fight. I could've handled that, but if the professor was really looking for overconfidence...
Dammit that's the third time that no good plebian has made an idiot out of me! First he knocked me out of the sky during initiation, then I had to pass out when those other two made me unlock his aura, and now he even has show me he's a better student? I shouldn't have to deal with this kind of-
"Weiss?"
"What?!" Weiss snapped at the voice that halted her mental rant. Speak of the devil.
Jaune flinched a little at Weiss' response. "I was just making sure everything's okay, you seemed kinda steamed after class," Jaune said, half hiding behind a nearby corner.
Given the look he was receiving from the pale girl, hiding really wasn't an unreasonable thing to do.
"While I appreciate your concern everything is absolutely copacetic, team leader," Weiss gritted out.
"If you say so," Jaune said with a bit of hesitance. "But if you ever want to talk I'm you know where I am," He responded in his best consoling voice, still hiding behind the corner.
Of course I know where you are, you're right where I'm supposed to be standing!
"You want to talk about why I'm so angry? You want to talk about why you got the team leader position? You want to talk about how the heiress to one of the singularly most prominent and powerful companies on the planet has been repeatedly outdone by an imbecile? All right then, WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT!" Weiss was outright yelling when she finished her tirade and had unconsciously put a hand on Myrtenaster.
It was no small blessing that Ozpin had been taking a stroll nearby and was attracted by the sounds of shouting. When he came upon the sight of resident ice queen looking like she was going to disembowel her team leader, he decided to intervene.
"Ah, Miss Schnee, I heard someone shouting; is everything alright?" He said evenly, feigning ignorance. Ozpin was once again impressed and slightly dismayed by her ability to instantly mask all of her emotions.
"Yes sir, just a minor misunderstanding." She responded coolly.
"I'm glad then. Mr. Arc, I was actually just looking for you. I believe Miss Xiaolong said she was having some difficulty with her schedule, perhaps you may shed some light for her?"
Jaune could take the hint. He was around the corner and gone faster than even Ruby could have managed.
After Weiss was certain he was out of earshot, she spoke. "Was I wrong, Headmaster?"
"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific Miss Schnee," Ozpin responded calmly, sipping his coffee.
Weiss opened her mouth, then closed it again. There were a few moments of silence before she found the words she wanted. "Why did you make him our team leader?" The question reflected how unsure she really felt.
Ozpin didn't answer immediately, taking another slow sip of coffee before he spoke. "Allow me to answer your question with another question. Why do you think I assigned him the role of team leader?"
The heiress knew she was intelligent, but she also knew that the headmaster of the single most prestigious hunter academy in the world was more intelligent than she was. Yet she could not for the life of her think of even one reason he would have made the choice he did. So she couldn't answer. She hated being confused because it made her feel stupid. She hated being ignorant because it made her feel like a child. But most of all she hated being wrong because it forced her to realize she wasn't perfect.
Ozpin took her silence as an answer in and of itself. "You are not an incapable individual in my eyes Miss Schnee. And while I could simply list the reasons for my decision, I believe it would be better for you to discover them on your own. Just please be patient with him, you are not the only one who carries a family legacy on your shoulders."
Ozpin sipped his coffee once more and continued on his stroll.
Weiss found it remarkably difficult to focus on her classes for the rest of the day, even if none of them were with her new teammates. Her mind was occupied by Ozpin's words, left wondering again why the complete fool she saw had caught the man's eye.
(Jaune)
Jaune may not have been inherently perceptive, but he had always had a knack for telling what someone was feeling when he was looking for it. These two things were what prompted him to follow Weiss after their first class. He noticed that something had upset her but he couldn't tell what.
His lack of perception had nearly resulted in an early demise.
He had failed to connect the dots that he was the one she was angry at. Weiss' shouting wouldn't have had nearly as much effect either if she'd just been angry with him (living with seven sisters made him an old hand at calming irritated females). But the fact that she had effectively quoted his own doubtful thoughts made her words sink in that much deeper.
By the end of the day, Jaune made up his mind. He was going to request a leadership transfer for his team. And if for some reason Ozpin refused, he could mention his 'transcripts', then the headmaster would have to do something.
Even though he'd made up his mind, the evening seem to come far too quickly. Jaune found himself standing outside Ozpin's office door, trying to think of any reason valid enough to walk away. It was impossible to not be nervous, after all he may very well be sending his entire future down the drain if he had resort to the truth. Resort to the truth, just how far have you sunk Jaune? He thought glumly. And with that he raised his hand and knocked on the door in front of him.
"Come in." He heard Ozpin say.
The nervous teenager opened the door to the surprisingly spacious room the Headmaster worked in.
"Good evening Mr. Arc, is there something I can do for you?" He said politely.
"Yes sir, I..." Jaune took a deep breath. "I would like to submit a request of leadership transfer for Team Jaguar."
Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is there a particular reason for this request?"
"I do not believe that I am currently capable of fulfilling the requirements of team leader to a sufficient degree that my team may be successful in the long term," Jaune said as professionally as he could without looking away. He'd come this far he wouldn't (and couldn't) chicken out now.
Ozpin leaned back in his chair, Jaune thought he caught a faint glimmer of satisfaction from him, but dismissed the thought as soon as it occurred. "I'm afraid I'm going to need a better reason than that Mr. Arc, I did put quite a bit of effort into the assignments after all."
"Sir, I genuinely believe that any other member of the team would be more effective than myself, Weiss especially." The blonde said, refusing to be dissuaded.
The grey haired man eyed the student in front of him for a moment before he responded. "I'm sorry Jaune, but without further evidence I'm afraid my decision is final," Ozpin's tone revealed nothing, but Jaune thought he felt that glimmer again.
Well promising future, it was nice knowing you but it looks like this is where we part ways. The leader of team Jaguar closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them and locking gazes with the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. "If you need evidence of my incapability then you may wish to look at the transcripts I submitted upon entering this school."
"You mean the forgeries you entered?" Ozpin said with his eyes twinkling.
"Yes, the-" Jaune stopped. Jaune stopped. His breathing halted, his thoughts shriveled up, and even his heart jerked still for a moment. He spent ten very long seconds trying to get the gears in his head to stop clicking. When he finally managed, any trace of a calm professional manner was gone.
"WHAT!? You knew? But- you- how- when-" Jaune managed to regain enough of his facilities to close his mouth long enough to form an actual question. "Then, why?"
"You'll have to be more specific Mr. Arc," Ozpin kept his voice even but had to hide his smile behind his mug.
"You knew I submitted fake transcripts, and you not only accepted me but you gave me responsibility of an entire team?" The still confused knight asked, still trying to perceive the logic of the situation.
"I am the sole headmaster of this establishment Mr. Arc, and as such I may admit whomever I so choose. Your 'transcripts' had nothing to do with your own acceptance," That wasn't entirely true, but it still gave the point Ozpin wanted it to. "Did you really think such blatant fabrications would be able to bypass our screening process? I can't help but find the notion rather insulting," Ozpin had to hide his smile behind his mug again at the dumbfounded expression on his student's face. "As for your position, I believed that if given the responsibility you would do anything in your power to ensure their safety and success. You only enforced my conjecture by going as far as attempting to condemn yourself when you thought doing so would be to their benefit. You've already shown a degree of dedication that some team leaders fail to develop even after four years of learning here."
The Arc heir didn't know what to say, he thought he'd been given a golden opportunity when he'd found fake transcripts. But now he felt like Oum almighty had just walked out of the sky and given him a map that led to all his hopes and dreams.
But that still left his original request.
Ozpin predicted the question before Jaune could even ask. "So no, I will not be reconsidering the leadership of your team. Now if that is all, I have my duties to attend to."
Jaune slowly stood, still processing what had just happened. But after a few more moments even he understood what the headmaster was saying. 'I'm giving you a chance because I believe you will make the most of it.' He once again looked at the smiling eyes behind the glasses.
"You won't regret this, sir."
Ozpin merely nodded, and Jaune walked out of the room with a fire in his eyes. I may not be the best person to lead this team, but I'd sooner be damned than give up.
As the door closed, Ozpin took a sip from his coffee. "Thank you for your patience Glynda."
The Dust user walked out from behind one of the pillars surrounding his office. "I still think you let him off too light. Not even a slap on the wrist?"
"The boy will be berating himself for this for years yet, I saw no need to add to that," Ozpin explained. "And besides, neither Barren Lands or high water will stop him now."
Glynda sighed, she absolutely trusted her employer, and none could argue with the results his leadership wrought. But that didn't mean she and him were always on the same page. "Of course, headmaster."
(Weiss)
Back at the dorm room of Team Jaguar, Jaune sat at his desk going through his assignments with a rigor he'd scarcely felt before. He worked quietly to avoid waking his two slumbering teammates. It was in his newfound focus and motivation that he failed to notice a certain fencer enter the room while he was working.
She had spent the day pondering what she knew about her immediate superior, and came up with surprisingly little. So Weiss did something she had become quite good at before she came to Beacon, she searched. A Schnee could not afford to appear ignorant, so she had often found herself unable to ask questions and needing to know what was going on. Thus the skill she now possessed.
During one of the breaks between classes she'd done some digging and was surprised by what she found. Her team leader was the scion of the Arc Family, a long standing lineage of well respected hunters and warriors that stretched all the way back to before the Faunus War. Even the sword and shield he used, Crocea Mors, were one and the same as the weapons of the statue in front of the school, the statue of his great grandfather.
So when Weiss entered her dorm room and saw him working diligently on his homework, she couldn't help but see a kindred spirit. Forced to carry an entire impossibly perfect family legacy, and that look in his eye... Maybe Ozpin does have a point. Weiss thought grudgingly.
She scuffed her foot as she approached so she wouldn't startle him. He responded to the sound, raising his head and wincing at the movement. He'd been hunched over his desk for a while it seemed.
"Oh, hey Weiss. Uh, about earli-" His quiet voice was cut off by a gesture.
"I would like to apologize for my frankly rude and inconsiderate behavior towards you earlier. I hope that you will accept my apology and that we may still work together as leader and follower," She said, also quietly.
It was a good thing Jaune's hair was already light blonde, because with all the surprises he'd had that day it may well have gone straight grey otherwise. Though he was getting better at regaining facial control after so much practice. "Of course I accept your apology. I should probably also apologize at least for crashing into you over the forest, not to mention thanking you for unlocking my aura and all."
Weiss nodded her acceptance and acknowledgement. She was going to step away and leave him to his work when she noticed something. "Death Stalkers have ten eyes, not eight." Her part said, Weiss walked towards the bathroom.
Jaune turned back to his work and looked over the diagrams he'd just been finishing. Spotting the error in question he sighed and went about correcting it. "Thanks, I thought I checked that."
Weiss paused with her hand on the door. She had been expecting an 'I knew that' or an 'I was just testing you'. Nope, just a simple admission of a mistake. She waited a moment longer, watching her partner working. He's no Pyrrha Nikos, but I guess it could still have been worse.
The Schnee heiress closed the door.
A/N: Third chapter down. To be honest I had a really hard time writing Weiss for this. She's not stupid but she takes everything personally and finding a middle ground was difficult. Also, when I started this chapter I had no intention of revealing Blake yet, but then Nora happened, and so there you are. So once again, favorite, follow, review, beta, or do none of those things if you really don't care. New chapter about this time next week.