Edited 10'th September 2017
As the rest of the student body started making their way out of the auditorium, Arturia decided to introduce her team to Pyrrha's team, Team JNPR. Pyrrha noticed their approach and promptly sent them a friendly wave at their direction.
"Hello again" Pyrrha said with a smile, greeting Arturia upon her arrival
"Hey Pyrrha" Arturia said with a smile "So, this is your team, huh?"
"Yup. This is my partner, Jaune Arc" the red haired champion said, pointing to a boy with blonde scraggly hair standing beside her "And over there is the rest of my team, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie" Looking at the direction Pyrrha pointed, Arturia saw that the aforementioned duo were currently engrossed in a conversation with her own teammate, Heracles. Of course, by conversation, she means that Nora was asking the questions in a fast-paced manner and Heracles responding with as little words as possible.
"Hey, I'm Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it" the blonde boy said to his fellow blonde in greeting as he held his hand out
Snickering at the weird greeting, Arturia simply took his hand "Arturia Pendragon. Nice to meet you, Jaune. Well, they certainly look like a colorful bunch, your team" replied Arturia, as she glanced at Pyrrha "This is my parter, Shirou Emiya"
"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nikos" said the white haired teen with a small smile
"Oh, please, just call me Pyrrha"
"That over there is Heracles" continued Arturia, pointing to the two meter tall teen who was still being harassed by the smaller ginger haired girl with various questions on different topics "And the one in the all blue here is-"
"Cu Chulainn. A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nikos" Chulainn said with his hand extended, interrupting Arturia's introduction of him.
"Pleasure's all mine" replied the redhead, a respectful smile on her face
"I've heard all about your accomplishments, Ms. Nikos. How you were the top of your class at Sanctum on top of being a four time regional champion at Mistral" as he said that, he failed to notice the way Pyrrha suddenly stiffened "So, tell me, how was it that a wet noodle - I'm referring to you, by the way" Chulainn continued, pointing at Jaune "was made team leader and not yourself, even with such numerous accomplishments?" the blue haired teen asked, staring pointedly at both Pyrrha and Jaune, earning a look of defeat from the latter.
"Oi, Chulainn, you're being rude" Shirou commented from behind as he grabbed the boy's shoulder "I think it's best if you apologize"
"Hmph. Don't presume to give me orders, Shirou" Chulainn spat, as he shrugged the white haired boy's arm off "And don't think I'll be following your orders again anytime soon, Arturia. What happened earlier today was just a spur of the moment thing, after all" Chulainn continued, sending a glare at the golden haired girl.
"What was th-"
"Actually - Cu Chulainn, was it - I have faith in Jaune's skills to effectively lead Team JNPR" Pyrrha answered, sending her own glare at Chulainn's bluntness "Like your leader, he was able to come up with a solid strategy against the Deathstalker. He has a great tactical mind and that is something I believe all leaders should have; something I doubt you posses" as the champion finished saying that, Jaune's expression turned to one of happiness and surprise, both for the same reason: that someone was willing to stand up for him.
"What did you say?!" Chulainn answered, his facial expression showing that he was just about ready to fight the red haired champion then and there before an armored hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Chulainn, that's enough" Arturia said, her hands gripping the boy's shoulders with more force than she'd like
"Tch… Whatever. And I told you, don't give me orders" Chulainn spat, as he shrugged her arm off before making his way towards the exit of the auditorium.
"I apologize, Pyrrha, for his behavior. He's always been that way for as long as I've known him" Arturia said, bowing slightly.
"Arturia, please! Raise your head. It's not your fault. I just hate bullies, that's all" replied Pyrrha, sending the golden haired girl a small smile.
"Well, I suppose we better head off now. I'll see you tomorrow, Pyrrha" Arturia told her, before turning around to face Heracles "Heracles, we're going!" Team ASHC then proceeded in search for their dorm.
[A few minutes later, in front of their dorm]
"Well, looks like this is where we'll be staying for the next four years" Chulainn muttered to himself as he opened the door to their dorm. What he saw wasn't exactly what he had expected. The room had four beds, two on each side of the room with a door to the right of the entrance, presumably leading to the dorm's bathroom. In front of them, was a study desk that was propped against the wall with a window in front of it with a view of the Emerald Forest
"Huh.. Compared to the rest of the school, the dorms are pretty normal" He was alone in the room at the moment, having left the rest of his team behind. As he began unpacking his luggage, the doors to their room suddenly burst open, Arturia in the lead and the rest of his team right behind her, causing a scowl to form on Chulainn's face.
"What, were you expecting someone else?" Shirou asked him, noticing the boy's scowl "Sorry to disappoint you, Chulainn, but we're stuck together as a team for the next four years. So, whether you like it or not, I think it would be in your and the team's best interest if we all just got along" Shirou told the boy, as he sat down on a bed on the left side of the room
"He's right, you know, Chulainn" Arturia sighed "Look, we may have been akin to enemies in the past but now, we're teammates. So, I would greatly appreciate it if we all were to work together in order to be the greatest hunter team to ever graduate Beacon" Arturia said, a bright smile on her face as she extended her hand at the blue haired teen.
What felt like an eternity, but was actually just a couple of seconds, had passed as Chulainn looked between Arturia, her hand, Shirou, and Heracles before he slowly and very reluctantly took Arturia's hand, agreeing to her proposal.
"Excellent. So, since we're a team now, how about we get to know each other a little bit better by introducing ourselves. Agreed?" Arturia asked, looking around the room to see that everyone nodded in agreement "I'll start, then. As you know, my name is Arturia Pendragon and I come from Mistral. I did not go to a traditional combat school but instead, received private tutors, both in matters of combat and non-combat. I met Chulainn here before in classes in school where I was allowed to observe the fighting styles of other students at the behest of my father. We've faced each other before but were never able to reach a conclusion"
After a few moments of silence, the rest of the team realized that she had finished. Shirou then stood up to introduce himself "My name's Shirou Emiya. As you can see from my eyes, I am a Hawk Faunus. My family's from Mistral. I'm an only child. I'm from the same combat school as Chulainn here, which is Apocrypha. It was there that I became, for lack of a better word, friends with him. Like Arturia, I've fought with him before and the results were… less than ideal for me" Shirou said, finishing his self-introduction as he sat back down in his bed.
"Translation: I kicked his ass" Chulainn continued, smirking at Shirou "So, my name's Cu Chulainn McRemitz. I was born in Vacuo but I moved to Mistral when I was ten. I'm an only child. My dad's a priest and my mom's a Huntress" Chulainn said, before stopping for a moment to contemplate on what to say next "I suppose that's all there is to know about me" The three members of Team ASHC who had already introduced themselves then looked to their final team member.
"I'm Heracles von Einzbern. I was born and raised in Atlas. I am the eldest of my siblings, of which there are five, three girls and two boys. I chose to attend Beacon to escape the, from what I've heard, rigid and stiff culture of Atlas" Heracles nodded, indicating that he was done.
"Well, now that that's out of the way, how about we learn each other's semblances and abilities?" Arturia asked, eyes brimming with curiosity. The four members of ASHC then chatted with each other until the day turned to night when they all decided to get an early sleep to prepare for the classes the next day.
[The next morning]
Arturia was the first of her team to wake up that morning. It was a habit, really, after spending all her life according to schedules and deadlines. Her biological clock never missed a beat and she always seemed to wake up at exactly 5.30 in the morning. Following her usual routine, she cleaned herself up a bit before getting dressed for her morning jog. Reaching the Beacon's courtyard, she found that she wasn't the first student that morning, as a member of Weiss's team was already there. If she wasn't mistaken, her name was Blake Belladona.
"Good morning" Arturia greeted the girl as she approached her, receiving a nod in return "You're on the same team as Weiss, right?"
"Yeah. Do you know her?" asked Blake, as the both of them began their morning jog alongside each other
"Yup. We've known each other since we were kids, after all" Arturia answered "So, I know it's probably still early but, what do you think about being on a team with her?"
"Hmmm… Well, as far as first impressions go, she's definitely not the easiest person to be teammates with" answered Blake "As expected of a Schnee, I suppose" she muttered to herself silently
"Yeah, that's Weiss, alright. But, I hope you won't give up on her. She may come off as a snot at times but she can be a really great friend when it comes down to it. And dependable, too" Arturia told the girl, a confident smile on her face
"Right now, that's hard to believe" Blake answered, earning a chuckle from Arturia
"Give her time. She'll warm up to you eventually" came the reply from the golden haired girl
"I highly doubt that, not if she were to find out who I really am" the Faunus in disguise thought to herself. The rest of their jog were spent in silence, the silence being broken by the occasional small talk between the two Huntresses in training. By the time they decided to end their morning exercise, the time was already a quarter past six. Reaching her dorm, she was greeted with the still sleeping bodies of her teammates. Deciding not to bother them from their sleep, Arturia quietly took out her uniform before entering the shower to get herself ready for the day. Stepping out of the shower a few minutes later, she was greeted with the sight of Heracles sitting on the side of his bed.
"Boy, you're definitely not a morning person, huh?" Arturia said, if the boy's expression was anything to go by
"No, I most definitely am not" the boy replied, as he got up and prepared his school uniform before entering the shower. Not long after that, Shirou and Chulainn woke up, as well. Of course, for Chulainn, Arturia had to be the one doing the waking up. After each member of Team ASHC was dressed and ready for the first day of classes, the time was already half past seven and with classes set to begin at nine, the four teens quickly made their way towards the cafeteria for breakfast.
After breakfast, the four teens then made their way towards their first ever class at Beacon, which, according to their schedules, was to be Professor Peter Port's class on Grimm Studies.
"I wonder what we'll be learning in this class" Arturia thought aloud, asking nobody in particular
"It'll probably be just him talking about the various weakness and strengths of the known Grimm" answered Shirou
"Does it really matter?" the C of Team ASHC asked, as he lead his team towards where the class was being held "I mean, we can already kill the damned things without having to go through a lecture about whatever the Hell their weaknesses are. This will probably just be a waste of time"
Arturia sighed at her teammates ignorance "Chulainn, I highly doubt that this class will be a waste of time. After all, with the knowledge of your enemy's weakness, you can formulate a plan to kill the Grimm much more effectively and efficiently than if you don't have any knowledge on them"
Chulainn could only click his teeth at his leader's answer.
"I can't help but find myself agreeing with Chulainn" spoke the dark skinned teen of Team ASHC, who had been silent for most of the morning "I usually just try and use my superior agility and strength to kill the Grimm and it hasn't failed me so far"
"Hah! I knew there was a reason we're partners, Heracles" Chulainn said, patting the aforementioned teen on the back.
Seeing the exchange between her teammates, Arturia could only sigh.
[Later, towards the end of Grimm Studies]
"Psst.. Arturia" Chulainn whispered to his leader, not wanting to draw attention to himself "What was that you said about this class not being a waste of time?"
"Ughh.. Shut up, Chulainn.." Arturia retorted halfheartedly, as she tried to take notes on all the things that the portly professor in front of the class was talking about, the key word here being tried as even the ever diligent and hardworking Arturia Pendragon found it difficult to damn near impossible to pay attention in this particular class. "This is seriously not what I was expecting at all.." the golden haired girl muttered to herself, as she banged her head on the table, finally giving up on the idea of taking notes on whatever it was Professor Port was talking about in front of the class.
"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Professor Port said, as a hand that belonged to a certain white haired Heiress suddenly shot up.
"I do, sir!" Weiss Schnee shouted, her face full of determination
"Well then, lets find out. Step forward and face your opponent" the Professor told the student, as he gestured towards a locked cage containing a Boarbutusk.
A few seconds into the match, Arturia was able to notice something odd about the way the Heiress was fighting and it seems that it wasn't just her who had noticed this.
"Hmmm… I'm not sure what I expected from a Schnee but it certainly wasn't this. Especially not after how I remembered her during Initiation" Shirou said, voicing his opinion.
"You're right. She's having too much trouble facing the Boarbutusk" Arturia replied, observing the fight intently.
"Hmph.. I guess that's what you get for being all arrogant and stuck up, not that I expected anything less from a Schnee" came the unfiltered opinion of Cu Chulainn, who was watching the battle with an expression of boredom.
"STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!" Weiss shouted in front of the classroom, apparently at her team leader, from what Arturia could tell from her seat in the back. The Heiress then proceeded to swiftly kill the Grimm in front of her using a quick and smart combination of her trademark Glyphs. After giving a few more words of advice, Professor Port then dismissed the class.
Not wasting another moment, Weiss stormed out of the class as well, choosing not to look back at her leader.
"I'll catch up with you guys later. There's something I need to do" Arturia told her team, as she chased after her old friend. As she got out of the classroom, she saw that her friend was currently in a heated discussion with her leader and was only able to catch the last moments of what the two girls were talking about.
"...And quite frankly, I deserve better. Ozpin made a mistake" the Heiress spat, her voice full of disdain for the younger girl. Arturia was about to comfort her fellow leader before seeing the Headmaster himself beat her to it. Seeing no other option, she then went looking for her childhood friend.
After a few minutes of searching, Arturia found her on the rooftop of the school building and she was currently talking with Professor Port, which, from the looks of it, was approaching its end and she was able to catch the last bits of their conversation. The white haired Heiress then made to leave, a small hint of a smile on her face, before stopping in her tracks.
"You're smiling. I wasn't expecting that when I came to talk to you" Arturia said, leaning on the door frame to the rooftop, a small smile plastered on her own face.
"Hmph.. Eavesdropping doesn't look good on you" Weiss countered, as she walked past the girl.
"So, I'm guessing from that smile on your face, you've calmed down a little?" Arturia asked, as she matched the Heiress's pace.
"I guess so.." Weiss answered with a slight frown, sighing.
"Are you going to talk to her about your little outburst in class?"
"I… don't know.. I'm starting to regret for letting my temper get the better of me"
"As you should be. The girl was only trying to give you advice. There really was no need to snap at her like that"
"I know that.. It's just.." Weiss replied, sighing "She was really getting on my nerves. The way she acted during Initiation wasn't even close to how a leader should be. And don't even get me started on her behavior in Professor Port's class. I mean, seriously, how immature can someone be?!" Weiss shouted
"Weiss, it's only been a day since she was made team leader. You're not even giving her a chance here" Arturia told the Heiress, as she stared her in the eye "If you're not even giving her a chance to be a better leader, then she never will be. She hasn't even learned anything about being a leader yet. So, logically speaking, how can she be a good one?"
"I'm… not following what you're trying to say" answered Weiss, a confused expression on her face
"My point is, don't worry about it. Seriously. Just help each other out and in time, I'm sure she'll be a reliable leader you can depend on"
Weiss silent for a few moments as she thought on what the golden haired girl had just said before she spoke "You really think so?"
"I know so" Arturia replied, patting the Heiress on the back. Without realizing it, the both of them had reached the doors to their respective dorms "Well, this is me. Are you gonna be fine?"
Weiss looked at the door in front of her with an expression that contained a hint of hesitation "Yes.. I believe I'll do fine. Thank you, Arturia" Weiss answered, before she stepped inside her room
"You're welcome, Weiss"
[/]
A few days have passed since the start of Beacon's first semester and during that time, Teams RWBY, JNPR and ASHC have become fast friends, as evident from the fact that all three teams almost always choose to sit together during breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner. Right now was one of those times, as Nora was currently in the middle of telling her usual tall tales, with Ren interjecting now and then to correct whatever false information she was telling. Out of all those who were there currently, only Yang and Heracles seemed to be paying any sort of attention to what the girl was saying while the rest seemed content to mind their own business.
"Please, stop" a voice cried out from behind the group, as Team CRDL were currently laughing at Velvet Scarletina as Cardin pulled at one of her ears.
"See? I told you they were real. What a freak" Cardin said, laughing along with his team. Blake lowering the book she was reading to slightly glare at the racist teen in front of her, a glare that went unnoticed.
"Atrocious" Pyrrha spat, utterly disgusted at the boy's actions "The situation's not made any better from the fact that everyone is choosing to ignore the scene as if it's a normal occurrence"
"That's because it is" Blake spoke, as she put down her book "That's probably why the Faunus are used to putting up with things like this" Arturia couldn't help but glance at her own Faunus teammate, empathy evident on her face.
"It's disgusting" Shirou continued, his voice laced with venom "He isn't qualified to be a Hunter, let alone a student here at Beacon"
"I wish someone could do something about Cardin, though" Pyrrha replied, glaring at the armored teen
"It's none of our business, anyway. Because" Blake added quickly, before any of the others could argue her point "If we intervene, it'll just make it worse for Velvet. Besides, he seems like the type of person that would get bored if he receives no response from her"
"Hmph.. If you ask me, she deserves it" a voice from one end of the table said, as all activity on the table stopped and all eyes were suddenly upon the blue haired teen of Team ASHC, who was currently eating his breakfast with a 'couldn't care less' expression on his face "I'm not racist, if that's what you're thinking. All I'm saying is, if she won't even bother standing up for herself, then what's the point of her attending this school, anyway? She'll have to face a lot worse when she graduates. Although now, it's looking more like an if rather than when. If she can't even be bothered to deal with her problems herself, then she'd be better off finding a different career path or better yet, find employment with the SDC" That last comment of Chulainn's had earned more than a few death glares from Teams RWBY and JNPR as well as his fellow Faunus teammate.
"Chulainn, how could you even say-"
"How dare you!" Blake half-shouted, interrupting Arturia, as she stood up to look at Chulainn "Those mines have nowhere near the standards of safety required to ensure the lives of the Faunus working there and I'm sure if you really knew the conditions of those mines, you wouldn't even have the courage of saying something like that" From beside Ruby, Weiss shuffled uncomfortably in her seat at the mention of her father's company.
"Hey now, isn't that what you just told the rest of us to do? 'Mind our own business'? Well, that's what I'm doing" replied Chulainn, as he nonchalantly took a bite of toast.
"You know she didn't mean it like that, Chulainn" Shirou retorted
"Oh? Then clarify for me, Blake, what did you mean by that? Because all I see around this table are just a bunch of hypocrites. Hypocrites who are only talking about saving the rabbit girl but aren't actually doing anything about it" Chulainn shot back, staring at Blake.
"Hmph. And what about yourself? You talk as if you're high and mighty and yet, I don't see you lifting a finger to help her" replied Blake, challenging him.
"That's because I simply don't care" Arturia winced beside him, sparing a glance at Shirou as well as the dark looks members of both RWBY and JNPR were sending him "I honestly don't see any reason why I should care about someone I don't know"
"We should care because we're training to be Hunters and Huntresses" Ruby shot back, beating Blake to the punch "That's what we're here for. To stand up to injustice and protect the weak from the evils of the world"
"My point stands. You lot weren't doing anything to stop any injustice from happening. You were simply talking about it" Chulainn replied, as he got up from his seat with a sigh "Fine, then. I'll deal with this"
"Deal with this? Chulainn, what are you thinking of doing?" Arturia asked her teammate, receiving only silence in reply. Much to the confusion of all three teams, the blue haired teen then made his way towards Team CRDL, who were still in the midst of tormenting the poor rabbit Faunus.
"Hey" Chulainn said to Cardin, neutral expression on his face.
"Huh?! The hell do you-" Before he could finish his sentence, however, a fist came out of nowhere to suddenly meet with the side of his face, sending Cardin crashing to the ground below, causing the entire cafeteria, the rest of Team CRDL included, to go silent at the sudden act of violence. Cardin was currently on the ground, knocked out. Even Velvet was shocked at what just occurred, her hands being used to cover her mouth.
"Chulainn! What the hell was that?!" Arturia shouted, rising from her seat as she made her way to her teammate. Unfortunately for her, she was only met with a slight glare and complete silence from the boy. Saying their goodbyes to Teams RWBY and JNPR, the rest of Team ASHC made to follow Chulainn out of the cafeteria, if only to make sure that Chulainn doesn't get himself into any more trouble than he's already in.
"Chulainn, wait!" Arturia shouted, grabbing the boy's shoulder as her team exited the cafeteria "Don't think you can just walk away after doing something like that. You owe us an explanation"
"I told you, didn't I?" Chulainn replied, sighing "I was dealing with the problem at hand"
"You called that dealing with it?!" Arturia asked
"Of course" came the simple reply from Chulainn "Anyway, I'll see you guys later. I have an appointment with the Headmaster"
[A few minutes later, Ozpin's office]
As the elevator to the top of the tower finally reached its destination with a 'ding' sound, Chulainn stepped out to be greeted with the Headmaster sitting behind his desk, a small stack of paperwork and a computer screen in front of him, as well as a mug of coffee in his right hand.
"Hmm? Mr McRemitz, I must say, I wasn't expecting you to be in my office without being escorted by Ms. Goodwitch" the Headmaster said
"I beg your pardon, sir?"
"For the incident in the cafeteria a few minutes ago" Ozpin then turned the computer screen around, showing the incident that occurred a few minutes prior "Surely you didn't think Ms. Goodwitch won't find out about this, did you?"
"Oh.. that.. I apologize for that, Headmaster, but circumstances at the time forced my hand" replied Chulainn "But that isn't why I came here today to meet you"
"Oh? Then please, take a seat, Mr. Kotomine"
"Thank you, sir" Chulainn said, taking the seat in front of Ozpin "It's actually regarding my team's leader position…"
[Chapter 3 END]
A/N: And that's chapter 3. Honestly, I liked writing this chapter though the writing the start of this chapter was a bit of a pain. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. As always, please leave a review, whether they be negative or positive. Criticism (whether they be constructive or not) is always welcome. Also, quick reminder, the poll in my profile is still open so, do leave your vote. Thanks.
No XIV signing off