Chapter 7


Upperclass

The next day, Team XSBR sat together at lunch. Ruby had sat down with cookies and milk in her never ending quest to satisfy her sweet tooth. Weiss sat to her right, drinking teat from a cup she'd brought herself. To her right, their leader, Yang, sat, arm propping up her head on the table as she was munching on one of her Red Rhino energy bars. And finally, on the end, sat Blake who'd already finished her meal and was passing time by reading.

After a few more minute of this Yang finally sighing, sitting up and setting the bar down. "So," She said aloud. "are we just going to keep pretending like yesterday didn't happen?"

The heiress sipped her tea calmly. "Oh, sorry. Was there more to bring up? I'd thought I'd made my stance on you all perfectly clear."

Ruby narrowed her eyes, pointing a finger. "You openly insult us in front of the headmaster and that's all you have to say?"

Weiss' gaze flipped to her. "'Insult'? I thought I was describing you."

The younger girl turned to her sister. "You're just going to let her get away with this?"

Yang opened her mouth to speak but the heiress gave a dismissive "hmpf" "Typical," she said. "the child hasn't gotten her way so she runs to big sis to sort it all out for her."

"You arrogant little COW!" Ruby said, rising to her feet. "You think because you got money and a good family name you're better than I am?"

Weiss rose to her feet as well. "No, I'm better than you because I take my studies seriously, and I work hard. Not because I happened to get lucky one night and catch the eye of the headmaster."

The younger girl slapped the tea cup out of Weiss' hands and the thing went flying through the air and smashing against the wall.

The ivory hair girl's eyes went as wide as her saucer. "That was over twenty-thousand lien you just cost me." The heiress said though gritted teeth.

"So, pocket change for you. right?" Ruby quipped back.

The two got in one another's face and they began to quibble once more, each trying to talk over the other. Yang just shook her head with disappointment. Why did she even let the two of them sit together? She turned towards her remaining team member. "Hey Blake, could you-" She stopped noticing a fierce look on her face as she looked across their table.

Yang followed her gaze and saw Cardin and the rest of his goons harassing a faunus girl with rabbit ears, pulling on them and laughing all the while. Blake's eyes were narrowed and low rumble emerged from her throat. The dark haired girl flinched slightly as she felt someone reach for her hand and looked to Yang, who now wore a sympathetic frown upon her features. "Blake, are you-?"

CRASH

The two turned to see Weiss and Ruby on the floor, pulling on clothes, hair, and anything else they could get a fistful of, the remains of Weiss' saucer lay near them. "Oh, for crying out loud." The blonde walked over and picked the two off the floor, holding Ruby by her hood and Weiss by the back of her bolero.

"Yang!" They whined in unison.

"I've had enough! From both of you!" She said looking from one to the other as her hair glowed and her eyes gained their red hue. "Both of you, back to the dorm, now." She said as she set them both down. The each looked to her before glaring at one another and taking off in opposite directions.

Yang calmed down as they left her sight and Yang turned to address Blake again only to see the dark-haired girl already left. Yang gave a sigh as she thought back to Ozpin's words. "'Just have patience Yang', 'reach out and make friends with them Yang'. Yeah, easier said than done, professor."


Hours passed and team XSBR sat quietly in their dorm. Weiss and Ruby were doing homework, on opposite sides of the room and facing away from one another. Blake was reading in her bed while Yang flipped through a magazine.

KNOCK KNOCK went the door, causing all four to look up and to it. Yang was about to speak up but the door suddenly flew open with a crash as it the wall and barely held on by it hinges. The sudden noise caused Weiss and Ruby to jump from their seats with a start while Blake and Yang dropped their reading material with surprise.

Stepping through the doorway were four individuals.

The first was a girl with fair skin, short dark-brown hair and dark-brown eyes. She had wavy locks on one side of her face, dyed with a gradient that started as a dark brown and transitioned to caramel. Her clothes consisted of a long, cocoa-colored shirt with a dark brown waist cincher along with long, dark brown trousers with ribbons on the left side and a brown belt with cartridges. Above that, she wore another cocoa-colored belt of cartridges with a gold crosshairs buckle. What appeared to be a drape of black skirt hung on her right side. Her shoes were a pair of dark brown, high-heeled leather boots with buckles. Along with all this were a number of accessories, such a bracelet with black roses as decoration; these were accompanied by black gloves and necklaces. On her head was a beret of a darker brown and a pair of black, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses. She held a black shoulder bag with gold studs, which was held by a bandolier strap.

The next was a boy with dark skin and dark, messy copper hair that has a long fringe and a cowlick. He wore a sleeveless, muted orange zipper vest with black lining and a high collar, a pair of black jeans, and brown, laced shoes. His eyes were very nearly a pure white. His exposed arms were covered in scars, and he has a vertical scar on his lips. He had a pair of long black gloves and several pouches attached to his belt.

The third was a tall and athletic-looking young man with shaved-short black hair and tanned skin, wearing mostly pale-green and brown attire. He had a long short-sleeved robe, which he wore on one shoulder over a black muscle shirt. The robe was fastened at the waist by a leather armored belt with two pouches on it. He had brown pants and black-and-green boots and a 5-layer sode which extends up past his shoulder on his left arm. His weapon, a large blade, was affixed to his back with a padded brown strap slung over his shoulder. He also wore a pair of bracers as well as a pair of black gloves with green plates on the backs.

The last was a bunny-eared faunus girl. She wore a short, long-sleeved brown jacket with a golden zipper, brown shorts with golden detail and black leggings. She also had a black, semi-translucent undershirt beneath her jacket, along with golden spaulders and vambraces on both arms, and a belt to match. Her her heel and toes were likewise protected with golden-brown reinforced boots. Yang and Blake recognized her as the faunus from before.

"UH-TEN-SHUN!" The first girl barked, gaining the focus of the room. "My name is Coco Adel! And our dear headmaster, Professor Ozpin, has asked me and my associates here to take you under our collective wing so that we may whip you sorry excuses for huntresses into a proper functioning unit!" She said making sure to punctuate every word she said. "Let me be clear! I! Am not! Your friend! You will do as I say! And you will do as my associates say! And you will question none! I repeat! None! Of what I or any of them say! Or we will use the authority vested in us by Professor Ozpin and make your collective lives a living hell!" She finished giving them all an intense glare to the confused looking four. "Now, are there any questions?"

Weiss raised a hand and Coco looked to her. "Um, yes, I do. What-?"

"Was that a question?!" Coco bellowed at her. "What did I say about questions?!"

The heiress looked astonished as she held up her hands. "Wait! But you just asked if we-"

"That sounds like more questions!" The older girl barked. "That's it! Drop and give me twenty!"

Weiss balked. "What? You can't be-"

"NOW!" Coco bellowed, causing a shaking Weiss to do as she was told and get on the floor, beginning the push-ups.

"Hehe"

Coco spun on her feet so fast that she nearly left a groove on the floor as she spotted Ruby with her hands quickly covering her mouth and the color draining from her face. "Oh? You think that's funny do ya?!" Ruby violently shook her head but Coco had already crossed the room and was now nearly touching Ruby's forehead with her own. "Well, since its so god dang funny, why don't you join her?! Twenty push-ups, NOW!" Ruby quickly joined in with Weiss as they began to do the push-ups together.

Yang and Blake looked to one another, confusion still clear on their faces. This didn't go unnoticed by Coco as she turned to the two of them. "And you two! Still just loafing around in bed while your friends here at least had the curtesy to stand up when we entered?!" They each opened their mouths to speak but the older girl stopped them, holding up her hand. "No! No excuses! Get down with twenty! Both of you!"

The tall boy and the faunus girl exchanged concerned looks and the copper-haired boy finally stepped up and whispered to Coco as all of XSBR did push-ups before her. "Coco, I don't think this is what Ozpin had in mind. Plus, he didn't give us any power to punish them."

Coco gave him a look, but the boy's face remained serious and she nodded. "Okay, okay! Guys! You can stop."

Team XSBR stopped doing their punishment, sitting on their backsides as Coco went on. "Yeah, I was just messing with ya guys. We're not really like that."

Weiss and Ruby had similar faces of a mixture of disbelief and outrage, Blake was mostly impassive though her eyes seemed curious and Yang just gave a good natured unsure half-smile.

"Anyways, I just remembered, we've yet to introduce the gang." She grabbed the copper haired boy's shoulder and held him close so they were side by side. "This loveable guy is Fox Alistair." She jammed a thumb behind her. "The big lug is Yatsuhashi Daichi, and that's Velvet Scarlatina. We're Team CVFY."

Before either Ruby or Weiss could voice their anger Yang managed to speak up. "I'm Yang Xiao Long, and this is Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and my sister Ruby Rose."

Coco nodded. "Right, Team XSBR. That's a bit funny when the leader doesn't even use a bladed weapon." She chuckled. She then turned her attention to Fox. "So, Foxxie, how you think we should handle these girls?"

Fox crossed his arms, looking to them. "It would probably be best to each take one of them aside. They're not working together and we need to understand them as individuals to see how best they can fit together."

"Excellent idea, Foxxie." Coco said booping his nose. He gave her a raised eyebrow as she released her grip and grabbed Yang's hand. "Xiao Long, right? That makes you the leader of XSBR, so we'll talk, leader to leader." She then looked to the other three. "Fox, you can take prissy white, Yatsu, take bratty red and that leaves moody black for you, Velv."

"Got it." Fox replied.

"Understood." Yatsuhashi replied.

"Alright then." Velvet replied quietly.

The three gave annoyed looks at Coco for their nicknames but finally stood up as the eight left the dorm.


Yang found herself now alone with Coco in her dorm room, she had said this was the best place to get her point across. The girl was lucky, Yang thought, Coco was a second-year which meant she was allowed to have her own private room, which while smaller was not occupied by three other people. Still, there was a smell in here that Yang couldn't help but find as familiar as it was enticing.

Coco opened the window and inhaled deeply before turning around to Yang. "So, team leader, how's that going for ya?" she asked as she reached under her bed for something.

Yang walked over to stand by the window as well, feeling the nice breeze waft through as she watched Coco feel around beneath her bed. "Not great, I mean we've been a team for two days and-"

She stopped as she heard a click from Coco and turned to see her lighting a cigarette, an ashtray now sitting next to the open window. The older girl noticed Yang watching her and she finished lighting the thing, taking a drag on it and blowing the smoke out into the passing breeze. "Yeah," she said as she closed the lighter. "I know about that part, or we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I'm not asking about the team, I'm asking about you."

The blonde watched the tip of the cigarette glow brightly, before fading, shaking herself from the staring as she answered. "I… I guess I'm alight. It's just, a lot to take in, you know? I mean I'm leader which means I'm supposed to be responsible and… leader-ly. But, nothing I try works. I want to be their friend but I'm also kinda supposed to be their boss? I just-"

Coco blew a puff of smoke in her face. "Okay, stop, stop, please. You're just sounding way too pathetic."

Yang coughed at the billow in her face, waving it off. "P-pathetic?"

The older girl took another drag. "Yes, pathetic. P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C, pathetic." She blew the smoke out the window this time. "Look, this is like your second day on the job, so I'm not exactly expecting the world from you, but even so I was expecting better from the girl who placed second at the last Vytal tourney."

Yang frowned and Coco sighed, pulling out another cigarette from her shoulder bag, offering it to the blonde.

"I don't-"

"Yes you do, or if not it hasn't been too long since you quit." Coco said matter-o-factly. "And I need you to relax a bit, so just take it."

Yang hesitated then took it, placing it in her mouth as Coco tossed her the lighter. The blonde caught it, holding the flame close to her mouth to stop the wind from putting out the flame. She took a deep inhale and began to allow the nicotine to do it thing.

Coco smile from behind her aviators. "So, how'd you get your start?" She asked.

Yang took a puff, blowing a smoke ring. "Back at the festival, one of the guys who was slotted to go over to Mistral with me, Rayleigh, he let me have one." She said reminiscing. "By the time I'd gotten home, I was hooked."

"Oh? Then why'd ya quit?"

"Dad."

"Ah." Coco said nodding with understanding. "Old man didn't appreciate a bit of a nasty habit."

Yang shook her head, taking her cigarette out and tapping against the tray. "No, that he did not. Said I was too young to be doing that kind of thing, what kind of example was I setting for my little sister, blah, blah, blah. I guess the nagging eventually stuck 'cause I was about eight months sober, till now, so thanks for that."

The older girl smiled. "Well look at it this way, Yang. We're huntresses, we'll probably be long dead thanks to the grimm before these little babies have a chance to do anything to us. And sometimes, you just gotta lie back and take a moment for yourself."

The blonde nodded in agreement, taking another drag. "And you?" she asked.

"Parents, smokers the both of them. So really, it was probably inevitable." Coco said nonchalantly. "My little brother seems to be breaking the tradition though. She put out the butt in her ashtray and lit another. "But back to the topic of the day. You as leader, what are you gonna do about it?"

"We worked together really well during initiation." Yang said, blowing out another billow. "And they were actually open to listening to me then. So, I was thinking that if we went on missions I'd be their leader, but anytime else, I'd just be their friend."

Coco nodded. "Yeah..,." she said, inhaling. "That's not gonna fly."

"What do you mean?" The blonde asked.

The older girl blew out the window once more. "Being a leader? It ain't something you just do sometimes and don't do other times. It ain't a hat you put on and BAM you're leader or take off and then you're not. It's something that's inside of you, part of you, something you learn to be for those that rely on you, something that never really goes away."

"Like our shared nicotine addiction?" Yang asked, putting the butt out in the ashtray.

Coco peered from behind her aviators. "Exactly. And listen if you wanna be friends with those three, that's fine, I'm friends with all my teammates. But, you gotta realize that being a leader needs to come before being a friend. Elsewise they may not respect you and what you got to say when you say it, ya get me?" She asked as she offered Yang another one.

Yang took it, lighting up. "I think I do. But then, what should I do for now?"

"You need to learn to see the forest through the trees." The older girl advised, waving her hand through the air, causing the smoke to circle around them. "Stop letting all the little details clog up your thinking space and handle things a little bit at a time."

"Meaning, I got to figure out the problems with my team before trying to come up with solutions." The blonde realized.

"Now you're getting it." The older girl said with a wink from behind her aviators. 'And that's what me and my team are here for. We'll be here for you guys every step of the way."

Yang put the cigarette out and began to walk for the door, she stopped at the frame, turning around. "You've given me a lot to think about."

Coco joined her, handing her one last cigarette. "Take it, and remember to take a little time for yourself every once in a while. And if you ever just want to hang for a smoke break, I'm always down for that too."

"Thanks, Coco." Yang said, pocketing it.

"No prob, Yang." The older girl said with one last wink as she tipped her aviators.


Ruby and Yatsuhashi had gone to one of the many sparing arenas of Beacon. The large young-man sat with his eyes closed while Ruby went through some of her practiced motions with Crescent Rose. After finishing one of her forms, she finally sighed leaning up against her weapon and turning to him. "So, are we going to talk about something or…?"

"If you'd like." He replied politely, eyes still closed. "Anything you'd like to talk about we can."

"Shouldn't you be asking me question though? Like how I feel about Weiss or Blake or my own sister or why I don't think we're working as a team?" She asked.

Yatsuhashi merely shrugged. "If you'd like." He repeated.

The dark-hired girl huffed, going over to the console and typing in new parameters for the spring room. Targets began springing up in the air above them and Ruby switched Crescent Rose into sniper-mode, taking aim as she began to fire. "I just don't see what Weiss' problem with me is."

Yatsuhashi said nothing, but opened a single eye as he watched her bulls-eye one after another.

"She gets in my face about how I don't do anything, and then when I try to do anything she just tells me I'm doing it wrong. I can't win with her." Ruby said, blowing another target out of the air.

"And why do you think that is?" He asked.

The girl took aim, lining up her crosshairs. "I don't know…" She said as she began to squeeze the trigger, only for the conversation from this morning to flood back into her head and she eased her grip on the trigger, lowing the rifle. "I guess it's because she thinks I don't belong here."

"And do you think you do?" He probed.

A deep frown formed on Ruby's lips as she lowered her rifle completely. "I don't know." She replied honestly. "Professor Ozpin picked me up after I just happened to stop a robbery he'd heard about and then he just, out of the blue, offers me the chance to my dream school. I thought I was dreaming. I mean I wasn't the top of my class at Signal and then I just jump two years over everyone else because I happened to get to know the right people one night? None of it makes any sense."

"And when Weiss comments on that, it must feel like she's picking on that insecurity." Yatsuhashi concluded.

Ruby nodded. "I'm not like Yang. Not good at book smarts, not good at dealing with people, and even though I talk a big game, I know I'm not the best fighter either." She replied disparagingly. "But god damn it, I'm trying the best I know how! But still! It's not enough! And every screw-up I make is just one more thing for her to rub in my face! Why can't she just see I-I'm just-!" She seethed, unable to finish her sentence and feeling her eyes well up.

Yatsuhashi's eyes softened, he got up and walked over and putting a comforting had on her shoulder. "I believe you are, else it would not hurt so much to have such efforts be ignored and discarded."

Ruby couldn't look him in the eye, wiping her face on her sleeve.

"But you need to let go of these expectations you think you need to fulfil for Weiss and the impossible ones you've set for yourself." He counseled. "I trust the Professor's judgment, and if you weren't ready for this, he wouldn't have offered you a place here."

The girl finished wiping her face and looked up at him with a snooty smile. "Thanks, I really needed that. But what should I do then?"

Yatsuhashi looked off into the distance. "I sense that Weiss has her own issues to work through. I believe those issues may even been the source of her rather poor attitude." He looked back to her. "Just keep in mind that you're doing the best you can and don't let her words try and sway you otherwise. In time I believe she may even come to see all your efforts, and realize the error of her ways."

"And if she doesn't?"

"You can't force people to change Ruby, only give them reason to." He then clapped her on the back. "Now, perhaps a little sparing might lift the mood?"

Ruby nodded enthusiastically as Yatsuhashi set up the area, and the two clashed.


Weiss and Fox sat on a bench on the school grounds, the copper haired boy looked to the heiress, whose arms were crossed and her eyes closed. "So, if there anything you want to talk about?' he asked cautiously.

"I don't know, Fox, was it? Frankly, I can't even see why Ozpin forced me to do this, the other three? Absolutely. But me? I just don't get it." Weiss said as she shook her head and opened her eyes.

The copper hair boy nodded. "I see. Well, have you perhaps considered-?"

"And anyways nothing that's happened here had been my fault! And yet I'm blamed for it anyways!" She said, not paying the slightest attention to Fox, uncrossing her arms as she balled her hands into fists. "I mean my attitude?! There's nothing wrong with the way I act, and even if there were it's nothing compared to how that brat behaves!"

"Okay, well-" Fox began.

But Weiss was on a roll now, ignoring his presence entirely. "I mean she's an entire two years younger than anyone else here, two years! And why? Because she just happened to stop a criminal? Big deal! It's not like she, oh I don't know, had the highest grades in her class and was recommended by numerous staff members of her school! Like I did! Even her sister who placed second in the last Vytal festival didn't accelerate forward by that much, so why her? What makes her so special?"

"I couldn't really say, but-"

"Speaking of! Yang!" Weiss said moving from younger sister to older. "What a disappointment she was. I mean I'd heard through reputation alone that she was supposed to be one of our generation's most gifted, but I can only guess that came from people that haven't gotten to actually know her. She's goofy, distracted, irresponsible, lazy and just a ditz who's done nothing but let her little sister do as she pleases."

"I'm sure it's not that-"

"And then there's Blake." The heiress said starting in on the last member of the team. "That antisocial little wench has done nothing but insult me and my family name since I met her, as if she knows anything about me. And if she's not doing that she's just ignoring me and the rest of our team and anything else around her while she buries herself in a book!"

"I see. Well perhaps-"

"I tell you, Fox." Weiss went on, not even aware he was trying to get a word in. "If I was on a better team, things would be different. Better yet, if I was leader, things would be different. I'd have those three whipped into shape in no time. No more coddling for Ruby, no more inefficiency from Yang, and no more of this introverted, wall flower stuff from Blake."

"Alright, well, that's a lot to unpack. First-"

Weiss then sighed, shaking her head. "Ah, but look who I'm talking to. It's not like you could understand. I mean you're not a leader, if only I'd gotten with Coco." She then put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry though, I won't tell her that you just weren't up to the task. And hey, maybe next time I can actually talk to somebody who'd understand."

Fox was stunned to silence, unable to say anything as Weiss got up and began to walk away.


Velvet and Blake walked through Beacon's garden, Velvet stopping to smell some of the flowers and the younger girl followed slowly behind her. "Ah," Velvet began "the lilies are almost in bloom, only another week or so." She looked back to Blake who just silently stared at her. "Do you like flowers, Blake?"

'They're… alright… I guess." Blake said, gazing at them disinterestedly.

Velvet took another deep breath, inhaling with a smile. "Ah, yes. The smells, that's what I love about this place, the pure aroma, it just makes me feel so at ease."

Blake frowned at her and finally just stated what'd been on her mind this entire time. "Why'd you do that?" She asked.

The older girl looked confused. "I'm sorry? Do what?"

"Cardin and his cronies, you let them make fun of you, harass you. Why?" Blake demanded to know. "You're a year older than he is! He shouldn't be doing that to you!"

Velvet looked away, embarrassed. "Oh, you saw that, did you?"

"I did." Blake confirmed.

"I'm embarrassed that you saw that, but while Cardin and his friends may be bullies, an eye for an eye would make the whole world blind." Velvet replied, still not able to meet Blake's gaze. "If I did something, hurt him, he'd only be more resentful of faunus. So, if he needs a conduit for his frustrations, I can take it, and perhaps I can find a way to get him to come around so he doesn't feel the need to bully anyone again." She then managed to look up to meet Blake's gaze. "Which doesn't mean I'm going to put myself in a position to be bullied, it just means that if he feels the need to go out of his way, I can take it." She then shrugged as her cheery personality returned. "Besides, it's better to make friends than enemies, right?"

The younger girl frowned, unsure of how to respond, instead she just closed her eyes and two began to walk through the garden one more.


As the evening sun began to set the four couples reconvened back in the school's courtyard. The members of each team rearranged themselves until CVFY and XSBR were standing across from one another.

"Okay, newbies. That's it for today." Coco announced. "You all can head back to your dorm, I need to reconnoiter with my lts here about what you guys need work on. We'll be in touch about the next meet-up. DIS-MISSED!" Coco said giving a shout as she saluted dramatically.

The girls looked to one another but said nothing as they all walked off towards their collective dorm.

CVFY watched them go before Coco turned to her own teammates. "So, that Yang girl. She's green, no doubt, but I think I can mold her into a mean-green leadin' machine no problem."

Yatsuhashi nodded. "I believe Ruby has a few things to work out, but she has a good head on her shoulders. I have faith in her ability to overcome what she needs to."

Velvet clasped her hands together. "I think Blake and I really made a connection today, and even though we didn't talk about too much, I'm really looking forward to our next talk."

Fox shifted in his stance. "I… I didn't actually talk to Weiss about her own problems, she just vented at me about her teammates. I'm sorry, I failed." He said, sounding utterly defeated.

Yatsuhashi and Velvet frowned at this but Coco just walked up to him, slapping him on the back. "Ah, don't sweat it Foxy. Some people just have sticks way too inclined to stay up their own butts. But, from what I saw of Yang, in time, she's gonna yank that thing right on out."


This author does not promote smoking or the use of cigarettes, please Review