IX

Roland sat on a chair across the room from the rest of Team JNPR and sighed. Nora had returned after about an hour and had been convinced by Jaune and Pyrrha to join in the discussion that was about to unfold. Roland glanced at the woman who had struck him and almost smiled. I've never met a woman with as much spunk as she. He thought to himself as he remembered Nora's skills with her hammer and the strength behind the punch that was still making his jaw tingle. He slid off his uniform jacket and placed it neatly on the back of his chair. He could feel everyone's eyes on his arm and he couldn't help but feel a slight case of phantom pain jolt through it as he remembered the beowolf's jaws around it. His right arm had been replaced with a black, armor plated, metal arm with several small tubes running from it to his bicep. The tubes were connected into the flesh of his upper arm and had a strange blue system of markings running from the connection sites upward under the sleeve of his shirt.

"Why don't we start with how you healed so fast? Tell us about what happened in the infirmary. Also what is a Dust Eater? Is it the name of your tribe?" Jaune said as he stared at Roland's new arm.

"Well as Professor Ozpin said when I first came in the room, I am one of two remaining members of the Dust Eaters. We are…we were a tribe of highly skilled warriors that have a rare semblance. This semblance is known as transmutation and means we are able to manipulate dust with our minds for different outcomes. To do this we would infuse it into our bodies, most could only eat dust, and a few could absorb it into their bloodstreams. Some of those in my tribe were able to use it to disappear, some could move at inhuman speeds or strengthen themselves with it, and some could even fly after eating it. A very small number of us, mainly those belonging to The Old Families' bloodlines, could use dust to do almost anything we wanted and were not bound to just one ability like others. The Old Families were the old bloodlines that made up the elite in our tribe, my father's family was the most powerful. Sometimes there would be those like my sister Nina. She has the ability to foresee the future by tapping into the dust that flows through her veins. However, because she is still young she more times than not can only see small glimpses instead of full pictures. I understand it is quite frustrating for her sometimes." Roland paused as an attempt to let the others take in his words and to see if there were any questions.

Almost on cue Pyrrha cleared her throat before leaning forward in her seat. "And what is your ability Roland? What can dust do for you?" She asked with a spark on interest in her eyes.

"I had the ability to use dust to strengthen bodies and weapons. Because of my body having dust infused into my very blood I am able to heal at speeds nobody else can. This is why my ribs and face have healed almost perfectly. My arm was lost however because of the extreme amounts of damage and blood lost from the wound in it. Also, because I was unconscious I was unable to save Ren's life. Had I not been so weak from my own injuries I could have merged some of my blood with his to allow him to heal. I apologize for that." Roland responded with a deep sense of sadness in his voice. He looked at Nora and bowed his head for a moment.

Nora felt her blood start to boil as the thought of Ren being rescued by this person in front of her. Who the hell does he think he is? Ren wouldn't have had the injuries he had if it wasn't for him! And now he is saying if he hadn't been so weak he could have saved him? What a joke. She thought to herself before rolling her eyes and looking away in disgust.

"So that answers quite a few of the questions we had for you. However, it doesn't explain why your new arm looks like it does." Jaune replied while gesturing towards Roland's metal arm.

"Oh yes. I almost forgot about that. Well…you see because I lost my right arm I was faced with a serious issue. My weapon strengthening abilities granted to me by my semblance were used by flowing the energy out of my right hand. And so after I woke up and had a chance to get a grasp on the situation at hand, Professor Ozpin explained that because he had a decent grasp on my abilities that the academy would allow me to have a new arm. He went on to explain how this machine was infused with a rare blend of different dust types to create an impossibly strong metal. He also said that with the tubes connecting the machine to my blood and nerves that I could use it to transmute the machine itself into nearly any weapon or tool I deemed fit. Apparently all I need is the right type of dust to come in contact with it and I can then bend the false part of my arm into a very effective weapon. Of course the catch was to stay here and learn to become a huntsman. He claimed that a semblance like mine was better suited to be used as a huntsman keeping humanity safe. I told him I would do it if my sister could stay here with me." Roland explained before taking a deep breath.

"Speaking of your sister, where is Nina?" Pyrrha said as she looked around the room, just now realizing she hadn't seen Roland's sister in quite some time. She found this to be very unusual as she had yet to see them separated.

"My sister loves to learn so Professor Goodwitch is with her in the library. Apparently Ozpin is offering her a small job there. He said something about inventory and what not." Roland chuckled softly as he leaned back in his chair, a little more relaxed than usual. He then sighed as he looked at his hand. Ozpin was right about one thing, it was going to take some getting used to. He was also going to need to relearn how to fight with something he couldn't even feel. While he was looking at his hand he heard Nora shift in her seat. He glanced at her to see her looking at him with a puzzled look on her face. "What is it Nora?" He asked, concerned that the woman who apparently hated his very existence would want to talk to him.

"You said that you had dust infused into your blood. How…does that happen?" She said silently before looking away again.

"Ah. Well honestly I never thought to explain that part but I figured you all would find out about it sooner or later." He said as he stood up and started to unbutton his shirt.

"Find out about what…why are you taking off your shirt?" Nora said as she looked back at him, startled at the sight of him shirtless. No matter how hard she tried to not look, she couldn't help but be impressed with what she saw. The young man standing before her was the definition of a warrior and a specimen. Scars covered his body, from his shoulders and chest down to his abs. But that wasn't what really caught her attention. He had tribal tattoos scattered on his chest, abdomen, and ribs. Everything sort of spiral and rune could be seen tattooed into his skin. But as he turned around her, and the rest of Team JNPR, all let out a gasp. On his back was a large tattoo of a burning nevermore. Its wings tattered with the entire massive bird burning in a dark orange ink. Nora was so intrigued by it that she hadn't even noticed that she had stood up and walked over to Roland. Before she could stop herself she ran her fingers across one of its wings. "Is this ink…made out of dust? It's beautiful." She asked softly before snapping out of her trance and darting back to her seat. Pyrrha and Jaune looked at her puzzled before glancing at each other, confused by what just happened.

"Yes. All of my tattoos are from a special type of ink that my tribe would use to infuse special warriors with dust. It's deemed as a great honor amongst my people because of the extremely painful infection that comes after the ink settles into your body. Some people don't even survive a day after their first tattooing. Very few had as many markings as me." He replied as he put his shirt back on and picked up his jacket. "I feel that is enough talk of my past for one day. Perhaps we can continue this later? Before we do anything I would like to ask you all a favor." He continued after slipping his uniform coat back on and dusting it off.

"Uh…sure. What is it?" Jaune said, slightly confused.

"Would you three like to eat dinner with me? Professor Ozpin said that there was a nice café not far from here that was still open. I figured that the dining facility was already closed so it was no point going there. Besides, in my tribe the best way to bond with new friends is with food." Roland said with a confident smile.

The three other members of JNPR looked at each other for a few moments before Jaune stood up and grabbed his own uniform jacket. He slipped it on and opened the door to their room before saying with a smile. "Of course Roland. We would love to eat dinner with you."