Chapter 12: Our Time Together
(Beacon) (Cafeteria)
Pyrrha gave a quizzical look to her partner that morning when she heard him groan loudly at his side of the table. No doubt the small stack of books he had beside him was the cause of his stress. The amount of work he had wasn't difficult but it certainly took a lot of his time. He barely even had a chance to touch his food upon arrival.
"More office work?" She inquired which somehow managed to garner his attention.
"Yeah." He groaned annoyingly gazing heavily on the book almost resisting the urge to toss it into the frying pan and let it burn. "Ms. Goodwitch got me sorting through most of them. It's just ledgers and manifests—you know. Keeping track of everything and making sure that everything's where they should be."
"Sounds… exciting." The redhead goddess tried to say it convincingly but failed.
"More like exhausting." The boy replied groaning even louder as he placed his head on his palm, trying to get another few seconds of rest. "Do you know that we have an excess supply of watermelons? No kidding. This school has an entire watermelon farm outside of Vale providing them with free GIANT watermelons!"
"Huh… no wonder there was so many." Ren noted remembering the food fight they had the other day. "That answers one question."
"Well that's what I get for crashing someone else's car." The blonde knee-debt knight grumbled.
"It seems like this extra workload of yours is really running you ragged." Pyrrha added worryingly noting how exhausted her partner looked. "Maybe you can ask for a day off."
"I wished." He scoffed. "They already lined up my duties for the whole week. I'll be lucky if they let me scrub the toilet for the rest of my school life."
"I still can't believe you went on something so dangerous." The redhead muttered back. "You could've gotten yourself hurt."
"I still can't believe you actually went and stole a whole truck." Ren followed hinting a bit of praise and amazement in his tone. "I don't know whether I should call that bold or fanatical."
"Hey it was a genuine emergency." Jaune defended. "Ruby and her team were in trouble and we needed to get to the highway as quickly as possible."
Ren simply laughed back. "And you couldn't have stolen a faster vehicle?" Jaune opted to answer but was quickly cut off when Nora catapulted a strawberry onto his face.
"Hey! What was that for?"
"What was that for?" The energetic gal hissed back at her leader. "What was THAT for!? That was for you who went on a death defying, life-saving battle without us! While you were out on world saving missions, Ren and I have been stuck in his lab playing the wicked witch of the South-East!"
"Actually, that's just you." Ren pointed out but flinched back when his partner smacked her iron-weighted fist on the table.
"You went on to fight a giant robot, crashed a car on top of it and lived to tell the tale! You're hogging all the glory and I… Nora Valkyrie shall… nay… we the rest of Team JNPR will not stand for it! Thee abandon us for the team that is named after the wilted red flower, amar nay fetit! "
Jaune stared back puzzled before turning to his green garbed friend. "Can you translate that, I don't understand a thing she said."
"She's jealous that you got to go on a fight with Team RWBY."
"And angry!" Nora followed slamming her second fist on the table. "We don't get to do anything exciting around here and our first mission isn't until after the dance! It's just not fair! I wanna fight giant mass-murdering robots too!"
"Well… the next time I see a giant robot out to kill me, I'll be sure to give you a call." Jaune replied finally getting that orangette to beam, wondering if that girl had more mood swings than a teenager girl constantly constipating. "Right now, I gotta finish sorting through these manifests before 3rd period. Hopefully then I'll feel better."
"Well… this might not make you feel better, but I do have something to show you." Ren started a new topic before producing a liquid vial from his pouch. "Here it is. It's my first successful produce of the Black Dust. I was finally able to synthesize it to a liquid form and turned its magical properties into healing focus."
The vial itself was a standard Dust container with a blood red liquid swirling inside and at the center of that blood like water was a small black object about the size of a pill. A close look at it and one might say that it was made by a mad scientist or a vampire.
"It looks rather… ominous." Pyrrha commented honestly seeing the stuff in the vial as bleak and mucky. "What does it do?"
Ren gladly answered, always feeling cheerful to put his mind to use. "I applied it with the basic recipe of a healing reagent. It's the same thing they used in hospitals as emergency healing. Normally they use green and yellow Dust as the main ingredient but this time, I used the Black Dust to further enhance its properties. If my calculations are correct, the properties of the reagent should be at least 5 times more effective. I just need to put it to the test."
"Great. So what do you need?" Jaune inquired.
"Well… I need to make sure there are no side effects and the only way to do that is to get a live test subject. That means I need someone who is seriously injured." He immediately regretted his choice of words when Nora pulled out her weapon with a suggestive look at several students on another table. "No Nora. I don't need you beating people to death again."
"Aww…" She whined. "Can I at least settle for near-death?"
"No." He grumbled before turning back to his sponsor. "Anyway. The first test should run well without problems. I'm already working on the concept for my weapon load out. Oh… and Pyrrha. Would you mind testing this out?" Ren pulled out another vial this time it looked like an ammo cartridge. "They're smaller, more compact rounds for your weapon. I had them specifically made for you. I'd like it if you can tell me the results."
"T… thank you, Ren." Pyrrha answered nervously, a bit hesitant to accept the new piece of weaponry. "But don't you think it's a little too early to try out something we barely understand? I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Oh don't worry. Those rounds are made with just a tiny speck of Dust. They shouldn't do any more harm than your regular bullets. I wanted you to test them on some dummy targets at the training ground if you have the time."
"Well… if it's against practice targets, then I suppose its ok."
Their conversation was however, quickly put to an abrupt end when a certain coffee loving, fast talking professor stopped by. "Ah! Mr. Arc! There you are!"
"Professor Oobleck?" The blonde boy recoiled from the man's sudden appearance.
"That's Dr. Oobleck to you, young man. I didn't get a degree in history and devoted myself to archeological surveys, just to be misunderstood as a simple minded teacher."
"But don't doctors… you know… do doctory stuff?" Nora pointed out.
"Make no mistake young lady. I am more than capable of performing lifesaving surgery on any patient, given the right tools and equipment but just because you wear a lab coat means that people can call you a doctor. You need to have a certain degree, fame and knowledge to be accounted on such a title and I will be damned if I let other students call me otherwise!"
…
…
…
"What?"
"So you need me for something, Professor?" Jaune asked quickly changing the subject.
"It's Dr. Oobleck! And yes. I am in need of your assistance. It has come to my attention that you are now an official employee of this school under the guise of paying off the debt of the collateral damage that you've done. And as such I will require you aid in moving some of my research with me. The research is of delicate matter and requires two or more people to do it within the hour."
"O…k? So… you want me to help you… move some stuff?"
"Yes! Correct! Punctual as usual! Top notched, Mr. Arc!"
…
…
…
"Do you need me… now?"
"YES!" The man finished pulling the boy away by the collar, dragging him off to even more work. "Come now, we have only half an hour before class starts and you don't want to be late! Come now, chop chop. Hop to it!"
"J… Jaune! Wait you forgot your… books." Pyrrha called out only a few seconds too late when the boy and the teacher vanished into the background. "Oh dear…"
(RWBY's dorm room)
Yang liked her beauty sleep. In fact, she practically adored it. Having at least 7 hours of sleep prevents wrinkles, and god knows how that would do for a teen of her age. If she wanted to keep looking beautiful, one must always be ready to put effort especially when it comes to beauty sleep.
But unfortunately for the blonde buster, something was annoying her. The sound of a happy-go-lucky hum came from somewhere nearby and it was ticking her off how anyone could be cheery especially on this time of day.
Her eyes blinked opened staring at her alarm clock which ticked the seconds away. She turned in her lower bunk bed, looking at the work desk where she found her sister working on something.
"Ehmm… Ruby?" The blonde boxer called out.
"Morning sis." The team leader waved darting to the gurgling girl before returning to her work. "Did ya sleep well?"
Yang picked up the alarm clock noting how early it was. "It's 7:50 in the morning. Classes don't start for another hour. What are you doing up so early? And… what is that delicious smell?" Her nose quickly caught on.
"Oh… that's probably the cookies I made." She replied showing off the smiley cookies that she had on hand.
"You made cookies? At this time of day?" She darted between her clock and her sister. "What time did you wake up?"
"A couple of hours ago." She answered, before placing the final touches on her first piece. "Blake and Weiss got up too. They're in the showers right now. I thought I'd finish my little project."
Now fully awake and out of her bed, Yang noted her sister's work and discovered that she had made her mother's secret recipe cookies that she served only on special occasions. It was something of a family secret that only Ruby knew about. They were cookies that she made whenever they were sad and it always and she meant ALWAYS made them smile even at the darkest times. From the looks of it, this batch of cookies had a special appeal with toppings that resembled a lot like the faces of her teammates.
"Oooh! Mom's cookies. Don't mind if I have one." She reached out to nibble only to have her hand smacked away by its creator.
"Hey! No nibbling." Ruby hissed. "These aren't for you, they're for Jaune."
"Jaune?" Yang was both amazed and surprised at the same time to hear that name spoken so casually. It almost felt like there was a hidden motive behind her creation. "Why him?"
"I thought I'd give him something as a thank you for all his help." She answered returning to her work. "I mean… he's done so much so us and Blake, I thought that he deserved a little reward."
Yang's grin grew wider than a gremlin, if that was even possible. She studied her sister's reaction for a moment and thought of this act. As innocent as it may sound to be giving away treats to a friend, the homemade cookies made a different impression on that gesture. If she's not mistaken, it would seem that her oblivious sister of hers has developed a childish crush on that blonde knight and this little baking project of hers was just a way to approach him. Yang has played this game so many times that it's become easy for her to detect hidden meaning in the words.
"Aww… my sister's got a crush on someone." She teased, giving Ruby a big bear hug.
"What!? Yagn! No it's nothing like that!" The younger sibling denied that claim almost immediately, but the slight shade of red on her cheeks contradicted that statement. "These are just thank you gifts. Nothing else!"
Oh this was rich. Yang could already taste those blush on her lips. A part of her was beating with joy that her sister was able to dip her toes in the waters of romance. But another part of her had a minor worry that she lingered. This Jaune fellow was clearly not an ordinary guy by any standard. First, Weiss and now Ruby? It seemed rather impossible for someone of his personality. It's either he knows how to play the field really well not to be caught or he was simply oblivious to it. Either way, it was clear that the blonde knight was not as he seemed.
"Really? You're baking him cookies?" Yang pointed out to much of his sister's grumpy reaction.
"I thought he might like them. After all, he did help us the other day."
"I don't think stealing a truck from someone can be considered helping." She reasoned. "And besides… he really didn't do anything."
"Well I still think we should give him a thank you." Ruby defended the boy. "He helps people… and his friends. Even though his methods might be a little underhanded, you gotta admit he's pretty brave."
Brave…
Yeah, that was one way to describe him. Jaune might be a coward on the outside but… she's never seen the boy run from a fight before. Even when he faced against the White Fang or Torchwick, he stood his ground.
"Huh… you might have a point there…" Yang muttered in agreement.
"And since we're partly responsible for getting him into trouble, I thought that I might as well give him some cookies."
"Aww… that's so sweet of you sis. Thinking of others. That's what I love about you." The red riding hood quickly found herself in another one of Yang's headlocks, cuddling her into position before yanking a cookie in her mouth. "I'll take that."
"Bwah! Yang! Stop that! Those are not for you!"
"Ooh this one has your face on it. I wonder if you're as tasty as you look! Munch! Oho? Sweet…"
(Hallway near Oobleck's office)
Jaune strained to walk down the hallway holding onto a stack of boxes which clearly impaired his visions, following the speedy professor as he continued to rant on about something incoherent. He nearly stumbled a few times trying to catch up with Dr. Oobleck only to find drifting further and further away.
He was lucky that this part of the school was mostly deserted this time of day. Classes weren't starting yet so he had a good few minutes before students start populating this area.
"Careful with those boxes Mr. Arc. Those are delicate items that require nimble hands." Oobleck warned him, slowing a bit for the boy to catch up. "Any damage caused on any of them will setback the world by years! You cannot allow yourself to be sleepy!"
"Yes Mr. Oobleck." The boy groaned.
"That's Doc—well I supposed mister can work as well. Good show boy."
"What do you have in these boxes? Rocks?" The hired help asked getting another long speedy lecture from the doctor.
"Preposterous! I would never bother to collect such silly things. No my boy, these crates contain the fossil samples that I've collected since I was a youth. As well as a few ancient tablets from old and forgotten ruins outside of Vale. They're practically priceless!"
"So… really really fancy rocks?"
"Quite so! Come on now. Times a wasting and you only have… 45 minutes before class begins. Pick up the pace boy!"
Jaune followed so, speeding up a bit and eventually arriving at the designated room after one adrenaline rush. From what he could tell from the room's messy design, this was definitely the place where Dr. Oobleck stayed.
The place was like a pigsty, workshop, laboratory, coffee shop and a bedroom all put into one. The clutter was so bad that you can barely even see the floor with all the clothes and broken vials scattered around. The stench of this place smelled like 30 year old pizza mixed in with something that died and was now rotting somewhere inside this very room. There were even fungi growing at the corner and Jaune could even swear he saw that small pile of clothes move.
"Welcome to my humble abode, dear boy! Just put those things over by the table. Yes yes. That's good. Now be a lad and sort them in their animal family category."
Jaune darted at the man and scanned the pile of fossilized animals in the boxes. "Umm… how do I do that?"
"What?! Why it's so simple my boy. First you separate the invertebrates from the reptiles then the miniature mammals from the birds and afterward you separate the amphibian from the fish. Then categorize them by the size of their fins and gills but then you must make sure that the ones you separate belong to the mammal kingdom and then categorize them again from carnivores and herbivores and be especially careful with the Omnivores as they tend to bat their eyes at you."
"I'm sorry, can you translate that? I don't… speak… well… you."
The Doctor laughed. "It was a joke young man! Everyone knows you don't separate herbivores and carnivores. That's just the same as separating racial groups of humans and Faunus! Just take them out of their boxes and I'll sort them out later." The man then sped to his pile and began ruffling through the paperwork in inhumane speed.
Jaune followed his orders though feeling like that long useless conversation was just like saying a few words altogether. The rocks inside the boxes were all filled with insects and small animals that he's never seen before. He expected to see a Grimm or two but fortunately for him, they were just regular extinct animals and nothing as dangerous as a Grimm.
"By the way, Mr. Arc." Oobleck called out after a brief second from his ruffling. "I heard that you did not seek medical attention after your engagement with the White Fang. Is that true?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. I didn't think it was necessary. I don't feel hurt or anything. Besides I didn't really do much helping back there."
"Young man. You crashed a truck onto an Atlesian Paladin. It's a state of the art military hardware, capable of destroying an entire arsenal. Like a great mad mind once said before she tortured a pirate: 'Anyone sick enough to do that would most certainly benefit from a checkup.' And right now I find those words to be excellent words of wisdom. Don't you agree?"
"How in the world is that inspirational?" Jaune backed away feeling like he was dealing with a mad doctor herself. "And really. I'm fine. I don't feel a thing. Besides, my aura took most of the damage. People say that it's pretty tough to get through."
"I can tell." Oobleck mentioned. "You have a surprisingly large pool of aura reserves which you do seem to use as a powerful shield. I'm actually surprise how powerful it is, which begs me to wonder what your semblance may be."
"My… semblance?"
"Yes boy. Semblance. Semblance is the manifestation of one's innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from user to user. The nature of one's Semblance is noted as representing an aspect of their character and I may believe yours may be something of a defensive weapon. A rough guess of course."
"W… well… I don't really know that yet."
"No worries." Oobleck waved it off. "No one discovers their true semblance until they're older. Some are more gifted than others but they say that it is the build of character that brings out the best in us. Just be mindful to keep it a secret. A true warrior must never show all of his tricks until they are necessary. Understood?"
"Uh… I guess."
"Excellent! Now help me clean up this room. My next batch of research will require a large amount of space and this mess will not do. We can begin by moving that large pile of extra clothes and transporting them elsewhere! Come now, chop chop!"
The boy followed, slowly gathering the bits and pieces of attire that were literally scattered around the room. The whole place felt so dirty that it would take a whole carton full of disinfectant to kill all the germs hiding in the crevices. Hell, Jaune even thought that the dumpster outside the school was cleaner than this place or at the very least… has a less chance to catch some unknown disease.
"Well… no time like the present." Slowly but surely, the boy began his work, picking up the mess Dr. Oobleck left behind. But just as he got his hand on the first trousers, he noted a shining object hiding under the pile. "Hey… what's this?" It was a scroll, an old one, from what the boy could tell.
"Ah! My old scroll!" Oobleck reappeared like the wind, grabbing the thing from Jaune's hands before returning with a giant grin on his face. "I thought I lost this little thing a long time ago and here it was all along."
"You have two scrolls?"
"No silly boy. This is the scroll I had when I was but a Hunter Trainee ages ago." He explained quickly. "Had many memories with this thing, all the video recordings I made during my first archeological survey! Did you know that I had my first expedition during my initiation? I found these amazing ruins just right outside of Vale near a bunch of caves. Quite a fascinating place. I spent two weeks there myself searching through all of its secrets. But… until I realized that it was just an old castle and the writings on the walls were just doodles from children. It was rather embarrassing really but granted me a lot of new experiences."
"That sounds like… fun? I guess." Jaune muttered unconvincingly.
"Quite right! Those were fond memories of mine and I'm sure you shall be making plenty of it yourself Mr. Arc. And look here." The good Doctor shifted his old scroll revealing a rather surprising photo of him standing atop a Beowolf. "My first Grimm kill. Taken more than 30 years ago when I was just a lad. My parents saw my natural gift in fighting these monsters so it was only natural that I would be selected to be part of the student body."
"Sounds like becoming a Huntsman was in your blood." Jaune mentioned, taking a peek at the photo. It would be an understatement to say that profess—err… Dr. Oobleck didn't change much over the years except his height. He still had that goofy mad-scientist look about him and more than enough spark in his eyes to tell that he was a coffee lover.
"And I never looked back on it." Oobleck added sounding nostalgic before taking a seat on his worktable. "Becoming a Huntsman wasn't just a dream of mine Mr. Arc… it was my… well… everything."
Jaune raised a brow finding it rather weird for the good professor. "You've always wanted to be a Hunter Mr. Oobleck?"
"Well… I'd be lying if I said yes. Being a Hunter is what I am now… but… to be honest, I actually wanted to be an archeologist." The fast talking doctor stated offering the boy a seat. "I always had a fascination for old things and ancient knowledge. Decrypting the past to better our future. Thankfully becoming a Hunter allowed me to accomplish both dreams but as I grew older and wiser, I found that my duties as a Hunter were not as I thought they were."
"What do you mean?"
The doctor paused for a moment, filling his thermos with coffee from the nearby pot. "As Huntsman it is our job to protect the people. And although we are capable of doing it with all our skills and weaponries, I found out that I can make a larger impact if I do it with my mind. As a teacher, I am able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all and place it in every student that passes through my classroom. I learn from our past mistakes, the great wars, the Faunus Civil Rights Revolution, so that we never see them again. I learn from our successes, so we may take pride in them and bring wisdom to future generations that are to come."
"That's… pretty deep, Professor."
Oobleck smiled cheerfully before taking a sip from his thermos. "It's only what I believe. Protecting the people, the children of tomorrow is important, but it is also equally important to leave knowledge behind. Our failures and our successes. Those are my input in being what I am today." He paused for a moment before suddenly turning to the boy in question. "And what of you, Mr. Arc? What is your reason for becoming a Hunter?"
"Me?" The young knight flinched back at the question.
"Yes. Why have you decided to pick such a dangerous profession? Why have you decided to take up arms to fight against monsters? Is it for fame, fortune or personal glory?"
It was a question that Jaune rumbled in his head for a while. Indeed… why was he here? Why did he decide to take up a weapon to fight against monsters that can literally tear him to pieces? What drove him to come to this school and become something he had little chance of becoming? Was it because of the stories that he heard when he was a child? Was it because his ancestors were Hunters? Did he want to continue a family tradition that was never really forced onto him? He couldn't tell. All the words came and all the images floated around his head but none of them could paint a clear picture to why he was here.
Why has he taken those transcript papers and come here? It was so much simpler just to look at that statue at the school courtyard. Everything was so much clearer then. But now… the answer to that question seemed lost to him.
"I… can't really answer that question." The answer somewhat surprised Bart, but he didn't show it on his face.
"You can't?"
"Well… more I like I don't know." The boy added baffling the good doctor even more. "I just know that I want to become a Hunter. I don't know why… but… it's just a feeling I guess."
"A goal without a purpose can be a very dangerous thing Mr. Arc. Does it have something to do with your scars?"
"Scars?" Jaune looked to where the Doctor was pointing, recalling that mark. "Oh that… I think I got those when I fought the White Fang back last semester. I think they must've hit me harder than I thought."
Oddly enough, Bart couldn't see a hint of a lie in the boy's voice. He mentioned the scars like they were just birthmarks he was born with but clearly they were not. Though he couldn't see all of them, the good doctor could see the scar trailing down from his chin down to his neck. It was weathered and burnt, like it had been seared shut by a hot fire. He was certain that they were old scars. Battle scars that the boy must've earned a long time ago but did not feel like sharing with others.
"My apologies then." He shut the topic down. "Still… I find your previous answer to be… questionable, Mr. Arc. You seek power and strength yet you do not know where to place it. Those that are in such a state are easily converted to serve the needs of others. Be careful not to be influenced by those who would take advantage of your nature."
"I'll… keep that in mind?" Jaune answered in the form of a question, though not really sure if he gave the right one.
"Very good. Now… help me with this mess and we can…" But the good doctor never got to finish when the school bell rung signaling the beginning of class. "Oh goodness! Class has already started! Come Mr. Arc! We can't have you tardy less it affects your personal grades! Come on now! Chop chop!"
(Headmaster's office)
Ozpin lay in his comfy chair that morning, looking at the news channel on his table scroll. The Vytal Festival was the hottest news on the blocks so it was natural to see it being covered repeatedly on television. There were unofficial parties, parades and activities held by small stores and private companies to further promote the idea of peace through civil debates. It was a festival that spanned for an entire week with months of preparations riding on it. There were budget control, invitation to noble and prominent families throughout the four kingdoms and income of supplies of all kinds. One might say it was the same preparation of holding the Olympics. And to be the one who holds such a spectacular event meant a lot of responsibilities.
But unfortunately the large bustling activities held around throughout the kingdom also gave rise of criminal activities. Two of them being the infamous White Fang terrorist group and their elusive partner, Roman Torchwick, who somehow still manages to keep out of prison. Though as much as Ozpin wanted to see this as another matter entirely, he couldn't help but see the White Fang as simple pawns in this game.
The message that Qrow sent him has left him unease. From what he could gather, their unseen enemies appear to be gathering forces to achieve some grand scheme of sort.
Queen has pawns…
A chess game. Only those who can truly understand the big picture of this elusive battle can turn people into pieces on the board. In the end… everything was simply statistics and those that were lost… can easily be replaced.
Ozpin hated himself for making students to pieces. Knights, rooks, bishops… and queens… each of them had a role to play and each of them are hidden through a sea of pawns all vying for dominance… all trying to tip the balance of this battle. Each piece was just as important, yet every one of these pieces was expendable.
"So long as the king remains… the fight will never end…" Ozpin stated plainly to himself as he looked at the board scattered with pieces of different colors. "The question now is… who the queen… is… and how many pawns does she have in this fight."
(Professor Port's Class)
Ugh… it was gonna be another one of those days. How many stories have they heard about Professor Port's achievements? Which one was this? The story about his life? His first Grimm kill or was it the time he miraculously fought off an entire heard of Beowolves with his bare hands? Pyrrha couldn't tell anymore. Not that she was listening.
Professor Port was an excellent Hunter, if half of his ridiculous stories proved true. But for god sakes, that man can talk. He was like the high priest of his own church forcing everyone to attend his wild and outrageous sermons. It was so dull that story writers would probably fall asleep just listening to the first ten words that comes out of his mouth. Pyrrha was already certain that if she record his lectures on her scroll, it would make an excellent meditation practice or… well… a lullaby.
The redhead already had her chin on her palm barely keeping her eyes open. It's only been twenty minutes since this class began and already more than half the class had pressed the snooze button on their brains.
Beside her sat Jaune who also seemed to have fallen under the Professor's spell though it may be questionable that he was sleeping because of the lecture or the fact that he was just exhausted. The poor boy had been working nearly non-stop since the day of the incident in the highway. Destroying public properties was one thing but stealing a truck? That was pretty dumb even for him even if he did it with the best of intentions.
Yet still… she can't help but admire how the boy charges into danger to help his friends. He may act and play the part of the coward but the boy has yet to run from a fight that did not involve his life. He was clearly trained but only roughly so. It probably had to do with his upbringing.
"Hua… the orange one is lazy… hua… why does the robot speak Spanish…? zzzz…" Pyrrha stifled a laugh as she listened to her partner talk in his sleep. He looked so adorable with that baby face he made and his hair gently dangling on his brow. If a picture was worth a thousand words than this would be one of them.
Pyrrha shook her head happily and allowed the boy to continue his nap. He could use the rest. However, a part of her wanted to join that boy, feeling the dread of sleep come over as the lecture went on. Unbelievably, the teacher was still talking. How can a man who is way pass him prime still able to talk without stop? Does he rehearse these lines in his sleep? Was it all just memorized somehow? Ugh… it was no good. Pyrrha needed a distraction otherwise, she'll join the others who have given up learning from this man.
She looked left and saw the members of Team RWBY. Only Weiss and Blake seemed to be awake at this point but from the looks of it, the heiress was failing in her attempts to keep up. No help there.
Pyrrha then turned right to the rest of her team. Nora was out cold just like her leader but Ren on the other hand was up and awake. It seems like he was looking into another book on Dust chemistry. That Black Dust must've awoken that research blood in his body and he seems to be more focused than ever, only glancing up to the professor once in a while just to make sure he wasn't goofing off.
Ugh… it was no help at all.
(After class)
Ruby yawned loudly as she walked out of the classroom with a bored expression. Though she thought that it didn't seem possible, that lecture actually lasted longer than anyone had expected. Somehow… for some reason, Professor Port's boring gallantry stories have somehow been able to expand time itself turning seconds to minutes and minutes into hours. It wasn't physically or logically possible, but that man has proven her otherwise.
"Huaa… man… I thought that class would never end." Yang, followed up stretching her arms out yawning all the same. "If I didn't know better, I think Professor Port was trying to bore us to death."
"And I think he succeeded." Ruby replied groaning. "I don't think I'll be able to last another one of his lectures without my favorite pillow."
"Tell me about it." Weiss agreed looking equally exhausted as the rest of her team. "I don't know about you, but I think we should all get together in town. After what we've been through, I wouldn't mind a night where we don't have to look over our shoulders."
"Feeling stiff, princess?" Yang teased which the heiress folded her arms in reply.
"Say all you want, but I think I've had enough danger for one night and we've all gotten ourselves into big trouble. Even heroes could use a holiday. So… what do you girls say to a little pedicure/manicure session in town?"
Ruby's shoulder caved in the moment she mentioned a girly treatment. As powerful as all the Huntresses were, they were still just girls who needed a little girl time. "That does sound like fun."
"Hmm… I guess it would be nice." Yang followed, for the first time actually agreeing with the heiress. "But I'd prefer to have my hair done. It's been ages since I went to a salon."
The young Schnee smugly answered with a smile on her face. "Well then you're in luck. My father's company owns a wonderful parlor just outside the residential district in Vale. If you girls show up with me on your side, we will be given the royal treatment free of charge. You'll find their hair care techniques to 2nd only to those in Atlas."
"Oh Weiss I don't think we should-emphhh!" Ruby was about to protest until her sister covered her mouth in a headlock.
"Ooooh! Do they have a mud bath!?"
"I thought you'd never ask." Weiss smiled even wider at the mention of that treatment. "They installed one just a few days ago. I wanted to try it out myself. A little aroma therapy here and there, a nice foot massage… and poof, we'll be feeling like we were born yesterday. So… are you in?"
"Girl… you got me at mud baths." Yang grinned before turning to her sister who was still locked in her arms. "What do you think sis?" There was an incoherent voice on her side which neither of them could make out. "She says yes. How about it Blake? Wanna join us?"
The three turned to the last member of their group who seemed to be absorbed in her studies… or at least that's what they thought. After a brief pause and realizing her name was called, the cat answered. "Huh? What?"
"Is something wrong?"
"No… it's nothing. I was just… looking at some notes."
"Please don't tell me you seriously wrote down everything he said." Weiss said in disbelief.
"Is everything ok?" Ruby asked finally prying her sister's hands off her mouth. "You've been spacing out a lot and not just in class either."
"No… I was just…" Blake stuttered, trying not to give out any hints of her wrongdoing until Yang grabbed her book. "Hey!"
"Whatcha reading?" The yellow bomber teased, reading the title of the book out loud with one hand stopping her partner from retrieving it.
"Give that back!"
"SDC… financial records?" Yang read lazily as the title startled a thought in Weiss's head. It was obviously the files she brought back from her investigation within the SDC. "Are you investigating again? I thought we agreed to read this together?"
"Well excuse me if I wanted to get a head start." Blake argued back, snatching the book back with her quick reflexes. "Some of us want have higher priorities than our grades."
"You've been reading those for days now." Weiss reported worryingly. "You can't sleep, you hardly eat—and if you keep this up, your grades will suffer terribly."
"You think I'm worried about grades!?" Blake's voice rose startling some nearby students. Already Ruby can see a number of conversations around them stop to turn to them like rare animals in a zoo. "People's lives are at stake here!"
"Shh… keep it down guys." The red hooded girl hushed them. "People will here you."
The cat Faunus simply sighed at her team's naivety. They couldn't understand the frustration she was going through. Her own people, the Faunus, were planning a massive mission against the people of Vale and yet the local authorities were doing little to prevent it. A part of guilt and a little bit of conscious was playing a role in her work striving her to find out more.
Should the White Fang succeed in their mission, there was a good chance that a lot of people will be hurt, probably even die. She couldn't allow that to happen. If such an event came to pass under her watch, she'd never let it out of her system. The people of Vale will suffer and the Faunus population will be ridiculed as mass murdering terrorists. She couldn't allow that.
With a breath of sigh, she turned her backs on her team. "I'm going back to our room. Tell the teacher I'm skipping her class."
She bothered hearing her team's plea before walking away.
"Great…" Yang grumbled under her breath which the heiress agreed.
"She can't go on like this. She's gonna burn our sooner or later."
"I hope it doesn't affect her too badly." Ruby followed, watching as her Faunus friend disappears into the crowd.
(Another hallway)
Mercury let out a long and tiring yawn when he finally got out of that class. He thought that coming to be a hidden agent pretending to be a student was going to be fun, to experience school life all over again. But after listening to that yawn-fest of a lecture, he was beginning to have second thoughts on the matter.
"I… am so glad that class is over." He groaned silently to Emerald who walked beside him, following the crowd that poured from the room.
She strongly agreed on that statement. "Tell me about it. I was beginning to think I'd had to shoot him to shut him up."
"If I have to listen to another of that guy's lecture, I'll pay good lien to see that."
"I'll pay you good lien to see that." The silver haired boy joked as he clicked his boots. "So… what did you find?"
"Not a lot of students worth mentioning." Emerald answered putting out a list of photos on her scroll. "Other than the teachers, most of these students are pretty weak willed. Unless I see them fight, I won't be able to gauge their strengths. We'll have to sit in on tomorrow's class when the sparring matches are on. You'll be the one to test them."
"Fine. But I get to choose my opponent."
"It's your call. Just try not to mess it up."
"Relax, sweet cheeks." Mercury cooed. "I'll be as cool as my name. Speaking of which, I gotta go."
"And where are you going?"
"To the little men's room, where else? You can't expect me to sit through that nonsense without building some kind of irritation."
xxxxxxxxxxx
"Finally… a time all to myself." The gray haired spy sighed as he leaned in one of the stalls, locking the door. Though it wasn't really the most scenic place, Mercury found it rather calming to have the restroom all to himself. Most of the students would probably be in class by now so there was no risk of people coming in and bothering him. A good place for a powernap if you were bloody feet-fighting psychopath. "Haa… nap time."
But the boy's little nap turned sour when the door to the restroom barged open and a loud voice booming from the entrance.
"In a minute Nora. I need to make a call." Ren stated to Nora who seemed to be hanging just outside, unable to follow due to an invisible barrier caused by the large 'Men's Room' sign plastered on the doorway. Mercury groaned, hoping that this boy was just here to make a quick pit and be on his way. But unfortunately, that didn't seem the case.
After taking a brief glance around the room, Ren pulled out his scroll dialing a familiar number on screen which connected to the other line rather quickly. "Yes. This is Ren. I'd like to speak with the chief please."
"Oh? Master Ren?" The voice on the other line answered with a bewildered tone, clearly not expecting the call. "My humblest apologies. How may I help you today?"
"I was just wondering if you have any thought on the topic I sent you."
"Oh you mean the Black Dust?"
Black Dust!?
Mercury's eyes widened at the name making him plant his ears on his stall, listening to that conversation. It seemed the mere mention of that little mysterious object rang some alarms in his head.
"Yes, that one." Ren answered back nodding. "Did you find anything?"
"I'm afraid not, Master Ren." The voice answered dejectedly. "I'm scoured the archives twice already and there has been no mention of anything called the Black Dust. I've already run the topic on several of my information network and they've all turned up empty. I… don't think the item you're looking for exists."
Ren on the other hand didn't believe that for a second. He knew what he was looking for and if the item didn't exist… why is it in his hands this very moment? "Is that so? No mentions at all? Not even rumors?"
"I've only scratched the surface, Master Ren. If you give me a few more days, I could search through the unusual channels for any rumors that may appear. I should have another update for you within the week."
"Alright. Keep me posted .I'll also be sending some data to you for analysis. But I'd rather do that on a secure channel. I'll contact you again in a few hours. Thank you."
"It's my pleasure, Master Ren. It's the least I can do after what your family has done for mine. Please… don't hesitate to ask if I can be of service." Mercury can almost see the man on that phone doing a gesture of a bow as he said those words before signing off. Talk about respect.
But Ren on the other hand simply groaned in reply. "Still nothing. Dang it…"
"Ren? Are you done?" Nora's voice could be heard outside. "Do you need a glass of water to help you out?"
(Vale) (Commercial District)
Jaune let out a long winding yawn that evening as he walked down the streets of Vale, enjoying the comfort of his free after school time. School was finally over thank god to that. As if classes weren't exhausting enough for his mind, the manual labor that Ms. Goodwitch had him do, taxed his body. Being mentally exhausted was fine but becoming physically exhausted at the same time was double the torture. In just one day he had to clean rooms, fixed broken chairs and moved more boxes than a slave would do in a week. Was it too late for him to get that expulsion order?
In other word… it sucked big time…
Is it too late to get back that expulsion order?
"Long day?" A certain rabbit eared Faunus inquired walking by his side.
"You could say that again." The knight groaned, visibly exhausted from all the labor his body has toiled. "Did you know that Professor Oobleck has half of his closet dedicated to old rocks? I'm telling you, it's a jungle in there."
"Well, he is a certified archeologist." Velvet replied sounding normal.
"Well there has to be a limit to how much he can keep. Seriously… he has enough junk in his room to make his own museum and exhibit."
Velvet simply laughed at his expression. "Dr. Oobleck can be a bit of an eccentric but he does have the best intentions for all of us. He's dedicated to preserving the knowledge of the past so that we can learn from our mistakes and take pride of our successes."
"Sounds like you two, get along well."
"He's one of the few people I respect." The rabbit Faunus replied, defending her favorite teacher. "He helped me so many times when I was still a freshman and he taught me a lot. He's also the reason why I love books so much."
"You mean you weren't crazy with books before?" The boy raised a brow sounding unconvinced which she chuckled back in return.
"I was in love with books since I was just a little girl. They're wonderful things. The written word is all that stands between memory and oblivion. Without books as our anchors we are cast adrift; neither teaching, nor learning. They are windows on the past, mirrors on the present, and prisms reflecting all possible futures. Books are lighthouses erected in the dark sea of time."
"Wow…" The young knight paused in stunned silence. "That's… deep."
She smiled. "Thank you. It's a quote from a man named Robbins. A very good writer. You should take a look at some of his work sometimes."
"Heh… yeah… maybe I will." The boy remarked putting it on his mental note. "Maybe I could use a hobby. Haaa…" Another yawn followed, this one longer than the last.
"You know, you didn't really have to come." Velvet put out plainly. "You're obviously exhausted. You didn't have to push yourself here."
"Meh, it's fine." He answered shrugging. "I thought that hanging with other people might be a good way to avoid trouble. And like they say… lightning never strikes twice at the same spot."
Velvet stifled a laugh. The boy was obviously recalling the moment when Fox socked him in the chin, sending him flying into the sky. That incident was still fresh on their minds despite being months since it happened.
"Well, you don't have to worry about Fox. Yatsu's keeping him busy with their training."
"Oh yeah. How's your partner doing?"
"He's doing well." The rabbit answered. "His spot on the Vytal Festival Tournament is already a guarantee at this point. He's been training non-stop since it was announced. His only worries now are the other students from the other kingdoms."
"I guess I know who to root for." Jaune joked much to the girl's delight. "So, this bookstore we're going to…"
"It's Tukson's Book Trade." Velvet explained. "It's a bookstore run by a close friend of mine. He's closing his store and moving to Vacuo in a few days so I thought I'd help him out before I go off on my mission. We're trailing Professor Port tomorrow early morning so I thought I'd say goodbye before he leaves. Well… that and buying more books."
"Sounds like a fun guy."
"Oh don't worry. He doesn't bite." Velvet added showing a smirk. "Though he might make fun of you being with me. He's like a big brother I never had. And I think you'll like his comic collection. He has a whole section… for…" But the girl slowly paused when she saw a strange gathering around a store at the end street.
"What's wrong?" Jaune asked before darting to where she was looking only to find a number of police cars parked out front of a bookstore. "Is that…"
"Oh no… Tukson?!" Without even waiting, Velvet rushed off leaving her friend behind.
"H… hey! Velvet wait!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A crowd huddled around the store. Police officers surrounded the entryway barring a yellow line that separated the public from the crime scene. Velvet plowed through the crowd, which did not escape unnoticed, prompting the security to bar her path.
"Sorry young lady, but I'm gonna have to stop you right there." The officer in charge warned with two of his deputies alongside him. "This is a crime scene. Please step away from the line or I will have my men escort you."
"What happened!?" She asked.
"This is police jurisdiction, young lady. Please get back from the line."
But Jaune quickly intervened waving his scroll out. "It's alright. We're Hunters from Beacon." The officer recoiled back with his men returning a small salute. "Can you tell us what happened here?"
"Murder." The officer replied plainly like he's seen plenty of it before. "The store owner was found dead this afternoon. The front door was locked at the closed sign was on so nobody knew about it until a friend of his came by to check on the poor sod. From the looks of things and the smell, he might've been killed a week ago or so."
"A week ago!?" Velvet's eyes widened, her hands quickly covering her face. "You mean Tukson… Tukson is…?"
"Sorry miss… but he's gone. Are you a family or relative?"
"I'm a close friend." She answered back holding back a sob. "Can you… tell me what happened?"
"We're still looking into it. Right now we're looking into suspects and witnesses. Unfortunately we lack both. Don't supposed you know anything about him?"
Velvet shook her head in reply. "Can we… can we come in?"
"Well… I guess I can make an exception for Hunters." The man submitted allowing the two to enter much to Jaune's dismay.
As they entered the store, the horror on Velvet's face seemed to darken even more. Inside her favorite bookstore where her friend once owned, was tossed and turned like a deadly storm had struck the place. Books and pages of great art scattered around the room like a great wind blew over. And at the center of it all, near the cashier was stained with the dried up blood that seemed to have been there for days.
"We moved the body a few hours ago." The officer explained as he showed the scene of the crime. Jaune mentally gave a grievance but a little happy knowing that he won't be seeing a corpse any time soon. "We found him here lying on the cashier. He was shot and stabbed but he must've pulled one heck of a fight if this place is this trashed."
Velvet turned away, finding safety near Jaune's arm. She tugged his uniform whispering. "Who…? Who would want to do this? Why would anyone want to hurt Tukson? He's just a bookstore owner. Why would anyone want to…?"
"Sorry…" Jaune didn't really know what to say. His heart and soul felt compassion but his mind just can't seem to find the words to sooth her pain.
As soon as the girl calmed down a bit, she suddenly noted a familiar face sitting at the corner of the store. Another Faunus with horns and tails altogether. "Gavin?" She muttered recognizing the man, bringing him out of his daze. The man looked exhausted, even more so than Jaune.
He looked up, his darkened eyes stating that he may have been crying. "Oh… Velvs… I knew you'd come. I… didn't think you'd hear about Tukson… so soon."
"Gavin, what happened here?" She asked, her voice cracking. "What happened to Tukson? Who…?"
"I… I don't know either." He answered wearily. "I just came by to… help him get the last of his stuff. Saying that he was… leaving and all. But when… when I got in… I saw… Tukson on the floor. I don't know what happened."
"This man was the one who called the cops." The officer in charge explained. "He says that he found the body as it was and called us immediately."
"But who would do this?" She asked. "Why would anyone want to hurt Tukson? He's done nothing wrong to anyone. Everyone in this neighborhood loved him. What did he do to deserve this?"
"Uh… Lieutenant." Another officer from the backroom called out to them. "You might want to take a look at this." The trio darted to one another before following the policeman to the room where a large suspicious crate was stashed inconspicuously among the bookshelves.
"What did you find?" The investigative officer answered, opening the crate revealing a large number of weapons all neatly stashed together like a delivery. "Well paint me pink and call me candy—it's another one of them White Fang storehouses."
"WHAT!?" Velvet's ears rose in disbelief.
"We found three more crates and a few uniforms in here as well." The police officer added gesturing to the deep end of the room. "Looks like this place was a major cache of sorts. Might even be a hideout sir. Looks like the store owner was a White Fang collaborator."
"That's impossible!" Velvet defended her friend, finding it ridiculous that a person she knew so well would be working with such a group. "I know Tukson. He's not a White Fang!"
"Calm down Velvet." Jaune urged only to have his hand smacked away, the clear and coolheaded girl slowly turning red with anger.
"I've known him for more than a year. There's no way he could possibly be a member of such a dangerous organization."
"Young lady. I have three large crates full of weapons and uniforms to say otherwise."
The little gal mustered her thoughts, trying to find some manner of logic in this. She had known the store owner ever since she arrived at Beacon. He was trustworthy, a kind soul who was always there to help her out whenever she needed a friend. She couldn't wrap her head around the thought that this man of all people would be part of such a detestable organization.
"He… he must've been framed. This can't be his. Someone must've… must've… planted these here to frame him!"
"Frame him then kill him?" The officer pointed out shattering that weak thought to pieces. "Look lady… I don't know what you think about this guy, but like it or not… your friend here might not be what you thought he was."
"No… it just… can't be." She choked a sob trying to hide her disappointment.
"Which also means I'm gonna have to ask you two to leave the crime scene." The man added gesturing to his deputies which made Jaune raise a brow.
"Wait. I thought you said we could stay?" The blonde knight inquired.
"That was before we found the stash of weapons and the uniforms." The officer explained sounding as professional as before. "As protocol dictates, anything related or regarding the White Fang are to be turned over to Headmaster Ozpin in Beacon Academy. He's the one in charge of the investigation and only those authorized by him are allowed to snoop through here. So I have to ask you two nicely to please vacate the premises."
Velvet balled her fists but made no action. The frustration was clear in her face and the irritation of being barred from her friend's murderers made it worse. She wanted to lash out, to say something, but thankfully, Jaune was there to keep her cool of things.
"Come on Velvet… let's go." The blonde knight whispered to her before pulling the weakened girl to his free arm not wanting to get in more trouble than he already was, especially with local authorities. "Thanks officers. We'll take our leave."