Chapter 10: Red Like Roses

Chapter Summary: Taking the time to teach the students something useful. This comes with implications.

-/*text*/- = Blocked out memory


Their stay on Patch wasn't that long, just a few days, and then it was time for the Vytal Festival Tournament. Lauriam, who had once again been called in by Ozpin once they got back to Vale, had trekked up the cliff where Summer's grave was to find Ruby, who had gone up at first light. Taiyang and Zwei were with him, as Yang had already left, intending on catching Blake at Beacon early. When they got up the cliff where Ruby was, the teen was talking to the grave of her mother, her cloak flowing in the wind, reminding Lauriam of Summer and her own white cloak. In the back of his memory, he faintly recalled someone else, also similar to Ruby, but, as he had begun to do, he pushed the memory aside.

Ruby seemed to finish her conversation with her mum, and she was now running towards the two adults waiting for her. She grinned at Lauriam before picking up Zwei, she started talking quickly about the Tournament and how well she thought team RWBY would do. Lauriam laughed and felt bad for interrupting her, but he had to.

"Ruby," he started, making the girl pause and look at him. "The Headmaster has given me permission to give a few lessons to your team and Team JNPR, and Professor Goodwitch has given me a time that I may use the combat classroom."

The way Ruby's eyes lit up in excitement was truly a sight to see as she jumped up and punched her fist in the air with a cheer. Taiyang laughed at Lauriam's bemused expression.

"Eeeek! I can't wait!" she squealed. "Thank-you Lauriam! Oooh! I better go message the team! And JNPR too! I'll meet you down at the house, Bà!

She was gone in a flurry of rose petals, leaving Lauriam with an amused smirk on his face and Taiyang laughing harder. Already it seemed like the Vytal Festival was going to start on a high. It was like everything was finally going right.

"Want to beat Ruby for once?" the older reaper asked Taiyang, opening a dark corridor. "Just run through, it will bring you to the living room."

The blonde snorted and they both disappeared into the portal.


"Ruby!"

Yang's voice echoed out as soon as the young reaper stepped off the bullhead. Ruby looked around and saw her sister standing with Blake, the cat faunus smiling at her leader. Grinning, the young teen ran up and greeted her team, well half her team, with an enthusiastic wave.

"Hey guys," she hummed. "Where's Weiss?"

"She went to the library quickly," Blake replied with a laugh. "She wanted to do a quick revision just in case Lauriam tests us. Though I suspect that we won't be tested on anything we can find in a book."

The two sisters laugh. RBY starts to walk towards the dorms. Ruby started to recount her morning and how Taiyang and Lauriam had CHEATED and used the corridor of darkness, and had been waiting for her when she had dashed in with Zwei on her heels, and then Lauriam had cheated again by using the same portal to leave for Beacon. This had her friend and sister snorting with amusement, giving agreements which sounded more like the kind of false agreement that an adult gave to a child with a while and impossible idea.

"So what was this thing you wanted to show us?" Yang asked, effectively interrupting Ruby who looked up at Blake with curiosity. "You said it was some kind of flower?"

"Yes, I was looking through a book trying to find the flower that Ruby mentioned," Blake replied. "She said that Lauriam's scythe reminded her of a certain flower but she couldn't recall which. I realised that she was right. His scythe is called Graceful Dahlia, but the only association with that flower is its colours. Come on, I have the book back at the dorm."

The cat faunus lead her two friends back to their dorm room, all the while describing this flower that was called the bird of paradise. She said it was shaped almost like a scythe. Blake was still talking about it and it's different colours that it can be found in as she pushed open the door to team RWBY's dorm and walk over to her's and Yang's bunk. She picked up the book on the bed and opened it to a bookmarked page. Turning the book to face her friends, Blake pointed to one of five pictures of flowers that all looked to be similar in shape, though their colours varied.

"The bird of paradise, also sometimes called the crane flower," Blake said. "It has five different species, found in different places around Remnant. Strelitzia juncea, the Vacuo desert banana, looks almost identical to Graceful Dahlia, it has the pink spathe_ eh cone, yellow and orange petals, and green stem, similar to Lauriam's scythe, with its pink blade, yellow and orange cross guard and green handle."

Blake then unfolded the paper that had been her bookmark and showed Ruby and Yang her drawing which, while slightly crude, showed a drawn comparison between the flower and the scythe. Ruby's eyes widened slightly as she saw it. Yang let out a long whistle as she looked at the picture.

"Woah, you went all out on this," the brawler commented, looking up. "Why though? Surely it would have been enough to just find a connection to the flower, why go look into colours and fancy names and other weird big words?"

"Lauriam doesn't know what the bird of paradise flower is."

Silence drew out for a few minutes, surprise on both the sisters' faces. Perhaps confusion as well. The thought that Lauriam had somehow had a weapon that was so intentionally crafted to look a very specific flower that in itself looked to be its own complex creation without knowing the flower itself, it couldn't be possible, it was rejected in their minds and left the girls feeling disbelief.

"But… he made it… didn't he?" Yang asked. No one had an answer for that. Ruby hummed and tilted her head to the side, considering something.

"We can ask him after whatever lesson he gives us today," she decided, to which Yang and Ruby nodded. "Let's go find Weiss and meet Team JNPR!"


Weiss was actually waiting for them in the combat classroom when the rest of the two teams walked in, reading a book on Aura manipulation. Pyrrha headed over to the heiress and stuck up a conversation. Ruby was listening to Nora describe Magnhild to her, while Ren and Blake watched, and Yang and Jaune were having an argument over dust uses in battle. That was how Lauriam discovered them when he walked in. Déjà vu amplified for the man as eight pairs of eyes fell on him; he didn't stop as he swept past them and into the centre of the arena.

Looking around he noted that all of the students had brought their weapons. Lauriam nodded in approval before he called the students around. He looked at each of them before he began to speak.

"What I'm about to teach you is a concept I have already begun to teach Ruby," he started softly, though loud enough to arrest the attention of the eight students around him. "I'm sure you noticed in Forever Fall that Ruby and I swapped weapons a few times, and when Crescent Rose broke, I gave her Graceful Dahlia. Today, students, I will begin to teach you the concept of knowing how to use your friend's weapons. Because every day you fight, that you choose to keep fighting, you will bring yourself closer to the day you won't have your own weapon. Someone, who isn't Ruby, tell me why this is important to note."

Ruby visibly pouted but didn't blurt out the answer. Everyone exchanged glances, wondering slightly where Lauriam was going with this. It was Blake who tried to answer first.

"If we lose our weapon, then we need to be able to know how to use a new weapon," the cat faunus said. "This is a lesson in adaptability."

Lauriam nodded and then pointed to Ruby and Nora, gesturing for them both to stand in the classroom's sparring ring. Without prompting Ruby offered Crescent Rose to Nora, who looked somewhat confused as she took the folded up scythe and hesitantly gave her friend Magnhild.

"Ruby, would you please add the revelation that you came to when I first sparred with you."

"Just as we can use our enemies' weapons against them," Ruby hummed in response to Lauriam's question. "Our own weapons can be turned against us. We need to know how to defend against our own weapons."

Nora's mouth fell open in surprise, and Ruby could see the horrid revelation dawning in both her eyes, and the eyes of her friends as well. The young reaper chose to inspect Magnhild, finding how it shifted into its different forms and giving it an experimental swing when she had it in hammer form.

"That is an excellent answer Ruby," Lauriam replied, looking at each of the students. "As well as an accurate answer. Today we will start by trading weapons with someone similar to your own; Ruby and Nora, Pyrrha and Jaune, Yang and Ren, and finally, Blake and Weiss. We will begin by having you spar your partner who has your weapon, you aren't trying to defeat each other, just get used to this new weapon in your hands. Ruby, Nora, you may begin."

Nora squeaked as Crescent Rose turned into its scythe form, staring at it hesitantly for a moment before her face split into a grin. Ruby noted that her friend swung the scythe to find its balance before running at the red reaper. Bringing up Magnhild to block, Ruby gasped as suddenly Crescent Rose's blade was run next to her face, having been thrown down in much the way Nora usually slammed down her hammer. Their weapons were locked now, and Ruby realised that she was in the slightly more vulnerable position, with the curved edge of the scythe's blade poised where it could easily cut her from behind.

Ruby needed to break the weapon lock or pull Crescent Rose from Nora's hands, and quickly. The young reaper chose the former as the safer option. Where trying to pull Crescent Rose from Nora's hands was an option with many variables that required chance, getting away from Nora only required Ruby to find herself an escape; which came in the form of Ruby using her semblance to dash under Nora's arms, throwing herself behind the orange haired girl.

Almost instinctually, Ruby followed through her dash by spinning around and swinging Magnhild at where Nora had been, though her friend had already rolled forward. The two girls lifted their weapons and circled each other. Ruby hummed and tried to find the quickest route to winning. An idea sparked in her head and she ran at Nora, shifting Magnhild to its gun form, and vaulting herself over her orange haired friend with a bit of help from her semblance and firing the grenades at point blank, throwing Nora forward.

"Thank-you both," Lauriam interrupted before Nora could jump at Ruby again. "Nora, that was an excellent open, you gauged the weight of your new weapon quickly and took the opening that was given to you. Ruby, do not let yourself be caught off guard like that. As I am sure you noticed, you could have easily been cut from behind."

He walked up between them and nodded to them both. He seemed to regard them both before he continued.

"However your follow through to escape the weapon lock was well executed, you assessed your situation and made a snap judgment, and didn't pause to let your opponent recover when you went to attack Nora. Your second attack was a bit reckless however; Nora could have easily cut you down from your jump. I did not let you continue as I would like to get through your friends as well and move onto the second half of the lesson. An excellent start, you may both return your weapons."

Lauriam called up Pyrrha and Jaune next, and Ruby watched their spar with interest. It was clear that Jaune had improved vastly, but also that he wasn't used to the transformative properties of most of the weapons at Beacon for he had kept Miló in its sword form. Pyrrha also seemed to struggle a bit as well with Crocea Mors; Ruby noted her own problem with being used to having a gun on her weapon, and being too used to her own weapon. The red haired teen seemed to catch herself trying to shoot at Jaune with a non-existent gun. This actually lead to Jaune having the upper hand in the fight since he used Miló and Akoúo̱ as he would have Crocea Mors, and he managed to disarm Pyrrha when she slipped up for a third time.

Jaune helped Pyrrha up as Lauriam gave them feedback, and then they joined Ruby and Nora sitting in the seats closest to the ring as Blake and Weiss stepped up. At first the students were confused by the pair up of these two, their weapons didn't seem that similar at all, except the heiress and the faunus seemed to understand, as they faced each other.

The young reaper in the stands gasped in understanding as suddenly the classroom ring was alight with dust attacks from Weiss, who, while less accurately than if she had Myrtenaster, was still using her semblance through Gambol Shroud. Same as Blake, who ran forward and suddenly left a fire dust enhanced clone before reappearing behind her white haired teammate. They were paired because of their use of dust in their weapons. The match was ended quickly, as Blake didn't yet have the finesse to wield Myrtenaster, and Weiss looked uncomfortable holding Gambol Shroud.

After they had joined their friends in the seats, Yang and Ren stepped up. It was immediately apparent that Ren seemed more ready than Yang who was still inspecting StormFlower, whereas Ren was calmly standing in a stance that befitted Ember Celica. When Lauriam called to begin, Ren ran forward without giving Yang much chance to prepare herself. Luckily she was able to bring up StormFlower to block the first thrown punch. Ruby watched carefully as her sister and friend fought. Ren seemed to mostly use the Gauntlets on his hands to punch and only used the guns on them once Yang had jumped away. Yang on the other hand seemed to work out how to use the sickle guns as she fought and when she jumped back the brawler began to fire at Ren, running around him, but she wasn't as fast as Ren usually was when doing the same thing, and her opponent eventually knocked her off her feet with a well-aimed shot.

"Well done the pair of you," Lauriam interrupted as Yang's eyes erupted red. The blonde brawler gasped as she realised where she was. She handed Ren back his weapons with an apology and a congratulations.

"As I am sure all of you have noticed," Lauriam began, addressing all the students in the room. "It is quite disconcerting having your own weapon used against you. You will need to get used to that for these lessons. Yang, you need to remember your own weapon's abilities, and how it can be fired, and be able to predict where its shots will land, even if it isn't in your hands. Ren, you should work on your punches more, while you are already strong, I notice that your shots were slower than when Yang uses her weapon. You aren't as physically strong as Yang; you are faster, so make up for lack of strength with speed."

Both students nodded and then Lauriam beckoned the rest of the two teams back down to the arena. Nora vaulted herself over the barrier that separated the seating from the ring, while everyone else walked around normally. Once they were standing in front of Lauriam again, the pink haired man began to speak again.

"Now that we have established who has a similar weapon to who we shall put that aside for now. You already have a basic idea on how to use that similar weapon. But now I want you all to place your weapons in the arena behind me, space them apart evenly, and then go to a weapon you think is the complete opposite to what you already know."

The students did so and seemed to mill around the middle looking at all of the weapons, considering which one they wanted to pick up. Blake moved first and picked up Crocea Mors, gaining a shocked look from Jaune who had expected no one to want to choose his weapon. Yang chose next, picking up Crescent Rose and giving Ruby a wink and thumbs up. Lauriam raised his eyebrow but didn't question the choice. Ruby and Pyrrha moved together, the young reaper choosing Miló and Akoúo̱ while the spartan girl grabbed Ember Celica. Finally Weiss took Magnhild, ignoring a playful snarl from Nora who had snatched up Gambol Shroud, leaving Jaune to pick up StormFlower as Ren took Myrtenaster.

"What I am about to ask you to do can only be explained as unmitigated chaos," Lauriam hummed as he looked at the students once they picked their weapons. "This is now a free-for-all Deathmatch. If you get knocked out either by Aura or by ring out, you will come and stand with me here, and observe your friends, and reflect on how you did. I won't give you time to prepare, Yang, you have an advantage here, you have Crescent Rose, you have seen Ruby train, went to Signal with her and know more about Crescent Rose than anyone here aside from Ruby."

"Why does she get to keep it then?" Weiss asked. "Surely that is against your own rules?"

"Hardly," Lauriam laughed as he walked to where he would stand, waving his hand. "Yang doesn't have Ruby's semblance, which is half of how Ruby fights. Begin."

Everyone was thrown off guard by how nonchalantly Lauriam had given his direction, and for a few seconds there was nothing, and then, as Lauriam had stated – unmitigated chaos.


The battle ended with Nora as the ultimate winner. Everyone, even Ren, had underestimated her crazy ideas and grand schemes, and with Gambol Shroud in her hand, she was downright dangerous. Lauriam gave her praise, but also reminded her to learn how to use the weapon properly.

That was their homework actually, to find time to sit down with the owner of the weapon they had taken up and learn a few things from them. Most of the students left the room them, team JNPR heading to the cafeteria and Weiss saying she was going to the dorm. Ruby, Yang and Blake stayed behind though. Lauriam looked at the trio with a raised eyebrow, wondering why they had stayed.

"Is there something else you wanted to ask?" he hummed as the three approached him.

"Well… we actually wanted to ask you about Graceful Dahlia," Blake started, pulling out a book and opening it to a page. Lauriam's eyes widened when he saw the flowers, the bird of paradise flowers, staring at him when the faunus showed him the pages. Something throbbed dully in the back of his memory.

"I was doing some research when I discovered that your scythe looked almost exactly like the strelitzia juncea… Lauriam?"

Strelitzia…

Strelitzia!

"Strelitzia!" Lauriam gasped, pressing his hand to his head. "Why…. Why does hearing that hurt so much…? Like the name of… someone who I knew and want to find desperately. Who is… Strelitzia…?"

The three girls before him exchanged worried glances, having received more than just the answer they had been looking for. Ruby looked like she wanted to say something, however she chose not to, instead placing her hand on Lauriam's arm.

"It will be okay, Lauriam," she murmured. "You will remember. Come on, we'll take you to the infirmary."

Lauriam found himself being lead exactly where Ruby had said, the infirmary. By the time they had gotten there, his head was pounding from memories he couldn't grasp.

Strelitzia, who-/*where*/- are you?


We reached the training! This is a monumental moment in the story. Because someone has a Keyblade... and because of how Keyblade inheritance has been explained... two more people now potentially have the potential to summon Keyblades. Will the entire two teams get Keyblades... no. At this point, I've only planned a set number of keyblades.

Will Lauriam get his Keyblade back? He will! Just not soon.