A/N: Initiation finally approaches. Some people had a few... questions, about the last chapter. Suffice to say, all will be revealed in time. Probably another week or two, if I can keep this up.

Chapter Ten: Ballroom Blitz

That… didn't go as well as I'd hoped. But then again, I don't know what else I expected. Of course, a human wouldn't want to let go of their family for some nebulous offer of power from a stranger. I'd hoped that the fear of imminent death would have pushed him into it, but it looks like he was either braver or stupider than I gave him credit for.

Ah, whatever. Looking around, I quickly confirm that I'm unobserved before cracking open the ballroom doors and slipping inside. Most of the students are still walking around and talking, despite the late hour. I can see a few who seem to be laying out… sleeping bags? Of course! I stop, stunned for a moment. I can't believe I forgot that. They're having us spend the night in here. But I don't sleep. Am I really going to have to pretend to sleep for… six hours? Eight? How long do humans sleep? No, no way in hell. I'll just sit down somewhere and… I dunno, play checkers with Ghost or something.

Well, it could be worse. I suppose me and… Jaune? What is his name now? I need to ask him if he intends to choose a new one for himself – Jaune and I could use the time to plan our strategy for tomorrow. Answer any questions he has, too. Hopefully, he doesn't hold the whole 'shooting him in the head' thing against me. I could have asked his Ghost to cover it up, but that seems like a bad idea to me.

I can see it now, Jaune and I facing down some eldritch monster when it suddenly shows him a vision of me shooting him. He'd be broken, of course, and probably turn on me for betraying his trust and whatnot. Seems like a better idea just to get it out of the way early on. Maybe I can offer to let him shoot me?

A sudden blur distracts me from my pondering, as my hand is seized in a crushing grip and dragged towards a small cluster of bedrolls on the far side of the room. The blur swiftly resolves itself into the form of Ruby Rose, dressed in some sort of pajamas while sitting crosslegged on her bedroll. A quick glance to my left confirms that – holy shit. No! Down, boy. She's a thousand years younger than you, doesn't matter what she's wearing. Honestly, Yang's pajamas probably cover more skin than the outfit she had on before, but there's just something about it…

A sharp nail tapping my visor manages to shake my mind free from my idle thoughts, and I turn back towards a rather annoyed Ruby. Oof. That pout packs more firepower than most hand cannon's I've seen. "What?" I ask, already scrolling through my storage matrix for a weapon to throw at her.

"Where were you?" She demands.

I raise an eyebrow, then pause again. Right, helmet. "Outside?" I say dryly. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was breaking curfew, Miss Rose."

"No! It's not that, it's just…" She waves her arms frantically. "Yang, tell him!"

Turning back towards the grinning blonde to my left, I tilt my head in a silent invitation. "Tell me what?"

"Ruby ran into the Ice Queen again while you were out. Got into a bit of an argument, until some blonde kid stepped in. Then he ran off a half-hour later, saying he had a 'meeting'. So, somebody's feeling a little lonely since both her new friends decided to ditch her." Yang explains, looking oddly serious.

Of course. Slapping a palm against my visor, I ask the inevitable question. "I don't suppose the kid was wearing a hoodie, jeans, and white armor?"

Yang blinks twice, startled. "How'd you know?"

"I'm the guy he had to meet," I say. "He's an… apprentice of mine." Lowering my voice, I whisper to them. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm teaching him magic."

'WHAT!?" Ruby squeaks, seizing my hand again. "You're teaching him magic? Teach me! I can be your apprentice!"

"Gotta admit, that sounds pretty cool. I wouldn't mind learning the trick you did with the flaming wings." Yang says.

"Hmm." I hum, looking at the silver-eyed girl. "Maybe, maybe. We'll talk about it later. As for you…" I say, turning back to Yang. "I'm afraid you don't have what it takes."

She stands up, looking at me. Did her eyes just turn red? "Is that a challenge?" She asks, a note of anger in her voice.

I raise my hands, Ruby still clinging to one. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. But not everybody has the ability. In fact, it's quite rare. From what I can tell, you simply don't. Don't take it personally."

With a sigh, she sits back down. "Alright, it's fine. So how does it work?" She asks, turning to look at her sister. "Is it something you're born with?"

Sitting down, I scratch at a bit of rust on my helmet thoughtfully. "Not really." I hedge. "Some people are, but's more than just ability. It's hard to describe, but it's more like determination – like desire. It's not something you just learn, either. You have to change, to become something entirely different. It's not a pleasant process." I say, fixing my gaze on Ruby, who suddenly looks a lot less excited.

"What happens, then?" Yang asks.

I smile. "Questions for later." I deflect. "It's not important right now." With a quick stretch, I lean back against the wall while I pop the pressure seals on my neck. Pulling off my helmet, I sag slightly, relishing the feeling of the cool air on my skin.

"Uh… you're not Urs."

Sitting back up, I look over at Ruby, who's staring at me like I was a stranger. Though to be fair – I guess I am?

"What – oh," I say. "It's the eyes, right?"

"I, uh, yeah." She mumbles. "Urs had brown eyes."

"I did." I say breezily.

Next to me, Yang leans forwards, eyes narrowing. "His hair was shorter, too."

I sigh. "What do you want from me? Look, it's just a thing, alright? This," I sweep my hand down along my upper body, "Is what I normally look like. If you must know, I was undercover earlier."

Ruby pouted, before fingering a lock of my hair. "You look weird this way."

"Yeah, I do." I agree. "Most of my kind are like this." Freaky looking bastards, the lot of them. At least Jaune looks normal. I run a hand through my hair. "Usually I dye this, you can probably see the roots showing already. Turns a really nasty, dirty-looking white otherwise."

"You know they have dyes that last for… well, months, right? How'd it wear off this fast?" Yang cuts in, staring at my hair.

"They do. It just grows so damn fast the roots keep poking through." I say, shaking my head. "You said my hair was longer? That's how much it's grown since we last met. It's insane, frankly."

Ruby and Yang share a glance, but both seem relaxed enough. As they should, considering I actually told the truth for once.

"So, tell me about your semblance!" Ruby asks suddenly.

"Semblance?" I say, confused.

"Uh, yeah. You know, your special power? Everybody has one." Ruby says.

So… what? What the hell is a semblance? Despite my lack of concern about telling them these things, it seems like semblances are commonplace enough that not knowing about them might break my cover. "…Right. Yeah, sorry, wasn't thinking." Speaking of thinking, now's the time to think fast, Urs. Deflect… I got it! "Well, what's yours?" I say to Yang, thinking back to a few moments ago, when she'd been angry at me. "Eyes don't usually change color on a whim."

Ruby beams. "Ooh! Yang's is crazy! Tell him!"

I shoot her a flat glare. "You saw me leap dozens of feet into the air, sprout flaming wings, and manifest fusion grenades at will and somehow Yang's is crazy?"

Ruby crosses her arms as she pouts. "I didn't get see any of that, Yang just told me about it."

"Oh," I say. That's right though, she did arrive after the fight. "Fair enough, I guess." Pausing for a moment, I desperately rack my brain for an idea about what to say next. Oddly enough, 20 years of shooting things and wrangling corrupt politicians doesn't teach somebody to carry on a conversation.

"So… what is it, then?" I say, hoping I didn't just ask an intensely personal question or something.

"Oh, I can go super fast!" Ruby says cheerfully, before dissolving into a red blur and making a quick lap of the room, trailing rose petals behind her.

I pause for a moment, thinking. That can't be a coincidence. Ruby Rose, who leaves a fucking trail of rose petals behind her? Maybe they know what their power is from birth? Or maybe she just changed her name later. Looking over to Yang, I can't stop myself from snarking at her. "So, is your semblance a play on your name too, or…?"

"Nah." She smirks. "I'd rather keep it a secret. Gotta hold something back for our next round."

I stare at her blankly. For a moment, I consider telling her just how outclassed she is. Nah, it'd raise too many questions, especially since they just seem to believe the 'magic' thing is a semblance, whatever that is. "I guess that makes two of us, but… you do remember how badly the last one went, right?"

Yang scoffs, waving off my point. "I wasn't taking you seriously at first. If I'd started stronger, you'd have never beaten me. Besides, I know your tricks now."

I chuckle, before shooting her a smug grin. "If you think I was taking that fight seriously…" I pause, thinking about it. "Well, we talked about what would have happened."

Yang's smile seems to slip for a moment, before coming back with a vengeance. "Oh, yeah? Well, we'll see how you do tomorrow. Ten lien that I'll finish before you."

Oh, the setup's too perfect to pass up. Feeling my smirk stretching impossibly wide, I slide back against the wall as I deliver the knockout blow. "Yeah, you do seem like the kind of girl who has no trouble finishing quickly."

Before I can detect more than a slight widening of her lilac eyes, an explosive cough from my right snaps my attention away from Yang. Looking over, I can see a red-faced Ruby Rose clutching her throat while she hacks away into her fist. Looking down, I can see a half-eaten cookie forgotten on the bedroll, crumbs sprayed across the floor. Looks like I caught her mid-bite.

"I…" She coughs, eyes watering. Standing up, she starts to stagger over towards the bathrooms. "I need some water."

I idly watch her leave for a second, before turning back to a blank stare from Yang. "What?" I ask. She just keeps staring at me. Okay, weird. Did I offend her, or something? Oh, Traveler, does this count as sexual harassment or something on this planet? "I, uh…" I begin cautiously. "I'm sorry if that was offensive or something. I was just joking."

Yang seems to shake slightly, as she snaps out of it. "What? No, it wasn't… it wasn't offensive." She pauses. "Actually, it was pretty funny. Just kind of unexpected, right? You're always so serious, so I didn't take you as the joking type."

"I can be pretty funny when I want to be." I reply. "I couldn't have asked for a better setup, either."

She snorted. "Yeah, I suppose." Quiet for a moment, she speaks up. "So, you know any other jokes?"

I shake my head. "Nah. I'm not great at telling jokes – 99% of my humor revolves around waiting for somebody else to say something stupid before I ruthlessly tear it apart with sarcasm and innuendo." I can't help but smirk again. "To be fair, I usually don't have to wait long."

"Damn." She growls, before sighing and giving up. "So, how do you feel about puns?"

"Eh," I say. "They're alright. I never make them though, at least not on purpose – the twist of thought you need just never comes to me. I'm far too straightforward to come up with any good ones."

Yang considers this for a moment. "Good enough. So, what did you –"

Before she can finish her question, the doors to the ballroom slam open, revealing a rather familiar white and grey figure. Looks like he's done chatting with his Ghost. Despite the helmet, I can feel his gaze sweep over the ballroom before settling on me.

"Wow, who's that?"

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask, turning back to Yang.

"That guy. I didn't see him at the assembly. Hey, is he heading this way?" She says obliviously.

"Yep." I grunt. Yang looks at me quizzically but doesn't say a word until Jaune plops down onto a bare patch of floor next to me.

"All caught up?" I ask innocently.

"Hmph. I guess so." Despite the even tone, I can hear a hint of anger in his voice.

I roll my eyes. "Oh, quit being so moody, Guardian. We've got a mission to plan."

"Excuse me, what?" Yang asks. "Who the hell are you?"

"This is Jaune." I say nonchalantly. "Jaune, you've met Yang before, right?" I say, driving a quick elbow into his side.

He looks over at me, before turning to the blonde girl. "Oh, um, yeah. Hello… again."

There's an unmistakable air of desperation in the look he throws my way as greets her. With a sigh, I clap a hand to my forehead and decide to give him an out. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Oh!" He says, surprised. "Um, yeah, that's right. Sorry."

"Am I that forgettable?" Yang says in a mock hurt tone, looking down at herself. Jaune, of course, takes the bait.

"Uh, no, ah, you're very… um, memorable." He stutters, an edge of panic creeping into his voice. Turning back to me, he lowers his head and hisses angrily, "Help me out here!"

I lean closer and hold a hand up to my ear, deliberately exaggerating my reaction. "What? No, dude, you should totally confess your undying love right now. When have I ever led you wrong?" I say loudly, grinning wildly.

"Oh, I dunno, how about when you shot me in the head?" He says sarcastically.

"Wait, he shot you?" Yang says, looking confused.

"It's an exaggeration." I lied smoothly. "When I was, ah, teaching him… how to shoot, he didn't check if the range was clear before he went to collect his brass. Walked right in front of me and I gave him a haircut with my sidearm."

"So, you two were friends before Beacon?" She asks.

"I don't know about friends," I say, furiously thinking about a possible backstory. "Jaune and I were… coworkers, though he's only just been fully accepted into the business."

"The business." She immediately zeros in on the latter half of my statement. "You're not criminals, are you?"

I wince. "Ah, it depends. We're certainly not… licensed to operate in Vale. Which is part of the reason why we're here." I deflect. It's technically true, at least.

Her eyes narrow. "You didn't answer the question."

Tch. Tough crowd. I guess honesty might be the best policy. Or at least, close to it. "We're an unlicensed mercenary group called the Guardians. Or we were. Kind of got wiped out about a year ago, only I made it." I say. I see her eyes soften slightly. I'll take pity over suspicion, I suppose. "I picked up Jaune here not too long ago. We're here to… scout for talent, you could say. I'm looking to rebuild, and a huntsman academy seemed like a good place to find young, powerful, and unemployed warriors."

Her mouth opens again, but I head the question off before she can ask. "Okay, that made it sound a bit more sinister than I intended. I'm going to force or manipulate people to join-" I ignore Jaune's withering glare "-I just figured I'd see who might be interested. I'm not picking people off the streets – Guardians are the best of the best. I figure Beacon would be a good place to find people like that." Hmm, doesn't seem like quite enough. Perhaps some shameless flattery? "Seems like I was right, with people like you and your sister here."

Yang contemplates that for a moment, before raising an eyebrow. "What? Don't stop there, keep telling me how awesome I am." She teases. I can barely suppress my sigh, looks like she bought it.

"You're incorrigible." I mutter, turning to Jaune. "So, let's make our plan of attack for tomorrow." Turning back to Yang, I think for a moment. From what I've seen, students are assigned to teams of four. Not sure how they're chosen, but if I can get Yang on our side, her sister would be sure to follow. And that'd give me a convenient excuse to stay close to both of my Guardian candidates. "So, do you want in on this?" I ask casually.

"Hmm." She pretends to think about it, but I can see that she's already made up her mind. "Sure, why not. As long as I get my rematch."

"Easy enough," I say, looking over at Jaune. "I don't know how the selection process works. Assuming it isn't random or fiat, we probably have a chance to team up together, and I'd rather work with people I like." I pause for a moment, grinning. "And I guess we'll need a fourth, so Yang can tag along too."

"Ass." She says, punching my shoulder. "Who's the third then?"

"I was thinking about your sister. Oh, you mean for the team?" I can't restrain my laughter when she punches me again, harder this time. Hard enough that I can see my shields dip below 70%. Note to self, don't joke about her sister anymore. "Okay, okay." I raise my hands in surrender. "I'm joking. But yeah, I'd like to have Ruby on the team. She seems competent enough, and I doubt I could run fast enough to escape her anyway, because I get the feeling she'll probably be following me around like a lost puppy until she gets her hands on my guns."

To my horror, Jaune, the traitor, kicks in. "And your weapons, too."

"When the hell did you grow a spine?" I mumble.

"She's underage, you know." Yang says coldly. Shit, looks like we actually offended her.

"I know, I'm sorry." I say placatingly, stifling Jaune's followup remark with an ice-cold glare. "I'm sorry for my colleague here too. It's a learned response and he can't turn it off." I smirk slightly as I catch Jaune's scandalized look.

Before Yang can reply, Ruby reappears and flops onto her bedroll. "Hey, guys. What'd I miss?" She stops for a moment to study our new arrival before smiling broadly. "Oh, hi Jaune."

"Wait – you recognized him?" Yang asks.

"Yep!" Ruby chirps. "I don't recognize the armor, but his posture's the same. He does the Jaune slouch." She says, slumping forwards for emphasis.

"I think that's just called being a teenager." I chime in.

"Maybe." Ruby allows. "But nobody does it as much as Jaune." I watch him out of the corner of my eyes, as he unconsciously straightens his back.

"Don't worry about it," I say, clapping him on the shoulder. "The Light'll take care of any spinal issues. At least, it'll keep you from looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame." Ah, wait, they probably don't remember that story here. Sure enough, four blank stares meet my gaze as I look up. Wait, four?

Looking over Ruby's shoulder, I can see a pale, black-haired girl dressed in some… some sort of nightgown that wouldn't have looked out of place in one of those Golden Age cartoons Cayde used to watch, staring at us over her book. I meet her gaze as I lift an eyebrow. "So, do you usually eavesdrop on random strangers, or am I a special case…" I snark.

The girl blushes and turns back to her book, hiding her face behind it when the others turn and look. "You're free to join us, if you want to talk." I say offhandedly. She might have replied, but it's hard to tell with eight inches of paper and glue in the way.

Before I can turn back to the others, I hear the loud screech of heels on tile – who wears heels to bed? – as the white-haired girl from earlier comes storming over to us. "YOU!" She thunders, staring down at me.

"Oh, no, it's happening again!" Ruby whimpers.

I take a slow look around the room, knowing the delay will infuriate her, before pointing a finger at myself. "Me?"

"Yes!" She shouts. By the Traveler, I think she might actually tear her own hair out in a moment. Idly, I wonder exactly how somebody with lungs so tiny manages to achieve that kind of volume. Maybe the acoustics in here help.

I'm rudely brought out of my reverie when a finger is stabbed into my face, attached to a fuming girl who's getting in my personal space. I didn't mind so much with Ruby – I treated that more like a game than anything else – but this was not kosher. Reaching out, I poke her finger with my own, channeling enough Arc energy into my palm to give her a strong zap.

Leaping back, she cradles her hand to her chest before shooting me a venomous glare. "Some of us are trying to sleep, you know! If you could cease your inane chatter, it would be appreciated."

Feeling the gaze of everybody else in the room, I look around, making good, steady eye contact with several other groups of people who were clearly holding their own private conversations. After I'm sure they got the message, I return my gaze to the girl, before making an equally loud observation. "I'm fairly sure you've disturbed more of these people than we have, at this point. Screaming and shouting will do that. Is this about earlier today? We've already apologized and asked to start over. Can't you simply let the matter rest?"

She splutters as the curious glances I've received suddenly turn to cold glares in her direction. Bending down, she hisses quietly at me, "This is not over."

"I'm sorry," I say loudly, a feral grin stretching across my face. "Unfortunately, I'm off the market." Then, a bit quieter, though loud enough that our eavesdroppers can hear us, I say, "Next time you try to ask a guy out, just don't make a scene about it. I'm sure you'll find someone down for that threesome someday soon."

Rolling over, I immediately stretch out across a nearby bedroll – I don't know whose – feigning sleep. Though I can't see it, I can imagine her apoplectic expression, the room breaking out into giggles and laughter as people resume their conversations. A sharp kick to the side heralds her retreat, but I'll accept that in return for getting the last word.

"She hates you; you know." Yang observes idly.

Sitting back up, I rotate to face her. "Let her hate." I say with a shrug. "Besides, didn't we meet when I beat you into the ground in that nightclub? And we get along now. I don't think a few insults and sarcastic remarks are all that bad in comparison."

Yang throws her hands up. "Do you always have to bring that up?"

"Give me a better showing next time and I might stop." I say casually, glancing at the time. "She had a point though, it is getting late. You guys should turn in early, you'll probably need the extra energy."

"What about you?" Ruby asks.

"I, ah, can't sleep right now." I say. "Nerves, you know." Bullshit, but staying awake all night might raise eyebrows.

"They've got sleeping aids for that kind of stuff, you know." Yang says, an edge of concern lacing her tone.

I shake my head. "No, it's fine. I'll probably pass out in an hour or so, after I've had a while to settle down."

Yang shrugs and turns to her sister, saying something about some shit I can't be fucked to pay attention to. Looking over to Jaune, I can practically see the question on his lips. "Go ahead." I sigh.

"…There's no way in hell you're nervous about tomorrow." He whispers. "What's going on?"

I raise an eyebrow. His ghost didn't cover this? "Some Guardians physically can't sleep. I'm one of them." A thought strikes me. "You should see if you are too."

Jaune lowers his head, apparently deep in thought. "How is that possible?" He asks.

"Eh," I say. "Light does it. Fuck if I know the biological processes behind it."

Jaune grunts, before turning back to Ruby and Yang. Seems like – oh? A new alert on my HUD – looks like Ghost is back. Hopefully, he has something useful. Scooting away from the girls, now apparently grilling Jaune about something or the other, I lean back against the wall and open the attachment Ghost sent with the alert.

A massive wall of text springs into being in front of me, obscuring the other elements of my HUD. Taking a moment to sort it out, I realize – this is just the damn directory. There must be hundreds, if not thousands of documents and reports on this planet and its people. Thankfully, Ghost has apparently taken the time to read and organize them, so I only have to start from the top and work my way down.

Letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding, I open the first file and start reading. This is going to be a long night.

A/N: A dialogue-heavy chapter, but what can you do? Need to set up the character relations somehow. I'm… not great, at writing dialogue, and I think it may show. But then, if you're expecting some kind of literary masterpiece, what are you even doing here? The next chapter will hopefully see a bit of action though, depends on how things go. Either that or one more short dialogue-driven section before we get to initiation proper.