RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth
OCs are mine
ANGR
Chapter 6; Settling In, Settling Down.
It's been about an hour, since the initiation has pretty much ended and the relics collected. Everyone has already felt worn out from the adrenaline rush hyped by all the battles which finally ended in a bang with the Cyclops. Something that should forever be worthy being engraved in the records of Beacon Academy's history for generations to come.
Some time has already passed, as all the students have managed to come back to the cliff where Ozpin and Glynda have been waiting and not a single soul was lost today, much to the headmaster's relief. They, along with everyone else, are already being transported back to Beacon Academy students on an Air Bus that came to pick them up recently. Glynda and Ozpin rode in their own private air transportation which only needed two people.
While everyone made it alive, most didn't come out unscathed as some suffered some injuries. Most, though, were thankfully minor and non-fatal. But for Adam, it was a different story as that one final stroke duel he did with the Cyclops left him with some nasty bruising across his chest. Despite avoiding that fatal hit and having the last of his aura soak it up, he still needs serious treatment. Hopefully, his aura should return but it hasn't come back lately.
He was sitting on one of the passenger seats, taking deep and steady breaths to not make his stinging injuries any worse than they already are. He feels like he got hit by a stone shattering battering ram, point blank, in the chest.
He wasn't alone. His black bow wearing friend, Blake, sat next to him and did her best to comfort him. Despite Glynda's insistence that he should rest in a medical stretcher, Adam politely refused that he can make it so she lets him be, even to her concern. He may be injured but his pride only further fueled his determination to not make himself look like a burden. If he can still walk, then walk he shall.
As he waited, he looked around and saw everyone else on board who were more or less fine with varying degrees of minor injuries, otherwise, they were fine. Even Jaune Arc appears to be unharmed, despite the crazy events he faced and the absolute amount of lady luck that was on his side that helped him survive this ordeal.
He then looked towards his new friends who are going to be his official teammates when they are officially christened as a team of Beacon.
Nigel is seen leaning against a corner, away from everyone else, minding his own business and not drawing attention. Though, he does get dragged into a few small conversations with some people and tries to make them short but polite as he can make it.
Gale was standing amongst the crowd due to his towering height, looking chipper and a bit happy this is all over now, despite the visible bruises and scratches. He's standing close to Jaune and congratulating him that he made it out alive and even praised him for his coordinate skills that he and his new team have done to defeat that Deathstalker that they battled.
As for Rocky, he's… doing his usual crazy antics. At least he's making a really good buddy-buddy friendship with Nora and, to an extent, Ren who isn't sure to himself if he made the right choice being friends with Rocky when is already a handful for him. Then the wacko started to zip all over the place until he stopped and began to make goofy conversations with Ruby and Yang like good friends do.
Seeing that made Adam feel a little better, which Blake can see which surprised her a bit. Rarely has she even seen Adam smile, even on his brightest days when he used to mostly just keep a stoic expression that it's sometimes hard to read him. It comes to show he's showing a softer side of himself thanks to this new lifestyle they are enjoying.
"Adam. Are you okay?" Blake spoke that ended their silence. Sure, she's used to Adam having his usual blank frown towards most things, but this seems really different as he's clearly upset since the defeat of that Grimm. "I may be used to the way you express yourself but there seems to be something on your mind." The cat faunus said in with slight concern. Even with his mask hiding his expressions and thoughts, Adam was hesitant as he knew the sheer stubbornness Blake possesses won't get him off that easily until she gets her answer. Besides, trying to push her away would only hurt her and doesn't help him….. so the heck with it.
"I'm fine, Blake. Fine as rain, in fact." Adam answered with a deadpan tone but flinched at feeling the pain in his chest that may or may not be a broken rib or two. He sounded a little down in the dumps all the way to now, since the defeat of the Cyclops. Even when he ain't the peppiest of people, Blake has known him long enough and can tell he's not fine. "
"Adam, do you expect me to believe that?" Blake bluntly told her friend that her eyes narrowed with no amusement in them. "This isn't a joke."
"...No." Adam responded.
"Good. Because we managed to survive a trial of life and death that no way we would come out of there unscathed. You and your friends were pushed to the limits and one mistake could've gotten you all killed. So please… tell me what's wrong." The bow wearing girl pleaded very concerned and wanted to hear what he's thinking so it doesn't make it worse for him..
Seeing no way to slip away from Blake's suspicion, Adam could only sigh in defeat and gave his answer. Besides, it's weighing down on him like a heavy force that he needs to get it off. He's tired anyways so might as well tell her now.
"You obviously know what it is. What else could it be today?" He said, frustrated, as he still sees the battle with that one eyed abomination still fresh in his mind. "As much we're all happy that we made this through alive, never have we faced such a foe that was beyond what we've ever faced."
"Based on the surrounding damage and that massive laser we saw from afar, yeah, it's no wonder it was indeed powerful." Blake answered obviously as she remembered briefly seeing it almost killed him and his team just before Ruby finished it off right at the last second. "Thank goodness we got there on time."
After getting their exhausted behinds saved, the four thanked Ruby with such gratefulness they were to be alive, much to her slight bashfulness and trying to not get embarrassed about it. Such a giddy and upbeat young girl when she's also a formidable and deadly fighter, even for her age.
If they didn't get there and Ruby didn't…. it could've devastated her to lose another friend and a few others… It's best for her not to dwell on it too much.
"You have no idea what it was capable of." Adam coldly added, wondering what other kinds of Grimm out there that pose as dangerous are lurking in the shadows. "I'm honestly glad and relieved it wasn't you and your team that were the ones that fought it."
"Even when we figured out it's strengths and weaknesses trying to exploit that, it took us everything we got to even kill it…. and we still almost died when we were spent and left wide open to a head that almost fried us." Adam thought of the mission and endured and eventually finished but not without suffering the injuries that he needs to lick.
"What matters right now is that you and your teammates have survived." Blake said rather seriously that it really caught Adam's attention and felt it in the depths of his soul. "We've fought side by side and you're known for taking a lot of punishment and kept going. You're a strong man that won't back down or surrender, which I heavily admire and respect." She smiled which means she really meant it.
Hearing another reminder about himself, Adam knows that as much as he heavily takes his pride in it. He's a strong determinator that wouldn't back down unless absolutely necessary and he's faced a lot of odds stacked against him, mostly winning by the results from his efforts that he felt a little happy and even a little prideful from that.
"Since when can a bookworm such as yourself make such uplifting speeches in times like this?" The bull faunus asked sarcastically, if jokingly. He tends to mostly see Blake as rather aloof and antisocial towards most others. He then says. "Sounds pretty much the opposite for a girl that mostly wants to avoid socializing and prefer reading."
The bow wearing faunus rolled her eyes but smirked anyways since he's just teasing her. "Because of two reasons." She simply stated. "One. You got me doing it. Two. I'm the daughter of a former White Fang leader."
"Good point for the latter… but rather unsuspecting for the former." Adam chuckled that made Blake giggle in return. Since he was the one of the reasons that gave Blake the will to stay strong and brave, it was a matter of time until his own words would rub off on her. That's what friends do.
"Let's focus on keeping your injuries from getting worse." Blake told Adam but he doesn't seem convinced.
"You don't have to do this for me, Blake." Adam retorted but flinched at feeling the pain in his ribs again. "I'll be fine…."
"You can barely keep a straight face with that pain flaring." Blake sarcastically replied.
"Well I'm still alive and kicking, aren't I?" Adam continued but now sounded like he's just messing around and the grin on his face but than instantly frowned as he realized something
"I'm beginning to realize hanging out with my new friends is just starting to rub off on me….. Not even half a day..." He thought to himself.
"Yeah…." Blake said like she's not amused but smirked anyways. "I think this academy is really gonna open you up a bit more."
"You might be right on that. You're starting to convince me to appreciate your help on this matter, Blake. Even when I don't need it." Adam finally said as he felt a little happy, something he rarely has felt throughout his life but it's definitely something worth feeling that his master once advised him about, rather than being angsty that he wants to avoid feeling. "Thank you."
"No, Adam. It's you that I should thank." Blake sharply says and looks into his eyes hidden behind that mask that, even knowing him for years, it still feels… mysterious. "I'm helping you because you were willing to come with me when I defected myself." Her voice slightly cracked as she tried to keep her composure.
"I've never felt so unsure to myself at the thought of doing this alone and leaving those closest to me behind. Ilia, Vlad… and nearly you, like I did to my parents." Blake said sadly at the mere thought of the look on her parent's faces when she declared she's staying with the White Fang when Sienna Khan was the new leader. "Fleeing from my problems that I could've faced myself but didn't."
In fairness to what she says, he too likely would have done the same thing after witnessing how much the White Fang has changed for the worse that even he was disgusted by it's actions and hypocrisy of seeking peace by using violence and fear as a means to earn equality. Yet, he wonders the same thing too as to exactly why he stayed longer.
"And yet, we continued getting our hands dirty, even coming close getting our hands stained in the blood of the humans… something that's the opposite and against what the White Fang was meant to fight for."
"Blake... It's not our fault." Adam said in a concerned tone as he tried to reason with her.
"Then how is it not our fault?!" Blake snapped back but not loudly enough to make everyone nearby hear them. Not helping with all that happened today when she had a few close calls in her own battles of the initiation. "What have we done that doesn't make us guilty, despite what we're fighting for? When we turned our backs on my parents and everyone else that was loyal to them? After dad defected his title as the leader of the White Fang? After working for Sienna who changed our organization into something much worse?"
She then looked sad as stared to the floor. "And still, we continued to foolishly believe we were making a difference for the better, even when we went too far, we eventually realized we did more harm than good for both humans and faunus. Does any of that sound like it's not our fault?" She finished with uncertainty in her eyes and voice.
The young masked faunus wasn't that surprised with her reasons that he heard with his open heart. He expected his long time friend to bring this all up at some point because he knew it wasn't something to simply forget about in the blink of an eye, even if it was a good decision in the end and turning over a new leaf. Even then, he too feels guilty for not leaving sooner as they committed some crimes in the name of equality and better rights for the faunus that they now see as unforgivable which they still carry on their shoulders.
After some time thinking about it, he spoke in a softer but more comforting tone as he said. "You're right. I know we're guilty for doing what we believed to be for the greater good, because we want equality and justice for everyone, even those… that don't really deserve it." He gently puts his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "I too was a fool for staying longer than we should have, when we eventually learned the new White Fang had gone too far with their ideals that became a crime, until it was too late. Better late than never, I suppose."
Blake looked like she wanted to agree but then she had another thought on her mind that she's debating herself if it's appropriate to bring up or not… and she decided to just go with it now.
"As much as it hurts to think of it… do you think any of our previous friends that we left… resent us now?" Blake asked but rather carefully as if she was walking on thin ice since this is a rather not well good topic for the both of them but all of this recent experience just convinced her why bother even trying to hide it when it can't be forgotten.
And how can she forget Ilia Amitola? One of her closest Faunus friends that she understands and bonds with, almost like a sister. She was a fun and interesting girl, especially how she could change color thanks to being a chameleon faunus that can blend in almost anywhere and even express her emotions just by the color of her skin, especially as she gets all embarrassed and shy around Blake. Ever since learning of Ilia's harsh past, she and Adam were always there for her…. but now…. they left the chameleon without saying a proper goodbye, not even a letter they would never come back. Regardless, they wonder if Ilia is okay… as she continues to be the White Fang's best scout.
But that chameleon faunus is the least of their worries. They also remember how much Vlad looked up to Adam and idolized him in nearly every way when he fought and hanged with them but more so with Adam. Now all that to be replaced with the grudge and spitefulness to match his sheer ferocity and power in his blood riddled fights. Now…. he was left behind because he wouldn't change to become a better faunus when his grudge towards the humans and his loyalty to the White Fang outweighed his chance of redeeming himself.
"As much as I can say…." Adam paused when he spoke, knowing even the mere thought of what his former friends would think of them right now. "I hope it doesn't become true…. but I dreadfully hate to know otherwise how much it likely does…. I can't shake the feeling that won't be the last time we'll ever be seeing them again in our lives."
"And if Vlad ever crosses paths with us again… he'll never forgive us, Blake, especially me." He thought rather somberly. As much as it hurts him, what's done is done and he knows the consequences are never far behind him. They may one day catch up to him but he's not deterred when he knows doing what he believes is right will give him and Blake a fighting chance. His determination for equality and righteousness has never left him and he'll have to face his own mistakes when they do reach him..
"But that doesn't mean we stop and let a few broken ribs or bruises be the end of our journey." Adam proclaimed and changed the subject with the good news. "Thanks to our efforts and patience, we have four years to endure Beacon academy, learning anything we can that will benefit our chance to bring peace."
"And once we graduate, we'll be able to truly fight for truth, justice, and equality, as licensed huntsmen." Blake added, following Adam's explanation as she's now thinking what he's thinking.
"Indeed." Adam nodded and looked at Blake with determination beneath the mask. "So are you with me, even when we're on separate teams?" He held out his fist in the shape of a fist bump
"...Yes. I'm with you." Blake replied with confidence as she answered with his fist to complete their little fist bump and then they finished it with a genuine hug. She's definitely in this with him like the friends they are with two small smiles on their faces. "Let's just worry about settling down for today and be ready for tomorrow."
As much as they want to be quiet the rest of the way, the silence ended as the sounds of cheering was heard as every student had their eyes on Rocky who was juggling at least ten bowling pins with ease, while sitting on a unicycle and balancing a spinning plate with the stick on his nose… all without the aid of his aura that has yet to reactivate.
"And this is just a warm up, ladies and gentlemen! I could do this in my sleep!" Rocky shouted as the cheers and laughter rose in volume. "Just wait until you see what I can REALLY do that will blow your minds out of your noggins!"
The two friends couldn't help but chuckle at the spectacle, despite nearly getting killed by the Cyclops not too long ago.
"As fun as it is to watch… where did he get and stashed all that?" Blake asked in confusion while Adam just shrugged, not even bothering trying to wrap his head around it since he knows what Rocky is capable of doing.
Little did they know, he actually planned ahead for all of this. Even if they knew, they'd care less as they all cheered and laughed, having their spirits lifted even more that their pain and exhaustion were lessened
"Hahahaha! Isn't he funny, Weiss?" Ruby giggled and laughed at the spectacle but was a little confused that her partner wasn't laughing. Sure, Weiss was watching but Ruby expected at least a smirk on her face. Nothing but silent curiosity and confusion.
"Weiss?" Ruby asked but didn't get an answer. "Weiss, are you okay?"
"W-What? I'm fine, you dolt!" Weiss snapped but continued to watch the roadrunner faunus being such a clown in the middle of a transport vehicle. "He's just some idiot that's just doing some stunts that's below my personal sense of entertainment!" She wondered what she's seeing seemed familiar to her. "
"Something about him…. he reminds me of something that I barely even remember. Almost like something that I haven't seen… and enjoyed in a long time…." The heiress to her company pondered in thought. All she can somewhat remember is the colorful sound of circus music, the alluring aroma of popcorn and the oh so sweet taste of cotton candy, and physic defying acrobats. Seeing Rocky doing this amusing stunt made her smile a little.
Soon, they reached the docking bay. As the vehicle landed, the hatch opened up to let the students out. One by one, all the students took their time exiting the vehicle. The first one to exit the vehicle… was Rocky, still juggling and on the unicycle, as he easily peddled out of the Air Bus until he was done and simply discarded the items by tossing them to the side.
"Alright, that's enough circus stunts for this part of our story." The bird fanus mused as he stared out towards the edge of the bay where it was actually quite a sight to see.
As everyone else departed off the Air Bus in a crowd. Blake helps Adam as his support as they exit the vehicle. He tried not to show it but he was obviously in pain by the gritting of his teeth.
That's when a large shadow loomed over Blake that she turned her sight to the source… only to find a wall of muscle that she knew was a torso so she looked straight up to only end up looking eye to eye at the taller and bulkier teen. it's Adam's recent partner of the academy; Gale Hathi
"What's up, Adam." Gale greeted both of the two but mostly to Adam.
"Hello Gale." Adam responded with a nod back to his partner. They haven't chatted since they got back on the Air Bus. Gale wanted to give Adam time to hang out with his old time friend…. and to his amusement, quite a few reasons with one that Adam would likely deny and never admit to his face.
"So how're ya feeling now? Any better?" The taller teen asked his buddy.
"Not much." Adam answered nonchalantly like he wasn't bothered, despite that stinging sensation burning in his ribs. "On the other hand, though, just an injury I can walk off with the proper treatment. You?"
"Oh I don't know. Other than being more or less fine, I just thought it would be nice by giving you some time alone with your old time friend of yours…." He said as he gave a rather smug smirk and wiggling his eyebrows… while Blake was a bit confused, Adam frowned as he knew what Gale was up to.
"Boy. I'm sounding like grandpa. Not sure if I should be proud or scared at that." Gale thought to himself amusingly.
"Yes." Adam answered with an unamused beneath the mask. "As a matter of fact. We just had our talk that we're gonna keep in touch with each other since we're both on different teams now."
"That's the spirit." The orangette chirped. "It's always great to keep in touch with those closest to you, even if you live separately." He then turned his attention to Blake with a smile. "So you must be Adam's old friend of his that he's been telling me about recently." Adam said nothing but listened to them starting to conversate.
"Correct." Blake responded feeling a little intimidated how small she feels standing next to this guy that dwarfs even Adam. "And you must be Adam's new partner, is it?"
"Heck yeah I am." Gale gleefully responded that almost made Adam feel embarrassed, despite the honor and appreciation of what the tall warrior said. "Name's Gale Hathi and it's nice to meet you face to face, miss...um….." He droned since he realizes he doesn't know her name and felt a little idiotic doing that.
"Blake Belladonna." The bow wearing girl greeted back rather politely, if a bit indifferent. "And you sure do stand out compared to many that I've seen." Her new acquaintance seemed amused.
"Well you ain't the first and definitely ain't the last informing that trait of mine to me." Gale joked as he almost had to look down at her in return. "Unless there's someone else around here that can rival or surpass my stackness."
Blake couldn't help but stretch an amused smirk since she HAS seen other megafauna based faunus that are just as big, if not bigger, than him, through her life. Boy would she imagine seeing the look on his face when he realizes he's not the biggest guy around and looking like a runt compared to those giants. Though, Gale is no runt when his signature ability he takes pride in comes in handy.
"Oh I wouldn't say that." Blake retorted, sounding rather not so surprised. "There are many different kinds of faunus across all of Remnant. Many of them are just as big as you, if not bigger, especially whale faunus."
"Whale faunus, huh?" Gale asked curiously. He has heard a lot about the many kinds of whale faunus but they are rather rare, especially nowadays. While they do live within the kingdoms, they are more common outside the borders; preferring their lifestyles on the beaches, ocean cliff sides, or even out on the oceans themselves on large, floating, town sized rafts that they call home.
"That would be sweet if I were to ever meet them, maybe even spar with one. IF I get the chance of an opportunity." The elephant faunus thought rather contently if he ever did come across one but that thought came to pass as he focused on how worn out both Adam and Blake looked.
"You look a little tired carrying Adam." Gale polite-fully gestured to Blake that he'll support Adam. "Mind if I lend a hand?"
"I'm starting to get the picture that you want to carry Adam?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow and sounded not so convinced.
"Oh, it's just a polite gesture." Gale simply answered. "Besides, it's also that he likely needs to see a doctor so I'll be carrying him the rest of the way."
Blake turned her head and looked at Adam to see what he thinks. He looks back at her with not a single hint of concern to show he's comfortable and feels secure.
"It's fine, Blake." Adam assured his black haired friend. "The academy surely has a nurse that will fix me up so why don't you reunite with your new teammates so you can get to know them better, including your new partner?" He added referring to her own team. Though, he recalls Weiss Schnee is a member of that team which made his mood a bit sour. He even glanced over seeing Weiss and couldn't help but frown when looking at the ice princess who was busily filing her nails. She managed to glance him in the eyes and narrowed her eyes which he did in response.
"...Ok. I'll let you" Blake said, as Gale walks next to Adam's right and hangs his arm over his shoulder, despite the height difference. Blake lets go but decides to walk next to him for now.
"I got you, buddy." Gale comforted his partner in a softer tone.
"Much obliged, Gale." Adam responded, deciding to take Blake's advice to let others help him, finally overcoming his stubbornness for today. On cue, Nigel and Rocky joined in as they too were smiling along.
"Count us in as well, mate." Nigel added and tipped his hat. "We're doing this together."
"Yeah!" Rocky hollered and twirled his revolvers and put them back in their holsters. "We slayed a freaking Cyclops and look how awesome we are now! We're gonna be legends that songs will be sung and tales will be told all over the world!" Nothing but silence after that and Rocky frowned. "Okay, I'll admit that's pushing it. At least the thought counts!"
But that ended when Ozpin and Glynda walked towards the crowd of the exhausted students.
"May I have your attention, please." Glynda announced as everyone focused on them. "Professor Ozpin would like to announce your accomplishment from your hard earned and worthy trials." She finished as she stepped aside and let Ozpin do his part.
"As I've said before, I'll keep this brief." The headmaster spoke as he held cane in front of him. "For your efforts, I must congratulate all of you for completing your trials that stood before you, with your skills, gifts, tools, and especially your dedication. All with flying colors no less."
The students all nodded their heads and even felt satisfied in finally completing their trial goal. Now they just need to do one more thing today then that's where the real training begins.
"With that said, most of you are drained from the experience. Some of you are low on aura, especially a few of you that are gravely injured." The headmaster said as his tone sounded concerned. "Your health must come first. So I advise those in need of serious medical attention to follow Glynda to the Nurse's office where Nurse Aceso will be waiting to see you."
Murmurs have whispered amongst the crowd, admitting that many of them are tired and their aura has taken quite a toll but most of them consider some rest is good enough.
"Those that do not need to be healed, you are free to take a breather at the cafeteria where you can have your free meals for today." The headmaster spoke to keep them from getting stressed out after such a long and hard test. Since it was nearly lunch time, the mention of meals have lifted their spirits a little more.
"When all of you are re-organized, come to the Amphitheater at a certain schedule that you will be informed by the speaker. I do wish to make everything set in motion very soon." Ozpin told them with fairness in his tone. "In the meantime, I advise you to take the opportunity to know all your teammates better, especially your partners. It will help make your bonds and teamwork stronger in the upcoming years."
For such a simple piece of advice, it's a fact they heavily agree to follow, while they have time to recover. They just need to do one more thing and they can call it a day.
But it wasn't even over, as the headmaster suddenly pointed his cane towards Adam, Nigel, Gale, and Rocky, who stood close together, respectively.
"As for the four of you." He gestured to the four who were confused and wondered why Oz had his attention on them. "I want you to see me in my office when you're all healed up. Please remember that."
This only caused confusion and curiosity as everyone wondered why would Ozpin want to have a talk with these four plain looking students. Even then, most brushed it off as it's probably nothing big so most stayed quiet while others still looked skeptical, especially Blake and Weiss.
"With that being said, the rest of you are dismissed. May you be honored to attend my academy." Oz finished as he silently left the courtyard, as his cane lightly tapped the ground with each step.
Everyone now turns their attention to Glynda who steps forward after Ozpin took off.
"With that taken care of by the headmaster." Glynda announces as she steps forward and gives her usual tone expression and her strict demeanor. Though, if one paid attention, one would notice her facial expressions are a little softer and not as serious as they were earlier today. "While you all recover and prepare for the ceremony to congratulate all of you, the ones that need medical attention, come with me."
Without any further ado, the four that were Adam and his friends stepped forward as everyone else, including Blake, all left the courtyard. That is, Blake stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder at Adam for a few seconds before walking off with Ruby, Weiss, and Yang.
"See you at the amphitheater, Adam." Blake said loud enough for Adam to hear as she headed off.
"You too, Blake." Adam answered back with a smile and went on with his buddies.
As everyone was gone and now it's just five standing in the courtyard in silence. As much as Glynda wanted to sincerely thank them for slaying that dreaded Cyclops but her job and her pride as a professor command her to take this seriously and things needed to be done so she decides when the time is right, she'll really thank them.
"Well. I suppose this won't take very long. The sooner we finish the task of healing you, the sooner the ceremony can commence. Now follow me, if you please." The blonde professor said as she adjusted her glasses and turned around. Her walk towards the academy was as her cape flowed in the gentle breeze and her crop held firmly in her hand.
With nothing to say, the four teammates begin to follow her, even with Adam keeping up the whole time. Nigel was now carrying him by the shoulder on the other side, while Rocky takes the lead to make sure there's nothing in their path that will cause them to trip over and fall down that may or may not cause a fatal injury.
But as they left, some of the others watched them go, especially Ruby, Jaune, and their teammates. Heck, Yang was even staring at Gale's well toned back and especially his badass looking elephant tattoo that nearly covers all of it. For a second, she wonders if it would be cool if she got a dragon tattoo on her back and showed it off in any way she could as she annihilates all the bad guys in her way.
As she went off with her respective teammates. "Man, even today, I still don't know who that guy really is. Seeing he's still alive and doesn't look that bad, he's really strong… and damn is he really hot." Yang thought to herself as she couldn't help but grin after looking at those tight back muscles since he ain't wearing a shirt again, just like last night. "Makes me wanna have a personal spare match with him just to see how tough and skilled he really is."
As everyone went their separate ways, Adam and his buddies finally entered the main building which was a little bit noisy due to present students and staff. As they continued through the building, Nigel and Rocky suddenly felt something faint that sparked across their bodies and they are starting to feel a little bit better. If anyone noticed, their bodies briefly were enveloped in a really thin and dim layer of energy that was seen for a split second until going invisible. It seems their auras have respectively reactivated but it's still in the red zone so it's gonna be a while until they're fully healed.
Not much was said but most of the students stopped what they were doing and stared at them the whole time until they passed, probably thinking about those four from footage of them battling with the Cyclops, all the way to Adam chopping it's head off like a turkey and Ruby finishing it off with a bang.
But as they continued, Rocky turned his head and noticed down a random hallway they walked past. It was none other than the custodian, Nevins, doing his job as he's cleaning and wiping the windows of the hallway. He stood on top of a high step ladder to reach the higher parts of the window… all with perfect balance.
As much as Rocky wanted to greet him, the custodian looked pretty busy. The best option was to leave him alone and continue following Glynda. He didn't realize the custodian watched him leave for a few seconds until the bird faunus was out of sight. When he finished scrubbing the last stain off the windows, when nobody was looking, he skillfully slid down the rails with his hands and feet until his feet touched the floor. He pressed a button on the ladder which folded itself small enough for him to casually carry the heavy object underneath one arm and walked to the next window.
Hidden underneath his perpetual frowning face mere curiosity about that bird faunus and his semblance. He doesn't know why but something about that boy and his teammates must be special.
Minutes have passed, they soon reach a door that has a hologram that spells out "Nurse's office" hovering above the door, as a medical cross symbol also gives the hint.
"Looks like we made it." Gale says as they arrive, feeling relieved that his partner can now get checked on.
"Finally….." Adam said before flinching a bit.
"Noice. The sooner we get stitched up, the sooner we can meet the headmaster and complete this ceremony." Nigel noted. "We can finally all get some well deserved rest…. and dark chocolate." His mind drifted off to the thought of his dark chocolate that he hasn't had all day since…. losing his last one to that Mantide Grimm. Thankfully, Rocky will keep his promise to buy him one when this is all over.
"Huh. I wonder if the nurse we're gonna meet is that good looking. As they all do on the front covers…." Rocky said rubbing his chin that only caused the reactions of his three friends having sweat drops rolling down the sides of their heads while Glynda was not amused in the slightest but didn't feel bothered to respond to that.
"Until you're all healed up, meet me at the elevator that you will find by the directions on these signs in the hallways." Glynda told them as she started walking down the hall. "I wish you good luck." The blonde professor leaves them be as she heads to the elevator.
It was rather quiet in the halls that even breathing was deafening to the ears of anyone walking through them.
"Whelp. Guess now's the time to not waste so no time to waste." Rocky announced as they walked forward and entered through the door and into the nurse's office.
The moment they stepped in, they instantly could tell it looked more or less like a typical nurse's office. Chair, couches, exam tables, doors that lead likely leads to rooms that have beds with curtains for severely injured or sick patients, a counter desk that appears to be covered in all kinds of papers, pens, and even what looks like a photo portrait but with the picture facing away from them, unable to see who or what's on it. They looked around and can see there are many shelves filled to the brim with all kinds of medical aid, medical drugs, and medicine.
On the walls, there are tons of posters that are clearly motivational posters with some as simple pieces of advice to very deep types of philosophy that could really get you thinking about how deep life can really be.
"Well, I sure wasn't expecting to see any of this." Adam said as he stared everything, but he especially stared at one that talks about controlling your anger and being tranquil to find true balance. Then he looked at another… that talks about always sticking with your friends makes you happy…. "Not like it's a bad thing."
"Me neither." Gale agreed but was actually rather curious and took a gander at one of the posters that talks about being proud of yourself…. and another that shows about the spiritual bonds with family, whenever blood related or not.
Rocky was simply looking for one that shows the meaning of talent and satisfaction of your efforts with another that's about the purpose of one's meaningful existence. "You're telling me. I'm starting to learn a thing or two just by being here."
"Whoever this nurse is, surely, she has some kind of liking for putting up motivational posters on her walls. Must have some kind of outlook on positive reinforcement." Nigel speculated at some of the posters, with one catching his interest that's talking about the merits with luck.
"In a way, you're not wrong about that, young man." Said a voice that sounded like it belonged to a woman who sounded calm and wise.
The boys turned their heads towards the source of the voice and low and behold stands the nurse who just entered the room through another door that leads to a room but appeared to be too dark to see through and little to see as she closed it already.
The nurse in question, as Rocky expected, was a rather good looking young woman. She appears to be pale skinned and in her early to mid 20's, with a voluptuous, hourglass shaped, figure. Her charcoal black hair flowed down to her shoulders and halfway down her back, with light silver highlights near and at the tips.
Her outfit, as expected, was like that of a typical nurse, including the nurse cap with a green medical cross on the front. Despite being designed to be relatively modest, her outfit tightly hugged her body, along with a bit of cleavage showing and her skirt was short enough to show off her legs. They couldn't tell what color her eyes were because she had her eyes closed shut. Lastly, she was wearing a pair of circular lens glasses that were almost exaggeratedly big for her to wear, yet, they and her shut eyes makes her look rather intelligent, if a bit mysterious.
She was gently smiling as she held a clipboard and what appears to be her pen that's blackish-silver in color with a glossy surface. One would notice spiraling around it was a silver snake, from bottom to top, along with a pair of feathered wings at the tip, basically being the overall design of the pen itself to look stylish.
"These posters are indeed what helps me and the students to feel confident and motivate ourselves to stay highly positive and comfortable, even during the most dire and stressful times." The nurse added about the posters.
While Adam, Gale, and Nigel tried to be civil, they all had to admit she is pretty good looking in that outfit that's kinda giving it away. Though, they heard the sound of panting and turned their head towards the source of it… being Rocky who had a big grin on his face and looked rather excited. As Aceso walked past them towards them to her desk… Rocky just couldn't help himself as he deeply breathed in….
"HELLOOOO NURSE!~" He howled as he suddenly shifted himself with the body shape of an anthropomorphic dog. Even his tail feathers resembled the tail of a dog that were wagging. On cue, Nigel facepalmed while Gale and Adam sweat dropped at the sight of their wacky friend being like this that it's almost embarrassing.
"Why hello to you too, Mister." The nurse greeted politely, seemingly looking like she's amused by how Rocky greeted her. "In case you're wondering, yes, I'm Nurse Aceso of Beacon Academy. At your service" She then tilted her head seeing there are only four in her office, as if she were expecting way more. "I suppose you are the students that are in need of healing after the initiation?"
"Yes." The four answered in unison, even when Rocky was still grinning.
"Splendid!" She shouts in high spirits and giving a thumbs up, to let him know she's happy doing her job. "Since I knew what today was involving Grimm and fighting, I planned ahead in case anybody needs to be healed. So let's get started."
"For a nurse, she sure is quite chipper doing her job." Nigel thought.
"Now then. Would you be so kind to give me your names so you can be qualified to be healed?" She asked as she tapped her pen to her clipboard and genuinely smiled at them.
"Of course. I am Adam Taurus." Adam said.
"I'm Gale Hathi." Gale answered after. "Nice to meet you."
"Nigel Arvo." Nigel says casually and that's all he can say..
"Names Rocky… Rocky Rhode Runner. But you can just call me Rocky." Rocky greeted extremely politely with a smile on his face. This only made Nigel stare blankly at his partner while Aceso wanted to chuckle but didn't pay much mind as she wrote down their names on her clipboard, likely because she's used to a lot of students admiring her looks, boys and girls alike.
"Alright. You can have a seat in the waiting area while I'll get ready to prepare your check ups so please be patient." Said the nurse as she went to her desk to get everything ready.
Without further questioning, the four sat down on the rather comfy couch as Aceso went to her desk to put her clipboard down and typed on her holographic computer for half a minute until she came back with her pen.
"So what's to be the problem we got here?" She asked politely for an answer as she tapped her pen on her clipboard.
"Well we completed our initiation… and we were unable to get out of it unscathed. It's not much but I suffered a really grave injury and it hurts like Hell. My aura hasn't reactivated either." Adam said out loud as the nurse nodded.
"My aura reactivated, rather recently." Nigel said.
"Same for me." Rocky followed as his aura suddenly flickered visibly.
"Mine hasn't." Gale said. As if the universe wanted to prove him wrong, his aura suddenly reactivated on cue which was faint but everyone saw it.
"Heh." Nigel snarked at the timing of the irony.
"Well ain't that a way to jinx yourself, my big ol buddy of mine." Rocky mused as he snickered but Gale gave him a rather serious glare that scared the bird faunus to the point his head sank and disappeared into his shirt.
"Still, regardless that the three out of four of you have your aura recovered, I'm still going to check on your injuries but it won't take long." Aceso said as she twirled her pen in her fingers. "Please stand up."
They obeyed and stood up, letting the nurse point the winged donned orbed tip of her pen towards them. Before anyone could say anything, the pen glowed and made a beeping sound. They were suddenly scanned from head to toe in a few seconds by a wave of scanner lasers emitting from the pen's tip. When that was done, the nurse held the pen vertically and created a holographic screen showing four silhouettes that were the team she just scanned. They can even see their own skeletons.
"Let's see now….." The nurse deduced as she read the status of their health conditions to find any signs of injury, even analyzing their temperature, blood pressure, any type of health condition they might have, and even their skeletons and nervous systems. She sees that Nigel and Rocky have only a couple of bruises across certain parts of their bodies but are otherwise nonfatal. Gale has far more bruises and even a few scratches but looks fine from all the physical trauma, not even a visible broken bone. What even surprised her is the amount of scars, in different shapes and sizes, on nearly every part of his body that makes up almost thirty five percent of it. Just what kind of battles and Grimm has this boy been dealing with?
As for Adam, there was a beeping sound and a red dot blinking on Adam's silhouette which is located on his chest. She zooms in and can see two of his right ribs; one cracked and the other almost fractured. Much to her concern, she even detects internal bleeding….
"Oh dear. It seems you, Mr. Taurus, have suffered two cracked ribs and minor internal bleeding." She noted, concerned with a visible frown on her face, despite barely showing it. "I'm afraid you must come with me so I can help you."
She looked at the other three just as Adam is about to follow. "The rest of you only suffered bruising and are exhausted so you'll be okay. Just get plenty of rest and let your aura passively regenerate to full health. You'll all be fully better by tomorrow."
Adam walks forward as Gale lets him go but not before the bull faunus looks back at his friends for a second as they all nodded to as a way of telling him good luck. He nodded back and carefully entered the room next door. Once he enters, the room in question looks like any nurse room where students get treated but he notices a large and strange device that looks like some kind of laser cannon, hanging above the operating table from the ceiling.
"If I may ask, Ms. Aceso, what is that?" Adam asked about the strange device before him that looks rather intimidating for its size and looking almost like a weapon.
"That is an Aura-Rejuvenator but I like to call it the Aura-Jumpstarter." The nurse said as she started typing on an advanced computer that was connected to the machine which hummed and glowed to life in a bright array of colors. "It's an aura manipulating machine that reactivates, in other words, jumpstarts the owner's aura after it has been shattered from trauma or overuse."
"Duly noted." Adam replied, yet feels a little confused. "But what does this have to do with my injury?"
"Well, when a person's aura shatters from an attack, it takes a while for it to reactivate." Aceso explained as best as she could to not overcomplicate it. "However, the more injured and broken the body of the owner is, especially applied to their bones and organs, the longer it takes for their aura to reactivate. Most of those kinds of injuries leave most bed ridden, as it would take days, sometimes even weeks, to fully recover."
"That makes sense, it does." Adam understood. He ain't no genius but he's got his knowledge he has needed to understand the basics of everything to keep him alive and living as a citizen and huntsman of Remnant. "So does that mean it will take a little long for me to heal up?"
"Fortunately, your ribs are only a little bit cracked and the internal bleeding is pretty minor so they shouldn't heal for too long." Aceso said as she started powering up the machine. "When this is over, just take it easy for the rest of today and get some rest. You'll be fully healed by the next day." The nurse said with assurance like she knows what she's doing with no doubt in her tone.
"I understand. I'll take your word for it." Adam calmly replied as he walked up to the operating table which automatically lowered itself for him to easily get on and sat comfortably in it like sitting in a reclining chair. Aceso types more buttons and flips a few switches which makes the machine move and takes position to aim at Adam who sits still.
"Also… this might sting a little." She warned him as her finger hovered above the button that will activate it. Adam wasn't the slightest bit nervous as he kinda figured something that might be painful, even if a little, would be involved with this kind of contraption, especially the kind that involves aura.
"Is that what you say to all your patients?" Adam said as he cracked a little joke to make the situation a bit less tense.
"Well, that really depends on the circumstances and the variable levels to the injuries." Aceso admitted. "I try my very best to comfort my patients so they don't become afraid or make the pain worse as much as they fear it to be. Being a nurse isn't as easy as it sounds."
Adam nodded in understanding as he looked up to the machine as it hummed even louder. "I'm ready so press when you feel like it." He called to her as he was prepared to take it. He wasn't afraid of feeling the stinging sensation as his past experiences and adventures weren't so gentle with him.
"Okay. Operation starts in 3… 2… 1…" Aceso said as she pushed the big red button that caused the machine to blast Adam with a laser that enveloped Adam's body. And much to her claims, Adam indeed felt a stinging sensation across his body, especially in his ribs. It felt no worse than getting a very minor electric shock so Adam didn't flinch as much as he let the machine do it's work. Soon, he felt the inner sensation of his soul growing stronger by the second until it finally sparked to life. The machine stopped as his blue aura finally appeared, albeit faintly. When that happened, Adam felt the pain in his ribs begin to lessen and his internal bleeding began to patch up.
"There. Your aura has been reactivated so you should be feeling better." The nurse said as she walked over to Adam on the operating table, while the machine hummed to a stop and shut off.
"I appreciate your dedication to help me and others, Miss. Aceso." The masked faunus said in slight satisfaction and gave the nurse a smile. "I humbly bid you my thanks."
"No need to make me feel all flattered. Just doing my job in helping any students in times of need against an endless war with the Grimm and other non-Grimm based problems." Aceso chuckled and waved her hand as if she's embarrassed. "So how do you feel?"
"I feel… better, actually. In fact, it's almost like the pain is fading away. I can even now walk around better." The faunus said in relief as he stood up straighter and could walk without feeling the agony in his ribs.
"Your aura is doing its job repairing your ribs and stopping the bleeding." The nurse proclaimed, using her pen again to scan Adam and the hologram now shows him his aura doing its job slowly but thoroughly, sealing up the internal bleeding, and repairing the ribs which will take a bit longer. "As I've said, just take it easy and you'll be good as new by tomorrow. Now come with me."
It was barely only a few minutes and the two exited the room where the other three had waited.
"Wow. That was fast." Gale said, mildly impressed that a short amount of time has passed.
"Yeah. The kind of skill and advanced tech can do surgery that fast? " Nigel wondered.
"I have to make a guess that it must be Atlas level tech." Rocky noted.
Aceso chuckled but didn't pay any mind to their comments.
"Oh. You're not far off from that." Aceso said in a sly tone but smiles and puts her hands behind her back which caught everyone's attention. "Now since Mr. Taurus' aura has started healing him and you three are okay, it looks like you're all free to go." She says with a motherly smile on her face. "A reminder to be ready for the initiation."
That's when Rocky had a smug grin in his face as he suddenly started fanning himself, sweating, panting like a dog, and looking red in the face. This caught everyone's attention as they were confused but Nigel looked rather unamused, since his eyes briefly flashed for a split second and that's all he needed to know what Rocky's up to.
"Uh…. actually, Nurse." Rocky said as he sounded raspy and hoarse, as he exaggerated as it looked to be. "I think I'm coming down with a bit of fever… you wouldn't mind if I humbly ask you to take me to your place and check my-OOF!" His eyes cartoonishly popped out of their sockets as the wind got knocked out of him. He kneeled to the floor after feeling something impactful slamming into his gut which also made a squeaky toy sound effect. Not helping his aura was pretty low so he really felt that one. The redness in his face disappeared as he seemed to be breathing fine but he sure was groaning in pain. Nigel flexed his fingers on the hand of his that struck Rocky.
"Well… looks like you now got a case of the stomach aches, huh Rocky." Gale laughed out loud.
"Gale…. you did NOT just make a pun." Adam said out loud to his partner with a serious frown on his face like that wasn't funny.
"What was that for?!" Rocky yelled in frustration at Nigel who didn't blink and had his hands in his pockets. The bird faunus realized what he did as he now looked and sounded healthy. His chance to hang out with the nurse a bit longer was now zero... for today at least.
"Drat..." Rocky mumbled.
"I think that's enough of a checkup for today. Ain't it, Ms. Aceso?" Nigel said as the friendly nurse chuckled at this quirky group of teenagers that she can no doubt see they got a long journey ahead of them to mend their team.
"Indeed it is." Aceso smiled as she gestured that they could leave now. "You're now free to go. But please, Mr. Arvo, don't be so rough on Mr. Runner when he's still recovering." She strictly lectured Nigel who heard her but only nodded as he held out a hand and helped Rocky back onto his feet followed by a pat on the shoulder as his way of apology but Rocky gave him the stink eye.
With that all done for, the four turned and headed for the door.
"Oh. By the way, boys." The nurse said before they left which caught their attention. "On your way out, there is a bowl of candy near my desk. Since you all were good little patients, I consider you each earned yourselves a treat but remember to brush and floss."
In an instant, Nigel was the first at the bowl and grabbed a few pieces of candy which were chocolate which was any kind. Milk chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate covered nuts, even chocolate peanut butter mixed bars… but, to his dismay and disappointment, no dark chocolate. It's still better than nothing as he politely thanks Aceso for the treats. Gale grabbed a few fruit flavored candy while Rocky went for the random kinds without looking. Adam politely declined as he's in no mood for candy. A simple thanks is enough for the operation.
"Good luck on your initiation!" She chirped and happily waved goodbye to them. Once they left… She slowly took out her pen and looked at the hologram of the silhouettes of the four… and she especially stared at the silhouette of Gale that caught her interest about what she read on his physiology and looked a little confused and curious of that data she's reading.
In only a few minutes, they found the elevator where Glynda was waiting and she looked a bit surprised it was so fast.
"Ah. You've arrived sooner than I thought." Glynda says, a little surprised but stays composed. "I suppose we can get this done sooner so please enter the elevator and you'll meet the headmaster."
As they all entered the elevator and huddled close together that it was close to being cramped, Glynda pressed a button that leads to the top floor where Ozpin is doors closed and the elevator goes up floor by floor which will take a little while to reach the top of the Beacon Tower which is where Ozpin's office is. The smooth tunes of elevator music were the only thing of entertainment as they waited.
But as they waited, everyone noticed the bird faunus that is Rocky was crouching so his eyes were at even level to the buttons he focused on.
"Hmmm… aren't these some interesting buttons?" Rocky said in fascination until he noticed a button that apparently leads to the lowest floor of the entire academy, which apparently seems to be a long way down.
"Oooooooo.. what does this button do?" He spoke in curiosity as his finger was hovering towards the button with a rather gleeful and trollish look on his face…..
SMACK!
"OUCH!" Rocky cried out in pain as a cartoonish red bump the size of a golf ball appeared on the back of his hand. Comical tears streamed down his cheeks. Why must all of this be happening to him today?
"Guess that's what getting a slap on the wrist really feels like." Rocky told himself as he tended the wound with kisses. He then noticed Glynda looked rather scary with her glasses shining and her eyes were obscured from that, glaring at him.
"Try that again and there will be trouble for the both of us, Mr. Runner." Glynda sharply warned the bird faunus as she held her crop tightly. "Normally, I do not get that rash but that floor is off limits to each and every student in this academy. Only the headmaster and the staff that have the permission are allowed to use it. Do you understand?" She said as the pressure felt a little heavier in the elevator that even the elevator itself slightly strained from it.
"Yes mam…" Rocky meekly answered as bullets of sweat ran down his face. Guess she really means it as she wasn't joking about getting a slap on the wrist. "Just what kind of wrong was the side of her bed she woke up on?"
"You surely were asking for it, mate… again." Nigel thought to his partner sarcastically, despite feeling slight pity for him but a slap on the wrist as he patted him on the shoulder to make him feel better.
"Note to self; Never aggravate Glynda Goodwich, if you know what's good for ya." Gale mumbled quietly with a rather shocked look on his face, while Adam wanted to sigh as he saw where this was going. He's not in the mood to laugh, especially this is a serious matter they are in. Though, he and the other three were secretly curious what that button that Glynda forbade them of ever touching leads to.
It only took roughly a minute to reach the top, until the elevator gave an audible "DING" and the doors slid open. Once they stepped inside, they were introduced to the rather unusual interior architecture of the office that correlates with the headmaster's own style; looking like the inside a clock tower, with the variable sizes of gears that are visibly clicking, especially the very large ones above them. Heck, even his table and chair has that kind of theme too, along with his cane. Does the headmaster have some kind of weird clock and gear obsession involving time?
And there was Ozpin, sitting in his rather uniquely designed chair and enjoying his mug, reading through his scroll and checking on everything that needs to be in order. He looked up as he heard the sound of footsteps and was glad they are finally here.
"Professor Ozpin. I brought these four young men that you wish to see and speak to." The pretty woman says as she stepped aside and stood next to his desk, letting Ozpin do the rest.
"Ah. So you've all made it to my office. Good to have you drop in." Ozpin happily said to have the four young men here in his office. The four were lined up side by side in orderly fashion.
"Now before we get started on the bigger matters for why I brought you here, I want to congratulate you for completing your own mission, which was no easy picnic." Ozpin complimented on their success.
"We humbly thank you for your approval. We are grateful." Adam said.
"Your welcome. Now with that all taken care of, we can discuss the big details that have left me thinking, since the end of the initiation." Ozpin says as he puts his scroll down and begins to rest his elbows on his desk.
"Ho boy… I'm starting to bet on my stash on what we're going to be walking into with the headmaster." Rocky thought to himself in a worried tone and was twiddling his thumbs but he seems to avert his eyes away in an aside glance. "Hope it's not about my possible troubled and mysterious past because we're a long way from going to that."
Ozpin leaned forward and intertwined his hands together, close to his mouth, as if he was pondering but obviously looked like he wasn't gonna beat around the bush what he wanted to talk about.
Then he opened his mouth and said the following words.
"Why are you all here, in my academy, and for what reason?
With just one simple question uttered form his mouth, the room goes silent, save for the ticking and grinding gears. The four gazed at Ozpin who stared back without breaking stride in his stoic expression like he knew how they would react to that question of his. Even Glynda stayed quiet but now she looks a little on edge.
"I… beg your pardon?" Nigel asked in confusion, even he couldn't predict that since he can't properly read Ozpin's emotion due to being so calm and collected. He has to admit, this headmaster has a quite a level headed way of hiding his emotions, thus, predicting what he might say.
"Yeah... Is this some kind of trick question or was it something that I heard?" Gale added in slight confusion.
"Or….. maybe it's that we come off as something rather suspicious to you because we stand out from all the others, due to our gifts and skills? Is that why you brought us here, Professor?" Said a rather suspicious and cautious Adam as he slowly clenched his fists tightly and had a rather serious look that only his mouth and brow could hint.
This actually surprised his three friends that even Nigel sensed a very small amount of hostility that Adam focused towards Ozpin. What nearly caught him off guard was that Adam's blue aura, despite still being low and faint, started to flicker a bit like a small campfire with red outlines which shows how aggravated he was slowly getting. Ozpin didn't look surprised and remained calm but Glynda looked like she was thinking of doing something if things got out of hand.
"In all my heart's content, of course not." Ozpin raised his hand to not cause any more confusion and to not fan the faint flames of this sizzling tension. "Please, don't take this the wrong way, Mr. Taurus. It's just only a simple question that I just want to discuss with you civilly. There's nothing suspicious about my intentions. Can you trust me on that?"
"He's speaking the truth, mate. Just…. chill." Nigel calmly told the masked faunus in concern to make him calm down and think clearly. Thanks to his semblance, he read Ozpin's emotions; they are filled with honesty and no hints of it being a lie.
After hearing that, Adam calmed down but, even when he got a hold of himself, he mentally cursed for getting aggressive which was uncalled for in front of the headmaster, despite Ozpin seems to show no offense taken from him.
Even then, Adam admits to himself he needs to try to have more civil conversations with people that he ain't used to talking with, especially on certain topics that could set him off these days. It ain't his forte but he vowed to do better, ever since he left the White Fang. He will use that as another lesson to be better, especially with people that could help him improve.
"I humbly apologize for leaping to conclusions and being offensive to you, Headmaster." Adam says sternly with regret. "It was uncalled for. Please understand that I have a bad habit…. of getting a bit hostile towards people that question me on topics that I'm not comfortable with. I humbly wish to improve to be better at."
"Apology accepted, Mr. Taurus." Ozpin replied politely. "You're not the first and probably not the last in my life to come off as hostile towards me. We're all flawed and have limits but we can improve ourselves if we try to so I can accept your willingness to fix your mistake." If some people want to improve, then they are given another chance. There's no penalties to those that acknowledge their faults.
"Very well. Then can you… please be a little more specific about what you're trying to tell us?" The masked faunus asked to make it more explaitory for what's going on which Ozpin politely gets on the point for that.
"To make things a little more clear for you, it has to do with your performance and especially the feats you've pulled off when you faced off with that Cyclops." The headmaster answered. Now the four were piqued in curiosity when he mentioned their battle with the Cyclops.
"So you have seen our battle with that one eyed freak which we slayed?" Gale asked, already being aware recently that the drones were scattered across the forest to survey everything.
"Of course we did, Mr. Hathi." Glynda pointed out as she showed video footage of all their performances on screen from her scroll. "Our drones that we've sent out have watched everything to monitor the skills and cooperation of the teams, and especially the leadership chosen by fate to take down any Grimm that stands in their way and to retrieve the relics."
"And you four are among the very few specific teams that have gone beyond what we have expected today." Oz said with a well praised impression. "If it was not for the drones, we wouldn't have known how well you and all the others would have done, besides coming back with the relics in hand. Seeing your performances are a necessity to see what you truly are capable of."
"Well aren't we all grateful." Gale said rather gladly hearing the headmaster highlighting their performance and even being one of most impressive of the day."
"Indeed you are." Ozpin says as took a deep breath and shut his eyes as if he's recalling to himself of past experiences. "Through my long career as one of the best headmasters of Remnant to see the capabilities of the young but brave souls with the talents and gifts to take on the Grimm that could annihilate entire armies. To see such capabilities so close to being on par with a full fledged huntsman is quite a rarity in my lifetime. You are a rarity."
"So does that make us the cream of the crop….or something like that, as they always say?" Rocky asked.
"Well, I wouldn't call you the best of the best since I see all students in my academy have all types of potential and traits that makes them special in their own growing ways." Ozpin corrected. "The way we've seen how you all bravely fought that one type of Grimm, the Cyclops, with such undaunting determination that only few at your age could ever match, makes it obvious you stand out among many."
Glynda then showed them footage of all their actions against the Cyclops which they glued their eyes on watching themselves take on that monster.
"Such destruction and power showed that it could easily annihilate just about anything in its path. Yet, you first tried to wear it down with properly laid out traps, using the limited but effective resources and the environment itself to even the odds that you could not physically overpower alone. And there's….
Just as Ozpin was about to say something else, Glynda accidentally showed one random footage that shows a certain bird faunus confronting the Cyclops in tempting it to chase him… by mooning it that managed to piss it off enough to fall into their trap.
There was awkward silence, even from Ozpin…. As the bird faunus sheepishly had his arms behind his back and he was whistling a tune while his eyes darted around, avoiding making eye contact with Glynda. Adam, Gale, and Nigel just sweatdropped… and now they realize that was recorded many of the students and staff who may have been watching were likely to witness that… and Glynda was scowling at Rocky.
"Oh…. crumbs." Gale muttered under his breath if that's gonna leave them as the literal butt of the joke to the entire academy, especially to the girls, for the next four years… hopefully the rest of their performance should make up for that or this will never be let down.
"Ahem, anyways. And once you were at your limits, with clever thinking at the last second, you defeated it in one fell swoop. Never have I seen such potential in young capable souls like you four that it makes me wish huntsmen and huntresses should use their surroundings as much as using their natural talents more often. It could help them get things done they might not do so in their comfort zones and what they stick with to a fault."
Now this was something that really made the boys feel… proud of themselves. For hearing such praise by the headmaster, in his office no less. It was only their first day of demonstrating their skills just to pass a simple initiation test and Beacon Academy hasn't even started their first semester of teaching which is only tomorrow. Aren't they so lucky?
"Now that has got me thinking." Oz said.
"About what?" they asked.
The headmaster relaxed as he said. "To think we all live in a world where we constantly fight a common enemy that can't be reasoned with and wants to destroy us and everything that we stand for. To remind ourselves that we're always protecting our values from being reduced to having no purpose or meaning with nothing but our souls and beliefs to stand our ground and fight."
He slowly turned his chair a complete 180 that he was now staring out the window which was also the clock tower's face, staring out into the horizon of the beautiful landscape he so wishes to protect from the Grimm infesting with it's vile presence. "And when we continue to persist in our beliefs, we will one day win this endless war and find true peace where the young and innocent no longer have to see the horrors and trauma of fighting for one's life and survival…. but one must always be prepared to battle, whenever it's during peace or war, even when we overall desire peace."
"But, in these past few years, times are changing… and some kingdoms are taking different approaches in their academies to deal with Grimm… for better or worse." He finished. "Perhaps our old ways are dying out but I believe they still work and it's the right thing to do without corrupting ourselves for selfish reasons."
They can tell Ozpin is really thinking about this as he's the headmaster that's doing his best to bring the next generation of huntsmen to pledge their duty to protect humanity with the best of the best who have the drive to do it, while being challenged by new approaches that seem to have their own pros and cons. it's understandable he's got a lot to carry on his shoulders, considering they, along with other quirky and unique individuals, have gone beyond his expectations than any other previous initiation in such a long time that it's almost uncanny to him. Maybe… just maybe…..
After a minute of silence staring out the window, Ozpin turned his chair around and looked back at the four face to face again. "So that brings all of us back to where we are. You're more than enough to possess the capabilities of a full fledged huntsmen which is more than enough to pass the license exam without the need of attending an academy in four years." The headmaster pointed out the logic of their status, as he was tapping four of his fingers in rhythm now but looked rather quizzical in his eyes.
"So I shall bid myself to ask you again; Why are you all here? Wishing to attend my academy and for what specific reasons?" Ozpin asked like he wanted to know but got the patience for that. "Perhaps there must be something here that brought here to spend a long time, despite already having the short conclusive factor to just simply get your licenses and be on your way as licensed huntsmen.
Much to the four seeing it coming, his question sounded less like a scolding lecture and more like it's a pop quiz that sounded like he was making them guess if their decision was in fact the right choice and not some mistake they blindly followed. He is Ozpin after all who is known to be quite wise and likes to throw people off a bit with his lessons to learn about life and to test their mentality of making the right choices or being an effective huntsman.
Now that got them thinking in their heads for what the headmaster pointed out the exact things they displayed and the rather seemingly unnecessary choice to attend an academy when they could already. That is, despite their physical capabilities and their experience on the battlefield, they are still merely teenagers that still have a lot to learn. It's gonna take more than sheer brawn and mere abilities to be truly qualified as a huntsman, and they all know that.
When no one would reply, Rocky decided to speak up because he had a slightly better understanding of Ozpin since he and Ruby, as a good acquaintance, met him two nights ago.
"If I'm so to speak, Professor, you already talked with me before when me and Ruby first met you before we came to Beacon, right?" The bird faunus asked.
"Correct." Ozpin replied. "I remember our last conversation and I do recall you once had your reasons coming here. Is there more you would like to share?"
This made the other three stare at Rocky in slight surprise of the thought he met the headmaster before they did.
"Wait a second. You're telling us you met the headmaster the night before yesterday?" Gale asked as he gave a surprise look on his face.
"And you met Ruby too?" Adam asked in slight curiosity since he did become good acquaintances with Ruby herself.
"Hehe… sort of. Let's just say how we met was just a mere coincidence….." Rocky sheepishly chuckled as he scratched the back of his head but he can tell Glynda was silently staring at him. He knows she definitely remembered their first encounter and just remained looking stoic and he doesn't want to get on her bad side…. again.
"Coincidence, huh?" Nigel said with a raised eyebrow as he could read both Rocky and Glynda's emotion on that topic. "Seems more than just that from what I'm sensing."
"As I was saying." Rocky got back on track and ignored Nigel. "I do remember the reason I wanted to be here was because I wanted to go with the flow until I could find a purpose that I can find as a huntsman in four years. Well… there's a bit more to that, honestly." Rocky confessed out loud which made Ozpin raise an eyebrow. Rocky slowly pressed his hand against his chest… where that necklace holding the strange green glowing rock hides beneath his shirt but nobody knows of its existence.
"Perhaps there's something else that I don't know what I'm gonna be dealing with in the future so…. maybe coming here could give me some answers, in addition to becoming a huntsman. That's all I have to say."
While everyone nodded in agreement, Nigel remembered their last conversation when he connected the dots. While his partner may be a bit of a clown, he's still a living and breathing person with emotions and a sense of free will looking for a purpose… almost like an old and scrapped cartoon character looking for a meaning for being created
"I understand." Ozpin nodded and respects Rocky's resaonsing, only sharing what he's comfortable with. "I do hope you find something here that will be useful in finding what you seek."
"If that's the case. I'll just get to the point about myself and say I got my own reasons here that being a Huntsman gives me a lot of opportunities… and those will be very beneficial when it comes to the rewards and the income from certain missions and tasks that Huntsmen can legally do. That is one of the reasons I came here to earn more knowledge of what it takes to be a huntsman." Nigel explained to everyone which they can tolerate but are curious for a moment which Nigel further elaborates "And to make it more clear. I find money as a necessity, not an obsession. I have no desire to horde the rewards to myself."
This did raise some curiosity, despite Nigel talking about his goals being what reason he needs the money despite his honesty that he isn't doing it out of greed and selfishness.
"Well, guess it's my turn to share my side of the story." Gale spoke up. "Well, compared to all of your reasons that I admire and tolerate, mine is a bit more personal." He clears his throat and becomes relaxed… because it all relates to his grandfather as he decides to make it subtle.
"I come from a place far away from any of the kingdoms… a place where my grandfather raised and trained me into both what I am and who I am, with his cherished love and discipline…. and there's no need to guess you also saw what my semblance is as well, since it was recorded and viewed." Gale sighed at the last part again, wondering how people are gonna see him.
"Gale… you're not alone on this." Adam assures his partner and further supports him by laying a hand on his shoulder and giving a firm grip to show he and his friends will be there for him which makes Gale calm down a little and get back to his topic. "Continue."
Feeling encouraged, Gale takes a steady breath and continues.
"But I couldn't stay there for the rest of my life, not after one fateful night that helped me mature and felt worth being something more." Gale said as he gazed his eyes at the scar made by the Baku Grimm. "I want to train and learn in this academy to complete myself when my grandfather was no longer able to."
This led to some curiosity and confusion but he continued.
"I need to learn how to be a great huntsman to do what is right and to protect the innocent from the Grimm. Most of all…. I want to make Grandpa proud after he gave me his last…. lesson for me…." That's all Gale could say as he signed and looked bummed out. Silence yet again as some of them in the office have figured out what he's implying about the mention of his grandfather. Though, secretly, he technically last met him in his dreams but he's still not sure to himself if that truly was his grandfather or just his own consciousness taking the form that resembled him….. but he's right about his last lesson from his grandpa when he was still alive… moments before he passed away.
Everyone that heard his backstory couldn't help but sadly frown at the mention of that and feeling some sympathy for him losing someone that close to him.
"You have my condolences for your grandfather, Mr. Hathi. I shall do my best to make this academy teach you everything you need to know to become a huntsman." Oz says in sympathy to Gale who nodded in his way of saying thanks.
Now all is left is Adam but he only crossed his arms and frowned.
"With all due respect, headmaster, as much as my teammates have given their time to share about themselves….. I can only say one thing of why I am here and nothing more; To do the right thing and fix the wrongs I have done."
This made Gale and Rocky nod as they understand their leader has the right to keep it to himself and Nigel can tell how he's feeling and tells him it's personal.
"I understand, Mr. Taurus." Ozpin says as he nodded understanding. "As a man who respects those that aren't ready to share, I am willing to let them until they feel they're willing to share… but I do encourage them to open themselves up to everyone around them, especially their teammates. It's a healthy way to earn trust and acceptance from one another so I suggest you exercise it."
Adam didn't answer for a few seconds until he nodded in response. "I will and when the time is right."
"Excellent. Now that I understand that while you do possess some formidable abilities and dedicated skills, you convinced yourselves and I you still have a lot to learn for what it takes to be a huntsman, which I highly admire and respect. And with that, I shall allow you to attend my academy for the next four years." The headmaster notified as he sipped his mug once again. "But since you are allowed to have the choice to drop out and go for the license exam in the short run, I have nothing against you if you choose to leave this place under your own free will."
"We won't disappoint you. We're not going anywhere until we graduate with the best score possible." Adam says with certainty in his voice.
"That's good to hear. Now is there anything you want to tell me before you go?" Asked the headmaster like he was mighty curious about what they want to bring up in the conversation before they close it and be on their way to the amphitheater.
Just as it looked like they were gonna wrap things up, Adam looked like he had one more thing… which he looked at the other three who had solemn expressions on their faces. In truth, it was a certain topic they wanted to share with Ozpin when they got the chance, right after they won the battle against the Cyclops when they waited for the Air Bus to pick them up due to being too exhausted to walk back.
Now since they are here, by coincidence, now would be a good time to just get it over with and perhaps learn something that's been bothering them for quite some time today.
"Before you, there is ONE thing we'd talk about which I find the timing to be just right." Adam said but in a rather soft tone that made both the headmaster and the professor raise their eyebrows.
That's when he reached for something that was strapped and tucked beneath his blazer. It was what looked like a blade… broken in two. He gently placed it on Ozpin's desk. At first, both Ozpin and Glynda seemed confused but they soon seemed to recognize the design and even saw the name engraved on it…. Gretchen Rainhart…..
"Where did you get that?" Ozpin spoke, sounding weary that, despite trying to sound composed and collected, his voice was slightly shaky, if a little somber, at the mere sight of it. Even Nigel felt, just for a split second, felt shock… and regret coming from Ozpin.
"It's a blade we found during the initiation…. in a forbidden place that no innocent soul should ever step in." Gale said with slight remorse in his tone. "It's not only that. There's far more we found in that place that's hard to even comprehend by words…."
Several minutes passed as the four explained everything they knew about the Cyclops, the gorge it apparently used as it's lair…. Along with the mounds of skeletons left to rot and discarded weapons that rusted on the cold ground within its domain like leaving pieces of discarded leftovers all over the floor. That's when the air felt thin when that was all said and done.
"I... see now." Ozpin said, his eyes slowly drifting down to his desk. They can tell he is not having any good thoughts out of this, even Nigel doesn't need his semblance to tell him that. "So that's where all they all have ended up when they've never returned." He sighed as he shut his eyes in his expression of mourning them. "To even imagine all the ways to die in combat… is to be rendered helpless, torn apart, and devoured alive, as your remains are left to rot in a place that no man would call sacred."
His reaction wasn't that of shock. It was him lamenting their deaths like he knew all along. While it's understandable many of his students were willing to die to be huntsmen as it was their dreams….. It still hurts him and their many families that they were still teenagers that died so young and innocent, especially if it was on their first day to pass the trails to attend his academy.
"All because of that Cyclops Grimm that remained hidden from us and it killed them out of sight that not even the drones could spot or detect it in time….. it knew what it was doing and how to not attract attention."
"From what we knew of it, it preferred to hide in a gorge in the deeper and more hostile parts of the forest that most students wouldn't have traveled down there… and it showed some decent ways to fight and counter us, including using whatever it could get a hold of, as a weapon. Kinda shows it's smarter than its size and appearance would suggest, even by Grimm standards" Adam pointed out.
"It was on a level far too dangerous for a normal huntsman in training to face without the aid of a professional huntsman. Not to mention the fact it still lived dangerously close to the academy and Vale that it would have posed a major threat, even if it was smart enough to avoid unnecessary conflict that would avoid more active areas of the forest and near the kingdom." Glynda stated as her scroll continues to show more footage of their battle with that monster. Thank goodness it didn't come anywhere near the academy or else they would've been forced to bring in the staff to confront it themselves. Now that it can no longer harm anyone anymore, much to their relief.
"Helloooo?" Rocky hollered as his arms waved and flapped at the speed of a hummingbird. "That thing was so damn hard to dent, even when we threw nearly everything but the kitchen sink at it!" The irony was that he was literally holding a kitchen sink in his hands which he casually tossed it away which surprised everyone in the room where that came from. "Not to mention how hard it was to avoid it's oversize club that could leave you pancaked!"
"No wonder that fight with it was so hard and left us this tired. Hell, even when it was reduced to nothing but a head, it still tried to fry us to a crisp with its eye beam…" Nigel also pointed out as he can still remember the chilling feel of staring down the eye that would've vaporized them.
"Speaking of the Cyclops." Gale said in turn as he looked. "One thing that bothers me about the gorge was it's lair. I have some kind of feeling a good number of the remains and weapons down were just the deceased students… but many other deceased huntsmen and huntresses as well."
"Yes. Even some of the weapons looked outdated and a few even looked ancient due to the rust and lack of modern features like most weapons today possess. It may Imply that Cyclops has been around there for a very long time, if not for most of its life." Adam added as he pulled out the now broken katana he borrowed. Despite how much it held in the fight, it's old age couldn't keep up and eventually shattered during the last stroke battle. He also placed it on the table. "I used this during the battle and it shattered upon our final confrontation. I humbly thank the former owner of this to use it to avenge them and everyone else."
"Indeed you have. For such a worn down weapon, even I'm impressed it lasted that long until it broke. On the other hand, that only makes it more puzzling for this blade." Oz says as he stares at the blade that used to belong to Gretchen. "Speaking of blades, this one here indeed belonged to Gretchen Rainhart. Somebody that I knew a long time ago who was amongst many gifted students…. yet how could her blade may have ended up there?"
"If we may ask, headmaster, but can you elaborate about this Gretchen a bit more?" Nigel asked as he felt curious about this Gretchen since finding her sword with Gale made him feel to at least know a little about her background out of respect and sympathy.
"She was a student of mine that once attended this academy years ago, when she was around your age." Ozpin said with a smile on his face, always admiring the students who want to make a difference to the world. "A very dedicated and determined young woman that wanted to be a great huntress, despite her beloved older brother being against it….. Yet, she still wished to fulfill her dream so I invited her in and trained her to improve her potential."
He slowly traced his fingers across the blade with such remorse. "This fine blade of hers, Krume Dolch, was her weapon of choice…. that her brother gave to her, even when reluctant. She used it with such deadly precision and power, despite being a little smaller than the average sword. She can dice up a Beowulf to dozens of crumb sized pieces in the blink of an eye, thanks to her semblance that enhances up her reflexes and accuracy."
Then he sighed in regret. "And now she's gone…."
"So… did she die from theat Cyclops?" Rocky asked sympathetically.
"No… at least not that I can say for sure. I'm still trying to process how her weapon got there in the first place that it almost leaves me clueless." Ozpin said in a puzzled tone of trying to understand any of this right now.
"So… you're telling us her death may not have anything to do with that specific Grimm?" Gale asked with slight confusion that everyone is feeling right now.
"As I shall repeat, I cannot jump to conclusions until we get further evidence and connections here, at the moment, especially after we just discovered all of this." Much to the headmaster's slight frustration.
"All I can tell you is that I once sent her on a training mission with her team. She died while trying to complete it…. and I'm for one to blame." He finished as he reached for his mug and held it firmly in his hands while Glynda held her scroll tightly as well. How horrible it is to lose another precious student that was just doing a simple mission.
"In the meantime, as we now know the adversary that was a potentially looming threat to Vale is now gone, along with the fact a few other large Grimm were exterminated, the Emerald Forest should be a little less hazardous. For the time being, at least." Oz proclaimed.
"And the remains of the students and huntsmen back in the gorge?" Adam asked, making sure Ozpin has any plans to do with them as the longer they remain there, the more undignifying it becomes.
"Since you revealed the location of where they are, it now has given me the chance to retrieve and recover them, as organized as possible. I am going to do what is right to make up for it in any way I can." Oz said as got out his scroll and began contacting the authorities of Vale about the recent news. "Proper burials for all of them will surely make them rest in peace and hopefully lessen the grieving of their relatives."
"So that pretty much wraps everything up for today, huh?" Gale asks.
"Unless you have something else to inform me about, then we're pretty much done for today." Oz confirmed as he finished typing and set his scroll down. "I do hope this discussion has helped you understand you got a long journey to go until you're all ready to graduate four years from now."
"Thank you, Headmaster." Adam says as they all nodded and even bowed a bit in respect. "It's been an honor to talk with you and even solve a few problems."
"It's an honor on my behalf as well." Ozpin nodded with a genuine smile. "Now before you leave my office, I have one little favor to ask." He says as he gestures with his index finger. "Keep all of this between us in this very office of mine. Can you do that for our own sake?"
"We will." Adam said as they all nodded in agreement.
"Splendid. I will be delighted to have you attend and I surely hope you graduate beyond my expectations." Ozpin politely waved. "You are now excused but be ready to come to the amphitheater on time where I shall do the honors for your reward for completing your test. I bid you good luck with the best we can offer."
And so, the four silently turned around and walked into the elevator one by one. Adam pushed the button that leads back downstairs and the doors closed followed by an elevator "Ding". As the doors closed, they all stared at Ozpin who stared back in silence of respecting one another. Once they were gone, both professors were still as the statues outside, until Ozpinn broke the silence.
"You never told them, have you, Miss Glynda?" Ozpin asked his friend in slight curiosity while Glynda slightly frowned when she never told them about her connection to the incident.
"As much as I really wanted to, I just couldn't muster it to give them my gratitude for avenging Dorothea and all the students…." She says rather sternly
"And why is that?" Ozpin asked in slight curiosity.
"Because…. as much as I care for the students, I don't want them to pity me or I'll never be able to properly teach if I ever told them anything of my past right now." Said the headmaster that didn't want to feel exposed. "Besides, I want them to see me as a professor. A professor that teaches and helps bring forth the next generation. Not a sad and helpless little girl who lost someone dearly to her as she could do nothing but watch it happen…"
"Perhaps I can understand your justification… but you know you can't hide it forever. It's not healthy to bottle it all up like it's nothing and let it consume you and your career."
"I know that, Ozpin. I know that..."
"As much as I can respect your decisions, it wouldn't hurt to share your grief of losing Dorothea with them. They did avenge her and the ones that had fallen, after all. Surely, they should understand you and it wouldn't change their views on you either way."
"Maybe I'll think about it and consider….." Glynda said as she pulled out a crumbled photo from her pocket… one that was taken a long time ago… showing a childhood photo of her and Dorothea.
Dorothea was a young, yet slim and fit girl in her late teens, with reddish-brown hair tied in two long pigtails each tipped with an ocean blue bow, and brown eyes. She was wearing what looked like a light blue turtleneck leotard that showed off her muscular arms, legs, and thighs which appear to be fit for kicking with lethal force. She wore a pair of chalk-white, spike tipped, arm band gauntlets, blue fingerless gloves, and a pair of red, calf high, combat boots that seem to sparkle and glow. Tied around her hip was a brindle-dark brown satchel with her emblem etched into the shape of a rather sleek and long legged cairn terrier with a square shaped object on its collar that almost resembles a wicker basket.
As for Glynda, she looked different in the photo. While she did wear her glasses, her hair was shorter. She wore a poofy dress with various shades and patterns of whitish-pink and purple. A light purple poofy skirt, covered in many frills tipped in white at the edges, along with a pair of pink short heels. On the top of her head was a crown like tiara, similar in shape to her emblem. Instead of the crop she wields today, she held what looked like a golden star tipped wand filled with Dust used for combat.
"... Just not today."
Even to this day, Glynda felt slightly embarrassed seeing herself dressed in such a girly fashion, especially compared to the more tomboyish look to Dorothea. The two girls in the photo looked happy as Dorothea sported a cheeky grin, giving a peace sign, and slumping her arm over Glynda's shoulder while Glynda herself was sheepishly but genuinely smiling happy. A small tear seeped from her eye.
Back on Beacon's first floor, the four boys exited the elevator and walked down the halls, feeling like they got all of that out of the way now and totally want to call it a day but. They told Ozpin and Glynda about everything. The gorge filled with the remains of students and huntsmen alike will now be recovered and can rest in peace after they are buried by their families and lovers.
At least they are willing to help pick up the pieces and hope for the better in the future.
"So… that discussion sure settled some things." Gale says. "It actually made me feel satisfied we did something right, for starters."
"Sure did, mate." Nigel agreed. "We even managed to make a difference in helping people that lost their families and loved ones."
"Hopefully, what Ozpin is doing to recover the remains and the weapons of the deceased should slowly but, surely, seal the sorrows of their loved ones. What that Cyclops has done will never be forgotten but slaying it and picking up the pieces will hopefully inspire more hope for everyone in Vale and possibly even the rest of Remnant." Adam proclaimed as he walked down the hall with his three buddies next to him.
"You know guys… after all the things we have done and accomplished today, that are far more than I could count." Rocky says as he tried to list everything by growing extra pairs of fingers on his hands to keep track but decided to skip that and retracted the extra appendages back into his hands. "I'd feel we all must give ourselves a pat on the back- aw that ain't enough! A celebration for our dorm room!" Rocky announced as he presented his own scroll that shows the four of them, chibified no less, were all smiling and posing, with cake and balloons in the background. All of that finished by the sounds of tooting horns and confetti to boot.
Despite that rather odd analogy he described and presented… they all visibly smiled and agreed he was right. Maybe they might have been meant to be as a team like this. Maybe it's not entirely true and it's just a coincidence, they don't think anymore of it for now.
There was one more thing left to do and they can finally call it a day. But first, some lunch at the cafeteria would be nice.
"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Thrush." Ozpin announced as everyone was now in the amphitheater and waiting each team to come up and become official on what their team shall be called and who will be their leader. Right now, he's making these four jock boys their team official as the holographic screen above shows their faces being arranged and the letters of their first names making their team name. "The four of you retrieved the Black Bishop pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team CRDL. Led by Cardin Winchester."
At that time, everybody else in the crowd were watching, even second year students such as team CFVY who wanted to watch the ceremony, while the people up front were the new students ready to get their team names. Ruby, Jaune, Adam, their respective teammates, and many others, are all up in front waiting patiently to get their turns.
Up on the upper balconies were the professors and other staff of this academy, men and women alike, of all different ages and careers, have gathered and watched their headmaster form new teams that they are pretty excited to teach these new youngsters into capable huntsman and huntresses. Some were plain and simple looking while others were quite attractive, even for their ages, especially one woman with long, peach-orange colored, hair with bubblegum pink streaks in them. Others like the cafeteria ladies and the nurse herself are there.
Even Nevins the Janitor is there too but he would rather be cleaning and shaping up the academy elsewhere than watching a single "ceremony" that he deems not worth being at as he has seen it "far too many times" in his life. Yet, out of respect, he came to honor the students… and he actually felt more lively this time as today was interesting, especially as he sees Rocky and his respective teammates down there.
With CRDL now finished, next comes Jaune and his team as they step up on stage with their arms behind their backs as Ozpin somewhat repeats again.
"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikkos, and Nora Valkyrie. The four of you have retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as…. Team JNPR."
The crowd cheer and clap their hands in approval as Nora gleefully laughs and hugs Ren that she's happy to be on the same team with her childhood friend. This did catch a few eyes and are curious those two must be pretty close but Ozpin continues as he said. "Led by…. Jaune Arc."
"Huh?" Jaune droned in a mix of shock and confusion, wondering if he's actually hallucinating or that's what he really did hear with his own ears. "L-Led by….?" He said, confused and gestured his hand to himself as if he wasn't daydreaming. Though, Pyrrha Nikkos, who is Jaune's partner, was smiling like she was happy for him being the leader of this team… perhaps it may be more interesting to have someone like him, than herself, to lead this team.
"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin proudly said to Jaune.
"Heh. As much as I never saw that coming, I'm mildly impressed that mate actually had it in him to be a capable leader, despite what I'm feeling from him." Nigel whispered to Gale.
"Well that also surely makes the first impression of him being the leader too."Gale added as he too was pretty glad and even proud his blonde acquaintance became a leader. Even Nigel was smirking at seeing this clumsy and slightly clueless boy that nearly lost his combination number for his locker is leading his own team. He better take that role with great responsibility and dedication since he earned it.
Pyrrha then punched his shoulder as a playful gesture of being proud for him…. but ended up hitting him a little too hard that sent him falling onto his caboose which made the red haired champion look shocked and even apologetic to him. Everyone laughed and chuckled.
"Boy. Seems like I'm not the only one having a good feeling about the potential dynamic with those two, huh, buddy." Rocky said out loud as he nudged Adam just and lowly hummed to let him know he's agreeingPyrrha and Jaune's partnership. Though, Rocky had his hand behind its back and his fingers crossed. "Fingers crossed they go so well together and that doesn't, by no tragic means, get skewered."
Now onto Ruby's team as they too got on stage and stood side by side.
"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long." Oz said. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… team RWBY. Led by…. Ruby Rose."
Now that was something nobody had expected. The leader of team RWBY…. a young and cheerful girl that's only two years younger behind her teammates and almost everyone else. It made some wonder how that's even possible like it can't be even logical. Yet, since she's here and breathing, along with the footage of showing her skills and leadership, they don't object that she's more than capable of kicking Grimm ass with her scythe-rifle and being the leader. Though… the only one that seemed to make a big deal out of it was Weiss Schnee who stared at her partner and leader with slight disbelief.
Even barely knowing them, Adam and Rocky were smiling to their acquaintances forming their team and even Ruby, with no one seeing it coming, became the leader. Ricky was whistling with his fingers in his mouth, feeling a bit happy and proudful of the younger girl achieving such a feat due to her potential leadership.
As much as he won't admit to himself, Adam subconsciously felt smug watching Weiss Schnee look like her opportunity of being a leader disintegrated and was given to someone else that she looked down on and belittled yesterday; her teammate and respective partner, Ruby Rose. Uptight people like her needed to be taken down a peg or two.
"Oh I'm so proud of you!" Yang cheered as she hugged Ruby in happiness to see her little sister prove so much. If only their dad was here to see this with his own eyes. This did cause Gale… and Nigel to smile at that. Watching Yang hug Ruby… reminded of the times he hugged his little sister before he left home. Gale wondered what it must be like… to have a sibling of his own since his grandpa was his only family he knew.
But now, it's their turn as they are literally the last to be announced so they step up onto the stage. Though, as they both passed each other, Blake and Adam subtlety smiled at each other as they passed by, not even needing to say a word, especially Blake is glad Adam looks all patched up and feeling fine.
"And last but not least…. Adam Taurus, Gale Hathi, Nigel Arvo, and Rocky Rhode Runner." He says calmly again, albeit with slightly more proudness in his tone.
"The four of you have retrieved the White Bishop pieces. Until you graduate in the next four years, you will now be known as…. team ANGR." Ozpin proclaimed with pride as the scream shows their faces on screen and the letters showcasing their team name.
"Ah, Ah! He said it! He said it!" Rocky blurted out and pointed his finger at the holographic screen, no longer caring to hold it in since it's their turn getting the official team treatment.
"Led by…. Adam Taurus." Ozpin finished which made everyone clap and cheer, especially Blake who was smiling even more and felt happy to see her friend become a leader, as she always felt he had quite good leadership skills back when they were with the White Fang. Now he's using that leadership for a much better purpose.
"Yet. I'm not done with you four as there is one I must address as a valuable lesson." Oz says as a hologram screen now shows you've also overcome such a daunting obstacle by defeating a Cyclops. Everyone surely remembers that, even the new teams that were in the Emerald Forest that saw recent footage before coming here and they were really shocked and impressed of that entire fight
"As you've all seen. These four, brave, young men have fought and slayed this monster of a Grimm that has brought so much despair and grief, for too long, to the citizens and huntsmen alike, without even knowing its existence all that time. Even possessing the threat level beyond most Grimm that left the kingdom and academy at high for being so close to us…. But now it's slayed and its victims have been avenged."
He then turned to the boys.
"For your efforts and willingness to defeat that monstrosity, thus, protecting our kingdom, we shall congratulate you for having the courage and determination to push on to win such an uphill battle we all had witnessed." He then turned his attention back to the entire audience. "Let this be a reminder to all of you just how dangerous the Gimm can really be so train yourselves to be prepared for something like this again." Oz said which really convinced everyone they should be on their toes and be prepared for a threat like that ever shows its ugliness to their faces during who knows when.
"With that all said, give it up to…. team ANGR."
The entire room echoed with the clapping and cheers of the students and professors, congratulating the four of completing the mission AND taking down a powerful and dangerous foe. RWBY and JNPR were the ones doing the most clapping and cheering but Blake's clapping was more subtle and her smiling was more than enough to make Adam feel really satisfied under his mask. .
"Looks like things are shaping up to be… an interesting year." Ozpin says, mostly to himself. He's heavily aware how interesting things are gonna be in the next four years, especially that he's now having a young girl with silver eyes join earlier due to her special skills, and four young men with capabilities nearly on par with a pro-huntsman, with the tactics to boot.
Team ANGR couldn't help but feel proud of themselves and to each other, obviously showing their visible smiles. Even feeling even prouder that they are here and they are gonna make a difference with themselves and their own personal goals being another step close. But one thing they have, regardless of personal goals, they have each other's back and they're gonna do it together until they reach that finish line.
It definitely seems it's gonna be quite an interesting year….
Hours have passed that the sun has long since set and the shattered moon once again dominates the sky. Everything is now over and everyone can now finally call it a day. Those that just want to get some relaxation and shut eye, can finally go to their designated dorms which can be unlocked with their scrolls they are designated and connected to.
Taking place inside one of the dorms, it was mostly empty as only the shelves, tables, and the four beds were lined side by side, while the windows were left bare with no curtains, were the only things inside one of the many rooms the students will use as their shelter and residence.
A clicking sound was heard at the door and the door opened wide open. Stepping inside the room was team ANGR, with all their belongings they brought with them carried by hand. Though, it wasn't very much, as their weapons were stored in their lockers, while most of their stuff was packed in their briefcases… but Rocky was comically carrying a rather oversized briefcase on his back with all of his own stuff in it…. along with half a dozen smaller briefcases on top of the larger one.
"Finally." Nigel sighed as they walked further in and flipped the switch to turn the lights on. "We got our room and now we can call it a day."
"Tell me about it." Gale added as he cracked his neck as the soreness was killing him. "As if fighting and training was something, going through all our stuff to carry and finding our dorm number is another story."
"Most of that likely due to Rocky having so much unnecessary luggage." Nigel quipped towards Rocky. "What are they filled with? Slabs of concrete?"
One of the briefcases falls off the stacked tower and opens up.. and slabs of concrete are revealed
"Hey! This bag has concrete! Why is one of your briefcases filled with concrete?" Nigel said in annoyance and trying to understand for what reason he needs concrete.
"I don't tell you how to live your life!" Rocky rebutted at his partner rather defensively.
"At least it's finally over so let's ge-" Adam tried to say but something zoomed past and their briefcases flew out of their hands. The culprit was some kind of miniature tornado as it was spinning all over the place…. until it stopped in the center of the room and there stood Rocky as he was dancing like crazy.
"Oh man this is gonna be fun, guys!" The bird faunus declared as he caught every briefcase that belonged to him and his friends with perfect balance and stacking as if they were weightless. "We can stay up late! Swapping manly stories in the morning!" He expertly juggled them all at once until they were all separated and piled for each respective owner as he gave a dashing grin and a 'tada' pose. "I'm making waffles!"
The three all stared at him with deadpan expressions of what he just said…. Until they all just shrugged.
"Sure, mate. Why not?" Nigel says, not really surprised by his partner's antics as he has had enough tonight. "I'm up for that kind of breakfast."
"Why not? He's declaring that he'll be making waffles tomorrow which I'm totally on board for. Hope we have maple syrup for that" Gale raised his hand in agreement as they all further walked in as they reached for their stuff that Rocky neatly left out for them… and they all looked at their beds which were lined together and sitting in the center of the room.
"I know what we're all thinking here, guys." Adam said to his friends that they were obviously thinking the same thing.
"It's the beds." They all said in unison to each other.
"So how do you guys wanna plan on sleeping tonight?" The masked bull asked, now being the official leader, and trying to discuss on how they should do this
"I don't know. Perhaps maybe spreading them out a little would be nice?" Nigel said.
"Aside from that, I'm not against that, since they're just beds and we can carry them around. I have no complaints right now." Gale said that was the simple answer as he sat on one of them which was rather comfy… though he admits the beds are too close to each other and is thinking they probably do need to be separated. "But yeah, I have to agree with Nigel and say that these beds are a little too close to each other. I'm a deep sleeper and I sometimes snore pretty loudly… I definitely get that from Grandpa." He sheepishly chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
"Well, that convinces me more to move and spread them out." Nigel declared. "Besides, it feels cramped having them in the center as well as taking up most of the room like that."
"Huh. That sure explains why it was so hard for everyone in the ballroom to sleep last night." Adam commented and gave a raised eyebrow at Gale who didn't look bothered but did seem to regret waking up a lot of people last night.
"I agree." Rocky said. "Besides, having these beds too close to each and being like one big bed would… could cause a few problems." A thought bubble appeared above his head… and his teammates took notice of that.
An image of Rocky's thoughts showing the four beds side by side, rather closely that they're basically one giant bed touching. There lies Gale with Adam laying on top of him while Nigel is laying on top of Adam… and poor Rocky trapped at the absolute bottom buried under the combined weight of his three teammates that only his arms were sticking out and flailing around while muffled screams and gasps for air were heard underneath. The thought bubble pops out of existence which shows Rocky standing there with a slightly horrified look on his face.
"Please tell me we're separating the beds…." Rocky muttered while sweat drops rolled down the other three heads from what they saw that was just plain weird and awkward.
"Right…." Adam responded like he didn't know what to say to that. "We're definitely separating the beds."
"Yeah. Who in the right mind makes us think we're all sleeping together like that?" Nigel said in bafflement at what he saw. "This isn't a sleepover party and it's gonna make people get the wrong idea about us if they hear word of it."
"Honestly, as much as I understand how you all feel about this, I'm not bothered." Gale shrugged. "Back when I was a kid, Grandpa used to sometimes let me sleep on his back because he was so massive that he's like a second bed when he's laying down." He said as he remembered the times he slept on top of his grandpa which made him feel safe and warm until he was big and brave enough to sleep in his own room.
"There's a difference between sleeping with family and with others, Gale." Adam bluntly pointed out. "And none of us in this room are blood related."
"I know that." Gale responded like he knew what he was saying. "I was just explaining, not suggesting."
"ANYWAYS." Nigel said to change the topic. "Where should we move them?"
They looked around and noticed the beds are rather large and too close together… so they decided each bed is going to be placed in each of the four corners of the entire room that are divided for one of the members of ANGR. Thanks to Gale's superhuman strength and Rocky's toon force, they managed to get it all done in no more than three minutes.
Adam's bed went to the left corner near the window while Gale's went to the right corner where he's opposite of Adam. On the opposite side, Nigel's bed went to the right corner near the exit door while Rocky's bed goes to the left corner opposite from Nigel's. Now it felt way more spacious as the center of the room has nothing in the way and the corners are now occupied and spread out. It took a few more minutes to gather and unpack some of their stuff near their corners to get ready for bed. While everyone else did it nice and smoothly, Rocky goes toon mode that his arms were erratic and blurry.
They all sighed they at last got one thing in the room done that won't be an obstacle to get in their way. Now they're feeling pretty hungry.
"Man. Setting up the room sure can give you quite an appetite." Gale said as his stomach growled for sustenance.
"I'd say." Nigel said as he too felt pretty hungry. "If I wanted to, I could go for barbie with a nice, thick, juicy steak in the shape of Menagerie.
"Me three!" Rocky waved his hand. "I'm so hungry I could eat a buffet out of business!"
"So that settles it. Guess we can now focus on getting something to eat." Adam declared as he and his buddies gathered around and stood in the center of the room like it's their first meeting. After several minutes of discussing what they should eat, they all decided pizza will do since both Rocky and Nigel did mention they made a deal about having pizza when they finished their mission so pizza it is then.
Rocky told them it will be him that will order and pay since he made a deal with Nigel earlier so he got out his scroll and dialed the number of a good pizza restaurant he knows called Buck-O-Pizzas. There were plenty of fancier restaurants also serving pizza but this one shall do as Rocky called them so he will have to head over to Vale. Yet how he would get there was never stated by him, as he already started his journey to get the pizza….. by diving head first out the open window of their dorm room…. not even a heads up.
"Uhhh…." The three sweatdropped, trying to comprehend why he did that when he could've used the door, along with the raealization at how he was gonna reach the restaurant… but they already started to accept he's Rocky so they just went with it.
And so they decided to wait for their quirky friend to return with the pizza…. for who knows how long exactly because Vale is pretty far from Beacon alone. While they waited, they decided to unpack some of their briefcases that they will use to get ready for bed tonight.
Twenty minutes had passed and still no sign of Rocky coming back so everybody decided to chill as Adam was reading a book, Nigel was just laying on his bed with his hat over his face, and Gale was meditating but it didn't last long as he saw something in the corner of his eye. It looked like a magazine that must have fell out of one of Rocky's briefcases when he went turbo setting his corner.
Feeling he wants to be helpful to his friend to not have that magazine ruined or stepped on, he picks it up. Before he puts it down at Rocky's corner, he stands in place and stares at it in silence for what he's seeing on the cover. He couldn't udder a proper response and held the magazine tightly like his train of thought had halted. Adam and Nigel took notice with the latter sensing his emotions.
"You okay, Gale?" Adam asked as they approached him but he did not answer. "What are you looking at...?" Adam tried to say but he was left in stunned silence and the same could be said for Nigel.
On the front cover, there's a tall, pale skinned, and freckled girl that's somewhere in her early 20's. She has short, reddish-brown hair, a bucked gap between her front teeth, and a bushy reddish-brown squirrel tail that indicates she's a squirrel faunus. She has her back turned showing off her amazon toned back, muscular legs, and soft, bottom heavy, backside.
She's looking over her shoulder giving off a rather confident smile on her face. Not helping that she is wearing what looked like a cross between a bikini and fantasy chainmail armor…. that seems one size too small for her, while wearing a pair of thigh high metal boots. She held what looked like a large weapon that looked like a double bladed axe and hunting rifle hybrid, across her shoulders and back with her arms resting over it.
There's a logo that appears to be made of several simple shapes put together that make it vaguely resemble an angel wearing a bowtie and surrounded by a circular halo with its name below it saying "Fallen Angels''. And to top it all off, there's a text in caps that says "KNOW HOW TO SWING IT! HUNTRESS EDITION!"
For some reason, jazzy music was heard as Gale's face was turning red. Nigel and Adam tried their absolute best not to make any kind of shameful reaction as they convinced themselves they're highly trained and disciplined men that they are above such vulgarness…. but they deeply admit that's one nice cover they ever came across and they're cheeks were slightly blushing in the cheeks.
"Whoa…." Gale said under his breath. "
"Oi... As much to my knowledge of his antics, so far… I did NOT expect him to possess something like this…." Nigel admitted but thought to himself. "Then again, this must be what he meant by his stash collection he jokingly talked about earlier today."
"I don't think we should be looking at this without his permission…" Adam says but Gale started flipping through the pages until they came across a section that had a folded page. Gale then held the book sideways until it unfolded and showed a full body shot. Now their faces were beet red that even Gale's mind went blank for a second..
Then the door suddenly slams open like someone forced it by kicking it. The three reacted by instinct as they stood straight and Gale hid the magazine behind his back. Low and behold stood Rocky Rhode Runner as he's carrying a large box of pizza along with some bags of bread sticks and cans of soda drinks to boot. It seems he managed to somehow get it all in good condition despite the hazards between Beacon and Vale.
"Knock knock!" Rocky announced as he barged in. "It's your one and only Rocky with our order!"
"Oh look. Rocky's back." Adam pointed out as he and Nigel managed to keep a straight face and the flush in their cheeks disappeared but Gale's hasn't…..
"Behold, for I have returned! Gaze upon this succulent treasure for the night, hot and fresh out of the oven!" The road runner faunus announced with a grin on his face as he twirled the pizza on the tip of his finger. "We shall celebrate our ceremony with the delicacy of victory and comradery!" He set the pizza down on a random table against the wall, alongside the sodas and breadsticks. "So who's up for the first slice?"
To not cause suspicion, Nigel and Adam said they were up for food so they approached and joined in grabbing paper plates and no need for utensils as its pizza and breadsticks. The pizza in question was a rather large one with nearly every topping imaginable but it was divided to have different toppings for variable choices. Nigel just went for a slice that had pepperoni, mushrooms, and sausage toppings and another that had pepper and onions. Adam had two slices that had nearly everything except pineapple…. Adam doesn't like pineapple toppings. Rocky went for a slice that had pretty much everything, including nachos.
As for drinks, which were glass soda bottles, Adam got a Dr. Piper, Nigel got an Ol' King Cold, and Rocky got People Like Grapes which were all poured from cans into large plastic cups with cubes of ice.
However, Gale was hesitant because he was still hiding the magazine behind his back and he was gonna cause suspicion to Rocky if he doesn't move now. He tried to tuck the book in the back of his hakama pants but it was no use so he continued to hide his arm behind his back as he awkwardly reached for his own plate and got three slices of pizza with every topping and than got a Sunflower Drop which was in a bottle that he easily popped the cap off with the strength of his thumb alone. Though, carrying the plate and bottle with one hand was awkward enough that Rocky began to notice.
"What's the matter, Gale? Got a cramp in your arm that's stuck behind your back?" Rocky asked as he stood up but that tone in his voice hinted sarcasm and suspicion. Did he catch on already? Nigel and Adam sweatdropped at that too.
"W-Well it's just that… I mean it's….. why are you approaching me with that look on your face?" Gale nervously asked as Rocky was slowly approaching him with a rather serious look on his face.
"You're hiding something behind your back, aren't you?" Rocky said in such a tranquil tone that it somewhat intimidated Gale.
"And what makes you think that?" Gale nervously said but Rocky wasn't messing around as he tried to look around Gale but the tattooed boy kept shifting and turning to prevent the bird faunus from getting behind him. It kept going for a minute that it got amusing how Rocky persisted and Gale kept denying him.
Then Rocky decided to stop playing around.
Without warning, he suddenly looked shocked and pointed at something with his finger. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
Despite being a disciplined fighter, Gale was caught off guard and instinctively looked at what Rocky pointed at… it was nothing as Rocky zipped around and snatched the item out of Gale's hands.
"Busted…." Adam and Nigel said in unison.
"Hey! Don't try to scapegoat me out on this! You were looking at it too!" Gale spat back, slightly annoyed they are trying to throw him under the bus.
"So you guys have been checking out the stash of my personal collection?" Rocky asked as he flipped through all the pages of his magazine… making sure they are in good condition and not damaged.
"R-Rocky! You gotta understand! I just found it on the floor and I wanted to put it back so it doesn't get ruined but we got distracted by the cover. We all got curious and got taken out of hand for it!" Gale reasonably explained that even Adam and Nigel were gonna jump in his defense. As it looked like Rocky was gonna snap for touching his magazine without his permission…. .he just happily chuckled and looked rather amused.
"I see now. You just got curious because of what this piece of treasure has to offer which I left on the floor without knowing and you wanted to give it back but you couldn't resist taking a peek. I understand, my friends." The bird faunus said with no malice in his voice. They started feeling relieved that Rocky seemingly showed no hard feelings.
"Really?" Gale asked.
"Yes. Really." He said as he firmly placed his hand on his bigger buddy's shoulder as if he was comforting him. "There's no shame in guys like us privately owning something like this. It's pretty natural to have something like this to enjoy in our free time so it was no wonder you wanted to take a peek at this. A testament to manhood"
"Well that's good to hear." Adam says but Nigel suddenly felt another emotion starting to swell up in Rocky as shadows covered the upper half of his face and he suddenly tightened his grip on Gale's shoulder who noticed that. Even his aura, despite being faint, started to slightly flare. Gale, Nigel, and Adam felt the air getting thin in the room.
"But if I ever find, even a single page, of my stash torn or smudged beyond recognition, I swear to you guys; You don't want to see me get absolutely livid…..." He bird faunus darkly warned which made everyone stare frozen in place….. than he smiled again as his eyes looked cheerful. "Anyways, let's chow down and celebrate!"
As he headed off, the other three stood in silent bafflement
"He's kidding…. right?" Gale whispered to Nigel and Adam. "Because it sounded like he wasn't."
"I'm not so sure. I sure sensed his malice but it apparently felt like…. it wasn't directed toward us." Nigel whispered back as they watched Rocky open one of his briefcases and stuff the magazine with all the other different types he owns.
"At least it didn't further intensify into a major misunderstanding that gets worse from there." Adam said as he sighed. "What today was is already enough."
Soon, everyone got what they wanted and sat down together at a table they set up in the center of the room with some chairs that were also in the room.
"Now before we eat, I just want to make an announcement tonight." Adam announced as everyone else in the room was silent and focused on him. "As leader of team ANGR, I must say that today was a rather hard but fulfilling challenge for us. It wasn't easy and risked our lives but we still proved our worth as huntsmen in training." He said as they were all feeling proud of that. "Thanks to our efforts and our unbreakable bonds as a team, we surely gave the academy a major impression of our performance and our accomplishments, especially avenging the fallen."
"Yep. There's been a news update that Vale is already planning to send a recovery team to retrieve all the remains of the deceased and then they're also gonna close off that gorge so nobody can go near it again." Gale said as they remembered the recent news about that.
"And so, with all that we've done today, let us have a toast in honor of Beacon, the students of past and present, and to ourselves." The leader declared as he held his bottle up and everyone grabbed theirs in response.
"CHEERS!" They all said as they clanged their bottles together and began their feast.
"Oh, wait! There's one more thing I forgot." Rocky said as he reached into his pocket and tossed it to Nigel who swiftly caught it….. It was a bar of Dark Chocolate. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at his partner with visible gratitude.
"Thanks, mate." Nigel said happily and Rocky smiled back.
As time passed and they ate to their heart's content, they made many different conversations and topics, joking around, saying lots of nonsense, and even bringing up some who were willing to share with their backgrounds.
One rather embarrassing thing Rocky wanted to point out on the rather odd and rather inappropriate shape of Ozpin's chair when seen from the back. That sent him laughing so hysterically hard he fell off his chair while Adam, Gale, and Nigel tried not to laugh as they began to see that... and will forever be unable to unsee that...
Soon, they had their fill and the boxes and bottles were empty. Time for bed as they took turns using the bathroom to shower and brush their teeth.
They decided Rocky should go first as he did the honors of bringing food… and he was done surprisingly quick. Nigel went next and took his time and then Gale had his turn. Adam came in last, in irony of being the leader, But the weird thing about Adam is the unique smell coming from his hair. What kind of shampoo is he using? Nobody questioned as they respected his privacy and took his time getting ready.
Everyone wore the same pajamas as they did last night but they thankfully managed to wash them earlier so they are fresh; Nigel wore standard pajamas, Adam wore his white kimono-style pajamas, Rocky just decided to add a sleeping cap to his sleep wear while Gale just went shirtless again in the same hakama pants he wore today.
As they all turned off the lights and laid in their beds, even staring up at the ceiling and recalling everything that has happened today, in the illuminated darkness of their dorm room. They were slowly feeling the embrace of warmth of their blankets they wrapped themselves in as they
"Hey, guys?" Gale called out to his buddies but not looking at them, ending the silence. "You still awake?"
"Yes."
"Yeah."
"What up?"
They all replied, not sounding upset or annoyed but they are too tired to even muster to look at him who doesn't mind as he just stares up at the ceiling…. caressing that same feather his grandfather gave him..
"I don't know if this is a good time to bring this up at a time like this AND since that's a long ways away for that to matter…" Gale paused like he wasn't sure how he should say this but continued to speak, still feeling worried at a topic he wanted to bring. "...what's it gonna be like between us when we finally graduate into full fledged huntsmen?"
Now that was a pretty good question for the other three as they were all thinking about that too."
"Gee… when you put it that way, that's a rather deep question despite we got four years to not think and worry about." Adam admitted.
"He does have a point." Nigel said as he narrowed his eyes and folded his hands behind his head while still laying in his bed, his hat hung up on a hat hanger. "Even if we are a long way away from there, sometimes, you shouldn't think too much on how things should go when you have so much time to spare and enjoy while it lasts. How knows if some unknown event that may change our very ways of life or it just ends in the most mundane way possible. Chances are things like those can go either way with us so we shouldn't dwell on it."
"What he's saying, as some people may say; The best of times is now. As for tomorrow, well, who knows." Rocky said.
"Pretty much." Nigel snarked as they all chuckled at that.
"Still…. I just hope we can enjoy every moment together while it lasts." Gale said that he started to sound… melancholic. "Because I haven't spent a lot of time with other people, human or fauns, for very long … especially after Grandpa passed away."
Now that left everyone frowning, especially for Adam as he recalled the conversation with Gale about his grandfather back in the gorge, while Nigel and Rocky only heard about him briefly, they still sent their condolences to him.
"You must have loved him very much." Nigel asked with sympathy to his new friend.
"Yeah…. he was the only family I ever knew and had…." Gale could only say.
"Not even a mom and dad?" Rocky asked.
"...No." Gale solemnly replied again.
"You know, my friend… you're not alone on that." The bird faunus said as he too never knew his birth parents as his trainer was his only father figure he knew that was family to him.
Adam…. didn't say a word about his master nor the ambiguity of having his own family or not, as he said something else to not make things any sadder.
"Regardless guys, whatever happened in our pasts, we're in this together and we'll support each other like the teammates we are. That's what we're here for"
Everyone felt better as they know they gotta move forward with this and make themselves and everyone else they knew and loved proud.
"It's getting late, guys. It's time to sleep so Goodnight." The leader said as they started to relax.
"Goodnight." They all said as they too relaxed and tried to sleep.
Everybody soon fell soundly asleep, that there was nothing but the sounds of the subtle snoring and breathing given off by Gale and Rocky, while Nigel was rather quiet with only softer breaths.
In his bed, Adam waited for a while until he felt comfortable enough taking his mask off. He set it gently down on one of the night stands and rolled over that he faced towards the wall so nobody could see his face, not even his partner and teammates.
Today is over, now they must face tomorrow for the first day of Beacon, as the scenery now shows the illuminating glow of the shattered moon yet again, still drifting with its visible scar for all to see.
Not everyone is slumbering in Vale as a warehouse of unknown location is stirring. The moonlight seeps through a large window and illuminates the room filled with many empty shelves and random crates placed everywhere randomly. At the back, there stands near a random desk with a large map of Vale above it that shows many locations and districts named and crossed out, along with showing Beacon circled. There stood Roman Torchwhick as he was busy talking to someone on his scroll but wasn't happy with what he's hearing. He sighs as he slams his scroll on the desk rather hard, completely frustrated that, yet, another set back to his plans that seems to happen a lot lately.
As he lit his cigar to calm his nerves, a White Fang thug comes in with a trolley that has a briefcase on it. Roman then paid him several lien cards which the White Fang grunt takes.
"Open it." Roman demanded as the White Fang thug opened the briefcase with a crowbar… and inside is a mother load of raw Dust that's all neatly arranged, in all different colors. The mob boss picked up a random Dust crystal and inspected it. He sighed at
"We're gonna need more men…." Roman grumbled as he put the crystal down.
CRASH!
The sounds of something falling and creating a loud crashing
"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Roman shouted in alert as he instantly pointed his cane in fire mode as its crosshares are flipped up, ready to fire at any unwelcome trespasser that is likely sneaking around in his designated base.
Nobody answered as the warehouse was silent but Roman's instincts are telling there is someone… or something sneaking around the warehouse.
"Neo? Is that you? Have you come back from the mission I assigned you to?" Roman said but he was greeted with silence. He grumbled under his breath.
"Oh ha-ha-ha." Roman sarcastically laughed that was dry and not amused. "You got me Neo. You surely got me there. I know you have this hard-to-break habit of pulling some sneaky pranks. Blending in and then surprising me where I would least expect it. So can you come out now so we can get back to business…..?"
There was still no answer, almost like nobody was there but Roman can feel his hair stand on end a little bit.
"I'm telling you, Neo, stop messing around and come out! This isn't funny anymore!" Roman said again that his tone, while sounded serious, also being a little weary as if he's feeling a little bit on his toes that even the White Fang goon was feeling nervous.
That's when his scroll buzzed which he grabbed and checked, despite the rather tense moment he's in… and much to his shock… there's a text of Neo that says. "Still on a mission. Won't be back 'till tomorrow morning. C U Soon, Dum-Dum." Further evidence showing a photo of her posing on top of a skyscraper while holding a bag of lien and dust. Giving a smug smile and a "V" sign with her hand.
That's when Roman swore his blood ran slightly cold…. It's definitely not Neo.
"An intruder. Just can't this night be any more a pain in my ass?" Roman thought annoyingly.
He looked towards the White Fang thug who was also startled, which he gestured his head to the thug to go check it out… the thug was hesitant at first but he drew his pistol out and cocks it. He cautiously steps forward and walks through one aisle of shelves while Roman takes a different direction aisle the warehouse.
"Alright, wise guy. Whoever you are, I got some REALLY busy errands to attend to. I ESPECIALLY have no time to play this pointless game of yours. So I highly suggest you either come out or I'm gonna reduce you to ashes. And I highly prefer the former because I'm not wasting any more precious Dust ammunition that I already smuggled tonight!"
As before, no answer but Roman ain't deterred, at least he ain't showing it. He got out a flashlight as it was far too dark now and began to move. What felt strange was how deathly silent it was in here that not even the skittering of rats nor the sound of the wind seeping through the windows and doors were present.
As he further walked in… neither he nor the White Fang grunt noticed there was a thin humanoid silhouette that was abnormally crouching on top of the shelves, just above them and staring at Roman with its facial features covered by long, ghastly, stringy hair.
As Roman stopped for a second to look around a bit, the silhouette landed behind him, not even making a sound… and just stared at him for several seconds. It suddenly slowly pranced closer on all fours until it stood on its hind legs where it was a head shorter than Roman. It slowly reached out its long fingers almost brushed against the back of his neck.
Roman was grumbling under his breath that the intruder hadn't been found… and feeling a bit scared as his hair stood even more on end. That's when… he suddenly heard and even felt the sound of breathing that's right behind him… and he also felt something ticking him… something that felt soft and wooly….
"RAH!" Roman aggressively shouted as he spun around and pointed his cane and flashlight… and all he was pointing at was nothing but the darkness where his flashing didn't luminate. His mind started to race as something speeded past him that he swore he saw it in the corner of his eye and he darted. Due to shouting, the White Fang member ran towards him in worry but Roman scoffed at him to keep searching.
"Am I going crazy…. or am I not getting enough sleep?" Tochwick thought to himself as he continued forward, now feeling drops of sweat rolling down his face while he puffed another breath of his cigar to calm his nerves which was barely doing so. "Either way, I got a lot to do so I'm getting to the bottom of this right now."
That's when he heard the sound of shuffling feet running past that accidentally knocked over another crate which caught him yet again that he couldn't get a good view as the suspect ran ahead.
Roman gave chase as he was ready this time, keeping up with the intruder as it then tried to maneuver through the gaps of the shelves but Roman wasn't gonna let it get away. The sounds of running alerted the White Fang goon as he too gave chase.
"AHA!" Roman mockingly exclaimed as he aimed both his cane and the flashlight towards the intruder...It was a doll… a simple rag doll with a simple dress and ragged red hair made of yarn. Though, it had its back turned on him so he doesn't know what its face looks like… as curiosity got the better of him and approached it.
"What the- a doll?" Roman said in complete confusion as he picked it up and turned it around to look at it. He squeezed it a bit tightly which accidentally activated it's voice box.
"Hi there! I'm Raggy! I wanna be your friend! Do you wanna be my friend?" Said the doll cheerfully but her tone and the way she looks makes it come off as rather creepy and unsettling, especially how the mouth looked stitched with thread in a rather disturbing fashion and a pair of button eyes. Roman scoffed and tried to feel like this is just a mere coincidence.
"Tch. Annoying and useless toy." Roman grumbled as he looked unamused as he puffed a cloud of smoke at the doll as if he was mocking it. "Are children going to leave their toys around and expect the grown ups to pick up after them? Oh, don't mind me! I'm such a busy man who has the time to clean up after such spoiled brats! You're Welcome!" He sarcastically yelled to whoever was messing with him. "I got no time for this."
Just as he was about to drop the doll and inform the White Fang member… the doll somehow suddenly had its arms wrapped around his hand as if it didn't want to be dropped.
"What the-?" Roman exclaimed in confusion as it won't let go. "Let go of your useless pile of junk!"
Something seemed very wrong with this doll as it suddenly gripped him tighter… that's when Roman started to feel panic slowly rise in himself.
"Come on! Let's have some fun! Let's play a game…. Play…. Play….PLAY~" As it continued to talk, it's tone started to slowly change from friendly to sounding possessive and distorted. It's head started to somehow move on its own and looked up at Roman as if it was staring into his eyes with its soulless button eyes…. its stitched smile somehow twisted and contorted into a creepy grin. What's worse is that the doll's body appeared to be squirming and shifting… as if something was inside it.
The stitching that makes up the mouth started to stretch and tear until it ripped open… and out crawled of the mouth are what looked like a swarm of cockroaches. The button eyes popped off and each one had a squirming centipede sticking out of the eye hole. Roman's pupil shrank and his mouth gaped.
"pLaY wItH mE~!"
Out of survival instinct, Roman slightly yelped in fear as he swung his arm with all his might that the doll flew out of his hand and slammed against a wall. He fired his cane at it with a Fire Dust projectile.
KABOOM!
A sizable burst of flames engulfed the doll and the creepy crawlies until nothing was left but ashes and a rotten smell..
"Just what the hell is going on here?!" Roman shouted in a mix of confusion, fear, and frustration of what's happening. Sure, he ain't afraid of Grimm much but this feels so unnatural that it nearly made him lose all sense of reason as he was glad he burnt that dool to ashes… and it was probably just the voice box malfunctioning and the insects likely controlled it. Still… something still felt wrong from that.
It's not over as he then heard screaming, coming where his desk is at..
"STOP IT! GET AWAY FROM ME! DON'T YOU GAA-!" It was the White Fang member that made Roman realize something.
That doll was merely a distraction, even if it creeped him out pretty good. He growled as he ran back to his desk… and found something that caught him off guard.
"What the…." Roman muttered as he stared at what was in front of him.
What he saw was a complete mess. What he saw were dozens upon dozens of strands of wire-like threads were all over the place as they were attached to the floors, the walls, and even the ceiling. The troller was shredded to pieces, possibly by those threads, and the briefcase of Dust was missing.
There was the White Fang goon… who was squirming on the floor as his shattered mask layed nearby in broken pieces and it looked like he was in agony but he sounded muffled like he couldn't cry or scream. Roman quickly marched over to him with a scowl on his face.
"Who did this? Who was it that you saw that did this?!" Roman demanded grabbed the man by the shoulder and make him turn around…. and almost yelped in fright at what he saw.
The White Fang member …. had his eyes and mouth completely stitched shut. With such delicate precision and in a short amount of time performed on a conscious and struggling victim when Roman heard him scream and came as fast as he could in mere seconds. Whoever or whatever did this sure has some talent with stitching. But that wasn't over as he looked over to his desk… and what shocked him again was yet another doll sitting on the desk and creepily staring at him, but it's thankfully lifeless and isn't moving.
The doll was similar to the last one in almost every way… except it's smile was even wider which made it disturbingly uncanny and it had glass eyes that were bloodshot and the pupils were shrunken. But what Roman noticed was the same lien he paid the White Fang grunt for the Dust is now sitting in it's lap as if presenting back the money to him.
However, above the doll was something that was written on the map, by red threads of yarn that were stitched into the wall that made out letters that were made into some kind of creepy poem that read.
BEWARE. BEWARE.
IF YOU MEET HER, DON'T SCREAM OR STARE.
FOR MISS RAGGY WILL SILENCE YOU UNAWARE.
"Tch. Seems we got another freak in this kingdom…." Roman said as he lit his cigar and just stared at the mess in disappointment….while the White Fang goon continued to struggle and muffle to free his mouth and eyes from the stitching. "And quit your whining, I'm already calling one of your friends." He scoffed as he got out his scroll and dialed the number.
Outside, there was an innocent humming as a shadow was seen on the walls of a ruined building that resembles a human female in a dress and twin pigtail hairstyle. The being was happily skipping down the aisle, carrying what looked like a doll in one hand…. and a briefcase in the other.
The childish humming continuously echoed across the night of Vale as the moon once again showed it's broken presence, hiding behind the clouds.
With this chapter finally done, I just want to address a few things that I need to get off my chest. It apparently seems it's taking longer to make and post a new chapter every time which seems to be like months and I'm feeling a bit disappointed in myself it took this long to complete this chapter because of what's going on in my life, occasional writers block, and everything else. However, I should know it's just natural and I shouldn't be bummed out by it when I should just be natural and write when I'm most comfortable and confident. I just surely hope my efforts and patience are worth it when I still want to make many more chapters for my first RWBY based fanfic so I'm gonna keep it up as much as I can.
With that off my chest now. Well, It's pretty much the conclusion to completing the initiation and ANGR is finally official now. However, I originally wanted to put in a bit more character interaction with a few more characters with ANGR but I decided to just get to the point of this and make them official now. Those chances of more character interaction are now possible and easier to make with everything settled down and now they are attending the academy. And now In got my chances to introduce many new professors and staff to make the academy feel more lively and filled with more types of characters.
So with that all done. See you next chapter and I'm maybe thinking of making tons of other fanfics to to spread out my creativity.