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Scrublord Yoda
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"Welcome and good morning." The good doctor, Bartholomew Oobleck, rattled off nearly three weeks into their year's attendance at the Academy. As they took their seats, many of them nursing coffee, soda and breakfast bars since they knew the teacher wouldn't care so long as they were attentive, he went on. "Now that we have established a broad, if basic, understanding of history we can begin discussing historical events in earnest. And I've decided, due to reasons the astute will know, to start with the Color Wars."
"The Color Wars?" An Atlesian student in the seat behind their assigned spot muttered confusedly as they sat down, "When did that happen?"
"You might know it as the Great War, Miss Alabaster." Doctor Oobleck answered swiftly, "I know that Atlas doesn't tend to use 'Color War' in educational parlance, even if academia does."
"Ah…"
"And that, I believe, is a perfect starting point!" Doctor Oobleck smiled, turning and reading out as he wrote on his board, "Why do some Kingdoms call it 'the Great War' and some 'the Color War'? Miss Schnee, you look interested in the subject. Care to answer?"
"Yes, thank you, Prof- Doctor." She said, standing a few feet down from him, in amongst team RWBY, to answer. "The reason is because, officially, several of the Kingdoms do not recognize culpability in the conflict. Mantle no longer exists, of course, but Mistral does not wish to seem to have been at war with art. Vacuo does not wish to recognize certain naval violations that brought Mantle against them, and Vale does not wish to recognize that by sending their own warriors to aid Vacuo they were ostensibly assaulting Mantle."
"Yeah." Winchester agreed from across the room and two rows down. "Arcs should'a just minded their own damn business. But like they always do, they went an' started shit."
"My family was bound in an alliance to House Cornel." Jaune found himself on his feet before he could even think about it, glaring at the Winchester hotly. "And we made it very obvious we weren't representing Vale when we sent our forces, Winchester!"
"Apparently not obvious enough." Winchester laughed, "But hey. Fuck around and find out, I guess."
"You bast-
"Children, this is not the place for an argument." Oobleck cut in, looking between the two of them slowly and then leveling a hard gaze on Jaune until he took his seat. Sighing, the older man said, "Lord Arc, I understand that you have some… Emotions in place, regarding this issue. But please, do not swear in my hall."
"I apologize, Sir."
"It's fine, Lord." The man smiled, "History ought to raise the passions in more students. So long as we keep our collective cool."
"Yeah, Jaune. Keep your cool." Mort whispered eerily in his ear, sending a chill up his spine like normal. "Your temper is going to end up getting you into trouble if you don't."
"Sensitive subject." He answered, talking as much to Mort as he was to Nora when she laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him a worried look. "Don't worry about it, I should have kept my cool."
"As I said, passions flaring for history are good! If only-"
"If I may, Doctor Oobleck?" Weiss actually cut the man off, smiling apologetically and raising a hand. When the man nodded for her to speak, she said, "While Mistral did use the excuse of the Arcs going to help Vacuo to justify the so called Night of Red Roads, I do not believe that was an honest claim."
"No?" Oobleck smiled, "And why not?"
"The Arcs are a House with friendly ties to the Faunus, and Mistral was having serious issues with them at the time. Faunus bandits and revolutionaries even came into Mistral to rescue who they could of the Valean delegation because of the Arc presence." Weiss explained quietly, "Further, Mistral and Vale had been suffering diplomatically due to technological advances raising the value of islands scattered between the two continents."
"So you believe that this was merely Mistral's excuse for a war they already wanted, Miss Schnee?"
"I do, yes." She nodded, "And while the Arcs did do what Mantle and Mistral claimed, I feel it's unfair to blame them in any way. It's very possible Mantle chose to target House Cornel more viciously. This would explain their delaying to sack and execute estates and family members more often than they were elsewhere doing."
"An astute observation." Oobleck complimented, gesturing for her to return to her seat and going on. "It is true that Mantlelian forces were far less restrained with Cornel holdings than elsewhere. Lord Arc, your thoughts?"
"We… Don't have a lot of records, after the attack by the Human supremacists that kicked off the Faunus Rights Revolution." Jaune shrugged, turning a very obvious, heated look on Winchester and adding, lowly, "The neighboring Houses took pains to destroy our library and archive."
"Sounds like the Arcs should have fought harder to protect their stuff." Cardin shrugged dismissively, "Instead of a bunch of animals."
"Excuse me?!"
"Miss Belladonna, do not raise your tone in my class." Oobleck rushed to cut in, before the argument could devolve further. "Mister Winchester, Beacon Academy does not abide slurs. You will report to my classroom every day for the next week for detentions and writings, and receive a strike on your record."
"You have to be joking-"
"Would you like me to double both?" Oobleck challenged and, after a moment, Winchester sighed and waved him off, crossing his arms and scowling petulantly at a wall. Sighing wearily, Oobleck said, "I think this ought to be dropped, now, and we should return to the Color War."
No one made to argue, and even Jaune had to admit he did not want to dredge up these bits of his family's past right now. So after a couple moments, the professor turned back to his notes to find a new starting point.
"Now then, we all understand the various lines of conflict in this war, so I won't dwell on that matter." Oobleck said quickly, stealing a moment to take a drink from his thermos and going on, "Instead, who would like to tell me what, in their opinion, was the greatest thing which shaped this period of conflict?"
"Tanks?"
"Hunter shock corps?"
"Uh, beter rifles?"
"Mantle's air force." Jaune called out over the questioning guesses. Oobleck raised his brow and Jaune explained, "Basic rifles and the older styles of tanks and legged, armored vehicles some Kingdoms used had no defence against air-strikes and bombing runs. The first couple years were dominated by planes and airships, until Vacuoan engineers invented the flak shell."
"With help from Faunus engineers." Blake added firmly, "The idea to use shrapnel canister shells on air targets for spread was from an avian Faunus named Alex."
"Indeed! And a good answer, in my opinion as well." Doctor Oobleck praised them both, "While tanks and the integration of technology for better weapons, as well as the usage of Hunters a shock corps, all had substantial effects on the war there was little in the early years of it that had as much effect as the air forces of Mantle."
"However, it is to be noted that once Vale shared the schematics for their anti-air systems and shrapnel shells with Vacuo, Mantle's air forces began to suffer severely. Enough so that they were forced to pull back, operating as strike forces rather than simply standing supremacy over a given battlefield." Doctor Oobleck went on, frowning deeply, "Unfortunately, this meant that the shift away from the old doctrine of trench and rank combat ceased. And in fact, since the anti-air emplacements had to be built on-site and were very large, it was incentivized."
"So, next question." He smiled, "What finally broke the bloody, ceaseless and wasteful tactic of trench and charge?"
Before anyone could answer, the class bell rang and Oobleck sighed. While they packed, he called out, "I want a three page essay on the merits and detriments of trench and rank charge tactics tomorrow! We'll continue our conversation using your observations and opinions on the matter."
"Ooooh, this one's gonna be fun…"
"You can't do the whole essay on how great explosives were at destroying trenches and bunkers, Nora." Ren sighed knowingly, raising a single finger to quiet her when she started to argue, "At least use half a page for something else?"
"That's fair!" Nora nodded as they made their way down the steps and towards the door. "I might do it on the anti-air shells, though. Dunno much about 'em, and they sound interesting. Maybe I can use the idea for something…"
"Canister shells alone would be quite a threat to less armored Grimm." Pyrrha pointed out, "Beowolves, Creeps, Nevermore even, and-"
"Arc!"
"No, I don't think they would be good against h- Ah!" Distracted and lost in thought, Pyrrha squeaked as Cardin shoved her aside and pointed a long finger in Jaune's face. Scowling, he snarled, "You got me a mark on my record, you ass! I ought to Hrk!"
"I imagine that was your racial epithets, actually." Pyrrha growled, tightening her arm around his throat and pressing a foot to the back of one of his knees to force him down. He choked and she smiled viciously, whispering into his ear, "I fought in the Arena, Winchester. So maybe you ought to reconsider your plans if you wish to threaten my friends, hmm?"
"Miss Nikos!" Oobleck hissed as he came over to the crowd that had lingered to watch, more interested in a fight than lunch. Which was weird, considering the Academy literally had a fighting arena. He laid a hand on the redhead's shoulder and, quietly, warned, "You know what it would mean if an Arena gladiator hurts a student, Miss Nikos. Please, do not force me to send you back to that place."
After a long moment, Pyrrha gave the professor a look, then sighed and released the young Winchester. He gasped, red-faced from lack of air, and flopped to the floor, sucking in a deep breath while he scrambled away from her. Standing, the man shot her a look and then shot Jaune one before he stormed off in a foul fury.
"I believe all of you have better to do than loiter." Oobleck called out warningly, giving Pyrrha's back a few calming pats before moving back towards his desk. "Lunch, for one. And anyone not on their way there when I get to my desk needn't worry if they are so bored as to be loitering in my class. I can remedy that problem!"
That, at least, got them moving along a bit quicker.
"I'm sorry." Pyrrha said after a few quiet, tense minutes of walking to the cafeteria. "I should not have… I just reacted on instinct."
"It's fine, Pye. I appreciated it." Jaune smiled, laying a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly while Nora loomed on her other side, eyes like a hawk watching for her to get more upset. "It's not often anyone steps up to defend me, and out on the frontier I learned to appreciate it."
"Still…" She murmured, chewing on her lip, "I have to be more controlled. Especially with the nobility."
"Or… What?" Nora prompted, wrapping a strong arm around her friend's waist and tugging her gently into a hug. For once, Pyrrha didn't even flush, just letting herself be handled and sighing contentedly. "What was Professor Doctor Oobleck saying, about… Sending you back?"
"If I fall too far behind in my studies, or… Make a show of myself in a poor light, then Mistral will rescind my tuition." She explained quietly, "And when I am home, I will be punished for my disgrace. And then consigned back to the Arena for what remains of my life."
"That's…" Jaune blinked, "Can they force you to go into the Arena like that?"
"My life belongs to Mistral, Jaune." She explained quietly, turning a weak smile on him like she was expecting it to make him feel better, somehow. "So yes, they can. And while they refrained from pitting me against too great of threats for seeing my talent, and knowing what I could become, I doubt they would if I was forced back."
"Over my dead body."
"Over my dead body." Jaune said at the same time as the sword spirit. Ignoring the accidental chorus, he vowed, "If they even try, then they will have to get past me."
"And the rest of the team." Nora promised, squeezing the woman against her as they walked and finally earning a blush from the woman. "I called dibs, so no one is takin' you anywhere come hell or high water, P-Money!"
"What is 'dibs'?"
"It's when you say something is yours before anyone else can get it." Ren explained, offering an example a moment later, "'Dibs on the first slice of pepperoni', for instance."
"Ah, I see." Pyrrha blinked, "I… Don't think you can call dibs on a person, though?"
Laughing, and with a sword thoroughly stuck in the foul mood they'd been in, the four of them marched along to the cafeteria.
As always, the cafeteria was a loud and crowded affair, with clusters of people meandering around the buffet bar set-up at the far end of the room. He took two steps to follow his team to the bars before he spotted RWBY at their usual table and frowned. Ruby met his eyes, then followed his gaze to Weiss and turned back to him, brows furrowing worriedly.
"You're going to do what I think you're gonna do, aren't you?" He hummed at the spirit's question and they sighed, "Well, can't say I disagree with you. She needs to back off of Ruby, though."
After a moment, he sighed and waved his team off with a murmured, "Snag me some pizza? Got something to do."
When he got to the table Ruby and Weiss were laughing at something, which was stranger than the norm even for Beacon given how the latter had been acting a couple days ago. Why that was, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. And he felt the wave of pleasure Mort felt about it, radiating through him like warmth from a hot fire. It cut off quickly though, as they cut the magical leakage, as the spirit called it, off.
As he got to their table, the four girls' conversation died out and left the five of them in an… uncomfortable silence. Yang paid him a wave he returned, but seemed more interested in her brats than him. Blake and Ruby were just a bit more interested in him, but apparently only because of he and Weiss' history, flicking glances between them. Ruby's were worried, which he expected, more or less.
Blake's, though, were amused and intrigued.
"Lord Arc." Weiss said quietly, cutting a piece off her filet with a refined swipe of her knife, like she was at some gala or something instead of a noisome cafeteria. "Might I be of help to you?"
"Ooh," Mort hissed amusedly, "frosty."
"You already were, Schnee." He said, waving a hand back at the door he'd come through, which was the closest to Oobleck's lecture hall. "Back there. You cut in to defend my family, even with our families'… Differences. I wanted to let you know I appreciated it."
"I defended the truth, my Lord." Weiss answered coolly, "Not your family. So you ought to do us both a favor and save your thanks for another time."
"Oh no…"
"I was just being nice, Schnee. There's no reason to spit it back in my face." He growled hotly, shaking his head and turning to Blake when Weiss only hummed and ignored him. "I genuinely don't know how you handle her, Lady Belladonna."
"It's rather complicated, most of the time, if I'm honest. She's a Schnee so, though not of her own fault it may be, she's rather ignorant of Faunus sensitivities." Blake answered quietly, taking a moment to slice away some salmon and savoring its taste. Then she gave him a pointed look and smiled, "We also avoid causing our families any political problems, though my own wouldn't really care in any event."
"Politics?" His brows furrowed confusedly, "What does this have to do with politics?"
"Like suggesting Weiss defended someone who has super made themselves her rival?" Yang suggested dryly, "Like, ya know, you?"
"Hmph." He growled, sighing and shaking his head. Finally, he turned to leave and grunted a short and parting, "I suppose I'll just take my leave, then. Before I cause the Schnee any problems she can't-"
"You're welcome, Jaune." Weiss cut him off, making him turn back to the table with a single, confused brow raised. Smiling thinly, she shrugged, "Ruby told me the other day that we shouldn't let what might happen decide what we do. If we do, then we only make what might be become what will be."
"And that means what, exactly?" He asked, "What are you trying to say?"
"Weiss Schnee, of the SDC, can't be friends with an Arc or a Belladonna. Nor can an Arc be friends with Weiss Schnee of the SDC." She answered simply, turning a cool look on him, "But Weiss of Beacon Academy can be friends with Blake of the same. And, if we can ignore history's weight, with Jaune. That's why Weiss defended your family, Jaune, even if a Schnee didn't. Couldn't."
"And that works for you two?"
"It keeps the peace, yes, Lord Arc." Blake nodded, "We have our spats, our disagreements. But we respect each other, and each other's arguments. And that… Does enough."
"So…" Ruby cut in, chewing on a lip anxiously and looking between him and Weiss. "How about we have a game night on Friday? Try to, you know… Ignore history's heaviness?"
"Weight…"
"Yeah, yeah, same thing, besty." Ruby waved the pale woman off, earning a pained sigh and a roll of the eyes from her partner. That only made her smile more warm, though, and Ruby asked, "So, can you just be Jaune and… Try?"
"I don't know…"
"For me?" Ruby blinked, giving him a big eyed look and cocking her head to the side. "Please?"
"Shit, she's weaponized the cuteness…"
"I'll try, at least." Jaune sighed, turning as Pyrrha called out to him and waving over his shoulder. "We'll talk later, Ruby."
"The team or the girl…?" Yang called out at his back, "Cuz those are a bit different, ya know!"
He only sighed and laughed again.
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Steelrain :
Das weird. Until they left the school, it felt like just a really good, American high school anime. Wasn't until they left the spark started to take.
Mog the Gnome :
*innocent whistling because he totally has noooooothing planned there*
Hirshja :
*innocent whistling continues*
Roxas Dual Wielder :
Swiss…?