"What in the world are you thinking, Goodwitch?!"
Glynda was truly annoyed with meetings like these, especially when they're called at inopportune times, like ridiculously early in the morning. She didn't let it show on her face, but the irritation was there.
"I've already explained myself quite clearly. Still, you don't comprehend?" Glynda questioned, pushing hair away from her face as she addressed Vale's Ruling Council.
"Why would you allow those two children into your facility? You know who they are! What cloth they're from!"
"And what of it? They've not done anything wrong themselves. I don't see how what you imply is justification enough to reject them."
Another councilman spoke up. "Glynda, please understand that we're simply worried about this decision."
"I wouldn't have made this decision if I wasn't sure of what I was doing. I've made myself clear about this. The both of them passed their examinations and were allowed in fairly, after I had to remove certain 'unwanted' parts from the Signal faculty itself for not doing their jobs." Glynda briefly pushed her glasses upwards. "I would have failed them like I would anybody else if their performance was poor. But they were successful, so they were allowed to join. That's all."
Yet another made their concern known. "But still. Even if you believe your decision was the right one, and even if it truly is the right one, they're still their daughters. Just having them there is a dangerous choice to make. Especially in regards to Yang Xiao Long, given who her birth mother is."
Glynda was silent for a moment.
"You're making things harder on yourself for the long run, Goodwitch. It would have been better if you had quietly agreed with the initial results. Now whatever happens in relation with those two will be a consequence of your actions." A third, gruffer male voice made clear.
Glynda was still silent.
"Having those girls with you is dangerous. Not just what they could do if they turn against everyone, it's also about what dangerous attention they could attract. Especially due to who their mothers are. We simply want to make sure you truly understand the weight of the decision you've just made to welcome such pariahs from Patch into your base. How do we know for certain that history won't repeat itself?"
Glynda finally lifted her head, her eyes fierce. "If you truly expect me to so much as entertain the thought of condemning them for the sins of their predecessors, perceived or otherwise, then we might as well end this conversation right here and now." She shook her head. "There is no sense in condemning them for something they have no personal fault in. I shall judge them based by their own actions, not by the actions of those that came before. They should be allowed to live for themselves, and not simply react to their predecessors."
The Valean Council quieted for several moments, understanding that Glynda's decision was final. With a collective sigh at her stubbornness, they relented. Yet, they added their own thoughts one final time.
"Summer Rose. Taiyang Xiao Long. Raven and Qrow Branwen." They listed off. "Every major enemy each of them have made throughout their lives that still exist, will soon become theirs. Will those two girls be prepared to bear that unfair weight upon their shoulders?"
Glynda silenced herself again.
"For having Branwen blood, Yang Xiao Long's greatest offense is being born. We ourselves do not believe this truly, but every single enemy the Branwen bloodline has ever made and clashed with throughout it's existence will feel differently, and some will act upon those different viewpoints. She will be targeted whether she's done anything or not."
"As for Ruby Rose..." A female councilwoman closed her eyes with a sigh. "Having inherited her eyes from Summer Rose, has irreversibly assured that she can never live as an ordinary individual, Huntress or not. Simply having them is enough for her to have various enemies making her their target, forget her relation to Summer herself."
"And now Weiss Schnee has been accepted by you. Is that wise? The Schnee family have their own problems attached to them and many things around them."
"I'm well aware of all of this. My stance has not changed." Glynda made clear, lightly pushing her hair away. "They are under Beacon's guidance. And so long as Beacon remains their home, like everyone else, they are also under its protection."
The Council collectively sighed again, seeing they wouldn't be getting through to her. "So long as you understand what you're getting yourself into, Glynda. Although, we do sincerely hope that you don't take in anyone else who has a lineage with reasons to have enemies old, new, and potential, all over Remnant."
"Whether they do or don't, matters not." Glynda pushed her glasses up once more. "Every young Huntsman and Huntress Beacon accepts is under our guidance. Beacon is their new home, where they will be nurtured into truly exceptional Huntsmen. Should they decide the lifestyle isn't for them, they'll be provided a gradual, supported transition back into civilian life. If there is anyone who wishes to directly threaten their lives while they are within its walls, they will have to get past me, first. And that is how it shall be, until they mature enough to prove capable of standing against those enemies on their own." Glynda's tone and eyes calmed, but the resolve within them remained. "That is yet another part of my duty as a Grand Huntress."
She didn't raise her voice, but Glynda meant every single word. And they knew it. She's always been this way.
"...Very well. We'll leave the matter be for now. For your own sake, Glynda, we hope your decision doesn't prove to be the wrong one."
With this, the holographic projections soon phased out, leaving Glynda alone. She soon sighed as she ran a hand across her brow.
"Rough meeting with the council, GG?" Amber called out once she stepped out of the room.
"You could say that." Glynda hummed as she lightly adjusted her hair, which was slightly messy from the middle of her brief rant.
"Ah. So that's how it is." Amber stretched her arms. "How about you and me have a women's only breakfast to help heal up your spirits? Even a Grand Huntress has gotta understand the benefits of leisure time."
Glynda sighed again at the nickname, though didn't deny Amber's request. In fact, it made Glynda smile.
"I'd love to, Amber."
Ruby Rose somehow knew, before she opened her eyes for the new day, that things were going to be rather difficult. Which was unfortunate, she rather liked the idea of her first true day as a Huntress of Beacon to be rather smooth and easy, so she can find her footing at her own pace.
But as she's already learned once, life does whatever it wants, regardless of one's input. And that lesson was popping up again today, due to the actions of her newfound roommate.
It was going to be an interesting day, she knew that much. Whether she found it fun or not, would be a different matter entirely.
"Alright you two! This will be our first day together, and I have plans for all three of us that I intend to implement sooner rather than later!" Weiss called the sisters out with folded arms.
And of course, Ruby knew exactly how this was going to go.
"Nah." Yang stretched her arms and rolled her right arm as she passed by Weiss and made her way down the hallway. Ruby had to admit, she found the genuinely befuddled and confused expression on Weiss's face on how bluntly Yang denied her to be a little bit funny.
"W-What? 'Nah'? What do you mean 'Nah'?!"
"I mean I'm not playin' ball, Ice Princess." Yang yawned as she stretched her arms, folding them behind her head. "You don't get to just march up to us, proclaim yourself as the boss, and expect us to fall in line and like it. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not happenin'."
Weiss blinked, and Ruby found herself understanding that she was genuinely confused by Yang's firm refusal. "Why not?! It should be obvious and simple to understand! I have the most qualifications necessary in order to lead a group, so clearly I'm the one most suited to do so!"
"Yeah, probably. But still, nah." Yang turned her head to stick her tongue at Weiss, who looked surprised at the action, which soon turned for the irritated.
"Sticking out your tongue? Really? That's the extent your maturity goes? That doesn't sound like Huntress material at all!"
"Says the Princess who seriously doesn't know how to process the fact that she was just told 'no'. Ya sure I'm the immature one in this equation?"
"Do you not know who I am?!"
"I probably won't give a damn either way."
Ruby sighed as this kept going on as they were walking down the hallway towards whatever destination they've chosen. Though, Ruby couldn't help but notice that as the two girls were arguing with each other, their Auras were beginning to flare up a bit. Weiss was letting off a slightly biting frost around her body, while Yang's was getting more heated with each step. And they were pushing against each other trying to overwhelm the other, with one trying to freeze the flame and the other attempting to melt the frost, with neither giving in.
There was a joke to be made here, but for the life of her, Ruby couldn't put one together.
She was on the cusp of breaking them up just to stop the arguing, but wondered what she was going to do after that. Yang might listen to her, but Weiss is likely to get riled up towards her instead, which only resets the problem rather than solve it, if she didn't know what to say to whatever comes afterwards.
Ruby briefly folded her arms and tilted her head with a contemplative pout, eyes slid closed. "What to do, what to do..."
The entire situation was interrupted by the sounds of what is likely to be fighting. At this, Yang broke into a smile.
"Well that sounds significantly more fun than this convo, Ice Princess. So, I'll have to call this one a draw. See ya!" Yang waved her hand before immediately running down the hallway towards the sounds of fighting. Weiss, indignant, chased after her.
"Come back here! We're not finished!"
"Kinda wish we were." Ruby deadpans, before she shrugged and broke into a dash to follow them. She wondered what the commotion up ahead was about.
As they suspected, the commotion was coming from the training area, which made a sort of sense. Yang was the first to get there, and wondered who exactly was doing the fighting.
She got her answer through a brief clash sending a small wave throughout the room, briefly pushing several things back.
Two feminine figures landed on each side of the space, after having clashed once again.
The first to stand up balanced her hammer over her shoulders, grinning as pink electricity surged around her. "Now now, Pyrrha! You can do better than that!"
The redhead on the other side chuckled to herself, before she stands back up from her side and held her spear forwards. "I'll do better as requested then, Nora."
The one known as Nora grinned widely as she tightened her grip on her warhammer, pink electricity surging through it, before she rushed towards the girl known as Pyrrha, leaving a pink lighting trail behind.
Pyrrha reacted quickly as she raised her shield, and Nora's hammer slammed right into it, causing surged of electricity to shoot out all over their selected arena, creating brief cracks that surrounded the both of them. Pyrrha managed to push her back a great deal, by swinging her short sword at her, sending her across their fighting space after the latter parried the strike.
With that, Ruby paid very close attention to Pyrrha's weapon. She watched as it changed from what seemed to be a short sword to what appeared to be a javelin, and then she threw it towards Nora. Nora grinned and spins her hammer quick enough to deflect it, sending it away.
Though Ruby watched as the javelin returned immediately to Pyrrha's hand. And then her eyes widened further as the same weapon soon shifted into a rifle. Pyrrha goes on to fire a shot towards Nora. Yang sensed Nora channel Aura through her hammer and quickly deflect the bullet as well, all with a grin on her face.
"She's reacting that quickly even with that large hammer...?" Yang muttered, quite impressed. "Huh. Looks like someone's in your corner when it comes to wielding pretty large weapons, Ruby. Though your scythe is still bigger than her hammer."
"Never mind that, do you see the other girls weapon?!" Ruby gleefully shook Yang by the shoulder, pointing at the scene. "It shifts from a shorts word, to a javelin, to a rifle!" Ruby bounced in place. "It's absolutely incredible! She's got options all across the board in one package! Close range, long range, and shooting range! Not to mention her shield for a defensive option! It's such a cool combination of weaponry! Oh my gosh, do you think she'll let me hold it?!"
Weiss blinked owlishly at Ruby's sudden burst of enthusiasm. It was such a sudden thing that she had to double take slightly. "What's gotten into you?"
"My sister has a pretty high interest in weapons, you see." Yang answered with bemusement.
After her another heavy exchange of weapons, hammer against short sword, both Pyrrha and Nora were again pushed away from each other, landing on their feet with a stop. Taking a breath, Pyrrha readied her short sword to attack again, while Nora picked up her hammer with enthusiastic glee.
"Alright you two, that's enough." Weiss called out before they could go any further. They were surprised by her entrance, though Nora's turned quickly for the pouty.
"Whaddya mean?! I was just getting started!"
"That's too bad, because you've just stepped outside the boundary."
"Wut?" Nora looked down at her feet to see that indeed, she was one foot out of the boundary, signifying a loss by ringout. Jaw dropped, she groaned, throwing her head back. "Gaaaaaaaaagh! Stupid boundary!"
"My sentiments exactly." Pyrrha sighed as she sheathed her weapons, eventually settling in a smile. "In any case, that was quite an amazing spar, Nora."
"Yeah, I guess it was!" Nora shrugged with a relaxed smile of her own. "Maybe we oughta try this outside somewhere, sometime. Ya know, where we won't break anything important." She looked to the side with pursed lips. "I get the feeling that Grand Huntress Goodwitch wouldn't be too happy if we broke anything by pushing things to the limit..."
"An all too reasonable fear. She feels stern enough to shut that down quickly if it happens." Pyrrha noted in agreement. She then turned to the side, and finally noticed the other two arrivals standing by, having seemingly waited on them to finish. "Oh, hello! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there. I was so caught up in our sp-"
Ruby took the time to close the distance between them in seconds, face to face with Pyrrha before anyone could stop her. Rose petals swirled around them when she stopped in place before her, startling her with widened eyes.
"-ar?!"
"Your weapon!" Ruby exclaimed with bright and shining eyes. "A javelin, a short sword, and a rifle! A three in one package! And it goes so well with your shield! Two options with range, two options with close combat, rounded out with solid defense! That's absolutely amazing! How long did it take you to build? What materials did you use? Did you name them? Or-"
"Hey hey hey!" Ruby found herself lifted in the air by the hood, as Yang pulled her back with a sigh. "Tone it down, Ruby. You haven't even gotten the poor girl's name before you started hounding her about her weapon."
"Well, yeah, but-"
"But nothin'." Yang shook her head and gently set Ruby down. "Now try again, but actually introduce yourself to her, this time."
Ruby pouted just a bit, before sighing. Yang had a point. Ruby turned towards Pyrrha again, then bowed her head. Then she held her hand out towards her, keeping her head bowed.
"Hello. My name is Ruby Rose. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Mind telling me your given name?"
"Dial it back." Yang waved her hand.
Ruby perks back up. "Hi, my name is Ruby! What's yours?"
"Better."
What even was this? Weiss couldn't help but wonder as Pyrrha recovered enough from the rather confusing events, managing to smile softly and take the hand Ruby offered.
"Hello, Ruby. My name is Pyrrha Nikos. Pleased to meet you as well." Something about the way she introduced herself, as well as the expression she took while doing so, caught Yang's attention. What was it about introducing herself felt so relieving, in a sense?
"Do you not know who she is?!" Weiss eventually snapped out of her befuddlement to question the sisters. Both of them turned and shook their heads.
"Nope."
"Not really."
"She's Pyrrha Nikos!" Weiss exclaimed while gesturing to the young woman herself, who began smiling and waving.
"Hello again!"
"Yeah, the redhead just answered that. I ain't deaf." Yang deadpans.
"Four time Mistral Tournament Champion?!"
"Never heard of it, or her."
"Hah?!"
"Livin' on a remote island can do that sometimes, especially when you're not all that interested in what's going on beyond it at the moment." Yang shrugged. "Sometimes we just miss stuff. I mean, a Tournament sounds cool. But me and Ruby were kinda, occupied with more important things than how many times a girl from another nation won a tournament that has nothing to do with us."
"Still, she's a champion! A major name within Mistral, even if she doesn't act the part! You can't just up and speak to her so easily without a solidary care in the world!"
"Why not?" Yang questioned, tilting her head and further befuddling Weiss, causing her to sputter on her words.
"W-What do you mean 'why not'?! Have you no sense of formality at all?!"
Pyrrha smiled a bit more uneasily, turning her head and rubbing her arm. Yang didn't miss this either, and swore she heard 'Was a Champion' leave her lips as quietly as possible. She wondered what that was about.
Though around the time Yang responded with 'why not?' in regards to acknowledging having no idea who Pyrrha was and simply talking to her, she felt her spirits lift a bit again.
"Sooooo while they're dealing with that, your weapon!" Ruby was back on the subject she came to her for, briefly surprising the redhead. "Do you have a name for it?"
"Oh, of course." Pyrrha held the weapon to her side, smiling. "This is Miló. And as you observed, it begins as a short sword, and can shift into a javelin, and finally a rifle." She then held up her shield. "And this is Akoúo̱. It doesn't shift, but it's made of some sturdy material found mostly in Mistral."
"Can, can I hold them?" Ruby asked quietly, already reaching her hands out towards them. Pyrrha raised her eyebrow slightly at Ruby's enthusiasm, but nonetheless politely hands them to her, adding a brief 'be careful' while doing so. Ruby found herself in awe as she lightly lifted Akoúo up just a tiny bit. "Wow, it's a lot lighter than I thought it would be! And yet it feels so sturdy!"
"Helps maneuver it quicker, that's for sure." Pyrrha agreed with a not.
Ruby then turns to Miló while it was in short sword form, briefly giving it a swing away from Pyrrha. "This is pretty light too!" Pyrrha helped her shift it to javelin form, and it felt more or less the same. She then shifted it to rifle mode, and lightly held it up.
"Geez. A short sword, a javelin, and a rifle. Imagine aiming the last one while having a shield in your other hand. That's gotta take a lot of practice, I bet!"
"You could definitely say that it did. Lots of practice." Pyrrha agreed. Ruby eventually returned Pyrrha's weapons to her, while still gazing at them with brief admiration. "If you don't mind me asking, what of your own weapons?"
"Aha! I was hoping you'd ask!" Ruby looked quite proud of herself as she reached behind her and pulled out Crescent Rose in storage form. Rather seamlessly, it shifted and twisted until it formed the full fledged scythe she usually has it as. "Ta-Da! Pretty cool, right?"
"A scythe?!" Nora exclaimed from the side, peering over with blinking eyes. Pyrrha looked surprised as well. A scythe of all things? That's a new one for her.
Weiss scoffed, folding her arms. "You mean to tell me that your weapon of choice is an oversized farming tool? How are you supposed to fight with that?"
"A good question indeed. And I know the best way to have it answered." Pyrrha turned to Ruby. "Would you care to join me in a spar, Ruby?"
The girl blinked, pointing to herself. "Who, me? As in, right now?"
"Yes."
"As in, right here, right now, right now?"
"I do think she's made herself clear, sis." Yang called out, as she turned away from Weiss with a wave. The latter was somewhat baffled that Pyrrha would up and invite Ruby for a spar like this.
"I've never seen anyone fight with a scythe before. Especially one of that size. I'd like to have an up-close demonstration, if you would." It was impossible for Yang to miss the eagerness beginning to slip into Pyrrha's tone, nor the smile spreading across her face. It would appear that she's found herself something new to fight against, to see what happens.
Yang feels a tiny kindred spirit with this Pyrrha Nikos, it seems.
Ruby herself didn't know how to take this, honestly. But from the looks of it, Pyrrha seemed a bit excited and happy, so she'll go along with it, if only to not disappoint her. She'd rather not begin her days as an official Huntress disappointing another fellow Huntress.
"I never imagined that scythes could be weaponized in such a manner. Especially such a large one like yours. But if you're able to successfully fight with one, then that's a testament to your skill as a fighter. I hope you don't mind my request to see it for myself." Pyrrha observed as she held up Miló and Akoúo, settling into place. "Whenever you're ready, come at me!"
Ruby took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then sighed, eyes narrowing with focus. "Right."
With this, Ruby dashed towards Pyrrha and swings her scythe towards her. The redhead was quick to go for partying the strike with her short sword, sparks briefly flying from the impact. Though, her eyes did widen slightly as Ruby stepped straight into another swing, which forced her to block the next strike with Akoúo. Surprise turned to further bafflement as Ruby steps forward into another swing, this time horizontal, and Pyrrha had to block it again. This one sent her back several feet, surprise all over her face.
She literally just started, but she quickly figured it out.
Honestly, without trying to be insulting to the young red hooded girl, she didn't know what to expect from her Crescent Rose. She didn't know how one would fight with such a weapon, so she wanted to get a feel for what exactly would make it efficient for Ruby to use.
As Ruby dashed towards her again, forcing her to ready herself, she figured out why very quickly.
Due to the curved blade, the reach, and the near seamless swings Ruby performed, stepping into one each time, paired with a blurring spin that sent her back again, it all came together.
The speed of the swings, combined with the unnatural angles they came from, and how odd the attacks themselves are, made them incredibly hard to predict, thus difficult to actually defend against.
Such a weapon should be incredibly hard to actually make use of, yet Ruby steps into each swing without hesitation, each spin building her momentum to the next swing, and the curved blade itself making it very risky to try and parry with Miló too many times since the momentum behind it would make the attempt cost more than she would gain, and she would quickly lose ground. Not to mention the possibility of it knocking the weapon out of her hand entirely due to the aforementioned curved blade.
Then she noticed that Crescent Rose had a rifle function, via a sniper.
If she wanted, Ruby could swing even faster.
For any of this, she would have to have impressive upper body strength to handle the weight, much less swinging and spinning it like she does.
She thought for a moment to use her Semblance on Crescent Rose. Then immediately crushed that thought.
Putting herself against this very unusual fighting style that can prove very capable in trained and competent hands, made Pyrrha smile quite a bit. She's not going to spoil this by using her Semblance on it. Such prowess with such a weapon required dedication and diligence, and Ruby showed signs of both.
She wanted to see more.
Surprise graced her again as Ruby then came with an overhead swing, forcing Pyrrha to jump back as the tip of the scythe slammed into the ground, briefly cracking it. She slid across the ground as Ruby pulled Crescent Rose from the ground. Pyrrha held up her shield again, though was met with the uncertain look on Ruby's face.
"I'm, uh, not going too far, am I?" Ruby asked, looking a bit unsure of herself, looking to the sides for a moment.
Pyrrha briefly found herself surprised at the question, but nonetheless shook her head. "Not at all. You're doing fine."
Miló shifted from short sword to javelin. With a brief thought into her next steps, she launched her javelin first, which she watched Ruby attempted to deflect with a swing of her scythe. Pyrrha immediately follows up with throwing her shield as well. Ruby's eyes widened as the shield smashed into her chest, knocking her back. One eye still peaked open, she could see both weapon and shield return to Pyrrha's hands after they went flying.
She was somehow able to call them back?
Pyrrha had her weapons returned to her, and waited for Ruby to recollect herself. Extending her javelin again, she made way for Ruby and lashed out with it. She sees Ruby take a deep breath.
Surprise etched her yet again as Crescent Rose's scythe blade realigned, sitting straighter along the end of the handle. She found herself jumping back as Ruby slashed at her, her reach having extended even further. Pyrrha took a good look at it, as Ruby positioned it to her side.
"A war scythe...?" And she wielded that quite well, too.
At the end of a day, a scythe used as a weapon is pretty much a polearm with a curved blade at the end of it. Being able to straighten the blade turned Crescent Rose from a regular scythe into a glaive-like blade. So it has a scythe mode, a rifle mode, and a glaive mode. That's really something.
With this, Ruby closed the distance, while being at a certain distance herself, slashing forward after a swift twirl above her head. Pyrrha took the opportunity to block the swift blow with her shield, sparks flying due to the impact. Briefly stepping back, she came forward again with another slash. Pyrrha could properly position herself this time, managing to parry the glaive with her own javelin.
The glaives' extended reach helped keep Ruby as a slightly safer distance, which she took advantage of as each swing she'd usually make in scythe more was basically made longer. Pyrrha raised her shield as the blade collided with it, creating another spray of sparks. A swing from then right was parried again with the shield while briefly pushing her to the side, and she jumped away from yet another slash at her feet.
Briefly seeing the next swing, Pyrrha counters with her javelin, the blades briefly clashing with sparks and managing to briefly stun Ruby off balance.
Pyrrha took her chance there.
With Ruby taking time to regain her footing, Pyrrha threw her shield towards her again. Seeing it soar towards her again, Ruby managed to knock the shield away with another swing of her glaive, though her eyes widened as Pyrrha adjusted her javelin and thrusts it, in which Ruby briefly heard and saw the rifle shot, further increasing it's speed and power. Eyes wide, Ruby was just able to block the sudden attack with Crescent Rose in front of her, but the sudden force sent her off her feet, and on her back out of bounds.
Pyrrha's weapon and shield seamlessly returned to her hands with a sigh. Another out of bounds, unfortunately. Rules were rules, though. She sheathed them both, then made her way to Ruby, who groaned as she pushed herself up from the ground.
"Owww. Dang it, I lost." Ruby sighed, briefly rolling her arm and returning Crescent Rose to storage mode. Pyrrha walked up to her and offered a hand.
"Don't feel too bad, Ruby. Your style of fighting is one I haven't seen before. I learned quite a bit from it." Pyrrha smiled. Ruby blinked, before she reached out and took the hand, with the redhead helping her to her feet. "Never have I considered scythemanship to be a form of weapon combat, but it indeed can be in capable hands. And you're indeed capable."
"Pfft, stop. I ain't all that." Ruby shrugged it off, even though she was pressing her fingers together with a sheepish smile.
"I'd like to do this again when you're stronger and more skilled with it. As well as more experienced against fighting human opponents. Both so we can have a more all-out spar. Within a less restrictive space, of course." Pyrrha noted, in which Ruby turned away with a sigh.
"It was that noticeable, huh?"
"A little. Still, don't be ashamed. In contrast, I'm not very adept at fighting Grimm just yet. But I'm sure you can cut through quite a few of them rather easily." Pyrrha smiled. "Perhaps we can help each other in these aspects as we become better as Huntresses."
Ruby blinked. "Wait a minute, you actually want to spend more time with me to train?" Pyrrha was briefly confused by how genuinely surprised Ruby looked and sounded at the concept. Though both were immediately replaced as her eyes seemed to sparkle and her hands were clasped together. "Does that mean we're friends?"
"I suppose it does."
Ruby stood in disbelief at the confirmation. And after a moment of mulling it over, she smiled and raised her fists with several hoods into the air. "Awesome! I actually managed to make a friend on my own! And all I had to do was lose a fight! This is great, super great!"
Pyrrha has met with many a sparring partner who would be rather graceful in their defeat, and significantly more who weren't. Though this was probably the first time she's come across someone who's outright happy about losing, as it managed to help her make a friend. It's baffled the redhead just a tiny bit, but she smoothly brushes it aside with a smile. There wasn't anything to complain about, after all. As she's made a new friend.
That's definitely made this spar worth it.
Weiss was looking at Ruby with her arms folded, completely puzzled. "I've never known many to lose a spar and react with complete joy. What is with that girl?"
"Ruby and Pyrrha hit it off from an exchange of weapons and battle. I don't think either of them were actually interested in winning more than simply seeing what the other can do." Nora hummed while balancing against her warhammer. "Looks like Pyrrha had tons of fun with this, good for her."
"Really?" Weiss turned to Pyrrha, who did indeed looked that she found a friend in Ruby than in her victory. If anything, she might consider the act of befriending more of a victory than defeating her. Especially since the two of them just met.
Weiss didn't understand it at all.
"That being said, Ruby's a lot tougher than I thought she'd be." Nora smiled rather happily. "Like, really tough. So far, I've personally never seen anyone else last that long against Pyrrha, even if she was holding back a bit."
Weiss had to begrudgingly agree with Nora on that. It was clear that when it comes to combat, Ruby carried herself rather well from what she could observe. She wondered and questioned how anyone would be able to fight with a scythe of all things, and that curiosity was definitely answered. Admittedly, while clearly in see of refinement, Ruby was competent in combat.
"Oh, and by the way..."
Ruby was abruptly interrupted from her cheering as she was quickly snatched up and pulled into Nora's chest, all within several seconds.
"If Pyrrha's your friend, Nora Valkyrie's your friend! That's the bonus, cause we're a package deal!" Nora beamed at the prospect while hugging Ruby, who needed a moment to breathe after the unexpected hug.
"O-Okay!" As happy as she was about it, truly, Ruby hadn't expected Nora to outright hug her to her admittedly sizable chest without a care in a world. She didn't bother trying to escape, either. She wasn't getting out of Nora's powerful grip until she allowed it. She could slip out of it with her Semblance, but didn't want to offend her with something like that.
"Yo, Nora, what was that lightning back there? It was coming from you." Yang questioned, lightly turning to Nora. The girl mercifully releases Ruby from her grip, smirking as her body surged with pink electricity.
"That's my good trusty Semblance at work! And I do mean trusty! I can generate electricity and fight with it! Project it, melee with it, absorb it, you know it!" Nora held up a finger as several bolts surged from it. "I used to only be able to absorb electricity to make myself stronger. But I was, inspired, you could say, to surpass my limits. If I was limited only to absorbing electricity, I was gonna hold my friends back. Now I can smash Grimm with lightning I make on my own!"
"Hah! That kinda sounds a lot like my own Semblance, but with lightning. Does that mean you're able to absorb the energy outta Lightning Dust?"
"You bet! Makes me all the stronger, and supercharges me up!"
"Awesome! Hey, I wonder if I can do the same, but with Fire Dust? Use them to boost the flames I can already generate? I've never tried before." Yang grinned. "Ohoho, that's gonna be cool to experiment with later. Ruby, don't let me forget this! Note it down!"
"Okay!"
"That does sound like a fun project! Can I watch?" Nora requested excitedly.
"Alright, that's enough!" Weiss stomped her feet in sheer annoyance. "We've been thrown completely off track! I was having a conversation with Xiao Long, and then all of this happened!"
"Ugh. Ice Princess is bein' a nag again." Yang rolled her eyes.
"Why you gotta step all over our fun?" Nora groaned, before pointing an accusing finger at Weiss. "You're a wet blanket, Weiss!"
"No I'm not!"
"From what I've seen and heard from you so far, yeah ya are." Yang shook her head.
"A little bit." Ruby said with a little bit of a pinch of her fingers.
"You two and your opinions don't count in this!" Weiss quickly turned to Pyrrha, eyes pleading. "Pyrrha! You don't think I'm a wet blanket, do you?"
"Um..." Pyrrha lightly pushed her hair away from her face and looked the other way, her eyes searching for a way to give her answer without sounding offensive and also without lying. That alone was slightly worse than her saying something outright, leaving Weiss dumbfounded.
"You can't even say anything..."
"I'm sorry!"
Weiss looked aimless, being put in the minority vote for something, especially in regards to herself. But she soon shook her head and brushed it off. "Fine, whatever! It's not like we're even here to have fun, anyway! We're Huntresses and we should carry ourselves as such!"
"Yeah. We oughta carry ourselves as Huntresses. But, that that doesn't mean that your way is gonna be the way that's best." Yang called out.
"What?!"
Yang shook her head, pointing a thumb to her chest. "I'm all for fighting by your side, but like I said before, you're not gonna just declare yourself the boss, disregard our opinions in the process, and expect us to just sit there and like it. If you really think that's how this is gonna go, then you're gonna be real disappointed, Ice Princess."
"Why you...!" Weiss snarled, though she took several steps back and took a deep breath, sighing. "Very well, if that's how you want to play it. I'll show you that I'm the one person capable of leading you both and turning us into a successful unit. I'll show you that I am such a capable Huntress that you'll have no choice but to listen to me based off of that. I'll prove my superiority to you, and why my way will be the best way forward." Weiss walked back up to Yang, fists on her hips as she glared into her eyes. "Is that a satisfactory enough prerequisite for me to meet?"
"Yup. That suits me fine. You wanna declare yourself my better? You'd better back that barking with bite." Yang placed her own fists in her hips and glared into Weiss's eyes. "Think you can handle that without slipping and tripping on your own ice, Schnee?"
"So long as you don't burn yourself up with your own attitude, Xiao Long." Weiss fired back fiercely. "I'm confident you'll come around once I'm successful in proving myself right. Once everything's settled and our path is clear, everything will work out smoothly for us. Everything will be as they should be."
"As they should be, she says." Yang chuckled. "You'd better hope you can back up those words. Because if you're just gonna be all bark and no bite, then nothing is gonna go your way at all, Ice Princess. Will you be able to handle getting knocked off your high horse? Will you cry after scraping your knee from the fall?"
Weiss's eyes darkened. "You'd dare continue to mock me?"
"You gonna do something about it?" Yang fired back, her eyes turning crimson.
Ruby, Nora, and Pyrrha watched as Yang and Weiss glared intensely at each other, the presence of their Auras reaching them just a bit. Flames licked off of Yang while cold ice shimmered off of Weiss.
"Brrr. Does anyone else feel chilly?" Nora mock shivered a bit, while Pyrrha shook her head.
"I'm actually feeling things heat up."
"I feel a bit of both." Ruby sighed while lightly shaking her head. She knew this wasn't going to be an easy time, and she was right.
Nora appeared behind Ruby and lightly clapped her on the back. "This looks like it'll be tough to get under control. Buuut I'm sure you can handle it! Me and Pyrrha are gonna go out for brunch. Have fun with all of that!"
"It was good sparring with you, Ruby. Oh, and meeting you! It was good to meet you, as well!" Pyrrha called out, before she and Nora made a swift exit, leaving Ruby alone with clashing elements.
"Ugh..." Ruby blinked as she heard a ping on her Scroll. Looking towards it, was a message calling for them to see the Grand Huntress.
Oh thank goodness, a distraction.
Ruby soon dashed in-between her sister and Weiss, pushing them away from each other. "Cut it out, both of you! Grand Huntress Goodwitch is calling for us!" She looked between the both of them. "We really don't wanna be late after she calls for us. Something about it scares me, so put this away for now and deal with it later."
"Tch./Hmph." The two of them looked at each other before swiftly turning away with a huff, simply making their way towards Beacon Tower. Ruby followed them with a sigh.
"Alright, Ruby. You've found another objective. Keep these two from killing each other. Yeah, this is fine, this is totally fine. Super fine. The finest thing in the world."
This was not fine at all.
"Hey, ya actually made it on time!" Amber waved as the trio of women stepped into the fray. "I'll take a gander and assume you're all settling in nicely?"
Yang and Weiss were still glaring daggers at each other, and only Ruby forcing herself to stand in-between them kept them from getting into an argument. Well that, and Glynda's presence, but Ruby guessed they felt irritated enough to briefly forget that at any moment, and they would then be swiftly disciplined. Best keep that scenario at bay, if possible.
"Sorta?" Ruby answered honestly, with an unsure shrug.
"I'll take it." Amber shrugged herself, before placing her hands in her hips. "Anyway, GG's here to give you your very first mission!"
"A mission?!" Ruby and Yang exclaimed with surprise, while Weiss blinked.
"Truly?"
"Truly. Although I wished to have allowed you more time to settle into Beacon first, circumstances have pushed me to make a decision."
"It's best to build your experience as soon as possible, ya see. And what better what to break through the barrier than to give ya all your very first missions?" Amber smiled.
"Is this for real?" Yang thought absentmindedly.
"I know what you're all thinking, and I kinda agree. Which is why we made sure to pick out something that suits your current rank. We're making sure it's something we know you can handle. Here." Amber takes out her Scroll for a moment. The trio noticed the ping from their own, and looked to see that the mission details were sent to them.
"It is quite simple." Glynda calmly began. "You will be heading to a town to the west, known as Aurora, and helping protect it and the citizens while they rebuild and fix their outer defenses. There hasn't been any strong sightings of Grimm in the area recently, but it's better to be safe than sorry. See to it that their construction is a success, and they will consider the mission completed."
Yang rubbed her chin at the description of the mission. After a moment of thinking, she smirked. "That doesn't sound too bad. I think we can handle it."
"We can definitely handle it! You can count on us!" Ruby pumped her fists. "We're helping the town with reworking their defenses so that they'll be better protected on their own against Grimm. Got it!"
"Hmph. You're right. That sounds simple enough." Weiss huffed. "If it's something as mere as a hole in the wall, I'll be able to fix that myself in no time. I can save them the trouble in that regard."
"You're a construction princess?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "That sounds handy! You a handywoman princess or something? Can you build us a kick-ass fort?"
"I am NOT your handywoman! I'm not anyone's handywoman! And I don't build forts!"
"Well that sucks. I really wanted that fort..."
"In any case." Glynda spoke up, silencing the two girls as they stood to attention. "Do you have any objections towards this assignment?"
"Nope."
"It will be completed in no time."
Ruby was the last to answer, and to their surprise, she was the most resolved. "Even if it's a small assignment to other Huntsmen and doesn't matter much to them, it will really mean something and matter to the ones we're doing it for. So of course we'll do it."
Amber smiled. "Small steps. Well said, little Rose."
"I suggest you make preparations for this mission." Glynda adds again. "It sounds like a simple task, and may very well be for you. Assignments like this are suited for Juniors to handle. A mission for a small town such as Aurora, not too large to become something potentially overwhelming for you. But I say again, it's best to be prepared."
"Beware, though. First missions tend to be the most surprising." Amber added with a sigh.
"Why's that?" Yang asked.
"For some reason, it just never stays a 'simple' first mission. Something's always gotta complicate things, ya know? It's like a curse. Just watch out for that, kay?" Amber clapped with a smile. "It's also why we'll be having someone fill in as your fourth teammate, who'll double as your supervisor for this little quest!"
The trio turned towards the sound of opening doors, and each of them were surprised. Ruby most pleasantly, as she sees a familiar pair of rabbit ears first.
"Velvet!"
"Hello there! We're meeting again so soon!" Velvet smiled while moving up to Ruby and Yang, gazing towards Glynda and Amber with a brief nod.
"Wait. Velvet is going to be our supervisor?" Weiss voiced with a bit of shock.
"Miss Scarlatina is an S-Rank Intermediate. As such, she is quite qualified to serve as a supervisor for this mission, since her own teammates require rest at the moment. I would send for Port and Oobleck, but they are on an assignment with Mr. Arc and Mr. Winchester. And I need Amber here with me to handle any potential cases within Vale's city limits, as well as continue managing Beacon." Glynda pushed her glasses upwards. "Will this prove an issue, Miss Schnee?"
Weiss flinched slightly under Glynda's gaze, before bowing her head and turning away. "No, not at all."
"Very well. Make your preparations and depart as soon as you're able. I wish you luck."
"Thank you, we'll do our best, and then some!" Ruby exclaimed, as she took off first. "Let's go! We're off on our first mission!"
"Heck yeah!" Yang pumped her fist while following after Ruby.
Weiss was still reeling from the fact that they'll have Velvet as a supervisor and temporary fourth teammate. That would be a tiny bit, problematic. Regardless, the Grand Huntress decided already, she was in no position to decline. So with a heavy sigh, she followed after the sisterly duo.
"It's just for this mission. Just this one." She muttered to herself.
Glynda turned to Velvet. "I'm truly sorry to trouble you like this, Miss Scarlatina. Especially with what you'll have to deal with. I'll make this up to you."
"It's no trouble at all. I'm the one who volunteered, after all." Velvet shook her head, before taking off with the others. She briefly gazed at her Scroll, and saw many pictures of all sorts of clothes filling up her screen, with the text 'try this on!' in every one. She smiled nervously. "Although, I'll be owing a friend big time when I get back..."
As Glynda watched them depart, Amber turned to her with a knowing look in her eye. "You specifically chose Velvet for a reason, didn't you?"
"Indeed I did. I believe Miss Scarlatina can provide something, even a tiny bit of something, that all three of them can learn from, especially as beginning Juniors on their first mission." Glynda sighed. "Although I do still wish I could have held off on this a while longer to let them settle into Beacon. But I must get this out of the way before it becomes an overwhelming problem for them."
"Yeah, I know." Amber nodded. "You're a bigger softie than you let on, GG."
Glynda didn't respond to that, simply gazing out the door the formed temporary team left out of. She thought back to the Council meeting, and sighed while thinking about Ruby and Yang.
They had to prove their usefulness and reliability to Vale as soon as possible, or else they would be met with far more obstacles than they can handle. This wouldn't be a perfect fix by any means, but it will surely prevent the burden they already have from getting any heavier, at least for a little while. It's a start, a foundation. Once that's formed, they can build off from there.
It was the same for Weiss. The Council wasn't entirely wrong when they mentioned she had things of her own to deal with, but the detailed specifics were known only by Weiss herself, and likely her family back home in Atlas. Besides, she was eager to prove herself anyhow, so this works out in that regard.
In essence, the three of them would have to prove themselves essential assets to Vale and Beacon, if only to prevent the Valean Council from putting targets on Ruby and Yang's heads themselves, and to keep them from unnecessarily agitating Weiss's personal situation. Glynda needed to nip the potential escalation of these anxieties in the bud as quickly as possible, it would be better for everyone in the long run.
Unfortunately, that meant putting them in danger sooner than expected. Sooner than she wanted.
She wanted all of the Huntsmen under her guidance to be successful, but the situation these three carry and are in danger of being caught in will make it especially difficult for them. And she had a feeling her own work is only going to get harder.
She honestly didn't know if she was making the correct choice in this situation, but she wasn't about to wait around and let it fester until it's too late.
"...What would he do, I wonder?"
Glynda slowly looked towards a picture frame on her desk, and it levitated up to her face. She lowered her eyes as she spotted several people in the frame, including herself.
And her predecessor, Ozpin.
'I'm afraid this is where my journey with you all ends. With this turn of events, I've no choice but to sever my ties with all of you and disband this order. I do not regret this choice, because it means none of you will bear and suffer from my stigma more than you already do. None of you deserve that. Please, continue to protect the world and your cherished ones as you see fit. Hopefully, we will never meet again.'
Glynda sighed, lightly rubbing her forehead as the picture was placed back down. She shook her head as her eyes focused again.
"Amber. Be sure that the girls properly finalize their preparations for their mission."
Amber smiled, and nodded dutifully. "Sure thing, GG."
Back with the girls, Weiss managed to walk ahead of the sisterly duo, as well as Velvet, huffing the entire time.
"I'll show them. This is my chance to prove myself. And once I do, those two will have no choice but to fall in line and do as I say. That's the only way any of us will see success."
"If I don't return soon enough, Coco's not going to be happy." Velvet sighed with a tired smile.
Ruby and Yang hung back a bit, quietly discussing with one another.
"I can't believe we're already on our first mission, sis." Yang lightly cracked her knuckles.
"I know. This is our chance to prove ourselves as capable Huntresses with this first true mission." Ruby looked positively excited, yet also understandably nervous.
"They were the first ones outside of Patch to believe in us. To give us a chance. They came all the way out there for someone like us. We should use this chance to show that it wasn't a waste of their time and energy."
Ruby turned to Yang with a strong nod. "Yang, we'll make sure that them reaching out to us and giving us this opportunity was worth it!"
"Yeah!" Yang nodded with a raised fist.
With one strong foot forward, the sisters pressed on, Ruby's eyes narrowed as her cloak was secured around her. This was also an ideal chance to explore Vale a bit more, so this was yet another thing in Ruby's favor.
Regardless, she didn't want Glynda and Amber to regret their decisions. Because she had a feeling, just an inkling feeling, that taking them both in was causing them problems. With that anxiety in her mind, the sisterly duo needed to assure them that their choice wasn't in vain.
"We can't let them down. We won't let them down!"
The sisters first official day at Beacon goes as well as expected. But at least they made a few friends already.
However, they, along with a certain snowflake, are already being sent out into the field, if only so that the Valean Council won't be breathing down their necks without them knowing, who need to be given good reasons not to do such a thing. And the only way to do that, is for the names in question to provide results. To prove their worth, and their reliability.
Glynda doesn't like this, but taking care of this sooner rather than later, as risky as it is to them, would be preferable at the moment. Tough decisions.
Off to their first mission! With a rabbit Faunus tagging along to help!