AGW 80, September 9th-10th
Minor OC to fill in gaps, because my budget is higher than RT's budget during volume 1
Chapter 19: Initiate
Beacon Academy
It was Monday night, the night before initiation. Dinner was being served in Beacon's cafeteria, crowds of students flocking to tables as invitations to sit and greetings filled the air.
"That was a great battle, Pyrrha, we should totally spar again."
"I agree Ruby, it's not often that I get challenged in battle, let along be defeated."
At one specific table, Yang and Ruby sat with a mixture some of Yang's friends and some of the people they had befriended when sparring. On one end sat Nora, Ren, Pyrrha and Jaune, who was invited to sit by Pyrrha. On the other sat Ruby, Yang, and her two friends Mila and Nep. The din in the cafeteria made it so they had to raise their voices, adding to the clamor.
Pyrrha ate silently and listened politely as Nora gave off a wild retelling of her spar with Yang, with said blonde smirking in her seat and Ruby tinkering with her right arm, the right arm still in repairs to an extent, it was a good thing she was ambidextrous. Ren the killjoy sat next to Nora, giving a more accurate description of the battle
"And so…we faced off in the battle for our lives, destroying the area around us as we awed our fellow comrades!"
"As they were sparring, Nora missed Yang and damages the floor with her hammer, making Professor Goodwitch annoyed."
"Yang was tough and let out a barrage of flames, but I valiantly charged through, braving the flames!"
"She was hit by a few rounds from Yang's gauntlets when she was trying to close in."
"I finally reached the fiendish Yang, and when our weapons clashed, they tore the surrounding area into pieces, shaking the building, it was sooo strong we were both knocked back by the blow, slamming into the walls."
"Nora parried a left haymaker from Yang, and they were both knocked back a few steps from the hit, nothing except the ground beneath them broke."
"Rennnnn, stop being a spoilsport and let me tell the tale."
"It is good to keep a proper representation of the tale."
"I shall continue to tell this tale in its ultimate splendor, nothing you can do will stop me!"
Yang chuckled at the antics of the pair and turned to her baby sister, who was trying to put a strange looking device into her new arm.
"You think you can fix that arm by tomorrow morning Rubes?"
"Oh course Yang, I just need to modify some aspects of my arm, and I don't need to sleep, so feasibly I could stay up late at the forge to work on this arm, this modification is important! There are signs of fracturing on the socket of the arms, signifying weakness in that specific area, also…"
Blake ambled towards their table and sat next to Yang, waving at Ruby silently. Ruby looked up from her tinkering and her eyes lit up when she saw Blake. She came up and offered a one armed hug to the Faunus, who accepted it slowly and gracefully. Yang came up behind them and squashed them together, yelling over all the noise of the cafeteria.
"Heya Blake, how do you do, fellow Prankster and Playmate!"
Blake blushed slightly at the words "playmate", but she answered nonetheless.
"It's been a while since we've met. Good to see you too Yang, and of course it's good to see you too Ruby."
She had to shoe in the last part before Ruby started whining: "What about meeee?!" in a large voice.
/
The people in the cafeteria slowly began to leave, with temporary sleeping areas being set all over Beacon's lobby, and if people were fortunate enough, dorms. Ruby, Blake, Weiss and Yang were among the more fortunate.
Weiss headed to the left most bed and collapsed, instantly falling asleep. Blake took the one in the right corner and pulled out a book, titled: "A Man with Two Souls." Ruby and Yang took the two middle beds and pulled out their scrolls, setting their volumes to mute. With Ruby's arms now fixed and reinforced, they played Dark Sprits together, Yang cursing silently each time she died.
Ruby, having the data and calculations to help her with the game, spent the majority of the time finding hidden chests and trolling Yang occasionally, reaching levels of schadenfreude that shouldn't be possible.
"Hey Yang, chest down there behind the bush, looks safe."
"Alright, come on, show mama Yang the goods-"
-Crunch-
/…You Died…/
"…Ruby, that chest ate me…you sly dog this is what you wanted wasn't it?"
They finally went to bed when Blake came up and told them it was 11:30 pm and that any later and they would have trouble waking up. Yang crept into her covers swearing on her honor that she would get Ruby back later.
Ruby also went to her bed, shutting down areas for power and "sleeping," but not actually doing so, her ears and brain still fully awake as she lay still for 7 hours. However, having a soul meant that dreams would come naturally, and so the time passed very fast.
/-The Next Day
Ruby woke up at 6:30 in the morning to Yang splashing water over her, the cold sensation waking her instantly. She glared at a silently laughing Yang as she shook her head messily, ears and hair flopping as water cascaded from her. Yang took off, giggling as Ruby slowly got out of bed, trying the best she could to clean up after her. Her pajamas were absolutely soaked, and her bed hair was replaced by a mass of sopping wet hair and ears, like a soaked puppy, her low growling doing even less to remove that resemblance. The ruckus also woke Blake up, who glared at Ruby, only to see that her friend was covered head to toe in water, and decided to leave her be. Weiss' alarm started beeping, but the heiress refused to wake up, still sleeping in a cold trance.
The alarm beeped for a minute, before Ruby finally shut it off, the ringing hurting her ears slightly. She winked at Blake, who started waving her hands back and shaking her head, whispering:
"Ruby, don't do it."
Ruby did it.
She crouched and sprang into Weiss' bed, ears drawn back like a wolf would when pouncing on their prey, except she forgot one thing: She was made of extremely durable material, and Weiss was not. Guess she forgot that she was also incredibly dense, mentally and physically.
Weiss let out a startled squawk as the wet Preteen Robot Wolf Faunus cannoned into her stomach, driving all of the oxygen she had in her out. Gasping, she reached for her scroll, checking the time and making sure she hadn't overslept, it said 6:35, perfect Satisfied, she turned to Ruby, who thought death had surely passed, she was wrong. In one move, Weiss took the nearest pillow and smothered Ruby's face with it, muffled yelps of the silver eyed girl could be heard from underneath.
Blake didn't bat an eyelash at how Ruby was being smothered by the pillow, knowing that she would pull through. She did wonder why Ruby failed to mention how she was so close to Weiss, she had never heard the name with Ruby, and here she was, playing around with Weiss like they were old friends. Then again, she herself did blow up Schnee Manor at the tender age of 7, so she surmised that Ruby was doing it to keep her identity a secret. She left the room to take a shower and do her hair and bow, leaving Ruby to her fate at the hands of the merciless ice queen.
/
After Weiss' spell of anger had past, they all went to get dressed and prepare for initiation at 8:30. Weiss, now in her battle skirt and her trusty rapier sheathed next to her, put some of her belongings in her locker next to Pyrrha, who sat on a bench putting on her greaves.
"So Pyrrha, who do you think will be partnered with you in Beacon?"
Pyrrha's answer derailed plan or two of hers.
"I was thinking of just letting the chips fall where they may. I came here to avoid publicity after all."
"Ah…I see. We might make a great pair though…"
I was hoping we could be together, our fighting styles go together pretty well after all. We could've also gotten some decent scores in academics.
Weiss shook her head and was just about to finish her packing, if it wasn't for the boy Jaune Arc speaking.
"You know what else is great? Me, Jaune Arc, a natural born leader.
Weiss stared at Jaune, confused. Wasn't this Ruby's boyfriend or something?
"Aren't you already in a dating situation with Ruby Rose? Why try to court me?"
"What? No! I was just helping her up, how did you get "dating" from those few seconds."
Weiss face palmed, disappointed in herself. She had only been in Beacon for half a week, and she had already forgotten how this was not Atlesian high society.
"My apologies… but still, I'm not interested. Go court someone like Pyrrha Nikos, who is a renowned fighter and cereal box mascot or something."
"Oh wait, Pyrrha's a what?"
Weiss could not believe how dense this blonde was, and she had seen many of them.
"Pyrrha is quite possibly the model student of Sanctum and a celebrity, you haven't heard of her?"
"Nope, but I definitely have your name Weiss."
This Blonde most definitely had a case of the dense problem.
"Not…Interested…Jaune. Also, teams are of 4 people right Pyrrha?"
"Right…" Pyrrha wasn't what this exchange was in front of her, but once again, it was refreshing to meet people who did not know her as a celebrity.
"You don't say…Well you never know, play your cards right and you might just end up on the top team at Beacon, Snow Angel!"
Weiss decided to shut him down a bit more, just for the "Snow Angel" name.
"I believe a partnership with Ruby would be a bit more fitting. After all, she is known as the Wallflower of Signal, and we are on a first name basis, unlike dense blonde scraggly boy here."
"Ah I see, it's your loss then."
Weiss couldn't help but smirk when she saw Jaune falter when he said that. Her smirk widened a bit more when the boy leaned in for a kiss and was knocked back by Pyrrha's spear by Weiss' request. She made her way to the launch pads when the loudspeakers came on.
"Would all initiates please head towards the Beacon Cliff for initiation?
She left, leaving Jaune to be helped up by Ruby and Yang. The last words she heard were:
"I don't understand…"
/-Few minutes earlier…
Ruby was walking with Yang, each holding their weapons. Yang knew that the chances to get on the same team with her sister would be unlikely, so she had to give her sister a little pep talk before she fried her circuits in anxiety.
"Now Ruby, the teams are probably going be set by the Headmaster and his assistant, so there's a chance that we won't be in the same team. If that is the case, and you get picked as the leader, you're gonna have to open up and make some new friends."
"But what do I tell them about me being a metal construct with a soul? What if they reject me as a partner and friend?"
"Rubes, they won't, chances are they will be surprised, but they won't outright shun you because you are made of metal. If anything, they'll find it pretty cool."
"And what if they don't like Faunus?"
"They will have to, because I read over the Beacon code of conduct, and racism is discouraged and may appear on your huntsman license, limiting your job opportunities. Oh hey, that's Jaune over there right?"
Ignoring the convenient change in subject, a quick look confirmed that was Jaune collapsed on the floor. Ruby extended her hand, returning the favor.
"I don't understand, Dad said all women look for is confidence, where did I go wrong?"
Ruby helped him up and muttered words of encouragement as she supported him and his wounded pride.
Droves of students lined up on the platforms facing the emerald Forest, waiting for the signal. Some drew their weapons and flourished them, while others simply stood there. Ozpin stood in front of the group, pacing back and forth while Glynda stood behind him, a silent sentinel. The Headmaster addresses his new initiates and spoke to them, sweeping his gaze across the potential members of Beacon.
"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
Glynda looked up from her typing on her scroll and spoke as well:
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today."
Ruby noticed the deadpan on Glynda's face, and she feared the worse. Her ears flattened and she braced herself for what might be randomization.
"Oh no…"
Glynda made no notice of Ruby's temperament and continued talking.
"It is imperative and in your best interest to choose a teammate with whom you can work well with."
Ruby anxiety grew a bit larger, the ears on her head pressing back even further. Then it was Ozpin's turn to speak.
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
STRESS.
Ruby's world spun for a moment, before she had to right herself to prevent herself from falling. A distant: "See, I told you!" was heard in the distance.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest, you will have to fight Grimm. Do not hesitate do defeat all of the Grimm in your path, or you will be in grave danger."
Ruby heard a nervous chuckle from Jaune, were his eyes looking back and forth right now? Wasn't Jaune supposed to be a proficient and confident fighter?
She realized that Jaune didn't seem to have sparred at all during the practice bouts, and Jaune had the family heirloom Crocea Mors, not a personally crafted or requested weapon. Heck, she didn't even detect Aura from the blonde. Jaune might not be ready for this level of combat, and that made her freeze.
Oh no.
She missed what Ozpin said, but she knew that it was about the landing strategy, judging by Jaune's question about them.
The students were flung into the air one by one, a loud click and woosh signifying the departure of a student. She saw Yang put on shades and give her a wink before she too flew away. It was then ruby's turn to fly, and she flew up into the sky, a screaming Jaune a few seconds behind her.
/==To be continued l\/l/
I will diverge from canon, this is NOT going to be a carbon copy of the actual RWBY.
Character into, which isn't very important considering that they are background people.
Mila: Auburn haired girl with an average build, fair complexion. Weapon is a spear that has two tips, able to split when CQC is needed. Spear can also be infused with dust, letting it spray fire and ice. Semblance is temporary hydrokinesis, allowing her to create walls of water and turn them into ice or steam.
Nep: Red haired girl with a slight tan, athletic build. Shotgun which can fold out into a curved sword, which looks like a claymore. Semblance is to create a concussive blast near her. Effective in pushing people back with her weapon.