Disclaimer: Just another reminder that this is an AU; these are versions of the characters that have grown and developed in very different environments compared to the canon versions, and they will act accordingly. Also,I do not own RWBY in any way, nor do I own any of the licensed properties mentioned herein.
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Previously on
Worth A Thousand Words:
When Ruby Rose first met Weiss Schnee, it was pretty much love at first sight. After a drastic series of miscommunications, the pair finally managed to form a proper couple… for a short time. Outside influences continued to bombard the two girls from all sides, threatening to tear them apart: everything from meddling classmates and psychotic rivals to overbearing fathers, all are determined to end the young ladies' budding romance once and for all.
Will our heroines overcome these obstacles? Will the other characters of the story ever get a satisfying conclusion of their own? Join us for one more round… and see what a picture is truly worth.
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It's surprising what you can tell about a person by their choice of footwear.
For example: a man who is often seen walking down the sidewalk in fancy, hand-stitched leather shoes is more than likely to own at least half a dozen more pairs exactly like it – high-quality footwear that is meant to be shown off. Letting such items wear out from overuse would be unthinkable. Style over comfort.
Another example is someone with well-tanned feet wearing flip-flops – that is a person who is frequently on the go, who doesn't want to take the time to bend down and tie their laces several times a day, over and over; just slide 'em on and head out the door. They're likely to have a few other pairs of shoes in the closet, such as cheap sneakers, but not many. Comfort over style for those people.
Mercury Black knew all about shoes.
His father was a cobbler by trade (a guy who actually made shoes, not just sold them), so he learned a lot about footwear as he grew up… whether he liked it or not. As you would imagine, this didn't win him very many friends. But at least he had one, and that counted for something.
As Mercury stood before his New School in the early hours, looking over the drab gray color of the walls, he let loose a jaw-cracking yawn. No point in holding it in. He would never be one of those morning people.
"Brooooo…" the young man next to him groaned, "…Why we gotta be here so freakin' early?"
Mercury turned to regard his best friend, another young man his age with blue-tinted hair styled into spikes. "Did you already forget that we had to get to class at this same hour back at Miles High? Seriously, Dude… wake up already."
"…I need a Red Bull or something, Bro…"
"Just walk it off, Dude. I don't wanna find out you fell asleep in the first class of the damn day."
Neptune Vasilias gave a dreary nod, "Aight… Aight… as long as there's good-lookin' chicks here, then I'm all in."
Mercury gave the young man a hearty pat on the back, "No worries, Mah Dude… I happen to know that this particular school is loaded with chicks."
"… … …For real?"
"Would I lie to you?"
"Two words, Bro: Dark Souls."
"Gah!" Mercury feigned a knife to the chest, staggering around dramatically. "You wound me, Dude! I did not lie about that game! You just… didn't listen."
"Two more words: Bull shit."
"Okay, okay," the silver-haired youth coughed as he adjusted the strap to his backpack. "Let's just get in there before the bell rings. We still gotta get our schedules, right?"
"…Whatever."
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Mercury was used to switching schools. He and Neptune had already attended classes all over the city throughout middle school, and even though he had started to enjoy his time at Miles Luna High School (there was a reason everyone called it "Miles High" after all – woooo), transferring to Oum High was pretty much a given. He sometimes wondered what their parents would do once they'd been to all of the schools in town. Move away? Home school? Not likely on either count.
And there were indeed good looking people of all types, all shapes, and all sizes milling around this place.
Granted… some were better looking than others.
They got their schedules without issue, and much to Mercury's relief, he had almost every class with Neptune. They'd be separate for two classes, but that was fine – so long as his teachers were prepared ahead of time. The silver-haired youth spent the first five minutes of school making the rounds to both of these particular classes and giving the teachers a quick talking to.
Neptune was a… special case. They needed to be ready for anything.
Once finished, Mercury barely had time to think about his own schedule for the day before being bowled over by a fellow student, a red blur wearing very worn-out hiking boots.
"Oh, God I'm so sorry-!" The blur soon turned into a short girl with really deep red hair and light gray eyes (or were they silver? Hard to tell in this light). She shot to her feet and helped him up, then gave him a quick once-over to be sure. She breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't hurt.
Mercury opened his mouth to ask what her hurry was, but she moved before he even drew in the air to speak at all – she lightly shoved him against the wall, back up next to a doorway, then darted behind him while hissing, "You didn't see me!"
Another girl came around the corner a moment later, this one a ginger with custom-made orthopedic boots. High-end stuff there. "Excuse me, but did a short girl with crimson hair come by here a moment ago?" she asked with perfect politeness.
Mercury had to pause a moment to get his head to stop spinning. He could feel the redhead hiding behind him trembling, but since she didn't seem all that amused by the game of tag… it must not have been a game. Might as well play along, then. "Probably; I'm new here, so I don't really know anybody. But I think I saw a redhead going down the hall that way," he finished by pointing a different direction than where his charge was hiding.
"I see. Sorry for troubling you. I hope to see you around, as I, too, am newly transferred to this school! Maybe we can be friends? I am Penny Polendina, what is your name?"
He gave a quick, theatrical nod as he declared, "Seymour Butts, at your service."
A quiet snort came from behind him, but he kept talking.
"And I think you'd better go before the bell rings…" he finished.
The girl named Penny quickly glanced at her wristwatch and grew surprised. "Oh my! Well, I'll see you later Mr. Butts!" And with that she turned and briskly walked away.
Mercury grinned and resisted the urge to turn and look, but he could feel the kid behind him struggling to contain her laughter. After a full 5 seconds had passed, he muttered, "I think she's gone."
"BWA-HA-HA…!" The redheaded girl guffawed so hard she almost fell. "I never thought she'd fall for that one! That was awesome!"
Mercury just looked at the girl and jerked a thumb in the direction of the distant ginger. "Friend of yours?"
The girl finally collected herself, sighing, "Oh it's …much more complicated than that, but… yeah, I guess she is my friend. I'm Ruby, by the way." She reached out a hand.
He took it, giving it a hearty shake. "Mercury. Nice to meet you Ruby By The Way."
Her silver eyes narrowed. "Oh I see… a smartass."
"What would you prefer… a smartass or a dumbass?"
"You're an ass either way."
"Oh, you prefer both? I'll have to remember that."
"Your funeral."
They stared for a solid 3 seconds before cracking a smile and laughing. Well, that's one way to make a first impression.
"I gotta scoot. Later!" The girl named Ruby hitched up her backpack and took off at a quick jog. Mercury could almost see puffs of dust left behind as she went. Now he could understand why her shoes were so worn down. The kid was a runner.
He chuckled to himself as he also made his way to his first class of the day. And he also wondered which of the other Looney Toons he'd encounter at this school – he'd just been run over by the Road Runner, so next up was anybody's guess.
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Mercury had met Neptune ages ago, long before he could actually remember. They'd been best friends the entire time, so he knew what the guy liked, what he didn't like… and what set the guy off. The silver-haired youth was an absolute godsend for Neptune's mother, who had all but given up on the kid ever having a normal life. His doctor was almost as grateful, if that could be believed.
Neptune was behaving himself today, thankfully. He didn't make any scenes during second and third periods, then swore that he was fine during fourth. Next up was fifth, Social Studies, one of Mercury's least favorite subjects.
However, just before he got into the room, he spied yet another pretty girl in the hallway; this one with very nice baby-blue pumps and hair that was almost white. She wasn't really talking to the other girl in the hallway with her, but even Mercury could tell when there was a silent conversation going on – the second girl, a short thing wearing expensive high-heeled boots, stood there with a knowing smirk on her face and no less than three separate hair colors; brown, pink and white.
Huh… just when he thought he'd seen it all back at Miles High…
The girl with the not-white hair turned and stormed away from the midget, making a beeline right for the room Mercury was heading into. She passed him without a word, her face dark with something resembling rage.
Ooh… this could be fun.
And wouldn't you know it, Mercury was sat right next to her.
Between his bouts of staring at their teacher, the very flamboyant Mr. Torchwick, Mercury tried to get a read on his next-door neighbor. She still looked troubled, but resigned to her fate. Neptune sat on his other side, occasionally looking across to see what was holding his Bro's attention. Once he realized it was a girl, the blue-haired boy put on a look of disbelief.
Mercury returned his look with a glare. Neptune just shrugged.
By the time class was almost over, Mercury decided to break the ice. "You look like someone with a lot on their mind," he said with a casual tone he hoped wouldn't be misunderstood.
She didn't even glance his way, replying with a flat, "It's none of your business."
"Maybe not, but I think I have a right to know why I'm getting frostbite on my arm…"
This earned him a glare sharp enough to cut glass. And dang those were some intense blue eyes.
He smiled as nicely as he could, offering a hand and introducing himself. "Mercury Black."
The girl looked down at his hand, then back up at him. After a pause, she muttered, "Weiss Schnee." She didn't shake his hand.
It took a lot of effort to keep his face steady. A Schnee…? Here?! It didn't seem possible. He knew enough about rich families to know that the Schnees were one of the richest in the country… and the most snobbish. "As much as I'd like to give you a nickname… I think I'll avoid that particular minefield today. I suspect you've got plenty already. So, Miss Schnee… what brings you to Oum High?"
Her tired sigh spoke volumes.
"Never mind. Sorry… sometimes I'm too nosy for my own good."
The wall came down, albeit only slightly. "No, it's… it's alright. I've just been dealing with someone troublesome and I'm kind of worn out. Several troublesome people, actually."
It was easy to guess that the multicolored midget from earlier was one of them, but he sensed now was not the time to poke the hornet's nest. He'd made his introductions, now all he had to do was keep prodding, gently, and hope nothing exploded. All in good time.
"S'up, babe?"
And then there was Neptune.
Weiss looked past and finally noticed the blue-haired boy, put on a confused look, then said to Mercury, "I assume he's a friend of yours?"
"That's… … … one way of putting it. That's Neptune Vasilias. He's normally not this bad, but since he's nervous… he acts like an idiot."
The idiot in question tried to put on a 'charming' smile… and ended up looking like he needed to take a crap.
Weiss Schnee giggled, finally letting herself smile. Mercury could only smile in response, as her entire persona seemed to lift with the act – it was like the action had lifted a weight from her shoulders. He always enjoyed being able to do that to people… that and trolling them into oblivion. He made his own fun, and drat on anyone who said otherwise.
"We're both new students here starting today," Mercury added before Neptune could embarrass himself further. "I guess we'll be seeing you around."
"Hey, I think I lost my number somewhere," Neptune suddenly said with a stupid grin. "…Can I have yours instead?" The boy started laughing at his own joke. Mercury gave a tired sigh. Even for Neptune, that was terrible.
But then he noticed something interesting. Weiss Schnee, rich girl extraordinaire, was looking at Neptune and… thinking. He could see the cogs turning in her head. Whatever she was planning was more than likely going to include either Neptune, himself, or both if he was lucky.
He should have called her out on it. Should've gotten involved, let her know exactly who she was dealing with. But he didn't. While a small part of his mind knew he would later regret it, Mercury chose to remain quiet and see where this new turn of events would lead.
After all… this promised to be quite a show.
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"Hey there Road Runner."
The redhead in question glanced over with an adorably confused look on her face. "Huh?"
"Yeah, I mean you," Mercury said with an easy smile as he strode forward. "You did run me over earlier. What… you don't like nicknames?"
Ruby, if he remembered her real name right, kind of… flailed a bit, but she was still smiling. The other kids that surrounded her seemed amused at the sight.
School was finally over for the day (and what a long day it had been), so Mercury and Neptune were heading for the front door and the path home. The former was more than ready to kick up his feet and watch TV all the way until school started tomorrow, while the latter was probably just hungry. The Quarter Pounder Massacre was soon to begin.
On the way out, they'd bumped into Ruby. Along with her was a collection of other students, some of whom Mercury recognized from a few of his classes, but others who were new… and one cutie. Every one of them wore department store sneakers, aside from Ruby and the girl in mostly brown, who wore some rather impressive boots.
"Mercury," he said casually as he gestured towards himself, getting a few nods in response. He jerked a thumb behind him and added, "Neptune."
"S'up, ladies?" came the usual mating call.
One voice in the back loudly muttered something about planetary alignment, but it went ignored by the group.
Ruby spoke up quickly, going around the group and pointing, "Coco, Blake, Yang, Velvet, Jaune. And I'm Ruby!" The last one was mostly for Neptune's benefit, though the chances of him remembering even one of those names for more than 10 minutes was quite low.
"You mean 'Road Runner' don't you?" Mercury said with a smirk.
Ruby gave a cheeky grin and chirped, "Meep meep!" It was rather adorable, actually.
The brown-themed girl, Coco, spoke next, "You guys are from Miles High, aren't you?"
"Guilty as charged," said Mercury, putting his hands up in surrender. "And you're Coco Adel, right? Your reputation precedes you."
"As does yours, Mercury Black."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
The look that flashed across Coco's face could only be described as evil. Mercury knew his own was not far off. One or two of the group even took a nervous step backwards.
Sensing the right moment, Mercury turned to his best friend and urged him to go ahead and wait by the main doors for a minute. Once he was gone, the silver-haired youth leaned in and motioned for the group to gather a bit closer.
"I'm only gonna say this once, but keep an eye on my dude Neptune when he's around you – he's on heavy meds, and he needs to be on them all the time. They're the only things letting him act normally."
The blonde one, Yang, snorted, "You call that normal?"
"Normal for him." While he saw her point (many people wondered why Neptune seemed to be playing the part of Jack Sparrow sometimes), he continued, "Just take my advice… if he EVER walks up to you one day and doesn't give you some kind of cheesy greeting or dorky smile, walk away and find either me or a teacher. DO NOT TALK TO HIM. Understand me?"
No one was smiling as they all nodded. Good. If any of them thought he was joking, then that could be bad.
"Good!" Mercury let himself smile again, both to break the tension and because he didn't want to meet up with his bro wearing a frown. The other kids nervously glanced at each other, clearly wondering if they should ask further about the bombshell they just got hit with, but no one pressed the issue.
One more matter to attend to…
Mercury quickly singled out the only boy of the group, Jaune, and casually shook his hand. "Jaune, right? You ever get put off by having so many girls around you?"
"What? No… pfft. Of course not," he said in a rather practiced way. Mercury wasn't fooled… he could tell when a man was on the verge of spontaneously growing a uterus.
Before either of them could say any more, Jaune happened to glance down… and snorted out a laugh.
Mercury couldn't hold back his grin.
Before he arrived this morning, Mercury had made one alteration to his own shoes – he'd added a strip of duct tape over the laces that blended in with their gray and black color palette, then wrote across the tape the words 'Dafuq U Lookin At?!' He'd done this same thing every time he started at a new school, and before this day no one had ever spotted it. Jaune was the first.
Mercury lightly placed his arm across the blonde boy's shoulders, earning a giggle from the group behind them. "Jaunny Boy, I think you and I are gonna get along juuuuuuuuust fine."
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Pyrrha Nikos lived far enough from the school that walking home was out of the question, so she always had someone come and pick her up after classes were out for the day. Normally it was her Uncle, but sometimes her Aunt did the job instead – she was staying with them for the time being, as the rest of her family was still back home in Greece.
Today should have been like any other, but for some reason… she suddenly tensed, growing anxious.
They'd barely even left the school and she suddenly had a powerful urge to go back and fight someone.
"Niótho provlímata," she muttered to herself, wondering what the heck that was about.
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Author's Note: Yes, believe it or not… I'M BACK ! ! !
I normally don't like to apologize, but I will say sorry for taking so damn long to get back to this story. I wanted to update this thing sometime last year, but life always got in the way (My other projects didn't help either). But now I'm going to make a serious effort to buckle down and get this thing done, so bare with me if things feel a bit rushed now and again. I'm trying.
If you've just recently come on board, welcome! (And if you're a returning reader, welcome back!) Hope you stick around! :)
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Story Note: Having left this story thing for so long, I have no memory of the relative dates this is all taking place. That said, I'm not going to bother trying to keep any kind of set schedule in-story. If things get too confusing, just note that this is all meant to take place around the end of the calendar year (November-December).
^u^
(Source: Google Translate)
Niótho provlímata – "I sense trouble."