The Cosmic Cycle

Chapter Fifteen

Ripple

It was hard to guess if he ever truly despised a moment as he did right now. Mostly in part if it was a Monday. Which would lead into the dreaded Tuesday. Used to be a dreaded every day, but after coming here, it had shrunk itself down to two days of the week.

A welcome relief if you asked him!

Getting back on topic, the day had gone fairly well, even in his sleep-deprived state. He'd managed to make it back in time for the opening ceremony – which to be frank, felt more like a meet n' greet if one ignored the scene he caused – and managed to kick his first goal into gear. In the four months since he made contact with Ozpin, he had decisively begun to make some tracks.

So unfortunate that he wouldn't be getting the reward that was the sleep he so craved as a reward. The adrenaline boost he got having left shortly after all that happened.

If he was being honest, he didn't have the right to gripe, since he kind of signed himself up for it. A couple someone's had to watch the prospective students to make sure they didn't get up to anything. Apparently Oobleck isn't allowed to do it anymore for some reason, which Jonas was keen on finding out someday, so it had been passed down to Peter and Glynda; with him being overlooked due to how overworked he'd been. But having learned in his time here just how much of the paperwork she did along with everything else, he knew she'd probably wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. And with everything between himself and the new years worth of possible students happening, she would probably have worked herself far off into the day just to get whatever papers that needed to be done done; to say nothing of whatever she needed finished by the end of today, no less.

No lie to say Jonas admired her for that. The sheer determination she had to push herself and keep the academy running, it was no lie to say he saw a bit of himself in her. Before all this crap anyway. When things were much simpler and more straightforward.

Seeing her expression at the time, which was rife with annoyance and exhaustion, he had decided to fill in for her; despite his own state. All while trying to consider it fair, since he really had no work to do himself. At least, not yet anyways. After he was done, he'd just be able to head to bed if he wanted to right afterwards. It'd be a annoying all-nighter, but nothing much beyond that.

Still, he felt like complaining about it. Felt good to focus on something other than his body right now.

Like right now, for instance!

'This sucks.' Jonas quietly sighed to himself as he whined in his head. Slogging along one of Beacons many outside paths; aiming to head towards the ballroom, where they would temporarily house the candidates for the night before they went through Initiation.

If his companion hadn't slapped him on the back hard enough to make him stumble, he'd probably sighed all the way there!

"So glum, my boy!" Peter commented as he muttered, giving the older man a look. "Cheer up, now! You did sign yourself up for this by your own hands, if you'll recall!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Believe me." Jonas groused, stretching to work out the small bit of discomforting tingling his back was now feeling. Dude could hit hard when he wanted! "Been reminding myself of that fact every thirty seconds or so."

The portly man gave a boisterous laugh. "A man after my own heart! Returning from the fields of battle with no end and little sleep, wishing for a good nights rest, only to follow it up by aiding our dear combat professor by watching the students for her! A compassionate showing, my friend!"

Didn't really count for much to him, but whatever. Peter could be… eccentric, at times.

Don't get him wrong though! It wasn't like he thought Peter was bad company or anything! He was a pretty good Storyteller and Professor; despite what some students said about him, and a pretty amicable guy outside his classes if you ignored his usual boastful nature. If one was able to read between the lines of what he was saying half the time, he imagined some of them would've had more free time in his class.

...Which would probably be relegated to sleeping. Gotta be honest there.

And he was getting carried away again, wasn't he?

The one thing that irritated him more than anything when it came to the bulbous man was how much he poked fun at him about other women. From the students and civilians that flirted with him, to others that gave him a passing glance. He didn't know if this was a common occurrence, or if he was just doing it to him because of how young he was, or if the bastard thought he was his protege because of it. The guy himself like to say how much raw sexual appeal he had back in his prime. A word he hoped he'd never used again in any form, nor imply that he had.

It was just fucking weird!

He'd suggested that he was flirting with Professor Goodwitch somehow by covering for her to let her sleep. No clue how he got to that conclusion! She was beautiful, yes. And despite her regularly strict and serious attitude, that was only when it came to her job, and a want to help her students be all they could be. A few of the times he'd seen her beyond Beacon, which was seldomly few mind you, showed she was still a woman with her own interests. Not a surprising revelation, he knew, but with how much work the poor girl had to put in daily, he was understandably shocked that she had something close to a social life beyond Beacon. Usually found drinking tea at her favourite store and reading a book most of the times he had actually seen her. And she was good with kids; besides the whole 'teacher' thing, anyway. Children flocked to her because of her popularity, and she just took it in stride. Treating them kindly like a mother would a child.

In the four months that he got to know her, he had built a rapport of respect with the woman. Enough of one that he had decided flat out that she was off limits for him. It was that, and the fact that he couldn't help but wonder if either Ozpin or Ironwood had a thing for her. Better to avoid that potential shit-storm in his opinion.

Even still though... he'd begrudgingly have to admit her outfit along with her figure did her no favours. Despite whatever she had intended, while it still bore the look of a teacher's outfit, it was a little too lascivious to be around hormonal teens; to say nothing of perverted adults. Just how many minds had run wild over the years from the sight of her?

"Be ready lad." Peter said out of nowhere as Jonas idly wondered how many love-letters the poor girl received in a month. They had just turned onto the path that led towards the Dining hall, making it out fairly easily from this distance. "When we enter those ballroom doors, we will face many hardships."

"...Should I even ask what you're referring to?" He hesitantly asked, his tone snippy from lack of sleep. With just a bit of trepidation mixed in. More hearty laughter followed quickly after, which only caused him to groan again as he realized another yarn was coming on.

"Should be fairly obvious, Mister- no, Professor Everblue." He emphasized his new role with a wink. "But when we step foot in there, we will have to deal with the many masses of young, aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses to be! It is sure to be a pit writhing in estrogen and testosterone!"

All the while he once again wiggled his eyebrows at Jonas, or rather Professor Everblue, suggestively.

He wanted to sigh a hundredth time and walk away from him then and there, being a little too tired to deal with that thought. Instead, he figured he'd better shut him down before he tried to implicate him as a potential target of said estrogen. Or got forbid, Peter himself.

...Wasn't enough bleach in the world to erase the errant thought that crawled into his head.

Damn it.

"Peter, no offense man, but I kind of doubt they're all going to jump each other's bones tonight." He said quickly before he could continue. "I've read the files on most of our new attendee's, and a good half of them are from outside the kingdom. Chances are, they'll be too exhausted to try that. Flirt maybe, but nothing beyond that. And the parents for those who are local will probably notice a poorer performance from their kids if they tried, so..."

"Ah, but surely you understand youthful vigour, do you not? All those young men and women in a confined space together for but a single night!" Okay, now he knew the guy was grinning like an idiot under that moustache of his! "Truthfully, I've seen small flings made under lesser circumstances."

Yeah, he was pretty much on the dot. Held true no matter the world or time. Though he was hoping they wouldn't notice.

Instead of triggering that landmine, the new professor took to looking around the grounds for any new attendee's that might still be about. Curfew wouldn't go into effect until after nine or so to give them more time to explore. It was starting to hit mid-to-late evening, so the new blood was likely just finishing their dinner in the dining hall before running of to explore, or make their way to the ballroom to find a place to sleep for the night.

From what he could see from those windows as the two passed by he was right on the money. The Candidates had mostly finished, probably having rushed through their meals with nary a thought, and had begun to either slide or push their way through the crowds towards the exits as quickly as they could to claim some territory for themselves. Heavily congested, and moving very quickly in a single direction.

Both of them had wisely decided to bide their time here until the flow died down enough. He did garner a few looks from some of them. Mostly looks of curiosity and... interest.

'Well, not the first time I've been eyed like a piece of meat.' He thought wryly to himself. With what happened after he made Huntsmen; it'd been going on for a while. And even before then, too. After having made a name for himself as a badass demon slayer, he ended up with more than a few suitors eyeing him for both the prestige they'd get and bloodlines he could make. Usually he just ran at that point. They even tried to make themselves into concubines at one point to, as they worded it, 'Spread the love'. To which he quickly put his foot down and brought an end to the whole ordeal. Took several months to actually put into effect sadly. For himself more than those horny idiots. And it was more agonizing than anything he had fought against at that point. Which was saying a whole damn lot!

Truly, his agony knew no bounds! And clearly, Peter was rubbing off on him these past four months just by saying that!

He grinned to himself as they watched the tide grew steadily, directing a couple of the unsure applicantss as to its location, with more than a few breaking out in a blush, while half of them simply scattered about to explore the grounds. He was pretty certain that Port was wiggling his eyebrows, unknown to him.

It was only for a few moments, but Jonas could eventually make out Ruby a fair distance away. He could see her head among the crowds, alongside the striking yellow hair of her troublemaker sister. Her eyes briefly wandered to his own, and she quickly looked away with a fast flushing face, clearly still embarrassed about her stint with his board.

Or him subtly calling her out for exploding.

Likely both.

Still, he and his compatriot didn't have time to dawdle on those thoughts, following behind at a significantly slower pace once most of the group had vacated the area, with only a few staying behind to finish their meals. One of which he caught on the way out was currently gorging herself on a large stack of food like a starving animal, with her assumed friend- no, definite friend. He was too used to that noise for a stranger to have that lack of reaction. He was somehow managing to sit next to her, reading a book with incredible focus while she tore at it with the force of a tornado. Maybe he was something of a Monk? He had the outfit for it.

Forced to move forward for the coming trial, the two faculty members slowly followed the tail-end of the small tide, eventually making their way to the Ballroom. Located on the eastern end of the campus next to one of the many bodies of water that layered the grounds, the bridge leading towards both the Ballroom and other areas of the academy, combined with the view of the mountains that dotted the land around them, made for a picturesque view.

The interior of the building didn't disserve the impression the outside gave. Walking through the front door, which stood towering over everyone showed two sets of lightly curved white staircases with fancy wooden railings flanked the door, leading his eyes onto the rest of the main floor. Though sleeping bags began to cover the area, Jonas could see the dark mahogany floors were polished to a finish, the sunlight shining off of it well enough to light up the room on its own from the large windows that covered most of the side walls; with the red curtains to match. Across the way was a decently sized stage with similar curtains that kind of reminded him of the theatres back home, much to his own amusement, along with two more moderately sized exits in the corners. Looking upward revealed more railings on the second floor, with at least a dozen or more chandeliers hanging on the ceiling that meshed well with the blue crystal lights that hung along the wooden posts between the windows.

Though he was sure there were various kinds of Ballrooms, he really didn't care about them. Wasn't as ostentatious as others he'd been in. A stray thought

Both Peter and him had moved to stand just off of the stairs. Keeping track of the flow while making sure those that were already here weren't trying to start a fight. Not that they would; most except the brutes would have the common sense to avoid such a situation.

Jonas jokingly considered to himself just what the following rules would be as Port and he resigned themselves to standing here for the foreseeable future. It was something to pass the time.

'Second rule of High School 101! Don't tell the teachers!'

A Little Later…

As it turned out, watching an admittedly massive wave of teens standing about chatting, or pulling various stunts to impress both each other and the opposite sex was expected, but boring as all hell.

After a while, anyway. Watching their acts slowly escalate from boasting to full-blown wrestling matches with the intent of one upping the competition to 'woo the ladies' so to speak, before it petered back down into varying levels of order for a bit. It was but a constant state of flux for these kids, and it was kind of funny to see all of it from the outside. Shame they let it go for too long and killed the mirth. Now it was just indifference laced with some annoyance.

Well, that and another thing, he guessed.

Thinking up all those little rules though kind of grew dull after he hit rule forty-five. …Or was it thirty-five? He kind of lost count. Everything going on in the background kind of killed his drive. So instead he took to actually doing his job, much like Port had decided once he himself began to move, and made his rounds about the area. Not that he expected much beyond the usual roughhousing and the passing arrogant twat or two. Most incidents stopped themselves when he came round. Though they did start up again after a bit at a quieter level.

The power of a teacher, ladies and gentlemen! Such a wondrous thing! It was kind of funny, seeing it from this angle. Suddenly, the sheer frustration some of his teachers had back in elementary made sense. Only when you're older, huh…

His pace was methodical as he wandered in thought while keeping an eye out. Mind catching on to how dark it had gotten outside in the last few hours. Most had begun to change into their jammies; with the lions share of applicantss making their way towards the bathrooms to change, while others surprisingly did so out in the open. Balls on those ones. Much as he hated to admit, he caught himself staring too long at a redhead with long red hair in a ponytail that was in the process of changing. Revealing a nicely toned rear and some black underwear that did her no favours whatsoever.

'You'd think I'd be used to this kind of shit by now when I've lived with a friggin' Dryad of all people.' He chuckled to himself, musing over the memories of Drei. Always dressed skimpily in what amounted to a leaf bikini, but he understood that she came from an entirely different walk of life. Living as long as that, separated from all forms of culture and class, it was bound to hap-

Jonas let out a small sigh when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Slowly, so as not to raise suspicion, he walked down towards the male bathroom in the back, which had been pretty much vacated now for the most part. Upon getting to the door itself, he just casually walked in like he was going for a leak.

"Wha- hey!" Jaune shouted in indignation, looking at him with complete confusion as to why he pushed him back into the bathroom before he could leave.

It was a question in and of itself when the guy was unable to put the pieces together himself. Like, bloody hell, dude!

"Okay. Jaune. Be straight with me, man." Jonas pinched the bridge of his nose of growing exhaustion. "Why the hell are you wearing a onesie?"

The damned thing had a bunny logo covering his chest. And with a god damned set of bunny slippers to match! He knew the folks around here were eccentric. The Hunters more so. But, c'mon, man!

The blonde blinked as he looked down at his choice in pajamas, his brain not cluing in. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Dude… you serious?" He looked at the blonde as if he were some new form of being, palming his head into a hand. "That's… that's something meant more for a small child than a young adult! You'll be a laughingstock if you walk out in that; to say nothing of your social life afterward!"

"B-but it's functional!" Jaune complained, and much to Jonas' horror he was a bit miffed. "And comfortable!"

Oh, well this was just marvelous! Now he had to deal with a kid that had no societal awareness when it came to kids his age!

Footsteps drew closer, both their heads snapping to the door.

Lovely situation he ended up in, eh? Wonder what god he managed to piss off this time?

And that was not something that needed an answer! He was venting, thank you very much!

The issue itself was quickly settled with a bit of telekinesis via a purple circle, earning a squawk of surprise from the rooms other occupant as he forced the door shut. A couple of grunts of confusion from the other side sounded, and he knew he wouldn't have long before Port was called over.

"Okay, look. I'm not denying the benefits it gives you. But if you walk out in that?" He pointed at his outfit. "I can guarantee that you'll find yourself a future bully within a few minutes; to say nothing of how folks aren't ever gonna be able to take you seriously afterwards. And no one wants that, right?"

"Eh, w-well, no… but…"

And now the kid was acting liked a pouting child after getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar! His head down towards the ground in low spirits as he shifted awkwardly in place.

Jonas gave a long-suffering groan at everything in general, quietly wondering to himself if this was what it felt like to be a parent, and mentally calling for the day to end in its entirety so he could go to bed and pretend all this was just a bad dream.

And yet the gods ignored another of his pleas.

Shocker. Truly.

"Alright! alright! Bloody hell, the things I'm dealing with now…" He mumbled that last part, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Listen, I'm not saying that you shouldn't wear it again. You can do it in private with your team if you want, should you make it past initiation. Just don't do it in public!" Jonas felt the need to stress. "Especially right now! First impressions are important, you know? What're folks going to think if they see you dressed like that?"

"…Yeah, okay, good point. I guess I can't say it's fashionable, can I?" Jaune gave a nervous laugh with sweat hitting his brow.

He wanted to say No shit sherlock, but he figured that'd be a little crude and uncalled for towards the naïve boy. Though strangely enough, people still used the statement here. Maybe he had a subtle influence in that? Little doubt he had said it enough back then for it to catch on with most people.

And here he was, getting himself sidetracked again. Man, he really wanted out of here, didn't he?

Jonas noticed Jaune look away from him, apparently nervous about something. Rather than say anything, he gave him a pointed stare with a raised eyebrow.

"I, um…" Jaune coughed into his hand. "I don't really have anything else to wear…"

'…Seriously?' Jonas stared towards the ceiling, questioning the asshole gods out there why he had to deal with this, and simultaneously knowing that the cause could be found in a mirror. He basically threw a set of his own into his scrambling arms, just wanting to be done with this. "Wear these. We're about the same height, so it should fit for the most part. Can't do much about difference in body proportions, though. Thing's fitted."

Jaune could only sputter a quick thank you as he made for the exit, scrambling into one of the bathroom stalls just as he opened the doors and found a couple of other would-be students' blink as he came out, the obvious question settled on their faces.

Their expressions turned into ones of disgust when he made up a story on the fly about dealing with a clogged toilet that was overflowing, smelling something rank. Did its job well enough, and he marked another tally on his mental success board when they ran off to let the smell fade out before moving on himself. He'd done his duty for him.

He was a strange one, to say the least. Of the two times he'd met the boy, for he clearly was a boy, he had shown a level of childhood innocence bordering the surreal. Even a fool had better sense!

Had the kid been raised and schooled solely at home, separated from the world entirely? He had to be! It was the only viable possibility!

And that was saying nothing of his blatant discomfort with his own weapon. He held it like a knave. Like the first time he held the hilt of his blade in his hands was a scant few weeks ago.

He was tempted to check his status. And he likely would have been well within his own right. But… Well, it was a pretty big invasion of privacy. He'd been trying to cut back on doing it so much. Usually relegating it to folks he was actively fighting against, or getting the kind of intel on that could save his and others lives. Much like he'd been forced to do when he first came to Beacon. He had reacted similarly with Ruby and Weiss, if only for exploding on the main walkway. Though admittedly, that was partly because he hadn't the chance to look through the initiates, even now. And considering how many were here…

Well, at the very least, he had the papers on hand after asking for them. So, you know, decent reading material there to look through overnight.

No points for guessing if he was being sarcastic.

Jonas sighed, bemoaning the long night ahead.

"I can't believe I did that…!"

Yang stared on with a grin on her face as she watched Ruby going on and on with her moaning and groaning, laying down on her stomach with a hand on her cheek, with her sleeping bag underneath her to make her comfier.

She'd told her bits and pieces of what happened in typical Ruby fashion. Being the shy girl she was, Yang had only gotten them in spurts with her cycling between writing on some papers and writhing on the floor and whining in shame during the retelling of all of it.

She shook her head in fond amusement. "Ruby-"

"Great way to start off my first day at- no, not even my first day! This is like… day minus one! Accidentally crashed into Weiss's luggage, blew myself up, and then humiliated myself in front of a guy who's apparently a new teacher! Our new magic teacher, Yang!" Ruby shouted. Starting to groan in a way that made it sound like she was on her death bed as she whacked her forehead over and over again onto the wooden flooring. "What a good start to getting alienated or expelled right off the bat!"

"No one's gonna expel you, Rubes. Relax!" Yang giggled, which served to have an adorable glare pointed her way. "You said it yourself, it's been less than a day since we got here. Kinda doubt anyone will to kick you out for something that wasn't your fault in the first place!"

"I don't know…" Her face was filled with a nervous unsurety.

She rolled her eyes at how much she was stressing. "Look. Did he look like he was bothered by it?"

The redhead shook her head after a couple seconds of thought.

"And you've met him, right? Does he seem like the sort of Professor to give a guy the boot?"

Another, smaller shake of the head.

"Then I really don't see the problem, sis!" She smiled, reaching over to give her a little shake. "And hey! It's not like he told everyone it was you specifically, right?"

Which earned the guy a few points in her book. It wasn't like she did it on purpose. Plus, Yang knew for a fact that Ruby didn't carry vials of Dust on her. Everything she had was already in her ammunition cartridges; well secured and away from being disturbed, beyond extreme circumstances.

Yang gave a triumphant smirk when she finally relaxed at that, nodding once more with a small smile and nodding, her focus returning to her writing.

She'd been at that for a while now. Writing what looked like at a cursory glance the same thing on multiple pieces of paper. She gave Ruby a curious look that she caught from the corner of her eye, her own hopping between her and her current undertaking.

"I'm writing to the gang back at Signal." She clarified. "Promised I'd fill them in on everything about Beacon, and how things are going."

Ruby growled when her sister cooed at her sister's adorability, snickering following shortly behind when the pillow plowed into her face.

"I didn't get to take my friends with me like you did!" Ruby sighed. "It's kinda weird not knowing anyone here…"

'Yeah… So much for all that work!' Yang bemoaned the loss, thinking fondly of her old classmates. "Well, why not make some new friends? We're having one big sleepover right now, anyway!"

"Pretty sure Dad wouldn't approve of all the boys, though."

Oh, she knew she did!

She purred at the sight of all the half-naked boys horsing around their area. Wearing just pajama bottoms or shorts, and showing off their abs.

Hubba hubba!

It was then that Jaune, that other blonde Ruby was with before the announcements, came walking by. Wearing blue and white plaid bottoms and a black tank top. She grinned at the bunny slippers on his feet. Probably a gift from his family that he decided to wear anyway. That she could get. Taiyang had gotten her a thick yellow sweater once she'd gotten accepted into Signal. Though she thinks it might've been more to hide her growing figure from the boys more than anything.

The thought was still there, though.

The fellow blonde looked her way. And she gave him a wink along with a suggestive smile that left him red-faced and running off, and her giggling at his reaction.

"What about Jaune? He seems nice!" Yang commented. "There you go! Plus one friend!"

"I think Weiss counts as an anti-friend though." Ruby grumbled at the memory, flipping over onto her back with her hands beneath her head. "Back to zero…"

"And Jonas?" Yang smirked as her cheeks flushed again. "You can't tell me you don't consider him one!"

"…Do teachers count?" She looked at her older sister in confusion.

If she were being completely honest, no. It wouldn't. But this was Ruby she was talking about! Needed all the friends she could get. And he seemed like an alright guy.

Of course, if anything did happen, she'd kill him. No question. With Dad and Uncle Qrow getting their licks in, too.

A small light flickered to life somewhere beyond their vision, just enough to be noticeable. Craning their heads, they found a black-haired girl wearing a bow and a small black kimono reading a book next to a candelabra.

"Hey, it's that girl…!"

Yang perked. "You know her?"

"W-well, not really." Ruby poked her fingers together. "She saw what happened earlier, but walked away before I had the chance to say anything."

"Huh…" She hummed, a grin slowly forming. "Perfect timing to make a new friend!"

"W-what?! Hey!" Her younger sister yelped as she pulled her to her feet by her wrist, dragging her against her will towards the girl. "Don't I get a say in this?!"

"Nope!"

Less than a second later, the two of them were standing in front of the girl. Or rather, Yang was facing towards her, while Ruby stood there looking increasingly anxious, facing away from the girl.

"Hello~!" Yang sang towards the girl in greeting. Getting at most a small peek over the top of her book. "I believe you two know each other?"

She gave Ruby a long stare in absolute silence. Her expression serving to make the girl twitch at her gaze.

"…Weren't you the girl that exploded?" She drew out after a moment.

Ruby slumped, looking completely off put, mumbling a small complaint before fixing herself and holding out her hand towards the girl.

"It's nice to meet you!" She stated happily. Though the smile she held was noticeably brittle. "My name's Ruby!"

All the while, the girl she was chatting with quietly muttered an "Okay", her attention focused near absolutely on her book.

"What are you doing?!" Yang whispered.

"I don't know! HELP ME!" Ruby retorted similarly with panic laced in. The both of them quickly turned back to her with overly large smiles.

"So! what's your name?" Yang tried to move the conversation along.

"…Blake." The girl sighed. Looking to have given up for the time being on reading her novel.

"Well, I'm Yang!" She gestured at herself with her thumb.

Silence.

She started sweating.

"I, uh… I like your bow! Goes great with your… pajamas!"

"Right…"

And apparently, her one-word answers were worse than the quiet! Was she as bad as Ruby in the conversation department? Was this the end times?

…They'd get along really well if that was true.

"…Nice night isn't it?"

"Yep. It's lovely." Blake responded in an overly cheerful tone. "Almost as lovely as this book of mine."

Yang blinked.

"That I will continue to read."

"Um…"

"As soon as you leave."

…Yeeeah, okay, this wasn't working out. Girl seemed like a lost cause. More focused on reading her book than the world around her.

"What's it about?"

She almost didn't register that, turning her head towards her younger sister when she realized she had taken the initiative.

Apparently, Blake had a similar question in mind, having believed Yang to be the voice of the two.

"Your book! What's it about? Does it have a name?"

"…Oh." She responded, startled, taking a couple seconds to shake it off. "Well… It's about a man with two souls. Each fighting for control over his body."

"Oh yeah. That's… real lovely." Even her sister could have easily noticed how uninterested she was!

"I love books." Ruby admitted with a chuckle. "When I was younger, Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories about Heroes and Monsters… It was one of the reasons why I wanted to become a Huntress."

"Why's that?" The black-haired girl asked with genuine curiosity. The first sign of genuine emotion other than irritation or borderline apathy either of them had managed up until that point. "Hoping for a happily ever after?"

"I'm hoping we all will." Ruby shrugged, pink dusting her cheeks. "I know it'll sound corny but… When I was younger, I wanted to be like the heroes in those books. To do what's right because it's right. To protect people when they couldn't, you know? I still feel that way, even now."

"Pretty ambitious for a child." Blade complimented; an eyebrow raised past her hairline. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale. It's flawed. Full of mistakes both naturally caused and otherwise.

"Well, yeah, but…" The redhead gave her a peppy grin. "That's why we're here! To make it all better!"

Yang could have squeed with how cute and noble her sister was acting. All of a sudden, she had her wrapped up in an iron hug that held her off the ground.

"Ohhh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" She cooed as they tried to squirm their way out of her grip. Not taking long for it to turn into something of a sibling squabble, to the amusement of Blake, and the folks around the area that had begun quietly chuckling between one another.

"Well, Ruby, Yang." Blake snorted in mirth, grabbing the twos attention. A small grin adorning her usually neutral face. "It was a pleasure to meet the two of you, bu-."

"What on Remnant is going on here?!"

The two girls jumped, temporarily frozen in place with Yang's foot held in Ruby's hands. They turned sharply, finding themselves facing the very same problem child from earlier.

The three of them stared on. One giving the girl a flat stare while the other two became something akin to statues. Their eyes wide, and wishing they were anywhere else but there as Ice Queen went on a tirade about people trying to sleep.

It took the girl a little longer to realize just who she was talking to. Her eyes enlarging when her mind caught up with her and she looked at her sister. Both Yang and her spoke in tandem with one another, voicing their thoughts perfectly.

""Oh no, not you again!""

Ruby's eyes shot about, finally reading the room and trying to hush the two of them. "She's right! People are trying to sleep!"

"Oh, so NOW you're on my side!" Weiss scoffed.

"I was always on your side!" She replied in annoyance. Her frustration mounting with the girl.

"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister?!" Yang demanded to know. "She was only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health! That's what!" She shouted, stomping her foot in annoyance. "Seriously! How did you even manage to get into Beacon!?"

Ohoho no. No. This bitch did NOT just say that!

Yang's eyes flared red at Ice Queen. Looking more than ready to clobber her into a coma right then and there.

Of all people, she knew most just how much effort her sister put in. The ungodly amount of work alone that went into designing and making Crescent Rose was a testament to that fact; to say nothing of the effort thrown into her studies. Even if she wasn't always right, it told everyone back at Signal just how serious she was in becoming a Huntress. It was probably the only reason the staff let her move ahead!

And this chick had the audacity to suggest she didn't belong here?!

Ruby paled when she noticed her eyes had changed shades, knowing she was probably ready to give the girl more than a black eye.

Someone clearing their throat from somewhere behind her was what brought all of it to a standstill, knocking her out of her anger for a moment. Eyes turned and widened towards Beacon's new Professor, having stood there for who knows how long directly behind Yang, with only a foot of distance between the two. All without making a sound.

Almost made her jump! Luckily, all she gave was a shoulder hike and a few steps back at his surprise appearance. Weiss had gone ramrod straight in his presence while Ruby yelped when she found him standing there.

All the while, he looked between the three with a raised eyebrow. Completely ignoring the girl in the kimono who had quietly returned to her book.

Lucky girl.

"So…" Professor Everblue finally spoke. "There I am walking about the room, doing my job as a 'Professor of Beacon Academy' by keeping an eye out for any fights and making sure the new would-be students don't try and get up to anything inappropriate the day before a big test, when I do so suddenly hear three young adults getting into a verbal match with one another. From across the Ballroom, no less!" He reminded them of just how loud they were being, giving the three a pointed stare. "Anyone care to fill me in here, or should I just start handing out detention slips like candy bars?"

Weiss beat them to the punch, pointing sharply to her sister and her. "If you will allow me, Professor, I was just in the process of putting an end to the antics of these two delinquents who were making an unnecessary scene!" Flat stares from the sisters bore into the side of her head. "Their ceaseless prattle's keeping those of us trying to prepare for the upcoming challenge from getting any sleep!"

He raised a brow at that, making Ruby flinch as his eyes roved over both of them. Yang staring directly back into his with a shrug and a sideways smirk before he broke contact first.

"…Alright. Fair enough. They were being a bit loud there." Everblue nodded in admission. An expression of victory passing over the Heiress' face. Though it didn't last long as his eyes stared directly into hers, gesturing to several rowdy dorks behind him. "However, the same could be said for a great many over the course of the last few hours. We got a room full of young, energetic applicants keen to prove themselves that are acting out just as much, if not more so, than they've been. And that's saying nothing of those attempting to show off to the opposite sex." He then mumbled. "With varying degrees of success…" like an annoyed father, staring off to a specific place that they couldn't see for less than a second.

"Uh…" Weiss blinked. Not expecting the rebuttal. "W-well… okay, yes. Fair point. But-"

Alas, she got cut off before she could finish that sentence. "Of course, it would be remiss of me if I failed to mention that you yourself had acted in a way that was much the same as their own." He pointed out. "Overly loud, and disturbing those around you unnecessarily, even if it was in attempt to stop them. Kind of counterproductive, I think, to the goal that you had in mind."

Yang stifled a snort of laughter that threatened to tear its way out of her throat, her tightly closed lips quivering as she tried in vain to maintain a neutral face when the girl stumbled. Stuttering as she tried to come up with a reasonable response.

Professor Everblue, meanwhile, was focused pretty intently on the girl for several seconds.

"This may be presumptuous of me to ask, so I apologize in advance if it is. But would you happen to be Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company by any chance?"

"O-oh! Um, yes, you are correct." She replied, falling into this conversation much easier than the last. She gave a small curtsey in her night gown. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Professor."

"Likewise, Miss Schnee. And again, I apologize for asking. I just came across the strangest sight this morning, you see." He clarified, chuckling. "There was an explosion on the Main Avenue, but there was nothing else there beyond some piping meant to recycle the water from the lakes about the academy grounds. However, unfortunately for me, by the time I had gotten there, one of the two people I had spotted had already walked away. Though not without me noticing the logo of the Schnee brand emblazoned on a jacket." A hand lazily gestured towards her. "I assume that was you, correct?"

"Yes…?" Weiss confirmed, looking a little bit confused.

"Tell me, would you know what could have caused that incident?" He politely questioned.

Her response was straightforward. "From a dust canister, sir."

"Is that right?" Jonas hummed in thought. He turned to Ruby. "Tell me Miss Rose. You were there yourself. Can you confirm that it was a dust canister?"

"Y-yeah…?" Yang grew an amused grin when she made it sound more like a question.

"Would you happen to carry one on you?"

She shook her head. "All my Dust is in the ammunition for my weapon, Professor."

He nodded, looking back towards Weiss. "Would it be safe to assume it's yours then?" She nodded. "Right, okay. So when the explosion occurred, did either of you happen to be holding it at the time?" Again, she gave another, more hesitant nod. "…Did you make sure it was properly sealed?"

A dawning realization was quickly overtaken by furious blush on her normally pale face, everyone around her reaching the same, obvious conclusion. A few snickers could be heard by those listening in, with Yang herself clutching her stomach in pain as a chortle managed to slip out between her fingers. Tears welling up from the corners of her eyes. Even Ruby, despite her embarrassment, looked sympathetic to the girl getting called out in public as she had. Though Yang was pleased to note that she didn't seem as twitchy now that she'd been vindicated.

Jonas meanwhile pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. "So, if I had to guess. You, Miss Schnee, the daughter of a man who runs a company based solely around Dust, had shaken an improperly sealed canister of such material aggressively enough that the contents could have been triggered by something as simple as a sneeze. Am I hitting somewhere close to home?" He ended gently, but no less matter-of-factly. Giving her a look that wasn't disdainful or disappointed, but one leaning towards concerned. "I bear you no offense, my dear, but considering the walk of life you come from, the sheer fact that this happened by your hand borders somewhere along the imbecilic."

She couldn't even say anything to that. Just soundlessly opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish with wide eyes that didn't look completely there. He'd managed to break the uppity princess just by bluntly stating in public every little thing that she did, through nothing more than a little feedback between the two and process of elimination. Just when it looked like she might get something out, Jonas raised a hand to quiet them down.

"I'm sorry for stating this in public. I was merely trying to get to the bottom of things." Yeah, sure. Yang totally believed that. "You need not worry. I have no intention of putting you into detention for something that was clearly an accident."

Neither of the sisters missed how the girl tensed before quickly eyeing Ruby with a mixture of anger, chagrin, and possibly guilt.

Good.

"Nonetheless, the lot of you have caused a scene here. And I'd make for a pretty poor teacher if I didn't do anything to deal with the problem." He stated lightly, leaning forward a bit so he was eye-level with them. "So, on behalf of all the other test-takers here, and the sanity of myself and the other teachers…" He added with a little grin. "…Go to bed."

The snickers grew a bit louder from the surroundings, going quiet only when the professor looked at the crowd with a raised eyebrow. Making a point of stating that it was applied to all of them as well. Quick shuffles over a couple seconds led to that entire section of the room going dead quiet as most everyone had gotten into their sleeping bags.

Weiss kept her head down, but gave the man a small bow before departing back to her place of rest. He looked at her retreating form before turning back to the two of the three of them that still remained.

Ruby twiddled her fingers, standing a little ways behind her older sister. Her head towards the ground, but her eyes looking at him every couple of seconds.

The man just shrugged, popping a small smile that suggested he was just doing his job, giving the girl a wink. The encouragement he gave worked to help her relax fully for the first time in a few hours, and even got a small smile our of her before she was running off back to their spot, dragging her laughing sister along with her.

She had just enough time to notice him mumble a few words to Blake, who nodded in turn; moving to blow out the lights as he walked off.

He seemed alright. All she had before was the idea of him that Ruby presented, but actually having the time to see him do his thing told her more.

Whole lot better than her initial thoughts of him; no doubts there. Still found him a bit crazy from the whole magic spiel, but everything he did, including subtly ripping the princess a new one, garnered him as friend material for her sister.

Though she wished she could think of it more, they were right saying tomorrow was a big day. Gods forbid if she woke up with split ends from the lack of sleep!

First impressions were important, after all!