Chapter 3 – A Shoulder to Cry On
Exhausted but triumphant, the students returned to the school, artifacts in hand feeling a sense of accomplishment. Ruby and Weiss had decided to grab the other "Knight" chess piece since Bradly and Yang had taken the first one, while the other two pairs obtained the two "Rook" pieces. Together, the eight men and women entered the main auditorium of Beacon Academy where a number of other students and faculty were already in attendance. Professor Ozpin made his way on stage to a microphone to announce the success of the initiation program as the final students entered the room.
"Congratulations everyone, for succeeding in your initiation. The objective of this test was to, not only prove your skills and capability, but to also determine the four person teams you will work with for the remainder of your time here at Beacon." The headmaster then began listing off the names of students within their teams as well as naming the leader of the group. "...Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark forming Team CRDL (pronounced Cardinal), lead by Cardin Winchester." Ozpin continued. "Next, Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren forming Team JNPR (pronounced Juniper)." The other four students from the fight were called, each brightening with excitement as their names where called. "...lead by Jaune Arc." The blonde man became nervous and awkwardly smiled at the congratulations from his peers. "And finally, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Bradly Smith, and Yang Xiao Long forming Team RWBY (pronounced Ruby), lead by Ruby Rose." Ozpin finished his list, pausing to allow the cheers of the student to end. "It seems this year will be interesting." The headmaster then stepped back from the microphone to allow Glynda to address the students for the following evening.
"Students, please stay here with your team members as a faculty member will escort you to your new dormitories. Your personal belongings have already been delivered, class will begin tomorrow morning. Please check your scrolls for you schedules as should be receiving them momentarily." The blonde woman spoke calmly and sternly with the expression of and unwillingness to repeat herself. An older male student approached Team RWBY and greeted them, instructing them to follow him to which the four obliged. As they traveled through the corridors of the school, Team Juniper had been led behind until the two teams were halted in front of doors opposite each other at the end of a hallway.
"Looks like we'll be seeing more of you guys around." Yang joked at the other team.
"Here we are, take care everyone." The two older students gave their best wishes and took their leave as the two teams entered their dorms for the evening. The dorm was simple and just large enough for the four supplied beds evenly spaced within the room, pushed head first against a wall with a large round window in the center. To the right of the beds near the front of the room was another door which led to a bathroom.
"This is pretty nice." Ruby claimed, humbly.
"Yea, not bad." Yang responded.
"Wait, are we supposed to share not only a room but a bathroom with Bradly?" Weiss asked the other girls feeling a little self-conscious.
"Why not? He's cool." Yang gave Bradly a friendly nudge. Weiss stared at the taller man, lacking in trust of him.
"If you're going to be staying in a room with me, then I don't want any funny business. Keep your hands to yourself and stay out of my clothes!" Weiss scowled at Bradly, raising a finger at him as she spoke. Bradly maintained at blank expression as he endured Weiss's lecture as he stood motionless. When the girl finished her rant, he simply let out a brief sigh and responded sincerely.
"With all due respect ma'am, you don't need to be suspicious of me." Bradly then began to approach Weiss. "I'm a lot of bad things, but a pervert isn't one of them." His eyes locked with Weiss's as he spoke, but this time, instead of feeling fear, Bradly's gaze seemed much more calm. Weiss felt that she may have hurt him somewhat by making her assumptions. Bradly continued his short trek forward passed the heiress, towards the bed in the far right corner of the room. He sat on the bed, removed his boots and then outstretched his legs while reclining against the back wall, tipping his hat which hid his face. Weiss, Ruby and Yang stood awkwardly in the doorway silently watching Bradly as Weiss contemplated her choice of words.
"Well...al-alright then, good." She stammered. Hesitant to say anything more.
"And that's why people call you 'Ice Queen.'" Yang joked under her breath as she dropped her head and walked further in to the room, choosing a bed herself beside Bradly's. Yang had to step over Bradly's boots to get to the side of her bed as there wasn't much space in between them. "It's kinda cramped in here, you know?" Yang mentioned to the others as she sat on her bed. Ruby and Weiss looked over the room and began brainstorming ways to more efficiently arrange their beds.
"We could push them against the side walls." Weiss offered her idea motioning to the opposite walls. After a short pause of thinking, Ruby excitedly jumped to the center of the room.
"I've got it!" She proclaimed. "Bunk beds!" Her eyes lit up as she expressed her idea.
"Bunk beds?" Weiss asked, not sure if she understood Ruby. Bradly tipped his hat up in curiosity.
"That would free up a lot of space." Yang backed Ruby's plan. "I'm down." Yang stood and pounded a fist in to her other hand with determination.
"That's ridiculous! We aren't little kids!" Weiss scoffed in denial of the idea. "Besides, it's not like these beds could even function as bunks." Yang and Ruby looked at each other with mischievous smiles and in a flash, began whizzing back and fourth around the room reorganizing everything that wasn't bolted down. Before Weiss knew could understand what was happening, the two sisters had finished their creation. Yang had propped her bed above Bradly's using metal ammo crates that he had sent to the school before arriving. Ruby had taken one of the other beds and suspended it from the ceiling using rope which she had obtained from who-knows-where and hung a sheet above it like a child would make a fort. With stars in her eyes, Ruby finally declared the dorm worthy to house Team RWBY as she jumped up to her bed.
"And now, for our next action as Team-" Ruby had lost consciousness before completing her sentence as she had exhausted the last of her energy during her frenzy.
Yang chuckled. "I suppose it is getting late. I'm going to have a shower." She walked in to the bathroom, closing the door behind her leaving Weiss and Bradly to be the only two remaining conscious people in the room. Weiss felt awkward again, remembering Bradly's response to her earlier. She shyly walked over to her bed under Ruby's and sat facing the resting man who hadn't budged during the reconstruction of the room around him. Weiss couldn't take the feeling of guilt welling up inside her anymore so she hung her head low and swallowed her pride.
"I'm sorry, ok? I-I didn't mean what I said...in the way that I said it." Weiss was nearly choking on her own words, feeling upset at herself for being so rude. She then lifted her head to watch for Bradly's response. After a pause that felt like an eternity for Weiss, Bradly tilted his head up and looked out passed the rim of his hat at the girl sitting across from him. The same neutral expression was still written across his face as he eyed her. After seeing the same look on Bradly's face, Weiss hung her head in shame feeling the guilt burn in her mind as she sat quietly.
"It's fine Weiss." Bradly broke the silence. "As I said, I'm a lot of bad things, but a pervert isn't one. You won't have a problem with me."He then tipped his head back down, hiding his face from sight once more.
"That's not what I mean." Weiss replied, he voice was shaky and distraught. Light tears began to roll down her cheeks, dripping off of her chin and falling to her lap. "I sometimes say things, and they come out sounding harsh and cold, and I don't know why, but I do, and I felt like, I hurt you, and I didn't mean to. I'm sorry!" Weiss spoke through her tears which were increasing and getting larger. Bradly raise his head once more once he understood how upset the heiress was at the situation. Although he donned a tough exterior, Bradly couldn't stand seeing people he knew cry. He sat up on the edge of his bed and stood facing the weeping girl. He gently motioned across the room and set beside Weiss, then, gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in to his embrace. Weiss's sobbing immediately halted, surprised at his actions.
How could a man this tough and rugged be so sweet and caring? She thought to herself. However she quickly disregarded the question and melted in to Bradly's arms, not wanting to fall for the same ideas she fell for earlier. Bradly released Weiss and placed his hand on her shoulders as she sat back upright while drying what was left of her tears.
"I've heard much worse insults in my life ma'am, I've learned not to let things get to me so easily. In my eyes, negative words carry no merit because they aren't spoken from the heart." Bradly's words of wisdom struck deep within Weiss's mind, allowing the light flow of tears to continue to pour from her eye. She looked up at the man sat beside her, as her misty eyes met his. Instead of a blank, cold stare or intimidating glare, she found a warm and inviting face smiling at her as though to say everything was alright. Weiss's feelings of guilt and regret faded and she smiled back at Bradly. Knowing she would be alright, Bradly dropped his hands from her shoulders and placed them on his lap. Now calmed, and tears halted, Weiss leaned to her side to rest her head against Bradly's shoulder. Surprised, Bradly pulled his arm out of Weiss's way causing her head to rest against his upper chest. He then placed his arm over her back and left his hand on her opposite shoulder to embrace her. The two sat in silent bliss, comforted by each others presence.
"Thank you, Bradly. It's been a while since someone's actually been nice to me. Although, I'm probably to blame for that." Weiss retracted, feeling a sense of self-pity.
"I think it's because they don't know the real you." Bradly Responded. Weiss brought her head up again, bringing Bradly's face in to view.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I think you're not the cold and cruel 'Ice Queen' everyone thinks you are. I think, deep down, you're just like everyone else, only, you're fed up with the negativity everyone spouts these days."
"Hmm...maybe."
"I think, you just want to be Weiss." Bradly looked down at the wide-eyed heiress and smiled comfortingly. Bradly's words struck Weiss's heart in ways she hadn't felt before with anyone. His deep blue eyes warmly comforted her as she returned the smile with an even larger one, glad that she had met a person as kind as Bradly. He then dropped his arm from Weiss's back and motioned to stand as she leaned away from him, caught off guard from his sudden movement. She watched as Bradly stood and began moving back across the room. He looked back at her over his shoulder and continued speaking. "Keep moving forward Weiss, don't let things like regret hold you back." Bradly lowered himself back on to his bed and returned to his relaxed position moments before the door to the bathroom opened.
Yang had finished her shower and returned to the dorm wearing her sleepwear, a yellow tank top and black undershorts, while meticulously drying her hair with her towel. She inspected the room and noticed Weiss staring at Bradly with the same warm smile she wore during their conversation. Seeing Bradly in the same location and position he was in before her shower, Yang believed that Bradly was asleep and thought it was a golden opportunity to have some fun with Weiss.
"Like what you see there Ice Queen? He is kinda hot, in a tough bad-boy sort of way." Yang chuckled as she winked at the other girl. Weiss panicked, knowing Bradly was well awake and in complete earshot of Yang's remarks. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red and her jaw dropped, unable to form coherent words. Instead, she squeaked a few noises and froze in place out of embarrassment.
Yang laughed, "Well I'm not sure if he's single or not, wouldn't be difficult to find out though." Weiss felt like her heart had stopped out of embarrassment but quickly snapped out of her daze, quickly stood and wheeled a suitcase from the foot of her bed in to the bathroom in a huff. Yang laughed harder and climbed on to her bunk as she closed the door behind her. Weiss unpacked some products from her suitcase, including some high-end makeup which she placed in a drawer under the vanity. She prepared her sleeping gown and started the shower for herself, undressed and entered the warm water stream. After wetting it, she began stroking her hair, weeding out any knots from the long day. However, Weiss soon became lost in her own thoughts, repeating her conversation with Bradly in her head over and over. His words struck chords in her mind and heart as they played in her mind.
What was I feeling? Why did I feel so...so...peaceful? I was happy but, it felt more than just happy… Weiss stood under the running water questioning her own emotions. She felt agitated, frustrated with her misunderstanding of her thoughts. She briskly washed up and exited the shower, putting her nightgown and underwear on, and returning to the dorm room where she found Yang now fast asleep, Ruby still out cold and Bradly suspiciously in the same position as she left him in. She watched him as she moved to her bed, returning her suitcase to the pile of others she had, and climbing in to bed. She laid on her side, peering over at the motionless man that was captivating her thoughts. She stared blankly at him, still unsure of her own thoughts until eventually she drifted asleep.