Hello everyone! I figured it was about time I finally addressed my readers. This AU, OC story of mine popped in to my head one day at work and wouldn't leave my mind so I decided to put it all down on paper...er, text, I suppose. As you've probably already noticed by getting this far, my character, Bradly, replaces Blake within team RWBY. For the record, I don't dislike, Blake, this is just how the story transpired in my head so I went with it (She may make an appearance later on). Anyway, I'm new to writing so please let me know if you find any inconsistencies or errors. I spellcheck vigilantly but I'm not perfect and my story very closely follows the original 'RWBY' story (so far), so by all means, send me a PM about anything in need of correction or even some feedback. I'm willing to answer any questions you may have as well. Thanks, and happy reading!
Chapter 4 - Stalemate
The next morning, Team RWBY found themselves waking to the soothing sound of...a blaring whistle blown by a certain young huntress in training. Yang stuck her arm in the air from her sleeping position.
"Five more minutes." She croaked.
"Not a chance, we've got a big day ahead of us! Come on, wake-y wake-y!" Ruby fired back, blowing her whistle once again.
"Would you quit that infernal noise!" Weiss demanded, groggily sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Weiss stepped out of bed as Yang slowly crawled her way down from the top bunk. As she reached the floor, she looked in at Bradly's bed expecting to find him still asleep but instead found him absent.
"Where's Bradly?" She asked the other girls. Weiss looked over at where he should have been in confusion.
"Dunno, wasn't here when I woke up." Ruby nonchalantly responded. "I'm sure we'll find him later. Come on! We're gonna miss breakfast!" The two freshly woken girls dressed themselves in the supplied school uniforms Ruby had discovered in a wardrobe near the door, and after preparing their hair and makeup, the three headed off to the cafeteria. In the large room, they found many other students already eating their meals and chatting. The girls lined up at the buffet, grabbed themselves a tray and plated their preferred food. When they were satisfied with their choices, they turned their attention to the many tables within the room. Filled with students, choices for seating were slim at best until Ruby spied a mostly empty table in the distance near a corner of the room with a familiar, darkly clothed person sitting alone. Weiss and Yang followed the younger girl to the table and sat along side their teammate. Yang sat beside him with Ruby and Weiss their opposite.
"There you are, where'd you take off to this morning?" Yang asked as she sat.
"I figured you ladies would prefer your privacy to get ready. Besides, I didn't want to hang around the dorm for the few hours before you all woke up anyway, so I decided to explore the school a bit." Bradly spoke with his typical neutral tone, staring blankly at the cup of black coffee he grasped on the table. Still not used to the way he talked so emotionless, the three girls sat awkwardly beginning to pick at their food.
"Oh...cool. Uhh, did you eat already?" Ruby asked, trying to break the forming tension with light conversation.
"Yes, I ended up here just as the kitchen staff had begun preparing for breakfast so I managed to dish up before anyone else had shown up."
How long has he been up for? Yang asked herself while munching on a piece of toast after hearing Bradly.
"Good, you'll...uhh, need you energy for...class." Ruby uncomfortably responded. Bradly looked up from his coffee and caught the sight of the heiress in front of him who hadn't taken her eyes off him since they sat down.
"What are you girls wearing?" Bradly asked. Weiss shyly looked down at her food once she caught a glimpse of Bradly's eyes.
"School uniforms, everyone wears them- except you. Why didn't you put yours on?" Ruby nervously asked.
"Not my thing, uniforms. No one's the same, so why look like we are?" Bradly answered, shrugging his shoulders.
"The teachers might give you trouble showing up in class without it." Ruby mumbled with a mouth full of scrambled eggs looking over at him. Bradly shot a menacing glare at Ruby.
"I'd like to see them try." he scowled. Ruby halted her chewing after hearing his response before swallowing hard. The whole table froze and Weiss became fearful of Bradly, remembering the same hardened tone Bradly used when they first met. Yang sensed the spike in tension and saw how Weiss reacted to it, contradicting what she witnessed the night before in the dorm. Yang was about to speak when both Ruby and Bradly begun chuckling at the comment he gave. Yang was very surprised at how well the two seemed to get along now.
"Well Rubes, seems like you're not as bad at making friends as you thought." Yang snickered, nervous at first. Ruby snickered at Yang's comment and looked over at Bradly, she smiled, glad that she had, in fact, made an actual friend. Weiss regained her composure and the team finished off their breakfast while Bradly sipped at his coffee. After the group laughed at one of Yang's many jokes, Weiss decided to check the time on her scroll. She gasped in horror when she read her device's clock.
"We need to leave now! Class starts in 3 minutes!" She wailed, jumping out of her seat. The other girls panicked and followed suit while Bradly nonchalantly stood up and walked after them. The girls ran to class, entering through the door mere seconds before the bell rang, signifying the start of class. Team JNPR waved and signaled for the girls to take the seats just in front of them at the front of the class to which the girls rushed over to. The teacher, an older, heavier built man with a large white mustache stepped to the front of the room and began calming the students to begin the lecture. Just before he began to speak, Bradly calmly walked in to the room and moved toward his team mates.
"Excuse me, young man. The bell has already rang and class has begun. Why were you not here sooner?" The teacher asked with a prideful demeanor.
"Cards weren't dealt in my favor, I suppose." Bradly responded.
"Well seeing as this is the first day, I'm willing to overlook it. Please take your seat. And where is your uniform?"
Bradly sat at the end of the row of seats next to Ruby. "Probably back in my dorm." He replied. Some students began murmuring over witnessing his defiance. The teacher scrunched his nose.
"Young man, there is a dress code at this school and you are expected to follow i-" Bradly cut the teacher's declaration short.
"And? The clothes you wear don't define the person you are, so what does it matter?" A few students gasped and the murmuring heightened.
"Am I required to send you to speak with Professor Ozpin over this matter?"
"Only if you really want to sir. Either way, it would get class started quicker. After all, I thought we were here to learn, not discuss fashion." The room had gone silent, awaiting to see the teacher's reaction to Bradly's defiance.
"What are you doing?" Ruby whispered to Bradly. All three members of his team had an expression of concern, shock, and embarrassment written upon their faces as they stared at him. The teacher's face had become red with anger and barked out an order to Bradly to see Professor Ozpin. Bradly sighed, casually got out of his chair and walked out of the room with every pair of eyes in the class fixated on him. As Bradly left, Ruby collapsed on the desk, Weiss hid her face within her hands and Yang simply rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the teacher who had sourly began addressing the class.
Bradly walked down the halls of the school towards it's core. Other students who traveled opposite his direction would stand aside and nervously stare at Bradly as he passed. Once at his destination, Bradly boarded an elevator and rode it to the top floor, Professor Ozpin's office. Once inside, Ozpin was sitting at his desk, awaiting Bradly's appearance.
"So I hear you've had a rough first day so far." Ozpin began the conversation calmly.
"Mine has been fine, seems as though others wish to change that however." Bradly replied, approaching the head masters desk and sitting in a chair before him.
"He is right though, we do have a dress code and all students are supposed to oblige. Do you find their style to be, not of your taste?"
"They're fine, I prefer my own clothes though. Ones I worked for myself."
"I see. You also know students are supposed to keep their weapons stored in school lockers, so why do you keep yours at your side? Expecting a fight?" Ozpin had somehow noticed Bradly's pistols at his sides from under his jacket. Bradly maintained his neutral expression.
"Never know when you'll need them in this world."
"I couldn't agree more Mr. Smith, however, the lockers do respond to summons from your scroll. I assume Professor Goodwitch explained this to-" Bradly had become slightly bothered at Ozpin.
"Well that's all fine and dandy for those who have one, given to them by mommy and daddy so they could make sure their little baby is doing well." Bradly had become more agitated than he would normally allow himself to be, but this subject had struck a raw nerve.
"Hmm, so you don't have a scroll. Unable to summon the locker, you feel it's safer to simply keep your firearms on you at all times." Ozpin had reached in to a drawer of his desk and pulled out an older black scroll and placed it in front of Bradly. "Here is a school issued one, it's not a gift, but merely a tool so that the faculty can reach you in case of emergency. It should be used as communication with your team should you be separated as well." Bradly hung his head and reluctantly accepted the scroll sliding it in to an inner pocket of his jacket. "Now, as for dress code."
"Forget it" Bradly snapped. Ozpin paused for a moment to assess the man facing him before standing, bringing a cup of coffee with him. He walked slowly to the side of his desk, taking a sip from his mug.
"Perhaps we can make a deal."
"I'm listening." Bradly reclined in his chair, resting his feet against the bottom of Ozpin's desk.
"You don't seem the type who likes starting fights, nor do you seem the type to be the first to, 'jump the gun,' so to speak..." Ozpin paused
"Go on."
"So here's what I propose, I'll allow you to keep your pistols at your side throughout the day on the promise that you'll wear the school uniform."
"Only if I get to keep my boots, hat, and jacket." Bradly responded sharply. Ozpin thought for a moment.
"I can over look your hat and boots, and you'll need your jacket to conceal your guns. Keep in mind though, no one is to know that you have them on you and you are prohibited from drawing them unless someone's life is in danger." Ozpin spoke more sternly, finalizing his offer. Bradly stood up from his chair and approached Ozpin directly, standing face to face with him. The two men were similar in height and both wore a serious expression across their faces. Bradly raised his hand to Ozpin, awaiting a gentleman's agreement to which Ozpin responded by grasping and shaking firmly.
"Well alright then, I'll be sure to wear my school uniform from here on out...starting tomorrow that is." Bradly smirked as he turned from Ozpin to leave his office.
"I'll escort you back to class, that way there won't be any issues regarding your instructor." Ozpin began following Bradly to the elevator that would take them back to the ground floor. Bradly rolled his eyes and continued toward it. The two men traveled together in silence back to Bradly's class where the teacher was shocked to see Professor Ozpin and less than thrilled to see Bradly return. He had written his name on the whiteboard for the class, Professor Port.
"I believe it's safe to assume that you straightened this, rapscallion, out?" Professor Port asked Ozpin gleefully.
"Mr. Smith has been excused from wearing his uniform for the day. It seems as though there was a mistake and he had not received one this morning. One will be sent out for him and he will be properly dressed for tomorrow." Ozpin then began speaking closer to Professor Port so that others would not hear their discussion. Professor Port scrunched his nose at receiving Ozpin's word but nodded in agreement and reluctantly went on with class. Bradly met up with the rest of his team who were shocked at his return, and sat back down in his seat along side his leader who seemed to have just woken up from a nap.
"What happened?" Weiss whispered to him.
"I'll tell you later." Bradly responded, giving his attention to Professor Port who was now returning to the lecture.
After class, the female members of Team RWBY were persistent in their attempts to learn what happened with Bradly and Professor Ozpin. Bradly quietly explained the deal he had made with Ozpin, leaving out the detail of him not owning a scroll. Ruby and Yang were quite impressed with Bradly, Weiss however, was not. She was crossed at how he embarrassed the entire team and could have been thrown out of class for good.
"Trust me Weiss, I'm not going anywhere." Bradly retorted. The group was met by Team JNPR who said most of the students in class were talking about how badass Bradly was for standing up to the teacher.
"Really?" Bradly questioned. He looked around at some of the other students from class that were passing by. Some gave a thumbs up and smiled, and a few of the female students flirtatiously waved or blushed at him. Bradly smiled, shocked at their response to his behavior, and tipped his hat in acknowledgment. Weiss became huffy with jealousy and angrily mentioned that they need to get to their next class. As they arrived, they were met by a slender man with green hair. He wore a white shirt that was poorly tucked in to his pants and thick, round glasses.
"Greetings children, please take your seats." He spoke sharp and quickly, eyeing each student as they walked in, paying particularly close attention to Bradly.
"Ozpin already pardoned my-" Bradly abruptly stated but was cut off by the fast-paced man.
"Uniform, yes. I'm aware. Clothing is not of my concern when there's knowledge to be taught!" The man rambled quickly followed by a brief sip from a mug of coffee he carried. As the final students found their seats, the bell chimed signaling the start of class. The instant the bell ceased, the green-haired man began quickly speaking an introduction.
"Greetings everyone, I am your teacher for the semester, Doctor Ooblek. Nice to meet you. Before we get to today's lesson, does anyone have any questions about the class?"
"Um, hi, yea. Quick question. What is this class again?" Jaune had spoken up.
"Why, history, my dear boy. Did you not read the schedule?" Doctor Ooblek responded. Jaune groaned, still half asleep from the previous class.