As soon as team RWBYS and Professor Goodwitch returned to the pair of airships, team JNPR ran towards them with excited looks on their faces.
"Well? How'd the new girl do?" Jaune asked.
"I think she's physically stronger than Nora." Ruby said, staring ahead.
"What?! With or without my semblance?" The orange-haired hammer wielder exclaimed.
"Yes." Yang replied.
Nora's jaw dropped and she turned to look at the amnesiac. Sera crossed her arms with a smug expression on her face.
Nora's expression turned to one of determination, "We'll see about that."
"After we return to Beacon." Goodwitch told them with a stern expression as she walked past the two teams.
"Well, shall we go?" Pyrrha asked.
"Heck yes, I'm not sitting in this forest any longer." Yang said, then headed towards the airship.
"Girls, girls, hold on, have we finally found someone that can punch harder than Yang?" Jaune smirked. Yang stopped in her tracks.
"What was that?" Yang turned, her eyes red. Literally.
"Uh- um- well- I mean-." Jaune stuttered, then Yang turned towards the white-haired amnesiac.
"Eep!" Sera jumped behind Professor Goodwitch, much to the professor's dislike.
Glynda sighed and moved Sera from behind her, "After we get back to Beacon." She shot Yang a glare, and the brawler faltered. Her eyes returned to lilac, then she boarded the airship. The professor then turned her gaze to the rest of the students.
Sera and the others silently boarded the airships and awaited takeoff. Even team CRDL behaved.
As soon as the students were all onboard and ready, Professor Goodwitch pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.
"Why did I have to be the acting parent for all these children?" she asked herself, then boarded the nearest airship, which happened to be the one Sera was on.
. . .
Professor Ozpin sipped from his coffee mug as he opened the files Professor Goodwitch sent him. He swiveled in his chair impatiently as the recordings appeared on his monitor. The old professor's eyes scanned the hologram screen as he watched the various skirmishes.
After a few minutes of inspecting the recordings, one particular video caught his eye. His eyes flicked to the small rectangle amidst the other recordings, and he nearly spit out his coffee when he saw a figure with white hair and a red tank top catch the attack of an Alpha Beowolf with her bare hands. Ozpin enlarged the screen and rewound it. His eyes widened as he rewatched Sera catch the massive paw, a look of determination on her face.
"This is truly a surprise. Exactly who are you, Sera?" he asked aloud and watched the rest of the recording.
"Well, I think it's safe to say that this girl should be in the Vytal Festival tournament. It shouldn't be too hard to convince James once I send him this footage and tell him of her story." Ozpin sat back in his chair with an amused smile on his face.
. . .
The ride back to Beacon was mostly silent besides the occasional whisper or cough. Probably because Glynda Goodwitch had boarded the airship that team RWBYS happened to be on. Sera hasn't known the professor for long, but she could tell that the older woman had a reputation.
Sera sighed and leaned on her elbow, which happened to be on Yang's shoulder. Yang rolled her eyes and pushed it off, only for Sera to quickly put it back.
"I'm gonna do to you what you did to that Beowolf." Yang said under her breath.
"Prove it." Sera replied with a smirk on her face.
"As soon as we land." Yang promised, then turned to her.
Sera winked at the blond, then Yang winked at her in return. However, what Sera did not expect, was for Yang's eyes to turn red as soon as she reopened the one that winked.
"You gotta stop doing that to me." Sera told her. Yang blinked and her eyes returned to normal.
"Scared?" Yang grinned.
Sera rolled her eyes, "My level of fear for you is probably as far as I could throw you."
"...Y'know that's probably pretty far."
"Shut up, Blondie." Sera groaned.
Yang smirked and relaxed in her seat, "Whatever you say, Snowball."
Sera gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on her seat.
"This is gonna be a long ride." Weiss sighed.
"...That's what she said." Yang instinctively blurted out.
The entire airship erupted in laughter except for Weiss, Blake, and Professor Goodwitch. Even Pyrrha let out a chuckle through the hand that covered her mouth.
Glynda's eye twitched and she held her crop tightly in her hands.
. . .
The airships finally touched down at the docks, much to the relief of everyone onboard them. Team RWBYS and JNPR nearly scrambled to get off-board.
"Finally!" Ruby cheered and jumped into the air.
"We've finally arrived." Pyrrha sighed with a kind smile on her face.
"Indeed." Ren noted.
"I'm going to get some food, a lot of food, mind you, then take a well-deserved nap." Sera rested her hands on her knees.
"Hold on, Snowball. What about our little bet?" Yang asked.
"Yeah! We gotta see how strong you actually are!" Nora appeared beside the blond brawler.
Sera waved them off and continued walking towards Beacon, not even acknowledging her hated nickname, "Maybe later, if I feel like it."
Yang gritted her teeth and Nora looked down in disappointment.
"After all that big talk, you're just going to leave the two of us high and dry?" Yang's expression turned to one of playfulness.
Sera turned and winked at the brawler.
Yang sighed, "What are we gonna do with you?" she watched the amnesiac walk away with her hands resting on the back of her head, her elbows pointed towards the sky.
"Yang~! Are we gonna go or what?" Ruby's voice shook the blond from her thoughts.
"Yeah sure, Rubes. Let's get back to the dorm, I'm beat." Yang replied.
The original members of team RWBY walked down the path leading straight to Beacon.
"You think she'll be able to compete?" Ruby asked curiously after a few moments.
"In the Vytal Festival? Doubtful. It's unheard of for a team of five to participate." Weiss replied as she fixed her long ponytail.
"It's possible, though. Weirder stuff has happened around here." Yang noted.
"Perhaps, but still, I wouldn't get my hopes up." Blake deadpanned.
"Ugh, fine. But still, it'd be pretty cool, though!" Ruby grinned.
. . .
"I'm gonna what?" Sera asked with a shocked expression on her face.
"I'd like you to fight in the upcoming tournament in a few weeks. Qrow and I think it'll help jog your memory as well as provide you with more combat experience." Professor Ozpin explained to Sera carefully. As soon as the amnesiac entered Beacon's main structure, the headmaster ambushed her and led her into a nearby classroom.
"How am I going to fight other students? I don't even have a weapon of my own, much less the combat ability to fight them." Sera pointed out.
"I'll personally take care of that. Given your hot-headed nature and other personality traits, I believe I know the perfect thing for you." Ozpin smiled kindly and took a sip from his coffee mug.
Sera opened her mouth to say something about Ozpin's comment about her being hot-headed, but her eyes widened at his last words.
"You mean you're going to... Give me a weapon of my own?" she asked.
"I believe that's what I said. Now..." Ozpin smirked and pulled out a tape measure, rapidly taking Sera's measurements like a tailor would.
"Hey, what're you- Don't touch there! Hey! What the-?" Sera exclaimed as Ozpin went to work.
"There we are! Expect a call from me or Glynda some time within the next week for your new equipment." The headmaster sipped from his mug.
"That's all well and good, but you could've at least warned me!" Sera all but yelled.
"Calm yourself, I had no ill intention." Ozpin smirked.
"Still-!" Sera pointed at the headmaster with a flushed face.
Ozpin gestured towards the door with his mug, "I'm sure you're eager to return to your team, so I won't keep you any longer. You all deserve a few days of relaxation after that mission, so don't expect any assignments at least until next week or so."
Sera nodded, "Thank you, Professor."
She then headed for the classroom door. Just as she was about to turn the handle, the headmaster spoke up again.
"Oh, and Sera? I doubt you'll have much difficulty in the tournament after reviewing your actions in Forever Fall."
"How did-?" the amnesiac's eyes then widened in realization. "Goodwitch was recording, wasn't she?"
"Indeed. And I must say, you show great promise for the future. Good day, Sera." Ozpin complimented and briskly walked past Sera and out of the door.
"What a weird guy..." Sera mumbled to herself, then exited the now empty classroom.
But as soon as she stepped out into the hallway, she was immediately met by the rest of her team. In fact, she had a direct collision with them. Sera and Ruby's heads bumped into each other full-force and the two fell into a sitting position.
"Ow!" Sera exclaimed and rubbed her head.
"Oof!" Ruby held her head and looked to see who she'd bumped into.
"Sera! What were you doing in there?" Yang asked and helped the white-head to her feet.
"Talking to Professor Ozpin. What're you four doing running into me?" Sera demanded.
"Following you back to the room. We lost you as soon as you went in the building so we were looking around to find you." Ruby answered
"Oh. Well, then. Sorry." Sera scratched the back of her head.
"It's fine, it's fine. What'd Ozpin want?" Ruby asked curiously.
"I, too, would like to know why he wanted to speak to you alone." Weiss crossed her arms.
Sera looked at each member of her team, each with curious or expectant looks on their faces.
"He wants me to compete in the upcoming tournament." Sera replied.
Three of their jaws dropped while Ruby's face turned to one of excitement.
"WHAT?!" Blake, Weiss, and Yang exclaimed.
"YAY!" Ruby squealed.
"But it's impossible! Only teams of four can compete in it, and we're not a team of four anymore!" Weiss interjected.
"I have no idea, Ice Queen. The headmaster didn't give any details. All he said was that it might help me get my memory back and improve my fighting skills." Sera shrugged.
"Well, if anything can jog your memory, it's certainly that." Blake shrugged.
"Plus it's going to be super-duper fun!" Ruby could hardly sit still. The Vytal Festival was just in a few weeks!
"Hold on, how is she going to compete if she doesn't have a weapon?" Weiss asked. It was a genuine question and one that needed to be asked, but it only made Sera give a cheeky smirk in response.
"Ozpin said he'd personally take care of that." She grinned.
"Well look at you, getting all the special treatment." Yang chuckled.
"Perks of being an amnesiac." Sera put a hand on her hip, a smile on her face.
"That could be the title of a book." Blake noted.
"Right you are, kitty cat." Sera chuckled, and Blake's ears in her bow visibly flattened.
"Careful, Snowball, you've only been here about a day, remember?" Blake warned, but not without a hint of amusement.
Sera gave a mock salute and stood at attention, "Yes ma'am!"
The Faunus scowled slightly, her amusement gone, but Sera didn't falter. She only smirked and continued her salute.
Yang chuckled nervously and led the amnesiac away by the shoulders, "C'mon, Snowball. Let's get you back before Blake pounces."
"Ah, fine. I was only teasing the girl." Sera sighed while Yang pushed her from behind.
"Yeah, but she doesn't like that. Trust me." Yang laughed.
"How is this actually going to work? The rules will surely prevent a team of five from entering the tournament." Weiss sighed as she, Ruby, and Blake began to follow Yang and Sera.
"Don't worry about it, just enjoy that she'll be joining us!" Ruby encouraged.
"It's like Blake said, she's only been here for a day. We still don't know if she can be trusted." Weiss deadpanned.
"Weiss!" Ruby whined. "Didn't you see her back in the forest? She fought with us."
"Yes, but she was also reckless. She was playing with that Beowolf rather than taking it down quickly." Weiss replied.
"To be fair, she had just discovered her enhanced strength, so it's only natural that she'd want to test it." Blake added.
"Still! We don't know her." Weiss retorted.
"Ozpin trusts her, so you should too." Ruby crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks.
Weiss rolled her eyes, still unsure about the amnesiac's loyalties.
"Weiss, it'll be fine. We have no reason to distrust Sera." Blake assured.
"So far." Weiss muttered.
Blake rolled her eyes and continued walking.
. . .
"Home sweet home!" Ruby sighed and jumped directly up to her bed.
"Yeah, home." Sera said as she looked to her makeshift bed space on the floor.
"You should talk to someone about that. There's no way you're gonna sleep on that for the year." Yang pointed out as she plopped onto her bed.
"Nah, it's fine. Better than nothing." Sera shrugged then sat on the arrangement of blankets and pillows.
"True, but still." Ruby swung her legs while she sat on the edge of her bunk.
"Maybe I'll talk to Ozpin about it." Sera told the team leader as she laid out on her bed space. She laid on her back and rested her hands behind her head and sighed. As soon as her eyes closed, they immediately opened again at the sound of Ruby's high-pitched voice.
"So! What's the plan for tomorrow?" she asked.
"Classes, Rubes. We still have to go to classes." Yang sighed. She, too, was trying to get some shuteye.
Ruby groaned and fell onto her back, "Ughhh I don't wanna."
"We have to, Ruby. You want to graduate, don't you?" Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, fine." Ruby groaned.
"That's what I thought." Weiss huffed.
"Shh, talk later. Sleep now." Sera hushed the heiress.
"You do know it's only five in the afternoon, right?" she replied.
"Shh." Was Sera's only response as she covered herself up to her face with a blanket.
Weiss once again rolled her eyes.
"Maybe she is a bit too much like you, Yang. Yang?" Ruby chuckled.
The blond was already snoring away with an arm laying across her face.
"Oh for Pete's sake." Weiss put her face in her palm and shook her head.
"Heh, so what now?" Ruby asked.
"I'm going to freshen up. That forest left me dirty and gross." Weiss said as she grabbed several toiletries and headed into the bathroom.
"Figures, can't get dirty without complaining." Ruby thought aloud. "What about you, Blake?"
"Reading." Blake flipped a page in her book while atop her bunk.
Ruby sighed and laid on her back, "You guys stink."
"Don't worry, Ruby. We'll all do something fun tomorrow." Blake said without taking her eyes off her book
"Really?" Ruby sat up quickly.
"Sure, we'll see when those two wake up. Cause you know Weiss isn't going to participate in anything fun." Blake smirked.
Ruby chuckled at the Faunus' comment, "True."
. . .
Meanwhile, under the covers of a makeshift bed space, Sera was dreaming. She'd fallen asleep soon after she pulled the blanket over her face. In her dream, she was walking through pitch blackness and looking around to check her surroundings.
"Where... Am I?" she thought to herself. Then suddenly, she was in the middle of a red forest.
"Huh?"
When she heard the sound of leaves crunching, she whipped around to find three people walking through the forest. She saw herself and her two allies from her last memory/vision.
"What are we even doing in this forest again?" the blue-haired girl, Cerulean, said.
"To investigate the increasing Grimm sightings near the city of Vale. The professors seemed pretty worried about it." The boy with black hair, Red, said.
"Yeah, we need to make sure there's not too many of them." Sera chuckled.
"Apparently, the order came from James Ironwood himself." Red noted.
Cerulean sighed, "Let's just hurry up and get back. That pool is calling my name."
Red smirked, "Sure, sure."
Then, the forest melted away around her and Sera stood alone in a clearing of the same forest.
Sera looked around, then found the three running into the clearing with distressed looks on their faces.
"That's way too many for us! We have to get back and report this now." Red yelled.
"Way ahead of you!" Cerulean pulled out her scroll and began typing on it.
Then, a purple orb of energy blasted the device out of her hand. Cerulean looked up, alarmed, then she was gone. She disappeared into darkness before she could call out.
Sera's eyes widened at the unfolding scene before her.
Red turned his head and his eyes widened, but he too disappeared before he could say anything.
"What... What is this?" the actual Sera thought to herself.
Dream-vision Sera came to a halt and looked back to find her friends gone. There was no trace of them in sight. She quickly began whipping her head around, trying to find whatever had attacked them. She could still hear Grimm in the forest behind her, but none in sight.
Real Sera's eyes widened at what she saw.
Dream Sera suddenly felt a dark presence behind her and she stayed completely still.
A sultry, female voice spoke from behind her, "I expected you, of all people, to not run in fear at the sight of those Grimm. I guess I was wrong." The woman placed a hand on Sera's shoulder.
Dream Sera shook with fear at the cold touch and sheer power that the woman emitted, "What are you?"
The woman didn't answer. Instead, she placed her other hand on Sera's remaining shoulder. The stranger gave a cold smile and sent dark energy into Sera, causing her eyes to widen in shock and her to let out a pained scream.
"I should kill you right now for the threat you could pose against me in the future." She then removed her hands and Sera gasped as the pain stopped.
"But I have a better idea. Instead, I'm going to take something and leave you to die alone in this pitiful forest."
"T-Take what?" Sera managed to ask.
The woman smiled maliciously and walked around Sera and into her cone of vision. Sera gasped and her eyes widened at the woman that stood before her.
She had hair as white as hers, white skin, red irises, and black veins trailing down her arms and on the sides of her face. Instead of having white in her eyes like someone normally would, they were pitch black. Her hair was styled in some sort of ornate design and she wore a black robe that trailed behind her.
"Your memories." She said coldly, then pressed the palm of her hand against Sera's forehead.
. . .
"Sera! SERA!" a voice shouted as someone shook her shoulders with strong hands.
Sera's eyes shot open to find Yang shaking her awake. Blake, Weiss, and Ruby stood around the amnesiac with worried expressions on their faces.
"W- What's wrong?" Sera asked.
"Um, you started screaming in your sleep. We've been trying to wake you up for almost five minutes." Ruby explained.
Sera blinked, "Screaming?"
"Yes, I think you were having a bad dream. Care to explain?" Weiss asked.
"I... I don't know. I don't remember anything about it." Sera said honestly.
"That's... Extremely odd. From the way you were acting, it must've been terrifying." Blake said.
Sera shrugged, "I'm telling you, I don't remember any of it. Not remembering stuff is kinda my thing, remember?"
"Yeah but this is sort of different." Yang said.
"I dunno, guys." Sera looked at them.
Weiss sighed, "Well, we might as well stay up until it's time for class. It's just six-thirty, after all."
"Um, nuh-uh! I'm going back to bed." Yang said.
"I second that." Ruby yawned.
"Me too." Blake raised her hand.
Weiss rolled her eyes, "Fine, you four go back to bed and I'll stay up."
"Uh, actually Weiss, I'm staying up as well." Sera said and rested on her elbows.
Weiss blinked, "Really?"
"Yeah, I don't think I wanna go to sleep any time soon after this little fiasco." Sera replied.
"Okay it's settled, we sleep and you two stay up. And be silent!" Yang pointed at each of them, then fell face-first onto her bunk.
After several minutes of odd glances and audible sighs, Sera turned to Weiss, who was sitting atop her bunk and typing on her scroll.
"Okay, what's the deal?" Sera asked.
Weiss took her eyes from her scroll and looked at Sera, "What are you on about?"
"You've been giving me weird looks since the others went back to sleep, so what's up?" Sera explained.
Weiss sighed and put her scroll down, "How do I put this? I don't... Fully trust you just yet."
Sera's eyes widened slightly and her brow furrowed, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Look, it's not anything personal. Just... Look at it this way. A mysterious girl shows up out of the blue, gets added to my team, then turns out to have an extremely unique semblance with limitless potential. And to top it all off, your strength can rival that of Nora and Yang." Weiss counted the reasons on her fingers.
"...I mean, I guess I'd be suspicious as well. But still, you don't have to act like that. Besides, what reason would I have to betray Beacon or something like that? You guys are awesome." Sera said, which caught the heiress off-guard.
"You mean that?" She asked.
"Of course! I mean sure, this whole memory thing sucks and I don't know if I'll ever remember anything, but I'm grateful to Ozpin for letting me stay in the school. And you four have been great to help me here." Sera said honestly.
Weiss blinked, then a small smile appeared on her face, "Okay. I think I'm good now."
"Like... Good how?" Sera asked.
"Like I don't doubt you anymore. You sounded really sincere and honest...and we went through a similar problem with Blake a while back, so I'm trying to be better with situations like this." Weiss explained.
"Blake had amnesia?" Sera blinked.
Weiss rolled her eyes, "No, you dunce. Whenever we found out she's a Faunus."
Sera blinked again, "You couldn't tell?"
Weiss looked at her, "No."
"Weiss, I have amnesia and I could tell when I met her. Her ears twitch a lot when she talks." Sera smirked.
Weiss crossed her arms, "Yeah, well, we don't spend our time looking at people's heads."
"For the record, I don't spend time looking at heads. I just happened to notice it one day." Sera pointed at her.
"Fine. But still, I'm trying to be open-minded about problems with friends. Even if your situation is very much different than finding out your teammate is secretly a Faunus." Weiss sighed.
"Aww, Weiss, she's your friend?" a familiar high-pitched voice asked.
The two white-haired girls turned to find a smiling Ruby Rose sitting on her bunk.
"Ruby?!" They both exclaimed.
"What? It's time to wake up and get ready for class. It's not my fault you two happened to be talking and getting along~" Ruby replied as she jumped down to the floor in her pajamas.
"It hasn't been that long, has it?" Sera asked as she and Weiss looked at each other.
"Huh. Time sure flies, I guess." Weiss said as she checked the time on her scroll.
"Better wake up Yang." Ruby sighed and walked over to Yang and Blake's beds.
Sera smirked and got to her feet, "This is going to be a lonnng day."
. . .
The next week flew by smoothly for team RWBYS. Sera got acquainted with all of her classes and got into the routine that her team was already in. The amnesiac was given a Beacon academy uniform to wear during school functions and spent time with her team, getting to know them better. Sera regularly went to the gym with Yang and participated in all the silly shenanigans that Ruby got into. She tried to spend time with Blake and Weiss, but Blake mostly kept to herself and Weiss was, well, Weiss. Overall, Sera really enjoyed herself with her new team. Just one thing was bothering her.
"Professor Ozpin said he'd have my 'gear' ready by the end of the week. It's the end of the week, and still not here!" Sera groaned as she and the rest of her team walked to their next class: Oobleck.
"He'll get it to you, don't worry about it so much. We've still got another two weeks before the tournament." Weiss told her.
"Yeah but still! I'd like to at least practice with it while I have the chance, thank you very much." Sera replied.
"You'll be fine!" Ruby said cheerfully.
Sera groaned and crossed her arms.
"It'll be fine, Sera. Just hang tight." Yang put a hand on her shoulder.
"If you say so." Sera sighed and pushed open the door to Doctor Oobleck's room.
"-And that, class, is why you never engage in combat with an Alpha Ursa when your team is incapacitated. Now! Can anyone tell me what a hunter or huntress is supposed to do when civilians are on the battlefield? You, there!" Oobleck pointed directly at Sera as she and her team were sitting down.
"Me? Uh-er-um-" Sera stuttered after she sat.
"Yes, you! You and your team were the ones who showed up to class late, weren't you?" he asked.
"Late?" Ruby asked.
"I told you to not stop for soda!" Weiss said in a hushed tone.
"I can't help it! That grape stuff is too good!" Sera replied quietly.
"Well?" Doctor Oobleck asked impatiently.
"Probably... Divert the enemy's attention from the civilians, then either eliminate it quickly or lead it away from them?" Sera asked hopefully.
"Hm." Oobleck sipped from his mug. "A fine answer! Though usually the acting hunter or huntress would get the civilians to safety then deal with the Grimm. But under certain circumstances, diverting the beast's attention could prove beneficial, as well."
The professor then zipped around the room, continuing on to the next topic.
Sera exhaled sharply and leaned back in her seat.
"Not bad." Yang whistled.
"It was the first thing I thought of." Sera said and leaned onto the desk.
"It's what I'd do." Ruby shrugged.
"Yeah, but you're not the best at that stuff." Blake smirked.
"Hmph!" Ruby puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.
Sera and Yang chuckled at their leader's childlike attitude.
Weiss sighed, "Let's just get today over with already."
"That's a first. The heiress actually wants class to be over!" Yang poked Weiss in the forehead.
"Hey!" Weiss retorted.
Doctor Oobleck suddenly appeared in front of the five of them, "Miss Schnee! I hope there aren't any problems, are there?"
"Sorry, Professor." Weiss turned her head with an annoyed expression on her face.
Oobleck adjusted his glasses sped off and was suddenly standing in front of the chalkboard.
"Back to the lesson!" he announced to the class and swigged from his coffee mug.
"At least he takes it easier on us." Blake sighed.
"He used to be harder?" Sera asked.
"Just a little, but he kind of sympathizes with us ever since the mission we went on with him." Ruby answered.
"You went on a mission with the professor?" her eyes widened slightly.
"What all have we not told you?" Weiss asked.
"A lot, apparently." Yang sighed.
"Tell me later when we have better time." Sera told them. "After all, we still have a class to finish." The amnesiac gestured to the hyperactive professor.
. . .
After team RWBYS finally got out of all their classes, the five of them sat in the cafeteria alongside team JNPR. Nora was absent-mindedly tossing small fruits into Yang's mouth as they told of their adventures since their first days at Beacon.
After they were done explaining how they'd been apart of stopping some famous crime boss who had somehow released Grimm into the city, Sera slammed her palms onto the tabletop and stared at them.
"You WHAT?"
Ruby chuckled nervously, "Heh, yeah..."
"That's...quite the story." Sera said.
"Let's just say we've been in some stuff." Weiss said with pride in her voice.
"You four sure get into some wild adventures, huh? That must be why Professor Ozpin set me up with you." Sera looked at each of them.
"Don't forget about us!" Nora said from beside Sera.
"Yeah, you too." Sera chuckled.
"Let's face it, Nora. Team RWBY is going to get wrapped up in a lot more wild adventures than we are." Jaune sighed twirled his spaghetti with a fork.
"That's team RWBYS to you!" Ruby pointed at the blond knight.
"There, there, Jaune." Ren patted the Jaune's shoulder.
"When do I get to go on a crazy adventure?" Sera asked eagerly.
Yang smiled and ruffled the amnesiac's hair, "Your time will come, Snowball."
Sera grit her teeth and balled her fists.
Whack!
"Hey!" Yang exclaimed.
"Quit calling me that!" Sera told her. "I shoulda punched you through that wall."
"I'd like to see you try, Snowball!" Yang retorted loudly, amusement on her voice.
Sera prepared to jump over the table, but a voice from behind stopped her.
"I do hope you eight- excuse me, nine aren't going to engage in another food fight in this cafeteria." Glynda Goodwitch said.
"Eep!" Yang and Sera exclaimed.
"Professor!" Ruby stood.
"Calm yourself, students. I'm only here to fetch Sera for Professor Ozpin." The older woman said.
Sera blinked, "You what?"
Glynda sighed, "Follow me."
Professor Goodwitch marched off, not waiting for Sera.
Sera quickly stood and turned to her friends before leaving.
"I'll, uh, see you guys back in the dorm. See ya, JNPR." She waved then hurried after Goodwitch.
. . .
"What is this about?" Sera asked Glynda as they rode up the elevator to Professor Ozpin's office. She had a feeling she already knew, but she didn't want to get her hopes up.
"You'll see." Was all Glynda had to say.
Sera crossed her arms, 'Thanks a lot.'
*Ding!*
The elevator doors slid open to reveal Professor Ozpin leaning against his desk, facing the direction of the elevator.
"Hello, Sera." Ozpin said and took his cane in his hand.
"Hey Professor, what's this all about?" Sera asked as she and Glynda approached the headmaster.
"I'm glad you asked." Ozpin gave a small smile and walked to the corner of his office. Sitting in said corner was a tall, purple and black suitcase with a red and black emblem on the front. The emblem itself was a hollow square with thick black lines that looked cut off at each corner. Inside the square was a black symbol that matched the one on Sera's shoulder exactly.
"Whoa." Sera gazed at the case. Ozpin smirked and pressed a button on the side, then the suitcase slowly opened, its lid split open length-wise like two open doors.
Sera could spot white clothes, a few belts with silver buckles, and a long weapon that she guessed was a sword.
"Holy shit!" Sera gasped and went quickly towards Ozpin and the case.
Glynda's eye twitched at Sera's exclamation, but for once, she let it slide.
Upon closer inspection, the white clothes consisted of a white stylish jacket with purple trim that reached her thighs, stylish white pants with purple inner pockets, a black tank top and black V-neck shirt. There were three sets of belts, each set had two identical belts, all with the same buckle. Two of the belts were purple, two were a slightly dark shade of red, and the remaining two were black. The buckles were silver and were in a shape as if they were two trapezoids stuck bottom-to-bottom. The weapon was in a sort of harness that appeared to go on Sera's back, but she could clearly make out its design. The sword was slightly shorter than a claymore. And unlike a claymore, it had a razor-sharp edge. The blade itself was slightly leaf shaped and a deep shade of crimson that glinted in the light. Its hilt and cross guard were gray with black leather wrapped around it. The cross guard itself had the same silver symbol from Sera's arm and belt buckles engraved into it. Beside the sword were several different colored vials of Dust and three rectangular shaped boxes that appeared to be rifle magazines.
Sera's mouth hung open the entire time she looked at the gear.
"Do you like it?" Professor Ozpin asked the huntress, her eyes still gleaming.
"I... Love it. Thanks, Professor." Sera turned to the headmaster.
Ozpin held up a hand, "Don't worry about it. Consider it a welcoming gift."
"I don't know what to say!" Sera looked at him gratefully.
"Don't say anything, just take it." Ozpin smiled kindly. He then pushed the same button he used to open the suitcase, then its doors slowly closed and a small handle popped out of the top.
As soon as Sera put her hand on the handle, Ozpin spoke up.
"But remember, the Vytal Festival is just a few weeks away. If I were you, I'd get acquainted with that sword. Miss Schnee should be able to assist you with the Dust capabilities." He told her.
"Dust capabilities?" Sera asked.
"Indeed. You should find a small switch near the pommel. Flip it upwards to pop open a little slot to put in Dust vials or crystals. Flip it down to transform it." Ozpin explained.
"Transform?" Sera asked.
"Yes, just like many of other students' weapons." Glynda piped in.
"Glynda." Ozpin said, and the older woman shut up.
Ignoring the older woman, Sera continued smiling, "That's so cool! What's it transform into?"
"Why don't you find out for yourself? Later, of course." Ozpin said kindly.
Sera looked at the symbol on her arm, then at the same symbol on her new suitcase. "Professor, what does this symbol mean? I mean, I'm sure I knew before, but I'm assuming it has some sort of meaning since it's, y'know, on me."
"Well Sera, that symbol is from an ancient civilization's alphabet. They were a powerful civilization with weapons and other technology that was advanced for their time. This symbol is called an Omega. It represented the gods they believed in. The Olympians. Twelve gods in a council that watched over the human race." Ozpin explained.
Sera cocked her head slightly, "Did these gods actually exist?"
Ozpin chuckled lightly, "Who knows? Maybe you'll find out one day."
Sera nodded, then another thought occurred to her, "Professor, how am I supposed to be in the Vytal Festival tournament if the teams have to have only four members?"
Professor Goodwitch looked at Ozpin with an expectant expression on her face, as if she loathed his solution to the problem.
"We're still thinking of a solution to that. I'll let you know as soon as I know, so rest assured." He replied.
Sera nodded, disappointed.
"Don't worry, Sera. Just practice with your new equipment and I'll sort everything out. Now, have you made any advancements with your memory?" He asked.
"Not really, no. But I had this really weird dream a few nights ago." Sera responded.
"Dreams? Do tell." Ozpin blinked.
"That's the thing, I don't remember anything from it. Ruby and the others woke me up in the middle of the night, saying I was screaming in my sleep." Sera explained.
"That is concerning." Ozpin held is chin with one hand in concern. Even Glynda looked kind of worried. "If you can remember anything, do not hesitate to tell me."
"Yes, Professor. I'll just, uh, take this stuff back to my room." Sera said, getting ready to pull the suitcase.
"Oh, yes, go ahead. Thank you for meeting with me." Ozpin said.
"No problem, Ozpi- er, I mean Professor. Thanks again!" Sera smiled and made her way towards the elevator.
Ozpin raised a hand in goodbye as the white-haired huntress exited his office.
The headmaster then walked around his desk and sat in his chair. He pulled up the elevator security footage while sipping his coffee. Glynda Goodwitch went to his side with her arms crossed.
"Do you think it was really a good idea to provide that girl with such equipment?" she asked.
"Please, Glynda. I know you don't fully trust her, but there's no reason to act like she doesn't need any help. She came here with nothing but the clothes on her back. If I were to offer her nothing, then I shouldn't be headmaster." Ozpin replied.
"So why is the elevator footage on your monitor?" she changed the subject.
Ozpin looked at the screen to see Sera jumping in excitement and pumping her fist into the air. The old headmaster couldn't help but give a small smile at how his gift caused her to act.
On the monitor, Sera stopped her jumping then opened the suitcase and began to lift her top.
Glynda's and Ozpin's eyes widened.
"Is she...?" Goodwitch asked.
"Changing? Yes." Ozpin quickly shut off his monitor and leaned back in his chair.
"She's just full of surprises, isn't she?" Ozpin chuckled.
"Yes, well, hopefully she's not that...open all the time." Glynda sighed.
"You really don't like her, do you? Is it because of her comments when she first arrived?" the headmaster asked.
"..."
"That's what I thought." Ozpin chuckled, then spun in his chair to overlook Beacon.
. . .
Sera grinned as she stepped out of the elevator. She was now outfitted in a black tank top, the white jacket and jeans, the pair of black boots, and a purple belt with her tattoo's symbol on it. She also strapped her new sword onto her back via the holster in her suitcase. It was a black leather strap that went rested on her right shoulder and went down to her left hip and held the weapon across her back. It had no scabbard, but instead had a rectangular piece of leather one foot in length that had been folded in half width-wise, and the sword rested in the piece. The folded leather was also engraved with intricate wave designs.
The huntress adjusted her jacket with a smile on her face and stepped out of the elevator.
"Hell yeah." She said to herself, then walked towards the exit of Beacon Tower.
Students and non-students' jaws dropped at the sight of Sera's fresh new duds, and she soaked it in with a prideful smile on her face. They'd been seeing her wearing nothing else but either her usual red tank top and jeans or her Beacon uniform, so seeing her now was a surprise.
She was loving being the center of attention for a change, besides her already-given attention from being the amnesiac new student, of course. However, what she didn't like was the extra attention that the males were giving her. She was tempted to test out her new sword on a few of them, but she just gritted her teeth and resisted the urge. Normally, no one would get this mad over something as little as this, but Sera's hot-headed nature made this a touchy case. Who would've thought that her attitude could change from one of complete pride, to one of absolute lividity?
The amnesiac managed to reach the dormitories without chopping anyone in half and proceeded towards her room. On the way, she passed two girls and a guy in black and white uniforms that stood in the hallway. From the way they stood, they took up the entire hallway and didn't really show any intention of moving. They may have been facing the opposite direction and probably didn't know Sera was storming towards them, but they still took up the hallway.
From the looks of it, one of the girls had long black hair that clearly had a lot of time put into it, another had dark skin and medium-length green hair, and the guy was tall with spiky gray hair.
Sera pushed the dark-skinned girl and the guy apart and continued walking past them.
"Hey!" the girl exclaimed.
Sera turned to them with a fire in her eyes, "You got somethin' to say too?"
The girl with black hair's orange eyes widened once she saw Sera's face.
"Yeah! Who do you think you are to push me and Mercury like that?" the girl with green hair asked.
Sera fully turned towards the three and stood face-to-face with them.
"Look, I'm in a bad mood and I just want to get to my dorm, unpack this, and get my day over with. I only have two weeks to get good with this sword for the tournament, and you three haven't improved anything by taking up the entire hallway for some reason." Sera told them.
"We're sorry about that, just go on your way and we won't bother you any longer." The black-haired girl said.
Sera seemed taken aback by her apology, but she nodded and seemed to simmer down a bit. "Well all right. Don't let me catch you taking up the entire hallway again!" She pointed at each of them.
They all blinked at the girl's sudden mood change, then Sera continued to walk down the hallway, pulling her suitcase behind her.
"Why'd you apologize to that pest? You of all people-" Emerald started to say.
"Because, that 'pest' was supposed to die in Forever Fall over a week ago." Cinder interjected.
Mercury and Emerald's eyes widened slightly, "You don't mean-"
"Yes I do. We have to report this immediately." Cinder replied.
"She's not going to be happy about this." Mercury said with a hint of worry in his voice.
Cinder sighed, "I know."
. . .
Sera kicked open the door to her team's room and stuck her head in.
"Guess who's back!" She grinned and walked in. Ruby was playing a video game with Yang, Weiss was applying nail polish to her nails, and Blake sat atop her bunk reading. They were all too invested in their activities to notice the amnesiac's loud entrance.
Sera sighed and closed the door loudly, then turned to see if that got a reaction. Nothing.
She then groaned and set her suitcase against the wall, dusted off her new clothes, then stood and tried her best to look presentable.
Sera put her hands on her hips and cleared her throat loudly. Somehow, that's what drew their attention. All of their eyes widened and Ruby and Yang's game paused.
"Holy-" Yang said.
"COOL!" Ruby jumped up and immediately began inspecting Sera.
"Looks like Ozpin came through." Blake noted.
"She's stealing your color, Weiss." Yang smirked.
"Hey!" Weiss exclaimed.
Sera grinned with Ruby still examining every inch of Sera's new gear.
"Is that a Dust sword?!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Think so." Sera said and unsheathed her sword. Its red blade shone in the light while she held the large sword with one hand.
"A what?" Yang asked as she stood.
"Dust sword! Dust can be loaded into it and can the Dust's element can be temporarily imbued into it. For instance, she could literally hit something with fire!" Ruby squealed in excitement.
"Kind of like Weiss' rapier?" Blake asked.
"Kind of. Weiss blasts stuff with Dust, this is a physical attacking move." Ruby explained.
"We have to test that." Yang said.
"Duh!" Ruby replied.
"We can't in here, you dolts! Plus it's too late in the day to go to the training arena. We'll have to wait until tomorrow." Weiss chimed.
"Maybe during Port's class." Blake pointed out.
"Yeah! He's always having those sparring matches with captured Grimm. Just volunteer whenever he brings it up!" Ruby said.
Sera just watched as her teammates debated on the best way to test her new sword's capabilities. A sudden thought popped into the amnesiac's head. She flicked the switch on the sword's hilt, then the weapon quickly transformed. The blade collapsed and the hilt widened, and soon enough she was holding a four-foot long rifle with iron sights.
"Whoa!" Ruby gasped.
Sera held the rifle as if she were going to fire it and a small smile crept onto her lips.
"Nicely balanced. Same goes for the sword." She thought aloud.
"And it's also a gun. Naturally." Weiss said. Sera laughed and opened her suitcase, its lid opening and revealing its contents.
"You have more?" Ruby gasped and went to the case.
"Just clothes. A shirt and belts similar to this one." Sera replied, pointing at her own waist.
Ruby dug around in the suitcase and held up a belt, "What 'bout this one?"
Sera's eyes narrowed at the belt. It looked different than the others, wider with small loops covering the length. Its buckle was also larger than the others, but it still had the Omega engraved on it.
"I didn't see that one. Where was it?" She asked.
"Under the black shirt." Ruby replied.
"Of course it was." Sera sighed, then walked over to Ruby. The team leader handed her the belt, which she inspected closer. The loops appeared to be for bullets or maybe small Dust crystals. There was also a spot where Sera's right hip would be where it appeared as if something could be attached or put onto the belt.
"What a weird belt..." Sera thought aloud.
"It looks like one of those belts you see in those old movies." Weiss noted.
"You mean the cowboy movies?" Yang asked.
"Yeah, those." Weiss replied.
"Cowboy belt, huh? Looks pretty neat." Sera said, then put the belt around her waist. The leather for it was dark brown instead of black, so it stood out a bit more from the rest of her clothes. The left side of the belt rested just below her regular belt while the right side sat lower on her hip.
"Looks cool!" Ruby complimented.
"Thanks, Rubes." Sera smiled and looked at herself in Weiss' mirror on the wall.
Sera smirked and transformed her weapon, sheathing it on her back. She then removed the leather holster and set the sword against the wall, then took off her jacket and hung it on a hanger. The white-haired girl pushed her new suitcase into the dorm's closet and turned to look at her team.
"With these weapons, no one's going to stand a chance in the tournament." She grinned, excited to test out her new gun/sword.