Author's Notes: No one:

Absolutely No one:

Raven: *Slowly pours out entire tea kettle while maintaining furious eye contact* Fuck you.

Eclipse

Chapter 9

Armor

"And that was when I knew that I was destined become a Hunter!"

Raven twirled her pencil in her hand, considering the item dully. She could drive it into her skull and put herself out of her misery. She didn't have to listen to this sentient airbag if she was dead.

All around the auditorium, other sophomores looked to be in various stages of boredom and despair. Below them, Peter Port, was still pacing, his musket strapped to his back. He did not seem to recognize that he had lost his audience nearly an hour previous.

Besides her, Summer was struggling to pay attention. Last year, had the little faunus been subjected to this, she likely would have fallen asleep or at least started doodling. This year, she seemed to be doing her best carry on bravely in the face of soul numbing hubris. She had even taken notes. Her eyes were squinting in pained concentration, combating the desire to nap. Perhaps she believed this was honoring Murt's memory, by forcing herself to pay his replacement some measure of respect.

She deserves better than this. Fuck, we all do. This is bloody insulting.

Combat 201 was supposed to hit the ground running. They had surpassed the basics, they had proven themselves ready, and they were here to get the meat of their education before going out into the field for weeks on end with professionals. Listening to Petey drone on about his own limited accomplishments for two and a half Dust damned hours was not going to help them improve. It was not going to prepare them for squat.

Every person in this room had already done more than some Hunters ever would. They had lost friends, family, mentors. They were survivors, and they deserved better.

Taiyang had given up trying to focus and had fallen asleep, resting his chin on his chest, a slight trail of drool hanging from his mouth. Qrow was still sulking from breakfast, his feet kicked up on his desk as he too played with a pencil. Nearby, ARSN and BBLK were equally wasted by Port's monologue. Two other sophomore teams near the front were staring blankly at the crate in the center of the room, which sounded like it housed a minor Grimm, possibly an Abu.

Enough.

Raven raised her hand, staring down at her so called instructor. Summer glanced at her, ears flipping up curiously. After a moment, Qrow turned to watch her.

Petey kept talking. He hadn't even looked her way. Several minutes passed; Raven kept her hand up, her glare never wavering. The other teams were now giving her their attention, desperate for something to latch onto other than Port's descriptions of his first encounter with a Beowolf when he was ten.

Finally, Petey seemed to notice that his trapped audience was paying attention to something other than the wall and their scrolls. He paused, before looking up at her, his mustache twitching in surprise.

"Yes Miss Branwen! You have a question?" he asked loudly, his voice full of genteel mirth. Raven took the image of her socking him in the nose and stored it for a later time.

"What are you doing?" she droned.

The room had already been quiet, and now it was deathly so, save for the screeches of the small Grimm in its cage. Port adjusted his glasses in bemusement.

"Why, what do you mean?" he hummed, hands on his hips.

Her classmates stared, their expressions changing from excruciating boredom to interest.

"I mean, why are you wasting our time like this?" Raven continued, her voice bleeding with contempt.

"Excuse me, young lady, but-"

"First of all, you are a few years older than me at most. Do not call me 'young lady'," she drawled, unable to keep the knife edge from her voice.

Sigyn and Natalia snickered in appreciation nearby, as Barty and Katay's jaws dropped in sync. Even Becca looked surprised. Qrow was smirking, looking between her and Port.

Petey paused, his cheeks turning a bit pink. She continued before he could have the chance to further derail this class.

"You have a duty now as our Professor to teach this class to the best of your abilities," she continued, her voice cold. "You have a duty to your mentor's memory to honor his skills and the things he worked his ass off to achieve, by taking care of his students and imparting as much knowledge on us as you can. Our careers, and our lives, depend upon your ability to do this. I fail to see how telling us stories all about your grand fucking achievements is going to help us survive or improve. So please, since you love talking so much, tell me how this is going to prepare us for more than we've already faced?"

Petey's face was bright red at this point. Everyone in the class stared in shock. Raven did not care. He struggled for several moments to come up with a response.

"Eager for a detention right out the gate are we, Miss Branwen?" he rallied, chest puffing. Raven didn't flinch.

"At this point, a detention sounds better than listening to your pompous horseshit," Raven droned, tilting her head mockingly. "But please, by all means. Write me up for demanding you uphold the standards of this establishment. Perhaps Professor Arc would be willing to take over for you while you research what it means to be a combat instructor for Hunters."

Summer sighed, face-palming. Qrow started laughing roughly, nodding along. Taiyang was still dead asleep.

"She's got a point, sir," declared Liana Hollis. The aura buffer had held her hands apart, as if to measure the size of the point Raven was making. "Not to be rude, but maybe we could get a do-over? I'm sure teaching a class isn't easy, and we're your first. Don't you want to make a good first impression?"

Petey looked mortified, and for the briefest of moments, Raven almost felt bad for the guy; but not that bad. Their lives were in this idiot's hands, and he was not going to fuck around with them.

"That's enough," came a gentle voice from behind them. Summer winced.

Oh, here we fucking go...

The Headmaster always enjoyed making the rounds through the different classes, appearing from nowhere to keep an eye on things. Raven did not give the man the satisfaction of turning to look at him; she continued to stare at her so called instructor, who looked like a walrus having trouble with breathing.

"Class is dismissed. STRQ, BBLK, please stay behind," Ozpin instructed.

The other students quickly set to gathering their things and escaping the room; ARSN sent them apologetic looks as they trailed out, Sigyn sticking her tongue out at Port before Natalia dragged her away. Qrow elbowed Taiyang awake with a grimace.

"Huh?! What -"

"Wake up. We prolly got detention," Qrow drawled.

"...Aww man," Tai grumbled. He did not sound surprised, and Raven felt another twinge of guilt.

Sorry, guys...

Summer stood up calmly, shooting Raven a final look before meeting the Professor's eyes. BBLK was making various faces, Barty appearing largely nervous, Becca looking done with everyone's shit; the fiery brunette sent an angry glare Raven's way. Raven barely gave her the time of day, folding her arms and staring evenly at the Headmaster and Port.

"Now then" Ozpin continued when they were all alone. His voice never changed from its infuriatingly mild tone. "I seemed to have missed most of this conversation, but I would like to give you all the chance to express your concerns. Politely."

Port looked back forth between herself and his boss, his chest three sizes too big.

"Well, it seems that Miss Branwen and Miss Hollis both believe they are too good for this class-"

"Don't put words in her mouth," snipped Becca, turning to Port. Raven was not sure if she meant Liana or herself. "That's not what happened."

Ozpin cleared his throat. Becca glanced away, rubbing her arms. The Jorogumo scars stood out in livid detail.

"Raven," Ozpin met her eyes. "What precisely are your concerns?"

She studied the shrewd man, trying to deduce the proper angle. Memories of their time in the caverns, and the things they experienced, kept floating to the forefront of her mind; it was distracting. She could never tell where she stood with this guy.

"We are here to learn," she continued, her voice firm. "And we are all investing a lot of time and resources to do so. Beacon demands the best from its students. It should also demand the best from its instructors; more so, in fact. He isn't entitled to our respect, if he isn't going to respect us and waste our time with personal drivel."

Ozpin's pale eyebrows raised a fraction.

"I see. And Miss Hollis?"

Liana sighed, adjusting her glasses as they slid down her nose. Barty was practically vibrating at her shoulder.

"I mean, she's right. Respectfully, sir," Hollis continued. "Perhaps Professor Port means well, but it is pretty unfair. We aren't trying to cause trouble, but I think we do deserve a proper education."

"Hmm. And Peter?" Ozpin addressed the young instructor. Port's mustache twitched back forth as he tried to locate his two braincells.

"Sir, I was simply following the curriculum!" he protested. "The first day is supposed to go over previous lessons learned, and I felt it was a good opportunity to get to know the class and go over common ground!"

Raven raised an eyebrow imperiously, her classmates looking equally skeptical. Ozpin's face didn't change, but his eyes did seem to twinkle.

"And exchange war stories, hm?"

"Yes!" Peter nodded sincerely. He did not seem to realize he was off the mark.

"Well, this seems to be a matter of mismatched expectations, then," Ozpin smiled, folding his hand behind his back.

Mismatched expectations my left ass cheek.

"However valid your concerns are, there are ways to address them that don't involve insulting your instructors before the classroom," Ozpin continued, shooting her a bemused glance. Raven did not even try to look apologetic.

Come on then, get it over with. Take his side.

"So, since it is the first day, and everyone is still likely adjusting to recent events," Oz said after a heavy pause. "Instead of handing out detentions, or other demerits, I would like each of you to write an essay detailing your expectations."

Summer's ears flicked, as Qrow sighed quietly; he hated essays. Petey nodded slowly, pulling his mustache.

"Including you, Peter," Ozpin said, his eyes still impish.

Port froze, his fingers still tugging the ends of his 'stache.

"Uh -of course! Absolutely!"

Becca sniffed in contempt; Ozpin duly ignored her.

"Tomorrow, after this class, you will read them to each other. I don't want you to censor yourselves, but please try to be respectful."

Raven managed to hide her surprise, as the rest of her classmates acquiesced solemnly. Ozpin smiled at them all, meeting her eyes briefly, before dismissing them. Raven held her tongue, following Summer and the others from the classroom.

"Well, that could have gone worse," Tai proclaimed cheerfully.

"Speak for yourself. I don't wanna write a feelings essay," Qrow grumbled, glancing at her.

Raven stared at him pointedly.

"Look, I know, but he needs to be held accountable-"

Summer turned to her, and Raven fell silent. Her girlfriend didn't look irritated, so much, but Raven could feel the frustration coming off of her through their bond.

"I know you were just trying to do the right thing," Summer said. "But sweetie, couldn't you have just talked to him after the lecture?"

Raven paused, feeling a little hurt.

"...Would you have preferred I do nothing?" she asked. Her tone couldn't really hide her feelings. Summer's eyes widened.

"Of course not," Summer touched her arm, eyes round. "Hey? Of course not. He needed to be called out. But sometimes, Raven, you kind of zero in on the moment and say 'damn the consequences!'. And I love that about you. I love how passionate you get, it's one of my favorite things. But I also worry that in the wrong context, it can have serious consequences for you personally; and I worry that you don't take that into consideration before you jump in guns blazing. I don't want people in authority to use that as an excuse to punish you, or manipulate you."

"Hashtag Raider Life," Qrow chuckled nearby, earning a blase look from Summer.

Raven hesitated, still feeling insecure. Summer had a point, she knew that logically. She knew she shouldn't give Ozpin more ammunition against her, or against all of them. She knew she could get tunnel vision when it came to being 'right', or doing the right thing.

She just wanted to do the right thing. So. So badly.

Raven shuffled a bit, trying to close herself off. She nodded, falling silent. Tai kept sending her empathetic looks as they navigated the halls; she didn't know whether she should be irritated by that or not.

The rest of their first day passed without further incident. Professor Arc, at least, was on point; not that Raven had expected less. Her Tournament Dueling class was comprised of half of the sophomores and half of the freshmen, much to their surprise.

It seemed that Arc had taken the fall so personally, that she was determined to raise her standards even higher, demanding that the hapless freshmen catch up with their seniors in terms of skill. She claimed it was the impending Vytal Festival that inspired such, but anyone that knew the woman could tell better. The fact that she was taking their education and welfare so seriously helped Raven to relax, and put aside the events from that morning.

As their first day came to a close, STRQ trudged back to their dorm room, in considerably better spirits having been able to work off their frustrations. Summer had brightened, and kept trying to get herself and Qrow laugh with her antics. It worked for the most part, but Qrow was still off, a variety of emotions rolling across their bond, betraying his distress. Instead of getting right to doing homework, he settled into the kitchen and started drinking and playing games on his scroll.

Raven dutifully began to crank out her essay, detailing her expectations of herself and her instructors in brisk language; Taiyang even helped her, gently pointing out that calling Port a dunderhead or buffoon was not likely to be considered constructive. With some bemusement, she edited herself.

Summer got kidnapped by Sigyn after about an hour in, the pink lunatic all but carrying her sister out the door and down the hall. Raven and Taiyang finished their respective essays together, before brushing up on their Weapons Mechanics curriculum; Qrow had started his own homework after they nagged him into it.

It was pretty late when there was a knock on their door. Raven glanced up, a frown settling on her face, as Taiyang looked over from his bed. Qrow was passed out in his hammock, having blazed through his homework and continued drinking.

She stalked to the door, opening it carefully. James Ironwood was standing a few steps away, his face as serious as ever. Raven's eyes narrowed immediately.

"Raven," he nodded.

She folded her arms, and leaned against the door frame.

"Is Qrow here?" he asked after an awkward pause.

"Why do you care?" she droned.

He didn't wince with his face; but his stance changed, leaning more on one leg.

"Look. I just wanted to apologize," he raised his palms, placating.

"Because you're sorry for being an ass? Or because now there aren't any witnesses?" she asked. She could hear Taiyang moving behind her, curious. A flicker of anger crossed over his bond when he realized who she was talking to.

James frowned slightly.

"I recognize your concern," he carried on. "But this really is a conversation I need to have with him. If he isn't here now, I can come back."

Raven studied the boy across from her, carving past his armor, trying to pull his motivations to the surface.

"He is. He's a little preoccupied at the moment," she said calmly. "If you'd like to talk to him in the morning, you always know where to find him."

James's eyes flickered in doubt.

Ah yes. That's what I thought.

"But you don't want your new little teammate to make any...unseemly deductions, now, do you?" she drew out scornfully. "Let me guess. She's from Atlas? That's funny, I know Artemis is, too. I wonder why that bothers you so much?"

"You're clearly making a lot of assumptions here," he declared, shaking his head.

"Oh? Is it an assumption that you don't want this new mystery girl knowing you like cock?" she asked innocently. Behind her she heard Taiyang cough in surprise.

James's face told her everything she needed to know, and the confirmation stoked a fury in the pit of her stomach.

"Gee. I wonder why that would be such a big deal?" she tapped her chin.

James glared at her openly, clearly considering walking away. He took a deep breath.

"Her family has close ties to my own," he said coldly. "I've known Glynda my whole life. She has a different idea of who I am as a person there, versus who I am here; and I need to be careful in broaching the subject with her. She is a good person. But I need to take things slowly to ensure she understands certain matters."

Raven felt a smile spread across her face. It was a Branwen smile, something she reserved only for the worst people; for people she wanted to hurt.

"...Deidrick deserves so much better than you as a partner. It really isn't fair."

James face slipped in open shock, and Raven plunged the knife right through the gap in his armor.

"Big Jimmy, so concerned with acting honorably, with duty, with legacy; so righteous, and concerned with rules. So long as it benefits you, at least," she said venomously. "I wonder why you were so eager to be my brother's mentor? Did you see an opportunity for yourself, Jimmy? The chance to live out a little fantasy while you're away from mommy and daddy? Having power over someone so rebellious, my, it must of been too seductive for a good, upstanding boy like you to say no to. A chance for you to have your cake and eat it, too?"

James's entire frame was rigid, the scowl on his face building in cold fury. Raven didn't even bat an eye.

"Is that how they do it back home, in the rank and file? Do the seniors like to 'take an interest' in their subordinates? Teach them how 'things are done round here'?" she drawled, the anger in her stomach coiled like viper. "Only to throw them under the bus when they get caught sticking their fingers where they aren't supposed to? How very...noble. And I bet you don't even think it's your fault; I bet you tell yourself he flirted with you, he wanted you, and you were just a good 'senpai', giving him what he wanted. Not your fault at all. Who cares about his feelings anyways, right?"

James nearly looked on the edge of violence, and Raven prayed that he would. She wanted this hypocritical piece of shit to lose control, to prove her point. She kept smiling at him.

"Let's not kid ourselves, here, Jimmy," she said softly. Dangerous. "We both know the only thing people like you care about is power over others. And you will do anything, everything, you can to preserve that; no matter who it hurts. Your precious honor is a fucking farce; and your sense of 'duty', is only to yourself."

"That, none of that, is true," he gritted. His fists were shaking. It was the most upset she had seen him, besides Mountain Glenn.

"Oh? Not even a little true?" Raven hummed, watching his reaction. He shuffled. "I think it's at least part of the truth. The ugly part, the part you like to cover up in armor and a false image of perfection. But that ugly, nasty part of you is still there. And before you come here, thinking you can toy with my little brother, you need to do some...serious reevaluation of what kind of a fucking person you are and want to be."

James continued to stare at her, his entire body radiating glacial anger.

"Qrow's a good person. He deserves a good mentor," she hissed. "And if you want the privilege of that, because it is a Dust damn privilege to be his mentor, then you need to get your shit together and act like you deserve it. And anything else? You need to be even better. Because if you hurt him again, because you're scared of your pathetic fucking reputation, then it isn't little Glynda you need to be concerned about. It's me. Do you understand, tin man?"

A flash anxiety as Raven's words hit home crossed his face; she smirked.

"Yes?"

"...I do," he grimaced, lowering his hands like an automaton.

"Good. Now until then, get the fuck off our lawn," she sneered, and shut the door in his face.

She glared at the handle for a heartbeat, before turning to meet Taiyang's stare. He had come closer, a variety of emotions crossing his face.

"Yea, I know, I should have been nicer-"

He pulled her into a firm hug, surprising her. Her hands rested hesitantly on his hips; he smelled like pine, leather and fresh grass.

"You're good person," he insisted gently, rubbing circles on her back. Her neck heated immediately. "You don't need to justify yourself. Ok?"

"No?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head. She liked the feeling of his stubble brushing her cheek.

"No."

Her mouth parted slightly before she shut, gingerly resting her chin on his shoulder.

"...Thanks."