Chapter 19: Lay The Ghost To Rest
"Faltering towards the future, only to come across with the past..."
A few days passed, the snow melted into dirt, and the silver-eyed girl exploded.
The Weiss-bomb followed, even as their crew picked up the surviving containers. His camping bag was probably there, together with his partner's luggage.
Well, what was it about people and having a lot of unnecessary stuff, anyway?
Was there really a point in having five identical tiaras?
Or even five identical boxes of makeup?
"It's you," Weiss said, crossing her arms. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"
Nex shrugged, smiling as his partner propelled herself into a long-winded rant about dust and safety protocols.
Heh.
Same old Weiss.
Ruby Rose sat on her red-trimmed skirt, the floor of Beacon's plaza giving her a convenient safety net. Well, no one could possibly blame her for shrinking away from Mt. Weiss.
"And what do you have to say for yourself?" Weiss said, placing her hand on her waist. "Ruby Rose, was it? You could've done a lot of damage with your clumsiness."
Ruby blinked, her silver eyes snapping back to reality. Apparently, he was not the only one with the divine skill required to tune out his partner's rants.
Well, good for her.
"Sorry, Weiss," Ruby said, fidgeting with her skirt. "I just wanted to talk to Nex."
Well, that was a thing.
The last time they saw each other was at the Sanus Festival.
He almost injured her after she lost her aura, losing his grip.
Her mother took away his mother.
Well, fuck.
It was definitely an irrational thought—but she almost took away his partner as well.
And now, she was here, wanting to talk to him.
Why?
If he was in her boots, then he would have definitely avoided the guy who almost crippled her in a sanctioned, friendly match.
"Here he is," Weiss said, smiling as she shot him a glance. "What did you want to talk about?"
Ruby waved at him. From the floor. "Hi, Nex."
Nex shrugged. There was a black-haired woman at the corner of the plaza.
Amber eyes stared at him, before she stood up and walked away.
Well, good for her.
Apparently, it was survival instinct to avoid Mt. Weiss. Something encoded in people's DNA.
Or was it just the way her face twisted?
Well, nothing new there. But it must have been new to them.
"Should we go somewhere else?" Nex said, managing a smile. "Weiss won't mind if I'm a little late."
"Not at all," Weiss said with a curt nod. "But I expect you to be at the opening ceremony, and not sleeping under a tree."
Weiss Schnee knew him too well. His master plan of talking to Ruby Rose and then ending up under a nice tree died before it was even born.
His brain spat out Jacques' words.
He was supposed to be watching over her, was he not? And he could not do that without sacrificing some of his shut-eye.
Odd as it was, it was a perfectly okay sacrifice.
Nex smirked. "I'm not the type of guy to abandon my partner, listening to some old guy talk. It's torture."
Weiss smiled, shaking her head. She strolled away, taking their crew and their luggage with her. Leaving him alone with the silver-eyed girl sprawled out on the floor.
Just right behind him.
Great.
Nex spun, his eyebrows twitching.
Jaune Arc was there, grinning as he loomed over Ruby Rose. He turned his back once, and Jaune was already picking up another girl.
Again.
Vomit Boy's attempts at talking to women in The Club were heart-breaking, especially since Yang was there to egg him on. Nevermind Jaune Arc's purpose behind all of it. Their bickering was funny, especially when Jaune received a frigid rejection.
Not that he would admit it to them.
Of course not.
"The name's Jaune. Jaune Arc," Jaune said, pulling the silver-eyed girl to her feet. "It's—"
Nex snorted. "Short. Sweet. Rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."
Jaune flinched. "Nex? Is that you?"
"Who else?" Nex said, quirking an eyebrow. "See any other wolves around?"
Vomit Boy should definitely get his eyes checked, but the new trench must have thrown him off.
"I'm Ruby," Ruby said. She giggled, her eyes fixed on the blonde. "Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you."
Fuck.
This was definitely it.
Soft wind blew in the background, some sort of perverse soundtrack for the plaza.
And definitely for their moment.
This was totally it.
The day Nexus Shade always trained for—the day when the socially challenged elites gathered for their first boardroom meeting.
And Ruby Rose opened their discussion.
By drawing her fucking scythe.
"So, I've got this thing," Ruby said, her weapon clicking, unfolding into its complete form.
Yep. A totally normal conversation starter. Nothing wrong there.
Ruby slammed her bulky scythe into the cement, shattering the stone. A lot of lien right there. Just gone. "His name is Crescent Rose. Isn't he adorable?"
Jaune eeped, hopping in place. "Whoa! That's a—that's one cool-looking scythe."
His right palm brushed Oathkeeper, the fingers of his left already tapping Vigilance, drawing on the dust stored in its cartridges.
No.
Nex shook his head, prying his hands from his weapons. It was an accident. A sanctioned match. There was no need to dredge up what happened weeks ago.
"Cool-looking. Right," Nex said, his jaw stiffening. Fuck. "Does it turn into something else?"
A spear was probably more practical than a scythe. But there was no point in telling her. A person had to step into her guard before she could use the scythe to its full potential. It was already half the battle won for whoever her adversary was.
Case in point—how Hrunting and Vigilance overwhelmed Crescent Rose in close-quarters. She should have definitely stuck to range. But then again, Hrunting and Vigilance had a little something for long-range as well.
"It's also a bolt-action, high-velocity sniper rifle," Ruby said, quirking an eyebrow. "But I thought you already knew that."
Nex shrugged, smirking at the blonde. "It's more for Vomit Boy's benefit. He wasn't exactly there."
Jaune rolled his eyes. "It's nice of you to care, Broody Face."
Ruby smiled, folding her scythe and returning it to the back of her waist. "Shouldn't we go in? I don't want to be late. I don't want to get kicked out on my first day."
Wait.
Why was she here again?
Ruby Rose was a second-year at Signal Academy. Trainees graduated from combat schools on their fourth year. Just like he did.
"Why exactly are you here?" Nex said, licking his dry lips. "Aren't you supposed to be in your third year at Signal?"
Ruby flushed, fidgeting with her skirt. "Errr... I'm a normal girl with normal knees?"
Right. Because that totally made sense.
"Really?" Jaune exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. "You must have been moved up. I didn't know you were that good, Crater Face."
That explained it.
Ruby Rose was skilled enough to make it to the finals of a tournament for fourth-years. Skilled enough to defeat Weiss Schnee in a ranged duel, even—where his partner was at her strongest.
He definitely had to watch out for Ruby, especially if combat class in Beacon was anything like the one in Atlas Primary.
Ruby pouted at the blonde. "Crater Face? I'm not the one who threw up on Yang's shoe, Vomit Boy."
He did?
It definitely earned Vomit Boy a spot in his withered heart. Throwing up on Yang was a brave, brave act. One worthy to be immortalized in a book somewhere. Probably one entitled The Chronicles of Jaune Arc and The Forbidden Projectile.
But then again, throwing up on Yang's shoe was tamer compared to throwing up on her hair. That one already happened in The Club. He still had the phantom bruises from stopping their impromptu brawl, and that was before it could even happen.
"Hey. I'm telling you guys," Jaune said, waving his arms around. "Motion-sickness is a perfectly normal condition."
They strolled through the winding hallways of the academy.
Nex flanked his fellow elites, the two of them bouncing back-and-forth to fill the silence. He was definitely right. If he stayed silent, then he could doze off without the rest of the socially challenged elites noticing. There was no way he could daydream like this if he and his partner were alone.
Was it too late to find a tree somewhere, maybe grab a mug of iced tea?
"O-oh, hey guys," Ruby said, her eyes snapping towards the front. "Sorry, I gotta go! I'll see you after the ceremony!"
Ruby vanished, bursting into rose petals.
Jaune's eyes roved over the thick crowd.
His semblance tingled—spiders crawling on the walls of his skull. Oh well, oh well. Naturally, there would be a lot of weapons in a place sardine-packed with huntsmen and huntresses.
He toned it down the same way at Patch.
"Great," Jaune said, rubbing the back of his messy hair. "Where am I supposed to find another cute, quirky girl to talk to?"
Nex smirked, his partner already alone by the corner, her head whipping around. "I don't know about you, but I think I found mine."
Nex loped away, waving at Vomit Boy from behind.
The blonde groaned, whispering something about lucky bastards, even as he was swallowed by the buzzing crowd.
Nex rolled his eyes, his brain labelling the pointless chatter as white noise. Sometimes, wolf ears were a bitch and a half.
"There you are," Weiss said, smirking as their eyes met. "I thought you were asleep somewhere."
Nex fixed her a deadpan stare, stopping right beside her. "Such faith. My heart has been pierced."
Weiss giggled, stopping when a few heads spun. Definitely to look. A small circle formed around them—a circle no one seemed keen to cross.
Well, good for them.
"Of course," Weiss said, frowning. "We should turn our attention to the headmaster's speech."
The headmaster walked up the stage, a coffee mug and a cane in his hands. He wore a green scarf over a black suit.
Like his partner, even.
The grey-haired guy—or was it silver—stopped in front of a microphone.
The crowd stopped talking. Most of them turned their attention to the headmaster while some simply nodded off.
He could definitely tell which did which. He was a master of the technique, after all. And of course, being a master of such a skill, he would be remiss not to use it.
"I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction."
Nex blinked, his partner nudging his arm.
The headmaster was probably at the tail-end of the speech.
Ozpin, was it?
Well, it was nothing but the truth. A few months ago, he had certainly been in dire need of purpose and direction. Now, he was almost there, just a stone's throw away from finding his purpose. He only needed to follow the direction, the course. he was already on, and he would definitely find it.
After all, it worked for Amariss.
Right?
"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at Beacon will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It's up to you to take the first step."
A truth. His semblance was proof of that—practically absorbing knowledge via osmosis. But without application, that knowledge was useless. Wasted space in his brain. He had the ability to learn how to code entire systems in one sitting, but that knowledge was useless if he did not actually use it to code some stuff.
The headmaster strolled off the stage, a blonde woman stepping up, replacing him at the podium.
"You'll be staying in the ballroom. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be prepared. Dismissed."
Their fellow students trickled out the auditorium.
Nex stood still, leaning against the wall. It was more efficient to wait until the crowd dispersed rather than to push his way out of the auditorium.
Apparently, Weiss thought the same.
"Nex," Weiss said, poking his arm. "What did Ruby say?
Nex shrugged. "Nothing much. Something about how she was moved up two years."
He glanced at her left arm. Her eyes followed, her lips sinking into a frown.
"Well, she seems skilled enough," Weiss said. "She did manage to defeat me on her own."
And it was the heart of their issue.
He already apologized to Ruby, the girl accepting it with a smile.
Yang simply grinned and bumped his fist.
Qrow waved the incident off.
But it was still an itch on the back of his head.
And it was probably because of him.
Not Ruby.
He was the one who lost control.
Not her.
But it would not happen again. Especially not if they were going to be classmates for four years. Maybe it was time to stop being so angry.
Time to lay the ghost to rest.
Or at least, Summer Rose.
"I lost control," Nex said. "It was unacceptable."
Weiss frowned, elbowing his side. "You had cause. But if it's troubling you that much, then just try not to do it again. Perhaps you should take deep breaths or count to five?"
Weiss Schnee was the type of woman who gave solutions and not just a listening ear. He could definitely appreciate that. It was certainly better than waving it off or ignoring it.
"Thanks," Nex said, smiling. "You always know what to say, huh?"
Weiss nodded, her hand flipping her ponytail. She smirked and raised her chin.
Great.
She looked like a hen preening under the morning sun—the morning sun being the overhead lights.
"Naturally. I'm Weiss Schnee, heiress of the SDC and your partner. Of course I know what to say," Weiss said, waving a hand. "I've been trained in the fine arts of diplomacy and it shows."
"If only that diplomacy training included a course on modesty," Nex drawled. "It'd be perfect, Miss Schnee."
Weiss gasped, putting a hand on her scarf. "I'll have you know, Mr Shade, I'm perfectly capable of being modest. But I'm not currently seeing the need. Because you see, when my partner is feeling down, I have to pick up the slack."
Her eyes met his.
Pale blue meeting gold, his brain supplied.
Weiss swept her arm at the empty auditorium, grinning as she arched an eyebrow. "Well, shall we go, Mr Shade?"
"Yeah, sure," Nex said, putting more bounce into his steps. He reached out, tugging at her extended hand. Her fingers laced around his. "Let's take Beacon by storm, Miss Schnee."
Amber eyes burned on the window.
The one behind Weiss.
Nex blinked.
Then they were gone.