Weiss took in a deep breath, as her eyes began to flutter open and she looked out the window of her team's dorm. Not a cloud in sight, and the sky had a nice yellow hue to it as the morning sun rose over the horizon; even the birds in the schools courtyard sang their morning tune as they celebrated the start of a new day.
Weiss slowly shifted out of her bed, her feet dangling off of it and she sat with her hands braced against the edge of the bed. The feeling of the warm sun kissed her cheeks, which made her smile and let out a slight giggle, thankful that the rest of her team was not awake to hear it. She then remembered something through the morning haze in her mind, and looked down at the floor of her dorm.
"It was all just a dream," she thought, almost glad, as it all seemed so surreal.
"Good morning, Mistress Weiss," Saber said, which almost made Weiss jump out of her bed in surprise, a yelp escaping her, which forced the rest of her team awake.
"You are still here?" Weiss exclaimed, now wishing that she had not awoken.
"Wait, you stayed awake the whole night?" Yang asked, her eyes widened in surprise and wonder. "That is some dedication…"
Everyone looked to the woman named Saber, who sat on a little chair that she pulled from their desk in the corner of their dorm. Her posture was regal, sitting straight and at attention, and her palms laid out on top of her legs. Which was the first thing Weiss noted, that her hands seemed to be free and calm, and not looking as if it held something.
In her mind, however, Saber tried her best to not sway from side to side in her chair, the fatigue taking its toll and she did her best to control her breathing as it would be the only signal that would show that she was tired. Weiss then let out a sigh of exasperation, and she pushed herself off the bed and made her way to the dorm's bathroom.
The room was silent; everyone but Saber knew that Weiss was not happy, and it usually meant that everyone should be silent in case they were to incur her wrath. Instead, everyone stared at Saber, who in returned each glance but said nothing, the only sound was that of the shower in the bathroom.
"So," Yang said. "Who are you exactly?"
Saber sat and looked back at Yang, careful not to betray any emotion as she thought about her own identity, the entire night she tried to make sense of it, but it only came back as a blank; all she knew was that her Class designation was Saber.
"I believe I told you last night that my name is Saber," she responded as she concluded that this was the best answer she could give.
"But that isn't your real name though, is it?" Ruby asked as she tilted her head from the top bunk of her bed, but Saber gave no response.
"Where did you come from?" Blake asked, and everyone immediately nodded, as that was the most prominent question.
"The Grail allowed me to come here," Saber thought. For all she knew, anyone could be an enemy in the coming war, that much she knew for certain, and these girls seemingly had no idea what was going on; it was probably better to keep it that way.
The team heard the showerhead turn off, and before long, Weiss emerged from the restroom with in a bathrobe as well as a towel wrapped around her head. The room went silent again, while she tried her best to ignore Saber as she walked past without giving her so much as a glance. Yang, slowly crawled off the bed, and was the next one to try and enter the bathroom, until her sister followed her in.
Saber sat in silence, sensing her Mistress's displeasure and she, too, sat silently while she looked away from her Mistress as she changed. When Weiss had dressed in her usual battle attire, she let out a long sigh, which signaled to Saber that she had perhaps calmed down.
"Mistress Weiss," Saber said, as she stood up from her seat and at attention. Weiss turned her head and glared at Saber, as she waited for her to speak her piece. "What is our plan?"
Weiss then straightened herself, and began to worry; normally, a familiar was supposed to disappear after it was no longer needed but Saber stayed through the whole night. How was she going to account for something, or someone following her everywhere?
"Ummm, for now you will just masquerade as my servant," Weiss responded, and continued to think about how to cement her cover as a servant to her family.
"I don't need to masquerade as one, as I am your servant," Saber responded.
"You know what I mean!" Weiss exclaimed, which forced Saber to back down. "How am I going to explain someone just coming out of thin air?"
"Of course, Mistress –" Saber replied.
"Stop calling me that!" Weiss interrupted. "It is making me uncomfortable!"
"Just 'Weiss' then?" Saber asked.
"Yes, please," Weiss concluded and she moved her hand up to rub her eyes.
"Understood," Saber answered, before Yang and Ruby both emerged from the bathroom, both looked more refreshed after their entrance, at which point, it was Blake's turn.
"So," Weiss said, as she stalked towards Saber, who kept her rock solid stance as she approached. "We need to come up with a solid cover for you."
"Cover?" Saber asked.
"Yes, because of you, Ms. Goodwitch thinks that you are a servant from my family's estate," Weiss replied. "So from now on, that is what you are, and if you need to know, I am heiress to a wealthy Dust company in Atlas."
"I apologize, Weiss," Saber interrupted, to which Weiss put her hands on her hips and waited. "But, Dust? Atlas? What is that?"
Weiss recoiled at Saber's confusion, and even Ruby and Yang looked back to one another as if they were conferring with each other about what they just heard.
"Are – are you serious? Vale? Mistral? Vacuo?" Weiss asked, to which Saber responded with a shake of her head. "That's just my luck, my first ummm… 'successful summoning' and I summon the dumbest familiar!"
Saber closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, upset at Weiss' reaction, but it was not her fault. The more she tried to think about the significance of these words, the more drew on nothing but blanks.
"The Holy Grail is supposed to grant knowledge of the time period I am in, why don't I know anything?" Saber thought. "What is happening?"
"Summoning?" Yang exclaimed, as she slowly got ready and pulled her arms into her jacket.
"Yeah... My Glyphs don't just allow me to amplify Dust based attack and use magic," Weiss said nervously, especially after having hidden her ability from her team. "I can also summon a familiar to fight for me; it's hereditary."
"Semblance?" Saber thought, her confusion only matched by Yang's and Ruby's, which quickly disappeared as they pieced everything together.
"But that doesn't matter, all you need to know is that I am Weiss Schnee, and I am heiress to the Schnee Family Dust Company," Weiss declared. "And you are my servant, sent by my father to assist me."
"I understand," Saber responded, reluctantly, as she felt wrong about possibly having to lie. Even though, it was true that she was her Servant, which should help in some cases.
Ruby and Yang had already gotten ready, and Saber noticed that she slid something over her belt behind her back while Yang put on two armbraces. Before long, Blake re-emerged from the bathroom, and the room went silent again as everyone waited for her, and they all got up, ready to leave for the dining hall once she had finished.
"Wait," Blake said, and everyone stopped to turn towards her. "What about her?"
Everyone then diverted their attention towards Saber, and they all silently nodded as they realized what Blake was referring to; as they all scanned her outfit, it was if she was prepped for battle and not befitting of someone who was supposed to be a servant.
"That's right, you can't go out like that," Weiss said quietly, but just as she said it, Saber closed her eyes and her figure was flooded by a blinding light, which expelled from her, and revealed that her battle gown was replaced with a normal blue dress, and her hair hung freely except for a ponytail behind her head.
"Woah," Ruby commented, a smile creeped on her face. "That's so cool!"
Yang remarked on this with only a shrug, but as she walked past Saber, she tried her best to a hide a grin in response to Ruby's reaction; while Blake followed behind Yang, Weiss simply waved her hand to signal to Saber to follow.
Besides the sounds of mutters and chatters from the many students of Beacon, Atlas, Haven, and Shade Academies, it all seemed quiet as RWBY and JNPR sat together in silence. With JNPR all eyeing Saber curiously, but also cautiously, especially after how they met last night. Saber, stood against the wall behind Weiss with her hands together in front of her, standing patiently and looked ahead; ignoring the comments made about her.
"Is she going to eat?" Nora asked in a hushed voice.
"I think that's the wrong question, Nora," Ren responded.
"Yeah, who is she?" Jaune asked, Saber's stoic expression rivaled even Glynda's, and that made him slightly uncomfortable.
"She is my servant," Weiss said, with a hint of cheeriness in her voice to mask the small ping her mind that in a sense, it was a blatant lie.
"I didn't know you needed a servant," Pyrrha responded. "You seem to be able to handle yourself."
"Thank you, Pyrrha," Weiss replied, while Saber stood without uttering as a word, as per Weiss's orders.
"She's a little weird though," Yang mentioned. "She didn't even know what Dust was or what any of the kingdoms were."
JNPR recoiled at this revelation, with Jaune and Pyrrha showing clear surprise while Nora seemingly ignored the comment, and Ren kept a calm expression; however, what betrayed his feelings of curiosity was how his eyes moved from side to side, as if he was reading something in his mind.
"Yeah, not only that, but she didn't sleep the whole night," Yang continued, unaware that Saber could hear her.
"That is weird," Jaune whispered, and as they continued to talk about Saber, Ruby looked back at her as she couldn't help but feel slightly curious about her. Saber began to feel the sleep deprivation kick in, as she now couldn't keep her gaze up and was now staring at the floor. However, she felt a strange feeling and looked up to then lock eyes with Ruby, who both stared at each other in silence.
"Saber?" Ruby asked, to which Saber raised her head in response and looked back at her curiously.
"Yes?" she responded.
"Don't you want to eat?" Ruby asked and tilted her head.
"Oh," Saber replied, and smiled politely at the little girl. "It's alright, I don't need to –"
At that moment, a loud grumbling noise could be heard, which seemed to come from Saber's direction. Saber froze, embarrassed that her own body would betray her like this and she hung her head and let out a long, drawn out sigh; Ruby immediately stood up and walked away, before returning moments later with a tray full of food, which made Saber swallow with anticipation.
"Here you go!" Ruby said whimsically, however, Saber looked over to Weiss, as if to ask for permission, but Weiss simply stuck her nose up and ignored her. It wasn't exactly a 'no', and in order to not seem rude, Saber sat down and picked up the fork.
"Thank you," Saber said.
"Ruby," Ruby replied with a cheerful smile, to which Saber looked up with a hint of confusion; just as she was about to bite into a piece of food. "My name is Ruby."
"It is a pleasure to meet you; thank you again, Ruby," Saber responded, and Ruby's smile grew bigger as she immediately stood up and ran over to the blonde girl.
"This is my sister, Yang," Ruby pointed out, and the girl named Yang stuck two fingers into the air.
"S'up." Yang said, and Saber responded with a nod.
"This is Blake!" Ruby exclaimed again, and Blake leaned forward to look at Saber, who sat just a couple seats away at the table and greeted her with a gentle smile. "And this is Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren!"
Saber, still not given the chance to enjoy her meal, looked to each individual as their names were called out, but greeted them with a nod nonetheless; they all looked back at Saber with accepting smiles.
"This is Saber!" Ruby pointed out, the strange name not seeming so strange to her now, but the smiles of JNPR wavered once they heard the name. Once the introductions were out of the way, Saber finally bit into her meal and let out a sigh of satisfaction as the taste danced on her tongue.
"And welcome to Beacon Academy!" Nora jumped in, and Saber swallowed before she replied.
"So, this is a school?" Saber asked, and Nora nodded eagerly.
"Yep! The best in all of the Kingdoms!" Nora added.
"Intriguing, I would like to know more," Saber respond.
"But for now, just worry about eating," Ren interrupted, and Saber nodded.
"Most Servants can still survive through normal nourishment and rest," Saber thought before she swallowed and picked at another piece. "However, it is troublesome."
The table was silent now, as everyone else had finished their meals and were now watching Saber, who was unaware that all eyes were on her now. Then Weiss let out a frustrated 'hmph' and crossed her eyes, but then Pyrrha noticed something, and turned to see the markings on Weiss' right hand. She froze for a moment upon seeing them, and swallowed as she then looked up at Weiss.
"Weiss, since when did you get a tattoo?" Pyrrha asked nervously.
"Oh," Weiss replied and looked down at the markings that Saber had earlier mentioned to be a 'Command Seal'. "Just recently, in fact."
Her response sounded like she was unsure of the answer herself, but Pyrrha simply dropped the subject and huddled to herself. As she noticed the markings, something began to whisper something in her mind, and now she couldn't get her mind off of it.
"Pyrrha, you alright?" Jaune whispered, as he placed a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to almost jump in her seat.
"I'm alright, Jaune," Pyrrha replied. "Thank you."
Everyone then looked up as a pinging from a Scroll grabbed their attention and everyone pulled out their own to check if it was theirs. As Weiss picked hers up, she realized that it was hers, in fact, with a message from Professor Goodwitch.
"Ms. Schnee, the Headmaster would like a word with you," she read and immediately became nervous as she thought that the faculty might have begun to suspect Saber. "Bring your servant with you as well."
Although she kept a calm and collected expression, Weiss' worries grew and she stood up to leave.
"Sorry everyone, I have to go," Weiss said, and she turned to Saber and gave her a harsh glare. "Come on, Saber."
Although she was only half done, Saber nodded without complaint and wiped her mouth with a napkin before she stood up and bowed before everyone.
"It was a pleasure meeting all of you; and thank you for the meal, Miss Ruby," Saber said as she turned to leave a blushing Ruby.
" Awww," Ruby said before she snickered. "She called me Miss."
Saber followed behind Weiss silently as she still sensed a bit of hostility from her, but in reality she was just worried about how to make up a story to explain Saber's presence. However, something still bothered Saber, and she knew she couldn't hold it in for long.
"Weiss, may I ask you something?" Saber asked.
"What is it?" Weiss responded.
"All last night, I began to feel tired, and it was rather strange," Saber announced, and Weiss stopped as she turned to Saber with a quirked brow.
"I don't understand how it would be strange, you did stay up all night," Weiss replied, coldly.
"Well, yes, but why did I feel tired?" Saber asked, and Weiss's disposition changed, wondering why a grown person would ask such question. "What I mean is, a Servant can stay awake indefinitely through their master's supply of mana."
Again, Weiss' disposition changed as Saber spoke, it was a little less aggressive but still had a hint of confusion.
"Mana? Saber, what are you talking about?" Weiss asked, now curious.
"I exist through your supply of mana, the energy from your soul," Saber responded, although the tone in her voice almost made it come out as a question.
"Saber, that is nonsense, I don't have time for this," Weiss said with a scoff and continued towards Ozpin's office with a brisk pace; leaving behind a confused Saber. Once Saber caught up to Weiss, who was standing in front of the double doors to Ozpin's office. "Remember, you are a servant from my family's estate."
Saber nodded in acknowledgement before Weiss opened it and walked inside, with Saber following behind. They made their way to the desk, which was in front of a large window looking over the Kingdom of Vale, and behind the desk, sat a smiling Ozpin.
"Hello, Miss Schnee. How are you today?" He said softly, and motioned towards a seat that was in front of his desk. The afternoon sun shining through Ozpin's green tinted windows, which gave the room a calming green hue.
"Hello, Headmaster, I am well. Thank you," Weiss said through false confidence, hiding the fact she had been stressed the entire day. "May I ask how you are doing this afternoon?"
Ozpin paused as he eyed Saber, who was standing behind Weiss, then turned his attention back to his student.
"I am well, Weiss, thank you for asking. I am looking forward to the tournament matches today, and I also heard you volunteered for the show once the double rounds are over," Ozpin said.
"I did, it's a good way for me to represent our school," Weiss replied, this time the confidence wasn't false, as she stuck her head high; Ozpin then chuckled to himself.
"Do you want any tea, Weiss?" Ozpin offered, and gestured towards an already hot pot of tea next to two saucers with cups on them.
"If it is alright with you, Headmaster," Weiss replied, and Ozpin then took a cup and lifted the pot as he then tilted it, allowing the hot tea to pour into the cup.
"Tell me when to stop," Ozpin said, but then glanced over to Saber again and this time, their eyes met; the smile on his face fading as they stared at one another, as if they were examining each other.
"That's enough, thank you, Headmaster," Weiss said, and she picked up the cup of tea and sipped from it slowly; a moan of satisfaction escaped her lips as it tasted sweet. She then noticed the pause, and saw the looks that Ozpin was exchanging looks with Saber, and she realized she had to act quickly.
"Oh, Headmaster, this is my servant, Saber," Weiss said quickly, and Ozpin did glance back at Weiss to respond with a smile, he then looked back at Saber as he took in this information.
"What exactly do you do?" Ozpin asked, and as Saber opened her mouth to respond, Weiss spoke up instead.
"She was uhhh, sent to help me with errands," Weiss said nervously. "Like when I run out of Dust!"
"Interesting," Ozpin said under his breath and looked back up to Saber. "I thought your family sent you Dust whenever you ran out?"
Weiss, silently chuckled to herself, possible responses ran through her mind, but none of them involved telling the truth.
"Yeah, well, I have to send a letter, then they have to send it, it's just a waste time of time!" Weiss responded. "It's much faster to just get it myself."
Ozpin then nodded in agreement, and looked back to Saber once more, just from the look in her eyes, he felt that she was hiding something; Saber looked back at Ozpin, every ounce of honor in her said that she should tell the truth, but she was also honor-bound to obey her Mistress by following the false story she chose, so she held her tongue.
"That is true, Myrtenaster does run on Dust, and you do require it to use your magic," Ozpin pointed out, and Saber then pieced together in her mind what Dust is, or at least some idea of what it was. "Well, Ms. Schnee, I hope that next time in the future you speak with me, before bringing some of your family's servants to the school. It allows us to make the proper accommodations and we wouldn't want our reputation for being hospitable be tarnished, would we?"
"Of course not, sir," Weiss sighed with relief. "Well, I am gonna meet up with my team, and we will watch the next match."
"Have a good day, Ms. Schnee," Ozpin replied, and although it didn't have the same intensity, he shot another glance over at Saber. She was observant, she knew that he knew Weiss was lying, but cared enough about his students to give them the benefit of the doubt; she too saw how observant he was, she realized that he had the look of a man that knew everyone's secrets, like someone else she once knew, but couldn't make out the name.
Weiss got up and curtsied, before she turned around and began to leave, but not before Saber bowed before Ozpin.
"I thank you for your hospitality, Headmaster," Saber said.
"Please, she calls me that because she has been conditioned to be so formal," Ozpin said with a chuckle. "Please, call me Ozpin."
Saber kept her stance, her head still lowered in her bow and not looking up. "Of course. I thank thee again."
Ozpin nodded and picked up his cup to sip from it, as he watched this peculiar woman turn and walk away. Once the door had closed, Qrow quietly emerged from behind one of the many columns inside of Ozpin's office.
"Well, that was interesting," Qrow said. "When Glynda filled me in on the details, I was skeptical, but the ways she composed herself made it seem she was much more than a simple servant."
Ozpin kept silent as he processed everything in his mind and a shudder went through him, as he realized that just like how he was examining her, she examined him.
"Considering the coincidences, do you believe her?" Qrow asked.
"Although I wouldn't want to say that my students are liars, I, unfortunately, will say that I cannot believe this story," Ozpin replied.
"So why didn't you press her?" Qrow asked, and Ozpin looked back at him.
"I don't have the evidence to prove otherwise, so for now I am obliged to give her the benefit of the doubt," Ozpin said and took another sip from his tea, the taste soured by the growing worry in his soul.
Weiss walked with an air of confidence, as if she had just emerged victorious from battle, but Saber didn't feel like she won any great victory.
"Weiss, why didn't you tell him the truth?" Saber asked, and the feeling that Weiss felt immediately disappeared and she turned and put her hands to her hips.
"Tell him what?" Weiss replied.
"Who I really am," Saber continued.
"Look, what did you expect me to say? I don't even know who you are!" Weiss exclaimed, and Saber took in a collected breath and looked at Weiss with the same fiery determination that she saw when she first appeared; the same look that reminded her of her sister, and how it almost frightened her.
"I am your Servant, I was summoned by you, and materialized by the Grail for the coming war against the other Servants," Saber replied, and Weiss scoffed dismissively.
"I am glad I didn't let you talk," Weiss replied. "What makes you think he would believe that?"
"There is more to him than you think," Saber responded, and Weiss recoiled upon hearing it and a sense of anger swelled within her.
"Saber, are you calling me ignorant?" Weiss hissed.
"No, Mistress," Saber said defensively. "I just think that he would believe us if you allowed me to explain where I came from."
"YOU don't even know where you came from! You barely even know about our world! Grail? War? He would think you are crazy!" Weiss yelled.
"But –" Saber tried to reply.
"No! And you know what else? There are no other servants!" Weiss continued. "Because my family has been the only one known to summon familiars!"
Saber froze upon hearing this, everything she thought she knew only confused her more, and when she tried to think, it only went blank. Weiss stomped her heel when Saber had no response, and she turned to leave.
"Just my luck that I would summon a defective one at that," Weiss muttered, before she left Saber behind. Saber gritted her teeth as she thought upon this revelation.
"Can it be? Maybe me being summoned here was some kind of accident?" Saber thought as she tightened her fist, but then loosened it and she looked up to see the back of Weiss' head in the distance. "No matter, I have sworn my blade to her, and I plan to honor that."
Saber then followed her mistress, although her feelings on the matter was tinged with a hint of sadness.
JNPR were in their room, freshening up for the day as they were preparing to head out to Amity Colosseum for the Vytal Tournament. Nora got ready with her normal cheerfulness, which was mixed with her usual ecstatic nature. However, Pyrrha sat on her bed, her gaze fixated on the floor which Jaune noticed as he sat on the edge of his bed and watched her.
He wanted to say something, but thought she could just be feeling sick, until his own worries got the best of him and he stood up, then sat next to her.
"Hey, everything alright?" he whispered, his voice going unheard by his other teammates as Nora continued to talk over him, giving the two privacy.
"Something doesn't feel right," Pyrrha responded and she huddled closer to herself.
"Maybe you're sick," Jaune posited.
"No, Jaune, ever since last night, with Saber and the explosion," Pyrrha continued.
"Its fine, maybe some of Weiss' Dust backfired," Jaune continued and looked up to see what his teammates were up to, and saw that none of them noticed their conversation. Pyrrha thought so too, but something kept whispering in her mind that led her to believe that was not the case.
"Jaune, do you remember ever seeing Weiss's tattoo yesterday?" Pyrrha asked, and Jaune shrugged.
"I don't really look at many people's hands, let alone girls'," Jaune responded.
"I know that she didn't have it yesterday during the water fight," Pyrrha continued, and the whispering grew more daunting.
"Is that what's bothering you?" Jaune asked, and he immediately felt that he was belittling her, even though it was hard to. Strangely enough, Pyrrha did manage to laugh a little and she leaned in Jaune's arms.
"You are right, I guess it's nothing," Pyrrha responded, trying her best to smile through the constant whispers.
Cinder sat down on her seat in front of the desk in her team's dorm, staring at the back of her hand with intrigue, as she held it in the air. She quirked a brow, as she saw markings on it that was split into the a distinct emblem and thought it was some kind of joke.
At that moment, the door opened, which broke the silence, as well as her concentration as she looked towards the entrance through the corner of her eye. The person who entered was Mercury Black, who then threw an empty bag of chips into the trash bin as he chewed the remaining bits.
"Mercury, tell me, how do you want to die?" Cinder asked, which immediately caught his attention due to the nature of the strange question.
"Ummm, not now?" Mercury answered with a mouth full of food.
"Then tell me what this is," Cinder responded, and showed her hand to Mercury, who peeked at it and laughed; his face then changed as he noticed Cinder's reaction, as she expressed a hint of anger. "Is this your idea of a prank, Mercury? Usually when someone does this, they have a death-wish."
"Woah, that is not me," Mercury recoiled, and swallowed his food and raised his hands defensively. Cinder thought that he knew how futile it was to fight back, and that by judging from his reaction, he really wasn't responsible. She calmed down and lowered her hand again, but kept her gaze on it.
"Peculiar…" Cinder said under her breath, and at that moment, faint whispering invaded her mind.