The good and bad Bargains
Pyrrha looked around the cafeteria, checking for the teams her team was friendly with, as they ate breakfast.
There was team RWBY, whose leader had brought them over due to recognising a member of her team, sat at a small table, seemingly added to cope with the extra students, and team ANVL, whose leader she had considered for her partner, just arriving and picking up their food.
She had decided to try and find someone as protection against being partnered with someone who just saw her as the championship fighter rather than as Pyrrha Nikos, but the announcement of Salem, queen of the Grimm, had distracted everyone that might have been planning to secure her as partner, and then the person she had selected as possible shield from such partners had been launched into a Nevermore and she lost her chance.
It was hard not to consider how different it would have been, if she had been partnered with Jaune, whether he would have proven what she suspected of his character, but such musings were meaningless.
As she spotted the teams she couldn't help but frown. For some reason both team leaders looked as though they hadn't got much sleep.
Jaunes teammates, the human ones at least, also looked as though they had stayed up late, but not to the same degree as their leader.
It was quite possible nobody else had noticed, she was much more used to looking over humans and faunus for possible weaknesses than most Huntsmen or Huntresses after all, but that didn't do anything for answering why they might be so tired.
A thought crossed her mind, after all everyone knew by this point that Jaunes teammates were together, no matter what they maintained, or at least wanted to be, so if they were tired and the team leaders as well...
She shook her head. Even if she was right it was none of her business.
Her musings were interrupted by a question.
"Do you mind if we join you?"
It was team ANVL.
"I think we should stick together," Jaune continued, "us with Grimm on our teams. I mean, nobodies actually gone as far as to try and bully us," his teammate shook his head slightly, as if to say there had been attempts at bullying, "but it would still be best to stick together."
She blinked. That was mostly coherent, but not completely. Could it be the lack of sleep?
"I have no problem with it," she glanced at her team, "I don't think the rest of my team do either, so feel free."
Her team leader, the Ursa, made a sound of agreement, and team ANVL took seats at their table.
"Thanks. So, uh, who were you again?"
Pyrrha felt her lip twitch towards a smile. "Pyrrha Nikos," she introduced herself. "I'm from Mistral."
"Jaune," he began, before his teammate interrupted.
"Nora! And this is Ren, we're from Anima too. Originally anyway. Why did you pick Beacon?"
It didn't seem to Pyrrha that Nora recognised her, which was quite surprising given how her personality should have made the tournaments appeal to her. While she assumed Nora was from Vale it wasn't too weird, as they had to have their own tournaments given some of the opponents she had faced, but now it didn't make sense that she hadn't faced Nora in the ring.
"Uh, what do you mean about Anima and Mistral?"
Blake slammed her book down. "How do you not know this? Anima is the continent, Mistral is just the main city. I know Atlas renamed their continent for their city, but that doesn't mean anywhere else should follow their example."
Jaune scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. "I never was too good with geography."
Pyrrha stifled a laugh. There was just something about him that drew her attention. It wasn't just that she was interested in blondes. No, definitely not.
"Aren't you team leader though? It seems important for you to know about where you're operating. You'll study it, I trust?"
He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I have a few other things to look up as well. But," he glanced at his team, "you can let me know what I need to, right? I mean, as a team it's all about working together rather than just relying upon one person."
Pyrrha found herself nodding. Her team was nothing like that, but surely that is how Professor Ozpin intended the teams to function.
It was something to think about during the day, she decided, as the teams continued to talk until it was time for lessons.
[]
Ruby did her best to focus on what doctor Oobleck was telling them, but he talked way too fast. It didn't help that he kept practically teleporting from place to place.
She realised it might seem ironic to people that she of all people would have trouble following someone because they went too fast, but her semblance didn't accelerate her thoughts. And anyway, it should be obvious that she made sure to limit her rate of speech, as what was the point in talking too fast for people to follow anyway?
About all she could tell about the lecture was that it involved Faunus in some way.
"Has anyone been targeted due to their Faunus heritage?"
There were a few hands raised among the students, the mere thought of which made Ruby angry. What was wrong with some people? Faunus were just other people, and everyone here should be focused on the Grimm instead of having bullying distract from their training.
"Terrible, just terrible," Oobleck clearly agreed with her about their treatment. "I hope you all realise that you can come to me with any problems you face. Does anyone know when the course of the war changed?"
"The battle of Fort Castle," Weiss immediately spoke up. It did sound familiar to Ruby...
"Can anyone tell me what caused general Lagunes defeat in the battle? Miss Valkyrie."
"Stupidity!"
"That is not the right answer-"
"I mean lack of intelligence! That's it isn't it?"
It was clear that Oobleck was torn whether to accept the answer or not. On the one hand, that was technically correct and it was rare for Nora to pay any attention in class, on the other the answer could be used for any mistake and lacked a certain historical integrity.
"An incomplete answer. Can anyone share what it was that general Lagune didn't know?"
"Faunus can see clearly in the dark."
"Exactly right, miss Belladonna. If he hadn't decided to launch a night attack his forces wouldn't have been overwhelmed in quite the same manner."
The brief question and answer finished, the doctor went back to his fast-paced lecturing. Ruby let her attention wander and glanced at the seats behind her.
Cardin was glaring in the direction of team ANVL.
She frowned. The first person to give her any help at Beacon was the leader of team ANVL, and from what she'd seen of Cardin he made her think of a bully.
Of course, it wasn't as if there was any place for bullies in Beacon, but she was hardly going to take any risks around someone who helped her. She was going to have to investigate!
Just so long as it didn't get in the way of her other plans...
[]
"Do you have any idea why Cardin might have been glaring at you?"
lunch had barely began and Jaune hadn't been expecting to have team RWBY's leader to drag her team over (not literally, although that had been known to happen), nor for her to start questioning him.
"W-what are you talking about?"
"In Ooblecks lesson I caught Cardin glaring at you."
Jaune sighed. "He decided to help teach me. Said that as I was I disgraced the traditionalists."
"Hey, why didn't you tell us?"
Nora didn't sound to him as though she was overly upset, rather using a more teasing tone of voice.
"How does that lead to him glaring at you in class?"
"It only happened last night, I didn't have much of a chance. And Cardin decided I need more confidence. He wanted me to stand up and give an answer."
"We need to figure out a schedule," Ren sighed. "If you train through the night it'll do more harm than good."
"Why do you need extra training anyway? How did you get into Beacon if you didn't already know the basics?"
"Eheheh," Ruby couldn't help but laugh nervously at Weiss' words, even if they weren't aimed at her. "Anyway, why didn't you come to us for help? I know we barely know each other, but you've got to admit we're much friendlier than Cardin."
Yang snorted. "Are you seriously trying to pretend that you're willing to study more than you need to sis?"
"Thanks for the offer, but I don't think Cardin would be happy if I abandoned his lessons."
"I could-"
"I also doubt he would accept having someone else join the lessons. Hopefully we'll be able to come up with a compromise about the timing of the lessons."
"This could be the time to find out, his team just came in," Nora helpfully pointed out. "Oh," she continued as she saw them walking over to harass one of the Faunus students, "well, time to break some legs."
[]
Team WLDS was late showing up to lunch.
Granted, it was only Dove who had been ordered to stay behind, but Cardin wasn't one to leave any of his team behind, even in the academy rather than on a mission.
As they walked through the corridors many other students watched them or backed away.
It made Cardin grind his teeth.
It was still the first full week of classes and already people were writing him and his team off as bullies. Okay, sure, it wasn't unknown for him to pick fights with other students, but they were intending to become Huntsmen (occasionally Huntresses) and it wasn't as though he went all out against them when he did.
Okay, he sometimes went all out against them, but that was only those who were entirely unsuited to the career. It was good for their life expectancy.
Just like the way he toughened the others up.
It was for the good of the kingdom.
As they entered the cafeteria he spotted one of the students he remembered from some of their lessons but not from initiation. From what he'd seen she had problems with confidence, explaining why she would be covering first year subjects as well as those for whatever year she was actually in.
He led his team straight over to her. If she couldn't deal with a group of supposed bullies she would be unlikely to function in the more public elements of a Huntresses job. And if she could deal with them it should help with her confidence.
"Wh-what do you want?"
It didn't do much for his opinion of her the way she was so hesitant talking to people in the middle of the Beacon cafeteria.
"You're not really cut out to be a Huntress, are you?"
"What do you mean by that?"
There was a hint of anger in her voice, but suppressed.
He grabbed her ears, pulling them up over her head.
"Let go, you're hurting me!"
"And what are you going to do about it?"
Cardin couldn't help getting angry. For this girl to be here in Beacon it meant that another student who applied didn't get in. One with enough confidence to inspire the civilians they protected, allowing their emotions to protect them further against the Grimm.
The girl barely struggled against him, squirming in his grasp instead.
"And you're supposed to be a Huntress," he scoffed, releasing her ears and letting her fall to the ground.
He was all set to walk away when he noticed the people staring in the direction of his team. Getting the feeling that he was missing something he turned back around, and saw his teams Seer floating towards the girl with its tentacles extended.
There was one thought that immediately sprung to mind.
"Wait, get away from her," he immediately called to his Grimm teammate. He didn't want to think about what his teams reputation would end up like if this continued.
Sky and Dove grabbed the Seer and dragged it away from the girl, doing their best to avoid its tentacles.
Cardin thought quickly. "Back to the room, we need a team meeting."
[]
Jaune walked his teams Grimm to the rooftop it had adopted for sleeping. Nothing much had happened since lunch, leaving Cardins earlier actions on his mind.
"There you are," Cardins voice stated from behind him.
Jaune turned to face him. "Why did you do that to Velvet?"
Cardin frowned. "Who?"
"The Faunus. At lunch."
"She needs to toughen up. It was the best way to deal with it. The seer... that wasn't intentional," he acknowledged awkwardly. "I've talked to it, but I'm not totally sure if it understood."
"I can't take lessons from someone who treats people like that. The deal is off."
Jaune tried not to think about what he'd just done as he walked back into the building, knowing that if he did he wouldn't be able to act so confidently.
Behind him Cardin spoke. "You think you can get away with talking to me like that?"
Jaune left before Cardin finished his thought. "I knew you had a backbone somewhere."
[]
Cardin was still on the roof when Russel found him.
"I guess your team wants you to talk to me as well?"
"One of them, we're not exactly united as a team," he admitted.
It had been his partner, confronting him after lunch. He doubted that he would have got through initiation and into Beacon without her and things like that created a debt as far as the more traditionally minded Huntsmen-in-Training were concerned.
She had been... concerned about whether he shared the attitude about Faunus that Cardin appeared to.
When he had convinced her that he no real opinion about the matter she had convinced him to talk with Cardin about his behaviour.
"She wants you to stop treating Faunus like that."
"I was trying to help her, get her to toughen up or become more confident, whatever works," Cardin stated out of anger.
He wasn't always too good about managing his anger, and keeping it under control during the encounter with Jaune had strained him to his limit.
"I owed her, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed."
"Fine, I won't do anything, but only if you take responsibility for getting them ready for action. If you can't convince me they will still be ready for life after Beacon the deal is off. Understood?"
"U-understood. I'll see if my team will help. They got me into this agreement after all."
AN: Sorry about the delays in this chapter. I decided to go for a slightly different style in the opening and to start working on making a version of Cardin I could be happier about using which caused a certain amount of writers block (elements of the lunch scene and rooftop meeting had been planned for a while which is more than I can usually say), and then real life caused more problms in finding time t write while in a mental state I was able to write in.
