Chapter's finally here. Honestly, it shouldn't have taken me this long :P
Now, reviews:
Yuuji Akira: Your reviews are always fun to read! I'm not too sure if Sett tanking a hit from Yang like that is actually possible, but I wanted the dramatic effect lmao (besides, it's a fic so whateves). As for the JoJo reference, I couldn't think of any better way to incorporate it (though, I may revise the previous chapters as I go, so I might tweak that part). And I wanted to add my own little twist/filler, that's why I added the gym scene. But Cardin will definitely watch his words after Sett's through with him. Probably. For the ships and pairing(s)... well… :) . It's good to hear this fic's got you hooked! Means I'm doing something right.
Highcat: Now that you mention it, it did seem a bit much. Glad you enjoyed it though
Freddielebron: Haha, sorry for the wait!
YeTianshi: Maybe xD
hornig3: Luckily for them, Beacon has a high-quality med-center (courtesy of me)
RyuuundyingSoul: Maybe I'll add a direct DIO reference somewhere down the line. After more champion(s) are introduced ;)
MiaMorn: Glad you liked it :D
HoloBestWaifu: You might be right. Bel'veth slaps go craaazy. Screw that champ though, I just want my Udyr rework
Nesthor5000: Pretty sure this is spam or something, so I'm just gonna ignore this one.
human dragon: Thanks for the support b! And I hope those memes were good ones
I won't keep y'all any longer. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own League of Legends or RWBY. Shocker.
"..."
Team CRDL's leader scrunched his brow, thrown off by the out-of-nowhere question. "What? I didn't say anything about… oh." He smirked, pleased he had finally got under this loser's skin. It felt good to get some kind of payback after being pushed around by this guy, even if it was just through words. 'Words won't be the only thing hurting him in a minute,' the bully thought, ready to put this cocky SOB in his place. With his teammates backing him up, they'd make short work of their lone opponent.
* Start: Mick Gordon - Rip & Tear (0:00) *
Of course, the boy failed to realize just how wrong he was.
Because if anyone was going to get hurt…
The mace-wielder stepped closer to Sett, practically right in front of him, his weapon raised overhead. "That's right. I said your momma's a-MPHH!"
… It was going to be him.
With uncharacteristic speed, the pit champ snapped out a hand, palming Cardin's face. Maintaining his momentum, Sett leaned into the strike, slamming his target into the ground with a resounding crack! Quickly straddling him, the beast boy bastard rained alternating heavy blows onto the dazed boy, unrelenting as he punched with left-right-left-right-left-right-…
Having dropped his weapon in surprise, the team leader raised his arms, doing his best to protect his face. But his best was nowhere near enough, as fists continued to slam into his upper chest and head in a brutal assault, each monstrous punch draining alarming amounts of his aura. If this kept up, he'd be put out of commission in no time at all.
Fortunately for Cardin, It was then that the rest of his team sprung into action. Being the closest one, Sky sprinted over to the two combatants, aiming to get the fist fighter off his leader. With a wide horizontal swing, Sky swung Feather's Edge into Sett's exposed midsection, who didn't see the attack in his blind rage.
Not that it mattered.
Whirling around, he set his murderous gaze on the blue-haired boy, who froze up upon seeing the infuriated look in Sett's eyes. Removing himself from the winded Winchester, the pit champ charged at the fear-filled boy, uncaring of the gunfire sent his way from the rest of team CRDL.
Unsurprisingly, those in the audience also felt apprehension as they caught sight of the rampaging brunette, having never seen him in such a livid state.
"Huh. Is that what I look like when I get worked up?" Yang thought out loud, almost feeling bad for Sky as Sett ran straight at him. Almost.
"Yup." Ruby instantly answered, easily recalling the many times Yang lost her temper. Sometimes it was with boys and old flings, sometimes it was with sparring partners at Signal, but it always ended the same: her big sister beating the crap out of anyone crazy enough to mess with her. Well, except for her match with Sett, where she still gave him a run for his money. "Being angry? Check. Beating people up? Check. Enjoying beating people up? Check. Red eyes when mad? Half-check." Ruby listed, counting off each similar trait on her fingers.
Yang chuckled nervously. "Hey, c'mon Ruby, I'm not that bad… right?" She asked, as Sett connected a nasty uppercut with Sky's chin, sending the boy cartwheeling through the air. 'Oohing' in appreciation of the hard hit, Yang glanced at her sister, who was giving her a flat look. "... Ok, maybe I am." Yang grumbled, conceding to the nearly irrefutable comparison.
A few seats over, Nora was bouncing excitedly as Dove and Russel struggled to evade the incensed brawler. "Ren, ya think he'll break their legs if I promise to scratch his ears?" The ditzy girl asked, starry eyed just at the thought of breaking CRDL's collective bones.
A head of black hair whipped around, her concentration on the spar breaking upon hearing the question. 'What did she just say?' Blake thought, unease growing as Nora kept gushing about her idea. Though, the faunus-in-hiding wasn't sure which part of it she was more worried about.
Apparently she was the only one who was concerned, as Ren calmly glanced at his partner. "Nora, I think that's the last thing on his mind right now." Ren said, sweat dropping as Sett found purchase on the back of two scalps, roughly slamming Russel and Dove's heads together, shattering their respective auras.
After watching the two collapse onto the ground, unconscious, the pit fighter wasted no time in retargeting Cardin, who had just picked up his weapon. Still a bit winded, the boy was frustrated (and a bit frightened) at the display of aggression and strength from his opponent, who's fury still plagued his features.
Did he really set him off by offhandedly insulting his mom? The bully never would've guessed that the freak that just demolished his entire team, something that should have been impossible in his opinion, was a momma's boy. If anything, he seemed like the kind of guy to not give a shit about his folks. A small, rational part of Cardin reminded him that momma's boy or not, it seemed like the chances of taking Sett down was astronomical at this point.
But Cardin didn't care about that. At that moment, all he wanted to do was bash this guy's face in, odds be damned.
Determined to do just that, he matched the half-breed's sprint, swinging his mace as soon as he was in range. But rather than defend himself, the pit champ sent a fist to the team leader's head letting the Executioner clobber his temple. For a moment, Cardin was ecstatic, having finally landed a satisfying blow… until the approaching clenched hand collided with his nose, snapping his skull back hard enough to cause whiplash.
Staggering back from the impact, the team leader was exposed as Sett prepared to launch another barrage of strikes his way: which would have connected, were it not for Sky's timely intervention, having somehow recovered from what should have been a K.O. hit.
With his last second stab to his side, the L of CRDL managed to throw off the pit champ's aim, who wasted no time in enacting swift retaliation. Batting the weapon aside, The pit champ's forward jab momentarily crushed some internal organs, doubling the now-retching smaller combatant over.
With nearly all of the opposing team down for the count, Sett returned his focus on the last member standing-
Whoosh!
-Who was currently mid swing, hoping to capitalize on the half-breed's temporary distraction. Had the team leader been faster, he might've succeeded.
Alas, any such hopes died as the physically stronger fighter lashed a hand out, catching the incoming weapon by its upper handle, inches from his face. Tightening his iron grip, Sett slowly pushed the mace to the side, internally relishing the look of disbelief in front of him.
With a sneer that had 'you're fucked,' written all over it, the red-eyed pugilist waited until Cardin realized just that, finally expressing his rapidly growing dread.
A hard headbutt loosened the bully's grip.
The Executioner was ripped out of his hands before he could recover.
As soon as the stars cleared from his vision, Cardin was able to see Sett pull back-
BAM!
-before being sent careening through the air by his own weapon, which instantly snapped in half from the impact.
Landing in a heap, the nearly concussed boy tried to rise a few times, before crumpling to the ground one last time.
* End: Mick Gordon - Rip and Tear (3:36) *
"That concludes the spar." Weiss announced, surveying the aftermath with an analytical eye. If she were being completely honest, the heiress expected a more gruesome ending, given Sett's style of fighting (not to mention his sudden ferocity). Though, that's not to say he didn't do a number on the whole of team CRDL, who lay around either unconscious or groaning in pain. "If anyone needs medical attention… you know where to find the infirmary." She coldly added, sparing no sympathy for any of the injured bullies. They had it coming, after all, the ruffians that they were.
Thu-Thunk.
Tossing the now broken weapon to the side, the half-vastayan strode over to Cardin, the boy slowly sitting up straight.
Now, as one of the many losers of this fight, the most logical thing to do would be to treat the opponent with a little more respect, given how said opponent put him through the meat grinder.
In reality, Cardin's bruised ego took control of his mouth. "This isn't over, you understand me? Yo-"
THWACK!
With a backhanded strike to his nose, the boy cried out in pain, falling back onto the ground. Gingerly reaching a hand up, Cardin only had a moment to process the feeling of the now-broken cartilage before Sett continued to bash his face.
POW!
POW!
POW!
POW!
POW!
POW!
POW!
Voices called out to the half-breed, imploring him to stop. But how could he? This scumbag had done the one thing he wouldn't tolerate, no matter the circumstances. No one talked badly about his momma. It didn't matter who the person was, or what state they were in, he'd throw hands with anybody. Sett refused to let that go unpunished. Raising his arm above a very dazed face, the next punch-
Clang.
-was suddenly met with firm resistance.
Crouching with his shield angled up, Jaune knelt between the two bigger boys, blocking Sett from further pummeling the downed student. A moment later, the pit champ felt firm hands latch onto his bicep, preventing him from further expressing his aggression.
It didn't take long for those gloved hands to tighten their grip, ready to act should Sett try anything. "Alright, big guy. I think that's enough." Yang calmly stated, praying that he would get a hold of himself. Not because she cared for Cardin or anything, but she'd rather her friend not get expelled for giving someone a permanent injury (even if they did kinda deserve the beating).
"Yea, what she said." Jaune added through gritted teeth. "Pretty sure another hit like that and I'm going to end up in the infirmary." That seemed to do the trick, as Sett loosened his stance, his eyes still burning holes into the downed boy. The two blondes remained vigilant, just in case the brunette tried to do something he'd regret later. Understandably so, as Sett wasn't exactly finished, opening his scowling mouth to speak.
"If you even dream of saying shit about my ma… you better wake up and apologize." Having said his piece, the beast boy bastard stalked off in a dark mood, exiting the uncomfortably silent gym.
"His mother?" Jaune murmured, eyes trained on the pit champ's retreating form. "Sheesh. I never would've guessed that's where he draws the line."
Lilac eyes lit up in realization.
"… Well… you'd be surprised."
It was a beautiful day out.
Though, that was usually the case throughout Vale, given its naturally temperate climate year-round. Even so, the pit champ appreciated it all the same. It beat the hell outta anything else Remnant had to offer. Sitting at the edge of the academy grounds, Sett took in the peaceful atmosphere as best as he could, arms spread out on the back of the bench he sat on.
In front of the boy were several large trees of various types, standing tall behind a quietly flowing riverbank. Nestled in the crook of one tree and its branch was what looked like a bird's nest, if the occasional chirp was anything to go by.
He couldn't really explain it, but there was something soothing about basking in the soft wind and warm sunlight on his skin. Closing his eyes, the half-vastayan let the sounds of nature wash over him as well. Whether it was the rustling leaves, critters of the forest, or running water, all ambient noises were welcomed. After all, one thing the veteran brawler had learned was to appreciate the quiet time between beatdowns when he could. This was simply one of those times.
Because after today… well, there was no doubt in his mind that this was definitely needed as well as wanted, if only to take his mind off of unwanted thoughts.
He was still pissed at Cardin, not to mention the rest of that team, but that's not what was bothering the Runeterran so much. Sett had dealt with plenty of punks like them over the years, so they were a minor inconvenience at most.
No, there was something else gnawing at his core, something he was still struggling with.
"I had a feeling I'd find you in a place like this. It's right up your alley."
Cracking an eye open and turning his head towards the unexpected voice, Sett was greeted with the sight of one of his friends, a smirk on her face as she strode closer. "What makes you say that?"
She shrugged. "Well, back in Emerald Forest, you seemed to really enjoy our nature walk." Yang said, plopping down next to him. With an amused smile, she leaned back in her seat. "You also enjoy your 'you' time as much as Blake, and she hates it when people bother her then. Really, it was easy for a genius like me to put two and two together." Honestly, looking for Sett in an isolated place outdoors had been a hunch at best, but it saved the girl a lot of time searching high and low around Beacon, so she wasn't going to complain.
The brunette huffed at that. "Wow, brains and brawn, huh? Maybe you should be the one leading the team."
"Hey, that's a great idea! Thanks, handsome."
"No problem. Let me just see if team JNPR needs a fifth."
The two shared a laugh before falling into a comfortable silence, as if they were simply hanging out and enjoying the afternoon. Which could've been the case, had Sett not single handedly put four students in the infirmary half an hour ago. That being said, Yang couldn't deny that she was happy that team CRDL had their asses kicked: it's the least they deserved for being jerks to pretty much everyone. Though, she was also admittedly a bit worried at the Yang-like anger Sett had displayed. Speaking of which…
"So. You feeling better now?" She asked, eliciting a raised brow from her teammate. "Y'know, after putting on a show with Cardin and his team."
Wow. And Sett thought he was blunt. "A little bit, yea."
Encouraged by the response, the blonde probed a little further. "That's good! Cause you seemed pretty ticked off by something Cardin said to you." She didn't know the exact words spoken, but she could take a guess, given the context.
"Understatement of the century right there, Yang. Understatement of the century." The beast boy bastard smiled a mirthless smile, something easily spotted by observant purple eyes. "I'm just sort of… stressed, if anything." Glancing over, he expected to see the happy-go-lucky girl smiling, ready to make some kind of crack about stress relief.
To his surprise, he couldn't spot a trace of amusement from Yang. "Do you," the girl cautiously said, "want to talk about it?" She didn't want to pry, especially if she was poking at a touchy topic, but the brawler wanted to make sure everything was alright.
"If I'm gonna be honest… Not really, no." The blonde nodded in understanding.
"But… Ah screw it, might as well." Sett sighed. He didn't think there was anything Yang could say that would help much. But who knows, maybe talking about it would do wonders for his spirits. Besides, he didn't really have anything to lose by doing so. "You know how I'm close with my momma, right? How we've been through thick and thin for as long as I can remember?"
"Mhm." That was one of the first things she'd learnt about the guy.
The boy turned his head towards the river. "It's just, well…" Sett hesitated, before forcing himself to get on with it. Tempting as it was, he couldn't just blow her off, especially since she had gone out of her way to check up on him. He swallowed hard, faint hints of desolation lurking in the corners of his mind.
"I don't know if-when, I'll get to see her again."
And therein lay the source of his troubles. Although he'd gotten over the initial anxiety of being yanked into another reality, it was the accumulating days and weeks that were now chipping away at his resolve. Understandably so: this was the first time he'd been separated from the one constant in his life for more than a day or two, let alone a few dozen. Sure, he'd had some fun, but that didn't placate his frustrations in the slightest. The only thing it really did was distract him momentarily at best. Even the novelty of living in a world with superior technology had quickly worn off.
No, as much as the pit champ had enjoyed his time spent here, he would give anything for a chance to go back home. Maker forbid he'd never get to see his momma again.
And the part Sett hated the most about all of this crap was that there was nothing he could do. He still didn't even know why-
"What do you mean? Aren't you going home when the school year's over?"
Oh yea. That's right. His friends had no idea. "I'm not sure." That part was true, at least. "That may not be in the cards for me." The boy hated himself for even thinking that.
Purple eyes widened ever so slightly. "You really do love her, don't you?" Yang noted, her expression softening as she realized how important this was for the brunette.
"More than anything. I owe her everything." When everyone else had turned their backs on Sett, his momma was the only one who had been there for him. The boy would never forget that.
"Well, do you need a ride, or some lien to get home? Cause I'm sure if you asked Ozpin or Goodwitch, you could work something out." Yang suggested, brainstorming possible solutions for whatever the issue was.
The bastard son shook his head. "I wish it was that simple. But it's, uh, a lot more complicated than it might seem." A rueful smile flashed on his lips. "I think I'll just leave it at that for now. Sorry." To be fair, even if Sett did want to explain, he had no idea where to start. How do you convince someone that you're a visitor from another dimension without seeming like a complete nutcase?
Yang didn't seem to mind, if her reassuring smile was anything to go by. "Nothing to be sorry about, big guy." In truth, the blonde was relatively curious, but she'd respect her friend's decision. It was only fair, since he'd shown nothing but good will in their time together at Beacon.
Still, she wanted to make sure Sett knew she'd leave the door open for another time. "If you ever change your mind, I'd be happy to lend an ear. Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure any one of our friends would be happy to help too." She paused, then shrugged. "Can't imagine what we could do that the professors can't, but hey, you never know."
.
.
.
The boy felt a pang in his chest.
He didn't consider himself to be a sappy person whatsoever. It's just, kindness was a considerably rare thing in his life, barring his momma. Of course, he couldn't really complain: his rough upbringing had changed him for the (mostly) better, after all.
Still, he would treasure it where he could find it. "'Preciate it, Yang." He said, sending a grateful look in her direction.
The blonde responded with a wide smile. "Don't mention it. That's what friends are for."
Friends.
Good friends.
Huh.
Maybe there was a silver lining in this whole mess after all.
"So. What's everyone else up to?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just bringing team CRDL to the infirmary and explaining to the assistant headmistress what happened." She nonchalantly answered, contrasting with the warning bells going off in Sett's head.
Ho boy.
Sometimes, that woman was scarier than his ma.
"I'm sure you'll be fine. If you're lucky, you'll only get a week's worth of detention!" That was a load of crap, and the toothy smile on Yang's face showed she knew it.
He'd play along though. "Getting let off easy with Goodwitch? You're hilarious Yang." Sett remarked, words dripping with sarcasm, which the blonde clearly ignored, as her grin widened.
"Eh, what can I say? It's natural for a girl like me."
For what felt like the umpteenth time since coming to Beacon, the reclusive girl from team RWBYS opened the door to the library, silently walking into the quiet haven. Now that she thought about it, she had probably been here more than the rest of her team combined.
Which wasn't a bad thing by any means. This was, after all, the best place to be when she wanted to get homework done, engross herself in a novel, and avoid annoying commotion.
Today, she was there to fulfill two of those three goals.
With the day coming to a close, the bookworm had been looking forward to enjoying a nice, relaxing session of reading, especially after another long day of classes. Unsurprisingly, the best place to do that was the building that had more pieces of literature than people on campus, where everyone pretty much minded their own business.
As for the second reason…
"... killing spree…"
"...Running Riot…"
"Killjoy."
"NOOOOOOO! My kill streak!" Ruby cried out, throwing her hands in the air in aggravation.
"Sorry Ruby, but you're gonna have to do better than that to beat me!" Yang crowed, eyes glued to the screen as she expertly fiddled with her controller.
"...Ten seconds remaining…"
"C'mon, c'mon, c'MON!"
"..."
"Game, over."
The sisters whopped in either joy or outrage, one having beat the other in some kind of video game. The black haired girl quietly sighed, relieved they were done: maybe now she could have some peace and quiet-
"Hey Blakey, you wanna play?"
And just like that, those five words shot down her hopes, causing them to crash and burn.
"No." She deadpanned, hoping to get the underlying message of 'you're being too loud' across.
Which was promptly glossed over as the blonde turned to the resident Atlesian. "How about you Weiss Cream?" The white haired girl looked up from her scroll, eyes narrowing.
"As much as I appreciate the offer… No thanks. Whatever you're playing doesn't look all that fun." The girl rolled her eyes. "Besides, that kind of stuff is for kids." The heiress haughtily replied.
Yang frowned for a moment, before a glint flashed in her eyes. "I don't know… It sounds to me like you don't think you can win."
Blake prayed Weiss wouldn't take the bait.
"Ha! That's preposterous. As if either of you two could beat me."
Of course.
The blonde shrugged, a shit-eating grin on her face. "Whatever helps you sleep better at night, Weissy."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Ugh, fine, I'll play." She snapped, snatching up a third controller. "But only to prove you're wrong!"
"YES!" "You're on!"
The amber eyed girl felt an eye twitch.
Not in the mood for partaking in such activities in the slightest (or dealing with the noise), the reclusive girl opted to vacate the dorm in favor of the library, hoping for a few quiet hours of reading.
It's not that she had a particular dislike of video games (in truth, she felt indifferent about them, having never played them growing up). If anything, Blake was glad that her friends were having fun. She'd rather just spend her evening differently, that's all. Making her way through the cavernous book room, Blake navigated to the furthest corner, aiming to find the most secluded space.
… And was shocked to find it was already occupied.
Pressed against a wall was a table, where three familiar faces sat.
On one side of the table sat Nora, chatting happily as she worked through her assignments while Ren sat next to her, quietly reading a book. Across from them was the only guy on her team, diligently taking notes on something. Probably some homework.
Before she could attempt to leave unnoticed, the stoic member of team JNPR glanced in her direction, nodding in greeting. That caught the attention of the other two, who looked up from their work and waved at her, inviting her over.
"Hey Blake! There's a seat right here, if you want it." Sett softly called out, jutting his head to the empty chair next to him.
She could just walk away. Find another spot to claim as her own. Make up an excuse for rebuffing the invitation. But, against her better judgment, she walked over, sitting with the unlikely trio.
As Blake pulled out her book, she nearly ground her teeth as Nora kept going on about whatever earned her attention. Quick on the uptake, Ren gave his partner a meaningful look, who quieted down with a slight pout. The two literature enthusiasts nodded in acknowledgement at one another before resuming their respective activities.
This was already better than trying to read in her dorm, no question about that.
The four of them remained in semi-solitude for a while, each absorbed in their own business, something the amber-eyed girl cherished. Finally able to relax, time lost its meaning as hours turned into minutes, and minutes turned into seconds, a wonderful yet simultaneously perplexing oddity. That was always the case when one was deeply engaged in their hobbies.
"DONE!"
After an unknown amount of time, Nora stood and slammed her textbook shut, startling Blake and everyo… Ok, startling just her, as the boys continued on as if nothing happened. With a raised eyebrow, Blake opened her mouth to voice her confusion (and mild annoyance), when the ditzy girl skipped around the table and started to… scratch Sett's head?
No… scratch his ears? 'What in the worl-'
"What's it like anyway? Having four ears? Do you just hear things twice as loud?"
"Nah, not really. Well, I do hear more noises, but they also sound more, uh, crisp."
"Crisp?"
"... Yea. Crisp."
"Oooooohhh. Cool." Satisfied with his answer, Nora carried on, much to the bewilderment of the faunus-in-hiding, who still didn't really understand what was going on. One minute, everyone was doing their own thing, the next, Sett was getting the ear rub of his life. Not knowing how to process that, Blake did the only thing that she could.
She kept reading.
Fortunately for her, the scratching ceased within minutes, with Nora stopping to stretch and yawn. "Reeen, I'm tired. Let's go back to our room." She did, after all, finish her work, which was the whole reason for being there in the first place. Thus with no reason to do otherwise, the partners grabbed their belongings and departed.
Dragging her feet, the ginger threw her head back. "I'm sooo tired. I mean, why wouldn't I be, after all that hard work. Ain't that right Renny?"
Ren shrugged. "You did get a lot done." He couldn't argue against that.
The boy suddenly felt a weight pressing against his arm. Blinking, he looked down. "I don't think I can make it all the way." The girl was leaning on him for support, eyes half lidded and words beginning to slow in dramatic fashion. "Will yooouu, be the gentleman you aaarrre, and carry meeeeeee?"
No one noticed the ghost of a smile on the boy's face. Or the fact that he muttered "Only if you say please."
The moment they walked out of earshot, Blake looked up from her book.
"So… what was that about?" She questioned, unable to mask her confusion any longer.
Sett scrunched his brow for an instant, before realization clicked in his head. "Oh, that? Nothing much, really." Putting his pencil down, the boy leaned back in his chair as he explained to Blake the nature of his interaction with Nora. About how the girl had an obsession with his 'doggy' ears (he'd given up trying to tell her they were wolverine ears), and how Sett used that to help her keep up with her academics, something her partner greatly appreciated.
All in all, it was by far the most bizarre arrangement she'd ever heard, regardless of how normal he talked about it. Though, she had to ask…
"Does it bother you?"
"The ear scratches?" Sett innocently replied.
"What? No." She shook her head, resisting the urge to facepalm. "I'm talking about being treated differently for being a faunus." When the half-faunus had revealed that fact, the girl quickly became interested in learning about his past, due to how little he seemed to care about the whole thing. Which was intriguing in itself, because in Blake's experience, most faunus usually responded with hostility or fear when confronted by racist humans. But more often than not, Sett just seemed indifferent when looks were sent his way, or when harsh words were whispered. Such instances were rare at a place like Beacon, but the girl was more attentive than people gave her credit for.
"Why would I? I get free ear massages just for being here."
The faunus-in-hiding rolled her eyes. "Well, yea, but it can't have all been good." How could it? From what Sett had shared about himself, he came from a place where racial tension was at an all time high, where both humans and faunus absolutely detested one another. There was no way that could've gone well for him, especially since he said he'd grown up in an all human community.
With eyes widening for a split second, it seemed Sett finally understood what she was asking. "Well, you're right about that." He frowned. "Almost everyone I met had it out for me. That's how I got this." He pointed to the bridge of his nose, where a wide scar lay just below his eyes. "Got messed with every day by a bunch of stupid kids, growing up."
The girl tilted her head. "If it was that bad, how come you didn't live with the faunus? Surely, it couldn't have been as bad-"
"Blake." He said, cutting her off. "They hated me just as much. Maybe even more. You know that." At least with the humans, he'd earned some respect after crushing some wimps, intimidating his peers. With the vastaya, he didn't even have that. He cursed them and their purist culture.
"Oh! Right…" Blake trailed off, embarrassed for forgetting that little fact. She still had trouble imagining that: a faunus being shunned for supposedly being only 'half' faunus. Of course, she'd heard similar rumors, but never actually believed them. She couldn't deny their plausibility now.
"But you're right. It does bother me. Not as much as it used to, but it still pisses me off." After the first few dozen times of being singled out for his heritage, the words started to hurt less, but anger him more. After the first few hundred times, that anger simmered down to mere annoyance.
"I can imagine," Blake muttered, her eyes showing sympathy to his plight. She sighed. "I wish there was something I could do to help prevent that. For all the faunus."
Sett huffed at that. "What, like join the White Fang? Hard pass."
The ex-Fang member straightened up slightly at his dismissive tone, eyes marginally narrowing. "What makes you say that?"
"Because those bastards are just making things worse." Sett scowled, crossing his arms. "They want equal rights for faunus, which is great 'n all, but think antagonizing humans is the way to do it. Yea, ok. Whoever thought that was a good idea is an idiot." His friend imperceptibly flinched at that.
"Their methods are extreme," Blake conceded. After all, that was the main reason why she left. "But the White Fang isn't inherently evil. Plenty of them are just faunus who genuinely want to be treated fairly. They're just… misguided, that's all."
"Never said they were all bastards, Blake. All I'm sayin' is that their logic is backwards as hell." The girl internally sighed, relieved that Sett wasn't completely prejudiced against the once-peaceful organization. "Think about it. For me, I could beat up people that don't like me for being a faunus, but that wouldn't paint a pretty picture, would it? It only gives them a reason to hate me more. Not only am I a faunus, but I gave 'em a few black eyes too."
"Same goes for the Fang. They can go around terrorizing people who don't like 'em, but that only makes their targets wanna hit back harder. And when they do, the Fang are gonna want to retaliate in return, bringing everything back to square one." The boy shook his head. "If you ask me, all they're doing is fueling the fire, and a lot of decent people are getting burned." Images of Velvet getting harassed filled his mind.
"Believe me, I agree that violence is not the answer here. But what other option do they have left?" Peaceful demonstrations and protests hadn't worked, murder and attacks weren't working now, so what would work? There weren't exactly a plethora of choices left, much to the girl's chagrin and despair.
"Wish I could tell you, but I can't." The pit champ wasn't going to pretend like he knew it all, that was just flat out dumb. That's not to say he didn't have his own takes on the issue, however. "If you ask me, the first thing both sides need to do is come to an understanding to make any kind of progress."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean just that: humans and faunus need to understand where the hate's coming from before any real change can happen." Noting Blake's skeptical expression, the half-breed proceeded to elaborate his point. "Hear me out: let's say there's a faunus that hates humans, and a human that hates faunus." He held up each hand for emphasis. "You gotta get both of 'em to learn about the other on a personal level, so much so that eventually, they'll understand the other's perspective of things."
"That… doesn't seem very feasible." At all, if she was being honest. The girl had a difficult time imagining someone like herself and Cardin talking civilly, let alone getting along. She could hardly picture millions more doing the same thing, especially the extremists from both races. But maybe that was the point.
"Well, you're right about that." After all, chances of that happening wide-scale was pretty much non-existent in a world that seemed to care more about a few animal traits than surviving extinction. "But if the two of them can get to that point, you'd be surprised with what can come out of it."
As jaded as she was sometimes, Blake appreciated a bit of optimism every now and then. Not to mention, she couldn't deny that she was slightly intrigued by the proposition. "Talking from experience?" She raised an eyebrow when he chuckled.
"You could say that." The faunus-in-hiding was tempted to delve further, but decided that might be too personal, given the nature of the subject. 'Another time, maybe.'
Thus, content with their current conversation, the girl figured they'd talked enough about human-faunus tensions. Looking to change topics, the amber-eyed girl glanced at Sett's papers. "So, what are you working on?"
Sett stabbed a pointer finger at his workspace. "This? This is just Professor Port's assigned work." For all the lecturing the man did, nearly all of the learning seemed to come from outside of class time.
"Looks like you're flying through it." From what she could tell, he was actually almost done. Weiss would've approved for sure.
He smiled. "I guess I'm just that smart, huh?" Well, he'd better be, after all that studying he did. What else was he supposed to do with all that time spent in detention?
"I guess so." She dryly said. "If you don't mind, can you help me with that? There are some parts of it I don't really get."
"Sure! Happy to help, Blakey." The girl rolled her eyes at the nickname. "How about…" Sett trailed off, as he caught sight of a familiar face browsing nearby, eyes downcast as she picked out a book and examined it.
Ever since that day when Cardin and Jaune got held back in Oobleck's class, Pyrrha hadn't been her usual pleasant self. What stuck out the most was how she'd been avoiding her partner constantly, something that starkly contrasted with her previous behavior for as long as Sett had known her. Initially, the pit champ brushed it off as nothing, that it would smooth over within a day. But then it continued on, day, after day, after day. To make matters worse, Jaune had been acting weird too, and Ren and Nora were just as confused as to why their teammates were apparently at odds with each other. Now, for the most part, Sett wasn't one to stick his nose in other people's business, but he refused to stand idly by as his friends drifted apart for reasons unknown.
"How about what?"
Remembering he was talking to someone, he snapped out of his inner musings. "Uh, sorry, how about tomorrow? After lunch." He resisted the urge to glance at Pyrrha, who was currently on her way out of the library.
Blake nodded her head, easing up on her puzzled gaze. "That's fine."
"Great, then I'll see you later." With not a moment to lose, he quickly gathered his things before taking off after the red head, lest he lose this opportunity to find out what the hell was going on.
Don't really have much to say. My brain's kinda fried from staying up this late, but I think it's worth it.
Oh, can anyone guess the game franchise I referenced?
And as always, thanks again for tuning in! See y'all soon (sooner than this update, at least)
