HEYO! It is I the Maelstrom! Back after a good two months and a half!

So, thankfully I managed to churn out another chapter as of now, and this is a really long one too! I realized after a few chapters that I really prefer to write these sorts of long chapters at a time, depending on how much I have to work with. So, hopefully it isn't a problem for you guys when reading this, and I hope some of you enjoy this sort of writing!

Now, I did say last AN that I would be making another story on this account, and it's still in the works. Trust me though. that it is going to be the next story you will get an update from this channel!

I won't keep you here for too long though, so I'm just gonna let you enjoy this really...REALLY extensive chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

Now a Message from your Local Beta Void: Apparently Maelstrom is fine with me leaving notes so why not? So on to my topics of discussion, this chapter is pretty neat. It's compressed story development, literally. It's all one day. Besides that… I got nothing. See ya!


Chapter 6: The Truth Of Leadership


A misty morning, it was so on Patch Island. Within the dead forests, there was a simple, modest wooden hut, enough for two people if need be.

In the grove of dead sickly trees, the sounds of wood striking against wood echoed in the air, followed by harsh desperate grunts. Then, after that, came a fierce battle cry, from a young albinistic Faunus boy who was seven years old at best. He quickly brought down his wooden sword from overhead.

His opponent, or rather, master, merely blocked the attack with his own wooden sword, merely pushing the force away.

The young boy grit his teeth and growled as he swung his sword one more time to the side, shouting in determination.

Unfortunately, the master held his sword at an angle, countering the strike with a kick to the young boy's chest, launching him to the ground.

The albino boy groaned in pain, the calluses on his hands were noticeable, and the bruises on his body a testament to the brutal training they went through today.

"That's enough for a break." A strong voice spoke, belonging to the master whose figure remained concealed thanks to the mist. He crossed his arms as he scrutinized the young boy with his wise old eyes.

The young Faunus leered at the master but relented with a frustrated grunt. "Fine…"

"Hmm? Is the pup in a mood today?" The voice let out a chuckle, bemused and pleased, but lectured his pupil. "There is no point in rushing, lad. That attitude won't help anybody."

"I get it," The boy muttered bitterly, sighing in annoyance as he leaned on the tree and looked down with a tired frown. "But I want to become stronger! I… I can't stay the way I am!"

The boy threw his wooden sword at the ground next to the master in frustration.

"It's only been a week, and already you're whining, pup." The master sighed, walking up to the boy before he stood in front of him.

The young boy looked up to him with a frown, though he shrunk at the towering figure of his master. He looked down, defeated. "Master… do you think I'll ever get stronger?"

The master looked at his boy with a raised eyebrow. He was asking a question, but it felt more like he wanted some approval. The master grunted as he tilted his head with a grin. "There is only one way to answer that question, lad."

The young boy gave him a confused look, before cocking an eyebrow. "How?"

"You get back up…" The master merely lifted the boy back on his feet and gave him his wooden sword with a small bearded smile. "...and don't give up."

"Don't… give up?"

"Exactly!" The master merely grinned, before stepping back and returning to his former stance. He held his wooden sword in a simple low guard, but the young Faunus figured he wasn't serious. "No matter the obstacle in your way or the hardships you may face... if you get knocked down into the dirt, then you must simply choose to get back up on your own feet, and persevere!"

The young boy was still confused but reinvigorated as he took his sword, and adopted an offensive stance. He gritted his teeth and focused on his master, who was waiting for him to make a move…

"That's the spirit… now come at me, lad!"

And so he did, rushing in head first to swing his sword, only to be met with his master countering it, and every other swing of the sword.

The albino Faunus was unable to land a decent hit, let alone make his master move from his spot… but he didn't stop.

He was relentless. He was determined, so much so that even after getting knocked to the ground, he immediately stood up and rushed at his master once again.

'Get back up…'

He was left gasping on the ground again. He forced himself up once more.

'Get back up…!'

With a grunt, he stood up muddied with dirt, but his determined crimson eyes made a statement. He roared his lungs out as once again, he wielded his sword.

'And never give up!'


A sunny morning, it was so at Beacon Academy. Sable squinted at the sunlight cracking through the window, already feeling somewhat groggy from his dream. He let out a sleepy moan and stretched out his entire 6'5 body, which barely fit in the bed he slept in.

The red-knit bed sleeves covered his body, wearing the same grey t-shirt the last time he slept, as well as the sun goggles around his neck. He proceeded to put his sun goggles on, his vision through a gold-colored lens. The sun wouldn't hurt his eyes, as he yawned loudly showing his own pair of canines.

Slowly, he sat upon his bed with a pensive look and a rather downcast expression.

'Another dream, huh?' Sable sighed to himself, recalling the dream that felt so vivid to him. Still, he looked around still half-dizzy to reorient himself with the dorm rooms his team was placed in.

Spacious, with a window if you entered the dorm face first which let in the sun. The four beds were put next to the walls, with a small personal desk next to each, decorated with one lamp. An empty bookshelf, assumingly for any schoolbooks or personal belongings, was built on the wall next to the main dorm room.

Of course, there was bedding made for four people, with a bed across the room parallel to his own.

Sprawled with drool coming out the side was Lilac Sleipnir, a horse Faunus who seemed to be clearly enjoying his beauty sleep. His wavy mauve hair was unkempt and curled around his face. He still wore those purple onesies with the unicorn patterns.

'Good choice of clothing…' Sable remarked sarcastically, before getting up and making his way to the restroom.

Along the way, he looked to his left and noticed two other beds, where a sleeping Frey was sleeping formally. Ragnar... had his sleeveless shirt half-way up his torso revealing his exposed abs.

Another thing was that he still wore his robotic prosthetics from yesterday's exam, though now they seemed to be in a sort of 'safe mode' for practical and regular situations.

Sable couldn't help but frown as he imagined what he must have done to have gotten in that position in the first place. Did he lose an arm?

Or was he born like that?

He shook off those thoughts as he turned back to enter the restroom. Once he did he opened one of the drawers, taking out his medical sunscreen bottle and proceeded to apply it around his face and body for protective measures.

This was a routine for him, being albino and all. Didn't help that he needed a specific one for every morning… at least they lasted 24 hours.

He wasn't sure why he was born with a condition that made him likely to get more than just sunburns. That never stopped him from living the life he was given.

Or at least, the life thrust upon him.

A shuffling, rattling noise and Sable stopped applying his sunscreen. He furrowed his brow in annoyance, as he opened the door to check on what was going on.

Only to be met with the sound of an airhorn right in his face, yelling out in surprise as he slipped and fell on his back.

"Shit, shit, shit…" Sable winced in pain as he rubbed his back, quickly sending a scowling glare at whoever scared him like that. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

Lo and behold, it was just Lilac, still wearing his purple onesie like before, holding an airhorn in his left hand and giving him a goofy obnoxious smile. "Whoops!"

Sable stood back up and snatched the airhorn from Lilac, as he growled… before just sighing in defeat and walking past him back to his bed.

"What? Not gonna shout in my face like before?" Lilac remarked with a grin, though his tone felt like he was sardonic.

"I don't have enough energy to deal with you right now, just wake up the others… it's almost an hour to classes." That's right, today was their first day in Beacon Academy. He looked at the alarm clock and noted the time: '8:00 A.M'

That alone was enough to give Sable a reality check.

"Gotcha leader!" Lilac chirped with glee, getting an annoyed grunt from Sable in response.

'Leader…' Sable had a glower on his face at the mention of that and opened up his suitcase with a bit of force. The word had been burning in his mind since the announcement yesterday, and not once has it gotten better.

"No funny business or I'll throw you out the window!"

"Fine… buzzkill." Lilac scoffed as he gently shook Frey awake, who seemed to sit up with a sleepy and disheveled look. His pajamas were rather similar to Sable's, only this time a cyan-blue shirt and hexagonal patterns. "Wakey, Wakey, specs!"

Frey woke up slowly but surely, as he went to the side of his bed and put on his glasses, before yawning. "Good morning, lads…"

"G'morning! How did you sleep last night?" Lilac asked with a smile.

"Splendid… what time is it now?" Frey asked as he took out his suitcase from under his bed.

"8:00 in the morning, and with time to get breakfast! I hope they got carrot cake!" Lilac giggled as he jumped in excitement before going over to Ragnar and shaking him awake."Wakey, Wakey, strong-arms!"

Ragnar reacted by blubbering as he suddenly came up in a panic before blinking his eyes open and looking at Lilac with a tired, almost owlish, expression. "O-oh, hey there little man."

"Get up, we got to change and go get breakfast!" Lilac sputtered in a hurry, rushing and opening up his own suitcase which contained his uniform.

"Oh yeah… we're in Beacon now…" Ragnar began as he nodded, a wide grin and loud voice rose from it. "OH FUCK YES!"

Sable winced from the sudden shout, while Lilac was smiling as he covered his ears and Frey merely gave him a chiding twitch.

"Ragnar! You mustn't shout when there are other teams trying to sleep!" He chided as he pointed a finger at Ragnar, his glasses glaring in the bright light.

"Come on man, I'm just happy to be here! Don't tell me you ain't excited about being in Beacon either." Ragnar said casually as he put a hand on Frey's shoulder, who flinched in confusion before adjusting his glasses.

"Of course I am! I just think it's rather rude to disturb other people's sleep." Frey softened up, turning back to his suitcase and unpacking his things.

"Well then, let's not waste time and get to unpacking there broski!" Ragnar patted his sapphire-eyed teammate, who merely blinked in confusion. "I can't wait for the first class we get to!"

"Me neither, if Beacon's like people say, then sign me up for some fun times!" Lilac cheered as he pumped a fist and flicked his horsetail in giddiness.

"That's the spirit!" Ragnar laughed as he and the horse Faunus shared a high five, while Sable just looked at their conversation with a frown and went back to his suitcase.

'This… is my life now.' The albino wolf Faunus sighed in defeat as he half-lidded his eyes in disappointment. 'Fan-fucking-tastic'


Right now they were in the cafeteria for lunch, after class, there was apparently a one hour period of lunch. Sable wanted to use this opportunity to finally take a nap, but nope, Lilac was insistent on meeting some people from the exam, with some convincing from Frey and pushing from Ragnar.

Apparently, Lilac wanted to introduce the team to Team RWBY, but with Lilac's winks at Sable, it seemed he just wanted to get Sable to talk and not be alone.

He was seated right between Lilac and Ragnar, with Frey sitting next to Ragnar. He looked around the table as he tried to mind his own business and eat his lunch, a simple burger with cheese.

Not really extravagant, but it wasn't a biggie for Sable. You get used to eating bland food like this in the woods.

"You actually fought an Arachne? Killer!" That voice came from the goldilocks, Yang Xiao Long, as she complimented them across the table. "And you just rammed straight into it?"

"Ya damn skippy! I fought him with my bare fists!" Ragnar's wide grin took the compliment as he shoved a piece of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Your metal fists, Ragnar. Best not to embellish the story and stick to reality." Frey corrected Ragnar with a small grin.

"Reality seems to be the last thing on his mind." That icy-cold voice was a new one as far as Sable knew. After some clarification from Frey, it was known that her name was Weiss Schnee, heiress to the SDC.

"Nice burn there, Ice Queen." Ragnar sarcastically remarked with a small glower.

"I told you not to call me that!" Weiss indignantly exclaimed as she pointed at him.

"But it does seem to fit you, don't you think?" The new mature and quiet voice was Blake Belladonna, who wore a striking black bow on top of her head. Still, Sable found it rather odd that the bow twitched slightly during certain moments.

"Hmph!" Weiss crossed her arms in resignation, though she clearly didn't continue the conversation with Ragnar.

'Spoiled much?' Sable chuckled inwardly at the little conversation. Amused is the right word to describe him, but to say he wanted to participate in conversation was actually wrong. He was trying hard not to get involved with people he shouldn't be around to begin with.

"I think that's absolutely AMAZING~! What was it like? Was it hairy? What kind of Grimm was it!?" That excited and feminine voice was Nora. The hyperactive girl was almost leagues worse than Lilac in that department, but at least there was someone to hold her back.

"Hairier than a motherfucker! It was shaped like a tarantula mixed with a giant and I do mean giant, eyes that I swear were giving me the creeps!" Ragnar explained as he took a sip of his cherry soda.

"C-can we not talk about this anymore?" Lilac nervously pleaded as he was looking rather pale, which resulted in a snort from Sable.

"What's the matter?" Another mature but kinder voice spoke, being the red-headed Pyrrha from who was sitting with her own team, JNPR, including Jaune who seemed in much better spirits.

"You do seem a bit pale, all of a sudden." A calm frank voice spoke, belonging to Ren who looked concerned.

"Don't mind him," Ragnar patted Lilac in the back. "This guy over here has a bad case of spider-induced heebie-jeebies! You should've seen it, it was hilarious!"

Lilac merely sighed before giving an embarrassed smile at his secret being exposed. "I just don't like spiders, that's all."

"Tell me about it!" Ruby spoke in a burst, finally participating in the conversation. "I don't think I would like fighting one any more than you."

"Ya know, I gotta say, you specifically pulled a crazy stunt back at initiation!" Ragnar laughed as he noted Ruby's flinch and embarrassed cheeks. "Decapitating a giant chicken!? That's amazing there, short stack!"

That nickname was followed by a slight head slap to his head, courtesy of Frey who twitched an eyebrow. "Owowowow...what the hell man!?"

"I must say it was impressive that you managed to do that..." Frey started until he had a look of realization as he snapped his fingers. "Ah, we haven't yet introduced ourselves right?"

"We only saw each other briefly back in the initiation, so we didn't get much time to talk." Blake clarified, putting a finger to her chin in thought.

Yang was the first to speak with a sly grin. "How about we take the time to introduce ourselves then? Some of us may not know each other, so why not?"

"Oh, Oh! I'll go first!" Nora shot her hand up frantically with a wide smile, putting patting roughly on Ren's back. "I'm Nora, and this silent pal over here's Ren! We're like close friends!"

"It's nice to meet you." Ren gave a calm knowing smile as he gave a small glance at Nora who merely giggled.

"Hello! I'm Pyrrha, it's wonderful to meet you." Pyrrha went next with a small wave and warm smile. Her bright jade eyes were calm, though something about them felt guarded.

"The name's Jaune, leader of JNPR. Though most people just call me the lady killer!" Jaune introduced himself with a 'suave tone', but Weiss rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Nobody calls you that, Jaune." Sable frankly shot it down with a sideways glance prompting a flinch from Jaune who merely chuckled nervously, while Pyrrha tried comforting Jaune with a pat on the back.

"Guess that's JNPR!" Ruby giggled as she looked to the group with silver eyes, eager to make friends. "I'm Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY!"

"And I'm her older sister Yang!" Yang waved to the entire group with a casual demeanor.

"Weiss Schnee… a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Weiss stated frankly with a flip of her pristine white hair tied into a sideways ponytail, though this prompted a few awkward glances from Lilac. Sable took a moment to note her icy expression, along with the snow-blue eyes that seemed to scrutinize him. Not only that, but he also noticed what was a small scar running down the side of her eye, barely visible.

Blake was next, and she nodded calmly with a composed expression, "Blake Belladonna." and Sable had a better look from what he remembered. Her raven hair was let loose in the back, and not to mention her sharp amber eyes which only added to her maturity.

With that, Team RWBY had finally introduced themselves, and Lilac immediately giggled mischievously as he stood up from his seat and posed for his classmates to see.

'Oh, great not again…'

"Hi there, my name's Lilac Sleipnir! I'm a fan of carrot juice, carrot cake, and most of all the color purple!" Lilac announced with flair in his posing, which set off the albino wolf Faunus to groan and put a palm to his face.

The rest of the group apparently didn't seem to mind, barring Frey who coughed into his fist, Weiss who seemed unamused, and Blake who tilted her head in curiosity.

Lilac immediately went back to his seat and proceeded to drink his carrot juice without a care, as he nudged an elbow to Sable once… then twice… and when Sable ignored the last two nudges, he nudged a third time.

"Ugh, fine I get it…" Sable sent a brief glare to Lilac, before putting his chin on his hand as he gave them all a bored and yet straight look. "Sable Fenrisulven."

"Leader of Team SLFR everybody!" Ragnar chimed in abruptly while patting the goggle-wearing Faunus in the back, causing a shove from Sable who merely growled in annoyance. "Sheesh, easy there, boy."

"Just shut the fuck up." Sable muttered lowly, hoping that Ruby wouldn't hear his language and parrot out 'swear' like some child.

Frey was next, and as he adjusted his glasses he gave the two teams a polite bow of his head and a rather polite smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Frey Sapphire, it is truly a great pleasure to be your classmate."

At the mention of his name, Weiss seemed to raise an eyebrow and gave him a knowing look, as if she recognized him from somewhere. She hesitated to ask a question before the next team member already introduced himself.

"Alright, now it's my turn!" Ragnar pointed a thumb towards himself as he gave everybody within the group a wide open, and invigorated grin. "Da name's Ragnar Periwinkle, and it's awesome to meet ya guys!"

At the mention of his last name, two people, in particular, couldn't hold in their giggles and a snort, Ruby, and Nora respectively. Ragnar's face turned to a flustered embarrassment that it almost seemed comical.

"Aw come on! I get that my last name's kinda girly, but it ain't that funny!" Ragnar deflated in embarrassment, clearly not happy regarding their laughter. "I'm a real man, I swear that!"

"Hehe, no problem there, Perry!" Yang sneaked a nickname amidst her own little snickers, which only embarrassed Ragnar even more.

"You're not helping here!" Ragnar moaned in embarrassment, as he put a hand to cover his face.

As the small talk turned to chatter, Sable tried tuning it out as he looked down apprehensively.

The uniform that was provided to him consisted of a regular black suit lined with gold, accompanied by a blue vest and a white shirt with a red tie. It was pretty stuffy, to say the least, but it covered his body head-to-toe with the leather gloves he wore so not much to complain about.

Except for the fact that breakfast and the entire morning was spent with his team. Aside from a few boring classes which made him question Beacon's credibility, he could get by with a nap or two.

'The thought sounds pretty amazing right now…' For his teammates...well, they were mixed.

Frey, so far, was easier to talk to than most people, partially due to the air of maturity that he exuded. Sable considered him a pleasant acquaintance throughout this ordeal. Although, he had been rather strict when it came to classes and knew exactly where they needed to go that it made Sable kind of annoyed.

Ragnar was...outgoing to say the least and overwhelming at most. His energetic attitude and casual mannerisms made him approachable, but not as instantly pleasant like Frey was. He was crude, loud, and even a bit of an ass at times. Still, at least he kept his head straight while fighting and has proven to be actually smart for someone so casual.

Sable had the most mixed opinions on Lilac, though. Everything from how he acts, to what he says and wears is enough to give Sable a headache. His stupid pranks are so unpredictable and out of nowhere that it's hard to get a read on the guy.

Still, he wasn't completely oblivious or useless, far from it. When it came down to that girl Faunus being picked on, Lilac dropped the whole 'buddy-buddy' act and looked dead serious on what he was going to do… whatever he was going to do.

'And when it came down to it… he ultimately saved my life back there…' He recalled the memory of when Lilac and the other two planned to rescue him...though that was a particularly frustrating memory now.

It doesn't help that he was picked as a leader despite that blunder.

'Shit, if only I could forget…' He wanted to forget that bombshell from yesterday but the idea was intrusive. Like an arrow had pierced his skull.

He was finally the team leader of Team SLFR, and it seemed that everybody knows that now.

But still, he didn't really feel qualified for that kind of position, let alone working with these guys.

Sable frowned, not sure of what to do now. It wasn't like they were a pain in the ass… most of the time, but rather that it confused him as to why, out of the four of them, Frey wasn't made team leader.

"So, Sable...how do you feel about being in Beacon Academy?"

"Huh?" That voice came from across the row table, looked up to see a pair of silver eyes and her curious smile. "O-oh, uh...I guess it's cool."

"You sure about that?" Ruby tilted her head, seemingly not convinced. She gave him a confident smile, as she offered him a cookie. "Want one?"

Sable looked at the cookie, then back at Ruby who had such a puppy-eyes look to her face without even trying that it made him almost hitch his breath.

Then he noticed the cookie was a chocolate chip cookie…

"Sorry, but no." Sable bluntly said as he went back to his food.

"O-o-oh! I see…" Ruby stammered as she deflated with an awkward expression, then she fumbled with her cookie-like she was a sad child. "I-I just thought you'd need something sweet… to cheer you up."

Cheer him up? Her childish kindness was pretty infectious that Sable raised an eyebrow, with a minor snort.

"W-w-what's so funny?" Ruby pouted, only for her cookie to get snatched suddenly.

Sable took the cookie and put it on his plate, giving Ruby a small smirk as well as a sly look. "I don't really have a sweet tooth, but I appreciate the gesture."

"Oh, uh...you're welcome." Ruby couldn't help a small smile and took a small bite from another chocolate chip cookie before squealing in delight.

She didn't pay much attention to Sable's minor gaze, laced with assurance though he easily went back to his meal with a smirk.

Ruby was way too innocent, kind, and naive for her own good. A hopeless dreamer is what she is. The kind of personality that doesn't know much about the world.

To Sable, it wasn't quite annoying but more of a peeve. He knew that she was probably doing this to become a Huntsman for some reason, and he could guess it was idealistic.

Regardless of his disagreement, he couldn't deny her bubbly attitude was slightly infectious, to the point that you'd forget she's the leader of her own team.

Now the question was whether she could handle that responsibility.

But a question was burning in his head… and a frown on his face that he hid.

'Can I really be a leader?'


"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey!"

'You sure don't look like the type...' thought Sable as he rested his chin on his open palm, the first words stated by the plump and round professor hooking him into interest.

Professor Port was hearty, and aged, with a plump but dignified expression that showed the experiences he has in his life. He had a combed-over hairstyle that complimented his hairy and yet deceivingly combed handle-bar mustache. His red suit with golden buttons did little to hide his round belly and wore long olive pants tucked into simple gray boots.

The classroom shaped around as the rising seats indicated and arced around the center where Professor Port stood, no podium but in front of his desk. Team SLFR simply sat in the front row, but still a distance away from Team RWBY who seemed equally unimpressed.

They were so close to finishing their last class of the day, which ironically left the evening for the students to themselves.

Even if he was bored out of his mind, Sable was slightly attentive, specifically, at the exuberance and vibe his professor gave. Like a storyteller trying to rouse an audience into emotion, only to fail at that spectacularly.

He wasn't necessarily paying attention, but he was trying to feign the attention.

Port expected response, only to cough into his right hand and continue.

"Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world!" Professor Port paced back and forth across the floor, and roused his voice in an adventurous tone, to gain the attention of his 'audience' of students as he continued. "Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces!"

'Bombastic, indeed.' Sable half-lidded his eyes. The professor was almost obnoxiously theatrical like Lilac, and yet he couldn't even manage to hold the attention of the entire class.

He let out a snort, before looking to his left and noticing his three other teammates. Lilac, unsurprisingly, was sleepy and bored. If his slowly swaying horsetail was any indication, he was actually regretting taking this class.

'What happened to all the 'fun times' you were spewing about?' Sable was itching to say that, but it was likely he would be called on by the professor for that comment, so he refrained from voicing it out loud.

Next came Ragnar, who seemed to be just as unamused as he laid back in his chair with arms behind his head, slight fidgeting feet. Not to mention that his uniform was partially untied and loose, it was abundantly clear he wasn't paying attention, let alone taking notes.

Then again, his attitude seemed like the kind that needs to constantly be moving and talking to even run effectively. Sitting in boring silence and listening to an old man drabble on's probably not the most fun for him.

'It might be better than what Frey's doing though…' Sable strained a laugh as he looked to Frey who unlike anybody in the group was furiously taking notes and attentively engaging in the blah-blahs of the stout professor.

A stickler for the rules, the spectacled and straight-chinned Atlesian constantly kept the energetic Ragnar and mischievous Lilac in the reins. Of course, it didn't mean that at times he wasn't prone to ridiculousness. His glasses, in particular, had a bad habit of getting dirty all the time, and while he had the fierce expression in combat, he seemed much sterner, and polite when in docile situations like school.

'He could still lighten up and not be such a stick in the mud though.'

"And that's where we come in. Huntsmen!" Port paced the front row, catching a suddenly woken Lilac who feigned his best smile. He paced forward to Team RWBY, before sending a wink to Yang. "Huntresses…"

Yang groaned uncomfortably at that gesture, and the albino Faunus for a brief moment sympathized with the golden-haired lady.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!" He finished his long introduction speech with a resounding boom, followed by a lone student cheering for the story...only for everybody in the room to stare strangely and sit down in embarrassment.

"That is what you are training to become. But first: A story."

Lilac yawned with a slow whisper. "I know who it's about…"

"A tale of a young, handsome man…"

Ragnar let a groan slip out, as he leaned on the table with a tired look. "Don't tell me he's going to talk about–"

"Me! When I was a boy…" Port announced enthusiastically before his following speech was reduced to a series of blah-blahs for everybody present.

"Called it…" Lilac's exhausted chuckle was clear about his attitude towards all this. Sable noticed him looking to the direction where Team RWBY was, and his lips curled. He took out a piece of paper, pencils, and started drawing.

Sable peered to where the four-girl team sat, noticing that while Blake and Yang were attentive, Weiss was actually taking notes in a similar fashion to Frey. Maybe Atlesian's are just studious or the two of them are just naturally like this.

Ruby herself seemed to be drawing something on paper, similar to Lilac who by now had taken out colored pencils and started filling in the lines. He wasn't exactly faulting Ruby or Lilac for entertaining themselves, so long as they didn't make a ruckus out of it. Ruby was still a 15-year-old girl, and he expected Lilac to be like this from the last class of the day.

Regardless, Sable wondered what exactly was going through the Ice Queen's head right now.

Maybe it was her prideful attitude or the way she held herself, but she seemed to be perpetually frowning throughout this whole day. She's probably the kind of girl to take this too seriously...

"...Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter', he told me…"

...or maybe she's just as annoyed by this old man's rambling.

"Pssst, leader!" His wolf ears picked up the noise, Whatever the case, it didn't stop the albino wolf Faunus from turning to the whispering Lilac with a glare loaded. Did he really have to call him a leader like that? However, an odd sight prompted a raised eyebrow instead.

The picture that Lilac was drawing? It wasn't Port but Sable, drawn with the corniest fashion sense ever.

With a red skin-tight suit, blue underwear worn from the outside—who thought that was a good idea?— and a heroic pose with a cape, this poor excuse of a drawing was coupled with the letters spelling: ' R'

Now that was surprisingly effective at making him ticked off.

"If you have time to draw, then why don't you pay attention?" Sable chided, snatching the paper away from Lilac. He didn't want to get in trouble because of this pony's antics.

"How can I when all he ever talks about is his old stories from 'when he was a young lad'." Lilac air quoted as he sighed in boredom. "Besides, I've been meaning to ask you a question."

"Can it wait until after this class is done? I'm not getting in trouble because of you." He really wasn't in the mood for his shenanigans.

"Oh, that's not fair! Come on, it's not a prank or a joke I promise!" Lilac assured Sable with a whispered chuckle.

"Ahe-he-he-hem!" Sable and Lilac straightened up as they turned to the round professor who waited for them to finish. With that done, he continued his speech. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

The professor bowed extravagantly, and nobody applauded… except the giddy clapping of Lilac, who tried his best to curve his lips into an eager smile. This was just a facade to gain the favor of Professor Port, who didn't seem too nettled. In fact, he seemed to take it gracefully, with a nod to Lilac.

In response, his horsetail flicked from side to side in success.

Ragnar just gave a thumbs up to Lilac with that ever-present grin that showed his pearly whites. Frey looked up for a second to nod and hum on what Professor Port had to say, before going back to his notes and writing down his thoughts furiously as before.

'Frey… what's going through your head right now?' It was meant as a joke, but the albino Faunus cast a glance to his spectacled teammate and wondered if someone like him was probably better to be a leader.

'Better leader than me...' A frown creased his features as he just reminded himself. Of all people, why did it have to be him?

Why was he so worried about being a leader? He handled pretty well on his own for so long, so why was it getting to him? In his training and fighting against Grimm, he had never felt hesitation let alone limited when it was just him and himself. So why is it that all of a sudden he has to deal with these people, why does his tapping foot steadily raise its tapping, and why is his team still okay with having a hot-head like him as their leader?

"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable!" Port started wrapping up his story, his voice snapping Sable out of his own thoughts. It hit him when Port said the word honorable, that a realization hit him.

'Right… it's still the first day.' Sable's widened crimson eyes showed his inner shock, he still paid attention to the last words of Port.

"A true Huntsman must be dependable!"

'If a student voices their concern about being a leader on the first day, they can't get in trouble for asking right?…' Sable's crimson eyes, while still lost, slowly happened upon a realization.

"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!" Everything makes sense now…

It's a thin thread. There would be no guarantees but...

'If I get Ozpin to change leadership...Sable flashed a dumb grin as the pieces finally fell in place. '...then Frey will be made leader instead of me!'

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

'Oh… right' Class is still in session, and people are gonna be raising hands now. He could speak with Ozpin after class.

Speaking of, Sable barely participated or paid attention to most of his speech, except the last part of what qualifies a true huntsman. He figured since the professor asked for a raise of hands, why not give his own two cents on it?

He has plenty to say about that, so he steadily but slowly raised his hand. It didn't go unnoticed by his teammates. Frey with a sideways and unreadable expression, Ragnar with a quirky smirk, and Lilac who seemed to be the only confused one.

It wasn't like he believed himself to be the greatest huntsman, Sable wasn't an idiot. He wants to gain the strength and power needed to become that huntsman, and he just figured he should be able to voice his opinions.

"I do, sir!" A thumping noise, followed by the vibrations in their table caught him and his team off guard as they looked to their left and noticed a tilted Weiss who raised her hand with the other hand curled into a fist on the table.

The students, including the team's RWBY and SLFR, turned their full attention to her sudden declaration, and Professor Port rubbed his mustache once he noticed that there were two hands raised.

"Hmmm, interesting! It seems we have two people who believe themselves to be true Huntsman." Port hummed as he caressed his mustache in a sage-like fashion. Weiss looked to where Sable had raised her hand, and a small glare toned down to a scrutinizing gaze. Sable met her gaze with an equally bored stare, which only served to make Weiss frown.

'Does she always act like this?'

"So, is there any reason why you two believe yourselves to be the embodiment of a huntsman?" Professor Port gestured to Weiss with his hand. "Ms. Schnee, you have the floor."

Weiss was the one to stand up from her seat first, breaking her gaze and turning to Professor Port with a more composed, yet slightly condescending expression. "Well, Professor. Some might see a Huntsman as a position you can acquire, but sadly not everyone is qualified for such a responsibility."

"In many ways that a Huntsman needs to be trained and prepared, they also need to have earned their fill to be a true Huntsman. Fewer Huntsman is ever qualified to become leaders, and the ones to be those leaders are those who studied and trained for it."

The entire classroom paid close attention to her reasoning. To her team, they nodded in understanding, while Ruby seemed to be distracting herself. Ragnar leaned in his chair, his arms folded across his chest. Frey adjusted his glasses, though his expression spoke of a burning curiosity with the heiress's choice of words.

"I have been working to become a Huntress my entire life, I have the skill, the wisdom, and the necessary traits to succeed. If that isn't a good reason why I've what it takes to be a true Huntress, then I don't know what is."

Weiss bowed her head courteously, as she sat back in her desk, with a smirk of satisfaction and a wave of her ponytail which irked Sable in an odd way.

"Brilliant speech, Miss Schnee." Professor Port smiled behind his mustache, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "It's plain to see that confidence of yours is a significant trait that will carry you to your achievements."

"Thank you, Professor Port. But I'm sure my fellow classmate would like to have a chance to explain for himself." Weiss politely replied as she sent a glance towards Sable with a challenging smirk. "Who knows, maybe he might actually enlighten us."

'Oh, so you wanna play like that?' Sable challenged her back with a hard stare before grumbling and standing up from his seat lazily. He rubbed the back of his neck as he cracked it, trying to keep his mind off of Weiss's own condescending taunt.

"Then I guess I'm up next, teach?"

"Of course, be sure to take your time, Mr. Fenrisulven. After all, we have plenty of time on the clock for one surprise!" Professor Port lightly chuckled, prompting a confused look from Sable who shook it off.

The albino wolf Faunus took a shallow breath, as he just now considered his decision a bad idea. Like many things in his life, this may actually be his first having to speak his mind to a bunch of strangers in his eyes. His team looked at him expectantly, same as RWBY, while Weiss herself just arched an eyebrow as she folded her arms.

He managed to feign a confident smirk, but he knew he would have to be clear and frank with what he has to say next. He took a look at Frey in particular, who returned the gaze with a small smile and a confident nod.

A chuckle escaped from Sable and found himself suddenly invigorated to speak his mind. He took a deep breath, and he spoke with an even but casual voice.

"I'll be the first one to say it, everything that a true Huntsman should be is completely something to shoot for...but here's my problem with that statement. There's no such thing as a perfect Huntsman, and none of us here are ready to be one yet." His straightforward and blunt opening statement surprised the classroom, but most particularly his team.

"The real reason why I raised my hand was that I wanted to make it clear to everyone that a true, or ideal Huntsman is more than just about being qualified. It's about proving you have the strength to back it up, and more importantly," Sable pauses as he takes a moment to look at Weiss with his piercing crimson eyes. "It's about being able to live up to the responsibility that will be a burden on you."

Everyone in the classroom had varied responses as Sable spoke. He paused a moment to glance to his left, and saw Blake and Yang taken by surprise with the wolf Faunus' honest and surprisingly mature words. Weiss herself narrowed her eyes as if trying to understand what he was saying, it was akin to a puzzle. Ruby seemed to be completely engrossed, but her eyes flickered with a thoughtfulness.

The rest of Sable's team had even more varied looks. Frey himself found himself smiling and nodding, while Ragnar merely rolled his eyes with a smirk. Whether it was sarcastic or sincere didn't matter. Lilac seemed to have the most uncharacteristic reaction, as he patiently and silently listened to Sable's thoughts with a seriousness unknown to Sable.

"That being said, I'm not so sure what really qualifies a good leader." He continued to speak with strength and a tint of uncertainty as he shifted his footing. "I'm not even sure whether or not I'm a good leader or not…"

Port raised a curious eyebrow, as he continued to ask, "If you were to take an educated guess, who would you say is a potential leader?"

Sable looked down, took a moment of deep thought before grinning and extending his index and ring fingers. "Two people, actually."

"And who are they if you would be so kind?"

That question had everybody interested now, as Sable chuckled lightly and raised a finger. He pointed it to the brown-haired Atlesian who himself opened his mouth slightly in surprise.

"My teammate here, Frey," Sable said as he then shifted his finger to the edge of the table and jerked his thumb at a certain red-hooded girl. "And Ruby over there."

"H-huh?" Ruby was dumbstruck as she nearly fell out of her chair, but this prompted a more outward expression of disbelief from Weiss.

"Excuse me?" The heiress narrowed her eyes to a frown as she stood up from her seat. "I can understand why you chose one of your teammates, especially since he's proven himself in the initiation; but in what world is she a qualified leader?"

"Ouch, not much confidence in your leader huh?" Sable remarked with a roll of his eyes. He didn't have a high opinion of this Ice Queen with her sass. "That said, I'm not as good with words as you, so I just have to admit...it's a gut feeling."

Weiss scoffed, not taking him seriously as she put a hand on her hip. "So that's it? You're basing who's likely to be a leader on a hunch?"

"You got a problem with my decision? I may not know what makes a leader a leader…" He stuffed his gloved hands into his pockets, before throwing a small glare in her direction. "...but I'm sure as hell that you aren't leader material."

"How dare you just…!" Weiss grit her own teeth as she curled her fists at her sides. "Well, I highly doubt that you are an excellent judge of who's a leader or not!"

"Just like you're not an expert at keeping that ice-cold attitude of yours?"

That retort was followed by a slight giggle from Lilac, and a snorting chuckle from Yang. To Weiss though that made her pale complexion redden badly like a burning lightbulb.

"Why you— t-that's not—" Weiss fumbled with her words as she flustered with frustration. "At least I'm not some insufferable—"

"Looks like we have opposing sides, and two wills that oppose each other in this debate!" Professor Port interjected before an argument could escalate, as he gestured to a cage larger than the podium next to it. It was dark, and you could barely see anything behind the iron bars which two blood-red orbs peered through. "However, what will happen when you both must work together against a common enemy?"

Now that got Sable's attention. He narrowed his eyes at the cage, behind the bars the beast growled and shook with a bloodlust that washed over the class with brief anxiety and fear.'

"Holy Jeebus, teach!" Ragnar himself exclaimed in disbelief as he stood from his chair. "Don't tell me you're keeping a—"

"Grimm straight from the marshes of Patch Island!" Professor Port finished with a boom and merriment in his voice as he marched next to the cage. "This Jawbreaker here was a recently captured specimen that I personally fought and captured!"

"Excuse me, but you surely don't mean that Sable and Weisa are to cooperate with each other in this...fight with the Jawbreaker?" Frey steadily asked, with a neutral and yet concerted tone to his voice as he cleaned his glasses.

"That's precisely what I mean!" Professor Port confirmed, giving both Sable and Weiss glances that held authority. "These two wish to prove themselves, and the best way to do so is under pressure!"

Now, by this point most of the class had an expectation which they couldn't deny was filled with excitement. All except for two students, who felt vastly different about their assignments.

To the albino wolf Faunus, it filled him with a rush that he wanted to liberate so badly. It was the sort that always popped in thanks to his years of training, resulting in a love of combat. He'd finally have a chance to flex his skills, and with that is much more practice.

But it was hard to enjoy that when he would have to work with Ice Queen as well. He looked to his right to see the unpleasant scowl on her face, riddled with nothing but disbelief and a sense of superiority that made him feel hot bile threatening to gag him.

'Seems like she doesn't want anything to do with this…' Sable snorted as he merely brushed off her own cold stare.

"Now, I suggest the two of you go and change into your combat clothes and your weapons. Be sure to do so with haste!" Professor Port stated with a sense of eagerness to see his students in action, and so Weiss started leaving first for her own weapon.

For a brief moment, the wolf Faunus and Heiress locked eyes, both sending their own brief glares that conveyed the same message: Don't get in my way.

As Weiss clacked her heels and walked out of the classroom, Sable himself rose from his seat and looked to his team. "Welp, I'll see you when I come back."

"Go kick some ass, dude!" Ragnar flashed a thumbs up in support. "Just be sure not to mess it up this time alright?"

The wolf Faunus twitched an eyebrow in annoyance. "Always the crude one huh?"

"What can I say? I got no filter." Ragnar shrugged in confidence. "No one's gonna shut me up anyway."

"Somebody really should, though." Frey muttered with a tired sigh, before raising his head to Sable with his glasses almost falling out of his head. "Regardless, I expect to see you at your best."

Sable chuckled, before gesturing to the Atlesian's glasses. "Uh, you might need to check your specs."

"Oh, blast!" He frantically took off his glasses as he proceeded to clean them up again. "Why must this keep happening?"

"I don't know about that Ice Queen, but I'm sure that you'll handle that Grimm just fine partner!" Lilac finally chimed in with his obnoxious smile, though thankfully he didn't cheer too loud. "Good luck!"

"You're the last one I want to hear any support from." Sable gave a flat look that was laced with a sense of annoyance. Still, he cracked a confident grin as he headed towards the locker rooms. "Besides...I don't need luck."

That's right, he never needed it before and neither will he count on it today. Or ever. Not when he brushed with death, not when he trained under the old man, not during the initiation, and not even in this exercise.

If you were strong, then you wouldn't need luck at all.

'The only one I can depend on in life-or-death...is myself.'


Frey was always an overworking individual. Whether it came down to homework, training, or even something as simple as calculating the costs of what he's about to spend, he always went out of his way to look at every little detail with analysis. At first he was self-conscious about it, but thanks to a figure in his life he stopped looking at it like an oddity and more as an external trait that exemplifies his hard work.

Frey only wished his team had the same mindset, but he knew very well that they are different people so he wouldn't really guilt them into doing anything. That said, he still wanted to nudge them towards putting more work into their studies as well as teamwork, as opposed to just battles.

That said, he wasn't obligated to study at the moment.

Professor Port had allowed a 10 minute break for the students,before he released the Grimm. Until Sable and Weiss arrived, the class was free to talk to each other so long as it wasn't too loud.

His mind wasn't stuck on that though, but on his team leader Sable. It had been 10 minutes and he should be arriving from the locker room any moment, but right now the entire class was just waiting for the next assignment to begin.

Lilac was giddy, wide-eye albeit pleasant, if a little bit unpredictable. Ragnar's crude, and perhaps a bit rude, but at least he shares the sentiment that they are a team. Sable on the other hand acted reserved and closed off, even during lunch with the other teams. He had initially chalked it up to getting used to Beacon Academy and the new environment, but the speech cleared up whatever he was thinking about.

"Seriously, our leader needs to get that attitude checked, ya feel me? Ain't no way I'm dealing with that shit." Ragnar scoffed as he picked his ear with his pinky finger.

"Come on, at least he's not some meany-pants." Lilac defended his team leader, though he sheepishly giggled when Ragnar shot him a questioning look. "M-most of the time."

"I'm not saying he's a bad dude. All I'm saying is that he needs to tone it down a bit. Not much else." Ragnar crossed his arms at the moment, pressing his lips. "Weird how he managed to give a good speech though, any idea where that came from?"

"Yeah, I do actually." Lilac said frankly.

Ragnar jerked his head in surprise, giving Lilac a rather shocked grin. "W-wait really? I wasn't expecting an answer from you."

"I have an eye for what people mean ya know?" Lilac shrugged his shoulders with a wink and teasing grin. He sat straight up, and called, "Hey Frey, so what's the deal with that Ice Queen?"

'That nickname is truly going to be bothersome.'

Frey sighed, before adjusting his glasses. "She's Weiss Schnee, and for both your sakes I suggest you remember that."

Lilac and Ragnar looked at each other, then back at Frey, before Lilac laughed it off and the prosthetic-wearing young man saying, "W-w-w-wait? You mean the Schnee?"

"Correct." Frey simply nodded. "As in, the Schnee Dust Corporation that exports all Dust throughout Remnant."

"The one that's practically responsible for the cool weapons we have!?" Ragnar exclaimed in surprise and excitement, while Lilac himself was just paying attention to Frey's explanation.

"No, that would be...another company in Atlas, Ragnar." Frey looked away, hoping he didn't reveal too much. He fidgeted with his fingers, tapping on the wooden tablet, and steered the conversation back to that main topic. "Kn-known as the SDC for short, they are run by the Schnee family, which has held the company for generations, but always ending with either an heir or heiress to inherit the position."

"Not to mention that they hold ownership of all the Dust mines, practically making them a monopoly in that business." Lilac joined in, surprising the hazel-skinned man with his knowledge and intriguing Frey.

That sudden burst of knowledge, briefly prompted a raised eyebrow from Ragnar who asked, "How the hell do you know something like that?"

"What? Just because I like to play around doesn't make me clueless." Lilac 'pouted' childishly, simply playing with his pencils on a piece of paper. "Still, that makes Weiss Schnee the heiress of the company, right?"

"Correct," Frey nodded his head, though he looked down in thought as he asked, "but I still am curious as to why she decided to come to Beacon Academy in Vale instead of Atlas Academy."

"Being from Mantle, I completely get why she probably left for one!" Ragnar sighed as he shivered in his seat. "Do you know just how freezing it gets down there? You could put a cup of water outside and it would freeze by itself!"

Frey nervously chuckled, though he smiled through it. "I-I can imagine that would make anyone uncomfortable, but I think Weiss had more luxury to avoid that inconvenience."

"Because she's the Ice Queen up in here…" Ragnar sighed wearily, his sardonic tone clear for everyone to hear.

"You know, I'm curious…" Lilac brought up with a yawn, and Frey chuckled at the fact. He must be tired of waiting. "If you lived in Atlas, then your family's pretty rich right?"

Frey's heart paced a bit quickly, though he played along with an interested hum, "I-I guess that's true…"

"So, if you don't mind me asking…"

'Blast!' Frey strained his jaw, and could feel a cold sweat down his back. He blew it, and it looked like his cover was blown…

...Or so he thought. The classroom door opened up to reveal two figures walking through, and the tension bled into the room immediately.

"Oh, finally he's here! I've been bored out of my mind this entire time!" Lilac groaned out with relief, leaning on the table and resting his arms on the table.

Frey noted the two figures as Sable and Weiss, Her entire outfit was an expression of snowflakes and elegance, even in her footsteps and weapon. She held her chin high and she walked with the grace of an heiress. She was a combatant, and she certainly looked the part.

"That settles it. I'm still calling her Ice Queen." Ragnar said with a sardonic smirk, as he leaned back to his seat.

"Could you seriously refrain from calling her that?" Frey chided with a stern tone to his voice.

"Fine, Fine...I'll call her frozen bitch in private."

"Ragnar!"

"Guys! Look at Sable right over there!" Lilac interjected before the conversation could escalate. He pointed to Sable who was now wearing his alabaster leather jacket and wielding his motor-fuel single-edged sword. Puzzled as they were, Frey particularly noted Sable's more confident and eager expression formed into a toothy grin.

'His confidence seems to have risen.' He focused on Sable, unsure of what could have given him such a boost. Until he remembered that he was the same way back in initiation.

He had that same bravado and arrogance when facing Grimm.

"Alright, now that you two are here, we can begin." Professor Port twirled his mustache in patience, as he gestured them to the prepared Ring where they stood on the west side, and the cage on the east side. "Now, get into position."

And so they did, with Weiss adopting a traditional fencing stance with her sword in front. A stance perfect for exploiting and taking the initiative.

Sable held his motor-fuel sword as well as his Multi-Dust Revolver, in the left and right hands respectively. His stance was unorthodox, but it was clear he didn't leave any openings.

The cage in front of them kept shaking, the Jawbreaker rattling and snarling in a feral bloodlust. Nobody could really tell you what a Jawbreaker was, considering that Professor Port had kept it a secret until recently, but everybody could feel the tension in the air. Despite this, two particular teams cheered for their fellow members with vigor and enthusiasm to the point of comedy.

"Go, Weiss!" Yang Xiao Long from Team RWBY whooped as she raised her fist high for spirit. Frey considered her a free-willed individual, including many other adjectives that while pleasant, only served to highlight her loose-cannon personality.

"Fight well!" By comparison, Blake Belladonna cheered reservedly from her seat with a wave of her custom flag. She was the closest to a mature person in their classroom, next to Ren and Pyrrha, that Frey understood her to be a more frank person. Speaking in brief but contributing bursts. Still, his imagination played tricks when he thought he saw her black bow twitch.

"Yeah! Represent Team RWBY!" The red-hooded Ruby shouted with spirit, being the one with the most energy. The Atlesian considered her a child, but was impressed when he heard about her decapitation of the Nevermore from initiation. That said, her positivity and naive attitude was proof enough that she truly was a child.

A child with more responsibility on her shoulders as a result of being a leader. She practically skipped two years of study when she arrived at Beacon, and that meant she most likely needed to catch up. Frey could only guess, waiting to see her progress.

"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" Clearly Weiss would have a difference of opinion with him.

Ruby sheepishly shrinked, rubbing the back of her head in slightly awkward fashion.

"Alright!" Professor Port called out, before raising up his battle axe—Presumably his weapon— and holding it with strength befitting of a huntsman. "Let the match…!"

With that, the class silenced their chatter, as now all eyes were on Weiss and Sable.

With the silence hanging over them...a boom resounded as Professor Port spoke. "...begin!"

He let down the axe, breaking the lock. The Jawbreaker inside suddenly charged with baring fangs at the ready, forcing it's contestants to react.

Sable reacted by vaulting over the jaws of death, while Weiss managed to deflect it with her rapier with a sharp swing to the left as she rolled to the side. Both landed on the opposite side where they started, and landed with little strain.

"Ha-ha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Now that the beast was in full view, it severely unnerved many students upon seeing it.

Frey had noted the beast in awe, as well as trepidation.

It was reptilian in appearance, frame, and bulk. Ferocious in its hissing maws, angular and triangular. It's eyes glowed the trademarked red and yellow, while it's body was carved and laid with dense scale-like obsidian plates that blanketed its torso. Four short legs, with clawed webbed toes, though the Jawbreaker was by no means slow.

It swung its entire body to face the two Huntsman-in-training, it opened its jaws wide to utter a hissing growl that made everybody's blood run cold. Much like the cold-blooded Grimm itself.

Frey had to keep his shock at bay, but even he was feeling a bloodlust coming from the Jawbreaker that made it difficult to not sweat.

"Hang in there, Guys!" Ruby called out in support for her two classmates, and Frey found himself agreeing silently with that notion. Now, he wasn't sure whether or not he should cheer as it would disrupt—

"GO! GO! BIG BAD WOLF!" Lilac started cheering furiously as he chanted his own phrase for Sable. This caught Frey off guard pretty badly, as he flinched in surprise and his glasses nearly falling off. Of course, he hurriedly put them back on.

"Holy—dude! Don't just shout like that in my ears, bro!" Ragnar hissed in anger as he cupped his ears.

'I-I guess some of us are too excited to keep our inside voices…' Frey sheepishly chuckled before turning his attention to Weiss and Sable, with the latter making his move as he cocked his revolver ready and started shooting while Weiss thrusted her rapier forward with elegance.

The Jawbreaker thrashed its sharp toothed-maw in an effort to cleave through the heiress, but she gracefully danced between the Grimm's berserk rage. She swung her rapier with the intent to slice, but the actual plating made it almost impossible to do so with her own blade. This allowed the Jawbreaker to thrash its tail violently, slamming into Weiss's rapier in an effort to defend herself.

She rolled until skidding next to Sable, who kept shooting pot shots at the Jawbreakers body. Frey noted that the potshots didn't seem to leave too much damage, but they did embed themselves in the plating...which intrigued Frey.

Weiss merely glared at her 'partner' with her snow-blue eyes, saying. "Aren't you going to do something about this?"

"I am doing something, Ice Queen." Sable groaned with a sigh as he pulled his single-edged motor sword into a stance, and charged straight towards the Grimm with vigor, dodging the beasts snapping jaws with ease before jamming his swords edge into the small crater near its torso where the bullet embedded itself. It seemed to work, as it left a spider-web crack into its armor.

"Aha! Ingenious improvisation, but what about its tail?" Professor Port commented as he watched the Jawbreaker thrash it's tail with force that it would slam into the albino Faunus.

Frey braced himself for the impact until Sable smirked and rolled downwards, barely dodging the swing underneath. But it wasn't just Sable, as Weiss took this opportunity to take the Grimm of guard and targeted the cratered and embedded bullets with ease. With every stab, the cracks were wider and crawling over the scaled armor.

"YEAH! Be careful with it's tough hide!" Ruby continued to holler from her seat in support, only to be given a harsh glare from Weiss as she thrusted her rapier deep into the Jawbreaker with strength behind it.

It was with the intent to finish it off and pierce the plated scales, which worked...one of those two things. Weiss found her pull yielding no results, as she couldn't pull her rapier from the torso and the hide of this Grimm.

'Oh no!' Frey thought with a paled look. Her sword was wedged deep into the Jawbreaker who thrashed its own weight as Weiss struggled to keep her heels digged in. She pierced its hide, but now she was a sitting duck about to be devoured

"Uh-Oh! How will you avoid this predicament?" Professor Port hummed in thought as he patiently waited for Weiss's response to this inconvenience.

Frey looked at the rest of team RWBY with worries in their expression, and Ruby in particular tried to warn her teammate. "Weiss! Be careful, use your Dust to burn it from the insi—"

"Stop telling me what to do!" She shouted in frustration, fuming with a cold scowl.

Frey narrowed his eyes, seeing Ruby's hurt expression. Why was she so mad about her teammate trying to help?

The Jawbreaker roared with pain, twisting it's upper body and neck to extend its jaw' towards Weiss who was still a sitting duck.

Everybody tensed and held their breath, some averting their eyes as the jaws of death neared the snow-haired heiress. She gasped and widened her eyes, looking for the quickest moment… frail and vulnerable.

Until a motorized, and flaming sword pierced through the top of the Jawbreakers snout and through it's jaw...nailing it down to the floor.

Sable grit his teeth as he pushed the sword down. It looked like even he was exerting force to keep it anchored. He shouted as his crimson eyes flashed to Weiss'. "What are you waiting for!? Do it now!"

Weiss seemed dumbstruck, before nodding fiercely and the revolver at the guard of her rapier started spinning and locking into place. Soon enough, a burst of flame erupted from within the Jawbreaker as the holes and cracks started to break and combust as smoke and explosions boomed at the center.

Frey, as well as the rest of the teams in class had to cover their eyes because of the smoke, but soon it cleared to reveal the now crumbling Jawbreaker as it flaked away to ash. Weiss was breathing heavily, but that is to be expected with the amount of force she put into the Grimm.

Sable wasn't exhausted, but rather looked almost...disappointed? He sheathed both his magnum revolver and his motorized sword as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. If Frey didn't know better, he would have pegged him for being arrogant.

"Bravo! Bra-vo!" Professor Port clapped as he congratulated the two student's for their cooperation in this assignment. "It appears we are indeed in the presence of true Hunters-in-training!"

Sable let out a tired sigh, but smirked as he looked to his teammates and gave them a thumbs up with a cock-sure grin.

"W-well…" Ragnar plainly said in surprise, wide eyed at the display but grinning ear-to-ear regardless. "Looks like he wasn't all talk after all!"

"You're damn right he isn't all talk, Raggy!" Lilac giggled as he gave a peace sign to Sable, his horse tail flicking with enjoyment. "Nice job showing your fangs in there, partner!"

The albino wolf faunus just groaned as he rolled his eyes.

Frey found himself smiling at the success of his teammate, but soon turned to a pressed neutral expression when his eyes landed on Weiss. She was still frowning harshly, and tracing her gaze to Ruby who had a sad frown.

Whatever was going on, Frey found himself compelled to speak to Weiss. She was no doubt foolishly clinging on to the idea of who she is as a Schnee.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and...stay vigilant!" Professor port concluded the class with a polite bow. "Class dismissed!"

With that, everybody watched as Weiss hurriedly stomped off towards the door. Some of the class started whispering amongst themselves.

Frey heard a scoff from Ragnar who stood up from his seat and stretched his prosthetic arms. "See now why I call her Ice Queen?"

"She did start acting strangely whenever Red Hoodie called her out." Lilac nodded as he himself stood from his seat.

'Because she feels entitled to her own skill and status as a Schnee…'

Frey adjusted his glasses, and stood from his own seat. "Perhaps, somebody should go and talk to her."

That is, he would go and speak to her. Until he noted Ruby charging out of the room chasing after Weiss. He raised an eyebrow, though considered it appropriate that their team leader speak to one of their teammates.

What he didn't expect was for Sable to start following suit.

Why exactly, he didn't ask.


He could've waited for his team and told Lilac that he really didn't need luck.

He could just let Ruby mind her own business with that Ice Queen.

But he didn't do any of those things.

No, instead he chooses to follow Ruby as she ran off pretty quickly and he just walked behind a way away.

'Somethings off about Weiss's attitude…' He'd be lying if her comments towards Ruby and overall attitude didn't leave a bad impression of Weiss. So far, she had acted like a snow cold spoiled brat just because she was a Schnee. She may have had the skill to deal with that Jawbreaker sure, but nevertheless she didn't even bother to give a thank you.

'Then again, I'm no different.'

No, he was. He proved it to his new team back in initiation.

He wasn't oblivious to who she was, the future heiress of the SDC is not really a surprise to him. Contrary to what some assholes believed, he wasn't isolated from the entire world and ignorant of its influences. The old man always made sure to keep him informed, including things like the four kingdoms, Huntsman academies, and even the White Fang.

Therefore, it wasn't hidden knowledge that knew what the SDC did, and he could already see Weiss lived a silver spoon life.

'And you know what they say...they have a shit sense of entitlement.'

Entitlement to what exactly was what he wanted to figure out. Eavesdropping might be rude, sure, but after this he was going to get his leadership changed once he brought it up to Ozpin.

"Weiss, wait!" As he noticed Ruby turn a corner, he walked and leaned up against the marble wall keeping himself hidden from sight. Ruby called for Weiss who turned around with a glare loaded.

"What?" The tone in her voice was cold, and hostile.

"What's wrong with you?" Ruby said, confused, and her voice concerned for her teammate. "Why are you being—"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Weiss accused as she threw her arms, and Sable already clicked his mouth in annoyance. "You're supposed to be a leader, and all you've been so far is a nuisance!"

'Oh, now that's bullshit…' He narrowed his eyes, though didn't reveal himself yet. She was complaining because Ruby became leader? Or was it because she's just acting like someone her age would?

Ruby scoffed, seemingly in disbelief. "What did I do?"

"That's just it! You've done nothing to earn your position!" Weiss continued to berate with no mercy. By now, Sable was more than just annoyed. "Back in the forest you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"

Sable couldn't disagree more on certain points. He heard from Ragnar earlier that, despite being 15-years old she managed to decapitate a Nevermore at her age and work well with others. If anything, that just made her more leader material.

"Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about working together?" Ruby asked, pleading for an answer that she hoped would clear her confusion. "I thought you believed in acting as a team."

'Well? What's the reason for your bitchy attitude?' Sable kept all four of his ears, including his wolf ears open to hear Weiss' answer…

Weiss' next words were harsh, and piercing. "Not a team...led by you."

Any respect he had for Weiss suddenly went down the drain as she continued to speak with contempt. "I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better."

Clacking heels, and he assumed that she had turned around to walk away. He peered through the edges to see Ruby holding her hand out, and immediately bile threatened to rise out his throat.

'That's rich…' He grit his teeth in annoyance, as he tried his best to keep himself in check. He might say something he might regret, but the Ice Queen finished with one last statement that made him lose it.

"Ozpin made a mistake." She stated coldly, and started to walk away...but Sable just wouldn't have it.

He revealed himself by saying one simple statement as he grit his teeth and narrowing his eyes at the retreating Weiss. "That's a load of bullshit!"

Surprised, both girls turned around to see Sable standing there with a glower on his face and standing taller than both of them by at least a foot.

"S-Sable?" Ruby stuttered in surprise, confused as to what the albino wolf faunus was doing here.

Weiss had a different reaction as she widened her eyes, and immediately frowned while asking questions, "W-w-were you just eavesdropping on us?!"

Sable started walking towards Weiss, barely containing his frustration. "I just wanted to see what the deal was with you two, but it looks like the problem is just you being a spoiled princess!"

Weiss fumed as she fumbled with her words. "Wha— W-w-who asked you!?

"Look, I get it okay? Ruby may act childish at times, and is pretty young for her age..." Sable crossed his arms giving a sneer to the princess. "But that's exactly why I'm just gonna say it right now. Ruby is better than you."

"Wait...what?" Ruby mumbled confused at the sudden statement, and she looked increasingly nervous when that sparked Weiss' fuse.

Weiss arched a confused and irate eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Even when she's short as a pancake stack, she still managed to keep up in the initiation and pass didn't she?" Sable pointed out with a questioning tilt of his head. "She did work well with you and the others from what I'm told, on top of decapitating a Nevermore with nothing but her skill and coordination with you!

"You give her flak for acting like a 15-year old, and you boast so much about how you can do better if that debate in class wasn't any indication." Sable counted off as he raised a finger and listed off his points. "But last time I checked, skipping two years of combat school and making it to Beacon Academy is not an easy thing to do!"

"That doesn't mean anything if she can't be a good leader!" Weiss rebuked. "She doesn't understand anything about being a leader, and she doesn't deserve her position!"

"What, and you do?" Sable raised an eyebrow, folding his arms defiantly. "All I've seen you do is mope and complain the entire day. Ozpin made a mistake? The only mistake that could have been made would be making you the leader."

"G-guys, come on! Let's not get into this argument, okay?" Ruby stuttered, getting in between the two students while holding her arms out to separate the two. More like pushing Weiss away and her hand just stuck on Sable who didn't even move.

"No, hold up Ruby." Weiss gasped in disbelief, but continued arguing, "What gives you the right to say that!?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that I'm the one who saved your ass back in class?" Sable pointed out while glaring with his crimson eyes. "Not to mention your poor attitude, it doesn't help that you know nothing about leading others."

"I-I-I...t-that doesn't matter..." Weiss stuttered, narrowing her eyes in defiance. "I'm the heiress to the Schnee family, and I've trained to succeed here to begin with! I don't see why Ruby is the leader, especially when she's only two years younger than us!"

"Exactly!" Sable shouted in frustration as he gripped his knuckles. "It's because she's skipped two years ahead that she needs to work harder than any of us now! You invalidate all that work she's putting in to try to be a good leader, I don't care what your problem is, it's pissing me off!"

Weiss stared in disbelief, seemingly intimidated and befuddled with Sable all the same. He noted her surprised and flincing reaction as he was now up in her face. Sable got his point across, so he didn't have to act all aggressive anymore.

"I don't understand what your deal is, and quite frankly, I don't give a damn." Sable took a deep exhausted breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "But how about instead of complaining about not being a leader, you just accept it and move on with your life. Because I don't care whether you're a Schnee or not...you just haven't been a good teammate at all."

His words sparked a different reaction from Weiss. Instead of shouting and glaring at him with some form of contempt he didn't care to ask, she widened her eyes in a sudden shock. She looked as if she had been grounded back to reality, and suddenly she looked down with shadowed eyes.

"If you think you can coast through Beacon purely based on your family's line, then you're not gonna go far as a Huntress." Sable sighed heavily and with annoyance as he turned around and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Come on, Ruby."

"U-uh, Excuse me?" Ruby flinched in surprise, as he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her away.

"Just come with me!" Sable barked as she pulled her to another hallway, leaving Weiss in the dust and standing there in slight shock.

"W-w-w-wait, just hold on! Where are you even taking me!?"

Sable kept pulling her with him until they had reached the dorm building just outside of their respective dorms. SLFR's dorm door was just across from RWBY's, so it wasn't really that hard for them to find their rooms. That said, after pulling her in an almost comical fashion he let her go and noticed she had been breathing exaggeratedly.

Then again they did just run all the way from their classes to their dorms.

"Y-you…" Ruby said in between breaths. "You…"

Sable turned around and noticed her still breathing heavily. "Aw shit, my bad. Guess I sprinted a bit too fast—"

"You big meanie!" Ruby just gave a series of slight weak flailing punches to Sable who just flinched in disbelief. "What the heck was that! You know I can't run as fast as you like that!"

"First, no, I didn't know that you couldn't." Sable pointed out with a snort. "Second, I figured you'd want to get away from Weiss's nonsense so I brought you here to your dorm!"

"W-well, y-you should have warned me at least!" Ruby pouted adorably, only for her expression to sadden as she looked down to the floor and sighed.

"What's with the droopy face?" Sable sarcastically remarked.

"I just...I'm not sure if what she said was true or not." Ruby said, opening up a bit with remorse and confusion. "But Sable...is what she said true? Did Ozpin really make a mistake?"

The tone in her voice hinged between mopey sadness and the verge of crying lightly. She was trying her best to remain calm and optimistic, but apparently Weiss' words actually hit deep.

Sable couldn't blame her. She was still a 15-year old trying to adjust to a school where she's the youngest, and to have her own teammate say she isn't good enough on the first day was crushing.

He softened his own expression as he sighed himself. 'Can't leave her like this...it's gonna leave a bad taste in my mouth if I do…'

"Don't let what Ice Queen said get to you Ruby. What she said was just because she was jealous." Sable huffed as he rolled his shoulders and stuffed his pockets. "Besides if you ask me, you're doing just fine for your first day."

"R-really?" Ruby looked up and tilted her head as she looked away, almost sheepishly reluctant to the compliment. "I mean, I wasn't exactly the most attentive or even the best person to lead."

"Who says that? Come on, little red hood, It's only the first day of school, I'm sure there are other people who aren't as attentive or borderline sleeping in class!" Sable scoffed, as he smirked. "You on the other hand, already proved yourself that you earned your spot."

"I...did?"

"You heard everything I said back there, I don't need to repeat myself ya know?" Sable said with a small tinge of annoyance, before saying something that even he didn't expect. "You're gonna be a great leader, better than what I could be anyway."

"Wait, better than you?" Ruby caught on to the phrasing, before raising an eyebrow as she asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Huh?" Sable owlishly blinked before flinching and cursing at himself. "Shit! Me and my mouth…j-just forget about it alright?"

"Sable, is there something going on?" Ruby asked with concern. "I mean, if you are there's nothing wrong with talking about it."

'Shit…' Not the best case scenario for him, and he was just going to Ozpin's office.

"U-uh...I just… gotta go to Ozpin's office." Sable muttered out the words as he looked away in slight annoyance.

"Wait, why? I don't think you did anything wrong." Ruby said with a thoughtful shake of her head.

"Not at all! I just, well, feel like I need to talk to him about my position in the team…" Sable said with a nervous chuckle, before giving up and sighing in resignation.

"Sable?"

Sable groaned, sitting down on the floor, leaning up against the wall. "I don't think I'm cut out for this…"

"Wait, what?" Ruby asked as she sat next to him in concern. "What makes you say that?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

"I disagree. You already helped me, but I can't help you if you don't tell me." Ruby said with a concerned frown, but she subtly pushed the topic prompting Sable's grunting reaction.

"Everybody just tries to tell me that I'm a leader, but that just pisses me off."

"Wait, but then what about back in class and your speech? That argument with Weiss?" Ruby listed off, she was now even more confused by him. "You even tried encouraging me!"

"Yeah, because you got a better chance of getting along with people than I do." Sable rubbed the back of his head, but his tone turned sour. "Besides, you know already that I'm...uh."

"That you're... what?."

"An asshole! That I'm an asshole!" Sable cursed as he barked out.

Ruby flinched a bit before pouting. "Swear, Sable."

"Yeah, sure whatever." Sable waved it off as he continued. "As for that speech back in there, I was just making shit up my ass, I just spoke what I thought was real."

"Again, double swear"

"Point being…!" He interjected with a groan, before sighing heavily. "I was debating on changing leadership...but seeing you try so hard after dealing with Ice Queen is making me reconsider."

That's right, he couldn't do it. Something about Ruby's encouragement to Weiss and overall attitude made him think this through and arrive at this decision. But it wasn't just that, it was also Frey.

He's a stickler, a bit stern and a hard-ass at times, but he was kind and honest-to-god too, believing in people. Which meant that he would believe in his own leader, without a question.

'Even if I'm not ready to be one…'

Ruby herself started fidgeting with her fingers as she looked down in thought and hummed to herself. "I'm not sure what to say since I'm not good at giving advice but...have you considered...talking to them?"

The suggestion by Ruby had Sable looking down to her with a wide-eyed expression, but a rather odd smirk. "Talking to them?"

Ruby nodded her head. "Yeah, I-I mean, like you said we're in the same boat. I need to be a better leader, and from what it sounds like...you just need to talk to your teammates."

Sable half-lidded his eyes, before answering with a flat, "No."

"That was too quick!" Ruby exclaimed with a pout, giving a small exaggerated cross of her arms which only made her look more adorable. "Come on, you can't keep this bottled up!"

"They are your team, and if they're like mine, then talking to them about it wouldn't hurt." Ruby encouraged him, trying to lift him up by the shoulder, straining as she found herself unable to move him. "Why. Are. You. So. Heavy!?"

Sable sighed before standing up straight, and ruffling her reddish black hair. "Alright, alright I get it! I'll try talking to them if it will shut you up."

"Good. Open communications a step to success!" Ruby nodded feverishly with a triumphant smile.

Sable just rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

"Hey, Sable…" He looked to her with a questioning eyebrow, as she just smiled and giggled. "Thanks for cheering me up, I really needed it."

"H-huh?" Sable awkwardly hung his jaw, before rubbing the back of his head in slight nervousness. "I wasn't exactly...that helpful but okay."

"Guess it's true what Lilac says, you act tough but in the end...you're just a big softie!" She giggled to herself almost mischievously, before eyeing his Faunus ears with a grin.

"H-hey! I'm not a softie!" Sable denied with comical shark teeth.

"Sure~." Ruby drawled it out with a giggle, as she turned away to walk towards her dorm room. "Well, it was nice talking to you Sable! See ya!"

Sable sighed as he let a small smirk cross his features, as he headed to his dorm room with a newfound sense of relief. "See ya later, short-stack!"

"I'm not that short!"

Sable simply chuckled, as he entered his dorm room. He closed the door, and noticed that his room had been empty, nobody was here. Lilac wasn't here, and neither was Ragnar surprisingly.

'Good...I could use a nap…' He smiled comfortably as he jumped on his bed and crossed his arms behind his head.

Now that he had enough time to think, he wasn't going to speak to Ozpin about switching places anymore. He had figured it out when noting Ruby's efforts.

Sable was doing the opposite of what the old man always told him to do. He was giving up on being the leader, when it was the first day of school no less.

'That really leaves a piss-poor taste in my mouth.' He frowned, cursing himself for having almost made a fatal mistake he didn't want to make.

He would never do that. No, he couldn't do that. With newfound determination, he decided on a nap to prepare himself for later tonight.


'But...that's exactly why I came here…'

She held her tongue at those words, as she curled her dainty fists in frustration. Everything that wolf Faunus told her was frustrating, harsh, and confusing. She walked away, her heels clicking methodically through the hallways as she started looking down in pensive thought.

Not being a good teammate at all?

What did he even mean?

Weiss had trained too hard, and too long for her efforts to have been wasted on being just a teammate. So many hours spent working on her footwork, her swordplay, and her weapon with Winter. All so she could become a student at Beacon Academy, the best of the best, and further away from her own father.

Yet she wasn't made a leader. No, Ruby Rose was the leader instead. A 15-year old child was given a responsibility, one that she didn't even take seriously. She still believed that she wasn't ready for something like that.

'The last thing I ever wanted was for my family's influence to dictate where I landed in this school.' She thought as she made her way to an outdoors section of the school, and noticed a bench that she sat on the far left end of it.

Wooden, sturdy, and comfortable, but it didn't make Weiss's tapping fingers on the armrest lessen. In fact, she was just now more uneasy about the absurdity of that argument with Sable.

But as she started looking back to what that albino wolf Faunus said about her and Ruby...the facts were plain to see. She frowned sadly at the thought, but she still couldn't accept it.

She wasn't doing this with the assumption that she deserved it because she was a Schnee...right?

'Dammit, Weiss! Snap out of it!' Right, this was no time for dilly dallying. No, after that argument she really needed something to take her mind off of the ordeal. That was the last class for the first day after all.

She did think of going to her dorm room, but that meant she would have to deal with Yang's exuberant, and terrible puns. She didn't have much to say about Blake, she had been calm enough...but she just isn't in the mood to talk to anybody in her own team.

Instead she sat on that bench, for what seemed like the past half hour as the sun started to set. The sky became a bright orange, tinged with yellow clouds thanks due in part to the sun.

'I guess...this really isn't too bad.'

"Excuse me...may I have a seat over here?"

Weiss hummed in curiosity, as she noticed a fair skinned young man, wearing his cobalt suit and glasses. His tousled brown hair was indistinguishable, only outmatched by his deep blue sapphire eyes.

Weiss's expression widened in curiosity. "Frey Sapphire…"

"Weiss Schnee…" The tone in his voice was firm, and even more so level. He raised an eyebrow as he gestured to the empty spot in the bench. "So...is it free to take?

"Oh." Weiss looked to the empty spot that was on the other side of the bench. It was not too far for conversation, but not too close for any awkward contact. "Sure, I don't mind."

"I find that hard to believe, what with your performance back in class." He slyly remarked with a furrowed brow as he took the seat and opened his notebook. "Changing your attitude because I'm from Atlas?"

"Hmph...nothing of the sort." She merely scoffed, as she leaned on her hand. She glanced sideways at Frey, who seemed to be interested in his notebook with an inquisitive hum.

Almost carefree, and unaware that she knows who he really is.

She did since he introduced himself as Frey Sapphire.

'As in...the Sapphire Metalworks Mining Co.' The same company which was largely responsible for the metal produced and distributed to all the Kingdoms, which allowed for all the weapons that Huntsman use to this day. Only one family had that much influence, second to the SDC, and that was the Sapphire's.

'So why is he here?'

"I must say, it's interesting that you decided to come to Beacon Academy instead of Atlas."

Weiss gave him a confused look in her eyes, alerted but not defensive about the topic. "What do you mean?"

"Given your position in Atlas, as well as being the current heiress of the SDC, one wouldn't predict that you'd choose an academy halfway across Remnant." Frey remarked with a questioning, insightful glance. "Any reason behind that?"

"What are you trying to say?" Weiss narrowed her eyes in caution, though she didn't shut him down.

"Look Weiss, I understand." That statement caught her by surprise, and widened her eyes when he turned to give her a slightly empathetic look tinged with seriousness. "You left Atlas for one reason or another. That reason being more complicated than you're willing to share with someone like me.

"And you came here with some sort of expectation, given that you must have trained extensively to handle yourself against Grimm, which is commendable for every reason." Frey closed his notebook as his serious look turned stern. "But I'm afraid that whatever reason you came here, it's coming from a misunderstanding.

"Oh really?" Weiss turned her head forward, seemingly in thought and yet cautious. "Then for what reasons are you here?"

"I'm willing to say that they are rather complicated." A moment of silence, Weiss's own curious eyebrow and Frey softening his expression. "I'm a young aspiring Huntsman-in-training, and I came here for my own reasons as well. Everybody does, and I'm not going to be intrusive about it."

"Neither will I." Weiss stated with closed eyes, with the spec-wearing Atlesian nodding in response. He seemed to understand something between the two, and she knew well that he would be smart enough to deduce why she left.

But instead of nosing in, he decides to respect the secrecy of her situation, and trusts her to do the same?

'Perhaps...I could ask him.'

"Frey."

"Yes?"

She took a breath, before speaking. "Since we are in agreement, I… well, it's not like I'm asking for help, but…"

"But what?" Frey tilted his head in expectation.

Weiss fumbled with her next words, but remained calm and resolute as she spoke her next words.

"...but what are your thoughts on that Faunus on your team?"

Frey furrowed his brows cautiously, something which Weiss noted carefully. "I assume you mean Sable?"

"Correct! I had a small argument with him in the hallway—"

"I doubt it was very small." Frey sighed, adjusting his glasses. "What was it about?"

"Hmph, he tried defending Ozpin's decision to make Ruby the leader, and even went out of his way to list why I couldn't be a leader." Weiss narrowed her eyes, recalling what he said before letting her frustration boil. "I mean, who does he think he is?"

"Easy there, that's my leader you're talking about." Frey replied with a snark to his voice, but his expression was neutral.

"But he's insufferably rude, and let alone a ruffian who doesn't even know what he's talking about." Weiss huffed in defiance, as she continued. "But he said something that I wanted to ask you to clarify for me."

Frey now looked at her crystal blue eyes with thought. "What is it?"

"He left saying that I wasn't a good teammate, and I don't really understand what he means by it."

How could she? Through the accusing tone, and rude and almost hostile tone, he seemed to make some good points. Yet that last statement didn't make sense. She asked Frey because she thought he would help, maybe sympathize with having an unruly leader.

"Ah, I see… he is rather obtuse and crude at times." Frey nodded before slightly smiling and closing his notebook. "I think what he was trying to say, at least from my point of view, is that you should be grateful and help your leader instead of complaining."

"Excuse me?"

"You may not be a leader, and trust me it is no mystery you didn't approve of the decision, but if all you keep mulling over the past then you may not be able to perform at your best or be a better teammate." Frey started explaining as he closed his notebook with a smile. "If there's anything that you can do, it's try to be the best teammate you can be."

At that last statement, a lightbulb went off in Weiss' brain...and she finally understood what the albino Faunus and Frey were telling her.

She took note of his warm smile, as she noticed his glasses were smudged a bit.

"If you're going to give advice, then here's some for you." Pouting, Weiss stood up from the bench and snatched his glasses. She then proceeded to wipe them clean with a small handkerchief from her pockets, then handed them to him with a cheeky smirk. "Be sure to keep one of these with you."

"A-ah, right. Forgive me, it's a common mistake." Frey sheepishly chuckled as he put on his clean glasses. He put away his notebook, and turned back as he walked away with a wave. "I suppose, I'll see you another time."

"Likewise." Weiss simply said with a thin smile, calm, and overall relaxed. Thanks partially to having someone to talk to, and not have someone judge her for anything.

Still, she would be remiss in saying that she wasn't curious about Frey's insight.

Weiss came to Beacon for deep, particularly sensitive, reasons regarding her father, the familial tension and a certain drive that Winter instilled in her. She knew there was more to that, but Frey was spot on in figuring it out.

She can't just share it to people she recently met, even if they are more deserving to know.

Regardless, she had been trying to understand what Faunus meant about not being a good teammate, and with a little help than she would like to admit...she gets it now.

'Now...what to do to make it up to that dolt?'


The blaring roar of an air horn blew Sable's ears as his eyes snapped open and jumped out from his deserved nap. Briefly startled, his senses were alert before he turned his head to see an obnoxiously smiling Lilac.

Since Professor Port's lecture, he had been napping in his bed for what he could see was about to be sunset. The orange glowe peered through the window curtain, the entire room being as it was, rather compact and finally decorated.

There was a poster that had the words, "Ride Rocker" on the wall over where Ragnar's bed was. There was a small wooden writing desk next to Frey's, littered with already 4 notebooks stacked on one another.

Already, he was regretting sleeping without locking the door.

Sable grit his teeth in furious annoyance, before taking a sharp sniff of air...and let out an exasperated breath. "You're such an ass…"

'Note to self: watch out for that airhorn.'

"Hey there, bud! How's it going?" Lilac asked with a smirk, as he stepped back with his arms and air horn behind him.

"Oh, not much. Just a rude awakening after a nice nap, no thanks to you." Sable groaned out as he sat on his bed and stretched sleepily. He noticed two others were in the same dormitory room as Lilac.

Frey was standing in the middle of the room as he looked at Sable with a stoic expression, his lips pressed into a thin smile. Looking behind him, he saw Ragnar in his own bed. Instead of sleeping, he sat there slouched over with a half-lidded look of annoyance.

"What's with that mug?" Sable raised an eyebrow, wondering what was the deal with his teammates.

"I dunno, where were you the entire day, Mr. Loner?" Ragnar retorted with his own raised eyebrow, his face shaped and featured. "If you were going to give that Ice Queen what-for you could've at least told me about it?"

"And what, have you blabber it out to everybody in the freaking school?"

"What makes you think I would do that? Why not the literal prankster right over here?"

"The hell did I do?" Lilac defended himself, but was met with looks before he chuckled sheepishly. "I mean, except for a couple of pranks, duh!"

"Because I can already tell you like to cause a ruckus, and you don't exactly have a clean mouth either." Sable retorted, moving his hands towards the goggles around his neck before noticing a detail. "Wait, how did you even know that she and I had an argument?"

"Ahem." The Atlesian cleared his throat, giving a slight wave. "I had a word with her, and she was polite enough to open up about your disagreement with each other."

"Mouthing off to the heiress of the SDC on your first day of school...that takes some balls, man." Ragnar chuckled as he perked a thumbs up. "Respect."

"Wouldn't say that's impressive, Ragnar." Frey chided the hazel-skinned fighter. "That being said, I believe you owe us an explanation of what happened."

"I don't owe anything, specs." Sable shrugged it off.

"Sable." Frey sternly spoke, his tone being serious.

"Dude, come on you can tell us anything..what are the deets?" Ragnar leaned in with an ecstatic grin.

Sable rolled his eyes as he groaned. They weren't gonna leave him alone unless he did explain to them.

Instead of resisting any further, he slowly but surely told his team the details. Why Weiss is not fit to be a leader, why Ruby herself was a better leader, and for the most part recollected the events as his team listened. Of course, he left out the part about his talk with Ruby. He didn't want these guys thinking he was going soft or anything.

"Hmmm, I see…" Frey mused after the story, as he leaned on the wall next to the door.

"That's what it was about? Jeez, I figured she was spoiled, but this just settles it." Ragnar shook his head.

"Mhm, definitely sounds like Weiss Schnee." Lilac nodded while sipping from a carton of carrot juice on his bed.

Sable just sighed, because he for the most part expected these reactions. His team was surprisingly chill about this, and seemed to overall agree with him. He was slightly content, if a little bit apprehensive about it.

"Heh, if she really was a leader, she'd be better as a bossy bitch." Ragnar grinned at that.

"Ragnar, that's not polite nor is it called for." Frey sent a scolding look at the hazel-skinned man, before continuing. "I already had a chat with her, and she seemed to be more cooperative when I left."

"That's a shocker, I figured she wouldn't give you the time of day." Saable raised an eyebrow, pressing the question.

"You all know that I'm from Atlas, she probably thought that it'd be easier to speak to someone from her own kingdom." Frey reminded them, before gesturing to Sable with a question. "That said, why did you end up arguing over it?"

"Tch, it's because of the way she acted and held herself. I've seen her type before, the spoiled rich daughter type that thinks they're better than everyone." Sable scoffed, crossing his arms. "So, I decided I would give her a piece of my mind, and get her to back off."

"Again, that is a butt-ton of respect for ya, man." Ragnar snickered, while Frey just sighed and Lilac gave a small thumbs up.

'Oddly..supportive.' He didn't get it. They weren't upset with him actually being some asshat? Now that he thinks about it, this is the first time he really sat down and talked with these guys.

And he wasn't being given any flak for being the way he was. For the most part, they have been pretty supportive, welcoming, and somewhat chill.

'Yeah, I-I mean, like you said we're in the same boat. I need to be a better leader, and from what it sounds like...you just need to talk to your teammates.'

That piece of advice seemed silly at first, and not really well-worded...but if it'll make things easier, then he might as well.

"Still, there's something else that I've been meaning to talk to you guys about." Sable took a shallow breath, as his teammates turned their attention to thim with curious eyes.

It wasn't heart-pounding, but he didn't know what to say to get the answer he's looking for. He was struggling to think of what to say next, unsure whether or not he would just mess up the conversation with his attitude.

He took a breath, and mustered up the will to speak his mind.

"Now, that we've got this time to ourselves...I've been meaning to ask you guys a question throughout the entire day ever since yesterday's announcements." Sable started, and continued to slowly articulate his words. "I'll be honest, I know I haven't really been a social butterfly or whatever. Heck, I barely spoke a word throughout the day."

"You were acting rather peculiar." Frey noted.

"And not to mention being a broody dude." Ragnar added.

"But also being slightly fussy earlier when I showed you that picture." Lilac tilted his head with a smirk. "Was it the spandex that threw you off?"

"No, you asshat! I-I mean… ugh!" Sable reprimanded himself for that slight outburst, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's not the picture, Lilac. It's the fact that I have this really big responsibility, and I don't think I am capable."

That got everybody silent, and Lilac in particular wasn't goofing off as usual.

"Guys...lemme ask you one question. And be honest with me here." He looked to each of them with an unsure frown, as he looked down at his open hand. He remembered yesterday's teams, the argument with Weiss, the heart-to-heart with Ruby, and ultimately back to the words he spoke during the debate...which he wasn't sure if he believed or not.

"I'll be the first one to say it, everything that a true Huntsman should be is completely something to shoot for...but here's my problem with that statement. There's no such thing as a perfect Huntsman, and none of us here are ready to be one yet."

"Do you really think I'm capable of being a leader?" The question came out, and that caused a small stun from all three of his teammates.

.

..

Following the nervous silence, surprising Sable and breaking all his expectations, erupted the raucous laughter from Lilac and Ragnar. The horse-Faunus clutched his belly as he slowly got to his knees in a fit of joy, while Ragnar consistently slapped his knee like a whooping hyena.

Even Frey chuckled when he heard, resulting in a laughing smile that wasn't common for anybody to see.

Sable owlishly blinked before shouting. "W-w-what the hell is so funny!?"

"Are you serious?! That's why you've been acting so moody all day, bro?" Ragnar cackled, as he took gasps of breath. "Oh, oh boy, g-gimme a break here, I'm outta breath!"

"The Big Bad Wolf... is insecure…! Hehehehe! Pal, this is a riot!" Lilac himself continued giggling amongst them, before getting his cheeks pinched and stretched by the albino Faunus.

"Who the fuck you calling insecure, huh!?" Sable growled comically, before Frey cleared his throat.

"Truthfully, it is rather comical. To think, your confidence and bluster in combat doesn't carry over to your own perception." The Atlesian chuckled as he adjusted his glasses. "But to answer your question, you shouldn't be too self-critical."

"Huh?" Self-critical? Is that a fancy way of saying he's too hard on himself?

"Same here, bro!" Ragnar rose from his bed as he stretched, and put his hands on his hips. "I'm gonna be honest here, I don't like your cocky attitude when you fight. You can be a bit moody, grumpy, and not to mention you totally lack style."

"The fuck you say?"

"But even with all that shit, you weren't half-bad at making up plans on the go. I mean, you were the one who had the idea of making Lilac here spider-bait."

Lilac shuddered at the memory, holding his arms. "N-never again!"

"See even now he's having flashbacks to that!" Ragnar exclaimed as he paced around the room. "But even after that plan, you're the one who led the attack on that creepy crawly death dealer! I don't see why you're acting all insecure.."

"Hey, you said it yourself earlier!" He defended himself as he put a hand to his chest. "Mr. Loner right here! I'm not the kind to be bogged down by people, and I certainly don't work in teams. Hell, I bet I can wipe the floor with each of you individually!"

"And there he goes with that cocksure arrogance." Frey remarked with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes. "How does this relate back to you being a leader?"

Sable huffed as he scratched the back of his neck. "Let's just say someone suggested that I talk to you guys about it. One thing led to another, and now we're here talking about it. But I'm just not sure if I deserve to be a leader."

Could you blame him? He knew his limits, despite being a confident ass about it. One thing he was good at was killing Grimm, and established duels between two contestants.

He didn't even have the skills to be a proper leader, let alone the charismatic attitude that Ruby and Frey have.

"Well, if you ask me? I think you're just overthinking it." Lilac spoke his mind as he continued drinking his carrot juice.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm surprised you didn't think of this when arguing with Weiss, but you forgot to mention that it's only the first day of school." Lilac turned to Sable with a frank, and neutral glance. "Don't you think it's a bit too early to start self-doubting when we barely started the school year?"

Apparently, he had been dumb to forget that part.

Sable took in those words, and mentally cursed at his forgetfulness. Looking down to his hands, he furrowed his brows as he asked."Maybe...but you understand where I'm coming from right?"

"Of course!" He simply smiled freely without a care, and without judgement. "It's alright if you sometimes lose your temper, just as long as you make sure not to blow up like you did back at the airship yesterday."

Sable chuckled at that, remembering his chase for Jaune over something like puke on his leather jacket. "Only if you cut down on the pranks. We clear, Lilac?"

"Now, I can't promise that!" He mischievously snickered, covering his laughter.

'Worth a shot…' The albino wolf Faunus just rolled his eyes with a grin. Lilac's really going to be a piece of work.

"I suppose what we're all trying to convey is…" Frey spoke with a wise, warm smile that spoke of his patience. "You're doing just fine as a leader, Sable. We're here to back you up from here on out."

Sable was amazed. These guys are willing to put themselves out for their leader, even if that leader happens to be a barking Faunus half the time. He didn't receive any disappointment from Frey, just understanding and patience. While Ragnar put it out there that his attitude was a pain, he ultimately spat facts that Sable didn't think of before.

And then there's Lilac. The guy who he gave more grief back in initiation and even after, smiling and saying that they were all good. The guy who butted into his business, and yet always seemed to be more approachable for everybody involved.

And he doesn't even bat an eye, instead just smiling like always in support.

Sable couldn't help but flash a dumb grin, as he relaxed and said. "Counting on ya, specs."

"It's Frey, but specs is alright." Frey corrected with a chuckle, before turning to Ragnar with a nod. "Now, we can continue with your...board game"

"Hell yeah!" Ragnar cheered as he put his prosthetic fist in the air. "I've been waiting all day to try this shit out!"

"Oh, oh! I got some party tricks to show off too! Ever see me pull a rabbit out of my cape before!" Lilac's giddy prancing towards Ragnar conveyed his excitement.

With that, Sable looked on with a smirk as his team started discussing amongst themselves over something silly like party games. By now, he was actually glad he talked it over with his teammates.

He barely believed it would go this well, let alone end up making him feel better at all. Everybody can be wrong from time to time, he figured.

'Guess she wasn't wrong after all.'

Now this doesn't mean that Sable was completely sure whether he's a good leader or not, but at least he knows that he's trying...and so far it's working.

"Hey, pal!" Snapped out of his thoughts, Sable glanced at Ragnar as he held up two different board games. "Which one do you prefer? Colonizers of Shade, or Grumpy Grumpy Grimm?"

"Heh, what kind of games are those?" He guffawed, marching to his team while Ragnar exclaimed in comic annoyance, Lilac pulled out a deck of cards, and Frey simply took a notebook to entertain himself.

And it wasn't going to be the last time they did this. Like Lilac said, this is just their first day of school and there is surely more to come.

If Sable's going to get stronger, then he figured it wouldn't hurt to do so with his entire team. After all, they got his back if he gets himself into trouble. They didn't give up on him.

They're a team after all, and he is their leader. It's too early to give up.


And that is where we are gonna leave things for right now!

I really appreciate anybody who managed to read through this titanic piece of writing with patience!

Now, this entire chapter was focused on Sable's insecurities regarding leadership as well as slowing down a bit for the character interactions. After all, these characters are in school so they should take some time to slow down and have some introspective thinking. This chapter just happened to be focused on Sable for now.

Now, if any of you were hoping for some of the other characters to have more character development, then don't worry they will soon have their episodes before canon comes back in the future chapters.

That said, I am going to take a break from this story for a moment to focus on another idea in my head. Either a Spawn X Akame Ga Kill story, or a Classroom of The Elite story with some inspiration from Danganronpa.

-V: Definitely check it out, it sounds neat from what I hear, and if I'm helping out then you know it's good.

Regardless, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter very much. It's been a pleasure to write this and give you something with quality!

Please be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts on the chapter!

This is the Maelstrom, and I hope to see you on the horizon!