Wynion and teams RWBY and JNPR sat at the table. They all survived initiation together, it only felt right to survive lunch together as well. Wynion sat directly across from Ruby, who was trying to coax Weiss into talking, and giving him that look occasionally.
Ruby whispered something to the fancily dressed girl, who decided enough was enough, and stormed off, with Ruby chasing after her.
"Weiss cold looks like she's got issues." Yang noted, her eyes not leaving Ruby until she was out of the cafeteria.
"Yes, she does." Ren agreed serenely.
Nora returned to the table with another stack of pancakes. She dug in hurriedly, as if the food would vaporise if she didn't-
"Hey, Wynnie." His head snapped up to face the blonde girl who dared call him that. "You haven't touched your food at all-"
"HHHHHHHHHHGH! THJRT'S SWRUCH WA CWOUT NANE!" Nora tried to speak at the same rate she ate- while she ate.
"Nora, don't eat and speak at the same time." Ren chided her, causing the hyper girl to rapidly chew her mouthful.
"I wonder why my snow angel is so upset right now…?" Jaune gazed up at the ceiling as though it held the answers. Pyrrha just snorted in amusement at the nickname Jaune gave Weiss. Blake was quietly eating her fish.
Nora finally swallowed. "THAT'S ALSO SUCH A CUTE NAM- wait... No, no. That isn't-"
"Hey! Where did my scroll go!?" Yang searched herself, panicked.
"Here." Wynion handed her device back.
"Thanks wolfy-" Yang paused, "Wait. This really is my scroll. Why do you have my scroll?"
"Because your sister wouldn't care as much if only her's was stolen." Yang turned to him, alarmed.
"What do you mean, exactly?"
"I mean, she knows that at the end of the day, I'd give back her scroll, but-"
"No. No. No." Yang held her hand up, "Did you steal my scroll?"
Wynion sighed, "Yeah, but-"
"Hey! You stole mine too!" Blake yelped with concern, glancing at the thief warily.
"Listen-"
"Guys, I think we should check our pockets…" Jaune warned, looking at him concerned.
"If I really wanted to steal something from you people," Wynion rolled his eyes, "You wouldn't know-"
"AHEM! NOW YOU!" Nora pointed a finger at his chest, "HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH STEALING FROM THE HEROES OF REMNANT! WHAT SAY YOU IN YER DEFENCE!?" He stared at her, this was so familiar...
So he used the same tactic he always did. He played along.
"Your honor, Ruby Rose has had a continual problem with my presence, and refuses to speak with me about it, despite my best efforts. Now- I am a reasonable man, I haven't stolen any scrolls from Team JNPR in response to this incident. Instead, I have temporarily confiscated Team RWBY's scrolls so that their team leader must take charge and meet my demands."
"DEFENDANT! WHILE YOU MAY HAVE A NOBLE CAUSE," The hammer-wielder leaned forward, "extortion- IS STILL EXTORTION! THE COURT ORDERS YOU TO SURRENDER ALL STOLEN ITEMS YOU POSSESS, NOW!"
"And if necessary," Yang cracked her knuckles, "By force."
She sat alone on the roof, trying to clear her thoughts. This today was so stressful, trying to be a good team leader and friend to a girl who didn't want either from her, not knowing what to do, homework, and trying not to think about Wynion's stupidity too much…
"Mind if I join you?" Ruby looked up at the exhausted face of her best friend- who she was mad at. Ruby desperately tried to think up a reason to say no, when Wynion plopped right next to her, and put his head in her lap, giving his evily adorable stare. Her will crumbled, and she began gently stroking his faunus ears.
"Why are you so tired?" She asked idly.
"I had this plan of making you talk to me-"
"What did you steal?" Wynion shifted uncomfortably.
"Just-j-just a scroll or two." Ruby narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything.
The two of them just stayed like that for a few minutes, basking in the waning light of the setting sun.
"How did we become friends? I can't see where I'm going wrong with Weiss…"
"That's because you're socially inept and can't make friends for-"
"Y-you aren't much better!" Ruby looked away, embarrassed.
"Yes I am."
"Name one person that isn't me that is your friend." She saw the cogs in his brain turn desperately, and allowed herself a moment of triumph at the twitch in his ears.
"So?" Wynion asked with a tinge of embarrassment in his own voice when the silence stretched for too long.
"Well I have Yang! And Jaune! So I'm better than you." Ruby declared smugly.
"..." Ruby was victorious.
Wynion attempted to switch the topic, "Why are you so worried that I might get hurt while-"
"That's not what I'm worried about!" She snapped at him.
He looked up at her, confused. "Then... Are you mad at me faking my way in?"
Ruby took a moment to gather her thoughts.
"Wynion, Hunters fight two things," Ruby let her fingers wander over his scar, "The grimm, and bad guys. We hunt the grimm because they represent a threat to people. That's also why we hunt down bad guys."
Her eyes started to water a little bit, positioning herself into lightly cradling his head, "We fight the big bad guys Wynion. People who do really bad stuff. Not people who do little things like steal wallets, but big things like being jerks who ruin good people's lives because they're selfish." Wynion tried to speak, but Ruby tightened her light hold into a hug,
"I know you're a good person, because you are my friend, my best friend. Even if you keep breaking the rules so much. Please," She whispered, "Promise me you won't turn into a big bad guy. Promise I won't have to one day lose my friend because he's broken so many rules, he doesn't care if he's the villain of the story."
Wynion looked speechless. A little hurt, but not offended. Just miserable. He opened his mouth (possibly to argue), but he simply shut his mouth and said, "I promise."
She held up her finger, "Pinky swear?"
He took it, "Pinky swear."
Ruby would hold him to that promise.
He pinky sweared.
Damn Port… No matter how much she wanted to dispute the professors words, she couldn't. Unfortunately. The heiress sat at the rim of the fountain, trying to think up ways to make up her behavior to her… team leader. She could accept this arrangement for now.
"Hey princess." Weiss looked to her right to come face to face with Wynion.
He was a faunus.
She was alone.
She was alone with a fucking faunus.
"What do you want?" She snapped.
"Ruby sent me to check up on you." He sat right next to her with his hands clasped together on his lap.
"As you can see, I am perfectly fine." Weiss resisted the urge to fidget when the faunus didn't move a muscle.
"I'm gonna need more than that, I can't go back to Ruby and just tell her you said you were fine." The wolf rolled his eyes.
"Tell her- no… I'll be the one to tell her that, but tell her that I want to apologize." For some reason, that got a laugh out of the faunus, "What!?" Weiss demanded.
"It's adorable to imagine you apologizing. Tell me something grounded in facts."
"Shut up."
Weiss sat in tense silence as the faunus just lazily stared at her.
"Do you hate me because I'm a Schnee?" Weiss muttered, not confident enough to say it out loud.
"Not really." Damn faunus ears, she forgot about-
"What?" Weiss looked at the scythe wielder in confusion.
"I hate you because you're a bitch who's making Ruby's life hell."
Oh…
"I won't pretend I don't dislike you for being a Schnee, but unlike me, that's not something you can help. I mostly hate you for having a stick up your ass"
The two of them now glared in silence at each other.
"Why'd you ask? You hate me for being a faunus?"
She tried to think of a tactful way to explain her distrust, "I don't hate you…"
"You should. I'm pathetic."
"Huh?"
"Nothing…"
Weiss felt her unease grow, "Almost every faunus I've met tries to kill me for being a Schnee." Wynion barked out a laugh,
"What? You want me to stab you? Would that make you more comfortable?" Weiss intensified her glare.
"Why are you here?"
"Because Ruby told me-"
"No, I mean… Why are you here at Beacon?"
Wynion gave her a blank stare, and Weiss couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"You have ten seconds before I call Atlas and put you on a watch list as a potential White Fang assassin."
Wynion stared at her baffled, as if she was asking the stupidest question in the world.
"Eight."
"Isn't it obvious? You're her partner."
"You'll have to do better than that," Weiss replied, "Four."
"Because Ruby needs help."
The Schnee sighed, "There are plenty of things that girl needs help with. Maturity, respect, a sense of self preservation-"
"Ruby is amongst the greatest huntresses, but she can't do everything by herself. I'm here to train so I can help be of service to her."
"..."
"... What?"
"Maybe she is a talented future hunter, she did get moved up two years early…" Weiss eyed the strange faunus, "But I would not list her as one of the greatest of all time."
Wynion blinked, "Maybe not now, but eventually she will be."
"Are you responsible for her childish moaning about being a hero?"
The faunus let out a hearty chuckle, "No, she was always an annoying little shit."
"Do you like anyone besides Ruby-"
"No." That was fast.
Weiss opened her mouth to speak, but then heard his giggling.
She looked back at Wynion who looked as if he was on a different planet. He was seemingly lost in his own thoughts, "I saved her… I actually helped… I can help… I'm… useful."
Weiss sighed. She doubted he was working for the White Fang, though she probably should talk to her partner tomorrow about his behavior. Honestly, he was being rather… eccentric, to put it mildly. She quietly stood up and walked back to the dorms, trying to think up a suitable apology to her team leader. She left the giddy faunus by himself, as the last shred of light disappeared behind the horizon.
"Ozpin sent you then?"
"Yep."
"Wonderful."
"Yep."
Qrow took another swig from his canteen, he didn't mean to catch the kid while he was hanging out with Ruby, but Qrow had woken up with a hangover not long ago. This was his only job today, he wanted it over with as soon as possible.
He didn't expect to have to suffer Ruby on a weapons tour. Qrow's only consolation that at least he wasn't the only one who suffered.
"So what are you here to do?" Woody asked.
"I was supposed to be the substitute here for training you, but ahhh…" Qrow groaned, "My hangover doesn't agree."
The faunus glared at him, they sat in silence inside the abandoned warehouse Ozpin had been using so much. It was dark and cold in here, what a blessing.
"Can I try to do something on you?" Willy asked.
"You can try, but I doubt it'll work... Whatever it is you want."
"Hmm..."
...
"Hey Qrow?"
"Yeah?"
"Why do you feel so weird?"
"Kid. Rephrase the question in a way where I don't get arrested."
Wendigo frowned, "Everyone has a mixture of their soul and a minor amount of magic in them. It's what makes a semblance."
"Uh... okay?"
"Not only does your semblance feel weird, but you got... something else within you. Magic. And it's definitely not yours."
Silence was the reigning champion in this warehouse.
...
"Hey drunkard," Winston bugged the hungover Qrow, "You awake?"
"Those two things are both the biggest banes and blessings of my life. It's kinda personal, so if you wouldn't mind Weldon-"
"-Wynion." Wick corrected him.
"-Wellington, unless you have earned my trust, earned Ozpin's trust, or have a way of shouldering my burdens, I would prefer not to talk about it."
...
Finally... silenc-
"What if I could shoulder your burdens?" The faunus bugged him- again.
"Kid. Quit it."
"I can displace magic, physical items, and even aura. A semblance or a magic power should theoretically be possible for me."
"Kid I sa- What?" Qrow sat up quickly- and winced from the headache plauging his brain.
"It wouldn't be for free of course, and I haven't really attempted to-"
"Name your price, Wynion."
Without skipping a beat. "Two-hundred lien."
"Deal."
I decided I needed to split chapter four into two separate chapters, due to pacing and the authors note. One more section to this chapter before it is finished.
I'll be obnoxious here...
DIDJA LIKE WHAT I DID THERE WITH RUBY? HUH? BIG BAD WOLF! GET IT? HUH? HUH-*BLAM*
Okay, got it out of my systems.
I forgot to put in that last part with Nora, ugh, I made her sound like she approved of the nickname...
Edit: I put "phone", instead of "scroll". Corrected. Also, found some time to edit a few mistakes.
Sorry for being a bit heind my promised gift of story. I am a slow writer when it comes to anything I don't feel like writing, like an essay...
Also, I listed Nora's hair as strawberry blonde earlier, fuck. Apparently, I don't know my colors.
Next chapter, I roll out the hurt...