Author's note: I finally return! It's been a while, and I have been itching to write this. I took advantage of a lull in college life to do it. Just have finals left to do. Anyway, enough of that boring stuff, this chapter went a little longer than I thought it would. I should be back to having my free time back, hopefully. I Hope you had/have a good day today!
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.(Start of chapter)
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Chapter 4: School Life
It was Tuesday, April 16th, when Azura figured one thing out. He didn't know a lot about social cues. He wasn't socially clueless, just not really experienced in social settings.
But, a boy who never went to school never experienced some things. One of them being rumors. Not even a day has passed, but Professor Goodwitch and her comment about hiding his semblance had spread through the first years.
He hadn't noticed it until just this morning, when team JNPR plus AP and team RWBY sat down for breakfast once they had grabbed their food. It was peaceful, but Azura couldn't help but feel the glances he was getting. He could also hear what some were saying. Questions about what his semblance was, why he was hiding it, the possibility of him having a dark secret about his semblance even came up. Luna was on alert, but seemed more observant than anything.
The feeling only vanished when they left the cafeteria, and made their way to Professor Port's classroom for Grimm Studies. Despite his promise to Pyra, he was distracted by this new experience, tuning in and out of Port's story, the man going on about how he got through a cave full of Ursa. Luckily, Azura caught that the man wanted a one page paper about Ursa anatomy by Friday.
History managed to stir him from his thoughts, the scarily fast talking man started the class off by reminding them to get that homework on Vale's origins done by Friday. The topic they were going over was talking about some legend of the founder of Vale, and Azura was confused as to why a legend was being discussed. Sure, not much was known about the man, but the story didn't even make sense.
So, Azura figured a nap would do him good. He knew the topic that was being discussed today, even with the Doctor talking so hastily that some were left reeling in confusion.
He woke up to Pyrrha nudging him. "You really cannot make a habit of sleeping the day away."
He rose from his seat, taking his school bag with him, and followed her out of the room. "You do have a point, but I knew the legend already! I'll not make a habit out of it though, I promise." He looked around, seeing some students still in the hall, following her slow pace. "Where is everyone?"
Pyrrha took a glance at him, just to make sure he wouldn't fall behind. "They went ahead to the library, something about getting work done. Or rather, Ren and Weiss wanted to get the Grimm Studies homework done, and everyone got dragged along for the ride."
"Works with me."
They walked in silence for a few seconds, before Pyrrha asked him a question.
"Are you hiding your semblance?"
Azura sighed. "Not you too. Every student in our year seems to want to know."
Her body language conveyed a hint of nervousness. "I don't mean it that way! Would you prefer to keep it hidden?"
Azura hummed. "Kind of. Not forever, I just don't know how to go about it. Pyra already knows."
"She doesn't seem to not like the fact that she knows. Is it such a bad thing?"
"No, it isn't. I'm just not comfortable with sharing it yet." Azura said, a stray thought of people not wanting to be around him after he told them that he saw his dead mother every day crossing his mind. Pyra might not have been the first to accept his semblance readily, but the thought of giving the secret up still stirred some anxiety inside him.
Was it selfish to hide your secrets?
Pyrrha stopped for a moment, Azura following suit, and she turned around to face him.
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I have done the same. If and when I decide it might be okay to reveal it, I'll tell you first." She told him, a smile on her face.
He returned the smile. "You're be the first to know as well. Well, second to know. We can reveal it to the rest of them together!"
"Of course. And Azura...please don't mind the rumors. If they bother you, please come to me. I know how it feels." She gave him a look that reminded him of a mother to her child, and felt a blush slightly color his face.
"I'll keep that in mind."
He raised his left fist towards her, seeing her eyes fill with happiness. She gave him a fist bump in return, and they walked to the center garden in silence. Once the library was in sight, Azura recalled his argument with Pyra and the conversation with Headmaster Ozpin.
"Pyrrha?"
"Yes, Azura?" she asked as they continued walking.
"How do you think I can apologize to Weiss? I'm sure Pyra told you something about our argument yesterday."
He wanted to start over with the girl who shared his hair color, to turn over a new leaf. He figured that doing that sooner rather than later will bring unity to their group, and stop any further issue for now. Well, Luna seemed to agreed with him, if her nodding had to say anything. He felt his confidence bolster at her telling him that it was a good idea.
"She did. Actually, she seemed adamant about it being me she told first before the others, though I have no idea why. As for your question...well, that should be simple. Just ask to talk to her in private and go from there."
"Why is it always so simple?" Azura sighed. "I always feel dumb when it is easier than I thought."
Pyrrha giggled, shaking her head. "Well, it should be no issue if you do it correctly."
Azura let out a breathy laugh. "Right. I just hope she'll let me try."
"You'll be fine." Pyrrha said.
Well, Azura at least felt better. Honestly, this wasn't how he expected his first few days to go. Azura expected normal friends, normal conversations, then have crazy stuff happen later in the year, not now. He could only hope that things would settle down.
The entrance of the library came up, and Azura realized he never really took time to really take the library in. It was a simplistic building, with a center section with a lot of tables, split into two rows down the middle. The light brown colors of the tables, as well as the bookshelves that lined the right side and the farthest walls from the entrance, were a good color for the brown flooring and red carpets lined around the place. The librarian's desk was to the left side, a simplistic desk with a computer and other devices for their use. In the far left corner, a staircase that lead to the computer rooms on the second floor were held. Windows lined all of the walls, giving the sun plenty of places to shine inside.
He saw himself trailing behind Pyrrha by a few meters, and when he went to catch up, he saw her talking to Weiss. The girl fixed her icy blue eyes on him, and Azura froze on the spot. His mouth felt dry, and his mind just stopped thinking for a second. Never in his life had he felt scared to look someone in the eyes, but the sharp and deadly look of the famous Schnee family member could do so. Or maybe Weiss was just scary. The girl stood from her seat, and made her way towards him. If it wasn't for the anxiety he was feeling, he would say his racing heart was because she was attractive.
She stood in front of him, the girl actually having to tilt her head to look at him. Not that it stopped her.
"Well? You have something to say? This is as private a spot as we will get, if you understand." She said, waving an arm to the group.
"You're not wrong." Azura replied, glancing at them trying to seem like they didn't care to listen to their conversation.
Well, it was now or later. The sooner, the better.
He breathed in deeply, exhaling quietly before meeting her gaze again.
"I wanted to apologize. I can't say that I was being fair to you, ever since I met you, even in my own thoughts. I thought you were just rude, a bit of a bitch, and uncaring for anyone other than yourself. I let my bias against the SDC clash with my views of you. I saw you as a Schnee, and not as a person. I wanted to turn over a new leaf, and for use to try and be friends this time. I don't want to let some personal vendetta get in the way of our group. Will you accept a peace offering from me?"
His only reaction was her narrowing her eyes, her lips dipping into a slight frown. Azura decided that he never wanted this part of Weiss to be focused on him again, it was nerve-wracking.
"You are stubborn, prideful, and let your emotions take control before you think things through..." She sighed. "But, I was unfair as well. I was not raised with the same standards as your family might have raised you with...what I am trying to say is that I have my problems. You have yours. We're all human. Let us get this sappy and emotional stuff done and over with, I accept your apology."
She smiled, or rather, she stopped frowning, and her lips were barely upwards. She waited for him to smile, looking for something, before she turned around and left, sitting back down in her chair. Azura went forward, and grabbed a chair farthest away from her, with Pyrrha nearby, the girl whispering an 'I told you so.' before they went back to their homework for Professor Port. He figured that he might as well get that homework done as well.
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.(Line Break)
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It was halfway to one in the afternoon when they went to the cafeteria to grab food, where the staring continued, and ten minutes until Combat Class when they were ready and sitting up in the bleachers. Azura was reading his book, not wanting to sit with nothing to do besides conversate. Professor Goodwitch entered the building, but Azura only stopped reading once she spoke, welcoming them into the class once more.
"Yesterday, I spoke about how this class would not only be doing one-on-one fights, but other activities, such as aura practice or free sparring. Some will be more common than others, and will be following a set schedule. We will regularly switch between one-on-one fighting and free sparring, or fighting without a weapon. Wednesday will be for semblances. Every Friday will have another subject. For the first Friday class we will be focused on how to further use your semblance and control your aura." She stopped to make sure we were taking the information in. "The second Friday class will be a physical check. The staff at Beacon expect that students will be keeping up with what a Huntsman would require, a physically fit and active body and other such requirements. This class will be there to make sure you are making that requirement by testing you, so I would recommend that you wear what you normally would to exercise and not your gear or school clothing. The third Friday class will be team battles and a general overview of the teams. These will rotate in that order, repeating after each third Friday."
General talking went through the students as they spoke excitedly about one thing or another, and Yang seemed to be quite happy, if her smile said anything.
"What's got you so happy over there, Yang?" Azura spoke up to her, tilting his head to see her.
"I'm pumped about the last Friday. Team fights sound really fun!" Yang said, her lilac colored eyes gleamed.
Pyrrha readily agreed. "They do sound quite fun. Though I do wonder how team fights will go with our team." The group seemed to focus on Azura and Pyra.
Azura responded, if only to make them stop. "That is a good question. Headmaster Ozpin said he would talk to us about it when they figured it out."
Pyra nodded, and returned to checking over her weapon, Ruby hovering over her as she seemed to shake with excitement, studying the weapon. Azura figured she was a weapon enthusiast, something he could ask about later.
"Well, he sure is taking his time!" Nora said, whining quietly, in her own version of quiet.
A hiss to their side stopped them, before Weiss whispered harshly. "She's going to start soon, quit chatting."
"Well, excuse me, princess." Azura said, letting out a small chuckle as her eye twitched. It might not be out of malice towards her, but seeing her annoyed was funny.
Weiss decided to not entertain him.
Miss Goodwitch seemed ready for the murmuring, since she stood there calmly waiting. "Well, I am glad to see that many of you seem at least excited about the schedule for this class. Now, we have to get started, now that we have a full two hours of sparring to do. Grab a partner and go, I will be checking between groups during the spars." She pushed her glasses up. "Do try to find someone who has experience in free fighting, as I wish for everyone to learn, and I cannot always properly teach everyone."
With that, she was walking away, messing around on her scroll as she walked onto the arena. After a few moments, the ground around the arena had lit up, as circles that were about ten feet wide began to show up. Azura wasn't tech savvy, but he could appreciate the technology that was used to make these kind of things possible. His thoughts were broken as he was tapped lightly on the head, but a look to the left and right only showed Luna looking behind him. He turned around, seeing Yang looking at him.
"You wanna get tossed around, Snow?" Yang said, teasing him.
Azura responded, a deadpan look on his face. "How do you even know if I have very basic hand-to-hand combat or not?"
"You don't exactly have the muscles of a brawler. I bet even Blake could kick your ass."
Azura laughed as he stood. "Well, we can't have that. Alright coach, what will it take to make sure that doesn't occur?"
"Mostly me beating you up to see where you are and go from there." Yang said, slapping a fist into her open hand, as if finishing up a genius plan.
"I hate you."
"Love ya too, Snow!"
As they moved to a open circle, Azura took the time to see who everyone partnered up with. Ren and Jaune, Pyrrha and Pyra, Nora and Ruby, Yang and himself, and Blake and Weiss. He never thought about it, but Pyra was pretty fit, so maybe she was kinda experienced in hand-to-hand. Why did she not ask to partner with him? He would have said yes.
"Now that I think about it, why did you come to partner with me? I am sure Pyra would have asked her own partner. I would have." He said, a chuckle escaping him.
They reached the circle and stood off from each other as Yang responded. "Pyra must have asked for help before thinking of the idea of if you knew this stuff or not. Besides, I wandered over to you as things unfolded. Figured you would be interesting to fight. You may not have skill in this, but brute strength can take you a good distance. I wanted to see how far you could go." Her smile turned flirtatious. "Or maybe I wanted to pin you to the ground."
Azura coughed, not expecting the reference to his wrestler comment. "Well, I guess I will have to accidentally fall for that. But, I won't go down without trying! You ready?"
He crouched down, legs spreading apart to prepare, and his arms in front of him, his hands balled into fists. Yang smirked eagerly, hearing his challenge. She crouched slightly, one foot back, one hand held up in front, the other close to her chest.
The sounds of people fighting was loud before, but now dulled as Azura prepared for Yang to make the first move. Defensive play would be better for now.
Azura barely held her off when she lunged for a grab, having to flash his aura to give him a boost in strength. Pushing her back only worked for a second, as Yang rushed back in with a series of punches. He blocked most of her hits, but he wasn't expecting the kick to the side of his stomach, rolling with the momentum and back on his feet.
"Playing defensive only gets you so far, Snow."
"Noted."
Yang was back on him as he spoke, Azura attempting to heed her advice to some degree. He threw his own punch out in a series of one-two-three. Right jab, left jab, a swing with the right. Azura managed to at least have Yang off of her assault, throwing his arm out to stop her kick towards his ribs, spinning her. He dodged her swing-around kick to his shoulder by ducking low, grabbing her open leg, and pushing it up. He got the desired outcome, hearing Yang gasp in a small amount of pain as her muscles stretched further than normal, and pushed her to the ground in a pin.
He had to admit, fighting like some kind of wrestler or something was fun.
But, while Azura struggled to keep her down for the victory, Yang showed her strength, as her aura flared higher, and suddenly, their positions were reversed. Yang sat on his stomach, her feet keeping his legs apart and her hands stopping his arms. He only struggled for a few seconds before he gave up and gave her the victory.
She rolled off of him with a huff. "Honestly, you're faster than I thought. You a gymnast or something?"
Azura snorted as he sat upwards. "I wouldn't be here if I was."
"Well…" Yang drawled out, looking towards him. "You seem quick to learn this stuff. Even if I was going easy on you."
"That was easy!?" Azura said, a groan escaping him.
"Yep! We're not done yet. That was only thirty seconds, still two hours to go. Up and at them!"
"Yes ma'am."
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When professor Goodwitch came to inspect their progress, Yang had won yet again. She increased her speed and strength more as Azura was able to last longer, his current record being thirty four seconds or so.
"It certainly seems that Miss Xiao Long has given you quite the lesson, Mister Heart. As for what to say to both of you...well, you could certainly learn to be less predictable, Miss Xiao Long, but you clearly have a good idea of how to be a brawler."
Yang grinned and saluted, while Goodwitch turned her gaze towards Azura.
"As for you Mister Heart, I am glad to see that you are learning rather quickly. It seems that your partner has been a good teacher to you. You need to pick a more fluent method of fighting, as it seems you mostly use your weapon for fighting." She almost glared at him, but it still scared him half to death. "In fact, you use your blade like it wouldn't matter horribly if you lost it, despite having little practice in hand-to-hand combat. Perhaps your semblance can explain why?"
He shook his head no, only receiving a sigh in return. "I cannot help you if you do not help yourself. Keep that in mind." In a louder tone. "Class is dismissed, you may freshen up and get changed in the locker rooms."
Azura was still sitting on the ground, lost in thought. He wished that his semblance wasn't a personal matter to him. He saw Yang's hand, and grabbed it, allowing her to drag him up.
"You did great, Snow. And, it was fun!" She looked away, ironically staring at Luna. "I will admit that I am curious about your semblance...but if you don't want to share it, that's on you. We met only a few days ago, so I don't blame you." She looked back at him, sweat lining her forehead, similar to Azura. "Be sure to tell us when you're ready! I'm sure even Weiss would be kind enough to not demand private details."
At that moment, Azura knew that Yang would be a great friend. She laughed, and he joined soon after. A few seconds later, Yang walked off to join her team, while team JNPR walked by, and Pyra stopped to stand next to him, draping a arm on his shoulder.
"Please never let me spar against Pyrrha again, I have never felt so many aches in my body."
"I know what you mean. I had Yang as my partner."
"That sucks for you. Hey, they are all going to the library again. Want to leave them for me? We can go exploring. I'll wait for you if I get out first."
"Sure, sounds like fun. I'll do the same if I get out first."
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.(Line Break)
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As it turned out, Azura was indeed the first to get out. It seemed like everyone else was gone to him, and the sun hung in the sky, draping the building in light. Azura leaned against the wall and looked to his side. Miss Goodwitch and her words echoed in his mind, and he wondered if he really was halting his progress. On one hand, he certainly did just fine without his semblance being active, having very few combat situations go wrong for him. Not that he has seen a lot of combat. But, how much better could he be if he wasn't scared?
If he wasn't scared of how people would react. Scared of how Ruby or Yang would react to knowing that a ghost-Ruby was following them. Scared of having no one to go to.
"Azura!"
He turned his head towards the voice, seeing Pyra walking towards him, her black hair bobbing as she jogged to him.
"Ready to explore?" She asked.
"Always." Was the response.
Pyra hummed, looking around. "Well...let's start here! There is a basement and second level to the training halls. I wonder what they are for."
"Sounds good." Azura said, waving a hand for her to start walking, following closely after her.
There was a set of glass doors in front of them and one to the left, with them choosing to go to the one in front. On the other side was a set of stone stairs, one going up and the other going down.
"Up or down?" Azura asked.
Pyra replied, with amusement in her voice. "Top or bottom?"
Azura raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"You're no fun."
"Bottom it is."
Pyra rolled her eyes at his reply, but went to go downwards. Once they reached the bottom, and went through another set of doors, they found a gym. Weights and machines littered the place, with blue mats going around. There were a few cubicles around the walls, about twenty feet by twenty feet in size. Upon further inspection, Azura found that they were to simulate Grimm fights. A terminal was to the side of each cubicle, with options and settings set up for customizing the experience inside of it.
Looking around, he saw Pyra on the other side of the room, closer to the back wall of the building. Once he approached, he saw what was holding her attention, The cubicle she was looking at was larger than the others, about double the size. It was a simulated gun range, so that students with actual guns could practice their aim without ammo being wasted.
"This room is pretty cool. I wonder why they haven't shown it off at all." Azura said aloud.
"I'm sure they will at some point. It's only been a day or two."
He hummed in agreement. After looking around a bit longer, they wandered upstair to the second floor, finding several medium sized arenas lined along the sides of the room. They were all box-shaped, with stairs to go up. A terminal was next to the stairs on each arena, with a few simple settings to be used. Time limit before alarm to end the match, aura limit to do the same thing, a barrier to stop projectiles.
"This building is pretty awesome." Pyra said, a gleam of excitement in her eyes.
"Agreed." Azura said, in awe of the technology the school possessed. And he thought Vale was awesome.
Pyra turned towards him. "Next building?"
"Yep. Let's go."
The next building, the one close by the training halls, was a infirmary. They were in and out in three minutes.
"Well, the placement makes sense." Azura said, waving his arm to emphasize his point.
Pyra nodded her head. "It also makes sense why they asked us to leave. Wouldn't want to clutter the place if injured students were there."
Just as they were about to decide upon the next building the check out, both of their scrolls vibrated with a notification. It was from Ozpin, asking them and team JNPR to go to the center tower of Beacon, or Beacon Tower.
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.(Line Break)
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They met up with team JNPR in the main lobby floor of the tower at 4:40 p.m. It was a twenty minute wait before they were cleared to meet with Headmaster Ozpin at the top of the tower. They entered the elevator, finding it a bit small for six people. Once they reached the top, they found Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch quietly discussing something.
They walked into the room, taking in the pillars that lined the room, as well as the bookshelves that lined the walls on their left and right. Beyond Ozpin's cluttered desk and chair was a glass window that was tinted green, with the sun positioned behind it, letting a soft green light flow into the room. Ozpin and Goodwitch finished speaking in hushed tones, with Goodwitch leaving the room with the elevator. Ozpin watched her leave before he turned his sharp brown eyes towards Pyra for a second, waving over team JNPR and stopping on Azura. Azura ran a hand through his white hair and he shifted uncomfortably.
"I assume you all know why you are here. Or rather, Mister Heart and Miss Sol would."
Jaune spoke up first. "So, uh...why are we here? I mean, um, team JNPR."
"That is a good question, Mister Arc. You and your team are here because we are discussing what it means for a four-man team to have six members."
Azura stopped watching Luna look around to pay attention, just letting the conversation unfold. A look over everyone else told him that Nora was staring at Ozpin like it was a competition, and he was unsure how Ozpin was ignoring her so well. Ren was simply observing, similar to Pyra. Pyrrha was looking around. It looked like Jaune would be talking the most.
"What would that mean, Headmaster Ozpin?"
Ozpin looked at the students keeping quiet, seeming to find it funny that they were letting their leader talk for them.
"Well, Mister Arc, it would mean that Glynda and I have come to an agreement for the roles that your plus two will have. And no, they are not very complex." Ozpin took a moment to drink from his cup, probably holding coffee, based off of the smell of the room. "There are actually only two rules in place. One, during team battles in your combat classes, only four students are allowed to fight for the team, meaning that you must decide who will join in the fight. Your leader is not needed, but be sure to appoint a leader for the team fight if you do. And two, if it is needed, I will send Mister Heart and Miss Sol with another first year team on their way to a mission. And, for later knowledge, all first years will be obligated to take on a shadowed mission when you are all prepared."
Pyra looked at him. "I have a question regarding the missions."
Ozpin smiled. "I most likely have an answer."
"Would you ever split me and Azura up if it is needed? Because I would prefer to stay with my partner for missions."
Ozpin shifted his gaze to Azura. "And what do you think of that?"
Azura looked over at Pyra and smiled warmly. "Well, I would prefer to stay by my partner's side for those."
Ozpin nodded his head, taking a moment to think. "While I cannot promise to fully secure that you two stay together for missions, I will keep that in mind. I do agree with your sentiments, a pair of partners should stay with each other."
A glance to Azura's side showed Luna looking over at ghost-Ruby, who stared down towards Ruby, one of her hands balled in a fist. Azura quickly looked away, so as to not be caught looking at nothing.
"I'm glad to hear that." Pyra said.
Pyrrha asked the next question. "Is that all we were needed for, Headmaster?"
"Yes."
As they turned to leave, Ozpin spoke once more. "However, I would like Mister Heart to stay for a moment. You all may stay in the lobby to wait for him if you wish."
Azura watched everyone go into the elevator, seeing everyone looking at him. They all looked as nervous as he felt.
"We'll be waiting" Pyrrha said.
Azura smiled at her, Nora giving a thumbs up in the back of the elevator. Once the doors closed, Azura turned back around to see Ozpin looking out the window, cane in one hand and mug in the other.
"What am I needed for, Headmaster Ozpin?" Azura asked, feeling antsy at being alone with the man.
"Your semblance is something that you wish to keep secret, correct?" Ozpin said.
"Yes."
"Are you aware that I already know what it is?"
Silence carpeted the room, and Azura took a step back in his surprise. Ozpin finally turned around, his eyes burning into him.
"The ability to see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. That is the simple way to put it."
Azura paused. "Sir?"
"I prefer to say what it can be capable of. It is the ability to interact and use ghosts and spirits for your aid, not through manipulation, but through the soul."
"You seem to know a lot about my semblance, Headmaster."
Ozpin chuckled. "Yes, that is true. Your semblance is not naturally made, and you are hardly the first person to have it."
Azura shook his head in confusion as Ozpin continued. "Not much is known about how it is formed, beyond the circumstances needing a tragic event to occur directly in front of the person. But you are not the first to have it. How it functions is unique to you alone, so do not worry about your soul being a copy of another soul. It is still unique depending on the person. It is still the manifestation of your soul."
Ozpin closed their distance more, coming to stop about halfway to him. "It is not very common either. I have seen a lot in my life, but you are the third person with this semblance I have seen. The first to be in this school."
"I don't know what to say." Azura said, feeling Luna wrap herself around his arm, her strong hands grasping onto it.
"She's here, isn't she?" Ozpin said, a forlorn look crossing his face, quickly replaced with determination.
"Who is?" Azura asked. "Luna?"
Ozpin shook his head. "No. Summer Rose. She was Ruby's mother, before she died. But I knew your mother died, so I will admit that it crossed my mind that she was her as well."
Azura felt Luna grip him harder, and he wondered if he would have a bruise under the sweatshirt. Was he talking about ghost-Ruby?
Azura licked his lips. "I...I think she is. A ghost of a woman has been following Ruby since I first saw her."
Opzin sighed heavily, and Azura thought the man looked several times older.
"Speak with her when you are up to the task. I am aware that you fear the consequences, but it is important that you do so. However, I will not force you to do it now." He watched Azura nod his head. "You may leave."
As Azura left the room, the elevator doors closing, he could see Ozpin sit in his chair, deep in thought. He wasn't sure if he would ever be ready for what Ozpin wanted, but Azura felt bad. He would try when he was ready. But, he would tell Ruby first when it he does it.
"That's the right thing to do." He said to himself, nodding in agreement with himself.
Once he made it to the lobby, he saw a clock showing that it was five p.m. Looking around, he found Pyrrha waiting for him.
"Hey." Was all he said to her once he walked up to her.
Pyrrha looked up. "Hello." Her green eyes peered into him, almost looking into his mind. "Everything okay?"
Azura nodded. "Yeah. Everything is okay. Headmaster Ozpin just wanted to talk for a moment. Thanks for the concern though."
She smiled. "Of course. And if you are looking for the others, they joined team RWBY to go get dinner. I told them I would wait for you, so they should be saving seats for us in the cafeteria area."
Azura liked the thought of food. Maybe it would keep his mind off of what was discussed.
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.(Line Break)
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Wednesday, April 16th. Same morning, same process. Breakfast with more people looking at him, then Grimm Studies. History was another tale on the old Kingdom of Vale, learning about how the royal family died out within the past few team RWBY and JNPR + two hang out in the library, playing games. Eat lunch. At least Combat Class proved to be different.
Azura sighed as he sat down between Pyra and Ruby. "I hope Professor Goodwitch doesn't talk about my semblance again. People keep looking at me, and it makes me uncomfortable. It's not like I am the only one who hasn't shown off his semblance!" He looked over at Ruby. "You got something to help me here, bees knees?"
"I have normal knees!" Ruby cried out to the sky. "And, I don't know. Ignore them? That's what I have been doing to the students talking about the 'young prodigy' they think I am."
Azura tried to act like he didn't hear Ruby's mother giggle at her expense. Summer Rose didn't exist to him yet.
"I came here to be a normal huntsman and this is what I get." Azura said, sarcasm dripping in his voice.
"You gave that up the moment you met me and Rubes. Besides, today's Combat Class is about semblances, so you better be careful, oh mysterious one." Yang said, walking up the stairs.
A few minutes later, after everyone calmed down and took seats, Miss Goodwitch came out. "I have already gone over this, but today is Wednesday. Every Wednesday will be practicing with your semblances. It is as simple as that. For today, since it is the first one, we will start of small. If you will follow me, I will show you where we will be practicing."
A minute or two later, everyone was upstairs and split into their teams, one for each arena. Azura looked at Pyra, who looked smug to already know what the place looked like. He looked around from the corner arena that they had, seeing team RWBY opposite of them. Looking to his side was some students who were waiting for Professor Goodwitch to talk, and next to team RWBY was that brute of a redhead with his team, that being team CRDL. He snapped to attention once Goodwitch started talking again.
"Now, I have a few things to say here. One, you are starting off small. That means that if you have a offensive semblance, such as lightning or something, keep it small and barely powered. For those with a more" She said, waving her hand around. "utility-based semblance, practice by focusing on the semblance and keeping it active. Those with circumstance-based semblances, attempt to find new ways to set your semblance off, and make variance in your semblance uses."
A glance was thrown towards him over her glasses. "For those who do not think they have a semblance or do not actually have a semblance, practice on unlocking your semblance or discover it to start off. You have to full two hours to practice." She turned away, walking towards the back of the room, away from them.
Azura felt Pyra lean into him to whisper. "She did it again."
He hummed before Jaune asked for everyone to go over what they would be doing.
"Well, I'm not sure about anyone else, but I do not have my semblance. I hope I'm not alone here." He chuckled nervously.
Once he saw no one else comment, he sighed. Pyrrha patted him on the shoulder.
"Well, my semblance is based off of emotions, and meditation certainly helps me. Perhaps it would be the same for Jaune?" Ren said, his calm voice devoid of emotion.
"Really?" Jaune asked, excited. "Oh, that would be awesome. What do you think my semblance would be?"
Ren shook his head, leading Jaune away to the corner farthest from other groups, facing away from them. Azura looked back, seeing Pyra and Nora talking.
"Well, my awesome semblance allows me to power up from lightning! It's super exciting stuff! Almost like I become some super duper powerful being!" Her excitement cooled off. "Plus, it will help out with your semblance, right? You can even test your fire out on me when I am powered up."
Nora could convey so many tones, it was kind of scary. Pyra wasn't afraid to voice her concerns.
"Is that such a good idea?"
Nora laughed. "Of course! I think it won't cause any problems."
Pyra never got to respond. It seemed that a Nora that wanted to experiment was a Nora that got to do so, the girl dragging his partner to the side. That left Azura and Pyrrha together. The two people who were hiding their semblances.
"Well, this is ironic." Azura said quietly, in an attempt to clear the awkward atmosphere.
"Quite. How shall we go about it? We cannot do nothing." Pyrrha responded in kind, keeping her voice low.
"I'm not sure. Professor Goodwitch would probably make us run laps or something if we do nothing."
Pyrrha laughed lightly, before running her hand through her hair, her red ponytail swaying with the action. "Well, they know that we do indeed have semblances. Perhaps we do something together."
Azura tilted his head to the side, raising a hand to his chin. "Without me knowing your semblance and you not knowing mine?"
"Exactly like that. Besides, we are supposed to be practicing and learning new ways to use our semblances."
He hummed. "That is correct. Fine, let's play our guessing game."
They sat down across from each other, knees touching.
Pyrrha looked at him. "I assume both of us can use our semblance with our weapons? I can. If you can as well, draw your weapon."
"So can I." Azura said, letting the weapon shift on his arm as he pressed his left hand to it. He placed it in front of him.
Pyrrha did the same, keeping her weapon in its spear form. She placed her shield to the side.
"So, on three, we will both use our semblance, and practice with that. If my thoughts are correct, your semblance might have some similar uses to mine, even if they might be wildly different from each other." Pyrrha spoke, her voice just loud enough for him.
He nodded. "On three."
He breathed in deeply as he hoped his plan would work. He had high hopes that it would work this time, since he has managed it before. He has seen Luna pick up the blade before, scaring the poor Adel matriarch half to death. However, she couldn't see Luna, which is how they discovered the ability to pick things up without him activating his semblance. It seemed to be easier as he got more control over his aura and semblance. However, she was not able to pick up any object beyond his personal things without being visible to everyone. His sword, the pistol, and his body being a few examples.
Once he heard her command to begin, he allowed Luna to start to slowly pick the weapon up, seeing his blade raising slightly slower than Pyrrha. She was clearly focused, not talking, but still watching the process. Azura followed her example, but his eyes were wandering over her face, and darting to her weapon, attempting to decide what her semblance could be. Pyrrha was doing the same.
They weren't interacting at all, but Azura was enjoying this silent guessing game. Did she have a similar semblance to his? Or was it different and he was tricking her into believing he had a similar semblance to her? Or perhaps the opposite was occuring, and she was tricking him.
A few minutes later, Azura found that he had locked eyes with her. It was like a contest to see who would break first, and he liked seeing that competitive gleam in her eyes. He could see why some regarded her skill in competitions so highly, she had the spirit for it. He wondered if she was always like that, even as a kid. Imagining young Pyrrha acting all intense over some simple deed had his resolve breaking as he broke out in laughter. The sword hung just for a second longer before Luna actually dropped the weapon, acting like a semblance that needed concentration and had no passive function.
Pyrrha joined him soon after, albeit in a quieter manner. After a few seconds, Azura calmed down, feeling proud as he watched her laugh. It wasn't due to getting her to laugh or from seeing her spear drop immediately, but from seeing a continued success from his passive abilities. He learned something after all! It made him quite happy. He waited for her to stop laughing before speaking.
"Well, that was pretty fun. Not the staring at each other part, but the "semblance guessing name" I played."
Pyrrha clasped her hands together. "Ah, at least I was not alone in doing so as well." She shifted closer, talking quieter. " What do you think my semblance is?"
Azura put his hand to his chin for a moment, before leaning towards her. "Telekinesis, controlling objects with your mind. What about me?"
"Wind control. I think you were just being very quiet with the gusts of air."
"Nope. Was I right?"
Pyrrha shook her head. "As you put it, nope."
"Shall we do it again, and then guess after a few minutes?"
Pyrrha nodded, the competitive gleam returning in her eyes.
They continued to do so, and it seemed that neither of them could get it right. They were in the middle of another set when Miss Goodwitch came upon team JNPR, just finishing with team RWBY and sending them on their way. She walked past them, with the two students barely noticing her. After a few minutes of talking to Ren and Jaune, with the blonde boy looking slightly disappointed, she moved to Nora and Pyra. Azura watched her move for a moment before returning to the task at hand. A shout of excitement, most likely Nora, was heard in the room, And he heard Pyra say something.
A few minutes later, they finished their final guesses, still unsuccessful in guessing correctly. They weren't exactly itching to move like Jaune, or more physically exhausted like Pyra and Nora, but they were certainly mentally exhausted. Azura had a bit of a headache coming on, and Pyrrha was rubbing her forehead. He stood up, shifting his weapon back to a band and putting it back on, watching Pyrrha do the same with her weapon, turning it into a sword and hooking it on her belt, and putting her shield on her back.
"I am certainly impressed with you two." Goodwitch said. Looking beyond them for a moment. "You four are dismissed, I am simply going to discuss the same topics with them."
They shuffled out, Ren taking Nora with him as she shouted a 'see you later'. Jaune and Pyrrha took a moment to talk about what they did, the girl putting a comforting hand on his shoulder when he said he found nothing. As for Azura and Pyra, they simply smiled at each other and exchanged two sentences.
"I'll tell you what happened later." Pyra said. "Nora was quite happy with the results we found."
"That's good. Me and Pyrrha had a good time, even if we barely spoke. I'll explain over dinner."
They watched them leave before professor Goodwitch cleared her throat.
"Now for you two. I am sure that you are both aware that I know your semblances. Or rather, Ozpin knew. He has told me to allow your secrets for now, so I shall stay my hand on the topic."
Azura nodded his head while Pyrrha gave a warm thank you. A blink was all they got in response.
"Miss Nikos, you have shown excellent use of your semblance, being able to focus on it for so long. In fact, you held it for more than two seconds after losing focus towards the end, so I must say good job. And as for you, Mister Heart, despite your reservations, you have clearly mastered something with your semblance for the feat you pulled off."
Azura and Pyrrha looked at each other, smiling at the praise. Miss Goodwitch did not let it last long.
"However, you will continue to hinder your progress if you do this. While Ozpin believes in allowing your problems to resolve slowly, I must warn you that I do not share the same opinion. Whatever keeps you from using your semblance must be overcome, and I suggest you do so sooner rather than later. You are dismissed."
The two students of Beacon walked away in silence, having been given food for thought.
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.(Line Break)
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The next day, Thursday, April 17th, was a simple one. Nothing special happened. Grimm Studies was a story of how Professor Port took on a Ursa major, with nothing but his bare fists. He at least seemed aware that they had an school work, reminding them to have it ready for tomorrow. They finished the topic of the origins of Vale in History, Doctor Oobleck giving a brisk reminder to hand the paper in tomorrow, before promptly zooming out of the room.
Weiss was adamant about finishing both assignments fully before combat class started. Poor Ruby was horrified by the idea, and even more horrified when Weiss denied helping her.
Azura smiled as he sat down next to her. "Here, let's get this over with. I'll help you with it."
Ruby brightened up. "Thank you!"
"Don't mention it. I hope your old school taught you Vale's history, but you are still two years behind. If you need help, I can lend assistance." Azura said, taking his materials out.
He saw Weiss shrink a later bit, probably feeling bad for saying no now.
Ruby smiled. "Thanks again! And I am just not the best person at studying and learning without it being combat related. Not quite sure why Oobleck is starting from the origins of Vale though."
"I am unsure of that as well." Azura responded.
It had been two days since Ozpin gave him his task, and Azura twitched as he saw Summer lean downwards to see what Ruby was looking for in her bag. Why did the headmaster have to give a teenager this job? He felt Luna place her hands on his shoulders in comfort.
Later, in combat class, they found out that Thursday was also one-on-one fights. The most exciting thing they saw was a member from team CRDL make quick work of another student. Cardin Winchester, as Azura learned his name was, is someone that Azura didn't like. He seemed so smug. Too smug. He swung that mace around like he owned the place.
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.(Line Break)
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Friday, May 18th. Same routine. Turn in the school work for Grimm Studies and History, have fun messing around in their usual spot, which has basically become the library.
Combat Class was the same as Wednesday, except the class was supposedly different from that one. To be fair to professor Goodwitch, the class was much more focused on aura control this time. Something every student is required to practice. She even said to practice every day, for about thirty minutes each time.
Other than that, it was rounding up to be a simple day, until Yang suggested that they go out to see Vale as they walked back to the dorms after a while, as it was nearing nine at night.
Apparently, only Yang, Ruby, and Pyra knew the city well, so the idea was met with little resistance. They agreed to meet tomorrow morning, around eight, to discuss who would be in what group and get on a early airship to get a full day out of Vale.
Before going to bed, Azura made sure to let the Adel household know that he would stop by the shop tomorrow, stating that he would be in the city tomorrow. He took a moment to study the photograph next to his own, the one Pyrrha brought with her. It seemed that red hair ran in the family, much like his white hair did. Or, he assumed so. Sometimes Azura forgot how he looked almost exactly like his mother, other than being a guy.
Azura couldn't wait for tomorrow to come, falling asleep soon after they turned the lights off.
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.(End of chapter)
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Now, I know that slow starts to stories are usually a bit boring, but I am trying to have their daily life be a known thing, so that I do not have to explain it over and over. Certain things, such as the combat classes will be a more frequent thing that I write about, and I will soon start with chapters that focus a bit more on specific characters and story elements. I also struggle writing with more than four characters at the same time, so I apologize if a character you want to see is not given the time. They all deserve their time, but I will be focusing on one or a small group of characters, while having the other main characters around.
I also hope you don't mind the OCs, I am trying to keep them relevant, but in the background. I can't do that as much with Azura, but I need a POV for this. Plus, I like writing him.
Once I get past the slow stuff, I want to give more time before events in the main story, so expect mini side arcs for characters. And maybe more Grimm combat, this is a Huntsman academy after all.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'll try to get chapter 5 out faster than this one.