Imu Chapter 5: Wants and Needs, a rwby fanfic

Note: Buckle up boys and girls, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

…

… … … … …

Have you ever had everything you've ever known turned on its head in an instant? Have you ever had a moment that destroyed the very fabric of your self-image, leaving you questioning what the point is of even living? Or has your life been nothing but sunshine and roses, without a care in the world? Has life taken care of you and solved all your problems?

Are we the same… or are we as different as night and day?

Maybe it's the romantic in me, but… my friend, I often think about you. I want to know what makes you tick. I want to be involved with you, to take an active role in the rest of your life and have you take part in mine. I want to know you better, even just a little.

Before it's too late.

… … … … …

…

It was already shaping up to be a week from hell.

Why a week? Long story…

"So I hear your days are numbered, Mister Arc," said Lieutenant Brand Ashens. She calmly sipped her iced coffee while watching Adrian. Her voice indicated a mild amusement, but she was not smiling. "They've all but kicked you out already, as I understand it."

Adrian could only nod. He'd barely touched his own beverage. The unusual pair sat at a table by a window, within spitting distance of Cafe Prime. This was a different cafe, allegedly with much better drinks.

It had only been two days since he'd emerged from the infirmary, but it felt like he'd aged about five years – not only had he been beaten within an inch of his life back there, and not only was his relationship with his team teetering on the edge of the abyss, but for reasons no sane mind could comprehend the faculty of Beacon Academy was trying to pin the blame on him for his own beating. They wanted him gone so badly they were willing to bend the very logic of reality. Adrian was due for an official review of his behavior in about five days, and that's where the hammer would well and truly come down. Truth be told, a small part of him just wanted it over with so he could get away from all this lunacy.

"While I can't say I understand what you're going through, I can say that your Uncle wanted to absolutely tear the walls down the morning after seeing you. He was ready to arrest every single person at that school, all at once."

Adrian had to chuckle at the mind image. He finally took a sip of his drink – it was already room temperature – and said, "So why didn't he?"

"The Commissioner found him first. Apparently the big wigs at Cafe Prime were none too happy that he was sniffing around their browsing histories and threatened to slap the department with the single biggest lawsuit any of us had ever seen. I lost count of how many zeros were on that paperwork."

"A lawsuit? For was doing his job?"

"Not everybody appreciates law and order like we do, Mister Arc. Some find it… inconvenient." Ashens took a long, thoughtful sip of her drink as she let those words hang in the air.

According to her, Uncle Jaune wanted to be here himself, but apparently his bosses had him on a short leash. In order to avoid getting the pants sued off of them, Sarge had to prove he hadn't been showing any favoritism towards his nephew. That meant he couldn't publicly help Adrian sort through these issues anymore.

Instead, he sent his lieutenant to help.

It wasn't that they hated each other, but Ashens had made it clear on several occasions that anyone who laid claim to the title of Huntsman, or even sought after it, was someone she did not like. On principle. Adrian didn't know much else about her though, aside from the fact she always looked like she'd just woken up from a 4-hour nap without actually getting any rest. Her russet hair never seemed to be as neat and orderly as the rest of her.

Ashens rubbed her eyes and said, "He should be here any minute…"

As if on cue, the door to their cafe opened with a jingle of the bell, admitting a man who should have been dead.

Adrian tensed, his guts tying themselves into the old familiar knots, while the man called James approached their table. He seemed an affable sort, smiling warmly even before he reached them. Ashens rose to meet him first, accepting his handshake with a cold professionalism born from years of experience. Adrian himself was only a moment behind her, and his brain scrambled to put together a different face to wear. One that could hide his quaking.

"Ay, you must be Adrian Arc," said James, still holding his warm smile. "I've heard a lot about you, but I won't repeat none of it. Not with a lady around."

Adrian's face curled into what he hoped was a matching grin as he accepted the greeting, "Yeah, that's what they call me. So I guess this is the second time we've met…?"

"More or less, yeah," James gave a hearty chuckle, then scratched his ribs. "You can call me Jimmy, all the guys at work do. I don't have much time, so I'll just put it out there; I'm terribly sorry about all this nonsense."

Nonsense. A face blinked through Adrian's mind; mouth gaped open, eyes wide, no visible life within them. He shook his head briefly, then said, "Hey, don't sweat it. We all have our off days, I just… let mine get a bit out of hand, I guess."

Ashens was staring blankly at Adrian as Jimmy kept talking, "I'll say! Heh! Coppers damn near gave me a heart attack when they came knocking the other day, let me tell ya! But I told them the same thing I'll tell you: I was only drunk. Blacked out drunk, but drunk."

Again the death mask peered at Adrian from within his mind.

The boy cleared his throat, "Yeah, uh… I've seen drunk guys before, but you must've been way over the line. Me and Opal were certain you weren't gonna be getting up after that." He tried to maintain his smile, but it was getting harder.

Jimmy scratched his ribs again, clearly thinking. "Well… when I finally came to, Alex was looking out for me. I think you've heard of him, Alex Stone? Big guy? Well after I passed out at Junior's and stumbled outta there, he followed me. Musta lost him in the alleys, then tripped and clocked myself on the head. I've no idea how your girl didn't see him, but he found me and took me home. Looked after me like an old lady, he did. Sweet guy."

If that were true, that would mean Opal had blatantly lied to both him and the officers. And it would also mean Wukong's sense of smell was worthless – if Jimmy had been drunk, the monkey Faunus would have easily smelled the alcohol. Hell, Adrian would've smelled it himself.

The taller boy braced himself and reinforced his smile, giving a nervous chuckle. "Hey, I'm just glad to hear you're alright. The last thing we need around here is to lose another productive member of society, so… I can accept that I was wrong."

Jimmy leaned back and smirked. "Now that there's a good man. Takes a lot of balls to admit when you've fucked up, believe me. And don't you worry, I'm not touching that stuff again. Not after Flynt up and died on me. I'm done. From now on it's nothing but coffee for these old bones."

Ashens finally cleared her throat and cut in, "Speaking of…"

"Ah, bloody hell," Jimmy glanced at his watch, his smile finally dropping off. He turned back to Adrian, "Gotta get back. I'd say I could get you a discount, but HQ sent out a memo the other day that you've got a lifetime ban."

Somehow that was not surprising. "Eh… I've heard from a reliable source that your coffee's terrible anyway, but thanks for the offer."

Jimmy burst out laughing, a deep bellowing laugh that made a few people nearby start laughing along with him for no real reason. "Oh gods it's awful! You could torture men with that swill! Anyway… heh… I'm out." Even Adrian felt his mood lift a little from the moment.

As the cheerful man turned to go, something caught Adrian's eye; a thin, straight line along the back of his neck, almost like a tattoo, sticking up from behind the man's collar. Huh… probably part of a larger pattern. He'd seen some crazy pinstriping work on a few of the third-years. Wouldn't have pegged a guy like that to have one, though.

Ashens continued to stare as they sat back down. "The Captain mentioned that you had some acting skills, but I honestly didn't believe him."

Adrian shrugged as he reached for his cup. It was ice cold. "It's more like a coping mechanism." He downed the drink and stared into the middle distance, chewing on what the not-dead guy had told him. Wondering if anything that had happened back then was real.

"I suppose it is, at that. And I'm starting to wonder if I should take a chance on you…?"

"A chance?"

Ashens met his eyes and did not flinch. They held each other's stare for almost a full minute before she broke off and said, "I'm looking for someone."

"As I hear it, you're looking for a lot of someones."

"Because I'm hoping they'll lead me to the one I really want," Ashens leaned forward, speaking more quietly. "A lot of people are vanishing, Mister Arc. More than even the Captain would have you think. And there's not a single clue about any of them. There's no trail to follow, just 'poof!' Gone!"

"…"

"And I think… there might be one lead that can tie a lot of them together: Elysium Academy. A bunch of the victims' files either mention the school or indicate a direct involvement."

"You think they have something to do with it?"

"According my records, over 50 students have been 'sent' to Elysium over the last couple of years, but not one of them has been heard from again. Not. One."

Another face shot through his mind, this one dark-skinned with black hair and amethyst eyes tucked behind rectangular glasses.

Adrian felt a chill run down his spine.

The lieutenant gripped her plastic cup as tightly as she could without crushing it. "And no matter how many times I ask, I don't get any answers. 'Confidential' this, and 'top secret' that… something about this feels very wrong."

"Way I hear it, the school's set to open next year. I doubt they could keep you away at that point-"

"I'm too close to stop now, and opening day is too far away. I need answers now."

"Who are you even looking for? Why the rush?"

"… … …Mister Arc, the only reason I'm telling you any of this is because I owed your Uncle a few favors. That doesn't mean I trust you."

Adrian took a shaky breath, waited a beat, then said, "I… I can ask Ruby- I mean, Miss Rose about it. She seems to be well-connected."

Ashens took her glasses off and rubbed the bridge of her nose for a moment, muttering, "She's the one who's been blocking me."

"I'm sure she has her reasons-"

"This is borderline kidnapping, Mister Arc."

"I trust her."

"Well I don't."

"Do you trust anybody?"

"I trust the Captain. Nobody else."

"Good." Adrian picked up his cup, then sighed as he set it back down. Already empty. "If you didn't at least trust him, I'd consider you a lost cause."

Neither patron spoke again right away. Adrian let his gaze drift around their shared space while Ashens kept her steel gaze on her cup. Like she was willing the inanimate object to tell her its secrets. And just like with Misty and Opal, Adrian found himself wondering what was going through her head. What was she thinking about? Who was it she looking for? And why this feeling of desperation?

A moment later, another patron walked in… or rather, tried to. They were holding an Imu. A few muttered words from the nearest wait staff made the person reconsider; there was a rule about no pets in the cafe. They either had to go or leave the thing outside. They chose to leave, turning to walk back out in a mild huff.

Adrian looked up just in time to see Ashens recoil from the gaze of the Imu. She looked genuinely uncomfortable. "You okay?"

As soon as she realized she'd been caught, the lieutenant cleared her throat and also picked up her empty cup, this time following through with taking a drink of something that was already gone. "I… I don't like those things."

Both of Adrian's eyebrows shot up.

"Don't look at me like that. A, uh… a neighbor's dog bit me when I was little, and I've been scared of dogs ever since. And sane people are still wary of Grimm as a whole, so add the two together and-" she finished the sentence with a disgusted shudder.

"I'll talk to Miss Rose for you," said Adrian without any pause.

This time Ashens' eyebrow went up. "You will?"

"Absolutely. You and I don't have too much in common, but we both find it hard to trust people. And I've decided to trust that you're not setting me up. I'll help however I can."

A remarkable change came over the lieutenant in that moment; her shoulders lifted ever-so-slightly, her brow unfurrowed, and her overall posture became less rigid. "Th-thanks. I'll give you my contact info, so as soon as you find out anything, you let me know."

"Got it," said Adrian as he already had his Scroll out. "But considering the team I work with, I'll… put it under a different name. Last thing I need is to start rumors."

"If you insist." The two cafe patrons had each others' info safely stored away a moment later. Ashens leaned back in her seat and sighed, gazing out the window. "I'll never understand people who like those things. And not only that, they're so attached to 'em that they have a meltdown when it dies off."

Adrian blinked. "Is that what Jimmy meant about 'Flynt'…?"

"According to his records, yeah. That was the name of his Imu."

"Man… I hate 'em alive and dead. They ruin everything just by existing."

Ashens suddenly sat forward, her eyes darting all over the place. "Wait… is that…"

"What?"

"That…" one finger came up, pointing at nothing in particular, then went back down. "It might be nothing, but that's one piece of data I hadn't taken into account yet in my search… their Imu. Date of purchase, date of death, veterinary visits… more than half of the missing victims were owners, so maybe there's a connection there…"

Adrian made a grand gesture out the window. "Don't you mean 'all of them'?"

"Mister Arc, believe it or not, only about 42 percent of Vale citizens are registered Imu owners, and we estimate no more than 59 percent when taking into account illegal possession or non-registered owners. There are far less crazy people out there than you might think."

He suddenly felt cold.

"Anyway, I have more numbers to crunch and you have detention to return to, if I'm not mistaken. Keep me posted if you learn anything." She stood up to go, gathering her things into a handbag. "I'll take care of the bill; you've got enough to worry about."

You have no idea, lieutenant… No idea.

…
…

They named it Laz.

Adrian had been dismissed from all classes until his behavior review was over, which meant both daily boredom (lack of homework was a mixed blessing) and required involvement with the new dormitory mascot. Word had spread quickly that there was an Imu on campus, and pretty much everybody had come to see it by now. Miss Goodwitch made sure team MOCA was named official caretakers to avoid any fights over who would take care of it. Naturally nobody wanted to leave it alone with Adrian, but they didn't have much choice.

Especially when Miss Rose personally asked Adrian to watch over it for these next few days. In front of his team. He couldn't very well say no to that, now could he?

In truth she wanted him to observe it and put down his thoughts on what it really was and why it was so different from normal Imu. This, annoyingly, meant he had to take a crash course on the known biology of his most hated enemies, otherwise comparing the two would be impossible. Opal was more than happy to refresh his memory in one agonizing hour-long session.

Normal Imu had a number of common characteristics between all members of the race, including but not limited to: the size and shape of their bone masks, the markings engraved on the surface of said bone masks, and a proper physical body (as opposed to a normal Grimm's living shadow body). They also shared the same eyes, which were mostly empty holes with two glowing balls of red and yellow flames inside them. Very little differed from specimen to specimen, though the majority of owners would swear in court that they could tell their own Imu apart in a crowd. Behavior was another common factor, with each member of the species going to great lengths to imitate young dogs by way of jumping into their owner's arms, licking various body parts, wagging their tails and barking (though the sound was higher pitched and sounded more like "Ai, Ai!"). For reasons unknown, Imu were also known to stare at their owners for long periods of time without moving.

The most obvious difference with Laz was its eyes. They were blue. Not only that, but unlike the empty sockets of normal Imu, Laz had eyes that looked more like solid blue stones set into its head. This was why Misty named it Laz – apparently its eyes looked exactly like a lapis lazuli stone in her mother's favorite pendant. And while Adrian would freely admit they were far nicer to look at than a normal Imu, they were still unsettling when it stared at him. And it stared a lot, though not for quite as long as normal Imu.

This was another difference between Laz and how normal Imu behaved – Adrian knew from watching through the shop window in town that most Imu pups jumped about and yipped at anyone who came close (if they didn't have an owner anyway), but Laz seemed to have its own opinion about each visitor, sometimes sitting up while other times remaining still. As the visitors kept coming in, every so often Laz would actually back away from one with a slight whimper, tail between its legs. And as far as Adrian could tell, there was no common factor between any of these reactions.

Most irritating of all was how it reacted when Adrian himself came into the room. It always seemed delighted to see him, wagging its whole body and yipping.

If only it could understand that the feeling would never be mutual.

…
…

"Welp, 'ere you go kid. One bag of kibble, 'Adrian Arc to pick up after hours.'"

"Good thing I'm not walking that far, damn… why does one Imu need this much food?"

"Actually this'll do you for two or three, but I just follow the online order. You know how it is."

"Can't say I do, I had no say in this. I've gotta watch that thing all day, and I'm not sure which of us is the prisoner and which is the guard."

"Heh! Now that I do know about! I'll tell ya, when I opened this shop I figured I'd be swimming in Lien in no time, but… loans defaulted, business dropped off, and now I have to sell so low I don't make any profit. I'm stuck."

"Is there some other store selling Imu faster than you?"

"Naw, it's just… it's the owners. I don't geddit. I'm well on with most of 'em, but a lot've already dropped off and moved out, or quit their jobs and moved on to greener pastures… people acting all weird out here. Not all of 'em, course, but enough."

"Did they all happen to… … … lose their Imu? Like, they died?"

"The few who actually still talk to me all said as much, yeah. I can only guess the others did too, but we lost touch. And it's weird, too, cuz these Imu only ever seem to last 1-2 years. If nothing else I expected a ton of repeat customers, but nope; seems to be an unspoken rule for these guys: 'one and done.'"

"…"

"…What?"

"That would explain why I've never seen an Imu grow bigger than a puppy."

"There are real doggos that don't get much bigger."

"Yeah, that's true… but real doggos also last longer than 2 years."

"Unless they're sick."

"Also true. Anyway, better get this back to the dorm. Take care old man!"

"Oh, and kid? If you're gonna look after an Imu then you be sure and give it lots of attention. That's what they respond to more than anything else."

…

Things were changing. Different.
Before, her only thoughts were survival. Staying alive and finding what she sought.
Now that she'd found it, she began to see the world for what it really was. To understand.

They called her… Laz. She like that word.
And she began to hope that one day she'd hear that word from Adrian.

Somehow, beyond the words still echoing in her head, she knew the tall human was the one she was looking for all this time. He had to be. No one else in this place gave her joy like when he came in. It wasn't his smell, nor his energy, for he always seemed angry at her, but… something else. Something her limited words could not express.

Hearing the humans talking was a strange thing. She understood them more and more as time went on, but sensed there was more buried beneath the surface. A great bone of knowledge waiting for her to dig it out.

There was nothing to do but listen… and wait.

…

The only thing about this situation that was surprising was how long it took to happen. And of all times, they had to do it the day before his review.

"No more games, Double-A. We want you gone."

Clifford Kelly stood before them, arms crossed and, for once in his life, not smiling like a guy who always got the joke. Just behind him stood the woman Henna, as well as his other two teammates, Percy and Nero. It was rare to see all of team CHPN (champagne) in one spot, but apparently this was an occasion that called for it. Adrian noted, however, that only Cliff seemed invested in his demands; the other three didn't look like they wanted to be there at all.

"And who died and made you headmaster, fuck nut?"

Misty stood just in front of Adrian, alongside Crimson and Opal, which was also rare as the twins usually had a different lunch hour but decided to eat today's meal with Adrian and their leader. Good thing, too, as this seemed to be the day that would finally see one team or the other get their asses handed to them.

"This doesn't concern you, Misty. Any of you. We just want him gone so we can finally have some peace around here."

"You're the one who keeps starting shit!" said Opal with her usual calm, composed tone of voice.

"Is this really necessary right now?" said Crim, holding both hands out in a futile attempt to diffuse tensions.

Adrian said nothing, choosing instead to both glare at Cliff and take in the state of their opposing team… in the event they actually had to fight this out. All four second-years had their weapons ready.

Henna, the tiger Faunus, held a bulky shortsword backhand against one arm but otherwise gave off an unguarded aura. Nero, a shorter boy with a buzzcut and a denim jacket, held a pair of tandem daggers at waist level. Percy held a pole weapon lazily, his spiky brown hair hanging low over part of his face and covering one of his green eyes. Adrian hadn't seen them fight as a team, so he had no idea what kind of teamwork they were capable of, but if the few interactions he had seen were any indication, it couldn't be all that great.

Then again, this was a team willing to defy school rules and carry their weapons on campus, in the middle of a school day. Who could say how they'd act?

Cliff looked him right in the eye and said, "I won't let you hurt Laz."

Adrian replied, "Dude, no one will. That thing's practically royalty, how stupid do you think I am?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"What I want is to eat my lunch without wearing it. Is that really so much to ask?"

"It is today."

Adrian took a deep breath and sighed, but before he could even lift one foot to turn around and head back, Misty stepped up next to him and put a hand on his arm, declaring, "He's not going anywhere, Kelly. Either you move or we're gonna have a problem."

All of team CHPN shifted their stances, preparing to fight. Misty, Opal and Crim did the same, although none of them had their weapons ready. Adrian just looked at all of them and blinked, unable to process what was happening.

Gradually he became aware of other voices around them, all blurring together but a few coming through clear:

"Yeah, kick his ass!"
"Go team CHPN!"
"Gods I hope somebody's recording this…"
"Are we just gonna stand here and let 'em-"
"-body do something!"
"20 Lien on Cliff…"
"That asshole is going too far this time-"
"-drian doesn't deserve this, I don't-"

Was he imagining things, or were a few of those voices taking his side?

Adrian quickly took in the mood of the hallway just outside of the school cafeteria, surprised at how many bodies had gathered. Most of them, as expected, remained on the sidelines cheering them on, but about a dozen or so were bunched up behind Cliff's team, all looking ready to join right in. More shocking was the half-dozen standing with Adrian and his teammates. Since when did anyone-

click… click… click…

Within the silence of the standoff came the sound of a cane, paired with footsteps from leather heels. Eventually the face of the owner of these sounds came into view, calmly walking right into the clearing unhindered before stopping dead center of the assembly, facing Cliff. He took a slow sip of his coffee mug, showing no signs of anxiety or distress.

Headmaster Oscar Pine stood about a head shorter than Adrian, his dark hair defying Miss Rose's claims about his age by proudly displaying strands of silver. He wore a mostly green outfit, as well as a black and red neckerchief and a small pair of round glasses. Overall he gave the impression of a young man who'd somehow aged an extra decade all at once.

"I believe I'll have to reiterate Miss Montana's query, Mister Kelly… who died and made you headmaster?"

Cliff trembled slightly at being called out by the headmaster himself, but kept his shaking to a minimum as he said, "N-Nobody, sir. I'm s-simply doing my part to try and maintain order."

Oscar's even-toned voice gave away nothing. "You call this order? Bringing your weapons to bear and issuing a challenge to an unarmed team in the middle of my school? And with spectators, no less."

"We all know who's at fault for the problems around here," Cliff said with renewed vigor, looking past Oscar and right at Adrian once again. "Order will return when he's gone."

"I'll be the judge of that, Mister Kelly." Oscar took a moment to look around at the gathered students, letting his hazel eyes rest on Adrian for an extra moment before he declared, "All of you, go about your business. Mister Kelly, take your team to training field #3 and… linger for a time."

Cliff nodded, "Yes sir." He gave Adrian one last glare and turned to go, but had to dodge when Henna went to punch him. She and their other teammates pointed their glares directly at their leader as they rounded the corner, and Adrian found he was not curious what they were going to do. He didn't want to know.

"It would seem his argument is not without some merit," said Oscar. He tapped his cane on the sidewalk, cleared his throat and said, "Mister Arc, when you are finished with your lunch, you and your team shall report to my office. We will hold your review today."

"What?! I thought that was tomorrow!"

"I've changed my mind," said Oscar. He finished the contents of his mug with a calm slurp. "Your presence appears to be exacerbating this situation; I would prefer to resolve this crisis sooner than later."

Misty spoke up next, trying to talk slowly, "But sir… we're not ready…"

One of Oscar's eyebrows went up. "'Ready' for what, Miss Montana? Adrian is not taking a test, merely attending a review of his behavior. There is nothing to prepare for. Now then… enjoy your food. I believe they are serving mashed potatoes with gravy."

By the time Headmaster Pine walked away, team MOCA was alone in the hallway. Just Adrian, his deflated team leader, a pair of wilted twins, and absolutely no appetite between any of them.

…
…

This was it. Adrian had no doubt this was now his last day at Beacon.

And if the mood was low the night he told the team his story, this afternoon felt like they were at a funeral.

Nearly a dozen people stood in Headmaster Pine's office, eight of which were on one side while the rest of team MOCA stood across from them, with Adrian himself standing alone in the center of the room. All around them whirred the gears and gyros of the CCT Tower, of which this office stood near the top. That alone helped keep Adrian from completely losing his cool, because it reminded him of the woman who'd sworn to keep him safe; he had to trust that Miss Rose knew what she was doing, even though she wasn't here yet. Outside, the sun was beginning its decent towards the horizon once again, a fitting time of day for something like this.

Headmaster Pine stood directly across from Adrian, along with a collection of Beacon staff members – Professor Goodwitch stood right behind him, naturally, along with the elderly Port, his old friend Oobleck, Professor Mark Mulberry (the son of the former weapons teacher), Professor Adel, and one teacher he hadn't expected… Miss Katt, who taught any subject that caught her fancy and who was well known for favoring team CHPN over all others (she often declared that she'd "adopted" them). If she was here, that was another voice to declare his doom.

No one in their right mind could blame Adrian for being nervous. His heartbeat was heavy enough he was sure other people could hear it.

Headmaster Pine began to speak, "Adrian Arc, I presume you know why you're here?"

Adrian merely nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Good. As you well know, I will not abide any sense of disorder and insurrection at my school. And it has become increasingly clear that these very things grow stronger and more frequent in your presence. In the long history of Beacon Academy, no student has ever been expelled for a situation like this, and I truly do not wish for today to be the first time."

I highly doubt that, sir. This is an execution in all but name.

"In an effort to keep things civil, I will allow the faculty members to say their piece first, then Mister Arc may take a few moments to explain himself. Or to offer any apologies due."

Ah, so that's what they're doing; 'Say sorry or gtfo.'

Doctor Oobleck cleared his throat as he began, "I can only speak for my own class, as I assume most of us will, but I can say that Adrian is not as bad as most of the rumors wish to claim. True he is disagreeable at times, but only insofar as the Imu are concerned; aside from that he is the very model of a proper student and highly attentive to my lessons. I only wish he could get along better with his classmates, especially Clifford Kelly. The two of them seem to be at each other's throats more often than not."

Adrian had to fight to keep his jaw from hitting the floor.

Professor Port spoke next, not giving the taller boy any time to process. "It is a shame such a 'model student' never shows up for my class; Adrian is nothing short of a menace. He drifts off during my lectures all the time, often refuses to answer questions in class, and his grades have seen a steady decline over the last year. Beyond that he antagonizes his fellow Huntsman trainees day in and day out; why, I've had to quell several imminent fights due solely to his words!"

Now Adrian had to fight to unclench his jaw, otherwise his teeth would crack.

Next up was Mulberry, the teacher of the Dust class. "I'll have to agree with Port; every class I teach throughout the day is perfectly fine aside from the one he's in. Most of the time I have to employ strict rules about Dust safety in order to prevent crystals being thrown at him from all directions. Everyone seems to legitimately hate him."

Where the hell did that come from? I thought my classes with you were fine!

The barrage continued with Professor Adel, "While I can agree with that last bit, I'll have to say that Adrian does not seem to be at all responsible for starting any of these conflicts. And I have to agree with Oobleck here, Adrian Arc is damn near a perfect student on his own; his grades are high, he's very cooperative, and if his tests are anything to go by, he doesn't ask questions because he doesn't need to – he pays attention and actually gets it, unlike some people I could name."

This day was not going the way he expected. Not by far.

"I want him to stay," squeaked Professor Neon Katt. "I don't have any classes with him, but Adrian's been helping my team CHPN grow stronger than ever! I've heard them talking, especially Cliffy; he's determined to become stronger than you, no matter what! If you go away, he'll lose his motivation to keep growing!"

Oscar glanced over at the bouncy teacher and blinked.

Adrian blinked as well. Stronger than him? That was the first he'd heard of that…

Professor Goodwitch went last, and her words did not surprise him at all. "No matter how skilled Mister Arc has become over the last two years, we cannot overlook his effect on the other students. He is unsociable, antagonistic, confrontational, and often seeks out conflict with anyone he deems an enemy. He is, in my professional opinion, a toxic student."

What little good mood Adrian still held onto melted away in that moment. Goodwitch had the headmaster's ear more than anyone else in the room, and if she were that opposed to letting Adrian stay, that was it.

Oscar nodded to each faculty member, then turned towards Adrian once again. "Thank you all. Now then Mister Arc… have you anything to say in your defense?"

Oh he did, alright. He'd been building it up since lunchtime. "I do. I offer my sincerest apologies to all of you, as well as to any student I've offended in any way over the past couple of years… I'm sorry I offended you by standing up for what I believe in. Nobody ever told me that was the wrong thing to do."

CLACK

Oscar's eyes had narrowed, though if he was upset or amused was impossible to tell. "Adrian Arc, that is not the issue here today. Your behavior-"

"-Is not actually the problem, is it?" Dammit, his mouth had gone full-auto now that he'd opened it. "You all know perfectly well that I don't start any of these fights. Hell, if anything, some of you seem eager to start shit!"

"Mister Arc, that is enough!"

"And why is that, huh? Why the flaming crap do you dogpile a single student over an issue that should not concern you, and instead you side with the rest of humanity by defending a goddamn Grimm?"

"MISTER ARC!"

Adrian finally stopped himself, pulse hammering in his eardrums, as silence descended on the office once again. He didn't dare turn to look at his teammates, but he was certain they would be ashamed of his outburst. The teachers were a mixed bag, some red-faced while others remained passive, with one or two grins hiding within.

Unfortunately, Headmaster Pine bore one of those red faces. He seemed genuinely angry for the first time since Adrian had met him. "I believe you have said more than enough, Adrian. As headmaster, I hereby expel you from Beacon Academy, effective-

BAM !

The doors to the office were slammed open so hard that one cracked the wall. The other one flew clean off. Everyone turned to behold one Ruby Rose, mechanical left leg still raised from her kick, face contorted with rage.

"I just replaced that door," Oscar didn't seem phased. "And this does not concern you, Ruby."

"Like hell it doesn't."

Adrian was trembling slightly as Ruby marched into the middle of the room, her silver eyes flashing with fury. She planted herself directly between Adrian and the other teachers, arms folded and anger radiating out from her tense form.

"He's not going anywhere."

"I have already expelled him, Ruby."

"On what grounds?"

"He is a menace and an antagonistic force that I will not condone any longer."

"I'm pretty sure that's your opinion and he hasn't actually broken any of the rules, and I know because I studied them well. If any of you can name one official rule that he's broken, by page, article and line, I'll back off and you can carry on with this trial."

All of the gathered teachers looked at each other with slight confusion. Adrian watched in awe as Ruby laid down the law before the very people appointed to uphold it, and not one of them spoke up to answer her. Even Headmaster Pine seemed conflicted.

"I didn't think so. He's broken no rules, and therefore deserves no punishment beyond detention. The fact that you've tried to expel him over something like this, on the other hand, does actually break a different rule…"

Oscar paled a bit. "What rule…?"

"Stepping too far beyond the boundaries of your station, enacting severe punishment for unfitting offenses, etc. I know it's worded a bit differently, but I'm sure the Vale Council can elaborate far better than I ever could." Ruby turned to Adrian and began ushering his team out of the room, but not before turning back to Oscar and adding, "They should be contacting you in a few minutes."

As his team was guided to the elevator, Adrian was dumbfounded by how quickly and suddenly the tide had turned in his favor. One minute he faced the end of his Huntsman career, and the next found the hammer of justice quickly changing targets. He glanced at the room one last time before the elevator doors shut, and found all of the teachers in a similar state of shock.

Except Professor Katt. She always seemed happy.

…
…

"Did you… did you really report this to the Council?"

"It was the only way."

Adrian sat in his usual chair in Ruby's office, looking at the school guidance councilor as she appeared to be unwinding into a pile of string on the floor. She was shaking, actually shaking, as she tried pouring herself a drink from a bottle she'd kept hidden somewhere in the room.

Night had fallen, and Misty and the others were in their dorm room discussing what today might mean (Opal was certain they'd won some kind of battle and insisted on celebrating), but Adrian elected to keep Miss Rose company instead. She'd seemed badly shaken by the events in Oscar's office, and he felt a strong urge to just be there for her if she needed it.

Ruby tried to still her hand as she poured another shot, but the bottle spilled over her desk. She wiped it up with a rag before drinking that shot, winced, then said, "You don't need to stay with me. I'm sure your team can… *hic* …would like you all to be together."

"If I were the leader, then yeah I'd be there. But my leader insisted on caring for a Creature of Grimm rather than keeping an eye on her own partner. I'm fine right here."

Ruby grinned for a moment, then dropped it to say, "You can't keep holding that over her head forever, you know. She's already sorry enough already. And besides… *hic* …the twins like having you around. They told me so."

Adrian nodded, "Yeah, Crimson's alright, but Opal… I'm not sure about her."

"Why not?"

"Well… she's kinda clingy, and she sometimes shows a scary side. Usually when somebody pisses her off."

"Well my sister is her Mama…" Ruby's eyes had begun to glaze over by this point, but she was determined to keep talking. "They're good kids, though, so you should treat 'em right. Or else you might have a lot of angry women out to defend them."

Adrian gulped.

"And besides!" Ruby lifted her empty glass and put on a big smile, "…Us women all have scary sides! We show 'em off when the people we love are being threatened."

"Like when Crimson gets in trouble, and Opal freaks out?"

"Or when Velvet stubs her toe on an endtable and Yang smashes it?"

"Or when Misty threatened me over Laz, thinking I was going to kill it?"

"Or when my favorite student is about to get kicked-"

All at once, the mood of the room plummeted into the abyss. Adrian sat back and sighed, while Ruby poured herself one more shot with a steady hand. She stared at it for a few minutes before downing it, followed by finally capping the bottle and pushing it away.

"I didn't… *hic* …I couldn't let him do it. You're too important to me." Ruby spoke slowly, trying to keep the words flowing in a steady rhythm. "I didn't want to get him kicked out instead, but… I guess that's what I did. Oscar you big dumb dummy…"

"Thank you."

"Don't menshun it. *hic*"

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah… yeah yeah yeah, I jes… *hic* …Ooh, mighta had too much… *hic*"

Ruby tried to stand, but the gears of her legs groaned angrily as she began to topple over backwards. Adrian was there in a heartbeat to catch her, Aura flared, and he was stunned by how light she was. Not to mention the smell; whatever she'd been drinking had quite the pungent aroma.

"Oh, hey there!" said Ruby with unfocused eyes. "Fancy meetin you here! *hic* Come to this bar often?"

"You need to go to bed," said Adrian with a half-grin.

"Only if you bring the condoms! Bwahahaha…!"

Adrian somehow managed to carry a laughing drunk Ruby Rose into the adjoining room, which turned out to be her actual bedroom, and all with a face as red as her cloak. She lurched a bit, got herself sat on the bed, then stared at the wall for several minutes as her brain fought to keep up with events.

She suddenly looked up at Adrian, patted a spot next to her and said, "Sit."

Adrian did not want to test the limits of her intoxication, and so did as he was told. Immediately Ruby leaned over and plopped her head on his shoulder. Adrian's eyes quickly sought out the nearest trash can just in case.

"When Opal texted me that your… review had been moved to… today…" Ruby's voice was steadier than before, but she spoke even more slowly, like her brain was fighting for every second of consciousness. "…I was so mad… I wanted to go over… with you what you needed to say, but… they knew I'd stop them. Those bastards went… too far."

Adrian recalled her words about a possible mind-control Semblance that might be affecting everyone, but decided to put off any more discussion about things like that. Now was not the time, nor were either of them in the mood.

"It's no fun being famous, is it?"

"…"

"Hey… Adrian… … … why do you think I want you around so badly?"

"Because… uh… you remember how cute I was when I was little?"

"Strike one."

"Grr… because… dammit… because I'm a good student who's only crime is being misunderstood?"

"Close, but no cigar. Strike two."

Adrian sighed, "I don't know, okay? I give up, why do you want me… um, Miss Rose?"

Within moments of saying the word 'two,' Ruby had passed out where she sat. Her head remained perched on Adrian's shoulder by sheer gravitational pull, but one twitch and her face would either fall behind or, gods forbid, in front of him to land in his lap.

One or two of his personal fantasies involved having a face in his crotch, but not like this!

A moment later she woke back up, wiped a bit of drool from her mouth and looked around as though she'd forgotten where she was. "S-sorry, I… I guess I do need to go to bed. Um… be a dear and jack in my legs, would you?"

Adrian did a small spittake.

"Oh for fucks sake, I meant plug in my legs. Here…" Ruby reached down and pressed a button on both legs, just below the cutoff point, which released the mechanisms from their harness. "The charging dock is in the corner."

Well this wasn't what Adrian expected to do with himself tonight. He carried each leg individually, as they were surprisingly heavy on their own, and put them in place in the charger (a plate on the floor with two footprint indentations). By the time he turned around again, Ruby was setting her Scroll to silent and trying to undress at the same time, proving that she was far too inebriated to do so. And seeing her without legs was… odd to say the least.

Eventually she managed to finish with her Scroll, then blinked up at him and smirked, "You know… *hic* …some people would kill to be in your posishun right now… a world-famous Huntress with no legs, hammered and horny, ready for some d-"

"-edicated time to rest? Absolutely! And don't you dare let me stop you, oh no, cuz I should really get back to-"

"Adrian."

"…What?"

"Come here."

Somewhere along the line, Adrian had backed himself up all the way to the door in a panic. He was still wary, unsure of what a drunken Ruby Rose would do, but he did as he was told and walked back over to the bed.

And if he was being totally honest, he could see the truth of what she was saying; Ruby was normally a stunning woman, her silver eyes giving her overall look an air of the supernatural, but with a grace that belied her apparent age; Ruby looked like a young woman in her mid-20's rather than what most would consider middle aged. She'd managed to remove her top and her skirt, leaving a baggy undershirt as the only thing between her and the cool air of the bedroom. And Adrian's gaze.

Ruby gestured with one finger for him to come closer. He leaned over, preparing himself for whatever she might try. While he was certainly attracted to her as a woman, the fact remained that she was hammered and not in her right mind. If she wanted something physical, no matter how much he also wanted it, he could not accept it tonight.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," said Ruby.

"It's alright," said Adrian. "I'm just not… used to seeing you like this, I guess."

"Did I… ruin my heroic image of myself?"

"Not really, no."

Ruby spoke with more clarity than he'd heard all night, "Good. Things are about to change, kiddo. A lot of things. I don't know how far our actions will ripple, but I think I can safely say that the world will be a very different place when we wake up tomorrow. Can I… can I count on you to stick with me?"

"Of course! You said it yourself, I'm not going anywhere!"

"Good boy. That means a lot to me. More than you might think." Ruby gently took Adrian's face in her hands, pulled herself up and planted a kiss on his forehead. She let one hand linger on his cheek as he pulled away. "Go on back to your team, Adrian. And be ready for anything tomorrow."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

…

To Ruby Rose,
Guidance Councilor, Beacon Academy

Dear Miss Rose,
Yesterday you submitted a report before the Council regarding the actions of your employer, Headmaster Oscar Pine, as well as the teaching staff at Beacon Academy, and how they are related to the behavior of a single student. After interviewing Headmaster Pine ourselves, as well as going over all of the documents and transcripts you submitted, we have reached a final verdict: Oscar Pine is no longer fit to hold the position of Headmaster and has resigned his post upon our request.

We are actively seeking a new Headmaster to replace him, but for the time being, we have elected to appoint you as temporary Headmistress until a proper replacement is found. If you prove yourself worthy of the office, we will be more than happy to install you permanently into the position.

I know this is a trying time for you, as you and Oscar Pine were good friends in the past, so take a day or two to get your affairs in order. When you are ready, report to the Council for further instructions.

Regards,
Vale Council

…

Author's Note: I've officially started watching Arcane, a show you and most of the planet has already seen. As such, I wrote Jimmy's dialogue with Vander's lines running through my head. Couldn't help it; JB Blanc has a voice that sticks with you.

As for the plot, hoo-boy. Things are getting interesting, but soon enough it'll be even worse. Hopefully you all are enjoying yourselves, cuz I know I am.

=^..^=