Alright! Welcome back, my readers, to another chapter of Ashen. Today I have a guest. Yo, Nerdie, come here!
Nerd: Yo, what's up. I'm mister Nerdy, apparently. *pimp slaps the author of this* My proper name is VideoGameNerds.
Hey, I am trying to give ya a short one. Not gonna write the whole thing.
?: Figures.
Ah, crap, the ghost. Anyway, ya both know what's this, right?
Nerd: I'm the writer of the Yugioh true sequel series. I hope that everyone goes and checks it out because I and this prick here have been putting a lot of time into it.
Oi, call me Bloody if anything. Also, this is not supposed to be an advertisement section.
?: Can we cut to the chase? I got things to do.
Bullshit!
But the Ghost has a point, we do have work to do. This shit here is going to have a few thousand words, and I won't be satisfied with half-baked stuff. Nerd, we might be using your experience in Romance-type fics here. At least after you get the feel of the characters.
Nerd: Because yo ass is still a virgin and has no experience LOL.
Look who's talking. Aren't we in the same boat here?
Nerd: Boy, shut yo diaper wearing was up before I pimp slap you again.
Anyway, ignoring shit. Ghost, anything to say?
?: When will I appear into existence?
Good question. Later.
?: I asked when, and that's not a-
LET US BEGIN!
?: MOTHER FU-
Also...WE GOT REVIEWS! I can't say how happy I am to see those, and now I will answer them.
To WilliamLeonis: I know right? I just thought it fits, you know, and I really like bringing down that karma and punishment on the douche. Always hated his character.
Anthony Gilder: Maybe or maybe not. I am still thinking about what to do about that, but I will be saying this: Watch out for the ghost.
Animeguy1208: IDK either, and I would also like more of that good stuff.
Ash was feeling good. Very good. Why? Because he saw Beacon's number 1 bully get a taste of his own medicine. Gods, that was beautiful. His screaming as the police took him was worth it. Worth what? Well...After the trip and whatnot, Jaune showed his team what put Cardin in jail, and told about his transcripts.
Nora and Ren did get angry at first, especially Ren who almost punched Jaune in the face for it, but stopped himself in time. Pyrrha did stand up for him, telling them he deserved to be there. Sure, the boy is a fraud with no previous training, didn't know what Aura was until the initiation when he could've died from the simple fall, doesn't have his semblance yet, and is trash at fighting.
At least he was good with strategy and stuff, for otherwise, he'd be completely useless.
But what they did to Ash afterward was...pretty harsh. Jaune told them about the counter blackmail Ash got, and the group went to his room. The boy in question was in a chat with Roman about the stuff up until that point.
He was happy that he got one over the Winchester family.
But back to the main story. Team JNPR. It is safe to say Pyrrha and Ren did not agree to his...decieving, even if, technically, it was not Ash who sent that stuff on the CCT network. Jaune couldn't say much since he owned Ash that much for getting Cardin off his ass, and Nora was actually asking for copies of the material.
But it all worked out in the end. Although, things might be awkward for a while between him and half of Team JNPR. But what happened to CRDL? Nearly expelled. Nearly.
Cardin was apparently allowed to return to Beacon and his team was left almost untouched. Almost. They are, and those are the punishments Ozpin said himself: Clean the cafeteria each day for the next 3 months, face extra classes with Professor Port during each weekend from 9 to 12 AM, they have been suspended from Combat Class, their weapons - unless of an emergency- had been taken away, and they are also under a strict eye from the faculty itself.
This meant that Cardin cannot do anything to anyone, again. Life was good.
But it was worse for his father. Most of his businesses and accounts went to hell, he was fined thousands of Lien and is awaiting trial for his illegal actions. Most likely jail time as well!
The rest of Team CRDL was just following the leader, so the other 3 did not go through the stuff Cardin did outside of Beacon. Too bad though, they kinda deserved just as much for not even having second thoughts.
But enough about them.
What was Ash up to now, however?
"Take this!" He just got punched out of bounds by Yang Xiao Long, his Aura flaring hard to prevent any lasting damage.
Today in combat class he had the misfortune to be put against Little Red's sister, and the fight was kinda one-sided. She was not as stupid as Cardin and proved more agile than meets the eye, which made it more interesting and he was doing fine at the beginning.
Until he shot a fire-infused round and hit her hair a bit. The girl literally caught FIRE and her eyes changed color. Her semblance activated and in one punch Ash was out.
"Oh, shit, sorry dude." She went back to normal, a goofy smile on her face as if nothing had happened and rubbing the back of her head. Ash got up slowly, his bones popping back into place as he did following the impact. He dragged himself back on the stage for Goodwitch's review. The woman was smirking. Damn her, she enjoyed seeing Ash get smacked like that.
"Mr. Auburn went out of bounds, so per tournament rules, he lost." She stated with a sly smug figure on her face. "Now, as you all might have noticed, the fight was pretty close at the beginning, with Mrs. Xiao Long being able to keep up with Mr. Auburn's speed and agility, but the latter could not keep up with the strength of his opponent's semblance."
Yang mouthed a sorry with her lips again, but Ash only sighed. "While Mr. Auburn might have had a chance, the semblance of his opponent caught him off guard. This is important to remember, class, as you will not always know what you face. Let this be a lesson for you all not to rush into battle without a plan, and always, and I mean always, have a back-up. Class dismissed."
Everyone cleared the room, Ash inhaling sharply as he took a step out through the door and stumbled. Damn it, he landed awkwardly and hurt his ankle. Aura will fix it, so there is no reason to worry. "Hey, Ashie!" Oh no. Yang went to him. "Are you alright? Sorry about that hit, by the way, but I really care about my hair, so I get a bit crazy when people get near it, you know."
"Yeah. I noticed." Ash tried to step, but his ankle hurt, making him hiss in pain.
"Are you ok?" The blonde brawler asked, her liliac eyes looking at Ash and going down to his ankle. She took note of how he was keeping it in the air. "Oh, I see. Sorry. I guess that's my fault, isn't it?" She apologized again, then offered him a hand. "Need some help getting to your dorm or the medical ward?"
"The dorm. " Ash answered, and then caught onto Yang's shoulder for support, the girl helping him walk back to his dorm room.
Once back to his room, Yang helped him get on the bed and Ash removed his shoes. His ankle was indeed swollen from that land, but it was already healing with Aura and didn't hurt just as much now. "Thanks, Yang," Ash said, the blonde giving him a thumbs up.
"Anytime!" She answered cheerfully. "Sorry for busting your ankle again, my semblance can get pretty crazy sometimes."
"What is your semblance, by the way?" Ash asked, honestly curious how she was able to hit like that. It was like she instantly grew stronger, and more volatile at the same time.
"Gee, Ashie, already asking a girl her secrets? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" She teased, trying to see if she got a reaction out of him, but the boy crossed his arms and replied simply.
"As ashamed as the girl in front of me might be for being in a guy's room." Yang looked back at him, raising an eyebrow then snickering a little bit.
"Touche, Ashie. But to answer your question, my semblance allows me to basically take each hit I receive, store the damage, and then release back with twice the power." Ash flinched hearing that. Absorbs damage, store it, then returning it with twice the power? Dust above. "However, I am not invincible while using it, and I can still be harmed and my Aura still takes damage. My eyes change color and my fire caught ablaze from it as a side-effect, but other than that it's a cool semblance, don't you think?"
"Yeah…" Ash answered, having no choice but to agree. If this girl were to take a hit from a truck, she'd be able to strike back twice as hard. This one is dangerous, meaning he has to lie about her semblance to Cinder. "Anyway-"
"What? Not going to show yours?" Ash stopped at her interruption. Damn it, Xiao Long, can you not say it like that? "Aren't you going to tell me how your semblance works and all?"
"I mean, you saw it in class, right?" He said, but the blonde wouldn't have it.
"I want to hear it from you. I get that you leave Dust all greyed out and apparently drained of its elemental juice, but where does that stuff go?" She asked, eyes fixed on him. Ash leaned backward, his hand offering support as he exhaled, trying to think how to put it.
"Well, I basically just store it, as you do with the damage. I can do that with 3 different types of Dust, but I do have a limit, and all types share the same space." He explained.
"Can you mix that stuff as well? " She asked.
"I can, but it is a little tricky." He answered. "But anyway, the rest is-"
"YANG!" Suddenly, the door opened up to reveal a little red riding hood panting. "We have an emergency!" She shouted, the blonde looking at her sister.
"What is it, Ruby?"
"We are out of cookies!" She said, and Ash looked at her stupefied. Cookies? That's their emergency? Not some bigger thing?
"Ok, ok. Relax, Ruby, everything will be alright, ok?" Yang said, trying to calm her sister. "We will just go into Vale and buy some more, no big deal."
"IT IS A BIG DEAL!" Ruby shouted. "NORA WAS THE ONE WHO STOLE OUR COOKIES!"
"I DO NOT CONFESS!" The voice of the mentioned ginger echoed from down the hall.
"Oh...Well, sorry Ash, but duty calls." Yang waved him goodbye as she and Red went out the door, finally leaving him to his solitude.
"So, cookies…?" Ash muttered to himself shortly after they left, then collapsed on his bed. He had to look back on what happened since joining Beacon and catch up on events. He was in deep shit, after all with all that that has been going on.
First, we have Cinder Fall; someone who managed to get Roman to work with them at first, and now the thief is stuck helping terrorist scum. Bad.
Secondly, the same broad wants Ash to gather intel on everyone within Beacon in exchange for his steady supply of Dust for fueling his semblance. Double bad.
And the third point of the list is that she has connections with the White Fang, meaning that she really is someone to reckon with if she managed to get the radicals to work for a HUMAN. Triple Bad. We out.
Ash took his glasses off, allowing for the air to cool his eyes. What can he do? The only way to get Roman out of that shit without him putting his place in Beacon at odds is to somehow make Cinder Fall leave by herself. NO chance.
Then again, there was always the option of killing that bitch, but Ash got a...feeling when he was near her that time. She was dangerous.
"Why is the world got to test me so?" Ash muttered to himself as he rubbed his face. He then reached out for his scroll and tried to text Neo, but to reply from the short mute. Of course.
Roman, before team JNPR barged in the other day, had told him that Neo was away doing a critical job that Cinder put her head of. But alas, it was, and Roman saw through it, a means to divide and control.
Neo's semblance made her a perfect assassin, one not even the likes of Cinder could detect at first glance. But she had Roma, and that meant Neo couldn't do anything as long as Cinder had Roman on a short leash.
And that woman just seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere, so he couldn't do anything reckless. Talk about being between the hammer and anvil.
"Oh, my Gods!" Ash was snapped out of his thoughts by Pyrrha, who came inside alongside Jaune, the redhead looking away as Ash had his glasses off. Oh, right...His eyes. She was still new to all of this, and she doesn't even know about Roman and Neo.
"Pyrrha, it's alright. I was scared too at first." Jaune said to reassure her, the redhead slowly inhaling and exhaling.
"I'm sorry, it's just that...I never saw or heard of a human - or Faunus - having the eyes of a...of a…" She was stuttering, then she gulped. "Of a Grimm."
Ash smirked, then brought his legs to the side of his bed, standing up before the only 2 people who know his secret here in Beacon aside from the Headmaster himself. That was true. Ash's eyes were not normal by any means, the reason for hiding them being a less known one, but a good one as well.
The white part of his eyes was completely black, with not a single white spot on it, like a pool of oil, and in its center stood a blood-red iris which seemed to nearly glow in the darkness that surrounds it. Ash's eyes were like, almost, like those of a Grimm. And Jaune knew more, the information he was about to share with Pyrrha was...It could get them both killed by Roman, the thief being protective of Ash's secret as is Neo.
"Lock the door," Ash said, and Jaune obeyed his words, making sure the door was shut tight. They did not want the word to spread outside those walls.
"Now what?" Pyrrha asked.
"Please take a seat in the kitchen, even make yourself a tea." Ash offered, to which the 2 complied, Jaune leading Pyrrha to the kitchen. Ash joined them shortly.
"So…" Pyrrha began. "How does that happen?" She asked, not even looking at Ash in the meantime.
Ash sighed. "It is caused by a Grimm," Ash said, then sipped some tea.
"But what kind of Grimm can do something like that?" She asked again. "I never heard of a Grimm to do stuff like this."
"Pyrrha, just listen to him. There is more." Jaune said, and Pyrrha went quiet, allowing Ash to continue.
"All I know is from my father's own words, and it goes like this: It is said there was once a woman who used to live out in the forest with her children, but one day, while they were out playing, a shadow crept close to their house, and before she knew it her children were gone. The mother, desperate as she was, sought out a way to get them back, going as far as the heart of Grimm territory…" Ash paused. "From there, unfortunately, no one knows what happened there. Only the outcome."
"What happened?" Pyrrha asked, and even Jaune was listening closer. He had been told the story already, but it is like a good tale at a campfire; you can never hear it enough.
"The woman did return one day, but not with her children. But with the shadow that took them." Ash continued. "Something happened to her, transformed her, and twisted her mind. Her body became pale as bone, and eyes like mine. A long, black dress which flowed on the ground, and a face covered by a mask, her eyes forever tearing up and sobbing for her lost children."
"So, she became a Grimm?" Pyrrha asked, confusion on her face. No one can become a Grimm just like that, it was simply impossible. But then again, what Ash had was not normal either. So maybe there was a sliver of truth to this story.
"In a word, yes," Ash said. "But she never ceased looking for her children...Even if they were not hers."
"She does not kill," Jaune interjected. "That Grimm is unique because, unlike its brethren, it does not kill humans. It runs from them, evades them."
"Yes. But she also looks for new children. She sneaks to them, taking the form of a normal, innocent woman to fool them. Her range between 14 and barely a few months old." Ash clenched his fist. "She then does the unthinkable."
"What?"
"She forces their Aura open, breaking their soul." Pyrrha's eyes went wide hearing him, even gasping and covering her mouth. Aura was an extension of the soul, so if that is damaged, then how is Ash's Aura still working? "Of course, children with Aura are immune to this, and she will simply run. But I was not so lucky."
"At what age did it get you?" Pyrrha asked, but Ash did not reply.
Jaune, however, did. "Not year, Pyrrha. Month. Ash was barely a 5 months baby when it got to him." She looked at him, the man in the middle of this uncomfortable with this, but does push on.
"My father, mother, and I were living in the forest outside the Kingdom. My father wanted a life where I wouldn't get mixed up in the shit going around the Kingdoms...But one day, while he was out on a job, and my mother was cooking dinner, my mother heard a whisper from outside. She went to check it out, going out of the cabin in the process, and the door was shut behind her."
"It was only I and her, the Grimm know as the Weeping Mother. She, from what my mother told my dad, took me in her arms and rocked me, keeping me calm. Then she covered my face with her palm, and I started to scream and cry. My mother panicked and even used a log to bust the door down, chasing away the Grimm...But she was too late." Ash looked at his glasses, the reflection of his eyes in it. "The Grimm dropped me, but I had an Aura now, so nothing happened. But my eyes were forever changed, and I forever cursed. My mother freaked out, and when my father returned, she fought with him. She accused him of what happened, saying that if he was there, this wouldn't have happened. She even told him she will not raise a monster."
"But you are not-"
"A monster? Yeah, that's what my father told me as well. But believe me, when your own mother calls her baby boy a monster, and have that as the reason she left you, it weighs on you a lot." Ash said, sadness radiating in his voice "My father did his best to raise me, and during that time Roman, my uncle-in-title, came to visit-"
"Roman?" Pyrrha asked. "I thought your uncle's name was Blaze Auburn."
"Oh...I lied. His real name is Roman Torchwick." Pyrrha's eyes widened a lot hearing that.
"The thief?" She asked.
"Yep."
"The most notorious criminal in Vale?" She asked again.
"The one and only."
Pyrrha exhaled, then put her hands on her lap. "How much more are you hiding?" Uh, she was taking it better than Jaune did.
"Just listen," Ash said. "As I said, Roman did come to visit from time to time, but always only a bit. My father, Pluto Auburn, was an old friend of his. Apparently, they met at the Vytal Festival before Roman dropped out of Shade Academy."
"My father taught me how to use the sword, but only until I was 8 years old." Ash paused. "That day, he came inside the house all beaten up and hid me under the floor. I heard banging at the door and shouting. They broke the door down and poured in, and I saw everything from below. My father, using his semblance, pushed the bandits out multiple times, then went outside himself. Then I heard his scream." Ash inhaled. "I heard a pair of boots walk inside, but I held my breath and didn't make a sound. I couldn't look at the face of the person who did, but I did catch a glimpse. But it has been so long I barely remember it."
"Later, Roman showed up, and he found me under the floor. He took me outside, where I saw the fresh grave of my father, and then I saw Roman's dirty clothing. My father was no more...But Roman? He took the role of an uncle for me. I couldn't come into the Kingdom due to my condition, so I lived in the woods outside it. My condition makes Grimm think I am one of them until I strike, blowing my cover."
"That explains their weird behavior at the initiation," Pyrrha said, stunned at Ash's story.
"Yes. That was me. Roman and his partner which came later, Neo, took care of me and taught me how to fight and whatnot. But my eyes are always going to be a burden." Ash put on a weak smile. "One day, you, as part of a Huntsman duty, will hunt me down."
Pyrrha chocked on her tea a bit, but Jaune was looking down, clenching his cup tight. "Why?" She asked.
"Because one day, because of those eyes of mine, I will turn into a Grimm...One with an Aura, and power of a semblance." Ash said, then looked at her. "I don't want to hurt anyone when that happens…"
"Can't you stop it? Prevent it?" She asked.
"No...Only slow it down. I can feel emotions, especially negative ones. They replenish my Aura, make me stronger. But being a sponge for negative emotions is not a good thing. The more I absorb, the more I risk losing control. I cannot control this, so that is why I lived in the woods, with no people around."
"With no people around, his curse only fed on his own negativity," Jaune said.
"Which is the most potent, but not enough," Ash added, bringing his elbow on the table and rubbing his face. "But even though I came here, in the middle of a negativity buffet, a life-time of isolation helped me manage my curse. Heck, I can actually use it to fight the Grimm a bit."
Pyrrha looked at Jaune, who simply looked back at Ash. She understood the message. Those who knew what Ash would become, they wouldn't think twice to kill him now. But they? The people who know him now? They would never be able to do that. They were friends, in some way.
"I promise," Pyrrha said, getting Ash's attention. "I promise that I will keep your secret, Ash. But if the day really comes when one of us will have the kill the other...Would you forgive that person?" She asked.
Ash took a moment to process her words but then snorted. "I will." He replied. "Thank you, for listening."
"You don't have what to thank me for," Pyrrha said. "But I do have to ask something…" She looked at him again, but this time at his hands - his claws - and mouth - his feline fangs - thinking about something. "Ash, what is the name of your mother?"
Ash tensed up, and even Jaune got surprised by her question. "W-why do you ask?" He stuttered, Ash's voice trembling.
"Well, I mean, we could try searching for her-"
"No!" Ash shouted, his iris' sparking up a bit as he did. "I-..." he looked at her, Pyrrha and Jaune both shocked by his shout. "I'm sorry, but...I do not wish to see her again."
"But she's your mother.-"
"A mother who abandoned her child and called it a monster!" Ash replied with venom in his voice. "I do not wish to meet her, ever!"
Pyrrha looked at Jaune, trying to see if going on about his mother was a good idea. But Jaune shrugged. He had never brought her up, so he wouldn't know what to do. But judging by Ash's words, it was better to leave it at that. But Pyrrha couldn't do it, she needed only one thing.
"Can you...still tell us her name?" She asked slowly, the boy looking up at her. Ash narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "I promise I won't search for her," Pyrrha said.
Ash looked at her, the girl staring into his eyes. He could smell her fear...she was afraid of the unknown before her, but also...her compassion. She wanted to help him, but he refuses. But Ash had his reasons…
He couldn't meet that woman...He couldn't control himself if he did…
But he could at least give them her name. Her old name, that is, as she most likely got it back after the divorce. "Lana...Lana Nieves." He said, and Pyrrha hummed.
"Alright." She said. "So, I guess we will be leaving now, right?" She asked, and Ash inhaled, trying to find his calm again.
"Yes, please. I need to be alone for a bit if you don't mind." He said, and the 2 members of Team JNPR took their leave. Ash entrusted them with a big secret, and they were going to keep it.
It makes you wonder how such people could exist, really. Jaune faked his way into Beacon, lied a lot, but he atoned in the end. Ash was not going to help him train anymore either since all the stuff with Cardin was done for. Pyrrha could handle him well enough.
What Ash needed now was to calm himself. As he said, this curse feeds on his own emotions as well, and telling the story does have its toll. It was easier the first time because Jaune managed to make some comments which annoyed him, then Ash whopped his ass while sparring. That was easy.
This was not. Pyrrha was so nice to people and a really polite girl. Put aside that she could fight an entire team by herself - damn Invincible Girl of Sanctum - and you would have many boys trying to get her. But alas, none have the balls.
Except for Jaune, who told him he doesn't really care about that shit anyway. For him, Pyrrha was just Pyrrha, and not Pyrrha, the champion, or something like that. Then again, Ash did also believe the blonde had more chances taking down an Ursa major alone then getting Nikos to be his girl, and lo and behold, that is exactly what happened in the Forever Fall Forest.
The universe loved its tricks, didn't? But for now, Ash had more important things to do than to simply mop around. He was going to give a call to Roman-
Then his scroll buzzed. The private one. He sighed and answered it, tracing it to his ear, knowing who was on the other end. "Listen, Cinder, it is not a good time, and I need to-"
"It's not Cinder." A different voice was heard on the other side. Female, no doubt, and younger, not as sultry as Cinder's. "My name is Emerald, and I am one of the people working for her." She introduced herself.
"So why isn't she the one picking up right now? And why'd you call?" Ash asked, curious as to why someone else apart from Cinder called him on this scroll. Too bad he couldn't see their faces on it, the face cam is turned off on this one.
"I got a message from Cinder, and she was also the one to give me this scroll so I can call you and deliver it to you." She said, and Ash groaned. "She wants to know when you are going to bring in new intel on the students at Beacon." And now it made sense.
"I can tell you about one right now if you'd like." Ash offered.
"I don't see why not. Shoot" She said, and Ash could hear her getting a pen and paper to note it down.
"There is this girl named Yang Xiao Long, and she is a pretty good fighter on hand-to-hand, but that is to make up for her semblance," Ash said, telling Emerald a truth and a lie as usual. "Her semblance allows her to grow stronger if her hair is cut, but she kinda loves it a bit too much to go bald."
"Can't say I don't sympathize with her." She replied, a hint of honesty in her voice. "A girl does care about her looks, after all."
"Anyway, that is all I got for now. I have to rest a bit as well. I took a beating in combat class, and I am recovering from the aftermath."
"Very well. I shall leave you to it." She hung up.
"This just got worse…" He muttered as he put his scroll away. Cinder had more people working for, or with, her. Roman did not count, but he was just one man compared to the White Fang and whoever else she had in store. What's next? A freaking guy with mechanical legs?
At the warehouse, there was a small dust explosion as Mercury sneezed.
The next day started, the sun flowing in through Ash's window and its rays finding their way on his face. He slowly opened his eyes, taking a bit to wake himself up. He checked the time and saw that he was actually early, his alarm not set to go off until an hour later. So what to do while in his room? Nothing.
Until the door clicked open and a certain someone stepped in, Ash immediately looking her way. Blake. The neighboring hidden Faunus of team RWBY. Most likely here for her smut.
Had to admit she was quite the reader, sneaking in for her dirty smut.
"Blake?" Ash said half asleep, his eyes closed intentionally to hide his black sclera and blood-red iris. The last thing we'd want is a scared kitty. "What's with you here? Getting yourself a book?"
"Yes," she replied, going to the library and taking out one of the books. Ash took the chance as she turned around to get his glasses on. "Hmm. Organized alphabetically. Not bad" she noted.
"Yeah, keeping organized is a good idea, you know," Ash said as he slowly got out of bed, his top bare and pajama pants showcasing the same black flowers on it. Seriously, what are those? Petunias?
Blake rolled her eyes. "I just wish Yang would be more organized herself. We keep finding her stuff mixed with ours, and while Ruby might not care, given that they are sisters and all, I and Weiss do. Seriously, you'd think she was raised in the wild"
"Hey!" Ash half-shouted.
"Sorry," Blake said, recalling where Ash was from.
"Anyway, how are you lately?" Ash asked, trying to make conversation. "I've been busy with Team JNPR, so I haven't really talked to you guys"
"I've been relatively well, to be honest," she replied, this time standing up with the book in her hands and facing Ash. "Ruby had the idea of heading into Vale for some bonding time, saying we had to work on our team."
That doesn't sound bad actually," Ash replied. "Little Red might be a bit childish, and frankly she is 2 years younger, but everyone here is here because they deserved it." That was true, in some cases. Jaune counts as a person who deserves to be here, despite his absolute lack of prior training and cheaty ways.
"So you say…"She mumbles, shifting around a bit. Did Ash just strike a sensible cord? He tried to feel her emotions, and true enough, he found some stuff. Doubt, regret, fear.
"Is everything alright, Blake?" He asked, having the girl look back at him and snap out of her little space-out.
"Y-yes." She shuddered a little. "We just have a lot on our plate lately, me and my team. We are still trying to work on our quirks and improve our teamwork, but things are not always too…"
"Smooth?" Ash completed to which Blake gave a nod. "Hmm. Tell you what; I will hang out with you girls a bit. Train with you, hang out, the entire thing. Besides, I am a bit curious as to what does that girl - Yang - eats." He said feeling a bit of pain in his ankle, a reminder of her strength.
"I mean, sure." She replied. "I don't think the rest will oppose the idea. Well, except maybe Weiss." She said, to which Ash remembered that his relationship with the heiress did not start off well. He saved her ass, but she still acted like a bitch, like come on. "Seriously, what happened that got her angry at you?"
Ash groaned in dismay. "Let's just say I kinda hurt her pride…" Blake winced hearing that. Weiss was one to hold herself in high regard, so no wonder she had a big pride. Hurting that might be enough of an excuse for the things she says about Ash in their room.
"Oh. Well, I guess I'll see you later?" Blake asked, and Ash nodded, the girl leaving his room with her book to allow Ash to let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding.
That was close. She almost saw his eyes. Like, he doesn't wear his glasses during the night when he sleeps, but he never expected someone to sneak in at night inside his room. But at least neo was not hiding around him using her semblance again.
Later that day Ash met with Team RWBY in the cafeteria, the group sitting together with Team JNPR as well, and Nora was running her mouth as always, but this time with a pleasant subject.
"And Cardin was like 'I WILL BE BACK! I WILL HAVE REVENGE!' " She said, imitating the bully as he got taken away yesterday. Those were not his words, but who cares? Everyone shared a light laugh at that, except Ren and Jaune, the two being more apathetic towards it.
"I still can't believe someone like Cardin was accepted into Beacon," Weiss said as she was poking her food with a fork. "I mean, Beacon is supposed to be a place where the best Huntsmen are trained, not future criminals." Her harsh remark was not left unnoticed by Ash.
Come to think of it, Roman used to go to Shade Academy in Vacuo. He dropped out, though, and became the criminal he is today. "I mean, I wouldn't call it just yet," Ash said, earning Weiss' gaze.
"And why is that?"
"I mean, we do not know how everyone will turn out, right?" Ash said. "Everyone here can become a great person one day, or someone we may one day fight" Everyone looked at him, a bit shocked by the realization. It was true, and they knew it. Anyone in this cafeteria could one day become a criminal, a murderer using their training to kill other humans instead of the Grimm.
"You do have a point…" Weiss said in a low voice. "But still. There are people like Cardin with a HISTORY of violence and dirty deals, so I do not see why they allow scum like him into Beacon!"
"You read the stuff about him from the CCT?" Ash asked.
"Everyone has!" Nora cheered. "Believe me when I say I wanted to just storm into their dorm and break their legs when I read that stuff."
"I held her off," Ren added. "But I agree with Weiss on this one; people like Cardin who use their family influence in such ways - covering up their sins - are not the kind to turn out into good Huntsmen."
"Meh. Who cares?" Yang said balancing chips on her nose. "If they fight us, we beat them, end of the story."
"You do realize that not everything can be solved by fighting, right?" Blake asked, but Yang simply shrugged, bouncing the chips she was balancing into the air and catching them in her mouth.
"Still, it is quite disturbing to know one day you might have to kill someone you once knew," Jaune said. "Heck, I couldn't imagine having to do that to anyone."
"Same here," Ruby said. "I mean, we are all friends, and friends don't fight among one another. So why fight later?"
"Still too innocent…"Ash thought as the talking went on afterward. Everyone here had their own opinions on different matters; The White Fang, The Vytal Festival, even their own Team. But at the end of the day, all Ash cared about was finding a way to help Roman get rid of Cinder, and he was not any closer than he was a few days ago to that.
But he knows Roman is smart and he'll find a way. He has to.