An*

Hello and welcome to the next chapter.

Sorry, this is so late but my schedule was proverbially fucked with the world record holding largest wrench on earth but I'm trying.

Please review if you have questions. I'm going use a technique from one of my favorite fanfic writer's story, which I highly recommend, so I thank NightKrawler88 and his story A Beacon of Hope in A Castle of Ice for the inspiration. He writes his chapter from a character's perspective and would then write from a different perspective. Since I am not good at third person writing I'll follow in his footsteps.

See you next time

Perspective: Échelle

After the ceremony, we were promptly directed to our new home for the next four years. The dorm looked exactly the same as the one I spent my first night in, hell it may have been the same one but I didn't leave any way to tell.

I turned to my team... My team, the words where so fresh in my mind I could scarcely believe them, they simply stood there blankly, seemingly waiting for me to make a statement. I cleared my throat and looked on into the eyes of my teammates.

"How should we decorate?" I asked with genuine intrigue. My teammates simply stared at me. I was starting to shrink back under their piercing gaze, they seemed to tower over me even more than usual.

Thankfully Lance spoke up with a voice that boomed from the very bottom of his chest. "Maybe we should find out more about each other before we try decorating-" he gave a warm smile that lifted the mood immediately "- for instance I would appreciate it if you could help me cut off the legs of my bed, normal beds aren't large enough for me so if it's on ground level my legs don't dangle off the edge and cramp up."

This made sense since he was easily 7"1'.

He made my 4"4' stature feel minuscule and I was supposed to be a leader to this hulk of a man.

Cutting the legs off the bed was a simple task. I simply had him lift the bed of his choosing and we hacked the legs off with our weapons. With the new futon upon the floor, we started to get to know each other.

"So where are you all from?" I asked while seated on top of my bed. Behind me, Rán was busy loading her clothes into the dresser on our side of the room. I found her true gender when she first spoke after we were chosen. I apologized profusely since my first words to her were, "Wait, you're not a guy." She simply shrugged the comment off, apparently it happened quite a lot.

Medusa and Lance sat on Medusa's bed, Medusa had her legs crossed with her back supported by its headrest while Lance sat at the foot of the bed with his legs stretched out. Medusa decided to start the conversation.

"Well it turns out Lance and I are both of Menagerie and our family homes are but a few blocks apart."

Noting this I tilted my head back to look at Rán " So where are you from?" the intrigue in my voice clear. In the most deadpan voice, I've ever heard she just answered "Mistral" and continued packing. I hope this cold attitude doesn't last very long.

Medusa had some sort of reaction to Rán's attitude, staring daggers at her for a second until she turned to me, putting on a smile and showing some intrigue in my own story.

"Where are you from, Échelle?"

It took me a second to formulate my answer to prevent myself from balling my guts out so that I don't have to live through my trauma again.

"I'm from a remote quarry in Vacuo." I shifted my seating to be more comfortable. Thankfully before my team had the chance to question me further someone knocked at the door. I leaped up from my bed and approached the entrance to the dorm. Opening the door, I found myself staring at the top of a white blouse. Adjusting my eye level I found myself looking into emeralds framed with purple oval glasses.

"Miss Goodwitch." I greeted the woman before me.

"Professor Ozpin requests an audience with you." she stated flatly.

"Right now?" I accentuated my point with a finger pointed downward.

She simply nodded and left. I grabbed my coat, pulled it over my combat outfit and ran after Miss Goodwitch.

I caught up with her shortly after I left.

"Do you know why Ozpin wants to see me?" I asked

"I think he wants to talk to you about your financial situation." I could tell from her tone that she was in full work mode, she lacked the hum of teasing that she used when we first met.

When we finally stood in the office of the professor he simply gestured forward for me to sit, an offer I didn't refuse.

He pulled up a file and showed it to me, from what I could tell it was an evaluation for how to most effectively reopen a mining quarry.

"I'm not going to rush you into this, but you're going to have to make this choice sooner or later." The professor sounded... Down, like he has lived through these life-changing decisions many, many times. The decision came instantly.

"I'll work towards this-" gesturing to the file in my hands "- as soon as I can." Thinking back to my earlier days, a voice crept into my mind, I've heard this voice many times in my life in the quarry and I've grown to detest it and because of this, I knew it instantly when I heard it just a few days ago.

"Just promise me I'll never have to speak with the white witch ever again."

"The white witch?" the professor asked, even miss Goodwitch looked like she was also interested in my explanation.

"You know, the Schnee heiress. She was given that name by my father when she started insisting on joining in on discussions dealing with the ownership of the quarry, this was when I was old enough to start learning to take over. I think somewhere there my father wished I could form a relationship with the girl my age from a rival company in the hopes that we would form a truce when we took over, save to say that I didn't mesh well with her prissy attitude."

"While I can't guarantee this, I will request that when the SDC makes their inevitable advances we would have an audience where we would be your counsel."

"Thank you, professor, I'll keep that in mind."

"Now, if you would, I have to continue my work. Enjoy your day and I hope you get along with your team well."

"On that note, I have to ask."

The professor looked at me over his glasses, awaiting my answer.

"Why me?"

Thank you for reading this chapter and I'll see you next week, yes that's right I'm gonna release a chapter next week but it will NOT be for this story, no, it will be for a new story. Don't worry this story will still receive its update in 2 weeks time.

Anyway I'll bid you a due

Gaude vita tua.