"Good morning Vale, I'm Lisa Lavender, your host for this morning's report. Today I am joined by Evan Green, member of the High Parliament, and we'll be discussing the events of the White Fang's disruption of the Atlesian-Mistrali Alliance Celebrations. Jamie Cromwell explains in this report."
Lisa's face changes to the static film of the White Fang as a voice talks on top.
"The White Fang: once freedom fighters, now, political terrorists. Over the past 5 years, the Fang have increased their militancy, giving up on their former leader's values. After three mine cave-ins, explosions and gas attacks because of the poor Health & Safety in Atlesian Dust mines, resulting in 21,000 deaths, White Fang recruitment had spiked by 35% and support continues to grow. In Mistral, Faunus unemployment has reached its peak at 45% with business owners outright refusing to employ Faunus – Fang recruitment has increased there in response. Race relations worsen by the day in the eastern hemisphere. Is the Fang right to become more violent?"
A video of Sienna Khan with Adam Taurus disrupting an elite party, with varying cultures from Northern and Southern Mistral and Atlas, replaces the footage. Anger roared in Sienna's amber orbs, her chains glinting in the limelight. Adam, but stood stoic, his hand resting on his blade, Wilt, a silent threat for any that stepped closer. The red accents on his black clothes and his hair were already glowing.
"I waited years for the day that I would stand in front of the Rich and Powerful members of the greatest slaver nations in the world."
Sienna stood on a stage, the image of a Queen and a proud leader.
"And it's taking all my willpower not to cut you down where you all stand!"
Guest shuffled back, terror rising the air.
"But my predecessor taught me you must try to extend the hand of peace before you raise the hand that calls for war – I am giving you that chance now: The Faunus of your nations will be given reparations for the crimes of your ancestors and the profit you gain from it – whether that be money, integration programs, job opportunities, improvements in existing workplaces, making Menagerie more habitable – it will be planned within 3 month time and executed 3 months afterwards!"
Shouts of outrage flew towards the High Leader of the Fang. Silence regained its presence when Adam flashed his Katana.
"Understand, the knife that your ancestors placed in our backs can't be removed if you don't acknowledge that it's there, reparations will take it out and forgiveness will heal the wound."
Adam, who stood eerily silent before, stepped next to his leader. Eye hidden behind the mask of a monster, his mouth was the only way to determine his mood.
"Vale, Atlas, Mistral and Vacuo; may your leaders know this: The White Fang is done playing – there willbe consequences for ignoring our warning."
His face turned towards Jacques Schnee; voice poisoned with spite.
"The Schnee Dust Company know this well, we do not fear your power, not when the existence of a whole race is at stake – heed this threat or we will hunt you down like the animals you think we are."
The feed ended with the screams of the guests as Adam shot the chandelier, causing it to crash into the ground. Panning back to the studio, Lisa and Evan sat quietly for a moment. Anxiousness hung in the air as Lisa began her interview.
"Well, you heard it from High Leader Khan and Commander Taurus of the Vale Division – what do you think Evan?"
He scratched his stubble as his eyes glossed over the room. He began with a weary chuckle.
"I miss Ghira, I can say that much – but Sienna is right, the situation in Atlas and Mistral has been going on too long, but now it's bleeding into our society, it's making our Kingdom an enemy of the Fang; of the Faunus. The Mistralians and Atlesians are fine with that, but we Valeians can't be."
"Are you worried that the Fang would escalate in their methods?"
"I don't see how it can get worse than inflating the economy or kidnapping officials and board members, and that's just Atlas!"
"I wouldn't say that; there are a lot of ways things could get worse, but more importantly, how do you think this will this affect ordinary Faunus in Vale?"
"They will suffer, they already do – I've seen 'No Faunus' signs outside Dust stores on my way to work and that will no doubt spread to other shops too, the Fang are so busy fighting the other two Kingdoms, they neglect their community duties in the Ghettos. Atlas and Mistral are infecting our nation with their problems and now everyone is suffering for it – I can't say I feel bad for them, it's been a long time coming."
"And I am sure there are many who agree with you, but let's hope for a good ending for all of this."
The hologram fizzled out as the Bulkhead prepped its landing gear. Golden eyes gazed at where the news report disappeared. His Captain's cap had shrouded his appearance, a different shadow cast over him - one over his mind. He doubted anyone felt the grief he did until he saw a cherry-black haired Faunus and blonde human that had downcast expressions. Supportive, the human girl rubbed the Faunus on the back. They looked alike, same button noses, lip shapes, etc.
But a human having a child with a Faunus was too… strange of a concept.
'They're probably close friends.'
Once the airship landed, he was among the first to leave.
Awe overwhelmed the Xiao Long-Rose siblings. Beacon Academy was a monolithic castle that towered into the heavens. The main spire - CCT - providing the opportunity to commune with the world. Fountains, stylish lamp posts that double as flagpoles, spring red trees and decorative arches littered the massive courtyard. Large green spaces that the older year groups sat on were plastered everywhere and didn't clash with the grey, polished concrete. Sunbeams enhanced the stunning image of the campus, completed by the incredible cliffs and thundering waterfalls near the Landing Pads. Students ran over the open space – embracing their new lives at the school ripped straight from a fairytale.
"Great Vallan…" Yang hummed, "The view of Vale's got nothing on this!"
Her shiny locks shook as she tried to get her lilac eyes to see everything. Ruben's silver pair drew away from the fairytale wonder, aware of the enormous mass of students near him. His fingers itched, closing and opening; breaths came in short harsh bursts and eyes moved in frantic motions. Metal shone in the sunlight and his mind replaced the daunting feelings swirling inside with logic and passion.
"Sis, that kid has a collapsible staff!"
Yang looked at her brother. She knew what he was doing, but she didn't stop him.
'I hope I packed his stimulants… and I should have those Heat pills too now that I think about it.'
She came back to the present when she noticed Ruben getting into a stranger's personal space.
"Your fire sword is amazing; how did you figure out the calibrations to support a constant supply of – Woah!"
Smiling at the spooked initiate, Xiao Long pulled her brother by the hood back to their spot.
"Pup, personal space is important – you can't just get up a stranger's face; besides, it's just a weapon."
Ruben's faced scrunched up and Yang cursed her big mouth.
'Here we go…'
"How could you say such a dishonourable thing?"
"I didn't mean-"
He raised a hand to her face, shaking his head. His ears fluttered, "Weapons are the extensions of our souls, our closest friend, our one true partner - they deserve our respect, you know why?"
Yang held a blank expression. She had received this lecture before when they made Ember Celica and she damaged them on her first go. But her brother expected an answer, so she sighed.
"No, why?"
"Because they are awesome, that's why!"
"So why don't you swoon over your weapon, aren't you happy with it?"
In a flash, Ruben cuddled his triple-shift-scythe as tight as he could. More kids passing by stared at the odd display, speeding up to avoid the duo.
Or… trio?
"Crescent Rose is my baby, you know that – but I love seeing new weapons, it's like meeting new people… but better!"
Lilac eyes rolled and her hand yanked Ruben's hood on, "Rubes, this lone wolf thing can't go on forever."
The siblings stared at each other. The wind passed over them and the courtyard remained silent. Yang's smug smirk spread on her face. Ruben's smile grew on his face and he started wiggling his ears again. Shaking her head, the elder resumed her argument.
"I was okay with you doing that at Signal, but this is a new start; you need to meet new people and make friends."
"Why do I need friends when I have you?"
Yang searched his eyes. It was a genuine inquiry that she had no answer for. Guilt ate away at her: no child at Ruben's age should ask that kind of question – did she fail somewhere?
'To be fair, Rubes isn't exactly… normal.'
That fact had been a source of grievances in their lives. Even she struggled to manage his condition, while she learned to be patient, others couldn't and just labelled him as 'crazy'.
'Crap, this year is going to be much harder than if stayed with Tai… but then I wouldn't know if he'll be okay at all! Why is this so complicated?!'
While his sister had a mental crisis, he stared on expectant of an answer to what he assumed to be a simple question. Two people came closer to them and he noticed it was Shay Quon Amaya and Victoria Morado. If the two weren't with Yang, then the Vacuan born duo were hanging around each other (Ruben rarely leaves the house so he's never seen them with others).
"Hey Firecracker!"
Shay gave Yang a bright smile, while the other studied the blonde's spaced-out expression. She waved a dark-skinned hand in front of her, which snapped her out of it.
"Did your brain stall?" Vic smirked, "We always told you not to think so hard or you'll hurt yourself."
Ruben snapped his head to look at Morado, "Can that happen?"
Shay stuck his tongue out at Yang's miffed expression, "Your big sis does it all the time, the nights where she comes home late and loopy is because she spent the whole evening thinking."
"Shut up Shay!"
High-Fiving over Rose's head, the two laughed and Xiao Long grumbled. Vic's chuckles tapered off when she asked: "What caused that face?"
Ruben answered before his sister could, "I asked why I need friends if I have her."
Cringe lines appeared on the duo's dark faces while the elder sibling rubbed her brow. Shay took initiative and leaned to Rose's height, "You see Rubes, friends care for and support you when family can't, the same way we do for Yang."
"So, they're like extra family?"
"Yeah!"
"So how do I make them?"
"That depends on the people: some people click, and others don't."
"But," Victoria interrupted, "We can take Yang and you can try it out on your own?"
"Guys, I don't think-"
"Okay!"
"Awesome, good luck Rubes!"
The duo snared Xiao Long's arms and dashed away. Yang told him she'll meet him in the Auditorium for the Introduction Assembly.
If only he knew where that was…
'Oh, well!'
Clapping his leather hands together and rocking on his tiptoes, Ruben analysed all the ways one could find a companion. He concluded that he needed to close his eyes and wander.
'I have to reach into the winds of fate, to allow the Maidens to give me the strength to make the bonds that last a life – oof!'
"What is wrong with you; why are you wandering with your eyes closed?!"
A high-pitched whine pained both sets of his ears. Glaring hard at him, a sheep Faunus picked up the suitcases that fell from a trolley.
"Careful Benedict, drop them and you could lose more than your job."
"Yes, Miss Schnee."
Ruben picked one up to help. Pale hands snatched it from his grasp. He turned to the voice; a girl - snow-white hair, a winter-themed combat skirt, red-trimmed jacket and heels and piercing ice-blue eyes. One of them had a scar that marred the near-perfect symmetry of her face.
"Do you understand what could've happened if these fell out?"
Instinct told him that upsetting this 'Miss Schnee' would be unwise, so he replied with a subdued:
"No."
"You could have blown us off the cliff!"
"But I didn't."
"It's a matter of principle, you dolt!"
Ruben shrunk into himself – her yelling was reminiscent of his meltdowns, so he assumed he upset her. Twitchy once again, his hands quivered. Miss Schnee opened the suitcase to take out a vial of powdered Fire Dust.
"This is Dust, mined from my family's quarry."
"Okay."
For some strange reason, she popped open the vial, and she gesticulated with it, Dust pouring out. But the Schnee was more concerned with educating a fellow Hunter-in-training about what powers his weaponry. While letting it pour out.
Rose picked up on the scent fast.
'Darn wolf's senses.'
He rubbed his nose to deter sneezing and the girl just shook the bottle harder. Even her butler had the sense to back away from the explosion site when his nose breathed in the Dust.
"-what do you have to say for yourself?"
"ACHOO!"
A plume of fire, ice and lightning shattered the courtyard bricks, smacking the two everywhere. Thick smoke wafted into their noses and stained their clothing. Static in the atmosphere spiked Ruben's hair, much to his chagrin. He turned on his Aura as he whipped his tanned face clear of ash. Soon, the Schnee was visible, covered in debris and coughing hard. Ruben jogged over to help her stand, but she knocked it away to berate him.
"Look at what you've done!"
"I'm so sorry!"
Her Aura kicked in and her bruises faded but her anger burned brighter. Meanwhile, another boy noticed the pair after almost getting hit by scorched rubble. He drew closer.
"How can you be so reckless?"
Ruben's brain thought too fast for his mouth to cope, and a line of senseless words babbled out instead.
'No! Speak properly – I apologised, and it was her fault, anyway!'
Schnee's blue orbs studied his jittery and short stature. She noted how he refused to look her in the eye as he blathered gibberish like a child.
"You look a bit young to be attending Beacon, you know?"
His hand exercises refused to calm him, and the girl's scrutiny weighed a thousand tons, so he moved to lift his hood. Schnee saw the wolf ears upon his head and stepped back.
"You're a Faunus from those charity programs, right?"
Ruben shook his head.
"If you are a student here, try to understand this Mongrel: we're here to fight monsters so sort yourself out before you get someone killed."
Benedict stood to the side with his sheep ears twitching at Schnee's comment, but he did nothing. Another voice barged in.
"That's rich coming from you, Schnee."
Everyone turned to the newcomer, his black, shin-high boots announcing his arrival. His most profound feature was his gold eyes, almost hidden by his black fringe. A sailor captain's cap rested upon his head, complimented by his ¾ sleeve leather jacket and his black - fading to purple - trousers. His white dress shirt exposed his muscular chest, obscured by his scarf. A sleeve covered one of his arms, while the other had a black ribbon wrapped around it. A cleaver hung on his back, his emblem printed on the front, which gained Ruben's attention.
"What do you mean by that?" Schnee whined.
He turned his nose up at her, "You are Weiss Schnee, right?"
"Naturally."
"The heiress of the Atlesian family corporation that gets their wealth from pseudo-slavery and thrives by obliterating lesser companies that deal in the same trade, not to mention the dodgy business practices they tend to use?"
Weiss gaped at the boy's audacity.
"You have some nerve to tell this kid he's going to get someone hurt fighting monsters, when he's busy fearing you – you are a walking Grimm magnet, but not just to him." He handed over her bottle of half-empty Fire Dust, "I suggest you fix your attitude Schnee before you someone hurt; we're here to fight monsters not to terrorise Faunus, remember?"
The sheep Faunus busied himself with his mistress' luggage, snickering. Weiss couldn't comprehend the snub against her. She stuttered and pointed, but nothing coherent came out. She growled at the black-haired boy, took the vial and stomped away. Her butler followed suit, flashing a smile at the boys.
Ruben's silver eyes stared at the retreating white figure. His ears flopped, "I guess we didn't click."
"What?"
"Do you think she's too mad to make friends with me?"
Shocked, the older teen pointed at the retreating Schnee.
"Y-you want to be friends with her?"
Ruben shrugged. The older boy rubbed his arm, "You can make friends with anyone, just not her; understand that there are people who will treat you like she did, and it's best to avoid them – if you're going to show your ears to the world, I suggest you keep your head down."
"My sister told me I should never hide my ears; it's not right to hate what you can't change."
"But society will, and some show their hate more violently than others; sometimes you have to hide to protect yourself."
Without another word, the noirette stormed off, leaving Rose on his own. He looked as if the muscles of his face had gone on strike. Everything about it was slack and it gave him the aura of one who would spurn even the most well-meaning attempts to strike up a conversation. He thought gloomy reflections as he sunk to the ground, crossed-legged rocking back and forth.
'Two possible friendships gone in one fell swoop – why are people so complicated?'
"What did I miss?"
Ruben looked up. A blonde human male with sapphire blue eyes peered back.
"A Faunus blowing up a Schnee." the blonde held a horrified expression, "Don't worry, she's fine."
"Oh, good."
A tumbleweed rolled behind them and a penny dropped in the distance. Ruben noted how windy it was on the campus. The blonde held out a hand for him.
"I'm Jaune."
"Ruben."
After helping him stand, Ruben studied the boy closer until he yelled: "You're the Vomit Boy!"
By a fountain minutes later, the duo continued their banter as the blonde tried to defend himself against Ruben's musings.
"Well, the name's Jaune Arc: short, sweet rolls of the tongue and the ladies love it."
The Faunus squinted.
"Do they?"
"They will!" He huffed, "My Mom always said… never mind."
Jaune heard Ruben murmuring his name to himself but paid it no mind and waited for him to introduce himself.
"Ruben Xiao Long-Rose, at your service, good sir!"
He bowed and Arc asked:
"How long have you been waiting to say that to someone?"
"A while."
He giggled as Rose rubbed his human ears. A lull passed in, filled with the sounds of fountains spraying water before Jaune pulled out his weapon.
"I got this sword."
Ruben barged into his personal space to coo at the blade, silver eyes tracking its every movement. Arc then popped out his shield, his golden house crest plastered on the front.
"What do they do?"
"When I get tired of carrying my sword, I turn Crocea into a sheath and… put it away."
"Wouldn't it weigh the same?"
"Yeah." The blonde's blue eyes noticed the cherry-black male holding himself from snatching the great sword out of his grip. He smiled and gave it to him, then he pretended to cut down enemies on the battlefield.
"It's so light and the slice is smooth; the wrap is so soft, there's no way you could get blisters with this, but the crossguard is pathetic."
"Hey, Mors is a family heirloom!"
Ruben stopped his fake battle to look at the etching on the blade. The household wrote a motto in old Valian on the base – rusted but decipherable.
"That explains it - nothing a few upgrades couldn't fix!"
Jaune sulked, crossing his arms, "What's your weapon then?"
Missing the snark in Arc's tone, Rose revealed Crescent Rose. He shifted her to sword mode, her dark grey blade shimmering in the sun. Then the younger teen transformed the blade into a scythe, flourishing it before slamming into the ground behind him. Jaune yelped and flinched as Ruben beamed with pride.
"This is my beloved Crescent Rose; a high impact, customisable, triple-shift sniper rifle, sword and scythe!"
"What?"
"She's a very big gun."
"Ah."
He stepped closer to study the weapon.
"You didn't hold back designing it, huh?"
"Nope, my sister and I spent a month getting metal in the Grand Scrap Yard and two months making her in my Dad's forge – it felt like it took forever!"
"You made this?"
"With my bare-slash-gloved hands!"
Jaune hummed in understanding before another pause broke the conversation. As Ruben tucked C. R into her holster, Jaune rocked on the balls of his feet and asked:
"So… where are we going?"
"I don't know – I was following you."
"But I was following you!"
"I don't know where-" Ruben's ears flicked towards the chattering of children and walked away. Seeing his companion wandering off, Arc shrugged and followed.
50ft. of chiselled granite and marble towered over the duo. Obsidian accents on the amphitheatre emphasised the grandeur of the school, with its glimmering windows and techy pillars. Inside, the hall was circular but fit all 800 students under the exposed blue sky. Ruben's ears flattened on his head at the abundance of people. Jaune, optimistic, awed over the building's structure, then sighed as he looked over the stage.
"It may be a while before the Headmaster gives his speech so…"
Rose furrowed his brows, "So what?"
"Let's go mingle, maybe we'll find a cute girl to talk to – Heck, we could even make one more buddy before initiation."
Ruben shrunk away from the prospect.
"After the 'Schneecident', I kind of want to stop with the intimacy thing – too much hassle and yelling, you know?"
'I can cope in Beacon without them, I didn't have them in Signal, and I came out just fine.'
"Come on Ruben, you made friends with me… I think?"
Sparkles shone in the Faunus' silver orbs and his smile blinded those walking past. He squealed.
"Really?!"
"Sure!"
Squirming in excitement, Ruben's metaphorical tail wagged, and his fist pumped.
"Well then, we shall continue on this quest of friendship; lead the way, Sir Arc."
Blue eyes scouted for a potential friend before focusing on a red-haired girl surrounded by a handful of admirers. She signed shirts, hands and papers, took pictures with and chattered with adoring fans. Ruben followed Jaune's sight and noticed the young woman.
"She looks friendly."
"But there's so many people around her."
"Which means she's likeable; you might not have to blow her up, Crater Face."
Cheeks puffed out and crimson, Ruben growled, "Listen Vomit Boy, she waved Fire Dust in my face; I didn't mean to blow her up!"
Jaune laughed and let the insult pass. They started their approach.
"Bye Pyrrha and thank you!"
She waved at her devotees as they trickled away. A moment elapsed and she let her smile fade. Pyrrha caressed her sore cheeks as she hummed to herself.
'There goes hoping; at least they're not as obnoxious as Sanctum's students.'
Her green eyes noticed a blonde human and a cherry-black haired Faunus walking up to her.
'Please don't come here.'
The blonde smirked when he realised she was watching at them. He tried to walk with swagger and failed. Even the Faunus looked uncomfortable by his behaviour, swatting his friend's arm, and the blonde stopped.
'Wonderful.'
They halted in front of her, mouths open. Both silver and blue eyes flicked between each other and the redhead. Ruben found his hands to be interesting to watch. Jaune glared at his companion's metaphorical abandonment and introduced himself.
"Hello there, hot stuff," Nikos fought the urge to sigh, "I'm Jaune Arc, a pleasure."
Ruben looked up at him.
"Why are you talking like that?"
"Shush, just introduce yourself."
"Oh," he turned to her, "I'm Ruben Rose."
She waited for him to say more. He sniffed, his smile looking like a grimace. She cringed for a moment before presenting herself.
"Hello Jaune, Ruben; I'm Pyrrha – it's a pleasure to meet you both."
Realising that she won't scream or wave Dust in his face, Rose perked up at her friendly tone. Awkwardness fuelled their conversation (it being nothing but staring) before Pyrrha came to a startling discovery when Rose asked:
"Pyrrha who?"
Joy stampeded in her chest, heart fluttering. Unfamiliarity mingled in their eyes and hope rose further. Pyrrha, astonished and ever so thankful, beamed in happiness as she replied:
"Pyrrha Nikos."
"Cool name," Jaune commented.
Silver eyes bore into her own, making her feel a little uncomfortable. After he chanted her name to himself, the Faunus closed his eyes and clenched his shaking fists.
"We need friends, wanna be one?"
He yelped when Arc whacked him on the shoulder.
"Dude, don't make us sound so desperate!"
"But that's what we're doing…" he gasped, "Was it a secret?"
"Never mind," He turned to Pyrrha, "Do you want to hang out with us later?"
Her smile grew weary. False friends - a common occurrence in Niko's life, whether they were fellow celebrities or overreaching classmates. She refused to delude herself just in case the odd duo broke her heart as others have.
"Before I agree, do you know who I am?"
Flashbacks of Weiss flashed in his mind's eye and the Faunus leapt behind Jaune, using him as a human shield. He glared at her.
"Should we?"
She laughed, her cheeks stretched to the point of aching, but she couldn't stop – if it were possible, she would smile forever since the heavyweight lifted ever so slightly. Ruben peeked out of his cover – her joy rung in his ears and he quite liked the sound of it. Bringing happiness to others is one thing he thought himself capable of doing, other than fighting. It was another way of saving people for him. A warmth burned in his chest whenever he made his sullen father or stressed sister chuckle, even at his expense, and this Pyrrha lady was no exception.
"No, don't worry," she continued, "I'm a perfectly normal girl."
"Are you sure?" Ruben pointed at her, "You look kind of familiar and the last famous person I should have recognised exploded this morning."
Jaune whispered to him, "I thought you-"
"Details!"
Hand over her heart, Pyrrha assured him, "Many Mistralians look like me, red hair is common; I'm certain that there's been a few…
'Don't say athletes!'
"Mascots!"
'Perfect!'
"Yes, mascots, who look like this."
Satisfied, Jaune nodded in understanding. Ruben, however, pursed his lips as one of his ears flopped. He squinted at her body and dread dropped through her like a 10-ton block from a skyscraper.
A buxom blonde called for the wolf Faunus a few feet away.
"That's my big sis, I have to go; I'll see you guys later!"
While waving goodbye to his strange new wolf friend, Jaune struck up a conversation with the redhead.
"What's with the face?"
Ruben snatched Yang's hand and furiously played with her fingers. Rose's pouted, wanting to be mad at his sister, but not a cell in his body could muster up the lustre to do so.
Darn it, me and my honour – she's lucky she raised me!'
Lilac eyes studied him, unfazed by the antics of her brother. Another thing to worry about when they form teams. She tried to probe him further non-verbally, but his lips had locked. Deadpan, she snapped:
"Ruben."
"You ditched me, okay?!"
He hates that tone. She knows he hates it – feelings of regret and guilt (at least that's what she told him they were) always overwhelm him, pressing him down, making him feel awful. He began his shaky rant.
"You, Shay and Vic told me to make friends and minutes later I blow up a hole in the school courtyard," Yang checked out, "Upset the heiress of the world's Dust supplier and got told off by some mysterious black-haired guy!" Ruben paused, "We'll I made one friend, and maybe another – but that's not the point!" His tan face burned red, and he held Yang's gloved hand tight as he shuffled. "The second you leave, I mess up; why do I need other friends when you're my best friend, that should be good enough, right?"
Xiao-Long stared at him.
"Blew up a hole in the school?"
"You weren't listening!"
"Is that a euphemism for something?"
"A what now?"
The elder Rose realised the only way the words 'Ruben' and 'euphemisms' would ever be in the same sentence is if the phrase 'doesn't understand' was between them.
"What happened, exactly?"
"I was on my quest to find friendship," the blonde regret reading so many knights' tales to him, "And destiny led me to Weiss Schnee."
"You were wandering around with your eyes closed, again, and bumped into the heiress, cool, continue."
His ears flayed back after a brief flicker.
"Right… well, I tried helping her – like the honourable gentleman that I am – and she got upset with me, she was having a proper fit (kinda like my ones) and shook a Dust bottle in my face, then I sneezed, we exploded, she kept yelling and called me a mean name, and I don't why she was so mad, I was sorry and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"
"You!"
For a canine Faunus, Ruben performed an incredible pounce into his sister's arms. Whimpering in her shoulder, the boy clung on to her form, away from the source of his terror. The white-haired fury smirked at his pathetic behaviour.
"I'm afraid I have no more vials for you to get us killed with, sorry for the inconvenience?"
Yang stared at her.
'Great Maidens, he literally exploded… I left him for five minutes!'
"It was an accident!" He climbed back down to face her, "I didn't mean to- what's this?"
A pamphlet thrust into his face as Weiss read out the T&Cs of using Schnee Dust products, most of which he tuned out, responding with a:
"What?"
Ice-blue eyes rolled, "You really want to make it up to me?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Slamming the booklet on his semi-exposed chest, she turned away from him, "Read this and never look in my direction again."
"Can do!"
The boy turned towards the stage as he read the document, keeping Weiss out of his peripheral. Frowning, Yang faced the heiress, "Uh, it's Weiss, right?"
She flinched at the informal address of the 5'10" giantess. Her raised brow prompted her to resume.
"It seems like you two got off on the wrong foot; my brother can be… eccentric, but he is very sweet - why don't you two try this introducing thing again?"
Ears fluttering, Ruben swirled to face the Schnee, his hand sticking out for a shake.
"Hello Miss Schnee, I'm Ruben Rose; want to go supply shopping with me?"
"Oh, and we can paint our nails, try on clothes and talk about boys like tall blonde and scraggly over there!"
Jaune turned away from Pyrrha and tilted his head at the trio. Ruben rubbed his human ears as his eyebrows furrowed, "Not what had in mind, but if you want-"
"First, no." Schnee ignored the tug at her heartstrings with his flopping ears and downtrodden face, "Second, you broke the terms of our agreement, so definitely not."
He snapped towards the other direction with a meek apology. Yang glared at the heiress, not quite angry enough to activate her Semblance, but her lilac eyes tinted into a shade of violet.
'What a bitch.'
Was all she could think before Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch took the stage. The Headmaster stepped forwards, tapping the microphone and began his speech.
"I'll keep this brief."
The hall trembled with silence as the reverb of the microphone bounced off the circular walls.
"You have all come here, whether that be from a Combat School, to hone your craft and prepare yourself for the dangerous profession that is being a Hunter. Some of you desire new skills and connections to make your job of helping the world easier; others, I assume, just want the license."
Yang glanced at her boots.
"If others stood in my place, many would see Mankind's future protectors; but considering I had read most of your applications, I understand that what I see before me is nothing but wasted energy in need of purpose, direction."
Discourse rose and was cut down with his cane tapping the stage.
"Whatever your motivation for joining this school: honour, glory, money; they will only drive you so far – we are doing more than developing warriors in these halls, we are developing young minds to improve where our forbearers have failed, to create a bright future for the later generations – if you believe can't cope with such a burden, I suggest you think twice about being a Hunter. But those who believe, tomorrow is the chance for you to take the first step. Only 400 of the 800 people in this room will make it into this school."
Dread settled in the air as the Professor backed away.
"I wish you all good luck."
Glynda, unfazed, took over, "As Professor Ozpin said, many of you may not pass the Initiation so I suggest you tune your weapons, go over strategies and get a good night's sleep to optimise your chances – you'll all be given a letter between A and D with an assigned Fourth or Third Year team to lead them to their designated area. Get some rest and be ready – I will see you all tomorrow."
Glynda glided off the stage and Yang placed a hand on her brother's shoulder.
"Was he like that when you met him?"
His red-tipped locks shook as he addressed her. Weiss lingered to hear his response.
"No, he was mysterious, but he was so playful when he invited me, like Uncle Qrow – if I didn't know what he looked like I wouldn't recognise him."
"I guess he wanted to spook us a bit, get us ready for tomorrow."
"Maybe…"
Jaune slid next to Weiss, "I'm a natural blonde you know."
VALE: BEACON ACADEMY- Ballroom MARCH 1st (EVENING), 2020 – ¾ MOON SHATTER
Soft curves and ridged lines formed on blueprint paper. 'A never-to-be-used design deserves just as much love as commissioned one' according to Ruben Rose. Waves of piano notes and soft strings guided him on his artistic endeavour, the world behind his closed doors with his heart and effort on his page.
"It's like a big slumber party!"
Yang's muscular form slumped next to him as Vic and Shay walked away to find somewhere to lie down. The jerky movement caused Ruben's pencil to slide off course. He glared at the blemish on his schematics. Took a breath, directing his anger at his sister from the corner of his eye. Grinding his teeth as he searched for a rubber, he said: "I don't think Dad would approve of you being so close to the boys."
Lilac orbs rolled and glossed lips pouted, "Bah, what the old man doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, I certainly approve, and the girls look quite fine too…"
Still scowling at her, Ruben murmured to himself: "You won't be saying that when I rat you out."
"What was that?"
"Nothing!"
She squinted at his tense form, passing him an eraser. She scanned the room, seeing a green-eyed redhead talking to the blonde boy she saw Ruben with; her forest eyes glancing in her brother's direction often, and she couldn't help but smirk.
"Hey Pup."
"What?"
She pointed at Pyrrha and Ruben followed its direction. The moment Nikos clocked on to the Xiao Long-Rose siblings watching her, she blushed and waved. Jaune noticed too and copied her. Wolf's ears twitched upwards as he waved back, his greeting much more enthusiastic than theirs. Yang's grin grew.
"Made some friends then?"
Ruben rubbed his human ears.
"I guess so!"
"So… who's the girl?"
"Her name is Pyrrha Nikos – she might be famous so don't let her get too close if she's holding a vial of Fire Dust."
The blonde stared at her brother, confused, but shook it off as her his weirdness, "Is she nice?"
"I'm not sure – she's didn't yell at me yet, so that's something."
"About time you made friends, good job, Pup!"
His smile stretched to the point of aching, but it refused to drop.
In his peripheral, he saw the black-haired boy that saved him from the Schnee, reading a book by candlelight. He sat a few spaces away from Pyrrha and Jaune. He wore a black yukata with a hood obscuring the top of his head, casting shadows over his golden eyes.
'Potential friend sighted - must continue the Quest of Friendship.'
Ruben strode over to the older teen without warning. The boy in question looked up at the small boy waltzing his way closer to him and didn't hide his grimace.
"Hello!" The noirette stared at Rose, "Remember me?"
"You're the boy who blew up the Schnee, right?"
"That was a- never mind, I'm Ruben!"
"Okay."
"What's your name?"
"It's Blake."
The Faunus waited for him to finish. Shaking his head, Blake resumed:
"Blake Nightshade."
Ruben stuck his hand out to shake but when amber orbs glared at the gesture as if it offended it him, he pulled it away. Concerned, Yang stood by her brother to provide support and spoke to Blake next: "Whatcha reading?"
He growled under his breath before replying:
"It's about a man with two souls that fight for control over his body."
"Jekyll and Hyde?"
Shocked by the buxom blonde's literary knowledge, he stammered out a correction.
"N-no, but it inspired the writer, Ursula Oscarito."
"Yang!" Ruben butt in, "You read that one to me last year, we went to watch the film, remember?"
The girl nodded in remembrance, "Oh yeah, the book was better, but they got the confrontation scene right."
Ruben grasped his cherry-black locks and imitated a panicked expression, "Oh man, oh man, I've lost it, I've gone mad!"
Yang joined in with a posh accent, "Remain calm Oswin, you are quite sane!"
"How is that supposed to help?!"
"Do you want me to lie?!"
"I dunno man – stop yelling at me!"
"Then calm down!"
"You calm down!"
The siblings bust out in laughter and an amused Blake joined them. His gruff chortles vibrated through his body, an odd sensation considering he hasn't shared a genuine laugh with anyone since-
'Stop that right there, Belladonna.'
Put off by the sudden dark turn of his thoughts, he addressed the two, "No offence, but you two don't seem like the type to read books like this."
Yang flapped a hand at him, "None taken – I'm picky, so I don't read often, but if the story is interesting enough, I'm willing to book a space for it in my schedule for it."
'I can't believe I smiled at that.'
Nightshade pondered to himself, restraining a snigger at the siblings' cheeky faces and Rose's wiggling hound ears. Ruben offered his perspective.
"Yang reads to me all the time," Blake didn't miss the slight twitch in the human girl's expression, "I know tons of novels and stories."
Smiling and lowering his book, Blake asked: "Do you have any favourites?"
"I love 'The Tales of King Osydian and His Silver Knights – the first page is the best bit 'cos the original Hunter's Code is on it!"
After he cleared his throat, he remembered the code with practised, sincere passion: "Thou shall respect all weaknesses and shall establish thyself as the defender of them, thou shall serve Mankind and never recoil before her enemy, thou shall make war against the Darkness without hesitation or mercy; thou shall give aid to all and shall be the champion of all that is Right and Good against Injustice and Evil."
He opened his eyes and sighed like reciting the scripture winded him, "Ever since Sis read that to me eight years ago, I knew I had to live by that code – Huntsman or not."
Impressed, Blake leaned back. Yang's eyes pricked with tears, which she quickly banished.
"That's very ambitious for a child; I'm afraid the world won't make such a job easy for you," he spaced out, brows strained, "Many tried to take it on and just couldn't cope."
"But everyone here will, and if we hit a wall, we'll find a way around it or bust straight through – we are going to make the world a better place and do so by living according to that code, we can't let a few pesos… passe-"
"Pessimists?" Yang offered.
"That!" He turned to Blake to finish, "Can't let those people stop us from doing our duty!"
Stunned into silence (as were the hopeful graduates nearby), the hidden Faunus looked at his junior. Old wisdom lay beyond those silver orbs of his, much too ancient for one so young. The desire to protect the embodiment of innocence standing before him clashed with the fear of… well, he wasn't sure what it was about the wolf Faunus that intimidated him (it was not his canine heritage).
Power?
'Yes, that's what it is.'
It was the power laced in his tone that gave Ruben that dangerous edge, that made Blake want to either fight alongside the boy or run from him.
Pyrrha and Jaune, both as shell shocked as the noirette, looked at Ruben with admiration – both were certain that he'll attend Beacon, no matter how he performs in the initiation.
Blake stuck out a hand and Ruben met it with his own, "Well, Mister Rose, when you put it that way, this huntsman thing might be worthwhile."
Ruben blinded him with a beaming smile, which he returned, "Glad to inspire you, Mister Nightshade."
A squeal from his left and Ruben found himself in Yang's arms, having his life-force being squeezed out of him.
"My baby bro is growing up so fast!"
"Oxygen… need… to… consume!"
She squeezed him tighter, so he plucked a strand of her hair. As soon as she dropped him, he began running. Waves of heat rolled off the eldest Xiao Long-Rose, and her eyes burned blood red.
"RUBEN!"
Weiss tossed and turned in her bedroll, a barbarian's comfort that she would have to grow used to using. Her first day had been much more eventful than she expected, and not in a good way. Her clothes scorched and her hair remained decorated with ash until the Fourth Year's lead her division to the ballroom and showed her the showers. Then the black-haired Mistralian looking boy who dared to call her father a slaver! Not to mention the mindless Faunus mutt that caused all the worst aspects of her day to happen!
'To think Ozpin invited him - preposterous!'
For an instant, Schnee let go of her anger to relax until a flurry of red, black, white and rose petals tripped over her, "Sorry!"
Ruben barely looked at her before resuming his mad dash. She held her stomach, red-faced and ready to scream at the boy until his golden-haired sister leapt over her head. Schnee gave chase. When she arrived at the spot, she witnessed the Faunus fail at wrestling his sister. His form weak and sloppy even if he was putting his heart into it. The elder sibling overpowered him within seconds and sat on his back as he squirmed on the floor. The others looked on in amusement.
"Do you yield?"
"Never!"
She crossed her arms, smirking before she noticed the white-haired girl seething behind her. Her smile faded while she asked: "Can I help you?"
Schnee ground her teeth once more, "It is ten-thirty at night and our test is at eight. You and your brother are making it impossible to sleep!"
"I doubt your shrieking is making it any better, princess."
Blake hid his face in his book to hide his laughter. Ruben, his face growing red from lack of breath, looked up at Weiss.
"We're sorry, we'll keep it down after I win this."
"No, do so now – I will not lessen my chances of getting in because of your roughhousing!"
Pyrrha butt in, "Perhaps she is right, it'll be a long day tomorrow."
"Thank you, at least someone has a bit of sense."
Yang growled, "If you have a problem with me, that's fine but what's your problem with Ruben? People are making noise everywhere if you haven't noticed."
"But none of them tripped on me or jumped over my head!"
"What a shame, they should do that more often. Maybe you'll get your head out of your ass for more than a minute."
Yang stood to full height as the girl got nearer, but the Schnee didn't flinch at the footlong difference between them. Her pride fuelling her fury, Yang's love fuelling hers. They stared each other down, neither wanting to be the first to concede.
"Oh, is a fight going to break out right now?"
A bombastic ginger girl next to a tired, black-haired boy gawked at Yang and Weiss. Her friend spoke up: "Don't encourage it, Nora, we'll have enough fighting to enjoy tomorrow."
"But Ren…"
He took her hand, dragging her away as she tried to keep her eyes trained on the battle.
"You have no right to speak to me that way!"
"I don't remember asking Ice Queen – but if you clap at my brother, I'll slap right back."
"You uncultured-"
"Swine?" She flicked her shining locks, "I know; what's your excuse for being such a bitch?"
Tension crackled in the air. Pyrrha trapped in herself in limbo as she wondered if she should interfere or ignore them. Jaune gawked at the heiress in awe of her fire and fearlessness, despite it being obvious that Yang could bench her within minutes. Ruben blinked at them before walking off to his sleeping bag. Rolling his amber eyes, Blake slammed his book closed.
"Welp! This has been quite an evening and as much as I'd love to watch Yang wreck the Schnee, you all have officially ruined my reading time so I prefer to go to bed – so, goodnight."
Yang and Weiss pointed at each other.
"But she-"
"I said goodnight!"
A candle blew out and the corner of the ballroom shrouded itself in darkness.