It's morning again in Beacon academy, and the academy grounds were quiet with the tranquility of morning. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and—
TWEEEEEEEEEEET!
—all of that peace was interrupted when the leader of Team RWBY decided to wake up the last two people in her room with the shrill blast of a whistle.
Weiss was already getting up, but at the sound that was next to her ear, she fell out of bed face first. V, who was set up in the corner on the fifth bed, suddenly burst into a standing position, cane at the ready to attack an invader, only to find the rest of Team RWBY (sans Weiss) ready for the day.
"What in the world is wrong with you?" Weiss shouted at their new leader.
"Now that you're both awake, we can get to our first order of business!" Ruby announced, oblivious two the fact that Weiss was incredibly pissed off.
"And what would that be, sending me to the nurse's office for cardiac arrest?" V asked, throwing on his uniform shirt and jacket.
"Decorating!" Yang held numerous assorted items in her hands from pillows and pamphlets to...a candle holder?
I have several questions, but chief among them is "Why."
"We still have to unpack," Blake pointed out, holding up a suitcase that promptly opened, spilling out its contents. Weiss was not amused by the situation, and Ruby suddenly blowing on her whistle out of nowhere again certainly didn't help that. V was slightly miffed by the sudden wake up, yet he got over it.
"Alright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, their friend V, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission! Banzai!" cheered Ruby, raising her first in the air.
"Banzai!" Yang and Blake joined in, raising their fists as well.
V simply sighed and sat on his bed to read his book. He didn't bring much to unpack, and even then, hopefully he wouldn't be in this room forever. While he read, he glanced up occasionally to watch what his roommates were doing. He pinched the bridge of his nose when Yang put up a poster of a group called "The Achieve Men," nodded in approval at a painting of a forest that Weiss hung up, and Ruby...he rolled his eyes as she slashed a curtain in half diagonally with Crescent Rose.
His eyes finally landed on Blake, who was putting books on a nearby shelf. However, she paused and glanced around nervously as she picked up one; V managed to get a glimpse of the title:
"Ninja's of Love"
Blake looked at him with fear in her eyes probably worried he'd tell everyone else about the...suggestive literature. However, V simply put a finger to his lips with a slight smirk, assuaging her worries.
On second thought, maybe I shouldn't ask Blake for recommendations on literature.
He continued to watch as they kept placing more and more assorted items and decorations until finally, they were finished. All of their beds had been squished together, forcing V to stand up by the door with the girls observing their handiwork; the room was littered with everything they had unpacked and there was next to no space left.
"This isn't going to work," Weiss said.
"It is a bit cramped," Blake observed.
"Really? I wouldn't have guessed," V wisecracked.
"Maybe we could ditch some of our stuff," Yang said.
"Or maybe we could ditch the beds..." Ruby began.
"Don't you dare throw out mine," V interrupted.
"And make bunk beds!" Ruby finished, throwing her hands into the air enthusiastically.
"That sounds incredibly dangerous," Weiss pointed out, concerned with the hazards of such an idea.
"And super awesome!" Yang agreed with Ruby.
"It does seem efficient," Blake said, looking at the rest of the group.
"Well, we should put it to a vote," Weiss suggested.
"I believe they just did," V responded.
"Wait, what are you going to do V?" Ruby asked their temporary fifth member.
"Provided your arrangements don't mess with my sleeping, you won't hear complaints from me," the sole male occupant of the room replied.
"Alright! Let's do this!" Ruby exclaimed. Using random supplies they had on hand, the team quickly assembled two makeshift bunk beds.
This is comparable to taking apart two cars and throwing them together in the most rushed way possible. The first one had a bed tied up by ropes above the one on the ground, and the other was held up by books stacked on each of the four bedposts. V's bed was left alone, thankfully. It looked like a disaster.
But hey, if it works, it works.
"Alright! Our second of order iiiiiiiis..." Ruby opened a book as she suddenly leapt up to sit in her new bed, "Classes. Now, we've got a few classes today with our first one starting at 9, which is—"
"Hang on, did you say 9 o'clock?" Weiss asked.
"Uuum..."
"IT'S 8:55 YOU DUNCE!" the Schnee heiress shouted at their leader, sprinting out the door.
"Uh, TO CLASS!" Ruby panicked as the three other members of Team RWBY followed.
V snatched his cane from the wall and his book off his bed before dashing after them, summoning a dark cloud to ride on and speeding passed his roommates. As he turned around a corner, he almost slammed face first into Ozpin, but swerved around and ducked under his arm. Ozpin was left in shock as V turned the corner. Soon after, Teams RWBY and JNPR sped by Ozpin. The professor simply sipped his coffee as he watched the students rushing to class.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
"Monsters! Deeeemons! Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!" an aging professor spoke in front of the class. He had a larger mustache and bushy eyebrows, and he wore a red double breasted jacket with gold colored buttons and trimming.
V was unamused by the Professor, Peter Port's, "lecture." He'd heard almost all the tales of the prototype fellow's escapades when his father brought him when he had business here. Well, V heard parts of them; most of the time he fell asleep.
"Uh...and you will too upon graduating from this prestigious academy!" the professor continued despite the lack of enthusiasm, "Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses..." he winked at the female members of the class at the last part. Somehow, even V felt awkward after that.
"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!" the professor said.
"Ayyyyyy-yep!" cheered a student in the back of the class with his hand raised. Upon finding everyone staring at him, he immediately simmered down and sat back in his seat.
"That is what you are training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man...me! When I was a boy..."
V immediately clocked out of the lecture at that point, opting to simply read his book as Port droned on about his youth.
Hopefully I don't end up like this in my old age.
"Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter', he told me..."
He glanced down the aisle to see how his friends were doing, only to find Ruby holding up a messy sketch of their educator with stink lines coming off of him titled "Professor Poop." V merely shook his head at the child's antics while Blake and Yang giggled. Weiss, on the other hand, was not as amused as her teammates, sending a glare her leader's way.
"Ah-heh-hem!" the Professor cleared his throat to get their attention again, "Anyway, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"
The teacher took a bow. V looked back to Ruby to find her balancing an apple on a book on a pencil on her finger. He would have been mildly impressed had he not noticed Weiss's continued negative demeanor.
"So what is the moral of the story? A true Hunstman must be honorable! A true Hunstman must be dependable!"
Ruby had fallen asleep.
"A true Hunstman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"
Ruby was now picking her nose.
"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these—"
"I do sir!" V's hand shot up before Port could finish. He knew Weiss would likely blow her top in about five seconds if he hadn't volunteered immediately instead.
"Well then, let's find out! Step forward and face your opponent!" the professor challenged him.
As he walked past Weiss, V whispered, "Take this time to calm down a bit. Don't freak out on your leader."
V stepped down onto the floor of the lecture hall and faced the cage on the opposite side, raising his cane like a sword. A growling emanated the container as red eyes peered at the human on the other side of the room.
"Gooooo V!" cheered Yang.
"Fight well!" Blake added.
"Kick its butt V!" Ruby shouted.
"Ruby, be quiet! He's probably trying to focus!" Weiss snapped.
"Oh, um...sorry..." Ruby became downtrodden.
Looks like my volunteering changed nothing...glad Weiss can settle her problems like an adult without taking it out on a fifteen year old, V sarcastically thought.
"Alright! Let the match, BEGIN!" Ports axe swung and released the beast within the cage. A boar-like Grimm was revealed to be within as the door fell off; it immediately charged at the Hunstman-in-training in front of him.
Boarbatsuk, V surfed to the side on a shadowy cloud, stopping to pace around the Grimm as it ceased its charge.
"Ha-ha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" chuckled Port.
"Hang in there V!" Ruby cheered again.
The Boarbatusk charged again; V summoned Griffon to fire at the beast a few times, but the electricity proved ineffective against the beast's armor. As the Grimm got close, V blocked its tusks with his cane, but it got locked in them. As the summoner struggled to free his weapon, Ruby shouted, "Come on V, show it who's boss!"
The Boarbatusk charged again; V summoned Griffon to fire at the beast a few times, but the electricity proved to have only minimal effect against the beast's charge. As the Grimm got close, V blocked its tusks with his cane as he got pushed back, but it got locked in them. As the summoner struggled to free his weapon, Ruby shouted, "Come on V, show it who's boss!"
V finally freed his weapon, rolling to the side as the unprepared Boarbatusk continued forward and crashed into a desk.
"V! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath!" Ruby advised from the side.
"Stop telling him what to do!" Weiss reprimanded her teammate. V would have commented, but the Boarbatusk had recovered, spinning in a ball and launching itself toward the summoner. In response, he conjured Shadow, who uses its tail to sweep the ball into the air and exposing its stomach as it flailed helplessly.
"Gouge 'em," V commanded as the familiar pierced the beast in the stomach, leaving an opening for V to teleport up and finish it off with a swift stab of the cane.
"Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are in the presence of a true Hunstman-in-training!" Port applauded, "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and...stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"
Weiss immediately stood up from her chair and stormed out of the room; Ruby watched her leave with a frown. V simply pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance at the rich girl's attitude.
"Sheesh, what's with her?" Jaune asked as the students continued to pour out.
"You'll possibly find it best not to think to hard on members of the female sex; it's often more confusing than it's worth," V advised the blonde knight before leaving himself to pursue the heiress.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Weiss had just finished venting at Ruby about the fact that she was a terrible team leader when she found a familiar person sitting on a bench overlooking Vale reading a book. He shut the book as he heard her approach from behind and patted the spot next to him with his hand.
"Take a seat, Weiss," V stated.
"How did you get ahead of me?" Weiss replied at the mysterious appearance of the boy.
"Then I suppose you'll stand. That's fine," V didn't answer her question, mildly frustrating the girl. Nonetheless, she walked up to the side of the bench.
"You did very well today in your fight," Weiss began.
"Cut the bullshit," V interrupted.
"Wh-wha-?" Weiss was caught off guard by V's sudden change in attitude from a calm observer to unexpected aggression as well as his deviation from his usually fairly clean speech.
"You were clearly annoyed by Ruby today. I'd like to know exactly why," V continued.
"Well..." Weiss fumbled her speech from V's straightforwardness, "I-I think I should have been the leader of Team RWBY!"
V sat for a moment, not responding until suddenly he burst into raucous laughter.
"H-hey! What are you laughing for?" Weiss demanded as the boy finally settled down.
"I suppose I should have expected such a response," V trailed off as he stood up to face Weiss.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"If I had to guess, you've been given just about everything you could ever want your whole life, am I right?" V asked the girl.
After pausing for a moment and hearing no response, he continued, "I'll take your silence as a yes I'll admit, you carry yourself quite well in combat if your performance in initiation is anything to go by, but you have to learn to accept that the outcome will not always go your way."
"But—"
""All that is gold does not glitter,"" I believe it is said," V continued without letting Weiss respond, again, "Just because Ruby seems a bit rough around the edges now doesn't mean she won't mature over time and become a great leader one day. For now, the best thing you can do is try to be the best teammate and partner you can be.
"I've known Ozpin almost my whole life and he's certainly made a lot of mistakes, yet I can bring myself to believe this is one of them."
"Well...I hadn't thought of it that way..." Weiss lamented. She paused for a moment, processing V's words, when she realized something.
"Hey, what does that last part—"
"Oh dear, it seems it's getting late. I suppose we should head back to the dorm room," V once again cut off Weiss. Before she could speak again, V turned around and began to walk off, twirling his cane as he did so.
What a strange boy...Weiss thought, however, she wasn't as concerned about unraveling his past. No, right now, she had to make up for her earlier mistreatment of her leader.