Okay, sorry for the long period of inactivity. I'd actually written a majority of this chapter out a while ago but put it on the backburners for a while due to college applications and whatnot. Anyway, I now know where I'm going and am happy with the result. My original plan was to make this chapter longer and the written outline that I had implied about 8,000 to 9,000 words. Since we're getting into the school-life part of the story, I figured I might as well sit back and compile some anecdotes that may find their way into the story. Anyway, thanks for waiting so long and again, I apologize for the lack of updates. Enjoy!

Carolina, Grey, and Sarge silently rode the elevator up to Ozpin's office. They had been nominated as the leaders of their groups and were on the way to discuss their future positions with the headmaster.

The elevator smoothly slowed to a halt. The elegant doors slid open a short moment later to admit the three to an audience with Vale's most mysterious and determined defender. Ozpin offered his guests a seat. They all took one.

The grey-haired elder cleared his throat and began to speak.

"So, I'd like to get to the point. The team of four known as Blue team will work with team JNPR. Red team will work with team RWBY. The medics will allocate themselves as they see fit."

Carolina took charge for the BGC.

"Team juniper? Team ruby? Could you clarify what you mean by this?"

Ozpin pushed his black glasses farther up.

"The students are gathered into teams of four, comprised of two partnerships formed during initiation. For example, Ms. Carolina, you will be working with Team J - N - P - R: Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren. Jaune Arc will be the leader of JNPR."

He turned to face the grizzled sergeant next.

"Mr. Sarge, you will be working with team R - W - B - Y, which is comprised of Ruby Rose, Weiss-"

"Ruby Rose!?" Sarge blurted out.

Everyone blinked in surprise. It took Carolina a moment but soon sighed in exasperation. Ozpin looked to Carolina to explain why the sergeant seemed like he was going to levitate from pure excitement. Carolina lifted her head from her facepalm.

Of course, her name is 'Ruby' and 'Rose'.

Sarge was no longer sitting in the headmaster's office. He was whirling through heaven, past cloud nine. He'd already recognized the skill of the red-caped girl and knew that she would be a perfect fit for Red team. But to think that her first AND last name would both be different shades of red, that was incredible. Visions of conquering the world in an armored vehicle playing Mexican music flashed through his mind. Shotguns fired throughout his mental landscape. Grif stopped being lazy. Lopez spoke English. The world was his oyster.

Dr. Grey tapped Sarge's shoulder. The medic turned to Carolina and shook her head negatively.

"What?" Carolina asked, "What does that mean?"

"He's gone?"

"He's dead?"

"I'm not sure."

Ozpin was a bit worried at the sudden lapse in consciousness from the sergeant, but judging from the indifferent shrugs from the other two, it didn't seem too serious. Again, he cleared his throat, leading the freelancer and the medic to refocus.

"We'll be introducing your teams as a new initiative in our program to improve coordination between the military and the Huntsmen. You'll be taking the role of advanced and specialized soldiers to work with and complement Huntsman teams."

Carolina wondered about possible implications and voiced her concerns. "You have that kind of authority?"

"I'm more or less able to implement whatever changes in Beacon, as long as nobody dies."

Ozpin realized that the freelancer wasn't satisfied with his answer and elaborated, saying "You don't need to worry about my authority. I can assure, I will not become your previous director. The lives of those I work with matter to me."

Dr. Grey spoke up this time. "If that's the case, why have you placed so much emphasis on these two teams, JNPR and RWBY?"

"I don't think I'm being overly focused on them. You're being assigned to them because you have significant cohesion and synergy."

Carolina wasn't convinced either.

Ozpin sighed. "There is a need to create powerful symbols and people to protect the ideals of society. An efficient fighting force that simply does what it needs to do can appear impersonal and indifferent to the needs of people. Against a constant and faceless enemy such as the Grimm, indifference is not something that can be allowed to flourish. We need new huntsmen and tactics to fight the Grimm, as well as constant development and innovation. That's why I want to pair you all with those who have the potential to become symbols."

Carolina knew that there was truth to his statements. She'd known the importance of symbols from the Spartan program as well as the influence of the leaderboard in Freelancer. She knew that Ozpin wasn't lying. Still, she felt that Ozpin wasn't spilling everything.

"What do you need symbols against?"

There it was. Ozpin eyes become colder and distant for a brief moment. There was something more dangerous than the Grimm out there, apparently.

"You know our history. Why hide things from us? You know we'll react poorly if you don't tell us everything."
Carolina had dropped any levity from her tone, staring intently at the man in front of her.

Ozpin didn't sigh this time, nor did he look away. He held her gaze and simply said, "I'll tell you everything when I trust you. I can assure you, the lack of information will not hurt you. I'm not lying about anything else I have said."

The two leaders gazed into each other's eyes, ignoring the colored glasses and reflective visor, attempting to bore into the others' soul and pry out any secrets. It was an intense staring contest, but one that Ozpin eventually won.

Carolina stood up abruptly.

"Headmaster, I'd like to talk to my companions privately before we resume our conversation."

Ozpin nodded in agreement.

The representatives of the BGC walked out into the hallway. Carolina opened a channel to Wash and asked him to open it to everyone. Soon everyone was in the call.

"Hello."

"Caboose, we know you're here."

"Hello."

"Shut up!"

"Tucker, calm down."

"Enough."

That one word was enough to end all side-conversations. Everyone listened to Carolina as she began to speak.

"There are things that Ozpin is hiding from us. He's been telling us the truth, but not the whole truth. I'd like everyone's, and I mean, everyone's opinions on what we should do."

Silence followed.

Sarge spoke up, to add more context. "Apparently, there's something more dangerous than the Grimm, and he wants us to be a part of fighting it. Still, he hasn't told us what it is and what our role is."

After contemplation, Wash responded. "From what you're saying, it's kind of like what happened at Freelancer. We don't know who the real enemy is."

Everyone felt chills at the statement. Only one of them hadn't suffered at the hands of Project: Freelancer. All of them knew just how damaging and horrible the program was. Comparing Ozpin to the director was harsh and presented a dangerous situation for their group.

Carolina sighed and took charge again, saying, "I'm a soldier. I can tell when Ozpin's hiding things, but he's a leader with a lot more experience. I've realized I can't win a battle of manipulation against him. So far, we've been able to maintain a status similar to that of another nation. We hold negotiations and speak to Ozpin as equals, but we don't have the ability to contest his authority or see the big picture. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if we can continue to maintain this sort of freedom."

The last thing Carolina wanted was to trap her new family into a pseudo-freelancer program. However, her efforts to maintain a form of sovereignty had sparked worries in her ability to negotiate and decide the future of their group had bubbled under the surface, making her tense and nervous.

In the end, it was Grif who spoke up and assuaged her worries. "Since when have we cared about the big picture?"

"Yeah, it's always been about us. If something bad happens, we fight it and barely win. If things are good, we don't really care." Tucker added his two cents.

"I mean, our group is basically just improv, right? We've somehow managed to ad-lib our way to success." Simmons was more analytical, but said the same thing.

Doc laughed, "That's a pretty strange definition of success then."

"I mean, we're strange so naturally everything under the armor is weird too!" Donut made it weird, again.

"I don't know what's happening!" said Caboose.

"Yeah, since when have any of us?" said Tucker.

Wash summarized, translating from sim-trooper speak to normal talk. "Carolina, don't stress too much about us. We'll be fine. If you trust Ozpin, trust him. We've got your back no matter what."

"Bow chicka bow wow!"

"Yes. I mean, yes to what Wash said, not what Tucker said."

"Sí."

"Yeah Carolina, we'll always be on your rear."

"Bow chicka bow wow!"

"Meh, I don't care."

"Yay! We're helping Carolina!"

Sarge cleared his throat and spoke on behalf of Red team. "We'll follow you. Even though you're blue."

Dr. Grey smiled as she saw how a supportive and communal environment had grown around her most difficult patient. She looked over to the woman in question, only to realize that she'd turned away. The medic stepped closer, noticing slight shaking from Carolina's shoulders. Her helmet dangled loosely from her right hand so her microphone would betray anything. Her bright red locks shadowed her face while her left hand covered her eyes. Dr. Grey stepped back and let the ex-freelancer have her moment.

Ozpin looked up as the three walked back into the room. It wasn't long before Carolina spoke.

"Whatever plans you have, count us in. We'll be there to help our friends and fight for the good of humanity. We'll also trust your decisions."

Ozpin nodded solemnly, acknowledging the shift in power and their deference to his ability as well as the unspoken but obvious threat. It was clear that the decision had been tough and that the freelancer would have his head if he failed to deliver. Still, it would be rude and frankly inhuman to take this sort of trust from the group lightly, to take this sort of monumental decision from Carolina lightly. For she was not only pledging the life of a single person but those of her family. Though they were extraterrestrials, they were human too. Ozpin swore he would treasure their lives as much as those of his closest confidentials. Ozpin didn't know how to express his gratitude for their trust in spite of his actions but attempted to do so all the same.

"Thank you."

He promised that he would prove his gratitude eventually.

The parents of many of the students along with alumni and scouts gathered in Beacon's meeting hall to meet the next generation of the school's students, and by extension, the next generation of humanity's protectors. Ozpin had intended for this to be personal and had barred the paparazzi (who had gathered to catch the Schnee heiress and the Mistralian champion) from disturbing the atmosphere.

Team after team of initiates were officially created and made into huntsmen-in-training. They left the stage with their heads high, remembering the pride and awe from parents and siblings. They weren't allowed to speak with them after the ceremony, a symbolic gesture of maturity and independence, but everyone would remember the induction ceremony for years to come.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long."

The girls in question lined up on stage. A red rose, beginning to bloom. An ice-cold princess, elegant as snow. A graceful black cat, lithe and wary of the world. A golden dragon, fearing no fire.

"Team RWBY will be led by...Ruby Rose!"
Yang grinned in pride and beamed at Ruby. The moment they were allowed to move, she wrapped Ruby in a hug and smothered her with the love of an elder sibling.

Blake nodded, content with the arrangement. Ruby had proved that she had potential and was willing to grow.

Weiss sighed, disappointed she wasn't nominated but resigned herself to her position. Ozpin had reasoning behind it, and Ruby had been the one to come up with the plan to kill the Nevermore, not her.

Ruby nodded towards the audience respectfully. Internally, she was conflicted. She knew that a leadership position was a great honor but also realized that there was far more to the position than being the best fighter. She promised herself that she would become a leader, that she would learn to communicate with her team and others.

The four smiled politely at the audience and turned to leave. However, the newly-minted team RWBY were asked by Ozpin to stand near the back of the stage rather than leave immediately. As they strode over to the waiting area in mild confusion, the spotlight they left behind focused on the next quartet.

A young man in knight's armor with the confidence of a mouse. A young woman with the energy of a storm. Another young woman, this one with the weight of the world on her shoulders and iron skin. Another young man, as graceful and quiet as the wind lotus petals dance to.

"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren."

All eyes focused on the Mistralian champion, expecting the laurels of leadership to wreathe her crimson hair, not knowing of the Atlantean(1) burden she carried.

"Team JNPR will be led by… Jaune Arc!"

Audible murmurs of surprise could be heard as the Headmaster threw a curveball. Jaune Arc? Who was he? The scouts and alumni analyzed the blond student carefully, searching for potential but only discovering a lack of confidence and fear. Surely this was a sort of joke?

Pyrrha saw that Jaune recognized the doubts of the audience present and stepped forward to comfort him. Above all, she was thankful that Ozpin hadn't given her the mantle of responsibility. However, she sympathized and pitied the blond knight, understanding the situation he found himself in. She tried to give him a comforting pat on the back but ended up knocking him forward. The knight staggered briefly before catching himself, still wide-eyed and confused.

Jaune was in a state of mixed feelings, to put things simply. On the one hand, he was ecstatic. He was proud to be a leader, proud to carry on the legacy of his family, proud to actually be recognized as something more than dead weight. On the other hand, he was very, very close to vomiting. He didn't know how or why he'd been chosen. Maybe the other two weren't cut out for leadership. That still didn't explain why it was him and not Pyrrha. From what he'd seen, she was strong, capable, skilled, elegant, polite, nicer-than-what-should-be-possible, and way, way, way, more suited for leadership than he ever would be.

Still, when he recovered from the pat that almost knocked him over, all he could see was happiness and genuine pride in his red-haired partner's eyes. She smiled widely, those emerald irises conveying nothing but trust and friendliness. Staring into Pyrrha's comforting gaze, he felt himself relax a little. Ozpin probably knew what he was doing. And, it wasn't like Pyrrha wasn't going to be unable to provide advice.

Nora appeared to be a hyperactive spastic with little-to-no filter. However, one does not spend large amounts of time with Lie Ren and even become his (future) girlfriend without becoming good at reading faces. She watched her newly-nominated team leader smile back at his partner, the redhead champion from Mistral. Pyrrha seemed really happy for Jaune, but there was something else in her eyes as well. Nora grinned, promising the world that the two would get together before their second year ended.

Ren glanced over at Nora. She was planning something, wasn't she?

Team JNPR received their round of applause, though this one was far more reserved due to the confusion and reversal of expectations. Ozpin once again directed the team to the back of the stage, still in view but no longer in the spotlight.

Everyone present realized that something new and unexpected was going to happen, involving the two teams. Ozpin took the stage, back in the spotlight, and reached for the microphone.

"As we progress, we change. That is an inevitable fact. For centuries, we have counted on the steadfast presence of those who hunt the Grimm. That is why we are assembled here, to thank and encourage the next generation of young men and women who will bear the mantle of humanity's protectors. And yet, we neglect those fellow protectors who fight beside us."

The audience was deathly silent, Ozpin's authoritative tone and the content of his speech creating an aura of gravitas. Teams RWBY and JNPR looked confused, wondering what their part in all of this was or exactly who was being neglected.

"There are brave men and women, without our training or combat skill, risking their lives to protect the same things we work to safeguard. I am referring to the standard armed forces of each nation, of course.

The more ignorant or inexperienced Huntsmen in the crowd were still confused but there were those in the audience who began to see where Ozpin was going.

"How many of us assembled here have the army to thank for wiping out the constant deluge of Grimm that attack our borders?"

Heads began to nod, the experienced Huntsmen understanding that due to their small number, they were only deployed to emergency areas rather than patrolling and maintaining 24/7 watch over the borders.

"How many of us have the police to thank for identifying, tracking, and maintaining general safety within the kingdom?"

More people began to express agreement.

"How many of us have had our lives saved because of the army pilots or been extracted by squads of soldiers?"

The vast majority of people had raised their hands, still unsure of what Ozpin meant with all of this.

"How many of us have fought with the aforementioned people?"

Pure silence.

"Despite the fact that we are on the same side, that we have the same goals, that we have the same home to protect, we, as Huntsmen, rarely fight alongside our fellow soldiers. The few times we meet on the battlefield, we usually charge forward and leave the clean-up to them. There is a disquieting lack of unity and cooperation between the Huntsmen and the Army."

The veteran Huntsmen in the crowd nodded gravely, recognizing the problem. Some even thought about how younger or more arrogant Huntsmen pushed soldiers to the side and believed the Army was inferior.

"I have spoken with General Ironwood of the Atlesian military and our own Vale defense force. We will begin efforts to better integrate our combat teams with the Army so as to benefit both as much as possible. I would like to introduce to everyone, Red team and Blue team."

Eleven armored figures strode onto the stage and lined up. It became obvious why the two teams were given such names. The five warm colors and one of the purple figures stood in front of team RWBY while the four cooler soldiers and the other purple figure stood in front of JNPR.

Carolina looked out among the assembled Huntsmen. Some were clearly skeptical of this new idea but the vast majority, at least the ones that looked like experienced warriors, had been moved by Ozpin's words and welcomed the new arrivals warmly.

She looked over at the others, making sure that their first impression was good. Sarge had drilled his team to stay disciplined and orderly, and it had paid off. Lopez, Doc, and Simmons were fine and had good posture, but Grif had had to be threatened multiple times to stand straight. Surprisingly, it was Donut who had taken the most time to pull it off, since he fidgeted and was the most free-willed, but all of Red team stood at parade rest.

As for Blue team, Wash and herself needed no reminder. Dr. Grey had also spent time in the Republic's forces and was fine. Tucker had been convinced that he looked cool and Caboose was told that they were pretending to be statues. They'd also muted his helmet as a precaution.

After Carolina glanced around, she was pleasantly surprised that they looked like real soldiers.

Pyrrha smiled as she realized that she would have opportunities to work with Carolina in the near future, and grinned, even more, when Ozpin partnered Blue with JNPR and Red with RWBY.

"The goal of this experiment is to emphasize coordination and help, which may come in all forms. Often times, heroes are seen as those who stand on the frontlines, but the reality is that this form of bravery cannot exist without no-less heroic efforts from behind."

Jaune shivered slightly, as Ozpin's words somehow seemed to be directed towards him.

"To conclude this ceremony, to officially set our future protectors on their path, please give them a round of applause to their bravery and determination!"

Thunderous applause rippled through the auditorium. Carolina and Wash maintained their attentive postures, reminded once again of their time in Freelancer. However, there was a marked difference in the atmosphere. This time, they were going to become true protectors. The applause meant more to the soldiers than a simple salute. Their redemption lay ahead of them.

Pyrrha was still smiling happily at her team's partnership with Blue team as well as Jaune's nomination as the team's leader. At the moment she was ecstatic and had she possessed any amount of self-control less than what she had developed through years of public appearances, she would have been whooping giddily. In the end, she contented herself with a wide grin and waved discreetly at her armored friend. Despite her self-control, she almost fist-pumped when Carolina waved back. Oh, she was going to have so much more fun.

Ren quickly formed an opinion of the Blue team. The two that looked like leaders seemed capable if the grey one was anything like the teal-armored woman. The other teal fighter seemed somewhat normal. It was the royal blue man that made him most nervous, the one that had toppled an entire row of very heavy rocket lockers with ease. The mere prospect of the destruction that could be wrought by that one and Nora made Ren shudder. Hopefully, the man wasn't a pyromaniac or simply clumsy.

Carolina noticed the overjoyed expression on her Mistralian friend's face and couldn't help but smile to herself. She waved back when the red-haired spartan waved at her and broke into a wide grin when her counterpart looked like she was going to start laughing giddily. The young woman had something about her that made Carolina feel better about anything. The one thing the ex-Freelancer wanted to do was to establish a genuine friendship with her doppelganger. She also noticed Pyrrha's support of Jaune and trusted Ozpin's judgment. Carolina thought back to her experiences in leadership and how much she had wished for a capable mentor to guide her. She decisively put her uncertainty about the blond knight aside and vowed to help Jaune grow.

Wash was doing much the same, recognizing Jaune was being encouraged to become a leader. Like Carolina, he felt some empathy for the blond knight, but it happened to be from a different perspective. Whereas Carolina had always been nothing but the best, Wash had been everything but her. As the mid-tier Freelancer, on the board but permanently stuck at the bottom, he wasn't good enough, but was put in a position where he needed to perform. As a result, he could empathize with Jaune's situation as an underdog.

Tucker sighed. The two girls were pretty hot, but there just happened to be two guys. He envied Red team so much right now. Why wasn't his team assigned to the all-female group?

Team RWBY looked at their assigned partner-team with mixed emotions, ranging from excitement to extreme wariness. Yang and Ruby stared at the variety of powerful weapons fielded by the Reds in wonder, interested in the firepower and effectiveness of the rugged firearms. Weiss stared at them in caution, noting the similarity between their full-body armor and the design of Atlesian knights. The most affected of the group had to be Blake, who stood stiffly with her eyes narrowed. If she had a tail, it would have been standing straight in nervousness. She eyed the soldiers with wariness, especially that grey one from Blue Team and the light blue female. Their demeanor reminded her very much of the Atlesian Special Forces sent to hunt her friends in the White Fang down. Adam had told her to avoid them at all costs due to their proficiency in annihilating isolated groups and she had personally seen some of the carnage left behind as a gruesome message. As they filed out of the auditorium, her amber eyes flicked to the forms of Blue Team constantly.

Her fears were somewhat put to the side when the newly-minted Team RWBY entered their dorm. The young girl who had been selected as team leader grinned at the rest and proposed that they introduce themselves. Apparently, team-leader Ruby (what a coincidence, it's almost like she's the protagonist in a show) was related to Blake's partner, named Yang. The Schnee heiress introduced herself, though not as arrogantly as Blake expected. There seemed to be a notable difference her demeanor from mere hours before and now.

Everything went along swimmingly until they encountered their first team challenge: redecoration.

"Ruby! I told you that it wasn't even!"

"It looked even to me!"

"Hey, I'm going to be reading some of those books, maybe we can use something else?"

"Why do we even need bunk beds?"

After much chatter and chaos, the bunk beds were finally set up.

"All done! That wasn't so hard, was it?" Ruby grinned, happy that they overcame their first obstacle as a team.

Blake shuddered. There was no way setting up a bunk bed was that dangerous. She was going to have nightmares about moving furniture for a while.

Yang laughed modestly, "I mean, it's not bad. We're huntresses, not handymen."

Weiss stared at the two jerry-rigged sleeping death traps in horror. Nothing about the setup was safe. Still, why did she feel excited about all of this?

Red team's setup was a lot simpler than team RWBY's. The armored soldiers walked in, dropped their few belongings, and dropped to the ground for rest. At some point, Grif wandered off for food and Simmons followed him in search of technology. He was muttering something about upgrading their tech the way a drug addict murmurs during withdrawal. Donut had been decorating from the moment he entered the room, though in a manner that was much more reserved from their sister team's slash-and-burn approach. Lopez began organizing and cataloging the various items provided. Sarge wandered over to the window and began considering setting up a defensive shooting post.

The four members of JNPR entered their spacious dorm and began to organize themselves. Nora grabbed Ren and dragged him over to one side of the room, calling the two beds on the left side of the window. Pyrrha smiled at Jaune and chose one of the remaining two. Jaune blushed slightly and coughed.

"Maybe the girls should have one side of the room?"

Pyrrha shrugged supportively and looked over to Ren and Nora.

Ren considered the team leader's suggestion. "The room doesn't seem to have a lot of separation. Privacy seems like it's going to be a problem."

"Nah, we're a team! We're supposed to get close."

Jaune nodded at Nora's statement but noted that although Ren had agreed with his idea, he didn't seem to mind the arrangement Nora had chosen. Jaune decided to go with the majority rule of his teammates, sacrificing his own opinion.

"Miss Nikos, do you mind the arrangement?"

Pyrrha smiled and shook her head. "As long as everyone else is okay with it."

"Okay, I guess we're settled."

As they began to arrange their belongings, Pyrrha spoke with Jaune.

"You don't need to call me Miss."

"I just figured, you know, to be respectful."

"We're teammates, we should be on a first-name basis."

Jaune nodded, catching the redhead's contagious smile.

"Sure, Pyrrha."

Nora cartwheeled from her bed over Ren's to land on the floor in front of the window. "Ooh, whatchu guys talking about?

Pyrrha responded, "Just getting to know each other."

"I know this is going to sound really childish-" Jaune froze when his teammates all turned to look at him. When Pyrrha motioned to go on, he continued, "but maybe we should try an icebreaker."

Nora grinned viciously, "Nice, let's smash some ice!"

Ren coughed slightly while Pyrrha giggled. Jaune blinked.

"Nah, I'm joking, I know what you're talking about. The one-word game?"

"I'm more of a 'draw yourself' kind-of-person."

"I'm fine with anything."

"So, how about it team leader?"

Jaune nodded, realizing he still needed to get used to Nora calling him "team leader".

"How about 'two truths and a lie'?"

Ren nodded, "That's a classic."

The four walked the center of the room and sat down. Jaune crossed his legs, Ren knelt formally, Pyrrha rested her arms on her knees, and Nora knelt as well, though less reserved than Ren. A moment of awkward silence passed before the three non-leaders looked to Jaune to start it off.

Jaune cleared his throat awkwardly and began. "I have seven sisters. Um, I like chess. Uh. Hm. I've never cooked a meal in my life."

The three remaining members of team JNPR stared at him.

"That's…" Nora tilted her head, "...so random?"

Jaune's face got warmer.

"Meh, I'll go with seven sisters. That's a pretty specific number." Nora made her guess first.

Pyrrha considered carefully. She knew Jaune was a lot smarter than he looked and had noticed his ability to shot call when reflecting over their initiation. Therefore, he probably did like chess. While he was coordinated enough to be a Huntsman initiate, his adorable clumsiness didn't seem like he would cook a lot. Seven was an awfully specific number, but any number would come off as specific. Of all of the possibilities, she supposed that cooking would be the least far-fetched. It would be cute if he did know how to cook.

"I think that you have cooked before."

Jaune nodded neutrally, acknowledging Pyrrha's guess before looking to Ren for his guess.

The man grinned shamelessly and stated, "I'll go with the chess guess. That way, one of us is right."

Pyrrha chuckled while Nora grinned. Jaune sighed but smiled all the same. "But that's not your guess. You may not be right, actually, you're not right."

Ren smirked, "But the team is right, and that's what's important."

"Yeah, the team comes first."

"So! What's the lie?" Nora grinned predatorily and leaned forward.

Jaune sighed good-naturedly, "I've cooked before."

Pyrrha felt a rush of happiness.

The team leader ran his hands through his blond hair. "So, who's next? Whoever gets it right or-"

"Me!"

The rest of team JNPR gave way to the unstoppable force.

"I've ridden four types of Grimm like horses, been struck by lightning, and can bench eight of me and Ren is not allowed to answer!"

Ren laughed silently and nodded his withdrawal from the round.

"Ren, what is this? You strike a low blow for my round but you don't do the same now?" Jaune complained.

"Sorry."

In the end, they discovered that Nora was only lying about her benching ability (she was only able to bench four-and-a-half Nora's though she felt that she could get to five by the end of the year). Initially, Pyrrha and Jaune were in disbelief that someone could ride a Grimm, but ultimately accepted it. At least they had no shortage of raw power on their team.

Since they'd already started the trend, they decided to go in order of their personal names in their team name. Everyone leaned forward expectantly, eager to learn more about the world-class celebrity they had.

Pyrrha smiled and stated in a clear voice that her hair was completely natural with no dye, had sampled every one of the top ten most expensive brands of alcohol in Mistral, and had never fought Grimm before the four-year combat schooling in Sanctum.

The rest of the team also learned that she had an excellent poker face, as none of their questions elicited any form of meaningful reaction. In the end, Nora didn't think Pyrrha's hair was completely natural, and Ren and Jaune didn't see Pyrrha as an underage drinker, believing that it was very probable that the celebrity warrior had less experience with Grimm due to her years on the stage.

Ren went next and Nora immediately won. Jaune and Pyrrha learned that Ren had also cooked before, hadn't cut his hair in two years, and was not, in fact, a ninja.

Blue team had a similar standard set up. Wash and Carolina quickly organized the small space for necessary tasks. One table was dedicated to cleaning equipment and certain areas were dedicated to their armor. They chose beds and stored their weapons, breaking in their dorm in a figurative way, unlike team RWBY's more literal interpretation of the phrase. Once they settled in, Carolina called a team meeting.

"So, do we already have an idea of what we're doing here?"

Wash nodded, Tucker shrugged, Caboose was silent.

"Ok, good."

Wash asked, "Should we discuss our relationship with team JNPR?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Do we just want to provide tactical guidance, combat advice, and that sort of mentorship?"

"That makes sense. We don't know too much about this world. We should give advice on stuff that we understand."

Tucker coughed, "Uh, I still think that building a relationship with team RWBY would be better."

Carolina perked up as if remembering something. She stared Tucker down with the same stare she usually reserved for people who had less than ten seconds to live. "Oh right, that reminds me."

Tucker felt sweat trickled down the side of his head, feeling more pressure than a submarine. "Yea-yeah?"

"SHE is off-limits, understand?"

Tucker nodded frantically, "Yeah, yeah, got it! Please don't kill me."

Wash smiled a little at Tucker's panic. He was more happy that Carolina had made a friend, however, recognizing her threat as a way to save Pyrrha some grief and embarrassment. He was a bit worried about his team leader's social skills as he noted that Carolina didn't seem to realize that Pyrrha already considered her a friend. Even though the red-haired huntress didn't ring any alarm bells, he still wondered why some part of her felt fake. He mentally shrugged and decided to let Carolina sort it out.

With that, the impromptu team meeting adjourned.

"Wait, did we ever unmute Caboose?"

The three looked over at the unusually quiet member of the team who was peacefully stroking his assault rifle.

"Oh."

"Should we…"

"Nah, it's better this way."

Doc walked into the small dorm room. In the middle of the room, outlined by the afternoon sunlight from the window, was Dr. Grey. Her white armor was unnervingly clean as if it were formed from bone.

"O'Malley?"

"Yes, fool?"

"I'm going to faint. In like, a few seconds."

"Permission granted."

Doc collapsed.

1. Atlantean: not to be confused with Atlantis though it also refers to the sunken place as well. This is referring to Atlas, the titan who held the sky. There's a small grammar argument over whether it should be Atlassian or Atlantean but I went with convention.

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