Sorry I'm late with this one, between the holidays and some rewrites I couldn't pop this one out in my usual four days.
Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Bálor Moonlight to me, any other third party mentioned belongs to their respective parent company.
Bálor Moonlight would find himself once again sitting before the desk of one Professor Ozpin along with his overbearing sidekick and fellow instructor Professor Glynda Goodwitch, on a normal day this would come off as a fairly disorienting turn of events seeing as he'd generally been keeping his nose clean, staying out of petty fights, and had even acclimated to wearing the uniform without much complaint. (although having to learn how to tie a tie properly, and from Ruby of all people, was downright embarrassing.)
"How did she even know how to do that anyway?" He would sigh quietly as Ozpin and Glynda looked him over without saying a word, if the wolf Faunus weren't so preoccupied with the fact that the crimsonette had been occupying more and more space in his mind lately he would've been creeped out by their probing gazes. "Maybe her dad is as inept with this stupid neck noose as I am."
"I'd like to thank you for coming to meet us on such an important day as this one, although I'd imagine you're disappointed in not being able to compete yourself." Ozpin would be watching his facial expressions shrewdly, smiling slightly as he saw the young man's familiar scowl.
"I don't really give a rat's ass about participating in the Vytal Festival at this point, I'll support my fellow students to the best of my abilities." He would try to restrain his bottled up fury at having been dragged in for his monthly Psych Evaluation on what was the worst day conceivable, he had finished finalizing the plans for his new weapon the night before after scouring the back alley dealers for the remaining materials he needed to build the damn thing. "Although I doubt that my disappointment towards participating in the overall tournament itself is what you're referring to..is it?"
Goodwitch would frown at the young man's tone but press on regardless, Ozpin had once again designated her as the 'bad cop' for this go-around which meant that it was time to press his buttons and test his fuse towards violent outbursts.
"I take it you're aware that Kevin Owens has vacated his title as King of the Vytal Festival?" The green eyed Huntress would raise a curious eyebrow as Bálor kept a straight face at this bit of news. "Nothing to say? I had it on good authority that you had issues with this man."
The silver-haired Huntsman would sigh quietly and shake his head at her thinly veiled attempts to incite anger by bringing up what used to be a very heated point of discussion in his life. "Sports-Entertainers have no business attempting to try and hang with those of us who risk our lives trying to keep Remnant safe, they spend their lives placating to the baser mobs of drunk idiots and then robbing them blind with their so-called Gimmick tables." He would pause to take a breath before continuing to speak.
"In fact, I'd go so far to say that a lowly bunch of dregs like Team CRDL could easily mop the floor with any wrestler out there. We train harder than they do, we work in more dangerous conditions then they do, and we have so much more to lose then they ever will! So to answer your earlier question Professor, no I wasn't aware nor do I care what that sports entertainer does with his time." The wolf Faunus would stand up out of his seat, adjusting and loosening his tie as he made his way to the door.
"One last question, if you'll indulge us Mister Moonlight." Ozpin would lean back in his seat, calling up the logo of wrestling heel faction "Bullet Club" as the young man turned around to face them. "What does this insignia mean to you?"
Bálor would frown in thought as he looked at the symbol that had one point adorned so much of his apparel and had even guided his actions in life when he had first arrived at Beacon. "That belongs to a group of guys who enjoys goofing off and drinking beers like it was water itself, the only symbol that means anything to me now is the one that represents the Kingdom of Vale." His response would cause the headmaster to smirk openly before bringing up a second symbol, somewhat similar to the original. However instead of a skull and rifles with bullets lining the bottom, there would be a red rose in the center with little wolves chasing cookies.
"I can't help but notice that this design has become rather prevalent on your shoes lately, and that it somewhat resembles the original." The elder Huntsman would lean forward expectantly as Goodwitch raised an eyebrow at this latest development. "Would you care to comment on this happening?"
The wolf would roll his amber eyes at whatever Ozpin was trying to insinuate before putting his hands in his pockets and grinning.
"My only comment is this: The insignia on my shoes may bear some resemblance to the original, but that's all the similarity you'll find to them." He would stare down at the black shoes he wore upon his feet, knowing that the symbol in question was imprinted on the back of them. "I wear that rose with extreme pride for the person that designed it, it's because of her and those close to her that I've become the person I am today." With those final words Bálor would finally leave the Headmaster's office, all while the pair of instructors exchanged inquisitive looks as the door close.
"It's as you suspected Professor Ozpin, he's obviously changed over the past few weeks from the obnoxious young punk he used to be when he first graced our halls." Goodwitch would breath a slight sigh of relief as she finished writing her notes for the evaluation. "Although his temper still poses something of an issue, perhaps we can put him in Anger Management therapy?"
Ozpin would furrow his brow as he dismissed the pair of images while completing his own notes and mulling over the young man's words with some concern. "I don't think something as simple as Anger Management will clear up this issue." He would dig into a random drawer and remove a manila colored file to inspect, it was filled with notes from prior evaluations which were all dotted with red markings and other notes that implied him as someone who "desperately needed to be monitored." "He's obviously putting on some sort of facade to beat our evaluations, I highly doubt that someone with his prison-hardened background would suddenly throw away everything that helped him cling to sanity in such a harsh environment."
Goodwitch would be visibly surprised by this sudden change in their viewpoints, it had been only a month ago that she had been recommending that the wolf be put through a more comprehensive evaluation and it was the headmaster himself that was lobbying for her to be patient and scheduling longer counseling sessions for his benefit.
"I know it sounds hard to believe Ozpin, but I've seen him in more social oriented environments and he's become more calm and open to the people around him." The veteran Huntress would think back on the times where she had seen him talking with various students in the dining hall, and based upon the slow increase in his grades as well as the few good reports from her fellow instructors it appeared that he was actually taking his studies as a Huntsman in training more seriously than in previous months. "Then there was the little diatribe he decided to leave us with mere moments ago, it's obvious that another one of your pet projects has had an astounding effect on his social habits as of late." Glynda would smile slightly, knowing that Ruby's own vibrant and honest nature was probably the only thing keeping him out of a jail cell and despite Ozpin's continued skepticism as they compared notes, she believed in the small ray of hope that the daughter of Summer Rose represented.
Finally free of the probing gazes that emanated from the leading duo of Beacon Academy, he allowed himself an audible sigh of relief before pulling off his tie and dropping it on the ground. "I really hate this thing, why do our uniforms even come with these things anyways?" The wolf would smirk as he turned up his collar and headed straight for the forge as fast as his legs could take him, time was ticking down to the start of the Vytal Festival tournament and he had to hurry and complete his new weapon. Not for the sake of battling in the actual tournament itself, but big events like these tended to bring out the less noble elements of the world and despite the talk of added security forces it still didn't sit well with the young Huntsman. "They're Atlas forces, no doubt supplied by that damned Ironwood!" Bálor would shudder upon remembering the distinguished older male in his crisp white uniform, stumbling visibly as he felt old traumas brought back to the surface.
"Your son belongs to us now Lady Moonlight." The silver-haired young man would snarl as he remembered the stone-faced soldiers had dragged him out of his family home back in Vacuo literally kicking and screaming. "His abilities will prove a great benefit to our kingdom." It had been a long time since he had thought of the terrible day that his former kingdom's military had forcibly conscripted him into the special PSI-OPS division, a group of children whose Semblances mirrored the abilities of psychics and raised by the military's most savage and off-kilter instructors. Brutal to the point of breaking most of the laws that governed common decency, out of the two dozen children who were forcibly taken from their homes only himself and three others had survived that Hell to infiltrate the ranks of the Kingdom's most affluent business and politically oriented individuals, gain their trust, learn their biggest secrets.
And then tear them apart from the inside out.
"I don't care how much Ozpin trusts that man, military is military..and none of them should be trusted!" Bálor would be seething visibly even as a familiar pair of boots entered his line of sight before noticing her distinctive golden mane and the strawberry scented shampoo that came with it.
"Speaking of individuals who can't be trusted."
The wolf Faunus always enjoyed the scent of strawberries although he couldn't quite figure out why that was, only that it instilled a sense of calm in him that shouldn't be there considering who it belonged to. "What do you want Yang, I've had a very shitty morning and I'm not in the mood to be taunted right now." Grunting as he stood tall for the first time in months, the amber-eyed Faunus would stare daggers into the lilac orbs of his former love interest as he tried his hardest not to back down in the face of the beautiful woman that was once his.
"Still angry at me huh?" The brawler would ask this sarcastically as she looked him over quietly, taking note of the dilated pupils and poorly suppressed growl. "I thought you would at least be happier, now that you and Ruby have such a loving relationship-"
He had had enough of that stupid viewpoint, and it pissed him off that both sisters had managed to jump to said conclusion without asking the man himself. He would grab the blonde by her blonde locks while she gripped his loosened collar tightly, her eyes going from a calm lilac to a burning red.
"I hope to Dust that there's some kind of a brain underneath all that hair Xiao Long because I want you to get this through your FUCKING skull: There's nothing between me and your baby sister, maybe at one point in the past there may have been a chance at something but that was shot to Hell when I witnessed your fight with Blake."
He would lower his eyes to the shoes on his feet as his grip on her hair tightened further, preparing to speak once again. "When I heard you say that I was the only one worth giving it all to, it sparked something inside of me. Something that made me feel like I wasn't good enough and that I had to become BETTER!" The silver-haired Faunus would take his free hand and gently caressed her cheek as his eyes brimmed with tears as he remembered all the times he had run from her advances instead of embracing them: The Couples Dance, the night of the incident in the Underground, the morning after where he insisted that she wouldn't order him around anymore. "I was a coward back then, and it took a beating from an assassin that the Ice Queen hired to get me to stop running and accept that maybe you really did love me. Even during my trip with Ruby and all the mess that came with it, the only thing that was on my mind was that I hurry back home and try to make it all up to you."
Bálor would look up to see once-burning red orbs turn back to pools of lilac which were wide with shock at his words, her grip on his collar loosening. "It didn't matter that you trashed my room, destroyed my belongings..that backstabbing mutt comment really pissed me off but I can slowly get past that after a little while." He would sigh as he let go of her hair, keeping his fist tightened as he stepped back and wiped away the tears with his free hand. "I see you with that guy from Haven and it hurts my soul, but as long as he's making you happy then I suppose that's a scar I'll have to live with until the day I die. Because while I was busy planning to win your heart back once I had returned to Beacon with Ruby, he actually went ahead and did it. No gimmicks, no bullshit, no cowardice."
With those words he would begin to trek back to the forge to finally complete his new weapon, leaving a stunned Yang Xiao Long behind in his wake as she struggled to absorb the truth of the words that had spewed forth from the depths of his heart
As the sun finally began to set upon the land of Vale and its prestigious Beacon Academy with its students and staff itching with anticipation on the eve of the start of the Vytal Festival tournament, the wolf Faunus stood alone at the forge as he finally unclenched his fist to reveal a few strands of familiar golden hair as the fading scent of strawberry mingled with burning ash and rusted metal.
"Just enough, that way she doesn't panic and lose her cool." He marveled at the length of the stands and blushed softly as she had the tendency to keep him from playing with the brawler's golden mane while they were dating. "My father created the Eight Blades of Jaggerjack from a crystalline meteorite, something that existed alone in the darkness of space." Bálor would carefully set the strands of hair alongside a ball of Dust-infused twine as he tied it along the hilt of the obsidian colored blade he had forged previously, the shimmering golden hairs standing out among the crimson twine as the young man finished reinforcing the handle of his blade. It would offer no special enhancement, nor would it serve as some perverted source of power from which he could draw upon in times of need, such childish abilities and miracles existed only in the fairy tales read to children who had kinder parents than he himself did.
"At least this way, a part of your light will be with me as I fall into the darkness where I belong." Again he would feel the sting of tears in his eyes as he hefted the sword from its resting place and gave a few practice swings, surprised that it was slightly heavier then its slender appearance suggested.
"Hmm, should've picked a different metal beforehand..this could make fighting against faster enemies difficult down the road." The Faunus would frown as he set the weapon in its sheath, which had been embroidered with the pattern of a metal wolf chasing a golden dragon. "Finally, a weapon that I can call my own..no longer am I a slave to my father's hate-filled fangs. No, with this I'll forge my own path towards becoming a Huntsman." He stopped for a moment as he imagined the disapproving look in Ruby's eyes, forsaking the combination weapon they had designed together in lieu of a regular sword.
"It's kinda like Jaune's, cool color though." He would cock his head as a ghost of the crimsonette appeared before him, holding out her hand with a curious gleam in her silver eyes. Sighing in exhaustion as he walked through the obvious hallucination, Bálor would nonetheless address her as he climbed up the long stairway leading back to Beacon's no doubt quiet halls.
"Jaune's weapon suits him better, a sword of that caliber is better accustomed towards a white knight like him. Someone who WANTS to be a hero." The silver-haired young man would grin quietly as he kept walking up, imagining the fair-haired young man in question as he sparred with Cardin Winchester merely a few days before: According to Ruby, the match they had witnessed that day was in stark contrast to one they had had merely a few weeks into their first year as students where Jaune had been soundly defeated without Cardin suffering a scratch. "It just goes to show how much Pyrrha's guidance has helped him, Juaney-boy pretty much hung with Cardin nearly blow for blow when I saw him fight." Truly the Knight of JNPR had lost by the absolute minimum of margins, causing most in attendance to clamor with shouts for a rematch. Something that even the wolf himself agreed to, despite not actually knowing or liking the young man on a personal level. On the battlefield, he would treat Jaune Arc as a valued comrade and defend him to the death if need be.
But there was zero chance of the two Huntsman having any sort of Bro-mance.
"No, unlike him I'm not looking to become some great hero of legend, or even a proud warrior like my father before me." The amber-eyed Huntsman would open the door to the forge as quietly as he could so as not to disturb anyone in earshot, especially since empty hallways did echo something fierce. "I'm just a mutt, living amongst the shadows, waltzing my way to Hell." Bálor would grin as a flash of inspiration struck his sleep addled brain, like every student at Beacon his weapon would need a name.
"…Shadow Waltz, it's elegant yet at the same time inhumane." A tear slid down his cheek as his realized the irony in his choice of names, to the untrained ear the name Bálor was exotic..sometimes shamefully so. But to those with some sort of book learning, it would conjure up the image of the demon Giant whose third eye wiped out all it dared to see.
"Maybe someday, a great hero will come along and slaughter me as well…"
This Chapter was a nightmare on many fronts: in-between writing sessions I'd have to stop and deal with some argument only to lose my train of thought, this shows in the hallway segment with Bálor and Yang where three different events occurred between revisions.
The first involved Bálor throwing a telekinetic tantrum due to Weiss and Blake mocking him, leaving Yang to cover for him. This made Bálor look like a whiny bitch and would only serve to villainize Monochrome even further. Tossed it out.
The second involved a flashback to the fight between Yang and Blake in Conversations, it was mostly Bálor reacting to Yang's very public declaration over her feelings for him. Mostly by way of shock and denial. This was at best, a paragraph of useless space. So I tossed it out.
The third rewrite followed the scene in the hall with Mercury alone in his dorm doing push-ups and stating that tomorrow the plan gets underway, and that the fun times with his little spitfire were over. Too short, plus there are better scenes of villainous planning in Volume 3 itself. So I tossed it out.
*sigh* now for something I don't normally do: shilling of other people's fics. As some of you know I have gotten a few of my Conversations ideas from fellow Fanfic writer Knight7572, he's kindly asked that I point out some of his works to you. He's actually written a few lemons that some of you MIGHT be interested in, gotta warn you that the dialogue is choppy and takes some getting used to.
please by merciful in reviewing his works.
As for reviewing this chapter, all I ask is that if you must criticize may it be constructive. And that following this the events of RWBY Volume 3 kick off, meaning Bálor has less interaction with the cast but will be lurking around somewhere.