Chapter 3: RWBY
Huddled in the auditorium, the students await for the school administrators to announce team formation.
"Any idea how this works?" the blonde asks her black-haired partner who shrugs.
Shrugging back, the blonde places her hands behind her head. Professor Ozpin had mentioned that team formations had to do with their mission in Emerald Forest. He was very clear about forging partnerships, but as to how teams were made, he was rather elusive.
Heels clicking the floor, the light-haired girl with icy blues groans as she crosses her arms across her chest.
"Weiss?" Ruby calls out, aware of her partner's impatience. Weiss, as Ruby was quick to figure out, was a very direct kind-of-girl. The shorter beauty never steered away from voicing exact thoughts, nor did she mask her emotions very well.
Icy blues locked onto a white-haired man who was approaching the stage, Weiss furrows her brows. She hated wasting her time.
"Weiss?" Ruby calls out once more, looking between her partner and her older sister who shrugs at her. Not receiving an answer, Ruby sighs. Regarding the Schnee Dust Company's younger heiress, Ruby had her work cut out.
Noting a fallen a expression on her little sister's face, Yang ruffles the shorter girl's hair.
Breaking into small fits of laughter, Ruby fixes her hair as the white-haired man stands at the center of the stage, eyeing his audience.
"Children," the headmaster begins, coffee at hand, "We will now begin team formations," he finishes, as the petite professor, Ms. Goodwitch, joins him onstage. "After your team is formed, check your scroll for dormitory arrangements."
Clearing her throat, Professor Goodwitch takes out her scroll and adjusts her glasses. Screen projected, the petite blonde gestures the headmaster to continue.
"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Brozewing. Sky Lark, " the headmaster starts, as the respective students' profile are projected for all to see. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces," the headmaster discloses, as Cardin's image is pushed to the front. "From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester."
Students clapping, Team CRDL walks up the stage and shakes hand with the headmaster and the petite blonde before clearing out.
"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkrie," Professor Ozpin begins, as the four students make their way to the front. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces," the headmaster continues, images projected on screen. "From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR," Professor Ozpin states, pausing and taking a sip from his coffee, as Jaune's image is pushed to first. "You will be led by Jaune Arc," he finishes, as the blonde boy gasps, wide-eyed. "Congratulations, young man," Professor Ozpin adds, staring curiously at the shocked boy.
Resting her hand on the blonde boy's broad shoulder, the redheaded beauty squeezes it in a reassuring manner.
Locking eyes with piercing greens, Jaune smiles awkwardly as his team begins to approach the stage. In doing so, Jaune is blinded by the stage's light and freezes right before a hand leads the way.
Gripping onto the boy's sweaty hand, the girl leads their team to and off and the stage.
Finally out of the spotlight, Jaune smiles at the beauty who smiles back.
"Go Team JNPR!" Nora bursts out, hands waving in the air. "We are THE BEST!" she exclaims, scanning through the crowd as she absentmindedly begins doing jumping jacks and burpees, trying to intimidate future teams.
"Indeed," Ren agrees in a monotonic tone, raising a brow at his childhood friend.
"I-I-I p-promise I w-will not l-l-let you guys down," Jaune promises, as Ren cracks a smile.
Exchanging a look, Pyrrha and Ren each rest a hand on Jaune's shoulder.
"I look forward to seeing you lead us through peril and victory," Ren states, as Pyrrha's smile broadens, while Jaune gulps.
"You will be a fine leader," the beauty adds, squeezing his shoulder once more. "I know you will."
Calming down from her excitement, the orange-haired girl notices a tender moment occurring within her team. Quickly, she runs up to the blonde boy and climbs his back before clinging onto it. "THAT'S RIGHT, JAUNE!" she yells into the startled boy's ear. "You're the head hancho! The hombre of this castle! YOU. ARE. THE. BOSS! " she exclaims, causing her team to laugh.
"Blake Belladonna," the headmaster continues, as the black-haired girl's heartbeat accelerates. "Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. And Yang Xiao Long," he finishes, as the four girls calmly approach the stage. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."
Heartbeat ringing in her ears, the short-stature girl freezes before being enveloped in a tight hug.
"Congrats, Ruby!" Yang says into her ear before letting go.
Feet rooted to the ground, the light-haired girl stares at the projected screen. Ruby Rose was first. It was she who leader, not her.
"Come on, guys!" Yang encourages, being the first to practically run to the headmaster and shake his hand.
Flinching upon contact, the headmaster stares into curious lilacs. "That's quite a grip you got there," he states, causing the blonde to raise a brow. There was something off about their headmaster; she just couldn't put her finger on it.
Following the blonde, Blake shakes the headmaster's hand, while also noticing a very pensive expression on the headmaster.
Exhaling deeply, the light-haired beauty plasters a smile on her face and shakes the headmaster and Professor Goodwitch's hand before disappearing.
Ruby, on the hand, nervously shakes their hands before running over to Yang. "Where's Weiss?"
Looking at her partner who shrugs, Yang also shrugs. "Beats me."
"Oh . . . " Ruby hums, frown resting on her face.
Worry masking her face, Yang pushes a strand of hair away from Ruby's face. "Let's check out our dormitory," she suggests, playfully punching her sister's chin. "And since you're our leader," she starts, grin forming, "You get dibs."
Cracking a smile, Ruby nods as her sister takes out her scroll.
"Dormitory 2B," Yang reads aloud, as she leads the way.
Exhausted, the girls lay around in their respective beds.
Laying in her bed, head hanging off of it, Yang stares at the upside down figure of her partner. "What'cha reading there, Blake?" she asks, sliding further from the bed.
"Reading," the honey-eyed girl nonchalantly answers, not taking her eyes off of her novel.
Stretching, Yang's fingertips graze the carpet as blood rushes down to her head.
"I can hear you breathing . . ." Blake states, causing the blonde to frown.
"Are you talking to-"
"-Yup."
Confused, Yang locks her gaze onto her partner who refuses to put down her book. "Sorry . . . " she utters, staring more intently at golden irises. On one hand, Blake seemed like the kind of girl who wouldn't care much for things. Given their limited interactions, Yang presumed that Blake would be the kind of roommate who would frequently slip in and out of their dorm without word. Yet on the other hand, Blake was proving to be very observant and somewhat coy.
"When your head is upside down," Blake starts, setting her book down and luring Yang away from her thoughts, "Your organs put extra weight on your lungs, thereby, making it harder to breathe," the beauty explains, pausing as Yang stares curiously into her honey irises. "As in, it leads to asphyxiation."
"Woah," Ruby utters, not taking her eyes off of her screen. "You're so smart," she compliments, tongue hanging loosely as she presses harder on her scroll.
Sitting up, Yang feels an intense head rush. Now dizzy, she massages her temples.
"Lay down," Blake suggests, picking up her book again.
Standing up, Yang realizes that perhaps it was too soon to get up, as she loses balance.
Quickly, Blake appears beside the blonde, steadying her. "Lay down," she reiterates, as the blonde cracks a smile.
"Easy there wolfie," Yang teases, grin forming, "You haven't even bought me dinner yet!"
Rolling her eyes, the black-haired girl looks away, smiling. "You're annoyingly optimistic . . ." she utters, as the blonde lets herself fall down atop her partner's bed. Brow raised, the black-haired beauty exhales deeply before sitting at the edge of her bed. "I didn't imply to lay down on my bed . . ."
Eyes closed, Yang smiles. "I'm bored."
"And how exactly is that relevant to me?" the honey-eyed beauty asks, analyzing the strange blonde.
"Do you want to go out or something?" Yang asks, rolling over to her side, elbow firm against the mattress and head inclined in her hand.
Blush forming, Blake turns away, brows furrowing.
"Aren't you curious about the school!?" Yang presses, grinning. "Come on! Come out with me and explore!"
"Yang," Blake starts, pausing before meeting curious lilacs. "I'm pretty sure sneaking out of our dorms at night is frowned upon," she counters, as Yang raises a brow.
"Hmm. You didn't strike me as the strait-laced kind of girl, Blake," the blonde remarks, smirk forming. "Guess not..."
Scoffing, Blake rolls her eyes. "I'm not 'strait-laced'."
"Prove it."
"I can hear you, ya know," Ruby interjects, causing the older girls to break out into fits of laughter.
"Hey, Ruby," Yang starts, fighting a laugh, "Wanna come?" she asks the dark-haired girl who grunts.
"NOOOOOO!" Ruby exclaims before sighing in defeat. "I'm just so close to beating this level," she explains, inching closer to the screen.
"Blake?" Yang asks, smiling encouragingly at the black-haired girl.
Sighing, Blake nods her head. "Sure."
"Cool."
Roaming the halls, the girls stop to scope out the Hall of Heroes.
Recognizing most of the names, Yang stops to analyze the statue of a hooded woman. It was Scarlet Robe, one of Remnant's greatest heroes and an alumni of Beacon. Reaching out to touch the fallen's hero's great ax, Yang flinches as soon as contact is made.
"You ok?" Blake asks, noting a change in the other's heartbeat. Appearing beside her partner, Blake reads aloud Scarlet's plaque. "Is she one of your idols?"
"My mom-" Yang begins before pausing. "I mean, my stepmom," she corrects, breaking contact with the statue, "She, um, was a big fan of Scarlet here."
"Scarlet was pretty incredible," Blake agrees, furrowing her brows, noting that Yang was staring rather intently at the statue.
Sighing, the blonde crosses her arms across her chest, not taking her eyes off of the statue. "Summer," she begins, pausing, "Summer was Ruby's mom, and my stepmom," she clarifies, gulping. "She was everything to Ruby and I."
Hearing a crack in the other girl's tone, the black-haired beauty rests a hand on the other girl's shoulder.
"But her adoration for Scarlet," Yang continues, small smile forming, "Was so strong that she modeled herself after her," she discloses, eyeing the hood. "Even Ruby models herself after Scarlet."
"What about you?" Blake asks, not able to picture Yang wearing a hood because hoods just didn't seem to suit someone as extroverted and open as Yang. Her, on the other hand, well, let's just say that Blake went through a hoodie phase.
"I admire Scarlet," Yang admits before walking away, "But hoods and axes slow my game."
"Your game?"
"Yeah," Yang answers, turning around to face the black-haired beauty. "I need room to breathe," she states, referring to how encapsulating she found hoods and capes. "And as for axes, well, have you ever carried one?"
"I have, actually," the honey-eyed girl recalls, remembering simpler times at Menagerie when she would help her father chop firewood.
"Then you know what I mean," Yang points out, walking over to another fallen hero.
Recognizing the statue, Blake raises a brow. "Jack of Blades?"
"Controversial at best," Yang comments before placing her hands in her back-pocket. "The Bandit Slayer . . . " she mutters before sighing.
Picking up on her partner's body language, Blake once again walks over to the blonde. Standing beside the girl who smelled of lavender and rain, the black-haired girl looks at the figure of a man hidden behind an iron mask. Jack was notorious for many things, but what he was most known for was hunting and slaying bandits. Small villages worshiped him. Cities built monuments after him. And as for bandit tribes, well, they thought of 'Jack of Blades' as a dark chapter in their lives. Rumor had it was that Jack enjoyed taking human lives. That is why he opted to hunt bandits, rather than grimm, like his other colleagues. Still, Jack saved thousands of lives. He was hero, a controversial one, but a hero, nonetheless.
"Do you know the myth behind his blades?" Yang asks, lilacs locked onto the replicas of Jack's historical twin swords: Alvion and Aeon.
Frowning, Blake reaches out to graze her fingertips through the ceramic blades. She knew the story.
"They say his semblance was hidden in his swords," Yang continues, recalling the folklore behind Jack. "The more he fed his blades human blood, the stronger and faster his blades would get."
Tensing, Blake looks away from the statue. Jack reminded her of someone whom she would rather keep in the past. And apparently, it was having the same effect on her partner. Head cocked to the side, Blake wonders about her partner's past. Blake herself had a past she longed to forget. She made mistakes, plenty of them, but she was determined to move on with her life. And Yang, a seemingly optimistic, thrill-seeking kind of girl, was proving to be quite the mystery for the black-haired beauty. Contemplating it, the honey-eyed girl rests her hand on the taller girl's shoulder.
Flinching, Yang glances at the girl's hand before she retreats it.
Choosing not to press on the matter, Blake studies the tall, athletic girl. Something was off, but her instinct told her to let it be. If they were to become friends, Yang would open up to her; she was sure of it. "You know, I always end the day by reading," the black-haired beauty comments, small smile forming. "Why don't we sneak into the library before we call it a night?"
Smiling back, Yang nods. Thinking about Jack made her think about her birth-mother, a bandit. And right now, the last thing she needed was to obsess over finding the woman who abandoned her. At least Blake didn't ask too many questions nor pry on the matter. Leading the way, the blonde makes her way to the library.
Giving one last look at Jack, Blake shortly follows after the blonde.
Taking a deep breath, the girl enters the dormitory. There, she finds her teammates asleep on their respective bed. Sighing, she quietly closes the door.
Rolling over in her sleep, the dark-haired girl slightly opens her eyes. Despite feeling her eyelids feeling heavy, she is able to make out the shape of a petite light-haired girl; it was her partner. Perking up, she sits up on the bed, as the other girl rummages through her suitcase in search of sleepwear.
"Weiss?" Ruby whispers, causing the other girl to freeze. "Weiss?" she repeats, as the other girl sighs.
Without a word, the icy-eyed girl takes out her sleepwear before slipping out of the dorm to change.
Face falling, Ruby lies back down. No matter how hard she tried or what she said or did, Weiss did not like her. Ruby had tried being friendly, funny, and even showing off her semblance, but still, the light-haired girl seemed unimpressed by her. Rolling over to face the wall, Ruby lulls herself to asleep thinking of ways to connect with her partner.
In her pj's, Weiss makes her way back to their dorm. Taking another deep breath, the petite light-haired girl enters the room that would be her home for the next four years. Quietly closing the door, she quickly glances at her partner's bed. Thankfully, Ruby had gone back to sleep. More at ease, the icy-eyed girl walks over to what she presumed was her bed and pulls the covers. Lying there, she stares at the ceiling, as she recalls the last night she slept in her actual bed. It was an awful night, so much so that she had cried herself to sleep. As it was a common occurrence in her life, Weiss had gotten in a fight with her family. This time, the fight was with her father over choosing Beacon Academy over Atlas. Even her brother, Whitley, acted like a jerk throughout the whole ordeal. Sighing, she rolls her over to the other side and falls asleep thinking of her sister, Winter. Unlike her father and brother, Winter was always considerate of what Weiss wanted, even if Winter herself disagreed.
Taking a sip of her tea, the white-haired girl sighs. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
Fingers curled around the cup, the younger girl looks down, avoiding eye-contact. Nervous, her hands shake and, thus, her cup clatters with its resting plate.
Instinctively, the older girl reaches out to rest her hand on top of her sister's hand, steadying it. "Why Beacon?" the older girl asks, causing the younger girl to finally look her in the eyes.
"Because . . ." Weiss starts before licking her lips. "Because I want to make a name for myself."
"You're more than capable of doing that in Atlas, little sister," the older girl counters, retreating her hand. "Unless you're saying that I haven't made a name for myself."
Flinching, Weiss grasps one of her sister's hands. "I'm-I'm n-not saying that!" she proclaims, suddenly feeling guilty.
Small smile forming, the older girl squeezes her sister's hand for reassurance. "Why Beacon?" she presses once more, narrowing her gaze. She could always tell when her little sister was keeping something inside. Now smiling warmly, Winter searches icy blues; Weiss had so much of their mother in her. "Weiss, it's me," she comforts, voice warm and maternal. "So tell me: Why Beacon?"
"Because-Because I hate it here," the light-haired girl finally admits, looking away and feeling the weight of the world off her shoulders.
"I see," Winter remarks, pursing her lips and taking a sip from her tea. "You want to go to Beacon because our family has no ties to Beacon."
"Father hates Beacon's headmaster and would rather die than ask a favor from Professor Ozpin," Weiss adds, scoffing. "It's the only way I can escape him."
Setting her cup down, Winter studies the renowned younger heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. "Is home really that bad? Do you really feel like prisoner to our family name?" the older girl asks, having been on the same situation as the older of the Schnee siblings.
Sighing, Weiss fidgets with helm of her dress. "Sometimes."
Smile vanishing, the older girl reclines back in her seat, legs crossed and hands resting gracefully on her lap. "A burden is only a burden if you don't overcome it, little sister. My advice: do whatever you have to do to be at peace with yourself and our family name, okay?"
Silent, the younger girl nods. "You know," she starts, still avoiding eye-contact, "Our family wasn't always like this," the younger girl remarks, recalling simpler times when their mother was around. But even then, their family had issues; they always had issues.
"We both know life with mother wasn't perfect," Winter comments, causing the other girl to flinch.
"I'm well aware of mother's . . . dependency on certain substances," Weiss recalls, throat growing heavy.
"Look, Weiss," Winter begins, scooting closer to her sister. "You're young. And you still have a lot to experience and learn . . . but just know that no family is perfect. And the sooner you stop feeling sorry for our family, the sooner you'll be able to pave a path for yourself. And if I'm being honest, our name will open many doors for you; I advice you to utilize it. Own our name. Re-brand it. Mold it to your persona. And before long, you will become more than just the lonely ice-princess everyone sets you out to be."
Scoffing, Weiss cracks a smile.
"You're more than just a beautiful girl with a beautiful voice," the older girl teases, smirking.
Rolling her eyes, Weiss crosses her arms across her chest. "Psh. I know that."
"Then, prove it, little sister," Winter challenges, sipping from her tea.
Cracking another smile, Weiss looks up at piercing light eyes. "Thank you."
Nodding, Winter sets her cup down. "Moving on, I expect to receive detailed reports of your progress at Beacon Academy."
"Of course," the younger girl immediately answers, feeling better and grateful that Winter never changed. Unconditional love, it seemed, would always flow between them.
"I also assume that father will cut you off," Winter continues, scoffing. "When he does, do reach out to me, little sister, and I will take care of you."
Blush forming, the younger girl nods. Winter was everything she aspired to be.
"I'd also like personal letters," Winter adds, smiling warmly. "I want to know how you're doing; who you're friends with; what hobby you pick up; any clubs you join. Anything, really. Understood?"
"Affirmative."
Smiling, the sisters finish the rest of their tea and talk about Weiss' plans upon arriving at Beacon.