Chapter 22
Flashback (After Theodore's Conversation with Jaune and Pyrrha)
Theodore exited the elevator and entered Ozpin's office where he Professor Goodwitch, Professor Port, and Dr. Oobleck waiting for him with the headmaster. Ozpin, as usual, was sitting behind his desk drinking a cup of coffee.
How many cups does he drink? Theodore thought to himself. "Is something wrong, Ozpin?"
"I'm afraid there is Mr. Constantine." Ozpin replied.
"Is it something I did again?"
"No, it's not something you did. It's something I overlooked. Do you remember what happened after you got back from the cliffs after the initiation was finished?"
"Yeah. You called up four students at a time, said their names, announced what pieces they grabbed and named their…teams…Bollocks."
"If that is a word for when you realize something, then yes. Bollocks." Glynda replied, "You have been without a team for quite sometime Mr. Constantine. Even though Ozpin is the headmaster and can bend the rules some, he can't overlook this problem a second time."
"She means, my boy," Mr. Port added, "if you don't have teammates by a certain amount of time…you will be expelled from Beacon."
"We all don't want to see you leave Mr. Constantine," Oobleck said, "but without the right number of students to form a team…you will have to."
Theodore looked to all the professors to see both truth and sadness in their eyes. They wanted him to abide by the rules, but they also didn't want him to leave because of them. Unknown to them all, Theodore had a plan for this sort of situation. Reaching into the right side of his school uniform with his left hand, he pulled out a sheet of paper with names and information on it for three individuals and handed it to Goodwitch.
"What is this?" She asked with a surprised look.
"Names for people I want enrolled in this school and on my team." Theodore replied, "With Ozpin's permission, of course."
"Glynda, may I see that?" Ozpin asked while holding out his left hand. Glynda nodded and handed the sheet to the headmaster. Ozpin looked at the names, minus the information, put the paper down and looked at Theodore.
"I'm okay with this." Ozpin said, "How long will it take for them to get here though?"
"They're my contacts in the city," Theodore replied, "and they're visiting friends and family right now, so I say by the start of the second semester."
"Well then, that's all for now. You can head back to your room now and work on your essay."
"Thank you, headmaster." Theodore then started walking towards the elevator. When he pressed the button, though, Dr. Oobleck called to him.
"Mr. Constantine." He said, "How did you produce the folder from your jacket?"
"Just look at my file." Theodore said while entering the elevator, "My mother was a magician, so it was only natural I learned a few things from her."
The doors closed, and the elevator started to take Theodore down to his designated floor. Port and Oobleck looked to Goodwitch with permission to look at Theodore's file. The combat instructor handed them her scroll while she walked to Ozpin to see the names that Theodore had left them. While she didn't mind the first two that she read it was the last one that surprised her.
Clair Vermillion
Argent Silvermane
Titian Ironwood
Flashback End
Pyrrha was mopping the floor with Team CRDL faces in the arena, located in the combat classroom. Everyone watched in amazement as the Invincible Girl defeated a whole team without breaking a sweat. The fight was over when she used a finishing move on Cardin, sending him crashing to the floor.
"And that's the match." Said Professor Goodwitch, the combat instructor, as she walked into the arena.
"Lucky shot." Cardin said before passing out from exhaustion.
Keep telling yourself that, Cardin. Theodore thought to himself.
"Well done, Miss Nikos." Glynda said to Pyrrha, "You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."
"Thank you, Professor." Pyrrha replied with a smile.
"Alright. Now I though that is a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?" Glynda looked around the room to see no one raise their hand. Her eyes landed on Blake reading something on her lap instead of paying attention in class.
"Miss Belladonna," Glynda addressed surprising the disguised Faunus, "you been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you- "
"I'll do it." Someone said while raising their hand. Glynda looked to see that it was one of the so-called transfer students from Haven.
"Mercury, is it?" she asked, "Very well. Let's find you an opponent."
"Actually," Mercury replied, "I want to fight…her."
His finger was pointed at Pyrrha which surprised both the student and teacher.
"Me?" Pyrrha asked.
"I'm afraid Miss Nikos has just finished a match." Glynda replied, "I recommend you choose another partner." The combat instructor then saw another hand raised behind Mercury. "Mr. Constantine. Do you wish to be Mercury's opponent?"
Mercury looked behind him to see Theodore with his hand raised. He also had a look of mischief in his eyes. He then lowered his hand and answered Professor Goodwitch.
"Oh no." he said, "Someone already beat me to that. I just wanted to let you know that he's right behind you."
Glynda and Pyrrha turned to see a tiger Faunus sitting in the middle of the arena, cross-legged. The combat instructor looked through her scroll to see that the student's name was Clair Vermillion. He had both of his eyes closed as if he was meditating.
"Mr. Vermillion?" Glynda asked while walking up to him. Clair opened his eyes to look at the combat teacher after hearing his name called. He answered by nodding his head then stood at full height. Looking at him, face to face, Glynda thought he looked very intimidating up closely. Why Ozpin would allow the Butcher in the school she would never understand. Putting her thoughts aside she punched in the right numbers for the match to start. Done, she moved off the arena as Mercury walked into the arena and got into a fighting stance.
"So, what's the Butcher doing at Beacon?" Mercury asked causing a few of the students, mostly Faunus, to gasp in surprise.
"I came to learn the right way." Clair replied while also getting into a fighting stance and unsheathing his claws. "Also, don't call me by that name. Use my real name."
"Trying to hide who you are?"
"Trying to become a better person."
Mercury then charged at Clair and the fight started. The grey-haired assassin threw a series of kicks to the Faunus who blocked with ease. After a few more kicks Clair decided to go on the offensive. Mercury just barely dodged a strike from the claws which would have hurt if it made contact. Both switched between offensive and defensive maneuvers as the fight continued.
"Hey, your friend's pretty good." Ruby said to Emerald who smiled back. When the she turned her face away the thief had a look of annoyance on her face. She then looked to Theodore who looked in deep thought while watching the fight. Turning back to the fray, Emerald saw that Mercury had kicked Clair seven feet away from him.
"The style of fighting that you're using…" Mercury said to Clair, "I thought it was out of date."
"No style of fighting is ever out of date…" Clair replied, "as long as it keeps you alive."
"Good point." Both then continued their fight. The assassin was looking for an opening in Clair's defenses during the fight and finally found one. Doing an upward kick, he forced the tiger Faunus' hands out of the way of his face and delivered a brutal kick with his left leg. All the students gasped in shock at what they saw, everyone but Theodore and his team. Mercury thought they were surprised at what he did to Clair, but it was the other way around. The assassin felt himself being turned by his left leg, so he hopped on his right leg to keep balance. What he saw shocked him. The tiger Faunus had caught his foot, with his teeth. Mercury saw the fangs in Clair's mouth and was glad that they hadn't penetrated the shoe. The tiger Faunus then threw his head to the left with all his strength, sending Mercury soaring through the air. The said boy fell to the ground with a thud, but quickly recovered himself and stood up.
"Steel toed boots." Clair said after spitting remnants of the shoe out of his mouth, "The perfect kind of foot wear for your style of combat."
"Thanks." Mercury replied then charged him and they were once again battling each other without landing a single hit. Clair used one palm hit to get himself a good distance away from Mercury. Looking to the stands he saw Theodore swing his hand horizontally in front of his neck. The tiger Faunus then charged Mercury and did a swipe at him, but instead of going on the defensive he left himself open. The assassin then threw a powerful kick at him, that landed on Clair's chest and sent him flying out of the ring, landing on his back with a thud.
"Mr. Black wins by a ring out. Class dismissed." Glynda said and walked out. Mercury walked to where Clair had fallen and saw him get up and dust himself off.
"You okay?" Mercury asked sounding concerned.
"I've been hit harder than that." Clair answered, "I'll survive. Good match."
"You too."
The tiger Faunus then walked away to Theodore who was waiting for him at the exit. Once they were outside of the building, Clair turned to the young sorcerer.
"We have to tell them." He said gesturing to Team RWBY.
"Alright." Theodore replied, "Head to our room and let Team JNPR know as well. I'll meet you there."
Clair nodded his head and walked away. Theodore waited for Team RWBY walk towards him. He was about to approach them when he saw Sun run up to Blake who was falling behind, reading something.
"Hey, Blake." Sun said getting the cat Faunus' attention, "You, uh, doing okay?"
"I'm fine." Blake replied with an annoyed look. Theodore noticed the bags under her eyes.
"Ahem. So, I hear there's this dance going on this weekend. Sounds pretty lame but you and me I'm thinking not as lame. Huh?"
"What?"
"The dance this weekend. Do you want to go or what?"
"I don't have time for a stupid dance." Blake then turned and started to walk away, "I thought you of all people would get that."
Sun hung his head down in sadness from being rejected. Theodore walked up to the monkey Faunus and put his left hand on his right shoulder in a comforting manner. Sun looked up to see the young sorcerer.
"Try asking her again when she's in a better mood." Theodore suggested, "Right now, I need you, Neptune and Team RWBY to come to my team's room."
"Okay." Sun replied, "What for?"
"I'll explain when you're all there. Second floor, room number 413." The young sorcerer walked away from Sun and headed towards his team's dorm, hoping for the best.
Teams RWBY, JNPR, Sun and Neptune arrived in front of the door that lead to Theodore's room. Weiss walked up to the door and knocked on it.
"Come in." Theodore said on the other side.
"How are we going to fit in the room?" Weiss asked while reaching for the door knob.
"I'm sure Theodore figured out…some way." Ren said as they walked in and all were surprised at what they saw. The room didn't look like one that could fit four students. It was more like the room of a mansion that could fit at least thirty to forty students. All ten students walked in with surprise still written on their faces.
"Oh, hey guys." Theodore said standing up from a leather chair. Then then waved his hand and the door behind them closed. "Please remember to close the door next time."
"How did you do all of this?!" Jaune asked.
"How else? Magic."
"Oh right. Heh heh heh."
"You said you wanted to talk to us about something?" Neptune asked.
"Yes, I did," Theodore said, "but first I would like to introduce you to the members of Team CATT."
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Yang busted out in laughter, "Team CATT?!"
"It was either that, TACT, TTAC, or ACTT." The other three members of the team then walked right next to Theodore. "As you know the last name letter in the team is mine. The C is Clair Vermillion, the A is Argent Silvermane, and the other T is Titian Ironwood."
"Wait!" Weiss said, "Did you say Ironwood?"
"Yes, he did." Titian answered.
"How are you related to General Ironwood?" Pyrrha asked.
"I'm his son."
"HIS SON?!" everyone shouted.
"Yes, his son." Theodore said.
"Did you see the general today?!" Sun asked.
"Sadly, yes." Argent replied, "We all did when we went to report to the headmaster."
"Why did you say sadly?!" Ruby asked, "It should have been an honor!"
"It wasn't when we heard what happened between father and son." Clair said.
"What happened?" Nora asked.
"Have a seat, please." Theodore replied gesturing behind his friends. All ten students looked to see then chairs behind them. They all then walked to them and sat down. Theodore sat down in his own chair while Clair climbed onto the chandelier in the room, Argent sat on the floor, and Titian continued to stand.
"It started a few hours before class." Theodore began.
(A Few Hours Ago)
Theodore and his team got a call from Headmaster Ozpin to report to his office. All four were standing in the elevator waiting for it to reach the top floor.
"You think Ozpin is going to be pleased at what happened near the freeway?" Argent asked.
"If the man is anything like Theodore said, he'll let it slide." Clair answered which earned him a nod of agreement from the axe wielder.
"I hate elevators." Titian blurted out, "If there were stairs, I would've have taken them."
"Sorry you were inconvenienced." Theodore said, "We're almost there."
The elevator dinged signaling that they had arrived at the top floor. The doors opened to reveal Ozpin, Glynda, Port, Oobleck and General Ironwood all in the room. The four boys exited the elevator with Argent standing on Theodore's right, Clair on his left, and Titian right behind him.
"James may I introduce you to Theodore Constantine." Ozpin said while gesturing to the young sorcerer. The general looked shock at hearing what Ozpin said. Turning to Theodore and slowly walked up to him. He saw that the boy was only a foot shorter than him but was surprised all the way.
"Vale's Hometown Hero?" He asked.
"That's me." Theodore said holding his right hand out. The general took it and, to Theodore's relief, shook it slowly.
"It is an honor to meet you face to face." Ironwood said letting go of the boy's hand after six seconds of shaking. "These are your teammates I presume?"
"You presume correctly." Glynda answered, "Though the name will need some work."
"How so ma'am?" Argent asked. This caused the combat teacher to look up at him in surprise.
"What did you call me?" she asked.
"Ma'am." He said.
"Mr. Constantine never mentioned you had manners. It is good to know that Mr. Winchester has an opposite in this school."
"Thanks. I think. What about the name?"
"Well, there are many options. Sadly, none of them are of color. They would either must be TACT, TTAC, ACTT or CATT."
"Okay, the last one sounds a little insulting." Clair said. This earned him a glare from Glynda, but he didn't cower. He just gave her a neutral look.
"Young man." Port said to Clair, "Who might you be? I have never seen you before."
"That's my business."
"Ozpin." Ironwood said turning to the headmaster, "What is the Butcher doing here?"
The other three teachers looked surprised at hearing this. The most feared enemy of the White Fang was standing in the room.
"He has come here to do things the right way James." Ozpin replied in a matter of fact tone.
"The Butcher!" Oobleck exclaimed while dashing around Clair, "My boy! Do you know how long I have been wanting to meet you?! I-I-I mean…sure it would be dangerous, but I would specifically like to know how you are able to defeat an army of Faunus that use military tactics! If you would be okay with that!"
"Whether he is willing or not Oobleck," Ironwood said while walking up to Clair, "you can happily ask him anything when he is in chains."
"I didn't kill any of your men." Clair said in an angry tone.
"That doesn't excuse the danger you put other people in!"
"Which people?!" a new voice asked, "Everyone or just Atlas'?!"
Everyone turned to see where the voice came from. Theodore moved for General Ironwood to see a very familiar face. The owner of the voice, however, was not happy to see him.
"Titian?" Ironwood asked.
"In the flesh." Titian answered, "Why are you here? From experience, you usually take a simple situation and make it worse than it really is. Leave Clair alone."
"You're friends with this murderer?"
"Do you have any idea what he has been through? If you did, you wouldn't be threatening him. Also, Constantine is setting him on the right path."
"Why are you here?"
"I'm here to get an education, where I don't feel like I'm being forced into something I don't want to do! Like being taken to a soldier training camp when I was nine years old!"
"Son…"
"NO! DON'T CALL ME THAT! YOU LOST EVERY RIGHT TO CALL ME THAT WHEN YOU HAD ME FIGHT YOU IN A MOCK BATTLE!" Titian then removed a part of his armor from his left arm and pulled the sleeve back, past his elbow. Everyone saw a scar that ran from below his elbow all the way to the middle of his hand. "You did this to me! REMEMBER?!"
"I'm sure your father didn't mean any harm." Port said to Titian as he put the piece of armor back on.
"You sure?" he retorted, "Because he just stood over me as I bled out for five minutes until the doc showed up!"
"Titian, I think you, Clair, and Argent should leave." Theodore said, "It's starting to get personal and I think the last thing Ozpin wants is a fight that will make the school run red with blood."
"Indeed." Ozpin replied, "You three make take your leave."
Titian stomped to the elevator while Argent and Clair calmly walked. Once the doors had closed everyone turned to Ironwood. Port and Oobleck had looks of surprises on their faces. Ozpin had a neutral look. Theodore hand his arms crossed with an angry look and Glynda had one of anger as well.
"Is what the young man said true?" Glynda asked. The general gave a sigh of defeat and answered her.
"Yes." He said, "Everything Titian said…was true."
"What is wrong with you James?! He was just a boy!"
"He needed to toughen up."
"He's your son, not a soldier!"
"All the more reason- "He didn't get to finish as a fireball flew past his face. The general had a look of shock on his face and turned to see where it came from. He saw Theodore with his arms uncrossed and another fireball in his right hand. Ironwood looked to Ozpin for answers. The headmaster then looked to Theodore as if asking for permission.
"You can tell him." Theodore said. The headmaster then turned to the general.
"Mr. Constantine isn't using his semblance James." Ozpin said, "What he is using…is magic."
Ironwood looked at Theodore with surprise written all over his face. Theodore had put out the fire, manifested a chair out of nowhere and sat in it. He then told Ironwood everything that he had told Team RWBY, JNPR, Sun, Neptune, and the teachers. Once he was finished, the general looked at Ozpin.
"Why didn't you tell me about this the minute I got here?" he asked.
"It wasn't my secret to tell James." Ozpin replied, "I needed his permission first."
"Do you realize how much he could help?"
"Let's get one thing straight…general." Theodore said with anger in the last word, "Even if you were the last person on Remnant and learning about you from your son's personal experience I would never help you. From what I can see all you are capable of is bringing fear and distrust to everything and everyone around you."
"That is not true." Ironwood replied, "I bring security and safety to people."
"The bullheads full of soldiers and guns flying over Vale say otherwise. Ozpin I'll take my leave."
With that said the young sorcerer stepped into the elevator, pushed the button to the right floor and watched as the teachers disappeared from the doors closing.
"He did WHAT?!" Weiss exclaimed. Titian once again took off the armor part and showed everyone his left arm. Jaune cringed at the seeing the scar. Sun said a simple 'Ouch' while everyone else just looked shocked.
"I knew you said you had it rough in the army," Neptune said, "but I didn't think a superior officer would do that to a nine-year-old, let alone your father."
"There're a lot of things you didn't know that I left out." Titian said while putting the armor back on and holding his hand out to Neptune, "Either way, it's good to see you again Neptune."
"Same here." The blue haired student replied standing up, taking his hand and shaking it. Everyone looked to them in surprise.
"You two know each other?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah." Neptune replied letting go of Titian's hand and turning to everyone, "I met Titian when we were fourteen. He was on a mission in Mistral and I ran into him by chance. He was there for at least five months and we got to know each other. It was a sad day when he had to go back to Atlas."
"Neptune was the only friend I had during my time in the army." Titian said, "I tried to keep in contact with him as much as possible. It is good to see him here, in Vale."
"Okay. I'm glad to see two friends reuniting after so long," Weiss interjected, "but Theodore said that this meeting was about something important?"
"Yes, I did. Neptune please sit back down." Theodore said to the blue haired student. He waited for everyone to be back in their places before speaking. "The reason I called you all here was to give you a warning about Cinder, Emerald and Mercury."
"What do you mean?" Nora asked.
"They're not who they say they are."
"How is that possible?" Pyrrha asked.
"I've crossed paths with them before and they looked like they were sapping the life out of someone. I stopped them, but I don't know the fate of the victim. I've haven't seen them in a while until now."
"So, you knew who they were when we ran into them?" Ruby asked earning a nod from Theodore. "What did you tell them after I left to get my board game?"
"I told them that if they stepped out of line they would be sorry."
"What exactly are you telling us to do?" Ren asked, "Not interact with them?"
"No, I'm asking you to not trust them. You can be friendly just don't believe everything they say and don't reveal any secrets. Can you do that?"
All ten students looked at each other before looking back at Theodore and nodding.
"All right. Thank you everyone." Theodore then stood up and walked to the door. He then opened it for them. "You're free to go."
Sun and Neptune exited the room first followed by Team JNPR.
"Jaune!" Theodore called out, "I'll see you and Pyrrha on the roof, tonight for training! Be sure to bring the claymore I gave you!"
"You got it!" Jaune replied and walked away. Team RWBY was exiting the room when Theodore touched Blake's shoulder causing her to stop and look at him. The rest of the team stopped as well.
"Blake, are you alright?" he asked, "You look tired, like you haven't slept in days. If it is about the White Fang, it's fine. Just stop looking for a while and get some rest. I'll still be looking for answers with my team if it is any comfort."
"Theodore, I appreciate your concern and the fact that you're helping with the info you gave us," Blake answered, "but I can't stop, not when lives are at stake. Again, thanks for your concern and offer to help, but I'm doing fine."
She then shrugged his shoulder off and walked out of the room. Theodore looked to the rest of the team with worry on his face. They had the same expressions as well.
"Can you get her to rest?" he asked.
"We'll try. Don't worry." Ruby answered.
"If it goes south, please let me know and I'll have Clair talk to her."
"Talk to her?!" Yang questioned, "Last time we heard, he nearly killed her."
"I've got him on a no kill rule. Don't worry, he won't try anything."
"I trust Theodore's judgement Yang." Weiss said earning a surprised look from the blonde brawler, "So far, he's been right. I don't see why he should be wrong now."
Yang looked to the young sorcerer and sighed.
"Alright," she said, "but if anything goes wrong…you answer to me."
"Deal." Theodore replied, and the remaining girls left the room. Once he had closed the door, the young sorcerer looked up at Clair.
"Talk to me." He said, and Clair jumped down from the chandelier and landed right in from of Theodore. "What can you tell me about Mercury?"
"When the side of my left palm was sliding down his legs during one of his blocks," Clair said, "I didn't feel flesh through his pants, but metal. Halfway to the kneecap though that is when I felt flesh."
"So, he's a cyborg."
"Yes."
"That explains why he fights with his feet. They are the most powerful part of his body. We'll have to take extra care if we get in a brawl with him. Thanks Clair." Theodore then walked to where Titian was, sitting on a desk working on a scroll. "What have you got?"
"I was able to get the video from the hidden camera in Tukson's store," Clair said while pulling up the file which had only static showing, "but it's corrupted just like the other two. I guess some viruses decided to make themselves at home in the cameras."
"How long will it take for the videos to be watchable?"
"They're already 21% done, but it will at least take them till the Vytal Tournament to be viewable. I can try to speed it up if you like, though the risk is losing some of the footage."
"Don't take the risk. This is evidence we have against Cinder and her cronies. We shouldn't lose any because we tried to rush things."
"When are we going to get them?" Argent asked while doing push-ups.
"Not now. We'll wait for them to strike first. They'll make a mistake and then that will be our opportunity. Besides, I don't want to try anything with the dance coming up."
"Alright. Speaking of the dance, do you guys have a girl in mind to dance with?"
"You what?!" Blake asked her teammates. All four of them were in their dorm with Ruby and Weiss sitting on the bottom bunk on the left side of the room while Blake and Yang were sitting on the one opposite of them. Night had fallen on Vale and that's when the rest of the team decided to talk to their tired teammate.
"We want you to go to the dance." Ruby said.
"That's ridiculous!"
"Blake, we're worried about you." Yang stated, "This investigation is starting to mess with your head."
"You can't sleep, you hardly eat, and to be honest your grades have been suffering." Weiss added.
"You think I care about grades?!" Blake retorted, "Peoples lives are at stake!"
"We know," Yang interjected, "and we're all still trying to figure out what Torchwick is up to."
"Thanks to you, Sun and Clair," Ruby said, "we know they're operating somewhere outside of Southeast Vale."
"And the Schnee Company records singled out Vale as the primary target for dust robberies over the last few months." Weiss stated.
"Don't forget about their missing military tech too." Yang added.
"But there are still unanswered questions!" Blake said.
"Blake, you won't be able to find anything if you can't even keep your eyes open." Ruby stated.
"All we're asking is that you take it easy for one day." Yang said.
"It will be fun." Weiss added, "Yang and I will make sure of it."
"Yeah! We're planning the whole event!"
"Excuse me?!" Blake asked.
"Team CFVY's away mission lasted longer than expected." Weiss explained.
"So, Weiss and I were asked to pick up where they left off," Yang added. "and now we can make sure you have the perfect night."
"And once it's all over, we'll return to our search, rested and ready."
"So, what do you think?" Ruby asked. They waited five seconds for Blake's answer.
"I think this is a colossal waste of time." The disguised Faunus said, then got off the bed and headed to the door. "I'll be in the library." She then made her exit.
All three girls were saddened by the answer that their teammate had given them. Yang let out a sigh of defeat.
"Great." She said.
"She can't keep going like this." Weiss said and pulled out her scroll to let Theodore know that they had no luck. Before she could text him though, there was knocking at the door. Weiss put her scroll away and walked to the door. Opening it, she, Ruby and Yang were surprised to see Titian standing there in a white Tuxedo with red outlines complete with pants and a top hat of the same design. Titian removed the top hat and held it against his chest.
"Ms. Schnee- "he didn't get to finish as the door was slammed in his face. After a few more knocks on the door, Weiss once again opened it. "Did I offend you in some way?"
"No, I just needed to wrap my head around the fact that you're wearing a tuxedo." She said, "Why are you wearing one, anyway?"
"Neptune and I were debating on whether I should go to the dance in this or my uniform."
"And you came to me for an opinion?"
"No, I was going to see Neptune about it when I saw your dorm, so I stopped."
"What did you stop for?"
"Ahem. Ms. Schnee, I was wondering if…if you…if you would…Gah! Why is this so hard?!"
"Why is what so hard?" Yang asked.
"Asking a girl to the dance." Realizing what he just said, Titian's face turned red from embarrassment. Weiss was also blushing, while Yang and Ruby were trying not to laugh. The boy standing at the door could fight off an advanced military weapon without even flinching, but when asking their teammate to the dance he was shaking in his boots. Finally, recovering from his embarrassment, he straightened himself and once again addressed Weiss.
"Would you like to come to the dance with me, Ms. Schnee?" he finally asked. His answer was Weiss slamming the door in his face, her face still red from embarrassment. "So, that's a no?" He asked through the door.
"Yes, that's a no." she replied, "I will say this though. A tuxedo doesn't suit you. You would probably look better in uniform. Also, please tell Theodore that Blake didn't listen to us."
"Thanks for the info and I will. Have a good night." They all then heard as he walked away from the door. Weiss looked to see Ruby with a confused face and Yang with a smirk.
"What?!" she asked.
"And that is why they call you the Ice Queen." Yang replied.
"All my life, boys have only cared about the perks of my last name. Besides, I already have a date in mind."
"Date or no date." Ruby said, "None of this will matter if we can't get Blake to go."
On the roof, Jaune was training with Theodore with his claymore. Both boys were trading blows from each other at a moderate pace. The blonde knight had just finished sparring with Pyrrha, so Theodore decided to train Jaune in defensive maneuvers. While swinging his sword, the young sorcerer forced Jaune onto one knee and brought his sword down. He was surprised to see him react by holding the claymore with up above his head horizontally. The move was successful in blocking his attack.
"Well done, Jaune." Theodore said while putting his sword down, "You're doing well on your defensive skills. You just need to improve on attacking."
"Thanks Theodore. Couldn't have done it without you or Pyrrha." Jaune replied while getting up. He then held up the sword. "This is an amazing weapon. What metal is it made of?"
"It's a metal from my world. The same metal my sword is made of. Promethium."
"Promethium?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yes. That's what it's called. It's also the same metal Clair's gauntlets are made of." Theodore then turned to Jaune, "Well, you ready to go on to aura? I'm sure Pyrrha would be happy to help."
"Actually, I'm a little tired." Jaune replied, "Do you mind if I just head to bed Pyrrha?"
"Of course not." She said, "See you in the morning."
Once Jaune was out of sight, Pyrrha's smile turned into a frown. This did not go unnoticed by Theodore.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Jaune is having trouble with something, but he won't tell me." She replied, "Maybe I should talk to him in the morning."
"Let me talk to him Pyrrha. It's probably something embarrassing that he is afraid of discussing."
"But Theodore- "
"Pyrrha please. I know you want to help, but there are some things that even guys are sensitive about talking of in front of girls. I think that's what it's about."
The Invincible Girl thought about what Theodore said and came to a conclusion.
"Okay." She said, "You go ahead. I think he's more open to you than me."
"Thanks, Pyrrha." Theodore replied, "Now, I'm going to head to bed. See you in the morning."
Before the young sorcerer could head inside, he heard his name being called.
"Theodore!" Pyrrha nearly shouted, "Do you see Jaune as a friend?"
That question caught Theodore off guard. It was true that Jaune was his friend, but he had started feel very close as if the blonde knight was family. He turned back to Pyrrha.
"I seem him as a brother more than a friend." He answered with a smile. That also made Pyrrha smile. Theodore then headed inside the building to go to bed.
"Clair Vermillion." Emerald announced the name to Cinder who was doing some sewing. Both she and Mercury were in their leader's dorm. While the grey-haired boy was reading a comic, the green haired girl was reading information on certain students, and Theodore's tiger Faunus teammate happened to be one of them.
"Aaah. The Butcher." Cinder said without looking up, "The Scourge of the White Fang. Possibly the weakest member of Constantine's band of misfits."
"I wouldn't call him weak." Mercury said. "There's a reason the White Fang fear him."
"Do tell."
"What do you mean?" Emerald asked, "You beat him with ease at the end."
"Were you not watching?" Mercury retorted putting the comic down and sitting up, "I used one of my most powerful kicks and he caught it, with his teeth. He uses an ancient form of martial arts that's like five hundred years old and makes my style look like it's meant for amateurs. The name has been forgotten through the years, but obviously the style hasn't. He could have easily defeated me from the very beginning. All in all, he was holding back. He let himself get hit."
"Now that you mention it, I noticed that Theodore had his full attention on the fight. Also, before you sent Clair out of the ring, I saw him give a hand signal to the tiger. Maybe, he was telling him to lose. Do you think he's studying us?"
"Huh. We study the students for their strengths and weaknesses," Cinder summarized, "and Constantine studies us for ours. Clever boy. Add him and his whole team to the list."
Emerald punched a few buttons on her scroll and Team CATT was added to the list.
"Taking them down is going to be a problem." Mercury added, "Especially if their leader can use magic."
"It's not about over powering the enemy." Cinder corrected, "It's about taking away what power they have, and we will…in time."
"Ugh. I hate waiting."
"Don't worry, Mercury. We have a fun weekend ahead of us."
AN: Hey, everyone! Sorry for making you wait so long. My month was hectic with both signing up for college and visiting family. I hope these two chapters will be what you were hoping for. Thank you for your patience. Sentinel Prime, out!