I love the response so far! 31 Follows, 19 Favorites, and 5 reviews, all in three chapters! To really make me happy, nearly 1,000 views too! Man, to think this stories only got started last week!

Thanks for all the support! Now, we'll be starting with the good old team announcements before Ozpin starts that wonderful literary device, exposition! …Well, at least the necessary bits, this is Ozpin after all.

Team Meeting

"…you will work together from now on as Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester."

Applause rained from the ballroom crowd and I couldn't help but smile. We'd done it, and by the looks of it, Yang, Weiss, and Blake were going to be my team.

Hmm… I wonder what we'll be called?

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, you retrieved the white rook pieces."

I really couldn't wrap my head around that. The relics we picked up were gold, not white. At least the black relics were called as such.

Ozpin continued unabated. "From here on, you will work together as team JNPR"

Ah, I loved that tree!

"Your leader shall be… Jaune Arc."

I was appropriately shocked, but also happy for him. From what Pyrrha had told me, he'd figured out that taking that… Velocidrame? Velocidrome? Velocidrome's legs out was the key to killing it. He deserved it if you ask me.

Pyrrha gave him a congratulatory punch to the shoulder, but she forgot her strength and sent him to the ground. He got up with her help and then it was our turn.

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

We stepped forward, my excitement clear on my face.

"You retrieved the white knight pieces. From today forward, you will be known as Team RWBY. Led by…"

I was sure it'd be Blake. She was the most mature and level headed of us if you asked me.

"Ruby Rose."

I blinked, not sure I'd heard him correctly. I was the leader? Not Blake?

Weiss was just as shocked as me, her face said as much, but Blake and Yang looked ok so I guess it was fine. In fact, Yang jumped over and hugged me hard, almost squealing about how proud she was.

Ozpin smirked. "Well… it certainly looks like things are shaping up to make this year interesting."

I was too busy being choked by Yang to really process that comment, but we were shooed off the stage and the ceremony continued. We ended up standing next to the newly named Team JNPR and I tried to catch Weiss's eye.

She wouldn't look at me. Instead, she had a glare stuck on her face and eyes boring into Professor Ozpin.

…Did she not like that I was the leader? I mean, I'm just as surprised as she is, but that's a little cold. I haven't even been leader for five minutes and we already had trouble.

I sighed, barely noticing the ballroom start emptying. We just stood around, waiting for Professor Ozpin to finally speak to us. He didn't. All he did was turn around and leave, barely sparing us a glance before the ballroom was empty of everyone save us.

Yang filled the silence. "What was that?! He said we'd speak after the ceremony, but he just left!"

Nora pumped her fist. "Yeah! I wanna know what those lizards we're all about!"

Ren sighed. "Nora, calm down. Professor Ozpin has a reputation for keeping his word."

Blake stared at him. "Yeah, but the rumors say he keeps it in a very roundabout manner. What else can we do but wait?"

I finally pried my eyes away from Weiss. "Well, how about we go see our dorms? May as well see where we'll be staying."

I got nods all around and we started walking. Well, I had to get Weiss moving, but she only huffed and kept silent. I was bummed that she was taking the assignment so poorly, but I pushed it aside when we arrived at our dorm.

Our room had a big old living room with a table and sofa with a big set of glass doors that went out onto a balcony. There were lockers against the wall next to the door we could store all our gear in too! A door lead into a bedroom with four beds lined against one all with desks on the other. That led to another door that had the good old washroom, with three separate showers, four sinks, and three toilets!

It was like a luxury hotel! I wouldn't have to share a shower with Yang for years after a lifetime of fighting for hot water.

I fell to my knees. "Freedom!"

Yang joined me. "Freedom!"

Blake and Weiss just stared at us.

I stood up and flopped on one off the beds. "This one's mine! Oh, and before you ask, Yang and I had to share a shower and toilet for most of our lives. Having more than one is like striking a Dust deposit."

Blake smirked. "I can imagine."

Weiss huffed, speaking for the first time since the ceremony. "Well, I wouldn't know. But, I demand that I get the showers to myself. I refuse to bathe in the company of others."

Yang laughed. "Ah, come on, princess. We're all girls, there's nothing wrong with it."

I rolled my eyes, aware that Yang just wanted to ogle Blake. Thankfully, that problem solved itself. "Sorry to say, Yang, but I need the showers to myself too. I prefer to unwind under the water and having people there is just… distracting."

Yang visibly deflated. "Oh… ok. Looks like it'll just be me and Rubes."

I sighed. "No can do, Yang. Besides, we're too old to be showering together. We'll all just take turns."

Yang sunk to the floor, crocodile tears running down her cheeks. "Nobody loves me! Even my cute little sister has abandoned our once strong bond!"

I sighed. "Yang, stop it. Let's go check on JNPR, they're right across the hall."

Yang shot right back up, tears dry. I rolled my eyes again and dashed over to JNPR's room. "Hey, guys! How's the room?"

The door slammed open to reveal a glowing Nora. No, seriously, she was glowing. "Wonderful! We'll have to make sure the beds are separated, and set up shower times, but it's a nice place. Ren even promised to make pancakes tomorrow to really break this place in!"

Yang joined me. "Oh, that sounds great! Can we join?"

Ren's voice drifted from further in. "I have enough to make pancakes for seven plus Nora. Trust me, she's a demon with those things."

Blake joined the door way party. "Where are Jaune and Pyrrha?"

Nora shrugged. "Oh, there in with the beds, banging away."

Yang and Blake's jaws hit the floor. I didn't get it. "Banging at what?"

Nora smiled. "One of the beds was missing a couple nails. Pyrrha found them and they're hammering them back in."

She gave Yang and Blake a sly look. "What, you think they were doing something else?"

Yang and Blake looked away from me and Weiss finally came out of our room. "What's going on out here?"

Ren's voice drifted through the door again. "Nora's teasing your teammates. Oh, you're all invited to breakfast tomorrow too."

Weiss huffed. "I doubt anyone here can make something up to my standards, but I thank you for the hospitality."

She still sounded upset, but I didn't get to say anything when Pyrrha came into view. "Oh, hello everyone. How's the room?"

Yang pumped her fist. "I don't have to share a shower and toilet anymore! It's great!"

Pyrrha chuckled. "Sounds like it. Oh, if you're wondering about Jaune, he's trying to fix one of the supports on the bed he chose. I found the nails, but the place they need to go is pretty awkward."

I finally got a word in. "Ok, now that we've seen the rooms, what should we do about Professor Ozpin?"

No one answered as our scrolls buzzed. A simple message popped up with a map and one sentence.

Come to my office.

I looked around. "Well, that answers that question. Jaune, Ren, we gotta go!"

Ren joined up quickly, but Jaune took another few minutes. There were some bangs and a few muffled words before Jaune finally joined us. He looked frustrated, but a pat from Pyrrha had him back to normal. Otherwise, we didn't speak as we wound our way through the academy until we found Professor Goodwitch.

She looked us up and down when we stopped. "Professor Ozpin is waiting for you in his office. Take this elevator and press the button for the twenty fifth floor."

She gestured to the door beside her and left. We didn't have any other options so we squeezed our way into the elevator and suffered the wait as it rose.

We almost spilled out of the elevator when it stopped and the doors parted, but we had to pause and admire the room.

We were in or just below Beacon's clock, the massive gears turning over our heads. The room was otherwise spacious and empty save for the green light of the tower's lanterns and a single, arched desk standing on four legs. There was a holographic screen on the table's surface, with Professor Ozpin sitting in a chair with arms resembling a split gear.

He stood as we walked forward. "I'm glad you came so soon. Now then, there's something I need each of you to do."

His eyes swept over us. "First… Nora Valkyrie. Please, concentrate your aura in your stomach and let it loose."

Nora recoiled like he'd slapped her, Ren's face going tense right along with her. "Why do I need to do that?"

Ozpin sipped at his coffee. "To prove something. Don't worry, I'll be asking everyone present to do the same."

Weiss stomped forward. "Why should we?! We came for answers, not to jump through hopes for your amusement!"

His gaze bored into Weiss and, for the first time, I saw her back off. He took another sip. "As I said, all of you shall be doing this. Now, Ms. Valkyrie, if you would?"

Nora shared a nervous glance with Ren and my nerves flew through the roof when she nodded. Why was he asking Nora and the others to do the same thing he asked me when I met him? They couldn't be like me, could they?

Nora took a deep breath and screwed her face in concentration. A moment later, my hair stood on end and Nora became surrounded by green tinged lightning while her arms took on a shiny appearance. There were faint patterns on her shiny arms and I couldn't help but be reminded of a butterfly.

Her eyes opened and my guess was confirmed. Her right eye was the same light blue that had such cheer in it while her left eye was an electric green that had no pupil that I could see, just a white circle where it normally was.

Ozpin nodded at what he saw. "Good, thank you. Ms. Valkyrie. Mr. Ren, it's your turn."

Nora sighed and the change faded away. She nodded to Ren and he stepped forward, his aura making my hair stand even higher. He sighed and the change came over him, his arms pulsing with bright blue veins. His eyes opened and revealed what I knew now was a pattern. His left eye was its normal purple, but the other was a violent, raging red with a thin pupil.

Ozpin shook his head. "Thank you, Mr. Ren. I must say, yours is very ironic."

Ren sighed again and his change faded, his face as consternated as the rest of us felt.

"Now, Ms. Nikos."

Pyrrha was obviously nervous, taking a few steps back before Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. I was proud of him for doing that, but my nerves drowned that feeling with prejudice.

Pyrrha took a deep breath before her aura concentrated and my hair turned into a pair of wings. Her change had arcs of electricity run over her skin and small wigs with orange skin sprang from her back with a wet tear. I had to gulp back my bile, but her eyes scared me.

Her left was the kind green we'd all gotten used to while the other was a violent orange that bespoke a desire for blood and death.

Ozpin nodded. "How appropriate. You can let go, Ms. Nikos, it's alright."

Pyrrha loosed a shuddering breath and nearly collapsed as her wings evaporated. Jaune caught her and helped her stand when Ozpin turned to him. "Now you, Mr. Arc."

Jaune scratched at his head. "Uh, I, really can't control my, uh, aura."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed. "It's quite easy. You've already felt it, so reach out for it, grab it, and push it into your core."

Jaune looked to Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, and me before nodding slowly. He took a deep breath and scrunched his face. I knew he was trying hard, but his face was funny. I barely stifled a giggle, before my hair flew into a full-on afro.

His change was at immediate odds with what I knew about him. Scales of gold rippled down his arms and two black horns sprouted from his forehead. Then, his eyes opened, the right a normal deep blue while the left was a violent red with a burning orang iris and horizontal pupil.

Ozpin nodded again. "Hm, how ironic. You're done, Mr. Arc. Let it go and breathe."

Jaune did just that and the changes evaporated into thin air. I gulped, knowing it was my turn next.

Ozpin turned to me and my team. "Now, for Team RWBY. Ms. Rose, I know I've asked this of you already, but there must be no secrets between these teams, not with what comes."

I sighed. "I'd be more willing if you told us what was coming."

Ozpin kept his cool. "All in good time, Ms. Rose. Now, if you would."

I sighed and felt the familiar rush as my aura filled my core. I felt the lightning coalesce around me and my left eye shift. Something new joined the changes, a ring of scales forming around my changed eye.

Ozpin nodded. "Please, turn to the others. They must see your eye."

That was odd. He hadn't asked anyone on JNPR to do that. "Why?"

Ozpin's face remained stoic. "They need to see it. You've seen the eyes of the others, you aren't so special as to be spared from that."

I nodded reluctantly and turned to my teammates. Yang looked sick, Blake looked even more guarded than usual, and Weiss looked furious.

I could guess why for the first wo, but why was Weiss so mad?

Ozpin spoke again. "That is all, Ms. Rose. Relax."

I did, letting the power slip beneath the surface and my body returned to normal. Man, what was going on that we needed to show what were obviously closely guarded secrets?

Ozpin cleared his throat. "Ms. Schnee. Please stop glaring a hole in your leader and proceed."

Weiss would have none of it. "Why should I do anything you say?! MY father will not take this insult lightly!"

Ozpin stayed stoic, unimpressed. "Your father doesn't know, Ms. Schnee. Before now, no one besides yourselves knew about this. Now please, dispense with the empty threats and proceed."

Weiss ground her teeth, the action audible in the near silent room. It was only after Ozpin stared her down that she finally conceded. She took a deep breath like the rest of us and the temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees. Pure white glyphs formed around her and we watched as her canines grew longer than her lower lip. When she opened her eyes, the left was the normal light blue while the right was an ice-blue with a slit pupil.

It didn't detract from her beauty in my eyes whatsoever. If anything, the changes only made her even more lovely.

"That's enough."

Weiss huffed and she returned to normal. Only Blake and Yang were left.

Ozpin looked at Blake. "Ms. Belladonna, if you would. And don't try to weasel out of this, I'm the reason you're here in the first place."

Blake grit her teeth, my eyes gazing at her curiously. What did the Professor mean by that? Blake's gaze turned into a glare, but she complied.

She took a deep breath, but her shadow shot out and formed into an inky silhouette that vaguely resembled her. But what drew my eye was the streak of red lining the double's eyes and the gold eyes with diamond pupils glaring at the room.

Ozpin nodded. "Enough. Dispel your shadow, Ms. Belladonna."

The double vanished and Blake gasped for breath. I guess that had taken more out of her than I thought.

Ozpin turned to Yang. "And, last but not least, Ms. Xiao Long. Go ahead."

Yang scratched her head. "Uh… there's nothing valuable here, right?"

Ozpin shrugged. "Anything you can destroy, Professor Goodwitch can fix."

Yang shrugged and took her deep breath. Her most immediate change was her right eye becoming blood red with a rectangular pupil, but I soon noticed a green slime oozing from her arms and hands.

Ozpin nodded. "I see, very appropriate. Relax please. Oh, and please stand back everyone."

I blinked before noticing that some of the slime had dropped to the floor. Yang had already leapt away and I dashed backwards right before the slime glowed and exploded.

The bang deafened everyone in the close quarters, but the ringing faded quickly. When everyone could hear again, Ozpin tapped his cane. "Hm, not as big a blast as I was expecting."

His gaze swept over our confused and angry faces. "Now then, I can answer what you've been wanting to know. You just have to listen to a bit of background or nothing I say will make sense."

We collectively groaned, even Weiss, but Ozpin ignored us. "First, you should know that the beasts you fought are from old lineages, lineages older than any human line could ever hope to claim. They were among the first species to ever conquer and colonize Remnant when the world was still young."

He took another sip. "They are also the first to ever war with the Grimm."

Weiss interrupted. "That can't be! The Grimm didn't exist before humanity!"

Ozpin stared her down. "What they teach you in primary school is what the majority believe, a convenient way of keeping the curious from the truth. Now, as I was saying, the beasts were the first to war with the Grimm, their shapes and sizes as varied as their enemies."

He started to pace. "The beasts warred with the Grimm for centuries and did the one thing humans have never done. They pushed the Grimm to the very edge of the world."

I gaped, not sure what to think. Neither did anyone else if Pyrrha's words meant anything. "They…nearly defeated the Grimm?"

Ozpin nodded. "Indeed. But, before they could finish the job, humanity came into the picture. Whereas the only negative emotions the beasts could feel were jealousy and rage, humanity offered a great variety of negative emotions for the Grimm to feast on. The beasts, sensing this, declared war on the nascent humans."

Jaune spoke next. "Wait, we should have heard about this! I may not know much, but there are stories that go back to when humans were just tribes. Surely we'd have heard of them."

Ozpin smirked. "Oh, so you do have some grey matter in there. You are correct, we have records going back to the earliest days of human civilization. But, they present the beasts they fought as Grimm, again to hide the truth."

I heard Weiss hide a chuckle at the barb and I had to hide my own smile. Jaune was pretty flighty, but that was just part of the charm.

Ozpin gave me a knowing look. "The beasts nearly drove the human tribes to extinction, but it was the discovery of aura, semblances, and Dust that turned the tide. The beasts were turned away, but no weapon the humans created could kill the beasts. But, they'd found a way to kill the Grimm that hounded them between the beast's attacks and the leaders at the time had an idea.

Ozpin turned and walked to the window behind his desk. "They devised a ritual, one that would defeat the beasts and allow them to focus their energy on the Grimm. Using all the Dust they could gather and the aura of their people, the beasts were sealed into the earth. But, the ritual was not without consequence."

He turned back to us. "When the ritual occurred, the land was but one continent, no islands, and the moon was whole. The beasts attempt to fight the ritual and the enormous energy used to complete it shattered the land into its current shape while the moon broke apart. From there, the beasts were slowly forgotten by all save the ones charged to guard the seal. That's why you hear the tales of the war with the beasts referred to as battles with Grimm."

A faint memory came to me when he said that, even as we all struggled to wrap our heads around what we were hearing. "Hey, Yang? Didn't… didn't mom read us a story about this?"

Yang nodded slowly, her voice subdued. "Yeah… the book talked about 'Grand Beasts', it even listed a bunch of names. I just thought it was a fairy tale, hell the book's back home."

Ozpin nodded. "Right you are, Ms. Rose, Ms. Xiao Long. Only a single book exists that details the names of the so called 'Grand Beasts' leaders and species. In fact, a part of the legend was that the keepers of the seal were all born with silver eyes."

I gulped, feeling all eyes turn to me. That… was a lot to take in, heck all of this was.

Ozpin wasn't done. "But, that seal they were supposed to keep was not perfect. The sheer rage the beasts held at being imprisoned was enough to escape the seal and influence the world. Though, contrary to what you may think, Faunas were not born from that influence. They are a separate species all their own."

Blake stalked forward. "What does any of this have to do with what you made us show?! We want some answers!"

Ozpin sighed. "That's what I was about to get to. Please relax, Ms. Belladonna."

Blake stood down, a growl rumbling in her throat. Ozpin was unperturbed and kept going. "The influence of the beasts was not strong enough to do much of anything, so the keepers ignored it. As time went by, the Grimm lost their original forms and changed to better fight humans. But, as time went by, the beasts influence slowly grew until humans that were compatible began to take on the powers of certain beasts."

Oxygen fled the room, all of us taking sharp breaths. "Professor… what does that mean?"

Ozpin sighed. "It means that each of you holds the power of one such beast in you. It is, by no means, the full power of the beast, but no one has ever lived long enough to see if that changed. People born with the powers would generally start showing traits like what you have shown me when their auras were unlocked, and the people thought such individuals were heralds of disaster."

He sipped again. "As you might imagine, few if any saw the next sunrise."

I turned green at the thought, suddenly very glad Dad was the only to see me like that till now. "But… what does it mean?"

Ozpin sighed. "As I said, I do not know. But, there has only ever been one Icon, what we call the individuals with such powers, at any time. In fact, the last confirmed Icon died a century ago. To have eight of you at once, followed by the reappearance of the lesser beasts, can only mean one thing.

Ren, silent for the explanation, spoke. "The seal's weakening."

Ozpin nodded. "On the nose, Mr. Ren. The location of the seal has long been lost to us, but as you saw, it takes considerable effort to kill even the lowest of the beasts. The Grimm can do nothing either, as it will take them many years to adapt to their return. By the time they did so, the beasts could have razed both human and Grimm to ash on the wind."

Nora groaned. "Ok, that sounds bad, but why are we here?"

Ozpin smiled for the first time since we'd entered. "Simple, you will be hunters and huntresses. With your powers, you are uniquely qualified to go and hunt down the beasts that have escaped the seal. In fact, you are likely the only ones short of the most experienced hunters able to fight the higher beasts."

And so, the point came out. We were not just hunters of Grimm, but also of beasts. That was… kinda cool.

I heard Yang sigh. "Alright, but what can we do about it? Sure, we took down those lizards, but it took four of us for one of them. If they're the weak ones, we won't have a prayer against the big ones."

Ozpin smirked. "And that is why you are here. To train. In addition to your normal curriculum, you will be given special courses to help train the powers you have. You will harness them, control them, make them more efficient, and slowly work them into your own style until your use it as easy as breathing."

Jaune's hand shot up again. "So, uh, what about other people?"

Ozpin shrugged. "I want you all to keep this a secret. Until more concrete evidence of the beasts' reemergence appears, the leaders of the world will simply dismiss the news and you will be arrested and studied. Two measly corpses will simply not suffice as evidence."

Jaune's hand dipped and I just had to ask what Ozpin meant. "When you say evidence, what do you mean?"

Ozpin stared at me. "Why, corpses of course. Both human and beast. By the time, you are ready to go out into the world and the world you enter realizes the problem, we may very well be staring down an army more powerful than any silly machine force Atlas can create."

Weiss looked ready to explode. "Then why don't you tell us what the names of these 'beasts' that are so important are? What do we have the power of?"

Ozpin gazed at her. "Hm, a simple question, but one with no easy answer. The best I can do is tell you the tiers of beasts you will likely encounter, what the names of your beasts are, and what tier they are. Everything else will have to come with time."

Weiss looked mollified at least. That meant no screaming for us, yay!

Ozpin cleared his throat. "The beasts were once classified in terms of stars, one being the least threatening to six being a living cataclysm. Each beast gets exponentially more dangerous with every star, the ones and twos being foot soldiers, the threes acting as captains, the fours as lieutenants, the fives as generals, and the sixes as supreme commanders. Even among the fives and sixes them exist beasts known as 'Elders' that are dangerous enough that one can burn somewhere like Patch to the ground in a single day."

I gulped, not liking that imagery. If Ozpin noticed my hesitance, he didn't show it. "Now, as for the beasts each of you holds, I'll go in reverse order. First, Ms. Xiao Long, you hold the power of Brachydios, a five-star beast."

Yang puffed up a bit, glad to hear she had the power of something awesome.

"Ms. Belladonna, you hold the power of the Nargacuga another five-star beast."

Blake was stoic, her eyes narrowed in thought.

"Ms. Schnee, you hold the power of the Barioth, again, a five-star beast."

Weiss huffed, just glad to know the name.

"Ms. Rose, I'll come to you in a moment. I need to make sure my observation is correct before I can say for sure."

I groaned, tired from the stalling and the long roundabout explanation we'd gotten. The sun was setting for crud's sake!

"Anyway, Mr. Arc, you have the power of the Shagaru Magala, a six-star beast and one of the Elders."

Jaune recoiled. "Wait, what?! I have something like that?!"

Ozpin shook his head. "No need to be so surprised, Mr. Arc. You are still new to your power, so you'd stand little chance against a three-star Icon."

Jaune's mood deflated and Pyrrha gave him an encouraging slap on the back along with Nora. Ren then helped him back up.

"Ms. Nikos, you have the power of the Rukodiora, another six-star beast and another member of the Elders."

That didn't surprise most of us except Jaune. Pyrrha was already very strong from what we'd seen, so why not throw a super powered lizard in there?

"Mr. Ren, your beast is rather ironic. You hold the power of a Grimclaw Tigrex, a notoriously aggressive and rare member of the Tigrex species. It is a five-star beast."

Ren sighed, likely knowing that much teasing would be coming from Nora, Yang, and yours truly after this.

"Now, Ms Valkyrie. Your beast is the Astalos, a five-star."

Nora pumped her fist, glad to not be the odd one out and have something lower than five stars. Now, it was my turn and Ozpin gazed at me, his face unreadable.

"You, Ms. Rose… yes I'm sure of it. Your beast is known as the Stygian Zinogre, or the Stygian for short. It is a five-star beast unique amongst its brethren in that it has the power to slay even Elders."

That… that didn't make sense! He'd just told us that Elders were incredibly powerful! I mean, I just didn't know what to believe anymore.

Ozpin smirked at our confused faces. "I'll leave that particular mystery with you. I have one more thing before you all leave to stew on this though."

He had our full attention, though we were all reeling from the information being thrown at us.

He smiled. "From today forth, when you're taking the special courses, you will answer to the call sign Team JMPR, as you are the first to jump in so to speak. It may not match the names, but it'll do. Now, your combined teams will be led by Ruby Rose. The second in command will be Jaune Arc."

He turned his back to us, staring at the moon. "That is all I have to say. You are dismissed. …Oh, and I wish you luck in the coming term."

He did not speak again and we knew it was time to leave. We just… happened to leave with more questions than answers, all things told. The elevator ride and the walk back to the dorms were quiet, everyone lost in thought or steaming in anger.

We separated in the hall and took our turns in the washroom, still silent. I guess we were all too tired and spun around to think much, let alone talk.

We all ended up in our beds, but I couldn't really sleep. There was just too much to think about and I needed to do something with my hands. So, I snuck out of my bed and started going through my luggage. A few minutes later, I was staring at a worn old book with a note stuck to the front.

Hey, Ruby.

I know we had to pack for you to go to Beacon in a hurry, but I wanted to make sure you got this. Your mother used to read to you from this book all the time and I know its special to you. Please, keep it close and remember that your mother and I love you, always.

Love, Dad.

I let a sad chuckle past my lips. "Geez Dad… you're such a sap."

But, I could find out what my beast really was now. I knew the book didn't have a lot of details, but it would answer my questions for now. I took a dep breath and flipped to the glossary page in the back and found the entry I wanted. It was faded, but I could still read it.

Stygian Zinogre.

One of the most powerful of the Grand Beasts, the Stygian Zinogre, or Stygian for short, was known as the leader of the Grand Beast's armies. The Elders respected and feared the Stygian for it had nearly unequalled control over the most powerful of their elements, Dragon. The Dragon element was the one weakness of nearly every Elder to exist and even those that were not weak to it still respected its power. It was by this distinction that the Stygian gained the title, 'Slayer of Gods' for its power over the one thing that could naturally topple the godly Elders.

I couldn't help a low whistle. That sounded freakin awesome, if I do say so myself. I really wanted to go find the entries for the others, but I could feel my scroll buzzing. I opened it and found a message from Plush.

To: RoseWolf

From: WhitePlush

Hey, sorry for not messaging earlier. I got stuck in a meeting that took a long time. I don't think you're awake now, but if you are, want to chat? I need to get some stuff off my chest.

I smiled and typed a yes right away. I wasn't expecting a large message to pop up only a few minutes later.

To: RoseWolf

From: WhitePlush

Ok, so, I had a hard day in the forest today. My partner kept trying to show off and impress me, but all it did was get us in trouble. Then, we got chased through the forest by a couple a Grimm and we wouldn't have made it out if it wasn't for our other team members and some others. I got stuck on a Nevermore because of them!

I hummed, tapping back my sympathies. I don't remember seeing any other Nevermores beside the one Weiss and I rode, but Plush may have been in another part of the forest.

Another message popped up.

To: RoseWolf

From: WhitePlush

Thanks, that makes me feel better. But, during the ceremony today, my complete ding of a partner got chosen as leader! I don't know why either. Personally, I feel I or one of my teammates was better qualified, but I can't change Professor Ozpin's mind. Besides, they're an immature dolt that I'm sure couldn't lead a horse to water if the river was ten feet away.

I snorted, tapping back a favorite bit of snark that I knew made Plush laugh. After I sent the message, I swear I heard some giggles drift through the door to where the others were sleeping. I just chalked it up to Yang having one of her dreams and looked back to my scroll. A minute later, a new message popped up.

To: RoseWolf

From: WhitePlush

Thanks, you really know how to lift my mood ^_^. Anyway, then we got dragged into that long meeting and I got so mad at everything that I was just laying here. I'm trying to be quiet, but I think my dolt of a partner's working on their weapon. They're a real nut with that thing.

Oh, a fellow nut? I tapped back a request for us to meet up the next day, maybe at lunch. I'd bring my team and Plush would bring theirs. I heard a humming through the bedroom door and this time I walked over and peaked through the small opening I'd left.

Yang and Blake were still asleep, that much was clear, but I could see a faint light glowing under Weiss's sheets. My throat went dry and I gulped, trying to calm the nerves that rose in my stomach. My scroll buzzed and I checked the message.

To: RoseWolf

From: WhitePlush

That sounds good. Mind sending me a description so I can find you?

I gulped hard and got my scroll ready. I slowly opened the door and slipped inside before walking to Weiss's bed silently. I typed my message, a simple.

To: WhitePlush

From: RoseWolf

Hey Plush?

My message went off and I heard a buzz from under Weiss's sheets. I could hear her fingers type at her scroll and I barely remembered to silence my scroll when the next message popped up.

To: RoseWolf

From: WhitePlush

What is it? Can't make it?

I took a silent breath and sent my message.

To: WhitePlush

From: RoseWolf

Plush… I think I've already seen you. I think I'm in the same room as you. I'm not sure, but can you sit up?

I held my breath as the message went flying. I could hear the buzz again and I saw Weiss's shadow shift under the sheets. I heard her hum before keys tapped again and another message popped up.

To: RoseWolf

From: WhitePlush

Um, ok.

I took a couple steps back and I sighed as Weiss sat up in her bed. We locked eyes and realization lit up her face.

"You!"

I slapped my hand over her mouth and pointed at the others. They'd barely stirred, but better safe than sorry. Weiss's eyes grew before she nodded and I let go. After that, I mimed for her to meet me in the living room and we snuck out before taking a seat.

Silence stretched between us before I spoke first. "So… you're WhitePlush."

Weiss nodded. "And you're RoseWolf. It's pretty obvious now that I think about it."

Silence stretched on again before Weiss sighed. "Ruby, look… I'm sorry. I know, I've been a real pain since yesterday."

I sighed too. "No, no, it's ok. I was being a blockhead and I deserved the scolding."

I looked at her, curiosity slowly taking hold. "So… how did you even get signed up for the messaging program? I mean, you're super rich, you shouldn't have to do that."

Weiss sighed. "It's not that great, being rich. I just get to be a doll for my father and get paraded all over the place. I signed up without his permission. I just… wanted somewhere to vent I guess."

I almost smiled. "You're being pretty straight forward. I was expecting you to tell me nothing about yourself until we were third years."

Weiss shrugged. "I didn't think I'd ever tell you. But, we've known each other for what, seven years? That earns trust if you ask me."

I chuckled, smiling when she tilted her head. "Sorry, I just find it funny that we've been friends online for years but the moment we meet in real life we hate each other."

Weiss cracked a smile. "Yeah, it's pretty ironic."

We shared a laugh before silence fell over us again. I twiddled my thumbs. "Ya know… this is not how I imagined us meeting."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Duh, of course not. No one wants to meet their friend of seven years when they just finished insulting you."

I frowned. "Do you… really think I can't be a leader?"

Weiss looked away. "Ruby… I'll be honest, no. Before this, I was partly jealous since I wanted to be leader, but that's gone at least. Now though, I just think you're too young to be thrust into so much responsibility. I mean, you technically lead two teams."

I sighed. I understood her concerns, but I felt ready for this. "Weiss, I understand. But, Professor Ozpin chose me and I need to do this. I haven't been a leader before, but I'll do my best."

Weiss shook her head. "I'll help. Knowing you, you'll be seven different kinds of peppy in the morning, but not all of us are like that."

I laughed for the first time that night. "Wouldn't have it any other way. Glad to finally meet you, Weiss, even if we got off on the wrong foot."

Weiss stretched over the table and grabbed my hand, shaking it with a smile. "Likewise, Ruby."

We stared at each other before we burst into giggles. We weren't usually serious in our messages and the unusually formal talk we'd just had tickled us.

I was just glad she'd realized what she'd been doing. Now, we just needed to get everything unpacked tomorrow and go to class.

Nothing could go wrong!

~Morning~

Everything went wrong.

First, we all woke up to get our things unpacked. Then, I accidently sliced the curtains and we had to sew them back together. Then, our beds wouldn't fit so we had to jury-rig bunk beds out of rope and Blake's books. Then, we realized we were late and had to sprint to our first class to make it on time, Team JNPR hot on our heels, to discover the very longwinded Professor Port.

The only interesting part came when Weiss had to fight a Boartusk, but she took care of it easy.

After that it was a swirl of classes until lunch finally came. But, even that was soured by the obvious bullying of a faunas student. I was able to drag her out of that and sat her with us until her team arrived. Her name was Velvet if you must know, and we got introduced to the resident fashionista, Coco, when she left.

Then came the afternoon classes and we all just wanted to slink to our rooms. But, Professor Goodwitch held us back and outlined what we'd be doing for 'supplemental instruction'. In other words, we had three specialized combat classes just for us and our abilities at the end of each day, homework included.

It was that day that you could hear everyone's soul give a crushing wail before withering into a husk.

The one thing that we could all agree on, even the perfectionistic Weiss and Pyrrha?

"Sleep is ambrosia."

~Fin~

Ah, exposition. A time-honored tactic, but of much ill repute these days.

Anyway, hope that answers most questions. There are some deliberately left unanswered, but this wouldn't be fun, or be Ozpin, if he told the whole the truth the entire time.

If anyone requires clarification or further explanation, please leave a review or message me. Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy!