Ha! Bet you guys weren't expecting a chapter from this story with a 8k word count!
WOO!!
Phew...ok, moving on--I'm not putting a disclosure here this time, nor in any other chapter after this one, because you guys are already PLENTY aware I don't own RWBY.
So yeah.
Also, completely unrelated side-note, I will be talking about a possible story, but I'll go into more detail about it at the end of the chapter. Here's a hint though:
It's not a RWBY story.
Anywho, with that said, onward with le chapter!
"Again!"
With gritted teeth, Matthew stood up once again, stumbling a bit from the previous hits he'd taken before forcing himself upright, taking a quick inhale and exhale to calm himself as much as he could.
It didn't do much to actually calm him down, but luckily for him, the action went uninterrupted by his teacher, allowing for a few seconds for him to grow just a little more accustomed to the sore feeling in most of his muscles.
But all good things had to come to an end, after all.
Matthew tensed the muscles in his legs, ignoring the urge to wince at the moderare pain, and charged towards the blonde, who made no attempt to enter a combat stance.
Taiyang smoothly side-stepped Matthew's punch, going straight for a counterattack with a right hook; however, the Earthling was quick to react, almost instinctively tilting his body slightly to the left, Taiyang's punch flying by his ear with a piercing sound.
Using quick footwork, Matthew distanced himself from Taiyang, a small squeaking sound from his shoes filling the room as he forced himself to stop. Sweat ran down his forehead and dripped both off his nose and his chin, brown eyes focused on the blonde Huntsmen-in-Training, who stood casually, but with a tense aura surrounding him.
'A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready..'
The sudden reference to the Dragon made Matthew smile just a bit on the inside, but he quickly shook the thought off, deciding that he could enjoy what little nostalgia he had later.
As he was about to take a step forward, his teacher suddenly charged, leaving Matthew in a state of surprise and wide open for an attack, a state which Taiyang tried to take advantage of.
Unfortunately for him, whatever battle senses the amnesiac seemed to have kicked in as he almost immediately snapped back into focus as he slightly lowered his body to gain firmer footing, eyes focused dead on the blonde headed straight for him.
Taiyang led with a flying side kick, which Matthew swiftly avoided by moving to the side with agile footwork, bouncing slightly in place for a few moments before steadying himself. Taiyang quickly recovered and began to send a series of punches towards Matthew, who managed to just barely dodge all of them, the Earthling making sure to keep his eyes open and focused on the attacks as they came zooming at his face.
'All of his punches are smooth and flow really well. One attack allows for a natural introduction to the other, and the process repeats over and over again...' Matthew thought with a frustrated look on his face as he continued to dodge punches, 'As much as I wanna break the rythym he's building with his chain of attacks, it's hard to find an opening...unless..?'
The flame of determination in Matthew's eyes burned brighter as he swiftly dodged a punch, immediately moving with its momentum as he grabbed Taiyang's forearm and put another hand under the blonde's shoulder, placing one foot far back enough to make it hit against Taiyang's, disrupting the blonde's balance.
STRQ's martial artist could only let out a brief sound of surprise and confusion before getting flipped over the amnesiac's shoulder, his back hitting the floor with a hard thud, the sound of the impact on the metal floor echoing slightly on the walls of the combat training room.
"..how did you...?" Taiyang began in genuine confusion and surprise, a shocked expression on his face. Though he almost felt like smiling at the sight of a matching expression on the Earthling's face, as said teen breathed heavily with sweat running down his face, blinking at a moderate pace.
"I-I...Hell if I know..." Matthew muttered, his grip on Taiyang loosening as he lost focus on his hold on Taiyang. His mind, at that moment, was somewhat of a swirling whirlpool, thoughts running wild as he tried to find the answer to a single question:
'How...how the hell did I do that?'
The technique he used had left his mind racing, as it wasn't even what he intended to do. Really, he intended to try to utilize a counterattack in the form of a jab once Taiyang had extended his arm to a certain degree. But once the moment presented itself, an...odd, feeling overcame him. Almost instinctive, really. Like his mind was thinking of a plan, but his body knew what to do and acted before he could act out the plan in his head.
It left him in a surprised daze; unfortunately for him though, that didn't mean the fight was over.
"Agh!" Matthew let out a surprised and somewhat pained shout as he felt a hand jerk his foot off from the ground, causing him to fall flat on his back on the metal floors of the combat training room, a pained cough leaving his mouth as he winced a moment later, "Fuck, that hurt..."
"SWEAR!" Summer shouted angrily from the stands, a shaking finger pointed accusingly at the Earthling. A smirk then came onto his face as he triumphantly pointed to the ceiling.
"Ha! Jokes on you! I don't even have any lien!" He confidently announced. He'd been somewhat hesitant to curse with Summer nearby at first, but as soon as he realized that he had no lien to give her if he ever did, it was as if a lock to a door holding back every urge to curse he'd ever had since he stopped had broken, much to his relief and smug satisfaction.
Though, a moment of silence followed his declaration of, what he saw as, victory, before a sigh was let out nearby.
"I don't think that's something you should be celebrating, man." Taiyang noted as he stood up, then rolling his neck around, causing it to release several popping sounds, seemingly followed by a feeling of satisfaction, judging by the relaxed smile and posture Taiyang gained.
"It is for now, at least!" Matthew said with a grin before placing his hands just above his head and pushing upward with his legs, his back and legs rising off the ground. He then tried to force his legs forward in an attempt to land in a crouched position.
Though instead, he not only landed in the position he was in at the beginning, but he also ended up slamming his head hard on the floor.
"Ow! Fuck a duck!" He spat out painfully as he rolled to the side, clutching the back of his head with both hands. This result was immediately met with roaring laughter from the stands and contrastingly dead silence from Taiyang, who looked at the Earthling with a dull expression.
"Hahahahahaha! Oh man, I don't know what's funnier-how creative you are with curse words, or how bad you screw up at the end of these training sessions!" Qrow managed to get out in between fits of laughter so hard that he was left with tears in his eyes and both hands clutching his stomach as he leaned forward in his seat.
"Qrow! What have I told you about encouraging bad habits!" Summer nagged Qrow, who looked at her with a lazy smile.
"Do it in the form of sarcastic comments?"
"That was Raven!" Said female Branwen rose a brow at the comment, taking her attention away from the book in her hand.
"I don't remember-"
"It was during our first year here, and don't try to act like you never said it..!" Summer quickly cut in, Raven pausing before slowly returning to her book in guilty silence.
"Ugh.." Matthew groaned as he sat up slowly, one hand still massaging the back of his head, causing him to wince and sharply inhale with a hiss, while the other lay calmly on his leg.
"You need any help?" Taiyang offered in a concerned tone, though he'd already gotten a few quiet laughs out of his system when Matthew wasn't looking.
"Nah, I'm fine. Just..just give me a minute." Matthew said with a light sigh, a dull pain running through most of his body as he finally took his hand away from the back of his head and let out an exhale rich with exhaustion.
"It's good to see that you're all up so early in the morning." Matthew's, as well as Team STRQ's, attention snapped to the calm voice behind them as the sound of footsteps approached, along with the occasional clang of a long metallic object lightly impacting the cool metal floor.
"Professor Ozpin!"
"Morning, Professor."
"Hey, Professor."
"Good morning, Professor Ozpin."
The greetings from Team STRQ went across in order, Summer and Taiyang sounding the most enthusiastic. Or at least, the most chipper.
Contrastingly, Qrow had a lazy tone with an equally languid smile, while his sister wore her ever-present blasé expression, only taking a moment to glance at the Headmaster before returning to her book.
For the few seconds that she did, at least, as, a few moments after Ozpin entered the room, Raven set the book face-down on her lap, still open.
"Morning, Professor.." Matthew said as he forced himself up onto his feet, pushing his hands against his back as he straightened his posture, causing his back to release a satisfying series of popping sounds as Matthew kept his equally content voice muffled by his closed lips, though a smile present on his face as he did so.
Ozpin chuckled lightly as he eventually came to a stop just a few feet away from Taiyang and Matthew, the latter admittedly slightly raising a brow as he noted the lack of a black mug's prescence in Ozpin's hand.
"It's good to see that you're adjusting well, Matthew." Ozpin noted with a smile, his brown eyes behind his glasses observing the amnesiac with a humored expression before turning his attention to Taiyang, "How is he progressing with his training, Mr. Xiao Long?"
"He's..improving at a faster rate than I expected, to be honest. Though he's definitely still got a lot to learn. Like, for example, not giving his opponent an opportunity to knock him flat on his back-like he does with every training session." Taiyang noted with a chuckle, Matthew pouting as he mumbled a few curses to the side with a light shade of pink rushing his cheeks.
"I see." Ozpin noted with a chuckle of his own before slowly shaking his head with a smile, "Indeed, that is good to hear."
"..so, did you just come here to check up on me?" Matthew asked.
"Well, that is not the sole reason for my visit. Rather, I'm here for Team STRQ." Ozpin replied calmly as he took a glance at the stands for a moment before returning his attention to the two teens in front of him.
"Us?" Summer asked from the stands, Ozpin turning his attention to the white cloaked leader.
"Indeed. I have a mission for you four. As soon as you all finish here, please meet me in my office as soon as possible so that I may further discuss the details of your mission with you all." Ozpin elaborated.
"But what about Matthew?" Summer asked in a concerned tone, the teen in question unconsciously sticking his hands in his pockets.
"I'll be fine here." Matthew reassured, though he noticed Summer wasn't too convinced, a worried look still ever present on her face, with a concerned glimmer in her silver eyes, "It's not like I'll be wandering the streets of Vale. I'm sitting nice and cozy in a school filled with teenagers and adults who fight monsters. For a living." He emphasized while slightly leaning forward, "..even if the teenagers aren't professionals yet."
"...He's got a point there, Sum." Qrow noted with a shrug, Summer shooting him an pout-like look not nearly threatening enough to be called a glare.
"You-!" Summer began, but stopped at the sound of Matthew snickering, the Earthling quickly covering his mouth with a hand as he noticed Summer direct her faux-glare in his direction.
That didn't mean he stopped laughing, though.
Ozpin cleared his throat with a fist covering his mouth, causing both Matthew and Summer to stop and laugh nervously for a moment before letting their laughter trail off into silence.
"...we'll be there as soon as possible, Professor." Taiyang said with an amused smile as he nodded his head towards the headmaster of Beacon Academy, the professor nodding in return with a smile before turning and leaving the combat room, a slightly awkward feeling hanging in the air as the room went silent.
Matthew would've been lying if he'd said the sound of a book slamming shut didn't startle him.
"I suppose we should get going now." Raven said as she rose from her seat, sparing Matthew a glance, "Try not to break anything while we're gone." Raven's blasé attitude made Matthew gain an agitated tick on his forehead, one eyebrow twitching as he watched the female Branwen leave through the doors by the stands. Qrow soon followed suit, casually waving the Earthling goodbye before leaving the room.
"Uh.." Summer began awkwardly, likely trying to think of something to say to the amnesiac before leaving, "..Peace be with you!" Summer exclaimed with a nervous look, as if she'd just said the first thing that came to mind, before rushing out same the door the Branwen siblings left through.
A sharp twinge ran through Matthew's head as a voice played in his mind, as if he were listening to his memories in the form of an audio recording.
"No, I was going through mass, and I was batting like 400. And then, in the middle of mass, the priest said 'Peace be with you', and everyone said 'and with your spirit'." The voice concluded in a tone that sounded baffled beyond belief.
'What's up with his voice?' Matthew thought as he continued to listen to the voice.
"And I was, like, the one pre y2k asshole going 'and also with you!'-What?! Huh?! Wha?!" Matthew was left puzzled by the voice in his head, tilting his head with an expression, the emotion plain on his face.
"What's that supposed to mean...?" He muttered to himself, though he quickly snapped his attention back to Summer, a little worried, "Oh, Summer! Sorry, that's wasn't-aand, she already left...yep." He said with a nod and an internal sigh, popping the "p" at the end.
"...Are you ok, man?" Matthew's attention snapped to Taiyang in surprise, the latter observing the Earthling with a raised brow and a somewhat concerned look on his face, with a tone of voice to match.
"Y-yeah...yeah, I'm fine.." Matthew internally cursed himself for stuttering a little, though he hid his frustration well behind a reassuring smile shined in the blonde's direction, "You should get going though.."
"..." Taiyang remained silent for a few moments, blue orbs looking directly into dark brown ones before his eyes shut as he tilted his head downward, running a hand back through his hair with a sigh, "...Fine..but take care of yourself, alright?"
Matthew did his best to conceal his surprise, nodding quickly in response, turning away from Taiyang and walking towards his hoodie, which he'd left near the edge of the combat circle when he'd begun training just a few hours earlier.
As he walked, Matthew heard the sound of other footsteps mixed in with his, the sound getting increasingly further from him. By the time he'd reached his hoodie, the room was dead silent, aside from a dull, barely noticeable hum, likely from air conditioning, or something along those lines.
The Earthling let out a breath he'd unknowingly been holding as he reached down to grab his hoodie, his fingers stopping just a foot away from it. After a moment of stillness, he let out a slightly frustrated sigh, pulling his hand away and taking a seat next to his hoodie, immediately placing his head into one of his hands, his fingers passing smoothly along his slightly tanned forehead, sweat running down it.
He balled his other hand into a fist as he felt the urge to grit his teeth, but resisted it. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew it was getting to him. He wanted to ignore the feeling, but he could feel it claw its way into the forefront of his mind not too long after he'd tried to ignore the feeling.
His memories.
Though not strong enough to make him panic, a desire to regain them as soon as possible still burned within him, to the point where it not only frustrated him that he didn't know how to regain his memories, but also that Taiyang's advice about patience meant he'd have to take even longer to regain them.
His journey had gotten even longer, and he couldn't even see where the path started.
'Dammit...' He thought in frustration, 'And as if that weren't bad enough, every time I regain my memories it hurts like he-...' He stopped himself short as a realization popped into his mind, soon having to resist the urge to facepalm, 'wait...the memory from a minute ago! It didn't hurt that much!' He exclaimed in his mind, dark brown eyes widening and eyebrows rising in realization, though said eyes and brows narrowed and furrowed respectively as he pondered further, 'But why? All the other ones hurt like hell, so why didn't this one?...maybe only certain kinds of memories hurt? Or maybe the amount of pain for each memory is just random?'
The last thought made him shiver just a little before drooping his head in depression.
'If that's the case, then that just adds another problem to my list...' Matthew thought, finally letting out a tired sigh, 'Great..'
"Do you honestly think he'll end up breaking something just because we were gone?" Taiyang asked a brow raised, his arms crossed.
"You don't think he will?" Raven asked incredulously, a small smirk appearing on her face just a few moments before Summer frowned weakly.
"Guys, can we not talk about him? I'm already worried enough about him right now.." She said as her eyes trailed down to her feet, shifting uncomfortably as she felt her eyebrows furrow and her silver eyes narrow. They then widened abruptly as she felt a hand lightly smack her back, causing the leader to look to her right and see a reassuring smile below a pair of equally familiar red eyes.
"He'll be fine, Sum. No need to worry about him like a momma bird."
"Wha?! Qrow!" Summer's cheeks turned a shade of pink before she dealt Qrow a palm to the side of the face, though not with the amount of impact she wanted. Instead of hitting him hard enough to make him shuffle just a bit, she ended up sending him into the side of the elevator, his body sticking cartoonishly to the inside walls of the elevator like a sticker, eliciting a snicker out of his sister and a sigh out of his partner.
A ding preceded the mechanical humming sound of the elevator doors opening, Ozpin sitting in his table at the opposite end of the room, seemingly having just noticed their arrival, a black coffee mug in one hand and a sheet of paper in the other, his cane leaning gently against his side of the table.
"Welcome...I do hope the journey up here was a pleasant one?" The Headmaster asked after noting Qrow's current status as a sticker on the elevator wall, Summer quickly noticing what he meant and laughing nervously while lightly scratching her cheek with a finger as she stepped out of the elevator.
"The ride up was better than usual." Raven said in a satisfied tone with a smirk as she followed Summer out of the elevator, heels clacking slowly in conjunction with her pace.
"..you want some help, man?" Taiyang eventually asked the male Branwen, making sure to keep one foot where the elevator door would close so that it would remain open. Taiyang never got a response Qrow's body slowly separated from the wall, making a thud as it hit the floor of the elevator, "...okay, I'll just leave you to it.." The blonde said before stepping off the elevator, Qrow somewhat sluggishly standing to his feet before joining the rest of his team.
"..Well, now that you're all here, I suppose we can get started with discussing the details of your mission." Ozpin said as he placed the paper in his hand off to the side of his table, then grabbing a black Scroll that lay on the same side he placed the sheet of paper. Upon activating the Scroll, Ozpin inserted it in a depressed area on the table, the device fitting perfectly in the spot, insertion followed by technological sounds and a high pitched hum before a blue hologram suddenly appeared before the members of Team STRQ.
The hologram was of a forest, encompassing a large circular area in front of Ozpin's table, with trees of varying heights, though most were rather tall. The hologram itself was surprisingly detailed, the leaves on each tree capable of being separated individually if one were to look closely enough.
Raven simply rose both eyebrows in surprise, but said nothing, eyes of red barely widening at the sight of the hologram.
Her teammates, on the other hand...
"Whoa..." Summer began, her voice filled with awe, a similar expression of amazement present on her face as her silver eyes twinkled with curiosity, "just...whoa..."
"What she said..." Both male members of Team STRQ commented simultaneously, wearing the same expression as their leader, minus the twinkling eyes, Ozpin chuckling lightly at their reaction.
"I'm glad to see you're pleased with it. Truthfully, I was uncertain, at first, about installing the technology to produce a hologram in my table...but after seeing your reactions..I think it's safe to say I made the wiser decision." Ozpin finished with a chuckle and an amused smile.
"..So, what of our mission, Professor?" Raven eventually spoke up, breaking the rest of her team out of their awe-stricken daze as they quickly shook their heads to snap out of it.
"Ah, straight to the point, I see." Ozpin noted, Raven's eyes slightly narrowing. Noticing Raven's disguised glare, Summer nervously shuffled around a bit, holding back the subconscious urge to nervously laugh, "Very well..I believe you four are familiar with the area shown in front of you, the Forest of Life?"
Silence filled the room as recognition did the same, none of Team STRQ's members speaking up at first about the mission that led to the Earthling's arrival at Beacon Academy.
"You needn't answer that. Truthfully, it was a rhetorical question. What I do want to discuss, however," Ozpin clasped his fingers together and let his elbows rest on the table, "is the recent surge in the Grimm population within the forest."
Summer could've sworn she heard the aura around Raven tense, and it made her tense just a little bit as well, though not for the exact same reason.
"As you all know, the Forest of Life was previously well known for its nigh vacancy of Grimm, resulting in the eventual construction of a village near the forest, named Burrow."
Summer's eyes warmed at the thought of the village. It had only been about an hour prior to finding Matthew that the members of Team STRQ passed through Burrow village. They'd already been on a mission to help the village with supplies, due to a shortage occurring after a few containers meant to have been delivering food had disappeared. It had only been around half an hour before they'd heard his scream. As soon as that was heard in the distance, Summer was the first to take off, followed by her team, to go save whoever it was that needed to be.
In the end, Summer killed an Ursa, they found an amnesiac, and the rest, as one would say, was history.
"Your mission is to diminish the Grimm population within the forest as much as possible. If complete extermination is within your reach during the mission, then you are to take it; however, if you find that there too many for that to be possible, than you are to pull back. Are we clear?"
All 4 second-year students nodded, though Summer's was slightly hesitant, and the only detail that was off about Raven's was that she was the last to, seemingly encapsulated within her own thoughts.
"Good. A Bullhead will be ready for you four in a few minutes. In the meantime, feel free to whatever you please as you wait."
"Yes, Professor."
"Copy that, Professor."
Summer childishly glared at Qrow's refusal to join them in unison before they made their way towards the elevator, Taiyang and Qrow entering first. Summer went to just a few steps away from the elevator.
"Ms. Branwen," Summer stopped in her tracks, and the ceased sound of heal clacking behind her let her know that her partner had done the same, "may I speak with you for a moment? I promise, it will not take up too much time."
Summer couldn't help but slightly nibble at her bottom lip as she watched Raven observe Ozpin for a few moments, as if trying to find some underlying intention in his words through eye contact alone; though, if such was her intention, then she did well to hide it, as Summer quickly brushed off the thought. She knew her partner had a tendency towards being cynical, or as Raven always corrected, "realistic", but she didn't think Raven wouldn't trust Ozpin.
He was their Headmaster, after all.
"..." Raven remained silent for a few moments before agreeing in her usual response, the Branwen's gaze moving towards Summer's, "I'll be down soon."
Summer hesitated for a moment before nodding gently, making her way towards the elevator, alongside Qrow and Taiyang, her gaze locked onto Raven walking calmly towards Ozpin for as long now as time allowed it, before the doors to elevator closed with the same ding as when they'd arrived.
"Please, feel free to grab a chair, Ms. Branwen."
She didn't want to.
An opportunity like this was something Raven both slightly hoped for and, while she would never admit it, feared. A chance to speak with Ozpin alone, just the two of them, and she'd have been lying if she'd said she wasn't the slightest bit on edge. Her time spent being raised by the tribe, years of fighting and stealing, had honed her instincts for sensing danger around her, as well as being able to tell when people were lying.
Though, the latter was likely partially due to her cynical, or "realistic", as she'd put it, view of the world.
And, while she never felt in danger while around Ozpin, nor did she feel he was ever lying, she couldn't help but feel something was...off, about the man.
He felt wise, almost too wise at times, but he was a trained Huntsman, capable enough to the point where he became a Headmaster of an academy meant to train warriors, so him being wise wasn't really anything that concerning to Raven.
But at the same time...the feeling that something was off about the man continued to nibble away at the back of her mind.
"..." Raven silently pulled up a chair from near the end of the room, bringing it to just over 6 feet away from Ozpin's table. She sat down in it, having to resist the urge to repeatedly bounce a leg on the front part of her sole out of nervousness. Though she was very quick to regain her composure, her mind settling mere moments after she sat down.
"So," Ozpin broke the silence, "I take it you're wondering why it is I wanted to speak with you?"
Raven almost agreed, but had a feeling he wanted more than that. The decision was risky, but she had a feeling he was thinking the same thing as her. While she normally wasn't all for risk taking, this was an occasion where she would have to do so..
"..I'm assuming this is about the boy, Professor?" Raven finally answered, Ozpin raising a brow at her response before chuckling lightly. The Branwen slightly tilted her head in confusion, set just a little bit on edge by his response, wondering if she'd said something wrong, "Professor..?"
"Oh, my apologies. I simply find it amusing that you still refer to young Matthew as a 'boy', even though he is the same age as you.." Ozpin noted, Raven's eyebrows furrowing a bit, "but yes, he is indeed what I wished to discuss with you here today. I wanted to speak with you in particular because you, Ms. Branwen, bear the sharpest mind out of your entire team."
Raven hid it well on the outside, but she was tense on the inside. She knew what Ozpin really meant by those words, and that fact alone sent a shiver down her spine, especially since she'd done it just then. He really meant that she was the best at seeing people's true character. Or at least, seeing emotions they had buried, or been trying to hide, as well as seeing the true meaning behind people's words.
"From what I've been able to gather through seeing young Matthew experience just one flashback, as well as hearing the details of it from him moments after, I've come to the conclusion that he is a somewhat..troubled, individual, and it's possible that the recent surge of Grimm within the Forest of Life has something to do with him."
"...and what, may I ask, does that have to do with me in particular, Professor?"
"Because I have a feeling you've reached the same conclusion."
Raven tensed again, as if she wasn't already, internally cursing the Headmaster's phrasing.
' "Had a feeling?" Yeah, right.'
No, she knew he was almost, if not completely, certain that she had thought the same thing. Why he was seemingly trying to bait her, or so she suspected, however, remained unknown to the red-eyed swordswoman.
"..I'll admit, the thought crossed my mind, but I thought nothing of it." Raven said with a casual shrug, making sure to not only keep eye-contact with Ozpin, but also her cool.
"I see..." Ozpin went silent for a moment, seemingly pondering his response, "..Ms. Branwen, what do you think of young Matthew?"
'Shit..' She couldn't help but curse in her mind, shoving the urge to click her tongue in frustration down her throat. She knew she had to pick her words carefully, believing her response could very well heavily impact the rest of her stay at Beacon.
Be it by being told to avoid contact with Matthew.
Or by being told to get more familiar with him.
But what would work best? The truth, that she didn't trust him, may cause Ozpin to gain a negative, maybe suspicious view towards her, and that could potentially jeopardize the goal she and her brother had when they applied to go to Beacon Academy.
But lying wasn't much better either. She had a feeling Ozpin would see right through artificial words, with brown eyes behind glasses that seemed to look into her soul. And yet, she knew she had to make a choice, and fast, in order to avoid suspicion.
Taking a deep breath in her mind, she kept her calm expression and responded.
"I believe he is exactly what you say he is, Professor-- a troubled boy, with the potential to excel in combat." She truthfully didn't really believe in the part about him excelling in combat, but figured she needed to add something in case Ozpin asked for what else she thought of him.
"And is that all you think of him?"
She was starting to get irritated with how often she had to hide her desire to change facial features, a want to furrow her eyebrows in confusion having to be quelled within her.
'What else could he want?' She wondered.
"Need I think more of him, Professor? Our mission is to train him, and only that." She replied, Ozpin humming quietly as he seemed to ponder her response, his eyes moving down from Raven's to his table. Raven grew tenser little by little with every moment Ozpin spent looking at his table in silence.
And she became worried at the sight of a smile on his face.
"In that case, I believe I may have a proposition for you, Ms. Branwen."
"So."
Thud.
"Fucking."
Thud.
"Good."
Thud. All 3 times, a ringing sound echoed as Matthew's plate shook each time he brought a fist down onto the table with smile.
It'd been about an hour since Team STRQ left for their mission, and Matthew had seen them leave through the cafeteria window as he munched down on a slice of apple pie.
It surprised him a little that not even Summer came by talk to him one last time before leaving, but he figured Taiyang or Qrow, though he leaned more towards it being the blond, likely convinced her not to worry too much about him.
But what bothered him more was the seemingly irritated look on Raven's face as they walked towards the exit point of Beacon Academy's courtyard. Matthew was used to her unimpressed, blasé look, which she seemed to have at almost all times, which would occasionally be replaced by a look that seemed to question if the person she was talking to was a dumbass.
That look was most often directed at either the amnesiac himself or Taiyang.
It was never directed at her brother, Matthew jokingly figuring she'd likely already come to the early conclusion that the answer to the question was yes, in her own mind.
Yet the look she had when they left the school was..different. She seemed irritated. Not pissed, but more seemingly a mix of dull anger and agitation, her emotion shown as she walked ahead of her teammates without sparing them a glance.
'Wonder what was up with her...?' Matthew wondered as he chewed and swallowed another piece of a slice of apple pie. He couldn't help but feel a pleasant shiver up his spine at the flavor, a gleeful smile on his face as he enjoyed the dessert. In mere moments, he finished the slice and walked over to the counter where the lunch lady waited, an empty plate in his hands and a deadpanned expression on her face.
She had slightly tanned skin and deep blue eyes, with black hair pulled back, and bangs held from coming forward by a pale lavender banana tied around the back of her head. She wore a Beacon-issued uniform for her job--a plain black shirt with Beacon Academy's symbol emblazoned on her left shoulder in blue, matching pants and shoes, as well as a pale gray apron.
"Let me guess--another slice?" She asked with a raised brow, the Earthling nodding gleefully before she let out a light chuckle. She reached under the counter, the see-through glass allowing Matthew's eyes to follow her hand as she grabbed a plate with a slice of apple pie and placed it onto the counter. Matthew reached for the plate, but stopped short as he heard her tell him to wait, "Now, I know you've got a hell of a stomach there, but enough's enough, alright? Can't have ya poppin' like a balloon, now." He couldn't help but smile both at the prospect of eating the slice and her accent, which occasionally left something deep in his mind buzzing a dull tune, though he thought nothing of it.
All that mattered to him in that moment was devouring what he considered to be his new favorite treat.
So what if it may or may not have been his 10th slice? He didn't really care, and the way his tongue hungrily licked his lips proved that.
With a quick nod, he picked up the plate with the slice and left the clear one with the lunch lady, walking over to the table where he previously sat before chewing a piece of the apple pie slice.
He couldn't help but groan with satisfaction at the taste, feeling like fireworks were going off in his tastebuds.
"So goood..." He let his voice trail off before practically inhaling the rest of the slice piece by piece until all that was left was a clear plate. He let out a satisfying exhale, lightly rubbing his stomach in a circle with an expression of pure bliss on his face.
Having enjoyed his last slice, Matthew got up and walked back to the counter where the lunch lady awaited, his sneakers squeaking unintentionally with every few steps. There she waited, watching Matthew walk towards the counter with a satisfied smile.
"Thank you for the free food, ma'am!" She couldn't help but let out a brief chuckle at his cheery tone.
"Yeah, well, it won't always be like that. The way you're eatin', I'm gonna have to start chargin' ya eventually." She remarked with a smirk, Matthew laughing nervously before nodding, "Speakin' of which, why don't you have a Scroll, kid?"
Matthew felt a twinge of rage flicker within him, but he quickly quelled it. Not only was the lunch lady really nice, but she was also the one handling his food.
And one never pisses off the person who handles their food.
"O-oh.." He cursed himself for not thinking of an excuse quick enough to avoid his stutter, "well, I'm from..outside the Kingdoms, and Scrolls aren't too common there. Plus, I don't have any money to buy one so..."
"Have ya ever been in Vale before?"
"The city or the continent?"
Matthew laughed nervously and put his hands up as a sign of surrender at the sight of the lunch lady narrowing her eyes, "Sorry, sorry..just slipped out."
On the bright side, he did find out something about himself; He was a smartass.
"To answer your question, I've only ever been in the city once, but I only went to a Dust shop." He explained. Memories of the time spent at the shop weren't held in his mind with much value, but the exact opposite was true for what followed.
Especially his conversation with...it. It's been a couple of days since his recent encounter with the mysterious being that used the voice of Truth from Fullmetal Alchemist as its own. The brief conversation he had with "it" had left him confused and with far more questions than answers, the cluelessness leaving a bad taste in his mouth.
Though, he did at least remember two things, although he wasn't sure if one would help him. Truthfully, one wasn't even a regained memory, but rather words that stuck in his mind from the encounter.
What he considered to be the more important addition, was "it's" remark that he'd fulfilled some sort of requirement, or hit some sort of checkpoint, while suggesting that such an achievement was the reason he was able to meet with "it".
The thought that he might encounter "it" again sent a shiver mixed with anticipation and fear down his spine. He was driven to reobtain his memories and knew that "it" was most likely the key to fulfilling his goal...but at the same time, something about "it" felt..off. And the use of Truth's voice only added to chills sent down Matthew's spine.
The other memory was far more vast, and definitely more enjoyable--the entirety, or at least, the entirety of what he could recall, of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. The feeling of having a mini, incomplete film in his mind was pleasant to say the least, though he couldn't help but feel depressed as his memories stopped at a certain point in a scene, Matthew being forced to jump forward in the story to the next part he remembered.
Though, at the same time...there was something serene and pleasing about it. Finally remembering something from his own world that was..nice, to put it simply. Something that didn't have him with watering eyes that dared to overflow with tears from pain and sadness.
It wasn't particularly exciting, per se, but it left him feeling warm inside.
And that was a feeling he absolutely appreciated.
"Kid!" The lunch lady's voice snapped him back to reality, as she wore a somewhat worried look on her face for a brief moment after the Earthling blinked a few time, a reassured smile gracing her face afterwards, "You alright? Ya zoned out for a bit.."
Had he? He couldn't stop the blood from rushing to his cheeks as he realized time didn't stop whenever he was in deep thought.
"O-oh! Y-yeah, I'm fine..!" He reassured with a nervous smile, said expression replaced by a look of confusion as he heard her giggle lightly, "What..?"
"You get flustered real easy, ya know that?" She asked while still laughing lightly, Matthew simply sighing as his head drooped. Her laughter eventually quieted down, "Anywho, in that case, why don't ya just go today?"
"I'd love too, but I still don't have any money." He explained as he stuck his hands into his pockets.
'Plus, I doubt I'd be allowed to leave the campus on my own..' He opted to leave that piece of reasoning out, keeping it within his mind as the lunch lady hummed a pondering tune.
"I see...well, I still think you should go out into the city. From what I hear, you've got amnesia, am I right?" Matthew nodded calmly, though his expression just a tad sadder, "In that case, I think you should have some of the students here take you around the city. Bein' all cooped up in this school all the time won't help, after all."
The idea gave him a glimmer of hope that he'd be able to venture into Vale. Though it was a temporary shine, his hope dimming as he remembered Team STRQ was out on a mission.
"Yeah..that sounds nice, but I don't know any team that coul--" He stopped himself before going silent for a moment, a smile creeping into his face, his light shining brighter, "..on second thought..I think I might know one..."
With an energetic tap on the counter with both hands, Matthew left the cafeteria with hopes held high and shining like the sun.
Why, you may ask?
A certain redhead had come to mind..
-The End
A/N: Aha! At last, I've returned with another chapter! And it's longer too! (Don't you dare) I admittedly thought I'd only get to maybe 5k by the time the chapter was done; but low and behold, I managed to pump out a chapter with 8k words!
And I'm not gonna lie-- I'm feelin' pretty proud of myself for that.
As for the story I mentioned in the beginning, it'll be a Seven Deadly Sins story and I'm considering writing a oneshot. What do you guys think?
Ok, done! Now, to the comments!!
Comment Responses:
youngsavage: Yeah, not a lot happened last chapter, unfortunately. Like I said--writing by the seat of my pants, more or less. At least, for the beginning part I am. I do have plans for the future.
As for Summer and good ol' Matt, I wouldn't say that they've had their conversation yet. That was more like a preview, if nothing else.
And lastly, plot's being set up!
And with that, peace out!!!