Hello everybody! Back again for another installment. "What? So soon?" Damn right so soon. I don't have anything to say besides, thank you for the reviews favs and follows. Also, I'm increasing the spacing to 1.5. Doesn't feel as congested this way. Shit, ff just put it back down to 1... I'll figure this out someday.

Just for fun, I want to talk about the Album I'm using for this story. The album To Speak, to Listen, is actually the second album in the chronology. The first album, Degeneraterra, is the first part of a story. The two albums actually tell a story of a metaphysical journey taken by the protagonist. Both albums reference multiple religions, and encounters with the various gods in different theologies. Eidola is literally telling a story through music. I love that concept, and I know it isn't anything new, but it's not practiced that much anymore. If you feel like it, listen to the album in song order, and decipher the story for yourself.

Nordik and I were brainstorming a more permanent story board, and guys this is gonna be huge. Like, I was content with around a 200-300k word count, but now this is looking like the final product will be closer to 1mil. That's not a bad thing, just going to take a bit more time. I hope I can keep you guys entertained enough to stick with me through the end. Either way, lets get started.

Arc Album - Eidola To Speak, to Listen (Rock/Metal)

Song –Sri Vishnu Yantra by Eidola (Rock/Metal)

Disclaimer (as always) – RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth please support the official release!

Chapter 2 – Velleity

Few times in her life had she been so appalled by the situation she had found herself in. Rather, the situation she had placed herself in. Many times, Weiss had wished to spontaneously combust while sitting through one of her father's horrible lectures. He would drone on and on at length, consuming time far outweighing what the subject would demand at a cursory glance. Weiss would stare at her feet, or around the room trying to pass the time until, ultimately, concluding that dying would be preferential.

However, those moments seemed monumentally small in comparison to her current dilemma. Sure, this was her plan, but hindsight is twenty-twenty after all. The sheer mortification of the situation couldn't compare to any memory she had in all her seventeen years of life. Superfan was the only approach that made any logical sense to the heiress, but that was before she knew the famed Reaper would be a more permanent fixture in her dorm room.

Weiss' mind raced a mile a minute, looking at the bemused expression on her idol's face. Ruby's face shifted from curiosity to appalled before settling on neutral in a clear attempt to placate the younger girl. "Neat shirt." She said, trying to sound more genuine than she was.

Weiss's mind screeched to a halt, her mortification and embarrassment catching up with her. "I can explain!" she exclaimed, her face matching the color of the woman standing before her.

"No no, really uhh no thank you?" Ruby said, not sure how to respond to the situation.

"It was a gift!" Weiss lied quickly.

"Yeah, from yourself." Yang chipped in, clearly amused.

"Shut up you!" Weiss shot the blonde a withering glare.

"Weiss, it's okay, really. Just tone it down, yeah? It's gonna be a little… lot, weird to see my face so much in the room I'll be sleeping in. I don't want to interrupt your usual routine, but could I ask you not to wear that when I'm around?"

"This is the first time I've worn this since coming to Beacon I promise! I'm sorry, I know you said you weren't big on this kind of stuff, but… but…" Like a lightning strike, an idea struck the young heiress. "I'll burn it in exchange for a private lesson."

"Let me burn it all and you can be my apprentice." Ruby said with all pretenses of her acceptance gone.

"Deal!" Weiss trudged forward, extending her hand to close the deal that had rapidly fallen at her feet before the older woman could retract the arrangement. Ruby mimicked the gesture before two hands clasped together, finalizing the transaction.

"No fucking way that worked." Yang said, amusement morphing into shock.

"All part of my plan." Weiss replied, in her haughtiest tone.

"Bull fucking shit!"

"Language young lady!" Ruby admonished.

"But I- but she- how did that work?!"

"Because of my brilliant plan." Weiss cut in, still haughty.

"Am I missing something here? Can someone catch me up?" Ruby asked the room. Her sister was currently looking like she was going through an existential crisis on the floor while Weiss held one hand up to her mouth laughing into the back of her hand over the prone form of the blonde.

"Weiss was trying to come up with a plan to get you to teach her, the shirt and all her other stuff were kind of the only thing she could think of to get your attention. Yang was telling her how it wouldn't work, and not two minutes into her plan she succeeded. Not in the way she thought it would though, but a win's a win I guess." Blake replied, sitting on Yang's bed, trying to bring as little attention to herself as possible in front of the newest threat to her sanity.

"Well, that's stupid." Ruby deadpanned.

"Thank you!" Yang exclaimed from the floor.

"Hush, it worked didn't it!" Weiss once again sent a glare to the blonde on the floor.

Unable to contain herself, Ruby laughed from the bottom of her soul. It felt like an eternity since the last time she had laughed like this. The endless moving, constant threats to her life, and the guilt of trying to cope with her less than heroic actions had robbed her of these moments. Robbed her of opportunities to just laugh and enjoy the moments in front of her. The thrumming in her chest and the smile on her face as she laughed soothed muscles that she had forgotten she had, and warmth filled her being for what felt like the first time in far too long.

These little moments were what she had been longing for all this time. These small and seemingly mundane interactions with others were better than any therapy, better than any night's sleep she had gotten in recent years. Life for Ruby had become an endless cycle of exhaustion and self-loathing, and any reprieve was met with the dread of returning to that life. But here at Beacon, maybe she could learn how to be that bright-eyed little hero that she always wanted to be again.

Wiping her tears away and bringing her laughter under control she looked at the girls in front of her, all of them in a similar state, and thought to herself.

"Yeah, this could be exactly what I need."

Ruby looked at Weiss, who was still a little embarrassed by the ordeal, but ultimately smiling and spoke to her.

"Weiss, all you had to do was ask me, really. You're on a team with my sister, I'll be doing all I can to help you guys. Your team situation is odd, sure, but that just makes you guys more interesting. So, don't feel like you have to win me over or anything. I'm happy to help however I can. That and I think Winter would give me an earful if I didn't help you out." She chuckled a bit thinking of the Atlesian Specialist.

"Thank you, Ruby, really. And I'm sorry about all this. I hope your stay with us is as comfortable as possible." Weiss paused a moment, "Wait, you know my sister?!"

"Oh yeah, me and Winter have some history. It's good for the most part, I promise." She held up a thumb trying to assure the Schnee heiress.

"I… Don't know how I feel about this."

"Don't worry Wiess, I'm sure we'll hear all about it some time." Yang said, trying to maintain the newly relaxed atmosphere.

She thought about it for only a moment before deciding she'd had enough surprises for one day. "Yeah, I'd like that." Weiss replied with a relaxed smile taking over.

"I'm still burning all that stuff though." Ruby exclaimed, getting excited at the prospect.

"What? No! It's my treasure!" Weiss yelled indignantly.

"Blake, grab her legs, I'll get her arms." Yang said, thinking how funny this is going to be.

"I'd rather not." Blake deadpanned, stopping Yang's approach.

"Aww, you're no fun."

"Don't worry little sis, it's not like she's going to stop me. That was the deal, right Weiss?"

"Ahh, umm, can we have a civil discussion about this? I'm sure I could make a very persuasive offer, and if not I'm sure we can come to an amicable agreement where both parties are fully satisfied."

"Let me rephrase, I don't think she can stop me." Ruby said, a crazed look in her eye.

"… please be gentle." Came the heiress' meek reply

"No."

Weiss's treasure would not survive the night.

Ruby sat in the teacher's lounge reading through the notes Port left in his small notebook titled "Professional Notes." This was her first time teaching, so she would take any advice she could get on how to interact with the students and educate them properly. At this point Ruby was halfway through the small book and had yet to find anything remotely relevant.

"Make sure twitch your lip to accentuate your mustache? Emphasize your impressive feats to improve the student's immersion? Laugh gallantly in conclusion to reflect the tough exterior of a true Huntsman? What the hell is this?!"

"Ah, I see you're going through Peter's 'notes'." Professor Oobleck walked into the lounge for what was likely his fifth or sixth coffee of the morning. "It's Doctor actually. I worked very hard to be called as such." He spoke.

"I hadn't even said anything yet." Ruby responded.

"A common occurrence with new faces. Nothing more."

"I'm sure, it's nice to see you again Doctor Oobleck." Ruby emphasized the word 'doctor' just a little.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon after you graduated, but as always, it's a pleasure Miss Rose." He said taking his seat at the small round table in the corner of the room, next to Ruby.

"Soon? It's been like four years." Ruby said with a raised eyebrow.

"Bah, feels like yesterday I saw you carving your way through the Vytal Festival. One does not forget a performance like that easily. And when you get to my age, four years feels like no time at all."

"Thank you for the compliment, I guess. Is it weird that I'm more nervous about teaching than I was for the festival's championship match?"

"Not at all, I'm assuming that the notes Peter left are of little assistance?"

"More like a borderline hindrance really." Ruby said, some annoyance seeping into her tone as she threw the notebook on the table.

Doctor Oobleck chuckled lightly at her response. "Yes, I think those notes likely only work for Peter. His preferred method of education is a little… unique."

Ruby deflated at that, dropping her head on the table. A pained groan escaped her throat, more out of hopelessness than mirth. Fighting Grimm, the size of an Atlesian Flagship, no problem. Staring down the eyes of one of Remnants most wanted, again, not really an issue. Teaching a class of young Huntsman and Huntress hopefuls about Grimm and tactical decisions to give them an advantage? That seemed strangely unwinnable. The years she had in the field and her mission record proved she had the knowledge to educate others in this subject, but something about communicating with what was likely a bunch of naïve and overzealous kids just felt insurmountable. Ruby's communication skills were passable sure, but it was always interacting with her so called "fans" that gave her trouble. She didn't dislike them, but none of them really knew her. It was this blind idolization she had a problem with. If they only knew the things she's done, would they feel the same? Ruby admitted to herself that she couldn't look up to someone who's done the things she's done. Interacting with her "fans" made the guilt that she buried bubble up and that always left her feeling miserable.

"I guess just taking a leap of faith and hoping for the best is part of getting older." Ruby said more to herself than to her senior educator.

"In a lot of cases I find that to be very true, Miss Rose. I didn't know if I would be a good educator in the beginning, but I had a passion for it. All I could do was simply try my best and hope for the best. But understand this, if nothing else, it is the work and effort we put in that makes those leaps seem less daunting. Effort is always easier to produce when accompanied by passion. I was passionate about history, and that ultimately led me to feel obligated to share the lessons history had taught me with anyone I could. If I could give you any advice before your lesson it's this," he stood up, and walked towards the door, never turning around to face Ruby, "Find what motivates you to impart all the knowledge you can on these students. Think of every lesson you regret you had to learn the hard way, and try with all of your might to impart it, so that these young minds don't have to experience the same. Don't worry about anything so scientific as optimal education methods, let your passion be what teaches them." With that he walked out of the room.

Ruby had listened to every word, and immediately knew what she had to do. She picked up her lesson plan, and walked out the door, striding towards her classroom with a newfound purpose.

"I won't let them become like me."

Thankfully she still had an entire period before her first class to prepare. Ruby had conquered the insurmountable before, and she'd do it again.

(Short Line Break) \(0_0)/

Wrapping up her preparation and cementing her talking points in her head, she decided she would play a small harmless prank on her soon to be students. So, she stood on her desk at the front of the room and used a nearby broom to shift one of the ceiling tiles to the side. Jumping, she latched on to the now open part of the ceiling, climbing her way in. She made sure to distribute her weight so the ceiling wouldn't fall out from beneath her. Ruby placed the tile back into its position leaving a small crack to monitor her victims. She meant students.

"Eh, same thing in this case I suppose."

She didn't have to wait long before she heard footsteps shuffling in the halls, and shortly after, the door to her classroom opened. Small talk filtered into the room. Ruby made sure not to listen too intently, trying her best to respect the student's privacy.

Various conversations carried out in the time before the start of class. Ruby only picked up on a little of what the students inside were saying.

"I heard Professor Port is on vacation, I wonder who's subbing for him."

"Hehe, they don't know it's me."

"Man, I'm not looking forward to Ports boring lectures. I hate starting my week with this."

"Glad Peter never had this idea. I'll try to start your week better dude."

"Did you hear? Apparently Ruby Rose was spotted near Vale last week! Wouldn't it be so cool if she gave a guest lecture?"

"I was on the East side of Mistral last week. Who's lying to you?"

"So, I found the sloth, and Ren said I could keep it if I caught it, but the darn things are just too fast."

"Are you sure it was a sloth?" Jaune asked.

"It had two arms, what else could it be?"

"Hello team JNPR, I hope Yang didn't spoil the surprise. Personal note, consider finding therapy for Nora."

"Good, she's not here yet, I have some time to prepare myself. Don't be nervous, she's a normal person like anyone else. It doesn't matter that her eyes are more beautiful than any jewelry, you can do this."

"Dude, can you stop talking about my sister like that when I'm around?"

"There's team SBL. I really gotta talk to Blake at some point. Eh, I'll just make her stay after."

More people filtered in, and conversations carried on much the same, and soon it was time for class to start. The class eventually settled down, and many inquiries were traded around the room.

"Where's Professor Port? Class was supposed to start by now."

"Nah we got a substitute; I heard Port went on vacation. Maybe they got lost."

In that moment, as if in an act of the gods, the ceiling creaked beneath Ruby. Dread rose in her throat before she was greeted with a loud crack, and a sense of weightlessness.

The class was surprised to say the least. Every student was now staring at the rubble on the floor, and the unmoving form of who they assumed to be their substitute teacher. As the dust cleared, and the prone form of their now professor got to her feet, the entire class minus team SBL, was left speechless. Both at the absurdity, and at who the new Grimm Studies professor was.

Ruby dusted off her business skirt, she figured if she was going to be a professor, she should look the part. Her outfit was somewhat standard for any professional occupation. The standard black blazer, a white button up under shirt paired with a matching black skirt, the appropriate length of course, dark pantyhose, and rounding off her outfit, a set of black high heel shoes. Ruby still hated the lady stilts but deemed them necessary for maintaining the professional and sophisticated air she was going for.

"Your pranks still suck."

Ruby looked to the source of the voice to see Yang sitting in her seat, looking completely unsurprised. "My pranks are gold; did you forget who taught you." She replied

"Yeah, taught me what not to do. Were you in the ceiling this entire time?" Yang asked.

"Never mind that." Ruby brushed off the inquiry while she looked over the entire class. "Hello everyone. I'll be teaching Grimm Studies for Professor Port for the foreseeable future. I hope we can get along." She smiled, trying to start on the right foot. She was met with silence from the entire room, until one student stood up and asked.

"Are you Ruby fucking Rose?!"

"Yes, and detention for that language."

"Sis, you can't do that." Yang said, rubbing her temples.

"That's it, detention for you too."

"No, I mean you literally can't. There's nothing in the rule book for language."

Ruby teared up listening to Yang's words. "I'm so proud of you! You learned to read! I never thought I would see the day!" She brought her arm up to cover her crying eyes.

"You're welcome for that Professor Rose. I made her go through the school rule book myself." Weiss quipped; her nose held high. Yang felt a shiver run up her spine remembering the hell Weiss had them go through as part of her first order as team leader. Even Blake seemed to sit up a little more strait at the memory.

"Anyway, hello again everyone. My name is Ruby Rose, if you have any questions, we'll knock those out before the lesson today."

Another student, this time another young man with a braver soul stood up. "Can you crush me with your thighs?!"

"… Can I give detention for that?" Ruby looked at Weiss.

"Yes? I think that was sexual harassment?" Weiss replied, unsure.

"DETENTION!"

"So… Is that a no?" The brave soul asked.

"… Seriously dude?"

"I promise I'll make you happy." He answered, trying to muster as much bravado as he could.

"I'm going to ignore you from now on. Any question's that matter?" She looked around the room, seeing a young girl with rabbit ears with her hand up. "You, first what's your name?"

"It's Velvet, Professor Rose, nice to meet you, big fan. I don't mean to pry or upset you, but why did Yang call you "sis"?" she asked.

"Ah yes, I call her 'sis' because she is in fact my little sister. Not biological, I was adopted by her dad. That kind of question doesn't bother me at all Velvet, I'm happy to get to know you guys over the course of our time together, and I want you to learn about me too. I appreciate the support for being a fan, but please, treat me like a normal Professor or even a friend. I'm not big on the whole fame thing." Ruby smiled at the girl, happy for a normal question.

Next Pyrrha was called on as she had her hand up as well.

"Go ahead Pyrrha, but you guys don't have to raise your hands. I think you're a little old for that."

"How long have you known you were going to be teaching?"

"Since before I got here. Sorry for not giving you a heads up the other day, but I figured it'd be more fun this way." Ruby answered, with a bit of mischief in her eyes.

"What was the most difficult Grimm you've ever killed?" another random student asked.

"You know, it was actually a Beowulf. A Beowulf older than dirt, but a Beowulf none the less. Which is a great segway into today's lesson, the way intelligence directly correlates with age in Grimm, and how that can change your approach to combat."

Another chapter done. Feels good to update consistently again. I know this one was a little short; it was initially going to be paired with the next chapter, but Nordik suggested to break it up, so it doesn't feel overwhelming, and I agree with her. Anyway, the next chapter should be coming out in a day or two so keep an eye out! Until next time!

-StasisRage

I think 1 mil words may be a little overzealous for a prediction, but I seriously wouldn't complain if you were also right. Despite knowing where the story is headed, I'm still beyond excited to get the next chapter to edit. Knowing the outline and actually reading the story are two entirely different things. This has become one of the two stories that I'm genuinely excited when there's more to read. I may be biased though… oh well.

- Nordik

Overzealous? Is that a challenge? (9_9)