"Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?"
"A food fight."
"If I may interject, they started it." Ruben mumbled, sitting across from Glynda. Glynda tapped her fingernail on the desktop, squinting at Ruben. To say she was disappointed was an understatement.
He was covered in purple bruises and small cuts. His arms ached and his legs shook. He was staring into the floor, his arms crossed and eyes avoiding her death glare.
On brighter news, his nose was unharmed. Bandage was still aligned and on.
Glynda leaned back in her seat, rubbing her eyes as she assessed the student before her.
He was a strong warrior and a somewhat capable tactician. He had some nobility and sense of honor. He proved to be loyal and understanding in the face of danger.
He was also a child. A child who continues to make mistakes in an effort to prove he can run with the more experienced and well off students who attend Beacon. He is reckless, slightly unhinged and has a bit of a temperament problem.
"Ruben..." She started, fingers laced together as she leaned in over her desk. She stared at him, waiting for him to look up and face her. With much hesitation and a hint of fear, he did meet her gaze eventually. "This is unacceptable."
"I realize that." Ruben said, squinting his eyes as he puffed out his chest. "I know what we did was wrong. We'll clean up and-"
"You could have been seriously hurt." She interjected, glancing over his bruises. She thought of how one good soda can to the face could have shattered his already broken nose. "You need to take things easy. You shouldn't be getting into these harmful situations."
"What are you-" He watched her stand up from her desk. She slowly moved over beside him, her hands still interlaced and in front of her. She stood above him, looking down at her student.
She sighed, pulling up a nearby chair and sitting beside him. She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, rubbing his dried blood off.
He watched her, how gentle she was when she reached an open cut. She squinted her eyes sharply, making sure to apply just enough pressure to just wipe the blood off.
He watched as she brushed her bright golden hair behind her ear, pushed her glasses back as she focused.
He simply sat there, letting out an uneasy breath. He simply couldn't understand. She finished his arm, before moving back. Her legs crosse and hands in lap.
"Be careful." Glynda sighed, nodding her head. "Please don't get into anymore trouble. Please..." She pleaded. She begged. She had this softness in her eyes as she reached out and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Ok?"
Ruben was speechless. This woman, who could level the whole student body with a swish of her finger. Who has taken on battleships and seemingly powerful Dust users without breaking a sweat, was concerned for him.
Was it because she saved him once before? That day he first met Torchwick? Or is it because maybe she seems a little of herself in him?
That thought made Ruben's eyes glassy. Really touched his heart. Could she identify with a child who's nearly been killed several times over? Been attacked by criminal organizations? Forced into a position of power he wasn't ready nor prepared for?
To be so far away from home and be constantly afraid of messing up?
Ruben nodded, simply silenced. He glanced over at the window, seeing ships pull onto the air strip. Gun metal gray, huge behemoths of machines. He squinted his eyes, wondering why such ships are needed.
"Battleships? For a festival?" Ruben inquired, as he rolled his shoulders back. In a heartbeat, Glynda was at the window. Ruben could see her shoulders tense, her hands coil into fists and her breathing slowing. He glanced at her reflection in the glass.
There they were. Those cold, calculating eyes. That emotionless stiff look in her face.
"Are we expecting a military showcase this year?" Ruben asked, stepping out of his seat and slowly inching his way towards the door. His hands retracting to his pockets.
"No. Mr. Thorn. We are not." She grabbed up her scroll and moved past him. She straightened her glasses and blouse, making her way towards the door. "Return to your schedule. I'll be seeing you around."
She rushed out the door. He smiled, nodding his head as he watched her go.
"Yes, ma'am."
"It seems odd, you know?" Winter mumbled, closing his book as he handed it off to Blair. The library was quiet, much quieter than usual anway. Team RWBY decided to meet up to study for the upcoming semester.
So far, only W and B decided to actually come to study.
R was out being lectured by Miss Glynda for the food fight Yin started.
Y was currently in a vicious Tabletop Game against both Juane, Nora and Pyrrha.
Yin held his cards in hand, glancing over the board. Vale was his and the coast of Atlas was ripe for the taking. Years of playing against Ruben and his school friends prepared him for this moment of glory.
"What?" Blair asked, shutting his history book with the gentleness of a feather. He pulled his personal novel out of his pocket, reading it over as he stood beside Winter. How was this ninja going to defeat that shinobi? Well, in a few hundred pages, Blair would find out.
Winter tugged on his vest, his hands retracting into his pockets. He watched as the pieces of Jaune's kingdom in Remnant were destroyed by Yin. Who picked up one of his Ursas and precisely knocked down the entirety of Juane's land army with a swipe of it's mighty paw. Not a pretty sight.
"Ruben, who is now considered probably the most problematic of the team, is constantly under watch of Miss Glynda." Winter said, hearing the sound of bear roars and growls being made from Yin. His cackling and beating of his chest echoing throughout the library.
"Maybe she's mentoring him? Port seems to have a soft spot for you if I recall." Blair countered, turning the page of his book before he straightened the scarf around his neck. Winter nodded, glancing over at Pyrrha.
"Just seems odd, is all. Port is my idol. I simply go to him for advice, autographs, and old stories. Ruben...Ruben seeks none of that." Winter sighed, looking over at Blair. Who's nose was still up to the bridge in the book. "Something's wrong with him."
"Something's wrong with all of us." Blair shut his book, turning towards Winter. Who's eyes softened and his lips curled into a halfhearted smile. "Give him time. He'll be alright."
The sound of boots stomped against the checkered tile, both their ears perking.
"For your sake, I hope..." Winter said, glancing over at him. "Regardless of what I believe, and what Glynda thinks, you were a member of some local radical group. Soon enough, they'll piece your connection with the Fang. Surely they might try to get something out of you."
"She doesn't know. She simply thinks I'm some thug. Who worked with the local gangs who were hired to look like White Fang." Blair said, the conversation with Miss Glynda as pleasant as the one with Ozpin. He can still feel her icy stare. Hearing the cracking of her whip. "Wasn't a fun conversation..."
"I don't want you dragged down with those...ruffians." Winter said with his nose held high. He placed a hand on Blair's shoulder, smiling softly. "You're better than that."
"Thanks, friend."
Sun walked into the library, Neptune hot his his trail. Sun patted on Yin's shoulder, just as he took Haven under control from Nora. Sun walked over to Winter and Blair, hands on hips as he glanced over Blair.
"Howdy, Beast." Sun said, smirking as he waved for Neptune to approach. "This is my friend, Nep-"
"Winner!" Yin shouted, jumping onto the table top and kicking over the table. "With Pyrrha's forces all but destroyed, Nora's forces decimated by my Grimms, and Juane uttered humiliated, I have emerged victorious!"
"No fair!" Nora shouted, jumping up onto the table and tacking Yin off. The two of them crashing into a bookcase and toppling over. Winter watched, rolling his eyes to help pick up the fallen books and grab ahold of Yin.
"Better break it up." Blair mumbled, walking over to pull Nora away from Yin. Who was busy sinking her teeth into his calf as he pulled on her hair.
"Yuu chheatted!"
"You lost fairly!"
"Blair..." Ozpin said, stirring his tea as he sat across the Blair. The night of the great White Fang Fiasco, as Yin likes to refer to it as, ended with Ozpin inviting Blair into a personal meeting. Blair glanced out the window, the same moon still in the sky as he wondered where Roman went.
What he was up to. What he was doing. Who he was working for. Why he was partnered up with the Fang. Why this all was happening. "It's been a long night. For everyone."
"Mhmm." Blair grumbled, watching Ozpin keep a hand steadily on his cane as he adjusted himself in his seat. Blair nodded, turning his attention back to Ozpin.
"I'm sure you'd like to return to your room for some well deserved rest. I figured we could have a little chat." Ozpin picked up his mug and sipped on his tea, raising it in Blair's honor before placing it back on the table. "If you don't mind."
"Of course." Blair said, shrugging his shoulders. "I love talking about how I was almost killed by some wanton criminal."
"Glad to see we are on the same page." Ozpin stated, staring into Blair's eyes. The cold stare and calculated tone in his voice unlike those he heard while in the White Fang. "You passed with flying colors on an entrance exam even our brightest pupils struggled with-"
"Faunus raised outside the kingdoms tend to view day to day differently." Blair stated, squinting his eyes as he clicked his tongue. "Most of us learn to fight before we could even speak."
"Ahhhh yes. A Faunus." Ozpin noted, nodding his head as he leaned back in his seat. Crossing his legs as he picked up his mug. "Why the hood and scarf?"
"I tend to not appreciate those who are intolerant enough to accept the fact a Faunus got into a prestigious academy." Cardin popping into mind at the mention of it. "And I wear it to make sure people judge me for me. Not my horns or fangs."
"I understand-"
"No you don't!" Blair shouted, pounding his fist into the table. His chest heaving and his eyes widening. "You and your kind are not as preachy about acceptance as we are. You loathe us. Enslave us. Humiliate us. Discriminate against us. You and your people-"
"The shipyard is an interesting example of 'You and your people.'" Ozpin noted, squinting his eyes sharply as he looked over Blair. "Are you sure you-"
"I was tired. Angry. Went walking around after dark. That's it. I didn't expect to run into them!" Blair argued holding his fists atop the tabletop. "I didn't-"
"Your chain." Ozpin said, glancing at Blair's arm as he took a sip of his tea. Blair gulped at the mention of it.
He knew.
He knew the Beast.
"I-"
"I hear stories, you know. As a Huntsman, I am suppose to protect the realm. And I hear about a certain...Beast..." Ozpin implied, letting out a sigh as he placed his mug onto the table.
"Coincidence. People have the same weapons. I am no different. My father gave me this." Blair said, raising his forearm. He shook his arm, the chains underneath his sleeve clacking together. "Might be the same weapon, but not the same person."
"I understand." Ozpin said, letting out an exhausted sigh. This night was long. Too long to be arguing with someone unwilling to cooperate.
He stood up from his seat, nodding his head towards Blair as he made his strides towards the door.
"Feel free to return to your dorm." Ozpin said, glancing over his shoulder. "If you ever need a word...My door's always open. I'm here for you, Blair."
It's been weeks and Blair couldn't still look Ozpin in the eyes.
Ruben strolled down the hallway, his hands retracting into his pockets and his eyes focusing on the floor. He rubbed his nose, his lips curling to a frown.
It's been an uneasy day. Food fight. Lectures. Getting his wounds healed up.
All he wanted was a nice warm bed, a comfortable pillow, maybe a nice hot cup of tea-
He glanced up for a brief moment, his shoulder ramming into another student's without much warning. He crashed against the wall, the bruises on his arms aching as he slide onto a knee. He groaned, barring his teeth.
"You alright?" Ruben asked immediately, hissing softly to himself as he got onto his feet. He glanced to his right, seeing hair as dark as Blair's. The books fell out of a pair of slender arms and crashed against the floor.
The flash of bright orange pierced his sight. His heart throbbed.
"I am sorry." He rushed over and picked up the books. He glanced up at her as he crouched, her gaze as cold as Winter's name.
She had a paler complexion than any ghost, her body a perfect hourglass. The legs that ran from beneath her gray skirt seemed to run for miles. The milk white unblemished and smooth.
"It's fine." She spoke. Her voice elegant and calculating. Ruben stood up, standing as tall as the woman before him.
The gray in her skirt as dark as his hair. He focused his eyes on her face. Her joyless, unnerved face.
Not wanting to glance back at her smooth, lovely legs...
He blinked as he handed the books back to her.
"Thank you." She spoke, hugging the books to her chest when she got them back into her arms. She glanced over Ruben and let out a sigh. She smiled softly, her eyes squinting slightly. "You a student here?"
"Uniform give it away?" Ruben asked, tugging on his tie. He straightened it as he tugged down on his shirt. He smirked, tongue in cheek. "I think you're here for the festival?"
"We are." She said, with a nod. Her lips a few shades darker than her cheeks, making them pop off of her face. They looked hard, unnerved. Inviting even...
"Nice." Ruben said in a rush, stepping aside and walking a head. He stopped in his spot, looking over his shoulder and taking one last look at her.
She simply watched him, the orange burning him with their gaze. They were bright and warm. Yet cold and distant.
"Welcome to Beacon, by the way."
She nodded once more, giving him a look over and walking away. Her heels clicking against the rug. Ruben stood there for a brief moment, before opening the door to his room and slamming it shut.
His cheeks blazing red and his eyes as wide as the sun.