"I look at this wasteland, and I see lives that could have been saved, but I also see an opportunity."
Ruben held the bridge of his nose, letting loose a growl. This couldn't be happening. It really couldn't. Oobleck was...an odd teacher to say the least. The typical image of a history teacher is a melancholic man who's deadpan voice and apparent disinterest illuminated the classroom in a gray glow. Something Ruben could get behind.
Something he could respect.
Not a man who's energy could rival Yin's if ever not used to talk and teach. In fact, Ruben was scared of ever seeing Oobleck go full Yin. The property damage would be in the hundreds of thousands. The lives...forever changed. The opposite Ruben had in mind for a teacher.
Winter glanced over at Blair and Yin, one was as disappointed as Winter was and the other was grinning like an idiot.
Guess who was who?
"Right." Ruben mumbled, rubbing his nose as he glanced up at Oobleck. Who's sensical ramblings have gotten to the point that they sound as though they were all one word. Not that his lessons were any less understandable. Ruben was typically reading some messages from Velvet, working on ordering Scythe parts, or sleeping.
Never really trying to under what the history teacher was rambling about.
"I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations. Rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course-"
Ruben stood there still in disbelief, wondering how he is not flunking history.
Winter was trying to make sense of what exactly he just heard, making sure that he understood at least a tenth of what he heard.
Blair was simply tuning out the mad teacher's words and sticking to his original plan. Ditching as soon as he could. Earliest opportunity. In the dead of night.
Yin, however, heard it. Heard every word.
"Question!" Yin's hand rose into the air, bouncing onto the tips of his toes as he waved his arm above his head. Shaking it well above his head at that. "Will we be able to eat s'mores at the defendable locations? Also, hazardous wastelands is what makes team RWBY...RWBY! We thrive on danger and s'mores!"
Every. Single. Word.
"That's right! We will be traversing hazardous wastelands!" Oobleck took off towards the airship, finger raised in the air. "I'll debrief you as soon as we get onto the ship! We are three minutes behind schedule!" He disappeared in a flash, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Ruben turned towards his group, eyes strained and mouth gaping. Time to be leader and...lead them? Yes. Yes that's what Ruben would do.
"Look..." Ruben shrugged his shoulders, rotating his hand into quick circles as he barred his teeth. "At. The..." He let out a groan. Not easy to think about. "Bright...Side?"
"We are heading towards where we need to go." Blair began his strides towards the airship, holding the bridge of his nose the whole walk. This was going to be a test of patience. A test of will power. "All that matters."
Winter looked over at Ruben, hands retracting to his pockets as he went off to follow Blair. Regardless of how important the actual mission was, to learn from an experienced Hunter would be a sight to behold. Not just hearing stories.
Ruben began questioning his willingness to simply have Ozpin bend the rules for them. Maybe it wasn't the best idea. Oobleck might just be too competent at his job to allow them leeway.
"Lucky!" Nora's voice was whiny and loud. Obviously upset that RWBY got the fancy airship and now JNPR. Obviously. "You get to leave the kingdom?!"
"I'll be sure to send you pics!" Yin said, smirking as he waved a bit towards her. She waved back with her wonderful smile and contagious giggle.
Ruben crossed his arms, Jaune's eyes noticeably averted and out of his sight. For what reason, Ruben didn't know. Ruben looked towards Pyrrha, nodding his head.
"We are shadowing a sheriff." She simply said, eyes straight with Ruben. She didn't deter, as if it would be weak for her to do so. Ruben squinted his eyes. What was with the two of them? "We are leaving any moment now. What about you?"
"We are heading out of the kingdom. Covert stuff-" Ruben felt Yin hook his arm around the waist, hoisting him over his shoulder and carrying him towards the airship. Ruben waved goodbye, with a crooked frown and feeling already sick.
"I." Ruben shut his eyes tighter. How he could have them tighter than they were already, was a mystery all on it's own.
"Hate." The handle was nearly grooving to the space between his fingers. Molding to his iron grip.
"Flying." It would explain why he was the one closest in the middle isle, feet planted firmly in the floor and back against the wall.
"So, Teach," Yin adjusted the strap on his shoulder, single handedly gripping the bar as the other tugged on the backpack. Making sure it wouldn't go flying off at an moment. "What sorta fun adventure stuff have you done?"
"I've had my fair share of comradery, Mister Yin." Oobleck said, adjusting his glasses as he glanced towards the boy. "I've seen my own trials and combat but I believe my academic skills prepare me for more than just combat on this mission." That's when his eyes glanced at the strap on Yin's shoulder. Noticing the bag still on his back. The very same he was told to drop. "I thought I said we wouldn't be needing our luggage."
"It's hair gel." Yin smirked, rolling his eyes. If only Oobleck knew. Until then, he would need to distract Oobleck. Something to keep him off of his trail. With that, he came up with a plan. Winking towards Blair, then pointing at Ruben. "With some dog treats for Blair and Ruben's baby blanket."
"Perfect." Ruben kept his eyes shut, shrugging his shoulders. "Now I have to worry about Yin screwing this up for us."
"Could be worse, my friend!" Winter shouted, turning his eyes towards the city as they flew overhead. The desolate gray towers now covered in moss and grime. Either collapsing on themselves or decaying. "Could be this place!"
"Where are we going exactly?" Ruben barely opened one eye, keeping his sight squarely on Winter. Who's hand rested on the holster and the other on the bar. "Not really sure where, myself."
"It used to be an extension of Vale." Blair murmured, eyes squinted as he pulled down on his scarf. Rubbing his whiskers with his thumb. Fangs protruding with a scowl. "Until the Grimm decided to take it over. Now it's abandoned."
"Perfect for them." Ruben said, cracking his neck as he let out a short breath. He just needed to wait a few moments more. "It's quiet. Desolate. Lonely. Away from the world."
"Good for them," Winter chuckled, patting his bicep as he nodded his head. "Better for hideouts."
"Precisely." Oobleck noted, as the airship began it's steady descent. The iron bird descending from the clear blue sky into the murky gray and silence of the once thriving city. Hovering just above the ground.
Ruben was the first to jump off, followed by Winter and Blair, then Oobleck and Yin.
Ruben had his hands on his knees, dry heaving as he tried to not upchuck onto the floor. If it wasn't for the audience, he would have started kissing the dirt and rocks.
Winter drew his sidearm and took aim. Passing his sights over the area. He would not get jumped by a ravenous pack of Beowolves once again.
Blair kept his eyes focused on Oobleck, who was currently standing up right and at attention. Any moment. Any opportunity.
Yin landed with a earth shaking landing, flexing his arms and cracking his neck as he bounced onto the tips of his toes. He was ready for an adventure.
"Right. Now we must come up with a strategy and come up with the-" That's when he heard a bark. Oobleck blinked, Ruben stopped wheezing, Blair's eyes widened, and Winter's jaw dropped. Yin glanced at his bag, before passing his eyes over the four.
Slowly, he pulled his arm out of one of the straps, eyes locked with Oobleck as he gluped. A single sweat bead running down his cheek as he glanced towards Ruben. Who immediately recognized the barking.
"Ruben's idea!" Yin shouted, tossing the bag towards Ruben. Ruben caught the bag, the barking getting louder and more high pitched. That's when the corgi's head popped out of the backpack. His head cocking to the side as Zwei stared at Oobleck.
"We are here, on a dangerous and terrifying mission, and you've brought a canine?" Oobleck asked, staring directly at Ruben. Ruben glanced at Yin, who's hands were clasped in prayer and hoping Ruben would take the blame for the incident.
"Umm..." Ruben nodded his head slowly, Zwei pressing his snout against Ruben's cheek. Brushing the damp nose against the mutton chop. "Yes?"
"Genius!" Oobleck shouted, raising a finger and twirling it in the air. "Now then! I want you all to examine the area carefully! Make sure we won't be apprehended by Grimm or worse! We'll make camp before sun down!"
"Oh...Thank you?" Ruben mumbled, throwing the bag over his shoulder. Yin's jaw dropped, hands shaking. Ruben shrugged, before walking off to inspect the area.
"Mister Yin," Oobleck stood beside Yin, who was busy kicking down a door and inspecting inside. No sign of Grimm nor villains. Or anything else really. Just a broken home with a broken door now. "What drives you to become a Huntsman?"
"Well," Yin shrugged his shoulders, lips curled to a slight frown as he raised a brow. He scratched the back of his head, digging his toe into the dirt. "I guess so I can explore really. So I can go out and search the world. Plus, I get to punch things."
Oobleck simply nodded, then raised a finger. "Why do you want to? Why a Huntsman when you could just travel and explore?"
Yin had no answer.
"And you, Blair?"
"There," Blair hacked at a wall, trying to break through into the other room. Hoping to find something useful in this business complex. It was a large enough building. Who knew of the things within. "is evil in this world. And I want to do what ever possible to stop it."
"And this is the most successful way to go about this?" Oobleck asked, as he wrote down in his notes. Jotting them down in quick succession. "If there was a better, more efficient way, would you do such an act? Would you be able to?"
Blair simply let out a growl as he kicked the wall in. That question was probably too close to home. He walked through the hole, before starting once more to smash in another wall. Leaving Oobleck alone with his thoughts and paper.
"So, Mister Winter Frost." Oobleck smiled, walking besides Winter. Winter's arm lowered, as his thumb eased up on the hammer and holstered his weapon. "Heir to the throne, as it were. Why become a Huntsman? You are already-"
"Frost men are what we are." Winter smirked. "We are warriors. Of any and all battles. Father didn't raise me to limit myself. I learned that I was able fight. So, I will fight."
"Is that all you want to do? Just fight?" Oobleck asked, jotting down notes as Winter halted. Winter squinted his eyes, wondering why he would ask a question like that.
But the question remained. Did he just want to fight?
Ruben couldn't believe the sight, as he laid prone. His arms laying atop the cushion of debris and destroyed buildings. His heart racing as he simply watched them slump along. Walking through the towering trees.
They were massive Grimm. With tusks much larger than anything Ruben has seen before. Hooves the size of buses. Eyes as big as truck rims. Ears as large as any plane's wings.
"Magnificent, aren't they?" Oobleck asked, walking up besides Ruben. Ruben glanced up at Oobleck, before turning his sights back on the beasts. Ruben nodded his head, smiling softly.
"They can be. When they aren't trying to kill you and stuff." Ruben smirked, picking himself off of the ground. Patting himself off before turning towards Oobleck. Who was looking over the landscape before him. He looked over at Ruben, gesturing towards the area.
"What do you see Ruben?" He asked, leaning in towards Ruben. His arms still behind his back as he watched Ruben. Ruben glanced around, shrugging his shoulders as his hands retracted to his pockets. He saw an old restaurant. Now in shambles and ruin. The crumbling towers and skyscrapers.
"I see destroyed buildings, destroyed lives-"
"No Ruben." Oobleck said, his voice lowering as he let out a sigh. Ruben squinted his eyes, wondering what exactly he was asking. "What do you see?"
"I see lost lives. Destroyed lives." Ruben mumbled, lowering his head as he shut his eyes. The thought of a child running way from a pack of Grimm was...disgusting. Was immoral. "I see...people who've might have been too slow. Too careful. It's not a pretty thought."
"How does that make you feel?" Oobleck asked, his arms folded as he watched Ruben. Ruben kicked up some dirt, growling to himself. Ruben crossed his arms, shrugging his shoulders.
"Grateful? That this wasn't my home? Upset? That so many people lost their lives? Horrible? Because I know there was nothing I could do? That this could easily have become my home?"
"I see." Oobleck walked on, Ruben following closely behind. He walked in silence.
"So...this hasn't gone as planned." Yin glanced up from the fire at Blair, who was laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. Blair thought once more about the White Fang. Worse, he thought that this wasn't exactly the best line of work to jump to. Would he have done better, done more good just staying a Freedom Fighter? At least then, the extremities could be justified. Could be understood.
"It'll be better tomorrow..." Blair mumbled, arms laying on his stomach as he continually stared into the ceiling. He rolled over onto his side, wanting to just fall asleep. But no. No he didn't fall asleep.
"I mean...we are here on a job. A mission." Winter said, sitting up against the wall. He thought of his company, and if being a Huntsman would be a great use of his skills? He was a leader, a good businessman? It would be disrespectful for him not to pick up the company after his father retired. But his years of being a Huntsman would be over...
"It's our duty..." Yin grumbled, glancing over at Ruben. He was posted up at the doorway, staring up into the stars above. Yin thought about simply going Nomad. Simply traveling from city to city, doing odd jobs and whatnot to get by. Just so he could find her. Just so he could look for his disappeared mother. \ "Buddy-"
"Get some rest, Yin." Ruben said, letting out a soft yawn. "I opted to do first watch." Yin shrugged, laying down and trying to fall asleep. But no. He didn't fall asleep.
Ruben let out a sigh, hoping tomorrow will be better. His thoughts focused on this city. Wondering if Beacon had a chance of becoming like this? Turning into this?
Zwei barked, lapping his tongue as he pawed Ruben's calf. Ruben smiled softly as he brushed Zwei's ear.
Would be better. It had to be.