Jaune got beaten again. It made me sad to see him lose and infuriated me to see Cardin Winchester win. I had recently learned of Martris' younger brother Cardin. The only difference to the boys was their height and their hair. Martris still topped Cardin by a few inches and Martris grew his hair out a little longer than Cardin's short hair.
Martris used a massive battle-axe, something that only Elise and maybe Peyton could wield and Martris, when I watched him fight, had shrewd intelligence that gave him a distinct advantage. He had cunning and strength and that made him a dangerous opponent. He wasn't the leader of his team though surprisingly enough. His team leader was a boy that even I found terrifying.
Perhaps because I saw a little of Omar in him.
"We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf now would we?" Huntress Goodwitch said gently to the downed Jaune.
"Speak for yourself." Cardin said sarcastically. I had watched Cardin fight and he showed none of his brother's cunning in battle but he tried to make up for it with pure brute strength.
I felt Jaune's low Aura and wished I could help.
"Remember everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing. Those who choose to compete in the Combat tournament will be representing all of Vale."
Ah, the Vytal Festival. I had heard much about it. I was looking forward to it but not as much as Elise. She was doing extra training to be ready for the tournament. I didn't mind her doing that. It put an edge on her skills that gave the team an advantage and it never interfered with my team's secret combat training. We mainly practiced in the late evenings anyways, so that we didn't disturb our usual schedule and or alert anyone to the fact that team DEEP was doing special combat operations. Peyton created our Protocol's for when we fought and the entire team learned them and learned well and fast.
I saw Jaune's dejection and almost went to him but I sensed he would not welcome my presence.
Over the weeks of school and training, I had become tentative friends with the members of team RWBY and team JNPR.
It made me happy to be closer to Blake without looking like I already knew her and it gave me a chance to talk to Yang.
At lunch after the practice, we all got the full force of Nora's quirkiness as she recounted the augmented version of a recurring dream. Ren knew the dream already and kept correcting the exaggerations.
I was silently reading along with Blake, while Elise consumed her weight in chicken and Peyton and Elin remained in a deep conversation about a subject they had talked about in class.
Jaune's sadness pressed on me like a wave. Luckily Ruby had also seen his mood and was attempting to pull him out of it.
And then there was Pyrrha's overwhelming concern tinged with longing.
Ugh, so many feeling that weren't mine.
I got up to grab another bowl of food and left Ruby and Pyrrha to get Jaune out of his funk.
I heard mean laughter on my way but I saw a beautiful bowl of blackberries that I made a rush to grab.
"Ow, that hurts!" A sweet voice yelled. I felt ice in my veins when I turned and saw Cardin tormenting a lovely little Faunus girl, named Velvet, who had long brown rabbit ears. "Please let go." She whispered with tears in her eyes. "I told you they were real." He said instead of releasing her. "What a freak." Was Russel's reply.
He had a hold of her left ear and was pulling on it much to his team's enjoyment. I could see pain and humiliation in the girl's soft brown eyes and I didn't remember crossing the room but there I was, a growl rumbling deep in my chest.
I whipped Orchid's silver length down on the table causing everyone to jump from the ear splitting crack that silenced the lunchroom. I was centered on both feet, rage and pain feeding me. "Let her go. Now." I said in a harsh voice that seemed to echo in the silence.
Cardin's hand let go and Velvet stepped back away from him, holding her hand to the base of her ear.
I looked Cardin in the eyes, dead faced. "Touch her again, and next time, I'll crack your skull open instead of the table." For I had cracked the table with the force of my blow.
"Hey! Grandma!" I heard a familiar voice say. "Get away from my brother." I turned, a little drunk on my anger. "Ah, Martris I had forgotten that bad manners ran in your family. Thank you for reminding me." I said smiling at the furious boy before turning to Velvet who was trembling.
"Come on dear, let me have a look at that ear. I'll give you something for the pain." I hooked an arm around her shoulder and guided her out shooting one last glare at Cardin before walking away with sweet Velvet. Behind me, voices started talking again. I didn't listen. My anger still whispered in my ears to kill him. One knife and he'd stop being a problem permanently.
But Velvet was my main concern and her care came first. Not only that but killing someone, as I had learned, was not an acceptable form of retaliation.
In my room, I examined her ear, healed it and gave her a salve to soothe the pain.
"Thank you. I don't know how to thank you enough." She said quietly. I smiled at her, showing my teeth. "It was really a pleasure to put Cardin in his place." Her face changed when she saw my fangs.
"You're a.. a..."
"Yes, like you. Mum was a wolf. Now, tell me what hurts you so." I said sitting down on the bed with her. She began to speak of the tortures she had endured over the years, even the ones here at Beacon though she said that at Beacon things were much better than the outside world. As she talked, I Healed.
And at the end, some of the rough edges inside the gentle rabbit girl were smoothed out.
"Velvet, I have spoken with many people. You are liked and admired by the people you care about most. Your team holds your skills in very high regard and your teachers say you are thoughtful and intelligent." I placed a hand on her cheek.
"You are not a freak. You are a beautiful girl with a kind soul and you're a one in a million kind of mage. You've got something great to contribute to the world. Don't give up because there are stupid people trying to bring you down, especially when they are a year or two behind you. They are only trying to bring you down because you are already above them." I said smiling.
The hope flared and the happiness settled in.
I had earned another friend.
"C'mon, we've got to get to class." I said grabbing my bag and Orchid.
She was walking with me down the hall when she hesitantly asked about my leg. I smiled at her and almost didn't answer but she looked me in the eyes. She needed to know.
"Some very bad people hurt me over and over in the same place on my leg to the point where my body couldn't fix it anymore. So now it always hurts and I can never heal it. That why I have Orchid. I need her to walk. I can't do it on my own anymore except in the heat of battle." She was fascinated by my use of pain to feed my own power.
"I wish I was as brave as you." She said just outside of Doctor Oobleck's classroom. I ran a hand down her soft downy brown hair.
"You're here, aren't you? You're braver than you think." I said before pushing open the doors.
Today our discussion was the Faunus Rights Revolution. Aiya.
Professor Oobleck was a frazzle brained intellectual, who drank way too much coffee. His bright green hair always looked like he had been in a tornado, his shirt was half untucked, his collar eschew and his tie, loose and off center. His wire framed glasses barely stayed on his face he moved so quickly. But for all that he was a fascinating man with an incredible memory.
He and I had had many long, in depth discussions over the different events in history that shaped the present.
"Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." He tapped his large paper covered map at the small continent to the extreme south-east of the world.
"Now, while this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events. Repercussions of the uprisings can still be seen to this day." He took a large sip of coffee after not breathing to say any of that.
"Now, have any among you ever been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage." Velvet looked at me and I nodded to her. She slowly raised her hand as well as several others in the class.
"Dreadful, simply, dreadful. Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence." He said taking any gulp of his coffee.
You said it, Doctor.
"I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the White Fang!" Both Blake and I stiffened at the name of the Faunus rights organization. "Now, which of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the War?"
Weiss, of course had the answer. "The Battle at Fort Castle."
"Precisely!" Doctor Oobleck cried, nearly hitting his coffee with his pointer stick. "And who can tell me the advantage the Faunus' had over General Lagune's forces?"
Jaune, startled out of his nap, seemed to be willing to answer. "Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! Now, what is the answer?" The Doctor said, getting really close the Jaune in excitement.
"The answer... the answer... the advantage... the Faunus.. had... over that guy's stuff was... uh binoculars!" Jaune finally said, misinterpreting Pyrrha's silent communications.
I winced. Doctor Oobleck was not amused. "Very funny, Mr. Arc. Cardin perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject." He said coming back behind his paper covered desk.
Oh no, not him.
"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." I hissed angrily and began to stand.
"You're not the most open minded of individuals are you, Cardin?" Pyrrha's voice cut sharper the Orchids blades. "What you got a problem?" He said glaring at the beautiful red haired girl. "No. I have the answer." She said turning to Oobleck. "It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark." Cardin looked furious at being upstaged. In this, he looked exactly like his brother.
Way to go, Pyrrha.
Blake picked up after Pyrrha. "General Lagune was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched and the General was captured. Perhaps if he had paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure." Blake's finishing comment was well place at Cardin who began to stand up, fists ready.
"Mr. Winchester, please take your seat." Jaune chose the wrong time to chuckle. "You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings. Now! Moving on!" He cried zooming to the other end of the room.
The last bit of discussion was finished without mishap and we all left except for Jaune and Cardin. Pyrrha was worried and chose to stay behind outside the door.
I gave a proud thumbs up to Velvet who smiled back happily before disappearing down another hall.
Elise and I were working on a project together so I hurried to the library to meet her. I had some research of my own to do on the medical properties of Forever Fall leaves, sap and roots. Soon, we'd all be taking a field trip and I was hoping to gather some samples while there.
But outside the library, I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye and felt a tug on my Semblance. Someone wanted my attention. I sent Elise on ahead of me.
She didn't see the worry I felt and vanished down the hallway, leaving me alone with who ever had summoned me. It worried me that someone actually could see the threads of my Semblance enough to pull on one to call me. The implications of something like that worried me greatly.
As I limped to where I felt the summons, I saw one of my classmates leaning casually against a wall, waiting. The one who honestly scared me. Mykel Dionard, leader of team MMCY (Mercy). Martris' team leader.
I approached warily; the only sound was the quiet click as orchid came down on the floor. My senses jumped into hyperawareness as fear coursed inside me. I didn't let it show on my face but I kept my right hand on Orchid and my left hand out of sight, to hide the fact that they were shaking a little bit.
"Hello, Ms. Dahlia." He said cordially. Everything Mykel did was courteous and he was nothing if not a gentleman.
His voice was cultured with little inflection but it had a husky edge that made women go all misty eyed. He was attractive but dangerously so. His features were aristocratic and too finely sculpted to be called handsome with his clear gray eyes and deliberately tousled black hair. His body was lean and muscular but he was a little on the thin side if one was being picky. He wore his uniform like he was a model.
He smiled like he knew a secret that I didn't. He always smiled like that. I haven't yet figured out if he knew anything or if he smiled like that to intimidate people. His eyes saw everything but revealed nothing.
"Mykel." I said nodding slowly at him in greeting. I stood there patiently, waiting for the predator to tell me what he wanted. My heart pounded in my chest and it made me angry. This was my classmate; I shouldn't be scared of him.
But I was. And I couldn't figure out why.
He pushed himself away from the wall and approached me slowly, his grace a little unsettling. "I apologize for asking you here in such a rude manner but I wanted to speak with you privately." I smiled slightly. I wouldn't tell him how much his way of summoning me worried me. Give him nothing.
When he was an arm's length away from me he stopped.
His Aura pressed on me, too close for comfort, chilling clean of his emotions. He was far away from me but it felt like we were very, very close. "I wished to speak to you about my teammate. Martris Winchester." The smile on my face never moved but I tilted my head.
"From day one, he has disliked you. Because of that, his brother dislikes you. I want to solemnly apologize for his behavior up till now and inform you that he will stop harassing you and those you care for immediately. I cannot do anything about his younger brother but I can do something about Martris."
I dipped my head. "I appreciate your apology on his behalf and your effort to help me. You're a good leader." I replied.
He took another step towards me and I forced myself not to back up. Give no ground, show him no fear.
"You are a good leader as well, Ms. Dahlia. The entire school looks up to you. There has never been a girl like you to cross my path." His eyes looked like he was searching my soul for something. "There never will be. There is no one in the world like me." I said quietly, without thinking. When I remembered how Oz and I had had a similar conversation I felt sick. His chuckle sent shivers over my skin.
"Too true, too true. That's why I'd like us to be friends." He said, gently putting his thumb and the curve of his forefinger to my chin, holding it delicately. "I think there is a great many things we could learn from each other." He whispered seductively. My insides quivered and I wanted so badly to run and run far.
His hand drifted down my neck, over my left collarbone, down my arm and to my trembling hand. He ever so carefully took it and brought it to his lips. Perhaps he didn't feel how cold it was. "Till we meet again, Ms. Dahlia." He murmured. And then he took a step back and turned to walk slowly down the hallway. I didn't hear his footsteps but I finally felt him disappear.
I let out a pent up breath and looked around. No one.
I leaned my forehead against a cool pillar, trying to ease the heat in my face. All through the rest of the day, I thought about the strange conversation. All I knew was he would make a powerful ally or a very dangerous enemy.
And frighteningly enough, I knew the choice of which, would be all mine.