Let's talk about story structure, shall we?! Crap, that sounds boring...
In all seriousness, I do need to explain some really cool shit to you guys before this story continues just so you have a better idea of what to expect without giving away any spoilers. Long story short, this whole thing, like I said, focuses primarily on the relationships between the multitude of characters, but that doesn't mean that this is nothing more than a fluff fic by ANY standards, and it's not going to be a smut fic either. Instead, what's going to happen is that this book, this novel, whatever you want to call it, is going to be broken up into 5 parts, acts, or volumes. Obviously, this is only Act 1 that you're reading now, and like I implied in the last author's note, only Act 1 is going to follow the main canon just so I can set up certain aspects for the following Acts like how Grey started training under Ozpin and other such nonsense. For lack of a better term, this is a prologue. I don't want to call it a prologue, I really hate using prologues, but there's just so much detail within Act 1 that I had little choice but to make it its own section of the story. This backstory is too big to just mention anywhere else in the story. Otherwise, it's notoriously short.
Other than that, you've got to understand something. I've already planned out and outlined the majority of this story in advance, and have written all the way to nearly the end of Act 3. What that means is that the plot has already been more or less decided in advance, just so I can make sure the story makes sense, and is interesting to all of you guys, but as far as updating the story goes, I still won't be able to update regularly because I still need to edit everything, write the rest, as well as dealing with life in general like work, family, and school.
Now, onto the other 4 Acts, 2-5, without giving any spoilers, let me try to explain how things will work story-wise. Like I said earlier, there will be a major plot surrounding the relationships between the characters, and this story will not just be about the characters themselves, but as far as the actual plot itself goes, that won't come until Act 3, and even then, Act 3 is mostly just setting things up for things to actually take place in Act 4, and for Act 5 to finish things off. Keep in mind, Act 5 IS NOT AN EPILOGUE. The majority of the plot will be in Act 4, but when I say "Act 5 will finish things off," I mean that main RWBY canon will be almost entirely irrelevant. Sure, aspects of Volume 4 from the anime will no doubt influence how Act 5 will turn out, but essentially, that's all mine, and that will be where the title of this story will truly take place.
The last thing I will say here is more specific- Act 1 is a prologue, Act 2 is character development, Act 3 is character interaction and plot set up, Act 4 is the climax, and Act 5 is a completely original story in the RWBY. For that to work, I will be adding many more OCs later on in this story that will all have extreme significance later on, some of whom won't even show up until much later, but trust me, you will know who they are when they arrive, and as far as those canonical retcons from last chapter that I mentioned, you won't really get much of that until Act 2. As far as Act 1 goes, I really just try to delve into the inner mentalities of certain characters. Act 2, however, actually STARTS with a retcon, but I assure you that it will BLOW YOUR FREAKING MINDS.
That's all! Enjoy this latest update you fabulous monstrosities.
Also, yes, this chapter is much longer than the last one. That'll happen occasionally.
Chapter 2
"I can't believe my baby sister is starting at Beacon with me!" shouted the busty blonde girl in the middle of the jet carrier transporting the new first year students to the huntsman's academy.
"Yang, calm down," Ruby Rose pleaded with her sister, "I don't want to bring attention to myself. I skipped two whole years; I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."
"Come on, you beat an A-Class criminal, almost blew up a building, and got the headmaster's attention like it was nothing! Everyone's going to think you're the bee's knees!" The walking embodiment of flamboyance waved her arm towards the other people in the ship who all shifted under her gaze awkwardly. Everyone was already nervous, and she was admittedly making things worse.
"I don't want to be the bee's knees," the younger girl whined, "I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees." A taller boy came up next to the combat addict and scratched her head as if she was a small animal, and the way the girl leaned up into the contact with a euphoric smile growing on her face only added to the cute impression. It was a familiar motion as if the boy had done it hundreds of times, and judging by Ruby's reaction, the glazed over eyes and the drool starting to form on the very edge of her lips, it seemed to make her forget the previous conversation entirely.
"I don't think you have a choice, Ru," Grey said, smirking as his friend started kicking her leg with glee, "You definitely made an impression. Everyone's going to want to be your friend. Unless, you know, they start thinking you're a threat or a rival that needs to be taken down and they try to fight you 24/7." He smirked at the way the fear on her face grew for a moment and then quickly jumped over to her sister and hugged her tightly.
"But I don't want rivals! I just want to go to school and make friends and be nice to everyone and make everyone happy. Why did I have to get involved with those guys in the first place?" Yang held her younger sister close to her and glared at Grey with eyes as red as molten hot magma. Grey smiled cheekily and held up his hands in peace.
"Relax sunshine child," he reassured her, "I'm only joking. Most of these guys graduated Signal with me and Yang, and I can assure you they're all really nice. Sure, you might get the occasional snotty brat, or a complete nut job, but it's a school just like any other. And if anyone gives you any trouble…" To finish that statement, he shadow boxed the air for a bit, getting a few odd glances, but Ruby and Yang seemed to appreciate the brotherly gesture. Yang especially seemed to take interest in Grey's motions and jumped into the imaginary ring with him, taking her turn to throw a few mock punches at him, and he playfully fought back. Once they realized they were both boxers, they found themselves staring at each other with dangerous intent, smirks on both of their faces.
"Oh come on, guys," Ruby pleaded with them both, "Don't start anything on the ship." They glanced at her for a second, considering her words as a crowd started to gather and make bets, egging them on, and they really did seem as if they were going to start killing each other, Grey even going so far as to take off his armored jacket and showing off a set of muscles that got a few admiring glances. It wasn't the time or place, but they were staring each other like two dogs separated by a chain link fence. Just then, however, a hologram turned on by the front of the room. An image of Professor Goodwitch appeared.
"We will be arriving at Beacon Academy in three hours," she explained to those watching her, including the two former combatants whose challenging stares had become distracted, "You may move about the ship at your leisure. Please prepare everything you need before we arrive, and when we land, you will meet in the grand hall for a lecture given by the headmaster as he will explain how you will spend the next four years at the Academy. I look forward to working with each of you."
"Is it just me, or did that last part seem forced to you?" Grey asked Ruby and Yang, grabbing his jacket off the floor from the steel pauldrons. Yang jabbed two fingers into her new rival's spine but with a playful tone.
"Don't know, don't care," she said in his ear, "All I know is that eventually, we're going to throw down, and when we do, I'm gonna kill ya." She laughed and patted his butt, making him jump for a second. "Just kidding! But I do want to fight you. It's not very often I get to meet another pugilist." She winked at him, making him blush. He looked over at Ruby with a silent question if her sister was always like that, but she seemed too upset with their interaction to answer. She just glared at Yang with a pout.
"By Zeus's Beard!" Grey mused, getting distracted, "Look at that view!" Everyone in earshot decided to join him at the window, mumbling to themselves and each other in amazement at seeing the city they grew up in from so high up. Most of them had never even been in a jet before. Ruby even forgot her frustration with Yang for a moment and fawned over the incredible scene a mile below, beckoning Grey over to join her. Then, they heard Yang chuckle behind them.
"Guess the view isn't for everybody," she said disgustedly, pointing to a scraggly blonde guy with a few pieces of armor over his black hoodie who was running off to the bathroom, a hand over his mouth.
"Ew, Yang!" Ruby gasped, backing up and pointing at her sister's feet, "You have puke on your shoes!" Yang practically screamed and stripped her shoes off, running around, unsure what to do with them as she repeated the word "gross" over and over. "No! Get away from me! Don't touch me with that stuff! Stay away! It smells!" Grey shook his head at thepair of sisters. He had never been one to have a lot of friends, instead choosing to focus on his training with a few people he trusted so he could become a well rounded hunter, but if these two were the first real, true friends he was going to have, he was proud. He couldn't have asked for a better group.
The ship landed exactly three hours later, just like the students were told. They all filed off the carrier quickly after grabbing their luggage, and hoping to be the first in line for the lecture to be had in a few minutes. Grey took a moment after landing to take in his surroundings, noting grimly that the air smelled of soot and metal, most likely from the plethora of weapons that had just come in, but there was also the added tinge of sweat and anxiety from all of the fresh meat. Most people he saw looked nervous, as was to be expected. There were a few, however, that stuck out to him as either extremely confident or conspicuously arrogant, like a man covered in ornate but well made armor walking around as if he already owned the place. The only thing that struck Grey as odd was the amount of faunus in the area. He knew that being a hunter was most often a human profession, even though some faunus were known to join the mix, but what was strange to him was the mass of them that made up nearly the entire population of one of the lifts dropping off new students. Roughly a third of all first years had horns, antlers, or tails.
As Ruby admired the few weapons she could see, gun nut as she was, and as Yang scolded her for her appreciation of the artwork, Grey decided to see if he could place where these people had come from. He figured the first group was from Atlas judging on nothing more than the copious amounts of luggage, and even without that and the other obvious signs of wealth such as the army of servants and finely tailored suits, the pompous attitudes would've tipped him off to their northern roots. Then, came a group of rowdier boys and girls with daisy dukes and cargo shorts, unbuttoned shirts and crop tops, so he knew right away that they were from Vacuo; it wasn't really a suit and tie kind of place like the former. It was then he got a chill down his spine. Quickly, he looked around and saw Yang running off with a group of people whom he suspected were her friends from Signal.
"Dang," he admired with an undertone of a complaint, "She ran off quick. I take my eyes off of her for five seconds..."
"Wait!" Ruby called after her, "Where are our dorms? Are there dorms? Do we even have dorms? Ugh, what am I going to do?" She collapsed defeatedly, but found herself falling into a pile of stark white suitcases instead of the pavement. What followed next, Grey could only describe as hellish.
"What are you doing?!" Shouted a female voice from behind him. Both he and Ruby jumped and spun around to come face to face with a girl dressed in a combat skirt as white as snow, her hair the same color but with a bluish tint styled in a ponytail held together by a tiara. Her bolero jacket was accented by a chain around her neck as well as a crimson lining, and her boots were the kind of shoes that had a hidden wedge in the heel for a discrete bit of extra height. What really caught Grey's attention though, making his brow rise in admiration, was the pink scar over her left eye, her eyes themselves a bright and icy blue surrounded by deep black eyeliner and dimly tinted, red mascara. If she wasn't currently yelling at Ruby, Grey would have asked her out on a date right then and there. He was an incredibly protective person, often getting compared to a wolf, but even with Snow White's frustration with his friend, he still found himself admiring her beauty, and was imagining what a simple kiss from her would be like.
"Do you have any idea what kind of damage you could have caused?!" She continued to shout. "You could have completely destroyed half of the school!"
"I'm so sorry!" Ruby said hurriedly, "Please don't yell at me! It was an accident!"
"What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon? This isn't some kind of children's school. You shouldn't be here you complete dolt!" The girl leaned in threateningly, her hands on her hips, and her tone unrelenting. There were a lot of species in the animal kingdom that despised noise, and with the volume in her voice only rising, she could've wiped out an entire population. The impression she gave Grey was one of intensity, dangerous severity, and yet tactful grace. As she continued to berate the peons before her, she showed just what kind of intimidating of a presence she could be, showing her domineering form and aggressive temper.
"Hey!" Grey spoke up, finally managing to come back down to Remnant, "Watch it! It was an accident. Ruby isn't at fault here." The girl reared on him.
"Who are you? Her keeper?" She said with a malicious smirk and cruelly joking pitch, "Maybe you should do a better job at watching her so she doesn't get someone killed!" Miss Sass practically spat the last word, then crossed her arms and turned her head so she wouldn't have to look at the lowly peasants.
"I think maybe you should watch who you're talking to Princess," Grey growled at her, the corner of his lips and his eye twitching, the attraction to her from before completely removed, "You never know just who's crazy enough to break someone's neck when no one's looking." The one with the superiority complex sneered at him, and began waving a dropped bottle of dust in his and Ruby's faces.
"Excuse me?! Do you even know who you're speaking to?! Do you even know what this stuff could do to you in my hands?" To prove her point, she waved the bottle around even more. "Fire, ice, energy- It's all deadly when I use it! I train with it on a daily basis! I could destroy you!"
Ruby sneezed. It was definitely the fiery sprinkles that were floating in the air, courtesy of princess snooty pants, that caused the reaction from the younger girl, but what happened next was quite the scene. Grey wasn't sure how the exact science worked, but the violent sneeze from his friend's throat ignited the dust and created an explosion of flame and frost right in the middle of the courtyard, searing the ground around them. The three were silent for a moment. They might have coughed up a bit of soot, but for the most part, as far as they could see, they were OK, and that gave the brat more fuel for her tirade.
"This is exactly what I was talking about!" She screeched, stomping her foot as if she were squashing an ant, "You could've gotten us killed! Watch what you're doing you moron!"
"I said I was sorry, Princess!" Ruby snapped, stepping forward as if ready to fight. With both of the years of training that landed the two of them spots at the school, both of the girls' hands instinctively placed themselves on their weapons, one scythe and one unnecessarily fancy rapier. Grey rolled his eyes, knowing he might have to step in and stop them from killing each other, or worst case scenario, help Ruby throw down, but another voice came the side and interrupted them.
"It's heiress, actually," said a tall and slender figure in black clothing with bright yellow eyes, purple eye shadow, long black hair and a big black bow on her head. Either a living Dalt Wisney character or a cosplayer who had fully dedicated her life to the craft, Grey thought- no one dressed like that, but it suited her overall demeanor well. She walked with such a slender grace, her hips swinging with a natural charm that instinctively drew your eyes to them, similar to a feline. It was difficult to tell if it was forced or not, but she had the heel-toe catwalk that models on the runway practiced so he figured she must be putting some effort into her sultry strut.
"Finally some recognition," the princess adjacent smiled haughtily.
"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company," the goth girl noted with an utterly calm demeanor most people were incapable of keeping, the mentioned title making Weiss smile even more proudly then before, but what this girl said next was a huge blow to Weiss's ego, "Notable for their shady business partners and questionable practices." Weiss looked like she was about to snap. Her fingers clenched the hilt of the rapier at her hip with white knuckles, like she was just itching to draw and show these three a lesson, but decided against it and sorted her luggage back onto the pull cart Ruby knocked it off of.
"Fine," she chided, "Just stay out of my way." With that, Miss Schnee sauntered off in all her prideful glory. Ruby and Grey were silent for a bit.
"So…" Grey started, "She's cute. Think I have a shot with her?" He smirked at Ruby who looked up at him like she was personally offended.
"Dude," she replied slowly, "You could do so much better." Grey shrugged and looked off in the direction Weiss had left.
"I don't know, man. I kind of a thing for tsunderes." Ruby rolled her eyes and turned to the more somber girl.
"Thanks for your help, by the way…. Oh." She turned to look at the visitor, but the girl was already walking off. Ruby then took a deep breath and fell to her knees with a sad sigh. "I'm having a great first day." Grey patted her shoulder supportively.
"It'll get better. I promise."
"Hi," said someone behind them, "I'm Jaune." They turned to see vomit boy from the carrier, holding out his hand in friendship. Ruby and Grey smiled at each other and then at him, knowing they had just made a new friend.
"Yang!" Ruby yelled at her sister in her hurt tone, "You left me out in the courtyard and I exploded!" The girl with long and voluptuous blonde hair turned to see Ruby and Grey heading over to her, both with frustrated looks.
"Whoa," she said, looking at them with an amused smile, "Meltdown already?"
"No, she actually exploded," Grey explained, "There was a crater and everything. Some fire, maybe some ice in their too but I'm not sure." Ruby took over the explanation with a voice that made her seem close to tears.
"You left me and I was in the courtyard and I fell down onto this girl's luggage and I didn't know there would be explosives and she yelled at me so I apologized-"
"Uh… Ru?" Grey tried to grab her attention.
"But she kept yelling at me so Grey yelled at her and then I sneezed and then there was fire and she just kept yelling at me and I just wanted the yelling to stop-"
"You!" Shouted none other than Weiss Schnee whom Grey had seen sneaking up behind her. Ruby jumped into Grey's arms at the voice.
"Oh my god, it's happening again! Make it stop!" She yelled through a whine.
"You're lucky we weren't blown out of the country with a stunt like that! You have to be more careful if you're going to go to school here!" Weiss continued to yell.
"Oh my god, you actually exploded…" Yang realized in a shocked and disappointed tone. Grey tried to set Ruby down, but she was wrapped around him in the tightest vice grip that he wasn't able to get out of. At least she looked comfortable, though, so he allowed it. Weiss looked at the pair with a mix of superiority and disgust, but chose to ignore them and pulled a pamphlet out of her back pocket, shoving it in Ruby's face before proceeding to give an obviously rehearsed speech about Schnee Dust Company products and the user's responsibility for their own safety. The three then looked at her with confusion, so she summarized.
"Look, do you really want to make this up to me?" she asked, forcefully placing the brochure in Ruby's lap as she was still in Grey's bridal carry, and the girl nodded reassuringly. "Then read this, and never speak to me again."
"OK, ladies," Yang stepped in, attempting to calm the two down, "Looks like you guys just got off on the wrong foot. How about you start over?"
"Yeah! That's a good idea!" Ruby jumped out of Grey's arms, allowing the poor boy to stretch his sore shoulders, and held out her arm in friendship to her current enemy as a symbol of peace, "Hi Weiss, I'm Ruby. Do you want to hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies?" Weiss didn't waste any time in showing how sarcastic she could be, pouncing on the chance to make fun of the child.
"Of course!" She squeaked in a cheery voice, "And we can go to the mall! And paint our nails! And talk about cute boys like tall, blonde, and scraggly over there." Weiss pointed her thumb over her shoulder at Jaune. Poor guy looked up at the group with a hopeful expression, hearing only the last part. Grey grimaced at where that was potentially heading.
"Oh my gosh, really?!" Ruby cheered with her usual ecstatic grin. Weiss glared at her. It was a deep and icy glare into the center of Ruby's soul that said the only thing Weiss wanted to do, more than anything in the world, was to tell this idiot child just how foolish she was. Or stab her. Stabbing her would work. Instead, she held back, and even Grey and Yang shook their heads in their hands at the young girl's ignorance.
"No," she said harshly after a moment of grumpy silence.
"I'll make this brief," came a calm and warm voice over the speakers as a dapper gentleman spoke in the microphone on the stage. It was Ozpin.
"Holy crap, that voice…" Weiss said to herself.
"I know," Grey whispered in her ear, "It's like sweet buttermilk isn't it?" Weiss looked at him with an offended look like how dare you speak to me, but she let it slide because of the shared admiration of that auditory velvet.
"I kind of want to sleep on a bed made of that," she admitted.
"I think I'd prefer a pillow," Grey added, "You ever try a slumberpedic mattress? It's like melting into marshmallow. An Ozpin pillow along with that could make me sleep forever." Weiss nodded, the look in her eyes making it seem like she was filing that information away for later.
"Each of you has come here for a sole purpose," Ozpin continued, "To become hunters, protectors of the people. Every single one of you has trained most of your lives to become the best of the best in order to defend the peace our kingdoms work so hard to keep. It is my hope that your time at Beacon Academy will turn you into the young men and women you are destined to become." With that, he stepped away from the podium and his right hand woman, Professor Goodwitch came up to finish the address to the students. Grey and Ruby were only half listening though, only retaining the important details, as the way Ozpin had just behaved on the stand had seemed odd compared to what they had been exposed to just a day before. He seemed distracted. They let it slide, however, knowing that as the headmaster of the school and as a professional hunter himself, he had plenty of business that would keep his attention..
Hours went by. Yang, Ruby, and Grey went through the day taking in the new environment, going on tours led by unenthusiastic seniors just trying to get extra credit and having a messy lunch of self made tacos in the cafeteria. The most notable detail that stuck out to the three of them was the gym, being described as the one place where sparring was not only encouraged but required. It was a small coliseum with about four rows of seats surrounding the perimeter. The size alone was nothing much, being about twice the size of a professional boxing ring, but the modern style it had was a nice eye catcher, having monitors hanging up to monitor the fighters while also recording the bouts for later review for correction, sleek floors that could withstand even the most powerful of strikes, and a nearly transparent barrier around the ring to protect the audience from any stray bullets or a disarmed blades. Both of the women in his company gave Grey eager looks when they heard that they would be dueling other students. He just rolled his eyes at the two.
Speaking of the girls, Yang seemed to be attempting to steal his attention from Ruby any chance she could get. All Grey wanted to do was spend time with the kawaii bean child he had taken under his wing, finding a sense of comfort in her presence, but Yang was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She was strong for one, strong enough to pull him aside like a ragdoll no matter how hard he resisted, and she knew how to distract him in the same way most men can be, by using her low cut bustier to her advantage. It got him off his guard long enough for her to grab him. She made it no secret that she thought he was hot, and she was going to make sure he knew what she wanted from him. Much to her dismay, he wasn't having any of it. After a lot of under the table touching at dinner, he had to pull her aside to tell her what was up and put her in place. It wasn't that he didn't like her, he did, and she was definitely attractive, but he made it clear that he felt like dating his best friend's sister would be weird and wrong. She was surprisingly calm about it, admitting her failure with dignity, then honorably promising to just be friends with him.
Shortly after the twilight feast that would've made the halls of Valhalla jealous, everyone was told to get to bed. Instead of dorms, however, or even cots, the students had to stay in the grand hall in sleeping bags like orientation day was one big slumber party. Boys and girls were encouraged to stay on opposite sides of the room, but not required, and almost everyone quickly took advantage of the situation by taking a moment to talk to whomever they thought was cute. Not to mention that, true to their nature, a lot of the guys had to state their dominance by taking off their shirts, showing off their muscles, and even doing a few late night exercises to show just how strong they were and intimidate the competition. Most of the girls, Yang especially, enjoyed the eye candy. Although, Ruby was one of the black sheep who seemed put off by the situation, wasting no time in curling up in her sleeping bag to avoid being seen, but Grey was having none of that cowardice. She knew he was "allergic" to weak willed heroes.
"For friendship!" he proclaimed wildly as he ripped her from her safety bubble and pulled her over to the girl in the corner who was reading a book by candlelight, trying to fulfill their goal from that morning to meet new people. As luck would have it, it was none other than the girl from the courtyard. "What's up?" he asked her with a bright smile, embarrassing Ruby slightly but she was secretly flattered by the effort. The girl in the candlelight looked up from her book politely.
"Hi," she said curtly, then realized whom she was speaking to, "Aren't you the couple that blew up the courtyard?" Both of them blushed at the statement.
"Couple? No. He's like my brother. Who would want to kiss their brother right?" Ruby rushed to answer, not realizing how awkward she made the situation, then quickly changing the subject when it hit her, "I'm Ruby and this is Grey. But you can call me Crater Face… Nevermind. You can call me Ruby."
"Blake," the girl in black responded succinctly, trying to go back to her book.
"I like your bow…" Ruby said, nervously attempting to make small talk, Grey smiling wincingly at the effort, "And that's a cool looking book you're reading…"
"Thanks. It's a really good read," Blake was hoping the two would get the hint and move on, but they didn't. "Which I will continue to read." They continued to stand there. "As soon as you leave." Grey nodded disappointedly, being hurt by the rejection, but he understood her point of view and turned to walk off, but Ruby spoke up.
"What's it about?" She asked.
"What?" Blake stammered, actually setting the book down for a second.
"Your book. Does it have a name?" Ruby clarified.
"It's… it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control of his body." Blake wasn't sure how to react. She was used to being the only bookworm in the room, and in a room full of future elite soldiers, she was surprised that anyone would take an interest in her hobby.
"That sounds cool. I'd love to read it sometime. I love books. My big sister Yang used to read to me every night when I couldn't get to sleep. Tales of heroes and monsters… It's what made me want to become a huntress." Ruby detailed her past with stars in her eyes.
"Holy crap, that's adorable…" Grey said under his breath, hoping she wouldn't hear, but she did.
"Oh shush, who asked you?" Ruby giggled and shoved him playfully. Grey took his chance to grab her wrist and hip toss her onto the floor. He smirked at her wide eyes of betrayal. "What the heck was that? How did you learn how to do that?"
"Oh my god, you again?!" came a familiar shriek from the side, "People are trying to sleep!" The shoulders of the two playmates drooped dismally.
"Hello, Weiss," they groaned simultaneously. Weiss crossed her arms and put her bare feet together in a prim and proper manner. Grey reflected for a moment that her feet must be freezing on the cold wooden floor, but he figured that that probably wouldn't be true since her icy heart should've kept the rest of her body at a temperature much lower than the bare tiles, so the night air shouldn't have mattered much to her.
"Don't say my name like that. The members of the Schnee family are meant to be treated with respect and dignity at all times." Ruby and Grey shared a look, silently questioning themselves and each other if they were her servants and just didn't know it. Grey even motioned around his neck as if checking for a slave collar, making Ruby laugh for a quick second before being shut down by a glare from Weiss. It was weird though. The way Weiss had not only demanded their respect, but expected it as if she were truly royalty, made her seem delusional. Hopefully after getting beaten down a few times in gym class, she would learn that the real world didn't work that way outside of the manor house she had clearly never left before and she could join the rest of Beacon back in reality.
"Mkay…" Grey mumbled, then looked Weiss over with another of his trademark smirks, this one more flirty than the others, "Cute nightie. You look good with your hair down, too." The Schnee was taken aback by his boldness, but tried not to admit to herself that she was flattered as she tried to scrounge up a witty comeback.
"Thanks…" she said with a blush, unsure how else to respond and cursing herself for it, "Just- just stay out of my way, OK?" With that, the girl stormed off, Grey's eyes following her as his crush developed a bit more.
"So cute," he said to himself. Blake looked up at him over her book once more, this time with a dropped jaw of disbelief.
"You actually like her?" she asked incredulously, "Are you some kind of masochist?" He grumbled but didn't seem too offended by the remark.
"Sometimes…" he admitted. Blake stared up at him for a second with the level of judgement that only cats and disappointed soccer moms were capable of, then put down her book.
"That's enough crazy for tonight. I'm going to bed," she declared and curled up under her twelve blankets.
"Yeah, we should probably hit the sack, too. Night Ru," he said, scratching the girl's head affectionately. The motion always put her under a kind of blissful delirium and that's precisely how Ruby realized how tired she was. They filed into their sleeping bags next to one another and fell asleep as soon as Blake blew out her candelabra.
(_)
"So what's up with them?" Ruby asked Yang and Grey, gesturing to a boy and girl heading out of the door to the meeting area. The girl had a personality that was as vibrant as her neon pink skirt. She bounced from one corner of the room to the next, her freckled chipmunk cheeks pushed up in an ear splitting grin with naturally narrowed her eyes, and that made sure that people were watching her at all times. If they didn't they would lose sight of her quickly with that overdose of caffeine. Dealing with her was like seeing a spider in the shower. It's not that much of a problem seeing it, but when it disappears,that's when you start to panic. She had that kind of manic attitude that wanted you to keep all forms of sharp objects away from her at all times, or else something very bad would happen that would most likely end with an entire city being leveled. That was Nora Valkyrie.
Her boyfriend Lie Ren, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He was calm, cool, and collected. His hair was jet black and shaggy like a lion's mane, all except for one pink streak in his bangs that when asked about, Ren would say "Nora insisted." He moved with such elegant control and poise that Grey wasn't the only one who questioned if he was a ninja. He just had that air about him that intimated he could kill anyone in the room with a flick of his wrist, knowing exactly where and how to strike in order to collapse someone's most precious vital points.
Nora was naturally the first awake, as energetic as she was. She didn't waste any time waking Ren up that morning, which in turn, had caused everyone else to stir and look at the pair with pure hatred. It was obvious her boyfriend was embarrassed, but Nora didn't care. She just followed Ren everywhere he went, even into the boy's bathroom as he freshened himself up for the day. The two of them were getting the dirtiest looks from everyone. Grey was sure that Ren and Nora would inevitably have to fight off some bullies, but he could tell right off the bat that they were good guys and would help out if he had to. It was amazing how Ren was able to put up with the boundless energy of his girlfriend without lashing out at her. He was perfect for her. He had spent the whole morning listening to her ramble on about how they had been together, "But not together-together," for so long and how they were still together, "But not TOGETHER-together," and didn't say a single thing until Nora began coming up with potential distress signals to use to meet up during the opening exam. Even then, all he did was question the accuracy of the sounds she was making. Yang looked at them for a second, thinking about their situation before answering Ruby.
"I don't know," she mumbled, then looked at her sister polishing her scythe with a gentle tune being hummed behind her lips, "You seem chipper today."
"Of course I am!" she simpered joyously, hefting Crescent Rose, "Yesterday was such a downer because I'm horrible with people, but now I can let my baby do the talking." She glanced over at Grey, who was using a small tool to adjust the more minute parts of his gauntlets. "You ready for the test, Grey?" He turned to her with a determined look in his eyes, a look that was so dark that almost looked like it was full of anger and hatred, making both Ruby and Yang back up slightly in shock.
"I'm ready…" he said in a low growl, and that's when his friends realized just how intimidating he really was. However, they also learned just how quickly that version of him could change when he smirked at her. "Oh, and you don't need people to help you grow, huh?" Ruby crossed her arms proudly.
"That's right! I drink milk." She confirmed. In response, Grey stood up and placed his arm on top of her head, continuing to use the same tool from earlier on a collapsable piece of his left gauntlet under his wrist. A bit of silence went by, Ruby only looking more and more peeved, until she lost it and waved her arms wildly. "Alright! I get it! I'm short! You don't have to rub it in!"
"Honestly, the platform boots only draw attention to it, Raspberry Short Cake," he said curtly, pointing to her feet, "Cute shoes though. They go with the whole gothic lolita style."
While Yang and Ruby questioned his breaking-of-many-gender-roles knowledge of fashion terms, they almost had full blown aneurysms at the complete switch of his persona to a more childish one when he looked towards the other side of the hallway and his face lit up like the neon sign of a popular night club. "BABY COUSIN!" Blinking in confusion, they watched as he sprinted over to a girl with a long red ponytail in light golden armor, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake at his uncharacteristically blinding speed. He tackled this girl and lifted her up in a giant hug. It would have seemed rather cute if she had seen him charging at her, but by the way she flipped him over her shoulder and aimed her spear into his throat let everyone know that shouting his familial relationship with her to the heavens wasn't a good enough warning. It was odd that he didn't seem too perturbed by this. He grinned up at her like this happened hundreds of times before, like a usual greeting. "I see you've still got it!"
"I'm sorry!" she whined gently and helped him up laughing, pulling him into a hug, "It's good to see you Grey!"
"Good to see you too, Pyrrha," he laughed back at her, hugging her tightly. It wasn't too surprising to those who were aware of exactly who Pyrrha was when Weiss Schnee showed up, seemingly from the shadows, to jump in on their conversation.
"Oh!" she exclaimed coyly, heavily putting on the charm, "Hello, Grey. I didn't know you were friends with Pyrrha Nikos." Grey glanced at her with an uncomfortable smile. If he didn't already have some idea of Weiss's personality, the situation wouldn't have been so disconcerting for him, but the minute she used Pyrrha's full name like any of her fanatic stalkers did when referring to her, he could pick out what her intentions with his cousin were. He didn't like it.
"She's my baby cousin actually…" he explained, also trying to remember when he told Weiss his name, if he ever had, as well as trying to figure out how she could've learned it aside from Ruby or Yang.
"Oh, so you guys are family? That's really cool." The white haired girl smiled at them both, clearly attempting to resemble some forced version of charisma, but when Grey and Pyrrha glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes, they saw the shared creeped out expression on their faces. They recognized her as a fangirl hoping to attract her senpai. Pyrrha was almost praying that this girl wasn't like the last one she had to deal that broke into her hotel room to steal her hair. Being a celebrity that was famous enough to be on the face of a popular box of cereal and with multiple endorsements from other companies, she had quickly become used to dealing with many kinds of people, and Weiss seemed to be the of the more crazy variety. She seemed like the kind of person who wanted to get close to Pyrrha just to share the perks of her reputation, not as if she actually cared about Pyrrha as a person. Still, it was better than the others who borderline worshipped Pyrrha as a goddess, being placed on a pedestal so high that it separated her from reality. If Pyrrha was being honest, she hated both of them, but she was also too nice of a person to care. Almost the complete opposite of Grey, who crossed his arms and stood in front of his cousin protectively.
"So Pyrrha," said Weiss, ignoring the forthcoming threat, attempting to stand on her toes to look over his shoulder, "Have you given any thought to what team you'd like to be on?"
"I thought I would just let the cards fall where they may," she admitted, hoping to get out of the conversation as soon as possible, but still giving Weiss her full attention.
"Well, what about being on a team with me?" Weiss asked hopefully. Pyrrha tried to let her down gently.
"Perhaps, if things work out that way…"
Grey raised his eyebrow at his cousin and took the moment to get a better look at Weiss. She was gorgeous and that was undeniable, but just because someone is attractive, it doesn't make them a good person, or even likeable for that matter. What tipped Grey off to this girl's true nature was the smile she gave him. It was nothing but a smile of cold ambition and malice, throwing pleasantry to the wind so she could take advantage of whoever she needed to in order to get ahead. Granted, Grey had heard things about the infamous Schnee family. Not only was her father known beyond a shadow of a doubt to be a less than moral character, Grey knew how families of the upper crust tended to behave, turning up their noses at anyone they deemed lesser, and it was these two thoughts that made him pause. However, he didn't know Weiss's homelife, he didn't know how she was raised, and he really didn't know a single thing about her as a person other than that she gave a terrible first impression, so he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Also, he knew Pyrrha could handle herself. She was the Mighty Albatross, after all, as the local tabloids from their hometown had labeled her. It was only when Jaune came over that things seemed to get truly exciting.
"Hey there, Snow Angel," Jaune said to Weiss, laying on the flirtatious attitude very thickly, "I'm a natural blonde, you know. What do you say you and I team up? There are still a few spots open on Team Arc." Weiss understandably backed up uncomfortably, instinctively trying to get away from the overly forward casanova, but much to Grey's surprise, Pyrrha stepped in. Grey's amused smile slowly dropped again into the protective scowl from earlier. He was normally a very protective person, but that went doubly with Pyrrha.
"Hello!" she said with a bright smile.
"Oh, hey there, gorgeous. There's room for you too if you'd like to join in on the fun Plenty of me to go around." Jaune shot at her with a grin. Grey, on the other hand, facepalmed and chuckled at his friend's forwardness, belatedly realizing he wouldn't be any kind of problem, but Weiss immediately went into a protective friend mode over her favorite celebrity. Not that she had earned the right, of course.
"Don't you know who she is?" she asked disdainfully, "This is Pyrrha Nikos." Jaune managed to achieve the most dumbfounded look on his face but still maintained the flirtatious grin with his eyes keeping their stare into the world renown fighter's.
"Hello again!" Pyrrha said cheerily, expecting the storm of idolatry but expertly masking the discomfort.
"Never heard of her," he admitted quickly, and this caused both Grey and Pyrrha to glance at each other with a look of deep seated confusion on their faces but with an underlying tone of hope in their eyes, in contrast to Weiss's offended incredulity.
"She's won the Mistral Regional Tournaments three years in a row," Weiss spat venomously, trying to jog the guy's memory.
"Don't know what that is," Jaune sputtered, now feeling a bit insecure at his ignorance. Grey was watching Pyrrha carefully and could see the bashful smile on her face, signifying that she was actually flattered that this doof didn't know who she was, and he could tell what she was thinking. Actually, he was thinking the exact same thing. Weiss, on the other hand, was ignorant of their psychic conversation and angrily flailed her arms at her final attempt to get Jaune to realize just what a goddess of a high school student he was speaking to.
"She's on the cover of every box of Marshmallow Pete's Fluff Flakes!" Her face was red as the lobsters she must have had for every dinner back in the Schnee manor house. Jaune gasped loudly and immediately turned into a fanboy, fawning over Pyrrha like most people do when they meet her.
"That's you?!" he muttered amazedly, "But they only do that for famous celebrities and athletes!"
"Yeah, it really was an honor," Pyrrha said happily, for once having a genuine reaction to an excited stranger, making Grey smile to himself that she was happy, "Too bad the cereal isn't very good for you."
"Well then, beautiful," Jaune said, turning on his charm once again and ending his temporary fanboy episode, "How would you like to be on Team Arc? I'm sure I can find an open spot for you somewhere." Much to Grey's surprise and Weiss's chagrin, Pyrrha actually shot Jaune a kind smile and agreed.
"I'd like that Jaune," she said warmly. Grey couldn't hold back the cackle at how Pyrrha indirectly backstabbed Weiss.
"Wha… But…" Weiss sat there staring at the two with her mouth agape in shock, stuttering to herself to try to form a coherent thought, but Jaune got there first.
"So, Snow Angel," he said to her with a much more confidence than before, "Maybe I could find an open spot for you too if you'd like? Better act fast though because the team is filling up quickly." While the two of them had their battle of wits, or lack thereof, Grey pulled his cousin aside into a corner that was out of earshot from everyone else, and when he made sure no one was listening in, wiggled his eyebrows at the girl.
"So what was that, you little flirt?" He said teasingly. She blushed and broke eye contact with him.
"What are you talking about, Grey?" she tried to deflect, "Nothing happened. I just think he's… OK for a fanboy, is all." He crossed his arms and smirked at her, knowing his cousin all too well.
"You and I both know he's not a fanboy. You saw the way he switched gears once he was done worshipping your cereal achievement, which only lasted, what, all of five seconds?" Pyrrha, with her eyes still studying the tiles on the floor, couldn't force a small smile from appearing on her lips.
"I mean, he seems friendly…" she admitted quietly.
"And?" Grey pushed. Pyrrha crossed her arms and shot one of her rare glares at Grey, attempting to intimidate him but failing because she was far too sincere, and he also knew when she was faking it. His unimpressed look told her that.
"Fine. I think… All I know is that I like him. He's sweet, and he doesn't even know who I am. Do you know how much that means to me?" Grey smiled kindly and bumped his fist against her shoulder, seeing her attempting to cross a touching sentiment with a face of apathy.
"I can imagine. Sure, he's without a doubt the biggest derp here, and I honestly have no idea how he even made it into this school, but I think you two would definitely get along. See what you can do about that, K? A chance like this doesn't come along very often for you." He accented the last bit with a finger poking her chest. Pyrrha sighed at her cousin with a small smile, her best friend more accurately, and walked off, waving over her shoulder.
As Grey went back to Ruby and Yang, his darker warrior side had come back slowly, making ignore everything around him except the mission. It was part of his semblance, actually. Whenever he was in a general, every day mood where his defenses and adrenaline were shut down and relaxed, it was almost as if his ability to create barriers created a natural shield that kept darker emotion inside of him, but whenever he had to fight, or had an objective to complete, or even if his emotions got away from him, the shield would weaken. It would allow that darkness to escape from him. It was almost as if his semblance and aura were cages that kept the worst of beasts at bay. A beast that if it was ever let loose would destroy everything he cared about.
"I'm sorry!" He heard Pyrrha's signature apologetic tone come from where he left the other three hunters, and couldn't hold back the laugh when he saw her spear impaling the poor boy against a pillar by his hood. He couldn't help but wonder where that came from. She wasn't in anyway the type of girl who would show a boy she liked him- he assumed she wanted him -by being mean to him.
A few minutes later, the crew jumped on the shuttle that was to take everyone to the testing area, and helping Ruby into the jet, Grey caught the eyes of the few friends he had made since he had been at Beacon. Perhaps it was too soon to consider Jaune and Blake as friends, but there was no doubt in his mind that he cared about them in some way. It might not be as much as Rub, Pyrrha and Yang, but he was going to protect them with everything he had. However, this scared him. He didn't want to lose them. It was difficult to admit to himself, but he knew even subconsciously that he purposefully avoided getting close to people in case his beast took over and ended up hurting them. Rather, he didn't want to lose them and risk getting hurt himself because he acted hideously. He didn't want anything to happen to his new friends, especially Ruby whom he had taken a special liking to. He refused to admit to himself, as much as he wanted to close himself off to the rest of the world and avoid getting close to anyone, finding a friend in Ruby, even if it had only been a short time ago, was a pleasant feeling that he didn't want to lose. She was his friend and things were going to stay that way if he could help it.
About ten minutes went by until they touched down in a remote area just south of Vale. A few yards from a cliff just over the forest that lived up to its namesake, the lift let the students off, the pilot directing them to the teachers that stood closer to the drop off who then directed the students to stand on individual platforms parallel to the drop. Grey stood in between Ruby and Jaune, second from the end, and examined the steel square he found himself on. Lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet, he could feel the way the vibrations moved through the metal and got the faint idea that it felt like a catapult, feeling it press downward when the weight hit the back end, and if it was what he thought it was, he wasn't too fond of how he thought the test was going to begin. Worriedly, he only half listened to Ozpin and Glynda's explanation about the test, only getting the important bits about finding a relic and becoming partners with the first person he made eye contact with when he landed. Something odd caught his eye, though, and he couldn't avoid bringing it up.
"Sir," he said, getting Ozpin's attention as members of the test group started being launched one by one from the opposite end, "There's an odd number of us. What if one of us doesn't end up getting a partner?" In response, Ozpin shot Grey a smirk and knowingly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, while Glynda focused on Jaune's anxiety.
"That is a problem, isn't it?" he said suspiciously, "We'll just have to see where things lead."
Oh, sure, that doesn't sound like at least one of us is going to die or anything, Grey thought to himself, then took a deep breath and switched to a loose stance just before the platform launched him over the cliff.
Oh, I'm sorry, did I forget to mention that Pyrrha and Grey were cousins? Yeah, that's important. Remember that one. The knowledge will come in handy later.