Chapter 7: A Beacon of friendship
"JAUNE MUTHAFUCKIN' ARC!" Fenix roared at the top of his lungs.
The blonde haired blue eyed boy in question turned around as if expecting a bully to be coming after him for his lunch money. When he turned he adapted a half defensive half pleading stance. While most of his body took the typical defensive stance, his hands shot out waving in front of his face in an effort to convince the supposed attacker to not punch his lights out. His expression turned to a deer in the headlights look when he saw not an old nemesis, but one of his oldest closest friends coming across the room to greet him.
"Fenix?" Was all the blonde knight could muster out before he was brought into a bro hug from his old friend. "What are you doing here?"
Fenix, noticing the apparent shock on his friend's face stepped back and motioned to the entirety of the room. While he did he noticed all eyes in the room had been trained on the duo. Not too surprising with how vocal his greeting had been. He then turned to address the crowd.
"Old friends." With as simple an explanation as that, most of the other prospective students understood and turned their attention back to what they were previously doing. Fenix meanwhile turned his attention back to his friend.
"What am I doing here? Kind of obvious wouldn't you say? I mean if anything I should be asking you. So your dad finally gave you some proper training? Oh and how about that sword on your hip? Isn't that your dad's old sword?" With the barrage of questioning ending Fenix noticed Jaune flapping his mouth open and close as if to formulate a proper response.
Now Fenix had also taken some training in conversationalist methods to help loosely interrogate somebody and tell if they were telling the truth or not. Jaune was currently avoiding Fenix's eyes, stumbling over his words, and fidgeting with his hands. The most basic tell tale signs of either hiding something or a blatant lie was about to surface. Also knowing Jaune's past and his family better than most, Fenix put two and two together. He quickly cut Jaune's most likely pathetic excuse of a lie off by holding his hand up in front of the boy's face. He motioned with his head for the two to walk away from the crowd to continue their discussion. Once they had gotten out of ear shot of even the faunus students Fenix decided to continue their conversation.
"Ok so what do I need to know to help you out?"
He was only met with a quizzical look from his blonde compadre.
"What are you covering up? I need to know so if I get asked anything about you that I don't get your story wrong and throw unneeded attention at you." Fenix had to repress a sigh. He knew something was up. Last time he had seen Jaune he was… well… he was a weakling. Jaune couldn't fight and the only way the bigger kids at their school would leave him alone was because he was friends with Fenix. It only took Fenix stepping in to protect Jaune once for the rest of the school to get the hint and leave him alone.
Jaune gave a defeated look and slumped his shoulders.
"All of it."
"Excuse me?" Fenix countered with a serious tone in his voice.
"All of it." Jaune repeated while lowering his voice to a very quiet whisper. "My transcripts are fake. I snuck away from home and stole my dad's sword. I haven't exactly let them know where I am yet and won't until I'm for sure in Beacon. As for the specifics about me, the only thing different from my real life is that my transcripts say I'm an accomplished fighter."
Fenix had a stern look on his face as the blonde finished. He put his right arm on Jaune's left shoulder and squeezed tightly with two fingers in a pinching motion. This caused the knight to wince and crumple under the numbing feeling coming from the pressure point Fenix was exploiting. He looked to see Fenix's eyes fixed on Jaune's with a dead serious demeanor.
"Jaune, please for the love of all that is good and holy, tell me you didn't sneak into a school for warriors to become a hero with absolutely no training. Last time I saw you your dad still was refusing to give you any training at all and that was only four years ago." Fenix was trying to give off an authoritative attitude towards his now seemingly idiotic friend.
"I mean I had some training." Jaune's reply came with a heavy emphasis on the word "some." With that reply though came a new wave of pain from the pressure in his shoulder as Fenix tightened his hold.
"You mean to tell me you got some training from somebody besides your parents?" Fenix hissed the words out through grit teeth.
"Remember you taught me a few things behind my parents backs?"
"That was four years ago Jaune! And it was the most basic of lessons!" At this point Fenix had to stop himself from all out yelling.
"Well I've taken that and progressed with it. I can kill a small Grimm one on one now." Jaune seemed to think his defense was a reasonable one.
"Jaune, that's not exactly enough to make me feel relieved about your abilities. I don't want you here and accidently putting yourself in danger because you bit off more than you can chew without knowing it. I'm just looking out for you. Not trying to say this is something you shouldn't do because only you should be able to tell yourself what you think is the right thing to do. I may not see this as the sanest decision I've ever seen in my life but I'll reserve my total judgment because you are my friend. You've always been a smart one so I'll trust your instincts."
"Wow thanks Fenix that means a lot, especially coming from you."
"Yeah yeah now let's get moving, looks like they are loading the dust plane." At that Fenix noticed Jaune visibly pale and his demeanor change to downright horrified. He had forgotten that Jaune's Achilles heel was something so simple. Or the way he had found that out. Seriously he was never getting on a roller coaster with that guy ever again.
"Still not over the motion sickness huh?" He chuckled as they walked the hall to board the dust plane. Jaune was already practicing controlling his breathing in preparation for the trip.
The trip itself wasn't that long and Fenix did his best to help his friend out. However, after the holographic image of a professor giving them a prerecorded welcome message ended, the plane hit a little turbulence. Jaune's eyes shot Fenix a worried look and Fenix pointed Jaune towards the trash can that was near the exit hatch. As Jaune hurried towards the safety of the trash receptacle, the plane hit another pocket of turbulence. Jaune couldn't help but to spew a small amount of vomit.
Right on to the blonde girl's boots.
The red cloaked sister quickly noticed and pointed it out. Both girls began freaking out trying to clean the boots and not spread the discharged stomach acid anymore. The blonde girl looked around trying to locate the source of the mess on her shoes. When she zeroed in on Jaune her demeanor turned downright vindictive.
Fenix made a beeline to stop her from what looked like was about to be a murderous rampage on his sickly companion. He stepped in front of her and noticed her eyes were a crimson red. This was a familiar sight to him. He had seen eyes like those before and they meant one thing. Bloodlust was evident here. He was going to need to calm her down before he could talk some sense into her. He began his disarmament of her anger towards Jaune with a sure fire method.
"Wow you have beautiful eyes."
"Huh?" Was all she could respond with. Immediately her eyes changed from the crimson red to a soft lilac.
Works every time.
"I said, you have beautiful eyes."
"Uh well, thank you?" She seemed to be at a loss for words. They way she was stumbling over her words made Fenix believe this was an unfamiliar feeling for her. He needed to capitalize on her unnerved state.
"Now could you wait a moment before pulverizing my friend over there?" Fenix adapted a confident stance and motioned to Jaune with a thumb over his shoulder. At this her aggressive nature began to return.
"Why shouldn't I?" She spoke through grit teeth but her eyes remained lilac. Fenix felt like he had her here.
"Because trying to beat up a person who is currently fighting a losing battle with his stomach is only going to create more collateral damage. And by that I mean he is just going to barf all over you if you do anything to him at this point."
At this the girl seemed to relax her clenched fists as the truth of Fenix's words. She was relaxing but he could tell she wasn't totally convinced that she didn't need to take out her frustration on the knight. Fenix decided to take it up a notch.
"Also, the guy is suffering from motion sickness. It's not like he intentionally did that and I can guarantee you he feels bad about it. Beating up somebody who is already suffering to a degree is not the right thing to do here." This logic seemed to convince the younger sister. She hung her head low and looked like a kicked puppy. Fenix felt bad for making her sad. She wasn't the one supposed to be catching the blunt of this guilt train.
"Well it would make me feel better." The blonde girl crossed her arms in a defiant attitude. 'Well that one backfired' Fenix thought to himself as he decided to try a different approach.
"Ok then, let's just add assaulting a potential classmate to your list of offenses in the past twenty four hours. I'm sure the headmaster of Beacon would love to hear why you thrashed a boy on the transport over here. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that you destroyed a nightclub and fled the scene of the crime. No telling how many of the club's employees and civilians you may have injured during your little rampage by the way."
That did it. Both girls' mouths made an 'O' shape to help complete the looks of complete shock on their faces.
"H-how did you…?" Was all the blonde girl could stumble out. Fenix inwardly smirked but decided to rub a little salt in the wound. So to speak. He frowned and made his face resemble something of sadness.
"I rescued a girl from a gang trying to rob her earlier yesterday. She was ambushed and cornered in an alleyway when I happened to stumbled upon the scene. She was shaken up after I scared them off so I offered to walk her home. Her apartment is above the nightclub and when we got there we both saw the place explode and you jump out of the window. Naturally with the place in ruins and the police going to rope the place off as a crime scene she couldn't stay there. So how does that make you feel? A girl almost got taken advantage of and as she gets to her place of safety she sees you destroy it and run away."
Fenix knew he was laying it on really thick. He also didn't enjoy distorting the truth to the girls but knew that this was going to get his point across. As he finished he could tell the damage had been done. Both girls now adopted the kicked puppy look. It was a cute look to say the least but it wasn't the good cute. The kind of cute that shouldn't really be cute given the circumstances. That could be used as a dangerous weapon. As Fenix pondered this, the red garbed girl spoke up.
"Is she ok? Did she have somewhere to stay?" He looked over to the speaker and noticed something that stunned him for a moment.
Silver eyes.
Wait, first a girl with a mane of hair and red eyes and now a silver eyed girl with a cape? This was the weirdest case of déjà vu he had ever experienced. And yet, both of the girls had a sense of familiarity to them. This HAD to be a coincidence right? Fenix brushed off the strange feelings his instincts were giving him and recovered from his shock.
"Yeah I found her a hotel room to house her for the night last night. Could you do me a favor though little red?" She noticeably perked up at his question. As did the blonde, but she also gave Fenix a suspicious glare.
"Name it." Fenix smiled at the girl's response. This one has a kind heart. Those are increasingly hard to find. He made a mental note to befriend the silver eyed girl at least. Probably wouldn't hurt to be on the good side of the fiery blonde as well.
"Think you can try to keep your sister here out of trouble?" With this he ruffled the silver eyed girl's hair. She smiled and playfully smacked his hand away.
"I can try. Oh what's your name? Mine is Ruby!" With her excited introduction the girl beamed a bright smile and stuck her hand out for Fenix to shake.
"Name's Fenix. A pleasure to meet you." Fenix did his customary greeting of the female gender and took her hand. Instead of shaking it though he pulled it up and kissed the back of her hand. The girl blushed as red as her hood at the gesture.
"What?" Fenix turned to look at the flabbergasted blonde who just spoke up. Apparently this type of greeting was not the norm around these parts.
"And to whom do I have the pleasure of meeting here?" With this Fenix stepped over to the blonde and did the same greeting he had done with her sister. One thing Fenix had learned the hard way was that if you treated siblings (especially sisters) differently there was going to be hell to pay. He took her hand and kissed the back of it, earning a similar shade of blushing from the blonde haired girl.
"Y-uh-Yang. Names Yang." She seemed to be composing herself so Fenix decided now was a good time to smooth things over.
"A pleasure to meet you as well m'lady." With that the girl seemed to blush a slightly darker shade of red. Fenix then turned so that he was facing both the sisters so to speak to both of them directly.
"Look I'm sorry for making that uncomfortable, but I just wanted to get my point across. Both that you need to think things through a little bit before rushing to beat people up, and to save my friend over there from any further emasculating than he is already dealing with at the moment." Fenix motioned over his shoulder again with his thumb pointing to Jaune. He was still standing over the trash can trying to hold the majority of his breakfast down.
"What you mean vomit boy over there?" Yang's joke was accompanied with a cheshire grin. Seems she has a quick recovery rate from embarrassing or uncomfortable situations. Fenix was going to need something to keep all these mental notes about his new friends in. He couldn't help but laugh at the nickname of his old friend though.
"Vomit boy huh? He is going to hate that." Before Fenix could get his next sentence out the craft lurched to a stop and the hatch began to lower to signal the students to exit. Jaune at the lurch looked up frantically and noticed the sign of freedom from his metal death trap. Fenix had to admit one thing, Jaune was quick when it came to his motion sickness being remedied. Jaune was the first one out of the ship and Fenix lost sight of where he had gone.
Fenix exited the dust plane walking alongside the two sisters. Before they got to the courtyard Fenix decided he had better leave them to find and tend to Jaune.
"Oh and by the way" he paused to get the girls' attention. Once he had it he gave them a wicked grin.
"Make sure to us that nickname on him as much as possible." Ruby giggled and Yang let out a loud hearty laugh.
"Deal!" They said in unison and with that Fenix took his leave. He walked ahead of the girls as they took in the sight of Beacon. He had to admit it was quite the sight, but he had a more pressing task to complete. He took out his right handed sword, the one he lovingly named Veloces. He found it easier to locate people he was looking for when he had at least one sword drawn. This didn't happen in his previous stealth/covert missions but he didn't need to hide here. So he just walked around looking for Jaune with Veloces drawn and Cornibus (his left handed sword) still in its sheath.
As he searched he heard a commotion to his left. He looked to see Yang and Ruby standing there. Ruby was apparently geeking out at all the different weapons on display. He even saw her look his way and overheard her say something about a "fire sword."
Child please.
The twins are not so simple as to be just plain fire swords.
Finally, Fenix spotted Jaune lagging behind the mass group of students walking from the plane. He still looked disheveled but appeared to have at least slightly recovered from his motion sickness now that he was on solid ground. Fenix walked up to him, sheathing his sword as he approached as to get Jaune's attention. Jaune looked up and gave him a weak smile to convey he was feeling better.
"So, ready to make new friends?" At this Jaune visible winced.
"You know how I am around new people Fenix." Fenix remembered all too well how his shy friend was when it came to the social aspect of his life. That was to say he was horrendous at making new friends. The boy was about as social as a rock. Yes cliché, but completely accurate in Jaune's case. Sadly Fenix knew he was going to have to help him.
"Well you just need to wait for the right moment to make a good impression." As Jaune was about to rebut, an explosion rocked the court yard. The two boys turned their attention to the source of the commotion. They saw Ruby being berated by the Schnee. A vial of red fire dust rolled across the ground and stopped at the foot of a black clothed and haired girl. She sort of reminded Fenix of a ninja for some reason. The girl had a bow on the top of her head and Fenix saw it twitch when she noticed the Schnee emblem on the vial.
"…wait" Fenix muttered. Jaune heard him and turned to see Fenix staring intently at the girl in black.
"Do you know her?"
"No but…" his speech was suddenly halted when he saw her walking. Well more, the way she walked. It was identical to the way a cat would walk. More along the lines of a saunter.
"Ah ha!" Fenix realize he said it out loud and received a questioning look from Jaune. To cover his realization he decided to steer the conversation back to Jaune.
"Your chance to make a new friend. Something tells me you are about to get your chance."
"W-what?!" Jaune actually looked scared at the possibility.
"Come on Jaune you are going to have to socialize with other people besides me here. You might as well start on your first day instead of putting it off." Fenix then directed his attention as the Schnee nabbed the vial of dust from the ninja girl with the bow and stormed away. He then looked to see Ruby turning to talk to the ninja girl, only to see her walking away. She fell to the ground dramatically and Fenix knew that was the moment.
"Go go go go!" Fenix loudly whispered to Jaune as he pushed him in the direction of Ruby.
As soon as he made sure Jaune was actually going to talk to the downed Ruby he made off in the direction that the Schnee girl had gone. He took off in a light jog and once he reached the main hall he slowed down to a walk. The Schnee girl was fan girling all over the Spartan looking girl. Fenix decided now was as good a time as any to make his approach.
"Hello, care if I join in?" His question was met by a pair of emerald and crystal blue eyes fixed on him. One gave a pleading 'please save me' look while the other gave a stern 'how dare you' look. His drive to save the Spartan overcame his desire to flee and avoid the wrath of the Schnee. He pressed on with the introductions but decided to play it safe and start with the Spartan.
"Fenix. Fenix Fall. Whom might I have the pleasure of speaking with?" He stuck out his hand to give the appearance of initiating a simple handshake. People who knew him better obviously knew that wasn't the case though. The girl gave a quizzical look to Fenix as his hand sat there untouched. As if trying to decipher if he was being genuine or just plain polite. She apparently made her decision and reciprocated his greeting.
"Pyrrha Nikos." She stated simply as she put her hand into his. He quickly captured her hand, brought it up to his lips, and kissed the back of it.
"A pleasure." He then turned his attention to her outfit and weapons. His inner weapons geek took over and he began rambling. "Your armor is exquisite. Was it custom made or did you intend for it to resemble the ancient Spartan warrior armor? What is your shield made of? Oh is that a tri-functional weapon? You don't seem many of those around." He then froze up realizing how uncomfortable he must have been making her feel. He stepped back to compose himself.
"I'm sorry I'm a bit of a weapons enthusiast." Pyrrha brushed it off that he was forgiven but the Schnee girl didn't let it go that easily.
"I'm sorry, Fenix is it? Do you have any idea who you are talking to?"
"Well Pyrrha here and yourself of course. I don't believe you have properly introduced yourself yet though." Fenix couldn't help but poke fun at the Schnee for being the less formal of the three.
"This is Pyrrha Nikos. THE Pyrrha Nikos." Her heavy emphasis on the word 'the' showed him that he was supposed to know who she was. He quickly racked his brain and found that he did in fact know her.
"Oh that's right!" This reaction seemed to satisfy the Schnee while simultaneously deflate Pyrrha.
"You're on the front of the Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes Box! So what did you do to earn that one? Usually it's only sports figures or famous hunters or huntresses who get that gig."
Fenix watched Pyrrha giggle into her hand and smile warmly to him. Fenix couldn't ignore how the air around him seemed to grow cold though. He turned to see the Schnee girl fuming. He swore he could see smoke coming off of her but decided he best move quickly to distract her before she decided to take out her frustration on him.
"You know you still haven't introduced yourself." It seemed to snap her attention back to reality but her hostile demeanor did not falter one bit.
"Weiss… Schnee." The words seemed to be dripping with venom as they escaped through tightly clenched teeth. She then held her hand out for him to kiss as he had done for Pyrrha. He could tell she was tense but he didn't think it'd be so bad that it would be noticeable when his lips touched the back of her hand. Once again it was time to move forward with the subject so to deflect some of the malicious intent currently aimed at him.
"So I realize this may come as a shock to you but I have been off the grid so to speak for…well for most of my life. So I apologize for not knowing who you are Pyrrha if I should have. So are you a high ranking political figure's daughter?" The explanation of his circumstances as well as his polite manor seemed to help diffuse the tension in the air. Pyrrha giggled again at the assumption that she was some important figure's child. Weiss visibly calmed down a little bit but her glare at the boy had not relaxed.
"Actually its rather refreshing for somebody not to know who I am Fenix so thank you. No, I am not the daughter of some high authority figure. I was the top of my class at Sanctum Academy and won the Mistral championship four years in a row." As she explained to Fenix her seemingly genuine smile turned into a more forced one. It didn't take all of Fenix's training in techniques of reading people to determine that this was a slightly sore subject for her.
"Let me guess, pressure from the parents to do well in the tournaments so that your family could have a better life?" Fenix's guess was met by Weiss frowning at him yet again. As if it were appalling that he suggest such a thing about her idol. To her surprise she glanced over only to see Pyrrha rubbing the back of her head and looking away as if to insinuate that his assumption was spot on.
"Although I am not supposed to admit this… you are not far off. Outside of Mistral nobody really knows my backstory that my family was disgraced by my grandfather. We fell out of the good graces of the nobles and life was difficult for my father. Once I was discovered to be a prodigy fighter, per say, at a young age my parents saw it as a way to improve all of our lives. Naturally after I won my first title I started getting recognized and the rest as they say is history. My parents had the right intentions for forcing me to compete in the tournaments but I simply want to help people. Not fight for entertainment like some gladiator. So, much to their displeasure, I enrolled here to become a huntress." Fenix gave a look of compassion to the girl. He didn't understand the concept from personal experience but he felt bad for her. Feeling like your parents are forcing you to do something you do not want to do is something most children actually experience but not of this magnitude. Fenix wondered if it was only because he didn't completely understand the concept since he had never personally gone through something like this though.
The look of shock on Weiss's face was utterly priceless though.
"Well Pyrrha I can honestly say I'm glad things have played out the way they have so far." She squinted her eyes and gave him a confused look. "Otherwise you may never have been where you are now and I may have never met you. I can tell you are a genuinely good person and people like that are hard to find. I hope we can consider each other friends."
"I'd like that very much Fenix." She smiled brightly. Fenix looked to see Jaune and Ruby striding into the hall.
"Well my socially awkward friend over there has just gotten back from talking with a girl." He directed the two girls' attention to Jaune and Ruby. "I better go talk with him and make sure he didn't make a total dunce of himself. Ladies it was a pleasure and I hope to see you both a lot during our time here." Pyrrha politely nodded and waved as Fenix walked away. She then turned her attention back to Jaune for some reason. Fenix swore he heard her say something along the lines "quite handsome" being used to describe his scraggly looking friend. Weiss broke out of her stupor from earlier and resumed her seething persona. This time it appeared to be aimed at Ruby and not at Fenix. He decided to not question it and escape while he could. It appeared something had gotten Ruby's attention as she said a goodbye to Jaune and headed off into the crowd. Fenix then got Jaune's attention and motioned for him to join up with Fenix near the stage.
"So how'd it go?"
"Well besides being called vomit boy I'd say it went pretty good." Fenix had to repress a smirk at Ruby using the designated nickname. His attention was caught by a certain white haired heiress marching angrily towards an unsuspecting Ruby. She was distracted because she was talking rather animatedly to her blonde sister. Jaune noticed Weiss walking as well but his reaction was very different from Fenix's worried one.
"She's beautiful!"
"No." Fenix was going to sink that ship before it could leave the harbor. "Just no. She will literally impale you with her sword if you make a move on her right now."
"But I have to! It's love at first sight!" The arc had an overly dramatic tone to his voice.
"Jaune just trust me, she…" He didn't get it out because they were interrupted by the heiress in discussion yelling very loudly.
"You!"
"Oh God it's happening again!" Ruby jumped into her sisters arms. Like that was going to stop a rampaging Schnee. Fenix turned to Jaune, grabbing his shoulder roughly to attract his attention away from the girls.
"Ok listen, do not approach right now. It would be like stepping into a minefield. Let them figure it out. If they acknowledge either of us then we will have to intervene but stay at a safe distance for now. Are we clear?" Fenix gave Jaune a look to make sure he understood.
"Crystal." The blonde nodded in acknowledgement. Just then fate decided to screw the fire wielder over for the day as they directed their attention back to the arguing girls. Ruby had her hand stuck out for Weiss to shake.
"Hi Weiss. I'm Ruby! Wana hang out? We can shop for school supplies." Fenix couldn't help but chuckle at somebody thinking shopping for school supplies was a good way to make friends.
"Yeah! And we could pain our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys like tall blonde and scraggly over there!" With that she made the motion of pointing with her thumb over her shoulder at Jaune.
Oh God no.
Jaune please tell me you understand sarcasm.
"HMM?!" Jaune perked up at being mentioned by Weiss.
Apparently he doesn't. Well there went Fenix's chances of Jaune not creating some scene with Weiss. He just hoped Weiss wouldn't kill him or worse embarrass him.
"She noticed me! That's it I have to go over!" Jaune started making his way over but Fenix grabbed his collar and stopped him. Somehow fate was back on his side now because the microphone made the noise of somebody approaching it. Fenix looked up to see Headmaster Ozpin ready to make his speech.
"No way man! The Headmaster is about to speak."
"I'll… keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people." At this Fenix noticed many of his fellow prospective students seemed to brighten up. "But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." 'Annnnnd there it is' Fenix thought to himself. Many students either took offense or looked upset at the Headmaster's last statement. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
As the Headmaster walked away from the microphone Fenix pondered what he had just heard. It almost seemed that speech was aimed directly at him. During his initial evaluation if he should be given the chance to attend Beacon the Headmaster and Professor Port had asked him why he wanted to be a hunter. He admittedly confessed he didn't quite know what it meant to be a true hunter but he felt that doing the right thing and protecting the people was what he wanted to do. He also told them he expected during his time at Beacon that he would learn what the true meaning of being a hunter meant. As well as gain a proper education that would help move his quest along. It seemed in one fell swoop; Ozpin had made Fenix start questioning his motives, on the first day no less. Then a blonde professor, the one who gave them their introductory speech on the dust plane through a hologram, stepped up to the podium.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You're dismissed." Her speech was short and to the point compared to the Headmaster's.
He turned to talk to Jaune but to his horror he was already walking towards the girls. Nothing he could do now but watch as Jaune was going to most likely make a fool of himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose as Jaune leaned in on the girls' current conversation.
"I'm a natural blonde you know." He flashed a cheesy smile but the only reaction he got form the girls was Weiss mimicking Fenix's pose of pinching her nose and sighing. Before Jaune could dig himself into a deeper hole, Fenix intervened.
"Nope." He said to Jaune as he grabbed the back of his collar and drug him away. He saluted with two fingers to the girls and gave them an apologetic smile. As the girls watched Fenix drag the knight towards the cafeteria, Fenix swore he saw a look of gratitude from Weiss. Well that was unexpected.
Fenix only stopped dragging Jaune backwards once they had reached the doors that led into the cafeteria. Once he let go Jaune turned around to face him with a frustrated look on his face.
"What the hell man?"
"Jaune, listen to me carefully. She will eat you alive." He pushed to doors open and he waited to continue the conversation until they were in line for their dinner. Fenix decided to grab a generous slab of ham with mashed potatoes, green beans, and a fruit parfait. Jaune, ever the junk food lover, grabbed a cheeseburger with French fries and a slice of chocolate cake. Fenix shook his head at his good friend, for more than one reason really, but mainly for his choice of meal the night before initiation at this moment. Once they sat down at a large table in near the middle of the dinning section Fenix continued his explanation.
"That was sarcasm she was using when she mentioned you. I figured it best to get you out of there before she turned her anger from Ruby onto you."
"Wait you know Ruby?"
Before Fenix could respond he heard a familiar voice pipe up behind them.
"Hey Fenix! Hey Jaune! Is it ok if we sit with you?"
The two boys turned to see the very girl they were speaking about and her sister standing behind them. They were still holding their trays politely awaiting the boys' answer.
"Absolutely." Fenix motioned to the seats across from the boys. Yang sat across from Fenix and Ruby across from Jaune. Fenix inspected their trays. Yang had a large steak with carrots and mashed potatoes along with a slice of the same chocolate cake Jaune had picked. Ruby had cookies. Seriously just a bunch of chocolate chip cookies.
"Umm." Was all he could say as he motioned with his head towards Ruby's tray.
"Don't ask. I still don't understand it myself." Yang shrugged her explanation off as she cut into her steak.
"Hey! Cookies are an essential part of the food pyramid!" Ruby gave an adorable pout and crossed her arms at Fenix. Seriously that level of cuteness should be illegal he thought to himself.
"Yeah for desser- you know what? I'm just going to stop now and agree with you. I'm not going to win this argument and I'm just going to team up with the winning side here." Fenix knew getting on Ruby's side was the only way he was going to avoid an argument in this case. He was not wrong. Jaune's look of utter disbelief was matched with Ruby's beaming smile and Yang's smirk.
"You were right sis. He is a smart one. Good manners too. Much better than Vomit boy's here." At the mention of Jaune's new nickname all the members of the table, save for Jaune himself, grinned. Jaune went to protest but was cut off by Fenix.
"You puked on her boots. You earned that one man." Fenix couldn't suppress the troll like grin that was plastered onto his face.
"I'm never going to live that down am I?" Was the only response Jaune could muster at this point.
"Nope." Both of the sisters replied in unison. Making sure to pop the 'P'.
"You two are seriously adorable together." Fenix couldn't believe he let that one slip as he realized he had said it out loud.
"Oh? Just together? Sure you don't want to try that out with me just one-on-one?" Yang said flirtatiously. She made sure to press her chest together and give Fenix a good view while simultaneously batting her eyelashes at him. Jaune near had a nosebleed and couldn't help but stare. Fenix stayed calm, cool, and collected much to the ire of Yang.
"But no making any moves on my little sister boys. She is only fifteen after all." She relaxed her revealing pose and released Jaune from his trance.
"Yaaaaaang." Ruby wined at her older sister and gave her a 'seriously?' glare.
Jaune did a spit take and sprayed the soda he had been trying to drink all over Ruby. Before he had the decency to try to help clean her up he stammered out the question he was sure everybody would ask in that situation.
"Wait you're fifteen?!" Ruby gave a dejected look as she tried to clean herself up. Apparently she didn't want people thinking she was special.
"Hmm. Impressive." Fenix mumbled as he continued to eat his ham.
"That's all you can respond with?" Yang sat up straight and attempted to mimic Fenix in a mocking way. "Hmm. Impressive." She even put an exaggerated upper class male tone to her voice with her imitation of him. "She's a prodigy! Show a little more respect!"
Now Fenix wasn't dumb by any means. He could see the sparks of anger sprouting up in Yang's eyes. Just daring him to try and contest her. Something Fenix also wasn't was a coward. He saw a challenge to his attitude towards discovering Ruby's advancement. He accepted this challenge and decided to throw it back in the blonde girl's face.
"Yes, it is impressive that somebody be moved up two years ahead of schedule to attend a combat school. It is also impressive the sheer amount of thickness your skull must possess." Yang's eyes turned red at his insult and Ruby was making the universal 'you're dead' signal as she ran her index finger across her throat. Fenix wasn't done yet though.
"It is obvious that this subject makes your sister uncomfortable." He then turned to Ruby for his next statement. "Which I have no idea why. You should be proud of this fact. It just shows how truly badass you are." He winked at her and earned a blush from the crimson cloaked prodigy child. Turning back to Yang he continued further. "So I don't know why you continue to try and make her feel more uncomfortable than her situation already entails by spouting off her status to every person you meet. Granted you are proud of her and you have every right to be as a big sister. However, your job is to make her move here to be as smooth as possible. Not paint a target on her, which is exactly what you're doing."
Yang's eye turned back to their calm lilac color. She sat in thought for a moment before turning to Ruby.
"Is that true?"
"Wellllll. I know you love me and are happy for me sis, but bragging about me to everybody you have met here today is a little…much." Ruby was nervously fidgeting as she explained to her sister. All Yang could do was sigh.
"I'm sorry. I'm just so proud of you and you know how I can be. I'll try to slow down on the bragging to people about my baby sis."
"Apology accepted!" Ruby gave her sister a hug but was quickly crushed by her big sister hugging her back. At the sight of Ruby visibly turning blue and gasping for air, Fenix made the mental note to not get hugged by Yang. For the sake of his ribcage and vital organs depended on it. Yang then released Ruby and looked to the boys. As Ruby inhaled the sweet oxygen her lungs had been starved of, Yang tried to find something to say to the boys. Fenix realized she wasn't the greatest at this apology thing (neither was he honestly) so he thought to cut her off.
"Don't worry about it; I'm sure mine would be the same way if she were still around." Jaune winced since he knew enough about Fenix's past to know that was a touchy subject to approach. Unfortunately the youngest one at the table did not. Before Jaune or Yang could stop her she asked the obliviously honest question.
"Where did she go?" Jaune winced harder this time and was noticed by Ruby. She then realized what she had done. Before she could apologize Fenix replied.
"She died when I was six. Grimm attack." He then pointed to the white scarred claw marks on his right arm to show proof to her.
"I'm sorry! I didn't…" Before she could finish Fenix held up his hand to stop her.
"It's ok. You didn't know and it was a long time ago. But on a happier note, Jaune how are your sisters?" The table gave a collective sigh of relief at the subject change.
"Well not much has changed. All seven of them like to pick on me as much as possible. With only two of my sisters left at home so my parents are debating adopting." Before Fenix could engage Jaune on how great he thought the adoption idea was, Yang started choking on her food. Ruby went to the rescue and performed the Heimlich maneuver. When Yang had recovered she yelled at the Arc.
"SEVEN SISTERS?!" The entire dining hall became silent and stared at Jaune.
"Y-yeah." When he answered the hall slowly began to be filled with the noise of conversation again. Fenix knew Jaune was shy so he also knew to wait until the noise level was high enough so they could continue their conversation in a somewhat peaceful manner. Once Jaune felt comfortable again he explained further.
"I'm a part of one of the two sets of twins in my family. My twin sister is Joan. My older sister who is Fenix's age is Jessica. My…wait a minute." Three sets of eyes suddenly stared intently at Fenix.
"Fenix, you are a year older than me."
"Yes Jaune."
"You're eighteen?" Ruby seemed the most surprised of the group.
"I am."
"You can buy alcohol?" Everybody glared at Yang for her comment.
"Can. Won't, but can." He gave a fake smile to Yang who just shot a challenging look to Fenix.
"I bet I can convince you."
"Highly doubt it, but you are welcome to try."
"Moving on, why are you enrolling a year late?" Jaune asked the million dollar question. Fenix thought of a way to deflect any suspicion and brightened up when he found one.
"Why is Ruby here two years early? Life happens." That explanation seemed enough for Ruby and Yang, but Jaune knew Fenix better. He knew Fenix was hiding something but decided his friend would tell him when the time came. A lot could have happened in the four years since he last saw Fenix.
After more small talk the group finished their dinner and decided to head to their respective bathrooms to perform their nightly rituals. Fenix took a quick shower and slipped into a pair of grey sport shorts with a blue stripe down the side. Seeing as Jaune was still getting ready and only in his boxers, Fenix decided to go out and claim a spot for the two of them. He took Jaune's bags along with his own and headed out into the ballroom.
He walked out and noticed an open spot in the middle of the room in the vicinity of Ruby and Yang. He took his bags over to the area and set it down. As he unrolled his sleeping bag he noticed some eyes had wondered his way. He chose to ignore it and finished preparing his bedding for the evening. As he sat down he heard Yang say something along the lines of "me likey." He looked over to see what she was talking about but she avoided his eyes and plopped down next to her sister.
"It's like a biiiiiig slumber party!"
"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though." Ruby's serious response was showcased by the fact her eyes did not move from whatever she was writing.
"I know I do." She growled and then in Fenix's direction. He assumed she wasn't referring to him. He turned around to see who had caught her eye but he was met with a harrowing sight.
Jaune brought the damn onesie.
And he was wearing it as he walked towards Fenix.
"Aw hell no." Fenix quickly reached into Jaune's bag and found a pair of light blue sport shorts and a white shirt.
"Perfect." He quickly shot up and made his way towards Jaune. His friend was taking the long route to get to Fenix instead of going over some people which would have been the quickest way. As he did Jaune turned to look at him and stopped.
"Hmm?" Was all Jaune could get out before Fenix once again grabbed his collar and dragged him backwards into the bathroom. Jaune was flailing again but Fenix didn't say a word until they were safely in the boy's bathroom. Fenix flung Jaune in front of him and once the bathroom door shut he started his verbal assault of Jaune.
At least he would have if there had not been two people in the men's room with them.
And one was a girl.
"Hiya!" The hyperactive ginger girl waved to the boys ecstatically with one hand as she flawlessly brushed her hair with the other. Her companion, a stoic looking boy with long black hair just continued to wash his face. After his initial shock Fenix decided to hold off on scolding Jaune.
"Just change out of that thing, go find somewhere to burn it, and change into these." He then threw the sport shorts and T-shirt at Jaune's face. Jaune caught the clothing but then motioned to the girl.
"Uh, I kinda don't want to change in front of a girl."
"Then go into a stall and change." Fenix said flatly pointing to the only area in the room that he could change without the girl seeing him. Fenix then turned his attention to the girl and her boyfriend.
"Hello there, my name is Fenix Fall. Who might you be?" Holding out his hand he was surprised that the girl grasped his so tightly.
"Nora Valkyrie!" She then smiled and turned her firm grasp into an all-out death grip on his hand. Nonetheless he followed his gentlemanly code and kissed the back of her hand. That seemed to do it as she released him from her grip and skipped over to her boyfriend.
"Ren! I like him! He is so proper!" Just then a thought crossed Fenix's mind.
"Nora? You did wash your hand before I kissed it right?" The black haired boy snorted and covered his mouth with his hand. He composed himself quickly and returned to his stoic state. Nora gave Fenix a wide grin and put her hands on her hips.
"No silly, I didn't use the bathroom in here! This is the boys room!"
"Of course, how ridiculous of me to assume something like that. You wouldn't use the boy's bathroom you would only keep your friend here company in it." He laid the sarcasm on heavily but it seemed to go right over her head.
"Exactly! See I'm glad you understand!" The boy known as Ren was snickering into his hand again. Fenix couldn't help but chuckle himself as he went over to introduce himself.
"Fenix Fall." Ren took his hand and shook it firmly.
"Lie Ren."
"And I'm Jaune." The three turned to see Jaune had emerged from the stalls. Fenix smirked at his friend. He had that same lean build as Fenix although not nearly as toned as he was. The shirt hugged his figure well and Fenix thought that would help increase his chances of getting the attention of the female population here. In a good way, not the way that they would have noticed him for his bunny onesie.
"Better" Fenix stated a matter a factly.
"I must admit it is an improvement." Ren nodded.
"Does that mean I can have his onesie?" All three boys looked completely stupefied at Nora. "What? It looks comfy!" Before anybody could say anything else to make the situation about that monstrosity of men's pajamas, Fenix turned to walk out.
"It was a pleasure to meet you two!" Fenix yelled over his shoulder as he finally had had enough. Once again leaving Jaune to converse with new people was throwing him into uncomfortable territory for the blonde. Fenix couldn't help but feel he deserved it at this point for what he had put him through today. As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom he heard two girls scream
"OH NOT YOU AGAIN!"
Fenix flinched and brought his hands up in a defensive stance. Purely instinct at this point but then he realized the two girls were Yang and Weiss. To his relief the girls were not yelling at him but at each other. Ruby was in between the two trying to diffuse the situation. Fenix sighed as he began making his way over to the girls to try and save Ruby. As he strolled across the hall he noticed the black haired girl with the bow was involved in the situation. Well, more like annoyed that the three were arguing right next to her. He then noticed her pick up the candle and quickly blew it out. It was very effective in ending the girls' fight because unbeknownst to Fenix, the candle was the last source of light in the room. The entire room went pitch black and Fenix sprang into action to help the girls out.
Fenix snapped his fingers and his semblance ignited. His eyes sparked and caught fire as per usual. He summoned a flame into his cupped right hand with the palm facing the ceiling. All four girls turned awestruck to look at Fenix. Fenix was sure being the only source of light in the room was attracting more people's attention but he didn't pay them any mind.
"Rude."
"Excuse me?" The black haired girl replied.
"That was rather rude of you to leave these ladies in the dark. Literally." Fenix couldn't help but smirk at his little joke.
"He's perfect."
Three pair of eyes turned to stare at Yang who was holding her hands over her mouth. She didn't realize she had said that out loud until it was too late.
"Beg pardon?" Fenix could not even attempt to hide the surprise in his voice. He was completely caught off guard by the comment from the blonde girl.
"I-uh-you realize your eyes are on fire right?" Yang deflected his question. He decided to let it go seeing as how she wasn't the one he wanted to get into a debate with at the moment.
"Yes, and now if you wouldn't mind would you girls give me and her a little time to discuss manners when meeting new people?" He turned to look at the girl with the bow only for her to return a scowl. He could swear he heard a stifled growl escape her lips.
"And how do you suggest we do that? Unless you plan to escort us we won't make it to our sleeping bags. The light you are giving off only goes so far in here you know." Weiss's statement was true. The light he was giving off was bright enough for everyone in the room to see him but not enough for people to be able to see everything else clearly.
"Oh don't worry. I have a special escort for all three of you." At this Fenix raised his left hand and ignited a second flame into his left hand. Both flames flickered from the increase in aura being poured into them. The two flames brightened as they began to morph. The flames seemed to grow a set of black eyes and arms sprouted from their sides. They began to form a humanoid shape with the head of the figure being only slightly smaller than the body. Once they had fully transformed the two fire figures seemed to come to life and look up to their creator.
"There we go." He smiled to the one in his left hand and gently guided it towards Weiss. "One wisp for you princess." He then turned to the one in his right hand, smiled to it, and guided it towards Yang and Ruby. "And one for the sisters." He then made eye contact with both of the wisps and pointed to both of them. "Be polite."
The wisps nodded to Fenix once in understanding. Then they turned to their respective parties and bowed. Weiss and Yang were completely at a loss for words with this but Ruby couldn't contain her excitement.
"Oh he's so cute!" She gave a quick bow in response to the wisp and reached out to touch it. Remembering how Neo had reacted to his fire powers yesterday he decided to stop Ruby before she got burnt.
"Ruby." Fenix said sternly, causing her to stop and look his way. "They are still fire. I wouldn't suggest getting too hands on with them." He watched her slouch her shoulders in disappointment.
"Now then, they will escort you to your beds and will not leave until you dismiss them. Now goodnight ladies." He then turned to Ruby. "And Ruby?" She straightened up and looked into his blazing eyes. "You can play with them later but for now it's important you get some rest for tomorrow."
"Yay!" She softly cheered and gave a bright smile. "Thank you, and goodnight." She turned to walk towards her sleeping bag.
"G'night." Yang turned as well but not before giving Fenix a wink and a flirtatious grin. The wisp moved to fly above Ruby's head so as to give both the girls an equal amount of visibility.
"Hmph. Goodnight." Weiss turned and marched elegantly towards the other side of the room where her bedding was located. The wisp turned and hurriedly moved to catch up with the
Schnee girl.
"Now, shall we?" He motioned with his hand towards the door leading out into the hallway.
"Why out there?" The black haired girl eyed him suspiciously.
"Not to be rude, but I want to speak with you on a private matter. And I think it would be best if we didn't stay here where people with advanced hearing could pick up on what we would be saying." He nodded to a large bear faunus boy sleeping nearby.
The girl gave him a menacing glare but agreed and began following Fenix out into the hallway. He paused at the door to wait for Weiss, Yang, and Ruby to arrive at their destinations. Yang and Ruby arrived first and as they got into their sleeping bags gave their wisp a polite wave. The wisp gracefully bowed and gave a twirl as it vanished. When Weiss finally arrived at her spot, next to Pyrrha, she slipped into her bag. The wisp just hovered above her waiting to be dismissed. After a moment she turned to face the wisp and gave it a wave to dismiss it. The wisp gave the same bow and spun as it disappeared. With both wisps' jobs done Fenix calmed his aura which effectively killed the burning eyes that showed his semblance was active. He then opened the door for the girl and gave an 'after you' motion with his free hand.
As they made their way down the hall Fenix processed a few thoughts in his head. He had noticed how the black haired girl with the bow winced from the sudden light when he activated his semblance. Her eyes did something rather peculiar. They seemed to dilate and refocus on him as if they were adjusting. The sudden change from darkness to light would do that but this was very exaggerated, much more than a normal pair of eyes.
That was the icing on the cake for him. He had been ninety percent sure earlier with the bow twitching and her prowling walk. After seeing how her eyes reacted he was certain.
This girl was a faunus. With the way she seemed to sway as she walked in front of him he was going to assume some animal from the cat family although he wasn't sure which specific one.
Something was puzzling though. Why was she attempting to hide it? Sure the faunus were discriminated against but this was Beacon. Hunters and huntresses who were swearing an oath to protect the innocent shouldn't be racist against a faunus huntress. As a matter a fact he thought they should be respected. Fenix knew he had to ask her because not knowing would absolutely drive him insane. Especially seeing how that bow twitch all the time.
Once they were both down the hall enough that he was certain they couldn't be heard he stopped her. She turned and moved to speak first.
"So, what was so important that it had to be done like a secret meeting?" As she spoke her bow twitched again. This time he didn't hide where he was looking at stared directly at her bow.
"You know it twitches?" He nodded with his head towards her bow. Her calm intimidating nature vanished as she turned into a nervous wreck.
"It must be a breeze."
"We are inside."
An uncomfortable silence enveloped the atmosphere between the two. Before the silence went for too long Fenix moved to push the conversation on.
"Look I know you are a faunus. I'm assuming ears?" Looking up to her bow again.
"How?" Was all she could ask.
"Well for the better part of eight years I was raised in an orphanage. Therefore, due to the sad fact that faunus children have a hard time getting adopted, I was pretty much raised surrounded by faunus. It's pretty easy to notice similarities when you have lived amongst people with similar characteristics for so many years. So I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess… feline?" His guess caused her eyes to nearly double in size.
"T-that's right. I'm a cat faunus." She was starting to recover from the shock now.
"Well I know faunus tend to vary from species of animal so do you know what species of cat you are? Not to be rude, I was just guessing something along the lines of a jungle cat."
"What like a puma?"
"Not exactly. I was thinking more along the lines of a panther." They both chuckled but Fenix thought it really suited her.
"Sorry to disappoint but I'm just from the typical house cat species."
"Aw well that's not disappointing. There's nothing wrong with that. I personally think it's interesting. But, that isn't the entire reason I brought you out of the way to discuss this topic. I want to know why you are hiding it." She sighed. It looked like his question hadn't caught her off guard but she didn't seem to enjoy the new topic. Her typical stern face returned.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Well it's not exactly something you just go around telling everybody."
"How about this? If I guess it will you confirm if it's true?" She thought it over and then nodded deciding that was a fair deal. Normally, Fenix would have explained the process of how he came to his conclusion, but the fatigue of the day made him just want to be short and to the point right now.
"Ex-Fang?" This time her surprised look was more controlled as her eyes widened and she tensed up. However, it wasn't near as evident as the first time when he had told her he knew she was a faunus.
"Very good. Now how did you figure that out?"
"Simple, I used to be in a secret society too. Before you go asking, no I will not share any details about it for your own safety. When you have lived that type of life you notice others who have lived that life pretty easily. Only difference is mine trained me how to hide those features. They also trained me how to read people, which is why I noticed how you held yourself differently than most other students here do. You've seen bloodshed and by my estimations you've seen a lot of it." She nodded and seemed to accept his response. Then shot him a downright predatory smirk.
"So it's ok for you to know my secrets but it's not ok for me to know yours?" He held both hands up defensively.
"It's not like that. I'm not telling you because if you knew, they would target you for elimination. They take no chances. The only reason I got out alive is because of a technicality in their code of morality." He laughed but she seemed to pale at his comments. Apparently she thought the White Fang were the baddest of the bad. She would be wrong in that assumption and Fenix knew that first hand. He then realized they had spoken of secrets but not introduced themselves.
"By the way, names Fenix. Fenix Fall." He put his hand out in his typical handshake motion.
"Blake Belladonna." She took his hand but he naturally turned it and kissed the back of her hand.
"A gentleman. How typical." He felt there was a sarcastic tone there but he decided to ignore it.
"I try my best to be one. Now I feel we should probably start heading back to avoid more gossip about us being away for a period of time." He motioned back towards the ballroom. Blake couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes at what he said though. As they walked back Fenix felt the need to clue her in on a little bit of information on himself.
"Blake, you wouldn't be insulted by me giving you a nickname would you?"
She turned her head to eye him with a questioning look.
"When I make friends I tend to give them fun little nicknames that I will call them. You wouldn't be insulted if I called you something with a feline essence to it would you?"
"Depends, what is it?" He couldn't help but give a lopsided grin.
"Black Panther." She rolled her eyes again.
"I suppose I could get used to that. As long as it stays like a codename rather than a pet name. Oh and you tell no one about my being a faunus if you relish your manhood. Understood?" The look she gave was a devilishly playful one. He assumed she was joking but figured it was best not to assume in matters such as this. Not like he would tell anyone anyway.
"Fair enough." He opened the door and let her walk through first. Her bedding was right next to the door so he lit his semblance again to summon another wisp. He sent it to help Blake and after a short trip she made it to her spot. She told the wisp thank you and it bowed politely before retreating back to Fenix. He then used the wisp to get to his spot. Once he got there he took the metallic briefcase out of his bag and began fixing his aura inhibitors onto his arms. He then dismissed the wisp and it did its twirl and evaporate as Fenix turned his semblance off. He slipped into his sleeping bag and set the inhibitors to their typical five percent. As he started drifting off to sleep he decided to pull his scroll out and message a certain cute pink and brown eyed girl.
Fenix: Hey sweet thing. How has your day been?
He was surprised to get a quick response from her this late.
Sweet Thing (A.K.A. Neo): Sweet thing huh? I like it. Better help me find you a good nickname ;-) and it's been good. I got back into my apartment today after the cops left. How was your first day at Beacon?
F: Well I'm glad you got back into your place. Today was interesting to say the least found an old friend is going here too. Met some new friends and I'd be lying if I said a lot of them are pretty odd in their own ways. Pretty exhausting to be honest, but overall this place is pretty neat. Tomorrow's the big day.
S.T.: Sounds fun and good luck! You better get some sleep. My boss needs to talk to me so I gotta go anyways. We can have that second date this weekend when you get settled ;-)
F: Perfect! Well g'night m'lady. Sweet dreams.
S.T.: Goodnight handsome.
With that Fenix closed his scroll and let sleep take him.