Strike the match...
...Light the flame...
"You can help us?" Jaune asked. His eyes, which had previously been focused on the ground, now stared up at the professors.
Ozpin nodded. "I can." He paused again to take another sip of coffee.
"How?" Ruby asked, not waiting for the man to finish drinking. If the headmaster could help her, even the slightest bit, maybe she could build on that and be a better leader for her team.
Ozpin took a few moments to look over both Jaune and Ruby, before his eyes transferred over to the blonde woman beside him. Professor Goodwitch, who had gone to tapping on her holographic tablet, stopped what she was doing when she felt the man's eyes on her. Her own neon green orbs flicked over to him, before giving him a subtle nod. She reached into her pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a small, glass pill box. In it were two black pills.
"What are those?" Jaune asked, squinting to see the oval shaped pills better.
The headmaster took the pill box and held it closer to the two students. "These are experimental enhancers. They're called GB." His voice was monotone, but he didn't sound uninterested.
"Enhancers?" Ruby repeated, tapping the glass. "My sister said she'll kill me if I ever take drugs."
"Yeah, and I don't think my team would be very forgiving with me either, sir." Jaune added. Both the leaders wanted to get better, but they didn't want to get better by taking drugs. "And, um, isn't it illegal for you to offer these to us?"
Ozpin chuckled at their responses, an amused smile on his lips. "No, you misunderstand. GB is not a pharmaceutical, and I assure you, it is not illegal." He told them. His smile then disappeared, replaced by a serious expression. "I will say again, they are experimental enhancers. They are designed to enhance the consumer's battle prowess by a significant amount."
Both Jaune and Ruby stared blankly at the headmaster. "Battle prowess...?" The blonde boy repeated before Ruby could. It was clear that neither of them were quite sure what that meant.
Glynda, far less patient than the headmaster, let out an annoyed sigh. "It greatly improves your skills, expertise and performance in battle." She hissed. The tone of her words, accompanied by a harsh glare, showed just how irritated she was.
Trying to ignore the abrasive professor, both the team leaders let the woman's words sink into their minds.
"So, if we take the GB," Ruby began to put the pieces together in her brain. "We'll be better leaders? And it's not illegal or bad?" She looked over to Jaune, who was giving a nervous glance back at her. Both had the the same thought; this sounded too good to be true. Ruby learned from Yang, and from watching a ton of movies, if something was too good to be true, it probably wasn't. "What's the catch?"
The headmaster chuckled once more. "Well, Ms. Rose," Ozpin glanced at the short girl. "Nothing in this world comes without a price." Both of the students groaned, their shoulders sagging slightly. Why couldn't anything in life be easy?
"As I said before," He continued. "These GB pills are experimental. They have a few side effects that we have not been able to work out." Ruby and Jaune continued to look at him, so he took it as a sign to continue. "When someone takes these GB, they become very a powerful Hunter or Huntress. Their brain is able to analyze situations and respond quicker. It also enhances strength, speed and aura significantly. But, they lose control of themselves, in a way. Their personality changes. They become more reckless, it becomes harder for them to hold back."
Jaune cocked his head. "Well that doesn't seem too bad." He commented.
"You didn't let me finish, Mr. Arc." Ozpin said sharply, making Jaune stutter out an apology. "It makes the consumer have the urge to kill or, at the very least, shed blood. It lasts until the all of the pills effects wear off."
The headmaster's words hung in the air, they almost seemed to echo. Both Jaune and Ruby were speechless, Ruby especially.
"But," Both student's attention snapped back the grey-haired man. "With practice, the consumer can learn to gain control of themselves and be able to think clearly."
"But sir," Ruby began pacing back and forth as she spoke. "Having the urge to kill? Doesn't that sound a bit too dangerous? I mean, fighting for the sake of killing would make us no different than-"
"Than the creatures of Grimm?" Ozpin finished for her. Ruby stopped pacing, both she and Jaune looked up at the man. "What did you think GB stood for?" At his question, he received blank stares. "It stands for Grimm Blood."
There was a moment of silence... Before both the students yelled, "What?!" In unison. Ruby spoke again, but her voice had gone up two octaves. "You want us to swallow a pill full of Grimm blood?!"
Jaune quickly joined Ruby in her shock, his voice also raised an octave. "Ozpin, sir, that's crazy!" He exclaimed. "Isn't that stuff poisonous or something?!"
Ozpin was quiet, he let the students go off on him. He understood their concerns, so he let them vent. They went on for about five minutes. When Jaune and Ruby had calmed down, they looked to Ozpin to see his response.
"Are you finished?" He asked, seemingly unaffected. The team leaders glanced at each other, before looking back at the headmaster and nodding. "Good. Please allow me to clarify a few things. GB has been tested before, and is of no harm to the consumer. And I don't want you to swallow anything. I am offering you a chance to become stronger. You do not have to do this, but it is an opportunity that will not be offered to you again." He sighed before taking a long swig of coffee. When he was finished, his eyes scanned over the two teenagers in front if him. Both seemed very nervous and unsure of what to do.
"I am confident that both of you can control this. I wouldn't offer it to you if I thought otherwise. I will be with you throughout the entire process, should you choose to accept it. Be warned, if you choose to take the GB, you will never be the same." He told them honestly. "Over time the effects, the enhanced aura, strength and speed, will become more permanent. Eventually you won't even need to take it any more."
"...But it's still cheating sir." Ruby said quietly. "I don't want to cheat."
"Well, not really." The headmaster told her. "I'm the headmaster of this school, do you really think I would hand you a cheat sheet?"
"Um... No?" Jaune hesitated.
"If you do choose to take the GB, you will not be allowed to take them for any sort of school activity. They are only to be used during training, or when he situation is dire and life threatening."
Ozpin handed his coffee to Glynda, unscrewed the top off of the glass pill box, and held it out in front of him. "The choice is yours." The two leaders looked at it with mixed emotions. They were very unsure of what to do now.
After a long moment of silence, Jaune reached forward and grabbed one of the pills. He held it in his hand for a while, rolling it around and feeling its' smooth surface. "I'll do it." He said quietly. His voice was filled with uneasiness, yet at the same time contained a hint of certainty.
Ruby looked at him, incredulous. She couldn't believe what he was saying. "Jaune...?" She said his name as a question. Like she was asking him why.
He looked at her, blue eyes gazing into silver. "I'm tired of being the guy that cowers behind someone else. I want to be the leader my team deserves, Ruby."
The scythe wielder was quiet. It was like her friend had already changed. It took a little longer to respond. For Ruby, she was worried most about hurting someone. What if she couldn't control it? Then again... It could also be a big help with her training. With GB, she could be the great leader she'd always dreamed of being.
She reached out and took the other pill. "I'm in too." She said, her tone of voice matching Jaune's. "I'm done being the innocent little kid. You're right Jaune," the two leaders looked at each other. "Our teams deserve the best."
Ozpin and Glynda spared a glance at one another. "Very well." He said, his voice still tight and serious. "The GB you are holding is a very low dose, barely one milligram. The effects will only last a few minutes. When you take it, you will feel a sudden burst of energy, you will want to use the energy to fight. Eventually, you will learn to control it, but this time I want you to embrace it."
"Embrace it? But what if we hurt each other, or if we attack you guys?" Ruby asked. Upon hearing her question, Ozpin chuckled. Glynda even let her lips twitch upwards, almost in a smile.
"Ms. Goodwitch and I can take care of ourselves, I can assure you of that." He told them. "As for attacking one another, you do not have your weapons, and we will stop you if it gets out of hand."
Jaune and Ruby were only slightly comforted by this. They both looked down at the small pills in their hands. If these would make them better hunters, better leaders, then they would do it. They would make their teams proud.
"Are you ready?" Ozpin asked. The students nodded their heads yes. "Ms. Goodwitch?" Glynda tapped a few buttons on her tablet, quickly, like she'd already prepared for this. There was a 'whirring' sound as the Training Room kicked into gear and materialized two Deathstalkers in front of the group of four. Ozpin looked back Ruby and Jaune. "Good luck." With that, he and Ms. Goodwitch walked behind a protective barrier that was made for the purpose of spectating.
Jaune and Ruby both looked at each other once more. "For our teams?" The red cloaked girl asked as she held up her pill. Jaune nodded.
"For our teams."
Then they both popped the pills in their mouth, and swallowed them with a big gulp.
...
Kiss goodbye the bridge you've burned...
A/N: I wanted to have this up yesterday, but oh well. Better late than never. I realize this chapter is pretty dialog-heavy, but its because this is an explanation chapter. And the explanation cannot be done without dialog. This honestly isn't my favorite chapter, so I promise they will get better from this point on. They will also get longer.
As for updates, they will be kind of sporadic for a while. I've been trying to come up with some sort of schedule for all my stories, but I have exams coming in a few days, and I'll be totally out of commission for a while. Bottom line: I'm hoping to add a chapter to all my RWBY stories before I start exams, but I can't make any promises.
That's all for now. I would appreciate a review, they make my day! See you guys next time!
-Wolfpoet