***Authors Note: Hey! So today's schedule was super tight, the semester is ending so that means an onslaught of shitty projects and test, woo! Plus this whole first day thing actually has a lot more stuff to it than I thought it would, so apologies for that. Though do not cry tears of utter sadness, for I will still be doing my best to do a chapter a day and giving you, the glorious viewer, the brainchild of a creative and (sometimes) scary mind. So thanks for being patient and stuff, I'm trying really hard so just try to bear with me. One last thing, rbear1231, you were 100% right in the assumption that this was gonna be a long ass day. Enjoy!
Chapter Eight: A Time of Learning
Team RWBY certainly didn't expect team MJTM to be in their first class, who were already making themselves at home in the top row.
"Welcome back girls! I assume your break was delightful?! Delightful! Take a seat then shall we!" Dr Oobleck hammered off, the girls taking their seats a couple rows below Marco and the others. After a couple more students entered Dr. Oobleck began his assault on his students.
"Yes! Yes! Welcome everyone to another year at Beacon! Another year for learning! Another year for history! Today's lesson will be in honor of our new student Theo Aylan, who hauls from the very historic, very ancient land of Madiki kingdom!" Oobleck spouted, all eye's traveling to Theo. The dark skinned Pyion got up and bowed accordingly before sitting back down.
"Yes! So the Madiki kingdom was a very peaceful place filled with native tribes all with the same purpose; to survive!" Oobleck began, clicking the button on a dust projector, the lights going out. The first picture showed a group of dark skinned warriors, armed to the teeth with bone armor and bone weapons similar to Theo's.
"This here ladies and gentlemen is a traditional tribesmen hunting party armed with-yes! Grimm weapons and armor-the process on how these are made isn't very well known..."
While Oobleck was rambling on Marco was busy reading a note Yang had covertly thrown him. Her lilac eye's glittered with promise, making Marco beam.
Hi :P Yang's note read, Marco scribbled a response. He waited before tossing it back, he'd never experienced the art of passing notes, though he was very willing to learn if a beautiful blonde was on the receiving end.
Hi :D
Kinda boring huh? :
Is that a penguin? :U
Have you ever done this before? (':
Nope, I'm just putting symbols at the end and hoping they make sense _
Yang could barely hold in her giggles, leaning over the tabletop to restrain herself. Jace only rolled his eye's, though he couldn't lie, hearing things he already knew didn't exactly sate his amusement. Marco was doodling on a tiny black notepad, an incredibly detailed drawing of Oobleck standing mid-speech, coffee cup in one hand and his cluttered desk sitting sorrily behind him. Weiss was using all her will power not to discipline Yang, finding her behavior nothing short of immature. That's when she felt her scroll vibrate. Peaking down she was shocked to see a message from Jace Snider on the screen . She whipped her head around, Jace not acknowledging her. Though she was acknowledged by Oobleck, who'd learned to keep an eye on team RWBY from last year.
"A problem Miss Schnee?" he asked, all eye's on her, including Jace's.
"Um-uh no not at all doctor" she stammered, internally cursing Jace for the embarrassment. Oobleck kept his gaze fixed on her for a moment before continuing.
"Like I was saying- the tribesmen were different in their use of dust, using it for much more..."
Weiss looked down at the message, not expecting what she saw.
Jace Snider497: I remember you, seven years ago, Ironwood brought me to visit the head of the Schnee dust company, you've changed.
Ice_Queen126: Ten years ago I was ten, and you couldn't have been much older! Besides, how'd you get my scroll code?!
Jace Snider497: I was fifteen. This eye can do more than see, all pleasure of Ironwood of course.
Weiss did indeed remember that encounter seven years ago, if you could even call it that. Weiss spent the entire time hiding behind her father's leg, watching Winter from a distance miserably fail at getting Jace to talk. Though she certainly didn't know he was 22. Five years older than me! Enough Weiss, it dosen't matter anyway! She internally argued, sending a message back.
Ice_Queen126: Well I suppose that makes sense, how did you two become acquainted?
Jace Snider497: That's not something I talk about
Jace stopped messaging her, his hooded face never once looking down at her. Blake appeared to be the only one actually listening to Oobleck, Ruby reading Marco's notes with Yang, both states of controlled giggles.
"-There are so many things to tell you all but nothing to show you-it is a terrible tragedy Madiki- the amount of grimm there is simply to great to face so retrieving any relics or pieces of their culture is almost impossible-
"Not entirely" Theo rumbled, Oobleck whipping his gaze to him. Theo's bone sword appeared in his hand, a soft glow emmitting from it in the darkness. Theo slowly walked down the steps, Blake could swear she heard the sword humming. Theo stopped in front of Oobleck, who had put his coffee cup down and was standing completely still. Theo carefully held out to him, Oobleck taking the sword very gently in his grasp.
"My oh my" he marveled, speaking slowly for one of the first times ever. Upon his close inspection he noticed small carving's in the curved hilt and dangerously thin blade. Small animals like deer and rabbit were carved on the blade, little Beowolves and Boarba tusk etched into the hilt.
"Did you make this yourself?" he asked, the lights suddenly coming back on.
"Yes" Theo answered simply, his hands held behind his back. Thats when Blake noticed part of a falcon tattoo on his right forearm, he'd abandoned the school's coat and sweater for a vest so his sleeve's were pulled up, making the tattoo (partly) visible.
"Unbelievable" Oobleck whispered, completely transfixed.
Meanwhile Marco and yang had gotten on an extra friendly basis, having gone through seven pieces of paper primarily filled with emoticons and tid bits of conversation.
So, whats your scroll code? ;* :D ;) Yang's note read, finally asking the long awaited question.
Whats a scroll?
"WHAT?!" Yang burst out, Oobleck too taken by the sword to notice.
So the rest of the class was spent showing Marco what a scroll was and giving him the mind bending revelation that he himself had one, claiming he'd mistaken it as an "Advanced Butterknife". The two teams had joined together at this point, Oobleck too absorbed in Theo's weapons to care.
"Quite the technology this is, too bad I see it in only one color" Theo remarked, exploring the wonders of his scroll in a chocolate covered world.
"What color is that?" Blake questioned, giving the "blind" Pyion her undivided attention.
"Imagine everything you see outlined in black and brown, though despite this you still look quite lovely" he complimented, catching Blake completely off guard.
"I-thank you" she said softly, a blush dusting her cheeks.
"I can see when you blush as well" he informed, the additional information making her turn around in her seat. The ghost of a smile passed his dark lips.
"We should all exchange scroll codes!" Ruby proposed, Marco excitedly firing off his code to team RWBY with childish excitement.
"Okay okay, I'm gonna send a message a message now" Marco announced, slowly tapping the touch pad. After two minutes Yang's scroll beeped.
Enteryournamehere123: DID IT WORK?!
Yang looked at it for a minute before laughing at his absurdly bad skills at technology.
"You've never been one for things with buttons" Jace teased, Marco frowning.
"Whaaaa? Dude I didn't know they had Tetris on here!" Marco exclaimed, Jace peeked at his screen. Marco was hitting buttons upside down on his calculator app.
"Oh good lord" Jace muttered, forgetting how much Marco's wanderings and past had desensitized him to technology.
"So, what's that you got there?" Ruby asked, eyeing Mason's sketchpad. Mason smiled without looking up, finishing the last stroke before handing it to Ruby. It was a perfect portrait of her sitting in her bench, looking ahead, a elbow on her table and chin in hand. Not even the smallest details had been left out, a small, almost unnoticeable cowlick on the back of Ruby's head somehow depicted in a beautiful way.
"This is amazing Mason, where'd you learn to draw like this?" she breathed, handing it back to him. He ripped off the page, handing it to her.
"F-for me?" Ruby asked, completely surprised, taking the thin paper and carefully closing it in her red and black notebook. She'd also managed to catch a glimpse of an impressively drawn Dr. Oobleck. Mason smiled tenderly.
"It's compensation for drawing you without permission" he explained, Ruby laughed.
"How do people see you as dangerous? I mean, the whole half-grimm thing can be pretty scary at first-not to mention your initiation-but! You're just so nice and you draw and, um yeah" Ruby said, realizing she was rambling much longer than she intended. Mason was looking at her, but not at her, his dull red eye's far away.
"I think that if everyone thought like you, maybe things would be different" he almost whispered, Ruby turning around, thinking of what she heard. What would be different? Gah, so much mystery! She thought, glancing back at Mason. She then looked at Weiss, who seemed to be having the same thoughts towards Jace. Something told her that they had only hit the tip of the iceberg.