Hey, all! So, I meant to upload this yesterday but I got kinda busy. Sorry.
The next chapter after this is also complete and should be uploaded in less than a week, so look forward to about Sunday or Monday.
As for last chapter, I'm glad Weiss' introduction was so widely noticed. She'll have a very special role to play very soon, so let her hype begin! As for this chapter, it really sets up for how school normally is for the students of Beacon. I actually formed it from my High School's schedule, which was specifically meant to ready students for College life, which I though was kinda neat when I finally realized what the hell we were doing every other day.
Times like this that make me realize that I don't give that place enough credit.
Anyway, the next two or three chapters are gonna be kinda long, but that's the nature of the beast unfortunately. Eh, you seem to enjoy the longer chapters more anyway, so I don't think it'll be too bad. I hope you all enjoy this next one!
The day got more and more interesting as it progressed on. Blake had noticed that the proclaimed 'elite group' had been eyeing her carefully. Specifically, the shorter one with black, shiny hair she now knew as Cinder Fall. As time passed, Blake had more and more questions of her classmates; who is who, where do they go, what do they do? She was far more interested in learning of her new friends over the other kids, but still, some of these cliques, which would be generally average, everyday high school groups, consisted of clearly interesting people.
During the Free Block, Pyrrha took the time to inform Blake about the 'elites', consisting of Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, Emerald Sustri and Weiss Schnee. Apparently the last two were considered the more docile of the group, only because they didn't really participate in any instigating or harassing that the first two would commit to. Weiss, actually seemed more annoyed whenever her group did such things, according to Pyrrha being above all of the childish shenanigans. The white haired girl was certainly the enigma of the group... There's always one in every group.
One of Blake's many observations through her life was the people within any group. Each group has at least one of each person, the enigma being one that was more of an oddball, one that you wouldn't anticipate or underestimate for whatever reason. Then there was the quiet one, the buff or athletically strong one, the quick thinker, the motherly one who always cared and acted like an older sibling when needed, and finally there was the sexually intriguing one. Sure, there were sexually actives, but the intriguing one wasn't necessarily active, just open. Someone could even be two or three, but there was always one in each group, as well as more, less-than-noteworthy parts of the list.
Pyrrha tried to warn Blake of why she should avoid this group, but Yang stepped in, nearly losing her composure completely, and went on a tangent about how sick those kids were. Apparently, she had a history with them, but nobody was will willing to explain further. Not even Ruby knew why.
Blake had also learned about her new group of friends during their free time. Nora and Ren worked in the 'Nordic Lotus', a very popular restaurant in the city of Vale that was known for its charity. The owners, Lie Ren's parents, went into business before the stoic boy was born, but about sixteen years ago met Nora's family, well-known and respected chefs who were looking for a job in their new home. Ren's family took them in, and soon their business was thriving. The Valkyries and the Ren's have been living together ever since, as they now owned most of the corner of the block (which has been transformed into their living quarters).
For years Ren and Nora have worked together in their families shop, ever since they were kids. Many of the older regulars could remember the two since they were but children, running around the place, helping as much as possible, which their parents had tricked them into helping by saying it was playing. The restaurant also was especially known for doing the most charity work in the city, offering any and all leftover food to the homeless, as well as participating in Food Drives. Despite their fame, they kept prices as fair as possible, and paid all employees incredibly well.
Pyrrha Nikos and her family had moved to Vale a few years prior, just before Middle School. She met Yang and Nora during this time in elementary school, and the two helped their new friend ever since. As time went on, Pyrrha began to work more and more on her athletics and gymnastics. She was a star volleyball player as well as a gymnast, knowing never to overstep her bounds and to take it easy from time to time. She wasn't even a senior yet and she was already getting college letters. She didn't see herself as a prodigy, but she did feel as though she was skilled.
The humble girl stuck by her friends like glue. Over time, she would meet Jaune Arc. If it were two years ago, she'd swear she didn't know who he was. If it was the end of Freshman year she would swear they weren't doing anything. If it were the start of sophomore year, she would swear they weren't dating...
But then Homecoming happened.
The two danced their way into Sophomore Homecoming King and Queen, beating out Mercury and Cinder. That is part of the reason why the two elitists have grown so bold recently; to demean and reduce the feeling of being the King and Queen. But it didn't affect the two in the slightest. That still left a window for Yang to crack jokes every now and again.
Speaking of the blonde. Blake learned more about her... Rather busty new friend during class as well. Ruby had explained much, but Yang was happy to go into greater detail.
Yang's father, Taiyang, worked in Pediatrics at Vale General and Receiving. When Yang was thirteen, she began volunteering in the same ward, offering comfort to kids who were about to undergo surgeries or other procedures. The blonde was a natural, and even said she wouldn't mind that being a full time job. Blake could read the naturally caring aura of the girl like a book, it practically permeated off of her.
She was a loving, caring person, who wasn't afraid to teach someone what-for if she had to. Normally, though, Yang wouldn't have to use force. She seemed like she could be a very reasonable individual.
This finally led to Ruby. The group was very adamant about the younger girl, with many good things to say. However, despite all of the positives, Ruby still shrunk in her seat, clearly not enjoying being the center of attention. Yang had used words like 'Shy' and 'quiet', but then used 'determined', 'hard working'... She could swear she heard the blonde compliment the girl on her looks, too, but chose not to push it.
From what Blake could gather, The group had only known Ruby for about a year. "She and Velvet had known each other for a while, I guess," Yang started, "When Ruby was accepted to Beacon and moved up to our grade, it was Velvet who took her in and showed her around. But Vel couldn't be in class with her, as she is a year up from us. So, she found me, and I took the reins on this one." She pulled Ruby into a headlock with her right arm, much to the girls protest. Peach, at her desk, was tempted to tell Yang to stop, but chose to restrain herself, knowing of their group's dynamic and understanding that this was normal.
Actually, it happened almost every day. If you were in arms reach of Yang, then you were under constant threat of a bear hug.
Despite knowing Ruby for a year, she was still very reserved about her home life. She didn't say anything too personal, besides describe her parents. Two people that Blake was definitely ready to meet.
She noticed how Yang and Pyrrha talked about Ruby's parents, especially since both confirmed that they never met them. 'So they don't know them either? Where are they, really?' She pondered to herself contemplating on calling Ruby out on the spot, but chose against it. Maybe an altercation like this so early with her new friends wasn't such a good idea, but it was good to note that she would have to talk to the teen about it soon.
Before the group could complement each other more, a familiar bell rang out through the school's P.A. system, more of an alarm than anything, signalling the end of class. With free block over, students now had to go to their next class which was an elective course. Today's elective was Health for Blake, and she was curious to know who would be joining her. The others packed their stuff and rose up, lilac orbs eyeing the black-themed teen beside Ruby, "I looked at your schedule, and you're with me next class! So follow-" Yang declared theatrically, as she began to exit the room, "-And I shall lead you to the promise land!"
Blake felt a hand on her stomach, stopping her from moving after she stood up. She looked down, and saw the back of a head, red streaks running through the moderately long brunette hair. As the head turned around, she realized it was Ruby. "Blake," She whispered, "If you see or hear those other kids around Yang, don't be afraid to drag her away from them, alright?" Her eyes held a pleading look, "It'll be better if you take her out of it, rather than let her escalate it..."
Blake looked towards the door, then down to her neighbor and silently nodded. Ruby stepped aside, allowing passage for the new student. She sighed as Blake exitted, as her next class left her without a friend from her group to back her up. Then again, nobody really bothered each other in Drafting, anyway, so it wasn't all bad.
Blake followed her blonde friend out of the class and into the halls with the flood of uniformed students seemed to make a roadway out of their hallway. Staying to their right, going with the flow of traffic as it were. Yang led Blake down the hall, away from the Science part of the Gen-Ed wing. Down by the gymnasium was the Health related classes. It only made sense to put them near a gym and a weight room, where injuries are prevalent enough to get a good education in.
"So, Blake." Yang began as they marched away from the Gen-Ed wing, "How are you liking Vale so far?"
"I like it," Blake answered, honestly, "I've heard really nice things about the fall here." In truth, she knew about the fall as she had lived within the city limits of Vale for a few years before leaving for the east coast, then going back and forth throughout her life. Still, her new friends didn't need to know that. Yang nodded, noting the short answer as the duo walked through a small crowd of students before turning to the Athletic wing of the school. "I mean, I've been here a few times before, I just never got the chance to see the leaves change or anything like that."
Lilac eyes blinked as their owner slowly nodded, "It is beautiful sometimes. Even better on Patch, too."
'Oh, don't I know it…' Blake thought, quickly shaking it away. "I don't think it matters too much. I'll get to see it eventually, right?"
Yang chuckled, "Yeah, for sure."
They walked into the classroom, empty as it was. Health class was taught by Glynda Goodwitch, who was also the coach for two female sports teams, Volleyball and Swimming. She only taught one Health class while Professor Peach doubled her work and covering the other. Peach also tag teamed with Glynda and covered the Infirmary, which also doubled as a class for the Medical students who went beyond the basic Health level.
The two took a seat along the back wall of the class (apparently the back was Yang's favorite area of a classroom) and waited. After a minute of silence, a figure walked through the door. Both turned and saw a fairly tall woman, with neatly made light-blonde hair in a bun and glasses over her emerald eyes. She looked to her right and saw Yang and Blake. "Miss Xiao Long..." She greeted, "-And...? I believe you're Blake Belladonna?"
Blake nodded, "Yes, I am."
Glynda returned her new students nod, "Great. Better late to a semester than never. If you need help with anything, feel free to ask me or Miss Xiao Long to your left." Yang waved, "She's one of the best in the school's Health Education classes. Though, I do feel that working in a hospital as often as she does may be cheating..." Yang waved her teacher of. "Nevertheless, you still picked a fine group to befriend. Now, if you girls will excuse me, I have to load up our presentation for today."
The instructor took her seat at the front-most desk in the class and began working with the computer at the desk. As she did, more and more students arrived, including Nora. "-And there she is!" Yang cheered, "The special addition Nora Valkyrie, now includes her without her boyfriend!"
Nora blushed playfully thankful that there wasn't anyone else in the room. "Yang..." She whispered, "We aren't together-together..."
"Yeah right. It's not like it's a secret." Yang waved her friend off and offered the seat to her left. "Anymore..."
That last comment was quiet enough to be unheard by Nora, but Blake still caught it and giggled. She barely knew these kids, but after only a few hours felt like she had been friends with them for years.
The room started to fill as side conversations begun; students aimlessly discussing anything from school gossip to home life. Blake tuned it all out as she prepared herself for her next class. In Peach's class, she didn't have to do any of the "get to know you" stuff which was usually reserved for the start of a semester, which was fantastic to her. She wasn't for that 'Icebreaker' nonsense. Unfortunately for her, Goodwitch didn't seem like the forgiving teacher. According to both Yang and Nora, Blake would have to give a moment of class time to talk about herself.
The bell rang as students rushed to take their seats. Glynda gave a moment before standing up to begin her class. "Alright students," She called, "Settle down." Her class did as she commanded, not making her repeat herself. They knew of the repercussions of pissing off Goodwitch. Blake was impressed, to say the least; that was respect that one earned… Or fear lorded over after a long career. "If you haven't already been able to see, we do in fact have a new student here with us, today." All eyes turned to Blake as she physically and mentally tensed up, "Miss Belladonna, could you give us something about yourself?"
Blake nodded as she rose from her seat, "Uh, Hi... I'm Blake Belladonna…" She began, awkwardly, "I like reading, writing and I'm not really sure what I should be talking about..."
Goodwitch and the rest of the class had a chuckle at the new girls' honesty, "Alright. Well, how about telling us where you're from and how you're enjoying your time here in Vale... Or how you hate it? Sky's the limit..."
Blake accepted the challenge, "I'm from the east coast of the country, and I've actually been to Vale a few times in the past..." She started, "Every time I come here I enjoy myself, so hopefully living here for more than three months won't ruin that?" Her attempt at humor unfortunately fell on deaf ears as she chuckled nervously. "That's basically it..."
Glynda nodded. "Alright then. You can have a seat, Miss Belladonna. So, class, I feel it's only appropriate we start on a new subject this week..." Glynda began to trail off as Blake sat down. She popped open her notebook and started writing down the notes that were on the presentation in front of her. Turning to her left, she saw Nora doing, albeit rather poor, sketches... To be frank, Blake didn't know what the young chef was drawing...
Yang on the other hand was stretching, not even bothering to open a notebook. Blake would normally think that would be sheer laziness, but then she remembered what everyone has told her so far... Yang is a whiz at health.
With all of this going on, Blake wondered how everyone else was doing with their classes...
Ruby sat at her station, keeping a large piece of draft paper in front of her.
For Beacon students who took the CTE classes, they would have their class of choice every day at the same period. So, for Ruby, this meant Drafting (she would call it Engineering, though that wasn't the correct name) every day.
The Drafting instructor was out today, which meant a substitute. However, their sub of choice wasn't exactly the brightest, which meant it was essentially a free day. For Ruby, this was a blessing and a curse: The day was easy, but dangerously slow.
For a moment, at least. As Ruby kept drawing on her Draft Board, a shadow blocked out the light. She felt a looming force over her, a little worried. She didn't have any friends in this class, but also she didn't have any enemies. So who could this be...?
She looked over her shoulder to see two students, both the same height and barely taller than Ruby was; Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark. "Boys..." She greeted, cautiously.
"Ruby..." Sky began, his voice barely matured, "I think you know why we're here..." Ruby thought for a second, drawing a blank, though she was sure she knew what they were talking about. "Aw, come on! You said you'd help us draft our Welding project today!"
'Oh yeah...' Ruby thought. That promise had completely slipped her mind.
It wasn't uncommon for the Wood Shop or Metal Lab students to utilize the Drafting class's work. Of course, there would have to be something in it for the drafters, which they generally made demands. Extra Credit was a sure thing, regardless, but drafters could also ask for monetary 'donations' for their work. A thing that wasn't sanctioned by the school officially, only so long as no money changed hands during school hours.
The school can't stop their students off campus.
"Right." Ruby calmly exhaled, tearing off the paper on her board. "Take a seat and talk to me..."
The two boys did as they were told and pulled up a seat next to their helper. "Right," Sky began, "Well, we were going to work with Russel and Cardin, of course... But they copped out on us..."
"Uh oh, trouble in paradise?" Ruby joked, earning a glare from the two boys. "Pft. No fun..."
"-Anyway... They copped out and now we're left stranded with only a day before our project plan is due..." Ruby stared at the boys, silently asking them to go on, "We don't know what to make..."
"Clearly." Instantly, Ruby's head dropped. She propped herself up on her draft board with her hands and buried her face. "Uhg, you're killing me!" she silently screamed, "You two know exactly what it takes to annoy me here. You know that, right?" The two boys rubbed the backs of their heads awkwardly, not saying a word nor shying away from her scolding. She was right, the least they could have done was thought about this over the weekend. "Well, let's do something that is rather difficult to make, for high points at competitions, that both of you can also use..." She sat back in her chair, propping her short legs up on a nearby empty stool while twisting her body slightly to the right so that she could draw in comfort… At least, what passed as comfort for her. All three of the students thought of a project that could be useful, but had a difficult time. Welding projects were easier to make, just because of speed.
Difficulty, however, didn't mean slower speed. It just meant more of an intricate design. "How about..." Ruby started, "We make a really big grill..." She thought further, her imagination starting to run wild, "A charcoal one, obviously, but one that puts regular grills to shame..."
Sky and Dove looked at each other, "Uh... What?' The scrawnier boy asked.
"Okay, have you seen those big industrial sized grills that can cook, like, fifty-thousand things at once?" Both boys nodded. Ruby gave them a look before they understood what she was saying. "We make one of those huge industrial grills, and at the end of all of this, Dove, you're uncle can make it a gas-powered one, just for sheer principal!"
Dove nodded, clearly excited. "Depending on how we do it, that could give us huge marks at competitions!"
"Right!" Ruby clapped, "Give me a half hour and I'll have your draft." Both boys nodded and left the girl to her work. She pulled her hood over her head and started the draft, using everything to her current power to make it good. 'Oh, both of them will be paying me bigtime...' Ruby happily thought. Money is money and she could charge the two big bucks for all of this.
Her design was a grill, made up almost entirely of 50-gallon metal barrels. One or two would be used for a base, while using two or three for the main grill, welded all together with proper holes and markings to be transformed into a gas-powered grill. There would even be a second level resting just above the middle of the main grill; this level creating smoked goods. It was a design she had seen before and one she dearly wanted to see done.
Her imagination ran as wild as her pencil, making the proper marks for dimensions and size. After a while, she put down exactly what was needed in terms of parts and components to make it all work. Her hopes were that it would take one to two weeks to acquire all of the supplies needed, and then over a month or two to fully create the behemoth. Then, they would have to attach it to a trailer because of its sheer size, but that would have to wait until after the winter. Thankfully, though, competitions ran in late April, which left ample time to weld the thing to the trailer after winter was over.
In what seemed like a few moments, both boys returned, eager to see their design. Ruby finished it up with her signature at the bottom right corner, finally leaning back in her chair to rest her left arm.
"Whew!" She exhaled, rather surprised by her own work. "I, uh, think I got carried away..." Ruby had gone so far as to shade in some parts of the grill.
"I'll take it!" Sky declared, "So... I'm going to assume you want some dough for this...?"
"I know I'm getting credit for this with my little signature down there, so yes, you can pay me..." She thought of a price. Lark and Bronzewing weren't exactly the 'elites', but they weren't.. .Well, they weren't her, either... So... "How's about fifty?"
"I'd do forty..." Dove said.
"Forty-five." She negotiated, to which both boys agreed, "Pay me tomorrow, we'll meet by the flagpole and you can pay me." Both boys agreed and left the class. Ruby examined the clock, realizing she still had half a class to go before she got out of there. "I wonder how much sleep I can get...?"
Pyrrha sat back on her respective chair while Professor Oobleck handed out the class assignment. Their chosen elective was a foreign language course on Mistral's native tongue, 'Latcio'. It had been a dream of Pyrrha's to learn the language, as her heritage stemmed from Mystral and all of her family, save for her parents, lived within that kingdom and some even knew the language. It had been perfectly preserved throughout the years, despite time and the progress of humanity. Some of her family only speak in Latcio and she thought it wise to get to know the language to at least try and understand what they were saying during the holidays. Jaune was also apart of the class, despite today's absence, doing this because… Well, Pyrrha dragged him into it.
Plus he needed an extra credit course to graduate, so it's now or delay it until next year.
The athletic teen took about her worksheet, which was just a definition sheet. Basic words she already knew just needed the definition. She normally went for the harder assignments, but today she had to jump down to her classes level. A little voice in her mind told her to punch Jaune later today for ditching her to play video games when he should have been helping her study for the many weekly tests her grandmother gives. The older Nikos would call from across the sea and quiz her, the grades being how long they can hold a conversation in Latcio. Recently, they've been able to go for nearly an hour and on days where she had this class, she and Jaune would hurry through the assignment and he would then quiz her in the language, even though he could barely speak it.
'He can barely even speak English,' She internally quipped with a smile, 'No, that's not right to think. I can only do that when he's here to joke with… English is the only class he can get right.'
"Miss Nikos." Oobleck hurriedly said after coming to a swift halt before Pyrrha's desk, taking a sip from his famous thermos. She snapped to attention and sat up in her seat, "I hope we're not dozing off in class today with the absence of our significant other. That wouldn't fly very well with the coaches after all." Another sip as he finally stopped talking.
"Right, no sir." She dejectedly complied with a nod, her long ponytail shifting slightly with her sudden movement. "I'll get right to work on it." She fooled nobody though, as her instructor raised an eyebrow, as if calling a bluff. "What?"
He sighed, closing his eyes behind his thick, coke-bottle glasses. "Miss Nikos, I understand that the material is too easy for you and believe me, I know what it feels like. But just because you're at a level above the rest of the class doesn't mean I can or will treat you with a difference. You're going to have to move along at our pace, unfortunately." She, once again, nodded with mild disappointment, even though he wasn't done. "However, if you so desire I can offer extra credit for more difficult assignments. With your grades it won't do much, but at least it'll provide a challenge for you."
His calm demeanor and tone spoke to the teen, signifying his seriousness at the offer. The instructors of Beacon never were ones to deviate from the Department Journal on how to run the semester's class, but Extra Credit was free game for the teachers to decide. And even though she was getting all A's in every class, she couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. This would mean bonus practice on top of the work she and Jaune put forth!
"I think I'd like that." She happily responded with a small smirk, trying to keep her cool as best as she could. She always tried to keep her composure in high stress situations. Though this wasn't high stress, she didn't want to lose control in thanking the instructor for his offer. He simply nodded and walked back around the room, seeing if anybody needed help, or needed to be cracked back into order.
As she returned to her assignment, there was the smallest of smiles riddled on her face for the rest of the day. In no time she'll be able to fully comprehend both Latcio and English! Grandma would be left in her dust!
The school day progressed slowly enough for the group to absolutely relish in their lunch hour. Thankfully they have third lunch on Black days, which means that they only have a half hour left of English Class.
Unfortunately, Nora and Ren were busy in the schools' restaurant, so generally they couldn't join their friends. The duo had responsibilities as managers of the place, which left the four others alone. For the School Store workers and the Restaurant workers, lunchtime was considered a second elective, or the school considered it the "Career Class", which was one that you took every day to prepare you for your career or education in that field. There was a Career Class for everything that was offered, from the Infirmary to the Wood Working, any elective had a chance.
You didn't have to be a senior to take the class, though it was recommended as Seniors generally had lighter workloads. That was why Yang had been holding off on her class, and Pyrrha… Well, Pyrrha never really gave it any thought. She had been working so hard in her athletics that, admittedly, she never sat and considered her career. Part of her wanted to do some teaching, part of her wanted to be an athlete, yet part of her wanted to follow her father's path in politics. He was an ambassador to Mystral, though he was now retired after a long career that he started early. He and his family settled down in Vale, where he had worked for his government. Ruby just held off anything that would increase her workload, though deep down wasn't sure what to do for her career…
Blake had options now, at least so she thought. With Beacon's Prep School ideology, she was free to study and prepare for her career in book writing, and if that failed then Journalism could never hurt, right? At least for a Kingdom like Vale where the news never slept.
The black themed teen looked around her table and noted who was there with her. It only seemed to be the same three girls from earlier: Ruby, Yang and Pyrrha. Though, according to Yang, there was another duo who should be there: Coco and Velvet. They had an online Astronomy class that they took, where they normally got the class off, giving them two whole hours of lunch. The way the online classes worked was you got the homework on the School's website and if you did the homework then you'd get that class off. If you had a missing assignment then you had to show up and couldn't leave until all of the work was finished. Thanks to Velvet, both of their assignments were always complete on time. Problem is today they actually had stuff to do in class. Generally they'd follow Ruby to her English class until they either got kicked out by the teacher or had to leave due to time constraints. The two never really messed with the group dynamic of Ruby's friends, mainly because they pretty much made the group dynamic.
Still, it struck both Yang and Pyrrha as odd when it came to how protective the girls can be of their young friend. Whenever inquired about it, Ruby shot out that it was her age that made them worry. She herself knew that wasn't a complete lie, but it kept everyone off of her back.
The problem with the groups English class is that their teacher, who was pregnant, went into labor almost a week ago and would be taking the semester off on maternity leave. This left an open position that couldn't be filled by a part time slot, so Headmaster Ozpin decided let the school's Library workers to take over. For the gang, this gave them the young worker Tukson, a well built man with sharp black hair and an odd beard that he kept very well. Him being an English instructor as well as an owner of a bookstore made him perfect for the role. Really, it was just students writing and reading essays and mostly in-class discussions. It kept everyone occupied and worked well.
Yang audibly bit into her school-made chicken sandwich, "It's good today..." She commented aloud and messily. Pyrrha, who had already finished hers, nodded in agreement, ignoring the barbaric attitude of her friend. Across the table from the duo sat Ruby and Blake. The latter finally opening her bagged lunch, whilst the former took her time with her meal. "What's wrong, Blake? Didn't want to risk it?"
The black-haired girl shrugged, "I didn't know my options for lunch, so I bagged my own." Her reply was easy and quick as she unwrapped her tuna sandwich. "Never take a risk, right?"
Pyrrha looked to Ruby, "I thought you were going to tell her all she needed to know?" She said, playful attitude in her voice. Ruby broke eye contact with the older girl and deflated in her seat, whilst Yang jabbed her elbow into Pyrrha's side. Before the Mystralian could realize it, Blake was glaring at her, too.
"Guess I forgot that..." Ruby said quietly.
"It's okay Ruby..." Yang said, keeping her harsh glare on Pyrrha, "Someone just has an attitude problem today." Pyrrha folded her arms in a pouting manner and looked away. Yang shook her head and began to finish her meal. "Come on, eat." She insisted towards her younger counterpart, "We don't have that long before we gotta go back to class."
Ruby complied, but still chose to take her time. To Yang, it seemed that the girl was in better spirits when Coco and Velvet were around. Those two knew how to reach Ruby, something Yang has been meaning to inquire about for some time now. She was envious of how easy it was to get her to open up and the way Yang figured it, if she could read somebody like Ruby easily, then one day she could read her patients as such and get them to open up easier and faster which would make her life and career far easier.
As she finished her meal, Yang peered over to Pyrrha and Ruby. The former was finished long ago whilst the latter had just finally wrapped up. "May I?" She offered, picking up both of the girls' lunch trays. The two nodded as Yang walked to the trash can.
"I think I like her." Blake commented, not looking up from her meal. "She's nice."
"Told ya." Ruby retorted. Pyrrha watched as the two communicated with each other, amazed. They hadn't known each other for more than three days and already they seemed like they've been friends forever. Despite Ruby's normally silent nature, she did seem to be comfortable around Blake. Why? What did they do over the weekend? More importantly, how did Blake get the teen to be so comfortable with her?
"Blake..." Pyrrha called, gaining her new friends attention, "I have a question for you?" Blake looked up and nodded, giving her the okay to begin. Her question was going to be why the duo before them were so close so quickly, but she internally kicked herself, not wanting to confront either about this yet. Maybe they don't even know, maybe this is just sheer luck… Maybe this was just them connecting easily, like real friends. So, she resigned herself to a fake question, now that she's this far in the hole, at least… "That bow on your head, where did you get it?"
"Yeah!" Yang called, returning from her trip, "I want to know, too!"
Blake chuckled as she scratched the top of her head. She had completely forgotten about her bow as the day had progressed, "I've had this thing for a while now... I can't remember where I got it..."
"Oh well fine!" Yang crossed her arms in mock anger, "I didn't want a cute bow to match my hair either!"
"Nope." Blake said with a smile, "My look and I'm not looking to share it."
Yang held a stunned look on her face as she let her arms down. It wasn't often that someone managed to do something like that to her; turn a joke around and point it at her. To say that the blonde was impressed was an understatement. "I like you, Blake." Yang chuckled, "Really, you've got spunk. It takes a lot to make a Xiao Long look like a fool."
Ruby leaned in close and loudly whispered, 'No it doesn't…' Earning a sharp kick from Yang. "Ow!"
Blake, however, stoically nodded in thanks at the compliment, ignoring her neighbor's comment and resulting injury, once again recalling the earlier class and knowing already that this is how the duo acted, though it was more Yang acting that way and Ruby retaliating. Before anyone could speak further, the bell rang out and ended the lunch cycle, causing the group- as well as the rest of the room- to rise from their seats and began the exodus back to class.
Pyrrha led the way back to class, followed closely by Blake and Yang. Ruby was somewhere in the throng of people behind the group, though they knew she'd catch up. She always did. Sometimes it was easier not to keep track of her, because she could be either ten miles behind or a hundred miles ahead. That or she would take her own route, a bad habit that the silver-eyed teen herself said she had to break.
The trio managed to make it to the class, being one of the first in. The found their table, this one being smack in the middle of class rather than the back (can't win every time). Tukson was sitting at the desk, taking a sip from his mug and watching something off the computer. "Ladies." He said as they walked in, not looking up. All three bowed their heads towards the instructor and took a seat.
Instantly Blake was able to recognize the man. She had visited his bookstore on a few occasions in the past and had gotten to know him, even though they never really saw each other more than twice a month. Still, the two of them shared a nod, not opting to say another word. He tried his best not to promote his store, anyway. "How are you enjoying your time here, Miss Belladonna?"
The question was honest, albeit a bit random. Though it was best that now would be the best time to ask the question. "I think I like it..." She replied.
The bearded man nodded, "That's good to hear. You've managed to find your way into a very diverse set of individuals." He smiled at the group, "I hope you enjoy your time here."
"Thank you, sir."
As the group settled, Ruby managed to find her way back into class. The distinct lack of Velvet or Coco gave off a rather empty feeling. "Thanks for waiting for me back there, guys." She said annoyed. "Really means a lot."
"Oh boohoo," Yang waved her off, "You're a big girl, you can find your way back on your own."
The latter sighed as she sat back down, "That's not the point..." She said in a sing-song like manner, "But whatever."
"Ruby I'll give you extra credit if you can make me a song about how it's not the point." Tukson challenged more than offered, not looking up from his computer screen as Ruby stretched her arms over her head, interlocking her fingers for maximum stretch power. "It can't be less than two stanzas."
"No." She quickly declined, not falling for the trap despite Yang and Pyrrha's constant badgering. "I know what's going to happen. I'll make it, turn it in, then you'll make me sing it for full credit." The man snapped his fingers sarcastically, realizing that he had been found out. Tukson had an unorthodox way of teaching that worked, and something like that wasn't uncommon. Ruby would do it, though her voice was really only good in the shower. Still, that wouldn't stop Yang or Pyrrha from egging her on.
Ruby chose to ignore the two taller teens while more students began to file into the room as others began to make their way to lunch. As a student, one normally had less than five minutes to make it from the cafeteria to the classroom before being considered late. This gave time to go to the bathroom, or hit one of the many vending machines around the campus. Or putts with friends before splitting off again.
As another bell chimed, indicating that class is to begin, Tukson rose from his seat, raising his huge, tree trunk of an arm. "Alright, class, settle down." In four words, every single student stopped their conversation and all eyes pointed towards their instructor. Blake was in awe; this wasn't the first time that she had seen an act of power like this. Beacon's students must highly respect/feat their teachers if they're willing to stop talking so quickly. "We have a few more notes to take and then you could go on your merry way with whatever conversations you were just having. Now-!"
He turned away from the class and began where his lecture had left off before lunch began. Blake had already taken a sizable amount of notes prior to the break, so she wondered how many notes she would have left before being able to work on any assignments she had, or if she had taken too many notes. Needless to say Tukson wasn't as lenient of a teacher as he was a store owner, nor was he as lenient as some of the other teachers.
Not that it was really a big deal or anything, she just had to get in the habit of her teachers is all and how many notes would be considered too few and too many.
So HUGE thanks to my boy Karm for helping me find a way to include Tukson! In all honesty, his job was going to be Ozpin's, but thanks to a conversation with my friend here, we were able to work this in and it actually made this part of the chapter far better than I realized. And yes, he still has a book store in this story just as he did in the show, he just works for the school in his off time.
Other than that, I kinda spent a really long time on just one part of the school day, huh? Don't worry, chapters like this won't be that often, where I only cover half or less of a day in class, unless that chapter was really important in some way. And yes, Velvet and Coco will become far more relevant than I've made them out to be. Next chapter actually covers that.
So, now that all of that is out of the way, what did you all think? I gave a bit of the spotlight to Pyrrha today and I almost forgot that Jaune was absent. I did make up a language, too, and let me just say that 'Latcio' or the 'Lactian Language' as it will be called is susceptible to change in the future, but it's the old language of Mystral. The thought process was that if Pyrrha is supposed to be Greek, and the Greek's used Latin... Well, Latico is this world's Latin! I also gave a small look into Ruby's Drafting class as well as one of Yang's Health classes. We'll go into more depth of these classes per each character later on.
Go ahead and tell me what you think about this and also what you'd like to see in the future. Stay safe out there everyone, and as always:
Until Next Time