"Dr. Vahlen, the last dose of nanosutures have been administered as requested,"
"Yes, yes. Very good. Bring me a wheelchair. I'll have to speak with our patient,"
Blake shivered on the operating table (chair?) that she was sitting in. There was a distinct lack of knives and other sharp, scary implements that she knew existed in hospitals and the like. Only vials of strange liquids in all colours of the rainbow seemed to exist in the Anthill's hospital, accompanied by an almost disturbing variety of needles of various shapes and sizes. Even now, a long, thin needle was in each of her thighs, light blue liquid slowly flowing into them from small drip bags attached to their other ends. Both her legs were covered in white casts from toe to just above her knees.
The stern face of Dr. Vahlen loomed in front of the cat faunus, and she had to resist an urge to shrink back into the chair. After spending an hour being treated for her injuries, the woman strongly reminded her of a harsher, more disciplined Ms. Goodwitch, with a less than healthy dose of patented Schnee iciness to bind it all into a truly terrifying package. "Now. You should consider yourself very, very lucky that you were not vaporised in that blast, Miss Belladonna. A single step closer, and you would have found yourself with no legs or arms,"
Somehow, that did not sound reassuring at all.
"Regardless, your injuries will heal in time. I won't ask how you managed to hold back the pain without anaesthetics, let alone stand when almost all of your lower leg bones have some kind of fracture. You are to remain still for at least a week while your bones knit together again properly. While the outer bone structure should be repaired enough to stand on at this moment, it is always better to avoid all risks where possible. You are excused from exercises and physical training during recovery. And missions too, of course,"
Nodding, Blake wistfully thought of the days that she had in Beacon. Scratches and bruises were common, of course; the nature of what they were learning made sure of that. Still, broken legs and arms were not very common at all. Their Aura usually made sure of that, preventing most serious injuries from happening.
Aura. She thought that the grenade's blast would simply throw her, and then she could get back up without a problem. But evidently, either her Aura was much weaker here, or the grenade was much more powerful than anything that she had ever seen before.
"...Are you still listening, Miss Belladonna?" Vahlen's sharp voice barked, and she found herself face to face with an irate doctor.
"Sorry. I was thinking about something,"
"Evidently, it must be more important than the details of what is required to properly heal your injuries," snarked the doctor, stepping back shaking her head, "As I was saying, you will require some mobility assistance. Rookie Xiao Long has volunteered for this duty for the next week,"
She nodded in acknowledgement. A wheelchair trundled in, with a smiling Yang behind its handles.
"Hiya, kitty cat! Feelin' better?" she said cheerfully, smirking when she noticed the faint twitch in Blake's eyes.
"...If anyone else called me that, I'd have punched them to the moon and back," Blake groused, "As for your question, yes, I am feeling much better. Especially when my legs don't feel like they're about to break into a hundred pieces,"
"Awesome! Now, let's get you back to the others. I'm sure they're dying to see you back in the barracks,"
"Do try to be gentle with her legs, Miss Xiao Long. I'd rather not have her back in here in a few days if she ends up breaking her legs again," Vahlen said dryly, eyeing the rather rough way that Yang picked up Blake from the operating chair.
"No problems here, doc. Got her covered," replied the blonde, depositing Blake into the wheelchair as gently as a brawler could.
"We will see. First things first, she needs rest. Take her back down to the barracks, and make sure she is clean before she sleeps. The casts are waterproof, so you will have no need to give her a sponge bath,"
"Good as done!" Yang said, looking at an impassive Blake.
The faunus did not know what was more terrifying. The prospect of not being able to walk for a week, or the fact that she would be basically treated as Yang's pet cat for a week. Either way, she looked at Vahlen with pleading eyes, hoping that perhaps the doctor could come up with a quicker solution to her injuries.
Alas, no such mercy from the doctor, who only seemed to smile widely at her predicament.
Blake sat in her wheelchair, coming out of the showers with her hair hanging wet and limp, pressed flat against her back. Yang was pushing her from behind, a playful smile still plastered on her face. Two white towels were draped over one shoulder, along with a bag of dirty clothes hanging off the other. The soldiers in the common room nodded as they passed, though some of them wore knowing grins on their faces.
"See? That wasn't too bad, was it?" Yang said to a mortified Blake, who groaned and cupped her face in her hands.
"Aside from you petting my ears every five seconds, talking as though I'm an infant, and generally treating me like a pet cat? No, it wasn't too bad. Not," she said icily.
"Aw, come on. Was it that bad, Blake?" replied Yang, clutching a hand over her heart and pretending to keel over.
The barracks common room had more people in it than before she entered the showers, but there were still plenty of empty seats around. A strange sight caught her eye, however; a slenderly-built woman and a gigantic man with unkempt brown hair that she recognised, both hunched over a low table while deep in thought. It was only when she drew closer that she saw a chessboard, with notably few pieces remaining on both sides.
"Hey, Papa Bear. What's new?"
The older man, still engrossed in the chess match, grumbled and looked up from his game. But as he saw Yang's broad smile, he gave the two of them a two-fingered salute. "Nice to see both of you still up on your feet. So to speak, of course," he said, nodding in Blake's direction, "Dr. Vahlen fixed you up, did she?"
"...I guess you could call it that? She just stuck needles in me and let some weird liquids drip into them,"
"Hah!" chuckled Papa Bear, "She used to have to fix us up the old-fashioned way at the start of the war. Scalpels, needles and thread. You're lucky that the good doctor managed to come up with those nanosutures from Thin Man venom,"
"She...what?" Blake mouthed in disbelief, her lips going dry. Medicine created from poison? Was that doctor insane?
"Yeah, yeah, it takes a little getting used to. Vahlen comes up with weird things every time we bring her an alien's corpse. I swear that woman can create almost anything if she had an endless supply of bodies to work with,"
"She makes things. From bodies," Yang repeated, not sure whether she was supposed to be impressed or disgusted.
"That's the short of it. I'm not even sure how she or her team of scientists do it. Miracles, I'd say, but I've never been one for staring at beakers all day," Papa Bear said, shrugging, "Anyway, I'd been waiting for the two of you for a while now. How do you feel after that mission?"
"I've felt better," said Blake, looking down at her legs, "Could be worse. At least I can still read...books,"
"Yes, Blake...'books'...totally 'fine literature' that you're reading, there. For women, of course," Yang said sarcastically, making air quotes with her fingers. Papa Bear looked at Blake's now-scarlet face and deathly glare at the blonde, and then at Yang's best impression of an innocent smile, before bursting into a deep, belly laugh. Even his opponent joined in, shaking her head in amusement.
"Senorita, you do not need to be embarrassed. Passion is something that is to be cherished, no?" the woman on the other side of the chessboard spoke, offering a reassuring smile to the cat faunus. She was tanned to a rich bronze colour, with cascades of dark chocolate hair that matched her warm, mischievous eyes. Tossing a thin lock of red dyed hair over her shoulder, she offered the two of them the same salute as Papa Bear, though with an added wink.
"Ohh, don't think I didn't see that," Papa Bear mock-growled, "Flirting with others again, Maria?"
"I call it...raising morale," Maria laughed. Rich pools of chocolate stared into lilac and gold. "My apologies. I am Lieutenant Maria de Cervantes, Strike One's resident medic. Or mischief-maker-in-chief, if you would listen to this old bear here,"
"I'm not deaf, you know," Papa Bear said, raising his voice and earning a laugh from her.
"I know, friend, I know," replied Maria. She stood up and walked up to Blake, whispering in her ear, "Well, if you need...fine literature...come find me when I'm not on a mission. I am certain that I may be able to find something in my miniature library for a...scholar of the passionate arts,"
Blake nodded stiffly, trying (and failing) to keep her emotions under control. It was one thing to run into someone who kept books of a more sordid nature, but another to have someone so open about them. Her thoughts were very much conflicted; a part of her wanted to demand that Maria show her the stash now so she could have something to read and enjoy, while another part of her just wished that she could bury herself and not be seen for a good long while.
"Alright, I do believe this most adorable senorita had enough excitement for now. Any more of this and I might have to revive her after she passes out," Maria chuckled, "Oh, where are my manners. I have not even asked your names!"
"Yang Xiao Long,"
"I'm Blake. Blake Belladonna,"
"A name fitting to your interests, Miss Belladonna!" Maria said, winking suggestively, "And a pleasure to meet you, Miss Xiao Long. I trust that you will take very good care of her in the future, will you not?"
The blonde smirked. "Oh, you bet I will,"
"Alright, Maria, your move," called Papa Bear loudly, jolting the brunette's attention back to the chessboard, "And you two better get back to your dorms. I'm not losing this one, distraction or no distraction. Get some sleep. I overheard earlier that Bradford and Shen want all four of you up in the armoury in eight hours,"
"Thanks, Papa Bear! Good luck beating Maria!"
He snorted. "Like I need luck to beat her! Thanks anyway, cub,"
"Huh, the lights are out, and the door's been locked. Rubes and Ice Princess are probably already asleep now," Yang thought aloud, trying the door to find that it wouldn't budge. "Guess we should get around to that soon, right Blake?"
The cat faunus nodded. "A warm bed sounds very attractive right about now,"
"Yup! Well then, let's get to it. Better not disturb those sleepyheads, though," Yang agreed, tapping her room keycard on the door's scanner. The door immediately slid open; the lights were dimmed to the point where it was difficult to even see the floor. Still, she managed to wheel Blake over to the side of her bunk. Sometimes it was good to have the bunk bed closest to the door.
Though the blonde could hardly see anything, Blake, with her cat faunus' nightvision, could clearly see inside. The six bunk beds inside looked normal enough; most of them were empty, two had blankets folded up neatly at the foot of their beds. One was occupied, with the top bunk-
Her eyes shot wide open when she noticed that Weiss' bunk was empty – and that Ruby's bunk had what looked like to be two occupants in it under the blankets. One of them with dark brown hair with red tips – and the other with telltale cascades of silvery-white hair loosely spilling over the pillows.
Weiss, in Ruby's bed? She thought to herself, blushing at the many ideas running through her head. The youngest member of their team had her head buried in the crook of Weiss' neck, with Weiss resting her chin against the top of Ruby's head. If the raised outlines on the blanket were any indication, the two even had their arms pulling each other snugly together. The things that they could have been doing-
No, stop it, Blake. Ruby is too innocent for those sorts of things. Dust, I'm reading too many of those...books. But Yang needs to know about this. Ruby's her sister, after all.
"Uh...Yang?" said Blake quietly, pulling on the blonde's cargo pants. When their gazes met, Blake tipped her head in the direction of Ruby's bed.
"Yeah, kitty-cat? Something wrong with Ruby?"
"No...wait, I forget that you cannot see well in the dark," she muttered, shaking her head. "Turn on the lights, but stay quiet. I...think you need to see this,"
Curious about what Blake was trying to say, Yang walked over to the door and flipped the lights back on. What she saw when she turned around made her jaw drop.
Weiss.
In Ruby's bed.
Cuddling together, bodies flush against each other.
"What the fu-" she started to growl. She saw only red at that moment, wanting nothing more than to kick the ice princess out of her sister's bed – and probably through the ceiling, and the ceiling above that, too.
"Shh! Keep it down!" Blake hissed, throwing her pillow at Yang, smacking her square on the nose. The blonde glared back with red eyes, but Blake remained unfazed. "I don't think it's what it looks like,"
"Then what the hell is it?" hissed Yang back, pointing angrily at the two cuddling members of their team. Her free hand was clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white as bone.
"I don't know why exactly Weiss is in Ruby's bed, but I do think that if you really need to ask them about it, do it when they wake up," Blake stated calmly, "And don't even think about waking them up now. You've seen how Ruby was after that mission. She needs rest,"
"But..." Ruby did appear far calmer than she had been after that battle, and she didn't have the heart to wake her sister up while she was sleeping that peacefully; ice princess in her bed or otherwise.
Shoulders slumping in defeat, she muttered angrily, "Ugh, fine! You win this time, ice princess. Let's get you in your bed, Blake,"
Blake nodded, lifting her arms so that Yang could lift her off her wheelchair and place her on the side of her bed. She shifted herself over to the centre of the bed, mumbling her thanks. Only when she tried to rest her head on a pillow did she remember that she had thrown it at Yang moments earlier; she ended up hitting her head on the steel bed frame with a dull thunk.
"Ouch. That looked like it'd hurt. Maybe a pillow works better than steel, yeah?" Yang said, tossing the pillow on the ground back to Blake. Or rather, at Blake. "Catch!"
"Thanks, but no thanks," the faunus replied, catching the flying pillow before it would hit her face. She smirked when she saw the playful pout on Yang's lips. "You would not catch me off-guard. Not when I'm already looking at you,"
"Looking at me, hm? You like what you see?" Yang joked, to which Blake rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, you were really setting yourself up for that,"
"Yes. Yes, I suppose I did. I'd like to sleep, if that's alright with you. Please do turn off the lights,"
Yawning, Blake sat up and pulled her blanket over herself, careful to not disturb her casts too much. There was little more that she wished than to sleep at this time, to forget about the horrible things that she had seen earlier. But the lights had only dimmed and not turned off; and suddenly she found her bed creaking and tilting dangerously when Yang sat down next to her, with an unusually pensive look on her face.
"It's weird, isn't it?" Yang said softly. Her eyes were still looking in the direction of Ruby and Weiss, "I used to think that Weiss didn't like Ruby. Hell, the first day that they met in Beacon, Weiss looked like she was about ready to run my little baby sister through with that sword of hers,"
"And don't forget all the arguments that they've had in the first few months," added Blake sleepily.
"Yeah. Ruby only wanted to be her friend, and the ice princess just couldn't work the giant stick out of her butt for so long. Now look at them. Sharing a bed, and...well, Rubes isn't getting shouted at, or in any danger of getting stabbed by a long and pointy weapon,"
Blake nodded in agreement. "They have come a long way since they first met,"
"Yeah, they definitely have," murmured Yang. She shook her head and gave herself a sharp rap on the temples, "Geez, Yang, you don't even know if they're actually...ugh, get it together!"
"Maybe you should sleep as well. Think about it tomorrow,"
"Strike Six, please report to the armoury in half an hour. I repeat, Strike Six, please report to the armoury in half an hour,"
Weiss was not a morning person. She had never been a morning person, and would likely never be a morning person. Grumbling about unreasonably early hours, she slowly forced herself to sit up, reluctant to leave the comfort of the warm bed she was in.
Or rather, tried to. A pair of slender arms were wrapped tightly around her waist. She could smell the faint scent of roses coming from the red-tipped dark hair that loosely framed the head resting against her chest. Only then did the memories of what happened last night come back to her, rushing back in one powerful wave. A small smile tugged at her lips as she absent-mindedly ran her fingers through the Ruby's hair, eliciting an indistinct sleepy mumble from the younger girl.
She had her reservations about sharing a bed with her team leader last night; but looking back, it wasn't such a bad arrangement after all. It was the best, most restful sleep she had for as long as she could remember.
But a Schnee never turned her back on her duties, and as much as she longed to remain in the comfort of the bed, they had all been called to report in.
"Ruby, get up. I know you're awake; you heard that message," Weiss said, attempting to pry the girl's arms wrapped around her, only to have them latch on to her even harder.
"Weiiiiissss...a few more minutes..." whined Ruby, snuggling further into her reluctant human pillow's bosom.
Weiss flushed a bright scarlet as she was practically tackled back into the bed. How dare she do this!
"Ahem," Yang coughed. Both of the girls' heads shot up; Ruby blushed as she realised what she had done in her still somewhat sleepy state, while Weiss blanched at the sight of a furious Yang. Particularly her eyes, which were now a livid, blood-red hue. "Right. There's something that I need to know here, isn't there?"
Weiss gulped. If she did not make this convincing, she would certainly be paste on the wall before long. Perhaps truth was a better policy here, rather than trying to make something up. "She asked me to keep her company through the night-"
"And you think that means you gotta sleep with her, huh?" Yang growled, stepping forward menacingly while cracking her knuckles, "Nice try, ice princess, but that's not going to be enough. Let's hear what Rubes has to say about it,"
"Yang, stop!" cried Ruby, sitting up, "She's done nothing wrong! I asked if she could sleep with me for the night to stop some bad dreams I had, and she said yes,"
Yang looked at her sister, and then at Weiss. Weiss had shrunk back against the wall behind the bunk bed, a faint sheen of cold sweat on her pale face. Ruby, on the other hand, had put herself directly between her and Weiss, a pleading look on her face. If Yang didn't know better, she would have thought that Ruby was only trying to cover for Weiss for some reason.
The things that she saw; the way they slept, pressed against each other; those cuddles; even the early-morning clinginess. Those were definitely some of the things she had read in some of Blake's dirty novels. And the more she thought about it, the less she wanted to know.
But her sister wouldn't lie to her. She never had; and probably not now, and not ever. Maybe Weiss was really only trying to help a teammate. Maybe there was nothing more that she saw. They were still fully clothed, after all, and nothing untoward could have happened to her innocent little sister.
"I had every intention of sleeping in my own bed until Ruby asked for help with her nightmare problem. That is all there is to it," Weiss said truthfully to Yang, whose glare seemed to soften when Ruby nodded vigorously to confirm what Weiss had said.
"Alright, Rubes. Alright. I'll drop it for now," she muttered, turning around and stalking off towards Blake.
The cat faunus had simply observed the entire exchange with interest, not saying a word as Yang lifted her back into the waiting wheelchair beside their bunk bed. She did, however, send them a knowing wink when Yang was grabbing Ember Celica and Gambol Shroud from her footlocker.
"We'll see you at the armoury, then. Don't take too long,"
When Blake and Yang left the room and the door had slid shut behind them, Weiss looked at Ruby. There was an odd expression on her face. A mixture of hurt, regret and sorrow. Expressions that did not belong on the cheerful, innocent girl that was their team leader.
"I'm sorry," Ruby said, looking at her with those damned adorable puppy-dog eyes.
"What are you even apologising for?" Weiss replied, raising one eyebrow.
"Yang's really mad at you for some reason. You were only trying to help...but..."
A strange surge of warmth ran through the normally frigid heart of the ice princess. A single tear rolled off Ruby's right eye; and despite the loud voice screaming in her head about how inappropriate it was, Weiss could not help but wipe it away with a finger, cupping Ruby's cheek to comfort her. The younger girl froze and looked at Weiss, silver eyes peering curiously into icy blue.
Dust damn it, Ruby. I shouldn't be doing this!
"You dolt. Yang is only being protective about you because she cares a lot about you,"
"But I still got you in trouble with her,"
"And that trouble was worth it. If I didn't agree to it, you wouldn't be able to sleep. And if you couldn't sleep, then you'd keep the rest of us awake all night," Weiss said matter-of-factly, though her smirk was betraying her thoughts. It was the best sleep she'd had for as long as she could remember, after all.
The feeling of warm arms wrapped around her. The scent of roses. The gentle pressure of someone breathing softly against her chest. The pleasure of having someone that she trusted, melting in her embrace. The reassuring feeling that someone trusted her so utterly, that she could do that. Oh, how she wished she could remain in bed for an hour or two longer...
"...Weiss? Are you okay?" Ruby said, her hand waving in front of the heiress' eyes. She flinched at the sudden interruption of her thoughts. "Your face is red, and you were staring at a wall for a moment there. And you were smiling really weirdly,"
"I'm fine, Ruby. Just thinking," replied Weiss, brushing Ruby's hand away and schooling her face into a neutral expression. "We really should get moving. Yang and Blake are probably already waiting for us,"
"Okay, then. Uh...Weiss?"
"Yes, Ruby?"
"Could we...do this again sometime?" the younger girl said hopefully, her fingers fidgeting nervously, "I...I mean, if you don't mind,"
Weiss choked a little. "W-Well, let's see. I would risk being punched through the ceiling by Yang, then probably getting what remains of me to be burned to a crisp. There is a significant risk of grievous bodily harm, of the kind that might do some permanent damage. But...I'll think about it,"
"Aww," said Ruby, pouting, "So that's a no?"
"...I didn't say no, you dolt," Weiss muttered under her breath, freezing when Ruby immediately perked up again. "Y-you heard that, didn't you?"
"Yup!"
Weiss groaned, burying her face in her arms. Yang was really going to kill her tomorrow.
Weiss and Ruby entered the armoury to find Blake and Yang already waiting for them. Dr. Shen was already there, as it was directly behind his workshop. But what surprised the two of them was the fact that Dr. Vahlen and Central Officer Bradford were there as well, along with Papa Bear. Noticing that Bradford was checking his watch, the two of them quickly walked to stand beside their two teammates.
"Good. All of you are here, ahead of time," Bradford spoke, pacing in front of them, "I have noticed your absence from the mission debriefing earlier. As you have wounded teammates that required medical attention, that requirement has been waived. In the future, however, I do expect that every member of the team that is not wounded be present for any and all debriefings that are required after an operation. Am I clear, soldiers?"
"Yes," they all replied, receiving an approving nod from Bradford.
"Very good. Now, the issue of ranks. Corporal Vargas has presented a most glowing report of your exemplary performance on field. While it is not necessary for us in mission control to hear reports to make such judgments, as we have our own telemetry to determine the performance of individuals, it is always good for squad cohesion to know that your brothers and sisters in arms have nothing but utmost respect for your abilities,"
Papa Bear nodded to each of them in turn, smirking when he saw Yang's prideful smile on hearing those words. Ruby, however, seemed a little upset. He made a mental note to talk to the girl after Bradford had finished his little presentation.
"Now that you have completed your first mission as operatives of the XCOM initiative, we believe that it is now time to assign you your specific classes, so that you may receive specialised training on how you could best support your squad's effort. We also believe that it is time to recognise the valour, bravery and skill that you have displayed thus far. Rookie Blake Belladonna, please step forward,"
Blake, being still wheelchair bound, was pushed forward by a smiling Yang. "Your uncanny ability to accurately detect the location of enemies purely by hearing is extremely valuable indeed. You showed great discretion when you had to check for enemies in a building with many elements of tall cover, preferring to remain silent and undetected while in cover. Had Sergeant Andersen has chosen to listen to your assertions that there were hidden enemies near that building, perhaps there would have been no loss of life,"
Dr. Shen stepped forward from beside Bradford, holding a small steel case. He opened it slowly, revealing a velvet-lined interior; inside were several cloth patches, and-
"Are those...what I think it is?" Yang whispered in awe, not believing what she saw.
"Scout Specialist Belladonna, ordinarily we would ask you to rise to receive your new rank; but seeing as you are currently wounded, we will excuse you from this duty," Shen said, offering the faunus a small smile. Bradford picked out a black cloth patch from the steel case, embroidered with a silver eagle inside a diamond, and attached it to the blank patch on her shoulder. He also pulled out another patch; this time, a black cat's-paw stylised into a nightshade flower was on it, which he handed to her.
Blake blinked as she looked at the patch. It was in the same shape as the other soldiers' national identity patches, but the emblem was the exact same as that which she had once had on her stockings. "How...how did you..."
"Disassembly of the stasis pods that we had found you in revealed some articles of clothing that were stashed inside hidden compartments at their bases. While they are too damaged to be worn or even repaired, we did find these designs that were attached to them," explained Dr. Vahlen, "We assumed that they held some significance to each of you, and would be best used as a substitute to our ordinary national identifiers,"
"...I see. Thank you, Dr. Vahlen,"
"Your appreciation is noted. Let us proceed,"
"Rookie Xiao Long. Your quick thinking in demolishing the wall to quickly reach the enemy when time was of the essence had saved the mission from failure. Had you not broken down the wall of the bookstore your squad had been taking cover in, there would have been no way to safely dispatch the sectoid commander. Your penchant for close combat has been noted...with some satisfaction, I might add," Bradford spoke with a hint of amusement, sharing a smile with Papa Bear, "Particularly in regards to subduing a sectoid commander with several punches that would rival that of a MEC trooper with a kinetic strike module. While it is not standard practice for rookies to engage in melee combat – and to be honest, for any non-MEC trooper to engage in melee combat – we feel that your talent for destruction would be wasted by putting you in the back lines,"
"Assault Specialist Xiao Long, please step forward and receive your new rank and identifier," Shen said. Like before, Bradford picked out another black patch, this time decorated with a silver skull on a diamond. She also received a rectangular identifier bearing the image of a flaming heart in gold, matching the colour of her hair.
"You may both return to your lines. Now, the next...Rookie Schnee, please step forward,"
"Rookie Schnee. While you have not fired a single shot at the enemies for the duration of that mission, your ability to produce cover where there is none has been noted. You have also shown great loyalty to your squadmates, providing protection for them without regard to your own safety. While we hope that putting yourself at unnecessary risk will not be something that is repeated, the gesture of loyalty has been noted. Providing cover elements for your allies is as important as destroying the enemy's own cover, and is not something that is often done by one who seeks blood as much as they seek to protect their allies. Owing to your display of loyalty, we feel, therefore, that your talents lie in providing battlefield support to your teammates, whether it is by disrupting the enemy's ability to fight or bolstering your allies' ability to fight,"
"Engineer Specialist Schnee, please step forward and receive your new rank and identifier,"
Yet another black patch came out of the box, this one with the emblem of calipers surrounded by a diamond. On another patch, she sighed in relief as she received an all-too-familiar identifier; the snowflake of the Schnee family. Even a little semblance of familiarity was welcome news to her in a world that seemed so strange.
That left only Ruby to receive her promotion. Nervously, the girl looked at her squadmates for reassurance. Blake gave her a nod, Yang offered a thumbs-up, while Weiss offered her a smile.
"Rookie Rose, please step forward,"
Gulping, Ruby moved forward. She felt the eyes of everyone on the room. Whether they were judging her, she did not know; but the uncomfortable prickling feeling on the back of her neck did not fade away. Especially when Bradford started to pace about in front of her.
"When I first met you after Dr. Vahlen managed to safely resuscitate you, I had my doubts about your abilities," he started to speak, a sharp glare still on her, "Whether you were telling tall tales about childhood adventures, made more...grand...so that we would be impressed. If it were not for Dr. Shen's vehement recommendations that you be given a chance to prove yourself, I would have rather kept you in the brig. But evidence speaks otherwise, doesn't it? Two aliens on your first mission, behind tall cover. One killed by a clean headshot, the other critically wounded after you had been put under the debilitating effects of a mindfray. All while barely steadying your rifle. Incredible,"
She blushed in embarrassment at the strange praise that Bradford was giving her. It was unusual for the normally stern and reserved man to do so. Even more unusual was when the corner of his lips quirked into a thin smile.
"Like your other friends, I believe that you are ready for a promotion. Any other class other than sniper would be a waste of your talent in putting precision fire downrange. However, as Strike Six now has enough personnel to count as a half-strength squad, or a full fireteam, this brings up the question of who would become leader,"
"Well, that's easy enough. She was our leader back at Beacon," Yang said loudly, ignoring the withering glare that Dr. Vahlen shot at her.
"Specialist Yang, while your trust in her is appreciated, please do be quiet until I finish," Bradford spoke, shaking his head in disapproval, "I had briefly considered Specialist Schnee for some time, as her loyalty to her teammates was clearly visible during that mission. However, it takes more than loyalty to lead a team. There is the certain ability to bind different people together to a cause, regardless of their personalities or beliefs. There is also the ability to instil confidence in others, and a desire to do what is right by the entire squad, without regards to what one might want for oneself. These are not traits that are easily found. But I do believe that you, young lady, have displayed those, thus far,"
"Uh...how?" Ruby asked in surprise. Getting picked by Professor Ozpin as a team leader was already weird enough. To her, this now felt as though it was a strange repetition of events.
"You managed to calm Specialist Yang down from her rage in the prison cells. And despite your...less conventional methods of leading, you did manage to convince your team to follow you, even if the idea of joining the XCOM initiative was only yours to start with,"
"Wow. I should just call a vote then whenever I want to be a leader!" Yang joked, laughing weakly.
"He does have a point, though. We always have followed Ruby, haven't we?" Blake conceded, nodding to the brunette in the front.
"I suppose that is true. Even if sometimes her ideas are a bit ridiculous, she's always gotten us to follow along with it," sighed Weiss, recalling the numerous misadventures that the team had in Beacon.
"Then my point stands. As a strike force cannot be reactivated without a leader, I am hereby forgoing the usual progression of rank, and giving Rookie Rose the rank of corporal. Congratulations on your promotion, Sniper Corporal Rose,"
Her blush deepened as Yang cheered and clapped, echoed by a most amused Papa Bear; and soon Blake and Weiss joined in, though more reservedly than the other two. The applause halted when Bradford motioned for them to settle down, at which point he presented her with a black patch with a set of crosshairs in a diamond, with a single bronze bar sewn on the lower end of the patch. However, even Ruby gasped when he picked out a silver brooch from the box in Dr. Shen's hands; the rose emblem engraved on it was clear for all to see.
"I do believe this belongs to you," Bradford said, placing the brooch in the stunned girl's hands, along with an identifier patch, "Now, on to other matters. As you are no longer rookies, you are permitted to take what equipment you deem necessary to the field. This means that if you felt the need to use a sniper rifle on the front lines, you may do so, though I do question the wisdom of doing that. Corporal Rose, if you desire guidance with leading a squad, I have assigned Colonel Magnusson as your mentor. He is one of our most experienced field operatives, and no doubt has much to teach you. That concludes all that I need to speak with you about today; you may return to your usual duties. Dismissed!"
The man snapped off a quick salute before turning on his heel and stalking out of the door. Dr. Vahlen then turned to face Weiss, her eyes bright with curiosity. "I should like to know how you managed to create those barriers during that mission. If you have some spare time between missions, please, by all means come and see me. I would like to run a few experiments,"
"I would have to...decline for now," Weiss said, uncomfortable with how eager the woman seemed to be. Doubly more so when she mentioned 'experiments'.
"How unfortunate. Well, the offer still stands," she huffed in response, nodding a farewell to each of them before leaving for her lab.
Only Dr. Shen and Papa Bear remained behind. "Well then," Shen started, smiling, "Shall we start on procuring some custom equipment for you all?"
"I've been waiting for you to say that for some time! When can we get the good stuff?" Yang exclaimed excitedly, much to the amusement of Papa Bear.
"In time, cub. All of you, go back down to your dorms and grab your own weapons. Then come back here, and we'll see who's actually got the good stuff,"
"Oh, is that a challenge I hear? You're on!"
A/N
Ruby: My gun is bigger than yours! -proceed to have a competition about who has the most overcompensating weapon ever made-
Weiss: It's not the size, but how you use it. -shot-
Yang: Get a handle on it first- -slashed-
Blake: ...(sigh)
As usual, feedback is appreciated. Questions, suggestions, reviews both positive and negative? I'm all ears! (gets smacked by Blake) Ouch.
Next: Problems with Dust (or lack thereof).