Chapter 7 A Friends Joy

Ren wasn't too surprised when he was called out of class.

Pyrrha had been fairly informative about her encounter with this strange man, but still would not go into great detail. Jaune had described the experience as ' weird, but kinda cool'. An interesting, but not very helpful explanation. Nora had voiced the opinion that it was a better description of their team leader, rather than what to expect.

He surmised that someone had taken an interest in RWBY and JNPR, but hadn't figured out the ' why ' yet.

Both of them were sweating heavily.

Edda had opted for unarmed combat for this test and the boy was proving to be everything that he'd hoped for. Ren's style relied on precise strikes with a lot of power behind them. The old Hunter had been hard pressed to stop them all. He grinned fiercely as a double-palm blow pushed him back ten feet, dropping his Aura strength to half of its original.

He hadn't had this much fun in years!

Before the younger man could follow up, Edda dropped his arms to his sides and bowed deeply, Ren following suit.

" Your skills are excellent, lad! Your teachers should be proud of their student." Moving to the table, he picked up two towels and tossed one to the boy. Seating himself, he gestured towards the other chair. " Time to rest and talk."

Ren wiped the sweat away, his eyes never leaving the man's face.

" Sir. If I may say so, your own teachers were also quite good."

A calloused hand waved away the praise. " You are too kind to an old man."

Edda smiled at the memory of how hard those teachers had worked with him so many years ago. He'd struggled with those classes, never giving up until he and they were satisfied with his progress. He'd used those skills as often as possible, not wanting to lose the edge he'd labored to obtain over the decades.

Ren thought this ' old man ' was far too modest. Despite his best efforts, he'd only succeeded in making the man sweat! That last blow would have taken down a King Taijitu, yet it had only backed the bigger man up. Folding the towel neatly, he set it back on the table. " Sir. I would like to know why we were chosen. Why are we being tested like this?"

" A fair question." Edda folded his arms and looked down. " And one I wish I could answer easily." He looked up and studied that calm face. " Suffice to say that Professor Ozpin thinks you and your friends are important enough to warrant taking me away from what I was doing to come here."

" But, what about the other students? Are they not important also?"

The Hunter sighed. " What makes you think you are the first to be tested in this fashion? Do you believe I've never been here before? "

Ren took a moment to mentally review everything he'd learned about this man so far.

' He's a friend of almost all the teachers, but he's not one of them. Ozpin trusts him enough to ask him to do this more than once. He's nearly the oldest person I know, except for the headmaster himself. Judging by scars and the eyepatch, he's very powerful and skilled, but not superhuman, he can be beaten. Most importantly perhaps, Ruby and Yang obviously care very much for him, and I think it best to trust their judgment.'

The situation was complex, but he thought it could be simplified.

" So, even though we are considered important, everyone you have tested has a part to play in future events." he concluded.

Edda was impressed. This young man was smarter than his records suggested.

" Exactly that. Everyone is 'important' to some degree, our very existence affects the future of others. We influence future events every day that we live, and sometimes after we die that influence continues!" Reaching across the table, he took a slim hand in his own.

" And now we should finish your own test."

He sits at a table in the cafeteria, surrounded by his friends.

Four years have passed and the final exams are behind them. This is the last meal before graduation in the morning.

He smiles slightly as his team leader attempts a joke, and fails to deliver the punch line correctly. The young men had become as close as a brothers in the last few years, minor flaws in his sense of humor can be easily forgiven.

The smile slips away as Cardin Winchester walks past, a full tray in his hands.

No longer a bully to faunas students thanks to promises of dire consequences made by others, his is still too cocky and arrogant for Ren's liking.

As if in answer to an unspoken wish, the boy's foot lands on a piece of slippery debris, dumping him on his backside, leaving the contents of the tray dripping from his face.

The group erupts in uncontrollable laughter, Ren's own guffaws are as loud as the other's. Nora buries her face in his arm, orange hair bobbing in time with her laughter.

The boy looked troubled as the vision cleared.

Releasing his hand, Edda sat back and crossed his arms. " How long have you known Miss Valkyrie?"

The brown eyes narrowed, this was not the question he expected. " Almost my whole life, sir. We've been friends since we were very young."

" Have you ever seen her not happy?"

Ren thought back over the years, trying to think of how many times she'd not smiled in his presence. " Rarely, perhaps a dozen times."

" Then, perhaps, she has something to teach you about life!"

Now he was ~very~ confused by this conversation! Nora...the least serious person he knew, the girl who struggled with any problem that didn't involve her beloved Magnhild... she had something to teach him!?

" Sir...I don't understand!"

The old Hunter spread his hands. " That girl has a zest for life, she sees joy in everything around her, and ~that~ is what you need to learn!"

A thick finger tapped the boys chest. " Life is not as serious as you think! Open your heart to the happiness around you, then share it with your friends. They care about your well-being, your happiness is theirs also."

Rising, he pointed to the door. " Go now and join them. Remember that when you laugh with them, their world becomes a better place."