Author's Note: there's not really much to say here with the re-written chapter. I did remove a fight scene that had been in the previous version and replace it with something that works better. I hope you like the chapter. My OC's are my creation. I do not own RWBY in any way, shape, or form. Reviews welcome. Enjoy!
Stardust
Chapter 3
Confusion
Cerise hadn't been this shocked in his entire life. He stared at the image that was fading in and out in front of him with a blank expression. Everything else around him had become a blur, the loud noises of students passing by dulling into whispers in his ears.
In front of him was a clear curved wall ad within it, displayed in a hologram, were pictures and blocks of text. The blocks of text flickered in and out of the frame in cycles. The only words that didn't move were 'Wall of Histories' that was on top of the wall. On the ground in front was a plaque stating that the wall was a memorial for heroes and events of the past. The image that kept coming back was of his mother; no doubt about that.
The outfit she wore was a closed padded canvas jacket and pants in the same style along with thick steel toed boots. If one was being generous, they might call her clothes gray. With the way the clothes blurred together it might have been more accurate to call them colorless. The color scheme was also shared with the war hammer in her right hand and the round shield on her left arm.
Suddenly, the world around him came back into focus. Cerise swallowed looking around seeing some of the other students heading elsewhere. He took another look at the image noting the text near it and his jaw dropped. Closing his mouth he headed after the other students taking in what the text had said.
The picture was to honor the Huntress who had been active on a dark day in Remnant's history. The day was known as 'The Otherworldly Blitzkrieg', but Cerise knew it by its other name. Members of the Crushed celebrated it as a holiday. They called it 'The Materialization', as it was the day the Anim first appeared on Remnant.
When Cerise had first asked his mother about it she had said it was a horrible day. The Anim that appeared that day had served as the Vanguard for a horde of Grimm and destroyed a city. The few survivors that had been left were only alive due to the fortune of the only Huntress that was there that day.
When Cerise had asked about who the Huntress was, Clare's reply had been vague. Her words echoed in his mind, "No one you'd know in this life, my shooting star…"
His thoughts swirled around in his head. At the front of these barrel of thoughts were the words he'd told Ao last night. Now Cerise understood Ao's reactions, most particularly the strange look in his eyes.
Cerise's face began to flush as he internally groaned. He recognized the emotion he was feeling. Betrayal. He shook his head dismissing the countless questions ringing in his head. He took a deep breath focusing his mind, focus on the now. Worry about the rest later.
Following the other students, Cerise found himself in a wide room with large wooden platform against the far wall. It was a stage.
While everyone spread out Cerise could see quite a few clustered groups. He heard a particular selection of words that were being muttered.
Blue lines.
He looked around the room realizing that there were a lot of blue lines all over the place. The lines were thin with a dim glow. They seemed integrated into the school's building snaking their into every crevice.
Looking back towards the stage just in time, Cerise saw a man walk up to stand at the end of the stage. In a loud voice he said, "Quiet please!" The man in question was a tall muscular fellow with brown eyes, black hair and a beard. His white button up shirt was loose untucked from his pants and he had on black dress pants and shoes. Cerise was a little surprised. Proper wasn't really the air that this man gave off. Gruff was more the word.
As the man looked out over the quieting students, he could of sworn the man stared directly at him. For a moment, Cerise thought he sensed some hostility. Hearing whispers he caught the man's name: Professor Rust. A teacher?
Professor Rust rose his voice again so all the students could hear, "Listen up kiddos! Headmistress Blank has a few words for y'all!"
After he said that a woman stepped onto the stage. Cerise couldn't help but stare. For one thing, she was barefoot and was wearing a blue robe with a matching scarf around her head. She was dark skinned and had cloudy eyes. It took him a few moments to realize that she was blind.
In her hands she held a larger version of a Scroll like Ao had had. Despite being blind, she had no trouble navigating her way around. She stepped into the center where there was a microphone. The area around them darkened, a spotlight falling on the Headmistress as she began speaking.
"I'm going to keep this short and sweet. You have all reached this place…this moment in time for the sake of seeking guidance. To prepare your hearts and minds and to temper your talents and tools for the upcoming storms of life. The inner compasses of your hearts spin wildly. The paths before you are many. Though we are here to guide you what happens next, comes solely from you."
Headmistress Blank stepped offstage and Professor Rust stepped up barking out, "Alright kids! Y'all are camping out in the ballroom tonight. Initiation begins tomorrow. Prepare yourselves."
Some of the school employee's gestured for students to come a certain way. As Cerise and the others followed them, they entered an area full of large metal boxes that had doors for lids. 'Lockers' was the term Cerise heard.
As he saw more employees handing out assigned papers to students, he went up to one giving them his name. The employee stared at him for a moment before shaking his head and handing Cerise his paper.
Navigating to his locker he entered the code that was given to him and opened it. Everything Cerise had brought was inside and they had even been nicely taken care of. All his dust was sorted stored neatly on the top shelf. His wooden box was on the shelf below it and in the large space below was his folded rucksack, clothes, and the orange blanket. He could smell the detergent coming from his clothes. They had been cleaned.
He grabbed his pajamas and followed some of the other boys to a restroom. Ignoring the other males that were changing he went into a stall, changed, and came back out. He left the locker room after stowing away his old outfit. One he entered he looked around the ballroom. There were sleeping bags and pillows everywhere and a few tables that had paper cups and water dispensing tanks. Along with that were boxes filled with energy and protein bars.
Grabbing an energy bar and water, and finishing them, he decided to find a sleeping bag and pillow that was vacant. Cerise looked around as he heard a voice call out, "Heads up!"
Cerise reacted on instinct as he sensed something getting closer to him in the air. He spun around sharply waving his hand. His Glyph spun into being catching the pillow in it's hollow center a couple inches from his face. Without thinking he launched the thing back in the direction it had come from. It flew like a rocket striking the thrower in the stomach knocking them to floor on their butt.
Cerise blinked as everyone stared at him realizing what he'd done. He'd had never felt his face flush so bad as he turned red. Which ironically contrasted rather nicely with his blue hair. He asked the person he knocked to the floor with the pillow if they were okay while an employee announced that Semblance usage was prohibited.
After getting a confirmation that they were fine, Cerise, calm but quick, left the ballroom. He made his way into the gardens outside breathing in the cool night air. He heard a noise from right next to him and was startled to find that he was standing with Professor Rust.
Cerise blushed a little as the teacher stared at him. Cerise felt it again for a split second, that hostility. Cautiously he asked, "Professor Rust, have I done something wrong?"
The Professor was silent as he thought back to a conversation that had happened in Lighthouse Academy's tallest tower….
It was a plain enough room. Circular in shape with a round window on the north wall. The room was painted all gray on the floors, walls, and ceiling. There were two squares of glowing blue lines there. One circling the room's perimeter and another circling a desk the top being made of a clear material while the base made of wood.
Headmistress Blank's hands were poised over it not touching the clear material. She made gestures, flicks, and subtle movements at the images and words that suspended within parts of the desk's surface. This showed the desk's electronic nature.
Rust stood before her as she managed her tasks sitting in a firm, cushioned, swiveling chair. "This is ridiculous! Who does Ao think he is?"
Blank said nothing keeping to her current task.
"I can't believe this! Bringing that boy here with no proper training or schooling! Not even with any money or ways to live!"
"You know as well as I do that we have tutors and part-time jobs for these exact situations. Rust, we know Cerise has the potential for this."
Rust glared at her her face staring down at the screen. He tried barely able keep his eye from twitching. It didn't matter though because, despite being blind, Blank knew everything going on around her. And that applied to what people were thinking most of the time too, and she didn't her Semblance for that. Blank continued to make gestures causing things to happen on screen. She flicked her gaze to Rust for a moment and sighed.
"Rust, let's get to the real issue here," she kept making words appear and tinkered with the windows. "You don't like this situation because you knew nothing about Clare to give you any warning this was a possibility. Clare was a mystery. To you. To me; even her partner and teammates!"
Rust took a deep breath and let it go. This was true. Back when Clare had been here, Rust had been a new teacher. No one knew anything about her then which wasn't different from now. This sudden family business was just, put plainly, shocking. The fact that she had become his favorite student then did not help.
Blank slid one last window aside, "Clare had been up to something before she vanished. We know that much. Even if we don't know what, exactly. In my personal opinion, I'm not so much concerned about this than I am about the Crushed. Their grip outside the Kingdoms is… disturbing."
Rust let out a sigh, "Yes. I've seen the file that Ao sent. They're fanatics to be sure and this Silver looks to deranged. To think he's one of Clare's-"
"Rust!" Blank said cutting him off.
Rust grumbled, "Humor me this then, woman. That picture aside, what sort of damn evidence do we have that Cerise is really Clare's son?"
Blank raised one eyebrow and in response flicked her right index finger making one last window appear. Accompanied by a robotic voice words appeared one the screen and were read aloud.
"DNA TEST COMPLETE. MATCH CONFIRMED. 100 PERCENT POSITIVE." Blank sat back in her chair as Rust stared at the floor….
As he finished his reverie, Professor Rust was silent for a few moments. After that he said, "Besides using your Semblance just now? No."
The man turned walking off into the building. After a moment, Cerise followed him back inside not noticing the way a blue line set into the path had its glow pulse.
Up in her office Headmistress Blank shook her head, rolled her eyes, and sighed.