Hey there Akira here again! This chapter came out sooner than I expected, I had word-vomiting so it took longer to edit it than actually write it. Though, I had to rewrite some parts of it as I wasn't satisfied with it, not like I am now but better than what it was. So here ya go!

Onto the reviews because I hate when they are at the end of the chapter!

anon: Yeah, I said it so myself.

Nguyn Hu Minh Tr: Thanks a lot! I'm glad to hear- er, read it!

Zinosty: Thanks for the trust! I will try to make it good! Hope this chapter won your attention!

Onxio: Your words rang true for the game version of him. Hope this chapter showed you what I think Pyke would be lore-wise while he was still alive.

Guest: ¡Gracias! ¡Espero que disfrutes este también! (PD: usé Google Translate para escribir esto)

Before we start: I changed something, namely I will indicate when Pyke speaks with single quotes ('that's him speaking') and OC's thought remains Italic.

Well, that's all for now. Disclaimer!

I do NOT own RWBY nor League of Legends, both belong to their respective companies.

Good reading! Hope you enjoy it!

It was evening when we reached my sack from the town. Standing in front of the door a question formulated in my head that I felt I should ask as soon as possible even though it was a rather hard one. What it may be you ask?

…I really should stop talking to myself.

'Couldn't have said better myself.'

Yeah, of course, he is gonna answer me. I still can't believe the fact that I'm inside his body and he is inside my mind, like, how crazy is that?

'As crazy as talkin' to yourself.'

...I don't remember asking you…

'Then who did you speak to?'

...I don't want to answer that.

He remained silent after, thankfully I soon 'forgot' about it as I was interrupted by the girl behind me.

"So, is this the place you live?" Emerald asked as she peered inside under my arm.

"Yeah," I numbly replied.

Unknown to her, the seemingly innocent question stabbed a dagger in my heart, wrenched it, and ripped it out but I steeled it and closed the wound as unhealthy as it is. Pushing away the problem won't solve it but at the moment I had better things to focus on to help me prevent from thinking too much of it for now. I had a strayed girl with me who took precedence over my 'personal' issues.

"It looks cozy…" she trailed off while eyeing the interior.

I could guess what went through her mind and honestly, it probably played more into my hand than hers.

"D'ya have a place to stay?" I asked, looking for any reaction I can grab onto.

"Not really. I don't know my parents and I was kicked out not too long ago from the orphanage."

Huh, that explains how she got caught by the vendors. She might already accept the fact she has to steal in order to survive but she wasn't proficient in it yet to get away unnoticed. That or her semblance wasn't as strong as in the show, though it was still some years before her first appearance so there is still room for growth.

She was looking away, not meeting my gaze at all, staring at the shore but I could tell even without seeing her expression: she was sad. Not jealous, not ashamed, not disappointed, and definitely not mad. She felt this way because she was left alone. She was lonely.

I could feel something stir in my heart, remembering the moment I realized I was trapped here without any way back home, I felt so many negative emotions I was lucky an ancient Grimm hadn't awakened by it… Now that's a scary thought to have.

Getting back on track I sighed and entered, leaving the door open for her.

"Get yerself comfy then, ya can stay as long as ya want," I said, sitting down on the chair.

Her ruby eyes opened wide and stared at me in disbelief, her mouth hanging open and trying to say something but instead imitating perfectly an out-of-water fish, much to my amusement. My mask hid the smirk that grew on my face as I just rested my head in my hand, elbowing the table.

"Ya wanna stop lookin' like a fish 'fore I start throwing bait at ya."

That got a reaction out of her as she closed her mouth and reddened in the face, then took a calming breath and stepped over the doorway with a serious look.

I don't know why but I suddenly felt the need to say something encouraging to her, to reassure her she is safe here, that she is welcomed here anytime, that she belongs here from now on.

"...Welcome home," I said with a soft smile.

Though she couldn't see the lower portion of my face she returned the gesture while tears started to gather in the corner of her eyes.

"I'm home."

And with that our bizarre everyday life started.

IXoXoXI

"Are you sure about that? It's not too late to turn back and return to our little home."

"We talked 'bout it a couple o' times already, Em. Ain't wanna grow old fishin' all day long."

"I know, I know. It's just, did we really have to come all the way to Vale? Couldn't we just go to Mistral?"

"Don' like there."

"Ugh, fine! Are you sure you aren't a mule Faunus? You can be more stubborn than one."

"Pretty sure that's racist."

"Not like you care though."

"...Ya got a point."

You heard it right, we were currently in Vale to try and enter Beacon Academy because over the two years we spent together I buttered Emerald up to the idea of being a Huntress. Not out of a sense of duty or any other 'high moral' reason, I simply appealed to her personality. I got to know a lot more about her than from the show, though a lot remains the same, things we get to know about her, for example, her favorite food and drink are grapes and tea, she lightly snores while sleeping, she is afraid of spiders, and is bad with heat, she hates overly optimistic people, she likes to read, and she is still cautious about others but once she relaxes around you she is pretty outgoing, sometimes even childish.

All of this just made me realize over and over again that this is real, I live here, and they are people too not just some web show's characters. I was pulled from my thoughts as we neared the place I wanted to visit after arriving in the town. I made some plans regarding the plot and my knowledge, not some rock-solid tactics to counter Salem and her underlings but some basics that can be changed on the go. One of them is to ensure Tukson won't get killed. I stole one of Cinder's recruitments but it doesn't mean she didn't get someone other instead of Emerald and that thought alone made me want to check on the bookstore owner and establish some kind of connection to him so it won't be too strange if I just start to hang out in the shop. Plus I like reading too, it's as foolproof an alibi as any, go in, get some books, leave, rinse and repeat it until I run into anybody trying to harm him. I don't have any particular reason to save him, he isn't really related to the story, it's more out of pity for the guy. He jumped ships when he knew he was way over his head and tried to leave quietly but got flipped the bird by Lady Luck and got caught.

'Hard-handed folks deserve a better death.'

More or less I came to accept his voice in my head, I can even separate our memories after two years of being stuck together. I had time on sleepless nights when we would start to discuss things about our new life and then end up arguing about different opinions regarding either important stuff like how to handle Ozpin and Salem or just some petty stuff like adding salt to wine.

I agree with you, he doesn't need to die because some brats wanna lick their boss' arse.

One thing we agreed on right away was that the White Fang is bad in its current state. He grew up in Bilgewater, the most unforgiving place on Runeterra, and knows about the struggles the lower folks have, I watched the show and know what already happened and what will in the future. The conclusion was that they do more damage to the image of Faunus than improve it and worse they know it just doesn't care in their petty 'revolution' with Adam in the lead.

I came to a stop in front of the building, looking through the windows I saw the countless books stacked up in towers, the lights up and one or two customers browsing the selection available.

A little bell's chiming indicated our entry, catching the attention of everyone in there before they all turned back to their musings except the owner.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun!" he jovially greeted us.

I swiftly looked around the interior, taking in every detail I can about the layout of the place.

Yep, looks about as I imagined.

I nodded and went straight to the counter, avoiding any tower on my way before standing in front of the mountain of a man.

By the Bearded Lady! The show didn't do him any justice!

Now, don't get me wrong but he looked even better in real life than on the screen, his eyes were sharper and his face hairier. He looked like Wolverine without his costume.

"Can I help you?" he asked, a little warily looking at my mask.

"Depends, ya got this sequel?" I handed over him a piece of paper.

I will be damned if I said the title out loud! In the two years I spent here, I found a pretty good book with a captivating setting, great storytelling, interesting characters, and realistic fights and they seasoned it with a little smut, just enough to satisfy the readers' demands. The problem? Everyone only knew it for the last one even though in between the hundred pages of actions was only one page of the intimate moment! So to avert the judging stares I wrote it down for him. I only found out about the series later when I finally got a Scroll and searched it up. It turned out I read the second book before I obtained the first one and now here I was for the third of a total of seven! I could cry and dance right now just thinking about it!

Seeing which one I was requesting Tukson just grinned at me and slapped on my shoulder with a knowing look in his eyes. That unnerved me…

"I see you are a man of culture as well. I will be right back with it. Want me to put it in a bag?" he asked but was already pulling one out.

I didn't answer him just looked away, he probably would have teased me more if not for Emerald's timely interruption.

"Aha! Found it!"

A rumbling noise followed her declaration and a surprised yelp as one of the 'towers' crumbled burying her under hundreds of books with only her arm out clutching to a comic like her life depended on it.

"Pyke~! A little help would be appericated~!" came her muffled whining.

I turned to Tukson and shook my head, sighing in defeat.

"Sorry 'bout her," I apologized before heading to help her clear up the mess she caused.

He just gave an amused chuckle and headed to the backroom to get me the book. I went to Emerald, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her out of her improvised 'tomb' to her relief. She gave me an embarrassed smile and scratched the back of her head, nervously laughing.

"Ahahaha, oops…"

"Can't take me eyes off ya fo' a minute 'fore ya cause trouble I have to solve," I complained to her while picking up the books from the ground and stacking them again, this time in smaller towers.

The place could bear an expansion.

Emerald soon followed suit with one hand still holding the comic she picked up earlier.

"Wanna buy that?" I asked catching her off guard.

"Huh? Oh, this? Yeah, I was thinking about getting this. Back home I read a few volumes of it and it was pretty entertaining, thought I would bring it to Beacon. Just something to pass time with."

She said that but a fond smile appeared on her face. We finished cleaning up and went back to the counter just in time as Tukson was waiting there with a paper bag next to him and started to enter the price in the cashier when I snatched the comic from her hands and placed it in front of him.

"This one too."

He looked down at it and then back to us before smirking and nodding. Our price popped up and I pulled my pouch out, ransacking through its contents before finding the amount I was searching for. We paid, bid our goodbyes, and went on our merry way. Just as planned.

Leaving the shop I gave Emerald her comic and put my book in my bag. Now time to see if our applications were accepted or if they will send us away from the doorway. What the show hadn't mentioned was that you simply fill in a piece of paper, send it to the academy and show up at their door where they either let you in or turn you back. That's probably how anyone can easily apply since no other parties were involved like a combat school. And speaking of previous education I pulled a Jaune and got some fake transcriptions for both of us. Mistral is the kingdom of corruption, it was easier to obtain these documents there than in the other kingdoms. Though it was easier it wasn't that easy, I still had to put down a nice amount of Lien after finding the proper party who dealt with this kind of thing. Let's just say it was hard trial and error and I had to keep them under the rug because I didn't want Emerald to get too involved in illegal activities. I'm not saying she is a clean slate at all but still better than her parallel self as nowadays she mostly steals from me when she needs a little pocket money or simply wants to annoy me.

The Bullhead docks were ahead of us when he spoke up.

'Can't believe it ain't Piltover.'

You better accept it, this is Remnant, technological marvels you can't even imagine exist here.

'Technology is for fancy dead folk.'

I didn't answer him as we reached the gates where the guards asked for an ID, after examining them they let us in to join the gathering crowd before boarding the ship, and would you look at that? Even without actively searching for them I found a blonde and black spot in the crowd though mostly thanks to one of them being as noisy as ever.

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

"Please… stop…"

"But I'm so proud of you!"

I think my heart just stopped after seeing them then as quickly as it came it disappeared. Living with Emerald showed me a lot of things and it kind of lost its magic. Sure, they were there bickering like in the show, they went on about the bees and knees line but I wasn't as hyped up as I imagined I would.

"They are so noisy. Let's find a place to sit, I'm tired."

Without missing a beat Emerald walked away from them and sat down in the back then patted the seat next to her.

"Come on, Pyke, what are you waiting for?"

I rolled my eyes but took my place nonetheless when she promptly threw her legs up and with her back leaned against my shoulder. In the span of two years, Emerald got comfortable enough to use me to her advantage like now using me as a pillow, but I must admit, it wasn't bothering me as much as it probably should have. We changed in a lot of ways, after all, we are teenagers, and there is plenty of room for growth both mentally and physically. I already grew a few inches taller, reaching my original height of 5'10 but with a bigger mass of around 190lbs, all muscle thankfully as I trained regularly, sometimes I could even motivate Emerald to join me though she usually left after half an hour. She prefers agility over strength as half of the cast, meaning she did more yoga-like stretches and running to make her nimble that her fighting style mirrors too. She got a petite but toned body like in the show, the only difference may be her height, she has forgone the heels so she is around 5'3.

We spared daily to hone our skills too and against the popular belief that since his role is an assassin in the game, lore-wise he is only agile in the water. He was a monster hunter who climbed in the mouth of giant fishes, butchered them up and such to make a living, meaning he needed a lot of muscle to move them around and fast, precise hands to dissect them. Build wise he had an average one, not as bulky as Braum but not as lean as Twisted Fate. The muscle memories helped me to get familiar with Bone Skewer which now feels like another limb. The only similarity between the game and lore is that he likes to get close and personal, after all, he is melee.

I changed my outfit a little too, the style stayed the same with the green pants and brown leather boots but in better conditions, also I wore a khaki T-shirt and wrapped some bandages around my torso and arms to hide my scars and tattoos, I didn't know how accepting the school is going to be with them so I chose not to show them until I'm sure there won't be a problem with me having any. I got a new one too on my left arm inside the one I already sported there, the emblem of Bilgewater but instead of the Jaull-fish, this universe sea monster ensnared the cutlass, a Sea Feilong.

Even though my body isn't as puffy and soft as a pillow she used me as one in a lot of instances, perhaps because I was the lesser bad in those scenarios. Like now, the bench isn't the most comfortable one but not the worst, and let me remind you after she moved in I gave up on my mattress and spent a lot of nights sleeping at the table before making an improvised hammock from one of the fishing nets. It wasn't a five-star bed but was better than the ground or chair.

Whispers reached my ears from around us and noted the others all sneaked glances our way while trying to discreetly converse between themselves.

Guess we catch attention no matter the place, especially with our looks.

I didn't mean anything bad by it but it's true we stood out in more than one way, me being a scary-looking guy wrapped in bandages and a mask hiding my face plus a weird getup, even counting some ridiculous ones among them, and Emerald changed her look from the one in the show. Her green crop top remained with the leather belt hoisting her weapons but she switched the heels for sandals and the leather pants for a green half skirt covering her rear and black knee-high leggings. She garnered from a few girls jealous and a few boys' perverted gazes. Glaring at everyone they averted their eyes all the while Emerald didn't notice a thing. That or just simply didn't care and ignored them, prioritizing her comic over some gossip about us. I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, intent on taking a short nap before we arrived and I remember faintly hearing Glynda Goodwitch's voice when sleep took me.

It didn't last long as I awoke to a scream and my eyes snapped open surveying my immediate area for any potential danger, my hand twitching next to Bone Skewer's hilt when something hit my head. Turning to the side I saw Emerald was facing me and lowered her rolled-up comic with an annoyed look before looking at the source of the noise.

That was when the smell of puke finally got through my mask and attacked my nose as I remembered a particular scene from the story. Someone couldn't hold their stomach's contents and let it out on a girl's shoes. That someone got a nickname that stigmatized them for the rest of their life, resulting in them not getting accepted into any combat school, turning into an alcoholic, and getting kicked out to the streets. Not being able to endure it anymore they ended their life by throwing themself at the biggest, meanest sonuvabeach Grimm! …I'm just messing with it now.

It played out exactly as it was written, Jaune plus motion sickness equals a pissed Yang and a stupid nickname and that leads to Ruby becoming friends with him later on. Though the smell was still terrible and everyone had to endure it until we docked and thank God for the small miracles as it happened sooner than I anticipated.

Finally leaving the Bullhead, that reeked of the stench of Jaune's lunch pulling a reverse card, and escaping through the entrance, my lungs welcomed the fresh air as I stepped away from the trash bin. It was not a moment later assaulted by the blond knight.

Grimacing Emerald grabbed my arm and pulled me away from him before I could offer a piece of advice to help the poor lad come over it sooner.

"Ugh, I can't believe he would puke in the Bullhead!" she complained, not letting go of me as she was marching toward the school.

The sight left me speechless, it was even more majestic up close, the building towering over us with a welcoming aura that encourages whoever lays their eyes on it to enter and look around, the garden around the structure buzzing with life as varying flowers spotted it in organized groups as well as carefully planted trees provided shades to the people passing under them. It was truly beautiful but I couldn't enjoy it long as an irritated Emerald showed her face in front of me.

"Are you even listening?" she narrowed her eyes at me.

Instead of verbally replying I just grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to take a look.

"What are you-?" she stopped speaking when her gaze landed on the countless flower groups.

She really likes them and didn't hesitate any longer, her Scroll was out and she snapped pictures of them from different angles. Seeing her this excited wormed a smile on my face. Even though she is friendly and clingy once you get to know her, she usually tries to be unnecessarily mature for her age, keeping a cool facade up most of the time, the only emotion she displays openly is displeasure, sometimes smugness. I savor these rare occasions when she brightly smiles and laughs from the bottom of her heart, it makes her seem so more natural.

An explosion interrupted this peaceful moment and we turned to the source which, not surprisingly, turned out to be a little Dust incident with a high probability that Weiss and Ruby caused it. Emerald quirked an eyebrow and stood up, her curiosity getting the better out of her, and walked over to the mishap with me right behind her.

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" Weiss screeched at someone.

I had to take a double look to confirm that what I was seeing was indeed real and not just a trick of the mind or an illusion since in front of Weiss stood two of the League community's most memed champions, one sporting half of the original armor shown in the game, broadsword in its sheath and blue scarf around his neck. Next to him stood her little sister who looked to be around Ruby's age give or take a year, wearing her 'classic'' outfit though something wasn't right with her skirt. Back to the topic: that's right, it was no other than the demacian sibling duo, Garen and Lux who got yelled at by Weiss, both of them seemed taken aback by her outburst. Inspecting the scene I saw Ruby standing next to them with her hood over her head and she looked ready to be swallowed by the ground.

"We are really sorry!" Lux put her hands together in front of her as she apologized.

"Oh, you complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

Garen stood between them and raised his hand protectively, glaring at Weiss after she talked down his little sister. Looks like no matter the universe, siblings stay siblings after all. Shoving aside my shock for a later date I noticed Emerald standing next to Ruby, conversing with her, probably interrogation would be a better term considering it's her, about what happened. I soon joined them intrigued by it too as the situation seemed ready to explode like the Dust not five minutes ago. It seemed that after she got ditched by her sister she literally ran into Garen and Lux as the latter was fussing over the former who in turn tumbled into Weiss' luggage. Ruby quickly apologized to the Crownguard siblings before the yelling started though except it was aimed at the blonde.

"She is here to escort me, not to attend, and we said we are sorry, however, we aren't the only one at fault here. You shouldn't have shaken the vial, especially with a loose sealing," I heard the Might of Demacia reprimand Weiss.

"Excuse me?! Do you even know who I am?"

I looked around but couldn't find Blake with the vial, the script was already screwed but now even more changes happened and I started to give up the whole plot if things accelerated in this manner how the hell should I be able to predict what happens next? Is the Grimm the only threat to humanity or does the Void exist even here? What about the Ascendants, Pantheon, Leona, or Zoe? Or the darkins, Aatrox, Varus, and Rhaast if he already took control? Will Aurelion Sol just kill off everyone with a 'world goes BRRR and boom'? Should I even care after all this? This sucks…

'We're already drowin', all we gotta do is open our mouths and let the water in…'

Not helpful at all.

'Then learn to breathe water and nothing'll stop ya.'

Huh, he is right, I shouldn't worry too much about it, I have ample knowledge of both worlds, and my original plans were flexible, and all could be changed on the spot. The only difference is now that I need to keep my eyes and ears open and actively search for clues. It will be hard but manageable especially if I can work together with team RWBY and optionally involve my future team members. Emerald will hop on the idea to catch some bad guys if there are rewards. Weiss and Garen were still arguing over the incident and it started to hurt my ears so I decided to put a stop to it.

"Can the two o' ya shaddap? Ya givin' me a headache with all the shoutin'."

Yep, my communication skills are five stars! Out of a hundred… It caught their attention and to his credit, Garen seemed to cool off noticing that they gained an audience watching them but Weiss seemed to just get angrier.

"Do you even know what they caused and what worse could have happened?" she rounded on me in the blink of an eye.

Ruby tried to hide behind Emerald who in turn hid behind me. What can I say, excellent support the both of them? Though I didn't expect them to get involved, I brought it on myself so it's only fair I deal with it. Nothing can get worse, we are already heading oppositely than the story should so who cares if I even try to stir it back to its track?

"Woulda be hard missin' it, ya screechin' worse than a Nevermore and the 'xplosion shook even the tower over there," I said pointing at Ozpin's office behind my back.

Her face reddened to the point I thought she would let out a whistle through her ears or her head will pop like a balloon, her hands clenched so tight they started to pale even more than her original skin color and the only thing keeping her together might be her cold attitude but it seemed to be evaporating quickly. Before she can lash out I tried to diffuse the situation, I wasn't about to commit suicide by her hands thank you very much!

"Cool it, Princess."

"It's heiress, actually."

Just say the magic words and the cat appears! Next to Lux stood our hidden Faunus with the vial in one hand and a book in the other, eyes firmly rowing the lines, not even looking in our direction meanwhile the light mage jumped into her brother's arms in surprise with a yelp.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

"Finally, some recognition!"

I heard a gasp but I'm not too sure from who came it but it didn't stop Blake to continue, effectively bulldozing into Wiess' confidence.

"This same company is infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners," with her piece said she tossed the vial to Weiss to silence any more possible outbursts from her.

"Don' care," I said and meant it.

She will change in time, and for the better, just needed a little push that I was more than happy to give her even if she didn't ask for it. She needs to see that not everyone thinks of just her status when they see her. Maybe she will be even friendlier with Ruby and the others. Or she might misunderstand it and think I just said it to get closer to her which I don't plan at all. She is on the bottom of the mental list I have about people I might ask for help from, at least for now. I don't hate her or anything but she's still a little brat and wouldn't offer any help that won't benefit her in one way or another.

Everyone looked at me puzzled but my green orbs only met her ice-blue eyes, almost as if I was staring into her soul. I might have as well as I knew it will have some kind of impact on her.

"Ya here to earn respect fo' yerself so don' flaunt yer pop's name. He achieved somethin' to be recognized, ya ain't done shit yet. One piece o' advice, work hard, die fast. The other way is worse…" I said and crossed my arms.

Like it or not, Jacques Schnee is a man with good business sense even if it's not always morally right. I don't like him but I can respect talent. I turned around and started back, we wasted enough time as it is, I don't want to get on Goodwitch's bad side for being late from the ceremony. I realized too late that I was on my own and worse, I was lost in the garden.

How could this happen? I walked the same way we came from! Shouldn't the ballroom be this way?

'No clue.'

Thanks for the big nothing…

The place seemed familiar but I couldn't remember where I have seen it before so I decided to call Emerald even if it will be embarrassing but would you look at that? My scroll died… I'm always screwed, huh?

Such misfortune.

Now that I was alone my shock from earlier returned in full force as I couldn't understand what was happening anymore. It's one thing I woke up here in someone's body who shouldn't be a part of this world yet I shouldn't be too and here we were. My thoughts were running rampant, considering different theories as to what was going on before settling on the most plausible one: it's an alternative universe of BOTH worlds merged into one, meaning there will be more characters from the LoLverse and likewise. If the lore and plot are blended then it means that besides Salem the Void should be present, the Mist should have shown up somewhere and spread as well as another country invading every neighboring one like Noxus. Now that I think about it what's up with the geography? Vale and Mistrall are here, probably Atlas, Vacuo, and Menagerie too but what about the runeterraen kingdoms? Is there a Demacia, a Noxus, or any of the others? I haven't heard of them yet but it doesn't mean they don't exist here, whatever here is. Is it still called Remnant? Or is it Runeterra? God, it's confusing…

Standing around like an idiot won't solve anything so I sat down under a tree and started to plan for initiation to keep focused on the here and now. My goal should be to avoid any members of the main cast and let them form their team. Even if it's an AU they should form like in the original and they worked best that way. Probably I should pair up with Emerald if possible and find a team for ourselves but it's easier said than done. The forest is big so the chances that I will run into her first are slim if we don't land near each other. She might even want to find somebody else to be her partner, she would be satisfied with me just on her team. Next, I need to think about my landing strategy, my weapon isn't suited to slow down my falling like Yang or Ruby. My Aura was awakened by a veteran Huntsman who I accidentally met at the market as I was selling my catches. He wanted to buy some fish and we started talking and surprisingly we hit it off pretty well. He became one of my regulars too and greatly helped me with our documents to get in Beacon and trained my Aura control. All the while I unlocked Emerald's and we both practiced at home.

I was pulled out of my musings as the sounds of footsteps and conversation entered my ears, and my eyes wandered over to the path, spotting three familiar figures, two boys and a girl. They seemed to get along if their laugh was anything to go by before they noticed me. I was about to pretend to sleep and hadn't seen them when I locked eyes with the shortest one whose face lit up with recognition.

"Ah! It's you!" she shouted, drawing the other two's attention to me.

"Who?" the blonde asked.

"Oh, you again! I couldn't thank you before!" said the other.

In front of me stood Ruby, Garen, and Jaune who seemed to get picked up in the meantime I was wandering around, trying to find the place where all four of us should be right now.

Garen stepped closer and offered his hand that I took and he effortlessly pulled me to my feet. His strength is no joke, no wonder he can swing that sword like nothing.

By the Bearded Lady! It has to be at least six feet long! And he is even taller!

There was some kind of mechanism built in its guard that shouldn't be surprising considering we are in a Remnant and Runeterra merging but still, in LoL he is against all mages before discovering Lux is one too but there he is older. Though it's a good chance I suppose.

"My name is Garen Crownguard! It's a pleasure to be acquainted with you!" he shook my hand.

"...Pyke Dylan," I hesitantly reciprocated the gesture before turning to the other two.

"Hi! I'm Ruby Rose!" she waved with her hand cheerfully.

"Uh, the name is Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it!"

I couldn't stop myself, I just had to ask the same question Ruby did probably not a few minutes ago and I knew it will be fun for them if I repeated her. So I raised my eyebrow and with the most deadpan tone, I could muster said,

"Do they?"

His deflated face, Ruby's snickering, and Garen's smirk were totally worth it and I joined them though they couldn't see it behind my mask.

"They will! I- I hope they will," he tried to save face.

"Sure thing, Knight boy," I shrugged.

An awkward silence settled down and just as in the show Ruby tried to break it by bringing out her beloved weapon, planting the tip into the pavement with ease probably leaving behind a sizeable crack that the janitor won't like, and making Jaune jump, surprised by the sudden appearance of a weapon bigger than its owner.

"So, I got this," Ruby said, a proud smile on her face.

"Whoa, is that a scythe?" Jaune asked, a little afraid of the thing as if it could bite his ass if he takes his eyes away from it.

"It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle," she hefted it up so we could see the magazine better.

"A what?" he asked, oblivious to the visible trigger and grip.

"A gun powerful enough to pierce a Beowolf's head from a thousand yards, even further in trained hands," Garen helpfully supplied, though Jaune lost a little color from his face hearing its capabilities.

"Yes! Exactly!" she exclaimed excitedly with stars in her eyes before coughing into her hand and continuing, "She is my pride and joy, Crescent Rose," it returned to its compact form and Ruby hugged it, "So, what do you guys got?" she asked.

Garen unsheathed his sword, revealing the mechanic and its five-foot-long and a feet wide blade. He easily held it out with one hand for us to see better and Ruby was all too happy to look at it from different angles.

"Oooh! Is it made of silver steel? It's not as durable as stainless steel, but its properties are still good for blades and you probably use the fact that it's magnetic to stick it on your back without a proper sheath," she leaned closer, her eyes shining, "And there is a socket if I had to guess you put Dust crystals into it and it coats the whole blade, right?" she was practically bouncing around him.

"Hahaha! It's as you say, Ruby! Without any restraint that an ordinary sheath would cause I can pull my sword at a moment's notice and with the hidden mechanics I can use elemental effects on it."

"So cool~," she had stary eyes, "What's its name?"

"He is called Judgement."

If she wasn't hyped until now she definitely was after hearing the name that she seemed to buzz in one place, ready to take off and conquer the shattered moon. She probably wanted to gush over it more but she noticed Garen patiently looking at Jaune as he too had a sword. He got a little nervous as we all stared at him, waiting to see his choice of weaponry though I already knew what it is, I kept up appearances.

"Oh, uh, I- I got this sword. And I've got a shield too. They are Croce Mors."

He fumbled with them, plainly showing he isn't adept at using them yet, but it can change later with a little push I was willing to give him. Both he and Phyrra deserve a better ending and I will do anything in my power to give them that.

"So what did they do?"

"The shield gets smaller so when I get tired of carrying it I can just put it away."

"But, wouldn't it weigh the same?" Ruby's innocent question crumbled the little confidence he had to dust.

"Yeah, it does," he admitted sadly.

"Not everyone can 'ppreciate the classics, it's as good as any in good hands," I said as I patted his shoulder.

He seemed to lighten up which is good, he needs to get his bearings together before the whole bully fiasco and I want to help him through it even if I had to kick his ass to get him in shape. His eyes wandered lower, catching the hilt of my weapon, and Ruby and Garen were waiting expectantly too. Obliging I showed them my newly reformed dagger. Well, calling an eighteen-inch long blade shortsword would be more appropriate than a dagger but I wasn't going to change it.

"Got this, one side a ragged blade, the other a 12 gauge shotgun," I said, holding it so they could see both ends.

Yep, I wanted to have something with more range but still holdable with one hand and usable indoors. I had in mind the future events, fighting style, and personal preferences when I hired a weaponsmith to make it. It was easier to implement than an SMG or a pistol, packs more punch than the other two and I suck at aiming… Nonetheless, there isn't a more thrilling feeling than shoving the barrel in the mouth of a Grimm and pulling the trigger to see its head explode.

Sometimes I wonder if his personality influences me too much.

'Don't blame me. It's all you.'

"What is it made of?" Ruby was feeling the blade with her fingers, trying to figure it out.

"A monster's teeth," I said jokingly even though it was made of some kind of metal but they seemed to take it seriously.

"It doesn't feel like bone and it looks too durable for it," Garen said as he too was touching it.

"Dunno, it's made o' some kinda metal, had it since I can remember," I shrugged, it wasn't even a lie.

Ruby's eyes wandered over to the trigger and I saw as the gears in her head turned after noticing it didn't have any guard and was straight instead of curved like most guns.

"That trigger. You can pull it even when you use the blade with just one hand."

'She is smart. Has a good eye for weapons too.'

No doubt, she is a self-proclaimed dork.

"Ya really loves weapons," I smiled under my mask.

My comment caused her to blush a little but she flashed a bright smile that could melt icebergs and I could understand even more why the fandom wants to protect her at all costs. She was too innocent, kind, and naive in the first volumes and had a brutal awakening later that I still think is too harsh. I won't let it happen. Not on my watch.

"So," Jaune started hesitantly, "anyone knows where we are?"

"No."

"Nope."

"Nuh-uh."

"Great," he continued "do you guys think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court, some recognizable landmark?"

Oh, joy. All of us are lost…

IXoXoXI

After some searching and a little running, we finally reached our destination, a sizable crowd was already there and we were the last ones to join the fray.

"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" Yang waved over the heads of the people around her, though they all leaned away from her the moment she opened her mouth.

"Oh, hey, I gotta go! See you guys after the ceremony!" she left quickly, not even waiting for a response, and raced to her sister.

"Hey… wait…" Jaune panted out tiredly and fell to the ground, "Ah, great… Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?"

Garen and I shared a look before shaking our heads, already knowing there will be problems with him later on and that it will be kinda our responsibility to fix them. Taking the first step I called out to him.

"Ya here to train, not to chaise after lasses," I placed a hand on his shoulder firmly.

"Uh, yeah, you- you are right. I came here to become a Huntsman," he nodded, looking a little more determined now.

Good, it would be better for his psyche if he didn't notice Weiss but probably would hinder team JNPR's forming.

Surveying the crowd I saw Ruby was talking with Yang and Weiss was approaching them before my eyes caught sight of a familiar greenette and my eyes widened seeing who she was speaking to. The Crownguard siblings were a surprise for sure but not as big as the ravenette standing next to Emerald, wearing her Vytal Festival outfit with slight changes applied like her jacket's color was red instead of beige, the wrappings were replaced with a white tank top, she had shoulder pads designed to resemble goat heads, but the rest remained the same. I dreaded the idea but sadly it was the truth, Cinder Fall was standing in Beacon's hall a year earlier than she should be and as a new student, speaking with Emerald Sustrai, her should-be lapdog. She seemed different than the show and I don't mean just the clothes she was wearing, she radiated a kind of warm aura but it might be the distance between us and that she is more beautiful in real than on a screen.

The lights shut down except the ones directed at the stage where Ozpin and Glynda stood, ready to make their speeches. It went exactly as in the show but after the ceremony, there wasn't a time skip to the night, we still had time to eat dinner and shower if we desired so. Yep, real life was like this, with no shortcuts to the important parts.

We were heading to the cafeteria, Garen and Jaune were speaking between themselves, mostly about family heirlooms and why they chose Beacon while I was deep in thoughts about what it meant that the supposed half Maiden was here now and if the Maidens still were a thing or did something from Runeterra take their place. Would be a good idea to search up the Void, the Mist, and the Darkins too, there might be more than just two sides in this world meaning all the more uncounted factors can show up anytime.

I stumbled into something and noticed it was Garen as he stopped walking and was looking at me questioningly. I was about to ask him what happened when someone slapped my head from behind, earning my irritation for themselves before turning around. In front of me stood Emerald with her hands on her hips, looking pissed, and Cinder behind her with a puzzled face, confused by the smaller girl's actions.

"Finally, you entered the living world again," she exclaimed with a pout, "I was calling you more times than you're worth, and no response!"

"...Scroll died," I admitted lamely but her anger seemed to just flare up more.

"I called not just on the Scroll, you know? I was talking to you and you just kept walking like I wasn't even there! If the big guy over there didn't stop you wouldn't have noticed me at all!" she complained.

I sent a sideway glance at Garen and he was nodding along as she spoke before looking into her ruby eyes and apologizing.

"Sorry, was thinkin'," I reached out to pat her head.

She didn't swat my hand away but her glare remained as she scrutinized me, probably trying to figure out what was on my mind.

If only I could tell you.

'Sometimes, the fog saves the ship.'

Ignorance is bliss as the saying goes, it's safer if she doesn't know about the things that happened in both worlds and can happen here. Though it doesn't help me, I will have to keep everything to myself, I can't trust anyone with these informations, especially not Ozpin or anyone from his circle. I won't and can't establish another side in this war so I will do everything I can to prevent most of the bad stuff, even if it breaks me.

A loud growl caught all of our attention and following the sound revealed it to be Jaune as he held his stomach and sported a faint blush.

"I- uh, shouldn't we get dinner now?" he asked scratching his cheek.

Soft chuckles were his answer as we resumed our way to eat something before heading to bed and thankfully everyone seemed to forget to ask me what was on my mind. I noticed Jaune sending glances to the two girls.

Gotta stop this madness before it even starts.

"Ah, right. I think introductions shoulda be in order. Em, they are Jaune Arc," I pointed at the blond, "and Garen Crownguard," I motioned to the tallest, "She is Emerald Sustrai," I placed my hand on her head.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you," Jaune waved.

"A pleasure to be acquainted with you," Garen extended his hand and she shook it.

"Likewise. Jaune, Garen, Pyke, this is my new friend, Cinder Fall," she introduced the ravenette, "Cinder, this is Pyke Dylan," she placed a hand on my shoulder.

Cinder curtly nodded at the two before turning to me with a glint in her eyes and a coy smile on her face that sent a shiver down my spine.

'She got her eye on you.'

Well, that didn't bode well.

"Emerald spoke quite highly of you, though I didn't anticipate meeting with you so soon."

"Hope she ain't said anythin' too bad."

"Oh, no, nothing undesirable, I assure you."

After that, we chatted all the way to the cafeteria and lined up to get our meals, Emerald going for a light salad and some grapes, Cinder choosing roasted chicken breasts with boiled vegetables, Jaune opting for fast food grabbed a pair of burritos, Garen took a vegetable soup and some sandwiches, and lastly, I picked grilled pork, ribeye steak, tuna salad, hard-boiled eggs, rice, fries, and greek yogurt with blueberries. I wasn't overeating okay? I work out a lot and need all the protein and fat I can get to build mass, I don't need the refined body-builder type muscles but the massive lumberjack types to fight the Grimms. I will admit I tried to imitate his fighting style but from the game, meaning yanking the enemy to me instead of going head-on against them first and an Ursa isn't the heaviest Grimm you can find. With Aura I can probably lift a Beringel on this level or the Deathstalker they fight during initiation but a Goliath is still a long way away. I still haven't unlocked my Semblance so I have to work with what I got, I trained hard to at least physically be strong enough to face the meanest monster Salem can send my way, be it Grimm or human. I decided long ago that I'm not going to stop until I feel satisfied with the things I did and don't have any regret left.

I was pulled from my musings when I noticed Emerald and Garen just smirked at me while Jaune and Cinder sent a look my way.

"Uh, you- you gonna eat all of it?" he asked, nodding to my plate with his head.

"Problem?"

"No! Not at all! It's just…" he trailed off, trying to word it to not come off as rude.

"Eat all of that without turning into a smaller Moon?" Emerald helped him out, still smirking.

"Yeah! That's it! Wait, no!" he waved his hands after what Emerald said registered in his mind.

"You will understand it later I'm sure of it," she sent a not-so-subtle glance toward me.

She was referring to my evening training session that she used to help, silently asking the question if I would continue it tonight too even if tomorrow is the test and we need all the rest we can get. And that's precisely why I want to keep it up because I don't know what to expect, it can be a breeze or it can be a marathon to Hell and back dipped in BBQ sauce and chased by Cerberus. I wanted to be as prepared as I can get even in limited forms such as being locked up with a bunch of teenagers showing what they 'offer' to their potential team members. Yep, wasn't going to enjoy tonight with shirtless dudes around me trying to flirt with Emerald and she also knew it. I'm not possessive, she simply tends to draw unwanted attention to herself and use me as a shield against the guys who didn't get the message at first. Helping her isn't an issue and I might not look like it but I'm more of a pacifist so I would rather avoid the conflicts that happen because of it. Sometimes she would flame the fire by playing along before causally leaving them behind after inviting herself for a drink or two with their Lien.

I nodded, waiting for them to choose where they wanted to sit before a boisterous voice boomed through the cafeteria. It belonged to one Yang Xiao Long as she was leaning on the table with one hand raised and waving at us, gaining the attention of the others around their table but she ignored them, all the while Ruby pulled her hood over her head and was sinking in her seat lower and lower, probably wishing for the ground to open up and swallow her whole then spit out after this whole ordeal is over.

"Vomit boy!" she shouted, much to Jaune's dismay.

He looked like he was about to turn on his heel and walk away before a hand grabbed him by the shoulder. It was Emerald with a wide grin on her face as she started to push him towards the half-siblings.

"Now, now, it won't be good if you leave your friends hanging like that, would it? You can even introduce us to them, don't you think?" she glanced at Yang before smiling at Jaune again.

She was going to tease the living crap out of him for what happened on the Bullhead and she just found her perfect ally for it. Even the Brother Gods can't help him if those two team up and I fear I will be their next target soon enough. We sat down at their table, with Garen first, next Jaune between him and Ruby, in front of him Cinder, on her right Emerald, and then me, facing Yang.

"I'm sorry about my sister," Ruby apologized to Jaune.

He just laughed nervously and waved it off.

"Don't worry about it," his eyes trailed off to her plate and took in the heaps of cookies stacked on it, "Is that your dinner?" he asked pointing at the sugar bomb.

"Yep! I love cookies!" she happily beamed.

"Ya won't grow much eatin' just those," I snidely remarked.

"I will have you know, I drink milk!" she declared proudly before grabbing her mug full of said liquid and taking a big gulp of its contents.

"Listen to the guy who packed half the buffet on his plate. Say, do you need the energy for something tonight?" Yang asked teasingly.

"A boy gotta get his protein fro'mewhere," I shrugged and glanced at Jaune's burritos.

"It doesn't look healthy though…" to my surprise it was Cinder who commented on it.

Ruby looked at her curiously and she remembered we all should get to know each other before we continue to eat.

"Uh, I don't think we have met yet, I'm Ruby," she motioned to the blonde brawler, "and she is my sister, Yang!"

Yang gave a wave of her hand and it was our turn now. Jaune started his little speech for a third time just today and I knew I was in for a show.

"Name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it."

"Do they?" his fellow blond asked with a skeptical look and a raised eyebrow.

I heard Ruby snickering behind her hand as well as Emerald, Cinder just gave him an amused smile while Yang grinned in her apparent victory. Garen and I shared another knowing look, meaning we will have to talk with him sooner rather than later about his bad habit of trying to pick up girls in a school dedicated to fighting monsters.

"Not you too! They will! Probably. Nevermind..." he tried to defend it but quickly lost the steam he worked up.

"Well, I think I will stick with Vomit boy. It's the first thing that comes to mind looking at you," she teased him more.

"Please don't, I already hate it," he slammed his head on the table which earned a few chuckles from us.

Yang moved her eyes to the one sitting across from him and waited for her to gulp down the bite she had just taken before wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

"I'm Cinder Fall, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintances," she offered a polite bow.

Next was our former thief who stood up and hooked an arm around my shoulder then pulled me closer.

"I'm Emerald and this glutton is Pyke. He doesn't bite, usually."

I gave her a sideway glare, she returned it with a grin and let me go, all the while everyone looked at us puzzled before Yang gained a smirk that promised embarrassment and was aimed at me.

"Oho~ so he is an animal in the bed?"

That comment made the both of us freeze though for different reasons, I was caught off guard by the adult joke, I didn't think she would say something like that in earshot of Ruby and I peeked at her but no reaction whatsoever, she was downing the cookies from her plate like there will be no tomorrow. Emerald on the other hand was silent for that one word. I don't care about racism and she knows it, sometimes even jokes with me but if anyone else tried to pick a fight over my heritage she would be the first to snap back instead of me. As heartwarming as it sounds that she stands up for me it's not a good idea. I tried to explain to her many times that I don't mind their weak provocations, insults, and jokes at my expense and that she shouldn't get involved or it will just paint a target on her back too. I don't want her to get hurt because of me and I don't know what would I do to those who dared to hurt her. She can usually hold back but sometimes she still goes overboard in the heat of the moment. Thankfully she recognized the fact that Yang doesn't know I'm a Faunus yet. My mask was still on my face, hiding my sharp set of teeth.

I glanced at Emerald, waiting for her response if she was calm to handle things if they went badly, however it was more to cool her down than out of concern for what might happen, I knew things won't go south, Yang accepted Blake easily enough and hated Cardin to boot too.

Grabbing the fabric I pulled it down, showing the scars adorning my lower face and making her slightly gasp as well as Cinder and Ruby, Garen and Jaune looked a little shocked.

Huh, wasn't expecting her to react like this.

I leaned closer to Yang and asked in a hushed tone.

"As a matter o' fact, I am. Izzat a problem?" I asked, flashing my teeth as I spoke.

Understanding dawned on her and slowly shook her head before her lilac orbs found my green ones with a determined look in them. That was all I needed to know she wasn't going to judge me even without her saying anything but she wasn't done just yet.

"You don't need to worry, I won't judge you. You were already okay in my book since you helped out Ruby," she ruffled her sister's hair.

"We good, I ain't care 'bout it too much," I offered my hand and she took it.

As we resumed eating our dinner I felt like I was forgetting about something before noticing Cinder was sneaking glances at me from behind Emerald. She had something she wanted to ask but wasn't comfortable doing it so I wasn't going to force her but her continuous peeking started to annoy me.

"If ya wanna say somethin' just say it," I looked at her, letting my irritation leak through my voice.

She flinched a little but quickly recomposed herself and turned to me, regarding me with a look I couldn't quite figure out what it was. It gained the interest of the others too as they stopped eating and focused on us, Emerald shifted her eyes between us.

"I just wanted to know if you don't care about racism then why wear a mask that hides your heritage?"

She was sharp, I saw the gears turning in Ruby's and Jaune's heads as they hadn't thought of it before as well as Yang looking puzzled. The only one who didn't show any sign of confusion or surprise was Garen.

"To protect," he said.

"Protect what?" she asked just as confused as I was.

"Probably her. Not everyone is racist but even fewer accept any kind of relatively positive connection between a Faunus and a human."

Emerald slightly moved closer to me and grabbed my shirt, tensing with the atmosphere, I could feel the seriousness from Garen's words but I couldn't fathom what might have caused it in the first place. He hated all mages in lore before he found out her sister was one as well…

Oh… Oh, no. That can't be- I mean I didn't notice anything…

I wanted to facepalm that I overlooked it at first but thinking of it now she probably hid her tail and that's why her skirt was strange looking.

"I apologize, it was insensitive of me to ask such a question," Cinder bowed.

"Said 'fore, don' care. We good," I patted Emerald's head and she tentatively but straightened out, turning back to her meal.

"So I'm only curious about one more thing, you two together?" Yang looked at Emerald with a playful smile and a glint in her eyes.

She stopped mid-bite, swallowed what was already in her mouth, and looked at me with a quirked eyebrow before returning her gaze to the blonde brawler, a sigh escaping her lips as she shook her head.

"Does it look like we are dating?" she asked.

Her tone caused Yang's smile to falter a little bit but she didn't relent, instead, she pressed further in hopes of some juicy gossip material that seemed to lay right in front of her and just in reach too.

"Well, he has a look even with that mask hiding most of his face, and most importantly it seems to me you two care deeply for each other," she wriggled her eyebrows.

"Carin' for someone an' datin' 'em ain't the same, ya know?" I asked.

"For you, it may seem that way but I see it otherwise."

"Yea? Do tell me what yer eyes see that mines ain't."

"Hmm, where should I start? Oh, how about you two are seating closer to each other than anyone else here? How you sneaked a little meat on Emerald's plate every time she turned away? Or how casually she takes your cup when she needs a drink without question. I think it's more than just simple friendship."

"..." I remained silent, less I give more ammunition to her to attack with, her fantasy was already running wild, though not without a reason.

Emerald might deny it but sometimes she is stickier than a glued-up octopus hugging the ever-living crap out of you, it's even worse than how Nora sticks to Ren all the time. Yang's teasing caused Ruby to murmur about 'ew, boys' or something. It also sparked Jaune's and surprisingly Cinder's interest too as the former sent me a questioning look while the latter tried to muster as much information out of Emerald as she could with the blonde brawler which was a surprising sight to say. Never have I imagined Cinder to be the gossiping type. Too bad for them there isn't any juicy gossip material, we lived together but maintained a more sibling-like relationship than romantic. We have our fair share of embarrassing memories as any family would have like walking on each other while changing or that one time she tried out alcohol and climbed in my hammock in the middle of the night. Nothing happened but the next morning was one hell of a rollercoaster of emotions and since then she avoids any drink like wildfire.

Garen finished his soup in silence, seemingly not interested in the topic, I answered Jaune's mute question with a shake of my head and continued eating, thankfully Cinder and Yang soon realized that there really wasn't anything worthwhile to try and force out of Emerald much to her relief before the blonde brawler leveled me with an appraising look.

"So if you two aren't dating does that mean you are on the market, big guy?" she leaned forward, emphasizing her well-developed body to make me blush.

Unfortunately for her, I already knew she would try something like that and maintained eye contact with her, giving her my best impression of a dead fish that wasn't too hard thanks to my eyes.

"No," I said simply, though her smile didn't waver.

"You are a hard catch, I like it."

It took me longer than it should have, even with Ruby's groan that she was making a pun about my heritage but I noticed it sooner than the rest of our little group did. I kept a level head on the surface but inside I was laughing my ass off. If one thing I was looking forward to in interacting with team RWBY, it was Yang's puns. Say whatever you want about puns being the shittiest type of humor, I enjoy it. I looked straight into her lilac eyes and with my most flat voice, I responded.

"That was crabby a joke."

Her smile widened into a grin as she got the message while next to her Ruby seemed to pale at the prospect of someone challenging her sister.

"Oh no, now there are two of them," she whispered to herself but Jaune caught it.

"What?"

Instead of explaining she just buried her head in her hands. Emerald seemed to get what was going on, I often told her my jokes as unimaginable as it might sound and she was kinda okay with them. There were a few good ones, a few bad ones, and the rest that she didn't get the reference and I didn't want to point out for her. This one she understood.

"I got to ask it for the benefit of the rest but really? You are going to do it?" she sounded tired, maybe my jokes weren't as good as I thought they were.

"I admit, it was a little fishy."

We turned to the one who said it, surprised that Garen has this kind of humor, and found him smirking at us, his dinner finished. Yang blinked a few times before her face bloomed into a grin and she sent a thumbs up to both of us and we nodded back. We ate our dinner with small talks popping up about different topics then headed to the ballroom to get our sleeping bags and pillows before finding a place to rest. Emerald went to take a shower while I made our beddings and prepared for my evening routine, all the while somehow our little group decided to share the same spot out of convenience since we were among the first students to enter and had the privilege to choose where we wanted to sleep. Ruby was between Yang and Jaune, opposite of them from right to left were Cinder, Emerald, me, and Garen. The sisters were already in their pajamas, Yang in her shorts and orange tank top, Ruby in her sweatpants and black tank top, and she was writing a letter. Jaune was washing his teeth and Cinder was heading to the bathroom too, leaving Garen and me with them, though they conversed between themselves.

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang sounded excited more so than her sister.

"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though," Ruby didn't even look up to reply, still writing.

"I know I do," she said, eyeing all the half-naked guys who flexed whatever muscles they had to try and impress their future teammates.

Garen finished his bedding and laid down on his back, wearing a simple blue pajama. Yang's lilac orbs wandered over to us, appreciating Garen's tight top for a few seconds then stopped at me, who still hadn't changed yet, and fixed me with a look as I was doing warm-ups while waiting for Emerald to return. It didn't take long before she eventually showed up, wearing a big green T-shirt and black shorts as her pajamas, with Cinder in tow, who opted for a red nightdress, similar in design to Weiss'. I nodded at my 'partner' and she just rolled her eyes before pulling out her comic book while I took off my shirt and undid the bandages around me, it wouldn't do good if they got stinky by my sweat, as well as removed my boots. I wasn't worried about what the others around us thought of someone having so many scars and tattoos, the only one I feared was Goodwitch however she retreated to the teacher's quarters a while ago. A low whistle echoed through the now quieter room and I turned around to see Yang's gaze roaming my body up and down.

"Somethin' on me?" I asked.

"Aside from all that badass stuff? Nothing," she grinned.

I didn't know how to respond to that but luckily I didn't have to as Ruby slammed her pen down and sat up on her bedroll.

"And done!" she declared triumphantly, putting the letter in an envelope.

Noticing we were all staring at her curiously she laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head before hiding it in her bag.

"What's that?" Yang asked.

"A letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Aw, that's so cute-" Yang couldn't continue as she got a pillow thrown to her face courtesy of Ruby.

"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school. It's weird not knowing anyone here."

"Ahem," Garen cleared his throat, getting their attention.

Her cheeks lit up in embarrassment and waved her hands as she tried to explain herself, making an adorable scene.

"Uh, I didn't mean to be rude! It's just, it's still the first day and we just met and we still don't know each other that well! I mean, I think we are friends but…" she trailed off, struggling to say properly what she wanted.

"From my point of view I think we are already friends, what about you Pyke?" he asked.

"Fair point," I shrugged and got in position.

"Um, what are you doing?" Yang confusedly asked probably what was in everyone's mind.

That confusion just increased when Emerald sat on top of me, opening her comic as I started to do push-ups before answering her. I mean, Emerald answered her, I concentrated on my breathing.

"Workout, he never misses a day, no matter what," she turned a page.

"And why do you need to be on him?"

"Plus weight, he usually uses a barrel. Just let it be, once he starts it, few things can stop him from finishing."

For a little while silence reigned over us, except for my rhythmic breathing when Yang stood up and walked over to me. The others looked on curiously but I couldn't turn my head to see what she was up to though I got to know soon enough.

"Scoot over," she said.

Without saying a word I felt Emerald shift to my shoulder blades before another weight took her place on my back, this one noticeably heavier though not unmanageable. Nonetheless, I had to stop to ask what was on my mind as it was just too sudden.

"Did'ya just sit on me?"

"Yep, didn't look like you had a challenge with just Em on top of you. Why? You dare to say I'm heavy?" she asked playfully.

I was about to answer before shutting my mouth, I knew better than to try and start a barter with her, I like living with all my body parts intact thank you very much! Too bad it didn't stop me trying to play it off cooly.

"Not really, didn' change much."

At that moment I knew I made a mistake I should have avoided because Yang's next words meant my demise, there was no way out of it now. She shifted closer to Emerald and patted my ass.

"You heard him Ruby, hop on! There's still plenty of room!"

Without hesitation she did as her sister told her, sitting on my lower back while laughing like a little kid.

"It reminds me of how Uncle Qrow tried to show off once and got crushed by dad sitting on him with us!" she giggled while I moved up and down.

Bet he just had a hangover. Though he is always drunk.

"Hm, it doesn't look like it affected him much," Emerald mused on top of me.

This sadistic little devil wants me to suffer! Damn you Em! I'm gonna get back at you later!

As I was panicking in my mind the girls tried to convince Cinder to join the fray too, who thankfully refused it. My torture came to an end when Jaune entered in his bunny onesie causing Yang to laugh so hard that she fell off of me, bringing Ruby with her. Emerald was snickering too but she was able to stay upright before laying on me instead now that she had more space for herself. Cinder too hid her smirk behind a hand, trying to be polite and Garen just smiled, then decided to join me with his trademark one-handed push-ups. I entertained the idea of trying to do some too but it vanished as soon as it came, Emerald was still on my back and I wasn't sure I could balance myself while moving up and down with just one hand.

"I could do this for hours."

"Show off…" I murmured, knowing well enough he really could.

"What's happening?" Jaune asked confused by why we were doing push-ups with Garen.

"They are training," Yang got herself together mostly, "You should follow their example, Noodle boy," she said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Hey! I'm not that skinny!"

His protest met with a flat look and wavered his confidence a little before he took his place next to Ruby who put a hand on his shoulder encouragingly. The sound of a candle being lit reached our ears and everyone turned to the source, revealing it to be Blake. Ruby instantly recognized her as well as Garen.

"That girl."

"She was at the docks, right?" he asked, still going.

"You know her?" Yang turned to her sister.

"Not really. She saw what happened this morning but left before we could say anything."

"Well, now's your chance," the blonde brawler said as she grabbed her hand and started to pull her.

We stayed there, not seeing a reason to follow them, Garen and I still 'competed' to see which of us can do more push-ups. Spoiler, I lost... Emerald wanted to finish her comic today while Jaune and Cinder didn't know Blake so they didn't have a reason to go but Jaune seemed to hesitate for a little before laying in his bedroll. I didn't hear what Ruby, Yang, and Blake were talking about but I knew what it was about. I stopped doing push-ups as I felt my hands were about to give up, sparing myself the embarrassment of kissing the ground hard and was heading to take a shower when screaming reverberated through the room.

"Oh not you again!" came from two persons at the same time.

I decided it was better I hurried up and went to bed as soon as possible. After all, we had a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Hey, you. You finally arrived! Take a seat at the fire and let it warm you up!

Damn, 12k words later and initiation still hasn't happened. What takes me so long? Never mind, I don't like rushing things so this chapter was mostly about building up the relationships and confusing the hell out of the OC. I still haven't worked out every detail regarding the world but I placed most things in order. Sadly, I can't make everything work out, but I do have a goal in mind that I would like to reach however, first I need to build up the world the story can take place and it is more delicate than I initially thought.

I have some surprises in store for y'all in the next chapter but no spoiler! Yet... I don't have a solid schedule but I will try to update monthly or two!

Hope you enjoyed it and stick around for a little while longer!