Umbra Hart
Just as Ozpin had told Umbra, a uniform, a scroll and his locker number were delivered to him before the day truly began. While Umbra wasn't too happy about being woken up, he was glad to at least have access to his weapons once more.
Picking the scroll up off his desk, he looked it over. Growing up Umbra never had a scroll. He didn't really need one. That meant he didn't exactly know how to use it. Seeing as how he only needed it to open his door, he didn't see much of a problem. Setting the scroll back down, he went to get changed for his first day. Thankfully in the middle of the night Umbra's Aura had finally come back to him. This meant his arm had finally healed and that he'd be able to take care of himself.
Putting on the shirt, blazer, pants and shoes, Umbra chose to omit the tie. Not only that, but he left the shirt untucked and blazer open. Since Ozpin wanted him to attend his stupid school so much, he would have to be fine with a little dress code violation.
As Umbra was going over to get his scroll and locker number, he heard a knock at his door. It must be that Goodwitch woman, he thought. She had most likely arrived with the team that was tasked with watching over him. It was probably a team on their way out the door that Ozpin hand picked. Their final test before graduation would be to watch over him. After gathering his things, Umbra opened the door. Just as he predicted, it was Goodwitch. Standing behind her however, was something Umbra didn't predict. The members of Team RWBY.
"Good morning Mr. Hart. I'm sure you remember me, but let me introduce myself properly. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. I'm one of the professors here at Beacon. Now, before you start your day, I would like to introduce you to the team that will be assisting you during your time at Beacon." Putting on his signature scowl, Umbra started to close his door. Before he could finish, Glynda propped the door open with her hand. Frowning, she scolded Umbra. "Don't make things difficult Mr. Hart. It will be easier for everyone involved if you just follow the rules." With an annoyed huff, Umbra opened the door. "The team that will be escorting you around Beacon is Team RWBY. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. They will be making sure that you behave during your time here." From behind Glynda, Ruby waved.
"Good morning Umbra! You look better today." Tightening his grip on the doorknob, Umbra resisted the urge to rip it off it's hinges and use it as a weapon to fight his way out of Beacon. As she was about to leave, Glynda turned to face Umbra one last time.
"Oh, and Mr. Hart? Fix your uniform." After saying what she needed to say, Glynda left. That left Umbra alone with Team RWBY. For awhile, no one said anything. Umbra contemplated closing the door again. Breaking the silence, Yang pointed at Umbra.
"Soooo. Are you gonna fix your uniform?" Rolling his eyes, Umbra stepped out into the hall and closed his door behind him. "I'll take that as a no." It was as if she could read minds… Umbra just wanted to get the day over with already.
"Let's just go. My patience is already wearing thin." Choosing to let Team RWBY lead, Umbra followed behind. As they walked the halls of Beacon, every so often people would look towards the five of them. Team RWBY got looks of sympathy while Umbra received looks of hatred. Some of the more scared people would go out of their way in order to avoid Umbra. Due to his time at Pharos, Umbra was used to people reacting to him in such a way already. Umbra just didn't care what others thought of him anymore. So long as they didn't get in his way, he couldn't care less about their opinions.
Slowly overtime, their quiet walk was interrupted by Ruby. As time went on, she started to talk more. Eventually she started trying to strike up a conversation with Umbra. Ruby asked him questions about where he was from, where he learned to fight and if he made his own weapons. With each question she asked, Umbra grew more annoyed. He was ready to yell at Ruby when one of her own teammates came to Umbra's aid.
"If I were you Ruby, I wouldn't talk to scum like him." The one to rescue Umbra was Weiss. He got the feeling she didn't care much for him. Good, he thought. That meant at least one of them would keep their distance from him. Ruby, however, thought differently.
"Weiss! That's rude! You shouldn't say things like that!" For whatever reason Ruby was defending Umbra. Was she really that stupid? It baffled Umbra that anyone would stand up for someone like him.
"Your friends right you know. Besides, trying to talk to me is a waste of your time. We aren't friends. Just because you beat me once, while I had no Aura mind you, doesn't automatically make us friends. One beating isn't going to change anything." Gasping, Ruby covered her mouth with her hands.
"So I was right! You didn't have any Aura!" Umbra sighed. He was really regretting opening his mouth right about now.
"Yeah. There was… an accident. Before you ask, no, I won't tell you about it. All you need to know is that my Aura was shattered before we fought and it was taking longer than usual to come back." Umbra saw Yang wince when he said this. She probably remembered the nasty punch she sent him flying with. If she apologized however, Umbra would chew her out.
"That's awful! I could have killed you on accident! Then I'd be a murderer!" Umbra scoffed at Ruby's reaction.
"So? It's not like I'm a good person. If anything, you'd probably be praised for taking me out." Before anymore conversation could be made, Umbra chose to shut things down. "I'm done talking now. So forget whatever you were gonna say next." Shoving his hands into his pockets, Umbra walked the rest of the way in silence. Ruby kept trying to talk to Umbra, but he ignored her.
Once they finally reached their first class of the day, Umbra chose to sit at the far back in one of the corners. Much to his annoyance, the members of Team RWBY followed him. At the very least, nobody but the members of Team RWBY chose to sit near him.
The hours ticked by and each class proved to be just as boring as the last. Seeing as how he didn't really care about his grades or what others thought of him, Umbra chose to try and sleep in order to pass the time. Emphasis on try. In the end, there were only two classes that he wasn't able to get any sleep in whatsoever. In the first class he was too angry to sleep. The teacher, who's name was Professor Port, was a heavyset man with gray hair and a mustache to match. All throughout the class, while he was teaching, he'd suddenly remember something from his past. This would cause him to start rambling on and on about his most likely made up exploits. Needless to say, Umbra absolutely despised the man. He was a living example as to why Umbra hated Hunters.
As for the second class, the professor who'd rather you referred to him as a Doctor, zipped around the classroom as if he were on dust. Lightning Dust Specifically. The way he was able to bolt around the room and lecture at insane speeds made Umbra feel slightly uneasy. Knowing he wouldn't be able to keep up with the lesson, Umbra was glad he wasn't putting in any effort.
Eventually lunch, a break between classes, had arrived. Following Team RWBY into the cafeteria, Umbra almost stumbled over himself. Seeing how packed the place was, he started to feel somewhat nauseous. For a moment, he was brought back to his time at Pharos. Since he didn't want to draw any attention to himself, Umbra pulled himself together.
As they were walking through the cafeteria Umbra felt someone grab his shoulder from behind. They spun him around, and Umbra was able to see who had grabbed him. It was a man who stood slightly taller than Umbra. His dull gray hair was contrasted by his bright green eyes.
"Would you look at that, it really is you Umbra. Long time no see." While he was talking, a smug look crept onto his face. Shrugging him off, Umbra scowled.
"Silver… Where's the rest of your gang? Did you scare them off?" Standing his ground, Umbra wasn't scared of Silver anymore. Since their last encounter, he had been through more than Silver could ever hope to put Umbra through. Crossing his arms, Silver scoffed.
"Our team already sat down to eat. I only came over because I thought I saw you." Waving a hand, he smirked. "Which, as it turns out, was the case." Looking past Umbra, Silver turned his attention towards the members of Team RWBY. "You four have my condolences. If he gives you any trouble, just ask around for me. My name's Silver King. I've put Umbra in his place before, so I'll be more than happy to do it a second time if I have to." After saying goodbye to Team RWBY, Silver left. Stepping up to Umbra, Ruby decided to annoy him further.
"I'm guessing you two went to the same school before Beacon?" At first Umbra wasn't going to bother answering such an obvious question. Figuring that Ruby would probably keep asking about Silver, he'd rather just tell her to shut her up.
"Pharos. I attended for less then a year. Back then, he was a lot like Weiss is to me now." Turning back to face Team RWBY, he walked past the four girls. "Only time will tell if she's gets to be as bad as Silver or not. If I'm lucky enough, she will. Once she snaps I'll be assigned a new team to watch over me." Leaving things at that, Umbra didn't say anymore.
After the Silver incident, Team RWBY and Umbra got their meals. When they went to sit down, other students got up from their seats to move away from Umbra. Those that chose to stay slid down to the far end to stay as far away from Umbra as they could. While Ruby didn't look too happy about it, Umbra was glad. The less people that were around, the better.
Choosing to eat in silence, Umbra didn't engage with the members of Team RWBY. No matter what their hyperactive leader tried, Umbra remained silent. Sooner or later she'd get it through that thick skull of hers that they weren't friends. Until that day came, or when he broke free, Umbra would just have to tune her out.
Once lunch was over and after a few more classes, a class that Umbra was actually interested in popped up. It was some sort of sparring class. Umbra was interested in finding out how some of the others fought. While he had actually faced off against the members of Team RWBY, maybe he'd learn something new by watching them fight someone else.
The class however was run by Umbra's number one fan, Glynda Goodwitch. Barely registering what Glynda said, Umbra absorbed only the basics. Unsurprisingly, killing was against the rules. Fights were one on one and only lasted until someone's Aura dropped to a certain level. Which, for safety reasons, was monitored.
As if to spite Umbra, Glynda had chosen him as one of the first contestants. His opponent? None other then Silver King. With a scoff, Umbra got up and followed Silver into the locker room. On the way down he pulled out the piece of paper with his locker number on it. It took him awhile, but eventually Umbra was able to find his locker. Putting in the combination, he opened it up. Inside were all of his weapons. Before he could reach in to grab anything, his locker was slammed shut.
"Just like old time, eh Umbra?" Not looking back, Umbra kept his gaze focused on his locker. "Are you ready for the beating I'm about to give you? Since we last met, I've given Alpha and Omega some real nice upgrades. They pack a mean punch now. Worse then they did back then." Still not willing to give Silver what he wanted, Umbra remained silent. "You know, once I beat you down, everyone will see you for what you really are. Weak." Balling his hand into a fist, Umbra nearly gave into his rage "No one will be scared of you when I show them how easily I can beat you. I'll be the hero everyone needs right now." Having finished taunting Umbra, Silver stormed off.
Closing his eyes, Umbra took a few deep breaths. When he was cooled down, Umbra reopened his locker and took out Ignition. Taking Solar Eclipse as well, Umbra hid the small blade under his jacket.
Slinging Ignition onto his shoulder, Umbra put his free hand in his pocket and walked out onto the arena. Silver was waiting for him with a death glare. Umbra wondered how many in the stands wished they could be in Silver's place. Getting into position, he waited for Glynda to give them the go ahead. Watching Silver raise his arms, Umbra saw that his Brass Knuckles really had been upgraded. Each knuckle now had a sharp point to it. Rolling his eyes, Umbra got into his own stance. As Glynda started counting down, Umbra closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. Once she had finished counting down, Umbra opened his eyes and shot forward.
Clashing for a brief moment near the center, Umbra quickly backed off. If he wanted to win this fight, then Umbra would need to play things carefully. Much like Yang, he wouldn't be able to properly block or parry any of Silver's attacks.
Letting Silver take the offensive, Umbra dodged his attacks. Only when Silver overextended himself did Umbra attack. Which, due to Silver's anger, happened quite often. Missed punch after missed punch, Umbra slowly chipped away at Silver's Aura.
Eventually Silver caught onto Umbra's tactic. Doing his best to compose himself mid battle, Silver slowly cooled off. Once he was calmer, Silver started landing blows on Umbra.
After taking a punch to the gut, Umbra saw that the sharp ends on Silver's weapon were now gone. Before he could react, Umbra was blown backwards by an explosion.
Due to their small size Umbra was able to stay on his feet. That didn't change the fact that a large chunk of his Aura was now missing. If he got hit with another explosion like that, Umbra would lose the fight.
With his image on the line, Umbra refused to let himself be defeated. Semblance or not, he would win. Sheathing Ignition, Umbra threw the useless blade to the side. Reaching under his jacket, Umbra took out Solar Eclipse. Flipping the Tantō into a reverse grip, Umbra matched Silver's stance.
Rushing back in Umbra baited out an attack from Silver. Ducking under a straight, Umbra slashed Silver and then elbowed him in the back of the head. Swinging around with a hook, Silver aimed for Umbra's head. Weaving back to avoid the blow, Umbra struck Silver's chin with an uppercut. While Silver was stumbling back, Umbra gave him a few slashes with Solar Eclipse. Finishing things with a kick, Umbra knocked Silver to the ground. Before Umbra could continue the attack, a buzzer went off. Before a winner could even be announced, those in attendance started booing. Walking up to the stage, Glynda motioned for the class to quiet down.
"That's enough everyone. Whatever you may think of Mr. Hart, he won the fight fairly." Not expecting Glynda to be on his side of anything, Umbra made his way over to collect Ignition. On the way, he looked down at Silver who was still laying down. Grinning, Umbra felt a rush of joy. It felt nice being the one to hand out the beating for once.
Eventually Silver got back up and the two of them returned their gear to their lockers. Deciding to keep Solar Eclipse on him, just in case he ever needed it, Umbra hid the small weapon.
Returning to his seat in silence, Umbra's happiness was short lived. Besides those in Team RWBY, another team of Hunters had moved to sit nearby. When he walked past the guy with blonde hair, Umbra thought there was an earthquake with how much the guy was shaking. Before he could even sit down, Ruby started to annoy Umbra. While she was doing her best to keep it down, it was only just enough to keep from annoying those that were nearby.
"You did great Umbra! The way you switched your fighting style mid-battle was so cool!" Doing his best to ignore the hyperactive child seated next to him, Umbra focused in on those that were called down. "You must be a jack of all trades when it comes to fighting. How many other weapons do you know how to fight with?" As he was getting close to losing his temper, Umbra was thankful when Yang came to his rescue. Though he would never say such a thing out loud.
"Hey, Ruby? Do you think you could dial it back a notch or two? Why don't you introduce him to the others?" Before he could even attempt to decline the offer, Ruby started introducing Umbra to her friends.
"That's a good idea Yang!" Sighing, Umbra decided it would be easier to just roll with it. "Umbra, these are our friends Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren. They're Team Juniper, and Jaune is their team leader." As Ruby introduced each member of the team she pointed them out. When he learned that the coward was their leader, Umbra thought that Ruby was pranking him. Going back to paying attention to the arena, Umbra crossed his arms.
"That's nice and all, but I didn't ask. I couldn't care less about who you're friends with." Snapping at Umbra, it was Weiss's turn to annoy him.
"Watch your tongue! Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Shrugging, Umbra kept his eyes on the two that were fighting. "Are you telling me you don't know who Pyrrha is? As in the Pyrrha Nikos?" Losing what little interest he had in the fight, Umbra turned to face Weiss.
"No. I don't know who Pyrrha Nikos is. If she's meant to be a celebrity of some kind I don't keep up with that shit. That goes doubly so seeing as how she's a Huntress." Before their back and forth could continue, Pyrrha herself stepped in.
"It's quite alright Weiss. If he wishes to treat me as just another person, then I don't see the harm in it." Huffing, Weiss dropped the subject. Disappointed that she let go so easily, Umbra thought about pushing her buttons some more. With Glynda nearby however, Umbra decided against it. If she saw first hand that he was causing issues, Umbra wouldn't hear the end of it.
For the rest of the class Umbra kept his mouth shut. Choosing to watch each match that occurred rather than interacting with Team's RWBY and JNPR, Umbra felt himself getting more and more tired with each match. If any other team besides Team RWBY had been sent after him, it was possible he would have only had to fight them once. With how weak they all seemed in comparison, his scare tactics might have actually worked.
Just as Umbra caught himself falling asleep, the final bell for the day rang. Glynda dismissed the class and everyone got up to leave. Trailing behind Team's RWBY and JNPR, Umbra locked eyes with Silver as he was leaving. It didn't take long for a smug grin to appear on Umbra's face. Sneering, Silver quickly looked elsewhere.
While they were walking, Umbra noticed that both teams were too busy talking to each other in order to pay any attention to him. Seeing it as a chance to sneak off, Umbra did exactly that. Without anyone breathing down his neck, he'd be able to scout out Beacon in peace.
If he were to just start hunting for camera's, Ozpin would surely catch onto what Umbra was doing. So, Umbra decided to retrace his steps from earlier in the day. Going from class to class, he pretended to further memorize the route he would be taking nearly everyday for the foreseeable future. As he walked, Umbra made sure to make a mental note of any obvious camera's that he saw. Later, when he was alone, he'd write down their locations in a notebook. Once he was done scoping out his surroundings in a way that wouldn't arouse suspicion, Umbra began to just wander the portion of Beacon he was currently in.
Eventually, Umbra stumbled upon the library. Seeing as how it had been more than a month since he had last sat down and read something, Umbra figured it couldn't hurt to find a short story or two to read. After picking a few books at random, Umbra found a quiet area to read in.
Barely even a page into his first book, Umbra felt as though he was being watched. Holding up his book to make it look like he was reading it, Umbra scanned his surroundings. It took him longer than he expected, but Umbra was able to spot his stalker. Peering through a bookshelf was Blake Belladonna. The most silent and mysterious member of Team RWBY. If Umbra had it his way, she'd remain a mystery. Now that Umbra knew he wasn't in any real danger, he went back to reading his book. Once again, it didn't last long as Blake decided to finally approach Umbra.
"You know, you had everyone worried. We thought you already made an escape attempt." Sparing Blake merely a quick glance, Umbra kept his focus on his book.
"Good. Let them worry." Pulling out a chair, Blake sat down.
"Sorry to say, but I already messaged them that I found you and that they didn't have to worry anymore." Judging by the smirk she was wearing, Umbra knew Blake wasn't sorry at all. "So. Did you really just sneak off to read? If you wanted to read that badly, we could've all gone together." Scoffing at the idea, Umbra lowered his book.
"Yeah. That sounds like a wonderful idea. I just absolutely love spending time with you guys. It's not like I snuck off in order to get away from you or anything." Raising his book back up, Umbra went back to ignoring Blake. After a minute or two of silence, Umbra started to get uncomfortable. Taking quick peeks over his book he could see her staring at him. Could she just leave already? He thought. She's starting to creep me out. Instead of leaving, Blake decided to keep talking.
"Listen, I know that Ruby can be… a bit much sometimes, but…" Fully putting his book down, Umbra crossed his arms. "She just wants to help you." Sneering, Umbra leaned back and kicked his feet up onto the table.
"The only thing she can help me with is getting out of here. I don't need, or want, help with anything else." Clearly not amused, Blake stood up.
"You know Umbra, even if you've managed to fool people like Weiss, that doesn't mean everyone will fall for your act. I've seen just how horrible and cruel people can really get, and you don't come close to it. You had not one, but two opportunities to kill Ruby. You didn't take either." Stunned at Blake's sudden brazenness, Umbra truly didn't know how to respond. "Compared to someone I once knew, you're soft." Leaving things at that, Blake turned and left.
Tapping his fingers against the table, Umbra sat and thought. The fact that Blake saw him as soft didn't sit right with Umbra. While he was at Beacon, Umbra wanted to be someone that everyone despised. It was just easier for everyone that way. Himself included. Deciding that he was done for the day, Umbra stood up and returned the books he picked out.
The first thing Umbra did upon returning to his room was hide Solar Eclipse. When it was in a safe enough location, he took off his blazer and draped it over a chair in the room. As Umbra was going to start unbuttoning his shirt, there was a knock at the door. Grumbling along the way, Umbra answered.
"What?" Standing on the other side was the number one thorn in his side. Ruby Rose. Holding her hands behind her back, she smiled. "You have ten seconds to get to the point. Starting now." Holding an open hand out, Ruby was giving him something. It looked like a necklace of some kind.
"I've been meaning to give this to you. A little girl made it." Little girl? Umbra thought. What little girl would… That's when Umbra realized just who that was. "She said that she wanted you to come back and visit sometime too. So that you could meet her grandparents." Taking the necklace from Ruby, Umbra looked it over. "Since you're probably tired from your first day, I'll leave. I just wanted to give that to you before I forgot. I'll see you tomorrow, Umbra." Caught off guard for the second time in one day, Umbra merely waved goodbye before shutting his door.
Still looking over the necklace as he sat down, Umbra realized that it was meant to be the tooth of an Ursa. Since Grimm disintegrated when killed, it was obviously just a replica tooth. Closing his hand, Umbra thought about what to do with the gift. He could easily just throw it away and pretend he never saw it.
Standing up, Umbra walked over to the small metal bin in his room. Dangling the necklace over it, Umbra stood in silence. After what felt like forever, Umbra still hadn't thrown it away. Slowly, he put it down on his desk. If he couldn't get rid of it, then he'd just let it sit there until he could figure out what to do with it. Going back to changing his clothes, Umbra was ready to finally get the day over with.