Umbra Hart
Having stayed up most of the night planning his escape, Umbra was still tired by the time sunlight started to pour through his window. Yawning, he forced himself to get up. Getting changed into his uniform Umbra once again broke the dress code and wore his uniform the way he wanted to wear it. Doing so wouldn't earn him any favor with Glynda, but he couldn't care less about that. After finishing with everything else that needed to be done during his morning routine, Umbra grabbed his scroll off the nightstand and left his room.
Standing around outside his room, Umbra decided to browse his scroll while he waited for Team RWBY. The first thing he looked through was the contacts. It came as no surprise that the four members of RWBY were all listed. Seeing this, Umbra realized that Ozpin probably put zero thought into who would watch over him. If Umbra kept annoying Weiss, maybe he could get Ozpin to put more thought into who would be watching over him.
Another thing that Umbra found out about his scroll was that it was able to track his Aura. This only cemented the idea to Umbra that he was in fact being tracked. If it was tracking his Aura, who knew what else it was tracking. His location? Sleep? Anger? The possibilities were endless. And as if to add fuel to the fire, a picture of him was above his Aura bar. It was the one they took of him at Pharos. He would've been 14 at the time. On his face was a big stupid smile. Feeling his grip begin to tighten around his scroll, Umbra had to stop himself before he broke it. Who knew what kind of trouble he'd get in for breaking it. Hearing a voice off to his right, Umbra turned off his scroll and pocketed the device. The one talking was Yang.
"Aw, Umbra. You couldn't wait to see us, so you decided to wait outside your room for us. How sweet." Sneering as he pushed off the wall, Umbra put his hands inside his pockets to keep himself in check.
"Shut it. Consider yourselves lucky that I didn't just head off to class without you. Actually, now that I think about it, I just might start doing exactly that from now on." Frowning, Yang put her hands on her hips.
"And just when I thought we were making progress." Ignoring Yang, Umbra walked up to Team RWBY. Together, the five of them made their way to their first class of the day.
Much like the day before, everyone they passed gave Umbra dirty looks. And just like the day before, Umbra ignored them. Being the ball of endless energy she was, it wasn't long before Ruby broke the silence.
"Did you get enough sleep last night Umbra? You look pretty tired." Putting a finger to her chin, she looked up. "Now that I think about it, you were falling asleep during all our classes yesterday. Does your Semblance just take a lot of energy out of you?" Sighing, Umbra nodded his head.
"Yeah, sure. Let's just go with that." As he didn't want anything to do with the current conversation, Umbra just went with what Ruby said. Smiling, Ruby continued to annoy him.
"Well if that's the case, don't you worry! We'll do all we can to make sure you don't have to use your Semblance all that much!" While Ruby seemed enthusiastic, her team didn't seem to match her energy.
Rounding a corner on their way to class, Team RWBY and Umbra nearly collided with another team. The members of Team RWBY all apologized while Umbra merely waited to get a move on again. Before that could happen, someone from the other team surprised Umbra by talking to him.
"Well well well. I heard the rumors, but I didn't think they were true." Lowering her sunglasses to get a better look, the girl looked Umbra over. For some reason, she was familiar to Umbra. Like he knew her from somewhere. "Umbra Hart, the cold blooded killer. Here at Beacon." Putting her sunglasses back up, the girl began to laugh. Feeling his anger begin to bubble, Umbra stepped forward.
"What's so funny!? Huh!?" Composing herself, the girl crossed her arms.
"Sorry, I just couldn't say that with a straight face. I mean, with how you acted back at Pharos, I just don't buy it. You? A killer? Yeah right." When she said that, Umbra knew why the girl had looked so familiar to him. "Hey, what's with that look? Don't tell me you forgot who I am. It's Coco. Velvet's here too." Putting an arm around the rabbit Faunus, Coco dragged her over. However, it wasn't long before she wormed her way out of Coco's grasp. Waving a hand, Umbra faced away from them.
"Of course I remember. I still owe you a favor after all…" Keeping his gaze elsewhere, Umbra looked out a window. "As for me, a lot can change in just a few years." When Coco opened her mouth next, he was reminded as to why he didn't like talking to her.
"Oh trust me. I can see that. Combined with your new bad boy attitude, I bet you're having a hard time keeping all the ladies off you." With that, Umbra stormed off. He was done with Coco. "Oh don't be like that! I'm just teasing!" While he was leaving, Umbra could hear both Yang and Coco laughing. If this was what life at Beacon would be like, Umbra would end up in prison before long.
Eliza Dubos
Sitting at her desk, Eliza was working on more papers. They just never seemed to stop. After hearing a knock at her door, she peeked up from her work to see that it was General Ironwood. Stopping what she was doing, Eliza stood at attention.
"General Ironwood, Sir." With his hands behind his back, Ironwood walked into the room. Holding the door open for him was one of the soldiers in his escort.
"At ease Captain." Relaxing her stance, Eliza kept her hands at her side.
"Do you need something sir?" The General walked up to her desk.
"Yes, actually. Captain Dubos, I have a very important mission for you." Perking up at the mention of special mission, Eliza listened carefully. "As you know, the Vytal Festival is almost upon us." Eliza gave a quick nod of her head. "This year, it's being held at Beacon Academy. Due to… certain circumstances, I've decided to raise the security." The only reason for the raise in security that Eliza could think of was all the Dust robberies in Vale. "I'm sending you on one of the ships to help maintain peace should you be needed. However, you will not be allowed to leave the ship you are stationed on unless you are needed. Understood?" Eliza gave a quick nod.
"Yes sir." It was an odd request, but if this mission was as important as he said, she would take it.
"The reason for this, is because Ozpin has decided to take Umbra Hart on as a student at his Academy. While I still have my reservations on this, it's not the biggest of my worries. But, if he truly is the one behind the deaths of the rest of Team SHDE, there's no telling what he would do if he were to see you." So that was his reasoning. It bothered Eliza that she wouldn't be able to speak to Umbra, but orders were orders. Either way, she didn't want to risk Umbra causing a scene at such an important event.
"I understand sir. I will stay aboard the ship that I'm stationed." Smiling, General Ironwood nodded his head. As he left, Eliza got back to her papers. It was difficult for her to concentrate however, as her thoughts kept wandering to Umbra. Hopefully, if he was in Beacon, that meant he was getting help.
Umbra Hart
The day had gone by in what seemed like a flash. It was most likely due to the fact that Umbra had napped throughout it. Waking up from one of said naps, Umbra noticed that Pyrrha had been called down to fight. She was up against someone that was clearly out of her league. She was so out of their league in fact, that Pyrrha managed to win without taking a single scratch. It was almost as if she was untouchable. As Pyrrha and her opponent were making their way back to the stands, the final bell rung. Glynda made a quick announcement as students were getting up to leave.
"Teams Ruby, Juniper, Cardinal, and Silver, remember that tomorrow is our trip to the Forever Falls." Feeling his heart begin to race just at the mention of Forever Falls, Umbra suddenly found it difficult to breathe. "As for you Mr. Hart, Ozpin has decided to send you along with Team RWBY." Realizing that he would be going back to the Forever Falls, Umbra felt as though he was going to vomit. "Make sure that everyone is prepared and that you get a good nights rest." Obviously not able to hide his current state from the others, Ruby grabbed Umbra's shoulder.
"Umbra! Are you alright!?" Not able to hold himself back, Umbra snapped at her.
"I'm fine!" Shrugging her off, Umbra shot to his feet. Taking a look around, he could see that his outburst had caught the attention of everyone still present. Glynda included. "I'm fine." Repeating himself at a much lower volume, Umbra calmed himself. Ruby was going to say something, but Umbra cut her off before she could say anything. "Just drop it. Let's just go and eat so I can call it a day." Walking off without waiting for Team RWBY, Umbra made his way to the cafeteria. Much to his annoyance, it didn't take them that long to catch up to him.
When they arrived at the cafeteria Umbra kept his head down. With how on edge Umbra was feeling, he didn't feel like dealing with anything else for today. As he was looking for a table to sit down at, Silver walked up to him. Behind him were the rest of his team.
"Umbra the murderer. How ya been?" Swinging his arm up, Silver knocked the tray Umbra was holding out of his hands. When it clattered to the floor, the people who were around looked to see what was going on. Getting in Umbra's face, Silver grabbed onto the collar of his shirt. "I've been dying to see you after what happened yesterday." A smug grin crept onto Umbra's face when he remembered how badly he had beaten Silver during their spar.
"Hey! You two that's enough!" Pushing through the crowd that had began to form, Yang and the other members of Team RWBY tried to interfere. Looking back at them, Umbra gave them an angry look.
"All of you stay out of this." Pushing Silver off of him, Umbra straightened his shirt out. "What's going on is between me, and Silver." Scoffing, Silver cracked his knuckles.
"Ya know Umbra, no one wants you here. Why don't you do everyone a favor, and go jump off a cliff." With a sardonic smile, Silver put his hands on his hips. "At least that way you'dactuallybe useful for once in your life. Someone would get payed to clean up the mess you leave behind." Balling his hands into fists, Umbra tried to keep his breathing steady.
"Trust me when I say that I don't want to be here either. The month long torture I endured at Mt. Glenn was a much better time then being stuck here with people like you." Feeling himself tense up, Umbra prepared himself for what he was going to say next. "Now that I have the chance, why don't you tell me something Silver. How does it feel? Knowing that you have blood on your hands?" Pointing at Silver, Umbra grinned. "If you had just killed me back then, you could have saved an innocent man's life. But you didn't. You didn't have the guts to go through with it. The way I see it, you have just as much blood on your hands as I do mine." A cold wind seemed to blow through the cafeteria. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Shaking, Silver gave Umbra a look full of nothing but pure rage. Then, without warning, Silver lashed out at Umbra.
Taking a punch to the cheek, Umbra stumbled backwards. Those that could see what was happening started cheering. Before anyone from Team RWBY could step in, they were pushed back by others that wanted front row seats to the fight.
Quickly recovering from his initial shock, Umbra brought up his fists. Backing up with his arms up, Umbra defended himself from the onslaught Silver was sending his way. When Umbra saw the smallest of openings, he took the chance to attack.
Kneeing Silver in the gut, Umbra elbowed Silvers back before backing off. Rushing forward, Silver tried to tackle Umbra. Turning around, Umbra ran towards a table. Jumping off the table Umbra flipped over Silver and let him crash into the table. Before Umbra could get a few free hits in, Silver spun around and grabbed him. Slamming Umbra into the table, Silver punched and elbowed Umbra in his chest and face.
Spinning himself around, Umbra kicked Silver in the face and then stood up. Rather then letting Silver drag him off the table, Umbra moved back. Following Umbra up onto the table, Silver gave chase. Trading blows the two slowly moved across the table, knocking trays of food onto the floor as they went.
While Silver was leaving himself open for counter attack, Umbra found it difficult to capitalize on many due to the sheer ferocity of Silver's offensive. With the way Silver was fighting, he'd end up exhausted before long. Until then, Umbra could only get a few quick jabs in every now and then.
Before he knew it, Umbra had run out of table. Getting tackled to the floor, Silver had him pinned. Every attempt Umbra made to free himself was met in vain. Raising his arms up, all he could do was protect himself.
"It's time to finish what I started! I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone else Umbra!" Slipping past Umbra's defense, Silver grabbed onto Umbra's neck. Knowing that time was of the essence now, Umbra had to escape fast.
The first thing Umbra tried was to rip Silver's hands away. Grabbing onto Silver's fingers, Umbra tried to bend them to the point that they snapped. In the end, Silver's grip was too tight.
Umbra was losing strength at a rapid pace. With each second that ticked by, Umbra felt himself get weaker. As a last resort, he reached up to jam his fingers into Silver's eyes. Once again, it was a fruitless attempt. Silver moved his head back in order to keep himself out of Umbra's reach. Kicking and punching, Umbra gave it his all to break free. Just as he was ready to give up all hope, someone pulled Silver off of him.
"Mr. King! Mr. Hart!" Coughing as he sat up, Umbra recognized his savior as Glynda Goodwitch. Giving both Silver and Umbra a death glare, Glynda looked more than a little ticked off. "The two of you will come with me at once. If there is any back talk, I will make sure that the both of you are expelled. Am I clear?" Not bothering to respond, Umbra stood up and brushed himself off. Likewise, Silver remained silent. "I said, am I clear?" Slightly raising her voice, Glynda didn't have to make it any more obvious that she wasn't joking around.
"Yes ma'am." Both Silver and Umbra responded. Without another word, the two fell in line behind Glynda. In silence, the three made their way through the halls of Beacon. From the beginning, Umbra had known they were heading to Ozpin's office. Once they reached the elevator, Umbra realized realized that he'd be stuck in an enclosed space with Silver. Shooting Silver a glare as they entered, Umbra's heart began to race when Glynda turned around and almost caught the quick exchange.
As they rode the elevator up, Umbra and Silver kept as far away from each other as possible. Glynda made sure to stand in the middle of them just in case one or the other tried something. Soon enough, the elevator bell dinged signaling their arrival. Sitting at his desk sipping from a mug was Ozpin himself. Setting the mug down, he gave them a small welcoming grin. Clearly Ozpin had been waiting for them. Their fight must have been caught on camera.
"Umbra, it feels as though no time has past since we last saw each other. Wouldn't you agree?" Ignoring the mans quip, Umbra kept quiet. Though he did appreciate the fact that he remembered not to refer to him by his last name. "Why don't you two take a seat?" Ozpin motioned to the two seats in front of his desk. Doing as they were told, both Umbra and Silver sat down. Giving them space, but staying nearby in case she was needed, Glynda backed off. Leaning back, Ozpin looked over both Umbra and Silver. "Before anything else, I want to warn you two that if anything like this happens again, I won't be so lenient. Do you understand?" Nodding their heads, Umbra and Silver remained quiet. "Good. Now, why don't you two tell me what happened. Since it's important to get both sides of an argument, I'd like to hear from both of you as to what caused our little altercation." Crossing his arms, Umbra didn't say anything. Silver took Umbra's silence as his sign to go first.
"Sir, I was only trying to make the other students feel safe. Rumors that Umbra was attending Beacon spread fast. This made a lot of others feel like they weren't safe here with someone like Umbra around. All I wanted to do was show them that Umbra wasn't someone to be feared." Feeling his anger begin to boil all over again, Umbra looked off to his right. He refused to take part in this waste of time. Slowly nodding his head, Ozpin listened to what Silver had to say.
"Is that so? Are you sure that is your only reason for doing so?" Silver stammered before choosing to stay quiet. "That doesn't sound like the response of someone who's confident in their answer." Turning his attention towards Umbra now, Ozpin addressed him. "Umbra, what about you? What do you have to say?" Committed to staying quiet, Umbra didn't say a word. Due to his silence, Silver quickly overrode the conversation.
"If I'm being honest sir, I don't know what you were thinking. Allowing Umbra to attend Beacon, that is. I don't even think he should've been allowed to join Pharos. All he is, is an exact copy of his father." Feeling his nails begin to dig into the palm of his hands, Umbra finally broke his silence.
"Shut up." His words came out quiet and shakily. It was obvious to those present that Silver's words had gotten to Umbra. Instead of listening to Umbra, Silver continued.
"Oh, did I hurt your feelings? Well too bad Umbra. I don't care much for the feelings of a murderer." By now, Umbra had most definitely drew blood. His hands hurt, but it was all he could do to keep from lashing out. "You know what hurts me? Huh!?" Standing up, Silver began to shout. Glynda wasn't having any of it.
"Mr. King! Lower your voice!" Silver ignored her.
"The fact that you killed my brother and his best friend! You saw the perfect opportunity to off them while the four of you were out on that training exercise! Bullshit you were swarmed by Grimm!" Thoroughly angry now, Glynda used her Semblance on Silver to sit him back down.
"You watch your language!" As if Glynda wasn't even there, Silver continued to ignore her.
"If those other students and their instructor hadn't shown up, you probably would've offed Carmine sooner then you did!" Umbra's anger had finally reached it's boiling point. Unable to contain himself any longer, he shot up and slammed his fist onto Ozpin's desk. Blood trickled down from his hand onto the now cracked desk.
"Shut up! Just shut up!" Panting, Umbra felt weak. It took all his strength to keep from falling down. "You don't know, anything. I'd never even think about hurting Onyx, Cedric, or Carmine… Especially not Carmine…" Silver laughed.
"Oh? You wouldn't would you? Then why did you run! Huh!? Shortly after her father was found dead, and she went missing, so did you and your scumbag father! You killed her Umbra! Just like you killed Onyx and Cedric! Why should I believe a word that comes out of your mouth!?" Putting both hands on the desk to steady himself, Umbra kept his gaze aimed at the floor. Feeling tears begin to form, he fought them back with all he had.
"Because I loved her dammit!" He wouldn't cry here. Not in front of so many others. "I loved her…" For what felt like a long time, nobody said a word. A crushing silence had overtaken the room. Once he had let things settle for a bit, Ozpin was the one to break the silence.
"It would seem that we've come to the heart of the problem." If he wasn't so mentally exhausted, Umbra would have given Ozpin a scowl for his lame joke. "Silver, Umbra, for the time being, the both of you are to keep contact to a minimum. Once you've both cooled down to a degree, we'll continue this conversation at a later date. Glynda, if you wouldn't mind, could you please escort Umbra back to his room?"
"Yes, Ozpin. It's no trouble." Umbra made his way over to the elevator with Glynda. When she offered Umbra a hand, he waved her off. Glynda was right underneath Ruby in a list of people he didn't want help from. It went without saying as to who sat at the very top. Silver went to stand up, but Ozpin stopped him.
"As for you, Silver, I wish to have a word with you. One on one. Besides, it's better if you and Umbra leave at separate times." Grumbling, Silver sat back down.
All the way back to his room, Umbra remained quiet. He didn't have anything else to say for the day. He didn't even have the energy to be angry anymore. When they reached his room, Glynda put a hand on Umbra's shoulder.
"Mr. Hart… Umbra… Are you okay?" Shrugging Glynda's hand away, Umbra slipped into his room.
"Don't even pretend you care. Just go away." Before she could say anything more, Umbra closed the door on her.
Going straight to bed, Umbra didn't bother changing out of his uniform. Collapsing face first onto his bed, Umbra just sat in silence. Turning onto his back, Umbra stared up at the ceiling. Even though he was beyond tired, the last thing he wanted to do was sleep. If he were to go to sleep now, there was no telling what he'd see.