Chapter 23 – maKing progress

Blake stood over Ruby's shoulder, pointing to the formulas she needed to use to solve the problem. The familiarity of something as mundane as homework helped her to not lose her mind stressing over the fact that they'd encountered 'Time's Up' Tock herself, and survived.

Well, some of them had.

The hunter of hunter, she had been called sometimes. Her existence was something of a myth, but Blake now knew she was as real as could be, and none of the stories about how dangerous she was had been exaggerated. It was said that she killed huntsmen and huntresses with the same lethal accuracy that they killed creatures of the Grimm. Some even said that she was a Grimm abomination herself, come back as a vengeful spirit to enact her sinister will on those who'd slain her brethren.

Due to the high fatality rates of those who encountered her, General Ironwood had limited information about her, hence his initial inability to identify her. Her survivors had mistaken her for a venomous snake Faunus or even a dinosaur Faunus. However, one huntress who'd just barely made it out alive remembered the woman referring to herself as Tock. Adam had heard the name said out loud, so the general could now give them everything he knew about her.

Her name was Tock. No surname, though her moniker was 'Time's Up.'

She had some sort of bizarre time fetish, and she was practically obsessed with her pocketwatch.

She was thought to have killed at least 50 hunters in the past decade alone.

She couldn't be killed. Blake could attest to that firsthand.

That was all they knew. No helpful hints on avoiding her, no motivation for her manic obsession with Ruby's eye color, no nothing. Just that she was a tough motherfucker who stared at her watch a lot.

"So," said Ruby.

"So," said Blake, unsure what they were talking about.

"The dance is coming up."

"That it is."

Of course, the general hadn't just sent the message through Penny for fun. The information on the Dust jagger, Hazel Rainart, and the thief, Roman Torchwick, was far more valuable. Furthermore, the fact that Tock was working with those two gave them a starting point to figure out who she was and why.

Hazel was known to be a disgruntled huntsman who washed his hands of the whole academy-based system when his sister died at Beacon some years back. It was believed that he was an anarchist who sought the destruction of not only the schools that killed his sister but the governments that funded them as well. Lofty ambitions, but ones that he could reasonably achieve with the strength he packed. His semblance rendered him immune to pain, allowing him to jag Dust without being driven mad by the agony and then seal the wounds with his aura after the battle to avoid lasting harm beyond scarring. He didn't have the body count of Tock, but that was believed to be out of a false sense of honor, not a lack of abilities. Adam had reported him speaking deferentially to Tock. She'd pulled rank on him at one point to override his nonviolent decisions, indicating a command hierarchy within their organizational structure. Alarming…

Roman Torchwick was a nobody, but he was a hot shit nobody. He was said to be able to fight worth a quarter of a damn, but he focused more on hedonistic pursuit of material wealth. For him to ally with Tock and Hazel indicated that the two of them were branching out and recruiting unwilling criminals to their cause, as he'd never shown any interest in causes prior to this. On the other end, it implied that Tock and Hazel needed Dust desperately. They'd mentioned they'd been counting on the White Fang's aid, which meant they had been planning whatever this was for a while. This was no mere summer war. Given the Fang's typical modus operandi, Blake expected a Dust-based bomb or a well-armed militia mounting an attack, though the second seemed less likely. After all, they were low on manpower, so why continue to steal ammo if you didn't have anyone to fire the gun?

"I, uh, haven't been asked by anyone."

"Asked what?"

"To go."

"Well, I suppose that if attendance isn't mandatory, then no one would insist you participate."

"N-No, I mean, no one's asked to be my date. To the dance, that is."

"Uh huh."

It wasn't their primary objective, though. While K could probably work towards dismantling whatever insurrection Tock and Hazel plotted with ease, they were a stealth unit. Finding a missing aura machine was their job, and Blake would happily leave snuffing out a terrorist plot to the Atlesian Specialists. Still, given how frequently they ran into Tock and how the woman was seeking out their team's fourth member, it didn't hurt to possess the information, either way. The next time they crossed blades, they'd be ready, hopefully.

More ready than the last two times, at least.

Ruby set down her pencil. "Um. S-So…um. So."

"So," Blake said again, her voice clipped in annoyance. "Ruby, is this going somewhere?"

"Eek! I'm sorry!"

Blake suddenly remembered that Ruby wasn't trying to be difficult. The girl was shit at small talk because life had been shit to her, so Blake at least owed it to her to be a little sympathetic.

"No, I should be to one to apologize, Ruby. You did nothing wrong. There's just a lot on my mind right now. So, the dance?"

"Yeah?"

"You brought it up. I have a feeling that there was something you wanted to discuss about it."

"Oh. Right. Um, so I just want to preface this 100% by saying that you can absolutely say yes or no or maybe or anything and I won't be upset. And I also want to acknowledge that even though I'm the leader, I would never, ever in a quadrillion trillion years bias my treatment of you as a huntress on my team based on your answer. I'm not trying to bring it up to be weird, but just to make sure that it's said and understood."

"Great. Glad to hear it."

Ruby's face hid in her hands, and she briefly peeked out ever so shyly. "So, w-what is your answer?"

"You haven't asked any questions yet."

"Oh, shoot! I forgot! Um, Blake Belladonna, I was wondering if…" Ruby screwed up her face like she was taking a heady dump. "…you'd like to go with me to the dance?"

Blake supposed she should have seen that coming. Ruby had been all antsy, and asking someone out with her level of social anxiety w–

Hold on a second.

The severity of what Ruby had just said sank in, slightly delayed.

Ruby was asking her to the dance. Ruby was asking Blake out on a date.

She…She is, isn't she?

"As friends?"

Ruby looked into Blake's eyes for a second. "If that's what you want. Y-Yeah, that's what I meant."

"Ruby, it wasn't a trick question. Were you asking me to be your date, or to escort you as a partner?"

"I-I don't want to get it wrong."

Blake patted her hair. "There's nothing to get wrong. I just want to know how you feel."

"K. Then, can it be as a date? If that's okay and not super weird and awkward? N-Not 'cause you're weird! You're not weird, you're super cool and super epic and pretty and I love your kitty ears and your weapon kicks ass and I'll stop talking."

Blake patted Ruby on her head. "Yes, Ruby. It can be as a date. I'd be happy to. Though I must admit, I thought you were a bit more upset with me."

Ruby stared innocently at Blake with eyes so wide you could've mistaken her for an owl Faunus. "Why?"

"Well, you know. The whole silent treatment."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that. I mean, I had to punish you somehow. It wasn't that bad, though, was it? Cuz, like, it's not that different from a time-out, so I thought–"

"Ruby, we talked about this. It was that bad. For you, for me, for everyone. Think about it – Yang, your very own sister, was probably worried sick about you."

"Yeah, but she understands–"

"And what about Jaune? He's your friend too, right? You were punishing him by not letting him speak to you. If he couldn't see that you were distraught by what happened to Ilia, then he'd have to be an idiot. And Jaune's no…no…uhhhh…you get my point."

"You're making it sound like talking to me is something special. It's really not. I'm no one important, Blake. They were probably better off–"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, missy!" Blake rolled up the homework assignment and bopped Ruby on the forehead with it, eliciting a curt squeak. "Bad! You will not torture yourself any longer!"

"B-But–"

"Ruby, if I have to spell it out for you, I will. You are special. Probably more than you could possibly know. I care about you. Yang, Jaune, Adam, Ilia, they all care about you. Everyone cares about you. I know that things were…rough, to say the least, in your earlier years, but you have people who love you. People who would be upset to lose you. I would be upset to lose you."

I will be upset when I lose you…when I have to choose to leave you behind.

"Ruby, I accepted the punishment because, for me, it was a way to alleviate some of my guilt, and because I wanted to respect your authority as a leader when you gave it to me. But you never should have imposed it on yourself. You're torturing yourself using a trauma that should never have happened in the first place, and it's tearing everyone up just to see it! So, if you won't do it for you, would you do it for me?"

"O-Okay! I promise!"

"Great. Now, we need to discuss your punishment."

"Sur– wait, my punishment?"

"Exactly. For shutting out your friends, for thinking so lowly of yourself, and for not seeking help when you needed it. As your partner and prom date, it falls to me to suitably chastise you. I'm thinking…you have to make a new friend every week for the rest of the month."

"B-But I…I can't talk to strangers!"

"You can and you will. There's transfer students abound. I talked to one yesterday named Cinder, and she didn't kill me, so I doubt the outcome will be any different for you. This is for your own good, Ruby. Until you start realizing how much people care about you, it's the only path forward I can see."

"But…but…but…"

"Yes, you do have a cute butt. Don't brag, Ruby; it's unbecoming. Now that that's settled, we need to finish this math homework, don't we?"


"Adam! Adam!"

The bull Faunus turned around to see Jaune Arc rushing towards him.

"Adam, wait up!"

Adam stopped. He didn't have much time, but he could spare Arc a few seconds.

"What is it?"

Jaune bent over and placed his hands on his knees. He wheezed in a couple breaths of air, then stretched out an arm to Adam.

"G-Got it."

Adam looked in his hand. "Got wh–"

It was the bug. The one Blake had planted in Ozpin's office.

"How…why…"

"'Cause you asked for it, man. G-Goodwitch was pissed, but Ozpin reacted exactly like you thought he would. He said it was an extremely serious example of sexual misconduct, but I'm pretty sure he was trying to hold back laughter."

"You actually went through with it? But why? You already unlocked your semblance. I have nothing to offer you."

"Bro, you got your head screwed on backwards. You had my back, so I've got yours. My secret is still secret, and I actually beat Cardin because of your lessons. Besides, even if you hadn't done any of that stuff, I still would've done it, because we're friends."

"Friends. Oh."

It was all Adam could say. Come to think of it, this was probably his first true friend. K, James, and Winter felt more like family, and the robot girl was more of an acquaintance/appliance at this point.

"Y-Yeah. Here, take the doohickey."

Adam pushed back Jaune's hand. "Actually, I think I might ask you to hold onto it for a minute more."

"Awww, man! I ran all the way over here to give it to you ASAP. You don't want it?"

"I don't want it to get destroyed. Actually, could you hold onto these, too?" Adam handed Jaune the chess piece he'd taken from Jacques Schnee as well as his pocketknife. "They're valuable to me, and I don't want them to be damaged in the ensuing altercation."

"Alter-what?"

"Altercation. Fight."

"Oh. Who's fighting who?"

Adam answered his question by turning around, waltzing across the cafeteria right up to Yang Xiao-Long's table, and flipping the blonde's lunch tray right onto her face.


Beacon's recordkeeping system was absolute garbage. Ilia wasn't as jingoistic as Blake, but even she had to admit that keeping everything on paper rather than electronically like Atlas did was old-fashioned and inefficient. Still, it made things much more pleasant for her. All she had to do was pick a lock and open a box, rather than learn how to hack into a computer like Adam or Penny could.

The building was on the far outskirts of Beacon. Students weren't forbidden to come this way, but there was no legitimate reason for any one of them to come here, especially in broad daylight. Thus, Adam had taken it upon himself to stage a diversion by publicly getting into a very heated fight with Yang Xiao-Long. It probably wasn't necessary, but he would just end up moping around in their room if she didn't give him something to do. Besides, Ilia would never turn down a chance to sic her attack Bull Faunus on that stupid blonde thot.

The first box Ilia found contained bland paperwork about expenses, budgets, and other inconsequential things. Ilia shelved that one and moved on. The next box was students who'd matriculated from five to ten years ago. Another dud, but at least she was getting on the right track.

On her third box, she struck gold – teacher's files.

Bingpot!

She opened up the first page.

Professor Thumbelina Peach/Age 45–

Next.

Professor Ann Greene–

Skip.

Professor Welsh White–

B-B-B-Boring.

Doctor Batholomew Oobleck and Professor Peter Port/Ages 39 and 52/Subjects: History and Grimm Studies.

Weird. The two shared a file. Ilia wasn't exactly sure what that implied, and she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to find out. She put it down and moved on to the next one.

Professor Glynda Goodwitch/Age 32/Subject: Combat/Semblance: Telekinesis/Weapon: The Disciplinarian.

The Disci– okay. So, not only was Glynda a professor, but she also likely moonlighted as a dominatrix. Ilia filed that information away for later and continued reading.

Miss Goodwitch is one of, if not the, finest academic instructor Beacon has ever seen. Her poise and stature make her effective at immediately demanding the attention of the students she teaches. These attributes are balanced by her compassionate nature and commitment to bettering both the education and well-being of those she teaches.

This was bullshit. Ilia had seen Goodbitch dump a cup of water over a student's head with her magic powers just for giving a wrong answer. Compassionate compared to a Beowolf, but even then…

Education: Alidade Combat School, GPA 4.4; Beacon Academy, GPA 4.4/Prior Work Experience: None.

None? She'd come to Beacon as a professor straight away after graduating? Most of the teachers General Ironwood managed had at least five years of hunting in the field under their belt. And with a powerful semblance of literally moving objects with her mind, Goodwitch would have to be a terror on the battlefield. But instead of ripping Grimm in half with her brain, she'd hung up her riding crop before ever using it and decided to pursue a fulfilling career in traumatizing children. The question was, why?

Maybe I'll get some insights in the next file.

Ilia took out the final manila folder and gazed upon the name written on it, whispering as she did. "Professor Ozp–"

Professor Harold Mulberry/Age 70.

She looked on the back. Nothing.

She went through the box again, doublechecking that she hadn't missed a page. Nothing.

She checked the floor for a paper she might have dropped. Nothing.

Where in Dust's name was Ozpin?! He was the headmaster, for Grimm's sake! He should have the biggest file of all! It made no sense. The most important piece of paper in the entire box wasn't even there.

Don't gripe – use that energy to think. What does this mean?

Someone else got here first and removed it? Unlikely. The box was covered in dust and hadn't been moved in ages.

Ozpin didn't put a file in here? But that made no sense. If he was worried about someone finding it, he could've easily left a fake. In fact, the lack of a file actually just makes him seem more suspicious.

He doesn't want a paper trail? But he's the headmaster. Everyone in the world knows his name.

Ozpin doesn't need a file?

Maybe…if he was the one who wrote the files on the others, then he wouldn't feel compelled to document his own statistics and qualifications when he could instead just remember them. I guess if that's true, then I'm seeing Ozpin's personal insights into his teachers, and maybe even the students!

Ilia checked her scroll. No one lasted more than thirty minutes against Adam, so she only had about ten left until the fight ended. She put the papers back into the box, sealed it up, and returned it to where she'd found it.

Now for the good bit.

The last box in the row was the student files. Ilia had two goals here. The first was to look over every person of interest that they or Ozpin might be interested in – K, Ruby, Pyrrha, Russel and Weiss. The second was to see if there were any missing students that had files but weren't showing up on campus. Rather, the missing students would be under the campus.

Ilia opened it up. The first one in the bunch was Dove Bronzewing. Ilia skipped it entirely; she was short on time, and she knew he was ok. Cardin Winchester was next, then Sky Lark, then Russel Thrush. Ilia quickly skimmed what was written on it.

Russel Thrush/Age: 17/Year: 1/Team: Sword/Weapon: Shortwings/Semblance: Undiscovered.

Education: Signal Combat School, GPA 3.9

Headmaster's Quarterly Review: Russel Thrush is a thoroughly unremarkable combatant. While he does not lack training, he has yet to set himself apart from any of his peers in his combat classes during his first month at Beacon. That said, he continues to excel academically and shows a prowess for deduction and logical analysis. Perhaps he shall find a niche in his team as their tactician.

Huh. Short, scathing, and straight to the point. Oz doesn't mince words. And the report certainly wasn't wrong – Thrush had figured out that Ilia was in no danger from the Ursa. Unfortunately, there was no insight into why he hadn't shared that fact with his leader.

Next file of interest was Pyrrha Nikos.

Pyrrha Nikos/Age: 17/Year: 1/Team: Yellowjacket/Weapon: Miló and Akoúo̱/Semblance: Polarity.

Education: Sanctum Combat School, GPA 4.0

Quarterly Review: Pyrrha Nikos stands at the top of her year's combat rankings without question. Her masterful control over her weapons, compounded by her ability to manipulate metal, guides her to easy victories over even the toughest of opponents. As an individual, she seems to struggle to speak up for herself, though her commitment to her partner, Jaune Arc, is powerful. It may be used against her or to manipulate her. Possible maiden candidate. Review further.

So, a metal semblance. That didn't speak well for Pyrrha's innocence – she could have easily detected the metal in the tracker and torn it straight out of his skull.

Ilia couldn't help but reread the file in hopes of figuring out why it seemed to be myopically focused on her combat abilities and her personality. Russel's file was all about his potential at Beacon, as one would expect from a professor reviewing a student. Pyrrha's seemed to be more geared towards who she was as a person. The specific mention of her interest in Jaune Arc was especially weird.

And what was that bit about her being a maiden candidate? What the heck was a maiden? Perhaps it was a codeword for an aura-machine test subject, but maiden was so…antiquated.

Ilia returned the file, then went to Weiss'.

Weiss Schnee/Age: 17/Year: 1/Team: Sword/Weapon: Myrtenaster/Semblance: Glyphs

Education: Privately Tutored, GPA -

Quarterly Review: While Weiss Schnee's control of Dust and elegant saber movements are impressive, her arrogance and anti-Faunus behavior rule her out.

Wow. 'Rule her out?' This wasn't a quarterly review of a student; this was a letter of rejection.

…and yet, here Weiss was, present in Beacon.

Why would Ozpin write something so downright dismissive about a student who he'd already accepted? If he thought her racism would make her a bad huntress, he shouldn't have let her come to his school.

I guess she's not in line to be a maiden candidate, whatever that is.

Ilia's scroll vibrated in her pocket. She checked it and saw a message from Adam. The distraction was up, which meant that she no longer could read at her leisure. She wasn't expecting anyone to interrupt her, but there was no reason to spend any more time here than she needed.

Time to kick things into high gear.

Adam Taurus/Age: 20/Year: 1/Team: Rabies/Weapon: Wilt and Blush/Semblance: Decline to State

Education: Apprentice, GPA -

Quarterly Review: Adam Taurus displays excellent instincts in dueling other students and slaying Grimm. His semblance is extraordinary powerful and seems to have no limitation or downsides. While he does seem to have a disturbing fixation on species, he is not averse to occasional signs of kindness towards those he trusts, especially team members. His grades are average, though he had made it clear in the past that he only seeks accreditation, not learning.

Next.

Ilia Amitola /Age: 17/Year: 1/Team: Rabies/Weapon: Lightning Lash/Semblance: Undiscovered

Education: Pharos Academy, GPA 3.1

Quarterly Review: Without a semblance, Ilia Amitola is an unexceptional huntress. Her reliance on fighting as a team with her close friends might render her vulnerable.

Up yours, Oz.

Next.

Blake Belladonna/Age: 17/Year: 1/Team: Rabies/Weapon: Gambol Shroud/Semblance: Shadow Clone

Education: Pharos Academy, GPA 3.3

Quarterly Review: Blake Belladonna is a talented combatant – nimble, agile, and exceedingly fast. Her semblance is quite versatile, and I would be curious to see if Dust application could enhance it further. Furthermore, it gives her the ability to escape many a dangerous situation. Should an assailant attack her in an attempt to kill her, she could readily flee. This, in conjunction with her proximity to Miss Rose, makes her an excellent maiden candidate – one of the best; review further.

That…did not bode well.

It almost seemed like the women were all being considered for maidenhood, whereas the men were simply being reviewed as hunters.

Next.

Ruby Rose/Age: 15/Year: 1/Team: Rabies/Weapon: Crescent Rose/Semblance: Petal Burst

Education: Signal Academy, GPA 2.8

Quarterly Review: First silver-eyed maiden? Enhanced powers possible. Review further.

The papers fell out of Ilia's hands and floated to the floor.

Holy fuck.

Holy shit.

Holy fuck.

That crocodile Faunus who'd killed Ilia wouldn't shut up about Ruby's silver eyes.

Holy fucking fuck.

Ilia stumbled backwards, knocking over the box of files. Tens of papers spilled out onto the floor. Her breath caught in her throat, and she desperately tried to throw the untidy mess of pages back into where they'd been. Ilia remembered that she was supposed to check the names for any missing students, so she quickly grabbed out her scroll, snapped as many photos as she could.

Coco Adel, Yang Xiao-Long, Jaune Arc…done!

She couldn't wait to get out of there. This room…there were no windows, and the lights were too artificial. She needed to escape, now.

Ilia pushed her way out the front door and stood up straight. Holding herself steady for a few seconds, she rushed to a secluded area, then broke down.

Ozpin was rating the girls at his school, and not in a creepy way. In a 'candidacy' way. Apparently Ruby's eye color was related to it – he even described the possibility of enhancing her power. If that wasn't aura-transfer related, Ilia didn't know what was. Adam had been right; she was slated for the machine.

The crocodile Faunus, Time's Up Tock, knew something about Ruby's silver eyes – eyes that Ozpin felt were so important that he didn't need to write anything else on Ruby's file.

Ilia could see the writing on the wall.

K was going to have to bring in Tock.


Omake

Blake: Stop torturing yourself!

Ruby: *confused* Well then who am I supposed to torture?


Omake

Ilia: I wonder what my file says.

Ozpin's File on Ilia: No semblance? My basic bitch senses are tingling!

Ilia: Oh, that rat bastard!


Author's Notes

Blake x Ruby confirmed, cat babies incoming.

I guess my fan theory that Vernalligator was the Vernococdile from before was disproven. So sad.

The power of friendship saves Adam's immortal soul, but he still uh oh spaghettio's Yang during lunch, so it's a wash overall.

Ozpin's making a primitive version of FaceBook, going back to the Zuckerberg roots of the thing by rating young college-age(ish) women.

Happy rats, and don't do crime!

Oh, and fuck your pipes. You know who you are.