When I foretold the events of my meeting with Cinder's group, I did expect some of you to give a fearful reaction.
I was right... for the most part.
Though, I was a bit taken back by a few of the reviews.
A couple of you suggested that I should get a gun to defend myself.
Well, here's the thing...
I never used, or even held, a gun before.
I know, on normal terms, how powerful a weapon such as a gun can be... and I also know how dangerous it is.
I'm not saying that it's wrong to own a gun.
But with the lack of experience I had with them, I just couldn't take my chances.
At least, it wasn't necessary to arm myself during my first meeting with them.
November 10th, 2017
Location: Roundabout High School
Time: 12:06am
Tell me; have you ever felt paranoid?
If you had, then good for you; because that's what I'm still feeling right now.
It's only been two days since I first encountered Cinder's gang, and yet I still feel like any of them could sprout out trouble at any second.
...even though I am pretty sure that's the least likely outcome.
It's one thing to feel about meeting the heroes of one of your favorite series, and it's another thing to feel about meeting the villains.
Clearly, that was evident up to this point.
Ever since I told my parents about Cinder and her minions, the atmosphere in my house shifted dramatically. Mom and Dad have been giving me and my sister looks of worry and angst. Our times together would always result in an eerie silence, especially when we have dinner together.
Then there were the times where either of them spoke to me. Usually, whenever me and Emily return from school, my parents would always ask us how was our day, and in return we would always give them a simple, short answer. Now, I noticed those conversations tend to be longer, such as 'How are you getting along with your classes?', 'Did anything happen at school today?', and the most common one 'Are you okay?'.
Now, call them overprotective, but to me I can't really blame their current attitude.
I am their son. Emily is my sister and their daughter. They have the right to care about us.
I know deep down they are scared of our current predicament. It's not everyday they get to be aware of their own children being near some potentially dangerous people, especially when they have little to no power to interfere.
...Which honestly, by the way, has made me feel guilty. Guilty about the fact that I have told them about who Cinder and her crew really are. Even though it's only been a short time since then, there have been occasional moments where I wondered what would happen if I didn't tell them. But every time I did, it would always come back to me saying 'They would eventually figure it out.'
Still, it pains me to see my parents like this.
I just hope me and my sister can safely get through this.
Speaking of my sister, Emily has taken this situation very well. That alone surprised me. At the start of yesterday, I originally expected her to also be hesitant and scared toward her encounters with the villains, which actually happen in some of her classes. While she did admit to me later on that she was a little scared, she was mostly otherwise calm during the day.
Not that I doubt her, it's just that I never expected her to be focused on this so quickly.
Besides that, as stated, Emily did encounter most of Cinder's group in some of her classes; the only exception being Neo. Not surprisingly, she never notice anything suspicious from either of them.
It really goes to show that being a supervillain does require you to be a great actor; and that's a bonus for them since they have acted as students before.
Still, that doesn't mean either me or my sister are going to ignore their every move. Emily and I now have an obligation to keep; for Ozpin, for Glynda, for Ironwood, even for Team RWBY and JNPR to an extent.
As to how we are keeping that, shortly after we had our initial meeting with Ozpin, me and Emily had decide to start a new journal focusing on our encounters with Cinder's gang. Every day when we come home, we would share our encounters with each villain and describe what they did throughout the day, from the simplest normal things to actions that we found suspicious enough.
Unfortunately, the past couple of days weren't very eventful. Not much happen between us and them, which makes sense now that I think about it; would be too soon for anything on that caliber to occur.
Other than that, what was also difficult was the absence of Neo. Since she 'registered' as a sophomore, it was quite rare for us to encounter the mute girl; the only times we did so were during Creative Writing, Lunch, and possibly P.E. if Emily confirms that later today. Because of this, it was complicated for us to know what she was doing throughout the day.
Honestly, the second reason annoys me quite a bit. But there is really nothing either of us could do to change that. 'Guess we'll have to keep a closer eye on her.
Right now, I was in a cafeteria enjoying my lunch, while keeping an eye on Kevin talking with the group. It almost feels like deja vu, but sadly it isn't. It's not as strong as it was at first, but I do still get that sense of fear whenever I see my best friend with any of them in general.
Thankfully, I have been thinking about how Kevin's relationship with them could affect him. First off, I believe there's a high chance that none of them would resort to violence toward Kevin, nor would it result in them recruiting him into their ranks. I just don't think it's possible for any of that to happen... unless they're crazy enough to do so, which I really hope not.
However, I do believe it's possible that they are inadvertently using him; the question is what? Unlike me, Kevin doesn't have any foreknowledge of the show, and it's possible they don't either. But if they arrived here around the same time in Remnant as RWBY and JNPR, then their endgame hasn't changed:
Cinder still tends to find Amber and kill her, so she can gain the rest of the Fall Maiden's power.
This wouldn't even change if they did knew their existence.
Then... ...I don't want to jinx myself again... but if the possibility of them using Kevin is true, any of them could ask him to introduce to his other friends...
...which includes me.
Now, I have been preparing myself for this scenario, and frankly it has been quite difficult. All I have to do is act natural and pretend I don't know who they are.
But you see, that's the thing.
I do know them.
This could obviously turn out to be a bad thing. One slip up of otherworldly information, and I'm done for. They would immediately figure out that I 'know too much' and begin hunting me and my family down. This is something that I would love to avoid.
However, this could also turn out to be a good thing.
Let me explain.
I have watched the show. I've seen what everyone can do. I learned their personalities, their pros and cons, and pretty much their relationships with each other.
Let's start with Cinder Fall. Her looks can deceive you. She is egotistical and has a lot of self-confidence. She takes no hesitation toward her goal, and doesn't want anyone to interfere with her business. Cinder is also demanding; she will do anything to get what she wants... and don't get me started on that. Basically, if you want to get on her good side, you must have to show her a positive mindset and never, ever judge her actions.
Emerald Sustrai is tempting. Though a little empathetic, she is the most conscious person in the group. There have been moments throughout the show where she understands the actions she and her allies take, as well as the consequences behind them; which, now that I think about it, kinda is a bonus for her when she acts like a student. Nevertheless, Emerald is very attached toward Cinder; to the point where it feels like she is the only person Emerald can rely on and trust. So that's another thing you should avoid when talking to Cinder: Don't ever insult her, or you will not only be on Cinder's bad side, but also Emerald's.
Mercury Black is cunning. He can be at times arrogant and cocky. He holds no regrets toward what he does. Still, that doesn't mean it's impossible to become acquainted with him. It's a definite that he's going to act like a regular student, but if you want to get on his good side, then you're gonna have to show a bit of your dark side; say or do something that will get his attention... which, in my case, is going to be very difficult, because that's not part of my character.
Then there is Neopolitan. She... is mysterious. As stated before, she is mute; so it's gonna be hard for me to detect what she is currently feeling. But from what I've seen from her in the show, I can kinda understand her personality. She is... dirty, metaphorically. Just like Roman, she is acquainted with violence. She doesn't hold any hesitation toward what she does. However, that might not be who she actually is. As mentioned before, out of all of them, Neo had the least screen time; her last appearance was during the Battle of Beacon. No one really knows at this point if she's either dead or alive, and if it's the latter then there could be more about her that we haven't known yet. Basically, she's the wild card.
Overall, it's gonna be a bit difficult for me. I can get comfortable with most of them; all I have to do is try not to think about their actual personas. I need to pretend that they're not actual fictional characters, and that they are just normal people like me trying to get through another regular school day.
Right now though, I need to be aware on when I will formally meet them individually or all at once.
"Hey, Jared!"
...Speak of the devil.
I look up from my finished lunch tray and saw Kevin walking up to my table with Cinder's group in tow.
Was this really another jinx or was it just fate? :(
...I don't think that matters now.
Okay.
Okay.
You can do this.
Just act natural.
"What're you writing there?" I heard Kevin asked.
Ah, shit!
Okay, so you know by now that all of these events were written in my diary, right?
Apparently, there were times where I had actually wrote those events in person; and up till this point no one really minded what I was writing.
I know! This is was a rookie mistake on my part, and I should've written the events of this day back home... which I did do.
Thankfully, none of the four were able to see what I was actually writing that day.
Anyway, back to the story.
"Oh, just some notes for an upcoming Spanish test next week," I answered, as I close my diary and put it back into my backpack below.
Good thing I came up with that on the spot, because there was actually going to be a test next week.
"Oh. I hope we're not bothering you," Kevin frown a bit.
"No, no, it's fine. I was just about done anyway," I said.
Kevin smiles again, as he and and the others took a seat across from mine. "Well anyway, I want to introduce you to some new friends of mine," he then continued by motioning his hands toward his new 'friends' and introduce them by name.
I really didn't pay much mind to this part, since I already knew their 'names'.
Cecilia Fadel.
Emily Stacey.
Mike Bracken.
Noel Pace.
Why did they have to make those names so complicated? Also, Mrs. Abbruzzi said they were 'exchange students' from Japan; none of these names have any origins to that country!
...I mean, I don't think they do. :/
And call it a coincidence or not, but I find it odd for Emerald to go under my sister's name.
"Hi, my name's Jared. Nice to meet you all," I greeted.
Okay, so far so good.
Now, to relent into the predictable opening of a conversation.
"Take no offense to this, but weren't you the guy who broke down?" 'Emily' asked.
...I sort of expected one of them to ask me this.
I mean, come on, this was an incident that they were not going to easily ignore... and honestly is quite the same for me too.
To tell you the truth, there have been moments in my life where I found myself in very awkward, embarrassing situations; like for example, there was a time in fourth grade where I forced myself to kiss a now-former childhood crush of mine... which she did not see coming. If this were me as an adult, I would be in serious trouble, especially in this time of day and age; but I was a little kid back then... a very immature, stupid kid.
Anyway, whenever I look back at those events, I would always feel squirmy and I would try my hardest to push those memories out of my head. It's not a comfortable experience, but it was the only thing I can think of.
Right now, this would've been another one of those moments. Luckily, I already had an answer to this.
"Yah, that was me," I said, wincing a bit at Emerald's question, "Sorry about that... I don't really know what came over me, to be honest. Usually, I'm more calm and quiet when I meet new people. I never meant to make you all look bad."
This was more of a half-truth than a lie. I still wasn't sure why I reacted to their arrival in such an emotional state. I mean, I did understood some context to it; they are villains after all. But I thought I would be more... braver than that, you know?
I just hope I don't get the same experience when I meet the other antagonists...
"It's okay. We don't mind," 'Mike' answered.
'Really hope he means that.
"So, what brought you guys to the United States?" I asked them. This was obviously an easy question for me to come up with. Even though it has the same hidden truth with what I did for Team RWBY and Team JNPR, I don't think I'm going to expect anything suspicious from any of them.
"Well, for a while now, we always wondered what it will be like to know more about the world, as well as experience it first-hand. We thought studying abroad here would exactly do that," 'Cecilia' started, while smiling, "However, when we first arrived here, we were quite surprised on a few things."
Wait... 'quite surprised'?
I'm pretty sure Cinder is referring to her sudden arrival on Earth.
As much as I want to press on her about it, I need to be careful. There's no telling what she's thinking right now.
"That's understandable. Not every country is the same. There are some... elements here that work differently than where you're from," I answered.
I can hear 'Cecilia' hum in agreement, along with 'Noel' nodding silently.
...However, for some strange reason, that response left a slow growing feeling of tension in my head. The way Cinder hummed almost felt like she had everything under her control.
Did I screw up?
BZZZZT!
As luck would have it, the school buzzer went off over our heads; signaling the end of the current period.
"I guess that does it for another day in amish paradise," Kevin said, as he, Cinder's group, and I get up from our seats. I silently watch my best friend leave the cafeteria, waving at us, "See ya later, guys and gals!"
I quietly wave back, as I recollect my thoughts.
Man, that was close!
I didn't think my first conversation with Cinder's group would feel so suspenseful... well, it was more like between Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury (You get the idea!).
...and yet it did.
It took every ounce of my body to not twitch in the presence of some of the most despicable people in RWBY; it was just by chance that the school buzzer had to ring, otherwise I would've lost it.
But Cinder... the way she agreed with me...
...does she-
No.
I am overreacting.
Again, this is my first formal meeting with the group.
Other than my name, they don't know anything about me. So, it's too soon for them to feel suspicious toward me.
...I don't think I said anything wrong, right?
In any case, I do feel like this was just a warmup. I am sure I'm going to have longer conversations with any of them in the near future. We are gonna talk about other topics on life. Hell, it may even go to the point where I'm gonna have to partner up with one of them in class; most likely one being Cinder.
There's still a lot to be done here; that I am also sure. But, I do think I have at least gained something today.
"Come along, Jared. We don't want to be late for our Spanish class," Cinder called out, as she too exited the cafeteria.
Right..., Spanish...
Villains Entry #3:
- First time Jared talks with the group.
- Learned Cinder, and possibly the others, may have had the same reaction as Team RWBY and Team JNPR when first arriving on Earth.
- Confirmed that Neo, Cinder, and Emerald is in Emily's gym class.
I was right to say that this day was a 'warmup' for me.
This day was the start of many conversations with the group; and yes, that did include Neo.
Though, that feeling of screwing everything over still lingered in my head. I just couldn't find a way to ignore this feeling of dread and the possibility of making a mistake.
However, I didn't realize it then, but the conversations and moments I had with them, while eventful, were strangely... soothing.
Maybe that's why the mute girl eventually became my girlfriend.
I hope you like this entry; leave a review if you did.
And if you haven't notice yet, I recently published a trailer to the spin-off of this diary; "Benjamin's Journal."
This journal chronicles the events of my relatives meeting and encountering characters from a specific popular anime. Thankfully though, it doesn't contain any spoilers to my diary. If you want know more, then you don't have to wait very long.
I am already writing their first entry as you read this.
Anyway, stay safe out there everyone.