Team RWVBY

Chapter 6

"My real name is Cassian Quetz, but I haven't gone by that name in a very long time." The girls take up residence on the couch, Cassian grabbed a chair from the table and sat in it backwards from across the table. I… well, that's to say." He was having trouble that much was visible by the way he looked uncomfortable trying to piece together how he was going to talk to them. "It's probably best I start with this. He pulled his shirts collar slightly, allowing them a look at his tattoo. Just as it was shown in the picture on their scrolls, a small black ankle chain shackle rested on his shoulder. One thing they noticed was it wasn't complete; the shackle was broken. "Not many people know this but this tattoo as a special meaning in Vacuo." The confused looks on their faces told him they had no idea. "To have it means you were a worker in a dust mine. He had quickly Weiss' panicked reaction. "It wasn't SDC." He said to her immediate relief. "You know how the SDC owns 95% of Remnants dust production, well Vacuo has a good hand on the other 5. Not that much of a difference between the two, except Vacuo dust mines like to be even cheaper, and you know what's cheaper than Faunus labor?" The girls suddenly got uncomfortable with that he was implying. "I got this tattoo when I was a 6." They all mouthed 6 silently. Weiss spoke first.

"That's impossible, there are laws against that."

"Vacuo is very loose on its laws. If you're rich or smart enough you can work around those laws. For the dust mine owners, they were both. To do so, they would make very generous donations to poor families, like mine. Said families would then offer their children up letting the owners claim them as their wards. In any official capacity, we were just being put up for adoption at a very wealthy and generous orphanage outside the city, far enough that checking it would be hassle." He paused for a second. "I don't remember much before going to the dust mine, I just remember my mother telling me that I would be going to camp."

"But… But how would even kids work in a dust mine?"

"You'd be surprised. Some kids could do it, others if they were too small simply helped the older kids." Ruby looked unsettled at the answer. "I had gotten out of the truck and stood outside the orphanage; I remember it looking like a school. It was next to this large warehouse built into a hill, and on the side a large cave entrance. They had taken me inside and I was greeted by the matrons running it and a large bald man had stepped in, called himself the quartermaster and took me by the hand."

"I was brought to a small room where they buzzed off my hair, saying it would help and I'd be buzzed consistently to keep it like that. Next, I was offered some water and a pill. Being a dumb kid who didn't know better, I took it. I felt numb, woozy. They brought me to a chair and then they that's when they gave me the tattoo. They returned me to the matrons, who then brought me to where I'd be sleeping for the next few years. The room was large and filled with beds, and not much else, just a few bathrooms on one side of the room and a small tv in the corner. The matrons had given me some food and told me to get some rest. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day." The words coming out of his mouth felt like fiction and yet he continued on. Morning had come and the quartermaster had lined us all up and brought us to the mine. I was taken aside and given me harvesting tools to see where I stood on my capability. Seeing that I could lift the tools, they showed me where I'd be working. This was the first day of the camp my mother told me of. The mine was hell; the hours long, the work hard, and I was bullied a lot by the older kids. It was a form of entertainment for them, not having much to do, they'd throw me around, trip me up, steal my food, all cause they could."

"My only saving grace was a single huntsman." Cassian started to cheer up. "There was a team of huntsman hired to protect the mine from bandits and Grimm. Most of the hunters paid no attention to us, except for one. His name was Solomon Cain." The girls didn't miss he used was. "Solomon was kind, compassionate, and for some reason I never was able to figure out why, he had taken a liking to me. He had seen me bullied and would often step in, he'd sneak me some food when he could tell I hadn't eaten, and even taught me how to throw and punch, a kick, all to defend myself. Told me in Vacuo doesn't matter if you're the weakest fighter, you hold yourself tall, strong, you can convince anyone against you're the strongest."

"Time had passed, I was 8, the mining had gotten easier, thanks to Solomon of course. Then one day there was a very bad Grimm attack." His demeanor had gotten tense as he recalled what happened next.

"The alarms had gone off, Grimm were in the mine. As evacuations had begun, most of the sects would be cleared by now. A few other kids and I were with Solomon as he was escorting us. Soon enough we were being cut off by Grimm. Solomon led us away but there weren't many other ways to go. Telling us to find a corner, we hid and he began to fight. Grimm were on him, but he was fighting them back. He was a badass killing Grimm left and right, it was amazing watching him fight. An Ursa had snuck up on him and pinned him to the ground. I couldn't help but watch as they struggled. Solomon had screamed but not before plunging his knife into the Ursa, killing it. The Ursa disappeared but Solomon was still slumped on the ground. I thought the coast was clear, I had stepped out from the other t check on him. I could see blood spilling out from under him. I was frozen still. A low growl brought me out of my trance, in front of me, creeping forward from the shadows, was a Beowolf, it's crimson red eyes on me. My eyes darted to Solomon's knife. If I could grab it maybe I could kill it, I mean how hard could it be. Solomon made it look easy. I didn't even move an inch when the monster had lunged at me, biting my arm." He grabbed his prosthetic arm. "Throwing me to the ground; it took another bite into my arm, and I could feel its claw planted firmly into my chest. I screamed as it slowly dragged its claw down." He lowered his shirt color from the front this time further, showing a faded but still visible scar. "That's when a miracle happened. The attack had awoken my aura. My body glowed; the light had knocked the Beowolf back. I turned around, my body acting on pure adrenaline. I had to grab the knife! I could see it in front of me, just out of my reach. I moved but I could hear the Beowolf getting back up. I was still too far away; I wouldn't reach it in time. I needed it, without it I was going to die. I reached out, hoping for a miracle. Ouroboros shot out and grasped the knife. My body was acting on its own, no thought as it pulled back flinging the knife right to me hand. I turned and stabbed with all energy I had left. I saw the Beowolf inches from my face as I stabbed it with Solomon's knife. It started to vaporized and I passed out instantly."

"When I woke up, my mind was fuzzy, my vision blurry, body was numb, and I had no idea where I was. I thought was I dead to be honest. As things became clearer, I realized I was in a bed, covers wrapped tightly around me. I saw a matron walk in towards my bed. She looked at me strange at first and then dropped whatever she was holding as she realized I was awake. She had called out to someone. Who? I don't know, my hearing still wasn't fully there. Feeling had returned to my body and yet something was off. I couldn't move my right arm. I had moved the bed covers with my left hand. I screamed when I saw my right, or the lack thereof my right arm, it was gone. I was panicking, body moving sporadically. The matron was moving quickly gave me something to calm me down. No longer moving, she paced her arms on me telling me everything was okay. She asked if I could understand her. When I nodded, she had told me that my aura was what saved my light but the damage done to my arm was too much, they had to amputate it." The girls winced. "She told me there was someone here to see me and that they were coming here now. I could hear heavy footsteps as she left. A portly man dressed in a suit had walked over to me and sat next to my bed. He goes to me, 'my son, do you know who I am?'" He started impersonating a bad accent. "I had no idea who the guy was. 'I am Obadiah Osiris, I am the owner of this dust mine here, your new father.' This was the man that offered my mother money. He explained to me that a hunter had found me as I had killed the Grimm and brought me and the other kids back here. He called me a hero, saying I had saved my brothers. He told me he wanted to reward me but had a question first. He asked me if I wanted to keep being a hero, to keep protecting my brothers. He took Solomon's knife and had placed it next to me. He tells me I've earned this and should I accept I'll be taught to use it, to kill Grimm, and fight off bandits. I don't remember nodding, maybe it was because of what the matron had given me, but I must have cause next thing I know he's laughing holding my shoulder saying, 'Good, my boy, good! I need people like you, willing to give their lives to protecting what we have here.' I hadn't given my life I was trying to save own, but being a hero, a protect? That'd be cool right? I'd be like Solomon… I had looked at the knife, Solomon had promised to protect us and he died doing just that. If this knife was now mine that meant his promise was mine… Solomon's Promise." He revealed the name of his weapon as he took it out to the room.

"Obadiah was happy and told me that after a few days of rest once I was fully healed, the other hunters would start my training. He also told me that this new position would come with a lot of benefits I'd be told later but right now he had a special gift for me. He had someone walk in with a metallic case. Bringing it in close to me, Obadiah opened it up revealing a metal arm. He explained to me that it was Atlas tech and that it would replace the arm that I had lost the Connector that would attach to the stump on my shoulder was universal and though the arm would have to be changed as I grew up, the connector would allow me for easy switch, and non-Atlas prosthetics."

"For the next couple of days, I spent most of the time in bed. I was given ample food, and even books by the matrons. The books were good, helped me learn since I wasn't taking school. You know these things actually come with an instruction manual. I read it every single time, front and back. Over the years once I was able to use my left hand better, I was able to take these things apart and put em back together."

"After a week, I was finally ready to start my training. The other hunters were apart of Solomon's team, and had taken me under their wing. They started conditioning my body, putting me through rigorous exercise to get me in shape. They taught me aura and semblance control. At the time I could only use ouroboros to grab things. It took years to get it to what I can do now. After some time, the real training as they would call it started. I started sparring against them. It was brutal, they didn't give me a minute to breathe or fight fair. They would say that in a battle of life or death, fair would get me killed. I was spending almost all of my time with them, eating meals, playing poker, sometimes spending nights in their quarters if the training sessions got late. To the rest of the kids, I was living large."

"On weekends, they would bring me into Vacuo with them for some extracurricular training. They had haunt they would frequent and that's where we would start every time. That's when I met Wendy. She was the owner's daughter. She was my age, so while the hunters would drink, we'd spend time drawing or talking, whatever we wanted really. She was my first real friend, I looked forward to seeing her each weekend. The hunters had a little training ground they'd take me too, it provided more open space for me to not only test my semblance but my mobility. They also taught me some less then reportable skills. We'd sometimes enter the central market and I would…." He paused hesitant to continue but did anyway. "I would pickpocket some of the wealthier visitors." Cassian winced at the various looks he was getting.

"I know it was bad but I was a stupid kid, and they let me have some of the money. They told me these were valuable lessons for life in Vacuo. It was then, I started to wonder if they were really huntsman at all. This didn't seem like what huntsman did and yet Solomon wasn't like this at all or was he? I didn't really want to keep thinking down that road. Solomon was a huntsman to me, so that's how I was going to remember him. It was like two months later that I was in a capable enough to shadow one of the hunters in the mine. Overtime I got my own sect to watch over. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to years. I was 11 when I finally decided to leave. Over the years leading up I started to realize thing; Obadiah never cared for a single one of the kids, when kids went missing it was better to sweep it under the rug, least we bring unnecessary attention to the mine. The hunters had tried to help me realize subtly that I wasn't as free as I thought with my new position."

"It wasn't till after they left that I realized I was just in a larger cage. Money was getting tight, they were worried the mine was going dry, they had to hire a cheaper team. That was the last time I would see them, they were going to Mistral for new work. With them gone my Vacuo trips were going to be cut I just knew so I had asked them to deliver a message to Wendy in case I never saw her again. The final straw was when the bastard Obadiah asked me to be stricter on the kids, make sure they were working hard and meeting expectations. I was no longer a protector anymore, but a jailer.

"I needed to leave before things got worse, so I started planning. I was more respected so I could move around almost wherever I wanted. The hunters had taught me to be observant, over the years I kept track of security cameras, paths, shortcuts, everything, and anything. After a short while I had my plan; I was going to leave at night after everyone was asleep and make my way to Vacuo. There were numerous villages between the mine and the city, I would travel between them and try and get transport. The night had come, I had enough food and water to last me a while, but before I left there was something I needed to do first. I snuck through the warehouse; I was heading up to Obadiah's office. I knew exactly where I was going, I would have a weekly visit with him where I reported directly to him. At first the meetings were short and to the point, you'd be shocked how comfortable a man can become after a while, I learned a lot like, where he kept all his money. The number of times I'd see him open and close his safe. I could open it up blindfolded. I took all the Lien I could carry on me and something else. On his desk, he kept three rings, three ring he would wear all the time when I would see him. I didn't need them but I was feeling petty, so I took them."

"I didn't dare stop after I left the mine. I skipped three villages before I settled on one to relax. I couldn't take the risk that Obadiah wouldn't send hunters after me. If it was the old crew, I might have. They treated me as one of their own, but these new guys I had no connection with, no bond, I wasn't taking a chance. I found myself in a local farming village. They had a decent sized town and to my luck they got a bit of traffic as Vacuo city would come here to get a good supply of vegetables. There was a transport coming tomorrow, I just had to wait. I walked around the town, looking for a nice secluded place I could sleep for the night. There was some commotion going on by the pub. Outside a couple of kids were begging for money and food. One in particular stood out to me."

"A Faunus, no older then 5 or 6, he was by himself. I had seen some couple give him some bread as they passed by, but next thing I know the kids had swarmed him trying to get. It was like looking at a mirror, suddenly I was back in the mine trying to keep a hold of my own food. I was moving before I knew it. Maybe this is what Solomon had felt when he saw me, some part of himself in me and that's why he helped me. I came up to him and offered him some of the food I had and told him he could eat with me so no one could take it. The kid was hesitant, which looking back yea I'm not surprised but he came with me anyway. We had sat down together behind the pub; I asked him his name. His name was Pip. We started talking, his family was killed in a Grimm attack, and like the other kids out there he was looking for food to get by. He had thanked me for the food and was going to leave when I asked if he wanted to come with me to Vale. He was shocked, confused, kinda like how I was at his age. He asked me why and to be honest at I didn't really know it was just a feeling I had. I told him I was a huntsman, it's what we do. I told him to think about it and that if he wanted to, to meet me at the transport pick up tomorrow. The morning had come and as the transport vehicle came in, I saw Pip run up, he had a small backpack with him. We sat together on the transport making some small talk. I was starting to realize just how out of depth I really was, I was turning 12 in a few months, I had no home, no family, and now I was bringing a kid with me. What the fuck was wrong with? what was I going to do? A myriad of questions circled my head. I had nowhere to go. Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning, maybe I did have somewhere I could go."

"Were you worried Obadiah, was going to report you to the authorities? You did rob him?" Cassian laughed at Blake's question.

"You know of all the things I was worried about that wasn't one of them. If he reported me to the police, he would be inviting an investigation to himself. He and the situation could be found out he wouldn't have that, and with sending people after me, it's not like I had any pictures of me. He didn't know I was going to Vacuo city, what was he going to do? Search the whole desert for me?" It was a good point. He returned to his story.

"We had finally made it to Vacuo city, I kept Pip close to me as we walked through the streets. Our destination ingrained into my mind; I visited it every weekend for a few years. Though it had been a few months, the bar hadn't changed at all. I stepped in, and I heard glass shattering and next thing I knew Wendy had tackled me. She was ecstatic, she didn't know if she'd ever see me again. Her father George had gotten us some food and while we sat at a table together, I started explaining to Wendy all that happened. She let us stay the night and told us she'd help us find a place to live. There were a lot of people that wouldn't ask the questions as long as you had the money, and I had plenty. I remember talking to Pip that night, I asked how he was doing. He was a little, didn't know what was going to happen next. I asked him what did he want. He told me his father was a welder, he was going to follow in his father footsteps, so I told him that I would help him anyway I could."

"Next day, we found a decent 2 bed apartment not too far from the bar. The three of us went to some stores; I bought some clothes for Pip and I, some necessities and a scroll. He was so happy; we commemorated the day with a photo." He pointed at the picture frame on the end table. I ended that day with something special. I had taken the three rings I stole from Obadiah and had engraved our initials into the insides. One for me, one for Wendy, and one for Pip." Yang knew this but the other girls' eyes trailed to his hand with three gold rings like he described.

"I had a decent amount of money left but I would need to get more if we were going to stay at that ap, so I had fell back into my pickpocket habits." He saw Ruby look disappointed. "I wasn't proud of it but I didn't know what else to do. I hadn't had any education, and I was too young for a legal job. I never harmed anyone and I only stole from the richer residents of Vacuo." He explained in hopes of excusing his past actions. "When I was out, Pip would stay with Wendy at the bar. Wendy worked as a waitress to help out her dad while she was learning to be a seamstress."

"One day, Wendy had come to with me an idea. She overheard from her dad about an underground fighting ring, where the winners would get big payouts of Lien. I might not have had many skills but fighting people was something I could do." He flexed his muscles slightly. "I found the place pretty easily underneath some restaurant in lower Vacuo. It was like a bar with a ring in the center. I got pretty far into the fights. No one was expecting a teen to be a decent fighter, let alone fight as dirty as I was. Let's just say it kinda looked like my match with CRDL, a lot of crotch shots" He was smirking. "After a while my opponents didn't even consider me a teen anymore, last few opponents kicked my ass. I was good but age and experience won out after my tricks ran out. I hadn't one so no payout but some guy came up to me.
Turns out it was the owner, he was laughing, saying that was the greatest entertainment he'd seen in a long time. Gave me a few thousand Lien and told me to come back. That wasn't even the most important thing that I got that night. As I was leaving, I saw a noticeboard and on it was a bunch of requests; Grimm clearing, caravan protection, deliveries. Huntsman rates were getting expensive in the city so to combat the raising rates, places offered it to non-huntsman for less. Killing Grimm, protection from bandits, that's basically all I knew what to do, and so began my non official huntsman career."

"I worked myself hard, often taking multiple requests at a time, but the Lien was good and it was flowing, I was able to afford rent and even start hiring private tutors for Pip. I even returned for a few underground tournaments, those were fun, fought a lot of different people, learned a lot. I had made a lot of contacts during the time, which made it easier to get parts for a new arm. I used some favors to get some fancy parts to turn my regular prosthetic to a combat one. Pip loved that I did huntsman work, he didn't mind the pickpocketing at first but I knew he didn't approve. With the new work coming I didn't need to steal anymore. Wendy hadn't approved at first either even though she knew the rich didn't need it, she definitely brightened up when I stopped. I wasn't a huntsman but to them I was and that's what mattered. Soon as I knew it, three years and some changed had passed, I was turning 15, things were really good for us."

"Much like must of my life, the good was quickly by the bad. It was all over the news, the dust mine, my dust mine had a cave in, triggered by a small earthquake. I was at Wendy's' dads bar watching as one of the matrons walked into frame talking to a reporter, I couldn't believe it. The matron was crying, talking about how there were kids trapped in there. It made local news, but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't leave Vacuo. I had always felt bad I never went back; I was so preoccupied with Pip it never crossed my mind. This was my chance to make up for it. Huntsman, volunteers, even students from Shade were going over to help. I asked Wendy's old man if I could borrow his truck. He had no problem with it, especially with Pip staying with them till I got back."

"My semblance worked well with helping clear rubble. I can lift quite a bit with the assistance of ouroboros. It had taken three days to finally clear the inside. We saved as much as we could, but not all the kids had survived. It hurt but there was no hiding anymore what was going on there. Obadiah was getting arrested and all dust mines were going to be getting some visits very soon.

I had returned to Vacuo but what I found, when I returned almost broke me."

"The bar had been trashed, windows were broken, police tap was strung over the door. I ran inside calling out for Pip, Wendy, the old man, but no one answered. The neighbor next door must have heard me, cause they had walked in and told me the bar was robbed while all the huntsman were away. I asked where everyone was, the neighbors had gone quiet, told me to sit down. Some punk had come in, strapped with a gun, wanting to rob the place. A cop had come by, and spooked the punk. He opened fire, and… they were cut in the cross fire. Pip… Wendy… they were gone, I almost collapsed right there, I never unlocked Pip or Wendy's aura. I never thought too. They had told me the old man was in critical condition."

"I wasted no time to go see him. Using my semblance to propel myself forward through Vacuo I made it to the hospital, one of the orderly's showed me to his room. He was all bandaged up, he had been shot multiple times, had tubes and devices all over him. When I saw he noticed me, I broke down. I was crying, saying I was sorry, going over and over how I shouldn't have left, it was all my fault. He couldn't speak but he had grabbed me. He was moving slowly, his had bringing something to me. I set my palm out and he had put the rings I gave Wendy and Pip in my hand and clasped it with mine. I stayed with him till the end. Next couple of days were a haze, but eventually I went back to doing all I knew how to, and kept on living. In reality it wasn't really living, I was working myself to death, taking on mission after mission, challenging myself even more, anything I could to keep myself busy. Fast forward three years later, I'm waiting at a bar/intel broker waiting for my pay after a caravan protection gig, when some dusty old huntsman walks in. He wasn't from Vacuo; he was too old and I would have seen him around the streets by now. The guy sauntered in, looking like a mix between drunk and hungover, towards an occupied booth." Yang and Ruby couldn't help but think that sounded familiar.

"They were a local gang, while those in the booth weren't anything to fuss over, just some grunts but the gang itself, Horus' Watch, was a group I wouldn't even mess with. I loosely paid attention, as he sat down them. They were talking, though I couldn't hear. Well, until the thugs started shouting. Looks like that whatever the huntsman was saying, was not working. If he had a deal with them, it was turning bad fast. Today must have not been his day, next thing I know a pair of hands slammed down onto the table. Now everyone was looking at them. The huntsman had his hands up trying to calm them down. Some people were already clearing out, I was still waiting for my pay."

"The huntsman must have been having a case of bad luck, cause those thugs were not listening. As I was watching, it looked like a button had fallen of his sleeve, next thing I know they're shooting he's got a wire and all hells breaking loose. The table flipped, and they started shooting. The huntsman hiding behind another booth, his sword had a gun form as he tried to shoot back. I could have just left, maybe I felt bad for him, maybe it was seeing a bar shoot out and thinking of Pip, but I didn't. Instead, I grabbed a bottle and lobbed it at one of the thugs' head. It collided, breaking on his face and suddenly their eyes are on me. The huntsman, now had an opening and with his sword he lunged. I flexed my semblance ready to fight, it just wouldn't be Vacuo without a bar brawl somewhere at night."

"The guys were chumps, it wasn't long before they're running out. The huntsman thanked me, saying he could handle the rest and was heading out. Next thing, he's flying back through the door colliding with the wall. In came, the chumps we just beat up and a mountain man. 7 feet tall, built like a brick house as staring right at me. The chumps were telling him I was with the huntsman. Me and my bleeding heart, right? Welp, time for round 2. It took longer, but eventually we were tiring the guy out. I think they realized they weren't going to get us tonight so they backed off, not before saying we'd regret and nowhere that we could hide, common douchebag goon talk. The huntsman thanked me again, he looked like a little rough."

"I asked him if he had a place to go. He said he was gonna go to a bullhead other side of the city. I told him don't bother; Horus' Watch basically put a hit on us. Told him to come with me. I brought him back to my place; told him he could stay and that it'd be safer to go during the day. He looked a lot more now so we get to talking; he apologized about the hit. I tell him it's fine, one way or another I'll be alright. I always seem to be. I changed the subject, asked him what did he need from the gang. He didn't even answer, instead asks me what's a student doing at a bar this late. I tell him I'm not a student, I was there looking to get paid for protecting a caravan. I was wearing a low collar shirt at the time, my tattoo was visible, and he was staring. If he did know what it meant he didn't say anything. He asked me why I wasn't at Shade, said that the school would keep me safe, added if I wanted huntsman work, official work pays more. He was surprising invested in my education. In truth I had actually applied to shade when I was 17, but no transcripts, no actual education, they rejected me outright. I was gonna apply for a provisional license when I turned 21, told the huntsman just that. He goes to me why don't you come with me to Beacon. I scoffed at him, yea right like they would accept me in. The bastard goes to me, that he could get me in. I suddenly felt like Pip when I asked him to come with me to Vacuo except, I wasn't some 5 year old. I called bullshit on him and told him to piss off if he was going to keep it up. Next thing I know he's making a call on his scroll and soon enough I'm talking with Headmaster Ozpin."

"I'm now packing what little clothes I can fit into my duffle bag, grabbing all my Lien, taking that picture. I didn't even sleep that night, we left my place before the sun came up, and got in his bullhead. We're landing minutes before that combat class I was introduced in, and well, here we are." He had finished his story, the girls had various looks unsure of what to say.

"Cardin was right about one thing." That got their attention. "I am a street rat; I always have been and I have pretended my whole life to be a huntsman. I probably don't deserve to be here at Beacon, but I want too. I suck at math, history, silence, just god awful. All those meetings with professors have been trying to get me up to snuff so I'm not completely stupid come Monday. I'm really only good at killing Grimm, and kicking ass. I've been told I can be a bit intense when I fight, the real me can be a bit rough around the edges. I was stupid to think I could be on a team and not talk about this; I'm far from normal but if you can all give me another chance, I promise to try my best, be more open, and more importantly be an actual member of this team." He had said his peace, now the ball was in their court. Weiss stepped forward first.

"Earlier today, I was planning on going to Ozpin and asking to have you removed from the team." Ruby and Yang who hadn't known looked at her shocked. I was convinced you weren't going to open up with us, and I didn't want this team to fall apart because of you. I only held off because of what we discovered with team CRDL." Cassian was silent but not surprised. "If you swear to be true to your word, I'm willing to give you another chance. Cassian nodded and said,

"I swear." He looked to the others

Blake nodded silently agreeing to give him another chance as well. She was having her own internal thoughts about her own secrets.

"Same," Yang spoke up.

"I can too! You have a fresh start with team RWVBY. We can help you! OOOOO you can join Weiss and my study/homework sessions, she's helped me a lot since I skipped 2 years." Weiss looked proud while Cassian noticed Blake and Yang signing silent prayers for him.

"A fresh start of a new outfit would be good too." Weiss mumbled. Cassian deflated slightly as he looked down at his clothes.

"What's wrong with my outfit?"

"You look like a thug." Weiss bluntly said. It was like glass breaking. Cassian looked around seeing if the opinion was shared. He saw Blake and Yang nodding. He turned to Ruby last.

"Ruby?"

"Sorry, but you do look intimidating, especially with the coat."

"Intimidating is kinda necessary in Vacuo." Cassian defended himself.

"Well, this isn't Vacuo. You're a huntsman in training now, you must dress the part. As well as having proper equipment, I mean really, I doubt that little pouch offers efficient dust sorting." He looked at his pouch confused.

"Sorting? I just put all my dust in there." That was the wrong thing to say.

"Uh oh. I'll go get the pamphlet." Ruby said walking to her room. Weiss looked like she was going to explode, Blake shaking her head, Yang was covering her mouth trying and failing not to laugh. Ruby returned with a pamphlet and gave it to Cassian.

"Dust for dummies." He read it out loud. "Hey, I know how to use dust." That did it.

"How you haven't blown yourself is either a miracle or divine intervention." She was having none of it. "You will read it back and forth, no objections." Cassian sunk.

"Yes ma'am." The other girls giggled. Though it was at his expense, Cassian couldn't help but feel lighter, like a weight had been lifted. He might have told Ozpin before this time it felt different. Maybe this was the first step in a bright new direction for him.

Canon Omake

After a while everyone had retired to their individual rooms. Cassian was sitting on his bed leaning against the wall thinking about today. Hee was taken from his thoughts by a knock on the door. Opening up, Ruby stood on the other side in her pajamas.

"Ruby? Everything alright?" Had something happened? Cassian knew Cardin and his team were still on campus for now.

"Yea, I just wanted to talk quickly if that's alright?" Cassian motioned for her to come in. She pulled out her emblem.

"My mother gave this to me before she died. It holds a special promise from her. I wanted to thank you for looking for them and well..." She looked at the rings on his hand. "Yang told me about what you said about your rings and why you helped. Well, I wanted to ask did you ever plan on calling them?"

Cassian chuckled. "I would have made something up." He didn't bother to lie, not anymore.

"I think you should." She looked at him determined.

"Ruby, they won't answer."

"I know. Every year, I visit my mother's grave and talk with her; tell her how I've been, about Yan, how I miss her. She might not answer but I know she's listening." She stood up. "You don't have to, but I think it'd help. Goodnight Cassian and thank you again." With that she walked out. Cassian sat there for a few minutes in silence before taking out his scroll. He dialed Pip's old number. It rang, till the operator came up saying the number was no longer in service and beeping, but he didn't put down the scroll.

"Hey Pip, put the scroll on speaker so Wendy can hear." He paused. "I'm at Beacon; I'm going to become a huntsman, an actual one." He paused longer. "I miss you both; I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." He was crying. "I'm going to be better though, I'm gonna become the huntsman you always believed I could be." He had pocketed the scroll. Ruby was right that did help, maybe that's why she was leader.

Author's Notes

This chapter has so far been the hardest to write. It went through so many changes as I was going through it. How he met Pip and Wendy changed, how they died, how he met Qrow. I wanted this backstory to flow well with the narrative, and so that his story made as much sense as it can. I hope I did a good job in getting that across. Now, we can start going into episode territory with the next chapter. I also added the omake because personally I felt that the chapter ending was perfect and that it worked better as an extra scene. As always feel free to comment/review!