A/N: Chapter 2 of REKT. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters of my OC teams: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 2: The Shining Beacon!
Inside the Academy...
"Ruby! Over here!" Ruby's ears perked up as she heard Yang's voice and turned to see the yellow-haired girl flapping her arms in the air. After figuring out where the food court was, she and Jaune decided that they could finish touring the school another time and hustled to the main building where the ceremony was about to start. Upon arrival, the room was jammed packed with new faces. Yang, with her eagle vision, had spotted her sister immediately. "I saved you a spot!"
"Oh! Hey I gotta go! I'll see you after the ceremony!" Ruby quickly said to Jaune before slipping through the sea of people.
"Hey wait!" The blonde called after her but stopped himself when he lost her in the sea of people. "Great and I can't see Reina from where I am." He released a sigh of disappointment as he trudged to find a spot for himself, failing to notice that a particular girl had her eyes set on him. "Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?"
"How's your first day going, little sister?" Yang chirped as Ruby stood beside her, her arms folded over her chest and her cheeks puffed up in a pout.
"You mean since you ditched me and I exploded!?" Ruby snapped irritably. "Some sister you are!"
"Yikes. Meltdown already?" Yang asked with mild concern.
"No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school..." Ruby explained, going straight to the story of her morning. "There was a fire...and I think some ice." At this, she paused to think back on what happened.
"Are you being sarcastic?" Yang teased her.
"Ugh, I wish!" Her sister said. "I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage! What was her name? Weiss Schnee? Well anyways she yelled at me! And then I sneezed. And then I exploded! And then she yelled again!" By this point Ruby was just word-vomiting all over, letting the words flow out like diarrhea. "And I felt really, really bad! And I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"
"YOU!" An irritated voice shouted from behind her, making Ruby sprang up and landing in Yang's arms. The two sisters turned to see the person Ruby was talking about scowling at them with narrowed eyes.
"Oh god, it's happening again!" Ruby wailed as she clung onto her sister for dear life.
"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss continued to scold her.
"Oh my god, you really exploded." Yang commented as she watched the conversation.
"It was an accident!" Ruby quickly said before hoping out of Yang's arms and faced Weiss, only to have a brochure held out in front of her face. "What's this?"
"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product." Weiss said almost like a business spokesperson. "Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy-to-follow guide to Dust application and practice in the field."
"Uhhh..." Ruby just stared at her without knowing what to say since she was trying to articulate what Weiss said. She must have practiced really hard to memorize that giant speech...my brain hurts.
"You really want to start making things up to me?" The white-haired princess asked.
"Absolutely!" Ruby said even though her voice sounded a little doubtful, not sure what she was getting herself into but it might be too late for her to pull out now.
"Read this and don't ever speak to me again." Weiss said coldly, placing the brochure in Ruby's hands.
"Look, it sounds like you two got off on the wrong foot!" Yang said, scratching the back of her head in earnest, noting the awkward feeling in the air. "Why don't you just start over and try to be friends, okay?"
"Yeah!" Immediately, Ruby's demeanor changed as she sided with her sister's offer. "Great idea, Sis!" Clearing her throat, she extended a hand towards Weiss. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Want to hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"
"Yeah, and we can paint our nails, and try on clothes," Weiss mimicked Ruby's enthusiasm and kind of added a little bit of hand gestures. "and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and scraggly over there!" At this moment, Jaune showed up from the other side just as Weiss jabbed a thumb in his direction. He tilted his head in confusion when he watched their conversation.
"Oh wow, really?" Ruby asked with bright eyes.
"NO." Weiss stated bluntly and affirmatively, turning her back towards Ruby with her arms crossed.
"Ahem...I'll keep this brief." A male's voice spoke, getting everyone's attention. A light shone on the speaker as he stood upon the stage alongside a blonde woman with green eyes.
Oh good, I made it in time. I released a silent sigh of relief as I carefully closed the door behind me. I had wandered around aimlessly after splitting with Ruby and Jaune before realizing that there was something important that I had to attend to so I practically rushed over to the main building without a second thought. I used my ears to listen in to what the man was about to say since I wasn't near the front by any means, I was way in the back but luckily there were speakers.
"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge." The man spoke. "To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." After he had spoken he walked off to the side and made room for the female.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight." She spoke curtly. "Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed!"
"He seemed kind of out of it." Yang commented about the man's talk in an uninterested tone. Obviously the man's words weren't as uplifting as they could have been.
"Yeah, almost as if he wasn't even here." Ruby added with agreement.
"I'm a natural blond, you know!" Jaune decided to speak to Weiss since he knew she was talking about him prior to the speeches. The princess just did a face-palm in response while Yang and Ruby just stared at him in silence.
At least she's more encouraging than he was. I thought as I listened to the rustling of bodies moving, taking my cue to leave as well. Soon it was already night time and the new comers all settled in a giant room with individual sleeping bags since we haven't been assigned rooms yet.
"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang said as she plopped down next to Ruby with a happy sigh of bliss. It was as if she had reached nirvana. Her pajamas consisted of an orange tank top with her flame emblem on the front, and black boy shorts.
"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys though." Ruby commented, rolling her eyes a little at her sister's childish behavior as she continued to write. She was currently dressed in a black tank top with a heart-shaped Beowolf design on the chest and white long pants with pink roses as decoration. She also wore a black sleeping mask with triangular red eyes that rested comfortably on top of her head.
"I know I do." Yang drawled mischievously, giving her sister a sexy smirk. She was busy ogling some of the shirtless boys until Jaune walked into her line of vision. He, unlike the others, was dressed in a blue full-body pajamas with matching blue bunny slippers and a white bunny face on the chest. Noticing that the yellow-haired vixen was staring and thinking that she was staring at him, he smiled and waved. Yang noticeably cringed before diverting her eyes back to Ruby. "What's that?"
"A letter back to the gang at Signal." Ruby replied with a smile of her own as she looked over her letter. "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."
"Awww, that's so cuuuuuute!" Yang said in a singsong voice before getting smacked in the face by a pillow.
"Shut up!" Ruby snapped, flustered by her older sister's teasing. "I didn't get to take my friends with me to school. It's weird not knowing anyone here."
"What about Jaune?" Her sister asked when she removed the pillow. "He's..." She stumbled trying to find the adequate word to describe him. "nice! There you go! Plus one friend! That's a 100 percent increase!"
"Oh! There is another!" Ruby sat up quickly and looked around the dimly lit room while squinting her eyes. "Dang it...I can't see her in this darkness."
"Who are you looking for?" asked Yang as she propped herself up onto her elbows.
"Her name's Reina, she's really great." Ruby said as she scanned the room once again but couldn't find me. "I can't find her...I'll introduce you to her tomorrow." She laid back down and folded her arms behind her head with a sigh. "I'm certain that Weiss counts as a negative friend. Back to square 1 I guess."
"There's no such thing as negative friends!" Yang laughed playfully. "You just made...two friends and one enemy!" As a reward, she was hit in the face by yet another pillow, this one in the shape of a dog. "Look, it's only been one day." She said as she removed the pillow. "Trust me, you've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them yet, besides the two you've met today."
"I guess." Ruby mumbled before the flickering of a candle light grabbed her attention. Sitting up, she saw another person sitting by the wall with a book in her hand. She had on a simple black yukata that suited her pajama taste. "That girl..."
"Do you know her?" Yang asked, following her sister's line of sight. "Is she Reina?"
"Not really and no it's not Reina." Ruby said with a head shake. "She saw what happened this morning, but left before I could say anything."
"Well, now's your chance!" Yang smiled and, grabbing her sister's arm, yanked her out of the sleeping bag and made her way to the mysterious girl. Ruby had rolled her eyes and started to protest against her sister's rash decision. The mysterious girl lowered her book only slightly at the approaching duo. "Helloooooo! I believe you two may know each other!"
"Aren't you the girl that exploded?" Her mellow voice reached Ruby's ears, catching her attention since she was a bit angry at Yang for dragging her into a confrontation.
"Uhh, yeah! The name's Ruby." Ruby said politely, extending her hand for a handshake. However the girl didn't look like the type for a handshake because her eyes went back to the book. "But, you can call me...actually you can just call me Ruby." She was about to give her the option of Crater Face but decided against it.
"Okay." The girl replied, her eyes still glued to the words in her book.
"What are you doing?" Yang whispered urgently, knowing that progress has not been made except by name exchange which was only a one-way deal.
"I don't know, help me." Ruby whispered back with mild fury.
"So...what's your name?" Yang asked, deciding to take over the conversation while Ruby opted for a big smile on her face.
"Blake." The girl replied after what sounded like an annoyed huff, lowering her book a little to gaze at them impassively.
"Well, Blake, I'm Yang! Ruby's older sister!" Yang said cheerfully. "...I like your bow!"
Very smooth Sis...very smooth. Ruby thought, keeping a smile on her face during the exchange.
"Thanks." said Blake.
"It goes great with your...pajamas." Yang was running out of ideas and Blake could sense it.
"Riiight." She drawled before going back to her reading.
"Nice night, don't you think?" Yang asked, sounding a little desperate to keep up the small talk.
"Yes. It's lovely." Blake answered, looking at the two of them with a straight face. "Almost as lovely as this book...that I will continue to read...as soon as you leave."
"Yeah, this girl's a lost cause." Yang decided quickly, shaking her head slightly.
"What's it about?" Ruby asked, stepping forward with interest.
"Huh?" Blake looked up when Ruby asked the question.
"Your book. Does it have a name?"
"Well...it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control of his body." Blake explained.
"Oh, yeah...that's real lovely..." Yang said with a small chuckle.
"I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters..." Ruby drifted off as she remembered her childhood. "They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress."
"Why is that?" Blake inquired, intrigued by the girl's determination to become what she desires. "Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"
"I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like the heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what was right, and protected the people who couldn't protect themselves."
"That's very ambitious for a child." Blake said before gazing off to the side in a sad expression. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."
"Well that's why we're here...to make it better." Ruby told her.
"Ohh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang squealed, wrapping her arms around Ruby and twirling her around.
"Cut it out!" The younger of the two proclaimed and they got into a scuffle, hands and feet were flying everywhere much to Blake's amusement.
"Well, Ruby, Yang...it's a pleasure to-"
"What in the world is going on over here!?" An upset Weiss sauntered up with her hands on her hips, interrupting Blake's sentence; her pajama wear consisted of a faded bluish sleeping gown with short sleeves and white trimmings, and her logo on the upper-right chest. Ruby currently had one of Yang's legs in her arms and the latter was trying to balance on the other, her arms moving like windmills. "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!?"
"Oh, not you again!" Yang said when Ruby let her go at the same time Weiss said it.
"Shh!" Ruby quickly got between them with a panicked expression, worried that her sister might find herself in another cat fight. "Guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep!"
"Oh, now you're on my side." came Weiss's sarcastic remark. Seeing as she was currently ignored by the other three girls, Blake set her book on the table face down so that she wouldn't loose her place. In its place, she grabbed the candle holder and just stared at the flames with a monotonous expression.
"I was always on your side!" Ruby was saying quite hotly, quite annoyed that Weiss was treating her in such a way.
"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister?" Yang added defensively, placing her hands on her hips and glared at the short girl. "She's only trying to be nice!"
"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss objected just as Blake let loose a quick breath, blowing out the candles which caused darkness to drape over the sleeping inhabitants. Mumbling good night to each other, except for Weiss who released a huff, the girls dispersed and returned to their sleeping bags.
Outside...
"Brrr..." I shivered and rubbed my arms for warmth. I wasn't sleepy yet and decided to step out for a bit for some fresh air. The wind blew gently against my body, trailing up my exposed skin and even combing through my strawberry-blonde locks. I had on athletic shorts and a gray tank with a wolf logo on the back, the same one as the tribal tattoo etched on my right shoulder blade. "Jeez I hope I don't get sick."
"Not if you stay outside dressed like that." A new voice spoke to me and I turned my head towards the speaker, possibly a female even though the tone of her voice was a bit gruff. I could hear the soft padding of her feet against the cool ground and she stood right beside me. "Well hello there."
"Hi yourself." I responded curtly, turning my head back to the front.
"What brings you here to Beacon?" The girl asked.
"I'm not inclined to tell you am I?" I answered her question with a question of my own, not quite sure if I wanted to tell her private knowledge.
"Hey, I was just curious. Don't feel like doing some small talk?"
"I didn't ask for your life story and this is our first time meeting each other." I stated in a calm manner. "You're gonna have to forgive me for being a bit defensive when it comes to private matters."
"Wow, you are quite the tough cookie. Okay, true enough." She said and didn't attempt to ask anything else about me. "Well as I said, you might catch a cold out here if you stayed longer. And besides, we have only been here for like one day. It would be a real shame if you fell out of the competition to become a Huntress."
"It's okay, I actually welcome this cool breeze." I said just as the wind started to pick up. "Back where I came from, winter only last about one month. We have a lot more months dedicated to summer."
"Hmm...a place dedicated only to summer weather..." My companion tilted her head with thoughtfulness and she's probably rubbing her chin with a hand as well. "What a weird place you must have come from."
"Hey, don't judge me based upon my birth place." I gave her a small smirk before turning on my heels, walking back inside. "I should get some sleep as you said, staying up late does not do wonders to my brain anyways."
"You are such an odd ball." The girl spoke as she followed me inside, closing the door with a slight click. "I've never met anyone quite like you before."
"I could say the same thing about you." I replied as we carefully navigated our way back to the sleeping quarters. Apparently we ended up in sleep bags that were adjacent to one another. "Well good night then."
"Good night to you as well."
