A/N: Chapter 17 of REKT. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, those belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 17: Extracurricular
The next morning...
We were sitting in Goodwitch's class, watching Pyrrha spar against Team CRDL one-on-four in the giant arena of a classroom. It was interesting to say the least because she just creamed their asses all over the arena, without breaking a sweat. The red-haired beauty's fighting style was both fluid and elegant; to see her parry blows and counterattack in smooth motions was very captivating.
"And that's the match. Well done Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament." Glynda praised her once Cardin and his team were soundly defeated, her eyes sparkling behind her spectacles. "I look forward to seeing you perform."
"Thank you very much, Professor." Pyrrha replied as she shouldered her weapon.
"Alright, now I know that's a tough act to follow but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?" The blonde-haired professor asked, tilting her head up to gaze at the rest of us still sitting in our seats. "Miss Belladonna?"
Snap! Blake closed her book really fast when her name was called, her eyes were like deer caught in headlights. Actually when I increased my Aura output a little more to add details to her aura model within my mind's eye, I noticed that she was a bit sleep-deprived. More like, she wasn't in any condition to fight at all.
"You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you-"
"I'll do it." Mercury, who was sitting a little behind the team raised his hand to interrupt her.
"Mercury Black is it?" Glynda questioned, adjusting her glasses as she spoke. "Very well. Let's find you an opponent."
"Actually, I wanna fight...her." Mercury pointed to the red-haired huntress who looked back with a startled expression.
"I'm afraid Miss Nikos has just finished a match, I'd recommend you find another partner." The green-eyed professor told him sternly, placing a hand on her hips.
"No! It's fine, I don't mind going again." Pyrrha spoke up quickly before turning to address her soon-to-be sparring partner. "I'd be happy to oblige."
"Additionally...may I request another person too?" The silver/gray haired Huntsman asked, getting the others to whisper under their breathes but he ignored them. Making his way down to the arena, he stood opposite of Pyrrha and looked at the professor for her permission.
"Mr. Black...you want to fight against two...people?" She questioned after a minute of composing herself, one of her eyebrows raised at the request. "First you want to fight against Miss Nikos who fought today's mock battle and now you want to add another student? Are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes Ma'am." He replied with confidence, keeping the smirk present on his face. "I've never been anymore sure than now."
"Hmm...did you have someone in mind?"
"Her." He pointed a finger in my direction; in fact he was looking straight at me when he spoke. "I want to spar against her as well."
Me?
"Ms. Raylan would you please make your way down to the arena?" My professor called and I promptly rose from my seat. Because of the battle yesterday with Roman and the weird chick, my movements were a bit slow and she took notice immediately. "Are you hurt? Did you get into a fight yesterday?"
"I...I slept weird last night so my back's a bit stiff." I told her, jumping over the railings and landed in a crouch. "Don't worry about it." I could see the look of doubt that crossed the professor's face but she just shrugged her shoulders.
"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Pyrrha whispered as I stood by her side, looking at me with concern.
"I hope so." I replied as I stretched out my arms, slowly twisting my body from side-to-side to warm up the muscles. "Aaaahh, that's the spot!"
"Hrrrrrah!" Mercury started off, going for Pyrrha first. Narrowing her eyes at his advances she blocked a kick with her bronze shield Akoúo̱ . Following up she knocked his legs out from underneath him with a swipe from Miló. He landed n his back with a small grunt before spinning his legs in a wide arc, flipping over and handing on his feet with ease.
He's very agile...I thought to myself, watching him carefully as Pyrrha continued attacking. Is that Tae kwon do he's utilizing? So his style is focused on kicking...
"Hrrrah!"
"Haah!" Both Mercury and Pyrrha danced in a flurry of sparks, the man's shoes colliding with Akoúo̱ every time his kicks were blocked. They went at it for a good minute or so and I noticed that she used her semblance for a split minute, it was when Mercury lashed out towards her head so she used her hand to block, touching his boot with her hands.
More sparks flew between them before Pyrrha drove him back, slamming Akoúo̱ into his chest with a little boost from Miló who was in its rifle form.
"Hm." Mercury made a noise of approval, nodding his head from time to time. "Not bad."
"Hey your friend's doing pretty good." Ruby commented as she turned to see Emerald looking intently at the fight. The green-haired girl smiled in response but didn't make any other comments.
"Well as much as I'd love to continue this dance, why don't we change partners?" Darting around her he came straight at me. "Heads up Princess. This is a match!"
"Woah!" I stood my ground as Mercury's flurry of kicks hammered against my Aura shield. Each hit sent my feet sliding back a few inches until he completely shattered my defenses. Gritting my teeth in frustration I somersaulted backwards as he came in with a downward kick, aiming right for my head.
"Reina!" Pyrrha's voice came a bit late as the heel of his boot connected and the ground rushed to meet my face in a sickening crack. The audience all gasped as I laid on the ground, unmoving.
"Oops. Did I hit her a little too hard?" The silver-haired Hunter asked, the corners of his mouth curled up into a small smirk as he looked down at me. "My bad."
"You bastard!"
"Ahhh! Timber, quickly hold 'er down!"
"Ack! So hot!"
"Miss Klain!" Glynda snapped angrily when she noticed what was happening in the stands. "Sit down! I will take off points from your grade if you plan on disrupting the match!"
"Reina's gonna be okay!" Yang said as the enraged Faunus begrudgingly sat back down, glaring daggers of hatred at Mercury. "You have to believe in her!"
"Hey! Reina! Are you okay?" Pyrrha knelt down next to me, placing two fingers on my neck and waited a few minutes. "Oh good, she still has a pulse."
"Of course she has a pulse. I didn't aim to kill. Besides that wasn't even my strongest kick." Mercury crossed his arms over his chest. "If she had died from that attack, then she's a weakling."
BAM!
"What the...?"
"She's getting back up..."
"R-Reina?" Pyrrha whispered when I slammed my right hand down, sending cracks running across the floor. Slowly limb by limb I pushed myself back onto my feet, blood dripping from my face and onto the ground.
"Oho?" Mercury mused with interest, cocking his head to the side. "You stood up? That takes guts."
"S...Say that again..." I breathed, looking at him intently. "Repeat...what you just say..."
"What? You mean 'weak-'" His face snapped to the side as I slugged him with a vicious right-hook. Growling he stood back up and took a fighting stance. "What was that? You call that a punch?"
"I can do much more than that." I replied, my right arm was shaking uncontrollably. "Prepare yourself!" My Aura flared up as I rushed at him, my scarf streaming out behind me. He smiled and twisted his body 360 degrees, aiming his best foot forward to collide with my punch. Multiple shock-waves reverberated throughout the arena and we continued our flurry of blows.
"Woah, she's going at him with the intent of killing!"
"This is madness!"
"Arrrgh! What's happening? I can't even keep my eyes open!"
"Heh, you're actually pretty good aren't you?" Mercury commented. "Color me surprise."
"You're not too bad yourself." I replied curtly, shielding myself from another kick that came too close to comfort to my head. "As much as I abhor complimenting you after you kicked my face into the floor."
"Heh. Would you like another date with the ground?" He asked once we separated, his chest heaving for breath. Small beads of sweat began to show themselves across his forehead, a feeling he never thought he'd experience again. "Hyah!"
"Aura Palm!" Ducking underneath his extended leg I slammed my hand against his chest, blowing him back a good feet or two. He had to dig his heels in to stop himself, leaving stretch marks behind. His clothes were smoldering where my hand made contact, leaving a charred imprint on the fabric.
"Hmph." Skidding to a halt he spat out some blood, looking up as I lunged at him once more; I was already forming an Aura Sphere in the palm of my hand with the intent of squishing him like a pancake. He turned his head to Glynda who was standing at alert, watching the fight very carefully. "I forfeit."
"Reina, stop!" A red blur crossed my path and I was knocked backwards, falling head over heels before hitting the floor. The sphere I had in my palm dissipated into the air as I lay on my back trying to catch my breath. Counting to five I sat up with a dazed expression before feeling Pyrrha kneeling beside me, a hand on my left shoulder. "The match's over...you can stop now."
"Huff...huff...huff..." My breathing was ragged and I kept a tight grip on my right arm, feeling a burning sensation crawl across my skin. Agh...what's wrong with my shoulder? It feels like it's on fire!
"You, don't even want to try?" The member of Team JNPR then directed her question towards Mercury.
"What's the point?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders at her question. "You yourself are a world renowned fighter, we're obviously leagues apart. Now the girl is another issue but...I think I'm good."
"In that case, Pyrrha Nikos and Reina Raylan are the victors of the match." Glynda then turned to look at Mercury with a very stern look. "Next time you may want to think a little harder before choosing an opponent...or two in your case."
"I'll be sure to do that." Mercury replied, his arms raised in surrender as he left the floor.
"That is all for today." The professor continued saying as the bell rang, watching as the students packed up to leave. "And remember the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses."
"Learning is so much fun!" The silver haired huntsman whispered sarcastically when he noticed Emerald waiting for him outside, indicating that he was merely studying his opponents. She merely rolled her eyes, and hit his arm with a hand.
He's so suspicious...I thought to myself after watching the silver-haired man exit the room with his hands in his pockets. There's something about him that I can't pinpoint...why do I feel so weird when he's around?
"Miss Raylan...is there something else you need?" Glynda asked, noticing that I was still standing in the arena even after class had been dismissed. "Please get your wounds checked, I hate to see a student bleed to death in front of me."
"I-It's nothing. And this is just a scratch." I replied and went to get my stuff. I felt her eyes on the back of my head as I left the room, but I merely dismissed it.
"You feeling well?" Kairos asked me as I walked slowly out of class, bandages wrapped around my head from the wound I received. "What exactly happened yesterday? You kind of disappeared on us when we were confronting Torchwick and that other girl..."
"I saw through her trick and chased after them." I replied as we continued down the corridors back to our dorms, my Scroll already in hand. "I proceeded to attack her, but she blocked it easily with that umbrella of hers."
"That weapon of hers is quite something." The faunus nodded her head with agreement, following me into our room and closed the door. "I'm still perplexed on how she wields a...uh...simple thing."
"Right?" I sat down at my desk and sighed. "After that she counterattacked and now I have to wear this for another day." I lifted my shirt to show my bandaged torso.
"Must've hurt a lot." She commented, her usually gruff voice was laced with worry.
"Oh yeeeah..." I drawled out, wincing as I lowered my shirt. Any sharp movement sends a jolt through my spine and I took a deep breath, letting it out in a steady stream. "She's a real kicker... cracked one of my ribs but thankfully it's healing nicely."
"How come you didn't turn down the offer during class?" She asked me from where she was currently lying on my bed, leaning against a propped up arm. "You know Goodwitch would have excused you from sparring."
"Well I mean...I haven't been participating much in her class." I replied in a small voice, leaning back in the chair. "So I thought that I should at least spar..."
"But...you could've died in there." She said, getting up from my bed and walked up behind me. "Watching that attack...was unsettling."
"Sorry...for worrying you." I apologized, feeling her arms wrap themselves around and pulled me into a hug. "I'm really sorry."
"Leader are you okay?!" The door flew open and Efram rushed in with Timber right behind him. "That was some fight this mornin'!"
"Don't make such a huge fuss, I'm okay." I assured them as Kairos greeted them.
"Good. Cause when I get my hands on that vermin..." Efram made a strangling motion with his hands, his lips curled up in a snarl. "...he would wish he'd never harm a hair on yer head!"
"You do that." Timber commented as he threw himself onto his bed, releasing a sigh of pure bliss and relaxation. His backpack laid near the foot of the bed soon forgotten. "Though picking fights against others without supervision from a professor might not be such a good idea."
"I'm bein' very serious here." The sea-green haired Huntsman said with a pout. "Our Leader's was almost killed, that's unacceptable!"
"I agree with you."
"You almost got into trouble with Miss Goodwitch." Timber pointed out, getting a very dirty stare from Kairos. "Hey, I'm just saying."
"But he was asking for it!" Kairos shot back angrily. "Didn't you see that smirk on his face?!"
"Believe me I wanted to help Reina too, but you can't just jump into the arena!"
"Have you even tried doing something against the rules, Timber?" Efram questioned, crossing his arms over his chest teasingly. "You can be such a goody-goody two-shoes."
"I'm going to the restroom." I left them to their own conversation and disappeared, releasing a sigh as I did so. Chuckling to myself I slowly unwrapped the bandages around my head, listening to the squabbling outside the door. They're so funny...I love them so much.
It's you.
"...what was that...?" My hands stopped moving as I strained to hear the disembodied voice. "Hmm...must've been my imagination..."
The Grimm's Curse has be laid upon a new hostess.
"Who's talking?" I growled, holding the bloodied bandages in my hands. "Show yourself!"
There's no cure. Now it's become your destiny.
"Ah!" I quickly gripped my right shoulder out of pain. This was something I haven't felt in a while but it seemed like my entire shoulder was flaring up. What the-?! It's pulsating... Suddenly I found myself staring at a dark mass accumulating in the middle of the room. Panicking I realized that I wasn't in the dorm room's bathroom anymore.
You won't escape.
"W-W-Who are you?" Finding my voice I addressed the lump of darkness with as much courage as I could muster. "What's your name?"
I am you...at your fullest potential...
"My...full potential..." I questioned, not really understanding what those words mean. Slowly the dark mass changed shape until it was around my height. I couldn't make out much of the detail but something that was unsettling was the fact that there was a mask. "What...are you?"
I'm you. The shadow spoke and when a small light shined upon it, I realized that it was wearing the mask of a Beowolf; I was staring at a humanoid Grimm. A small toothy grin stretched across its face and its red eyes flashed dangerously from behind its mask. I. AM. YOU.
"Ahhh!" Screaming loudly I found myself back in reality, leaning against the door with a hand clasping at my chest. The bloody bandages had fallen to the ground limp, but I didn't pay any attention to them. W-What was that?! I continued to breathe heavily with sweat rolling down my face. A vision...? A nightmare...?
"Hey Leader!? You okay in there?" Efram's voice floated through and I trudged out slowly, tossing the bandages into the trashcan like a civilized person. "Wow...what happened? You don't look to good..."
"I'm okay...just gonna go into town for awhile." I said, avoiding his question and stuffed my Scroll in my pocket. "Clear my head a bit you know."
"...Okay..." Efram replied with concern in his voice. He was the only one left in the room since Kairos left for the gym and Timber went with her. "Ya gonna be back in time for dinner?"
"No promises. If I don't make it back you guys can go without me." I smiled and headed out, closing the door behind me.
Elsewhere on campus...
While I was busy getting my stuff from the classroom, Sun had approached Blake as she walked out with the rest of her teammates. Her nose was still buried in the book and she was walking a little slower than her teammates.
"Hey Blake!" You uh, doing okay?" The monkey faunus asked, prompting Blake to come to a halt when her name was called.
"I'm fine." She replied, turning to face him and closed the book momentarily after marking the place.
"So I hear there's this dance going on this weekend." Sun cleared his throat and tried to make the conversation pleasant. "Ah, sounds pretty lame but, you and me I'm thinking not as lame huh?"
"What?" Still sleep-deprived Blake just stared at him, unsure if she heard him correctly. "Run that by me again."
"The dance, this weekend, you wanna go or what?" Sun reiterated, hoping that she'd say yes to him.
"I don't have time for a stupid dance." was the sleepy reply. "I thought you of all people would get that. If you're looking for someone why don't you ask Kairos." Turning on her heels she walked away while the rest of her team looked after her emphatic expressions.
"Huh..." Sun sighed, feeling bummed about getting rejected.
"You what?" When team RWBY returned to the dorm room, they sat Blake down and tried to get her to reconsider. The faunus stared at her teammates with tired eyes, she looked as though she could fall over any minute.
"We want you to go to the dance." Ruby said from where she sat on Weiss' bed. "It would really mean a lot to us."
"That's ridiculous." Blake replied with narrowed eyes.
"Blake, we're worried about you." Yang spoke up from where she sat next to her, giving her partner a sympathetic glance. "This investigation is starting to mess with your head."
"You can't sleep, you hardly eat, and to be honest, your grades have been suffering." Weiss chimed in, ticking off the items with her fingers. "Honestly, you may run yourself into the ground."
"You think I care about grades?" The dark-haired huntress asked, narrowing her eyes a bit at the gazes her teammates were giving her. "People's lives are at stake."
"We know and we're all still trying to figure out what Torchwick is up to." Yang said gently, getting a small frown from the faunus. "You don't have to go through this by yourself."
"Thanks to you, Sun and Kairos we know they're operating somewhere out of Southeast Vale." Ruby spoke up, making her voice sound as cheerful as possible. "So there's a plus."
"And the Schnee company record singled out Vale as the primary target for Dust robberies over the last few months." Weiss told the group, going through a few notes on her Scroll. "Guess we lucked out to say the least."
"Don't forget about their military tech too." commented Yang but Blake still wasn't satisfied, stating that there were questions still left to be answered.
"Blake you won't be able to find anything if you can't even keep your eyes open." Ruby pointed out gently. "All we're asking is that you take it easy for one day."
"It will be fun. Yang and I will make sure of it."
"Yeah!" Yang smiled at Weiss' comment. "We're planning the whole event."
"Excuse me?" Blake looked at her in shock, unsure if she heard those words right. "What do you mean by that?"
"Team CFVY's away mission lasted longer than expected." Weiss explained before Yang continued the story.
"So Weiss and I were asked to pick up where they left off. And now we can make sure you have the perfect night."
"And once it's all over we'll return to our search, rested and ready."
"So what do you think?"
"I think this is a colossal waste of time." was the reply and Blake stood up, making her way to the door. She looked over her shoulder, giving her teammates one last look. "I'll be in the library."
"Great." Yang sighs with defeat once the door closed. "That didn't go as well as we had hoped."
"She can't keep going like this." Weiss argued, stomping a foot on the ground with annoyance. "We have to stop her before she loses her mind and fall into a spiral of sleep depravity and lack of energy. I've never seen her in such a sorry state." Three knocks on the door perked their interest, and they glanced at each other in wonder.
"Weeeeeeeiiiiiissssssssss~!" Jaune, guitar in hand, proceeds to serenade the Ice Queen the moment she responded to the knocking. Once he was done he sends her a wink. What he got in return was a door closing on his face. "Oh come on." He whimpered, knocking pathetically. "Open the door. Please?"
That blond fool. Weiss sighed as she did a face palm, Ruby and Yang were busy snickering in the background. So embarrassing, especially in front of the dolt and the brute.
"I promise not to sing." Rolling her eyes, she opens the door for him just to give him the benefit of doubt. "I liiiieeeed~!"
Dust...help me.
"Weiss Schnee, will you accompany me, to the dance on...Sunday?"
"Are you done?" She asked him with one eyebrow raised.
"Yes?" He replied, giving her a sheepish smile.
"No." She turned him down and closed the door in his face...again. When she looked at the two sisters, she couldn't quite put a finger on what their facial expressions were conveying. "What? Why are you two looking at me like that?"
"And that is why they call you the Ice Queen." Yang said as Ruby lost her balance and toppled over.
"All my life boys have only cared about the perks of my last name." Weiss explained stiffly. "Besides, I already have a date in mind."
"Date or no date, none of this will matter if we can't get Blake to go." The young leader said as she picked herself up from the floor, smoothing out the wrinkles in her combat skirt. "She's a vital part of our team. I won't stand by and let her miss out on such an important event."
On the roof...
Meanwhile Jaune's lessons with Pyrrha were still going and the two of them were sparring against one another. Nothing too fancy otherwise she'd end up sending him over the edge so they opted for light swordplay. For a minute the blond swordsman was taking the lead, pressuring her which was a surprise for the redhead. She knew he was a fast learner, but his growth under her guidance was quite phenomenal in its own right.
He smiled at her when he thought he had a leg up, but it slowly dwindled when she smirked in response. He soon learned that whenever Pyrrha smirked, she entered her serious mood, and she more than not had a trick up her sleeve to win. Deflecting his blow she went in for a leg sweep, causing him to land ungraciously on his back. Letting out a small grunt he sat up, giving his sparing partner a hurtful expression.
"Ahahaha. Well done." She praised him after letting out a small chuckle, pulling him back to his feet with a hand. "Your sword play's improved immensely. I'm really proud of you, Jaune."
"Couldn't have done it without ya." He replied in earnest, sheathing his weapon and dusting himself off.
"So, are you ready to move on to Aura?"
"I'm actually thinking maybe we just skip that for tonight." Jaune said hesitantly, avoiding eye contact with her. "Might go on a jog or something."
"Come on, I know you get frustrated buy you must keep trying." Pyrrha urged him, noticing that he was becoming reluctant at the idea. "I'm sure we'll discover your semblance any day now."
"That's, not it." Jaune replied before releasing a sigh, upset that he had been distracted during the lesson. "It's just, it's dumb."
"What is it? What's eating you?" She asked him, lending him a sympathetic ear. Walking up, she placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "You know you can tell me anything."
"It's...Weiss." He finally said, looking at the ground with a sad smile.
"Oh. What about her?"
"I asked her to the dance and, she shot me down. Big surprise right?" He released a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"Well, I believe the saying goes, 'there's' plenty of fish in the sea'."
"That's easy for you to say, you've probably got guys clamoring each other just to ask you out." The blond pouted, claiming that someone as popular as Pyrrha could never know the rejection he has to face.
"Heh...you'd be surprised."
"Oh please, if you don't get a date to the dance I'll wear a dress. Heh." Jaune sarcastically states, walking away and didn't see the almost hurtful expression on Pyrrha's face.
Out in the town...
I walked around on my own, lost in thought. It was around late afternoon and early evening so not many people were roaming around as much. I moseyed around the shops, gazing at nothing in particular as I thought back to what I saw while I was in the bathroom. It was startling to see a being with the mask of a Beowolf and hearing my own voice floating out of its mouth.
There was no way that creature could be me, just no way. I assured myself, lifting my spirits the only way I know how: Pep talks. I'm not a Grimm...I'm not a Grimm. I must've gotten hit pretty hard...Yeah...I just need a good rest and I'll be set.
"Um, excuse me?" A voice called out to me and I paused mid-stride. Looking up I saw a young girl standing before me with her hands behind her back. "Are you perhaps from Beacon Academy?"
"Yeah, I am." I replied pleasantly.
"Oh thank goodness. I've been wandering for hours...it was our first time visiting Vale after all." The girl released a sigh of relief before introducing herself. "My name is Elyon Eagle."
"Reina Raylan, nice to meet you." We shook hands in greeting before I asked her, "Wait...what do you mean by 'our'?"
"My team and I traveled here from the country of Vacuo!" She chirped and grabbed my hand out of the blue. "Come, you have to meet them. There is another team with us so I'll make sure to introduce you to everyone." I allowed myself to be dragged by my enthusiastic new friend who proceeded to tell me all about her homeland. We must have walked around for a long time, so long that I could probably write an entire biography about Elyon.
"You're back Elyon." A new voice reached my ears, the voice of another girl that was perhaps a little older than I. "Who's that person next to you? Can she lead us to Beacon Academy?"
"Yes, Leader." Elyon replied with a small smile. "She's actually a student there."
"Leader?" I asked as she left my side, walking over to stand by her team members. In my mind I envisioned at least eight people around my age huddling in a group...and they were all staring right at me with curiosity.
"That's right. I'm the leader of my team." The girl stepped forward and I couldn't help but notice that she has got a few inches on me. "The name's Kaeon Kalani."
"Reina Raylan." I said first, introducing myself to them.
"I'm Dalton Dreygon." Dalton walked up to stand by Kaeon's side. "I'm the leader of my team."
"Nice to meet you!" I replied.
"Everyone line up! Please introduce yourself before our new friend." Kaeon ordered before turning to look at Dalton. "Do you want your team to go first or mine?"
"You can go first." He said, prompting her to wave her hand towards her teammates.
"I'm Akira Amadeus!" The younger looking one of the group spoke up first, looking at me with huge eyes. "Be my friend!"
"Akira! Why are you so demanding?" The male next to her frowned slightly before smiling in my direction. "Sorry about that. Charlie Croft is my name."
"You already know who I am but I can reintroduce myself to you." Elyon did a small bow. "I'm Elyon Eagle."
"And I'm Kaeon Kalani, the leader of team KACE." Kaeon turned her head to me. "Glad to make your acquaintance."
"We're next." Dalton stated with a smile. "Guys, would you please?"
"Hey babe, I'm Aero Ackerman." The man with goggles on his head said. He kind of reminded me of Neptune with the way he wore his goggles. "What say you and I go off and have a...romantic dinner together once this is done?"
"Buzz off Aero, you're so gross. And don't start hitting on people you just met, it doesn't work like that!" The girl who was next pushed him out of the way before giving me a thumbs up. "My name's Eryn Evans. Don't pay Aero too much attention, he can be such a horn dog sometimes."
"You've been dumped at least 5 times already..." Aero commented loudly. "Better work on that before you turn into an old crow."
"S-S-Shut up!"
"Don't mind them, they're actually the best of friends." A well-built man spoke next, getting my attention away from the squabbling duo. "I'm Zack Zephyr."
"Last but not least, the leader of team DAZE..." Dalton gave me a quick salute. "...that would be me, Dalton Dreygon. And that's our entire group."
"Wooow..." I breathed, trying to catalog all the names that were given. "Allow me to extend a warm welcome to you all. Since there's still light I guess I can give you all a tour of the town before we go to the Academy." I offered and proceeded to take them on a road-by-road tour of the town. I didn't bother taking them back to the pier since Elyon told me they have arrived by boat so I figured they have had just about enough of the ocean.
"Just so you know, Dalton get's sea sickness if he's on a boat for a long time." Aero spoke up.
"Aero!" Dalton snapped at him. "Way to shout out my weakness to the entire world!"
"I see it as a fun fact, not a weakness." was the reply. "Besides, it's not like Reina's gonna make fun of you...unlike a certain someone we all know."
"Excuse me?" Eryn growled threateningly. "I sure hope you weren't hinting at me."
"Is your team always this...um...lively?" I asked, watching the two of them go at it.
"Yup...all the time." Dalton sighed before deciding to break them up. "C'mon you little trouble makers, let's just enjoy the moment."
"Well...we're actually here at our destination." I turned to my guests with a small smile on my face, hands clasped behind my back. "Welcome to Beacon Academy."
"...woooow..." Their mouths dropped open as they gazed at the towering structure in admiration.
"Oh, it seems that the new guests have arrived." We turned to see Ozpin standing by the steps, mug in hand and looking at us from behind his glasses. "Please, follow me to my office."
"Who's that?" Dalton asked me as Ozpin returned to his office.
"That's our Headmaster." I replied with a smile. "He's really nice. Go on, he's waiting for you all."
"Thanks for leading us here and giving us a tour of your town." Elyon said and stepped towards me, placing a small kiss on my cheek. "Well...see you around."
"Umm...y-yeah!" I replied, resisting the urge to wipe my cheek.
"Don't worry kid, that's just her way of greeting." Kaeon told me as she walked past. "I got one too when I first met her."
"Bye Reina! Let's hang out again late." Dalton said and I waved goodbye to my new friends, watching them disappear into the building after Ozpin. Soon my stomach chimed in, alerting me that it needed to be fed.
"...shoot...I already missed dinner...I hope there's something I can salvage around until morning."
Meanwhile...
"Then there's Pyrrha Nikos."
"Ahh, the invincible girl." Cinder mused with a head nod. She was sitting on her bed as Emerald and Mercury were busy going over every single Beacon students.
"She's smart, but I wouldn't say invincible." Mercury said from where he was on the couch with a comic book in hand.
"Do tell." Cinder prompted, crossing her legs over one another and leaned forward with interest.
"Her semblance is polarity, but you'd never know it just by watching." Emerald said as Mercury put his book to the side with a huff.
"After she made contact with my boots she was able to move them around however she wanted." The silver-haired Hunter explained, folding his hands over the armrest of his chair. "But she only made slight adjustments."
"Just enough to make it look like she's untouchable. She doesn't broadcast her powers so it puts her opponents at a disadvantage."
"Hmm, people assume she's fated for victory when she's really taken fate into her own hands." Cinder said after collection the information. She smiles with glee and said, "Interesting. Add her to the list."
"Finally there's Reina Raylan."
"Raylan?" The dark-haired woman's eyebrows arched in surprise at the name.
"Do you know that last name?" asked Emerald, looking up at her leader with a curious gaze with her fingers lightly gracing the keyboard of her Scroll.
"...it's ringing a bell but...I'll check up on it later." Cinder replied before waving her hand for the girl to continue. "Was she the one that left that mark on your jacket Mercury?"
"That was a powerful attack, I won't lie." Mercury looked at his jacket with a frown. "It was startling to say the least...She ruined my favorite jacket."
"Her semblance wasn't something anyone has ever seen before, judging by the faces of the audience." Emerald said as she scrolled through her Scroll. "When Merc kicked her in the head something snapped and she was a totally different person. She almost met him blow for blow."
"...She's still in the development stages I guess..." said Cinder, stroking her chin in thought. "I suspect her Semblance has yet to grow..."
"The thing is I didn't see any weapons anywhere so her powers are a mystery to me." Mercury told her, something that peaked her interest. "She's a close-combat fighter from what I can see, but she never used anything like my boots or Em's guns."
No use of weapons huh...Cinder narrowed her eyes at the statement. As expected of the Raylan family...
"What should we do then Cinder?" Emerald asked, drawing the woman's attention back onto her. "Should we put her on the list too?"
"For now yes...we need to keep a tight watch over those that are on the list..." I wasn't mistaken at all...you really are...an interesting person Reina. I can't wait to meet you again...
"You should be able to take both of them no problem." Mercury commented as Emerald quickly put my name in her Scroll. "You're stronger than Emerald and I."
"It's not about overpowering the enemy." Cinder chastised him lightly. "It's about taking away what power they have. And we will, in time."
"Ahhhh...I hate waiting." The male replied as he crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. "It's just so boring."
"Don't worry Mercury, we have a fun weekend ahead of us."
