The Boy Who Talks to Machines
By The Good Life Creator 678
Chapter Seven: Raindrops on a Rose
"Did you know I tried talking Ruby out of being a huntress?" Taiyang spoke out, a sad smile parting his lips. The past flashed before his eyes, creatures with black flesh and witches with pale skin danced in his mind. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. "Gave her the whole 'being a huntress is not a game' speech and everything."
"I'm gonna be a huntress and help lots of people; just like mom."
It shamed him that he hated hearing those words from his daughter. He hated that she idolized the title. He despised that telling her it wasn't an easy venture only served to embolden her cause. "Personally, I blame you. She's too much like you to listen to reason." He shot his wife an accusatory glance. He only got silence in response. Another sad smile parted lips. "You'd be so proud of her, Sum. Both of them, really. Yang is every bit of the brave older sister you wanted her to be. Sure, she still has a bit of a temper but she'll work it out. Ruby is every bit of the sweet little girl you remember and so much more. Did I tell you she got into Beacon two years early?"
Silence once again.
"I'm scared, Sum. Ozpin's involved with it. I had a conversation with him about it, told me that she was ready now. He's hiding something and it worries the ever living hell out of me." He clenched his hands into fists. "It isn't fair. He's already screwed over our lives with his war, what right does he have to take our daughters?"
Taiyang couldn't help but let out a humorless laugh. "Not like I'm much better than him. Couldn't even put my foot down and tell her no…" His voice softened to a whisper. "Part of me feels like a horrible father for letting them go. Our daughters shouldn't have to worry about things like old wizards and immortal witches yet here I am sending them both off into his care with a wave and a smile."
An all too familiar poisoned smile made its way to his face. Images of reds and yellows coursed through his mind, ripping through inky blacks. "Yet I can't help but feel proud of them. They've worked so hard to be there, what kind of father would I be to take that away?"
He almost heard the wind whisper across the blades of grass.
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly," the man mumbled. "They're still children, still got the world ahead of them. Why bother them with our jaded memories?" When their own hard times came, he'd be there to raise them to their feet all the same. He casted a sheepish smile to the grave marker beside him. "I'm, uh… I'm sorry that I don't visit as much as I should, Sum…"
"But you're here now," the wind whispered it's response.
--The Boy Who Talks to Machines--
Glynda gazed at the screens, watching as the students landed in the forest before striding towards the shrine at the other end. A few had already made eye contact with another before lashing out at the world around them. Her eyes locked onto a screen as she watched white and gold met with black and red once again. "It appears that you were correct on whether or not they would meet."
Ozpin smiled softly as he observed their antics. "Call it intuition. They have a spark that offers the change we need."
"Perhaps, but at what cost?" Her question required no answer, they knew the price they were paying, the toll that this plan demanded. They were robbing children of their youth. There simply wasn't any other way to describe it.
Still, there were other matters at hand. "Is the EVO still on track to the Emerald forest?" he questioned into the intercom before him.
"She, and I am going on record on stating that this 'impromptu' test of yours is insanely unethical." Peach's voice was filled with static, anger dripping from every syllable.
"As you have stated every chance you have gotten since we've confirmed her," he replied, leaning forward as the words fell from his mouth. It had only been an hour since they had been made aware of her presence just north of the Emerald Forest and something felt off.
Her birth would have to be investigated further.
A sigh escaped his lips as he leaned forward. The weight of their offering was getting to him. "Is he still on track?"
A huff of annoyance crackled over the speaker. "Unfortunately. I still fail to see the need that necessitates this ludicrous idea of yours."
"I have to agree with Thumbelina on this one," Glynda spoke. She hated agreeing with the head of dust and EVO studies but this plan was pushing the bounds of their offerings. "There are other students wh-"
"Who are embarking to take an oath to protect Remnant and her inhabitants." His tone was harsh, eyeing her with a sharp gaze. "They have been studying most of their lives to make headway in a world that would tear them asunder. If the worst comes to pass and it reaches another team then they will take it down like any other threat."
"But this is NOT any other threat," the blonde pressed. "This is a living being with…"
"I understand your sentiments but this is unavoidable. We have already cast the die and now we must watch."
"I still don't understand what your game here is, Ozpin." Peach's voice was argumentative. She made no attempt to hide her distain. "We have all the footage we need of him being able to cure in both a controlled and natural environment. What would be the purpose of this?!"
"To test his mettle."
--The Boy Who Talks to Machines--
"The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
Ruby would be the first to admit that initially she shuddered under those words that Ozpin spoke. Sure, she knew that it was going to happen at some point; that the professors of Beacon would gather the would be students around and shove them off into teams. It was all of what any of the initiates would talk about throughout the morning and her and Yang were no exception; having had that very conversation earlier in the locker room themselves.
She just didn't really think that stuff like teammates and partners were such an integral part of their initiation. The mere thought of those pesky subjects were forced into the back of her mind in favor of much more pleasing things like Grimm slaying, weapons, and how she was going to make a hero. Besides, much like her admittance into Beacon, Ruby figured it was only a matter of course that she would end up on a team with Yang.
It could have been like a family tradition and everything! Their moms, dad, and uncle Qrow formed STRQ at Beacon; why not their daughters? They could have been a legacy team! It would have been awesome!
Looking back at it now; Yang's apprehension at the idea should have tipped the little red reaper off that choice very much was the name of the game. So, when the Headmaster brought up the terms of initiation and how Beacon decided to form teams that year, it was only natural for the teenaged girl to be sent into a state of panic.
So, what exactly did a good partner make? She had to make a choice and soon. They had to be strong, brave, dependable, totally get her, and love weapons. That last one was a must. Her first thought went to her older sister. Her second thought reminded her that Yang decided ditching her in the courtyard to find friends on day one was a good idea. Brave and dependable the young dragon was not.
There were the other two hopefuls the littlest reaper had overhead talking about sloths. While both them were new, Yang did say that she could use this as a way to break out of her shell. No, no, no, she couldn't do that. If the conversation the girl had overhead told her anything, it was so they could find a way to covertly find a way to end up as teammates and no matter how much the red hooded girl wanted to, she couldn't get in the middle of that.
Then it happened; Jaune had somehow turned it all around with three simple words. "We got this." It was a simple gesture, one that she gave him earlier that very morning when he confided his own fears of failure, but it was one that gave her everything she needed to know. He had already proved that he was both brave and strong; the surveillance video of his fist fight with that gross looking EVO with the weird tongue had long since been burned into her mind. Sure, she didn't really know him for long but she could already tell he was dependable. It didn't matter that Jaune was a bit clumsy when it came to fighting. Ruby had already committed herself to the cause of making him into a hero, anyways. What better way to make that happen than to be his partner?
"Would you stop laughing?"
"Sorry!" Ruby squeaked, attempting to hide her giggles behind pale fingertips. She really couldn't help it; she just wasn't used to seeing Jaune at eye level to her. The boy just responded by glaring at the girl, earning another fit of giggles from the young reaper.
Before the blond could start scheming on getting his ankles free of new their earthy bindings, pale hands gripped his cheeks, forcing him to look into silver eyes. All Jaune could do was blink in surprise. This was starting to feel way too similar to their first meeting for the young EVO's liking. "Uh, what are you doing?"
"Not leaving anything to chance."
"…What?"
"BNG!"
His scroll chimed at him, forcing his attention towards it.
Partners:
Jaune Arc (Rebekah)/Ruby Rose: AR(R)
No wonder the app didn't recognize Rebekah, it wasn't that she was faculty; it was that, according to the app, she and him really were a packaged deal.
--The Boy Who Talks to Machines--
"I thought teams were picked by lottery."
Weiss had initially scoffed at that idea. Why wouldn't she? Beacon held a long standing reputation of living legends graduating from within its halls. It truly was an asinine thought that such a prestigious academy would decide, in lieu of preemptively curating the best teams possible with all applicants given, a lottery based system would be a better idea.
Then ice blue eyes met amber feline eyes.
Partners:
Weiss Schnee/Blake Belladonna: WB
Eye contact, with all the promises the concept seemingly held, might as well have been the lottery. The frozen princess took in the returned girl and almost cursed her luck. Right before her stood the daughter of Menagerie, holding much the same look of disappointment as her own, black cat ears twitching atop a head of long black hair and cat tail swishing in the air.
This was going to be a long four years.
Weiss closed her eyes, collecting her thoughts. No, she could handle this. From the moment Weiss was made aware of Blake's attendance at Beacon, the young heiress had every intention of forming a strong and genuine bond with the faunus princess. Sure, she saw the benefits of the heiress of the SDC being acquaintances with the princess of Menagerie. She would have to be completely impaired not to have the foresight of what the tabloids would write if she played her cards right.
Her father had many of those relationships, yet instead of the false pretenses and backroom deals she would forge this with genuine desires and mutual achievements. The future she wanted to craft demanded nothing less than genuine articles and relationships were no different.
"I assume you know who I am?" Silence and a weary nod answered her back.
She just wished she didn't have to deal with it so soon.
--The Boy Who Talks to Machines--
"We are so making you into a superhero."
Her eyes shimmered with anticipation when she told him that with sincerity dripping off every syllable. He would have been a fool not to take her words at face value; Ruby did seem like the driven type bound in high levels of sugar induced enthusiasm that Jaune wasn't even aware existed.
Wasn't like Jaune needed much convincing on the matter; he was already enamored by the stories of heroes that he heard along his travels with Rebekah. He only needed a nudge to completely comply with whatever her plans of being a superhero entailed.
"How about Mecha-Mage?"
Apparently having a cool name was the second rule of being a superhero, right behind having cool names for his builds. For the last fourth-five minutes; while not fending off the stray Grimm that had stirred from Jaune's landing strategy, the trio had been debating on his 'alter ego.'
An awkward pause told him how Rebekah and Ruby felt about his contribution. "What? I'm totally the team red mage." It made sense in his mind; he could do both kinds of magic and sword play, too. The moniker suited him.
Ruby blinked at his response. She couldn't fault his reasoning. It could work if he used more dust. Nope, it just didn't feel right. A little more brainstorming would do them some good.
"I don't think that's the one for you."
Still though, the thought did open some new possibilities of what they could do. Maybe some dust infused fabric? Could it shift over to his builds?
"Yeah, that's too cool for you."
"And 'Vomit Knight' fits me so well?"
"At least it's honest."
Jaune glared daggers at Rebekah. This superhero naming thing was going to be a long process.
--The Boy Who Talks to Machines--
Blake wasn't exactly sure what to make of Weiss. The way the regal girl held herself was almost everything that the faunus girl could have expected from someone born into the Schnee name; frozen to the world around them. Even the very air that surrounded the young Schnee heiress felt almost as if one were swept in a frigid tundra.
Almost.
"I'm not daft enough to not notice my own faults in the matter." That was an understatement. Some of the bystanders were still wary of the heiress in fear of her escalated temper. "I accept that I am not blameless in our interactions, but she needs to learn how to take responsibility for her own actions," Weiss vented to the faunus.
Blake was expecting a great many things to come from her first encounter with the Schnee heiress. The first and foremost was the atypical frost that seemed to follow all that hail from Atlas and she was not disappointed.
"And what actions are those?"
She just wasn't expecting to add confidant to that list of expectations.
"Her lack of awareness. The incident in the courtyard wasn't the only incident. Her and her boyfriend kept everyone in their immediate vicinity awake by playing with their pet."
Blake knew who she was referring to. The talking raccoon EVO. Did the white haired girl mean something by it? "I don't think she's a pet to them."
"You have a better explanation that explains her attendance?" Weiss countered. "Animal familiars aren't an unknown in our world. Beacon even has a set of rules regarding their presence. It's the only thing that makes any logical sense regarding her stay unless there's merit to her claims of being faculty."
So, a meaningless descriptor then. "I just think that she is a little beyond 'pet'." There really wasn't a way of categorizing her; the raccoon truly did blur the line between man and beast far better than any faunus ever could.
"You take a good look at her and tell me that it doesn't."
"Do the same and tell me it does."
--The Boy Who Talks to Machines--
"Jaune, I don't think the relics are in here," Ruby stated, her voice echoing off the walls of the cave before them.
"What do you mean?" Jaune inquired. "The Headmaster said to find ruins and I found ruins." The blond made a grand gesture to the landscape around them. Painted stones and roughly carved statues made up the entry to the cave marred with claw marks and dried blood. The scent of decay hung heavy in the air, nearly suffocating all life around the immediate vicinity.
"She's not buying it," Rebekah loudly whispered, indicating the silver eyed girls incredulous expression.
Okay, maybe the old man told them to seek out an old temple and not ruins and this place was the furthest thing from hollowed ground but those were semantics. "Look, I think I saw the temple a little ways on the other side on my way down."
"And the cave leads to it?"
"Either that or we go through a cliff wall." He knew he would regret those words when they left his lips. The cave had 'foreboding' painted all over it's maw.
--The Boy Who Talks to Machines--
Weiss eyed the relic in her hands, trying to decipher the meaning of the chess piece. Was the headmaster trying to elude to something more esoteric such as how their choices of the various figures gave insight on how they viewed themselves? Did she truly see herself as the knight gallivanting off to defend humanity?
Or was it how the headmaster of Vale viewed them? Chess pieces to be moved about? While highly irregular, the huntsman of Beacon were also the military might of Vale with Ozpin being effectively their general. They were tools, used at the behest of a man who's renown was clouded in obscurity.
Or was it simply benign? A token to a game of the mind and nothing more?
Her reflection stared back at her from the golden knight. That was probably it. The relic was simply chosen as a passing fancy. Still though, if she had to choose the reason herself, it would be the first one. She would do everything in her power to be the knight that served the living soul of Remnant from all threats. To be the one that-.
"It seems that only two others made it so far," Blake observed, ripping the heiress out of her thoughts. So they weren't the first to make it? No matter, time wasn't the only determining factor when it came to their attendance.
"So it would seem," Weiss responded. Cold eyes surveyed the tree line. She could hear faint roads and subtle cracks filtering out through the leaves. "We should wait till another pair makes it here before heading back to the cliff."
"Scared of a few Grimm?"
Ice blue eyes narrowed. "It's more than a few. I know you can hear the fighting now. We move in now and we put ourselves in unnecessary danger."
It also served to take a glance at the new hopefuls that would make up her class.
They didn't have to wait long; they heard it long before seeing any trace of it. A loud machine like roar thundered out from the forest, drowning out the faint growls and gunshots. And it was only growing closer.
Maybe they should have left sooner rather than later.
A/N-I have no idea why this was so hard to write. I have been extremely busy lately but this was just so hard to get the point across. Dunno why.
Anyways, there were a few scenes I wanted to write out but didn't since it didn't feel right. Like I was originally gonna write a scene where Ruby, Jaune, and Rebekah argued about what would make the best worst love song but meh, that'll probably be put somewhere else.
I always planned on making Weiss and Blake partners in everyway you'd expect and the complete opposite at the same time. Like Venture Bros. Let me know if I'm completely off base on that regard.
I have also toyed with the idea of Jaune having a different semblance than his canon counterpart.
Other than that, what do you think Jaune's hero name going to be?
Tropendo325-Ruby is kinda like Noah to the max with a bit of Six. To be honest though, while the thoughts of having Qrow fill his shoes, it wouldn't do it justice. Believe it or not, Winter fits better.
MereC55-Yup, they be partners. And Blake got Weiss. Pity her. Though my intentions with Weiss was to make her everything you think and the complete opposite of what you'd expect.
IrishKatana-I love giant robot shows so the go big or go home aspect doesn't bother me. Some of my favorite animes are like Big O and Eureka 7. I do plan on altering a couple of the Omega nanites builds though as well as an upgrade.
Lir123-Glad you enjoyed it so far. I didn't want to make Jaune a complete badass outta the gate. That would just be a bit dull and I already have that with Golden Wolves. In terms of steps, Canon Jaune is about five steps behind his class at the start with EVO Jaune is about a step and a half. At least that's what I'm aiming for.
Other than that, don't forget to review, I appreciate all criticism, and lemme know if I'm doing dorky rocker EVO Jaune justice.
Track Listings (so far)
Track 1-Piece of Your Action (Motley Crue)
Track 2-Don't Fear the Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult)
Track 3-Home Sweet Home (Dan Vasc)
Track 4-Flying in a Blue Dream (Joe Satriani)
Track 5-Stranger in a Strange Land (Iron Maiden)
Track 6-Atomic Punk (Van Halen)
Track 7-ROAR (Black Stone Cherry)