"This is it, oh my god, this is it!" Ruby whispers to herself, jumping up and down on her seat excitedly before turning to Weiss. "Aren't you a tad bit excited?!"
Weiss remains silent, internally calculating the probability of ending up with two team members she had deemed inadequate. While some, like Ruby Rose, may possess surprising strategic insight and above-average combat skills, that still didn't make them an ideal team.
Never mind the fact that the grade-skipping and youngest member of the team was assigned as the leader despite lacking two years of experience! And it wasn't like her fighting skills made up for it; at best, they just put her on par with the other average Huntsmen-in-training.
Her eyes turn towards Pyrrha Nikos and her team. Now that was a team she wished she was part of. If she were part of the same team as Pyrrha Nikos, they would be unbeatable. But she was not.
The only one of note in her team was Blake Belladonna. The description and name matched that of the daughter of Ghira Belladonna, founder of the White Fang and former High Leader, now current Chieftain of Menagerie. According to the SDC database, she was reported to have run away, with the primary suspected reason being teenage rebellion and suspected sympathy with the very same terrorist group her father founded, with a 60% chance of having joined them.
It went down to a negligible percentage now that she was here at Beacon Academy. The likelihood of White Fang's influence being enough to sneak an agent into one of the famed Huntsmen Academies with a reputable Headmaster like Professor Ozpin in charge was nearly impossible.
AEGIS calculated the pros of acquainting with such an individual. It would be vital in displaying that as the future CEO of the SDC, she was considerate of the plight the Faunus underwent and that she was taking steps to correct the negative reputation the SDC gained due to their controversial labor practices. That was added to the top of her digital checklist, right under graduating with top grades and a perfect performance record.
The objective of becoming a team leader is under question given her circumstances, but perhaps she can persuade Ruby Rose or Professor Ozpin to see reason. Perhaps she should delay that until she has curried favor with other influential faculty members.
"Weiss?" Ruby asked after not getting a response for a second, snapping Weiss out of her calculations.
"I eagerly anticipate the lessons we will receive," Weiss said before looking towards Blake sitting next to her. Thankfully she had spent the night prior researching proper ways to initiate a conversation with non-SDC Faunus personnel. "A wonderful day, is it not, Miss Belladonna?"
Blake seems to be snapped out of her thoughts, looking surprised that Weiss was speaking with her.
"Erm… Yeah, I guess it is," Blake responds, sounding awkward.
"Your bow looks eloquently crafted," Weiss spoke in a neutral tone to not sound too familiar.
"...Thanks," Blake said, her eyes shifting nervously in confusion. Was it something she said?
Evidently, Weiss needed to polish such skills before further interaction. Perhaps Ruby Rose could serve as useful practice. Another thing to add to her notes. Speaking of which…
"Will your sister be joining us, Ruby?" Weiss asked, turning to their leader.
"Oh no, she won't. She doesn't sound interested in being a Pilot." Ruby shrugged. "Lame, am I right? Who wouldn't want to be one?! You get to fly in a multi-ton war machine with guns big enough to shred buildings!"
"... You're very enthusiastic about firepower," Blake notes with some discomfort while avoiding looking at Ruby, speaking quietly. "Being a Pilot won't be all fun and games."
"W-well, yeah, I know that," Ruby chuckled nervously. "But hey, you know what they say, pick the job you're going to enjoy."
Blake looked at Ruby with disapproval, and Weiss internally agreed. It was something only a child would say, not the leader of a team of Huntsmen-in-training. She felt they were going to get along just fine in that case. Perhaps she will have her support when—
"It's them!" Ruby whispers excitedly, tugging at Weiss' sleeve. Her eyes look toward the entrance of the lecture hall, realizing that four figures have entered. The renowned CEO and her loyal Head of Security.
There was immediate excited muttering from most of the fifty students in the lecture hall, and even more excited squealing from Ruby, who was shaking in her seat, looking about to explode.
The white-haired young woman with red eyes lets the borderline crippled Pilot hold her arm to support himself, helping him up to the front of the lecture hall before she lets him stand by himself, giving him a warm smile.
There had always been rumors of the two being intimate. Weiss scoffs quietly. How unprofessional it was to be intimate with an employee. And what would she even find attractive about someone like him? But then Ayre speaks, and she focuses her attention.
"Good morning, students of Beacon Academy," Ayre greeted, and she swore that some of the male students, including that idiot blonde who tried to flirt with her yesterday, swooned at her voice and looks. But they quickly froze up when Raven glared at them with his single grey eye.
"I'm sure most of you are familiar already, but allow me to reintroduce ourselves. My name is Ayre, the CEO of NEST Incorporated." She puts a hand on herself before gesturing at the Pilot next to her. "And this is Raven, my Head of Security and your Practical Pilot Instructor. I will serve as your main lecturer to educate you all on the finer details of being a Pilot, such as the legal intricacies and mechanisms."
A CEO being a lecturer at Beacon? It didn't make any sense. How does she have the time to do so while running her company?
"But before we begin, I am afraid to inform you that not all of you present will be able to attend this course," Ayre announced, surprising all of them, even Weiss. "There are currently only enough resources to teach at most twenty students."
That was less than half, something everyone realized as they began to look worried.
"To determine who will be selected to advance, your first class will be used to conduct a two-on-one interview between yourselves with Raven and me," she explained. "Rest assured that should you fail, you may simply attempt next year with our replacements. Now, you will be called at random to meet in a private room opposite this lecture hall. Let us begin, shall we?"
"Now let's see… Lie Ren, was it?" Ayre asked as the Mistralian student entered the room. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Yes. It is a great honor to meet you both," Ren says as he bows towards them, a traditional Mistralian greeting, which Ayre returns before sitting down next to Raven, who is waiting.
"Five minutes," Raven said gruffly, crossing his arms and looking expectantly.
"Forgive his bluntness," Ayre apologizes on Raven's behalf. "But to clarify, you now have five minutes to convince us why we should allow you to enroll in this course. Let's start with why you wish to become a Pilot in the first place."
Ren pauses to think of his answer carefully, his facial expression betraying no emotion. Raven notes in his file that his Semblance was Tranquility, one that can calm a person's emotions to the extent of being undetectable by Grimm.
It would be useful for Pilots to keep their cool under pressure. Many times, panic would kill even the most skilled, as he can personally attest to from Rubicon.
"Forgive me for answering with a question, but are the two of you aware of the colony known as Kuroyuri?" he asked, and Ayre immediately nodded.
"Yes. An attempt to start an independent colony by Mistralians dissatisfied by how their Kingdom was run," Ayre recalls. "Destroyed roughly a decade ago by Grimm."
"Yes. It was my home," Ren said, and Ayre looked surprised at the news.
She pretends to look at her Scroll tablet, but her nature means that really, she doesn't need to.
"There were no reports of any survivors," Ayre noted. "The records indicate that you were an orphan in Kuchinashi."
"We were born outside of the Kingdom of Mistral, so we didn't have any record," Ren explains, looking uncomfortable. "Kuchinashi Academy didn't ask many questions, so they were willing to create records for us."
"Us?"
"Nora Valkyrie, another survivor of Kuroyuri. My friend," Ren explained. "We… lost everything that night. My mother died in the opening of the attack, and my father gave his life to buy time for us to flee. We barely survived thanks to my Semblance."
Ayre allows him to gather himself as Raven looks at him without a shift in his face, not that any could tell with the bandages wrapped around him.
"After Kuroyuri's fall, many requests were placed for Huntsmen to eliminate the Grimm and reclaim it, but for thirteen years it went uncollected," Ren continued. "And then NEST came. A single Pilot wiped them out, part of a wider mission to eliminate Grimm across the Mistral frontier to pave the way for your Settlement Development Program… Part of the reason I trained was that one day I hoped to avenge my family. Avenge my village. But that was no longer possible."
"So why continue to become a Huntsman? Let alone a Pilot?" Ayre continues her questions.
"What I felt that night when I lost my family… I do not wish for anyone else to feel the same," Ren explained. "And most selfish of all, I do not wish to feel weak anymore. I never want to feel as helpless as I did that night I lost everything… Almost everything."
"Nora Valkyrie," Raven spoke for the first time since Ren arrived, as he read Ren and Nora's file on his Scroll tablet. "Team member… Applied to be a Pilot as well."
"She is," Ren nodded.
"A Pilot flies in missions more dangerous than a Huntsman," Raven points out. "More risk… but more reward… Is that worth both your lives?"
"It isn't necessarily about the reward," Ren shakes his head. "We are both willing to put our lives on the line if we can prevent tragedies like Kuroyuri from happening ever again."
"And if you can't?" Raven asked coldly. "If the two of you die… Perhaps even on your first sortie?"
Ren was silent for a few seconds before he gave his answer. "Both of us talked about it, the day before we went to Kuchinashi Academy, and the day before we applied for both Beacon Academy and your course. We will live without any regrets. Not trying would mean living with that regret for the rest of our lives."
Raven studied his face and found conviction in his eyes, before turning to Ayre who nodded with an approving smile.
"Pass," Raven taps a button on his tablet and approves Ren's application.
"Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl," Ayre pretends to read over her tablet once more, but internally accessing the data. "I wouldn't have expected to find a famous tournament fighter like yourself in a Huntsmen Academy. Might I ask the reason for both becoming a Huntsman and a Pilot?"
"Yes, I have always been considered a skilled fighter ever since I began training," Pyrrha says. "I… always believed that because of my skills and talents in combat, I was destined to become a Huntsman. It was just the obvious choice. I believe I should put my abilities to good use protecting the world."
"You believe?" Raven asks, looking unimpressed. Even with his face covered by bandages, she could feel him express himself from the eye that was visible through the coverings. "Is it because you chose to… Or was it chosen for you?"
"Sir?" Pyrrha hesitated, looking unsure. And that was all Raven needed to see, tapping on the Scroll tablet.
"Rejected," he declared.
Pyrrha looked taken aback, not saddened but clearly confused. "I'm sorry, was it something I said?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Nikos. But Raven simply looks for certain qualities amongst Pilots he trains," Ayre explained, looking apologetic. "Perhaps next year will be kinder."
"It's fine. Thank you for your time and patience." Pyrrha stands up and bows to them before leaving.
"—because let's be honest, I'm practically the strongest in my year!" Cardin Winchester continues bragging. "I'm gonna ace it as a Huntsman, so might as well go all the way and be a Pilot as well. That way I can kill four times as many Grimm than I already can!"
"So… I can sum it up as you wishing to be both Huntsman and Pilot simply for glory?" Ayre said, trying to keep her face neutral after four minutes of self-aggrandizement, waiting patiently for him to finish answering her question about his motivations.
"I'm just good at what I do." Cardin shrugged confidently. "My family's been warriors since before the Great War, you know? Back when Vale had knights, my ancestors were in them. You probably heard of House Winchester at some point, you look like a gal who knows her history."
"...Are you willing to die for it?" Raven asked, after looking like he wanted to slam his head against the desk or gouge his remaining eye out through the whole interview. "For… glory and honor?"
He spits out the words with restrained disdain, but it goes unnoticed by Cardin. A flicker of hesitation before he answered,
"I… Of course, I am," he said with a cocky grin. "All Winchesters are. I ain't a pussy like other students you've rejected. I ain't afraid of Grimm."
"I didn't ask that…" Raven said. "I asked… Are you willing to die for honor… for glory? Not all Pilots get to retire… Many die violently… painfully… screaming… Burning alive in a cockpit isn't pretty…"
"I—?" Cardin was about to retort when a timer beeps.
"Time's up," Raven notes and taps his tablet. "Rejected."
"What?!" Cardin exclaimed, slamming his hands on the desk. "That's not fair! Five minutes isn't enough—!"
"It was certainly enough," Ayre said, cutting him off. "In those five minutes, you have failed to convince us, that is all. We cannot waste Beacon's limited resources on those we find unsuited."
"You know, my father puts a lot of money into—" Cardin starts to speak, but Ayre cuts him off again.
"Please retain some dignity and leave on your own volition. I do not wish to force you out, Mister Winchester," she declared with an annoyed glare.
Cardin wanted to dare her to try, thinking he could take on someone like her who's probably never seen a real fight in her life. But she was still a world-famous CEO of a powerful company…
"Damn it… Your loss," he mutters as he storms out, slamming the door behind him.
"We should have rejected him a minute into this…" Raven grumbled as Ayre sighed.
"We agreed to not pass any decisions until at least they finish the first question," she muttered while sending a message to the next applicant's Scroll to enter. "I just didn't consider he would waste a majority of the session for that…"
"Nora Valkyrie. A pleasure to meet you," Ayre greeted as the ginger Mistralian jogged into the room, offering a hand to shake.
"It's a real pleasure to meetcha!" Nora shakes the offered limb with both her hands and a lot of excitement. "It's an honor!"
"Quite enthusiastic," Ayre notes with a slight smile as the two take their seats. "We spoke to your friend, Lie Ren."
"Yeah, he looked really happy when he left," Nora said. "I'm sure he told ya a lotta things…"
"Yes. About your connected history with Kuroyuri," Ayre nods with a sad expression. "I am sorry for your loss."
Nora shrugs, but they notice her lips quiver a bit. "It's a long time ago. And after you wiped those Grimm off the map and rebuilt, we went back to Kuroyuri. Got some closure. I heard it's a big town now."
"Lots of trade with the rest of the frontier colonies. It's still growing as we speak," Ayre confirmed. "But we should get back to the root of the topic. Your application. Why do you wish to become a Huntsman, let alone a Pilot?"
"Same as Ren does," Nora answered without hesitation. "I don't want to see Kuroyuri happen anywhere else. And come on, have you seen the boom your robots have? You guys got grenade launchers the size of cars! Sign me up anytime."
"Enthusiastic about explosives as well," Ayre notes, finding it funny how much the personalities of Ren and Nora contrast.
"Piloting is a dangerous job… More than a Huntsman given the bigger odds," Raven said. "Stray Nevermore flying into an engine… Get careless with a giant Grimm… Run out of fuel or ammo at the wrong moment…"
"Well, you pretty much run into the same stuff as a Huntsman." Nora shrugged. "I get it, dangerous work, we all might die. Ren and I know that, came to terms with that back in Combat Academy, but the moment he said he was signing up to be a Pilot I had to join him."
"...So you want to be a Pilot because of someone else?" Raven asked, not particularly impressed by that. "If you die on the field, will you blame him for that?"
"Course not," Nora said without hesitation. "Well, I wouldn't like it if I… you know… but if it does, then I just guess my time's up and all that."
She looked a bit unsure upon saying that but continued. "But at least we'll be there for each other. I'm going wherever he goes, we'll watch each other's backs."
"...And if he dies before you?" Raven presses.
"He won't," Nora said bluntly.
"How can you know?" Raven asked, confused at her confidence.
"Because I'd kick the bucket first before he does," she said with absolute sureness and conviction in her eyes, her playfulness suddenly vanishing.
Raven stares at her in the eyes to see if she is hiding anything under bravado but finds nothing. She was willing to sacrifice her life if necessary for her partner. Kind of familiar. From the look Ayre was giving him he didn't need to see her thoughts, he knew what she was already thinking.
"...Pass," he accepted her application.
"YES!" Nora jumps out of her seat in joy before suddenly grabbing Raven in a hug to Ayre's amusement. "Thankyouthankyou! You won't regret it!"
"I can still reject you…" he warns with a glare as she immediately backs off.
"Jaune Arc," Ayre greets as the nervous blonde man takes a seat with paper copies of a transcript in her hands. "These are… quite remarkable transcripts you have here."
"T-thank you, ma'am." Jaune tried to smile. "I work hard to get where I am now."
"True, but there were some discrepancies," Ayre notes, tapping on the transcripts. "Is there anything we should know?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Jaune insists. "Is there a problem?"
"These are forged," Raven said bluntly, cutting to the point instead of beating around the bush like Ayre was. "No one in the Lighthouse Combat Academy has heard of you… Never mind the teachers of the class you claim to have graduated from."
The color immediately vanishes from Jaune's face as he starts stuttering over his words, trying to come up with an excuse.
"Why did you forge these records, Mister Arc?" Ayre asks calmly. "Rest assured, what happens in here will not get back to Professor Ozpin. I am merely curious because according to some simple investigation, you were registered as having an unawakened Aura before Beacon, as well as zero combat training. What is your motivation for putting your life on the line?"
"I… I…" Jaune gulped, doing his best to focus on anything that wasn't the fact that he was discovered. "I just want to be a hero. My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather, all of them were great warriors and heroes. I… I just want to be like them!"
"And why didn't you apply for a Combat School? Have your Aura awakened?" Ayre asked, and Jaune remained silent. "Was this motivation somewhat recent?"
"...Yes," Jaune nodded his head weakly.
"And why did you not choose to apply for a Combat School instead?" Ayre continued. "There are no age restrictions, last I recall."
"Come on, I'd be a seventeen-year-old in a class full of high schoolers! You know how embarrassing that would be?" Jaune asked.
"...So, it's pride," Raven said. "You could have swallowed your pride, done some actual training… Then come to Beacon… All it would have cost was time."
"I…" Jaune tries to refute that but fails, head hanging low like a kicked dog. "Please, it's all I ever wanted… To be a hero, someone like you! Just give me a chance, and you won't regret it! I already got my Aura, and I'm not afraid of fighting Grimm!"
His begging only further served to confirm Raven's decision as he tapped on the tablet. It reminded him of a certain Pilot… A Pilot who only ever wanted his own call sign.
"Rejected," he declared. "This is for your own sake."
"If you still wish to be a Pilot, you can try next year," Ayre said assuringly. "I wish you luck then, Mister Arc."
"Jaune! Did you get accepted?" Pyrrha asks as Jaune leaves the room with a sullen look on his face. "Oh."
"Oh jeez, we're the only ones in our team to make it?" Nora asks. "How many are there left?"
"Just the three of us left…" Ruby shakes with nervousness, realizing that so far out of the fifty applicants, there were only four that were accepted! One of the rejects had been Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl! What chance did she have then?
"I still can't believe that they would reject a talented fighter such as Pyrrha Nikos," Weiss mutters in thought. "So they are obviously not searching for pure combat ability, but perhaps another trait. But what?"
"Jaune, do you want to talk about it?" Pyrrha asks as she puts a comforting hand on her leader's shoulder, only for him to shrug it off.
"I… I just…need to think…" Jaune mutters as he steps away.
"He took it badly, didn't he?" Nora notes, and Ren nods.
"It isn't surprising. Most of the other applicants that were rejected shared similar looks," Ren said before looking at the three members of Team RWBY that gathered. "I wish you luck; it appears you're going to need it."
"I don't need luck," Weiss declared confidently. "I calculated my own odds, and they are favorable."
"...I'll take that luck if she doesn't want to," Blake spoke up.
"Save some for me," Ruby said, her stomach feeling queasy from nervousness. "Does anyone have a bag I can breathe into?"
A Scroll rings out, and Ruby panics, her rapid breathing starting to turn into hyperventilation, as Blake picks up her Scroll.
"That's me…" Blake gulped before standing up, bracing herself as she prepared to enter the room.
"Good luck," Ruby said as Pyrrha patted her on the back to try to ease her nervousness.
"Blake Belladonna, it's been a while," Ayre nods in greeting as Blake enters the room.
Although attempting to retain her composure, Blake was nonetheless confused by that. "Pardon?"
"You may not be aware, but because your father is a friend and client of our Settlement Development Program, I've actually met you before," Ayre explained with a fond chuckle. "Although it was back when you were still a baby in your mother's arms."
"I see…" Blake nods as she takes a seat. This was probably good news then. She may leverage this to possibly gain entrance into the program. But the bad news is that if Ayre was in contact with her father, her parents may become aware of her location and possible motivations.
"How is your father? It has been far too long since we last met," Ayre asked.
Blake thinks carefully about her answer, knowing that even close acquaintances of her father would learn that his only daughter ran away, with some perhaps suspecting the reason why.
She knew of her father's close relation with NEST Incorporated, despite how controversial that decision was amongst Menagerie locals for depending on the help of a corporation like that of the SDC.
It was one of the reasons they had their big fight, which culminated in her leaving after accusing her own father of losing his way before storming out.
"I think you'd know more about it than I do," Blake decides on the truth instead, just enough of it anyway. "I… haven't been home in quite some time, as you're probably aware."
"Yes, he only mentioned that the two of you had a big fight before you left Menagerie," Ayre nodded. "What have you been doing since that time?"
Training with the White Fang Talons and engaging in guerilla warfare all across Remnant, sabotaging their supply lines and robbing Dust and technology shipments, fighting off Sentinel death squads sent to root out White Fang holdings, and the occasional theft of AC parts from third-party suppliers and scrapyards.
"I've been broadening my horizons, exploring the world," Blake says. "All across Remnant, in Vacuo, Vale, Mistral, and sometimes Atlas."
"Very well-traveled," Ayre notes. "And it said in your profile that you were self-taught in combat but were recommended for Beacon by several Huntsmen. Can you explain that?"
Yes, Sienna Khan taught her most of what she knows back in Menagerie before she became High Leader of the White Fang, and after she truly joined the group, her training only intensified.
As for her recommendations, there were many Faunus Huntsmen across the world sympathetic to the White Fang's cause, with some being outright members or on their payroll. It wasn't hard to get some to fill transcripts in for her, getting her way into Beacon.
"The world's a dangerous place. Even back when I was in Menagerie, I was taught how to defend myself because the Grimm in the East of the island would attack regularly," Blake explained. "Even after I left, I still needed to protect myself, especially in the frontier outside the Kingdoms. Occasionally I'd meet people like the Huntsmen who would recommend me, and they would teach me a few tricks to survive out in the frontier."
"I saw your performance in the Initiations. For someone who received informal training, you fight on a level beyond a Huntsman-in-training. No hesitation in your strikes at all," Ayre said. "I suppose that is because of practical experience?"
"Yes. It is," Blake nodded, not mentioning how she had gotten in through several life-or-death battles against Sentinels and SDC security agents.
"A very skilled woman for someone your age," Ayre nodded. "Now, can I ask what you hope to gain from becoming a Huntsman and Pilot?"
To gain the skills necessary to strengthen herself and aid the war for Faunus equality against the SDC and any organization that would seek to exploit Faunus-kind. To get close to her target and use her as leverage to possibly end this losing war between the SDC and the White Fang. Even at the cost of her own life. Victory at any cost.
"I want to help people, those who have been exploited by the strong," Blake carefully answers. "A lot of Huntsmen and Pilots work closely with law enforcement to enact justice against the cruel and corrupt. I wish to be one of them in the future."
"A noble reason," Ayre smiled and turned to Raven. "Won't you agree?"
"...Are you a part of the White Fang?" Raven asks bluntly, causing Ayre to barely restrain a sigh and Blake's heart to almost burst out of her chest. "There are some suspicions… Rumors really… That you joined the White Fang after you ran away from home… Are they true?"
"Are you asking that because I'm Faunus?" Blake asks defensively, trying to deflect the question.
"And that your father is its founder," Raven nodded without a change in tone or expression, crossing his arms. "Yes or no?"
"No," Blake answered, and it was the truth. Officially, she was no longer a member of the White Fang. As of weeks ago, the Talon Pilot Shadowcat was reported as a deserter, but due to the stretching of resources, her capture would be classified as minimum priority. Essentially to be ignored.
"...Okay," Raven said after a few seconds of staring into her yellow eyes. "You support them?"
"I do," Blake answered, thinking it was best to keep being honest. "I attended a few rallies and protests for Faunus civil rights. Against the SDC with their slave labor."
"Your teammate, Weiss Schnee," Ayre says. "She is the heiress to the SDC. The daughter of Jacques Schnee, the man who implemented many of those controversial labor practices. What do you think of that?"
"I think that she's her own person. She shouldn't be held accountable for the actions of her father," Blake said, finding herself uncomfortable with answering that question.
"They've been pretty extreme lately," Raven points out. "Attacks on SDC with stolen ACs… Robbing Dust shipments… Assassinations even… What do you think of that?"
"I think they've been pushed to desperation. Their protests and assemblies were ignored, so force was their last resort. I… think it's unfortunate they have to go this far," Blake tries to make her tone bitter, to sound like while she's defending them she was against the idea, and to her surprise it was easier than she thought. This made her feel uncomfortable so she tried changing the subject. "I'm sorry, what does this have to do with my application?"
"Everything," Raven said. "You mentioned wanting to defend the weak… fight the corrupted… Those are your ideals, correct?"
"Yes," Blake nods.
"And if the White Fang became corrupt?" Raven asks, surprising Blake. "If they start oppressing humans… Maybe even Faunus dissenters…? Became everything they fought against?"
"That won't happen!" Blake snapped before remembering herself and cursing.
"Indulge me… Hypothetically…" Raven continued unfazed. "If they became… the very thing that goes against your ideals… Then what?"
"I… yes. I would," Blake tries to answer even if it disgusts her. The White Fang would never turn out to be anything like the SDC, or any of their oppressors. They fight just for their civil rights against a world that would rather they have none. They would never turn out like their enemies. Never.
Raven looks at her unimpressed as he taps the tablet in his hands. "Rejected."
"Weiss Schnee, a pleasure to meet you again," Ayre greets as the heiress sits down in front of them.
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Ayre," Weiss nods before turning to Raven. "I do not believe we have met. I am Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company."
"I know who you are… Sentinel," Raven nodded as he stared into her blue eyes.
"Yes, I have received my own augmentations from the SDC and have already begun lessons with the SDC Sentinel Security Corps in the basics of being a Pilot. I believe they should pose no problems, as they are backwards compatible with various models of combat simulators NEST Incorporated uses," Weiss explained as she whipped out forms to hand to Ayre. "I also have additional requests. According to official news, the hangar bay in Beacon Academy for the Pilot Course finished construction a month ago. I would like to request that I be allowed to bring my personal Sentinel to use in training exercises."
"...A bit audacious, is this not?" Ayre asks as she accepts the files. "We have not decided whether we will be accepting your application or not."
"I believe you will," Weiss insists. "I've calculated my odds."
"Bold claim," Raven scoffed. "Bit of an ego… What makes you think we'll accept you? Lots of others were rejected."
"Because I am simply better," Weiss states, and it doesn't sound like an egotistical boast, but merely the statement of facts. "I have run many simulations against Sentinel Pilots of the SSC. I recall forwarding you my combat data in my applications. You cannot deny my skills."
"No, we can't. But I'm sure someone of your intellect," Ayre looks into her blue eyes with some disapproval, "And with the aid of your AI, can determine skills aren't necessarily what we are looking for. Answer me this, Miss Schnee, why do you wish to become a Pilot?"
This was the moment Weiss had been waiting for. Likely this was the question that decided the fate of many applicants before her, and judging from how few were accepted, they were looking for a rare aspect.
Psychological profiles collected by SDC analysts make it clear that Ayre values morality, making business decisions that were more costly, sometimes to the point of almost becoming losses if it went against her morals.
But Raven was more of an enigma. Unlike Ayre, he was shrouded in myth and rumors, with little to no appearances in news or public statements. There is only the myth, but from what little they gathered from those who sortied with him on the rare occasion, and during the Liberation of Glenn, it was agreed that he was a man concerned with pragmatism and freedom of choice.
AEGIS has amassed a wide array of possible responses based on their profiles, but all of them had odds of success that weren't optimistic. There were too many unknowns. Although there was one choice, the odds were unknown… It was a gamble, but so were the other options. With this, there was a higher chance of success.
The choice… was to be completely honest and upfront.
"I wish to become the Commander of the SSC," Weiss explains. "Once I amass a reputation and favors, I will wait to inherit my place as CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. With all my resources, reputation, and connections, I will then endeavor to redeem my family name."
"...Redeem your family name?" Raven asks, sounding unsure.
"I am not oblivious to the… deeds of my father," Weiss admits. "I am aware of the reputation of my grandfather's company. It is far from the legacy he left to my father. What was once a proud symbol of Atlas resilience is now a symbol of greed. I will take my father's place, and I will change it."
"That… is an admirable goal," Ayre said, looking pleasantly surprised.
"And if you fail?" Raven asked. "The SDC… They did a lot of things that aren't pretty… Some would say it's rotting away… Better to feed it to fire… until the last cinders burn."
"I believe that my company is in perilous waters," Weiss grits her teeth and memories flood her mind. The things her company's done. The things she had done. "But we can change course. Not abandon ship. We must change course, and I will be the one to do it. To make amends for… everything."
"And if you can't?" Raven presses. "If your father doesn't even allow you to inherit it? If your own board forces you out? If you make an enemy of your own company?"
"Then I'll keep pushing forward," Weiss insisted. "I will redeem my family name. No matter what. Even if I must do it myself and spend the rest of my life trying."
Ayre remains silent through this, fixated on Weiss' eyes. There was a dull, synthetic light, but as she spoke about her goals, there was a flicker behind them. Like warmth and color melting the ice away, a spark ready to blossom and burn. It reminds her of a certain mercenary.
"Is something amusing, Miss Ayre?" Weiss asks, sounding offended, thinking she was chuckling at her.
"Hm?" Ayre coughs into a fist, unaware she had done so. "Forgive me. I was thinking of something else."
She turns to Raven. "I think we have our answer."
"...You sure?" Raven asks.
"I like her eyes," she nodded, confusing Weiss but causing Raven to sigh in understanding.
"Really," he muttered under his breath before tapping the tablet. "Pass. Call in the last one on your way out."
"Thank you for your time, Miss Ayre. Mister Raven," Weiss thanked them as she stood up and left, leaving them alone as the door closed.
"Her wings are clipped," Raven muttered with a hint of disapproval. "She won't be flying far."
"Perhaps. But under the right guidance, who knows?" Ayre smirks. "She had fire behind her eyes. Faint, but it was there. Perhaps one day she may use that to free herself, to truly choose her path to take."
Raven grunts in response as he raises his tablet to open the file of their last applicant. "Last one… your favorite… Let's get this over with."
A nervous knock was heard on the door as a young girl with black and red hair peeks through the crack with silver eyes.
"H-hey there," she greets with nervousness. "G-guess I'm the last one. I-It's a pleasure to meet you again, Miss Ayre."
"And you, Ruby Rose," Ayre smiles warmly before gesturing at the seat before them. "Please, come in. Take a seat and tell us, why do you want to be a Pilot?"