"Okay, so, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury are evil and they're working for Roman Torchwicke?" Sun was currently being caught up on what he missed out on. He wasn't here for the first volume and had to be told a recap of what went down.
Blake affirmed his questions, but Sun still had more that were unanswered, the main one being the 'why'? What were their motives for all this, there had to be something, though sadly, that was one of the only questions they didn't have the answers themselves.
Sun ceased asking questions when he knew wasn't going to get any more of them solved. He took his spot back in his seat like everyone else, as well as holding a box of popcorn he ordered from the fancy kitchen.
"Alright, enough of that, time to get this show on the road, you still got a lot more to see," Raider explained as she gestured towards Blake, signaling her to begin the second episode.
But, not before Sun had to ask one more question. "One last question, what did you mean when you said I would be important to the show for the next four volumes?"
"Just some character and plot arc development, you'll see for yourself once we get to volume 4. Don't worry about it," Raider waved her hand dismissively, returning on telling Blake to begin the episode.
The Faunus gave a short nod before pressing play.
(Volume 2 Intro)
A large airship begins to dock itself on Beacon's launch pad, students from all over are making there to the school's structure, the camera showing this from a high vantage point; the camera continues as it starts to direct its attention to the very top of the school, Professor Ozpin's office.
All the students look at the screen in confusion, not even 5 minutes in and the purpose of this being shown has already grabbed their attention. What would Professor Ozpin have anything to do with this show? Does he hold some kind of big importance?
Raider hid her small smirk and she proceeded to hear their thoughts, they were all the same, what's so important about Professor Ozpin? She let out a quiet chuckle, he has a lot more significance than y'all are giving him credit for.
Brushing through the clouds, Professor Ozpin and Glynda are overseeing the wave of students making their way through the campus.
"Ironwood sure loves bringing his work wherever he travels", Glynda was clearly displeased if her furrowed brows and crossed arms were anything to go by. She did this while also staring down at the students below.
Ozpin responded to her own thoughts, looking and observing three military airships as they pass by, "Well, running an academy and a military makes him a busy man, but yes, those are a bit of an eyesore."
The three ships split off from each other and in that moment Ozpin turns to the sound of his desk screen alerting him of Ironwood asking for access to the inside of his office. He allows him inside, saying so himself, and Ozpin's elevator doors part to reveal General Ironwood.
"What business would the general have with the headmaster?" Ruby's voice was innocent, even tilting her head as if she were a confused puppy. The girl sitting next to her gave a tiny blush, asking herself why she found the tiny insignificant motion so adorable.
"We'll just have to find out, seeing as it will more than likely show us," Pyrrha pointed out, hoping this will quell her friend's curiosity.
"Ozpin!" The general greets the headmaster in a friendly manner.
"General," Ozpin gives him a formal greeting, as well as having his hands placed behind his back.
The general asks for Ozpin to drop the formalities as he goes to shake the man's hand. Ironwood gives Ozpin a light-hearted chuckle, continuing with reminding the man that it's been too long. His attention then turns to Glynda, "And Glynda, it certainly has been too long since we last met." General Ironwood puts an extra emphasis on the 'certainly'.
"Oh James," Glynda replies sarcastically before turning to Ozpin and informing him that she'll be outside.
"Even meeting an old friend she's still as cold as ever," Yang shakes her head, seeing as Professor Goodwitch will never change.
"To be fair, when has she ever been warm?" A good half of the people in the theater room ponder Nora's question, but seeing as none of them could think of an answer they just decided to drop it, seeing as that will be a question that will never hold an answer.
"Well she hasn't changed a bit," the general refers to the receding Glynda, continuing the conversation with Ozpin.
Ozpin doesn't heed his words and walks over to pour himself a mug of, what appears to be hot chocolate. He asks what brought the general all the way down from Atlas, adding that headmasters don't typically travel with their students for the Vytal Festival.
Ozpin hands him the mug once he was done pouring in the contents. "Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year, besides, with you hosting, I thought this might be a good opportunity for us to… catch up," he says while including something in his mug that he pulled out from his coat. He paused to look for a good word to describe this interaction.
"I can certainly appreciate quality time between friends," Ozpin gives a tiny pause as he sits down in his chair and proceeds to fill up his own cup before sustaining the previous conversation, "however, the small fleet outside my window has me somewhat concerned."
"Who wouldn't be? You mind your own business then BAM, you now have a group of policemen right on your doorstep and you don't know what for." Raider couldn't exactly put a pin on if Yang was trying to make a joke out of this or if she's actually commenting and being serious.
Judging by others' expressions and silence they were thinking the same thing.
"Well… concern is what brought them here." Ironwood's frown is apparent as he answers the headmaster.
"I understand travel between kingdoms has become increasingly difficult," Ozpin goes on.
General Ironwood cuts in, "Oz, you and I both know why I brought those men." The music and tension in the room shift to become more ominous and tense.
"Oh, seeing as the music changes, I would like to give you a few things to look out for, such as this. I would suggest keeping your ears peeled for any moments that music begins to change, because music in shows are a huge part in the whole play. Music always hints whether something is going to happen or to go with the feel of the moment, so I suggest looking for those in future episodes," Raider explains and they all gave a nod, but Raider knew only a few were actually going to be more vigilant.
Ozpin took a sip, then gave a deep exhale as he set the mug down on his desk, "We are in a time of peace, shows of power like this, are just going to give off the wrong impression."
General Ironwood wasn't having it, his hands were on the desk and he planned on refuting Ozpin's statement, "But if what Qrow said is true-"
Ozpin cut him short as he raised a finger to counter the general's argument. "If what Qrow said is true then we will handle it tactfully."
"Wait, wait, wait, what does Uncle Qrow have to do with any of this?" Ruby's cut through the room the moment she heard her uncle was involved in all of this, but another one of her questions was 'why'? Yang was wondering the same thing, but she surprisingly didn't vocalize it.
"More will be explained in due time as we continue through the series, so quit your whining, you'll find out soon enough." Raider quells their curiosity for now, but it won't be long till they ask even more questions.
"It's the Vytal Festival, a time to celebrate unity and peace," Ironwood simply gave the man a blank frown as Ozpin went on, "So I suggest you not scare people by transporting hundreds of soldiers halfway across the continent."
Ironwood's response was telling the headmaster he was only being cautious. Ozpin doesn't argue with him and tells the general that that is why he will continue to train the best huntsmen and huntresses, and Ironwood tells him that he is doing the same.
The general turns to leave but pauses as he has one more thing to say, "But ask yourself this, do you honestly believe your children can win a war?" He finally turned to leave and Ozpin just stared as he receded to the elevator.
"War?! What war? I understand that the White Fang taking dust is a big issue, but surely it isn't enough for a war to break out," Sun exclaims in bewilderment.
"I'm sure this goes a lot deeper than dust thievery. The fact that the Atlas military and talk of a war is enough proof that there's more going on," Blake calmly adds to Sun's outburst. Though, she was apprehensive on what the war was even about.
"Let's not forget how Professor Goodwitch mentioned us being the heroes of the world," Yang adds. "That has to be relevant to what this discussion was about."
"Seems it's not just music we have to keep our ears peeled for, as well as whenever the grownups are on screen as well. Maybe it will shed some more light on the subject." Everyone wanted to press on the subject more, but Ren was right, they don't even have a full idea on what the war is about. So, it's better to ask questions and figure out answers later when they get more of the story.
"I hope they never have to," Ozpin's tone and expression was solemn and held sorrow. The screen changed to the Beacon Academy library, and team RWBY are sitting at one of the tables.
Ruby appeared to be mumbling in concentration as both Weiss and Yang are seen holding a deck of cards, except for Blake, though her cards are laid flat on the table. Yang held a victorious smirk, while Weiss was lightly biting her lip. "Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!" The young girl shouts as she points a finger at her sister, whose smirk hadn't faltered. She yells for her sister to bring it. "I deploy the Atlesian Air Fleet!" She brings the card high up in the air, Yang dramatically gasps. "Looks like I get to fly right over your ursai and attack your walls directly."
Ruby attempts to mimic the sound of a plane crashing, motioning with her hands as well.
Ruby currently is showing just as much enthusiasm, even though she isn't playing the game right now. She remembered the rush of being in control over sister during that moment, but only for it to swiped away from her.
Blake is actually curiously intrigued at the moment, she didn't exactly pay that much attention to the game, seeing as she was clearly in a different headspace. Which she was and was a little surprised all of the loud noises went over her head.
"You fiend!" Yang yelled to her sister, a finger being pointed in her direction.
Though, Ruby paid her no heed as she kept on talking, "And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair time only lasts…one turn." Her body is crouched on the other side of the table, her head touching the table as her hands are only centimeters apart as she holds a devilish smile.
Ruby's heart races as she knows just what's about to happen next.
Yang laughs deviously as she pulls up one of her red cards. Exclaiming how she just activated her trap card, "Giant Nevermore!" Yang shouts and she slams her fist on to the table, this all the pieces to topple over. "If I roll a seven or higher, fatal feathers will slice your fleet in two."
"But, if you roll a six or lower, the nevermore will turn on your own forces," Ruby points out, thinking she has her sister backed into a corner. But, Yang tells her sister that that's a chance she's willing to take.
In the middle of Yang and Ruby's board game war, Ren is actually trying to study with a book he has. So was Nora, but she fell asleep, a snot bubble changing its size as she breathes; it popped as Ren turned the page. Jaune is reading a fine delicacy of comics, with Pyrrha, who is sitting next to him, doing the same thing as Ren. She clears her throat and takes away Jaune's comic, giving him one of her books instead.
Jaune deflates, he remembered how disappointed she felt when the comic was taken from him. It was just too good for him to put down. Pyrrha sighed and softly shook her head at Jaune, a gentle smile plastered on her face.
Jaune looks up from the table when he was hit in the head by one of the grimm pieces for Yang and Ruby's game. Ruby lies her head on the table as cries in dismay from her defeat, whining how her sister held no heart.
Yang turns to Weiss and tells her that it's her turn. Weiss just stares at her deck in confusion, "I have absolutely no idea what's going on."
Yang easily slides next to Weiss as she places an arm around her shoulders. "Look, it's easy, you're playing as Vacuo, which means all Vacuo based cards come with a bonus." Weiss turns to Yang and tells her how she thinks the concept is dumb. Yang begins to check all her cards at a crazy rapid speed and names each one, "See, you've got Sandstorm, Desert Scavenge, oh, oh, oh, Resourceful Raider! See now you can take Ruby's discard air fleet-" the camera switches to show Ruby still crying over her conquered air force "and put it in your hand."
Weiss appears to be having a better understanding of the game. "And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance boost against natural hazards, you can use Sandstorm to disable my ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my kingdom. Just know, I will not forget this declaration or war." Yang menacingly directs a finger towards the heiress, her voice threatening.
"And that means…." Weiss still doesn't fully get it until Ruby explains to her in sobs that she's three moves away from conquering Remnant.
It would honestly be funny to imagine that all villains used this board game to plot out all of their moves. Also, Ruby and Yang's whole game sounds closely to what happened at the fall of Beacon. Raider thinks to herself, giving a small chuckle, this grabbed the attention of a certain Faunus, who's ears gave a tiny flick in her direction.
A realization hits Weiss as jumps from her seat with an evil laugh and the sound of thunderstorms in the background. "Yes, fear the almighty power of my forces, cower as they pillage your home and weep as they take your children from your very arms-" Weiss was interrupted as Yang pulls out her trap card, she visibly shows her confusion as Yang takes down all of her pieces, telling her that her army has been destroyed.
Weiss immediately sits back down in her chair, a trail of tears falling down her cheeks, "I hate this game of emotions we play!"
Ruby rushes over and swiftly encases Weiss in a hug, "Stay strong Weiss, we'll make it through this together!"
"Shut up, don't touch me!" Weiss says as she brings Ruby into an even closer hug.
Blake couldn't hide her amusement, if she wasn't so lost in thought at the time she would have found this to be very funny.
"And this is what you guys spend your time in the library for," Pyrrha just shook her head at her friends, exasperated by them.
"Weiss tells Ruby to buzz off but doesn't and even hugs her tighter, I don't know, tsundere much?" Raider whispered to herself, this to which she hears Blake give a light laugh.
"What's funny Blakey?" Yang asks, oblivious to what was said by Raider, and now mentioned, apparently clueless to what was happening on screen.
"Mhm, oh nothing Yang." Yang tilted her head just like Ruby did earlier, and Blake couldn't help but find it a little cute.
Ahhh, young love, so precious, but so naive and dense at the same time. Raider looked fondly at everyone in the room, starting from Pyrrha to Jaune, then to Ren and Nora, Weiss and Ruby, and lastly, Blake and Yang. Feel a little bad for Sun though, eh, he'll get his small moments in volume 4 and 5.
"Alright Blake, you're up!" Yang says, breaking Blake out of her daze.
"Oh, um, sorry, what am I doing?" She was completely out of it, not paying attention to what just transpired for the last five minutes. Yang explains that Blake is playing as Vale and she has to try and capture all the kingdoms of Remnant. Blake's mind isn't exactly the most present.
Jaune walks over to the table and asks if he could play with them. Ruby turns him down, telling him they already have four players, Weiss adds to it by explaining that the game requires a certain level of tactful cunning that she doubts Jaune possesses.
"Weiss, that wasn't very nice." Ruby had her arms crossed as she gave her partner a childishly disappointed frown.
Weiss was about to retort, meaning apologize, but her words got caught in her throat as she found Ruby's face to be absolutely precious. What on Remnant is wrong with me today!? It's like whatever Ruby does I find myself completely entranced by it! Getting rid of those thoughts, she forgot what she was even going to say, so all she did was mumble out a weak 'sorry' to Jaune.
This odd behavior, though, didn't go over Pyrrha's head as she gave the heiress a confused stare, but turned it back to the TV when it began to start up again. Her mind was surprisingly too occupied to scold Weiss as well.
"Uh, you attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago," Yang deadpanned, but Weiss simply ignored her words.
"Bring it on Ice Queen, I'll have you know that I've been told that I'm a natural born leader," Jaune boasted, seemingly trying to keep his dignity a little intact as well as disclaim Weiss's false accusations of him.
Weiss refutes by telling him his mother did, to Jaune also saying Pyrrha. At the sound of her name, she turns from her book to greet them from the other side of the table. Jaune then begins to beg and asks to play as Weiss for a turn; she quickly turned him down, not wanting to trust the good citizens of Vacuo under his leadership.
"Why? You've trusted me with way more important stuff before, I mean-" On the opposite table with Pyrrha, she could just sense Jaune was about to say something he wasn't supposed to, "You told us all that Blake is secretly a Fau-"
Pyrrha shut him up by covering one of her hands over his mouth and finishing for him, but not using the words that were originally going to be said, " Fun, loving person, whom we all admire and respect."
"I appreciate the effort Pyrrha, but what's been said has been said," Blake sighed as she turned to face her friend.
Jaune was nervously rubbing the back of his neck while Pyrrha sent Blake a reassuring smile.
Jaune nervously laughed as everyone turned their attention towards the Faunus, who was scowling as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. Jaune stutters for words to say as he gestures for the ladies to continue their game, then a voice appeared from off screen. "Sup losers," it was Sun as he held up a peace sign with his fingers.
That's literally how I say 'hi' to my friends, Raider thought with a small laugh, well, minus the peace sign.
"About time I got myself some screen time," Sun's wait was finally over when he saw himself appear on the TV.
Ruby greets Sun, and the boy addresses all sitting at the table. "Ruby, Yang, Blake, Ice Queen." Weiss cries out that she doesn't understand why everyone keeps calling her the Ice Queen.
I mean, it's a little more obvious now, but she could do so without the name. She doesn't think she will ever plan on liking it, so they all should just stop while they're still ahead. Ruby and Yang turn to Weiss and start to explain to Weiss like it was the most obvious news.
This only made the girl scowl, "Okay, I get it, you two can cease now!"
"I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend," Sun started, but his friend didn't say his name, he just inquired that libraries are normally for reading. Ren shouts a 'thank you' from the other table next to them, this causes Nora to wake up and shout 'pancakes'.
"Shut up, don't be a nerd," Sun turns and proceeds to scold his friend.
This got a few chuckles from around the room, mainly Yang, Ruby, Nora, and Sun himself. As well as Raider, but the others were more audible.
"Geh, geh, geh, intellectual, okay? Thank you, I'm Neptune," the boy correcting Sun for his poor choice of words, in his opinion at least.
"So Neptune, where're you from?" Weiss kindly asked the blue-haired boy.
The music began to change into something more jazz-like and romantic as Neptune moved closer to the heiress. "Haven, and I don't believe I caught your name, Snow Angel." Weiss answers a little unsure, giving the boy her name. While during this interaction, Jaune whispers irritatedly as Neptune could easily put the moves on Weiss.
Upon seeing this, something inside Ruby felt very defensive or threatened by Neptune; it wasn't in the way of her facing up against a grimm, it was something else, something more possessive, but Ruby couldn't exactly place what. All she knew is that a part of her disliked seeing Neptune flirt with Weiss.
"Hey sis, you okay?" Yang turned to sister, feeling her tense up for a reason she couldn't quite understand. When addressed by Yang, Ruby began to physically calm down, but that didn't stop the raging war inside of her.
"Me? Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She put up a sweet facade, not finding any reason to bother Yang with this little inward battle. Yang seemed a little hesitant to drop the subject, but she took Ruby's word and returned her gaze back to the TV.
As did Ruby's but she failed to notice the two pairs of eyes gazing in her direction, if she felt them lingering she decided to ignore them.
"Pleasure to meet you," Neptune returns in a suave voice.
The screen changed to Sun who never Blake as being the game board type. Finally done, Blake put down her cards and bid her friends farewell. Sun only looked to the others and shrugged, then "Women" came from Nora, her tone obvious even though she was a woman herself.
The scene to show Blake on her bed, her head recollecting and remembering all that was said on the night she first confronted the White Fang with Roman Torchwicke. The noises clouded her head, as she cuddled her legs to her chest on her bed.
"Well, this has certainly been an eventful evening," came Ozpin's voice as Blake is now sitting a chair in a dimly lit room. "I'm sure that after a night of thwarting an attempted robbery you probably just want to go home and take a nap, but I was hoping that maybe we could have a chance to talk."
"So this what happened once we returned to Beacon that night," it wasn't a question, it was a statement more than anything. Blake didn't have to say anything, her silence spoke volumes.
Blake agreed to the chat and Ozpin continued, "Wonderful, as you know, in order to enroll in my academy students must first pass a rigorous entrance exam, most applicants spend years of preparation training at one of the many combat schools around the world. You are one of the few who did not, and you passed the exam with flying colors."
"I was raised outside the kingdoms, if you can't fight, you can't survive," Blake's response was simple.
"Well, you have most certainly survived Blake, I admire your drive and I am proud to run a school that accepts individuals from all walks of life. Rich, poor, human,-" Ozpin took a small pause, sipping from his mug before continuing, "Faunus." Blake frowns from his words as the camera slightly adjusts to accent her bow. Ozpin sets his mug down, "Why do you wear that bow Blake? Why do you hide who you are?"
Blake states that he himself might be able to accept the Faunus, but his species does not; Blake's voice holds venom to his kind. Ozpin doesn't disagree, but he adds that his species continues to make strides to lessen the divide.
Well your kind is sure doing a very good job of showing it, Yang's thoughts are sarcastic, she sees the way people treat the Faunus, and it's just downright cruel, no one should be treated that way, especially for those who don't deserve it.
Ozpin isn't wrong, there are people who are trying to help, but not enough to where it makes a lasting impact, or not enough to show that the effort is visible. All people see in them are animals, and that's how it would always be.
"With all due respect, you need to start taking some larger strides. Until then, I rather avoid any unnecessary attention, I want people to see me for who I am, not what I am," Blake attempts to be polite but it comes out bitter more than anything, which is very understandable.
Ozpin leans closer to her and asks her what she is. Blake is caught off guard by the question and doesn't understand what he's asking her. Ozpin questions how she knew the White Fang would be at the shipyard that night. Blake denies the inquiry and explains how she was there at the right place at the right time, Ozpin tells her that she wouldn't have been the first, but he explains how what happened is not an isolated incident; Ozpin might be her headmaster, but he is also a huntsman, and it's his sworn duty to protect the world from the forces that conspire against it.
"Blake, are you sure there is nothing else you'd like to tell me?" His tone drops to something more serious as they've gotten past the White Fang portion, now focusing more on Blake herself. Blake's eyes are slitted, she tells him there's nothing more to talk about. "Very well, thank you for your time Ms. Belladonna," he grabs his belongings and prepares to leave the room, Blake's gaze following him as he does so. "If you ever need to talk to me, please, don't hesitate to ask."
Blake is brought out of her head as she hears the door to her team's room open.
"That goes for us as well Blake," the Faunus turns to her team leader, "If you have anything you'd like to talk about, you can always come to us."
Blake smiles as she appreciates the sentiment, but there's most things that she can't just easily put on the table. A lot more of her past that she doesn't want to mention, and if they know it or not they respect her silence.
"Of course, thank you, Ruby," Blake's reply was short but sweet.
"Ugh, we should have never let him play," Yang barges through the door, her voice clearly announcing her frustration. Ruby giggled and pointed out she was only angry because Neptune beat her; this caused Yang to roll her eyes and walk over to the other side of the room. As Ruby continues her conversation with Yang, Weiss notices Blake's silence as well as making her way to the door.
"Stop," Weiss points to the Faunus, her hand very close to the handle of the door, but she freezes anyway. "Lately, you've been quiet, antisocial, and moody."
"Uh, have you met Blake?" Was Yang's intercepting comment.
In a different circumstance, this would have been funny, but it's not a normal circumstance. Blake is currently troubled, and this issue is one of the last things to joke about.
"Which I get is kinda your 'thing'" she uses air quotes on thing, "But, you've been doing it more than usual, which, quite frankly, is unacceptable. You made a promise to me, to all of us that you would let us know if something was wrong. So, Blake Belladonna!" The background goes white as black Schnee glyphs spin onto the screen and Weiss back double backflips onto the top of a chair as she finishes, "What is wrong!" Everyone else in the room stares at the heiress dumbfounded while the girl herself is pointing an accusatory finger towards the Faunus.
"You know what's funny about that?" Yang leans closer to her teammate, a teasing smile plastered on her face, as Weiss glares, daring Yang to finish herself. "The fact that you have to use a chair to become taller than Blake."
Weiss's glare only hardens, but she doesn't say a word as the rest of the theater is quiet. Her cheeks have a slight tint of red as Yang continues to smirk at her.
"Were you intending to be intimidating, because let me tell you, it's not working that well for you Ice Queen," out of nowhere came the voice of Sun as he made his little side comment. Yang's smirk only widened as she witnessed Weiss's head whipping around to face the monkey Faunus himself.
"Weiss, it's okay to be a little shorter, what should matter is not let your short-temper get the best of you," Jaune was trying to be nice and supportive, but his poor choice of words said otherwise.
"Ha!" Yang's laugh burst through the empty theater, also getting a few chuckles from Pyrrha, but she attempted to be more polite and hide her giggles behind her hand.
Weiss's face only became more red as the onslaught continued.
"Alright guys, we should probably stop before Weiss gets short with everyone," Raider couldn't keep a straight face as soon as she finished, and showed as Weiss became more upset as the laughs spread out through the whole room.
Weiss only slumped further into her seat, mumbling to herself angrily. About the only person not laughing was Ren and Ruby (Jaune chuckled a small bit after Raider's comment). As Weiss slumped lower in her seat, pouting, Ruby brought Weiss closer into a sympathizing hug. Weiss valued the gesture, but her heartbeat began to speed up as she did so. What is wrong with me today?! Why am I getting like this?
Weiss got down from the chair and nudged herself back to her original spot in front of Blake. "I just….I don't understand how everything can be so calm."
"You're still thinking about Torchwicke?" Ruby didn't even have to put it as a question, the subject was as clear as day.
"Torchwicke, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it!" Blake shouted in distress.
"Ozpin told us not to worry, between the police and huntsmen I'm sure they could handle it," Yang's attempts at calming Blake down were merely futile.
"Well I'm not! They don't know the White Fang like I do," and Blake was right. She's been in the group before, she understands how they work and operate; just saying 'the huntsmen will do the work' isn't going to quell the girl's worries.
The rest of the team looked towards one another as Weiss finally came down to a decision, "Okay, between blowing up nightclubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom I'm sure the three of you think you're all ready to go out and apprehend the ne'er do wells." Ruby voices confusion as she didn't understand a word Weiss just said. "But let me once again be the voice of reason, we're students, we're not ready to handle this sort of situation."
"Well, yeah but-" Ruby tried to cut in but Weiss ignored her and continued, shouting that they're not ready.
"And we may never be ready!" Blake yells in declaration, "Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait for graduation day, they're out there somewhere planning their next move and none of us know what it is, but it's coming, whether we're or not."
Yang doesn't know how many times it will be said or shown, but she loves it when Blake gets feisty, and she's right, enemies don't wait for their opponents to come up with a plan, they make their own move to benefit their position of power. To gain the high ground.
Which is why they need to act before them, take the first step.
"Yeah, we know that the White Fang is working with Torchwicke and that they currently have Atlas's latest equipment, which puts us at a little bit of a big advantage, but we can get through this!" Ruby pumps her fist in the air, determined to win the battle, keeping optimism and hopes high.
"Yeah! And you got a heck of a lot of friends to win this!" Sun adds to Ruby's proclamation.
Yang places a hand on Blake's shoulder in a comforting manner, "You're not alone Blake, and you'll never have to be. You got us, and we got you, so let's put all of us together and show Roman and the White Fang what for." Her gaze was determined and resolute, it brought two kinds of fire lighting inside Blake. One she was sure of, the other, not so much.
Ruby exhales a small breath of air, "Okay. All in favor of becoming the youngest huntresses to single handedly take down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale, say 'I'." Exclaims that she loves it when Blake's feisty, to which Blake returns a soft smile. Weiss supposes it could be fun to do so, while Ruby pouts, "None of you said 'I'."
"I!" Nora shouts as her fist raises into the air, all others following behind her.
"I!" Raider yells with all the others, and everyone turns to stare at her. "What? Just because I'm not there doesn't mean I can't get hyped and join in."
"Alright then, we're in this together," Blake says, feeling a lot more at ease with this whole situation. Ruby declares that they need to begin hatching a plan, Yang agrees as she sends her sister finger guns. But, Ruby gasps as she mentions horridly that she left her board game in the library, Weiss sighs and shakes her head, telling them that they're doomed.
Ruby yells that she'll be back but she accidentally runs into someone. On the floor, a tan hand reaches down for her to take, she apologizes and asks if the girl is okay. She replies that she's fine, and the camera pans to show Mercury and Emerald.
"If I'd known who they were I would have been a lot less nice," the pumped up atmosphere turned cold as everyone stared at the two murderers. The area around the room is tense and unbearably uncomfortable.
She reminds Ruby to just watch where she's going. Ruby introduces herself and asks if they're new; Emerald steps aside to reveal Cinder who speaks for them, saying they're visiting from Haven actually.
Ruby squints her eyes at Cinder as the screen switches from the both of them.
"Ugh! I should have recognized from the first night I saw her, how come I didn't catch on when we watched the first episode!?" Ruby was surprised at herself, as well as very peeved. How blind was she? Apparently a lot.
"Maybe you were just caught up in the fight? Granted, we all should have noticed it," Yang tries to console her sister, but also puts everyone else in the wrong in the process.
Ruby sighs as Yang pats the girl's shoulder.
"Ooooh, you're here for the festival," Ruby, dropping her suspicions as she thinks she's figured it out. "Oh, but exchange students have their own dormitory."
"I guess we just got turned around," Mercury attempted to sound innocent and forgetful, but he just came out teasing.
Ruby laughs it off, saying it happens all the time. Emerald and Mercury already begin to walk past her as Ruby prolongs the word 'just' before telling them their dorms are east of that building.
Cinder thanks her and suggests that they might see each other around, Ruby agrees and yells a welcome to Beacon as Cinder's face comes closer to the screen, a devious and evil smile on her face.
With that, the screen changes to the outro while playing Yang's I Burn as the music.
Ruby was still berating herself for being completely blind, and Yang, Weiss, and Blake are attempting to tell her she wasn't in the wrong.
"Why must I be so overly nice to people?" Ruby questions herself.
"Because that's your trademark, and you shouldn't lose it, but you shouldn't let happiness completely control your thoughts and emotions. It's good to be happy, but it shouldn't have to cloud your judgment. So, I'll give you a few minutes to calm down, and then we can start the next episode."
All of them agree to this proposal as they continue to get Ruby to calm down.
A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, feel free to comment on what you thought so I can work to improve. And as for the talking, I decided to do a bit of a mix from previous comments. There will be a mix between using dialogue and not.
So, I understand shipping in this fandom is taken very seriously, so, to do my best to avoid any fighting and arguments, the added shipping in this story will be Slow Burns. My preferred ships are pretty obvious, and I kindly ask for everyone to play nice in this story, thank you, that is all, I'll y'all in the next one.