Beacon Academy: The Dormitories, Link's dorm
Ruby's eyes shoot open with a visible blush across her cheeks because of two crucial reasons: One was her still laying directly next to Link, so close that their noses are touching and two, she had intended on waking up at dawn and leaving, instead she finds herself awake early in morning regardless but she is being held in place by her friend who during their sleep also wrapped one leg around both of hers
"Oh no... my alarm didn't go off." Ruby sighs and smacks her own forehead with a loud slap. "Why can't I do anything right this week? Ughhh!"
"H-huh? What?" Link mumbles incoherently as he is very fatigued still, he wipes his eyes in an attempt to wake up. "Your alarm? But we don't have classes today. It's Saturday Ruby."
"Yeah I know, but I wanted to sneak into my dorm so that way they would just assume I'd returned." She chuckles and at last takes action and wraps an arm around Link. "Now the jig is up so I guess I don't have to rush. Although maybeee I could still sneak back it, wanna help me?"
"How do you figure?" Link raises an eyebrow
"Team CFVY was supposed to plan the dance but since they aren't back from their mission yet, the backup team choosen was well... us. Yang insisted and Weiss eventually agreed because she wanted to Weissify it." She smirks. "I'm supposed to help them while we gameplan how to convince Blake to attend the dance."
"Oh right, Blake did mention a discussion yesterday." Link attempts to turn away to grimace but Ruby keeps him locked in place. "I may have encouraged Blake to not attend the dance. Okay I won't lead you on, I totally convinced Blake to not attend the dance."
"What? Why?!" Ruby frowns and clashes foreheads with him. "Now it's going to be twenty times harder to convince her to go!"
"Look." Link eases forward and rests his head against Ruby's. "I didn't say boycott the dance or anything like that. Blake and I had a heart to heart and I told her if she has other priorities that are more important than the dance, she should do what she thinks is right. None of us can really tell her what to do, she has to make that decision for herself whether she wants to attend the dance or not."
"Wow." Ruby sighs. "Scratch that, it's going to be fifty times harder to convince her now because that would have convinced ME to not attend the dance, and I'm not Blake! Why do you have to say the right things? Link, I'm going to need you to stop being so wise."
"I will certainly do my best to become as dumb as a rock." Link chuckles and finds himself happily wrapped up in the moment that he retreats his head but not to get away, instead to kiss Ruby on the forehead and a slow and lingering peck of his lips
"LINK!" Ruby turns completely around with a swift motion so that now her back is facing him, "W-why did you do that?" She buries her face in a pillow to hide her blush
"Sorry." Link pulls her closer and hugs her softly. "If that made you uncomfortable I apologize, you just looked really gentle and pretty. The moment felt right and-!"
"Shhhh!" Ruby leans back and into the hug. "You didn't make me uncomfortable, I have never been kissed before that's all. But... it was nice, thank you Link."
"That makes me very glad." Link sighs in relief. "I find it hard to believe someone pretty like you has never been kissed before. However, at the same time I do think it's because you have never given anybody that chance before. You've been too busy slaying grimm and stopping crime."
"You know it!" She snickers proudly, "I've never had time for boys, that and when I was at Signal Academy. It was straight to business at school and then straight home, that's how I always went about my day. Plus, even if I was interested in boys back then, my dad would have never allowed any interactions between me and them." Ruby moves forward to break their cuddling, it's to make a point by motioning with her hand at her and Link in bed. "This right here, not a chance it would have happened, even someone like you would probably not impress my dad. He's just... dad."
"I can only imagine almost every father is like that." Link nods and lies back first on the mattress now. "To answer your question from ages ago, yes I will help you in whatever way I can when it's time for you to go back to your dorm."
"That's if the coast is clear? What if they're waiting for me?" Ruby panics. "Should I wait here a bit longer and swing by my dorm later?"
"I don't think so, it's definitely too late now to wait it out." Link yawns and sits up to stretch. "Hmmm, it's too difficult to tell as in I think it's literally a fifty-fifty chance that they're waiting for you or they're gone. If the decision making is up to Yang, they won't be waiting for you at your team's dorm, instead they will be waiting for you at the ballroom. I assume you have to help them pick decorations, props, or maybe even set up tables for the dance. If it's up to Weiss I think we know where it is headed, she and Yang will be waiting for you at your dorm and are likely doing that right now as we speak."
"You're right. I hope Yang put her foot down, if anyone can against Weiss, it's her." Ruby inhales and exhales slowly, doing her best to calm down
"Either way..." Link points his hand at Ruby's pajamas. "Whenever we go, you can't show up in that. Although, I know it's mainly because you do not want to be seen in pajamas but also it will just two-hundred percent confirm that you stayed the night over at someone else's."
"Ugh that's so true! Nobody can see me in this." Ruby whines. "If we sprint back, only a few students will see me. Buuuut, you wouldn't happen to have a change of clothes, right?"
"It wouldn't be a big deal to walk back to your dorm with you in your pajamas, normally. No sprinting needed." Link bursts in laughter. "My point has been proven."
"Shush!" Ruby punches his arm. "Help me!"
"Ow! Okay I can help you, no worries." Link yawns again, scoots over to the edge of his bed, gets up, then walks to his closet. The first thing he does is change back into his regular attire, a green tunic with white undershirt and pants, compressed boots and his metal layered leather gauntlets. When he emerges from his closet, he has clothes for Ruby
"What do you have there?" She looks at them with intrigue
"Try them on." Link tosses the fresh change of clothes gently on the bed. "You won't have it on for long but it beats pajamas."
"Wow..." Ruby smiles gleefully and checks them out, first is a gray shirt that had an artsy custom wolf design on it along with shorts, white socks and black running shoes. "I love it all, can I keep these?"
"Sure thing. Here let me just." Link turns around wags his head up and down multiple times, signaling her to change in peace
But this still isn't good enough when Ruby uses her semblance 'Petal Burst' to tackle Link back inside his closet. She shuts the door and makes quick work of changing attires as she finishes within thirty seconds.
"Ahem!" Ruby clears her throat. "You can come out now."
"Finally, I thought I was going to be here all day." Link rolls his eyes and exits the closet once more, he gives Ruby an approving nod. "Here goes nothing, right? No matter what happens, you'll admit the truth if you're confronted by Weiss or Yang? I think it's perfectly fine that you spent the night at a friend's dorm."
"Ughhh" Ruby groans, dreading leaving this warm comfortable dorm. "Can't we wait it out? That should be an option."
"It was, until you decided to get up." Link wags his finger and leads Ruby to the door. "It'll be fine, chances are Weiss will be so mad at Blake that she won't unleash that anger out on you. Either way, I have your back." Link leans down to whisper the last four words in Ruby's ear, then he opens the door and extends his arm. "Ladies first."
"Very funny" Ruby shakes her heads and leads the way back to her dorm
Ruby and Link walk side by side together as they make the short trip from his dorm to their destination, they pass many students but luckily none of them happen to be Weiss or Yang. A few minutes later, they arrive at Ruby's dorm and nervously stand at the door
"Good luck." Link nods and knocks on the door, wanting to take the initial impact of screaming if that were to happen
"Thanks." Ruby sighs and awaits the door to be opened, but when no sound comes from her dorm and nobody opens up, she opens the door herself. "Phew!" The leader sighs again, this time in relief as her dorm is completely empty
"Nobody's home? Good call by me." Link smiles happily, he stands by the door protectively as opposed to entering the dorm. "Hurry, change into your dress, you can actually hold onto those clothes if you want, I was serious when I agreed."
"Okayyy-! Wait a second, what did you just say?" Ruby pouts, "Dress? Excuse me sir, this is a combat skirt." She turns her head, 'whips' her hair as walks away briskly
"Whatever you say." Link chuckles. "Just get dressed and make it quick."
"But seriously, thanks... You know, for letting me crash with you for the night." Ruby nods. "You really didn't have to do that and yet, you did anyway. Thank you so much."
"Of course, you're very welcome." Link nods back at her. "You're actually the first person other than myself to enter my room, sorry if it was messy or anything..."
"Are you serious?" Ruby raises an eyebrow and points at the state of the four girls' beds. "Your 'messy' makes our room look like a junkyard."
"Fair enough." Link laughs and forgets to keep watch, both he and Ruby get too distracted...
"HEY LINK!" Yang waves from a distance while carrying a giant speaker with one arm, both she and Weiss walk down the hallway, obviously intending to enter their dorm
"Yang?" Link slowly turns his head and laughs nervously but waves to act normally. "Heyyy!"
"What'cha doin'?" Yang asks. "And hey have you seen Ruby anywhere? We're already guaranteed to receive zero help from Blake, I at least want three fourths of my team present."
"Nothing really." Link glances over towards Ruby, raising both eyebrows rapidly, the quickest way he can think of signaling her that her teammates are near. "I wish I could help but I haven't seen Ruby either."
"Wellll, who are you talking to?" Yang presses on, something doesn't look right and Link is acting suspicious. "Did you not have any coffee this morning?'
"I'm just to myself, it's a bad habit." Link puts up a big fake smile and scratches his head. "But yes, I did not have coffee today and it's becoming apparent very fast that I need it to wake up in the morning."
"Oh really?" Weiss calls out. "I don't remember our door being open when we left. Were you in our dorm? Are you trying to steal our weapons?"
"W-what? No! I don't need any of your weapons, of course not! Why would I want your prop of a sword anyway?" Link shrugs sarcastically. "I've seen weapons out of wood that are better."
"P-prop?! Excuse me?! And you're saying a wooden weapon would be better?!" Weiss fumes with anger. "How dare you?! Just because your sword is stronger doesn't mean you can insult m-!"
"Relax." The one person giggles lightly. "I was just kidding. I actually do like your sword, it's not heavy at all and really long. Is that why you're so fast with your attacks?"
"You really mean that?" Weiss frowns and crosses her arms. "If you must know, the lightness of my rapier does help with my speed, yes."
"Awesome." Link smiles. "I can't wait until we get to spar again, I bet you'll put up a great fight."
Right as it looks like he is distracting them well, it all falls apart and before Weiss can reply to the kind words, it's Yang who now suspects something and does something reckless in her typical hot-headed manner
"Catch!" Yang shouts and tosses the ridiculously sized speaker at Link, "Move in Weiss!" She follows up these words by sprinting
"H-huh?" Weiss is confused momentarily but ultimately follows Yang
"Woah easy there!" Link extends both arms and catches the speaker, "I'm sure this isn't cheap you know!" He speaks with concern but when he realizes Yang and Weiss have run past him, he knows it's over and Ruby has most definitely been caught
"Aha!" Yang enters the room dramatically and catches her sister, who just finished putting on her strapped boots. "Hi sis!" Yang grins 'evilly', "You and Link having a nice chat?"
"Oh! Hey Yang!" Ruby smiles back and waves casually. "Yeah he just came over to say hi, he wanted to say hi to the entire team but you were all gone."
"Is that so?" Yang raises an eyebrow whilst grinning. "Then why did Link say he was talking to himself? Your stories do not correlate in the slightest."
"Uhhh..." Ruby shrivels up in defeat
(It almost worked at least...) Link says to himself as he awkwardly enters the dorm and sets the speaker down
"Where have you been?" Weiss frowns. "I was arguing with your sister about Blake, turn to you so our valiant leader can chip into the conversation and offer her two cents, but you were nowhere to be found too!"
"I've been here... the whole time." Ruby nods slowly
"..." No response comes out of Weiss, who brings her hand up to her forehead, covers it, and sighs
"She meant where were you... last night?" Yang winks and plops down to sit beside Ruby on Weiss' bed
"Were you in on it?!" Weiss turns to Yang and stomps her foot on the ground. "I'm not happy with any of you!"
"Hehe." Yang rubs her head in embarrassment and amusement
"I was... Nowhere specific." Ruby raises her chin up to look proud, but overdoes it and ends up looking at the ceiling when in reality now she is trying to hide a blush on her face
"Nowhere specific, huh? I found it pretty odd that Blake was with Sun on the same night where you were somewhere else too." Yang chuckles and nudges Ruby's elbow. "So, where were you?"
"Nowhere!" Ruby exclaims but her face turning even more red than it was previously said otherwise. "I came back in the middle of the night, you guys didn't see me enter."
"You cannot keep secrets from your team, especially you... being our leader and all." Weiss sits on Blake's bed and crosses her arms once more. "Where were you last night? Answer us Ruby, please."
"Okay okay I will answer you. I crashed with a friend for the night, is that good enough?!" Ruby shouts and immediately gets up and jumps onto her own bed to 'hide'
"A 'friend' being Link at least. Please tell me it wasn't some stranger's bed." Weiss asks
"Guilty." Link laughs and raises his hands, admitting defeat. "I thought I basically was a stranger to Weiss."
"You know what I'm talking about!" Weiss scowls. "Team RWBY is a sisterhood, team JNPR are our really close friends, team CFVY, Sun, Neptune, and you are slightly below that."
"At least I've been promoted from stranger to distant friend." He chuckles in amusement, for once not taking Weiss' insults to heart. "But yes, I did steal your leader for the night. My apologies."
"Umm..." Weiss thinks of a way to respond in her current mood but cannot think of any negativity to spew at Link, "It's okay, I suppose." She smirks as something comes to mind. "Don't do it again without telling us!"
"You got it." Link brings up his right hand and gives her a thumbs up. "Sorry agai-!"
"NO! Don't be sorry!" Ruby pouts and aims it at Weiss, then inhales deeply as she intends to speak uninterrupted. "You would've screamed at me, then nobody in Beacon would've gotten sleep, so I asked Link to stay with him for the night! He said yes, it was really nice, his dorm is so spacious, his bed is bigger than ours and I had a great night of sleep!"
"Excuse me?" Weiss balls up her hands. "I wouldn't have yelled at-!"
"Yes! You would have!"
Yang, Ruby and Link shout at the same time and completely drown out Weiss' complaints
"Ugh!" Weiss crosses her legs and whips her head to the right, therefore not facing anybody, "How many beds does your room have Link?" She bluntly asks
"One. I am on my own team so I think it's obvious I only get one bed." Link speaks calmly and then it hits him almost instantly. "That was a rhetorical question, wasn't it?"
"L-link!" Ruby groans and hides her blushing face by burying it into a pillow
"You guys shared a bed together?" Yang says with a completely serious tone
"Mhm. Yes we did." Link nods and glances over, noticing her shotgun gauntlets 'Ember Celica' are on the desk
"..." Yang says nothing for a short period of time, then busts out in laughter. "That's hilarious! My baby sister is growing up, how cute!" Her laughter continues as the older sister to Ruby drags her down and off her bed. "This was fun. But now it's time to get a little serious and we gotta finish the dance preparations, since it's tomorrow."
"One question." Ruby suddenly stops blushing and turning away in embarrassment, her happiness and joy is replaced with a heavy sigh. "How's Blake?"
"Not good at all." Weiss sighs as well, "Sun told me she only slept like three or four hours, woke up, thanked Sun for his hospitality, then quickly headed back to the library." The Schnee heiress turns to Link. "Thank you for looking after her, we were worried sick about where she was all night too."
"Whoa..." Yang shivers. "Weiss being nice is kind of creepy."
"Shut up!" Weiss shakes her head. "I'm very nice!"
"To who?" Yang glares at her. "Neptune?"
"And you guys!" Weiss throws her arms up and down incessantly
"Let's stay on track everybody." Link frowns, not at the two girls but at the Blake news. "Only three or four hours... What a damn shame."
"I wouldn't worry about Blake." Yang laughs, "She's going to the dance, she's going to lighten up, and best of all, she's going to be okay, mark my words."
"But Yang." Link begins. "How can you be so sur-!"
"Trust me." The blonde girl smiles brightly as she leaves the dorm, picking the speaker on the way out and carrying it away
"I trust you Yang." Link nods, feeling more confident than ever despite only hearing words
"Come on Ruby! We need you." Weiss demands as she follows Yang closely behind, but turns back to say a few more words. "Link... I guess you're welcome to join us too if you'd like." Weiss leaves the room awkwardly as she and her teammate head to the ballroom
"Got it." Ruby calls out. "I'll meet you guys there, I promise!"
"Come here." Link walks towards Ruby and extends his hand. "See that wasn't too hard, was it?"
"You were right, I shouldn't have been worried, thank you Link." She smiles, takes his hand and stiffly hugs him, wrapping her arms around his upper body and neck with force
"What's this for?"
"S-shut, this is how I always hug someone and get hugged, one day I'll soften up." Ruby looks up and smiles. "Thank you again, for giving me somewhere to sleep last night, it was nice and if an emergency like that ever comes up again, can I come over?"
"It doesn't even have to be an emergency for you to spend a night in my dorm. The company is always nice, especially yours of course." Link does not hug Ruby back but he does place both hands on her cheeks and softly rubs them. "You're really warm."
"T-thanks?" Ruby says with a puzzled expression, the huntsman and huntress who their lack of flirting experience
"I will ask formally this time." Link clears his throat as he runs both thumbs on her cheeks, an action that makes Ruby blush. "May I kiss your forehead?"
"Yes..." Ruby mumbles quietly, unsure on whether she should have said yes or no. Her head says no but her heart says yes. "You may."
Link nods and strokes her cheeks with his thumbs a few more times, getting closer to her mouth and on the last stroke, he makes contact with her bottom lip. These actions stop and within seconds, Link's lips are pressed on Ruby's forehead, giving her a nice, soft, and gentle kiss that lingers for about ten seconds before he pulls away
"Hehehe. That was... nice." Ruby giggles
"You have no idea how happy that makes me." Link smiles
The two of them exchange no more words, then Ruby laughs with a bright blush present across her face as she and Link fist bump again before the leader of team RWBY leaves to catch up to Yang and Weiss. The three young ladies head to the ballroom to plan the dance. Now that the one person team has time to himself, he walks out of the dorm and sets his sights on going outside.
Beacon Academy: The Courtyard
Consequently, after deciding where he is going to go next after his attempt to sneak Ruby back in her dorm without being noticed failed miserably. A brief chat with Yang and Weiss, ended off with a special moment between Ruby and the blonde boy. Link finds himself in front of a large stone statue, located in the middle of the fountains just before the main entrance of Beacon Academy. The statue is a simple yet symbolic design, it has a huntsman and huntress standing on top of a rock, beneath said rock is the Beowolf, a creature of grimm, it cowers in fear. But the one person team isn't facing the statue, instead he leans on it and watches with arms crossed as the Atlas ships are patrolled by human soldiers and the newly created Atlesian Knights-200. Link stares at the soldiers and the Atlesian Knights with disgust and hatred
"Do they really need to have all this military near our campus?" Link shrugs. (They're all a joke too, strength in numbers is all they have... I've faced their toasters and regular soldiers, individually they can barely kill grimm. And they have the nerve to say Huntsmen and Huntresses aren't needed.)
"Are you doing some sightseeing, young man?" A man with a deep voice approaches Link
However, the blonde boy feels no threat, he knows this is not James Ironwood sneaking up on him, but it's the graceful presence of Beacon Academy's headmaster, Professor Ozpin
"Did you follow me here Professor Ozpin?" Link chuckles as he turns his head. "People keep sneaking up on me and it's really making me question if my awareness is gone."
"Of course I did not follow you. I was just speaking with Professor Goodwitch about some private matters, but you caught my attention. Don't be ashamed about letting someone sneak up on you. I have so many more years of combat experience over you, I would have been the one questioning if you felt someone like me coming." Ozpin takes a sip out of his mug. "I spoke with General Ironwood about 'the incident' that happened almost a week ago."
"Seriously?" Link unfolds his arms, pushes off the statue and stands up. "H-how did that go?"
"Not to the general's liking, although he certainly did try his best to put his foot down. Being the general of the Atlas military and headmaster of Atlas Academy comes with plenty of responsibilities and influence. However, I am the headmaster of Beacon, you are my student and we aren't in Atlas, so authority over you falls to me."
"Heh." Link smiles and relishes in Ironwood's annoyance. "That's good to know. Not that I want anyone to have authority over me but if it had to be someone, you're way more capable than he is."
"We were trying to get in contact with you for about twenty four hours until I decided to call it off." Ozpin says sternly. You're not one to simply talk if forced, so I decided if Glynda or I found you like this when you're relaxed and comfortable, you would be more willing to speak to one of us."
"Considering how easily you could have turned me over to Ironwood and moved on, it's the least I can do, Professor." Link nods. "What is it that you wanted to ask me today?"
"Tell me, why didn't you tell me about your history with law enforcement around Remnant? Or specifically with Atlas military... General Ironwood implied that you are on a most wanted list and those are reserved for people who want to harm anybody in their path, but you clearly aren't that kind of person." Ozpin takes another sip out of his mug
"If you want to know about my past Professor Ozpin..." Link sighs. "We would be here for an entire day, if not days and that 'entire day' it would be me talking and you listening, then you'd finally get to speak. I'm sorry for not informing you that I don't have a clean past when I applied for Beacon."
"That is quite alright. I understand it can be difficult to-!"
"Not just that." Link cuts off the professor. "I'm also sorry because I should be more grateful to you, now that I think about my situation at Beacon. I was a late applicant, under the minimum age requirement by one year, never attended an academy, and I'm not even following the traditional route of being on a four person team. You put a stable roof over my head, your staff provides meals and lessons, none of which I was getting by surviving on my own outside of the kingdoms and-!"
"Please." Ozpin raises his hand, signaling Link to stop speaking. "You don't need to be apologetic. My goal as Beacon Headmaster is to nurture and train talented, ambitious, or lost students to protect our school, Vale, the entire world. The least I could do while you become faster, stronger and wiser, is to provide with you some basic necessities. I will not demand that you tell me anything about your past."
"Really?" Link jumps back in shock. "But you know that you could if you really wanted to."
"Correct." Ozpin smiles. "That's not what I'm after however. You're my student and I'm your professor. If you ever tell me it is because YOU want to tell me."
"Why are you being so lenient with me? I could be a serial killing mercenary like 'General' Ironwood is portraying me and I'm sure you've known him longer, so why trust me?"
"Because I told your friend Blake Belladonna something after that night at the docks, when I asked to speak with her privately. Now I'm going to tell you the same thing. If you ever need to talk to me, please... Do not hesitate to ask. For I am more than just your Headmaster." Ozpin speaks stoically but despite his calm nature, a slightly smile forms at the corners of his mouth again
Professor Ozpin extends his arm as he turns to face the school, Link nods and begins to head back to re-enter school and likely go assist team RWBY with the dance. That is until they see General James Ironwood exiting the school alongside Glynda Goodwitch. The instant second that Ironwood sees Link, he grabs his revolver out of his jacket, Link instinctively reaches for his sword, despite not having any intention to fight
"I'm not looking for a fight today." Link frowns. "With you, your toasters, or your men."
"That may be so, but perhaps I am."
Ironwood raises his weapon, but Glynda raises an arm in front of him and on the opposite side, Professor Ozpin steps in front of Link with a tight grip on his cane
"Professor Ozpin... Glynda..." Ironwood shakes his head in disappointment. "He attacked my men in Vale."
"Get a hold of yourself." Link mumbles. "Were you even there? Did you see what happened? Your men were chasing Beacon students around town which almost resulted in death."
"So you admit to being there and attacking my soldiers?" Ironwood smirks. "Congratulations young man, I have legal grounds to arrest you."
"Maybe if you were there instead of a hologram, you would've stopped your men before they chased Ruby and I around town. Do you realize that she almost got hit by a truck?"
"W-what?!" Ironwood frowns. "You're lying."
"I'm not done yet!" Link raises his voice. "Your soldiers touched me first, unprovoked and threatened to arrest me for simply running away from there... There were witnesses there too. I defended myself and caused no significant harm to your soldiers."
"If all of what he said is true, then you have no legal right to arrest him." Ozpin steps forward, "He's not causing you any harm James, so please move on." She drinks out of his mug once again
"Just you wait until I investigate what happened on that day, if he's lying and making all of this up as an excuse to attack my men. He will be placed under arrest." Ironwood puts his revolver away. "In the meantime, I don't want him anywhere near my ships."
"I wouldn't even bother investigating, just go round up the witnesses" Link smiles confidently as he lets go of his sword. "You can't limit me from going near your ships. As a student I have the right to roam the entire campus, that being the courtyard as well, and your ships are on this courtyard."
"..." Ozpin says nothing but his nod is just as good as a verbal answer
"O-oz..." Ironwood stutters.
"A world renowned general, outclassed twice by a first year student..." Glynda speaks at last. "But no more jokes, this is over James."
"Very well." Ironwood stares at the sky and puts both hands behind his back. "Can we speak about further in your off-!"
"Perhaps another day James." Ozpin shakes his head. "I've made time to speak with Link and we will be going now to speak privately, please respect that."
"Absolutely. Good day Ozpin, Glynda." James sighs and walks in defeat back to his ships
"Let's walk and talk, shall we?" Ozpin asks
"R-right..." Link shrugs as he follows Ozpin inside the school
Flashback: Two years ago, Unknown Location
Huff... huff... huff...
Rain and lightning rain down on the environment as thunder roars throughout the sky but this is more than just a regular thunderstorm, it's like nothing ever seen before in the World of Remnant. Bolts of lightning strike consecutively and water droplets pour down from the sky at an incredible speed, and it's as if every cloud around the world formed together for this one storm...
"Where am I supposed to go now? Our house... it all got burned down, but how? It's raining so hard, how can one fire be stronger than all this water?!" Link shouts and struggles to catch his breath
The boy feels and reels from a burning sensation going all around his neck as if he was just being choked to death. He sprints down these unknown woods, the rain continues to pour down hard enough to blur his vision from how thick the water is and how dark it is outside. Additionally, Link finds himself coughing a lot, having just escaped a burning cabin, he inhales plenty of carbon monoxide due to staying inside long after the fire was started by an evil man who is trying to kill him
(Where are they? I told my mother and brother to run and not look back but... I should've given them actual directions, now I'm blindly searching for them in impossible conditions.) Link drops down to one knee and presses his palm against a tree to hold himself up as lying down now could be dangerous
"I FOUND YOU!"
"Crap!" Link frowns and struggles to get up, his knees and ankles pop from exertion. "Have to go, now!"
"You won't get away, come here!"
"No way!" Link shouts back and continues to sprint away, not knowing where he was going in the slightest. (What's the plan now? Assuming I can even escape and live to see tomorrow, where are my mother and brother? Where am I going to go next?)
Link continues scrambling through the woods, very disoriented but desperate to escape the woods the sight of this psychotic man who races towards him without any struggle; the ongoing chase causes the boy to smash shoulder first into tree after tree as the hard rain limits his vision even more
"I have you now!"
"Get away!" Link turns around as he feels a hand firmly plant on his shoulder. "Don't you dare touch me!"
"You're coming home right now! And perishing like I indented all of us to!"
"No!" Link builds up all his strength and courage to push the arm away, then he feels a sharp pain in his head. "Ugh!"
(Hehehe... I don't know what the hell is going on or who the hell you are kid, but now I'm here and changes are going to be made. Blood is going to be shed and we can start with this old man!)
Link begins to feel his eyes slowly change color magically, the boy screams in searing pain every second it happens, his entire left eye turns into a beautiful golden color but is now covered with strange lining going in every direction on his pupil. His change in appearance stunts in growth as the lines expand and trail outwards, beginning to spread out across his cheek and forehead
(Ahhh! Stop this... Now!) Link screams internally and out loud as he resists the transformation and the stunting is caused by him fighting back, not allowing himself to be consumed
"What the hell are you?! You're a freak!"
"Get out of my sight!" Link says with fierceness in his voice, the boy draws the sword out of the sheath hanging on his back. "And get out of you before you get seriously hurt!"
"N-no!" The man angrily but nervously shouts as he tries to grab Link by his shoulder
"Goodbye... Father." Link mumbles robotically with a sadistic smile as his eye glows brighter than ever before, it's like he turned into a puppet
But suddenly all hope seems lost for the boy and his terrible father, with one about to die while the other is about to be consumed by this transformation...
Lightning strikes directly right in between Link and his father, the impact of the lightning combined with the boy's sudden showing of power causes an explosion, sending him one way and his father the other way. Unfortunately for Link, the way he was going ends up on a dead end not far off from where he stopped, But this dead end was not a mere hill, it was a cliff edge with a long drop down to a strong flowing river. The boy is sent over the edge and he plummets into the river, but the water cannot break his fall as the speed of which he dropped was too fast! As soon as he makes contact with the water, Link plunges to the bottom of a shallow river and smashes his back and head on the bottom of the surface, which was pure rock, knocking him completely unconscious
End of Flashback
"And that's that with my origins in Remnant." Link mumbles, now sat across from Professor Ozpin as they traveled into the school and back to his office. "That's my earliest memory, a few people who I came across that I told said the fall and collision with the rocks against my head likely wiped out the rest of memories but I'm not too sure about that."
"Your eyes, when it happened... And even most recently when they emerge, what are they?" Ozpin asks
"I wish I had an explanation Professor Ozpin. The truth is, I have no idea. I don't even know if I'd call this 'thing' a he or an it, he just... It's a demon, whatever it is." Link grasps his chest, "It lives within me but only emerges when I'm in distress or at my angriest. I refuse to lie to you so I will say, that day I was going to be taken over by this thing... But lightning struck and it nearly hit me directly."
"Allow me to ask..." Ozpin pushes his glasses back. "Has it ever taken over completely?"
"Yes..." Link looks away in shame. "It's not a day I like to recall, too much happened that day. But every other time it starts and only stops at my eyes, that's me attempting to control the demon. For being labeled a 'demon' it doesn't look like the worst thing ever, its colors are gold, black, and white, and my aura is a golden color too."
"Hmmm." Ozpin thinks carefully, "It's like you and this 'demon' as you refer to it, are almost merged together. Your soul and heart counter its evil and it doesn't change you as a person but it arises when you are angry or experiencing something traumatic. I imagine if it had more presence over you it would be much darker, scarier... Or dangerous."
"Right. Attempting to fight it off or embracing it in a fight is also another task for me. Every time I try to do either, this thing fights back and it completely drains my energy. Although, the positive is that I'm getting better at controlling it as more comes out. It was just recently that I was able to sprout the other gold colored eye."
"Do you fear that it will ever take over you, entirely?" Ozpin rises from his chair and turns around to look outside, having a complete overview of his campus
"Is that how you saw Ironwood and his men attacking me the other day?" Link smirks
"Precisely. I have eyes and ears everywhere too, mostly everything that happens on this campus will come back to me." Ozpin nods. "Please answer my question, Link. Do you fear that it will ever take over?"
"N-no." Link shakes his head nervously. "Is there a little fear? Yes of course but not really no. We sometimes come to an agreement and compromise since we benefit each other in some way. I get more powerful as I learn to control it myself and he benefits from me by... Me living. This compromise works for us, as opposed to well... Opposing each other. He certainly tries to take over but I have been able to shut down every attempt."
"Do you know how you survived the fall? Your aura is the reason you didn't perish from the impact, that I assume. You mentioned you were sent into a river, yes? That strong current would've swept you away into a bigger body of water nearby, and at the time that all of this occurred you were only..."
"Fourteen years old, professor." Link nods
"How did you manage to wake up from your unconscious state and get out of the river?" Ozpin continues glancing outside from the view he has on top of the tower. "Did someone save you or was it pure luck that you managed to save yourself?"
"Now that you say that, somebody did save me." Link smirks, "Although I'm not sure If I can reveal her identity." The boy slaps himself on the forehead upon realizing his immediate mistake, revealing the person's gender. (I'm so stupid. Why do I even speak sometimes?)
"Who was this person, a girl? A woman?" Ozpin turns back, walks to his desk and puts down his mug. "A faunus perhaps?"
"No, not a faunus or a woman... A girl, yes. Nobody would ever believe me but if anybody will it'll be you." Link chuckles, "She was very... strong, we didn't fight or anything but I could just sense it. Something about her felt graceful and sweet but dangerous if you're on her bad side. Back then I was a naive kid who was barely figuring out his own power so that should say a lot if I could sense hers." He sighs. "It's a real shame I haven't run into her again. While I traveled all over the world, finding her was one of my main goals since we went our separate ways. I told myself I would see this girl again and help her if needed, she saved my life after all."
"I do believe you." Ozpin nods at the boy. "You are alive today because of this woman right? We don't simply make up an entire person who saves us for imminent death."
"Right." Link smiles and thinks carefully before he says any more. "I'm glad you believe me and here's the thing Professor... Remember how I said I hit my head really hard against rocks?"
"Yes." Ozpin nods. "It's one of the theories made as to how and why you lost your memory."
"Yeah that's what I'm referring to as well." Link mumbles. "Despite helping my mother or brother escape our burning cabin, I don't remember them at all, them and my previous memories before that awful day. Unfortunately I do remember the man who chased me into the woods, I won't even label him a 'father' because no true father does that to their child. But whenever I try to recall what happened before such as when our family cabin got set ablaze or even after I got launched in the river and where I went next. I can't remember, it's my head... Or brain in this instance, begins to tighten up."
"Does your head hurt when you try to remember what this girl looks like? Any features or clothing would be nice to know."
"Mhm, I definitely remember her. I'm good with remembering faces." Link nods, "She had light brown skin, short hair that was also brown. She wore what looked like a hooded cloak? Um, she wore it on top of a white blouse with a brown vest. I guess you could say everything was brown, down to her corset and pants." He laughs. "Along with the color brown, she sported gold a lot too. She had a gold gauntlet on her left arm and a pair of golden boots that looked like armor. Speaking of armor, she had golden armor on her right shoulder as well as pouches slung across her body, held by a thin strap."
Professor Ozpin is now speechless with every detail Link perfectly points out to describe the girl that saved him, when he finishes describing her, Ozpin know exactly who he is talking about
"Her name..." Link struggles as his head begins to hurt from attempting to remember. "What was it? I only remember it starts with an A. Hmm, A..."
"A..." Ozpin whispers. "M..."
"Am..." Link thinks carefully, slowly remembering more of the woman once again
Flashback: Two years ago, Unknown Location
The following day, after the worst thunderstorm in Remnant's history, the unconscious boy slowly comes back to reality when he begins to wake up from his forced slumber after the impact of a powerful lightning bolt combined with his surge of power sends him into a flowing river
"..." Link slowly opens his eyes, the bright sun quickly enters his eyes and blind him, "Ugh!" He rubs his eyes and sits up, all the pain he feels is in his head, which is currently being compressed by something. "Huh? What's on my head?" He reaches for it when suddenly...
"Don't..." A young woman softly speaks as she reaches out towards Link. "You suffered a head injury, please leave that there."
"W-who-!" Link scoots back on his backside in panic, he out of instinct he reaches for his sword, which is not on his back anymore. "W-where's my-!"
"Don't worry." She mumbles, "I'm only here to help. Your sword and shield are right here." She smiles and points at the weapons directly on his left, only an arms length away. "Are you hungry?" She continues mumbling and offers Link an apple from behind her back
"You got this... F-for me?" Link shakily speaks, he tremors in fear and shivers as he still isn't fully dry. "You're very nice." He says nervously looking around, scared, feeling the effects from the big fall still
"That's really sweet of you." The young woman with a big smile persists and continues to offer the apple in her hand. "Please take it, you'll really like it."
"T-thank you." Link slowly reaches for her hand before carefully grabbing the perfectly round and red apple. "W-who are you?"
"I should be asking you that." She giggles and slides over to sit closer to Link. "My name is Amber."
"W-what... are you doing h-here? How did y-you... find me?"
"I travel all around Remnant." Amber smiles. "I got where I'm needed and help those in need. I was taking a short break here to enjoy the view of this pretty lake... Then there you were. Not you entirely but your hat was floating."
(Remnant? The name doesn't ring a bell) Link thinks to himself before deciding to answer. "You jumped in to save me because my hat was floating?" Link gasps. "Thank you, I should be thanking my hat too. Otherwise I would have drow-!"
"Don't say that. What matters is that you are okay now." Amber grabs both of his hands with hers. "Who are you, young man?"
"I'm..." Link stops himself, not because he does not want to reveal his identity, but he struggles to remember it. "My name is..."
"It's okay, take your time. There's no need to inflict pain on yourself." Amber rubs his hands with her thumbs
"O-oh!" Link jumps at the kind gesture and attempt to comfort him, he finds himself blushing. "My name is... Link."
"Nice to meet you Link." Amber mumbles softly. "I am sure you probably do not remember much of what happened last night, but do you at least remember anything? About yourself, family, friends? Or where did you come from?"
"..." Link starts to think, with each second of deep thinking causing more damage to his already traumatized head. "I don't know. All I remember is last night, the one day I wish I could forget about. I can think harder, I promise not to waste a lot of your time."
"Don't, it's okay, just knowing your name is enough for me." Amber lets go of one of Link's hands and moves her free hand onto his shoulder. "You should get more rest. If you don't remember your home I assume you're going to travel now. You'll need all your strength."
"Thank you for the advice, you're so wise." Link mumbles. "I may not remember every little detail, but I do know what I was doing and what happened to get me here was stupid and cruel, people aren't very nice, are they?"
"You mustn't blame yourself, Link." Amber shakes her head. "But I agree, our world still has a lot of evolving to do before we can all live in peace and harmony. The way I found you suggested that you were launched into the river, is that what happened?"
"That is what happened. An angry man chased me to the edge of what I thought was a hill but was probably a cliff. I was ready to fight back but then lightning struck in between us, next thing I remember is a subtle explosion and I was sent flying the way I flew." Link nods. "How bad was I injured?"
"Surprisingly, not at all. Your head is hurt, more than likely a concussion that should go away in no time. But the rest of you was unscathed." Amber thinks carefully. "Did you unlock your aura already"
"Aura?" Link turns his head in confusion. "I'm not all that familiar with aura, no."
"It's something magical and powerful that protects us from harm, any human or faunus can obtain it." Amber looks at his ears when she says faunus but everything else about the boy looks human. "You may have unlocked it last night. Here let me..."
Amber places the hand she previously had on Link's shoulder and moves it up to his head. The young woman's body glows with a shiny yellow-orange color, while Link illuminates with a bright gold color, something he's never seen on himself before. What they boy does not notice as well is the his eyes glowing gold again, but not from a strange transformation, this is his own doing
"Your aura, it's really powerful..." Amber smiles as the process continues until he picks and prods too deep...
(Hehehe... I don't know who the hell you are or who this kid is, but once I get full control. I'm going to kill all of you!)
"...!" Amber lets go of Link's head and gasps, "You have a monster trapped inside you." She whispers these words very quietly
"Huh?" Link looks up. "What did you say?"
"Oh, nothing..." Amber smiles again "Forget that. You have a lot of aura Link, I know this is new to you and it's going to be very confusing when you first begin... But if you manage to control and use your aura to its fullest extent, you can help so many people. Perhaps even more than I can help people."
"Wow." Link blinks at all this new information about Remnant, aura and a strange comment about a monster. "O-okay. I'm glad you have such high praise for me." Link nods and takes his bite out of the apple
"I need to ask as well." Amber hesitates. "My apologies for invading your privacy, but I did inspect your sword and shield... where did you get these weapons? I've never seen a sword and shield of this magnitude."
"What do you mean by that?" Link raises an eyebrow
"Sorry, I have seen plenty of swords and shields in my short time in this world but, yours are on another level." She smiles brightly. "The metal looks beautiful, vibrant and almost not even real, but when I picked up your sword and shield... They were very real. Light weapons that look deceivingly heavy but are powerful, the perfect trifecta. You're going to be a strong and capable warrior Link. And I don't just mean your weapons and aura, I have a feeling about you."
"What kind of feeling is that?" Link giggles, intrigued by her words
"I mean that..." Amber pauses momentarily but her smile remains present. "I have a feeling you're going to impact this world tremendously, in ways I strive to achieve myself."
"Y-you? But look at you!" Link shakes his head. "You look majestic, strong, wise and you're already making an impact in the world."
"That's far too kind, but thank you." Amber looks away and blushes at the compliments. "I'm only getting started and I know you are too once you recover."
"Right!" Link nods and turns his hand to squeeze Amber's. "If you really do believe in me, I swear I won't let you down Amber."
"I know you won't."
Amber nods and squeezes back, then wraps her free arm around Link's shoulders to gentle side hug the injured boy, who has been through a lot and discovering new things about himself and the world
End of Flashback
"Amber... that's right." Link smiles as he remembers his first encounter with her. "It's sad really, I traveled the world for two years and I 'never really' found her again."
"That is a wonderful tale of how a random young woman saved your life. However, you must not speak of that story with others." Ozpin is quick to speak up as he drinks out of his mug again, taking small sips each time to make his beverage last. "Amber is far more than just a girl who saved you. But I am glad she is the one who found you, considering your memory is gone. If anyone was going to gently ease you into your new environment, she is one of the better choices."
"How come I can't say this to anyone else?" Link asks. "Wait a second? Do you know her? What is she? Is she famous? Magical? Is someone after her? Professor..."
"She is... very important to the world, I am only telling you this because you have met her so it's only right that you know how crucial she is. Is someone after her? Yes, but we're not sure who it is..." Ozpin stops himself promptly, despite Link's knowledge of Amber as this is a student he is also just getting to know
"So..." Link grins as he decides to speak in a diabolically sarcastic tone. "Aside from Amber, are certain people after all the maidens?"
"Stop." Ozpin stands up and walks over to Link. "You must not say these things out loud or freely. This is not general knowledge available or known by everyone."
"What's wrong professor?" Link asks. "Shouldn't the world know about-!"
"Shh..." Ozpin mumbles as his voice lowers down to a whisper. "We can talk about this at another time. Preferably when everyone is present."
"Everyone?"
"Yes, everyone." Ozpin nods
"No I'm questioning, who is everyone?" Link frowns. "Does it involve Glynda? That idiot Ironwood?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny that." Ozpin shakes his head. "When the time is right, we will all talk because you already know more than any teenager your age should know about this."
"Hmmm..." Link considers pressing forward for more answers but decides not to, "Yes sir, professor." He nods
"Now." Ozpin walks away and speaks normally again. "About your adventures around the world. You traveled, went sightseeing, became a mercenary, worked with dangerous people..."
"So you know about that?" Link chuckles. "I'm sure Ironwood went out of his way to kindly make up so many lies about me, does this mean I'm out of Beacon? Is this why you asked to talk in private? To not cause a scene?"
"Of course not, what gave you that idea?" Ozpin shakes his head. "General Ironwood may consider you a criminal with intentions of destroying the world with how highly he wants to arrest you, but something tells me it's not as cut and dry as he explained it. To someone like me, you were just following orders for money and maybe along the way jobs didn't go your way and it caused people to get hurt or you got on the radar of the wrong people, but-!"
"I have no plans to destroy the world if that's what you were going to say."
"Precisely." Ozpin nods. "I know that isn't you."
"Good, I'm glad you know that." Link chuckles. "People didn't get hurt because my jobs went wrong, people got hurt AFTER I stopped being a mercenary, that's the sad part. But since you won't tell me about 'everyone' I will hold off on telling my story for the time being."
"I suppose that is fair." Ozpin sits own at his chair again and eyes Link even more than he was before
Flashback: One Year Ago, Forever Fall Forest
A familiar sight to Link and the White Fan, the two parties are back in the forest of trees with dust-red colored leaves, red grass, hills and mountains. Although this time, there is no failed mission resulting in dead faunus and destroyed Atlesian Knights or handfuls of knocked over rail cars up in flames. A tall lean man in a high collared blazer walks forward. His suit jacket covers a red shirt he wears underneath, with a rose emblem on his back that is layered over a bigger design, white curved stems connected to another flower. His blazer is partially buttoned up, exposing his red shirt. Other significant features is his spiky dark red hair and a weapon on his left side. It has characteristics of a gun but there is also the obvious sword handle, suggesting it's a sword in a sheath, the latter being the gun and the typical grimm masks that every White Fang member wears. This man approaches a White Fang soldier speaking to Link, who is masked in wearing a black tunic
"What do you even need the money for?" The White Fang soldier asks bluntly
"Truthfully I'm not sure." Link shrugs as receives a briefcase from the previously described man who appears to be the leader of this platoon of White Fang soldiers. (But I'm sure my brother and mother would need it right now. Not that I even where to even begin looking.)
"Good job out there. You're one of the best mercenaries I've ever seen, please consider my offer of joining us permanently. You may not be a faunus but if you keep your mask on and say very little, you'll fit right in."
"No thank you." Link shakes his head. "I appreciate the offer but I'd rather remain independent. Besides, you and I aren't out for the same things, it doesn't make a lot of sense to form a partnership"
"What are you implying you stupid brat, Adam will-!"
"Easy there." Adam cuts off the angry soldier. "Your opinions are nothing more than that boy, opinion. But if you're helping us succeed then who am I to turn you away. Anyways kid, you should get out of here soon." The man stops speaking briefly. "I don't really know where your ideal spot is but the sooner we part ways, the better."
"No problem Adam..." Link mumbles
"No names." Adam shakes his head
"Sorry." Link smirks. "Sir."
"That's better, boy." Adam nods
(This guy is a real piece of work...)
"Sir, are you sure we can trust him?" The same soldier questions
"Don't worry about him." Adam speaks loudly as he walks away, despite Link still being able to hear him. "Mercenaries are like puppets, they never speak as long as they get something that benefits them. If all this kid wants is money in exchange for wiping out people or robots that try to stop us, who am I to deny his help."
"Hold on just a second." Link walks towards a door and prepares to leave. "One more thing."
"What is it?" Adam asks, he only turns his head and side eyes the boy
"I'm not your little puppet." Link speaks coldly as his left eye flashes gold. "It's important that you understand that."
"Are you threatening us?! You little-!"
Adam raises his hand and the soldier who shouts at Link goes quiet immediately. The mercenary and red haired man both do not say another word, the latter smiles evilly as the former hops off the train as fast as he can
End of Flashback
"Such a brave young man you are." Ozpin nods, impressed about what his student has gone through
"That's too generous, I wouldn't call myself brave really. The White Fang are worse than Atlas when at one point they were the oppressed victims."
"Then why work with them? Was it really about the money?" The wise headmaster asks
"No it wasn't just the money, it was the reward but... it's complicated." Link sighs. "My mercenary group wasn't like any other mercenary group. We refused big offers from the rich and accepted smaller offers from lesser clients, especially if they wanted us to hit the rich folks hard. I suppose you could call us vigilantes."
"How do vigilante mercenaries whose goal is to disrupt the rich and powerful end up working with an organization such as the White Fang?"
"Blackmail, threats, violence and money. The White Fang special." The boy shrugs
"I would love to hear more when we get the chance to speak again. It was good having this talk." Ozpin speaks calmly. "However, I am going to cut this short for today as you should be relaxing more, the dance is coming soon after all."
"What? Why? I don't have to make the dance a priority, you know." Link turns his head in confusion. "We can continue speaking."
"We can yes, but you must not stress yourself out day in and day out, I'm sure talking about this is helpful to get all this information out and not keep it bottled in." Ozpin finally finishes his drink and puts down his mug for the last time. "Someone your age should not have the knowledge of maidens, mercenary life, the White Fang, but you do and we cannot erase that information. However, to do my best to help you, I will preach that you relax and enjoy all of the fun that comes your way, because eventually it won't be there anymore as much as you'd like."
(Won't be there anymore as much as I'd like? What's getting at? Fun can always come my way.) Link shrugs and nods to agree with his Professor. "I understand, thanks for taking the time to talk, Professor."
"Remember, I will always be around to talk should you ever need it. Our conversation about all of this is not over either." Ozpin taps his fingers together. "I will reach out and find you again one day."
"I'll keep that in mind." Link stands up and walks to the elevator, the boy then clicks on the arrow going downwards. "I look forward to speaking to you again, Professor Ozpin."
DING!
The elevator doors open and Glynda Goodwitch steps out looking calm and composed as she always does
"Good day." Glynda nods
"Mhm likewise, professor." Link nods back and enters the elevator himself, feeling successful in this talk with the headmaster of Beacon
Hours Later: Beacon Academy Dormitories, Link's dorm
"It feels like so much time has passed since I last talked to Coco, Fox, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi. I wonder what's holding them up." Link sits on the ledge, where his window is normally closed and covered by curtains, but today the window is open and curtains set aside. The one person team stares at the moon and wonders about team CFVY, the second year team sent away on a mission but have yet to return. (I miss talking to Velvet, Coco, even the other two and we don't even talk. I wonder who or what is holding them up...)
"I'm sure they're doing just fine." Pyrrha speaks, her surprising presence makes her friend jump. "They are experienced warriors and they each have an advantage over any grimm that comes their way."
"What the-! Pyrrha?!" Link shouts in surprise and when attempting to turn quickly, he falls off the edge. "Whoaaa!"
He falls without any stability or coordination. The boy attempts to flip over in hopes of at least brace himself to land feet first. Pyrrha runs to the open window and luckily notices that his sword and shield are on his back. The huntress focuses, her hand glows with minimal black aura, she activates her semblance 'Polarity' and uses it effectively to stop Link from falling by his shield, sword, even the metal in his gauntlets. Had she not, he would've smashed into the ground
"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha gasps. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, Link."
"It's okay." Link sighs in relief as he dangles a couple of feet off the ground, it doesn't quite sink into the boy how much he fell. "Hey Pyrrha?"
"Yes, Link?" Pyrrha blinks in confusion
"Can you bring me up now?" Link chuckles. "I'm really low to the ground and all, if you want to put me down that would be okay too, I can always walk back to my dorm."
"O-oh I-I'm so sorry! I'll bring you up right away!" Pyrrha smiles and with her deceptively powerful semblance, she brings Link all the way back up and inside his dorm room
"Thanks." Link laughs. "How did you get in my room anyway?"
"Your door was open." Pyrrha says with an innocent tone. "That is how I got inside."
"Right..." Link shakes his head but shrugs his shoulders. "You might have broken in or you're sincere but either way... You're already here and I wouldn't dare turn you away, what's up? Can I do something for you?"
"O-oh well it's not a problem or anything, I just... It's complicated and it's about someone too." Pyrrha sighs. "I don't know who to talk to about this, Nora just scolds me and Ren tries to speak to me but it's mostly Nora interjecting and not letting him comment."
"What about Jaune?" Link asks, "You guys get along really well and you can talk to him better than Nora and Ren combined." He then puts his hands on his hips and laughs as he realizes. "Unless this 'someone' happens to be Jaune, is that right?"
"..." Pyrrha sighs in disappointment but then nods "Correct."
"What did he do or say now?" Link sighs. "Don't tell me he prepared another song for Weiss?"
"He sang to her?" Pyrrha giggles
"I wish I recorded it now." Link smirks
"But to answer your question, no he didn't sing to her. He was asking Ren for advice about 'girls' but it was actually about Weiss. Jaune said he's completely head-over-heels for her and why won't she give him a chance?" Pyrrha shakes her head, visibly annoyed now. "He wishes she'd take him seriously and he wishes he could tell her how he feels without messing up."
"Wow." Link's eyes widened sarcastically. "He should've said all that to you guys and gotten advice sooner. Before asking out Weiss more times than you and I have beaten up team CRDL. What did Ren tell him? I don't imagine he had a lot to say about Weiss."
"He didn't. It was me who interrupted this time. I told him that he needs to just tell her how he feels. With no ridiculous schemes or no pick up lines." Pyrrha's eyes well up. "Jaune's best trait is being Jaune, he's naturally funny, charming, and innocent. He isn't the shenanigan stunt puller."
"Is that where he is? Asking Weiss out again but seriously this time?"
"Mhm." Pyrrha nods.
"Right, he just doesn't get it." Link shrugs again and sighs. "Weiss shows no interest but he constantly keeps on asking her out, meanwhile he... in my opinion has an even nicer girl in front of him who is also beautiful and constantly trains and looks out for him. You do so much for him but Jaune himself doesn't see that he's more than only a disciple to you."
"Thank you." Pyrrha smiles at the compliments. "I mentioned that I tried talking to my team about this but, Nora just keeps telling me to practice what I preach but it isn't that easy for me, especially when Jaune only sees me as a friend. If only he knew how I really felt about him, he's one the few people who sees me a just another person, and not 'The invincible Pyrrha Nikos from Sanctum' that everyone else sees."
(One of the few...) Link thinks to himself shortly before getting back in the conversation. "Is that why team JNPR and RWBY are your only associates? Other people don't want to be your friend because you intimidate easily?"
"You too." Pyrrha smiles. "You're a special friend to me."
"R-right. Thank you." Link chuckles "Sorry."
"It's okay." Pyrrha nods. "This pedestal that I've been put on means nothing when Jaune talks to me and I really like it. I can be myself without talking about being a huntress or school, our studies, none of that. He sees me as a friend and not as someone who is too good for him."
"Hm..." Link wants to speak up but decides against it at the very last second
"What is it, Link?" Pyrrha askes, refusing to let it go unnoticed
"O-oh it's nothing..." Link rolls his eyes. "Trust me."
"No no! Tell me, it's okay, you can trust me." Pyrrha reaches out a hand and offers it to him
"Hm..." Link grabs her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze
"Please." Pyrrha smiled
"Oh alright." Link sarcastically sighs, which turns into an immediate smile. "I can say the same thing about you guys, my current friends. You're not ignoring or fearing me because I'm the 'one man team' who many students see as invincible."
"Well you are very good, there is a reason to be worried." Pyrrha giggles. "Just kidding of course."
"I'm still a long way from being a master huntsman. For now, I would rather be told I'm mediocre. That's besides the point, you guys just see me as just another regular old somebody, which I appreciate very much."
"A few more than others." Pyrrha squeezes back, emphasizing the word to few and referring to Velvet and Ruby
"..." Link responds with a laugh. "They're both very sweet, I'll give them that. I do like them very much as friends and yes we are growing closer."
"Both of them seem to like you. Ruby can't express it at all, while Velvet just can't find a way to express it through her actions."
"I suppose so..." Link nods before letting out an audible yawn
"Are you ready for the dance tomorrow?" Pyrrha asks
"Not necessarily. When it's time for the dance, keep it down please. I will likely be trying to sleep." Link nods
"Y-you aren't going?" Pyrrha raises an eyebrow
"I don't think so, no." Link mumbles. "I'm not a dancing person and I'm not the biggest fan of suits either. I guess that's what life outside of the kingdoms does to someone, no manners am I right?"
"There's always time to change. I believe that with all my heart."
Unbeknownst to Pyrrha and Link, they were being spied on... by Yang Xiao Long who can hear due to the door remaining open the entire time
"Come on Link! I expected him to be the bigger person and ask Ruby to the dance. After all my efforts to get Blake to go, now Ruby is gonna be alone... Hmph! Oh well, she's still wearing that dress..." Yang smiles softly before running off, feeling she's heard enough
"So Jaune thinks you're being asked out by tons of guys right now? Or have been already asked?"
"Yes." Pyrrha nods slowly
"What a shame..." Link sighs, "He's got a beautiful girl on his team that really likes him and yet he chases after the most arrogant and stuck up one." He shrugs. "Screw it, why don't I accompany you to the dance? Although that would prove Jaune's point about guys asking you out."
"Thank you for the generous offer, but you are correct." Pyrrha nods. "How about next year's dance? If you and I don't have dates, we should go together. As friends."
"I would like that very much if that is the case. I agree to those terms." Link formally turns their touching of hands into a handshake. "See you next year."
"We'll see. "Pyrrha smiles. "You should get some sleep. We both should, it's very late. Thank you for the talk, it's made me feel a lot better about myself. I know I need to be honest with Jaune about how I feel, that will continue to be a work in progress."
"Mhm, I look forward to seeing you get what you deserve... to be happy with someone you really like." Link walks over to the window to shut it for the night. "I will be rooting for you the entire way no matter what comes your way next."
"Goodnight Link." Pyrrha smiles sweetly and waves politely as she walks off
"Night Pyrrha" Link waves and walks her out of the room
Despite her being one of the strongest rookie huntresses at Beacon, Link watches her walk off to make sure she leaves in peace and good health. When the team JNPR huntress walks all the way down the hall and turns a corner, Link smiles with satisfaction before shutting the door behind him. The boy walks away and sets off on his own adventure regardless of what time it is
(9/28/17) Edited: Minor mistakes