Chapter 16: Making the Best of It

"And a one, and a two, and a three." Yang could not help but sigh as she stretched her limbs out to limber up in anticipation for whatever it is Professor Kobalt had in store for them. She had changed into her gym clothes the quickest, and now she was waiting on the rest of Team RWBY. "Feels weird to be back to a normal routine, doesn't it?"

Blake finished putting on her gym shirt, gazing at Yang in confusion as her cat ears perked up quizzically. "When has anything about our lives here at Beacon been a 'normal routine'?" She asked her best friend.

"Well, look at us." Yang said, leaning against a nearby locker. "We're back to the part of our lives where our biggest worry is what our teacher is going to do us for detention."

Weiss hummed thoughtfully at that, tying her gym shoes. "I suppose there is some truth to that." She admitted. "After dealing with the White Fang, Roman Torchwick, Cinder and her associates, and now Don Corleone, I have to admit, detention sure does sound preferable compared to the recent life-and-death stakes."

Yang chuckled. "With how much of a taskmaster Teach is, something tells me we're going to miss fighting all those criminals by the time he's done with us." She joked.

Yang then noticed Ruby walking towards the locker rooms exit outdoors, a direct pathway to the outdoor arena. "Not gonna wait for us, Sis?"

"What? Oh, sorry," Ruby gave a forced smile, "I guess I just wanted to get this over with so badly, I spaced out."

Yang sighed. "What's up?" She asked. "You've been quiet since you got back from your chat with...whoever it was you were chatting with. Are you even going to tell us who you felt like you had to talk to?"

"Nah," Ruby stuck her tongue out teasingly at her big sister, "that's for me to know, and you to never, ever, ever, find out."

Yang rolled her eyes. Well, at least she was somewhat back to normal. "Are you still pissed at Teach?" She asked.

Ruby shook her head. "I still do wish things had turned out differently." She admitted. "But, I don't think I'm mad anymore. Right now, I just want to get this detention over with so we can go back to worrying about our grades and not consequences."

"Oh, that is just a lie, you never worry about grades." Weiss rolled her eyes before giving Ruby a fond smile.

"Boo!" Ruby stuck her tongue out at her bestie. "I worry about grades all the time! It's why I'm able to maintain low B's and high C's in everything but combat."

"And the occasional D, for 'Dolt.'" Weiss could not help but tease fondly.

"No!" Ruby denied, flailing her arms about. "Never D's! B for 'Bestie' and C for 'Cookies'!"

"And we keep telling you if you just applied yourself to things outside of combat, you could be the valedictorian." Blake reminded her with a deadpan expression before heaving a sigh. "But, I do agree with you on one thing. I want to get this over with too."

With that, Team RWBY stood in front of the exit together. "Okay, Team RWBY, time to face the music." Ruby said in a tone meant to keep everyone's spirits up.

And so, they exited the locker room in their gym clothes, now outside with a direct path to the outdoor arena, fifty feet away from them. The outdoor arena was vastly different from the arena they typically used for combat classes. It was created with wide open space in mind, meant to allow students to train there whenever their hearts desired it.

It certainly was not normally the place you would think of, when you think of "detention," and yet here we are now. Considering how they were dressed and where they were going, Team RWBY could certainly speculate that they were in for some particularly demanding physical training. But how that was a punishment, they had no idea.

Then again, perhaps it was best not to think about it. Hansel was no longer physically abusive as a teacher, but he definitely knew how to break a person if he wanted to. And if he could do it within the law and academy rules, he probably would do it; especially to punish some unruly students.

When they reached the arena, they were immediately treated to the sight of Hansel Kobalt standing in the dead center of the arena, arms folded. Four black bags were folded up neatly, laying on the ground next to him. Next to the bags, a big jug of water. "You're early," Hansel noted, "good. Lots of Huntsmen work on military time, where early means on-time, and on-time is late."

"Eager to get started?" Yang smirked.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Xiao Long." Hansel frowned. "Believe me, you're not going to have any reason to smirk by the time this is done."

Hansel then addressed Team RWBY as a whole. "I want to begin this by letting you all know that I seriously considered pushing for your expulsion. Not only did you four put yourselves in unnecessary danger, but you also conducted yourselves in a manner unbefitting of professionals."

Team RWBY lowered their heads at this. "Thankfully, I decided that would not be the correct way to go about this, on my own, mind you. Professor Ozpin simply reinforced the matter when I came to him for his opinion."

"In the end, while you four royally screwed up, you had been doing well up until that night." Hansel pointed out. "So, as long as you four know just how badly you screwed up and should focus on the things you're supposed to, I don't see a reason to have you expelled."

Hansel then gestured to the track that surrounded the field of the arena. "Your detention is simple. You four are going to run laps until you can't run anymore. And when I say you can't run anymore, I mean, I want you four to be lying on the ground, too exhausted to move."

Team RWBY looked at Hansel in disbelief. "Umm...are you sure?" Blake asked.

"Did I stutter?" Hansel narrowed his eyes.

"No, sir, it's just...running laps? How is that detention? Physical training is a part of being Huntsmen, is it not?"

Then, much to their surprise, Hansel flashed a predatory smirk at the girls. "Ah, but you didn't let me finish, Belladonna." Hansel told her, picking up the black bags.

"We...didn't?" Blake looked at Hansel in confusion.

Then, one by one, Hansel began tossing the bags at Team RWBY. "I want you all to open the bags and put on what's inside. You four will be wearing these for the duration of your detention today. And you don't get to refuse, I paid out of my own pocket for them, and they were custom-ordered and very expensive."

As Team RWBY caught their respective bags, the girls let out a yelp as they were suddenly forced to the ground by the surprising weight of these bags. "Heavy!" Yang yelped before realizing something.

There's...something very familiar about having to catch this bag. She noted as she opened up the bag and was met with a sight that made her go pale.

Inside that bag was a golden-yellow cloak, very similar to that weighted get-up Hansel wore. Similar...oh crap. "Oh no…" Yang muttered as she slowly began to put the pieces together. Now it was starting to feel like a punishment.

Yang then looked to see Blake, Weiss and Ruby struggling to lift their own cloaks out of their own bags. They were all color-coded to match each girl. Red for Ruby, black for Blake, and white for Weiss. "In case you haven't realized it yet, these cloaks are made of the same material I use for mine." Hansel explained. "I wear it in the field to make sure I'm always building up extra strength. And it's good for deception, because it deliberately handicaps me against enemies."

"You can't possibly expect us to wear these." Blake said.

"I do, because that's what it means to be punished." Hansel pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone that left little room for argument.

Weiss then turned red from sudden implications hitting her. "Hold on, how do you know these will fit? Where did you even get our measurements from?!" She demanded

Blake, Yang and Ruby turned red from embarrassment. Surprisingly though, Hansel blushed in embarrassment as well and turned away, unable to face them. "D-did you idiots seriously forget you were all given physicals before this school? All I had to do was go to Professor Peach and ask for them." He pointed out.

Cloaks normally did not have to worry about measurements, but due to the special design of these cloaks, a proper fit actually was very important. If it was too tight, it would be too painful. This was especially true if girls had to wear such material. So take someone like Yang for example. Wearing a weighted cloak that did not fit properly would be a very painful experience for...ahem...two particular reasons.

Speaking of Yang, the blonde noticed Hansel's embarrassment and could not resist teasing him a little. She pushed her chest out. "Saw anything you liked, Teach?" She teased with a wink. "Maybe...you have a new appreciation for numbers?"

Blake face-palmed at Yang's behavior. "Yang, for God's sake, please stop teasing our teacher like that." She pleaded under her breath.

Hansel growled under his breath. "I'll have you know I didn't read any of them." He promised, still red from embarrassment. "I folded up the results and put them in an envelope for the tailor to open."

Ruby could not help but gaze at Hansel in wonder from learning this new fact about him. Shy and embarrassed regarding women's bodies isn't something I expected from him. She admitted inwardly.

Hansel coughed, regaining his composure. "Anyway," he said, "I already bought the damn things for you, so you've gotta wear them. Furthermore, I'm getting my money's worth on what I spent, so this won't be the only time."

"What do you mean it won't be? We've only got detention today." Blake pointed out.

Hansel shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he said, "like I said, you four made some serious mistakes that night. I don't think one detention is going to get that through to your heads."

Team RWBY did not like the sound of that. "So, I expect you all to be here by this time, every Saturday for the rest of the school year, running laps in those new cloaks." Hansel ordered. "Your Saturday is now mine."

"How is that fair?" Weiss demanded while the rest of Team RWBY paled.

"I'm being very fair." Hansel noted. "You four need to be punished, and I need to make sure the punishment sticks."

"However," Hansel continued, now looking at Ruby in particular, "if I'm going to punish you for that long, I need to at least make sure you get more than just 'don't do this again' out of it."

"You four want to become strong Huntresses, and you want to become strong Huntresses right now." Hansel reminded them. "That's the impression I got from how the four of you have conducted yourselves, for better or worse."

"If you want to be stronger right now, that means you need to work harder than everyone else to reach whatever goals you have. That means you need to be pushed harder than everyone else, hence why this is a continuous punishment." Hansel explained.

Team RWBY gazed at Hansel in shock. He was using this extended detention to...help them too? Hansel sighed. "Of course, getting stronger 'right now' is a process. It won't be instantaneous. Even when your power 'evolves' and 'grows' in the heat of battle in an instant, you need to have a strong body, mind and soul to handle the stress, otherwise you're going to hurt yourself. Growth is a process, not an event."

"But if you four really want to grow faster than the others, than you need to be pushed harder than the others." Hansel told them. "If you four want it that badly, then I can't make it easy for you. I fully intend to use these detentions to push you four past your own physical limits, to the point where you'll feel like you want to give up."

"But giving up is not an option if growth is that important to you, so you're going to take this punishment and not complain." Hansel reminded them.

The girls gazed at Hansel, wondering if this was his idea of giving them a pep talk. Then, his final words proved that it was. "And when we're done here," Hansel said in a tone that almost sounded encouraging, "you four go and get in someone else's way the next time you want to involve yourselves. And when that happens, you hopefully won't be a liability."

The girls could not help but deadpan. Hansel sucked at giving encouragements. 'Go get in someone else's way.' How did he think that was an effective pep talk?

Ruby nodded in understanding, knowing that pep talk was mostly directed towards her. Struggling to lift the cloak over her, Ruby stumbled about like a drunken sailor before she managed to get the cloak over her body. "Heavy!" Ruby yelped, almost falling over again due to the weight.

Weiss winced as she did the same. "How long do you expect us to run with this amount of weight on?" She asked.

Hansel shook his head. "You're going about it the wrong way, Schnee." He told her. "It's not how long I expect you to run, it's that I expect you to run until you drop, regardless of how many laps you get in."

"The hope is," Hansel continued as Blake and Yang put on their cloaks, both wincing like Weiss and Ruby did, "is that you improve and run for longer periods of time as the semester goes by. One workout doesn't do much. But sticking to the program does. Literally any workout program in existence will tell you the same damn thing."

Ruby could not help but sniffle, making Hansel look at her. "Are you about to start crying?" He deadpanned.

Ruby was staring at the other girls with a look of pride on her face. "I'm just so happy. We all technically have capes now!" She cheered, making Hansel groan and wonder why he worried in the first place. "Team Dream #7 has been fulfilled!"

"Team Dream what...Ruby, what are you talking about?" Blake demanded.

"Maybe we can call ourselves the Caped Cute-saders from now on?!" Ruby happily suggested.

"No!" The rest of Team RWBY replied.

"Boo!" Ruby stuck her tongue out.

Hansel regained his composure, then looked over all four cloaked girls and nodded. "Okay then," he said, clapping his hands together, "get to the starting line of the track! I want you 4 running laps in the next two minutes!"

Team RWBY could only lumber down the arena to the track's startling line. If Hansel had more of a sense of humor, he honestly would have laughed at the sight of them lumbering about. It looked like people who were way too bundled up for the holiday season, walking the snowy sidewalks of Vale.

"My legs already feel like they're about to give out." Weiss groaned.

"Also, before I forget, no Semblances." Hansel shouted at them, making Ruby whine in disappointment. "Begin!"

And so, Team RWBY began running laps, weighed down by their new cloaks. Hansel supervised it all with an unreadable expression on his face. If I am going to better understand my students, I need to do so in a way I understand. In the end, I'm never going to be the nurturing type. Hansel acknowledged. In the end, I'm always going to be the one who's willing to use draconian methods to get them to do what is necessary to improve and then succeed.

So, I just have to make the best of it, and focus on what my methods and attitude can do for these students. Hansel decided. I still don't understand why Professor Ozpin chose me...but as long as I'm here, I might as well make sure this generation of Huntsmen doesn't get killed for dumb reasons.

And so, Hansel supervised Team RWBY's first of many detentions, watching as they lumbered around the track in their weighted cloaks. Deciding he did not have to do much supervision when all they were doing was running laps, Hansel took the opportunity to draw Wolf Fang, and began practicing with his katana.

The only downside of sticking around as a teacher, Hansel noted, is that I need to make time to train. I need to be ready...or I'm not going to be able to stop them.

Hansel kept an eye on the four "troublemakers" out of the corner of his eyes, making sure each of them did not use their Semblances to their advantage in any way.

This was Hansel and Team RWBY's life for some time now. And then, after that period of time, Team RWBY began to collapse one by one. Hansel took notice of this and gazed at his scroll. He raised an eyebrow at the time before nodding in approval.

"Not bad," he muttered, "they lasted longer than I expected."

Because they had to wait for Hansel's custom ordered outfits to be ready, they had to begin in the evening, at 6:00 PM. And, much to Hansel's surprise, they managed to run for a full hour. It was now 7 PM.

"A good start." Hansel muttered. "As they improve, we'll have to start earlier and earlier."

Hansel then saw the time again and realized something that actually upset him a little. "Damn it, they probably missed dinner." He sighed.

Hansel blamed himself for that one. Again, he had to wait for Grace to finish his custom order. And then there was traveling back and forth in the city. And now, with all of those circumstances against them, Team RWBY had to now missed dinner because of their detention. The cafeteria was only open from 6-7 PM on weekends.

Now, Hansel should not necessarily feel bad about this. They were in detention. If they did not want something like this to happen, they should follow the rules?

Hansel walked up to Team RWBY, who all looked like pulsating corpses, panting in exhaustion. He took a moment to survey how each of them specifically looked. Weiss was in the worst shape. That made sense, Weiss had no endurance out of the four of them.

Blake and Yang were in comparatively better shape, but neither of them wanted to move at the moment. Both were arguably in the best physical condition in the entire team, thanks to their respective fighting styles, so that made sense to Hansel.

And then there was Ruby Rose, who was actually trying to force herself to her feet, in spite of the fact she was clearly not fit to be on her feet any longer. I can't tell whether it's because she's trying to draw on some sort of hidden physical strength she should have, considering her Semblance, or if her strength of will really has that much potential.

Hansel quickly ran back to the big jug of water, along with some cups, stacked up next to them, and brought them all back to Team RWBY. He quickly poured some water. "Drink up," Hansel simply told them.

Thankfully, Team RWBY had enough strength in their arms to at least take the cups of water and drink out of them. "Just say so when you want more." Hansel continued. "Until then, just rest up and get the feeling back in your legs."

Team RWBY just moaned in response, too tired and out of breath to properly thank Hansel. Hansel patiently waited for them to drink and rest. Then, after several minutes passed, he noticed each of them slowly moving their legs. They were starting to get the use of their legs back. Then their stomachs growled, making them groan once more, this time in embarrassment. Nobody liked it when their stomachs growled loudly.

Hansel sighed, realizing that they were probably in such a rush to get to their detention, they must have skipped dinner. He spoke up once more, knowing what had to be done. "Okay," he said, "get those cloaks off, hit the showers, and then get dressed."

Team RWBY looked up at Hansel in surprise. "We are going out to eat. I'm treating you four to dinner."

"Huh?" They could only say in confusion.

"It's past 7. The Academy's kitchen is closed." Hansel noted. "I refuse to be responsible for students missing a meal, so I'm treating you four to a late dinner in the city."

"Huh?" Team RWBY repeated, unsure of how they should respond to this sudden offer.

Hansel then narrowed his eyes. "Just so we're clear, you don't get to say no. My charity is non-negotiable." Hansel told them.

"What kind of charity is that?" Yang found her voice, and the first thing she decided to say was a snarky response. Par for the course at this point.

"My kind," Hansel responded, "I'll be waiting outside the locker rooms. We'll be heading into the city as soon as you're ready. I'll be leaving the water with you, just leave it by the locker room door."

And with that, Hansel left Team RWBY alone. As soon as he was out of earshot, Blake said what was on everyone else's mind. "Guys, this day has been weird."

"Yep," Yang and Weiss said in unison, while Ruby remained silent, shocked at the turn this evening had taken.

After a few more minutes of rest, Team RWBY managed to get to their feet. After quick showers to wash off all the sweat, they bagged their gym clothes and dropped off their gym bags, which were now massively heavier thanks to the cloaks, and walked outside to find that Hansel was indeed waiting for them.

As soon as they saw him, four stomachs growled in unison, making all four of them blush in embarrassment. Hansel nodded in understanding. "Come on," he said, "we'll be going there after the dinner rush, so we won't have to wait long."

"Where are we going exactly, sir?" Blake asked curiously.

"The best place to carb up after a workout," Hansel responded, gesturing for his students to follow him.

Still somewhat confused by the turn this had taken, along with Hansel's silence on the matter, Team RWBY quietly followed Hansel to the next airship into the city. As they moved through the city, Ruby found herself wincing at the sight at the still-visible destruction from the attack on the Vytal Festival. It served as a horrible reminder that while they had stopped Salem and Cinder, they had not stopped them in time.

"Umm, Professor?" Ruby asked nervously.

"Yeah, Rose, what is it?" Hansel responded.

"Will there actually be any places open?" Ruby asked curiously. "I mean, aren't we still rebuilding after…"

"Life goes on, regardless of the tragedies that befall us, Rose. That was something Professor Ozpin taught me." Hansel told her. "People can't afford to have their lives derailed by things like the Vytal Festival for too long."

"He's got a point there," Yang looked around and smiled at all the activity in the city, "even if the rebuilding effort is still going on, you can see that people are still trying to go about their lives like it's just another day in Vale."

Hansel nodded. "It's not like they can dwell on it." He reminded them. "That'll just attract more Grimm."

"So, they just have to bottle up their emotions then?" Weiss noted.

"They tried that once, the result was the Great War." Hansel replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"So how do they do it than?" Blake asked. "How do people go on with such gnawing fears in the back of their mind?"

Blake herself was wondering this, because deep down, she was still concerned for the day Adam came back to make good on his promise.

Hansel just shrugged. "Hard to say, it's different for everyone. But in the end, I think it comes down to this." he said. "People just remind themselves of what's really important."

"They're still alive."

Ruby spoke up, interested in Hansel's reasoning. "Is that really all it takes?" She asked curiously.

Hansel nodded. "Like I said, life goes on, regardless of the tragedies that befall us." He reminded her. "Life endures."

Ruby's eyes widened, remembering Ozpin telling her the creation myth of Remnant that he personally subscribed to. "Life endures." She muttered softly, realizing how deeply that particular story seemed to affect Ozpin and his point of view.

Before Ruby could pick Hansel's brain further on this, the Combat Professor stopped, making the rest of the team stop as well. "We're here." Hansel said.

Team RWBY looked up and gasped in surprise at where Hansel had taken them. "Pleasure Island Pizza?" Yang was stunned.

"The best pizza in all of Vale." Ruby honestly could not tell, but she could have sworn she had seen the ghost of a smile on Hansel's face for just a brief moment as he said that.

"Pizza?" Weiss gazed at Hansel in surprise.

"Like I said, you four need to carb up after a huge workout." Hansel reminded them. "And this place is one of the best to do it."

With that, Hansel entered the famed establishment. Pleasure Island Pizza had been a mainstay in Vale for twenty years. It was no chain like other pizza places, but it still surpassed every single one of them, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated owner by the name of Jimmy Cocchiere.

Team RWBY gazed at each other one more time, before deciding not to pass up a free meal. With that silent decision between the four of them, they entered the famous restaurant. Hansel waited for them inside and immediately addressed the hostess. "Table for five." He said.

The hostess nodded with a smile. "Right away, Mr. Kobalt, good to see you again."

As the hostess led the group to their table, Team RWBY gazed at Hansel in disbelief. Did the people of this restaurant know him?

As Team RWBY gazed at their menus, Hansel noticed their slight trepidation and spoke up. "Don't worry about price, like I said, this is on me. So eat as much as you want."

"That's very generous, sir," Weiss acknowledged, "but are you sure you can afford paying for all of us?"

"Don't forget Schnee, once upon a time, my family was as rich as you Atlesian nobles." Hansel reminded her. "What, did you think all that money was frozen?"

"You...have access to your entire family's fortune?" Weiss was stunned.

Hansel nodded. "We...made a lot of money back in the day." He left it at that.

Then, before Team RWBY could give their menus a proper look, they were interrupted by the boisterous laughter of a burly, balding man in his late 50s, wearing a kitchen apron. "How you doing, kid?" He yelled to Hansel.

"Hey there, Jimmy." Hansel casually greeted Jimmy Cocchiere, the owner of Pleasure Island Pizza.

"Jimmy, as in Jimmy Cocchiere?" Blake gazed at the big man in shock. "Like, the guy who owns this place?"

"The one and only." Cocchiere grinned. "So, is this some sort of group date? Which one of you lucky ladies is with this guy, and where are the rest of the guys?"

Team RWBY turned red while Hansel sighed. "Jimmy, these are my students." He said in a completely deadpan expression.

Cocchiere, to his credit, looked very embarrassed at such a faux pas. "Oh, my bad." He said before smiling. "It is good to see you again, kid. We were missing our best customer this past year. You wouldn't believe how happy I was when I heard you were back in town."

Hansel nodded. "Circumstances changed." He said simply. "It's good to be back though, I honestly did miss this place."

"I'll tell the kitchen to get started on your usual order." Cocchiere promised before turning to the rest of Team RWBY. "As for the rest of you, I'll give you some time to look at the menus and then send a waiter back to help you."

"Thank you, Mr. Cocchiere." Ruby said politely.

Cocchiere clapped Hansel on the shoulder. Surprisingly, Hansel did not react to the physical contact. "This is a good kid right here, one of my best customers. His and Ms. Goodwitch's visits helped put my kids through college."

With that, Cocchiere left the table of five. Team RWBY looked at Hansel in disbelief. Hansel gazed right back. "What?"

"You know the owner?" Weiss inquired.

Hansel nodded. "Yeah, through Glynda." He said. "Cocchiere is a big supporter of Huntsmen. In fact, Pleasure Island Pizza is famous for how much it donates to causes related to Huntsmen. Huntsmen even get discounts here, so make sure you bring that up. That's how he knows Glynda."

"And you're his best customer?" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"This was mine and Glynda's favorite place to go after a long day of work. Once she saw how much I loved the food here, she always made it a point to treat me to a nice meal here." Hansel admitted. "So, Cocchiere eventually just ended up getting to know me. We're definitely not big enough friends to get a 'friend discount'. But, the Huntsmen discount is enough. I've got the money either way though."

Hansel then gestured to the menus. "You should focus on what you're going to order. Your hungry, aren't you?"

Team RWBY opened their menus, still with plenty of trepidation in their eyes. Hansel noticed this and sighed. "I told you already, don't worry about the price. This is on me. If there's something you want, order it. Don't worry about the price."

With that reassurance, Team RWBY quickly looked through the menu. Blake then spoke up. "You know," she said, "I really can't figure you out."

"Huh?" Hansel frowned. "What is there to figure out?"

"Well, one minute you're running people into the ground as a punishment, and the next you're treating them to dinner." Blake pointed out. "You're...very complicated."

Hansel looked confused at that statement. "Complicated? No way, if anything, I like to think I'm pretty straightforward. No matter who it is, I want people to know exactly where they stand with me."

"So, where do we stand with you?" Weiss asked curiously.

Hansel sighed. "I don't hate any of you, if that's what you're getting at." He told them.

Hearing that statement, Ruby found herself remembering her conversation with Glynda. "I look at the four of you, and I certainly see potential." Hansel admitted. "You just seem to have a bad habit of picking fights out of your weight class, and I'm not just talking about Corleone."

Blake's 'bow' dropped at that statement, once again thinking about Adam. Hansel sighed again. "It's not like being strict and then offering charity are mutually exclusive things." He pointed out. "As loving as Glynda was, I don't cross her for good reason. She's one of the few people out there I do not fuck with."

Team RWBY shuddered at that statement. Glynda was terrifying when she was angry. "Same with Professor Ozpin," Hansel continued, "he was as strict as they came when I was living at Beacon, but at the end of the day, he had a candor to him that could not be matched. I'm just following his example."

Team RWBY looked at Hansel, surprised at how wise he sounded at the moment. Hansel ignored the staring and concluded: "Just keep showing up for classes, your weekend detentions, following my instructions, and we'll be just fine." He promised. "I don't hate people without a reason, so I'd appreciate it if you got that thought out of your heads."

"Err...sorry." Blake muttered sheepishly.

A young man with a green beanie soon arrived with a notepad. "Good evening everyone, my name is Lewis, I'll be your waiter tonight. Have you had a chance to look over the menu?"

One by one, the table for five nodded. "Excellent, I can take drink orders and food orders right now, if you wish."

"Strawberry Sunrise, no ice, and one of those cute little umbrellas if you got 'em." Yang told them.

"I'll see if we have those umbrellas. No promises though." Lewis nodded.

"Hey, Xiao Long," Hansel spoke up, "remember what I said, this is on me, so order whatever you want."

Yang nodded. "I'll take a meat lovers." She said eagerly.

"Tea and the seafood special." Blake quickly ordered.

Hansel gave Blake a deadpan expression. You really aren't doing yourself any favors by being a walking stereotype, you damn cat girl.

Weiss gazed at the menu in hesitation. Hansel sighed. "Not used to going to pizza places, eh Schnee?"

Lewis's eyes widened. "A Schnee, here?"

Weiss blushed in embarrassment. "I'm...a bit too used to fine dining." She admitted. "I know nothing about pizza at all."

"Just order pepperoni, that's a good way to start out." Hansel told her. "Or, if that doesn't sound too appealing, just get a vegetarian pizza. You can't go wrong either way, you're carbing up."

"Pepperoni then, you oddly seem to know your pizzas, so I'll take your word for it." Weiss said. "And some tea for me as well."

"I'll have a soda and pepperoni as well." Ruby spoke up before her eyes lit up in excitement. "And, I know it's a bit early, but can I get one of those dessert pizzas too?"

"And for you, Mr. Kobalt?" Lewis inquired curiously.

"My usual order. Jimmy should've already placed it." Hansel told him. "And a soda for me as well. These girls are students, so can we get the Huntsmen discount as well?"

Lewis nodded and collected the menus. "Of course, Mr. Kobalt. We'll have your orders out as soon as possible."

Lewis left to place their orders in the kitchen. The group was left in awkward silence for awhile. Hansel admittedly was content with the silent, but he did not like them looking so nervous when he was the one trying to do something nice here. "So, Rose, pretty much beat me over the head with her motivations to become a Huntress." Hansel noted, making Ruby blush in embarrassment. "What about you three? Why did you three choose this life?"

"There are a lot of reasons on my end." Weiss admitted. "For one thing, I need to restore my family's good name."

"I've always had a flair for adventure." Yang shrugged.

"...I just want to make this world a more just place." Blake said softly.

"But there's more to that, right?" Hansel raised an eyebrow.

Weiss nodded. "Doctor Oobleck put things in perspective for us. Our job, first and foremost is to help people. It's not just about my family name, it's because of my family name that I need to do everything I can for the sake of others."

"I grew up protecting my little sister." Yang noted before admitting. "I'm not normally the sentimental type, but looking back now, that was the most rewarding adventure. I can't just think of myself, we're doing this to help people. I...realized that after the Vytal Festival."

"...The most just thing we can do is protect people, regardless of their species." Blake nodded in agreement. "I want to help people too."

Hansel nodded, satisfied with their answers. "Yeah, what happened at the festival was a bit of a wakeup call. I am glad to see you at least got something positive out of it." Hansel leaned back into his seat, folding his arms.

Hansel's face fell slightly. "Something horrible's coming." He admitted. "I don't know when, but it's coming. We all need to be ready for when it does arrive."

"You really think so?" Weiss was curious.

Hansel nodded grimly. "We live in a powder keg." He noted. "Unfortunately, while everyone tries to suppress it, they're pretty much always on edge. It always seems like our world is on the brink of some kind of war. And with horrible people like that Cinder making things worse...well, things are definitely going to get worse. You four...I really do hope you're ready. There are fewer things worse than dying feeling helpless and useless."

"Sheesh, talk about crappy dinner conversation." Yang sighed, making Hansel glare at her. "Don't get me wrong, Teach, I agree with you, and I do appreciate you trying to make sure we're ready, but take the rest of the day off. I mean, you are treating us to a meal off-duty, so at least act like you're off-duty. Relax, learn to enjoy life. Hell, you should observe me as much as you observe us. I can teach you how to kick back."

Hansel frowned. "No thanks." He deadpanned.

Yang chuckled. "I know, you asked us some questions, why don't we ask you now." She smiled. "So what about you? What made you decide to become a Huntsmen? I mean, you come from a long line of Huntsmen and scientists, don't you?"

Briefly, Hansel noticed that some of the patrons were starting to stare at him with concern and hate. "I do, yes." He replied.

"Okay, so why do you do what you do?" Yang asked curiously.

Hansel fell silent for a brief moment before responding. "Because I made a promise...a long time ago."

"A promise?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"I made a promise to someone very important." Hansel admitted. "I...need to keep it, no matter what."

Ruby's eyes widened at the look in Hansel's eyes. For a brief moment, he looked sad and vulnerable. Hansel sighed. "Bet you didn't think of me as the sentimental type, eh?" He noted. "In the end, we all have something important to us...that means the world to us."

"And...this promise is your thing?" Weiss asked curiously.

"It's a certainly a thing I don't like to talk too much about." Hansel said sternly. "Not to sound harsh, but that promise stays between me and the one I made it to."

Hansel then changed the subject. "There's also someone else that I need to find. Someone I need to bring to justice. That's also what pushes me down this path."

"Someone you need to find?" Yang was surprised. Did she actually have something in common with her teacher?

Hansel remembered Yang's actions when they had all met Reaper. Seeing his way out of opening up about that promise, something that meant the world to him, he decided to speak up. "Like you," he noted, "you're looking for your mother, aren't you? Raven Branwen, Qrow's sister."

Yang's face fell. "Yeah," she said, "she...left us after I was born. I didn't even know she was my mom until Summer died."

"I...just want to find out from her why she left us." Yang admitted. "If I do that...I can finally move on."

Hansel sighed. "Xiao Long, let me give you a piece of advice." He said.

Yang looked at Hansel. "You need to forget about Raven Branwen." Hansel told her. "If she chose to leave her only daughter, then you should leave it at that. Believe me, it's better not to find out what makes people like her tick. If she abandoned you and your old man, then it's best you leave it at that. You'll just be disappointed by the why."

"You're looking for someone too." Yang pointed out.

"...My situation is complicated." Hansel admitted, wanting to leave it at that. The person he was searching for, that was also something he did not want open up about to a bunch of students. They could never understand what he was dealing with. Which certainly begged the question to him: at what point would they stop trying to understand?

"Well, so is mine, as far as I'm concerned." Yang said calmly. "So I guess we're just going to have agree to disagree."

Hansel sighed. "Fine." He said simply.

"Er...why don't we change the subject again?" Ruby suggested nervously. "Hey, Professor, do you like video games? I never got a chance to ask you, but during one of your classes, you hinted that you did."

"I think I know which class you're talking about." Hansel noted, actually grateful that Ruby had changed the subject. "It's a nice...time killer. A good stress relief too. I train a lot, so it's nice to get a break every once in awhile."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "So what kind of games do you like to play?" She asked eagerly.

"Anything that looks fun," Hansel shrugged, "it's not like I have a personal preference."

Ruby, however, did not let up. She pushed for Hansel to open up about his favorite games while she brought up her favorite video games. So, they ended up discussing Kung Fu Ninja Ultimate Slayer Death Battle 2. Namely, the meta game, who was too overpowered and who desperately needed to be nerfed.

This took up the rest of their time waiting, before Lewis and a few other servers returned with their orders. Weiss' eyes widened at the sight. "That does look delicious." She admitted.

Everyone's respective pizzas were placed in front of them. "Well, chow down." Hansel told them, reaching for his pepperoni pizza. "No need to hold back."

Team RWBY quickly dug in. Well, Blake, Yang and Ruby did. Weiss was going at her meal with a bit more elegance one would expect from an heiress. She was trying to eat her pizza with silverware. Hansel noticed this and sighed.

"Schnee," he said, "you're not at one of your old man's parties. No need to hold back. You're starving, aren't you?"

Weiss' eyes widened, surprised by Hansel's encouragement to loosen up a little. She took another look at her pizza, and dug in. The rest of the team watched as Weiss dug into her pizza with the ferocity of a predator.

"Whoa…" Yang muttered.

Hansel nodded, satisfied. "Like I said, titles don't mean jack shit to Huntsmen." He reminded her. "There's no need to keep up appearances."

Weiss nodded gratefully. "This is delicious." She muttered after swallowing what was currently in her mouth. "I can't believe I never had food like this."

"Yeah, no kidding." Yang said. "I had always wanted to try this place. I just never had the chance. Thanks for bringing us here, Teach. This was a nice treat."

"I can't wait to have the dessert pizzas." Ruby admitted. "If the dinner is that good, I'd can't wait to see what their desserts are like."

"Fishies…" Blake could only moan with glee as she devoured her seafood special pizza.

Hansel decided to leave them to enjoy their pizza and focused on his own. Ruby noticed a small smile curl as he enjoyed his own meal. Remembering that Hansel was not big on people prying into his life, Ruby decided to focus on her own meal.

The five 'carnivores' dug into their pizzas with various levels of fervor. Much to the surprise of the girls, they were actually eating their entire respective meals. They really were starving. When Ruby came close to the end, she suddenly shot up from her seat. "I'll be right back." She said.

"Nature calling, Sis?" Yang teased.

Ruby blushed in embarrassment at Yang's teasing before heading towards the back of the restaurant. Hansel, out of the corner of his eyes, noticed a few of the patrons who had been staring at him, now looking at Ruby, watching her head to the back.

The combat professor narrowed his eyes as they rose from their seats and followed after the girl. And here he was hoping for a peaceful dinner.

A few minutes later, Ruby emerged from the restroom with her second wind, ready to finish her pizza. However, before she could get far, she was suddenly confronted by three concerned-looking men.

"Umm, hi?" She asked nervously.

"Are you okay?" The man in the lead.

"...What?" Ruby was stunned by what she was hearing.

"That guy, the Kobalt, has he done anything to you? Is he holding you and those other girls captive?" The leader asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Of all things she could have been asked, that was not what she expected. "What?" Ruby repeated.

"Listen to me, you need to get as far away from him as possible, before he does something horrible to you and those other girls." The man warned her.

"Umm...listen, I don't know what you're talking about." Ruby admitted, confused as to why these men seemed so afraid of Hansel. "But...I don't think Professor Kobalt is the type to kidnap people. And I certainly don't think he's the type to do...whatever it is you're so afraid of him doing."

The men all gazed at each other in concern for the girl before turning back to her. "Look, we're trying to help you. If he's a part of that family, then it's only a matter of time before he does something horrible to you all."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. Now they were going too far. Why were they so insistent on painting Hansel like he was some kind of monster? It made no sense to her. "Now listen to me, I don't know what kind of problem you have Professor Kobalt, but I'm not going to just stand here and let you talk about him like that. It's wrong, and I don't like it."

"We're trying to help you," the man in the lead told her, "you should be grateful."

Before Ruby could continue her argument with these men, someone else entered the conversation. "Need some help moving, gentlemen?"

Ruby and the men turned to see Hansel, staring at them with his usual emotionless expression. "This doesn't concern you." The leader growled.

"I disagree," Hansel said, "that's my student you're harassing. So step aside and let her through. She has a meal to finish, and I hate wasted food."

One of the leader's friends whispered into his ear and the man sighed. "Fine," he muttered before glaring at Hansel, "you've got some nerve going out in public, with all the horrible shit your family pulled. You damn freak."

Ruby's eyes widened as the men walked past Hansel, glaring hatefully at him. Freak? That was such a strong word. Nobody called someone that unless they really meant it. "How could you let them talk to you like that?" Ruby asked in disbelief.

"I've heard it before. Just one of the things you've gotta get used to, when you're one of the last members of a cursed family." Hansel shrugged uncaringly.

"Yeah, but it's horrible, it's wrong." Ruby insisted. "People shouldn't be talking to you like that."

Hansel sighed. "Look, I overheard you talking back to those guys." He said. "It's not that I'm not grateful, but I don't need you fighting my own battles. This is my burden to bear, you don't need to get involved."

"But I can't ignore something like that." Ruby flailed her arms. "Whatever your family did, you've got nothing to do with it."

Ruby's response actually surprised Hansel. "Whatever my family did...wait, you don't know my family history?"

Ruby blushed in embarrassment. "I've...never really paid attention to history." She admitted. "Yeah, I don't really know."

Hansel heaved a sigh. Ruby noticed that small smile of his again. "Of course you don't." He said softly before turning serious again. "It's not important, it's just something I've gotta deal with. Come on, let's head back to the table."

Ruby quietly followed Hansel back to the table. Professor Goodwitch did say she didn't want me prying into Professor Kobalt's life. Ruby noted. I wonder if it has anything to do with how everyone treats him.

Deciding to table those thoughts for now, Ruby and Hansel rejoined their table. As they finished their respective meals, Ruby could not help but note how happy everyone seemed, even Hansel to some degree.

You know, she thought, moments like these...really do make tough times like detention worth it.

Moments like these...I think they're worth fighting for too. Ruby concluded.

A.N: This chapter was actually heavily inspired by the first chapter of Naruto, particularly the moment where Kishimoto established the very likable character of Iruka Umino. When I first saw Iruka, I was immediately drawn to his character. After punishing Naruto and condemning the vandalizing of the Hokage Monument, he immediately treats Naruto to ramen because he understands why he behaves the way he does. That made me absolutely fall in love with his character.

Naruto had a pretty cool dad, and I'm not just talking about Minato. And I'm not even just talking about Jiraiya. Iruka really saved that kid.

Anyway, it's the same with Hansel. In the end, he's a very straightforward person, he'll let you have it if he thinks you screwed up, but he'll also treat you to a nice meal if he feels it necessary. Funny thing is, though he claims he'll always be for more draconian methods, he's also quite the nurturer deep down.

On a more serious note though, we begin to get some serious hints as to just how effed up Hansel's life actually was before Beacon. Seriously. How bad is his life that Glynda does not even want him to confront his past. Most of the time, people say you need to confront your past to move forward. But Glynda doesn't even want Hansel to do that. She thinks he couldn't handle it. Let that sink in for a moment.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed the two chapters released for Wild Hunt this month. We'll be sticking with a a couple more downtime chapters before the next arc starts up. See you next time.