Children of War: First Day's Troubles

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First Semester's Troubles

Getting Up

Dormitories that were adjoined together down the hall were quiet. Attending teams were sleeping in their respective beds, either smartly setting up that night of assignment of their squads or were too tired and collapsed in a heap. The initiation was hardly the easiest thing to muster through, and the ceremony had them standing for quite awhile before getting used to their teams' setup. But at long last those who had worked hard in surviving AND getting into the infamous Beacon Academy, were now settled in for their first day. 

The only exception, was the room next door to another.

A loud whistling sound was not just made once but twice, along with a loud verbal declaration within the dorm room. This only served to be the series of noises that'd rudely awaken everyone within the hall. Despite this, no one had anticipated on setting alarms and thus had begun getting people up to be prepared for their first class. All of this happened while Team RWBY were simply sprucing up their dormitory in the eve of morning. 

"NNN....AH...GOD DA--"

That muffled exclamation would be cut off and followed by a foot giving the wall between the owner's room and team RWBY's a rough kick.

The owner of the offending foot was a young male with light brown hair and mismatching eyes, one green and one blue. His current sleepwear was a white tank top and black boxers with various designs of Grimm on them. He gave the wall a glare and a scowl as he lowered his limb back down, ignoring the stirs of his teammates. "HEY, JERK-OFFS! IF YOU DON'T CUT OUT THE NOISE, I'M GONNA COME OVER THERE AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASSES!"

"I don't think that's possible, bro." Another occupant muttered, stretching and shaking their mess of black hair. Green eyes looked over with a mixture of exhaustion and amusement, with the exhaustion due to having woken up a bit too early. Unlike the previous boy, he didn't seem too concerned about it. "I think you'd be better trying with something else, like your bed or your gun." He was wearing a bedrobe that matched the color of his eyes.

"You're louder than they are, for crying out loud..." A third boy grumbled, giving the first a glare as he hefted himself out of his own bed. He sported a brown T-shirt and red gym shorts for his sleep wear. He ruffled his short, dark brown hair and blinked his hazel eyes a couple of times to get the sleep out of them before straightening up, refocusing his gaze onto the most vocal teammate. "Any louder and people might've thought we actually had a girl over here."

He snickered, turning his gaze over to the fourth occupant - a boy with long black hair, black eyes and a black sweater-like jumpsuit as his sleepwear. "No offense, Rohan."

"Rohan" remained silent.

"Do you want me to kick your teeth in, Seth?" The first boy growled, looking over at the other brown-haired roommate. "It may be too early for noise, but it's not too early for me to give you some well deserved facial surgery."

"Anthony, Anthony...." The second boy cut in, stepping between Anthony and Seth with raised hands. "Let's not start anything during our first day here. I'd like to make a good impression before they start going for the aspirin and whatever pain meds they can get their hands on. Let's just play nice, all right?"

Anthony gave a dismissive snort, averting his gaze away. "Whatever, Elisha..."

"You're expecting Anthony to play nice?" Seth asked rhetorically, shrugging his shoulders in disbelief. "That's like expecting me not to pick up a hot chick in the first semester."

"How is that the same thing?" Anthony fired back, cocking an eyebrow. "We both know that you couldn't get a girl in any of the four years we're going to be spending here. Hell, I can guarantee that by the end of this, every female in this school is going to be hating you."

"Oh, is that what you think?" Seth asked rhetorically and in taunt. He gestured to himself in a smug, presenting manner. "Well, I can guarantee that I'll have at least Goodwitch on radar. Someone that strict and stern needs to be let loose with someone like me. I might even need you to come along and take notes, too. You can learn something from a professional."

Anthony let out a sharp bark of a laugh, looking at Elisha while pointing at Seth in disbelief. "S-seriously? Are you listening to this guy? He needs to get punched in the face. He's getting delirious here!"

"Oh, I hear him." Elisha commented casually. "I just know how to tune out crazy talk and wait 'till he actually starts making sense." He ignored Seth's look. "I know it's hard to believe, but there are moments where he can make sense."

"All right, fine, I guess both of you are going to be non-believers here." Seth grumbled. "But I'm gonna bang at least five of 'em in the first year. Bet you my whole Lien's worth for that." He turned his gaze to Rohan, who was silently making up his bed. "Ain't that right, Girlie Locks?"

"...."

Seth turned back to Elisha and Anthony with a smirk. "He knows it. He just doesn't want to embarrass you guys."

On the other side of the wall, the yells had spiked the blonde haired girl's anger, causing flames to lick over her exaggeratedly. As she prepared to punch the wall with a snarl, Weiss and Blake wrapped their arms around her shoulders while Ruby cried desperately by pulling back on her ankles. Dragging all of them forward she nearly connected the wall until she heard the accuser be talked down from a series of male voices on the other side. One of them made her heart skip a beat but she couldn't decipher who it is. With her eyes disengaged she huffed, easing up much to the relief of all three girls. 

"We should get everything ready then," Yang summarized, much to her sister's happiness.

"YOSH! Let's give it our all!" Ruby fist pumped with star-eyed glee. 

"Sounds like a plan," Blake smiled softly wtih a nod.

"Ugh, fine," Weiss slumped forward with resignation, settling with dressing in her uniform and brushing her hair first to foremost. 

As they got things set up, Yang couldn't help but be curious as to who the voice she recognized belonged to on the other side. Furrowing her brows she jumped on a sofa and barked a reply to the other side through the interconnected vents; knowing full well it acted like a shortway communicater between the rooms. 

"UH, SORRY ABOUT THAT! OUR TEAM LEADER WAS JUST A LITTLE FIRED UP! WE'LL QUIET DOWN NOW!" She yelled across the vent, making Weiss twitch with annoyance and Blake grimace with pain. 

"Uh, Yang? I think you're being louder than I was," Ruby giggled nervously, seeing her sister cock her head and sheepishly chuckle. 

"Sorrrrrryyyyyyy," She whispered across the vent once more before she glided down the wall and continued assisting with setting up the dorm. 

Anthony paused.

There was a voice that had come through from the other side, through the use of the connected vents. It was enough to make him stop thinking about the idea of snapping Seth's neck and cause him to turn his attention over to it. That very same voice was enough to make Elisha turn his attention to the vent, a flicker of recognition in his own eyes. He looked over to Anthony, raising his eyebrows. "Wait a minute. I recognize that voice from the earlier sleepover. You don't think--"

"One way to find out." Anthony muttered, grunting as he hefted himself to stand on his bed. He leaned to the vent, allowing his voice to echo back to the opposite room's owners. "Goldilocks? What the hell, that was you and your posse in there?" He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "We have got to stop meeting like this. If I knew it was you, I wouldn't have opened my big mouth! How's it hanging over there?"

"What...?" Seth asked rhetorically and lowly, giving Anthony a suspicious glare. "Who is he talking to...?"

"Huh?" The blonde turned, in the middle of placing a poster next to the vent. It took her a few seconds to recognize the voice but then it hit her. Her face was open mouthed as she remembered a boisterous young man that was slept within the general vicinity as everybody else. The one with the scary laugh, the one which made her laugh. Shuffling quickly she planted her face onto the grating and answered back. "Holy crap! Is that you, Cyborg?!" 

"Who are you talking to?" Weiss asked with an annoyed stare.

"That loud guy with the metal arm!" Yang turned to look back with a hyperactive smile. "He was totally trying to outman me with his attitude but I had none of it. I'm sure you remember him cause you told us to shut up."

"Oh of course, how could I forget mister dagger eyes," The Schnee heiress rolled her eyes at remembrance of the man's distinctive colored eyes and infuriating glint those orbs had accompanied with his self assurred smirk. "Just thinking about him makes me so...so...ugh!"

"Less steaming, and more cleaning," Blake insisted as she passed by with a stack of books in her arms. 

"Fine-Fine," She sighed, turning to see Ruby contentedly setting up the curtains with her scythe...which she immediately cut. "Ruby, look at what you just did!"

"I-I'm sorry," The red-brown haired team leader hesitantly apologized, trying to reach for it as the hybrid weapon almost cut into the wall. 

"Just PUT that THING away! You'll end up breaking something else," Weiss exclaimed. 

"It is NOT a THING!" Ruby stepped back as she collapsed it with an agape expression. Rubbing it over her face she kissed fondly with hearts for eyes. "This is Crescent Rose, my best friend.~"

"...and you wonder why people think you're weird," Weiss grumbled, already shuffling to the curtain and reaching for her assembled things. "Where did I put my sewing supplies...?"

"So, aside from my shtick being loud," She chuckled over the grating, trying to casually pose against the wall while smiling slyly as she aimed to be 'cool' about talking with that buff guy she remembered. "What's up?"

Anthony chuckled a little, his mood a bit lightened by the blonde's talk. "What's up? Well, right now, I'm listening to you talk trash about me. Not to mention I'm listening to my teammates talking trash about nothing. I'm in a place full of garbage this morning, apparently!"

"Who are you even talking to?" Seth grumbled, spreading his arms out in demanding. "Who's the chick on the other end of that receiver?"

"It's Yang. Yang Xiao Long, in full." Anthony answered back, briefly looking over his shoulder at Seth. "Blonde one. Carries gauntlets around. Looks like Rapunzel if she ever went on a safari full of zombies. Ring any bells for you?"

Seth crinkled his face up in thought, then brightened in realization. "Wait a minute, you're talking to her?" He asked in disbelief. "Oh, no way, you've got to be kidding me. You can't be talking to her!"

Anthony frowned. "And why wouldn't I be?"

"She's like one of the hottest students here at Beacon!" Seth insisted, his tone completely disbelieving and incredulous. "You chatting so casually to her? That's got to mean something! I mean, someone like that's gotta have guys lining up at her feet so much that she's tired of them!" He paused for a moment to think about his words, before snorting disdainfully. "Actually, I was going to say that you're one lucky bastard. But now that I think about it, she's probably turned to being a les. Sorry, man. You're not hitting that one."

Anthony sighed irritably, pinching the bridge of his nose and shutting his eyes briefly. "Seth. God damn it. Not every interaction between a girl and a boy is gonna end up with fun in bed."

"And this is a prime example, buddy. A tragedy in the making. If it helps, maybe you should start turning to the boys for your kicks. I've seen the way you've been looking at Girlie Locks ever since we--"

On RWBY's side, they would hear nothing but a loud thwack and the sound of a body collapsing, followed by Seth's pained wail.

"AAAAAGH..... OH MY GOD, YOU SON OF A BI.... WHY WOULD YOU.... WITH YOUR METAL ONE, TOO?! COME ON!!"

"And there's your tragedy. Here lies Seth's nose. It broke because the mouth under it was talking too much shit. Rest in pieces."

Elisha - who had started giggling hysterically at the display of violence - decided to hop onto Anthony's bed along with him, much to his leader's disdain. "So, if Xiao Long is in there...." He commented, wrapping an arm around Anthony's shoulders and leaning closer to the vent so that his voice could be heard. "That must mean the little Rose is in there, too. Am I right?"

"Huh?! OH!" Ruby quickly stopped cuddling her weapon and clambered next to her sister, much to the sibling's chagrin, but resumed smile as the younger girl flopped her face against the grating. "Elisha, you're over there too?! This is AWESOME! We're like neighbors now!"

"Yeah, this is like a party, hehe!" Yang giggled on the other side to Anthony. "Who did you maim back there, Cyborg? Was it that smart alec?"

Weiss sighed as she was left with Blake to set up the volunteered arrangements. The beds were the last problem as they seemed to be haphazardly plopped over each other. Growling, she and Blake looked back at them with inquisitive stares of their own. 

"Seems a bit crowded," Blake murmured, her hair swished with the tilt of her head along with her ribbon gesturing slightly. 

"Well, we might need to get of our stuff..." Weiss trailed off, not wanting to rid of her own personal effects. 

"Or," Yang interceded, smoothly turning to look back with a toothy smile, rubbing her chin all the while. "We could make bunk beds?"

"OH! GREAT IDEA YANG!" Ruby hollered with glee. 

"It'd be effecient," The bow-tied raven haired student nodded with acceptance.

"I-I propose a vote," Weiss meekly asserted. 

"I think we just did," Yang cheekily replied, making the white-haired girl scowl. Turning back to the grating she patted it for additional effect to say. "Be right back, we got to set up our bunks."

As both sisters hopped off, they busied themselves finishing their tidying up of the dorm room. It'd take a good few minutes of collapsing cots and frames until they had it right where they wanted it. While seeming precarious they were solidly adjoined to form the double-upped beds right where they wanted them. Even Weiss seemed to smile with contentment. 

"Now!" Yang cried out with a hop up next to the vent with her sister exerting herself to pull up next to her. She played with a lock of her hair as she purred out her lines deliberately to Anthony. "Where were we, Hard Metal?"

"Yeah! How are you doing, Elisha?!" Ruby quipped eagerly, making her sister grimace slightly at the tone being ruined but couldn't help but smile at her sister's adorable face. 

Yang's pat of the grating made Anthony realize that he and his team were in a less-than-desired state.

"Oh, right..." He muttered, looking over his shoulder at his roommates. "Folks, we may have to get ourselves ready. I'm hearing things on the other end and it sounds like the other team's all dressed and ready to go. We on the other hand, seem to be-- Rohan?"

Every eye in the room turned to Rohan, who had just gotten out of the bathroom in a freshly dressed uniform. He was regarded with bewilderment, his softly stoic look breaking a little as he looked at his teammates. "Wh... what?"

"How did you get dressed that quick?" Anthony questioned. "Did you even--?"

"You were busy talking with the neighbors." Rohan answered bluntly. "I took the time to get cleaned and dressed for the day." He looked a bit nervous after finishing that sentence. "That is okay, right?"

"Of course it's all right, Rohan." Elisha assured him, giving a light nod. "You were two steps ahead, and that's a good thing." He looked at Anthony, catching himself comically nose-to-nose with the other boy when he looked back. "How should we--?"

"We'll do it two people at a time." Anthony said flatly, planting a hand on Elisha's chest before slowly pushing him out of arm's length. "One can use the sink and one can use the shower. Whoever gets finished first is replaced by the last person. That sound good--"

He was interrupted by Seth abruptly getting off the floor and speeding into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. A dark smirk crossed his face, and he eyed the minor trail of blood that followed the cowboy. "I guess I deserved that. But by God, I'm not gonna lie and say it didn't feel good."

It didn't take long for them to get cleaned and dressed up - mostly thanks to the shower running warm water early and Rohan's first grab - but the time they got done was the same time that team RWBY had finished setting up themselves and their bunk beds. When Ruby and Yang were at the grating again, Anthony and Elisha had taken up their previous positions, as well. Seth was sitting on his bed, nursing a bandaged broken nose and grumbling about the uniform he had to wear. Rohan was sitting off in his own corner, looking curiously at the two boys at the vent.

Anthony had to laugh a little at the nickname he had been given, but took it in stride. "We were at the part where you asked who I just broke the nose of." He answered smoothly, rubbing his knuckles on his chest before pretending to inspect the fingers. "And yeah, it was the team douche, dead and center."

"Oh, god..." Seth groaned, bringing himself up to his feet and glaring at Anthony and Elisha.

"All of that aside," Elisha cut in. "We're doing all right so far, at least for our first day. Sorry if we happened to cause a racket or anything like that. We're just a naturally rowdy bunch. Hope you can learn to appreciate that in the next four years, because I don't think we'll be stopping any time soon." He chuckled lightly, grunting a little in surprise when he felt another climb up onto the bed. "Wait a minute, what--?"

"All right, I've had enough of this." Seth growled, leaning into the vent. "The only times when I can appreciate a good booty call is when I'm in it. Hey, Rapunzel! I heard you were talking shit about me! I bet you wouldn't talk that shit if we were standing face to face, would you?! I dare you to come over here and say that again!"

"Please do not take that dare!" Elisha insisted. "We're not ready for violence so early in the morning, wait until we've had our coffee!"

"Actually, please come over here." Anthony deadpanned. "I didn't do a good enough job on his nose. It needs to be finished off."

"Oh? Alright then," Yang casually smirked, a challenging crimson glint entering her eyes.

Turning around Ruby looked after her worryingly while Weiss just rolled her eyes. Blake arched her head curiously after her, dropping what she did to follow the blonde's sister. As everyone left the room, the silver tressed girl couldn't suppress her own curiosity and followed with tip-toes. Just as the troupe reached the outside hall, they'd be just in time for Team JNPR (clad in their own uniforms) to stick their heads out one after another to see the curly golden locked tomboy of the squad open the door of Team ARES.

Even without her gauntlets she strode in confidently, a fiery grin spread as red eyes fixated on the most obvious culprit. Raising her hands as she slowly stalked her prey in the form of the shortest member of the team, she cracked her knuckles methodically as she approached. As far as she was concerned, this man asked for it by calling her the likes of 'Rapunzel,'. If Anthony could feel her form beside her, she practically emitted her own heat wave as she stood only a meter away from the mouthy marksman. 

"I'm right here, short stuff," She intoned with a wry smile, noticing very clearly just how much less imposing he was than his voice aimed to make him. "Guess that could explain the need to overcompensate, with how much your voice cracks. Or have your balls dropped yet? I can't tell cause of how much whining I heard; I'm surprised I didn't catch you wearing a skirt with how undignified you sounded."

"Oooooooooh," Ruby cutely sounded with a giggle from the doorframe, right next to Blake while Weiss peeked above their leaning heads. "Snap! Sis is goin' to waste ya!" 

"I don't encourage violence...but I can't stop myself from watching," Blake murmured as she blinked owlishly. 

"I don't approve of this at all," Weiss grumbled, her cheeks puffing yet still not going out of her way to intervene. 

Before her entry, there were voices.

"All right, then...?" Seth repeated, looking at the vent with disbelief. He promptly hopped off, with his teammates following suit. He cocked an eyebrow and frowned, shifting his gaze to the rest of his team. "What's that supposed to mean? Did I miss something here?"

"It means she's gonna come over here and kick your saddle all the way back to Vacuo." Anthony said dryly, folding his arms across his chest. He flashed Seth a mocking grin, his eyes gleaming with the desire to see the young boy get struck down by the blonde biker. "Hope you're ready for a world of pain, country boy, because that's gonna be in your next test."

"Oh, come on." Seth said dismissively. "She's just messing around. She's not actually gonna--"

Then, the door opened. All of them were treated with the sight of Yang as she walked in, carrying varying degrees of surprise. Even Anthony hadn't entirely been expecting the girl to simply enter their dorms for the sake of accepting Seth's challenge. But even so, a small grin crossed his face. He quickly backed away along with a wary Elisha, remaining silent and allowing the brawler to approach the startled cowboy. "Well, I wish I could say it's been nice knowing you, Seth. At least you'll have someone to take good care of all that Lien for you..."

As surprised as Seth was, being afraid was far from his mind.

He kept his eyes on her as she approached him, his hands shoving themselves into his pockets. He felt his face heat up a little, and he unconsciously took a few steps back. His hands moved just as automatically, reaching for guns that weren't there. It wasn't out of fear of the advancing wall of doom, but rather a sense of familiarity. Now that they were face-to-face with one another, it was a scene played straight from his memory. Images that no one else would see flashed through his head, of another who had greeted him in almost the same fashion. He let out a soft exhale, briefly averting his gaze away from her when she finished speaking down to him.

Then, he smirked.

"Guess dreams can come true, after all..."

He raised his head up, whatever expression he had pushed aside for a slightly incredulous look. He chuckled, raising his arms up in a shrug. "Well, hot diggedy damn it. I thought you were only kidding, but..." He shook his head. "You look like you're seriously about to clock me." His grin grew, and he chuckled a little more - noises of contained excitement and a semblance of admiration. He gave a wink. "And you just strut into our dorm like you owned the place, too? You would've fit real good in my part of Vacuo."

He took a step back just enough so that he could accordingly extend a hand out, giving a playful yet welcoming grin. "I don't think we've gotten properly acquainted, darling. I'm Seth Browning. Nice to meet you face-to-face..."

"....what." Anthony said flatly, looking at Seth with a mixture of suspicion and incredulity.

"HUH?!" Yang heard Ruby, Weiss and Blake all utter exaggeratively behind her as they nearly fell on the floor. Even Team JNPR, who had gathered behind them to see, almost were beside themselves. Yet, surprisingly, the tussled blonde had the most subdued reaction of a simple. "What?"

Shaking her head, she couldn't help but sputter and laugh aloud. Palming her face she smacked her hip before she breathed in deeply, while faint laughs were heard behind her. Looking at him with a mixture of amusement and suspicion, she pointed at him with a raised brow, "What kind of trick is this? And why am I feeling less inclined to punch you?"

One of Seth's eyes closed, and he gave a careless shrug. But he still kept his hand out. "Oh, it's no trick. The only thing you could be falling for in this situation is my good looks. I wouldn't blame you in that was the case. After all, who could ever resist a face like this?"

"You hear that, Seth?" Anthony said sarcastically. "I think it's the sound of your nose bones breaking."

"No, I'm pretty sure that was the death rattle of all those unborn children in you." Seth fired back, glancing over his shoulder. A flash of mocking delight was given to his disgruntled team leader. "You want me to make sure they don't turn into zombies? All it costs is just another boot."

"Kick me again and I'm tearing both of your legs off."

Seth turned his eyes back to Yang, giving a slightly exasperated shake of the head. His grin was more amused than anything else, however. "All right, I admit. Maybe some people can resist it. But then again, Anthony's just an all around hostile guy. There's just no pleasing him, even if you gave him all the riches in the world. Some people are just doomed to live sad forever."

"Hey, Goldie? Remember what I said about his nose?" Anthony grumbled, refolding his arms across his chest and giving a glare to the back of Seth's head. "I take it back. Go for his jaw, stop it from flapping so much."

"Case in point." Seth smirked.

For awhile, Yang could only observe the two of them bicker like brothers. It was amusing to her and she couldn't help but find it interesting how one tried to woo her and the other disown his validity which were shot right back at the other. Up close the man wasn't that bad looking so she could understand a bit why he was so confident. Even for a short guy she liked his guff and his smooth talking, though the word choices he made definitely made her a bit wary for falling too hard for this 'nice guy act' as she coined it. 

"What's Yang waiting for?" Ruby inquired, more to herself than to any of the people crowded around her. 

"Maybe she's considering giving him a pair of broken legs!" Nora squealed with glee.

"No, that's just you," Ren dryly put it. 

"Guys, we shouldn't have a fight," Jaune tried to implore over them, finding his words weren't being heard by anybody. Slumping down he felt Pyrrha pat his shoulder comfortingly. 

"It's okay, sometimes people have to settle their issues-"

As she began to say that, Yang reached out to shake Seth's hand, making Pyrrha's continued speech end with bewilderment. 

"-by, acting civilly and composed?"

"YANG?!" Ruby cried out with white-eyed confusion. 

"Well, I learned a lot of things today," Blake murmured with a smile. "Never judge a book by its cover."

"What do you mean by-?" Weiss began to say until audible cracking sounds could be heard. Wincing she could only imagine what was being done to Seth's dominant, 'manly' hand as Yang bore a too-sweet smile as she shook it too slowly. "Ouch..."

"Here's the deal, Good Looking," She intoned sarcastically, keeping a hold of his hand as she applied more unrealistic pressure onto the bones and muscle holding his digits to his palm. "I decided that since you were smooth enough to take me off guard and try out a nice guy act, I won't clean that clock of yours. But given your choice of words ruined your chance of stopping while you're ahead, I decided to give you some small advice. Next time I hear you slander, mock or jeer anybody I consider a friend I'll make sure this trigger hand of yours isn't the only thing I'll break. You got that, cowboy?"

Seth had not been expecting it.

He closed his hand around hers readily when she grasped it, and he opened his mouth as to encourage her. But he was stopped short when she abruptly tightened the grip. It was a miracle that he didn't utter anything outside from a mortified squeak, even when he felt the bones in his hand being crushed. His body cringed, his extended arm bending as if wanting to pull away from Yang. But even if he followed through, there was no way he was freeing it from the death grip around it. He had assumed that he was going to get out of this without getting hurt. But apparently, Yang was looking to crush his hopes.

He tried his best to hold it in. But as a fifteen-year-old and no expert in the world of pain, he could only hold out for so long. An agonized moan escaped from his throat before he could keep it back, and his quivering legs gave out from underneath him. He fell to his knees and a hand, his head hung in an effort to keep his unintended audience from seeing his pained expression. It was a vain effort - his body language spoke volumes. Anthony was the first to comment on it, letting a morbidly humored chuckle.

"Well, I was actually hoping for the Ginger's call of broken legs to come true. But this can work, too."

"Is this going a little too far...?" Elisha muttered under under his breath, wincing. On his side of things, the cracking and splintering of the bone was a bit sharper. He turned a subtle gaze over to Rohan, noting that he wasn't the only one carrying wary thoughts. Rohan was gazing at the pair with a mixture of nervousness and slight anger - most of that directed to Yang.

"Ah... AAAAAAH~!" Seth shut his eyes, shaking his head and using his free hand to grip the blonde's punishing hand. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't pry her off. She just had to strong a hold on him. "G-god!! Jesus Christ, all right!! No more!! Let me go already!!"

Yang was all too eager to be rid of touching his hand. Watching him squirm and cry out in pain was enough her modid delight to be sated. Placing her hands into uniform's pockets she frowned at him, her tone becoming less friendly than she had alluded to, "I've known a lot tougher guys that can handle a handshake from me...but then again, I wasn't aiming to break the hand, you narcissist. I'm not another girl for your 'booty calls' and you'll be lucky if anyone ever does try to fall for your stupid act. Consider this a warning, or I will be painting floor with your face-"

"GUYS!" Weiss interrupted, looking down at the elaborately designed watch she had wrapped around her left hand. Turning to practically everybody she let out a shrill yell. "We have no time for this! Five minutes till our first period class starts!"

"Oh geez!" Ruby exclaimed, with Yang looking equally alarmed as she followed up with them and the scrambling Team JNPR. "Team RWBY, to the classroom!" 

"Uh, what she said," Jaune chuckled nervously as he broke into a run along with the rest, leaving ARES to follow them in their wake. 

There was only a brief pause as the remaining students took in the situation.

Then, Anthony gave an amused chuckle, stepping up beside Seth and watching as the cowboy shoved himself up to his feet. "Well, that was almost too much fun." He remarked, placing his hands on his hips. "I should've brought the popcorn. C'mon, you big baby, she said she didn't break your hand. Quit whining already."

"The hell she didn't!!" Seth snarled, regarding his affected hand with anger and pain. Upon closer inspection, it was considerably disfigured. He held its wrist gingerly, showing it to his team leader. "Look at this. She's lying through her teeth, that's what she's doing! Clearly, this is--" He was cut off when Anthony abruptly grabbed his fingers and pulled, earning another sickening crack. He screamed briefly, dropping back onto his knees and cradling the abused hand. "AAAAAAH~! YOU MOTHER FU--"

"Alright, Seth, enough screwing around." Anthony interrupted, smirking as he strode out of the room. "We've got a class to get to and we want to make a good impression, don't we?"

"I hate the hell out of every last one of you..."

"We love you too, Seth." Elisha answered the disgrunted cowboy's reply, giving a small chuckle as he stepped past the sufferer. "We'll be ahead of you in case you decide to--"

"W-wait a minute. What the hell are you doing, Girlie Lo-- put me down!! Get off me!!"

Seth's startled cry caused Elisha to turn back around with surprise. What he saw was Rohan sporting a confused frown and a squirming Seth carried bridal style in his arms. The gaze was caught by Rohan, who gave a glance to Seth. "He's injured.... maybe a little bit too injured to make it to class." He supplied quietly. "I thought it'd be best if I helped out."

"I don't need my hand to walk to class, you fucking idiot." Seth snarled. "Put me do--"

"Actually," Elisha cut Seth off with a sly grin. "I think Rohan's got a point. Clearly, you're too hurt to walk with a clear head. Thanks, Rohan. No matter what he says, you keep carrying him until we reach the classroom, okay?"

Seth let out a harsh, growling sigh as Rohan gave a nod. The grip on him tightened, and he had little alternative outside of crossing his arms across his chest and looking as angry as possible as he was hauled after Anthony and the others. In contrast, Elisha carried a smug grin as he led the way.

"Just for the record, Elisha? I hate you the most."

"Well, I still like you, Seth."

The Crimson Trigger

Narrowly getting to the classroom on time, all three teams piled in with the various other students of Beacon. While some seats were noticeably absent (either by happenstance or those not wanting to sit through the Professor's soon-to-be disdained rhetoric about his 'heroics') it was still quite full. During the exercise Weiss had demanded to show off her qualifications to which Mr. Port had a readily caged a Boarbatusk; crediting his tale of capturing Grimm alive as plausible given he brought one deliberately into the classroom. 

While Team JNPR watched with fascination as Weiss struggled with the creature she had never encountered before, she looked noticeably frustrated and distracted by her Team Leader's cheering or advice. When she finally took it, she felled the beast much to the patronizing talk of Peter. Class finally was dismissed and they'd soon be subject to History lessons with Professor Bartholomew Oobleck within the next half hour. As such, various students were allowed to move about and keep to themselves until the alarm bell rang.

Such was the case for Team RWBY and JNPR. 

While Pyrrha looked on at the bickering Weiss (whom she had believed was acting a bit snotty for no discernable reason) who chastised Ruby for no blame she could fault her for, her mind turned to the man who was carried in and made a fool of in front of a lot of students. Seth Browning. While she couldn't help but see the man as full of himself and audacious, she saw a comparison between him and Jaune Arc whom she harbored a little crush on. He was just trying to establish himself as confident and he did so by flaunting his wit by which he garnered as charm, to which came off as a bit mean spirited or unpleasant, earning the ire of the resident tom, Yang Xiao Long. 

Still, she decided to at least try and help mend his iresome disposition before he carried that through the whole first day of the Academy. 

"Hey, Jaune?" She inquired with a toss of her head, her crimson hair whipping around her shoulder as she looked at his halting frame. "Can...Can you and the others wait for me at the next class?"

"Sure, I guess," He inquisitively raised a brow, hesitatively looking at her nervous visage. "What's up?"

"Oh...I just...need to talk to someone," The red-head grinned halfway. "It won't take too long, I hope."

"Aw, okay," The blonde leader nodded with a smile. "We'll see you in a few then. Come on, my fearless subordinates! Time to make haste for another lecture. Huzzah!"

"Aye-Aye, Cap'n!" Nora responded with an enthusiastic salute as she fell in line like a tin soldier. Ren just sighed and shrugged as he fell in line with them, keeping his calm and collected visage as usual. 

As soon as the three were a bit of ways, Pyrrha turned to lean back against a row of lockers, waiting inconspicuously with her scroll out. She already had a plan for how it'd go down, she just wanted it to be justifiable when she caught sight of him. It was her duty to help make every student feel welcome...well, except Cardin Winchester with his groupies. Everyone except their bigoted butts. 

It wasn't long before a collection of familiar voices were heard, their owners approaching at a slow and steady gait.

"....so thank you very much." Seth was saying sarcastically to the boy who had carried him to Professor Port's classroom. Both of his hands rested inside of his pockets in an effort to keep the condition of his broken hand from the knowledge of the public. "I really needed it."

"Hey, now." Elisha was quick to defend Rohan, passing a slight glare in Seth's direction and pointing an accusing finger. "He really was trying to help you out, no sense in picking on him."

"Well, thanks to his "help"," Seth hissed, pointing back with his good hand. "People are starting to say that there's something going on between us, that I'm batting for the other team. That is not how I wanted the first impressions of me to be! And thanks for not having my back on that, by the way?"

"You wanted us to have your back?" Anthony asked rhetorically, giving an indifferent shrug of the shoulders. "All right. If any of us were in your shoes, would you have jumped in and saved our skins?"

Seth snorted. "Uhm, no? I would've just sat there and let you--" He abruptly trailed off, a look of condescension replaced by a blank face of realization. "....I would've let you suffer..."

Anthony smiled toothily. "What do you know? You can think straight if you try."

Seth growled, his upper lip curling and his hidden fist clenching. But he couldn't bring himself to say anything in retaliation. So he averted his gaze away to the ground. "Whatever..."

Pyrrha, recognizing the group as part of Team Ares, just listened as they passed her by. Choosing now to enact her plan she trailed the group. Keeping her face down and aimed at her scroll she looked through various news articles. Some about the infamous villain Roman Torchwick giving Hell to the local authorities of Vale City; White Fang riots becoming more violent; and a slew of mysterious murders by an unknown assailant, preying on young women of both Faunus and Human origin. Nothing seemed to be chipper in the news she realized. 

Just when she thought to reach up and tap him on the shoulder she made her mistake. An unseen scrap of paper, moist from some beverage, caught her shoe. Immediately slipping forward to crash into the young man's back, she let out a startled yelp as she piled onto his back. Groaning from the mistake and some minor injury on her part, she quickly scuffled off him to kneel by his side and pull him by the shoulder up. 

"I-I'm so sorry!" She apologized fervently, her face a clear expression of sorrow and distraught. Looking on the floor she peeled away the paper from her shoe and crumpled it into a ball to throw it into the nearest waste bin. Turning back she held up her hands pleadingly. "I know you had a rough morning with Yang, but I had no intention of making it worse. Please forgive me so I can help make it right!" 

Part of her felt guilty that she pulled her guilty pleading expression. It was the same she had once used on her parents when she was very little. Back when she had parents to guilt; back when she had any friends who didn't get intimidated or outright ignored her cause of the status she had. She hoped Seth Browning would be a little more lenient to her than if she was Yang...she hoped. 

Her words were enough to stop a rather harsh verbal response from Seth.

After having been taken to the ground courtesy of the klutzy interloper - and nearly falling on his injured hand- Seth was more than ready to tear into the one that tripped him. He abruptly spun on his heel after he was helped up, pointing an accusing finger and leveling an agitated glare. But he stopped himself before he could open his mouth, cut off by the female's apologies. He was shocked, barely registering his teammates as they stopped to regard her with their own varying degrees of surprise. The shock was made even more prominent when he realized just who was apologizing to him.

"Oh my god. Pyrrha Nikos. The four-time champ of Mistral. She's a student at Beacon and just so happens to be a dorm neighbor. And she's apologizing to me."

He shut his eyes and sucked in a breath.

"Okay. Don't screw this up. You're in front of a woman - a woman who's got some serious ass-kicking skill under her belt. You got this."

He put on his best smile, shutting one eye and taking out his good hand for a shrugging gesture. There was a few beads of sweat that came down his forehead that betrayed his nervousness - something he was unaware of. "Hey, hey, it's no problem." He insisted. "Trust me, I've had worse mornings. Someone breaking into my room and breaking my hand is nothing to worry about." He pointed an indicating finger at the red-head. "Pyrrha Nikos, right?"

Sighing with relief as she placed a hand over her chest, she reopened her eyes to smile back at the young man, "That's right. You're Seth Browning, part of Team ARES. Pleasure to meet you all," She turned politely to nod and halfway bow to the other three. Once she made that pleasantry she extended a hand towards him. Once she did, her smile thinned and her tone became knowing. "Can you please unpocket your injured hand? I want to see how bad it is. Perhaps I can do something to help mend it?"

She steeled for rejection or hesitation. Despite her being known by name and by extension, her reputation, she was a relative stranger to the boy. Comparatively Jaune was actually a bit taller and leaner than this gunslinger but the distinction of maturity was quite different just by the look in how they held themselves. Arc's steps were heavy with expectation and worry; this was someone who had held loss but carried himself with an attempt of confidence that was remarkably identical to the prior, if not a bit more crass and sarcastic than he was. 

Still, she wanted to give the man the benefit of the doubt and help coax him into not just opening up to her but making up to Yang Xiao Long. She could tell that the latter was angry, hiding behind a nonchalant talk and walk. The way he spoke to her must have triggered something within to make her want to harm him. Regardless of the intentions she wanted to help make things right, if she could. 

Sure enough, there was hesitation.

Seth's eyes darkened and the smile faded from his face. Had it not been for what happened, he wouldn't have hesitated. He held great respect for those of high social status to the point of believing he could easily confide in such a person. Now, he was fearful that this particular individual had much crueler intentions than Yang. He was not keen on losing his hand as early as the first day of school. It suddenly occurred to him that the earlier apology might have been little more than an act to let down his guard. He opened an instinct-driven mouth and was about to tell her - politely - to screw off.

Anthony beat him to the punch.

"Hold on, hold on." He cut in, moving up beside Seth. He placed a hand on the younger male's shoulder, earning their eye. But his own eyes was focused on Pyrrha, narrowing in slight suspicion. "Nikos, what makes you think you can help? Unless you're a doctor or something, I have my doubts that you can do much."

He ignored the subtle look of disbelief Seth was giving him.

Pyrrha hadn't considered having to explain herself, but this was an understandable reaction. Anthony brought up the point that was only reinforcing the guarded look Seth had portrayed. He was probably very nervous to interact anyone of famous regard, whether it by superficial looks or social status like she possessed. Lowering her hand she looked the taller leader of the bunch and sensed the same thing that she could feel from Seth.

Reaching out her hand to him instead she returned her smile as she held it up for him, "It's easier if I show you. Given the common limitation you possess is similar to Seth, I'm sure if you want to inspect my intentions you can volunteer. Unless I'm not wanted then I shall leave and we can pretend this conversation never happened. Sound fair?"

She held a more challenging grin to replace the calm, compassionate one she was exuding. This man was similar to those she had met in the past; full of anger, brash and brazenly arrogant in their authority. He didn't seem like a bad man from his cautious words but she could tell the way he held himself that he was not shy from a fight. If things got out of hand she'd rather pull back then try to press the issue. 

Her words caused Anthony's brows to furrow, and he regarded her with shock and confusion.

Common limitation?

He reflexively looked down at Seth for explanation. But all he got was the same look of confusion that matched his own. He couldn't imagine just what he was missing in his own arsenal, having a few years as a mercenary under his belt. The fifteen-year-old and less experienced Seth was a more understandable case. To hear that they both shared a weakness that only Pyrrha knew about caused his heart to jump with apprehension and intrigue. He turned his gaze back to Pyrrha just as Seth did, regarding her hand for another silent moment. Then, he looked back at her.

That grin was the clincher for his decision.

He snorted, unable to help the small smirk that crossed his own face. He sauntered over to her, lifting his hand and grasping hers in what appeared to be a firm handshake. "Yeah. I think that's a fair deal." He relented casually, lifting his free finger to point at her face. His eyes peered in suspicion, but the next words that came from his mouth made it more humorous than threatening. "You screw me, and I will turn this handshake into a suplex."

"You got it," Pyrrha replied with her smile faltering as she closed her eyes to concentrate, her hand still shaking onto his.

Immediately from grabbing the hand she could feel the metal. Like a human's pulse her Semblance of polarity sensed the individual gears, moving parts and artificial muscle with additional plating for reinforcement. She knew that if it wasn't for her individual ability her trick would require trying the other arm or a living part of him. But given her skill she decided to focus her Aura through the arm. 

Her body manifested a crimson light, making her skin glow a pure snow hue. As she charged her power she let it flow through the metal and into his body. He'd feel a spark, an unknown tug at a well long since untapped and never touched unless in an adrenaline rush. She felt a great deal of power; not as much as Jaune's vast potential but still a formidable amount nonetheless. Smiling she let Anthony's own colored Aura burn brightly for a few seconds before it'd finally dwindle.

It was here she felt a need to explain as she turned to look at Seth in particular and back to Anthony, "You both lacked the ability to project your Aura, the power of your soul. From it you can channel your power through the weapons you'll wield in battle and make it a defense as well as the ultimate strength. You can withstand greater harm and even heal yourself faster if not within a shorter timeframe. I unlocked yours, Anthony, as an example. If you wish I can unlock Seth's as well so that his own Aura can mend his hand."

A stunned silence swept over the two, with the other two looking on in curiosity.

Anthony could only look at himself in wonder as his Aura burned brightly in that moment. All of a sudden, it felt like he was just detecting a missing piece within himself - a piece that had just been filled in. His hand released hers, raising in parallel with his real one to be looked at in wonder. Not only did he feel the warmth of his own power coming to the surface, he also felt a sense of familiarity. He knew this power many years ago and had used it quite well. To experience it again was a trip down Memory Lane. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I.... I forgot what it was like...." He muttered under his breath.

"Dude!" Seth exclaimed, looking at Anthony in astonishment even as the red Aura outline faded.

It snapped Anthony out of his thoughts, and he turned to look over at Seth. He briefly glanced at Pyrrha to acknowledge her words before stepping aside. A hand gestured to Pyrrha, and he put on a small, challenging grin. "All right, Seth. Your turn."

The amazement from Seth was immediately wiped away. He frowned, his mouth tightening and his eyes glaring in deep thought. Then he switched his gaze to Pyrrha, holding it for another moment. It would be a handful of seconds before he breathed a sigh out the nose, stepping forward. The nervousness he felt was momentarily suppressed by Anthony's challenging words and the success of his "test". He stuffed his free hand into his dress coat pocket, gingerly lifting his injured one to Pyrrha's reach. Although his body language was clearly filled with apprehension, his mouth still spoke with a semblance of confidence.

"....I'm gonna get a bigger one."

Anthony snorted, having to turn his head away and avert his gaze to keep himself from laughing. "Yeah. Whatever you say, kid."

"I only do what I can to help others," She said confidently, truly believing she was meant to aid others as a Huntress in training. Turning to Seth she regarded his raised hand with a delighted smile if not understanding his still hesitance. Pyrrha laughed at Seth's confident words beneath his still hesitant expression, reaching out as she spoke back. "I make no guarantees."

Once again she possessed a gentle yet bright red and white glow as she grasped his hand gently. Closing her eyes she focused her Aura through him and accessed the conduit within. Unlike Anthony, someone who had possibly experienced it unconsciously, Seth's seemed completely untouched. Other than the possible occasion he may not have the same nirvana but rather a surge. As his own Aura activated, she let go and marveled at its brilliance seeming to be just as bright as Anthony's. She couldn't tell how much he possessed or if it'd grow with time but she sensed much potential within him, possibly on par with Jaune. 

"How does your hand feel now?" She asked with a gentle smile, lowering her own to clasp together behind her swaying hips. 

"Holy..." If it wasn't before, Seth's tone had been rendered completely subdued by the surge he felt. At first, he was surprised. But as it settled, it was almost as if he had been lifted several steps higher - in the mind, the body and his soul. Once Pyrrha retracted her hand, he gazed at his with the same wonder as Anthony had, if not more. They glowed with the dusty brown and bright light of his awakened Aura, giving off as much of a spectacle to him as it did for his impromptu audience. Once it settled down, he found himself grinning widely.

"Forget my hand, my whole body..." He let out a short laugh. "I feel alive!" He spun away from Pyrrha, relishing the temporary high that the unlocking of his Aura brought him. He did a few mock karate chops, emphasizing each one with a "Huah!" or "Hyah!" noise. Then, he performed a few kicks followed by a backflip, chuckling gleefully. In essence, he was acting like a child on his first Christmas. "I feel like I could take on anything!"

"Great..." Anthony muttered, rolling his eyes. "Now he's got a bigger head than usual. Nice goin'...."

"I wouldn't get too comfortable about that, Seth." Elisha took the moment to cut in, taking a few steps forward. His movements caused Seth to stop in his tracks and look in his direction. "It seems like this is your first time with your Aura unlocked, unlike Anthony." He ignored the surprised look Anthony gave him. "It's going to take a lot of practice before it can actually be something to be reckoned with in the heat of combat. But don't worry." He winked. "That's why you have teammates now. I'll be glad to show you the ropes, if you want."

"...what, really?" Seth cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "I don't buy it. After all the shit that we've been giving each other--"

"Oh, that's nothing." Elisha said dismissively with a wave of hand, before he folded them behind his back. "I can get with the idea that getting on each other's nerves is going to be a thing as long as we're a team. You'll have to more than a sharp tongue to make me turn away from helping out a friend."

Seth fell silent. He scratched his head, opening his mouth and looking like he was about to say something. But then, he promptly turned his head away. Although a scowl was made out of his mouth, the entirety of his expression conveyed bemusement. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting that kind of response.

Elisha took it in stride, turning his head to look at Pyrrha. He gave a respectful nod and smile. "Thanks, Pyrrha." He said. "It's nice to know that there's still people who'll help others because they feel like it.'

"Yeah...." Anthony agreed, shrugging lightly. "Thanks a bunch, Nikos. If you hadn't stepped in, we would've been running around this place looking like complete rookies." The small grin on his face was dropped, and he lapsed into silence for a few seconds to register his own words. "...don't tell anyone about this, all right? I'd rather shoot myself than let people know I was en route to failing the basic training of this place."

"Heh..." Seth chuckled, straightening up and giving a wink over to Pyrrha. "Well, I think this is a first. But I think you just made me the happiest man alive. I'll have to treat you to dinner sometime for this."

Rohan remained silent, looking around at the crowd for a moment. Then, he slowly held up a small red flag that read the words "Go Pyrrha!" on it. He waved it around, one of his cheeks puffing to ruin what would've otherwise been a blank look.

Pyrrha couldn't help but look at the genuine comraderie shared among the four boys. Even the quiet one seemed pleased that she helped his teammates out. The way Seth practically bounced around made her laugh, acting practically like Nora or Ruby in his own energetic way. She felt like he'd definitely be the soul of his team so her actions felt necessary as well as helpful. When they all turned to thank her she couldn't hold back the blush as she waved a hand and smiled back at them. 

"No problem at all," The crimson haired woman replied with a firm tone. "I believe we're stronger by helping one another. No Hunter or Huntress is able to make it alone without being aided by one's teammates. That's why I believe Ozpin gave us comrades to be taught together at Beacon. We grow together and help pick each other up when we falter. I cherish my new teammates as if they're like real family. I'm sure we shall have plenty adventures together, just like you will."

Closing her eyes with a smile they quickly blinked open, remembering that she had left her team at the entrance of the next class. 

"Oh geez, class should be starting soon," She began walking back, turning to respond more individually to them. "If you need help just ask. I'm always around to help a fellow student," She spoke to Elisha, before turning to Anthony and then Seth. "I won't speak of this, you have my word. And Seth, I'd love to have dinner with you sometime. See you all later!" 

Taking off in a quick sprint, her crimson hair whipped in the background as she raced to meet her team and explain she helped a student she met with something. Determined to make it ambiguous for their pride's sake she knew it'd be troublesome if one of her teammates let it slip that they were given a helping hand. Mockery was common, especially with those like Cardin. 

"One of these days, Cardin, I'll show you I'm not so helpful to people of your kind," She promised internally with a scowl as she turned the hall to move to Professor Oobleck's class door. 

The silence was brief.

"....yes." Seth whispered, pumping his fist in triumph. "Get in line and kiss my ass, Jaune Arc, I'm getting to that one first."

"You just really like getting your hopes up, don't you?" Anthony asked rhetorically, looking at Seth skeptically. "She only said that because she felt sorry for you. Despite whatever goes on in that decaying skull of yours says, she's not gonna fall for you - especially when you've just met."

"I'll just have to make it up when the time comes." Seth replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "Oh, ye of little faith. Trust me. I've got this in the bag. She'll be eating out of my palm before you know it."

Elisha chuckled a little, looking more amused than anything else. He stepped over to place a hand on Seth's shoulder. "We'll keep rooting for you, then." He said, attempting to keep a semblance of encouragement for Pyrrha's sake - he didn't believe it was possible, either. "But right now, how about we get ourselves to class? I'd rather not have to explain to the professor we were late because of a discussion about girls."

"Let's say we were out shooting Grimm." Anthony suggested half-heartedly, stepping past his teammates and walking in the direction of their next class. "Maybe we'll get extra credit."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Elisha muttered, rolling his eyes but smiling as he followed. "Just the slightest of doubts in my head about that..."

"What'd I tell you?" Seth piped up, moving in step along with them and having Rohan on his tail. "All the doubts. Shows just how loyal he is to this little group we got going on."

"Hey, just because we disagree doesn't mean I'm going to turn around and stab you in the back. You've gotta have a little bit more faith in me than that, Seth."

"Whatever you say, samurai Jack."

Underneath the Mask

"G-Gaugh!" Jaune coughed as he was pommel slammed in the breastplate covered chest. Flying back a considerable distance, he stumbled to get back up his body along up to his face was bruised by the damage he received. Nearly falling down his sword impaled the floor while he limply held his shield next to him. Sweat enamored his face as he looked up at the smug faced enemy of his; Cardin, a man who was already making his life a living Hell on day one of Beacon. "D-Damn..."

"What's the matter, tough guy?" The leader of CRDL laughed sardonically, easily hefting the heavy mace on his shoulder with one hand. He paced back and forth, enough room so he couldn't be taken off guard and plenty of time to calculate the best maneuver. When Glenda Goodwitch had given them the option to spar as an example of learning things from matches, Cardin was all too eager to settle things with the wannabe leader, Jaune Arc and show he wasn't so hot. "After this, I'll take that snot brat, Ruby. I'll show everyone what a real elite fighter can do."

"You can do it, Jaune!" Pyrrha cheered out, giving the shield bearing swordsman a second wind. 

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" He charged once again with a valiant yell as he rushed him again. As if coming to bat, Cardin twisted out of the way of his lunge and casually crashed his mace against Jaune's shield wearing arm. It took the blow, sending him flying back till his back skidded along the arena ground. Grunting he rolled with the momentum and stood back up shakily, rushing at his enemy with his shield arm pulled back. Slamming the shield forward in a surprising maneuver that the bigger student defended with the halft, it left him open for a slash against his armored midsection. 

The shock of the blow connecting mitigated with the fact his Aura had decreased with the blow allowed Jaune a brief opening for a barrage of blows. Ducking beneath a wild swing of the mace he crashed his shield into the other side of his chest, twisting around to land a blow to his back. As Cardin spun around, the swordsman thrust forward, halting his sword shakily up to the bigger man's eye. 

"I...win," Jaune declared with a weak smile. 

"Is that so?" Cardin asked with a growl, his finger flicking a switch that activated the bright light embedded within the mace's edge where the blunted metal adjoined around it. A sudden flash of light followed by a connecting impact against Jaune's chest sent the boy flying back till he crashed with a crack against the arena wall. With the Dust explosion combined with a monstrous strike what strength Jaune had left left him as he fell to his hands and knees, spitting out blood as he panted with exhaustion. 

"And now, to finish you-!" What would be a menacing shout as he ran turned into the dinger being sounded, halting his charge. Grimacing he looked up at the authority of this class, Glynda Goodwitch, whom looked at him disapprovingly. Grinning despite himself he hefted the mace back up on his shoulder and asked aloud. "Got another volunteer?"

"Before I sate your wanton need for beating up your classmates," Glynda began speaking as she adjusted her glasses, turning around to speak to the arena seated students. "Notice how your Aura depletes the more damage you take. Sometimes in cases where Mister Arc is concerned, if you know you are outmatched and low on stamina, tactical retreat is the best approach. Not every fight has to be a do or die scenario," Sharply she turned to scowl at the smug Cardin. "And not every fight is about inflicting pain on a outclassed opponent."

"If we're fighting Grimm, I'm sure it won't whine as much as this loser," He argued, not caring as the rest of Team JNPR dropped down into the ring and helped Jaune out. Raising him off, Pyrrha had half a mind to charge out and give the bully a piece of her mind. Instead she shrugged it off and contained her fury for the betterment of her team's reputation. 

"True, but if you're too busy delighting in cruelty, other soulless creatures will take advantage of your singleminded attack on a single one of them," She corrected with a cold visage, as if only by experience she'd know. It was enough to wipe the smile on Cardin's face but he didn't rise out of the ring. He wanted to punish another and he hoped it'd be the scrawny looking leader of RWBY. Sighing the teacher turned to look at the rest of the sitting students who watched the brutal beatdown Cardin had on Jaune. "Will anyone care to sate Mister Winchester's lust of battle?"

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked quietly to Jaune whom simply groaned but gave her a weak smile and a thumb's up. Smiling despite the situation she turned to cast a glare which was exchanged between the brute. She flinched to move but felt Ren's hand grasping her shoulder while he also held Nora back. He shook his head which she closed her eyes and exhaled to calm herself. "I hope someone stands up to him so he knows he's not such an Alpha like he thinks he is."

Team RWBY on the other hand could only look in disgust. Ruby was in no hurry to jump in and fight someone of such ruthless strength and a mean spirit. She liked fighting but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Yang concurred while Blake and Weiss shared looks of disinterest at the big man. 

Although the majority seemed to gaze at the fight with negative reaction, at least one team regarded it with a completely different outlook.

"Wow..." Seth was snickering at the one-sided fight. A hand covered his mouth in an attempt to hide it, but his body was shaking with his chortles. "I mean... that was just embarrassing. Not only did he get his rear-end kicked in by Bird Boy, but he also got roasted by Goodwitch! Hoo boy, he'd better be glad that the whole school wasn't watching this. Otherwise, he'd be the laughingstock of Beacon!"

In what seemed like a rare moment, Anthony was chuckling along with him. He didn't bother to hide the wide and amused grin on his face. "Would've been fun to see if Goodwitch hadn't stopped the fight. Pretty sure they would've been cleaning up that mess for hours." He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head and resting his feet on the desk. He spread out a hand in a gesturing motion. "I can see it in big, bold letters. Jaune Arc: From Poindexter to Pancake!" He snickered when Seth promptly slid off of his chair and onto the floor, his laughing form hidden by the desk counters.

"Boys, boys...." Although Elisha was grinning in his own brand of dark humor, he had the decency to try and maintain some form of respect. "Let's not talk him down. He did get in a few decent hits on Cardin, and despite getting--" He snorted. "Smacked around the arena, for lack of a better term, he stuck through to the end. I think that should at least count for something, right?"

"What?" Seth's index finger appeared in view, pointing at Elisha. His voice was still laughing. "Yeah, if you want to get your ass beat! If that's the case, then Jaune won that hands-down!"

Only Rohan didn't show amusement to it. His gaze was subtly hardened as it gazed at the fallen Jaune and his team before switching to Cardin and back again. Outside of that, he was completely silent.

"Alright, I'll rein in my adrenaline, teach," Cardin derisively commented as he rolled his eyes. Still a predatory smile fixated on his face as he began swinging his mace tauntingly at the class assembly. "Who wants another ass kicking? Hm?! How about you tiny?!"

Sticking her tongue out defiantly at the bully only made him choose a different person to pick on. He briefly looked at Pyrrha who simply scowled darkly making him twitch with bitter annoyance. With a brewing hatred imbued inside of him for that woman he turned to look at ARES. If he remembered correctly, the one with the metal arm would be fun to smash. Pointing his mace at them he looked each one of them until he focused on not the embarassment who was carried but the one who did the carrying. 

"What about you, girly locks?" He grinned fiercely as his eyes looked monstrously at the boy with delicate facial features behind a blank expression. "Want me to teach you respect, or are ya chicken after seein' what I did to that poor loser?"

"Mister Winchester," Glynda sighed as she snapped her wand against the railing, glaring coldly at the annoyed boy. "I'd appreciate if you tone down your verbal attacks on your fellow classmates. Reining in your lust for battle is about as important as curbing that tongue of yours."

"Tch, it's just talk, teach," The armored Hunter-in-training replied turning to look back with a cruel smile at Team ARES. "I gotta say, none of you four impress me. Unlike the babes in some of these other teams and that scrawny nobody, you just look like a sad gaggle of losers who barely skimped into the Academy. I'll take you all on to prove it, unless one of you thinks he's so tough that he can beat me!" 

"Oooooh!" Ruby boiled aloud as she puffed her cheeks angrily and gripped her hands, for once being restrained by her sister instead of the other way around. "Now I REALLY wanna teach him a lesson, that creep!" 

"Let's see what they have to say first, sis," Yang chided with a wry grin as she turned to look confidently at Anthony in particular. "I want to know if any of them will take the bait Cardin's laying out so sloppily."

"It'll be a spectacle," Blake commented with an attentive stare at ARES and Cardin equally.

"Just a bunch of macho nonsense," Weiss embittered in saying while rolling her eyes and reclining on her backless seat. 

ARES stopped their laughter immediately.

There was a moment of silence as the words were processed. Anthony's grin faded into a scowl, and he was now glaring at Cardin with a mixture of incredulity and irritation. Elisha's grin regressed to a simple smile - and not a happy one, either. Seth picked himself up off of the ground, scowling and giving possibly the nastiest glare out of his group. Once again, Rohan was the odd man out, regarding Cardin with slight surprise.

Anthony slowly closed his eyes, lowered his head and lightly nodded it. A darkly humored chuckle escaped him. "That's real adorable, Winchester." He said casually. "Beat the rookie into a pulp and suddenly you feel like you can face the world. You've got good attitude, I'm gonna admit it. Hell, there's even a name for people like you down from where I come from."

"Victim?" Elisha supplied.

"A target?" Seth piped in.

"I think I prefer the term "fresh meat"." Anthony replied. His teeth seemed to gleam with a sinful anticipation, and the look he was giving Cardin was growing colder and colder. He slowly stood up, dusting himself off and giving a shrug. "See, you don't know how lucky you are to talk like that here and not on the outside, because you'd be nothing more than a decoration for some town in the middle of nowhere... somewhere along the lines of that. But since you gave me enough entertainment beating Arc down, I'll be glad to return the favor." He bent down to grab his respective weapon. "I'll make sure there's not to much of a mess to--"

"Hold on, Anthony." Much to his surprise, Elisha abruptly grabbed his arm before it could grab the prize. "I don't think you'd be a good candidate for this."

"The hell are you on about?" Anthony said, slightly irritated. "This guy's a scrub. I could put him down without even using my weapon."

"I know you could." Elisha replied. "Any of us could. But out of all four of us," He nodded his head towards the bemused Rohan. "He decided to pick on Rohan first. It's only fair that the first challenged gets first dibs, hm?"

What he earned in response was three very shocked looks - particularly from Rohan himself.

"You can't be serious." Seth said in disbelief, pointing a thumb at Rohan. "You wanna send Girlie Locks out there? He'd get torn apart!"

"HAHAHA! Every team seems to have their weak link," Cardin laughed raucously, much to the dismay of all but his own team who looked on with arrogant smiles of their own. Looking over at Team JNPR he nodded at the still injured Jaune, "They got one," looking to Team RWBY he grinned at Ruby, causing her to scowl and Yang to even sneer viciously while the other two remained indifferent. "They got one," and finally resting back at Rohan with a snicker. "You got yours. I get it, you don't want to hurt your precious mascot, the meat shield, support or whatever definition you have for him. Like a puppet you put him in place where you want him. But cut away the strings? He's nothing but a jar of paste, waiting to be shattered." 

To make his emphasis solid he flicked his wrist and caused another Dust explosion, as fierce as the one that finished off Jaune and rattled the seating of the arena. Even as smoke wafted over him, his hungry grin didn't diminish as his eyes targeted Rohan. Like someone who spots a lamb waiting to be slaughtered the assumption was clear in his mind as if it was fact. This boy was weak and he'd use him as an example just how far above he is from everybody. 

"I'm waiting on an answer, unless you just bore me and I'll settle for this another time," He impatiently called out to the team, anticipating getting what he wanted if only because of their spite towards him.

This time, the silence was brief.

"...I'll fight him."

Anthony opened his mouth to speak, but Rohan had beaten him to the punch - much to the surprise of his teammates. There was a subtle loss of light within his gaze, making his blank demeanor a little more eerie to gaze upon. He slowly stood up, revealing what was a gray short-sleeved shirt with a white long-sleeved one underneath and matching pants - something that made him look like a prisoner more than anything else. His movement caused Anthony to cock an eyebrow, his anticipation for fighting Cardin diminishing.

"You sure?"

"That gaze of his is too familiar to me." Rohan said quietly, his words cryptic. "If he wants me, he shall have me."

Elisha's smile gained a bit of its mirth back. "That's the spirit, Rohan!" He cheered. "We're all right behind you."

With a nod, Rohan stepped down from his spot and approached the arena. As he came into view of the others, his weapon could be seen holstered against his leg. It was what looked like a hybrid between a submachine gun and assault rifle, having a shortened barrel and the stock removed. The most notable thing about it was the drum magazine, promising plenty of ammunition to use against whatever targets Rohan deemed the gun usable on. As he came into the arena itself, he slowly pulled the hybrid gun from its holster and pointed it upwards in an idle position, keeping his gaze on Cardin.

Seth clenched his teeth, looking at Anthony in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? What can he do?"

"I wouldn't judge a book by its cover, cowboy." Elisha admonished gently, watching as Rohan did something to surprise his audience further - removing the drum magazine from its holder. "After all, we are all here in this school for a reason, aren't we? Despite the previous fight, I don't think that Professor Ozpin would allow those that weren't capable in this school. At the very least, I can guarantee that Rohan'll be tougher than Jaune."

"Bullshit..." Seth hissed, watching with disbelief as Rohan set down his respective weapon at the arena's edge. The boy then slowly approached Cardin with his hands out in a seemingly placating manner, until he was near arm's reach. "Just what does he think he's doing? He's gonna get himself smashed!"

Anthony was the one to remain silent this time, looking on with curiosity. He too couldn't help but wonder what Rohan was thinking.

At first, Cardin couldn't help but jeer aloud, "Oho, look out! The guy who can pass for a girl is going to whoop my ass, hahaha! Whatcha gonna do? Shoot at me with that pea shooter? Bet you can't even...hit...anything?"

He trailed off as Rohan set down the gun, disarming it in a slow motion before hopping down onto the arena floor. His slow, casual walk was both surprising as it was unnerving to him. Just staring ahead with no emotion was not a situation he prepared for. Monsters he could get behind, malicious and hungry. Stupid guys like Jaune he got, with self righteous glares and Pyrrha with her haughty accusing stare. But this? It was like he was staring at a walking machine wearing flesh; did he even have a soul?

"What the Hell is that kid doing?" Yang murmured aloud with a clearly confused expression.

"He's controlling the battlefield."

"Huh?!" The blonde turned to inquire sharply at Blake's understanding stare. "What are you on about?!"

Smirking, she palmed her seat and leaned back casually, "Just watch."

Pyrrha herself couldn't bring herself to look away either. Something familiar tingled in the back of her head, giving her the feeling as if the boy wasn't truly unarmed and helpless. It was a ploy, a bait to get Cardin to act recklessly. And given his borderline panic stricken and anger infused expression, she knew that he was taking it line and sinker. A smile couldn't help but ruefully spread across her face. "You're in over your head this time."

"You stupid twig! You're going to regret facing me alone!" He howled, rushing the rest of hte distance that Rohan was treading forward. Swinging his mace with a full power swing with the intent of planting him in the ground he aimed it to strike him dead in the skull. The metal rang as it swung through the air in a full pendulum stroke, intending on receiving a sickening crack to follow. 

It wouldn't reach its target.

The mace was just inches away from Rohan's head, when suddenly his left hand twitched. There was a flicker of something, and then Cardin's arm was halted against his will. He would feel several wires enveloping the offending limp, holding it in a death grip. More wires were moved with another twitch of his finger, wrapping around his legs and immobilizing him. With his opponent pinned, Rohan slowly raised up the culprit up to view.

It was a glove - a cybernetically modified glove, at that. Upon closer inspection, faintly white wires could be seen extending from the fingers.

"Holy..." Seth breathed, looking in awe alongside Anthony. Elisha simply smiled, knowing what was coming next.

Rohan looked Cardin in the eye and spoke two words.

"My move."

He swung the gloved hand.

Upon the movement, the wrapped Cardin was sent off his feet and flying at immense speeds into the far wall. The force of the impact broke through the material of the wall, nearly smashing Cardin through it. A pull of Rohan's hand, and Cardin was dragged back across the ground only to be thrown into another. A few swings, and Cardin was slammed into the ceiling before getting plummeting to the earth below. They were movements that repeated themselves over and over, providing the view of a beating much worse than what Cardin had given Jaune.

Throughout it all, Rohan's expression didn't change. His left hand moved like a conductor's as he guided Cardin to a painful and crushing defeat, his fingers curling and extending like a puppet master's. His other hand was tucked away in his pocket, presenting an inappropriately casual stance in the face of such violence.

It was beyond brutal. The moment Cardin felt as if his whole arm was being yanked in a hundred different directions the same could be felt for the rest of his body. Like a vice grip that came from seemingly nowhere, his eyes bulged and his breath hitched. True fear wracked him moments before he was thrown around like a ragdoll throughout the arena compound. 

"HOLY-!" Yang exclaimed as she backed up while eyes were wide. 

"How is he doing that?!" Ruby exclaimed with weapon inquring glee and amazement. 

"He's making it look," Weiss trailed off as she saw him in place, not moving a muscle other than the left hand while the other remained pocketed. "So...easy."

"Cardin is a fish tangled in a net," Blake mocked with a wry smile as she watched him crash repeatedly all around the arena. 

Glynda surprisingly had a good read on Cardin's Aura. Like the beating Jaune took his energy reading began to dwindle exponentially with each impact. Despite the look of the force and the agonized wails his throat let out it almost seemed impossible he could take so much punishment. But again, his earlier feats of amazing strength were testified so she wasn't too surprised he could endure something of such horrifying attacks. 

Pyrrha couldn't help but see the metal perfectly thanks to her Semblance. Blinking lights enamored the barely visible wires that flowed around Cardin entirely, throwing him around under its own tensile strength that required none of Rohan's own physical aptitude. The glove was exceptionally well crafted, she couldn't help but wonder if he built it himself or if it was handed down to him. Either way, a resounding final crash was heard as the dinger was let loose once again. 

"I think that can conclude our try-outs today, class," Glynda declared as she looked with slight worry for the bloodied and bruised man down within the crater beyond her vision. The way he was so easily beaten with incredible force almost had her wondering if he even displayed that weapon during the Emerald Forest test? Shaking her head, she used her wand to raise the team leader of CRDL and drop him among the flabbergasted teammates. "You may take him to the nurse's office. Somewhere I hope Mister Arc considers going if he begins to be that reckless again."

"That was, AWESOME!" Nora exclaimed with a whooping cheer and a stand from her seating as most of the classmates began to pick up their things to finish their PE exercises. 

"Can't believe the kid had it in him," Ren began to say, taken aback by a sudden rush of other students no one recognized, Ruby being among them. 

Zooming in, Ruby couldn't help but cradle the glove with a starry eyed expression of awe and curiousness, "What is this?! What is it made of?! How does it work?! Tell me your secrets!"

"Nice going...Rohan is it?"

"You're so cool! Can I have you autograph my weapon?!" 

"Can I shake your hand?"

"Wow, you're prettier up close. I'm kind of envious..."

"Hey!"

"Hi!" 

The series of statements, exclaimations and questions came out as Ruby was buried under a crowd of students who wanted to get to know Rohan. Showing how easily he dispatched him automatically made him one of the coolest rookies in Beacon, not to mention the strongest. Even though some filed away, Pyrrha couldn't help but smile from a distance as she helped Jaune limp out with the rest of her team. 

"!"

Rohan was snapped out of his emotionless demeanor when he was approached by the mass of students. His eyes widened when Ruby in particular sped up to him and clutched his glove-sporting hand. Beads of sweat fell down his face, and he took a reflexive step back. But it did no good against the other students who closed in on him. Outside of his sweat and his widened eyes, he was carrying a semblance of his usual blank expression. But on the inside, he was saying one word.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Within a heartbeat, he had retreated from the crowd and to his teammates, who were approaching in an effort to ask their own questions. His form appeared behind Elisha - much to the latter's surprise - and he hunkered down, placing his hands on his shoulders in an attempt to shield himself from the personal space invaders. He ignored the bemused and amused look Anthony was giving him as well as the slightly scathing look Seth was giving him, keeping his head hung down.

But at the very least, Elisha was sympathetic and quick to catch on. He chuckled, raising his hands up in order to placate the crowd. "Hey, boys and girls. Let's calm ourselves down, all right?" He insisted. "He'll be free to answer any questions during either lunchtime or after school. Pick your time period and we'll see you then." He smirked a little, passing a gaze over to Ruby. "That includes you too, Rose. You'll have your chance at lunch, I promise."

"Awwww," Ruby pouted with puffed up cheeks, pretty much vocalizing the disappointment of most of the students who stepped forward to get to know Rohan. Realizing he might have been shy she was quick to get over it. Perking up at the opportunity of getting a better look at boy's gauntlet she gleamed with a salute aimed at Elisha. "Whatever you say, Elisha! See you later!" 

Zooming off, the other students nodded and departed with some more cheering waves. No fans of CRDL were found among the audience as he was simply an intimidating presence to be reckoned with. When he fell everyone were all too eager to celebrate his defeat. Flocking off to the next class, this left Team ARES relatively on its own as Team RWBY evacuated the premises. 

Of course, they would make their own way to their next class a little after everyone left. But they would speak among themselves.

"Well, damn, Rohan." Anthony said with genuine amazement, looking at the said boy as he kept close to Elisha. He then switched both gaze and tone to Elisha, figuring that the shy teammate wouldn't speak. "How'd you know he was gonna do that?"

"I didn't." Elisha answered bluntly. "It was intuition, a pinch of battle smarts and the luck of seeing something like that long before this moment. I've been enough fights to see the difference between someone who holds a lot of bark without any bite--" He winked. "--and a soft speaker that carries a big stick. It helped that I held faith, too."

Anthony chuckled and shook his head. "Now I'm just a little bit guilty. I was with Seth on this one, but apparently I'm too shitty of a judge compared to you. I'll have to do a better job next time."

As they talked, Seth remained oddly silent. His gaze was averted - particularly away from Rohan. He seemed indifferent. But inside, he was very much seething. First, Rohan had ruined whatever good reputation Seth could've had with a handful of students. Then, he stepped up to take the place as a seemingly highly regarded individual. It wasn't Rohan's fault, in reality. But Seth was getting the idea that Rohan was stealing the spotlight. He scowled slightly, balling the hands in his pockets into fists. But he was careful to remain silent about it. His mind, however, was another story.

'"Punk thinks he can move in and take my place, huh? I'll get my chance. I'll show 'em what a real Hunter can do. All that attention's gonna be mine and mine alone. You can bet on that..." Next Chapter