Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Badge, The Burden, and Complicated Feelings....
Heya guys! Back with a new chapter! Been a while since I last updated this, wow! Anyways before we dive into the story just wanted to throw a quick poll out there for you guys:
If I were to make another variation of the Flame and Crimson story where Blake is the main girl (love interest) for Odyn what should I call it?
A: Forsaken and Faunus (Blake x Oc)
B: Black Flame x Blue Haze (Blake x OC)
C: Thief's Respite (Blake x Oc)
D: A Cat's Guard (Blake x Oc)
Also one more poll for you guys:
In that story where Blake is the main girl for Odyn what should the other pairing look like? Here are some options, vote for which ones seem best:
Weiss x Roy
Yang x Eleryc
Ruby x Shallot
Xander x Emerald
Valvaderhn x Cinder
Giblet x Sarai
Khanna x Yatsuhashi
Baron x Flare (simply because these two work well together lol)
Aiko x Mercury
Beat x Jinjer
Note x Sun
Hailfire x Neptune
Or...
Eleryc x Weiss
Shallot x Yang
Giblet x Ruby
Xander x Cinder
Sarai x Mercury
Valvaderhn x Aiko
Hailfire x Sun
Zero x Emerald
Roy x Flare
Baron x Note
Let me know your thoughts in the reviews and/or comments on these two polls relating to each other. Now, without further ado... onto the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than the Oc's minus Tarro and Daikon those I got permission to use in my stories from a fellow writer (ComparedDreadX (wattpad)or ComparedDread12 (Fanfiction.net) if you're wondering).
Opening:
Opening theme: Alive by REona (Prelude to Dawn: Arknights anime)
Visuals: Replace the Arknights characters with the cast of this story and replace the reunion with Grimm and Atlas soldiers. The opening depicts the divide between the elves and the humans, while Huntsman and Huntresses fight off the Grimm. The chorus shows Odyn and the other elves struggle against the humans, the same with the faunus and Saiyan characters. The song ends as it zooms to a shot of Odyn and Weiss look off into the distance before the dark elf turns to look at Weiss. Weiss, noticing his gaze just smiles as the title card for the story comes up after the screen goes black.
Chapter 7: The Badge, The Burden, And Complicated Feelings?
Weiss was asleep at the moment, seemingly having a dream of some sort. Well, it was less a dream and more of a memory for her. It depicted her past promise with Odyn when they were just children. When they were playing at her family's estate. Those were much happier days for her family...
However, she couldn't dwell on the memory because she was awoken by a whistle being blown into her ear by none other than one Ruby Rose... her apparent Team Leader. She falls off the bed due to this only to see her teammates fully dressed into their school uniforms already. She sighed mentally, she really didn't need this right now.
"Good morning Team RWBY!," the petite and silver eyed girl says loudly.
Weiss looks up from the floor, clearly not amused.
"What in Remnant is wrong with you?!," Weiss screeched at the girl, her ears still ringing from the whistle being blown into them.
Ruby simply moves on, ignoring the heiress's question much to Weiss's annoyance. She tried to keep calm though, knowing what her fiancé would tell her were he here at the moment.
'Try to help her out for me, okay princess?', Odyn's voice played within her mind.
She sighed before breathing in to calm herself.
"Right... deep breaths, Weiss, deep breaths. Remember what Odyn would do..," The girl told herself silently.
" Now that your awake, Weiss, we can begin our first order of business.," Ruby proudly stated.
Weiss raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Which is?," Weiss asked.
Yang is then seen holding a collection of posters, pillows, pamphlets, and a candle holder, now dressed in the school's uniform as she speaks.
"Decorating, of course!," Yang said.
"What?!," Weiss says feeling herself getting irritated before she breathes in to calm herself. "Calm down weiss, calm down.."
Blake is seen to be lifting up her suitcase, allowing the contents to spill out of it.
"Aaaannd clean.," Blake said.
Ruby then speaks up once again with excitement etched onto her face.
"Alllrrright! Weiss, Yang, Blake, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission! Banzai!," Ruby says raising her fist into the air excitedly.
"Banzai!," Blake and Yang both say at Ruby's sides, mirroring her action just now.
"Very well, just allow me to get changed first at least.," Weiss said walking into the bathroom.
Ruby nodded.
"Sure." She said.
Short time skip later...
After Weiss is dressed into her school uniform like the rest of them, a montage of upbeat music starts playing as the girls set up their team dorm room.
Yang places a poster of six guys in various poses named "THE ACHIEVE MEN" on her part of the room. Weiss positions the painting of the Forever Fall forest to perfection and walks away. Blake is busy putting away her books on the shelves, picking up a copy of Ninjas of Love and widening her eyes as she warily looks around before putting it back. Ruby positions Crescent Rose at an exact angle against the curtains so she can perfectly slash a diagonal portion off. A quick zoom around the room (and the repaired curtains) ends with the girls admiring their handiwork... with one problem. The beds are cramped together in the center of the floor.
Weiss raised an eyebrow at this, puzzled.
"Well..I suppose it's.. something at least. But um... " Weiss trailed off.
Yang nodded, understanding the heriess's concern.
"Yeah, I agree Weiss. This isn't gonna work.," Yang said in agreement with Weiss.
"It is a bit cramped.," Blake says.
"Should we ditch some of our stuff?," Yang suggested.
A lightbulb appeared above Ruby's head as she came up with an idea.
"Or.... we could ditch the beds and replace them with bunkbeds!," Ruby suggested.
Weiss wasn't so sold on that idea for OBVIOUS reasons.
"Um... that sounds incredibly dangerous.," Weiss said.
Yang was sold on the idea and voiced her approval of it.
"And totally awesome!," Yang said.
"It does seem to be more efficient than our current arrangement.," Blake added.
Weiss felt a headache coming as she rubbed the sides of her temples in annoyance.
"Well, we shoud put it to a vote!," Weiss suggested getting irritated again by her teammates.
"I think we just did.," Ruby said.
Weiss sighs in frustration.
" Yes... I suppose you are right.," Weiss said trying to desperately keep her cool.
Decided, they rush at the beds, where sounds of jackhammering and sawing are heard until they gather back at the front of the room.
"Objective: Complete!," Ruby proudly states.
While Weiss' bed is simply on the ground next to her art and luggage, Blake's bed is next to her books, which are used to raise Yang's bed over it by placing the novels on the posts, and Ruby's is hanging from ropes on the ceiling with a blanket used as a tent over it.
Before they continue, they hear a knock at the door. Turning, Weiss agrees to answer the door and see who their visitors could be so early in the morning. As she does this though, the first one she sees is Odyn all dressed up in Beacon's Uniform. She catches herself staring at him as Odyn speaks up, breaking her out of the trance.
"Are you okay, princess?," Odyn asks curious as to why Weiss is just staring at him. "Do.. I have something funny on my face?"
Weiss shakes her head and then smiles at him.
"Yes, I'm okay. And no Odyn, it isn't that. You... You clean up very nicely. You look good in that uniform.," Weiss said in awe and trying to compose herself.
Weiss was attempting to hide her true feelings in front of her teammates and Odyn understood why she was doing that. It would be very awkward for Weiss, especially if she had to explain the connection between the two of them. As far as her teammates knew, weiss and odyn were just good childhood friends.
Yang cast a suspicious look as she eyed Weiss's interactions with Odyn. She could tell that there was something about her relationship with Odyn that the schnee heiress wasn't telling them. They seemed to be much closer than just childhood friends in her mind at least.
"Anyways, what are you doing here, Odyn?," Weiss asked.
Odyn cleared his throat, seemingly thrown off guard for a moment before refocusing.
"Oh right! Just came to let you know that we're going onto class ahead of you guys. You may want to hurry up uh... (sees the bunkbeds) whatever it is that you're doing.," Odyn said with a sweatdrop expression on his face.
His other teammates looked towards him.
"I believe we should get going now, Milor- ahem! I mean Odyn.," Hailfire said correcting herself midsentence.
Ruby noticed the hitch in Hailfire's speech and raised a questioning eyebrow.
Odyn cleared his throat before speaking up again.
"Ahem! Anyways, just thought we'd let you know that we're going on ahead of you guys to class now. Try not to take too long, Princess.," Odyn said as he and his team waved to the team of girls.
Roy waved bye to Ruby as Hailfire and Zero followed their team leader. Not long after, the girls saw Sarai and her team wave to them as they followed team ORHZ towards class with JNPR looking out curiously.
The all girl team then return to what they were doing, but not before Weiss receives some glances from Yang, Blake, and Ruby. She raised an eyebrow, noticing eyes on her.
"What is it? Is there something about my face that's amusing to you?," Weiss asked slightly bothered.
Blake and Yang looked at eacher other, both were nervous to ask the question undoubtedly on all of their minds at the moment due to Weiss's temper. Ruby was then heard asking the question on their minds.
"No, but, um...Just wondering are you and Odyn more than just friends? Because the two of you seem to be awfully close for just being "childhood best friends". It's like uh... i don't know... umm... how do I put it? " Ruby asked fumbling for the right words to describe Weiss's interactions with the blue haired dark teen so far.
Yang chimed in, catching onto Ruby's train of thought.
"It's like you two know each other way better than just friends would." Yang said.
"I've also been curious about that. It does seem rather odd how you two know each other so well already.," Blake added.
Yang then gained a mischievous smirk as she spoke again.
"So.. are the two of you an 'item' already?," Yang asked smirking.
This question caught Weiss off guard, making the girl blush in embarrassment.
"HEAVENS, NO! We're just.. really good childhood friends, nothing more!,"Weiss said turning away embarassed.
She was seen looking towards the clock in their room.
Yang smirked again.
"You say that, but something tells me that isn't the full story or how you really feel Weiss... I'm sure the story of the true nature of your relationship is fascinating.," Yang thought with a sly smile etched onto her face.
Ruby then continued with their team's itinerary.
"We all have a few classes together today.. at nine it's-," she started but never finished her thought due to Weiss interrupting her.
Weiss looked at the clock and then back at Ruby before a horrifying realization hit her... They were in danger of being late to class! No wonder her fianceè and his team stopped in to check on them.
"Did you just say 9?," Weiss asked.
Ruby nodded.
"Yeah, I did.," Ruby said not catching the point.
"It's 8:55 you dunce! We're gonna be late to class!," Weiss said as she sped out of their team's dorm room and down the hallway.
Ruby hesistated slightly before realizing the their current predicament.
"R-right, I knew that! T-To class then!," Ruby said as she, Blake, and Yang all rushed after Weiss and down the hallway.
Jaune managed to peak out his head upon hearing the commotion.
"Class?," The blonde knight asked before his other teammates fell on top of him.
The blonde haired teen quickly untangled himself from his teammates before realizing that they'd be late as well. Team JNPR hurriedly followed Rwby to the classroom so they'd get there only a little late. Surely they wouldn't be punished for just being barely late on the first day of School... right?
The group of teens quickly got up and rushed after Team Rwby in order to get to class on time.
Time skip: Professor Port's Class...
The elderly and mustachioed man had just begun his lecture as students attention was glued to the front.
Roy looked over towards his brother, curious if their new friends would make it to class on time.
"Think they'll make it in time?," Roy asked in a whisper.
Odyn chuckled silently before answering the inquiry.
"They'll be here, trust me. Right about... now I'd day.," He answered.
Roy was about to ask, but was interrupted when the door to the clasroom burst open as teams Rwby and Jnpr stumbled into the room. This caught the attention of Port who was in the midst of explaining something.
"Ah, miss Rose and friends. Glad you could join us.,"Port said jovially.
Ruby rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Heh heh, sorry we're late professor..," Ruby apologized.
Jaune mirrored the action and apologized as well.
"Yeah.. same here, professor. We just lost track of time.," Jaune added.
Port nodded as if considering their reasons for being late to class.
"I see.. I will let it slide this time ONLY because it is your first day here. But do try not to make this a habit in the future, am I understood?", Port said.
"Crystal clear, sir!," Ruby said.
Port nodded before continuing.
"Very good. Now take your seats please.," Port told them.
The group of teens did as they were asked to and sat down where they saw the teams with the friends who went ahead of them earlier.
Port then continues as imagery of an axe-blunderbuss weapon pans down to the boards displaying various species of Grimm - King Taijitu, Death Stalker, Beowolf, Boarbatusk, Nevermore, and Ursa - behind an elderly teacher named Peter Port.
"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!," He said with a laugh.
Unfortunately, his joke doesn't catch on prompting the man to continue.
The members of RWBY, seated on the front row, are in varying stages of interest; Blake and Yang are sitting up and paying attention, Weiss is taking notes, and Ruby has her head propped in her hand as she takes a quick nap until she is woken back up by Port's bad joke, which receives a cricket-filled silence as a result.
The elves are seen either facepalming out of annoyance at the cringyness of the bad joke, raising an eyebrow in confusion, or just ignoring what was said entirely. Odyn's team had mixed expressions of all 3, while Sarai and Khanna's teams mostly had the first reaction.
Port then clears his throat, clearly seeing that his students were not at all amused by his attempted joke to lighten the mood.
"Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses..." He says before giving Yang a wink.
The blonde is a little unnerved by this and shrinks back out of reflex. The man then continues on as if nothing happened.
" Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!," Port continued as he further explains things to his students.
A random student then emphatically stands up and shouts in agreement with the professors words, but very soon regrets his decision. This was due to all of the awkward stares he got after his display, making the student sit back down embarrassed.
The mixed teams of ORHZ, SGSS, and KABFL were seen listening with varying degrees of interest whilst attempting not to be bored by the lecture due to the words that came next.
"That is precisely what you are all training to become. But first: A story. A Tale of a young man, me, when when I was but a young lad...," Port said.
A collective groan was heard by the entirety of the class as Port began one of his "imfamous" stories about himself during the class.
Ports speech began and faded into the background as a bunch of "blah blah's" to the teens. Weiss then sees Ruby intently focusing on something only to discover that she had doodled with her pencil onto the paper in front of her. Odyn looked over briefly towards his childhood friend/fiancée to see how she'd react to her team leader's actions. Unfortunately to his disappointment, Weiss reacted about how he'd expect her to.
True, she had started to change since they'd reunited, but she was still a girl who was raised in nobility. Such behavior just needed some... guidance to get through.
Roy looked over to him.
"How's the ice princess doing?," Roy asked.
Odyn sighed.
"About how you'd expect for a noble girl. I'll.. talk to her later. Cuz.. I've got a feeling this isn't going to end well for her.," Odyn whispered.
Roy nodded.
"Well, best of luck with that.," Roy replied.
Odyn looked back towards his brother.
"Would you mind umm.. or maybe Baron could.. talk to Ruby after this? I think she'll need the support.," Odyn asked.
Roy nodded in agreement.
"Sure thing. I'll talk to her.," Roy replied.
Port continued his story in the meantime.
"Despite smelling like cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. "Peter, he told me...." Port said before his story divulged into another series of "blah blah's" in the background.
Ruby is seen to be chuckling at her creation as she is seen to be showing it to her teammates: a ball-with-limbs-and-a-head drawing of the teacher with stink lines coming from him and "Professor Poop" written underneath. Ruby blows a quick raspberry. Blake and Yang laugh, but Weiss looks annoyed.
Giblet looks over with an eye closed before smirking.
"Think the heiress is about to lose it over there.," Giblet said.
Khanna nodded in affirmation.
"Sure is.," she agreed.
"About how long do you think it'll take?," Aiko asked.
"Meh, I'd give it.. about a minute at best., " Shallot said guessing with a shrug.
"A minute, eh? I'd say less than that. 45 seconds tops.," Lazuli chimed in.
"Should we really be guessing how long it'll take for the heiress to lose her cool right now? 😅," Baron asked sweatdropping.
"I'm with Baron on this one, it's not nice to be doing so.," Flare said.
"How long do you think she'll last?," Scarlett asked.
Sarai held up 5 fingers as if counting down.
"If I know Weiss, it should only take about.. mm.. 5 seconds.," Sarai said before counting down with her fingers.
"4..."
"3..."
Port interrupted them by clearing his throat.
"Ah-heh-hem!"
He waits until he was the attention of the entire classroom before continuing.
"In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"
Weiss is seen curling her fingers into fists as she is seen to be getting more and more irate and annoyed by Ruby's antics in class.
Port takes a bow before continuing with his lecture.
"The moral of this story? It is this: A true huntsman must be honorable!"
Ruby is balancing an apple on a book with her pencil held only by her finger while making a silly face much to the silent amusement of the class minus Weiss.
"A True huntsman must be dependable!"
Ruby has fallen asleep again in the first class of the year.
"A True huntsman must be strategegic, well educated, and wise!"
"2..."
Ruby is not-so-subtly picking her nose, much to a certain Schnee's building anger.
"Aaaaannnddd... 1...", Sarai counted down the last of her five fingers before knowing the outcome that was sure to follow.
"Now, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?," Port asked.
A hand eagerly shot up.
"Ah, a volunteer! Excellent!," Port said.
The hand of course, was revealed to be Weiss'.
"I do, sir!,"Weiss said colunteering herself.
"🤦♂️ Weiss..," Odyn silently groaned while facepalming himself in embarrassment.
Weiss momentarily felt eyes on her, looking over she saw Odyn not so subtly glaring at her from in between his fingers. She knew that look. 'That look' meant that: "We need to talk after this".
Port, meanwhile was pleasantly surprised that he had a volunteer for his demonstration in class.
"Well then, let's find out! Shall we?"
He turns to gesture at the glowing red eyes surrounded by shadow shaking the cage that traps it.
"Step forward and face your opponent!" He shouts jovially.
The unknown monster continues to growl as the scene cuts to black. The Screen comes back up as Weiss is now seen to be back in her regular outfit. She's seen to be readying her rapier (Myrtenaster) and pointing towards the growling creature in the cage barely seen within the cage. Her teammates cheer her on from their seats in the front row.
"Goooo... Weiss!," Yang says pumping her fist excitedly.
The camera pans to Blake, who is seen waving a small flag with their team initials on it as she cheers on her teammate.
"Fight well!", Blake cheers.
Ruby then is seen to be joining in as well with the cheering.
"Yeeeeeaaah! Represent Team RWBY!," Ruby cheered.
Weiss lowers her sword and is seen glaring at Ruby.
"Ruby, I'm trying to focus!," Weiss snapped at her.
This caused Ruby to become a bit sheepish as she recoiled backwards from the harsh words.
"Oh.. umm.. sorry..," Ruby said sheepishly.
Odyn shot a glare towards Weiss that he knew she saw from him. He didn't like how this was going. Besides that... Weiss should know better, considering what they'd discussed before. Weiss subtly flinched upon Odyn's gaze.. she was in trouble. She knew Odyn wasn't happy with her just then.
"Alllright! (Swings his axe dust weapon next to the cage's lock, opening it) Let the match... begin!," Port shouted.
The professor swings down and breaks the lock, dropping the cage door and revealing the Boarbatusk inside, which immediately charges at Weiss. She uses Myrtenaster to deflect its attack and roll to the side, readying herself for its next move. The Grimm stands a distance away from its enemy, studying her.
"Ha ha! You weren't expecting that, were you?," Port cried with exuberance.
"Hang in there, Weiss!," Ruby tried cheering her teammate on only to get reprimanded again by Weiss.
"Ruby, please! I need to focus right now!", Weiss angrily shouted back.
"Oh.. right...," Ruby said getting silent again.
Weiss is now speeding towards the oncoming Boarbatusk, sticking her blade straight at its skull until they meet and Myrtenaster is trapped in the beast's tusks. Weiss is still hanging on to the hilt, and is tossed around as she struggles to get the rapier back.
"Bold, new approach... I like it!," Port shouted enthusiastic.
"Come on Weiss, you got this! Show it who's boss!," Ruby cheered again.
Weiss turns to glare at Ruby, only for the Boarbatusk to turn its head and rip the sword from her grip. Myrtenaster lands far away from its master, who is knocked back by the creature's tusks. Port continued with his commentary during the match.
"Oh ho! What will you do without your weapon now?," he asked.
Weiss is seen to be looking up just in time to barely dodge the boar charging at her again. She barely managed to side step away from it to avoid getting trampled by the creature as it was seen to be crashing into a desk. The heiress grit her teeth in frustration at herself.
"Tch! that was way too close! I should have easily dodged that! Why am I..so... sloppy?!, " Weiss thought to herself through gritted teeth.
She rushed forward and is able to pick up her sword once again after sliding to get it back into her hand.
Odyn is seen sighing in disappointment. He wanted to help his fiance' but, he also knew that this was an issue she'd have to overcome eventually. The best he could do is to silently support her right now, just until the match was over. After that, they'd have a talk to work through this "rough patch" Weiss seemed to be having with her team and classmates currently. Ruby tried encouraging her teammate with advice, unfortunately it seemed to have the opposite effect as Weiss became irate with the girl for doing so.
"Weiss! Go for it's belly! There's no armor underneath-!," Ruby started to say before Weiss angrily turned towards her and interrupted her.
"Just stop it! I know what I'm doing, so stop telling me what to do!," Weiss snapped at the girl.
Ruby's eyes widened before a look of hurt adorned her face, causing the girl to shrink back and be silent then. Odyn and the elves sighed, while the other teens just looked away in diappointment. Meanwhile, the boarbatusk leapt into the air as it rolls into a ball, spinning rapidly until it gained enough speed to launch itself towards Weiss. As it neared the Shcnee, Weiss then is seen to be activating one of her blueish white glyphs as she blocks the roll before leaping up into another one of her glyphs, this one black in color. She then turns it blue again, launching herself blade raised in front of her allowing her to drive the blade into the boar grimm's exposed stomach. It shrieks and falls silent shortly after, allowing Weiss to gasp in relief.
"Bravo! Bra-vo! It would appear that we are in the presence of a true and tried Huntress-in-training!" Port exclaimed excitedly.
Weiss stands up at attention from her exhausted position on the ground a moment earlier while Ruby continues to frown at the situation.
"I'm afraid that's all of the time we have for today's class. Be sure to cover the assigned readings we went over in class and... stay vigilant! Class dismissed!," Port said.
The students start to file out of the roomas Weiss is seen glaring at Ruby before turning away and trying to hurriedly walk past her teammates and to the exit. Unfortunately, certain teens wouldn't allow her to do that. A bony and spiked tail was slammed down on the floor in front of her preventing the girl from leaving the classroom.
"Where do you think you're going, Shcnee?," Zero asked angrily.
Weiss returned his pointed stare with one of her own.
"As you can see, I was just leaving.," She replied.
Giblet then chimed in.
"Sure, sure, we'll let you do that. But first, explain something...," Giblet started.
Shallot then finished his thought.
"What the heck was that back there?!," Shallot asked bothered by what he saw.
"Ruby being your team's leader bothers you, I get it. What we want to know is... Why?," Lazuli asked.
"Just because Ruby isn't what you thought a leader should look like doesn't give you the right to treat her like you did...," Aiko added glaring at the shcnee.
"They're right you know, that behavior was uncalled for, Weiss.. there was no reason for it.," Khanna added disappointed.
"So you grew up thinking a leader should look a certain way, well news flash! Not everything is centered around you, your highness!," Scarlett said angered.
The teens would have continued if not for Odyn stepping in front of them.
"Guys, enough. Let me handle this one. Okay?," Odyn said.
"But, brother..," Sarai started before seeing the dangerous look in her brother's eye.
She inwardly gulped. She knew what that meant: He was serious about this.
Sarai sighed and spoke up then.
"Leave it be everyone, I trust my brother to handle the ice princess.," sarai said confusing everyone.
"But Sarai!," Flare started before she shook her head.
Everyone then relented and dispersed.
Hailfire then looked to Roy before whsipering to him.
"Milord, if I may...," Hailfire started.
The lavender and blue haired elf raised a curious eyebrow at this.
"What is it?," Roy asked.
"Perhaps you should go after miss Ruby? She looked pretty down and I know she could use some encouragement.," Hailfire suggested.
Roy nodded.
"Right. We'll leave Weiss to you, brother.," Roy said walking off.
The others followed suit, but not before giving Weiss some sympathetic and disappointed looks on their way out.
Weiss was confused, did she do something wrong? No,that wasn't it. She knew deep down she'd messed up judging by the way Odyn was staring at her.
"Why's everyone on her side? I'm right, aren't I Odyn?," She asked offended.
Odyn sighed and waved to her, beckoning her to follow him. She knew what that meant: A talk and.. a very long one if Odyn's tone of voice were any indication.
"You know that isn't the issue here, princess.. You messed up back there. While I am disappointed, I'm... not mad at you. I could never be mad at you. You know that, right?," Odyn started.
Weiss sighed as she realized Odyn was indeed correct on this matter. It stung, but that was the thing, she knew that no matter what Odyn would always be right there with her. He may be stern with her at times, but it was only because her cared for her so much. That thought caused her to involuntarily blush for a moment. This did make Odyn raise a curious eyebrow in thought upon seeing the girl's reaction to perhaps a certain thought.
Weiss quickly looked away while the blush was still present upon her face.
"Are... you okay there, princess?," The dark elf asked his friend confused.
"Y-Yeah, I'm just fine. Besides... It's your fault I react this way..idiot..," Weiss replied muttering the last part underneath her breath.
"What was that you were saying, Weiss?," Odyn asked.
"Nothing! And it certainly has nothing to do with you!," weiss replied a little embarrassed.
Odyn gave Weiss a dry look, indicating that he wasn't buying that excuse. Nevertheless, he would respect her privacy as it was clear she didn't want to divulge to him what she really said just now. He'd find out eventually, though it'd probably be whenever Weiss felt like telling him.
"Why don't we go for a walk, princess?," Odyn asked.
She looked towards him for a moment before asking the obvious question running through her mind at the moment.
"Just the two of us?," Weiss asked.
Odyn smirked as he decided to tease her a bit.
"If I didn't know any better, It sounded an awful lot like you were excited by that prospect, eh princess?," Odyn asked teasing his friend.
Weiss' face then flushed a deep red as she began to hit him.
"Wha- As if! I-I guess I don't mind taking a walk with you... It's not as though I'm doing it for you anyways! I just thought it'd be a nice change of pace is all.,"Weiss replied with a blush.
She looked away from him, embarassed to look at him in the eyes.
"Jerk.. Ahh!! I can't stay mad at him... And.. it would be nice to spend some time alone together... haven't had much time to recently. I'll play along." Weiss thought to herself with a blush on her face.
"Right.. Right. Let's go, princess.," Odyn said as he offered his hand towards the Schnee girl.
Weiss sighed.
"F-Fine, if you insist.", She said still slightly red in the face.
Weiss put her hand into Odyn's larger hand and the two began walking out of the classroom and down the hall.
A/N: Since this is an AU (Alternate Universe) how the events play out in this instance will differ slightly from the original episode of RWBY Volume 1. Also, with Odyn and Weiss' relationship as childhood friends and the fact they are betrothed to each other, Odyn has more influence over how Weiss would act. This story is just my interpretation of how the events would differ if Weiss had a fiancee'.
With Ruby....
Ruby was seen to be hanging her head slightly as she walked down the halls of the school. She wondered why Weiss was so angry at her. Those things she said secretly hurt her and she had begun to doubt herself. She thought if she found Weiss and smoothed things over with her maybe they'd come to some kind of mutual understanding. She immediately perked back up after this thought, determined to talk to Weiss again. The girl hurried down the hall in hopes of finding her teammate, only to be yanked behind a corner by someone.
"Hey, Weiss! I need to talk to- gwah!," Ruby said as she was yanked by her hood behind a corner.
When she looked, she was a bit surprised to see that it was Roy who did so. She would would've asked him why, only to see him signal for her to be quiet at the moment. He motioned for her to peak around the corner, she did so and saw Weiss walking hand in hand with... Odyn? That was odd. She knew they were good childhood friends, but what she saw seemed to indicate there was something more going on with those two. That fact surprised her a little bit. She knew Odyn and Weiss got along really well but ...to this extent? It was a little surprising to find out that there may potentially be something more to Weiss and Odyn's relationship than the heiress was divulging to her teammates. Ruby looked towards Roy who motioned for her to follow him. Although she wanted to find out more about Weiss and Odyn's mysterious relationship, she didn't want to invade Weiss's privacy. The silver eyed girl then followed Roy as he led her away from where Weiss and Odyn now walked with each other. After making their way away from Weiss and Odyn, Roy and Ruby then stopped walking as the dark elf then sat down onto a bench. Ruby still stood there confused about the possible relationship between Weiss and Odyn, but also sad that she was unbale to reconcile or straighten things out with her teammate.
Roy looked to the girl and motioned for her to come over and sit next to him by patting the bench with his free hand. Curious, Ruby did as she was asked by Roy and sat down onto the bench next to the lavender and blue haired dark elf. There was a momentary, but also slightly awkward silence between them. Before the silver eyed girl could say anything, Roy broke the silence by giving voice to Ruby's thoughts at the moment.
"I know I'm not exactly the person you'd want to confide in, but... sometimes I think it's best to have someone else to talk to about our innermost concerns and struggles. Do... you want to talk about what happened back there with Weiss?", Roy asked.
Ruby was initially a little surprised by the gesture from Roy, but eventually nodded in response to his question. She could only keep feelings like that bottled up for so long until it became unbearable and she had a feeling that Roy saw right through her in regards to that habit she had. Sighing, she relented and eventually just told Roy what she was feeling inside.
Roy voiced a question to prod at those feelings of Ruby's as he tried to help her navigate them.
"That... didn't exactly go how you wanted it to with Weiss back there, did it?," Roy asked.
Ruby sighed as small tears slid down her face in frustration.
"No.. I don't get it though. What did I do wrong? I was just trying to help Weiss and she got mad at me for doing so... Maybe.. I'm not really cut out to be the leader...," Ruby said trailing off.
Roy looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking again, trying to encourage the silver eyed girl.
"Look Ruby, It's only been one day. Give yourself some time, the others will come around." Roy encouraged her.
"Did Ozpin make a mistake by choosing me as team rwby's leader?," Ruby asked obviously dejected.
"I don't think so Ruby, It's all about what you do with the position you've been given. That will determine if it was a mistake or not.," Roy replied.
Meanwhile with Odyn and Weiss...
Odyn and Weiss came to a stopping point underneath a gazeebo as they both sat down to talk.
"Now then, Princess what exactly is bothering you? I can guess what it is, but i'd rather hear the words from your own mouth." Odyn asked her with a smile.
Weiss sighed before speaking.
"Well... I think I should've been team Rwby's leader.," Weiss said.
Weiss noticed the look on her fiancee's face, he didn't have to say a word she knew what that look meant.
"I messed up, didn't I?"
Odyn nodded.
"You did, but you don't need me to tell you that Princess."
Weiss sighed as they continued their conversation.
"I just don't understand," Weiss's voice had lost some of its edge, vulnerability seeping in as she spoke to Odyn. "How can she be so... casual about everything? This isn't a game, these positions mean something!"
"They do," Odyn agreed, moving closer, his presence a familiar comfort. "But maybe not in the way you were taught to believe. Leadership isn't about being perfect, princess. It's about inspiring others to be better than they thought they could be."
"Like you do for me?" The words slipped out before she could stop them, making her cheeks color slightly.
Odyn's orange eyes softened as he reached for her hand. "Like you and Ruby could do for each other, if you'd both let yourselves learn from your differences instead of fighting against them."
Back with Ruby and Roy....
"But she doesn't even take anything seriously!" Ruby confided in Roy, her silver eyes still shining with tears. "She's always so... so perfect, and I'm just..."
"Just someone who sees the world differently," Roy finished for her. "You know, Odyn told me once that the strongest teams aren't the ones who all think alike – they're the ones who learn to turn their differences into strengths."
Ruby looked up at him, hope flickering in her expression. "Really?"
"Really. And between you and me?" Roy smiled warmly. "Weiss could use a little of your perspective. Just as you could probably use some of hers."
"You really think she'll ever see me as an actual leader?" Ruby asked Roy, her tears finally drying.
"I think," Roy said thoughtfully, "that Weiss sees more in you than she's ready to admit, even to herself. Give her time. And maybe..." he smiled knowingly, "trust that some people have ways of getting through to her that others don't."
"Yeah, I guess they do.", Ruby managed a small laugh, remembering what she now knew about Weiss and Odyn.
She knew the two of them were close, just not the full extent of their relationship.
"Weiss will come around before long, Odyn will see to that.," Roy encouraged her.
Ruby smiled towards Roy, knowing that he was right.
Back with Odyn and Weiss....
Back on the balcony, Weiss finally turned to face Odyn fully.
Weiss sighed, knowing she messed up with Ruby back in the classroom.
"Ugh, I feel like an idiot for what I did back there!," Weiss said out of frustration now that her mind was clear.
"I wouldn't say that.You just had a moment of pride overtaking wisdom," he corrected gently. "The question is, what are you going to do to fix it?"
Weiss looked up at him, finding the strength she needed in his steady gaze. "I need to apologize to Ruby, don't I?"
"Yes," Odyn smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "But first, you need to understand why you're apologizing. Real change comes from understanding, not just saying the words."
As the afternoon sun cast long shadows across Beacon's grounds, two conversations drew to a close – one helping a young leader find her confidence, the other helping a proud warrior find her humility. And somewhere in between, the foundations were being laid for a stronger team, built on understanding that sometimes the best partnerships come from the most unexpected differences.
Back with Ruby and Roy...
Ruby sat beside Roy for a moment longer, hyper-aware of his presence and finding herself both wanting to stay and feeling the need to retreat before her burning cheeks gave away too much. His gentle encouragement had made her heart flutter in a way she'd never experienced before – it was different from her excitement about weapons or her joy in combat. This was softer, warmer, more confusing.
"Thank you," she managed, fidgeting with her cape. "For, you know... coming after me."
Roy's smile made her stomach do a peculiar flip. "Anytime, Ruby. Though preferably under happier circumstances next time."
'Next time.' The words echoed in her mind, making her suddenly very interested in studying the floor. She wasn't sure if what she felt was anything like what Weiss had with Odyn – that seemed so much more... grown-up, more certain. This was new and fragile, like morning frost that might melt if examined too closely.
Time Skip: Later that Afternoon...
Later that afternoon, as teams gathered in one of Beacon's common areas, Weiss strode purposefully into the room. Her eyes found Ruby, who was sitting between Yang and Roy, still looking somewhat subdued. Odyn's presence behind her gave her the strength to do what needed to be done.
The room fell quiet as Weiss cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention. Teams ORHF, KLBGJ, and SSZEA were all present, along with JNPR and the rest of RWBY. It was exactly the audience she needed for this.
"Ruby," Weiss began, her voice clear and determined. "I owe you an apology. A public one, because my behavior in class was public, and you deserve no less."
Ruby's silver eyes widened in surprise, while Yang sat up straighter, protective instincts still on alert. Blake lowered her book, watching intently.
"My behavior was unacceptable," Weiss continued. "You were trying to help, to be supportive, and I let my pride and... my preconceptions cloud my judgment. You are our leader, chosen for reasons I'm beginning to understand better. I was wrong to treat you the way I did."
The elves in the room exchanged approving glances, while the Saiyan sisters smiled knowingly. Nora was practically vibrating with excitement at the drama unfolding, while Ren placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
"I know I can be difficult," – somewhere in the room, Yang coughed what sounded suspiciously like 'understatement' – "but I want to be a better teammate. A better partner. If... if you'll still have me?"
Ruby stood slowly, and for a moment, the room held its breath. Then, in typical Ruby fashion, she burst into rose petals only to reappear hugging Weiss tightly.
"Of course I will, you big dummy!" Ruby exclaimed. "Partners stick together!"
Weiss, despite herself, returned the hug, though she quickly tried to regain her composure when she heard Nora's delighted squeal.
"Does this mean we can have a celebration?" Nora asked hopefully. "Oh! We could break some legs!"
"No leg breaking," Ren said automatically.
"How about we celebrate with cookies instead?" Roy suggested, making Ruby's face light up even as she tried not to be too obvious about how much his suggestion meant to her.
"Cookies sound perfect," Weiss agreed, catching Odyn's proud smile from across the room.
As their friends began chattering excitedly about impromptu cookie parties and team bonding, Ruby found herself stealing glances at Roy, whose suggestion had shown he'd been paying attention to her favorite treats. Meanwhile, Weiss moved to stand beside Odyn, who squeezed her hand briefly in silent approval.
"Well done, princess," he murmured, just for her ears.
"I had a good teacher," she whispered back.
The afternoon sun streamed through Beacon's windows, illuminating a scene of friendship, growth, and perhaps the first stirrings of new romance. Ruby might not have been ready to name the warmth she felt when Roy smiled at her, but she knew that somehow, despite the rocky start to the day, everything had turned out just right.
The cookie celebration quickly transformed one of Beacon's study rooms into a wonderland of sweet aromas and laughter. Someone (likely Nora) had managed to convince the kitchen staff to provide not just cookies but an array of treats that would have made any sugar enthusiast proud. Ruby found herself surrounded by friends, warmth, and chocolate chips – yet her attention kept drifting to the quiet conversations happening in the corner.
Roy and Yang were talking, her sister's expression cycling between protective older sibling and barely concealed amusement. Ruby tried not to be obvious about watching them, but her stomach did another one of those strange flips when Roy laughed at something Yang said, running a hand through his hair in that way he did when slightly embarrassed.
"You're not very subtle, you know," Blake murmured, appearing beside Ruby with her characteristic stealth. She had a small plate of dark chocolate cookies and a knowing smile that made Ruby want to dissolve into rose petals again.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ruby mumbled around a mouthful of cookie, fully aware that her cheeks were betraying her yet again.
Blake's amber eyes sparkled with mischief. "Of course not. Just like I don't know anything about the book of poetry I saw him reading in the library yesterday. The one with the page marked on 'Silver Eyes in Moonlight.'"
Ruby choked on her cookie.
Yang's perspective...
Yang leaned against the wall, arms crossed and lilac eyes sparkling with mirth as she watched the scene unfold before her. Ruby was trying – and adorably failing – to be subtle about stealing glances at Roy from behind her cookie. Her little sister might be a prodigy with a scythe, but she was hilariously transparent when it came to matters of the heart.
"Oh, this is going to be too much fun," Yang muttered to herself, already mentally cataloging all the ways she could tease Ruby about her obvious crush. The way Ruby's cheeks matched her cape whenever Roy so much as looked in her direction was prime sister-teasing material.
But even as she plotted her sisterly torment, Yang found her own gaze drawn across the room to where Eleryc stood chatting with his fellow Saiyans. The way his palm tree-styled hair seemed to defy gravity was almost as impressive as the definition in his arms. Almost. Yang caught herself staring at the way his muscles moved beneath his training gear and quickly took a sip of punch to hide her suddenly warm cheeks.
"At least I'm more subtle than Ruby," she thought, right before nearly choking on her drink when Eleryc stretched, his shirt riding up just enough to reveal a glimpse of perfectly toned abs.
"Are you okay?" Blake asked, materializing beside her with that infuriating ninja-like stealth she possessed.
"Fine," Yang coughed, shooting her partner a look that dared her to comment on the obvious direction of her previous stare. "Just thinking about all the ammunition I've got now. Between Ice Queen being engaged to Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Elven, and Ruby making heart eyes at Roy..." She grinned wickedly. "The teasing possibilities are endless."
Blake raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing at her lips. "And I'm sure your sudden interest in watching the Saiyan training sessions has nothing to do with a certain spiky-haired fighter?"
"I'm just studying different combat styles," Yang protested, though her eyes betrayed her as they drifted back to where Eleryc was now demonstrating what looked like a martial arts move. The way his muscles flexed during the demonstration was purely educational, of course.
"Of course you are," Blake agreed, her tone making it clear she didn't believe that for a second. "Just like Ruby's sudden interest in comparing weapon modification techniques with Roy is purely academic."
Yang snorted, grateful for the change in subject. "Please. She's about as subtle as a Goliath in a Dust shop. Did you see her face when he offered to help her with Crescent Rose's upgrades? I thought she was going to explode into rose petals right there."
Her attention was pulled back to Ruby, who had just dropped her cookie when Roy smiled at her from across the room. Yang's grin widened – oh yes, she was going to have so much fun with this. Between Ruby's adorable fumbling around Roy and Weiss's surprisingly romantic engagement to Odyn, she had enough material to last for months.
"You know they're going to get you back eventually," Blake warned, though she was clearly amused. "Especially if they find out about your own..." she glanced meaningfully at Eleryc, "training interests."
Yang waved off the concern, even as she filed away the need to be more careful about her own obvious staring. "Worth it. Besides, what kind of big sister would I be if I didn't tease Ruby about her first crush? It's practically my duty."
As if on cue, Ruby let out a small "eep!" when Roy walked past, causing Yang to stifle a laugh. Oh yes, this was going to be entertaining. And if she happened to schedule her own training sessions to coincide with the Saiyan team's workout times, well, that was just good time management, wasn't it?
She just had to remember not to get too distracted by Eleryc's... training techniques. After all, it would be pretty hard to tease Ruby about her crush if Yang was too busy drooling over her own.
third person perspective...
Across the room, Weiss was experiencing her own moment of growth. Odyn had introduced her to some of his teammates' families – visiting dignitaries from the elven kingdoms who had originally come for a diplomatic summit but had been invited to stay for the impromptu celebration. To everyone's surprise, Weiss handled the formal introductions with both grace and genuine warmth, a far cry from the cold heiress who had arrived at Beacon.
"Your partner has come far," one of the elder elves commented to Ruby, who had finally managed to stop coughing. "As have you, young leader."
Ruby straightened, trying to channel some of the dignity she'd seen in Weiss. "We're all learning, sir. That's what Beacon is for, right?"
The elf's ancient eyes twinkled. "Indeed. Though some lessons are found less in textbooks and more in..." he glanced meaningfully between Ruby and Roy, who had just looked up and caught her eye, "...other sources of wisdom."
Ruby wished her semblance could make her invisible instead of just fast.
The evening wound down slowly, like honey dripping from a spoon. Teams drifted away in twos and threes, until only a core group remained. Nora had fallen asleep on Ren's shoulder, cookie crumbs still on her chin. Blake had retreated to a windowsill with her book, though her small smiles suggested she was still paying attention to the room. Weiss and Odyn spoke softly by the fireplace, their shadows dancing together on the wall.
"Walk you back to your dorm?" Roy asked, suddenly beside Ruby as she gathered empty plates.
The question was simple, innocent even. But Ruby's heart hammered like she was facing down a Nevermore. "I'd like that," she managed, proud that her voice didn't squeak.
Yang, passing by with her own stack of plates, winked at Ruby. "Don't stay out too late, sis. We've got combat practice first thing tomorrow."
"Yang!" Ruby hissed, mortified.
But as she and Roy left the warmth of the study room, walking close enough that their hands could brush accidentally-on-purpose, Ruby thought that maybe her sister's teasing was worth it. The hallways of Beacon were quiet, lit by the shattered moon's glow through the high windows. They talked about small things – classes, weapons (Ruby's favorite topic), their teammates' quirks – but underneath the conversation ran a current of something new, something full of possibility.
When they reached the door to Team RWBY's dorm, Roy paused. "Ruby?"
"Yeah?" She turned, silver eyes catching the moonlight.
"I meant what I said earlier. About being there. Anytime."
Ruby's smile could have lit up all of Beacon. "I know," she said softly. Then, gathering every ounce of courage that made her a huntress-in-training, she added, "Maybe next time could be at the weapon forge? I've been working on some modifications to Crescent Rose..."
Roy's answering smile was bright enough to match hers. "It's a date. I mean – if you want it to be?"
Inside the dorm, Ruby could hear Yang and Blake moving around, could practically feel their curious ears pressed against the door. But for once, she didn't mind.
"Yeah," she said, her heart doing acrobatics that would make Nora jealous. "I'd like that."
As she slipped into her dorm room (ignoring Yang's exaggerated wink and Blake's quiet chuckle), Ruby thought that maybe she did understand what Weiss felt with Odyn after all. Some things, she was learning, didn't need to be analyzed or questioned. Sometimes they just needed to be felt, as natural as rose petals in the wind or the moon watching over Beacon's sleeping halls.
To be continued in Chapter 8: Budding Feelings and Secrets; Ruby's 1st date and Weiss's secret unveiled?!