Fandom RWBY: Clean Slate

[LadyClara]

The door creaked open as light spread into the hallway, the light shining onto Clara. It was Jade who answered the door. Suddenly Clara's breathing quickened it's pace.


"Hi, yeah, there's uhm...something I need to tell you.." she shifted awkwardly, taking a sudden interest in the floor before her shoes.


Stepping back a little into the hallway, Clara clasped her hands in front of her and waited for Jade to join her.


She wasn't sure exactly what to say, considering it had been a dream but Clara couldn't ignore the fact that Jade had pretty much saved her life. She also felt bad that during that scene, she was useless in the sense that everyone else was taking on the monster and she lay helpless and watched them struggle.


She took a deep breath and focused on what to say.


@Dragonfry @Rozalski @Entarriance @TheOnlyCatbug @GasMaskie

 

[The Elder]

Joseph walked around the corner with a fresh new pack of gum. He opened it putting a stick inside his mouth. He looks up seeing Clara and Jade standing outside his dorm. Clara seemed somewhat distrout, or uncomfortable. Joseph had to get to his dorm so he had to walk through the awkward atmosphere. But of course he can't just walk by without speaking. He walks towards his dorm with a smile and waves. What's up girls, how are you feeling? He looks at his dorm and points towards it. So which one of you are on my team?? @LadyClara @Dragonfry

 

[Dragonfry]

Was it just her, or did Clara seem really nervous? Jade looked at her teammates, nodding to indicate that she was going out. She looked at the smaller girl, smiling reassuringly. "You don't have to be so nervous. I don't bite!" she shifted her cap, not out of nervousness, just that she wasn't the type to stand still most of the time.


She glared at Joseph's interruption. Normally she wouldn't be hostile about it, but Clara was struggling enough to talk as it was. Jade felt quite protective of the faunus for some reason. "It'll be me, they've got a full team already." she said, gesturing to the door. "Rooms there. Could you go in, if you don't mind? We're trying to have a private conversation." Jade said, shortly. She waited for the guy to leave before she said anything else. Once he'd gone, she turned back to Clara.


"Sorry about that. So, um... Not that I've got an issue with it, but why're you looking for me?" Jade had an idea of what this was about, but she figured it was better to let Clara talk for herself.


@LadyClara @Embaga Elder

 

[LadyClara]

After the other student had walked past, she tapped her foot on the carpet. What do I say, 'Thanks for saving me, see you later'? No, be serious..


"I-I just wanted to uhm, say thank you.." she stuttered at first but he rest coming out more formal. "You know, back in the forest. It may have only been just a dream or whatever but you came back for me.. I can't let that go unnoticed.."


Clara paused here, not sure what to say next. She thought back to the forest, to when she could hear Jade talking to her. A certain comment came back to her.


"Oh and uh.. I heard what you said to me also, about not wanting anyone to see. I didn't see anything different but whatever it was, it's still a secret, don't worry." she mentioned, little quieter than before.


@Dragonfry

 

[The Elder]

Joseph walk right inside their dorm, once his question was answered. Of courses could've done without the glaring, but he guessed he deserved it for interrupting something important. He looked around the room seeing his other team member within the room. He blew a small bubble of gum then continued chewing. What's up mate, names Joseph. He walks over towards an empty bed and places his stuff down. And what might yours be?? @GasMaskie

 

[Dragonfry]

Jade sighed in relief at the knowledge that her secret was safe, speaking just as quietly. "That's a relief. It's not that I don't trust you, just a personal issue, I guess." she shrugged, figuring that she might as well be honest with Clara. "Listen... When we were in that forest, you had a head wound, pretty bad one. I had to take your hood down to try and stop the bleeding. Now, I don't know why you're hiding what you are, but I want you to know I'm not gonna tell anyone. I just felt guilty, not telling you I knew."


She looked at Clara, her usual grin returning. "Still, you really don't have to thank me, you know? I'm sure anyone else woulda done the same thing if they could. Far as I'm concerned, we're even. Let's just start over, don't get hung up on it." she held out her hand for a handshake, looking the other girl in the eyes. "Deal?"


@LadyClara

 

[LadyClara]

Clara smiled and shook her hand. "You know, the fact you saw my ears doesn't bother me. Like you, I have other secrets I don't want others finding out," she teased back. "But of course, fresh start and all. I gotta head back, I need to get changed into the Uniform they gave us. Thanks for talking with me though."


She stepped back, winking at her before spinning around and walking into her dorm, closing the door behind her.


She turned around and leaned her back against the window, a smile playing her lips.


That went better than I thought..


@Dragonfry @Rozalski @Entarriance @TheOnlyCatbug

 

[Dragonfry]

Jade felt a little flustered as Clara walked away, mostly because of the wink. "Y-you're welcome, I guess." She shook her head, figuring it was nothing, but couldn't stop herself from going a little red as she turned to go back into her team's room. As she opened the door she pulled her cap down to try and hide her expression at least a little bit, walking over to her bed where the uniform was sitting.


She picked it up, preparing to go to the bathroom to change. Not out of modesty - it wasn't as though she cared at all, really - but more due to the fact that changing required jacket removal. As she walked past the guy from the corridor, she looked at him. "Sorry about earlier, by the way. Wasn't a good time, that's all." she muttered, not looking him in the eye. Without waiting to hear his reply, she walked off to the bathroom to get changed. At least the uniform fit her pretty well, and it wasn't too stuffy. Red wasn't really her colour but it wasn't a big deal.


Jade exited the bathroom, fixing her cap back on her head and tossing her normal clothes onto the bed. She looked at the two guys, leaning back against the wall. "So, we got any idea what we're doing today?" she asked, looking for suggestions. "I'm not one to be stuck sitting in a dorm room all day, you know."


@LadyClara @Embaga Elder @GasMaskie

 

[GasMaskie]

"That will likely depend on whether or not we get our class schedules today - it's entirely likely that we had to be dropped from our registered courses because of our two month sleep. It's likely that we'd get an update through our Scrolls." He ignored his teammate's request for another introduction as he passed by the woman and entered the bathroom with his uniform.


He returned to their sleeping quarters just a few moments. It certainly wasn't his style, but its dark colors did complement his pale complexion and dark hair. The young man had taken certain liberties, however, namely with switching the standard red tie for a violet one. If it caused a demerit or drew the ire of a professor, than that small change would have fulfilled its role. In an academy setting, the more unsavory students tended to fall to the background. They were ignored compared to the students who achieved grades and recognition. Staying out of the spotlight would likely prove to be a benefit for him.


"Right, so if we don't end up getting sorted into classes or called over for a special briefing, I'd advocate going into Vale and doing some sight-seeing. There are a few things in particular I'd like to pick up before we're thrust into academics. Materials for team-building and the like, really." While he wasn't lying his wording had been deliberately vague. Getting a read of the urban area would likely come in handy, especially with the freedom that came from an educational institution like this.


(@Embaga Elder, @Dragonfry)

 

[Dragonfry]

Jade watched as their leader headed past her to get changed. She looked at Joseph, shaking her head. "His name's Shiei, apparently. He seems a little formal, but I guess he's in charge." she said with a shrug. She raised an eyebrow when he came out in his uniform. Changed the tie, it seemed like. Maybe the guy was just fashion-conscious or something, although he didn't strike her as being that vain. She listened to his suggestion.


"I can live with sightseeing. It'd be good to get a look at the nice parts of the city, anyway." Jade said in agreement. There were places that she could have shown them around, but the people there were a bit... Hostile to visitors. It'd be good to walk around the city centre without people thinking she was stealing something. It actually brought a grin to her face, imagining the faces of some of the shopkeepers when they saw her decked out in a Beacon uniform.


"Besides, we've been sleeping for two months. I don't know about you guys, but I could use some proper food right about now." she smiled. There'd be somewhere that they could go in the city, and even if the school had food, she didn't want her first meal in two months to be cafeteria stuff. She wanted something that'd really hit the spot. "I could go for something spicy, myself."


@GasMaskie @Embaga Elder

 

[Rozalski]

Kuro let loose a low growl as May offered to read for him. It was a nice gesture, but it really pushed his buttons. Hard. He licked up the small device and tossed it to her bed haphazardly. "Knock yourself out. It's probably just welcome to blah, your classes are blah." If it wasn't for his own curiosity, Kuro would have just said no. They had all missed 2 months of school however. He would need to catch up quickly and the scroll he had tossed to May was probably his best bet.


The Scroll's glass body lit up and displayed several different icons and apps. It contained pictures of each student on the team displayed over the contacts section. Each student already had a personal profile uploaded to their scroll which detailed their classes. A map of school and area around Vale could be brought up as well. There were apps for schedules and other study related things. Finally, there was a scrolling list of events.


The events list showed the times and places of classes for the day as well as different clubs and activities. A school dance was apparently next month. Headlines for tournaments also scrolled through the listings.


As for the classes, each was highlighted and put into a list. A small sidebar explained that first year students would have their main compulsory classes every day and that electives could be studied during free time through scheduled weekend classes Friday through Sunday. The list followed:


Compulsory classes:

• Unarmed Combat/PT
  

• The theory and art of Dust Usage
  

• The History of the Hunt
  

• Cryptozoology
  

• Combat Medicine
  

Specialist/Elective Courses:

• Weapons Drill
  

• Legal Enforcement Theory and Practice
  

• Parapsychology, Paranormology and Prophecy
  

It seemed classes had already concluded for the day.


-----------


Nave felt his body surrounded by darkness. He couldn't quite remember where he was. Something about flying and then being lost for some time. The only familiarity that his mind would conjure was the landscape of Beacon and his frozen home.


Nave missed home. It felt like ages since he had seen it. Yet, his memory told him that he had only been there just yesterday. What a funny little thing memory was.


Nave's body started to come around and he realized that he had been asleep. That would explain his wandering thoughts and poor timeline with his memory. He felt himself falling and braced for the sensation of waking up.


Thud





Nave tumbled out of the closet because he actually was falling. The blue bottle of Chill! soda fell out of his hands and rolled across the floor as his eyes opened to see that the room was occupied.


One student wore a sports jacket and the other had donned the school uniform. The tie was he wrong color, but it didn't matter much to him.


"Uhhh...how's it going?"


@Embaga Elder @Dragonfry @TheOnlyCatbug @LadyClara @GasMaskie @Entarriance

 

[LadyClara]

Clara walked over to her bed and pulled out the trunk. Getting a clean set of under clothing and hiding them in a towel, she hesitated as she saw another piece of attire in the trunk, the straps she made about 7 months ago. Grasping it in her hands, she shrugged and wrapped that in the towel also, then closed the lid and stood up, leaving the trunk out from under the bed. She leaned forward and inspected the uniform, admiring the work into making it. Looking at the skirt, she worried about if it would be too revealing.


"What if they see it..?" Clara mumbled, almost inaudibly. Hesitantly, she grabbed the uniform and turned around to face the other students.


"Hey, is anyone needing the bathroom? I gotta change.." she asked, clutching her towel in one hand close to her chest and the uniform over here shoulder. Her ears twitched to the sound of a soft thud, seeing the one called Kuro throw a scroll onto another bed, one May stood at.


@Rozalski @Entarriance @TheOnlyCatbug

 

[Entarriance]

Hearing what may have been a low growl, May's shoulders tensed when the scroll was thrown onto her bed. Did she do something wrong?! Perhaps she was being a little too pushy or insistent... or her typical behavior was vexatious. Her thoughts often strayed far from logic overtime, to overthinking situations past it's complexity and creating new problems from that. Picking up the scroll thrown onto her bed, hers contained her profile, and another thought came across her head. Does it change, or perhaps June's provisional existence doesn't allow her to have one? Unaware and uninterested in what her counterpart engages in, she somewhat hastily read through the main material, such as classes and events. May wasn't going to pry into Kuro's life, she would hate it if hers was.





"Sorry! Well, here are your classes...


.. oh, and there are some electives you can take from Friday to Saturday, which are...


.. the rest consist of mainly events, such as tournaments, clubs, and activities. Today's classes are concluded."


A part of May did want to suggest if he needed help with navigation, particularily with this being a new building, but she stopped herself. He got into Beacon, there was no way that he was incapable of doing that by himself. And a part of her now felt self-conscious with her behavior, even though there wasn't necessarily anything wrong. With the main things needed to be explained done, she quickly placed his scroll back onto his bed as she shuffled towards the door. With classes over, she could take a dive down to the library, and possibly a bite to eat as well.


"I-I'm going to head to the library! Clara, was it? I'll be gratified to accompany you to the bathroom, I'm sure it isn't distant from the library."


May appeared to be in a rush, timidly opening the door and ushering herself out, leaving it open for Clara to possibly accompany.


@Rozalski @TheOnlyCatbug @LadyClara

 

[Dragonfry]

Speaking of classes, though, Jade checked her scroll. Most of them were alright, although Unarmed Combat could prove to be an issue. Honestly, it was probably what she'd be best at, since her fighting style was basically unarmed combat anyway. Her weapons were mostly just there for ranged attacks, anyway. Only problem would be hiding how hard she could punch. Did it even count as unarmed combat if she was using cybernetics? Who knows?


Jade was focussed on checking her classes, not really paying attention to what was going on around her. She was in the middle of trying to think what elective she'd bother with when she felt something bump against her foot. Glancing down, she saw that it was a bottle of blue soda. Huh. Wonder where that came from? She looked at Shiei and Joseph, then at the weird guy who'd just fallen out of their closet. Okay, so it probably belonged to... Wait a minute. She actually had to do a double take. Okay, yeah, there actually was some guy who'd just fallen out of their closet, go figure.


"Okay, obvious question but who are you? And more importantly, do I even wanna know why you were in our closet?" she shook her head, trying to get over her surprise. She bent down, picking up the bottle of 'Chill!'. Jade remembered trying it before. She was pretty sure she'd hated the stuff. "And 'Chill!', really? I mean come on! I can deal with weird closet guys, but not with weird closet guys with bad taste in soda." she said, kicking the bottle so that it would roll back to him.


@Rozalski @Embaga Elder @GasMaskie

 

[The Elder]

Joseph looks through his scroll looking at his classes everything seemed alright. He like both reading and fighting so he has a good balanced schedule. He closes his scroll and lays back on the bed. He closes his eyes to only snap them open again when he heard a big noise. He shot up seeing a guy on the floor and the closet door open. Hmm looks like some just came out the closet. He chuckles to himself. Why were you in the closet? @Dragonfry @Rozalski @GasMaskie

 

[LadyClara]

"Sure, of course." Clara smiled in response and followed May out the room, closing the door behind her.


As they walked down the hallway, Clara felt surprisingly comfortable walking with May. She expected it to be awkward and weird, like it was someone she didn't like but to her, she was at ease and couldn't explain it.


"So how are you feeling about all this? The dream, 2 month gap and having a team all of a sudden?" she turned and asked, still clutching her towel with her clothing inside, her uniform over her shoulder.


@Entarriance

 

[Entarriance]

"What I think? Hmm, I tend to have some rather, vivid dreams, but it is quite a shock of how real that felt. I have theories on why, but nothing suitable for a solid answer. I've experienced time skips with my consciousness before, unfortunately, so the two month gap is explainable,"


May didn't like getting into any conversations relating herself very much. It reminder herself of every negative quality that she had, especially June herself. It always was a sore spot for her, but Clara did ask her opinion on something, so she should answer it to her best ability.


"Our team seems pleasant, however, and I'm looking forward to it! I'm sure it will be a pleasant year."


And she did earnestly see her team as good people. Indigo was an eccentric romantic young man who has high aspirations, and it easily lifted the mood of a grim room. Despite his easy stubbornness and frustrations, he appeared to be a pleasant team member. She liked Kuro's foresight and a brusque, tough personality. He did seem a little more on the impenitent side of things, but so far out of everyone on the team (with the short time they had to associate with each other, including the dream), she probably trusted Kuro the most. And Clara herself was the only other female, and being declared a leader, she has potential in her that Ozpin had seen.


"What a cute uniform, too. Oh, you visited Jade, correct? I wonder how her team is, Shiei was on it as well. It's pleasant that we're right across from each other, hopefully that wasn't an omission.."


@LadyClara

 

[LadyClara]

Clara looked over to her shoulder at the uniform, also thinking about it. She'd never worn anything it, not having been to any schools that had a dress code.


As May discussed the team, she thought about them and their personalities. None had really spoken to her much. May was probably going to be the only one who spoke an actual conversation to her. This made Clara's job at trying to be a good leader even harder, as there were no baseline of something like a friendship or relationship she could go off of. Still determined however, she just needed to have a good posture and view on things to keep her place.


As they turned around the corner, Clara spotted a sign above a door about halfway down the corridor labelling the bathroom. Between her and herself, there must have been at least 10 or so doors, either side.


"Why do you think I was given the card? As I remember, it was the rest of you guys that fought that thing in the forest, assuming Ozpin saw all that.." she stopped behind May, staring ahead of her.


@Entarriance

 

[Entarriance]

"Ozpin may be astute and knowledgeable, but don't presume that Ozpin is visually aware of of our mutual dream from earlier, rather, he's received similar feedback from other awakening students, which allowed him to come to his conclusion of the dream's scenario and structure. Personally, I'm uncertain why he chose you particularly. But there has always been rumors of him outside of Beacon, and his choice has never gone awry. You surely have the potential and capability of being a leader, and it's that potential which leads you to be where you are now!"


They reached the bathroom, and that's where Clara brought up the question. Why was she leader? Out of everyone, well, maybe she was the most suitable for being one? May could never imagine herself as a leader herself, so it wasn't surprising when the card was handed to her. But she was an optimistic individual who hoped for the best in people and to train to their maximum potential, and that's what she was hoping for Clara, staring ahead of her towards the bathroom. The library wasn't far from here, and if she did get lost, she had the scroll she had recently received to help her out. How much would she have to catch up on from the next two months?


"There's no principle set for someone to be a leader but for the leader to set principles for themselves and others. I'm positive you will be wonderful!"

 

[LadyClara]

Clara looked at her in amazement, listening to the words simply flow from her. She had doubts about being chosen as the leader but they were washed away once May give her opinion. Clara felt like she could do it and that's what mattered.


On impulse, she jumped forward and hugged May for a few seconds and then let go of her just as quick.


"Thank you. You're amazing with your words and cause of that, I think I know what I need to do."


She stepped back against the door, pushing it open with her back and beamed at May before disappearing behind the wall. The door slowly closed behind her with a soft thud.


She entered a stall with a smile and locked it behind her, taking off her cloak and stretching her tail out, releasing the tension of being kept hidden for the entire day. Sighing with satisfaction, she wrapped the cloak up and set it to the side and began to undress, swapping everything out for fresh clothing.


Reaching down into the towel, she brought up the straps she had made and studied them. Clara hated them but did her best to make them as comfortable as possible so it felt like they were never there. Feeding her legs through the two thigh straps, she pulled it up and tightened the two biggest straps around the top of her stomach and her waist, the proceeded to tighten the two thigh straps. Moving her hand around the back, she felt for two loops that she sewed on to the two torso straps and slid her tail inside then.


After putting the uniform on top, the straps held her tail in place along her spin, making it almost impossible for anyone to see the extra limb. She then proceeded to clean herself up at the mirror by the washbasin, redoing her eyes and face, brushing her hair and straightening it out so her ears stuck up on top.


Once the Faunus had finished, she stood in silence for a few seconds and stared into her eyes in the mirror.


A leader? A leader doesn't hide things from her team.. Should I show them?


Wrapping up her used clothing in the towel, Clara proceeded to head back to her dorm.


@Entarriance @Rozalski @TheOnlyCatbug

 

[Rozalski]

"Well I was taking a nap." Nave rolled over and dusted himself off a bit before standing. "I didn't know I was getting new roomates." He wore a slightly childish smile as he looked over the group that had taken up residence in his former private room.


They all seemed nice enough. Although the one with the mismatched tie looked like a bit of snob. Appearances werent everything though so he didn't set any judgements in stone. He didn't care much for one of the girls dissing his favorite beverage.


The company that bottled it was very close to home for him. It didn't taste all that great but it was cheap and he had spent many a childhood day building a snow fort and enjoying a bottle of Chill! After defending his castle. Really, he liked it because it reminded him of home.


"Even if you don't care for it," nave walked over to his bed, the only one that didn't have uniforms or luggage laying around it. He kneeled down and pulled out a small refrigerator that had been laying on its side from under the bed. Upon opening it, the labels and blue bottles of his favorite soda went as far as the eye could see. "I have plenty if anyone wants to Chill out." He shamelessly used the brands tagline with a little smile.





----------


Kuro walked around the room after May and Clara left. The thought of possibly offending either of them had barely even crossed his mind. He was too preoccupied with familiarizing himself with the layout of the room. It was no doubt going to change as everyone unpacked and began to adjust it to their liking.


After being finally satisfied with the memorization if his new home, he made his way out the door. "I'm going out." Was all he left Indigo with before exiting. Classes were finished for the day anyway, so he had room to go and satisfy his own curiosity. The grounds of Beacon would probably wait because be would more than likely be spending most of his time among these halls. Instead, he opted to check out the city.


Vale was a curious place. He wasn't used to the scale of the city. There were so many people from so many walks of life all going about their lives. Buildings were everywhere and even vehicles darted across the streets. If only he could read the names of the streets.


One thing drew his attention during his walk. There was a mass of people seeming to clash against each other at the end of a street. He heard the whirr of several small robots over his head. They no doubt carried cameras and were broadcasting the scene to almost every news station in the area. He was familiar enough with these machines from his brief moment in the spotlight before coming to Beacon.


Kuro wandered closer to try and feel out the situation a bit better. There were definitely two clashing groups. One seemed to be a small mob of disgruntled citizens and the other side was was populated by a mix of robotic and organic peace officers. Each one carried some kind of shield that interlinked with that of the man standing beside him. The officers had formed a line and appeared to be trying to hold back the mob.


Slowly over time, people began to wander away from the crowd, diminishing its presence significantly until the officers were able to effectively push back what remained. Once they began to lose ground, the mob scattered, running down the street and disappearing into alleyways. Whatever the conflict was over, the officers had clearly won.


Kuro turned away and continued his walk after the crowd dispersed. He didn't have NY interest in being interviewed about what he saw or talking to anyone about what caused it. It wasn't his business anyway. Maybe if he was assigned to a mission that entailed this kind of work, he would pay it more attention than just some odd happening.


@TheOnlyCatbug @LadyClara @Entarriance @GasMaskie @Dragonfry @Embaga Elder

 

[Dragonfry]

Jade looked at the guy in disbelief. "You were taking a nap. In the closet. But there's a bed... You know what, never mind." she said. She watched as the guy walked over and opened a mini fridge before spouting the tagline. When she glanced into his fridge, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Dude. 'Chill out', really? I'm starting to think you've got a sponsorship deal or something." she shrugged. "Whatever, you do you I guess. I've seen worse."


She wondered for a second if she was being a little too critical of the guy's soda... thing, but if the guy got worked up 'cause she teased him over a soda brand he wouldn't be much fun to hang out with. Still, best to introduce herself. Probably everyone else, too, since Shiei wasn't really approachable and Joseph... Well, he'd probably be able to introduce himself actually, but it seemed wrong to leave him out. She stood up, smirking a little as she started to speak.


"Anyway, let's just move past the 'Chill' thing for now. Name's Jade. The guy with the gum's Joseph, and that one over there," she pointed to the man in question, "Is Shiei. Don't take it personally if he's being super formal with you, I think he might do that to everyone. He's the leader in case you were curious." she paused, taking a second to think. "So, you the last part of the team or what, soda boy?"


@Rozalski @Embaga Elder @GasMaskie

 

[GasMaskie]

How suspicious. If he's been sleeping in that closet, it's more than likely that he was either one of the students who woke up before us. Though, he should have been briefed about the status of the rest of his team in that case. For all I know he could be the perpetrator himself. Shiei silently agreed with his teammate though, Chill really did suck. For now, it seemed that Jade would be able to ask all the questions in his place. Whether or not he was a first year or not would be another aspect they'd need to clear up before heading out along with an actual name for the guy.


For now, he'd occupy himself with a cursory review of the classes he'd be taking this semester. The young man retrieved his Scroll and scrolled through the classes. While the Compulsory Classes were within his expectations, he had made the decision to only attend the "3 P's" class on the weekends. It seemed like something useful for determining the root of their dream. His weapons are comparatively simple in design while he felt he already had a good understanding of Legal Enforcement through his own dealings.


(@Rozalski, @Dragonfry, @Embaga Elder)

 

[Rozalski]

"I'm Nave but a lot of people just call me Navi." He pulled up another bottle before shoving the refrigerator back under the depths of his bed. While the others might have found his tastes deplorable, it was his own personal bliss. After popping the cap off, he took a long swig from the bottle, draining nearly half of it. Bliss. "I guess we are team since you're going to be rooming here."


Glancing at his team, Nave felt excitement. While living in a private room and doing whatever he felt like for the longest time was fun, he was happy to have companions finally. It would be like the days that he took with his father across the nice fields. New people with stories to share at every campfire. Oh how great it would be to share in the adventures to come.


Meanwhile, lost in his own happy thoughts, Nave stood in front of his teammates smiling like the billboard spokesperson for Chill! Without a care in the world.


----------


Kuro had finally found himself in a park during his walk. As hard as this city tried to block out all memory of the dangerous outside world, this park stood in the middle of it all to remind everyone of the beauty beyond the walls. It was entirely tranquil. Wind blew through the trees that stood perfectly around the open fields. Water ran through a small Creek that seemed to be fed from some underground water source. Even the sounds of children playing fit naturally into the landscape. This was the reason Kuro decided to stay.


After seeing the display of civil unrest on the way there, the thoughts of the chaos that had taken away 2 months of his time weighed heavy on his thoughts. After taking a leaning spot against one of the trees, he decided to let his mind wander unhindered.


Who was the burning man? His form was unlike any other he had witnessed. Certainly it had to be some Grimm mutation. Perhaps it was just the form that it intended them to see. After all, the burning man also appeared as a collosal rock golem. The possibility that there could be multiple of these creatures also made a plausible case.


The theory that there could be multiples would make the fact that the entire airship had been under their spell a lot more palpable. A display of power, enough to influence the minds of an entire class all at once, was unheard of. Even if it was possible, there would have to be years of training that a human life span couldn't cover. Did they even experience the full power of that thing? Or was it all just some cruel game?


And what about Ozpin? Even in his advanced wisdom, he seemed to have been thrown for a loop when he heard that everyone was released and not defeated. Did that mean that the other students died in their dreams before waking up? The 2 month span between their awakenings would make a bit more sense.


But the burning man's words as they woke up. What did it mean that it wouldn't be trapped again? What in the hell was this thing?!


Kuro stopped his thoughts once realizing that he had been gripping his cane hard enough that his arm had started to shake. With his body relaxing after a few deep breaths, he stowed away the thoughts of the burning mans mystery.


Instead, his team would be at the front of his mind. This park had a perfect balance of movement and stillness, so it was a waste not to use this space for thinking.


Clara had been declared their team leader. From his memory, he recalled that she had been too injured to fight at all. Her injuries were sustained while trying to save the airship as well. As noble as it sounded, being a martyr wasn't going to help lead the team. Hopefully her actions were only an isolated case. If not, they would have a long learning curve before being able to perform well.


May was curiosity. On their first meeting, she had tried to remorselessly kill him. Yet, at every point afterwards she was innocent as can be. Even fighting the golem she was more kind to it than she was to him. If it was the crash that had broken her mentality for a moment, it didn't bode well for the team. If she snapped and stabbed someone in the back during a stressful situation...


Kuro didn't want to think about what he would have to do.


Indigo was not his type of person at all. A flashy eccentric with a relatively loud mouth. Although he apparently had a few useful skills behind the façade. His work on weapons might be useful at some point. Still, having to share a room and a major portion of each day with him would be taxing. Especially after seeing him disregard the team effort of defeating the golem.


In that light, his team seemed to be a band of misfits cobbled together out of chance. Time would only tell if they would be able to hold up.


Then again, Kuro wasn't free from blame either. He had nearly sacrificed himself on May's blade. That in itself was more reckless and martyr-like than Clara's actions. At least she intended to save someone, anyone really, or go down trying.


He hadn't exactly worked with the team in taking out the golem either. Indigo had supplied the ice that encased the golems head and lead to their release. Even though he had willingly broken from the team, it was much larger a contribution in the grand scheme of the battle. Kuro had merely lost himself in a personal quest for glory and decided to test his personal strength and stubborness against the beast. It was a theatrical play, but not so important in the long run.


And May, well she had at least stopped her blade before piercing the heart of a friend. Kuro couldn't say the same of his own hands.


Everyone had room to grow, that much was certain. The path ahead would be long for everyone, and Kuro's maybe even longer. He still had his own demons to fight before questioning any of the others.


The park had done well to clear his mind. As the sun started to hand lower in the sky, he departed to return to his team at Beacon. On the way back, Kuro stopped at a local convenience store. Even though it hadn't been said to their faces, his own thoughts on his teammates were rather harsh compared to his own faults. After they had worked so hard to carry everyone home, they deserved to have a little bit of the happiness Kuro felt in the park.


With some assistance from the store clerk, he had picked up something for each of his teammates.


Kuro had made his way back to the dorm room and opened the door slowly. Clara had returned from her own walkabout and it seemed that Indigo hadn't moved much at all. May was probably still out exploring or something.


As he entered, he tossed the latest issue of some sort of magazine centered around exotic weapons of different hunters throughout history towards the foot of Indigo's bed. The clerk assured him that there would be plenty of full-page-high-resolution images of some of the most unique weapons in the world.


After rummaging through the bag the clerk had given him to carry everything, he pulled out a book containing several fairy tales and placed it on May's bed next to her pillow. She had said something about a library before she left and had even made comments about the storybook-like landscape of the dream.if she wasn't already too tired from reading, maybe she would find it enjoyable.


"Oh, and this is yours." Kuro tossed a small bag of gummy fish towards Clara. He had noticed her Faunus features in the infirmary, but it seemed that she very much wanted to hide them. The only reason he knew was the outline that his cane had drawn for him. To each their own. Walking into the room with a whole fish would have been suspicious and possibly downright offensive. He figured the small candied fish would probably be a decent consolation. They were one of his favorite candies anyway.


@Embaga Elder @LadyClara @Dragonfry @TheOnlyCatbug @Entarriance @GasMaskie

 

[TheOnlyCatbug]

Indigo wanted to do something, but it was already past classes. He had a glimpse of what he saw in the dream, then the slight pain in his shoulder returned.


'The fox!'


He got a piece of paper then went to get a clipboard from somewhere. He began to draw with a dark leaded pencil, he wanted to get every detail of black lines before coloring with a very deep blue. It took a long time, he's not the best at drawing but he can draw decently. He hummed his battle song the entire time.


(Feel free to come in at any time, he didn't lock the door so...)