Megumi froze, turning his head back only to see Blake a few steps away from the two girls.
Just what is she doing?
He clicked his tongue. "Fine, let's go."
The girl in white had crossed her arms. "—We're here to fight monsters! So, watch where you're going!"
"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!" Red took a step forward, her nerves giving way to frustration.
"It's heiress, actually," Blake interrupted, gaining their attention. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust company, one of the largest producers of energy propellent in the world."
Megumi felt his blood turn cold as he and Jaune stopped just behind her.
A Schnee…
He wondered if he should have just grabbed Blake and pulled her away. While he had no conflict with the Schnees nor did he truly understand Blake's anger at them, he finally understood why she stepped up.
She wasn't doing it for the girl in red or pure curiosity.
Weiss puffed out her chest as she gave an approving smile. "Finally, some recognition—"
She stopped in her tracks as her eyes caught the tufts of fur atop Blake's head.
Blake didn't stop, holding out one of the bottles of Dust that had fallen onto the floor to her. "The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."
Weiss bit the side of her cheek as her next few words died in her mouth. Her eyes soon caught Megumi and Jaune who stood just behind Blake before returning to the Faunus, her expression flickering between shock and hesitation.
She snatched the vial back from Blake, carrying it carefully. "That's slander," she said stiffly as her arms folded again. "I don't know what you think you're implying, but I'm fairly certain someone like you has no place judging a company they clearly know nothing about."
Blake's ears twitched. "Someone like me?"
"The misinformed."
"I know enough."
Weiss scoffed. "Please. The White Fang spreads enough propaganda as it is. I don't need to hear it from another sympathizer."
Blake's ears pressed flat. "Plenty of witnesses and Faunus who say elsewise."
"Show me, then." Weiss flicked her ponytail as she straightened her back. "I'll have you know the Schnee Dust Company prides itself on its many modern facilities and ethical practices. Conditions have improved significantly over the years."
Blake's jaw tightened. "Improved from what exactly?"
Weiss faltered for a second. "From… outdated systems that no longer represent the company's values. Whatever you've heard from the White Fang is just misguided propaganda from those who seek to sow chaos."
"Misguided," Blake echoed, her eyes narrowing.
Weiss hummed. "Oh? Or would you rather believe the twisted words from terrorists than me, it's heiress?" Her voice went up half a note, challenging.
The girl in red stepped in between them, both hands raised. "Okay! Okay, no more yelling, please? We're Huntresses, we shouldn't be fighting each other! And I really didn't mean to set off the Dust, okay? It was just a little accident, honest!"
"That's right, we shouldn't be fighting on our very first day," Megumi stepped in as well, giving Blake a pointed look. With the way Blake and the Schnee were going, they'd have much bigger problems than a simple accidental explosion.
"Y-yeah, c'mon guys! We're like, supposed to be heroes and stuff. Not… not whatever we're doing right now," Jaune chimed in.
"Yeah, heroes! Like in X-ray and Vav!" Red added.
Jaune paused for a moment, before turning to her. "Eh? You read X-ray and Vav?"
The girl in red brightened immediately, as if someone had just given her the perfect out from the current conversation. "Oh, totally! I've got every issue! Well, almost. Issue three's been out of print for like, forever. Do you—"
Weiss cut her off with a loud exhale. "Unbelievable! You two children can discuss comic books later. Some of us still have dignity to uphold."
Red blinked. "I-I'm not that much younger than you, y'know…"
Weiss whipped her head toward her, outrage flashing in her eyes. "Excuse me?"
Megumi closed his eyes, trying to ward off the headache that was growing in his head before opening them once again. "You're throwing a tantrum," Megumi said flatly.
That stopped her for a moment. Weiss let out an indignant breath, her composure fracturing for a heartbeat before she calmed herself. "Tantrum? I am being perfectly reasonable here."
"And yelling at your underclassman for what should be a mistake?"
She clicked her tongue.
"A mistake that could have gone much worse, had it been the full bottle. She needs to know there are consequences for the misuse of Dust, even in accidents."
"And that means yelling at her?"
"I am being assertive. One needs to be if they ever hope to take over the SDC. There's a difference between that and throwing a childish tantrum."
"Doesn't look like that from over here," Jaune murmured under his breath.
She shot him a glare. "Do you ever stop talking?" Weiss asked.
He scratched the back of his head. "Uh… sometimes?"
"Ugh, you—"
Ruby stepped back into the middle again. "Okay! We're just… We're just all a little stressed, right? First day at Beacon, new people, new explosions—"
"You caused the explosion," Weiss cut her off.
Red winced. "Well you—" she bit down on her words. "I'm sorry, okay? I really didn't mean to trip over your luggage… and you really shouldn't have been waving that bottle around…"
The last few words came barely above a whisper, but loud enough that Weiss heard them, making her scoff.
Megumi felt like he was going to get a migraine. He let out a long sigh. "Look, arguing isn't going to help anyone. It was an accident and she apologized. I don't believe either of you would like to get into any trouble or detention on your first day?" While he was speaking to mostly Red and Weiss, he made sure to shoot Blake a look as well.
Please don't.
A look she reluctantly accepted as she put her weight on one leg, turning her gaze away from him and the Schnee.
The heiress straightened, brushing nonexistent dust off her skirt. "Hmph, fine. I'll let this go just this one time. I suppose one of us has to be the adult here."
What adult? Megumi had to hold down the words that threatened to break out of his mouth.
"Thank you," he said instead.
Weiss gave him a small nod. "Well at least some of you have some manners."
She then snapped her fingers, and two butlers in dark suits appeared out of nowhere. Megumi had to hold back a flinch as he looked around, not noticing where they had come from.
She held out her hand to one of them before receiving a pamphlet, one she immediately shoved into Red's face.
"W-what's this?"
"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy-to-follow guide to Dust application and practice in the field." Weiss' words came out fast, faster than the silver eyed girl could keep up with.
"H-huh?"
The heiress let out a puff of breath before shoving the pamphlet into her hands. "Read this and never speak to me again." She crossed her arms again. "Honestly, if this is the company Beacon is accepting, I dread to think what Initiation will look like."
She gathered the scattered Dust bottles that littered the floor with careful, yet irritated precision, before handing her luggage towards her two butlers. She turned on her heel, making to leave.
Red's voice came out small. "S-sorry again."
Weiss stopped for a moment, before half-heartedly turning her head back. "Try not to blow anything else up," she said, her tone clipped. Her heels clicked against the stone as she walked off, her butlers just behind as they pushed a cart of her belongings.
Silence hovered for a moment before Jaune finally spoke. "So… that was a thing."
Red slumped, groaning. "Ugh… This is… the worst day ever…"
Megumi, meanwhile, continued to watch Weiss' silhouette disappear into the distance. She reminded him a little of the sorcerers from the Big Three Families, both in appearance and in attitude. Her pale features reminded him of Gojo, but her mannerisms were more reminiscent of the younger members of the three clans—those raised with status and expectation, those with a warped sense of noblesse oblige, or those who had something to prove.
"Could get worse," Blake added dryly. "But really, what else would you expect from a Schnee?"
"Oh, don't say that. It might actually become worse. We still have a full day of initiation ahead of us…" Jaune groaned.
"I don't think it could get much worse," Megumi replied. Not unless he couldn't stop Blake and Weiss from meeting again.
"Fushiguro, please…"
Red tugged at her cloak awkwardly, letting out a weak laugh. "Haha… No, no, it's fine! He's right, it probably won't get any worse. Not like I just blew up on my first day and already made enemies…"
"W-well, I'm sure the last one's fixable," Jaune said. "She looks like… well, maybe she just needs some time to cool off, y'know. Like uh… um—a snow angel!"
The girl tried to laugh, but it came out thin.
Megumi closed his eyes. He felt bad for her. He really did. But it felt like staying any longer wouldn't be good for his health.
"We should go," he said, walking a few steps forward, Blake silently following behind right after.
Jaune reached out, catching Blake's wrist before she could follow. "W-wait. Shouldn't we, uh, bring her along?"
Blake shook her hand off from his grip. "Who?"
"Her," he said, pointing at Red. "Crater-face."
"I-I have a name, y'know!" Red said, suddenly bristling. "And who are you calling Crater-face, Vomit-boy!?"
Jaune flinched. "V-Vomit-boy?"
"Yeah, I saw you throw up back on the ship!"
"Ah! Forget that! Erase it from your memory!" Jaune stammered, not wanting to remember his suffering.
Megumi sighed from a few meters ahead. "She'll be fine, let's go."
You can't take in every stray you see, he wanted to say.
Jaune frowned. "Yeah, but she's kind of alone, isn't she? It's the first day, too. Might as well stick together, right? My mother always told me that strangers were just friends you haven't met yet."
Your mother should have taught you to be more picky…
Jaune's current company wasn't exactly a good choice of friendship, not mentioning how all three of them met.
Red blinked, looking surprised. "Oh. Y-you don't have to—"
Jaune gave a sheepish grin. "It's fine. I've got my motion sickness, Fushiguro's got… being-a-decent-human sickness." He gestured vaguely at Megumi. "And Blake… Well, she's just Blake. You'll fit right in with your, uh… cratery-ness."
"Have you ever considered playing a tree in theater?" Blake asked, deadpan.
Jaune blinked. "What?"
"Try it. Maybe you'll learn to choose your words better if you shut up for a while."
He stared at her flatly. "Ah. You wound me, Blake." He then turned toward the silver-eyed girl and gestured as if proving a point. "See? That's what I mean. Pure Blakey-ness. She means well, though—usually."
She let out a quiet laugh, more surprised than anything, one hand rising to cover her mouth. "I-I guess that's fair…"
"If you two are done talking, we're leaving," Megumi called back to them as he resumed walking.
"Right, right, coming!" Jaune said, catching up. He looked behind his back. "Come on, come with us!"
Red hesitated, then jogged to catch up with them, her boots clicking lightly against the stone. "Um… thanks."
Jaune waved it off. "No problem. I'm Jaune, by the way. Jaune Arc." He smiled. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, the ladies love it."
"Do they?"
"Of course they do, right Blake?"
"They don't."
"Oh, c'mon. You can help me out a little here, Blake!" He whined, before turning his attention back on Red. "So, what's your name?"
She blinked, silent for a moment. "R-Ruby. Ruby Rose."
"Cool. Normally I'd ask those two to introduce themselves, but they seem to be more prickly than usual," Jaune said, motioning towards him and Blake.
"I can introduce myself just fine." Megumi sighed, stopping in his tracks. He turned on his heel as he gave her a slightly formal bow. "Megumi Fushiguro. Just call me Fushiguro. Pleasure."
Blake reluctantly offered her own name. "Blake. Blake Belladonna."
Ruby nodded at each of them, visibly memorizing the names. "So… Jaune, Fushiguro, and Blake. Cool! You guys already sound like a team."
Megumi raised a brow. "Hm? Team?"
Ruby blinked, returning her own confused stare. "A team," she repeated.
"We're not, though."
They may have lived and worked together for a bit, but a team… that was certainly stretching the definition of their current relationship.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I meant for Beacon," Ruby clarified.
It wasn't only Megumi who gave Ruby a confused glance now.
"What?" the three of them now echoed.
Ruby felt a drop of sweat fall down her face. "T-teams… Huntsmen and Huntresses are put into teams of four when you join one of the four academies…"
"Ah," Megumi opened his mouth, before shutting it close. That… he didn't know that. And guessing by both Blake and Jaune's empty stares, they didn't know either.
Ruby meanwhile, continued to give all three of them a worried gaze. "H-how do you guys not know that? Yang—my sister told me she learnt about it in her last year in Signal."
"W-we just forgot about it," Blake answered for them quickly. "The three of us were busy after graduating from our combat schools. It slipped our minds."
"Y-yeah," Jaune joined in. "Now that I think of it, I think I remember teacher—" His words dragged. "—teacher Juny Yor telling us back then. How could we possibly forget, haha," he laughed, a pitch higher than normal.
Juny Yor.
Junior.
Those idiots, they're not even sticking with the story we have on our transcripts, Megumi thought to himself frustratingly. He wondered if they even remembered it or if they just said the first thing that came to their mind.
Megumi gave him a flat stare. "Right," Megumi drawled. "We've been busy out of the kingdom for a while, so excuse us for forgetting."
Ruby continued eyeing them like she'd just watched a dog walk on two legs, but eventually nodded, accepting their words. "Okay… if you say so."
A breeze blew by, followed by silence.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"So…" Ruby began, the air as thick as ice.
Then, without warning, she reached beneath her cloak. Before any of them could react, something large shifted from her back as she pulled it into view. Metal scraped as plates unfolded and shifted—a flash of red and black spun outward. A massive scythe extended from her hands, the curved blade sweeping down with a hiss before slamming point-first into the ground beside her.
"Woah—!" Jaune jumped back, arms flailing. Megumi and Blake both took half-steps back as well, their eyes wide, and hands reaching out to their weapons on instinct before stopping themselves.
The weapon was large, its black and red shaft taller than Ruby from head to toe. The massive crescent blade that now stuck into the ground wasn't any smaller. If anything, it was as wide as her own torso and as tall as the girl.
"I got this," she said, not at all perturbed by their reactions." This here is Crescent Rose—my baby."
"Y-your baby?" Megumi repeated, eyeing the massive scythe.
"It's a scythe, right?" Jaune asked.
"Yep!" She beamed. "It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle." She then pulled it out of the ground, spinning it her hands as if it weighed nothing before carrying it over her shoulders. "You won't believe how long it took me to figure out how to make her."
Megumi blinked. "…You built that?"
And you can use it?
It was a ridiculous weapon especially when comparing it to her small frame. He thought Gambol Shroud was complex, being able to transform and be used in multiple ways… but this? This certainly took the cake.
Ruby blinked. "All students build their weapons at Signal." She gave the three of them another odd stare. "Didn't you?"
Jaune winced, scratching the back of his head as he unsheathed Crocea Mors. "Um, well—not really. Mine's called Crocea Mors. It's a… it's just a sword and… the sheath can also transform into a shield. It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war…"
She looked slightly disappointed before smiling. "Well, I think it's cool! Not many people appreciate the classics nowadays, y'know? Also, you don't have to constantly take it apart and maintain it as often."
"Y-yeah, that's true…"
"How about you?" She turned to Blake.
Blake reluctantly pulled her sword from her back. "Gambol Shroud," she said simply, unsheathing the sheath by a few inches to show off its dark blade. "It's a katana that can transform into a kusarigama. The grip and guard is also a pistol… And, the sheath can act as a second blade."
Ruby's silver eyes widened. "Ohhh, that's awesome! I haven't seen many kusarigama before. What do you use as the chain?"
"A ribbon," Blake answered, tilting her head towards a small clip at the back of the hilt, hidden flush. "Allows me to easily switch between a kusarigama and katana."
She sheathed Gambol Shroud before strapping it back to her back, much to Ruby's disappointment.
Seeing that Blake didn't look like she wanted to explain anymore, she turned to Megumi. "How about you?"
Megumi held back a sigh as he reached towards the floor, his cursed tool suddenly rising from his shadow to fit in his hand. He twirled the broadsword in his hand to show it off to her. "I just have this."
Ruby's eyes sparkled as they stayed locked onto his shadow for a moment before turning back to him. "Oooh, was that your Semblance?"
He gave a small nod.
She leaned in to take a closer look at his sword, her eyes narrowing the longer she looked at it as if looking for a hidden mechanism.
"I-is that it? N-not that I mean it's bad or anything," she corrected herself, flustered. "Does it have a name?"
Megumi shook his head. "It doesn't."
"O-oh…"
It was a second grade cursed tool, something he had borrowed from Jujutsu High. His original black blade had been a first grade weapon… but that had been lost in his fight against the Finger Bearer back in Saitama. He had gotten in a bit of shit as that was also technically a borrowed weapon as well, but was considered a reasonable loss for the exorcism of a special grade curse.
"Normally I carry around more weapons… but I currently don't have access to anything else at the moment," he continued. He did still have the revolver in his shadow, though it wasn't like he knew how to really use it. That was something he'd have to figure out later, as well as ammo.
Ruby's eyes brightened again, before taking a step forward into his space, Crescent Rose folding back into itself as she stored it behind her back. "Are you saying you're looking for a new weapon?"
Megumi leaned back. "You're too close. And… Yes, you could say that."
He couldn't keep relying on his current cursed tool in the future. Should something strong enough appear like the special grade curse back in the exchange event, or even something as strong as a Finger Bearer, it wouldn't be enough.
Ruby didn't move back. Instead, she practically lit up. "Wellllll, I could help you build one!"
Megumi blinked. "…What?"
"A weapon. Something new, custom-built, something with a gun," she said, puffing out her chest. "You said you didn't have access to your other weapons, right? Sooo, lemme help. I can help make something that's two, maybe even three weapons in one—like Blake's."
"M-maybe not three," Megumi said, taking a step back. He wouldn't know how to maintain such a thing. "Are you really offering to make me a weapon?" he asked.
"I'm offering to help," she corrected. "But, you'll still be the one building it. That way, when it's finished, you'll know it's your baby, even if you had a small amount of help from me."
Megumi felt like the girl had a few screws loose in her head. But, she was offering help for what seemed to be just because she wanted to do it. He didn't see any reason to turn her down.
"I'll… I'll be happy with your help, then." Megumi gave a small nod. "Please take care of me."
"Take care of you?" she repeated, blinking, before shaking it away with a smile. "I'll teach you everything I can."
"It would be better than me just borrowing weapons," he agreed.
"B-borrow?" Ruby looked aghast. "Weapons are like extensions of yourself. They should feel like you. Not just whatever you can borrow."
"R-right…"
"Is borrowing really that bad?" Jaune asked, his face slightly scrunched as his own borrowed weapon was still in his hand. "We all gotta start from somewhere…"
Ruby stared at him. "Well, you can. I just think it's better if everyone made their own personal weapons." She paused for a moment before brightening again. "Wait, do you want me to help you too?"
"Wha—me?"
"Yeah! Not to diss on Crocea Mors or anything. It's cool and all, but… we could tweak it. Or upgrade it. Maybe add a Dust mechanism or a gun into it!"
"What is with you and guns…" Blake muttered from the side.
"Every weapon can be made better if it's also a gun!" Ruby pointed at her.
"E-eh, really? You'll help me?" Jaune asked, making sure he was hearing right. "You don't have some like… really weird motives, do you?"
Ruby nodded. "Yep! Ah—not the weird motives part, heh," she gave an awkward smile. "... I just like weapons… a lot."
Definitely a few screws loose.
"I-I'll think about it then," Jaune said as he looked down at his blade before sheathing it. "I'm just kind of hesitant on changing it right now… especially since it's an heirloom and all."
Megumi exhaled through his nose, tucking his cursed tool back into the shadow at his feet. "As fun as all this talk about gun-blades and… babies is. We really should get going. Orientation's not going to wait for us."
Ruby stared blankly at him as if she'd completely forgotten they had anywhere to be. "O-oh! Right! Orientation! Y-yeah, we should go!" A faint flush appeared on her cheeks.
"Crap, how long have we been standing here?" Jaune panicked.
"Not that long," Megumi answered dryly, turning on his heel, the rest soon following after. "I don't think we'll be late. We should have had an hour before it starts when we got off the ship."
The four of them remained silent for a while as they walked, returning to the main path. It remained quiet for a minute or two until Blake spoke.
"No one else's around," she commented.
Megumi looked around. She was right. They were the only ones left around in the area.
"We also spent like 10 minutes talking about weapons," she added quietly.
They continued walking.
Jaune hummed. "There was also the explosion and uh… Weiss, was it?"
"Yeah, it was Weiss I think," Ruby answered.
They continued walking.
"We also walked pretty far from the docks," Megumi said offhandedly, the gears in his head slowly turning.
A moment of silence passed.
Ruby turned to him. "Where is orientation, anyways?"
"The amphitheatre."
"Where's that?"
"... I don't know."
They continued walking.
"Anyone got a watch?" Jaune asked.
"Use your scroll…" Blake gave him a tired look.
He blinked before doing so in the next second. He stared at the screen for a few moments before calmly returning his scroll to his pocket.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"We should probably be running." Jaune said quietly.
They continued walk—
"W-we're late?!" Ruby's eyes widened in horror.
"N-not yet," Jaune said quickly, stuttering. "T-technically not. We've still got time. A little. Maybe. Depending on how far or where this amphitheater exactly is."
"We don't exactly have a map," Megumi muttered, increasing his pace.
"We should've gone when everyone else went!" Ruby flailed as she picked up her pace, boots clacking harder against the path. "I can't believe we didn't notice!"
"We wouldn't be in this mess if we didn't get distracted," Blake said flatly.
Megumi wondered if she forgot she was the one who walked up to Ruby and Weiss in the first place.
Ruby gasped. "Are you blaming my baby?!"
"Yes!"
Jaune trailed behind. "You guys are running too fast!"
"Then run faster!" Megumi shouted.
"Less talking, more running!" Blake bit out.
The four of them found the amphitheater with less than three minutes to spare, making several nearby students turn towards their rushed entrance as they barged into the hall.
"J-just in time," Jaune panted, glancing at the crowded room as he leaned against a nearby wall, trying not to fall down. "My legs hurt so much..."
"Wooh, that was certainly something," Ruby smiled before it slowly fell off her face as she glanced at them.
They were in varying states of wear, with Ruby being the only one who looked just as fine as she had been before their mad sprint.
The amphitheater had not been beside the main hall. It wasn't that far off, but having to deal with rushed instructions from a nearby staff member and navigating the unknown campus led to them making several wrong turns.
Never again, Megumi thought to himself, trying to steady his breath. The first thing he planned to do was to memorize a map of Beacon after Initiation finished. There was no chance in hell he was going to put himself through that again.
"How are you not tired?" Blake asked Ruby, her breath ragged.
"Hm? Oh, I run a lot," she answered. "And I also drink lots of milk."
"M-milk?" Blake repeated, stunned.
She bounced on her feet. "Yeah, it helps grow your bones. Makes you faster as well."
Megumi was quite sure that wasn't how milk worked. At least for the latter part.
A voice suddenly cut through their conversation.
"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!"
Far away, a blonde girl waved at them, trying to get the silver-eyed girl's attention.
Ruby turned, perking up at the voice. "Yang!?" Ruby chirped, before turning to the three of them. "That's my sister. I—uh, um... I'm going to go to her, but we can talk after the speech! It was nice meeting you all!"
Before any of them could even get a word in, Ruby had already disappeared.
Jaune had barely even managed to raise his hand up to her. "Ah... she's fast."
Blake could only numbly nod.
"Bushiguro!"
Megumi flinched, recognizing the voice
Jaune paused. "... Bushi-what now?"
A blur of pink and orange barreled past the blond, startling him before the figure stopped right in front of Megumi, much to the sorcerer's dread.
It was hard to forget her, especially her… personality. She still wore a white sleeveless shirt with a heart-shaped cutout, black vest, and a short pink skirt that made her look like she robbed a candy store.
"N-Nora. Nice to see you again," Megumi said, trying to keep his composure. "Also, it's Fushiguro."
"Bushiguro, you lied to us!" She ignored his correction, poking him in the cheek hard enough to rock his head slightly. "You said you weren't going to be a Huntsman! But look at you here—black hoodie, moody face, surrounded by sketchy friends—classic Huntsman material!"
A drop of sweat fell down his face. What she said sounded more like a drug dealer.
"I didn't lie," Megumi said, pushing away her finger. "Plan's just changed."
Another familiar voice spoke from nearby. "Certainly seems so. It's good seeing you, Fushiguro."
Megumi turned his head, blue orbs meeting magenta.
"Ren," Megumi said, a small bit of hope flashing in his mind. "It's good to see you as well."
Ren gave a small smile. He was wearing a green tailcoat and pale pants.
The pair hadn't changed much from the last time Megumi saw them, if anything, he was the one who changed the most since the last time they met.
Blake looked between Nora and Ren "You know them?"
Megumi glanced at her, giving her a nod. "They're the ones I met at the—"
"We met him in Vale during a bounty job!" Nora cut him off, her arms flailing in the air in theatrics. "Ren and I were chasing down a big mean criminal—and I mean really mean—with big horns and a giant machete! We struggled to take him down when this mysterious boy with black hair and broody eyes came to save the day! That's when we met Bushiguro!"
Megumi stared.
None of that happened. He had no clue what she was talking about.
"We met Fushiguro at the library. We went out to eat after that to talk about Aura," Ren said, acting as a voice of reason.
Blake's eyes widened ever so slightly, recognizing them from the few things Megumi had told her about them.
Jaune blinked, looking between the three of them. "S-so, which one of those is true?"
"The second," Megumi said flatly, looking at Jaune as if to ask if he actually believed the first one.
"Nope! The first!" Nora falsely corrected.
Megumi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're impossible."
"And you're lying!" Nora jabbed his chest with a finger. "You said you weren't gonna be a Huntsman, but here you are!"
Nora turned to Blake and Jaune.
"And who are you two?"
Jaune blinked, caught off guard at being in the crosshairs of Nora instead. "J-Jaune Arc. And you are…?"
"Nora," she said, puffing out her chest. "Future queen of Beacon."
"Q-queen?"
"You can't be the queen of Beacon, Nora," Ren said, before turning to Jaune as well. "Lie Ren. Though, call me Ren."
Nora grabbed the sides of her head. "Ah! How could I forget? Of course I can't be queen, we need to take down the headmaster first, and then, I can become the queen of Beacon!"
"I don't think that's how it works…" Blake said from the side, before taking a step back as Nora turned her attention to her.
"And you are?" Nora asked, a bright smile on her face.
"B-Blake."
"Well, Blakey, if you help me, I'll have you join my crew when I become queen! You can be the second mate while Ren's my first mate!"
"I-isn't that for sailors…? And no thank you…"
Nora pouted. "Your loss."
Jaune chuckled awkwardly from the side. "Interesting company you have, Fushiguro…"
"Don't you start," Megumi muttered, closing his eyes.
A smile appeared on Nora's face again before she clapped her hands together, loud enough to make a few nearby students turn their heads. "Aww, but look at you, Bushiguro! You've already made friends! I'm so proud. I thought you were going to be alone."
She wiped her eyes as if tears were running down her face.
Ren sighed. "Nora…"
Nora ignored him, leaning forward until her face was inches away from Megumi's. "Soo, why are you here, huh? What about your plans changed? Don't tell me you finally realized how cool being a Huntsman is!"
Megumi leaned back, weighing how much he actually wanted to explain. "…Things changed. That's all."
"Oooh, mysterious!" Nora sing-songed. "So secretive! I just know you're hiding some secret, dramatic backstory."
He didn't even know where to unpackage that one.
Ren thankfully, came to save the day.
"Nora, please stop teasing him. I think he's had enough already."
"Fine, fine," she said, though she was clearly not done. "But don't think I'm letting you off the hook, Bushiguro."
"It's Fushiguro," he corrected again.
"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, Bushiguro."
Megumi's eye twitched.
Ren just shook his head. "You'll have to forgive her. She's been like this since… well, since forever."
"Oh, the horror…" Blake muttered.
Before Nora could say anything else, the lights above the amphitheater dimmed ever so slightly, before a cough echoed through the room's speakers.
Blake nudged Megumi's arm. "Up there."
The murmurs of students died as two figures stood on stage. One of them he recognized from the screen on the airship—Glynda Goodwitch. The man beside her though was…
"Ozpin," Megumi muttered.
The headmaster of Beacon.
He looked exactly as he did on the few photos he had seen of him—tall, silver hair, brown eyes just behind dark glasses, and a sharp face. He was dressed in a black and green suit with a cowl worn around his neck. Despite holding a cane in one hand, he looked much younger than what his age should have been.
The headmaster looked around the room slowly, taking in each and every face.
"I'll… keep this brief," he began. The room turned even more silent than it was before. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."
A moment of silence passed.
"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy… in need of purpose. Correction."
A small ripple passed through the crowd.
Megumi's eyes narrowed.
"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you… to take the first step."
He stepped back from the mic without another word, turning to leave the stage.
Glynda stepped forward in Ozpin's place, her heels clicking softly as she leaned into the mic.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your Initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."
With that, the lights brightened as the sounds of students chattering rose again.
Jaune blinked. "Okay, that was… not what I expected."
Megumi agreed. Ozpin… felt off, though he couldn't put his finger on why.
Nora squinted toward the stage. "Oooh, I like him. He's cryptic."
"Cryptic is one way of saying it," Blake muttered.
"He's not wrong, though," Ren added. "Just..."
"Ominous," Megumi said quietly, to which Ren nodded.
Jaune stretched his arms over his head, before letting out a sigh. "So… Initiation's tomorrow. I thought it was today. Kind of bummed out… but kind of nervous as well." He gave a sheepish grin.
"Might give us time to figure out what it may be," Blake said.
It didn't cheer Jaune up much.
All three of them had been prepared for Initiation today. While they had been accepted already, passing Initiation was what truly got them in.
"Ooh ooh, I hope it's something fun!" Nora chimed in.
"What'll you think it'd be?" Megumi asked, turning to Blake.
Blake shrugged. "Probably hunting Grimm."
"Grimm sounds logical," Ren nodded. "Our combat school had us fight a Grimm for our final exam. Makes sense if it's the first thing we do here."
"Yeah… Grimm…" Jaune said, his face turning slightly pale.
Megumi gave him a flat look. "You'll do fine. We helped—" His eyes flicked to Ren and Nora for a moment. "—with a lot of missions during our break, remember?"
Jaune blinked. "Hm? Missions?"
Blake quietly kicked the blond's heel. "The ones with hunting Beowolves. Big ugly dogs."
Megumi shot her a glare, one she met back.
Jaune stared blankly for a few seconds before his eyes lit up. "Oh that! Yeah… Well, hopefully that experience will help…"
"Grimm or not, I hope there'll be explosions!" Nora grinned.
"Please no, we've already gone through enough explosions for a day..."
Megumi shared the blond's exasperation. Though, he was somewhat looking forward to Initiation. If anything, it would hopefully be something he was good at.
Exorcism.