Chapter 3: Making friends… but for how long?

Friends, like any human beings, are a resource when amassed in large numbers. The difference is: it takes significantly less time and effort for them to reach out and slap you for being an asshole because of how close they are to you.

Jaune Arc was not feeling well today. Not only was he having a nearly complete nervous breakdown because of the hoops he had to jump through to even be here in the first place, but it would seem that nature itself decided to make his life hell, even if just for the duration of the shuttle to Beacon. Airships and motion sickness do not go well together, just as his breakfast did not want to get accustomed to being digested and tried its hardest to leave Jaune's stomach. This was going to be a very long shuttle…

"Need some help?" A figure in the cape approached Jaune, a water bottle in an outstretched arm. Not even bothering to look at the face of whoever stood before him, he grabbed the water and immediately pours half of it inside. Luckily, the stomach seemed pleased with the sacrifice and calmed down enough to allow him to take a look at his savior. Blonde hair, similar to his own, the color of the iris akin to steel, an understanding half-smile on the lips. Jaune took another gulp of the water and drew a relieved breath.

"Oof, thanks. You saved my dignity… at least for now."

"I'm afraid it won't last long. I'd advise finding a restroom as soon as we land 'cause whatever you ate today is protesting fiercer than the Faunus. I would also suggest not looking into windows anymore, as it clearly seems to make matters worse." The boy raised his hand in expectation of a handshake. "My name is Darius, and I prefer knowing the names of my patients. Mind sharing?"

After taking another breath, Jaune reciprocated and shook the hand of his new acquaintance. "I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc. Is your pastime going around helping people?"

He immediately regretted his choice of words, but Darius appeared unabashed by his lack of eloquence. "Not really, but considering the fact that we're all about to become one big family, I might as well. The world is a small place, and Beacon is even smaller. Best start building up reputation before the need for someone to back you up arises, don't you think?"

Jaune forced a smile on his face. "You probably chose the worst person to start with. I'm not the kind of guy that has something to give in return. Or the best backer, for that matter."

"I'm sure I can figure something out. After all, you gotta start somewhere? Might as well be someone who could actually use some help."

Their brief conversation was rudely interrupted by a sudden news report. "…The robbery was led by a nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department."

Something weird momentarily stirred in Darius' eyes, but Jaune could not make out anything before his expression went back to normal.

"Back to you, Lisa."

"Thank you, Syril." The screen changes to display a reporter lady with gray hair, narrating in a nasal voice. That quality diction though. "In other news: this Saturday's Faunus civil rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once-peaceful organization has now disrupted…" She did not get to finish the sentence as the projection changed to a woman with long, curly blonde hair and a pair of glasses covering the green eyes in a strict uniform, giving off strong vibes of a principal.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon."

"And that is…" Jaune's question did not stay up in the air for long.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor to have been selected to attend this prestigious academy." Jaune's eyes closed for a second. And I am not one of these few. "Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace…" Darius chuckled at the irony of the statement, considering the recent news report.

"…And as future Hunters and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world."

As the transmission faded away, revealing the view out of the window, Jaune's stomach began troubling him again. The fellow in the cape let out a sigh. "I told you not to look out of the window. I don't have any more water, man. It's all you now."

Glancing at the window again, Darius let out a surprised "huh?" as he saw a small girl in a red cape glued to the window, observing the view. As she muttered something Jaune could not hear clearly, a taller girl with bright yellow hair gave her a hug

"Beacon is our home now," she said, seemingly replying to the smaller girl. However, a pained moan made all three of them turn around to see Jaune at his weakest, desperately trying to hold onto whatever was brewing inside his belly. As he dazedly stumbled by the girls, Darius managed to make a quick sidestep to avoid collision, while the yellow-haired girl slightly smirked. "Well, I guess the view isn't for everyone. Hey Darius!" She waved towards him.

"I wonder who we're gonna meet?" The voice of the girl in the red hood seemed slightly lighter than a moment before as she, too, waved in Darius' direction.

"Well, Darius is here. Hopefully someone better than Vomit-boy."

With a loud "smack" Darius' hand firmly implanted into his face as Jaune finally lost the battle against his stomach, spilling whatever contents there might have been.

"Aw, Yang, gross! You've got puke on your shoe!"

"Grossgrossgrossgrossgross…" Yang apparently forgot any other words in her vocabulary as she was stuck repeating this one over and over, causing the girl in the red dress to jump away from her with repeated shrieks of "Get away from me!" Darius and the girl in yellow exchanged glances full of desperation as both exited the airship almost carrying their respective comrades on their shoulders. Although, to his credit, Jaune did immediately let go of Darius' hand as he rushed to the nearest waste bin.

If even a week ago somebody were to tell Ruby Rose she would be walking the grounds of Beacon Academy in the immediate future as a soon-to-be student and chatting up two guys at least two years older than her like it was nothing, she would have laughed in the face of whomever had the imagination to think up such an improbable situation. Shortly before swiftly retreating from the conversation, that is. She had long since lost count of how many times her Semblance had spared her the burden of having to listen to someone, all while desperately trying to think up something appropriate to say in return.

And yet… Today was swiftly becoming the day that would prompt her to reconsider everything in her life and question the life choices that had led her to where she currently was. Mind you, enrolling in Beacon, probably the most prestigious Hunter academy in all of Remnant, definitely stood on her eventual agenda and was, in fact, her lifelong aspiration. Indeed, who wouldn't be inspired by the prospect of becoming part of what probably was the most revered and respected caste on all four continents?

But enrolling here at the age of fifteen, when the minimal allowed age of entry was seventeen, and through a personal invitation of the headmaster himself, no less? Not in a million years had Ruby expected such a turn of events in her life, and despite immediately accepting the oh so gracious invitation, Ruby fully realized the ride would not all be sunshine and rainbows.

To have run into trouble on the very first day of her arrival, though, would have to be a record as far as bad luck goes. Or, to be precise, not so much trouble as people who like to make trouble out of the smallest things. However could she expect that fate would have her stumble over the luggage of none other than Weiss Schnee, heiress to the largest Dust producer in the world and part-time Asshole Supreme? And how could she ever prognosticate that said heiress would erupt in an angry rant at her for this, all while shaking a vial full of Dust at her nose, causing her to accidentally combust it with an inevitable sneeze? Which would, naturally, prompt her to an even angrier rant before finally being driven off by the timely intervention of some girl whose appearance she couldn't describe with any words other than 'enigmatic.' Truly, only rare men with nerves of steel could handle such a chain of events to befall them and remain unscathed mentally. Ruby was, unfortunately, not one of these people; as such, she was so drained by the happenings, she couldn't help but collapse on the spot after being left alone, wishing for anything, literally anything, to make sense again.

It was then that she was approached by the two young men, truly a gift sent by the universe who had taken pity on her, a metaphorical helping hand… or, in case of one of the boys, actually quite literal, extended by the one whom she had a debatable pleasure to see throwing up all over the airship hauling them to the academy grounds. Still, this did not dissuade him from attempting to make a better impression of himself by helping the still witless girl up and introducing himself as Jaune. Unfortunately for Ruby, the effects of the previous conversation had not fully worn off yet, making any concept of politeness and social norms a rather distant blur, which caused her to accidentally point out that temporary low in Jaune's life. As such, for the five minutes this small company of three had been strolling through a park nearby, Jaune had been passionately explaining what a plight motion sickness is.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!" Actively gesturing with his hands to help convey his line of thought, Jaune was interrupted by Ruby, who, by this point, was about ready to sell her very soul to shift the topic of the conversation.

"Look, I'm sorry! Vomit-boy was the first thing that came to mind." It must have been the tenth time that Ruby apologized to somebody today, although this time one apology actually sufficed. Jaune's retort was more light-hearted than sullen.

"Oh yeah? Well, what if I called you Crater-face?"

"Hey! That explosion was an…"

"An accident, we understand. Don't we, Jaune?" With a smile, Darius intervened for the first time in their conversation. A nod of acknowledgment served as a signal for him to continue. "Here's a suggestion. Why don't we call each other by their names, Jaune?"

"Well… The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it." The last part was a very clear self-promotion. An unsuccessful one.

"Do they?" The voices of Ruby and Darius rang in unison, making the two of them snicker at the unexpected synchrony.

"They will! Well, I hope they will… My mom always says that… Never mind." Jaune quickly scrambled to end this phrase as it was clearly hitting the awkward areas.

After a quick laugh, an idea visited Ruby's head. One that would undoubtedly pull the conversation into the territory that would be leagues more comfortable for all three of them. Or so she thought.

"So… I got this thing." With these words, Ruby set up the Crescent Rose, the loud clanking of levers making Jaune jump to the side as the blade unfolded.

"Whoa there! Is that… Is that a scythe?"

"It's also a customizable, high-power sniper rifle!" The passion in Ruby's voice was palpable. As a true gun geek, she could talk about weapons and her scythe in particular for hours.

"A what now?" However, all this passion was wasted on Jaune's simple nature. Unfortunately. Darius, on the other hand, was carefully examining the scythe, circling it like a shark would circle its prey.

"It's also a gun." Unable to hold her disappointment inside of her, Ruby let out a small sigh. "So what do you got?"

"Ehhhhh… I got this here sword." Jaune took out a simple straight sword with a handle blue like the skies and the cross-guard looking like it had been dipped in gold. After an interested "Woooo…" from Ruby he continued with slightly more confidence. "Yeah, it's got a shield too." After clicking something on the sheath, it expanded into a small heater shield, perfect for wearing on one hand or on the waist.

"So, what do they do?!" Ruby's morbid curiosity got the better of her, as always, and after a light tap on the shield it suddenly dislocated, hitting Jaune right in the face and bouncing away. After several seconds of fumbling with the shield Jaune finally managed to get a grip on things. Literally. Gripping the shield tightly and then retracting it, he mustered an answer.

"Well… the shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying that around… I can just… put it away… Hey Darius! What have you got?"

In his head, Jaune thanked whatever higher powers there were for sending him a companion onto whom to shift the burden of discussing weapons with a gun nut, while Darius' face lit up with a wide smile.

"It would seem I have you both beat in the weapons department. Two scythes!"

As if on cue, he lowered his hands down to his waist, revealing a pair of scythes that could be held with one hand, which he demonstrated by spinning them like revolvers, unfolding them afterwards. Ruby let out an interested whistle as she asked: "Cool! But how do you fight with them? They do anything else?"

"I will be more than happy to show you how to fight with the two of these tomorrow at the entry test. As for your second question…"

He slightly changed up the grips on both of his weapons and slammed the pommels together to form a quarterstaff. In a heartbeat, the two scythes merged into one massive scythe, while the blades on both ends of the staff changed their angle and even curvature, a curved blade on one side and a straight one on the other, making it even bigger than the Crescent Rose.

"For when you need just that little bit of extra range." Ruby's eyes widened as she did not hear any noise typically accompanying the transformation. "The only disadvantage is no ranged option. Unless you can call materializing a chunk of your aura and hurling it at the enemy a ranged option, I generally have to be up in people's faces. Though so far it hasn't been a problem."

"Co-o-o-ol. How'd you get them to transform so quickly and so silently? It's been my main thorn in the side when building her!"

"Wait a second. You made that?!" Jaune was struck with awe as Darius and Ruby shared a confused glance.

"Of course. Every student at Signal forges their own weapons. I don't know where Darius has been training, but it seems the same for him." Darius nodded, confirming Ruby's claims. "Didn't you make yours?"

"I-i-i-it's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war and passed it down to me." Jaune was visibly ashamed of the fact.

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me!" A forced laugh came from Ruby as she tried to lift Jaune's spirits. "Well I like it! Not many people have appreciation for classics nowadays."

"Yeah. The classics." Jaune was not impressed.

"So… why'd you help me out there, in the courtyard?"

"Eh, why not? My mom always says 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'"

"Words to behold." Darius suddenly stopped and looked at his two companions with a wry smile. "Now, does anyone know where we're going?"

The pair exchanged glances full of confusion. "N-n-o. I was just following you and Ruby." Continuation soon followed. "Y-y-y-you think there might be a directory?.."

"As a matter of fact, I do." The caped man erupted in laughter. "Alright, let's get going before Goodwitch thinks we decided to skip the opening ceremony."

As the trio was approaching a giant arena-like building with a half-open dome instead of a roof, Darius gave himself a little mental pat on the back for actually noticing the directory when Jaune had to unload his stomach's contents in the nearest bin. Navigating the grounds of the Academy turned out to be a challenging task without any signs to show the way or anything to indicate whether the building the three of them stood before was the one they needed. The only thing that had been of any help was that little map just outside the airship station. Thankfully, it would seem that the layout of the compound had been memorized correctly as the sound of people talking was growing louder with them nearing the arena.

"Shall we?"

As the heavy doors flung open, Darius let out a relieved sigh. Thank the Dark we weren't too late. Being late never helps. The students were still paying more attention to each other rather than to the stage, which was currently empty. A cheerful voice reached his ears; he turned his head to the right, already knowing who it was going to be. A tall girl with golden hair was waving at the trio, yet addressing only one of them.

"Ruby! Over here, I saved you a spot!"

The girl hurriedly looked at her companions, in particular at Jaune. "Oh… well, okay, I'll see you after the ceremony!" Jaune's exclamation "Hey wait!" was of no effect as it got drowned in the overall noise. He turned to Darius and wearily sighed. "Well great. Where else am I supposed to find a nice, quirky girl to talk to?!"

"Don't look at me! Last I checked I was still a guy." Suddenly he felt something at the back of his head. Raising his hand to scratch the annoyance away and slightly turning, the young man noticed a girl in heavy plate armor and absolutely stunning red hair reaching down as far as her waist curiously examining Jaune. "However, you should take a look at the girl behind us. Just… do it inconspicuously. She's looking right at you."

In an attempt to make his best impression of a curious lookaround, Jaune spun his head in all directions, locking eyes with the girl in question for a fraction of a second.

"You mean the girl with the red hair and green eyes?"

"Sure do." Jaune appeared mildly interested, but the two didn't quite have time to strike up a discussion as a figure materialized at the far end of the stage. While it was walking, Darius threw a quick glance at how the girls were doing to see Weiss, the girl in the blindingly white dress, shoving what looked like a Schnee Co. Dust manual right in Ruby's face, with her sister struggling to find the right words to somehow derail the conversation onto a more pleasant topic. Clearly the second encounter was not going any better than the first one as Weiss pointed a finger at his new friend in the most sarcastic way possible, the cynicism of the gesture and the phrase completely lost on Jaune. Third time's the charm…

"Ahem."

The entire audience fell silent. The figure at the stage turned out to be Ozpin, accompanied by Glynda Goodwitch behind his back.

"I'll keep this brief." He took a moment to correct the position of his glasses.

"You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you are finished, you are planning to dedicate your life to protecting the people.

But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy. The need of purpose. Direction."

Taking a moment to look upon the crowd, or whoever he could see, Darius came to an… unsettling conclusion that he couldn't help but agree with the headmaster. The faces of the future students emanated excitement, anticipation, very rarely nervousness. And yet none realized how serious things were about to get in the coming years. Or didn't want to realize. Except…

His gaze fell on a slim girl in a black and white outfit, a bow tied around long, dark hair, somehow the only face that seemed serious in the crowd. Somber, even.

Is that the girl Ruby told me and Jaune about on our way here?

Seems like it.

Darius couldn't help but take an even closer look at the girl as he struggled to get rid of a gnawing feeling that something did not sit right with her. However, his train of thought had been interrupted as Ozpin continued his speech, which evoked the very same feeling. The headmaster's voice was calm as ever, but his eyes just wandered around aimlessly, almost as if he didn't care what he was saying.

It's like he doesn't care about our reactions. Like he wrote the entire speech down somewhere and now just recites it word for word while thinking of something else.

About what?

To be fair, he probably does this every year. Surely he's got more important things to think of.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at the school will prove to you that knowledge will only get you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

With the silence still weighing heavy under the dome, Ozpin freed the spotlight and started walking away, the place already taken by his principal.

"You will gather in the great hall tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You're dismissed."

The crowd came back to life, the voices began to flood the building again. Darius turned to the left and saw that Jaune was not actually standing near him anymore, but instead had already snuck up to the girls and was currently trying to impress Weiss with his hair color. Fruitlessly so. A look around was supposed to find the girl he was looking at before the speech, but she was gone already. Darius shrugged and decided to follow the stream of people. We'll all be in the hall. I'll find her eventually.

Blake did not appreciate having to share the same room with a hundred or so people, even if the room was very, very big. Apparently the great hall was furnished specifically to funnel all the students into for the first night. An original way to force people to bond with each other, to say the least. What the administration clearly did not account for were books to create walls between people where there were none. The place had a lot of candles and luminaries, providing enough light not to wander around blindly, but not enough to read in comfort. At least for humans.. As of now, she had no plans of making new acquaintances. Instead, she just wanted to read a little…

But alas, the blessing of solitude did not last for long.

"Ehm… Excuse me?"

Looking up, she saw a caped figure towering above her, the gray eyes looking at her in a silent apology. As the man noticed he'd gotten her attention he took a step back as to not intrude into her private space, yet close enough to be heard among the chattering of dozens of other people.

"I am terribly sorry for intruding, but it seems you have the only source of light that doesn't kill my eyes when trying to read. Do you mind if I take a seat somewhere nearby?"

She sighed. As a Faunus, reading in the darkness wasn't much of a problem, but the lighting was still preferable. Humans, on the other hand, were devoid even of that little convenience. She turned around a little to see just how true his statement was. To her great dismay, it was one hundred percent true. The candles arranged around the hall were too dim to provide for a decent illumination and the chandeliers had already been turned off. The sconce behind her truly was the only beacon of hope for a man desperate to read.

"I suppose there is still some place left. Sure." She slightly shifted to the left. At least he was reasonably polite. I wonder if he still would be without that bow?..

The figure silently took place at her right and opened his book somewhere in the middle. Slightly misplacing her gaze, Blake managed to read the name of the book. 'Creatures of Grimm. Classification, Analysis, Combat Scenarios'. Somebody's doing their homework before we even get any.

"I'm almost certain tomorrow's initiation involves us facing off against Grimm. I took up this book a couple of days ago to have an introduction to the craft, so to speak. When it comes to life or death situations, I rather prefer preparedness over luck and personal heroism. Do you?"

Her curiosity did not go unnoticed, as the stranger's eyes were now looking at her instead of his book. With a saddened look towards hers, she chose manners over letters.

"I can see the merits of such an approach. Dying would be… unlucky."

"I'm glad we can agree on that." He smiled, and after a second-long hesitation Blake decided to smile slightly in response. Yes, he is very clearly trying to strike up a friendly conversation. But hey, at least he knows what he's doing.

"My name is Darius. May I have the honor of learning yours?" The smile still on his face, he placed his right hand to the heart as he produced a bow slightly too deep to be taken seriously.

"I'm Blake. Nice to meet you. How often do you just approach people and start a conversation?" Blake was still slightly suspicious of the stranger's intentions, as well as a little embarrassed by how easily he just walked up to her and got her to talk.

So much for the show you wanted to put up, Belladonna. What next? You get designated a team leader?

"I actually meant to thank you for bailing my friend out of a very sticky situation earlier today. Having a meltdown on the very first day would leave a slightly skewered impression, I'm sure. Thank you for defusing the situation before she involuntarily escalated things." A sleight of hand in the direction of the girl laying in the sleeping bag, discussing something with another girl, much taller and broader than her.

Darius continued. "As for your question… You might be surprised, but you are the second one to ask me such a question today. So, maybe the answer is too often. However, it's not like we're going to be isolated from each other for eons past now. We have four years of training before us, and we have only one roof to share. One of my friends says: 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet'. Considering the circumstances, maybe it's better to start meeting them sooner rather than later?"

"I'm not sure I'm with you on this one. Books are just… easier to work with." She shook the book she was still holding in her hand. "Less talking, more listening. You called that girl your friend?" She pointed at the little girl, by now picked up and dragged in their direction by who appeared to be her sister, given how none of those interactions seemed awkward or hostile.

"Yes? The way I see it, everyone here is my friend until proven otherwise. Besides, I happened to meet her very shortly before we all left for Beacon. So-o-o-o it's kind of an awkward spot right now. I know a little too much about her to be her acquaintance and calling her a lady-friend just makes me sound like a pedophile. Ew." He shook his head a little. "So I suppose a "friend" suffices for now. Maybe with a little luck it will also become 'teammate'. Have you met anyone here?"

"Not really." Blake looked at her book again, then at the two sisters (they are sisters, right?) nearing them. "I… kinda just planned to go with the flow. Although in a few seconds I may not have a choice… Maybe it's time to return the favor and bail me out of this situation?"

"Just how much power do you think I have over them? The only thing I can do is maybe take some of the heat off you if you really don't want to make any friends tonight. But if that were so, why did you decide to talk to me in the first place?"

What is that supposed to mean?! He started it! I just replied to him because…

Why did I reply to him?

Alas, Blake did not get to think of an answer to that thought as the two girls finally got close to them and she was hailed by the yellow-haired one by a loud "Hel-l-l-lo-o-o-o!"

"Here they come," Darius whispered, with subtle excited notes in his voice. "Have you made your decision yet?.."

"I believe you two may know each other?" The girl in the orange pajamas pointed at the girl she just dragged across the hall, but the one in question just stood with her back turned to them, either too shy to start a conversation or just outright refusing to. Blake attempted to turn to Darius for help, but he had already covered his face with a book, a smile only Blake could see etched on his face. He just doesn't leave me a choice, does he?

"Hello to you too," she sighed, scouring the corners of her mind for memories that did not pertain to the small girl's spontaneous combustion. Alas, none were present.

"Aren't you that girl that exploded?" As she said that, she noticed some commotion in the corner of her eye. She saw Darius' face merge with the book in an instant, the smile only getting wider, while his shoulders began to shake a little.

"Eh…. Yeah!" Trying to make the best out of a very awkward situation, the little one quietly laughed. The awkwardness of the laugh very clearly indicated that she was not, in fact, amused by Blake's remark. She raised her arm for a handshake: "My name's Ruby, but you can just call me Craterf..." However, she canceled the gesture, as well as her sentence, halfway through. "Actually, you can just call me Ruby."

The degree of awkwardness only continued to escalate as the two girls exchanged furious whispers while Darius remained within the book, seemingly determined not to interfere unless absolutely necessary. With a little sigh, Blake took her book, too.

"So… What's your name?"

It would appear the older girl had come up with a plan, whatever it could be. Without turning her eyes away from the book, Blake named hers.

"Well I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister." She sounded cheerful, but that cheerfulness rang about as forced as Ruby's laugh earlier. "I like your bow!"

"Thanks…"

"It goes really well with your… pajamas!"

"O-okay…"

While that conversation was taking place, Darius managed to capture Ruby's attention. He silently tapped his finger on the book he was holding while repeatedly pointing his eyes at Blake. Thankfully, this worked as intended, giving Ruby an idea.

"Hey. What's your book about?"

"Huh?" The question blindsided Blake. Ruby, seeing an opening, remembered her lessons from Signal and pressured her advantage.

"Your book. Does it have a name?"

"Well… It's about a man with two souls, each one fighting for control over his body." Yang was very clearly unimpressed with Blake's interpretation of the book's story, the smile on her face getting faker by the second, but her little sister didn't let it dissuade her from getting a conversation going as she took a step towards her.

"I love books. Yang used to read me every night before bed…" Ruby's gaze lost focus, recalling the days of the distant past. "Stories of heroes and monsters… They're one of the reasons I wanted to be a Huntress," she returned to the real world and looked back at Blake.

She slightly chuckled at the innocence of the girl she was talking to. "And why is that? Hoping to live happily ever after?" Doesn't happen. Especially to Hunters.

"Well, I'm hoping we all will!" Ruby's optimism, unlike Blake's, knew no bounds. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what was right and protected those who couldn't protect themselves."

"That's… very ambitious for a child." Once again, Blake decided to put away the book as she realized the girl was slowly starting to grow on her. She may not have been aware of the inner workings of this world, but genuineness and honesty still go a long way, even if only for a very specific group of people. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale." If it were, I would probably be the one guiding the hero instead of the one abducting the fair lady.

"Well… That's why we're here. To make it better."

Actually, we're here to fight Grimm. Hunters don't get involved in politics.

Maybe they should…

Blake didn't get to consider this because Ruby was swept off her feet by Yang, absolutely enamored by her little sister's determination to make this world a better place, even if the odds of it happening were less than slim.

"Ah.. Yang, get off me!" Somehow the cuddle session turned into a brawl as the two sisters started rolling on the floor, miraculously avoiding anyone laying there in their attempt to gather strength before tomorrow's test.

"Ruby, Yang, it's…" Her heartfelt sentence was rudely interrupted by the same high-pitched voice who recently caused Ruby to erupt in a flash of fire. Standing in a lavender nightgown was the Ice Queen herself. Blake looked to the right to see what Darius has been up to, but the grey-eyed boy was gone.

"What in the world is going on here?! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?"

As she noticed Ruby, she let out an angry: "OH NOT YOU AGAIN!" However, hers was not the only voice in the hall. Yang said the very same thing at the very same time, only her ire had been directed at Weiss instead of Ruby.

"Tshhh guys, she is right! There are people trying to sleep!" Ruby, for once, agreed with the girl in the nightgown.

"Oh, NOW you're on my side…"

Paying little attention to the debates, Blake turned around and took the sconce to put an end to this. As she was about to snuff out the flames, she saw Darius, sitting in the far corner of the great hall with his legs crossed, waving at her and smiling. Slightly smiling in response, Blake finished the motion and exhaled, leaving the room in darkness.

Maybe it won't be so bad after all…

"I never took you for such an outgoing person, Darius." The feminine silhouette's voice sounded slightly more cheerful than usual. "Helping out people, making friends in buckets. And my, my. It hasn't even been a day and you have already stolen the heart of not one, but two girls! Could it be that I've actually taught you something?"

"I wouldn't dare to deny you that." The man smiled as he began stretching. "Talking to you almost every night for three years tends to do that to people. At one point, one starts craving company other than primordial beings that know the fate of every being in this and every other Universe."

"Not only to people, my dear. Even in your world, humans are not the only ones seeking communion with the Dark. And I assure you, I don't know everything about everyone. Only those of interest to me. However, we aren't talking about me here, are we? You have questions, and I may have answers."

"You know what I meant. Now, I don't suppose you could outright tell me why the entire time I've spent talking with this girl I couldn't shake off the feeling something's not right about her?"

"Why spoil the fun, Darius? I'm sure you'll figure it out yourself, eventually. Life would be so boring if people knew what was coming to them. I'm telling you from experience. Although, you already understand that, don't you?"

"I suppose. Never hurts to try, though."

"No, it doesn't. Now. What would you have me show you tonight?"