'Thoughts'
"Talking"
[ Sytem Prompt ]
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It was 5:10 A.M in the morning, the sun hadn't even begun to fully shine. The room bathed in soft shades of blue, darker in some parts, like a blue period painting. The room had four beds, evenly spaced apart, with one person sleeping in each bed.
Weiss slept silently, laying on her back, her hands on her torso. Looking elegant, and proper even in her sleep.
Blake laid on her side, a black covered book sprawled open on her desk, her bow twitching slightly, as her chest heave up and down with a silent snore.
On the third bed laid no one, just some messy sheets haphazardly thrown out of the way, some parts even touched the hardwood flooring.
On the fourth bed laid Altair, alongside Yang under the covers, spooning together, with Altair being the big spoon, and Yang being the little spoon. Comfortable for the two, but somewhat disrespectful for the other two not in a relationship.
To the left was desk, on top were an alarm clock, a lamp, and a few bags belonging to the two currently spooning.
Mhrmmmmmmmmmm!
A soft vibration hummed on the bedside desk
Tap!
Altair's hand reached to the alarm clock, tapping the button.
Mhrmmmmmmmmmm!
Unsuccessful, it was.
Tap!
Another attempt was made.
Mhmmmmmmmmm–
Tap!
This time it succeeded. But Altair already opened his eyes, slightly groggy and tired. He pulled out his arms over Yang to rub his eyes, before grabbing the alarm clock.
5:11 A.M
With a tired groan, he plopped the alarm clock back to the desk and resumed sleeping.
' It's too early for this. '
But it was impossible to sleep now, his mind gnawed at him to start his routine, it had become ingrained in his psyche.
Sigh——
He didn't want to move—didn't want to break the fragile spell of her warmth against him. Gently, he disentangled his arms from Yang's grasp, his breath catching as she murmured something incoherent, her fingers twitching against the empty sheets. She rolled onto her back with a sleepy groan. He stepped out of the covers, and knelt on the bedside.
A soft smile made its way on his face, he reached out. His fingertips brushed a stray strand aside, slow as a whisper, revealing the curve of her cheek, the flutter of her lashes. Pale and peaceful, she looked like a doll—except for the faint pulse at her throat, the soft part of her lips as she exhaled.
He slowly poked her cheek, enjoying the subtle bounce it made when he pushed his finger on it. Her cheeks were soft like a marshmallow, and her skin smooth as marble.
' I swear she will look like a doll when she wears one of those frilly gothic dresses. '
Satisfied with poking his girlfriend, Altair stood up and went to get a change of clothes, changing into something more fit for running. Then he went out for a run.
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"Everybody up—NOW!"
Altair's voice shattered the morning stillness of Team AWBY's dorm. Blake and Weiss jolted upright in unison, their blankets flying. Yang merely rolled over with a groan, stretching like a sunbathing cat as drool glistened on her chin.
In the doorway, Altair stood silhouetted against the hall light. The crisp white dress shirt clung to his torso, its sleeves rolled to the elbows, while tailored black trousers emphasized his lean frame. His ever-present blindfold now hung loose around his neck—revealing what he'd concealed for weeks.
Blake's irritation vanished the moment she saw his eyes.
Golden serpentine slits stared back at her, the irises shifting like molten kaleidoscopes—ribbons of amber and citrine swirling in intricate patterns. Her bow twitched, comprehension struck:
' He's one of us. '
The realization sent her tumbling off her bunk in a cascade of startled limbs. A groan left her mouth as she hit the floor.
Weiss froze mid-yawn. The revelation hit like a bucket of ice water. Her view of Faunus wasn't kind—or even particularly educated. It was biased, shaped by her family's standing and the White Fang's actions, which only reinforced the prejudices her father had ingrained in her.
She could sympathize with the Faunus, though. She was biased, not blind. She'd seen the Schnee Dust Company's exploitative practices firsthand, the questionable labor conditions Blake had described in hushed tones. Weiss understood why Faunus wanted to rebel, why they demanded equality, and why some resorted to violence. While her views weren't extreme, she saw the White Fang as the dregs of society—fanatics who justified their atrocities with a cause.
*But I still can't forgive them for what they've done to my family.*
As Weiss and Blake processed the revelation, Yang finally stirred.
Yang cracked one lilac eye open. "Dude," she drawled, squinting at Altair, "since when do your eyes look like expensive whiskey?"
"Just last night."
"Cool." Yang slid off her bed and shuffled to the bathroom, her nonchalance cutting through the tension.
Altair shook his head and turned to the others. "Anyways, go freshen up. We've got breakfast and unpacking to tackle." He offered Blake a hand, pulling her to her feet before exiting the room.
Blake stretched her arms, casting a lingering glance at Weiss before heading to the bathroom. Weiss, however, remained on her bed, her expression a storm of conflict. The revelation that Altair was a Faunus churned in her mind, stirring emotions she wasn't ready to confront.
After a while, the three girls emerged from their dorm in uniform and made their way to the cafeteria. They found Altair already seated with Team RNVL, who were woken up early by Ruby, and a sheepish-looking Jaune. Taking their places around the table, Yang slid in beside Altair while Weiss sat next to Pyrrha, who was positioned beside Jaune. Across from them, Ruby and Blake paired up, with Ren and Nora completing the circle.
The atmosphere remained light as breakfast conversations flowed, though one topic dominated the table's attention.
"So Jaune," Ruby piped up between bites, "how'd you get in without a team?" The question made several heads in the table turn toward the blonde, who scratched the back of his neck nervously.
"It's not that special really," Jaune said, taking a sip of orange juice. "Professor Ozpin took me under his wing. Said I had... potential." He swallowed hard. "That it'd be a waste not to nurture my talents."
Pyrrha beamed. "Quite accurate. I've always believed in your potential, Jaune." Her voice warmed with pride. In her eyes, Jaune's path to greatness had been clear from their first meeting.
Weiss's spoon clinked sharply against her teacup. "And what exactly did the Professor see in you?" The skepticism in her voice could frost the windows.
Jaune's shoulders hunched. "Uh..." He had no answer - the question haunted him as much as it did Weiss. What hidden talent could Ozpin possibly have seen?
An uncomfortable silence settled over the table until Blake cut through it like a knife through butter. "We shouldn't judge," she said calmly. "If Ozpin sees something in Jaune after decades as a Hunter, that's worth respecting." Her words earned nods from around the table - except from Weiss.
Ren sipped his tea. "Precisely. We should trust his judgment."
"He's strong!" Ruby interjected, waving her fork for emphasis. "Did you see how he blocked those Nevermore feathers? And his plan got us through the temple! The fight would've been a lot longer without him."
"Well, I reckon I could've made a plan just as good as his. Maybe even better," Weiss scoffed, cutting into her blueberry breakfast cake with a little more force than necessary.
Altair's calm voice cut through the tension. "You probably could. But implementing it would've been difficult if you can't communicate it properly."
All eyes turned to him as he speared a slice of kiwi from the fruit salad he shared with Yang, who was happily munching away beside him.
"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Weiss's tone was sharp, her spoon hovering mid-air.
Altair hesitated. It wasn't polite to critique someone in front of others, but if it helped Weiss grow, why not? "I don't mean to be rude," he began carefully, "but your tone can come across as condescending. It might interfere with how you communicate with your team." He took another bite before continuing. "To be an effective leader, you need to build rapport with your team. That's hard to do when you give the impression that you're better than everyone else."
Ruby nodded emphatically, arms crossed. The others shifted uncomfortably, except for Blake, who silently agreed. Weiss, however, was rendered speechless, her cheeks flushing as she struggled to find a retort.
Pyrrha, ever the peacemaker, stepped in with an awkward smile. Gently patting Weiss's back, she said, "I think you'll make a great leader. We're all still students—making mistakes and learning are part of the process. Even if you have flaws now, that doesn't mean you can't grow and improve."
"Well, that is part of the process," Altair said simply, returning to his fruit bowl as Yang stole another slice of kiwi.
Ruby clapped her hands together. "Pyrrha's totally right! We're all still learning!" Her enthusiasm spread around the table, though Weiss remained pointedly silent, stabbing her blueberries with surgical precision. "Anyway, we should head back - classes start at 8 and I still need to alphabetize my ammo!"
"Same," Yang said through a mouthful of fruit. "Got a whole collection of posters that aren't gonna hang themselves." The group nodded in agreement, gathering their trays - all except Weiss, who took one last deliberate sip of tea before joining them.
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"How are four people supposed to live in this shoebox?"
Weiss stood frozen in the doorway, taking in the chaos. Yang's muscle girl posters overlapped at drunken angles. Altair's cookbook, and toolbox battling for wall space with Blake's growing stack of novels. Chairs formed an obstacle course around precariously stacked luggage.
"Cozy," Blake deadlocked, adjusting the strap of her overfilled book bag.
"Cramped is the word," Altair corrected, eyeing the beds currently assembled in what could charitably be called a "pile" configuration.
Yang tossed an armful of stuffed animals onto the nearest mattress. "We should ditch the beds, they take most of the space anyways. Ohhh, we should get bunk beds!"
"That sounds horrifically unsafe," Weiss protested, already picturing the OSHA violations.
Altair shrugged. "Could be fun."
"Logically efficient," Blake conceded.
Yang grabbed Altair's arm with a grin. "I think we just held a democratic vote!" Before Weiss could argue, they were already dismantling furniture with alarming enthusiasm.
Twenty minutes of questionable engineering later (involving more duct tape than strictly necessary), two bunk bed structures stood where the singles had been. Weiss ran a critical eye over her and Altair's creation - surprisingly stable with its 4x4 supports and properly bolted joints.
Yang and Blake's version was... functional. Mostly. Altair had at least reinforced the legs with spare wood chunks, though the top bunk now sat at a slight but concerning tilt.
"See? Nothing collapsed yet!" Yang declared, testing the creaking structure with her full weight.
Weiss sighed, making a mental note to sleep in her combat skirt for the inevitable midnight crash.
"Okay then. Now that's done, we should get to class—" Altair pulled out his scroll and froze mid-sentence. "—like Ruby said earlier, classes start at... 8." His voice trailed off as he stared blankly at the screen.
Yang tilted her head, confused by his sudden silence. "Al, you goo—"
"It's 7:55 now! Why are we even standing here?! Go!" Weiss's shrill voice cut through the room like a siren. Without waiting, she bolted out the door, Blake hot on her heels.
Altair and Yang exchanged a glance, stifling laughter, before sprinting after them.
"What's the stake for this one?" Yang called out as she ran beside Altair.
"Desserts."
Without warning, Altair surged ahead, leaving Yang in the dust. The two raced down the hall, their laughter echoing as they vied for the lead.
"We're gonna be late! Follow them!" Ruby's voice rang out as she and her team sprinted after them. Notably absent was Jaune.
"Uhhh... are they skipping classes already?"
Meanwhile, Jaune sat in the classroom, his social anxiety already in full swing. "I just hope we don't have to introduce ourselves to the class," he muttered under his breath.
"What a magnificent idea, young man! We shall do that the moment the bell rings!" Professor Port's booming voice came from behind him, sealing Jaune's fate.
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A/N: I am back! Anyways I'm going write as scheduled startig from today. Sorry I wasn't able to release something yesterday 🙇♂️🙇♂️
2,106 Words.