Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Fuc-”

The end of Arianell Diablo was anything but graceful. She, foolishly, practiced skateboarding for the first time right next to a busy street. Perhaps it was for the best that her head landed in front of the tire rather than anything else. It was painless.

“-dge! Huh?” Arianell made a noise of confusion as she was suddenly laying on a beach. She continued to lay there for a moment before realizing a couple things. One, she had somehow survived. Two, she had actual… lady parts somehow now. Three, she could feel air entering through her neck. Four, THE MOON WAS BROKEN?!

After a bit of reorienting herself, she determined that she had- somehow- been reincarnated rather than dying. Her body was actually female now, but perhaps more interestingly it had gills. She was a fish person. After asking around, she determined the why to that: She was a Faunus in RWBY.

She sighed. If she had had the choice, RWBY was not her top pick for a second life. The world actually rather sucked, even if it was interesting. Most worlds with human hunting monsters wouldn't do as good as this one, admittedly, but still.

She also didn't have her own muscle memory anymore, but rather someone else's. She had Aura and she had gear and she could use them! If she thought about it too hard though, she'd mess up. This isekai stuff was wack.

After a bit of experimentation involving swimming (she finally knew how to swim!), another homeless guy, and a oddly carnivorous tuna fish, she figured out how her gear worked.

Her boots could suck in ocean water while swimming to propel her via expelled water jets, which could be boosted to even higher speeds by activating the water dust using her aura. If she did that on land, the effect was weaker but still there, allowing double jumps and slowing down her downward velocity.

Her Trident could, using the dust vial it seemed to have a slot for, fire off beams from the prongs. Like a laser gun but beams of various elements rather than lasers.

Speaking of dust, she apparently had a good amount of various amounts. Where she got them despite being homeless? She… didn't really wanna know. But she had them!

She didn't have more clothes either… Just a weird sort of wetsuit thing, but with a skirt. Why did it have a skirt? She had no idea, but evidently functionally harmful skirts were popular here. There were some in various Huntsman shops.

She snipped the skirt off and, with a bit of origami and sewing, had successfully used the fabric to make a sort of belt thing she could carry her dust vials in.

After more exploring, she figured out she was in Vale. This information was semi-useful as she knew the plot started here… soon. The Network wasn't down yet, so at latest, this was mid Volume 3. After some research, she learned it was actually pre-Volume 1. Or… start of Volume 1. It was a bit unclear but the Beacon school year had yet to begin proper.

Oh, and her siren ears were sadly not real. They were just cool decorations for a modified scroll, which could be separated into two separately storable pieces rather than collapsed together. It also evidently was easy enough to drain hard light dust from, which was probably why she had a good quantity of the stuff.

She charged it again at a Scroll Charging Station (SCS), which were apparently all over the kingdom for charging scrolls. Some government initiative thing. Whatever it was, it was useful.

She managed to get a bit of Lien for watching a suitcase for a guy who ran off after glancing behind him. He probably had to go to the bathroom. She wondered what those other guys were chasing though.

After using that Lien to get a sandwich and walking back to her beach while eating, she sat on a dock as she finished. Her legs swinging over the edge, she began to sing with boredom. Her new voice was nice.

“But if my world must go down in waves, if there is no love left to sav-” she stopped singing after spotting a man almost walk off the ledge. “Sir, are you okay?”

The man glanced around, confused, before turning angrily towards Arianell. She could tell when she wasn't wanted and leaped into the water, swimming back to her beach to see what else she should do. A singing based anger inducement semblance was kinda useless…

Arianell sighed as she scrolled on her scroll, browsing the various apps. It'd probably be better to learn about the world’s history beyond what the show showed.

First off, there had apparently been a few Proto-Kingdoms long before the current kingdoms were established. Evidently, the various languages of those Proto-Kingdoms had mixed to form the language everyone spoke today. Which was practically identical to English.

Dust was a known substance before the Schnee Dust Company, but it only really became widespread with the company’s expansions. Speaking of the SDC, it evidently boasted one of the largest Faunus employment rates of any corporation.

..It also apparently exploited them heavily. Arianell, despite not agreeing with it, could see the logic. If you removed Aura and Semblance from the equation, which often happened anyway due to the users of both becoming Hunters, humans simply could not compare to Faunus as a work force. Many had night vision, reducing the need for money to be spent on lightning, and enhanced strength was not uncommon either. Evidently a couple Cheetah Faunus could even match Speed Semblance users for short bursts. Various other faunus traits would also be a boon.

Exploitation and the like put aside, it made sense for a corrupt organization like the SDC to choose Faunus labor over Human labor. They were simply… better. The hiring choices also provided a lot of opportunity for Faunuses… Fauni?, which made it harder for any discrimination cases against the SDC to stick.

Speaking of the Faunus, she managed to find a Menagerie Forum too. Based on what she gathered, some of the wildlife there could even rival Grimm. Fantasy Australia… That label fit based on the relative location of Menagerie on a map too. She followed Blake’s mother on a social media account, the social media specifics she was unable to tie to an original world one. It was called Regal.

She had even managed to find information on herself! Well, the other Arianell. Or to be more accurate- Lorielle. She was evidently a thief, though not a widely known one. One of her exes was a gang member, though the breakup was amicable. She had no family contacts. She had a daily list of tasks to do in addition to her theft, which Arianell did not intend to continue… Unless necessary.

After going about her day, she came to the understanding that without the theft, her lifestyle wasn't sustainable. After selling scraped dust to some folk, she sighed and returned to the beach that she had woken up on. Her meager possessions were hidden by a rock alcove, which she ducked under.

As she yawned and prepared to sleep, she had an idea. She had information. Information was valuable. Technically, it had buying power…

A scheme formulated in her sleepy mind and she grabbed her Scroll pieces, joining them together again and finding Beacon’s office number, shooting a call.

“This is Star Goldman of Beacon Academy speaking. How may I help you?” A polite office worker answered.

“Hello there! I need to talk to Headmaster Ozpin about something of urgency. Could you perhaps mention I know about Salem? He should recognize that.”

Arianell walked through Beacon’s halls, led by one Glynda Goodwitch, who was shorter than the girl had expected. Perhaps because her new body was super tall? How tall was Glynda then…

“Is something the matter?” Asked the vice principal, slowing down to face the faunus girl with a professionally blank expression.

“I don't think so..?” Arianell answered uncertainly before they passed into Ozpin’s office, where she smiled.

“Ah, Ms. Greyson. Please, have a seat,” the principal requested, also maintaining a professional demeanor.

Arianell sat on a comfy padded chair before turning to face the man, ready to get started. “Hellooo!”

The vice principal nodded to Ozpin and assumed a guard position by the door, Arianell glancing over before focusing. If she was evil, that wasn't a fight she could win. Luckily, she was not evil, so the fight was unnecessary and would never happen. Hopefully.

“Now, I believe you mentioned you had some information you wished to share with me?” Ozpin recalled, likely having been told by someone from the office.

“Yep yep, I do. So first off, I know about Ozma, Salem, the Four Maidens, etc for starters,” Arianell started off, making sure to note the big things that would prove she knew her stuff.

Ozpin quirked an eyebrow up, causing temporary panic within Arianell. Had she done something wrong already?? She calmed down as she realized he just wanted her to continue.

So continue she did. “I- Wait, you do know about Salem’s associates, right? I did come here to bargain so I don’t really want to give too much away-”

“Bargain?” Ozpin questioned 

“Well… I don’t belong here and I seem to be homeless. Presumably, you would not want me to squeal about any of this to anyone or do anything nefarious with it, so I came here hoping you might be slightly inclined to grant me a place to live that’s not a beach and possibly an opportunity to get into your school..? At least until Cinder comes down to the basement to finish the job. If that’s not prevented, I don’t know if I want to stick around that long-” Arianell rambled off an explanation to the professor, perhaps rambling a bit more than necessary to explain.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, evidently questioning something about what Arianell has sai- “You’re threatening me?”

Wait.

Shi-

That wasn't the intended goal-

Backtrack backtrack backtrack, explain-

Arianell quickly stammered an explanation out to avoid getting on her hopefully future principal's bad side. “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m threatening, considering I’m rather averse to using it for anything nefarious, but I will admit I expected someone who’s lived millenia to consider it a fair possibility from a stranger. I do intend to withhold information that might be helpful unless you at least help me get a place to stay, though. Like that one tech guy Ironwood thought died actually still being alive and working with Salem. Watts, I think. I have more stuff like that that I don’t think you know.”

Yeah. That made her seem less evil. Hopefully. And ALSO made it clear she still wanted stuff in return for this stuff. Great job, Arianell!

“You have piqued my interest, Ms. Greyson. I believe I can arrange some degree of housing for you inside the city, yes, assuming you share the information you possess,” Ozpin acquiesced, causing Arianell to squeal internally in delight. Victory!

Maintaining a perfect poker face, in which she perfectly kept her face blank and did not grin at all, shhhhhh, Arianell continued sharing her intel. Heh. That was such a funny word, if you thought about it. It's short for intelligence, but only specifically for intelligence when you actually mean information. Off track.

“Of course! So Salem has a few associates. Cinder Fall, who attempted, not long ago if I’m right, to steal the power of the Fall Maiden. She has two subordinates of her own, Mercury Black and Emerald,” she began, not adding her own private thoughts on the attractiveness of those three.

“I don’t recall Emerald’s surname but I think it started with T and was somewhat more complicated than Black. Mercury Black has no semblance, having his stolen by his father with the father’s semblance,” she kept going. Was Mercury’s dad some version of All For One from that one anime? Not impossible, she supposed. She was here.

“He has prosthetic legs. Emerald can cause hallucinations in targets to manipulate them. For instance, causing someone to attack a downed opponent after ‘seeing’ them attacking first. Emerald has green hair and Mercury has silverish hair. Another associate of Salem is a man with the surname Watts. I…” She hesitated to continue, not particularly excited about showing off any trend of forgetfulness.

Alas, it was better than staying silent. “...forgot his first name, but you can probably find it. He was a tech guy in Atlas for a while before his death was faked and he joined Salem. Then you have Hazel, who I believe you already know. You have Tyrian, a serial killer scorpion faunus with an aura disruption semblance. I believe he vanished years ago. He’s almost like a cultist now, perhaps the most devoted of any of Salem’s underlings. Then you have… Lionheart. Sorry.”

It was there that Arianell paused to allow the other two to process all that info dumping. She glanced around the office. It seemed a bit… Hazardous, what with the open gears, glass windows everywhere, and all that. She gulped, suddenly feeling a tad nauseous after remembering how high up this place was. Luckily, Ozpin’s gesture for her to continue allowed her to take her mind off that.

“Lionheart isn’t really loyal to her just scared. Which… is understandable, I hope you all can see,” she semi-pleaded. As bad as Salem was, Arianell did not think she could fault a man for joining the Grimn Mother out of fear of what would happen if they didn’t.

“Cinder’s primary purpose is to get all the maiden powers, being the only woman currently under Salem if I recall correctly. She is working with the White Fang and Roman Torchwik, along with his associate Neo. Let’s see…” She paused to try to recall more information. Ugh. The rest wasn't as connected.

“Jinn and Ambrosia are useful. I dunno if I should elaborate on that. Ozpin’s next body, assuming nothing changes, is a boy called Oscar. The Brothers are creations of an even greater entity, which originates in a place I believe you could get to if you broke out from the vaults from the inside. That… hopefully won’t be relevant. Time Travel, if it’s ever discovered, operates on an “always happened” logic. Ergo, go to the past and that past was always your past,” she elucidated more. Was that the proper use of ergo..?

“Salem is turning humans into intelligent, speaking Grimm. Possibly happened to Summer Rose. The Spring Maiden is Raven. You know her. Atlas made a living robot using that whole aura transference mechanism. Qrow’s semblance can be kept at bay by Clover of Atlas’s semblance. Adam is the leader of an even more violent branch of the White Fang, will come for Blake Belladonna if able, and is the branch working with Cinder,” she continued before once more pausing to let the others procese. Ozpin gestured for her to proceed more quickly this time.

“Hm…” She took a moment to drag more information to the forefront of her mind. “Ironwood will possibly come up with a plan in a few years to take Atlas to orbit, a desperate attempt to keep the Winter Maiden and the Relic of Creation out of Salem’s reach after your death. Hopefully doesn’t happen. I…”

…Uh oh. She had just realized a potential issue. Was she in Original RWBY or Ice Queendom? The events were slightly altered between versions. Uh. She should ask. “Have you heard of Apathy or Nightmare Grimm?”

“I have seen the first but only heard rumors of the second,” Ozpin answered dutifully, letting Arianell think. This… Probably meant she was in Canon since Ozpin knew a Nightmare Hunter in Ice Queendom, but she wasn't absolutely positive of that.

“...Alright. There is a possibility there’s a few of the latter in your initiation area along with that scorpion thing and bird thing. I… am unsure if any of those are intentional. Do you want to know about the semblances of some of the students that should be coming here this year? Oh, right. Adam’s semblance allows him to absorb attacks via blocking them, then boost his attacks with that extra force later,” she shared, grasping at straws for more to share.

Ozpin a hand up. “I believe that’s enough for now, Ms. Greyson.”

“Alright. Was that enough information to get a place to stay-?” She questioned, sure she had some kernels of information she could try to recall if he needed more.

“Yes, I believe it was- even if I would appreciate clarification on some of the elements in the future. Before I see to arranging your accommodations, however, I must ask- what do you plan to do with your time, now that you have a place to stay?” Ozpin inquired, asking a perhaps important question that Arianell had not previously thought about.

Hm. Oh, perhaps she should join the plot proper. “…if you permit it, I’d like to try to get into Beacon and become a Huntress so I’d be training and stuff, I suppose.”

“A Huntress, hm? Why?” Ozpin probed.

“Huntresses help people. They also probably earn a decent wage and I would like that in case this arrangement ends,” she answered.

“Huntresses and Huntsmen rarely make above living wage, Ms. Arianell, and most often they make below it,” Ozpin explained, causing a confused expression to show up on Arianell’s face. Weren't hunters practically government licensed mercenaries, fighting literal monsters to protect people who can't do it themself? Why would people not pay living wages-?

Oh, right. How could she have forgotten? People didn't always value others as they should. Teachers, construction workers, garbagemen, , etc on her world. All did valuable services. None were greatly respected or paid a high wage, which she supposed meant it wasn't completely impossible.

“That seems… terribly weird, but it’s still a paying job that helps people. And I’m probably not smart enough to become a doctor, I feel,” Arianell admitted. She was smart but not THAT smart.

“Helping people is that important to you?” Ozpin questioned.

…Hm. Was that what she wanted to do with her life? It surely wasn't bad. But was it worth a poor lifestyle, despite her ambitions of living a life of luxury one day?

…Of course. There was not a thing in the world that made her feel as accomplished as helping others. Making another smile was worth more than anything.

Well, except perhaps a million dollars but that probably was out of reach. Many smiles might also be equal to that.

“Helping people makes me happy and I’d rather a job that pays poorly but is fulfilling over a well paying job I’m miserable in,” Arianell finally answered.

“That’s not a bad reason at all, Ms. Greyson. I’d be happy to have you apply for my school,” Ozpin proclaimed, causing Arianell’s face to light up with a grin.

“Awesome! Oh, right. There’s probably paperwork I’d have to fill out, right..? Oh, right, should I share my own semblance? It’s fun!” Well, all superpowers were fun. But hers was the best, for sure.

“You’ve discovered your Semblance?” Ozpin asked.

“Well, yeah. It’s not a terribly complex one,” Arianell explained. The only activation requirement was song and the effect didn't seem to be terribly complex based off earlier. Ozpin gestured for her to continue again.

“…alright, one sec,” she requested as she thought about which song to sing. Ah well. Didn't fit the vibes but she had No Longer You partially memorized. “I see a song of past rom-” she started singing before being swiftly cut off by Ozpin.

“That is enough!” Ozpin exclaimed sternly before rubbing his forehead. “Ms. Greyson, I’m going to assume that when you said you discovered your Semblance, you knew what it did and thus assumed that I was asking for a demonstration, not that you just decided to use an untested Semblance on the headmaster of Beacon Academy without warning.”

“…Did that gesture not mean to show it?” Arianell sweatdropped. She personally thought that the single test earlier was enough to be considered not ‘untested’, but something told her the Headmaster wouldn't agree.

“That gesture was meant for you to elaborate on what your Semblance did,” Ozpin exclaimed.

“…Oh.” Carp. “Nothing permanent I’m like, 95% sure. When I tested it once, it apparently made someone nearby upset so I just kinda assumed it induced anger..?”

“Ms. Greyson… do not use untested Semblances in public. Ever,” Ozpin sternly ordered.

“Right. Sorry. I’ll keep that in mind, you have my apologies,” Arianell stammered. In a smaller voice, she continued. “Could you maybe describe any effects so I can know it better..?”

“Your semblance creates illusions on those in range. Presumably ones you have no control over, given how you’ve described it,” Ozpin surmised, ever the smart man. Was it possible to not be smart if you've lived for thousands of years? …food for thought.

“I see. Oh right, did you like… see normally too or nah? That seems useful if it can mask me,” Arianell pondered aloud.

“My vision was impaired, yes, but I imagine it might be possible to see through it,” Ozpin determined.

“I see, I see… Uh. Once more, I’m sorry- Anyway, there is paperwork, right..?” Arianell asked, uncertainly. She was NOT a fan of the stuff, but if it was necessary, she couldn't afford to not do it.

“Yes- do you have a scroll address we can send the forms too?” Ozpin requested, glancing over at Glynda, who had pulled out her own scroll.

“Yeah, I do,” Arianell stated before trying to recall it. “[email protected]”, she finally shared.

“Glynda?” Ozpin requested, the woman in question nodding and tapping something on her scroll.

“Then I believe that’s all for today- unless you have anything else to tell me?” Ozpin inquired.

“Uh… It’s probably better to break that specific news about Salem to your inner circle while things are relatively peaceful? Anyways, have a great day!” She cheerfully waved and went out the door.

So, her semblance was singing based illusions… She had the perfect name for it.

It was her Siren's Song.

Chapter Text

The housing Ozpin had acquired for Arianell was very generous. Lots of personal space for her scant few belongings and food was also provided, which was very much appreciated. Though this meant she could stay out of the sun, she missed the cool ocean breeze and she was a bit bored due to no longer having all those tasks to worry about.

So, she decided to use the ingredients there to make something! Even though she had never really cooked anything elaborate herself, she was eager to begi-

She locked eyes with a potato, which locked eyes back. Or.. well, it didn't have have eyes but it did have oddly menacing vibes for a root vegetable. She decided to throw the terror into the garbage rather than cook it, something that caused an odd relief.

She instead chose to make… cookies, she decided after going through the ingredients. She used her Scroll to look up a recipe and quickly got to work. After a while, she opened the oven to a delicious smell and pulled the pan. She set the pan on top of the stove and put a cookie in her mouth.

It was delicious! Also painful due to the heat, but delicious! AAAAA! She put the rest into a zip up baggie after she finished swallowing, smiling. Apparently Aura protected from internal burns too.

She went out after that to do more to solve her boredom AND get prepared for Beacon. She went her usual dumpster diving route for dust to scrape, but instead of selling most of it to others, she kept it. As far as she managed to determine, Vale’s technology was a terrible but functional mismatch of Steampunk, Early 20th Century Electricity, and Hard Light Dust tech.

Despite the mismatch, she supposed she couldn't blame the city council for not replacing what was still functional. At least it allowed her to get a good supply of Fire, Water, Lightning, and Hard Light Dust. That was definitely a boon.

She glanced at the clocktower and noted the time. She was supposed to get on the Bullhead to Beacon soon. She went home to put her stuff together and headed off to get on. Beacon, here we come.

During the Bullhead ride, a blue hologram appeared, promoting all present to look at it. The Vice Principal, transparent and blue, began to speak. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon! My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it.”

Arianell snorted at that. Good luck with that, Salem was making moves. She was elbowed by someone next to her, the girl glancing down. No one she recognized. Best to ignore them unless otherwise important.

“-demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world,” Glynda finished, Beacon now visible in the distance.

Arianell walked through Beacon after getting off the Bullhead, scrolling on her scroll to see what experience awaited her. As much as the show showed, it did not fully detail the day to day school life. She slurped from a juice box as she began to read.

New Beacon students would be sorted into teams of four, composed of two sets of partners and named with a color in mind using the initials of the names of the members. Partners were decided by the Initiation Exam, which changed year to year. Arianell knew what it was this year though, luckily.

After that, students could expect to be given Team Dorm rooms in a special Dorm Wing, which was sorted by year but otherwise uniform- sans personal modifications, which were very much allowed. In fact, they were even encouraged. A personal touch to express creativity was widely considered the way to go, a sort of defiance of a war from a while ago in which creativity was stifled.

Evidently, the school’s loose uniform policy was also a sort of defiance of that, as was the team naming scheme. She wondered what other impacts that had…

Besides those details, which she (mostly) knew, there were also clubs and a course guide. Grimm Studies, Advanced Combat, and Dust Studies were just a few of Beacon's classes. This focus on the world of huntsman, luckily, meant that more school-typical classes like math and English didn't seem as advanced.

Clubs included a gardening club, a board game club, a sparring club, and a controversial G&G (a D&D lookalike called Grime & Grimm) club to name a few. Beacon was evidently fun, though she REALLY hoped it wasn't too harsh in terms of grades and such. Evidently, she was also supposed to go through auditorium…

All the various teenagers, those that intended to join Beacon and those who already attended, filed into the auditorium for speeches from the Principal and Vice Principal.

The Headmaster was on the podium first, beginning his speech. "Ahem. I'll try to keep this brief, everyone. Each and all of you have traveled here today, some further than others-” Arianell propped herself up further at the possible acknowledgement of her presence.

“-In search of knowledge. You wish to hone your craft, to acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is energy in need of purpose. Energy that needs to be honed. You assume that with knowledge will come direction, but your time at this school will prove to you that knowledge can only take you so far on its own. It is up to you to take the first step,” Ozpin finished warmly, his speech making him sound very wise as he sipped from a mug. It was either coffee or hot cocoa, and Arianell personally assumed the latter.

“All of you will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow at 8 AM, your initiation begins. Be ready,” Glynda warned after getting the mic back before stepping off the stage.

After that was a school-funded dinner, which Arianell was not afraid to admit she pigged out a bit during. Since she didn't need to pay or worry about anything, this was yet another perfect opportunity to eat as much as possible to make up for the previous days of not much nutrition.

The school’s ballroom was engulfed in shadows, the scant illumination provided by candles and the glow of twilight filtered through the windows. Had it not been essentially a sleepover, Arianell might have judged the vibes as eery. However, it was basically a sleepover and she had never been to one- meaning she had no room to decide if this was abnormal.

Whatever the case, she was a bit nervous. She had not brought a lot, but she wasn't sure where she was supposed to sleep. However, she did note a sort of divide between the boys and girls and anxiously edged over to the girls side. She was a girl in every way that mattered now, but that did not mean she was suddenly over the fear of sticking out- not passing due to being born a male and not having any sort of surgery.

She glanced at the watch she had found in a dumpster, judging the time to be about… 8:00 pm ish. No, it was 8:00 AN. Unlike her original world, this one either didn't use those things or they instead used BN and AN. Before Noon and After Noon, as opposed to Ante Meridiem and Post Meridiem. They had the same meaning, but it seemed Remnant had chosen to use Common over the original Latin… or whatever the equivalent here was called. She would have to get used to these minor differences.

Arianell clutched her stuff to her torso as she walked through the ballroom, eventually spotting the distinctive looks of Yang and Ruby near one of the corners. She strolled over, ceasing her glancing around after a deep breath.

She did not have supernatural night vision like many Faunus, but her ability to see in minimal light wasn't the worst either. It seemed Ruby was tinkering with Crescent Rose. Hopefully she wasn't interrupting anything too important.

“Yeah! They’re super into weapons too, just like me!” Ruby exclaimed to something Yang said before the siren Faunus flopped down nearby and spoke in a sort of sing songy voice. She made sure not to SING song though.

“Hello there!” Arianell smiled over at the two sisters, placing her stuff next to her. Ooh. She forgot she had packed the cookies she made earlier for a desert. Hm…

Plan! Get into the good graces of the protagonists via an offering of cookies, which Ruby Rose loves in every universe! That way, she won't end up an irrelevant background character that gets killed off. As much as she understood this world was real to her now, she would not put it past the universe to still abide by television tropes as a law of reality.

Yang, with a cheerful yet slightly confuzzled tone and expression, replied back with a slightly tilted head. “Hello?”

“You guys look neat. Do either of you want cookies?” She offered incredibly smoothly, grabbing the plastic baggie containing her amazing homemade cookies and holding it out with a smile.

“Um…” Yang started, seemingly hesitant, which was likely because she had not tasted the amazing cookies. Did Arianell mention they were amazing yet?

Ruby ‘#1 Cookie Lover’ Rose, on the other hand, had no such qualms and immediately started reaching for the cookies. “Heck yeah!”

“Ruby!” Yang scolded, a slightly disappointed expression upon her face that made Arianell feel ashamed of making cookies despite it not even being directed at her. The blonde's sister had an expression of confusion when she turned back to face Xio Long. “…Don’t take candy from strangers? Or baked goods?”

Somewhere a bit further away, a guy polishing his weapon spoke up with an addition. “Or socks!” Socks..? Seemed like a long story, perhaps better not to ask it tonight. Another day though, for sure. If they made it into Beacon too.

“...Anyways, if you're worried they're poisoned, they're not,” Arianell promised, visually eating some cookies to demonstrate before waving over at the stranger from before. “DO YOU WANT SOME, STRANGER?!”

“…Isn’t that what someone who poisoned cookies would say?” Yang interjected, which Arianell considered for two seconds before deciding that couldn't be right since she said it and she didn't poison it. Plus, if she DID poison it- “No, they wouldn't mention poison because then it's obvious.”

“They might be a snake oil salesperson though!” The stranger replied, coming over and setting down their axe.

Ruby started staring suspiciously at the cookies, which Arianell copied for a few moments before remembering that that was absurd. She made them. Hold the phone- What if she accidentally added snake oil to the cookies without realizing? “Do they even have snake oil at Beacon?”

The stranger, who Arianell decided she would now call Ax since they had an axe, shrugged in response- his face holding that slightly open mouthed grin you get when you're about to laugh. “Dunno! But maybe the snake oil comes with tiny little hats!”

“I want a tiny hat!” Arianell exclaimed, previous thoughts discarded in favor of the prospect of a tiny hat. She paused as she realized she couldn't get them due to not actually being a snake oil salesman. Aw.

“So long as it’s not too constricting,” Yang replied, causing Ruby to groan and Arianell to pause her previous thoughts yet again to process that. Couldn't she just set it on top of..? Oh! She giggled as she realized the pun.

“Good one! Anyways, I guess you're right. Treats from strangers are always fishy,” she punned, tilting her neck to show off her fish gills. If Yang was showing off puns, she was determined to slither onto the scene with some of her own.

Ax sighed in apparent exasperation, as people often did at puns. “Those both were bad.”

“Funny though!” Arianell countered, still smiling and holding back laughter at the puns.

Ax deadpanned. “No- And yes, I’m very much trying to not make a terrible pun myself.”

Yang raised an eyebrow, a terribly mischievous grin having found its way onto her face. “Oh, c’mon, you know what they say- a good pun is the pun-icle of humor!”

Arianell silently snorted as Obi sighed, whispering something before he matched Yang’s grin. “Fintastic pun!” Arianell silently parted her hair to reveal her “ear fins” to make sure the pun landed.

“That’s it! We’re pun-stoppable now!” Yang replied once more, Arianell’s face engulfed by a smile as Ruby simply sighed.

Yang shook her head to calm down before starting to speak. “Okay, okay, seriously though- why’d you come on over?” She asked Arianell, turning to face the taller girl.

Arianell paused and blinked as she thought to answer. What was she doing..? Oh yeah! “I wanted to try to become friends. You two seem cool. People usually like cookies so I offered cookies. And then we started making delightful puns.”

“We seem cool, huh?” Yang grinned smugly at that. “Glad you’ve got good taste.”

Probably over the school’s speaker system, Glynda cleared her throat to address them all. “Lights out in twenty minutes, everyone.”

Yang glanced upward, likely towards the speaker. “Guess we should start getting ready for bed, huh?”

“It would seem so,” Arianell agreed with a nod before setting her things

down and laying on the hard ground. Not as bad as the beach when it was hot, she thought to herself as she dozed off.

Chapter Text

Arianell woke up earlier than anyone else, her body still used to the sleep schedule it had had before her reincarnation.

After seeing everyone else still asleep, she chose to explore- heaving her bag over her shoulder and walking off through beacon’s halls.

It was quiet throughout the school, which made sense- it was 4 in the morning.

…Or at least it was before Arianell heard an explosion, which she quickly rushed to the source of to see if anyone was hurt.

She quickly turned a corner to see another girl, brown haired, at the center of what appeared to be the epicenter of the explosion.

The lady’s hand was lightly burned despite likely having aura, lightly bleeding. Burned cloth hung off the hand. The lady appeared angry rather than distraught.

“Fffffffuck me sideways, I'm such a dumb-!” The lady started before being interrupted by Arianell.

“Are you alright-? I heard a boom from this way,” Arianell inquired.

“Fuck me, you scared the shit out of me!” The other cursed, jumping.

“B-Bit vulgar- my bad!” Arianell apologized. She… probably should've realized suddenly speaking in a darkish corridor after an explosion would scare anyone.

“It’s- it is fine, I'm just in a spot of bother right now, semblance usage gone wrong you know?” The other explained.

…Hey wasn't this the fashion lady with the minigun?

Arianell eyed Cocoa(?)’s form to take in the extent of her injuries. “Ah, that's not good-”

Determining walking could perhaps aggravate her injuries, the fish faunus scooped the smaller woman into her arms and began walking. “I’mmmm gonna try to get you to the nurse’s.”

“I-! Well, that's certainly one way to sweep a girl off her feet,” murmured the fashionista.

Arianell nodded, continuing to walk. “Yeah. Heyyyy, do you maybe want to hallucinate? Get your mind off the pain?”

“I think they warned me about people like you back in the DARE program, ah- what exactly am i signing my soul away for?” Cocoa questioned- evidently getting the wrong message.

Wait. DARE? Drug Addiction Resistance Education? Founded in California in the 80s? This could only mean…

Vale had a significant drug problem and made a similar program!

Arianell pushed herself back on task.

“Wait, hold on, it's not drugs- my semblance just makes you see stuff when I sing,” she explained.

Cocoa’s face dawned an expression of understanding- though still exhausted. “Ahh, you're one of those, what sort of stuff?”

Arianell hummed in a dismissive, ‘I have no clue’ fashion. “Stuff, probably. Ozzy didn't give specifics.”

“Ozzy, huh? You're that close with the headmaster already? Didn't take you for someone into older men~” Cocoa joked, causing Arianell to glance down in thought.

“...I mean- if you look at him, he's the twinkiest old man I've ever seen. But no not like that- I just used my semblance on him during an interview to demonstrate it,” Arianell elucidated after the joke.

…Ozzy wasn't exactly unattractive, but way too old for her.

“Ha, twinkiest! Fuck that’s good, and he let you try that shit on him. Figured that it would be a huge security risk. Mental semblances, well, they have a certain stigma around them, kid,” Cocoa thought aloud- her statement reminding Arianell that she ABSOLUTELY wasn't supposed to have done that.

Arianell whistled innocently. “...What were we talking about?”

“You were saving me from myself, my brilliant little steed, you,” Cocoa reminded- evidently buying Arianell's trick.

Arianell flushed red from how she was referred to as she wandered over to a map on a wall. “A-Ah- right- yeah. Yep. Want to experience my semblance?”

“You should know that having someone ‘experience your semblance’ is a euphemism in some parts of Vacuo-”

“IT IS?!” Arianell screeched, a fair few octaves higher than previous.

“-but yes. If it can dull the pain even a bit, I'll owe you one,” Cocoa finished.

Cocoa rolled her eyes at Arianell’s screech. “Focus, kid. A real battlefield is going to be a lot more distracting than a single pretty girl in your arms.”

“I’m not that younger than you-” She protested before signing and starting to sing the first memorable song that came to mind. “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do~ I'm half crazy all for the love of you~”

Cocoa, hallucinating something, commented on the song choice. “Truly, what a banger~ Also, I know that I've been flirting with you, but you do know what this song is about right?”

Arianell choked on her spit, the singing and thus hallucination ending. “It’s an easy to remember song- don't think about it that much-!”

“Well, at least you know how to serenade a lady. You got that going for you,” Cocoa teased.

Arianell blushed again before starting to sing another song- payback for Cocoa’s teasing, whether the Remnant native knew it or not. “Never gonna give you up~ Never gonna let you down~”

“I dont know whether to kiss you or kill you- I don't recommend you continue with that one,” Cocoa firmly warned- perhaps an implied threat.

“...I’m allergic to being killed, very lethal allergies in fact-” Arianell quipped in response.

“That’s very unfortunate. You're going to get quite acquainted with death in this career, so you best get used to it,” Cocoa replied- evidently having missed the joke entirely.

…still, Arianell had more. “Not if I die!” The redhead switched to a different song before Cocoa could respond. “Sharks are the gods of the sea~ But they lack some legs with knees~ Give them some and let us see~ How the world will end with glee~”

“Something tells me that you shouldn't be singing this, and I can't quite tell why. Must be the blood loss,” Cocoa surmised quietly.

Arianell gave her a quick headpat before shifting into a strainer mix of singing and actual speaking. “I think we're almost there~”

Cocoa leaned her head against the faunus’s shoulder. “What a shame, you’re quite good at making a girl feel proud of her thighs~”

Arianell’s current song, Just A Man, has its lyrics stuttered- the hallucination faltering in turn- when she realized where her left hand was holding the smaller girl due to their comment. She moves it down to her lower legs.

Cocoa exhales with amusement, glancing up in Arianell’s direction before shaking her head and trying to hum along. Arianell wondered what she was seeing.

Arianell traces a Y into Cocoa’s neck, unable to pause to vocalize the question- all pauses dedicated to catching breath before continuing.

“Hmm, pffhmm- you've got a rather good voice, could definitely use some work, but that's the whole point of it all, I suppose-” Cocoa rambled- sounding somewhat loopy.

Luckily for her- and for the out of breath, panting Arianell- they now stood in front of the nurse's office. “We’re here.. I think. And thanks.”

“Thanks? Kid, I should be the one thanking you! You didn’t have to help me. I could’ve gotten here on my own. But that doesn't change the fact that you helped me when I needed it,” Cocoa exclaimed in reply.

“It’s no biggie. ‘That's just what heroes do,’” Arianell responded, quoting Thor: Ragnarok.

“Alright, you've officially ruined the mood, and to think I was going to kiss you.”

…

…

…

WHA-

“Y-You WERE?!” Arianell screeched as she set Coco gently down on one of the cots.

“Pffhahahaha, oh kid, you are too easy to tease. Like an aquatic Velvet, you'd like her I imagine, very similar the two of ya’,” Cocoa rambled about the two faunuses.

…or at least Arianell thought Velvet was a faunus. She vaguely remembered her being a rabbit faunus but it could be her mind playing tricks on her.

Arianell nodded in response before Cocoa continued. “But if you do want that kiss, well, you can wait till I'm not so bloody, or you can cash it in for a proper date. Assuming you pass initiation, that is.”

“Heh. I'm definitely gonna pass,” Arianell boasted in a somewhat arrogant tone. Then she paused, her face going red. “Wait what?!”

“Aww, what's the matter? You're not afraid are you?” Cocoa teased.

“‘Course not-” Arianell began to protest before being cut off.

“Double or nothing it is then, you're paying of course.”

WHAT DID THAT EVEN MEAN- Arianell groaned as her brain moved on to her finances. “...fine.”

“Pfhahhahahah, oh kid, they are going to eat you alive. You really gotta learn how to haggle,” Cocoa warned.

“Who? The Grimm? I'll kill em-” Arianell responded, somewhat offended by the idea a Grimm could eat her so easily.

“Oh the Grimm are the simple ones, it's other people that you gotta look out for, you can never tell what utter bullshit some rando will pull out their ass and ruin your entire week. Trust me, it sucks,” Cocoa noted- evidently having experience.

Arianell nodded, committing the information to memory. …she was unlikely to actually use the information though.

“Just don't make things harder for yourself than they have to be. It's easier to walk around a hole than it is to dig yourself out of one. Unless you're me that is, but that's neither here nor there,” Cocoa added thoughtfully, hurting Arianell's brain.

That metaphor was… rather complex. “I-I see-” Arianell stammered.

“Now, I like having some eye candy around just about as much as the next girl, but don't you have places to be? Friends to link back up with?” Cocoa questioned, causing Arianell to blink.

Oh. The initiation! Right! How long has it been?

“Oh! Yeah! Bye Cocoa!” She dashed off with her bag.

…It was a long dash. And it didn't take as long as she thought so she just roamed around Beacon some more. And then she only noticed that she was going to be late at 7:45. Luckily, she managed to make it to Beacon's locker room. There was only one person there, a boy with cobalt hair putting knives into his pockets.

“I’m not late yet, am I?” Arianell panted, a bit winded.

“Yeah sorry chief you missed the bus. 21 frames down the drain,” the boy responded without looking. After a bit, he ended up turning around regardless.

Arianell groaned before she began to spin her trident. She had discovered it helped keep her calm. “You did too, I suppose?”

“Nah I’m just fuckin’ with you. We gotta be out there by 8, and it’s only-” The boy checked his scroll, his eyes widening slightly. “…7:50.”

After a dramatic pause, he muttered something quietly. He then spoke up at a normal volume. “You should be good unless you have like, some fuck-ass armor that takes an hour to put on.”

Arianell shook her head. “Armor would just slow me down.” She put her boots on and put a vial of water dust in each of them, standing up and glancing over. “Done. You're a bit slow. Wanna race to the launching zone?”

“You know what? Sure. Warming up’s usually a good idea,” the boy remarked before closing the locker and patting himself off. “Ready when you are.”

Arianell stretched before beginning to count down. “3. 2. Go.” Arianell sprinted off as soon as she said go, skipping 1 entirely.

She seemed to be a bit ahead of the other before she heard his shouting as he flew past. “Comin’ through!” 

Arianell cursed under her breath before tripling the length of each of her strides via continuous use of her boots. “Air resistance won't let you maintain that speed, y'know-!”

“That’s what Aura’s for!” The other boy noted smugly, staying ahead even with Arianell's increased speed via shoving himself off walls.

“Gah!” She screamed with just the slightest bit of that human emotion called road rage. She switched the load of her trident from water dust to combustion dust to launch herself towards Sky.

“Oh fuck!” The boy holds out a duffel bag for whatever meager protection it'd offer, but Arianell just grabbed onto it to throw herself over the other- pushing him down as she launched off again.

“Too slow!” She teased in her best impression of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Arianell landed back on her feet, took a running step, then jumped as high as possible- double jumping to boost the height- before finally using her trident to launch herself forward again as explosions emanated off the prongs.

Arianell could see the launchpads now- most of them with people already. Arianell soared off the ledge before boosting herself back up with a sheepish grin. She turned to the cobalt boy, smugly “I win.”

The boy glanced at the teachers. “Mmm, perhaps, but I have the moral victory. What’s your name, by the way?”

Arianell bristled at the accusation she lost an aspect of the race. “Nuh uh, I morally beat you in this race too. I'm Arianell. You?”

“I’m Sky, and I very proudly did not throw myself at my opponent. In fact-” He reached into his armor and drew a yellow card, throwing it at Arianell. “-you get a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.”

Arianell proceeded to eat the card. “No I don't. And it was very sportsmanish!”

“…Impressive. I-” Sky glanced over at the teachers again before dropping whatever he was going to say. “I think we should actually find a spot now. Nice meeting you though!”

“You too, Sky,” Arianell responded, still smugly grinning. She went over to the nearest open launch pad and glanced at the sky as she waited.

What a beautiful morning to be launched into a forest full of deadly monsters made by God and an immortal witch.

Ozpin began to speak. “As you are all no doubt aware, each and every one of you is here because you have the drive to become warriors and protectors in our never-ending battle against the Grimm. Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest.”

Arianell touched a finger to her chin. She wondered if they could use the Staff of Creation to evaporate every Grimm with antimatter.

Glynda continued where Ozpin left off. “I’m sure many of you are aware of the rumors surrounding the assignment of teams. Allow us to put an end to your confusion: each of you will be given teammates. Today.”

There had been rumors?

“These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well,” Ozpin instructed wisely before smiling mischievously.

“...That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years. After you've found your partners, make your way to the northern end of the forest with all due haste. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die.”

Arianell pondered the legality of tossing children into a scenario where they may die without safeguards before deciding the man older than either of her bloodlines probably knew better.

Ozpin continued without regard to Arianell's thoughts. “Each of you will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You must rely on yourself and your fellow students to succeed. On the northern end of the forest, you will find an abandoned temple containing several relics. Each pair of students must choose one and return to the top of this cliff. We will regard that item and your standing before grading you appropriately. Are there any questions?”

When nobody raised any questions, Ozpin smiled. “Good! Now, take your positions.”

One by one the students are launched, Arianell attempting to use the height to scout for the general location of the ruins.

She used a combination of her tridents and boots to stay airborne for a good while to scout before letting herself drop.

She propelled herself into a tree with her boots before stabbing her trident into it to slow herself down.

She eventually landed right on top of a lady even taller than her-

The two glance at each other before they have the chance to look away- Arianell sighing.

“...I wanted to partner with Ruby. Drats,” Aria lamented as the other shoved her off and stood up.

“So. We're partners now. Name’s Raxa. What's yours?” The other woman asked, holding a hand out to Arianell.

Arianell pulled herself up before smiling. “Name’s Arianell! Swell to meetcha, Raxa! By the way, the ruins are-”

Arianell paused as she looked around. Which way had she seen them while in the sky..?

“...guh. Probably one of these ways.”

Raxa looked slightly disappointed at that. “Ah. Well then. Let's head out, yes?”

Arianell nodded, letting the other take the lead- because she certainly lacked tracking skills.

After a while of walking, Raxa raised a palm. “Wait! Grimm.”

From the surrounding bushes, Beowolves spilled out.

Luckily, with their combined combat ability, they managed to slay the Beowolves and kept moving.

…Or at least they were about to keep moving before a rumbling was heard behind them.

The duo looked back and saw a giant golem type Grimm glaring down at them before they looked at each other.

Suffice to say, no words needed to be exchanged for both of them to get the message.

Arianell swapped the vial in her trident for a vial of water dust. Every now and then, she let loose high PSI jets of water at its mask- It never made much headway beyond causing small holes in the mask.

It worked for a distraction whenever it caught up, at least.

Eventually, they seemed to have managed to thwart it and escape- though they could still hear it in the distance.

Raxa suddenly veered right. “There. I hear voices.”

Arianell nodded and sprinted ahead of her- she was the faster of the two as she had learned, and if that was the ruins ahead, she would make sure they got a piece.

Shoving through undergrowth, she emerged in the clearing with the ruins, wincing at the sudden free light before looking around.

Already lots of people here. “Drats. I'm late.”

Raxa jogged into the scene just behind Arianell, at a more relaxed pace.

“You’re not late yet- the party’s just getting started!” Yang exclaimed, prompting Arianell to sprint towards the relics after taking that as an indicator that everyone just arrived.

Sky, seemed to have beaten her to it, however. She didn't see what piece he took. “Ah, right, these things. I’m pretty sure these are the relics Ozpin wants us to grab, so uh. Take one. They’re on the house.”

Arianell quickly grabbed the only black king in sight- her choice dictated by how important kings were in chess. And she just liked the color black.

She headed back to the larger group in time to hear a guy she didn't know speak. “-otherwise we’ll have to deal with a really pissed off boar.”

Arianell spoke up due to the reminder. “Me and Raxa got a rock golem chasing us.”

“Is everyone bringing angry Grimm here?” Ruby exclaimed.

Weiss chuckled oddly, fist-pumping the air in apparent excitement. “Apparently!”

Yang grinned and crackled her knuckles. “Hey, the more, the merrier!”

The racist, whatever his name, hefted his weapon as he dryly spoke. “I don’t think people like to say that about Grimm.”

The guy from before lifted his weapon onto his shoulder. “Then again, I could use another opportunity to properly test the pile-bunker…”

…That weapon both looked and sounded destructive.

Obi’s aura flared. “I think I can go all out again…”

Impressive aura recharge speed…

“Yeah yeah…” Neo dismissed, rolling her shoulders. “We’ll figure something out along the way.”

She turned to Sky before turning back and doing a double take. NEO WAS HERE?!

…eh, if she was turning over a new leaf, that was fine by her. She should've come up with a more creative disguise than changing her color pallette though…

“I guess this is the part where I also say my pre-battle dialogue,” Sky notes, clearing his throat. “It’s time- wait no. Uh. You’ll get no- mm. Not that one either…”

“Something-something victory, maybe?” Obi suggested.

Weiss, tapping fingers against her rapier, gave her input. “I’m partial to a good ‘die, monster, you don’t belong in this world’.”

“Wait, no, I got one! It’s time to cross the skyli- wait that doesn’t make sense in this context,” Sky lamented. It sounded like a good pun at least.

A woman Arianell didn't know and Jaune come out of the woods, Jaune appearing pretty hurt- though the woman’s weapons seemed to be almost as damaged.

“Oh look at that, we’re the last ones, shocking,” sarcastically pointed out the woman.

“Frankly I’m surprised we made it in time to grab a relic,” Jaune noted- not quite the image of confidence Arianell had expected from him this early on.

The woman glared at Jaune before turning to the others. “So am I.”

The woman grabbed Jaune and dragged him to the relics. Jaune looked over them for a minute. “Every knight needs a castle, right?”

He presumably took a rook of some sort. “Knights are lame. Wearing armor doesn’t mean you can delude yourself into being a good one,” spouted the woman.

Arianell tuned out the rest of their conversation as she searched for the way out of the forest- before a screech could be heard.

She looked up to see a giant bird before looking back to the forest after a crunch to see a giant scorpion.

She pointed her trident in between the eyes of the scorpion in preparation.

“Is that it? I expected-” Nora began before being interrupted by the golem bursting through a wall and a boar rolling onto the scene.

“Ah, party’s starting. Fun,” BFG Guy sarcastically exclaimed.

Arianell tuned out Pyrrha and the others to try to decide which Grimm she would screw with best using her semblance, settling on the rolly polly boar.

Alas… There were people around. She pursed her lips. “Y'all wouldn't happen to have ear plugs or anything, would you?”

“Even better! I have a hammer,” Sky replied, causing the siren faunus to groan and run a hand through her hair and down her face in exasperation.

Arianell turned back to Pyrrha as she began ordering people around. “Schnee, Cardin, Jaune- take your partners and take the Borbatusk. Lio, Ruby, Schwarz- you guys take the Petra Gigas. Yang, Blake, Nora- we’re on the Nevermore. And everyone else, take down the Death Stalker.”

Arianell pointed her trident at Pyrrha. “Don't tell me what to do. But fine. Which one is the Deathstalker?”

“The scorpion one,” helpfully provided Ren. …He was rather- any thought there was interrupted by a burning glare from Nora.

“I know it’s the wrong situation… but god I’ve always wanted to say this,” Obi noted before spawning a giant skeleton- presumably his semblance. “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!”

Arianell gave Obi a deadpan stare for a bit, ignoring Pyrrha’s order to move, before chasing after Sky and Ren.

“Wait-!” She shouted as they caught up, causing the cobalt and black haired boys to halt and turn back.

Arianell dumped some ice dust out of a vial into her palm, shaped the dust with her fingers, then poured aura onto it to form small blue items.

“Earplugs.” She explained, “My semblance is sound based, so it’s for the best if you have something to block it out.”

Ren picked up a pair. “Ice?” he asked, as Sky picked up his pair.

“I keep some of most Dust types on me at all times,” Arianell elaborated, gesturing at her belt, filled with dust vials. 

“I’m Ren, for the record.” The boy in question informed- unnecessarily, though he could not possibly realize that.

“And I’m Sky,” noted the cobalt haired boy- probably specifically to Raxa.

“Arianell,” the fish faunus reiterated.

“Mmm.” Arianell’s partner grunted. “You heard Arianell say my name earlier.”

Ren nodded before putting in the earplugs with a slight wince, Sky and Raxa doing the same.

Arianell glared at the scorpion. She was almost stung by one once. Clearly, this was her chance for revenge.

Arianell sprinted forward, using her boots for speed enhancement, she leapt over the claws of the Deathstalker- her breath catching as they narrowly missed her- before landing on its back and beginning to sing.

She shot a water jet into its back for good measure before switching the vial back to combustion with practiced precision.

She then leapt up again and stabbed the trident into its tail, just below the stinger. Using the trident, she pulled herself up to use her feet for grip.

She let loose an explosion into the tail as she pulled the trident downward, acting like a lever and cleaving the stinger off.

She knocked it away, using her now dustless trident as a baseball bat to smack it away in case of any poison.

The Grimm shrieked in pain and threw Arianell as far as possible, the girl tumbling into a tree.

She groaned before dashing back as fast as possible- unfortunately not getting back in time before Sky killed the scorpion with several brutal smashes of its skull with a warhammer.

“Well, I’d say that went rather well!” Sky remarked, triggering the three other members of the party to stare.

Arianell turned away not long after, glancing at the other groups- all still fighting their Grimms. “...Do you think we should help?”

“Nah, they got this. I believe in them. Now come on, if we go fast enough, we can be the first team back to Beacon,” Sky pointed out. It was a very good point.

King pieces and killing their Grimm the fastest and returning first? That'd ought to be worth some praise at least. So the party sprinted out of the forest we fast as their feet could carry them.

Eventually, after everyone left the forest and returned to an auditorium, Ozpin took the stage- with a poorly made slideshow behind him.

“Jaune Arc. Weiss Schnee. Wanda Mephis. Cardin Winchester. The four of you retrieved the black rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Swamp, led by… Weiss Schnee!”

The slideshow in the back showed their faces before switching to another set of four.

“Schwarz Beauregard. Ruby Rose. Meloria Chip. Obi Grey. The four of you retrieved the black knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Rosemary, led by… Ruby Rose!”

After that, the slideshow switched again- now displaying the four that had fought the Deathstalker.

“Lie Ren. Sky Lark. Raxa Kivera. Arianell Grayson. The four of you retrieved the black king pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Laser, led by… Lie Ren!”

And then finally, the last four.

“Yang Xiao Long. Blake Belladonna. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white queen pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Pineberry, led by… Pyrrha Nikos!”

“Your dorm assignments and class schedule have been sent to your email, team leaders. You are all dismissed,” Ozpin ended after all the cheering was done.

They definitely got the coolest team name among the first years.