You sat alone on the empty Bullhead, awaiting Jaune and his team's arrival, muttering to yourself to pass the time,
"Balur. Baluuuuuur. I know I've heard that before." You looked down at Char laying across your lap. It was polished to a mirror finish, but you weren't looking at the sword itself. No, the only thing your eyes were focused on were themselves. You had looked at yourself in the mirror nearly every day in your life, but when was the last time you had actually seen? You didn't look angry, or afraid. You didn't have that hard edge like Qrow or that casualness you often saw in your sisters. The stern determination of Jaune wasn't there either. You looked like Raven. That bitterness that you had never seen in anyone else. "Baaaaaaaaaaaluuur," you said again, drawing out the letters. Why couldn't you get it out of your head? Why was Raven rattling around in there too? What was the itch in the back of your brain that you couldn't scratch? You idly pulled out a whetstone and took to Chill, laying Char across the side of the bullhead beside you. You weren't like her. You weren't running away, you were doing something. But was that better, or worse? Approaching footsteps gave you an appreciated distraction as you quickly sheathed your sword and looked up.
"Helloooooo!" Pyrrha said as she sent a wave your way. You smiled and waved back.
"Missing someone?" You asked, a smirk on your face.
"They're coming! Ren had trouble getting Nora out of bed and Jaune wanted to run to the store for something before we left," Pyrrha responded, "so for now, it's just me."
"I told him he should have gone to the florist yesterday. Oh well, I'm sure he won't be late," you responded.
"Ha," Pyrrha said, doing her best to hide the blush on her face, "I think he wanted some energy drinks."
"Hmm. Flowers will have to wait until after the trip. Got a favorite color? I'll let him know," You asked, earning a playful punch in the shoulder from Pyrrha.
"I'm more of a box of chocolate type girl anyways," Pyrrha replied, "In all seriousness though, I don't think he's ready. And I'm a little worried about ruining the team dynamic."
"That's to be expected. And respected, but if I may offer one piece of advice?" You asked. Pyrrha nodded her head in response. "You only live once." You reached into the cooler behind you and retrieved a beer, popping the lid off with chill.
"I'll think about it," Pyrrha replied somberly as you tipped your beer back. "Do you always drink before missions?" Pyrrha replied.
"I like to save the hard stuff for fights, but it helps settle the nerves. Want one?" You asked. You watched conflict play across Pyrrha's face before she politely declined with a,
"No, thank you." You waited for the rest of the team in comfortable silence.
***
Jaune was the first to show.
"Sorry, sorry. I'm not late am I?" He asked between ragged breaths.
"You're early, actually. Nora and Ren are still missing," Pyrrha replied.
"Oh, that's good," Jaune said, "Anything fun happen while I was gone?"
"I'm trying to corrupt your friends," You replied, "Speaking of, beer?" You asked as you offered him a beer from your cooler.
"Dad would kill me," Jaune replied.
"He could certainly try," You added, holding the beer out further. Jaune thought for a few moments before shaking his head and sitting next to Pyrrha.
"I'm starting to wonder how hard it can be to get Nora out of bed," Jaune asked
"Don't you live with her?" You asked.
"Yeah, but she usually gets up with Ren. We're leaving early today, and I'm thinking that maybe we should have stayed behind to help," Jaune replied.
"Worst comes to worst we'll just roll her up like a sushi and toss her in the back," You replied with a smirk. A hearty chuckle escaped Pyrrha. It was light, and full, with no attempt to conceal it. And as her body shook her hair fell from beneath her crown. You snuck a peek at Jaune, doing your best to gauge his reaction. Her laughter was infectious, and after a few seconds more Jaune broke out into a laugh of his own, before finally settling down as Ren arrived, Nora in tow.
"We're here..." Nora replied weakly.
"Hey Nora, do you want a-"
"NO!" Jaune and Pyrrha said simultaneously.
"What's going on?" Nora asked before you smirked mischievously,
"Nothing at all. Come on. Let's get this bird in the air."
***
The ride was anything but quiet. Jokes were shared, laughs were had, and smiles were everywhere. It was unlike any time you had ever ridden into battle before.
They won't be like this forever, your inner monologue lectured, sooner or later they'll see the ugly side of things.
And they might get hurt, and maybe they'll make the same mistakes as us, but that's how we learn and I've made my choice. I won't spend my whole life over their shoulders. I respect them too much for that. Your conscience gave no reply. You gave no reply. You had made your choice. Now you just had to live with it.
"For your mission, you will be shadowing a professional huntsman. You have more information than I do on your tutor, but let's make one thing clear. I am neither here to teach nor protect you nor teach you. That will be left to them. My job is to evaluate you as students and deliver a report to Ozpin as to your progress in becoming huntsmen. And, should your teacher find you unsatisfactory, I will fly you back to Beacon," you said before taking a deep breath. You continued, "Make no mistake, this place is dangerous. Students have died on training missions before. Stay close to your tutor, stay close to each other, and most importantly, keep your wits about you." Jaune and Nora shared a nervous look before turning back to you and giving you a solemn nod. "That having been said, this is both a test and a learning experience," you finished, "so if you're unsure about anything don't hesitate to ask."
The bullhead rumbled to a stop as you landed it in a valley outside the village. You took a deep breath as your feet hit the valley floor.
"Well well, look who finally came crawling back," a familiar voice purred, "been a long time, Armrest." You let out a sigh as you locked eyes with Hel. This was going to be a long week.
YOU ARE READING
Arcfall (Male Reader Insert)
Fanfiction(Y/N) Arc is an ambitious brat determined to lead a life as a hunter. But when his sister ties to roadblock him and he runs out of options he finds himself under the tutelage of one Qrow Branwen, who sees to his enrollment at Beacon Academy. Unfortu...
