RWBY: Beacon's Bloody Bull

Chapter 8

The first week passed by much faster than expected. By the time Friday rolled around, Team ALPN and Team RWBY had already attended each of the five classes they had been assigned for the semester at least once. Mondays and Wednesdays were dedicated to Grimm Studies in the morning and Combat Practice in the afternoon, while Tuesdays and Thursdays had History and Plant Sciences. Friday only had one class, but it was the longest one by far- Weapon Crafting and Upkeep. It was also undoubtedly Ruby's personal favorite, judging by the upbeat tune she was humming as she finished adjusting the screws holding Crescent Rose's blade together. As she set down her screwdriver, she happened to notice Adam in front of her, currently being supervised by Professor Mulberry as he sharpened Wilt with a grindstone. Curious, the silver-eyed girl got up and headed over to them. She quietly stood to the bull Faunus's side, watching as he continued to press the edge of his blade against the spinning stone, a pair of safety goggles covering his upper face.

"Alright, slowly lift your sword off the grindstone," Mulberry instructed, his deep purple eyes remaining wary as he watched Adam work. "The Dust infused in your blade is starting to get agitated." Nodding, the bull Faunus stopped sharpening Wilt, and then wiped his sweaty brow. "Good," the professor said with a nod. "Now, let me inspect it." Adam adjusted his grip on his sword, offering Wilt's grip to his instructor. Mulberry took Wilt in hand, closely examining it. "Well done," the professor praised. "Your sword shouldn't stick inside its sheath again anytime soon."

"Thank you, Professor." The bull Faunus bowed, as his sword was returned to him. Mulberry slowly walked away, and it was only then that Adam noticed Ruby. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."

"It's fine," the silver-eyed girl said with a shrug. "I just wanted to see how you were tuning up your weapon." She smiled at him. "So, are you ready for our teams' first major outing into the city of Vale tomorrow?"

"I suppose so." The bull Faunus gave his sword an experimental twirl, then returned it to its sheath, which was still clipped to his belt. "None of us really know each other yet, so I suppose this would be a good way for us to do so. I can't promise I'll get along with all the members of your team, though..."

"You mean Weiss, don't you?" Ruby asked. "Um, Adam, if you don't mind me asking, why don't you like her very much? She's... Well, she's kind of cold, I will admit, and a bit stubborn too, but she's still a nice person deep down! She even apologized to me for the Boarbatusk incident on our first day of classes!" The silver-eyed girl smiled brightly at Adam, who gave her a blank stare in return.

"My problem with Weiss is a long story, Ruby," Adam stated. "One that I'm not very comfortable sharing right now. It's personal, you know?" The silver-eyed girl nodded, understanding. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'm going to hit the showers," the bull Faunus announced, tugging at his collar uncomfortably. "This forge makes me sweaty."

"I'm not keeping you," Ruby told him. Adam pried off his welding goggles, revealing that he was still wearing his eyepatch under them, and turned to go. "Hey! Don't forget, our teams are meeting in front of the statue after breakfast tomorrow morning!" she called after him. The bull Faunus waved a hand behind him in departure. "Now, where was I?" the silver-eyed girl said to herself. Then she noticed Crescent Rose, still laying upon the crafting table she left it on. "Oh yeah, that's right!" Ruby dashed back towards her weapon. "Don't worry, sweetie, I'm coming!"

"Hey! No running in the forge!" Mulberry called after her.

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It was a bright and beautiful Saturday morning when Team RWBY and Team ALPN met up in front of the statue of Beacon Academy, and made their way to the school airstrip together. From there, they boarded one of the Bullheads used to shuttle students to and from the city of Vale, which made the ten mile trip in less than ten minutes. The two teams disembarked, with instructions to return by 5:30, unless they were planning to spend the night in the city. From there, it was about a thirty minute walk to the arcade, something that Ruby had been hyping up since they had disembarked.