The Bloodied Thirty Pieces

6 - Bluebirds Fly

The cafeteria was unnaturally quiet. Normally packed full of students and the occasional teacher tucking into their meals, or just simply to hang out with friends; today the large hall was almost hauntingly empty, the air thick with sorrow, anger and pain of the heart and mind with only a couple of students or teams scattered across the tables, either heads down and eating their food or talking in hushed tones and sad words.

The two members of team RWBY sat at one of the tables closest to the door leading outside, eating their food almost autonomously, just staring at the wooden table blankly; Jaune sat with them, his hand in a cast as he picked at his breakfast. Sitting around the three students were team SEWN, minus a member, all three with their heads down eating while their eyes were anywhere but the trays in front of them. No one had questioned Walt's absence, Jaune even looked glad the wheat-haired boy wasn't there. The team assigned to watch over Jaune however were also absent, opting to stay in their dorm rooms with Ren and Nora.

Blake and Yang hadn't questioned Jaune's teammates absence, expecting the entire team to stay isolated. They were surprised however when the blonde knight showed up with a broken hand, muttering something about Walt when they was asked about it. The conversation quickly fell through after that, not even Walt's teammates daring to break the silence as they looked amongst themselves, a look of annoyance shared between them.

Every now and then Yang would glance at the members of team SEWN, catching them watching the room as a whole while appearing relaxed and unobservant. The blonde may not be known for her academic intelligence like Weiss, but she was street-smart, and she knew how to read people. She hadn't really had time to get a good read on the other team in Ozpin's elevator, or in the infirmity last night as she had fallen asleep almost as soon as she stepped inside the door.

Yang settled her lilac eyes on Nik first, sitting on Jaune's left and across from Yang. Tall, broad shouldered, and he carried himself with confidence and a surety that usually came from a wealthy or reputable background; yet he looked like someone trying to hide or avoid this as he wore a simple clothes and let his Raven-black hair fall in a mess to his shoulders. There was no question he was strong going off his body type and the size of his arms, almost double his partners, but he appeared almost-defenseless, reckless even, as he wore a simple red shirt with navy blue shoulders, black jeans and black boots; something a civilian would wear. His tall, dark and brooding appearance spoke of a troubled past, and his icy blue eyes looked like a glacier that kept any and everyone out. Yang could see the hostility and shut-off frozen heart of someone from a cold, strict or abusive upbringing, having seen it on Weiss until Ruby's death. Yet like Weiss Yang could see a softness to Nik's cold eyes as well, particularly when he glanced at his teammates.

Yang chuckled, and turned her attention to the green-haired girl sitting on Blake's left. Unlike her teammate Serena was around Yang's height and lithe with a more agile build; yet she had a hidden strength if the giant trident/heavy machine gun weapon hanging from her back was anything to go by. Her hair was perfectly neat and straight, and her clothes without a wrinkle or fold out of place. Her outfit, a combat skirt with puffy sleeves, gloves and pirate-esq boots, all coloured between three shades of pink, was more extravagant and stylish; it reminded Yang of something that Ruby would wear. From what she had seen of Serena, Yang thought she would get along well with Weiss. Both were smart, academically-oriented and analytical, but they also seemed to be strict, uptight and methodical in their actions and ways, especially towards their more 'chaotic' teammates.

Yang chuckled again, thinking of how the two members of team SEWN seemed to encapsulate her teammate, as she turned to the last of team SEWN.

Erika sat next to Yang, appearing like an ordinary bubbly teenager. Her purple hair was braided into a long ponytail, parted at the front to hide one of her eyes of the same purple colour; her olive-tanned skin was unusual for Vale but common in and around Vaccuo. Her clothes stood as a halfway mark of her teammates, being simple in their design of a shirt and corset over baggy pants, slipper-like shoes topped with a mid-thigh jacket, coloured white, dark blue and red with hints of yellow and burgundy, while the material itself looked thick and more durable than Nik's.