RWBY (Salem: Dawn)

Meeting with a strange-er-

Chapter 29 (Scav)-

Blurred voices echoed around me with a ringing in my ears. My vision was obscured, but I could tell I was being moved. What the hell's going on? Where am I? My thoughts faded out along with my consciousness as I got stuck by a needle, which put me out for a good while.

I peeled my pasty eyes open, unaware of my surroundings at first glance. Bandages cover my body, and a constant beeping noise could be heard behind me; a heart rate monitor. I shook my head. I shouldn't be here. I've never counted on these things before, why should I start now? I tried to get up but a figure I hadn't noticed before stopped me.

"No you don't, not just yet at least," I recognized the voice, only figuring out who it was when I saw her. It was Claren. I wanted to move anyways, but I was too sore for that. I sighed, inhaling for a few seconds.

"What...happened?" I muttered. I tilted my head forward and saw my team asleep in chairs, but Layric was missing. They were all dirty...whatever happened, they hadn't moved from my side since the incident.

"Thirty hours. Layric is in the room next to yours," Claren said as if reading my mind, "Scavenger, I invited you to Haven with the full intention of putting a good soul to do good things. You were dishonest with me. Although I never particularly told you to tell me what your semblance was...I do expect every single one of my students to at least tell me if something they had could endanger the entire school."

"I didn't think it'd happen so soon," I shook my head, starting to remember bits and pieces, "did you have this talk with Layric too?"

"If I did, would it make a difference to you?"

"I'd feel a little less lonely," I joked.

"No, I didn't. That's besides the point. Did you at least tell your team?"

"Layric. But you already knew, didn't you? You already knew Layric's too...you weren't worried," I recalled.

"I...what?" She looked behind her like we were being watched. I instinctively tensed. If something made her uneasy...well, even I knew it was serious.

"What's wrong?" I asked in a whisper.

"You actually remember the whole thing?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah, don't you remember?" I asked half sarcastic. She was starting to freak me out.

"Layric didn't...uncontrolled rage transformations usually go forgotten within the carrier of the transformation. It's rare for people to have the ability, much more for them to control it. Practically unheard of for people to remember it...unless, of course, they control it. Why are you different..." She narrowed her eyes at me. I found it unnerving how she trailed off before finishing her sentence with Layric. What didn't Layric do? Was he okay?

"Okay lady, I have no clue what you're talking about. Why can't you tell me why I'm different?"

"Because I've never actually experienced it before. My life isn't that boring after all," She said almost to herself.

"Right...so what do we do?"

"We teach you control. But not now. When you're in that form, it attracts grimm. We'll have to do it in isolation. And, in secrecy. Can you do something for me, Mr.Scavenger?" She leaned in close to me, her clothes making her even more mysterious. For the first time I noticed what she was actually wearing. She wore a black robe with an almost glowing white trim around the outside. Her hood was covered by her black hair and her sleeves were missing. In place of them were royal blue sleeves sprouting from under her robe that had a pulsing red liquid-looking material running along the sleeve, making weird designs. It almost reminded me of my armor and how my weapons could literally flow through them. That's probably the best explanation of how her sleeves looked.

Her eyes were the strangest part of her. They seemed to be snow white, her pupils only separated by a light blue ice-colored ring.

Her weapon, a staff running along her back and seemed as if it could literally bend to her will, was a metallic silver; the head of it a clear round container; basically a crystal ball. But it was glowing blue inside it. It had eight extensions only big enough to fit dust crystals in it; and they were curved at the end...they were open. She had no dust.

"If you stop calling me Mr. Scavenger," I laugh but it sounded like a dying frog.

"Promise me that this conversation never happened," She stared at me with her white eyes. I thought for a moment, figuring that if I told she'd somehow would figure it out. And if that happened, I would probably never figure out how to control my, as Claren puts it, "rage" mode.

I nodded, "I promise." She held my gaze only a second longer before standing straight again.

"Good. Remember Scavenger, I wasn't here. And we never talked," Claren exited the room. Axi jumped out of his chair and darted out of the room, which made me gasp from surprise. He came back in, eyes wide and with a confused look on his face.

"I swear I sensed someone here," He said, then looked at me as if just noticing I was finally awake. His eyes somehow got wider, "Scav!"

"Uhh...wha..." I heard Irene moan. Out of everyone here, I expected her to be the lightest sleeper. She cracked an eye open, then they fluttered open when realizing what was happening.

"Scav!" She echoed Axi.

"Where's Layric?" I looked around the room in fake confusion, remembering Claren's conversation with me.

"Over there, in the next room," Axi pointed to the wall behind my infirmary bed, "Who else was here?"

"No one. You kind of made me jump when you did that actually, I was confused," I said as honestly as I could. Even if I wasn't trying, I doubt his little mind could tell. It was Irene I was worried about.

"Huh...weird. Anyway, you've been here almost a day and a half. Layric hasn't woken yet. The doctors say that they'd keep both of you here for three days just for monitoring after you guys awake. That means, three days starting now," He said.

"Yeah. So that means no more classes for you. Don't worry, I'll help you get caught up on school work when you get back," Irene said. I groaned. Although school wasn't my most favorite thing, I always hated being behind schedule even more. My merc work taught me the importance of time.

"Great. What time is it?" I looked out my window and saw nothing but darkness outside.

"About twelve A.M.," Irene said.

"You guys look like a mess. You been here this whole time?" I muttered.

"Here and with Layric next door, yeah," Axi gripped his hat then let go again.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Irene asked.

"Straight to the point eh? Not much. Just..." I felt my leg go numb as I replayed the part that I forgot up until now, "A sudden pain in my leg. And then I passed out...then nothing passed that."

"I see," Irene looked into space ponderously.

"You guys should go get some sleep," I said.

"But what about-"

"I'll make sure he's okay and then call you," I pointed at my scroll I remember seeing when I awoke.

"I'm not-"

"Fine," Axi interrupted Irene. I thanked whatever common sense he had as he dragged Irene out of the room, who looked confused. Apparently, he was smarter at reading people that I realized. He knew I wanted time to myself. Not what for though.

I wanted to think about what Claren had meant. And I wanted to figure out why I remembered stuff I shouldn't have.

"This is going to be a long night," I mumbled to myself.