Chapter Four: Flirting with Main cast

Dark Soul 2, you better be ready to get fucked soon. I'm acoming for you, your booty is next on the chopping block. 

Also, I'm going to buff the villains a bit. Not much, but enough to give Mael a semi-challenge for now. No pairing is set yet, voting will happen at the end. 

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It had been a long, uneventful week, but finally, Mael found himself boarding one of Beacon Academy's airships. Nesting in his hair, Cayde was practically beaming, having taken full advantage of Ozpin's generosity to outfit Mael for his arrival at the prestigious school.

As Mael stepped onto the airship, his new outfit fitting him like a glove, Cayde couldn't resist patting himself on the back. "Didn't I do a fantastic job? You're going to make quite the impression, kid."

Mael glanced down at his outfit - a tight-fitting black shirt, tan baggy training pants with a black belt cinched at the waist, and a pair of comfortable black martial arts slippers. It was practical yet stylish. Reluctantly, the man nodded along with his feathered friend. 

"I have to admit, you did pretty good" Mael replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. He had to admit, the new clothes and gear felt good, and the latest Scroll model was definitely an upgrade from not even having one. 

As the airship lifted off, Mael took a moment to gaze out the window, watching Beacon Academy grow larger on the horizon. The castle looked like it was modernized by some millennials, in other words, it looked bland. Tearing his eyes away, Mael scanned the cabin, his gaze eventually settling on a young woman sitting across from him. 

She had fair skin, wavy black hair, and bright amber eyes. The bow that was perched atop her head, twitched ever so slightly as she read her no-cover book. [Image]

His pale eyes lingered a bit too long on her, as her eyes suddenly met his. Her face soured a bit, as she spoke. "Can I help you?" she asked, her tone laced with a hint of agitation.

He only gave a low chuckle in response as his cheeks flushed a hint of red. He offered an apologetic smile as he sheepishly scratched his cheek. "Sorry... It's just that your bow twitched" 

The girl's eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, Mael swore he saw a flash of panic in her expression. But just as quickly, it was replaced by a more neutral mask. "It must have been your imagination," she said coolly, dismissing Mael's comment, and turning back to her book. 

"Huh, funny how my imagination just happens to be so accurate," he said, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Her amber eyes glanced back up checking to see if he was still staring, only to see an extended hand. 

"Mael, nice to meetcha," Mael said offering her a friendly introduction.

Blake eyed his outstretched hand warily for a moment as if debating whether to accept the gesture. She didn't move, before going back down into her book. "Blake." Her voice was even, but not unfriendly. 

Taking the seating next to her, Mael gazed out the window, with the occasional glance at the kitty. "So, Blake, are you excited to finally be attending Beacon?" Mael asked, his tone friendly.

Blake responded with a touch of sarcasm, her eyes never leaving the pages of her book. "Oh, absolutely. I'm positively thrilled to have my reading time disrupted by endless distractions," she quipped.

Mael couldn't help but chuckle at her sharp retort. "Well, lucky for you, I'm an excellent reading companion. I'll make sure to keep all my witty remarks to a minimum," he replied, matching her tone.

Blake let out a soft huff, the corners of her mouth twitching ever so slightly. "How gracious of you," she said, her amber eyes flicking up to meet Mael's for the briefest of moments. 

"What can I say? I aim to please," he said, as his hands raised praising himself with a smirk. The airship shuddered as it landed, the hull opening with a hiss.

Blake closed her book with a soft sigh, muttering, "And it was just getting to the good part too." She glanced over at Mael, a hint of annoyance in her amber eyes. Despite his intrusion, however, she didn't seem to dislike him entirely. As she stood up, she extended her hand towards him. "I'll see you around, Mael," she said, her tone a bit friendlier than before. 

The tugging smile never left his lips, as he replied. "Looking forward to it"

Blake gave him a slight nod before turning and making her way towards the exit, disappearing into the crowd of incoming students. Mael stood there for a moment, still feeling the warmth of her handshake. A voice beside him broke the spell.

"Not bad, didn't know you had the balls to flirt with her," Cayde said, nudging Mael playfully.

"I've flirted with Death herself Cayde, I think can flirt with a cat girl."

"Is that why there is drool on the seat from you?" Cayde couldn't resist the opportunity to rain on Mael's parade. His head twists around in worry, snapping to the seat only to see nothing. His head slowly turned to the bird who wore a shit-eating grin. "What happened to that confidence, huh?"

Flicking the bird's beak, knocking him off the comfortable shoulder he was perched on. As Mael shuffled out of the airship, he found himself caught up in the sea of students making their way towards Beacon's main hall. Glancing around, his eyes scanned the architecture of the castle. 

Suddenly, Mael heard a commotion coming from behind him. Turning around, he recognized the familiar scene of a young girl in a red cloak being lectured by a woman in a white skirt, who was shaking a bottle of red dust in her hand. "Ooh~ Someone's in trouble" Cayde pointed out as he flew up, and towards the duo. 

Mael was gone in an instant, one second he was there and the next he wasn't. He weaved through the wave of new students, with ease, slipping by all of them until he was out of the thick of it. 

Seeing the girl in the red cloak a smile made its way to his face, as he laughed a bit remembering this scene. Ruby's face scrunched, as the Dust tickled her nose. Irritated, the woman in the white skirt demanded, "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Unable to hold it back any longer, Ruby let out a powerful sneeze, unleashing an explosion of dust. The two women were engulfed in a cloud of black smoke and soon covered in soot.

The force of the sneeze sent the red dust into the air, and almost as if it had a mind of its own, the volatile powder went hurtling straight toward Mael's face. But of course, Mael reached out and effortlessly caught the dust, as he looked at the bottle and the symbol. 

The white-haired woman's eyes went wide as she witnessed this, and she immediately began stomping her foot in frustration, her face contorting into an expression of pure annoyance.

"See! This is exactly what I was talking about!" she exclaimed, her voice taking on a shrill, petulant quality. "Reckless behavior and complete disregard for safety! What are you even doing here?! Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon!" 

Mael couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the woman's childish outburst. "Drama Queen" he scoffed as he observed them, his tone laced with a hint of disdain. He didn't particularly like her character, after all, she acted nothing short of a spoiled brat. A bitch. 

(A/n: Remember he hasn't watched all of it, around season 1 he stopped watching it) 

He wouldn't deny, she got a bit better, but nevertheless, she was still so bitchy. As the white-haired woman continued to unleash her tirade on Ruby, Mael casually sauntered over, rubbing his ear dramatically.

"Alright, alright, no need to get your panties in a twist, princess," he interjected, his tone dripping with nonchalance. "Tone it down a notch, you're giving me a headache."

The woman's face flushed red as she opened and closed her mouth, struggling to say anything. Seeing the situation flipped, Ruby couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Do you have any idea who I am?" the woman finally managed to huff out, her voice quivering with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

Mael raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Should I?" he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I mean, I can tell you like yelling but still"

The woman's eyes went wide, and Mael couldn't resist the urge to continue. "Wait, wait, don't tell me..." he said, tapping his chin faking trying to think hard before snapping his fingers. "You must be a drama queen, here to grace us all with your annoying voice"

"I... I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company!" the woman finally managed to sputter, her cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and indignation. Ruby was thrown into a full-on giggling fit, watching the scene unfold. [Image]

Mael simply shrugged. "And?" he said, clearly unimpressed. "Anyway, c'mon, crater-face, let's get out of here. I think this little princess has had enough attention for one day." He waved his hand dismissing anything else Weiss could say. 

As Mael turned and began walking away, he glanced over his shoulder, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. "Nice talking to you, Ice Queen," he called out. "Try not to melt, will ya?"

With that, he casually tossed the red dust bottle he had caught earlier back over his shoulder, forcing Weiss to scramble to catch it before it hit the ground. Ruby stifled a giggle as she caught up to Mael.

Weiss stood there, still flustered and at a loss for words, when suddenly a large glob of bird shit landed square on her foot. She looked up, her face contorted in rage, just in time to see a familiar bird – Cayde – perching smugly on Mael's shoulder, casting a mocking gaze down at her.

"You little-!" Weiss shreked as she struggled to contain her anger.

The trio walked and talked, following the crowd of students rushing. Ruby gushed over the weapons she spotted, talking complicated words that Mael didn't fully understand.

"Ooh, did you see that one? That barrel looks like it could fire high-caliber rounds without compromising the reload speed," she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement as she rattled off technical jargon that Mael only half-understood.

Before long, Ruby had launched into a full-blown description of her own weapon, a scythe-sniper rifle hybrid she called Crescent Rose.

Mael listened intently, nodding along as she spoke, though his expression remained slightly bemused by the sheer passion she displayed for her weapon. "So, what about you?" Ruby asked, turning her attention to Mael. "What's your weapon of choice?"

Mael shrugged nonchalantly. "My fists," he replied simply.

Ruby blinked, clearly taken aback by his answer. "Your fists?" she repeated, a hint of confusion in her voice. "But isn't your semblance perfect for storing weapons and stuff," she said, her brow furrowing. "Wouldn't that be useful for, you know, actual weapons?"

Mael chuckled. "Oh, it is," he acknowledged. "But everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face" 

Ruby blinked, momentarily taken aback by the unexpected response. "So, you just... punch things?" she asked, her voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty.

"That's a general idea, but don't worry, I'm not some one trick pony" Mael chuckled, before pointing his thump at Cayde, with a wide cocky smile. "I've got plenty of tricks up my sleeve" 

Before anything else was said, a familiar voice called out across the ballroom. "Ruby! There you are!" a woman's voice rang out.

Ruby paused, turning her head towards the source of the call. "That's my sister," she said, glancing back at Mael. "Do you, um, want to come meet her with me?" she asked, her voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty.

"Lead the way," he replied, following closely behind Ruby as she made her way towards her sister.

As they approached, Ruby's older sister. One would say they don't look much like siblings. She had bright yellow hair, that fell to her waist and lilac-colored eyes. "Ruby! I saved a spot for you over here," she said, her gaze quickly shifting to Mael. [Image]

"Well, hello there," Yang purred, her lilac eyes sparkling. "I'm Ruby's yang-ing big sis. And you must be..." She paused, her gaze roaming over Mael's body with a fox grin. "Hmm, let me guess... Strong, handsome, and definitely single?"

Mael grasped Yang's hand, his own smile equally sly. "Mael," he introduced himself, his thumb lightly caressing the back of her hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Yang's eyes seemed to sparkle with mischief as she leaned in, her grip tightening slightly. "Mael, huh? You nervous? You're shaking" she asked, her voice low and sultry.

"Am I?" Mael sandwiched Yang's hand between his own, his gaze locked with hers. "Nobody shaking." He chuckled. "You think you make me nervous?"

Yang leaned in closer, a coy smile playing on her lips. "Well, I guess we'll just have to find out, won't we?" she purred.

"Yaaaang," she whined, "Please don't embarrass me in front of my new friend." Mael, on the other hand, seemed almost unfazed by Yang's antics. Aside from the light blush he had, he shook his head. 

"Oh, don't mind me, sis," Yang interjected, her attention still firmly on Mael. "I'm sure Mael and I can find plenty of ways to... get to know each other better."

Mael's grin widened, and he leaned in slightly, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm sure we can," he murmured. 

Ruby watched the exchange with a mix of confusion and mild embarrassment, clearing her throat loudly, she hoped to interrupt their moment. "Uh, anyway," she interjected, "Mael was the guy who helped me that night of the robbery, and after you DITCHED me" 

"ooh," Yang glanced around avoiding eye contact as Ruby mean mugged her, or at least attempted to. "Meltdown already? Sheesh." She chuckled, her gaze shifting to Mael.

Mael cleared his throat, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Actually, Ruby didn't just 'explode,'" he corrected, his voice betraying a hint of amusement. "She literally exploded. Dust, fire, the whole shebang."

Yang's eyebrows shot up, and she let out a low whistle. "Wow, Rubes, you really know how to make an entrance, don't you?" she teased, ruffling her sister's hair affectionately.

Ruby huffed, batting Yang's hand away. "It wasn't my fault!" she protested. "I just tripped over a crappy girl's luggage and then... bang!" She threw her hands up in exasperation, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"YOU TWO!" A voice from behind them shrieked, pointing an accusatory finger at both the crow and red hood. 

"Epp!" Ruby lepted into Yang's arms, as she griped "It's happening again!" 

Yang glanced down at the girl in her arms before her eyes shifted to Mael's arms. With a grin, and still holding Ruby, Yang lept up into Mael's arms, her eyes never leaving his, as if daring him. 

"Looks like the headache is back," he muttered, his tone resigned, as held both of the girls in his arms easily.

The source of the outburst, a white-haired girl in a pristine white dress, paused, taking a deep breath in an apparent attempt to calm herself. She then turned her attention to Ruby, seemingly intent on ignoring Mael's presence altogether.

"Do you have any idea how much damage you've caused?" the girl snapped, her icy blue eyes narrowed in anger. Ruby climbed out of the arms of her siblings, trying to apologize, but Weiss only shoved a pamphlet into her face, her rant already well underway. "Yap Yap Yap" Weiss spoke a bunch of legal jargon and complex terminology.

Ruby could only stare, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to process the girl's rapid-fire tirade. "Uhhh..."

The girl paused, her eyes narrowing as she thrust the pamphlet closer to Ruby's face. "If you really want to make this up to me, read this pamphlet thoroughly and never speak to me again," she demanded, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"I, uh, I'm not sure I quite followed all of that," he admitted, his lips quirking into a half-smile. "But if it'll help smooth things over, I'm happy to read the pamphlet too."

The girl's gaze snapped to Mael, her expression one of pure disdain. "I'll... I'll deal with you later." she spat, her grip on the pamphlet tightening.

"Look, accidents happen, why don't you two start over and be friends?" Yang suggested, still in the arms of a hunk. Ruby perked up, sticking her hand out and introducing herself. 

"Oh yeah! We can paint our nails and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys, like Tall, dar- *Ahem* blond and... scraggly over, uh there!" Weiss sarcastically said while pointing at a 'random' blond guy, but her eyes betrayed her as she glanced at Mael while correcting herself. 

"Really?" she asked, her enthusiasm not dampened by Weiss's sarcastic tone.

Weiss, however, simply stared at Ruby, her expression deadpan. "No," she said flatly, leaving no room for further discussion. After Weiss' blunt refusal, the group fell into an awkward silence. Suddenly, a loud ringing noise echoed through the ballroom as Ozpin stepped up to the microphone on the stage, tapping it to test the sound.

Clearing his throat, Ozpin began his speech, addressing the new students with a warm welcome to Beacon Academy. "I'll keep this brief- yap yap yap- It is up to you to take the first step." As Ozpin's address came to an end, Professor Goodwitch stepped forward, her stern gaze sweeping across the room.

"Attention, students," she announced. "Tonight, you will all be sleeping in the ballroom. Tomorrow morning, you will report here for the initiation ceremony." A murmur swept through the crowd, the students exchanging nervous glances and whispered conversations.

"Did you guys notice something... off about the headmaster?" she asked, her brow furrowed in contemplation. "It's like he wasn't even really there, you know?"

The raven-haired man's eyes drifted to his partner, he remembered hearing about this back when he was first watching it, but he never knew why Yang said it. The crow nestled on his shoulder only nodded in agreement. "Something is off, it's different than when we first met him. I can't put a feather on it through." 

Yang who now stood next to Mael, perked up hearing the crow. "Wait did you have that little guy the whole time?!" Ruby and Weiss could only facepalm, Yang was too busy drooling over Mael to notice the black crow perched on his shoulder. 

As the students began to settle in for the night, a blonde-haired man suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and sauntered up to Weiss. "I'm a natural blonde, u'know" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, clearly attempting to impress her. 

Weiss stared at him for a moment, her expression a mix of exasperation and disbelief. With a loud, dramatic facepalm, she turned and walked away, shaking her head in dismay. The man stood there, momentarily stunned by Weiss's rejection. He then turned his attention to Mael, Yang, and Ruby, who had witnessed the entire exchange.

"What?" he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Was it something I said?"

Mael, who had been observing the interaction with a mix of amusement and secondhand embarrassment, reached out and placed a hand on the man's shoulder, shaking his head slowly. "That's rough buddy."

Yang's eyes narrowed as she looked at the man more closely. "Hey, you look kinda familiar," she said, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Ruby's eyes suddenly widened with recognition. "Wait a minute, I know who you are!" she exclaimed. "You're the guy who threw up on my sister's foot on the airship! What did you call him Yang... Vomit boy!"

His face fell, immediately, as he raised his hands trying to defend himself. "H-hey now, motion sickness is a-alot more common than people let on." 

"Kicking a man while he's down, harsh red" Cayde chimed him, but at a horrible time, Vomit boy's eyes turned to the crow thinking even an animal joined in on bulling him. 

"How's the stomach feeling... Vomit Boy?" Mael struggled to contact his laugh, covering his face with his shirt. 

"H-hey" He tried to intervene in their laughter to no avail. 

As the day wore on quickly turning into a star-filled night sky. Everyone was whining down, and getting ready for bed. Mael wasn't any different, as he walked out from the shower, his hair wet, and was on his head looking like a messy mop. 

A towel hung over his shoulder, as he wore a white shirt, that hugged his arms, along with dark grey sweat pants that coffee at his ankles. 

Next to him, was the vomit boy from before. He wore a comfortable-looking light blue onesie, that completed his bright blue eyes and blond hair. [Image] 

"It's simple Jaune," Mael lectured the blond-haired man. "Eye contact, a kind smile, and a 'Hi' will give a girl a good impression." Waved his hand dismissing any pickup lines vomit boy might suggest. "Pickup lines don't work most of the time, especially in a school setting, like ours." 

"Eye contact, smile, and simple greeting? Really that works?!" The bright blue eyes dulled a bit, mulling over his attempt wooing of Weiss. The pale-eyed teacher lightly tapped on his chest, motioning him to follow him. 

"Here, watch," Mael said, as he steered Jaune towards a striking red-haired woman, Mael caught her attention and extended his hand, his warm smile unwavering. "Hi, I'm Mael," he said, his voice smooth and friendly. "This is my friend-"

Jaune, sensing his cue, straightened his posture and opened his mouth to introduce himself.

"Uh, hi, I'm Jaune Arc. Short, swe-" he began, only to be quickly interrupted by a swift smack to the back of his head courtesy of Mael. "ow!" He blurted out while holding the bruise on his head. Mael's expression shifted to one of playful exasperation as he turned to Jaune.

Shaking his head, a rueful chuckle escaped his lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss..."

"Pyrrha," she said, her voice warm. "It's wonderful to meet you both." The red woman couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at the duo's antics. Her emerald eyes sparkled with amusement as she extended her hand to Mael. [Image]

"The pleasure is all ours, Pyrrha," Mael nodded, with a smile, before looking at Jaune. 

Jaune, having recovered from the unexpected smack, nodded enthusiastically. "Y-yeah, absolutely!" he said with eagerness in his tone.

~ Interlude

Mael's life was nothing more than a burden. 

He was a sick kid, bouncing from doctor to doctor, his weak frail body breaking at a moment's notice. He cost his parents millions of dollars, loan after loan, debt after debt, just to keep him alive. 

His father couldn't take it, he couldn't bare it, in saving his son's life, he was damning his own. He wasn't strong enough to stay, so he did what he thought was best, and left. 

The tole was horrid on Mael's mother, every time she came to visit him she looked skinnier and skinnier. Her hands were covered in callouses, her face was withered, her soul was tired. Three jobs, it all took a hit out of her. Yet she always came into the hospital room with a smile painted onto her face. 

Because he wasn't strong, because he was weak, sicken, and frail, he failed to protect his mother, he disappointed his father. He was nothing more than a burden on their life, and he knew it. 

~ End

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Honestly, I'm not that confident in this chapter, I had to rewrite and start all over like four times. Blake was a bit hard to write without making her seem like Mael, and I'm not gonna lie I know how to flirt in a sarcastic/sassy way, so let me know how I did with character interactions, and flirting. 

Time for the big reveal: There was overwhelming support for a singular pair, sorry to harem lovers, but the singular girl won. So time for a vote!!!

Blake: 

Weiss: 

Pyrrha: 

Cinder: 

Emerald: 

Salam: (I know what you're thinking but... Milf. Redeemable) 

Random suggestion: (Someone from later in the series: CFVY, ABRN, NDGO, BRIR)

Also depending on which love interest is picked will determine how some parts of the story go. Which of course I will not tell you about.