47

Trivia's fingers tapped at her Scroll, messaging her Jaune.

She'd never had the chance to learn much about his family or his personal life, making her feel sort of foolish for never having asked about his family and school life. Only the fact that she was suddenly going to Beacon had made her reach out about it a week or two back, making her feel that maybe it would be important to do so.

Jaune never said it, but really Trivia knew that she and Neo both were… selfish. The both of them had never even thought to learn about the other people he considered important in his life before.

While she'd never cared to share her own family, as they sucked, someone as weirdly kind as Jaune couldn't have been raised in a shitty house like her own.

We always knew he'd probably have friends his age. Neo reminded her, though she seemed a bit miffed as well. And he always loved saying that he was always up to something.

Still seeing a picture he'd taken of a selfie of himself and his friends at Sanctum all squeezing into the sight of his Scroll's camera made her jealous. And the one of him with Team STRQ and their kids that Jaune thought of like sisters. The black cat Faunus girl that shared books with him. Ugh. Jaune had too many female friends for her comfort. And she was jealous that they were all his age, too. That wasn't fair.

Sure she'd be at an advantage later but she still… ugh!

Trivia flicked back to Jaune's most recent Sanctum photo.

She could see how his sisters (He had seven blood related sisters, what was the deal with his parents? Wo-would they become like that once Jaune was grown up? Trivia was a little scared at the thought) Robin and Clarent were related to him, sharing clear physical similarities, but he also had a pair of adopted siblings.

Nora Arc and Lie Ren were by his side, smiling into the camera, though according to Jaune they both were very close to each other, and his sisters had a little betting pool on when they'd finally start getting together. That meant that Nora wasn't an issue and Trivia would get along just fine with her.

Emerald was a little concerning. Apparently when he'd asked her a bunch of questions a few years ago about her Semblance and how she'd used it it was to get tips for her. But her Semblance seemed like a weaker version of her own, so at least she didn't have to worry about being inferior to a twelve year old. She was also dressed as a butler and not a maid, so she got a pass. It didn't seem like she was trying to encroach on her territory. Yet.

She let out a silent sigh as she leaned her head back in her Bullhead seat, her gaze wandering over to the other Beacon hopefuls.

That Pyrrha Nikkos girl she didn't like. She was strong. Really strong somehow. Jaune had shown off videos of the girl fighting and while she wasn't Jaune strong, she was heads and shoulders above anyone that Trivia had fought before.

Trivia was sure she could beat her by using her Semblance, but that little redheaded brat fought like the kind of flashy hero Jaune wanted to be. That made her a threat.

And Jaune had been the one to seek her out. Neo grumbled. He was so excited to share the first friend he made by himself in a long time.

It filled her with an odd jealousy.

It doesn't matter. They'll never connect with him like we do. Neo assured confidently. We were made for each other.

That was true, but Trivia wished she had Neo's overwhelming confidence.

Her Scroll tapped out of her Messenger App into her ID App.

Her smirking face stared back, half of her hair being Neo's pink.

And bearing her name of choice.

Her finger ran over the words 'Neapolitan Rider' labeled on her new 'official' ID.

Her 'father' Jimmy (Jaune said that he loved her but was sort of messed up in the way he did, which she… found herself believing. She still wasn't sure how to deal with it. Especially when Jaune seemed to think he was involved in something illegal. That made him an enemy.) hadn't wanted her to enroll under her actual name for some reason and she'd leapt to get this new alternate identity arranged with Jaune's uncle Qrow.

Though it ended up that they both would end up shoving that paperwork onto Jaune instead who especially looked at his uncle like he was a child.

That was funny.

She and Neo were two in one. Both the same side of the coin, with Jaune being the other half. Having an official identity as both Neopolitan and Trivia was just right.

She watched silently under the stealth provided by her Semblance, projecting the image of a few bags piled high and precarious on the seat she was occupying, as two boys approached and began hitting on a black haired girl with medium length hair and amber eyes.

Trivia couldn't hear what they were saying from where she was sitting, but the girl who was dressed in a worn and dusty crimson leather biker jacket (slightly rusty studs and all) scowled, her knee length black boots with robin's egg blue laces, lashed out twice, kicking both boys in the groin, turning and walking away.

She wasn't carrying a weapon, save a hunting knife in a sheath strapped to her left thigh, but she had a blue ivory flask and a pair of gray metal canisters hanging off the left and right of her hips from a shapely waist. Trivia found herself frowning as she saw the amber eye'd girl's hips naturally sway.

She wasn't jealous of her figure. Nope. Not at all.

Cinder growled as she stomped over to her tough, reliable rucksack. The one that Jaune had gifted her almost three years ago when he'd appeared out of nowhere and probably saved her life a second time. It had her sleeping bag tied to it in a tough knot that she knew just how to loosen easily.

It was something her teacher had taught her.

She dug through it for a little ziplock bag filled with strips of deer venison jerky that her teacher Amber (wasn't that a weird coincidence that her teacher shared her previous temporary name) had taught her to make.

It was a bit bland, maybe, but good. After having lived off Jaune's food for almost two months, nothing ever tasted right again, so she didn't think much of it. It was still tasty enough and really that was what mattered.

She enjoyed the tougher chew and snacking on a little extra protein helped keep her thoughts away from the two boys she'd just kicked in the balls.

"You're eighteen now, Cinder, go to Beacon." Her teacher had told her, "You clearly need more social skills and I don't want you applying later when you're too old to get along with your teammates. Plus you're still young. You don't need to become like me, even if you'll be the one to inherit my legacy. I want you to find something more to live for."

The hell was that supposed to mean? Cinder had been happy enough to be free to wander and explore the world. Freedom had come to mean more to her than anything. Now she was going to be tied down for four years.

She'd rather just be antisocial at that point. Even if Robin would never let her and taught her how to win people over with words and soft smiles. Still Robin's lessons had their uses too, though even if they had been useful, it wouldn't matter because it was from her best friend regardless.

Cinder felt that she'd been learning plenty under the watch of the Huntress Amber and her weirdly heavy feeling Aura already and she'd picked up plenty of conversation with the villages they visited in their travels together.

But Robin had also encouraged her to get legitimate schooling, believing that she could do it.

So she'd caved, not for her teacher, but for her best friend.

It was a shame that Robin had to be held back a year after… after what she had done. If not for that, maybe Robin could have even come to Beacon. They could have had a year together where she could have been a Senior and Robin a Freshman. That… that would have been fun.

Still this was an issue of her own making. She only had herself to blame.

But once she had an official Huntress license at the end of this four year stint, she'd be able to see Robin in person again. Not just when Robin could sneak away for a private Scroll call. Cinder would just begin working in whatever Kingdom she would go to school at.

Well.

Not Atlas, but Robin had assured her that she'd go to either Haven or Beacon if possible.

That was reason enough for Cinder to endure four years of dealing with a bunch of pampered Huntsman wannabes. People who lived in safety like weak sheep and didn't know what it was like to live free and sharpen their teeth against the Grimm on a regular basis.

Her finger grazed at her Decanter of Endless Water.

Her teacher might have borderline stolen her weirdass tent (how did Jaune even make that thing? Cinder swore it was larger on the inside than the outside) in exchange for her apprenticeship, but she'd left Cinder with the other weird item that Jaune had gifted her.

Despite what Jaune said about it having the one keyword she'd discovered another keyword that could activate the power of the strange Decanter, even using it to incorporate into her fighting style.

"Hello applicants." A holographic projection appeared in the Bullhead, drawing her and everyone else's attention. "I am Deputy Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch. If you are seeing this message that means you will arrive on the campus of Beacon Academy in the next five to ten minutes. You are allowed to explore the campus grounds, however are expected to group up in the Auditorium by three PM for the orientation speech. Other than that, please feel free to mingle with your peers. You may be spending the next four years with them, after all. And also a note. Any fighting or funny business will not be permitted and you might find yourself on the first Bullhead back before even being allowed to take your Initiation Examination. That is all. Best of luck to you all."

The older blonde woman was pretty, vaguely reminding her of Robin's mother Noelle if her hair had been blonde all the way through instead of just a golden streak in silver locks. A bit younger and more stern looking though.

Still, all Cinder had to do was blast her way through the entrance exam that Amber had already given her hints about. No concrete details, but hints. Which wasn't like the normally straightforward woman. She said it was tradition and, well, it wasn't worth making a big fuss over.

She'd be fine. She was strong now. How would a bunch of sheltered Huntsman wannabes even hold up against someone who'd already been doing Huntress work out in the wildlands of Sanus for three years now?

"Fuck it." She muttered under her breath, hefting up her heavy rucksack like it weighed nothing, the lean, corded muscles of her back tightening under the weight. "I want off this brick as fast as possible."

The moment this damn thing landed, she was getting her feet back on the soil and she would be happy for it.

Cinder hated airships. She hated airships almost as much as she hated apple cider.

Trivia made her own fun, tying the shoelaces of a distracted wannabe student together alongside swapping a few similar looking bags whenever she spotted any.

The rules only applied to you if you got caught. Vigilantism 101.

Still this was all boring.

Jaune would say to make a friend to keep a mind off of things. Neo grumbled, understandably unhappy with the thought. But everyone's so dumb.

Trivia mindlessly sidestepped out of the way of some students running by like excitable morons.

Ugh. Even staying invisible was a pain when people were dashing around for no reason, even ignoring pathways to do so. She couldn't even easily avoid people while on grass!

"...Is there someone in front of me?"

Trivia blinked as she turned around as she saw the amber eyed girl from the Bullhead staring down at her feet. She looked down- oh of course.

Her Semblance rippled in shards of pink glass as the grass beneath her feet suddenly were illusioned over to appear as if her bootprints weren't there at all.

"Yeah I can see you covering up your footprints." Amber Eyes sighed, "Just give me a sign so I can walk forwards without running straight into you."

Trivia quirked a brow as she let the words "Why should I?" form on the grass with a bunch of bright ladybugs that appeared from under the blades of grass.

Amber Eyes just shrugged, walking forwards and causing Trivia to bring up her parasol, pressing the curved handle of Hush into her sternum. It pressed against her orange Aura, the flash of the scent of a smoldering campfire and warm soap water flashing as her eyes narrowed at Trivia. She knew that she'd appeared in a shattering of pink shards of glass, sliding backwards in the grass as she leaned forwards with an amused grin as her weapon propped against the taller girl's chest.

"...You're really short." Amber Eyes stated bluntly as she stopped her stride, a full head taller than Trivia even with her heeled boots.

Them's fighting words. Neo growled.

Trivia just snorted out a huff of air cutely as she pulled Hush & Whisper away, twirling it in her grip, her magic gloves from Jaune somehow letting the weapon roll in her fingers with little effort as it mysteriously clung to her weapon and prevented it from easily falling out of her grasp.

"...Whatever." Amber Eyes sighed as she pushed past Trivia, but she only grinned as she watched the taller girl walk away.

Let the games begin. Neo snickered.

Her sleeping bag erupted in pink shards of light, revealing her knot (annoyingly perfectly recreated via illusion) had been cut in half.

Cinder pinched the brow of her nose as she sighed.

"Damn half-pint bitch." Cinder growled. "How the fuck?"

A note was left in place of her bag.

"I cover you when you sleep. You really shouldn't walk on me. I am a friend to the thief. What am I?" Cinder growled as she glared at the note and wracked her brains. "...Fucking spoiled brat put my sleeping bag on the roof of the auditorium? Ugh!"

She stomped out the auditorium where all the hopefuls were to sleep and ignored various shirtless boys flexing and wrestling about as they tried to show off their physiques. She ignored the heat that welled in her throat when she found herself attracted physically to some of them, her eyes only lingering briefly as she focused on her task at hand.

Cinder ran forward towards a lamppost, the soles of her boots digging against the smooth metal as she flung herself upwards. Her hand grasped the top of the tall lamp post, kicking again with her foot as she spun herself up and around and landed on the top of it, and leapt forwards to grasp the edge of the auditorium roof. Her boot ground against the outer walls of the building, kicking her up as she began pulling herself up and over the side.

The half-pint smirked at her, legs crossed hiding the Huntress Symbol on her belt as she sat up against the other edge of the building, a familiar sleeping bag at her feet.

"Think this is funny, do you?" Cinder glared, sparks of flame licking at the tips of her fingers. "The hell did I do to you?"

Half-Pint shrugged, the pink interior of white cropped jacket caught her eye as she shrugged.

Amusement glinted in her eyes, but Cinder didn't care for it. Something about the girl reminded her of her teacher Amber for some reason. She didn't know why the hell for, but that meant she was dangerous. Even Half-Pint's head couldn't even reach up to her shoulder.

"You gonna answer me or what?" She spat.

Half-Pint just crossed a little X over her throat.

"...You're a mute? Ok, fine. That doesn't excuse you stealing my bag." Cinder growled as she stepped forwards to grab the small girl by the collar of her coat.

And of fucking course she shattered into glass in her hands.

"I fucking… ugh."

She reached down for her sleeping bag and it too shattered into glass.

"For fuck's sake." Cinder spat. "What is wrong with that girl?!"

She picked up the note that was left behind.

"Your sleeping bag is in another castle. Which is to say it was still down by your rucksack. ;P Thanks for playing!" Cinder read, Scorching Caress burning the note away into ash. "That bitch better not be lying again."

She hopped back down, scaring some dumbass couple that were making out by a bush, clothes beginning to come off. She sneered at the pair trying to get into a presentable state as she turned and walked back into the Auditorium.

She saw Half-Pint, the annoying tiny rat, lounging on a little hammock hanging from a bit of thin metal bars that must have unfolded from something. It looked expensive and suspiciously Atlasean which made her dislike the girl more.

She gave Cinder a cheeky wave as she tapped at a Scroll, the thing briefly flashing a light as the girl clearly took a picture of her.

Cinder just walked back to her rucksack, her boot lazily kicking around the area until another shattering of pink glass revealed her sleeping bag as she kicked it a bit to the side.

She let out a small sigh of relief that Half-Pint wasn't going to send her off on another wild goose chase.

Cinder might not have been here to make friends, but she didn't come to roll over and be fucked with for no reason, either.

She stripped off her leather jacket to reveal the sleeveless red silk blouse with a small cute frill up the sides of the buttons, accenting her bodyline while revealing her arms, lean but toned from her years of surviving the wilds. It was a bit of a point of pride for her at this point. Proof of her strength and effort.

She pulled the laces of her boots loose, the color of gentle blue making her want to call Robin, though she knew that as it would be the beginning of Robin's school year as well she'd be around too many of her family to do so.

They still hated her and that was justified, Cinder knew.

Still her laces reminded her of Robin's eyes. It made her feel like she wasn't too far away at the same time, so it was just something she was going to have to deal with.

She stripped off her cotton socks and shoved them into a silver mesh laundry bag in her rucksack, designed for Huntresses in the field to store their dirty clothes and unmentionables into without letting the smell spread into the rest of their packs.

Cinder then pulled out a simple oversized shirt from her rucksack that she used as sleepwear, pulling it over her head (the damn thing came down almost to her knees) and pulling her arms in through the sleeves to take off her top from under her pajama top. Her black slacks were next but she was wearing a layer of tight black spanx shorts underneath so she didn't worry about flashing anyone with her underwear.

She ignored some dumbass wolf whistling at her as she did so. Living mostly in the wild with Amber had burned that sort of embarrassment out of her. Village boys could be much worse.

Once all of her Huntress outfit was folded up and put away she crawled into her bag to get ready to sleep, her hand pulling her Scroll in with her as she was about to engage in her nightly texting session with Robin.

A pair of small feet in a pair of floppy pink slippers were at her eye level. Her perfect pedicure with glossy pink and black nails already pissed her off, as she could instantly guess who it was.

"Fuck's sake." Cinder groaned, looking up to see Half-Pint looking annoyed which suited her fine. "What do you want?"

Half-Pint's Scroll turned to her, dressed in a thin, pink silk pajama set that looked expensive.

How do you know Jaune?

Cinder blinked. What? The fuck?

"How the hell do you?"

Half-Pint snorted, flipping her Scroll around, fingers flashing as she turned it back to Cinder. The picture that Half-Pint had taken of her had been a zoomed in shot of Cinder looking more irritated than she had thought she'd look, but as she grew she'd developed what Robin had told her was 'Resting Bitch Face' and her younger friend had insisted was a waste of her good looks.

The messages were clear.

The photo of Cinder herself followed quickly by his response.

Jaune : Oh hey that's Amber! I think. Wait, I keep forgetting to get her actual name. Wish her luck for me!

The fuck were the hearts for? Jaune was… wouldn't he be twelve soon? Something like that?

"I think the better question is why the hearts by Jaune's name. What're you a cradle robber?"

Half-Pint glared, her pink and brown heterochromia eyes promising murder. Something about her made the hair on the back of her neck rise. Worst thing about that was that it reminded her weirdly of Amber, her teacher, when she got mad and used her insanely overpowered Semblance.

What Jaune and I are is none of your business. Her Scroll said.

"I'm friends with his sister Robin, so it kind of is." Cinder glared, though a part of her felt still mixed that Jaune still wanted to wish her well. She still didn't understand why he and Robin were so kind to her.

…especially Jaune.

Ok. Whatever. Sorry for messing with you or whatever. Half-Pint flashed her Scroll at Cinder almost too fast for her to catch the whole thing before she started walking away.

Cinder narrowed her eyes realizing that she hadn't answered what the fuck the Jaune shit was.

She quickly reached over to her rucksack, turning to take a photo of the weird Half-Pint to send a warning to Robin that there might be a bit of a weirdo after her kid brother. Half out of obligation to the boy that had ensured her freedom, the other half because Half-Pint pissed her off.

A photo was quickly snapped of Half-Pint as the annoying rat turned to fall back in her portable hammock. It was a bit blurrier than Cinder would like, but it still would make do. She'd gotten pretty good at photography while on the move with Amber and her regular correspondence with Robin, so the blurring kind of irked her.

Still, Half-Pint had some pretty distinctive hair and could easily be spotted in a crowd as long as she didn't pull an invisibility trick.

She messaged Robin a warning about the weird girl. She might have been short as fuck, but she still looked like she was sixteen/seventeen. That was a bag of worms Cinder was happy to not dig through herself, even if it meant Robin had to handle it.

But she was Jaune's sister, so it was probably better that Robin be the one to handle it anyways.

"Fuck this, I'm going to sleep." Cinder growled as she curled up as she tried to catch some Zs. Ok, well that was a lie. She kept messaging Robin until she fell asleep inside her sleeping bag.

Trivia silently mouthed a string of curses as she pouted at her Scroll, her breakfast bento from Jaune's little shadow mice resting to her side.

Neo: I apologized though!

Jaune : I just don't want you getting off the wrong foot with Robin's friend Cinder. Please go and share breakfast with her? For me? I'm sure she'll forgive you if you do it properly.

She hated apologizing. She'd already done it too! Why did she have to do it twice?!

Neo: I'll share breakfast because you asked, but I'm not apologizing a second time. Gimme a selfie for good luck.

Jaune : Lol. Ok, fine Triv. You got this! Really!

She grinned as Jaune sent a small video clip of him waving a small comical flag with the letters 'NEO' printed on it as he gave her a cheery thumbs up. As if he knew she was going to make a dumb little selfish request like that. Ah, Jaune knew her too well.

"Ahhhhh! You can do it Triviaaaaa!" Jaune's voice quietly cheered from her Scroll, making her give the recording back a warm, soft smile.

She immediately downloaded it and moved it to a private folder on her Scroll.

"There is something wrong with you." She heard Amber Eyes (Cinder) behind her.

Can't she mind her own damn business? Neo scoffed as Trivia turned to Cinder while inputting a message on her Scroll's Notepad App.

Mind your own business, Cinder. And eat breakfast with me so Jaune doesn't complain about it. He sent over a meal he made.

Cinder's eyes opened wide, a subtle swallowing of her throat visible thanks to her black satin choker.

"H-he made food? H-how'd it even get here?"

Trivia smirked, her fingers dancing over to the hot bento box beside her, her manicured fingernail lifting the lid and letting a heavenly scent drift in the cafeteria, causing more than one set of eyes to turn in her direction.

Trivia relished the attention that Jaune's cooking was bringing her.

I have my ways~ Her Scroll typed out.

Cinder shook her head before scowling at her.

"Fine. I-I haven't had his food in years so I'll call a truce. I'm going to get some answers out of you though, Half-Pint."

What the fuck this bitch say? Neo smoldered. Gods I wanna fuck this bitch up.

Trivia just rolled her eyes as she separated her breakfast bento into its two layers and handed one to Cinder.

"Oh gods." Cinder pulled a fork from a tin cup on the cafeteria table with a variety of utensils. "It smells so good."

Trivia just took a spoonful of a delightful breakfast quiche, a medley of soft, gentle vegetables melting in with the taste of fatty bacon and egg. Oooooh.

The two girls quickly ate in silence as the sound of metal utensils scraping against lacquered wood echoed from their cafeteria table as some bystanders stared with jealousy as they had to get the generic but hearty breakfast served in the cafeteria.

They both finished roughly at the same time, enjoying the afterglow of their meal.

"So. What's your deal with Jaune? Spill it."

You have no tact, do you? Trivia tapped out on her Scroll. Just because Jaune's making me 'play nice' doesn't mean I have to do anything.

Cinder narrowed her eyes at her, the fork bending in her grip.

"That kid helped me even when I fucked it up. I… I owe him better than just sitting here and twiddling my fucking thumbs while some weird cradle robber shows up."

Could you seriously use ANY other descriptors? We've known each other for five years. It's not like I have a thing for twelve year olds. Trivia typed angrily. Jaune is just special.

What the hell did this random think she knew?

Yeah. Just because Jaune saved her ass doesn't make her better than us! Neo agreed.

There was no need for either Trivia or Neopolitan to feel jealous at that fact. After all, they and Jaune were equals. Partners in ways that normal people couldn't understand. She didn't need to be saved by him to be special.

"Still weird." Cinder sighed, though there was less heat. "I ain't gonna tell you how to live your life, but that's still weird as fuck."

Trivia just glared at the taller girl.

"You don't even come up to my chin." Cinder laughed. "Not much of a threatening glare when-"

Her hand burst into a roar of flame as she blocked an illusion of Hush appeared in her hand and lined up against the side of Cinder's neck.

Trivia just smiled as her illusion of Hush shattered into pink glass shards, standing up and taking her bento box with a graceful motion, laughing inside with Neo as she saw Cinder's glare promising death.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She heard Cinder roar behind her as she skipped away.

La la la la la~ Neo sang in her head. We can't heeeeeaarrr youuuuuuu~