Tannum "Cooper" Oakwood
-----
Even under the cloak of midnight, nothing could hide from Cooper.
Couples toured the academy streets. Some fancied the grassy knolls, others rested at benches, and a daring few ventured far from school grounds for a glimpse of the moon glistened rivers, cascading from Beacon's cliffs and rolling towards the distant shining city of Vale.
"Whoa," Ruby said and leaned over the parapet. "The next time I have to go to another dance, I'm sticking up here."
"As a matter of fact, love," Cooper flaunted himself, "you'll be hiding with me, of course."
She grew coy and rocked from foot to foot. "The more the merrier, right?"
"Luckily for you," he said, "my company alone equals that of a merry band of men."
Ruby snorted and wandered to the nearest skylight.
"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but how come we're here," she tapped the luminous glass dome, "and not down there?"
Cooper gandered past the balloons and multi coloured streamers and banners connecting rows of chandeliers, searching for the noggins of his friends having a blast.
There was Yang, stopping her jig every few seconds to laugh at Roderick's poor excuse of a dance, and as fantastic as it was seeing Team JNPR tear up the dance floor, Cooper had to admit Jaune wore that dress rather well.
Ozpin even enjoyed himself, tapping his cane and applauding at Goodwitch's half hearted mingle with a dashing gentleman in a white military coat. By the various Atlesian decorations, stripes and badges fit for a high ranking official, that had to be none other than Atlas Academy's Headmaster, General Ironwood.
"If we were down there, all you'd be doing is standing back and drinking that red juice for fun. I mean, look at your partner." Cooper singled out the heiress begrudgingly guzzling cup after cup while eyeing a certain bodyguard and cat. (At this rate, she may as well finish the whole punchbowl. Go Weiss!). "Does that seem dandy to you?"
A touch of pink dusted Ruby's cheeks, and the words in her mouth zipped out faster than his ears could catch.
He leaned closer. "Could you repeat that?"
"I-I. . ." She turned away and twiddled her hair. "I was just waiting for you."
An undeniable giddiness ran amuck inside his chest.
"Is that right? Sorry, then." He pointed at the gal grooving between two Atlesian soldiers. "Guess my time with Penny took longer than I thought."
"Oh."
"Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
"Actually, there is one—"
A breeze passed by, and she shuddered, rubbing her bare arms well enough to start a fire.
Cooper draped his coat over her. "This should do the trick."
As if it were a blanket, Ruby melted in its embrace and expelled a waft of satisfaction.
Hmm. Was it just him or did she seem extra lovely tonight?
Ruby doesn't wear make-up, yet an almost unnoticeable sprinkle of it charmed her already adorable features. The glint of her lips was soften butter in the light, a smidge of strawberry frosting coated the space above her eyes, fluttering bristles of chocolate beckoned for attention with every bat, and the sharp contours defining her musing silvers cut into him better than a hot cake fresh out of the oven.
That lovely dress of hers was also the icing on top.
All Cooper wanted to do was stare until the very image of her deposited itself into his mind, but with a flex of his mental muscles, he managed to tear himself away before it became awkward.
A blur flickered across his face. "Gotcha!"
Huh?
The ghostly fingers of the wind combed his hair, and after a few blinks, it sunk in.
"Oi," he patted his noggin, "give that back."
She plopped on his cap and wobbled away. "Only on one condition."
Seeing how her own heels tried sabotaging her escape, it would be child's play to catch her, but then again, where was the fun in that?
"Alright, fine." Cooper sat beside her on the parapet. "What is it you want, love?"
"Uh, well, about that." Ruby played with her sash. "I've been wondering about something for a while now. . ."
"Is that so?" He adjusted his suit, cleared his throat, and prepared himself for anything she had in store for him. "Go ahead."
"Um." She tapped her knees and glanced to the side. "I'm not really sure how to say this."
He found a tid bit of pleasure in her hesitation. "Just say the first thing on your mind."
"Okay, then." She inhaled deeply and focused entirely on him. "Out of every girl here at Beacon, why'd you come to me?"
Cooper nearly leaped out of his trousers.
There it was: the terrible question that could make or break any man.
Anyone daft enough to ignore or forget about such an impending doom deserved a good boot to the rump. Fortunately, Cooper came prepared; he just wasn't expecting it so soon. An arsenal, a whole plethora of gun-toting reasons why, was stuffed in his back pocket, ready on stand-by to answer the much dreaded call of duty.
It could've been her endearing awkwardness, those innocent eyes, that savvy love for weapons, or even the silly way she wears such a big heart on her sleeve.
No. Those weapons were futile. He needed to pull out the big guns—a shock so large, she wouldn't see it coming even if it was right in front of her.
There was only one option, and it had to be—
"The feel of you," said Cooper.
"The feel of me?" Ruby's whole face flushed. "Wha-wha—Cooper, I'm not kidding here!"
"Neither am I." He circled his chest. "What I meant was: the feel of you in here."
Her head tilted. "What do you mean?"
"All my life, I've lived out of another man's pocket." Cooper leaned back onto his hands and watched the stars sketch out his life. "I came to Beacon to find a way to change that and do better for myself."
"That's good, Cooper." Doubt crinkled between her eyebrows. "But what does it have to do with me?"
"Remember when we met?"
She flinched and took a keen interest in the people below. "Y-yeah."
"I only did those things to tease you. It wasn't supposed to go that far. But then I found something rather priceless." He tickled her with his tail. "And since I'm such a greedy man, you see, I couldn't help myself."
The way she hugged his tail and nuzzled against it shivered him all over.
"There's this certain something about you." Cooper hooked her sash and slid her closer. "It sticks to me like glue. Without it, I turn blue. Maybe it's your virtue or biscuit issue. Either way, I wish to see things like you do. A new point of view."
Ruby bit her lip like she didn't quite understand, and then she lowered the brim of his cap, shadowing her eyes.
"Cooper," she said without a hint of emotion, "could you look that way for a second?"
As odd as it sounded, he turned without question and caught a speck darting along some buildings below.
Cooper would've normally dismissed it as a bird or a play of his imagination, but its hops were far from that of a flying feathered friend, and the obvious route it made towards Beacon Tower certainly was unmistakable.
"Hold on," he pointed ahead, "I think there's—"
A soft peck on the cheek cut his breath.
Ruby returned the cap to him, and she swept a hand through her hair, sucker punching him with a look so dazzling, even the moon found it fitting to give her the spotlight.
"Just so you know, I'm rooting for you, Cooper." Ruby's face matched the shade of her dress, and her eyes flickered side to side, unable to meet him head on. "T-think of that as my good luck charm, okay?"
Cooper could only nod, and despite wanting to sit there like a confused but happy goat, he slapped sense back into himself.
Another matter required their immediate attention.
-----
They raced over to Beacon Tower and were greeted by a trail of sleepy Atlesian soldiers.
"Call your locker," Ruby said and pressed a button on her scroll.
Cooper didn't need to be told twice.
Several seconds later, twin rocket lockers sailed across the sky and embedded the pavement not far in front of them, and the doors flung open to reveal their weapons.
Sheesh, talk about express delivery.
"Which floor do you think the intruder's on?" Cooper said and readied Merry Outlaw.
Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose in a single twirl. "Start from the bottom and work our way to the top?"
"That'll take too long." He pondered the many options available and allowed his inner thief to take the lead. "Considering this person is breaking and entering into Beacon Tower, this wasn't simply done on a whim. There must be more to it than a quick score. It'd be daft otherwise, especially after causing such a ruckus. Whoever that intruder is has a plan and every plan has a goal. I can only think of two places where that might be."
"Two places. . ." She gasped. "That must mean—"
He nodded. "Ozpin's office or the CCT center."
They took a minute to decide which to pick first and ultimately agreed to start with the CCT center.
When the elevator doors dinged, Ruby rushed out and Cooper came out after, invisible to the naked eye.
The groups of terminal stations spread out around the room like bookshelves in an empty library. Thanks to the floor lights, screensavers, and the light reflecting off the windows, it was bright enough for even a human to see but not enough to spot a person sneaking about in the shadows.
"Hello?" Ruby approached the front desk. "Is anyone in here?"
Cooper rolled down one side of the room and kept back to the wall, checking every aisle between the stations.
The curvaceous silhouette of a woman rose behind a couple stations in front of Ruby.
The intruder wore black elbow-length gloves, knee-high stiletto boots, tight leather pants, and a vest zipped halfway, revealing her ample cleavage and her bare shoulders. Nothing other than the glassy mask obscuring the top half of her face was left to the imagination, and it didn't take a detective to deduce that this woman was clearly up to no good.
"Um, excuse me." Ruby crept forward. "It's not a masquerade party, you know. So why don't you—"
The woman smirked and drew a vial from a pouch strapped to her thigh, spraying a cloud of Dust in front of her. It hardened into a volley of crystal spikes right before she launched them at Ruby.
Cooper's ears rang at the broken orchestra of shattering glass while Ruby spun Crescent Rose, busting the impromptu projectiles.
Ruby fired several shots, and Cooper loosed an arrow.
The intruder's boots and gloves flared red hot as an Aura field manifested in one of her hands, deflecting Ruby's bullets. The arrow struck her shoulder. She whirled, sparking a gust of flame that instantly formed a pair of twin obsidian blades.
Cooper gaped at the deadly weapons literally coming out of thin air. Was it Dust weaved into her garments? That'd explain the glow but to wield it with such speed and skill was gobsmacking.
Teeth gritted, the intruder glanced at the arrow on the floor and searched the room.
Cooper let off another arrow. It was slapped aside, and the intruder honed in on his location. Ruby lunged. The intruder flipped out of harm's way, connected the swords to create a bow, and her clothes flared once again, conjuring three obsidian arrows that she fired mid-air. They struck the floor at Ruby's feet and burned red hot. She tried to get away, but her heels twisted under her. Cooper cried out, and all he could do was watch the arrows explode like a grenade, throwing her into the wall.
A couple arrows thwacked the floor in front of him.
Bollocks.
The explosion punched the air from his lungs, his Semblance came undone, and the terminal he bounced off did no favours to his spine. He shook his senses in order, got up on his knee, and glanced up to meet the golden gaze bearing down on him.
Cooper's heart stopped.
Black flashed, and his candle of consciousness sank into the cold, hard floor.
-----
Roderick Hill
-----
When Yang finally left to use the washroom, Roderick thought he could catch a break.
Of course, he was so wrong.
Roderick stood by the punchbowl, gawking at the entrance and resisting the urge not to ogle the woman strutting towards him.
Stars twinkled across the glassy fabric of her midnight dress and elbow-length gloves, and be it man or woman, she was the center of attention to anyone passing her by.
"Cinder?" Roderick tossed a safety gap. "I-Is there something you need?"
"Why, actually, it so happens I came here alone." Cinder stroked the ashen ends of her satin raven locks. "Since you don't appear to be preoccupied, I'd appreciate it if you could spare this lonely girl a little time."
It was hard enough to dance with Yang, and they were friends. To do the same for a person he barely knew, in breakable glass heels of all things, was a definite no-go.
"I'm really sorry, but I'm terrible at dancing," he said and tried to sound as convincing as he could. "Would hate for anything bad to happen."
"Is that so?" Persistence etched her face. "Well, I'll be sure to pay extra heed."
Immediately, it was clear she wouldn't be backing down any time soon.
"Look, Cinder—" He derailed at the batting eyelashes plunging a guilty knife deep into him.
"My only desire is to dance." A fleeting hope and suppressed excitement spiked in her voice. "You wouldn't want to disappoint your biggest fan, now would you, Little Eagle?"
Roderick grimaced and turned away.
Fingers clasped a hold of his chin, forcing him to directly look at her.
"You know," she brandished a razor of spite against his throat, "it's rude to not look at the person speaking to you."
"S-sorry about that." He gathered his thoughts. "I was just thinking."
"Don't be sorry." She linked their arms. "Be useful."
Cinder's cinnamon pumpkin perfume enticed him to go on as she brought him to the dance floor like Yang did, but instead of getting right into it, she waited for him to do something.
Behind her, a guy offered his hand to a girl before they started dancing.
It clicked.
Roderick copied the gesture, and Cinder gladly took it.
Neither of them said a word for the longest time and swayed to the music in a more or less awkward atmosphere. He stood his ground despite wanting to get out of there, and by how her smile never once fell, she clearly felt otherwise.
"Okay," Roderick said to finally break the ice, "is it just me or does this feel a little weird?"
Angelic mirth harmonized with her laugh.
"Then tell me about yourself. That way we can get to know each other better. For starters," she tapped his prosthetic, "how did this come to be?"
His stomach dropped. "It happened when I was a kid. No big deal."
"Oh," intrigue buzzed her eyes, "do tell."
Yang's screams and the Beowolf's harsh barks flashed in his ears.
"Sorry, it's not easy for me to pour this out."
"Don't be afraid," she played with his bow tie and fixed his collar, "and think of me as. . . a chalice for the night."
This reminded him of Pyrrha's far fetched stories about crazy fans. Roderick thought they were jokes or exaggerations blown out of proportion; he finally saw how wrong he was.
Best to keep his guard up and not say too much.
"Long story short," he said and dipped into the harsh memories of that night, "I became a Beowolf chew toy."
Cinder budged less than a mountain. No surprise really. She didn't seem like the type to be moved by a sob story or fawn over a puppy.
"What about family?" She drummed her fingers against his shoulder. "Tell me about them."
"I. . . I don't remember much." Roderick wondered himself what his life was like before Patch. "All I know is that me and my brother lost our home when we were kids, and the Huntress who found us ended up taking us in."
Summer Rose.
That was the name of Ruby's mother, Yang's stepmother, and in Roderick and Reynold's case, adoptive mother. She was the kindest person he's ever had the pleasure of knowing, and her sudden passing was a pain he never wished to endure again.
Cinder's visible eye narrowed. "How fortunate of you."
"It's been fun." Roderick tried to escape her grip. "I better get going, though, before my date sees us."
"Is that so? Shame." She let go. "And here I thought we were finally getting to know each other. I was even willing to share some advice."
The offer hooked him by the suit.
"What advice?"
She scoffed and shook her head. "Oh, you know."
"And what's that?"
"You're wasted potential."
Those words were a cheap shot to his pride.
"But that's not a bad thing." Cinder's elegant and mysterious charm morphed and twisted into something unsettling. "Under the proper guidance, you can succeed and reach new heights you could only dream of."
Warning signals urged him to step back.
"You will be strong, powerful. . . feared." She held an imaginary ball and crushed it. "Relish in the satisfaction of knowing that you're the one in charge, and everyone else is beneath you. Sounds good, no?"
He could've said a bunch of things, yet his tongue stayed tied.
Too many things raced inside his head, scrambling to make any sense of her craziness. What was her angle? Was it some kind of tactic or a psychological edge to get over him before the tournament? Or maybe she actually was a crazy fan trying to mess his day up?
Either way, this had to end.
"Sorry, Cinder." He put more space between them. "Whatever you do in Haven, save it for yourself."
Disappointment radiated from her like a furnace.
A sudden cough made Roderick' skin crawl. He spun to meet the face of a not-so-happy, red eyed blonde, and the room instantly got a whole lot hotter.
Cinder sighed and backed off. "As much as I enjoyed our dance, I believe I've had enough fun for tonight. Be sure to rest well for whatever mission you choose tomorrow. And do think about what I said, Little Eagle."
The moment Cinder was out of sight, Yang cracked her knuckles.
"I leave for one second and you're already messing around with another girl? I hope you know what's coming next, 'Little Eagle.' "
Crap.
Knowing exactly what was coming next, Roderick cursed his luck and gunned it for the exit.