At the blonde family's surprisingly fervent insistence, Rio and Aisha exited the bullhead first, the latter with her hood up.
Rio's thoughts on the matter were like this.
As long as Aisha's face was concealed, he could deal with whatever confusion might be caused with him having gained an add-on since departing.
Well, several add-ons.
A wry smile on his face, Rio helped Aisha off the ship.
After which, his hand was already moving once more, towards the next person. But he was a little confused why the one named Jade stopped moving all of a sudden. What was more, she had the strangest expression on her face as she stared at him.
No, his hand.
Rio tilted his head.
Why is she—...
His entire body flinched, as if doused in flames.
That was the only way he felt he could describe the stinging nervousness enveloping him right now. He would be surprised if it didn't show on his face. It would also be a surprise if no one noticed how superficial his smile looked, like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it.
After all, Rio's current behavior was actually quite ridiculous.
The distance between the ground and the airship could hardly be considered a drop.
What was more, it was incredibly insulting to assume the girl in front of him couldn't handle such a thing and was in need of a man's assistance.
Of course, in reality, Rio was just falling back on the last several years, where helping women out of horse-drawn carriages was not only a societal expectation, but the kind of common kindness one should do regardless.
In other words, he had moved entirely without thinking, and the flustered girl in front of him was the result.
"Haha? I'm... sorry about that."
So, just as flustered, Rio awkwardly made to retract his hand.
But in an unexpected twist, his hand was grabbed just before he could. Refusing to look at him, her hand in his, Jade descended with a stark blush on her face. "T-Thanks," she murmured quietly, barely audible.
Unsure how else to respond, Rio just nodded his head.
Then his gaze traveled back to the bullhead.
Where the freshly introduced Juniper was waiting, that being, the mother.
The important distinction, however, was the sickeningly sweet smile on her face, having just seen the entire scene.
Rio instantly felt drained.
Still, the woman wasn't alone.
She was holding the young Amber by her shoulders right in front of her, and the little girl was staring him down with a serious, almost eager gaze.
His eyes briefly flicked back to Juniper, where he received a happy nod.
While inwardly wondering how strange the situation had become, Rio put on a smile and once again reached out his hand.
Luckily, the white haired boy hadn't been roped into assisting every passenger as their personal hand-holder, as after Amber and Juniper got off, Nicholas was next, and whether the man realized it or not, he focused just as much attention on his children safely getting off the airship.
Lavender especially, Rio noted with a curious tilt to his head.
Well, she did have a thinner frame compared to her sisters...
"Lavender has a weak constitution," Coral stated, as if reading his mind. She had moved to his side at one point.
Rio rounded on the girl with faintly widened eyes. Not so much at the new piece of information, but... "She is your twin, correct? ...Is that something you should be sharing about her to a complete stranger?" Rio asked with a troubled smile.
The girl only shrugged.
"Rio."
Juniper suddenly approached with a hesitant smile.
"Sorry if this is a bother, but do you think you can point us in the direction of the dorms?"
Rio's confusion lasted only for a moment.
Ah, they did mention a brother, didn't they?
He very faintly recalled as much.
One of the students was likely family.
Though, at this point, he was actually kind of curious as to who it was. He even wondered if he knew them.
"That's no problem at all, Miss Juniper. Please, follow me."
Well, whoever they were...
With seven sisters, the guy had definitely lived quite the hectic life.
.
. .
. . .
Elsewhere, as if by premonition, Jaune was suddenly wracked by an un-explainable sense of dread, as if something terrible was about to befall him.
...
...
...
In his clock-themed office, Ozpin casually sipped from his mug, his eyes glinted a bright blue from the screen displayed in front of him.
"The Arc family, is it?"
As if by habit alone, he let out a curious hum.
It looked like Nicholas and his family were on their way to the dorms.
It was clear who they were planning to see, but... a somewhat different thought surfaced in Ozpin's mind. If he was recalling correctly, that boy's forged transcripts listed his parents as deceased. An obvious lie, Ozpin knew. But could that mean...
Perhaps Nicholas was unaware of his son's enrollment all this time?
The headmaster's mug paused halfway to his lips.
Now, Ozpin was a man of considerable power, possessing abilities that eclipsed that of a normal headmaster.
But even he did not feel confident in facing the wrath of an overprotective father and all that came with it.
"Hm. I might be in trouble."
Ozpin's expression visibly waned.
But then, impossibly, it relaxed like nothing was wrong.
Well, I'll just leave it all to Glynda.
With that shameless thought coursing through him, Ozpin spun around his chair, and he almost forgot the most important thing.
Perhaps even more surprising than the sight of that blonde family, was the presence of the white-haired boy who had taken to leading them.
It was an odd combination, to say the least.
Or perhaps not?
Nicholas's daughters certainly seemed quite friendly, at least when it came to talking to the boy, a fact that became a lot more credible when taking into account the father's stony face.
Also, didn't the boy's expression look way too forced?
Oh, and another thing, there was a hooded pink haired girl glued to his side.
Was she one of his students?
Well, it didn't matter.
The wiles of youth were none of his business.
Ozpin was about to dismiss the screen entirely, but just before, he stopped. But it wasn't prompted by the urge to keep spying on his students. Rather, something separate caught his eye.
He frowned, and it was an expression that was slightly more serious than those he showed thus far.
Because perched on a nearby tree was a bird.
It was a crow, watching them.
As if it was waiting.
Ozpin sighed.
"What is he planning now?"
...
...
...
Leading the blonde family to the dorm building went off without a hitch.
Although, as an aside, Rio was somewhat curious as to why the mood suddenly changed.
For one, as they approached the glass doors that marked the building's entrance, Nicholas and Juniper's expressions were becoming gradually more serious.
And as if in the know, their daughters also seemed prepared for something.
But since it wasn't any of Rio's business, he didn't pry.
He only patiently weathered the "thank you's" they gave after they said goodbye, saying they could handle it from here.
Truthfully, he thought the gratitude was a bit unnecessary. Beyond guiding them to a building a map could have informed them of, he really hadn't done anything.
Still, he smiled and nodded as he parted ways with them, only dropping it with a barely perceptible sigh when they completely disappeared into the building.
Quite frankly, Rio was relieved they were gone.
Though, this had less to do with him thinking that the family was bothersome, and more to do with him having found the impromptu encounter incredibly draining. In other words, his already very limited social reserves were now well and truly spent.
On a related note, Rio was truly by himself now.
Aisha had slipped away to find someplace secluded, if only to disappear back into her spirit form.
That said, the boy turned on his heel, other things beginning to surface in his mind.
The tournament, for one.
Today, the match-ups for the double's rounds would be in full swing.
And then after that, the singles.
He would have to put some thought into how he wanted to approach those...
"Hey, kid."
A voice pulled Rio from his thoughts.
It was a man, grinning as he walked over to him with a lazy wave.
Black hair, a slight beard... the individual looked vaguely familiar?
His thoughts ended right there however, because in an unexpected action, the man ignored Rio's personal space entirely as he closed the distance, slinging an arm around his shoulders, as a close friend might do.
"Um, sir? Can I help you?" Rio tried with a slight smile, though unable to mask how completely and utterly confused he was, his brows knitted together and twitching.
More than that, the boy felt incredibly wary.
But, since un-provokingly shoulder throwing some random person into the concrete didn't sound like a good idea, the boy weathered it the best he could.
And yet, in response, the man snorted.
"Geez, you're quite the respectful one, aren't you? Well, it doesn't matter. I just want to test something. After, I'll be all serious and thank you properly. Sound good?"
What is this person talking—
The only hint Rio received of the sudden kick was aura flaring up along the man's leg like a wildfire.
Thus, working his arms into a block was instinctual, just as the near wordless Strengthening Rio quickly cast. Even so, the sudden biting pain in his arms only slightly lessened as he leapt backwards and away from the man.
"Ooh. That was some quick reacting. Though, it's a bit annoying that your expression barely changed."
...I can't hold back against this person, Rio concluded, releasing a breath. But he wasn't given any more time to think, because the man was already barreling forward once more, an elbow poised right for Rio's chest. The white-haired youth instantly coated his body in wind and tilted away from it.
Then, he disappeared entirely.
At least, that's how it must have looked to his now wide-eyed attacker.
In reality, all Rio had done was glide to the side and then behind the man.
A flash step, Satsuki was desperate to call it, despite Rio's feelings on such an embarrassing name.
That being said, the man wasn't inexperienced.
He was already craning his neck behind him, lashing out with a punch. Rio batted it aside, before throwing one of his own, only to feint at the last moment and accelerate his body into a spinning kick, right to the side of the man's head.
The man barely got both hands up in time to block it, groaning at the impact.
The force, it seemed, was still quite substantial.
Even so, his opponent had barely flinched.
The blue shimmering phenomenon dancing along the man's skin had definitely lessened the blow.
Fierce exchanges followed, and while Rio was using precise strikes and acrobatic movements, the man utilized wild swings and devastating kicks.
He didn't appear to be proficient in any specific martial arts. Yet, that seemed to be swapped for power.
Of course, there was another difference between the two of them.
Aura.
While Rio was confident that his mana reserves would have his Strengthening last longer in a battle of attrition, aura seemed to be a better deterrent against physical blows. In other words, this person wasn't feeling the proper amount of pain each time he was struck.
But that was fine.
It meant the white haired boy was allowed to hit harder.
Rio instantly changed his approach.
He stopped attacking entirely, focusing only on evading. Taking notice of this, the man scowled, starting to attack more aggressively. This continued for several more blows, until it finally happened.
A punch sailed clean past Rio's head, off target.
The limb was completely overextended.
The man realized his folly and hurriedly tried to pull back.
Rio didn't let him.
Spawning a small ball of wind, it struck in a way the man didn't expect, hitting the small of his back and sending him stumbling forward.
Rio snaked his way into the man's guard at that moment, delivering a devastating knee into the man's stomach, sending him flying backwards. Rio didn't let up, however. He bounded forward, ready to—
"Alright, alright. I give."
Doubled over on the ground and coughing, the man raised a hand in surrender, a weak grin tugging at his lips.
Rio could only hesitate, slightly startled.
Because, it was enough for him to properly take in the man's appearance, and place why he had found him so familiar.
Yesterday, during the incident that took place in front of Beacon.
He was the supposed drunk that had been fighting that white haired woman, who Weiss revealed to be her sister.
But, according to Ruby, that made this person...
"Heya brat," the man named Qrow laughed. "You, uh, hit kinda hard, don't you?"
Her uncle...
...
...
...
"You. Drunken. Ass."
Glynda was, in a word, livid, and each syllable seemed to cause the person she was tearing into to wince, that being one Qrow Branwen.
Now, did it make sense for one of the rumored veteran huntsmen of Vale to be looking so intimidated right now when talking to a female colleague?
Probably not.
But that didn't change what was happening.
"I-In my defense, you caught me at the worst possible time. It was always my plan to do the heart to heart after playing around a little first—ow! Ow! What the fuck?! Woman, did you just hit me?!"
Glynda very much did, and as if the question pissed her off even more, she grit her teeth, hefted her riding crop, and bludgeoned him with it several more times. "Why! Does your brain! Allow you!" Her words came out stilted, her ragged breathing separating each strike. "To cause problems for the person who cleaned up your mess?!"
Although, as an aside, the attacks were no different than getting struck by the spindly switch of an irate parent, but aura or not, it must have been quite uncomfortable.
"Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm apologizing!"
"Not to me!"
"Gehh?! Ow! You bitch..."
"Excuse me?!"
"W-Wait, I didn't mean it. I didn't—!'
Now, watching one of your professors getting brutalized by another wasn't a sight a student could say they got to see often.
That was why it should come as no surprise that a particular four girls, who amongst others were in the vicinity when the commotion started, were astounded to say the least.
Mildly disturbed even, if Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake could be completely honest with themselves.
That was why it was somewhat impressive that, by appearances alone, Rio was instead just like the other adults present, Ozpin, Ironwood, and Winter, watching the scene, and the picture of calm.
But since that was so untrue it wasn't even funny, it was only through sheer force of will that the white-haired boy kept a smile on his face, even as it very much threatened to crumble at any given moment.
"Okay, wait! This isn't me skirting responsibility, but hear me out!" Qrow, in a desperate attempt to curb the demonic energy encroaching on him from the woman in front of him, threw his hands out in a fluster. "The kid, he, uh, doesn't even seem too angry, right? I mean, look at him. S-So isn't this volcano treatment a little—"
"Doesn't seem angry?! Is that really what you just said?!"
That was apparently the wrong thing to say.
Mount Glynda erupted.
"He—!" Not even looking at him, the woman very abruptly stabbed a finger in Rio's direction, and the boy could only blink. "—could get un-provokingly spit on by Sienna Khan and simply shrug it off with a smile...!"
Qrow froze.
Glynda continued to heave.
Everyone else balked.
Rio, barely finding the sudden name familiar, tilted his head to one side in somewhat tense confusion.
...Who was that again?
That was when, Yang, uncaring of the abrupt silence left in the wake of such a statement, leaned past Blake's especially gob-smacked face and whispered in Rio's ear, grinning slightly. "(Eh? Is that true Rio? Getting spit on by terrorist ladies turns you on?)"
Rio, not really feeling emotionally capable of dignifying that with a response, only sighed.
Between getting attacked for a reason that still had yet to be revealed to him, and then forced on the sidelines as said attacker was attacked himself... quite frankly, the boy was just counting the seconds before he could excuse himself.
That said, it was somewhat of a relief when, after some more verbal lashing from his blonde professor, Qrow finally limped over.
Well, he wasn't actually limping.
It just must have appeared that way with how mentally drained the man looked.
Rio understood.
He really, really, did.
"...Geez kid, If I'd known Glynda had 'the hots for you', believe me when I say I would have stayed far, far, away." Qrow complained half-heartedly, then in a show of panic, suddenly went stiff, rigidly turning to spy on the female professor's irritated reaction.
Only, barely noticeable, the woman's cheeks darkened instead.
Eh?
No, wait.
Qrow had been joking.
He thought this was a prime teasing opportunity where even stone-wall Glynda Goodwitch was playing favorites much in the same way Ozpin always did. Hell, the boy's face was even appealing in that effeminate boyish way.
It was no different than Qrow thinking his nieces as adorable.
But in this instance, he had actually, definitely, been joking.
Eh? What? Seriously? No, why is she making that face?
"Obviously, that's not the case, sir..." Rio denied with a strained sort of seriousness, only belied by the rest of his body language showing in about every way imaginable that the question wasn't one he knew how to react to.
Qrow wasn't really convinced, but this wasn't the time to get caught up in something else.
Due to the now growing fear of getting whipped, more verbal abuse, or both, the man roughly scratched his head before giving the white-haired boy a serious look.
"Kid—uh, no, Rio."
Qrow reached out his hand.
"I... appreciate what you did yesterday. I mean it. And I'm...sorry... for dragging this out. So, yeah. Thanks for saving my hide. Really."
In the man's periphery, he saw Yang with a confused expression huddle close to Ruby, whispering something incoherent. To which the girl immediately whispered something back, her eyes practically sparkling.
Ruby was no doubt regaling her sister on the finer details of just how colossally Qrow had fucked up the previous day.
Well, if he knew his niece, that girl would only focus on the happy ending that had been reached, not what could have been.
What should have been...
Qrow's eyes focused back on the present, where the white-haired boy was staring at him and his hand in subtle surprise. But as if blinking it all away, Rio slowly grasped Qrow's hand, shaking it. And yet again, that unsure smile lit up his face. "...Truthfully, I don't think I did anything of note, but... you're welcome, sir."
Beside them, Glynda's impatience had almost been physically tangible, but it dissipated as she crossed her arms in a huff.
The other adults didn't look too different.
All in all, they were saying: it's about time, with the kind of expressions that parents had when waiting for a bratty kid to apologize.
Qrow's brow could only twitch.
During this, Rio raised a hand. "But, um, if I may, Mr. Branwen, I'm still somewhat confused on something..."
Qrow let out a snort. "You don't need to be so formal kid. What is it?"
"The topic of yesterday coming up, I understand, perhaps even apologizing too, but... why... did... you end up attacking me... just now?" Rio asked with such a confused lilt to his voice, that the question mark was almost visible atop his head.
Qrow blinked. "Isn't it obvious?"
"No, sir, it's really not..."
Qrow wasted no time pointing. Specifically, to the left and right of Rio. "You're getting extra friendly with my nieces, aren't you? I needed to make sure you were good enough."
"Wha...?"
"U-Uncle Qrow!"
Yang, followed by Ruby, immediately went rigid and flushed crimson, but their startled cries went mainly ignored by the man.
Qrow focused on the white-haired boy's expression.
However, no matter how one looked at it, Rio's expression was quite strange.
It almost looked concerned, even.
"And you were willing to test that... by how proficiently violent I was...?"
"Well, ye—..."
An all-encompassing silence filled the air.
In it, Qrow froze, his mouth opening and closing. But no matter how long his brain whirred for, absolutely nothing of logical sense came out. Rio, on the other hand, stood there, unrealistically patient, with an awkward looking smile on his face.
This continued for some time.
Then, a strange noise tickled the air.
It... almost sounded like a breathy laugh.
One by one, all eyes turned to Glynda, who was now looking away from all of them with a hand covering her mouth. Beyond it, an incredibly subtle blush was dusting her cheeks.
Everyone blinked.
Nonetheless, someone chose that moment to decidedly cough.
It was Ozpin.
"Please forgive Qrow here, Mr. Amakawa. His childhood was... quite unique." To the rest of the adults, the translation was obvious: ignore this drunk idiot who was raised by bandits in the wilderness. "But nonetheless, I'm glad recent events have not caused ill will between the two of you. Now, we can—"
"Headmaster Ozpin, if I may?"
A woman who had been quiet for the most part, stepped forward, and she shared such a stark resemblance to the member of Team RWBY who had been beside her all this time, that Rio couldn't help but be distracted, despite knowing their relation.
Though, as Winter Schnee locked eyes with him, that became the furthest thing from his mind.
"I would also like to offer my sincerest gratitude to Mr. Amakawa."
Rio immediately stiffened.
This was because unlike Qrow, Winter performed an unexpected action. She went as far as dropping to one knee, and it caused no shortage of surprise amidst those watching, especially Weiss.
"S-Sister?"
Winter continued, however.
"The manner in which I behaved yesterday was foolish and hotheaded. Under the guise of wishing to discipline some irrelevant clown—"
"Oi..."
"—I endangered the very citizens we came here to protect. You, Mr. Amakawa, even had to get involved and clean up the mess we, as adults, never should have created. So, let me offer you my apologies for that, and more than that, my thanks."
It could probably be counted on one hand when a Specialist of the Atlas military bowed their heads to a civilian, one from another Kingdom at that.
Of course, that said nothing of the fact that the Specialist in question held the illustrious last name of Schnee.
That being said...
The white-haired boy's expression screamed: troublesome, to everyone present.
Because in Rio's case, there was really no other way to react to a gesture of this magnitude.
It was for this very reason he would have preferred not to get involved, and why he had even been suitably relieved when it was Glynda who took most of the public's eye.
But he supposed it would have been too much to expect those closest to him not to recognize his abilities...
Rio breathed out a quiet sigh.
"...Please raise your head, Specialist Schnee. If it's as you say, and you do feel a sense of gratitude towards me, I'd prefer it if you used it to treat me normally. You are both someone of importance and older, after all. You... shouldn't go bowing your head to someone like me..."
Meanwhile, in the background, Team RWBY seemed to share a somewhat exasperated look, as if used to this.
Glynda and Ozpin, too.
Winter, however, and even the stoically-observing-Ironwood, blinked, not having expected that kind of reply.
Still, regarding the white-haired woman, she acquiesced to the boy's suggestion with a nod and stood up.
"Very well, Mr. Amakawa."
"I'd prefer it if you just called me Rio?"
"Rio, then. Ah, you are acquainted with my sister, are you not? You may call me Winter, as well."
Rio's smile turned awkward.
"I... think I'll stick with Miss Schnee."
"As you prefer."
"You won't get anywhere kissing ass with her, kid," Qrow said without filter, which now made a lot more sense considering his relation to Ruby and Yang.
The latter especially.
In any case, Winter glared at the man.
As did Glynda.
Rio's reply was a tired one.
"...I will keep that under advisement, Mr. Branwen."
"Mr. Branwen? Again with that? You don't need to pretend to respect me, kid."
"I... honestly can't say whether or not I'm pretending, but that doesn't really matter, right? It doesn't change the fact you're Ruby and Yang's family. As someone who owes them quite a bit... isn't it natural that I'd want to leave a good impression on you?"
Ruby and Yang flushed the tiniest bit on either side of him, even though the latter tried to hide it.
If the boy noticed, that calm expression of his certainly didn't show it.
Qrow's entire face twitched.
Geez, it doesn't feel like I'm talking to a kid at all. What a creepy little brat. And Yang always did say she hated immature boys. And with Ruby probably thinking he's cool or something... oh, gods. History is repeating itself...
This was giving him a headache.
"...And I thought no one could be as dangerous as Tai. You might just give him a run for his money, kid," Qrow grumbled, even casting a subtle look at Glynda, to which the woman went stiff at.
"I... don't understand what you're saying, sir."
"You will one day, whether you like it or not. Just don't get anyone knocked up. Or I'll kick your ass for real."
The boy didn't explode in embarrassment like the man thought. Beyond the tiniest of red that dusted his cheeks, and the way his brows crinkled slightly, his expression remained otherwise unchanged.
"I... respect you for being protective over your nieces, sir, but let me assure you, I am well aware of my place. Even if I sometimes feel it's undeserved, their friendship is more than enough for me."
Ruby and Yang didn't look his way.
But oddly, their pout was clear.
Meanwhile, Qrow's eyes drifted towards the sky.
"Gods help us all..."
Winter coughed. "Well, exercising boundaries with relationships between men and woman is important. I commend you for your self-control, Rio."
"Thank you?" Rio replied, asked really, with a struggling smile. In actuality though, he was really just wondering how things had gotten to be so strange...
And it wasn't even noon, yet.
It's going to be a long day, the boy thought.