RWBY A Silver Lining

Chapter 1

The day was slowly winding down at Beacon Academy. Most of the students had already
finished their dinners and were preparing for bed. That is, all but a few.
Leo Dijon sat in an isolated spot of the school library typing away on a computer, his lion tail
swishing to either side of him as he worked. He periodically glanced around the cavernous
room, feeling almost like he was the only one there due to the silence. “Almost done…” Leo
mumbled to himself with a sigh, rubbing his tired eyes.
A sprinkling of fellow students scattered throughout the library were all that reminded Leo he
was not alone here in this vast sea of knowledge. The other students kept to themselves,
perusing books or studying for classes. Most were alone, but he saw some who were in pairs.
Study buddies, he thought to himself. But not that girl… Leo’s eyes drifted to a single girl who
sat alone, dressed in a black and white outfit with hints of silver. Her jet black hair descended in
graceful waves down her shoulders and back. Atop her head was one striking detail: a little
black bow. Somehow, Leo found it impossible to look away from the girl.
She did not look up at him. The girl remained engrossed in her book, completely oblivious to
the outside world. Leo wondered if she even realized anyone was watching her. Fascination
gave way to curiosity as Leo boldly bounced up onto his feet, hit save on the computer, and
closed the digital file. He bounded over with what he hoped was an inviting posture,
approaching her as she sat on a bench that was big enough for three. Or two, depending on
your size, Leo mused, the faintest suggestion of a smirk on his lips.
“There are plenty of other open seats, you know,” the young lady stated flatly, her eyes never
leaving the pages of the book titled The Man with Two Souls. He was taken aback by her blunt
comment, and even more surprised that she noticed him at all! No wonder she made it into
Beacon, Leo thought with fascination, now keenly reminded that the girl before him was a
Huntress, not just a visually pleasing bookworm.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, undeterred, and sat down on the opposite end of the bench with a
smile. “Hey there. My name’s Leo: huntsman in training, and lady charmer!”
“Oh?” She raised her eyebrows, still apparently unconvinced that his efforts at conversation
warranted so much as a glance.
“Uh huh! Leo Dijoin. Don’t wear it out.”
“Right…” The girl said in a sarcastic tone. “Hi Leo, I’m Blake Belladonna,” she replied with only
the faintest ounce of emotion in her voice, and absentmindedly flipped a page. This girl sure
was a tough nut to crack, but he could certainly get through to her.“Blake, huh? So, Blake, whatcha reading there?” Leo pretended to peek around to the cover
and read the title, slowly saying, “The man...with...two souls?” She nodded. “Ah! I’ve read that.”
“Have you?” Blake asked, her tone thick with doubt as she turned the page again.
“Yeah! A guy’s fighting for control of his body, there are two souls inside him, and their thoughts
are combined. Right?”
Somewhat caught off guard, the girl stammered, “Well...yes, actually. That’s right. Sorry. Most
people aren’t as interested in my preferred book genre.”
“Well, the only real reason I know that is because I was forced to write a report on it by my
teacher who is a complete fanatic about it. Hmm...maybe that’s why she lives alone.”
“What are you implying?” she asked with a frown. He realized his mistake, and quickly reacted.
“I’m saying that it’s funny how writing that paper actually came in handy for the day when I’d
meet such a pretty huntress.”
Blake gave a short, light chuckle, lowering her book and turning to him. “Nice save. Anyway,
nice to meet you...Leo, was it?” Her eyes slightly enlarged. She had finally given him the time of
day to realize that he had a tail. Leo mentally took note of the fact that she didn’t run away or
act nervous, like most humans he had met. That scored her bonus points in his book. Man, this
girl was just perfect!
“Yup!” Leo smiled, and found himself acting a little more goofy than usual. What was it about
Blake that made him feel so childlike? He was usually smooth in social situations, but he finally
felt he’d met his match in this girl. “I’m actually from Mistral. I go to Haven,” Leo explained as he
shook her outstretched hand.
“Oh. Welcome to Beacon.”
“Thanks.”
“So you’re here for the tournament, then?”
“Uh huh!” Leo smiled again, flexing one of his arms. “Leo Dijon, swordsman of Team SLVR and
kicker of butts.”
“You sure seem confident,” she responded dryly, narrowing her eyes. In response to his smug
smile, she added, “I’ll be entering too.” “What?! I mean, uh, awesome! Of course, I didn’t mean that I was gonna kick your butt exactly,
and you already told me your name.”
She chuckled again, this time fuller and louder. “It’s fine, Leo. I know what you meant. I was
only joking.” Blake stood, holding her book close. “I have to go now, but maybe I’ll see you
around?”
“Yeah, sure. See you later.”
“Until next time,” Blake responded confidently, turning and burying her nose in her book again
as she headed for the exit, clearly running on memory alone. She casually used the hardback
spine of her book to protect herself from a leak in the ceiling as she passed under a doorway.
In a matter of seconds, she was gone.
“First, though,” Leo whispered with dread, “I gotta crank out this paper.” He wearily trudged
back to the computer and got to work finishing the rest of his assignment. There would be time
for meeting people and thinking about the tournament later, he told himself. Still, his mind was
consumed by thoughts of the mysterious girl named Blake Belladonna. Leo knew that he just
had to see her again! Needless to say, he did not get much more writing done that evening.