The Fallen Knight

Chapter 4: Keep Your Enemies Close

Felix walked through the hallways of Beacon, keeping a small smile as Team NPR —Naming pending— gave him a tour. Inwardly he wanted to start shooting and bring in the Grimm with all the negativity he was feeling at the moment. The only silver lining he found was the amusement he felt over how his former partner, Pyrrha, was fidgeting nervously around him. Apparently she felt uncomfortable about having a 'fan' around.

'Didn't even have to try for that,' He snorted inwardly. 'Just thought I shouldn't be a dense idiot and actually acknowledge her fame. Thanks Pyr for giving me entertainment.'

"And this is our dorm room, and that one is... Team RWBY's," His tour guide said. He didn't missed the slight edge in her tone when she mentioned their sister team.

"Neat," he said. "Thanks a bunch for having me, again. I know I've said it a lot but, I mean it."

"'S not a problem!" Nora said. Her tone was kinda high.

'Jeez, did she always have that tone?' Felix wondered, if so it was a miracle none of them had gone deaf. "Just felt the need to say it. I didn't want to miss the tournament."

They entered the dorm and it was exactly as he remembered. Four beds on a perfect line, with a desk on the other side of the room and a bathroom in the back.

"We still don't know what happened with your team, though," Ren cut in. "Only thing Ozpin said was that they had an accident."

Felix rolled his eyes. "Yeah..." He said, in an exasperated tone. "They thought they could fuse three different kinds of Dust into one weapon... Maybe I thought it sounded cool too..."

"It does," Nora chirped.

"Not the aftermath though, I was off grabbing some stuff when suddenly BOOM!" He mimicked and explosion with his hands. "Next thing I know, my teammates are bedridden and I'm sulking because we won't be on the tournament."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you worried about them?"

"Pff nah!" He said. "They were laughing about it a week later, and when the notice that I could have a shot at the festival came they were cheering for me."

"Oh that's a relief. Sorry for asking," She apologized, as usual. She didn't changed a bit.

'Which means she's easy to predict,' Felix inwardly smirked. "So... uh... Kinda didn't want to ask but since you asked about me, can I do the same?"

The three looked at him with confusion. "Ask about...?" Nora questioned.

"Your teammate," He blurted out. "Headmaster Lionheart just told me you had a spot open, but never said why."

He knew why, obviously. But he had to play the part of a student, and gossips and rumours were a part of that life. And he was curious to see what they had to say about the failure that is Jaune Arc.

He noticed the mood shift. Nora lost her cheery attitude, showcasing how forced it felt this time around. Ren got more serious, if it was possible. And Pyrrha looked positively conflicted about it.

'Not what I was expecting,' Felix resisted the urge to blink. He expected disgust or amusement, not sadness.

"He... Was expelled," Pyrrha said. "Faked his transcripts and got kicked out."

"Because some jerks were mean to him!" Nora growled, sitting down on her bed. "He passed the initiation. He got through months of classes with us. He even saved their leader! Who cares how he got here?!" She threw her arms in the air, and then crossed them, her eyes shining with angry tears.

Ren sat at her side, wrapping an arm around her in a semi-hug. "We got caught up in a discussion when we learned about it. The three of us, that is. We decided we didn't care, compared to what others do here," His words came with an edge to them. "Jaune had good intentions. He wanted to be a Huntsman and help others; there was nothing wrong with that."