Fate's Wild Card Ch.18 (Early Access)

Pryce just decides to ignore it. The blonde must have heard the commotion he caused with Weiss and gotten curious, which is fair enough. He's in a huntsman academy, not in the slum streets, so he can maybe relax a bit of his awareness and paranoia. Or maybe it was just a coincidence.

So he turns around and heads straight to his dormitory, making his way through the corridors until he reaches room 121. He knocks on the door with a few sharp raps.

It's Ruby who greets him, opening the door with her bright smile. "Oh hey, Pryce! You're back! We were just getting settled in and picking out spots for all our stuff."

The reaper steps aside to welcome him inside, which he does.

Weiss is already there, sitting primly on one of the beds with perfect posture, a book in her lap. She glares at him the moment he enters, her blue eyes still shooting daggers, before pointedly looking away with an offended huff and returning to her reading with exaggerated focus.

Pryce just rolls his eyes at her theatrical display.

He was going to fix that stupid belief of hers before she dragged him to a maternity ward.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha is quietly organizing her belongings on her bed, carefully folding clothes and arranging some kits which he assumes are cleaning kits. She glances up and gives him a polite smile. "Welcome back, Pryce. I hope everything went well."

If only she knew.

"Yeah, just peachy," he mutters, sending a pointed look at Weiss, who turns a page with unnecessary force.

"And now our team is complete!" Ruby moves to the center of the room, enthusiastically gesturing around the space while practically bouncing on her toes. "So! Since most of us were here, we already decided on beds! Hope you don't mind, but that left you with the one by the wall." She points to the bed in question, which already has his luggage sitting on top of it. "Is that okay? I mean, we can totally switch if you want! But Weiss said she needed to be near the window , and Pyrrha already picked, and I like being close to the door and—"

"It's fine," Pryce interrupts, looking around the room properly for the first time. "This place is pretty spacious."

And it really is. The room is actually bigger than his entire apartment back in Vale, with four individual beds, desks, and enough floor space that they're not constantly bumping into each other. Hell, this dormitory room is probably twice the size of his cramped studio, including the bathroom.

That reminds him—he should probably cancel his rent or figure out what to do with that place, since he won't be using that cramped little space for the next four years. If ever.

He walks over to his bed and pulls his luggage down, setting it on the floor before simply flopping onto the mattress and laying back with his arms behind his head. The bed is surprisingly comfortable—way better than the one he's been sleeping on for years. Probably because it was a cheap one.

"This'll do," he says, finally relaxing for the first time since this whole academy mess started.

Ruby claps her hands together excitedly. "Great! Now that we're all here and settled in, I just know we're going to be the best team ever! We're going to kick so much Grimm butt and go on amazing adventures and maybe even discover new cool things!"

"Yay…" 

He snorts. "Such inspiring team spirit." 

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Pryce is adjusting his uniform, tugging at the collar and tie. It was so unnecessarily formal and restrictive—he's been wearing normal clothes most of his life, so this is a radical change. The tie feels like a noose around his neck, and some parts felt a little itchy.

But what's really bothering him is that he's been called to Ozpin's office, which is complete bullshit.

He didn't really do anything wrong. It was just the first day, which had started normally like any other day of school—or what he thinks should be a normal day in a huntsman academy—except for when he had to slam some idiot's face against the desk because the guy couldn't stop acting like a dumbass and throwing spitballs at him during that pumpkin old guy’s.

The asshole's fault for being a nuisance. And he was nice about it, out in the streets he would have broken a bone or two for that and that idiot at most got a bloody nose.

The elevator chimes and he pushes himself off the wall to step forward, only to be surprised that the elevator opens directly into the  grand office itself—no corridor or waiting area, just straight into the headmaster. And the old man is sitting behind his desk with his ever-present mug in one hand and the other resting on his computer keyboard.

He steps inside the office, and Ozpin turns to face him fully, shifting his position with that annoyingly calm demeanor.

"Hello, Mr. Locke. Please, take a seat," Ozpin says, gesturing to the chair across from his desk with the same politeness he'd shown during their first meeting.

Pryce rolls his eyes and moves to sit down, the chair creaking slightly under his weight. He slouches deliberately, crossing his arms.

"So," Ozpin begins, setting down his mug and folding his hands, "would you care to explain why you were sent to my office on your very first day of classes? I must admit, even I didn't expect to see you quite this soon."

Pryce shrugs with exaggerated nonchalance. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Ozpin's eyebrows raise slightly, and there's the faintest hint of amusement in his expression. "Oh, I do have a rather good guess, actually. But I think I would prefer to hear your version of events, so we can ensure we're discussing the same incident on equal grounds."

When Pryce just stares at him without responding, Ozpin continues with that same infuriatingly patient tone. "Professor Port mentioned there was a rather... vigorous disagreement during his lecture this morning. Something about a rather forceful correction?"

So he knows.

"The guy was being an asshole," Pryce says bluntly. "Kept throwing shit at me while I was trying to listen to the lecture. So I made him stop."

He wasn’t really listening though, but messing with his scroll.

"Ah." Ozpin nods slowly, as if this explanation makes perfect sense. "And your method of 'making him stop' involved introducing his face to the desk with considerable force, I'm told?"

"And?"

The old bastard leans back in his chair, taking a sip from his mug. "Tell me, Mr. Locke, do you believe your response was... excessive?"

Pryce frowns. "Not really. He was being a dick. I stopped him."

"Hmm." Ozpin sets down his mug, and to Pryce's surprise, he doesn't look angry or upset. "You know, you're not entirely wrong. Beacon Academy is not, as some might believe, a daycare center for overgrown children. We are training future huntsmen and huntresses—individuals who will face death on a daily basis against mindless, man-eating monsters. Violent death is quite common in this line of work."

Pryce blinks, not expecting that response.

"In that context," Ozpin continues, "a certain degree of... assertiveness is not only expected but necessary. However, we also cannot have students randomly assaulting each other without consequence. There must be balance, you understand."

"So what, I'm supposed to just let people walk all over me?"

"Not at all." Ozpin's lips curve into what might be a smile. "In fact, if you find yourself having irreconcilable differences with a fellow student, there are proper channels for such conflicts. You are always free to request a formal duel to settle disputes under faculty supervision."

HIs ears perk up. "Wait, what?"

"You seem surprised. Did no one inform you of this particular regulation?"

"No, nobody mentioned anything about duels."

Ozpin blinks, then reaches into his desk drawer, retrieving a thick booklet with the Beacon Academy seal embossed on the cover. He flips through several pages before he clears his throat.

"I assume you received one of these during orientation?" he asks, holding up the guidebook.

Pryce stares at the book then at the man, causing him to shift uncomfortably. "Yeah, well... I might have thrown it out."

"Ah,that would explain your ignorance of our policies. Section 4, Subsection C: 'Student Conflict Resolution through Supervised Combat.' It states quite clearly that any student may request a formal duel with another student to resolve personal disputes, provided both parties consent and the engagement is supervised by a licensed faculty member." He looks up at Pryce over his glasses. "It's quite a popular option, actually."

Pryce stares at him. "You're serious. There's an actual rule that lets students beat the shit out of each other."

"Within reasonable limits, yes. Obviously, lethal force is strictly prohibited." Ozpin closes the booklet. "It serves multiple purposes—it allows students to work out their differences constructively, provides valuable combat experience, and prevents the sort of... impromptu violence that occurred in Professor Port's classroom."

"That's..." Pryce shakes his head. "That's actually not terrible."

Being able to beat assholes without repercussions sounds amazing.

"I'm glad you approve. However, the key word here is 'consent.' The student in question would have had to agree to such an engagement, which gives him the opportunity to decline and perhaps reconsider his behavior instead."

"Huh." Pryce leans back in his chair. "So what you're saying is I should have challenged him to a duel instead of just smashing his face into the desk."

"I'm saying you had options you weren't aware of—largely because you discarded the materials that would have informed you of them." Ozpin reproaches. "However, since you chose the more... direct approach, you'll be spending this weekend helping with campus maintenance. Consider it a learning experience about the proper channels for conflict resolution."

Pryce nods slowly. "Fair enough, I guess."

Which is better than being lectured about some moralist bullshit about violence not being the answer, although he shouldn’t have thought about that from the old bastard since he practically coerced him to join Beacon.

"Oh, and Mr. Locke?" Ozpin's eyes glint with something that might be approval. "Congraluations in joining my academy, I hope you will use your abilities towards a better goal."

A small smirk tugs at Pryce's lips. "Maybe."

"Perhaps next time you might consider reading the provided materials before disposing of them?" Ozpin slides a fresh copy of the guidebook across the desk. "I do hope this one will receive better treatment."

As Pryce stands and heads for the elevator, guidebook in hand.

Waiting to descend, he finally leaves the elevator and is immediately greeted by his young team leader who practically launches herself at him with a crushing hug, catching him completely off guard. Especially since he didn't expect her at all or hear her and that she would somehow know which floor to wait.

"Pryce! Oh my gosh, are you okay? What happened? Are you in trouble? Did the headmaster yell at you? Because if he did, I can totally go talk to him and explain that it wasn't your fault and that guy was being a complete jerk and throwing things and disrupting class and—"

"Whoa, whoa," Pryce blinks at the sudden assault of questions, putting extra care into prying the silver-eyed girl off him since she has a vice grip around his torso. "Calm down, Ruby. It's okay, nothing happened."

"Nothing? But you were gone for like forever and Professor Port sent you to the headmaster's office and that usually means someone's in huge trouble and I was worried they might expel you on the first day and then our team would be broken before we even really got started and I'd be the worst team leader ever and—"

"Ruby," Pryce interrupts, placing his hands on her shoulders to steady her and finally create some breathing room. "Breathe. I'm fine. It was just some... talking stuff. I might be sweeping floors this weekend, that's all."

Ruby's silver eyes search his face intently for any sign of deception before she visibly relaxes, her shoulders sagging with relief. "Oh, okay! That's not so bad then. I mean, cleaning duty isn't fun, but at least you're not expelled!" She brightens immediately, practically bouncing on her toes. "I need to tell Pyrrha and Weiss that you're okay! I promised them I'd find out what happened because our team can't be fractured on the first day—I'd feel absolutely terrible as a team leader if that happened! We're supposed to stick together and support each other and—"

"Ruby," he cuts her off again.

"Right, sorry! Come on!" Before he can respond, Ruby grabs his hand and starts pulling him down the corridor with surprising strength. "They're waiting in the common area since we have a fifteen-minute break before our next class! I've been keeping track of everyone's schedules so we can coordinate better as a team!"

She leads him to a small seating area where Pyrrha and Weiss are sitting at opposite ends of a couch, both already reading. Ruby bounces over to them, practically vibrating with her usual cheerful energy.

"Guys! Great news! Nothing bad happened! Pryce is totally fine and not expelled or anything! Our team is still intact and we're totally still capable of becoming the best team ever at Beacon!"

Weiss looks up from the book she's been reading, and Pryce doesn't miss the flash of disappointment that crosses her features before she quickly masks it with practiced indifference.

"How... fortunate," she says dryly, her tone suggesting she finds it anything but. She returns her attention to her book with deliberate dismissal.

Pyrrha, however, doesn't share that cold sentiment and stands up gracefully. "That's wonderful news, Ruby. I was quite concerned when you didn't return with the rest of us." She pauses, glancing between him and Ruby with a thoughtful expression. "Pryce, could I speak with you for a moment? Privately?"

That's unexpected. He raises an eyebrow but nods. "Sure."

Hopefully nothing weird will happen.

"I need to discuss something with my partner," Pyrrha explains to Ruby, who immediately nods enthusiastically.

"No problem! You guys are partners after all—I totally understand that partners need to have private conversations sometimes! That's like, super important for team dynamics!" Ruby plops down next to Weiss, who immediately shifts away. "We'll wait right here!"

Pyrrha leads him a short distance away, around a corner where they're out of earshot from the other two. Once they're alone, she turns to face him with a troubled expression that looks odd in her.

"Is something wrong?" he asks.

Pyrrha sighs, running a hand through her red hair. "I wanted to discuss... the situation with Weiss. Since you left for the headmaster's office, she's made some rather... uncharitable comments about you. I felt you should be aware, and perhaps we could find a way to address the tension between you two before it affects our team."

He frowned. "What kind of comments?"

"She seemed quite convinced that you would be expelled, and she was... rather vocal about how that would be beneficial for the team's prospects." Pyrrha's voice carries a note of clear disapproval. "She also made some remarks about your background and your 'obvious lack of proper upbringing,' among other things. It was quite uncomfortable to listen to."

"That bitch..." he mutters under his breath.

And she seemed to want to work together to fix the made up nonsense of hers.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing." He drags a hand across his face, feeling his temper starting to rise but managing to keep it in check.

However, as his anger cools, a new idea strikes him. Pyrrha would be a neutral third party, and Weiss seems to take her words more seriously—or at least respect her opinion more than his, from what he observed before initiation.

He could send her to deal with this mess before it becomes any worse. But that would mean he'd have to reveal the whole ridiculous situation about Weiss thinking their accidental kiss somehow made her pregnant. And that he kissed that stupid girl.