[6/28 (Saturday) – Evening]
[Beacon Academy — Team RWBY Dorm Room]
After being dragged into Team Ruby's dorm room, Clerval soon found himself surrounded by both sister teams. Every pair of eyes was locked onto him.
His current state probably did not help his case, too.
"... Can I go now?" Clerval asked gently, only for the group around him to close ranks, tightening their surroundings, leaving no gaps for any possible escape routes.
"What were you even doing coming back this late?"
"Where were you the whole day?"
"How did you get into this state?"
"I smell burns, did you get burnt?!"
"Who ruined this sick poncho?"
Everyone stopped questioning to turn their attention towards Yang, who asked that last question. She crossed her arms defensively.
"What? That's a cool poncho that's now in tatters."
Weiss immediately waved her hands.
"That's not the point!" She pointed toward him. "The problem is—what happened to warrant... this?"
She gestured toward the burns, cuts, and torn clothing covering him.
He simply shrugged.
"I was out with Professor Port."
He lied immediately.
There was no way he could explain the Velvet Room, the Labyrinth, or the mysterious countdown without opening an entirely different supernatural can of worms.
Fortunately, the explanation was believable enough, earning several understanding nods from the more reasonable members of the group.
Professor Port regularly brought him into deeper sections of the Emerald Forest for Grimm extermination and capture requests, often staying out until evening. While it was unusual for him to return in such a battered state with a professor present, they could easily imagine a scenario where the professor allowed Clerval to face stronger Grimm on his own without interference.
It was Professor Port they were talking about, after all.
The others exchanged glances before slowly accepting the answer.
Eventually, after several more questions, Clerval was finally released.
The moment he was free, he made a beeline toward his dorm for his much-anticipated sleep.
He barely even reached his bed before collapsing onto it, fast asleep within seconds, offering no resistance whatsoever.
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As soon as Clerval disappeared down the hallway, the members of Team Ruby and Juniper waited until the dorm room door shut completely.
A few seconds of silence passed before—
"Well, that was a load of bullshit."
Yang broke the silence with a snort.
"Didn't Professor Port go out with the third-years today for their routine survival classes?" Pyrrha asked, frowning. "Why would Clerval lie about something like that?"
No one answered because they didn't have an answer. However...
"I say we follow him," Weiss suggested. "He's been going into Vale almost every day this week."
Ruby immediately nodded furiously.
"Seconded! As team leader, I say we find out what our friend has been doing recently!"
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't that a bit excessive? Following someone without their knowledge is a rather serious invasion of privacy. Besides, what he does in his spare time is his own business—"
"Ren's totally wrong! Let's stalk him!" Nora raised a fist enthusiastically, dismissing his entire argument before he could finish.
A brief silence followed.
Then everyone's attention shifted toward Blake.
The cat Faunus had been quietly reading her book in the corner.
Feeling the weight of everyone's gaze, she slowly lowered it.
"... What?"
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A/N: We hit 5 new paid members, meaning there will be a bonus chapter for everyone!
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