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  Weiss Schnee and 'Asche Embers' stood at an uninteresting salad bar for their lunch. Each held a tray, which the heiress slowly topped with the various foods that were displayed.

'Asche' at first, waved the girl off when she asked him what he wanted. But of course, the Schnee refused to take "No" for an answer. Even after forcing him to grab a plate, the unkindled one neglected to grab any food. So Weiss instead shouldered the oh so "daunting responsibility" of serving a nearly grown man food.

She gave him the same meal she had. Every fruit, vegetable, grain based serving, all of it. Even the drink, two servings of pomegranate juice, had been identical. Once the two, namely Weiss, collected their utensils, the duo set off to find a comfortable enough space to eat. But of course, they need not look very far.

"Weiss, Asche! Over here guys!" A certain red themed girl called out.

Weiss halted in her tracks for the briefest of moments. She made a promise to Ruby last night… and though the girl still irritated her, the heiress caved in. Their relationship had started anew since then, it would be childish to loathe the girl entirely. After a small inhale of preparation from Weiss, the duo took their seats with team RWBY and JNPR.

Weiss sat by Yang and Ren, while Asche had yet to take his own.

"Ascheee, sit hereee! I saved you a spot like I said I would!" Ruby said, moving a pile of bags from the seat to her right.

The champion of ash rounded the table, taking his seat beside Ruby Rose and directly across from Weiss Schnee. To his own right, Blake sat quietly, enthralled with a book with a nearly illegible title. After setting his tray down, he slowly took his seat, unsure if he had belonged among the other students.

"Jeez, took you guys long enough. Ruby wouldn't let anyone sit there!" Yang said between her sipping from a smoothie.

"You betcha! I made a promise to Asche, and a Rose never goes back on their word!" The leader exclaimed, holding a cheeky smile while snaking a hand around the boy's right shoulder.

"Ruby!" Weiss interrupted. "Asche has food to eat, so quit distracting him!"

"O-oh right, heheh. I kinda forgot…" She sheepishly said, awkwardly pulling away from 'Asche'.

The champion meanwhile, only stared at the meal in front of him skeptically. With a fork, he picked the meal around, much like a child with selective taste buds would. This went unnoticed by many of the others, who whittled it down to 'Asche' being a picky eater. Blake however, glanced from the corner of her amber eyes at the boy's apparent lack of appetite.

Unbeknownst to all, she kept track of the boy since their first encounter. The mask, the silence, and the general refusal to volunteer in Port's class. Like her, he too had something to hide. This would be his third skipped meal, if one counted last night's supper, this morning's breakfast, and this very lunch together.

"What, not gonna eat? Even after the Schnee gave you her food?" The bow wearing girl said, returning her eyes to the novel in her hands.

The champion began to shake his head. Eating this food would provide nothing of value to him, so there really was no reason to, unless he enjoyed how it tasted. Considering it consisted of bland greens, the occasional spot of lifeless fruit, and a strange purple juice, he doubted it would be worth the needless effort. Before he could push the plate away however, Weiss threw a hand on to the table, causing the filled glass to rattle.

"Asche, you twat! Eat. Your. Damn. Food!" The heiress pouted, frustrated he had yet to indulge in the meal she herself chose for him.

"Weiss I...I don't think he wants to eat." Ruby suggested, not wanting to force anything on her new masked friend.

"Hmph. He better, or I swear to Oum, I'll just have to feed him myself!" The heiress said, being interrupted by a snickering Yang.

"Heheh...Feed him 'yourself'? Ya hardly know him!" Yang giggled.

"Ugh, only if he won't do it himself! And if he still refuses, then I'll just have to-" The heiress started, this time being interrupted by Blake.

"Tie him down?" She murmured, slowly becoming more interested in the banter around her.

"Yes, exactly! And then I'll-" She began to say, having Yang cut her off once more.

"Jeez, Weiss-Cream! I didn't know you were like that!" She announced, slapping her knee as she buckled over in laughter.

For a moment, Weiss was speechless. And then it clicked… Yang thought she was talking about "that" instead of what she had actually meant. The heiress felt her face darken in embarrassment, searing and nearly scorching heat falling on her once pale cheeks.

"Tha- I- You….you dolt! Th-that's not what I meant at all!" She stammered as her body shook in frustration.

Yang cackled at the other girl's plight, clearly enjoying the awkward dilemma. Blake, though, sunk back into her book, saddened that the heiress had less vulgar tendencies. Ruby and 'Asche' meanwhile, were only puzzled. Ruby being confused in innocence, while 'Asche' was… still ill versed in the department of this world's innuendo's and phrases.

"Pst, Asche… What did Yang and Blake mean by that?" She said, leaning into 'Asche's' ear.

The champion shrugged, being just as lost as the red grimm reaper. While Yang carried on with antagonizing Weiss, the other's at the table only returned to their meals and book. That was until, a friendly face leaned over to peer past Blake.

"Hey, Asche! Are you gonna drink that pomegranate juice? It's my favorite so I'd be glad to take it from you!" A familiar blonde knight said.

The unkindled one also bent over, albeit slightly, to see… Jaune Arc. He had almost forgotten that team JNPR sat with RWBY. With a sheepish grin, Jaune awaited the masked knight's drink. And as 'Asche' moved to give the other boy just that, another pale hand slammed itself on the table, causing Jaune and 'Asche' to redirect their attention to the source of the abrupt and dull noise.

Weiss stood, leaning against the table. Though she was as cold as ice, her eyes bore into Jaune with hate rivaling a chaos demon's flame itself. The boy sunk into his seat, bowing his head in slight fear of the girl. Asche meanwhile, paused with the plastic cup still in hand.

"That juice belongs to Asche." She hissed, causing Jaune and the other boy to to feel a bead of sweat fall from their brows.

"Okay, okay...I get it, I get it...I'm sorry…" Jaune whimpered.

Before Weuss returned to her own seat, she stole a glance at the still outstretched cup. Then after looking at Asche, she reached a hand out, carefully guiding the cup back to his possession. With this, she offered the boy a simple reusable straw from her tray.

"You should drink it. It's vitamin rich and boosts your immune system." She said with a noticeably sweet and softer voice.

Not wanting to feel her wrath, the ashen one did just that, using the straw she offered. The juice tasted tart, but not unbearably so. It was the perfect combination of tart and sweet, a taste almost resembling lightly sweetened citrus. Though, he admitted it might have tasted better if Weiss was not so observant when ensuring he actually consumed the drink. After his glass was emptied, the heiress gave the boy an eye closing smile.

"Good boy. Now drink the other one." She praised, now officially returning to her seat.

And just like before, the champion of ash drank his other glass, with no indication of resistance. The juice, oddly enough, tasted a little better this time. Likely a sign that either his taste buds were now prepared for the sensation… or that the heiress had let her attention return to her own food. Either way… the champion would leave the cafeteria that day knowing some beverages would be worth the effort of not being digested.

R_BY and JNPR meanwhile, looked on in a mixture of surprise, disbelief, and ulterior coyness. Yang grinned a smug smile at Weiss, while Ruby was shocked at how easy 'Asche' could just follow the rude girl's order...and receive praise from it nonetheless!

"Why doesn't she talk to me like that?" Jaune said, grasping his chest with a hand, causing Ruby and Yang to both shrug.

"Because unlike you Jaune, Asche knows how to keep his mouth shut." The heiress snapped.

"And because well, he's actually useful in a fight... No offense." Yang added.

"Fighting isn't everything, I've got heart! And I've got an actual personality outside of dark and edgy!" Jaune rebutted in offense.

"In your case, you'd be better off without one." Blake replied with disinterest.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Well isn't that just rich coming from you, Blake Bill-board-donna?" Jaune retorted, focusing his grumpy stare at the chicken nuggets on his own tray.

"My name is Blake Belladonna." She corrected.

"I know what I said." Jaune said, biting into a nugget with vindication.

The lunch eventually returned to normal. Each student traded information about what classes they would have and when, or informed others about an apparent upcoming field trip for Combat Class. 'Asche' meanwhile, only picked about his food, glancing upward every so often to catch a pair of scrutinizing eyes from Weiss. But before he caved in once more to her silent and surprisingly patient pestering, he felt the tug of his left sleeve.

"Hey uhm Asche…" A shy Ruby began. "I-if you're not doing anything this weekend then uh…"

"I ah... was wondering if you'd uh… maybe be interested in exploring Vale-" She tried to finish, before being interrupted by a voice from another table.

"Yo, Asche! Get over here you dick!" The voice of a boy called out.

'Asche' focused his attention to the source of the voice, wary of having his 'name' called out in such a manner. Across the room, his team sat, each member looking directly at him. The voice came from Cardin, who held his cupped hands to his mouth. The champion tilted his head, causing the other three boys to beckon him over with a wave of their hands. Seeing an easy way to escape being forced to eat, he departed from RWBY and JNPR's table without a sliver of hesitation.

"-with me…" Ruby finished, speaking to herself.

"Ugh...that dolt. He didn't even touch his food." Weiss huffed, poking at the discarded plate with the fork left behind by the boy.

"Isn't he hungry? I didn't see him eat yesterday or in the morning." Jaune asked no one in particular.

"And I doubt you ever will…" Blake calmly said.

"... The scorched undead aren't known to waste time eating." She whispered to herself, her suspicion only being confirmed each time she saw the boy.

'Asche' was now at the table where the rest of CEDL sat. Once he drew closer, the boys moved their trays over, creating space for him to sit. And so he took a seat, thankful to have been pulled away when he was.

"Have fun chatting it up?" Dove asked, taking a bite of his steamed carrots.

The unkindled one only shook his head.

"So...who you like more? Ice Queen, little red, goldy, or the bookworm?" Cardin prodded.

'Asche' remained speechless. Who did he like more?

Red, who was Ruby, held speed greater than his own and wielded a weapon almost matching the weight and size of The Knight-Slayer Tsorig's own feared Ultra Fume Greatsword. Aside from that, she was almost always chipper and filled with determination. A feature envied by the long since crestfallen undead.

Yang however, was far more brutish in strength. Aside from her gauntlets, she seemed to have no use for traditional weapons, which only further proved she was a true brawler. Her pride and general relaxed attitude showed she was not one to spook so easily, another feature desired by many undead.

Blake however...was swift and cunning. She used her strange weapon with renowned skill, from the little he saw at initiation at least. But she was also much more silent and observant when compared to the rest of her team. A trait that could have spared many repeated deaths from other champions of ash.

But as for Weiss…

She was regal, elegant, and admittedly...a snob. Her weapon reflected this, with it clearly being handled and crafted with the best resources currency could hope to buy. Her fighting style was nearly perfected, easily being unmatchable when facing others. But she was distracted and pulled away from her facade as a nobility rather easily, like she had been earlier during Port's class. And beneath the surface…

"Dude come on, it's an easy question. Who would you sleep with first?" Cardin said, interrupting 'Asche's' train of thought.

The champion, beneath "his" mask, deadpanned. His vibrantly violet eyes glossed over in disbelief at his leader, unamused by what Cardin had actually meant. And after several seconds of awkwardly blank staring, Cardin broke the scrutinizing gaze.

"Alright alright I gotcha…" He huffed, returning to his meal without a second thought.

"No answer? Pft, He's totally gay." Dove sarcastically said, rolling his eyes when returning to his carrots.

"Don't worry Asche, I won't judge ya if you are… unless you're one of those faunas freaks." The leader said between bites.

"W-well personally ah, I'd…be fine ei-either way really." Sky murmured, causing Cardin to halt his eating.

Cardin sat with his spoon frozen mid-air. Dove only kept eating, and 'Asche' glanced between the two. If the rest of the hustling cafeteria were silent, the grinding of Cardin's teeth would be audible.

"You would what?" The leader stoically asked.

"I-I'm just saying!" Sky defended. "I-if someone li-like Alwyn can eh, sta-stand them...maybe ah, they're not so bad?"

"Tch...That famous second year? He can speak for himself, I still hate them." Cardin hissed, returning to his food.

"I'm not too fond of them either, Cards. But maybe not a full 'hate' type." Dove added.

"Masquerading like they're fit to be hunters… it gives me conniptions." The leader murmured between bites.

While C_DL was focused on the issue of "faunas" whatever those were, 'Asche' held his attention to another word. More specifically, a name. One that had been mentioned very briefly at the start of the small banter… "Alwyn".

Alwyn... that name seemed familiar. 'Asche' wondered about the title for the rest of lunch, sitting in contemplation as his teammates dug into their food with small bits of idle chatter slipping through. Alwyn… that was a name that stood out from most, likely playing a role in their supposed 'fame'. It was a type of name found elsewhere… but just exactly where?

||| Several Hours Later |||

Classes were concluded for the day and team CEDL now stood outside their dorm. Each member wearing their own respective gym outfit. Cardin wore a sweater with matching sweatpants, while Dove and sky opted for simple T-shirts and shorts. Each member wore a pair of matching sneakers, also black in color. Over each of their shoulders, they wore a small bag holding two bottles of water. Their shoes cracked against the tile floor in unison as they walked through the hallways, obviously en route to the student gym.

'Asche' meanwhile, wore a pair of black sweats and a grey T-shirt. He, surprisingly enough, left his silver veil behind in favor of a suspiciously familiar cloth mask that covered his nose and lower face. His onyx hair, which ran to just below his shoulders, had been pulled backwards into a loose bun, much of the hair being allowed to hang free.

"Told you the warm up didn't need a gym. We're all loose and ready for the actual sets." Cardin said, cracking his neck as they drew near to their destination.

"I mean, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Dove shrugged.

"I...did better than I thought I would." Sky proudly murmured to 'Asche', the two of them walking behind Dove and Cardin.

The champion gave the socially awkward Sky a pat on the back...literally. Sky, for the first time in seemingly ever, looked forward to the visit to the gym. And 'Asche', wondered just how well he himself would keep up.

"Told ya, Dove. I'm looking forward to seeing how much more I can do now after all that preparation for the initiation." The leader announced.

"Really? So you're serious about breaking the school PR? Good luck, Alwyn's got that thing strapped down." Dove retorted.

"I don't care what his PR is, I'll break it before the end of the school year." Cardin announced. "And you can bet on it."

And with that, the four boys entered the gym. Dozens of stations, ranging from treadmills, to benches, to even lateral pull down bars lined the room. Near the furthest pull down machines, three girls stood, drenched in sweat from their first routine being completed.

Without a word, 'Asche', Sky, and Dove split away to gather the equipment needed for their own workout. Cardin, though, saw himself drifting closer to the women, who were currently discussing their next set. The group unsurprisingly consisted of Yang Xiao Long, Nora Valkyrie, and Pyrrha Nikos.

"Hey ladies~" CEDL's leader said, winking at the trio.

"Oh hey, you. You're Asche's team leader, right?" Nora greeted, not quite catching his intentions.

"The one and only, thunder thighs." He confirmed, winking at the girl.

And just like that… the trio lost interest.

"Doing some lifting today? how about I give you a hand or two?" Cardin grinned, crossing his arms.

"Hmm…" Yang started, clicking her teeth before continuing "...How 'bout 'Nooo'?" She finished in a somewhat exaggerated voice.

"Ah come on, I wouldn't mind breaking a sweat or two with you gir- Ow!" Cardin began, before feeling a small thud on the back of his head.

"Dude, what the fuck?!" He exclaimed, turning to see it had been 'Asche' who flicked the back of his skull.

The champion stood silent, throwing a thumb in the direction of a squat rack, which was now loaded and ready with Cardin's requested weight. The leader, annoyed at the "cockblock", stormed over to his station, preparing to show off his physique.

Before turning to join his team, 'Asche' caught the three huntresses mouthing "Thank you", which he replied to with a simple wave of the hand. As for Cardin, he had taken his stance, Dove quickly falling behind him, spotting in the off chance Cardin would need it.

Cardin slipped underneath the loaded bar, posting the cylinder on his shoulders, his hands grasping two engraved handles at a comfortable space apart. He would then take a sharp deep breath, more than prepared to start the first round off at a decent but not too hasty pace.

With his feet shoulder length apart, he sat down, consistently making double sure his chest and back were straightened. Once he saw he had gone low enough, he squeezed, making sure his hips rose in unison with the hefty weight. For eleven more repetitions, he did this. And at last, he felt ready and fully warmed up for the next several rounds.

After walking inwards to return the pole to it's rack for the next user, he stepped away. With no hesitation, he unclaimed the weight guards from each end, ready to unload weight for the next lifter, 'Asche'.

"Yo, how much do you want?" He said, throwing his chin upward once in recognition.

The champion glanced at the impressive weight. After adding the numbers together, he was...disappointed. With a thumb, he signaled to add more plates. This, of course, took Cardin by surprise. Even more so when the silent one pointed to another full plate.

"Y-you want more? If you say so dude… don't burn out though, we've still got three full rotations." He said, removing the lighter weights to make room for the larger one.

"Good?" Cardin asked, already clamping the guard.

The unkindled one glanced at the bar...three full plates on either side. That was still an unimpressive number, and so, he pointed upwards with his thumb once more.

"What the hell man..." Cardin said, shaking his head. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Begrudgingly, the boy added the requested weight, no longer having room for any more plates. The champion assumed the same stance Cardin had, with the leader positioning himself behind, immediately expecting to assist 'Asche'. But as the unkindled one began to lower himself… it was clear he needed no aid.

The bar bent ever so slightly from the collective weight. And unlike Cardin, no breath or pants of effort was heard from the other hunter in training. In fact, his muscles were still relaxed, as if he was only lifting an imaginary weight. But the clang of the plates proved it had been no work of imagination. Once his set was finished, the unkindled one returned the bar to its proper resting place.

"Holy shit dude… talk about gains." Cardin exclaimed as 'Asche' stood, ready to unload the weight for the next person.

The rest of the session took just over an hour and a half to complete. It left some feeling more sore than others, with 'Asche' barely feeling anything at all. This obviously caused a wave of suspicion to fall on him, namely from the trio who would glance every so often at CEDL. If they were to ask him about the feat, he would only shrug and provide no plausible answer.

But 'Asche Embers' could never properly explain it. Even if he did, who would believe him? Who, in the right state of mind, would ever believe that his strength and endurance was due to consuming the souls of fallen foes?

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BONFIRE: LIT

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||| "Don't You Dare Go Hollow..." |||