I in no way own RWBY nor am I affiliated with RoosterTeeth.

This is a work of fanfiction written purely for the fun of it, and which I derive no monetary gains from. Plez sooport de officer's relish.

Published: 7/5/2018

Edited: 7/25/2018

Volume 00. Chapter 01.

Green Meets Black

"Emotion and doubt should not be casually mistaken for weakness. For in both we can derive new conviction and the will to improve, to change."

The stars really were far more beautiful when viewed from the crisp, lightless environment of the countryside. Despite the inherent dangers of camping, the stunning view seemed completely worthwhile in the moment. Though it was mid-summer and the trees and plants of Vale's forests were all in full bloom, it was still chilly as could be, late as it was. The canopy of trees, barely illuminated against the night sky overhead stood like dark, grasping hands against the innumerable bright lights.

"... e."

Light pollution. Such a simple concept, yet so pronounced in its effects. Vale's night sky was beautiful, of course. But even though he was technically viewing the same thing now as he always had, the view felt completely new. Like a fresh coat of paint, the vividness and color of the sky was a stark contrast. There was simply no contest over which was the better view.

"... age."

Truly profound. To think how much ones perception of something can be changed by the environment from which it is viewed. There must be some sort of meaning to be gleamed from this. He was quite pleased his uncle had convinced his father to allow him to go on this camping trip, otherwise he would never have gotten to see-

"Gage."

He blinked, his view through the telescope now blocked by the figure of a giant- Wait, no, that's wrong. Lowering the telescope, he found his uncle, Albus Enfield, looking down upon him with a broad grin.

Although he couldn't see him well in the dim light away from the campfire, Gage was still familiar with his figure. Six feet and two inches tall, a face with soft, kind features decorated with sharp green eyes and topped with short, tousled black hair. The man wore a plain white button-up with full-length sleeves and black trousers. Aside from the equally white cloak with gold trimmings draped over his shoulders and the all-metal staff he carried in hand, he was rather plain. Especially so for a huntsman.

Gage didn't see that at all. To him, Albus bore the look of a traveling magician- a wizard, even. It was almost as though he had stepped right out of one of the fantasy novels Gage had read. The man could easily pass for a mysterious benefactor, showing up right as needed to impart some information or provide a helping hand to the hero. He idolized him, wanted to be like that image he had of him.

"You've been spacing out for a while now, young man." Albus remarked with an amused tone.

"Ah. Sorry, uncle Albus. It's just..." Gage trailed off and looked back up towards the stars, gesturing with his chin as his eyes continued to shift about. His uncle chuckled, prompting Gage to finish his thought. "It's amazing."

"I'm glad to hear you like the view, Gage. If you think you can tear your eyes away from it a few minutes though, I was thinking we could talk?" Albus asked with a teasing note.

His strong gaze was unnerving and at odds with his tone. He kept his eyes locked firmly on Gage's until the boy was doing the same to him. With some trepidation he nodded his assent.

Albus gestured for him to take a seat across from him, with the dying embers of the campfire occupying the space between them and dimly lighting their faces. His uncle did not speak immediately, his eyes locked on the space over his head, occasionally glancing down at him. Gage interpreted this as him thinking over memories.

So, he waited for his uncle to speak, his gaze naturally going to the trees surrounding them. With how dark out it was and the ever-present possibility of Grimm in the area, even the slight ruffle of the trees from a gust of wind was eerie. Still, Gage felt at ease. After all, his uncle, a capable huntsman in his own right, was here with him.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait too long for his uncle to speak. Hearing his audible breath, Gage turned and gave him his full attention.

"Do you know why I insist on calling you by middle name?"

Gage frowned at the question, uncertain of what the point of it was. Certainly, it was unusual that his uncle and cousin called them by his middle name. But it had never seemed altogether meaningful. Just another name he could be addressed by.

"No. I don't." He said lamely, unable to hazard a guess why.

"Well. Are you aware of the color naming convention, then?"

"Of course..." Gage pouted for a moment. "During the Great War, every conflicting kingdom made efforts to oppress free expression and artists objecting the conflict. It's unknown who or where exactly the trend started, but naming children after colors, directly or indirectly, quickly spread from artists to normal citizens. The convention has stuck since then as an expression of individuality and freedom." Saying all of this came second nature to Gage. He had a strong affinity for history, one which others his age did not share.

Albus smiled wryly at his nephews thorough explanation. He leaned forward and ruffled the boys hair, causing him to squawk in surprise. "Correct. As it happens though, that name doesn't follow the convention. I suggested your parents name you that." At that, Gage's eyes widened. "But they weren't for it, although they did ultimately decide to make it your middle name."

Gage blinked owlishly as he processed the new information. His uncle had been the one to suggest his middle name, and what's more, his parents agreed with it? At least presently, his father and uncle were on bad terms with each other. Gage wondered if that had always been the case.

There was one other detail that he'd made notice of though. His curiosity piqued now, he voiced his question.

"If my middle name isn't a color, what does it mean?"

Albus's glance went to the dying fire as he explained. "That's simple. The name Gage is very similar to the word gauge. I was hoping that perhaps having a name like that might influence your ability to gauge things. To assess what you see. Appraise the value of things. Evaluate and understand the meaning of it."

He paused a moment in his explanation before raising his attention to meet Gage's rapt eyes. "Most color convention names are chosen to represent individuality and identity. That's fine, but as your uncle, I figured I could suggest something a little more meaningful. Give you a concept you could aspire to embody, and not simply a color to associate yourself with."

His smile came back to his face, a soft, satisfied expression. "Even though I never told you before, you've still performed admirably. Well done, Gage."

Gage nodded his head dumbly. It was a new feeling, being praised for living up to someones expectations. Especially that of someone he admired so much. He was far more used to failing to live up to expectations. Being praised for how perceptive he was though...

It felt good.

"Now don't go getting an over-inflated head quite yet." Albus resumed with amusement, embarrassing Gage and causing him to glance downwards bashfully. "Once you've come to understand a situation though, what should you do with that knowledge?"

Was he being tested? Maybe. But it felt more like this was the point he had been building up to all along. "You should, um. Use that understanding to help?"

"Hehe. I suppose I was being a little vague with those hypotheticals." Albus ran a hand through his hair, grinning wryly. "But yes, you should. If there's something you know you can do to help improve a situation, you should do so. It can be difficult, but I'm sure you'll come to understand the importance of doing so when you grow older."

Gage hesitated for a moment. He unable to imagine the scope of difficulty involved in helping others just because he could. He already had a hard enough time communicating with his peers. Worse still, he doubted he'd be able to come to understand the significance in doing so. He didn't have the kind of confidence to understand he was still growing as a person.

But seeing his uncle simply smiling at him with pride, he felt he should at least try. There was no judgment, castigation or demand in his gaze, just the earnest desire to see his nephew grow. Gage gave the slightest nod, too embarrassed to respond verbally.

Albus nodded back before looking away, his expression turning wistful. "I'm glad. Remember though, Gage. Opportunities are not forever, and if you wait too long to answer one you may find it already outside your reach."

The world suddenly blurred and faded to black as his perception distorted. Distantly, he felt a hand shaking his shoulder gently and a different voice- a womans- gently chiding him to wake up.

Ah, that's right... this is just a dream... Gage remembered now, this was just a memory. A very important one to be sure, but nothing more than saved data, etched forever into his soul.

An eternal reminder that Gage had failed- was failing- to live up to his heroes expectations.

Still Albus's words continued on, echoing in his mind now in Gage's own voice as he repeated his heroes next words to himself.

Everything comes at some cost. Nothing is truly free of charge. Knowing and understanding that cost are two very different things. And even magic has its limitations.

Yes. Even if he became as strong as that man, his hero Albus Enfield, the archetype for what he thought a wizard would be like. He knew. Had already realized, established, learned, understood, hated, despaired and rationalized this obvious fact. He didn't understand it at the time, but he'd thoroughly come to understand since then.

He could not change Remnant.

Finally. The day of the entrance exams had arrived. Having already missed the first one by a few days margin when she arrived to Vale by herself, she was not eager to miss her last chance to take the Alternative Qualification Exam for Beacon. It represented the start of her journey to personal redemption after all the blood that had stained her hands, directly or indirectly.

Blake Belladonna wasn't nervous regarding the exams. Nor was she excited for them. She already believed she would pass absolutely.

No, the emotions she was experiencing were far more subtle. Quiet determination along with a healthy dose of skepticism kept her walking at an even pace to avoid attracting any attention to herself. The first, could be attributed to her new-found desire to utilize her talents as a huntress. The second, her wariness of being recognized by any White Fang agents. She was confident she had thus far avoided notice. That said, there were few places one could take talent like hers, and one of the chief ones would be a Huntsman Academy. Coupled with her strong moral convictions and it was possible that Adam would post someone to keep an eye out for her attending the entrance exams. If he understood her better than she thought he did anyways.

Big if. The thought was accompanied with a small twinge of pain in her heart. She had once thought she and Adam had understood one another intrinsically. That they were both of one mind and goal. That notion had died a slow death as her doubts and concerns about his views kept piling up. She could only ignore them for so long before something broke.

The incident on the train had been a calculated decision despite how sudden it must have been for Adam. She wanted to make one genuine attempt to confront him and see where he stood, and decide if she would stand with him or cut herself free from his path.

Had their goals simply diverged at some point, or had they both misunderstood one another the entire time? There was no way of answering that question now and even if she could the answer wouldn't have changed her ultimate decision to flee from her life in the White Fang.

And so, she had decided to use some of the limited lien she had to buy ordinary clothes to disguise herself while she stayed in Vale. Right now, she had opted to wear a black hooded sweatshirt and white jeans, along with her new trademark bow concealing her ears. Blake had contemplated wearing a beret over them instead for a time. But in an odd twist, that would only be more likely to draw attention to her, as hiding ones faunus traits under a hat wasn't altogether uncommon.

What better way to hide her ears instead than in plain sight?

She was as ready as could be. Which, again, was more than enough. Anything they would put forward could be handled by the average unseasoned huntress-in-training. Her time in the White Fang had put her well above that norm. If an average student could handle it, she would excel in it. She would have to restrain herself just a little, though.

The only matter remaining then was arriving to her destination. Torch Primary Combat School. It was located in the heart of Vale and the exams were to be held there. Staff members from the primary school and professors of Beacon would be hosting and observing the exams respectively. She did not know much about the school, but supposedly it was different from other Primary School's in the kingdom of Vale.

Thankfully, she was getting close based on the number of huntsman-in-training she was witnessing all headed in the same direction.

When some of the students turned to follow a short path up to a single building she followed the path with her eyes to what must have been Torch Primary. The school was, for lack of a better word, uniform. With only a small garden lining the exterior of the building and the structure itself of the same brick and mortar style as was common of Vale, it was apparent that the school had been founded well after Vale itself and was either a repurposed building or intentionally built in the style of the rest of downtown Vale. Blake wasn't an architect, so there was no way she could discern which with her eyes alone.

She followed the flow of students down the street to the inauspicious school and her amber eyes observed the crowd dispassionately. Aside from a few stand-outs, the majority of the trainees didn't strike her as competent.

Blake noted that the students seemed to fall into one of three distinct categories: Oddities like herself, already possessing practical combat experience and their own custom gear and clothes. These made up the smallest number, but were arguably the largest reason for why the Alternative Qualification Exam existed. It served as a convenient method to draw in such potential huntsman.

The second largest group had the most variation among them, aside from two points. They were relatively less well-equipped, but seemed to be aware of their limitations. This group seemed to be made up largely of students already attending Torch, if the fact that they were the most used to the sights of Vale were any indication. If Blake had to name something positive about them, it was that they had the will to grow, even if they had started their huntsman training late.

The last group was not only the largest, but also the noisiest by far. Outwardly, they looked the part of huntsman, with their outlandish gear and weapons. But that only told half the story, as Blake could tell just from looking that their confidence was artificial. Most of them had limited training, their ego's inflated by some mixture of equipment, powerful semblances and winning the genetics jackpot. Whatever their individual reasons may be for taking the exams, most of them would walk away disappointed. A handful would pass, given the number of them, but their luck would only carry them so far.

Other than the students she observed and the upcoming walls, nothing else grabbed her attention. That is, until she heard something completely out of place for a bustling street, bringing her steps to a halt from sheer confusion.

Is that...? No. No way is someone sleeping in the middle of a crowded street, Blake. Whatever you thought you'd heard, it must have been something else. Satisfied, she resumed her pace.

For a mere six steps.

OK, there it is again. She hissed internally. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she looked around for the source of her random distraction, all the while ignoring the students that took note of her unusual behavior. It only took a few moments of observation for her to find what she heard before.

A young man, head tilted down and body leaned back against the schools wall while seated on one of the benches lining the small garden. Napping. The entrance exams were rapidly approaching, and here was a trainee snoozing away on a bench just outside the exam building. Unbelievable.

Believable or not, the spot he'd chosen to rest was unusually well-hidden from view. Shaded by the building in an alcove of the exteriors walls, low-hanging branches from a short tree blocking the bench partially from street view along with a series of bushes that followed alongside a path around the building. No students bothered walking along the path as it was clearly made for when students were looking to take a break during the day.

Her eyes narrowed just the slightest bit as she came to a realization, one that aggravated her. A quick glance around confirmed her suspicion: She was the only one to have noticed him. It wasn't a surprise, as the alcove he was resting in was hidden from view of the path up to the school. But it did hold significance.

Registration wouldn't be open for much longer now. If he didn't make it there in time he would miss the exams. If he missed the exams, then he would have to wait an entire year to be able to enter Beacon. And at this rate, he wouldn't wake up in time. Unless someone else woke him.

In other words, her intervention was the only way he would get to participate in the exams today. Blake didn't want to involve herself in this however. It was his fault for falling asleep, and she didn't even know him. None of this was her responsibility. For all she knew, he was bound to fail the tests.

She chided herself mentally. There was no way she could know that for sure. Even more, she knew that if she did nothing the guilt would eat away at her afterwards. She sighed and her shoulders visibly deflated. Just this once, she supposed she could go out of her way to help a complete stranger, as uneasy as it made her. Even if he were to fail in the exam, better that then her doing nothing and leaving the entire thing in doubt.

It's only the surprise that's making me so annoyed, that's all. She rationalized to herself before setting off.

Blake stood before the dozing boy who'd diverted her. She only meant come over to wake him, but soon found herself scrutinizing his appearance as her natural curiosity kicked in.

His hair color might once have been blonde, but was now somewhere between that and brown. He kept it in a basic gentleman's cut, letting his cowlick define most of where his bangs went, though he had the good mind to brush his hair daily. Unusually for a hunter, he sported glasses with oval lenses and thin, metallic green frames. His features were just defined enough to be handsome rather than manly, with soft cheeks and full lips.

He was of a pale complexion that indicated he spent little time outside. More strangely though, he was... lanky. Extremely so for a hunter-in-training. Topped off with an absence of visible weaponry on him and it was a mystery to Blake how he had manage to get by as a hunter. Perhaps his weapon was in the bag beside him? It was likely, but even though she could check it she decided against it.

His clothes were the only thing that indicated he was hunter-in-training. Everything he wore was in the usual fabric that was common of hunters gear. Stain-resistant, durable, capable of channeling aura and suitable for all environments, the often custom-made clothing was quite expensive. Although the only custom-made piece he seemed to wear was the loose jacket he wore, colored a moss green shade with a hood and cords to tie the front closed. Under it was a white button-up shirt with long sleeves and accompanied by a green tie of all things, giving him the vague appearance of being ready for an ordinary day job. On his legs were a pair of grey slacks and for his feet, brown leather boots. If not for the jacket he wore and the symbol on his jacket he could be mistaken for a civilian.

She turned her eyes to the insignia over his left breast. The symbol was a white book at a diagonal angle, with the shape of the four primary Dust elements as cut-outs on the face of the book.

More and more unusual.

Overall, he was stereotypically bookish. Almost comedically so He was even napping with a book in hand! Preparing Yourself for the Alternative Qualification Exam, she idly noted. "Little late to be studying," she whispered aloud.

Blake didn't mean to judge, but he fit the stereotype so strongly it was hard to not notice. She had seen plenty of the type in bookstores all over Remnant in her travels, and he wouldn't have been out of place in any of them.

Which of the categories of students would he fill anyhow? She wanted to say the third group, having enough money to pay for good equipment but without the training to back it up, but didn't have any information on his personality to say for sure.

Maybe I can sate my curiosity while I'm at it, Blake mused internally.

"Wake up. You'll miss the exams." She shook his shoulder as she flatly called out to him. Fortunately, her half-hearted effort was enough, and she was greeted with moss green eyes fluttering open as he began waking up. He stretched his arms above his head, grunted and made eye contact with her. It was at that point he froze still.

... Okay... Um... Thank you, Oum above, for your blessings: First for creating this extraordinary beauty, then granting me this opportunity to be awoken by her, and finally for not making me randomly blurt out anything... Yet.

Internally, Gage's mind was a maelstrom. As soon as he had made eye contact with the young woman's amber eyes, his heart had fluttered and his heart rate accelerated instantly. He didn't really believe in love on first sight, but this was... er... hm... Yes, let's be blunt about it. She's beautiful.

Thankfully for him, Gage was still frozen up outwardly and hadn't started blushing or stuttering like an idiot. Good! Now, uh... right... hm. Next comes the part where he treats her like a person and not like an object for his desire. And he knew of no better way to achieve that than his go-to method: Say something witty and stupid!

"You don't look like any childhood friend I can recall..." Perfect.

The beauty- erm, girl- before him snorted softly and stepped back as his literal ice-breaker took effect. She hadn't laughed, but neither had she frowned or smiled in confusion. Situation successfully reset.

"Thank you for waking me, though." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he spoke drowsily, recalling that he had every reason to be awake right now.

"Sure." She nodded simply, before giving the slightest of mischievous smiles. "So... were you so busy cramming that you neglected to sleep before the exams?"

Gage frowned in confusion. She gestured to the book he was still holding onto and understanding flashed in his eyes.

"Oh, uh, I wasn't cramming. I'd already read this before." He held up the book for reference. "I was trying to relax and stay mentally ready for the exams." He grimaced, acutely aware of how embarrassing it was that his effort to relax had gone so well that he'd fallen asleep. Grrreat.

The black-haired beau- girl!- snorted softly again, her teasing smile growing for a moment before she reigned in control of herself. "I see."

Their conversation stopped there. So much for breaking that ice.

"Well!" Gage sprang up and thrust his hand forward as he tried to reassert his dominance over time. "My name is Gage Enfield."

"Blake Belladonna." She looked down at his hand for a moment but didn't make to shake it.

"Well, thank you again Blake, your help is appreciated." Gage smiled as he picked his bag up and made to leave. Much as he'd have liked to walk with her, he could faintly tell she didn't want to walk with him.

"Of course."

Still, if she was as asocial as she seemed, he may as well dispense her some advice before he made himself scarce. "One piece of advice though." Blake quirked her brow as he looked back over his shoulder to her.

"The exams require you to find a partner to work with, and later duel for sections of the physical exam. I'd suggest finding someone you'd be comfortable working with." Blake's eyes opened wide at that. It seemed she hadn't been aware alright. Goes to show he'd been rewarded for studying up in advance.

Gage turned to take his leave of her, walking quickly. While she was certainly pretty and at least considerate enough to help him since nobody else could, the former was not a proper reason to team up with someone (Even if it tempted him!), and the latter spoke more of pity than kindness. In addition, she seemed less than eager to spend time in his company. He didn't know anything more than that about her, but to Gage, that was more than enough reason to avoid trying to team up with her.

Nuhuh, down that road laid crushed crushes. He was smart enough to know to avoid disappointment by hoping for something that would never happen!

Which made it come as a surprise when her hand grasped his shoulder as he opened one of the double-doors to the academy. "Wait," Her eyes bored into his with an unusual intensity. "Is that true?"

"Uh?" He uttered stupidly for a moment before realizing what she was asking. "Ah, yes. I did study specifically to be prepared for these exams after all." Blake's eyes practically flashed as her shoulders tensed at the new information. He could tell she was thinking very seriously about something.

"And... do you have anyone in mind?" Blake asked searchingly, eyes darting all over his face.

"Uh, erm." Her question threw his mind into turmoil, his mind unable to help but come up with a few unlikely scenario's for why she would ask that. Gage flapped his lips dumbly for a few moments before mentally slapping himself. Don't get tangled up with someone you'll only end up being a bother for.

Drawing a deep breath to calm his nerves, Gage glared at her and pulled his sleeve from her grasp. "No." Gage said darkly, "I don't."

Gage turned on his heel and stalked away quickly down the hallway into Torch academy, his footfalls echoing over the checker-board floor.

The emotions that had driven him to flee from Blake were difficult for him to make sense of, but he already knew the underlying cause anyhow. Self-loathing.

I'm tired of taking a chance with others only to find I don't live up to their expectations. He knew what he'd done wasn't very nice, confusing Blake by letting his annoyance flare at her. But it would be better for her to have a reason to avoid him.

You'll never become a good hunter like this, Gage. He mocked self-deprecatingly.

What just happened? Blake was confused. Just moments ago she had been hoping to hear that her new acquaintance would be without an ideal partner for the upcoming exam. She hardly knew him, but it was far preferable to select a new acquaintance rather than relying on random chance to find a new partner.

The words he'd said were the ones she had wanted to hear. And yet, the results don't match with the data...

The awkward, learned boy had been nice enough. Clear in expressing himself, transparent, earnest. It wouldn't be hard to get along with him briefly, no matter how weak he may have been.

However, his sudden rejection made no sense. Did I bring up a bad topic? Blake was familiar with being sensitive to certain topics of conversation. Faunus rights and the SDC in particular. But reacting over something this innocuous? She had to wonder why.

"Maybe... he's actually really weak?" She frowned while contemplating the idea. It's possible. It would certainly explain why he reacted badly if he thought I was pitying him. He had certainly seemed to fill the second category of students she had noted, given he had studied specifically for the entrance exams.

Alternatively, what if he's actually quite formidable and dislikes being used? That idea seemed less likely, given how modest he had been to start with. But Blake couldn't discount that it still felt plausible either.

Puzzling over this will do me no good. She concluded, finally starting on her destination with a few minutes to spare. I'll just have to team up with him anyways and find the answer out myself.

Blake's mind was burning with curiosity now. He'd underestimated her if he thought that one instant of dismissiveness on his part would be enough to make her cower or avoid him. Oh yes, she'd get her answers and an apology...

Once she registers anyways.

A/N: Huh, okay. This is new. Uh, hi!

This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction, as my awkward writing style usually gets applied towards getting an A on essays. So if you've managed to read through the first chapter, I just wanted to say:

THANK YOU! I hope you've enjoyed reading and are looking forward to more as much as I am.

I'm not really fond of spoiling bits of the story in advance, as I am a proponent of showing and not telling a story. That said, I think it's quite important to discuss a story too, and if I can't talk about and substantiate my own decisions what's that say about how intentional they are?

So, the elephant in the room. OC's always seem to carry a small taboo with them, as they can be difficult to portray in a way that feels seamless with the setting and like they are a worthwhile addition. My reason for having an OC character is rooted in the fact that, much as I like many a story that brings an alternate Jaune Arc to the table, I actually like Jaune Arc and don't want to futz around with him. Plus, I like designing characters and a fighting style for them. A bit of a holdover from my attempts at playing Dungeons and Dragons; it was always more fun for me to create characters than to play them. But getting to write for the character? I should have tried this years ago.

I've always liked crossovers that manage to make characters from two settings interact effectively. That fascination also applies to me for a good OC. So given my brain was already geared to do so, I forged ahead with the idea.

The original idea I had for this story was actually much, much more ambitious. And then I realized, that's a bad idea. I kept all the notes I made for that story though and even adjusted a few things so that it could reasonably be considered an alternate timeline to this story, if ever I get around to writing it. So while this story is stripped back in some regards, it was for the sake of making it easier to write it and get some experience.

With all that out of the way, I'd just like to clear up a few things about what you can expect with this story. If you're not interested in knowing the future in advance and want to leave it a mystery for later, by all means feel free to skip the rest of this.

First, update frequency. I know. It's pretty arrogant for me to broach that topic on the very first chapter of my first fic! Hahahahah! Haaaaah... I don't really know how frequently I will update this, as I am a fairly slow writer. While I've plotted out a decent portion of the plot, I am approaching it as something that will be subject to change as I grow into writing this. So I won't make any promises, but I will say that I'm currently excited to be doing this, and know where I am going from here.

Next, the question of what you can expect from this story and why you should read it. And frankly? That last part is up to you. This story, as much as I am happy to share it, is being written for me. Publishing it is about taking responsibility for it, and lighting a fire under my butt.

As for what you can expect! I am intending to make this story have a greater focus on the day-to-day school life of the RWBY cast. My goal is to make it more of a coming-of-age type story, and have a focus on drama, character interaction, and perhaps a little humor where suitable. Combat and adventure will come in due time too, but should not be expected outside of combat class for the time being.

Another thing you can expect is that it will actually take a rather long time for many of the events in canon to start going down. I have a few in-story reasons to explain this, but I don't want to reveal them now as it will give away too much. I'll apologize for my sins later when the time has come.

And that... is everything I can think of right now. I'm very pleased to have completed this first chapter and gotten it out, but I know it's just the beginning. If you're still here with me, I look forward to seeing you again in the future. I'll talk more about why I chose to write things the way I did next time.

- YearsLate