"So." asks Ruby "Just what can you do with your shapeshifting ability?"
RWBY and Lucifer were chatting in the cafeteria before class starts for the day.
"Actually, I call it a 'Weapon Morphing' ability. I call the black stuff Eve and the White, hard stuff Exo. Not much at this stage. Just a blade."
"But I thought you have a claw as well?" asks Weiss.
"Don't go there. That's His ability. Bad memories associated with it."
"Well, you can't fight with just a big-ass blade, you need more...variety, i guess." says Yang.
"Good point. What say we meet up after school for a training session?"
"Sounds good."
"Wait," says Weiss "We were supposed to meet up with team JNPR after school, too!"
"Oh, right!" says Yang "Now what?"
"Just invite them, then." says Lucifer casually.
"But i thought you can't-" Weiss is cut off by Lucifer.
"Yes, I can't. Tell me, are you friends with this 'Team Juniper'?"
"Actually, it's team J-N-P-R, but yeah, we're friends."
"Do you trust them as allies?"
"Yeah?"
"Then you can trust them not to blow it out to the world."
"I guess. OK, after school, us, you and JNPR, training session."
"Done."
"Aren't you afraid Ozpin will find out?" asks Weiss.
"A little. He'll understand. If he don't like it, too damn bad."
"I like the way you think, man." says Ruby and they laughed.
As their laughter died down, they hear more laughing, and someone wailing.
Hearing those, Lucifer's face suddenly darkened so much you could practically see a shadow on his face. He stonily turned his head around, looking behind him, where the sound was coming from.
Cardin and his group were harassing Velvet again, pulling both her ears like reins on a horse.
"Stop! It hurts!" she wails.
"Mush! Mush, you animal!" he said, and all of them laughed.
Staring straight ahead, Lucifer sees the whole scene, and he doesn't. He sees himself strapped to a metal rack. He sees men in white coats stabbing him with instruments. He sees them burning him with hot pieces of metal. He sees Velvet being harassed by other people.
Lucifer stood up and walked over, standing over their table. Cardin looked up.
"What are you looking at?" he asks.
"What do you think, punk?" replies Lucifer.
"Whoa! Look at this, our little bunny's got a boyfriend!" they laughed.
Lucifer grabbed Cardin's left arm, squeezing it so he released his grip. Cardin stood to his full height, releasing his other arm, dwarfing Lucifer. "So, little bunny's boyfriend wants a fight, huh?"
"I'm not her boyfriend, but-" he twisted Cardin's left arm, causing him to turn, then pinning the hand to Cardin's back, pushed him to land facefirst in his own plate of food. "Doesn't mean I won't kill you if I ever see you within six feet of Velvet ever again. Do I have myself clear?"
"What's with you and lit-"
Lucifer pushed harder on Cardin's arm, causing him to cry out.
"What did i say her name was?"
Cardin wailed "Let me-"
Lucifer pushed harder.
"One last time before you lose an arm. WHAT. DID. I. SAY. HER. NAME. WAS."
"Velvet! Velvet! Her name's Velvet! Velvet Scarlatina!"
"Very good." says Lucifer, and released his grip. Cardin retreated back into his group, on their feet now.
"What the heck, man? What's with you and her?" he wailed.
"She saved my life, if that's what you're wondering." Velvet looked horrified. "Now scram. I ever see you within sight of Velvet again, and I don't need to be there to know it, I'll kill you."
Cardin glared at Lucifer, then he say Lucifer's eyes. It was the eyes of someone who didn't care about killing, probably even relished it. "Let's get out of here!" yelled Cardin, and the four disappeared into the crowd in the cafeteria. Lucifer turned to Velvet.
"You Okay?" he asked.
"Fine, but...you told him?"
"Told who what?"
"That I..."
"Saved my life? Yeah, why?"
"I thought I said not to."
"Didn't hear it."
Velvet turned to RWBY's table. Ruby and Yang shrugged. They forgot to told him.
she sighed "Now they're going me harass me more."
"They won't. I made sure of that."
"They'll come back later."
"If they do," said Lucifer, his voice hardening "Cardin will be the first to go over the cliff. Relax" he said, his voice softening "I'll watch over you. Aah, where are my manners."
Reaching out his hand, he said "My name's Lucifer. Lucifer Grimm. Glad to make your acquaintance."
She shook it weakly "Velvet Scarlatina."
Leaning close, he said "Well, Velvet, now we're even." and returned to his table.
"Wow." said Blake.
"Wow what?" asked Lucifer.
"You helped someone out of the good of your heart."
"Reminded of my own suffering is all. Physical wounds heal. They are slow, but they do heal. Mental wounds take forever to heal, if at all." He took a sip of his drink "Don't need someone suffering at the hands of cowardly fools like those morons. Velvet is a better person than any one of that group ever will be, and she's suffering for it. Someone's got to put a stop to it."
"They can still harass her when you're gone." points out Weiss.
Lucifer smiled. "Weren't you listening, Weiss? I don't have to be there to know they are harassing Velvet."
Then they saw Jaune walk up to their table.
"Hey, uh, what's your name?"
"Lucifer Grimm. And you?"
"Jaune Arc. I saw the whole thing, and I guess I came to say thank you for what you did just now."
"Why thank me? And why didn't you break it up?"
"I was weak. I'm pretty sure I would have worsened the situation somehow in any case."
"Lucifer, this is the team leader of JNPR." says Ruby.
"Well, if the team leader is like this, I'd hate to see the rest of the team." he said, and raised his hand as Jaune started to say something "I know, I know, team leaders aren't chosen based on their skills, but on what the teachers see in them, usually potential." he lowered his hand "You have to live up to that potential, you know. Me and team RWBY here are having a training session after school, why don't you and your team join us? I'm aware you were supposed to meet up today."
"I'll have to ask the rest, first, but thank you for the invitation." said Jaune, and he went back to his table.
"You're good." says Yang.
"What are you talking about?" asks Lucifer.
"Picked a perfect time to pop the offer." she says.
"Hey, I'm just a man with a great many skills." he replies.
"ARE you a man?"
It was silent around the table for a moment, but then they all burst out laughing.
For the rest of the day, Lucifer proved himself a proverbial genius in the classes. He quickly caught on to the lessons and read books between periods. When school was over, RWBY, JNPR and Lucifer went for their training session close to the woods, where no one was about. First up against Lucifer was Jaune.
"Ready?" asked Lucifer.
"Ready as ever" says Jaune, and pulled out his sword.
Lucifer didn't take his weapon out, he just charged. Jaune swung his sword at him. Lucifer ducked under the blade. Then, planting both hands to the ground, he kicked with his legs forward, wrapped them around the blade as he tipped over, then pushed himself backwards with his hands, yanking Jaune's blade from his hands and standing back up. The blade fell to the ground after he straightened himself.
Jaune swung his shield at Lucifer, attempting to bash him. He spun around in the same direction the shield was heading, dodging it. Then, reaching out with his left hand, he wrapped it around Jaune's neck. Pulling Jaune against himself, he got into a position to choke him, and he said into his ear "Checkmate." and released him.
"Gods, you're good" said Jaune, coughing.
"Sorry that I can't say the same for you." replied Lucifer.
"I'm up next." says Yang.
Once again, Lucifer was the first to charge. Yang didn't want to give him any chances, and blasted at his direction, only to see she fired into a shield of Exo. It moved aside to reveal a Morph Blade coming at her. She just managed to dodge the attack.
"Good surprise. Too bad your attack didn't hit."
"Did it?" asked Lucifer, holding the blade to his face. A single strand of blonde hair is caught between two of the flat spike-shapes.
"What? You..." Her eyes became red, she seemed to burst into flames, and charged at Lucifer. He lifted his Exo Shield, but she punched straight through it, and grabbed the hand behind it. Shattering it with a blast from her other hand, she fired a blast of Dust and Aura Semblance at Lucifer at point-blank range, and the two vanished in a cloud of dust.
"Sorry, Lucifer" said Yang "You have your tricks, I have mine-"
Suddenly the dust cloud dissipated like an explosion, and a shadow charged at Yang, and a fist is in the air. Yang just managed to block the attack, but she was thrown backwards and tumbled end-over-end over the ground.
"What on earth was that?" asked Yang. Her question was soon answered.
The black shadow turned out to be Aura surrounding a body. As it dissipated somewhat, the person beneath it appeared. It was Lucifer, but it wasn't Lucifer.
His hair was white and spiky, he showed no signs of Yang's previous attack save the marks on his clothing and armor, his eyes spewed bloodlust.
It was the Grimm.
And it had Aura.
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