Chapter 3: Checking In With Pupils

First of all, let me say how amazed I am at how much this story blew up. Wow! You guys must really like this story! It's definitely getting a lot more traffic than I thought it would, that's for sure. So thanks to everyone for reading it so far! Secondly, the interactions in this chapter are going to be a little bit different than the other ones. I can't have things stick to the same formula too much, right? Anyways, enjoy!

XXX

That day, Zenyatta was on a mission.

Now, Zenyatta was never one for just leaving his self-claimed pupils hanging out to dry. If he were to talk to them once, he would make sure to make visits now and again to check in on their progress in life. To Zenyatta, a person seeking enlightenment and comfort in their life was a lot like a garden of flowers. They required plenty of attention and love, so that one day they would stand tall and blossom into something beautiful. To that end, Zenyatta would never give up on his students.

So, when Zenyatta heard about Weiss' anxiety about her partner, Ruby, the last time he visited, he made it a point to seek out Ruby. Maybe there was something he could do to bridge the gap between the two and remove that feeling of anxiety. Some would call that being meddlesome, but garden soil never tilled or weeded itself. It was something that needed to be done.

But that could wait for a little bit. Zenyatta still needed to finish the meditation session he was doing with Lie Ren. He hadn't forgotten about him, after all. And as they say, meditation was best done with likeminded friends. If anything, meditating with Ren reminded Zenyatta of meditating with Genji.

"…Thus concludes the session," Zenyatta announced, starting to hover off of JNPR's dorm room floor. Ren had insisted on meditating there, and Zenyatta had no issue with that. Serenity could be found anywhere, as long as one willed it to be.

Standing up, Ren began to stretch out his stiff back. "That was a great session, Master Zenyatta. I really do feel relaxed."

"You are getting closer and closer to pure serenity, Mister Ren," Zenyatta commented back. "I can sense it in you."

"I just hope I can keep it up," said Ren. "Tests are going on, and Nora can get really… worked up about them. As much as I do appreciate her company, she sure can be a lot to handle sometimes."

Zenyatta gave Ren a reassuring nod. "Do not worry, I am sure you will handle things well with Miss Nora. Besides, you can always do what I do whenever there is some ground to be leveled between people."

"And what's that?" Ren asked.

"Tell a joke. Mister Ren, what do you call a group of Omnic executives running a company?"

"I have no idea."

"A circuit board."

There was a brief pause between Ren and Zenyatta. The only thing that broke the silence was a cawing crow outside.

"…I may need to work on my material," Zenyatta conceded. In hindsight, he should have used a different joke. That one that he told only usually got a laugh out of Junkrat and Reinhardt, and probably not because it was intended to be funny in the case of the former.

Ren gave a small reassuring smile to Zenyatta. "Well, you know what they say: Nobody ever stops learning something."

"Indeed," agreed Zenyatta. "I can tell you that I have learned as much from my pupils as much as they have learned from me." At that, Zenyatta started hovering towards the door. "On that note, I need to check in with someone else today. Mister Ren, do you know someone named Ruby?"

Ren nodded. "I know a girl named Ruby Rose. I think she's the only one here at Beacon named Ruby, now that I think about it."

"Excellent. Do you know where I can find her?" asked Zenyatta further.

"Actually, she lives directly across from this room," Ren replied.

"Oh," noted Zenyatta "That is convenient."

"May I ask why you want to talk to her?" Ren inquired.

"I believe it would be rude of me to completely give the details, considering that the issue concerns others as well. But, I will say that I was made aware that this Ruby girl may require my assistance," explained Zenyatta.

Ren's face contorted slightly in though. "Weird. She doesn't really act like she needs help. At least all the times we've been together, that is."

"Sometimes the mask a person hides their emotions with can be so convincing that they themselves may fully believe it," Zenyatta said.

Ren shrugged. "You have a point there. Still, at least ask before you give her help."

"That was the intention," Zenyatta replied with a wave of the hand. "As a certain associate of mine has said before, this is not my first rodeo."

"Rodeo? Those don't exist anymore."

"Granted, my associate who said that has rode a horse only once, despite his fashion sense. At least, that is the word around the Watchpoint."

Ren snickered a little at the thought. "I guess that'll be a story for another time."

"Indeed. I will say that I find it as strangely appropriate, as the word 'horse' is not found in the title of 'cowpoke'," Zenyatta said, opening the dorm room door. "I look forward to our next session, Mister Ren."

"As do I, Master Zenyatta," replied Ren with a small bow.

Returning the bow with a small bow of his own, Zenyatta exited Team JNPR's dorm room and quietly shut the door behind him. Looking at the door directly across the room he just left, Zenyatta almost couldn't believe at how much of a coincidence that the person he was looking for was located only a dozen feet away. That certainly saved him a lot of time and effort.

Floating up the door, Zenyatta gently rapped his metal knuckles on the wood and waited. Zenyatta's mental processor lit up with a manner of excitement. It was a pleasure for Zenyatta to meet new potential pupils, no matter how many times it happened.

XXX

"Coming!" Ruby chirped as she walked towards her door. She couldn't help but wonder who was knocking at the door. As far as she was aware, everyone else on Team RWBY had gone their separate ways for the day. Yang went out to walk and play with Zwei in the Beacon Academy botanical gardens, and Weiss and Blake went shopping in Vale City for clothes, school supplies, and other odd ends. Maybe one of them came back early?

Instead of being greeted by her sister and her dog, or her friends holding shopping bags, Ruby instead saw a rather peculiar robot standing at her doorstep. Actually, 'standing' wasn't exactly accurate, since the robot was floating in a lotus position. See that was just about as weird as the golden orbs circling around the robot's neck. All in all, it was a rather odd thing to see indeed.

"Umm… Hi?" Ruby confusedly greeted.

"Greetings, miss. Are you Ruby Rose?" the robot asked in a kind, relaxed voice.

"Uh, yes?" Ruby replied. Weird, how did that robot know her name?

The robot bowed it's head slightly in greeting. "I am Tekhartha Zenyatta, formerly of the Shambali monastery. I was made aware that some of your friends are concerned about you. May I come in?"

"Yeah, sure!' Ruby offered, snapping back out of her thoughts. Stepping aside to let the robot pass, the metal person silently hovered towards the center of the room and faced her.

"I do apologize if it seems as if I am being pushy," Zenyatta apologized. "But I simply cannot stand to the side if I am made aware that someone may need assistance."

"What?" Ruby asked, now even more confused. "Who said I needed help?"

"A teammate of yours. A Miss Weiss Schnee, to be precise," explained Zenyatta. "She was worried about you after you did not want to spend time with her. Miss Weiss made it sound that this was out of character for you."

It took a few seconds to think back to the other day, and then the realization hit Ruby. "Oh, that! Weiss was really worried about that?"

"Indeed," replied Zenyatta. "So, if you do not mind me asking, do you need any personal assistance? I have mentored many people, both Omnic and Human, so please do not feel afraid to ask for help."

Ruby shut the dorm room door and sat on a nearby desk chair. She couldn't help but feel a little off-put by this. The fact that Weiss cared deeply enough for Ruby enough to try and get help for her was a bit of a shock. Sure, Ruby knew that Weiss was softer on the inside than the outside, but this was a lot more than she expected.

Ruby's voice sounded mentally distant as she said, "Well, I was gonna do something personal that day, so… yeah. I mean, I didn't do it, but still."

"If you do not wish to discuss it, that is alright," said Zenyatta. He could tell from Ruby's body language and tone that she wasn't exactly feeling comfortable. Even across people and species, there were things that always remained consistent when people faced difficult emotions.

A resigned sigh escaped Ruby's lips. "I mean, it's nothing special. I just wanted to visit a grave yesterday. I don't see why Weiss would want to come along anyways…"

Zenyatta hummed in understanding. "Ah, I see. You are still coping with loss of someone you knew."

"Yeah, you're right there," admitted Ruby.

"In any case, you are not alone in possessing that feeling of loss," said Zenyatta. "But I am fairly sure that you have heard that before. Anyone who has experienced loss has."

Ruby huffed a little in agreement. "Well, yeah, everyone I know has dealt with it before. It's not exactly something special, ya know?"

"It does not mean that you need to suffer alone. If you ever need my assistance, I am sure that Mister Ren across the way would be more than willing to let you know of my location," Zenyatta offered. Even though he didn't reside in this world, Zenyatta was certain that he showed up frequently enough that assistance would be readily available regardless.

"Thanks for the offer, but…" Ruby couldn't help but ask, "Who even are you? Are you some kinda robot therapist?"

Zenyatta couldn't help but lightly chuckle at that. As for Ruby, she couldn't help but wonder why she kept on having odd encounters involving robots. First Penny, then that one mech chase down the Vale City freeway, and now a robot showed up at her doorstep offering to help her sort out her emotions. It was like she was a magnet for robots.

"I am afraid not. I do not have a degree in psychological therapy. Life has been my teacher, rather than any institution. Besides, it is much cheaper that way," Zenyatta lightly joked, a slightly playful tone in his voice.

Ruby couldn't help but chuckle a little herself. This Zenyatta robot person certainly had a warming quality to his voice that made a person's anxiety melt like ice on a hot summer day. There just something so polite and kind about him that was radiating off of him in powerful waves.

"Well, I guess it isn't every day that you meet a robo-life coach," Ruby replied, smiling a little.

"Indeed it is not," Zenyatta agreed. "But, I feel like this can be the start of a wonderful companionship."

The sound of making more friends definitely sounded appealing to Ruby. In her opinion, there was nothing wrong with making new friends, even if they were made of metal. If anything, having metal bits making up your body was even cooler than being made of squishy pink parts. Robots would not ever stop being cool!

"I mean, I already know some robots, so why not?" Ruby beamed.

Hovering over to where Ruby was seated, Zenyatta gave Ruby a nice pat on the shoulder. "I am glad to hear it," Zenyatta said. "I am sure that you will be a fine friend. I can sense the greatness and kindness in you already."

"We're all made for great things. That's why we're here, isn't it?" added Ruby.

Zenyatta nodded, appreciating how keen Ruby's response was. "Some people do not realize that in the entirety of their lives. You are a perceptive girl indeed."

At that, Zenyatta began to hover towards the door, sensing that his talk here was over. While he did not give any life advice yet, he felt that in due time him and Ruby could have some rather enlightening conversations together. He could see the simple, honest soul in her eyes. Sadly, a look like that was much rarer than Zenyatta would like to admit. But, he was certainly determined to seek out enlightenment alongside Miss Ruby Rose.

"Uh, when are you gonna stop by again?" Ruby asked, quickly getting up to open the door for Zenyatta.

"I should be in the area again within the next few days. Do not worry, I shall not be that long gone," answered Zenyatta.

"Where do you go to? Do you have a home?" Ruby inquired more.

"Indeed I do. In a rather faraway place at that. I am sure that my associates are going to need me soon, so I should get going," Zenyatta quickly explained.

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed. "Well, don't let me hold you up, Mister Zenyatta!"

Zenyatta bid Ruby goodbye with a hearty, "Farewell, Miss Ruby! I will be back sooner than you would think."

Zenyatta waved his hand at Ruby as he hovered out of Team RWBY's dorm room, as silent as still as he normally was. As soon as he left, the lack of noise from his departure made it seem as if nobody was around to visit at all.

Ruby closed the door behind the now-gone Zenyatta and went back to sitting in her desk chair. What an unusual experience that just was. It was as if potential friends were just being dropped in her lap left and right.

In the end, Ruby figured that she had nothing really to worry about compared to when she first arrived at Beacon Academy. All of her anxiety was for nothing. After all, if it was that easy to meet new, interesting people and make friends with them like that, then being scared about having social anxiety was silly in hindsight.

If there was one thing that Ruby Rose had learned at Beacon Academy so far, other than the duties of a Huntress, then it was that friends came in all shapes, sizes, and forms. That was probably the most important lesson of all.

XXX

Okay, so, that was a nice and light chapter! Nothing too serious or heavy this time around. I feel that it's nice to have the setting of a foundation for a new friendship take place among some of the deeper stuff that's happened so far (and more to come). But, if you came here specifically for that, don't worry! There's going to be more stuff like that to come. I give you my word as The Draigg!

On that note, be sure to let me know what you think so far! You readers are the greatest!