The wolf faunus, still far from rousing herself, was grinning widely in her sleep, drooling at what she saw. It involved lots and lots of sweets, just walking around and asking to be eaten... even that little cottage in the woods seemed to be made with nothing but sugary goodness. The poor structure had no chance against her sweet tooth!
The efforts to wake Grizel only seemed to further exacerbate her dreams, The prodding only served to have the gingerbread(swords)man's candy-cane to be devoured, and then buried in a mountain of strongly-scented sweets. It wasn't until she was inexplicably drowning in a lake of syrup that her upper body suddenly rose upwards, the pancake slowly slipping from her face. At least until it mysteriously disappeared into her mouth in what seemed to be one large inhale.

Thus, the sleep-addled, syrup-faced faunus yawned widely, her hair wild and untamed, and arms stretched wide. She spotted Daiki, and it took her several moments to wonder why a boy was in her room. Once her brain started paying more attention, she beamed brighty, "Oh, hey there! Did ya have a good n- my face feels weird."

Tentatively, Grizel poked at her cheek, paranoid that she had forgotten to wash that dirt off her face the previous night and somehow grown a fungus or other nasty thing on herself. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, though she was confused as to the origin of this maple syrup.
"...Oh, we have a thing, right?" Grizel asked casually, licking her finger clean, and clearly not aware of the time, "Thanks for waking me so early, Daiki! I always have trouble waking up. Sleeping's really fun, you know? Hope I can squeeze a nap into my schedule here~!"

((I tried to get around the cumshot references/innuendo but it's going to fail horribly so just get your head out of the gutter you dicks))

Daiki just blinked and stared at the faunus girl who apparently didn't mind being woken up by pancakes, or getting the thick syrup on her face and hair. He had expected flailing, curses and possibly those claws she showed him yesterday coming at him, but instead all he got was an excited monologue about naps and her licking the syrup on her finger off. Wherever they were going, he hoped there were no rapier wasps around.

Daiki decided he might actually need a stash of them in the future if he ended up on the same team with her. Choosing not to comment on her appearance or how unglamorous she looked right now, Daiki replied. "We have 45 minutes left before the reporting time at the docks. That's half an hour for you to wash up, get changed and wash that syrup out of your hair, because the docks are at least fifteen minutes away on foot." He replied.

He sighed and helped Grizel onto her feet and pushed her towards the female toilet. "Go, hurry up! I'll get your breakfast and you can eat on the way, but I am not going to be late on the first day for your sake!" He rushed her. Honestly, he wondered if his life here at Beacon would consist of playing parent to a wolf faunus who apparently had the demeanour and mentality of a five year old. He wasn't entirely sure she was telling the truth about being a wolf faunus either - she could very well be something as embarrassing as a chihuahua faunus. He chuckled at the thought and grabbed another plate of pancakes before waiting for Grizel at the door, waiting for her to get her butt ready and meet him here before he decided to ditch her. She was nice and possibly the first friend he made here, but not worth getting expelled or disqualified for.

"Why couldn't I have chosen to stick with a responsible, self-sufficient bookworm like a cat faunus or something?" He asked himself, running his hand through his hair to keep it out of his eyes.

Jaclyn Kent

Last night's buffet was good, as far as buffets go. With Miss Patch's forewarning about the morning initiation, Jack took the opportunity to carb-load, piling mainly pasta and veggies onto her plate. She didn't eat voraciously, but the quantity was enough to raise a few eyebrows. When morning came she ate a more modest meal, a banana and a glass of OJ.

After breakfast she found the shower rooms, cleaned herself off, got dressed and did a run-through of the gear she'd need. "Axe? Check. Other axe? Check." Good to go. She slid Blunderbore into its loop at her hip, and hooked Thunderdell on the hanger at the small of her back. Everything else was extra, she didn't sweat the small stuff.

After everything was prepped Jack headed down to the docks. When they came into view she saw a few faces she recognized and hustled her pace a bit. "Morning Reya, Kalimay. There was also a third person who Jack hadn't met, but she held off on the introductions when she noticed the heavy air between the two Signal grads. I guess she wasn't kidding when she said it wasn't me. Jack didn't really know anything about Kalimay, so whatever was getting her down was beyond understanding.

Trying to change tracks and keep the mood from taking a nosedive, Jack spoke up to the girl she didn't know. "Hey, I don't think we've met. I'm Jack, how about you?"

Grizel's expression froze when she learned how much time they had remaining. Was.. .was it really that late into the morning already?! Crap, why the hell wasn't she woken up sooner? It's not that hard to wake up a sleeping person, is it!?
Shoved towards the showers, the faunus finally gained full bearing of her senses, and rushed for them, plain pajamas flying into the air once she was out of sight of anyone not currently showering themselves.

As much as Grizel would've loved to wash up at her own pace, her panic at the little remaining time meant that all she really did was rid herself the syrup (seriously, where had all that come from? Some stupid prank?) and make sure her hair wasn't horribly damaged by it either. Hearing the ticking of an Impending Doom Clock rhythmically ringing in her mind, the dripping faunus wasted no time in drying herself off, or putting on clothes that looked strangely identical to the previous day's, just darker colours.
And thus, with her gauntlets equipped, hair and tail still thoroughly soaked and face now completely grime-free, she hurried back to the hall, coming to a stop by Daiki's house, slightly flushed from her speedrun of her normally slow-paced morning routine.

"S-sorry..." Grizel panted, "Shoulda woke me up earlier! Jeez, how irresponsible." she joked weakly.
Taking the plate of pancakes from his hands, Grizel devoured one in a shockingly fast time. Before continuing with her overly-fast breakfast, she gave Daiki a questioning look, "Oh, uh, you didn't try anything weird, did you? I hear boys are like that when it comes to girl's bedrooms."

Not that they were in anything remotely close to a bedroom, but hey, best to make sure of that stuff before they left to do... whatever they needed to do that day.

In the midst of a toe-touch, a girl with long, beautiful red hair approached Reya. She shot up, looking at the newcomer with a slight confusion as she tried to fruitlessly place this new face, before the girl introduced herself as Sayuri, and commented on Reya's getting ready. The girl in red smiled and gave a big thumbs-up. "Definitely! I wanna make sure I'm absolutely prepared for anything! Nice to meet you Sayuri. Name's Reya!" She held out her hand for a handshake, before noticing another joyous face bounding over, with bouncing blond hair and a rather large muffin. Nearly all of which was crammed into her mouth. Kalimay was surely one of the brightest stars Reya had seen.

That changed when she happily greeted Sayuri, but regarded Reya with a broken softness to her voice. It actually stung a bit. Not from the girl herself, but the memories Reya held of her at Signal. She was always put down for her eccentricities, things that Reya thought made Kalimay a lovely individual. Even with all of the inexplicable fireworks. It was now that she regretted not reaching out to the girl when she had a chance. A forlorn expression passed through Reya's eyes before she tried to brighten up. "Morning, Kalimay! Looks like you had a good breakfast." She put every last scrap of sunshine into that sentence, because she couldn't stand to see people sad like that. It just wasn't acceptable.

Jacklyn arrived shortly after, bringing some more light to the little group of girls. "Wow, the guys sure are taking their sweet time..." Reya said with a laugh, before Jacklyn introduced herself to Sayuri. A thought casually strode up to the front of Reya's mind. I wonder who we'll all be paired with...at least, that's what I've heard. Maybe they'll do something different this year. Probably not... she contemplated before turning her full attention back to the growing group of ladies.

Was it bad that Arara didn't get a full eight hours of sleep, having opted to wake at five in the morning out of habit? No, the heiress had better things to do. Others might think not getting enough sleep was detrimental for one's health and skin, but the logic of the unwashed masses never really swayed her. Sleep might be good, but exercise was a better alternative. Having spent the past two hours practicing the same arts and skills that she had done tens of thousands of time in the past, the girl had then taken a shower while the majority of students were still asleep, rejuvenated by exercise, not sleep.

The buffer last night had been a rather heavy meal, but it was a nice chance to socialize with other students. Reconnecting faces with names in her mind, she rehearsed the names of the new humans she met that night as she donned the White Raksha once more. Leaving as other students were mulling about, still half-asleep and bed-headed, Arara strode out early, getting to the docks much earlier than necessary. She wasn't even worried about breakfast, her body already conditioned to having only two meals a day.

When she arrived, there was no one else there, and thus, decided to finish off her morning routine with a walk around campus, a trip lasting fifteen minutes before she returned, familiar faces. With a slight nod of her head, Arara greeted the four.

“Good morning, Sayuri, Reya, Jaclyn, Kalimay. Are you all prepared for the entrance exams?”

"Nice to meet you Reya, You as well Jack. My name is Sayuri," she looked over at Kalimay noticing the same change as what happened yesterday and frowns, "So did the three of you all go to the same school? I don't know anyone here cause I'm from Vacuo and none of my friends decided to come here."

She turned to look as Arara greeted the group. Nodding her head in acknowledgement, "Yup, as ready as I'll ever be," she then looked off into the distance, "Alistair arrived with Arara and the other people with her yesterday, so we all sat together. She didn't seem too bad though I don't like the high class way she speaks I can't base all my feelings of her on that..."

In sharp contrast to the vast majority of those who were only just rising, or had risen only a short time ago, Alistair had been awake for quite a while. Turthfully, it would be easier to pin down the time at which he was actually sleeping than when he woke up. Falling asleep isn't easy the night before such a big day, but it's even harder to stay asleep during those nights. If he had to guess, he'd say that he slept from nine to midnight, was awake from midnight to two, slept from two to five, and then was up again, and this time, stayed up.

It wasn't hard to move about without waking anyone; no one was sleeping in close proximity to him, and the few people that were nearby were heavy, heavy sleepers by their snores. The teenager had woken up, risen from where he slept, and gathered his clothes. He'd had the showers to himself by virtue of being one of the only people awake. A hot shower had done wonders to make him more alert, and when he exited, he took a moment to examine his face in the mirror.

...

He really needed a haircut. A moment later, he actually chuckled; It was hilarious that he was noticing that he needed a haircut the day that would decide where his life went. Well, if things went really badly, it'd also decide if his life continued. He wasn't going to be fighting trainees today. Today, it was real Grimms, and rumor had it that there were some tough ones as well. Whether teachers were monitoring or not, there was a very significant inherent risk.

Well, he'd known that when he signed on.

Toweling his hair dry he grabbed his clothes off the rack, pulling them on easily before heading back towards where he'd slept. It was still half an hour til everyone would begin waking up; Time enough to grab a small breakfast, nothing big, he'd be very physically active two hours into the future and it wouldn't do to be too full, and do some last minute checks over his gear.

********************************

Two canisters of yellow dust, one of red, and one of white. That was all the dust that he had. Truth be told, it was more than he usually had. He'd only had two canisters for his entrance exam, and that had been enough, albeit only barely. He'd pulled out all the stops for today, he'd done a full examination of both Hell and Heaven, and replaced any parts that seemed even slightly suspect. All systems were functional as good as ever, and maybe even better than normal.

Time would tell if they would remain reliable.

Clearing that line of thought from his head, he arrived at the docks, just a few minutes after the others. His coat was fastened tightly, the glove pulled over his left hand, and he was far more alert than he normally was. Maybe it was adrenaline, maybe it was the coffee, but whatever it was, he was glad of it. He'd need it.

"So, everyone ready for today?" He said brightly, approaching the group of KK, Sayuri, Arara, Jacklyn, and Reya.

Addica+Tirren

---

“Well then, let’s go.” Addica said as he turned and began walking out of the locker room. He didn’t bother to make sure the other guy was coming, it was pretty much a guarantee with how hard they had all worked to get to Beacon. “Oh by the way” he called back while exiting the locker room, ”the name’s Addica.”

Following the other student out the door, Tirren went to introduce himself. However, the other had already beat him to it. Hastily replying to the newly introduced Addica “The name’s Tirren.” He wasn’t completely sure he had been heard though as Addica had already left the room, the locker room door swinging closed behind him. With a slight sigh Tirren followed him out.

Hearing Tirren introduce himself Addica waited just on the other side of the door and as Tirren exited he fell into step beside him. “So we are to meet at the docks… What do you think the exam will be?”

Glancing over at Addica Tirren answered ”Well seeing as our transcripts provided them with our academic knowledge, the only other thing to test is field capabilities. Therefore I presume the test will include the fighting of Grimm in full on combat with only other newcomers for help. Though I doubt it will unsupervised despite what may be said.”/[b] Mulling over his own words Tirren found himself relaxing a bit, after all it couldn’t be that hard, there were plenty of upper year students, who had passed what was probably a similar test. Realizing his pace had slowed, almost to a complete stop, during his speech Tirren resumed the previously set pace towards the docks.

Sensing Tirren relax Addica began to relax himself. Combat was something he could handle, he wasn’t the best but he wasn’t any slack at fighting either. Though he would probably have to depend on his semblance but that was fine as long as he didn’t overextend himself. [b]“So actual combat then… hmmm this could be fun… though I didn’t think test were supposed to be fun,” Addica mulled aloud.

”I don’t think we should think of it as a test more of a in depth demonstration of our skills and a way to figure out who to group together. They have probably seen us fight each other before, so now it is just a matter of seeing how we do in actual combat and how we work together.” Tirren threw out. ’When it comes to theorizing I guess I’m not that bad with people, not once did I stumble over my words.’ he thought with a glimmer of happiness. Turning to look at Addica he inquired, “So any one in particular you hope to be teamed up with?”

”Uhhh I really don’t know very many people… Just you and some others from the almost fight on the transport and then I had dinner with this girl last night but you and her are the only onew I know by name,” He said as the docks came into view ”What about you?” You have your eyes on anyone in particular?”

Setting eyes on the dock Tirren replied, “In truth I’ve got no idea who I wish to team up with. I met more people than I thought I would yesterday and got a few names, but I didn’t hang around any of them. There were a few people who recognized me from Signal, but I didn’t really interact with anyone there so really I don’t know who they are.” With a chuckle he continued as they reached the docks, “Looks like I’m at as much of a loss as you.”

Orion Armstrong

---

The evening ended in a much quieter fashion than the day for the Bear Faunus. He sat with Reya in relative silence as he brooded over the day: unable to hide the slight degree in which he was hurt from himself. After a quick dinner, Orion excused himself and withdrew to a private corner of one of the courtyard areas; where he began to draw. His drawings were rough and varied, and he managed to get through a number of pages in his notepad before he was done. The pictures were varied and full of thought: pictures of parents and new-acquaintances and ancient ancestral spears and a white wolf, surrounded by a scene of blood and silence.

He finished drawing as dusk took the academy, and the cathartic act of drawing had made him feel much better. He realised that he was probably acting irrationally and pridefully, and quickly stopped holding the annoyance against Reya. Pride was a hell of a thing, and something he normally didn’t spend too much time becoming embroiled in, yet he had fallen to it today. That’s a mistake I can’t make tomorrow.

He made his way to the repurposed sleeping accommodations and found himself a quiet enough spot amongst the male half of the hall. He was one of the first to drift off to sleep, having changed into a pair of pyjama bottoms and a novelty night-cap, in the shape of a bear no less. The novelty of the hat amused him, and had been a present from his adopted parent.

Orion awoke not particularly early, nor particularly late. He awoke by 8 o’clock and had eaten and showered by the time it was 8:30. Oddly, when he was entering the shower, a grumbling member of the faculty was cursing something about bubbles and a ‘blonde buffoon.’

Orion spent another thirty minutes preparing himself for the ordeal to come. He tested out Epsilon Delta for the first time in about a week, and was happy to feel the comforting weight of it in his hands again. After that, it was simply a case of strapping his armour onto his normal clothing and adjusting the Zeta bracer. He flared his aura a little as he felt the familiar rush of strength in his muscles.

It was nearly time to let loose.

Orion arrived at the dock a few moments after Arara had returned from her walk. He contemplated going over and speaking to the group of people, but a niggle of worry had him fearing he’d offended Reya with his idiocy yesterday. He didn’t know if she noticed him acting the fool, but he certainly imagined she had. Instead of going over to the group, Orion went towards the end of the pier, Epsilon Delta at his hip and a small phone-device in his hand.

---

Isaac Markeel

---

Isaac’s night, unlike Orion, was not an overtly calm one. He had beaten a hasty retreat from the strangeness that was BB, and thankfully he had not been followed: despite the fact that he expected that would be. It was a blessing, to be sure: but the entire ordeal had left him a little shaken. To think that there are people with powers like that… the thought of having been enthralled so easily in that androgynous spider’s web left him a ponderous, as well as disturbed. It seems I have more to learn than I thought. I will need to conquer that creature’s ability to change my state.

Thoughts of BB were soon left behind as almost pleasant memories as he went to the next task that would have to follow such a strange development. He had heard his father’s voice and had been ‘saved’ by it. Isaac wouldn’t be able to put off what was to come, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to put off his conversation with him.

Isaac used the evening to retrieve his equipment from storage. Donning the WALTER unit once more was a well-enjoyed comfort. It gave him power again, and it made him feel like the man who had conquered regional tournaments for years once again. He didn’t feel like a fly in a spiders web: he felt strength and energy and warmth flow into his limbs again. He felt confident and he knew he’d need all that confidence and energy and strength in order to deal with what was to come.

Using the WALTER unit and a few of his bayonets, Isaac scaled the roof of the library in order to find a silent, isolated place. When he was sure he was alone, the Markeel heir reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket computer-like device. To chunky to be called a phone, Isaac started to punch in a code of some sort, typing at incredible speeds and with practiced accuracy. He eventually placed the computer-esque device on the floor and a projection floated into life in front of Isaac. A man wreathed in shadows appeared in front of him; Isaac didn’t need to see his face to imagine the stern indifference on his face or the measured look in his eyes.

“Hello father. I’m ready to deliver my report…”

<The next day>

Isaac made it out of bed early, having slept five hours in a corner of the bed he was certain isolated him from any nearby Faunus. Unlike most people, he had decided to shower the evening before: instead of clamouring for the washing facilities this morning, and as such the Markeel heir took a walk into the town, away from the loud cafeteria facilities that were sure to be crowded by hungry teenagers with a need for food. Isaac purchased a cup of coffee and was happy enough to take in the sights of Beacon with just the thump of his music and the warmth of his drink. He found himself a seat that observed the dock and simply people-watched for a while. There were a great many interesting students around, he was pleased to note, ranging from Pranksters to princesses. Eventually he recalled one of the observations made by his father in last night’s chat: and the memory of the words pushed Isaac into action. He left his people watching perch as Orion arrived, and arrived onto the dock mere moments after him.

Isaac knew that he wouldn’t look like much: he was slightly below average height, and although he had made an effort to were slightly more fitting clothes, the bulk of his muscle was still hidden by the attire he wore: which oddly lacked any armour plating. The WALTER units looked like a mere pair of gloves, and the bayonets on his body did little to make himself convincing, attached to either his belt of to his biceps. Despite how uninspiring he looked, he gave off an air of confidence as he approached the gather group of women and the plebeian who stood beside them all.

Blanking Alistar completely, Isaac looked at the women for a moment before clearing his throat and finally speaking up: a smile on his face and his voice the practiced pitch of meek friendliness. “Anyone heard news about this examination yet? I’m eager to get going…Isaac by the way, Isaac Markeel.” He offered a hand to the group in general, acting the civil individual.

Daiki put on an expression of mock hurt. "You think I'd do such a thing to a defenseless maiden?" He joked. "I might have taken some pictures... did you know you drool in your sleep?"

They made it to the docks with five minutes to spare. Daiki heaved a sigh of relief that they had made it on time after all. "Well, that was fun. Remind me to never end up having to wake you up."

Jaclyn Kent

Jack nodded once before answering the girl from Vacuo, "Yeah, we're all alums from Signal. Anyways, pleased to meet'cha Sayuri." When Arara, Alistair, and another boy trickled in one by one to join the group, Jack smiled a bit wider and nodded to the questions about feeling prepared. "'Morning." She didn't recognize the last arrival, but when he introduced himself to the group it became clear that she wasn't the only one. Taking the offered hand firmly and giving it a solid shake, Jack kept up her grin as she reciprocated the introduction. "Well Isaac, I'm Jack. pleased to meet'cha. Haven't heard a thing about the initiation though."

"I think someone mentioned that to me before..." Grizel muttered thoughtfully, trying to recall if such a statement had ever been made. A moment later, she realised what he said and immediately flailed her arms in protestation, ears glowing a bright red, "Waitwaitwaitwait! What pictures?! Delete them!"

Shortly afterwards, they reached the docks. Smiling innocently, Grizel simply said, "What? Was it that embarrassing to see a sleeping girl? It's okay, you can admit I'm cute~!"

Giggling to herself, the faunus skipped ahead, towards the growing group of students. Cheerfully, she called, "Hey, everyone~!"
She was pretty excited about what was in store for them. It was going to be a totally awesome Initiation Duel or something, wasn't it? Maybe some Grimm hunting?! As long as she got to show off a little, it was all fine.

It was sorta amusing for Arara, as her classmates responded to her conversation-starting question, and then Alistair arriving with pretty much the same question. “Good morning, Alistair. I like how you've pretty much paraphrased my question, but then again, seems like there's not much else to talk about this morning.”

After all, even after a night of eating together, she has yet to discover any 'good' topics to talk to others about. She'll have to work on that during classes then. At least, if the entrance exam was going to be anything THAT hard, Arara wasn't going to expect to have spare time to chat leisurely about non-combat topics. Nodding slightly as Orion went by, apparently wishing for solitude before the test began, the heiress let the Armstrong boy off without a word. All things considered, she should be focusing her mind for the exams as well, but there simply wasn't any tension in the air. It didn't really make her FEEL like exerting herself for this exam.

Turning to a new arrival, this time a boy that she didn't notice, and had the commonsense to say his full name, even though he did seem rather eager to please, Arara decided that this Isaac was most likely someone who wanted to be friendly, and thus, reciprocated his eagerness. With a small curtsy, tilting her spear to the side, she said, “Greetings, Isaac. You may address me as Lady Arara Sakanade, and in regards to the upcoming examination, I'm fairly certain that it'll be a combat-centric exam that involves the retrieval of a particular item in the examination area. At least, that was the format last year. It may have changed due to the Headmaster also changing though.”

*Morella Cinder*

* ~ *
* ~ * ~ *
* ~ *

She turned to see him, moving to join him walking while shrugging. "I expect they'll send us someplace off campus with a lot of Grimm. I've never heard specifics, but I've heard a lot of rumors that the first part is very dangerous...though I can't imagine how it's different than fighting monsters," she said, reaching into her bag on her shoulder. She took out a small harness, lightweight, and hoisted it on her back. Then she took out her Slicers, the Midnight Shadows, and attached them into the harness. It was a bit difficult to tell they were boots, as they were collapsed, but the harness could eject them for her to jump into or drop them to step into, for quickly preparing for a battle. With a small click on the shoulder strap, they locked into place, a soft blue light at the top of the harness glowing to signal its readiness.

She folded up her bag and said, "Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll be fine, though I would like to know what it is I'm getting into before we go. You know me, I like being prepared." She then looked up, as the loudspeakers began to hum and whine from interference, like they were quickly being turned on.

"*Cough cough* *ahem* *cough*" a voice blasted, sounding odd at first, but quickly sounding like Arrun clearing his throat. "Good morn, bright students of Beacon. This is your Headmaster, Arrun Tower...the Headmaster, here with some announcements. Please, do pay attention, as they are of great importance..." Arrun's voice called out. Morella raised an eyebrow, slightly confused, but said nothing.

---

Arrun Tower

Arrun quickly toweled off his hair, having showered after finishing a morning workout. He tried to find time to spar with Oyaji, the Groundskeeper and long-ago former Headmaster, but the beginning of the school year was still hectic. There was much documents and information to go through for the new students, the school's legal liaison was still out with finishing leftover business from Aelo, and all the master documents on the new students were locked in Aelo's personal computer. Which Arrun didn't have the password for, so he'd been trying to collect what information he could on the new students, returning students, and other Beacon business. The small workout in the morning was his own little vacation from that, but he knew he'd have to get to his office soon.

He knew it even more as he was straightening the tie on his suit, as he heard his own voice coming from the loudspeakers. First, a look of surprise. Then, confusion. Then, understanding, which quickly turned into anger. His fingers gripped on his tie, leaving it and his collar wrinkled as he stormed out of his room. The few students milling about in the halls next to the faculty rooms gave him a wide berth, his glare practically hot enough to melt the windows.

---

...Great importance... Arrun's voice paused, as the squeak of a chair was heard.

Announcement one, if any student has lost any kind of stick, please come to my office. Several have been found up my butt, and while I've grown fond of them, every mother knows when the chicks must hatch and leave the nest. ...The chicks being sticks...and the nest being my butt, if there was any confusion. Arrun's voice paused, as two thuds against wood sounded out, like feet planting up on a desk.

Announcement two, there are several student's who have been absent, and if anyone knows their whereabouts, help would be greatly appreciated. First on the list is Amanda Huggenkiss, if anyone knows where I can find Amanda Huggenkiss, please let me know. Next, Michael Rotch, goes by Mike. If anyone's seen Mike Rotch, or knows how to get ahold of Mike Rotch, please see me as soon as possible. And finally, I'm also looking for Ms. Keeballs. Her first name's Dawn, if anyone knows where I can find Dawn Kee-"

*CRASH*

"Uh...oh, heh..." Arrun's voice cracked, turning higher and nervous. "Hu-hey, Mr. T, what'cha doin'? Thought it'd take a bit longer to get here from the faculty rooms..." Oliver's voice said over the loudspeaker, before a nervous gulp.

"Mr. Kootz...what do youthink...You're doing in my office? Get away from that speaker!" Arrun's voice called out again, as some clattering of wood and crashes sound out. "Get off that wall, bring that back!"

"I-it's wrapped around my leg, OOF! Quite yanking, let me get it off!" Oliver said.

"Boy, when I get my hands on you..." Arrun's voice growled, sounding further away from the speaker.

"Oh, honeys, what's this I hear about things in buts and holding crotches?" B.B.'s smooth voice slipping out, sounding breathy and close to the microphone.

"AAUUU-*click*" Both Arrun and Oliver yelled, before the microphone cut out.

---

Oliver Kootz

"Ow, ow, o-o-owwwha!! Ow..."

Oliver was being pulled by his ear, Arrun walked very quickly down the avenue pulling him and B.B. in tow. His face was stern, brown furrowed, and he was still smoldering from being angry earlier.

"Ah, oh, ah!" B.B. squeaked, a tongue darting across purple lips. "Ah, oh, honey, pull my hair!" B.B. squealed, moaning.

Arrun stopped, mouth contorting squeamishly, as he let go of B.B.'s ear and shoved, then wiping his hands on his pants. B.B. sighed and whimpered, before finally turning around and skipping to towards the Academy.

Oliver glanced up to Arrun, smiling nervously and saying, "Ah, pull my hair? OW, OW, still the EAR!" wincing as Arrun walked even faster to the docks. The Headmaster mumbled angrily, as Oliver had to practically sprint to keep from having his ear torn off.

The reached the docks, Arrun releasing Oliver's ear as he strode by the group of students alreadd there, and walked towards the end of the dock. He calmly stood there, with his hands behind his back, looking out into the sky. He stood a bit further out than Orion, but didn't take the chance to acknowledge him, focusing on the sky for the moment.

"Ah, owie, guess someone can't take a joke..." Oliver said to himself with a grin, tearing up slightly as he rubbed his red and swollen ear. He looked to the group, smirking and saying, "'Sides, isn't there a tradition for the teachers to get pranked by the new students? I kept seeing it on all the movies, it's on my checklist of stuff to do at school. Right up there with pantsing someone, being pantsed, shoved in a locker, taking on a bully, starting a food fight, and giving an embarrassing public display of love... though I do need a trench coat and a boom box for that last one...and the capacity to be embarrassed...ah, guess I can wait to knock 'em off in a couple days." He then leaned on Alistair's shoulder, rubbing the lapel of his coat between his thumb and forefinger. "Hi-yah, Ollie Kootz. Ooh, nice coat, reminds me of one I saw on a friend of mine...well, not so much 'friend' as 'hobo who was trying to cut my fingers off,' and not so much 'of mine' as 'for knocking over his gravy by the railroad tracks.' But I digress, despite his attempts to dismember me, it was a very nice coat. Polyester? Cotton?" Oliver asked with a smile, flattening the lapel of the coat back.

Pascale Isadora Buckley
—♫♪ Contre-Jour ♫♪—

Excitement and routine, all bundled up into one particular individual.

The benefits of being a feline Faunus: sleep came easy, quick, and was almost always deep and restorative. So, when her internal alarm clock rang, she was up and out of there in a quiet storm, nearly tripping over herself in ecstatic joy as she made her way toward the girl's showers. She'd spotted a few early risers on her way there, but was the first in and the first out, avoiding Arara completely as she sauntered off in the other direction. The girl would probably not spot her rounding the corner just as she did, but social interaction wasn't what she wanted to accomplish that morning—the first exam would handle that on its own. She needed to gather food for herself as soon as possible and get down to the tallest building for sunrise.

The other day, she had filled up on an exquisite chicken cordon bleu dish from one of the more expensive restaurants around campus, spotting a rather unusually problematic looking situation unfolding whilst she waited for her food. She didn't wait to see it unfold further, the... whatever the hell it was making it quite obvious it had taken a liking to whomever was sitting at the booth. She would rather not stick around to see how that ended and would honestly would have felt better in the middle of a skirmish. Of course, she hadn't actually expected to sit in the midst of a fight, having ordered a few pastries for later, the bakery still open this morning for her to slowly careen into. The fight that had begun hadn't bothered her in the slightest, hadn't interrupted her feasting, and hadn't quite amused her enough to catch her full attention—she would definitely remember their faces, though, one already familiar. It just happened that, as she sat down outside before a crowd piled any further, that two of the combatants had swept away her table just as she sat, though Pascale had retracted her plate before they could take that as well, making her further look for a spot to sit. She immediately left just as the fight ended, the crowd looking distraught at the headmaster and his assistant, or teacher, whatever she did.

Now, though, as Pascale was retrieving a box of donuts from the baker, who seemed to have just awoken not too long ago, she had observed that the campus was much more serene in the mornings before everyone woke, noting all of that dully as she turned to leave. The bakery wasn't even supposed to be open that early, but she had determined that they would need whatever customers they could get at whatever time to make sure they could replace and repair every piece of furniture, and whatever else, by the end of the year and still make a profit. After a curt thanks over her shoulder, Pascale made her way outside, spotting just a few more people shuffling into dark morning, groggy and unaware, and still not enough to be concerned time-wise.

Finding a nice spot somewhere on the roofs of Beacon's buildings, making sure her view of the east was uninhibited, Pascale settled cross-legged to watch the spectacle just about to display itself over the horizon. A bright smile, along with some powdered sugar, coated her face, of which she wiped off, only to replace with a wider grin. Mornings like this were why she made it a habit to wake up so early, adjust herself accordingly the night before, and make sure she ran on whatever energy she could accumulate the moment she rose. It made her miss her own room, the large window giving her a portrait of the day: cloudy, snowy, rainy, whatever she felt like looking at. And if the mood didn't match the scenery, she'd make it match, let her hands grab whatever art supplies they could find and paint the day she wished, the day she wanted, before going about her business the rest of the afternoon. Pascale, by all means, wasn't the best artist, but she made do with what skills she had and what skills she could further bolster through the years.

The moment the sun fully flung itself above the horizon, Pascale hopped up, dusting her clothes of crumbs and whatever she had clumsily dripped onto her outfit. Finally straightening her maroon skirt, tugging it lower to make sure it covered most of her thighs, and shifted her jacket further up her body, she hopped down from her perch and dropped down safely onto the campus fields. She smiled, watching more students pile out, though catching one who moved rather deliberately, if not with mild pride in her steps—the girl she just missed in the showers. Seeing her leave, Pascale approached one of the many benches near the dock, and sat herself quietly, meaningfully, and waited the morning out, keeping her eyes on anyone approaching the area, ready for whatever the day held for them. She kept an amicable smile on her face, her eyes laced with a cautious curiosity, legs slightly bent to the side with gloved hands atop her lap, removing herself completely from any social interaction, but keeping close enough to observe—a feline, if anyone ever saw one.

Though, as she watched aloofly, Pascale did turn her head, ears twitching, upward at the recent announcements, letting out a contented chuckle at the slightly immature prank. Her eyes fell onto another group, a bemused smile stretching further; they were the same people she had side-stepped in the auditorium, noticing the raven haired girl instantly, as not many had such straight, ebony hair to begin with. She also held herself in a familiar way, even if Pascale had simply bumped into her just yesterday. She completely ignored the newest, most evident attendees fly by, knowing full well who they were just from the way each foot was planted onto the hard ground—controlled, confidant irritation accompanied by hurried scuffles, yet strangely coordinated despite their predicament.

Tarkus nodded a bit as they walked along, silently understanding the implications of the test, Leo'd told him that it'd be dangerous, but he was almost glad he didn't know. If he did know, he just might not step on the ship to begin with, clenching his right fist slightly, he remembered Leo's bit of advice about not kicking Ursa. He couldn't help but look down to see his leg, and he engraved those words into every part of his brain. Letting out a small sigh as they continued walking, Tarkus turned his head as they walked when he heard something come out of the PA system.

Listening for a moment, a small smile began forming on Tarkus' face as he heard the rather immature comments about sticks'n'butts. That was, until he heard the furious voice of Mr. Tower screaming at one Mr. Kootz, at that point he cringed just a bit, and even more when the strange voice of the...Man? Woman?Freaky Alien Genotype?...Thing that was introduced as the school's treasurer ringing out about crotch grabbing. After hearing the crash, Tarkus stopped for a moment and scratched the back of his head, speaking without turning around he said: "I...Let's uh...Get there before something explodes.... He resumed walking beside Morella until the dock was in sight, a sizable crowd already gathered for the test. After a few minutes Mr. Tower brought someone along by the ear. Literally. Tarkus decided not to press his luck with questions, instead taking a seat on a nearby bench.

He began almost obsessively examining Zoll, he'd found something yesterday, something that he'd noticed the other day during the food court ordeal, he just needed to find the right trigger...
"Took me a few hours last night...but I think I might have found something. Not the release mechanism...this thing has something else strapped into it..."

Isaac Markeel

Isaac was taking in the group dynamic as the first woman took his hand with a reasonably strong grip. It was about what he expected from anyone who considered themselves a candidate for becoming a hunter. Anyone with strength less than that displayed by Jack was not worth a moment of consideration. He was not going to discard anyone as a useless dreg at this point; but nor would he waste his time attempting to make too many pleasantries. There was still a lot of time for the Markeel heir to be disappointed. “A pleasure Jack.” He offered a nod as he spoke; acting the polite newcomer was easy enough. He had done this sort of thing a million times before: measured smile, controlled glint of interest and the ideal amount of faked enthusiasm were all key into hiding the serpent’s instincts. In truth, he could probably take Jack’s arm here and now. At this range, the WALTER unit could release the ten wires and his semblance could wrap them around her limb in about a second. From their, he could stab, cut, rip...All from the simple action of a handshake.

Instead of the hunter’s attack, Isaac simply released the young woman’s hand: just in time for the next introduction to roll off of the lips of another woma…Isaac felt his teeth clench ever so slightly at the sight of the dirty beast’s ears. He tried not to make his distaste too obvious, but the young Markeel heir didn’t take a second notice of Grizel,a second time: in a similar way in which he ignored the scruffy reprobate hanger on of a boy.

The awkward silence was broken by the words of a third girl, dressed in a strange-if-not-revealing attire and holding a weapon that looked both interesting and outdated in equal measures. It would be rude of him to judge the weapon straight off; he’d learned that some people value relics of the past as ‘heirlooms’ or ‘antiques’. He had yet to be impressed by any such weapon.

What he was impressed by was the woman’s given name. It would take some sort of fool not to recognise the Sakanade name. Hell, he was wearing a Sakanade combat shirt: they were amongst the best for comfort and maneuverability, even if the price generally bordered on the excessive when it came to this sort of equipment. The Markeel company could afford such luxuries, and he was somewhat glad he was wearing it at this point. An unexpected opportunity had arisen to form a potentially powerful alliance. “A pleasure then, Lady Sakanade.” He offered a polite half-bow to the woman; The sort that hinted at respect, as opposed to reverence. Money was not enough to earn Isaac’s reverence.

“I heard that last year was a combat exam, and I could certainly get behind that. I wonder if we are going to be matched up against our peers or the Grimm; this time around. The obvious guess would be the latter, but there are a lot of candidates this time around.” Isaac’s tone was one of confidence; hell, his entire demeanor hinted at a confident fighter who would thrive in any combat situations: be they against Grimm or against his fellow competitors.

IC:

"Apologies, Ms. Sakanade. Good morning." Alistair commented, more or less ignoring Isaac's arrival. It is fairly easy, when someone joins a group, to see who they are paying attention to. Likewise, it is fairly easy to tell when they aren't paying you any mind. The teenager decided to reflect that same attitude. Until, at least, Oliver arrived, and leaned on his shoulder.

"Er... I don't really know what it is.. Ollie, was it?"

---

Arrun Tower

Arrun was quiet, even his breathing was silent. He was staring ahead, not motionless and focusing on one area, his eyes were taking everything that he could see from the edge of the cliff. He brought his hand forward, pulling back his sleeve. A red device was strapped to his wrist, something like a watch with a golden watchface shaped like a shield. It blinked, projecting a small holo screen showing time, temperature, some levels appearing to be biometrics, and a few other readouts that apparently only Arrun knew about.

His mustache bristled, as he brought his hand back. Almost instantly, an Airship burst up from beneath the cliff, gusts of wind blowing down the dock. The ship docked, and Arrun stepped forward just as the walkway extended. An Airship crew member was waiting inside, standing by the door.

"Airship's late," Arrun said, briskly walking by.

"Sorry, sir, a co-worker needed something..." the worker said, as Arrun raised an eyebrow. The worker gulped, saying, "A-and I was watching a movie, won't happen again."

Arrun paused, shrugging and replying, "It's not that bad, hope it was a good one. That one with the yellow guys and the blocks was getting good reviews." He patted the worker's shoulder, and walked off.

The interior was a large room, a door at the end leading to the cockpit, and another nearby apparently leading to storage or the engine room. It wasn't nearly as big as the Airship that brought them there, but it would comfortable carry all the prospective students, and give an amazing view of the landscape, as the side of the ship was very large windows.

Arrun looked back, out through the door to the crowds at the docks. He brought his arm up, the device at his wrist blinking as he spoke into it, and the loudspeaker for the school whirred on. "All prospective Freshmen," he boomed, his voice echoing through the school. "Board the Airship at Dock 3 now, if it leaves without you, you forfeit your application to the school. You have ten minutes, ten very quick minutes..." he said, bringing his hands behind his back and walking to the end of the Airship, near the cockpit.

---

*Morella Cinder*

Morella took a seat beside Tarkus, looking at the gauntlet on his arm. She placed her hand in her palm and leaned on her arm, wrinkling her nose in thought. "...I can't imagine what it could be. I mean, it looks fairly old. Obviously it's been touched up in places and modified, otherwise it wouldn't fit you...like a glove, or whatever. But it can't be something that complicated, I doubt it's even an expanding weapon, the metal's not the right type. ...Well, there could be an interior compartment, but I still doubt it's a weapon, some kind of sword or something wouldn't really fit in with the weapon's theme," she said, looking down past the dock. The airship rose into view, locking into the end of the walkway, as students proceeded toward it and inside. Morella stood up, waiting for Tarkus so they both could board.

---

Oliver Kootz

Oliver shrugged, "Well, eh, looks good anywho. And yep, Ollie, Oliver, whatever's cool-woah!" he said, eyes widening as the airship shot into view and sent a gust of wind down the dock. Oliver smirked, saying, "But you're gonna call me firs...oh, cinnamon sticks," he grumbled as Arrun got on the ship first. Oliver took off, jumping over Alistair easily and saying, "Whatever, second's next best!" as he sprinted down the dock. He cartwheeled and jumped over Orion, who was far closer to the walkway, and rolled into the hold ahead of him. "Hah-ha, second, woo!" Oliver said, scaling the metal beams separating the large window panes, peering down as best he could at the cliff drop-off. Arrun rolled his eyes as Oliver sped in, shaking his head solemnly while waiting for the students to board.