Rielle was happy that the landing didn't end up as bad as she thought. Well, nothing close to her landing skills, but he had done a good job for his first time. Afterall, he did make a really good cushion. She had smiled at her thoughts as she detangled herself from him, allowing him to get up. After dusting off her combat skirt and hood, she looked towards him and raised her brow when she noticed he seemed lost in thought.
What the hell is he looking at?" she wondered. Rielle was going to say something, but as soon as she parted her lips, the distance in his eyes faded and he glanced towards her.
“It's time for the opening ceremony. I’m interested in the grand speech I’ve been hearing about. Shall we?” he said suddenly.
"Grand speech?" she repeated in a tone that made her statement sound like a question. Frowning, she removed Seraphine from her back and held it in her own hands before flapping her wings and then folding them back where they belonged. She didn't know there was supposed to be such a thing. The thought of it made her worry.
"Every student has to attend... dont they?" she said with a sigh, placing her weapon once more across her back.
"Me? Annoying people? Together? In a enclosed space....? Sounds like a recepie for disaster." Gen couldn't help but to chuckle at the thought. Though she seemed to keep calm around him, there was a high probability that another student could set her off. It was as if Rielle was an explosive, more dangerous than the one which he had to evade earlier. He found it troubling as he conjured up ways to make it through the opening ceremony in one piece.
"Well, we can just stay near the back, since most of the students will want a front-row seat of the speech. We can get some breathing space from there. Sounds good?" He proposed with a cheerful expression, hoping the plan would suffice her needs.
Rielle nodded at his suggestion while she fixed her hood and drew it over her head.
"That might be best. I'm also avoiding someone at the moment." she said as she started to follow the small crowd of students. Though after taking only a few steps, she suddenly had an idea that stopped her in her tracks. Turning to her new aquaintence, she smiled.
"Gen Hio... we're friends, wouldn't you say?" she asked in a overly sweet tone. The boy pondered his response, raising his arm to tap his chin as he made a perplexed expression,
"...Friends?" He aksed aloud, as he had next to no experience in such a field. Finally returning from an internal debate, he put on an innocent smile and nodded,
"Yeah, of course. As long as I'm not dropped from miles above any tangible ground, I believe it'll be quite the lively friendship." He reassured, in hopes that such a relation wouldn't be brought to an end by another unforseen fall through the sky. Gen's ears picked up the pitched snickers of the kinder persona behind him. He ignored E. and looked down at Rielle,
"Anyways, let's proceed. I'm sure the headmistress won't wait for our arrival." The student said with a tinge of urgency in his voice.
Though Rielle was pleased with his answer and caught the hint of urgency in his voice, she wasen't quite done with him yet. Crossing her arms, she took a few steps towards him.
"Well that's great that you agree with me. We are friends. Friends have to look out for eachother, you know. And at the moment, I find myself in a predicament that I think you can help me with." She stopped walking once she was directly in front of him where she could reach out and poke him if she wanted.
"So, Gen Hio. Let me ask you this." She narrowed her eyes and stood on her toes, getting her face really close to his. She reached out and grabbed his shirt, giving a gentle tug, pulling him the rest of the way down until they were practically nose to nose.
"Are you prepared to do anything to keep this friendship going?" she asked in a serious tone. Though there was a part of her enjoying the dramaticals, she was actually asking this because she planned to ask a favor of him. Gen stared wide-eyed at the girl, as his train of thought was derailed by how quickly she closed the gap between them. He could feel his legs stiffen as the girl's eyes peered deeply into his eyes, with the capability to pierce his retinas like knives. Somewhat thankful that Rielle hadn't attempted to strangle him a second time with his tie, she instead gripped the nape of his collared shirt. Though he was half-tempted to ask if the girl had a background in theatrics, he deduced the best choice of action would be to dig deeper into the ploy. Being taught at a young age to never disagree with others, he cocked his head in wonder as he tried to gain a stable footing in the conversation.
"I believe so, Rielle Rouge." He stated, following the same suit of designation as his fellow classmate.
"As long as it doesn't involve unneeded violence or skydiving, I should be able to help out."She kept her gaze locked with his for a moment longer until she couldn't hold back the giggle that wanted to escape. She laughed and let him go, raising a hand over her mouth.
"Haha im sorry... I just. That was so fun." she said between giggles.
"And don't worry. If you fall, i'll be there to catch you no matter what!" she said punching his arm gently. After a few moments of mild laughter, Rielle finally got a hold of herself. Time to tell him what his task was. Reaching out, she took his hand in hers before trapping his left arm in a hug.
"If you see a rat faunus around, make sure you look really lovey-dovey at me, okay? And... if anyone asks, i'm your girlfriend." she stated as she proceeded to pull him along, following the other students. Smile still on her face, she poked his arm and looked at him.
"Oh and if you don't do as I say, i'll light you on fire." she said in a sweet tone. Gen couldn't help but to blush slightly as the student outlined her scheme, his arm would have flown into the air if it wasn't wrapped in an unexplainably strong hold. He let out a sigh as the hooded girl lead them towards the hall, instinctively moving his legs along as he tried to grasp the situation,
"I take it somebody was oggling over you back on the ship? I guess there are quite a few loose screws amongst the student body." He said with another exhale, knowing that Rouge would have gotten the reference directed towards the demolitionist from earlier. At this point, both of the secondary were in a heap of laughter as they continued their trek,
"Your threats are kind of scary, but I'm sure you wouldn't singe your friend to a lethal extent, right?" He joked as he managed to match his pace with Rielle, realizing how quickly the girl moved. Gen couldn't fathom how much ground she could cover if her life depended on it.
"That might be the case tomorrow. I've heard it's going to be pretty dangerous..." His mind trailed off as they finally arrived at the hall, entering through a pair of shining doors.
Still clinging to Gen's arm as they entered the main hall, Rielle looked around. It seemed like many of the other students were already there, and only a few dozen more entered in behind the pair, and they were shuffled forward just a bit.
"I'll give you a bit of advice Gen Hio. Tiny people are always the scariest of people. Also, considering I am sometimes not always in control of my aura, I can't garantee you wont get burned a few times in this friendship. But likewise, i'm skilled in the art of patching up a burn. So don't worry too much. So far you-" she was cut off when a girl bumped into her and muttered an apology.
"Are the only human or faunus who's presence has yet to piss me off." she muttered, glaring at the back of the retreating girl who went to meet up with a friend.
Gradually the noise in the room would die down to silence and Rielle stood on her toes so she could see over the heads of everyone else. She was starting to think the idea of standing at the back was not such a good idea. Though she could see the top of the headmaster's head, she couldn't see much else. A sigh was let out from the girl as she lowered back down to her heels and opted to simply listen to what was being said.
"Greetings, students. I am Headmistress Opal, and I would like to once again welcome you to Beacon Academy. You are all here today because you have the potential to become heroes and heroines of humanity: Huntsmen and Huntresses. Your path will not be an easy one, but by choosing to attend classes here you have already taken your first steps. I have confidence that many of you will rise to become the brightest lights of hope in your generation, and I look forward to seeing your progress here at Beacon."A silence followed and Rielle wondered, confused as to why the headmistress had said so little. A few moments another voice would be heard.
"All incoming students will be sleeping in the dining hall for tonight. Your luggage has already been collected there. Take tonight to familiarize yourself with the school and prepare yourselves for initiation tomorrow. You are dismissed." Gen stared with his mouth agape as
both of their succint speeches came to a close. In all honesty, the student was expecting something more motivational, not a polar opposite of riveting. In an attempt to find a silver lining in the situation, he scratched the back of his neck,
Um... At least they were straight to the point. Yeah, that's it! Rather than filling their speeches with boring stories which nobody would have remembered by the next day, they cut straight to the chase, set out our futures on a silver platter, and have supplied us with at least a facade of support!" Affirming the synopsis by placing a fist in his open palm, he continued,
"Well, I guess she must have a lot of stuff resting on her shoulders. Anyways, I guess we'll check out the dining hall, and see how they handled our luggage." After his measly attempt at defending the headmistress' dignity, he glanced down at Rielle to see her expression. Unlike Gen, she appeared to lack the ability of concealing how she felt, as her feelings were openly painted on her face.
...You aren't contempt with that at all, are you?" He said remorsefully, as he shared the same feeling of being economically ripped off.
Rielle had raised her eyebrow at him, showing that she was certainly not satisfied with that at all. How could she be? She had her expectations way high, only to be shot down after... thirty seconds? Not even. Sighing, she shook her head.
"Ah, no point in dwelling on it. Come on, lets scat before everyone else is done being stunned as well." she said turning and pulling him along, out the exit.
"Besides... now we have enough time for another flight!" she squealed as she started running, tugging Gen along with her.
Night had fallen and the moon had risen to cast a glow over Beacon. While many of the other first years were gathered in the cramped Dining Hall, Rielle had obliged to take a walk around the grounds... in her
pajamas and slippers. But, it was not like anyone cared what she was wearing. She strolled around, checking out the small garden located at the back of the school. Her wings were unfolded, hanging comfortably from her back and she kept Seraphine between them as usual, not going anywhere without her weapon. Though one would see her and assume she was at ease, she was not. For she was lost in thought, dabating over personal things with a frown on her face.
She had come to a stop by a statue that was surounded by a set of nicely cut bushes. She looked up at the thing, not admiring the beauty per say, but pretending to be interested in it in case someone thought to come and ask what she was doing. Leaving behind both of his fellow personae and his firearm, Gen decided to do some sight-seeing. Albeit the miniature novel which he was completely glued to should have completely taken up is attention, he tended to glance up from the paper every now and then. Reading while on the move was one of the many skills Hio had scrounged up in his free time, making traveling a quicker experience. Though he found it harder to focus on the book without being tempted by the academy's architectural masterpieces. Fumbling through the pages with one hand, in his other his fingers were tightly wrapped around a cup full of his favorite beverage. Such a small concentration of caffeine barely had an effect on him, unlike the over-stimulating feeling it gave to those who were unexperienced with the bitter beverage. After wandering around aimlessly for a few minutes, he noticed a person before him. It was the girl who had departed from the hall nearly twenty minutes prior, dressed in a set of pajamas.
Unlike most people, Gen was sporting the same pair of jeans he wore earlier, along with the undershirt which served as a medium between the formal attire and his own skin. He would've gladly changed into fresher cloth, but unpacking his items would have been a hassle. Along with that, he didn't want anybody to feast their eyes upon the stuffed animals he had stowed away within the luggage. The idea of others seeing his personae's exoskeletons didn't brush by him nicely. He placed his pointer finger within the seam of the book and closed it with his free phalanges,
"It's a tad bit cold out, eh?" Thanks to the lightnings intervention, he wasn't able to see the student too clearly.
Though, I'm sure you have a better resistance to the temperature than me. My hoodie was blown up a few hours ago..." The statement was partially a complaint to the academy's climate placement.
"...so I'm a little bit more susceptible to nature's hand. I think lights out is soon, but we should have some time beforehand." He raised the cup to his mouth and took a sip, a look of displeasement took form on his face. Within the time he had spent outside, the temperature had cooled down the liquid.
Rielle heard a familair voice behind her and turned to see Gen standing a few feet away.
"Gen Hio?" she asked, her eyes squinting and then widening in excitement when she realized it was him. She skipped over and trapped his free arm in a hug much like before.
"Watcha doin out here?" she asked him, though she assumed he would likely be outside for the same reasons she was. For a nice walk alone. Though of all people to see, she was glad it wasen't someone irritating. She let his arm go and stepped away, remembering that the acting was done for now.
"Did you find all of your bags easily?" she inquired, figuring she could at lease spend a few moments in conversation with him.
Gen gave a nod in response, glad that the girl was considering his own well-being,
"Yeah, but it would've been the hassle unpacking stuff to find some warmer apparel, so I'm stuck with this." He was glad Rielle wasn't able to see his face at the moment, as he still hadn't became used to her tendency to grab a hold of his arm. He stared at the statue, debating whether to bring up the conversation concerning tomorrow's events,
"I wonder who will be the other two we meet tomorrow. It'll be interesting, to say the least." Talking in his usual succint way of speech, he let out an abrupt yawn which broke the serene mood.
"Find me tomorrow, alright?"His yawn had made Rielle giggle and smile at him.
"Sure thing. I'll probably sneak in a bit later. I want to enjoy the night a bit more." she said with a wink before turning away. She raised a hand in gesture of goodbye.
"Catcha later." she said before flapping her wings and jumping into the sky.
