IC: Rowan Iderson, Practice
A woman clothed from neck to feet in armor was standing at the entrance to the obstacle course, swiping through a Scroll. She sighed, putting the Scroll under her arm, then walked toward the students who had already gathered. "I'm Professor Iderson," she said, eyes watching them carefully. "Welcome to Practice. We have some ground rules we need to go over, but I need to clear up some misconceptions first. Namely, that this class is in fact just a practice session for you to come out on the targeting range and fire off a couple of rounds. It's not. This is still a class, and like the saying goes... Practice makes perfect. I expect all of you to try your absolute best, I will not accept anything less of you."
She returned the Scroll to her hands, her attention returning to it. "Ground rules: The pointing of weapons at fellow students is expressly prohibited. Anyone caught aiming anything at anyone during this course will have their weapon confiscated and might face ejection, even if they were verbally provoked. Any incidents like the one in Armory last block will result in the ejection of the belligerents from the class. Semblance use is forbidden, unless it is necessary for you to function as an ordinary sentient being." She held up her hand to stop a student's complaint. "I'm here to train you, not your Semblance. Not yet. Later in the year, we will do a unit on Semblance combat. Until then, no."
Her eyes moved to Marcus' vehicle. "I'm also in the odd position of having to deal with a tank. Same rules for mechanical aids as Semblances. I'll attempt to train you with the tank later in the year, until then... Grab a rifle from the rack and learn how to use it. On that topic, if any of you are lacking in a suitable weapon for this class, please see me while Esther is talking and I'll get a rifle assigned to you for the duration of your time in this course. We'll deal with weapon qualifications shortly. In the meantime, it's over to her."
IC: Esther Vanhomrigh, 5th Period Practice Class
Black boots gracefully striding through the green grass, Esther emerged from the treeline. The brim of her cover pulled low that her eyes were partially shrouded from the beaming sunlight. Moving swiftly, Rowan's aide stood at her side and turned to face the students. Raising her head, Esther's brown eyes made eye contact with each and every student. Lingering for a brief moment as she evaluated them and made her personal judgements based on their appearances. White gloved hands folded behind her back, she moved and pulled her Scroll from her coat's pocket and expanded it into tablet form. Swiping at the screen, she pulled up the class roster of attending students and briefly familiarized herself with their names.
For a moment, she contemplated calling role, but decided against it. Collapsing her Scroll, she pocketed it and quietly cleared her throat. Standing proud and tall next to Professor Iderson, her voice boomed from her chest as she spoke. If she had a megaphone, she would've surely deafened the young students. Her voice carrying impressive distance, though they were outside.
"As Professor Iderson had already said, welcome to 5th Period Practice Class! To expound on what was said, there are five rules though they are not all inclusive. First, you will treat all of your weapons as if they were loaded and dangerous. Tools though they may be in your hands, they are still capable of causing harm and thusly, you will treat them with respect. Not as toys."
She paused for a brief moment before continuing.
"Second, you will not brandish or point your weapons at anything you have no intention of absolutely destroying. Third, unless currently using your weapons or firing them, you will keep all weapons holstered, slung, and your grubby little fingers off of any triggers if your weapons have a firing mechanism.
She paused for a second time.
"Fourth, for those of you who have firing mechanisms in your weapons, your weapons will be unloaded and on 'safe' unless currently on the firing line at the range. Finally, when you engage your designated targets, you will be wary of your suroundings. Take heed, friendly fire, isn't. It wouldn't do you any good if you take out allies and innocents in addition to destroying your enemy and causing unnecessary collateral damage."
She reached up with a white gloved hand and absently adjusted the brim of her cover. As she continued to speak, the volume of her voice somehow seemed to increase.
"These are basic rules. Laws, if you will. If you break any of these or attempt to skirt and skate around them, I will break you. Your weapons will be confiscated, disassembled and cast aside. You will pay a trip to the Infirmary depending on the severity of the infraction, and you will be expelled from the class to be rescheduled into a different class at a later day."
She glanced back at Professor Iderson. Turning back to the students, her brown eyes seemed to burn with an intense and fierce fire.
"We will tolerate no disrespect. You will address Professor Iderson as only such, she earned her title and her place here at Beacon. You, have not. You will address me as Ms. Vanhomrigh. If you cannot correctly pronounce my name, then ma'am will suffice. Spare me the headache of hearing your piss poor attempts at butchering my given name. Interruptions, falling asleep, lack of paying attention, and general rudeness will be dealt with accordingly. You waste our time, we'll waste yours."
"Know that you were all merely 'accepted'. Make no mistake, none of you are important. None of you, whoever you may have been outside of Beacon, matter. Here, you are merely students. Here, in our hands, you are crude lumps of coal. Over the period of this class, under the intense pressure and heat of the training we will be placing you though, you will be compressed into rough diamonds. Over time, we will trim and cut the fat out of your disgusting bodies and help you to shine as true Huntsmen. As polished Diamonds."
She took another brief pause.
"Here, you will take all that you think you 'know' and apply them. Be you from Grimm Studies or Armory, here is where you will take all that you've learned and hone your skills. With that being said, if any of you have qualms...leave. We will not accept any half-assed attempts to slime through our class. If you have weak constitutions, leave. If you have an aversion to physical effort, pain, blood, sweat, and tears...leave. If you do not intend on taking this class seriously, if you think you can joke and play around in our class, leave. We will arrange for your schedule to be altered later. We only want those who truly wish to be here. If do not think you belong in our class, this is your one and only chance to change your minds. Otherwise, you will be leaving on a stretcher. I will personally make sure of that for those of you who misbehave."
She took a soft breath, she hated droning on and on. She didn't like talking too much.
"But, for those of you who make the decision to stay, then we welcome you. Your time here will not be wasted. Professionals do not train until they get it right. They train, until they can't get it wrong. In our class, your bones will cry out in pain. Your joints will creak. Your pathetic, puny muscles will ache. You will get tired. You will get dirty. Make no doubts about that. "
Briefly reviewing her words, Esther believed she hit up all of the important points. Turning to Professor Iderson, she motioned to her with a gloved hand.
"I turn the class back over to Professor Iderson. You will begin your first day with a run through one of the obstacle courses. After you are all good and worn out, you will be conducting a string of fire at our firing range to give us an idea of your current physical ability and aptitude with firearms."
Taking a few steps back, she stood off to the side slightly behind Professor Iderson. Silently judging the students based on their reactions to her words.
IC:Rowan Iderson, Practice
If Rowan was fazed or shocked at all by what Esther had said, she didn't show it. "In short, this is likely to be the hardest, most excruciating class you have, but also the most rewarding. I don't hate you, nor do I enjoy inflicting pain, but the only way that you'll learn and become the kind of Huntsmen that we need is by pushing yourself beyond your breaking point, then picking up the pieces and going farther still. By choosing this class you've decided to follow a more difficult path than most of your classmates, and I applaud you for it. This will not be easy, but it is not impossible. Two more minor notes, and we can get started. The grading scale in this class is simple. If you are still in this class at the end of the year, you pass. Otherwise, you fail. And, finally, I will not assign homework. If you fail to make your weekly target for obstacle course time and shooting range score, however, I will expect you to show up after hours to practice. The range is open to anyone so long as I or Esther is here."
A smile appeared on Rowan's face, though whether it was sadistic or friendly was impossible to tell. "Welcome to Practice. Let's get started."