It seemed his other teammate, Delta, had figured out who their team leader was, as he called another student Robert. Despite being a bit clumsy a few moments back, it at least seemed Delta was competent. Grane merely kept to himself at the moment as they walked to their class, with Robert leading the way. So far he had nothing to really look forward to, but perhaps that would change.

In the classroom, it seemed their leader, Robert, seemed a bit out of it, so he decided to leave him alone for now. Delta started drinking coffee, which in his opinion, was a horrible drink, and unlike liquor, it didn't really make you forget regretting spending 10$ on a mere drink made from crushed beans. But before he could say something about the boy's choice of drink, what he assumed was his familiar began talking. Robert engaged it in conversation first, and Grane answered shortly after he finished.

"Well, I'm Grane. I'm a Faunus, if you couldn't tell already." The small... girl, if it was human, he couldn't really tell, seemed to be an odd peculiarity. Was it the only one of it's kind? What was it's capabilities? Perhaps valid questions to ask Delta after class.

Gren Orchid

Gren looked at Shiro. "Who you are matters to me. The past... It's not something that should be forgotten. Maybe you don't think your life is special, but I think it does. Everything that brought you here, from the littlest moments to the biggest events, they are things I want to know. There is so much about one another we don't know. Trust isn't something that can merely be given. It has to be earned." Gren looked down at his own feet when he said that. Now that he thought of it, he was being rather demanding. He wants Shiro to spill the beans about himself but Gren hasn't said a peep about his own past. He could understand Shiro's hesitation in continuing the conversation, if not simply because of how uncomfortable it was, but because of how invasive Gren was being. If he wanted Shiro to open up, Gren needed to open up too. Let down his armor.

"Shiro... Abel... Look at me. This is who I am."

Gren spread his arms out as soon, the sound of small machinery could be heard from Gren's body. They were quiet, like clockwork, but soon his armor began to fall off. Beneath the armor was his flesh, green and somewhat hairy. But even that fell to reveal what was really inside Gren. After his body armor fell to the floor Gren's own torso detached, revealing the mess of electronics and machinery underneath his "Flesh". And not an organic part in sight; no heart, no lungs, no stomach, but synthetic muscles and organs meant to emulate their certain functions. Gren's owns also were shed to reveal the cybernetic muscle underneath, exposing his wiring and causing the internal mubercate in his arms to spill. The only parts that didn't fall off were everything below his waist and his head.

"I cannot hide this secret from you much longer. I'm sure you both had your suspicions already, and this confirms them. I am not merely a faunas. I am a machine... A cyborg if you will. Though there's very little left of what I was before this conversion. Only my brain remains, and even most of that has been adapted to a processor that allows me to keep track of my body's function and much more. I'm showing this to you now, Shiro and Abel, because it is important to me, and important for you to know. I want to show you that I trust you with my secret. And... If you're willing, maybe help me deal with some demons from the past."

Gren picked up his armor and torso, laying them in a neat pile. He walked around the two to show them his body from all angles. There were no lights, no sparks, not many moving parts. His body leaked some sort of oil meant to keep his body insulated and functioning normally. If he was flesh and bone, he would be bleeding profusely. There was a wire-mesh covering most of his torso and arms too, presumably there to help keep his innards in place.

And just to show up inhuman he really was, Gren then proceeded to detach his left arm, swinging it around like a club. He then reattached his arm and moved it as normal. "Like your semblance, I won't hesitate to use this body to protect my team. But there are flaws with it, and not all of it simply with it's function. The price I paid to get this... It's a heavy debt. I have no right to force either of you two to burden it, I know. But at least allow me to help ease yours. I didn't get this body just for myself. I got this body to... To save lives. To help others. Help you. Won't you let me help you, Shiro?"

Kuhaku Shiro - Beacon Academy Rooftops

When Gren began speaking again, Shiro sighed as his ears drooped. Turning back around to face him, Shiro tilted his head when Gren looked away. It wasn't like him to be as hesitant as he was. There must been something that weighed heavily on his friend's mind. He could detect the honesty in his words, in his voice. Gren was serious. When he realized this, Shiro felt a little bad about himself for wanting to dismiss the conversation as a whole. To just attempt to walk away when his friend was trying to hold a heartfelt connection in place.

When Gren spread his arms, Shiro had figured him to be done with his piece and started to speak. But, for the third time that he could remember his voice froze in his throat. Eyes widening as Gren's armor, no...body started to fall away from him like the rotting pieces of a dead carcass. Horrified, Shiro took a few steps back as he recoiled from the shock. Expression wrenched in a mixture of confusion and terror. As Gren resumed speaking, Shiro's eyes snapped to various places on the Boar faunus' body. His mind trying to process just what exactly he was looking at.

"Machine? He's a freakin' machine?!"
Shiro's stomach churned, he clasped his gloved hand over his mouth to prevent himself from regurgitating his breakfast.
"Th-...that explains why my Semblance doesn't seem to work on him..
Realizing how he may have looked, Shiro removed his hand from his mouth.
"That...explains the unnatural scents..."
Unnatural, to say the very least.
Parts of Shiro wanted attack Gren out of anger.
Gren was an abomination. Part flesh and part technology.
"N-no...That's not right. He's still Gren. He's still my friend. I can't think of him as a monster."
After all, didn't Humans view the Faunus the same way? As monsters?

Dryly swallowing that hard pill, Shiro looked down at the palms of his own hands. He didn't like being involved in such a heavy situation so early on in the day. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't want to run and jump off of the side of the roofs. But again, that wouldn't be fair to anyone. Not if Gren was seeking help, beseeching them. His gold eyes followed Gren as he circled them, showing the two of them his 'true' body. He flinched when Gren removed his arm and swung it around like a baby with its toy.

"Won't you let me help you, Shiro?"

An electrical current shot through the Tiger Faunus when he said that, jumpstarting a fragment of his memory.
How many times had he sought help when he stood against the bullies of his youth?
How many times did he wish for all of the abuse to end, for someone to show him mercy?
He stood alone for the entirety of his life, never having anyone to trust.
He never had anyone to share his thoughts and feelings with.
He never had anything. Yet, somehow he discovered the strength within him to carry on alone.
But now, he wasn't exactly alone. Was he?

Brow creased heavily, Shiro breathed out a ragged and shaky sigh. Stepping away from Abel and Gren to make a sort of 'circle' between the three of them, he dug within himself to find that spontaneous courage he harbored within his soul. Plopping onto his bottom, he grabbed at the gloves that sheathed his arms and tugged them off. After removing them, he began to unravel the layer of white bandages that acted as extra 'protection'. His eyes flitted up at Abel momentarily as he did this. His arms bared, he turned his hands over and lifted them so that Gren and Abel could clearly see. He felt strangely uneasy, seeing his tattooed arms. It wasn't often he ever looked at them. Scratching at the back of his head, he grumbled slightly.

"I appreciate it, boss. I really do. Just...You have to understand why this is hard for me. I'll...explain in a little bit. To start from the beginning..." He paused, itching his ears again. "Well, like I said I'm an orphan. I don't know who my parents are and I don't know if I have any family. If they're even still alive, that is. I was found by a group of Hunters during a patrol in some forests or something. I was in pretty bad shape, so they took me to the nearest medical facility. They found me in the burning ashes of what was left of a nomadic village. They told me it looked like a nasty herd of Grimm had gone through. For some reason or another, I was the only one left alive. No other bodies were found." Shiro chuckled darkly. "Sounds like some stupid cliche, I know. Anyways, when I was in stable condition and came to my senses, we all discovered that I had no memory. None whatsoever. Not a single idea of who I was, where I came from, and even exactly how old I was. Shoot, I didn't even know my name. Over time, only bits and pieces came back. I remembered what should've been my name and roundabouts how old I was." Reaching behind him to grab the hilt of Kladenets, the weapon unlocked from Perun and Shiro unsheathed it. Looking at the blade in his hands, he sighed. "Kladenets and Perun were found near my unconscious body. When they did a bit of research, they found these two weapons to be registered to a Hunter pair with the same last name as mine. The one I managed to remember. They told me that the original Hunters that wielded these had died years before. How their weapons managed to come into my hands, no one really knew. They figured some graverobbers may have gotten a hold of them or they were passed on to old comrades of theirs. Whatever, it was some lame excuse. Either way, it was the only thing I had. Some memento of deceased parents I may have had." He laughed, sheathing Kladenets to put it away. Running his fingers through his silvery head of hair, his laughter died when he thought of Sapphire and what he did to her own treasured heirlooms. "This hunk of metal became my parents, in a way." He blankly stared at the ground in a moment of silence.

Looking back up at Abel and Gren, he resumed. "Well, with no one around to care for me. No kin to take me in, I was placed under the government's care and tossed into an orphanage." He looked at the angry tattoos on his forearms and frowned. "Because I was a Faunus and I had these weird markings on my arms...You can imagine how tough it was for me." He lightly traced the tips of his fingers across the tattoos, withdrawing in what looked like pain and sucking through his teeth. Muttering, "Well, I won't go over that. But, I was a fighter and caused trouble for the other kids that gave me a hard time. So much so that I...hurt someone badly. After that, I didn't stay at any one orphanage for long. I transferred from one to the other until I was old enough to start school. From there, the rest gets a bit blurry and vague."

"When I started at Signal and we started learning about Semblances, we found out that my Semblance had some nasty side effects. As I'm sure the both of you know already. The 'docs' at Signal did every test imaginable on me, only to find nothing. I was in perfect health and they couldn't come up with a reason for me to be badly affected by my own powers. As far as these 'scars' of mine, they had always been around since I was discovered that fateful day in the forest. I just...hide them because they dig up some uncomfortable memories from my time back at the orphanage. They're more trouble than they're worth and I've even tried to..." He hesitated, stopping himself. Clearing his throat, he took a breath and finished up his piece. "Anyways..." Shiro thought about what Sapphire had found of his back at their dorm room. He wondered if it would be better for her to tell his teammates or for it to come from his own lips. While they were at it, why not just reveal it? They would find out soon enough and if they find out later, it could potentially damage his building relationship with the two of them. "The docs gave me some anti-psychotic meds. Told me that they might help. Might. With the added bonus of being a mood stabilizer and gut shredder." He looked away, his cheeks reddening slightly. "I don't take them like I should because they make me feel barfy and stuff. Sapphire found out not too long ago and may be talking to us about that soon." Shiro threw his arms up and declared, "Well, that's all there is to it! The entire life story of Kuhaku Shiro, the approximate 17 year old who wants to become a legendary Hunter! Who will become a legendary Hunter. Just like most of everyone, I just want to help people. I want to be a role model for other Faunus and stop them from having to go through what I did. To stop anyone from having to go through what I did. Sappy enough sob story for ya?" Shiro grinned as he picked up his bandages to begin re-wrapping his arms. Not mentioning the fact that his 'scars' as he called them, looked as if he had gotten them just that morning. The same as they looked when Abel first saw them during their most recent and only mission.

As he wrapped up his arms, he looked to the two of them.
"Before Abel starts running his gab about his own life story, should we go find our fearless leader? Maybe have her sit in with us as we pour our bleeding hearts out to one another?" he smirked.
He eyed the two of them curiously.
"Maaayyybe skip class to do so? Huh? Anyone?"
He chuckled to himself as he tugged his gloves back on.
Remembering something else, he pointed a finger at the sky.
"Oh, and Gren? That's really everything I can remember. I've tried in the past to recall other details but I get those same mental breakdowns and psycho attacks as when I use my Semblance. So, there's not much else to it boss."

Emerald Felicia

Emerald groaned as she returned to the land of the living. She looked around, a bit confused how she’d ended up in her dorm, she could have sworn she’d been outside. One look at Diamond sitting next to her on the bed and Emmy put it together.

“Hey now, I’m not scared of nothin! Just seeing someone with their mouth sewn shut freaked me out okay? I was already feeling dizzy from all the noise as it was.” Emmy then gave Diamond a look. “Why’d you bring me all the way back to the dorm? Don’t you normally bring people who’ve fainted to the infirmary? Or try to wake them up first?”

Violet Steel

Violet looked the supposedly ‘final’ member of the midnight squad. His appearance was messy, his hair was wild and unkempt, his clothing was unorganized and wrinkled, and to top it off he gave off a vibe that screamed ‘I’m a douchebag and you will learn to hate me quickly.’ She was rarely wrong about her first impressions, she just hoped this guy would at the very least do his part. She certainly wasn’t impressed so far.

She decided to ignore the latecomer’s questions, and simply asked one of her own. “Who are you?” She despised having conversations with strangers without names...and truth be told conversations in general. She needed a name at the very least.

Valin continued to stare at the three members of his new squad, it had been quite some time since he was partnered with other people, he wondered if this secret organization knew his track record about working with others. Well, this didn't really matter to him. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do, however, could this group ever try to work together to bring that goal into a reality? Well, only time could tell, but the chances of working together perfectly were slim. Valin was just about to chuckle at the thought of the group's misfortune, but someone finally decided to speak up.

Bringing himself out of his train of thought, he looked over to the person that had spoke to him. Oh? It was the only person that was standing, the girl. Valin raised himself from the ground, his eyes moving from the fallen bodies to the lone standing girl. She was taller than him, not by much, but he could still see the difference between the two. Soon, his eyes started to slowly scan the lady from top to bottom. He could already tell several things about her just by the surroundings. Valin could smell the massive amount of dust used inside of the room, and he could see the massive amount of water staining the floor and the others with the slight lingering odor of burnt flesh. So, if she was standing while the others seemed incapable of standing, she was tough. Her resting bitch face seemed to tell that she wasn't the friendliest or the most talkative person, and by the looks of it, she was a faunus, something similar to the canine family. Valin smiled at the girl, and began to speak.

"Oh? You carry the tension of a mountain gorilla in your body. You should really try to loosen up, maybe date someone on this team, really helps with the loneliness that are innate in all of us," Valin said, moving closer to Violet, "Well, no real reason to try skirting around my name. I'm Valin, Valin Nash. And what might be the name of this lovely young lady?"

Cobalt shrugged after Headmaster Palin sent him back to class and walked right on back. On his way he pondered whether or not the boy would be okay. He decided to go and check on him during lunch.

Cobalt made it back to class and frowned. It seemed as if not many people had come back to class. He went to his desk and sat down ready to do his work. He opened his textbook and then face palmed. He had already done his work and turned it in.

Cobalt raised his hand to get Professor Fullbuster's attention and began to speak. "May I please leave? I'm already done with everything. My work is on your desk." He asked politely. Man the room was empty.

"Whatever you say, Kitten. I just hope we didn't catch any of whatever he had." Diamond frowned. "You do?" she asked sheepishly, "Well excuse me, I'm not exactly used to going to a doctor with every little ache. They share data with police!" the thief defended herself. "Besides, it's not like you hit your head or anything. And trust me, waking you up was next thing on the list." she grinned, "I'm a little disappointed you are up already if I'm to be honest." Diamond chuckled, flexing her fingers.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, more classes I guess." she sighed, looking out of the window to see the crowd dispersing. It did gnaw at her a little: What kind of shit one has to get into to wind up looking like that? All she could come up with was that there was a Mad Scientist at play. She shuddered - the thought of being detained for any reason would send chills down the bones of any lawbreaker. Well, at least in prison they jsut kept you in a small dark pod, but didn't sew your mouth shut.

Looking back to Emerald, Diamond nodded towards he door: "Come on. You can make paper planes everywhere, might as well try to pay attention first. Wouldn't wanna drop out, would you?"

As the information began to pour in, Abel stood stock-still to take it in. He flinched visibly when Gren began to peel back his skin, and couldn't help but to retreat a step when the cyborg went to lengths like detaching an arm to advertise his inhumanity. Of this secret Abel had been totally unsuspecting, for whatever eccentricities Gren might have previously displayed had been marked off as teenage or emotional issues in the guardian's mind. To see such an important secret suddenly and quite literally laid bare, however, was a bit overwhelming. For more than a week I've been living, learning, and fighting alongside a machine? Abel could never have expected something so bizarre. And yet, for a bunch of metal and circuits Gren managed to seem rather empathetic. This realization put Abel on guard. A robot with a gun was dangerous; a robot with a transforming death machine and the ability to deceive, far more so. How did a cyborg have a semblance anyway? It just didn't make sense.

The questions racing through Abel's head, manifesting in a very stressed expression on the front of it, were turned on a dime and added to when Shiro began to take action. He was watching intently, expecting something no less jarring than Gren's big reveal, when the faunus cast a glance at him. Abel straightened up, as if he'd been caught looking at something private. Ultimately, he could not ignore what Shiro had decided to show: tattoos. What?

Then came the tale of tragedy. As he heard it, Abel found himself growing increasingly angry, though not at Shiro. Who would do such a thing to the tiger faunus's village and family? The thought of finding such a person made him grind his teeth. In fact, he almost reached forward with a hand of comfort when Shiro nicked himself, but he couldn't bring himself to. When Shiro mentioned hurting people, it was jarring. Sure, Abel hadn't had a very comfortable life, but looking at Shiro it seemed that the guardian -with a home, parents, and love- had been the luckiest guy in the world. Tragedy was something he'd never taken lightly, but at the same time it had always been distant from it. Could fate have truly been so callous to his friend as to make him into a brutal orphan? Abel was momentarily incredulous—before kicking himself for those thoughts. Shiro was his teammate. It was Abel's job to believe and support. But how?

Finally, the tale finished. Shiro made light of it, but Abel knew it was no laughing matter. He had just psyched himself up to say something, perhaps contribute to the general honesty of this conversation, before Shiro mentioned him 'running his gab'. At that, Abel's eyes narrowed with ire. If you didn't want me to talk, you could have just told me so. Instead, the honesty he'd been ready to inject into his own past swirled around Sapphire. “Sapphire doesn't care a bit for us. Runs off first chance she gets, every time, and her contempt is obvious. If you were to confide to her, she's just be bored and probably insulted. All better off without her, really, but the team needs a leader, and it looks like we've all got issues. Having an asshole for a leader is better than not having one, I guess.” Abel glanced at his watch, still frowning. “We can't skip class anyway. Absences are a big deal. I'll...think about what the two of you said. It's kinda a lot to take.” After a moment, he turned partially away, trying to avoid giving the impression that he was turning his back on them, and started to leave.

As Ozpin arrived and told each of them to return to there classes Sapphire felt... well out of the loop. Simply being dismissed like that reminded her just how uninvolved she was with whatever it was that was going on which bothered her a lot more than she cared to admit. As everyone else departed for there various classes Sapphire stayed rooted to the spot. She should tell Ozpin what she knew, then again what exactly did she know. It wasn't exactly as though she had conclusive proof of anything. Of course if the Shelter and that Sienna girl ended up being related to all this somehow Sapphire knew she'd regret not telling Ozpin later.

Sapphire turned towards Oswald. "I'm gonna talk to Ozpin, I'll see you in history class."

Then she pushed open the infirmary door and entered. With the headmaster there the Infirmary felt a lot like the school office or Goodwitch's study. Somewhere you didn't go unless you'd done something wrong. Ignoring this feeling Sapphire approached the headmaster. "Professor Ozpin?" she said addressing him. "I wanted to talk to you about the boy. On my team's last mission, at the Shelter I came across a coyote faunus named Sienna that was involved in the experiments going on there. She had the same tattoo as that boy just under her eye. I don't know what happened to her but she wasn't on the island when we called in the authorities. I'm not sure what it means exactly but I thought you should know." Sapphire hesitated then added. "It might be a good idea to question Pops about her, see if there's a connection." Giving advice to an age old hunter who'd probably slain more Grimm than days she'd been alive seemed kind of foolhardy but Sapphire would be remiss if she didn't offer her opinion, for whatever it was worth.

As Shiro began his story Gren worked to put his body parts back together. Before his story finished, the orc looked as normal as ever. While he was huge and heavy, only Shiro and Abel would know the machine in this man. Once he did finish putting himself together Gren sat down to listen to Shiro's tale. It was tragic, and while Gren has heard similar tales, he still brought a tear to his eye. The idea that Shiro was also a victim of circumstances like this made Gren angry. Why couldn't the world learn and help people like Shiro adjust, instead of making them feel isolated and unwanted? Sort of... Like how things are now. Well. That's why Gren was here, wasn't he? To be the hero? Help people like Shiro?

Shiro also mentioned the blood on his own hands. This made Gren visibly freeze up. "No. Not you too..." Gren whispered to himself. So many faunas have gotten into violence, death even, for one reason or another. Gren hoped to have put that past behind him. But it's not as though Beacon was a pacifist academy. He just hoped that maybe he could learn how to solve problems without killing people. He wasn't entirely sure what the context of Shiro's incident was, but evidently it was bad. Just how bad Gren would have to delve into later.

Then there was the matter of Shiro's semblance. What Gren came here for in the first place, though the rest of this information were just as important. However even Gren couldn't understand how or why Shiro's own semblance would be so self-destructive. Sure Gren had a few accidents when he used his semblance for the first time, but that was simply because he was getting used to it. Shiro's semblance seemed more like a flawed function then some accidental misuse. And then there were Shiro's medication. Gren had a vague notion that Shiro does more then brush his teeth in the bathroom, but taking anti-psychotics weren't really on the list. It was on the list actually, just somewhere in the middle of things that Gren thought Shiro does in the bathroom. Sapphire had recently discovered this and wondered how she was going to handle it. Learning about Shiro's medication was about as personal as she got with this team, and it made Gren uncomfortable.

When Shiro suggested bringing Sapphire into this Abel let his thoughts be known. Gren couldn't say he didn't agree with it. One of the reasons he didn't bother to invite Sapphire along was because of how it may inconvenience her as well as what she may do with this sensitive information. To be frank, Gren doesn't trust Sapphire to look after their well being. To the orc, Sapphire sees them as tools, weapons. And if there's any flaws in those weapons, she would sooner replace them then fix them. Maybe he the three and Sapphire learned to become more caring for one another, Gren might be willing to introduce her to his dark secret. But if she doesn't want to know, then she never will.

Waiting for his two partners to finish speaking, Gren let his own thoughts be known. "Thank you for telling us Shiro. And it really helps me knowing that despite all that crap life gave you, you're still here and the most cheerful out of all of us. It's something to say when your life goes to hell, but you still retain honor and morals. Though Abel's right; we shouldn't skip class. Though after class or during break maybe we could all go for some noodles? I'll pay of course. I know this place at the Horn of Plenty that I've been meaning to go to. I was worried that it might have gotten shut down cause of some sort of gang violence, but I think we actually sent a team to deal with that." Though Gren also thought about what Abel said about Sapphire. He wasn't sure how obvious it was to the others that Gren didn't think of her highly. He was certain that they all remember the scene at the island were she questioned him about his motivations with Pops. Everyone would have a good reason to question his loyalty to Sapphire, but if this little gather was any indication, he was still in their good graces. Though it did hurt Gren knowing that he's analyzing his friend's faith in him like some sort of daiting sim-relationship

"Sapphire... Needs to be eased into this sort of thing. I agree with Abel that she's very callous and frankly, quite a bitch. That being said... My issue with her is that to me, all she is is our leader and only because Ozpin said she is. She wants to keep things professional, which is fine, but that isn't going to work out if she wants our loyalty. Anyone could give us orders. If she wants us to follow her, she'd need to put more work into it. So what we need to do is befriend her. Show her our quirks and try to spend some time with her. Obviously as Abel mentioned she's going to run away at any chance she could get. But let's not be bitter men and shut her out completely. We'd have the moral high ground if we at least show we care more about her then she cares about us. And if she really doesn't want anything to do with us, fine. Us three, we'll figure something out."

Gren's face grew a bit dark as he remembered the names and faces of some other students. Students who were no longer here with us. "I'm not sure if you guys noticed, but Team SASG are one of the only few teams left who haven't had to replace team members. I don't know why, but I do want to keep us all together. To that end, we need to strength our bonds!" Jumping to his feet Gren stuck his hand out towards Abel and Shiro. "Cliche as it is, let's make a pact. A brotherhood, cause that sounds awesome. We manly men who aren't afraid to speak out thoughts and express out feelings about our lives. A promise that whenever life is acting hard, we'd go to each other and to keep our spirits up. Then we go find life's problems, beat the piss out of it, and go get something to eat. But more importantly, a pact to show that no matter where life takes us we got each others back. Whatever demons or monsters we're fighting we aren't going to fight it alone."

It was at that time that little Scoot wiggled out of Gren's bag and onto his arm, surprising the orc. He regained his composure before he accidentally flung the little creature off the roof, figuring that he may as well be here too. "Food? Food!"

Delta had been passing the time by coiling the hair that usually hung over the bridge of his nose around his finger. His gaze drifted over in the direction of his familiar sending volleys of queries at his newly acquainted comrades. It was fun to see his companion in such a jollity state, even refreshing, almost. The sight could almost put a smile on his face, if his facial muscles actually had prior usage. But the chatterbox of a familiar also fulfilled a secondary purpose in this scenario. Eve’s intention was to get to know its comrades, but it also gave leeway for Delta to indirectly study his teammates. The leader, Robert, actually took the time to answer every individual question haphazardly flung at him, while the other simply gave a short response listing the necessities. Succinct, straightforward, and with minimum time spent. It was easy to see which of the two had the more disciplined pedigree.

But on the other hand, albeit Robert seemed to be a bit sheepish, he appeared to be the kind of guy to put in immeasurable bouts of time and effort into anything without the slightest of obligation, no matter how daunting the task may be. Delta could tell why he was appointed as the leader of his previous team. The boy couldn’t help but to wonder what exactly happened to them, considering what time of the year it already was, he should already have three more members backing him up at this juncture. He wouldn’t pry. Not yet at least.

Eve hung onto every word, watching as the syllables gravitated themselves from their points of origination and glided into the semblance’s ears. It was then that Eve realized it had forgotten to introduce itself, pouting for a moment at its own brashness. ”Sorry, I was so caught up in the heat of the moment, I forgot to introduce myself.” The familiar rubbed the back of its head with a stubby appendage and lightly chuckled at itself, ”My name is Eve, I’m Delta’s semblance! I don’t have an exact gender, so feel free to designate me by my name. I materialized as soon as Delta was able to manifest his abilities, which means I’m basically connected to his lifeforce.”

The familiar glanced back at the aforementioned boy, who was aimlessly staring off towards the door. A sigh escaped its miniscule mouth before continuing on with the conversation, ”Oooooh, pizza?! Wonder if it can challenge sergeant Ken’s homemade pie. Glad to hear that the academy has a wide diversity of sustenance.” Eve was glad that the chefs here weren’t as narrow-minded as those back at their old base. They were probably friendlier as well. Eve tilted its head when Robert asked to clarify about what it exactly wanted to know. An arm pressed itself against its chin as it thought over the next question. ”I guess… What’s your best feature?” Eve could already tell that Grane would resonate well with Delta. Quiet people always seemed to have another form of communication, one which transcended words. While all of this was happening, the student was wondering when they would go on to their next class.

There was somebody he wanted to meet.

When Headmaster Ozpin appeared and stormed into the infirmary, Oswald straightened out like a board. He knew the situation was FUBAR, but it took the normally aloof man's dead serious face to drive into him that they might be dealing with forces beyond their power. As Cobalt skittered off and Sapphire went to address their headmaster, Oswald frowned.

He wasn't used to letting something like this go. It certainly didn't feel right, either. Perhaps he'd ask Sapphire for more information and request that his team be involved in any movements Ozpin was willing to make in regards to this event. The bubbling rage he'd felt earlier was still there, it was just much quieter now. Still, he knew that above all else, a calm head was needed. At least until other heads needed to be busted. Oswald would wait until he was given a target, but all bets were off as soon as his leash was dropped. Of all people, certainly a leader of one of the most powerful groups of humanity knew the consequences to letting loose the hounds of war.

Grunting as he was left alone, Oswald made his way to Math class, ready to make a pointless attempt at the work they were being given. He was either going to fail out of Beacon, or just barely pass. At least he was a contender for high marks outside of the academic classes, right?

Right.

Robert Fallson - Math Class

Robert wasn't one for bragging, in fact he was quite modest, maybe too much so. When Eve asked him for his 'best feature,' it was a surprisingly difficult task for him. "Hmm... best feature. Best feature. Best feature," he said as he gave the question some serious thought. "Well there's... Uh... Maybe... No... Umm..." he continued. Finally, he came to a decision. "Well, I was chosen to be leader for some reason right? I guess it's my leadership abilities.

Not wanting to just end the conversation there, Robert thought of a new topic to continue the conversation. "So Eve, what can you tell us about yourself and Delta. Knowing what my teammates are like certainly helps when trying to lead you all in combat. Wouldn't want to send someone with arachnophobia to fight a group of Broodlings."

Not even Robert knew how helpful talking to Eve and getting to know his new team was. Without this distraction, his mind would certainly wander, and if that happened it wouldn't take long before he returned to thinking about his old team. Doing that wouldn't help anyone, it would only send Robert into a mood of depression and sorrow as he thought of all the other people in his life that he'd lost and could possibly never see again. At only the age of eighteen, he'd already lost more than most. No point on dwelling on it though.

When Gren spoke, Abel listened. At least, he tried. The revelations that were coming to light were still bouncing around in the guardian's mind, making an attention-grabbing clamor. It would have been far easier to shut the outside world out for a little while to work over how he felt about the things that his teammates had shared with him, but as that would have been imprudent and discourteous, Abel did his best to listen. Sapphire, eh? As much as he disliked her right now, Abel would definitely be willing to give her another chance to redeem herself in her team's eyes. The problem lay in the question: would she? Did the haughty and condescending Miss Rode think it would be remotely worth her time to 'be shown' their 'quirks'? 'Befriending' didn't seem like it might lie within the realm of cold professionalism that Sapphire seemed to crave. Still, Abel would try. He was by nature something of a bitter man, to use Gren's words, but that didn't mean that he shouldn't try to improve. Plus, moral high ground was something that Abel always coveted.

At least the mention of Swansong's solidarity in comparison to other teams resonated with Abel. He had noticed it too: the way people seemingly ceased to exist. Some, he knew, like team Jormungandr acted as transfers to other schools, just like Vignoble was to Beacon. Of course, it seemed odd that freshmen would be picked as transfers, but he'd heard of some Honors programs that did something along those lines. Still, the majority of the disappearances were unexplained, and they worried Abel deeply. What if something was out there, after all? It was a vindicating, if terrifying, thought. At least new people always seemed to appear. There is a little light of hope. Might as well do my best to keep it alight.” The guardian lent his hand to the pact that Gren offered. It was crazy, but no matter. “Okay then. A robot, a psycho, and a cynical meathead. I guess we have what it takes to stick it out. Together it is then; nothing sucks more than being alone.”

Soon after, the three scuttled down to Math to wrap up the class. It wasn't long before Professor Fullbuster, still a little flustered from earlier, requested the students' work and assigned some homework to do that evening. Only a moment later came the bell, and Math class was history; History lay just ahead.





Compared to most of the classrooms within Beacon, not counting Vorosky's partially-destroyed hovel of a Survival room, Aura Control was a strange one. Crammed onto one corner were all the desks, including the teacher's, and the rest of the space closely resembled a bizarre gym. There were climbing walls, several flat areas at different elevations suspended by chains from the ceiling, a pool beneath steel ropes, balance beams, and monkey bars, a couple of sandbags on adjustable chains, and even a pit of spikes. Whether excitement or fear, the place certainly elicited strong emotion. In charge of Aura Control today were Ms. Rowan Iderson and Ms. Ether Vanhomrigh. Iderson was the first to address the present seniors.

“Welcome to your first period of Aura Control! You might be asking yourself, is this Practice all over again? I know all about my aura, already! WRONG!” She bellowed. By now, having had her as a teacher for some class or another in previous years, most of the students were used to her general loudness and gruffness. That didn't mean that the force of her shouts didn't cause hair, scarves, and other such to get blown around, though. “Aura, obviously, looks like this.” A glow appeared around her, deep brown in color. Just as quickly, it blinked out. “But that's not all aura can do. And I'm not talking about protection and healing. Some of you probably know this already, having discovered strange quirks about your aura in this fight or another, but until now you've been in the dark about it. Aura is not just a protective barrier, or a source from which semblance draws. It is a manifestation of your soul, and due to that, is COMPLETELY UNIQUE. Watch!”

Iderson began to breath, deeply and rhythmically. Then, without interrupting her breathing, she struck the floor. A slight but visible wave of force, tinted the same color as Iderson's aura, spread into the ground. There was a sound from the corner of the room, and on the instructor's desk, a stress ball suddenly shot into the air, propelled a blast of brownish force, which looked oddly like dust. With very little ceremony, Iderson plucked a hair from her head, and breathed deeply once again. Suddenly, the hair stood totally rigid, and with adept precision she flung the hair at the ball, piercing it and spearing it into the ceiling. She smiled then. “Aura, ki, chakra, by whatever name it is a malleable force. That force can be controlled completely by a well-trained individual. What right now is a protective barrier around you can be moved freely. This is totally different from a semblance, and we will not be using those in this class. You may have noticed that my projected aura looked and sounded a little like soil. The reason is simple: when not used as a barrier, aura takes on a few characteristics unique to the individual. Those are tailored by your unconscious imagination. Your aura might take on the burning aspect of fire or electricity, or manifest in waves of cold. Condensing and releasing your aura to attack may make it seem like a gunshot is coming from your palm, or a blade shooting from your fingers. It's all very interesting, but today, the exercise is simple.”

“Aura can be used to attract or repel. Today we'll be working with the repelling aspect. I want you to split off into partners and attempt to do what I'm about to tell you. Focus your breathing and your mind, and condense your entire aura into a single point, smaller than a pencil's eraser. Find a position that suits you, and try and block your partner's attack with it. If you do it right, and aim it right, your partner will burst the condensed aura, momentarily absorbing some incompatible aura, causing them to stagger for a second or two, during which time you can move freely. One more time: condense, protect, stagger. This technique is called the Pinpoint Counter, and it's easy to learn but very tough to use in actual combat. Just try it. The 'burst' will also help establish your flavor of aura.” She then demonstrated, with her aide Esther swinging at her with a hidden baton. Iderson held her hand in front of her face, palm in, and her aura focused into a point just in front of her middle knuckle. When the pinpoint of aura was broken, a shower of dust vomited forth along with an accompanying pwash sound, surrounding Ether as she reeled back helplessly.



The four members of Midnight Squad, having by now fully recovered from their various injuries, were unexpected faced with a chiming noise from the walkie-talkies they'd been issued. The by now familiar yet still intriguing voice issued from them. “Reception confirmed. Alright, Midnight, your next task is in. Researcher Duchess has discovered that the grand-daughter of Vale's mayor will be vulnerable. And yes, we mean the mayor of the city Vale, not the ruler of the kingdom Vale, for which this city is the capitol. In forty-eight minutes the grand-daughter is visiting the Vale Hospital with her class to listen to a speech. Your assignment is this. All of you must reach the hospital before then. Two of you will find the office of the on-staff police, take down the officers non-lethally and in a stealth manner, and disguise yourselves in their uniforms. Both are male, so this is not an option for you, Violet. While the speech is in progress, one of you -we will provide a mask- will make a violent disturbance, destroying some things but not killing anyone. The 'police' will rush in and help the grand-daughter to 'safety', by which we mean a room on the first floor in which our operative Archon will be waiting. He will chloroform her and perform a quick operation. Afterward, she will be returned to her bus by Archon, posing as a friendly doctor.

The last person must go elsewhere. In the VPD station is another operative of ours. His official designation is 'Baron' but most people call him 'Crimson'--Crimson Volk. He was arrested for trespassing right after a major operation, so he's not compromised or even heavily guarded, but the longer he stays the more at risk he'll be of being discovered. Break him out. We'll provide a mask that'll identify you as a member of a local gang, framing them for the breakout. If you see that you will require assistance, call your teammates. Everything we've mentioned giving to you is an a blue cardboard box by the warehouse door. We expect complete success from all of you. Pharaoh out.”

Cobalt put down his hand as the bell rang and he got out of his chair. He pushed it in, gathered up his stuff quickly, and left the room. He looked at Oswald before he left the room and motioned for Oswald to follow him. They had a few things to discuss regarding the team and where he stood within it.

Amy nodded, the throbbing in her head finally receding, granting her enough control over her semblance to force it back down to its absolute minimum level. She pulled the headphones off of her head, muttering a pained "thank you", standing slowly, waiting for her feathers to go back down of their own accord-at the level of fluster she was, they'd likely just spring back up again if she smoothed them. "C-can we get someplace else or find something that'll actually block sound? I don't know what a migraine feels like but that was damn close..."

She winced again, closing her eyes tightly. "Silence would be really, really nice right about now."

Kuhaku Shiro - Beacon Academy Rooftops > Class

"Let's make a pact..."
An unfamiliar voice resonated within memory, causing Shiro to frown in confusion.
Shaking his head, he dismissed it.
Shiro started to grin, but quickly frowned again when he took Abel's 'psycho' comment the wrong way.
"Hey! I'm not psycho...!"
He puffed his cheeks out and pouted, but any insult taken dissolved away and he donned his usual bright grin.
Looking to Gren, he presented his gloved fist to the two of them.
"Deal on going out to eat as a team! I don't know about noodles, but pile enough meat on it and I'll eat it!"
He chuckled, thumbing his nose. Ears perking, he pointed a finger at the sky as his team leader came to mind as an afterthought.
"Ah, but let's not leave out Sapphire on this bro fest. We'll drag her out to eat if we have to, no excuses! Tee hee..."

Math Class > History Class

Sighing as he slumped into his seat in History Class, he pulled out the assignment given previously by Professor Fullbuster as homework. Leafing through the papers to skim through what was on the agenda after the day was over, his ears slowly flattened. Depressed, he scoffed in disapproval. "Come on, seriously? One period of torture wasn't enough? Agh..." He hated homework, especially relatively difficult homework on a subject he didn't quite enjoy. He knew the day was only just getting started too. Who knows what else was to come? The thought further dragged his mood down as he realized this. Whining, he let his head hit the desk in front of him with a solid thunk! Sounding like a dying cow, he groaned and complained a little more. "Uhhhhhhhgggghhhh....!" Don't get him wrong, he loved being at Beacon. Just the academics he wasn't too pleased with having to go through. At least Professor Oobleck was an enjoyable and energetic teacher. Watching and listening to the caffeine addict was enough to lift his mood. History wasn't that bad, in Shiro's book. When he paid attention with the rapt interest of a little boy listening to bed time stories, the perspective made the class period a lot more tolerable. Neatly organizing his things and placing them underneath his desk, his eyes wandered. Keeping a look out for...well, he didn't really know.

Lauren Negasi

"Well, uh...if we want peace and quiet, we're probably not gonna find it in a class run by Oobleck." Lauren looked from her seated teammate to the power couple, who had by now approached her and Amy. A sudden throbbing in her head reminded her that she'd meant to follow Ben's lead and take something for her throbbing face. That fight had taken a lot out of her, and now that the math class had cleared out - and the throngs of people making their way to history were starting to be let loose - she realized that she felt like absolute dog crap.

"I think a mid-morning power nap is exactly what we need to keep Bastille's walls impenetrable!"

Oswald slowly raised from his seat as math class ended, bringing his nearly empty worksheet to the front of the class and depositing it on Professor Fullbuster's desk with his head lowered. The professors mostly knew what to expect out of him at this point, but the difference was still day and night. Most of the other students, with hard work and study, could catch up reasonably well. Oswald, on the other hand, was stuck nearly seven or eight years in the past academically. The most complex equations he'd solved in the past were PEMDAS questions, and that was pushing it.

Following after Cobalt, Oswald tried to shrug off the bitter feelings he was having, but to no avail. This was not going to be a good week, evidently. "Hey, boss. That was pretty fuckin' wild with that kid, huh? I swear, if I ever get my hands on those bastards..."

Ick. History. Sepia's ear's flattened as she stepped into the classroom. Math had been tolerable enough, as even her scatterbrain could keep up when the information could be presented step-by-step, but memorizing dates and names was not in anyway easy or enjoyable. Do I even remember anything from last year, like, at all? she wondered as she looked around the room for an empty seat. Her eyes quickly settled on a familiar set of ears. Awww ... it's tiger boy. She smiled and walked over to where Shiro was sitting.

"So we meet again, friend of the cat-snake known as 'ferret'." she grinned and pointed to the seat on his left. "This one taken?"