[IC] Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

[Forsythe]

The assignment was a lot easier than Diamond expected. Most other teachers pretty much thrown stress tests their way, but with a few years of experience hacking security systems, this seemed like a kindergarten task to the thug. Then again, she wasn't about to complain about some leisure time. Stretching her fingers, she got to work.

Ten minutes later Diamond was done. She decided to give herself a little challenge. She titled one of the hunter class' attacks 'Break the 4th wall', and spent five more minutes until she figured out how to make it stop the fan on the computer's CPU. The only thing she had left to play with was the GUI, but she didn't feel like it - she was used to writing code that got the job done quickly, without the need to be wrapped in a neat package.

She submitted the file to he teacher and waited for what was going to happen. When nothing did after a minute, she decided to see what she could get away with. She fired up the search engine and looked up something she has been meaning to check. The first few classes were heavily oriented on combat, and particularly the grimm studies made her realize that she wouldn't fare well without some means of hitting from long range. That lead her to search for details on dust and it's uses. Just as she found something interesting though, an IM window popped up with a message from the teacher, giving her more work. Sighing, she took comfort in the fact that this task at least required half a dozen brain cells and got to work.

The bell finally rang, releasing her shackles and giving her freedom. Tipping her hat to the teacher on her way out, she made a beeline for the library like the biggest squint. She only realized it when standing in front of the library door. "What the...?" she said to herself, shaking her head at the realization. but alas, she did find something interesting in the brief time she stole in the class. Finding a free computer, she followed the same link and got reading.

Initially she thought the idea might be a tad on the crazy side, but the more she read about it, the more she saw herself in it. The money for the procedure was not a problem for her. The requirements spoke of a need for mental discipline which her former lifestyle gave her plenty. The only thing she could have problem with was experience, but hey, that's why the teachers where here, right? Besides, somebody some eons ago had to be the first to do it and live to tell the tale. Still, Diamond decided to speak about it with a teacher beforehand. Goodwitch immediately came to mind. Nodding to herself, she left the station as it were, with the website displayed and the title glowing in a big font right at the top.

Dust infusion, prerequisites and it'S effect on the body

[Guess Who]

Robert and Priscilla's Date!

Robert walked out of Mr. Albion's class, happy that the school day was finally done with. Not only that, but he and Priscilla would finally get to go on that date he'd asked her out on. Robert ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the meeting place that the two of them had agreed upon earlier. He wanted to get there first since he'd always been told that it was impolite to keep a lady waiting. Once reaching the school courtyard, he looked around to make sure he'd gotten there first, and approached the statue in the middle, leaning against it to look as cool as possible.

Priscilla was impatiently looking at the clock, waiting for the period to finish already. Her wish finally came true, as she quickly got up from her chair, running out of the class, and bumping into a few students. She didn't care, though. There was a reason to why she was in such a hurry: Robert asked her to a date. FINALLY, she was on her way to meet up with him. It was adorable that it took him this long to ask her. Before she went to the courtyard though, Priscilla had to make a quick stop to the ladies room. Being a girl, she had to look perfect, pretty, and not messy. "Lipstick.. lipstick.. where the hell did I put my lipstick?!" she said, digging through her bag, finally finding it. "Ah huh!" Quickly she opened the top and placed lipstick upon her lips, smacking her lips together, she brushed her hair and went out the door. Priscilla was totally running now, finally reaching the school courtyard. "Whew..." slowly she started to walk, noticing Robert already waiting for her, wow he was such a gentleman arriving early. "R-Robbie.. hey..~" Priscilla blushed making her way towards him, brushing her hair behind her ear.

Robert turned around at the sound of Priscilla's voice, "Hey Pris-" he started. Seeing her now suddenly made him begin to studder. "Wow. You look great," he said. Robert began to get really nervous. He needed to say something charming and all he could think of is 'you look great?' He began to scratch behind his head and let out a nervous chuckle. "So, uh, you ready to go? I got the perfect place picked out... within my budget," he said, laughing at his own bad joke. Robert held out his hand to lead Priscilla to the airships that would take the two of them down to the city.

Priscilla blushed by the sight of just seeing Robert standing in front of her. He even studdered, which was really adorable. She looks great...? Pretty charming isn't he, huh? But that didn't matter, Priscilla likes him and that won't change a thing, besides that was a compliment to her! "Thank you, Robbie..~ You look handsome yourself.~" she smiles at him before taking a few steps, holding his hand as their fingers locked in with one another. "Uhh... we are going to the city? Wow... heh. I thought it was going to be around the academy but I prefer this idea even better.~" She laughed softly at his adorable joke, it wasn't bad or anything, just too adorable. God Robert was so cute when he laughs but telling him would make things even more awkward. Besides, it was too early in the date for her to be all flirty.~

Robert walked up to the doors of the airship, still holding Priscilla's hand, but stopped just outside to allow her to go first. "Ladies first," he said, directing his hands to the door. Once the two were inside, they took their seats and waited for the airship to land at port. The trip was spent in silence, with Robert constanly making glances in Priscilla's direction so he knew she wasn't getting bored. When the airship landed, he let Priscilla out first before walking out after her. "Alright, we'll have to walk the rest of the way. Hope you brought your walking shoes. Haha. Don't worry, it's not actually that far. Only a couple blocks."

The airship's door opened up for the two as they walked inside. She held his hand tightly, making her way to an empty sit. Though the ride to the city was pretty quiet, she wanted to speak with him so badly, but the girl was shy and nervous that she might say something bad. Finally the awkward silence was finished as they landed at their location. The doors were opened once again as she made her way outside. It had been too long since she had last seen the city, and to be honest, she actually missed it. Not the whole stealing for her family thing she, didn't miss that of course. "Hm?" Priscilla quickly snapped back to reality, staring at Robert for a few seconds before looking at the city. "Yeah.. I don't mind walking a lot. Besides, if I get tired you can carry me.~" she giggled joking around before reaching for his hand, holding it tightly as their fingers interwined with each other, now making their way to where ever they were going. Robert was leading the way.

It wasn't long before the couple reached their destination. The building had a large neon sign on top of it that read: 'Fryer Tuck's Diner!' "Here we are. Don't worry, they have a very large menu to choose from and everything's good. Guaranteed or your money back. I know the owner so I could be a bit biased though. Anyway, let's get inside." Robert walked up to the door, held it open for Priscilla, then walked in after her. Not far from the door stood a podium with a guy, not much older than Robert, standing behind it.

"Welcome to Fryer Tuck's Diner. Please wait to be seated," the man greeted the two hunters-in-training, without looking up from the papers he held in his hand.

"Hey Alan, it's me," Robert responded.

The man known as Alan looked up to see where the familiar voice had come from. "Robert! It's been awhile. How've you been?" he said. His head moved to Priscilla, then asked, "Who's your lady friend?"

The young soon-to-be-couple, made their way to the building with the large neon sign. It was beautiful and she had never been here, so this was going to be interesting. At least there wouldn't be any trouble of someone wanting to kick out Priscilla for what she had done in the past. Anyways, they entered the diner, her face was blushing like hell because they were still holding hands, and now it was time to greet a friend of Robert's. Priscilla smiled at Alan, which was what Robert called him, nodding at him before speaking in a soft tone. "Uhhh, hi, heh. My name is Priscilla... I never knew you had friends around here, Robb---Robert.." she tried so hard not to call him by his cute nickname, just to not embarrass Robert in front of his buddy. Other than that, Priscilla couldn't wait to sit at the table and eat some delicious food other than the academy food. She was craving a cheese burger, as she thought of these things, she'd tightened Robert's hand. The girl was hungry!

Robert gave off another nervous chuckle. He hadn't really thought about how everyone would react to him bringing Priscilla. Hopefully they wouldn't bring up any embarrassing stories or anything. Alan led them to one of the empty tables and laid down two menus. Before leaving, Alan said that he would get 'the others.' Robert let Priscilla sit down first before sitting down as well. Wait, should he sit across from Priscilla or next to her? Across or next to? Across or next?! Robert momentarily panicked. It was a simple decision. Only two choices. How was it this hard? Across or next to? Robert couldn't help but think that Priscilla was thinking he was weird for just standing next to the table doing nothing. Finally, he quickly sat down next to Priscilla. Hopefully, he chose the right decision. He picked up the nearest menu and handed it to Priscilla before picking up the other. "So, what do you want to eat? I'm gonna have the cheese burger. In my opinion it's the best thing on the menu," he said, trying to make sure they didn't talk about his prior moment of indecision.

Priscilla smiled at Alan as they were taken to an empty table where he laid the two menus. It was the perfect spot too, just because she could see the outside from where they were sitting. Robert, being the gentleman that he was, let Priscilla sit down first. "Why thank you.~" she giggled, blushing a bit before grabbing the menu and seeing him standing around, wondering what was wrong. Priscilla looked around before staring back at Robert. "Robbie, are you alrigh--" and he sat down next to her. That was weird but whatever it was, she was happy that he had sat down next to her. Trying to be slick, she moved her chair a little bit closer to Robert, looking at the menu now. "Cheese burger.... I love cheese burgers! So, I will also go with that.~ I have been wanting to eat that for a while." She smiled before closing the menu and turning her attention to Robert staring at his eyes. "So, I like this... I like this a lot and I am glad that we finally did it," she admitted reaching for his hand, holding it tightly while smiling at Robert.

"Ha. Well if you're already having fun, wait until you try the food. Tuck's one of the best burger flippers in the world," Robert said. Only then did he notice they were holding hands again. He smiled even more at the sight. Just then, Robert noticed Alan and two other men standing with him. Alan was writing on a notepad. He realized that Alan had probably heard them say what they wanted to order and was already getting to his work. Wait, if that's true then how long had the three of them been standing there? Robert ignored the thought. The older of the three men spoke first.

"Hey, Rob. Why didn't you tell me you were coming? And with a girl, too," he said.

"Hey, Tuck," Robert replied. He turned back to Priscilla. With his free-hand he pointed to the man he called Tuck. "This is the owner of this fine establishment as well as the cook." Then he pointed to the third man of the group. "And this is Miller." Miller just gave a nod to the two and did not speak. Tuck was a very large, 30-something-year-old man with a bald spot on his head, his facial expression was very kind though. Miller was tall and quiet. With the exception of Tuck, he was the oldest of the group. Tuck began to speak again.

"Nice to meet you... Priscilla, right? That's what Alan said your name was." While he spoke, Alan and Miller walked away to continue serving the other customers.

"Hehe, I cannot wait for this burger..!~ I have been wanting a cheese burger for quite the time, so yes I cannot wait hehe." she'd smile at him before playfully pushing him with her shoulder, now noticing Alan walking towards them and taking their orders. "Thank you, oh and can you put in some ketchup please..? Not on the burger but like in another plate or something." she also saw two other men standing with Alan, and wondered why they were here? Only one person was needed to take their order and that was it. Robert seemed to know these men though, so Priscilla just stood quiet smiling at Robert's friends. "It is nice to meet you all. Thank you for having us here today, I am honored to taste the wondeful burger made by uhh, Tuck!" she smiled at them before nodding at Tuck. "Yes, my name is Priscilla. It is nice to meet you. And.. I have a question..." it had to be asked, even with Robert there.

Priscilla placed a finger on her bottom lips, smiling at Tuck. "Alright! Why... are you guys so surprised that Robert, is here with a girl? Does he come here alone or something?" she'd ask curiously with an eyebrow arched, raising her leg on top of the other while her arm and threw his own, locking her arms with his, elbow to elbow!

Tuck let out a bellowing laugh before answering her question. "Usually he comes here only when he's had trouble getting enough food to feed himself for the day. I offer to give him food and shelter everyday like I do with Alan and Miller, but no, Robert here doesn't want to 'be a burden,'" he said, putting air quotes around the last three words. "Anyway, I'll leave you two alone now before I say something Robert doesn't want me to. Besides, I need to start those burgers." Before he left though, Miller returned holding two milkshakes. "Ah, almost forgot your drinks." Miller handed Tuck the shakes and Tuck placed them in front of Robert and Priscilla. "Hope you like vanilla. Our machine's been a bit wonky lately, so vanilla's the only flavor we have right now, but Robert can tell you there's no point in ordering anything else to drink. Who wants some mass produced carbonated soda when you can have a nice shake?" Tuck said before finally getting back to the kitchen.

Robert turned back to Priscilla. "So, why were you so interested if I come here alone?" he said with an accusing smile. "You think there's some other girl in my life or something?" he continued teasing. "Hmm?" He let out a laugh before picking up the cherry on his shake and eating it. "Mmm. Cherries are my favorite."

Priscilla rose an eyebrow wondering why he was laughing, but it might just have been for something that she didn't know. Until now, she giggled shaking her head before speaking towards Tuck. "He... came here when he had trouble for getting enough food? Wow.. sounds like someone I knoooow." she'd said with a singing tone, since she was a singer, duh. Oh, and that someone was totally her. They had something else in common, and that common thing was that the both of them had to find food for survival. Priscilla had to find food for herself AND her family, though. Anyways, back to the present. "It doesn't matter what I drink, it can be anything. A glass of water is fine as well." she said softly. seeing Tuck going back to the kitchen before turning her attention back towards Robert, arching an eyebrow, biting her bottom lip. "Nah... I didn't think you would come here with a girl. Or would you..? If you did, was she prettier than me...?" She hoped not, Priscilla wanted to be his first PRETTY girlfriend! Yes, she admitted it. "I don't like cherries much, I do like grapes, mhm." she laughed poking his nose while he ate the cherry. He was so cute.~

"Nah, you're the first," Robert replied. "Don't have to worry about that. So, while we wait for those burgers, what do you think of Beacon so far? I'm certainly having fun. It's a much needed change from the usual 'steal to survive' life I'm used to." He took a sip of his shake after finishing talking, before noticing Priscilla's uneaten cherry. "Oh, and if you don't like cherries that much, then can I have yours?" His facial expression while he said this was similar to that of a small puppy begging it's owner if it could have the left overs.

"I am glad that I am the first. to be honest... I was going to get a little jealous. And yes, before you ask me... you are my first as well." Priscilla replied, biting her bottom lip before speaking again. "I like the academy so far, just the professors are a bit mean... but other then that... I like it... especially the music class since I can do what I like.~ Singing!" She giggled before turning to her drink and looking at the cherry, with a nod and a giggle she gave him the cherry. "Yess, haha. You can have the cherry, Robbie.~" Priscilla said ruffling his hair, he was pretending to be a puppy so why not act like it? He was a cute sexy puppy though!

Robert wouldn't have actually minded if he wasn't Priscilla's first date. Way he saw it, if he wasn't the first, he'd be able to know what not to do. He then replied to Priscilla's comment about the teacher's. "Eh, I've met worse people. I get the feeling that teachers like Ms. Vanhomrigh only act like that because they feel they'll get the best results from us students if they act all tough and mean. I bet if we were to run into her off campus or something, she'd be much different. But yeah, my favorite class was History with that Professor Oobleck guy. I've always found history really interesting. I'm not sure why, though." He picked the cherry from Priscilla's drink after she gave him permission, quickly eating the small dessert topping. Robert smiled as Priscilla ruffled his air, resisting the urge to make some stupid dog joke. He'd already made enough bad jokes that evening. Right then, Tuck came back with their burgers.

"Here you go, kids. I promise to leave you alone for the rest of your meal," he said before walking back to the kitchen to serve the other customers.

"Oooh, finally they're here," Robert said before picking his burger up and taking a good-sized bite out of it.

Priscilla smiled at Robert as she reached for his hand, stroking his palm with her thumb softly. "Oh? Yeah...Ms.Vanhomrigh scares me. And oh? You like history...? Hehe, I like it. A very handsome smart kid like yourself should like History. That is a very important subject! Though, a few people at the academy call you a geek." she told him while getting a bit closer to him, staring into his eyes with her own. "But I don't care, the geeky ones are the sexiest for me anyways," she said, looking down at his lips, wanting to kiss them, but Tuck, thankfully, arrived in time. Good, she didn't want to end up regreting kissing him first, Robert might not have liked it. "Thank you, Tuck.~" she said before looking at the burgers, grabbing a knife and a fork, as she stabbed the middle part of the hamburger with the fork grabbing the knife and cutting it into a half. This was Priscilla eating proper, alright?

The oblivious Robert had been too distracted by Priscilla's comment to have noticed her leaning in to kiss him. People were already calling him a geek, huh? Robert wondered who it could be. Oh well, he didn't mind. And Priscilla thought he was sexy? He had never heard anyone call him sexy before. That was nice. Robert took another bite from his burger.

"So, how are you liking the whole... date thing..?" she asked curiously before taking a bite of her half-sandwhich, waiting for his response. The burger was incredibly delicious and the meat was juicy, really good. An a plus to truck! "Wo-Wow! I love the burger..! Oh god, it tastes really good, you were right!~" Priscilla giggled before taking another bite of the burger.

"Told you," Robert replied. "They're the absolute best." He took another bite and swallowed it before continuing. "To answer your question though, I'm loving it. Just the two of us spending time together. I think we should do this again sometime. I hope you're having as much fun as I am." Robert suddenly started to hear music playing behind him and saw Alan messing with a juke box in the back. Alan smiled and gave Robert a thumbs up, while Robert gave an irritated glare. "Stop getting involved," he whispered under his breath before smiling back at Priscilla, acting like he wasn't bothered by Alan's meddeling.

As the young couple were eating their delicious meal, Priscilla turned to face Robert. She smiled at him, getting even closer, before heaing a song coming from the juke box. It was Alan and the sound was so beautiful, that it even made Priscilla sway! "Wow... I actually like this music..." she giggled before grabbing the napkin and wiping her lips, just in case it had some ketchup or whatever. "Wanna go dance?" Priscilla asked Robert arching an eyebrow. Even if he didn't know how to dance, it would be totally fine because she could teach him!

Robert was in the middle of sipping from his drink when Priscilla asked him if he wanted to dance. It almost caused him to spit out the milkshake. "D-dance? Um, y-yeah sure," he said nervously. He pushed back his chair, stood up, and held out his hand to help Priscilla out of her chair if she wanted help. As the two of them made their way to the closest open space, Robert turned to her to say, "You should, uh, probably know that I, uh, don't... really know how to dance... like at all. So, uh, gonna need some help with this."

Priscila was actually susprised that he wanted to dance. She knew already that he didn't know. How did she know? Because of his reaction when she asked him, it was a cute reaction though. "Haha, alright." she said reaching for a napkin to clean Robert's mouth, just in case he had something on it. It was just her being a good date. Priscilla grabbed his hand, standing up as the young couple made their way to the closest open space. "It's okay..." she smiled at him. This song wasn't slow, but it wasn't really fast either, so the best would be for th-- forget it. "Wrap your arms around my waist..." she instructed while she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer. As she got closer to him, she blushed slightly looking at his eyes with her own. This was love! "Annnnd, you move slowly to the music... even if it's not that slow..."

Robert followed Priscilla's instructions as best he could. Luckily, they were taking it pretty slow, so there wasn't that much of a chance of him messing up. That fact didn't keep him from being extremely nervous, though. Horrible thoughts of doing something like stepping on Priscilla's foot or being so nervous that he began to sweat rushed through his mind. As the song continued though, Robert began to realize just how silly thoughts had been. Now he was having fun, and he began to smile again. "I'm glad you suggested this," he said. "Would never have even thought of it you hadn't."

Wow, he was actually doing really good for his first time. Even as they were very close to each other he didn't seem to be mesing up. It was a slow dance, but then she started to pick up the pace, going a little faster. "Alright, this time a little faster. Step right.. step left.. step right.." If people were around, they would see the two lovers being the only ones dancing in the diner. It was sweet and romantic, alright? Priscilla looked at Robert blushing still as she smiled at him before giving him a quick nod. "Yup! I like dancing, music, singing. All those type of things.. it is why I chose music as my class. I should sing to you one day.~" she spoke truthfully now resting her head on his shoulder as they danced.

As the song began to end, and the other customers began to leave, Robert and Priscilla went back to their seats to finish the last of their meal. Robert took one last sip of his milkshake and one last bit of his burger then threw away all the trash at their table. Once Priscilla finished hers as well, he threw away her trash for her and helped her up from her chair. As they walked to the exit, Robert turned back around to Tuck, Alan, and Miller and said, "Bye guys. Thanks for the meal."

Tuck looked up from the register and shouted back, "Your welcome. Hope you plan on paying me back, eventually." Tuck was joking of course, which made Robert laugh. "Oh, before I forget, I was saving this to give it to you as a present or something, but seeing how tattered that hoodie your currently wearing is..." Tuck bent down and picked something up then threw it to Robert. It was a hoodie just like the one he was currently wearing, but green. "Always thought you looked better in green, anyway."

Robert put on the new hoodie, throwing the old one in a nearby trash can. "Thanks, Tuck. I appreciate everything you've done for me," he shouted back as the door closed behind him. Robert turned to Priscilla and joked, "Hope we don't miss our bus."

As the song ended, everyone started to leave. That just meant that it was time for Robert and Priscilla to be on their way as well. After finishing their food, throwing them away, and cleaning the table, she turned around with Robert to thank the three who helped make this day to be the best day ever. The best -date- ever actually! "Thank you guys so much for the meal, and the music was perfect. Take care.~" she offered a friendly wave before turning around and walking away with Robert, she reached down for his hand as their fingers locked with one another. "Yeah..! We don't have to worry, but this date was the best... it will always be. I am glad that we did this, Robert." Priscilla said resting her head on his shoulder as they walked.

Eventually, Robert and Priscilla arrived back at the airship port. The entire trip back to Beacon was spent with the couple just holding hands and staring at each other lovingly. The same could be said as they walked from the airship's landing spot back to their dorm room. Before they opened the door to get inside, Robert turned to her and thought about what to do next. It felt strange to just walk inside and have the date end like that. He leaned forward to Priscilla.

As they arrived to the airship, the ship's doors opened to let the young couple walk in. The trip back was better than the trip going to the city. They were actually holding hands and staring at each other with lovey eyes, and Priscilla couldn't stop blushing! That was just a sign that she -enjoyed- their date and hopefully they could do it again! Now, getting out of the ship they made their way back to their room. Greyson and Daniel might have been already sleeping or not in there, but before they opened the door, she stared at Robert smiling at him. That was until he leaned forward to her, blushing as her eyes widened, frozen not knowing what to do..---- what was HE going to do?!

Robert pulled Priscilla closer while stiill holding her hand and kissed her. He couldn't help it. She just looked so beautiful standing there next to him. He backed away afterwards and looked to see her reaction.

Priscilla's eyes widened as she was pulled closer to his body, their bodies were chest to chest as she wrapped her arms around Robert's neck, pulling him closer to the kiss on the lips. The two were kissing for a few seconds before they both backed away. "....Uhhh.. heh." she was still blushing biting her bottom lip before stepping closer towards Robert and hugging him tightly, giving him another kiss on the lips, a peck! AND making her way to their room, now to her bed. Though, now that they were dating.. because of the kiss, she did hate to sleep alone. So, she asked him! "Uhhh... Robert.." she whispered at Robert seeing him already in the bed next to her, tapping him on the shoulder. "Can you come sleep with me..? Please?"

After the kiss, Robert followed Priscilla inside the room, making his way to his bed. He had just pulled his shoes off and was just lifting the covers when he heard Priscilla say his name and tap him on the shoulder. He smiled and responded with a cheerful reply. "Sure, Priscilla." He turned and climbed into her bed after her, snuggling next her. He let out a pleasured sigh as sleep began to slowly take him. "Today was a good day," he thought aloud. He hadn't planned on saying it out loud, especially so loud that Priscilla could hear, but he didn't care. It was the truth. It had been a good day.

Priscilla smiled as she got in her bed, now feeling Robert climbing into her bed with her as they snuggled closely. And, ladies and gentleman, this is how the young couple went about their day!

[MULTI_MEDIA_MAN]

Oswald Connolly- Evening.

Oswald turned to Gren, his eyes showing just how defeated he felt. "Definitely. Grimm aren't exactly tough....usually." Frowning, he lifted his arm to show off his broken wrist. "That certainly didn't help with this class either. I swear, if it had been my right arm that got fucked up, I'd have gone insane. Not being able to use my shield right is one thing, but my sword? No thanks."

Finally realizing that Gren had offered to help, Oswald nodded for a moment before replying. "That would be helpful. Yeah. Really helpful. I may or may not have only managed to give my avatar a cloak. A green one." Visibly deflating at his revelation, Oswald frowned. "So it might be more of you teaching me how all of this stuff works. It's been a while since I've worked with....advanced technology. Advanced meaning anything more complex than a radio and a compass." Shrugging, Oswald realized that he needed to get to the Armory for some work.

"Thanks for the offer, Gren, but right now, I need to get to the Armory. I have some great plans for this sword now that I have access to a proper forge and all that. I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of each other anyway, what with Sapphire and I making sparring plans." Giving the other boy a curt nod, Oswald turned away, missing the flair his cloak would have given him, before making his way to the Armory.
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A few hours later, a sweat-drenched, shirtless Oswald finished his work on the Trepanation Blade. It had taken a lot of concentration, lube and good old-fashioned elbow grease, but his sword's handle could now be rotated on a set of hinges and magnetically attached to his gauntlets, essentially enabling his sword to transform into an oversized, drilling Katar. Such a modification allowed him to make full use of his sword's deadly thrusting attacks, as well as adding an entire level of versatility that could make him a more unpredictable combatant, which was always helpful.

Sighing contentedly at the job well done, Oswald stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow, screwing up his face as he smelled himself. "I will never get tired of this feeling." The air on his body was cool, and the moisture served to accentuate the scars on his chest and arms. His pectorals, shoulders and upper arms all had neat, horizontal lines going across them, as well as his back. They would be obvious as stretch marks to more than a cursory glance, but at the moment, Oswald didn't much care if anybody saw. Grabbing the towel he placed next to his workstation, Oswald dried his body off before looking to his clothes and armor.

His brigandine and shirt were carelessly tossed to the side, the latter atop the former, while his gauntlets and pauldrons were carefully laid on the ground near them. He partially put his shirt on his body, not caring to button it up, before hauling his brigandine over his shoulder and loosely affixing his gauntlets. Carrying his pauldrons in his arms, Oswald made his way back to his team's dorm, pushing the door open with his shoulder.

"Hey team, just got back from doing some work on my sword. Neat little new feature, it can swivel on my arm into, basically, a Katar. Mag-locked to my gauntlets like that, too. How were your days?"

[Agent B52]

Marcus felt like he stepped out of a hot shower when the lessons of the day were over. Truly sharpshooting and a little programming was the way to spend a quiet afternoon. The professor, once he realised what Marcus’ semblance could do, had actually made him work by hand, an approach Marcus had not even considered once. Ni turned out to be right though, as the manual work made Marcus realise what a horrible clunky mess he made mentally with stray thoughts scattered everywhere throughout his programs. He’d been so absorbed in what the man had to show him Marcus barely even greeted his teammates in the lesson, too absorbed in work. Once the assignments were done he started to overhaul the programming for the Unsubtle’s various systems, ironing out kinks he had never even realised were there in the first place.

Like his old mechanics teacher told him, simplicity was the hardest.

After the lesson Marcus disappeared into his garage for the standard day to day maintenance on the Unsubtle. After that he settled in MODA’s dorm for some paperwork and finally, more code work. His coat and hat were set aside for the moment, on his bed neatly folded with millimetre precision. As Oswald came in Marcus was still engrossed with the screen and barely looked up.

“The morning aside surprisingly soothing and informative, thank you. How's your injury by the way? I've thought of putting MODA up for light mission work, but we'll need medical clearance.” the officer replied absent-mindedly. Then Marcus processed what he had seen on Oswald’s chest and did a double take.

“Also wow. Those scars look painful. Ritualistic?” he asked.

[Forsythe]

The rest of her afternoon went rather dull - not that Diamond would complain. As soon as she vacated the library, her steps took her outside rather hastily, her fingers itching for the cigarette. She hated to admit it, but the task of quitting this particular vice might be harder than it looked. To her great displeasure the smoke burned up all too quickly, but she managed to restrain herself to only one with the aid of a bag of chips that blissfully kept her hands and mouth busy as she returned to their room.

As she walked by, she stopped to check the board in the main hall. Out of curiosity she took a look at the missions roster, knowing Friday would have them on one. Mostly they seemed dull and offered pathetic little in cash payout, but one did catch her eye due to the overseer. She figured it could never hurt to make contacts in a company like the SDC - as long as they didn't dig too much in her background.

She returned to the dorm, wanting to just lie down and sleep off the strain the classes put on her. Whoever was composing their schedule was a sadist, putting all of the physically exerting classes into a single day. And the day after the initiation too!

Passing through the door she took one look around the room and nodded a greeting before making a beeline for her bed, collapsing on it with a sigh of relief. Overhearing Marcus talk about the missions brought her earlier inspection to mind. "Hey boss, take a look at this." she said, fetching her scroll and sending him a link to the convoy escort. "Good credits, pays well, and seems fit for your... unique equipment." she suggested.

[Lugubrious]

“Afternoon.”

Headmaster Ozpin sat languidly behind his desk. Written on his face and resonant in his voice was the vestige of resignation, though such a display of fatigue was not unwarranted. No day carried with it more tumult, more upset, or more tremendous upheavals than school's first day, particularly to the man who arbitrated it all. Forgeries, injuries, second chances, mysterious disappearances, and more all combined to give the silver-haired man an iron-crushing headache, but not all matters today were destined to wear away at his sanity. Before him stood a trace of hopeful optimism: three transfer students about to begin the most important of their lives so far.

Cerulean Sebastian, clad in black, wielding blades below the shoulders, hailing from mistral, and of unabashed demeanor. Krysanthe, last name unknown, a previous tenant of Vacuo and a boot user, strong of body and stronger of will. Ebon Umbranox, from a locale as of yet undisclosed, master of drones and a warrior marked by pride.

“I'll keep this brief. You three come from diverse places and diverse backgrounds, but now that you are here in my academy you must look forward. Certainly, the past is immutable, but you must focus on the present to attain a future. You will be held up to the same standards as every other student, and over the course of education, become no less than hunters worthy of taking on this world.”

Looking down at his scroll, Ozpin shuffled some icons around and before sending them off. He slipped a trio of student scrolls from a desk drawer and pushed them toward the new arrivals. “Every detail you need, including locations, identities, and faculties have been given to you. While we have taken the liberty of breaking the ice for you, it is up to you three to forge the bonds that will last you for the next four years. I'll give you a quick rundown of your situations.”

“Cerulean, you have been assigned to the newly-reformed team RCJM – Reclaim, captained by Rayna Bryson. Your teammates are Jack Orpheus and Mokuren Sabella. I hope you find them capable, reliable allies. If you are interested, more information regarding the previous members of teams JRVR and GJMM will be rendered to you at a later date.”

“Krysanthe, your station is team KESS – Kiss. Following a revelation concerning the background of the previous team leader Seilber Vulpez, she has stepped down, and none other than you will be filling her place. Though you are new here, we are confident that your skills -as proved by your file- make you a fitting substitute for Seilber and a fitting role model for Sepia. It is your job to reunite that team the best way you know how. Question my judgment if you must, but I trust that you will abide by it nonetheless.”

“Ebon, you, too, are joining team KESS. Our last eyewitness report of Mr. Ineko Irandi indicated that he fell off a waterfall several hundred miles away from here on a Survival class went sour. Naturally a rescue team has been dispatched and honed in on him in short order, but as pronounced by the field medic his injuries were too severe and the damage to his cybernetics too extensive to allow him anything but the relief of hospital treatment. As such, you are taking his place on KESS. Do not think of yourself as a mere substitute, however. We know you have the power to...what's the phrase nowadays? Rock them. Do so. Exhibit a will powerful enough to catapult your team to number-one.”

“Dismissed.”

-=-=-

Abel Fulgurate

Learn from mistakes of others?

That wasn't what Abel thought. As expressed by the besuited mafiosos of the previous century, the theme of Mr. Albion's fable more closely seemed to Abel to be know when you're beat. Sure, the fox learned something, but mere seconds before an ally had been slaughtered by a powerful evil that could not be reasoned with. The story echoed the plight of the hunters and huntresses of Beacon, Abel reasoned, and if none of the people around him developed the skill of knowing when to give up, their careers wouldn't amount to a stain on the pages of history.

The remainder of the hour slouched groggily by. Although he was still breathing heavily from the entire Survival class's near-death experience in the forest, the guardian was able to work through the assignment pretty easily. Words had always been preferable to numbers for him, and a long time atop walls with mostly books for company left Abel appreciative of their art.

When the bells finally announced the end of sixth period, Abel bid farewell to Robert and Mr. Albion and made straight for the dorms, though his sense of direction might as well have been as soggy as his coat, for he chanced to end up back in Combat class. Realizing his craving for a little excitement, Abel casually entered and seated himself in the bleachers. It took only a moment to discover the intensity of what was going on in the ring: a full-out team battle. At first the raging confrontation looked to be a three-versus-three, but a quick glance upward determined that was not the case.

On one side, the monitors displayed the faces of the unassuming but well-built team that had assisted him and Sapphire in the initiation ceremony against an Ursa: PHGM, Pan, Hansen, Gretchen, and Mary. Across from them were four that Abel didn't recognize: a scruffy-haired blonde boy with a nervous expression, a ditzy-looking girl wielding a hammer, a tough-looking redhead that for some reason brought up the memory of breakfast, and a dark-haired boy with startlingly pink eyes. The first member of this team JNPR -and the leader, which made it more humiliating- had his face grayed out, and when Abel scanned the battleground he saw him lying on the ground and drooling, a sizable bump on his head.

The other missing person resolved herself by suddenly becoming visible again directly behind the redhead, who was currently engaged with Hansen. As Abel silently marveled over the thought of an invisibility semblance, he watches as the siblings Hansen and Gretchen attacked the girl simultaneously, using a well-coordinated combination of bone halberd and burning cattleprod. It was with ease, however, that the other girl knelt and met both attacks with her shield, poked Hansen in the foot, swept Gretchen's legs beneath her, and then rose in a single fluid motion. Before the brother and sister could fully scramble to her feet, the girl took their heads and slammed them together, cutting their aura levels to red.

Meanwhile, young, innocent-looking Pan had summoned his shadow, and the two were fighting the hammer-wielding chick as one. They constantly surrounded her, striking quickly from both sides, and not allowing her the space necessary to swing her massive mallet with enough force. With a loopy smile on her face, however, the girl raised her weapon and smashed it into the ground instead, causing an explosion that blew both Pan and his shadow apart. The phantasm vanished, his master's aura level reduced to critical.

“Break!”

Mary and the pink-eyed boy, currently engaged in a rather feeble fistfight, eased off. The familiar tones of Professor Goodwitch resounded across the arena. “That's three out of four down for team Pilgrim! Juniper takes the match!”

It was at that moment that the guardian discovered his favorite coat pleasantly dry. Nodding in grim approval, Abel vacated the combat hall for the second time that day, and allowed himself no distractions this time in his quest to return to bed.

[harinezumikouken]

Kuhaku Shiro - 6th Period, Computer Science -> [...]

Destroyed. Simply described was Shiro's emotional state. For the entirety of the class, he merely stared at the blank screen. His eyes just as blank. Tried as he might, he sent his mental faculties into overdrive in an attempt to make sense of the assignment given to him by the teacher for the period. Ultimately, he couldn't do it. Frying his own brain in his efforts to understand a world completely foreign to him, the blank screen of the computer monitor effectively drained his soul from him. Ears low, his tail sad and pathetic, he looked up at the teacher as he walked by. Eyes dolefully reflecting the glow of the monitor in front of him, Shiro's lip quivered as the teacher merely gave him a look and shook his head. It would seem he would be in one of those 'lower-tier circles' the teacher mentioned. He would have to get extra instruction, or have to rotate the class out for a different subject. Either Language or Music. Neither of which suited him.

The bell rang and startled him out of his melancholy mood. Shiro jumped with a start. Shaking his head, he sighed and looked at the woefully blank screen of his monitor. Gathering his things, he was the last to leave the class, taking his time. Partially, he was glad the class was over. The other part of him was heartbroken he failed his first assignment on his first day so miserably. It didn't help when Gren only really seemed to notice that Oswald was struggling too and offered his help to him, instead of his own teammate. To be honest, he felt a little betrayed. Grabbing the hood of his cowl, he pulled it over his ears and head. Moping and pouting to himself.

---

After a small chunk of time, Shiro quickly recovered. Mad at himself for letting such a thing beat him down so badly, he reversed his depression into new-found vigor and motivation. The next day, come 6th period, he would absolutely annoy the teacher for any information he could spare and absorb it as best he could. He wouldn't do so badly again. Okay, maybe. But, not as bad! And that was all that mattered to him, even if he failed. He would fail gloriously, having given his all. It was all he could do. If the teacher determined him to be irredeemable, he would just have to reschedule his classes. He hoped he was able to. Maybe try out Music or something. He couldn't recall, but vaguely thought Sapphire was in that class. The percussion instruments appealed to him. Maybe he could try out the drum sets or something. Whatever they were called. Seemed easy enough, bash it or hit it to make a noise. Hell, maybe it would even be fun.

At that idea, Shiro's ears and tail perked and his eyes brightened. Realizing where his train of thought was running off to, he blinked and slapped himself smartly on the side of his face.

"No! I will give my all at Computer Science first!"
He puffed out his cheeks angrily.
"A-and if that doesn't work, then maybe Music class can be an option."
At least he would already be familiar with someone there.

Settling back into his usually smiling face, he found himself at his team's dorm room and entered. Off in his own world, as per the course, he decided that now that he had time to himself he would relax and release some stress. Almost immediately after he entered, without mind to whoever may or may not be in the room, he peeled off his clothes until he was down to his skivvies. Throwing open his drawer filled with his clothes, he rustled around and burrowed out a black sleeveless t-shirt and navy blue shorts. Changing into them, he burst out of the room with enthusiasm and bolted down the corridor on all fours.

Over the next hour or two, he would work out any stress of the day beginning with a nice run around the school grounds for about thirty minutes. As he began to plot out his running route around Beacon, barefoot and quadrupedal, he wondered if he could accomplish his usual average of four-to-five miles in that timespan. Sure, he knew there was a nice track for him to run on. But, where was the fun of that? As he already began to huff and puff, breaking out into a light sweat, he planned out the rest of his workout. Today he was feeling chest workouts, supplemented by core exercises in between or perhaps afterward. He had a little booklet he used to write down his daily regimens but he forgot and left it behind. Bad habit of his.

Thoughts narrowing and focusing on the physical exertion of his body, soon his mind cleared itself. Only focused upon his evening exercise routine.

[Lucius Cypher]

Gren Orchid

Gren nodded his head as Oswald considered his offer. "Of course. One thing at a time." Oswald left, and soon the entire class cleared out. Letting out a sigh Gren wondered what he should do. Checking the weight of The God Eater, he concluded that he needed to make ammo. It'll be nice to have something more than just his average hollow points. Calculating the fastest path to to armory Gren jumped out of yet another window, sliding his way to the shop.

There were many people in the Armory, and Gren was certain he caught a glimpse of Oswald here as well. But that wasn't important. Before arriving to the armory Gren had stopped by his dorm and brought with him a large metal box, almost as large as The God Eater. When he found a work space Gren revealed what was inside; vials of dust, primers for his bullets, hollow cases for his rockets. It was Gren's own bullet press. He came to the Armory to make use of their machines however, knowing that his bullet press was infuriatingly slow. To make one bullet or rocket at a time... Maybe something he'd do to kill time, but he had used quite a bit of ammo today, so he wanted to replenish his supply. He found the machine press were bullets were made, and after acquiring the permission to use it, he went about creating his bullets. But he didn't just make his usual hollow points; they were good against the fleshy hides of Grimm, but against harder armor they weren't that useful. At least not as useful as say, Armor Piercing. But he also made sure to add schematics for buckshot and dust-laced bullets as well. He wished that the bullet press could also help him make rockets, but alas, those he'd have to make himself. Fine with him. He had some ideas for those he needed to handle anyways.

Time went by. Thousands upon thousands of bullets were being made by the minute, and by the time Gren was finished he had a little over 20000 rounds of hollow points, 13000 of AP, 5000 Buckshots, 2000 Fire Dust-infused bullets, 2000 Ice Dust-infused bullets, and 2000 experimental ballistic rubber bullets. That last one was something he discovered while operating the press; apparently Beacon has bullets for "Non-lethal" purposes, something which Gren scoffed at. "About as non-lethal as kneecapping..." Instead of it's original purpose Gren repurposed the rubber bullets for a different idea. He'd test them out one day. As for his rockets, aside from the general unguided high-explosives, he also created some timed explosive rockets, proximity rockets, and another experimental type he dups "Suppression". As far as explosive power went, it was rather low. But it did unleash a deafening explosion and a blinding light. But how deafening and how blinding he'd have to field test; this was his first one. Satisfied with today's haul Gren packed up his things and headed towards the mess hall. It was time to eat.

[Scarifar]

Daniel

Daniel was tired from the day's events. Survival class definitely wasn't called Survival for nothing, if the waves of Grimm were anything to go by. The rapid surfing wasn't exactly helpful either. Daniel never did like surfing to begin with. Perhaps that was because surfing involved water and his Semblance could create fire. Oh well, what's done was done.

Music class was at least somewhat ok. Compared to fighting all those Grimm, though, playing a guitar was rather boring. He'd much rather do something more productive than this, but the other two subjects that were up for grabs back then seemed even more boring. Computer science? He wanted nothing to do with that, and the other subject he couldn't even remember.

At last, though, sixth period came to an end and Daniel was free to go. He felt like sleeping, but sleeping the day away would be so boring! Perhaps he would grab a bite to eat. That sounded appealing, but he wondered if there was something else he could do. Then thd thought of his missing weapon came to mind, and Daniel still recalled how the acid had ruined his short sword.

With that in mind, Daniel headed over to the Armory, where he thought he could come up with an idea for a new weapon. The two swords were nice and all, but that wasn't his style of fighting. It was only the style of his legal guardian, after all, and Daniel learned it only to have his guardian get off his back about it.

As he entered the Armory, he saw Gren hard at work making what appeared to be bullets. Daniel contemplated the thought of going over to say hi, then decided against it and sat down on a random chair. Gazing up at the ceiling, he wondered what he should make. He wanted something that would be suited to him, something that matched the way he wanted to fight. Ideas began forming in his mind, but nothing concrete. Bringing a hand in front of his face, he moved his fingers around absentmindedly.

Sighing, he got off his chair and left the Armory. He would come up with something later. Right now, it was time to grab some grub and head on back to his room.

---

His stomach satisfied, Daniel went back to his room. Perhaps he would sleep the rest of the day away after all. Using his Scroll to find his way back, he entered his room and headed over to the bathroom to take a shower. He was tired, but no way was he going to sleep while covered in dried sweat and whatever else was on him.

Shower taken, Daniel changed into his pj's and flopped into bed. Nothing as relaxing as a soft bed when you're tired, after all, and Daniel quickly fell asleep. A noise woke him up some time later, and Daniel wondered what it was. Opening one eye, he saw Robert and Priscilla crawling into bed- no, was his eye deceiving him?

They were going into the same bed!

Daniel tried to hide a growing smile, and closed his eye as well. So the two lovebirds finally got together. How cute. He focused on listening to see if anything else was gonna happen, but after a few minutes, it was clear that nothing else was going to happen. Disappointed, Daniel stopped trying to listen and went back to sleep. He'd tease the two about it in the morning.

[MULTI_MEDIA_MAN]

Oswald Connolly- Team MODA dorm room

As Oswald walked to his bed, he nodded while dropping his brigandine on the ground, resulting in a loud thudding noise. Despite not being made of metal, it was by far the heaviest single piece of equipment he wore on a daily basis, weighing nearly twenty pounds. He never complained, however, the thick mesh of leather had saved him from potentially deadly wounds more times than he could count.

As Marcus's words finally registered in Oswald's mind, he let out a small chuckle. "Ya know, if you weren't so comically off-base, I might have been offended. No, they're actually stretch marks, believe it or not. Growing a good five or six inches and putting on fifty pounds in a year does terrible things to the human body. Anyway, missions, huh? I could use some fieldwork to test out this new modification I made. Medical clearance shouldn't be too tough to get. I'm not exactly in proper shape to go toe-to-toe with an Ursa Major using my shield arm, but I think we'll be alright."

Carefully placing the rest of his armor on the ground and getting a tank top and light pants for sleepwear, Oswald made his way to the door to take a shower. "I'm gonna clean up before lights out. Whatever you decide on, I'm good with boss. You got a good head on your shoulders, I trust ya." With that, Oswald left the dorm to take his shower, after which he planned on dropping into bed and doing absolutely nothing. The joys of sleep.

[Lugubrious]

Sarina Tala Dei

Sarina was walking down the hallway carrying her Saxophone case. Then she saw Paron walking down the opposite direction of her. Even more so than usual, the boy sported an expression of mixed dejection and surliness. It was not unusual to see Paron playing around with his yoyo in his spare time, but his favorite toy-turned-weapon lay untouched in a pocket. More interesting were his two teammates, walking behind him in single file, only visible to Sarina now that she had grown closer. When the fancily-dressed senior spotted her, he abruptly paused, then cast an expectant yet seemingly insecure glance back at Kitty, who waited a moment before nodding. Paron turned back and held up a hand as if he were hailing Sarina--which he pretty much was.

"Hullo," he greeted softly, moving out of the way so that he teammates could continue moving. His oddly rustic northern accent tended to make conversation with him either endearing or annoying, but he forged ahead regardless. "Listen, I know we've ne'er been the best of friends, but afta three years of squabblin' an' fightin' I think it's time ta move on. Now, this weren't my idea, but Kitty's asked me ta ask you if you wouldn' mind helpin' ol' team Catapult with a little gig? Some work together ta mend the gap."

Sarina spoke. "Indeed" as she nodded and made a small half smile "though a little gig you say? I am going to need to require info about this "gig" you speak of."

The shadow of a grimace passed over Paron's face, slighter than a feather and no longer-lived than the fleeting shadow cast by a cloud overhead. In its place was a smile that matched Sarina's own. After sporting melancholy for so long, his features made the smile look -while somewhat alien- that much brighter. He clasped his hands and brought them together, holding them in front of his chest in a plaintive gesture. “Cool. Thanks. The thing we're plannin' is...well, ta be perfectly frank, it's a raid on Missus Goodwitch's office. Nothin' serious, jus' a li'l goofin' around. I know ya respect the woman, and that's fine by me, but you know as well as I how aloof she is. I doubt if she's ever even spent an evenin' in town with ya, jus' talkin' and bein' friends. We figured that, A: this'd be fun fer us, and B: it'd give you an' Goodwitch somethin' ta laugh about together. Everyone wins! 'Cept the toilet paper, o' course. Whaddya say, dearie?”

"I tend to keep my relationship with teachers more as teacher-student relation. But interesting" as she went somewhat into a meditative state thinking about their prank. It is too vague for me... "It doesn't sound so bad but when do you plan on executing this prank and are you just TPing her office?"

"Thess very evenin'. And o' course it's just the paper. If we got nabbed doin' anythin' more serious, we'd get kicked out fer sure. Come by at seven-thirty on the dot. We'll see ya there!" With that, Paron waltzed off, moving in the general direction of the dorms. At Sarina he did not look back, meaning that she couldn't see the grim frown on his face, utterly in contrast to the promise of merriment in future hours.

It did not sound so bad to Sarina but you could say it was an event that she was reluctant to do though if it meant getting close to Paron to help him, she would do it for that sake. Even then as she walked to her dorm, a blank expression was on her face as she was never raised to be rebellious against authority figures…though that was the case for every offspring of the Dei’s. It was not common for them to be rebellious, and independent-desiring individuals, a lasting legacy of a dying family since the War.

--

It was afternoon not time yet for tonight as usual with her friends. Instead Sarina sat in front of a terminal in the CCT talking to a figure on the screen from Mistral.

“…I really think you should have stayed here since you had a high position within Haven. Many people miss you but also many hate you to the point some want to beat you up in when the Vytal Festival occurs.”

“Well that’s if they can beat me. I’m still strong as ever” said Sarina with a prideful tone.

“Well…don’t let your narcissism get in your head. Seriously, ever since you left, a lot of people that hated you have become strong… It is to the point that I have heard rumors that those that want to teach you lesson will only pick one person for the Vytal Festival to fight you and I do not know who it is.”

Sarina thought processed the info and spoke more seriously. I see… Need to start training more… “Is there anything else I need to know” said Sarina asking for more questions ever since her departure from Haven.”

“Well…despite the hate some people have due to you due to they see you switching to Beacon is betrayal to Haven, that is all…I have to say” said the male figure.

“All right then dude. It was nice talking to you!”
“You too, have a great day!”

--

Sarina entered the office of Ms. Goodwitch with…reluctance. Not immediately noticing the presence of team CPLT, she went ahead and strode right in, pulling out a toiler paper roll from her purse as she did. She was already several meters inside the office when she froze, shocked, at the sight that lay before her. Glynda Goodwitch's office lay in utter disarray. Drawers had been pulled out and their contents scattered, books thrown from their shelves, lightbulbs smashed, chairs turned over, and even a table flipped. Throughout the horrendous mess, however, there was no sign of Kitty, Paron, or Thistle. Anger built up in Sarina's brain as she beheld the scene and realized that she had been deceived. As her fury mounted -how had she not expected this from the surliest, most dubious bunch of scoundrels in the school!?- she vaguely knew that the rage coursing through her veins was uncharacteristic of her. Under normal circumstances, she might have calmed down with a deep breath and left to inform someone about what had happened. Instead, however, Sarina growled beneath her breath and slammed a fist on top of Goodwitch's desk. She was going to make those vandals pay--especially Paron, for tricking her!

"Oh my."

The wrath snapped out of Sarina in an instant, replaced by fear. She whirled around to see none other than Ms. Goodwitch herself standing in the doorway, eyes wide. It was a moment before Sarina could find her words. "Uh, ma'am, it's not what it looks like. It was Paron! And the others! They did this and tricked me into coming here!" You know I wouldn't do this.

Goodwitch eyed the roll of toilet paper clutched in Sarina's hand and sighed heavily. Her eyes were sharp, totally unsympathetic. "Miss Dei, I haven't the slightest idea why you would so something like this, but rest assured that you will be disciplined for it. Come with me to the headmaster's office immediately. You can repeat your little tale there."

-=-=-=-=-= Four Days Later =-=-=-=-=-

At last, the day of pounding hearts and rushing blood had arrived. If the first day of school had been tough on the students, the first week had been no easier. Those who still harbored illusions as to the nature of a full-blown combat academy were quickly put in their place. Over the course of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the teachers were able to adapt to the needs of their students somewhat, and determine a curriculum that would bring out their best. Professor Ni Rensa Ryou, for instance, implemented a hands-on engineering portion of the Computer Science class, where he was aided by the good-natured but forgetful senior Rika Thorn. Always over these classes, however, had been a cloud of something truly engaging: not more instruction, but a chance for all students to prove themselves. Friday, it had been rumored, was Missions Day, and now that it had come, the students found themselves assembled in the auditorium hall in which the naming ceremony had been held six days prior.

Professor Port and Glynda Goodwitch, one looking exceedingly trim in hunting garb and the other even more dour than usual, stood upon the stage. On the massive holographic display behind them were clustered headshots that represented all eleven freshman teams: BAST, RWBY, JNPR, SASG, MODA, RPGD, CRDL, CFVY, RJCM, KESS, and PHGM. For a while now the students had been gathering, some alert, some sleepy, and all intrigued, but now Port began to speak.

“Congratulations for surviving your first week at Beacon, noble hunters and huntresses!” He cried theatrically, holding his arms wide. Clearly, 'subtle' didn't exist in his otherwise expansive vocabulary. “No thanks to Professor Vorosky, I am sure! Hah hah hah!” There came a brief pause, in which not one person laughed alongside him. Port cleared his throat and continued. “Regardless, it is today that you all will be given your first assignments! You may consider what you are imminently going to undergo akin to the field trips of your high-school years, but with substantially more slaughter! Of evil, that is! Hah hah! Look no further than our enormous screen here and your fate will be revealed!” He looked off to the side of the stage and shouted, “Commence the assignment!”

First to appear was the mission Protesters, to which team RPGD –Robert, Priscilla, Greyson, and Daniel- would be assigned. Next of importance was the mission Underground Casino, which was to be completed by Rayna, Jack, Cerulean, and Mokuren of team RJCM. Following that came the simple mission Patrol, given to team KESS's Krysanthe, Ebon, Sepia, and Seilber to complete. On its heels was The Shelter, entrusted to Sapphire, Abel, Shiro, and Gren of team SASG. Then, team MODA was allotted Convoy Escort, as requested by Diamond and concurred upon by Marcus, Oswald, and Aurellius. Lastly was BAST, Benjamin, Amaranth, Sangue, and Trad, who would be performing Combat Recon with none other than Port himself.

“Delightful, simply marvelous! I know that all of you will represent our prestigious Beacon Academy with every word you speak, every cut you make, and every hole you shoot! Come on, then; the airships, and our destinies, await!”

[Ryonara]

Ebon's arrival to Beacon, his trip to Ozpin's office, and beeline strait to his dorm happened quickly. There wasn't much fanfare or introductions made. He changed into his pajamas and headed strait to sleep. The next few days Ebon attended his class but stayed in the background. People might have known his name by than, seen his weapon in action, know his face, but he never talked to anyone. Just fine with him, he wouldn't know what to say if someone did try to start a conversation with him. On his fifth day at Beacon the team was given their mission. His team, "KESS", had chosen a simple patrol job. A couple of the city guards came down with the flu and the students were going to replace them. "Easy enough..."

As one of the team members who went to bed the earliest, Ebon was the first to wake up and one of the first to arrive to the hall were the missions were being doled out. He didn't really listen to Professor Port talking, deducing that it was entirely boisterous rambling and introductions. He stood there, fully equipped, ready to embark on his mission ASAP. The only reason Ebon didn't go and find the airship was because he was suppose to meet with his team here. He supposed it was his fault for going on ahead of them, but thinking about it he didn't really care. He just wanted his credits and his money.

[Scarifar]

Daniel

Daniel had a rather fun time teasing Robert and Priscilla about their time together in bed, making comments like, "Looks like some people had some fun in bed," or "I wondered when you two would get around to this." Daniel kept it in moderation so as to not make things too awkward for them. It was just in fun, so they probably didn't take it offensively. At the end of it, Daniel gave both of them a thumbs up and said, "Congrats for finally making it official. Just a pity you guys didn't go in that direction just yet."

The days went by, and Daniel went through his classes like a routine. Nothing all that special in any of those days.

Finally, all the teams, including the RPGD team, were being assigned missions for them to carry out. Daniel, unfortunately, had yet to get a replacement for his short sword, but it wasn't like he was in any big hurry for one. Daniel watched the screen for what mission his team was going to receive. He was glad his team came up first, since that meant less time wasted, and was curious as to what the mission "Protesters" would have. They would probably be doing something about protests, as the name implied. Everyone else seemed to get the more interesting missions, though. "Underground Casino" and "Convoy Escort" seemed a lot more exciting. Oh well, he supposed it would have to make do.

[Forsythe]

OOC: With Awesomoman

IC:

Friday morning…

It turned out Diamond was making slower progress on her ‘hobby’ than she thought she would. It was OK on the first two days, but by now, she would openly admit to herself that she had a bit of a problem. Not only was she bitchier than usual, but her head just wouldn’t stop pounding until she took a drag. Despite that, she somehow managed to stick to one per day.

But to top it all off, there just wasn’t any time these days. Soon the assignments started piling up and her waking hours were spent writing papers on Grimm she probably wouldn’t ever see or beating Althesian encryption despite the fact she had to avoid that country like devil avoids the cross.

Thus she found herself few minutes before the sunrise in the gardens again, heading towards her favorite bench to catch up on the smoke she didn’t manage yesterday. It had a view both to the school and off of the cliffs, depending on which side one turned their head. And the best thing was nobody was ever there, allowing her a few minutes of quiet.

Until today. There was an individuum invading her territory. From what she could see from this distance she could mistake it for another woman due to the ponytail, but a few meters closer the broad shoulders and overall build told another story. “You’re in my spot.” she said without any venom as she jumped over the back of the bench and settled down, reaching into her pocket for the pack. “Would you happen to have fire?”

An A ranked mission? Was his team insane? Sure, he felt they had become better hunters in just the week here, but to take on the second hardest mission available? Trad was beginning to become stressed out. On one hand, if they did complete this mission, it would prove that they belonged here all along. On the other, if their arrogance got the better of them and they failed this, Ozpin would surely boot them right back out of Beacon.

Sleep was hard to come by that night, so when morning came Trad was still wide awake. Still on edge Trad simply left the dorm and began walking to try and calm his nerves. It was not helping. Lucky for him, he did have something just for that. Wandering into the gardens, he found a nice bench that seemed secluded from everything else. Taking a seat and kicking back he reached into his lower right pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes. He had tried quitting a few times before due to the health problems they caused and their additive nature, but he found the relief they gave to be worth the cancer.

Before he could even grab his lighter, a voice chimed from behind. In an instant an odd girl in a hat had slipped right next to him with her own cigarette out. “Um, sure. Here.” He handed her his lighter and watched as she in one motion flicked the lighter open and lit it. Guess he wasn’t the only one who had been smoking for a while now.

It was only then he finally recognized her. “Hey, you’re in my Grimm studies class aren’t you?” He asked as she passed the lighter back.

“Thanks.” she offered as she grabbed the lighter and lit up her coffin nail. As she took a long hit, she held the lighter open for the guy to get his going. Blowing out an O shaped cloud, Diamond sighed at the relief it provided. Usually she would watch the sun over her shoulder, but right now the man was in the way and she didn’t want to look like she was staring, so she kept her eyes straight.

She would have been content just sitting there, but he just had to go and ask a question. Sparing him a glance, Diamond nodded. “It’d seem so. Big fat pain in the neck that class is. I signed up for learning where to hurt them, not to listen to chapters from the ‘Collection Of Stories From Before I Was A Fossil’ book.” she complained. On the first day it was excusable, but as time passed she took quite the dislike for prof. Port.

Save for that the staff was mostly agreeable. Initially she was a bit nervous about how Goodwitch would react to her request, especially since she seemed particularly angry the exact day she went to ask, but to her credit the woman listened to her arguments and, surprisingly, agreed with her. When Diamond inquired whether she could help setting the procedure up, the professor conditioned that information with seeing how well she performs in the field. Oh well, today would tell. Speaking of which…

“So, what do you have planned for today?” Diamond asked. Might as well keep talking now that they started.

Well, not the answer he expected, but not really a surprise either. Trad personally liked the work they did in Grimm studies, but couldn’t agree more about Port. The man seemed to drone on and on. Where as his language class was the opposite. Albion usually started with some parable, handed out an assignment and then that was it. No literature discussion or real lessons.

Trad let out a long deep sigh. “Mission. We have to do a Combat Recon I think.” He paused to hit from his cig, then let out a large puff of smoke. Just thinking about it put a pit in his stomach. “Its way above our level, and we’re on thin ice as is.” As he spoke he couldn’t help but feel he was being too serious, this girl was obviously also trying to loosen up. “Just be glad you’re not going, Professor Port is supposed to be over seeing the whole thing. No doubt he’ll have three hour speech about the time he did a similar mission.”

As she listened to the man, Diamond finally connected the face to a name, and the name to a team. “You people seem to be obsessed with trying to prove something. First Amy now you. Trad, right? Chill out, it’s week one. No one comes here an accomplished hunter.” she rolled her eyes.

“Besides, you just have to survive a recon, right? Shouldn’t be that much of a problem, in fact getting the data back is a priority. I spent quite a few hours doing something like that and it was more boring than dangerous. After a few hours you’re gonna beg Port to tell you another story, you’ll see.” Diamond chuckled, not envying the poor chumps their advisor in the slightest.

“Yeah we’ll just be driving somewhere with a dust shipment from the SDC. Seemed like a good connection to make.” she shrugged, the smoke momentarily forgotten until a particularly annoying stab of pain in her head reminded her.

Trad got a small laugh when she mentioned their ‘obsession’. “Oh trust me, Diamond,” Her name finally came to him when she mentioned Amy, who also had told him a tale or two about this character. “I’ve learned that all too well from practice class. Half the people there look like they’re holding guns for the first time.” He shook his head and took another hit. How the hell did BAST have failed while people like that clumsy couple passed? “But the other members of my team still think we’re runts in a pack of wolves, and we have to show we’re just as fierce.” He gave his cigaret a small flick to knock all the ask off.

“I wish it were as simple as that, but in truth it looks more like our job is to search and destroy. If we were smart, we would have taken yours. Move something from point A to B while defending it? Thats our specialty.” He lifted the cigaret to his lips but stopped when he had another thought, “Course we don’t have an actual god damn tank.”

“Best way to get yourself killed.” Diamond deadpanned at the gung-ho attitude. She didn’t try to persuade him otherwise though - it was none of her business. “And no, I’m not persuading Marcus to trade. I think taking on one datura per week is my limit. I’ll be happy to stick with a B level threat.” she grimaced, still feeling the bruises of the initiation even now.

He raised an interesting point though. “Yah I heard that class is brutal in particular. I wouldn’t know either though. Still looking for some way to hit at range, but I don’t like guns. Mechanized killing - Feh. There’s no class in that.” she said, her tone one of an absolute disapproval.

She chuckled sourly at the mention of that machine. “You know I kind of hate how that bloody tin can on track steals the show. I could beat a ‘bull in Grimm Studies with a bloody spoon after Aurelius rides it to the store and back and no one will talk about that, always the ‘tank guys’.” she thrown her arms in the air in protest. “I refuse to play second fiddle to a machine. I almost hope a white fang squad would show up, or someone who knows to hide from the big gun, so we could get some recognition for ourselves.” she huffed, taking an angry drag.

“Well, anyway,” she said, disappointed that the last hit took off a good quarter of the cigarette, “even if it is search and destroy. Just find what you’re looking for before it finds you, they you have surprise on your side. Drop a rockslide on it or something, you know, play dirty!” she offered with a cheeky half smile. Diamond checked the clock and guessed they should get back soon lest they’d miss breakfast. Finishing up the cig, she turned her shadow into an ashtray and extinguished what was left of it, offering it to Trad. “Well, we should get going lest they eat everything without us. Nice talking with you though, we oughta do this more often.” she grinned.

“Well well well, look who's trying to prove herself now?” Trad gave a sly smile at his remark. “I can see what you mean though. Yeah a tank is a massive and impressive machine, but every machine has its limitations. People on the other hand… we’re limitless.” He started sounding like an old wise man.

“I wouldn’t put guns down too quickly. True they have no class, but when you’re in a fight and it’s either you or them, they makes the decision easy.” Trad always had a soft spot for gun. The raw power he felt when he had a rifle in his hands gave a lot comfort.

“Well, thats a neat trick.” Trad extinguished his cigaret in the shadowtray Diamond had made, then stood up and stretched. He felt strangely calm now, almost as if the mission didn’t bother him at all. “I wouldn’t mind that. Should we make this a weekly session?”

“Sure thing, I don’t want you here disturbing my peace every day.” Diamond jabbed verbally, although in a joking tone. “I’d go nuts if I only took one a week. Started on the cigs to calm my nerves a few years back and now my body refuses to cooperate when it’s become a bother. I’m managing one a day so far but this habit needs to go, period. If we’re stuck on a mission for a week, I can’t afford to be turning into a withdrawing junkie.” she shuddered at the thought. there’s been plenty people in Juvy with their brains fried by worse stuff than smokes.

She had a point. Right now he had his cravings under control, but what happens when even one isn’t an option? Trad was starting to rethink his whole take on ‘Stress relief > Addiction’. Maybe Diamond and him could help each other quit? That was a topic for another day though, they were quickly losing time for breakfast and probably wouldn’t get a chance to eat again for a while. “Alright then, see you next Friday. But this time, bring your own lighter.”

[Guess Who]

Robert looked around the room. There was something familiar about it, but he couldn't quite figure it out. It resembled a living room to some house that he knew he'd seen in the past. From where though? Then it hit him. It was his childhood home. What was he doing here? Robert looked to his left and sure enough, there stood his family. Everything was exactly where it was the night he- Oh, no. He needed to warn them. He could save him this time. He wasn't young and helpless like he was before. Robert stood up and was about to shout to them, but it was too late. With no warning, the building burst into flames. "Not again, not again," Robert whispered to himself. He turned to the staircase where he knew his family would be standing. He yelled for them to back away or go down without him, but they continued standing there, waving him over and calling his name. Maybe if he went with them they'd get away in time? Robert began to sprint towards them, but the closer he got, the farther he seemed to be. It felt like the room was stretching. He had to get to them, he had to save them. He called out to them, begging them to move away. Then he felt it, the concussive wave of the explosive. It knocked Robert off his feet and he began to fall back.

Robert awoke on the floor of team RPGD's dorm. A dream... no, a nightmare, that's what it was. Just a nightmare. There's nothing he could have actually done, they'd still be gone when he awoke. Robert rose from the floor and looked down. The fall in the dream must have been from him falling off the bed. Priscilla's bed. He looked to the bed to find her still asleep. Good, he hadn't woken her. In fact, everyone was still asleep. What time was it? Robert looked to his scroll for the time. Five in the morning. Robert didn't really feel like trying to go back to sleep, so he went to the showers and got ready for that day's classes. "I need to get my mind off that... thing," he said to himself. His mind began to wander as he washed himself, trying to think of something else to keep his mind on. Eventually, he found himself thinking about the date from last night. The happiness he had felt then, began to affect his current mood and he began to cheer up. His more positive attitude made him begin to start humming the first song that came to mind, before starting to sing the words. In no way was he as good as someone like Priscilla who had actual training in the art, in fact he was off-key for most of it and messed up on the words several times, but who was going to judge him. After getting out, drying off, and dressing, the alarms began to ring, waking everyone else up. "Morning team, let's see what Beacon has in store for us today."

For the next four days, Robert's life at Beacon became pretty routine. Go to the first three periods of the day. Hang out with his team during lunch. Finish the last three periods of the day. Do any assignments given to him by any of his professors. Do whatever with his team, again. Then finally sleep.

Daniel's constant teasing was a bit annoying, though. "'Looks like some people had some fun in bed?' What does that mean? You sleep in a bed, how could that be seen as fun? 'I wondered when you two would get around to this?' Get around to what? Was it the date? I don't recall giving any details about it. Did Priscilla tell him and Greyson? '"Congrats for finally making it official. Just a pity you guys didn't go in that direction just yet?' What direction? What is Daniel talking about?" These were the questions Robert often found plaguing his mind.

Finally, the day the team's missions were handed out finally came. Robert was certainly excited. Any chance to gain money was always great, he hated being dirt poor. "I hope this is going to be fun," he thought, unaware of the hell he was about to go through.

[harinezumikouken]

Kuhaku Shiro - Friday Morning, Assembly Hall

Gathered into the Assembly Hall, Shiro stood amongst his teammates. Ever curious and fidgeting, he constantly looked to and fro at the crowd of his fellow students. Picking out familiar, friendly faces and enthusiastically waving should he be lucky to catch their eyes. As the general Assembly went underway, Shiro paid attention for the most part. Nervous energy coursing through his body prevented him from being fully attentive and still, constantly wired. From his understanding, today would be the day that the organized Hunter Teams would be taking on their first missions/assignments. He partly wished that Professor Port would just get straight to the point so that they could move on. He got the feeling that most everyone in the Assembly Hall felt the same way. Seeing his team's name and their faces on the large screen in the center of the Hall filled him with a sense of pride.

Learning the particular mission that his team would be undertaking, he pulled out his Scroll and expanded it. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to have it and be playing on it during the Assembly but he quickly dismissed it with a shrug. If he got in trouble, he would simply apologize and put it away. He couldn't help himself, though. He just had to know more. Locating information on 'The Shelter' assignment, his mouth slowly hung open and his eyes grew big.

Mission: 'The Shelter'
Difficulty rank: B
Overseeing staff: Headmaster Ozpin
Reinforcements: None

As Shiro read, he was surprised that his team would already be tackling a 'B'-ranked mission. One assigned by the Headmaster, no less! Smiling, he was sure he and his team could successfully complete it. He wasn't sure if they would be biting off more than they could chew, but at least it wasn't some boring and mundane job. He briefly backed out of the mission's details to view what other teams would be doing.

He snickered.
"Reconnaissance, Escorts, Patrols, and...Riot control? Ha ha, glad we don't have to do anything dull like that." Shiro thought, rather pleased with their team's mission and empathetic towards some of the other teams.

Returning to view the mission's briefing, his smile gradually faded into a look of worry. Something about some shady experiments being conducted on wildlife and Aura. That detail worried him a bit. Placing the mission into perspective for a moment, he pieced together the facts.

"Hmm...We'll be boated to an island. So, we're going to be isolated. No reinforcements have been planned for us..." Shiro's concern grew.
Something about this didn't quite sit right with him.
Shaking his head, he collapsed and put away his Scroll and his smile returned.

"Aww, shucks. No matter! We've got this! Our first mission! OUR FIRST MISSION!" Shiro repeated the line over in his head until his boundless stores of enthusiasm and energy returned in full.

Balling and clenching his gloved fists next to his face, he was practically vibrating. Trembling with ridiculous amounts of vigor, a big grin on his face. Reaching his 'limit', Shiro turned to Gren and pounced onto his back. Grabbing the Boar Faunus by the wide, broad shoulders, Shiro attempted to shake him too.

"Our first mission, Gren! It's our first mission!"
He laughed heartedly.
Turning to Abel, he leapt from Gren to Abel's back and wrapped him in a big flying bear hug. Attempting to rock and sway the large man same as Gren. He was feeling particularly touchy this morning.
"Did you hear, Abel!? We've got our first mission! Aren't you excited? It's gonna be so fun! We're going to do so awesome, all the other teams will be jealous!"
It was true, he was getting so worked up his golden brown eyes began to take on their glowing icy blue color. Black stripes started to streak through his white hair and mark his ears, ringing his white tail. Turning to Sapphire, practically incandescent at this point from all of his beaming, he contemplated 'glomping' her too. Thankfully, a thought interrupted him from doing so. Probably saving his life.
"Oh wait, I need to get my equipment ready!" He thought aloud.

Hopping off Abel's back, he scrambled to leave the Assembly Hall. Not once considering that perhaps the Assembly wasn't quite over with or that he was even allowed to leave. Low and on all fours, he tripped over himself a few times in his overzealousness. Hands and feet unable to quite grip the ground to gain traction. If nothing stopped him or got in his way, he would've surely bolted out of the Hall outright.

"Gotta get ready! Gotta get ready!" He panted deeply and heavily, his tongue lolling.
The question being raised if Shiro was honestly feline in nature or not. More often he resembled a canine with all of his ridiculous vim.

[Forsythe]

The cooks in the mess hall had a nasty sense of morbid humor, or so Diamond thought after seeing them serve bacon and eggs. She wasn't a lover of history, but enough kept in her head from Oobleck's class to remember that this food was served to bomber pilots back in the human-faunus war on the days they were supposed to fly. And if she remembered, their casualties were hitting the 50% mark. She hoped they would fare better than back in the day.

After the breakfast the loudspeaker ushered them to the assembly hall, where Prof. GloryOfTheOldDays delivered the news everyone already knew. Diamond was pleased that the staff apparently took the requests of the students into consideration (That or her suggestion was just pure flawless logic - either way she won) when she saw Moderation was indeed assigned the escort mission. Once the roster was on display, her scroll vibrated in her pocket. taking a look, she found a message from their overseer telling her where and when to meet him.

She arrived there first, easily spotting the business looking man waiting for them at the main entrance. "Miss Frost?" he said, looking up from the tablet in his hand. "Good morning. How is business?" she greeted the man with a nod, hoping to set a friendly mood to give her a better negotiating position. "Frankly? Not great. Last week we had heavy losses - both materiel and people. Enough to hire help." he said, tiredness apparent in his voice. "We'll do our best to help." Diamond reassured. They fell into silence, waiting for the rest of the team.

[Eklispe]

Krysanthe woke up excitedly, even if they only had a simple mission it was still the first one for team KESS. This was going to be her first chance to fill her role as leader so she would have to try super hard. Though it would be a terrible first impression if she was late Krysanthe thought worriedly as she hurried through the school to the mission hall, her golden hair flourishing out behind her and her boots thunking solidly on the ground. Krysanthe was tempted to use her boots for an extra kick of speed but then should would probably have to clean it up and end up getting there even slower. She had been so excited that the first four days had blown by in a blur and she barely remembered them at all. Krysanthe arrived towards the tail end of the speech just in team to hear the assignment. It seemed simple enough, stand around and get paid, done and done.

She looked around worriedly for the other members of her team recognizing one of them ,Ebon, by the huge tower shield he carried around. "Hey Ebon!" she shouted across the hall as she closed the gap between them, "I'm Krysanthe, newly appointed team leader, good to meet you." she said quickly offering her hand for a shake. It was obvious she was very excited about this, "Seen anybody else from out team around?" Krysanthe asked, looking around eagerly for the other two members, Sephia and Seilber.

[SevenStormStyle]

"'Scuse me, sorry." Sepia rattled off apologies as she tore her way through the mission hall trying to find her team. A small feeling of panic was rapidly becoming a not-so-small freakout. "What if I don't find them? What if I get left behind?" She stopped short. "What if they die? What if they're already dead?! What if this is all just an illusion?!?!". Dropping dramatically to her knees, she cried out "It's the apocalypse, oh the humanity!"

Wait.

"Oh hi guys." She wagged her tail sheepishly.

[Agent B52]

The days leading up to Friday saw Marcus increasingly agitated. Like clockwork he got up at the same early hour every day. What time was not spent on lessons and homework was spent on checks. Gear was counted, disassembled, cleaned and put together again so often Chatsworth stepped in and nearly physically threw Marcus out of the armoury. Subsequently the officer practically buried himself in what maps of and reports about the mission area he could get his hands on. Relaxation became some distant and strange foreign dish to him. By the time the actual mission day rolled around he was still tenser than a chain holding up a struggling Goliath. Rather than listen to the speeches, Marcus went over his equipment list one last time.

Finally the groups were released, and Marcus instantly headed for the hangar. Like every bit of his personal space it was tidy and immaculate.The only dirt in the room was stuck to the treads of the war machine. Even the wrenches gleamed in their ordered rows. Every stowage bin the tank carried was jam-packed with equipment for the coming trip. A steel towcable with a sturdy grappling hook looped around the turret basket that held mountaineering gear. Snowshoes rested on top of a case of demolition charges. Despite preparations for every eventuality up to and including Vale declaring them rogues, Marcus’ hands trembled as he clambered aboard and started to flip switches.

This was it.

The engine roared to life behind his tiny coffin of a cockpit, and his world expanded. Armoured shutters popped open and close like blinking, sleepy eyes. Vision widened and deepened as colours known only to faunus were added to his pallette. The winds that caressed his form was picked apart and analysed, three reticles popped into view in response. Roars, whirs and clatters of machines testing their lease on life surrounded Marcus like a warm blanket. Like a bone that popped into place, his worries stopped bothering him. This was indeed it. Fully merged, Marcus/Unsubtle lurched forward and rolled out.

Bring it on world.

He/it parked right in front of the designated meeting point and hailed Diamond and what he/it assumed was their contactperson.

“Someone order a can of whup-ass?” he/it said. Marcus yanked his consciousness back into his body and shook his head. Quickly he popped the hatch and hauled himself up into view. He kind of wanted to apologise instantly for the remark, he had no idea where it had come from. Instead he settled on a brief nod of recognition.