[IC] Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

[Forsythe]

"So you say, but how would we know? You could be an evil mastermind intent on crippling the hunters by deafening them masking as adorable little kitten! Saw that movie cats & dogs? Guess who was the villain?" Diamond yelled to tease, unable to keep the grin from her face. She still couldn't see the source of the racket though, and was getting annoyed by it rather fast.

She knocked on Emerald's and Oswald's shoulders, pointing her arm up on a nearby roof to relay her intent in other means than words: "We should get to a vantage point, I can't see a thing in this mess of people!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

[Lady Seraphina]

Sapphire Rode - Hallways

As they walked closer and the sound got louder Sapphire glanced again down at her hands. One was covered in black fingerless skater gloves, she'd worn them for combat class, they were good for grip and didn't look to conspicuous. The other hand had a white silk glove that most people assumed she wore because as the heir to a wealthy family they looked 'classy'. The truth was neither of these but Sapphire didn't feel the need to correct anyone on that.

The problem was that after combat class Napoli had seriously damaged one of the skater gloves and Sapphire had discovered that by mistake she'd only brought one of the silk ones with her to combat class and she'd not had time to return to the dorms. As it was now she felt her hands looked incredibly conspicuous. If anyone cared to take note it most definitely looked as though she were trying to hid her bare hands.

Sapphire glanced out at the campus, the dorm rooms were only two buildings over, it wasn't directly on the beaten path but Sapphire always prided herself on her speed, she could get there and back before anything serious happened. "Oswald!" she shouted over the steadily growing sound of obnoxious music. "I'm heading by to my dorm for something, I'll be back in five minutes!" With that she took off into the crowd.

Unlike Shiro Sapphire's method of moving quickly involved precision. She weaved through bodies and around structures with graceful speeds. Admittedly some people might have gotten knocked or bumped around a bit as she whisked past but she was by no means destructive as she moved. It took her only a couple of minutes to make it back to the dorm. Sapphire had a spare pair of skater gloves in her bag with she quickly got out and put on. She retrieved her forgotten silk glove where it had fallen to the floor and was just about to leave when something occurred to her.

Sapphire was not exactly one to think of others often, at least not in the way of making sure people where comfortable or friendly with her. If she saw someone in trouble of course she'd help but very rarely would she stick around to tell them it would be okay or anything like that. However as she was about to run back to the crowd seeking out the source of the music it occurred to Sapphire that Oswald hadn't put any ear plugs in. More than likely his were stored with his weapons in the portable lockers.

Sapphire turned around the went to get her spare pair which she kept with some other supplies underneath the bathroom sink. She reached under and retrieved them. They weren't exactly top quality but they were fresh and designed for anyone to use so they should work for Oswald. Sapphire straightened up and was about to go when something caught her eye. It was an orange pill bottle in the sink. She picked it up, it had the name 'Kuhaku Shiro' printed on the label. At first Sapphire thought that perhaps she should leave Shiro's business alone but then it occurred to her that this might be anything, it could be morphine, or something more harmful and highly addictive. As team leader she should know, if it turned out it wasn't any of her business then she need not mention it to the others.

Not being a chemist Sapphire didn't know what the drug was meant to do but it wouldn't exactly be difficult to find out. Sapphire searched the name on the bottle on her Scroll. The first entry the popped up was a Renipedia page about the drug. The first few section dealt with its chemical composition but at the bottom was a heading labeled: Medical Applications. Sapphire scrolled down to it and began to read. Most of it was medical jargon that she likely wouldn't understand without attending a prestigious medical school but at the very bottle it read "In low doses is commonly prescribed as a mood stabilizer and anti-psychotic".

Sapphire almost lost her grip on her scroll. Shiro was on an anti-psychotic? Well she'd known since day one that he was a little out there and his moods seemed rather erratic but she'd never thought that he was actually crazy. This was important, she had to tell the rest of the team. It wasn't just about Shiro's privacy it was about the safety of the team. She didn't know specifically what he had but what if it was something that cased him to have episodes... Now that she thought about it the whole team very likely witnessed one that day in the infirmary after the entrance exam. What if that happened when they were in the field, it could get everyone killed. She had to tell them.

[Kaithas]

Amy was in agony, even more than the other Faunus. Her feathers were standing straight up, hands over her ears, doing her absolute best to block out the sound. She sank to her knees, her semblance still boosting her senses, the sounds amplified and screaming into her brain. Lauren grabbed her hand but she was barely aware of it, her eyes scrunched tightly closed.

"Can't-" she stammered out. "Hurts too bad."

[Plank Sinatra]

Lauren Negasi

Shit, right! She's a Faunus!

Lauren's face lost as much color as her dark complexion allowed, and she released her teammate's wrist as quickly as she'd grabbed it with a squeak of apology. Thinking fast, she dug up her music player again, muted the volume, and fussed and cajoled her way into getting her headphones over Desire's head as much as she could. It was good enough to muffle lessons, but in the face of that music, it'd be much colder comfort for Amy...

"Uh." Lauren clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and looked towards Ben and Sangue, searching for the source of the noise through the windows. In her shape, after combat class was only an hour ago and her Aura reserves were still low...and with no backup from Amy or the other half of BASL... "Ahh, what the hell. Half the class is already checking it out anyway, right?"

Hopefully the headphones were on tight enough that Amy couldn't hear her - she looked as though she were in need of some small relief right about now - but Lauren felt good saying it at least to herself.

Whatever's going on, the bass is absolutely terrible. BALANCE YOUR SUBS, S H I T H E E L

[Lucius Cypher]

Gren Orchid

Gren signed as a sudden blar of loud music hit the entire school. All the students and even the teacher left to investigate, so Gren figured that class was dismissed. He closed his book and turned to Shiro who booked it right out of the classroom. No doubt his senses were getting overloaded by the music and Gren wasn't exactly comfortable either. He had some sound dampeners but that didn't stop the screeching and thumping in his head. He'd need to get his sound-proof headphones if he wanted to be able to completely ignore the music, and he left those in his rooms. Seeing that Shiro was already gone Gren sent him a text over to Shiro's new Scroll.

To: Kuhaku Shiro
From: Gren Orchid
Subject: Get my headphones?

Hey Shiro since you're already gone could you stop by the dorm and get my headphones? They should be near my computer. Thanks, and I'm going to go see what's up with this music. I think I saw Abel and Sapphire head to check it out. Guess class is dismissed eh?

Sending his message Gren packed up his supplies and strapped them to his back. Then he walked outside, seeing the large crowd that has formed. No a problem for him, he just started walking up the wall until he could get to a high vantage point. He would have used The God Eater to fly above the crowd and towards the source of the music, but Gren didn't want to gun down the other students below him.

[KabenSaal]

Mokuren saw Skyra wake up, and sheathed her sword, confident she was no longer in danger. Then, as ordered, she sat down next to Skyra, blushing slightly at the compliment.
"I never really thought about my bum. I just, sit on it, and that is that. What makes it so nice?" Mokuren asked, trying not to overtly oggle Skyra, and failing harshly. So, to distract herself, she turned to the back of sweet stuff. "You told me you liked sweet stuff, so I got you these"

[Silvan Haven]

Beryl Harken

Well here she was. Little old Beryl at the famous Beacon Academy with it's tall spires and well manicured lawns. She had missed the chance to be on the original VGNB but well, that was fine. It just meant that there had been somebody who would do a better job of it.

Now though she had been called to take up the newly opened spot on the team and that was fine as well.

Stream clinked softly at her side as the black haired faunus walked down the ramp of the aircraft that had brought her here. A blue wheeled suitcase rolled along behind her, carrying all of her clothes and the myriad of other little things a person needed when going on a trip.

For the moment her earphones hung around Beryl's neck. She wanted to take in all the sights and sounds of this new place and made no effort hide it. One thing that caught her eye was the student with a very serious face making their way towards her. Stern look, exact and proper uniform and a very crisp gate told Beryl all she needed to know about the person making a beeline towards her.

Gek

"Nice to meet you too Gratia. Yes I am aware of what my position will be while here and I apologize in advance for the headaches that I will probably be causing you."

[harinezumikouken]

Kuhaku Shiro - Team Swansong's Dormitory

Approaching the door to his room, Shiro's newly gifted Scroll chimed as it notified him of a message. Pausing and slipping his Scroll out of his pocket, Shiro unlocked it and checked his received text. Smiling, Shiro quickly tapped a response to Gren.

To: Gren Orchid
From: Kuhaku Shiro
Subject: Get my headphones? Re:

Sure thing, boss. Yeah, lucky us for the early 'dismissal'. Math isn't my strong suit. I was having trouble. My brain doesn't like having to process so many numbers, lol. >:3

Shiro chuckled as he sent the message and pocketed his Scroll. Grabbing the handle, the door unlocked and he stepped into his room. Shutting the door behind him, first things were first. He had other priorities to attend to. Softly padding his way to the bathroom, his mind rolled through the checklist of things to do.

"Okay, put away my 'things'. Grab Gren's headphones. Then grab my own hearing protection. That is, if I can find-..."
Shiro stopped short in front of the bathroom door.
"Them?"

Now, the tiger boy wasn't the most attentive creature on the face of Remnant. But, instinct and an unnamed sense of his always alerted him whenever there was something amiss. Frowning, he tilted his head as he looked at the bathroom door. Problem was, the door was ajar. He was certain he had shut it when he finished talking with Sepia. At least 90% certain. Of course, he was forgetful of trivial and minor things. So he just as easily could have forgotten in his rush. Shaking his head, he mentally shrugged as he pushed the bathroom door open.

He froze dead still. His senses went hay-wire as the synaptic connections in his mind went into overdrive as they fired off. Eyes wide. Mouth slowly hanging agape. The hairs on his head, ears, and tail stood on end as his voice caught in his throat. The color drained from his face as he simply looked stunned. His body beginning to tremble and shake ever so slightly.

"Ah-"
His bag slipped off of his shoulder and hit the ground next to his feet with a thud as he reached forward with his gloved hand. Standing in the threshold of the bathroom like some odd, furry statue.

[Guess Who]

Robert Fallson - Math Class

"Here we are,
Born to be kings,
We're the princes of the universe,
Here we belong,
Bum, bum
Fighting to survive in a war with the dar-"

In his boredom, Robert had decided to begin mumbling the words to some of his favorite songs, but the increasing noise from outside had caused him to become distracted and lose his train of thought. "What the heck is that noise?" he asked rhetorically, at a much higher volume than his previous "singing." At first, the red-headed teen tried to ignore it. As soon as he saw that, not only half the class was getting out of their seats to investigate, but the teacher as well, Robert's curiosity was permanently piqued. If he missed out on seeing what this was, he felt that he would probably be left out of a lot of future social interactions. And so he followed the stampede of students out of the classroom and towards the mysterious music.

[Lady Seraphina]

Sapphire Rode - Dorm Rooms

Sapphire took a picture of the prescription on the side of the bottle of pills with her scroll for future reference. This was important but she didn't think now was the best time to deal with it. The team was scattered across the campus, besides she rather wanted to have a private chat with Shiro before telling everyone else. There was always the small chance that she'd misread the facts. It was best she be armed with all the knowledge possible before committing to anything.

She may not have exactly liked Shiro, fact was she found him annoying, boisterous and not coordinated or focused enough to be hunter material but that didn't mean that she would take pleasure in humiliating him in front of the rest of the team which was more than likely how Shiro would respond to having this brought out into the open. No, Sapphire would deal with this later, for the moment she'd put the pill bottle back, return to the rest of the crowd, lend Oswald her spare pair of earplugs and see if they couldn't find out exactly what was causing that infernal music.

Sapphire heard a gasp and a thud sound behind her and before she could put either of those sounds together or register who it was that had gasped her mind registered one thing: Danger, Intruder. Quick as a lightning Sapphire dropped the pill bottle back in the sink and unsheathed one of the school's anelaces that she'd been using in place of Morpheus and Phobator and threw it hard towards the sound. At the last moment Sapphire realized who was standing at the door. It was took late to stop the weapon but she managed to change its course slightly. It lodged in the wall a few millimeters from Shiro's head. A could strands of his white fire severed and impaled along with it.

Not willing to admit fault or to bring up the pill bottle just yet Sapphire looked at the tiger faunus with disdain. "It's rude to sneak up on people, especially when they're armed." she said with her eyes narrowed. She'd dropped the pill bottle more or less where she'd found it and the threat on his life was likely enough to distract him from the fact that she'd been holding it. Shiro's mental state was not an issue that Sapphire was prepared to deal with here at this moment. While she would if it was necessary the azure haired girl much preferred to postpone that conversation for another time. After all at this moment there was work to do.

[harinezumikouken]

Kuhaku Shiro - Face to face...

A knife flew by his head and landed dangerously close to his face as it planted itself in the space of wall next to him. However, Shiro didn't seem to react. He didn't move. He didn't say a word. He didn't even blink. All he could manage to do was eye the clattering pill bottle that was now settling in the sink. As it rattled and shook, the whispers and voices exploded in his head. They churned and mixed with his own internal voice, cluttering his thoughts. As he silently fought within to wrest control over his emotions, he dryly swallowed. His golden eyes slowly panning over to lock with his team leader's own eyes.

True, it was extremely and terribly rude to just waltz his happy little self into a bathroom before knocking. Especially since a lady was present. But, Shiro had no way of telling Sapphire was already in there. A odd concoction of his scent, Gren's, Abel's, and her's constantly lingered in their room. His team leader had the skill of being swift and silent like an assassin. Combined with whatever her Semblance was, even Shiro had a hard time detecting her sometimes. It played well to her fighting style and to her character. Regardless, Shiro hardly cared at this point with being rude. All he could do was just look into her eyes, attempting to search for the answers to his questions in them.

Finding his internal voice, Shiro slowly lowered his outstretched hand.
"What was she doing here? Why? Why did she have to be here right now? What does she HAVE to be HERE RIGHT NOW? No. No, no, no, no NONONONONO!"
His eyes flitted over to his pill bottle, resting in the sink, before returning to bore into her eyes once more.
"This can't be happening. Was that a Scroll in her hand? My name is on the bottle. She must've looked it up! She HAS to know now!"
Shiro took a careful step towards his team leader. His body moving automatically, on its own.
"W-well, so what if she knows? No! Of course she does! If she does...What is she going to do? She's going to tell Gren and Abel. There's no way she's going to keep this a secret!"
He took another step towards her. His blood burned hotly as it loudly rushed through his body. His heart rate beating at a forceful million beats per minute. Or however heart rate was measured.
"She's going to tell everyone."
Another step.
"SHE'S GOING TO TELL EVERYONE."
Yet another.
"I...can't have that happen."
His eyes shifted to their glowing icy blue color. The gold bleeding out and fading away.
"M-maybe if I just ask her nicely."
His black stripes began to make their appearance, burning into existence.
"No! She hates me. She doesn't like me. She's..."
A low rumbling could be heard growing in his chest as he neared her.
"If everyone finds out, will they isolate me?"
His pupils narrowed into a thin black slit.
"I'll be alone. They'll hate me too."
The rumbling in his chest grew louder.
"Will I be removed from Beacon?"
He got ever closer.
"I don't want that to happen."

Kladenets and Perun shifted on his back, reminding Shiro and Sapphire that he too, was armed still. To Shiro, his vision tunneled making it seem to him that he was merely inches away from her face when the reality of it may be further from what he perceived. . Lifting his shaking gloved hand, his expression twisted and contorted. He looked as if he struggled with himself, trying to fight off whatever demons poisoned his mind and body. Making it move against his will. Everything in his body language pointed to aggression. The two of them, alone in that room. The door was closed. Only Gren really knew Shiro was at the dorm. If anything happened...

He gulped.
"No."

His ears slowly drooped, flattening against his head. Just as suddenly as he began to make seemingly threatening gestures and motions, it all vanished in the blink of an eye. His eyes changed back to their golden color, normalizing. His stripes vanished. He took a step back from Sapphire and gave her space. Instead, he quietly walked over to the sink and retrieved the orange pill bottle. Looking around, he made sure there were no extra tablets laying about and pocketed what he had. Looking over at Sapphire, his eyes seemed to plead to her. Begging her. Unspoken words cried out to her. Asking her to be merciful. That she would forget whatever happened. That she would forget whatever she thought of him or knew of him. That she would maybe save him a little dignity and respect. To keep his minor but major secret just that. A secret between the two of them.

"That's it. She knows now. Whatever she's going to do with that knowledge, I can't help it. I just have to accept the consequences." He sighed wearily again. His eyes fell onto Abel's cracked alarm clock in the sink and he winced. "Right. I'll have to take care of that." Head low, Shiro turned and picked up his bag. Looking up at the knife stuck into the wall, he reminded himself and added another task to his mental checklist. "I still need to find her old weapons." He hadn't forgotten. Hefting his things higher up on his shoulders, he walked back into the main room of the dorm and went about his other duties. He easily located Gren's headphones and placed them in his pack. Rummaging through his own belongings, he found his old pair of faunus-friendly ear buds. They were nothing super nice or high quality, but they were all he had. He just hadn't found a use for them since destroying his old Scroll up until this point. It was better than nothing and they had some noise-cancelling properties. Looking at the earbuds in his hands, he realized he could now listen to music again. He would just have to redownload everything he had before. Smiling a cracked smile, he comforted himself with that and pocketed the earbuds. Removing his pill bottle, he opened one of the drawers that belonged to him and quietly hid it inside. Not exactly caring if Sapphire saw or not.

Making his way to the dorm's exit, he stopped in front of it and stared blankly ahead of himself. Casting a sidelong glance towards the bathroom, he stopped himself and turned away. Grabbing the handle he opened it, stepped outside, and carefully shut it behind him. Sniffing, he rubbed at his itching nose with the back of his gloved hand. Taking out his earbuds and placing them into his twitching ears, Shiro began walking towards the source of the music. As he walked, he felt nauseated. His stomach painfully flipped as cringed in pain. Willing himself to get away from the dormitories, he soldiered on. What was the maximum dosage of his medication anyways? Did he take one or two? Was he supposed to have taken it with food or without? He couldn't remember. He hoped what he was feeling just the stress getting to him and not a delayed side effect of the meds. Biting his lip, he nervously chewed at them. Head and eyes focused on the ground in front of him as he looked defeated. His bones and muscles ached, feeling aged and drained of his usual vigor.

Ears perking, he huffed and forced himself to smile.
"It'll be okay."
He reassured himself.
"You'll be okay. You'll be alright."
Digging deep within himself, he tried to remain positive.
Dragging his courage back to the surface, he lifted his head and straightened his posture.
"You were just having a bad moment. This too will pass. You just over-reacted. Everything will be fine."
Just as fast as his mood had darkened, it brightened.
"Yeah, everything will be fine."
Spring in his step restored, Shiro briskly jogged to his destination.
"You're stronger than this."

Now running at a moderate pace, his curiosity returned as to the unusual source of the sudden musical orchestra.
"Now, let's go see what's going on today at Beacon.."
One problem.
"Wait, where the hell is Scoot?"
Shit.

[Crimmy]

Gratia Mindaro

"Refrain from causing headaches then, replied the Mistralese Huntress curtly, crossing her arms. She didn't have the fucking patience to deal with more bullshit when she had her hands full with Fiordilatte and his irksome behaviour, or whatever naïve crap Venetia was spouting this week.

Her onyx eyes watched the Faunus dispassionately, tracking down the relatively muscular frame much like a statistician recording data. A swimmer's build, she noted, observing the powerful shoulders of Team VGNB's newest member. What a surprise. The otter (the tail was a definite sign) enjoyed water sports. And was that a sword of sorts dragging along behind Beryl? Hm, so the new teammate was a swordswoman then; she would have to inquire further into the Faunus' combat capabilities as soon as the entirety of the team was suitably arranged.

"I'll lead you to our dormitory," she continued, already turning and moving brusquely back into the school grounds. "Keep up."

[Jedly]

En route to Beacon - Imperfect and Incomplete

Delta had slept on many surfaces in the duration of his life. Rocks, trees, the cold hard ground, the majority of which would make clean freaks keel over from shock. The sorry excuse for seating within the Atlesian dropship would have to be tallied as more on the comfortable side, as the spontaneous plastic lining did provide a somewhat satisfactory pillow. Having such a flexible perk came into use very often, because of it the boy always had adequate sleep for the day to come. At least, that would have been the case, if somebody hadn’t turned up what should have been faint music in his headphones. It was a miracle that he was able to indulge himself in such a hobby, it just took a few pleas to his father that rhythm helped him concentrate. Instead of sitting upright out of surprise, he merely opened his eyes at a lethargic pace and peered down to where he left his mPod before sleep overtook him.

Sitting on his chest next to the device was none other than Eve, whose stubby appendages were pressed against the volume buttons. Delta raised an eyebrow at the miniscule familiar, expecting a reason for intruding upon his rest. ”Ah, you’re finally awake. Pilot said we’re almost there, gather your belongings.” Eve quickly said before jumping off of the young soldier’s chest, then took another leap onto one of his suitcases. There wasn’t exactly much to gather in the first place. Just a rolling bag for his personal belongings and a metal case, approximately five feet in length, which contained his weapons and dust supplies.

His eyes glossed over his luggage and made their way onto the man across from him, who was currently pecking away at his scroll. It was rare to see Jerome in casual attire, usually he was religiously sporting the white uniform all soldiers were required to wear. Jerome was many things. He was a husband, a father, a commissioned officer, an endearing soul in a world enveloped by an unbalanced concoction of serenity and distraught. Already on the latter half of his life, the man issued wisdom as much as he did with orders, he might even be considered a role model in Delta’s book. The man perked up as soon as he realized that his subordinate was awake, ”Oh, morning kiddo. Sorry, was just reading over a few reports…” The man got to his feet, in response Delta flew out of his slump and got to attention at a cursory pace, with a broadened salute.

Jerome placed a light grip on the teen’s shoulder, ”At ease. It’s not like we’re going to another base or anything. It’s a big day, have to start getting out of that whole mindset. I don’t want to hear from your teachers that you suddenly started saluting them at the start of every class.” The man chuckled while the boy allowed his arm to hang loosely at his side, yet he still retained the same posture. ”Is that really alri-” Jerome held up a hand, cutting the boy off mid-sentence, ”You’ve been deprived of your childhood. This is the least we can do for you. You got a whole life of opportunity ahead of you. Don’t squander it.” As he said this, he motioned to one of the dropship’s windows. Delta traced his hand and paced his way over to the thick pane of glass. He was almost uncertain in completely looking out the pane, but the sense of unknowing took over and guided his gaze to the world outside. There it was. Beacon Academy. Luckily, the dropship was an unarmed variant, or a few heads would have been turned at the sight of an aircraft equipped with gatling guns. From there, the page was finally turned.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Delta set down his case and turned to face the front of the aircraft. He could see Jerome and the pilot through the glass. His first instinct was to salute, but he suddenly paused in the midst of the motion. He glanced at his partially bent arm then at his comrades in the cockpit. Rather than completing the angle, Delta straightened out his arm and held it highly, then rotated his hand so his palm was facing the ship. The boy proceeded to move his raised arm back and forth in minute increments. Even though the glass was translucent, he was still able to make out Jerome’s smile. He continued to wave farewell as the ship gradually gained altitude, all the while zephyrs grazed his face and flung his hat’s straps, then veered off onto its course.

Delta looked down at Eve, which returned his gaze from the pouch, ”Looks like you’ve grown a bit, Delta.” The boy stared at his familiar for a few seconds before he picked up his case and rolled along his bag, ”Wonder what’s with that loud music? Was there a festival on today’s agenda?” Basically, Delta was traversing unknown territory. He didn’t know what was in store in an academy of Vale, he couldn’t help but to be left in awe at every sight and sound. What caught his eye the most was the renowned tower looming over the whole campus, a sign of modernization which still held onto its origins. Eve shook its head and let out a yawn.

”Lots of students as well…” Delta was unsure whether he should strike up a conversation with one, or maybe even ask for directions. ”We’ll stop by the dorms later, might as well see the campus.” He was kind of hoping somebody would come to pick him up, even though he was issued instructions prior to his arrival, he was lost in the moment.

[Lady Seraphina]

Sapphire Rode - Dormitories ==> Beacon Roofs

The thing that surprised Sapphire most was Shiro's complete lack of reaction to almost being impaled. It was pretty clear that he'd knew she'd seen the pill bottle. There was a certain look in his eye that worried her: desperation. It was pretty easy for her to judge people's characters and while Shiro may have been a huntsman in training aside from his destructive tendencies he was not a violent person. However desperation through anything Sapphire could ever learn about a person into chaos, back a desperate man into a corner and he could very well do anything to escape. While Sapphire herself was the one in the literal corner it was pretty clear that Shiro felt just as trapped by her knowledge of his medication.

He took a step towards her, then another his strips burned into existence over his fur. Sapphire had seen those before, in the ring. As far as she could tell they served no functional purpose but they signified one thing: Battle mode. The girl in blue became uncomfortably aware that Shiro's standard combat weapons were still strapped to his back from the morning's classes while hers with the exception of the anelaces, one of which was buried in the wall Sapphire's weapons where in the school weapons lockers.

He wouldn't attack her would her? She felt confident in that fact... then again they'd never been on the best of terms. Despite what she might have thought of him Sapphire's mind began computing scenarios lightning fast. Sapphire was a fairly adept hand to hand fighter. She could take most people without weapons, but then again Shiro was not most people. He was a faunus, he had superior strength and while she had faith that she could match or more than likely exceed his speed there didn't seem to be anywhere to run.

The look in his eyes was tortured and fierce, like he was battling with himself, or else he was having psychotic episode which those meds where meant to prevent. In her mind Sapphire planned. She'd kick him in the nuts and draw he remaining weapon. She'd strike his face with the handle which would sufficiently stun him to allow her to make her escape. The sword and shield on his back where not suited to this enclosed space. She's escape though the window, she'd already proved that the building was easily climbed and the uncoordinated Shiro would have difficulty following.

Before any of that became necessary however Shiro seemed to give up. His strips vanished and his ears flattened. He retrieved his pills and exited the bathroom without a word. Not wanting to tempt fate again Sapphire waited for him to leave before leaving the bathroom. Now knowing surely that she needed to talk to him about those pills, preferably in a public place, Sapphire decided to let the matter rest.

Her escape plan had given her an idea however. The roofs of the Beacon buildings were all connected for those that could climb decently, long as you weren't trying to get to Ozpin's office. She could get a birds eye view of wherever the music was coming from and likely make it back to Oswald faster.

She looked at the window for a moment before climbing over the sill and onto the outer wall. It was not the easiest climb in the world but Sapphire had done more difficult things. The dormatories where only three stories high and she'd started on the second level. Once she made it onto the roof everything became much simpler, from this position she was able to navigate onto taller buildings in the immediate vicinity without too much trouble. The tiles did not offer the best grip but Sapphire's boots had been designed to compensate for such things. She moved over the roofs like an experienced thief.

It wasn't long before she found the crowd that was moving towards the music. They were apparent even from several stories up. Sapphire circled round the to the building above the crowd. After several minutes of looking she finally spotted Oswald. Given he was wearing the same thing as everyone else it was difficult to pick him out. Luckily Sapphire remembered he'd been standing next to Diamond who even in uniform kept her trade mark hat. The black hat contrasted sharply with the surrounding hair colors.

Knowing her voice wouldn't travel to the ground or penetrate the music Sapphire instead sent him a text on her scroll.

To: Oswald Connolly
From: Sapphire Rode
Subject: Greetings

Body: Look up.

[Lucius Cypher]

Gren Orchid

"Fancy seeing you up here. Here for the concert or do you just like the view?"

Gren had been on the same roof that Sapphire was on, though he was rather surprised that she was able to get up here. The walls were hardly suited for climbing and Sapphire didn't seem the type to deface school property by using her daggers as climbing tools. Did she have a power similar to him? He put those thoughts aside as he walked up to his team leader.

The two shared the same view of the crowd gathered below. Gren could pick out a few people among the crowd, but none of them seemed to be the source of music. Which still begged to question what was causing such a ruckus. He turned to Sapphire wondering if she knew anything about this. "I don't suppose you have any idea what this is all about, Rode?"

While he was up here it also occurred to him that if Shiro was going to give Gren his headphones, he'd need to find him wouldn't he? Gren sent Shiro another message in the event that he has obtained his headphones by now.

To: Kuhaku Shiro
From: Gren Orchid
Subject: Get my headphones? Re:

By the way, when you get my headphones I'm on the roof top. Figured I'd see if I could get the high ground. Think you could also find Abel and bring him up here? It'll be cool to have us all on the rooftop when trouble breaks out, do some badass posing and dive right into a fight.

And unknown to Gren, their little team pet Scoot had been hitching a ride in Gren's bag. It had a plentiful enough space for the small creature, and for some reason or another it's telepathic semblance had some difficulty speaking to Gren's mind. It started to weasel out however when it smelled Sapphire near by and sent her a message.

"Loud! Fun?"

[MULTI_MEDIA_MAN]

Oswald Connolly- Anime Shenanigans

Wondering what was taking Sapphire so long, Oswald cocked his head to the side as his Scroll vibrated against his leg. Pulling the offending object from his pocket, Oswald was a bit surprised to see a message from the object of his inquiries.

To: Oswald Connolly
From: Sapphire Rode
Subject: Greetings

Message:
"Look Up"

Greetings? Really? Whatever. Looking up at the roofs, Oswald only noticed Sapphire's figure after a few moments of searching. He was...frankly, bewildered. Her Semblance certainly hadn't allowed her to get up there. Was she really that agile? "Color me impressed, the other gem managed to find a good vantage point! I'll head up first, if ya really want I can bring you up, but I don't think teleportation would work well with your stomach!"

Nodding at his teammates, Oswald looked back to Sapphire and took a moment to think. Could he make it? The girl was only a few stories up. He was worried that his Semblance would wonk out and leave him somewhere other than his intended target, though. While he understood most of the limits, this was a situation he couldn't be positive about the results of.

Throwing caution to the wind, Oswald focused on a spot just next to Sapphire, right on the edge of the roof, and suddenly his entire view of the world shifted. He was now on the roof. Stepping forward to make sure he didn't plummet to his doom, Oswald looked between Gren and Sapphire. "Team meeting?"

[Nytem4re]

Grane Blauer

"I see you just got your sea legs laddie!"

"Gee thanks." Grane gripped his stomach in pain, trying to resist the urge to throw the the first mate and his shit eating grin overboard. He hadn't expected the ship ride to be that bad, he chose it over the airship for a reason, but the storm they went through made the ship lurch like no tomorrow. Perhaps he should have taken the long trek instead of trying his chances with this merchant ship. It would have been much more peaceful. And Grane wouldn't have felt like he was about to throw up yesterday's lunch.

"Thanks for the ride I guess.... I'll go now." Grane jumped off the boat, and gave a sigh of relief as his shoes hit the ground. The Port of Vale was full of activity, as expected from such a major city. Well, with all these goods.... They wouldn’t miss one measly bottle. He needed it for the next bloody ride he’d have to take to get to Beacon. Gods know Grane would rather be drunk than trying to sit through a flight on nothing. He hastily shoved the bottle in his bag after taking a sip.

It seemed that no one was really watching, as he made no attempt to hide the blatant crime. Grane found his airship and waited for the flight to start…but then fell asleep.

---------

Grane found himself waking up with a bad hangover. He was never too good with alcohol anyway, but that never really stopped him. Grane sluggishly walked off the airship, making it to the entrance of Beacon. Grane actually didn’t know what to do at this point- nothing came to mind, and perhaps he was a bit too drunk to think properly. Aimlessly walking around, Grane hoped he might find someone with authority he could talk to. None of the students really wanted to talk to him, and some even mumbled something about bad music.

He saw someone who looked relatively new as well, and found himself following him in hopes of finding some sort of faculty.

[Ookawa]

An elated giggle erupted out of Skyra breathing in the fresh air. "Your bum is just right. Not too fat, but still properly butt shaped. It's at least better than mine." In a swift motion she reached into the bag of sweets, pulled something out, she didn't actually care what, and put it into her mouth merrily chewing on it.
"Shanksh!", she mumbled, her mouth full of the remains of baked goods. Quickly she gulped it down, although still savouring the aftertaste in her mouth.
"You're also a lot more well equipped in other areas than me." Skyra winked and massaged her small bumps on her chest for a second. "Not that I wanted yours, though."

[Lugubrious]

It took a conscious effort on Ozpin's part not to sigh. To be certain, change was a part of life, and flexibility was part of dealing with the changes it threw one's way. That the student body would be this much in flux, however, managed to upset the headmaster. And this time, the circumstance was far more worrying than a transfer to another school, as with team JRVR, or a recall for reasons of 'family business' as had been used for Aurellius and Marcus. Overnight, three students had disappeared. For some time now, a steady tension had lay beneath the surface of everyday life, touchable only faintly by Ozpin, his friends, and his professors, though there nonetheless. Now, however, it seemed as if whatever force lay in opposition to Beacon had made its first move. The pieces had been set a week ago; now, the game had begun. The lives of students could, however, lend themselves only to a most cruel game. Come Friday, team JSSC would be on its way to find and rescue Priscilla, Daniel, and Grayson. Until then, the gathering of information would be key.

None of this mattered at the moment, however. New students, previously without allies to call their own, were right here now in Ozpin's office, and he turned away from contemplating the view from his window to greet them. He studied their faces, internalizing their features as well as names. Delta Snow. Brown eyes closely regarded the pale blue. Grane Blauer. He scrutinized the unique look on his face. With these two, that would make three down, counting Miss Beryl Harkan, who he'd spoken to earlier. Soon to arrive would be the senior Sterling, back from his extended voyage, to join his teammates Jasmine and Sarina and to meet Claire for the first time. The student body would be in full strength—though immediately after thinking this, Ozpin chided himself for even beginning to consider his pupils as an army. Ironwood, though a friend, had yet to convince him to employ him that the students should do anything save evacuate in case of some kind of invasion. ”Welcome to Beacon, then. Grab your scrolls and then seek out Robert Fallson, your team leader. I expect from you two every ounce of dedication and effort, if not more, than from the students who began their year here. You have until lunch to visit the team's classes, socialize, and relax, but afterward...” he shook is head, trying to ignore an annoying music coming from somewhere outside the room. ”...it will be time to begin.”

Outside the school

It wasn't long before the source of the noise made itself apparent. Behind the campus of Beacon was a hill, and cresting it now came the point from which the cacophony originated. Shambling down the slope came a boy, who looked to be about fourteen, with shaggy sand-blonde hair that reached his shoulders, frayed and dirty clothing, and a look of exhaustion on his face. The very air around him trembled, seemingly vibrating at ultra-complex frequencies to create sounds from nowhere; it did not take a sharp mind to guess that the making of soundwaves was this young man's semblance. Even so, it looked to be an obscenely powerful one. Now that the boy could see people facing him, he visibly scrunched himself up in order to deaden the tooth-rattling music. In an instant, there was dead silence save for the ringing of ears.

The boy walked closer. Professor Fullbuster rushed to his side to lend him his shoulder and keep him from falling over. When the strange and ominous newcomer drew close to the group, three new features could be seen. First, his sclera were not white, but black, framing disconcerting white irises. Second, his mouth was seemingly stitched shut, which perhaps explained his emaciation. Third, tattooed down the bridge of his nose in bold black print was the word: EMBODIMENT. Before anything else could be seen, there came a single melodic and ethereal whisper in the air, "help me" before the last of the boy's strength faded from him and he collapsed in the professor's arms.

Fullbuster motioned for another student to assist him with carrying the newcomer. "We must get him to the clinic immediately. I need one more of you to help open doors on the way. Someone else needs to run and find the headmaster, he oughta be in his office right now. Go, quick!"

[Flood]

Cobalt Chideta-Outside

Cobalt's eyes widened as rushed forward to help Professor Fullbuster. He shouldered the strange boy and looked around. He took the weight of the boy entirely as he picked him up and carried him Bridal style. He was somewhat heavy, but he was used to carrying heavy things. Cobalt looked at the boy and flinched. His mouth was completely stitched shut, his clothes were torn in various places, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. Cobalt looked around at everyone staring and growled. "I'm sorry, I thought we were being trained to help people! I didn't know this was a school meant to train people in the art of being a lazy ass slacker!" He yelled at several people who were doing nothing but staring. "Hurry up and open the damn doors!"