RWBY: Welcome to Lodestar (A Fate Core System RP) - Game Thread

[Drummodino]

Suppressing a wince Elva allowed Septia to take her injured arm. Her eyes widened as the bespectacled girl's hands briefly glowed green and passed over her wrist, the pain fading almost instantaneously. Flexing her fingers as Septia stepped back, she marveled at the treatment's effectiveness.

"Another day, another miracle. You're welcome. Well, enjoy your lunch."

"Huh? Oh, I will, thank you!" Elva said distractedly, still inspecting her arm. Looking up she saw Septia join up with the jerk from this morning and another girl dressed in black. Come to think of it, Elva realised that Septia had been one of the students on the screen fighting off the massive horde of Grimm.

'That's a real shame, a nice girl like her being stuck with that guy.' she thought. 'Oh well, if he causes problems I'll help take care of him.'

Pleased with this plan Elva turned back to her lunch. She almost took another bite but something made her pause. Was that smoke she could smell? Looking around for the source she realised it was coming from the food table, specifically the giant plate of hotdogs. Inspecting the one still in her hand she barely had time to notice the small red flakes before...

BOOM!

With a sound like firecrackers chunks of hotdog meat splattered in every direction. Elva, having been near the epicentre, was covered in sticky bits of meat, bread and sauce. Where her lunch had previously been there was now a short note.

"I told you it wasn't fit for human consumption. - S.S."

As the note disintegrated Elva saw Septia tip a non-existent hat to her before departing with her laughing teammates. She stood there stunned for a moment before breaking out in laughter of her own.

'Hehe, not bad Septia, not bad. I will get you back for this though!'

Giggling, Elva looked around and noticed Claire, also covered in hotdog, heading out of the hall. Assuming she was searching for a shower and her room Elva hurried after her, eager to find her own and get cleaned up.

 

[hiei82]

[HEADING=2]Several Hours Later[/HEADING]
Bedrooms

The evening had passed relatively uneventfully after the hotdog explosion. To be fair however, few things can quite top being chased by Grimm and exploding lunch items. As such, the only major development was the discovery of their living arrangements and schedule.

Given the small size of the new freshmen class, most of it was located on the same floor - the second. This was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, Team MJSC and Team JADE found their rooms were only 2 doors apart, separated by one "Team MECH" who seemed nice enough. On the other, Team RUFS was located directly across the hall from Team MECH.

Unfortunately, this was also the closest thing to a pure blessing the new class had. The dorm - Beowolf Hall - was located the furthest from the main campus, necessitating a very long sprint in the morning to any given class, the mess hall, the library... etc. In addition, Beowolf Hall had a second problem: it's state.

There were a total four halls, each named for one of the most common Grimm. Each of the halls serviced a different class. Seniors were in Nevermore Hall; a colossal structure of metal and stone that, given the size of the senior class, each Team apparently had an entire floor to themselves. Juniors were located in Ursa Hall, a building that appeared to be modeled after a hunting lodge. It was bright and looked warm and comfortable. Sophomores were located in Boarbatusk Hall, a simple utilitarian looking building.

The Freshmen Beowolf Hall however... was in shambles. Some of the rooms had been cordoned off and were open to the outdoors. Most appeared to be in varying states of disrepair and certainly hadn't been cleaned before the new classes arrival. All the rooms creaked fiercely whenever anyone took a step.

As mentioned before, the second and highest floor was dedicated to freshmen rooms. The first floor was supposed to be something of a common room, though it lacked all but the most rudimentary of furnishings that would mark it as such. A single moth-eaten couch stood against a back wall, flanked by a pair of flimsy tables. The furnishings in the rooms themselves were in somewhat better condition with fairly strong wooden beds, desks, and chairs though all had lost most of their varnish.

When asked about it, the first professor they encountered - Prof. Abah - the asking team was told it was to "encourage advancing to the next year" then promptly told them to get used to the conditions as they "reflected the life of a hunter in the field". Those who grumbled soon found reason to stop at her glare.

On a more interesting note, the schedules waited for them in their rooms. Each day had 1 long class per day. All days started at 8AM and ended at 5PM with an hour for lunch in the middle. The order of classes was as follows:

Monday - Aura Manipulation - Prof. duPrince - King Taijitu Hall
Tuesday - Dust Mechanics - Prof. Francis - Kaiju Kong Hall
Wednesday - Remnant History - Prof. Wink - Deathstalker Hall
Thursday - Combat Practice - Sgt. Abah - Bloodmane Hall
Friday through Sunday - Self-Study

Each of the other years had a similar schedule but with different days for each of the classes but with weekends being more and more dedicated to "Field Missions" the higher the year.

Spoiler: OOC

Not mentioned in the post were:
Minotaurus Hall - the food hall
Arachnae Hall - the library
Deep-Hunter Hall - the administration hall
Tatarus Hall - the faculty/staff hall

Feel free to post your actions for the night as a flashback, but the post is starting when you awaken.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

Amber sat back down once she had said her piece and both Ochre and Umbra decided to take their leave. While the Prefect, who introduced himself as Alexander Argent, continued to speak to Matt, she took that opportunity to finish her food. She was almost finished with her last burger when she heard a series of small explosions, and looked up to see the buffet and Elva's own food had exploded in her face, as well as the faces of several others.

It was the laughing that brought her attention back to Ochre and Umbra, as well as another of their teammates as she tipped a nonexistent hat for the prank. The Faunus was ready to push to her feet when she heard Elva start to laugh as well, and she slowly relaxed. If Elva wasn't upset with it, she supposed she shouldn't be either. Especially since she had yet to meet the other members of Team RFUS.

Once she was done, she got up and strode to where they posted the assigned dorm rooms before making her way there. The dorms, located in Beowolf Hall, was farther from the main campus than Amber had thought, and the moment she got there she had to gape at the condition of the place. It was a mess, and it looked like everything was being barely held together with duck tape. As she made her way through what had to be the common room and into the dorms themselves, she had to shake her head.

"I feel like I'm gonna bring this place down if I so much as step wrong..." she murmured as she walked up to the door that belonged to Team JADE and opened it.

As it was, the dorm wasn't so bad. It was only moderately filthy, but it looked almost structurally sound, and the beds and desks weren't a total loss. And she had to smile when she saw Di already laid out and asleep in her own bed. So, spotting her things, she picked out a bed of her own and unpacked only a few things to start making herself feel more at home. It was mainly the family picture she had tucked away inside her vest, set on her bedside table, and a rock poster that she used to cover some of the worse cracks in the wall.

Satisfied with her handiwork, she took off her Aeris Spina as well as her boots before promptly falling face-first onto her bed and drifting off.

-The Following Morning-​

Amber was already hanging halfway out of bed when the light from the window shone into her face, causing her to wake up with a snort. The moment she shifted, she fell out of bed entirely, bumping her head on the bedside table.

"Gaaah... What time izzit?" she slurred as she slowly blinked behind her bangs, with the rest of her hair an unruly mess.

She slowly made it to her feet before plopping back onto her bed and looking around blearily. Then, with a sigh, she started to get herself ready for class, only hesitating the moment she looked at the uniform. And she was instantly glad that she had settled on trousers instead of the miniskirt.

 

[Arcanist]

"R..Right. Alex." Matt cracked a strained smile, quickly turning back to his half-eaten portion of food. Argent raised an eyebrow at its... generous... portions, a chuckle rising to his lips. "Quite the appetite you have, Mr. Steele. It reminds me of a friend."

Matt picks absently at his food. "Guess it's good to know I'm not the only glutton at Lodestar."

"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of." Argent casts a quick look around the hall, before sighing. "Well, I should get back to my rounds - just know I'll be keeping an eye on all of you. Try and keep your noses clean, alright? I'd hate to have to throw students capable of killing the shit out of a Tartarus out of Lodestar."

Matt nods, his attention only half-focused on Argent as he continues to eat. "Mmhm." Argent chuckles to himself with a shrug, before returning to his duties, leaving the freshmen to their table. After finishing his meal, Matt figured there wasn't much point in continuing to dawdle - it was time to head to his dorm and start his new life as a Hunter!

Whatever that meant.

After excusing himself and returning his many, many dirty dishes, Matt made his way across the campus to 'Beowolf Dorm' - the freshman dorm. The dorms the upperclassmen lived in looked like cozy affairs - maybe this wouldn't be so-

Oh.

Well.

Matt releases a sigh he didn't know he was holding at the sorry state of the freshman dorms. They were in rough shape, to put it lightly. Taking his first step into the entry hall, he was greeted by a loud, groaning creak as his feet strained against the ancient wooden flooring. He released another sigh - just another disadvantage of weighing over seven hundred pounds. Stupid Semblance...

Carefully picking his way towards his team's room, he crept in, half-wondering if anyone was already there. After confirming the room was indeed empty, he proceeded to take in what little Lodestar had deigned to give them. In all, the room was... rough, to put it mildly, and in serious need of new wallpaper. But there were beds, and the lights worked, and that's what really mattered. If anything, it reminded him of home - his life before following Elva to Sanctuary and on the path of a Hunter.

Placing his Scroll on the side of his newly claimed bed, he flopped down on it. He hadn't realized just how exhausted he was until now - even with his endurance, he'd been running and fighting all day with little sleep and hardly any food. Sleep... sounded like a good idea. Without a second thought, he drifts off to sleep.

The Next Morning​

"Good Morning Vacuo! This is Remnant Radio, bringing you the latest hits from across the Kingd-" With a lurch, Matt's hand falls down on the blaring scroll, silencing it. With a boorish yawn, he lifts himself into a sitting position, a dazed look painting his features. A casual glance around his room and his eyes come to rest on his Scroll, proudly displaying the current time. He'd set his alarm to six thirty, to give him plenty of time to get ready for the morning classes - Dust knows he needed it to wake up.

Except, the clock wasn't displaying six thirty. No, it was proudly flashing seven thirty-two.

He set his alarm an hour late.

On his first day of class.

His eyes shooting open with alarm, he tumbles out of bed, planting face-first on the rough hardwood floor. "Ohnonononononoono! We're gonna be late!" Frantically tearing off his armor - like an idiot, he'd decided to sleep in that too - he started to pull on the individual parts of his uniform, hopping and dashing about madly. No time for a shower, and probably no time for breakfast - he had to get to class NOW. Tumbling out the door wilst straightening out his blazer, he makes a beeline straight for the exit, paying little heed to the large amount of noise he was making. It was for the best, really - if anybody was still sleeping, they'd almost certainly want to be awake, lest they make the same mistake he was right now.

 

[Redryhno]

Diamond slept through most of the rest of the day, finally waking up once it was plainly dark and the rest of the team was asleep in the room, due to a combination of soreness from her one of her Icarians digging into her breast, and a sour taste in her mouth that was probably because she'd gone straight to sleep after eating. She still didn't get why these people in Vacuo ate what they did, it was obviously unhealthy and tasted awful in comparison.

Yawning and wiping the sleep from her eyes, she peered around her team's room. Amber was splayed across her bed, while simultaneously her sheets were somehow mummifying parts of her appendages, a mixture of gurgling, mumbling, and snoring the only sounds being made. Jade curled up, her head the only visible part of her. And Elva across from herself, her mouth almost terrifyingly large and open.

Careful not to make any noise, she stood up and removed her Icarians as quietly as she could, stuffing them into her bag. Then she stripped out of the clothes she had on, throwing them into the same drawer as her uniform, though not caring how they were stored. Then she got back into bed and willed herself back to sleep.

Unfortunately, except for a small window where she swore she was just hallucinating. Grinding her teeth and eventually giving up on the notion of sleep, she got out of bed, again careful to not wake her teammates. Making her bed, she grabbed the pillow she'd thrown to the side the day before and placed it on top of her personal pillow, hiding it beneath the other. Grabbing her normal clothes, she left the room, Icarians strapped to her arms, and left Beowulf Hall. Exiting the building, she looked at the time on her scroll, 5:48, and the beginnings of sunlight were being seen on the edges of the wastes.

Finding her bearings, she started walking, eventually up to jogging, and finally running around Beowulf Hall a dozen or more times before stopping and catching her breath, looking at the time again, 6:48. Going back inside, she gathered her uniform, showered, dressed, and returned to the room in time for Amber's groggy awakening.

"It's 7:15 Amber, we've got class in less than an hour. I'm starting now, see you when you get there."

Looking at Amber's uniform, she took note that the both of them had chosen pants over the battleskirt. Di because wearing one at the Springs hadn't been the best idea and Amber presumably because it was Amber. Well that, and it had been a bit cheaper than the battleskirt, those were REALLY expensive, especially for Di.

Leaving Beowulf Hall, she started on her way to class, she still had to store her weapons though, so that led to a slight detour before arriving at King Taijutsu Hall for her first day of class at Lodestar.

 

[Pappytech]

"Mmmmm," Claire grumbled, staring at the mess staining her blouse. "Lousy no good rotten hot dogs... 'Made of genuine pig' my butt." She wasn't sure exactly what sort of "meat", for lack of a better term, the protein cylinders had been made of, but she was willing to bet it involved some sort of animal cruelty. Or occult sacrifice. One of the two.

With her sports bra preserving her modesty, the Faunus exited the dining hall - Minotaurus Hall, according to the sign posted outside. And the room assignments had mentioned that the freshman class would be rooming in Beowolf Hall which was... Over that way? The girl's internal compass hadn't adjusted to the new landscape yet, so she spent a few minutes wandering around campus, trying to get her bearings.

Still, she eventually managed to locate the dormitory, in all its beat-up glory! Whistling appreciatively, Claire scanned the building's worn exterior, noting the various nicks and scratches that dozens of previous classes had left on the structure. If these walls could talk, how many stories could they tell? How many heroic Hunters had lived here, trained here, beaten each other to a pulp here? Sure, the majority of Beowolf Hall's occupants had eventually been kicked out of Lodestar's program, but those that had managed to make it all the way through... Well, they had gotten their start here too. This building had seen all of that history, and now Claire was a small part of it.

Stepping inside the hall, the young woman made her way up to the second floor, paying no heed as the floorboards and staircase creaked ominously beneath her. Spotting her assigned room number, the Faunus poked her head inside and spotted her deeply unconscious team leader. Well, if that wasn't confirmation that she was in the right place, she wasn't sure what would be.

Like Professor Wink had promised, their luggage was already here. Cheering in delight, Claire popped open her trunk lid and set about the lengthy process of unpacking.


After throwing her limited wardrobe into one of the closets and stowing Naga and Ouroboros on an empty desk, the girl carefully removed her more important possessions: A small library, consisting of a couple dozen large, hardcover volumes and a smaller selection of ragged paperbacks. A box half-full of Dust rounds, accompanied by a cleaning kit for her weapons. And finally, her substantial collection of Zaany Fun Co. Grimm action models! Assembled across years of birthdays and holidays, it consisted of no fewer than 18 miniature Creatures of Grimm, all perfectly to scale and posable, of course.

Staking out one of the beds that Mr. Boss-man hadn't chosen, Claire gingerly set up her reading material, arranging them in some order that only she understood. Medical journals thicker than her fist leaned up against trashy pulp-fiction novels, a collection of theories on Grimm was propped up by a tome about the use of Dust and Aura, and two halves of a ratty choose-your-own-adventure book, so worn the binding had finally split in half, were placed on opposite ends of the stack. Two of her models, an Ursa and a Borbatusk, were used as impromptu bookends to keep the pile from falling apart.

Then, it was time to arrange the rest of the models! Utilizing all of the space around her new bed and desk, Claire spread the toys around the room, making little growls and screeches as she nudged their tiny limbs into position. A Nevermore, with its wings reattached, was hung from a rafter. A few smaller Creatures, like the Beowolf and Bloodmane, were set up on the desk. Larger varieties, meanwhile, found themselves scattered around and beneath the bed, along with their owner's empty trunk. It was the King Taijitu, of course, that got the place of honor on the nightstand. Larger, more elaborate, and made out of better materials than the others, Claire still wondered what lengths her dad had gone to to find the model.

Unpacked, but not quite tired enough for sleep, the Faunus leaned back onto her bed, reflexively snatching up a book to read. This would be a good way to wile away the hours...

[hr]

"Good Morning Vacuo! This is Remnant Radio, bringing you the latest hits from across the Kingd-"

Having already been up for most of an hour, Claire glanced up from her book, still nibbling on a granola bar as she watched Mr. Leader-guy struggle up and out of the seductive grasp of sleep. "Morning," she offered in way of greeting.

However, considering the frenzy of activity the other student suddenly threw himself into, Claire somehow doubted that he'd heard her. "Ohnonononononoono!" he panicked, loudly. "We're gonna be late!"

Really? Claire stared confusedly at Matt as he rushed outside. They had plenty of time, right? According to her Scroll, it was only... 7:32...

Oh. Well, crap.

Marking her page, the Faunus dropped her book on the bed and sprinted out after her leader, doing her best to catch up. It was time to start her first full day as a Lodestar student!

 

[Drummodino]

"Beowolf Hall... Beowolf Hall... Oh is this it?"

The building in front of Elva looked warm and inviting. Several students were lazing around out the front, chatting and laughing. One of them noticed Elva, still covered in hotdog, and approached her.

"Geez, get a little bit excited at the feast did you freshman? Anyway bugger off, this is Ursa Hall. Beowolf is over there." he said, pointing over Elva's shoulder.

"Oh okay, thank you." A brief flash of disappointment ran through Elva as the male student turned away. 'Oh well, hopefully Beowolf is just as nice!' she thought, heading off in the direction she'd been pointed. As the building came into view however her heart sank a little.

'At least it's not the worst place we've stayed,' she thought with a sigh. The ramshackle building looked like a strong gust of wind would blow the whole thing down. An image of Matt tripping and bringing the building down on their heads flashed through Elva's head, knowing her clumsy oaf of a brother it was certainly a possibility.

'This is going to end badly.' Shaking her head she headed inside and began hunting for her team's room.

[hr]

Returning from the showers Elva smiled at the sight of Amber and Di sprawled out on their beds. Sleep called to her too, but first she had to unpack her things. Her dresses and uniforms were stashed in one of the closets along with her small suitcase and Labrys. A small, padlocked wooden box was placed carefully on the desk next to her bed along with her scroll. Finally she carefully arranged her figure of the famous Huntress Isabella Arc, standing proud and defiant. It had taken her months to save up for it but she didn't regret it for a second.

Once everything was arranged to her satisfaction Elva flopped onto her bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

[hr]

The morning sunlight streaming into the room fell on Elva's face, causing her to stir sleepily before opening her eyes. Yawning and stretching her arms she sat up and checked her scroll.

7:02

'Time to get moving!'


Jumping up she slapped her cheeks and opened her closet, quickly changing into the Lodestar uniform. The design was a bit plain for her tastes and it didn't feel right without a cape on her back, but at least it came in a combat skirt variety. Just as she finished tying her shoelaces, Di came in through the door.

"It's 7:15 Amber, we've got class in less than an hour. I'm starting now, see you when you get there."

"Hey wait for me Di! I'm ready, I'm ready!" the smallest of the girls said, hurrying after her teammate. Catching up she beamed a wide smile at the Faunus girl. "Are you excited?"

A thrill ran through her as they exited the building, it was time to become a Huntress!

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

The Faunus girl looked up between both Elva and Di, and the fact that both were already up, dressed in their uniforms, and apparently wide-awake. The only thing that ran through her groggy mind was: Morning people... Great. Di, thankfully, was kind enough to give Amber the time.

"It's 7:15 Amber, we've got class in less than an hour. I'm starting now, see you when you get there."

Elva, enthusiastic as the day before, hurried after the other Faunus on the team, before flashing a smile back at Amber.

"Hey wait for me Di! I'm ready, I'm ready! Are you excited?"

"Thrilled." Amber said dryly, before she yawned widely and stretched.

It took her a few moments to finally get up and start to get changed, taking a minute to untangle a few locks of her unruly hair from one horn. As she stripped, she fought against another yawn and remembered that she didn't notice their leader up and about.

"Jaaaaade," she drawled sleepily without so much as a glance, her eyes closed behind her bangs, "Time for class. Lets get ready."

By the time she was dressed and presentable, it was already around half an hour till class, and when she stepped out of the dorm, she had just enough time to catch a glance of both Matt and Claire dashing out of their own dorm and down the hallway. It was one particular thing that she took great notice of, and that was the way Matt's butt filled out his trousers.

Her head involuntarily tilted as her mouth curved into a smile and an appreciative hum escaped her lips.

"Wow, Elva. You didn't mention that your brother had a great ass." she murmured before moving to catch up the rear, as it were.

 

[EmperorZuma]

As the party started to wind down, Schwarz decided it was best to move on from his short conversations and general mingling to head off to his teams' dorm room. Once there, he was struck with the sight of his "leader" passed out on his bed, and the annoying Faunus he met earlier, with her nose shoved in a book.

The spartan and dilapidated appearance of the room was of little concern for Schwarz, he'd expected as much from a school which pushes the angles of "Hunter-hood" as much as he's seen from Lodestar. Walking over to an unoccupied bed, thankfully buffered from contact with the Faunus by Matt, Schwarz took out a specific piece of equipment he knew he should bring: a divider. It was a prefabricated, durable, multi-jointed divider, produced by the Zaan Corporation to provide a protective wall for soldiers or Hunters in the field that was easy and quick to set up. A Beowolf would chip its claws on the thing long before it broke, and that fit Schwarz's needs perfectly.

With little fuss, Schwarz set up the divider between his bed and Matt's. With his privacy assured, he changed into his night clothes: which were made of expertly tailored silk and gilded buttons. Then, making sure to set his own alarm, Schwarz laid on the poor excuse for a bed and drifted off to sleep.

*bzzzt* *bzzzt* *bzzzt*

Schwarz could hear the soft humming coming from his nightstand. With no argument, vocal or otherwise, Schwarz sat up and switched his scroll's alarm off, the time reading six in the morning. He was always a light sleeper, and in these instance, it appeared to be an advantage, as it appeared the rest of his team was still asleep.

With a slight smirk tickling his cheeks, Schwarz quickly got up and dressed, only dropping his smugness when he got a good look at his uniform. "Such an ugly thing...and it feels like sandpaper!" Schwarz nevertheless just cursed under his breath and quietly put the pathetic thing on.

With that, Schwarz set off for the mess, aiming to have a light breakfast and be ready for his first class with plenty of time to spare. Perhaps even enough for a lovely stroll around campus.

 

[hiei82]

After the lunch and unexpected meat explosions, Jade had made her way out of the food court and over to the Rocket Locker storage area. Her reasons for doing so were two-fold. The more direct and obvious reason was to put her weapon/ammo in it and link it to her Scroll. The entire point of a Rocket Locker was to have your combat gear accessible at a moments notice after all. She doubted that it was all that important to get it done on the first day, but it gave her an excuse to do the second and less direct reason for searching it out; to learn the layout of the school.

Knowing which building was which and where everything was located would allow her to plan her actions the following morning out in advance and figure out a basic schedule. And Jade loved her schedules. She learned largely through repetition so getting a head start on that would give her an advantage. Plus, she'd be better able to guide her team around and earn some credit as a leader.

Jade's search and subsequent exploration worked out well, though after seeing the difference between the Senior and Junior dorms, Jade was worried about the state of Beowolf Hall. Throughout it all, she couldn't help but think about how the initiation had gone. She'd certainly had worse experiences but... after how poorly things had gone with the bloodmanes, she had to wonder what had earned her the right to be "Leader of Team JADE". She hoped it wasn't just because their names happened to spell out her first name.


However, as she was nearing the end of her expedition, she found herself in Bloodmane Hall; the irony didn't escape her. Still having some time, she decided to do a few laps and exercise... anything to keep busy really. Before she realized it, the sun set and the shattered moon rose. Realizing the later hour, Jade made her way to Beowolf Hall - it was as bad as she expected.

Seeing the late time and knowing she'd end up sleeping in and how bad she probably smelled, Jade decided to take a shower before bed. Thereafter, she put on some sleepwear and passed out on the last remaining bed.

[hr]

"Jaaaaade, Time for class. Lets get ready."

The sound of her name woke her with a start. "I'm awake!" she said, shooting out of bed causing it to creak loudly. Greeted with the sight of her teammates, Jade quickly calmed. Glancing at her scroll, she could see they had about 40 minutes until class. "Thanks." she said to Amber - the one who'd awoken her - and started to get ready. Jade quickly pulled on her new school uniform and otherwise got ready for the day. Because she'd already showered, she was able to keep up with the rest of the team despite the later start.

On the way out, they spotted Team MJSC; or at least part of it. Amber noticed one part of it in particular. Then she commented. For her part, Jade just had to shake her head. She didn't doubt it was true or anything - no one could fault Matt's physique - but it was a bit... odd to think about. Matt as a friend who'd even helped make her weapon. Jade glanced at Elva; only able to imagine how she'd react to the statement.

 

[Redryhno]

"Are you excited?"

"as excited as ever,"Di replied flatly, looking to her side and down more than a bit,"It's Lodestar,over-excitability gets you killed or worse, kicked out."

As they neared the Lockerroom, Di entered and found the locker assigned to her, removing her Icarians and securing them inside and linking her Scroll to it. Closing and locking it, she left and continued on her way to class, Elva in tow.

 

[Drummodino]

"...It's Lodestar,over-excitability gets you killed or worse, kicked out."

Di's less than enthusiastic response stopped Elva's next comment dead. 'Well aren't you just a bundle of laughs,' she thought, feeling a little miffed as the team trotted along. It didn't last however as Amber's comment drove all other thoughts out of her mind

"Wow, Elva. You didn't mention that your brother had a great ass."

"W-Well it's not like I go around checking my own brother out! That would be rather concerning don't you think?" she said, elbowing Amber in the ribs. "I guess if you like what you see though I won't object..."

Feeling more than a little uncomfortable Elva tailed along with the others to class via their equipment locker room. Thinking about it as she stashed Labrys away, maybe a tough girl like Amber would be a good match for Matt. She wouldn't have to be the only one to push him into action then.

 

[Terratina.]

Sleep wasn't something that happened to Jet.

Rather the Owl Faunus had made the mistake of staying up and fiddling on his Scroll rather than getting some actual rest. Well, at some point he did doze off but in the morning he could definitely tell he didn't get forty winks. Even a splash of cold water to the face couldn't get Jet out of the ol' morning stupor. He could get by on autopilot right?

Jet yawned, brushed his teeth, yawned again, put the utterly pointless Lodestar uniform and stuck his hat on, hoping that it wasn't against uniform policy and that Lodestar weren't anal about it. Clothes were just clothes! They could ramble on about discipline and school spirit 'til the cows came home but the fact remained.

Wait... Lodestar uniform...

There was the fact he could use the uniform to simply show off that he got in to people, right? So it did have its uses. The epiphany was soon met with another one: he was running late. Goddamn Scroll games... Why was Hunter Force so good? More importantly, what sort of madman was in charge of level design? Each level was positively evil.

Off to a great start, wasn't he? Waking up late with games on the mind. Pushing those thoughts aside, he began jogging to class.

 

[hiei82]

King Taijitu Hall wasn't the largest or newest of the buildings on Lodestar's campus, but it was one of the best maintained. Originally it served as a hall of mourning for the soldiers stationed at the former-fort; back when the site served as the front line against Grimm attacks from the south. Now of course, the worst of the Grimm were largely pushed back and contained by the students, faculty, and staff so there was little use for a dedicated building. Still, some of the tradition of the building remained such as a large marble wall upon whom all who fell in service Lodestar and Vacuo were memorialized.

Regardless, it was due to the history of the building that it was well maintained. It was also why the building looked more like a house of worship than a learning hall. The building had a single entrance in the front consisting of a pair of two story, extraordinarily heavy doors. Beyond the doors was a single large, long chamber with a vaulted ceiling.

The building had several large windows. Most of them were stained glass and depicted Hunters in positions of victory over the Grimm Horde. The glass must have been very old for no modern weapons were shown in the battles. At the very end, a large stained glass window that showed Lodestar as it originally looked with a small army of hunters before it.

Beneath this last window was a raised area with a stone podium to one side. The rest of the room - where the pews would have been in the old days - were several large tables. The center of the room was empty to give room for physical practice. The front of the room was similarly empty save the aforementioned podium and a small table for the professor's use.

Speaking of the Professor, Prof. duPrince stood outside the small door, dressed in highly over-designed formal wear that would have made more sense if the building were still used for mourning and also several hundred years in the past. It consisted of a red and yellow petticoat with a white vest over a white silk shirt. The shirt had an elaborate collar at the neck with similar wrist cuffs visible under the sleeves of the coat. The pants were a dark blue with a red and yellow pattern running up the legs. The ensemble was held together with a red silk belt; a rapier hanging from it.

duPrince waved students in hurriedly; growing more so as time passed. As students passed, he spent a few moments glancing them over and checking them against an image and writing on his Scroll. After the students passed and took their seats, he kept an eye on them; apparently getting a feel for the class. He lingered on a few students - mostly Rufus Ochre and Schwarz Zaan - with a hint of a smile. The others earned varying levels of approval or disapproval based on reasons unknown.

Once the last of the Teams arrived - Team MJSC - duPrince closed the wooden doors and walked up to the podium. He cleared his throat to quiet the class and began speaking. "Welcome class to Aura Manipulation. In this class, I'll be focusing on the methods and techniques used to call upon aura. I won't be teaching any new applications of Aura; that's a future class. Instead, this class is to teach you how to call forth the power of your soul in the most effective, efficient, and easiest ways." he said, staring around the class and walking out into the empty area between the tables.

"Now I'm sure most of you already have some grasp on how to use your Aura, but I assure you this is no rudimentary course." he added, seeing some students already thinking the class would be a breeze. "Some of you-" he said, glancing at Schwarz, then Rufus "-are no doubt already very proficient with your Aura Manipulation, while others-" he said, glancing at some of the other students - notably Matt and Elva "-have never had access to these techniques."

He continued - glancing at Amber, Diamond, Claire, Jet, and a handful of other students "Some of you will have less of an aura to call upon than-" he said, turning his glance to Jade "-others." His gaze lingered on Jade - and the rest of Team JADE - as he continued. "Some will also have less talent than others." he said, moving his eyes to Matt, Jet, and Schwarz. At this point he returned to the podium.

"Regardless, all of you can benefit from these techniques by knowing your strengths-" he said, glancing at Rufus "-and weaknesses." he said, glancing once more at Amber, Claire, and Diamond. He took a pause - apparently for dramatic effect - then smiled and spoke again. "Now, first order of business. I like to know what my class is capable of. I'd like each of you to take a turn calling upon your Aura before the class. You don't need to use your Semblance if you don't like; just summon up as much power as you can muster." he said, pulling up a chair to watch. "As you do, I'll let you know of what you're doing correctly or otherwise." he added with his trademark smile.

Spoiler: OOC

@Terra: I wonder what other games exist in the RWBY Universe. Flappy Nevermore? The Beowolf Among Us? Sanctum Smash Bros.? Bedusted? >_>

@All: For this test, please make an Aura check. The DC will... be dependent on certain factors.

 

[Redryhno]

"As you do, I'll let you know of what you're doing correctly or otherwise."

Di stood up as soon as she could.

Might as well get this over with as soon as possible, I came to learn, not to be lectured about potential.

Standing at his side behind the podium, she exhaled and enacted her Semblance and rose above Professor duPrince, the soles of her feet even with the top of his ridiculously dressed head. Simultaneously, she exposed her Aura, a deep green one would normally associate with an evergreen. Then, exhaling slightly, she willed it to change, flickering a second, she felt something stopping her and her eyes snapped right to a girl sitting with the moron from the airship, Rufus, she thought his name was. No idea who she was, but she was interfering somehow. Then she felt something else, someone assisting, and she was filled with confidence again, noticing a boy attempting to make himself as unnoticeable as possible.

Her Aura quickly shifted, from the Hunter Green to a pale violet, to a bright yellow, all the way through the rainbow of colors she knew of, then she complicated it. the green and violet covered both halves of her, then it was divided into thirds, fourths, fifths, and so on, until she may as well have been shimmering in the light of the classroom. And then, she stopped it all, floating back down to the podium, turning to the man in charge of her class,addressing him as respectfully as she could,"Is that a sufficient amount of presentation of what I have learned thus far Professor duPrince?"

Heading back to her seat, she mouthed a "Thank you" to the boy that had helped her, the back of her head only visible to DuPrince. That was, until she realized what she'd done up there at the podium, giving even more evidence as to why her name was Diamond. Burying her face in her hands, embarrassed, the color rising in her cheeks.

Why did I do that?

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

Amber merely chuckled as Elva jabbed an elbow into her ribs, but since she didn't disapprove of Amber's interest, she simply figured that she was a little embarrassed.

As both Teams made their way from Beowolf Hall to King Taijitu Hall, Amber had to admire both the grounds and the building itself. It looked infinitely better maintained than the Freshmen's dorm building, but at the same time, it almost looked like a chapel with the large doors and stained glass windows. The fact that each featured a Huntsman or Huntress in the middle of getting the best of various Creatures of Grimm just made her think of the various statues she had to walk past the day before.

As soon as they entered King Taijitu Hall, she spotted their first teacher almost instantly. Professor duPrince was overdressed that she had to peg him as some kind of noble or at the very least a member of the upper class. He waved them in, giving her a look of minor disapproval that made her hackles rise some, even as she took a seat next to Elva.

"Welcome class to Aura Manipulation. In this class, I'll be focusing on the methods and techniques used to call upon aura. I won't be teaching any new applications of Aura; that's a future class. Instead, this class is to teach you how to call forth the power of your soul in the most effective, efficient, and easiest ways."

As he continued to explain the point of the class, he went on that some had more talent, control, or sheer Aura to call on, and that others wouldn't. He turned his gaze to almost exclusively girls and Faunus students when he mentioned the latter. That realization caused Amber to twist her lips into a small frown as she fought against a full scowl.

"Now, first order of business. I like to know what my class is capable of. I'd like each of you to take a turn calling upon your Aura before the class. You don't need to use your Semblance if you don't like; just summon up as much power as you can muster. As you do, I'll let you know of what you're doing correctly or otherwise."

Di didn't waste any time in standing up and walking over, and Amber gave her a covert thumbs-up and an encouraging smile.

When she lifted herself off the ground and began to shine with first green, then violet, before shifting into every other color the Faunus Girl could think of, it was clear she didn't really need the support. She had plenty of Aura, and could control it well from what Amber could see.

So once she sat down, Amber grinned and gave her a light, companionable punch to the shoulder before standing up herself and striding forward. All she had to do was concentrate.

Her hands balled into fists as she closed her eyes and started to call up her Aura. Nothing happened for a solid minute and a half as she began to grit her teeth, her face screwed up in effort before a weak, bronze light radiated from her. It lasted only a few seconds before she had to relax, exhaling a held breath before awkwardly nodding to the teacher before sitting back down and hunching forward out of embarrassment.

After Di's beautiful display with her own Aura, she couldn't exactly think of a worse way to follow up.

Spoiler: OOC

Invoking Amber's Trouble, Racism Magnet, for 1 Fate Point

 

[Arcanist]

Professor duPrince's expression flashes with disappointment for an instant as Di volunteers to be first. His eyes come to rest on Schwarz and Rufus for a moment, before he brings his full attention to Di, once again sporting a dazzling smile. "Ah, Ms. Blauw. I applaud your enthusiasm. A simple discharge should suff...ice..."

He trails off as she demonstrates an impressive display of Aural control - not only shifting the colors of her Aura, but controlling which parts become which colors, until her entire form is sublimed with a veritable rainbow of light, the class looking on with rapt attention - all except for Rufus and Umbra, who each give Di a cold glare. As she ends the demonstration and returns to the ground, he works his jaw for a moment, seeming to mutter something to himself under his breath, before snapping back once again to his affable demeanor.

"Is that a sufficient amount of presentation of what I have learned thus far Professor duPrince?"

"Yes, Ms. Blauw, that will do. Excellent work." If the words are said with any hint of disdain, he hides it perfectly, before turning to Amber as she comes down for her own demonstration. "Start whenever you're ready, Ms. Aries." He looks on, a smirk beginning to tug at his lips as Amber struggles to summon her Aura. Eventually, as she concludes her 'demonstration' with a meager glow, he shakes his head as she sulks back to her seat. "Ah, and now we see the first mistake most of us make when attempting to use Aura. It's not a mere contest of will with your own soul - it takes a certain amount of spiritual and emotional finesse. One I will teach all of you, though it will come easier to some." He gives a dismissive shrug. "In any case, Ms. Aries, work on your breathing technique. It was, to be frank, completely atrocious."

He clears his throat. "Now, are there any more volunteers?" His question is answered when another girl stirs from her seat, her short black hair pulled back into a neat bun. As she rises, she casts a sideways glance towards a short boy to her right, giving her head a brief shake. He responds with a small nod, keeping his eyes focused forward. "Ah, Ms. Vert. Excellent."

As she makes her way into the clearing, she wordlessly gives Professor duPrince a small bow, before instantly snapping into a standing meditative pose, her head bowed forward with her eyes closed, her fists brought together. For a moment nothing seems to happen, but unlike Amber's display, duPrince's attention is rapt - his eyes focused on Vert with keen interest. And then, all at once, Vert releases a breath, and with it a massive pulse of Aura. It sweeps across the room, displacing air in a wave, before quickly receding back into her form. A short wave of awe issues from some of the students.

"I'll admit, Ms. Vert, I was not expecting such an advanced pulsing technique from a first year. Excellent work." She nods, again wordlessly, before turning around and returning to her seat in silence.

Several other students came forth and demonstrated their mastery over Aura, to varying degrees of success - though none managed to quite top Di's flashy display, Vert's impressive control, or, much to their relief, Amber's less-than-impressive performance. Eventually, duPrince's eyes came to rest on Matt, who was watching the proceedings with silent interest. "Well, Mr. Steele? We don't have all day." Matt seized up for an instant, looking across the gathered students. A great deal of the freshman class was there - and now, all of the watching him.

Giving a stiff nod, he heads down to the clearing. duPrince looks him over, giving a dismissive shake of the head as he finishes. "A simple discharge will be enough, Mr. Steele." Somewhere deep in his mind, Matt feels something bristle. A simple discharge? He'd learned how to do that in his hospital bed, his Semblance made sure of that!

Taking in a deep breath, he brings his hands together, focusing on the familiar thrum of Aura pooling at his feet. The floor was a polished white, cut from the same alabaster stone that littered the Ivory Wastes. Stone... now, there was an idea. He hadn't done it in a while, seeing as the need to stand and focus for a minute was impractical in the misdt of combat, but... not all uses of Aura needed to be battle-ready, right?

Extending his consciousness outwards towards the stone, he drops to one knee, bringing a palm resting on the ground in front of him. Though his eyes are closed, he can hear Professor duPrince shift in his seat. Paying him little mind, Matt focuses on connecting on the stone's Aura, only to find... nothing.

'What?'

His brow furrows. Had he miscalculated? The stone here should be connected to the rest of Remnant, and thus have an Aura... but he didn't feel it. He extends out again, again finding nothing. A cold mote of fear works its way into his gut. Was he wrong altogether about this technique? He hadn't used it on worked stone in a long, long time - maybe he forgot something, or -

And then, all at once, a flood of Aura touches the edge of his consciousness. Like a veil lifting, he begins to feel the familiar sensation of Aura flooding into his feet - taciturn and stubborn, like stone. Remnant's Aura. Cracking an eye open for an instant, he spies the boy Vert had been talking to staring at him with great focus - whatever had happened, Matt was almost certain he was the one helping him. He closed his eye again - making a mental note to thank him later - and focused on the stone around him once more. Mentally, he seizes on pockets where the Aura is most concentrated, twisting it to his will, threading it in a small circle around him.

He releases his held breath.

'Quake.'

Sharply rising to his feet, bringing his arms above his head as though he were hefting a dumbbell, a sharp crack reverberates across the classroom as a small pillar of stone juts out around Matt, lifting him several feet in the air. duPrince, startled by the sudden motion, almost falls back out of his chair, before making a swift recovery, a look of surprise still painted on his face. In the same motion, Matt brings his hands back down onto the stone at his feet, and the pillar recedes just as quickly it raises, leaving no trace it was ever there. Matt stands, dusts himself off(For what good that does, he notes sourly), and begins to make his way back to his seat, a slightly bewildered professor at his back.

 

[EmperorZuma]

Schwarz very much enjoyed watching the competition go first, both for the chance to see them in action and to be entertained with the failures of his classmates. However, Matt's display was...intriguing, to say the least. It looked less like a Semblance and more like Dust manipulation, but Schwarz could tell that wasn't the case. Perhaps there was more to their spineless leader than an awkward personality? Schwarz decided to make note and keep a better eye on him.

At the same time, Schwarz's ego felt slightly bruised, so he decided now would be a perfect time to show the class the true power of one's Aura. Stepping up and walking over to the stage, Schwarz gave a curt bow to Professor duPrince before he started his demonstration.

Ein...

In his heart, Schwarz knew the perfect move,"Das Licht des Morgens", it was a Zaan technique, one of the oldest. It had a legendary past in and of itself, believed to date back to before the Zaan family even got its name. With a deep breath, Schwarz held a hand close to his chest, focusing his Aura into it. Soon enough, his Aura began to manifest, the hand starting to glow a golden shine.

Zwei...

Almost in an instant, Schwarz's hand shot to Blooming Anemone, quickly drawing her from her scabbard. The Aura around the hand then extended down the blade, starting to collected again at the tip of the blade. It continued to coalesce at the tip, the glow focusing to become like an emitter of a laser.

...Drei!

As quickly as he first grasped his blade, Schwarz lifted Blooming Anemone up above his head. At that same time, the glowing dot at the tip of the blade exploded with light, shining now like a star. The light no doubt blinded those who looked directly at it. However, those that managed to look away fast enough could see something else: a barrier. Just before the first row of seats, the light refracted just slightly enough for one to see that Schwarz was surrounded in a bubble of light.

Then, after giving the professor, and the class, enough time to see what the light produced, Schwarz pulled the Aura back into himself, letting the light dim. Once the light vanished completely, Schwarz sheathed his weapon with a smile. He had graced the plebs with the Light of the Morning.

 

[Pappytech]

"Ah, Ms. Blauw. I applaud your enthusiasm. A simple discharge should suff...ice..."

Like most of the rest of the class, not to mention the professor himself, Claire was impressed at the badger-faunus's technicolor display of levitation. She already had that much control over her aura? Even at Sanctuary, Claire couldn't remember seeing a display quite like that.

A few other students, with much more mundane demonstrations, followed up the flying girl. Claire was content to wait until a good portion of the rest of the class had gone; aura manipulation wasn't exactly her forte, and if she went at some point closer to the middle, any mistakes she made would be that much less conspicuous. The young woman did, however, almost start out of her seat when she heard Prof. duPrince speak up. "Ah, Ms. Vert. Excellent." Luckily, it didn't take her long to notice the other student approaching the podium, and Claire settled back down to watch. Hopefully having similar surnames wouldn't get too confusing.

She applauded enthusiastically when Matt finished his own surprisingly active performance, and ooohed and aaahed appropriately at Mr. Zaan's flashy showcase. Deciding to try to keep the MJSC streak going, Claire stood up and moved to approach the podium, grinning as she nodded respectfully towards duPrince.

The girl's smile didn't fade as she turned to face the rest of the class. She may have been new to Lodestar, but she'd faced this particular situation dozens of times over the past few years. This nervousness, a part of being at the front of the class, never fully went away, but the emotion was easily controllable. It'd take more than some new faces to throw her off her stride.

Breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, Claire focused her mind, drawing power from her inner-self and using it to coat her body. An azure gleam, almost entirely transparent, briefly coated her slim frame, but that wouldn't be enough. Molding the energy with her will, Claire pulled it most of it away, focusing it solely on her right forearm. The reinforcement there grew thicker and slightly more opaque, but the real change happened at her fingertips: Five slivers of aura manifested an inch above the digits, razor sharp and gleaming brightly enough to serve as an impromptu torch. Projections separate from each other the armor around her arm, the scalpel-like blades were controlled as much by her mind as they were her fingers, and Claire spent a few seconds displaying the precise movements each sliver could go through.

Done with her demonstration, the faunus dismissed her aura, offered a brief bow to the class and nod to the professor, and returned to her seat, her smile laced with satisfaction. It may not have been the fanciest display, but it was good enough.

 

[hiei82]

As Schwarz took center stage, Prof. duPrince's attention became obvious. Schwarz and Rufus were clearly the most important people in the class in his opinion. Being of... higher breeding himself and skilled in the art of Aura Manipulation, Prof. duPrince recognized the technique Schwarz was attempting almost immediately. Once Schwarz had finished, duPrince immediately stood and began clapping. "Wonderful work Mr. Zaan! Class; I hope you paid close attention to your classmate's use of Aura manipulation. That particular technique was one of the Zaan family's most ancient techniques called ""Das Licht des Morgens" or "Light of the Morning", passed down through the generations without fail. I hope you noticed the extremely elegant and efficient use of Aura. Despite the incredible light he created, it required very little energy on his part. I hope the rest of you can learn from Mr. Zaan's example. Once again, wonderful work Mr. Zaan! Simply wonderful!"

Of course, once Schwarz had returned to his seat the first of the important students were finished, so Prof. duPrince settled into slogging through the rest of the riffraff until Rufus performed. Still, getting to see an ancient Zaan family technique was more than enough to keep him content for some time.

Claire was next and she performed adequately. About what he'd expected from a a common Faunus girl with the ability to get into Lodestar. He made this opinion clearly. "Yes yes. Adequate job Ms... Verte. Next!" he said with a dismissive wave. He wasn't terribly concerned with such... talentless techniques. His eyes wandered back to the Zaan boy; his current star pupil. Rufus Ochre seemed to notice this and twist his face into a disgusted frown.

Several people went next - Umbra and Flammel from team RFUS also performed adequately, as did a brutish looking bear Faunus from Team MECH named "Erik". The next to arrive on stage however was something entirely different. Having had more than enough of the Professor's attention on Schwarz, Rufus made his way to the front of the room. He waited until duPrince's attention was entirely on him before summoning his Aura.

Rufus slammed his sword tip first into the stone, closed his eyes for a moment, then called forth a blast of brown-red light from his soul. The light expanded through the entire room but appeared to have no effect aside from the burst of light. That is, until some the the tables and chairs began to creak and crack. All at once, half the chairs and tables in the room collapsed. Notably, Team RUFS suffered no such effects while all of Team JADE and Team MJSC did suffer from the effects. Otherwise, Team the effects seemed to be limited to the Faunus in the room; a fact Prof. duPrince didn't fail to grasp. For his part, Rufus smirked and stared at Schwarz before turning to Prof. duPrince.

"Wonderful work!" he exclaimed. "Wonderful work indeed Mr. Ochre! I'd expect nothing less! I dare say you and Mr. Schwarz hardly need to be in this class at all save as models to the rest of your classmates. Both of you, come to me after class and I'll see about getting you two some material more... suitable for your abilities." he said, ideas already clearly running through his mind.

Having been forced from her chair, Jade was the next to go. To her, it was at criminally obvious duPrince was sexist, classiest, and racist. She wasn't sure which she hated most, but given the makeup of her team, she wasn't going to stand for it. She walked up to duPrince, gave a long glare at the worthless noble trash, then proceeded to give the most halfhearted summoning of Aura she could. It was barely over the starting point.

To be frank, she didn't care what duPrince thought of her at that point. She briefly heard him comment that she "needed to take this more seriously" but "understood if it was difficult to summon enough Aura with her weak form". Jade just ignored him and returned to the ruins of her table; propping up some of the broken pieces to make a make-shift chair.