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

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

As Amber followed the others into the Great Hall of Lodestar, the first thing she noticed was the intense noise, but it didn't bother her overmuch. She regularly listened to music that was almost as loud. But what her attention focused on next were the Scrolls playing videos of various students as they made their way through the Ivory Wastes. One or two focused on Her group as well as Matts, some featured those that couldn't manage their landings from the airship.

But the most prominent ones featured four prospective students holding off the horde. And she recognized one of the faces as the jackoff that was in the cafeteria earlier that morning. The four of them stood on a stage, waving to the cheers of a fair amount of other students with the massive Scroll above them saying 'Team R.F.U.S.' just below the loop of their battle.

There was also a complete absence of the fight Amber and her friend's had with the Tartarus. The realization made the Goat Faunus grind her teeth before reaching into her vest to pull out her Scroll. That crap needs a change she thought as she opened it and started to punch a few buttons to try and get into the system.

As luck would have it, she managed to find a wireless connection that let her control the feeds, and her scowl turned into a small, wicked smile.

Within a minute or two, the screens abruptly changed. The largest began to play the Tartarus battle in full, while the smaller ones began to play highlights: Schwarz and Matt killing the Snake head, Di cutting off the Wolf head, Elva's flying slash, Jade blowing out the eyes of the Bull's head and more.

But any moments of her own, besides whatever was shown in the uncut fight on the biggest screen, weren't being shown. She didn't really want the glory herself, it was more that she felt the others deserved it for their trouble with the Grimm that they had taken down.

"Choke on that." she murmured, closing her Scroll and tucking it back into her vest.

 

[Arcanist]

Lodestar's courtyard was... interesting, to say the least. Matt had heard the stories, of course - that it came across more as a fortress than a center of learning, with harsh, stony spires and severe-looking statues in the place of calming gardens and sparkling fountains. Seeing it, however, was an entirely different matter. Once again, Matt couldn't help but feel a bit out of place.

That sense, however, was swiftly overridden by the smell of fresh food wafting through the entry hall. Still acutely aware of how hungry he was, he made his way forward, following the enticing smell, only to have his attention drawn to a particularly vocal crowd of students in the hall's center. Standing atop the stage was the racist from the airship, astride several other Lodestar initiates. The Scroll above them was playing an impressive scene involving them cutting through a massive swathe of the Grimm Horde - with most of the upperclassmen in the crowd arguing about whether that made them the 'best' recruits of the freshman class.

Wanting nothing to do with that argument, Matt tried to discreetly make his way to the spread of food. Unfortunately, grace was not one of his virtues, as he bumped into several people in the crowded hall even as he took care to move, earning more than a few dirty looks from the offended parties.

Looks that, much to his growing horror, turned to ones of surprise and shock.

'Please, PLEASE don't recognize me.' Drawing his hood further over his head, he tried to draw in his profile, but to no avail - he knew there were more than a few eyes on him as he made his way forward.

"Wait... was that Steele?"

"What? There's no way spineless Steele made it through the Wastes without running for his life."

"No, really! He's right there!"

"Wait, what? Well... shit. Did anyone bother to bet on him?"

"I don't think so. We gave him really steep odds."

"I think he ran into the new Zaan kid. Poor bastard must've had to drag him though the desert."

And so the whispers went. Matt responded by drawing his hood even further, and quickening his pace to the food - the sooner he could get his food and get out, the better. Grabbing a plate and unceremoniously dumping several servings of food onto it, he turned, readying to leave... until another commotion on the stage caught his attention.

"Is... is that a Tartarus?! Since when are those in the Wastes?!"

"Woa, awesome! A bunch of freshmen beating up a Tartarus?"

"Ha, this is WAY better than beating up a bunch of beowolves!"

The mood in the crowd changed almost instantly, shock and excitement shooting through it as they watched the fight play through in full. Cheers resonated through the crowd as Schwarz impaled the snake head with an expertly place shard of stone, and echoed again when Amber and Di decapitated the wolf head.

The members of team RFUS, at first preening and soaking in the adulation of the crowd, start at the sudden shift in the crowd's demeanor, before turning to see the new feed. The presumed leader of the group - the bully from the airship - grits his teeth and his face turns a shade of violent red, before stomping off the stage with his team, seething, presumably to find someone to complain to.

Matt, however, pays them little mind. Because the end of the fight of the Tartarus was playing through - a rather prominent shot of Matt's final charge being its centerpiece. The crowd, once jubuliant and energenic, falls surprisingly silent as Matt completes his charge, slamming into the beast with immense force, before dispatching it once and for all with a strike from Irdenkrieg.

A relative hush falls over the crowd, and Matt can feel dozens of eyes, some widened with shock or surprise, come to rest on his person, frozen like a deer in headlights.

------

As the feed finishes its first playthrough of the Tartarus fight, the figure of a very unamused Professor Abah enters the hall, trailed by the leader of team RFUS. She stops and scans the hall before consulting her own Scroll. After a moment of reading, she sighs and says something to her tagalong that is lost in the bustle of the crowd. He seems to balk at first, before being sent scurrying with one of Abah's patented evil eyes. Then, with a measured, confident stride, she makes her way to Amber.

From her expression, she can tell Abah is... unhappy. "Ms. Aries." Her glare hardens, cutting through Amber like a knife. "At Lodestar, we do not tolerate such juvenile behavior. If you cannot use your Scroll responsibly, I will have to confiscate it until you learn discipline." She extends her hand expectantly, her withering gaze unwavering. "It will be returned at the beginning of your first combat class next Monday. Am I understood?"

 

[EmperorZuma]

Schwarz had kept to himself for the little time the group was at the soiree, picking out some rather appetizing pieces from the banquet table. However, his attention was caught by the changing of the feeds to the fight with the Tartarus, which did bring a small smile to his face.

Immediately he shot a glance at team RFUS, just before their leader, Rufus, a boy Schwarz knew if only because of their similar upbringing, stormed off. "Ah, an Ochre through and through..." Schwarz snickered a bit before Rufus returned, practically riding in on Professor Abah's coattails. Then came the dressing down of the Faunus Schwarz assumed pulled the stunt, the goat-variant that he remembered participating in the Tartarus fight.

"At Lodestar, we do not tolerate such juvenile behavior. If you cannot use your Scroll responsibly, I will have to confiscate it until you learn discipline....It will be returned at the beginning of your first combat class next Monday. Am I understood?"

Schwarz's ears perked up as he thought on the issue at hand. Coming across a curious detail he desired an answer for, Schwarz took a quick bite from a piece of rather sharp cheese and stepped forward. "Excuse me, Professor Abah?" After catching the gaze of the teacher, Schwarz could tell that she was in no mood for questioning, but he was emboldened with the burning of gourmet cheese in the back of his throat and a hunger for knowledge.

So, with a short, polite bow of acknowledgement, Schwarz continued. "This does raise a pertinent question: why was our fight with Tartarus not featured? It was certainly more of a spectacle than most of the other fights seen fit for exposition. Not to mention more tasteful than watching the applicants who failed their landing make new craters out in the Wastes."

 

[Redryhno]

As Di watched the Scrolls play out her fellow classmates feats in the wastes, she only watched half of them, scanning the bunched up crowd for the reactions the people being watched had. Some were ecstatic, others like the Brother from earlier appeared to attempt to shrink, and then there was apparently Team RFUS on the stage, the annoying guy from this morning drinking up the attention more than anyone else had combined. At least he was actual Lodestar material, as evidenced by his survival.

"What's going on Di? Oh and hey there, I'm Elva. Nice to meet you!"

"Uh-huh,"She said off-handedly, waving back at her, eyes still looking around the crowd.

Then the gigantic Grimm fight Di was involved in appeared on-screen, and no longer was the crowd looking at Team RFUS the same, they were looking at all of them. And she grimaced a bit at the glances thrown her way, but still not really interested in anything more than a cursory inspection of the faces, looking for who her potential new Team would be, she sincerely hoped it wasn't full of people here solely for the glory of being a Hunter.

A portion of the crowd also went quiet with the conclusion of the fight with the "Tartarus", she'd learned from overhearing people around her. Another thing that made both sets of ears burn too was the snippets of conversation she heard from somewhere behind her, talking about her and the rest of the Tartarus killing squad, in ways that had nothing to do with Lodestar or being a Hunter...

Shuffling off through the crowd to the silent section of the crowd near the food, she saw the Brother from earlier that had finished off the Tartarus and nearly bowled her over on his way here, food piled up on his plate and looking around with a panicked expression on his face. Grabbing a plate and paying to mind to the stares, she got her own small selection of food and began eating it near a corner of the room, the emptiest portions.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

Her eyebrows winged up behind her bangs as she watched as the leader of Team RFUS, the jackass, stormed off with his team once they realized what had happened to the feeds on the Scrolls. Even though she knew this meant that she was probably going to be punished for her stunt, she couldn't help but chuckle. Yea, you run for a teacher, she thought to herself, before turning her attention to the crowd.

And was mildly surprised to see that they had picked Matt out of the footage specifically, or at least a good portion of them did. And Matt responded by hiding in his hood and making a very quick beeline to the food, and at that she grimaced. She had no intention to put any of them on the spot, but she supposed she didn't exactly think it through.

When the climax of the fight played out, those who had recognized Matt slowly turned to stare at him. She was just about to sigh when her attention was turned to something entirely different: Professor Abah.

"Ms. Aries."

She fought against a swallow as the spit in her mouth dried up, and she nodded, managing to keep her composure. But only just.

"Professor Abah." she said calmly.

"At Lodestar, we do not tolerate such juvenile behavior. If you cannot use your Scroll responsibly, I will have to confiscate it until you learn discipline. It will be returned at the beginning of your first combat class next Monday. Am I understood?"

She reached into her vest without a word and was about to hand it over when the human boy that accompanied Matt stepped forward and spoke.

"Excuse me, Professor Abah? This does raise a pertinent question: why was our fight with Tartarus not featured? It was certainly more of a spectacle than most of the other fights seen fit for exposition. Not to mention more tasteful than watching the applicants who failed their landing make new craters out in the Wastes."

It also snubbed my friends because that Tartarus was one nasty Grimm, and taking it down wasn't something students did everyday, Amber thought, but she kept from saying it.

Instead, she shrugged and managed a polite smile.

"Here you go. And I'm guessin' that you're teaching Combat Class? I'm looking forward to it." she told her.

 

[Arcanist]

Abah stared at Amber as she rooted through her vest, not taking her gaze off her until her attention was roused by Schwarz's appearance to her left. Her gaze, harsh but not withering, came to rest on Schwarz. "Yes, Mr. Zaan?" She said through half-gritted teeth, clearly displeased at being interrupted.

"This does raise a pertinent question: why was our fight with Tartarus not featured? It was certainly more of a spectacle than most of the other fights seen fit for exposition. Not to mention more tasteful than watching the applicants who failed their landing make new craters out in the Wastes."

Abah's eyes narrow, a cold rage forming behind them. "Last I checked, Mr. Zaan, Lodestar trains Hunters, not showmen. Spectacle does not factor into our decisions - something you would do well to remember." She turns away from Schwarz, accepting Amber's Scroll.

"Here you go. And I'm guessin' that you're teaching Combat Class? I'm looking forward to it."

She gives a curt nod. "The two of you are dismissed."

 

[Pappytech]

Ah, so the talk was just about what students or prospective teams would be passing the initiation. Too bad; Claire had hoped that the discussion would've been about something more interesting. Tuning out the discussion, the young woman noted the footage being displayed on the screens. Apparently she hadn't been the only one to have some adventures on the way to Lodestar, and she even recognized some of the other students on the smaller wall-Scrolls. Still, if the faculty was playing the footage back, odds were it was being stored on a hard drive somewhere; she could probably review it to get a closer look at some of the fights later on.

For now, she needed nourishment. Seriously, her stomach was almost rumbling enough to send tremors through the floor.

Claire made her way over to the buffet as, behind her back, the footage suddenly switched over to the Tartarus fight. Some part of the Faunus's mind noted the sudden shift in the crowd's reaction, but the rest of her thoughts were focused solely on the heavenly aromas wafting off of the tables of food before her. Damn, Lodestar did not skimp out when it came to food; Claire'd never seen this many edibles in one place before!

Snaking her way through the crowds around the buffet, the girl grabbed a couple plates and started helping herself. In less than a minute, she'd filled both of them up with a selection of chicken, fish, a couple of donuts, and (ick) a small serving of fruits and veggies. Sometimes having an extra-long reach had some pretty utilitarian benefits. Snagging a glass of water, Claire tried to find a spot to eat, already nibbling on one of the donuts in her mouth. ...Hey, wasn't that one of the guys who'd been fighting the Tartarus?

Somehow not noticing all the attention he was getting, Claire made her way over to Matt. "Hey... Matt, right?" she said with a (mostly) empty mouth. "I'm Claire. Nice job with the Grimm back on the bridge; don't think I've ever seen someone literally tackle something that big."

As the Faunus downed a few more bites of food, she suddenly took a more critical look at Matt's tall figure. "...Wait, did you go to Sanctuary or something? You look kind of familiar."

 

[EmperorZuma]

"Last I checked, Mr. Zaan, Lodestar trains Hunters, not showmen. Spectacle does not factor into our decisions - something you would do well to remember."

Schwarz had to blink to keep from rolling his eyes. Yes, he was hungry for glory, what of it? That wasn't the point to his question, and Abah had just decided to step right around it to throw a "harsh lesson" in his face. A move that rubbed Schwarz like sandpaper.

"The two of you are dismissed."

"You did not answer my question, Professor Abah..." A hand raised in objection, with the pretense of politeness now gone since it was clear none of it was returned. "...why was the Tartarus fight not displayed? You say spectacle isn't a factor, fair enough..." Schwarz shrugged to keep the words "well, duh" from coming out of his mouth. "...but then what is? Or is there another reason it was censored?" With a perk of the ears, Schwarz decided to take the question one step further. "Did it have anything to do with that flare? It seemed to rile up the horde after it appeared."

 

[Arcanist]

Matt could feel beads of sweat begin to form on his neck as the stares continued to bore into his person. His limbs still locked firmly in place, his eyes darted about, desperately scanning the crowd for something - anything - to save him. He didn't ask for any of this! He just wanted to go to Lodestar, possibly graduate, and live out his career as a Hunter.

"Hey... Matt, right?"

His attention was very abruptly brought to his side - in his state of near-panic, he hadn't noticed one of the girls he'd fought the Tartarus with edge her way to his left, a half-eaten donut in her hands. He gaped at her for a moment, unsure of how to respond - particularly since his throat was still locked up with the crowd glaring on. "Um. Uh." He stammered, finally managing to find his voice after a moment. "Y...Yea?"

"I'm Claire. Nice job with the Grimm back on the bridge; don't think I've ever seen someone literally tackle something that big."

He gapes again, still stunned by her brazenness. Did she just not notice the dozens of people looking right at them? She couldn't be that oblivious... could she?

"...Wait, did you go to Sanctuary or something? You look kind of familiar."

'Oh Dust, she is!' He can see a few new eyes come to rest on them - though focusing on Claire, giving her a look as though they wondered if she just climbed out from under a rock. Visibly suppressing a nervous gulp, Matt somehow manages to force himself to nod. His obvious discomfort only serves to intensify the glares focused his way. 'Please. Something... anything!'

"Ahem." The sound of a throat clearing on the central stage snaps everybody back to attention. Matt relaxes visibly as he is finally released from scrutiny - he'd best take this opportunity to get out of the entrance hall before he made even more of a fool of himself. He makes it roughly halfway before he realizes why everybody had brought their attention to the stage - Professor Barca had stepped aboard, leaning ever so slightly in front of the microphone stand. "Lodestar is prepared to announce the formation of two additional teams."

At his words, eight profile pictures flicker onto the monitors - Matt noticing his own in the mix. He stops dead, staring at the stage. "Jade Bordeleon, Amber Aries, Diamond Blauw, and Elva Dias - after much deliberation, Lodestar's faculty has seen fit to form you into Team JADE, lead by... Jade Bordeleon." The named profiles arrange themselves thus, filling the left half of the screen. He couldn't help but smile a little bit - Jade deserved that spot. There were few other people he'd trust Elva's safety to. He snapped back to attention as Barca continued, his expression still impassive and unreadable.

"Mathias Steele, Jet Tylluan, Schwarz Zaan, and Claire Verte - after much deliberation, Lodestar's faculty has seen fit to form you into team MJSC." Once again, the named profiles arrange themselves, filling the right half of the screen. Funny... wasn't the leader's name usually first?

"Lead by... Mathias Steele."

Once again, Matt can feel dozens of eyes come to rest on him, and once again, he freezes in shock. This time, however, he manages to utter a single word before his body locks up - "...W...what?"

-----

After watching Amber hurriedly excuse herself, Abah turned to leave the hall, paying no mind to Schwarz's protests. She had better things to do than to humor the petty complaints of every last self-entitled noble at Lodestar - she'd only done so with Ochre because he was technically correct in that Ms. Aries had broken several rules.

That is, until he had to run his mouth.

"Did it have anything to do with that flare? It seemed to rile up the horde after it appeared."

Now, Abah liked to think she was a composed woman. Intimidating at times, for sure, but she never let her guard slip, her resolve waver.

But for one fleeting instant, a surge of unrestrained rage flashes across Abah's face, before being quashed under her usual veneer of dismissive annoyance. This boy - who had no interest in being a Hunter, who only fought for the sake of his own personal glory - had the nerve to enter HER school and presume to deliver veiled threats?!

She walks calmly over to Schwarz, her eyes burning into him with withering intensity. "Listen here, boy. I don't know where you get off -"

Before she can continue, a staff drops between the two with a clatter - glowing a radiant white. "Herminia. I will handle this." Her face, once twisted into a snarl, reels back in surprise. "W- I will not-"

"That's an ORDER, Professor." Seething for a moment, Professor Abah collects herself for a moment, before resuming her previous posture. "...Of course, Headmaster."

"You are dismissed, Abah." Turning away with a suppressed huff, Abah calmly walks from the hall, silent whispers following her wake. Barca's one working eye follows her progress until she slips from sight, before settling it back on Schwarz. Looking into it, Schwarz can only see cold, impassive judgement - as though he were sifting through his very being at a glance, and found it exceedingly wanting.

"Now... I was told you had a complaint, Mr. Zaan?"

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

When Professor Abah mentioned the name Zaan, Amber had to give the boy another look, squinting behind her bangs as she examined his face. Sure enough, she recognized him as the young heir to the Zaan Family, who dealt in Dust in much the same way the Schnee Family did. But when he spoke up after Professor Abah gave him her answer, she felt a shiver up her spine.

"You did not answer my question, Professor Abah..."

That was when she felt it prudent to make a pointed retreat, and turned to head in the opposite direction, which thankfully meant the buffet spread. When she reached it, she heard someone speak up over the speakers. Glancing at the stage, she saw the headmaster, Blanc Barca call out the members of two more teams.

"Jade Bordeleon, Amber Aries, Diamond Blauw, and Elva Dias - after much deliberation, Lodestar's faculty has seen fit to form you into Team JADE, lead by... Jade Bordeleon."

She whooped and thrust a fist into the air. "Nice! You go, boss-girl!", she said with a grin.

"Mathias Steele, Jet Tylluan, Schwarz Zaan, and Claire Verte - after much deliberation, Lodestar's faculty has seen fit to form you into Team MJSC. Lead by... Mathias Steele."

Her grin widened some at that. Matt had certainly proven himself out in the wastes from what she had seen of his part of the Tartarus fight. He was a force to be reckoned with if nothing else. Turning back to the buffet, she loaded up a platter with a trio of burgers among a few other things, then made her way over to the table where Matt, and the girl who joined the middle of the Tartarus fight, sat.

"Hey Matt, congrats on being made leader of Team MJSC. No pressure, right?" she said, smiling as she sat next to him and took a large bite of her first burger.

Glancing over at the girl as she chewed, she eventually swallowed before holding up a hand in a half-wave.

"By the way, I'm Amber. I'm guessing you're Claire?" she asked.

 

[EmperorZuma]

"Now... I was told you had a complaint, Mr. Zaan?"

While Abah tested his patience, Barca succeeded in bringing the Zaan prince to heel. Having to physically force himself to remain composed, Schwarz took on a ceremonial stance, an arm resting on Blooming Anemone's hilt while another was laid straight across his side. "Not a complaint, Headmaster, simply an inquiry that I believed Professor Abah could answer regarding the odd absence of footage from the Tartarus battle."

Quickly, Schwarz quickly raised a hand, signalling surrender. "However, I will admit that point is irrelevant, especially when compared to a more pressing question: the flare fired shortly before we encountered the Tartarus."

Thinking back on Abah's words, Schwarz began to realize the fault in his previous words, so he continued to clarify. "That flare seemed agitate the Grimm Horde to an enormous degree, by itself that is interesting. However, I wouldn't be surprised if it was also linked to the appearance of the Tartarus."

Schwarz paused for a moment to see if he left anything out, or gave the wrong impression. Then, hopeful that he would finally be able to get his point across, he continued. "The flare came from the north from where I saw it, but I can't be sure if it came from Lodestar itself...of course, I do not mean to imply it was fired here, I sincerely doubt that the school would loose a Tartarus on unsuspecting applicants." Schwarz's eyes began to hurt a bit from giving Barca the straightest stare he could. "The whole situation is just...perplexing."

 

[Pappytech]

Claire patiently chewed on her food as Matt struggled to get a response. Weird; she'd heard him shouting a few orders back on the bridge, so why was he clamming up now?

"Ahem. Lodestar is prepared to announce the formation of two additional teams."

Ah. Well, the young woman reflected as Matt started slinking away, there'd be time enough for talk and neurological diagnoses later. This next announcement sounded fairly important. Especially when her own face was being displayed on one of the monitors.

"Jade Bordeleon, Amber Aries, Diamond Blauw, and Elva Dias - after much deliberation, Lodestar's faculty has seen fit to form you into Team JADE, lead by... Jade Bordeleon."

"Hey, two people I know." Claire didn't bother to hold back her slight grin; if anyone was going to be made a team leader, it would've been Jade. It was still kind of corny being in charge of a team that shared your name, but hey, if that was the name Lodestar had assigned, that was what they were gonna get. Briefly, the Faunus wondered if the school assigned teams based on their initials... But no, that would be crazy. ...Wouldn't it?

Shaking her head, the girl brushed the idle thought aside as Headmaster Barca spoke up again. "Mathias Steele, Jet Tylluan, Schwarz Zaan, and Claire Verte - after much deliberation, Lodestar's faculty has seen fit to form you into team MJSC. Lead by... Mathias Steele."

"Huh," she commented, as she turned to face Matt. Judging by his expression of pure shock, he was just as surprised as she was. Well, hopefully the faculty knew what they were doing making Matt the leader; maybe they expected him to grow into the role or something. The other two names a little unfamiliar though. Claire had never heard of Jet Tylluan, and Schwarz... Zaan? Wait, as in the corporation?

Seeing as how Matt was mostly immobilized, Claire made her way back over to her new leader. She got the impression that they should probably join up with the rest of the team as soon as possible, but- "Hey Matt, congrats on being made leader of Team MJSC. No pressure, right?"

One of the other girls from the Tartarus fight had joined them as well. Claire recognized her from her portrait as was one of the others on Team JADE. "By the way, I'm Amber. I'm guessing you're Claire?"

"Yep, that's me! Nice to meet ya," she replied, nodding in acknowledgement. "So, everyone from that last fight is on a team with each other, huh? It's neat how that sort of thing works out." Glancing past Amber, Claire took another look at Matt's terror-stricken face. "...Hey, leader-guy, you alright?"

 

[Redryhno]

Di finished her plate of food, save for a few rolls, which she stuffed into her bag slung across her shoulders as her team was announced. A mixture of annoyance that she would be stuck with Jade, as she hadn't seen all of what she had been capable of, but she had a good feeling that Amber and Elva were more than capable, if much too excitable for her personality.

Going through the crowd, she looked for her new teammates, again hearing certain things that made both pairs of ears burn when they mentioned her. Finding Amber at least, next to most of their 'brother' team she supposed. At least she knew the Brother's name now, Matt. And they had Elva.

"Amber,"She said, sitting down across from the other Faunus,"Guess we're on the same team now."

She stuck out her fist, thumb pointing straight up, an old habit she'd picked up from home, though she quickly realized her mistake and opened it, as a sign of camaraderie that didn't involve crushing bones and punching each other to get away from.

 

[hiei82]

"Jade Bordeleon, Amber Aries, Diamond Blauw, and Elva Dias - after much deliberation, Lodestar's faculty has seen fit to form you into Team JADE, lead by... Jade Bordeleon."

Of course she was the leader; she was, after all, destined for greatness. How could she NOT be made leader? She heard Amber let out a cheer which Jade returned in kind. Jade held out her hand toward Amber and up slightly for a half-handshake, half-high-five and spoke up. "Hell yeah! I can't wait to start slaughtering some more Grimm."

As for the clamor over the change in video, Jade didn't really care. She'd never been in it for the attention; she just wanted to slaughter Grimm by the thousand in glorious vengeance. She also had nothing against team RFUS given she'd missed the hullabaloo in the cafeteria. That said, seeing Amber happy about delivering some justice against a rival team was good enough for her. "So what you have against Team RFUS?" she asked, a little confused.

Meanwhile, Headmaster Barca answered Schwarz's questions. "That footage was being saved until your team announcements." Barca said, his voice as deep and cold as the distant ocean. He said no more on the matter; if the answer wasn't good enough for the Zaan boy then he wasn't worth answering anyway.

The matter of the flare was of somewhat greater concern. He'd already heard a few elements of the flare's launch but hearing it again wouldn't hurt. That said, he wasn't willing to share any information with a weak, little freshmen; Zaan family or otherwise. "That you for telling me Mr. Zaan. I'll keep that in mind." he said, being more diplomatic than he normally would have been. Partly this was so it would be easier to question what he knew later and partly it was because of his relative youth. Freshmen were still young after all. They would learn how to behave soon enough or be kicked out into the Ivory Wastes again; expulsion did not earn you a lift back to the city.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

Amber didn't waste any time in finishing off her first burger while Claire spoke.

"Yep, that's me! Nice to meet ya. So, everyone from that last fight is on a team with each other, huh? It's neat how that sort of thing works out."

"Almost everyone. Haven't seen Chesshie around since, hope she's doing alright. She was the Cat Faunus girl that was there." she said offhandedly, picking up another of her burgers to devour.

She was interrupted shortly by both Di and Amber sitting at the table as well. As she clasped the hand that Jade offered, Di held out a hand of her own, which Amber took with her other hand after setting down her food.

"Amber, guess we're on the same team now."

"Yea, but we seem to make a good team already." Amber said with a smirk before turning to Jade.

"So what you have against Team RFUS?"

Her smirk quickly twisted into a sneer and she picked up her food again for a rather savage bite. She didn't even bother waiting to swallow when she answered.

"Nuffin'. Jus' tha' fere leedah erf ah jagoff." she grumbled before she finally swallowed and gave Jade a sidelong glance.

Or would have if her bangs weren't constantly in the way.

"The guy is a racist prick who tried to start crap on the airship here, in the cafeteria. I know his type, all high-and-mighty because he thinks that Faunus are inferior, and he can lord over them because he's human and untouchable. So I headbutted his ass." she said with a small smile, though it was rather bland, "Only pissed him off. But I don't let that sort of thing slide easy." she punctuated by jabbing a greasy finger into the food on her platter.

Looking down, she merely shrugged, licked off her finger and raised her burger up for a bite again. But when she spared a glance at Matt, she stopped and frowned.

"Matt? Somethin wrong, buddy?" she asked.

 

[Drummodino]

It seemed that Elva's hopes of having the Tartarus fight on the big screen were not in vain. There was a murmur of confusion as the scene abruptly changed, but it soon gave way to impressed whispers and cheers as the key blows were shown in all their glory.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"It exploded!"

"Yea, smack it!"

"Hey, that short girl knows how to handle that axe."

Elva's head whipped around at that last comment, scanning the crowd intensely. There were too many people to pick out whoever said it however.

'Grrr I'm not short! Everyone else there were just freakishly tall!' she thought, fuming a little. She quickly forgot the comment though as the footage of Matt sending the Tartarus over the cliff came up on the screen. Elva's cheer could be clearly heard over the sudden hush of the crowd, apparently they were a little bit awestruck by his strength.

'Yea, that's my bro! Let's see people doubt you after that display,' she thought with a smug grin. Surely everyone at Lodestar knew what he was capable of now. As the footage faded, Professor Barca appeared on stage with eight portraits displayed above him. With a shock Elva realised hers was up there along with the other's from the bridge fight.

"...Team JADE, lead by... Jade Bordeleon."

'I'm in a team! I'm actually in my very own Huntress team!' Elva squealed internally. This announcement was the final proof she needed, she'd been accepted! She couldn't be thrown out now surely. She did feel a twinge of fear and worry as Team MJSC arranged itself on screen, her brother was on a different team to her. Sure Jade, Di and Amber were all obviously capable and seemed nice enough, but she would have felt a lot safer with Matt by her side.

"Lead by... Mathias Steele."

'Wait, what?' she thought, a little stunned. Matt was their leader? Well he had the abilitiy, she knew that but... he probably wouldn't be taking it so well. A little vote of confidence was required!

Walking away from the screens, she eventually found him with the rest of her team and most of his. Squeezing through, she sat down next to him.

"Did you see Matt, did you see! We got teams and you're the leader of one! Isn't that just the coolest?" she said, grinning widely.

 

[Arcanist]

Matt gaped at the screen, too stunned to do much else. This had to be some sort of terrible mistake. It didn't matter if Blanc fucking Barca himself announced it, there had to be an error somewhere for a cowardly mess like himself to be declared fit as a Hunter, let alone the leader of a team!

Swallowing dryly, he tore his eyes away from the screen, desperately hoping people would just overlook him like they usually do so he could go about his day. If the dozens of people staring him down were any indication, however, that was a fool's dream. Gripping his seat ever more tightly, he trembles ever so slightly as he tries to fight down his nerves. He... he could fix this. He'd talk with Abah or Barca, and they'd realize the obvious, terrible mistake they'd made and they'd put the real leader in charge!

"...Hey, leader-guy, you alright?"

"Matt? Somethin wrong, buddy?"

He's shaken from his self-deprecating thoughts by a question from one of his new teammates - Claire, if he recalled correctly, and one of his sister's new teammates, Amber. "Oh. Uh... y...yea. Fine. Just... fine." He takes in a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. Even if he wasn't the real team leader, there wasn't any point in making a completely awful first impression. "Just... surprised, is all."

"Did you see Matt, did you see! We got teams and you're the leader of one! Isn't that just the coolest?"

"Y...yea. Really cool." He gives a strained smile in response - he knew his sister would probably see through it like she always did, but he figured he should at least make the effort to at least pretend at some confidence.

 

[Drummodino]

"Y...yea. Really cool."

'Oh Matt. I see right through you,' Elva thought as her brother shakily smiled at her. She knew he'd be fine, he might just need a little push every now and then. Hopefully his team would be as supportive when she wasn't around to do so.

Glancing at the food the other's were shoveling down, she realised just how hungry she had become. Running through a wasteland and fighting monsters worked up quite the appetite apparently. Jumping up she set a brisk pace for the buffet table, hopefully they had some sweets left.

"I'll be back in a minute, just grabbing some chow," she called back over her shoulder as she walked.

 

[Terratina.]

"Mathias Steele, Jet Tylluan, Schwarz Zaan, and Claire Verte - after much deliberation, Lodestar's faculty has seen fit to form you into team MJSC."

Jet swallowed the rest of the sandwich he was eating as his team was announced. So, there was the blubbering boy who provedd it was quite easy to get water out of a stone, the obviously stuck-up and anti-Faunus Zaan rich kid (every Zaan was like that, right?) and the Faunus who'd seemed way too interested in the Grimm. Perfect.

Jet's pride would've told him he should've been picked as Team MJSC's leader but he was hardly leader material and all too aware of that fact. Wait... Team MJSC, as in 'majestic'? Who thought up these team names anyway? That one stank of egoism. No doubt the Zaan kid would get a kick out of that. Well, Schwarz was too busy hounding the staff to do so. Which appeared to be a running theme among the two teams.

'We got in, right? That's enough. No need to be glory-hounds.'

Even if they had defeated a Tartarus together. Or maybe Jet didn't want his blunders to be broadcast to the entire school. Surely they'd stick to the highlights and not the comedy reel? Was there a comedy reel, even? Regardless, even though Matt looked like he could do with some alone time just to regain composure, the Owl Faunus walked over to him. Well, Jet had to introduce himself to his new teammates, right?

"Jet Tylluan. Congratulations." He simply said.

 

[EmperorZuma]

"Thank you for telling me Mr. Zaan. I'll keep that in mind."

While Barca's answers left a sore spot on Schwarz's ego for causing such a pointless distraction, Schwarz's shame was saved a public display with a thought. Barca himself failed to satisfy Schwarz' curiosity regarding the flare. It would have to be a topic that Schwarz himself investigated. Something that piqued the boy's interest.

"...And speaking of teammates, Mr. Zaan, I'd recommend you join them. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

As Barca turned to leave, Schwarz decided it best to break away as well, if only to leave an impression that he wasn't being idle. However, it was then he noticed the team line....he was a part of MJSC...with Mathias Steele as their leader.

This caused a reaction that would puzzle most...even Schwarz himself upon reflection, he laughed. The reasoning behind was complex, a mix of absurdity, frustration, amusement...and maybe even a bit of relief.

For the moment, Schwarz could see the reasoning. Matt was a team player, if Schwarz's fights with him were any indication, and that was the goodie-goodie quality that Lodestar no doubt looked for in their team leaders.

In the end, this situation mattered little in the long run for Schwarz. He would surpass this handicap with ease, since Matt clearly didn't have the spine to hold him back.