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

[Drummodino]

As the students stood up one by one and demonstrated their aura abilities Elva watched on in awe. Di set the bar with a dazzling display of colour before several others, including Matt, matched her with similarly impressive techniques. The more students stood up however, the more Elva noticed that their teacher was not being equally generous with his praise. After the nobleman Zaan executed a flourishing move he gushed like a middle schooler at an Achieve Men concert. When Claire produced an impressive, if somewhat less flashy display he brushed her off with nothing more than a half-hearted comment. Elva wasn't sure if it was because Claire was a faunus or simply not a noble, but it was clear that the professor was prejudiced one way or another.

Feeling very annoyed she watched closely as the other nobleman of the class, Rufus-douchebag-Ochre stepped up. Slamming his sword into the ground he let out an explosion of brown-red light and shattered the chair Elva was sitting on. Looking around from the floor it seemed both teams JADE, MJSC and the rest of the faunus in the room had been taken out by the blast. Fists clenched in anger, Elva looked back to the stage to see duPrince lavishing praise on the smirking Rufus.

"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..."

Elva stopped listening as she extracted herself from the ruins of her chair, clearly the man wasn't worth her time. It seemed Jade had come to the same conclusion, swiftly standing up and glaring at duPrince before giving the most lacklustre performance so far. Jumping up as her leader sat back down, Elva walked up with a glare for the professor, "accidentally" stepping on Rufus's foot as she passed. Standing in front of the class she stuck her tongue out at the irate expressions of Umbra and him before bringing her fists together and closing her eyes. She would show these stuck up pigs what she was capable of!

'Breathe in. Breathe out.'

Aura had been described to her as a deep pool, a store of energy deep with you that you can harness with enough dedication and training. It had never been quite like that for her though, instead of a calm pool her Aura had always been a chaotic tempest raging within her. Instead of extracting and drawing the energy forth, she merely provided it with an outlet and shaped it's direction.

'Ride the lightning. Feel the lightning.'

Usually this came easy to her, years of practice had made it as natural as walking. Something felt... different this time though. Almost as if an external force was pushing against her control. Gritting her teeth she fought against this unseen enemy.

'Control, focus and... RELEASE!'

"BOOM!"

If everything had gone according to plan a ring of miniature thunderbolts would have flashed around the seated audience. Unfortunately she'd lost control at the last instant and all the energy she'd gathered had exploded in her face, throwing her back across the room and thumping into the wall.

Gingerly getting to her feet she looked with dismay at the fresh scorch marks on her uniform.

"Woops. Haven't done that in a while."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

As mortified as the young Faunus woman was at her performance, she glared behind her bangs at Professor duPrince as he smugly pointed out her faults.

"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. In any case, Ms. Aries, work on your breathing technique. It was, to be frank, completely atrocious."

While he was absolutely right about her breathing, and possibly spot on about how to use Aura since that was his particular area of expertise, it didn't matter since he was so damn infuriating about how he pointed it out, and she felt the urge to get up and wipe the smirk off of his face. It was a shame that he was a teacher.

When another girl walked up, and hesitated almost like Amber had, she couldn't help but think that maybe someone else was going to struggle too. But duPrince was riveted as she took a moment to release a large pulse of Aura, and only deepened the embarrassed flush on Amber's cheeks as he congratulated her. I'm going to be the joke of this class, aren't I? she wondered as Matt stepped up to demonstrate.

Amber straightened some as she watched him pause, then take a knee and place a hand on the stone floor. When his face screwed up in confusion, she had to grimace before he seemed to relax, then shot back up, lifting his hands up. And as he did, a pillar of stone rose beneath him, causing her to gape.

She stared after him as he went to sit back down, barely even noticing the next student walking up to make their presentation. Matt's display was amazing, and it was clear that he had to be in control of both Aura and Semblance. A clever idea had started to form just as the room was bathed in blinding light, causing Amber to flinch and lift a hand to block it out.

"Wonderful work Mr. Zaan! Class; I hope you paid close attention to your classmate's use of Aura manipulation..."

She spared a glance at the two in the front of the classroom, recognizing the boy from Matt's team, as well as the fact that he had to be part of the illustrious Zaan family, one of the Schnee's competitors in Vacuo. That probably made him some pretentious, irritating and bratty rich kid. Once he sat down, Claire stood, showing off a trick of her own that involved small blades of Aura on her fingers, which Amber had to admit was pretty cool. But after her, came Ochre.

She glared daggers at him as he caught the Professor's attention, then slammed the tip of his sword into the floor, releasing a rust-colored wave of light. Amber was about to shrug, thinking that that wasn't much before her chair and desk, as well as those for her teammates, Team MJSC's, and those of every Faunus collapsed.

Even as the Professor fawned over the two nobles in the class, Amber had to fight against every urge to rush forward and slug Ochre for his nasty little trick. As he went to sit down, she kicked the remnants of her chair towards him before simply sitting on the floor and snarling at him.

She did turn away to watch as Jade stepped forward, only to sigh as she didn't even bother trying to summon her Aura in earnest. She couldn't blame her though. duPrince was infuriatingly sexist, racist, and a suck-up for nobility. Essentially the kind of person Amber hated most. When she moved back to her ruined seat, Amber gave her an apologetic grimace and lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug.

Elva took her turn next, deliberately making a face at Rufus and Umbra before standing before duPrince and bringing her fists together. Amber was excited to see what Elva would end up doing, having seen the arcs of electricity she made around her axe the day before when they fought the Tartarus.

The result was as spectacular as before, but not in the way she hoped. Whatever Aura she gathered had exploded in her face, sending her across the classroom and slamming into the back wall.

"Crap!" she cried, scrambling onto her feet and wasting no time moving to her teammate's side.

"Woops. Haven't done that in a while."

"Are you alright? What happened?" Amber asked, her face in an expression of shock and worry.

 

[Terratina.]

Jet tried to concentrate, he really did. Apart from duPrince's attitudes, the pressure of his expectations, the antics of a certain Ochre-hole and a certain member of Team JADE who had blasted herself into the back wall and was currently in the process of digging herself out of said wall, there was nothing on the Faunus's mind at all. Nothing. At. All. He'd used his Semblance countless times, simply summoning up Aura by itself should've been simple. As time passed, there seemed to be more and more pressure mounting up; Jet could already hear duPrince's mocking scorn about him taking too long. Well, the Faunus ended up forcing it out, resulting in a release of weak wisps of black smoke and nothing else. Jet sighed. So much for the Team MJSC streak.

 

[Arcanist]

Matt groaned as he heaved himself back onto his feet, trying(and failing) to dust off his uniform. Ochre's little 'display' had sent him sprawling on his back, and by the time he had refocused his attention to the front his sister was already readying herself for her demonstration. Matt watched at first with interest, and then with growing concern, as she seemed to struggle.

Then he started to see sparks fly uncontrollably from her feet.

In a flash of blue light, the sparks exploded outwards, scorching the earth around her, with Elva herself standing slightly dumbfounded at the opposite wall, having been thrown backwards by the blast. Matt sighed - she looked no worse for wear, but she'd almost definitely need a new uniform. "Woops. Haven't done that in a while."

'Elva...' He inwardly grimaced as he recalled the day she discovered her own Semblance - Sanctuary's forgemaster had banned both of them from the weapon smithies for over a month after THAT incident. Now that he thought about it, though, she hadn't lost control like that in a long, long time - years, at least. This was hardly the first time she had demonstrated her Semblance in front of a crowd over the years, so it wasn't nerves... if not that, then what?

Come to think of it, hadn't something similar happened during his own demonstration? An unusual lack of control over his own Aura?

Professor duPrince, for his part, did not look happy - several singemarks marring his own gaudy uniform. "Miss Dias! That... using Aura like that was unbelievably reckless!" He brushed futiley at his uniform, trying to scrub off the scorchmarks, before turning to Elva again with a renewed scowl. "I think that will be quite enough, Miss Dias."

The demonstrations continued apace, with Jet's less than stellar performance eliciting a few snide comments from team RFUS. Matt narrows his eyes, silently glowering at them. 'Don't they have better things to do?'

"Now, let us continue with..." He looks at his Scroll, and his face drops, confusion evident. "Erm... Miss... Mask?"

"DO YOU CALL UPON..."

A flash of red streaks across the room, bounding out from the back row. It stops with a flourish, revealing a short young girl(or at least Matt assumed so, given the uniform) wearing a blood-red domino mask that obscured her eyes, a hood covering her head. Trailing behind her was...

Matt gaped, absolutely dumbfounded. 'Is that cape made of Aura!?' Sure enough, behind her billowed a cape shifting through various shades of red, flowing from her shoulders and disappearing into nothingness at her feet.

"...THE CRIMSON MASK!?"

duPrince gaped at the girl, completely lost for words, before she continued. "Ah, but of course! I must demonstrate the power of JUSTICE to the people!" She turned to attention, facing the rest of the class. "Watch well, my comrades! For you behold... THE LIGHT OF JUSTICE!" An overpowering flash of crimson light filled Matt's vision, briefly forcing him to avert his gaze, before it settled down into a steady glow from the strange girl. As it became apparent eyes were on her again, she struck a classically heroic pose, seeming to preen a bit with the newfound attention. "Oh-ho, impressed? I'm not surprised!"

And then, as quickly as it came, the light vanished, along with her cape, and the girl bounded back up to the back row, taking a seat next to her team leader - Michelle Vert of team MECH, if Matt recalled correctly. "Until we meet again, comrades~~!"

Professor duPrince opened his mouth, almost seeming to say something, before shaking his head. "...Ehem. Mr. Violet. If you would." The boy - barely taller than Elva, Matt noted - meekly nods and shuffles forward to the stage. He seems to wither under the newfound scrutiny, his eyes downcast and posture hunched. He stands for a moment, averting his gaze.

"...Mr. Violet? We're waiting." Professor duPrince taps his feet, his displeasure mounting.

And then Violet releases his breath, and a rush of energy crashes over Matt's senses - and if the gasps rising from the rest of the crowd are any indication, he isn't the only one to feel it. He idly recalls the sensation that broke whatever was blocking him out during his own demonstration - a rush of Aura, exactly like this one.

Violet opens his eyes, and the pool of energy at the edge of Matt's consciousness disappears. A murmur rushes over the crowd, making the boy flush. Matt's chest tightens in sympathy - he certainly knew how that felt.

 

[Drummodino]

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just messed up a little, that's all." Elva flashed a smile at Amber, trying to appear confident. She didn't want to mention the interference she'd felt since it would just sound like a petulant excuse. She walked back to her ruined seat as Professor duPrince blustered at her, not feeling remotely sorry for singeing his uniform. Clearing herself a space on the floor she sat down to watch the remaining few students.

Jet's lackluster display elicited a sympathetic smile from her, before the next student blew all other thoughts out of her mind. The masked girl was wearing a cape made out of Aura! It shimmered and billowed around her as she demonstrated her considerable ability, posing like a hero out of a comic book. As the girl sat down and the final student got up Elva brainstormed, thinking about how she could imitate that technique.

'Hmm, the shape probably isn't too hard to form, maintaining it would be the tricky part. I'll have to ask that girl if there is a trick to it or something.'

Making her mind up on that fact Elva impatiently waited until the professor dismissed them and quickly approached the girl as they made their way to the exit.

"Um, hi! I'm sorry but I didn't catch your name, I'm Elva. I was just wondering if you could show me how you did that cape thing with your Aura, it was so cool!"

 

[Pappytech]

"Yes yes. Adequate job Ms... Verte. Next!"

Eh. It may not have been praise, exactly, but at least Claire hadn't pissed the professor off. She knew from experience that bad first impressions were hard to change, and it was better that she struck duPrince as average than a troublemaker or an incompetent.

The hours wiled away as the rest of the new students did their bits. One of them, some noble, judging by duPrince's reaction, did something that shattered Claire's chair, as well as the rest of her team's. Annoying, maybe, but not too problematic. It was easy enough to find another seat. Elva's nasty blowout, meanwhile, earned a sympathetic wince from the faunus. Mustering that much energy was anything but simple, and that wall hadn't looked particularly soft... Still, a bump on the head wouldn't kill Elva. Claire flashed the shorter girl a thumbs up as she was escorted back to her seat by the tall, horned faunus. Jet finally took his turn towards the end of the class, but it seemed he wasn't able to conjure up much energy for his demonstration.

Most of the other students were unexceptional in their failures and successes, though there was one notable exception: Crimson Mask. Giving a performance worthy of Saturday morning's Pretty Protector Punisher Pumice, the girl's control over her aura was more than impressive, though it would've been nice if she had yelled a bit less. The classroom had some very good acoustics, and Claire swore that her ears were ringing by the end of Mask's display. The young faunus wondered if "Crimson Mask" was a pseudonym or the girl's real name; she'd certainly heard of weird names during her time at Sanctuary.

The class came to an end with one more failure from a younger-looking boy, and then that was it. Students started to pack up and socialize, but Claire didn't leave her chair. Trying to talk to other people this soon would only end badly.

Instead, she turned to face Jet, still sitting nearby. "Hey, so, you're a faunus, right?" Claire asked, phrasing it as a question even if the answer was obvious. "You weren't at Sanctuary, were you? Where'd you study?"

 

[Terratina.]

'Yeah, laugh it up.' Jet thought as Team RFUS made no effort to hide their side comments.

Could've been worse, could've been Elva. However, those thoughts were quickly scattered by the self-proclaimed CRIMSON MASK. Sure, her control over her Aura was impressive, but the whole Saturday morning cartoon superhero impression was a bit much. Apparently Lodestar tolerated anything if the person's ability was sufficient; general unpleasantness, racism, and... insanity. Well, it probably was if the girl really believed she was the embodiment of the LIGHT OF JUSTICE.

The follow-up was disappointing but it wasn't like Jet had blown everyone away with his demonstration. With that, the class ended. Jet was almost all packed up before Claire asked him some rather silly questions, "Hey, so, you're a faunus, right? You weren't at Sanctuary, were you? Where'd you study?"

"Yeah." Jet said to the first question, coming off a bit confrontational simply out of habit. As for the second question, the answer came a little later. His involvement with the White Fang wasn't exactly something to blurt out loud. He settled on, "I was... homeschooled."

Well, it wasn't a lie but it wasn't the full truth either. He finished packing up, stood up, checked his Scroll and slowly made his way out.

 

[Redryhno]

Class passed relatively swiftly. Many students approached the podium and presented their Aura control to the rest of them sitting. Some were impressive, others, such as Rufus', were annoyances, and some were uneventful. His in particular caused her to land on the floor as table and chair collapsed beneath her. A glare in his direction was her response.

Finally a Faunus she hadn't seen many of approached the podium and demonstrated he didn't have the same control over his Aura as others. A puff of smoke was all the Owl Faunus was able to conjure. She didn't pay too much attention for the rest of class though, wracking her brain trying to figure out where she'd seen him before now.

It wasn't while I was traveling, wasn't in the Wastes, certainly wasn't i-

"DO YOU CALL UPON..."

Or she was, until the most flamboyant character she'd ever seen appeared. With a cloak and mask of Aura. Certainly she were skilled, but why those when she could've just as easily gotten them made? Oh right, they were a showoff who'd watched too many shows. For the foreseeable future, Di wasn't going to be paying her any heed.

The last to perform was the boy that Di knew had been the force behind her own extravagant display, and so offered him a small smile of encouragement and a crossing of her fingers. She'd thanked him, but he looked like he needed some kind of encouragement. And then there it was again, the same feeling she'd gotten from before.

With class wrapping up, she turned around and saw Jet and again her brain started working, trying to remember where she'd seen him. But before she could let that completely take over her thoughts, Henry Violet. She approached him and gave him her Scroll details, he was certainly strong, he could probably help her most if she ran into any problems in this class after all.

"I'm Di, thanks for,"She struggled this time, not used to thanking anybody more than once lately, but extended her hand again,"the help. Team JADE."

 

[Arcanist]

As Henry finished his demonstration and returned to his seat, Professor duPrince motioned for silence, receiving it after a few murmurs died down over the course of a few seconds. "I hope this has been as enlightening for all of you as it has been for me. As a Hunter, Aura is your shield, your lifeblood, and your eternal vigil - overestimating your capability can be lethal in the field." He says, nods to himself, seeming satisfied with this bit of personal wisdom, before continuing.

"Aura is an extension of our own souls - our deepest will made manifest. Just as no two people are exactly the same, no two Auras are exactly the same. As such, many of the techniques required to call it forth will vary wildly from person to person - though people can be similar, too, so there is also quite a bit of overlap." He takes a moment to clear his throat and brush again at his singed uniform.

"One such overlap is in our breathing. Like all things in our body, Aura is inexorably tied to to the ebb and flow of our breath - just as a runner cannot compete without learning how to breathe like a runner, you must learn to breathe like a Hunter. Your homework assignment for next week is to learn or refine just such a breathing technique. Class dismissed."

Matt relaxed as Professor duPrince turned away and started to gather his things. He was eager to get to the cafeteria - the demonstrations had run right through lunch, and he still hadn't yet eaten. With herculean effort, he willed his stomach into silence, eyeing the door with a hungry edge in his eye.

"You weren't at Sanctuary, were you? Where'd you study?" Claire's question, asked just as Matt had finished packing up his things, briefly caught him off guard. Come to think of it, Claire was right - Matt certainly hadn't seen him around, that was for sure.

"I was... homeschooled." Matt's brow furrows ever so slightly at the way Jet seemed to hesitate before answering. Elva did the same thing whenever she tried to omit something embarrassing...

The implications of what that could mean weren't lost on him, but getting into Lodestar meant he was training to fight Grimm, same as him. If there was something in his past he wanted to leave far, far behind?

Well, Matt certainly understood how THAT felt. "Homeschooled, huh? Your teacher must have been something, for you to be that good." He nodded over to the door. "Come on, let's go get some dinner."

------

Team MECH, likewise, were readying themselves to leave for dinner, packing their things, when Elva and Di approached. "Um, hi! I'm sorry but I didn't catch your name, I'm Elva. I was just wondering if you could show me how you did that cape thing with your Aura, it was so cool!"

Crimson Mask grinned widely before turning to respond. "Well met, Elva! You may call me... CRIMSON MASK! Defender of righteousness!" She strikes another pose and resummons the cape, letting it billow behind her. "Sadly, I'm afraid the Cape of Justice only responds to those who dedicate their lives to its pursuit."

Michelle releases a sigh and rolls her eyes, turning to face Elva. "What she means is that it's a product of her Semblance... I think. It's hard to get a straight answer out of her." She rolls her eyes again at the glare(she thinks? It's hard to tell through the mask) Crimson Mask sends her way. "And don't bother trying to get her real name out of her, either. I've been trying ever since we ran into each other in the Wastes, with no luck."

"Allies of Justice need no names, Michelle!"

"Well, I'd like to call my friends something other than 'Crimson Mask'. We don't always get what we want, do we?" Crimson Mask turns away with a pout, letting her cape dissolve, before striding towards the door. "I swear, I have no idea what I'm going to do with her... her heart's in the right place, she's just... eccentric."

The giant sitting next to her, with bushy brown hair and an equally bushy set of bear ears perched atop his head, laughs uproariously at that - a deep, booming sound that seems to make the air around him shake. "HA! Eccentric doesn't even begin to cover it! Hell, when I ran into you two in the Wastes, she -"

"That's quite enough, Erik. You can embarrass her in person at dinner, if you must."

"I'm Di, thanks for... the help. Team JADE." Violet accepts the handshake, if meekly, nodding without making eye contact. "H...henry. We're team MECH."

Michelle's eyes narrow, looking over Henry with an eyebrow quirked. "Help?"

He seems to jump back a bit, uncomfortable with being put on the spot, before responding with a stammer. "W..well, someone was, um, kinda... messing with her. Her demonstration, I mean. So I, uh..."

"Aww, come on, Michelle! Don't put Vi on the spot!" Erik scoops both of them up into a big bear-hug, much to Michelle's chagrin and Henry's shock, before leaping towards the door. "Besides, we've wasted enough time! LET'S EAT!"

"Erik, put me down this instant!"

"E...erik?!"

 

[Terratina.]

"Homeschooled, huh? Your teacher must have been something, for you to be that good."

Was that a joke? Jet had shown duPrince how 'good' he at producing wisps of smoke and nothing more in the class. Hardly anything worth anyone's time. Jet glowered at Matt, annoyed at the comment. The Faunus's response was just a mutter, "Very funny."

"Come on, let's go get some dinner."

'I was just about to do that.' Jet internally grumbled. Did Team MJSC have to do everything together?

 

[hiei82]

As class started to let out, Prof. duPrince waved over Schwarz and Rufus. Rufus, still fresh off his victory over the other, walked boldly forward. When both arrived (duPrince was quite insistent on speaking with them), he first pulled out a pair of books. "Since you two gentlemen are so far ahead of the class, I have a pair of more advanced books for you to study. They should allow you to at least make some progress this year without being held back by the class too much." he said, offering them the advanced Aura training guides.

"Now, of course it would be best if both of you were on the same teams..." he said in a suggestive tone.

[hr]

Jade saw Elva and Diamond make their way over to Team MECH and was inclined to join them, but that would require being in the same room as duPrince for a few moments longer. She was honestly amazed at Diamond's resolve to say thanks even when duPrince disliked her even more. She'd have to remember to praise her for it later and ask for an intro to Team MECH.

For the time being however, she just wanted to leave the room. She saw Matt making his way out and, having had no opportunity to talk to him since the Initiation's end (and even that only a few words) she decided to join him and his teammate to catch up. Glancing back at the ruined table, she noticed Amber still there. Remembering her words about Matt that morning, Jade spoke up.

"Hey Amber; I'm gonna go get some food with Matt and catch up. Care to join me?" she said, smiling wryly. Giving teammates and friends a chance to hook up; Leadership score +1.

 

[Arcanist]

"Very funny." Matt was briefly taken aback at his tone - had he done something to offend? What had he -

Oh. Jet had just flopped in his first class. And Matt had said 'he was that good' WHY DID HE SAY THAT WHYYYY

"Uh, w-well, um... I-I didn't mean- I meant your combat skill! I, uh... I'll shut up, now..." He slumps his arms, his expression despondent. No wonder he was such a loser - he couldn't even complement someone properly.

 

[EmperorZuma]

Schwarz did not let Rufus' barbarity break his poise, merely reflecting his "rival's" (if he would even entertain that notion) smirk with a sad frown, showing more concern over the broken mahogany than Rufus' wordless challenge. For the rest of the class he was silent, wondering if the assault was even worth bearing a grudge against an inferior.

Regardless, he presented himself to Professor duPrince when class was adjourned, outright ignoring the conversation his "teammates" were engaging in. Standing side-by-side with Rufus, Schwarz showed no emotion other than slight amusement.

"Since you two gentlemen are so far ahead of the class, I have a pair of more advanced books for you to study. They should allow you to at least make some progress this year without being held back by the class too much."

Schwarz accepted the book with a nice, surprisingly honest, smile. He was pleased that at least one professor was willing to acknowledge his talent. Not to mention that he had something new to kill the time with, though he didn't know how long the book would last against his perusal.

"Now, of course it would be best if both of you were on the same teams..."

"Oh, perish the thought professor!" Schwarz gave a slight laugh masked in polite intent. "With our talents combined, not a piece of furniture would be left standing in Lodestar!" With a slight turn of the head to Rufus, Schwarz flashed a toothy grin. "I think it's best to divide and conquer. Don't you agree, Rufus? You take care of the fixtures, I'll handle the Grimm."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

As Amber helped her teammate to her feet, Elva gave a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just messed up a little, that's all."

Amber nodded before going back to where her desk used to be, just in time to see the Faunus boy from Matt's team start his display. It was about as sad as her own, and she had to grimace in sympathy. While she didn't doubt that Team MJSC was capable, they all had different strengths. The follow-up presentation couldn't be any more different however.

"DO YOU CALL UPON... THE CRIMSON MASK!?"

The girl that streaked forward looked like she had come straight out of a comic book, and a red Aura cape billowed behind her as she posed. Amber couldn't help but gape. She was shocked enough that her display caught her off guard, blinding her with a flash of red light.

By the time she could see again, she had entirely missed whoever was next to call up their Aura, and most of the others were either talking to each other or Team MECH. All except for Ochre and Zaan, both of whom were speaking to Professor duPrince. She gave them a passing sneer as she got up and started to make her way out, only to hear Jade call out to her.

"Hey Amber; I'm gonna go get some food with Matt and catch up. Care to join me?"

She turned and glanced at Matt before a slow smile spread on her face. Since Jade had heard her interest on their way out of the dorm earlier that day, she seemed like she wanted to help. Who was she to argue.

"Sure, that sounds like fun." she said, striding over and giving Matt a smile.

 

[Pappytech]

"I was... homeschooled," Jet replied, after a brief pause. A pause which Claire managed to miss entirely, as she responded enthusiastically.

"Oh, yeah? That's pretty neat. My dad had to work a lot, but he taught me a few tricks too. What sort of things did... your..." The girl trailed off as she noticed Jet packing up and making his way towards the exit. Huh, he must've been tired after class or something.

In any case, Matt also spoke up, saying something else to Jet before addressing the group as a whole. "Come on, let's go get some dinner."

Claire tossed a glance over to where Mr. Zaan was chatting with the professor, before grabbing her Scroll and rising from her seat. "Sure, sounds good," she replied, falling into step behind Jet and her leader. Food was nice, and it'd felt like forever since they'd had lunch.

 

[Drummodino]

The Crimson Mask seemed pleased at Elva's inquiry, summoning her cape and striking a pose.

"Well met, Elva! You may call me... CRIMSON MASK! Defender of righteousness! Sadly, I'm afraid the Cape of Justice only responds to those who dedicate their lives to its pursuit."

Her team leader didn't seem to share her enthusiasm. Rolling her eyes she turned to Elva with a sigh.

"What she means is that it's a product of her Semblance... I think. It's hard to get a straight answer out of her."

Disappointment flashed through Elva briefly, it seemed the Defender of Righteousness wouldn't be able to help her as she had hoped. 'Maybe Di will have an idea, she seemed to be the best with Aura in the class,' glancing at Di as she came over and introduced herself to the small boy looking down meekly.

"I swear, I have no idea what I'm going to do with her... her heart's in the right place, she's just... eccentric."

"Eccentric is good though! Makes things more interesting." replied Elva to Michelle as she gazed after the departing girl. Then the big, furry guy packing his things next to Michelle let out a booming laugh.

"HA! Eccentric doesn't even begin to cover it! Hell, when I ran into you two in the Wastes, she -"

"That's quite enough, Erik. You can embarrass her in person at dinner, if you must."

'What's this? I sense a story!' Elva thought, her curiousity piqued. Before she got the chance to inquire though Erik grabbed Michelle and the other boy in his great big arms, much to their chagrin, and declared it was time to eat.

"Erik, put me down this instant!"

"E...erik?!"

Elva laughed as the two teens struggled to free themselves from the big bear faunus as he strode out the door. She was glad there was another fun team, she'd been worried there would be more like RFUS. Turning her head she looked at Di.

"Shall we follow? I'm famished."

 

[Arcanist]

"I think it's best to divide and conquer. Don't you agree, Rufus? You take care of the fixtures, I'll handle the Grimm."

Rufus responded to the slight with a sneer, though he took care to conceal it from Professor duPrince. "Well, be sure you don't overexert yourself, Zaan. It'd be a same if you broke a nail and had to go home." Rufus gives a dismissive shrug, before turning to Professor duPrince. "I appreciate the offer, Professor, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. Besides, I think Zaan is right where he belongs with Steele as a leader... isn't that right?" He gives Schwarz a cutting smile, devoid of any warmth, cruel and mocking.

Professor duPrince, for his part, looks a little disappointed, but it seems to pass with little problem. "Ah, well, I suppose it can't be helped. Still, having the two of you on the same team... imagine the possibilities. No common riff-raff weighing you down... but alas." He finishes gathering up his things, turning to the door. "You are dismissed."

-----------------------


The rest of the day passed fairly uneventfully for Matt, from dinner to his return to Beowolf Hall. It was getting late by the time he'd managed to get back, and so he quickly changed into his sleepwear and flopped down onto his bed(but not before double-checking his Scroll's alarm to prevent another mishap), quickly succumbing to sleep.


------------------------

"GOOD MORNING, VACUO! This is Remnant Radio, bringing you the greatest hits fr-" Matt's hand sluggishly bears down on the Scroll, silencing it. He squinted as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Judging from the light leaking through the adjacent window, it was shortly after dawn. A quick look at his Scroll confirmed it was shortly after six thirty - plenty of time to get ready before class.

He gives a loud, boorish yawn as he slides out of bed. To be honest, he wasn't particularly looking forward to today's class - Dust Mechanics with Professor Francis, if his schedule was correct. Raw Dust was expensive, and Matt didn't exactly come from affluent stock. Still, society ran on the stuff, and Hunters had to be able to use every weapon at their disposal to fight against the Grimm. Stretching out a few of his limbs, he threw on his uniform and headed down towards the mess hall for breakfast.

 

[Drummodino]

"Fooooooooood!"

Elva declared this loudly as she sat down with her classmates, a steaming plate of meat and vegetables piled high on her plate. She was feeling famished after the day's events, although Matt's plate still dwarfed hers, the glutton. Getting stuck in as the small talk flowed around the room she thought back on the day. Despite her explosive incident and their idiotic teacher, she had enjoyed the day greatly. The various demenstrations of Aura and Semblances had been a fascinating experience.

[hr]

With her meal now devoured, Elva would have been satisfied if it was not for one thing. She glared daggers at Matt as he pointedly poured a glass of milk and pushed it towards her.

Milk. Her mortal enemy and her came face to face once more. The disgusting beverage sat there taunting her with its innocent appearance.

"I'm not drinking that," she said, pushing the glass back across the table.

"Elva. You're seventeen, and a Huntress. I think you can suffer a glass of milk."

"I'd rather face that Tartarus again then drink that slurry. It's foul and gross and makes me wanna retch."

"Elva, it's *milk* and it's *good for you.* Just one glass, please? For me?"

"But, but, it tastes so bad!" she bleated, squirming under the look of her exasperated sibling. "Ugh fiiiine, but you owe me big time for this!"

Swallowing nervously she picked up the glass. Pinching her nose she downed the disgusting liquid in one swig.

"Eewwwwww, yuck yuck yuck! I think I'm gonna be sick," she said, covering her mouth with her hand. Standing up with another glare for Matt she walked off with a huff, leaving her dishes lying on the table.

[hr]

The next morning Elva awoke early. Sitting up with a yawn and a stretch she tried to remember the dream she'd been having. Something about riding a Nevermore? Crimson Mask had been there too, prancing around in that costume of hers.

Whatever it had been, it was weird. Jumping out of bed she took a quick shower before donning her uniform and making for the mess hall. They had Dust Mechanics today with a Professor Francis, hopefully they would be more competent than that stuck up fool duPrince.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

Unfortunately, dinner after Aura Manipulation was uneventful, but Amber couldn't blame anyone but herself. She had planned to ask Matt to tutor her regarding her Aura, but her imagination wandered to his ass. She was wondering just how perky it was when her train of thought was interrupted by his sister, and her disgust of a certain dairy product.

"I'm not drinking that."

Amber blinked behind her bangs and smirked a little as she watched brother and sister argue over a single glass of milk. The weary tone Matt's voice had as he told her that it was good for her, pleading her to drink it for him made her stifle a snicker. When she finally downed the glass in one gulp, the look of disgust she made was impressive.

"Eewwwwww, yuck yuck yuck! I think I'm gonna be sick."

Amber shook her head and sighed softly before going back to her meal. Maybe she'd ask Matt about tutoring in the morning. She'd just have to keep herself from fantasizing about his butt.

-The Next Morning-​

Amber woke up the same as the day before, only this time her falling out of the bed was prompted by a proper alarm instead of the sun shining on her face. She was only thankful that this time her horns had missed the bedside table. This time it was her forehead.

Pushing herself off the floor so that she was sitting, she rubbed her forehead and yawned. At least her dream was nice. Fight dreams usually were for her, after all. She glanced around for her teammates before clapping twice, lazily calling out, "Time to get up Team."

She got to her feet after a moment's pause and strode in the direction of a shower.

 

[Pappytech]

Dinner was a largely uneventful affair. Aside from Elva's refusal to drink her dairy and Matt's attempts to cajole her into doing so, there had hardly been any conversation between any of the members of teams JADE and MSJC. Which was perfectly fine by Claire's standards; less time spent talking meant that food would be eaten quicker, which in turn meant that she could spend more of her evening doing other things.

After the meal, instead of heading back to the dorms, the Faunus meandered over towards Lodestar's library, Arachnae Hall. Odds were the others wouldn't be doing anything she needed to be around for, and it'd be good to give herself a brief refresh before class tomorrow. Dust wasn't exactly Claire's strong point; she might know more about it than most, but only by virtue of her training and what she picked up from home. There were still plenty of people who knew more about than she did. So taking an hour or two to make sure she had all the terminology straight would be a good investment.

Arachnae Hall was just as impressive as Claire had hoped, a massive building chock full of almost any bit of info an aspiring Huntress might need. Physical books, databases that could be accessed through her Scroll, even some instructional videos in the audio-visual section. Sanctuary's library hadn't been nearly this big, and Claire had barely even made a dent in its collection.

With an energetic spring in her step, she strolled off down the aisles of knowledge, occasionally checking a sign to make sure she was heading towards the right section. She was going to be pretty happy hanging around here, she knew that much.

...

Three hours later, Claire finally realized that she hadn't even really started to study yet. She'd spent the entire time browsing the shelves, and had somehow amassed a pile of... six, nine, fifteen... twenty two books. Jeez, she was probably getting a bit too invested into this "review" session.

Forcing herself to leave the majority of the volumes behind, the young woman checked out the rest of her haul from the librarian on duty and started heading back to Beowolf Hall. She had a full night ahead of her, it seemed.

[hr]

The next morning, Claire woke up, feeling not quite fully-rested. The downside of staying up until 3 reading, she mused sadly. Luckily, some caffeine and protein would go a long way towards making her feeling more alert. Donning her uniform skirt and jacket, the girl prepared herself for the long trek towards the rest of the campus.