It was interesting for Franken Stein to watch the others walk around the room, attempting awkward conversations before shuffling away from each other, as though something as simple as a handshake would be poisonous. He was here at the meeting for new weapons and meisters because he couldn't go anywhere else, since the DWMA was kind enough to allow him to enroll as a student there. He was standing in the corner of the room, analyzing the soul wavelengths of everyone around him. He wasn't very good at it yet, having had the ability for only a short amount of time, but he could see the general emotions of those around him, almost all of them nervous and introverted.
There were only two exceptions to this, both weapons, one of them a girl called Marie Mjolnir, whose soul wavelength indicated to be very shy, though she was at least trying to have casual, easy conversation. The other was a laid-back red haired weapon whose name Stein had uncharacteristically forgotten, who was flirting with several of the girls in the room. His wavelength seemed odd; it had the usual fear, but there was an element of control to his actions.
Intrigued, Stein watched as the boy walked over to him and extended his hand, saying, "Hello, my name is Spirit Albarn, what's yours?" After a brief pause Stein, ignoring the extended hand, replied, "My name is Franken Stein." Spirit was unsure how to handle the meister, who wore a mask of apathy, and whose calculating gaze was only ever obscured by the glare on the lenses of his glasses. He withdrew his hand and said, "Y'know, none of the people here really seem like good partners, what do you think about 'em?" Stein looked around and said, "I've been analyzing them, and almost none of them seem close to combat ready, but I suppose that most of them haven't even seen a kishin."
He then looked back at Spirit and said, "I have looked at yours though, and it's intriguing, what do you say to being partners?" Despite Stein's nonchalant tone he very badly wanted Spirit as a partner, partly from interest, but also because he did not want to pair up with any of the others. Spirit looked taken aback by the directness of Stein's question, but quickly recovered and said, "Sure, why not?" Stein forced a smile and replied, "Because of the sheer number of girls that I've seen you flirting with in the past half hour, I thought for certain that you would turn me down in exchange for one of them."
Spirit looked very much like a naughty child caught sticking his hand into a cookie jar and said, "Oh, yeah, uh, I'm not sure that, uh, they probably wouldn't be good , anyways, do you mind if I call you Stein? It just has a better ring to it." Stein began to walk out the door, with Spirit following, and said, "Sure, whatever you want. Well, now that we're partners, let's make it official and head off to the secretary to register."
After the secretary registered the two and gave them housing she asked, "So, would either of you like a nickname?" Stein immediately said no, but Spirit's mind was set buzzing with possibilities. "How about Black Scythe Spirit?", he asked, "Ooh, or maybe Slicer, or Albarn the Daring? Or how about- "How about unschlüssig?" Stein interjected. "No, no, that just doesn't have the right ring to- Did you just insult me?" To which Stein mildly replied, No,no, of course not."
Spirit glared at him for a little while before saying, "I can't think of one at the moment, maybe later." Stein was beginning to wonder about this partnership, and it had only been about five minutes since Spirit had agreed to be his partner. Still, Stein could feel that Spirit would be a very suitable weapon partner. And even if Spirit failed as a weapon, Stein needed him. After all, he didn't have any choice but to press forward.
As the pair walked to their new home people often stopped and congratulated them on becoming a weapon pair, though the coldness from Stein kept many people's 'good job speeches' rather short. Also, the way the pair acted around their new environment was very different. Stein slowly turned his head from side to side, analyzing the soul wavelengths of those around him, trying to improve his new ability. Spirit's head seemed to be on a swivel, never focusing on one thing for more than a second, giving constant exclamations of joy or wonder at the sights around him. This is amazing, Stein!", he said, "What do you think of all this?"
Not stopping to look up at Spirit, Stein replied, "See that couple over there? The girl is about to break up with her boyfriend. That man we just passed is excited about something, probably a wedding. And the teenager over at the café, see him at the corner table? He's suicidal, if we don't call the police over he'll most likely kill himself tonight." Spirit went pale and asked, "You've been reading their soul wavelengths?" "Yeah", Stein quietly said, "I've been working on it." "But I'm sure you made a mistake, like that couple, they don't look sad or stressed." Immediately after he said that the girl said something to the boy and walked away, with him yelling out, "Wait, No, I don't understand!"
Stein did spare a glance at Spirit, whose eyes had gone wide, his pupils dilated. "B-b-but I don't get it, how are you that good? You can't have practiced for very long." Stein smirked and said, "I read the general emotions of the soul, and after that the rest is guesswork. At any rate, what are we going to do about the other one?" Spirit shook his head saying, "I don't think that he's suicidal, I mean, maybe you were just lucky that time. I- I'm sure he'll be fine."
With a slight shake of his head Stein replied, "Whatever you want, but I'm ready to just get home, relax, and do a bit of experimentation." The rest of the walk to their new house was in silence, both of them contemplating what had just happened. After a few more minutes of walking they finally arrived at the house. It was small, more like an apartment than anything else, but it had individual bedrooms and a kitchen, along with a living room and a good amount of work space. It was home.
Next Day
It was the first official day at school, and it started out with a tragic announcement. Lord Death came on to the speakers and said, "Students, it is with great sadness that I tell you that one of our fifth year meisters, John Arcrin, has committed suicide. He was found this morning by his weapon partner, having hung himself in the middle of the night. Let us have a moment of silence for his passing."
Stein leaned back in his chair and had an inward smile, not at the death of his schoolmate, but at the fact that he was right. And it wouldn't do for others to see him smiling; after all, they would certainly get the wrong impression. Immediately following the announcement the classroom erupted into whispers. Spirit was whiter than Stein was on a normal day, and was trembling violently.
"We knew", he mumbled, "We knew, and we didn't stop it. We basically murdered him." Stein quickly smacked him upside the head and said, "I simply guessed that he would, we had no concrete evidence, and anyways, what makes you think that we could have stopped him? If we had tried anything, he could have taken his life then and there. Don't feel pain for those who are gone. Feel pain for those who live and suffer." While he truly did not believe this, he needed to keep Spirit grounded.
Spirit took several deep breaths and said, "Yeah, you're right. Now, let's focus on class, I hear that day one is pretty interesting." Stein could tell that Spirit was still very shaken, but that was irrelevant for the time being. The professor at the front of the class cleared his throat and said, "Quiet everyone, class begins now. My name is Professor James Paldrian, and I will be your instructor for today, and for a special few, I will be your instructor for the year, since I also teach the EAT class. Today's test is simple, yet it will be the one that changes the course of the rest of your lives. You will all come to the front of the classroom, one pair at a time, to see if you can transform as well as to see if your soul wavelengths are compatible. First pair: Angelique Jones and Kursten Astria."
The first pair up was nervous, and failed completely, which meant that they were going to the secondary class, also known as the NOT class. "Next pair, Kami Williams and Estia Robertson." This pair consisted of a meister and demon sword, who both looked confident, and easily passed, sending them to the EAT class. This went on for quite a while, with the ratio of EAT to NOT being about 1 to 3.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Prof. Paldrian called out, "Next pair, Franken Stein and Spirit Albarn." They walked up to the front of the class and calmly stared at each other. Stein closed his eyes and asked, "Ready, Spirit?" Spirit grinned and said, "Of course."He then took a deep breath and transformed into a large scythe with a blade of pure silver. He flew into Stein's hands, and for a moment, right before they connected, they both felt a flash of uncertainty about their skills, but the instant Stein was wielding Spirit, all doubts vanished. The two were caught in a moment of pure exhilaration as their wavelengths connected. Stein quickly began to spin Spirit twirling the scythe expertly, but there was an issue. Stein's inherent madness was constantly surging, and it was always a struggle to keep it hidden, but with this new connection, Stein's madness was surging through both of their soul wavelengths. They managed to stay together for about a quarter of a minute, then Spirit suddenly (though not unexpectedly) transformed back into a human. They looked back at Professor Paldrian, who wore a worried look on his face.
However, it quickly shifted into a smile as he said, "Well done, you two. Very well done. You are both assigned to the EAT class. Next pair: Sid Barrett and Mira Nygus." The pairs went through one after another until the final pair was called. "Next pair: Tezca Tlipoca and… Enrique?" At that moment a monkey and a kid wearing a bear head burst through the door. He said, "Sorry I'm late sir. I got a bit lost. Demon Mirror Tezca Tlipoca and Enrique the monkey ready to fight, Sir!" Prof. Paldrian bowed his head and shook it, then said, "Well, the note did say extenuating circumstances. At any rate, show me what you can do." Enrique then began to hoot, and it looked as though he was communicating with Tezca, which caused Tezca to promptly fall over laughing. Then he glared and said, "Ok, ok, that's enough. And you shouldn't be so inappropriate in front of everyone." Finally, he transformed into a small mirror with a handle that Enrique grabbed, which proceeded to show several three dimensional projections of Tezca in front of Enrique. Tezca looked around and said, "Good, it works," and transformed back into a human. The professor furrowed his brow and said, "Interesting. Both of you are in the EAT class. Now, find a seat!"
He paced back and forth and said, "I am very pleased with the turnout of EAT class students, very pleased. This concludes class for today. Franken Stein and Spirit Albarn, I want both of you to report to my office after the bell rings, good day." With this he left the room, and the classroom burst into whispers. Spirit leaned over to Stein and asked, what do you think? Are we in trouble?" Stein could barely hear the words, his mind swirling with fear. Oh, he knew exactly why they were being called into Paldrian's office. There could only be one reason, the same reason why he had that look on his face when Stein and Spirit had shown their skills. He read their combined soul wavelengths. But he knew about this dilemma beforehand no doubt. After all, he was under Lord Death's rule.
Spirit and Stein walked into Paldrian's office, Spirit with fear and curiosity, Stein with mounting dread. The professor was leaning back in his chair, reading The Death Daily. It seemed like everything in the city had to deal with death. Paldrian looked over the rims of his glasses and said, "Come in, have a seat," and motioned at two chairs in front of his desk. The two sat down, Spirit leaning back with his legs stretched out, Stein on the edge of his seat with his chin resting on his hands. Paldrian leaned forward in his seat and said, "Now, I should be letting Lord Death deal with this, but I feel that as your teacher I ought to be the one who tells the both of you this.
Stein, I've learned quite a bit about you from Lord Death, though I don't think that he has told me everything. Spirit, there are a few things that you need to know about your weapon partner." He then picked up a file that said 'Stein, Franken /Psychological Analysis' Psychiatric Institute of Northern Germany. He flipped through some of the pages saying, "Hmm, despite the obvious misdiagnoses of your mental state, it has some rather interesting insights, some of which Spirit no doubt felt when you joined soul wavelengths. Am I correct, Spirit?" Spirit nodded and turned to Stein, asking, "What was that?" Stein adjusted his glasses and said, "I'd hoped that I wouldn't have to tell you for a while, but I was brought to the school because I had nowhere else to go.
My parents were scared of me, so they sent me to that institute, where all the doctors did was psycho-analyze me, trying to find out why I loved to injure, maim, and destroy." He pulled some of his scraggly hair back, revealing a sadistic grin. "They never seemed to get it, that I've always loved to break things, to kill for the sake of curiosity. Idiots. I didn't let you know because I needed a weapon partner, because this was my only chance to get away from there." Spirit looked surprised and asked, "But wait, how did Lord Death ever even find you in the first place?" Stein frowned and said, "You know, that's a damn good question. Sorry professor." The professor waved it away and said, "Hell if I care about your language." Stein nodded and said, "That's everything I feel compelled to tell you, so do you want to stay as my weapon partner or not? Some of those girls were really quite beautiful." Spirit started to blush and said, "Well, uh, sure, I guess. Why not?" Stein gave a humorless laugh and said, "I can think of quite a few reasons, but I'm glad to have you with me." Paldrian smiled and said, "Good, I'm glad that that's settled." He then waved the two out of the office and lit a special brand of cigarette to smoke until his next class.
Stein and Spirit parted ways when they left the school, with Stein heading back to the house, and Spirit going off to see the rest of the city. Stein walked into his clean, white room and collapsed onto the bed, his mind whirling with thoughts.
New Section: In order to fully express the emotions of the characters, I will occasionally go directly into their thoughts; let's try this out.
Franken Stein:
I can't believe it, Spirit actually wants to be my partner. Is there some kind of plot going on? Maybe Lord Death sent him out to watch me. No, no, he didn't. This kid is way too nervous to actually be a spy. What if he's just pretending, though? But I checked his soul's wavelength. Maybe he can manipulate his just like you can. I doubt that, we both know that I am virtually alone when it comes to that. He could just want to be friends, he might be just nice. We can't assume that, nobody likes you, nobody wants to deal with you. Did you see his face after the kid died? He definitely blamed you for that. After all, it was your fault, you could have helped him. I probably could have, but I've always been weak when it comes to the temptation of an experiment. Really, who could have resisted seeing the outcome? Most people, and that's why he was sickened by you. He knows you enjoyed the kid dying. No I didn't! I don't enjoy someone taking their own life, that's just a form of madness, and I'm sure Spirit doesn't think that way either. A form of madness, huh? That's cute, coming from you. Or did you forget why we're here in the first place? I know, it was just a bit of hope, if only for a little while. But I enjoy tearing things apart too much to always deny it. I still don't like the madness that he fell under, I do have some humanity. But can you deny how interesting it was, to know that you were right? Let's just see what happens, so long as I can contain the bloodlust, I should be fine. But are you sure you can? Shut up.