Atin blearily looked at his scroll, noting that it was eleven in the morning, and thus far too early for any decent person to be up on a Sunday. He had been rudely awakened by the sun saying good morning. Resigned to not getting anymore sleep, he started heading towards the bathroom, only to be stopped in his tracks with awe. Before him was no less than four dozen gross of cookies, of all kinds arrayed all over their apartment, and a crowd of students in front of their 'door'.
"Morning, Atin," Max said, a tray of raw cookie dough going into the oven. "How was the taco party?"
"It was great. There were four of them, and we all enjoyed it. Now mind telling me when you became the pied piper? Or maybe you have another explanation for the horde of children outside our room on Sunday?" Atin appeared apprehensive at the number of students, wondering where they would fit, and how long they would stay, since he couldn't shower till after they left.
"Oh, they'll leave bit by bit." Max popped a lid onto a plastic container, before handing it to a student, who walked off, one other student leaving with them. "They started showing up when I got to the third batch and I ended up just throwing batches into containers and giving them to teams."
"Okayyyyy. And why are you baking so many cookies? For that matter, where did you get all the ingredients for this?" Atin began slowly inching towards a sugar cookie, eager for a morning snack.
Max looked at Atin in silence. "Well...I have to go get more groceries today, so...does that answer the ingredients thing? That batch that just went in is the last one." He started throwing cookies into more containers, giving them out to the students until there was only one left at the door. "Last batch'll be out in just a few minutes, Jade. Would you like to take a seat on the couch while you wait?"
"Oh, um...sure, Mr. Max. Thanks!" was the bubbly reply from the last student.
Atin chucked a cookie at the bubbly girl, grumbling just loud enough to be heard, "It's too early for people to be this cheerful. Go away."
Max sighed. "Atin, no throwing cookies at students, even if it would just bounce off their aura. Jade, go ahead and take a seat, he's just not much of a morning person before his shower," Max explained, taking one of the chairs at the table for himself.
"I can't have that shower until all the students you've ensorcelled with baked goods leave. So until they leave, they shall be my target practice. Besides I doubt Jade mind's the extra cookies." As he spoke, he threw another cookie which hit the wall far away from the student, a result of his nonexistent depth perception. "Or least, she might not mind if I could get them close to her."
Jade giggled as she started eating the first cookie that had been thrown in her general direction, walking to the couch. "It's okay, I think most of us have gotten used to Mr. Atin's personality by this point," she said, leaning into the couch's back.
"That is an alarming prospect. I'm gonna have to try harder to keep you little nightmares off balance. I shall, from this day forward, turn the sarcasm up to level three! Beware students." Atin struck a dramatic pose, the effect more than a little diminished by the t-shirt and flannel pants.
"Oh, you going for a Power Rangers audition? Why didn't you tell me, Atin? I'm hurt," Max said with mock disappointment in his voice. Or perhaps actual disappointment, considering the sight in front of him.
"What's this? Sarcasm from Max? Jade, tell me you were recording that! This is a rare event, and it must be chronicled, or else everyone will think us liars!" Atin tried to hide the smile that was breaking out on his face, unable to keep the corner of his mouth from quirking upwards. At that moment, a DING came from the kitchen countertop, prompting Atin to walk over to the oven to take care of packaging the cookies.
Jade was having a good laugh from the couch at the teaching assistants' back and forth. "I'll try to remember to have my scroll recording next time you two are in the same room, sir," she replied once her laughter subsided enough for her to speak in full sentences.
"Good to know that some of our students are capable of learning. Sometimes I despair for the youth of Remnant, but then a brief glimmer of hope arrives. Now, here are your cookies. Shoo! I want my shower, and you have a paper to write for Oobleck." He began hurrying Jade towards the door.
"Thank you, Mr. Max, Mr. Atin." Jade said over her shoulder, moving through the curtain of beads under her own power.
Once she was gone, Max sighed, shaking his head. "Atin, should it be worrying we've gotten used to the...background characters just being silhouettes? She's a good kid, but it's still off putting, ya know?" Max asked Atin.
"I mean, I was always terrible with faces anyway, so it doesn't bother me. Although I have finally stopped jumping when they talk to me. It's just…weird. And given the current situation, that's saying something. At least they have different voices. I gotta try and remember who came to taco morning. They were good kids, but I think they all just have insomnia, which is why they were up." Atin made his way to bathroom, ready to start his day.
Later that day, while Max was scratching notes out on paper from yet another book Peter Port had recommended for Grimm Studies, he heard rather frantic clattering coming from the door. He turned around to see Ruby Rose wildly looking around the room, seeming as if she had sprinted full out to get to his shared room with Atin. "Can I help you, Ruby?" he asked, putting the pencil down.
"I heard there were cookies!" was her reply, causing Max to sigh, rubbing his hand against his face.
"Four hours ago, yes. The cookies have long since been doled out," Max replied. "In fact, I remember your partner walking off with a container for your team. I take it she didn't let you know?" However, before he had even finished the question, Ruby had dashed out of the room, leaving petals to flutter in her wake to the floor. "Well, alright then."
"You realize all you've done is delay the problem until Weiss comes here, demanding to know why you sicced an angry, cookie bereft Ruby on her." Atin glared at Max, hoping this wouldn't come back to bite them.
Max shrugged. "Hey, I told her to make sure to share them with her team. If she didn't share the cookies, then it's clearly her fault."
"Fair enough. But if she storms in here, it's your problem. I'll take the express exit." Atin dragged his chair over by the window, ready to leave at a moment's notice.
